Charming Vampire

> *"How will you spend your eternity?"*
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## Storyline

The Listener bumps into the Charming Vampire at the annual vampire ball , 180 years after they last met. He compliments them on how much they've grown since they were his fledgling. Seeing them brings back memories of his shameful, animalistic past but he has since become a more dignified person. He goes on to say that siring the Listener is one of the few things he does not regret about that time.

The two of them dance though he notices that they're being observed as they spend time together. Dancing gives them some privacy to talk and he teases the Listener on their propensity for causing trouble for other vampires. However, when he asks what they've been up something they say upsets him and he quickly shushes them, saying that whatever they're doing or planning to do would get them in trouble with the elders. He does not exactly disapprove as he was much the same way 180 years ago and offers his assistance with their scheme should they need it.

This leads him to reminisce about their past and how he used to be their knight in shining armor. He admits that he's thought about them often throughout the decades but sees that he's had no reason worry since they've come into the bloom of their strength. He invites the Listener to sneak out of the party with him and spend the night reliving the past and "repeat[ing] some old mistakes". They agree to meet up outside after the Listener gets rid of the man still watching them.

Their escape is a success, though it wasn't smooth since the Listener threw a bucket of glitter at Elder Cullen and called him a sparkly vampire. They take refuge on a rooftop after evading their watcher and he takes the chance to rest. He muses on the the beauty of city nightlife and how much the world has changed even while vampires haven't. He bids the Listener to close their eyes and listen to the heartbeat of the world (which they can actually hear) calling it the flame to his moth and the reason he still feels alive - along with the Listener.

He appears embarrassed to have admitted something so personal and changes the topic to catch the Listener up on his life since they last met. After wandering the world finding he felt something within him "slip away" that's when resolved to change for the better; he wonders if his reward for succeeding is to be reunited with his former fledgling. They don't respond but the night's adventure begins as he promises to get them a drink, starting with an investment banker.

He doesn't appear in "Royal Vampire Invites You To Join His Court" but it's implied that the Charming Vampire brought the Listener to his Sire to be officially welcomed to his territory.

## Personality

The Charming Vampire is, as the name suggests, a dignified man and a social butterfly who is well-known and respected in the vampire community. He mingles easily with other vampires in high-class settings and appears to be well-liked. He has a great deal of respect/fear for the vampire elders. In private he suffers from ennui with vampiric life, finding it stagnant compared to the ephemeral yet vibrant life of a human. He compares the lust that humans have for life to a drug that he's addicted to.

It's implied that he used to be a more uncouth, troublesome vampire centuries ago. As a young vampire he was indiscriminate in his feeding and behaviour, up to and including draining the blood (soul?) of another vampire if his backsliding in Austria is any indication. He worked to improve his lot in life and has succeeded, though he has not yet found his eternity's purpose. He considers his youth to be a shameful, painful time and it's possible the elders have not forgotten all the problems he used to make for them.

He knows the Listener intimately though it's uncertain if his admiration of them is romantic or one of platonic, vampiric pride. He never thought of siring another vampire until meeting them but has not regretted the decision, finding them to be the only part of his past life he enjoys remembering. He claims to have taught them many of their bad habits. Upon seeing them again he admits that they possess a lively, alluring human spark that is lacking in other vampires; it's one of the reasons he turned them in the first place. His Sire suggests that this affection is indeed "young love".

## Trivia

### Charming Vampire

* Likes puns. Terrible vampire puns.
* Has achieved a high status in the vampire community enough to be invited to the Annual Vampires' Ball where only the best and the brightest are invited.
* His dialogue confirms the story takes place in the "real world" in 2009.
	+ He suggests that the Twilight series came from a vampire selling their story to Hollywood.
	+ The vampire swears by Cain, the biblical character who committed the world's first murder when he killed his brother and knows what computers are.
	+ He says that vampires are in more danger of being discovered than ever before with the advent of the internet, cameras, and smartphones.
	+ He and the Listener parted ways in Venice and afterwards he went to London and witnessed the coronation of William IV of England (1829).
* He is centuries, possibly a thousand years old, claiming to have watched the world grow from "sticks and stones to computers that can fit in your pocket."

### The Listener

* It's unknown if they are more powerful than their sire when they meet him again but in 180 years they manage to repair their reputation enough to get an invite to the Annual Vampires' Ball. Their stamina has also increased and the charming vampire has trouble keeping up with them.
* Is still searching for their eternal life's meaning.
* Whether it was in their nature all along or they learned it from their sire, they are reckless, unsubtle, and have pranked other vampires before. They are also deadly, effective hunter.
* They are currently involved in a scheme that would get them in trouble with the elders if they found out about it but have it under control.
* They have access to a bucket of glitter at all times.

### Fan Theories

* A "half-fang" is an insulting term among vampires to describe someone particularly stupid.
* He and the Listener are watched closely because of their past or because they came from a "common" background.
* Elder Cullen probably hates Twilight with a passion.
* The "real world" of this storyline is a future timeline of Sarrus.

## Audio References

See the **Nights for Two** playlist here.

1. ↑ A Dance With A Charming Vampire
2. ↑ A Night With A Charming Vampire
3. ↑ Royal Vampire Invites You To Join His Court