for isnt_the_same

[chesstotem]

The night Ariadne met Aubrey, things didn't turn out as they were supposed to. It started out just fine - they met in the bar they'd agreed on, chatted inside for a while about nonsense like the weather, then stepped outside to talk business.

It was as though the dark figure had been waiting for them - Aubrey was right in the middle of a sentence when suddenly a tall figure swooped in out of nowhere and descended on her like a rabid dog. Ariadne screamed as the person - thing - whatever it was - ripped her throat out, and the next thing she knew she was running blindly back towards the street, something warm trickling down her temple. The time that followed was fuzzy - she knew she must've ran for a while, because she was out of breath, but then she was in a cab (the cabbie was giving her a funny look, maybe to do with that warm trickle), and then she was at a hotel, getting more funny looks as she stumbled into the elevator.

Then she was pounding on Arthur's door, praying to whatever gods might be listening that he was inside.

Comments

[chesstotem]

"Do... Do you enjoy it? I mean, what's it like? Is it just sustenance for you?"

[isnt_the_same]

"You get hungry, don't you? So you feed yourself and get full. It's like that. But do I enjoy it?" He shrugged. "It's how I eat."

[chesstotem]

"But it's still people, too. What if...what if you fed from someone who wasn't only willing, but someone you really cared about? Have you ever done that? Would it be any different?"

[isnt_the_same]

"No one's ever gotten that close. You're one of the few humans who know about me."

[chesstotem]

"It sounds like something that could be very... Intimate," she admitted.

[isnt_the_same]

"I suppose," he said with a shrug.

[chesstotem]

"What if I was... Curious?"

[isnt_the_same]

His brow shot up. "Seriously?"

[chesstotem]

"Well, do you think it would hurt much? You said some people like it,"

[isnt_the_same]

"My teeth feel like pin pricks when they pierce your skin."

[chesstotem]

She tilted her head. "And maybe get lightheaded, from the blood loss? Anything else?"

[isnt_the_same]

"That's it," he said.

[chesstotem]

"And some people like that? Like, in a sexual way?"

[isnt_the_same]

"From what I've seen and heard, yes."

[chesstotem]

"Do you... Ever actually have sex with them? Is that possible?"

[isnt_the_same]

"It's possible. But I haven't had sex in a long time," he admitted.

[chesstotem]

"Why not?" she asked, that same curious tone of voice.

[isnt_the_same]

He shrugged. "I don't want to risk anything."

[chesstotem]

"What kind of risk would there be?"

[isnt_the_same]

"What if I lose control?"

[chesstotem]

"What, because you're so strong? Would you... Feed while having sex?"

[isnt_the_same]

Arthur laughed. "Why are we even discussing this?"

[chesstotem]

She shrugged, glancing away from him. "Do I... Smell 'sweet'?" she asked quietly. That's how Malcolm had worded it.

[isnt_the_same]

"Yes, you do," he admitted.

[chesstotem]

She laughed nervously. "Is that good or bad?"