Unannounced

[Trillian]

Ben pulled into the cul-de-sac that Kerr had described to him two nights ago.  The rusting muscle-car he drove rumbled slowly up the street as he stared wide eyed at the large houses that loomed over their lands, feeling extremely intimidated and out of place.  Antique looking streetlights and paved roads screamed the fiscal wealth of all those who owned these mansions, which were at the very least the size of two family homes put together, circular driveways around extensive gardens (even fountains fit for Pisky Memorial Park!).  Some driveways disappeared behind well planned forest and there was no residence to be seen, though lamp=posts lit the way for whoever dared drive up that private road.  He was so busy craning his neck to try and spot one of these that he rubbed his tyres against the edge of the gutter and had to fight with the steering wheel for control.
 
Once he pulled a couple of inches away from the square edge of the curb, he ended up parking for a moment to calm himself down - not because of the minor accident but because of what he was doing, where he was going.  He\'d only come here for a peek, to see where Kerr lived.  He\'d finished work, got home, showered and changed into clean clothes, made himself presentable for no particular reason.  By the time he\'d set out, it was dark.
 
His lights cut into the dark paved road, but this street was also extremely well lit.  No doubt making it difficult for burglars to run about unnoticed.  His car would certainly attract attention, and with him sitting in it with the engine idling would look even more suspicious.  He turned off the ignition and his lights, and listened to the silence.
 
A short distance ahead there was the end of the street, the cul-de-sac that Kerr had said he lived at the far end of.  The only thing Ben could see from here was the high wall that one of the mansions had, that hid the house directly in front of him.  On one side was an iron fence that looked like stakes, on the other was another anonymous tree-lined private road.
 
He got out of the car, locked it, and shoved his hands in the front pockets of his hoodie, resisting the urge to pull the hoodie up over his head.  He didn\'t want to look like he had something to hide.  Walking his way up the footpath that he\'d nearly driven over, he made his way around the cul-de-sac, counting numbers when he saw them on ornate letterboxes.  It came almost as no surprise that number 14 was the one in the middle with the high wall and iron gate.
 
He moved all the way up to the gate and peered through it at the massive house lurking behind.  My god, if he\'d known Kerr lived here he would never have spontaneously chosen the vampire.  An electronic whirring sound made him look upward at the top of the wall, and found himself staring at a camera that was pointed almost directly at him.  Following its true path with his gaze, he found the intercom.  After a minute it whirred again, facing the other way.  Near the intercom was another camera, fixed at that location so that it could always see who was using it.
 
His mouth ran dry but he went over to it anyway.  His hand felt numb but he still managed to let it float up to the box and stick out his finger so that it hovered over one of the two buttons upon it.  One marked RING, the other marked TALK.
 
Before he even realised he was going to go through with it, because he was early (but he\'d come at night, hadn\'t he?  He\'d brushed his teeth and combed his hair and used not only deoderant but also a touch of cologne - and he only used cologne when he was going out to mingle with people, not when he was going for a drive), he pressed the RING button.
 
And waited.

[Existentially Odd]

The dulcet tones of a sleep-riddled child came clearly from the speaker after only a few seconds. "Hello?" the little boy said, his lilting voice unaccompanied by the awkward snuffling that usually came with children using equipment that they had no idea of negotiatng the correct distance from.

Muffled footsteps were heard then, followed by Kerr\'s voice.  "Who is it?" he demanded sharply.

"I don\'t know," Sawyl answered plaintively, his head obviously turned to the side to address the adult hovering at his shoulder. Where the deeper voice had sounded strained, his babyish tones were obviously bemused. "Who\'s out there?" he sang into the microphone at his end.

"I\'m going to see," the deeper voice intoned, now definitely sounding nervous. Locks began clicking, broadcasting the fact that the intercom within the house was right beside the front door. "Stay here."

"But..." the child\'s complaint was cut short by the slam of a door, quickly followed by him leaning more closely to the microphone than was warranted, to whisper, "watch ouuuuut..."  A bright, tinkling giggle followed before all sound ceased.

