But now wasn't the time to ponder that.
"Integration space?" he asked.
"She means the living room. They call everything something else here." Viktor led him down a hallway lined with large art pieces depicting fruits. "Fair warning, Charlie's made friends."
"Friends?"
"Other vampires. They've adopted him like a stray puppy." Viktor paused at a doorway. "Try not to look too much like you're planning murder. It makes people nervous."
Simon scoffed but chose to say nothing in response.
The room beyond was less pretentious than he'd expected. Mismatched furniture that actually looked comfortable, warm lighting, and four vampires arranged around a coffee table.
Three of them looked up with mild interest.
Charlie shot to his feet so fast he knocked over what appeared to be a carefully organized puzzle, sending pieces scattering across the table.
"Oh shit, Connor, I'm so sorry!"
"That was six hours of work," Connor said flatly, staring at the ruined puzzle.
Simon stared too.
He'd never seen a vampire get upset about a puzzle. Why couldn't his world go back to making sense?
"I'll help you restart it, I promise!" Charlie went down on his knees trying to gather pieces, managing to knock more onto the floor in the process. "Sorry, sorry, I'm making it worse?—"
"Charlie," Simon said.
Charlie froze mid-reach for a puzzle piece, looking up at Simon with those impossibly earnest eyes. "You came."
"I said I would."
"Yeah, but..." Charlie stood slowly, a puzzle piece still clutched in his hand. "Hi."
"Hi."
They stared at each other while the other vampires watched with the rapt attention of people who'd been desperate for some fresh gossip.
"So this is him," the woman in paint-splattered clothes said. "The hunter Charlie won't shut up about."
Charlie's face went red. "I didn't—Maya, that's not?—"
"'He's so strong, Maya. His blood tastes like heaven, Maya. His eyes are like?—'"
"I never said anything about his eyes!" Charlie protested.
"You didn't have to. You've been staring at the door for the past hour like a dog waiting for its owner."
Simon tried to ignore how much he enjoyed hearing that.
"Are you going to kill us?" Connor asked, drawing his attention.
"No."
"But you're a hunter."
"Yes."
