Helping A New Friend [Closed]

[hammerbearer]

Who: Gaia, D [Closed]
What: D texts Gaia to ask if she'll run down to the corner store for a pint of blood. Gaia reluctantly agrees.
When: May 16
Where: D's Home - Cellar Door.

Content Warnings: Blood, vampires, vampire!squid?!, body horror, talk of brainwashing, Bausphomette things.



Some of the reluctance to make an appearance in the busier streets of Trench - particularly a place like Cellar Door (or at least near its edges) - was probably in part to avoid a case of mistaken identity. But Bausphomette's interventions this month are accepted and known. It's not... all too difficult. Not to obtain the blood via careful trade. Nor to pick one's way through the streets. Arte has been a wonderful help with this, acting as a translator for the quiet, slender beast-thing Gaia has become. The crowntail betta of an omen drifts here and there to give reassurance that the one which passes by means no harm and is no Beast.

[ Reference ]

It has horns... antlers? Maybe deer-like, perhaps something else. A facial structure not unlike a cattle's skull, but absolutely thinner and delicate, soaked in a deep red that might be reminiscent of blood, though does not possess its unique copper smell. If one were to look close, one might even realize that is skin. Sunken eyes- enshadowed in the overlarge eyesockets but blue and and intelligent in the depths, and pupiless. Perhaps blind; she pauses and sniffs, sometimes lets out a cry that allows her to navigate the narrow streets based on the return of echo.

A mane of black fur coats her upper body and arms and she travels on all fours. Four long taloned digits click on the ground at the end of every limb; The long fur seems almost... groomed to look its best and thins as the ribs continue to the stomach; for the curve of this part of her body is whippet or greyhound-thin, covered with glittering dark scales that sometimes catch the surrounding lights on their edges. If there is tail or anything of note below her waist however, Gaia has fashioned herself a dark skirt of sorts and it is covered.

Her satchel is about her person; it would be familiar. And the senses that allow Sleepers to recognize someone else is another Sleeper would mark her as one. But after creeping into the yard of who she's come to see, Gaia turns her head and makes a hiss-tchk-chk-chk sound at the omen accompanying her.

"Honestly he invited you. I think you should knock." Arte replies primly. A male's 'voice', mellow in timbre. "And I'll call out."

Division of labor, clearly. Though the beast-thing rolls back on its haunches and crosses her forearms in an entirely Gaia-like posture of exasperation. At least some things are consistent. But she takes the advice and goes up to knock on the door.

"D? Gaia is here to see you. She has your blood." The telepathy of Omens certainly has its uses.

Comments

[distant_one]

A moment after the knock on the door and the call out from Gaia's omen, the door opens seemingly on its own. D has already retreated in perfect silence back to a door further in the room, hiding behind it and leaving only part of himself visible.

The right side of his face peeked out from the slightly opened interior door, his skin a luminous, unnatural white that only seems more pale with the single visible, glowing red eye. His dark hair is gone, replaced with glossy feathers a mix of pale reds and golds, a range of colors one might expect to see in a sunrise rather than on a person.

"You too, I see. You could have said no." D noted. She could have, but she didn't, and D was even more grateful to her for this.

His right hand curled around the door to grip it, fingers ending in bony, claw-like tips. As he shifts around it becomes apparent that there are two arms coming out of the right side of his torso and an awful lot of luminous white feathers growing of something behind him. The second arm on his right side reaches out through the narrow opening he's maintaining. Except the hand at the end is structured as if it belongs on the left side of his body.

"Give me the blood first, and then I'll give you some of that lesson I owe you on vampires."

[hammerbearer]

Gaia enters. It's clear when she passes through the door that her overall height and frame is larger than her normal appearance. Claws clatter as her forearms reach to run along the doorframe or push the door a little wider. But she can fit and it's overall better once she's inside; once more she moves slowly forward, once more talons clatter and run over any floor obstacles. The skull-like visage seems to scent the air regularly. To a layman seeing the sight, they might wonder if she's attempting to heighten the terror of her approach, hunting for her prey.

