Call Me

[Annalas]

"Tell your brother to take out the trash."

The words cut through Bill like a knife, causing him to still, the soapy plate still in his hands. His father continued past him as if he wasn't even there, going into the bedroom/office that he kept. He normally stayed there every night, drinking scotch or bourbon or whiskey or whatever he could get his hands on, really. He used Bill's money, sometimes, when he was running low.

He waited until the door shut, not saying anything as he finally washed the plate and put it in the strainer. Thomas didn't live here anymore. He hadn't lived here in over a year, yet their father seemingly hadn't noticed. It was a testament to the neglectful natural of their last surviving kin, that he had never realized that Thomas was gone. Bill took a deep, shuddering breath as he took the trash out and went back in.

He missed his brother. It had been a year and two months since his older brother had disappeared, whisked away by vampires because Bill hadn't wanted to run. A year and two months he had been looking for his brother with virtually no clues. He knew he was in the city, though…his brother hadn't left him completely.

Except he had. No phone call, no note…he had never even come back to pick up his clothes. His brother might as well have been dead, and Bill would never have known the difference. He could very well be dead, despite the small rumors Bill had heard of him turning into a fledgling. A fledgling…that was a newly-turned vampire, he knew.

Three days ago, he had met someone else that could possibly help further his search. A vampire by the name of Emil Elwira, according to the business card he had stuffed in Bill's hand on his way out. He was…completely unlike any other vampire Bill had ever met. He acted like a human, he seemed to care about Bill and his search for his brother…he had even offered to keep an eye out for Thomas, should he run into him. That and the hundred dollars he had given Bill to get a cab home…that was the most generous person he had ever met, vampire or no.

Closing the door behind him, Bill gave a soft sigh of relief, sucking in the slightly cooler air. He didn't bother telling his father where he was going, as he doubted the old man would notice…he certainly hadn't noticed Thomas leaving, after all. A year later, and he still expected him to be there to take out the trash. Bill wasn't sure if it was the shock that had caused his father to go so far into denial, or if he had never noticed in the first place. It wouldn't be the first time he hadn't noticed something important…like when the rent was due, for instance.

A sharp, sudden longing for his brother ran through him, making him wish more than ever that Thomas was there. His older brother had always made sure the rent was paid. He made sure Bill got something to eat every night and they had running water and electric. He had always been there for his brother…and now he wasn't. Bill wanted to know why.

Was it because he was a vampire? Things didn't have to change because of that, apart from his brother's schedule. So what if he had to drink blood and couldn't go out in the daytime? Less money they would have to spend for food, Bill thought, his shoulders hunching as he walked. Was he afraid that he would lose control and bite Bill? Accidents happened…it wasn't worth losing his brother completely over. He just didn't understand why.

He had walked quite a few blocks when it occurred to him that he should really call Emil. It had been three days, after all, which was enough time for Bill to heal up enough to feed him again. Not that he wanted to call him up to feed him, of course, but if he had any information, a little blood was a small price to pay for it. If he waited much longer, he would run into the issue where Emil simply might not remember him. Then again, he might not remember him now, either.

The thought hurt, but he knew that it was likely. He was a vampire, after all, and no matter what he said, Bill refused to think of himself as more than a meal for Emil. That's all he was to any vampire, really…he doubted one night of conversation could change that. Emil was just really nice to his meals, was all. Bill could understand that.

He pulled out the business card from its place in his wallet, reading the font once again before pulling out his phone and dialing. What was he doing? Even though it had been three days, he just couldn't let it go, could he? The hug, the way Emil had held him close as he fed, not taking any liberties with his body in a time of low inhibitions…he was a decent person, it seemed. But decent people had their limits. Bill was probably no more than a charity case to the vampire, if that.

But he had to find Thomas. He needed his brother, and he would be remiss if he didn't follow up on the closest thing to a clue he had. If Emil didn't remember him…that was just as well. But for Thomas's sake, he had to at least try.

He held the phone to his ear, waiting for the other vampire to pick up. It was early in the vampire world, the clock barely having struck the ninth hour in the evening. But it was dark out, and that was all that really mattered, right? He hoped he didn't wake Emil up. He had a feeling that if he did, coffee simply wouldn't do the trick.