[Trillian]

Ben was goggling at the intercom as though he couldn\'t believe what he\'d just heard.  It was almost like one of his horror movies.  It seemed they always liked using children that sounded adult to freak out their audience.  The movie-makers were most certainly on the right path, because that musical laugh that no doubt belonged to Sawyl, sent chills up his spine and goosebumps to appear on his arms.
 
He waited, expecting to see Kerr, and didn\'t touch the intercom again - as though it would bite him if he reached out once more.  Thrusting his hands in his pockets he stepped back from the gate (not sure which way they would swing) and watched the driveway with his usual fixed stare.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr exited the house expecting trouble. He hadn\'t bothered to go downstairs and see who the security cameras showed him was at the gate - it was just too far for one (he really had to do something about making it more convenient) and he was pretty sure he could guess who it might be, for another. Sawyl had a theory too, but as he got to the end of the five metre path and peered out from the smaller entry gate, he saw that they\'d both been wrong.

"Ben," he said, both in a surprised way and as a means of attracting the blonde\'s attention towards the walking entry to the grounds, rather than the vehicle gates. He started keying in the code that would cause the metre-wide black gate to roll with a gentle hum to his right, waiting for his visitor to be closer before he spoke to him again.

[Trillian]

Ben heard the tone in Kerr\'s voice and gave an apologetic smile before he moved over to where the other, smaller, gate was.  He gave a small shrug and licked his lips, thinking about what to say as he drew nearer.
 
"I\'m early," he said, stating the obvious.  "I know, I\'m... sorry.  I was, just intending on driving by but..."
 
He would be once again stating the obvious if he completed the explanation of how he hadn\'t driven by and had hopped out to ring Kerr\'s doorbell instead.
 
"Are you angry?"
 
He hoped Kerr wouldn\'t send him away.  That would be plain humiliating, but at the same time he knew it was a very real possibility.  He\'d surprised the vampire with his unannounced arrival - and it was plain rude.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr frowned, already getting distracting, sibilant messages from Sawyl within the house as the boy spied on his thoughts and used them to judge who was out there. No ordinary curtain-grabbing and peering through a window for him. Both of them had been banking on Mandy being at the gate, so there was some brief interplay while Sawyl sorted through Kerr\'s memories of his experience with Ben (not that he hadn\'t already done so, he simply wanted to further ruffle Kerr\'s feathers and make him think about the delicious, distracting feeding again). Kerr sent a simple expletive back at Wyl and the memory jog stopped.

"No..." he told Ben warily, stepping back and indicating with a sharp wave of his hand that the mortal should cross the threshold of his land and join him on the path. If he didn\'t come through soon, the automatic timer would kick in and Kerr would have to wave his hand at the sensor to send the gate wheeling back to its open position.

He was aware that he was frowning and that he probably looked angry, so he made an effort to smooth his features and concentrate on his answer. "I\'m not angry, just... well, it\'s... Sawyl\'s still home. If you\'d come a bit later, we would have been alone." His tone conveyed succinctly his regret at this unfortunate turn of events.

[Trillian]

This not being alone and being able to catch Sawyl at home was what Ben had wanted though, so he couldn\'t show he was upset at this fact and appear genuine at the same time.  Neither did he wish to cast this information before Kerr\'s eyes in a blatent manner, so lowered his light blue stare to the ground at his feet for an instant before finding himself staring at Kerr once more as he entered the grounds and joined Kerr\'s side, an instant before the gate began to slide shut.
 
"By the size of your house I\'m surprised you\'ve noticed that you live with someone else," he said, trying to make light of the situation and change the topic with a segway towards the grand mansion that lay sprawled before them.  "It\'s... uh, nice."
 
It was fantastic, to be perfectly honest, but Ben didn\'t want to go overboard with his appraisal.  Besides, the most interesting thing to him was the tales that could be told by the occupants within rather than the building itself.
 
He wanted to say something more but merely stared at Kerr instead.

