[ Trevor is quiet for a long moment, considering. He just felt for himself that Godric can handle it -- and God help him, he's thinking of the vampire by his name already. He sighs, then says what he does next with sincerity. ]
( doubtless, the turnaround in this conversation has felt like nothing else so much as whiplash to this young man. he was so ready to stand stalwart against something he perceives as an enemy of humanity, and godric feels poorly at having left him bereft of purpose. that desire, that need to be useful is the same as ephemera. it is a sign of how poorly used they've been by the world.
he could say no. he has no especial need, presently, to feed, though he will by needs require it sooner or later. but there is a cost to the offer, and he means it sincerely. let the man have his use. )
[ Trevor debates it, but the thought of being bitten... it wouldn't be the first time, but there's a vulnerability in it. A loss of control he is not willing to submit. ]
[ That's even less disconcerting, and he nods once and turns away without preamble to fetch the necessary items from the Safehouse kitchen. Two steps away, and he hesitates -- maybe he should just bleed himself in there, so no one in the bunk room questions what the hell is happening. He glances back over his shoulder to ask, ]
How much? I've only ever seen vampires drain humans dry.
( he has done his share of that. but he considers it now to be uncouth. )
Three ounces would sustain me for a approximately a week, providing I do nothing strenuously vampiric in that time. ( his tone's dry, faintly ironic in a self-directed way. ) I require more than I am accustomed to in my own world.
[ Something eases in Trevor's shoulders, and the surprise is visible in his expression. ]
Is that all? Alright, I'll return shortly.
[ With that he vanishes off to the kitchens, moving with determination because if he doesn't the doubts will rise up into his throat and choke him. What on earth is he doing? Keeping everyone here safe, he tells himself. Because it isn't even a matter of whether he believes the vampire -- he could feel for himself that it was the truth. And doesn't that just throw everything he knows into question? It's easier to tell himself that their natures can vary across worlds than to question the universality of vampires as evil in his own. Yes. He'll go with that for now, as he draws a glass down from the cupboard and a knife from the block.
The cut doesn't hurt at all, and Trevor is unbothered about one more wound, one more scar. It'll be small and clean, on his forearm... a shallow cut that he lets bleed into the glass until it begins to seal and would require worrying. He considers the amount, shrugs, and pulls out a kitchen towel to tear and wrap around his arm so he doesn't stain his clothing. It'll heal up quickly, he expects, and he's bled nearly double what Godric said he needed. Not even enough to be lightheaded, though he gets himself a snack from the cupboard as well.
His blood is strong in more ways than one... he's basically poured Godric a cocktail and isn't thinking of that at all, as he returns to the bunk room with a disconcertingly warm glass in his hand and an uncertain fluttering in his gut.
It's fine, he tells himself. He felt that it's fine. You do it anyway, he reminds himself, you protect. ]
( he can hear the sounds of the man rummaging in the kitchen. the knife being drawn from the block. when he makes the cut, he can smell it, blood and liquor. the man is significantly more intoxicated than he'd let on, which speaks to something of his tolerance.
it's been a while since he's had alcohol. it will not be enough to affect him overmuch, but it is difficult to gauge how he might react when in all other ways he feels like a newborn vampire.
when he returns with the glass, godric inclines his head as he takes it. )
Thank you, Mr. Belmont. Will it trouble you if I drink it in your presence?
[ Difficult as it might be to watch, Trevor feels a strange sort of obligation to be certain that this creature has fed. He'll try not to think about the fact that technically Godric is feeding on him. ]
( well, he supposes he can't argue with a lifetime's paranoia against vampires, if they are all as he says they are. he is taking this remarkably well, all things considered.
obediently, godric lifts the glass in a little gesture of cheers, and then methodically drinks it down. he would just as soon savor it, but he's sensing that perhaps the man might lose his nerve if he tried. it's enough pleasant, b negative, just the right temperature although it cools faster with the liquor, which tastes like whiskey.
once he's finished, he daubs at his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. blood congeals and stains quickly. )
Are you satisfied I am now satiated enough to avoid slaughtering the innocent here like lambs?
( there is perhaps a very mild sort of wryness to be had in his tone. )
[ Trevor is taking it about as well as he can... he may be a stubborn grump but he isn't one to deny things that have been proven to him, or that are necessary. He manages not to grimace as Godric drinks, grateful for the speed and lack of enthusiasm with which his blood is consumed at once. Maybe in time, and some familiarity and trust, and he wouldn't be so averse to it -- he managed to adapt to Alucard's fangs specifically after all. To calm the rush of violence that rose in him every time he saw them after a few days together. Trevor has had to be adaptable to survive. To succeed.
