wizardmanor | Floor 1, Room 6

Sure am. Easier to deal with people when they aren't bleedin'.

[It's clearly a joke, though maybe he should have saved it for later... they just got done being patched up, after all... Oh well, too late to take it back.

Malice's room is exactly as goth as you'd expect given everything he is as a person. Dark, with minimal lighting, purples and blacks everywhere, and a desk and vanity covered with all sorts of magical knick-knacks. His prosthetic arms (one with claws, one with a proper hand) are set out on the desk as well.

He gestures for Solomon to come on in - feel free to take the chair at the desk if you want to sit!]

[No need for sitting! He doesn't intend to take up too much time, but his expression does fall rather serious as he slows to a stop near the vanity, eyes travelling the magical baubles as his arms fold tight across his chest.]

I saw how fast you left the common room.

Are you sure you're alright?

Couldn't risk bein' 'round that much blood. I haven't fed yet either, an' I'm startin' to get hungry, but...

[He gestures vaguely, like that's supposed to mean something.]

Tara said I could possibly use magic to help with that, so I'll be lookin' into it. I can go for a little while longer before needin' to feed, an' I never let myself go into bloodfrenzy like that.

[Though admittedly Mika came back into himself really well, so bloodfrenzy probably works different in other worlds...]

Point's that you don't have'ta worry 'bout this happenin' again. I've got no intention of hurtin' anyone here.

I doubt dear Mika had that intention, either. But instinct is a powerful thing.

[He lets a long breath out the nose, lips thinning.]

Do you have a backup plan in case magic isn't an appropriate solution? I really would not like to see this happen again, and we could have prevented quite a bit knowing what could have been done to help those around us.

Well, my backup plan was to ask Tara, since we talked about it when I first arrived. But he's probably gonna need awhile to recover, so...

[So. Yep.]

Guess my next best option is to ask those of y'all who weren't bitten if you'd be willin' to stick your neck out for me. Literally.

[now is not the time for shitty puns, but alas......]

[Yeah let's not actually kill our poor sage.]

It depends.

Do you know how much you need to keep yourself lucid?

Yeah. Can't give you an exact amount, but it ain't a ton. When I'm really starvin', the worst it ever gets is the human starts to feel pretty light-headed an' needs to take it easy for a day or so. I don't usually let it go that long, an' it ain't that bad right now.

[He rests his good hand on his hip as he continues,] I can also feed on animals an' vampires, so non-humans'd probably be fine too? But it's not as fillin' as feedin' on humans.

I'd rather not starve another one of you if we have the option.

[Because RIP all that blood out there is gonna be a MESS to clean up, and this just feels like playing with fire.]

We don't know how long Tatara will be out for, or what kind of strength he might have. If it's going to keep you stable for the time being, I can lend you some of mine.

Just expect me to ask a favor of you in return sometime down the road.

[A transaction, huh? Well, Malice already owes a favor to Kurapika, so what's another one?? Besides, he'd rather not potentially run into another situation like this.]

Appreciate that you're upfront 'bout it. Yeah, I'll agree to that.

I don't like to play quite that dirty unless I really need to.

[His wand is produced with one hand as the other starts to roll down one of the long black sleeves of his shirt.

Immediately, it's evident that he has some sort of marks scattered across his skin, deep and circular, smattered with letter and symbols that don't make much sense at a first glance.]

You can't use my neck, and I will defend myself if I see you cannot control yourself. Understood?

[Whoa, neat tattoos(?). There's probably some meaning behind all of them, right?? But now probably isn't the time or place to ask, so Malice simply nods and tries not to be mildly offended at the idea that he'd lose control.]

Wouldn't expect anythin' else. Try to hold still, it'll hurt more if you're movin' around.

[With that warning out of the way, he lifts Solomon's arm to his mouth. Malice never makes any effort to hide his fangs so you've certainly seen them before, and once he finds the spot he's looking for on Solomon's wrist, he sinks his fangs in. The initial bite will hurt, but assuming Solomon holds still the pain will dull fairly quickly and he'll be left with a sensation of serenity... Or at least he would in Malice's world. Who knows how vampire bites work here? That's totally up to you!!]

[There's a moment of tension at the breaking of skin, Solomon's fingers jerking slightly on reflex. But he stays still, even as the blood begins to flow, breaths even and eyes never leaving Malice.

