. . .Then I Defy You, Stars

[Raphael Delemater]

Raphael coyly smiled as he slipped his glove back on. He was very fastidious about his appearance even around a man who completely disliked vampires like Henry. Raphael, had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't -his- Henry and it wasn't right to try and treat him the same. But then Raphael had always regretted not making what he had done one night,after a dance long ago, into something more significant.


"Oui oui no funny business." he repeated, leading him towards the downtown where they could find a bar. "Oh yes Henri Stammers, he was a desk guard of a small town i lived in in the dark ages. Oh he was always so kind to me no matter how I teased him. The locals liked to set me off because part of my madness sends me into a rage if I'm provoked and i would get arrested time and time again, but he always treated me respectfully." He walked with a rhythm, he was definitely in a good mood now. "That is why i hate just.." he sighed as they went down a quiet sidewalk. "The idea of killing your family. We all need family, vampires, humans elves, personally I'm a vampire human elf!" he laughed.

[Henry Stammers]

Henry didn't laugh. He reflected the first Stammers in the regard that his sense of humor was shit.
"If y-y-You don't wa-wa-want to kill us, wh-why don't you try he-he-helping humans?" He walked alongside Raphael, hands in his pockets, and turned his dark gaze toward the vampire. "You c-c-could make a big difference."
He thought of everything Raph had said about his family. Once upon a time it would have mattered...he could have written a book about his history. But there wasn't anyone to pass it along to anymore.

[Raphael Delemater]

Raphael looked at the ridiculously sweet man walking besides him. If he hadn't killed a vampire he would never imagine he was capable. "Well it used to be so simple. some human like to be bitten by vampires so for them we have a very clean relationship but some vampires are asses and a lot of human are scared of the. Fear rules both sides." he shrugged. "though your suggestion is tempting. This fight is so cliche and dull. The problem is getting started and not getting snuffed out before you can."The came to a corner and he spied a bar across the street. "OH! look, a high end place, i can get wine!" he clapped his hands together. "come Henri" he exclaimed heedlessly crossing the street"Stick close!"

[Henry Stammers]

The Stammers had grown more ballsy over the years, that was for sure, as the real O.G. would have never killed anything let alone a vampire. But this one had a niche for killing, it seemed.
"Humans l-l-let vamp-p-pires b-b-bite them. . .willingly?" he asked, keeping near to Raph as they crossed the street together. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea. It was flirting with death. "Wh-what do they g-g-get out of i-it?"

[Raphael Delemater]

Raphael cheated death for the hundredth time as he wasnt struck by any cars and stopped then just outside of the establishment. He whirled around and with his boots was able to meet the eyes of this far more confident Henry. "I won beat around the bush here, they get sexual gratification from it. I wont lie to you, when i was turned my throat had been ripped out by one vampire and left for dead, but another one saved me. My story is how you should always view us. There are those with good intentions and bad intention but its -all- open to interpretation. Alone and terrified ,the life draining from you, is not a feeling I wish on anyone." his right hand pressed against the door and his left moved to the boy's shoulder. "So i cheat it, a lot" he pushed open the door and just lit up. "Oh, your best french wine, now!And a tall long island ice tea for my friend!"

[Henry Stammers]

Things Stammers boys were not good at: holding their liquor. Things Stammers boys pretended to be good at: holding their liquor.
Henry let Raph guide him in, not scoffing at the prospect of free drinks. "So w-w-wait, you were ki-ki-killed so violently. Is th-that why y-you s-s-sound like that?" He looked around at the crowd, many of the people there catching his eye and looking at his gun, silently sizing him up as if to wonder if he could use such a thing.
"Do y-you have family?"

[Raphael Delemater]

Raphael's preference had always been for tables and not the bar. You could look people in the eye, and it wasnt so easy for someone to shoot you in the head. Raphael did not care to get shot in the head. As he settled in he looked over the freckled, nervous boy, who's distinctive stammering was a remarkable genetic trait, passed down for over thirteen hundred years with absolute perfection. He wondered if the young man realised how adorable it was.

