"Ah frankly, I don't need any help. It'll be too much trouble anyway," he muttered, sorting books into shelves and ticking off items from a checklist. "Of course, the only other way to be find out who specifically killed your father. I honestly couldn't just call up my brother and go 'Yo, bro, say, did you happen to kill a hunter recently?'. We're not on any terms any more. Not me and my whole family."

"Well..." Lloyd mused. "What else can be done?"

Adriel sighed. Frankly he didn't like leaving things to other people. People were dangerous things to trust. "I guess since you're not that much of a hunter you wouldn't have anything to do. Alright, how about you watch over the orders for me? If people want to pay for books or order things from the cafe, just collect the money, give them a receipt and tell me about it. I'll be in the kitchen prepping. And don't forget to think about what you really want to do: whether you're gonna let it go or investigate, though I doubt my father will let you investigate HIM."

"Alright." Lloyd replied, hugging the vampire and going on his way.

He put on an apron and started taking orders.

Adriel stared, bewildered at Lloyd for putting on the apron. A cashier didn't need an apron! It was the oddest thing he had seen in a while. Then again, wearing lacy panties is the oddest, most fucking weird thing I've ever seen any of my men do before, he thought to himself. As the day rolled past he brought books to customers, brewed coffee and steamed milk, made paninis and baked cakes, occasionally hiding in the kitchen to sip a bit of blood. He managed to catch a short break after the lunch crowd. Lloyd was doing a good job managing the cashier, and proved a hit with the customers, both regular and new. He watched as one of his older customers - Miss Sellethelle, she was called - give an "oooh" of appreciation at Lloyd as she asked him: "So, how are you and Adriel related?" Adriel felt himself bristle, waiting to hear Lloyd's response. Hopefully Miss Sellethelle would take any extreme responses with a pinch of salt.

"We're friends." Lloyd replied, hoping to keep tactful to the old woman. Didn't want to ruffle any feathers, especially not with Adriel's friends.

Adriel sighed in relief as he hear Lloyd's reply. Miss Sellethelle exclaimed that she never knew he had any friends, and Adriel couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Yeah, a vampire having human friends? Not in a lifetime. As the crowd thinned out he looked around the bookstore. It was empty. He crept behind Lloyd and kissed him on the neck.

"Are you hungry?"

"Nah, I'm fine, thanks." Lloyd replied. "You wanna..."

"It's fine," Adriel said, quickly backing away from Lloyd before he became too intoxicated in his scent. "I'll just eat by myself then." As he walked into the kitchen he stood at the doorpost, letting his head fall and hit hard on the tough wooden frame. What was wrong with him? First, he had kissed Lloyd, and now he was avoiding the man? How paradoxical a vampire must he become for this hunter? As Adriel pulled out some squid ink pasta, tossing mussels and spinach in blindly, occasionally seasoning and tasting the dish. "Why am I so caught up in him? Why couldn't I just ignore him and kill him?"

Lloyd sighed. He had heard the comments Adriel had made, and his face immediatly fell.

"What? Aren't I good enough for him?" He wondered, slowly becoming slightly angry.