[skeggsismad]

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. It was an hour and a half after sunset and Emil Elwira wasn’t out on the town- he was on his hands and knees trying to save his carpet from a wine stain. This simply couldn’t be happening. After he’d probably have to change clothes or at least lint roll so that he looked presentable.

A door slammed in the back of the house and Emil rolled his eyes, though no one was around to see it. He tended to put on a performance even when there wasn’t an audience.

“Come back here!” He yelled, gritting his teeth at how dry his hands were getting.

“I will not live in a pigsty, Lamar. I just don’t understand how you can…ooo! If you think I’m making this month’s payment on that Jaguar you are so wrong.”

After calling out his last threat, the Earth Nymph emerged from the backroom and stood in the living room next to one of the couches. He was staring down at Emil which only further irritated the vampire.

It’s as if he thinks he’s watching a maid!

But of course, his true temper was shining just yet. Lamar irritated him here and there but he could never stand to become truly upset with the young man- the best he could do was a scolding here and there.

“I told you, I have to go,” Lamar explained, slinging his suspenders over his shoulders and throwing on a blazer in record time. Emil looked up to watch these actions, unsure as to how to react. He was split: one part of him wanted to stop Lamar from going and the other part wanted to let the issue go since it really wasn’t that important. Ultimately, Emil let out a begrudged sigh. He was giving up for tonight.

“Alright, sweetheart. You have a fun time out, hmm? I’m sorry,” He gave his please-forgive-me look, which Lamar returned with his I’ll-think-about-it expression. Then, he moved towards the front door. There was a slam. Lamar was gone and now Emil was all alone, finishing up spotting the carpet on a perfectly fine evening.

No, I won’t let myself do this, Emil thought, standing himself up with rag and cleaning solution in hand. It wouldn’t set now and he could deal with it later, or better yet, hire someone to deal with it later.

As luck has it, just as Emil was combing through his hair in the bathroom mirror, his blackberry began to buzz. The vampire reached into his pocket and held the phone to his ear, noting that it was an unfamiliar number. He answered it as he always did, with a cheerful tone,

“Hello, darling. Emil Elwira, Jack of Arts speaking. How can I help you?”

The last part was added in entirely because his cellphone was also his business line. He had some people piping in from LA and NYC to talk about his music and involvement in theatre productions, thus, he always tried to answer in respect to accommodating those persons.

[Annalas]

He honestly did wonder what the Jack of Arts title meant, exactly. He had never heard of one until he had met Emil, but from the look of his clothes to the smell of his expensive cologne and the way he so easily handed over so much money to Bill, he had to assume that it paid moderately well. He just…had no idea what kind of job it was.

When Emil answered the phone, Bill tensed, trying to figure out what to say. He felt weird calling almost a complete stranger on the phone, and there was no way Emil knew who was calling since he didn't have Bill's number. On top of that, he might not even remember the poor lad from the nightclub, or if he did, he might simply tell him that he had heard nothing and hang up. Still…what if he actually had found something? He could get to places Bill couldn't…

"Um…it's me, Bill," he explained lamely, still walking down the street. He was beginning to get into the artsy district now, the buildings becoming more colorful and lively.

"I don't know if you even remember me, we met at Risk. And um…I was…was wondering if you heard anything about my brother Thomas?" Hopefully he had given the vampire enough to jog his memory a little as to exactly which 'Bill' this was. His hand clutched his small pre-paid phone tightly as he listened to the other end, hoping against hope that he wouldn't get another brushoff.

He was feeling vulnerable now, as he often did when he thought about his brother being gone. The only thing truly pushing him on was the thought of seeing him again, of finding him. It was that determination that had forced him to call the vampire, though he truly hated speaking on the phone. He preferred to text, honestly, though in cases like this it was best to call.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," he added, hoping he hadn't gotten a grumpy vampire on the phone. Emil didn't sound grumpy, but still…

[skeggsismad]

Emil never forgot a face nor a name. Bill, and his voice, instantly was recognized. A smile pressed his features, animated about hearing back from the young lad. It had been three days and he had been certain that by now the boy had either found his brother or decided not to call. There could have been many reasons why Bill wouldn’t call so he had tried not to speculate on it too much, involving himself in other plans all the while wondering what would become of the mortal. Now here was that phone call he had so been anticipating! Unfortunately, he had no news for Bill about his brother. Emil thought for a moment, wondering the best way to break the news.

