Eiko had many things to talk about. She was always a person of questions and theories and was always unsatisfied or unsettled when she didn't have answers. Now Eiko was aware that she wouldn't get a certified answer no matter who she asked. Kyubin, Sunghoon, and Ni-ki, they would all tell her something different. Meanings depend on the eyes of those who live. And they all live different lives. She wouldn't get the same answer if she asked what was what.
But that didn't mean that she wouldn't want the answer. Any closer she could get to the life she's supposed to live now, the closer she could get to leaving.
So when Eiko entered the cafe a little before the meetup time, she had her inquiries ready. Oddly enough, what she felt was excitement or similar to. Before she entered the line to get a quick drink, she noticed Sunghoon in the corner with his own already in hand, busied with his phone. He's early too. Seems like they both are pretty punctual.
She quickly entered the line to order and pay for her drink first before taking the seat in front of him with a smile. He perks up to look at her and where he was slumping in his posture he fixed it entirely.
It was awkward for him. Eiko didn't blame him. If it was her who was on the receiving end of yesterday's outburst she would have reacted the same way; puzzled as to why she was being asked to hang out the day later.
Now to tell the truth. Eiko only had her questions ready. The way she would open up the conversation was left to be improvised. But Eiko wasn't the best when it came to improvising the important things. She pursed her lips and let the silence sit.
"Um...I know this was abrupt so thanks for coming." Eiko shuffled in her seat, shaking her arm a bit for the sleeve to slide past her wrist. "I wanted to...I need to apologize for yesterday."
Eiko fiddled with the ends of her jacket sleeve. "Listen if we weren't here I'd explain it better, really. But I was just still overwhelmed by everything so I lashed out on you like that. I realized—"
Sunghoon exhaled a deep breath through his nose. "It's fine," his answer was truthful and once again he flashed Eiko a warm, fang-portraying smile. "I don't hold grudges."
Eiko was unsure but nodded anyway. She didn't want to keep the subject of last night open and overhanging, so she spoke up again. "I actually came with a few questions but I'll save that for later. Do you have any plans for later?"
"I have a free schedule on days I don't work on," he informed her. Eiko took the information in with a nod before she raised a question.
"What's your job? What do ex-athletes do? I can't really imagine you doing anything else." Eiko carefully put her folded arms on the surface of the table and leaned forward. Awaiting for the answer, she was a bit confused as to why Sunghoon seemed to hesitate.
He avoided her gaze by looking around the area. Almost from a bout of urgency he threw out, "guess." It was an easy way to stall for as long as it could get him. He took advantage of that.
Eiko frowned and narrowed her eyes. She sat back in her chair and brought her arms down. "Don't know. You don't look like you do a regular job at all."
A prideful tilt hit the end of his lips. "You're right about that. I don't have a normal job, so that crosses out some choices." Sunghoon perched his elbows on the surface, and ditched his drink. "Take a better look at me. What abnormal job fits me best?"
Eiko squinted. She assessed Sunghoon's look before she peered him right in the eyes. "If I said something inappropriate would I be on the right track?"
For a moment the words settled. Then Sunghoon, in all his blasphemy, shot back wide eyed. Eiko laughed, taking joy from Sunghoon's shock. Her hand flew over her own mouth. "You said to guess. So I'm doing as told."
He scoffed and glared at her as if never in his life he would've expected something like what she had said or thought. To say the least, Sunghoon was swooped into offense. "Well then no. You'd be far, far, away from the right track." He grimaced and his face warped into disgust.
Eiko just laughed. "Okay, let me guess again." She pointed a finger at Sunghoon's face and circled his features. "You would be..." she stopped her finger in between his eyes, adding another. "A killer," she threw out, whispering out a 'bang' as she lifted both her fingers up.
Sunghoon didn't say anything.
She put her chin on her palm. "I don't see it though. You look too nice to be a killer. You have the sparkles in your eyes that killers don't." Eiko would've never thought the words could've been a compliment. But Sunghoon rolled out a thanks as if he acknowledged the words as such.
