[Sampo's on the prowl, and he's decided to take to the Overworld streets for his midnight snack this time around. Sometimes he'll stay in the Underworld, because the Silvermanes tend to be more protective upstairs than down below, but the Underworld is tight-knit-- harder to get away with things. It's a gamble whichever way he goes, really, but tonight is an upstairs night.]
[There's a man that he's been trailing for a while now, staying quiet and out-of-sight as he does. He's alone, which is certainly attractive for Sampo's purposes, and seems normal enough aside from the fact that he's a little under-dressed for the weather. Drinking something, too, which is a bit unappealing, Sampo tries to stay away from drunks. That's really the only way that he can get drunk anymore-- by cracking into somebody who's already got alcohol in their blood, and keeping a clear head is kind of important when he's on the hunt.]
[But he also hasn't seen any other viable targets, and he's getting too hungry to put off a blood meal for much longer. And he can't even break into the hospital for more blood bags to stave off the hunger pangs, because they're in a shortage after a bunch of guards got ambushed by some big Fragmentum monster and got themselves maimed.]
[So. Back to this guy.]
[They're getting into a pretty deserted part of the back alleyways of Belobog; people don't really live around here, businesses aren't open. Sampo picks up his pace, closing the distance gap between himself and his prey. In his pocket, he's got a few of his bombs ready, full of gas that will knock his unfortunate victim right out, leave him insensible while he gets what he needs from him. A way better modus operandi than trying to physically subdue his meals-- nothing good happens when someone tries to struggle while he's got his fangs in their neck.]
[All he has to do is get close enough, get the guy to stop walking for a second. There's an easy way to do that, and it's to call out--]
Hey, excuse me?
[Like he's just another normal civilian walking the streets.]
[Now. Here he is. Gepard's long since started wondering if there's any point to him wandering the streets tonight. He knows there's a decent chance that nothing at all would happen - that the very bizarre thief might not be out tonight. He might be alone, continue to be alone, and would end the night utterly alone. The only thing he might accomplish is losing a few hours of sleep.
But then a voice calls out to him and Gepard hesitates. If he was wearing the Silvermane uniform he'd absolutely stop because this is someone who wants his attention, and he knows how to react when he's on duty. Gepard half-turns towards the voice, works hard to suppress every last fucking instinct in his body that tells him to serve and protect.]
Yes? [Not friendly, not...not friendly. Neutral; eager Silvermane instincts tempered with the fact he'd been gently freezing for the last whatever, honed to something blunter by the fact that this could just as easily be some random guy and the bizarre thief could be nowhere to be seen.]
[The guy pauses, half-turns. Perfect. He doesn't need to be puppy-dog-friendly, he just needs to be the kind of guy who would stop and listen to some rando on the street who asks for his help. Sampo catches a glimpse of his face in the low streetlights and he looks... familiar? Like he might have seen him before, somewhere on the streets. Handsome, too, with his blond hair and pale eyes. Blue, maybe, or grey? It's hard to tell in this light. But there's no mistaking how the shadows fall on his face, mapping out high cheekbones and a firm jawline and a nice, straight nose. Sampo doesn't have to dine exclusively from attractive people, but, y'know. It helps.]
Sorry to bother you! [He keeps his voice friendly and nonthreatening, and as he approaches, palms one of his bombs and holds it behind his back. Strikes the fuse. The anesthetic drugs inside the grenade don't do anything to him, he can stand right in the middle of the cloud and not feel a thing, but to the average human? It would leave them unconscious, with no memory of what had happened.] I'm a little lost. Can you point me back to the Administrative District?
[Just a little closer. Close enough that the other man would almost be able to make out his features, and that's when he'd toss the bomb at his feet, when it would gush anesthetizing gas around him.]
[Now, here's the thing. This could just be a regular civilian, as lost as Gepard feels these days. This could be nothing. He'd be unjustified in randomly assaulting someone who might be lost. "I thought he was the very strange thief," wouldn't hold any weight in front of the architects.
Gepard hasn't consciously realized it yet, but he's already settled on a plan: at the first sign of something untoward - a thrown punch, a knife, a rock lobbed at his head, the possibilities are endless - he'll take the bottle in his hands and throw it at the guy. Simple, straightforward, and he can go from there. He has yet to realize that this will end very stupidly for everyone involved.
