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File 153445965916.png - (295.41KB , 800x525 , title.png )
897413 No. 897413 ID: 270774

This quest is R18.
disthread: https://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/124805.html
Expand all images
>>
No. 897414 ID: 270774
File 153445967777.png - (201.24KB , 800x525 , 1.png )
897414

It’s been five years.

Five years since Ricardo woke up as a monster, with only vague memories of a blur in the darkness, the panic of being overpowered, and pain.

From that five years he’s managed to find two things: a photograph, and a name.
>>
No. 897415 ID: 270774
File 153445969799.png - (251.82KB , 800x525 , 2.png )
897415

The photograph was taken in 1942, according to the scrawl on the back, and that same scrawl is what gave him the name Pascal. He’d pieced together enough information to feel confident in the veracity of the clue - that there was a vampire by that name living in L.A. around the time that he was turned, and that said vampire had left soon after, suddenly and without explanation - and most importantly, there was the fact that any time Ricardo brought him up, voices lowered, eyes shifted, and the subject was quickly changed.

Ricardo had learned quickly that vampires are not typically hesitant creatures. They were tactless and haughty, at least enough to impress upon him from the beginning that he was an unsightly failure within a system: a ward abandoned by his sire, a new vampire who would receive no education or sponsorship. That they suddenly grew tight-lipped whenever that sire was mentioned told Ricardo all he needed to know.

The rage comes in waves.
>>
No. 897416 ID: 270774
File 153445971663.png - (140.33KB , 800x525 , 3.png )
897416

For years, now, he’s meditated on that photograph, burned it into his memory, and imagined what lays on the other side - his sire, the one who condemned him to hell, living it up. Hedonistic enough to abandon the responsibility of raising a ward despite the cultural taboo, and apparently powerful enough that no one would say anything about it --

The thought makes Ricardo sick. He wakes, he trains, he feeds, and he stares at the photograph every night, hard enough that he hopes one day his gaze will burn holes in it.
>>
No. 897417 ID: 270774
File 153445973098.png - (95.05KB , 800x525 , 4.png )
897417

But before that happens, Ricardo makes a breakthrough. Lips looser than most, a handful of Pascal’s acquaintances - servants, perhaps - who were easily intimidated enough to give up a location. Pascal had left L.A., but never the country. It’s of no consequence to him what will happen to them when Pascal finds out they surrendered the intel. Ricardo tracks him to the eastern seaboard, and the closer he gets, the more violent the anger throbbing beneath his skin grows.

He knows he can’t beat him. Especially not when, as he’s been thoroughly reminded, he’s had no proper upbringing in a life of newfound monstrosity. Anything he knows - hunting, shapeshifting, avoiding detection - he’s taught himself, clumsily and angrily, through trial and error and endless frustration. From what he’s managed to discern, even through the community’s reluctance to talk, Pascal is the ward of a major vampiric house. He has no chance.

That’s fine by Ricardo, though. Pascal took his life. The least he can give him now, as reparation, is death.
>>
No. 897418 ID: 270774
File 153445975032.png - (176.50KB , 800x525 , 5.png )
897418

Ricardo arrives at the address well past midnight. He hasn’t fed in days, but it doesn’t matter. Everything will be over soon, anyway, and his incandescent rage will fuel him in a way that blood never could. He’ll go down fighting. He’ll at least make sure to put up enough of a struggle that Pascal - the name curls around his lips, laden with hatred and disgust - will never forget him. And -

Wait. Ricardo blinks back to the present, his snarl fading slightly as he surveys his surroundings. He double, then triple checks the address.

This can’t be right.
>>
No. 897421 ID: d5a0aa

Listen to your instincts. Find a quiet spot, hunker down, and surveille the scene to gather more clues.
>>
No. 897422 ID: 290936

What's wrong?
>>
No. 897423 ID: 8b438a

what is this place? check it out first. you might wanna run in guns figuratively blazing but let's keep it safe for now
>>
No. 897425 ID: 3443bd

kick the door in baby!
>>
No. 897426 ID: a62780

>>897418
Wait... Surely those rats you got the details from didn't lie and send you on some wild goose chase did they!?
>>
No. 897427 ID: 965ac1

>>897418
Slow your roll, baby. Scope your situation. If this is the wrong place, then you either got turned around in your anger or those dead idiots gave you bum info. Is there something else wrong? Place look familiar? What?
>>
No. 897431 ID: 5402ba

what's wrong with the address? follow your instincts
>>
No. 897439 ID: 0f15ab

It couldnt hurt to check the place out, right? Is there a window you can look in without drawing attention?
>>
No. 897444 ID: 194b7a

>>897425
nothing like a dramatic entrance
>>
No. 897445 ID: a307f1

This place isn't flashy enough to be where Pascal is. Seems like you got bad intel.
>>
No. 897446 ID: 270774
File 153446738296.png - (88.14KB , 800x525 , 6.png )
897446

It’s just…. an apartment complex. A shitty apartment complex. There’s no way Pascal has been living somewhere like this all this time. Ricardo had been picturing a penthouse, a manor, something disgustingly opulent, anything but this.

It had been implied, many times, that the penalty for abandoning a ward is death. Had he underestimated the severity of that threat? He’d assumed, based on the way other vampires demurred any time Pascal was brought up, that his sire was untouchable. Maybe he was wrong, and the transgression really was bad enough for even a vampire of Pascal’s standing to be driven into deep hiding.

Ricardo hunkers down in the darkness, watching the block of crumbling apartments, and waits. But every second feels like a minute and every minute feels like an hour and after five years, five years of struggling, he has no patience left.

He knows he needs to listen to his instincts, but his instincts all say KILL.

Ricardo can’t wait any longer. If he’s wrong, if he was tricked, then that just means the hunt will have to resume. But if he’s right, he wants the fruits of his labor, and he wants them now.
>>
No. 897447 ID: 270774
File 153446739404.png - (122.26KB , 800x525 , 7.png )
897447

His footsteps are heavy. The first door, the entrance to the block, is kicked down without effort. This, at least, he was prepared for. His weight training, all these years, involved bench pressing cars.

The unit he was given is on the second floor. That door flies off the hinges, too. A tip he’d been given, from one of the terrified traitors: If you destroy the door, you don’t need an invitation to come in. It counts as an open space.

The room is filthy, but he barely has time to take it in. At the splintering of wood, a figure jolts upright in the bed pushed up against the wall.

A clattering of Heineken cans comes with the movement, displaced by the blanket. Dark hair, pale skin. Ricardo’s breath escapes his teeth hot and forceful.

“Euuuuhh…. oh, shit. Ehehehe.”

Ricardo freezes.
>>
No. 897448 ID: 270774
File 153446740868.png - (103.11KB , 800x525 , 8.png )
897448

The figure pushes his hair out of his eyes. “Ah, no. You found me.” The voice isn’t at all what he imagined. It’s high, reedy, heavily accented - Balkan, but he can’t narrow it down beyond that. Of course he’s fucking European. “That was fast! Ehehehe! I’m embarrassed. I should have move earlier.”

Ricardo wants to fly across the room, wants to stop the flow of nonsensical words by crushing his throat, but - he can’t move. He can’t breathe. Nothing that he’s seeing or hearing computes.

“Euhh, hang on - I’m sorry, I’m sleepy, ehehe, I sleep in -” The vampire, the one who cannot be Pascal, pulls himself out of bed. “Give one second. There. Now I can look at you.”
>>
No. 897449 ID: 270774
File 153446742154.png - (102.37KB , 800x525 , 9.png )
897449

A beat, as he considers him; then, a sigh of palpable relief. “You look strong! And healthy. And I pass my sexiness onto you, you look sexy.” The smile the vampire flashes Ricardo is bright and genuine. “And angry,” he adds, and then the grin wavers. He averts his gaze, pressing his fingertips together gingerly. “That’s good. I was worried you will maybe be sad, and then I wouldn't know how to talk to you.”

He scratches the back of his ankle with one foot. “I had practice all these things to say to you, maybe, when you catch me, and now I can't remember. But I’m talking and talking and you probably don't care!” The smile’s back, not an expression of emotion so much as a sheer reflex. It just seems to be what comes easiest to him. “You want to kill me, yes?”

The vampire shifts his weight, his gestures fading back to self-consciousness; the entirety of his carriage through the few moments since he got up has been an ebb and flow of buoyant excitement and sudden embarrassment. “It’s rude of me to keep causing you inconvenience, after I’ve already made you so much trouble, but I’d like to go outside, maybe? I think it would maybe be a little depressing, to die in messy room.”

This can’t be right. This isn’t right.
>>
No. 897451 ID: 290936

You still want to kill this poor excuse of a sentient blood sucking leech? Look at him, the man has absolutly no dignity.

But yeah, still inside. Dude can totally escape or do some weird shenigan outside.
>>
No. 897452 ID: 8b438a

PEACH EMOJI

anyway smash him into the floor
>>
No. 897454 ID: d419ea

No, kill him where he stands
>>
No. 897455 ID: 194b7a

( aww he's cuter than i thought he'd be! unless it's an act, in which case still cute )

rough him up a bit /then/ drag him outside to kill him!
>>
No. 897456 ID: 3443bd

ask him what the HECK is going on here
>>
No. 897457 ID: a307f1

Ask him what his excuse for turning you and then fucking off is.
>>
No. 897458 ID: 1e85c5

...Really? No epic standoff? No final struggle?

...Eugh. Such a vengeance would taste like ashes. I think, perhaps, you can at least go outside. If it turns out that this whole thing is a ruse and he's playacting, then you can at least expect it and fight him with some dignity after he springs his trap instead of...of...whatever THIS is.
>>
No. 897460 ID: bf1602

what's that necklace about? is it anything to do with him turning you or others?
look at his terrible little face. take him outside, but maybe hold off on immediately executing him
>>
No. 897461 ID: ddc815

batista-bomb this morherfucker so hard he explodes into bats
>>
No. 897466 ID: 0f15ab

He seems oddly okay with all of this? If you had anything you wanted to ask him, now would be the time. Why did he leave in the first place if he knew youd find him eventually anyways?
>>
No. 897468 ID: a94e23

You’ve still got that photo right?
Check that the face matches up and maybe ask if it’s him just to be sure.
There’s no way this is the right guy.
>>
No. 897469 ID: c1be4a

Drag him outside!! Notice how tiny his nice wrists are!! Maybe you should tie him up once he gets out there?
>>
No. 897471 ID: 1931d8

Pick him up by the scruff of the neck and drag him to one of your vampire info sources to ask "what the fuck is this."
>>
No. 897475 ID: d887c0

>>897449
Explain to him that every fiber of your undead being is bound tightly with animalistic rage and confusion. You want to eviscerate him in the most unimaginably sick way imaginable; pound his face into a puddle of gore. However, you also want to know exactly what the fuck? From waht you've gathered, he's supposedly this stone-cold vampire badass. A modern-day Dracula. A real "Vae victis!" type. Instead, he looks like Fisher Price's "My Little Vampire." A reject from some dumb vampire version of Glee. A vamplet.
>>
No. 897479 ID: 66a4cc

Grab the back of his head to assert your strength and attempt to intimidate him. Try not to notice how soft his hair is.
>>
No. 897486 ID: 270774
File 153448269938.png - (141.60KB , 800x525 , 10.png )
897486

“No,” Ricardo rasps. He’s shaking with rage, and the only way to quell it is by closing the gap between them with one long stride. His hand closes on the other vampire’s jaw. “No. This ends here.”

“Ah! Uh! Okay!” The vampire scrabbles at his wrist, his voice going high and frantic. Under Ricardo’s grip, he feels soft and fragile. He wonders if landing a real blow on something this small and weak would even feel satisfying. “Wow! Okay! So you are really just going to go ahead like this! Well!”
>>
No. 897487 ID: 270774
File 153448271209.png - (119.17KB , 800x525 , 11.png )
897487

His babble is insufferable. Ricardo tilts forward and slams them both against the floor, one smooth movement, leaving the other pinned. The other isn’t breathing, even though Ricardo was waiting to hear him sound winded; on the other hand, Ricardo himself is panting, the action of breathing something vestigial that he hasn’t yet trained himself out of.

He could crush this man’s skull like an eggshell, he realizes. But he doesn’t. Even though this is all wrong, even though something must be out of place here, he needs answers.

“Why.” Ricardo hasn’t blinked, not since he entered the room. “Why did you do this to me.”
>>
No. 897488 ID: 270774
File 153448272466.png - (104.99KB , 800x525 , 12.png )
897488

There’s a longer pause than he expected. The vampire - not Pascal, he won’t believe that it’s Pascal, he can’t even think it - tilts his head to the side. “Because I was hungry. And you were there.”
>>
No. 897489 ID: 270774
File 153448274088.png - (103.00KB , 800x525 , 13.png )
897489

Ricardo’s next breath leaves him in a rumbling, ragged exhale, breaking hot over the other’s face. It takes him a moment to collect himself, to will himself to ask his next question rather than just decapitating him. “But you didn’t just feed. You turned me. And then you left.”

Not-Pascal blinks, and then his gaze flicks to the side again. He’s starting to look embarrassed again. “It was an accident.” His hands have gone soft on Ricardo’s wrist, aimless and devoid of any strength. “Maybe this makes it worse, I don’t know. I wish, eh - I wish maybe I could say I could tell you will be fine on your own, or that I knew you would find me and it was test on purpose, or something like this.” All his smiles are different, and this one is rueful. Ricardo can’t stand any of them. “But. It was accident, and then I ran away because I was scared. That’s all.”

He inhales, then exhales, then throws his free hand up in the air. “Sorry!” The hand stays up for a moment, fingers extended, then falls limply back to the floor. “Sorry I am not cool.”
>>
No. 897490 ID: 270774
File 153448275760.png - (130.71KB , 800x525 , 14.png )
897490

It’s wrong. It’s all wrong. Ricardo releases him, and for some fucking reason the other doesn’t take the opportunity to scramble away. He lays there, docile, as Ricardo digs the photograph out of his back pocket.

His hand shakes as he holds it up. The truth outlined in it is impossible to bear, but he can’t look away.
>>
No. 897491 ID: 270774
File 153448276885.png - (116.17KB , 800x525 , 15.png )
897491

“Ehhhh.” Pascal finally shifts, propping himself up on his elbows. “What is this? What are you- ah! Hey!”

The photograph is snatched out of Ricardo’s hand, in a movement too fast for his eyes to track. Pascal looks at it, and then he screams.

“Who gave you this?!” He rears back, the photograph clutched to his chest. “No! Agh, no! I’m so embarrassed! This is terrible photograph! Look, I am not even smiling! Is this what you have thought of me this whole time? This gloomy thing?” All the thickened blood from a prior meal has begun resolutely pumping itself into his face, and he presses the photo over it, rolling onto his side. “Noooo. I look like nun in this. I look like tax collector.
>>
No. 897492 ID: aedfd9

What DO you do for a living then
>>
No. 897494 ID: 1931d8

Okay we have got to make this guy shut up. Gag him with something? Make him eat the picture? Pull his tongue out?
>>
No. 897496 ID: d887c0

"LISTEN TO ME, YOU LITTE PARASITE! I have been through Hell and high water tracking your evil ass down. I've done things that will haunt me forever. All in the interest of wreaking revenge on the monster responsible for my curse. Now, you are going to put up a fight or start begging for your worthless life or I swear to God I will force feed you your own balls before I rip your fucking diseased head off!"
>>
No. 897497 ID: 7e9c89

"it's not that bad a picture."
>>
No. 897499 ID: bf1602

you're also a lot better dressed in the picture. what HAPPENED to you?
>>
No. 897513 ID: b86ace

nothing about this feels right. he’s... definitely not what you expected—maybe he never was? how do you even begin to reconcile the Pascal you concocted to the Pascal that Is? in any case... i mean. it’s not THAT bad of a picture.
>>
No. 897514 ID: 6245ba

oh my god, so annoying. shut him up. make him eat the photo. something
>>
No. 897515 ID: 7f3fc1

This.....What even is this? Just...tell him its not to bad?
>>
No. 897516 ID: a62780

>>897491
welp, anger's gonna skyrocket and plummet all over the place

You've been hunting for a monster that doesn't even exist, there's just this... melancholy little shit, literally lying around waiting for you to come knocking.
>>
No. 897523 ID: ff82d2

Tell him to pose in a way he'd want to be seen then.
>>
No. 897527 ID: dbf422

What is he doing complaining about the picture? Boring stereotype or no, he's currently half-naked in a shitty apartment hiding from vampire police. He should be so lucky to be a Dracula stand-in, in the picture.

Why was he so scared of you turning that he'd rather risk execution?
>>
No. 897529 ID: a94e23

This... there’s no way killing him would be satisfying. He’s a coward who panicked and ran when he made a mistake rather than fucking deal with it like a sane person.
Clearly however, he is not sane; he is more interested in appearances than the fact you came here for revenge.
I suggest roughing him up a bit, if you don’t get any satisfaction from beating the shit out of him then we probably won’t get any from killing him either and should try to figure out some way he can pay us back for fucking with your life like he did.
>>
No. 897534 ID: bb78f2

>>897491
You look like the dignified, selfish, rich bitch we were going to murder. Not... this. We would have preferred a stereotypical old fashioned Dracula to this.Our rage for you has been sullied by DISAPPOINTMENT.

If killing him seems to distasteful, we can probe Vampire Dad's mental weakpoints.

Point us to the nearest pomp Dracula we can murder.
>>
No. 897555 ID: 270774
File 153452788092.png - (131.54KB , 800x525 , 16.png )
897555

“Enough.” Bewilderment is fighting the anger coursing through Ricardo, and it’s starting to win. It’s not that his anger is weakening; his confusion is just overpowering. He sits back, keeping Pascal’s legs pinned. He thinks about screaming at him, or at least telling him to shut up, but instead he just sags slightly, staring at him in open exhaustion.

“It’s…. not that bad of a picture.” He has no idea why he’s said that. The rest of it comes out unprompted, too. “And at least you’re dressed in it. Dressed well. That’s what I was expecting to find. Not -”

Ricardo gestures, loose and violent. “Not this. You melancholy little shit.

Despite the fact that it immediately bleeds into an insult, Pascal lights up a little at Ricardo’s opinion on the photo. “Really? You think so? I’m glad you think it’s not too ugly, I was worried - oh, but you know, I apologize already for not being cool-”

“That’s not the issue!” Ricardo shoves his hair out of his face, eyes burning into the other beneath him. “What happened to you? I heard you were from a prominent family! People were too scared to even talk about you! I was expecting - some kind of Dracula. Someone who-”
>>
No. 897556 ID: 270774
File 153452789989.png - (95.68KB , 800x525 , 17.png )
897556

He’s interrupted by laughter. Pascal is laughing. Ricardo stares at him, stunned.

“Dracula? Vlad Dracula? You expect the voivode? So angry at me, and yet you come with flattery!” He’s laughing so hard he can barely get the words out, photograph dropped in favor of holding his hands over his mouth. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Really, I am not trying to make fun of you! I know this is serious!”

“Then get serious,” Ricardo growls.

“I’m trying!” Pascal gasps. “But - scared of me? You think other vampires are scared of me? Stupid boy! They are embarrassed!”
>>
No. 897557 ID: 270774
File 153452791335.png - (129.14KB , 800x525 , 18.png )
897557

Pascal sits up, at least as much as he can while still pinned at the waist. He’s redfaced from laughing. “If I were really powerful, they would want to talk about me lots! But now, no one even wants to speak of me, because it is embarrassing for anyone to think they are too familiar with me! This is my standing now.” He sighs, finally coming down from his brief bout of hysteria. “Yes, you appear before Pascal Cosovei, sired by the Lord Marquess Constantin Bathory, carrier of the House of Bathory and servant to the throne of Transylvania.”

Pascal stretches, and then reaches across the floor to an unopened can of beer. He pries the tab open with one fang. “But my name is shit now,” he says, conversationally, “and my standing is shit, and so I suppose this makes you shit as well.” He takes a long, slow swallow, eyes never leaving Ricardo’s face. “My sire dismissed me. I haven’t seen him in over seventy years. You know, it’s always these yellow-haired American boys who cause me so many problems. Maybe I’m cursed.”
>>
No. 897558 ID: aedfd9

Well fuck, that's a lot to think about. Ask him for a beer while you figure out what to do next
>>
No. 897561 ID: bf1602

am i the only one you were hiding from?

maybe we should get pascal to clean up his damn mess. feels like that'd be adequate punishment for his fuckheadery
>>
No. 897563 ID: 95e220

Liking blondes isn't a curse, Pascal, but being saddled with vampirism is.

You owe us big time.
>>
No. 897564 ID: 2e3701

Oh boy. Why is your name shit, now? Also get off him. If he tries to run or anything stupid you can catch him no problem.

Beer is a good idea, too. Take his beer.
>>
No. 897565 ID: a62974

Take pity on him or something, get him clean or whatever, this is too sad to watch
>>
No. 897567 ID: a62780

>>897557
Well this throws the plans for the rest of your life out the window, can't really go out in a blaze of righteous anger against this guy if he just sort of rolls over and dies.

Hell, I'm starting to suspect this is actually some sort of assisted suicide scheme.
>>
No. 897568 ID: d887c0

>>897557
He called you shit. Take his beer and punch him in the face.

The monster you've been hunting is just some shitty, little runt with no standing. He didn't turn you for some grand scheme or sick, twisted joke, but because he's a completely and utter fuck up who doesn't know when to stop sucking.

You could and probably should kill him. It won't be as satisfying as you had hoped, but at least it'd be done. But then what? Walk outside and wait for the dawn? Try to make the most out of your unlife?

You've spent so long hunting that you've never given any thought to the aftermath. Now your prey lays before you, disappointing and practically begging you to kill him.

You could keep him alive and force him to be your servant. Being your personal, immortal pain toy around sounds like some good vengeance.
>>
No. 897570 ID: 5402ba

you need a drink too to deal with this. but seriously, guys, there's not much point in killing him
>>
No. 897573 ID: bd5c42

I agree that there's not much point in killing him. It would feel too...pathetic.
>>
No. 897580 ID: ff82d2

Proclaim that you're his new master. Ricardo the First of the Deadbeat family, heir to the throne of the Whateverland. And that his life belongs to you, whether you decide to kill him now or later.
>>
No. 897584 ID: bb78f2

>>897557
Slap his shit. He doesn't have the right to smile.

Goddamn fool is ruining this.
No, fuck it, we're killing your sire now. We blame her more now. You're not worth the time. If we're your trash, and you're her trash, then we're also her trash.

We're killing your sire. We'll figure out what to do with you if we succeed and both live.

First, you're training us that training you didn't do. Then you're telling me her weaknesses so we have a shot at this. I don't care if its been 70 years.

If you refuse, then you're of no use to us, and you knows what that means. If you agree, maybe you can find some way to kill us before we do the suicide mission.

Welcome to House Ricardo, new rising star of the Vampire Underground. I refuse to be refuse. I will be my OWN Dracula.
>>
No. 897618 ID: 2ff745

Yep, let's roll all these ideas up into one big one: take his beer, slap him, tell him you're his master now and that he has to train you like he was supposed to from the beginning, and then we're using that training to kill his sire. Sounds like a plan to me!
>>
No. 897622 ID: dbf422

He can fuck right off. Just because he's shit doesn't give him the right to call you shit. You haven't fucked up and embarrassed yourself or hid like a coward. Hell, not like you care about standing, but offing him could net you some. He's nothing but he has notoriety of a sort and he did break a law, that's not nothing.

Instead of insulting you for ignorance he explicitly was the cause of, he should be doing anything to make his life worth your while.
>>
No. 897630 ID: 0d6acf

Good gosh golly he is cute though
>>
No. 897652 ID: 8b438a

LET'S HAVE A BEER
>>
No. 897665 ID: a94e23

Okay, he works for us now till the day he dies.
No, he isn’t getting paid for it.
If he stops or refuses then you kill him.
That should start him on the path to making up for his shit since killing a shitbag like him ain’t gonna be satisfying in the slightest.
>>
No. 897695 ID: 7f3fc1

First, Get a drink, Second, Get a drink, Third, Get a Goddamn drink your life is and always has been a lie.
>>
No. 897738 ID: 270774
File 153461051915.png - (152.43KB , 800x525 , 19.png )
897738

Ricardo pries the beer from Pascal’s hand and drains it.

“Hey--” Pascal begins, and Ricardo crumples the can in one hand, drops it, and slaps him.

He’s expecting to to send Pascal tumbling across the room - he’s put other men through walls before. Instead, his head just snaps sharply to the side. Ricardo’s hand stings. The surprise isn’t enough to throw him off, though.
>>
No. 897739 ID: 270774
File 153461053986.png - (116.46KB , 800x525 , 20.png )
897739

“You don’t get to talk about curses with a smile on your face,” he snarls. Pascal doesn’t lift his head. “You think you’re cursed? You’re the one who cursed me. For fucking eternity.

He stands up. His shoulders are tight, every muscle in his body flexed into angular tension. “There’s not even any point in killing you. Even though the way you’re acting makes me think you want me to. But you owe me. You owe me an entire lifetime, and a death. So that’s what I’m taking.”

Pascal still hasn’t moved. Ricardo wonders if maybe the blow did more damage than it seemed, but it doesn’t matter to him. “My name is Ricardo, and you’re mine now. Forever. You’re going to teach me everything you should have from the beginning.”
>>
No. 897740 ID: 270774
File 153461055942.png - (159.79KB , 800x525 , 21.png )
897740

“And then,” Ricardo breathes, “when I have the strength I deserve, which is the only fucking thing that could be any use to me in this life, I’m going to use it to kill your sire. And if we survive that-”

Pascal is upright. There was no transitional movement that Ricardo could track - he was sitting on the floor, and then he’s suddenly standing. His leg swings in a black blur and Ricardo bounces off the floor like a tennis ball.

He hits the wall hard enough that the drywall cracks. All the wind is forced from his obsolete lungs. His head is ringing.
>>
No. 897741 ID: 270774
File 153461058701.png - (102.03KB , 800x525 , 22.png )
897741

“I want to be angry at you,” Pascal says. Beer cans are rolling away from his feet. The air pressure in the room, somehow, is increasing - until Ricardo’s ears pop and the ringing stops. “I want to be angry, for you to threaten my house and my master, and in such crude language.”

The ends of his hair lift slightly, even in the absence of any breeze. He wets his teeth. “But I see now it would be like getting angry at a dog that pisses on the floor. You’ll kill my sire? I should be angry on the Lord Marquess’ behalf? For what? What threat are you?”

He takes a step forward, one thumb hooked loosely in his waistband. “You want to threaten me with ‘forever?’ You think to threaten me with time?” Pascal tilts his head back. There’s an easy sway to his posture. “You don’t know what time is.”
>>
No. 897742 ID: 270774
File 153461062126.png - (171.30KB , 800x525 , 23.png )
897742

Ricardo struggles to his feet. Pascal’s leg moves again, one graceful arc, and when the underside of his ankle connects with Ricardo’s shoulder he hits the floor again. “Do you think I’m old?” Pascal asks, lightly. “I was born in 1771. The Lord Marquess blessed me when I was twenty. Now I am two hundred and forty-seven. Is this old to you?”

Ricardo wheezes, furious at himself. He doesn’t know what’s worse - that this could have been some kind of act that he fell for, or that Pascal’s own assessment of his strength was genuine - that the vampires he’s dealt with until now, all unaffiliated with the great houses, were the tip of an iceberg. Pascal continues, unbothered, as he pushes himself up on straining arms. “And how old are you, eh? Idiot boy, with eyes not even red yet? Stupid ill-mannered boy with brain of dog? Twenty-five? Thirty? What does it matter? Numbers so small mean nothing to me.”

Pascal squats down on his haunches, to put himself at Ricardo’s level. “And how long has it been since I sired you? A year?”

“Five,” Ricardo rasps. Even when he couldn’t manage to reply to anything else, this he can’t let go. “Five years.”

“Five years,” Pascal echoes. “Was it hard? Did it feel long? Is five years a long time?”


Pascal’s hand sinks into Ricardo’s hair and rips his head back. His nails are long. “I slept through most of it.”

He laughs, and this time it’s not like his laughter before - nothing nervous or even genuine. This is hard and inhuman and tilted towards anger. “And you threaten me with forever? You think I will be yours forever? You overestimate yourself and you underestimate eternity. Idiot boy. In twenty years, you will be tired of being angry at me. And in forty years, if you still think of this as a curse, if you still hate what you are, your mind will go soft. I see it happen a thousand times. And yet you tell me you’ll care to hate me for eternity?”

Pascal leans down, tilting his head. His breath is cold against Ricardo’s mouth as he considers him, eyes lidded and dull. “I know vampires who are five thousand years old. Do you think they suffer? Does this horrify you?”

His hand suddenly shoves backwards, pulling Ricardo’s head further back, his neck curved in a wide arch. The snarl on his face is doglike. “They live in PALACES, you stupid fucking infant.” The windowpane closest to him creaks and then cracks. “They are waited on by vampires ten times my age, and those vampires are waited on by ones five times my age. You think they are burdened?
>>
No. 897743 ID: 270774
File 153461065963.png - (100.19KB , 800x525 , 24.png )
897743

His free hand comes to grip Ricardo’s chin. “It’s because you think like a human. I know. You think you are a human to whom something awful has happened. You think you are a human with bad luck.” His voice is dropping, now, though it isn’t softening. “Shall I tell you what a nuisance I was to my sire, when I was your age? Because I thought I was a human with teeth?”

The backs of his eyes reflect light like an animal caught in camera flash. “I wouldn’t feed. Every time he hunt for me, I wept. He had to pry my jaws, to make me drink. He did this because he loved me. And for what? Why did I act so ungrateful to him, do you think?” His head tilts a little further, hair tumbling into his eyes. “Because I was stupid infant who still felt human. Because I thought he had cursed me. I cried and I wept and I tell him I would rather die than live like this. And do you know what my Lord Marquess said to me?”

His nails dig into Ricardo’s skin. “Then go die.” He leans closer, the tip of his nose tracing Ricardo’s jaw, up to his ear. “A vampire without desires is a corpse. A vampire who does not want to live is a corpse. You hate me? You hate what I have done? Then lay in the dirt, like the corpse you are, and die.”
>>
No. 897744 ID: ff82d2

This is your chance. Punch him with all your might. The difference in strength can't be this large.
>>
No. 897745 ID: 6245ba

ugh, fuck this dude. if he's so much smarter and better than you, then why did he spook and run away from his responsibilities?
"oh, i'm a ~big old vampire~ and i can't even deal with having accidentally sired a vampire~" so stupid.

is he going to take responsibility now? or is he just going to go on about how you're a stupid baby and you know nothing (which, again, is his fucking fault)?
>>
No. 897746 ID: aedfd9

moan sensuously
>>
No. 897747 ID: 65a882

then why didn't he just die? would have saved us a lot of trouble
>>
No. 897749 ID: ddc815

no, seriously, batista-bomb this fool
>>
No. 897750 ID: 0d6acf

Forget punching him, headbutt him in the nose!
If you're going to get beat up anyhow, may as well make use of the close quarters.

He's mocking you, but there is no shame in your youth and recent mortality.
>>
No. 897756 ID: 830ac8

>>897749
actually looking attractive about now.
>>
No. 897758 ID: d887c0

>>897743
What? He wants us to turn around and say "thanks for turning me into a bloodsucking parasite"? "Thanks for dragging me unwillingly into a damn nightmare?" "Thanks for rudely forcing unlife onto my unwilling corpse?"
He wants us to abandon our humanity? Look forward to an eternity of listless, aimless indulgence while the world just keeps in grinding by? To enjoy this shit?
Fuck him. Fuck him and his sire and his entire undead race of parasites.
Even if we should live to see 50,000 years, we will never forget this. If anyone has a right to espouse the lasting power of hate, it's us.
>>
No. 897759 ID: dbf422

>>897745
This and more.

Though it is nice to finally see the person you were expecting. The villain you needed. A different type to be sure; but he's got monologues, contempt, and strength enough to hate him for. Maybe you aren't hot shit, and maybe you need to learn that quick, but he doesn't deserve all that pride.
>>
No. 897760 ID: a62780

>>897743
This might be time to have a good chuckle: There he is, finally, there's the guy you came here to confront. This is what you were ready to deal with.

Screw you Pascal. Sure you might be right; I'm young and don't have any proper perspective on this vampire stuff, I can thank you for making sure of that.

But that doesn't mean I am wrong; You do owe me. I didn't need to go through the last 5 years alone, looked down on by anyone that could have helped, because you fucked up then ran.

I might have gotten carried away there and I might have come here expecting to die, but you look me in the eye and tell me I'm a corpse.
>>
No. 897763 ID: 2ff745

On one hand, I feel like we should learn our lesson about trying to hit him. On the other hand, I don't think he'll kill us, and it might be a good idea to figure out exactly how much trouble we're in. So yeah, try punching him again, as long as he's putting himself in point blank range.

>>897745
Also, ditto on this. It's his fault we don't know any of this stuff, so he doesn't get to mock us for it.
>>
No. 897770 ID: bd5c42

Oh, fuck this. Are you supposed to thank him for abandoning you to an eternity of nothing and nobody because he couldn't be assed to stick around? He has no right to chide you about immaturity for how irresponsible he's been.
>>
No. 897775 ID: bb78f2

>>897743
You think not drinking blood and being able to die is what makes human's human? You telling yourself you're not human anymore? I'm not human. That's dumb. It's that fucking pride to call yourself something else that makes me think you're not human, and it's infectious. From your sire, to you, to me. Old me wouldn't have tried making a slave out of you just there. Old me would have respected someone so wirey as a person.

All that immortal wisdom should have told you not to leave your cute blonde snack on the floor. 200 or more hundred years couldn't stop you from breaking one of the biggest mosquito taboo's imaginable. All that power and experience you just showed me won't make you a less of a deadbeat.
>>
No. 897776 ID: 2e3701

Summon what anger you have left and spit in his face. Point out that it's his fault you don't know shit.

Ignore inexplicable boner.
>>
No. 897779 ID: 7f3fc1

Fucking finally, no more kinda sad pretty boy! Real villain time.
>>
No. 897786 ID: 914f96

Shake yourself out of his grip and stand up. He’s the pathetic one here, still loyal to and pining after a master who’d abandoned him & unable to take responsibility for his actions. And he’s mocking us?
>>
No. 897789 ID: f0088f

ricardo i have a suggestion: moan a lil bit. just a tiny little
>>
No. 897792 ID: 71cd8c

you are way out of your depth here. here’s the guy you wanted to fight, but now... now there’s no way, right? like holy shit. he’s so much stronger and faster and better than you.

maybe you do want to be taken under his wing. maybe a bit.
>>
No. 897824 ID: ec59ef

you have your desires, and those are to kill him for taking your human life away from you. you didn't GET anyone looking after you, hunting for you, feeding you! you had to go through all of that yourself! how DARE he act like he understands just because he got yelled at for being an ungrateful little shit?

spit in his face.
>>
No. 897892 ID: 270774
File 153465523477.png - (172.58KB , 800x525 , 25.png )
897892

Pascal’s hand tightening in his hair drags a low, involuntary groan from Ricardo’s throat, and he really wishes it hadn’t. He decides to do the first thing that comes naturally to him, which is to ignore his inexplicable boner and spit in Pascal’s face.

This was a mistake, because Pascal just raises his eyebrows. He reaches up to wipe it off with his fingertips, slow, and then the same fingers smear their way down Ricardo’s snarling lips. He pries Ricardo’s mouth open, his thumb firm and slick against one of his lower fangs, and spits into his mouth in retaliation.

Ricardo is trying really, really, really hard to ignore his inexplicable boner, but circumstances are bleak.
>>
No. 897893 ID: 270774
File 153465525959.png - (92.59KB , 800x525 , 26.png )
897893

He needs to think of something to do, fast, so he punches Pascal in the gut as hard as he can. Pascal gasps, his head dropping onto Ricardo’s shoulder, but doesn’t release him, so Ricardo shoves him back and headbutts him in the face. This, finally, elicits a satisfying crunch and a lapse in his grip, enough for Ricardo to shake him off. “Why didn’t you just die, then?” Ricardo pants. “Would’ve saved me a hell of a lot of trouble.”

He realizes, with his consciousness somehow lagging behind his face, that he’s grinning. That doesn’t make any more sense than the erection. But he guesses that this is sort of a relief - to find that Pascal does have some fire left in him, despite all appearances. That he comes from something. That this wasn’t a complete and total waste of time.

Pascal is straightening out his broken nose with his fingers, getting it to set in place as it heals on the spot under his touch. “I wanted to,” he snaps back. “But of course he wouldn’t let me. I was monitored, always. In one room for five years, until he no longer had to force me to eat. And then always within the castle for the next five, until he knew I wouldn’t try to run, and then I could hunt for myself.”

What Pascal is describing is hell, and Ricardo knows he never would have wanted it. Still, somehow, absurdly, it makes him angry. To have to listen to him so casually describe the kind of guidance and structure that was never even on the table for him, twisted as it might be. The smile drops.

“Hey,” says Pascal. He sniffs and wipes blood off on the back of his hand as his nose finishes knitting back into place. “Why can’t you hurt me?”
>>
No. 897894 ID: 270774
File 153465529094.png - (108.42KB , 800x525 , 27.png )
897894

Honestly, that’s what Ricardo wants to know, too. He just glares in response.

“I mean it,” Pascal says, insistently. He steps forward, quickly, and suddenly his hands are moving up Ricardo’s abdomen, firm and inquisitive. “I broke bones?”

Ricardo hisses when his touch sends shooting pains up his ribs and tries to shove him away, but Pascal deflects his hands, brow furrowed in concentration. Ricardo thinks about baseball as hard as he can. “Why have they not healed yet? And when you hit me, just now, that should have gone through my guts. BAM, like that, and come out the other side. I was prepared for that.”

Again, as he has been over and over again in this short span of time, Ricardo is thrown off by Pascal’s sudden change in tone. “And earlier, I should not have been able to kick you around so much,” Pascal continues. He’s almost mumbling to himself more than speaking to Ricardo. “I was upset. I didn’t think to stop, even though it was strange. What’s the matter with you? Are you sick? When’s the last time you ate?” He grabs Ricardo’s wrist, sniffs at it, then wrinkles his nose and recoils. “And what have you been eating?”

Ricardo snatches his hand away. “I don’t know. A week ago. What does it matter? I don’t hunt until the hunger is distracting. I’ve been too busy. Busy hunting you, not that it’s done me any damn good.” The pain accompanying his inhales is slowly ebbing, a much more gradual change than the nearly instant renewal of Pascal’s broken nose. “And I have whoever I can find. Vagrants, usually. Other drifters.”

Pascal makes a face, halfway between disgust and horror, and Ricardo lets out a shapeless noise of frustration. “If you’re thinking about shitting on me for it, don’t fucking bother. It’s your fault I don’t know how to live like this. I figured everything out my damn self. I’m not gonna listen to you belittle me for the results of your own failures.”
>>
No. 897895 ID: 270774
File 153465530621.png - (98.01KB , 800x525 , 28.png )
897895

The other blinks, then sighs, plopping back down onto the floor. Ricardo stays standing. “Well, you’re right,” Pascal admits, though his tone doesn’t sound particularly apologetic. “Ugh. But you have a talent for making me lose my temper. I’m not so cute when I’m angry, so I try to be more easygoing.”

“I don’t care about that.” Ricardo crosses his arms. “Are you gonna take responsibility for it? Or are you just gonna keep trying to make me feel stupid over shit that’s all on you?”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Pascal snaps back. “I cannot train you now, knowing what you intend with it. Not only because it is betrayal, but because it is ridiculous. I am not the Marquess’ only ward. He has over sixty. And I am of the weakest! I was only chosen for my superstar beauty, you know!”

Pascal begins counting off the obstacles on his fingers. “And even if you became strong enough to get past my covenmates - and this is so unlikely - then what? I tell you already. My master would take one look at you, and see that I have not learned any better about men like you, and he would--”

Pascal’s eyes widen a little, and his voice trails off, the remnants of the sentence slowing down as he distractedly completes it. “He would…. take my head off…”

He presses his fingers to his lips, back to mumbling in a way that seems far more like thinking aloud than making conversation. “It’s true. This would be so horrible that certainly he would be angry enough to see me himself, even if only to punish me… maybe he would kill me. No, to bring this awful boy, acting this way? Certainly he would kill me. But if it were by his hand… and at least I would get to see him one more time…”
>>
No. 897897 ID: 270774
File 153465533715.png - (101.79KB , 800x525 , 29.png )
897897

Suddenly Pascal turns back to him, his expression sunny. “Yes, okay! You are my master now!”

“...What?”

“I revoke the house of Bathory and betray my lord! From now on, I am devoted only to …. ah…. euuuhhhh.” Pascal pauses, tapping his fingertips together. “What was your name, again?”

“......... Ricardo.”

“Yes! Oh, yes, okay. Yes, I belong to Ricardo now!” Pascal nods, one animated bounce of his head, with an air of immense finality. “We’ll make you huge and very strong! And I’ll do anything you like, okay?”
>>
No. 897898 ID: 8b438a

well that certainly went a way. can we have another fucking drink
>>
No. 897904 ID: bd5c42

I second the drink. Strongly.
>>
No. 897909 ID: 2e3701

That’s suspicious. Articulate your suspicions. Also ask what you’re supposed to get out of being his master, like he just said, his only above average trait is his looks.
>>
No. 897911 ID: 5b8b2e

how hard is ricardo scale of 1-10
>>
No. 897914 ID: d887c0

>>897897
...Leave.
Dump his stupid ass and get on with your unlife. You aren't going to be his assistant for suicide by sire. This has all been a tremendous waste of time and energy.
Maybe you can start some sort of club or union for disenfranchised fledglings. Give the unfortunate newly undead the help you never received. Raise a kinder, gentler generation of nightwalkers. All done in the name of spiting your sire and grandsire, of course.
>>
No. 897917 ID: 270774

>>897911
we're sitting at a pretty brutal 8.5
>>
No. 897918 ID: ff82d2

>We’ll make you huge
Tell him to get on his knees and start the succ then. That would definitely make you huge.
>>
No. 897919 ID: 2e3701

>>897917
Dayum. With this kind of vampire does that still mean blood flow and how sensitive are vampires to blood

(Can pascal smell his boner)
>>
No. 897920 ID: 270774

>>897919
blood flow yes, detectable by smell no. (if you have additional undead boner logistics questions they can go to disthread, i just answered the first one here bc i figured it might impact decisionmaking.)
>>
No. 897927 ID: bb78f2

>>897897
Can I have food, for one? Drinkings nice and all, but goddamn do does a steak sound nice. Even if its a work around. Dribble some human blood on it, hopefully we can still enjoy flavor if cooked well.

Also bath I guess. If we stink, we stink.

I'll also be honest, I HAVE been thinking of finding some white collar criminals to munch on. Any hypno tricks we can work?

Also to clarify on Pascal's infury confusion earlier, did he and his sire ever fight like that? Might be a Sire-childe thing no one really knows about or understands because a fight's rare.
>>
No. 897932 ID: 6245ba

...well, this whole day has been a rollercoaster. let's definitely get another drink, and then make this shitty little man get you some decent food so you're not so weak anymore.
he's about as predictable as uh, something that is very unpredictable, so you don't want to get kicked around like a sackdoll if he changes his mind yet again
>>
No. 897934 ID: 914f96

What do you remember about the night that made you a vampire? You’re pretty sure whatever first drew you to Pascal hasn’t changed
>>
No. 897935 ID: dbf422

I mean, I was sure that the assault on the Marquis was just a bout of megalomania. But even if you don't really care about it, if he helps you get stronger you can just dump his ass and do whatever you want eventually. Don't need to commit to helping him commit suicide and probably betraying you last second. You were going to use him anyway, just hold off on deciding what he's going to be used for.
>>
No. 897942 ID: f0088f

you want something to eat or drink. or both. changes his mind fast, yes? what happened to you'd get killed, it was a useless mission? what do /you/ get out of this.
>>
No. 897945 ID: aedfd9

Decline. This is just about the least trustworthy thing he could say. Stay here for the night to patch up your wounds, and leave tomorrow to strike out on your own - unless he can convince you otherwise. Maybe via that boner.
>>
No. 897953 ID: a02c00

"Why should I accept you as mine?"
>>
No. 897968 ID: 2ff745

I'm assuming we overheard everything he was just muttering to himself about his sire, so . . . alright, his priorities are completely messed up, and he definitely has a screw loose when it comes to his sire, but honestly this is the closest thing we're going to get to a proper upbringing as a vampire. We should accept, and we can always bail later if things get weird. Or weirder.

Gruffly demand a blowjob. You know, just to check if he's being serious about all this. Just checking.
>>
No. 898085 ID: 270774
File 153472810375.png - (98.50KB , 800x525 , 30.png )
898085

>unless he can convince you otherwise. Maybe via that boner.
>Gruffly demand a blowjob.
>Tell him to get on his knees and start the succ
>>
No. 898086 ID: 270774
File 153472811431.png - (169.72KB , 800x525 , 31.png )
898086

>UNLESS HE CAN CONVINCE YOU OTHERWISE. MAYBE VIA THAT BONER.
>GRUFFLY DEMAND A BLOWJOB.
>TELL HIM TO GET ON HIS KNEES AND START THE SUCC
>>
No. 898087 ID: 270774
File 153472812615.png - (163.66KB , 800x525 , 32.png )
898087

>͝UN͝L͘ES҉S H̀E ̸C̶AN͏ ̴CO̷N͞V͠I͢NCE ͠Y͠OU ̡OTHEŖWI͢SE͡. ̸MA̴Y̧B͘E V̧IA ̛TH͢AT̶ ̨B̵ON͘ER̴.͝
>́̀>̡̕͝GRŲ͡F͏̵F̡҉L͠Y̛͘ ̧D͠E̴̵M҉͡A͜͠N҉D͠ ̸Ą̕ ̴BL̡͠Ó͘͢W͏̡J͏͡Ơ̶͟B̸.̛
>̨͖̫̯̖͕̟̫͝͞>̖̺͚͖̠̯̭̖́T̵̨͈͈͍E̵͕̗̻̣̭L̶̛͙͇͕̤͓͓̰̣͞L̖̙ͅ ̢̼̰̭̞͟H̢̡̳̼̥͍̞̪̗͍̤̕I̵̬̥̘͎̼̥͓̗M̝͖͎̖͔͕̣̟ ̢̮̯͓͖̮͟͟T͞͏̬̱̟ͅO̬̗̦̜̕ ͓͚͉͡G̬͢͠E͈̭̠̺͉T̢̰̺͕͉́ ̶̧̫̻̟͚̘̩͘ͅO̢̗̮̞N̶̠̪̱̜̲̫̮͘ ̸̲̼́͘Ḩ̵̛̱ͅÍ̢̗͈̲̻͎̬̱̘̩S͈̥̞̣͖̪ ̴̲̻K̰̀͟͟N͈̹͕̥̦̺E̷̢̦̳̭̗͎͞E̬͖͇S̡̜̥͇̝̜͎̕͠ ̕҉̞͕A̧҉̪̮̻̀N̢̧͙̙̞̰̩͍̙Ḑ̱̻̳̦̟̙̕ ̛҉̣̞̹̦͈͈̝̪͚Ś̷̘̲͚̲̗̖̣̦̦T͈̝̩̺̘̳̹͎̀͜ͅA̵̖ͅR̢͔̜̫͞T̢͝͏͈ ̢̙̝̱̫̘͚̣ͅT̮̬͔̪̺ͅH̶̦̯̖E̢̗̘̝̝̘̯͉͡ ̺͔͝Ṣ̷̩̲̮̻̣̖́͞U̩̳̣͟͢͠C҉̝͎͜C̷̜̠̤ͅ
>>
No. 898088 ID: d887c0

>>898087
Don't look at me. I didn't suggest it.
>>
No. 898093 ID: 51d5a1

You heard nothing, just ask the men to clean his damn house.
>>
No. 898096 ID: c1be4a

Gruffly demand but in like a consent way for the dikk 2 be succ
>>
No. 898098 ID: 0d6acf

Guess you're going to be learning a little something about desire, here. ;^)

Congrats on convincing him to help you! Remember that though the offer itself seems sincere, Pascal probably wouldn't make this decision if he wasn't confident he could retain control of the situation in some way.

If you choose this path as well, you will be spending a lot of time with this beautiful vampire.

Check in with your emotions for a sec before listening to your dick. Giving yourself some time to process the shift in tone might be important.
>>
No. 898099 ID: 270774
File 153473515464.png - (117.80KB , 800x525 , 33.png )
898099

“Ricardo,” says Pascal.

Ricardo blinks back to awareness. “What.”

“You looked like you were dying.” Pascal looks a little amused. Ricardo shakes off the last of his distraction and tries to focus.

“I don't trust you,” he grumbles. “What's in it for you? No, you know what, I don't care. Maybe you really do just see it as a suicide mission, and that makes no difference to me. But what's in it for me? Why should I accept you as mine?”

Pascal kicks back on the floor, scooting back until he’s leaning against his bed, and rolls his eyes. “Just a moment ago, you are giving me your grand speech, of ‘Oh, Pascal, you are mine now, I am your master, forever,’ and now you stand here and say ‘Why should you be mine?’” He blows a bit of hair out of his own face, with a noise that’s almost a snort. “You make no sense.”

“You just told me you have nothing going for you but your looks,” Ricardo points out. “How am I supposed to benefit from that?”
>>
No. 898100 ID: 270774
File 153473519572.png - (86.49KB , 800x525 , 34.png )
898100

Pascal flicks his gaze up to him again, dull and exasperated under heavy lashes. “Are you stupid?”

“No,” Ricardo replies, instinctively, but Pascal is already barreling on.

“You must be stupid. I cannot even say you are dog-brained, because even a dog knows how to fuck.” Pascal props his chin up on his hand, sighing. “And it must be terrible for you, right? You’re only a few years turned. Even if you are only feeding once a week, afterwards you are probably feeling tormented. Maybe this is why you are always making such a horrible face.”

“I’m not making a horrible face,” Ricardo protests, but more than anything he’s unnerved by the fact that somehow Pascal has accurately pinpointed an issue he has been having and resolutely ignoring for the past five years. Feeding comes with an intense period of … distraction, afterwards.

“You make horrible faces,” Pascal insists. “And you are so ill-tempered, and I bet it’s because you are not taking care of it. When is the last time you had sex?”

“None of your fucking business.”

“When,” Pascal repeats, and somehow Ricardo can tell he’s not going to drop it. He exhales, loud and rough, and stares out the cracked window.

“Ten years.”

“Well, you see, no wonder y-” Pascal stumbles over his own words and does a double take. ”What?!”
>>
No. 898101 ID: 270774
File 153473522043.png - (82.10KB , 800x525 , 35.png )
898101

This is not a fucking conversation Ricardo wants to be having. “You heard me.”

Pascal is gesturing wildly. “I cannot understand how you have lived this whole time as a vampire and not done anything for it! You will go mad!”

“I don’t -” Ricardo doesn’t understand why he’s even gracing this with a response, but Pascal has a kind of frenetic pace that’s difficult not to be caught up in. “I’ve been busy. And focused. On you, again, I’ll remind you. Besides, I don’t have to have sex to - to take care of it, my hand is just as good-”

“With that awful photo?!” Pascal shrieks. “That photograph where I look so terrible?!”

“I TOLD YOU IT ISN’T THAT BAD!” Ricardo roars back - and then he catches himself. “And I didn’t say I did it to the photo! Christ!”

“But - wait. Wait. I am not understanding this.” Pascal holds both hands out, as if he’s trying to bring the conversation to a screeching halt, but at the same time he’s the only one barreling forward. “But if I am doing this math, and I turn you, euuhhhhh, what, a year ago-”

“Five years,” Ricardo snarls.

“Five years, yes, fine, it is the same thing - five years, yes, then that means for five more years while you were a human you were also doing no fucking! None!” Pascal sounds scandalized. “You were going to die! Did you have no sense of urgency?! You’re so handsome! It doesn’t matter that your personality is bad! It is easy for you! What’s the matter with you? What were you doing the whole time, huh?”
>>
No. 898103 ID: 5b8b2e

aw, he thinks you're handsome!!!
>>
No. 898105 ID: b54723

you were jacking it off, duh. That's what you've been doing.

What, is Pascal going to try to prove that having sex is better than jacking off? Is he?
>>
No. 898109 ID: 51d5a1

That's turning into a comedy show. Time to go back to home or a bar before everyone gets horny.
>>
No. 898110 ID: 70df1e

taxes you were doing taxes and it sucked
>>
No. 898112 ID: d887c0

>>898101
Firstly, yes! He was going to die - eventually! He was mortal! Unlike vampires, they don't have a glut of time to fritter away on meaningless indulgence.

Secondly, he was living his life. Doing normal, human things for normal, human reasons with normal, human problems. So, again, thanks for fucking that up, Pascal.

Thirdly, keep your backhanded compliments to yourself, you goddamn, piece of shit twink. If you don't like his personality, then fuck off. He wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you.

Fourth and finally, his sex life is none of your fucking concern. He could be asexual for all you know. How dare you judge Ricardo while you lay here in squalor, touching yourself to memories of your former master force-feeding you his undead dick?
>>
No. 898114 ID: aedfd9

Say something stupid and in denial like "I've never jacked it to your photo" or "I'm not horny for you right now" or "please don't try to have sex with me, I love being an edgy intense loner who's not horny all the time"
>>
No. 898117 ID: bb78f2

>>898101
Man, we had work to do. Bills to pay. Your human years were't even IN a recession period, hell it probably wasn't even in America. You're from before the 9 to 5 work week, hell you're from before even the Great Depression. You probably can't even get your head around how computer's work.

We couldn't figure out a budget, let alone a sex life.

What do you do for a living Pascal? What pays your rent? Being disowned, I bet you don't get an allowance from your vamp daddy.
>>
No. 898124 ID: d887c0

>>898117
>I bet you don't get an allowance from your vamp daddy.
Blood sugar daddy cut him off!
>>
No. 898127 ID: 8da8a1

"Uhm... stuff?"
>>
No. 898129 ID: 343e2d

See if telling him you prefer making love to come with love will freak him out, particularly if it's true.
>>
No. 898132 ID: c1eaac

"...I was busy."
>>
No. 898135 ID: 31eb45

Ignoring his question entirely, let's consider what potential use a disgraced art-piece of a sire is.