But if one were to know it's just Gaia and to look closely, those sunken, clouded eyes are either blind or possess thick cataracts. She's simply feeling her way forward rather than filling the room rudely with an echoing screek.

Well this does let her hear D when he speaks. She does look in his direction. There's a way she sits back on her haunches and raises both her forelimbs to wave them that once again echoes the mannerisms of their first encounter. But the hissing and tchk noises that come out of her throat seem to verify that human language is beyond her currently. Thank goodness for fish-shaped interpreters.

"Ahem. To summarize, Gaia says it isn't a bother. She also says she can't see much. Just shapes, light and darkness so you'll have to forgive her. But also you don't have to hide if you're embarrassed about your appearance." Arte offers by way of telepathy.

The communication barrier is obviously one way at the moment. When D requests the blood, Gaia reaches into the satchel and shortly, pinched between two talons carefully, draws out a ceramic jar. It's difficult to say whether it's pinched to be careful or because she has a certain 'ew' factor going on in regard to its contents.

Maybe both. Gaia carefully picks her way toward the place she heard D's voice and leaves the jar in grabbing (??) range before retreating a step or two. She probably can't see well enough to hand it over directly and heaven forfend if it got broken.

"Ssshhhhrk-tchkthckchk."

"It's fresh and from a living Trench native that isn't sick. She says she put a spell on the container to pause time so it should be nearly as fresh as when it was drawn. But not to wait too long since the magic can only last so long."

Gaia is clearly settling in to wait out D and to get that promised lesson on vampires.

[distant_one]

D hesitated when the jar of blood was set down just outside easy reach.

"Looking at too much of my skin for too long seems to cause people physical pain, I don't know if bad eyesight can stop that."

But he does open the door a bit further, curling two of the three feathery wings sprouting from his lower back around his body. He has to lean out of the door to grab the small jar, exposing part of the left side of his body. While both his eyes are glowing red, the similarity ends there. The left side is black scales shifting between a deep black and a colorless voice, with coarse fur in place of the feathers on his head the back of his neck and shoulders.

He grabs the jar of blood quickly and withdraws fully, closing the door behind himself. "Give me a few moments."

D usually goes to great trouble and expense to get blood in the form of dried blood capsules, ensuring he has to neither taste nor smell fresh blood to keep his thirst under control. The blood is fresher than he was expecting, preserved under magic both the temperature and texture both only moments from being spilled.

The near-constant scratchy pain in his throat is replaced with the soothing warmth of fresh blood, and his heartbeat slows nearly to a stop as his vampiric side takes hold. All too soon the blood is gone, leaving D to lick the jar for every precious drop he can get. Each beat of his slowed heart is almost uncomfortable in the face of the pleasure of fresh blood and his incisors, fully lengthened, make his jaw ache as he clenches his teeth.

The fresh human blood isn't enough for D to to force his body back into a more familiar form. Despite his intense focus on reasserting control over himself, he can't overcome this transformation even after drinking human blood.

Disappointed, D spent a couple minutes forcing the vampiric side back under control, and then he wrapped a pair of feathery wings over his body. The only part of him that remained unhidden was his face and one of the arms on his right side as he set the empty jar down before Gaia.

"Do you have any questions before I begin?" D is grateful enough to give that offer after all the trouble Gaia might have gone to for him. Navigating in her current form couldn't be easy.

[hammerbearer]

Having a keen sense of smell and hearing has been an adventure. Honestly, Gaia wonders just what D looks like; with no light source behind him, that left half that briefly appears is hardly there at all. The light? Certainly. But it's half his body. And two dim pinpoints of orange... or red that are his eyes. The beast-form teen lets out a hissing sigh of annoyance.

Something under the black 'skirt' lashes however. The scent of blood had increased when D opened the door to retrieve the jar. It had lingered in the room different from the human blood she'd scented when it was donated. The teen's ears twitch and prick upwards, catching... sounds. Is she sensitive enough to pick up heartbeats or lack thereof? Well... no, not without being much closer. But whatever sounds accompany the dhampir's consumption of blood and the licking of the jar in its aftermath?