For now, he just frowns. Not angry, just a little bit puzzled.]
The Administrative District? It's...that way. [He turns in that direction.] Belobog's not that big... [Odd. Sure, it's a decent sized city given the situation, but it's not that huge, so huge locals get turned around on a regular basis, maybe.] Are you from the Underworld? [Strange...]
[The man just looks a little puzzled at his questions, but not terribly suspicious or angry. The same way anyone might be puzzled at being asked for something obvious, and he oh so politely turns to indicate in the direction of the Administrative District.]
No, just lost! [This guy doesn't need to know where he's from. He wouldn't remember after Sampo's done, anyway.]
[Sampo knows where the District is, of course. He knows Belobog like the back of his hand. But what he wanted was Gepard's attention just briefly averted, so that he could drop his bomb in just the right spot have it roll towards his feet. It doesn't explode, it's not meant to be an explosive that could cause damage with shrapnel-- but it bursts, spewing out heavy, acrid clouds of anesthetic gas.]
Really, sorry for the trouble. [He darts a hand out, to wrap around his quarry's wrist. The gas will spread pretty well, and it usually affects people quickly, but things could get ruined if the guy is fast enough. Sampo's also stronger than he looks-- a benefit of being an Emanator that's actually sometimes useful.] I promise it won't take very long.
[It'll be faster if he doesn't struggle, if he goes down easy. Then all Sampo has to do is take a quick bite and leave him to wake up on his own, no worse for the wear! A minor inconvenience.]
The first one is realizing that he's an idiot, because no one normal would be out in Belobog at this hour, on these streets, asking for directions to the Administrative District. Sloppy. He'd been sloppy.
The second is realizing the guy's fast. Fast enough to trap his wrist, fast enough to hold him there.
The third is something that nobody should be thinking right about now. (It's that the stranger is actually kind of...nice to look at, at least from what he can see through the smoke and the darkness, there's a general impression of niceness that he shouldn't be thinking. Out of sight, out of mind.)
And then there's the fourth thought, which is that he should hit the guy with the bottle.
Gepard does that, with a savage snarl that no Silvermane Guard should have on his face, the sort of snarl that would cause his men to all take an alarmed step back from him because they know what's coming next. He just goes and shifts his grip on it and gives it a good whack. Like the thief is some random Fragmentum monster and he needs to bash it in, that sort of whack.
It'll be fine. They might be generally devoted to the Amber Lord but there's enough followers of the path of abundance that they can stitch together any glass wounds from after the fact. It's fine.
He should be saying something like, "Stop, you're under arrest, come quietly and you can plead your case before the Architects." But they don't have enough time for that.
So here's the plan: bash in Sampo with a bottle, tackle him to the ground, knock him out, and then drag him back to Qlipoth Fort. (Once Gepard realizes that it's knockout gas it'll quickly become 'bash in guy with bottle, they both can pass out, hopefully he'll wake up quickly enough and if not then Pela will likely notice his absence' but he's currently living in an idealistic world in which he's just dealing with a human, not something...other.)]
[Sampo realizes this after the guy decides that the appropriate response to being grabbed and smoke-bombed is to try to bludgeon his attacker in the face, and, honestly? Good instincts. If Sampo hadn't been the guy who needed to get a little sip of this asshole's people juice, he would have been impressed by his response. A real give-em-hell attitude, this one. But he's giving hell to Sampo, and that's kind of not great for him.]
[His reflexes are good enough to get most of his face out of the way of the bottle; it clips his jaw, which is jarring and unpleasant but he'd take that over getting his nose bashed in. Not only is this man quick, he's strong, and that is, again, not great.]
Come on, don't make this so hard! [Ugh, he's too hungry for this. There's a part of him, a part that Sampo tries very hard to keep on a tight leash, that wants to say fuck it all and just grab his victim by the hair and get his teeth right into his throat. Sufficient blood loss would put an end to his struggling just as sure as anything, no matter how strong or quick he is. But that's a bad idea, leaving bodies and ending up covered in blood is High Profile. He doesn't kill people. He doesn't kill people, even if killing would be easier in the moment.]
