Vegas Strip [Wednesday night]

[texted3times]

It was their last evening in Vegas, so Eric had insisted on dinner (for Jaina) and a show (NOT Celine Dion) for him. Now they were walking through the crowds and waiting for the pirate show at Treasure Island to begin. Eric stopped short and glared at an Elvis impersonator in a sequined white jumpsuit.

"That's not at all what his hair looks like," he grumbled to Jaina.

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[texted3times]

"Aside from him, yes, I've met some other pirates," Eric said with a quick smile. "I get bored if I stay in place for too long."

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"That doesn't surprise me," Jaina said. "I get twitchy staying in one place for more than a month or two. I can't imagine you'd stick to one are for a century or so or anything."

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"Especially now that it doesn't take so long to get places," Eric said.

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"Just think of how much you'll get around when you finally get spaceships here," she said thoughtfully. This was a completely serious thought to her.

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"Vampires in space," Eric said, grinning. "It sounds like a bad sitcom that Fox would cancel after five episodes."

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"I think it was a Syfy movie I turned off. Or my player dreamed it." she said, thinking back. "I think I tried to repress it."

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"I don't think I'd blame you," Eric said. "Running out of synthetic blood could make for a dramatic, if short and violent series finale."

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"Yeah, I much prefer my televised violence to be the 'and then things blow up' sort," she admitted. "Much more fun that way." And less likely to remind her of having seen some terrible stuff in real life in the past.

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"Remind me not to show you any of the vampire-themed shows from my version of the world, then," Eric said. "The style shows get pretty gross."

Pause.

"And that's just the paisley shirts they find in some of the wardrobes."

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Jaina stared at him. "There's something like What Not to Wear for vampires? That can't have been a smart idea."

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"They go through a lot of hosts," Eric admitted.

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"And let me guess, the ratings are through the roof because people are very, very weird?" she said dryly.

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"They are," Eric said. "People like to watch us on television where we can be turned off if we get too frightening."

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She raised an eyebrow. "Then what do they do when they see one of you in person, run screaming and hide?"

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"Sometimes," Eric admitted. "Some are fangbangers."

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"I've heard a little about them," Jaina said. And what she'd heard sort of made her hope she didn't qualify as one. "They'd really run? I've had my share of bad experiences with one and I didn't freak out when I met you. They can suck it up."

No one ever said she was sensitive.

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"I try to tell them the same thing," Eric said, looking very put-upon, "and I get yelled at for making terrible puns."

[solo_sword]

"Yeah, I probably should have thought about my phrasing there," she realized, making a face.

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"I promise not to turn you in to the American Vampire League for mocking my heritage," he said, winking.

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"How sweet of you," she said teasingly. "And it was not mocking, it was being... uncareful."

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"Oh please, please don't censor your words around me. It would make things so dull," Eric decided.

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"Who said I was going to do that?" she said. "Anyway, I can't censor. I think my filter's broken."

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"I prefer it that way," Eric assured her.

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"I gathered," she said with a smile. "Because if you didn't, this might have been a really awkward trip."

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"There would have been a lot less talking, for one," Eric agreed.

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"And probably more glaring, some of me watching my neck because I don't know any better, and fewer pirates," she continued. "I like this way better."

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"Me too," Eric decided, leaning down to kiss her.

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Seriously, any trip with this kind of kissing was one Jaina was not going to be regretting. "There'd probably be less of that, too," she murmured.

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"Well, probably," Eric replied. "Do we care that much about watching the wenches?"

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"I find myself losing interest in the wenches," Jaina decided. "We'd better move on."

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"We haven't spent nearly enough time in the hot tub," Eric decided, reaching for her hand.