...It was nighttime at the Ramshackle dorm.

Exactly what time, Kat still didn't have a clue... There was still no working clock in the stupid house, so all she really knew was that it was dark.

One forearm draped loosely over her eyes, she lay on her back, with Grim sprawled out in the crook of her other arm.

When she and the others had finally left Savanaclaw, she'd basically just gone straight back to Ramshackle... She was already so far past tapped-out that it wasn't even funny.

When she'd gotten back, it was pretty much all she could do to take her glasses, shoes, and uniform jacket off before faceplanting onto the bed and screaming into the pillow for a good five minutes... She'd had a little bit of a meltdown or something, then fallen asleep.

When she woke up, she'd... Well, she'd been here.

...She couldn't sleep now, though.

This bed was still all wrong. And it was too quiet... She'd always had trouble sleeping without some kind of background noise, like a box fan or something.

And--

In the crook of her arm, Grim shifted in his sleep, mouth open and drooling. "Mmmm-- mmm..." He snored, rolling over and twitching his forelegs a little. "D-Didja' see that? My all-powerful super shoot... Snzz..."

It really wasn't very loud, all things considered, but... Honestly, it was kind of annoying. Maybe it was just because of how burnt-out she was...

...And, also, it was... Kind of too hot. That first night she was here, Grim's ears were honestly a godsend, but-- well... She'd always been prone to overheating at night, and an active heat source in bed with her wasn't exactly helping much.

...She needed some air.

Extricating herself from Grim without waking him was a bit of an ordeal, honestly... But eventually, she managed it. Wriggling out from under the sheets, she swung her legs off the bed, padding slowly over the creaky floorboards.

Slipping her feet into her sneakers, she slid quietly out the bedroom door, leaving it a little ajar. Descending the stairs leading down into the front hall, she unchained and unbolted the door before, finally, pulling it open.

Stepping out into the chilly night air, Kat picked her way down the path to the fence at the edge of the yard. Her breath steamed, and she had to stop and wipe her glasses with the hem of her hoodie, but honestly it felt kinda good.

Reaching the fence, she moved over to the gate and leaned on it, tilting her head back to gaze into the sky.

She'd read a book or something once where the main character was far from home-- were they on a different planet? Or did they get isekai'd too? She couldn't remember...

Anyway, there was a scene where they looked up at the stars and couldn't recognize any of them.

They were like an astrologist or something? Astronomist? Or maybe they just liked stargazing, she still couldn't remember. It made them all sad and scared because they were really in another world...

She didn't know anything about stars, though, so she couldn't even tell if these were the same ones as Earth. They just looked like a bunch of tiny lights.

...They sure were pretty, though.

"I wonder when I'll be able to go home," she said out loud, still staring up at the stars.

Or if I'll be able to, her mind whispered to her wordlessly.

Shut up, she told it, smacking it like a malfunctioning DVD player. But the thought was still there-- just lurking deeper now, right on the edge of perception.

There was a rustle, the sound of a footstep on gravel-- and a voice. "Hm? Is there anyone there?"

Kat jumped, giving a startled yelp and almost swallowing her tongue. "Wh--who is that?!" She sputtered, jumping back and wrapping the hoodie tighter around her body as her heart raced.

The footsteps continued, and a tall figure approached the circle of light cast by the fencepost lanterns.

"Hey, listen, dude-- I- I don't know if you've seen this place, but I promise you there's literally nothing worth breaking in for in there. Seriously."

A surprised silence, then a chuckle-- deep and smooth. "No need for such reassurances-- I mean you no harm, I assure you."

With one last step, the tall figure came into view, arms folded elegantly across their chest.

They were-- he was?-- tall. Very tall. Tall and slim, with long limbs and a rather high waist, but not in an awkward, gangly way-- actually, he looked kind of... Elegant and graceful.

He was wearing the Night Raven College uniform-- no big surprise there, now that she thought about it. Who else would be wandering around campus at night besides the people who lived here?

But it was impeccably tailored, like he'd gotten it made by the freaking Kingsmen or something-- and somehow, looked even more immaculate than Riddle's.

He had long black hair, styled in a-- she squinted. Was that a wolf cut? Really? Okay then... But, whatever it was, it was definitely working for him.

His face was sharp, with pale skin, frankly incredible cheekbones and almost catlike eyes. He was also attractive-- like, objectively. In fact, he almost bordered on 'pretty'... Pretty in, like, a gothic, almost vampire way.

As he took one final step forward, his eyes must have caught the light in a weird way-- they seemed to flash bright, neon green for a moment.

She blinked, and the radiance was gone.

But his most distinctive feature-- or features, rather-- were still there.

...He had horns. A pair of ribbed, jet-black horns, curving up from beneath his thick, layered bangs, shining like polished stone.

Raising a thin eyebrow, the stranger looked at her curiously. "Well, this is an unusual sight... Tell me, you are a child of man, correct?"

Kat blinked, glancing around nervously. "Uh..." She ventured. "Do you mean-- a- a human?"

He blinked, looking momentarily surprised, then smiled. "If that is what you prefer-- then yes."

"Um..." Taking an apprehensive step forward, Kat put one hand in her pocket, nervously fiddling with a lock of hair by her ear. "Last time I checked, yeah...?"

"Wh--" His eyebrows practically flew up his forehead, mouth falling open in a small 'o'. Then he laughed, closing his eyes and tilting his head back slightly.

"You have quite the sharp wit!" He remarked, moving forward until he was practically standing against the fence. "I was not expecting such a humorous response- allow me to congratulate you."