[He shoves his quarry instead, to get him pinned against the wall, and grabs for the arm that holds the bottle. Get that stupid thing out of his hand if he can, keep him still until the drugs can do their work, get out of this with a nasty bruise and a fully belly and take it as a fucking lesson learned-- sometimes lone men who look like easy marks are traps. Honeypots.]
Look, friend, just take it easy. [A little sliver of light falls across Gepard's face; Sampo kind of thinks that he looks familiar, but he's not entirely sure from where.] I'm not gonna hurt you.
[He's shoved pretty easily, something that Gepard will think about later, but he's just casually manhandled against the wall like it's no big deal and the guy pins him down. Gepard thrashes, but the guy's grip holds steady and the bottle drops from his hand. It falls to the ground with a tink and rolls into the darkness.
Gepard knows that he will never, ever be able to live this down. But this leaves him...what? Pinned? Trying to wiggle free, something that's...increasingly difficult? (His eyes are growing heavy. He hasn't realized this yet. Stubbornness works a lot of magic in situations like this.) Staring at this guy and trying to memorize what he can of his face?
Witty banter?]
If you're not going to hurt me, then what, exactly, is going on? [He can manage annoyed, at least. Snarl defiance. Stall for time, until...what? He doesn't know. A good idea, maybe.]
[Aeons, this guy just doesn't know when to go down. Or he's got some kind of weirdly high tolerance, which might not be entirely unexpected considering this planet is one of Qlipoth's. But he's pinned, and even high tolerances can only deal with so much. Now it's just a waiting game, but it's. It's really not a game that Sampo wants to be waiting for.]
[As he struggles, Sampo can hear the blood rush in his veins, the increasing pace of his heart. Can smell the iron-rich pulse of his jugular like someone else might smell a steak cooking in another room. It's mouth-watering, and he's so hungry. His teeth itch to get into this man's throat, to feel the brief resistance of muscle and skin before breaking through to the sustenance underneath; the body-hot flood onto his tongue and down his gullet.]
[He breathes, slow and controlled. The man smells delicious, but everyone kind of smells delicious to Sampo. It's really a bit of a problem.]
I don't want to be doing this either. [Aeons, he wishes that he didn't have to do this. What wouldn't he give to be able to go to a food stand and order something fried and terrible for him and be able to eat it without it coming back up.] But a guy's gotta eat, you know?
[Sampo sways in towards him a little, nose near his neck. He smells so good, strong and healthy. Maybe it's just because he's starving, maybe Gepard really is a whole snack, who knows. But right now, he might as well be a three-course meal set out in front of Sampo.] Just relax and it'll be over before you know it.
[Now, he's doing his best to be defiant and strong, even as the haze of smoke grows stronger about him and Gepard gets more and more tired, realizing a little too late that it was the smoke, he shouldn't have bothered hitting the guy with a bottle, he should've tried to get away and drag the stranger with him. Idiot. Idiot.
Gepard tries to snarl, and it sounds...sleepy, but still with anger, an implicit threat: he will fucking bash in this guy's head, but then a few things happen in order.
The guy says but a guy's gotta eat.
Gepard's eyes widen in horror/surprise/shock/fear/confusion? A confusing cocktail of feelings, and he's ready to express them, but- remember the smoke? Yeah. Gepard opens his mouth and a loud yawn escapes, and he blushes without thinking about it, a flush, because nothing cuts the tension of whatever is about to happen quite like interrupting it with a yawn.
It's just a vulnerable moment, there and gone again. (He will never live this down, even to himself.)]
Eat? [It's a quiet rasp, because it's just so hard to keep his eyes open and he's slumping all the more, and the only thing that's keeping him awake, to some extent, is stubbornness. Gepard walks the path of Preservation not so much because he's a builder, as he is someone who has the instinct to protect and the instinct to stubbornly cling to whatever-it-is until he's forced away from it.
That said.] Eat? [A quiet, more confused, more horrified, more...something repetition, slightly louder.]