They hadnt been settled long when Henry asked about his little backstory. "Oh yes, it wasnt cut, ripped out,by this absolute bitch who i had been escorting to the local parties for months and who was angered when i wouldnt join her as a slave. I was a massive idiot with a child for a sire.She, makes me look entirely sane- OOH WINE!" he squealed and snatched up his goblet. "They dont have wine from my youth anymore but a good vintage is a good vintage." he exclaimed whilst Heny's drink was set before him." Drink drink, ask me questions"

[Henry Stammers]

Henry's eyes went wide as Raph squealed. . .as this grown ass man squealed in a public place. Cautiously, he reached out and took his glass of liquor topped with liquor served with a garnish of liquor.
"Vampires are s-s-such a-a-assholes," he commented, taking a heavy drink. His brow furrowed from the strength but he didn't DARE admit it was too much for him.
"So," he began, leaning back in his seat. "Go-go-got a vampire f-f-family?"

[Raphael Delemater]

[The foppish dandy scoffed. "Well not all of them are. I'm actually rather tolerable sometimes." He gripped the goblet by the stem, the way they were actually designed to be used and took a long drink. "Oh, oh this is nice.." He looked back at Henry as he asked away. "Well yes I do. I have my lover Marista and our son Gabriel Oh and then there's my friend the fae, he belongs to no one, but he's fun. Oh, and then my half vampire son from another woman. Oh she was a good woman, she liked me for me, which is incredibly hard to do, but she was a strong woman too. ,hes funI have a son from her too..and, we're happy..but i remember your ancestor, and i think, im glad he had a long life, but im also glad he didnt get to see the dark turn my kind have taken."he smiled. "So..hows the drink?"

[Henry Stammers]

Henry bid himself to keep busy while Raphael spoke, and he did this by drinking more of his Long Island. Seriously, what was this? Gasoline and sugar? "Y-yo-you can reprodu-du-duce by normal m-m-means. . .why d-do they let you? Wha-what gives y-y-you the right?"
His glass was near half empty and he was beginning to feel the effects of the drink. "Y-you can do it AND decide wh-wh-whether or not humans g-g-get to keep their chi-children." He was angry, partially at Raph for being a father, but mostly at the higher power that allowed VAMPIRES to reproduce.

[Raphael Delemater]

Raphael pouted. "Henri, i do not like being the whipping boy for all the rest of my kindred. I like humans, they're adorable, i used to be one, and i don like killing children or women, unless they deserve t. I feel terrible that someone decided to screw with you like that but if you want insight into our world you have to set aside the rage. they're dead, would you rather they be embraced?" he reached out to try and snatch the stammering lips of the boy in his left hand "..no one can hurt them now.. there are no voices screaming in their heads, no one trying to cut them down. In the world we're in now, its a better place to be. I pity you though,having to shoulder the burden.

[Henry Stammers]

Henry's reflexes had gotten really shitty really quickly. There wasn't really a fight to put up when Raph reached for him, and he kind of stared stupidly at the blonde vampire. "Okay," he muttered between his fingers, scowling.
As much as he hated to admit it, Raph had made a good point. His shoulders slumped. "B-b-better that w-w-way."

[Raphael Delemater]

Raphael flashed him a smile as he let go of his face. "I do wish i could make the days and nights easier for you somehow." The vampire poured himself another glass. He always had them leave the bottle. ALL that wine was his.He lifted the glass to catch the red ichor in the light and examine it carefully. He could be quite a snob about wine and fashion. "I could offer you a place to stay, friends close and enemies closer oui?"

[Henry Stammers]

Henry finished off his drink and set his glass down (heavily). "N-n-no thankeeyou," he firmly stated, standing from his chair. He took a step back and nearly tripped over his chair. "I'll 'ave y-y-you know 'at I-I-I can take ceer of me-me-meself. No fanks."
He patted his pocket. "You payin' f-f-fer this?"

[Raphael Delemater]

Raphael smiled coyly. "Oh you can, can you? Hm, well where do you stay? Ill at least escort you some place safe. Would that be okay?" he threw his money on the table and following through with that in a swift motion he ran around the table to catch the unsteady man before he could do anymore stumbling."and im paying.." His smile grew as he snatched up the remainder of the bottle. "My lightweight friend."