Christian looked back at Penny, amusement shone on his face. Dinner? Christian had never had dinner let alone be invited to one before.

”Christian Reaper? I suppose it has a nice ring to it. But my last name is actually Jones. At least, it was the name Death told me.” Christian sat down on a chair, thinking over the possibilities of him going to dinner with Penny and her new companions. ”Do you want me to come?” Christian asked, watching for her response.

Penny gave Christian a warm smile. "I think it would be wonderful if you came."

Penny was the last person to show up to the diner. She walked in through the doors and the noise from all the patrons bombarded her senses. Families and couples enjoyed their meals with smiles on their face. The atmosphere was contagious. Penny smiled when she saw Charles waving her over to a table in the back of the diner. "Hey guys!" Charles gestured to the seat next to him and Penny smiled. He pulled it out when she went to sit down. "Oh! Thanks Charles." Despite his gentlemanly ways, Penny's eyes strayed to the door of the diner. Christian said he'd show up just slightly after she did, so she waited. "I have a friend joining us. I hope you all don't mind?" She glanced around the table. Dylan kept his usual scowl, but Annie shook her head with a smile and Charles laughed.

"The more the merrier!"

"We're celebrating something that this person probably shouldn't know about. Are we sure it's ok for your friend to join?" Dylan took a sip of his water after voicing his suspicions.

Penny shook her head. "He knows about the vampires. My friend that died to them was his sister. I figured it would be rude to celebrate without him." Just as she finished her explanation, the diner bell rang and Penny's head snapped to the door. Christian walked in and Penny stood up to wave at him before gesturing to the empty seat to her left. "Just in time." She looked up at him when he approached and smiled. This was probably one of the happiest moments of her life. She was glad Christian decided to join them. He helped her so much, she wanted him to celebrate too.

Time worked differently in the space between the living and the dead. After Christian agreed to meet Penny at the restaurant, he teleported from her hotel room in America, to a small village in the Jordan desert. He had reaped four souls before opening the door to the small diner Penny sat in with her new comrades. Christian figured if he could continue his work without raising too much suspicion, Death would leave him alone.

Christian made a courtesy glance around the diner, although he already knew Penny sat in the back next to Charles who was actively trying to get her attention. When Penny waved, Christian turned to look at her. He smiled slightly and nodded his acknowledgment before making his way through the diner to their table.

"My apologies for being late," he said, speaking softly. He shrugged out of his jacket before taking the seat Penny offered. Christian had changed into dark green slacks, with a black, buttoned up, long-sleeved shirt that had the top button undone. He paired the outfit with brown loafers, and a jacket. The piercing in his ear seemed to catch the light and if one looked closely to the watch he wore, they wouldn't see a typical timepiece but one that moved and rotated to follow the phases of the moon and the earth's rotation. It was a unique piece that kept time differently.

"I hope you will allow me to pay for tonight's meal as a thank you for helping Penny in avenging my sister's death," Christian said, dropping his gaze to the table as a wave of emotion overtook him. Christian could play any part he needed to. It was what allowed him to help so many souls cross over.

Charles eyed the man who joined their table, not entirely comfortable with the presence of this well dressed man. He was too pretty for Charles' liking. He shifted in his seat, draping his arm over the back of Penny's chair casually before he smiled brightly in an effort to seem relaxed.

"Of course, Penny was a natural. Why is it you didn't avenge your sister, thought?" The question seemed casual enough but there was a tone Christian caught that told him it wasn't.

Christian looked at Charles and smiled painfully. He could see Charles as clearly as if he looked through glass. He knew the man was suddenly uncomfortable with his presence and the familiarity Penny seemed to show. It amused Christian, and although he was usually more reserved, he wanted to play with the man a little.

"I understand what you mean. But I am not made for the life of hunting. I work in the medical field and see death too much. I try to keep myself away from it when I can. That is why I am so grateful to you and Penny." He shifted his focus to her, his smile shifting to something warmer and brighter. Charles slid closer to Penny. "I have no doubts Penny was able to rise to the occasion. She is made stronger than most of us can ever hope to be." The words Christian spoke were true enough. He believed them wholly and wanted Penny to see the strength she possessed as well, but if it got under Charles' skin in the process, all the more better.

Charles cleared his throat, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. "Exactly, you should be doing this more, Penny. We can teach you more ways to hunt," he said, eagerly trying to pull her attention back.

