Even Vampires Get Lonely

Anya looked around the bar and realized that she remembered him before. She smiled as she walked up to the bar and sat down on one of the stools. "I thought you looked familiar, I just couldn't place it until now. I've seen you here a few times but you were off doing something else. I asked someone who you were and they said you were the owner. I didn't really recognize your face until you turned." Shaking her head as if to clear it she looked at the bottles behind the bar. She wondered if vampire could drink alcohol but at the moment she didn't care.

"I'll take a fire whiskey," Anya said smiling softly. "If I took a bottle it wouldn't get finished unfortunately. I'm not a really big drinker but I'm not a light weight either." She looks around the bar and remembered the times her parents brought her here to do shopping or eat something to eat. "Do you like owning your own bar?" Then it dawns on her that she doesn't even know his name. "I just realized I don't even know your name. You must think that I have horrible manners, I'm sorry I didn't really think about it." Right then and there Anya just wanted to smack herself for being so stupid.

"Well, it was a little dark out," Declan conceded as she admitted to recognizing him belatedly. It wasn't the first time that someone had done so, of course, but he tended to be the one who forgot the person's face. He saw so many people, after all. "I can't say I recognized you, I'm afraid."

Surely she wouldn't be upset by that? Well. Declan actually wasn't sure that he was worried about whether she was or not, given that he hardly knew her, but he did try to be polite about it. Even though kindness was not one of his strong points.

"As much as it hinders my income to say it, I always think it's better to be cautious. Over-drinking only leads to trouble," he said, the expression on his face suggesting the fact that he knew from experience. And Declan most certainly did.

Anya's question surprised him, but he poured up her drink as he answered it. "Most days I do, yes. But sometimes I get tired of certain personalities that often end up in bars, if that makes sense. I'm more interested in the cooking side of things, and the managerial parts than in dealing with those at the bar who wish to tell me their problems. But," he added thoughtfully as he set the drink in front of her, "everyone needs to get things off their chest sometimes, I suppose."

Pulling out a towel from the sanitized water bucket, Declan twisted it to get rid of the extra water before wiping over the bar top on either side of her. "Declan," he supplied. "Declan Arryn. Very Irish sounding, I suppose. But I've always rather liked it."

Anya smiled softly as she put her hands in her lap, "Well I tend to make sure I don't get recognized considering everything." She said smiling weakly as she put her hands back on the bar. "I didn't expect you to recognize me though, you deal with hundreds of people that come and go in here. I wouldn't be able to recognize anyone either no matter how many times they'd come in."

"That is true it really does work better to be cautious. In my line of work however I have to be really careful." Anya said as she saw his expression when he mentioned over-drinking. She didn't comment on his expression and said, "Yeah my brother would know that more often than not."

Anya looked at him and nodded softly. "Sometimes the personalities that come into a bar are not all the friendly. You like to cook? I'm sorry I'm not making fun of you at all but I have never met a guy who's said that. What about cooking interests you?" She was curious to know more about him. "Yeah that it true, most people do tend to confide in their bartender."

"It suits you," Anya said smiling softly. "I'm no gonna try to say your last name though. I might butcher it and I don't want to do that." She wondered what he was like but she certainly wasn't going to push him.

Considering everything? Considering what? Declan could not say that he followed, but he chose not to comment on it. At least, not until he knew her a bit better. Of course, that brought about the question of whether or not he really wanted to do so. In his head, he heard Dom telling him that he needed to loosen up and just be nice, so he decided not to push things, but also not to push her away. Better to let her choose when to tell him things, he supposed.

"Your line of work?" he asked, looking up from his attempts at cleaning. "What would that be?" Declan nearly made a comment about how he and her brother probably did not have the same experiences with it, but he was not interested in explaining himself after. Not until he had some reason to trust her - if he ever managed to find one.

Declan leaned forward to rest his forearms on the bar, hands clasped together when she asked about cooking. His head tilted to the side as he considered it, he paused for a moment before comping up with his reply. "Look... I do well with activities I can do without other people. And cooking is..." he stood up a bit straighter, though his elbows remained planted on the bar top, and a bit of excitement appeared in his stance and expression. "Cooking is creating something out of many other things. It's bringing together things people don't expect to work and making them do just that. It's like potions, in a way. And," he added, his expression darkening slightly, "it's much easier to create something wonderful on your own than try and get someone to work on it, too."

