ONGOING//CLOSED [also known as: curiosity did not kill the Valei! (though it might have)]

[powerofgod]

Characters: Closed to: gotyourwallet and powerofgod
Location: Sergei's.
Date: Present!
Rating: PG at most. For drinking blood out of a coffee mug? He's a vampire, come on.

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[powerofgod]

"Not exactly."

How did one explain the concept of fang-bangers, anyways? It wasn't usually a topic broached with people beyond the ranks of vampires and the humans who surrendered to them. Humanity's dark little secret. One of many.

"Vampires revealed themselves to humans two years prior to my reckoning, thanks to the advent of a Japanese product, TruBlood, which allowed us to subsist on something other than the usual." He lifted his cup from the table and swilled its contents around. "Humans would have discovered us eventually. It was getting harder to hide. Vampires do appreciate the validity of a preemptive strike, where the situation calls for one.

"There are humans who fear us, of course. We are monsters, there is no shame in their fear. But others still are drawn to us. Vampires are seen to command death. My kind can be as intensely erotic as they can be evil. There are many people who... offer themselves."

When he had more than a passing interest in feeding, he had never wanted for willing donors. No vampire of his age and power would have. That he looked so young seemed to evoke a psychoanalytical throwback to the Peter Pan complex that so many humans seemed to possess. Most people rued the waste of their youth, and to see one untouched by the ravages of time evoked a trifecta of bitterness, envy and worship. They did not care that he wore his age in other ways. With humans - so fleeting, so transient, only the physical mattered.

[gotyourwallet]

She watched him carefully, holding to his every word and finding herself quietly grateful for the lengthily explanation. It wouldn't put a stop to her questioning, but the extra detail given would save her from voicing the smaller, more trivial assumptions. When Godric put it like that, it did not seem all that strange for people to give themselves for the cause. Sacrifice amongst both her own people and the clans was not uncommon.

"Ra'rohuin," Vie said simply, voice soft.

Her expression was one of deep thought and after a seconds pause, Vie sought to explain. "It is the name given to the bringers of death. There are the hunters, the Randual, and then the more powerful Ra'rohuin, that take lives at the will of the Goddess. Do your kind bow to an ultimate as well? Or are your actions your own?"

Vie met his gaze and held it. Erotic and evil were not words that came to mind when looking upon Godric. Eric perhaps, but certainly not his maker. She had learned at an early age not to judge by appearance alone, and while she found the vampire seated across from her to be but a youth with a calm, almost innocent exterior, Vie did not doubt the danger.

"The blood you drink now. From where, or rather whom does it come?"

[powerofgod]

"Not all feeding is done to the death, as you yourself can attest to. Older vampires do not require the same level of sustenance as a fledgling does." The comment was not said directly to her curiosity, but rather a footnote of his own explanation.

At her words, he shrugged. "We do not. Religion is a very human concept, where I am from. The opiate of the masses. It allows them to explain things they cannot otherwise grasp. Vampires have little need for religion on a racial basis, and only occasionally a need for it on a personal one." Though old habits, as was said, died hard. Eric still joked about the halls of Valhalla when the mood struck him, and Godric had not forgotten the words of ritual he had learned at his father's knee, pagan savagery though it was considered now.

"This?" He turned his attention once more to the mug. Its contents had changed little, save to lose another half-degree or so of heat. "I can't say. Provided by the Captain, most likely. It's human. Beyond that I have not asked."

[gotyourwallet]

"True. Your kind bear similarities to certain... creatures of my world, but difference enough to place you on the opposite side of alignment. I mean no rudeness, but I find Vampires to be a very interesting race."

And one that she was glad to be at peace with, if only with one of the two she had encountered. Vie planned on speaking with Eric, on facing him again now that she was better prepared. She would not crumble to his intimidation. The mug earned another short glance.

"A curious provision. Also one I find myself not overly eager to find the source of." She shifted in her seat and rested an elbow on the table. "However, I must ask. Must it be human blood you live from?"

[powerofgod]

"Be careful of what alignment you presume of us," he said gently. Though his tone bore no more than the fleetest shadow of warning, there was no mistaking it, either. "There are vampires enough who would tear your limbs from your body without thought. Who would empty you of every drop of blood you possess. We are interesting, but do not lose yourself to that interest, or judge my kind by the measure of Eric and I."

For all his hope that mankind and vampires would one day co-exist peacefully, in as symbiotic a relationship as they could manage, he knew that it was an impossibility. There would always be hatred, prejudice and fear colouring whatever tentative union could be forged. There would always be hunger.

"Some sources say that we should be able to survive on animals. Rats." He smiled at the private joke. "But vampires are as much a construct of magic as they are anything else. That magic requires that the blood be human, or as close as synthetically possible."

[gotyourwallet]

However good Vie usually was at masking her deeper emotions with curiosity or defiance, a flicker of disappointment showed at Godric's warning. She knew it was foolish to think she was safe, or to categorize an entire, unfamiliar kind from meeting only two of them. "I fear you are correct. This freedom, if one might call it that is still very new to me." She nodded, the motion slow and barely there but enough to be seen.

"I dared to hope that this place was different to my own world. A silly thing, really. The reminder is much appreciated."

The feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach was all too familiar. Vampires might not be the clansman from her world, but in some aspects, they were incredibly alike. To the beasts she had been powerless, just the same as she was right now. Whatever skills she had was nothing in comparison.

