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Ari patrols most nights. He frequently whistles as he does so. He's on friendly terms with many of the people of the town, though some of them think he's a dangerous weirdo. (They're not wrong, but it's not very polite to say it outright like that.)
Vampires still come to Sunnydale. Because it's Sunnydale, and because vampires are idiots. The ones who live here already, though, have picked up a habit of either visiting the kosher butcher's or the bite shop, or moving to LA. Or having their heads ripped off by an excessively cheerful blonde half-Kal'shekk witch.
Speaking of the kosher butcher's, he pops his head into that alleyway. Maybe he'll see Mr. Ray, that nice vampire chap who comes by for some fresh cow's blood every Thursday. (Ari acts cheerfully oblivious to the fact that every vampire he knows is blind terrified of him. Some of them are alright when he keeps them from eating people; being unrepentantly amoral doesn't have to mean you're not a nice person.)
"Exposure does seem to make it more... bearable. Sort of. And even if the practical benefits are questionable, I still like kissing you."
"So, was that an invitation, or just a statement of fact? I'd rather not presume."
Not that kind of feeling. (He'll ask about that in a bit.)
It sounded kind of like that might happen! Ari would be very pleased with this if he knew what was going on inside Mark's head. And if he wasn't busy being pleased with other things. As it is, he is very pleased with those other things anyway.
Unlike Mark, Ari still needs to breathe (once every ten minutes, but still). While doing so, he decides to ask "How do you feel about moving on to slightly more advanced bottomless pits?"
Some part of Ari feels that the word "recklessly" should not be used in response to a sentence involving the phrase "bottomless pit". The rest of him is too busy feeling to feel the same.
Are they good feelings? Because Ari is, in fact, good at feeling. It's a skill he's developed.
Mark may venture to do some feeling of his own. He has less practice, but is a quick study and very enthusiastic about the concept.
Ari feels good things about that!
Very good things. That quick study thing is handy. Mark is good at so many things.
Also the bottomless pits do not seem to be interfering at all. How delightful.
Excellent. Ari's been keeping an eye out for them. In between being very pleased and being so happy and being proud of Mark and all those other things he's been feeling.
"So, was that a good introduction to positive physical contact?"
"Yes. It was perfect. I'm delighted. You're delightful." He kisses Ari's shoulder, this being the nearest kissable part of Ari. "I couldn't have asked for a better person to cry all over."