Scene #598:

Owner	Pose
Eric Bane	...It's happening again. Again, as the sun disappears below the horizon, the pull of wakefulness pulls at Eric Bane. And another pull as well... the pull of a hunger for blood. It's only natural-- for him, anyway. He's a vampire. They're predators, and prey on the living. Synthetic blood won't do. Animal blood won't do. It has to be fresh, from a living human being. He won't hunt in his world. Too dangerous, with his relative inexperience. He's been a vampire less than a year, after all. That's young even for /his/ world's vampires, who consider themselves 'ancient' at 30. No, he heads to the biggest city in the Multiverse. Urbania. The slums should provide him plenty of down-on-their-luck people who wouldn't know or care. Oh he's not looking to kill them, no. If he does, he'll just create ghouls. But he does need to drink blood. That means leap out, attack and bite, wait until the person falls limp, and then put them in a relatively out of the way place. Behind a dumpster, something like that. Unfortunately, because of his relative inexperience, this tactic fails as often as it succeeds. Not only that, but because he's not draining to death, he has to attack more than one person. So... he's liable to have to do this for a while. Which means he's going to leave a trail of victims and near-victims. And probably also get some police attention...
Corvo Attano	Down on their luck people inches from the edge, barely holding on with bloodless, scabbed and chipped-nailed fingers. Plenty of people who look like they wouldn't care, but who don't have anything left to give a world that has already taken them in every way and left them a bloodless husk without vampires even walking into the picture. He's been here because he's heard a few things. Ear to the ground. Having lost himself for a little while to despair, he'd taken to wandering. His home, gone. His friends, gone. Vanished like smoke, oh there were letters, but it was all ending, like fire and ashes all around him, the pall of death and the stink of sadness. And he just needed to do something. Something to help. If he couldn't help himself, his empress, his people. Well, maybe he could help someone. The vampire has a predator of it's own. A stalker who's never there when he looks, leaves almost no sign, makes almost no sound. A stalker who can follow everywhere he can, walk everywhere he walks, cross any gap he seeks to cross. Eyes, intense, behind a grim skull visage and hands fingering a crossbow for a moment... before easing it back in his coat. No. This one is for his hands.
Eric Bane	The predator's stalker finds... a man in a black hoodie, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Black shirt, black jeans, black sneakers. Painfully nondescript. He kept to alleys. Kept out of the light. It seems almost instinctual for the man in the hoodie to do. And he does what he's done so many times before-- duck himself into an alley and wait, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. For the predator's part... That sensation of being watched. Eric hated that sensation. Mainly because it was usually correct. It's clear when he starts to think something's not right. He fidgets nervously. He starts to look around. But he doesn't move yet. He's going to, very soon, though...
Corvo Attano	And then there's someone behind him. One moment the alley is clean and clear, well, of other people, and then there's someone who's RIGHT THERE, with a soft 'whf' and a billow of shadows, arms reaching out of the darkness-
Eric Bane	It's instinctual, the movement. As soon as he catches sight of the arms... "--What the f...?!" 'Whhhf!' It's a louder, more attention-getting sound than Corvo's quiet teleport, but apart from that it is very similar. When it happens, Eric disappears, melting into a mass of shadows. It's like a wave of thick black water undulating forward through the air and reforming a handful of yards in front of where he had been standing. He turns and looks into the alley with a surprised, fearful expression. ...Fearful? And then he just runs. Not towards Corvo or the alley. Away.
Corvo Attano	The skull-mask snaps up, turning, a whisper in some eerie half-language, and he's turning, turning, eyes narrowing behind the mask... Makes sense. When some dude in dark colors and a frickin skull mask tries to grab you in an alley? Hell yes get out of Dodge. Sounds like a plan. But just as he's taking off the man drops down into a sprinter's pose for a second- before taking off at a bit of a blur. Faster then men can run, he's coming and he's closing distance swiftly- he'd throw himself forward, skidding in a slide, kicking up gravel- and then rise, before the man in the hoodie. Dark gold-trimmed coat. Weapons. Weapons. Ammo. Weapons. Strange, archaic charms, almost dripping shadows... and a skull mask, metallic and strange, both grotesque and almost macabrely empathic, strange eyes staring almost as if into his soul. A low whistling breath...
Eric Bane	That's a not-nice word Eric says when the man rises up before him. He skids to a stop-- normal human reaction time, it seems-- and backpedals frantically a few steps. He has a feel that if he tried to run in another direction, he'd get more of the same. Clearly this man is faster. And he doesn't have the strength to keep teleporting-- he'll probably need it here. So instead he raises his hands, taking a stance to fight. Purple and black shadows surround his fists. "...What do you want?" he demands.
