Let's Go For A Pint (Vampire/Humor)

1.1 Moving Day

So what made me decide to return to the Metropolis? If there's a place I can hide from a certain someone, it's overseas in a large city. Technically, a river would work, but oceans are wider and not so easy to cross.

As for what I'm doing here compared to my previous stay? I'm a payroll clerk at the university, who also is studying part-time. Sure, I'm knowledgeable enough in the world's history to teach it, but academia forbids immortals from being primary sources. My best guess is the humans want to preserve their history. It's not like revealing well-known historical figures as vampires changes anything. Actually, outing an American founding father was what got me expelled last time.

I found an apartment on SomeDudesList asking for an outgoing female roommate. I wouldn't call myself outgoing, but the apartment suited my needs: located close to the city's centre, not on the bottom floor or the top, and not facing the sun. While the sun won't kill me, I'd rather not wake up to it nor have it warm my room as it set. Within a day after answering the ad, I was ready to move in. Carmen, who posted the ad in the first place, wasn't quite settled in. When I arrived, she had a neighbour of hers help with rearranging furniture. This neighbour had to act like a gentleman even though I could move one of my boxes without a dolly.

"I think he feels emasculated seeing you carrying heavy boxes," she explained while handing me a smoothie.

"He's definitely struggling. I didn't pack much other than a computer and some clothes."

"But you had to put them in one box?"

I had a witch charm the box to make it easier to lift. While I could take him in an arm wrestling match, that box would've done more damage to me than giving a swift kick to his pride.

"By the way, Carmen, I notice that your name, Chin, is Chinese, but you have this interesting, um, should I say, cadence, in the way you speak."

"You're not the first one, and you definitely won't be the last one who has commented on my accent." She tucked a strand of highlighted hair behind her right ear. "Not even Greg, our neighbour, believes I'm from Jamaica."

And yes, she's the first Chinese Jamaican I've met. Ever.

She took a huge gulp of her smoothie. "So, Ileana—"

"Lena," I corrected her.

"My bad. Lena, do you know of a place that makes good cocktails and drink specials?"

I knew a place, but I wasn't confident if it was ideal back then. "I don't."

"Any with a good DJ?"

"Nope."

"Come on! You must know of a decent bar in this place. All the ones I've been to and the campus one don't have the right balance."

Just as I opened my mouth about to suggest the place, Greg came back out to move the final box. "They make multiple boxes for a reason. That giant thing you brought wasn't easy to get through the door. I was half expecting for it to sprout legs and eat me." He rubbed a gloved hand across his forehead and suddenly my senses tingled. He had a bandage way past its capacity to hold blood.

"What happened to you?" Carmen asked him. She noticed it too.

"I was at a bar last night ..." he explained.

I paid no attention to what he was saying. My mouth was excreting a waterfall of saliva the moment I caught a whiff of the blood seeping through the bandage. Staring at it was like staring at those inkblot cards. The bloodstain was shaped into a face and it slightly resembled that singer Pitbull. I could see it move and—no wait, it was singing "Calle Ocho."

"I should answer this," I heard Carmen say. "Lena, you okay girl?"

I snapped out of my trance. Carmen had her phone in her hand and the song stopped playing.

"You looked like one of them zombies for a while." She turned her attention to the neighbour and said to him, "Go get that changed. You're making her uneasy."

I looked down at the frothy, pink concoction in my hand, mesmerized by the thickness of it. After a quick stir I took a sip. The strawberry flavour was what hit my tastebuds first, but I could pick up some notes of kiwi. Whoever invented the idea strawberry and kiwi should pair was clearly not right in the head. The smoothie itself was a little too thick for my liking, but it sufficed for the moment.

"If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask," Greg said as he headed out the apartment. "I'm in 305."

"Thanks for the help." Carmen closed the door and leaned against it. "You should rest tonight. You must've had a long day."

I agreed with her. Not only was moving tiring but having to go to a crowded bar would've made it worse. "This is a good smoothie. I'll definitely feel better in no time after finishing the rest."

"Really? The shitty recipe came with the blender if you want more. Right now I need to call back my friend." She walked up and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'll take you out next time." She gave the shoulder a pat and walked away.

As for me, I brushed off my shoulder and went into my room. I had a computer to set up.

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Edited: 07/07/2017

That was a close call for Lena. Don't really have a question to post after reading but if you have something to say about packing stuff, moving to a new place, roommates it's up to you (but if you're not comfortable with that, it's fine!) Maybe you have some questions? Or maybe you like to nitpick? (it helps to have some human eyes look at this). And of course, if you want to read more feel free to add this to your library. If you like what you read feel free to hit that star.

Feedback is greatly appreciated.

Song is "Calle Ocho" by Pitbull if the media doesn't play properly.