[That's the dirty secret, Gepard, you've figured it out-- the reason why there's some guy prowling the streets, knocking people out. It's not to rob them, it's not for thrills, it's out of mundane, base necessity. The inexorable need for sustenance. Because Sampo's got the galaxy's worst dietary restrictions and the only way to get it is to go out and hunt the most dangerous game.]
[And you're on the menu for tonight.]
[The gas has been working its magic, and Sampo takes more of the Captain's weight as it affects him. It's less of a pin now and more of a hold, shifting Gepard's body weight into a more comfortable position for feeding. Moving to support his head, keeping it steady. The horror-confusion-shock in his voice is... not unexpected, but a little uncomfortable for the fact that Sampo knows that from the other side of things, this is a horror movie. It's a nightmare, finding yourself unexpectedly in the clutches of a monster.]
I'm not gonna hurt you. [It's half a reassurance for Gepard, half for himself. He's not going to hurt him. Not really, not any more than Gepard would have been hurt by going to a blood donation.]
[His mouth opens; his teeth scrape over the thin skin of Gepard's throat, too sharp for any human. When he bites down, it's a smooth, practiced motion, designed to pierce into skin and tissue cleanly. A clean bite bleeds clean and heals clean, it's the best for both himself and his victim--]
[Hot blood flows over his tongue.]
[Sampo gags, then recoils.]
Ugh! [This man tastes awful. He's never tasted someone who has such unpalatable blood before, it's like trying to choke down battery acid. The expression on his face would probably be comical if it weren't for the whole, you know, vampiric monster nightmare scenario thing.] What-- how?
[Now, there had been a way that he thought things would go. A great deal of horror, definitely. He's in the clutches of a monster. Gepard hadn't expected the clutches to be warm or-
Sniff.
-the monster to smell kind of nice? Or maybe that's just the smoke disorienting him. The world seems to slow. The man says that he won't hurt him, and Gepard grumbles back because on one hand, he's a liar; on the other hand, they hadn't found any dead bodies, so is he a liar? Is he?
He doesn't know.
There's a scrape of lips and teeth over his throat. It's almost tender. It's enough to make Gepard flush (a betraying blush on his cheeks) because this is- this is the most confusing experience he's had, because it's horrifying as he's overpowered and helpless and the monster's being so tender, but also, the monster is being so tender. No one is this tender with him. Not even his sisters.
The monster bites down- Gepard makes a noise as his hand clenches at the monster's shirt, and-
And then the spell's broken. There's an ugh! and Gepard's eyes snap open, and then promptly flutter half-lidded because it takes more than an offended monster to shake off knock-out gas, but boy is he going to try. He's blushing for a different way. Why does he feel so offended? Why is the monster recoiling from him? He started this?]
How what? [Gepard snaps it out, or tries to, but his every instinct is telling him to aggressively snuggle this guy (the guy's warm and offended and Belobog is cold and miserable, and he's so tired) and Gepard's too busy fighting off the instinct to burrow to be too sharp with the guy. He's sharp enough to get the job done, probably, and he holds onto the guy like a koala...not that he knows what that is. But like that.]
[Are there no bodies because Sampo hasn't left any, or are there no bodies just because you haven't found them, Gepard Landau?]
[Well. It's because Sampo actually does put in a lot of effort into not killing anyone, but technically Gepard doesn't know that. All he knows is that they haven't found any bodies.]
[The whole kiss of the vampire moment is broken when Sampo recoils from him, of course it is, but thankfully the anesthetic keeps Gepard from struggling too much. He's more clinging to Sampo than trying to fight him off, which is more annoying than restrictive with how sluggish his movements are. Almost like he's trying to catch him? Sampo has no choice but to keep supporting his weight and endure his grip, too.]
Yeah, I bit you, and you taste terrible.
[Okay, rude, but also Gepard really tastes awful. Like, Sampo's bit a lot of people, and there's a wide range of flavors that people juice comes in, but this? This is the worst, like, objectively speaking. Which feels very unfair, because Gepard smells like he should be a gourmet meal but tastes like something you'd fish out of a dumpster.]
What have you been eating? You're so... bitter. People aren't supposed to taste this bad, are you sick or something?