“Well hello, Bill! Thank you so much for calling, pookie, and you needn’t worry at all; I try to ‘wake’ as early as the sun rises.”

He wasn’t going to explain that vampires didn’t necessarily need to sleep, being undead at all. Emil figured it was unnecessary to educate Bill on the species unless he actually asked questions out of curiosity.

“I haven’t heard or seen anything about your brother, sweetie, but I also don’t specialize in that sort of thing. I was musing that mayhaps we could get together and chat sometime regarding that. I might’ve found another way to find your beloved brother but I obviously didn’t want to proceed without your permission! Furthermore, I gather, I’d need a bit more information from you to do so.”

[Annalas]

Bill caught himself smiling at the infectious tone coming though the phone though the news was exactly what he expected it to be--absolutely nothing. Still…the vampire had an idea about trying to find his brother? Well, who better to find his vampire brother than another vampire? He just couldn't believe that Emil would so easily offer his help. He had fully expected to be brushed off or something of the like.

"Really?" he asked, glancing up at his surroundings briefly as he continued to walk.   He was passing the museum now.

"I'd really like that. I don't know when you want to get together," he continued, hesitating a little as he tried to choose his words carefully. "I'm free now if you want to grab a bite, or…well, you have my number now."

He didn't want to make it sound as if he was offering himself up for information on his brother or help finding him (he was), but at the same time he wanted Emil to know that the offer was on the table. Then again, perhaps the vampire would just think that Bill had forgotten that vampires didn't eat and was simply offering an activity. Then again, Bill was a bit hungry himself, though obviously not for blood.

It took him exactly forty-three seconds to confuse himself as to what he had meant by that line, and he was sure by that point that the time had passed to rescind it. The best he could do was just make it even more vague and leave it up to the vampire to decide exactly what would transpire, he thought as he approached the coffee shop.

"I'm on the west side at The Painted Bean," he explained, walking up to the door of the shop. "I can understand if you're busy, though."

He was sure that Emil was busy. It was such short notice, after all, and when Emil had said 'sometime', surely he hadn't meant that very night! It was just…hearing Emil's voice was nice, Bill was coming to realize. He hadn't been lying the other night when he had told Emil that he had been the first one to care. Well…technically Andi cared, he supposed…but it certainly didn't seem like it most of the time. Sometimes it seemed as though Andi just used finding his brother as an excuse to go to night clubs full of vampires more often. Bill wondered if he even asked at all, frankly.

[skeggsismad]

Bill’s timid nature gave Emil the giggles. He was trying hard not to let his composure slip- even if it was endearing he knew it was never pleasant to be laughed at. He didn’t really read much into the mortal’s phrasing of ‘grabbing a bite’, mainly because Emil had plenty of oblivious mortal friends who would ask the same thing and he causally went along with it. There was always a bit of polite dabbing at food or confessions that he wasn’t particularly hungry but would be delighted to pay for the meal. Once that was said and done, few questions his lack of eating in their presence.

“Tonight would be absolutely wonderful! I love the Painted Bean, although I do have a record of leaving my accessories on the countertops!” He let out a brief laugh.

“Oh, if I come Bill, you must promise you won’t allow it!” He was teasing of course, but it would be nice to have someone else keep an eye on what he did with his things. He spent a lot of money on his things and it was always a plus if he wasn’t chronically losing them.

“Mmm so, I’ll be there in about a half hour, pookie. Why don’t you go in and save us a table and wait to order until I get there.”

He figured he’d end up paying Bill’s way and that was just fine with him. He had money to spare and until he knew what income level the young man was at he wasn’t comfortable allowing him to spend his money all of the time. It was entirely possible that Bill was a starving college student and certainly Emil had the incentive to help such an individual financially in little ways such as buying him a drink or meal; for the youth were the future and educating them was the path success. Or…something like that.

[Annalas]

He found himself smiling more at Emil’s light-hearted comment. It was nice to actually be talked to instead of ignored, he thought as he stood outside the building, refusing to go in just yet. The air was nice out, if a little more humid than he would like. Still, he didn’t want to go inside while he was still speaking to Emil. He had a feeling that the phone conversation was almost over, however.

“I think I can do that,” he agreed, knowing that he absolutely could. He was a bit surprised that Emil could manage to come so quickly, though he supposed that made sense, what with the shop closing at ten. They could always get their drinks to go, though, he figured.

