An’s pale white skin glowed from the moonlight. Her eyes were fixed on the moon as if it were a loving mother. All was quiet. Mr. Boyle had not returned and Roy studied her intense face. There was only the chirping of crickets emitting from outside.

Roy broke the peace, “So, do you have anything to say?” He was waiting in silence for some time, and he had enough.

She cocked her head to face him. “Why would I?”

“You aren’t good at this, are you?” Roy frowned. He complained, “Do you really not have anything to say? Nothing to ask? If Arthur was here, you know he wouldn’t shut up. He would be asking ‘why did you name it Red Moon Café,’ or ‘what type of name is that’ or anything at all, really.”

No reaction came from An. She said, “You named it Red Moon Café because you saw the red moon outside and it fit because I was a Vampire.” She said it as if it was a commonly known fact.

“Wow,” Roy said, the excitement and energy blown out of him, “Is the name really that obvious? I thought it was clever – do I need to change it?” It had to be perfect; having the right name was crucial to him. Ideas began to churn through his head, but none of them made sense. He groaned, running his hands through his black hair.

Then, An broke her silence and said, “It’s a nice name.”

Nothing more came out of her mouth as she emptily stared at Roy. He let out a sigh and retorted, “Color me shocked, Miss ‘No-Opinion’ actually has an opinion. But,” he added, “Thanks. That’s what I was looking for.”

Moments later Mr. Boyle came hustling up the staircase, “Sorry about that, I misplaced the paperwork – had it in the wrong pocket – so it took me some time to find it.”

“Is now really the best time to go over the papers and sign them?” Roy asked. There was no light except from the distant streetlights and the moon. Reading the fine print would be a difficult prospect. Without any furniture, there wasn’t even anything to write on besides the wall.

“Normally that would be true,” Mr. Boyle agreed with a shrug, “But there is only one paper to read and sign: an authorization that this is the property you want. The rest of the payment and paperwork will be taken care of Lord Einkraden, if you recall.”

That’s right, Roy thought. He forgot that in the contract he entered with the Lord, the wealth of the Gieryoums was placed into his custody, only to be used for managing the Gieryoum estate as needed. Of course Roy could take out whatever funds he desired, he simply had to go through Lord Einkraden first and notify him. “Alright then,” Roy hesitantly said, “Let me take a look.”

Salin handed over the parchment and Roy held it under the moonlight, reading its contents. It was a straightforward authorization and he saw nothing hidden in the wording. A dotted line was neatly drawn at the bottom, decorated with an ‘X’ to its side. “Give me the pen. I’ll sign it.” Mr. Boyle gave him a pen. His stomach went cold, his hands vibrated, and his heart pounded. Doubt, anxiety, nervousness all washed over him. Like ripping of a sticky Band-Aid, he swiftly jotted down his name on the dotted line. Handing the paper back over to Mr. Boyle, he then only felt joy.

“That’s that then,” Mr. Boyle remarked with a smile. ‘There’s nothing else I’ll need from you, but if you so happen to desire my services again or if you have any questions, please feel free to seek me out.” And then he left.

Roy basked in the new home feel, but it quickly faded. “Now what do we do?” He asked. It was the middle of the night. They had no furniture to sleep on. Dinner was skipped from the stormy weather and the property searching. There was no cooking supplies or tools to even whip up something simple.

“We wait,” An gave as a solution. She didn’t seem bothered by the situation. Roy wished at least she would try and help to figure something out, but he thought that maybe her being a nigh immortal Vampire caused her to not really care about the day-to-day things. What was a matter of life and comfort to Roy might as well be trivial to her.

“Well, there’s only one thing we can do then.” Roy shrugged and sat down on the floor, propping his back up against the wall. There was no way he could get a bed to sleep on or food to eat at the middle of the night, so he decided he would just have to sleep on the hard wooden floor. An sat down on the other side of the room. It was hard for him to fall asleep with her watching him without blinking, but he somehow managed to do so.

Sunlight beaming through the window and onto his face woke up Roy early the next morning. He opened up his eyes. They were burning. He tried to get up, but stopped himself. Sleeping on the hard ground tweaked his back, causing him discomfort. Across him An sat in the exact same position she sat in last night, still watching Roy. “Did you sleep at all, An?”

“I am rested,” she said.

“Alright then, let’s get started,” Roy proclaimed, rubbing his hands together. A lot of work needed to be done; furniture needed to be bought and the café had to be set up. Despite his poor sleep, he was full of energy to tackle the day. Without waiting for An, he began rushing down the stairs.

