Leonard

*"Idiots, the heart is two inches to the left."*

Leonard (last name unknown) is a vampire who’s spent most of his life looking out only for himself. When a bout of altruism leaves him wounded in an alley, he meets the Listener, who will change his eternal life.

## Background

Leonard the Wounded Vampire has been alive for at least 200 years, being turned by an unnamed sire in his early twenties. He spent most of his second life fully indulging in the decadent, uncaring lifestyle of a vampire, hunting humans for food and other, worse reasons that he never describes. At some point, he realized that he’d become a monster and years had passed without him realizing. This and the passing of a dear vampire friend of his seems to have inspired him to become a better person. He decided to watch over his friend’s unprotected fledgling (without telling them) and switched from actively hunting humans to feeding from blood bags provided by the The Vampires For Sanguine Equality Blood Bank. When the fledgling was captured from her haven by a group of thugs and “put out to sun”, Leonard impulsively went to rescue them despite being low on blood. She managed to get away but he was staked, the weapon barely missing his heart, and was abandoned in an alley to die.

## Storyline

On the way home on a rainy night, The Listener stumbles upon a stranger in an alley who recognizes them from the blood bank. He is a vampire with a stake sticking out of his chest who reacts defensively when they point out just how badly hurt he is. He insists he only needs “a few minutes” to recover despite being attacked by three hunters of “the Order of the Virtuous Blood' or something like that.” He is clearly in pain from being staked but insists that the Listener leave him alone for their own safety. He tries to stand up to go after his attackers but can’t make it and winds up asking the Listener for help. They do, helping him up to his feet, and don’t hesitate to tell the strange vampire he’s stupid for thinking he could get his revenge when he can barely stand. He’s indignant but refuses to go to the hospital, implying that he doesn’t want to lose control with so many “blood bags” around in a weakened state.

The severity of his wound seems to get to him and the vampire, sounding weaker than before, tells the Listener they can help him by bringing him to a doctor he knows will help. If they’ll flag down a cab for him and tell the driver where to go, he can pay them for their assistance. They try to refuse the money but he shoves a large amount of bills into their hands, assuring them he can give more once he’s back at his house. The Listener refuses to help despite the money and demands an explanation instead.

The vampire, realizing he doesn’t have much of a choice, gives in. He explains that he went to rescue a vampire fledgling who was abducted and “put...out to sun” though he condemns himself for playing the hero when it wasn’t asked for now that he’s got a stake sticking out of his chest. He checks if the Listener has called a cab, which they have, and informs them that they’re coming with him. They don’t seem to like the idea at first but the stranger says that hunters will be after them now that they’re covered in the scent of a vampire.

Before they can react any further he gasps in deeper pain. It’s not long before he realizes that the stake was poisoned and he will soon lose consciousness. Sounding more desperate, he repeats the address of the doctor, making the Listener say it back to him over and over before he falls unconscious, whispering to himself that he can trust them.

The Listener is with the strange vampire later still and is around when he wakes up from their encounter in the alley. Though he’s still in pain, he’s well enough to recognize that he’s not at the doctor’s office, the human who rescued him, and even joke about the decoration in their apartment. The Listener explains that they were able to bring him to the doctor but they wouldn’t let him stay, something the vampire isn’t surprised to hear. He is, however, surprised that they brought him back to their home instead of dropping him off at a hotel.

He takes the time to finally introduce himself as Leonard and describes himself as much older than he appears (22 years old) to go with the old-fashioned name. He sincerely thanks them for their kindness before asking if the doctor gave them some of “the good stuff” that turns out to be high-grade blood in glass bottles. The Listener asks for another explanation before handing them over, which Leonard quickly consumes. It turns out to be werewolf blood that he insists is mostly safe but will give him a much needed boost of energy.

The Listener seems skeptical but presses for the promised explanation of everything. Leonard is reluctant to involve them even more in his mess but he capitulates, asking that what he’s about to say stays a secret. He expands on his rushed story from the alley. He went to rescue the aforementioned vampire fledgling from “being put out to sun” and succeeded. She was able to escape but it was a close call. The reason he went to play the hero was because he was old friends with the vampire who’d turned the fledgling, though they’d drifted apart before she passed away years ago. Even though he didn’t attend the funeral, he found out that she’d sired another vampire and made the decision to check on the fledgling every now and then in memory of his friend. He calls himself an idiot for not following his own advice and getting involved but he didn’t realize that the people who’d taken her were an organized group of hunters not “stake-happy yahoos”.

Story over, he glibly says he’ll be off to find somewhere to drown his sorrows. Leonard is clearly in pain but resists the Listener’s reaction to help him, certain that the werewolf blood will keep him going. It’s not long, though, until they’re holding him up just like in the alley. He admits that he might need a few days to fully recover and, with assistance, is set back down to rest. The Listener asks why he doesn’t have super healing and the vampire, amused, explains that while small scratches might take an afternoon, it takes a few days to recover from something that nearly killed him.