Assuming that we haven't exited any kind of critical developmental period these past five years, we can probably get some basic improvement to our understanding of abilities, ideally including any aspects or applications we haven't been able to figure out on our own. He can also probably give us a better idea of how feeding correlates with strength, in terms of frequency, volume, quality, etc.

His contacts are presumably mostly cold at this point, but he's probably got at least some stale information. His response when we initially found didn't make it seem like finding a new place to stay would have been a hurdle in and of itself, even if he didn't get around to it, which implies that either he's got someone or multiple someones who he can still rely to bring business to, or he's got some way to cheat in that regard, which in turn means we might have access to something like that as well, which could be useful.

It's also possible that making a show of Pascal picking us back up after abandoning us might be enough to repair one or two relationships, which could get us ins with other vampires that we might be able to leverage into further training or access to some kind of resource. Information about, like, anything else freaky besides vampires existing in general would also be something he could potentially give us, assuming he has it.

Even including all of that, he seems more like a liability than an asset. He can't be trusted to reliably act on orders or in our best interest, which means he doesn't have much value even as just a second body to do things with. I have to agree with a previous thought of ours, that once we've gotten past this wall of a first encounter and drilled him for the basics and any leads we can get, leaving him behind, and possibly even trying to evade him if he follows, maybe obscuring our descent from him if we can figure out how, seems like the most reasonable course of action.
>>
No. 898142 ID: dbf422

You're picky, sue you! Just because you could've had sex didn't mean you wanted to just have sex.
>>
No. 898145 ID: ff82d2

No wonder Ricardo is so strong. His balls are about to burst! Wait, that shouldn't make any sense.

Anyway, Ricardo shouldn't give in yet. He wouldn't make a good Tsundere if he already did it on the first meeting.

Tell Pascal that after you ex left you that you had problems with relationships and that it's none of his business and it's not like he can do anything about it. Speaking of exes, shouldn't you get angry over how Pascal is fine with dying just to see his ex- I mean, his sire again? Is Pascal already cheating on you? You should totally be jealous right now. Also, ask him what's so special about his ex that Pascal would do all of this.
>>
No. 898147 ID: a62780

>>898101
Reasons! Then a whole new one happened about 5 years ago.
>>
No. 898155 ID: f0088f

i've done taxes and i've picked up wood whittling. i've never fucked in my whole life i've never been hornay is that how you say it all i have is a grudge and a small collection of wooden elephants i've whittled
>>
No. 898161 ID: 49500f

ive been abstinent as a test of strength. im building my endurance
>>
No. 898172 ID: 270774
File 153479018008.png - (92.53KB , 800x525 , 36.png )
898172

Ricardo hadn’t really thought about why the past few years of his life (his actual life, the human one) had been a dry spell, and despite how ludicrous this interrogation was he finds himself actually considering it.

Why…?
>>
No. 898173 ID: 270774
File 153479019481.png - (68.24KB , 800x525 , 37.png )
898173

“You know, I think we should see other people.”

“What? Why?”

“Uh… you know, this has been fun and everything, and you’re a great guy, but I just don’t think we’re... compatible, okay?”

>>
No. 898174 ID: 270774
File 153479022680.png - (109.33KB , 800x525 , 38.png )
898174

“Maybe we can swap numbers and do this again sometime.”

“Uh - haha, um, no, that’s okay!”

>>
No. 898175 ID: 270774
File 153479024106.png - (95.58KB , 800x525 , 39.png )
898175

”What’s all this about? I thought everything was fine!”

“Ricardo, you’re bad in bed.”

>>
No. 898176 ID: 270774
File 153479025765.png - (116.16KB , 800x525 , 40.png )
898176

It’s no good. Ricardo has no idea. He can’t think of any reason in particular.
>>
No. 898177 ID: 270774
File 153479027621.png - (79.84KB , 800x525 , 41.png )
898177

“I was busy, okay?” he finally snaps.

Pascal is laying on the floor again, kicking his legs aimlessly. “With what?”

“I - stuff! Human stuff. Taxes, and work, and - and budgeting. Normal, human things. So thanks for fucking that up.”

“Wow, what a loss,” Pascal drones.

“Well, what have you been doing, huh?! How do you pay rent?”

Pascal blinks at him, bewildered. “Rent what? What would I rent?”

“You- but then how do you- you know what? You know what? Fuck it. Whatever.” Ricardo sits down on the floor as well, across from him, exhaling roughly as he hits the floor. “I still haven’t decided if we’re going ahead with this shit, alright? But for tonight, I need a fucking drink. And I’m starving.”

“Of course you are! Hungry boy.” Pascal scoots forward and pats Ricardo on the cheek, ignoring the scowl that the gesture pulls up. “But I am nearly out of beer, and of course we will need to go out for feeding. Maybe we hunt and then see a bar, hm?”

“Fine. I don’t give a shit.” Ricardo’s not sure what possesses him to say what he says next, nor is he sure why he hasn’t brushed Pascal’s hand away. The corner of his mouth quirks up, hostile and sarcastic. “In the meantime, you might as well make yourself useful and suck me off or something. S’long as you’re saying that’s all you’re good for, right?”
>>
No. 898181 ID: 270774
File 153479048468.png - (136.83KB , 800x525 , 42.png )
898181

“Okie dokie,” Pascal says. Ricardo chokes. Pascal’s suddenly halfway in his lap, pushing him backwards, his hands making short work of his belt. The room pitches forward like a braking car.

“Hey- hey, hang on--”

“Mm.” Pascal buries his face along the swell between Ricardo’s legs, and what little expression Ricardo can see through his hair is smug. “Hey, you have a nice reaction! To be this hard even when you’re so hungry.” Ricardo hears his zipper dropping and then Pascal’s mouth is open against the fabric, his tongue applying heavy pressure. Ricardo’s brain short-circuits entirely.
>>
No. 898182 ID: 270774
File 153479051098.png - (125.41KB , 800x525 , 43.png )
898182

He’s not sure how many seconds pass before he snaps out of it, but it was brief enough that Pascal hasn’t gotten under his briefs yet. His hand fists in the curls of the other’s hair and he yanks him off unceremoniously. The noise Pascal makes when he does this is not helping.

“It was a joke,” Ricardo hisses. His tone isn’t convincing and he knows it. The look Pascal is giving him through his lashes suggests that he feels the same way. “I was - checking. If you were serious about this shit. That’s all. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Your dick is even further ahead of me, though,” Pascal points out. Ricardo groans and drops him, eyebrows knitting as Pascal breaks out into a peal of giggles. “Whatever you say,” he sighs. He gets to his feet and pats Ricardo’s head absently. “You’re disgusting right now anyway. Go take a shower, or even humans will be able to smell you coming. Ehehehe.”


The bathroom is the only other room in the apartment, and Ricardo slams the door. It’s bigger than he expected from a place like this, with a wide counter clustered with Pascal’s belongings. It seems like he never bothered taking down the mirror over the sink, so it hangs there uselessly, reflecting nothing.
>>
No. 898183 ID: 270774
File 153479052534.png - (98.69KB , 800x525 , 44.png )
898183

Fuck. Shit. God DAMN it.
>>
No. 898184 ID: cfa068

jerk off in the shower because that's not going away buddy
>>
No. 898185 ID: 5b8b2e

agreed!! jack off so you can deal with pascal without dying
>>
No. 898186 ID: aedfd9

Punch the mirror and let pascal lick the blood off your knuckles
>>
No. 898187 ID: b4a294

beat that meat before you die dude
>>
No. 898188 ID: ff82d2

Check out Pascal's belongings.

...

Use them as you see fit.
>>
No. 898196 ID: d887c0

>>898183
Masturbating may be a good idea. You don't have to be proud of it, but you need to focus, and that undead slut is getting in your head. Flush him out.
Then, when that's taken care of: hurt yourself. Doesn't have to be much, but you need something to refocus.
Remember your loss. Remember your rage. Remember the cold of death and the emptiness of undeath. Dwell on the revolting immortality that little bastard forced on you. How he raped your soul and twisted it into something ugly and wrong.
Let hate be your sword and contempt your shield.
>>
No. 898201 ID: 29ccce

Don't beat yourself up over it. Snoop in Pascal's stuff to distract yourself. When that inevitably fails to work, jack off. You've gotta be clearheaded for the hunt later.
>>
No. 898202 ID: 4e48e8

orrr you could take a cold shower. I mean I'm just saying.
>>
No. 898203 ID: e3feb1

>>898186
>>
No. 898204 ID: b0b5d0
898204

Take a shower, sing show tunes loudly off-key in the shower, do not think about the cute twink in the next room and how much you wanted him to be someone else.
>>
No. 898207 ID: b443a2

shfkshfkhdkfbsmdbkdbd

it's okay, ricardo, it's okay! pascal will make you huge and very strong and good at fucking, and then when you're the fuck master you'll get back at him
>>
No. 898212 ID: 51d5a1

Take a shower and sing opera.
>>
No. 898222 ID: c1be4a

Attend the Hog
>>
No. 898231 ID: f0088f

rummage through his shit, his shampoos and if there's any, cabinets. you deserve to know what his hair smells like.

i know this is very out of character for me but: resist your hog. cold shower it, dog.
>>
No. 898234 ID: 0d6acf

Good to know! wow

Take some time to let the hot water soothe your muscles and wash the stink off. Jærk it, definitely,

and catch your breath.

Whatever 'distraction' after feeding means, this sexy vampire is going to be present this time. Getting a handle on yourself now is crucial to keeping your cool later. The night's just getting started
>>
No. 898236 ID: a62974

Swallow your pride and make Pascal teach you how to have good sex, it's a skill that could become handy later
>>
No. 898237 ID: 270774
File 153480980899.png - (72.88KB , 800x525 , 45.png )
898237

The only thing that can distract Ricardo from his full intention to mercilessly beat his meat into submission at first opportunity is his curiosity. Most of the items on the counter are just toiletries and cosmetics, things he doesn’t recognize or understand or care about, but there’s a varnished hardwood box sitting right in the center. It seems that it normally locks, but it’s so stuffed full that when the lid rests the box is still slightly ajar. Ricardo lifts the lid and finds it full of photographs and opened letters, the latter of which smell lightly of cologne.

Maybe this is a bad idea.
>>
No. 898238 ID: 194b7a

its almost definitely a bad idea.. do it anyway
>>
No. 898239 ID: f0088f

really bad idea. but those are probably sexy love letters, and those are full of information. do it anyway.
>>
No. 898240 ID: c1eaac

It's a great idea! Let's check out those photos.
>>
No. 898241 ID: a62780

>>898237
A terrible idea. So only indulge it a little bit; don't bother with the letters, check a photo though.
>>
No. 898242 ID: aedfd9

There's no way this is a bad idea. Read all of them and get lost in reveries.

...maybe beat your meat if they're sexts.
>>
No. 898243 ID: 8b438a

if they smell like cologne they are definitely love letters. god pascal it's 2018
>>
No. 898245 ID: bf1602

snort that cologne and firmly crank that fuckin hog
>>
No. 898246 ID: 5b8b2e

does the cologne smell like pascal???
>>
No. 898257 ID: 270774
File 153481809537.png - (97.76KB , 800x525 , 46.png )
898257

The photos are at the bottom of the box, and the edges are slightly soft from frequent handling, but well taken care of - the surfaces are still glossy and none of the corners are folded. Ricardo flips them over and reads the writing on the back of each one, but all of it is concise.


P&T, 1920.
>>
No. 898258 ID: 270774
File 153481810848.png - (123.80KB , 800x525 , 47.png )
898258

P&T Christmas 1937
>>
No. 898259 ID: 270774
File 153481812227.png - (102.55KB , 800x525 , 48.png )
898259

P&T NYE 1941
>>
No. 898262 ID: 270774
File 153481824623.png - (85.09KB , 800x525 , 49.png )
898262

Ricardo opens the letter on top of the stack. The cologne that wafts off it is masculine and spiced, nothing like Pascal’s scent. This, too, is soft from frequent folding and unfolding - one of the seams along which the letter’s sheets have been folded seems perilously thin on the first page, and he handles it carefully. It’s postmarked from New York City.

June 18 1926
Doll,
I miss you like hell but you know that already. I worry about you being on ships all the time. If you ever went down on one of those things you know I’d roll my pants up and wade out there myself, right on the ocean floor, and carry you back myself. One of these days I’m gonna learn to be a pilot and when you need to go back home I’ll fly you there the two of us, round trip special express.
Speaking of I’m sorry about that spat before you left. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I just lost my head when you told me you still weren’t meaning to tell him about us. I have to admit I just don’t understand it since I tell Jim everything, and if he ever tried to lord over me like that I’d knock him into next Tuesday, and we both know it. But I want to understand your point of view. Maybe someday I’d like to meet him, even if not as your man. I figure when you think so much of him he can’t be so bad.
Back home here everything’s going well with the boys. We’re running rings about the cops and business is booming. I know you still don’t understand it, but try to think of them like a coven, even if they’re human. To tell the truth I’ve been thinking about turning some of the ones most close to me, if they want it, but I have to ask Jim for advice first. Really the thing is I can’t stand the thought of losing some of them once they start asking questions about me not looking any older. Some of the boys are already making jokes about it lately and I don’t know what to do but to laugh along.
I know there’s more I meant to tell you but my thoughts just keep coming back to how much I miss you. I miss your laugh but I even miss the way you get mad and cry over nothing. Most of all I miss how you like to act tough but all it takes is a little bit of my hand to make you all shaky and--”


Ricardo abruptly decides to stop reading this one and flips through the rest. They’re all along the same lines, with no particularly outstanding information. There’s more than one mention of disagreements over a third person, but almost always these mentions are apologies for arguments - the letters are overwhelmingly affectionate.
>>
No. 898265 ID: 3443bd

CRANK your HOG
>>
No. 898269 ID: aedfd9

...Put them back. And maybe be a little nicer to Pascal, since he clearly has a rich inner life. God, Ricardo, why don't you have a nice boyfriend like that by now?
>>
No. 898271 ID: 29ccce

Hmm! The original photo you have of Pascal was dated 1942. Are any of the photos or letters in here dated in the same year or later than that? Also, when you put everything back, try to put it back the way it was when you found it.
>>
No. 898272 ID: f0088f

NYE 1941, huh? and in 1942 he was sad, gloomy and by himself.

try to put things back the way you found them instead of just shoving them back like i know you want to. ugh, now you HAVE to crank your hog.
>>
No. 898273 ID: d887c0

Ricardo, seriously, my dude. This is a bunch of bullshit you don't want or need. Just knock out the window turn into a bat and fly your dead ass out of here. No amount of freaky, pseudo-necrophilic butt-touching is worth this crap.
>>
No. 898274 ID: 8b438a

this might be the other blond american he was talking about, and he seems like a prick if they were constantly arguing. might be worth making a note of for later?
>>
No. 898275 ID: a62974

Forget sex-Talk to Pascal about his ex, maybe he could be of use if you want to learn more about the situation you and Pascal are now in
>>
No. 898277 ID: 4ac654

yo didnt pascal say he had a thing for/bad luck with blonds?? and arent you blond?? wait ooh my god. are you (one of) Pascal's rebound(s) after the Original Blond broke up with him???
>>
No. 898283 ID: bb78f2

Haha a foxy grandpa almost sucked you off
These really sell how old this dude is. Christ, you hear about vampires living forever and don't really believe or understand it, but once you see the b&w pictures you realize this guy could have easily had a love affair with your grandpa or even great grandpa.

Ahh, yeah, imagine it now. This tiny little dork and fucking 20's you, your grandpappy in his prime. Bonin' and groaning.
>>
No. 898286 ID: b0b5d0

Focus on unsexy thoughts as you get yourself clean. Scrub that intrusiveness away. Maybe consider how you might be able to give the kid a hug.
>>
No. 898312 ID: ff82d2

>no particularly outstanding information
What do you mean? Don't the letters include stuff on how Pascal likes to be touched? I think that's highly important to know. Yep, you should keep it in mind the next time you're dealing with him. Or yourself.
>>
No. 898355 ID: 2ff745

Man, have we seriously had the wrong impression of Pascal all these years just because we happened to get our hands on a photo where he was moping post-breakup? I wonder how different the hunt would have felt if we'd been referencing one of these instead.

Retain illicit information of Pascal's preferences from the letters, crank hog in shower.
>>
No. 898367 ID: 3b63d3

your meat is calling you. beaaaat your meeeaaaat
>>
No. 898380 ID: ee2d6e

>>898367
how can you have any pudding pascal if you don't beat your meat
>>
No. 898460 ID: bf1602

your HOG, ricardo

you gotta CRANK it
>>
No. 898461 ID: 270774
File 153490266039.png - (83.63KB , 800x525 , 50.png )
898461

Ricardo rummages through the photos and letters again to check if any of them are dated later than the picture in his possession. None of them are, but going through the box again turns up one he missed the first time - probably because this one is just a slim folded card, rather than a multi-page letter in an envelope. This one is dated earlier than all the others, in very early 1919. The front of the card says “Happy Birthday” in script, and has been scratched out twice and replaced with a handwritten “Sorry.”

Mr. Cosovei,
I’m writing this to apologize for the things I said to you at the party on Saturday night. It was inappropriate and ungentlemanly of me and I sincerely regret it. Also I’m sorry that it made you so mad that you took my head off. Thank you for giving my head back instead of killing me. I hope one day I can learn from your example and be the kind of gentleman you are. Alright by now you probably aren't reading anymore if you didn't just throw the card away when you got it so I'm going to write whatever I like. My sire put me up to sending this and I think it's stupid. I said what I said and I’ll say it again because I’ve always spoken my mind and I’m not gonna stop for a highnosed dewdropper like you or for anyone. You’ve got the finest damn ass I’ve ever seen on a man and you beat out plenty of dames too with the legs to match. Fuck you sir


Ricardo snorts. The sound and feeling of his own laughter has become so foreign to him that he startles himself.
>>
No. 898462 ID: 270774
File 153490270298.png - (85.02KB , 800x525 , 51.png )
898462

….Then Ricardo decides to quickly revisit certain passages of the other letters to retain the details better. Just for the hell of it.

In late 1919, “Now that I’ve found out about that spot at the base of your neck that drives you wild you’ll get no peace from me. I’ve been trying to court you properly since that’s what you like but it’s hard on me when you sound so nice just from kissing you--”

In 1932, “It’s making me crazy that you’ve been growing your hair out lately. I’m a fool for those curls of yours but especially when they're bouncing around your pretty face while you’re on top of me. I know you like it best that way too and when you get back I’ll--”

In 1939, “I want you to be careful this time because I’ve been reading in the papers lately that there's a lot of unrest over in Romania right now. I know you don't pay any attention to human politics but it could affect you. I know you hate when I fuss like this but I just want you to stay with other vamps as much as you can and try to stay off the streets--” Wait, this isn't sexy.

In 1941, “Whenever I sink my teeth into you, you feel so sweet I could just start crying. I don't know if maybe that's just me feeling you echoing in me. I’m not the type of guy who gets easily moved and folks say I’m not in touch with my emotions whatever that means but with you it's like something in me breaks down and I’m all full of these words I never had any use for before. Before he turned me Jim warned me this life can get real lonesome and I didn't really worry about it then, but now it just makes me wish that he’d meet somebody like you because I’ll never be lonesome my whole life. There could be a thousand wars and maybe I can only stay friends with humans a few years at a time but there's nothing on earth that could keep me away from you. Nowadays I don't even feel restless when you're in Europe since I know you'll come home to me anyway. It’s easy to be patient when you have eternity. Now I’m just using up paper and ink but I love you so much I can't stand it and when I get to talking about it I can't st--”

There's a sudden BANG on the door, Pascal’s hand slapping it impatiently from the other side. “Ricardo! You have been in there for so long and I have not even heard the water start!”
>>
No. 898463 ID: 270774
File 153490273665.png - (88.68KB , 800x525 , 52.png )
898463

Ricardo fumbles with the letters, trying to put them back the way they were when he found them, but they all look the same and he hadn't particularly been paying attention.

“You know all of my cosmetics and perfumes and things are in there so when I am not ready when you’re done, don't blame me!”

“I’m-” Ricardo yanks his shirt off, scowling. “I’m getting undressed!”

On the other side of the door, Pascal is laughing. “If you are having so much trouble with it you should have asked me to help you!”

“Shut UP.”


Once in the shower, Ricardo cranks his hog with brutal efficiency.

Like with most things in this vein, he has absolutely no technique, and he doesn't care to. He makes a fist, tightens it, and goes as hard as he can until something happens. It is not sexy or fun or even particularly satisfying, but once he finishes the formerly overwhelming static rushing through his head clears up, and right now that's all he can reasonably ask for.

He lets out a low sigh of relief, reaches for one of the half dozen shampoo bottles clustered on the shelf, and - it smells exactly like Pascal’s hair.

For some fucking reason, the undead boner from hell is back with a vengeance.
>>
No. 898465 ID: 270774
File 153490279558.png - (84.81KB , 800x525 , 53.png )
898465

Ricardo angrily beats his meat twice more, then one more time for good luck, and when he finally comes back to his senses, he realizes Pascal has put on music in the other room. The fingers of his left hand twitch, unconsciously - he knows it. It’s some song from a film noir, with a melodramatic but pretty melody, something he added to his busking repertoire ages ago. Like most songs, he learned it by ear, so he knows the lyrics, too, just from ceaseless repetition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDx2N4BmS_M

Singing isn’t his strong suit, but he can carry a tune, at least - or it’s more like his internal sense of pitch won’t let him be off-key. It starts as an idle hum, then a mumble, and before he knows it he is singing along, albeit quietly.

The knots in his shoulders loosen. He’s starting to relax, slightly, for the first time in - well, in recent memory. He’s been sleeping under fucking bridges. Not that his current circumstances are ideal, but the more he thinks about it, it was stupid and hotheaded to think that getting crushed into the ground would have been ideal, either-

Ricardo blinks. His hearing is incredible. So is any other vampire’s. There’s a voice singing along with him, filtering through the door and through the rush of water, high and accented. He huffs, bewildered, and stops immediately, slamming the water off. Pascal stops, too, dissolving into giggles at the realization that he’d been caught.

Unbelievable. Ricardo towels off his hair with the same violence of any of his other gestures, grumbling to himself.
>>
No. 898466 ID: 270774
File 153490282525.png - (81.41KB , 800x525 , 54.png )
898466

When he comes out into the main room of the apartment again, a towel tight around his hips, he’s unfortunately greeted by Pascal trying to bounce his way into a pair of jeans that are far too tight for him.

“Oh, finally.” He looks over his shoulder, but doesn’t stop bouncing. “Hey, why did you not tell me you like music?”

“Everyone likes music,” Ricardo replies incredulously.

“But I can tell you like it so much. Not just idly, like some people. Music has been so good, this past century - or, euhhhh, we are already in the new one now. The century before this one. Is it 19th? Because all the years start nineteen-something-- no, it is the 20th. The music in the 20th century was very good, the whole time.” Pascal does a particularly aggressive wiggle and finally manages to pop himself into the pants. Ricardo has never been more glad for preventative measures in his life. “Anyway, you cannot borrow any of my clothes, because I will not have you stretching them out. Don’t you have anything besides what you came in?”

“Uh.” Ricardo had dumped the duffel bag he’d been carrying around with him before coming, because he had fully intended and expected to die. “Well.”
>>
No. 898475 ID: f0088f

you don't, huh :/ such a shame :/ bet he doesn't own a washing machine :/ looks like you're gonna have to be butt naked :/ tragic
>>
No. 898480 ID: 8b438a

🍑

god we definitely cannot fit into his clothes. are we going naked?
>>
No. 898481 ID: aedfd9

Underwear party!!!!!
>>
No. 898488 ID: c1be4a

Find another giant man and eat him plus take his clothes. Get ready to party by pre-drinking ya know?
>>
No. 898489 ID: d887c0

Oh, for fuck's sake. Ricardo, you are young and horny, and this little bitch is using that against you, you fucking moron. Pull your balls outta your metaphorical purse, get your damn clothes on, and get the Hell out.
>>
No. 898491 ID: dbf422

>>898466
That butt was clearly there as blatant manipulation. Pay it no mind.

There's gotta be a nearby laundromat, just steal something from there. You'll get looks but if you can whether them from Pascal, you're immune.
>>
No. 898495 ID: 8aef06

this is the perfect time to ask pascal abt any past beaus—maybe he has some sentimental clothes he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of?
>>
No. 898496 ID: 8aef06

also congrats on the cranked hog, my dude
>>
No. 898503 ID: 23bff5

>>898489
dude chill out can it get any more obvious this is a porn comic. the twink aint going anywhere just get used to it
>>
No. 898508 ID: c7e625

Comment that you're well aware you wouldn't fit his clothes he doesn't fit his clothes. Also tell him he can put up with you being less than attractive until you mug some human and take their clothes, unless he has a better idea.
>>
No. 898511 ID: a62974

Just have sex with the twink already! Learn how to seduce and pleasure men already you buffoon!
>>
No. 898526 ID: 3b63d3

go out in the towel, find someone about your size, steal their clothes
>>
No. 898538 ID: a94e23

It’s no big deal, just wear the clothes you came in with, if pascal doesn’t like it then how unfortunate for him.
>>
No. 898555 ID: 270774
File 153495222222.png - (98.52KB , 800x525 , 55.png )
898555

“I know I won't fit in your clothes. You don't fit in your clothes,” Ricardo points out.

“I do! I do. These are supposed to be tight.” Pascal brushes past him for the newly vacated bathroom, and Ricardo holds his breath when his hands pass over the box - but Pascal doesn't seem to notice that anything is out of order.

Subtlety has never been his strong suit, and maybe bringing this up at all is pushing his luck, but Ricardo can't help but see an opportunity to probe after the letter writer. “What, you don't have any souvenirs from other men? Somebody else’s clothes laying around?”

Pascal pauses. Ricardo can't see his face, because it doesn't reflect in the mirror. It only lasts a split second, and then his motion resumes - he’s loading his fingers up with mismatched rings, and these do have a reflection, just like his necklace. “No, I have nothing you can wear.”

That phrasing sounds like a carefully constructed loophole, but Ricardo is quickly distracted by watching him. He holds one pointer finger up against his face, the rings marking the corner of his mouth in the otherwise blank mirror, as a reference point as he dabs rouge in the center of his lips. All these actions are done absently, the well-established compromise of vanity with inhumanity. The same is done to facilitate mascara, floating rings marking the corner of each eye. “You get used to it, things like this,” Pascal says suddenly - apparently he could feel Ricardo’s eyes on the back of his head.
>>
No. 898556 ID: 270774
File 153495224836.png - (77.68KB , 800x525 , 56.png )
898556

He finishes quickly and slips past Ricardo again, this time to snatch a polaroid camera off his dresser, and he holds it out at arm’s length and snaps a photo of himself. The flash makes Ricardo snarl in surprise, the involuntary noise fading slowly as he blinks the stars out of his eyes. When he can see again, Pascal is idly waving the photo back and forth, waiting for it to develop.

“I’ll just wear what I brought. And when we hunt, I’ll take someone my size, so I can have their clothes,” Ricardo decides. Pascal glances at him, unimpressed.

“This is not a good way to choose your food, but what can I do? I know you will not listen to me. You had better eat neatly, at least.” He holds the polaroid up to his nose, considering it. “Hm. Yes, I am so handsome. Good job on being handsome, Pascal!”

The photo is discarded on a haphazard stack of identical ones, apparently one per day, and Ricardo stares. It took him a year of legwork and threats to get his hand on one picture of Pascal, and here was a pile so huge it was threatening to collapse. He realizes, dimly, that he doesn't really remember what his own face looks like.

“Get dressed quickly, Ricardo!” Pascal pats his arm absently, rings clinking where his fingers meet. “Bars will close before we are finished eating.”
>>
No. 898557 ID: 270774
File 153495226056.png - (86.13KB , 800x525 , 57.png )
898557

He’s ready in a fraction of the time it took Pascal, and then they're outside in the cool night air. Pascal seems to be in good spirits.

“There is a bar close by, but we can't go to that one, because they have this long mirror hung up behind the bar,” Pascal tells him. “Too risky. So we will have to walk a little farther. But then we will be in busier part of town, good hunting grounds.” He clasps his hands behind his back, tilting his head as he regards the other. “While we are walking, I’m sure you have lots of questions, because you have so much catching up to do! You can ask me anything you like.”

this next update is gonna be absolute textwalls. i wanna give you guys a chance to go ham on finding out worldbuilding, vampire mechanics, etc, so if you asked a question before and it wasn't answered because i couldn't work it into an update, feel free to repeat it now.
>>
No. 898560 ID: 6b39da

Why am I so HORNY all the time???

(Real questions: what things are fatal to vampires, tell us more about the different houses, and can we seriously turn into a bat?)
>>
No. 898561 ID: 3b63d3

hey, whats up with the big ass pendant
>>
No. 898565 ID: aedfd9

Is there a way for a vampire to live on their own, unconnected to any of the court drama or to other vampires? (Because that's obviously what Ricardo wants.) (And it must be what Pascal wants too, otherwise why would he be hiding all alone in a shitty apartment without any beautiful person to keep him company.)
>>
No. 898567 ID: dbf422

You mentioned my eyes, that they aren't red. Are they supposed to be?
Do classier people have better blood? Is there an easy way to know you're getting good blood from a target?
Is eternity really that easy to appreciate? Especially if you don't have anyone to share with.
>>
No. 898588 ID: a62974

Do vampires have an special abilities like magic? How do they shift-shape? Do they get stronger with age as well?
>>
No. 898589 ID: a62974

What hurts vampires?
>>
No. 898590 ID: 0d6acf

He turned you by accident. How does that work?
>>
No. 898594 ID: 8aef06

are there vampire hunters? should we, like, be worried abt that? also what’s up with the gaudy necklace
>>
No. 898599 ID: ff82d2

"Why are you ok with dying just to see your sire?"

"Top or bottom?"
>>
No. 898604 ID: 2ff745

If vampirism is supposed to be hidden, is it really okay for you to be running around in public with bright red eyes and fangs and pointy ears? Are there any other taboos we need to know about besides abandoning wards? Why did your sire dismiss you?
>>
No. 898608 ID: d887c0

So, if you're planning on actually, no joke killing people tonight, then how exactly do you A) justify it to yourself outside of "vamps gotta drink, yo," B) plan to do so without tipping folks off to the presence of vampires in their community, and C) plan to avoid attention from the authorities?
>>
No. 898609 ID: 8bbc59

How many vampires are there? How secret is their existence and are there repercussions for breaking that secrecy? Why are they secret when they're stronger and faster than humans and are their predators? Are there non-humans other than vampires? Why is his dick like this? Has anyone done science to work out why they don't show up in mirrors? Why do crosses make him sneeze/burst into flame? What's Pascal's favourite band? Do alcohol and drugs have an effect on vampires, I'm guessing yes from the presence of beer, so are there vampire narcotics, too? How does Pascal escape from those pants (in case there is an emergency and Ricardo needs to release him from them, they seriously seem like a hazard)? How many bats is it normal to turn into?
>>
No. 898636 ID: c1eaac

What's your sire actually like, Pascal?
>>
No. 898639 ID: bb78f2

Questions
Is regular food an option at all (Ricardo might know it already, but no harm asking), with a workaround like dripping human blood off of a steak for flavor if vampires have deadened tastebuds? I know it won't feed a vampire's thirst but social eating is occasionally fun and I'm curious if regular food even HAS taste and flavor.

Give us important info on not getting caught as a vampire, like do we show boy temperature if using temperal vision goggles, show a pulse, etc. besides the reflection being a reveal.

What is Pascal's source of income. That technically did get asked but not properly answered.

Hypno powers for feeding, do we have them? Any weird powers besides the strength and speed I mean? Blood magic?

What's Pascal's favorite vampire media thing? He play Vampire: The Masquerade? Love him some Interview with a Vampire? Is there a real Dracula? How and why did said Dracula let Stroker even hint at his existence, assuming he could stop him in the first place? If Drac was dead before Stroker wrote his book, how did Stroker first learn of vampires, particularly Dracula? Was Stroker a vampire? What celebrities are vampires? Keanu Reeves?

Big vampire taboos besides the one he did to you.

Other monsters to worry about. Need to know about potential werewolf feuds.
>>
No. 898672 ID: a62780

>>898557
What is a good way to choose food then?

And uh, dammit, look you probably have a better idea of what I don't know than I do.
>>
No. 898675 ID: 270774

>>898639
for everyone's info - it's okay to ask about stuff ricardo already knows/probably already knows. questions that are already within his realm of knowledge will be expanded on in detail in the update.
>>
No. 898708 ID: 70df1e

ask pascal what most sires are supposed to be doing re: teaching the vampires they turn. like, what have you been missing out on? how do other vampires act as sires, and why is it so bad to be abandoned by one in the eyes of vampire society?
>>
No. 898714 ID: d887c0

>>898639
>potential werewolf feuds
Nah, man. Werewolves are all a bunch of furries with wish fulfillment.

It's the MUMMIES you need to watch out for. Sandy bastards just don't know when to quit.
>>
No. 898717 ID: a307f1

ask him what his dicks like
>>
No. 898778 ID: a62974

Do vampires like bloodplay? How kinky are vampires?
>>
No. 898785 ID: 6d9fef

why are vampires so darn horny all the time?! is there a scientific reason for this damn boner
>>
No. 898828 ID: aedfd9

Is "being good at sex" one of the things a vampire sire is meant to teach new vamps?
>>
No. 898835 ID: 270774
File 153509194049.png - (75.39KB , 800x525 , 58.png )
898835

Ricardo considers his own knowledge as he tries to decide what to ask. There are some things he already knows, either from trial and error, experience, or from the stunted and reluctant crash course he was given by the first vampires in the community who found him, back in L.A.

>Is regular food an option at all?
Ricardo has tried, desperately, over and over again, to eat solid food. It makes him violently ill every time. Eventually he found that he can chew food and then spit it out without swallowing, just to get the feeling of eating normally; he was nearly addicted to doing this at first, but over time, it’s become less and less appealing. Conversely, blood has become more and more satisfying to him over the same time period.

>can we seriously turn into a bat?
Shapeshifting is the only ability Ricardo heard of within the first year, and so is the one he fixated on. He figured out the bat form within eight months. Since then he has achieved two other transformations: a partial one into a mountain lion, mostly centered on his teeth and hands, and most recently, smoke. He is uncharacteristically smug about the latter accomplishment.

>How exactly do you justify killing people to yourself?
Over the course of the past five years, Ricardo has killed and eaten over three hundred human beings. He does not care.

>Do alcohol and drugs have an effect on vampires?
From what Ricardo has observed, getting drunk is a vampiric international sport. He’s heard very little about drugs, but has definitely made his way through dens where the vampires around him seemed to be on something.

>Is there a real Dracula?
Pascal has now mentioned Vlad Dracula as if he were a real person, referring to him as the voivode, and calling a comparison between the two of them flattery. Ricardo has no fucking idea what that means.

>why is [ward abandonment] so bad in the eyes of vampire society?
Ricardo is sure there might be cultural nuances he’s missing, but the majority of the vampires he’s met until now have not been shy about letting him know that 1. they believed he would die very quickly without a sire, and 2. that he would never adapt or be accepted into vampiric society. He also found it extremely difficult to control himself during early feeds, and had to move from city to city frequently to avoid detection. His assumption has been that abandoning wards is considered cruel and irresponsible, both to the ward and towards other vampires in the area.

>Is there an easy way to know you’re getting good blood from a target?
>What is a good way to choose food?
Ricardo is assuming these things will be answered when they hunt together tonight.
>>
No. 898837 ID: 270774

suggested listening: https://loopvideos.com/GMeaJI1jLyk
>>
No. 898838 ID: 270774
File 153509199925.png - (37.50KB , 800x525 , 59.png )
898838

>He turned you by accident. How does that work?

Pascal’s keeping pace with Ricardo’s long, aggressive strides. Ricardo doesn’t look down at him when he finally breaks the silence.

“How do you turn a vampire?”

“Ah-”

“And what I mean by that,” Ricardo interrupts, “is how did you turn me?”

Pascal’s steps falter a little, but he quickly catches up again. “Do you really want to know this? Maybe hearing about it will upset you, don’t you think?”

“You said I could ask anything I like. And I want to know how you managed to do something like this by accident.”

Pascal glances up at him, then sighs. “I say you can ask whatever you like. Perhaps I won’t answer, if it is something I don’t think you need to know, and I don’t want to talk about it. But this, you deserve to hear, so I will tell you. But it is not my responsibility if hearing about it upsets you.”

He cracks his knuckles behind him as he walks, his back bowing with the stress. “A few years ago-”

“Five,” says Ricardo.

“You are so particular about this. Five years, then - five years ago I was, euuuuh, how can I say it - ehehe. Well, euhhh, you know this thing you do, sometimes, when, euh, you do not want to get out of bed! Ahaha. And so you simply stay in bed, completely unmoving, for, euhhh, you know, entire day, or - or perhaps sometimes in this case for weeks at a time. You know how it is! Ahaha!” Pascal tucks his hair behind one of his ears, but he’s walking so fast that it simply bounces loose again. “Well. I was doing this. And I had gotten it in my head, ahaha, that maybe I just did not want to get up ever again, and of course then my sire’s voice is in my head saying if I have no desires then I am just a corpse, and so I tell myself maybe it is just time to die. Ahaha!”

“Stop laughing about it,” Ricardo growls.

Pascal looks up at him again, and though Ricardo doesn’t meet his gaze, he feels like Pascal’s eyes are giving off tangible heat. “Then what do you want from me? Shall I feel sorry for myself?” His heels click crisply on the cement, no longer having any trouble keeping pace. “I hate that. I would rather decide it’s funny.” He turns away, eyes forward as he continues. “The point is that when I was on the brink of starvation, when maybe I would have died if I stayed there for one more day, it is as if my body said to me, No, Pascal! Stupid boy! I have had enough!

They pass under a row of streetlights, closer set than the ones on the streets by Pascal’s apartments, and as they walk under each one their shadows reset and rotate like rewound video loops. “And so I am out of my mind with hunger. I am like an animal, and I do not know what I am doing. My legs are carrying me without any thought.” Pascal’s arms swing as he walks, light and loose. “And it is as I said. I was hungry, and you were there.”

Ricardo’s fists tighten at his sides, but he says nothing. Pascal sighs.

“Normally, it is very difficult to drain someone in one feeding, every drop, and to spill none of it. Especially from large prey, like yourself. Vampires will fast when they are thinking of siring - not to the point of madness, as I did, but until they can almost not bear it. And it is normal to spill some blood on the ground before you feed, if you do not intend to sire - this desecrates the body, and then it cannot be transformed. I thought of nothing, and I did none of this. I drained you without thinking, every drop, without ever removing my mouth, and so the transformation began. I did not think to destroy your body. I was hungry, and you were there, and I did not realize what I had done until the next day, when I had come to my senses.”

They walk in silence for a few more seconds, with Pascal’s footsteps the only noise, repetitive and sharp like the ticking of a clock in an empty room. “I did not go back to destroy your body before the third day because I could not remember where I had found you, and because I was frightened. I knew I could not properly raise a ward, and that if my sire found out I had sired a ward without asking, and from common stock, there would be no chance of him ever accepting me back. And so I will tell you, Ricardo, honestly, that I hoped that if I left you, you would die.”

Ricardo’s head is buzzing with white noise, but he finds, miraculously, no additional anger. It’s not possible to be any angrier than he’s been in the past five years.

“I am being punished for it already, by your survival, so I don’t care much for your anger at me. And you must understand at the time I was still thinking of you as a human. Food. What did I care if another of them died? They are like flies.” He smiles, faintly. “I tell you already you will find my side of it upsetting. But now you have it.”
>>
No. 898840 ID: 270774
File 153509203201.png - (80.37KB , 800x525 , 60.png )
898840

>are there vampire hunters? should we, like, be worried abt that?
>Are there non-humans other than vampires?
>Other monsters to worry about?
>If vampirism is supposed to be hidden, is it really okay for you to be running around in public with bright red eyes and fangs and pointy ears?

The only way to push past this is to just move on. Again, the only thing that can outweigh Ricardo’s emotions is his curiosity. “So. The chance of someone noticing we don’t have reflections is too risky.”

Pascal blinks at him, apparently surprised by Ricardo’s lack of response to the former topic, but he takes it in stride. “Yes, it is something that cannot be explained away.”

“But you’re walking out here with bright red eyes, and your ears are pointed, and your fangs are obvious. And that’s fine?”

Pascal laughs, and for once it isn’t mocking. “Ricardo, you would not believe how safe it is to be a vampire, in this modern day. Since perhaps 1910, it has been so easy. What is that saying - ‘The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled is to convince the world he does not exist!’ This is what we have accomplished. You would not believe how much humans will overlook, to continue to believe we are not real. Especially in the cities! To not have a reflection, this is something they cannot ignore. It frightens them. But my appearance? Ricardo, you will not believe how easy this is. It is ridiculous. I found this trick - I need only tell them I am Gothic, and they wave it all away with no convincing. Gothic! For what! The Visigoths and the Ostrogoths were so far ahead of my time! And yet they nod and accept it easily.”

“That’s not-” Ricardo starts, but Pascal is still barreling onward.

“And there are no vampire hunters, anymore. We have wiped them out, since the turn of the last century. I mean, certainly, there are some - but they work alone, or in small groups, and they have no real knowledge passed down to them, because we have destroyed all organized hunters already. They try to learn about us through written knowledge only, and so much of it is fiction. Other humans treat them as if they are fools, for believing in us, and without real knowledge or any support from others, they are easy to kill.”

Ricardo mulls this over. “And other threats? If vampires are real, what else? Are there-” He feels stupid even asking this. But he would have felt stupid asking about vampires, before all this. “I don’t know. Werewolves?”

“Werewolves? You do not need to worry about werewolves! They are not dangerous!” Pascal laughs. Ricardo does not particularly have time to process this extremely casual confirmation of their existence. “They do not bother us. Werewolves think that we smell of death and decay, and they are afraid. If they try to contest us, we quickly overrun their hunting grounds, and they are mortal, so they are easy to kill, too. It does not matter how easily and quickly they can reproduce. A small and weak vampire like me could kill a pack of werewolves on my own, even while injured or hungry. Ah, but there is little overlap, anyway. I do not see them often. Paradise for a vampire is a busy city, where humans kill and abduct each other often, and so we can blend in - werewolves prefer to hunt in remote areas, where humans travel alone and disappear in woods or mountains, or where animal attacks are common. And they do not need to feed on humans, anyway. Many choose to live only on animals. It is disgusting, but I cannot judge them for doing what is easy. They are simple and stupid and weak.”

Ricardo is struggling to keep up. “Okay. What else? Any other fictional - ugh. Formerly fictional creatures I need to worry about?”

Pascal lays his finger on the side of his nose, smiling up at him. “Ricardo, you are worrying too much about tiny details. Yes, there are many many things that are not human, and they live among us. But, Ricardo, nothing will threaten a vampire. They smell us coming and they flee. We reign.”
>>
No. 898841 ID: 270774
File 153509207176.png - (42.85KB , 800x525 , 61.png )
898841

>How secret is our existence and are there repercussions for breaking that secrecy?
>what things are fatal to vampires?
>What hurts vampires?
>How do you feed without tipping folks off to the presence of vampires in their community?
>How do you avoid attention from the authorities?
>Why are we secret when [we]'re stronger and faster than humans and are their predators?
>Give us important info on not getting caught as a vampire

“But we have to be somewhat cautious, right?”

“Oh, yes,” says Pascal. “Of course, they cannot enforce every little thing. There are vampires who keep humans as companions - I do not understand this, but it is common. And what does it matter, if they are quiet? It is when you make a scene that you are in danger, and not from humans.”

Pascal looks at him again, and this time he grabs his sleeve, to command his attention. “Ricardo. This is the first and most important thing I will teach you. The most dangerous thing to a vampire is other vampires.”

Ricardo opens his mouth to reply, but Pascal’s face is more serious than he’s ever seen it. He wets his lips instead. “Alright. Are you going to expand on that?”

Pascal doesn’t release his sleeve. “All of this business about salt and garlic is nonsense. A stake in the heart will only kill you if there is no one there to pull it out, and to lose your head will only kill you if there is no one to put it back - this is why we live at least in pairs, always, but of course now that there are no vampire hunters, these things do not happen. And what human can take our head off, without a silver blade and years of training? What human could get close enough to you? What human could remove your heart, and then to wait for your body to die, and then destroy your heart so you cannot regenerate from it - especially if you live with a companion, as we are meant to, who will retrieve it for you? Humans are only dangerous to you in groups, with training and knowledge, and we have taken this from them.”

His hands have now transferred to holding Ricardo’s elbow, and Ricardo is too absorbed in the inflow of information to shake him off. “I will tell you in what way humans are dangerous. They are dangerous because when their own begin to die, especially in ways they cannot explain, they panic. They are dangerous because when their own die, they become obsessed with finding out why, because they do not want to be next. Humans are dangerous because they are curious and persistent.” Pascal’s tone, like his expression, is more serious than it has ever been before. “And if you trigger this panicked curiosity, you will make other vampires angry. This is why humans are dangerous.”

Ricardo can’t tell if they’ve been walking for a long time or not. This is more information in a few minutes than he had managed to piece together from five years of eavesdropping and inference. “I will tell you about it, Ricardo! I will tell you stories so you know I am serious,” says Pascal. “Ones you have maybe heard about. In the late 1800s, in England, there was a vampire who fed as he pleased, and he caused panic in London. I think he was of no house. Even vampires use the name he used among humans, just calling himself ‘Jack.’ He made the humans so frightened that it was nearly impossible for any other vampire in the city to feed cautiously. It took them less than a month to find him and kill him.”

That’s a mystery solved, Ricardo thinks dryly.

“Even nobility are not exempt from this,” Pascal continues. “One of my own house! My sire’s own cousin, the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, fed as she pleased, far more than she needed, and with frivolous brutality. She was not at all cautious, and rumors spread quickly, and the panic among humans was enough that many correctly guessed at her vampirism. Being nobility of course she could not simply be murdered, but she was locked in a room and starved to death. They say she survived four years without blood, even so, because she had fed so opulently before.” Pascal pauses, tilting his head. “I think that is just a story, though. Even a very old vampire cannot survive more than five or six months, and she was not much older than I am at the time. But what I mean to tell you is that if you disturb the hunting grounds, you will never be safe from the wrath of other vampires! That is why you must be quiet and cautious, and eat no more than you need. Maybe humans will never catch you, but vampires who are being made to fast because you have caused uproar will find you, and they will be angry.”

“Okay, okay, got it. Don’t make other vampires angry by risking a scene.” Ricardo cracks his neck. “What else? There have to be risks, besides starvation and murder.”

“Well, yes. But they are easy to avoid. You will live forever if you are careful.” They’re crossing a bridge, now, and Pascal’s eyes flick to the side. “Learn to fear water, Ricardo.”

“Water?”

“I know. To a human it is the most harmless thing in the world. And you will find that man made things - like a shower, or a bathtub, or, euhhh, man made canals, fountains - these things are harmless. But a river, or an ocean, a waterfall - these things you must be wary of.” Pascal’s hands are tight on his elbow until they’ve crossed to the other side, and then he relaxes. “If you fall into natural water, you will sink to the bottom right away, and you will be unable to do anything but walk on the bottom to get out. But even this you will be unable to do, because you will be mad with pain. Especially in running water, anything with a current - rivers are the worst, and the ocean is as bad. You will be unable to think, or to reason, or to do anything to save yourself - but of course you will not drown. If you fall into a river or something, I will be unable to walk in and save you, and you will suffer forever. Do you understand?”

“I -” Ricardo exhales. “You know, this is the kind of shit I wish I would have known earlier.”

“And this is why I say to you I thought certainly you would not survive,” Pascal replies lightly. He giggles then, nervously. “To travel between America and my home, I used to need to take these long boat journeys, over and over again. It was so frightening. I was mad with fear, the entire time I was on the boat. All I could think of was if the ship would wreck, maybe, and that would be the end of Pascal.” He then changes the subject, brightly. “Of course you have found sunlight will not kill you!”

“Yeah. Spent a good month or two avoiding it, though, no thanks to you,” Ricardo scowls. “It does hurt, though. Gives me a headache. And I can’t see in it.”

“Yes, that’s true. But you’re young, and so it doesn’t really hurt you. Vampires who are very old, maybe two thousand years or older, for them sunlight can be truly dangerous. This is one of the reasons for the system of wards and sires. You cannot defend a castle if you are always asleep and vulnerable in the daytime! But if you have young wards, who are resistant to sunlight and can function in the day - even if it hurts them - then you are safe, you see?” Pascal presses the fingers of his free hand to his lips, smiling. “But it is still better to stay out of it. The less you expose yourself, the longer you will last without it harming you. But I love sunshine, and so I go out in it more than I should. Probably it will become dangerous to me when I am only five hundred or so.”
>>
No. 898842 ID: 270774
File 153509211062.png - (32.05KB , 800x525 , 62.png )
898842

>what are most sires supposed to be doing re: teaching the vampires they turn?
>how do other vampires act as sires?
>Are there any other taboos we need to know about?
>Big vampire taboos besides the one he did to you?

“So everyone else was supposed to know this already,” Ricardo points out. “Normally I would have learned this from the beginning.”

Pascal grins bashfully. “Well, yes.”

“And when you talk about sires, it always sounds like they’re the masters, and wards are servants. Is that how it always is?”

“Mostly,” Pascal says. “At least in the Cradle - euhh, this is the term for, euh, it is hard to explain - the collection of the houses, in eastern Europe mostly, but also Spain and Italy and some houses in France participate - it is the collective of vampiric authority to which I belong. And for these houses, the system of ward and sire is very strictly held, and it is always one of service and loyalty. Sometimes for others, a sire and a ward can be as mentor and student, or very rarely as lovers - even more rarely than this, like a parent and a child. But never for vampires of the Cradle.” He considers, then his cheekbones tint. “Well, as lovers, maybe a little. It is very common for wards to fall in love with their sires. So common that there are lots of jokes about it. But it is not taken seriously.” He grins up at him. “Luckily you will never have to worry about this, since you hate me!”

“Yeah,” Ricardo replies bluntly. “Anyway, what other important things am I missing? Taboos, like what you did to me?”

“Euhh…. there is only one thing worse than to turn a ward and then abandon it, and that is to turn a child.” Pascal’s tone is a little grim. “It is cruel. The body will stop, but the mind and the heart grow. We are not meant to have children, but vampires in their desperation will try to do this, like playing dress-up with a doll. Always, the ward with the body of a child will go mad, maybe in as little as a hundred years. You cannot ever have a child - this is something we must accept, and so we grow our lineage by siring wards. To try and bend this is forbidden.”

“Makes sense.”

“The other thing that is forbidden is to turn someone who is on the verge of death, by natural causes,” Pascal continues. “This is only because too often something will go wrong. They are already between planes - to try to overlap this, with the transformation, this is inviting disaster. Too often they end up, euhhh, empty - like there is no consciousness in them. Or something has gone wrong, with death doubled on death, and then you create a vampire who does not regenerate properly, and is suffering always, but who cannot truly be killed - to attempt to destroy the body does nothing. Then there is nothing you can do for them. This is cruel, too.”
>>
No. 898843 ID: 270774
File 153509213273.png - (83.87KB , 800x525 , 63.png )
898843

>Why am I so HORNY all the time???
>Why is my dick like this?
>why are vampires so darn horny all the time?!
>You mentioned my eyes, that they aren’t red. Are they supposed to be?
>Do vampires get stronger with age?
>Do vampires have any special abilities like magic?
>What is Pascal's source of income?
>Hypno powers for feeding, do we have them?

“Well, I don't have to worry about that,” Ricardo mutters. “I’ll never turn anyone.” He racks his mind for more questions, and finds them quickly. “Earlier, you said something about my eyes not being red. Are they supposed to be?”

“Oh! Well, yes, but it is mostly just an expression.” Pascal waves his hand loosely. “Euhhh, there is an English phrase like it… what was it…” He suddenly snaps his fingers in triumph. “To have wet ears! Your ears are wet! It means the same thing!”

“I don't know what you're fucking saying,” says Ricardo.

“Is just meaning you are so young! They will turn red when you have fed enough. Your body is still changing!” Pascal pats his arm lightly. “This is also why you are always so horny.”

“I’m not always horny-”

“I hear you in the shower already, stupid boy. It is normal! The appetites of a vampire are different than a human, and you are adjusting.” There's a bounce back in Pascal’s step again. “It doesn't lessen, but you'll learn to control yourself. And you’ll grow stronger, too. There is a lot to look forward to.”

“What about-” This is another thing that feels stupid to ask about. “What about powers. Abilities. Things like shapeshifting.”

“Oh! Maybe I can teach you to do the bat!” Pascal exclaims. “Or maybe not. I am not so good at the bat. It is the second form I learned, and I do not have the affinity for it, and so when I try to do the bat, I am too big, and the head is the wrong shape, and I cannot fly, so-”

“The bat bores me,” Ricardo interrupts, bewildered. “Had it in a year. I figured out others, too.”

“Really?!” Pascal is bouncing, still clinging to his arm. Ricardo scowls. “That is so exciting! How advanced! Ricardo, I am so relieved! To have more than one, this means you have an affinity for it! Ah, I’m so relieved. Everyone chooses the bat, because it is convenient and small, and bats do not look out of place anywhere in the world, and I really mess up when I did not take it first! So I’m so relieved to hear you can do it!”

“No thanks to you,” Ricardo repeats, irritated. “You keep saying affinity. What does that mean?”

“Euhhhh, well, a vampire may have potential for some ability when they are turned. We call it pricepere. Some are simply far advanced in physical strength, some are like you and can shapeshift into many things, and hold this transformation for longer-”

“And you?” Ricardo cuts in. “What can you do?”

Pascal laughs, sheepishly. “Oh. Ehehe. Well, to cement my being so good for nothing, my affinity is for hypnosis, ahaha.”

