When Last You Fed

[thelisan]

25 Petalmoon, 2E 222

I've been monitoring this vampire girl, Lucinda Palemoon, for a few days now. It's a necessity when dealing with unknown vampires; many are civil, but one misstep around the wrong one is all it takes. That's basically the one thing the Silverblades are right about.

And while it's been only a few days, I've already seen things that worry me. "Lucinda, dear," I call softly. She's sitting out on the patio watching the glowwyrms floating around the forest.

"Yes, Lady Suncrest?" she replies sweetly, turning her head toward me. Her wavy honey-blonde hair is worn loose, noticeably concealing her ears. So she's aware of them and what they warn of, which worries me, and her fangs are also more visible than I'd like.

"When was the last time you fed?"

"I-" The words seem to catch in her throat, and her eyes sink to the ground.

I sigh and shake my head. She's going to make this difficult; I truly do not wish to push her. "I know you need to. I know you can feed without any lasting harm. But I need to know when the last time was, I need..." I trail off, searching for the words, trying to reassure her that I'm not angry or scared. "I need to know you're taking care of yourself. Please?"

"It's been... it's been a while," she admits sadly. "I- I can't- I-" Her voice falters, turning to a low mumble as the words tumble out. "I can't hurt people."

That's what I was afraid of. "But eventually you must," I remind her. "How long do you go between feedings?"

"I truly cannot recall. By the time I do feed, it's all- it's all blurry. I can't think. If I do, I know what I'm doing, and I-" She shudders and tears pool in her eyes. I take a seat next to her and offer my shoulder, holding her as she cries. I'm still taken aback at the cruelty in turning her.

She recovers faster than the previous time, thankfully. "Lucinda. The reason I asked is... your ears, your fangs, the hunger-fugue. By putting feeding off for so long, you face a real risk of becoming a bloodfiend. Has anyone died during these feedings?" She shakes her head. "That's impressive restraint," I say with a hopefully-comforting smile. "But I don't want you to continue putting yourself in that kind of danger."

"Thank you," she says, taking slow breaths. I turn and begin to stand from the bench, and I feel her hand on my sleeve. "Wait. Putting myself in danger? Not- not other people?"

"Them as well, but you're a vampire, not a monster. Your wellbeing is important too," I remind her, taking her hand while she rises.

"Do you have any ideas?" she asks quietly, more sigh than speech, alluding to a reality she does not wish to face.

"A few." A gentle lie. In truth but one, possibly two, both far from certain. But let the girl have hope. And perhaps, let myself have hope. "Failing everything else, you would not be the first vampire I've allowed to feed. But that, we can discuss in more detail later. I have Melina pressing herbs, and should check her progress."