“I’ll see you then. Bye. And thank you,” he ended the call awkwardly, waiting for Emil to say his farewell before heading into the shop.

He had been here a few times before, back when he was attending the community college. It had been a nice place to chill, hang out and get some homework down away from the oppressive apartment. He had come here a few times since Thomas had disappeared, but no longer found a good reason to. It was close, though, and the place really was relaxing.

He slipped into one of the comfortable couches to wait, not particularly wanting the hard chairs and tables. There was no reason to put any space between himself and Emil, especially when he had every intention of feeding the vampire that night. He doubted that it would be here, in such a public place, though. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do once Emil got there, or what a vampire normally did in the middle of the night. Was there some kind of shopping mall that stayed open all night? It wasn’t like they would have all night coffee shops, after all, considering they didn’t eat or drink.

Getting comfortable, he settled back into the couch and awaited Emil, not really paying attention to the clock. The vampire would get here when he would, and if the place closed before that…so be it. He was sure that there was another place that was much more conducive to holding a conversation with one of their kind, after all.

[skeggsismad]

Oooh, why did I say a half hour? As soon as Emil had made his goodbyes and hung up the phone, his thoughts instantly fixated on the time restraint he was now in. He’d need to leave now, with no wardrobe prepping, no hair primping, there wasn’t time for any of that. Emil gave himself one last look in the mirror;  He was dressed in a dark brown suit with silver pinstripes, dark brown dress shoes, a white dress shirt and an orange-copper colored shiny scarf wrapped around his neck. Paired with his typical small hoop ring earring lodged in one ear, he looked fashionably formal…or so he hoped.

He’d originally been planning to drop by the jazz club for a bit and perhaps do a bit of a performance if there was an empty slot, however, plans had changed and he had no time to prepare a more casual outfit. After fumbling for a few minutes to find the keys to his white convertible Bentley, Emil was out the door and on his way.

* * * * * *

He arrived at the Painted Bean in record time- twenty two minutes and some odd seconds. Emil was rather impressed at his timing as he pulled into an old parking lot behind the building and pressed the button to draw the top back up. The white vehicle was his prize and joy; he didn’t impulsively buy cars every year and the 2008 model was still in peak shape.

Traversing the parking lot to the front of the building, Emil opened the door of the coffee house with a pleasant expression smack on his face. He looked around until his vision spotted Bill on one of the couches.

“Hello darling,” He greeted as he sat beside the mortal.

“This isn’t quite what I meant when I said a table but, hold on,” He said, pulling a coffee table that resided in front of the couch a bit closer towards them.

“Now it’s a table!” He laughed, giving the boy a sheepish grin.

“Now have you had a chance to look over the menu?” Emil thought it rather impolite to skip into business too promptly. He’d rather get Bill settled with a cup of coffee and relaxed before they started with the more formal, serious topics.

[Annalas]

Bill looked up as the vampire sat down beside him, a smile immediately coming to his face. He really did like Emil, or at least liked him more than he had any other vampire. It was strange, really…he had grown up thinking of vampires like Dracula, or as soulless creatures of the night. While that certainly seemed true in some cases, what he knew of both his brother’s boyfriend and Emil and a few others made him believe otherwise. Emil, certainly, didn’t seem to be the soulless type at all, especially with that smile.
 
“Oh, sorry,” he began to apologize as Emil dragged the coffee table over. He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, giving the other a sheepish look. He certainly couldn’t read Emil’s mind, after all, so how could he know what the vampire had been thinking?
 
He was well aware that he was far more dressed down than he had been at the club, especially considering the fact that Emil himself was in a suit. Brown suited him, Bill thought as he tugged his slim t-shirt down a bit more, though it was long enough not to reveal any skin. He was wearing slim fit jeans, black in color to contrast with his blue shirt, the black and white converse setting off his attire quite nicely. A thick silver chain adorned his neck, looking more like a lax dog collar than an accessory. His makeup, though, was nearly perfect.
 
He really had intended to go back to Risk that night, but his father’s comment had thrown him off enough that he had decided against it and called Emil instead. Tonight would be a good night to lay low and simply revel in one other’s company, as opposed to going to a busy dance club and possibly not making it out alive. Not to mention the almost inevitable groping that was sure entail from such an experience.
 