[Existentially Odd]

"Sometimes nowhere would be big enough to not notice them," he told the mortal dryly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his casual slacks.  He hadn\'t anticipated visitors; he hadn\'t dresssed up.  He wore a deep purple turtleneck jumper and no shoes beneath the dragging hem of his beltless pants, feeling every bit the vagabond standing before his unannounced guest.  The frown decorating his face, however, was far more polished, and Ben looked entirely... pleasant, by comparison.

"How have you been?" he enquired politely, still not committed to taking the blonde inside.

[Trillian]

"Yesterday I was tired," Ben admitted, "and I slept in. I went into work late, but didn\'t get into trouble or anything. I guess the boss saw I was a bit, uh... pale." He gave Kerr a smile that was a cross between sheepish and mischievous, as though they shared a naughty secret that still embarrassed him a little. "I feel good now though," he said quickly. "Strong,"

His gaze was intense again on Kerr\'s face, searching avidly for some sort of reaction, a clue that what he was saying was having a positive effect on the vampire. "How often do you need to?" he asked suddenly, then amended himself. "Does age affect your requirement for blood?"

It was almost devoid of emotion, the question he asked. Almost.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr merely nodded, busy trying to convince Sawyl to go and get ready to go out, for it seemed Ben was going to come in. Sawyl was, instead, racing up to his bedroom to get dressed into something more appropriate to greet the newcomer. The farther away Sawyl got physically, the harder it was for Kerr to push his arguments at the older vampire, so he gave up, giving Ben an unintentionally beleaguered look. He thought it might be better to add some words to his nod when he realised he was getting some uncomfortable looks back.

"Sure, the older you get, the less often you need to feed. It\'s a compulsion more than a desire by this stage - a choice. A pleasure. Technically, immortal means never dying, even without sustenance, I figure, but that doesn\'t guarantee functionality. I\'ve never tested how long I can go. It\'s a habit to have something every day, even if it\'s not... fresh."

His gaze fell to the low hedge they stood beside and inane thoughts about when the gardener would be coming next crept into his head. He was avoiding the subject, and he knew it. Certainly his mortal acquaintance did, and he looked embarrassed. It was his duty to amend that. Squaring his shoulders subtly, he looked back at the pale eyes and smiled stiffly.

"If you think you\'re up to it... you\'d like to come in?" He wasn\'t sure if he meant \'up to\' facing Sawyl, exploring the house or even being fed from again. Probably all three.

[Trillian]

Ben nodded.  Kerr\'s answer provided confirmation of a theory that Ben had believed to be true when he\'d read it.  It made sense that the older a vampire got, the better their undead bodies could utilise the blood they got.  However it worked, he noticed the texts and the stereotypes were often supportive of each other in this case.
 
"I\'m up to it," Ben declared, though he wasn\'t thinking as specifically with his answer as Kerr had phrased it, simply because he didn\'t know what it was he was facing.  He was up to finding out, he was up to continuing with Kerr, that was enough for him to know (though he figured there was more, considering the tone in Kerr\'s voice).  "And I would like that."
 
His smile was suddenly bashful, and his cheeks pinked a little, though it might\'ve been hard to tell in the faded light.  It might not be obvious to Kerr, but was likely obvious to anybody who perhaps was observing, that the mortal had something of a crush formed.  Was it because of Kerr\'s kindness, or his actual species?  Hard to tell and it was moot for Ben himself didn\'t know.
 
He only knew that he rather respected and admired Kerr.

[Existentially Odd]

It wasn\'t surprising that Ben was typically upbeat and curious about entering his home, but Kerr couldn\'t help but feel just a tad disappointed that he wouldn\'t be able to relax with his companion.  They would have no privacy, he wouldn\'t be game to broach the subject of feeding because Wyl would want to get in on the act first, and he\'d had no time to mentally steel himself.