The smell of 'other' blood increases again. The door is heard opening and there's movement of blurry shadow-light. Gaia hears the jar getting set down and moves closer again to retrieve it. Lid on and pushed back into her satchel, she won't be bothering to confirm anything about whether this was a clean plate club circumstance.

"Hahssshhhhschtnk," comes a very pointed sounding noise. Gaia crosses her forelimbs emphatically.

"Several," Arte reports. "But Gaia thinks it would be best to let you tell her about vampires in case any questions might be answered with that."

It may be clear by this point that Arte is doing a somewhat... polite, watered down summary of Gaia's actual statements.

[distant_one]

"I see. Make yourself at home if you want. You're safe to stay here for as long as you wish." D says, making himself comfortable by leaning against a wall rather than sitting down.

"I'll skip the history lesson, and part of this I can't teach until you can see again." In D's tone of voice, it seems that he views it as inevitable that she will be herself again. Explaining vampires to someone who'd never even heard of them, who wasn't a human bred from thousands of years of the Nobility modifying genetics and memories and conditioning them to fear and obedience... where does he even begin.

"Vampires are stronger, faster, and have far better endurance than any human or near-human I've seen. Many have some form of magical or unique ability and many have spent centuries or thousands of years practicing sword play or other weapons. If you have to fight one, you should always assume you lose in a physical contest of any kind, it's the only way to avoid being surprised." D has known many human vampire hunters over the years. "Running and hiding is impossible. The key to surviving against one and even killing one comes down to knowledge, preparing, remaining calm, and patience. Despite their strength and immortality, there are a few ways to kill them, and even more ways to weaken or repel them. But even those are never certain every time." D explains. He wasn't one to talk this much normally, but he had said that he would, and as Gaia had pointed out, there weren't many other sources he could direct her to.

"Direct sunlight, a wooden stake to the heart, or separating the head from the body and keeping it separated for long enough will kill vampires where things like being cleaved perfectly in half from head to toe or across the waist will not. Not all of those will work on every vampire, and sometimes it takes longer than expected. A vampire put down with a stake to the heart might still get back up if someone else removes it." Perhaps he should just write this down in case he needs to share it with someone, or if it ever becomes important. Maybe he'll ask Gaia to write it down later.

"Garlic will repel most for a short time, and burning them works better than any number of stab wounds or bullets or arrows for causing injuries. Running water, like a river or stream, will incapacitate most of them and weaken almost all of them. The sign of the cross can force them to flee or even injure or weaken them. Their greatest weakness of all, the thing that allows humans to hunt and overcome them in the first place, is that most are incapable of moving while the sun is in the sky. From the moment it rises to the moment it sets, all but the oldest and strongest vampires are dead to the world, and even those who retain their awareness would find it very hard to fight off any attacker. The first strategy is always to attempt to kill a vampire during the day, and if that fails, to find a place to bunker down, or delay and repel them long enough for the sun to rise again."

D will be sorely disappointed if Gaia is unable to remember either garlic or the sign of the cross. The nobility in his world have rendered humans incapable of remembering either once they're certain it works, and it's only been in recent generations that that ingrained conditioning has begun to fade here and there. If it happens here too, he'll have some very interesting questions to ask.

"Do you have any questions about their strengths and weaknesses?" Is he intentionally putting off the subjects he least wants to talk about? Or is this simply the most practical way to structure this for people who think vampires might one day be a danger to them.

[hammerbearer]

In the sunken hollows that are eyesockets, the milky blue eyes blink slowly. There is a nod, followed shortly by another reach into her pack to draw out what looks to be her own welcome robe. This is placed on the ground and she shifts onto it, finally lowering from her haunches to a sphinx-like position. The skirt shifts once more and the end of a tail finally peeks out as its curled around her body. It too is red and seems like bone and skin like her face.

"Ssshhh?" Probably pulled out with the robe, one taloned fore...paw? Hand? opens to reveal her Omni.

"If you don't mind she'll record your explanation so it can be gone over later. Just audio"

Should D not mind the voice recording, it'll be set to do just that. Seems like there'll be a handy resource on hand for later reference! But right now Gaia can't easily write in her diary so Omni recording (or from memory) it is.

