[C] A Place to Sleep

A small stream of artificial light leaked through the crack in the door of the tack room. Amongst the shadows, surrounded by grain sacks and bridles, a body stirred, rolling further into the shadows.

Dmitri groaned, an arm raising to push the matted dreadlocks away from his face. Not yet. Just a few more minutes.

But his mind had cleared and now he found himself awake, unable to go back to sleep. He sat up slowly. And froze.

There were footsteps outside the door. It wasn't the first time that he would have been caught on someone's property. But he'd like to avoid it if he could. The house was big. And the rich ones had guns.

He put his ear to to the door. The steps were fairly light. Maybe a woman. Or a young boy. Not anyone who could do a lot of damage. He relaxed a little.

If they opened the door, he could push them aside and run. No biggie.

Richard slide off Snow's saddle, and left it to hand on her stable door.

"Good girl." He murmured.

Patting down her back, fur stuck to his hand. He turned his nose up. Couldn't it shed faster? It wasn't doing him or Snow any favors. The weather was too warm for April - much to Snow's misfortune - and her fur stuck to Dick's clothes - much to his misfortune.

Closing and locking the door behind him, he lifted the bridle over his shoulder and rested the warm saddle on his hip.

He looked down on himself in disdain. Fur and dirt covered every inch of his gear. Gross.

He needed a long shower when he got back.

Making his way down the stable to a tak room, he felt a little uneasy. He could smell the usual scent of horses, dust and the lingering of the usual supernatural that visited the stable. But there was something else as well.

He stood outside the tak room.

Or someone else.

He frowned, hesitating to open the door.

Really, he figured he shouldn't be so concerned. They had different people come in and out of the mansion all the time. This should be no different. Though, it was strange that he was finding someone in here.

Shaking his head, figuring that living for so long should count for something, he opened the door - with a surprising amount of effort. He never remembered the door being that heavy.

Dmitri was ready when Dick opened the door. He shot out like a bullet, quickly shoving the man into one of the stalls. His bag was slung over his shoulder as he made a bid for the door.

"Great staying with you! Definitely come back again! Fantastic hotel service, really!"

He could definitely do without a lawsuit. This kid didn't look like much of a threat, but maybe his parents were around.

Angry father with a beergut. No thank you.

The saddle in his arms tumbled out of his grip as someone flung themselves in front of him.

"Oi!"

Instinctively, he made a grab for the strangers bag. Half trying to steady himself, half to catch the stranger.

He can make the a good guess that they were not new here. No one would bolt like that in their own home - temporary or not.

"Ooft!"

The catch caught him off balance, and and he tumbled backwards, crashing onto the boy.

It took him a few moments to process what had happened, gazing steadily up from the kid's lap. He sat up, flicking his hair out of his face and untangling himself from Dick's legs. Straightening up, he dusted a few strands of hay from his trousers.

He coughed awkwardly. "Steady on, mate, bit forward."

He wanted to balance himself. Not fall backwards and whack his head on the stables wooden door.

Of course that's what happened.And to make matters worse, he unexpectedly felt something in his lap.

Rubbing the back of his head he looked down into the strangers eyes, his own framed with red. Embarrassment and anger began boiling in him.

"Get off!"

Even though the other vampire had removed himself from his lap, he still kicked his leg out to push him away some more.

Sitting up, he eyed the other suspiciously.

"Who are you?"

Dmitri ignored the boy's thrashing and slung his bag back over his shoulder, glancing towards the door.

"Just passing through."

He had only planned on spending one day here anyway. He had got what he came for. And besides, he had seen a nice little barn just down the road. A few goats - granted, goats weren't exactly his favourite animal - but no humans nearby and it was warm.

Just to get away from this kid now. He started to walk towards the door.

"Anyway, I'm off. You might wanna give those clothes a wash, they're looking a bit mucky. Ciao."

He knew he was not his cleanest. But for someone else to point it out?

"Rude."

He frowned and glared at the back of the new vampire.

"I could say the same to you."

The other man didn't smell particularly great. Rather putrid, to be honest. And his clothes looked like they were taken out of the bin and then patched together with a stapler.

Okay, maybe he was being rude and judgemental himself. But they didn't exactly get off on a good start.

"What were you doing in the stables?"

Even though he did not like whoever he was - he was still curious. It was not everyday you were knocked over by someone in the tak room.

He raised his eyebrow, giving a low whistle, and turning back in his tracks.

Just a little bit of guilt-tripping would do the trick. Never failed. "Saying that to a homeless guy? Wow, that's low."

Continuing to walk backwards, he called out,

"Sleeping. You know. That thing you do in your big fancy bed and shit."

Just a few more steps and he would be out the door. Never to be seen again. Hopefully there weren't any guns in this place. He remembered a time he had been sleeping in a police officer's shed by accident. Didn't end well, to say the least.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your parents or something? It's getting late. Probably past your bedtime."

He was homeless? He felt a little guilty now. But he didn't apologise. The other still needed to apologise to him.