He should stop thinking about his friends, because even that brief moment of remembrance has him wondering what the others would say about this. How they'd taunt him. Something aches in his chest and he's also grateful for Godric's voice snapping him out of it. He tilts his chin up and his own lips quirk at the comment... it sounds like a very dry joke, but. Uh. ]
That sounded in jest, but there are plenty of vampires who do seek to farm us like livestock. Exterminate enough to become the dominant species, then just raise us as food.
( he sets the glass aside on the small desk beside his bed, and then folds his hands in his lap. )
It was considered among my kind. I believe humans would be too clever for it to be a sustainable model.
( he and eric lived in a vampire commune in the seventeenth century. humans kept, yes, as cattle. it was a workable situation until one human escaped, and staked two vampires in his escape. he was killed, of course, but godric had admired his spirit. it was one of the precipitating events that lead to his change of heart on humanity. )
But I was speaking in jest, yes. I apologize if it offered offense.
No offense. I caught the joke, just wanted to confirm that there was truth in it as well. Granted, you don't seem much at all like the vampires I'm used to... is that true of your kind in general, where you're from, and the human farm types are the minority? Or are you the exception?
[ He's leaning towards thinking that Godric is just different, but if it's an origin-based difference, well. That's easier to wrap his head around, honestly. ]
( he has not concerned himself with the larger scope of vampire politics for some decades now. dallas is his domain, and though he has been offered an area kingship more than once by the authority he has always felt he has exactly as much power as he wants. he glances down at his hands, tips his head to one side. )
The vampires of my world are as wide and varied as its humans as far as such philosophies go. Some are peaceable. There are ones among us who have never frenzied, have never taken from an unwilling human even in their infancy. And there are those that have slaughtered countless innocents to slake their bloodlust. I fear the latter to be far more frequent. The former requires a very strong sense of self in one's mortal life, that one may overcome our baser instincts, and a sire who will foster that sense of self.
( he lifts one shoulder in a faint shrug. appius compelled him to feed on his own countrymen in the slave quarters. it was a punishment. he supposes a different sire may have compelled him just as easily to abstain. )
I am no exception, but my view of humanity is a rare one among my kind. I do not think very much like a vampire any more.
You didn't feel particularly human, either. Too... ancient.
[ It's not an insult, just an observation. Trevor, despite himself, is curious. ]
How do you sustain yourself, where you're from? If there are willing humans, I suspect you are more open about your nature than the creatures of the night are in my world?
There are perhaps some ten older than myself, though they have not all... acclimated as I have.
( the older the vampire, the more likely they are mired in the old ways. godric is, in that sense, an exception. )
Vampires in my world have revealed themselves to the public several years ago, with the advent of artificial blood that is capable of sustaining us. We have... public relations experts who have spun vampirism as a sort of... medical condition, treated by oral transfusion of blood. Quite clever. My kind have also been largely responsible for vampire literature in the last several centuries, leading to a sort of romanticized and indeed tolerant view of us. Humans view the bite as erotic. Many will come willingly to a nest to offer themselves in service, in the hopes that they will themselves become a vampire. It is a fear of death that drives them.
( stan liked those ones. liked crushing the hope in their eyes. it did not seem to matter how often godric told him to marshal himself, he did as he pleased. godric was not sorry for his loss. )
[ That's very different, Trevor thinks, from his world. He isn't certain the vampires he's used to fighting are so evolved as to be able to turn the pubic opinion like that, or that they'd ever bother. They think themselves so superior that it is a weakness in and of itself. And the mythology is correct, as far as Trevor knows. Certainly not romanticized. He can't imagine it, but... ]
This artificial blood... may I ask, it is a scientific advancement? Comparable to human?
Scientific, yes. And it is comparable. A vampire could sustain themselves on it alone, however for most the taste is... lacking. It is primarily the younger ones among us who still have memory of human food that best adapt to drinking it.
( he does not have a shortage of willing humans throwing themselves at his feet whatever their reasons. few know his age, but everyone who has set foot in his presence understands his power. he wears it unselfconsciously. )
And for the older ones it is insufficient... I'd imagine it's something like going from fresh steak to jerky, if you remember what meat is like. Does your world still have need of hunters, then, or has it found more of a balance?
[ Between the synthetic blood and vampirism being out in the open for humans to offer themselves, he'd imagine it almost possible to coexist... possible, but not how likely. Some of what Godric says does line up with his world, after all. With the love of chaos and death that power brings. ]
( it is an equilibrium. he has killed more than his share of them. )
It has recently come to human attention that ingesting vampire blood can cause several affects not unlike a drug to them, with considerably smaller risk. So, they are taking young ones of my kind and draining them. I have seen humans with necklaces of vampire fangs taken like trophies.