Her focus shifted to Godric's next words. "Rats?" The question was murmured, more a voiced thought. It wasn't a word she knew, but one she would research at a later date. "While I might appear the same, I am not human. Has my blood had any effect on Eric?"

[powerofgod]

Curious, that she would call a cage such as their surroundings any sort of freedom. That it was not a comment of idle consideration was plain, but her tone did not bespeak the possibility of casual divulgence.

He caught the question in her tone at her repetition of his throwaway remark. "Small mammals, the consumption of which was referenced in a fictional vampire novel. They are notorious for ferrying plague."

"He said you tasted interesting." It wasn't a verbatim translation of the Swedish Eric had used when he had abandoned her body, but it was close enough to make no difference. "I have not noticed other effects."

[gotyourwallet]

While Shad had allowed her to move about his estate as she pleased and gave her some rank over the other Valei in his command, Vie had never been free to speak as she pleased. Her master had been a good man, far different from the first that she had served until her mid teens, but still he had restrictions. When Shad requested her opinion she would give it, else Vie remained silent no matter how much she disagreed. There were times when he would summon her and allow discussion, but it was always private, away from the eyes of even his most trusted advisers. What was talked about in those times was rarely serious, more so questioning the world around them, the night sky, the weather. Vie refused to admit how much she missed those moments.

"Interesting," she repeated, a small smile pulling at her lips. Should the debate between human and Valei come up again, Vie would be half tempted to throw out such information as proof. "To be honest I had half hoped to hear of some small misfortune from the act that might sway him from repeating. I understand the need for... nourishment, and I am aware that I invited him with my taunting, but still."

She shrugged lightly and gave Godric an amused look. "No offense."

[powerofgod]

"None taken." He tossed off the dregs of the blood, and set the cup near the edge of the table. Despite it's poor quality, it would sustain him for long enough to excuse drinking it.

"So. You were reading books about vampires. Did you learn anything of note?"

[gotyourwallet]

She was quietly thankful for Godric's meal to be over, regardless of how much cleaner it was than the other. Vie nodded. The library had turned up a great deal of information, but as for what was fact and what was fiction was another story.

"That you feed on blood, walk by night and perish in the sunlight. A wooden stake to the heart will turn a vampire to dust, just as a lack of blood will leave one weak and vulnerable."

It was a start. Vie stopped there, awaiting a sign of confirmation that what she had said was true or false.

[powerofgod]

"Not dust," he said, with a minute shake of his head. It may have evoked a prettier picture than the explosion of decaying organic mass that was a vampire dying by stake, but the end result was no less final.

It didn't surprise him that the books in the library were so close to so many integral truths about his kind. Vampire lore was far-flung and varied, but a few core facts endured the distortion of time and the tempestuous nature of misinformation.

He was utterly still, save to flick his attention to her. "If you wish to revenge yourself against Eric, I would suggest something less permanent than his death."

[gotyourwallet]

"Not dust? A wooden stake would work then?"

She stopped there, realizing her words and the heaviness of the question asked. If she reversed the conversation, it would be like Godric asking her what would happen if a Valei were stabbed or gutted, or something far worse. "I forget my manners," the woman muttered, regret evident.

The mention of Eric caught her attention and Vie raised her eyes to meet Godric's. "I've no intention of killing him, and will not try unless he attempts the same on my life. But I do wish to face him."

[powerofgod]

He merely nodded acceptance of her words. She had an interesting habit of speaking with more temerity than strictly suited her situation, and being repentant about it afterwards. Her curiosity, then, had been held in check for much of her life, and the freedom she spoke of - to exercise it? - still occasionally got the better of her.

He tipped his head to one side, an oddly human gesture. "And I forget mine. Would you like something to eat? They cater to less dubious diets than what I require."

[gotyourwallet]

Keeping her curiosity under control was a lesson Vie would take time to master. Just because she was able to question freely didn't necessarily mean that she should. Care and affection for those she encountered would aid her in finding that balance.

"This particular venue is not one I've eaten at. Food is no issue for now, but I might take this chance to get a drink."

She rose to her feet, movement smooth and relatively silent. Having things done for her was not something she was used to. Vie glanced to the mug Godric had been drinking from. "Another?"

[powerofgod]

"No, thank you." He nodded to her as she stood and looked to the entrance to the bar, rather than watch her walk away. It was an old habit, knowing his exits, and the entry point for anyone who might be a threat. Even if there was very little now that threatened him.

But things had not always been so, and one did not achieve any sort of impressive age by reckless abandon and disregard alone, though he'd no shortage of both when it suited him. He had grown into wariness rather than possessed it outright. That growth had saved his life - and that of his progeny - enough times to make the responsibility of it worthwhile, however, and if it did the same for Vie he bore no complaint.

[gotyourwallet]

She moved quickly, more out of habit than any real need and stepped behind the counter towards the fridge. Never did she turn her back fully on Godric. Vie might of trusted him more than most, and thus far he had proved worthy, but experience taught her not to give in too easily.

A bottle of vodka caught her eye and before she knew it, Vie was smiling. Twice now she'd encountered the drink and both times she'd rather enjoyed herself. Being able to drink real alcohol, as opposed to the weaker liquor she had access to every now and then on her home world was another new addition to her life.

Amused as she was, Vie did not take the vodka, choosing water instead and turned her attention back to Godric. "What of Dracula? There were quite a few mentions of him in my reading."