bloodloss

Human beings are selfish by nature. The sooner you learn that, the less you expect.

“I only ask to be sure what you take is potent enough. Some treat these things like caffeine, and it only makes the dependency worse.“ Trevor explains as he finds one of the more common elixirs behind a sliding cabinet. The liquid inside the glass vial was green but transparent. “It’ll do what you want. Get your sleep and drink water otherwise. I’d hate to see a good thing turn bad.” Trevor didn’t intend to make the customer nervous, disclaimers for first time magic users was just a common courtesy.

Malcolm gave an awkward shake of his head, “That shouldn’t be a problem,” he replied, eyeing the vial carefully, “I have ample practice in self-restraint. How much do I take at a time?” he asked.

The warlock watched as the other approached. “Aw, so you know. That makes this much easier.” He wondered what the man was, as he didn’t give off a human vibe, Trevor doubted he was a warlock himself. Most never bothered with human remedies. “We keep our potions in stock for common ailments, have you ever tried elixirs?”

Malcom huffed a short breath in confirmation of the remark. He rarely relied on any other members of the supernatural world, but these were desperate times. He shook his head, “I have not. I don’t possess the ability nor the adequate knowledge to concoct potions. This will be my first time depending on them as far as I know.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s over, you big baby. Where are the girls coats?”

“Behind the door on the hooks,” he replied, pointing vaguely in their direction. “I can’t understand why you keep leaving them with me. I am the least qualified person to look after children. Jessica inhaled some fingerprinting powder and Elaine almost got into one of the case files.” He looked over at the girls, now gleefully running around in circles before he leaned in closely to the other investigator and spoke quietly, “The one with the photos of severed limbs, Darcy.”

Trevor showed a thoughtful grin, more of a neutral gaze than anything, but this was the most unusual customer he’d had in the last few days. Even considering the April Fool’s fiasco that was more irritating than intriguing. Tapping the pen once on the counter he set it aside and stood up straight, “We have a cure for that. If you’re willing to try something a bit more… exotic?”

“That’s fine,” he said, moving closer towards the man. The stress of the past few days had finally caught up to him in the form of an excruciating migraine and his liver was bound to fail soon if he kept taking the regular tablets. “I’ll let you cast some spells if that’s what it takes,” he added bluntly, arms wrapping around himself tightly.

“Please. It was entertaining.” Trevor corrected, tapping a pen between his fingers out of obvious boredom. He looked over the customer. “You don’t look like a homeless man… but some take better care of themselves than others.”

Malcolm pressed a wan smile onto his face before his brows raised with the remark. “I’m not, I er-” he pinched the bridge of his nose and winced slightly, “need something for headaches. The over-the-counter pharmacy medications seem to have lost their efficacy on me.”

“You tell me, you’ve been loitering our aisles for the last hour. It has been nice to have some quiet company.”

“Sorry- I er- have a habit of speaking to myself. I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

“No such thing as too cautious,” he remarked with a short sigh. Malcolm hummed a sound of appreciation for the praise, eyes still wandering the streets. He turned back when the stranger began to explain, “So your judgement may not be of the highest caliber,” he stated as if it were meant to be a question, “The thrill of gambling amounts to very little when you lose your wager.”

Darcy sighed, a small grin on her face as she shook her head from side to side. Uncomfortable. And a rotting corpse didn’t? She could have argued the point all day just to annoy him but she refrained. Yet her amusement must have been clear just by a glance to her features, she was sure. Uncomfortable. Darcy snorted. 

So Malcolm set to shifting things back into place, his mind categorically going through the actions he’d taken since stepping into the room. He was just about done and pulling out his phone to ring in Dawson to draw up a warrant and the like when the sound of distant footsteps reached his ears. He remained still, listening carefully for a moment before the distinct sound of a turning knob caused him to turn and lock eyes with Mormont in a shared look of sympathetic activation.

Leon observed the unnatural mannerisms. How they secretly sickened him. How he wanted to break the dhampir to give into his inherent cravings. These hopes might be seen as cruel or evil, but in the therapists opinion it was the only way for Malcolm to find peace with himself and what he was. The investigator was his own worst enemy, and in the end if someone died it would be his own fault, either way Leon would remain and watch with delight from the sidelines. With no shame the next chance he had to say, ‘I told you so.’

Malcolm couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Leon always made comments that compared him to the younger dhampir when they were worlds apart. Mal held a strange fondness for Levi despite the man who raised him and influenced his thoughts. However, Malcolm could never stand for the comparisons made between the two, as if Leon had some claim over who he ought to be as someone who begrudgingly shared their bloodline.

"Of course. But it’s not like I can live much longer than ordinary beings, maybe a little with the help of some potions and spells, but it doesn’t mean I would still be young and with my health at 100%." He shrugged. "It does. Still, I’ve always thought being a vampire would be more interesting than a witch. Would you give away your abilities, if you could?" That question came at random, though Hayden was actually curious to know the answer. 

“I suppose,” Malcolm trailed. He rarely ruminated over the positives of his condition. He shuddered slightly, if by interesting you mean dark and twisted, Mal would agree. His eyes moved back to the other with the question, “In a heartbeat,” he replied instantly.

“Students,” he repeated with a slow nod. His eyes skimmed the man briefly before he gave a short nod. “What do you teach?” he asked curiously, unable to deduce from the stranger’s general attire. He still wasn’t convinced the free pastries came out of the goodness of his heart. His eyes drifted away not long after, hovering over passersby.

Malcolm raised a brow, gaze settling firmly on the stranger with the mention of magic. He didn’t smell supernatural... “Right.. If you’re offering food laced with narcotics, I will have you know I work for the Boston Police department,” he replied, levelling the other with a suspicious gaze as he shifted his glasses.