He notes the way it changes, how his body suddenly feels at peace. A breath in, a breath out, a forceful attentiveness to the task despite the unnatural desire to relax further. The biology of a predator in action. It fits, and it's fascinating.

But he has no desire to be the unassuming prey.

He keeps still, as instructed, letting Malice lead his arm as he needs for now. But hopefully Malice doesn't mind being watched like a cat with a mouse.]

[He doesn't mind - usually he's not taking from someone's arm so he isn't quite used to being stared at from this angle, but this isn't the first time a human has studied him intently as he feeds.

(He doesn't really want to think about that, though.)

He takes just enough to sate himself without risking Solomon's health any - it's a delicate balance that's difficult to explain, but something he innately knows from years and years of feeding on humans and how much they can take. Despite Malice's... everything, he's actually very careful while feeding and when he loosens his fangs and lets go, the puncture wounds are neat and should be very easy to treat.]

Thanks, I appreciate it. That'll hold me off for at least another week.

[The fog of his mind is very faint, a slight exhaustion, but nothing he can't work with given some time. He exhales slowly as the bite lifts from his skin, pressing the tip of his wand to his skin.

Manu Propria.

He's not a healer, so all it does is slow the bloodflow to start to clot, but it will keep him from bleeding out for the time being.]

How long have you been doing this, if I might ask? You seem to be very in tune with your needs.

[Malice watches, nodding as he sees the wound starting to clot. Better than leaving it exposed, and he's sure Solomon will take care of it - either on his own or with one of the others who are more skilled at healing.]

For as long as I can remember. 'Course I gotta be in tune with my needs; if I wasn't, I would've died a long time ago.

Understandable. [He knows so little about vampires outside the storybooks and the disease in the Devildom... It's still strange to not have the strong scent floating around like he normally associates with the creatures.] Were you born like this, or were you turned by another vampire?

Our other vampire is very new, inexperienced and resistant, so the contrasts between you are pretty noticable.

Born like this. In my world, we can't turn humans into vampires, so you're either born a vampire or a human an' that's it. Mika and I talked about it; sounds like his world's vampires are a whole different kinda mess.

[But it certainly does make sense that the difference between them is noticeable; he's had to live with this much longer than Mika has, after all.]

[Well! That explains a lot!]

So a separate species entirely, rather than a transformation or a myth... Thank you, that's good to know. I'd like to hear more about how your species get along, at some point.

I'm glad you've spoken to Mika, though. He doesn't seem to have much trust in humans.

Sure, whenever you've got the time for it.

[Though it probably won't be a very long (or unexpected) explanation...]

Yeah, he wasn't very fond of me at first either. He's got a damn good reason to be distrustful an' wary 'round vampires, though, but that ain't my story to tell.

[Poor Mika...]

Edited 2024-04-27 01:34 (UTC)

I'd offer tonight, but I have someone else I need to go check on before everyone starts heading to bed. We can schedule some time to speak once it's a little less tense.

[With how chill they both are, it's not exactly going to be a difficult task so long as the sky doesn't fall tomorrow.]

I can imagine. Regardless of his reasons, he doesn't much care for me in the slightest, so it's good to know he can speak about it to someone else, even if it's not in detail. I think loneliness can really tear someone's spirit apart over time.

[Malice nods at the first part and adds:] Works for me.

[Another time is perfectly fine! We'll definitely have time to chat about it.]

Yeah, it definitely can. That's part'a why I've been doin' my best to reach out to him, 'cause we are both vampires, even if we're pretty different. I want him to feel like he can turn to someone 'bout this kinda crap, y'know?

[So he's not totally alone dealing with it.]

Exactly. Having someone who can offer sympathy is important. I just hope he's willing to use your helping hand.

[His eyes soften with a small bow of his head.]

Thank you for that, Malice.

Oh. You don't have'ta thank me. I'm just doin' what I wanna do.

[And what he wants to do it help, which is better than can usually be said of him. Still, he's smiling at the thanks.]

Whatever you say. But I think that's precisely why thanks is important.

[Choices can say a lot even to a distant observer.]

If you're feeling well for now, then I think I'll go ahead and take my leave. If we go too much longer without a better solution for your well being, you can come find me at the very end of the third floor. I won't see our Sage overextending himself, nor you going hungry like dear Mika, understood?

'Course. I don't intend to put anyone here in danger an' I ain't gonna let myself snap like that either. I'll let'cha know whenever I need your help again.

'Til next time.

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impacter - 2024-04-27 05:58 (UTC) - Expand