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— city at night meme

You've got the world around you yawning with potential, possibilities fanning out before your very eyes—after all, they say the city doesn't sleep at night. The skyline's illuminated with glittering lights, and even now, the streets are bustling with activity. So here's the real question: where are you at this hour?

— scenario prompts

1) WORKING.
You're still caught up at the office or wherever it is you're holed up. It's getting late, but there's work to be done.

2) RELAXING.
You're warm and comfortable someplace indoors, whether it's in a cozy nook of a café or maybe just in your own apartment. There's no other place you really need to be, is there?

3) MEET-UP/DATE.
Is there someone you're seeing for dinner? A date? Maybe you're going bar-hopping together with some friends, or your attendance is expected at some special event. Alternatively, there's someone you're meeting with to make a deal of some kind, whether it's perfectly legitimate or something that might invite trouble with local enforcement.

4) OUT FOR A WALK.
Sometimes, it's nice to get out for some fresh air—or, well, as fresh as it gets with all the air pollution around you. The park's not too far away; it might be nice and quiet at this hour, if you don't run into any...

5) TROUBLE.
It's getting late and it's dark outside, but someone has been tailing you for a while. Walking faster only makes them speed up; they're doggedly persistent. What to do now? Is there a busy street you can turn on to for help? Or maybe it's time to confront your pursuer... On the flip side, you're the one tracking someone. For what reason? Well, only you would know, right?

6) OTHER.
Anything else you can think of!

— setting prompts

A) STREETS/ALLEYS.
Are you visiting a busy district teeming with people? Or are you out on a quieter street? It can be dark out there, especially if you turn onto a smaller one without many streetlamps. Watch your step. Some of the alleyways might make good shortcuts if you're trying to get somewhere fast, but there's also trouble to be found sometimes. Don't get cornered anywhere, and especially don't get too curious if you see something suspicious in one of the dumpsters...

B) IN TRANSIT.
You're between locations right now, just trying to get on with your evening. You have some options, like public transportation: the bus, the train, the subway. Alternatively, you're a fancier kind of person: you've got your own car that you're driving, or better yet, you have a chauffeur and a private car. Or, you know, you're just taking a taxi or using a ride-share app. There are also transitional spaces like parking lots or garages.

C) DINING.
Some cities are melting pots of different cultures; you're bound to find countless spots at which to eat. There are small cafés if you want a quick bite, or fancier restaurants where you can wine and dine. You could support a small family business by dropping by at a local hole in the wall—sometimes the most authentic spots with the best food are nondescript locations. Or if you're really trying to impress, go for some famous Michelin three-star.

D) NIGHT LIFE.
Bars, clubs, lounges—all of it's fair game. Remember to drink responsibly—or don't, if you're looking to really forget about your troubles for a while. Just know that you'll only have yourself to blame for that raging hangover in the morning.

E) CORPORATE BUILDING.
In a larger city, major corporations might be headquartered in the glittering skyscrapers that line the most expensive districts. There are all kinds of businesses—banks, law firms, finance companies, tech groups, to state just a few. Some places might keep their lights on pretty late at night for the white-collar workers burning the midnight oil; others, perhaps not. Do you fit somewhere in this equation? Or if you're here for something more exciting, there's always corporate espionage...

F) SHOPS.
A lot of shops could be closed by now, but maybe it's that final hour before that mall or outlet you wanted to visit locks their doors for the evening. Time for some last-second shopping! Snatch up that deal before it's gone, or be sure to buy a gift for your date before it's too late!

G) HOME.
You're at home, wherever that is—an apartment, a condo, a house somewhere, or maybe something more extravagant. Real estate can get expensive in the city, especially in popular locations. Do you have a tiny apartment that covers all your basic needs? Or something much nicer, like the type of penthouse people usually only see in movies, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows?

