Klaus settled back in his chair, pensive as he nursed a glass of something a bit pricier than the fair he'd been chugging earlier. The tips of his ears and nose had gone a bit red but he otherwise showed no signs of inebriation.


"I cannot fault the need to keep others at arms length when one's work presents such a myriad of dangers," he said slowly. "But you are among more like-minded individuals here. Isolating yourself may not be such a necessity."

Was it odd, he wondered, that he'd considered a vampire of all things like-minded? Was it sitting well with him? Or was it just the effects of the rather exquisite, if strong, plum liquor?