Corvo Attano	There's a blink- no teleporting. Just one second he's down the alley- and the next he's RIGHT THERE, within kissing distance, his mask a merciless dull gleam of metallic death, his hand clamped to the outstretched wrist, right below the fist. Just, that. One moment nothing, the next, that same dark lurking witch man. The voice is distorted by the mask, the threat evident even as the voice slides out, vaguely mediterranean and cooly merciless. "That depends on what YOU wanted, doesn't it. Don't lie to me. I can read your heart..." His grip is strong, not enough to grind bone but enough to let it be known that he brooks no argument.
Eric Bane	Eric hisses, baring teeth at the pressure of the hand on his wrist. In much the same vein as a popular Internet meme regarding a very obvious statement of the revealing of a male genitalia, thosearefangs.gif. Indeed, his top canine teeth are elongated and sharpened, like those of an animal. But it's /only/ those on the top of his mouth. He pulls, but isn't quite strong enough to break the grip. It's greater than human strength, but Eric's actually trying not to hurt this weird guy. "Let go!" he growls. "I was trying to get a meal. I drink blood; what else was I supposed to, I didn't want to kill--" Corvo's face nears his. The skull mask... it's designed to be intimidating. And it is. But it has another effect on Eric. The frown eases from his face, and his eyes go distant. It's not Corvo he's seeing in that moment, it's someone else. SomeTHING else. Something with glowing eyes, a mouth full of fangs... and coming after him... and he freezes abruptly, looking frightened far more than he had been only a moment ago... his eyes a million miles away...
Corvo Attano	The look is noted, and there's a momentary pause- and then the head ducks, and whips around, the hood coming back and the mask coming up... and the skull is gone, replaced by an aging handsome fellow with- black, black all black nothing but black deep empty pits of soul-sucking black... before the Dark Vision fades, leaving a handsome intense pair of dark hazel, almost blazing eyes, staring deep into Eric's own, the whispered billowing shadows of the Outsider's sight still nipping at the edge of his sockets even as it fades... "Blood." The words are as intense as the gaze. "Blood?" It's interrogative, and he jerks the boy up higher, face tightening, his hand almost painful in it's grip. "You want blood?" And then he reaches up- not to pull a stake down but to wrench the collar down of his jacket, his eyes blazing and his face tight and grim- and then the hand reaches out, forcefully laying the man's face against his throat, his eyes distant. His words are taut and thin, "...Then take. From one who can spare it." A low, tense almost-growl...
Eric Bane	It's the movement that breaks Eric out of the weird daze that he'd fallen in. He pauses as he finds himself pulled against a strange dude. And then he starts to flail a little, trying to pull loose. "H-hey, what...?" Squirm squirm flail flail. ...Well, /this/ is awkward. But he does calm down and quit squirming. "Just... like that?" His voice is a little muffled, considering how he's being held onto. "...Your blood won't kill a vampire, that you know of, will it?" Because not-dying is important!
Corvo Attano	He stands, paused a moment... and then sort of flings the man away from him a little, looking uncomfrtable and self-conscious. "I- don't know." It's a strange admittance, and he looks away. "The thing in me shouldn't be antithical to your kind. He is a thing of the in-between places, the darkness between the stars... even if He did put a taint in my blood. Given the last vampire who took from me seemed to /really/ enjoy it-" A bit wryly bitter, given it was mid-battle and it tore the everloving fuck out of him- "I would think not." He stalks, prowling restlessly, head down. "It was a legitimate offer, an answer to your problems. You need food, and I can take what others cannot." He seems testy, as though embarrassed or discomforted, hand on his arm.
Eric Bane	Eric stumbles as he's all but thrown back. His reflexes aren't much better than that of a human's, it doesn't seem. For him being a vampire, he doesn't really hold to the stereotype-- inhuman beauty, preternatural physical condition, superhuman magical abilities, etc. He doesn't seem to have a lot of anything, really. Aside from the teleporting thing. And in the Multiverse, that could just as easily be due to something else. As Corvo speaks again, Eric raises his hand to rub against the back of his neck. "Yeah, I... I get that now. Just... first you were coming after me, and then..." Pause. "...But I guess you were trying to stop me." Another pause. "I was trying not to kill anyone. Not just because of what'd happen to them if I did. I just don't want to kill anybody." He takes a breath. "...I'm... recently created. And I don't know who made me into a vampire. So I... don't exactly have a teacher. I've been trying to figure it out myself. Avoid the vein. Don't hold around the throat. Stop when they go limp. You know..."