H) CITY SQUARE.
Some city squares are hubs of activity, filled with street performers, pop-up stores, or food stalls. There's a lot you could do, especially when it's nighttime and the little lights strung around the place look so pretty.

I) ABANDONED SPACE.
Every city has its fair share of abandoned warehouses or other buildings that are slated for demolition. Sometimes they attract certain types of crowds that would make your average person think twice before confronting. A lot of places are off-limits, but every so often, the no-trespassing sign is more of a suggestion than a real threat, right?

J) OTHER.
Anything else you can think of!

original by sockupo

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[It had taken a few months, but Alucard had decided that a trip out over the Atlantic would be a wise idea in the end. He always put off traveling for this bullshit reason or that, and with it came a mild sense of shame. There were plenty of ways to watch over the castle from afar, and he owed it to himself to get out, even just a little bit. It was important.

So America. America meant fake passports that no one clocked and trying not to respond to every single person who remarked that he sounded like a Hollywood vampire. America meant crashing with Carmilla for a fortnight before heading back to the castle, and tonight America meant going out.

He had no idea what to expect in this moment. The dhampir had on the modern version of his far too ancient clothes, black jeans and a t-shirt, hair still down, posture stiff and reserved because he was still himself. He only looks to his companion and tilts his head.]

Are you sure that I'm acceptably dressed?

( bless his heart, he was sure trying. Carmilla has a lot more practice presenting like the girl she's looked like for the past three hundred years. she's kept up with the culture, and the references, the lingo. and absolutely the fashion, though god forbid seeing her stray too far from the vampiric standard of black. if anything it's fun to be so overt about it now, and have no one bat an eyelash. in 1804, accessorizing with a skull hinted at witchcraft. in the 20th century they just accepted it, or at worst would ask if you bought it at Hot Topic. still better overall. )

Sweetheart, it's New York City. You could wear just about anything and they wouldn't care. ( one of the delightful parts of the city that didn't sleep. Carmilla's fondness for America waxed and waned as the years went, but New York was one of the few things she was bitterly attached to. maybe she'd drag Alucard to the Museum of Art.

she primps at her curls one last time, before she abandons the mirror, satisfied. thankfully she's not the traditional sort that can't see her own reflection, it would make being vain so much harder. ) We're not aiming for culture, we're aiming for fun. Jeans are fine. ( for her part, she's in transparent lace and stockings, but, that's not to say she wouldn't wear jeans if she were wanting to play up the punk angle a little more. no, today she's dressed like a goth princess, and bless her for refusing to stick to one alternative style when she can play with all of them. )

[Truth be told, Alucard would be far happier at one of the city's museums, be it MoMA or the Met or even one of the niche little galleries that rotated their contemporary and up and coming artists. Much of it is from his own sort of mindset - having to protect the Belmont Hold and it's vast collections plus the castle and all it's books have forced him to think as a curator for too many centuries. Museums offer an air of the familiar, even if everything within is new.

Alucard's happy enough to just lean against the wall opposite where Carmilla's mirror is, arms across his chest and wondering if maybe the shirt is showing too much tiddy. It wouldn't be the first time the accusation was launched, but well. Fun.

Carmilla's wearing something that Alucard knows to be roughly within the culture these days. He's online, he understands at least that much, and more than that, it is eyecatching.]

Don't tempt me. I still have a good number of garments from the 1700s I could wear out of sheer spite.

[All in excellent condition, he might add.]

Where to then?