But recording or not, there's plenty of indication that Gaia properly listens to D's lecture. She's well aware that 'humans' are what she knows as 'hume' and that these vampires D knows may even outpace the adventurers of the world she knows. And that's certainly alarming. So his suggestions about not being overconfident and treating any potential encounter as if they're going to be far stronger is definitely taken seriously.

Confusion starts to settle in when the dhampir begins talking about the ways to kill these vampires however. Wooden stakes in the heart? Beheading long enough for them to die? Direct sunlight? The tip of her tail begins to hit the robe in a mildly agitated manner, giving a hint that her patience in holding her tongue is reaching a tipping point. Gaia's skull-head absolutely cants to one side when he mentions garlic and the 'sign of the cross'.

Yes. Yes she does have questions. And the series of hisses and clacking noises that escape her the moment D asks suggests that she probably would have interrupted even if D hadn't paused right then.

The omen Arte has been swimming around the air of the room waiting for his services to be needed Though signs of Gaia's growing impatience had been on display - faster and quicker movements, fins on display - the betta pauses while listening to what Gaia has to ask. Give him a moment to summarize.

"Alright. First, Gaia wants to know if your world and these vampires are accustomed to humans having the ability to wield magic. While she understands the warning and takes it to heart, she doesn't understand the scale compared to her own world. Though she understands you might be unable to convey that too."

Art flicks his fins idly.

"She also suspects that your world's common sense and hers are very different. She knows what garlic is. But what do you mean by a 'sign of the cross'? Is it a form of skill vampire hunters use in their arsenal?"

Christianity isn't really a... thing where she comes from.

[distant_one]

D didn't have any problems with having his voice recorded, and made a small sound to acknowledge his agreement since Gaia wouldn't be able to see him nod.

Those were both valid questions. D had already encountered one person from a reality that both differed from his own and had the cross in it, so he had thought there was a chance with that one.

"Magic, is more widely known among Vampires, but there are humans who have magic or other unusual abilities. The cross is something so terrible to vampires that even drawn or makeshift representations of it will repel them. I'll send one to your omni." D had never bothered to find out how close it needed to be, or how distorted before it became ineffective.

[hammerbearer]

Gaia nods her head. Well if it's something anyone can use without training or power behind it, that's certainly useful to know. A clawtip is tapped near the omni and another nod follows the offer, indicating she acknowledges the offer of an image being sent when she can actually see it.

After a series of noises, Arte dutifully interprets.

"It's very common among humans where Gaia's from. She mentions she'd like to one day demonstrate what she's capable of now so you can get a sense where she might stand. If this would come up."

By the words, there's the impression that Gaia thinks it might. Though if one were to consider D is here, why wouldn't it stand to reason that these vampires could arrive as well? And then last month's talk about portals letting in creatures from others' world is probably still lingering in the rumor mill.

The questions for now appear to be finished. Both Omen and Gaia 'look' up at D and would wait for him to continue if there's more. Or at least wait to see if he has any other questions to pose to the teen.

[distant_one]

"A demonstration is fine." D doesn't have a baseline for people from other realities. Even the extradimensional creatures the Nobility once battled didn't offer a good frame of reference. The natives of Trench are close to average humans in his world without the thousands of years of genetic manipulation.

"Next, the blood thirst, and kiss of nobility. Vampires have no physical need to feed, but consuming blood makes them temporarily stronger, but all crave human blood. Synthetic blood or preserved blood can satisfy it for a time, but nothing is nearly as satisfying or sought after as blood drunk from biting someone's neck, particularly if they are afraid or experiencing desire while bitten. This is what they call the kiss of Nobility, and a person can be turned into a vampire with a single bite." This isn't an easy topic for D to talk about, but he doesn't give any outward sign of his distaste for the subject.

