Character Analysis
Meek Musician
Like Nina, Dave was infected during Casimir's "vamp gone wild" spree in 1973. He was nineteen at the time, and had been playing a gig—he was so drunk at the time of his infection that he didn't realize he'd been jumped by a bloodsucker. At least that means he didn't prey on anyone in the meantime, right?
How Dave and Nina deal with being vampires is totally different. Nina's amazed at how "Dave's so tolerant and mature. And sensible. And safety-conscious" (2.13)—in fact, Dave's a pretty laid-back dude in general. Nina thinks he "always talks as if he's ever so slightly stoned" (3.69). There's one thing he has strong opinions about, though: music. Nina notes that he "hates […] musical intolerance" (15.31). Even his strong opinions are pretty laid back—he's not a music snob, he's a devout anti-snob.
As much as Dave seems laidback, though, he's also kind of bumming most of the time. As Nina explains, "if there's one thing Dave regrets more than anything else, it's the way he abandoned his pregnant girlfriend some thirty-odd years ago" (7.64). He was only seventeen at the time, and her parents whisked her out of town before he could do anything about it—but he's been mopey about it ever since. Nina thinks he's a "broken-hearted romantic casualty" (7.70) as a result.
He certainly has some appeal, though. He placates Nina's mom "with his husky voice and spaniel eyes" (5.36). It helps that he's the kind of person that appeals to mothers—think: " neat, polite, and soft-spoken" (5.36). And since Nina's the one telling the story—and describing him in all of these favorable ways—it's clear he has some appeal with her, too.
Mr. Resistant
One of the unique things about Dave is that he was blooded early, and he passed the test. Here's what Nina tells us about it:
His blooding took place the morning after he was infected, while he was staggering home. Though he passed another Saturday night casualty on his way—a man who was bleeding from a split lip—Dave was still strong enough to ignore his own sudden, irrational desire to attack the guy's jugular vein. (8.61)
Dave's willpower is impressive, and it helps Nina get through her own blooding without tearing anyone's throat out. He tells her that seeing her reaction to fresh blood helped him deal with his own vampiric response: "I saw your face […] You weren't there anymore. When I saw that, I couldn't think of anything else" (11.84). If Nina weren't so wrapped up in her own drama, she might've been pleased to learn that Dave highly prizes her well-being. But it takes a little more action from him to drive the point home.
Guitar Hero
Let's not start thinking that because Dave is so chill, he never does anything. In fact, he's the one who comes up with the idea to look up the manufacturer of the silver bullet found in Casimir's remains, and then to try to acquire their customer list. This turns up a major lead for the group.
When the group discusses who'll go to Cobar to track down their silver bullet buyer, Dave "squared his shoulders" (6.60) and announces that he'll go. The result? "The rest of us gasped at him in astonishment" (6.62). The vampires might be surprised by his decision to step-up, but the more we see Dave in action, the less we're surprised by how courageous he is. Nina begins to realize this, too, before they attempt to rescue Reuben:
Though he might have been tall, he wasn't that strong; he had the same brittle-looking wrists and hesitant, shuffling tread as I did. Yet over the past few days, he had demonstrated the most enormous courage. (20.29)
In the end, Dave not only displays his own courage and strength to Nina, he also picks up on a vibe from her: that she doesn't hate vampires as much as she claims to (despite being one herself). Given this, he says: "if you've changed your mind about vampires, then maybe you wouldn't hit the roof after all" (28.117)—and kisses her. Finally. He's less mopey from then on, which we take to be a good sign.