The quiet tinkling of the small bell above the door announced the entrance of the vampire. Each stride seemed to be mapped, as if he'd practiced waltzing into this very store to walk down the very same aisle in search of the very same book over and over again. The pearly haired young man offered a brief, rather faint, smile to the man behind the counter before hiding himself in the tall shelves of aged texts. Verité hadn't really intended on coming to 'Jacobson's Used and Rare Books' tonight; he had just fed, and had given into his slight thought at perhaps stopping by sometime. He'd left the body somewhere it would hopefully not be found, the location of which doesn't really matter at the time being. He'd taken the bus and ended up here.

So why not stop in and take a look?

A slim, long-fingered hand reached for one of the particularly old-looking books on the shelf, one titled in French. A small smile took over his pale lips and he opened the aged crimson cover with immense care. The title read 'Vampires Célèbres De La France'. How .. ironic? A slight chuckle escaped him as he leafed through it. He paused once, thinking he spotted his own name, but it wasn't, and he almost felt resentful of the author. The resent was soon replaced by a sudden emptiness. Loneliness. Verité sighed, still staring at the wrong name..

Darcy had been meandering about the bookstore for nearly a quarter of an hour now, and still hadn't found anything. Books weren't generally his preferred form of entertainment, but sitting around with a book was far better than just sitting around, bored out of his mind. As he trudged down the stairs from the second floor, a slight frown furrowed his brow. There were a lot of things he would rather be doing tonight. Active things, particularly those done once he'd shifted from his human form to that of a wolf. Then he could do all the fun stuff, like getting people to scratch his ears, and chasing squirrels.

But, he sighed inwardly, his hand drifting away on its own to touch the outline of the bandages under his shirt, I promised I would not do anything stupid to make things worse,... it is for my own good anyway. I guess.

He stifled another sigh as he reached the floor. His amber eyes, obscured by thick strands of his brown hair, scanned the room for anything interesting. His gaze stopped on the pale young man in front of one of the bookcases. He seemed to be the same age as Darcy himself, which is what convinced Darcy to go and talk to him.
Darcy wasn't the shy sort, you see. And, as usual, he was aching for company.

On nearly-silent sneaker-clad feet, Darcy padded up behind Verité and looked over his shoulder at the book he held.
"What are you reading?" he asked, in a whisper - the bookstore seemed to demand quiet, in the same way a library would. "C'est - it is interesting?"

A few moments passed before the 'young' man began realizing that he should be damned grateful he didn't see his name on the page before him; it would raise many questions should someone manage to learn his name, then happen to pick up this book. And .. of course, this would no doubtedly mean they could read French as well. Which wasn't very uncommon, now was it? 'C'est stupide,' He grew momentarily frustrated with both himself, and the book. For whatever reason--the book had bothered poor Verité. 'Pourquoi lu un livre qui s'attriste me!?' The vampire's thought was nearly inturupted by the whisper behind him. Ver froze, but appeared as he had just a moment before. Who was this? Had they followed him here? A police officer, perhaps? Investigating .. ?

That couldn't be; Verité had always taken extra care while delivering used corpses to their hidden graves .. ever since he had fled his home for a second time. He had remained silent for almost too long, an answer would need to be provided or he would risk appearing more the criminal. Or at least a wierdo.

"Rien, simplement .." His words faultered. Wait, did he speak fluent French? Or was he trying to confuse him? Verité felt suddenly more stupid, and slammed the book shut [which worked to a lesser extent of 'snappiness' as he would have hoped for] with a dull sort of clap and slid it easily between the two others he had previously retrieved it from. "I .. Just happen to be browsing," He turned around for the first time, taking in the male before him. There was a scent on him .. something .. canine. Slight and faint, however. Dark, dark eyes looked him over, taking in his unqiue features and choices of clothing.

He was a tad shorter than Verité, but not by more than a few inches. His mussy hair added to his comfortable sense [is that what it is ..?] and his face was easy to look at, something Verité didn't mind doing at all. His cheekbones and jaw line were quite attractive, and he seemed like one that smiled quite a bit. His clothing was quite a contrast compared to Verité's slimming black suit. Hmm, undercover, perhaps? Verité couldn't be sure.

