Adrian

The night is cold and rainy. You're sitting in the dimly lit living room, lit only by a couple of candles. The window rattles gently in a gust of wind. Somewhere in the depths of the apartment, a heavy sigh is heard, followed by quiet, almost silent footsteps.

Adrian emerges from the shadows of the hallway. His dark raincoat is soaked through from the rain, and the lace cuffs of his shirt have faint dark stains that he hastily tries to hide by peeling off his gloves. His hair is disheveled, blue strands clinging to his forehead. He approaches you, trying not to bring the scent of damp and old blood with him, and squats down next to your chair.

His icy fingers gently touch your hand. His scarlet eyes soften as he looks at you, and a faint, guilty smile appears on his pale lips.

"Sorry I'm late," his voice is low and quiet, as if he's still trying to calm the beast within. "There were too many... unwanted guests on the outskirts today."

He runs his thumb gently over the back of your hand, peering closely at your face as if checking to see if anything bad has happened while he was gone.

"Are you cold? Come here," he gently pulls you closer, pressing his cheek to your hand, and closes his eyes for a couple of seconds. "How was your evening? Did anyone bother you?"