floor one, room two

[shortleash]

MIKAELA

code

Comments

[shortleash]

It's worth the risk. It's that or hunger frenzy - and you guys got the frenzy.

( ...

Though, )

... The guy with the hat did come around to put strengthen charm on me. He said it'd stop me if I frenzied, but I wouldn't put all my eggs in any basket.

[dyingtohealyou]

The guy with the hat? You mean our pipsqueak mentor?

[shortleash]

Yeah, I guess. I haven't really talked to him, but his magic's stronger than ours. He's... weird, though, whatever he is.

[dyingtohealyou]

-?

What do you mean "whatever he is?"

[shortleash]

He doesn't have a heartbeat, like me. I don't know if that means he's undead like me, though.

( Vampire? Zombie? Mika only knows about vampires, so he has no idea what else would qualify. But if he's a vampire, he doesn't think he likes him (Mika prejudice mode activated for literally no reason). Still, he knows he can't say for certain either way. )

[dyingtohealyou]

[...?

??????]

I didn't notice... but I don't exactly try to spend time with him, either.

[Weighing his curiosity about this mystery versus.......... interacting with him......................]

[shortleash]

My hearing's better than yours.

( So, yk. )

... If you do talk to him, be careful. If he's a vampire, I mean. Malice is decent for a vampire, but that's just luck.

[dyingtohealyou]

I'm already being careful.

[Because Wanderer stuck him in a whirlwind their first day of practice...]

Just how good is "better?"

[shortleash]

( More careful, Prince— )

... I can hear your muscles twitching and your blood's flow. The way your guts move around and your bones shift. And pretty much everything on manor grounds. Not everything's distinct, but I could pick out a scream, for example.

[dyingtohealyou]

[...How specific. But it makes sense, given he's presumably made to hunt.]

That sounds like it'd get old real fast... [Too many sounds constantly? Talk about hell.]

[shortleash]

I learned how to tune it out. It's pretty easy.

( Very easy, since he lacks the capacity to want to interpret any of these sensations. It just becomes white noise. )

The only distracting thing is the sound of blood. And when a person's pulse quickens, their blood flows faster... it's like the aroma of freshly-baked bread from a window. It's hard to ignore.

[dyingtohealyou]

[His pulse does quicken, if very, very lightly at that news. It doesn't cause much of a facial reaction other than more of the same exaggerated grimacing.]

...So all that was setting you off even more, huh?

[Whoops.]

[shortleash]

( Reflexively, he swallows - he's never not at least a little hungry, this being a curse and all, but at least he can hold himself back right now, mostly.

He doesn't seem happy to admit it, but: )

... Yeah. The whole thing was like a buffet. I was trying to get people away, but... I couldn't say anything.

( That was a quiet, but extremely frustrating thing for Mika - being powerless to tell people to get away from him, to explain what he was probably going to end up doing. All he could do was shake his head and try to push them away, but to no avail. It was fortunate the feeding ended up happening in a controlled way, but it was one slip up away from going really badly. )

... I remember I wanted to drink from you, too. Your pulse was so quick... and you were close enough to bite.

[dyingtohealyou]

[Mika you are really not helping with his pulse right now.

He maintains a calm however - breathes a little more deeply to try to deal with the physical part, too.]

...Working on ranged healing it is.

[shortleash]

( ... Haha... )

... Are you scared of me?

[dyingtohealyou]

It's a natural reaction. But if that was enough to scare me away, I wouldn't have bothered trying to help earlier.

...And, don't get cocky. There's other people here who scare me, too.

[Don't give him that monster bullshit when Khun exists.]

[shortleash]

( ... )

... You should listen to your body when it's scared. It's trying to save you.

[dyingtohealyou]

You're that worried about a puny human?

[Not very scary vampire of you, Mika.]

Remind me - which of us has spent more of his time here bloody and/or injured?

[Because it sure ain't him.]

[shortleash]

I'm not worried, I'm just—

( wow??? )

I can recover easily from injuries. You can't, remember?

[dyingtohealyou]

Yes, you keep reminding me of that, and the fact that I need to be careful.

Last I checked that's called "worrying."

[At least being a little shit has returned his pulse to normal.]

[shortleash]

( ,

folds his arms,

(he's working on his excuse,) )

... Malice had a theory that if any of us die, the spirits might get aggressive with everyone else for letting their personal picks perish. I'm just looking out for myself. That's all.

[dyingtohealyou]

...Uh-huh.

When did you hear that theory?

[shortleash]

( hm )

Why does it matter?

[dyingtohealyou]

Because you've been pretty obviously worrying about my health for a long time now. If he didn't suggest it to you before we met at the baths, I'd almost think you just thought it was a convenient excuse.

[shortleash]

( Mika looks perturbed, and a little indignant - does he care?? no, way, he absolutely does not??? right??? no, definitely not. not about a human. )

I'm not worried. All I care about is if someone's going to be a liability or not, that's all - and I bet you couldn't even survive a vampire taking a single mouthful of blood off you.