He blinks, uncomprehending. “How is that - isn't that useful?”

Pascal releases Ricardo’s arm, going back to swinging his hands lightly. “Well, now that I live by myself, among humans. It is an easy way to hunt, and to find places to stay, and to avoid detection if I get into trouble. But I remind you I was never meant to live this way! I am a Bathory. I was meant to stay always in the Lord Marquess’ castle. So what good is an affinity that can only be used on humans? When I spend all my days around vampires, and my food is brought to me, subdued?” Pascal smiles at him, ruefully. “Besides, even for wards who do not live always in their sire’s homes, to hunt using hypnosis is looked down upon. It is for the lazy and weak.”
>>
No. 898844 ID: dbf422

Was Ricardo less than heroic as a human, or is the sociopathy new?
>>
No. 898846 ID: 270774
File 153509229942.png - (14.65KB , 800x525 , 64a.png )
898846

>How many vampires are there?
>tell us more about the different houses
>Is there a way for a vampire to live on their own, unconnected to any of the court drama or to other vampires?

“Hm.” Ricardo doesn’t know how long they’ve been walking, but he isn’t tired. He’s never tired, anymore. They’ve passed several clusters of bars and nightclubs, and they’ve kept walking each time, because they aren’t finished talking. “So if other vampires are the only thing I have to be worried about, how worried do I have to be? What’s the spread?”

“Ah, I cannot possibly estimate,” Pascal says, shaking his head. “But in any developed city, I think I can say there will be at least a half dozen vampires. Of course, this is for tiny cities. The larger the town, the more and more vampires there will be. And this is only the estimate for American cities. We live more thickly together in Europe, because of the coven system, and because of the security the Cradle affords us, and because many sires do not allow their wards to leave the city or country in which their estate is.”

“Tell me more about the Cradle,” says Ricardo.

“Ah… I can tell you a little about the families. They all participate in enforcement and in organization of all vampires in their jurisdiction, and vampires who have spread from Cradle families are all considered still to be part of it, even ones who live abroad like myself. Many, many American vampires can actually trace their lineage back to the Cradle, and thus are still under their authority.” Pascal tugs on Ricardo’s sleeve again, a little hesitantly. “This applies to you as well, though I know you will hate it. Technically, you are the property of the Lord Marquess.”

“The hell I am,” Ricardo snarls immediately.

“You see! I know you will hate it. But they probably will not try to force this too much, because you are not particularly desirable,” Pascal says. Ricardo furrows his brow a little at that. “Euh, but yes, my house of course is the house of Bathory, beloved to the voivode, and one of the most powerful. The Lord Marquess Constantin is the current head of house, and is set to become a Prince of Transylvania if he reaches his one thousandth birthday in the voivode’s good graces. There are also the Medicis, who have much influence in western Europe and in the United States, and the Romanovs, who control much of the vampiric territories to the east of the Balkans.” He pauses, and his eyes lid. “And also there is the house of Habsburg, who are of pig shit, and look and taste and smell of pig shit, and who have earned nothing that they have, and whose blood is sewer mud dressed up in jewels.”

“Uhuh,” says Ricardo. “What’s all that about?”

“Hm?”

“The Habsburgs. Why do you hate them?”

“Oh!” Pascal waves his hand absently. “I don’t remember! Ahaha! But of course I do hate them, because they are enemy to my house, and it is a travesty that they are allowed to continue in the Cradle at all, but I suppose their influence cannot be contested.” He tilts his head to the side, his hair bouncing against Ricardo’s shoulder with each step. “Oh. And I suppose there is the house of Babenburg, but to tell you the truth, I do not know why they are considered a house, because ‘they’ are only the Duke Cecil Babenburg of Vienna, alone, and he has no real vampiric lineage to speak of, and only some two hundred wards who are all of common stock! Really he is only a mercenary company, and - oh.” His hand flashes up to cover his mouth, and he gives Ricardo a look laced with mischief. “He is close friends with the Lord Marquess. Perhaps it is better I don’t say things like this.”

Ricardo returns the look impassively. “And what about if I don’t care about any of this shit? How do I opt out?”

“Euh…. well…. for me, I cannot. Ahaha! But … it’s like I said. You could, maybe.” Pascal is winding a lock of hair around his finger, eyes on the sidewalk as he thinks. “Of course my aim is to one day be taken back by my sire, when you tire of this silly idea of killing him. But of course you would not come with me. I would tell him I have no idea where you are. And many vampires in this country live disconnected from the Cradle, even if that is where their lineage lies, because once you are far removed enough from bloodlines that need to be preserved, they will not waste time or resources to track you down, and you can live as though you were sired outside the Cradle entirely. Vampires in this country tend to move from city to city constantly, and they congregate not in covens made of wards of the same sire, but in loose groups called dens, which are based only in location, and are temporary… and you will only contribute to a den as much as is convenient to you, instead of being bound to it always, the way wards of the cradle are bound to their covens. If this is an idea that pleases you, it is something you could do.”

He releases the lock of hair, and it bounces away from his face, lifted by the dark breeze. “Of course, I could never live like this, so I don’t think of it. I think only of returning to my sire’s side, now.”
>>
No. 898847 ID: 270774
File 153509232521.png - (74.13KB , 800x525 , 65.png )
898847

>What's your sire actually like, Pascal?
>Why did your sire dismiss you?
>Why are you ok with dying just to see your sire?

“You keep talking about him.” They’re finally reaching the center of town, where lights spread out down below a sloped two-lane street like a spiderweb. Their footsteps pick up a little on the steep incline. “This sire of yours. But what kind of person is he, really?”

Pascal is quiet for a while. Ricardo can only see his eyes on every other step, when his hair sways out of his face and the streetlamps catch his fluorescent retinas. “He is beautiful,” he says finally, quietly, “and he is powerful, and he pursues his desires without mercy.” Pascal has worked his hands into his back pockets, and as he steps down the inclined sidewalk he seems almost weightless between footsteps. “This is all a vampire needs to be. He is the essence of vampirism, and he has perfected it.”

None of that is impressive to Ricardo. He’s not sure if it’s human to vampire culture shock, or if he and Pascal are just so fundamentally different that they’ll never be able to see this the same way. Pascal glances back at him, eyes large and glowing in the dimness.

“We will probably meet vampires who will say they disapprove of him. There are people who disagree with the way the house of Bathory raises wards, or how my master places his leisure above all things.” Again, when his head moves, his retinas catch the sparse light like camera flashes. “But you will find no wards more loyal to their sire than those of the house of Bathory. None.”

“But you said he dismissed you. Why?”

Pascal turns away and his hair lifts, weightless again, as they descend a short flight of concrete stairs. “This is another thing I do not feel like talking about, but that I feel I owe you. You may as well know my other failures.” They round a corner, and there are more lights at the end of the street, clustered and blurry.

“I have told you already that Bathory wards do not leave the ancestral home - only if they are emissaries, or if they are part of the military force. There is no reason for someone like me to ever leave the Lord Marquess’ side. But of course when the emissaries and guards and soldiers come back, they were always telling stories of the outside world, and how humans move so quickly, like - well, there was no word for it then, but like fast-forward, everything changing constantly just because they can do it, and it was so fascinating to me. I wanted very badly to see it. And because I was beloved to the Lord Marquess, he was indulgent with me, and when I begged him to let me travel, and told him about how excited I was, he made an exception that had never been made before. He told me I could have fifty years to travel as I pleased, as long as I had an attendant, and as long as I returned to him once every year.”

Pascal’s voice is a little distant, clipped and short, and Ricardo has to listen a little harder to hear him now than before. “This was unheard of. There was a little unrest through the house, but I was very spoiled, and he denied me very little. It is as I said, I was very afraid of traveling by sea, so to take that journey twice a year was daunting to me when what I wanted very badly was to see the new world especially, but I decided I would do anything to be able to see the world on my own.”

He pauses for a second to get their bearings, then leads Ricardo up a side street, another sloped one, to reach a spot from which they can survey the busy street below. “There isn’t much else to say. At one point, near the end of the fifty years - well. It is not that I forgot. It was very close to the end of the year, and there were - just, ah, I don’t know, it seems so stupid now. Just stupid little things, I wanted to do and see, that I would have missed, and - he had been less attentive to me the last times I visited, and I thought maybe he would not mind.” They reach a paved outcropping with a railing, and below them, people mill between bars and restaurants, with globe lights strung between each side of the narrow street. Pascal grips the railing in his hands and leans forward. “I sent him a letter saying I could not make it back in time that year.”

His laugh is soft, nearly swallowed up by the chatter and bustle below. “Stupid. Such a mistake, only someone truly stupid and useless could make. What he asked of me was so simple. Of course he was furious with me, to be so disobedient and ungrateful. I was called back immediately, and punished. And then he told me that if I could not even be bothered to come back once a year, then I did not deserve to come back at all, and so I was cast out then.”

Ricardo watches his back, which seems even smaller than usual silhouetted against the glow of the storefronts. He can’t understand any of this. “And you would be willing to die? For that? To see someone like that again?”

Pascal relaxes against the railing. “When I was cast out, he told me that perhaps in one hundred years, if I were to learn to behave myself, perhaps he would take me back.” Then he’s laughing again, the same airy one as always, and the heavy aura that had been hanging around him dissipates immediately. “But I am impatient, and to improve myself is too hard! If I can just see him once more, I will be satisfied. That’s fine for me.”
>>
No. 898848 ID: 270774

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBP40xTxtWY
>>
No. 898849 ID: 270774
File 153509236764.png - (64.50KB , 800x525 , 66.png )
898849

Ricardo doesn’t know what to say, and his head hurts, anyway, from too much information in too short a time, and all of it essentially destructive to the foundations of his understanding of the world. He tries to think of something lighter to ask.

>Top or bottom?
>How kinky are vampires?
>ask him what his dicks like
>Do vampires like bloodplay?
>Is "being good at sex" one of the things a vampire sire is meant to teach new vamps?

These questions float immediately to the top of his mind, but thanks to his Preventative Quadruple Hog Crank technique earlier in the evening, he resists.


>What's Pascal's favourite band?
>What's Pascal's favorite vampire media thing?
>whats up with a big ass pendant
>what’s up with the gaudy necklace

“Hey, Pascal. I’m gonna ask you some personal questions.”

Pascal turns around, leaning back against the railing, still laughing. “This last question was so personal already! What else can you pester me with?”

For some reason, the conversation right before they left has been sticking in Ricardo’s mind. “What’s your…” He’s inexplicably having a hard time getting it out. “... favorite band.”

Pascal’s expression opens in surprise, then collapses into giggles. “Catching up on so many years of knowledge, and this is what you want to know from me, now? Stupid boy.” He turns his head to the side, swaying slightly as he thinks. “This is too hard. I have to think of two hundred and fifty years of music, now. I am too lazy for this question. Ah, just anything I can dance to! I like to dance better than anything else in the world.” A pause. “Except maybe to fuck!”

“Alright,” Ricardo grumbles, trying to nip that one in the bud. “Not what I asked.”

“Well, how about this.” Pascal’s grinning. “If you put a stake to my heart and make me choose, I say Mindless Self Indulgence.”

Ricardo snorts, in spite of himself, and again the feeling of it is startling. Pascal has relaxed entirely. “Okay, how about this. All that fiction about vampires, you like any of that? Read it? Any Bram Stoker under your belt?”

“I will tell you what you can find under my belt,” Pascal replies, with an immediacy that seems almost rehearsed. Ricardo groans.

“Answer the question.”

“Okay, okay. You know, I loved that movie, Interview With The Vampire. It was hilarious and it got lots of things right. Besides this… hm. You know, I also loved that Twilight series, only because it was so funny to me that it so brazenly just made things up. And for once the vampire in it was a real asshole.”

Pascal saying “asshole” in English is somehow Ricardo’s breaking point, and he lets out the first real laugh in five years. He covers it in a cough, looking away quickly, and Pascal is looking far too eager to jump on that slip-up so he quickly looks for a distraction. One of the flashing lights below them is catching on Pascal’s necklace.

“Hey, one more thing. What’s up with the pendant?” Ricardo nods at it, curtly. “Magical artifact? Source of all your vampiric power?”

Pascal freezes, a little surprised, then smiles broadly. “This silly thing? No. I just like it. Is my favorite.” He walks over to Ricardo, holding it up in his hand. “Look, it is just a cheap little thing. The gem in the center is only glass.” He taps it demonstratively with one long nail. “When I was younger, I would never wear something so gaudy and cheap-looking. I thought too much of myself. Now I don’t care. I think it is fun, and it suits me. So that’s good enough.”
>>
No. 898850 ID: 270774
File 153509238227.png - (88.45KB , 800x525 , 67.png )
898850

>Is eternity really that easy to appreciate? Especially if you don’t have anyone to share with.

Ricardo can smell the perfume off Pascal’s neck, and from this close he’s looking down at the other’s eyelashes fanned against his cheeks, two dark crescents. He doesn’t like him, but right now he doesn’t hate him, either. He might just be tired. “You keep saying vampires live in pairs, at least. You also keep casually saying you might want to die. And then you keep talking as if immortality is a gift.”

Pascal doesn’t look up at him. “All these things can be true at once. I can be going through - how do you say it. Ehehe. A rough patch.”

“Is eternity really that easy to appreciate?” Ricardo keeps staring down at him. Part of him is hoping Pascal will look up at him, only so he can try to read his face. “Especially if you don’t have anyone to share it with?”

Pascal’s thumb moves once over the surface of the pendant, then he drops it. It bounces noiselessly against his chest. “There is no happiness for me outside of my coven,” he says, simply. “I cannot find happiness with other vampires. It is useless for me to try.” A laugh, again, loud and aimless. “So it is good I am so self-absorbed! At least I enjoy thinking only of myself.”

Ricardo can’t think of anything to say. Pascal bumps lightly against his side, and he doesn’t shove him away.

“You know. If you ever gave up this stupid idea, and instead just decided to try to live on your own, once I have taught you enough for you to get along.” Pascal still isn’t looking at him. “Maybe you will hate this idea, because you think being a vampire is so terrible, but don’t get angry at me for offering, okay?”

“Mm,” says Ricardo. He’s not going to hand out any get-out-of-jail-free cards tonight.

“Sometimes, when young vampires want to - when they want to have a loved one join them,” Pascal begins, slowly. “A lover, or family. It is very difficult. It can be dangerous. They do not know how to do it well, and it is very hard to turn someone that way - when it’s someone you care about, and they are crying out in pain, to not stop, and to make sure you drink all of them.” Pascal twists his fingers together, idly. “If there was anyone like that, who you wanted to have with you in this life. I am already in trouble for siring without permission. A few more is nothing. I could do that for you, and then you could live in happiness - they would not hunt you. They’d be satisfied with me alone.” His hair is obscuring his face, even when Ricardo tries to crane his neck back to read him. “It is nice to have someone, for always. And I owe you.”
>>
No. 898852 ID: 2e3701

Tell him you couldn’t do this to anyone.

But thank him for the offer, it does sound like it means a lot for him to make it.
>>
No. 898859 ID: 5cd369

well, ricardo doesnt. uh. have a lover, really. and turning /another/ person without their consent wouldnt be in line with our human morals. but hey! youre both alone! that means you can stiiiick togeeeetheeeer for now
>>
No. 898860 ID: a62780

Does Ricardo even have someone like that?
It's a weirdly thoughtful offer, even if it never gets taken up.
>>
No. 898861 ID: 3b63d3

so like, he left your body somewhere in the street for three days? did no humans see you and go "hey, there's a weird bloodless corpse over there, what's up with that"? did other vampires pick you up or something
>>
No. 898868 ID: a62974

300 people in five years? HOW?
>>
No. 898875 ID: a62974

I feel a little bit bad for Pascal now...but not much
>>
No. 898876 ID: 368c51

>>898868
That's 300 victims in 260 weeks; not impossible if he stuck to the homeless and moved around fairly frequently.
>>
No. 898877 ID: dbf422

Ricardo isn't turning anyone. And if he was, he'd ask first, stupid as that might be. But that's never going to happen anyway.

Hmm, I also have thoughts on hypnosis but it doesn't seem the time right this second.
>>
No. 898883 ID: a62974

Because of the craving thing, do vampires need to eat constantly or once a week?
>>
No. 899090 ID: 270774
File 153525616525.png - (31.60KB , 800x525 , 68.png )
899090

The offer disgusts Ricardo. Still, it seems sincere - and he doesn’t feel bad for Pascal, but he does feel like there’s a lot about him that he doesn’t know. He stops himself from snapping about it.

“Even if I had anyone like that, I would never do this to them.” He shifts away from Pascal, slightly, and whatever unnamed tension had been sitting in the other’s shoulders breaks and falls away.

“Well, then! Let nobody say I did not offer, and when anyone you like begins to grow old and die, you don’t come crying to me.” Pascal grips the railing again and stretches backwards, until he’s grinning at Ricardo upside-down. “Are you hungry?”

Ricardo rolls his shoulders, slow and aggressive, his head held low like a dog’s. “Yeah.”

“Ahaha! I thought so. Here, we hunt now.” Pascal straightens up again and leans forward over the rail, surveying the street below. Ricardo comes to stand beside him. There’s a beat of hesitation, in which Pascal’s fingers reach up to toy with his own curls again. “Does it bother you? Feeding? The way it used to for me?”

“No.” Ricardo finds himself irritated by the way Pascal’s fidgeting always ends with his hair in his eyes - his hand twitches, an urge to push it back into place, and he resists. “It’s them or me. I have to eat. And it isn’t my fault that I’m like this.”

“Ah, how cold!” Pascal smiles into his hand. “But that must be easier for you, then. The guilt was nothing but trouble for me.”

“I’m not interested in the morality of it,” Ricardo mutters. “It’s how things are. Everyone does what they have to to survive. That’s how it was when I was alive, too.”
>>
No. 899091 ID: 270774
File 153525617889.png - (146.07KB , 800x525 , 69.png )
899091

Pascal is chuckling softly at him. Ricardo doesn’t care for that shit at all. “So this is when you’re gonna actually teach me some useful things, right?” He glances to the side, and Pascal’s eyes are moving too quickly for him to track, skittering between each individual human milling through the loose crowd. Whenever’s Pascal’s gaze slows, he tries to follow it, to see what caught his attention, but the moment is always too fleeting.

“Not yet,” Pascal replies, finally. “First I want to see the damage, ehehe. To see what I have to teach and unteach.”

He spreads one arm out, laying out the street of bars and restaurants, like a host showing off the spread at a banquet. “So, you show me! Select prey and hunt as you always do.”
>>
No. 899093 ID: 8b438a
899093

we need new clothes so. someone around our size
>>
No. 899094 ID: aedfd9

Someone our size. Tell them you uh, saw a lost wallet on the ground and you want them to go look at it. In this alleyway. Alone.
>>
No. 899099 ID: 2a4856

Well, your usual fare of the homeless and forgettable isn't going to work. So, scope out your options, keep an eye out for someone your size in decent clothes who looks like he might be up for a good time with someone broody and rugged.
>>
No. 899101 ID: a17473

pick someone handsome and stylish. like you!! you need a good outfit to impress pascal
>>
No. 899102 ID: 70df1e

someone around our size is a good start, or someone wearing very baggy clothes. a wallflower type of person would be good, someone who isn't too noticeable, or won't be missed.

lying doesn't seem to be a strong suit, so maybe wait for an opportune time to grab someone and pull them into an alley, or lure them away from the rest of the crowd? its dark, and people can't see well, it doesn't have to be perfect.
>>
No. 899108 ID: dbf422

Somewhere loud. Find someone your size and wait to see if they go to the restroom. Follow them, check for others, wait for them to finish, then choke them out. You want those clothes blood free so get those off before you feed.
>>
No. 899123 ID: bb78f2

>>899091
Well we went after vagrants, so find the strongest hobo.
>>
No. 899135 ID: c9d659

no homeless people, their clothes likely wouldnt be good. and nobody thats in a group.
that big guy crossing the street, maybe? lets follow them
>>
No. 899154 ID: a307f1

With clothes shopping as a consideration, maybe the big guy in the middle of the street there, heading into the building. Maybe tail him into the crowd and wait til he heads to the bathroom and hope you luck out and he's alone in there. There is, however, a lot of potential for sloppiness there.

If you want it to be quick and easy, there's that guy sitting against the wall far off from everyone. He looks like his life sucks, maybe he wont put up too much fight. Plus he looks easiest to isolate.

I also dont like the looks of the guy in the top left, leaning against the railing. He just looks like an asshole, I kinda wanna kill him just cause I hate him.
>>
No. 899177 ID: 2ff745

The guy in the middle of the street seems bigger than average, and like he's alone. It might complicate things that he seems to be heading into the building on the corner, which is crowded, but it's more important that we be careful than fast. Tail him and see if he seems suitable - if not, we can find someone better inside.

If we can do this without talking to anyone, all the better, because Ricardo is . . . not great at that. But we might have to do some skill-building here.
>>
No. 899267 ID: 270774
File 153538547239.png - (148.37KB , 800x525 , 70.png )
899267

The guy alone on the balcony of the club across the way looks like an asshole, and Ricardo kind of wants to eat him just because of his asshole vibes. But he’s small enough that his clothes won’t be useful, and the balcony has a few other people there - it’s quiet enough that nobody would be able to go up there unnoticed, but has enough people that it’s a complicated number of witnesses.

There’s another man who looks more like Ricardo’s normal fare sitting on the sidewalk closer to their perch, drinking out of a paper bag - but his clothes are worse off than Ricardo’s own, and at any rate, an easy kill like that isn’t going to impress Pascal--

Ricardo catches himself and shakes the thought off. This isn’t about impressing Pascal. It’s about dinner and a change of clothes.

His eyes finally settle on someone crossing the street - a man his size, seemingly without a group, pretty well-dressed and in good shape.
>>
No. 899268 ID: 270774
File 153538548132.png - (134.36KB , 800x525 , 71.png )
899268

Ricardo wants that damn jacket.
>>
No. 899269 ID: 270774
File 153538549417.png - (97.62KB , 800x525 , 72.png )
899269

He follows the mark into the club, which seems popular, but not crowded enough to be hellish - although any concentration of people at all is too much for Ricardo, frankly, and that’s an atittude that was true for him in life, too.

The man he’s tailing settles alone at the bar, and Ricardo flounders as he watches him signal for the bartender. Until now, he’s just been grabbing people off the sidewalk, crushing their windpipes so they can’t scream, and eating them behind dumpsters in alleyways. He is currently completely out of his depth.
>>
No. 899271 ID: aedfd9

Offer to buy him a drink. But not like, in a dating way? Unless he wants it to be in a dating way? Uh? Bud lite lime? Know any fun alleyways around here?
>>
No. 899274 ID: 0d6acf

put on the charm
>>
No. 899278 ID: dbf422

Don't offer to buy him anything, pay for what he's already bought without asking. Then ask for whatever he's having and sit near him.

You do have money, right?
>>
No. 899279 ID: a307f1

alright here's the gameplan. put on your sexiest charm, if you're even capable of sexy charm, and flirt this guy up. get him swooning. or at least get him horny. then propose you two go somewhere quieter together.
>>
No. 899280 ID: 11b5c9

can you seduce him without like, opening your mouth and speaking. wiggle your eyebrows or something. make a sexy face
>>
No. 899281 ID: bcf467

yes ricardo, seduce the guy. oh my god.
>>
No. 899282 ID: db1396

Sit down next to him, say "hey" then shut your mouth. Order two drinks and shove one his way, then let him engage with you, nodding and gruff chuckling are acceptable, anything else is a no go.
>>
No. 899287 ID: 4ac654

pay for his drink, definitely—assuming you have money!! then, uh, turn on the charm?? you have that, right??
>>
No. 899293 ID: bb78f2

>>899269
Is this a gay bar?
>>
No. 899295 ID: 194b7a

>>899282
seconded, no talking unless it'd b awkward 2 keep quiet! interpersonal skills aren't our strongsuit but we have a good Demeanor otherwise
>>
No. 899296 ID: 70df1e

seduce your mark but no talking speedrun. if you buy him a drink you will clip directly into the bathroom where you can drink his blood.

but seriously dont open your mouth ricardo do not blow this for us
>>
No. 899300 ID: a62780

>>899269
Stick to fairly comfortable territory, leave the fancy seduction stuff to Pascal. Besides, you might not be the guy's type in the first place.
All you need now is the opportunity, which could be as simple as when he goes to the bathroom.
>>
No. 899301 ID: 270774
File 153541402957.png - (138.12KB , 800x525 , 73.png )
899301

A glance around indicates that this isn’t necessarily a gay bar, but trying to get the guy alone still seems like the best option, so it’s worth a shot. Ricardo quickly takes inventory of his past successes in the area of seduction, which are relatively sparse.

All his successes have resulted when some sexually aggressive twink overflowing with raw confidence has approached him and ended up managing to tug him along. All his failures have resulted literally any time he has tried to initiate.

Ricardo decides it’s probably best to keep his mouth shut as much as possible.
>>
No. 899302 ID: 270774
File 153541404356.png - (92.58KB , 800x525 , 74.png )
899302

He sits down next to the guy and waves the bartender over. Once he has her attention, he jabs his finger against the bartop, next to Jacket Guy’s drink. “I’m paying for that.” A beat, and then he retrieves his hand. “And one more. For me.”

Jacket Guy is looking at him. He figures if he’s not going to talk, he might as well make eye contact.

“Hey,” says Ricardo, as non-threateningly as he can.
>>
No. 899303 ID: 270774
File 153541405409.png - (62.58KB , 800x525 , 75.png )
899303

“Uh. Thanks, buddy, that’s cool of you,” says Jacket Guy.

Buddy. Oh boy. A dent appears between Ricardo’s eyebrows.

This guy is probably straight.
>>
No. 899304 ID: 270774
File 153541407675.png - (85.24KB , 800x525 , 76.png )
899304

There’s a familiar giggle, halfway across the room - not something Ricardo would have been able to hear if he were still human, but to a vampire, easy to pick out. He glances over his shoulder, and his similarly freaky vampiric vision picks out Pascal - the older vampire had followed him in to watch, somehow without him noticing, and is watching him over someone’s back.

Great. Excellent. Fantastic.

Pascal enthusiastically mimes a blowjob over his dance partner’s shoulder - how the hell does he already have a dance partner - and Ricardo turns away again, fuming. He can’t tell if Pascal is just making fun of him, or if that was a suggestion.
>>
No. 899305 ID: 270774
File 153541409174.png - (61.95KB , 800x525 , 77.png )
899305

“You’re lookin’ kind of rough there,” Jacket Guy says, bluntly. Ricardo refocuses his attention. “Long day?”

Shit. God. Talking. Communication. Ricardo, in the absence of any other idea what he should do, nods.

“Me too. Bello’s isn’t the best place to unwind, but at least it doesn’t get obnoxious in here.” Jacket Guy takes a leisurely swig of his drink. “You look like you like quiet.”

Ricardo nods. That seems to be going okay, so far.

“What do you do all day that puts you in such a bad mood, huh?”

Shit. Nodding won’t work for this. The bartender brings his drink and Ricardo drains it, to buy time while he thinks of a response.
>>
No. 899307 ID: bb78f2

>>899305
I've done a lot of things in my life, roofing, bouncing, training, today, and for the last few years I did bounty hunting. It was extremely disappointing. Today is my last day, and I'm facing an existential crisis, again. In another strange city after finding my last guy, and I just wanted to get to a bar to cool down in. I think after that I'll join a circus and do magic tricks. Just got to learn a few good ones.

I do like quiet. I like words too, not good with 'em though. You better? What do you do?
>>
No. 899308 ID: 55dba4

Gruff laugh + 4 words "boring computer stuff, you?"

Keep it simple. This is going well.

If he notices you looking at Pascal "confess" you were hoping to make your boyfriend jealous because he's being how he is, but you get that's not happening. Maybe apply gruff laugh.
>>
No. 899309 ID: b54723

You're a bouncer and it pisses you off.
>>
No. 899310 ID: b54723

tell him your dick is big and you wanna go to pound town on him
>>
No. 899312 ID: a62780

>>899305
Might as well stick close to the truth, lies just complicate things, especially if he happens to have a decent bullshit detector.

Came looking for this guy who wronged you, planning to get even. You find the guy, only for it to turn out he wasn't malicious, he just fucked up and ran away. So now you've got to deal with the fact you've spent a lot of time and effort hating a person who didn't even really exist.
>>
No. 899313 ID: 194b7a

something simple- i like the bouncer idea, you look the type. literally just say bouncer, or w/e, don't go into detail!! this is going ok so far, dont f*ck it up by talking too much lol
>>
No. 899315 ID: 8b438a

yeah, met up with someone i haven't seen in a while. it was... interesting

cross your arms on the bar. show off your guns!!!!
>>
No. 899316 ID: f0088f

Taxes. Other people's taxes. Just all day. Numbers numbers numbers. Haha, so much math. All those taxes I do, I could fill up a pool with 'em. Fancy a blowie?
>>
No. 899317 ID: aedfd9

"Oh, you know."

That, OR say you just met up with a one night stand after five years and it was awkward.
>>
No. 899318 ID: 6bed2a

come on ricardo gather your meager social skills. tell him you've been travelling all day for work (technically trying to murder pascal is work) and that you were also looking to unwind.
>>
No. 899319 ID: 0d6acf

Something close to the truth, you don't need to say a lot. careful not to be a big downer tho
>>
No. 899332 ID: 1d2ffa

youre doing great! relax your facial muscles and try not to look/sound like a serial killer (which, like, you technically are, but it doesnt have to show.)

say any of the other suggestions, idk, just make it sound like you really hate your job so he doesnt pursue the topic and we dont have to make more stuff up. say youre looking to unwind, let go of some tension.

youve got to show pascal you can Do Things. think about how smug you will be once youve successfully persuaded a human to go somewhere alone with you! thats like, big vampire skills, right?
>>
No. 899364 ID: dbf422

"Got dumped, just trying to think about anything else."
>>
No. 899386 ID: 270774
File 153546399975.png - (76.10KB , 800x525 , 78.png )
899386

“I’m a bouncer,” Ricardo finally replies, as he sets his glass down. This actually isn't completely untrue - he's spent most of his time working odd jobs, from bartending to crowd security to construction, and standing at a club door looking scary has frequently been the paycheck of the month. He signals for another drink. “It pisses me off.”

“Well, yeah. The definition of that job is dealing with assholes.” Jacket Guy takes another sip of his drink, looking amused. “You look more than just long-workday-upset, though.”

Ricardo struggles to relax his facial muscles. He doesn't really know how. “This is just what my face looks like,” he protests.

That gets a laugh out of Jacket Guy, short and low. Ricardo hears that lilting giggle across the room again and tightens his hand on his glass.
>>
No. 899387 ID: 270774
File 153546401593.png - (69.08KB , 800x525 , 79.png )
899387

“See, there, look,” Jacket Guy says. He gestures loosely at Ricardo’s shoulders. “You're all worked up.”

Ricardo exhales. “Okay. Truth is I traveled all day to meet…” The guy who killed me. “...a one night stand, from a long time ago.” This drink he at least makes last two swallows, instead of one. “And he wasn't what I expected.”

“Yikes,” says Jacket Guy.

Ricardo keeps his glass between his hands, idly scooting it back and forth between his palms. “So. Trying to unwind, from that.”

“Okay, so let me review.” Jacket Guy finally finishes his drink, too, and pushes the glass away. “You’re a bouncer who comes to a club to unwind from dealing with people at clubs, and you’re disappointed by a one night stand, so you’ve come out to buy strangers drinks. You mind if I call you a little self-sabotaging?”
>>
No. 899389 ID: 1d2ffa

yeah, we've got some issues. pity fuck?
>>
No. 899393 ID: aedfd9

Sure seems that way. Unless you want to help me break the pattern?
>>
No. 899395 ID: 1dd514

"...shit"
>>
No. 899399 ID: 70df1e

tell him that you think by this point are both well aware that you aren't not a person who makes good or smart decisions and see if you can get him to laugh again. sometimes humor as a coping mechanism is relatable. you need to be relatable enough to pass as human, you can do this
>>
No. 899400 ID: dbf422

That's called being consistent. And it's not like you met your disappointing date at a bar. And it's not like this guy is an asshole.
>>
No. 899402 ID: 2ff745

Sure, but if you wanna help out with that, be my guest.
>>
No. 899403 ID: 8c51c8

"you're not wrong. This probably isn't the best location to be, but it is the one with the alcohol." Also ask him about his story, why he's the type of guy to accept drinks from a stranger and listen to their woes
>>
No. 899408 ID: bb78f2

>>899387
It works for my brain.
I don't typically make a lot of sense, especially tonight.
>>
No. 899409 ID: a62780

>>899403 is probably the best angle

"Hmh, maybe, but I needed booze and company. What about you?"
>>
No. 899439 ID: 270774
File 153551353790.png - (63.42KB , 800x525 , 80.png )
899439

“Shit,” Ricardo says. That gets Jacket Guy laughing again, at least. Ricardo sighs and leans forward, crossing his wrists against the edge of the bar. “Alright, sure. I guess I am. But this is where the drinks are.” He glances to the side, briefly. “If you wanna help break the cycle, be my guest.”

Jacket Guy’s face softens, just a little, and he echoes Ricardo’s sigh. “Hey, listen. I really appreciate the drink, man. But I don’t wanna waste your time, so I’ll tell you right off the bat that I’m not looking for anything tonight.”

Well, there goes that avenue. Ricardo thinks about asking him about himself in return, but - he doesn’t really wanna know. Not when he’s planning on spilling the guy’s guts later anyway, albeit in a completely different way. He settles for grunting in acknowledgement. Grunting, at least, is something he’s very good at.

“But, hey, don’t be discouraged!” Jacket Guy adds quickly. “Especially while you’re in town, this is, y’know, a diverse city--”

Oh, Jesus Christ, Ricardo thinks.

“--and I bet a lot of guys are into the whole brooding silent guy thing.”

“I don’t brood,” Ricardo growls.

“Yeah, okay. Listen, I’m just saying, at least give yourself two more strikes.”
>>
No. 899440 ID: 270774
File 153551358811.png - (86.10KB , 800x525 , 81.png )
899440

Jacket Guy gets the bartender’s attention and asks for a glass of water, and when she returns with it, he pushes it over to Ricardo. “Hey. What if I told you I have psychic powers?”

Ricardo snorts over the rim of the glass. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He presses two fingers to his temple in mock concentration. “And my powers are telling me… that your disappointing one night stand… is in the building with us.”

Ricardo doesn’t laugh at this one.

“Because - here, look, I’m being psychic - you get here, and the guy turns out to be the spawn of satan, or whatever the problem was, and you just want to bail and go home.” Jacket Guy cracks one eye to look at him, gauging his reaction. Ricardo avoids eye contact. “But after coming all this way - what, where are you from. Not around here, right? I can’t quite place your voice.”

“West Coast,” Ricardo mutters. He’s sipping the water with extreme reluctance. “But English is my second language. You’re probably just hearing that.”

“Oh, huh. You’re crazy good, then, I thought you were a native speaker - oh, right, where was I in my clairvoyance? Right, you travel all the way from the West Coast, which, Jesus, dude - and the guy’s an asshole, and you can’t just go ‘alright, I’m gonna bail, I’m turning around and going home after being here for a half hour.’ So the two of you are gonna ‘hang out’ as ‘friends’ for the weekend, which is the last fucking thing you want to do, and now you’re at a club you don’t like in a town you’re not familiar with, and the second you got here he was already cozying up to other dudes, and now you’re over here sulking and trying to make him jealous.”

“Not jealous,” Ricardo snaps, immediately. “I’m just trying to make him-”

Jacket Guy is smirking. Ricardo does not like that.

“I’m trying to make him see,” Ricardo continues, heatedly, “that I can - do shit. Meet people.”

“Uhuh.” Jacket Guy props his chin up on his hand. “Well, I can’t help you with the mechanical side of that. But you bought me a drink, and I owe you a solid.” He grins, and Ricardo is still mostly trying not to look at him. “What if I very conspicuously went to the bathroom with you? He doesn’t have to know nothing’s happening.”
>>
No. 899441 ID: f0088f

Sure, even if he was trying to steal your wallet, you can overpower him though you have the grace and movement of a two separate one old giraffe. Say fancy a blowie right before you leave, so that Pascal believes that that's a magical phrase of seduction, which is true.
>>
No. 899442 ID: 05af2d

YES, YOU SAY YES

But uh, don't sound too eager. More like "hey you're a good guy I appreciate it, let's go psychic bro"
>>
No. 899443 ID: 0d6acf

Guy seems nice! Eat him
>>
No. 899444 ID: 8aef06

im in love with jacket guy so PLS make a big moment out of this—milk it for everything it’s worth!! show pascal you can do the sexy seducing thing too!!
>>
No. 899445 ID: 8b438a

well the bathroom is pretty secluded. if we suggest an alley he may think we're a weirdo murderer and leave so we CAN'T murder him. i'd say take his offer?

sorry seemingly nice dude. you have a cool jacket
>>
No. 899462 ID: aedfd9

Do it! He's offering himself up on a silver platter!

And maybe make out with him a bit too? You need the practice, and if you embarrass yourself it's a freebie since you're going to kill him anyway. You NEED practice before you attempt to kiss... anyone
>>
No. 899464 ID: 70df1e

do it but DONT eat him. go in there, pretend something happened, and then score a real meal afterwards. show pascal you can do the sex thing (well, fake the sex thing, he doesn't have to know) AND the meal thing, and that you absolutely 100% got on just fine without him thank you very much
>>
No. 899465 ID: 31eb45

>>899464
I'm not convinced that Pascal can't hear what's being said right now, or that he won't figure out some way to tell what happens (or fails to happen) in the bathroom, considering he's explicitly observing us.
>>
No. 899467 ID: dbf422

>>899444
Hell yeah this
>>
No. 899471 ID: 028133

chomp CHOMP
>>
No. 899476 ID: 1d2ffa

thats such a gooood idea. making things easy for you. yes
>>
No. 899477 ID: caa524

better hope the bathroom doesn't have a big mirror lol
>>
No. 899478 ID: ee2d6e

>>899465
This and it doesn't matter how we get the guy in private, just that we do. In fact, I'd say it's better that we didn't do it through seduction, but through what is essentially anti-seduction. Show that we're not Pascal. And just chow down on this guy. After taking his jacket.
>>
No. 899507 ID: bb78f2

>>899440
Whew, glad you're not that psychic man. WAAAAAAAAIT.
This guy is also a vampire. Goddammit.
The ONE guy with the cool jacket we want to wear is also a vampire.
Yeah, he doesn't have the vampire eyes, but shapeshifting can change that. If you can turn into a cougar anyone should be able just to change their eye color.

I think maybe YOU have to be careful with this guy.
No wonder he's playing along with you.
>>
No. 899513 ID: 2ff745

You know what? No. Let's bid this guy a good night and go find somebody else. Ricardo's right, we have to eat, but we don't have to eat a genuinely nice and cool guy like this just because he's the first person we talked to.

I'm sure we can find somebody who's out harassing girls or just being some kind of general fuckhead. Ricardo is a monster, but he's a monster who can choose what he eats. We can at least try to be somewhat decent.
>>
No. 899514 ID: 0e2ebe

>>899513
300 homeless down is a weird place to generate a conscience. Ricardo is supposed to be eating better anyway.
>>
No. 899515 ID: 9c8a8c

Sure, but can we maybe go outside instead of the bathroom?? Say you need fresh air, you can find an alleyway and that might be safer than a bathroom. How would we get rid of the body in a bathroom? Plus other people could walk in
>>
No. 899546 ID: a7d201

i dont want this man to die but i know ricardo is a ruthless killing machine and it would be rude of me to deny him this sexy jacket blood
>>
No. 899555 ID: d2e2ce

Take him as your ward, Ricardo. You have to pay your debts, a jacket for a life.
>>
No. 899560 ID: 270774

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5drTYTEHBo
>>
No. 899561 ID: 270774
File 153560836299.png - (81.41KB , 800x525 , 92a.png )
899561

There’s a brief flicker of something Ricardo hasn’t felt in a long time: reluctance. Maybe it’s just because before now, he’s never spoken to any of his prey, not a single word. There’s a tiny part of him that says to give this one up and choose someone else.

That, though, is a part of himself that he no longer needs.

“Sure,” he says. He knows that in a situation like this, he’s supposed to be smiling, but it isn’t in him. His gaze flicks back over the room, to the slowly filling dancefloor. He hasn’t heard Pascal’s laugh in a while, but he wasn’t listening for it. There’s a chance Pascal has been keeping tabs on him the entire time.

“He’s over there?” He’s jolted out of his train of thought when Jacket Guy grabs his hand. His skin practically scorches. It takes a heavy amount of personal restraint not to knock the guy’s head off on instinct. Jacket Guy tugs at him a little, eyebrows raising at Ricardo’s suddenly hostile expression. “Dude, your hands are fucking freezing.

“Yeah.” Ricardo lets himself be led along. He tries to think of the last time someone touched his hand - the last time besides frantic, weakening clawing, the last flailing of someone dying, trying to pry him off. There’s nothing.
>>
No. 899562 ID: 270774
File 153560837733.png - (77.60KB , 800x525 , 93.png )
899562

The bass vibrates in his throat. He reflects for a moment on the change in his hearing, not just a crank upwards in volume, but a fine-tuning that left him with a sense that wasn’t just better, but more detailed. He can hear a soft voice from three blocks away, but at the same time, loud noises at point-blank range aren’t suddenly incapacitating - and he’s thankful for that now, as they push further into the crowd and the vibration spreads to his chest.

In the strobing light Pascal looks otherworldly. For a split second Ricardo worries about his eyes - the way they’re reflecting light, inhuman, unnatural - but no one else on the floor seems to be looking as intently as he is, not even the man Pascal is dancing with.

“That’s him?”

Jacket Guy reminds Ricardo of his presence, yelling to be heard over the music, and Ricardo breaks Pascal’s gaze, but he can still feel the red eyes burning into the side of his face. Jacket Guy snorts. “God. What is he, early 20’s?”

Ten times that, Ricardo thinks, but it doesn’t matter. He nods absently.

“Well, shit, man, no wonder you were disappointed. I’m thinking about what I was like at that age, and nobody should’ve been dating me.”

“I’m not trying to date him,” Ricardo replies, immediately. Jacket Guy doesn’t hear him - he had forgotten that to be audible to a human here, he would need to shout - and it’s just as well, because Jacket Guy transfers his grip from Ricardo’s hand to his forearm, pulling him closer as they press through the crowd.

“Come on. Let’s make sure he sees us.”
>>
No. 899563 ID: 270774
File 153560839115.png - (98.25KB , 800x525 , 94.png )
899563

Pascal already has, of course - but when they get closer, he makes a show of turning his head again, watching them move past. His lips part, convincingly. Ricardo, in an act of herculean strength, resists flipping him the bird.

Jacket Guy grabs his arm tighter, tugs it around his waist - there’s a split second in which Pascal looks like he’s restraining laughter, probably too quick for the human eye to catch. Ricardo keeps his eyes on Pascal for as long as he can, and then they’ve pushed through the other side of the crowd.
>>
No. 899564 ID: 270774
File 153560840674.png - (81.03KB , 800x525 , 95.png )
899564

When they bust through the bathroom door, Jacket Guy really is laughing. Blessedly, there’s nobody inside. There’s a small mirror hung over each of the two sinks, and Ricardo’s chest hitches - not in panic, but in a kind of cold, dull apprehension - but Jacket Guy blows right past them to yank them both into the smaller stall in the corner. It takes some maneuvering to fit Ricardo in with him, then he reaches around Ricardo’s sides to slam the stall door shut and lock it.

“He looked mad,” says Jacket Guy.

He didn’t to Ricardo. Maybe the intense focus of Pascal’s eyes, so normal already to him, seems hostile to others. “I think that’s just what he looks like.”

“Both of you, huh.” Jacket Guy’s arm’s are still under each of Ricardo’s, hovering away from his sides, palms flat on the door. “You think he’ll follow us in? Should we make it convincing?”
>>
No. 899565 ID: c1eaac

say yes, go in for a kiss, and chomp that sucker
>>
No. 899567 ID: 70df1e

is this a one entrance/exit situation because if not, we might not want to kill him in here, actually. we should say lets make it convincing and muss up each others hair a bit and then make like youre leaving to get together somewhere thats better than a bathroom. then you can pull him into an alley or somewhere you can actually hide the body and do what you do.

if we do end up killing him in here (or at all) we should at least ask his name first. he was kind to us, and we might as well have a name to go with the jacket we're going to be wearing around.
>>
No. 899569 ID: 99d25f

Suggest he take off his jacket and throw it on the sink, in a theoretically passionate gesture for Pascal to see. Regardless, next move is killing him by crushing his windpipe.
>>
No. 899582 ID: 4ac654

YES YES YES YES ABSOLUTELY MAKE IT CONVINCING,,
>>
No. 899583 ID: dbf422

>>899569
Exactly.
>>
No. 899584 ID: 8da8a1

How are we going to deal with the body if we kill him?
>>
No. 899585 ID: c0905a
899585

uh are you able to kill him before he screams or fights too much + not get any blood on his clothes. do you actually have any experience with victims that arent weak?
>>
No. 899596 ID: ee2d6e

>>899569
This seems like the winning move. Then you can spill some blood to not make another vampire while also retaining the integrity of your new jacket.
>>
No. 899597 ID: aedfd9

YES YES MAKE IT CONVINCING oooh I'm gonna miss this guy
>>
No. 899616 ID: 2ff745

Well . . . try to eat neatly!
>>
No. 899662 ID: 0e2ebe

>>899616
No! Very bad. Too neat and you make new vampires.
>>
No. 899664 ID: 2ff745

>>899662
Okay, okay, eat just neatly enough that you don't ruin your new set of clothes. Also the "where are we going to hide the body" concerns have a point, but let's just live in the moment!
>>
No. 899731 ID: 031115

i mean, if we're that worried about getting out of here after giving this guy the slurp of a lifetime, we can pull a classic Make This Somebody Else's Problem technique by locking the stall and slapping an out of order sign on it once we're done.
>>
No. 899748 ID: dbf422

>>899731
That's what I was thinking. We aren't coming back here, it's not a big deal.
>>
No. 899750 ID: 5427fe

>>899748
are we missing that pascal had an entire speech about how the most dangerous thing you can do is to leave behind alarming bodies that will cause other humans to panic, which will in turn make other vampires mad at us and put a target on our backs? i know that in this specific vote, the "hide the body" people are outnumbered, so i'm not necessarily insisting we have to skip the bathroom meal, but i think it's worth thinking about in general.
>>
No. 899751 ID: a307f1

just flush him down the toilet after you're done with him
>>
No. 899769 ID: 0e2ebe

>>899750
His examples include Elizabeth Bathory and Jack the Ripper. It's an important warning but one death in one bar isn't either of those.
>>
No. 899795 ID: 63fafc

1) Chomp Hiom
2) whats the movie where they like..... puppeteer a dead guy around to convince people he’s still alive. ricardo can TOTALLY manage that. out the door doopsiedoo, whoops “my pal got drunk and , somehow incredibly pale also he hit his face on the bathroom stall door and got a nosebleed, look at that sPLATTER, what a wildcard am i right???”
It Is A Foolproof Plan. Genius.
>>
No. 899811 ID: ee2d6e

What to do with the body can be considered afterwards.
>>
No. 899881 ID: 270774
File 153577498005.png - (105.39KB , 800x525 , 96.png )
899881

“Yeah.” Ricardo rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck, which he realizes a second too late are not really sexy gestures, but Jacket Guy doesn’t seem to mind. “Take your jacket off.”

“Sure - look, here, I’ll throw it over the top of the stall,” Jacket Guy laughs. “Increased visibility.” Ricardo’s eyes flick to follow the movement. His jacket now.

He’s brought back to attention by Jacket Guy’s hands in his hair, ruffling carelessly. “Gotta make you look like you had a good time,” he says, smiling. Ricardo looks down at him, unblinking. “Haven’t heard the door open yet, though. I don’t think there’s point in making any theatrical noises -”

“No,” Ricardo agrees, “no noises,” and his hand flashes out and hits Jacket Guy’s throat like a truckload of bricks. It’s silent, and it’s instant. Once he feels the heat of the pounding arteries beneath Jacket Guy’s skin he stops thinking.
>>
No. 899882 ID: 270774
File 153577499619.png - (113.43KB , 800x525 , 97.png )
899882

Well - almost. He remembers, at least, to spill blood - when he leans forward to break the skin of the man’s throat, he lets some blood escape first, one hand still tight around the base of the neck to catch it and keep it from seeping into the t-shirt. His mouth is back against the skin a moment later, and he feeds deeply.

There’s no other word for it than exquisite, and that’s not a word that crosses Ricardo’s mind often. He had never thought about his choice of prey before - blood is blood is blood, he thought, and whether the victims were thin or weak shouldn’t have mattered. He’s aware now of how wrong he was. He’s aware of a low, throaty noise, and realizes only some moments later that the noise is of his own making, involuntary and bestial. He can’t find it in himself to care.

He’s satisfied when he’s drained a little less than half of Jacket Guy’s blood - but he knows already from experience that it would have been enough to put him past the point of no return, if the crushed windpipe hadn’t already done him in. He pulls away and releases him, letting the body slump into a sitting position over the toilet.
>>
No. 899883 ID: 270774
File 153577501994.png - (87.34KB , 800x525 , 98.png )
899883

“Wow, very clean!” says Pascal, cheerfully. Ricardo makes a rough, shapeless noise of alarm, turning to find Pascal perched on the divider between the two bathroom stalls. “Well? You like this better than hobos?”

Ricardo wipes his mouth on the back of his hand. Blood, already slowly congealing, is starting to slide down the side of Jacket Guy’s neck, and he sets to work stripping the shirt off before it can get soaked. “I’m satisfied.”

“You downplay because you do not want to admit I’m right,” says Pascal, smugly. He swings his legs, crossed at the ankles, his heels clicking lightly against the divider. “Shall I tell you what I think of your hunt?”

Ricardo’s breath is already coming faster than before. He pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it against Jacket Guy’s inert torso, pulling on the new clothing without looking up at his sire. “You’d tell me even if I said no.”

“A human in good health, and a clean kill - these things are good. But you make two mistakes.” Pascal sets his elbows on his knees, then his chin in his palms. “One of them is so obvious I am sure you have already thought of it - now that you are finished eating, this unsightly body is left here in such a tiny room. Is not the end of the world, but you cannot do this always.”

Ricardo is yanking Jacket Guy’s belt off. “I know.”

“And yet you feed anyway! Stupid boy. You could have ask him to go outside.”


“I thought about it,” Ricardo says. God, but the guy’s pants are tight. He hesitates, partially because he doesn’t want to get stuck in them, and mostly because he doesn’t want to get stuck in them in front of Pascal. “But this is how things turned out.”

“Well, like I said, not the end of the world.” Pascal tilts his head, humming cheerfully. “And your second mistake, taking this meal. Would you like to maybe guess what it is, before I tell you?”
>>
No. 899888 ID: 3a7b77

> mutter "condescending asshole"
>>
No. 899889 ID: bb78f2

>>899883
He's a notable around here. Or sick. Or some supernatural creature I wasn't aware of, like a changeling or something.
>>
No. 899890 ID: d887c0

>>899883
What? He belonged to another vampire or something? Don't play games, you shithead.
>>
No. 899891 ID: 031115

'extremely obviously slinking off with the soon-to-be-dead guy'? though to be fair that was a very fun part of the sell to the mark.
>>
No. 899894 ID: 70df1e

mistake 1: ate him without thinking of how to get rid of the body

mistake 2: people will miss him? he's already spoken for? he's also a supernatural creature and hes gonna pop up and kick our ass?

rip jacket guy we never learned your name but we will never forget you.
>put on the cool jacket
>>
No. 899897 ID: 4ac654

rip jacket guy.... i loved u. anyway, was our mistake that we super obviously trotted off with his guy to the bathroom, where his body will be found, and witnesses will be like "oh yeah he went off with this big hot angry blond guy" aka us?
>>
No. 899899 ID: f02343

It's the boner isn't it. The boner is the second thing. Indicate with grunts that you would really enjoy Pascal taking care of it.
>>
No. 899922 ID: dbf422

The bartender saw his face? Or maybe Pascal saw his hesitation.
>>
No. 899935 ID: ebd13f

murderhorny, you forgot murderhorny
>>
No. 899956 ID: 2ff745

Normally I would say the mistake was how visible we were, walking through a crowded dance floor with the mark, but on the other hand Pascal was also very visibly spending a lot of time with his mark, so maybe that's not it. So I'm seconding a "stop playing games, shithead" vote. Either teach us or don't.

Try your best not to fixate on how tight and shiny Pascal's pants are while you tell him off.
>>
No. 899977 ID: 1d2ffa

the mistake is that you're big horny now, and someone who supposedly went into the bathroom to hook up cant come out the bathroom with a boner
>>
No. 899988 ID: c1ef78

the mistake was that i didn't get my dick sucked first and now my balls are about to explode, killing me instantly
>>
No. 900017 ID: 270774
File 153585821673.png - (85.45KB , 800x525 , 99.png )
900017

“Condescending asshole,” Ricardo mutters. Pascal, of course, hears him, and only laughs, extending one leg until he can tilt Ricardo’s chin up with the toe of his shoe.

“You don’t know?”

Ricardo meets his gaze, glaring. “Stop playing games with me, you shithead,” he growls. “Teach me or don’t.”

Pascal straightens his knee a little more, tilting Ricardo’s jaw to the side, and Ricardo finds himself involuntarily clenching his teeth. It feels like his brain is beating on the inside of his skull. “I’m trying to teach you! I’m trying to let you figure things out on your own.”

All of the freshly consumed blood working its way through Ricardo’s body seems bound and determined to flood one specific area. The aforementioned brain is completely empty. The only mistake he can currently think of is that he didn’t pick a human who would have genuinely been interested in bathroom sex. “I - That we were seen,” he finally snaps. “I was too obvious about coming here with him. Something.”
>>
No. 900020 ID: 270774
File 153585852558.png - (144.97KB , 800x525 , 100.png )
900020

Pascal laughs again. Ricardo is getting extremely fucking sick of his laugh, and that has something to do with the fact that so far, it’s always at his expense. “You don’t have to worry about such mundane things. No, Ricardo. Your mistake was he was too nice.”