"But, was I on the right track?" Eiko asked. "Am I getting warmer or colder, give me hints."
Sunghoon replicated her action. He put two fingers up and pointed them at the same place Eiko did to him, between the eyes. He let slip a playful chuckle, and his fingers shot in the air. "Bullseye."
The corner of her eyes crinkled. Eiko enjoyed the little game while it lasted until she was called up to the counter to get her drink.
Instead of sitting back down, she signaled Sunghoon to get up. "Come on. Let's go on a walk."
He scrunched his nose as he stood up and walked next to her. "I left the dog at home."
Eiko shrugged. "Come on. Come on."
She left out first with Sunghoon following behind.
"Let's hang out, genuinely. We can leave the serious talk for later." She sipped her drink casually before lighting up with anticipation. "Actually. There's this ice skating rink I want to go to. It's a bit far away but it's still walking distance."
Sunghoon glanced at the parking lot. "As long as we come back here," he mumbled. "I drove here."
"Deal."
===
"So," Eiko began. "How'd you meet them? Y'know, Jay and Jake."
Sunghoon had long trashed his cup, so he walked with his hands in his jacket's pockets. "Jay? Our first meeting is a little blurry to me actually. He transferred to my primary school almost towards the end of the year. The principal always told us not to talk to him or interact. He didn't really like Jay, it seemed."
That made Eiko's eyebrows raise. She took everything in word by word but just because she understood their meanings doesn't mean she understood why. In her eyes, Jay didn't come off as someone you could dislike.
How could the principal dislike him so much to say that, let alone a kid? Eiko's confusion turned to frustration. Weird...
"But I decided to talk to him. He was pretty much alone and so was I. I always had training and practice. Most of my education was given to me at home the seldom days that I came to school. So we talked, and we clicked. I found out why the principal disliked him, I made the principal dislike me too, and we became friends."
Eiko nodded along. "So why did the principal dislike him?"
Sunghoon answered her hintingly, "the same reason you lashed out on me." Though he accompanied his statement with a laugh, Eiko felt bad.
She apologized once more. "So what do you mean you made the principal dislike you too? What did you do?"
Sunghoon didn't answer verbally. Instead he retracted his hand from his pocket and rolled his sleeve back. On his wrist, there was a dot where a scar used to be. But he ended up explaining it. "I didn't get this until I was in highschool." He put his hand back into his pockets. "But I had told the principal that I was a vampire too. He was infuriated and gave me the same treatment he did Jay."
"The only thing was that I wasn't," Sunghoon commented.
Once again, Eiko was confused. Soon enough the emotion would permanently paint over her face in enough time. "Huh?"
"It's a long story. But I wasn't born a vampire. It happened later on, only a few years ago. And people who are turned can never fully be a vampire, it's a myth. We hold some aspects but we're not vampires. So that's why I can't explain it." He sighed after a while. "By technicality, I am. But by blood, I'm not."
"Woah," Eiko mumbled. "That sounds...cool."
At her childishness, Sunghoon laughed. "Didn't you hate the idea just a day ago, what's with the switch up?"
Eiko elbowed him in the side particularly hard. "I had an epiphany," she joked. "But no, I still kind of hate it. Block A isn't meant for people like me. It'll give experiences that aren't pleasant. But your story was cool."
Through an unsure grin, Sunghoon replied. "Thanks?"
Eiko trashed her cup. "I guess we couldn't avoid the serious talk huh? Eh. Come on, we're here. Entry is on me."
===
The place was spacious and pretty much vacant. More people went to inside ice skating rinks when it approached fall and winter, regular rinks were at least half of what the population used to be.
That could also be why Eiko saw at least five couples already. It offered a lot more alone time for them. Eiko just hoped they wouldn't act all lovey dovey in public. PDA was not her thing.
"I do want to warn. I have no clue how to skate," Eiko informed him. She stood up on shaky legs once she tied them.
"Then why did you suggest this place?" Sunghoon questioned, already about to step on the floor.