The serving staff came over then to take drink orders and Christian sat back quietly in his seat while he looked through the menu. The food all sounded familiar to him. Many people spoke of food after death, wishing they could have one last steak or homemade pie. Christian found food to be the universal language. Everyone came together and bonded over meals, much like this one, despite cultural barriers. Still, food held no sway of Christian. He didn't require it and had never had it. He stared at the menu, looking for something that would be adequate for someone of his size while he listened the other conversations at the table.

"Annie, Charles, Dylan, this is Christian! Christian, these are my friends that helped with the hunt today." Penny introduced everybody to each other. There were nods and exchanges of salutations before Christian sat down next to her. Penny thought Christian looked nice and she had to look away in hopes that she wouldn't be caught staring. She always liked a man in business or business casual attire. Christian always dressed nice, but it seemed he at least put in some effort for tonight's dinner. Meanwhile, Penny just wore a t-shirt and some old jeans.

When Christian and Charles started complimenting her, Penny blushed and tilted her head down so her hair would hide her face. Christian was good at flattery and he never failed to make her feel strong and seen. Charles also seemed to hop onto the 'compliment Penny till she dies of embarassment' train as well. "It was just my first time, you two. There's a lot more I need to learn. No need to praise me so much. I do want to continue hunting though." Once her face felt less red, she tucked her hair behind her ears. She could feel Charles' arm on the back of her chair and sometimes his fingers brushed against her side. Penny leaned forward slightly in her chair to study her menu. She was grateful for Charles and everything he did for her today, but she barely knew him. She didn't know why he had to be so touchy. Penny would've been fine if he just rested his arm on her chair, but it seems he wanted to send a message. To whom, Penny didn't know. Penny looked up and saw Dylan throw a straw wrapper at Charles for something he said.

"Don't come after me! It's true! You totally had the hots for that shapeshifter!"

"I told you to never bring that up!"

Annie cackled and slapped her hand on the table. "No way! You almost slept with her?!"

"I'm leaving." Dylan threatened, but he never made a move to leave. Penny smiled at their display of friendship and hoped that one day she'd find some friends she was that close with.

Penny saw Christian staring at the menu and she raised her eyebrows. His face remained passive, but Penny remembered how he said that reapers don't eat. Maybe he didn't know what to order. Penny leaned towards him to look at his menu and she placed her finger on the brisket sandwich. "Don't think so hard," She said quietly. "You can never go wrong with brisket." Penny pulled her hand away and smiled at him. He smelled really good. He always smelled good, but tonight he seemed to be wearing some sort of cologne or perfume.

"Penny! You wouldn't believe what happened to Charles the second week we started hunting together!" Annie's voice called Penny's attention away from Christian and back towards the group. Penny raised her eyebrows.

"Oh?" She chuckled when she saw Charles' reddening face.

"Don't you dare, Annie!"

Penny's finger drew Christian's attention to the brisket in question. The corners of his mouth lifted up slightly, showing a brief smile before his lips relaxed and his eyes slid up Penny's arm to her face. He looked at her sideways.

"This is my first time going for dinner," he reminded her quietly, but he decided to take her advice and get the brisket. Christian set the menu down and sipped his glass of water while the others talked.

The conversation was easy to follow and the company friendly; although, Christian did catch the movements of Charles trying to get closer to Penny until Annie drew his attention away. Interesting. Christian trusted Penny to say something to Charles should he cross some invisible barrier, but part of him wondered if he should interject on her behalf. Christian attempted to subtly get her attention before glancing at Charles' arm in silent question.

Charles groaned and picked up his beer. "We agreed to never speak of it."

"The shapeshifter got mentioned. All embarrassing stories are now fair game," Dylan countered.

Charles glared at his friend. "Fine, just remember that," he said, not noticing Penny leaning away from him or Christian trying to get her attention.

Penny felt her attention drawn from the playful banter by Christian's attempts to get her attention. She turned her head to look at him. His eyes shot to Charles' arm that sat behind her and she smiled in understanding, but shook her head. It was slightly annoying, but it wasn't something Christian needed to get involved in. She wanted to keep the peace. She'd go out with Charles tomorrow and set whatever boundaries needed to be set and see if she even wanted to have a relationship with him in the first place.

Penny wasn't going to deny that Christian looking out for her didn't make her heart skip a beat though. Christian was observant, this was true, but the fact that he picked up on her discomfort and wanted to help her made her feel respected. For a second, she almost wished Christian's arm was the one on the back of her chair, his fingers gently brushing against her back. Penny felt her face heat up at the thought.