Ricardo scoffs, violently. “Fucking spare me. You can’t tell me you’re going to try some superhero bullshit, about only preying on the wicked -”

“You misunderstand.” Pascal tilts his head. His leg pushes forward, insistent, lifting Ricardo’s chin slowly. “I don’t care about the human. I care about its network. Humans live like a spiderweb.”

There’s the vague feeling that Pascal is talking about something important, and that he should be paying attention, but at this angle Ricardo is sighting down Pascal’s slender leg like an arrow shaft and his pants are despicably tight. He swears his vision is going red. “They are all connected to each other, one way or another, and some are connected very tightly, with many threads. When you pluck one, you break the threads that connect to it, and then other humans will run to see what’s wrong.”
>>
No. 900021 ID: 270774
File 153585853717.png - (77.89KB , 800x525 , 101.png )
900021

Ricardo’s hand lifts to Pascal’s ankle, his grip almost desperate, and Pascal doesn’t shake him off. He’s too busy explaining the apparent issue, which Ricardo is not absorbing at all. “This is the one thing you had right, when you were eating from the garbage - to pick these forgotten humans, with no connections. But the ones too disconnected from society, these ones cannot keep themselves healthy. You have to find a balance.” His voice softens slightly, but in deliberation, not empathy. “Someone like this, who spoke so kindly and easily to a stranger, who was trusting and quick to laugh - he was probably beloved to people around him. Many friends and family. His disappearance will be noticed quickly.”

Ricardo’s breathing is slow and shallow. Pascal notices, finally, and raises his eyebrows. “Ricaaaardo. Are you listening to me.”
>>
No. 900022 ID: 0edf1b

push his leg up so he tips over backward
>>
No. 900024 ID: 11b5c9

knock him off the wall in the least sexy way possible
>>
No. 900025 ID: 70df1e

pascal has a point, lets be mad about it.

>>900022
do this
>>
No. 900026 ID: 3a7b77

(: stumble backwards or scoot backwards on accident, maybe he'll step on you
>>
No. 900027 ID: d887c0

Drink him. Just drink the little bastard. He has a vein rich area right under your nose. Clamp on and don't stop until he's a raisin.
>>
No. 900028 ID: 4ac654

l...... lick his boot perhaps..... OR tip him over backwards, rip pascal
>>
No. 900047 ID: d201ed

yank him off the divider
>>
No. 900048 ID: a307f1

ricardo you cant fuck here right over a dead body. at least go to the next stall over
>>
No. 900052 ID: 2e3701

Kiss the shoe. Then maybe try pull him down and kiss him. Or just grind on him. He really should know better than to expect you to care when you’ve just eaten.
>>
No. 900053 ID: dbf422

Say "yes." Because yeah, don't eat likeable people, just healthy ones.

>>900022
Then do this.
>>
No. 900058 ID: a62780

>>900021
Tip him backwards (he'll probably just pull a perfect mid-air cartwheel and land harmlessly, but) it'll be funny and get his foot out of your face.

Anyway 'Yeah okay I hear you, don't go for anyone too popular, don't disrupt the hunting grounds.'
>>
No. 900064 ID: c23250

Be a rascal and tip!
>>
No. 900120 ID: 2ff745

Why are we all talking about pushing Pascal off the divider when we should clearly be pulling him off the divider
>>
No. 900123 ID: 53b212

>>900120
i like the way you think

do this
>>
No. 900176 ID: dbf422

>>900120
Because Ricardo is tsundere and pushing off is funnier.
>>
No. 900217 ID: 031115

give him a real good tug
>>
No. 900534 ID: 0d6acf

Guess we wanged it a little bit there.

Answer "no" and tip the other vampire over! You're not very dignified right now, least you can do is even the playing field
>>
No. 900546 ID: 7755b1

say "yes" and pull him down.
>>
No. 900608 ID: 56a05b

>>900120
>>900123
thirded. pull him down and then pin him against the closed door before he lands. sweep him off his FEET
>>
No. 900630 ID: 270774
File 153620989696.png - (92.89KB , 800x525 , 102.png )
900630

Ricardo is not, in fact, listening to him, and to mask this fact he shoves his arm upwards, hoping to tip Pascal backwards off the divider. Instead, Pascal’s leg just swings up fluidly, and the display of flexibility is not helping Ricardo’s mental state.

“Ahaha! What are you doing?” Pascal shifts a little on the divider, trying to rebalance himself. “Stop, I will fall-”

Ricardo grabs his other ankle and shoves that up, too, and Pascal shrieks and slips off the divider.
>>
No. 900631 ID: 270774
File 153620991990.png - (99.49KB , 800x525 , 103.png )
900631

He ends up catching himself with one arm, dissolving into uncontrollable giggles as he kicks half-heartedly at Ricardo’s grip. “Stop. My god. You are so terrible!”

For some reason the sound of his fucking laughter is making Ricardo’s stomach lurch even harder, and he gives up on trying to pull Pascal all the way down, opting instead to step forward and press him against the divider. Pascal’s hysterics trail off, and he tilts his head, taking in the feral glint in Ricardo’s eyes.
>>
No. 900632 ID: 270774
File 153620994634.png - (123.23KB , 800x525 , 104.png )
900632

“Hey, you know.” His lips are parted, and his eyes have lidded in a way that’s becoming familiar to Ricardo already, even through the haze he’s currently in - the look he gets when he’s being serious. “When you are this young, after the feed, it can be hard to control yourself. Especially when you haven’t been taught.”

Ricardo realizes that at some point his hands found their way up Pascal’s legs to his hips, fingers digging in hard enough that on a human it would have bruised. Pascal seems unbothered, but his tone is steady in a way that seems uncharacteristic. “If you are not in your right mind - if you are thinking now like an animal, instead of a man - it would be wrong for me to help you with how you are feeling now.” Pascal cards his fingers through Ricardo’s hair, more grounding than flirtatious. “Do you understand?”
>>
No. 900633 ID: 8aef06

k. kiss his tummy
>>
No. 900634 ID: 70df1e

let pascal ground you by playing with your hair. he has a point about being in the right state of mind, which we definitely aren't. also there is a body right there we gotta have a little decorum, a little order!
>>
No. 900635 ID: d887c0

You know what would be really, super awkward and terrible? If Jacket Guy's ghost suddenly appeared and started screaming at these two. Like, it'd be extra hard on Ricardo because despite his best efforts he still managed to sire a monster. Not a vampire, but another monster all the same.
>>
No. 900636 ID: 56a05b

he's right. lean into the hair petting since it seems to help, take a few breaths, clear your head. you could compose yourself enough to spill blood while feeding, you can compose yourself now.
definitely suck his dick of course but only after you're thinking clearly again

also, detouring slightly back, if we do get up to some business in this bathroom then it's actually probably a better idea to STAY in the dead man stall because nobody will come in if they hear you goin at it / the view of the body will be blocked by ricardos huge shoulders
>>
No. 900639 ID: af1e1e

yeah, we understand. self-control and full, conscious understanding of the situation is necessary for consent - let's take a step back both physically and mentally, and focus our attention on the extremely dead body.

pascall's probably made mistakes like this before; he'd know what to do in this situation, right? i'm guessing you guys will have to skip town, maybe after disposing of the body. let's get on that.
>>
No. 900641 ID: bb3392

if u can talk and make sense ur not thinking like an anal and he can help out ;)
>>
No. 900646 ID: 9d98db

that makes sense. lets have some more hair petting, then when youre feeling more like yourself you guys need to deal with the uh, corpse situation
>>
No. 900648 ID: 5ab80e

You know what? That's legit. Just lean in and let him pet your hair.
>>
No. 900649 ID: 2e3701

>>900633
Yes, this. Kiss the tum. Maybe nuzzle it a little.
>>
No. 900678 ID: aedfd9

LICK his tummy
>>
No. 900680 ID: b5738e

ricardo purr. big cat. scritches nice
>>
No. 900682 ID: f0088f

accept the hair petting for the grounding technique it is. do lick his shirt though. get lint on your TONGUE.
>>
No. 900683 ID: 3456fa

>>900633
this. also, take a moment to enjoy the feeling of hands in your hair
>>
No. 900709 ID: 26bb5f

Huh. That's . . . surprisingly attentive, from someone like Pascal. He may be a selfish, hedonistic bastard with no regard for the consequences of his actions, but it's a pleasant surprise to find out that he has your best interests at heart in at least some subjects.

At least enjoy the touch that he's initiated, and then once you feel calmer, ask him for advice on what to do about the body.
>>
No. 900725 ID: bb78f2

>>900632
...
Shapeshift your face into your cougar face.
"I'm an animal ehh? How about now?"

You know, honestly, if you could fully transform into a cougar, you could rip your snack's head off with your teeth, storm out of the bathroom as a bloody cougar, hopefully not get shot, and BOOM, body dealt with, and his death story.

He got killed by a cougar in the bathroom. Human's freak out a little bit, but nothing awful really happens. Just a cougar scare. It makes no sense how a cougar got into the bathroom and why the victim has no clothes, but EVERYONE saw a cougar leave the goddamn bathroom bloody, and there's cougar teeth marks on the neck. Yeah, there's also two witnesses that went into the bathroom that are missing, but whatever, fucking random BLOODY COUGAR in the bathroom eating people. Open and shut case police, they go home. Humans rationalize everything.

I don't know what happens to your clothes when you shapeshift. I guess Pascal with have to take your new clothes home.
>>
No. 900763 ID: bcb28c

groan. but, like, seductively
>>
No. 900777 ID: 270774
File 153629656291.png - (81.30KB , 800x525 , 105.png )
900777

“I’m fine,” Ricardo mutters. But his head is spinning, and there’s something vaguely (traitorously!) reassuring about the fact that Pascal is keeping it in mind. His head falls forward and he inhales the cold scent of Pascal’s skin through the opening in his shirt. Pascal’s hands keep moving through his hair, long nails gentle across his scalp, and before he realizes it there’s a low rumble humming in the back of his throat.

“What is this?” Pascal is giggling again, and Ricardo can feel his chest moving against his cheek. “What noise are you making?”

“Nothing.” As Ricardo pulls back, his lips linger against the skin peeking out from dark fabric, and without thinking much about it, he opens his mouth. His tongue drags up the smooth plane of Pascal’s abdomen, and after a short intake of breath above him, Pascal suddenly jerks away.

“Don’t bite,” he says. “It’s not polite.” As he wiggles out of Ricardo’s grasp, his hair is in his eyes, and then he turns away and busies himself with the body before Ricardo can straighten up and get a good look at him.
>>
No. 900778 ID: 270774
File 153629658353.png - (84.93KB , 800x525 , 106.png )
900778

“I wasn’t going to,” Ricardo says. He glances down when something hits his chest - it’s Pascal’s hand, holding Jacket Guy’s wallet.

“I don’t need this,” Pascal says cheerfully. “Hypnosis makes it easy to get what I need. So this will be useful to you instead, I think.” He releases the wallet before Ricardo’s had a chance to grasp it, and Ricardo has to scramble to catch it before it falls as Pascal turns back around and digs in Jacket Guy’s pockets some more. “Hm. This one has more than one house key. There is someone he visits frequently, so they will notice soon. You talked to him, Ricardo, but you did not find out any of the right things!”

“You sent me in blind,” Ricardo reminds him. He watches Pascal yank the guy’s phone out and then throw it on the floor with a loud clatter, without so much as a second glance. “So, here’s a teachable moment. What do we do about this body?”

“Psh. We do nothing.” Pascal leans over to dig around in the guy’s other pockets. “Of course, you should try not to do things like this. But it is like I tell you. Paradise for a vampire is a city with humans clustered together like this, because they kill each other, and we can blend.”

“What happened to all your warnings about subtlety?”

“Well, don’t be stupid,” Pascal amends. There’s nothing else interesting on Jacket Guy’s person, apparently, because he straightens back up again. “But one like this - other vampires in the area will maybe be a little on edge, but as long as you do not leave another one out so obvious like this, they will relax and leave you be. But there is nothing we can do with a finished meal like this that is not even more trouble than leaving him.”
>>
No. 900779 ID: 270774
File 153629660331.png - (87.59KB , 800x525 , 107.png )
900779

Ricardo raises his eyebrows, but Pascal seems confident. “Well, if you say so.” He opens the door and steps out of the stall - Pascal stays behind, closing the door again, then locking it from the inside and shimmying out underneath. Ricardo has to admit that he wouldn’t think to try busting down a bathroom door with visible feet in it, especially not in a bar, where sitting on the toilet completely wasted and contemplating life at length is not an unusual pastime. It’ll buy them the rest of the night, at least. “And what about your meal?” he asks, once Pascal has finished brushing himself off. “Didn’t work out? Or are you just a fast eater?”

“Oh, them? I was not hunting those men,” Pascal laughs. “I was dancing with them because I wanted to dance.”

They leave the bathroom together, and Pascal doesn’t have to raise his voice as they cross the dance floor again. “Besides, did you see their eyes? Like this.” He holds up the circled fingers of one hand to his eye, indicating dilated pupils. “They had taken some kind of chemical drug. I think it is sometimes younger vampires like to feed like this, for fun, but for me I become terribly ill.”

They reach a quieter corner of the club, and Pascal leans against the wall, eyes bright and alert as he scans the crowd. “I thought I will wait until you were done, and then you can watch me hunt, so you can learn.” Ricardo tries, again, to follow his gaze, and this time he’s a little more successful - Pascal doesn’t even look at anyone in a group, and his eyes bounce quickly off anyone texting on their phone or looking around as if waiting for others. He lingers on people settled alone, nursing drinks. After a few more seconds, Ricardo realizes Pascal rejects anyone that’s smiling. “Normally I hunt the lazy way,” Pascal says, absently, “with hypnosis. But I think I will avoid using it, tonight, so I can show you ways useful for you.”
>>
No. 900783 ID: 4ac654

im gonna be real with you, chief. are we gonna get horny watching pascal hunt and feed bc 👀
>>
No. 900789 ID: bb3392

he really does know what he's doing, huh. kinda hot if i do say so myself!
>>
No. 900793 ID: dbf422

Fine. What should Ricardo do, though? What's a good way to subtly watch this to completion?
>>
No. 900799 ID: 2e3701

watch pascal's butt as he does his thing.
>>
No. 900802 ID: 70df1e

watch and learn. there's a lot about hunting we need to figure out. hell, you didnt even know vampires could get drugged up! gotta be careful!

ask if you can try to guess pascal's target for practice? if you're a quick learner he might play with your hair again. if not, well, redemption arc. we can try to convince pascal to let us catch his dinner for him practice purposes. 100% practice and not trying to look super cool in front of pascal, no sir
>>
No. 900816 ID: f0088f

obviously watch attentively; this is someone you can learn from, but also do get a boner watching, definitely. this sitch isn't something your hog is accurately prepared for
>>
No. 900819 ID: 2904f7

Maybe.......maybe YOU can pet HIS hair after hes done eating.....think about it
Anyway watch n learn dude
>>
No. 900857 ID: aedfd9

Take your shirt off so that if he gets horny after hunting you're more available
>>
No. 900876 ID: d2e2ce

Remind Pascal you still have something for him to suck. Pelvic thrust.
>>
No. 901395 ID: 270774
File 153672736507.png - (69.02KB , 800x525 , 108.png )
901395

Ricardo huffs noncommittally and settles back against the wall, prepared to watch and learn. He does not take his shirt off and he does not think about petting Pascal’s hair and he certainly does not think about blowjobs because he is a responsible, stable adult who is in control of himself and--

And his dick hurts. So fucking bad.
>>
No. 901396 ID: 270774
File 153672738362.png - (121.45KB , 800x525 , 109.png )
901396

Pascal’s already weaving back through the crowd, and it’s easy for Ricardo to follow him, even when his dark hair blends in with the rest of the thronging mass. He can’t quite describe what it is that makes him stand out from the other figures, because it’s nothing visual - a kind of sixth sense. Pascal reappears on the other side and approaches a wallflower, and Ricardo can hear them talking as if he were standing next to them.

“Hello! No dancing?” He’s not sure if he’s imagining it, but it almost seems like Pascal lets his accent thicken. He’s holding himself with a slight sway, feigning tipsiness. Hell, maybe it’s real tipsiness and he was feigning sobriety for Ricardo - he’s not sure what Pascal got up to while he was wrangling Jacket Guy.

This guy doesn’t have a jacket, so Ricardo settles for Glasses Guy. Glasses Guy seems downright startled that he’s been approached. “I, uh - No, I just--”

Pascal plops against the wall next to him, cheerful and bouncy. “Waiting for friends?”

“No. I just, uh - I normally don’t come here. I like the bar across the street.” Glasses Guy keeps glancing at the spot where his upper arm is touching Pascal’s. “I just got kind of curious, so I came in, but - it’s not really my thing--”

“I love it! I come alone too. I like to peoplewatch.” Pascal tilts his head to the side, and his hair falls in loose curls onto the guy’s shoulders. “I am roadtripping across U.S.! I try to go to as many parties as I can.”

“Oh. That sounds exciting.” Glasses Guy is relaxing, bit by bit. “All by yourself?”

“Well, I come by myself. But then I make friends! Sometimes people even come with me for a little while. It’s been so amazing.”

“Where are you from?”

Pascal grins a little wider at him, exposing his fangs, and makes playful claws at him out of his hands. “Transylvania. I’m a vampire.”

Ricardo groans under his breath, but Glasses Guy is laughing shyly. This is so fucking stupid.

“I’m a terrible vampire. I can’t even turn into a bat.” Somehow Pascal is holding the guy’s hands now, swinging them back and forth. “What are you bad at?”

“That’s a weird thing to ask,” Glasses Guy says, but he’s still laughing. “Um. I dunno. Talking to people.”

“You’re good at it now, though! You talk to me fine!”
>>
No. 901397 ID: 270774
File 153672739632.png - (54.19KB , 800x525 , 110.png )
901397

There’s a few more minutes of light, giggly chitchat - Pascal gives his name as Gavril, and finds out Glasses Guy’s name is Evan. Ricardo decides “Glasses Guy” is still fine. Eventually, though, Pascal has loosened him up enough that he can dip forward and lay his forehead against the crook of his neck. His voice is a croon. “Who would miss you if I steal you away with me?”

Glasses Guy’s laugh is high this time, a little nervous and bewildered. “What, like- on your roadtrip? I can’t, I- I mean, we just met--”

“But I have a good feeling about you.” Pascal turns his head, just enough to look up at him with one black-spangled eye. “What, you have some job that keeps you?”

“I mean.” That seems to make Glasses Guy vaguely embarrassed. “Not - not really. I don’t do anything important, but--”

“And who will miss you?” Pascal repeats. His voice is cloying, teasing. “Who will chase me down? I am stealing someone’s treasure, maybe?”

“...Nobody.” The guy’s voice is quiet. “I don’t… really…”
>>
No. 901398 ID: 270774
File 153672741575.png - (47.58KB , 800x525 , 111.png )
901398

“I make you a deal.” Pascal is pulling back, fingers grazing down the guy’s arm to reach his hand again. “One night of adventure. Let me take you on adventure for one night, and then you can decide if maybe you want to come with me.”

“I can’t just--”

“So I say one night! One night!” Pascal is bouncing, now, already tugging Glasses Guy towards the door with little hops. Glasses Guy stumbles along with him, bewildered but seemingly not truly reluctant. “And then you just go home if you get bored with me!”

Ricardo finally moves now that they’re leaving the club, tailing them at a safe distance. He’s silent, and Pascal is laughing and hanging off the guy’s arm. Whatever he’s saying is all blurring together in Ricardo’s ears - it’s all pretty nonsense, stories that may or may not be made up.

They walk for a while, until they reach the bridge that was crossed on the way to the club, and by the time they get there Glasses Guy has completely relaxed. What happens next goes so quickly that if Ricardo hadn’t already braced himself to be attentive, he would have nearly missed it.

Pascal grabs the back of the guy’s neck, hard enough that his knees buckle as he’s dragged down to Pascal’s height. His other hand goes over the guy’s mouth, and he wrenches his head backwards - not hard enough to snap his neck, from what Ricardo can tell, but just enough to expose his throat. He bites, pulls away to spit, and then bites again. Spilled blood, Ricardo guesses, but minimal waste.

Glasses Guy struggles but Pascal’s grip on his neck and face is enough to render it all futile. There’s a kind of power in the way Pascal is standing now that he doesn’t recognize from the man’s carriage any other time, just as there was a competence and economy of motion when he first struck that was similarly unfamiliar. Ricardo approaches slowly as the feed continues, the prey’s anguished twitching slowing with each of his steps.
>>
No. 901399 ID: 270774
File 153672743577.png - (128.62KB , 800x525 , 112.png )
901399

“Do you always eat them alive?” Ricardo puts his hands in his pockets, waiting for Pascal to finish. “I usually kill them first.”

Pascal finally pulls back, red-mouthed. He’s breathing, now, very slowly, when Ricardo had noted that he usually doesn’t. “The blood begins to thicken the second they die, stupid boy. This is better. Easier to feed, and better tasting.”

Ricardo shrugs. “They suffer.”

“All livestock suffers.” Pascal is holding Glasses Guy up by the nape of his neck as he digs through his pockets - he flips through his wallet one-handed, then tosses it to Ricardo. Ricardo pockets it silently. The phone, again, is discarded immediately, pitched over the railing. “Feh. Why do they all carry those things? Useless.” Once he’s satisfied, he draws one finger of his free hand across the throat, obscuring the fang marks by opening a wound all the way across. He hefts the body over the railing, and it tumbles into the water with a distant splash.
>>
No. 901400 ID: 270774
File 153672744795.png - (61.00KB , 800x525 , 113.png )
901400

Pascal is still breathing, his shoulders moving in a gentle, even pulse. Ricardo wonders how it’s possible that he’d already gotten accustomed enough to Pascal’s normal mannerisms for that to look strange to him. “You said it didn’t lessen,” Ricardo probes, tentatively. “The feelings, after a feed.”

“No.” Pascal rolls his neck, one hand moving up to sink into his own hair. “But you learn to control it.” There’s a beat, and then he glances over his shoulder, sticking the tip of his tongue out. “That one was a little anemic. I did not smell it on him because you distract me, watching me like that the whole time. It’s that terrible face you make! It is like your eyes shoot bullets.”
>>
No. 901401 ID: c69c65

"you have performance anxiety?"
>>
No. 901402 ID: aedfd9

"You were looking at me, too."
>>
No. 901403 ID: c0de7a

Scowl at him. Continue not thinking about your sore dick. And Pascal's skin. And Pascal's dick in those tight pants. Or the blood on Pascal's lips. Definitely all topics to avoid.
>>
No. 901404 ID: d9a89d

ohhhhhhhhhhh this is masterfully done, pascal
honestly, you might as well admit youre beaten.
how can you do things like that without talking to people that much, though?

...how often does he feed?
>>
No. 901407 ID: dbf422

Killing them just makes it harder to eat and less tasty, right? It's not like the good blood/bad blood thing? Because as much as it's euphoric or whatever, it's not really the taste that matters, it's the power, for Ricardo.
>>
No. 901413 ID: 70df1e

ask pascal how youre supposed to pull that sort of hunting off without talking to anyone? because you are bad at talking to people. surely pascal can think of something.
>>
No. 901414 ID: 70df1e

also maybe give him a little kiss. hes got blood on the corner of his lips right there and its not good to be wasteful!
>>
No. 901467 ID: 163d12

>>901414
>>
No. 901502 ID: bb78f2

You ever spare one, Pascal? Maybe friends enough with one for a time for a few voluntary donations? Or have you robbed a blood bank?

Just things to think about. Guilt is... mostly gone, but there is an echo. Like when I had steak or a burger as a human and I acknowledged it for a minor moment, or watched a documentary around a slaughter house. Except now I always have to notice their lifeless corpse instead of immediately getting a nicely dressed up meal.

Least humans are always free range.
But... if I could find a human I didn't have to kill, it's not like it wouldn't be nice, occasionally. Quiet the dull little remains of regret I still have. Like... having a cow that shat steaks for me or something.
>>
No. 901526 ID: 0e2ebe

>>901502
Nah tho
>>
No. 901532 ID: 2ff745

>>901402
>>
No. 901535 ID: 90138c

KISS HIS STUPID MOUTH ON THIS MOONLIT NIGHT

DO IT YOU COWARD, THINK WITH YOUR DICK
>>
No. 901567 ID: 270774
File 153681726858.png - (76.97KB , 800x525 , 114.png )
901567

“You were looking at me, too.”

Pascal’s eyes flick upward at that, eyebrows raising. “I had to watch you! For teaching!”

“And I had to watch you to learn,” Ricardo snaps. Pascal doesn’t seem apologetic, and he sighs, settling against the railing. “Is there a way to do this without that much talking? It’s not my style.”

“Ricardo, get away from the water! You make me nervous.” Pascal steps over to him and walks him backwards, hands on his hips. “We move off the bridge. I don’t like it.”

Pascal’s hands are warm through his shirt, heated by the feed. Ricardo scowls. “I wasn’t going to fall off.”


“Hush.” Even once they’re backed away and off the bridge, Pascal doesn’t release him. “Anyway, talking is useful! You find out maybe how quickly it will be noticed, when they disappear. And you didn’t do so poorly with yours.” He tilts his head back, hair falling out of his eyes as he smiles up at Ricardo. “But, is like I said before. You’re handsome, so it should be easy, even with no talking. If you just approach someone like this -” His hands walk up Ricardo’s sides, and he sways slightly, as if dancing. He tilts his head, gaze coy and lidded. “Like your intention is so clear, and then kiss them when it seems like they want it - and then so easily you can lure them away. Anyone can understand that.”

Pascal smells incredible. Ricardo grits his teeth.

“Oh! But I forgot to tell you, earlier - Ricardo, don’t fuck your food.” He hasn’t stopped swaying, even though the cadence of his voice has slipped back towards a more serious register. “To seduce them is normal, and is an easy way to get their guard down and have them come alone, but - to actually go through with it, euhhhh - is not officially a taboo, but I find it disgusting, and many other vampires agree. To kill is okay, to fuck is okay, but to mix these two things - euhh, is like to have them under false pretense? But the false pretense is that they will survive. Ehehe.”

“Oh, so now you have morals about it, huh?” Ricardo’s the one raising his eyebrows, now. “When you were just calling them livestock.”

“They are livestock to me, yes, but they are still thinking creatures.” Pascal releases Ricardo’s hip for only a moment, to tuck his hair behind his ear - it’s quickly replaced as soon as the gesture is finished. “And yes. I know. There are so few things I think are wrong to do, so I hope you will listen when I say there is something I think very strongly about.” There’s a pause, and then Pascal wrinkles his nose. “Well, if you ask my opinion, I don’t think you should fuck humans anyway. Nothing bad will happen, but - well, it is a little disgusting. They are too warm to the touch, and they smell like food, and they are so squishy from being full of fluids! Oh, and it will end in maybe an hour, and this is at the very best, because they get tired - but sometimes even sooner, because they are so fragile, and maybe they will just die! Anyway it is not my idea of a good time, and--”

Ricardo’s voice is strained. “Can we talk about something else.”

“Oh! You have questions?”

Really, he was just desperate to switch to anything that wouldn’t force the mental image of Pascal mid-coitus, but when Pascal asks he realizes there actually are things he’s curious about. “You said some vampires keep humans as companions. Wouldn’t that be more convenient? Just keep one to feed from periodically, without killing it?”

“Oh! No, no, Ricardo, when others keep humans, it is not for food! It would not work. They really do keep them just for companionship. Maybe they feed from them, but socially. For food, you will still have to hunt.” He leans back, fingers hooked in Ricardo’s belt loops to keep himself upright - Ricardo finds himself instinctively splaying one hand across the small of his back to keep him steady. “If you feed non-fatally, you would have to have several humans. You cannot take enough from them and they will still be alright - it takes them too long to recover. Euuuh, for example, in cold weather, if I am being lazy, I will feed once every three weeks - but I am older than you! And if I try to spread this out, to a non-fatal amount, still I will need to feed every week, or every few days, and this will be too much for one human. And to find several humans, who will be satisfied to let you do this? Feh! Even with my superstar beauty, impossible. And if I use hypnosis? Pointless, because to use your affinity makes you hungry!” He pats Ricardo’s chest, satisfied that he’s made his point. “Just eat normally. Is the least amount of trouble, even when we must hide bodies and be careful. Humans who are alive are nothing but bother.”
>>
No. 901568 ID: 270774
File 153681732665.png - (101.36KB , 800x525 , 115.png )
901568

“You have it all figured out, huh?” Truth be told, Pascal’s words were blurring together for him again, even though whatever he was talking about sounded informative. He lifts his free hand to grip Pascal’s jaw. “Hey. You’ve still got blood here.”

“Hey, grabby. Who are you, to just grab like this?” Despite the indignance, Pascal is smiling. “Disrespectful!”

“It’s distracting.” Ricardo leans in, his fingers digging into the soft skin of Pascal’s cheek. “And wasteful.”

This close, he can see that the mark beneath Pascal’s eye is a tattoo, not a beauty mark. He’s too absorbed to dwell on it. He opens his mouth and drags his tongue over the corner of Pascal’s lips, slow and heavy. The squeal of laughter it elicits from Pascal dies off as Ricardo turns his head, sweeping his tongue over Pascal’s parted mouth. Pascal makes a soft, contented noise, opening further for him as his fingers walk playfully up Ricardo’s spine --
>>
No. 901569 ID: 270774
File 153681734461.png - (94.01KB , 800x525 , 116.png )
901569

And then he suddenly jerks away, tensing up. Ricardo blinks, disoriented. “What. What’s the matter-”

“Shh!” Pascal is tilting his chin up, scenting the air, and when Ricardo follows his alert gaze, he catches the smell, too: the clean, metallic scent of the undead.

Pascal presses the fingertips of one hand against Ricardo’s chest. “If I push you,” he breathes, his voice barely audible even to Ricardo’s sensitive hearing, “you will run. In the opposite direction, as fast as you can, and you will not look back at me. Then if I am able I will find you, but you should not stop running--”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Why--”

“Ricardo, hush.” Pascal’s voice is harsh enough to shut Ricardo up. There’s another moment of tense silence, but then Pascal suddenly relaxes.

“Oh! Ehehe. Never mind.” There are two figures approaching, ones that apparently smell familiar to him, and the hand that was ready to shove Ricardo away instead raises above his head to wave. “Kel! Ce faci?

“You smell fat, Pascal Cosovei.” Even before the woman is close enough to see clearly, Ricardo can hear her voice as clearly as if she had already arrived. As she gets closer, he notices that she’s enormous - taller than himself, which isn’t something he’s used to. The woman hanging off her arm, though, is even smaller and slighter than Pascal. “I thought you were a human.”
>>
No. 901570 ID: 270774
File 153681736463.png - (109.28KB , 800x525 , 117.png )
901570

They finally come into view. The smaller woman is glaring belligerently between the two of them, but the larger one looks entirely relaxed. “Oh, but it’s just him. Who’s the fresh one? Not even a chill on his meat yet.”

“Ehehehe.” Pascal bats distractedly at Ricardo’s chest, suddenly bashful. “Eeuuuhh, my ward, more or less…”

“Not the one you abandoned,” Kel presses, eyebrows raised.

“Well, now he's found me,” Pascal retorts, a little defensive, “and I’m teaching him, so it's all well and good.” He leans forward, dropping his voice and laughing as if telling an inside joke. “When he first was looking for me, he thought I would be the voivode.

“That’s not so impressive,” Kel snorts. “Vlad isn’t king of the world.”

Pascal gasps, in overblown offense that seems only halfway joking. “Don’t use his first name so familiar like this!”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Kel stretches, grinning - the smaller vampire attached to her side follows the movement seamlessly. “We fought in a war together. That practically makes us friends.”

“Kel,” says Pascal, exasperated, “you fought with the Ottomans. In that war you fought against us.”

“Oh, huh. Did I? Well, a couple hundred years and it all evens out to the same thing,” she laughs. “Anyway, my point is that you Balkan vampires think you’re the center of the universe. Callin’ yourselves the Cradle and all that.”

“And you Gaelic vampires have no respect for tradition or community,” Pascal replies crisply, his nose tilted up in playful snobbery. He glances to the side, and Ricardo figures he must be imagining the vague affection that colors his tone. “And the Americans are even worse.”

“See, that’s the kind of shit I’m talking about, you little idiot,” Kel says. “There were vampires in America before your sire’s sire was even whelped.” She glances over at Ricardo, giving him a quick, businesslike up and down glance. “Anyway, this one looks like good stock. Strong, if he managed a few years on his own.” She nods at Ricardo, making eye contact. “Whatcha think, Ribeye? You sick of this little brat yet?”
>>
No. 901572 ID: aaf87b

think about how 'short' humans apparently last compared to pascal :3c
>>
No. 901573 ID: b54723

her hair is a goddamn mess she needs to brush it its fucking everywhere
>>
No. 901574 ID: f14764

he might be a brat but he's your brat. act accordingly.
>>
No. 901575 ID: df3dfa

appreciate how stacked this massive beautiful woman is. consider how easily she could snap someone in half.
>>
No. 901577 ID: aedfd9

Introduce yourself politely and pretend you weren't just about to have sex in public. This goddess seems to be friends with Pascal so try to be nice and not bitchy.
>>
No. 901579 ID: 1dd514

"He's talked me down from trying to murder him for the moment, but no, I haven't had time to get sick of him yet."
>>
No. 901580 ID: be2e7c

Loom protectively over Pascal. You just found him he's yours.
>>
No. 901581 ID: b54723

He sure didn't seem sick of you just before. Hmm.
>>
No. 901583 ID: f2eb10

"not yet." we wanna keep in kel's good books. sexy giants gotta stick together. also, it'll probably take a lot of boning before you even start to get bored of that sweet ass.

introduce yourself!
>>
No. 901585 ID: 70df1e

you like kels style, and you SHOULD say it. unfortunately you are also very gay for pascal and not going anywhere anytime soon. ask about gaelic vampires and see if you and pascal can fuck off to ireland or something instead of the cradle, eventually. sounds better im just saying
>>
No. 901586 ID: 8aef06

i can’t suggest properly im a lesbian and in love with kel. uh introduce urself? joke a lil with her?? address her girlfriend and ask “are they always like this”??? idk kel has my heart wrapped around her bicep
>>
No. 901587 ID: dbf422

"He's hot but that's not everything. Too much of that snobby bullshit and I will be. Maybe. I like your take on all this, honestly."
>>
No. 901598 ID: ee2d6e

"Didn't even take me a minute."
>>
No. 901599 ID: c223c4

introduce yourself!!!!!!! whats her gfs name she doesnt seem to know pascal
>>
No. 901601 ID: a62780

>>901570
(oh my god I love her)

Uh, grumble noncomittaly because actually describing the weird emotional car crash that is how you feel about Pascal would change the mood somewhat. If pressed go for something like:

"I dunno, not sure it's even possible if you start at blind hatred and work backwards but we'll see what happens. Also it's been like, less than a day.
I take it you and Pascal know each other then?"
>>
No. 901607 ID: 031115

Well, once we got done wanting to claw his lights out or die trying, we like him okay.
>>
No. 901615 ID: e176c9

aha ha, 'yet'.
>>
No. 901617 ID: a1a9bf

You haven't had time to get sick of him yet, and the unbrushed hair is distracting.
>>
No. 901635 ID: 2ff745

Glare back at the smaller one. There’s only room for one vampire with resting bitch face around these parts.
>>
No. 901636 ID: 0e2ebe

>>901635
Ricardo has resting murder face, very different.
>>
No. 901638 ID: bb78f2

>>901570
I'm... in a transitionary period right now. It's not best to ask. I thought I was gonna die trying to kill him in a cool fight, but now... I don't even know. I actually want a good fight that's satisfying so...

Can we fight? Not to the death, just like, casually? I don't care if I get owned, I just... need the catharsis of getting beat up and trying to beat the other person up? There's too much between me and Pascal to really get into a casual fight.

I need my big, dumb anime fight. Stomp me into dust ma'am.
>>
No. 901764 ID: 270774
File 153699002459.png - (109.47KB , 800x525 , 118.png )
901764

Ricardo is gay, and so the glorious bounty of Kel’s body means nothing to him. However, he can platonically appreciate the amount of work that has clearly gone into maintaining her physique, from one beefcake to another.
>>
No. 901765 ID: 270774
File 153699003661.png - (114.16KB , 800x525 , 119.png )
901765

He nearly misses his cue to respond, because he’d ended up embroiled in all the implications of Pascal being disappointed by an uninterrupted hour of sex. Luckily, he tunes back in just as Kel addresses him, and his response is automatic - but that comes at the cost of being far more honest than he would have preferred. “Not yet.”

Kel barks out a harsh laugh. “Ah, well, you got all the time in the world.”

He feels like making a smart comment about her wild hair, but when she seems friendly with Pascal - and that kind of friendship is apparently in short supply, given how he reacted when he thought it could’ve been a vampire he didn’t know - Ricardo decides that picking a fight, even jokingly, would be idiotic. He instead turns his attention back to Pascal, who is leaning over to address the other vampire.

“Hello, Lamb! How lovely you are tonight! And your eyes are coming along so nicely!”

The vampire - Lamb, apparently - opens her mouth and hisses loudly. On instinct, Ricardo’s arm snaps out to grab Pascal and yank him back to a safe distance. Kel starts laughing in earnest, and Pascal joins in. Ricardo feels distinctly like he’s being made fun of, but it’s not enough to make him loosen his protective grip.

“Come on, Pascal. I thought you would’ve caught on by now,” Kel says. “She’s pretending she can’t speak English because she doesn’t wanna talk to you.” Lamb and Pascal are both giving her looks of equal indignation, but she doesn’t look apologetic in the slightest.
>>
No. 901766 ID: 270774
File 153699005560.png - (114.37KB , 800x525 , 120.png )
901766

“Anyway, Pascal.” Kel leans back again. “Been meaning to catch up with you, anyway. I wish you’d get a damn cell phone.”

Pascal looks up, still giggling - he wasn’t paying attention. “Mm? What? Sailboat?”

“Cell phone. Fuck’s sake.” She gives Ricardo a longsuffering look. “He’s gonna forget. Take care of that, would you, Ribeye?”

“Ricardo.” He tightens his grip on Pascal’s shoulders slightly, though there’s no reason to. “It’s Ricardo.”

“Fine, fine. Ricardo what? You’ve got two names, don’t ya?”

“...Castro.” Ricardo can’t remember the last time he said his own full name aloud. It feels foreign on his tongue. “Ricardo Castro.”

“Alright, Ricardo Castro, make sure this little moron gets a cell phone. Or at least give me yours. I could’ve told him about this days ago.” She tilts her head back, eyes catching the streetlamps like flares. “You need to get outta town, and you need to do it soon. You’re an idiot for still being here.”

Pascal’s listening now, but he rolls his eyes. “Oh, please. You worry too much. It has not even been so long since I sired him - I doubt anyone has gotten far in tracking me. And besides, is like I said! He found me, and I am teaching him now, so everything is okay.”

“I know you’re young, Pascal, but this is naive even for you,” Kel sighs. “Do you really think the way the Cradle disciplines abandonment is about justice for the wards? It’s about maintaining a hierarchy. They were talking about putting him down, too. Been feral too long, they said. Won’t be able to reintegrate into proper society, or whatever other Cradle bullshit.”

“What! What a stupid thing to say,” Pascal scoffs. “It makes no sense.”

“Yeah, see, it’s like you’ve almost made a breakthrough here. Anyway, you better raise your guard. They’re sending young ones. Less than 20 years turned. They’ve still got a sense of urgency, Pascal, not like you or me, and they’re looking for you.”
>>
No. 901768 ID: 270774
File 153699008496.png - (76.94KB , 800x525 , 121.png )
901768

It finally seems to be getting through to him, a little. Pascal narrows his eyes. “You spoke to them? From which houses?”

“I didn’t ask about houses. Woulda been suspicious coming from me, when they know I don’t care about that shit.” Lamb is listening, too, her eyes bright and focused. Kel speaks quickly, but her casual air never leaves. “They weren’t of Bathory, I could tell that much. But don’t worry, I didn’t give you up. Told ‘em last I saw you, you were talking about going back to New York, and that I hadn’t seen you since.”

Ricardo feels Pascal tense up underneath his hands. His voice is low. “For God’s sake, Kel. You don’t have to bring it up every time someone talks about me--”

“Will you relax?” Kel interrupts. “The basis of a convincing lie is a little seed of truth, that’s all.”

“Well, you have failed at it,” Pascal snaps, “because that isn’t true. I have not thought of it.”

“Then you won’t mind that it’ll be off limits for a while, seeing as it’ll be swarming with Cradle lackeys.” Kel exhales through her nose, as if willing herself to be more patient than Pascal is being. “Listen, I’m only sorry that I couldn’t lead them away further, but I didn’t know if you’d been sighted. If I said something completely out there, like that you went back to Europe, and they had intel that contradicted that - well. I’m not gonna put my neck out for you like that, Pascal.”

“I didn’t ask you to!”

“I told you to relax. I’m trying to help - not that you care, you little ingrate. Still, I might not respect the Cradle’s claims of authority, but I’m not stupid. They’ve overstepped their jurisdiction before, and I’ve got wards to think of.”

Pascal blows a little hair off his forehead. “You have four hundred wards. Who will contest you?”

“Cecil Babenburg is getting close,” Kel replies easily. “And he’s been arm in arm with your Marquess lately, so I’d better be careful walking in step with you. He’s practically mass producing the things, so I dunno about quality versus quantity, but I don’t wanna cross fangs with that.”

Pascal turns his head to the side, pressing his cheek against Ricardo’s arm, and his tone is still petulant. “Is not like you to avoid a fight.”

“A fight, little idiot, is when equals meet each other on the field of battle.” Kel tightens the snaps on her gloves, idly. “Every noble house in Eastern Europe showing up on my doorstep because I hid one of their toys from them is not a fight.”

Pascal doesn’t seem to have a response to that, and Kel gives Ricardo another exasperated look - one that says Do something about this.
>>
No. 901769 ID: b54723

Kill someone. I don't know what, but someone has to die because you sure as hell aren't hiding. Though, probably in the future. Right now? Maybe you SHOULD leave the city with Pascal, if I read the exposition right.
>>
No. 901770 ID: 728872

ROADTRIP ROADTRIP ROADTRIP!!! i mean, we should definitely heed Kel’s advice and bounce, right? plus it might be nice to be alone with Pascal in a tiny enclosed space........ 👀
>>
No. 901771 ID: aedfd9

(God, I want to marry her.)

Welp, that's kind of a lot. And scary. But you're a young one! Is there something you can do that Kel and Pascal can't?
>>
No. 901773 ID: c375e8

....... crank your hog?

god what do we DO. we are just a baby and this is a bunch of vampire politics, but kel is basically saying "run", so i say we get the hell out asap.

does she have any tips for us?
>>
No. 901783 ID: dbf422

"Pascal, I don't know what growing up with the Bathorys does to your sense of priority, but it's pretty obvious that if you want to survive long enough to see your sire again, you need to leave. And I need to leave because apparently you've marked me for death. Fuck you for that, by the way.

Kel, got any ideas, a direction, anything? Or is it better you don't know, or whatever?"

Oh and don't forget to give her your number.
>>
No. 901790 ID: 2e3701

Ask Kel for suggested locations for running to. Do you have a passport? Going somewhere completely away might be good.

Also, wrap an arm around Pascal. Him being close is nice.
>>
No. 901801 ID: a62780

>>901768
Well was there anything to tie Pascal down here?
Either way, this seems like serious business, it kind of makes sense that Pascal is now further in the Cradle's bad books over siring and abandoning Ricardo; he WAS meant to essentially be on the naughty step to think about his mistakes after all, misbehaving during that time seems like the sort of thing he'd get disciplined for.

I suppose since he knows best how these people operate, Pascal needs to decide whether it's better to wait for/look for these folk to straighten out this mess now that he's teaching Ricardo, or get on the move, feign ignorance and use the time to get Ricardo ready for any vampire society tests.

(Considering they probably only even know about this siring debacle because of the noise Ricardo made in his search, it might be a good idea to avoid travelling anywhere he's been to recently too)
>>
No. 901810 ID: bb78f2

>>901768
Good, I've been looking for a fight after my last one didn't go the way I needed it. Maybe this will put things in perspective.

Vampires that move in pairs are harder to kill than singular ones.

Pascal, I need to learn to fight vampires better too, sooner than later, if this is the baggage you're bringing onto me.
>>
No. 901822 ID: 2ff745

Can we ask Kel for a description of the vampires who are looking for us? We might not know what houses they’re from, but knowing who to avoid would be useful. In the meantime, get Pascal to relax by pulling him closer. I think he knows that Kel is right, but he’s just being defensive.
>>
No. 901842 ID: 94ec6a

>>901790
>>901783

both of these
>>
No. 901878 ID: b54723

Ask Pascal why your eyes are yellow and why her eyes are pink. Are vampire eyes usually red? What's the difference between you two?
>>
No. 901885 ID: acf3bb

>>901878
this was explained already when ricardo was asking questions about vampirism:
>>898843
young vampires’ eyes turn red over time
>>
No. 901892 ID: 70df1e

smack pascal upside his fool head but in an affectionate way that is not meant to disconnect his head from his shoulders. you gotta mind your muscles. but seriously this stuff sounds intense so ask him to take it seriously. kel is doing him a big favor here sticking her neck out like this and you gotta treat your friends well. it doesnt sound like pascal has a whole lot of them
>>
No. 901896 ID: 0d6acf

Well, it's not like you or he have anything keeping you here. Road trip time?
>>
No. 901898 ID: 270774
File 153707359329.png - (118.05KB , 800x525 , 122.png )
901898

Ricardo reaches around Pascal again and tightens his hand on his shoulder, pulling Pascal tight to his side. He tells himself it’s just to stop him from storming off - which, in fairness, he does seem almost ready to do. “Pascal. Take this seriously. If you want to survive long enough to see your sire again, you have to leave. And so do I, since apparently you’ve marked me for death, too.”

Pascal turns his head into Ricardo’s chest, grumbling half-heartedly. “Fuck you for that, by the way,” Ricardo adds.

Kel roars out another laugh, loud and open. “He’s got a fuckin mouth on him! You let your ward talk to you like that, Pascal?”

Pascal exhales sharply, leaning away from Ricardo only enough to toss his hair out of his face. “He can do whatever he likes.”

Clearly, given what Lamb and I nearly walked in on,” Kel snickers. Ricardo stiffens slightly. It hadn’t occurred to him to consider how early on Kel and Lamb had spotted them before approaching. “Speaking of that, we shouldn’t have been able to sneak up on you two like that. I’d expect it from you, Pascal, but what’s the point of having a big slab of a ward like this if he can’t protect you?” She crosses her arms, giving Pascal a look that’s almost stern. “What were you gonna do about combat training him?”

“Combat training?” Pascal blinks a few times. “Does he need it? Look, he’s so big.”

“Hell’s teeth,” Kel mutters. “You really don’t know what you’re doing at all, huh. Ricardo, gimme your phone.”
>>
No. 901899 ID: 270774
File 153707361470.png - (124.18KB , 800x525 , 123.png )
901899

She taps in her number with sharp, stained fingertips. “When you two find someplace to settle, you give me a call. Lamb and I have been moving around the country anyway. We’ll come set up camp by you, and Ribeye here can run some training with me and mine.”

Ricardo’s jaw twitches. “It’s Ricardo.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

She hands her phone back, and Ricardo sends her a message to complete the number exchange before looking back up at her. “Do you have any suggestions for where we should go? Would it be better to go somewhere else entirely? I have a passport.”

“Mm. You’d think further from here would be better, but I dunno about that,” Kel muses. “Definitely not Europe. The Cradle has its claws sunk in just about everywhere, but the last thing you wanna do is move closer to their center of operations. Honestly, I come to the U.S. to train my wards for a reason. It’s big, it’s varied, there’s tons of food and plenty of crime to blend with - and most importantly, American dens mind their damn business. Sure, there’s plenty of Cradle vampires here, but American vampires are too disorganized and decentralized for them to start spinning webs the way they do overseas. It’ll be easier to stay below the radar here. Just obviously stay away from places you’ve already been - you were kicking up a lotta dust looking for Pascal, y’know.”

Ricardo refuses to feel bad about that, and Kel doesn’t seem to be bringing it up for a guilt trip anyway. Every statement she makes is as blunt as the last. “Anything else? Can you describe the vampires that were looking for us?”

“Oh, them. Yeah. It was a pair - both Americans, but definitely Cradle vamps. Red-eyed, but young. There was one that was a little taller than Pascal, with skin a little darker than yours - cute, in a stupid way, kinda boyish. And the other one was white, with red hair like mine, but dyed. In a real stupid hairstyle, too. He was short, too, but well-built. The smaller one seemed smarter and more focused, but they both came off pretty tough. I wouldn’t write them off just for being young - after all, they’re older than you. And better fighters than Pascal, I’d wager, but that’s a low bar.”
>>
No. 901900 ID: 270774
File 153707363259.png - (82.89KB , 800x525 , 124.png )
901900

“If you’re done criticizing me,” Pascal pipes up irritably, “is that all?” He disentangles himself from Ricardo’s grasp, briskly walking past the other two. “If I have no choice but to leave, then I will, but I won’t be rushed.” He straightens his clothes, which were slightly in disarray from being yanked around, and runs his fingers through his hair to rearrange it. “I was going to drink tonight, and nobody ever stops me from drinking when I’ve set my mind to it. I say this for my pride, at least.”

Kel scoffs, and the noise is almost fond. “Yeah. I’ve at least bought you enough time with the New York gambit to allow for one night. But you leave by tomorrow evening, yeah?”

Pascal is tense again, but his voice is still even, despite the tight set of his shoulders. “Fine. There’s nothing to hold me here, anyway.”

“Pascal.” Kel turns to look at him - or at least at his back. “Let an old woman give you two more pieces of unsolicited advice.”

There’s a long pause. “If you must.”

“One, don’t raise your wards the way Constantin raised you.”

Pascal makes a shapeless, sarcastic noise of frustration. “Oh, no! I will have to scrap my plan of keeping him in my palace, where I have threescore other wards to help take care of him--”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Kel’s tone is unyielding. “When you brutalize your wards, they come out twisted.”

Ricardo watches Pascal’s still form, but it doesn’t betray anything - unless the stillness is a betrayal in itself. Kel speaks again, her voice quiet, but clear to all three of the others. “Like you did.”
>>
No. 901901 ID: 270774
File 153707365847.png - (28.22KB , 800x525 , 125.png )
901901

She waits. When the silence breaks again, it’s with a clear, careless laugh, Pascal’s hair bouncing as he tosses his head back. “Kel, you say such scary things! You make my house sound so terrible.” He clasps his hands behind his back, swaying idly. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

He glances over his shoulder, his expression back to casual and coy. “Your second advice? Bars will close, Kel!”

Kel sighs, but she continues all the same. “My second piece of advice is simple.”

“Oh, good,” Pascal laughs. “This has been too much complicated talking for me anyway--”

“It’s that I’ve never seen you happier than you were at the beginning of this last century.”

Pascal’s light laughter cuts off, a clean break. His eyes lid, only visible for a split second before he turns away again. “This is not advice.”

“Yeah, it is. You’re just being difficult.”

Again, Ricardo feels very distinctly left out of the loop. He can hear Pascal swallow before he speaks.

“Kel.” He’s holding his own elbows, fingers tense. “I thank you for always looking out for me, all the time like this. But you were right. I did not ask for your advice, and I don’t want it.”

“Pascal--”

“We’ll leave tomorrow. And if you can train my ward so he can defend himself, I will be grateful for this, too, and I accept it. But that’s all. If he needs you, it is okay, but I don’t.”

He starts walking again, his steps crisp and efficient. “Ricardo. Come.”
>>
No. 901902 ID: aedfd9

Follow him. Maybe, as you're walking, find a way to rope him into conversation. (Poor Pascal... I guess a busy schedule wasn't the only reason he didn't meet back up with his sire. From the sounds of it, our goal - other than getting stronger and staying alive - is to get Pascal back together with his sweet mobsterboyfriend. Time for a love quest!!)
>>
No. 901903 ID: e176c9

What, no 'please'?

go.
>>
No. 901905 ID: 7c6ddf

Oh hell no. There is a time and a place for obeying without question but you need an explanation for that last remark, or at least a promise of an explanation at some point. Ask Kel "what the fuck"

Also feel a little resentful at Pascal pushing you off and then telling you to come. He could have just pulled you with him, ffs.
>>
No. 901911 ID: b54723

Ask Kel what she wanted to tell Pascal. Maybe you can't pass it on to Pascal NOW but maybe, just maybe, in the future Pascal would be willing to hear it from you instead of her.
>>
No. 901913 ID: 95c190

I assume it means that he was never happier than when he was dating that 20s gangster.
Tell Kel thank you and promise to keep in touch. Pascal is being fucking ungrateful. Thank her for the opportunities and for sticking her neck out.
Say goodbye to both her and lamb when you do go.
>>
No. 901914 ID: dbf422

Yeah, I kinda had a feeling something was off about Pascal's situation. The whole Cradle is probably rotten.

Anyway now's not the time to bug Kel for info. She's gonna come by and train Ricardo later, maybe some time she'll talk about it. Say bye, and thanks, and that you hope you'll get a chance to talk to Lamb someday. She seems like she'd be an interesting person to know.