( there's a lot more museums kicking around these days than there had been when the Metropolitan Museum of Art had its grand opening. still, that's the one she has a complicated relationship with, and the most likely one she'll want to haunt at least for a little while. that said, Carmilla enjoys culture enough to haunt a few more, they just don't have the same emotional connection as the place she wanted to spirit her first love away to and never got a chance.

in Carmilla's book, there's no such thing as showing too much tiddy. hers are pretty visible through her shirt, and since she picked a bralette that matches her shirt it's clear that was an intentional choice. she really has left the victorian modesty far, far behind her. besides, Alucard still codes male, despite the swoonworthy hair. so he's even more free to flash a little peck, thanks to the patriarchy. very unfair. )

Depending on where we go, you wouldn't even be the only one. ( that's part of the fun of the city, you could spend half a year exploring each alternative scene and still not hit them all.

as to where, she shrugs. ) Depends. Are you a modern dancer, or more of a purist? ( some vampires were entirely too bent on waltz and ornate line dancing that barely allowed holding hands. for her part, Carm does not miss old fashioned dancing. or, well, waltzing was fun. the quadrille, though? pass. )

Yes, but how many would be the original owners?

[The question is perhaps a little too genuine, as getting a read on the city's population of all the night things hasn't been at the top of Alucard's priority list. Such as it is, he only knows that Carmilla is here, and can make enough logical gusses that she must not be alone.

The question of dancing gets a face of oh, well fuck from the dhampir, one that's all concernred eyes and thin lips, because there is no good answer in him. Loner tendencies? Big fuck off castle in the middle of no where? Generally keeping the world at arm's length? The answer to both is neither and I don't think any Romanian folkdances are in vogue.

But that's the most embarrassing answer, so Alucard tries for something a little less damning of himself.]

I learn quickly, or else I'm an attractive painting on the wall.

Fair enough. ( she laughs, just imagining his dated wardrobe from centuries past. Carmilla truthfully doesn't have much from her past decades. anything she's kept is more along the lines of photographs, journals, and books — not clothes. maybe Maman had some of her older things hanging around. which sounds like such a nice, normal mom thing to do, and Lilita is anything but nice and normal.

she's not staring at herself in a mirror any more, so she does notice the disguised bolt of panic. she should have seen that one coming. Carmilla is not really the type to be consoling, but still, she's at least got a small word of reassurance for him as far as modern dancing is concerned. )

As far as modern dancing goes, you stand close and try to move in a vague semblance to the beat. ( he could learn that quickly, it hardly requires watching to be able to master. ) I miss waltzing. I spent years learning how to dance when I was a girl, now people just half ass it to a beat drop.

[Alucard's never been one for fashion, but he has long been one for preservation. Oh, sure, he's given a few pieces to museums over the past several decades as apart of cleaning out his closet, but that isn't really the same thing. Not in any way that counts.

He isn't looking for reassurance, but he'll take what is offered all the same.]

Well, that's easy enough. Almost upsettingly so. [At the mention of the waltz though, a very terrible idea bubbles up to the surface.]

Doubtlessly we could confuse and draw attention if we waltzed wherever we were. Although perhaps that might draw more male than female attention for you, which would certainly be a negative.

I know. Look, I'm a modern enough girl, I guess I see the appeal of grinding to Top 40, but it gets boring after awhile. ( there's no skill or substance to it. rubbing up on a cute girl has its bright sides, sure. she just has enough 1800s socialite in her that she misses the elegance of a ball. flirting required a hell of a lot more subtlety back then. even a touch of the hand had such a profound meaning.

sometimes she misses it. sometimes she likes being able to get laid without talk of scarlett letters. )

Sweetie, I'm gonna get that anyway. ( despite her best efforts to put out pervasive 'not interested' vibes, most guys just didn't seem to take the hint. bless their hearts. she hasn't found a guy worthy of hooking up with since the 1900s, but they still keep trying. ) Besides, what modern male would be impressed by waltzing? That's 100% a skill only girls would swoon for.

( which is to say, ) Let's do it. But I promise you, we're not going to get option of Tchaikovsky, I promise you that. ( she huffs a laugh, then taps his elbow on the way out the door. ) C'mon, cutie. Ready to slum it in the subway?

I know, but I do want to help minimize that. [Alucard doesn't go out much, but he still gets it. He's dated enough over the centuries to see it in action, and his ability to step in waxes and wanes far too much for his own liking.