“Um, yeah,” he smiled again as Emil settled down, cutting off his own apology. The other didn’t seem to mind in the least having to procure his own table, so Bill thought it best to simply not over-dramatize something that didn’t need to be spoken about.
 
“I usually get the peppermint tea when I’m here,” he explained lightly, reaching up to untuck his hair.

It was partially a nervous gesture, tucking and untucking his hair over and over again. He wasn’t exactly nervous, nervous with Emil…he just wasn’t sure what they could speak about, now that Emil was here. They weren’t friends, and it was only from the goodness of Emil’s heart that he had offered to help Bill at all. This should have been more like a business meeting, he thought belatedly, wishing he actually had gotten a table instead.

"I used to come here a lot back when I went to college, in between classes. Haven't been here lately at all, though."

[skeggsismad]

“Mmm,” He said with a head nod. Peppermint was so strong of a smell that with his supernatural senses it almost stung, but he could understand how it might appeal to the human senses. Tea was one of the things he missed about being human on the long list he’d accumulated as he aged.

“I don’t mean to pry, darling,” He began, trying to ease into this. When Bill had spoken of having gone to college the phrasing made it sound as if he was no longer attending. Had the young man graduated? Emil didn’t know exactly how old Bill was, nor what he did for an occupation. Chances were, he might have. But he couldn’t help but try to make conversation out of the remark.

“But why exactly did you stop going? Did you graduate? Oooh, and what was your major!” He asked a sequence of questions at once, demonstrating his eagerness to get to know the boy. All the while he was attempting to flag down one of the waitresses that would go around. The Painted Bean wasn’t exactly a five star restaurant but it was classy enough that you could order at your seat.

[Annalas]

Bill looked up at Emil's words, biting his lip a little as he considered the question. He was so confused, not knowing exactly what kind of meeting this was anymore. He had thought that Emil was helping him out the kindness of his heart, and wanted to discuss strictly business. But now he was asking about him again, this time about his college and educational background.

"I um…had to drop out after my first semester," he admitted with a small, sad smile. "Thomas disappeared right before I started classes and I thought I could handle the workload and everything…but not on top of a job, too. With Thomas gone, I have to work. I wanted to major in art history, though…it's such an exciting major…and I was going to go to Italy or Spain to study abroad, too. Things just…didn't turn out that way, though."

He shifted a little, daring to look back up at Emil. He didn't want to go on with sob story after sob story. He couldn't afford to go to college with Thomas gone, and the fact was as simple as that. Someone had to pay the bills, and his father's salary certainly didn't cover much more than his drinking problem and half the rent. Bill would have been better off alone, he thought sometimes. He and Thomas should have run that night, he should have…

"It would have been fun," he concluded, shrugging a little bit.

He loved art, or at least what he had seen of it in history books. He had never been to a museum in his life, but he knew that oil paintings were spectacular. He had gone to church once and stared in wonder at the giant paintings adorning the walls and ceiling of the chapel. The angels had almost seemed lifelike, coming to take his mother to heaven after a deadly car accident. Then again, he had been young, perhaps twelve or so. Kids are impressionable at that age.

[skeggsismad]

The vampire nodded his head. He was beginning to realize that Thomas’ disappearance had an impact on Bill’s life in more than just an emotional way. It seemed that the two men’s lives were so interwoven that when Thomas had vanished, everything fell apart for Bill. He could understand why there was such urgency for Bill to find his brother, then. A lot depended on Thomas hanging around, and it was such a shame.

Emil felt inclined to give Bill the entire world in an instance: he wanted to explain the way he thought he could find Thomas and offer to pay for the young man’s college classes. He wanted Bill to do well. But a part of Emil refrained from offering so much so fast when he didn’t even know the mortal in question. So many things could happen and he didn’t want to involve himself in anything risky. Helping Bill find his brother was risky enough for as much as he knew about the boy.

The waitress he had flagged down flounced over, stopping in front of their table and giving the two of them an artificial working smile.

“Hey, what can I get for ya guys?” She asked, sounding decently cheerful.

“Mmm, can we get one pot of peppermint tea, darling? I absolutely love your shoes by the way. What did you say your name was? Mine is Emil and this is my friend Bill,”  Emil spoke, perhaps more than was necessary. Such introductions, to him, were polite and customary.

“Oh, sure can! Thank you, about the shoes. I really like them, they’re new. ” She exclaimed, and Emil couldn’t tell if she was being genuine or particularly good at acting excited to do her job like many were.