"Penny, you good? You look a little red."

Penny's head snapped to Charles and her face grew even more red, if that was possible. She cleared her throat, "I'm good! I just- I have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." Penny stood up and made her way to the bathroom as fast as she could without seeming suspicious. Penny splashed some cold water on her face and waited till it looked less pink. She felt sweaty and embarassed. She was supposed to see Christian as a friend, but the more time she spent with Charles, the more she realized she wanted Christian's company more. Friends were allowed to feel like that without labeling those feelings as romantic, right? Charles didn't make her uncomfortable, necessarily, and he was really nice and genuine. He just seemed eager to get to know Penny, which wasn't a bad thing. Penny took a deep breath and nodded at herself in the mirror. "Right. You will go on that date tomorrow and then you will see how you feel." She gave herself a little pep-talk before leaving and making her way back to the table. When she got back, their food had been served and she was excited to finally eat something. Penny saw Charles' ordered regular mashed potatoes as a side and she nudged him with her elbow to get his attention. "I wouldn't have guessed you were a plain mashed potatoes kinda guy."

With that simple smile and nod of assurance, Christian looked away and left Penny to her own devices. Charles did seem harmless enough, and he clearly liked Penny. Christian wasn’t jealous of Penny’s growing friendships. If anything, he was glad she was experiencing a sense of normalcy and something good in her life after so much turmoil.

Things seemed to be going well, and then Charles made a comment that had Christian returning his focus to Penny and her reddening face. Christian stood when Penny did, alarmed for her, but she quickly dashed off to the bathroom. Christian’s brow furrowed slightly before he composed himself and sat back down.

Charles looked at Dylan, amused by Christian’s behaviour. “You’re a bit of an odd one, aren’t you?”

Christian set his water glass down and looked at Charles. ”I’ve been told I have an old soul. I suppose that can make me seem odd. Truthfully, my parents raised me with a different view. I was raised outside of America,” Christian explained.

Charles gave Christian the once over and nodded. “Yes, that makes sense. Have you known Penny long?”

Christian smiled at Charles. ”Almost seems like I’ve known her my whole life,” he said, without elaborating further.

Christian looked back towards the bathrooms when the food arrived, wondering if he should check on Penny. He waited until she returned before he even thought about eating his food. He could smell the spices the cook had used and knew somewhere in his mind that it would taste good, but Christian wasn’t sure he would taste that.

He gathered a helping onto his fork and slipped it into his mouth, rolling the food around before he swallowed it. It tasted like nothing to him. Christian was disappointed; he hoped he could gain something from eating, but it was just another human action that made him seem normal.

Charles smiled when Penny rejoined them. However, she teased him about his mashed potatoes, and he frowned. “Mashed potatoes are a classic stable and good in any condition. They are the best compliment to any dish,” he declared passionately. He ate a forkful proudly and swallowed before grinning at Penny. "I'm a sucker for comfort food," he explained.

“I understand. I’m not super big into eating food for comfort, but I do like tea.” Penny took a bite out of her burger and sighed in delight. It definitely was yummy.

By the time Penny finished her burger, everyone had already finished their food. Penny felt kind of bad for being a slow eater, but she wanted to enjoy it, not scarf it down. “This was a lot of fun! I’m glad we could meet up like this!I’ll see you tomorrow, Charles.”

Penny waved to the trio outside the diner with Christian as they went their separate ways. It wasn’t till they got into their cars when she finally addressed him. “I’ll meet you back at the hotel, yeah?” She walked to her car and drove off once she was settled.

When Penny arrived back to the hotel, Christian was already waiting for her outside her room. Penny unlocked the door and held it open for him, closing it behind and locking it. She threw her small bag onto the floor and plopped down onto the couch. “Today has been a long day. It’s crazy to think that just this morning, I killed vampires. Then I went to dinner with friends. It just souds bizarre to me.” She confessed.

The rest of the evening had gone well. Christian engaged in a couple of different topics of conversation before he once again thanked the three of them for helping Penny and avenging his sister. Playing the part of the grieving brother had been rather fun for Christian. It was like he and Penny were in on some big secret, not that there weren’t already several between them.

Christian walked Penny to her car before agreeing to meet her back at the hotel. He waited until she pulled away before he teleported to the hotel. Christian lingered outside, watching people as they returned back to the hotel for the evening. He smiled softly as he watched a couple embrace before parting ways for the evening.

