[Thank God for Dokja being an A+ Reader, meeting other dhampirs. "Liem is right there." Meeting other vampires through the narrative.
Unfortunately, he is not hungy ANYMORE. Thanks to Dokja's dumbass boyfriend.]
I was encouraged to tell you because you weren't aware. [D does not understand how this is possible really considering (gestures at all of him), but he appreciates it, he guesses.] Vampires from the Frontier do not drink blood for nutrients. They drink blood because they are cursed to crave it.
[He really hates talking about himself in the mold of Nobles much less handing over useful information about himself, but alas, he must to get the point across.]
I am not in possession of what I had before to satiate this desire. [THERE IS NO WAY TO SAY THIS WELL. Time to rip the band-aid off.] Eustace offered me some of his blood, and I accepted.
[ Wait, does this mean everyone else was aware? Something to consider another time because Dokja's brain stops functioning when he hears that D drank from Eustace. ]
—What?
[ What??? This is so much to process, and he has a million questions to ask, but for now, he's frozen to the spot. ]
[Imagine D just turns around and leaves after dropping that bomb. It's fine, he doesn't.]
Several days ago.
[It took him a few days to decide he was going to say anything. Why did he join this household? It'd be better if he went back to the Meridian apartments.]
I was in the stable, and he came out to see what I was doing.
[ There's an uncharacteristic silence that falls upon Dokja. He thinks back to several days ago, when he'd noticed a bandage around Eustace's neck. It had been brushed aside as a training accident, and Dokja had left it be.
He sees now that he should have pressed for the truth. ]
... Oh.
[ His gaze falls upon the two cats now curled up in his lap, an uneasiness about him that doesn't come from the dhampir reveal, but the fact that he'd been lied to. But why saddle D with that! Instead, Dokja shifts the topic of their conversation. ]
[DON'T JUST BLAME EUSTACE. Not the miscommunication happening here!! Mom and Dad are gonna fight right before Dad eats it, wow.
For the first time, D actually looks away from Dokja, not like the young man who frequently meets other people's attention with no shame. His eyes lower briefly under his lashes, thoughtful, and then he looks at Dokja again.]
Vile.
[Look, he'll just say it. Acting like a merciless, uncaring, and arrogant Noble is disgusting to him. Maybe Dokja understands with Constellations. (looks at you through the screen pointedly) The equivalent of Nobles.]
He did not turn, and he didn't become a thrall. But he and I are now linked. I am his sire, and he will be free when the bond is severed with my death.
[ Not the Constellations mention me like is Anna reading ORV in secret or is this just a well-known fact I'll confront her when I'm not sleepy.
But, okay, wow. This is not the explanation he thought he'd get today. There was a chance that Eustace could have turned?? Dokja's expression grows dark as his entire body tenses, all the hypocritical parts of him now upset at Eustace for doing something so reckless. But Eustace isn't here, so Dokja can only narrow his eyes at D instead. ]
Bond?
[ He repeats the word slowly, trying for a measure of control to his keep his tone in check. He thinks back to that day, when Eustace had suddenly kissed him with an unusual fervor that had even caught Dokja off-guard. ]
Explain this to me in detail, [ grits teeth ] please. What do you mean "linked"?
[Throwing a grenade into the middle of my Dostace and walking out...
Clinically, D obliges the request, and like with Gray, it's delivered in a matter-of-fact and dry, lectural way.]
Vampires [his, but he assumes Dokja understands] who drink a victim's blood become intrinsically linked to them. The two can potentially share memories, or feelings, or even glimpses into where they are or what they are doing currently. They can feel each other's existence.
The sire can have sway over them, a suggestion to do as they say. Someone with great fortitude may be able to resist these suggestions.
I have never tasted anyone's blood before, so I cannot say how it will function between us. I am not exactly like the vampires I usually hunt. For Eustace to be free of this, I must be killed.
[It's a lot, he realizes, having come to understand their relationship. Quietly:]
You shouldn't fight with him. He was stubborn, and I couldn't refuse because he cares too much about you and Gray.
[ This is so much more than he'd expected. Dokja had had his ideas of vampires, of course, and that meant assuming it was all just blood drinking and sleeping in coffins. Now he's here finding out there's a bond?
Honestly, it sounds a lot like how the Aspects work, or maybe that's just Dokja coping. He doesn't bother hiding the alarm that flashes in his eyes at hearing Eustace can be swayed by D, and had this been someone outside of Dokja's circle of (miniscule) trust, he'd probably be reacting very differently to this information.
For now, he sighs, long and drawn out. ]
He's such a pain in the ass, [ says Dokja, bigger pain in the ass. ] And you...