Kat shifted awkwardly. Well, this guy was-- no, weird felt a little too mean for him.. Maybe eccentric?

But- well- he wasn't giving her any uncomfortable vibes... Not that that really meant anything, but...

She shuffled a few steps closer, tilting her head curiously.

"...Thank you?" She said, giving him a small smile. "I was just being sarcastic, but-- hey, if it made you laugh, that's great!"

Smiling back, the stranger folded his arms again. "Do you live here?" He questioned. "I was under the impression that this dormitory had been abandoned for quite some time."

Sighing, his face fell into a small frown, brows furrowing. "I quite enjoyed having a place to enjoy my solitude..."

"Oh! Um..." Kat cleared her throat, shrugging apologetically. "S-Sorry... I mean, if it makes you feel better, I didn't really have a choice in the matter.. This was the only place I could live, so..."

Picking her way back to the fence, she extended a hand gingerly. "Sorry about your-- hangout spot... My name's Kat. I'm the... Dorm prefect? Technically?" She gave a nervous laugh.

The stranger seemed almost startled as she approached, drawing back slightly. Frowning, he looked at her hand like it was some kind of new, possibly dangerous organism.

Now that she was up close, she could see more details. His ears were pointed, but longer than Crowley's, sticking out noticeably from the hair framing his face. It was a little hard to tell, since the lanterns definitely had a kind of yellow cast to them, but... His vest and armband looked bright green. So, that was... Uh... Diasomnia? That was it, right?

Raising her eyebrows, she took half a step back. "Hey, if you're not a shaking-hands person, no problem--" she began, starting to withdraw her hand.

Before she could, suddenly, it was grasped tightly in a large, thin hand, wrapped in a shiny black leather glove.

"My apologies," the horned stranger smiled. "It would be remiss of me to reject such a polite gesture-- I'm simply... unaccustomed to such greetings."

Pulling her hand forward carefully-- god, he was being gentle, but was he made of iron or something?! His hand was super hard!- he lowered his head slightly, raising her hand towards his lips.

"Ooh--" Wincing, she sucked in a breath through her teeth, snatching her hand back quickly.

"No, no-- no thank you. I-- I appreciate the thought, but... I don't-- I don't like that. Please don't kiss my hand. Just a handshake would've been fine, but... Seriously, thanks, I'm flattered, but... No thank you."

"Oh," he said, straightening back up with a look of mild confusion. "I do apologize for overstepping... Your name is... Kat, correct?"

"Yep," she said, smiling sheepishly and bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "Seriously, I'm not mad or anything, I just... I don't like hand kisses."

"Ah," the stranger said, nodding sagely. "I see... Very well then."

Now he extended his hand, sticking it through the fence. "Allow me to start over."

"Oh! Uh..." Kat hesitated for a moment-- but, eh, what the hell. Smiling, she accepted it, and he shook her hand-- very carefully, like he thought she was going to break.

"Very well met, Kat... An unusual name, if it's not too bold of me to mention. I am..."

Releasing her hand, he took a small step back. Cupping his chin in one hand, he clasped his elbow with the other, looking at her pensively. "Mmm... No, nevermind. Perhaps it would be best if you were to remain unaware."

Kat blinked. She... wasn't sure how to respond to that. So instead of saying anything, she just kinda stood there, a slightly strained half-smile on her face.

Apparently noticing her confusion, he chuckled again. Raising a thin eyebrow, he made a gesture she could only really think of as imperious, holding up an open hand with the fingers curled elegantly. "This is for your own benefit, I assure you-- instead, you may refer to me with a name of your own choosing."

"...Okay," she volunteered awkwardly. "Um-- like what?"

He laughed again, throwing his head back. This time, she could see a pair of sharp fangs in his mouth, glinting in the starlight like tiny icicles.

"That is up to you, Child of Man!" He proclaimed, and his smile took on a bit of a sinister cast. "Though of course-- one day, you may come to regret it..."

"...Okay," she replied again, basically the exact same way as the guy in that one Vine did. That's honestly how she felt right now, anyway. "I'll, uh... I'll think about it."

How old was this guy...? He looked young, but it was impossible to tell HOW young, exactly. He could have been anywhere past sixteen to his early twenties..

Maybe he really was a vampire? A... A demon vampire?

Right as she was thinking that, the stranger folded his arms again, nodding.

"I'll be looking forward to it," he smirked. Then he sighed, hand to his chin again.

"But alas," he mused aloud, looking sad. "If you have taken up residence here, then it seems that this abandoned dorm is, therefore, abandoned no longer. Truly a pity..."

Giving her one final mysterious smile, he put his hands on his hips. "It seems I shall have to seek out some other set of ruins for my nocturnal promenades. Farewell, Child of Man."

There was a blinding flash of light, and she flinched, raising a hand.

When her eyes stopped screaming their complaints, she blinked hard, looking around. The stranger was gone-- only a few fading sparkles drifted through the air, vanishing before they hit the ground.

"Okay then," Kat said out loud. "Nice to... Meet you. I guess."

Shivering slightly in the cold, she turned around and wandered back up to the dorm, unsure of what to think of the entire conversation.

Author's Notes:

HE IS HERE.

HE IS HERE.

HE IS H E R E.

...Okay, it's-- it's not gonna happen RIGHT away, obviously, but... Look. He was being EXTREMELY suspicious. It was like he was lowkey broadcasting it at a certain point.

So... Yeah, Kat's gonna figure it out eventually.

...Also, that first meeting really was extremely weird.