The Vampire's Apprentice

"To get you something to eat, obviously. If you pass out or die of starvation, I shan't have anyone to talk to," Calncy said with a pouty face. "Besides, this bench is uncomfortable."
 
"I'm not... starving." Kitty mumbled quietly, but did decide to follow him. She sneezed again. "You get used to the benches after a while."
 
Clancy did not argue with her as he walked to his usual diner. He had no idea if the food was any good or not, but there were usually a few people there at all times, people who looked to be upper blue-collar, and therefore had at least some good taste. He held the door open for Kitty. It was not much to look at, the building as worn as an old shoe, but it was clean and proper.
"The booth in the corner," he directed Kitty.
 
Kitty followed his lead, not asking much of anything else. She felt a tad out of place amongst it all, especially since she hardly remembered the last time she'd been in a diner. At the least, it set her somewhat at ease to know there were a few other people present. Everything within her had been yelling stranger danger, and it was a rare occasion for her to ignore this voice.
 
Clancy sat in his usual seat, sighing in relief as the squeaky vinyl seats cushioned his backside. Ah, so much better than the wooden bench! He kept his back to the wall with another wall to his left so he could see everyone as well as the entrance and the corner of the exit. The paranoid seat.
No sooner had they gotten comfortable than a waitress came over. She looked exactly what you'd expect a middle-aged waitress of diner to look like, and she flashed them a gap-toothed smile. "Ah, brought a friend tonight, then, sir?" she said as she placed two menus down.
"Yes, Flo," Clancy said. "She is the daughter of a cousin, and while I am not sure what that makes us, I thought I'd bring her in for a bite to eat."
"An excellent idea! What can I get you to drink, hun?" Flo asked, looking at Kitty.
 
"Second cousins," Kitty informed, "and water will be fine, thank you." She smiled in return, seeming not the least bit nervous despite the fact that she was completely wary of everything. This was unfamiliar territory... but he was right about the benches.
 
"Water it is, and coffee for you, darling?" Flo grinned as she scribbled it down.
"Yes, please, Flo, just the usual," Clancy smiled in returned.
"Gotcha! I'll be right back with that while ya'll study your menus."
Clancy waited until Flo had bustled off before waving to the menu. "I ate shortly before coming to see you, so get what you'd like."
 
She nodded thoughtfully, examining the menu briefly but hardly focusing on it. Kitty found something she could save part of for later—a sandwich of some kind or another, though she almost instantly forgot its name—then set the menu down and straightened it so it was aligned with the table. She hadn't said a word.
 
Clancy didn't even think of carrying on a conversation as he browsed the menu then set it aside. The pictures were decent. He watched the people quietly. There were only five others tonight, two of them men who seemed to be discussing something in a relaxed manner.
Flo returned with the drinks then lifted her pad. "So! What'll it be?"
"Nothing for me, thank you, Flo," Clancy smiled. "I believe my cousin, sorry, second cousin will have some sort of sandwich. Am I correct?"
 
"Yeah...." So he was paying attention. Kitty found this interesting. She further informed Flo on her meal, but said nothing of his curious observation.
 
Clancy looked down into his coffee and gave it a little stir. When he looked up, he saw Kitty studying him again. "Yes? What is it this time?" he asked wearily but with a smile.
 
She really didn't have a valid reason this time. It was too late to look away, however, so she pulled a thought off the top of her head. Kitty lowered her voice somewhat, finding the subject rather odd to be speaking of in public. "Since you're not, do you still happen to know of any mythical creatures? Did that cousin of yours ever find anything?"
 
"Not that I am aware of, which I believe drove him even more insane," Clancy replied. "Then again, he might have, and it erased his memory, if it had that sort of capability. Who knows?" He stirred his coffee lazily. "Hmm, I forgot to ask for decafe tonight."
 
Kitty tapped her fingers on her cheek, resting her chin on her palm. She was thinking. "What do you mean, drove him more insane? Was he truly that obsessed with the subject? Did you ever pay close enough attention to him?"
 
"You have an odd way of emphasising your words," he said in amusement. "Yes, he was so incredibly obsessed with all things supernatural and occultish that he drove his entire family away. Oh, there were plenty of attempts to help him, some tried to understand and listen, some just tried to 'fix' him, but it was all in vain. The biggest problem... he was not very good at it. He spent two weeks staring at a rock determined it was some kind of troll, and once bought a map to the stars thinking it was an astrological map when it was, indeed, a map to celebrity houses." He paused deliberately. "And then he still used it as an astrological map despite attempts to tell him otherwise and thought he found luck in the constalation of Enya and the constellation of Oprah was bad luck when in the house Gates of Bill."
 
Kitty sat back, brushing the hair behind her ears again. She knew she probably would've done something similar. Maybe not quite to that extent, but definitely something similar.

"You have an odd way of telling stories." She replied, not exactly catching the humor, as she wasn't very well-versed in celebrities. "What was his name, anyways?"
 
"Do I? I never noticed," he replied. "My cousin's name? George, as it happens. A rather bland name compared to Clancy."
 
"He has one," Clancy said calmly.
Flo came then with Kitty's order. "Here you are, dear! Be sure to save room for desert, now! We have the best pies in town, and the blueberry came out of the oven not five minutes ago." She winked at them both then sashayed away.
"Dig in while it is hot!" Clancy encouraged then lifted his cup for a sip.
 
Fine. He won. She let it drop, gently picking up the sandwich.

Delicious.

It was almost a struggle to refrain from eating the remainder, saving it for another meal. Despite her ever-longing gaze at the second half, she did have enough resolve not to devour it outright.
 
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