"Rien? Mouais, I know just what you mean. I 'ave been here for a good while now, and I 'aven't found anything to interest me." Darcy grinned, mentally noting that it seemed that this person would understand him if he accidentally trailed off into French, which he often (accidentally!) did. "But then, I am not much of a reader. I get ,... anxious? If I sit in one place too long. And I 'ardly ever 'ave the patience to finish an entire book."

Darcy didn't retain any of a wolf's heightened senses when in human form, but taking a wolf's shape did teach him to observe things more closely. At the moment, though, he didn't see any reason to look for anything strange about Verité. Even if the other young man's reaction to the greeting had seemed odd, Darcy was used to people being startled when he spoke to them out of the blue.
"Look at me, going on and I 'aven't even introduced myself. Name's Darcy," he said, offering to shake hands.

Verité remained silent, still taking in the not-so-shy male that had just approached. His voice was accented much like his own, but unfortunately, the vampires French stained tones had deteriorated somewhat over time. Sure, he still sounded French, it was easy to tell, but not as heavy as it had been when he was younger. So, nothing interested him in this little book store. Out of all of these books? He nodded, flashing a slow half grin to the other. "Oui, oui." The pale man began to feel himself relax a tad as the other began speaking of his lack of patience. Verité couldn't help but wonder what in the world the young man would be doing in a book store, if he didn't have the pateince to read a book. Light reading, perhaps.

Finally, a name was given, as well as an offered handshake. Verité hesitated for only a moment, so short it may have gone unnotice. ".. Verité; it's a pleasure, Darcy," He enjoyed speaking the name. It was simple, easy to remember, and matched the young man perfectly. Like a frame to a painting. "I have .. just come to the city; haven't met anyone really, yet. Haven't .. seen much of the city," He explained, trying to sound convincing. Hopefully he seemed to blend with the new folk Darcy was used to. Yeah, because, you know, Ver was dressed just like any other casual citizen of the city.

..Not.

Darcy smiled faintly - now he had a name to attach to the person. Verité. 'Truth'. How,... old-fashioned, he thought, But it suits him. He shifted the majority of his weight onto his left foot, and rested his hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease.

"Ah, you're new? I've only been in Bayfield since,... mid-winter, if I remember right. Not the best time to move somewhere. Still, I think I know the city fairly well now," he smirked. "And as for meeting people - it only takes a little effort. 'Ow long since you moved 'ere? And where are you from?"

Verité nodded as the other asked if he was new. The vampire listened to the other speak, telling him of his recent past. Well, for a short time, anyways. After mentioning that it only took alittle effort to meet people, Darcy questioned his own origin. And how long he'd been here. Uhmm .. ?

".. Well, I have .. come from France; only been here a few days," After this, he shut up for a few more minutes, his hands sliding smoothly into his pockets. He tried to mimic the other's relaxed actions, hoping he wasn't standing out terribly or something. With a slight sigh, he searched his mind for something else they could speak about--and to keep as far away from any subjects that may include lack of enjoying daylight, blood, or .. something that may touch a vampie nerve. ".. Do you .. have a .. pet?" Verité blinked at himself. Uh ..

He tilted his head slightly to one side to listen, his expression telling that he was paying attention to every word Verité said. He was pretty good at listening, having had a lot of practice at it.

"A pet?" Darcy repeated, his eyes widening slightly. Strange question to ask,... "Euh,.. well,... sort of... 'ow did you guess? I 'ave fur on my shirt or something?"
He didn't have a pet. He did change into one, but that didn't count, and he couldn't really prove it. If he was going to pretend to be his own pet, he'd prefer to do so when he was actually in animal form.

The pale young man felt both relieved, and that he'd crossed a personal line with Darcy by asking him about a pet. Relief--because this meant alittle less attention on where he was from, and himself in general, and the aprehension--because the way Darcy answered .. sort of .. was a tad unnerving.