And then follow your sire.
>>
No. 901916 ID: 62975e

follow pascal, but maybe trail a little behind? be nosy and text Kel real quick to see if she can elaborate on her advice to Pascal, where it can’t be heard.
>>
No. 901919 ID: 70df1e

thank kel, follow pascal.

kel has some good points. however the cradle does things doesnt seem to have been great for pascals mental health. kel may not have the exact words to say as much but considering pascal literally wants to go back to the cradle so that his sire can kill him is pretty telling. just something to keep an eye on.

if pascal has been happier away from the cradle, maybe we can try to keep him that way.

for now lets find a bar and let pascal salvage some of his pride. tell pascal that youre going to get strong enough to protect him - because if anyone kills him, it's going to be you. its totally not because you have gay feelings for pascal. absolutely not.

as for a destination.. suggest the midwest? lot of land, not a lot of people, easy for folks to go missing. seems like a good place to lie low.
>>
No. 901921 ID: 70df1e

>>901919

a quick elaboration: when i said kel might not have the words to say as much (about pascals situation re: the cradle) i mean like, i have no idea what if any terminology vamps have regarding trauma or abuse because the whole system has been around for Awhile and the cradle especially seems kind of fucky. i think her calling pascal twisted is her way of being like 'dude the cradle fucked you up so dont treat ricardo how they treated you'

this may not have needed elaboration but there it is!
>>
No. 901924 ID: dbf422

>>901919
Unfortunately while the Midwest might be a good place for a human to hide, a vampire needs to be near a city. Especially somewhere with a lot of crime. It would be more suspicious if a lot of people died in Nowhere, Nebraska than in Los Angeles.
>>
No. 901929 ID: 3a51a0

hm. it never actually hit me until this last update that the situation with his ward kind of was...grooming, huh. like i had some suspicions but nothing this concrete and i'm just. h
>>
No. 901932 ID: 8af1e3

>>901916

this! also, as for places to set up base - maybe the southwest, in or near a popular hiking area? it'd be easy to pick off hikers, make it look like mountain lion attacks or them just disappearing into the wilderness. they usually come in pairs, too, so pascal and ricardo would both have food.
>>
No. 901933 ID: a62780

>>901901
Well then time to follow bossman sire vamp, give Kel a nod or something as you do though, seems she's looking out for you guys.

Lotsa subtext going right over your head here, but that's a worry for later. It's easy to make assumptions from the outside given what ye just heard, but you should hold off from commenting until you know more.
Slightly worrying to hear Pascal is apparently not the best at fighting, by the standards of the other vamps from that last conversation at least (though I do get the feeling Kel's are high)
>>
No. 901938 ID: bb78f2

>>901901
Pascal's a prick, but I'll show you more appreciation when you help me. Name some favor's when I'm more capable that doesn't risk me being too out in the open for the Cradle, and I'll do it for you.

Unless you prefer Pascal's style of gratitude, than I'll follow suit.
>>
No. 901951 ID: 2ff745

I think going behind Pascal’s back to ask about this stuff is a bad idea, but on the other hand, based on his reaction to New York being brought up, he probably won’t respond well to being asked directly about it. I still think we should try anyway, and if he doesn’t want to talk about it, then that’s that.

Remember to thank Kel and to say goodbye to both her and Lamb properly. They’re definitely going to be good allies to have on our side.
>>
No. 902033 ID: bfc56e

i know you might not have it in you to be grateful, at this point, but given all the info you just got without even having to work it might be in your best interest to at least sound like it. especially since she did stick her neck out for the sake of you and pascal.

speaking of pascal-- i don't know how he sees what happened to him, but it kind of sounds like he's still in denial. he isn't so "twisted" that he doesn't understand consent, obviously, so maybe he just internalized it.

ricardo, tread lightly, okay? it's probably best if you fall in step, give pascal some breathing room and some space to think, but not so much that he can get mired in memories.
>>
No. 902045 ID: 270774
File 153716263896.png - (98.30KB , 800x525 , 126.png )
902045

Ricardo watches Pascal storm off, and he immediately turns back to Kel. “What the fuck was all that?”

Kel crosses her arms, tossing her head noncommittally. “Sorry, Ribeye, but that one’s not my story to tell.”

“Ricardo.” The correction is hissed through clenched teeth. “It sure was your story to mysteriously allude to right in front of me.”

“Listen, you’re not gonna like this, but all that - sires talking about personal stuff like their wards aren’t there? - that’s normal.”

Ricardo narrows his eyes. “You’re right. I don’t fucking like that at all.”

“Didn’t think you would. You’re in for a lot of culture shock, kid.”

Ricardo feels like complaining further about that, but it doesn’t seem wise, especially when Pascal already has the corner on the “bitching at Kel” market. “Well - whatever. Hey. Thank you.” He doesn’t know how to do shit like this, and the words come out clumsy and forced. “Pascal is a prick. But if there’s any way we can - I don’t know. Make it up to you-”

He’s cut off by Kel’s loud, unhindered laughter. “I like you, Ricardo. I think you’re the best mistake Pascal’s made in a long while. He needs somebody who’s actually got their head screwed on straight, like you. Still, no offense, but a whelp like you isn’t any use to me. Anything you can do, my wards can do better.”

Ricardo’s eyes narrow further. “Alright, then. Fuck me for offering, I guess.”

“But hey, you know what? You want a favor you can do me?” Kel tilts her head back, eyes glinting. “Get strong, and do it quick. Because I’ve been keeping an eye on that boy for over a century now, and I’ve got a real soft spot for him, and now he’s gone and bitten off more than he can chew - and since you’re part of that mouthful, you might as well be the silver lining.”

Her eyes bore into him. “And if he dies on your watch, I’m gonna feed you to my girls.”
>>
No. 902047 ID: 270774
File 153716266125.png - (62.06KB , 800x525 , 127.png )
902047

Ricardo meets her gaze, and he knows instinctively that to flinch away or blink would be unforgivable. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve got my own reasons for wanting him alive.”

As quickly as the tension had built up, it suddenly dissipates, and Kel elbows him jovially in the ribs. He feels two of them snap like chicken bones and doubles over. “Yeah, I can tell. You better be careful there, Ribeye. From what I hear, he’s a real handful in bed. You better keep yourself well fed and well rested, ‘cause he’s gonna wear you out. Gehahaha!”

Ricardo wheezes. “I don’t … think we’re on the same page here.”

Being well fed, though, does make a difference - the broken bones knit almost immediately, the pressure and pain in his chest dissolving away within moments, and he gives both Kel and Lamb a farewell wave - though Lamb turns her face away to avoid his gaze. Another gruff “Thanks” to Kel, and he turns to catch up to his sire.


As he’s walking, his curiosity stays needle-sharp in the back of his mind. He’s only walked a few paces before he pulls his phone out and taps out a message.

To: Kel 1:17 AM
Can you at least tell me what that last piece of advice was supposed to mean?

The response is instantaneous.

From: Kel 1:17 AM
FUCK YOU ---------- ~+*MOST VALUABLE RAIDER 804 AD - 1021 AD*+~ ..:: AINT NO BITCH LIKE A GALLOWGLASS BIIIITCH ::..

Ricardo stares at his phone for a moment.

To: Kel 1:19 AM
Do you have a signature on your texts?

From: Kel 1:19 AM
NO ---------- ~+*MOST VALUABLE RAIDER 804 AD - 1021 AD*+~ ..:: AINT NO BITCH LIKE A GALLOWGLASS BIIIITCH ::..
>>
No. 902048 ID: 270774
File 153716270567.png - (107.33KB , 800x525 , 128.png )
902048

Ricardo slips his phone back into his pocket as he catches up to Pascal. “What, so it’s just ‘come’ now. No ‘please.’”

Pascal doesn’t answer him, and that’s about it for Ricardo’s patience. He grabs Pascal’s wrist, bringing him to a halt. “You’re being fucking ungrateful.”

“Ungrateful?” Pascal yanks his arm out of Ricardo’s grasp and wheels on him, and his eyes are sparking with stifled energy. “For what should I be grateful to her? Hm? For her to nag at me always, like she thinks she is my sire? For her to talk about me as if I am some stupid fragile thing? For her to pretend she knows about Cradle politics, when all the Norse-Gaels do is mindlessly land-grabbing and building pointless armies? For her to slander my house and my lord?”

Ricardo steps closer, unaffected by the outburst. “Kel was sticking her neck out for us back there.”

“I don’t ask her to!” Pascal snaps. “I don’t ask for her help or anyone’s! For the past one hundred years I do not ask for anyone’s help! And then when people do these things anyway, without asking me first, I am meant to sit politely as they scold me for their own actions? De ce pula mea!” He turns on his heel again, and Ricardo keeps step with him. “If she had not offer to train you, I would have tell her to fuck off. I don’t care how old she is. And for you, if you will keep nagging me as well, I will almost tell you to fuck off as well, but I can’t.”

“It wouldn’t work anyway,” Ricardo growls. “I’m not going anywhere.”
>>
No. 902049 ID: 270774
File 153716271904.png - (63.51KB , 800x525 , 129.png )
902049

Pascal’s step falters for a quarter of a second, and when he regains it he’s walking faster. “Stupid.”

“I mean it.” The night is cooling off, and he slips on the jacket - his jacket, now. “I’m training with Kel, and getting strong enough to protect you.”

Pascal turns his face away and scoffs under his breath. “Ugh. Enough. I get secondhand embarrassment, listening to you try to act cool.”

“I’m not. I’m just not going to let anyone else kill you. If you’re going to die, it’ll be at my hands.” Ricardo keeps his eyes forward. “It’s my right. I spent five years looking for you. I’m not letting anyone take that from me.”

They’re finally approaching another cluster of bars. When Ricardo glances down, Pascal still isn’t looking at him. “Hmph. Stupid,” he repeats. “You’re like a dog who growls when someone tries to take his toy.”
>>
No. 902051 ID: 70df1e

toss an arm around pascal's shoulder and guide him to the nearest okay-looking bar. tell him that hes damn right that youll growl at anyone who looks at him sideways because hes right! you arent about to share him with anyone else let alone the cradle
>>
No. 902059 ID: 2e3701

Roll your eyes. "Woof, woof"
>>
No. 902060 ID: dbf422

Maybe but at least I want to see you alive. By the end of this we'll both be free of this death sentence and you'll be begging me to stay.
And Kel's an ass but she does seem to actually care about you. Even if you don't like what she said, you owe her gratefulness.
>>
No. 902063 ID: a8aba6

"you're right, no one can take you from me."
>>
No. 902069 ID: a94e23

“Grr”
But do it really shitty and halfhearted.
>>
No. 902072 ID: aedfd9

Get up behind him real close, make a growling noise, and lick the back of his neck. Then go into the nearest bar before he turns around.
>>
No. 902098 ID: 031115

"BOOF!"
>>
No. 902103 ID: df3dfa

bark at him just to see the look on his face.
>>
No. 902104 ID: 51a7ff

GUYS.

Ricardo's natural talent is shape shifting.
Turn into a literal dog.
>>
No. 902115 ID: bb78f2

>>902049
You have too much pride and no where to spend it. Like me. God, two hundred years undead and you're acting like a five year old. I have the right to be dumb and flip floppy, you don't.

If Kel and Lamb were those hunters after you, running would have meant nothing, the both of us would already be dead and you know it. Use your allies, Pascal, or die like you should have when you ashamed of drinking blood. Don't let just be ME be your only line of defense. You should train with me and Kel.

Tell me, 1000 years from now, and if the Cradle's been dismantled and Dracula murdered for 600, will you still be Cradle? 2000 years? You spent about 20 years alive with a family name and relatives, is your last name and where your from relevant to you today? Was it relevant to you when you were Cradle?

Marqee only made you come back once and a while to falsely remind you of where you came from, which is as false now as was your birth surname.
>>
No. 902139 ID: a62780

>>902049
Pfft, you're the only one that says anything about being cool.
Anyway, drinking sounds good right about now. And I thought I was in the deep end of vampire society bullshit before. Got any other surprises lined up?
>>
No. 902185 ID: 0d6acf

drink, party, sleep, escape
>>
No. 902207 ID: 2ff745

“Woof, woof. I don’t like sharing.”

Then drag him into the nearest bar. You both need to unwind before tomorrow.
>>
No. 902311 ID: 270774
File 153732988734.png - (104.90KB , 800x525 , 130.png )
902311

“Woof, woof,” Ricardo deadpans, rolling his eyes. And maybe Pascal’s easy physicality is already rubbing off on him, because he steps up behind him, his breath stirring the curls at the nape of Pascal’s neck. “You’re damn right. I’m not sharing you with anyone.”

Pascal starts to turn towards him, but Ricardo is already brushing past, a hand firm on Pascal’s elbow to drag him along. “Come on. You were adamant on drinks.”
>>
No. 902312 ID: 270774
File 153732991599.png - (101.98KB , 800x525 , 131.png )
902312

It’s a hole in the wall place, but it isn’t shitty. There’s kitsch on the walls and string lights behind the bar - it feels like the kind of place that’s fondly referred to as “my favorite spot” to friends out of town by a handful of locals. Pascal follows easily enough and hoists himself onto a barstool, and it’s quiet enough that he can get the bartender’s attention quickly. Ricardo joins him just as the bartender asks, “Is that tab gonna be open or closed?”

Pascal tilts his head, and Ricardo catches that retina flash again. “We’re not starting any tab, actually!”

This time, though, the same reddish flare is reflected in the eyes of the bartender. “Right,” he says, distractedly. “You aren’t starting a tab.”

Pascal turns back to Ricardo as the bartender wanders away to make their drinks, grinning. Ricardo rubs at his eyes tiredly. “Right. That’s … something you can do.” He props his elbow up on the bar and settles his gaze back on Pascal again. “Kel mentioned culture shock. You got any other surprises lined up for me?”

“Oh… mm, I don’t know. Teaching is hard! It’s hard to think of what is important, since to me it is all second nature already.” Pascal crosses his ankles and swings his legs, expression thoughtful. “You know, I almost wished I had taught you about duels already, because for a second I thought maybe you would pick a fight with Kel or something! And then of course she would have taken it as a duel and killed you right away, and there will have been nothing I can do about it. But then I thought you are not so stupid.”

Their drinks come - whatever Pascal’s ordered is stupid and fruity, and Ricardo watches with dead eyes as Pascal sticks his fingers into both drinks to spear the cherries out on his long nails. He chews them, cheerfully, and then spits the pulp discreetly into a napkin instead of swallowing before he speaks again. “But also it is unlikely anyone will bother with dueling us, since I have already broken the taboo, and also aren’t you tired of listening to me talk and talk already? Ehehehe.”
>>
No. 902317 ID: 70df1e

tired of hearing pascal talk? never! it's all useful information, and his accent is extremely cute.

you know, you should probably ask him if vampires can drink alcohol without getting sick. since food is a no go and all. its probably fine if we came to a bar, but never hurts to check!
>>
No. 902318 ID: d887c0

>>902312
"We're dead, Pascal. We don't get tired."
>>
No. 902322 ID: ce950c

I want to say we'd never get tired of hearing Pascal talk but I think we're maybe still a little too tsundere for that.

How about [gruffly] "It's fine."
>>
No. 902323 ID: e176c9

Keep talking, I'm hoping something useful will fall out.
>>
No. 902327 ID: 0e2ebe

Weren't you paying attention? I already said I wasn't tired yet. Anyway, maybe you won't get dueled but someone far enough down the chain of command might challenge me. It couldn't hurt to learn some basics, give Kel less work.

And drink a bit, just so Pascal isn't alone there.
>>
No. 902338 ID: 3c801d

Shrug, and tell him you just tune out when he gets boring, but his voice is nice, and you're not averse to learning what the hell it is to be a vampire when you're going to be one for the foreseeable future.
>>
No. 902342 ID: 7bc668

>>902327
>>
No. 902345 ID: 2491ad

>>902312
Not yet.
>>
No. 902356 ID: ded7a1

well theres still a hell of a lot to learn aaaaaand he's very cute when he's talking
>>
No. 902359 ID: aedfd9

Duels sound neat, so does learning who to pick them with so we don't act like an idiot and instantly die.

But also, how is Ricardo's painfully hard boner doing?
>>
No. 902364 ID: 270774
File 153737368198.png - (122.40KB , 800x525 , 132.png )
902364

>But also, how is Ricardo's painfully hard boner doing?
Ricardo’s boner is actually doing okay, on account of spending some time talking to people he wasn’t attracted to about his own imminent death at the hands of the Vampire Cops. He’s enjoying the peace, and hoping Pascal doesn’t plan on further fucking this up for him as the evening progresses.
>>
No. 902365 ID: 270774
File 153737370107.png - (117.06KB , 800x525 , 133.png )
902365

“Weren’t you paying attention? I said I wasn’t tired of you yet.” Ricardo tries the drink and pulls a face. It’s all sugar. “And I’ve got five years of information to catch up on. If you start boring me, I’ll just tune you out.”

He doesn’t say that he doubts he’ll get bored, and he doesn’t say that this doubt is born from the fact that Pascal’s voice has become at least superficially pleasant to him - instead he just waves the bartender over and asks for something else, shoving the rejected cocktail over to double Pascal’s order. Pascal laughs and accepts it readily.

“Well, alright. It is important, after all. You have met Kel now, so you know there are many communities of vampires, and that we are all very different - but of course the thing that is the same for all of us is that we love to hit each other with swords! Ehehe.” There’s a second cherry trapped under the ice in Pascal’s first glass, and he’s trying to fish it out with his pinky nail as he talks. “Any vampire in the world will recognize a duel, and as long as the duel can be proven to be legitimate, no vampire - or, euh, no system of vampiric authority, like to say the Cradle - can contest the results. I guess it is the closest you can say to something being sacred in our society.”

Ricardo accepts his proper drink from the bartender and glares at Pascal over the rim of it. “And you thought I might not need to know this immediately.”

“Well, who knows! It is like I said - I already break the taboo. Why will vampires coming after us try to use a duel to force my compliance, when I have already not listened to authority?” Pascal’s first glass is empty already, but he’s still working on the cherry. “But, still. Euhhh, I am trying to think of the best way to start to explain this… what is the simplest way. Well, of course, a duel is a fight. I say swords because this is what the Cradle favors, especially in House Bathory, and it is the same for many others, but it can be anything. I have even heard of duels with no violence, but this is rare. And of course the rules of a duel are different regionally, too! These things are universal, no matter what: that a duel is not legitimate unless the challengers agree to all the terms before beginning, and that when you enter a duel you have forfeit your life on loss. Maybe your challenger will not choose to kill you if you lose, but there is nothing that can be argued if they do. Oh, and of course that the outcome of a duel and the terms outlined by the challengers are sacred, and have to be respected. Aha!” He finally impales the cherry and pops it into his mouth. “Ricardo, were you born outside of America?”

“What? Yes. Brazil. But my mother and I immigrated when I was young.” Ricardo takes another swallow of his drink, and he decides that if they’re not paying for it anyway, he might as well request top shelf for the next one. “Why does that matter?”

“I am trying to figure out which rules you can invoke.” Pascal tucks his hair behind his ears, two twin gestures, and leans forward. “I was born in Transylvania, and raised there, and my sire is of Hungary - I can only invoke duelist’s laws of the Cradle, because I have been in the Cradle always. You can invoke anything of your birthplace, your sire, or of dens you have assimilated in - probably you cannot invoke anything of Los Angeles and have it be legitimate, because while there are many dens there, you did not actually know any of them. But maybe as we travel we can find someone who knows the laws of your Brazil, and you will have the right to invoke those.”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself again,” Ricardo points out. “‘Invoke, invoke, invoke.’ What does that actually mean?”

“Oh! Well, the challenger who presents the duel is the one who can set the base rules.” Pascal starts on his second drink, still swinging his legs. “Of course, the other challenger can suggest their own rules as well, and if they are okay with you, you can accept this - and because of the rule that all challengers in a duel must agree, there is no compulsion to accept the starting challenger’s rules. But it is very deeply ingrained that a duel should be by the rules invoked by the one who offered it, and by resisting this, you will lose a lot of face. It is considered almost trying to cheat, even though it is technically allowed to negotiate. So, say you challenge me, and you say you invoke the rules of your birthplace - technically I can refuse until you agree to use my invocation instead, and you cannot force me to agree to a duel under your invocation, but I will look terrible, and no one who is observing will support me. Probably even the authorities that are meant to respect the outcome will forsake me, if it comes out in my favor.”

“Well, that’s useless to me until we figure out what the Brazilian rules are, so -”

“So you can only invoke the rules of the Cradle for now,” Pascal agrees. “A vampire who is older and well traveled can be at an advantage, because if they have lived with many dens or under many authorities, they can invoke many rules - Kel could do this, but she only ever invokes the Viking laws, which are only that every duel is a death match, ehehe. Oh, I should tell the Cradle rules to you. I have them memorized, of course, even though I do not duel - well, I have sometimes, for fun, or for petty arguments, ehehe. I only learned swordplay as something to do, out of boredom, and because it is such a Bathory pastime. But I have observed many, many duels. Euhhh, let’s see… for a duel by Cradle invocation to be legitimate… challengers must be given an opportunity to feed before the match, if they want this. If a challenger is unarmed, a weapon must be provided. There is no mercy clause, and a challenger is not obligated to stop the match for anything, even if the opponent yields. All forms of violence and torture are permissible. Euuuhh… oh, and yes, a match by Cradle invocation, with terms that affect Cradle vampires, is not legitimate unless a noble member of the Cradle, at least one title higher than the challengers, is present to officiate.”
>>
No. 902366 ID: 270774
File 153737372160.png - (124.98KB , 800x525 , 134.png )
902366

Ricardo narrows his eyes. “Run that last one by me again.”

“Ahaha! Did you notice already? This one is to prevent chaos.” Pascal puts a finger up against his own lips, conspiratorially. “Here is an example. By being a member of the House Bathory, I am already minor nobility, and I can officiate my own matches against anyone who is of lower status than my house. This means I can stomp about if I like and wreak all kinds of havoc on the lesser vampires, who do not matter so much to the hierarchy. I can also do whatever I like if my terms do not ‘affect’ other vampires of my status or higher - this can be interpreted many ways. But here, here, we will do our example.”

Pascal sets his drink down and reaches across to grasp Ricardo’s hands. “You are also of the House Bathory, though I know you don’t like it, but don’t complain while I explain. Let’s pretend you are not my ward, because you can do whatever you like to your ward, so it ruins the example, ehehe. And you are illegitimate anyway. Euhhh, let’s say you are just of another house, that is as eminent as the Bathorys. So this makes you the same rank as me. And I duel you, and I say, ehehehe, I say ‘Ricardo, I challenge you! If I win, you will run away from the Cradle with me.’ And you say back to me, ‘Very well, Pascal, but then if I win, you will run away from the Cradle with me!’

Pascal leans back again, still holding Ricardo’s hands, and smiles slyly. “And then in our duel, I throw myself on the ground and yell that I am defeated, or some such thing, and you graciously spare my life despite my loss, so you can collect on your terms. Now do you see? They cannot have this happen. There cannot be such a thing where, because the terms of the duel are sacred, our sires cannot protest to our leaving. And so there is this part of the invocation, that someone higher ranked than us must officiate - and if they hear the terms, and they care about their relationship with the House Bathory and other nobility, of course they will refuse, and the duel will not be legitimate.”

Pascal releases him, returning to his drink. “And I have lived in the Cradle my whole life, and I was born in the Cradle, and my sire is of the Cradle, and so these are the only terms I can invoke.”

There’s a pause, in which Pascal runs the tip of his finger idly around and around the wet rim of his glass - then he shrugs. “But many, many rules include a version of this, especially from places where there is an established vampiric authority. And anyway, even aside from this, you should not think more rules means a duel will be more fair. It is just more ways to cheat.”
>>
No. 902367 ID: 270774
Audio brooklynden.mp3 - (1.38MB )
902367

montenegro - nathan johnson
>>
No. 902368 ID: 270774
File 153737376228.png - (101.13KB , 800x525 , 135.png )
902368

He trails off for a moment, his eyes tracing the lights above the bar - and then suddenly something seems to hit him. He’s two drinks in, now, and talkative. “Oh. Oh, I could - that isn’t true. I lived in a den. I could invoke the rules of the Brooklyn den.” He laughs into his nearly empty glass, shaking his head. There’s fondness there, and derision, and Ricardo wonders if those two things are always tied for Pascal. “Stupid. They’re useless. Babyish, stupid rules - they only ever used them for settling personal fights. Agh, do I remember them? I should. They would ask for a duel for anything. Euhhh….” He drums his fingers against the bar, still laughing. “Yes. Rule one was no dueling over women, ehehe. Euhh, two was… you had to shake hands sincerely beforehand. If it seemed you were bitter about it, they would not fight. Because he always said - oh, what was it. “If you’re not man enough to shake hands, you are not man enough to be worth fighting,” or whatever stupid nonsense thing. No eye gouging, no hair pulling, no kicking each other’s dicks. No weapons, which is so unusual, but to use your affinity is okay. And that a match ended right away when someone yielded.” Another sudden burst of laughter, louder than the one before, with his fingers pressed against his lips. “And to yield you say ‘uncle!’ I don’t know why. And to keep going after someone yielded was thought to be so awful, even though everyone knows once you lose it is okay to kill you, by the universal laws.”

His voice dies off again, and he finishes off the last of his drink, the ice louder than his next statement when he sets it down on the bar again. “Ahaha. Like I said, rules for babies. They’re no good to me. What will I invoke rules like this for?”
>>
No. 902369 ID: aedfd9

Reminds me of fighting with my cousins when I was a kid.

"'He' always said"? Who is 'he'?
>>
No. 902370 ID: ce9b5a

pascal looks so cute and happy you Gotta notice
>>
No. 902371 ID: c223c4

those brooklyn rules sound pretty decent, like theyre for a group of friends more than a hierarchy. HE always said? sounds like an opportunity to ask about his old boyfriend without too much prying (or telling him that you looked at his stuff)
>>
No. 902373 ID: ce950c

Sound like pretty fair rules to me. It sounds useful to be able to settle things without killing people left and right.
>>
No. 902377 ID: dbf422

That "torture" just slipped right by. Boy the Cradle seems so nice.

The Brooklyn rules sound like they're meant for friends, or family. People you actually care about, even when you're fighting. Also kinda chauvinist but let's move past that. The general idea of them are nice. That's what dueling rules sound like when you don't hate everyone around you.
>>
No. 902379 ID: b45094

Casually (with as few words as possible) ask about the Brooklyn den, how big was it, is it still around, etc. don't ask about the "him" yet, that will just get Pascal clamming up. Also ask if Pascal being able to invoke those rules means you'd be able to invoke them, too. They sound like a nicer set than the ones which involve torture and keeping underlings bound.
>>
No. 902381 ID: c1eaac

can ricardo invoke brooklyn rules if pascal can? i want to see us challenge a bunch of stuffy cradle vamps to brooklyn style duels.
>>
No. 902382 ID: 2ff745

. . . Subtly keep the drinks coming, since that might keep the stories coming. Obviously if we get Pascal wasted we’re not getting laid tonight, but since Ricardo said he wants a break from the boner from hell that ends up being a win-win.

I agree with not immediately pouncing on that “he said,” given how defensive Pascal got just from Kel mentioning New York. He seems like he’s still willing to talk, so just ride the wave.
>>
No. 902384 ID: a62780

>>902368
Would a duel or other law even need to be invoked to actually force Pascal's compliance with the guys hunting them or does his status make him fair game, something like that?
>>
No. 902385 ID: 70df1e

>>902381
>>
No. 902468 ID: ad4798

If preferring “no nut shots” to “all forms of torture are permissible” makes me a baby, then sure, I’m a baby.
>>
No. 902471 ID: dbf422

>>902468
Yeah, honestly, "all forms" is really scary. If it was at least limited to pain it wouldn't be half as disturbing.
>>
No. 902508 ID: c557a9

>>902381
holy shit y e s

also, those brooklyn rules are for settling fights if you care about the people involved! it's a pretty good system if you just want to win an arguement/make a decision but don't want to murder the other person. it seems like they think duels are friendly!
>>
No. 902518 ID: bb78f2

We're really going to need the Brazil laws if we're going to face Marqee in a duel one day. Technically Brooklynn law works for challenging him, so that's also a part of our repertoire. But unfortunately that gives Marqee an out, and we need more standing in the vampire world to make it, so even IF we won by some miracle, killing him would be bad unless he wants to die.

It's either that or we'll need Dracula's backing to use Cradle rules.
So... Pascal, what are the odds of me becoming Drac's best friend?
>>
No. 902525 ID: 4d3ec2

>>902518
What are you talking about? We don’t even know what the Brazilian laws are, so we don’t know if they’re useful or not, and Ricardo can already use Cradle rules. Pascal said you can invoke the rules of your birthplace, your sire, and any communities of vampires you’ve lived with, apparently even if you lived there temporarily. I do think it’s worthwhile to find out what Brazil’s dueling laws are, just in case they do have something we can use, but that’s a task for after we get out of town.
>>
No. 902531 ID: c557a9

not to double-post or anything but dont actually mention fighting the marquee, that's the fastest way to get pascal to shut up. he's still slavishly devoted to the cradle, probably because of all the brainwashing.
>>
No. 902609 ID: 270774
File 153750940117.png - (88.56KB , 800x525 , 136.png )
902609

Ricardo’s smiling. Just a little. “Reminds me of fighting with my cousins when I was a kid.”

“That’s because that’s all it ever was!” Pascal makes a vague, dismissive gesture. “Playfighting.”

“Well, I guess that’s what it’s like when you don’t hate everybody around you.” Ricardo’s nursing his drink, still on the first one. He’s seen Pascal smile plenty already, but not like this. “It sounds like they were written for friends, or family. People you still care about, even when you’re fighting.” Another measured sip, his free hand rising to flag the bartender down for another fruity monstrosity. “It also sounds like they were written by a chauvinist, but that’s none of my business.”

Pascal blinks at him, surprised, then bursts into laughter again. “Yes! Yes, they are a little chauvinist, aren’t they. I thought this was stupid about them, too - oh, thank you.” He accepts the drink Ricardo presses into his hand and stirs it idly with the plastic sword thrust between the ice. The remnants of his earlier laughter slide out on a sigh. “Well, it has been nearly eighty years since I’ve seen any of them. Maybe they’ve rewritten the rules to be a little better now, ehehe.”

“Even if they haven’t, I still like them better than the Cradle rules,” Ricardo says. “If preferring the rules that say ‘no nut shots’ to the ones that all-out endorse torture makes me a baby, then I guess I’m a baby.”

“Well, these rules are fine if you don’t intend to kill anyone, I suppose. Though anyone who isn’t an idiot would still kill you on Brooklyn terms if you lost, because the universal rule of forfeiture outweighs the - the silly ‘uncle’ one.” Pascal tilts his head, lifting his glass to his mouth almost absentmindedly. “Maybe this is a culture difference. For American vampires, it is like they think duels are fun, or a novelty. If I care about something enough to duel about it - in a sincere way, not just playing - then I want to kill. If someone offends me enough for me to request a duel, then certainly I want to hurt them. A vampire from a den, if they want to kill someone, then they just go straight to the killing. It is like they say, ‘why bother?’ Or it is like they think duel terms might get in the way of them doing it. Vampires from the Cradle, though - if we want to kill someone, we first want to make sure no one can fault us for it.”
>>
No. 902610 ID: 270774
File 153750941970.png - (89.69KB , 800x525 , 137.png )
902610

“And if I wanted to invoke the Brooklyn rules. Could I do that, since you can do it?” Ricardo asks. “I’d like to challenge some stuffy Cradle vamps to Brooklyn-style brawls.”

“Ha! What an idea. They would laugh at you, to hear those terms. They would laugh at you, and use the rules to make you say ‘uncle,’ and then use the universal rule of forfeiture to kill you.” Still, Pascal seems to be seriously considering it. “As you are now, no. You know nothing of them. But if I introduced you to the den, and they said something like, you know, ‘ah, yes, the ward of Pascal, we welcome you,’ then now you are assimilated through me, and you could. But…” He shrugs, his head dipping with the motion for another long pull from his glass. “Now that I think of it, I don’t know if it is possible even I could still invoke these rules. It is like I said - maybe they have changed and I don’t even know of it, which would make my invocation illegitimate. And maybe they do not even claim me anymore.”

“Is it even still around?” Ricardo keeps his eyes on his glass - he doesn’t want his questions to seem too pointed.

“Oh, certainly. Dens will change over time, but always there will be a core group who will not leave. And there is no way each of the five boroughs of New York City do not have representative dens. I’m sure they’re very prosperous now.” Pascal is stabbing the cherry at the bottom of his glass with his plastic sword, with a kind of insistent intensity.

“Uh-huh.” Ricardo watches him stab the cherry with vague interest. He knows he’s pushing his luck, but the part of him that wants to ask is in a knife fight with the part that thinks Pascal might clam up if he pries. The part that wants to ask got there first, with a bigger knife. “Who’s ‘he?’”
>>
No. 902611 ID: 270774
File 153750943342.png - (109.28KB , 800x525 , 138.png )
902611

Pascal stops stabbing and looks up. “What?”

“Earlier. The rules. You said ‘he’ always said. Who always said?”

“Oh.” There isn’t the tantrum he feared, or the prickly defensiveness that Kel prompted. Pascal’s gestures are loose with the sway of alcohol, and to Ricardo’s surprise, that same smile - the fond one, the one that seems so uncharacteristic - is still playing over his lips. “Just some fool. A fool who would fight over anything at all. He came up with the rules because he liked doing it so much. He’d duel for a borrowed jacket. He’d duel because you forgot his birthday, or because he wanted to pick where to hunt, or for a kiss. He was always dueling for things he could have just asked for!”

He seems to catch himself, and he rests his chin back in his hand, looking away. “Stories about him are pointless. And they make me sad. No - they put me in a bad mood.”
>>
No. 902618 ID: e572b2

Surely not all the stories about him are sad. He sounds cool. Could you just tell us one of the fun ones? (If he responds badly to this, drop it and let him change the subject.)
>>
No. 902620 ID: 70df1e

this man who fights over everything for funsies sounds like the sort of man we need to emulate lets do this leroy jennnkins

in all seriousness though dont make pascal talk about it if he doesnt want to. he'll open up in time probably. ask him more about the american dens! if he knows any that might let you guys stick around while those other vamps are hunting you down, it could be good to have allies. that, or a good hunting area if a den left some place awhile ago and hasnt been back since
>>
No. 902621 ID: dbf422

You wish you could be like him, don't you?
>>
No. 902627 ID: 2e3701

"I'd duel you for a kiss"
>>
No. 902634 ID: aedfd9

You look pretty when you talk about him
>>
No. 902655 ID: d60086

has ricardo gotten in any physical fights before? altercations with weirdos? maybe tell pascal a story about yourself, bring the conversation back to a comfortable place
>>
No. 902777 ID: c1cc97

>>902618
>>
No. 902790 ID: c122c0

Are there rules for people without Dens? What about travelers? Are there special rules you can invoke if you have no den?

Also shots for the both of you. Hell, just get the bottle.
>>
No. 902876 ID: 270774
File 153768223829.png - (103.02KB , 800x525 , 139.png )
902876

Ricardo watches him for a moment, and he lets the brief second of tension settle by motioning the bartender over and ordering a bottle of liquor and two shot glasses for them. That done, he turns back. “You wish you could be like him, don’t you?”

“Ha!” Pascal says, a little violently. “No, thank you! If I act like him, my life would be full of more problems than it already is. So I say no thank you!”

“Huh.” Ricardo finishes off his first drink and pushes the glass away. “Well, you look-” A pause. “You look different, when you talk about him.”

Pascal raises his eyebrows at that, and sways closer, fingertips loose on the rim of his own glass. “Oh? Different how?”

He looks beautiful, unfortunately. Ricardo scowls. “Just different.”

“I have notice you looking at me,” Pascal concludes smugly. “Well! It is the healthy glow of being in a bad mood.”

The bottle comes, and Ricardo pours them each a shot. Pascal sniffs it suspiciously, then gives Ricardo a baleful look. “This is tequila?”

“It’s tequila,” Ricardo confirms grimly.

“You are trying to get me drunk,” Pascal accuses, gleefully. In the same breath, he tosses the shot back without waiting for a toast. Ricardo snorts.

“You came here trying to get yourself drunk,” he points out, which he feels effectively dodges an admission of guilt.

Pascal nods shamelessly, pouring himself another. “It’s true!”

Ricardo matches him, and he’s quickly feeling less reserved as it helps him catch up. The pry-or-leave-it knife fight in his head has turned into a one-sided massacre. “Hey. Come on. Not every story about him puts you in a bad mood, right?” Pascal holds his empty glass out, a little imperiously. Ricardo fills it. “You could just tell me one of the good ones. I don’t need the whole story, whatever it is.”

“Hmph. You are persistent, and it’s very-” Pascal wrinkles his nose. English seems to be slowly becoming a heavier burden for him as the night progresses. “It’s very uncute. It’s not cute of you, Ricardo. But - mm, well. I suppose if I can only tell you the funny and good parts.” He leans forward even further, til he’s halfway over the counter to get closer, and Ricardo doesn’t move away. “If you will then tell me a story about yourself, after.”

Ricardo clinks his shotglass lightly against Pascal’s. A little tequila sloshes out, which is fine. “Deal.”

“Well, then!” Pascal throws his shot back - is it his third? Ricardo hasn’t been paying attention - makes a face like a cat that’s about to sneeze, and then recovers. “Fine. I will tell you about how we met.”
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No. 902877 ID: 270774
Audio memory1.mp3 - (7.45MB )
902877

gangsterlove (shiny mob remix) - alice francis
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No. 902878 ID: 270774
File 153768227597.png - (422.44KB , 800x525 , 140.png )
902878

“He made such a horrible first impression. Oh, how did it go? Let’s see…” He’s got one heel braced on the crossbar of his stool and the other slender leg swings freely, in time to the soft music playing overhead. “Euuuhh, this was before you were born, so maybe you don't know about it, but at the beginning of the twentieth century, the humans all decided to have this grand war, and so everyone was all in this big uproar making preparations for it. And I had just come to America maybe ten years before and had been wasting time here and there, and in New York there were many men who were going off to the war, and so I decided to just go and see all the fuss that everyone was making, with these parades and all these things.”

Ricardo furrows his brow at the assumption that he doesn’t know what World War I is, but he doesn’t interrupt. Pascal’s gaze has already drifted somewhere past the string lights overhead. “And at the docks all these men were getting onto the boats to go away to war, and so you are seeing all these men kissing their sweethearts goodbye. And I notice one of them standing alone is a vampire, and so I accidentally make eye contact with him. And he starts talking to me, and he says-” Pascal breaks off to giggle, helplessly, making a loose gesture with his empty shot glass. “He says - I cannot do an American accent, I’ll be embarrassed. He says, ‘I don't have anyone to see me off. Kiss me?’”
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No. 902879 ID: 270774
File 153768228974.png - (380.26KB , 800x525 , 141.png )
902879

He laughs again, loud and open, and it trails off into a hum. “Of course, now, if some handsome man says to me, ‘Kiss me!’, I would say ‘yes, yes!’ Ehehehe. ‘Yes, I would love to! Thank you for the opportunity!’ Ah, but back then I was not as easygoing as I am now. My standing was still very good, and I was held in very high regard for my rank and my name, and I thought very highly of this. So I was so offended! I could not believe this vampire, who is so young his eyes are not even red, was talking to me like this, and saying this presumptuous things to me as if he does not even know who I am. My attendant wanted us to not even speak to him, and to just leave - but I was so angry that I couldn’t just walk away. So of course I tell him no! I say, no, we do not even know each other, and I do not even know where he comes from, and he cannot dare say these things to me. And do you know what he said?”

Pascal smiles into his hand. “He says this is fine, and that if that is true I should just wait for him to come back from the war. Because then we will have known each other for a long time, and when he comes back he will be expecting a kiss from me. And then he was gone.” He tilts his head back, kicking his legs a little at the memory. “I was so angry! Oh, I was so angry that I was shaking. Who is he to talk so intimately to me! But I couldn't stop thinking about him - at first it was only because I was so mad about it, and I kept thinking of it again and again, and just fuming! But then later, I keep wondering why he said these things to me, and why he is saying he is going to come back to find me when he doesn't even know who I am.”
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No. 902880 ID: 270774
File 153768230352.png - (664.71KB , 800x525 , 142.png )
902880

He sets the glass back down, tracing the rim idly with his finger. “And it's embarrassing, but before I knew it, I really was waiting. And thinking of him all the time, because - well, I shouldn't worry a vampire will die in a human war. I didn't understand why he was even getting involved anyway. Later he told me it was because he had human friends who were, euhhh - what is the word. Incorporare. I don’t know it in English. Oh, whatever - human friends who were made to join, and so he went to make sure he can keep them safe. Which, of course, I don’t understand this either! But - I kept thinking things like, oh no, what if there are also vampires on the other side, and things like this. But I didn't have to wait long, because by this time humans had gotten so good at killing each other that wars don't last long. And I felt so silly, but when soldiers started coming back, I was always looking for him.”
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No. 902881 ID: 270774
File 153768231836.png - (358.42KB , 800x525 , 143.png )
902881

Pascal doesn’t hold his glass out for more, at least not for the moment, and Ricardo doesn’t offer. They’re both absorbed in the retelling. “Back then, as I say, my standing was so much better and I was very much part of society, and a lot of these lavish parties people were having were held by vampires, to feed, and I was invited. And I go to one of these parties, and I can't believe it, but I see him there.” His voice is dreamy and distant, head tilted enough that his hair is in his eyes, and he doesn't seem to notice. “It’s like a dream. He walks over to me, and I can't believe it's him. And he asks me to kiss him. And in spite of myself, you know, I am already going to do it, but before I do, I say to him that I cannot believe he remembered - and you know what? He looks at me like I am a crazy person!”
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No. 902882 ID: 270774
File 153768233322.png - (117.63KB , 800x525 , 144.png )
902882

Pascal breaks into helpless giggles again, leaning forward until his face is pressed against the bar. “Because he doesn't know what I am talking about! Of course he wasn't being sincere on the docks, he was just trying to get me to kiss him, and teasing me! And just then he had not recognized me at all, he was just trying to find someone to have after his feed! Oh, I was so humiliated I felt like crying. And he says to me, trying to make me feel better - he calls me dollface and he says ‘At least I thought you were beautiful twice in a row!’ Oh, I found him so disrespectful! I was so upset! And so I lost my temper and I hit him across his face, except I had just fed and he had not yet, and anyway I am so much older than him - and his head came right off!”

He turns his head to the side, covering his smile with one hand. “Oh, my god. It caused such a panic among the humans that had been lured there. I ruined the whole party. But then he was picking up his head and following after me, asking me to come back, making such a scene - carrying on and saying he now he had really fallen in love with me! I was so angry and embarrassed that I really was crying, then. I didn't understand why he wouldn't just leave me alone and stop making fun of me. I thought he was the most horrible man I’d ever met, and I got a taxi cab and slammed the door in his face, and the whole time he was saying he loved me and needed to know my name. I thought he was being so cruel to me, to go so far to keep mocking me like this.” He trails off again, fingers curling slightly against his lips. Suddenly his free hand flashes out to grab the shotglass, and he slams it against the bar again, near the bottle. “The asshole!”
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No. 902883 ID: d47152

pour him another shot and match it. insult his taste in men
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No. 902884 ID: 728d78

s.. stroke his hair
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No. 902885 ID: b54723

Wow. Wait. How DO vampires kill each other, then? If a decapitation doesn't do it, what does?
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No. 902887 ID: aedfd9

"I can see why you didn't like him at all. He doesn't sound polite or respectful. ...So I guess it's my turn to tell a story now?"
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No. 902888 ID: 2e3701

Oh, well now that's fucking adorable, holy shit.

Very seriously tell Pascal he sounds like a dick. Except not seriously at all. Because wow. Cute as fuck. Also brush Pascal's hair behind his ear.

Tell Pascal about one of your exes, if that would be an on par level of intimacy, if it's not who could you talk about from your life that would be? Your mother? Or perhaps a pet? He'd definitely laugh at you for that but there's no sense telling him about someone you don't care about.
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No. 902891 ID: dbf422

He seems to have a thing for rebellious youngsters. Very different sort but still.

And make him pull his hair back like he used to have it, you'll love it.
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No. 902894 ID: 70df1e

if rebellious younger men is pascals type youre in luck my dude

ask if the guy ever found pascal again, and if he ever did get his kiss. pascal seems happy enough that it might be okay to ask? although this could also be a good chance to segway into a story of your own, you know to keep the mood light. and if you do tell one, pick a funny one!
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No. 902902 ID: 36183c

Ohhhh ask if he ever got that kiss
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No. 902917 ID: 2ff745

If this guy is our competition, then maybe Ricardo’s less than charming personality isn’t actually that much of a roadblock.

You promised him a story, so hold up your end of the bargain! Something funny to keep the mood light. Pascal seems like he’s having fun now, but talking about exes while drunk can quickly veer into anti-party territory.
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No. 902928 ID: 36183c

>>902902
THIS
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No. 902929 ID: 36183c

No wait shit thats MY suggestion I just seconded I completely fucking forgot i suggested my god im so sorry
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No. 902932 ID: ded7a1

BRUSH HIS HAIR BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!
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No. 903051 ID: 270774
File 153784238779.png - (91.80KB , 800x525 , 145.png )
903051

Ricardo pours them each another shot, his brow furrowing with the immense concentration it now takes to make sure the tequila lands in the glasses instead of on the counter. “And did he ever get that kiss, in the end?”

“He got plenty!” Pascal sits up only long enough to take the shot, then slams the glass down and puts his face back down on the counter. “He got too many, if you ask me!”

“Mm.” Ricardo puts his own back with a little less aggression than Pascal. “You have shit taste in men.”

Pascal shoots him a look. Ricardo doesn’t back down. “He sounds like a jackass.”

“Well--” Pascal sounds ready to be defensive, but blanks on an actual defense. “Well! So what. Lots of people are jackasses. You are a jackass. I am a jackass.” He smears his face a little further along the bartop. “We are all jackasses.”

His hair’s all in his face. Without thinking much about it, Ricardo reaches over to push it off his forehead, his fingers sinking into the soft curls. Pascal sits up as Ricardo slides his hand further back over his head, holding his hair back, and blinks at him.

“What. What. Why are you- what is this.”

Ricardo doesn’t really have an answer for that. “You should wear it back like this,” he blurts out, instead. “It looks-” He’s suddenly extremely aware of how empty the tequila bottle is, and the kind of doom that spells for him. “Good,” he finally decides.

God.
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No. 903052 ID: 270774
File 153784241366.png - (113.69KB , 800x525 , 146.png )
903052

Pascal squints at him for a moment, as if confused, and then dissolves into giggles. His head tips to the side, cheek pressed to Ricardo’s forearm. “You are drunk.”

”You’re drunk,” Ricardo protests.

“Is funny you like this,” Pascal continues. “Is how I used to wear my hair all the time! Because I could not get away with having it down. The beginning of the century, men had their hair cut so short, so short! I hated it! I wouldn’t cut mine, but I still had to look respectable, so always I kept it back.” One of his hands moves up to lightly touch the back of Ricardo’s. “But I will start doing it again, if it makes you compliment me.”

Ugh. Ricardo needs a subject change, and he needs it now. “Hey. Your story. You decapitated him.”

“By accident!” Pascal insists, pouting.

“Yeah, whatever.” Ricardo hasn’t removed his hand yet. Pascal’s hair is so soft, and he also feels like if he lets go he’s going to fall off the barstool. “If decapitation doesn’t kill us, what the hell does?”

“Did I not tell you this already?” Ricardo starts scratching, lightly, and Pascal’s eyelashes flutter. “I can’t remember. Well, who cares. Of course it is to destroy the heart and the head, both. One can regenerate the other - you will be helpless while it does, though, which is also why we live in pairs - but if they are both destroyed before you can regenerate, then that is the end for you.” Ricardo’s hand has migrated to the back of his head, massaging his nape absentmindedly, and he sways a little. “Even if you are just a heart in a jar, you can still think and feel. Oh, but this is why a stake in the heart will keep you as good as dead, if no one is there to pull it out. You cannot regenerate it - the wood is in the way! Still you will be able to think and feel, but not to move or help yourself, and so you can just be thrown away.”

There’s a pause, and then Pascal leans forward, huffing. “I don’t want to talk about these scary things! You promised me a story!”
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No. 903053 ID: 270774
File 153784243223.png - (271.51KB , 800x525 , 147.png )
903053

“Yeah, yeah.” Ricardo mulls it over. He doesn’t really have anything memorable to do with any of his exes, and trying to think of something funny or lighthearted is harder than he thought it would be. Still, he has to come up with something, especially if Pascal’s going to be this insistent about it being a source of entertainment. “Alright. I’ll tell you about the time my mom made me get a hobby.”

Pascal perks up, already eager and attentive.

“So, it’s like I said. My mother and I came to L.A. when I was pretty young - but old enough to miss my hometown, and the family that we had there. Old enough to be upset about having to move, too young to understand that she was doing her best for me. I didn’t click with the new neighborhood, and I ended up getting in fights a lot.”

Pascal hums, amused. “This is not surprising to me.”

“Yeah, well. It got worse when I told one of the other kids in the apartment complex that he could tell people I was his big brother - he was getting pushed around by older kids in the neighborhood - and next thing I knew, a dozen kids I’d never met before were all running around yelling ‘Ricardo’s my big brother, Ricardo’s my big brother, he’s gonna kick your ass!’ any time they mouthed off or got themselves in trouble. So I had to run around making good on all those claims, too.” Ricardo is very aware of how intently Pascal is watching his face as he speaks, and so he decides to just not look back at him, even though his hand is still moving absently in his hair. “And this ended up being my norm all through high school, til a ‘quiet day’ by my standards was one where I only got in one brawl. I started getting in really serious trouble at school, to the point where they were threatening expulsion, and my mother had fucking had it with me.”
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No. 903054 ID: 270774
File 153784245738.png - (207.80KB , 800x525 , 148.png )
903054

“Ahaha.” Pascal crosses his arms on the bar and rests his chin on them, careful to move slowly enough that he doesn’t dislodge Ricardo’s loose grip on his nape. “She has a temper like yours?”

“Worse. She worked too much to be breathing down my neck all the time, keeping me out of trouble. So she asked around and scraped up a little money.” Ricardo pours the last of the tequila between his and Pascal’s shot glasses - just enough for a half a shot each. “And she got me a used violin.”

“Ah!” Pascal lights up, eyes wide. “Now, okay, this surprises me, Ricardo.”

Ricardo decides not to address that. It surprises everyone. “She told me that after I went to school, I had to come straight home, and I wasn’t allowed out of the house til I’d practiced for an hour. She said as long as I did my practice, she didn’t care what I did, and she’d stop harping on me about it.”
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No. 903056 ID: 270774
File 153784249811.png - (212.17KB , 800x525 , 149.png )
903056

“Pffft,” says Pascal. “How will that keep you out of trouble? You can just fuck around on the violin for a little, and then you go right back to behaving badly.”

“That’s what I thought, too.” Ricardo takes his shot and sets the glass down, pushing it away. “And then I started getting pissed off at the violin.”

“You’ll get angry at anything,” Pascal says, almost fondly.

“I have big fucking hands,” Ricardo says, intensely. Pascal nods. “Did when I was a teenager, too. Figured as long as my mom was cutting me this deal, least I could do was hold up my end of the bargain for real, but it was hard. I couldn’t figure it out, and that ticked me off. So next thing I knew, my one hour of practice was turning into two a night, just because I was losing track of time trying to get it right. Then, once I started being able to actually play and improve, I realized I actually liked it. And I was getting good.”

“And then through this transformative power of music, you became a gentle boy who never hurt a fly,” Pascal supplies, a little sarcastically.

“No,” says Ricardo, “I still beat the shit out of people, on plenty of occasions.” The room is swaying pleasantly, and he counters the movement by dragging his thumb in slow circles over the first knot of Pascal’s spine. “But it was like - by the time I was good enough to enjoy it, and I spent an hour playing before I went out - it was like a bunch of that anger had just burned off. I did what I had to, when people got in my face, but I wasn’t reducing people to a pulp anymore. I’d win the fight and move on.”

The mockery fades off Pascal’s face, just a little. He sets his chin back down, eyes tracing Ricardo’s profile. “Ahaha. Music soothes the savage beast.”

“I don’t know about ‘soothes.’ Vents aggression, maybe. Let me blow off some steam.” He finally pulls his hand out of Pascal’s hair, ignoring the pout that it earns him. “Made me feel like there was something I was good at, besides violence. And there was a kind of perspective in the fact that it was something I had to work at.”

There’s a stretch of silence, and Ricardo realizes he doesn’t have anything else to say about it. “Well. That’s it. I guess that wasn’t really funny or anything. But it’s what I’ve got.”
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No. 903057 ID: 270774
File 153784251257.png - (118.63KB , 800x525 , 150.png )
903057

“Mm. I liked it anyway,” Pascal announces. “It was surprising! Surprising is almost as good as funny.”

“Incongruity is the root of all humor,” Ricardo mumbles.

“What?”

“It’s - nothing.” The door of the bar opens and closes, bringing with it a burst of cool night air. Ricardo breathes it in, and it’s almost a relief, when all of him feels heated and heavy from the feed and the alcohol - and then he stiffens.

The scent that wafts in from the entryway is metallic and bloodless.
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No. 903058 ID: 11b5c9

subtly take a peek just to be safe. also subtly start projecting big dick energy, also just to be safe
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No. 903059 ID: aedfd9

Time to hit the road! Hey, maybe those classical music skills will impress Cradle aristocracy someday?
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No. 903060 ID: de3b57

>>903058
he always has big dick energy but make sure ricardo is in front of pascal jic
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No. 903062 ID: be2271

If we can smell them, they can smell us. It’s probably useless to try to sneak out undetected, especially since we’re both wasted. Just try to catch a glimpse of them for now so we can do a threat assessment. Also, project big dick energy.
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No. 903063 ID: 0e2ebe

Get Pascal to focus enough that you can get him to be wary about the smell. He's first, even before you check out the vampires.
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No. 903073 ID: 0d6acf

yikes!!! be cool
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No. 903076 ID: 5b81c4

Kiss Pascal as part of a clever ruse to pretend you're too into making out to have noticed the gross smell person.
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No. 903092 ID: 70df1e

>>903062
absolutely this project BDE and no one will fight you or pascal
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No. 903106 ID: ce950c

Yeah, we're definitely not going to have much luck sneaking out if we can smell them. I guess just jostle Pascal's shoulder a little to let him know what's going on and get ready to defend him if it comes to that.
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No. 903127 ID: 36183c

How many humans are in the bar? Nudge pascal to point out the vamps but even Cradle lackeys don't have the big dick energy to kill you in a public place bc it would rouse all the humans.
.......offer to buy them a drink? god this is bad
follow pascals lead if he has one, I guess
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No. 903234 ID: 270774
File 153793641528.png - (138.41KB , 800x525 , 151.png )
903234

“Pascal.” Ricardo nudges Pascal’s shoulder, speaking as quietly as he can. “Pascal.”