"Vampires can command anyone they've bitten, and people capable of resisting that command completely are very rare. The bite wound will stop bleeding, but never fully heal until the vampire who placed it there dies. Sometimes people gain some of the traits, such as regenerative abilities, longer life spans, an intense need to drink blood or an aversion for sunlight. Some will lose their free will and become little more than shells, or develop a zealous adoration for the vampire who bit them. Very rarely, they'll become vampires even if that wasn't the intent of the one who bit them." D had seen that happen, and had lamented that the vampire responsible hadn't simply killed the man instead of biting him in anger. D might have killed the man himself, had he been in that situation.

"Only the genetic mutation responsible for involuntary turning can be detected. For the rest, it's impossible to tell what will happen until the only way to end it is by killing the one who has been bitten or the one who placed the bite there. Vampires often return to the same victim again and again, the more they like the person they're feeding on, the longer they'll force themselves to wait. Their victim becomes an obsession; they will massacre an army or walk into certain death to get back to them." That had almost been Doris' fate, to be locked away while Count Magnus Lee went on a rampage if the town hadn't learned from his previous victim.

D paused again there, it was the next natural breaking point. There were only a few points left to cover, and D would be done with his obligation aside from the parts which needed functioning sight to share.

[hammerbearer]

There's a sound like a barking cough that needs no translation. Gaia clearly scoffed when she heard these 'Noble Vampires' called their self-serving feeding habits something romantic like a 'kiss'. Arte doesn't even bother to say anything since the meaning came through well enough. And frankly he's showing fin-flicks of disdain, reflecting the mood of the teenager. Her tail visibly lashes, shifting the skirt and revealing more of it.

"Zrshhhchk hssssssh tchak!" If silibant noises and clicks could be described as prim and disdainful, these are definitely that.

"Gaia has... opinions on these nobles and their phrases."

Still, the girl turned beast sobers when D continues. He is painting a terrible but effective portrait of the world he comes from, terrorized by these vampires. Some people suffer what can basically be deemed 'symptoms'. Others become. Of course there'll be questions here. And maybe a sense of empathy in the vocalized sounds Arte translates into typical human speech.

"Gaia comes from a world where a threat to humanity existed." Arte 'swims' closer to where D stands, neither afraid nor suffering from the existence of the vampire hunter's body. "Those afflicted by what she calls sin-eaters would, if infected, slowly descend into becoming more of their kind. Only recently in a hundred years had a cure been found to treat those that could still be saved. Those who had turned... their fate was already sealed."

Drifting up to about face height on the feathered figure, the omen fixes one beady fish eye or another on D, depending on which way Arte was facing in his idle swim-by.

"Do the ones that turn into vampires from this bite become vampires forever? Do they take on the mentality of these other 'nobles'? Or can they be saved by killing the one that turned them?"

[distant_one]

One of the facts D hasn't included is how exquisitely enjoyable the bite is for not just the one biting, but for the bitten. In his mind, those few moments of pleasure are irrelevant compared to everything else.

"They weren't all terrible, but most were. That sin-eater affliction sounds similar. Once turned, there is no coming back. Even those who were once compassionate and hated vampires will lose their empathy and view their new non-life as a good thing. As with everything else there are no absolutes, but turned vampires can be just as cruel and rarely have as much self control as born vampires."

And this is as good a time to start out on the final topic as any.

"Freshly turned are the weakest and easiest to kill, but still deadly. There are two factors which influence a vampire's power. Their age, as their power continually grows, and how old and strong their parents were or the vampire who turned them."

And finally to the part which will answer many of the questions Gaia no doubt has about him and his request.

"This is true of Dhampirs as well; the children of a human and vampire couple. That is what I am; the strength and thirst for blood, but without the same set of weaknesses." The differences don't end there, but Dhampirs are even less consistent than human or vampire.

[hammerbearer]

Probably something a teen like Gaia would have classified as 'TMI', that detail about the bite. But she'd also be inclined to agree with D. It's still predatory at its heat, however the specifics are designed to quell a victim's resistance.

There's a rolling, rattling noise which sounds like a mild, wry answer.

"She says it lets her understand the threat of vampires. But if only it as easy as killing a sin-eater that afflicted someone to cure them." 'Easy' seems to be understood as relative. The beastly visage turns to one side briefly. Milky eyes close. The memories of what she's seen since she was made aware of the wider world outside of her home, bring a moment of sadness.