Besides, he could easily have his own 'fancy bed' here. It was not too difficult to join the mansion.

He was about to let him go. If he wanted to sleep on the street - fine by him. He was feeling a little spiteful to tell him about the mansion.

But he didn't let him go.

His face scrunched up in anger, his fists clenched.

"Excuse me?! I'm not -I'm."

He stuttered over his first few words, not sure how to get them across in his anger, until finally managing to get his tongue untwisted.

"I am not a fucking child. Like most of our kind, in case you are too fucking thick to notice."

"Oh, really? You look like you're about to have a kiddy tantrum to me."

The information sunk in and suddenly he realised. No parents. Supernatural or not, he could take this kid, easy. Nothing was stopping him from staying here. It was warm, cosy. Great bales of hay, fresh water, the warmth of the horses - which sure as hell smelt better than goats.

He dropped his bag in the corner of the stable and settled down in the corner on a haybale near one of the horses.

"Hey, girl." he cooed softly. His hand delved into his pocket and came out with an admittedly slightly shrunken apple core.

The horse ate it up, warm nose nuzzling for a moment against the man's hand.

"Actually, I think I'll stay." he announced.

The kid could kick up as much of a fuss as he wanted. The fact remained that Dmitri was twice his size and one vicious fighter to boot.

He knew exactly who would win that fight and although he didn't like to beat up kids - well, if his hand was forced, then he wouldn't shy away.

He never met someone that he hated instantly.

Okay. So that was a lie. A big lie. There were a lot of people he met that he hated instantly. But this counts as the first person this year that he can't stand from a single meeting.

"I'm not-"

He stopped himself. Because the other vampire was right. It did sound like a tantrum. And then just made his blood boil more.

Crossing his arms, he shot the vampire a glare. Then a glare at Snow. Betrayer.

"Who said you could?"

"Me."

Since the kid was also a vampire, if he phoned the police they would inevitably find either a huge mound of bodies or a load of bloodbags stolen from a hospital. Either way, Dick would be incriminated one way or the other. Whether he went to jail for theft or murder didn't matter. He just knew the chances of the kid phoning the cops would be pretty slim.

"It's comfortable here. Won't be doing any harm, I'll just be keeping your horses company. And in return I won't tell anyone about the mound of dead bodies most likely buried in your back garden, understand?"

He kept a perfectly pleasant smile on his face at all times. For now, he was calm. And he would only get nasty if he had to.

The man stretched, heavily muscled back and shoulders flexing intimidatingly.

Dick really did not like the threatening tone in the others voice. The fact that he was taller and looked stronger really did make him a little threatening. Especially with his lack of fighting experience (and having lived so long, you would f expected him to have some, par bow and arrow).

He kinda wished Giacinto was here to show who was in fucking charge.

He didn't return the smile.

"Fine by me."

He would rather him staying here then in the mansion where he was more likely to bump into him. He took a little joy not telling him that he could share a room with others in the mansion.

"Still, you could tell me who you are."

He didn't like not knowing peoples names.

His grin broadened and he crossed the room to slap Richard across the shoulders firmly. "Great. We're on the same page then."

The mansion looked comfortable. He'd always wanted to live somewhere like that. When he was in Ukraine, he had lived quite close to a palatz like that. He'd like to see the inside too.

It was quite a simple plan. He'd set up camp here for the time being. Try to win over the kid, or if that didn't work, just move in anyway. He highly doubted Richard would contest him. He could also pretend to be ill or injured. The kid seemed like a bit of a knob, but he doubted he was heartless enough to turn an ill or hurt person away.

Time to start the charm offensive.

"It's Dmitri." he purred with a soft smirk. "Stay for a drink? We can have a housewarming party."

He might as well slapped him with a dead fish with the look Richard gave him.

"Richard."

He may be slightly pissed off but he still had manners. Sort off. He liked to pride himself as some sort of gentlemen or at least a polite person. Though it never always worked out like that.

"'Stay for a drink?' Of what?" He did not really want to bring him to the mansion. Keep him contained in here like the spiteful person he could be.

But really, of what? It was a bit odd for the guest(?) to invite him for a drink. Unless he had some cheap alcohol in that bag of his.

He rummaged around in his bag before emerging with some wine.

He squinted at the bottle, holding it at arms length. "Produttori del Barbarisco." His accent twisted the italian words slightly, slipping a little on the pronunciation.

It had cost a bit more that he'd usually have spent but he'd had a successful night pick-pocketing, and found himself a new place to sleep, so he had felt like celebrating. And it was good wine. Generally, he preferred Vodka, but it was still a good wine.

And he enjoyed getting drunk. Didn't matter if the company was shitty. The alcohol made it fun.

"Get a glass or drink from the bottle, up to you."

With all the travelling he did, there was no point in carrying glasses. They'd be broken within a day.

"Produttori del Barbarisco." He corrected.

He spent enough time with Giacinto, learnt enough Latin as a child and spent a few years here to learn how to pronounce the Latin Languages - especially Italian and French.

Really, he knew there was no need. But he felt like showing off.

