Hal swallowed, adam's apple helpfully attempting to constrict his throat. "I don't do well with blood," he admitted, and left it at that. It sounded ludicrous, coming from a vampire, but it was better Riley keep thinking he was just an oddity rather than a monster.
He could, he thought, if he was careful, proceed safely in that direction; she knew he didn't indulge (as it were), and there was no need to bring up the past. Or that he couldn't so much as safely be around Kia-Ora, or ...any other thick liquid for that matter. Staying clean had proved to be--well, perhaps not less of a hardship here, but a different one than he'd anticipated. As long as he didn't go out, he was safe; left to his own devices he'd retreated much as he had while staying with Leo.
Annie and Tom had different expectations, and it seemed that Riley did as well. The problem was that just as he'd come to care about Annie and Tom, Riley's expectations meant something now. He had to meet them, to show her he could be a good man.
So he attempted a smile, even if it was on the tail end of scoffing as he adjusted the placement of the cat just a subtle inch to the left, where it belonged. Their fingers didn't quite touch, but it was a near thing. He looked somewhere around their feet, adding, "Very little does."
You know, very little could hurt him. As he was immortal, much to his dismay. Fetching his coat from its stand beside the door was probably unnecessary, but he was always a bit colder than the average person, what with being dead. "All right, then. Lay on, MacDuff."
He took a moment to look pleased with himself in the process of holding the door (yes) and ushering her through. "That's most often misquoted, you know."
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He could, he thought, if he was careful, proceed safely in that direction; she knew he didn't indulge (as it were), and there was no need to bring up the past. Or that he couldn't so much as safely be around Kia-Ora, or ...any other thick liquid for that matter. Staying clean had proved to be--well, perhaps not less of a hardship here, but a different one than he'd anticipated. As long as he didn't go out, he was safe; left to his own devices he'd retreated much as he had while staying with Leo.
Annie and Tom had different expectations, and it seemed that Riley did as well. The problem was that just as he'd come to care about Annie and Tom, Riley's expectations meant something now. He had to meet them, to show her he could be a good man.
So he attempted a smile, even if it was on the tail end of scoffing as he adjusted the placement of the cat just a subtle inch to the left, where it belonged. Their fingers didn't quite touch, but it was a near thing. He looked somewhere around their feet, adding, "Very little does."
You know, very little could hurt him. As he was immortal, much to his dismay. Fetching his coat from its stand beside the door was probably unnecessary, but he was always a bit colder than the average person, what with being dead. "All right, then. Lay on, MacDuff."
He took a moment to look pleased with himself in the process of holding the door (yes) and ushering her through. "That's most often misquoted, you know."