“And the name’s Syndey.” She concluded, giving them one last look to be sure they were done ordering. Once she concluded they were she hustled to the backroom and Emil turned his attention back to Bill.

“Art history? Oooh, sweetheart, that’s glorious! You’ll have to tell me all about it. Art has been…one of my great loves over the years. I’ve acted, sung, danced, directed, produced, owned; I think of myself as sort of…A jack of all arts, no doubt, because it would be impossible to devise an accurate title for my actual line of work.”  He chuckled, laughter always common in his conversations even if he’d made no joke.

[Annalas]

Bill stayed silent as Emil spoke to the waitress, smiling shyly at the girl. He hadn't remembered seeing her around before, but he didn't come here very often, either. He used to love this place…but after Thomas had gone, he found that he didn't have the money to go out with friends or the time to go to school, work and relax. One of them had had to go eventually, and school was it.

He was floundering, and he knew it. Without Thomas to support him, he had no way to get a better job. No one wanted to hire a college dropout, especially one who had dropped out during his first semester and now worked at a gas station. If he was lucky, he might be promoted to manager of a gas station by the time he turned thirty…the thought made him ill. He wanted to go to college and get a good job, not some dead-end one. His brother's disappearance ruined that for him.

"Thank you," he remarked quietly, thanking Emil for ordering for him. He smiled softly, eyes running down the suit instead of looking at Emil in the face. It really did look nice on the man, he thought to himself, a mark of expensive taste.

"There's not much to tell, I'm afraid…I never actually got to take any of the classes for the major, since I dropped out after the first semester. I took Art 101 and a bunch of math and science classes to get my gen eds out of the way," he explained, feeling small next to the vampire.

How old was Emil, anyway? Bill was well aware that when Emil said he had sung, danced and acted, he had probably made it big and gained a lot of experience during it. A year ago, it would have been Bill's wet dream to meet someone like Emil…and it still was, to an extent. Except Emil wasn't going to help him study or pass tests or anything of the sort now. Any knowledge or wisdom he did divulge to Bill was completely useful…after all, why would a gas station clerk need to know about Goya's personal life or tips for acting on stage?

"What is a jack of all arts?" he asked curiously, remembering seeing it on the business card. "I thought it meant you were some kind of amazing art dealer or something like that."

Being an art dealer was one of his dream jobs, as was studying any of the famous painters. He had often imagined being able to tell everything about a piece just by looking at it, kind of like in the movies. Fat chance, when he had never even seen most kinds of art up close before.

[skeggsismad]

He tried not to laugh. Emil tried to prevent the smile from spreading his maw, but any efforts he made in the end were futile. Suddenly the vampire was cracking up, giggling uncontrollably. He held a hand over his mouth for modesty’s sake, trying to calm himself down. He couldn’t possibly stop. Bill was adorable. Had he told Bill how adorable he was?

“Dar-”  He tried to speak, but failed when he continued laughing instead. If he’d been mortal, his face would have been flushing red by now. He wasn’t out of breath due to his lack of need to breath but it occurred to him that he ought to fake a bit of out-of-breath-ness so that the whole display didn’t seem inhuman to the mortals surrounding him. Thus, the laughter spurted into some coughing and sharp inhales. The only thing Emil wished was that he could call tears on demand so that he could wipe the tears from his eyes for comedic effect.

He held a finger up towards Bill, begging he wait a moment until he could regain control over his own outburst.

[Annalas]

Bill could only flush when the vampire suddenly erupted into laughter. What had he said? Clearly he had been wrong about the art dealer bit, and he was beginning to think that a jack of arts might just be an actor or singer or whatever for hire instead, based on what Emil had just told him he had done in the past.

"It's an honest mistake," he mumbled sheepishly, looking down into his lap, his face bright red in embarrassment. He wanted to simply crawl into a hole and die. Well, at least the vampire had gotten some amusement out of him, at least for a night. Hopefully that would be worth him trying to help Bill from Thomas.

He bit his lip a bit as he waited for Emil to finally stop laughing and coughing, feeling even more embarrassed at how hilarious his little comment had seemed. God, he must seem so stupid to the vampire! Stupid…or quaint. Probably more quaint than stupid, now that he thought about it. He couldn't be expected to know everything, after all.