deercountry | Helping A New Friend [Closed]

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.' "

"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.

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."

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.

...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.

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.

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?"

"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.

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.

Helping A New Friend [Closed]

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