Corvo Attano	"I don't kill. Ever." It's a low sound. A reassurance. He realizes that he was laying on the Masked Criminal bit a bit thick, but it's just another tool. He doesn't NEED to kill them, but them worrying about him helps sometimes, so it's, just, another tool, right? Right. ...Right. He was, kind of overdoing it though, scaring this young man to death. He turns, slowly. "Do you need it?" His eyes are low and speculative. "I can heal, and I have more in the way of vitality then men may normally posess. If you need, I can provide, until you are able to minimize your risk to others." He stills, thoughtful, at the words. "...So you need a teacher." A sigh. "...I had to learn mostly on my own. The Outsider is a cagey and elusive sort, a lover of his own freedoms and his own mysterious airs..." a wry little smile. "I can teach you, maybe. To use what you have to the best of your abilities. To move silently. Where to port, how to port, how to hunt and lurk and dash and slide and ambush your enemies. Or, prey, in your case I might suppose." Now it's his turn to rub the back of his neck. "...And until then, I can feed you." A grimace. "Unless you object to Serkonian. There are any number who might."
Corvo Attano	His voice is low. "That's... not, true. I killed someone. Just once." His eyes close. "She was in terrible pain, and lost to us. I couldn't save her. But then, I didn't try." Lives were on the line, people were hurt and he just didn't have time. But he didn't try. He didn't try. He didn't spare her that much effort.
Eric Bane	Eric actually seems to relax at the assurance that this strange guy with the skull mask isn't about to kill him. As for whether he needed blood? He tilts his head a little, looking sheepish. "Yeah. I... because I don't kill to feed, I usually end up having to catch several people before it passes," he admits. "It's... a pull. A drive. I can't explain it. I can /control/ it-- for now." ...Huh. That phrasing seems to indicate that, at some point in the not-so-distant future, he expects it to get to a point where he /can't/ control it... Mention of a teacher gets a blink. Well, this guy doesn't seem to be a vampire... and he's offering blood like a human. But he also has similar powers-- and similar m.o., from the look of it. Whatever this 'Outsider' is, he doesn't quite know. But it probably pertains to this guy's ability to do what he does. As for objecting to Serkonian, "...I'm... not sure I know what one is." Hopefully this guy's still human. Or at least, human enough for him not to die when drinking his blood. Eric pauses when the addendum to the statement of not killing anyone is made. He doesn't know the situation. But the guy seems contrite enough. Which reminds him... he doesn't know this fella's name. Partly in an effort to distract the guy from the upset that he seems to be suffering, he offers a hand for a handshake. "Eric. Eric Bane."
Corvo Attano	He stares, meeting his eyes... and then slaps a hand into his, the shake firm and met with a hand round the two, as though to seal the deal. "Corvo. Corvo Attano." A shake. "Again, if you need to feed, consider it an offer. I know what it's like to be hungry and cold, all the time- to be starved, and shaking, and so sick with hunger you can't even hold it down sometimes, which only makes it worse. If it is a danger, and a harmful thing to you, then eat. I can recover, I assure you." Unless he tears his throat out, he should be alright- the waters of life was his most precious charm- well a tossup between that the spirit water and the charm of the strong arm, but that was neither here nor there. If this young man was so desperate let him be sated. He looked a bit self-conscious as he loosened his collar once again, staring off into space with sort of a collected zen-like waiting state, an offer to the drinker of blood.
Eric Bane	And now... sudden awkward. Because it's not every day that someone offers to let you drink their blood. Y'know, even if you /are/ a vampire. Not only that, but Eric usually has to be pretty violent with his feeding. Here that's not necessary. And he almost doesn't know what to do. The thought of that one vampire movie with the really strong homoerotic overtones comes to mind, and he frowns. No, he's not doing that. Yeesh. Finally he sighs. "Thank you. I appreciate it." Pause. "I'm sorry, it's going to hurt." Awkward smile. Though he tries to be reassuring. Though he takes a rather unnecessary breath, to steady himself. He takes the step forward. Leans in. He's going to miss the vein, purposely. Can't have Corvo bleeding to death after the fact, right? The weird thing? Y'know all those vampire movies where the bite hurts at first and then the pain blurs so quickly into ecstasy that it's almost like it never hurt? That's definitely not what this feels like. No fake movie vampire stuff here. It feels... pretty much like something with two-inch-long fangs has bitten into Corvo's neck. Which is actually quite literally what's happened. Though it also bears mentioning that there's no reaction to the magic or power that might be in his blood. It seems to be a clinical thing for Eric. He's not tasting the power. Just the blood.