A little chuckle escaped at her comment about his name. "It's like Air-ren," he provided, realizing that he had likely said it rapidly and in his heavier accent. It tended to happen when he said certain words - especially when he gave his full name. The Irish in him seemed to escape without his realizing it, surprising people sometimes.

A man down the bar requested a tap beer, and Declan gave a nod, realizing that the other bartender was busy dealing with a couple rowdy customers.

"So," he offered to Anya, stepping back to pick up a cold mug from the small freezer behind the bar, "Got any plans for New Year's? I dare say I'll be getting a load of people in here to sulk. That will be fun," he joked, the truly genuine amusement in his tone surprising even him. Usually, sarcasm was the only kind of joking he could manage. Still, he acted like nothing was out of the ordinary, and filled the man's order before wandering back over to Anya.

Anya decided to take a chance for once in her life and trust someone besides her friend or her family. "Five years ago I was attacked and left for dead in an alley. The same man that attacked me is still after me and I don't know why." She looked down at her hands that were still on the counter. She took off her gloves then flipped over her left hand. There was still a faint scar from where she fell in the alley. "That's why I was putting up lights tonight, I don't sleep at night because I'm afraid he's going to kill me. I don't know what I've done to make him mad or to provoke him to come after me." She wondered if he was gonna decide that she was too messed up to get to know.

"I'm a healer at Hogwarts, I didn't want to go into St. Mungo's because I wanted to be out of London for a while I guess." Anya said smiling softly wondering if that was the true reason she picked it. Shaking her head softly but listened to him speak.

She smiled as she heard him get excited about cooking and saw the excitement in his eyes as well. "Well I can tell you really enjoy it, I don't blame you though. I love to cook too and your right it is like potions, but the great thing about it is. You can eat everything you make," She said laughing softly remembering potions. "I was horrible at potions but I'm an excellent cook especially if it's a new recipe."

Hearing his accent she smiled, "Arryn, right?" She giggled softly but couldn't help but think he had a really nice accent. "You know even though I've met a lot of people, I've never heard an accent like yours. I'm saying bad about it at all, it's different but I think I like it better than most." She smiled softly as she started playing with her gloves.

"New Years? No, I'm on my own this New Years. There probably will be a lot of people in here being sulky and some a little too happy. Do you usually work on New Years?" Anya asked looking at him curiously and at the same time wondering why he asked her about New Years. "Why did you ask about New Years?" She asked looking at him smiling softly curious as to what he was going say.

Declan's eyebrows shot up in shock, completely unsure how to react to her explanation. "And you live alone?" he asked, astounded. "Why- Anya, that doesn't make any sense." No, he didn't understand exactly what she meant by someone following her or being after her. But he couldn't comprehend why she would risk living along when the person in question could come along at any time. Was she mad?

It was simply more proof that she was one of the naive ones. But he was too curious to simply cut off their conversation, as he probably would have done otherwise. What could she possibly have done? It wasn't intentional, of course, but a part of him wondered if she had made a poor decision about relationships in her past and lied about it.

He tried to focus on her explanation, and ended up nodding along in agreement. "I did like potions," he replied lightly, "but that was because my father is a chef as well. So I already saw it as though it were the same concept."

He chuckled lightly as she tried out his name, ducking his chin in something of a nod. "With a bit of a roll on the R's, yeah," he smiled. "It can come out at the strangest of times, I suppose. Quite heavy of an accent, I'm told."

Something in her question made him pause, his gaze locking on hers in surprise. What did she think he meant? Sure, he could come off as a bit of a cad, or choose to be forward with women for the hopes of.... that. But he hadn't intended as much with Anya. Admittedly, he had complimented her, but that was in part to rile her up and in part because he was itching to see how long it would take for a proper apology. When he realized he was still watching her, he blinked and let his tongue dart out to wet his lips as he tried to find words to give her.

"Am I not meant to ask that? With the holidays coming up and all?" he started, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I always work on New Year's, yes. The pub's always busy, of course. I tend to end up with some moments to my own, especially once the counting down and whatnot begins. Anya... What did you think I meant by it?" he asked gently, leaning forward once more to search her gaze, and he truly hoped she would be honest about it.