With a mild nod, he turned and preceded Ben up the path.  He opened the door simply by turning the knob and held it open for the mortal to enter.  "Come in," he murmured from his doorman\'s position, sparing the right staircase a glance before watching Ben instead.  "I\'m sure we won\'t have long until Sawyl joins us, so make the most of the peace and quiet while you can.  Do you want a tour?" he offered as he closed and securely locked the door behind the mortal.  He then turned to face him, thumbs hooked on the edges of his front pockets in what could have been interpreted as a casually disinterested pose (but was simply an awkard indecision about what he should do with his hands), tongue stud thudding mutely against his back teeth.

[Trillian]

Ben was picking up on Kerr\'s vibes and the nervousness started to induce itself on the mortal a little once he was in the house and the door locked(!) behind him.  Of course it wouldn\'t do to have all that security and just leave the door open for anyone to enter, but it still had a cloying effect.
 
"Think I\'ll get out again?" he joked, and realised belatedly that it was in poor taste.  He looked around himself in order to choose something to bring attention to, away from what he\'d just spoken, and found himself gaping at everything in a stupor.  "I\'m so out of place," he muttered, feeling obvious and cheap in clothes that he\'d thought hadn\'t been too bad at the start of the night.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr smiled more naturally despite himself.  "Not if I say you\'re not, you aren\'t.  And you\'re welcome; so you\'re in just the right place... until you choose to leave, of course," he added bemusedly, slyly addressing the mortal\'s inept joke in a manner that he hoped came across as a tease, rather than ridicule.

He followed Ben\'s gaze and considered what he could tell him to put them both more at ease - a difficult prospect when he anticipated stomping little feet to be heard overhead any second. He thought he saw the young man\'s gaze lingering on the two enormous tapestries that ran almost from ceiling to floor on the two-storey wall ahead of them - either side of the enormous fireplace - and on the beautiful Persian rug covering the vast floor of the foyer at their feet, before it continued on into the twin runners that stretched up the length of the stairs. The tapestries would do for opening conversation, he decided quickly. The previous owners had had the unique rug/runner creation made specifically for their home; it had simply come when he bought the place, so he knew nothing about it (other than its exhorbitant price).

"Though they\'re not much to look at," he said, nodding at the rather plainly-woven blue, dark green, gold and russett tapestries, "they\'re quite priceless. They held a similar position in the keep of Brian Bórumha, High King of Ireland himself; that harp on the blue section is his coat of arms. Ireland\'s as well. Made from genuine Irish linen," he said proudly, then released a reluctant chuckle as his hand briefly molded itself to the curve of Ben\'s shoulder. "Well, I was told by the broker I bought them from that they hung there, anyway. Can\'t say for sure - was a bit before my time," he admitted good-humouredly. "C\'mon, let\'s go into the lounge - it\'s a lot more comfortably modern," he said with a small grin, removing his hand and turning to the formal lounge on his right.

Everything was spaciously accommodated in the generous room. Kerr strode straight to the plush three-seater that faced towards the street and sat at the farthest end. He didn\'t want to influence Ben\'s choice of sitting position (though he hoped he would sit beside him on the same roomy couch) so he concentrated instead on getting himself comfortably settled, left arm on the sofa\'s arm, right arm along its back. "Take a seat," he invited equably, then realised he hadn\'t been a very good host and undid his good posing work by sitting forward and placing his hands on his knees, ready to get up immediately as he asked, "Can I get you a drink or anything?" His head leaned towards the bar behind him in only the vaguest way.

[Trillian]

Ben was interested in the tapestries, so when Kerr explained them it had the desired effect - he was calmer.  The hand upon his shoulder lent even further to that calm, for instead of feeling trapped, he felt protected.  The cool hand upon him was familiar and desired, so upon entering the lounge he was certainly relaxed enough to sit beside Kerr, as the vampire had wished.
 
"Maybe later," he said in response to Kerr\'s offer, not minding a drink but wanting just to sit and talk for now.  He wanted to be told things, he wanted Kerr to warn him about Sawyl, he wanted to know how this house worked, and how long they\'d been here.  Keen eyes locked onto Kerr\'s face and he found something to ask from the quantity of questions on his list.
 
"How long have you lived here?"