It won't last long. Gaia isn't one to dwell on the past she can't do much about, but to look at the present and future, striving to work on things she can. Her ears flick forward to pick up D's answer and further development on the age and power of vampire-kind. And her movement does pause briefly as the dhampir speaks of what he is in this world of human 'livestock' and vampire 'nobles'.

She nods and her reaction doesn't appear to be greatly surprised. Gaia is obviously a smart girl who could piece together the bits of hints, clues and outright requests. It seems to be a confirmation of her suspicions. And... well, a clarification. This 'dhampir' thing that is.

It apparently doesn't confuse her that a vampire and a human could have a child either. The beast-teen's nose lifts and scents the air again in the other Sleeper's direction. Gaia seems to be thinking before she offers some 'words' for Arte to communicate to D.

"Gaia said 'That must be rough in a place like Trench. I don't mind if you need me to bring you some if you need to keep out of sight 'til you figure out the whole self-reflection business.'" Apparently what Gaia said was something she wanted quoted verbatim and the omen obliged.

[distant_one]

The fact that Gaia thinks 'killing the one who bit them' is an easy solution makes it clear he hasn't quite gotten across just how dangerous and difficult to kill vampires are. Perhaps it's because he does it for a living, and she thinks vampire hunters are more common than they are. There's a reason most communities lock up or kill those who are bitten. D isn't going to be the one to tell her about that. This isn't his Earth, it doesn't matter here.

"Unless I tell you I need more to reverse this or I'm becoming too dangerous for me to wait, don't bring me any for the next two weeks." D shouldn't need blood this often, this is already the second time he's had fresh blood since arriving, and he has consumed far more of his blood capsules than he should have. If not for the fact that his thirst makes him a danger to those around him, he would tell her not to bring him any for any reason in the next two weeks.

[hammerbearer]

In fairness, Gaia has a very skewed notion on how straightforward it would be to assemble a team capable of challenging one vampire to free anyone that vampire bit versus the outright difficulty of saving those afflicted by these 'sin-eaters' of hers. A matter of different worlds at its finest. In either case, one can only hope that neither of the problems from their world ever crop up in Trench and the comprehension never need to be put to the test.

Gaia shakes her head and barks a dry sounding noise.

"She figured you'd contact her when you need it anyway..."

"Hssstchk!"

Arte sighs. "By which she means she's not naive. Just that she wants you to know she's willing to help, but not when it could be dangerous to just show up unannounced. You 'strike her as a man who would go off in a hidey hole and not reaching out until you're particularly desperate'."

After Arte 'properly' relays her words, Gaia nods and then emphatically taps near her omni again. The message is clear; she's open for communication.

"Chk-chk-chk."

" 'Don't just go silent. At least let me know you're alright.' "

[distant_one]

"Unless you can get me to promise it's one of those two situations, don't bring me blood." D is aware of his limitations and the dangers of his thirst, and has seen the aftermath of other Dhampirs snapping. It's a slippery slope, and why he prefers to practice self control by denying himself fresh blood and keeping his thirst sated with dried blood capsules.

"I'll do my best to spare you unnecessary worry." There is an unfortunately necessary amount of worry that comes with being acquainted with D.

[hammerbearer]

Gaia nods her head in a firm manner that suggests she takes the request seriously. It's fair enough to heed provisions for the arrangement in exchange for something selfish like reporting so she doesn't worry.

And if she is going to help, she wants to help properly. She's got no interest in becoming an accidental dhampir snack.

Though with that settled, the precautions are causing her to realize something D said earlier might seem out of place. So she cants her head to one side and the other before speaking a question. Arte, as always, is on standby.

"Gaia wants to know if it's important to follow these steps and it's dangerous, why did you suggest she's welcome to stay as long as she likes?" With a pause, the omen adds in what seems to be his own words, "She isn't suspicious about your intention then, but it seems odd now with everything else you've said."

[distant_one]

It's a fair question. "You don't smell or look edible, so there's no temptation." Perhaps a bit of a blunt answer, but D feels Gaia has enough of a grasp of the topic to understand what that means. If she was still herself, he would not have made the offer, and might not even had offered the lesson he said he'd give.