"Non, Je .. I was .. just thinking about .. getting one," He beamed inwardly at his quick come back. ".. I came here tonight, to ehh .. find a book on .. pets." The vampire grinned, flashing a white smile and appearing less uptight than he had in the entire time he'd been in the old bookstore.

"Oh, really?" Darcy smiled brightly, looking a little relieved. He was afraid he was going to have to explain why he only had a pet at night. "What kind,- a dog? I am a dog person myself. Unless you are going to get somesing like a goldfish."

Darcy liked most animals. He just didn't like goldish very much. Might as well get a goldifsh screensaver as an actual goldfish, in his opinion.

Verité was pleased that both of them felt alittle more relaxed. And it was fine, the vampire didn't intend on harming the young man. There was something different about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on, however. This frustrated him slightly; made him feel stupid. But, hopefully the other male didn't realize that he was speaking with a two-hundered-year-old-vampire. That wouldn't be so great at the moment.

The fairly formally-clad male searched his mind for a common pet. A common pet fit for one person, in an apartment, with no light. Uh .. A bat? No, that's uncommon. ".. Ah .. I am .. unsure as of yet," He smiled. "Perhaps a canine. I happen to dislike cats." And that was certainly true.

"A canine. In other words, a dog," he grinned easily, his yellow eyes seeming to glow, "Dogs are good, surtout the bigger ones, as long as they are friendly. 'Ave you ever 'ad a pet dog before? They can be somesing of a big responsibility."

His family had used to have a dog, a big labrador by the name of Ourson. Ourson had passed away a few years ago, being quite an old dog. Darcy knew about the responsibility of having a pet, as he'd been the one to take care of the silly creature most of the time.


((translation: surtout=especially
Ourson = little bear,or teddy bear))

The vampire nodded to the other as he spoke 'in other words'. Heh, Verité was just speaking whatever came to his mind, actually. He wasn't intending on purchasing a book on the ownership and care of a dog, nor did he intend on purchasing a canine, let alone any pet at all. But, he needed to keep the other male from prying into his past; if he found out too much, it would all become quite confusing, and may raise some unanswerable questions. But the boy seemed kind, and Verité had almost dismissed any thoughts of him being some sort of police officer or someone investigating the missing girl.

Verité smiled as Darcy asked of any past dogs. The vampire shook his head, "Non, non. Je suis .. was .. too busy." He removed a hand from his pocket to brush a few pale locks from before his dark eyes. "What about yourself, Darcy?" He used the other male's name for a second time, enjoying it as he had before. Verité often did enjoy knowing and using the names of others. Including his victims. He couldn't explain why, however. Just one of those quirks that came with his personality.

"Oh, euh... yes, I used to 'ave one. 'E wasn't exactly mine, though, More of a family pet, though I was the one to take care of 'im most of the time," Darcy smirked self-mockingly. He liked it when people used his name, or when he used theirs - it made things so much more personal. As if they'd known each other for a while already. "Ourson - that was 'is name - was a big labrador. Enormous. Or maybe I only think that because I was a very little kid when we 'ad 'im. In any case, 'e's been dead for a while now."

He shrugged a shoulder. "It really is a lot of responsibility to keep a dog, though. I 'ope you've thought about that..."

The pearl-haired young man smiled as the other spoke of his past dog. Verité was indeed one to dislike cats; he thought them sneaky, slinking, dirty creatures. Canines, on the other hand, were extremley loyal, and tended to think more for the ones they cared for, or were in care of, rather than constantly themselves. Slightly .. hipocrytical of himself to say that, however. Wasn't it a fact that he thought mainly for himself, and was loyal to no one but himself? Well, on most occasions he tried to leave enough in his victims for them to wake again. He sighed inwardly as the other spoke of the dogs name. 'Ourson', Verité smiled at the name.

