can't leave now, I'm haunted (Open)

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book Loren nodded to acknowledge that he’d heard her comment about the name. “Rexanna, then.” It reminded him that he needed to relax: interacting with people hadn’t exactly been his strong suit, even before he’d avoided them for a year. Choosing to ignore the wink, since he had absolutely no idea how to interpret, he ventured a cautious smile instead. It felt odd, stiff, the muscles not being used in the gods knew how long. He let it slip away quickly, knowing it looked wrong and definitely feeling like it didn’t match his mood. At the mention of the marriage, the summoner’s breath caught in his throat; he still hadn’t quite come to terms with that particular fact. Still, he forced him to croak out a response. “Yeah, I h-heard about that. And...I’m happy for them. Truly.” And he was shocked to discover that—hard as it was for him to say the words—he actually meant it. He wasn’t so naive to think he still had a claim to anyone he’d left behind, so all he could hope for was that those he cared about were happy. There were precious few of them left, it seemed. On that subject, they began speaking of the Launceleyns, and the librarian was shocked when Rexanna offered her condolences. “Oh. Thank you. I...I mean, thank you.” He’d been about to admit that he hadn’t really been close to Edy, but that didn’t seem wise under the circumstances. “Oh right. That.” Loren still hadn’t gotten the full details of that time, but from what he’d heard it had been less than pleasant. Of course, maybe he needed to rapidly reevaluate just how bad it had been: Loren’s jaw dropped as Rexanna casually admitted that tried Zariah to imprisoned the blue-eyed, pale-skinned, shiny haired, woman before him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so surprised, though, given Zariah’s tendencies to burn things to the ground when she didn’t get her way. He closed his eyes and his mouth at the same time, and when he opened them, he couldn’t quite meet Rexanna’s gaze. “Yeah that...sounds about right. And I’m sorry. Zariah is...not a good person.” Loren had his fair share of scars from her, that much was true. Then he frowned. “Wait, I thought—” he cut himself off, since he’d been about to say he’d thought she was an Ascended, what with the fangs and all, Probably not the best thing to tell a stranger. “So...you’re an Abandoned, then?” Zariah wouldn’t have tried to marry Rexanna into the family if she wasn’t. “And who did she even intend for you to marry. All of the men are, or well, were…” he caught himself before he could dredge up too many unpleasant memories. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to, well, upset you? Just...sorry. For everything you went through at the hands of my family.” Loren was sure apologizing for a lot these days. Seemed he had a lot to answer for, though, so it seemed appropriate. He raised his eyebrows at Rexanna’s next set of comments. “I can’t say I blame you. Obviously I gave them a wide berth myself.” That was an understatement, for sure. “And by enjoy do you mean…” his voice trailed off suggestively. Edy’s sexual appetite was quite legendary, and she wasn’t too picky in her partners. Regardless, if Rexanna knew his cousin, maybe the blue-eyed woman could give him a hand. “So, did you want to help me search this place?” He gestured at the tavern, with a hopeful look in his eyes.