Now up in Penny’s room, Christian sat perched on the edge of a chair. ”And a date tomorrow,” Christian reminded her, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. And a date," She echoed. "Thanks again for coming tonight. It was kind of fun, wasn't it? Pretending to be someone else. What did you think of the brisket? I know you said you don't eat... was it yummy?"

Penny sunk further into the couch and he eyelids felt heavy. She knew she needed to get up and brush her teeth and get into pajamas, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Today was long and she was tired, but she didn't want to say bye to Christian just yet. "You can stay the night again. Maybe try out sleeping? If you want," she rambled. Now come to think of it, Christian has been with her for two days. Didn't he need to go reap some souls or something? "I hope I'm not keeping you from work."

Christian smiled and nodded. He tilted his head to the side, watching Penny sink further into the couch with an amused expression on his face.

”I did enjoy myself. They seem like good people who could help you a lot in the future with your hunting. As for the brisket, I could smell the spices, and understood the concept of what good may taste like but unfortunately, I could not taste it. It is something I do not require and therefore have no way of enjoying. Not truly. I imagine sleep would be much the same,” Christian mused. ”Just pretend I have insomnia,” he teased Penny.

He stood when it looked like Penny was committed to her position on the couch, fully clothed and everything. ”Time moves differently in the afterlife. I reaped four souls in Syria in the time it took for you to leave the hotel and arrive at the diner. Now sleep, perhaps we can find you another hunt in the morning.”

Christian watched Penny sleep for a while, gauging her breath until he she wouldn't wake, before he picked her up off the couch and carried her to the bed. He pulled the blankets up around her, making sure she was covered and warm before he took up his spot in the living room.

The next evening had Penny nervously nervously smoothing her blouse before grabbing her bag and making her way out of the room. "I'll be going now. I'm not sure what time I'll be back, but I can let you know when I am," she told Christian before leaving.

Charles sat in his car outside the main lobby of the hotel. As soon as he saw Penny walk out, he got out and walked over to the passenger side to open the door for her. "Penny! Hi! You look beautiful!"

Penny blushed and tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. "Hi Charles. Thank you. You look very nice yourself." Penny wore a light pink blouse with some black bootcut slacks and some flats. She didn't usually dress this nice, but she wanted to look nice for her date. Her blonde hair fell in ringlets around her shoulders and she had light mascara.

They arrived at the movie theater and Penny blinked in surprise when Charles offered his arm to escort her in. She smiled and looped her arm through his. "First plain mashed potatoes and now an escort? You keep surprising me." Penny realized that her statement couldn't come off wrong and she stammered to fix it. "I- I mean, not that I didn't think you would escort anyone. Just that- most men don't." Penny felt her face heat up in embarassment. Most men with the exception of Charles and Christian, apparently.

Christian stood in Penny's hotel room after she left, feeling strange that he remained in the space while she was gone. Curiosity had him moving towards the window to look at the street. He saw Charles getting out of the car to help Penny in and sighed. At least he seemed to be acting like a gentleman tonight. Christian let the drape fall and teleported out of Penny's room. He could work while she was gone before getting the details of the date later.

He was genuinely glad Penny was having normal human experiences again. He hoped her second chance at life was better than the first.

Charles laughed, the nervousness he had been feeling dissipated thanks to Penny's ramblings.

“I mean, they often work strange hours that hunters do. But they at least get paid,” Charles joked.

He opened the door to the movie theater and gestured to Penny to go in first.

“We don't get to go out much. Work life balance is pretty nonexistent for hunters, so when we get an opportunity like this, we tend to make the most of it,” he said, smiling warmly at Penny. “Okay, snacks. What do you usually get?” Charles asked, looking over the different options at the concession.

"Popcorn for sure, but I like it drowning in butter. Then I put M&M's in it. What about you?" She eyeballed the candies and popcorn that sat in and behind the counter. It had been a while since she's seen a movie, so she was excited. Even if it was a cheesy horror film. She glanced towards the movie theater doors and stiffened. A woman was standing in the doorway staring at her, but her eyes were black. Penny felt the blood drain from her face and she felt cold all of a sudden. She blinked and the lady's eyes were normal again as she waved to a friend. They both walked into the theater to look for their seats.