[Technically, Sampo couldn't really catch anything from a sick person, but that doesn't mean that he wants to get all that in his mouth, either. Ugh, it figures, the first person he finds when he's starving has like, weird space boonies herpes or something.]
I should leave you by the hospital so that the doctors can look at you, there's something wrong with you. [Sigh.] That's so far out of my way, and I can't even get a decent meal out of you...
Bitter? [His eyes widen and Gepard tries to snap up his head so he can glare defiantly at the strange, strange man. Due to the anesthetic, the sudden movement makes him moan, and not in a good, sexy sort of way, so much as in a bad, he might vomit if he's moved around too quickly sort of way. Still.
Still.
Gepard learns a few things. The first being that he's shorter than someone...it's a strange feeling. The second, is that the strange...whatever this guy is-]
You have nice eyes? [It's said more like a question than it is an actual statement, because he's stlil groggy, clinging to the world's weirdest thief like he's a koala, slightly succumbing to inevitability and maybe cuddling just a little, and just got bitten and apparently tastes terrible...? This shouldn't be as offending as it is.]
What am I saying- why do you need blood? [There's a lot he's missing.] Most people don't need to eat blood? Is that why you keep on attacking people? I- [Wait.] There's nothing wrong with me. I just- [Maybe has a terrible schedule. Maybe he skips meals and eats too much lizard.] I'm not sick.
[Sampo adjusts his grip on Gepard when he hears that moan, trying to keep him steady. The last thing he needs is his unwilling dinner date to get nauseous and ruin his shoes. Normally, his meals don't have to deal with any nausea after they've gotten hit with one of his bombs, because they're unconscious by now.]
[So Sampo's learning all sorts of new things about the affects of his drugs on humans, especially when Gepard looks up at him and compliments his eyes. In other circumstances, Sampo might think that he was being coy, maybe intentionally flirting a little. In these circumstances? He's just loopy.]
Thanks, you're pretty cute yourself. And pretty durable, too, most people are out like a light by now.
[Of course he had to find the one guy in Belobog who wouldn't get knocked out by his bombs and tastes like a bar floor. And stays clear-headed enough to start asking really pointed questions, like why Sampo's going around noshing on necks.]
It's kind of a long story, friend, and we're not close enough for that kind of kiss and tell. But I promise that I'm not out here biting people for fun! [Okay. He needs to get this guy over to the hospital so that a doctor can figure out what his deal is, so it's time to shift his grip into a bridal carry. Up you get, Gepard, into the weird man's arms.] I've got the worst dietary restrictions. Nothing but the real deal will work for me!
[It's human blood or bust. He can drink animal blood and it helps to stave off the hunger pangs, but it's like filling your stomach up with water-- a temporary measure. It won't stop you from starving. Sampo's learned a lot of tricks to keep him on that edge, and now that Gepard's in his arms, he might be able to feel it-- the way his clothes pad him out a little to make him look bigger around the shoulders and chest, gloves to hide how knobbly his hands have gotten. The knife-sharp cut of his cheekbones and jaw, which a lot of people would just write off as something attractive, good genes.]
Even if you're not sick sick, you still don't taste good. You should get checked out. Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you again.
[It hits him a half-second too late. It specifically hits him as he's scooped into the warm arms of Belobog's Strangest Mugger. Gepard's curling towards that warmth like he's a kitten being held, a soft sound escaping his lips because he's in that strange place where he's just tired enough he wants a nap, but a little too awake to actually sleep. That sort of space. And the world's spinning, a little, but being held? Surprisingly, astonishingly nice, and he should fight and be a Silvermane Captain.
But he doesn't, in part because this is the part in which he realizes that the guy called him cute. Gepard blushes, a light flush, and hopes the dim lighting keeps the guy from seeing that, or, barring that, he assumes it's a blush of shame at being held.
...okay. It's fine. Focus on the alarming part.]