If it had been a simple matter of taste or even biological blood composition, the nobility would have found a way around with their need for humans. Even D, as removed as he was from the need to eat for sustenance, had to concede to the deep-rooted need for human blood.

[hammerbearer]

...Huh. The cataract-heavy blue eyes blink in their sockets, though remain fixed on D; or at least where D seems to be standing and his voice is coming from. She draws back up to her haunches, slowly bringing the more human-looking forelimbs up in an arms-crossed position. It's not that the answer is off-putting. It makes sense in that morbid way.

It may be that she's a little nonplussed. How does one react to being told they currently don't come across as food?

Finally the beast lets out a very Gaia-like huff. Her mouth opens and it's probably an ease of the brief tension. Not exactly a smile. Not even if she'd had a human form. The silibant sounds and clicks finally come again.

"Hm. Gaia says she understands what you mean." Arte receives a general look - Gaia seems to know where the omen is at all times at least - that suggests there's another way she put it but she's not going to fuss about it this time. "And she'd take you up on your offer, at least for a little while. But she can't be sure when she'd change back. So it probably wouldn't be the best idea. Best for her to leave while she's still awake and you're not tempted."

Gaia nods. She reaches down and picks up the omni. The recording was turned off a bit ago, back when D started talking about himself. This time she brings up the messaging program. Claws click and clack over the surface 'keyboard' as she laboriously types out a message which is sent to D's omni.

Not that I wouldn't mind keeping you company. But I bet you can do without suddenly dealing with me turning back into an appetizer. Ugh. I can't believe I just said that. :(

Before I go. You are injured? I can smell the blood. Yours? Not human.

Not that she hadn't noticed it earlier but firstly, blood's just a thing in Trench. Secondly, she's getting used to telling different flavors apart with her senses. Thirdly, Gaia didn't want to leave without at least asking.

[distant_one]

It's a reasonable precaution. Many young people are far too careless about D and offering him their blood even in his own world.

He watches patiently while she types on her omni, and it takes only a moment to glance at his own and read the message.

Turning back likely wouldn't be a problem for the next day at least unless she decides to draw her own blood. Dealing with people smelling of fresh blood was just a hazard of existing around humans for D. But people actively making themselves bleed and offering it to him was an easy way to draw out that other side of him.

"I'm not injured. It's part of my transformation." And it's how his blood smells when he's fully vampiric. D is less than pleased with everything happening to him right now.

[hammerbearer]

Gaia is in the camp of doing everything reasonable to avoid fangs in throat situations. This is setting aside whatever problems would arise with the nature of her Sleeper blood.

Safe to say there's a lot of steps Gaia would take before considering something so bleedingly stupid as trying to bait a hungry dhampir by cutting herself and inviting them to snack.

A growly noise that's a little sympathetic sounding follows the explanation. But it appears she doesn't exactly like the sound of all that strange blood letting. Still Gaia nods her understanding. The omni goes back into the satchel. And, after shuffling off the robe she'd been using as a blanket, that too is picked up and returned to the satchel. She pulls out a bundle of incense sticks, the likes of which are used to keep Beasts and the like away. They are offered in D's direction.

"Hsssissh. Shrrrrrk, tsschk h'chk?"

"Gaia says she has these incense to spare if you like. And is there anything else you wanted to say before she heads home?"

[distant_one]

"I have incense, and I don't stay in one place for too long." Something he would do even if he didn't have to worry. If nothing else, Left Hand was hungry too, and blood was a good substitute for water. Before Gaia had arrived D allowed left hand to consume his blood as it dripped from his claws.

He saves the incense for when he sleeps. It helps. These days he gives in more to the natural urge to sleep when the sun is highest and spends only parts of the night awake as well.

[hammerbearer]

Oh do introduce Left Hand to Gaia one day. I'm sure she'll be thrilled.

But once all is sorted and answered, Gaia departs with the same attentive air to moving near blind across terrain barely familiar. Once she makes her way home and later, there'll surely be messages.

But at least D will have a reprieve until probably tomorrow.