Corvo Attano	Corvo doesn't seem all that interested in homoerotic overtones. In fact he seems just a touch uncomfortable, a low cough in his throat as Eric gets a bit closer. His smile is weak, and he shakes his head. "Pain is transient." And he's bearing his shoulder a bit more WHOA hello scars. He has some. They are considerable, but most of them seem to be round burn scars, like pockmarks the size of the tip of your thumb. Yeah this guy might've been tortured. A lot. He... shakes a little, a tight indrawn breath of pain. It does hurt. And that feeling you get when you lose blood, that dulling cooling of the skin, lessening of the circulation and the ache in your head? Yeah that's not fun either. But he's not remiss in his offer, nor regretful in it's execution. He's shaking softly, but he seems to have a good idea of how much he can lose. Probably from, losing it before. Still, even with the pain it's not the most comfortable of positions. His voice is, strained conversational. "...If I grow faint hand me my canteen, I will be alright." Quiet, dizzy and quiet, he waits. Just two dudes standing in an alleyway, nothing to see, move along.
Eric Bane	Not to worry, Eric won't take much. Probably not enough to make Corvo all that weak. Thankfully, since he had managed to catch a couple of people beforehand, he doesn't need to. He's careful releasing Corvo, too, not wanting to rip or tear the skin, and only steps back once he's completely freed his fangs. He's quick to wipe his mouth, since... well, seeing someone with your blood dripping out of their mouth is kind of unnerving. Eric also notes that he doesn't make as big a mess as usual. Maybe when the victim isn't flailing around it isn't quite so difficult to figure out. And he's also keeping an eye on Corvo, just in case. "Sorry about that..." he says. He needs to explain himself, too... explain why he's so concerned. "The vampires in my world... it's a virus. A disease. As far as I know it's transmitted by bite." He holds up a hand, in case Corvo's about to panic or accuse Eric of duping him. "The virus doesn't take hold unless the person dies from being drained of their blood. They come back from the dead, and then the one who bit them feeds them his blood." He pauses. "At least... that's how it's supposed to work," he half-mutters. "Mine never did. I don't know why. So I'm not... 'complete'. the change didn't finish. This is bad, because... none that have been without their creator's blood have stayed... human. They changed... their minds just deteriorated. They turned into these... mindless flesh-eating creatures. I thought if... if I kept from having to stave off the hunger, that I could keep it from happening for longer. Until I could figure something out."
Corvo Attano	A hand comes up, pressing on the wound, and his other fishes out a canteen. "I'll be alright. Like I said, I wouldn't offer if it wasn't an issue." He one-hands it somewhat difficultly, managing to get the cap open... and then takes a deep drink of the clear, cold water. And sends a spray of it out at the word 'disease', so maybe a little? He shudders, eyes wide. Someone's traumatized, a little. Okay more than a little. Shiver. "...Mindless, flesh eating creatures." True the weepers rarely ate anyone unless they were starving, but they would kill. Or, were, begging helplessly for aid even as the flies rose stinging and their plague-riddled nails scratched and gouged... he, he didn't know. He trembles, moving his hand away- and the wound is closed, his fingers flexing as he re-shoulders his jacket. Even his color is a touch better with each drink. Water. Apparently it's magical for him or, something.
Eric Bane	Eric notices this-- the closing of the wound, and overall improvement of Corvo's condition. He notes the shaking, and assures Corvo, "Yeah. If you've managed to recover that fast, you shouldn't have any issues. I haven't heard of any other vampires popping up where I've been, so I haven't accidentally made any." And the mention of flesh-eating creatures gets a nod. "That's what happens if a vampire in my world doesn't get the blood from their creator," he confirms. "I'm told that if I can find an old or powerful enough vampire it'll act as a substitute... but none of those I've gone after have been old or powerful enough."
Corvo Attano	A slow, tired sound. "So someone made you and dumped you, alone and unwanted." Slow and sad, and oh so tired. He seems ten years older, rubbing his face and shaking his head. "Why, why, why..." Just that. Just why. Like there could be some answer.
Eric Bane	"I'm told that's... not exactly common," Eric replies. "There's a greater risk of discovery with every new person who gets brought in, so a vampire generally doesn't just make new ones impulsively. Rose-- that's one of the vampires who found me-- thinks that something happened to him. Maybe the hunters got him before he could."
Corvo Attano	A slow shift... and then a hand finds his shoulder. "We will find a way. To save you. To help you through this. I will train you, I will keep you safe, and protect you. We will get through this." A squeeze...