At the mention of death, Verité felt again like he had crossed a boundary. But as soon as young Darcy shrugged and told him again of the responsibility of a pet, the vampire began having second thoughts on his 'thinking about a pet' alibi. "Oui, I know," He sighed and glanced at some of the books. "Perhaps I .. will stick with a plant?" Verité chuckled quietly, running a slender hand over a few of the books. "Well, still nothing has caught my attention," The vampire sighed and turned his dark eyes to the brown haired boy. "You seem to have .. good advice to give, any suggestions for what a .. lonely man such as myself may find .. comforting?" Again he chuckled, returning his hand to his pocket.

But, his thoughts plagued him again as he realized what he just said may have been taken as a 'come on'. His smile faded slightly, and he looked as if someone had just said the exact same 'come on' to him. Ehhhgh.

"A plant? Well, if you're looking for somesing easy to take care of,...then I suppose you could do with that," he said, shaking his head and grinning. Plants were only slightly below fish on his list of bad pets. Pretty and interesting, but not much fun.

He opened his mouth to reply to the vampire's question, then stopped and closed his mouth again, blinking in a surprised sort of way. He frowned, and then answered with a confused-sounding ,"Excusez-moi...? Say that again....?"

Verité blinked once. Twice .. a third time, before he finally thought that opening his mouth to push air out in the form of speach would probably be one of the best ways to save some of their dignity. "I .. I .. Books, I mean. I .." He shut himself up again, still feeling incredibaly stupid.

"I mean .. I .. Do you know .. any .. any good books .. ?" Verité had worried a thread in the inside of his pocket to even smaller threads .. if that was possible .. before withdrawing his hand completley and running it nervously through his hair. What a looooser.

"Books,... euh,... no, like I said before, I'm not really the book-reading type of person." Darcy said awkwardly, reaching a hand back to scratch the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at the vampire. "Euh,... heh,... dyou 'ave a favorite genre of books, maybe? That you could look for...?"

The vampire chuckled rather nervously, understanding how awkward things had just become. "Ehm .. Horror .. ?" Verité wasn't very good at thinking off of the top of his head .. or at least, he didn't come off as very convincing. He sighed inwardly; just a few minutes ago he'd been rather happy with himself for thinking up such a good reason and whatnot for being there .. looking for a pet. Heh.

Realizing that he'd like to keep the conversation going, he tried to think of something Darcy would rather speak about. Seeing as though books weren't really his thing. ".. Forget books, I will find something later," He waved a hand, as if dismissing the previous conversation. "What .. do you enjoy doing? .. Ehh, hobbies?" Hopefully that one didn't sound like a come on too.

Darcy shrugged, looking relieved at the turn the conversation was taking.
"Euh, bien... stuff," he said slowly, then cracked a smile. His main hobby was trying to meet people, but as he couldn't say that without sounding like a nitwit, he didn't mention it.

"I play games. Outside. You know, frisbee and dodgeball and things like that," he explained, then added thoughtfully, "I've been sort of slack lately though, when it comes down to it."

The vampire nodded his head at the response. "Ah, I see," He guessed the other man practiced such activities during the day. As in sunlight. "Do you .. enjoy the water? Swimming?" He shifted his stance, casting a glance to the shopkeeper who appeared slightly restless. A cold twinge of fear ran down his spine, and he suddenly thought of how awful it would be if he was suspecting him to be something besides a human. Verité returned his nervous gaze to the man standing in front of him.

Darcy caught the vampire's uneasy glance towards the shopkeeper, but thought next to nothing of it. Maybe he thought that the shopkeeper would get angry because they were standing and talking, and not browsing the books? It never occurred to Darcy that the reason for Verité's anxiety could be anything else.

"Oh, yeah," Darcy grinned. "Of course. I swim whenever I get the chance. Which isn't often, but I take the chance when I have it. How about you? Do much swimming,... sports, ... or what? What do you do?"

Verité returned the grin with a rather weak one of his own. Perhaps he had been lingering too long in the bookshop; he did not want to risk the shopkeeper asking hard to answer questions .. especially infront of Darcy. Once asked if he participated in any sports, he shook his head. "Heh, no .. I just .. can't seem to find the time to get out like that."