The snow covered everything outside. Edwin wondered if people could make it to the clinic in this weather. There was no one that he could see going out on the roads. So maybe not.

The children each had a book before them, courtesy of Hadrian braving the snow. Luciano had an anatomy atlas, from which he copied the different body parts and organs in his sketchbook.

Ben and Rael had adventure novels. Ben’s was about an Ogre that had travelled all around the frozen ocean. While Rael’s was about a warrior who had killed a dragon.

Edwin was mending Hadrian’s gloves as Hadrian was staring at him.

“What?” Asked Edwin when the silence got uncomfortable.

“You are excellent at this. I can’t even see the stitches,” said Hadrian with his signature lopsided smile.

“Well, I have to be. The most important parts of surgeries are straight cuts and neat stitches. My mother had me do embroidery since I was three to get my fingers to be precise,” said Edwin.

Back then, he had thought it was fun. Then, he had gone to school and made the mistake of taking a handkerchief he had made out and giving it to the prettiest girl in class, Lily Summer. Worse, he had admitted to making it. That had made him one of the girls and got him baby brother zoned, not even friend zoned.

“Eddy, do you mind making me something? I have this really cool sigil in mind,” said Hadrian. He got up and rummaged in his bag. Then he come back with a drawing of a cutesy cat with vampire fangs.

“That is…does it have to be a ginger?” Asked Edwin. He had expected blood and daggers, maybe a coin purse in the background. Not this.

“Do you like it?” Asked Hadrian, a blinding smile on his face and feet tapping on the ground.

“It is certainly creative. Harry, are all vampires like you?” Asked Edwin. Hadrian was crushing all of his expectations of the species. He had heard stories of brooding seduction specialist that can stop you with a stare and make you feel special with a smirk.

Hadrian was none of that. He was a happy, bubbly, man-child who could brighten your day with a smile. Never a straight one. As if his lips were permanently looked in their lopsided style.

“What? Do you think the fantastic Harry Deranges has an equal? I am insulted, Eddy. Now you definitely have to make the sigil. Or I will stop drinking animal blood,” said Hadrian with a huff.

He looked genuinely angry, but with him one could never say. Edwin took the drawing of the smirking cat and imagined the lines and stitches. It was mostly made up of one color, but there was some blood on the whiskers and the fangs. And the eyes were the same lilac as Hadrian’s.

“You secretly want to be a ginger?” Asked Edwin as he watched the bright color.

“I used to be a ginger, long ago. The thing about vampires, Eddy, is that our hair loses its color just like any other. You have no idea how much blood I need to consume to keep it shiny,” said Hadrian, and he poked Edwin’s shoulder.

“So, will you make me Tommy boy on my cloak?” Asked Hadrian, hopefully.

“I don’t see why not. We are stuck in Myrna for a while. When you were outside, did you hear any interesting rumors?” Asked Edwin as he returned to the gloves he was mending.

“The homeless shelters are at full capacity. The mayor is on trial for taking the paychecks of the snow cleaners. But, and this is something that you would like, another clinic is opening in the city. One that focuses on surgeries. How is your paper on pig blood made edible for vampires going along?”

“Not well. I send it to the Mirstone Healer Academy, but they send me a response that they want nothing to do with me. Do you know of a vampire magazine that I could use to publish it in?” Asked Edwin. He looked at Hadrian, who looked to the side.

“It is more of a gossip rag, but there is no alternative.” Said Hadrian with a shrug. “Your name will be dragged through the mud by association.”

“It is not relevant.” Said Edwin. He picked a piece of paper and handed it to Hadrian. “Can you send it to this gossip rag?”

“Sure.” Said Hadrian, and he placed the paper in the bag. Then he poked his sigil drawing. “But I expect Tommy boy to be at least started by the time I get back.”

“Take my gloves, yours are not done. And next time, don’t juggle with daggers while wearing gloves.” Said Edwin. Hadrian took Edwin’s beige gloves and put them on. They were softer than his, and he vowed to cut up his gloves more often, so he could borrow Edwin’s.

Hadrian was out of the door, and then he was waddling through the snow. People poked to stare at him from their windows as if he was a circus performer.

“Yes, yes! I am out! Will be here for the entire winter, so you will all see me more often!” Yelled Hadrian good naturally. He heard chuckles and the sound of closing windows. It seemed that even bored people wanted to avoid keeping their windows open too long at night.

He made it to the post office. He wondered if the Pony Express was going to send out riders in this weather. Still, even if it did not, Edwin’s paper will be packaged and send at the earliest possible moment.

The clerk was just putting the closed sign when Hadrian came to the booth. He smiled at her, and she glared at him and pointed at the sign.

“We open at 7:30 am. Come then.” Said the clerk angrily.

“Dear lady, I am a creature of the night. A vampire. I cannot come when the sun shines on the snow. Please show me your golden heart and I will be forever grateful,” said Hadrian, and he took her glove clad hand and kissed it.

The clerk blushed and giggled, and then wavered.

“Oh, I suppose I can ignore the rules, just this once. Now, fill this form, and we will get what you are shipping packaged.”

Ah, forms. Hadrian kept the smile on his face, but he internally shuddered. The things he did for Eddy.