what's the use of feeling | o, intro

[alexander]

[div style="width: 45%; margin: auto; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 110%; text-align: justify"]Alexander had pulled Rialto out of his ferris wheel carriage the moment the sun had disappeared behind the hills, an arm thrown around his shoulder, mischief in their fanged smile. There was only so much vampires in the dark of the night can do before they need a snack, in which the minimart was the only destination. The vampire follows their friend through the sliding doors, halfway through a story about the guy they had met up with through Catheryn's tinder account. "He didn't even pay, Rialto! I was pretending to enjoy that nasty human food just for him, and he didn't pay. The audacity of the humans around here these days."

They pass by the store owner without a problem, heading past rows of chips and soda, the ice cream isle, and then - Alex almost runs into Rialto's back, sending the man a sharp glare for interrupting their gossip. They raise their hand to tug at the end of his hair, and then he's plugging his nose and stepping back, a hand on their shoulder to push them in front of him. They frown at the sight before them, lips curling into a grimace. Who was this guy? He was wasting all the cheese - though it looked like he might need it more than anyone else right now.

Alex holds back a laugh at Rialto's words, hands going to their hops, nodding solemnly along. "The store owner doesn't take well to thieves. Rumor has it, she eats people." They add with a snicker, idly kicking away a few scattered Cheez-Its. They watch Ivy sob on the floor for a few more moments before they break down, frowning as they crouch down in front of him. "Hey, are you okay? You have dirty all over you, and -" They sniff, cringing at the scent of blood mixing with the grime covering the man, though they can't deny that the blood smells tasty. "Blood. Maybe we should get you out of here." Whether or not Alexander wanted to get Ivy out of the minimart to snag a bite out of him or to help him was up for discussion, but they offer a hand, sharp smile as charming as can be.

They glance back at Rialto like they're asking if they should really help this guy, quirking a brow. This was the perfect chance to mess with the guy, crying and shoving cheese into his mouth like it was his last day on Earth. The scene before them did tug on their heartstrings just a little bit, because the stranger was really going through it. He smelled like alcohol, blood, and grime - something that Alexander would run far away from if they hadn't already offered their help. "My name is Alexander, by the way. Rialto is the weirdo behind me."