Vampire Heart 24

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Scroll 25: Public Exposure
Vicente blinked as he stepped into the bright white light of the store that glared down on them, "And I thought the sun was bad..."
"You people actually pay to be exposed to this?" Dameon hissed.
"Saying 'you people' makes it obvious that you're not human..." Naoko muttered. “Or you sound really racist….”
“What’s racist?” Dameon scratched his head innocently.
“Nothing important,” Naoko replied, adoring his child-like innocence, despite what type of vampire he is.
"Are you sure leaving everything loose like this will work?" Claude stroked his long white blonde hair that was covering his elfin ears.
"Of course it will," Naoko assured him. "But we need to focus on buying food and other things that we need."
"That you and Vicente need," Dameon muttered. "We generally don't eat...or drink that often."
Vicente licked his lips as he took a deep breath, "It smells so delicious in here..." Vicente's icy eyes grew fainter as he breathed in the tempting scent of human blood.
"Oh, no..." Naoko sighed, "I forgot to take Vicente to feed on somebody. Now he'll be thirsty and sniffing every human he comes into contact with..." she slapped her forehead in angst.
"You have him on a ten foot leash, so be grateful for that," Claude replied.
Naoko seized Vicente's hand and pulled him away from the people a step and a half behind her, "That's a little too much leeway for this..."
"Please Mistress..." Vicente licked his lips and started toward a teenage boy before Claude snagged his shirt and made him hit the ground.
"Vicente, we can't risk public exposure like this," Claude said simply before releasing Vicente's shirt.
"Mistress would hate you..." Dameon muttered to Vicente.
Vicente bit his lower lip as Naoko led him down the aisles of the store grabbing whatever was needed. Dameon simply glanced around and shrugged off the urge to fulfill the desires of the women present in the store. Claude drifted through the aisles being as useful as he could to aid Naoko.
"How do you know such good looking men?" a woman asked.
"My boyfriend and roommates," Naoko replied.
"Aren't you lucky," the woman remarked before Naoko walked away, bringing the three vampires with her.
"Who's the boyfriend?" Dameon grinned.
"Obviously Vicente," Claude interjected.
Naoko blushed, "I just said the first thing that came to mind."
"You should just mind your own business," Vicente hissed to Dameon.
"What's wrong with you?" Dameon asked.
"I'm so thirsty..." Vicente whispered, almost agonized.
"You can feed when we get back," Naoko assured him. "But I need food and we need to make Dameon and Claude more up-to-date with their wardrobe."
"Does that mean they'll stop borrowing mine?" Vicente asked, glaring at his clothing being used to make Dameon and Claude look more modern.
"Yes," Naoko promised before she kissed his cheek adoringly. "I promise they'll have their own clothes."
"I prefer having some culture and style, though. Why did the 1940's have to go out of style?" Claude asked stubbornly.
"Trust me, there is plenty of culture and style with men's blouses today," Naoko replied.
"What about comfortable things?" Dameon asked hopefully.
"Anything you can think of..." Naoko assured them as they entered the check out line.
"Then how does fashion keep evolving?" Claude asked.
"Because lately it's been more about what you're not wearing instead of what you're wearing," Vicente replied, motioning toward his tattered white T-shirt and tight blue jeans.
"And that's considered handsome?" Claude was clearly repulsed.
"Girls these days have a thing for bad boys, Naoko assured Claude.
"No offense, but this clothing is dilapidated and tattered beyond attraction," Claude shuddered.
Vicente shrugged, "The bad boy thing goes with my boyish good looks and roughed up clothing."
"You were trying to be the hot guy?" Naoko asked as she set the last of their groceries on the counter.
"Of course," Vicente grinned. "I get invited into houses if I look more appealing."
Dameon shook his head, "Who says you need an invitation?"
"Of course rapists don't wait for an invite," Vicente hissed.
The cashier stared at the four of them in horrific disbelief as she threw everything into bags. "You're the one millionth customer. Just take your groceries and be on your way."
"Thanks?" Naoko asked, unsure of the cashier.
"Vicente scared her with the talk of a rapist," Claude muttered.
Naoko glared at Vicente, "You can call him something other than rapist in public, you know."
"How is sexual deviant?" Vicente asked.
"Just as bad..." Naoko growled.
"I just won't talk to him then," Vicente assured her. "But, on the bright side, we got this all for free."
"But, she said we were the one millionth customer..." Dameon interjected.
Naoko stopped her sarcastic remark when she saw a vampire feeding on a woman in broad daylight in public. "Oh, no..."

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Vampire Heart 26