You can't. [His hand gropes for the guy's face. It's a bit of a struggle, but he manages to cup his astonishingly (now that Gepard's paying attention) bony cheek, all things considered, and then forcibly turns it towards him. Someone passing by would assume they're having a...uh, moment, but Gepard's not thinking about that. He's thinking about the fact that he's being taken to the hospital and also-
Shouldn't he be encouraging the guy to take him to the hospital? Wouldn't that just mean he has to say, "Ignore the position, this is the thief and criminal, get him, guards." And then enough Silvermane Guards can jump him that the problem will solve itself. (It would not, but let him pretend. He doesn't know the whole story.)
But no. No. Gepard skims the guy's face, and tries to pull himself closer. People passing by would turn and walk away from the scene, and any implications are going whoosh over Gepard's head. He studies his eyes, nose, lips, eyes again.]
How many have you killed? [It comes out as more of a challenge than intended, but he's also woozy, just got bitten, and a lot has just happened in the last few minutes, modulating his voice is the last thing Gepard has in mind. He's trying to decide on something.]
[It's almost sweet, the way that this guy curls into his arms as though he's seeking warmth. And he blushes, and that makes him look more cute, and he really does kind of look familiar even though Sampo can't quite place from where. He feels like he should recognize him, but he just can't quite place where he would have seen his face before. Wouldn't he have remembered seeing a handsome guy like this wandering around Belobog? He would've at least flirted with him.]
[Cute guy kind of fumbles at his face for a second, and Sampo tips his head away from that groping hand until it figures out what it's doing and finds his cheek. He lets him move his head, turning it so that he's looking at his pretty cargo. He's got gorgeous eyes-- pale, piercing blue. You can't, he says, like that's a good enough argument to keep Sampo from taking him to a doctor.]
Come on, don't be stubborn-- [He was going to just ignore the guy's protests and keep going, but the next thing out of his mouth is far more pointed, more serious. There's this flinty edge in his voice like he's used to giving orders and having them followed, and out of everything, that's what makes his face click into place in Sampo's brain.]
[This is the Silvermane guard captain. Sampo hadn't recognized him at first because he's only ever seen him at a distance, wearing his uniform and armor and flanked by guardsmen. Powerful and seemingly invulnerable.]
Were you setting a trap for me, Captain? Where are the rest of your guards? [It would be stupid for him to set a trap without an ambush. He couldn't have been foolish enough to play bait without having backup, nor would he have been stupid enough to wander around like this on his own accord. Great. Either Captain Landau is secretly an idiot (or stunningly arrogant), or there's a contingent of guardsmen waiting somewhere that he hasn't picked up on yet.]
[He huffs a sigh. What a bad fucking night this is.] Even if I told you the truth, would you believe me?
[Strange Guy huffs a sigh at him, and Gepard huffs a sigh right back at him because whose fault was it that they were in this situation? He wants to snuggle, but he...can't and also, shouldn't want to snuggle, but he also wants to because Belobog is cold, he's underdressed, and he's tired because someone (Sampo) had gassed him, and the only reason why he's still awake is because someone (Sampo) had made a loud noise just as he was getting into things and jarred him awake...
...which is probably a good thing, but tasting that bad is...
It's something. It's a something. It's sure a something.
He's being asked to think. Gepard hates the fact he has to consider questions and think. Would he trust what the guy says?]
...maybe. [He says this after a moment, hand still on cheek, which...he should move, and does. Hand on collar is better, and still gives him the leverage to stare at Weird Blood-Drinker.]
You could kill me, and haven't.
[A point in his favor.]
I'm in your arms and you're trying to take me to the hospital... [Fuck. He's reaching a conclusion he doesn't like.] And if we don't move soon my reinforcement will come looking for me - they have orders. [Fuck.] Away from the Administrative District.
[That's an order. He'd do it himself, go walk, but...drugged and feeling sick, so Sampo needs to do the moving for them.]
[He could kill him. He probably should kill him, because the Captain of the Silvermane guards knows what he looks like. Even if he doesn't know his name, asking around for the blue-haired guy with green eyes in a place like Belobog would bring up a pretty short list of names, with his right at the top. Leaving bodies is high profile, but so is biting a lawman.]
[But he also doesn't like leaving bodies. And Gepard's probably already coming to that conclusion on his own, based on his own behavior.]