"I guess in my own way I'm trying to prove to myself that I can do it alone. That I'm strong enough to protect myself and that if I am strong enough I can do almost anything." Anya said as way of explanation to his question and understood his shock at her living alone. "I don't want to ever be in a cage, I did that for two years afterward but I refuse to do it anymore. I want my freedom and I am willing to pay the price my freedom will cost. I know that it can only end one way but I'm not gonna give up on anything no matter what." She said looking up at him wondering if he would understand her need for freedom.

"Well at least I didn't butcher it," Anya said laughing softly. "Well it happens for it to come out at different times, i know my mother's accent pops up whenever she gets overly emotional. She smacks me if I giggle when it comes out," She said grinning widely.

She nodded at his explanation that his father was a chef that was the reason behind his love of cooking. "Yes but it seems like you love cooking more than anything. You seem like your passionate in cooking and you get excited when you talk about it." She said smiling at him as she began to think of what else she was gonna say. "I'm glad that you are able to find something you are passionate about most people can't find it." She said honestly as she looked back down.

"Most people don't bother asking another person and for someone to ask that I dunno. It makes me wonder sometimes if they mean what they ask." Anya said truthfully as she looked at him. "It has to suck if you work every New Year's, I hope you at least get Christmas off." Looking at him knowing he wanted truth and she was gonna give it to him. "Well at first I thought you were asking me out. Which please don't take offense to this but I kinda shy away from that. After hearing your explanation I'm glad that it's not the case. I'm not good with guys at all and I tend to shy away from them without knowing." She looked down wanting right then and there to disappear but at the same time wanting to know what he would say.

"So... Someone found you and saved you?" Declan asked belatedly, realizing that he had not asked her what had kept her alive. Wasn't that rather important? He wasn't completely cold-hearted, he reminded himself firmly. Just because he was curious did not make him invested. He should not have, arguably, been so weird about it. But he was trying to protect himself, and that was the case he would make if anyone delved into his thoughts and started questioning him.

He wanted to question why she didn't move in with a friend, even if it was just said to be because they wanted to split the rent. Apparently that wasn't something that Anya was interested in, even if it could have made her feel safer. It wasn't as though Declan didn't have someone staying full time at the Leaky, either, which Anya could have chosen. Declan wasn't sure if she was really brave, or if she was just tired of relying on other people. He understood that, to some extent, to be sure. That didn't mean that he agreed with her, though. So he decided it would be best not to point out that opinion.

"Well, I'm definitely good at it," he returned, referring to the topic of cooking. "So it makes it easier to enjoy it. There are few things I really get excited about, if I'm being honest."

"I tend to get Christmas off, yeah," he cut in, pausing to hear her reasoning. His left eyebrow lifted in something of a mix between curiosity and surprise. That wasn't at all what he had intended. He had not thought much on it, but he was starting to think that he might actually have someone he was interested. Unfortunate or not for Anya, it wasn't her. "Oh," he replied eventually. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way..."

Declan brought a hand up to push through his hair, unsure how to change topics so that the lingering awkward feeling between them. "Well," he added quickly, standing up straight. "Hopefully you'll find something to do for New Year's. If nothing else, you could always invite your friends to spend the evening here. With it so busy, at least it will be rather like a large party. Always better than sitting around on your own, that."

"Not until later, I crawled out of the alley i was left in when my brother's found me. I barely made it before I was healed," Anya said softly remembering that night. "I knew that I had to live because I wanted to make sure that the man who attacked me never did it to someone else. I don't want that man to be able to attack anyone ever again. My twin brother is helping me track him down and I have a few others who are helping as well." She shook her head as if to clear the images out of her head. "Um, can I get that drink please?" She said wanting to get out of the darkness of her memories.

"That's good that you at least get Christmas off." Anya said then smiled when she saw his reaction to her response. "Don't worry Declan, even if you did offer I wouldn't. I fell in love with my best friend but nothing will come from it." She said as she kept her gaze on her hands. She began playing with the napkin near her tearing it as she made it into something. "I'm staying with him until the man who's after me is found and dealt with. I went home to make it seem like I was still there but I make sure I don't leave a scent near his house. I apparate right into my room so that he will be safe." Finishing the creation from the napkin she placed it in front of her. It was a wolf howling up at the moon, it was crude but it actually looked like it was suppose to.