( a human gang once tried the same with him. they would not make the same mistake again. )
But many believe that a vampire is a damned creature that ought to be put down, that the devil can collect its own. Religion plays its part in that assumption.
People are as capable of monstrosities as any monster, that I know well. Especially the religious.
[ He sighs. ]
It does seem that the nature of vampirism is far more nuanced, in your world. And I've never heard tale of imbibing the blood of vampires or demons for anything other than black magic.
( he saw proof enough of that before he ever knew anything of vampires. it should not surprise anyone, truthfully, that a human given the strength and speed of a vampire, unfettered by inhibitions, would become a monster? )
You are quite open-minded on the matter for a human.
I would be a fool not to be, especially here where all of our origins and natures vary. But as a matter of fact, my previous companions were a mage and a dhampir -- a half vampire set on defeating his father for declaring war on humanity -- two more who would be condemned by most back home.
[ It's clear enough, although Trevor doesn't say it, that he has been as well. ]
( quite. godric cants his head curiously at the comment about half-vampires, though he does not press the matter. doubtless, it is as it sounds — even if such a thing is impossible by his metric, it is not difficult to grasp. )
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2020-01-21 08:01 pm (UTC)I will feed you. If you need it.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-21 08:06 pm (UTC)he could say no. he has no especial need, presently, to feed, though he will by needs require it sooner or later. but there is a cost to the offer, and he means it sincerely. let the man have his use. )
Very well. How would you prefer to go about it?
no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 07:42 am (UTC)Would a cut do?
no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 03:00 pm (UTC)( feeding is a matter of utility. function over form. he has had his fun with it, and now it is nothing to him but obligation. )
no subject
Date: 2020-01-27 04:58 pm (UTC)How much? I've only ever seen vampires drain humans dry.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-27 05:14 pm (UTC)Three ounces would sustain me for a approximately a week, providing I do nothing strenuously vampiric in that time. ( his tone's dry, faintly ironic in a self-directed way. ) I require more than I am accustomed to in my own world.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-27 05:28 pm (UTC)Is that all? Alright, I'll return shortly.
[ With that he vanishes off to the kitchens, moving with determination because if he doesn't the doubts will rise up into his throat and choke him. What on earth is he doing? Keeping everyone here safe, he tells himself. Because it isn't even a matter of whether he believes the vampire -- he could feel for himself that it was the truth. And doesn't that just throw everything he knows into question? It's easier to tell himself that their natures can vary across worlds than to question the universality of vampires as evil in his own. Yes. He'll go with that for now, as he draws a glass down from the cupboard and a knife from the block.
The cut doesn't hurt at all, and Trevor is unbothered about one more wound, one more scar. It'll be small and clean, on his forearm... a shallow cut that he lets bleed into the glass until it begins to seal and would require worrying. He considers the amount, shrugs, and pulls out a kitchen towel to tear and wrap around his arm so he doesn't stain his clothing. It'll heal up quickly, he expects, and he's bled nearly double what Godric said he needed. Not even enough to be lightheaded, though he gets himself a snack from the cupboard as well.
His blood is strong in more ways than one... he's basically poured Godric a cocktail and isn't thinking of that at all, as he returns to the bunk room with a disconcertingly warm glass in his hand and an uncertain fluttering in his gut.
It's fine, he tells himself. He felt that it's fine. You do it anyway, he reminds himself, you protect. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-01-27 05:50 pm (UTC)it's been a while since he's had alcohol. it will not be enough to affect him overmuch, but it is difficult to gauge how he might react when in all other ways he feels like a newborn vampire.
when he returns with the glass, godric inclines his head as he takes it. )
Thank you, Mr. Belmont. Will it trouble you if I drink it in your presence?
no subject
Date: 2020-01-27 05:55 pm (UTC)[ Difficult as it might be to watch, Trevor feels a strange sort of obligation to be certain that this creature has fed. He'll try not to think about the fact that technically Godric is feeding on him. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-01-27 06:23 pm (UTC)obediently, godric lifts the glass in a little gesture of cheers, and then methodically drinks it down. he would just as soon savor it, but he's sensing that perhaps the man might lose his nerve if he tried. it's enough pleasant, b negative, just the right temperature although it cools faster with the liquor, which tastes like whiskey.
once he's finished, he daubs at his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. blood congeals and stains quickly. )
Are you satisfied I am now satiated enough to avoid slaughtering the innocent here like lambs?
