[video]

[championbittersweet]

[It's early evening and the video shows Jonathan's room, the heavy curtains blocking out the waning daylight and the room lit by a single light. He's seated at a desk, papers spread out before him but clearly his attention isn't on them. Jonathan himself looks markedly better since the last time people may have seen him; there's colour in his skin and while he still looks slightly starved, there's nothing of the hungry expression in his eyes.]

The Lady Fayura and her court have been particularly helpful but have also made certain... factors clear to me. So I feel honesty is the best policy here. Rational thought and decision only.

[He settles forward to rest his weight on his elbows, pale blue eyes fixed on the far-caster.]

I am not human. As unbelievable as it may seem, after I returned to London following the war I was attacked, murdered, and reborn as what I am now. A creature of death and blood that must survive on the living.

[He says it so calmly, matter-of-fact in his delivery.]

I try not to feed on humans but it has been made clear to me that this will no longer work, and animals are not enough to survive on. My hunger cannot be so easily ignored here despite my efforts so I am asking a... favour, a show of trust, if any would be willing to make it.

Comments

video;

[thequitecontrary]

[ Mary finds herself rendered speechless for a long time. When Reid first started his announcement, she had been so pleased to see him looking so much better than he had lately. She had thought that perhaps he had found a cure for what was ailing him. Now she sees that such a cure is not possible.

His matter-of-fact tone only adds to how disturbing this is. ]

Dr. Reid... I... surely you are not saying what I think you are...

video;

[championbittersweet]

[He anticipated these reactions, although it hardly makes them any easier. Those he has come to think of as friends here have every right to be disturbed and afraid at learning the truth. His tone is gentle, but he doesn't shy from the topic either.]

I am a monster, Mary. I survive on blood and live in the dark of night. It is what I am now.

video;

[thequitecontrary]

[ Mary shakes her head. ]

But... you are so kind and gentlemanly...

[ Surely this is some kind of joke, or maybe he's gone mad. ]

You are saying that you are... a vampire?

video;

[championbittersweet]

And yet I can and have fought and killed, both as a man and as I am now. One does not prevent the other.

[voice only forever]

[unwieldy]

[ Murdered?

Reborn??? ]

They should've just let you stay dead.

[ Letting Jonathan come back to life was a personal attack on Haein. ]

[video forever enjoy his staring gaze]

[championbittersweet]

[He recognises the voice and is starting to get used to this now.]

It seemed my Maker chose me specifically for the task I was to face, so I don't imagine leaving me dead would have helped him in that regard.

（｀Δ´）！

[unwieldy]

[ It would have helped Haein and that's what counts. ]

Yeah, I bet you're doing all kinds of helpful things like eating rats and trying to eat people.

<3 <3 <3

[championbittersweet]

Despite what you seem to think, I haven't eaten anyone here. I've been offered blood freely on two occasions.

And I would argue that we're both doing the same amount of helpful things. Just at different times of the day.

psychic thread;

[verstoned]

If I weren't imaginin' things, I'd have said you were callin' yourself a vampire. [Fucking Eorzean fairy tales.

... But then again, with what he's seen a lot in his home world, fairy tales tend to have a terrible habit of proving themselves true.]

But then again, you are one, aren't you? So many things make so much bloody sense now.

psychic thread;

[championbittersweet]

[Well that's interesting. A psychic touch isn't entirely new, although he's not certain how well he likes it here.]

I am indeed calling myself that. Although I have to admit I'm impressed that you're reacting so well to it. Are you familiar with vampires?

[verstoned]

You drink blood. Were only stories told 'round the tenth month of the year, but if you say y'are, then y'are.

I seen things people said were only stories what turned out to be true in the end. I shouldn't be surprised anymore.

[championbittersweet]

I've seen much here and elsewhere that I thought impossible. Even my awakening was a vast change in how I saw the world. It seems there's always something new and unexpected on the horizon.

video

[arrogator]

[Not even remotely what she'd expected to hear today. Or ever, really.]

So you're some kind of...

[What's the word? She'd heard about the mess with Lancer of Black and that he'd turned into a...]

..vampire? That's the word, right?

video

[championbittersweet]

An Ekon, a vampire, a creature of the night that feeds on the living. A monster. All these things and more. That is what I am, what I have become.

video

[arrogator]

[Ekon means nothing to her, but now that that's out of the way...]

So when you feed on people, what are you doing, are you killing them?

[Right to the point because this is the part she actually cares about. She doesn't think he'd announce it to everyone if he was, or ask for a favor, but she doesn't know that.]

video

[championbittersweet]

I...

[He hesitates here; while he'd anticipated that the question would come sooner or later, it isn't easy to discuss.]

I have only fed on humans three times since I changed. Twice here, and neither died.

But the first time, after I became this creature... I did kill someone.

( text )

[retrorsum]

This was brave of you to do, taking such a risk with information.

( river has her own secrets, similar in that she's also not quite human but it was something that was very closely guarded even without anything to fear. it also wasn't a necessary reveal like it was for him )

perma-video

[championbittersweet]

For a time I avoided sharing it but... I can no longer afford that luxury.

[retrorsum]

Is this need due to something having changed?

video;

[mekhanikos]

[ today on: leo valdez thinks back on previous interactions and makes split-second decisions! please tune in to see how it goes — ]

Sure, doc, I'm in! [ someone's gotta show some dead person solidarity around here... besides, if he was murdered and then came back different, that sucks even more, leo just basically orchestrated his own death and then came back from the underworld the exact same as he'd been. so. he definitely owes some karma here.

though then he thinks, ]

I mean, I'm not sure if demigod blood is better or worse than human blood, but it's worth a try, right?

video;

[championbittersweet]

[Of course one who would offer so freely is one that Jonathan is loath to accept the offer from. Leo is quite young and the idea of injuring him doesn't sit well, even considering his...]

Demigod? [That was not what he'd expected to hear anywhere really.] You can't be serious.

video;

[mekhanikos]

[ look he literally killed himself for his friends (and to kill gaea and because the prophesy said so), donating some blood for a good cause is nothing!! ]

You think I'd joke about that? [ he grins. ] 100% pure demigod right here, son of Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire, and volcanoes!

[ his expression turns puzzled. ] ... huh. I swear I didn't know half of those things like two seconds ago. [ it's just. hardwired in them to know stuff about their parentage. just like percy automatically knows the depths and lengths of all rivers and whatnot. ]

audio;

[fulminatum]

[ Jason's voice is level, curious, ]

Ever heard of empousai?

video

[championbittersweet]

Empousai... no, I'm afraid not, although it sounds... Greek? Perhaps more context would prove helpful.

video

[fulminatum]

They are Greek... wings, suck your blood?

[ He's tastefully trying to avoid the word monster. Jason doesn't hesitate to deal with them swiftly as any demigod would — all monsters want is to hunt and kill the children of the gods. But to think of it being different in other worlds... ]