"I'm good."

He really did not want to share a bottle with a stranger - which was perfectly acceptable in the 21st century. And he really did not want to trek all the way up to the mansion and back again to drink with a stranger he did not like.

Though, he was feeling a little uneasy leaving him here with the horses if all he was going to do was get drunk.

Remembering the bridal and his shoulder and a saddle left forgotten on the floor, he picked it up to put it away.

A flicker of irritation flit across his face as the kid corrected him. It's not as though his pronunciation was absolutely perfect. He could still hear the English accent strongly.

He shrugged.

"Whatever. Your loss."

It didn't bother him in the slightest that Dick refused. In fact, he was relieved. Now he had a whole bottle of great wine to himself.

Unscrewing the cap, he gulped the wine steadily until about a quarter of the bottle had gone, and wiped his mouth on his bare forearm. He wanted to get pissed. Now.

"Fuck that's good." he mumbled, taking another swig.

He watched him in disdain as he hung up the bridal. They might as well be back in 16th century England - ignoring that most people still do this now.

He looked over at the horses again and back at the stranger.

Who knew what type of person he was? Let alone what type of drunk he was. And he really did not want to be held responsible for any damage of the stable, or any injury or death of a horse.

He bit his lip - should he really leave this man to his own devices in here? At least in the mansion there was some vague control over any situation.

Empathise on vague.

He sighed.

"Would you rather drink in the mansion?"

A smile curled his lips. Well that was easier than he expected. Now for a drunken night, followed by passing out on the couch. No way would Richard be able to move him. And then the same would happen the next night, and the next, until he was finally well and truly moved in.

Dmitri leapt to his feet, putting an arm around Richard's shoulder and frog-marching him out of the stable. "Sounds great. And then you can get the glasses! And we can have a proper evening of it, not some crap sit-around out in a shed!"

Before he knew it, Richard would find himself living with a stranger. And who knows? They might actually get to like each other.

He almost snorted at the thought. Fat chance.

Posh toff.

"Only because I don't want you killing anything."

In all honesty, if he had to put up with him for the rest of the night he will need a drink.

He attempted to shake of the arm as he was marched towards the mansion. It felt uncomfortable and he really did not want his personal bubble invaded by someone that did not smell too great.

Still, he led the way to the kitchen where the glasses were held. Not without a sour expression on his face.

The mansion was intimidating up close. Old yet sturdily built with grey brick. It was wonderfully detailed too, although time has warn it down. The inside reflected the outside. The same intimidation but awestruck feeling. Though if looked closely enough, it was obviously tattered and time worn.

But it was clean, Dick would like to state to anyone that pointed out it's worn out look. Most of the time, anyway.

There was always someone that messed it up.

"This is the Kitchen."

Like the rest of the mansion, the kitchen was oversized. It was amazing that the cupboards were full with the amount of them in the kitchen.

"The only thing I want to kill right now is your bad mood. C'mon, let's get a drink." he sang.

He was like an entirely different person from the one who threatened Richard a few moments ago. He bounced a little as he walked and his eyes glinted, but he held tight onto the boys arm with a tight grip.

His eyes flit across the mansion's exterior before they entered. It was incredible. He had never been in anywhere like this before - hell, he hadn't even been in a house that's roof wasn't falling in, or that was bigger than a hut.

But he didn't reflect any awe in his expression. Dmitri was closed off. Richard didn't need to know that he found it impressive, or that he really wanted to be here. He didn't need that using against him.

When they were in the kitchen, he picked up a glass and poured himself a very large one. It practically overflowed, and he had to sip it carefully to stop it from spilling. He wasn't bothered about manners, but it would be a waste to spill wine.

Dick rubbed his arm, glad it was now free from the other vampire's grip.

He watched Dmitri carefully as he poured himself a drink. He didn't have any feelings of trust towards him. And rightly so. He did threaten and insult him. And now he going to get drunk. As much as he wanted to leave him, he felt he shouldn't. Especially in Giacinto's kitchen.

Maybe he shouldn't of brought him here in hindsight.

"Pour me a glass."

He placed a wince glass in front of the vampire.

"Please." He added as an afterthought. He was still a polite person - in certain circumstances.

"Finally, you're on board!"

He poured the other Vampire a large... albeit, smaller than his own. It finished the bottle and he put it on the side before rummaging around in his bag and bringing out a large bottle of whiskey. Not such great quality this time, but it was something.

Dmitri watched the kid carefully out of the corner of his eye as he drank. He didn't really want to pass out. Just... pretend to. He didn't trust anyone as far as he could see, so he wasn't exactly going to fall unconscious with a complete stranger. Even a weedy little shit like this.

He put the whiskey on the side and quickly gulped down the rest of his wine. Now for a large whiskey. He poured Richard one too. With any luck, a killer hangover would be enough to keep Richard away in the morning.

Three large whiskeys went down in a flash, and he was left swaying slightly as he poured himself - and Richard - another.

His alcohol tolerance was quite high. Richard would be drunk before him.