He heard the front door creak open. He froze on the steps. Clacking of boots rang through and Roy resumed his descent at a measured pace. Waiting at the bottom of the house was a dapper man, clearly old with his uncountable wrinkles, large spectacles, and wispy white beard.

“Can I help you?” Roy asked the old man.

“Just dropping in to say hello to the new neighbors,” he replied with an exceptionally warm smile. An glided down the steps and joined them, and the old man instantly brushed past Roy and went over to the An. For the first time, Roy was the one that was completely ignored – as if he didn’t even exist. The old man took of his top hat and performed a half-bow in front of An, “It’s an honor and a pleasure seeing you after all this time, Anorlynn.”

“Likewise, Doromun.”

“Wait, you know each other?” Roy questioned the two.

“Of course, boy,” the man named Doromun scoffed. “Let me tell you son of Gieryoum, I only have her to thank for the last 2,000 or so years of my life.”

Roy, astonished, asked, “Wait, you’re a vampire?”

“You are uninformed young one,” Doromun said, gazing at Roy as if he was a lost puppy.

“The Eihlverion died before he could be taught,” An interjected and explained.

Doromun nodded his head, “Ah, that must be it. My condolences. But I digress. You are correct in your assessment; I am a vampire, but I am an Original Vampire, one created by the Anorlynnelvum herself.” Roy looked at An, assuming that meant her. “Anyways, where were we?” Doromun stroked his beard and tilted his head slightly. “Ah!” He exclaimed with a clap of his hands, “I didn’t come here just to greet you. As a courtesy, I will show you around and introduce you to our little community.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Roy said. Everyone he knew was left behind. As a stranger in this city, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to meet and mingle his new neighbors. He only wondered what Doromun meant by ‘our little community’. Roy had a vague idea or two, but he had the hunch it wouldn’t be a normal one at the very least.

“Now, boy, let us make haste while the day is young.” The old man gracefully walked out with his cane. Roy followed with An close behind. “So, boy, what was your name again?” He asked while leading them through the city streets.

“Roy.”

“Roy Gieryoum,” Doromun said to himself. “A good name if I say so. I am Lord Doromun Salazar. Retired for some time I may be, but a lord I still am,” he turned around and gave a playful wink.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Salazar,” Roy said. “I have to ask though, how did you know we were here?”

“It’s simple, my boy. Naturally, those with the blood of Vampires can sense the progenitor. The strongest Vampires, ones with the purest blood, can sense where she is with precision. Other Vampires can do so as well, but it’s far less accurate. Anorlynn also has the power to amplify her presence or hide it, depending on how she’s feeling,” he explained with a chuckle. Lord Salazar concluded, “As of now, She’s making it very easy to sense her.”

Roy glanced over at An for confirmation, but her face was a stone, not changing in the slightest. His Vampire curiosity was sated for now, so he asked “Lord Salazar, do you have any recommendations on where I can get furnishing for my new house?”

“Nope,” the old man straightly said, “But I’ll introduce you to someone who knows. Their house is our first stop.”

Lord Salazar had led them across Canor’s way and onto one of the side streets that branched out. He stopped at a dark brick house and knocked thrice on the door with his cane. A tall, brawny man answered the door, “And for what reason do I owe the pleasure of Lord Salazar knocking at my doorstep?”

“Haven’t you heard, Jim? You have new neighbors. Better turn that scowl into a smile,” Lord Salazar replied tongue-in-cheek.

“I heard about them, Doromun. No need to be snappy. He must be the new Lord Gieryoum,” Jim noted, nodding at Roy. “And she is…” Jim trailed off. His mouth ajar and his eyes wide.

“Yes, Jim, she’s our Anorlynn.”

Jim lowered his head and gazed and said in a hushed voice, “It truly is an honor to be graced with your presence.”

His pristine politeness was interrupted by two small children darting out from behind him. “Is she really here, is she really her?” Two girls that couldn’t be older than ten, ran up to An with wide-eyes. “Are you our Anorlynn?” The taller one full of bravery asked, her voice filled with hope and excitement.

Jim bounded out from the doorstep to grab his two little girls. But, he stopped and place and didn’t dare take another step.

“Yes I am, little ones.” An replied with a sweetness unknown to Roy. She kneeled down and haphazardly rubbed their heads. Jim, Lord Salazar, and Roy didn’t move a muscle. None of them had the will to disrupt her. An was smiling.