[ ROUNDS ON D. ]
I know you aren't going to make him do anything stupid, but maybe I'm the stupid one for thinking that. I didn't even know you were a dhampir, and now I'm finding out you hunt vampires too?
[ Dokja having a self-aware moment where he's realizing he really doesn't know much about D at all. ]
[Yes, Eustace is very much a pain in the--HELLO, DON'T ROUND ON HIM?!?!?
The moment of silence is definitely him considering his very prominent, obvious attire which screams Vampire Hunter, but okay. He will maybe give it to Dokja. Sort of. Barely.
At least Dokja knows D was a very weird little kid.]
I accept payment for hunting vampires for those who cannot, yes.
[What better way to hunt monsters than be half of the monster yourself.]
That is the only option for dhampirs. To become a hunter, or to live in solitude.
[OR BOTH. 😊]
I won't make him do anything. [The doing stupid stuff Eustace can manage all on his own. Like kissing D.] If something becomes out of hand, then you may kill me to break the link.
[ Listen here, bucko, the only people who can nonchalantly tell others to kill them is Dokja. Don't take that from him, that's like his entire personality.
In the meantime, he crosses his arms over his chest with a frown. While he doesn't like a lot of what he's hearing, he's definitely hating this last part. ]
I'm not going to kill you.
[ IDIOT... That insult goes unspoken. ]
I guess I should thank you, [ he grumbles like a tsundere. ] For telling me everything.
You should be willing if things become an issue. I am not a matter to be taken lightly if this place turns me against others.
I would prefer a swift death than the dishonor of hurting anyone else.
[TSUNDERE?????? NOW WHO IS STEALING OTHER PERSONALITIES.]
You should thank Eustace instead. I wouldn't have said anything if he had not insisted you should be made aware.
[Which sounds mean, but he delivers this in the same quiet voice, as if it was more a matter of him disliking dicussion about himself than him reveling in keeping secrets from Dokja.]
[ Dokja, for all his insecurities and faults, has the confidence that should things make a turn for the worse, he can contain D without killing him. It's why he doesn't entertain the topic for much longer, responding only with silence and a slight narrowing of his eyes that he thinks says enough about how he feels.
Dokja has never killed one of his companions and he's not about to start now.
As for the return to the subject of Eustace, Dokja hesitates for a moment and then, in an effort to find something to do, starts petting the cats in his lap. ]
... He could have at least warned me about this. [ His tone is still a grumble, but less so this time. Anyway! He'll think about whether or not he wants to approach this with Eustace... Communication is their weakest link. ] What do you usually do to satisfy your hunger? Since this is the first time you tasted someone's blood.
He had plans to tell you if I did not, but he believed it best to come directly from me.
[Which D appreciates actually even if he had zero plans to boldly walk up to Dokja and start talking about his stupid ass weird OP vamprism. It just doesn't make good conversation.
And then people ask questions he doesn't want to answer. About himself.]
I had pills of dehydrated, artificial plasma. I don't think this place has the level of technology needed to make them, but I had plans to search anyway.
[ Too bad, D. It's his turn to have his lore unlocked.
At least Dokja seems more at ease now that the initial hurdle of this conversation has passed. He's still got a bone to pick with Eustace, but he's capable of compartmentalizing as he mulls over this newfound problem that he's now decided is also his problem. ]
I can try asking around too. This place is weird enough that plasma pills don't sound all that far-fetched.
[ Dokja's reader brain going brrrr because he recognizes the fiction tropes that they live in.
[He figures attempting to argue with Dokja will result in the man doubling down even harder in the strive to help him. Simply... accepts... this for the sake of no back-and-forth.......
[In all honesty, he owes no real loyalty to Gray in any formal way... However. Gray is a quiet and sweet girl he has come to appreciate, and in this moment, like at the table, he has decided to honor her compassionate attempt.]
I didn't want to insult you by refusing to eat after you had taken the time to invite me.
[THIS IS NOT EXACTLY A LIE!!! He is just omitting the part where Gray wolfed down his whole bowl.]
[Whew. Well, at least D is being loyal for a good cause (Gray's sweet nature), and not for any nefarious reason. Also, damn, they weren't secrets!!
He really considers how he has so many secrets still which he doesn't think Dokja should be privy to anyway: like his ancestry, like the parasite in his hand, like his fellow OPness, like the fact he's actually got quite horny energy on the inside.
Dokja makes a face at the criticism to his SOUP, then rolls his eyes because he's not going to take advice from a man who doesn't even enjoy normal people food!! ]
Okay, funny guy. Duly noted.