Leonard asks how bad his wound is and the Listener seems to hesitate, which he considers enough of an answer. Though he’s comfortable enough to ask (order) the Listener to get him a new shirt, one without blood and holes in it, he dips into sincerity and promises he’ll be out of their hair as soon as possible since they’ll be in more danger the longer he stays around. When they ask where he plans to go, the vampire reiterates that he still has a score to settle with the hunters. He has to defend himself from being called stupid again but after making the excuse that the wolf blood will even the scales, he admits they’re right.

Leonard asks the Listener for permission to stay with them until he’s back on his feet, suggesting security at his own home is compromised. He’s quick to insist that it will be a temporary arrangement but they appear to agree without much fuss. With his immediate needs secured, he asks them to come close, much to their confusion. He wants them to lie next to him as he’s been through a lot and they are the closest thing he has to a friend right now. The audio ends with him commenting that the reverse seems to be true for them too.

He’s still there after a few days and feeling much better when the Listener speaks with him next. The vampire greets them good morning, though they are already in bed for the night, and asks to talk with them a little seriously. He says the werewolf blood has done its work and he’s thinking of going out for a proper hunt. He explains that blood from a bag makes a vampire slow, lazy, and materialistic; depending on supplied blood alone turns a vampire into the equivalent of a human NEET as they abandon even the need for social connections.

Leonard thanks them again for helping him, a complete stranger covered in blood stumbling out of an alley. The Listener replies they’d do it for anyone and he jokingly asks if tall, dark, handsome strangers are often stumbling into their lives. The joke seems to land but he gets himself back on track. The vampire admits that he owes them for their kindness in keeping him secret and allows them to ask anything they’d like of him in return.

The Listener asks him to turn them, a common request that exasperates him, and he refuses. Being turned into a vampire won’t bring them anything good. Not only is the surge of new senses likely to drive them insane, a vampire’s life, he insists, is a lonely one. The usual milestones of life tend to lose meaning when repeated over and over again until the passage of time doesn’t register at all. Without a mortal to care about, they (he) will lose years and what remains of their humanity without even realizing.

The vampire realizes he’s become too philosophical and shakes himself out of his melancholy mood. He tells the Listener they can be his touchstone to reality instead before confusing them with an order to get out of bed and dress up nicely. They’re both going to go out and use an old hunter’s trick: using the best-looking bait to catch the best prey.

Three days later the Listener is prodded awake by the still-present vampire (ref5). He apologizes for waking them so abruptly and so late but he’s leaving. The Listener reacts negatively to the news but Leonard, sounding more frantic since his recovery, says that he’s been feeling hungrier and hungrier since they went out together. This was completely unexpected and he blames it on depending on bagged blood for so long; he’s no longer used to the rush that comes from a hunt and the werewolf blood has only made things worse. The Listener is a temptation and in danger of his growing need to feed.

Leonard insists he needs to leave repeatedly, to keep them safe from him and the hunters after him, but the Listener makes it clear they don’t agree. He harshly replies that their time playing house is over and that there are consequences if he gives into the urge to bite them, consequences he doesn’t want for them. Even though he’s left more than enough money for “the waste of [their] time” the Listener won’t stop asking him to stay.

The Listener seems to ask Leonard to explain something, possibly for greater understanding of why he has to leave so urgently. He comes closer and explains in great detail what it’s like to be bitten and fed upon, including how, if he was in control, he could ensure that whoever he’d bitten would be healed and the encounter forgotten in mere days. Right now, however, his hunger won’t let him stop if he starts. Leonard admits that he wants to stay with them. They are interesting and kind and they saved him but leaving would be the best for everyone.

After a pause, he offers them an easy way out if they really want him to stay - to turn them as they’d requested. He’s sure they will regret it. The vampire warns them that they will not be the same person after they’re turned. All of their characteristics will be amplified, including their darkest instincts, and they will come to regard other humans as toys to be played with and discarded when broken. It took him a long time to pull himself back from that natural instinct and he doesn’t want to watch the person who saved him fall into that dark place like so many fledglings do.

Leonard reveals that it is the job of the sire to keep those they turn under control and stop them if they go too far. He asks the Listener what they would actually do once turned, if they could really keep themselves to only small evils, for convenience's sake. He sounds doubtful because it’s what he did at the start and he still fell into that dark place of hedonism and selfishness.

He gives them one last chance to change their mind before they accept his blood, and if they still want to go through with it they’ll have to do what he says. There will be no cure for their vampirisim and no going back. His ultimatum: meet him outside in ten minutes or never see him again.

The Listener wakes up to Leonard comforting them after being turned. He urges them to rest and slowly acclimatize to the enhanced senses they must be struggling with. He gives them a blood bag to tide over their newly granted hunger and has to warn them to slow down as they overindulge on their first vampiric meal. They comment that he’s changed too and he agrees that he’s less broody now that they’re like him and no longer in danger of his hunger. The fact that they made a choice to be turned actually makes him happy. He can empathize with the need to start one’s life over but reminds them there are still rules to be followed.

