The Vampire's Apprentice

Clancy locked up behind them and started walking away from the main part of town, choosing instead to stick to the quiet residential streets. "There we are!" he said cheerfully. "I hope it is not too dark for you." It was fine for him, but then again, if vampires could not see in the dark, they would have died out long ago.
 
Kitty placed her hands in her jacket's pockets and stuck beside him. "I can see you. That's enough." She replied. Darkness didn't bother her too much.
 
Clancy raised a brow at her but did not read too much into that statement. After a moment of quiet walking, he asked, "Why did you wish to go somewhere together?"
 
"Hm?" Well, rightly she didn't know. Not until he asked. Partially, the reason was to poke at the boundaries of her freedom.
"It seems like we only see each other at dusk, and then, only for a bit." Kitty hopped forward a couple paces so as not to fall behind. "It'd be silly of friends not to hang out now and again."
 
Clancy slowed his pace a little so she could keep up more easily. "This is the truth," he agreed mildly. "I have not had a friend in a long time, and it is strange not to have the ritual of finding you at your bench."
 
"Do you not have friends? Not even with others like you?" Kitty looked at him. "Sounds like a lonely existence...."
 
"Oh, there were a couple back when I was still a fledgling," Clancy shrugged, "but gradually as we came into our own power, being close friends with other vampires turned more into a troublesome thing than a helpful one. Hunting grounds and all that. There are a few who still remain close in covens and similar, and I have known one or two vampire couples, but most prefer to keep to their own hunting grounds. It is a bit like that old proverb of only one tiger to a mountain. I would still say I am on friendly terms with many of them, but we do not keep in close contact."
 
"You did, indeed," Clancy chuckled. "I knew you could not go forever without a question." He gave her a brief but warm look.
 
"Yes," Clancy confirmed. "Now and then another might come through going from one area to another, but we have a way of knowing when we are on another's territory. If we need to hunt on another's territory, a polite vampire will introduce him or herself and let the resident vampire know, but most of the time, they just travel through without pausing."
 
Clancy debated on how to answer. "It is difficult to explain. It is considered rude to intrude, and, yes, sometimes bad things can happen. Vampires tend to be very territorial, but not all of us are as aggressive about guarding our territory as others, and as we tend to need to move reasonably often, it is not expected for us to cling to one singular area."
 
Clancy shrugged. "To be looked after, not to be all murdered, and to be respected," he replied blandly. "Beyond that, about the same as anyone else."
 
Not at all what she had expected to hear. Rather interesting, to be honest.
"I think that's three...." Kitty said, somewhat distractedly, though she wasn't quite sure how many she'd asked. "It's quite nice outside tonight. Not too chilly."
 
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