ᴍɪɢʜᴛ sᴇᴅᴜᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴀᴅ ᴛʏᴘᴇ

Catherine smiled, slipping out of her seat at the bar, holding out her hand to the woman. “I have a suite upstairs.” She preferred to stay in the Inn rather than finding her own place around town, figuring it was just best for everyone. Easing herself back in the town did not include suddenly inserting herself to be someone’s neighbor. And the woman so willing to come up to her room for a bite just proved that it was easier for her to stick around the Inn for convenience and for keeping the rumor mill about her under control. “I trust you’ll tell me to stop, but I’ll still keep an eye out for you, darling. You’ll make it home safely, don’t worry.” She chuckled, though she had to be curious how concerned with safety the woman actually was, practically laying her neck out on the bar like she had been. 

WHAT WAS THE polite way to say, I need your fangs in my neck immediately, or I might actually die? Billie was counting her blessings that the vampire agreed to take her upstairs. She was going to make a comment about convenience, but it would likely not come as witty as she would have liked. So instead, she bit her tongue and dug into her purse, sliding the money to pay for her drink onto the bar. She rose and eagerly smoothed out the rumbles on her skirt. “You’re so responsible,” she commented, appreciative. Billie would like to think that she measured herself well, but passion is as passion does, and she wasn’t immune to the distraction of the rush.

“Don’t mention it,” the brunette offered with a soft smile, “It’s a hella cute purse though.” It wasn’t often someone took something from Nixie without checking to see if all the contents were there. They were… just could never be too careful when dealing with grifters like herself. A rare sense of thankfulness began ebbing it’s way throughout her slender frame, odd. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that junk about doing good deeds making people feel good… so why was she pleased by such an insignificant act? “I haven’t been shopping in so long, there was this place back home where could could get such wonderful things for steal.”

Catherine’s eyes were quickly drawn to the way the woman shifted once she had confirmation that her company was a vampire. Admittedly, Catherine was a little lax about secrecy when she was within the safety of the Inn, and it had certainly worked in her favor this time. “Well, that’s awfully kind of you to…give so often. I hope everyone you donate to thanks you.” She smiled to herself, figuring this woman had no idea what she had done. Which was for the best. Catherine did have control—just not when her emotions were involved. “I’m old enough to be measured about what I take. But you should also be sure to let me know, alright?” Her hand kept lightly skimming her hair, pursing her lips. “I don’t know if many of us actually prefer animals, but there are plenty of moral entanglements that make them an easier option. But I prefer people. It makes it feel less pedestrian this way, doesn’t it? This way we have the chance to talk about it—enjoy it, rather than me just hunting down a deer in the woods and that being that.”

BILLIE WAS NOW caught in her desire, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. When a vampire seemed to want to refuse... of course Billie left it, but with an inch of encouragement, she took a mile. And then some. “They’re grateful, usually,” Billie agreed, and though the next question she wanted to ask was, Do you think you would be? she held herself in. Billie’s desire was acknowledged and seemingly agreed to by the woman’s words, and she wet her eager lips, sitting forward a little further in her chair. “I’ll let you know when I’m weak, yes.” Negotiation. It was more than Billie got sometimes, but for the human, this was foreplay. It all led to that wonderful final crescendo when fangs met neck and Billie belonged to someone for a little while. “Should we... go somewhere else? Maybe? Where we can be private.” One day, Billie, the girl told herself, you’re going to get yourself killed.

Dante had seen Billie hanging around the bar before, but he’d never spoken to her before. With the conversation she’d just struck up, he was suddenly glad of that fact. He looked at her with nothing but derision, his lip curling back slightly as she went on about how much blood she could ‘donate.’ “Why don’t you go give blood at a real blood bank and actually help someone, instead of wasting your life cozying up to murderers and cannibals?”