The new sire nervously starts to explain the two reasons vampires turn humans. The first is to use them as pawns and the second...he’s unable to express the second reason but assures them they’ll get to it later. The Listener seems eager to find it out but Leonard tells them to calm down as their body’s cells are still changing into those of a vampire and not to worry. They will have plenty of time to get used to their new life without the mundane worries of mortality; not only will they live longer, they’re now immune to sickness, have increased speed, strength, telepathy - and clear skin for eternity, the best boon of all.

Leonard admits that what he said before, that life becomes meaningless after the change, isn’t true. In fact, everything becomes more meaningful but they’ll have to get used to living with the consequences of their actions by making smart choices - something they have centuries to perfect. He will, of course, help them but they’ll need a cover story that explains why they don’t age compared to everyone else. The suspicion of others will bring hunters down on them, something they’re familiar with at this point. They’ll need to change their name, where they live, and suggests the two of them look for a nicer place to stay together, even if they have to use a little mind control.

He makes a bad vampire pun, which the Listener doesn’t appreciate, and apologizes for it, saying that he thought a joke would lighten the mood. He tries again, saying immortality doesn’t cure social awkwardness so they’ll both be damned, but the statement seems to ring truer than he’d intended. Leonard explains that he’s obligated to take care of them for the first few decades but he might stick around after that since they’re practically partners in crime. The Listener seems amenable to this plan so he sounds pleased as he tells them they’ll plan a road trip that goes through every place they’ve ever wanted to visit. It’ll be a food trip where they stop to “enjoy the local flavor.”

This bit of innuendo seems to be more acceptable to the Listener because they agree to the plan. Leonard, however, insists that they rest some more and promises that he won’t be leaving them until they make that choice for him. He bids them good night and calls them “my fledgling” for the first time. The epithet seems to bother him, which the Listener picks up on, but he reasons that it’s weird because he’s never turned someone before. Nevertheless, he likes it, just as he likes the Listener.

While traveling through Europe he becomes separated from the Listener and his current whereabouts and condition are unknown.

## Personality

Leonard is a vampire that has gone through a significant change in perspective. Before he started watching over his friend’s fledgling (implied to be at least a year ago) he describes himself as stronger, hotheaded, independent, and arrogant. After his change of heart, he became aware of how lonely he was but still spent most of his immortal life alone and struggling to balance feeling guilty over his past misdeeds with the need to survive and hold onto what little humanity he feels he has. His recent heroics are completely out of character for him, or so he claims. He is conflicted about what it means to be a vampire, claiming to hate “mopey vampires” who brood all the time but he has that same tendency.

When not half-staked, poisoned, and reeling from hunger, Leonard is a vampire with a lot of guilt on his shoulders. His independent streak seems transformed from pure selfishness and sociopathy to making sure no one else comes to harm from his actions (or inaction). He gave up hunting live prey to feeding on blood bags, despite all the negative connotations that conveys about a vampire. This has left him physically weaker, though he retains the mental vampire powers of hypnosis/mind control. His sense of humor ranges from sarcastic and self-deprecating to pun-loving and is often deployed to relieve tension. He’s also more willing to acknowledge the benefits of the vampire life as they allow him to live the independent life he wants.

When he first meets the Listener, he is insistent that they not become involved in his dangerous life, even if it means leaving him to die alone and in pain. This could be bravado but later audios strongly suggest that he meant those warnings in earnest. He tries to distance himself from them with money but his loneliness, guilt, and gratefulness for the rescue seem to drive him to become attached to them in a matter of days. The idea of the Listener making a choice to be turned to stay greatly appeals to his independent streak, even if he resisted their initial request. The latest audio implies that his presence is also entirely their choice and that he’ll leave them be should they ever ask him to.

## Trivia

### Leonard

* Knows a doctor across town who won’t ask any questions living at 49th and Main Apt Block 6 Room 203

* Seems to be quite wealthy

* Has been a vampire for at least 200 years and was turned in his early 20s

* Movies are the root of all the incorrect stereotypes about vampires, including being sparkly and having superhuman healing

* Has a hunting trick he calls the Chicago Slide

* He knows a forger who would take the IDs of those he fed from and turn them into IDs for other vampire

### The Turned Listener

This list is in addition to the ones here and here

* Is squeamish at the sight of blood

* Is called “young one” and “my fledgling”

* Lives in an apartment with cheap decorations (they probably picked for themselves)

* Leonard describes them as socially awkward and just as alone in the world as he is

### Fan Theories

* These audios take place after The Listener signs up at the The Vampires For Sanguine Equality Blood Bank

* The video descriptions very strongly imply that this Listener’s story continues in the unnamed Vampire Hunter series, where they are separated from Leonard and captured

## Audio References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Vampire Bite Matchmaking Service
2. ↑ Rescuing a Wounded Vampire
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wounded Vampire Asks To Stay With You
4. ↑ Waking Up With A Wounded Vampire
5. ↑ Wounded Vampire Can't Resist You
6. ↑ Vampire Turns and Comforts You
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Captured By A Vampire Hunter
8. ↑ Vampire Hunter Needs You
9. ↑ Trapped With A Curious Vampire