Alexis had once been the head cheerleader but while she had the physical skill, she lacked the commitment to leadership. Why stay up all night planning routines and deciding who was capable of doing which moves and working one on one with the coach to make sure they were the best when she could just party and enjoy her friends and just have fun being a teenager. So she'd lost the position and while she knew it was probably a disappointment to her parents, she was much happier this way. She was still one of the very best in the squad.

Alexis much preferred to cheer at football games over basketball. It was nice to be outside, even when it started to get cold, and she liked the way it felt to do routines on grass or a mat versus the hard floor of the gymnasium that had less give. Still, she didn't complain. With her tiny little cheer outfit and her hair bouncing around in a preppy high ponytail, this was her stage and she was the star. Even if the current head cheerleader thought it was herself, Alexis knew better. She owned this stage.

It was a rare win tonight. Their teams were typically not ranked very high. Living in a small town with less resources would do that, but the energy was high tonight as the team actually won and the crowd bounced out of the gym to go and celebrate. Alexis knew that every little diner and fast food joint in town would be packed with teenagers within the next 20 minutes or so.

Alexis left along with her friends from the squad but just outside the gym doors she stopped to tighten the laces on her shoe and told her friends she'd catch up. She crouched down as she untied the laces, tightened them, and began to retie the bow without paying too much attention to the people passing her as she did so.

The vampire barely paid enough attention to the winner. It was simply not something he cared about. But he did know the school colors well enough and could infer from the generally upbeat vibe of those leaving that it was a home team win.

Arturo paused on the bottom of the stands, looking over the receding crowd. He knew quite a few of them, be they vampires, werewolves, mortals, or even some of the more colorful supernaturals in the area. But there was an unspoken rule to mind one's business so as to not draw too much attention.

He noticed the petite blonde crouched down just past the doorway. Knew her quite well from having watched a few sporting events, though namely more football than basketball. Of course, the cheer outfit's short skirt and tight bodice and bright colors gave her away as one of the cheerleaders, but he'd know that blond ponytail and those beautiful calves and sheer thighs as belonging to the highflier. The one with the snappy poses and easy confidence with her body that all Vandersons had. She was busy tying her shoelace and while he had had no intention of making conversation tonight or anything else tonight, her mini skirt was entirely too tempting to pass up.

Were she merely bent over, he could imagine bumping into her on accident, brushing his hands against both hips and pressing himself against her backside. But as she was, perhaps a bit more refined approach would be better. "Miss aviator, please, allow me," he said, quickly moving to crouch beside her and reach out to take her hands so that he might finish retying her show for her. Once he finished, he stood and offered her a hand to help her up. "You are quite impressive," he said of both her display of skill and, with a quick glance up and down, simply in general.

Alexis looked up from her crouch as a man spoke to her. It was a face she recognized as someone who had been in town for a long time but she had never taken the time to learn his name. She was a bit reserved for a moment, unsure of his intention but he was handsome and she was a girl with daddy issues that was drawn to the authority of an older man. She watched his face as he finished with her shoe, studying him curiously. Miss aviator. She had liked that a lot.

As he finished she accepted his hand to stand and definitely noticed the added glance of her perfect, athletic, feminine body and she grinned. She couldn't help it, she did love the attention and he wasn't being too creepy. Not yet anyway. So she'd soak in the praise and attention as if it was vital to her survival. For Alexis it practically was.

"That's very kind, thank you," she said, not even attempting humility as she turned her head slightly, her hair in its ponytail nearly it's own flirty entity. He really was quite a good looking guy, dressed well, he clearly cared about his appearance and Alexis always appreciated that. The way she appraised him wasn't as quick as his had been as her gaze took in his attire with an approving assessment. "I've seen you around here and there. Do you have a student who goes here? Or just a sports fan?" she asked, her gaze finding his eyes once more, and a coy little smile on her lips. Alexis would flirt with a tree if it was the only thing around but she did find this man genuinely attractive and she was curious as to why he'd chosen to approach her.

She was quite the specimen. A bit young, and he did always have to be careful with high school students. She looked old enough though, if he had to guess, but the man had never been a fan of simply guessing. As a vampire, he was always looking for his next meal, but there was no reason to be such an obvious creep about preying on others, especially when they happened to be young women.

Still, it wasn't lost on the man that they traded evaluating looks. Even after her cheers and flips, there was barely a hair out of place and the faint indications of sweat only added an attractive sheen to her bare arms and legs and made her scent even more appealing.

Her eyes found his and he was eager to keep them there. He could see she liked what she was looking at, which was a bit surprising for someone so young. Perhaps she was more mature than he thought and clearly more interested in that in return. Even to a casual high school sporting event in the spring, he'd worn a comfortable but well fitted cream pull over and tailored jeans. "Arturo. I'm just a local who fancies himself a sports enthusiast, yes. Basketball not so much, but one has to support the local teams," he said with a smile. "Even the win didn't cast a shadow on your performance," he noted approvingly. "I look forward to seeing you at other games," he added. Not that he wanted to be done with her just yet, but there was such a thing as coming on too strong despite her clear interest. There would be plenty more games and plenty more moments to get close to the young woman.

The crowd thinned out as the last of the fan s made their way out of the lobby and to their vehicles. Those left were just a few school staff for clean-up and some other team support staff. They weren't alone, but they were temptingly close to it.

Alexis was beaming. She was a sucker for a compliment and loved the idea that this man's attention was more on her performance than on the game. "I'm more of a football fan myself, if I had to choose," she said. Though it was less about the sport itself and more about the general vibe of a football game vs a basketball game.

