"Mmm... I didn't catch that the first time."
Leaning over, she kissed him back, then laid her head on his chest to listen to his heart beat, giggling as the large feline forced his way closer as well.
"Holy water isn't very effective, either. Or crosses, unless the wielder is a true believer in its ability. Then it's not just crosses, but any 'holy' item, regardless of the religion."

Wanting to pur just like his cat Tal reluctantly eased out of the second kiss. "Well, you're safe, the holiest thing I have is a set of broken in dance shoes...not exactly a sign of deep faith. Besides, even if they did work could you imagine the bad press it would be, 'Vampire beaten away by ratty old dance shoes'. Very undignified."

Giggling against his chest, she nodded a bit.
"Indeed. And could you imagine that vampire? They'd never be able to show themselves in public again. All their dignity would be gone. It'd be nothing but sewer rats for the rest of their lives."
Shuddering at the thought, she wiggled closer.

"Oh the PR nightmare! No self respecting person would want to even CLAIM to be a vampire! They'd take up pseudonyms and nom de guerres like, 'Methuselah' or 'Nosferatu' or something involving a coalition. Even the sewer rats would mock them, though the alligators might welcome the competition for space...."

Grinning again, she nodded.
"I'm sure the gators would appreciate it. Easy dinner, after all."
Rolling a bit so she could stare at the ceiling, she tried to imagine the gators and vampires battling it out in the sewers.

Tal could guess what she was seeing, "Then they'd have to make all their money on 'gator wrestling, and we'd see an influx of cage matches...." A sudden yawn took him by surprise and he laughed. "Yeah, bores me just to think about it apparently."

Giggling, she nodded.
"Yeah. A gator-wrestling vampire isn't very appealing, is it? I mean, maybe in the bayou or somewhere in the everglades where it's to be expected, but not for us 'civilized' types."
Running her fingertips across his abdomen again, she sighed softly, smiling as the cat once again insisted on attention as well.

Biscuit gave up being polite about wanting her to pet him and instead took action. The cat climbed over Kenly and sat down nearly on top of Tal's neck. Thankfully he was used to it and just shoved the cats tail out of his face and grinned. "Really, I can't even imagine a bayou dwelling vampire...seems...so dichotomous. Vampires always look and act so sophisticated, and well...not the first thing one thinks of for that particular area of our nation."

"Oh, I agree. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any. And trust me, there are. We're just like any other creed of man or beast. Anywhere you find people, you'll find some variety of preternatural creature. Were-animals, vampires, 'monsters', 'myth'... You'd be surprised by how many vampires will probably actually attend your show. There are more of us than humans even want to pretend there are. Because, you know, vampires don't exist."
Smiling at the cat, she petted him happily. She missed the days of owning a pet. At her house, a pet would eventually make someone a meal-more than likely her sister's.

For a moment Tal mulld over her words. Was he mentally comfortable knowing that all the things they joked about in monster movies actually existed? His eyes rested on Kenly, he accepted all she was and it no longer felt as though he'd crawled out of a dream. But, things that went bump in the night were just supposed to be stories...right? "Okay, now you're going to have me staring into the crowd tomorrow trying to pick out every Bigfoot, Selkie, and Pixie. I blame you if I get distracted and loose step."

Laughing, she looked back at him.
"Bigfoot, however, is a myth."
She figured if he was alright knowing she, and other vampires, existed he should be aware that there were other things out there, too. Nothing so dangerous as only knowing half the truth, she always thought.
"Besides, you'll do fine."

Giving her an arch look, "You only say Bigfoot's a myth to keep me guessing. I'm much more likely to believe that he's running about somewhere than to think my audience will have selkies or werewolves. Honestly, though, I'm not really nervous about the show. I know I can do it, and it'll be received well...I hope...." He didn't want to say too much, like most he was a bit superstitious about stage productions.

Smiling up at him again, she winked. "I could just be pulling your leg, but I promise. Bigfoot's a myth. What everyone keep seeing are werewolves on bad days. Or were-apes. I've heard many a were laughing over a pint about how they were mistaken for bigfoot again. I'll have to take you to one of my dives one of these times. Give you the full monty, so to speak. Not right away, though. You have to get more comfortable with the idea of us before I take you. They'll smell your skepticism-and unease-three blocks away."
Petting Biscuit as she spoke, she couldn't help humming softly in time with his purring when she was done talking.

"Ah, hate to ruin your reputation, I'll try to work on my skepticism." Petting the cat he let the sound of her voice lull at his mind. Surprisingly he was already sleepy again, and he wouldn't be surprised that her presence, while invigorating, would also sooth him off to sleep soon.

[So, I'm off to fanime, i'll post as soon as I get back next week!]

Snuggling close to him, she could feel his heart rate and breathing even out. She knew he was close to sleep. She debated on waking him back up, or allowing him to sleep.
"Yeah, we'll have to work on that."

Tucking her in close, the cat settling down to kneed his shoulder, Tal let out a slow breath. "And after that we'll work on my killer wit, it will be a good day..." he slid effortlessly into sleep. A final thought of whether or not she'd be there when he woke flitted through his mind.