hungry. His smell is captivating because I hadn’t eaten today! “Paul.” I leaned in close to take in his full-bodied aroma one more time. “I appreciate this. You’re a great guy, and I think in a different world, we de昀椀nitely could have been something, but right now,” I took one last whiff, “you smell like lunch.” Paul was petri昀椀ed with fear; his happy-go-lucky demeanor folded away, and he stared at me in pure horror. It was a shocking moment, but I enjoyed showing him the true power of being a vampire. The bell rang again, and Paul, being the upstanding gentleman he was, quickly stood up. “It’s been a pleasure. I’ll call you.” He sat next to Medusa, and after a moment, I heard “Hi, I’m Paul.” I leaned back into my seat and was surprised by the gentleman I saw before me. He was a tanned, fully bald, well- built man. Instead of a shirt he wore a golden ankh necklace. His large bracers covered his forearms, but muscles covered the rest of his exposed body. His lower half was covered by a beautiful robe adorned by a bird. He smelled of sand and mildew, and, through my powerful, vampiric senses, what I could only describe as death warmed over, which was different from the scents coming from every other corner of the room. Clearly, he was trying to hide that through his peacocking. If this was what I had to work with, I had to shoot my shot. “Well hello there, I love the jewelry. Flavor Flav would be jealous!” The vacant look on his face made me realize he didn’t get the reference. Hoping to change the subject, I pivoted. “So, what type of music do you like?” This perked his interest. “I always loved the music they played in the temple. Do you know anything by Hathor?” His voice had a rasp I wasn’t expecting, as if he had been parched his entire life. “I haven’t heard of Hathor. Are they new?” I responded. “Oh, they’re de昀椀nitely older! Closer to the ‘80s.” “I love ‘80s music! I always liked Michael Jackson and Prince, surprised I’ve never heard of them.” “When I say ‘80s, I mean 680 BCE.” 65 ■ PLAINS PARADOX