Handshakes and Ice Cream {Cassie}

[Samuel Jacobs]

A green flare in the fireplace of the Hogs Head signified the arrival of a new customer. The man stepped out of the grate, and glanced toward the bar. He nodded his head to the barman and took his customary seat toward the quieter corner of the pub. Most people preferred the warmth of the tables by the fire, or the social atmosphere around the bar, but this man in particular preferred the privacy of the less popular corner.

It was getting near closing time, and as if on cue, the bell for last orders sounded. The man seemed unconcerned however and shrugged off his coat, draped it over the back of one chair and sat in another. He faced toward the door, and would occasionally glance toward it. Sam had visited the pub every evening since the previous Thursday. It had been a particularly eventful evening, culminating in Samuel effectively adopting two vampire changelings.

Technically Vivian, the young vampire he waited for now, was still Dacian’s changeling. Samuel was evaluating the suitability of Vivian remaining Dacian’s ward. The vampire seemed almost incapable of caring for the young girl, and seemed more preoccupied butting heads with local wizards. Samuel had been informed of Dacian’s little spat of the previous evening, and he was not amused. If any vampire needed supervision, Dacian was the better candidate. Somehow he managed to cause trouble for himself and include anybody in the vicinity.

Samuel had given Vivian a reprieve from her inappropriate sire in the form of alternate accommodation and suitable tutoring. She learnt well, and together with Scott, the two were a welcome addition to his home. He now waited for Vivian’s shift to end so he could escort her back to his home. She did not need the supervision, but Samuel was keen to develop a solid relationship with the girl and establish himself as a regular and dependable friend.

The pub was quiet, being a slow Tuesday night, but it seemed Vivian was busy with something in the kitchen and as Samuel was not in a hurry, he was content to sit.

Something chirped in his pocket, and he drew out a muggle device. He tapped at its keypad before frowning, sighing, and putting it back. Wizarding establishments seemed to have an adverse effect on technology, and so such things as mobile phones were reliably unreliable in proximity to magic.

The old vampire reclined in his chair, laced his fingers over his stomach and calmly surveyed the room. The last of the patrons staggered out, reeking of alcohol, leaving the pub quiet and serene. A shuffle from upstairs piqued Sam’s attention and he watched a blonde woman dressed in pyjamas and a thick sweater come slowly down the stairs and slip into the kitchen. He knew her as Cassie, but her name and her status as Edward’s pregnant girlfriend was all he knew about her.

This nagged at Sam, finding it rude to see her on a semi-regular basis but knowing nothing more than her name. So when she came back out of the kitchen sneaking a tub of ice cream towards the stairs, the vampire stood and cleared his throat. “Cassie? Forgive me, I’m Samuel, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.” Despite her unconventional clothing, Sam seemed unperturbed. If anything, he would be apologetic about embarrassing her. He offered his hand for her to shake, and quirked a smile. “Would you mind sitting with me for a moment? I have a question to ask of you.” He gestured toward his currently vacated table and pulled out a chair, standing patiently beside it with his fingers resting on its back.

[Cassie Vimes]

Cassie could pretend all she wanted that the ridiculous quantities of ice cream she’d been eating was just her succumbing to the cravings that came with pregnancy. In reality she was just using cravings and the fact that Edward couldn’t seem to say no to her lately to indulge. After all how often would she be able to eat what she wanted without having to worry about putting on a few pounds? It wasn’t like this pregnancy had been planned, so she might as well try to get something good out of it. She tried not to feel too guilty that having a child and patching things up with Edward hadn’t immediately occurred to her as good consequences of the predicament she found herself in.

The kitchen was dark and empty; the kind of customer who actually ordered food that wasn’t crisps or peanuts having cleared out long before the rush of evening regulars started. In fact it was late enough that last orders had been called and the last few stragglers were starting to clear out. Cassie padded her way across the room, the wand in her hand glowing with a bright, bluish light and her thick, woollen socks making her footsteps silent on the tiled floor. She wouldn’t normally venture down to the pub kitchen for her ice cream fix, but she’d polished off the tub in their own kitchen the night before. Or rather she’d eaten a few spoonfuls then fallen asleep listening to the WWN and left it to melt on the bedside table.

With the spoils of her raid tucked under one arm and a spoon and her wand held loosely in her other hand, she started to make her way back to the stairs. A polite cough halted her progress and Cassie had to glance around the pub to check if it was directed at her. It couldn’t possibly be Ed back from the cellar; she’d waited until she was sure he’d gone down to fetch a crate or two of beer before she made a break for the kitchen. The rest of the pub was empty and so she turned her attention to the source of the noise, fixing the vaguely familiar man with a puzzled look.

She knew the man as Sam and she was fairly sure he was a vampire. Cassie tried to ignore the slight racing of her heart that this thought caused; she couldn’t let her experience with Cain influence her opinion of every vampire she met. Vivian was proof enough that vampires could be nice and she’d even go so far as to include Dacian on the list of good vampires on occasion. Everything Vivian had said about Sam made him seem kind and Ed certainly wouldn’t have let her live him if he’d thought even for a moment that the vampire might be untrustworthy.

”Um,” Cassie shifted the tub of ice cream slightly so she could tug awkwardly at the oversized sweater she was wearing, hesitating by the door for just a few seconds before deciding to join him. How could she really refuse a request as polite as that without causing offence? ”Sure. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She said with a smile, settling into the chair Sam had pulled out for her. She set the tub down onto the table then looked at the spoon in her hand slightly sheepishly. ”I only have one spoon…” Cassie trailed off, then realised her mistake. ”But I suppose vanilla isn’t really your flavour. There might be some blood sorbet in the freezer if you want?” The offer was tentative, the lightest of blushes darkening her cheeks at her blunder.