Catherine nodded, giving her a kind-hearted chuckle. “That is a nice way of putting it. I always felt like I was doing everything I could, in my limited means, to help my sire when she first found me as a human.” The vampire couldn’t deny that she had gotten caught up in the seduction of it all as her sire brought her into the world of vampires, but she was a little curious that this woman was so enthusiastic seemingly without being targeted by any one vampire. “And just where are you with your careful schedule right now, darling?” She reached over, unable to resist lightly tracing her fingers against the other’s hair. “In a period of recovery or ready to give?” It was part curiosity at the woman having it down to such a science, and partially her own woefully under developed impulse control that caused her to inquire.

...TO HELP MY sire. Those were the magic words. Billie sat up straighter where she sat, shoulders subconsciously sinking, as she took in the new information. She has a sire. Vampire. She’d been there. At full attention, her jaw extending slightly as though to make her neck more visible, Billie sucked in her lips briefly to wet them. Her throat was suddenly dry from possibilities. “Ready to give,” Billie said, perhaps too eagerly. “Maybe not a full drink, but... some. I’m good at knowing when to ask someone to stop, though, if that helps. Are you... I mean, do you prefer humans? Or do you stick to animals?” There was an implicit I’m offering hanging in the air.

“At least you know what you’re doing. I’ve met a few fanatics in my time. They never really learned how to quit until they were passed out somewhere from bloodloss. Most pick up the hint rather quickly after that.” Valerie says in a tone of indifference, rather odd for a conversation of this caliber, but not too bad. “I’m glad you’re smart about it. I don’t know too many nurses that willingly give blood like you do.”

Catherine raised her eyebrows at the woman. When she was human, blood donation didn’t exist, let alone casual knowledge of how much blood you could donate and how often. And nowadays, she supposed it mattered, but as long as the donors were taking care of themselves she didn’t pay a lot of mind to the specifics. Still, the vampire leaned in towards the woman, grinning. “And what is it exactly that you want? That you’re getting from your donations?” She was still adjusting to the town and her place among the residents, and the way the woman was speaking had her curious. It certainly didn’t sound like anyone else she had spoken to. Her fingertips ran over the condensation from the chilled white wine in her glass.

IT WAS HARD to say, really, what Billie got out of the donations. Sexual thrill? Sure, sometimes. A sense of purpose? Occasionally. But mostly, the bite was just like a drug, and Billie Bennett was addicted. She would have done anything to keep a pair of fangs in her throat at all times. And she wanted that eternal bite. The one that would lead to her immortality and all of those glorious things that fiction had promised. But instead of waxing on, Billie simply answered, “I just like it, I guess. Feels like doing my part.” It was so much more than that. It was a passion. A need. And when Billie went too long, she felt insane, like she was the one deprived of blood instead. She sipped from her martini, somewhat expectant. Is that answer good enough?

“That’s, uh -” Cal blinked, his mind nothing more than a blur of different versions of ‘what the fuck’. “Really fucking weird.” It wasn’t even the alcohol causing him to be so blunt. In fact, he took another drink in hopes that it would help shut him up. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about giving blood like that. Why would anyone need to give blood so often?”

That was such an odd opening to start out with and honestly, it humored Valerie enough to elicit a small bubble of laughter from her throat. She’s met quite a lot of humans that had a fascination with her species, and even slept with a few to indulge in their fanatical kinks. But this girl was far more interesting. “If you give off too much blood, though, there probably won’t be enough for when a vampire takes a bite from your pretty neck. That would be a waste.”

Anathema sighed heavily before sipping on her drink, flagging down the bartender for another. “It certainly could be, especially when we started. However, you have to understand that this was many years ago and, unfortunately, metropolitan areas like Orlando still aren’t particularly equipped to deal with the fact that there are supernatural creatures. Discretion meant safety. Now, I will confess that the blood drive did tend to cater more towards our tourists, as we had other programs in place for the locals. It’s gotten easier now, but still.” Anathema would never be able to forget all the sleepless nights trying to help every soul she could. The girl’s invitation elicited a chuckle from the older woman. “Ahh, well you’re young and beautiful and not tied down by a million different rules with regards to you profession like I am. There’s not really laws regarding those relations, but I tend to view it like any other patient/client relationship. That’s far too intimate for me to dabble in.”