A person with black eyes... what kind of monster was that? She almost called Christian to ask, but remembered she was here with Charles. She clamped her mouth shut and was second guessing watching this movie. What other things were gonna be lurking in the dark? She glanced at Charles and quietly exhaled to calm her nerves. She'd be fine. She had a hunter with her and she's killed vampires before. She'll be fine. She still couldn't help but wish that Christian was with her anyways. He made her feel safe. Sure, Charles made her feel safe, but she found that it wasn't the same.

“Heathen,” Charles called Penny before laughing. “Drowning it in butter? Why? I like my popcorn dry, licorice and Maltesers, and frozen yogurt if I'm feeling adventurous. Or hungry,” Charles stated and went ahead with ordering them two different bags of popcorn and grabbed the assortment of candies.

He glanced at Penny who seemed out of it. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, everything okay?”

"I'm okay... I just thought I saw something." Penny put on a smile and quickly changed the topic conversation, "There's no way you eat popcorn dry. Butter makes it taste so much better!" Penny grabbed her popcorn bag and pretended to pout. "Well I'm drowning my popcorn in butter and if you don't want to eat butter popcorn, then you'll have to get your own." Penny was at a loss. She didn't know if she told Charles about her weird sight problems or if there was a thing with black eyes. She didn't want to ruin the date or make him paranoid. She most definitely didn't want him to think she was paranoid.

Penny stepped away, but waited for Charles at the doors. They walked in and found a seat kind of in the back left. Penny looked around and was surprised at how many people were here. It wasn't full, but it was more than half full. "I don't do well with horror movies, by the way. Especially with how productive the last month was. I'm still a little jumpy," She whispered to him as the lights dimmed. Her heart picked up a bit once being engulfed in the dark. She closed her eyes, afraid she'd see something staring back at her, but opened them once again when the light from the big screen lit up the room.

Charles did get his own popcorn, candies, and drinks before following Penny into the theater. He handed her the M&Ms and ate a handful of popcorn while the lights dimmed.

“Really? Well, that's okay. Take comfort in knowing that you'll learn how to kill these things, too, but if you get scared, just lean into me.”

Charles loved horror movies still, despite the very real monsters on the screen. He found most of them funny and unrealistic, but there was something oddly comforting about them as well.

"So, how do you kill a werewolf? Are they like vampires where most of their lore is made up or does silver actually work?" Penny continued to whisper as the previews played. Werewolves always fascinated her as a kid. She didn't know why, but the idea of a person turning into a monster during a full moon and losing all memory of it always settled ill in her stomach.

Penny wondered if Charles was going to try to pull any moves during the movie and she didn't know how to feel about it. He was touchy in the diner and though it wasn't anything disrespectful, it was very forward. Penny was happy to see he kept to himself tonight besides escorting her, but couples on dates tended to get touchy during the movies. Penny preferred sitting and enjoying the movie, though, unlike her ex boyfriend. He always wanted to make out in the back of the theater and she was never in a position to tell him no. At least- that's what he made her believe.

The movie started and Penny threw an M&M into her mouth.

“Ya silver works. You have to use a lot of its bullets, but a silver blade or something stabbed in the right place can kill them, like the heart or head. They also look like humans so the anatomy is the same. Essentially whatever kills us will kill them but you'd want them weak before. They have super strength and can heal quickly. Dylan's decapitated one before. He seems to be a fan of that option,” Charles said with a chuckle.

He took a sip of his drink before opening his licorice. “They also turn on full moons, but can live a pretty normal life the rest of the month. There are some werewolves that don't kill humans, too. They just go after animals.”

Charles grabbed some licorice before offering the bag to Penny.

Penny accepted Charles‘ licorice offering, grabbing one from the bag. A man on the screen turned into a werewolf, howling at the full moon. Penny smiled at how cheesy it actually was, thinking she was worried for nothing.

About halfway through the movie, there had been two jumpcares and Penny was sad to admit that half her popcorn was on the floor or on herself. Penny wondered how Christian would handle the jump scares. Did he scare easily? Charles ended up putting his arm around Penny. It was warm and made her feel secure- like Christian‘s touch. She closed her eyes, almost leaning into his touch before she refrained. This was not Christian. She frowned and felt frustrated that she couldn’t stop thinking about him. It wasn’t fair to Charles, but could she really have a relationship with him when she almost wished someone else was here instead?

Penny watched as the girl who she thought had black eyes, got up and walk out of the theater. Penny couldn’t see her due color in the dark, but they almost gleamed anyways. Penny felt unsettled. „Charles? Weird question, but what creature looks like a human, but has black eyes?“