But Carmilla's actual point? That gets a laugh, because shit. She's right.]

Then I'll try and find an opportune moment with the most eyes on you. [If nothing else, he can manage being a supporting role for getting one of them smooched, at the very least.]

Also you don't have to degrade the subway like that. It's a perfectly fine and effective mode of transportation.

[Which is all to say he's damn ready and he starts to follow.]

What a wingman. ( Carmilla rolls her dark lined eyes, but, there's a tinge of fondness to her tone all the same. she's the sort of girl you have to dig a bit for the affection, though if you know her tells, it isn't too hard to find.

somewhere in that dark heart of hers, she appreciates his enthusiasm in getting her laid. even if she's more than capable of accomplishing it on her own, it's the thought that counts. )

Where have you been on a subway? ( she inquires, expression skeptical. ) It doesn't matter, you've never really experienced one until you've been on one here. It's disgusting. ( this is really saying something, considering Carmilla is pretty far from neat herself. )

For-- I am not that much of a shut in. [Alucard's huff is not befitting of his age. That's a noise a teenager makes, and if he knows it he doesn't care right now.] I've been to places in Europe with subways and metro lines, like Paris.

[It isn't the point, but who cares. He's relaxed enough to let more childish reactions through, and that speaks volumes about how comfortable he feels right now.]

Fine. Show me the disgusting wonderland of American subways.

I did promise I'd show you around. You can't call yourself a tourist if you aren't horrified and confused by the metro at least once.

( though she won't leave him to squander too much. the benefits of having a knowledgable party around for your travels. New York does tend to change on her, as places are wont to do throughout the centuries. still, she's been recently enough that it hasn't changed drastically. he's in good hands, if ones that are willing to rib him a little.

they hit the street soon enough, and while it's against New York pedestrian code and old-fashioned to boot, she hooks a hand in his elbow as they make their way toward the subway entrance. )

What else is on your agenda for the city that never sleeps? ( she might have plans of her own, but still, she'll inquire if he has any ideas of his own. he might have never been but that doesn't mean he's never heard. )

I think that to be a proper tourist with that expression, I need to be staring agape at my smartphone as well, yes>

[Alucard's mostly kidding, but he knows that the stereotypes change. Never mind fold out maps, it's all about the tiny screen now.

Old fashioned looks just fine on Alucard all things considered, and he doesn't mind the hand in his elbow at all. It leaves his free one for fishing in his pocket for the Metrocard.]

Oh, you don't want to hear my plans for visiting libraries. You will dread them and call me a terrible nerd to boot. [Those are also daytime plans.] But I think I'd like to see one or two of the parks at night.

[Things Alucard would like to not do right now: fail at swiping the damn Metrocard, because no one ever gets that first swipe right.]

( Carmilla scoffs. )

That's tourist and residents. ( old people and their hatred of cell phones, what is that about? still, while Carmilla has a phone because it's 2020 so of course she does, she doesn't have the same manic obsession about it that most modern people did. she misses the days of old when people used to look each other in the eye and talk.

she won't admit it, probably. but she still misses it. )

There's a cute little occult library we can go to. No promises you'll escape being called nerd. ( Carmilla loves to read, in fact, most of her time is spent reading. she's been burning through books for more than three hundred years, a library is just about her favorite place to go. ) What about food? Since you're still into food and all.

( Carmilla will eat when she wants to, but only when it's a food item she likes. she can make an exception for her culinary inclined friend, but she'll probably just order chocolate cake. )

I assume weighted one way over the other.

[Alucard's actually quite enjoyed the era of smartphones and eBooks, if only for the sake of convenience. The idea of a pocket library is something that his father may have dreamed up, but it could never be implemented like this. Moreover, the widespread availability is what would have made his mother so terribly pleased, because all his father's concepts would still have demanded infrastructure.