[More immediate problem, though-- there are more guards in the area, and they're going to start looking for their wayward Captain. Staying here means that they'll definitely find him and catch him red-handed, literally standing around like an asshole with Gepard in his arms. Granted, leaving with Gepard also means that they're going to think he kidnapped him or something, but he kind of doesn't want to leave him on the street, either. He doesn't know how long it'll take for his boys to find him, and he's having a strange reaction to Sampo's anesthetics. If he can't take him to the hospital, he should at least look after him and make sure he sobers up.]
You're really a pain, do you know that? [But he's moving, taking Gepard away from the Administrative District where his guardsmen are presumably waiting for him.] You're lucky that you're cute.
[Sampo has a safehouse in the Overworld, and he hates that he'll have to abandon it after this, but there's nowhere else for him to take Gepard to at this time of night. He navigates the twisting back alleys with easy familiarity.]
For what it's worth, I don't kill people. [For what it's worth, which probably isn't much.]
[Sampo shifts Gepard's weight a little to get at his keys, opening a door that leads to one of those tiny nothing one-bedroom apartments in the cheap part of town. It's not much, but he really only uses it to crash for the night anyway-- it just needs to be a place that's warm and secure, it doesn't need to be fancy. But it's got a bedroom with a real bed in it and a couch that's mostly comfortable and definitely secondhand, and a kitchenette that has literally no food in it other than a can of instant coffee. If he turns on the boiler for long enough, he can even sometimes take a shower that's kind of warm.]
Home sweet home. [He shuts the door with his hip and has to shift Gepard again to bolt the lock. Then it's down onto the threadbare couch for you, Captain, hope it's good enough for you. Try to stay put while Sampo gets the geomarrow heater going to warm the place up.]
[He's called cute again, and Strangely Considerate Thief might notice Gepard's face turning pink- pinker as he's suddenly very disinterested in looking at the guy, grumbling a shy-]
Don't call me that.
[As he tucks himself back into his arms, holding tight. It's strange, being held and carried like he's important, like he's worth protecting instead of being the protector; stranger given who's doing this. (Or is the word what? Not who, what.)
He watches with blue eyes as they wind through streets, breathing the air in, out, in again - his stomach is starting to feel more settled, less queasy. He's taken to an unremarkable apartment building on an unremarkable street. Small. Barren, and intellectually? Gepard knows that it's likely just a safe house. Emotionally? He hopes the guy has somewhere...nicer, somewhere.
He's quiet as they enter, besides a slight surprised noise as he's shifted like he weighs nothing.
He's dumped on the couch, and he tries to get up and immediately regrets it as he lies back down again. He feels better. Better isn't a synonym for good.
But he watches and feels...weirdly safe, and Gepard wants to ask important questions like where does he get his blood, or if there's other blood-drinkers in Belobog or if he really tastes that bad...
...this might bother him, yes...
But first things first. Gepard shifts very carefully, the better to look at his...
Whatever he is. He licks his lips, tries to speak, clears his throat, licks his lips again - one of Gepard's hands touches his neck, then, back down again.]
What should I call you? [Then;] It doesn't have to be your real name. I know how this works just as well as you do. [Then.] I'm Gepard. Captain Gepard Landau. [Which the guy might have known. Judging from how he reacted, he definitely knew he was a Silvermane, decent chance he knew he was Captain Landau. Probably didn't expect being able to jump to 'Gepard', which was why he said it, as there was a time and place for formalities and that time and place isn't when he's on a strange guy's couch, staring at someone with dietary restrictions that forces him to eat...people.]
[Most of the places that Sampo stays are like this-- small, basic, easily abandoned if need be. That's how he's had to live, being a fugitive from a capricious space god. The heater starts up with an asthmatic little noise; it's probably getting close to its last legs. But for now, it works, and it doesn't take much to warm up such a small space.]
[While Gepard watches him, he goes to one of the cabinets and pulls out a first-aid kit, for the bite he left on the Captain's throat. That'll have to be taken care of, before he sends Gepard back to meet his guards. They'll certainly still notice it, but it won't be as alarming as having the guy show up with an open wound.]
[Gepard asks for his name, and introduces himself. Sampo's half surprised that he's bothered to ask.]