Eiko crossed her arms. "Wanted to see if you were actually good or some phony." She pointed to the floor. "A true ice skater would know how to do both. So get to skating."
"Okay," he hummed. Sunghoon skated over to her with an amicable expression. When he reached her though, Eiko wasn't fully expecting to be dragged into the floor along with him.
"Sunghoon, you piece of— hey!" She groaned as she lost her footing as her feet slipped forward. It wasn't a painful fall, but it was annoying. Especially when Sunghoon skated effortlessly to the center and laughed at Eiko the entire time.
Eiko grappled onto the railing and kept her grip tight. She stumbled getting up and let out every curse in her head.
"Practice makes perfect." He went around the rink in a couple of swift moves before he came back to her. It was easy for him. He had been skating for a while after all. But skating around people was a different feat.
Eiko scoffed. "Help me then."
Sunghoon smugly shrugged. "I'll give you a piece of advice then."
Eiko waited to hear what he was going to say.
"Baby steps."
And it only made her a bit more petulant.
===
Eiko was first to compliment the moment despite all of her past complaints. "It was fun after I got the hang of it," she said. "I used to go skating with my friends when I was younger and I never really picked up how to skate no matter how many times we went. I guess I'm improving now albeit a little late."
"Only a little," Sunghoon remarked.
Eiko only rolled her eyes. If this constant teasing marked the beginning of a friendship between her and Sunghoon then she wanted to go back. "You take the fun out of it." She crossed her arms.
Nonetheless he was entertained by her response.
"But I'm guessing this adds to your memories, right?" Eiko stated almost with a joyful cadence to her sweet voice. "Along with the one yesterday, and the few you made with Jay and Jake."
They were walking back to the café now. It had only been two hours or so since they met up, meaning it was around five. Not bad timing, seeing as the sun set during seven. Eiko slowly began to work a schedule around the pattern.
Sunghoon agreed. "It does." Eiko noticed a soft and very subtle semblance of a satisfied beam coming across his lips. As cliché as it was, it made Eiko wear content across hers as well.
"I never told you," stated Sunghoon as he focused his gaze forward.
"Told me what?" Eiko asked back.
"How I met Jake. I guess you're still clueless on how we became friends." Sunghoon pocketed his phone securely. "We met as soon as I entered year 11. Jay and I went to the same high school and we met Jake the same way. Vampires have a keen sense of smell when it comes to detecting who is one of them and who wasn't. It gets a little blurry for people who were...switched but it's still noticeable. He met Jay first because he could detect him the best. The me after. You can say from there Jake and I clicked."
He continued, "our personalities were the same so we related a lot. Then we became close and here we are now."
Eiko hummed a constant, almost buzzing note. Vampire revelations were beginning to become nothing new to her. They were casually thrown into conversations and she didn't have enough time to even think about it. Eiko didn't even know if she should care about it anymore. There's a lot more to worry about than revealing who the next vampire was. It would be pointless to stagger on it.
There were more important things than worrying about it.
"So why do I need to stay away from Jake— no, vampires in general? It's not like I can avoid them," Eiko inquired.
"You would die." Sunghoon put it simply. "It's why we need the routine back as soon as possible. Have you ever questioned why you've gotten sudden aches when you were around a vampire?"
The first statement flew over her head as she avoided it and she thought back. He was right. In the beginning, she would get headaches that short-circuited her brain but recently she didn't feel them as much.
She nodded gingerly.
"Those are the starting stages of it all. You'll get used to them eventually, but when you get used to them the worse they'll get, you'll just never notice them yourself." Sunghoon told her everything he knew. As straightforward and as helpful as it could be. "The more around them you are your rate quickens. You'll die faster."
Eiko pulled up short in her steps. Sunghoon halted when he noticed.
She looked at him with fear melted in her eyes. "You're not lying, right?"
Sunghoon shook his head, apologetic. "No. Unfortunately."
And Eiko felt a stinging apprehension lick up her spine, like venom sinking into her skin. "And do you know any alternatives if I can't fix the routine?"