But oh. Now Carmilla has all of Alucard's attention, to the point that he's definitely walked into the damn MTA turnstile because he sucks at using the card.]

Well I'd like that very much.

[He does have to pause to properly disentangle himself and pay fare properly, but after that, well.]

The list is very long and detailed, and I am certain I won't hear the end of it.

[Which is the exact reason he's pulling it up on the phone now.]

( despite the fact Carmilla is younger, her opinion on e-books is a lot more old fashioned. a slightly warm, glowing screen didn't replicate the feeling of reading a good old book. she likes the feel under her fingers, the smell, the texture of the pages. she'll tolerate reading off her phone if she's especially bored and especially lacking in reading material, but it's far from her preference.

she's a better friend than she is given credit for because she doesn't laugh at his stumble into the turnstile. it's about the only ungraceful thing she's ever seen him do, maybe he should get a pass, but there's a twist at the corner of her mouth that hints at amusement. )

I'm not all club scene and rock and roll, all right? A girl needs to keep her culture. ( occult culture. in this particular instance. when he joins her again she leans over his arm to peer at whatever he's scrolling through on his phone, to spare him the need to list it. ) Is this all for one visit, or multiple?

( considering she doesn't eat much, this list could take them months. )

[Alucard will take being entertaining at the cursed and highly aggressive turnstile. It happens after all, and it's nothing at all to now head down to the right platform with practiced ease and his usual noble bearing.]

Occulture, you might say? [The pun is low hanging fruit, and Alucard's smile at his own joke comes with a little fang showing.] And this is just a pool to dip from, both high and low. [After all, Papaya King is on there along with Momofuku, half a dozen dives, and the truly upper class reserve months in advance type of places.]

I assume that the dives are just a natural conclusion to this evening, for example.

If you break out many more dad jokes, I'm going back to the hotel. ( that's a strong rebuke for a girl whose dark-stained lips are pulled into a smile despite herself. is it just an old person thing to be amused by puns? is she getting on in age and now her sense of humor is just inherently flawed? she's usually the one making the horrible puns, she has no room to correct them from someone else, and yet here she is.

Carmilla is more inclined to the upscale places, though those are notoriously harder to get into without a little ... convincing. while she can compel individuals that are a bit softer in their intellect, it's not a given. she wonders if Alucard is above a little mental suggestion to get a table at a five star place that's reserved through the next two years. )

Oh, yeah. I don't think it even counts as binge drinking if you don't get nachos after. ( and if they're going to drink like they're modern bar crawlers, then they have to do it right! )

I'm older, I'm permitted two dad jokes per outing. [He's confident with that much, even if Alucard still looks like he's in his mid 20s.] Besides, it'd actually be a rather good name for one of those New Age type of shops.

[Which Alucard's had minimal exposure to, all things considered. Romanian New Age includes being pretty sure vampires are still real, depending on where one travels.]

I'm looking forward to the terrible, cheesy underbelly, I will admit. And if there are other places you'd rather go that are a struggle, hm. [He pauses, tapping finger against chin.] Get us in and I'll get the bill.

[He's about to say more, but there is the horrible terrible sound of screeching subway breaks as the train pulls in, and Alucard flinches out of instinct.]

Do they all sound like that?

One and a half. Puns are such empty humor they don't count as a full joke. ( that gives him exactly one more dad joke to make, and make the most of it, Alucard. with great power, comes great responsibility... she has no comment on whether Occulture would be a great name for a new age shop, but honestly, it would. or an indie band.

if she can manage to get them in she could probably also manage to get their bill on the house, but, for all her vampiric superpowers she sees no need to abuse them when credit cards exist. besides, old vampires always have more money than they know what to do with. ) You were going to be footing the bill anyway, so deal.

