The Ohan’ali Town bonfire ended late. Most of the Fiers went home to sleep, but Delmarya traveled to Mua Pel’am to perform her conservationist work.
Normally, she was the only one on the beach after midnight, with just the sound of the waves brushing against the shore disturbing the silence that surrounded her, which was peaceful and lonely…
But tonight was different, as there was a young man about. Deli decided to do the polite thing and introduce herself.
Excited by the fact that she was no longer alone and feeling giddy after hearing someone else’s voice, Deli felt the urge to do something that wasn’t exactly polite, something mischievous.
She scared him.
Luckily, he took it well. They both found the joke hilarious.
His name was Cabe, he was a townie, and he lived nearby.
Cabe: But why scare me?
Deli: Young men should be careful about being out late at night!
Cabe: Why? What could happen? This place is pretty peaceful.
Deli: Anything could happen. You never know—you could even encounter a hungry vampire.
Like me. She thought.
Cabe: I don’t think so.
Deli shrugged and drank from a plasma pack.
Cabe: What’s that?
Deli: It’s nothing, just a drink.
Cabe invited her home. His family had re-purposed the wreckage of an abandoned ship and he thought she might like to see it.
As they approached, he tried to scare her. It didn’t work. Playfully, he tried the line she used on him on her, which also didn’t work.
Cabe: Shouldn’t young women like you be careful about entering strangers’ homes at night?
Deli: No. You can’t scare me. In fact, innocent young men like you should be careful about who you invite over. You could be inviting a vampire in…
He only laughed.
His home was interesting. Deli didn’t get to see much because his family was sleeping, but he showed her the kitchen and main living area.
It was cozy inside, but also well ventilated and not at all stuffy or hot. She liked it and complimented Cabe and his family’s recycling prowess.
She even got a selfie inside with Cabe.
They seemed to be getting on quite well. Cabe thought she was funny and cute even if she did joke about vampires too much. So why not try flirting?
Deli wasn’t ready.
Cabe’s pick up line crashed and burned.
What made it worse was that one of his family members had woken and entered the room, so now there was even a third wheel.
Deli: Listen, I have to go. It’s getting really late. I need to do my homework… but hopefully, I’ll see you around.
She wasn’t sure if Cabe was her type. Based on first impressions alone, her attraction to some men was strong enough to make her want to immediately do something flirty to capture their attention. With Cabe it definitely wasn’t like that, but the last time she let first impressions rule her brain, she’d wanted to hit on her married relative. Given that, Deli didn’t know if she could trust her instincts or if she should even consider dating as a vampire.
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