"I'll keep an eye out for you in the crowd," she replied, unable (or unwilling) to hide the flirtation in her tone. Though his comment seemed as though he was trying to say goodbye, Alexis decided to hang around a little longer by starting a rather slow walk towards the parking lot beside him. "Is your wife here too?" she asked. It was not at all subtle that she was actually digging for his relationship status more than actually looking for the answer.

"A good choices, always lots to see at football games. I do enjoy my spectacles, so I like Formula 1, MMA, wrestling," he listed a few. Dance competitions and the classic team sports and all the wondered that one might see at the Olympics, of course, but he enjoyed his flare and fanfare and all things over the top.

Arturo knew he should say goodbye. Flirting with high schoolers was not something he should be doing. But he couldn't help himself. What was life except to enjoy the people around him? He certainly wanted to enjoy Alexis. Age didn't really matter that much after all, right? Besides, how could he say no to that smile? Those lips? Her eyebrows and the glow of her skin? He didn't deny himself the pleasure of looking, rather glad she seemed to also be walking the same way. That could be no coincidence.

A soft noise of surprise escaped him at her follow up question. Arturo held up his hands, both obviously devoid of wedding bands or even any jewelry to speak of. He feigned concern, patting himself down from his chest to his waist to his front pockets and then back pockets. "No ring. I must have forgot- ah, but I have no wife or husband either," he said, cutting short his playful. No, he was not the marrying sort. "But your boyfriend must be waiting for you?" he returned, seeing her question for what it was and returning it in kind.

Alexis' eyes sparkled with delight and she bit her bottom lip playfully as he teasingly expressed that he was unattached. Or at least not married and that was all that really mattered to her...though if she was being honest, even if he was it probably wouldn't have stopped her from anything. She giggled a little as confirmed that he was not married and then returned the line of questioning to her.

She grinned and shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, tossing her pony tail over her shoulder. "No boyfriend," she replied, oozing confidence and teenage feminine charm. She liked to think it was more mature than maybe it was. She was eighteen after all and was right on the cusp of graduating. "My roommate is busy on a date tonight too, so no one waiting up for me."

It was stupid. She didn't know this man and while she was hinting at the idea that she had a place to go that wasn't her parents home, she was also outing herself to being entirely alone with no one expecting her tonight. If he had ill intentions, she'd just opened herself up to that as well, though she hadn't thought of that yet. Maybe the risk taker in her was trying to push boundaries tonight.

"No boyfriend?" He repeated with a raised eyebrow. A girl like her could have any boy she wanted. He'd seen the way the players stared at her. And she certainly seemed to crave attention. No, her lack of boyfriend was nothing to do with a lack of interest in the opposite sex, but likely in the knowledge that as a beautiful young lady and a Vanderson to boot, she could have anyone she wanted. Anyone. Why waste time with immature boys? Alexis had a glow of youth and passion and childish charm about her that was more broadly appealing.

Arturo only occasionally paid attention to town politics. And town politics only occasionally paid attention to high schoolers. He knew very little of this piece of perfection that followed along beside him. But he was quite interested. Not just in her body but her taste. Only he had indulged himself of that far too recently. Still...it would be a crime to pass up her invitation. "Oh, well that won't do. A gorgeous young lady such as yourself, all alone," he mused. Arturo had intentionally slowed his pace to see if she would match it. "Perhaps I can at least escort you home?"

Alexis hardly noticed that she had slowed her pace just as he had. She was far to involved in the interaction with him that she wasn’t thinking about keeping the pace of her steps.

“Oh really? That’s so nice of you, I wouldn’t want to impose,” she said, pretending as if he hasn’t just offered exactly what she hoped he might. “It would be such a comfort to not have to go home alone in the dark…”

Arturo smiled to himself as she kept pace with him. Whether intentional or not, she was very clearly interested. And he wouldn't deny his own interest. Call it lust, if one will.

"It would be no imposition at all, miss aviator," he said, turning that soft, faint smile on her. He would never call himself nice. Not anymore. Even when he was, by all accounts, "polite." Arturo found her quite amusing. She had stopped short of walking home with her fellow cheerleaders and friends to talk to him. Argue that it was to tie her show all she wanted, but she hadn't run to catch up. He hadn't stopped her. No, she wanted to walk home with him. Perhaps he should call her his fox, instead.

He stopped in the lot behind a pristine, orange metallic Lotus Elise, brushing his fingers over the chassis. "Would you prefer to walk, or shall I drive?" He considered asking her where she lived. But the risk of her suggesting home was her parent's estate would ruin the moment. And he had no intention of taking her there. He'd let her suggest elsewhere. Otherwise, though his exotic sports care was quite small, he was certain there was plenty of room there.

Arturo would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the impressed look on her face as she admired his care. He could certainly be vain about things. His appearance and his cars especially. This one, in particular, was his favorite. "She is quite lovely," he agreed with a nod. While he was speaking about his Lotus, his eyes lingered on the young woman. She too, was very lovely. More than lovely. Especially in her cheer uniform. The short skirt and the straps over her shoulders certainly were not immodest by any means, but they only added to the imagination.

Ever the gentleman, he didn't hesitate to step to the passenger side of the car to open the door when she agreed he could drive her. He bowed slightly and even offered her his hand to help her climb into the seat. He had feed recently enough his touch was only a little cooler than might be expected. It was not a definitive agreement to their unspoken intentions with the other, but Alexis was getting closer. Warmer, as it were. He held the door open as she got herself settled and clear of the door before closing it for her. He rounded the other side of the car, opening the driver side door and ducking in. He put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space and then turned them out of the lot, weaving slowly between other cars and a few more stragglers walking past. The tinted windows didn't offer anyone any scandalous views of the highschooler in his car, but there was no doubt some had seen them walk out together.

"And where, my dear Alexis, would you like me to drive you tonight?" he asked.