When Aaron and Mona meet, 1810.
Aaron liked Forsaken Bluff. It was a mostly sleepy little town that suited Aaron just fine. Additionally, because the town catered to supernatural folk, they often had warm blood on hand. That always made his journey back from the California territory of Mexico easier. It wouldn’t be long before it became a state territory, Aaron reasoned; it had too much value as a resource haven for the Union not to take notice and ultimately grab it for itself.
His time in California was good; he and Bruce always had a good time. He also took the opportunity to get to know the other vampires in the area; one never knew when it would come in handy, and Aaron liked to keep tabs.
But it was time to head home. He had some affairs to attend to back in Jamestown. He needed to check on his younger brother, Samual. Though younger was a relative term at this point; Samual would be about 45 now, Aaron mused. Far older than Aaron himself would ever get. And “checking in” as Aaron saw it, was probably far more unsettling to a human than a vampire. Aaron loitered around his family’s farm, of which Samuel was now the owner. He would hang around for a couple days, watching his brother, before leaving a monetary gift on the doorstep before disappearing. Aaron never left a note, nor did he stick around to see Samuel find the envelope. He simply left, trusting that Samuel would do what he needed to do with the money.
Hopefully invest, Aaron thought to himself with a snort before entering the saloon. While the stock market was less than 20 years old, Aaron sensed that it was going to be quite popular, especially as his contacts in New York were involved in the original market in Holland.
“What will you have?” The bartender asked. She was tall and tan. Her blonde hair was bound at the nape of her neck, the scar on her lip bending with her smile.
“A glass of A-” Aaron smiled, taking a seat at the bar.
The bartender grimaced. “Sorry darling,” She apologized. “I’ve got AB+ and O-“.
“O is fine,” Aaron assured, waving his hand.
The woman nodded. “Want anything in that?”
“Uh,” Aaron mused, “Bourbon, if you don’t mind.��
“Make that two,” said a new voice to Aaron’s right. He looked over and smiled.
Vampires, generally, were beautiful; it was a natural part of their arsenal to catch prey. When turned, a human’s most attractive attributes were heightened, to better draw in their next meal. Aaron was used to seeing beautiful vampires.
But this woman was something else entirely.
Her deep, rich, dark hair was coiled elegantly on top of her head, with wind whipped strands framing her face. Her equally dark eyes drew Aaron in immediately, and he knew that those eyes had seen centuries of life already. Her lips…her lips were a soft pink and would no doubt gain some color with the blood cocktail that was placed in front of her and Aaron.
She was alluring.
“Hope you don’t mind that I swooped in,” she said, picking up her drink.
Aaron blinked, “No, of course not,” he assured, putting 2 half dollars on the counter. “My treat,”
She smiled, craning her head over to a quiet table in the back. “That’s kind of you,” She said softly. “Care to join me?”
Had Aaron had a heartbeat, it would’ve skipped several beats.
He picked up his own drink before following her to the table. He beat her to it and pulled her chair out for her, which she took, tucking the seat of her dress underneath her as she sat.
The other nice thing about Forsaken Bluff, Aaron mused, was that he could move as freely and quickly as he desired without fear of repercussions.
“What brings you to Forsaken Bluff?” the woman asked, taking a slow sip.
“Passing through,” Aaron supplied, “Coming from California, and you?”
“Heading to,” she said with a smile. ”meeting some acquaintances there,”
“Are you traveling alone?” Aaron asked, some concern in his voice.
She laughed. “Yes.” She paused, taking another sip. “It’s 1810, after all. And I can take care of myself,”
”Of that I have no doubt,” Aaron agreed. “Where is home?”
“Italy,” she said, glancing out the window, “have you been?”
“Not yet,” he admitted. “There’s so much to explore here,” he said, gesturing around, then grinned. “But I have time.”
She nodded. “Plenty of time.” She agreed, finishing her drink and offering her hand. “I’m Desdemona de Leon,” she introduced herself. “And you?”
“Aaron Shepard,” he replied, taking her hand and pressing his lips to the back of her hand. Her eyebrows rose in bemusement.
“A true American then,” she mused.
Aaron nodded. “Yes ma’am, born 15 years before the War, turned in 1781.”
“Oh very young,” Desdemona commented.
Aaron shrugged and smiled easily, “Plenty of time to explore,” he agreed. She smiled back. It was like the sunrise Aaron hadn’t hadn’t seen in 30 years.
“Well, Mr. Shepard,” She said, standing up. Aaron aimed to follow before she lifted up her hand, “Please, no need to rise on my accord.” She said, holding up a half dollar up. She smiled. “Your next drink is on me. Thank you for your company.”
Aaron nodded with a smile. “Will we meet again?” He asked, eyes meeting hers.
Her dark eyes met his and a smile played on her lips. She opened his palm and lightly placed the coin in it before curling her fingers over his to close around it.
“I’ll make sure of it.” She promised.
And then she was gone. And Aaron was out of breath.
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