[ EXCEPT NOT... Anyway, Dokja thinks they've drawn this conversation to a close now... He wants to go back to angsting about Eustace lying to him. ]
Also WOW, maybe he still has good taste even if he doesn't wanna eat......
Dokja's reaction gets... like the TINIEST upward twitch of the corner of his mouth. He needs to go stand around Eustace now to get back more of his 🧍♂️ after almost smiling with Dokja and Gray. GOD. He must quickly abscond before it's registered.
But he does stop at the door to say,] Don't fight with Eustace. [Then he steps out.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
YOUR MONTH
[Thank God for Dokja being an A+ Reader, meeting other dhampirs. "Liem is right there." Meeting other vampires through the narrative.
Unfortunately, he is not hungy ANYMORE. Thanks to Dokja's dumbass boyfriend.]
I was encouraged to tell you because you weren't aware. [D does not understand how this is possible really considering (gestures at all of him), but he appreciates it, he guesses.] Vampires from the Frontier do not drink blood for nutrients. They drink blood because they are cursed to crave it.
[He really hates talking about himself in the mold of Nobles much less handing over useful information about himself, but alas, he must to get the point across.]
I am not in possession of what I had before to satiate this desire. [THERE IS NO WAY TO SAY THIS WELL. Time to rip the band-aid off.] Eustace offered me some of his blood, and I accepted.
THIS DOUBLE WHAMMY IN MY INBOX
—What?
[ What??? This is so much to process, and he has a million questions to ask, but for now, he's frozen to the spot. ]
When did this happen?
😊
Several days ago.
[It took him a few days to decide he was going to say anything. Why did he join this household? It'd be better if he went back to the Meridian apartments.]
I was in the stable, and he came out to see what I was doing.
no subject
He sees now that he should have pressed for the truth. ]
... Oh.
[ His gaze falls upon the two cats now curled up in his lap, an uneasiness about him that doesn't come from the dhampir reveal, but the fact that he'd been lied to. But why saddle D with that! Instead, Dokja shifts the topic of their conversation. ]
How do you feel?
no subject
For the first time, D actually looks away from Dokja, not like the young man who frequently meets other people's attention with no shame. His eyes lower briefly under his lashes, thoughtful, and then he looks at Dokja again.]
Vile.
[Look, he'll just say it. Acting like a merciless, uncaring, and arrogant Noble is disgusting to him. Maybe Dokja understands with Constellations. (looks at you through the screen pointedly) The equivalent of Nobles.]
He did not turn, and he didn't become a thrall. But he and I are now linked. I am his sire, and he will be free when the bond is severed with my death.
no subject
But, okay, wow. This is not the explanation he thought he'd get today. There was a chance that Eustace could have turned?? Dokja's expression grows dark as his entire body tenses, all the hypocritical parts of him now upset at Eustace for doing something so reckless. But Eustace isn't here, so Dokja can only narrow his eyes at D instead. ]
Bond?
[ He repeats the word slowly, trying for a measure of control to his keep his tone in check. He thinks back to that day, when Eustace had suddenly kissed him with an unusual fervor that had even caught Dokja off-guard. ]
Explain this to me in detail, [ grits teeth ] please. What do you mean "linked"?
no subject
Clinically, D obliges the request, and like with Gray, it's delivered in a matter-of-fact and dry, lectural way.]
Vampires [his, but he assumes Dokja understands] who drink a victim's blood become intrinsically linked to them. The two can potentially share memories, or feelings, or even glimpses into where they are or what they are doing currently. They can feel each other's existence.
The sire can have sway over them, a suggestion to do as they say. Someone with great fortitude may be able to resist these suggestions.
I have never tasted anyone's blood before, so I cannot say how it will function between us. I am not exactly like the vampires I usually hunt. For Eustace to be free of this, I must be killed.
[It's a lot, he realizes, having come to understand their relationship. Quietly:]
You shouldn't fight with him. He was stubborn, and I couldn't refuse because he cares too much about you and Gray.
no subject
Honestly, it sounds a lot like how the Aspects work, or maybe that's just Dokja coping. He doesn't bother hiding the alarm that flashes in his eyes at hearing Eustace can be swayed by D, and had this been someone outside of Dokja's circle of (miniscule) trust, he'd probably be reacting very differently to this information.
For now, he sighs, long and drawn out. ]
He's such a pain in the ass, [ says Dokja, bigger pain in the ass. ] And you...
[ ROUNDS ON D. ]
I know you aren't going to make him do anything stupid, but maybe I'm the stupid one for thinking that. I didn't even know you were a dhampir, and now I'm finding out you hunt vampires too?
[ Dokja having a self-aware moment where he's realizing he really doesn't know much about D at all. ]
no subject
The moment of silence is definitely him considering his very prominent, obvious attire which screams Vampire Hunter, but okay. He will maybe give it to Dokja. Sort of. Barely.