( there is perhaps a very mild sort of wryness to be had in his tone. )
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 01:56 am (UTC)He should stop thinking about his friends, because even that brief moment of remembrance has him wondering what the others would say about this. How they'd taunt him. Something aches in his chest and he's also grateful for Godric's voice snapping him out of it. He tilts his chin up and his own lips quirk at the comment... it sounds like a very dry joke, but. Uh. ]
That sounded in jest, but there are plenty of vampires who do seek to farm us like livestock. Exterminate enough to become the dominant species, then just raise us as food.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 02:41 am (UTC)It was considered among my kind. I believe humans would be too clever for it to be a sustainable model.
( he and eric lived in a vampire commune in the seventeenth century. humans kept, yes, as cattle. it was a workable situation until one human escaped, and staked two vampires in his escape. he was killed, of course, but godric had admired his spirit. it was one of the precipitating events that lead to his change of heart on humanity. )
But I was speaking in jest, yes. I apologize if it offered offense.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 04:19 pm (UTC)[ He's leaning towards thinking that Godric is just different, but if it's an origin-based difference, well. That's easier to wrap his head around, honestly. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:00 pm (UTC)The vampires of my world are as wide and varied as its humans as far as such philosophies go. Some are peaceable. There are ones among us who have never frenzied, have never taken from an unwilling human even in their infancy. And there are those that have slaughtered countless innocents to slake their bloodlust. I fear the latter to be far more frequent. The former requires a very strong sense of self in one's mortal life, that one may overcome our baser instincts, and a sire who will foster that sense of self.
( he lifts one shoulder in a faint shrug. appius compelled him to feed on his own countrymen in the slave quarters. it was a punishment. he supposes a different sire may have compelled him just as easily to abstain. )
I am no exception, but my view of humanity is a rare one among my kind. I do not think very much like a vampire any more.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:04 pm (UTC)[ It's not an insult, just an observation. Trevor, despite himself, is curious. ]
How do you sustain yourself, where you're from? If there are willing humans, I suspect you are more open about your nature than the creatures of the night are in my world?
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:14 pm (UTC)( the older the vampire, the more likely they are mired in the old ways. godric is, in that sense, an exception. )
Vampires in my world have revealed themselves to the public several years ago, with the advent of artificial blood that is capable of sustaining us. We have... public relations experts who have spun vampirism as a sort of... medical condition, treated by oral transfusion of blood. Quite clever. My kind have also been largely responsible for vampire literature in the last several centuries, leading to a sort of romanticized and indeed tolerant view of us. Humans view the bite as erotic. Many will come willingly to a nest to offer themselves in service, in the hopes that they will themselves become a vampire. It is a fear of death that drives them.
( stan liked those ones. liked crushing the hope in their eyes. it did not seem to matter how often godric told him to marshal himself, he did as he pleased. godric was not sorry for his loss. )
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:18 pm (UTC)[ That's very different, Trevor thinks, from his world. He isn't certain the vampires he's used to fighting are so evolved as to be able to turn the pubic opinion like that, or that they'd ever bother. They think themselves so superior that it is a weakness in and of itself. And the mythology is correct, as far as Trevor knows. Certainly not romanticized. He can't imagine it, but... ]
This artificial blood... may I ask, it is a scientific advancement? Comparable to human?
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:24 pm (UTC)( he does not have a shortage of willing humans throwing themselves at his feet whatever their reasons. few know his age, but everyone who has set foot in his presence understands his power. he wears it unselfconsciously. )
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:28 pm (UTC)[ Between the synthetic blood and vampirism being out in the open for humans to offer themselves, he'd imagine it almost possible to coexist... possible, but not how likely. Some of what Godric says does line up with his world, after all. With the love of chaos and death that power brings. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:35 pm (UTC)( it is an equilibrium. he has killed more than his share of them. )
It has recently come to human attention that ingesting vampire blood can cause several affects not unlike a drug to them, with considerably smaller risk. So, they are taking young ones of my kind and draining them. I have seen humans with necklaces of vampire fangs taken like trophies.
( a human gang once tried the same with him. they would not make the same mistake again. )
But many believe that a vampire is a damned creature that ought to be put down, that the devil can collect its own. Religion plays its part in that assumption.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:41 pm (UTC)[ He sighs. ]
It does seem that the nature of vampirism is far more nuanced, in your world. And I've never heard tale of imbibing the blood of vampires or demons for anything other than black magic.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 06:54 pm (UTC)You are quite open-minded on the matter for a human.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 07:10 pm (UTC)[ It's clear enough, although Trevor doesn't say it, that he has been as well. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 07:17 pm (UTC)What is the era from which you hail?
no subject
Date: 2020-02-03 07:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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