“What. What is it.” Pascal’s head sways slowly, as if barely connected to his neck, but then he smiles. “You want a kiss? Here, fine--”

“I--” Pascal’s mouth connects with his, soft and lazy and uncharacteristically warm, and Ricardo forgets what he was doing for a second. He snaps himself out of it by reminding himself that Pascal murdered him. “No. No, not a kiss. Pascal, can you smell them?”

Pascal pulls back, a little bewildered, but seems to process it quickly. “Oh.” His voice drops. “Shit.”

Now he’s just barely breathing out his words - everything he says is nearly inaudible, carried out on the ghosts of his exhales. An adaptation, surely, born of trying to hide things from people with supernatural hearing. “I can smell them. Two of them, I think. Familiar, but - I don’t know. I’ve met every person who lives here at least once. It doesn’t narrow it down.”

“It’s fine,” Ricardo mumbles. “I’ve got - I’m projecting - I’ve got big - big dick energy.”

That takes Pascal a second. “What?”

“Big dick energy,” Ricardo repeats. “I’m just - I’m beaming out - nobody’s gonna fuck with us.”

“Ricardo, what is--”

“I’ve got - it’s like --”

“I know your dick is big--”

“Shhh!!”
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No. 903235 ID: 270774
File 153793643469.png - (40.07KB , 800x525 , 152.png )
903235

Ricardo cranes his neck, trying to get a glimpse of whoever just entered - but in the end, he hears them before he sees them.

“Someone’s here.”

“Yeah, I smell them - oh.” The second voice, while bubblier than the first, suddenly sounds immensely disappointed. “It’s just Pascal.”

The first voice is deeper, more measured. “Who’s that with him, though?”

“I thought it was just a human,” says the second voice.

“Can’t be. Pascal doesn’t keep humans.”

“Well, don’t look at him,” insists Vampire #2. “I don’t want it to look like we know him. He’s in such huge trouble right now.”

“I think it’s just fresh,” says Vampire #1, ignoring his companion’s concerns. “A ward.”

“Another one?! After he just scrapped one?”

“Don’t say ‘scrapped,’ it’s not nice to the ward.”

“Well, it can’t be the first one. I definitely heard he abandoned that one, and it’s been years. The thing’s dead by now.”
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No. 903236 ID: 270774
File 153793644892.png - (81.33KB , 800x525 , 153.png )
903236

Ricardo doesn’t like this conversation. He narrows his eyes, watching the shifting crowds of humans. He doesn’t think they’re in danger in this situation, but he still wants to know who’s here. He catches a glimpse of blond hair, streaked with pink, and then a muscled arm in a light blue dress shirt.

“Another ward already, after all that awful business,” says the second voice, the brighter one. “How nasty.”

“You sound awfully excited about that,” drawls the first voice.

“I’m just saying! He leaves the first one for dead, then he’s already got a second. It’s gross,” says Vampire #2, sounding delighted.

Neither of them are trying particularly hard to keep their voices down. It seems they assume they won’t be confronted.

“Well, I guess that’s how Bathorys are,” says Vampire #1. “You can’t expect any better from them.”

“He’s just like his sire,” agrees Vampire #2. “Ugh! And after all that fucked up shit with Teddy, too! Gross! Gross!”
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No. 903237 ID: 270774
File 153793646266.png - (92.35KB , 800x525 , 154.png )
903237

Ricardo turns back to Pascal, irritated. “Hey. These people are--”

He stops short. Pascal is sniffling into his cocktail napkin.
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No. 903238 ID: c1eaac

now seems like an excellent time to throw some drunken punches
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No. 903239 ID: de3b57

growl at them and uh, hug pascal??? get him another drink????
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No. 903240 ID: 11b5c9

pat pascal on the back... give him a little kissy kiss... and then stand up, project your Biggest Dick Energy, and go Loom over those fools
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No. 903241 ID: 69c5a4

tell pascal hes not gross!! i dont know if Having Words with the newcomers will be beneficial, it might just make them aggressive, and you are very drunk.
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No. 903242 ID: 70df1e

>>903240
absolutely project the biggest dickus energy and just. man go confront them. "Hey im the scrapped ward that CLEARLY hasn't been scrapped. you got anything better to do around here than gossip?"

If worst comes to worst pull your phone out and text kel. shes probably still around and she is nebulously pascal's friend, and NOBODY will fuck with kel. look at her. shes so strong
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No. 903243 ID: e5ae9a

we are very drunk, and already in some kind of trouble, but uhhh that definitely shouldn’t stop us from causing more >:3c make tequila proud by hurling the empty bottle somewhere near the vamps?!!
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No. 903244 ID: aedfd9

KISS HIM AGAIN. Move the napkin gently with your giant hands and cup his face and kiss him all softly. Then leave for a nicer bar with fewer shit talkers.

And take a moment to feel proud of yourself for becoming a passably good and alive vampire all on your own.
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No. 903290 ID: ce950c

If ever there was a time for big dick energy, this is it. Let's menace some vamps.
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No. 903293 ID: b84579

uhhh. comfort pascal but don't look like you're trying to or he'll be pissed. let's not get into a fight with the assholes, since you're drunk and also a baby vampire
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No. 903374 ID: 2791fd

no drunken punches, just get pascal out of there. youve both had enough and need some fresh air

and maybe a reassuring fuck
>>
No. 903377 ID: b1b4f3

Ask your vampire friend if it's possible for you to go get in a fight with those two jerks without dying. If you probably won't die, then why not. Good experience for fighting vampires, right?
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No. 903392 ID: dbf422

Just like, pat his head and walk over to the vamps. You can certainly explain the situation without inciting violence and get them to stop being mean. Honesty is actually a pretty decent ploy right now, considering that you don't exactly disagree. You just need them to be nicer.
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No. 903404 ID: c79e4b

DUEL THEM FOR PASCALS HONOR.

Claim Brazil rules and make some shit up because how likely are these fools to know Brazil's laws anyways?
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No. 903410 ID: 36183c

DONT DUEL EM BUT DO HUG PASCAL AND SAY YOULL FIX THIS

YELL "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SCRAPPED IM RIGHT FUCKING HERE, BITCH"
>>
No. 903411 ID: dbf422

>>903404
I mean, even if dueling wasn't a bad idea, making up rules would still be way worse.
>>
No. 903412 ID: 13d2b9

Smooch Pascal because you like him and he's sad, then yell something about how surviving means you have bigger dick energy than they do.
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No. 903420 ID: 2ff745

Hey, nobody’s allowed to trash Pascal for being an irresponsible sociopath but us! Awkwardly comfort Pascal, then go storm over there and start drunkenly harassing the gossips. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
>>
No. 903468 ID: 22ce46

"Oh no... he's hot when he's sad..."
>>
No. 903473 ID: 914f96

don’t lose your head. they don’t seem malicious, just shit-talkers. that being said, Absolutely sling an arm around pascal and go face them w/ all that intimidating BDE
>>
No. 903492 ID: 1dd514

Trying to look intimidating isn't really going to work until these d-bags can't tell you're a newbie at a glance. Just calm the fuck down guys, don't make a scene if you don't have to.
>>
No. 903493 ID: 270774
File 153802649623.png - (80.73KB , 800x525 , 155.png )
903493

Ricardo’s sudden urge to get Pascal to stop crying is as intense as it is confusing, and so he does his best. “Don’t do that,” he commands.

Pascal sniffles.

“Stop it,” he says, a little louder. He doesn’t know if he’s supposed to pat Pascal on the head or not. Maybe it would be patronizing. Pascal hiccups into the napkin. God damn it.

“I’m going to go take care of this,” Ricardo growls. That finally gets Pascal to look up, his eyes wide.

“What? Hey, Ricardo, don’t —”
>>
No. 903494 ID: 270774
Audio introductions.mp3 - (4.01MB )
903494

perfume! - fusq
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No. 903495 ID: 270774
File 153802653445.png - (93.67KB , 800x525 , 156.png )
903495

There are some things that transcend death, and one of them is the fact that you don’t know how drunk you are until you try to stand up. Ricardo stands up and is immediately made aware of exactly how drunk he is. He takes a moment to recalibrate himself, one arm out aimlessly as he tries to stay steady, and then he’s storming across the bar. He hears the scraping of the barstool behind him as Pascal follows.

“You talk about it as if you were there,” Vampire #1 is saying.

“Well, I heard all about it from people who were there, so that’s almost the same thing - oh, shit.” Vampire #2’s voice jolts upward into a strangled giggle. “Oh my god. Oh my god. What the fuck. He’s coming over here.”

“What?”

“The ward, Pascal’s ward, oh my god, he’s like, he’s literally just like fucking coming over here —“

“This is your fault for being so loud.”

“You were being just as loud as me! This is so fucked up. Oh my god—“
>>
No. 903496 ID: 270774
File 153802655345.png - (68.69KB , 800x525 , 157.png )
903496

The two of them are seated at a table in the corner, and Ricardo looms over them. “Who are you calling scrapped? I’m right here, bitch.”

“Oh my god,” Vampire #2 whispers. “He’s fucking schwasted.”
>>
No. 903497 ID: 270774
File 153802657088.png - (189.31KB , 800x525 , 158.png )
903497

The voice of Vampire #2 belongs to the skinnier one. He’s wearing both halves of a BEST FRIENDS bracelet and he looks kind of excited about all this. His companion seems much more displeased.

Pascal finally catches up to Ricardo, his hands finding the crook of his elbow, and Vampire #2 perks up when he sees him.

“Hiiiiii, Pascaaaaal,” he says. Ricardo is trying to process the fact that he’s just been ignored. “It’s so good to see you! Do you remember me?”

“Euuhhhhhhhhh,” says Pascal.

“Starts with an M,” Vampire #2 prompts patiently.

“Mmmmmmmm,” says Pascal.

“Minmin!” the vampire finally bursts out. “It’s me, Minmin! And Bunji. Oh my god. It’s not like we haven’t talked.”

“Hey, what happened to ‘don’t even look at him, I don’t want it to seem like we know him?’” asks Bunji.
>>
No. 903498 ID: 270774
File 153802658638.png - (152.61KB , 800x525 , 159.png )
903498

“Well, this is more interesting, now.” Minmin leans back, chewing on one of his embellished acrylic nails. “You look so cute, Pascal. Is that top new?”

“Not really,” says Pascal. He looks miserable. “I just haven’t worn it since the 90’s.”

“No, stupid!” With his free hand, Minmin gestures at Ricardo. “I meant him.”

Bunji’s tone is weary and reproachful. “Minoru. For Christ’s sake.”
>>
No. 903500 ID: b1b4f3

>>903498
That's DAMN right.
>>
No. 903501 ID: aedfd9

"I'm not a top!"
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No. 903502 ID: 795678

tell fuckhands mcmike over here you have too good an ass to waste on topping

also clarify that you're ward #1
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No. 903503 ID: 270774

i forgot to draw minoru's damn bracelets. SO just fyi it isn't Relevant that they're mentioned in the text but aren't in the images, i'm just dumb and it's 2am
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No. 903504 ID: 801451

Glare while you try to work out what that means and whether you should throw a punch over it. Tell them "I'm five years old"
>>
No. 903505 ID: a3db3a

ricardo you HAVE to say smth impulsive . you gotta
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No. 903506 ID: e5ae9a

richardo pls say something dumb. we must drunkenly embarrass ourselves somehow
>>
No. 903509 ID: d887c0

>>903498
"How dare you, sir! Pascal is the top-est top that ever topped! Swear to God, I'll lay my dead ass over this fuckin' table right here and now, and he'll rail it like the fuckin' subway! Booyah!"
>>
No. 903510 ID: 8da8a1

"I'm not a shirt?" Then wink. It's the worst drunkest joke you could possibly make right now.
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No. 903513 ID: b1b4f3

Guys I am pretty sure Ricardo knows Pascal is the bottomest of bottoms.
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No. 903514 ID: a307f1

ricardo sweetie yoou're too much of a bottom to come up with a good comeback, just let pascal handle this one
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No. 903518 ID: dbf422

Tell him to fuck off. And that people aren't accessories. And that the ones he actually has suck! And that affected amusement is a shitty replacement for a personality.
>>
No. 903527 ID: 36183c

"no wonder he doesnt remember you id already like to forget"
>>
No. 903528 ID: 36183c

"no wonder he doesnt remember you id already like to forget"
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No. 903532 ID: 150303

pretend you dont understand what he said. play dumb. make him explain
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No. 903554 ID: 11b5c9

suggest that minoru consider getting a new top of his own. a new model that doesn't wear sweatervests like it's an 80s romcom
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No. 903580 ID: 4e0812

“what makes you think i’m his /top/?”
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No. 903635 ID: 2ff745

This is just idle theorizing, but I don’t think Ricardo would have gotten the kind of, uh, negative feedback on his sex skills in the earlier flashbacks if he hadn’t been taking an active role. (And doing it badly, apparently.) But we’re getting distracted from the point, which is that we’re supposed to be defending Pascal’s honor! Sure, he’s selfish and whiny and shallow and irresponsible and he doesn’t ever consider the impact of his actions on others, but he’s ours!
>>
No. 903643 ID: c92877

grab blondie's wrist & yank him forward, growl at him a bit.. maybe break his acrylics or something (that shit hurts worse than youd think)
>>
No. 903691 ID: 70df1e

challenge minmin to a brooklyn style duel lets do this leeeeeroy jenkins
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No. 903776 ID: 02ae9d

>>903691
We cannot! We need to be introduced to that group before we can

Not that drunk Ricardo necessarily remembers
>>
No. 903783 ID: 96f47d

>>903776
minoru and bunji don’t know that we haven’t been introduced yet, though. pascal mentioned that cheating in duels is the norm - being able to lie about which rules you can invoke seems built in, if you can set up a situation where there’s no way to verify it.
>>
No. 903786 ID: 02ae9d

>>903783
It just seems like a bad idea, especially over some extra douchebag.
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No. 903789 ID: 70df1e

>>903776
>>903783
>>903786

i stand by what i said because i am not a coward and because minmin can't be THAT much stronger/older than us (red eyes only, no other red coloration) and also ricardo is ready to throw down for pascals honor.

exude big dick energies and thrown down brooklyn style lets do it
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No. 903796 ID: c1eaac

>>903783

wait a second, this post is making me think - what's stopping us from coming up with our own rules for dueling and bullshitting it away as being from some vampire coven ricardo stayed with when he was living on his own? or just making up the brazil rules, since nobody seems to know them? i bet the cradle wouldn't, at least.
>>
No. 903848 ID: 96f47d

>>903796
i don’t think there IS anything stopping us. i think the only time we would try to worry about that is if we wanted to set the duel terms as something that would normally get us in serious trouble, because it seems like the real purpose of all the parameters of legitimacy is that if a duel ISN’T legitimate, then the outcome isn’t considered “sacred,” and so whatever we won in the duel can be contested/we can get in trouble for it. i’m thinking about pascal’s example where cradle rules had to be tailored so people couldn’t use duel wagers to defy their sires without any consequences.

if we’re getting into a small, private fight with no important wagers, and so we’re not expecting anyone to dig into our claims or try to find reasons why we can’t have our winnings, i think there’s no reason we can’t make up rules. it just becomes a gamble on whether or not the opponent is going to force us to prove what we’re presenting is real/valid.
>>
No. 903863 ID: c6c894

Ricardo's a big dick top and by god he's going to drunkenly lie his ass off to fight this vampire using whatever bullshit rules he can think of on the fly!!!
>>
No. 903976 ID: 2791fd

Hey, the dude has red eyes. Remember the last time we got kicked by somebody with red eyes? Just cool off, Ricardo, please.
>>
No. 903981 ID: b1b4f3

>>903976
Exactly, a serious fight will result in a dead Ricardo.
Of course he could just be rude to them without making them want to kill him.
>>
No. 904084 ID: 2791fd

>>903981
Yeah, that's what I'm sayin. Don't need to lick this guy's boots or anything, just give him the cold shoulder and leave. I mean, just LOOK at him. That'll sting his pride more than a fight he'd definitely win, anyway.
>>
No. 904140 ID: bb78f2

>>903498
Excuse me sir I am a power bottom thank you very much.
>>
No. 904176 ID: 270774
File 153828477862.png - (113.97KB , 800x525 , 160.png )
904176

It takes Ricardo a second to process the joke. His brain is moving a tick or two slower than normal. When it finally registers, he scowls. “Hey! What makes you think I’m his top?”

“Whoa, whoa, what?” Minmin leans forward avidly, still gnawing on his nail. “Are you saying you’re his bottom?

“What? No--”

Pascal grips his arm more tightly, and his eyes are sparkling. “Ricardo? Ricardo? Is this true?”

“No! That’s not what I meant!” He decides quickly that there’s no point in arguing about it. He’s just not doing this. He’s not discussing his sexual preferences with three near-strangers, especially when one of them is wearing heart-shaped sunglasses. While indoors. At night.
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No. 904177 ID: 270774
File 153828479350.png - (120.33KB , 800x525 , 161.png )
904177

“Why don’t you focus on getting a new one of your own, huh?” Ricardo snarls at Minmin. “One that’s not in a damn cardigan.”

Bunji gets up so fast that his chair falls over. “You got a problem with my sweater?” He’s up in Ricardo’s personal space, teeth bared. “Do you? Do you have a fucking problem with my sweater?”

“Hey,” says Minmin, still seated, “I was turned in ‘86! So whatever, I like how he dresses.”

There’s a pause. Bunji turns his head. “Minoru. Are you saying - Minmin, do you think the way I dress is dated?”

“Babe, you’re like, four hundred years old. It’s okay for you to dress bad.”

“You don’t like how I dress?”

“No! No, I literally just said I like it! I just think it’s bad, that’s all.”
>>
No. 904178 ID: 270774
File 153828480813.png - (96.56KB , 800x525 , 162.png )
904178

This is fucking ridiculous. Ricardo’s had it. He grabs Minmin’s arm, dragging him out of his chair with a throaty growl --

And his wrist snaps like kindling. Bunji’s in his face, exhaling hard through his nose, eyes like flares in the dim light. “Don’t you ever fucking touch my husband--”
>>
No. 904179 ID: 270774
File 153828482138.png - (93.01KB , 800x525 , 163.png )
904179

And then Bunji’s head snaps to the side, a spread of thin red scratch marks appearing across his cheekbone.
>>
No. 904180 ID: 270774
File 153828483408.png - (89.47KB , 800x525 , 164.png )
904180

Ricardo looks down, disoriented, to find Pascal with his hand up, his shoulders heaving. “And you do not touch my ward!”
>>
No. 904181 ID: 270774
File 153828485156.png - (136.57KB , 800x525 , 165.png )
904181

“Well, well!” Despite the explosion of violence, Minmin’s still in high spirits. He presses the back of his hand to Bunji’s chest, easing him backwards - when they’re both standing up, Minmin is considerably taller. “Babe, chillax,” he murmurs. Then he turns his attention back to Ricardo and Pascal. “Seems like we’ve all got fuckin’ grievances! What are we gonna do about that, huh?”

Ricardo’s response is immediate and entirely tequila-fueled. “I’ll duel you.”

“M’kay!” chirps Minmin. Pascal and Bunji are both gaping.

Ricardo shakes his wrist out as the bones heal. The shocked silence that had fallen over the bar ebbs quickly as soon as the blows stop landing - he’d never noticed it before, but Ricardo guesses Pascal was right when he said humans will overlook almost anything if it means they don’t have to disrupt their own routines. He watches Bunji grab Minoru’s elbow, drawing him back. “Minoru. Cradle rules, against a Bathory? I won’t let you.”

“You don’t get to ‘let’ me do anything,” Minoru laughs. “It’s not a big deal. It’s for funsies.”

“You haven’t seen a Bathory duel.” His voice is low and urgent. “They’re one-sided, and they last for hours. They’re sadistic. I won’t let you.”

Pascal cocks his head to the side, sighing. There’s a hard set to his face that Ricardo’s seen the ghost of before, when they first met. “Oh, now you are not so smug? Huh.”

“The big guy barely even counts as a Bathory,” Minmin argues. “And he’s the one who challenged me, not Pascal.”

“And I’m not invoking Cradle rules,” Ricardo cuts in.

All three of them look up at him, brows knitted in confusion. Ricardo presses his fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles. “Brooklyn style.”

Pascal’s expression is unreadable. Minmin, on the other hand, lights up. “Brooklyn? He’s got the right to invoke the Brooklyn den rules?” He tosses his head to the side, fingers fanned across his mouth. “Now, I’m not calling you a liar. I’m just saying that’s, like, a huge surprise to me.” His gaze slides to Pascal. “I mean, what would Teddy think if he heard his den’s name in your mouth after all these years --”

“Nenorocit!” Pascal surges forward, but this time Bunji catches him before he can hit Minmin, snarling. His eyes are wild, and he struggles fiercely against the other vampire’s grasp. “I challenge you! You will mock me with his name? I challenge you also! Cradle rules! You’ll fight me!”
>>
No. 904182 ID: 270774
File 153828486986.png - (100.01KB , 800x525 , 166.png )
904182

“You guys are, like, sloshed,” Minmin observes, delightedly. Bunji shoves Pascal away, and he stumbles back against Ricardo’s chest. “Okay, listen. This is like, super fun, and feels like it could be the highlight of my evening, but my husband is gonna freak if I accept Cradle rules. And again, I’m not calling you a liar, but I bet if I texted Jim or one of the other Brooklyn boys I’d hear some real interesting shit.”

Pascal is making a throaty, rasping noise in the back of his throat.

“So here’s my counter invocation, okay?” He glances back at Bunji, his expression indicating that this compromise is aimed at him, too. “I invoke Roppongi rules.”

“For Christ’s sake, Minmin,” Bunji says, for the second time that evening.

“Roppongi doubles! If you both wanna fight, it’s only fair that we both fight too, right?” Minmin makes a smooth, round gesture, his pointer fingers touching and then meeting each other again at the opposite end of a circle. “Here, I’ll go over ‘em, since your ward probably doesn’t know what Roppongi doubles are.”


“The rules are really simple. We draw a circle on the ground outside, and both pairs step inside. You start the match holding hands. Throughout the entire duel, you have to be touching your partner with at least one point of contact, and you have to stay inside the circle. You win by forcing the opposing team to either let go of each other, or by forcing one of them to touch the ground outside the circle.”

“No weapons, but affinities are okay. It’s also okay to cross the line in the air, as long as you get pulled back in before you touch the ground. And, of course, the match ends when one of the win conditions is met.” Minmin winks. “I know there’s the universal law of forfeiture, but just between you and me, it’s considered a little gauche to kill somebody over a set of Roppongi doubles.”

“A little gauche,” Bunji repeats incredulously, under his breath.

“So! What do you say?” Minmin claps his hands beneath his chin, grinning. “You guys clearly have some steam to blow off. But, uhhh, I don’t really wanna die over it, you know? A deathmatch feels like overkill. Let’s just have some fun!”
>>
No. 904183 ID: 7e93c6

yr def too drunk and adrenaline-induced to properly think about how sparkly pascal got at the implications of u letting him top but store considering him like that away for later!!! also OFC WE GOTTA DO THIS hold his hand. kick their asses
>>
No. 904184 ID: 96f47d

this sounds like it puts them at an immense advantage, because this basically sounds like a sport with a steep learning curve, and they’re already very familiar with it, while we aren’t.

...agree as long as they get as drunk as we are first.
>>
No. 904185 ID: 70df1e

accept! just tuck pascal up under one of your arms and fucking go for it. alternately pascal seems fucking wild for this one so i mean just hold on tight and let him do his thing. he wanted cradle rules so hes probably gonna go ham even if murder isnt allowed.

maybe up the ante? can we bet on these duels? if we win then minmin has to apologize to pascal and keep his name outta his mouth for the foreseeable future (which is. Long). if we lose then uhhh fuck minmin i guess he picked the duel style thats all he gets. the joy of beating us up if we lose probably
>>
No. 904186 ID: 3268b9

how long can ricardo stay in mist form? just shift to mist, disperse across the entire circle. pascal can move freely since he's much more powerful, and that flexibility will let him break their contact fast. what are ricardo's abilities in mist form besides... being mist?
>>
No. 904187 ID: 70df1e

>>904184
OH MAN YES. EVERYBODY GOTTA GET SMASHED
>>
No. 904188 ID: 61d70c

definitely they need to throw back some drinks too. to make it fair
>>
No. 904190 ID: c93f0f

Inexplicable boner status post Pascal drawing blood?

Also fuck yeah fight fight fight! Get more drunker first, though. Even better, drinking game-ify it. Make it multi-round, loser of each round has to down a drink, winner is the last one standing.

Also, clarify whether it counts as still touching if an arm comes off or something.
>>
No. 904191 ID: aedfd9

THIS SOUNDS FUN!!! But add in the rule about saying uncle, bc that was cute. (I'm glad other vamps think Bathory rules are as fucked up as we do.)
>>
No. 904193 ID: 70df1e

>>904191
i also have to add that i agree with this because it is a cute rule
>>
No. 904194 ID: ee2d6e

I mean, Ricardo's wrist got fucking snapped in an instant. What are you really hoping to accomplish with this?
>>
No. 904195 ID: 01866f

You've already agreed before he finished talking.
>>
No. 904196 ID: b1b4f3

>>904182
Shouldn't we do this somewhere a bit more private, if affinities are allowed?

Due to the rules, smoke will be useless and so will bat. I guess Ricardo's going half-lion. Not sure what Pascal can do with his affinity.
>>
No. 904197 ID: 11b5c9

ask if gramps is good to go on something like that or if it's gonna throw his back out. will his knees be okay? he want to take that sweater off first before you embarrass him even more? otherwise, the rules sound cute and good.
>>
No. 904206 ID: c122c0

>>904195
>>
No. 904207 ID: fefdfb

oh my god yes
but they gotta drink too
.....does mist count as a point of contact?
>>
No. 904209 ID: 4e0812

holding hands won’t help you guys out in this fight, put pascal on your back instead!
>>
No. 904212 ID: ddc815

>>904209
WEAR PASCAL IN ONE OF THOSE BABY HARNESSES
>>
No. 904238 ID: 2ff745

>>902609
>“If I care about something enough to duel about it - in a sincere way, not just playing - then I want to kill. If someone offends me enough for me to request a duel, then certainly I want to hurt them.”
First things first, get Pascal to calm down. Based on what we just saw, it’s very easy for spats between vampires to get way out of hand, and the last thing we want is for him to lose his head and ruin what could otherwise be a fun duel tutorial.

The problem with the mist strategy is if we ask them if it’s within the rules, then we’ve just told them our strategy and we lose the element of surprise. But if we don’t ask, and it turns out being incorporeal definitely breaks the rules, then we’ve disqualified ourselves the second we try it.
>>
No. 904242 ID: 456806

>>904238
the point of a duel is that all the rules are established at the outset. they specifically said affinities are allowed, they said "point of contact" not hand or anything, and there's a rule about being outside the circle as long as you're not touching the ground. these vampires are hella strong and we are a baby, cheating is necessary and will fly as long as we can argue our point. besides, they seem like they'd appreciate a clever loophole like that.
>>
No. 904249 ID: d887c0

>>904182
The only true path to victory is to use Pascal as a bludgeoning weapon and batter these poorly dressed losers into submission.

EQUIP: PASCAL
SPECIAL MOVE: PASCAL PUMMEL
>>
No. 904253 ID: 2791fd

>>904184
HARD SECONDED. THEY HAVE TO GET FUCKING HAMMERED FIRST
>>
No. 904395 ID: c1eaac

>>904184

YES DO THIS IT'S ONLY FAIR
>>
No. 904409 ID: 270774
File 153845341429.png - (113.31KB , 800x525 , 167.png )
904409

>Inexplicable boner status post Pascal drawing blood?
Ricardo’s undead boner status is currently: Really Bad. For all of Pascal’s insistence that his short temper is unflattering, it’s a side of him that Ricardo finds he doesn’t mind (to his horror). He wasn’t expecting Pascal to go to bat for him like that - nor was he expecting Pascal to be equally excited about the concept of, uh, pitching.
>>
No. 904410 ID: 270774
File 153845342797.png - (96.33KB , 800x525 , 168.png )
904410

He’s too drunk to think about that. Now’s not the time. He’s not going to think about that. He’s not going to think about iiiaaaaaAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGHHH
>>
No. 904411 ID: 270774
File 153845344207.png - (111.96KB , 800x525 , 169.png )
904411

Ricardo drags himself back to the present. He’d zoned out through half of Minoru’s explanation because he’d already agreed before the other vampire had finished speaking. It all sounds straightforward enough, anyway. He nods, a glance down at Pascal to confirm - Pascal is still trembling with contained anger, but he seems amenable.

“I wanna add a Brooklyn clause,” Ricardo says. “That you can cry uncle, if you want the match to stop.”

“What,” scoffs Bunji. “Are you that scared? Think you’re going to need an easy out?”

“I’m thinking of you, gramps,” Ricardo sneers back. “Just in case your back gives out halfway through the match.”

“You really are young, if you’re still equating age with weakness.” Even now that he’s sat back down, Bunji’s hand is still a tense claw against the table. “You’ve got a lot to learn. I’ll be happy to give you a little instruction.”

“Well,” says Minmin brightly, cutting into the rising tension, “I don’t mind it! I think that rule’s cute. Anything else?”

“You drink,” Pascal says suddenly. He’s swaying a little on the spot, but his voice and expression are firm. “You drink until you are as drunk as we are. Otherwise it is not fair.”

Ricardo has to admit that that’s something he wouldn’t have thought to demand, but it’s certainly vital. Bunji’s wrinkling his nose, but Minmin immediately bursts into an excited patter of applause. “Yes! Yes! I love that! Okay, yes, I love that. What a good idea, Pascal!”

Minmin gets up from his chair, sweeping over to lean down by Bunji and press a kiss to his temple. “Babe, gimme some cash. I’ll go get us some drinks.”

He complies, reaching into his wallet to pass Minmin a few bills, his sour glare never leaving Ricardo. He gets another kiss for his trouble, and then Ricardo, Pascal, and Bunji are a silent triangle of ill will.
>>
No. 904412 ID: 270774
File 153845345645.png - (120.74KB , 800x525 , 170.png )
904412

Ricardo removes himself from the awkward situation by thinking about strategy. The loophole that comes to him first is his smoke form.

Becoming mist is the most recent thing he’s learned, and it’s strenuous and challenging - if he transforms his entire body, he can only hold the form for about five consecutive seconds at a time. However, from personal experience, he knows that five seconds can be an eternity in a fight. Five seconds can change everything.

If he disperses himself rather than holding the smoke in an approximation of his actual form, the time is less - if he only transforms part of his body, it’s more. He needs time to recover between transformations, maybe thirty seconds at a time at a conservative estimate, if he’s pushing himself - even more of an eternity, in the fast-forward chaos of a physical fight. Most fights he’s ever been in last less than a minute. He has no idea whether that’s the case in undead duels. And it’s likely that each transformation after that will be more limited.

Still, it would be viable to turn himself into mist and envelop Pascal entirely to follow his movement - he’s faster and more agile in his incorporeal form than normal - even if not for the full duration of the match. He knows for a fact that Pascal is physically stronger than him at this point, even if his abilities apparently aren’t impressive in the grand scheme of things - affording him this kind of flexibility could mean the difference between victory and defeat. The issue is whether or not the transformation would count as maintaining contact or not.

Then again, Pascal said himself - wordy rules just give room to cheat. Maybe this is by design.
>>
No. 904414 ID: 270774
File 153845348572.png - (72.47KB , 800x525 , 171.png )
904414

He’s snapped out of his train of thought when Minmin flounces back over to the table, and Ricardo feels a vague thread of relief when he sees that he opted for tequila as well. At least that playing field will be even.

“So!” Minmin is pouring two shots, and he clinks his shotglass against Bunji’s before downing it and immediately pouring another. “Let’s talk terms.”

“You apologize,” Pascal says immediately. He’s still tense at Ricardo’s side, hands in fists at his sides. “You apologize to me. And to my ward, for harming him.”

“Well, duh,” says Minmin. “And if you lose you apologize for slapping Bunji, whatever whatever. That’s a given.” Bunji pours the next round - the two of them never skip out on clinking their glasses first, even though Minmin never pauses the conversation. “But don’t you think we might as well make it more interesting than that? Just straight honor matches are like, y’know, whatevs.

He coughs a little over his next shot, free hand flailing expressively, and Bunji rubs his back distractedly. When he recovers, his eyes are watering a little, but he’s still grinning. “Let’s talk real wagers.”

Pascal raises an eyebrow. “You have something in mind?”

“Oh, do I.” Minmin leans back in his chair, gesturing with his empty glass - momentarily empty, at least, until Bunji reaches over his arm to refill it again. “You know why I hadn’t picked up on the goss that your ward had found you?”

“I only found him a few hours ago,” Ricardo cuts in.

“So what.” Bunji’s face never changes when he takes his shots, in contrast to his husband’s constant nose-wrinkling and throat-clearing. “Minoru knows everything the second it happens.”

“Under normal circumstances,” Minmin clarifies. His eyes are already looking a little less focused. “But in this case, it slipped past me. Y’know why?” His grin goes sly. “Because so many people are looking for you right now, Pascal, that one more vampire kicking up a fuss asking for information didn’t seem out of the ordinary.”

He raises his arm again, almost a toast. “And, Pascal, you know I love a good scoop. I am sooo curious about what’s gonna happen there.” His teeth glint. “You’re probably planning on bailing soon, right? So my wager is this. If you two lose, you have to stay in town for three more days.”

Bunji’s smirking into his glass. Pascal scoffs. “Ha. What happened to ‘we do not kill each other over Roppongi doubles,’ then?”

“I wouldn’t be killing you,” Minmin protests. “Technically.” His eyes lid slightly. “But you did hit my husband. I don’t think it’s unfair for me to get a little rough with you in return, right?”

Another shot, another face. Bunji’s matching him, each of their movements coordinated. “But, well. You know. It’s not like you have to accept.” He shrugs, the movement loose and fluid. “If you’re too chicken for that one, maybe we can think of something else that will keep everyone satisfied, huh?”
>>
No. 904417 ID: c1eaac

two more days, not three. and if we win, minmin and bunji have to come with us and watch our back on the way to whatever town we're going to next.
>>
No. 904418 ID: aedfd9

If we win, they agree to spread misinformation about us and help cover our tracks. (Unless, y'know, they're scared of the little old Cradle.)
>>
No. 904425 ID: 70df1e

>>904417
THIS. hello new body guards.

also ok guys i love a good fashioned honor duel but i like having hot and competent body guards more so lets use our smoke form if it comes down to it to throw hands. also iirc pascal's hypnosis can only be used on humans so we're gonna have to rely on pascal being strong af and staying out of his way. hopefully both pascal and ricardo being well fed will help?

if its any motivation, tell pascal he can top if you guys win.
>>
No. 904426 ID: 2e1728

>>904417
Yessssss yes yes yes to this in return. We're gonna win the fuck out of this and be SUCH good friends. Or eat shit and die but like, that's the risks of the game.

As for tactics, can you do bear? Because Pascal riding you, while you're a bear might be enough to make minmin lose his shit, as a start point.

Also also, before you go outside get Pascal to make the bar play either immigrant song or in-a-gadda-da-vida turned up REALLY loud. Give yourselves some atmosphere.
>>
No. 904430 ID: 007894

>>904417
this
>>
No. 904448 ID: 7f78c0

>>904418
I think this is more likely. Add on the change to staying for two days.
>>
No. 904467 ID: b51586

>Babe, gimme some cash.
minmin doesn’t have hypnosis, which means instead he has a power that’s actually useful in combat. not that we have time right now, but in the future i wonder if we can find out if there’s a way to tell what someone’s affinity is by looking at them.

anyway, i think we’re underestimating how dangerous staying in town will be. minmin is trying to get us killed. that means the bodyguard option isn’t a disproportionate response, but i still think we should try to bargain it down to something less extreme. what about something like, if we lose, we keep them updated on everything dramatic that happens to us - so minmin has front row seats to all our gossip - but if we win, uh. do vampires have stuff as mundane as cars? could we win a car off them or something?
>>
No. 904473 ID: fefdfb

>>904467
Nah I figure front row gossip vs spreading misinformation is good enough
Also yall kel stuck her neck out to tell the cradle lackeys you're going to new York, are you really gonna do her like that by agreeing to stay here longer?
>>
No. 904477 ID: 2ff745

We promised Kel we would leave tomorrow. We’re not taking any wager about staying longer. Respecting what she’s done for us is more important than looking tough to a pair of vampires who are frankly kind of assholes.

I say increase our half of the wager to Minmin and Bunji not only spreading misinformation, but also telling us everything they know about our current pursuers before we go. As for what we can suggest instead of staying longer, I’m kind of at a loss, honestly. Feeding them a pipeline of gossip is also a risk, if Minmin can’t stay discreet about it (which seems likely). Maybe we could just offer huge sums of money, since apparently they need it, and Pascal can just hypnotize humans into unloading their wallets.
>>
No. 904523 ID: 2791fd

>>904477

Unfortunately, Min might only be satisfied by gossip. It's a loss, but not as much of a surefire death sentence as staying in town will be.

because let's be honest. if the cradle doesn't catch us, kell will slaughter us for wasting her goodwill, and putting her neck on the line for us.

go with the hot gossip. does anybody even take min seriously as an informant, anyway? i mean just look at him, and he's practically a baby, too.

tl;dr offer gossip instead of staying in town for our loss. it's your only option. misinformation for our win sounds great, but honestly we're probably going to get stomped. let's be realistic. we have to run damage control.
>>
No. 904608 ID: 7c1ffe

Gossip vs Misinfo is real good, if they're amenable to it!

They changed the rules, we change the stakes. Seems even to me!
>>
No. 904663 ID: fefdfb

>>904629
Sorry for the double post, but we can't think of anything equivalent to staying that we can ask, can we? I mean, would you really trust someone who lowkey wanted to kill you to watch your back as a bodyguard and not bail? Or tip people off? Not even cradle lackeys, just. ..everyone else. And then if someone else tipped off the cradle lackeys, whoopsie! :) You know?
>>
No. 904684 ID: 270774
File 153858092059.png - (123.39KB , 800x525 , 172.png )
904684

Pascal mulls it over. “Maybe two days,” he says, and Ricardo grips his elbow.

“Hey. No.” He still lowers his voice a little, instinctively, even though he knows it won’t help in this situation. “We told Kel we’d leave tomorrow. She stuck her neck out for us.”

Minmin’s watching them sunnily, with his chin perched on his palm. Pascal shakes Ricardo off, but sighs. “Okay. Yes, you are right. No staying.”

“Well, then,” Minmin says, “you’d better come up with something good!”

Ricardo turns back to him, crossing his arms over his chest. “How about front row seats?”

“Elaborate,” growls Bunji.

“We tell you anything interesting that occurs, as it happens. Throughout this entire bullshit, which you seem to think is really fun, we’ll keep you updated. When shit goes sideways, you’ll be the first to know. Hell, I’ll send photos.” Minmin’s face is already lighting up before he’s even finished - they have him. “Good enough for you?”

“Depends,” says Minmin, barely restraining his delight. “It depends. Depends on what you two would want instead, if you won.” He seems nearly incapable of keeping a straight face for the last words, but he manages.

“I want you to help us,” Ricardo replies immediately. Pascal is simply watching him, thoughtful and unreadable again, and offers no input - letting him take the floor. “Before we go, I want all the information you have on the people who are after us. And after we go, I want you to spread misinformation to cover our tracks.”

Minmin’s nail goes back to his mouth. He is, at this point, drunk. “Ha. That’s pretty steep, you know. It’s a lot of risk on my part. I have a reputation to uphold.”

This time, Pascal does speak up. “So is our offer. If you know something, so does anyone with enough money.”

“Hang on.” Ricardo looks down at Pascal, incredulous. “You’re not telling me anyone actually takes this guy seriously as an informant. I mean - look at him.”

“Bag your fucking face,” says Minmin.

Pascal meets Ricardo’s inquisitive gaze, blinking. “Oh, yes. If you are in the eastern half of America, and you need to know something, or you want to know about someone - you go to Minoru.”

Minmin preens. Pascal glances at him, his voice darkening slightly. “And if there is something you do not want anyone to know, you must make sure Minoru never learns it. Because he will sell it to anyone, no matter what will happen to you.”

“Oh, come on!” Minmin flaps his hand, laughing. “That’s not true! I’ll keep your secrets if I like you.” His smile widens. “You two aren’t quite there yet, ahaha.”

“Far from it,” Bunji cuts in. He stretches, then stands up. “But the wager sounds fine to me. Don’t worry about your reputation, Minoru. It’s not like we’ll lose.”

“Ahaha! You’re so right, babe!” Minoru joins him, hanging off his arm. “Okay. Tequila, done. Me, sloshed. Duel, on. Let’s go outsiiiiide!”
>>
No. 904685 ID: 270774
File 153858093751.png - (104.16KB , 800x525 , 173.png )
904685

They end up a few blocks away, in a vacant lot between two condemned apartment buildings - it’s the part of town where excess and misfortune alternate on every street corner, and despite how short the walk was, there’s no one around. Minmin scoots around the lot in a broad circle, kicking a line in the dirt until he’s delineated a wide ring, and then shucks off his jacket, leaving it carelessly on the ground. On their side of the circle, Bunji is removing and folding his sweater.

“Okay, okay, okay! Here we go! Man, I would’ve invited people to come watch us stomp you, but that would’ve fucked up your half of the wager, y’know?” Minmin returns to the side of the circle and grabs Bunji’s hand, jumping up and down. “Duel of the night: mega-loser Pascal and his ward What’s-His-Face, versus 20-year undefeated Roppongi doubles champs, Minmin and his studly hubby, Bunji! On the line: truth and lies! Yaaaaay!”

“Who are you announcing to?” Bunji asks. He’s smiling, though, just at the corners of his mouth.
>>
No. 904686 ID: 270774
File 153858094929.png - (73.66KB , 800x525 , 174.png )
904686

Pascal takes Ricardo’s hand. He’s been quiet since they left the bar.
>>
No. 904687 ID: 270774
File 153858096071.png - (174.83KB , 800x525 , 175.png )
904687

The duel’s begun!
>>
No. 904692 ID: b51586

even though pascal said he doesn’t have much experience, he at least has more than us. follow his lead and be prepared to act as support. we can’t formulate a more specific plan until we see what the other two will be up to!
>>
No. 904695 ID: fefdfb

>>904686
REASSURING HAND SQUEEZE
U GOT THIS

to maximise mist-time, dont envelop pascal in your mist body form until youre close/about to make contact w minmin
Pascal is our speedy twink, and I bet he could separate min and bunji quickly enough
Here are the rules again btw >>904182
>>
No. 904698 ID: bd241b

the obvious answer is to do this Master Blaster style. pascal gets up on ricardo's shoulders. scratch out eyes from above, get punched in the ribs from below. foolproof.
>>
No. 904699 ID: a62780

>>904687
So, they want to separate you and Pascal and know you're young, almost-definitely comparatively weak and untrained. Face it Ricardo, they're gonna go for you as the weak link.
Which is actually perfect because your smoke form is something they don't know about.

The important part is timing, from what we've seen of them (and their claims of being champions at this are true), I think they might show off and play around with you for a while (even if that's only a couple of passes where they fuck with you, maybe by displaying their talents), you've been in proper fights before and hopefully have a good idea for when someone goes for the kill, that's when you need to pull your smoke trick to throw them for a loop and hope Pascal can take advantage of it, unfortunately he doesn't know about this move either but he does know your talent is for shifting and might anticipate something of that nature.

Obviously, this puts a lot of faith in Pascal to actually do the winning bit, but you guys are in this and the rest of it together now's as safe a time as any to do the blind faith bit.
>>
No. 904708 ID: f2ef2b

pascal is pissed, we can rely on him to fight dirty - play support, and cling for all you've got til it's mist time
>>
No. 904712 ID: 425d56

Let them push you to the edge, then when they try and pounce on you as the weak link, use your smoke form and let them pass through outside the circle.
>>
No. 904714 ID: 70df1e

i agree, put your faith in pascal as your sire and as an old as hell vampire. pascal grew up with cradle rules which these guys are obviously nervous about (and for good reason) so I'd say hes deffo got a few tricks up his sleeve there. Just follow his lead and get ready to shift as necessary.

Remember NOT to flinch. Holding onto Pascal for dear life is what's important here. Your ribs got smashed earlier and healed in like half a second, human limitations are something we don't have to worry about too much.

anyways good luck playing the highest stakes game of red rover this side of the atlantic ocean
>>
No. 904722 ID: 9636d9

Squeeze his hand. You'll follow his lead and you won't make him worry about letting go, you've got that part covered. Now, you
two just need to bait them into falling out of the ring or overextending their grip with each other.
>>
No. 904773 ID: aedfd9

Squeeze Pascal's hand, duck behind him, something - something to let him know you trust him and are following his lead, at least for now. He's got more experience, and he knows the style of these two better than you. Be prepared to dodge, take a punch, cling to Pascal, and keep the most thing up your sleeve for the opportune moment
>>
No. 904849 ID: 270774
File 153863434715.png - (138.14KB , 800x525 , 176.png )
904849

Ricardo gives Pascal’s hand one firm squeeze. Pascal glances at him, briefly, and Ricardo thinks that in that split second his expression softens.

Then it starts.

Minoru and Bunji streak forward, and Ricardo is yanked forward so hard he feels like his arm is going to be ripped off - Pascal is meeting their pace. He grits his teeth and tries to keep up. The circle is huge, much wider than he was imagining when Minmin was describing the rules - he now understands that this is because a vampire can cross the lot in three strides.

Pascal gets frustrated a half second in. His eyes flick over his shoulder. “Faster!” he hisses - and then Bunji is upon them. Pascal gasps and falls back, shoving against Ricardo as he does, and when Bunji’s leg swings down to hit the ground where Pascal was a moment before, the shattered slabs of patchy asphalt buckle and tilt themselves up in a shockwave like breaking ice floes. There’s a spray of displaced rock and dirt, like an explosion. When the dust clears, Bunji slowly drags his heel along the ground as he straightens up, leaving a deep trough in the ground.

Pascal laughs, high and breathless. “Well. If I am hit by that, then that is the end of Pascal.”
>>
No. 904850 ID: 270774
Audio mbduel1.mp3 - (2.88MB )
904850

dance! - macross 82-99
>>
No. 904851 ID: 270774
File 153863437829.png - (92.21KB , 800x525 , 177.png )
904851

“You know what’s fucked up about Roppongi Doubles?” Minmin’s emerging from the cloud of dust - Bunji raises their arms and twirls him, slowly, once. “There’s actually nothing in the rules that says death disqualifies you.”

Pascal laughs again, short and harsh. Minmin smiles back.

“Been plenty of times that Bunji’s smashed some poor idiot’s head and heart, and then their partner has to keep dragging them around like dead weight if they wanna still try to avoid losing the wager, ahaha!” He flexes his free hand, the rhinestones on his nails catching the orange light of the streetlamps. “It’s a huge morale-killer, though. Most people just forfeit.”

“It’s a shame,” Bunji hums. “What happened to not wanting this to be a deathmatch, though, love?”

“Well, tequila.” Minmin shrugs loosely. “But I’m not saying we’re gonna do that! I’m just making conversation.”
>>
No. 904852 ID: 270774
File 153863439640.png - (120.65KB , 800x525 , 178.png )
904852

“Oh, enough,” Pascal breathes. He lunges forward again, and Ricardo keeps up a little better this time. This time it’s Minmin who meets him, his forearm blocking the quick swinging sting of Pascal’s leg, and Ricardo has a fraction of a second to wonder if Pascal anticipated that - that even though clearly Bunji is the one with the combat power, that Minoru would get some hand-to-hand in as well, just for the fucking fun of it.

He can barely follow the blows exchanged between the two of them. Pascal’s pushing Minoru backwards, his free arm used only for counterbalance, all his power in his legs. His long legs, which are in extremely tight leather pants -

Wait. Fuck. Okay. Focus.

Minoru’s giggling as he palms aside Pascal’s attacks, with Bunji using his firm grip on his forearm to guide him or pull him out of the way when it seems he won’t make a dodge or a deflection in time.

“I thought you said you didn’t have any duel experience,” Ricardo manages to pant, after a particularly vicious kick goes wide and Minoru and Bunji take the opportunity to leap out of reach.

Pascal straightens up. He’s started breathing. “Because I do not. I’ve only ever tried it to play, for fun.”

“This is play, for a Bathory, huh?” Bunji calls across the circle.

Minoru’s bouncing in place, like a runner waiting at a crosswalk. “I wonder if that means all the rumors are true!”
>>
No. 904853 ID: 270774
File 153863441568.png - (206.00KB , 800x525 , 179.png )
904853

This time they’re the ones who aggress, streaking across the ring with Minoru in front again - he’s just as fast as Pascal is, and like Ricardo, it seems the only way Bunji can keep up is not by running with him, but by kicking off the ground and letting Minoru’s momentum pull him along in long bounds. At first it seems he’s going for Pascal again, one arm drawn back with his hand tensed in a claw --

And then he feints to the side, going for their linked arms instead. Ricardo was waiting for this.

He explodes into smoke, and everything seems to slow down.

Minoru’s face falls open into bewilderment as he freefalls forward, his hand scraping at nothing - and then time speeds up again when Pascal realizes what’s happened and reacts.

Unhindered by Ricardo’s former grip on his arm, his leg moves twice as fast as his former attempts, his hips twisting with momentum, and his shin connects solidly with Minoru’s jaw.
>>
No. 904854 ID: 270774
File 153863442818.png - (116.76KB , 800x525 , 180.png )
904854

He takes the impact with enough force to drag Bunji with him, bouncing off the ground once before Bunji digs his heels in, gets his free hand on his waist, and pulls him back to a halt. They’ve ended up with their feet only a few inches from the end of the ring, and they’re both panting.
>>
No. 904855 ID: 270774
File 153863444297.png - (241.10KB , 800x525 , 181.png )
904855

Pascal turns to Ricardo, starry-eyed. “Ricardo! You are so cool!”

It’s taking him a second to process that it worked. And then Ricardo feels two things, in this order:
Pride, and exhilaration.
>>
No. 904856 ID: 270774
File 153863445455.png - (226.61KB , 800x525 , 182.png )
904856

You’ve got five seconds.
>>
No. 904857 ID: 270774

Although you aren’t in control of Pascal at this point in the narrative, for the sake of facilitating this duel and giving you the opportunity to make suggestions that aren’t stuff like “well I guess we just have to see what Pascal does!”, I’m going to allow suggestions not only strictly for Ricardo, but also for courses of action you think Pascal should take. If they are things he knows how to do, is capable of doing, and would think of on his own, I’ll consider incorporating them. There’s still a necessity for guesswork and an attempt to figure out his thought process and fighting style, but it won’t be a total blind crapshoot.
>>
No. 904865 ID: 70df1e

this IS play for a bathory, and we've got five seconds to show them how a bathory gets serious. pascal should go for it and press the attack, and ricardo can follow along. we've got five seconds to get them out of the circle, and seeing as pascal just sent BOTH of them flying, lets see if we can do it again. bunji cares a lot more about minoru than winning, imo, so i bet we could feint and get a hit in if we aim for bunji while pretending to go after minoru. if we send bunji flying theres no way minoru can recover alone (i hope)
>>
No. 904866 ID: 9df66a

you did great! i imagine pascal will go in for the kill and kick them out of the ring now that you guys have the upper hand, but they might expect that so hmmm
>>
No. 904867 ID: 2791fd

>>904865
Seconded; aim for Bunji. he's Minoru's anchor in more ways than one; the little jerk will blow away like a leaf in the wind if Bunji's off-balance.
>>
No. 904868 ID: 46ea6d

use newfound mobility to our advantage, pascal should attack bunji to knock him off balance - since he has both hands free, grabbing his ankle and forcing it upwards should get him
>>
No. 904870 ID: 9636d9

>>904868
Yeah seems smart. Indirect is better even when you have the advantage, especially if you are letting it get to your head. Instead of just going straight for the finish, unbalance them.
>>
No. 904872 ID: fefdfb

>>904870
Yessssss
Bathorys (Bathories?) know how to play dirty!
>>
No. 904873 ID: a62780

>>904856
Gotta agree with Pascal on this one, you're so damn cool. Now show them the power of Pascal and his stando!

Pascal's fond of his kicks, and now that he doesn't need to deal with Ricardo slowing him down for a whole 5 seconds, he'll probably press the advantage before Minoru can fully recover, punishing that reflexive defensive instinct of Bunji's: use that opportunity to try and injure one of Bunji's legs, maybe kick out a knee or ankle.
He already couldn't quite keep up with his partner, best policy is to turn him into deadweight proper while Pascal is unimpeded.
>>
No. 904880 ID: aedfd9

Pascal should kick them out of the ring for sure (especially as they're lying prone!), but aim to kick one of their heads off if possible. That'll ensure the other is laid up trying to help with R&R, so we'll have a little extra breathing room when we leave in case our wager wasn't tight enough
>>
No. 904887 ID: d2e9ee

i’m hesitant about going after bunji. just because pascal sent minmin flying and bunji went along (to maintain contact and keep him in the circle) doesn’t mean pascal would actually be able to injure bunji. i’m thinking that even though we just pulled off something cool, the only way to actually win might be to force bunji to cry uncle by making him think minmin is in real danger.
>>
No. 904906 ID: 2ff745

>>904887
I mean . . . we can win that way, but I don’t really want to. Playing dirty is one thing, and so is playing rough, but I think we should try to be better than that.
>>
No. 904918 ID: 010026

Yes, this is play in comparison to Bathory duels. Get them out of the ring, but don't kill either of them. Knock a head off or rip a heart out of you have to, but you need to make sure it's an injury they can regenerate back from while being protected by the less injured husband. We need them alive for them to uphold their end of the bet.
>>
No. 904977 ID: 51ed0f

I agree with trying to get Bunji off-balance but we gotta be careful about it. He's expecting an assault, and as has the better combat power and instinct considering the way he guides Minoru.