At least Dokja knows D was a very weird little kid.]
I accept payment for hunting vampires for those who cannot, yes.
[What better way to hunt monsters than be half of the monster yourself.]
That is the only option for dhampirs. To become a hunter, or to live in solitude.
[OR BOTH. 😊]
I won't make him do anything. [The doing stupid stuff Eustace can manage all on his own. Like kissing D.] If something becomes out of hand, then you may kill me to break the link.
no subject
In the meantime, he crosses his arms over his chest with a frown. While he doesn't like a lot of what he's hearing, he's definitely hating this last part. ]
I'm not going to kill you.
[ IDIOT... That insult goes unspoken. ]
I guess I should thank you, [ he grumbles like a tsundere. ] For telling me everything.
no subject
I would prefer a swift death than the dishonor of hurting anyone else.
[TSUNDERE?????? NOW WHO IS STEALING OTHER PERSONALITIES.]
You should thank Eustace instead. I wouldn't have said anything if he had not insisted you should be made aware.
[Which sounds mean, but he delivers this in the same quiet voice, as if it was more a matter of him disliking dicussion about himself than him reveling in keeping secrets from Dokja.]
no subject
Dokja has never killed one of his companions and he's not about to start now.
As for the return to the subject of Eustace, Dokja hesitates for a moment and then, in an effort to find something to do, starts petting the cats in his lap. ]
... He could have at least warned me about this. [ His tone is still a grumble, but less so this time. Anyway! He'll think about whether or not he wants to approach this with Eustace... Communication is their weakest link. ] What do you usually do to satisfy your hunger? Since this is the first time you tasted someone's blood.
no subject
[Which D appreciates actually even if he had zero plans to boldly walk up to Dokja and start talking about his stupid ass weird OP vamprism. It just doesn't make good conversation.
And then people ask questions he doesn't want to answer. About himself.]
I had pills of dehydrated, artificial plasma. I don't think this place has the level of technology needed to make them, but I had plans to search anyway.
no subject
At least Dokja seems more at ease now that the initial hurdle of this conversation has passed. He's still got a bone to pick with Eustace, but he's capable of compartmentalizing as he mulls over this newfound problem that he's now decided is also his problem. ]
I can try asking around too. This place is weird enough that plasma pills don't sound all that far-fetched.
[ Dokja's reader brain going brrrr because he recognizes the fiction tropes that they live in.
Also, hey, wait a minute. ]
... Does this mean you don't eat normal food?
no subject
Thank you.
[He figures attempting to argue with Dokja will result in the man doubling down even harder in the strive to help him. Simply... accepts... this for the sake of no back-and-forth.......
Also, OH NO.]
...I can, but I don't particularly care for it.
no subject
... But I invited you over for dinner.
[ MATH LADY MEME ]
You ate that soup like your life depended on it.
no subject
[In all honesty, he owes no real loyalty to Gray in any formal way... However. Gray is a quiet and sweet girl he has come to appreciate, and in this moment, like at the table, he has decided to honor her compassionate attempt.]
I didn't want to insult you by refusing to eat after you had taken the time to invite me.
[THIS IS NOT EXACTLY A LIE!!! He is just omitting the part where Gray wolfed down his whole bowl.]
no subject
Fine. Any more secrets [ they weren't secrets ] you want to tell me while you're at it?
[ Dokja like I can't believe the problem wasn't me it's just the people around me being cagey. ]
no subject
He really considers how he has so many secrets still which he doesn't think Dokja should be privy to anyway: like his ancestry, like the parasite in his hand, like his fellow OPness, like the fact he's actually got quite horny energy on the inside.
Yeah, no secrets left.]
The soup needed a little more salt.
[Well, maybe one.]
no subject
Dokja makes a face at the criticism to his SOUP, then rolls his eyes because he's not going to take advice from a man who doesn't even enjoy normal people food!! ]
Okay, funny guy. Duly noted.
[ EXCEPT NOT... Anyway, Dokja thinks they've drawn this conversation to a close now... He wants to go back to angsting about Eustace lying to him. ]
no subject
Also WOW, maybe he still has good taste even if he doesn't wanna eat......
Dokja's reaction gets... like the TINIEST upward twitch of the corner of his mouth. He needs to go stand around Eustace now to get back more of his 🧍♂️ after almost smiling with Dokja and Gray. GOD. He must quickly abscond before it's registered.
But he does stop at the door to say,] Don't fight with Eustace. [Then he steps out.
THEY WILL ANYWAY BC BOTH OF THEM ARE DUMB.]