( the tube screeches into the station with all the elegance of a banshee, though Carmilla is used enough to it that she doesn't bat a darkened eyelash. ) More or less. The bullet trains are less of a screech and more of a woosh, but it's loud either way. ( she drags him toward the nearest open car, winding herself around one of the standing poles and watching him, wondering if he's brave enough to try one of the actual benches.

she's not wearing enough to be that brave. )

Ugh, fine. [He will relent, and moreover, it will be a precision strike dad joke. Deployed with devastation. And--

--fuck it, that train of thought should probably end and the joke happen naturally. The dhampir looks pleased enough both with that agreement and with their Fancy Food Adventure, to which he gives a final nod of approval.

Subways though. New York, what is this and moreover, why is this? The only word he can find to describe the thing is mortifying, especially as he is dragged aboard.] I think a woosh is acceptable for a bullet train. But something like this for a city of so many is more than slightly alarming.

[It isn't even one of the newer cars. There's the awful yellow and orange MTA seats that Alucard can only frown in the direction of. The colors themselves are fine, but they're faded, worn, beat up and abused by the butts of millions. He does that moment of mental math, and then?

Pole. The one next to Carmilla.]

The color choices are...unique.

( yeah, sitting on one of those benches is like sharing clothes with a corpse. a literal corpse and not a particularly well preserved one like herself. she wouldn't sit on one of those unless she had something between her and the bench. and that's saying something, as Carmilla is not a soul necessarily concerned with keeping her surroundings neat. )

Helps people get where they need to go without bumper to bumper traffic. ( she shrugs slim shoulders. in theory, she gets it. in practice, why does everything have to smell like BO?

she hooks her arm around the standing pole as more people flood in, grabbing seating and pressing in at their sides and none of them even sparing a second glance. there's a few dings to warn about the impending door closing. ) Yeah, looks like they put this car in service in the 80s. I really hope not, but who knows. ( not everything can age as nicely as vampires, after all. maybe they're being over critical. )

An island is not made for this many people. [New York, what the ever loving fuck is you?

With that, Alucard's careful to take up as little room as possible. That no one looks up or blinks twice is remarkable in a way, and yet so very...human. Humanity has always had a high weirdness threshold, and it seems that now is no different.]

On one hand, that they've maintained the service of the train for that long is remarkable. On the other...

[Well. The 80s.

And so it goes. The train shrieks and stops and makes all the other horrible godless noises that only New York City subway cars can. Humanity files in and out, and always, always, there is the reminder to stand clear of the closing doors please.

Their stop eventually comes up. More than a few people leave the car as well, and Alucard offers Carmilla a sly glance.]

Popular with the nightcrowd, hm?

Too late, clearly.

( considering her childhood in Styria where all her closest neighbors were far enough away that it took half a day's ride to get there. based on that, New York was an entirely different dynamic. that said, most places were more populated these days than Styria in the 1800s. she's grown accustomed to it, over time. big places drew more progressive, interesting people, and she can appreciate that.

even if they get a little claustrophobic, sometimes.

it's true, as they get closer to where they intend, other fellow partakers in the New York nightlife start flooding into train. if her style had seemed a little alternative, she seemed downright pedestrian by the time the group in black-and-white Kiss-esque paint strolled through the doors. )

Take the tube and you don't have to drive, right? It's the responsible choice. ( she wished more humans would stay out of motor vehicles after heavy drinking. ) We'll Uber back, don't worry. Cleaner, quieter, and hopefully less people.

( the subway was a right of passage, but, not one she's inclined to take twice. )

I admit, I'm almost tempted to insist we take it back too. [They're so normal compared to half the train car now, and Alucard can only imagine what the street level is about to transform into. The whole thing is absolutely fascinating, and it can only be more so when the night is old and the revels have waned - or else they've reached new and fascinating heights.]

Almost being the operative word. I suspect that I'll crave silence more than indulged curiosity.

[He says it all with a smile though, because truly this is an excellent time.

To the streets. And beyond.]

a romanian dhampir and an austrian vampire explore american night life

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hi im not dead

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