trustfell | One day we'll reach to emotions: unexplored, unprecedented

[ Sometime shortly after the trial small notes will be folded underneath the doors of everyone still alive, and also posted to the staircase leading up to the upper floors. Not many of you have probably seen Elda's penmanship yet unless you checked that Penmanship check a while back, but it's impossibly impeccable fancy cursive script, to match with her old timey appearance. ... She also writes a lot more proper than she talks. ]

To My Fellows,

The half of you who didn't assist me in this are cordially invited to a celebration of our continued living, and to the memories of those who aren't. We are a mismatched group,
but it has become increasingly clear that we are together in this. Do not allow yourself to be alone.

We will be congregating in the ballroom for the rest of the night.

Better chefs than I will be providing food.

Sincerely,
Elda Marker

[ she's being somewhat facetious about half the group, but the fact does remain that she got more offers than she expected, when she set out to do this. She had expected that Sayaka would help, and indeed both her and Alex provide cookies and curry for the tables. Elda herself sets up the tables, dotting one longer central one made of smaller ones in the ballroom for things to sit on. The bulk of the food's provided by Tarrlok of all people, Chinese food by any other name. Susan, bless her, provides alcohol. Hibki, once she was clean, decided to run backup on preparing the food.

And then perhaps fittingly, Aligula provided the decorations. Steamers line the room, and little cut outs hang around. At Elda's instruction, it's a mix of cats, snakes, and bats. The majority of them have little faces on them. And finally, as and afterthought more than anything else, Elda makes some tea.

... Said tea is black tea and is impossibly dark and bitter because she can't taste it, but maybe that's what you want on a night like this. Who knows. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I see! How interesting.

[She nods to herself.]

If you have ever had any sort of dessert, it is sweet like they are.

I did, but rarely anything as sugary as that smells. It was still a bit of a commodity then.

It was? I see. Well... Imagine something very sweet, I suppose.

[She tilts her head.]

If you put food in your mouth but did not swallow, would it harm you?

I mean, I'd gag on it. It wouldn't really "hurt" to swallow, even.

[ SHRUG . ]

And would you be able to taste it if you tried?

No. It'd taste like ash, if anything.

...I see. Well, I had thought that you could at least sample one of these, but it seems that would be a rather poor idea.

No, it'd be... unpleasant if not impossible. Vampires lost our taste for anything but blood when we become adults.

I see. Does that at least taste different to you than it would to other people?

I've never been a human drinking blood, I couldn't know.

...Oh. I did not precisely consider that, somehow.

[A small, nervous chuckle.]

I suppose my real question was whether it is appetizing to you.

Oh yes, of course! My own preference is for the savory, aged sort of blood. It's to match with my Affinity. ... But yes, blood is quite fulfilling. You can sense your life being extended by it.

[ She says this with a fanged smile. ]

[If that unsettles her at all, she does her best not to let it show. Instead, curiosity colors her tone.]

Your affinity? What do you mean?

My Blood Affinity. Every vampire has one - a taste that they prefer among all others and is most nutritious for them. It's to do with the nature and character of those humans we bite.

[ She says this surprisingly casually. ]

I... see. So your preference is - people who are older?

[Weird.]

Close enough to that.

[ Nod. ]

It's the opposite of James's.

I see.

[Not... really. This is all still entirely strange to her.]

Was it easy for you to find people willing to feed you?

... They aren't willing.

[ Flatly. ]

...Oh.

[Well, then. It seems as though it may take her a moment to know what to say next.]

Why would they be? I've said it over and over and over, but no one seems to get it. Blood is life. No human who was anywhere near sane would offer some part of their lives up willingly up to some creature who is so different from them. Humans despise us, in so far as they even know we exist, these days.

[ And if the girl's not read her secret, she still might not know ... mm. ]

But... I may not know much about medicine, but to my knowledge, spilling blood when you are injured does not lessen your lifespan. You simply heal from it. If they despised you because of something like that, it is truly their loss.

[A pause.]

But things are different for you here, aren’t they? People do not look at you in that light.