We can take advantage of his defensiveness towards Minmin currently by feinting towards him and then going for Bunji instead. Also with Pascal's reliance on kicking earlier on, if Pascal is willing, he probably has a lot more freedom to pull out a different move to catch his opponents unaware since they expect more of his kicks.
>>
No. 905263 ID: 270774

https://open.spotify.com/track/74gjOUXp7t5qA9gXKkbjOt?si=a775y9JJRPiRkb0HsKTCRA
>>
No. 905264 ID: 270774
File 153880212256.png - (182.04KB , 800x525 , 183.png )
905264

“Yes.” Pascal flexes his fingers, each joint cracking. “To me, compared to what I have seen, this is play.”

Minoru’s staggering back to his feet, Bunji’s hand steady on his waist. By the time he’s upright, Pascal has streaked across the ring, with Ricardo wrapped around him like the tail of a comet. He pulls one arm back, seemingly aiming for Minmin --
>>
No. 905265 ID: 270774
File 153880213486.png - (111.17KB , 800x525 , 184.png )
905265

And then swerves at the last second, legs splaying as he falls into a slide to go for Bunji’s legs instead. Instead of connecting, though, his arm shoots past the spot where Bunji’s ankle had been a millisecond before - because Bunji’s already swung his leg out of the way, his free hand in his pocket. He cocks his head. “You think you’re the first person to figure out that he’s my weakness?”

Pascal rolls. The ground where he was a moment before is demolished by Bunji’s downswing. If he’d needed to hang on to Ricardo, rather than being shrouded in him and free to move, there’s no doubt that that attack would have crushed his skull.

The setup is paying off. Ricardo and Pascal started drinking earlier, which means they also stopped earlier - Ricardo still feels hazy and disoriented, in general, but he knows he’s slowly sobering up. Bunji, on the other hand, is clearly still in the thick of it - there’s power behind his movements, and his reaction time is still formidable, but there’s a delay and an uncertainty in some of his attacks that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. It hits Ricardo, with a chill, that if the other two hadn’t been compelled to drink, the match would have been an absolute massacre.
>>
No. 905266 ID: 270774
File 153880216025.png - (121.31KB , 800x525 , 185.png )
905266

Pascal’s not giving up. He plans to use every millisecond of free movement that Ricardo has bought him. While Bunji is still rebalancing after his prior miss, Pascal braces his hands against the asphalt and swings his leg out. This time he catches Bunji’s ankle with his own, and it buckles sideways. When Bunji hisses, staggering, Pascal’s leg cocks back again, a movement so fast it’s nearly impossible to track, and kicks again, in the exact same spot. That drives Bunji to one knee, his leg crumpling underneath him as the joint gives out entirely.

“Pascal,” Ricardo growls, urgently. He can feel his cells trembling with effort, every fragment of his body straining to return to its natural form. The five second mark is coming.

Pascal’s eyes flick up. Minoru has recovered, and he’s lunging. Pascal springs away, light and agile, and is saved by Minoru’s tether to Bunji - while he’s stuck there, as Bunji attempts to stand again, Ricardo and Pascal retreat to the middle of the ring.
>>
No. 905267 ID: 270774
File 153880217710.png - (96.05KB , 800x525 , 186.png )
905267

Ricardo’s body collapses back into flesh, and he lets out a groan of combined strain and relief. His chest is pressed against Pascal’s upper back, arms around his shoulders, the closest approximation of the former shroud.

“Wow!” Minoru is supporting Bunji’s weight on his shoulder, his free hand cupped around his mouth as he calls across the ring. The ankle is healing slowly - Bunji must not have fed within the past few days. “Cheating already, huh? You little shits.

“We broke no rules,” Pascal calls back. Ricardo is growling softly over his shoulder, a low, throaty rumble. “All of him was touching all of me.”

“That’s a fucking stretch, and you know it,” Minmin yells back. There’s a beat, and then he laughs, tilting his head against Bunji’s shoulder. “But you know what? Don’t worry! We aren’t mad.”

“Speak for yourself,” Bunji pants.

“Aw, c’mon, babe,” Minoru coos. “After all…”
>>
No. 905268 ID: 270774
File 153880219815.png - (119.49KB , 800x525 , 187.png )
905268

Minoru arches his back, stretching. And stretching. And stretching.

His extended leg stretches one way - the free arm, over his head, another. The arm around Bunji’s waist softens and wraps more tightly. Bunji’s hand slides up a rounded plane of lithe muscle, and it grows paler and paler under his hand.
>>
No. 905269 ID: 270774
File 153880222425.png - (136.91KB , 800x525 , 188.png )
905269

After all, Minoru says again - and Ricardo can hear it as clearly as anything, though the voice no longer seems to correspond with the movement of his mouth. The mouth that’s now lined with heat pits, curved above a flickering tongue. I can appreciate a fellow shifter being so resourceful.


“Ricardo,” Pascal breathes. He’s got one hand reaching behind him, firm against Ricardo’s hip. “I hurt my ankle, as well. When I attacked him. It has healed already, because we have only just eaten, but he is certainly a power type. I can injure him badly, if I am careful to not be hit, but I will have to sacrifice.”

Bunji’s testing the weight on his bad ankle. They’re lingering on that side for longer than Ricardo could have hoped, apparently unwilling to attack again until they’re sure of Bunji’s mobility. “Minoru would have been easier,” Pascal continues softly. “But now he is protected like this. Either way, if I can protect you until you can shift again -” He looks over his shoulder, bright-eyed. “We can win.”
>>
No. 905272 ID: 329b70

At least Bunji's ankle situation will slow him down a bit. For now circling the ring might be a good call. Maybe keep the conversation going as a distraction?
>>
No. 905277 ID: 70df1e

pascal seems to have a plan in mind, and it sounds like a good one. stay safe until ricardo can shift again and then hold onto that shift as long as possible so that pascal can win. we have an advantage in bunji healing slower than pascal does, given that he hasn't fed in a few days, and we could use all the advantages we can get.

chances are that minoru can hold that snake form for over a minute, so no dice on getting him to shift back id bet. not unless we turn into like a mongoose or something, and thats energy better saved for being smoke again.

i agree with keeping the conversation up as a distraction. throw them off by being actually friendly suddenly maybe? i know its a vampire duel and all but its cool as hell that minoru can turn into a big snake ok
>>
No. 905279 ID: 2791fd

god, pascal's too adorable. even his murderface looks like a goddamn furby

anyway, for our tipsy duo: keep distance, take advantage of the extra weight minoru's putting on bunji as a big fat snek. he really turned into the most useless sparring partner a little bit
>>
No. 905288 ID: 5897dd

we can't let them know we're going on the defensive this early, they'll exploit it. start with a confident feint before seemingly shrinking back once they show their hand in this form
>>
No. 905299 ID: bd34d3

Definitely talk to them as a distraction, playing to bunji's minmin weakness, because I don't think it's just physically he wants to protect him, and while I think minmin is a whole lot more confident in bunji's ability to cope with shit than the other way around (and rightly so, that kick, yowza) I've gotten the feeling minmin wishes bunji's life hadn't been hard before they met. Anyway, they're drunk and chatty, so, possible conversation topics:
- thank fuck minmin's glasses are gone while he's in snake form
- freud would have some shit to say about going right to snake, why not go for a mouse or something, then bunji could just put him in a pocket.
- "Hey pascal, recon we can get that piece of junk (the bracelet) from around his neck, we could keep half each"

Try to keep them towards the edge of the circle, an easy way to win would be to get bunji to commit to an attack on ricardo when he's able to do smoke again and have pascal kick them both out of the ring, so near the edge is for the best. It's risky lingering there ourselves, and it's also a really obvious gambit, but for now it's a solid option to keep open.
>>
No. 905330 ID: 302ed0

>>905277
Yeah, trust Pascal. You WILL win.
>>
No. 905364 ID: 2791fd

>>905288
smart idea right here
>>
No. 905402 ID: 2ff745

Agree with feinting until we figure out what their method is in this arrangement, instead of immediately going on the defensive. I doubt Minoru would have picked this form specifically unless there was a reason for it. Unless he’s just doing it because it’s kind of sexy.

Distract them by asking how often they have to rely on this to win.
>>
No. 905470 ID: 2791fd

>>905402
i legit can't think of any reason a big snek would be helpful in this situation but min's out here living his dream and i can respect that
>>
No. 905491 ID: bb78f2

Hey how big is Bunji’s boner right now cause that transformation was fucking hot in a weird way. That boner might throw of bunjis own balance And Minaru couldn’t anticipate.

If it didn’t give him a boner, ask him why not? Shit was kinky yo.
>>
No. 905548 ID: b6b272

minoru TOTALLY did it because it was sexy. who wouldnt take a free opportunity to dramatically shapeshift into a giant snake?
>>
No. 905648 ID: a62780

>>905470
Not just a big snek, a big fast Vampire snek.
The main benefit is he's now not easy to target and can avoid interfering with movement.

I suspect there's gonna be sneaky trips and bites outta nowhere as we try to attack too.
>>
No. 905674 ID: e6945c

>>905288
yeah, 30 sec is an eternity in a fight
also if we get too chatty, they'll know we're stalling, so be mindful of that
>>
No. 905675 ID: e6945c

>>905288
yeah, 30 sec is an eternity in a fight
also if we get too chatty, they'll know we're stalling, so be mindful of that
>>
No. 905677 ID: ee2d6e

Snakes are long. That means you can get a lot of leverage. Spin the snake. If he clings on, they'll both get hammer-thrown out the ring. If he lets go, well, then he's let go. If he changes, he'll still have the speed he's moving at, and they'll get hammer-thrown out the ring if he's too slow and tossed completely out of balance if he's fast enough. Snake may be cool, but it's not a tactically sound idea. Tequilally sound idea, perhaps.
>>
No. 905812 ID: 23dc9d

As someone that keeps I can say, yes technically a constrictor snake is effective with keeping contact with Bunji, but its more effective for Minoru than Bunji. You see, for him to have a secure hold on Bunji in action, he'c have to coild and constrict him, which isn't too bad for something that can wrap around your arm but MINORU here decided to be Big Chunky. I mean good taste in snakes in general really, and Minoru likes taste better than function so I understand.

Now normal constrictors can't really do any damage with their bites unless, they bring the rest of their body with them to constrict you, which would probably break the whole contact rule. But he IS a vampire snake, not a real snake, so this could all be BS but listen I love snakes so
>>
No. 905910 ID: e04417

how heavy is a vamp-snake bound to be? because constrictors are not really known for being LIGHT snakes, and though vamps are probably strong, a vamp-snake is going to be dense probably. just a thought
>>
No. 905974 ID: 270774
File 153904327168.png - (98.55KB , 800x525 , 189.png )
905974

Ricardo and Pascal keep circling, at the same slow pace that Bunji does - Ricardo doesn’t want them to seem too much like they’re immediately on the defensive, given that 30 seconds is a long time to play defense, but it seems like there’s opportunity to stall.

A python that size has to weigh about 300 pounds - that’s potentially almost double what Minmin weighed before, based on his appearance, and Bunji is injured. On the other hand, though, he knows that three hundred pounds is nothing to him now, personally, and he has no idea how the scale tips for a power type like Bunji. It’s unlikely Minmin is actually impacting his mobility, and his ankle is slowly healing at a steady pace. It doesn’t help that Ricardo does not fucking like snakes, not that that’s the most pressing issue right now.

“I mean, it’s just a snake, right,” murmurs Ricardo, who is afraid of snakes. “There’s not a lot he can do.”

“He is a vampire snake, you stupid boy,” Pascal hisses back, as if this is obviously significant. “Is different!”

Great. That’s reassuring.

He’s struggling to think of something to say. While his combat skills seem more or less intact, even under the influence, his conversational skills (which were already in the toilet to begin with) are not.

“How big is your fucking boner right now?” he finally calls out.

“What?!”

“Your fucking boner,” repeats Ricardo, extremely seriously.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The snake,” says Ricardo. He’s struggling. It takes him a second. “It seems like a sex thing.”

“It’s not a s—”

“Oh, it very much seems like a sex thing,” Pascal chimes in.

“It’s kind of Freudian,” says Ricardo.

“Freud was an asshole and I should’ve killed him when I had the chance,” Bunji hisses.

The PYTHON isn’t a sex thing, Minoru protests. Like, he doesn’t fuck me when I’m a PYTHON!

“I wasn’t implying he fucks you when you’re a python,” says Ricardo.

“You were!” Bunji snaps, heatedly. “You were implying that!”

I mean I guess it’s still KIND of a sex thing. It’s just not about being a literal fucking snake, you know? It’s not about the CLOACA. It’s like, a trust thing? Bunji, like, totally gets off on trust shit. Like emotional intimacy and shit like that. It’s EMOTIONALLY INTIMATE, turning into a thing with no limbs in the middle of a fight!

“Minoru,” says Bunji, sounding strained.

“What is cloaca?!” Pascal yells.

“Pascal, I’m not explaining what a cloaca is to you right now,” Ricardo mutters.

This conversation was supposed to be distracting Minoru and Bunji, but now everyone is equally distracted.
>>
No. 905975 ID: 270774
File 153904328968.png - (85.11KB , 800x525 , 190.png )
905975

Unfortunately, during that time, Minoru and Bunji had been inching closer, and Pascal and Ricardo had been too busy trying to buy time with conversation to notice. Ricardo’s the one who picks up on it first, and he startles backwards, pulling Pascal with him - only to realize he doesn’t have very far to go, since he and Pascal had been sticking to the edge of the ring.

It’s fine, he thinks, tensely. They don’t have the reach—

Then Minoru strikes.

Pascal is still the one closer to the other two, and his arm flies up on instinct to block it - and Minmin lands a bite, his jaw wrapping nearly all the way around Pascal’s forearm. There’s a sharp, ragged exhale from Pascal as he strains away from the contact, trying to pull his arm away, but he can’t manage it.

I tell you what, Minmin says. Ricardo takes a second to be irritated that he never learned you could communicate telepathically while shifted. It’s better to think about that than to be freaked out by the fact that a thirty foot long snake is currently attached to someone’s arm directly in front of him. It’s been a while since Bunji and I have had to use this strategy at ALL. So, like, that’s kind of cool of you!
>>
No. 905976 ID: 270774
File 153904330469.png - (133.25KB , 800x525 , 191.png )
905976

Ricardo looks down at Pascal, to gauge by his reaction how worried they should be — but what he sees isn’t what he expected.

“I can’t believe this,” Pascal whimpers. He has his face tilted away, and he’s turned completely red. “How could you! In the middle of a duel! Cheating is one thing, but—!!”

Oh, come on, Minmin says, sounding exasperated. It’s, like — there’s CONTEXT, okay? We’re in the middle of a FIGHT. I’m a SNAKE. It’s an ATTACK, okay—”

“It isn’t proper!” Pascal yells back. His voice is verging on hysteria, now, probably egged on by his tipsiness. “It’s not — you can’t — I don’t know you!!”

It’s not like that! I’m not even drinking any of it! I’m telling you it’s totally different when it’s in a fight! Listen, Bunji is twice your age and yet he gets it—”
>>
No. 905977 ID: 270774
File 153904331702.png - (166.36KB , 800x525 , 192.png )
905977

Bunji has one arm up, with Minmin wrapped tightly around it, and he’s allowing Minoru to move his muscular coils along his arm and down his body, steadily pulling Pascal and Ricardo closer — but he has his free hand pressed over his face, and he is pointedly not looking at the snake bite.

BABE! COME ON! Minoru screams. We talked about this! You can’t get like this every time we do the snake thing! It’s a STRATEGY! It’s STRATEGIC!

“I know,” Bunji mumbles. “I know, Minoru, but it’s — it’s just so —”

GOD! YOU FUCKING OLD PEOPLE AND YOUR WEIRDO PURITANICAL DEATH KINK SHIT!

Once again, Ricardo feels extremely out of the loop.
>>
No. 905987 ID: 329b70

take a chance to defend pascal while theyre all distracted. dropkicking minoru might detatch the couple or at least get him of pascal
>>
No. 905988 ID: e1d580

Tell Bunji you're gonna bite his python if he asks real nice
>>
No. 905991 ID: 9c8a8c

Dont ask to bite the python, just do it. If its weirding them all out so much itll probably throw them off. Bite the snake.
>>
No. 905993 ID: a62780

>>905977
Oh, of course biting and blood drinking between vampires is some kind of intimate or erotic thing. Makes perfect sense when you think about it, yup.

But don't think about it, cause you better get that snek detached before strongboi over there overcomes his good old fashioned values and uses what is now effectively a lasso on Pascal to whip you both outta the ring.

Boop the snoot! (I don't care how alien the sensory organ, it's gonna be really sensitive to damage, and Minoru currently has several lining his reptile face.)
>>
No. 905996 ID: c375e8

punch minmin's head while everyone is distracted by the weird bite thing
>>
No. 905997 ID: 7fcee5

Sounds a lot like minmin is sucking the blood of Pascal's recent feed out of him? Which I'm guessing is veeeeeeeeery intimate. Not necessarily sexy intimate! But like, hand feeding and grooming intimate and from their comments only taking place between sires and wards. Ricardo should absolutely be convinced that's a sex thing though, particularly because if that's what it is it could well give minmin a boner. Mourn for a moment that you didn't get the opportunity to touch that boner before it went into minmin.

But yeah, uh, try not to be distracted and go on the attack, can you try to give Pascal cover for him to attack? Because they can snap you like a twig so you're fairly useless as anything other than a pretty lump of meat until you can do smoke again.
>>
No. 906001 ID: b1b4f3

If Ricardo is gonna bite, he should do it as a lion.
>>
No. 906022 ID: bdd5ee

TTHIS IS SO FUNNY please hit one of them while they're burning up w embarrassment. otherwise hope like hell that pascal recovers enough soon to go w your original plan
>>
No. 906060 ID: 9fcd43

What's the mist form clock at now?

Also, biting the snake would be hilarious, but given how Pascal and Bunji are both reacting we might just end up distracting our own partner even more. Operation Snoot Boop sounds like a smart alternative, or we could take advantage of how far this must be throwing off Bunji's balance.
>>
No. 906065 ID: c1eaac

KICK SNAKE-MIN WHILE HE'S DISTRACTED AND SEND HIM FLYING
>>
No. 906067 ID: 70df1e

bite minoru back like. its fair. ITS FAIR. ITS EQUALITY.
>>
No. 906143 ID: 5dc510

bite him
>>
No. 906160 ID: 29cb9a

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WE GOTTA BITE THE SNAKE!!!!
>>
No. 906167 ID: 64c128

KICK HIM OFF, JESUS CHRIST
>>
No. 906178 ID: 1872dc

HOLY SHIT IT IS A SEX THING!!!

but yeah like, fucking jam your thumb into minorus eye or something
>>
No. 906196 ID: 76366f

Okay this is hilarious, but don't let them pull you any closer.

Use them being all weird and blushy as your opening and HAMMER TOSS THEM
>>
No. 906197 ID: 7f2889

tbh while u should definitely use this as an opportunity it is, biting the snake would only land you closer to bunjis fucking death punches, and then you die. and have to regenerate. and its a huge pain in the ass. so be aware of that
honestly id just gouge at the eyes while yelling STOP MOLESTING MY SIRE YOU CREEP because this is obviously. very sexual. and not something pascal is into
>>
No. 906198 ID: 23dc9d

Absolutely go for the eyes. Vampire snakes may be special but Minmin himself admitted he has no limbs to protect his face so he only has the one mouth. If he attacks you he must let go of Pascal so you two can take turns poking at his eyes I guess.

Also definitely accuse him of being a creep towards Pascal too if just to keep flustering him and Bunji. Kinkshame the snake.
>>
No. 906209 ID: e76f18

i changed my mind, dont bite him. that would be silly. hit him in some way.

you have no clue of the social whatever meaning of a vampire biting another vampire, but given everyones reactions its a pretty safe bet that yelling at him for being a weird pervert will make him even more flustered, so do that
>>
No. 906261 ID: 75b963

I'm a bit worried about anything where speed is an issue. Ricardo is a baby un-speedy vampire and minmin might not be ancient but he's still faster than Ricardo. Punching snek snoot or going for the eyes seems like a good way to have him bite Ricardo. Though if that happens that leaves pascal free of snake bite to do a much better hit on snakemin.

So actually, yeah, punch the snake in the face.
>>
No. 906325 ID: 07316f

Reading the vocal parts of the updates since we lost smoke form aloud (skipping Minoru's telekinetic lines bc idk how that works) took over 30 seconds, so we should be good for smoke form from here on out.

Way to go cloaca stalling tactics!
>>
No. 906490 ID: 2791fd

>>906325
YOURE SO RIGHT LETS GET EM
>>
No. 906513 ID: c1212a

You're supposed to grap snakes by the neck, right? Maybe do that while everyone is distracted by the impropriety.
>>
No. 906637 ID: 270774
File 153940852416.png - (123.46KB , 800x525 , 193.png )
906637

Ricardo does not have the patience or the desire to sit here and infer the apparently fraught social implications of inter-vampire biting and the resultant undead generational gap. What he wants is for the snake to be as far away from him as possible, as soon as possible.

“Get off him!” He lands a blow on Minoru’s unprotected head, though it only manages to make Pascal gasp in pain as Minoru digs his teeth further in. “Fucking pervert!”

PERVERT?! shrieks Minmin. Who the hell are you calling a pervert?! You’re, like, five! You don’t even know what those two are freaking out about!

Ricardo hits him again. “Whatever it is, Pascal doesn’t fucking like it. So get off!

OF COURSE HE DOESN’T LIKE IT, YOU STUPID LITTLE BASTARD! NOBODY LIKES GETTING INJURED IN A FIGHT!

Ricardo’s had it. He sharpens his fingers, a miniature shift that’s easy enough to be inconsequential, and strikes out at Minoru’s eye.

Minoru screams.
>>
No. 906638 ID: 270774
File 153940854090.png - (161.78KB , 800x525 , 194.png )
906638

“Minoru!” Bunji’s voice is rough and panicked. The second he hears Minmin in pain, he pulls, wrapping coils around his forearms and yanking Minoru back against his chest a mere fraction of a second after Minoru releases Pascal’s arm. Minmin breaks the shift on impact, collapsing against him in human form again. “Minoru,” Bunji repeats, frantically. He’s holding Minmin up beneath his arms, one hand reaching around so he can touch the other’s face. “Are you—”

“I don’t care!” Minoru is snarling. It’s the first time he’s truly broken composure throughout the entire duel. “I don’t give a fuck! I can shift again! Get them!
>>
No. 906639 ID: 270774
Audio mbduel2.mp3 - (2.60MB )
906639

entrance - ice
>>
No. 906640 ID: 270774
File 153940858098.png - (159.63KB , 800x525 , 195.png )
906640

The time Ricardo’s bought towards his ability to transform is also time Bunji’s had to heal. His legs tense, once, and then he kicks off the ground — even from across the ring, Ricardo hears his ankle crackling as the strain and sudden force shatters it again. He’s on them in a split second, heaving, fangs bared. Minmin’s already wrapped around him again, having shifted in a blink as he launched himself, blood streaming from his ruined eye.

Pascal exhales sharply, automatically throwing up the same arm he’d blocked with before — the bite hasn’t begun to heal at all — and Bunji grabs it. It snaps immediately.

For the second time in the duel, everything Ricardo sees slows down.
>>
No. 906641 ID: 270774
File 153940859376.png - (108.78KB , 800x525 , 196.png )
906641

This is the end of it. By now, Ricardo could probably just barely manage his smoke form again, but that won’t do anything to stop Pascal from being flung out of the ring. Bunji’s arm is already tensed, wound like a coiled spring, and with one movement it’ll be over.

Pascal’s arm tenses, too. Instinctively, recognizing the intent to move, Ricardo lets the hand that was gripping Pascal’s elbow slide down to his waist instead. His arm raises just as the first jolt of violent motion travels through their linked bodies, Bunji’s arm snapping sideways to throw them, Pascal’s hand held flat and sharp like a spade—
>>
No. 906642 ID: 270774
File 153940860894.png - (133.34KB , 800x525 , 197.png )
906642

Pascal’s hand flashes, one surgical back-and-forth, and he severs his own arm.
>>
No. 906643 ID: 270774
File 153940863408.png - (145.18KB , 800x525 , 198.png )
906643

There’s a rattling clash as the arm hits a dumpster at the end of the alley, echoing off and then hitting the ground with no ceremony. Bunji stumbles, thrown off balance by the sudden change in momentum, and only barely manages to catch himself with one hand splayed in the dirt.

Minoru has shifted back again, seemingly of pure shock and distraction, and he’s staring.

“It’s true,” he whispers.

Pascal is swaying on the spot, breathing heavy but soft. Blood splatters at his feet in slow, uneven, lurching bursts.

“Everything they say about Bathorys is true.” Minmin’s voice is slowly getting louder. “All the rumors! All the whispers! They say you can do whatever you want to a Bathory— they say they’ll keep fighting til they don’t even have any body left— god, what the fuck is WRONG with you?!”

Minoru’s grinning, the expression feral and manic with excitement. “This is just a match for fun! For fucking fun! And yet here you are — GOD, I love when rumors are true!
>>
No. 906645 ID: 270774
File 153940869476.png - (89.56KB , 800x525 , 199.png )
906645

Pascal’s voice is detached and quiet. “Your wager threatens my ward.” His remaining hand finally comes up to clutch the slowly gushing stump of his shoulder, fingers digging in, blood still seeping between. “When he found me, he demanded my life, and I accepted. An arm for his sake is nothing.”

“God!” screams Minmin, again. Delight is rolling off him like fog. “God! You’re so fucked up!”
He and Bunji are tensed to attack again. But Ricardo can feel, after all this time — after the distraction of conversation, the successful blows landed on Minoru, after Pascal’s final gambit — that he can transform again. That they’ve managed to claw their way through thirty long seconds without killing anyone, thirty seconds that they never would have survived in a straight fight.

“Ricardo,” Pascal murmurs. His hand drops. He’s staggering, but his eyes are as focused as ever. “Win.”
>>
No. 906646 ID: 2791fd

>>906645
YOU KNOW PASCAL KIND OF OUR WHOLE PLAN WAS TO GET SMOKEY AND LET YOU DO THE WORK BUT YOU'RE KIND OF, UH,

LIKE DOES IT MATTER IF A VAMPIRE BLEEDS OUT I GUESS? HE DOESNT SEEM LIKE HES DOING TOO HOT

EITHER WAY IT MIGHT BE TIME TO GO ON THE OFFENSIVE
>>
No. 906648 ID: c375e8

alright it's time for us to fuck shit UP.

can we do that a partial cougar transformation? we need some more strength if we are gonna do anything to two fully fledged vampires
>>
No. 906649 ID: 6cd073

Well. We've been told to win, so I guess we'd better. Make a note to hug Pascal later though. And tell him never to do something like that again. He's yours he doesn't get to throw himself away.

At this point you're pretty okay for doing smoke again? Go in for an "angry" attack, like you're furious that they would make Pascal do this, if they make any move to hit you back or defend in a way that you're going to break yourself (which basically means so much as touching bunji) go to smoke, have Pascal follow up with claws to eyes or crotch.
>>
No. 906650 ID: 1e250d

can we get close to the edge again, grapple bunji, and try to tip over? we don’t have a strength advantage but he might get confused and let it happen if it looks like we’d hit the ground first, but then we can transform into smoke so that he passes through us and lands outside the circle instead. either that or we find a way to rip minmin off him, grapple minmin, and carry out that maneuver with him instead.
>>
No. 906651 ID: 2791fd

>>906650
this actually sounds pretty promising; bait him into a charge of some sort and then whiff
>>
No. 906654 ID: 05dcb8

EXTREMELY seconding the possessive / protective dialogue over pascal once we win - we can do this, go in for the heaviest hit you can, but be careful
>>
No. 906663 ID: 70df1e

>>906650
go cougar form, grapple, throw yourself with everything you got. bunji only has one good leg and minoru is a snake with zero legs. we have four legs. we can probably do it.

the alternate suggestion is to let bunji think hes about to throw you out of the ring and go smoke, and let his own momentum do him in. one step outside the ring is plenty, and he only has one good leg to balance on. or we could go smoke and just let pascal toss him out of the ring with one hand.

the important thing is that pascal is seriously taking the whole 'owes ricardo his life' deal extremely literally which i mean great spent ages tracking him down but we should get that arm reattached asap and possibly discourage cutting it off again in the future
>>
No. 906664 ID: 9fcd43

Yeah, the charge-smoke combo seemed to really throw them off before; they might be wise to it now, but I think it's worth a shot; getting them to bullrush themselves out of the ring seems like our best option now that pascal's down an arm. If Pascal couldn't make a dent in Bunji's defense, we're not likely to do much better.
>>
No. 906674 ID: 2791fd

>>906664
This is the most important part, I really can't stress this enough. Bunji's defense is impeccable, we're not brute-forcing this one. cougar form may as well be just a convincing fursuit to how tough this guy is.
>>
No. 906678 ID: ee2d6e

Ricardo, try to remember some of the basics of CQC. Don't use your brute strength; use theirs. Even if they're strong they probably still haven't got more mass to anchor it with, so circle around to the edge of the field, find something solid to octopus a leg around, and let them throw themselves out.
>>
No. 906680 ID: 1872dc

Well, instead blowing the transformation on smoke, using a Swiss army knife of small partial transformations might be the way to go. If you have to lead this fight, you can't really be shackled to any one form. Use little tricks to force them to make mistakes.

But Pascal needs to get back into the game. He needs to know sacrifice can't be his only contribution, that you need more than that from him. Then, you go all out.
>>
No. 906696 ID: a62780

Okay so Bunji re-smashed his leg for that last attack. He's hobbled and if you squint it sounds like Minoru might have accidentally put himself on transformation cooldown. Also he's minus an eye for the moment.
We should have the mobility edge, though I'm a bit worried about Pascal losing the arm there (while I'm willing to bet he's not that badly hindered by pain or rapid bloodloss, he's missing a limb he used for blocking and balancing.)
>>
No. 906709 ID: 2ff745

We can do the partial cougar transformation on our hands/arms if that gives us better grip or more power, then try to unbalance them over the end of the ring, and only transform our top half/arms/whatever is supporting most of the weight into smoke to conserve energy. We don’t need to do anything flashy or overexert ourselves. All we have to do is get them to take one step outside the ring. Bunji’s leg is out of commission again and Minmin is totally distracted. We can do it!

And yeah, after all of this, tell Pascal never to do something like this again. This wasn’t what we meant when we said he needed to make it up to us.
>>
No. 906762 ID: 9c8a8c

I agree in that theres no way we can brute force this one yall. We’re going to have to outsmart them and get them to put themselves out or let go of each other. Brute force is a bad idea, they’ll destroy us.
>>
No. 906777 ID: f9e308

they're already aware of the smoke, so they might be ready for it. maybe changing to a cougar while grappling them instead? some sort of cougar trickery?
>>
No. 906781 ID: 2791fd

>>906709
I'm not sure if cougar *does* give us more power, everyone's assuming this, but I really don't think that's the case. min has no more bite strength as a snake -- arguably, he has less since his head's smaller and he has less leverage. The only thing cougar gives us is more pointy things. Bigger teeth and claws. That won't really help us; our biggest strength here is strategizing with smoke.
>>
No. 906792 ID: 9f81d6

>>905269
> “Minoru would have been easier,” Pascal continues softly. “But now he is protected like this. Either way, if I can protect you until you can shift again -” He looks over his shoulder, bright-eyed. “We can win.”

I feel like this is a big hint towards smoke tactics being the way to go. They might not realise we can use that again just yet, if we could feed into that impression and make Ricardo the obvious target for tossing out of the ring we can definitely use their momentum against them.

Under no circumstances try to hit or shove or touch bunji, that would be like punching a tank. Pascal has more than 200 years of being a vampire on us and when he got a good hit in he did solid damage but he also broke. If Ricardo breaks here we're done for.
>>
No. 906799 ID: 23dc9d

Yeah do NOT go for Bunji, and I also feel like cougar is a bad way to go. Bunji can very obviously destroy a silly cougar easily, no matter how much more powerful it makes us at this time.

We still have to trust Pascal's plan from before, even now, and right now Pascal is banking on us using our smoke form because he isn't aware of any other we have.
>>
No. 906800 ID: 0f15ab

>>906799>>906792
Seconding both of these. Smoke form is our best bet here, DEFINITELY dont go for bunji.
>>
No. 906835 ID: 1872dc

>>906680
I'll modify my second paragraph to be a simple question. "You good?" If he is, that's when you go smoke. He did have a plan earlier, and even if that self-harm was shocking, he might be more solid than it seems.

We can save the talking for a private moment.
>>
No. 907367 ID: 270774
File 153984491431.png - (106.92KB , 800x525 , 200.png )
907367

Ricardo knows better than to try to go for Bunji head-on. The only way they’re going to win this, he realizes, is by outwitting them. He thinks he can see a way to do that, though.

His gaze flicks back over to Pascal. The other is still swaying slightly, eyes fixed on their opponents. He wants to snap at him, wants to tell him he shouldn’t have done that — and he’s not happy to find that underneath all of it is an underlying concern. He doesn’t know how serious this injury is. Pascal doesn’t seem rattled by it, but Bunji does; Minoru’s fixation on it is obviously too unhinged to be a proper gauge either way. Ricardo’s thinking about blood loss, about pain. He doesn’t know how hurt Pascal really is, and he doesn’t like that.

All of this comes out as a rough, two-word demand: “You good?”

Pascal doesn’t turn his head when he replies. “Fine.”

Well. That’s that, then, not that Ricardo likes it. They’re going to have a damn conversation about this later, he decides.
>>
No. 907368 ID: 270774
File 153984493454.png - (174.31KB , 800x525 , 201.png )
907368

But now isn’t the time. Minmin’s already running at them again. Bunji, to Ricardo’s surprise, seems reluctant — but that works just fine for him. He didn’t want to tangle with Bunji’s defense anyway. Ricardo and Pascal back up together, in tandem, a cautious retreat from Minoru’s charge, until they’re nearly at the edge. There’s a pang of grim satisfaction in Ricardo when Minmin goes straight for him instead of for their linked arms — it seems the only thing Minmin cares about now is seeing how far Pascal’s guard dog mentality will go.

Minmin rears for him and Ricardo welcomes it. The blow Minoru manages to land on his shoulder sends searing, burning pain through him, his arm numb with the force of it, but he still manages to act quickly. He flexes his hands and they strengthen, tendons straining beneath skin, nails erupting into long, curved claws hooked over blackened fingertips. He slams his palms against Minoru’s back, the claws driving deep into his skin, and heaves himself backwards.

Bunji tries to stop the fall — out of sheer instinct, since as things are now, it looks like Ricardo would hit the ground first — but Pascal is already on him. With his one remaining forearm still hooked in the crook of Ricardo’s elbow, he bends and lashes out with one leg, his heel connecting with the front of Bunji’s injured ankle and unbalancing him. It’s enough for him to lose his footing, and Minoru’s freefall continues unimpeded.
>>
No. 907369 ID: 270774
File 153984494916.png - (168.90KB , 800x525 , 202.png )
907369

There’s a split second, before they hit the ground, in which Minoru seems to realize the surface of the situation, and Ricardo lets himself relish the look of relief that flickers across his face only because he knows it won’t last long. The second before impact, he explodes into smoke again, making sure to envelop Pascal’s arm when he does — and Minoru falls through him and hits the ground, outside the circle, not dramatically, but with an anticlimactic little thud. Bunji stumbles and hits the ground a second after him, on his knees.
>>
No. 907370 ID: 270774
File 153984496909.png - (97.66KB , 800x525 , 203.png )
907370

There’s a long, long stretch of silence — or maybe it’s only a second. Ricardo can’t tell. The second he confirmed that they were outside the circle, he shifted back, panting — two quick shifts back to back, under pressure, isn’t something he’s done before.

The heel of Minoru’s hand hits the asphalt. “Damn it.” He’s panting too, his skinny shoulders heaving, face obscured by his hanging hair. “God damn it!”

“Minoru.” Bunji’s hands find his shoulders, slow and steady.

“God fucking damn it!” One hand flashes up to his face, dragging against his cheekbone, and he sniffs loudly. “Fuck!” Bunji is rubbing his back firmly. “I fucking hate losing!”

“We didn’t do badly, Minoru.” Bunji leans down until he’s pressed against Minmin’s hunched back, resting his cheek against the back of his head. “They just did well.”

Behind Ricardo, there’s a third thud.
>>
No. 907371 ID: 270774
File 153984498502.png - (156.26KB , 800x525 , 204.png )
907371

He wheels around, and the brief panic he feels is inexplicable and unwelcome. Pascal’s laying on the ground, spent, his chest heaving with unnecessary breath.

“Ricardo.” Despite all of this, despite his fucking missing arm, there’s an exhausted smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “How cool.”
>>
No. 907372 ID: b1b4f3

>>907371
Fetch his arm for him. It must be easier to heal if you've got the missing part back after all.
>>
No. 907374 ID: 96c9d0

Get Pascal's arm, brush it off and stick it back on?? Spit on the severed end to make it go better?

Then headbutt him, but like, affectionately. Half like cats do, half "for the love of fuck don't you ever do that again"
>>
No. 907375 ID: b241af

you. you gotta gloat at least a lil bit. you gotta. 'yeah im cool. youre also cool. were so cool we won against ~20 year undefeated champions~ on our first try!' SCOOP HIM UP IN YOUR BIG BEEFY ARMS THO, AND PULL HIM CLOSER
then ask him if his arm can be reattached
>>
No. 907376 ID: 23dc9d

Be EVEN COOLER and not only take him in your arms, but CARRY HIM TO HIS ARM. In fact just carry him for the entirety of the rest of the night, honestly.
>>
No. 907377 ID: 43a797

holy SHIT you gotta gloat. you gotta gloat but first you have to hand pascal his arm and scoop him up bridal style
>>
No. 907378 ID: 4ac654

we gotta either a) lay down with pascal and roll him onto us and have a nice lil snuggle OR b) pick up pascal bridal style to up that Cool Factor
>>
No. 907379 ID: c375e8

HUG HIM and yeah see if putting his arm back will help. minmin and bunji are on the back burner pascal needs a check in
>>
No. 907380 ID: e2f8e9

dont move him, go get him arm. we dont really know how this stuff work, but you can probably just... stick it back on? i think that would be easier than just growing it back
>>
No. 907381 ID: 2791fd

let's be real, the arm is probably pulverized. he slammed that shit against an a steel dumpster.

hug him,and get him something to mop up that blood with. it'll leave a trail for the cradle.
>>
No. 907382 ID: 9fcd43

Pick up his arm and gently smack him in the face with it while you tell him not to do that again.
>>
No. 907383 ID: ee2d6e

>>907382
This and say that he got blood all over his clothes.
>>
No. 907384 ID: 1872dc

>>907379
I... I guess??? And call him a fucking idiot. He's finally taking responsibility and he pulls a stunt like that? What if you lost him? What if you were alone again?
>>
No. 907385 ID: 90f3c0

>>907376
Yes. Carry him to his arm, while you tell him what a dumbass he is.
>>
No. 907402 ID: 5d8fcc

KISS!! HIS FOREHEAD
>>
No. 907408 ID: 329b70

If you don't say something cool this was all for nothing. Scoop him up and obtain the arm. Theres a lot to unpack and he needs to rest so its best to hustle home.
>>
No. 907414 ID: b815ea

>>907374
scoop him up in one arm and retrieve arm in chest by dumpster with the other. hopefully you aren't as wiped as out as pascal is. await your very well earned apologies from the two. the gentle cat headbutting is Ideal
>>
No. 907421 ID: aedfd9

Obviously get his arm for him, but after you hand it over, maybe lick a bit of his blood off your fingers for a taste. Make sure he sees you.
>>
No. 907423 ID: 70df1e

get pascals arm and stick it back on. pascal told us that story earlier about how he cut a vampires head off and the vampire was just fine afterwards, so i think we could probably just stick his arm back on and see if it heals? we might have to stitch it in place or something but i doubt this injury is permanent.

first priority: look after pascal
second priority: give pascal a lil kiss
>>
No. 907428 ID: a62780

>>907371
Fetch his arm and-
Don't ask if he needs a hand don't ask if he needs a hand ask if he needs a hand you have to ask if he needs a hand oh god you're obligated to ask if he needs a hand oh dammit he'd probably think it's cool ask if he needs a hand fuuuck
>>
No. 907430 ID: 914f96

ABSOLUTELY ask if he needs a hand
>>
No. 907431 ID: d887c0

>>907371
"You know, Pascal, I always thought you were a little disarming, but you didn't have to take it so literally."
>>
No. 907437 ID: bb78f2

>>907371
Hey uh you two, still new vampire here. I know Pascal got himself into this shit but cutting off his arm, and is probably too proud to accept any help but mine, but I could really use some help understaning what a freshly dearmed vampire might need and a thourough non-bathory context of chopping your arm off.
>>
No. 907448 ID: 2791fd

>>907428
how do i favorite a post
>>
No. 907449 ID: 2791fd

>>907421
hOW DO I FAVORITE A POS
>>
No. 907450 ID: 470371

definitely say something dumb to lighten the atmosphere
>>
No. 907523 ID: 9fcd43

oh my god we HAVE to ask if he needs a hand I'm wheezing
>>
No. 907533 ID: 0e2ebe

The real monster is the chat's puns.
>>
No. 908189 ID: 270774
File 154044847273.png - (104.69KB , 800x525 , 205.png )
908189

“Yeah, yeah.” Ricardo squats down, mirroring Pascal’s smile in spite of himself, and he can’t help what he says next. “Need a hand?”

Pascal bursts out laughing, turning his face away. “Fuck you!”

“Come on.” Human logic says someone with an injury like this shouldn’t be moved; vampire logic says a half hour ago Pascal was laughing about slapping someone’s head off. Ricardo gets his arms under Pascal’s shoulders and knees, clumsy and slow in his attempt to do it gently, and lifts. “It’s over here.”
>>
No. 908190 ID: 270774
File 154044849145.png - (117.03KB , 800x525 , 206.png )
908190

Pascal’s giggles die out and then he’s quiet as they cross the alley, his head resting against Ricardo’s shoulder. Ricardo’s the one who breaks the silence. “You’ve got blood on your clothes.”

“I know! And it was such a nice shirt, too.” His hand is laying delicately on Ricardo’s chest, fingers barely curled enough to catch the fabric. “I don’t know how to sew.”

“Don’t ever do that again,” Ricardo says, abruptly. It’s a non-sequiteur because he doesn’t know how else to talk. He doesn’t look down at Pascal, but he hears the other shift, and can feel his eyes.

“Hm? Why not?” They’ve reached the dumpster, and Pascal’s arm is so pale it’s practically reflective, shining and easy to find on the dark ground. “It worked. And if I had not, we would have lose!”

“Then we could have just lost.” Ricardo kneels again, Pascal lowered until he’s resting in his lap, and he leans over him to reach for his arm. “This isn’t what I meant when I said you owed me.”
>>
No. 908191 ID: 270774
File 154044850854.png - (136.90KB , 800x525 , 207.png )
908191

“You are being fussy,” Pascal says. His tone is accusatory, and Ricardo takes a moment to be offended that Pascal has the gall to act like he’s the one being unreasonable.

“And you’re being a fucking idiot.” Ricardo smacks Pascal lightly with his own arm, and doesn’t process that he’s done so until a half second later. He decides not to dwell on it. “What if something went wrong? What if—“

His brain fills in what if I was alone again and he slams on the brakes before the sentence can make it to his mouth. It’s a miracle that he even manages it, because his head is still throbbing.

Pascal’s rolling his eyes. “Stupid boy. Like I will die of losing an arm.”

“I don’t give a shit. Don’t take a risk like that again.”

“You will order me around over something so stupid?” Pascal scoffs. “What makes you so concerned over this?”

“You’re mine,” Ricardo snarls. It comes out unbidden, his filter completely overrun by his frustration. “You don’t get to just throw yourself away.”
>>
No. 908192 ID: 270774
File 154044852512.png - (145.79KB , 800x525 , 208.png )
908192

Pascal goes quiet for a second, and Ricardo wonders if he’s offended him — then wonders why he cares if he’s offended him — but when he glances back down, the corners of Pascal’s mouth are working as if he’s trying not to smile.

“Drunk.” He swats Ricardo’s shoulder with the back of his remaining hand, the movement loose and distracted. “You’re drunk.” He swats him again, a little harder, before abandoning the gesture to loosely cover his own mouth instead. “Give me my arm, you stupid thing.”
>>
No. 908193 ID: 270774
File 154044854432.png - (154.64KB , 800x525 , 209.png )
908193

“Oh.” Right. That’s what they were doing. Ricardo holds the arm up, a little uncertainly. “Do I just. Stick it on, or—“

“Yes, yes.” Pascal gestures dismissively with his good arm. “It will be fine.”

“It was on the ground. Shouldn’t I…” Ricardo turns the arm over and looks at the stump. There’s some gravel stuck to it. “Brush it off, or something.”

Pascal’s getting impatient. “If you must.”

Ricardo cleans it off as best he can, flicking debris away with his fingers, and then, at a loss for what else to do, sticks it back on Pascal’s shoulder joint. It makes a splat noise.

“Ah. Better,” Pascal sighs. The skin is already knitting together, giving off a faint sizzle and a few wisps of black smoke as it does, and Ricardo finds himself riveted. He’s been injured plenty in the past few years, watched his own body do the same, but never at this scale. As soon as the arm seems secure again and Pascal begins experimentally flexing the fingers, Ricardo lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His head drops til his forehead meets Pascal’s, a little rougher than he intended.

“Ow,” says Pascal.

Ricardo keeps his eyes closed. “You don’t get to say ‘ow’ when you just ripped your own arm off.”

“Mm. Okay, okay. I take back my ‘ow.’” Pascal’s voice is very quiet, and slightly slurred. “We should go and gloat,” he points out. “Before they try to run away without paying our wager.”
>>
No. 908194 ID: 70df1e

pascal is right its time to gloat. well actually we probably shouldnt gloat because we don't want them to hate us if we're gonna be using them as an information network to lie about us and to help us avoid the cradle, so actually lets go make nice?

for sure lets get their phone numbers, that way we can make sure they hold up their end of the bet. or uh, whatever vampires have if not phones. minmin seems pretty modern though? (do. do we have a phone? if not we're calling minmin from shitty motel phones i guess)
>>
No. 908195 ID: b1b4f3

>>908193
Good idea, let's go strike a pose.
>>
No. 908196 ID: cc192f

ITS GLOATING TIME BABEY
"hey, formerly unbroken 20 year champions, what about our wager?"
>>
No. 908202 ID: 1872dc

Well we should talk to them, anyway. I doubt the wager will be a problem but it couldn't hurt to check. And Benji's cool, even if he's not being cool to Ricardo and Pascal. He's the sane half of an odd couple and that's relatable.

Minmin can fall into the ocean, though.
>>
No. 908205 ID: 0f5c7c

gloat yes BUT lets steal a widdle kiss before we do? :3c
>>
No. 908207 ID: 9fcd43

We should be good sports. Pascal's disarming aside, that was a fun duel and we learned a lot. If we don't want them to find a loophole in the terms to screw us over with, we want them to feel as well disposed to us as possible in the circumstances.
(Also holy shit i want to be friends with these gorgeous disaster gays PLEASE BE NICE TO THEM)
>>
No. 908209 ID: 0a7a15

let's not gloat and be gracious winners instead (that might piss off minmin more than if you gloated, but whatevs). you don't want them to hold a grudge.
be nice, get their phone number, and (very important!) hang onto pascal the entire time. he might not let you keep carrying him, but be very clingy still. this is the most important part!
>>
No. 908234 ID: 11b5c9

you can probably celebrate on your own time... in private... with pascal ;^) but i don't think there's any need for that. you don't seem like that specific brand of dick, and minmin's already upset, so he might be liable to find a loophole in your deal if you upset him more. on the same note, bunji's probably already upset that minmin's upset, so making it worse probably won't help matters with him either.
>>
No. 908239 ID: e8ed02

Lets be good sports! Pascal can be petty af and we can play nice and thank them for the good fight. Because damn, that had to be the best fight you've had since turning.

Also get both their digits!!!!
>>
No. 908246 ID: 710b13

Don't let go of Pascal, put him down, but keep cuddling him.

Let Pascal lead the conversation with minmin and bunji, but give him a squeeze to tell him to chill if he starts being a dick. We should start trying to make ammends to them, pronto. I don't think they'd back out of the wager altogether, but the more they want to help us themselves, the better.

Maybe tell them "Good game"
>>
No. 908420 ID: 2791fd

>>908207
seconded, be friendly with these good good husbands
>>
No. 908422 ID: 255b3c

>>908193
Open with, "Punks jump up to get SLAPPED DOWN" and then give em a hearty pelvic thrust.

Afterward you can throw Pascal over your shoulder and flip em off before leaving.
>>
No. 908443 ID: 23dc9d

Seconding the notion not to gloat. Be super awkwardly direct and just straight up ask for their phone numbers. It seems to be the same tactic you use to ask people for sex so it doesn't seem very out of character. Also yes keep holding onto Pascal in some form or fashion.
>>
No. 908752 ID: b463f2

please get their digits, and be generally congenial with them!

and....maybe we could get some shapeshifting knowledge from Minmin.... like how to do the telepathic talking? try complimenting him about the ability, and Bunji on his strength - I think it's good to be in their good books.
>>
No. 908753 ID: b463f2

and, goodness yes, please keep a hold on precious Pascal.
>>
No. 908828 ID: 270774
File 154087227533.png - (144.68KB , 800x525 , 210.png )
908828

Ricardo stands up again, and when he does, Pascal starts to squirm. “I can walk now!” he insists. “If you carry me I will look so stupid in front of them!”

“Okay, okay. Jesus. Stop wiggling.” Ricardo lets him down, and he scowls when Pascal immediately stumbles and has to grab onto his arm for support. Idiot. But he’s not going to fight him over it. He shakes him off only to wind an arm around his waist instead, a more secure way to keep him steady.
>>
No. 908830 ID: 270774
File 154087229764.png - (165.60KB , 800x525 , 211.png )
908830

They make their way back over to the circle, a little more slowly than he’d hoped because of Pascal’s exhaustion. His attitude, however, still seems plenty lively. “Hello, twenty year Roppongi Doubles champions!” he sing-songs, waving with the newly reattached arm.

Minmin looks up, and despite his red-rimmed eyes, he grins. “Hey, we can still call ourselves that. We don’t have to tell people when the twenty years started and ended!”

“You’re chipper,” Ricardo deadpans. He knows it’s probably not smart to rub it in, but he can’t help a tiny jab. “Weren’t you just crying about it a second ago?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. But I’m over that now.” Minmin gestures dismissively. “I’m super busy. I don’t have time to stay upset about stuff.”

“Then probably you will have no problem fulfilling our wager,” Pascal prompts. He looks pointedly at Bunji, first, and Bunji exhales irritably and turns to face them.

“I… apologize,” he grinds out.

Pascal looks smug. “For?”

“For harming your ward—“

“You are apologizing to him, not to me,” Pascal says. He’s enjoying himself, apparently, and Ricardo makes a mental note to step in if he gets any more antagonistic than this. The last thing they need is Minmin motivated to find some kind of loophole in the deal to fuck them over.
>>
No. 908831 ID: 270774
File 154087231825.png - (117.80KB , 800x525 , 212.png )
908831

Bunji inhales, slowly through his nose, then exhales again, harder than before. He’s practically stomping when he reorients himself to face Ricardo. “I am. Sorry.” Another deep breath. He’s forcing his words out through gritted teeth. “For breaking your wrist. And for discussing your relationship with your sire in a way that was… inappropriate.”

Everyone’s looking at Ricardo. He’s suddenly very aware of how unaware he is of if there’s any kind of ceremonial post-duel script he’s supposed to be following. He crosses his arms. “It’s… fine.”

“Fine,” says Bunji.

“Alright.”

“Good.”

There’s a long, long silence. Bunji is grinding his teeth.

“It was a good… fight,” says Ricardo. “Your attacks were… good.”

“Yeah,” says Bunji. “You were… okay.”

“Good,” says Ricardo.

“Okay.”

“Fine.”

“Okaaaaaaay!” says Minmin, with cheerful urgency. “Good job, guys!”
>>
No. 908832 ID: 270774
File 154087234087.png - (111.07KB , 800x525 , 213.png )
908832

With the attention back on himself, Minmin turns to Pascal, bracelets jingling as he firmly plants his hands on his hips. “My turn! I’m sorry, dude. I was trash-talking you ‘cause I thought you weren’t gonna do anything about it, but then you like, did, which is so totally cool of you. I was wrong!”

A beat, and then Minmin tilts his head, lowering his voice slightly. “And, hey. That stuff I said about Teddy was really out of line. I’m really sorry.”

For what it’s worth, he sounds deeply sincere. Pascal gives a soft little sigh, his elbows held tightly in his own palms. “Yes, well. Is okay.”

“No, it’s not,” Minmin laughs softly. “You’re still really mad at me. I can tell.”

“Well!” Pascal repeats, and the laughter he lets out in return is bitter. “There is no point to it. We have already dueled about it, so there’s no reason for me to keep being angry.”

“God, that’s such an old vampire thing to say. You’re so old.
>>
No. 908833 ID: 270774
File 154087235846.png - (157.19KB , 800x525 , 214.png )
908833

Ricardo feels like if he lets this go any longer, Pascal is bound to get nasty, so he steps in. “Give me your phone number,” he blurts out, forcefully. He’s not a hundred percent sure why he said it, besides some instinctive, urgent drive that tells him they need as many allies as they can get.

Minmin blinks. “Oh! You know what? Good idea.” He’s shrugged his jacket back on by now, and he retrieves his phone — a rhinestone-encrusted monstrosity with a dozen heavy, dirtied rubber and plastic charms hanging off it — to swap with Ricardo. “Because, like, no offense, but you guys look rough. You probably wouldn’t retain any info I have for you right now anyway. And also I’m, like, still kind of drunk and I don’t wanna fuck it up, ahaha. How about I just text it all to you tomorrow?”

Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Ricardo suddenly feels extremely smart. “Yeah,” he says, intelligently.

“I have my phone on me, like, pretty much 24/7, so I’m always available! Except when I’m with clients I actually like, or when it’s date night, or when I’m talking to someone more interesting than you. And I’ll give you Bunji’s number too,” Minmin adds. Ricardo is watching him intently to try to figure out how he types with his nails. “Just in case. Even though he doesn’t really know how to text.”

“I know how to text,” Bunji protests.

“Baby,” says Minmin, “How many times have you thought you sent me a text, and I never got it, because actually all you did was type something into your notes app and then close it?”

Bunji furrows his brow. “My what?”

Minoru gives Ricardo a long-suffering look as he hands his phone back. “Anyway. You’ll get all the info I know about the people after you tomorrow. I can already start on the misinformation tonight, though — and I’d better.”

Ricardo looks at his screen and finds that Minoru has put his name in surrounded by an assortment of pink emojis. He reopens the contact to grimly backspace all of them out. “Drunkenness not a problem there?”

“Nope! Listen, it’s not a precise art anyway. You ever watermarble your nail polish?”

“No,” says Ricardo, bewildered.

“Well, it’s like that,” Minmin continues. Apparently he’s already invested in the metaphor and doesn’t particularly care if Ricardo can relate to it or not. “I can pick the colors, and I can do my best to lay out a pattern that I’ll like, but really the end result isn’t up to me. I’m just gonna drop my drops and the rest is up to the water.”

“Thanks,” says Ricardo, “that’s really reassuring.”
>>
No. 908834 ID: 270774
File 154087237569.png - (139.69KB , 800x525 , 215.png )
908834

“It can’t be any worse than what we will have happening anyway,” Pascal comments breezily.

Ricardo frowns. “I feel like it could be.”

“Oh ye of little faith!” Minmin’s hanging off Bunji’s arm. “Plenty of people trust me with their lives. Don’t stress.”

“This isn’t the same thing, exactly, you know,” says Pascal.

“Hey, speaking of that!” Minmin starts bouncing a little. “I meant to bring up, before you guys go — you know what I like Roppongi Doubles so much?” The bouncing peters off, only to be replaced by a sway of his hips, a mock-coy grin half-hidden behind long, fanned fingers. “It helps me make an assessment.”

Pascal makes a noise like a basketball in a trash compactor.

“Come on!” Minmin leans forward, eyes wide and imploring. “I’d do it for free! Like, just for fun!”

“No thank you!”

It’s incredible how quickly Minoru’s enthusiastic smile can turn into a pout. “Are you serious? Do you know how much a consultation from me normally is? We’re talking, like, thousands of dollars—“

“No thank you! No thank you!” Pascal is tugging on Ricardo’s arm, but in his weakened state, it’s barely enough pressure to even register. “I think actually it is time to go! Wow, I am so tired! No thank you!”
>>
No. 908839 ID: 329b70

ASK ABOUT THE ASSESSMENT !!!!!!!! and then run home and get packing
>>
No. 908840 ID: 70df1e

i dont know what we're getting consulted about but its free and i want it. free is a magic word and thousands of dollars of free is good. ricardo surely knows the value of free real estate
>>
No. 908844 ID: 710b13

Ask Pascal what minmin means by assessment, it's clearly not something Pascal is comfortable with so let's not ask minmin directly. Ask quietly, too. Not knowing what other vampires are talking about is starting to get really old.

Also laugh a little at how experienced minmin seems to be with misinformation when he was talking about how bad it would be for his reputation.
>>
No. 908845 ID: 8ba20e

mama didn't raise a bitch that ain't frugal get that free assessment
>>
No. 908846 ID: 65c33f

PLEASE RICARDO.... “an assessment for what?”
>>
No. 908848 ID: c1eaac

GET THAT ASSESSMENT BAYBEE
>>
No. 908850 ID: 986b2d

I don't really know what's going on here but free shit is free shit. We should DEFINITELY get that consultation.
>>
No. 908855 ID: 23dc9d

>>908844
>>
No. 908859 ID: b1b4f3

>>908834
I WANT FREE STUFF PASCAL
>>
No. 908866 ID: aedfd9

GET THE ASSESSMENT! Remind Pascal that it's important you guys network and make friends and collect allies, therefore it is *essential* for you to get whatever free stuff this drunk vampire is handing out
>>
No. 908873 ID: a7ae46

get the assessment!!!!!! also don’t like.. flirt w minmin... but say smth nice abt texting him soon
>>
No. 908879 ID: 1872dc

Is that like, a fortune telling thing? Does Pascal have a thing against prophecy?
>>
No. 908883 ID: 710b13

Oh also what does minmin mean by "I can already start on the misinformation tonight, though — and I’d better.” why had he better? Are there people that hot on our trail right now? Or is it just a matter of the sooner the misinformation gets out the sooner and more effectively it will spread?
>>
No. 908886 ID: 381e82

WHAT IS AN ASSESSMENT. WHAT IS IT. YOU NEED TO KNOW
>>
No. 908896 ID: 11b5c9

get the assessment and also as a sign of like, solidarity, you should go pick up bunji's shitty old man sweater and offer it to him. you two are the same. you should Bond.
>>
No. 908926 ID: 4de5db

Free shit??? Free shit!!!
>>
No. 908936 ID: bb78f2

>>908834
"I will take the thousand dollar free thing. Also, would really like to know Brazil rules too if you could get 'em, but that wasn't a part of the wager, so I guess if there's something I can do for you in exchange that is of appropriate value for the information, I will. If there's nothing, could I get at least a direction towards finding that information on my own... like Vampire darkweb wikipedia?"
>>
No. 908965 ID: 0e2ebe

>>908936
Letting an information broker know you plan on cheating seems like a bad idea.
>>
No. 908973 ID: b1b4f3

I think the rules thing requires the vampire to keep in contact with the group in order to ensure they know the most current rules.
>>
No. 909016 ID: 270774
File 154096334515.png - (141.68KB , 800x525 , 216.png )
909016

Ricardo’s mother did not raise him to pass up free shit. He doesn’t budge, leaving Pascal yanking in vain at his arm. “Hey, come on. If it’s free, why not. What kind of assessment is it, anyway?”

“It’s stupid!” Pascal hisses. “It’s nonsense —”

“Hey, I’m standing right here,” Minmin reminds them. He flounces over, brimming with excitement. “Oh, duh, I guess he doesn’t know. Since he’s been, like, living on the margins of society and everything. Information brokering is just my side thing! My real job—”

Pascal is wheezing.

“— Is I’m a matchmaker!” Minmin finishes cheerfully. He claps his hands under his chin, beaming. “From a loooong line of matchmakers. Seventh nakodo of the Higuchi line, sired by Higuchi Naotaro in 1986, who was sired by Higuchi Soutaro in 1790, et cetera, et cetera — we’ve been doing this for a long time, is the point.”

“Uh,” says Ricardo. Pascal is tugging at him like a rabid dog on a leash.

“We’re a big deal, in vampire society! Matchmakers, I mean, not Higuchis — but I do kind of mean Higuchis, actually, since we’re the best matchmakers. I mean, forever is a long time.” Minmin’s winding a strand of hair around his finger thoughtfully. “And there are so few of us, and we’re scattered all across the world. Humans are eeeeverywhere, so like, it’s easy for them! They can have their little meet-cutes in fucking grocery stores, y’know? And they only have to make it work for, like, fifty, sixty years, tops. We need eternity. Someone you can share every meal with. Someone who can help you out after the meal doesn’t hurt, either. And it’s a hard game.” He tilts his head a little further, and his smile widens. “If there’s someone who can make it happen for you… well. Some people would do anything.”

Pascal’s given up on escape. “Minoru is very wealthy,” he mutters.

“That’s because he has a one hundred percent success rate,” Bunji cuts in. He’s visibly swelling up with pride, his chest practically busting out of his shirt. “No one is better than him.”

“Naotaro-dono’s a little better than me, sweetie,” Minmin corrects him. “I learned from the best.”

“You’ll surpass him,” Bunji says, confidently, and Minmin cocks his head and yells “AWWWW” so loudly that Ricardo flinches.
>>
No. 909017 ID: 270774
File 154096336196.png - (80.38KB , 800x525 , 217.png )
909017

“Anywaaay,” Minmin continues, “dueling’s always been, like, my thing, for this. A little unorthodox, I know, but if it works, it works, right? Nothing like a little pressure to read the state of a relationship.” He presses the tip of one index finger into his cheek, humming. “And my verdict iiiiiiis. You two are surprisingly workable, actually!”

Bunji makes a surprised little noise in the back of his throat. “You think, Minoru?”

“Is my gut ever wrong?” Minmin laughs. “I mean, okay, obviously there are maaaaajor issues. The arm thing? Oof. You guys are gonna have problems.

“How is my arm thing a problem?!” Pascal snaps, despite his earlier insistence on non-participation. “I am trying to be a committed sire!”

“Oh, like that arm thing was about him,” Minmin scoffs. “That was all about you. Plus, like, obviously neither of you know what you want. But the point is that the chemistry is there. You can fix communication problems and personality problems. You can’t fix a lack of chemistry!”

“This is stupid anyway.” Pascal tosses his hair out of his face, fuming. “Stupid and pointless. I just beat you in a duel not to mock me, and now you will turn around and do it again!”

“What? I’m taking this seriously! Listen, I know I’m normally being a shithead, but I take matchmaking super seriously!”

“I am a Bathory!” Pascal seems genuinely upset, now, though he’s clearly trying to keep a stiff upper lip. “And so this is meaningless mockery, to me!”

Minoru’s face falls, at least for a moment. “Ohhhh. Right.” He does his best to plaster an encouraging smile back on. “But, uh, I mean, that’s why I was saying it was just for fun—”

“Minoru, you just finished saying you always take it seriously,” Bunji points out.

Ricardo’s voice cuts over all of them, low and irritable. “Does anyone want to fill me in? Never knowing what anyone is fucking talking about is getting really old.”
>>
No. 909018 ID: 270774
File 154096337925.png - (110.44KB , 800x525 , 218.png )
909018

“Oh! Oh. Right. You don’t know anything,” Minmin says, helpfully. Ricardo scowls. “Well, Bathory wards are kind of separated into three groups — right, Pascal? It’s like, emissaries, duelists, and, uh, decorative.” He gestures a little awkwardly with his phone, charms clacking. “Emissaries can marry if it’s a political arrangement that benefits the house — I’ve done a few of those — but, uhhh, the duelists and the decorative ones aren’t allowed to, ever.”

Pascal has gone quiet, picking intently at his nails. “Minoru,” says Bunji, “you’re making him uncomfortable.”

“What! Why’s that my fault? It’s all common knowledge,” Minmin says. “Anyway, I think it’s stupid, personally. But I wasn’t even talking about getting married, anyway, it was just, like, base compatibility—”

“This is not fun for me,” Pascal mutters.

“Oh, lighten up.” Minoru rolls his eyes, his mercurial attitude not needing any more prompting than that to slide back into irritability. “Whatever! That’s my assessment. A shockingly high chance of success. Strong foundation, shaky execution.” He waves one hand. “Take it or leave it.”
>>
No. 909019 ID: d887c0

>>909018
Thank Minoru for the assessment, then politely excuse an exit and take Pascal somewhere more private.
>>
No. 909020 ID: 710b13

Fret over Pascal. Tell him he's yours now, remember? That means you say what he gets to do. Might get the both of you killed, but whatever. Tell minmin you don't care about his opinion on your relationship with Pascal is, you have not dying to do.
>>
No. 909021 ID: 2826b6

okay well that was DEFINITELY worth our time. pascal doesn’t seem v happy so let’s leave these two alone for now but.. doesn’t that just make u feel all warm and fuzzy inside ricardo (lol)
also the duelist / decorative not being allowed to marry thing is pretty tucked up and on general principle we should ask him which he was later- maybe say smth about his pretty face (:<
>>
No. 909022 ID: 2826b6

OH CLARIFICATION don’t do it like legit flirty he seems;; touchy abt it and it’s not fun to act like his trauma is hot smhow i just wanna make him smile if we can
>>
No. 909023 ID: 23dc9d

Thank Minoru for all the good information, since you did get everything you asked for from him and he did a good job explaining, and go ahead and excuse yourself with Pascal.

Probably best not to really say anything to Pascal right now. Not just because poking at him would be a bad idea while he is upset right now, but also because YOU have some feelings to process on this whole ward matter. Between the stuff that Kel said and now what you've learned about being a ward, this can put you in a pretty uncomfortable power dynamic with Pascal.

So yeah, give yourself time to sort your thoughts and feelings out on the way back. Don't ignore yourself when it comes to this stuff.
>>
No. 909026 ID: 1872dc

"Well, thanks for agreeing about the arm thing. And the Bathory thing. The rest was so vague I probably could have gotten it from a fortune cookie. You keep your end of the wager and we'll be out of town soon enough."

Of course, none of that stops the blushing.
>>
No. 909057 ID: aedfd9

Awkwardly thank Minoru for providing a professional service. And quietly mutter to Pascal something reassuring about how he said he wanted to belong to you now instead of his sire, so he can do whatever he wants - whether that includes matchmaking or not. (But make it haha funny joke somehow to save his pride if he needs it.)
>>
No. 909058 ID: fef702

thank him for the thousand dollar free service - dont insult him by implying it sucked! it seems silly to you, but this is obviously a super important vampire thing from vampire society, and if you already started to make nice by not gloating dont ruin it by dissing his actual career.
tell him thanks for the explanation, and then hustle off with pascal, and apologise for making him uncomfortable a bit later when you're alone
>>
No. 909063 ID: 2b7c4e

not to be a party pooper, but: i do agree with leaving and trying to make pascal laugh, and the “you’re mine” stuff is fun for flirting (especially now that we’ve confirmed he’s definitely into it), but i don’t think we should go that route right now. i mean, what he’s upset about sounds like it’s basically overwhelming possessiveness from his sire, so being playfully possessive to try to get his mind off it sounds like a bad idea.

thank minmin, do a super masculine head nod at bunji, and then when we’re out of earshot, apologize to pascal for pushing for the assessment. if we’d known minmin was going to get all personal like that, we wouldn’t have.
>>
No. 909066 ID: 710b13

>>909063
To me the "you're mine" stuff is about reminding him that Ricardo isn't going anywhere, regardless of his "usefulness" or whatever the cradle cares about. Pascal's been lonely and isolated for ages and while Ricardo is terrible at many things he is good at stable, which is something good to remind Pascal of. Particularly because the reason Pascal gave for the arm thing was about being bound to Ricardo, I'd say that suggests he's using him as a crutch. Which when he's feeling like shit about having been decoration for the bathory house, doesn't seem like something to deny him even if it's not the most healthy.

Which, definitely worth considering that it could sound like Ricardo is being the same kind of possessive as the cradle, but I don't think it does, myself.
>>
No. 909107 ID: 9fcd43

I also don't think we should push the "you're mine" stuff right now. I mean, it's hot as hell, but especially after all that I don't think it's good for either Ricardo or Pascal. What Pascal needs to understand is that he's his own person and responsible for his own decisions, whether that's accidentally turning someone and running away from them for five years, or turning away from his house's wishes and seeking his own happiness. Might not be something he can understand fully right now, but using possessive language in a vulnerable moment just feels like a wrong step (and kind of skeevy.)
>>
No. 909113 ID: bbd8b6

Pascal, you're of House Castro or the Castro den now. Be proud of being a Castro. A new line, a new legacy.
>>
No. 909119 ID: 2791fd

>>909107
Seconded.
>>
No. 909144 ID: 329b70

when you murder his sire it'll all come out in the wash anyway. you should focus on escaping the city for now, and in the future try to learn as much as possible about pascals house
>>
No. 909182 ID: b463f2

>>909107
yes, this.

Thank Minmin, and nod cordially to Bunji, and then let's get somewhere relatively safe and quiet, where we can comfort Pascal and ourselves, and plan out where we're moving to/towards.
>>
No. 909310 ID: 270774
File 154120802966.png - (127.17KB , 800x525 , 219.png )
909310

Ricardo thinks it’s probably time to go. This has nothing to do with the fact that his ears are burning, and also nothing to do with the fact that Pascal is upset. He just thinks it’s time to go.

“Well, uh. Thanks for… that,” he says. Jacket Guy’s jacket is on the ground by his feet, and he picks it up, throwing it on without fanfare. “Not that I really get what it was supposed to do. But thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” Minmin chirps. “Hope you take it to heart!”

“Hm.” Rather than dealing with that statement, Ricardo decides to wrap up loose ends. “Hey, before we go. When you were talking about starting the misinformation tonight, you said you’d better. Why? Should we be worried?”

“Well, you should always be worried, given your situation.” Minmin’s already pulled his phone out again, and he’s tapping away at it. “But nah, I just meant, like, the sooner I start, the better. Besides, morning’s coming. I gotta start it before everyone goes to sleep.”

“Huh. Okay. And the other thing—” Great, here’s another question that’s going to make him feel kind of stupid. “There’s other information I want to find. Is there some kind of — I don’t know. Some kind of … vampire darkweb?”

Minmin looks up from his phone, eyebrows raised, and then laughs. “Baby, I’m the vampire darkweb.” He lifts one hand, twiddling his fingers breezily. “I’ll text you, I’ll text you. But I’m guessing whatever you’re asking isn’t part of the wager, so it’s not gonna be freeeeee! Ahahaha.”
>>
No. 909311 ID: 270774
File 154120804665.png - (145.56KB , 800x525 , 220.png )
909311

That seems like a pretty firm goodbye, so Ricardo turns his attention to Bunji. His shitty old man cardigan is still on the ground by the ring, so Ricardo bends down to retrieve it, shoving it out at arm’s length. “Here.”

There’s a beat before Bunji yanks it out of his hand. “Thank you,” he says, stiffly.

“Yeah.”

They stand there. Ricardo hates eye contact, but doesn’t want to be the first one to look away.

“Okay,” Bunji says. “See you.”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.”

“You guys know you don’t have to do that, right,” says Minmin. “Someone can just have the last word. You aren’t gonna die.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“God,” says Minmin.
>>
No. 909312 ID: 270774
File 154120806016.png - (95.93KB , 800x525 , 221.png )
909312

Ricardo cannot and will not drag socialization out any longer than this, and Pascal is already turning away. He raises his hand, one short wave, before catching up with him. Pascal seems drained, his steps slow and slightly unsteady, and Ricardo doesn’t know whether to offer his arm again or not.

He walks in silence at first, both because he doesn’t know what to say, and because even if he did, he’s not sure Pascal would want to hear it. And he has a lot of his own thoughts to go through.

Ricardo thinks about how he’s feeling, which is not something he normally does.
>>
No. 909313 ID: 270774
File 154120808076.png - (185.11KB , 800x525 , 222.png )
909313

The fact that vampiric society is fucked up is something he already knew. He knew it from the beginning, when other vampires first found him. He knew it when they crushed the rush of relief he felt by telling him they were only there to tell him to shut up, get himself together, and stop stirring up their hunting grounds. He knew it when they refused to help him, or explain anything beyond the absolute basics — and even then, only the basics that benefited them. Drink Blood. Don’t Alert Humans. Don’t Bother Us.

But he’d assumed, at that time, that it was only fucked up for him. It was him against the world, and in this case “the world” was this exclusive club of vampires who had sires, vampires who grew up within society, vampires who snickered at him behind his back and to his face, who hoped with no demurral that he’d give up and die. He’d imagined Pascal at the crux of all this, a shrouded figure on a pedestal, laughing at the joke that everyone was in on but him —
>>
No. 909314 ID: 270774
File 154120810428.png - (144.60KB , 800x525 , 223.png )
909314

And instead found someone on the other side of the crowd, pushed as far against the wall as he was, who laughs more at himself than anything else.

The change in perspective is frustrating because it isn’t easy. It throws a wrench in everything and yet manages not to make any of it feel any better. He’s still livid, still feels betrayed, still finds himself brimming with resentment at every turn, and now he has nothing to do with all of it, because he knows that if he turned it on Pascal the way he initially intended to, his sire would probably just laugh, and take it, and tell him he was right. It doesn’t help that he’s found he has an incomprehensible, visceral reaction to Pascal being upset in the first place — an immediate need to stop it, an urge that he’s dismissing as irritation for now, but he doesn’t know how long he can maintain that excuse, and he doesn’t know what’s going to replace it at the breaking point.
>>
No. 909315 ID: 270774
File 154120811801.png - (166.04KB , 800x525 , 224.png )
909315

Ricardo decides that thinking about his feelings is bullshit.
>>
No. 909316 ID: 270774
File 154120813561.png - (92.50KB , 800x525 , 225.png )
909316

He’s jerked out of his train of thought by Pascal stumbling beside him, the other’s hand catching at his sleeve to keep himself upright. He comes to a stop, looking down at him. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Oh! Just tired.” Pascal sways back upright, but his hand is white-knuckled at his shoulder. “I will have to feed again tomorrow, I think. What a waste.”

His voice is distant, and just slightly off. Ricardo recalls the way he fell quiet during the assessment, and he feels a twinge of something that could be related to guilt. Still, he can’t bring himself to apologize. Not right now. “If I’d known Minoru was going to get that personal,” he says instead, slowly, “I wouldn’t have gone ahead with it.”

“You are still thinking about that?” Pascal lets out a breathy, distracted laugh. “I told you, it’s nonsense. The only marriages to important vampires are the political ones.” He hasn’t let go of Ricardo’s sleeve yet, even though they’ve stopped walking. “They say Minmin’s specialty is making political matches that fulfill the needs of the sires, while still being a match of true love, so that the wards will be happy, and not feel forced.”

“You don’t sound convinced,” Ricardo observes.

“Hm. What I think is that he has only been the successor of his family’s business for twenty years, and that there is still plenty of time for these matches he has made to become unhappy.” They’re over the bridge, close to the apartment. Pascal’s eyes are gliding over a line of yellowed streetlights. “All the time in the world.”

Ricardo has the distinct feeling that the topic of the conversation has been wrestled out of his hands and replaced with a lookalike. “Well,” he finally says, “I didn’t know it was going to upset you.”

“Psh. To upset me. What is to upset me.” Pascal makes a vague gesture with his free hand. “I cannot be upset that you do not know these things — and then that you want to know about them, and then that you find out about them in ways I don’t like. It is my fault.”
>>
No. 909319 ID: b1b4f3

>>909316
Well... I guess it is. It can stop today though. Gonna be a lot of infodumps over the next few days.
>>
No. 909322 ID: 2826b6

..well, he’s not wrong, but agreeing w him isn’t gonna help. just say maybe he can fill you in on more you need to know tomorrow..? it’d be nice to help him hunt too since he got hurt for our sake
>>
No. 909330 ID: bb78f2

>>909316
Ok, night goals done. All that's left is to fuck each other to sleep and get sex advice from Pascal.

It's obvious enough you two are going to bone, so lets slice through the tension and ask the master the most important thing. Teach me to FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK.
>>
No. 909334 ID: 4eb168

its been a long night. maybe change the subject to something like your game plan for leaving the city. will the brooklyn den have you?
>>
No. 909335 ID: 924dd3

Laugh a little at him trying to talk himself out of being upset by saying it's his own fault. Pretty sure it doesn't work like that. Could give him a hint next time something like that happens though, if he's going to explain later what the fuck other vampires are on about. You're just tired of being on the outside looking in, if Pascal is gonna let you in then you can wait until they don't have sparkly gossips and their husbands around.

Also, while a woe is Pascal party is a little justified given the whole arm thing... He's not being fair to say "oh boo hoo I'm so sad and Pascal and because I am sad and Pascal I will always mess things up so sad for you tragic mistake of mine" because take some damned responsibility, jfc. Might not be the time to get into all of that but it's definitely starting to look like a pattern.
>>
No. 909338 ID: aedfd9

Hey. I care about you. As a... travelling partner. So I care that you're upset. And I need you. For teaching me things. Like how to hunt. It's good that we're hunting again tomorrow, so you can teach me more about that, and what to do afterwards.

(Also Ricardo should wrap his arm around Pascal's waist, either in a sweet way or a sexy way)
>>
No. 909350 ID: afe8a7

well, we're partners now. you can trust us to have your back in battle, so we're trusting you to tell us what's important in vampire society. first though, lets make a travel plan and get some rest. and get pascal some breakfast when you wake up. does pascal have any ideas of where to go?
>>
No. 909365 ID: eb91b2

>>909334
kel told the cradle lackeys theyre going to new york. so, they cannot go to new york.

put. put an arm around pascal, gently, gently. lean closer, as if you're lowkey supporting him so he doesnt fall over, which you are. gently. tenderly.

>>909350
sound plan!
>>
No. 909375 ID: 1872dc

Yeah well, we've got enough for one night. Just keep teaching us and eventually we'll make up lost time. For now we can focus on travel plans and then getting some sleep.
>>
No. 909377 ID: 7825e6

>>909316
The only way to make sure we don’t find out about sensitive stuff in a way that’s going to hurt your feelings is to tell us about it yourself. If you’re not comfortable with that, that’s fine, but it means you have to get comfortable with the idea of us finding out from other people instead.

Anyway, that’s enough angst from both of you. Sling Pascal over your shoulder and get back to the apartment for some rest.

(On this subject, this is definitely not a topic for tonight, but we should follow our own advice. If Teddy is going to keep coming up, we should admit to Pascal that we know more about him than we’re letting on due to reading the letters, and the sooner we tell him the better our chances of him reacting well. It could be really bad if we keep acting like we don’t have that information and he finds out by accident later.)
>>
No. 909383 ID: bb78f2

Oh hey, Pascal, can we try to take over the human world once we're done with the Bathory's? Honestly, it's always good to have something to look forward to after your first goal is done, makes the first goal easier to accomplish.

I was thinking making our very own vampire Illuminati. Try and save the planet and themselves from humanity's own stupidity. Sounds like a chore to a Vampire like you, and generic as fuck, but its open ended enough where we can stretch our legs and it won't really end until we die. Like taking care of the house.

Lets go hunt and kill some Nazi's or something tomorrow, to start. Bad idea? Fun idea?
>>
No. 909407 ID: 70df1e

>>909377
i agree we GOTTA come clean about teddy. we read those letters and we gotta own up to it. i mean pascal just said that he couldn't be mad at us for looking for information that he wouldn't provide... but no this was really just a bad call on our part and we went through his shit so i say own up and apologize and face the consequences so that we can get this journey started with some HONESTY and TRUST

if pascal forgives us lets start up some travel plans and figure out where we ought to go next. we should go meet up with kel, right? or is kel coming to us? i forget. but either way getting out of the city and away from new york is a must. europe is right out too because of the cradle so we should probably head west or south.
>>
No. 909408 ID: 70df1e

>>909407
clarification: not wouldn't provide but like, didn't. like in regards to us looking for information i dont know how to word this right but we are in the wrong at least as far as teddy goes
>>
No. 909421 ID: 23dc9d

Honestly I actually disagree with bringing up the Teddy thing at the moment. As mentioned in the first comment that suggested it this is NOT THE NIGHT FOR THAT with everything else that has happened and is sore. Focus on moving forward for now and getting adequate rest/food.

If Teddy keeps coming up, yeah then it would be good to bring it up perhaps. But right now its way better to keep this in the back of your mind. Everyone is already incredibly mentally exhausted and at the moment it would be adding fuel to the mentally exhausted fire.
>>
No. 909455 ID: 9fcd43

>>909407
Absolutely this. I agree that this probably isn't the time, but as soon as Pascal's rested and had some food, we need to come clean. There's a chance he knows already, given how long Ricardo took in the bathroom; he might even have smelled Ricardo's scent on the box or something, no idea if vampires can do that, but it still feels like a really bad thing to have hanging over the budding relationship.

Cuddles and sleep for now. Better spend the day protectively curled around Pascal in bed. You know, in case any Cradle vamps surprise us and we need to defend ourselves.
>>
No. 909534 ID: 270774
File 154134812790.png - (102.32KB , 800x525 , 226.png )
909534

Ricardo rolls his eyes. “Is that pity party actually making you feel any better?”

“What?” For a second, Pascal sounds put off — but then he laughs, again, as always. “You know, not really.”

“Yeah, so cut it out.” He’s walking too slow. Ricardo leans over and slips his arm around Pascal’s waist, prompting a little noise of surprise from him, and then unceremoniously slings him over his shoulder, which prompts a scream. “It’s simple. If you don’t want me finding stuff out on my own time, then you just have to tell me first.”

“Hey! How can you do this to me? I am ten times your age!” Pascal is kicking and squirming, but in his current state, he might as well be a human. Ricardo can keep a grip on him with no effort. “Cacat! Put me down! Disrespectful!” He knees Ricardo in the pec, and it feels like nothing. “I turn into jackal and make piss in your shoes!”

“Knock yourself out.”
>>
No. 909535 ID: 270774
File 154134814462.png - (98.83KB , 800x525 , 227.png )
909535

A little further, and the apartment is in sight. Up one flight of stairs, through the destroyed doorway, and he dumps Pascal onto the bed. Pascal splutters, hissing like an enraged cat, as he rights himself amidst the sheets. Ricardo already knows Pascal’s face well enough to know that if he hadn’t been drained of blood, he’d be fully flushed with anger.

I even miss how you get mad and cry over nothing, says an unbidden voice in the back of his head, and Ricardo tenses a little. Shit. It occurs to him that if he’s going to demand that Pascal be straightforward and open, he’d probably better lead. When he first read the love letters, he’d known the guy for ten minutes, and he’d come here to kill him — so whatever. He doesn’t particularly feel like he did anything wrong. But Ricardo’s not an idiot, and sitting on this while overhearing everyone dance around the subject of the letters — and acting like he doesn’t know what any of them are talking about — can only blow up in his face. It needs to be taken care of.

He glances over at Pascal, who is still glaring daggers at him. Not tonight. Soon, but absolutely not tonight.

“We should figure out a plan,” he says instead. He turns away to kind of awkwardly prop the broken door back against the doorframe. “First things first, we should hunt again tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Pascal still sounds irritable, but he’s cooperating with the topic change, at least. “Ugh. Such a waste. I’m completely sober now, do you know that? All the tequila we drink is now splatter on the ground back there.” He makes a wet noise with his mouth, and Ricardo clenches his jaw to stop himself from snorting. “You are, too, right?” Pascal continues. Ricardo blinks, and then takes personal inventory. He’s right, actually. “Is not the same as losing blood from an injury, but to use your affinity so much will drain you, too. And when we travel we will want to be fully fed, in case something happen.”

“Both of us, then,” Ricardo agrees. He sits down on the floor to unlace his boots. “You can teach me a little more. About…” He’s floundering. He’s trying to be nice. He’s trying to communicate that he thinks of them as partners, now. “About hunting,” he finally says, a little flatly. “And what to do after.”

“What to do after? You know what to do after.” Pascal pulls his shirt over his head, snickering — as soon as the collar is off, his pendant falls through and hits his chest, followed by his hair exploding around his face again in bouncy curls. “Ricardo, you are so bad at talking that I never know if you are trying to charm me, or if you just do not think before you speak.”
>>
No. 909536 ID: 270774
File 154134816556.png - (136.01KB , 800x525 , 228.png )
909536

Ricardo’s not touching that one. “And we should figure out where we’re going, too.”

“Oh, shit,” says Pascal.

Ricardo looks up, finds that Pascal is trying to peel himself out of his leather pants, and looks down again. “What?”

“We did not think to ask Minoru what he would be saying about us. Or to give him guidelines for what we want him to say,” Pascal points out, and Ricardo curses under his breath. He’s right, and it’s a massive oversight on their part. “We cannot go anywhere he will tell lies and say we have gone — how stupid, to be caught because we accidentally made a lie true.”

“I can text him in the morning,” Ricardo says. “I got his number.”

“Then we will decide, when he has finished his work. Pula mea, these will not come off. I don’t care.” Pascal flops over on the bed, his pants and heels still on. “And we cannot go anywhere where you made a fuss while looking for me, probably. When we get a list from Minmin, I will assume anywhere else you suggest is a place you have not been.”

“Mm.” Ricardo pulls his own shirt over his head, too, and kicks his jeans off. “Do you know anyone else besides Kel?” A split second of hesitation. “Would the Brooklyn den have us?”

“Stupid boy,” Pascal mumbles, from within the pile of blankets. “Kel has already sent the Cradle hunters there. We would not be able to go even if they would have us.”

Pascal goes quiet for a moment, that kind of pensive silence he takes up sometimes, that feels less like a pause to be filled and more like continued conversation in its own right. Ricardo waits. “Ricardo,” he finally says — and he sounds reluctant, but he continues. “I will say this, just in case. Only because we do not know what will happen, not because I think we will need this. But… if something were to happen. To me. And I could not get back to you, or you could not come to me.”

His hands are folded across his chest, and they part to toy with the pendant idly as he talks. His face is turned away. “You have a way to talk to Kel, and you can ask her to have you talk to a man named Jim. And if you give my name, and you have nowhere else to go, the Brooklyn den will have you.” He sighs, a little forcefully. “Maybe they will not be friendly to you! Ahaha. But, euhhh… they will keep you safe. They will not let anything happen to you. And if it is needed, they will finish your wardship in my stead.”

He lifts his hands, a helpless little gesture, then lets them flop back down on his chest again. “But like I say, this is for emergencies only. This is if I am not around at all.”
>>
No. 909537 ID: aedfd9

Memorise this information quietly, then HELP! HIM! OUT! OF! HIS! LEATHER! PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!
>>
No. 909539 ID: a6e537

nod. or grunt, whatever.

then ask if he wants (not needs) help with his clothes. if yes, take off his heels and uh. the pants. im thinking you could grab the waistband and pull toward his feet, turning the pants inside out? would that work?
>>
No. 909540 ID: a6e537

also hes pretty banged up, so be gentle and careful not to accidentally remove his feet or something bc that would be. bad.
>>
No. 909545 ID: c1be4a

Take off his shoes first and then gesture at the pants,,
>>
No. 909546 ID: b1b4f3

>>909540
Hello? Vampire regeneration?
>>
No. 909557 ID: 9d1da6

>>909539
Yes, this. Though I sorta wonder about having sex with him without talking about the Teddie thing, feels a little duplicitous. Maybe extract him from pants and then initiate cuddling, rather than sex.

>>909546
Kinda think pulling his feet off would kill the mood
>>
No. 909567 ID: 70df1e

absolutely no sex until we come clean with pascal about teddy. honest relationships only final destination horniness on lockdown

bundle him up in a blanket burrito
>>
No. 909578 ID: e18fd5

>>909557
>>909567
It’s absolutely true that the Teddy thing could snowball VERY badly and it needs to be nipped in the bud, but at this moment in time I don’t think it’s actually a big enough deal to be a moral quandary. Like Ricardo said, he did the snooping when he’d only known Pascal a few minutes. If he’d looked at the letters later, like now that he knows what a sensitive subject it is, or if he kept overhearing conversations or God forbid asking questions about it while having this information, that would be the point at which I’d say sex would have to be on hold. But right now I think it’s a pretty small transgression, it’s just that we have to say something about it before it becomes a big one.

Aside from all that, though: Let’s not get so distracted by Pascal’s sexy little leather pants that we forget to pursue the jackal comment! Is a jackal his main form, the one he chose instead of the bat? Why? We can ask this stuff while carefully helping him with his pants.
>>
No. 909584 ID: 8681e2

>>909578
The thing is consider how it will look after the fact. Like, Ricardo goes to pound town with Pascal, then when they wake up the next evening he's like "btdubs I read those letters in your bathroom, soz" to me that would be a hell of a betrayal to have sex with someone while not telling them something which will feel like a betrayal to them. Pascal has been uncomfortable to losing his shit every time someone has brought up Teddie, there is no way this is going to go down well.
>>
No. 909601 ID: 20bb6a

Okay everyone is concerned with banging Pascal but I would like to point out that Fractal said on a curiouscat answer that vampires can't get their dick up if they don't have enough blood, so thinking about boning right now is a bit of a moot point anyway.
>>
No. 909609 ID: 2791fd

>>909601
this. help him out of his pants but just go to cuddletown
>>
No. 909618 ID: cbf015

..especially considering he just brought up the brooklyn den i don’t think we’ll get a better lead in to the convo. definitely he’ll him w his pants if he doesn’t get rly rightfully upset @ you
>>
No. 909619 ID: 9fcd43

>>909567
>>909609
This, yes. Protective cuddles if he wants/accepts them. There'll be all the time in the world for wild passionate camping sex while evading capture, and after we've done some more communicating.
>>
No. 909637 ID: 329b70

its been a long night, maybe mellow things out by talking about what cities either of you have never visited, to plan your escape route
>>
No. 909640 ID: c375e8

we can't be horny we need to tell him we read the letters... RIP our dick but. we Gotta
>>
No. 909652 ID: 270774
File 154140132246.png - (102.41KB , 800x525 , 229.png )
909652

Ricardo walks over to the bed and sits on the edge. “Do you, uh. Want help with that?”

Pascal lifts his head just enough to give him a look. “Do you want to help?”

Ricardo takes that as a green light and pulls Pascal’s feet into his lap, to unlace his shoes. “Gonna turn into a jackal, huh?”

“Oh.” Pascal snorts, extending his legs one at a time to help Ricardo pull his heels off. “Yes. The only thing I can do.”

Ricardo slides his fingers under the waistband of Pascal’s pants. He recalls, grimly, that Pascal isn’t wearing underwear. “Why’d you pick that instead of the bat?”

“Oh. Stupid. It’s so stupid.” Pascal lifts his hips as Ricardo inches the leather off, one hand laid lightly over his face. “There are jackals, you know, in the Romanian forests, and I thought they were so beautiful and mysterious. But I can’t do it right! I am all black, when I am a jackal, because my hair is black, and I don’t know how else to do it.” He sighs. “But, anyway. Also I had this little black dog, when I was human, who came on hunts with me, and I missed it. Dogs are scared of vampires, you know, and I couldn’t have one ever again, and I was so sad about this. And…”

He trails off for a second. Ricardo is very, very slowly working his pants off, because it’s occurred to him that at some point Pascal’s dick will be out, and he’ll have to stare at his dick the entire time he’s peeling his pants off his legs, and he’s putting it off. “It’s stupid,” Pascal says again, softly. “I thought that… a black dog is so terrible an omen. And maybe, when I was let out of the castle to hunt on my own, maybe humans would see a black dog, and they would run away.”

As Ricardo peels Pascal’s pants down, he finds that, mercifully, Pascal moves to cover himself with one hand. “I was naive,” he laughs. “It didn’t matter anyway. Decorative wards do not hunt.” Ricardo tries not to focus on the sensation of his palms moving down Pascal’s thighs. “And anyway, I did not stay so resistant to feeding on humans, for very long. And humans did not stay so superstitious. Now, when a human sees a black dog, alone at night, do you know what they do? They try to touch me! Disrespectful.”
>>
No. 909653 ID: 270774
File 154140134344.png - (120.82KB , 800x525 , 230.png )
909653

Once Ricardo gets Pascal’s pants off, Pascal is completely naked, soft and pliant underneath him. He exhales, keeping his eyes firmly on one of the twists of fabric in the sheet beside Pascal’s head.

For all that he’d thought about while undressing him, for all the places his mind wandered — he thinks about the way Pascal’s face contorted when Minoru brought Teddy up. And in spite of himself, in spite of everything, he can’t make himself do anything more.

He flops on top of Pascal instead, arms on either side of his head. “Ow,” says Pascal, immediately. “Ricardo, you are heavy.

Ricardo doesn’t reply. There’s a beat. Pascal narrows his eyes. “What. Is that it.”

“What do you mean, ‘is that it,’” Ricardo growls.

“Well.” Pascal seems to be figuring out what to do with his hands. Eventually, they slide up Ricardo’s shoulderblades. “I was thinking, for you to go out of your way to undress me like this, probably you are trying to fuck me.”

Ricardo is so hard that he feels like his stupid fucking dick is going to shoot off his body like a bottle rocket. “Nope,” he says, through gritted teeth. “I’m good.”

“Hm.” Ricardo can feel Pascal’s gaze moving inquisitively over his face, even though he doesn’t open his eyes. “Well. Okay, then.” His hands curl, absently, half of a fond scratching motion over Ricardo’s back. “Probably it is for the best! Like I said, all my blood is gone anyway, ahaha. And we have an early day tomorrow. Probably I will get you up before it’s even dark outside.”

“Pascal,” says Ricardo, his voice strained. “Go the fuck to sleep.”

“Okay, okay.” Pascal closes his eyes. Ricardo tries to sync their breathing.

“Ricardo?”

Fucking christ. “What.”

“Good night.”
>>
No. 909654 ID: 2e3701

Kiss him on his hair, say "night"
>>
No. 909662 ID: 1872dc

Move your hands to places that could be mistaken for a hug and say "night".
>>
No. 909664 ID: cbf015

hair kiss GOOD also yes tell him good night!! and if you can get away with it something sappy about tomorrow;; he is so pretty
>>
No. 909666 ID: bd241b

jaws of life that dick outta them pants
>>
No. 909669 ID: b463f2

"Night..." and hair nuzzle as you fall asleep....
>>
No. 909670 ID: e1d580

Begin the grand bonding ritual of couples the world over. Dutch oven him and never stop laughing about it.
>>
No. 909673 ID: 5fe5cd

>>909654
HAIRKISS

Also oh no Pascal...
its not stupid - at the time, you wanted to protect humans, and tried your best even though you didn't succeed. with the context of your intentions, its not stupid. sure, maybe its a terrible idea, but stupid? naw.

maybe...maybe ricardo can help him become a proper jackal? maybe he can talk Pascal through it or something
>>
No. 909688 ID: aedfd9

S P O O N.

Think about how Pascal was raised to be a decorative ward, but he's survived for so long mostly on his own and is capable enough he's able to teach *you* how to hunt. No wonder he didn't feel confident enough to stick around at the beginning, he probably never expected to make his own ward ever. He wasn't trained to be responsible, or even self-sufficient.
>>
No. 909689 ID: aedfd9

S P O O N.

Think about how Pascal was raised to be a decorative ward, but he's survived for so long mostly on his own and is capable enough he's able to teach *you* how to hunt. No wonder he didn't feel confident enough to stick around at the beginning, he probably never expected to make his own ward ever. He wasn't trained to be responsible, or even self-sufficient.
>>
No. 909691 ID: 270774
File 154144721179.png - (135.97KB , 800x525 , 231.png )
909691

Ricardo presses his face into the soft curls piled at the side of Pascal’s head. Pascal smells like iron, and heavy, deep perfume, and faintly, the scent of powdery makeup.

“Night,” he mutters. Pascal shifts under him, and he accommodates, arms circling — and it’s not an embrace, he’s just keeping the other still. Pascal doesn’t respond. He’s still and unbreathing beneath him, and all Ricardo can hear is the slow movement of his remaining blood, with no heartbeat driving it, a ceaseless flow like a river’s. He’s already asleep, so Ricardo presses his lips into his hair, and then wills exhaustion to take him before he can think about why he did it.
>>
No. 909693 ID: 270774
File 154144722542.png - (9.24KB , 800x525 , 232.png )
909693

Ricardo is sleeping beside his sire. Does he have a vision of the past, the present, or the future?

A vision of the past will be clear and detailed, and is guaranteed to be accurate; but it will be unclear exactly when the vision occurred, and there will be nothing you can do about it — after all, it’s already happened.

A vision of the present will draw from three days: the night before, this night, and the coming night. It is guaranteed to be accurate, but may be distorted in ways that are misleading, and it will be unclear in what order the events shown occurred.

A vision of the future will be detailed and extremely abstract. It is only guaranteed to be accurate based on the network of events as they exist currently, because your actions moving forward may alter the flow of time; but perhaps this opportunity for change can be useful.

>>
No. 909695 ID: 9d08bf

can i get uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh present
>>
No. 909696 ID: 7f7983

future; more useful for us to get a sense of something we could have control over
>>
No. 909697 ID: 695906

future; at least we'll have some idea of what might be coming
>>
No. 909698 ID: 9dad72

I vote future
>>
No. 909699 ID: 6c6bdf

present!
>>
No. 909700 ID: 2a91de

Past, having an accurate vision is the least likely to lead us astray and maybe we'll get some damned context for all the bullshit and whispering that's been going on
>>
No. 909701 ID: 2c4ef2

Past! Let us get some deets about Ricardo's life!
>>
No. 909702 ID: 6cf958

Future--the most interesting option and the most likely to lead us into difficult and therefore entertaining situations
>>
No. 909703 ID: df3dfa

my vote’s for the future
>>
No. 909704 ID: e9f876

future! no point in dwelling, you gotta keep moving forward
>>
No. 909706 ID: f0088f

i vote past! our pasts shape our future, and are set, and our future is malleable by our actions. with our past, we know exactly what's happening and we might be able to use it to shape our future.
>>
No. 909708 ID: cfe5c7

Past. Don't want to get too confused with things that might not even happen!
>>
No. 909709 ID: b693b8

ouuuu i vote,,, past. it might give us insight into our future!
>>
No. 909711 ID: c375e8

present
>>
No. 909712 ID: dac147

mmmmm present
>>
No. 909713 ID: aedfd9

Present; we're in immediate danger, we need immediate info
>>
No. 909714 ID: ded7a1

hmmm i vote past
>>
No. 909715 ID: cbf015

past or present!
>>
No. 909716 ID: 6a74d0

present!
>>
No. 909726 ID: 0f15ab

Present!
>>
No. 909727 ID: bdbe3e

past, lets get some lore
>>
No. 909731 ID: 7c1ffe

Future for weird cryptic dreams!
>>
No. 909732 ID: 6432c3

The future feels far too mutable to be useful right now. A glimpse of the present, given the danger we're in, seems prudent.
>>
No. 909736 ID: 23dc9d

I vote present. Past could be too far back considering vampire ages that it may not be relevent anymore, especially in potentially a bad way. And the future vision sounds too abstract and mutable to be useful.

A vision of the present may give us useful information about what other vampires are doing and planning at this time. Might be good for planning what we should do next tomorrow.
>>
No. 909738 ID: 0dd477

i like the idea of present tbh!
>>
No. 909743 ID: 5271ee

past!
>>
No. 909744 ID: a307f1

Present or past!
>>
No. 909746 ID: e1d580

The future of the past, so like still the future just a bit less futurey
>>
No. 909747 ID: b8bc91

present! maybe we'll get a glimpse of who is actively hunting us, and some clues about how to avoid them.
>>
No. 909749 ID: 8a095e

present!
>>
No. 909754 ID: a19924

present!
>>
No. 909755 ID: e5a926

Past! More ricardo content for the soul
>>
No. 909763 ID: afaf65

we’re already going to get info on the people hunting us from minmin tomorrow. but more importantly, i think future will be the coolest-looking vision, so obviously we should do that
>>
No. 909773 ID: 1872dc

Present please
>>
No. 909777 ID: 5e7e41

past!
>>
No. 909778 ID: bd241b

vote for present
>>
No. 909789 ID: 9fcd43

Present or future; I feel like an accurate vision of the next night will be more useful than an abstract vision of something that might not even end up happening, but both would be handy to know.
>>
No. 909796 ID: b463f2

past or present! I'm split on lore vs. current info, which we're pretty short on, the former sounds emotionally intriguing, the latter more Useful for deciding our paths right now.
>>
No. 909827 ID: 2791fd

present! future is fun but present is more directly useful
>>
No. 909832 ID: 093a8b

future
>>
No. 909837 ID: a649da

PASCAL WASH OFF YOUR MAKEUP

hmm....future vision! present is cool but future will be the most useful, as long as we can interpret it right
>>
No. 909850 ID: e3a778

Future! I agree that we’ll get plenty of info on the current situation from Minmin.
>>
No. 909882 ID: 7a4f32

auuugh present; as much as i would adore ricardo lore, i think we need to think strategically abt the here and now.

is picking just for the audience and guided by the hand of g-d or does ricardo have an affinity for clairvoyance/mysticism? can you have more than one affinity?
>>
No. 910022 ID: 270774
Audio present.mp3 - (2.49MB )
910022

darkness - v.k.
>>
No. 910023 ID: 270774
File 154173873079.png - (232.16KB , 800x525 , 233.png )
910023

The Staatsoper rises, imperious and white-columned, into the crisp Vienna night.

Within it, ringed by red velvet and gold railings, a high C rings out, pushed with force and passion from the strong lungs of the soprano standing alone in the center of the stage; and as her breath cuts off, there’s the sound of shattering glass from the VIP box closest to the stage.

“New York? NEW YORK?!”

>>
No. 910024 ID: 270774
File 154173875014.png - (203.04KB , 800x525 , 234.png )
910024

“Constantin, please.” The box is dark, and the second voice sounds equal parts bored and indulgent. “We’re in public.”

You’ve never heard this language spoken — and yet, you know it’s Hungarian, and you understand every word. Broken glass catches the light on the floor, and so do curls of heavy burgundy hair. “He has a particular talent for making me angry!” Heaved, obsolete breaths. The vampires lining the back of the box, standing behind the chairs, are pressing themselves silently back against the curtain. “He does it on PURPOSE! Did he learn nothing?”

“You’re spoiling the aria,” says the second voice, a bit more sternly this time. A sigh. “I’ve told you before. When you discipline your wards based on your whims, you can’t then complain that they’re as unpredictable as you are.”

“I want him back NOW. This is obscene.” Constantin slumps back into his chair, legs spread, heeled shoes dug into the carpet over a glittering layer of wine glass shards. “This is disgusting.”

“I told you already, I’ve sent wards. They’re waiting for backup as we speak.” The second speaker takes slow steps to Constantin’s side, but doesn’t sit. He lowers his voice, addressing the ward standing behind Constantin’s chair. “Can’t you see your sire is upset? Clean that up.”

The ward kneels, long-nailed fingers carefully plucking glass fragments from the wine-soaked carpet. “Backup,” Constantin scoffs. “For what? For a nest of urchins? Are your wards so useless, Cecil?”

“I don’t intend to empty out my toolbox simply because your toybox is missing a piece.” Cecil is dressed in white, and his hands twitch fitfully as he crosses his arms. “But if you’re going to be a nuisance about it —”

>>
No. 910025 ID: 270774
File 154173877534.png - (124.96KB , 800x525 , 235.png )
910025

When the ward kneeling under the chair stands up, his cupped hands full of broken glass, your silent heart leaps into your throat.

You feel sick.

>>
No. 910026 ID: 270774
File 154173879692.png - (71.50KB , 800x525 , 236.png )
910026

You haven’t seen this skyline in decades. It’s changed, but it still makes your heart ache.

Two vampires are sitting on a rooftop — one standing, the other dangling their legs.

“Ain’t this a bite,” says the standing vampire. “The boss got us all cranked to come out here, we show up chrome-plated, and whadda we get for it? It’s deadsville. What’s he talkin’ about sending Cleve and Var out here for, anyway? He think we’re not up for it? That’s got me fuckin’ frosted.”

“Rex,” says the other vampire. They’ve got a keychain in their hand, and their phone out to illuminate the screen on it. “I don’t know what you’re fucking saying.”

>>
No. 910027 ID: 270774
File 154173880820.png - (156.65KB , 800x525 , 237.png )
910027

“Don’t be so cold, Specs.” He drops to a seated position beside them, peering over their shoulder at the keychain. “How’s Rex Jr.?”

“I told you that’s not his name.” There’s a long pause, punctuated only by the sounds of traffic below, and faint beeps as the smaller vampire presses buttons. The wind picks up. “He’s shitting like a demon.”

>>
No. 910028 ID: 270774
File 154173883292.png - (136.81KB , 800x525 , 238.png )
910028

“I don’t mean in any way to diminish the … intense emotional distress you’re currently feeling,” murmurs Cecil. The sheets shift under his tensed hands, and his face doesn’t change. “But —”
>>
No. 910029 ID: 270774
File 154173884752.png - (124.97KB , 800x525 , 239.png )
910029

“SHIT!”

Rex falls back against the brick, one arm instinctively flung out towards his partner — as if he could cover them from halfway across the alley. “Jonquil! You alright, buddy?”

“Aces,” Jonquil spits. The words leave their mouth accompanied by blood. They’re riddled with bulletholes. “I mean it. It’s not silver.” Their hand moves in one violent movement, and crushed metal casings scatter across the ground, thrown from their body in a wide, arced splatter across the ground. Rex hesitates. They look up and bark orders. “GO! GET THE DOORS OFF!”

>>
No. 910030 ID: 270774
File 154173887668.png - (155.07KB , 800x525 , 240.png )
910030

“No need for that, boys.” The vampire standing in the double doors flexes her fingers along the grips of her Tommy guns. “If you Cradle scum wanted to get inside, ya coulda just asked nicely for an invitation.”

There’s a rolling wave of chuckles from behind her, the metallic clicks of more guns being leveled. Rex is closing the distance, one arm held back and tense, and she cracks her neck. “So here’s a nice Brooklyn welcome for ya!”

>>
No. 910031 ID: 270774
File 154173888783.png - (120.12KB , 800x525 , 241.png )
910031

“You have threescore wards who look exactly like him.”

Constantin’s fangs glint wetly in the candlelight. Cecil’s hand is firm and unyielding at his nape. “Why all this hysteria over ONE of them?” A punitive tug backwards. “Just kill him and be done with it. This tires me. It drains my resources.”

He takes a few hissing breaths before he can speak. The thumbnail of Cecil’s other hand breaks skin at his hip.

“Because, my dear duke.” Constantin’s mouth stays open, but it’s warped, now, into a smile. “Because despite everything, I feel —” A hiss, a sigh. Cecil’s eyes stay lidded and dull. “I feel that in his heart, however deep it’s buried — Pascal Cosovei still hates me.”

That, finally, gets a reaction. Eyebrows lifted a millimeter. Constantin is out of breath.

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No. 910032 ID: 270774
File 154173891193.png - (21.01KB , 800x525 , 242.png )
910032

“And what could be more exciting than that?”

You don’t want to hear any more.
>>
No. 910034 ID: 270774

END OF CHAPTER ONE
>>
No. 910054 ID: 270774

CHAPTER TWO: https://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/910050.html
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