Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the books or True Blood. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Day Man
Chapter 21Dusty sat back and watched the next night when The Great Revelation happened. He was not particularly impressed by what was said, yet he admired how vampires got on so many news programs. That took planning, and he had not heard about any of it outside of the local Dallas stations. When the footage was compiled later in the evening, Dusty heard the same message repeated by all of them.
The female vampire that got onto CNN Headline News was polished. She looked like she was running for president. Though she'd have to change her name. Nan was dated. He hadn't heard that one since he was a kid.
He also thought that Godric should get around to changing his name because it was not current or American. Dusty knew that he hardly heard Godric's accent now because he had been hearing him speak for years, but it was never heavy or clearly from a culture easily identified as foreign.
His daughter, Mel, was acting like two people. First, that her father was secretive enough to have been working for vampires for so long without saying anything. How could he not say anything? And the second version, that her father was secretive enough to have been working for vampire for so long without saying anything. Why would they pick him? Dusty chalked it up to her being a woman. At least she realized that it was not the dangerous thing that some of the knee-jerk reactionaries were saying on the television.
If every vampire killed someone every night of their existence, there would be no one left, or at the very least, the police would be looking for mass murderers. Dusty knew there were at least fifty vampires in the Dallas area, so there had to be hundreds in Texas. Around here, Godric had little tolerance for accidents, though Stan hinted that things happened that Godric did not know about. Dusty was not falling for that though because Stan said lots of things. He was simply that kind of guy, even if he was a vampire.
For now, Dusty stayed away, and only spoke to Godric on the telephone. Things were going well enough until Godric was almost shot. The shot had been meant for Isabel's head, but Godric put his hand in the way, grabbing the bullet, and then did not know what to do. If they were sick people, getting shot in the head would be a mortal injury. Grabbing a bullet out of the air was not what a sick person did either, so he pretended to be shot, but the vampires around thought he did a terrible job. There was no blood, crying, screaming or fainting.
The gunman was detained and arrested, and the news got a hold of the footage, since anything with a vampire was news now, they were constantly being filmed. Godric had been lurking about as protection, while Isabel was doing vampire PR at a museum.
Dusty thought it was hilarious. Godric looked like he suddenly appeared, looked at his hand, then sheepishly glanced at Isabel, and unconvincingly said, "Ow," before disappearing.
The news slowed the film to show that the 'short vampire wearing a hoodie' did not appear out of thin air, and that was clear enough to see, without any tricks, because he jostled a few people to reach Isabel's side.
Later, Godric admitted to Dusty he was embarrassed. He should have realized there was film. He should have taken the camera before leaving.
Dusty did not think it was that big a deal. Lots of vampires were showing off, everyplace else but Dallas, and getting on television. Godric stopped a bullet, so he had a reason to move fast.
There were also some vampires that were offering to meet with reporters to give them more information, a sort of behind the scenes for what they called the real truth. Dusty could suspect what that was. Vampires were dead, not sick with an incurable disease. The suspense was built up but nothing happened. There was not even proof it was real vampires because they were all posting their messages on that YouTube.
Godric only confirmed that the black one with long dreads, Lamar, was real because he joked that he would not want to live next to him. Lamar's posts were not the same as the others, except he was one of many who claimed not to have killed Samson, the one with the heavy Scottish accent who wanted to expose the real vampire underworld. Lamar's one-sided video chats were regarding vampire rights and where they could live, and questioned who would welcome him in their neighborhood.
It was from Stan that Dusty got more information. Godric did not mix his personal business with Dusty with his vampire business, like he used to in the back of the laundromat. It was not intentional then, just vampires showed up whenever they needed Godric, and they'd eyeball Dusty while they were there. Sometimes there would be a brief introduction from Stan or Isabel.
Though Stan now had women after him. Lots of women. He could have a different date any night of the week. And he pretty much did.
Isabel seemed monogamous. One fellow at a time, and always someone that seemed suited for a classy lady like her.
What aggravated Dusty most about the Great Revelation was that Godric suddenly had to become a person to the government. Legally, that is, with a social security number, and a heap of proof that he had been living here. That loosened up when it turned out not every country was as accepting as America regarding vampires, and they started emigrating to the United States and other countries.
Dusty's personal opinion was that was short-sighted because vampires meant money and jobs. Vampires spent money, and from Dusty saw, they really had to screw up not to make money. Even the real estate market crashing did little to Godric, who owned a lot around Dallas, because he also had businesses, not just one laundromat. He had old houses that lawyers loved to rent offices in around the courthouse, an office building and parking deck that was in the theater district, along with the specialty coffee shop in the lobby that had an entrance on the street, and one of the best steak houses in the city of Dallas. That was all on top of the stock that he picked personally, and whatever the bulk of his money did following Eric's climb in diversified funds.
And Dusty couldn't complain to Godric about the additional work because someone must have planted the idea in Godric's head that Dusty was getting too old to work. Godric didn't need to look for any replacements yet. Dusty had a good sum of money put away, but he had a healthy respect for money and didn't want to give up an easy, good-paying job when he could live another twenty years, or Mel could have another financial emergency.