I already know who you are. [He's an off-worlder pretending to be a native, he's not stupid.] You're the Silvermane guard's golden boy. The savior of Belobog! Who doesn't know you in this town?
[As for giving a name of his own... well, he'd really like to stay off of the Silvermane's radar for as long as possible. Granted, Gepard could probably track down his real name if he tried hard enough, but why make it easy for him?]
[He brings the kit over and sets it on the couch next to Gepard, flipping the lid open to reveal its contents-- bandages, antiseptic, the usual.] You can call me Figaro.
[It's unlikely that Gepard knows much about theater, so it'll be a private little joke for him.]
Let me clean your neck up, Captain. You can't go out in public looking like that!
[Gepard makes a face at the name, his nose wrinkling. Figaro. He knows a fake name when he hears one, usually, and here's the thing. The fact he's given a fake name? Reasonable in itself. He expected it. Gepard had given him an opening, and he hadn't expected the unfortunately handsome stranger to respond with an honest name. No, that's not the problem in itself.
No, the problem is that the guy called himself Figaro. Not the worst name? There's worse names. Gerard. Rupert. Elmo. But also, it's not the sort of name that Gepard wants to fantasize about, and he realizes in that moment (with a terrible clarity that he hates) that he's absolutely going to fantasize about some guy who calls himself Figaro. His dreams are going to be haunted by Figaro.
But there's no way Gepard's going to tell Figaro that he's got the sort of face he can see himself falling in love with. Gepard doesn't. He just takes that thought, unproductive as it is, and shoves it aside in his head. Gone. Banished.
They should focus on more important things, but- Gepard shakes his head, touches whatever he can of...damned Figaro he can. An arm, a hand.]
...before you do, I know I taste... [Terrible. Awful. Horrible, apparently.] Regrettable. But when's the last time you've ate something? [...] ...er, someone? [Is that the word for it?]
[Well, sorry about your Figaro-haunted spank bank, Gepard. That's your life now, these are your choices. This whole situation could have been avoided if you'd never decided to do a solo mission to capture a weird not-mugger, now your penance is having fantasies about a guy named Figaro.]
[There would be absolutely no comfort for him if he knew that later, Sampo would probably have to tug it to a guy named after a wild cat known for both its land speed and its entire species' intense anxiety. So, really, nobody's winning here.]
[Gepard's hand lands on Sampo's arm, stopping him as he's taking out the bandages and antiseptic to clean up his neck. He expresses concern for him, and it's probably pretty sad that he's the first person in a long while to say something like that to him-- other than Natasha. But she only said something because she's a doctor and sometimes saw Sampo without a shirt on when he got injured.]
Are you worried for me, Captain? [He puts his other hand theatrically over his heart.] I might swoon!
If you're asking me to eat you, I usually don't do that kind of thing until after the first date. [He winks obnoxiously, then takes Gepard's hand in his own and kisses the knuckles. There-- that'll be ridiculous enough to distract him from a line of questioning that Sampo doesn't like to have prodded.]
[Besides, it sounds like a bad idea to get his teeth into the Captain again, even if he does offer. The Silvermane guard probably won't look too kindly on their beloved leader getting his blood drained, even if it was a meal freely given. Sampo doesn't need to take any more heat than he has to, it's hard enough for him to get blood as it is. If he eats any less frequently than he already is... well, then he'll really be in trouble.]
[Figaro (why) asks if he's worried for him, and Gepard grimaces, as...apparently he is? And apparently, Gepard wants to push things, and he opens his mouth to do just that, but then; Figaro (why?) puts his hand over his heart and declares that he'll swoon, which distracts Gepard just enough that he has to make an annoyed noise. And then he says he'll eat him after the first date, which makes Gepard stare - wide-eyed - and blush. Red-tipped ears, his mouth working wordlessly, because what can he say to that? What, exactly can he say?
And then-
His hand is held. A kiss is pressed to his knuckles. Gepard inhales, sharp, his fingers ever so slightly trembling, curving around Figaro's own. Because he's not meant for this sort of thing. Gepard knows this. He's not meant for...whatever this is. Fake passes, faker flirting. Which means that he has no idea what to do about the fact that this feels like he's being flirted with? Well, it's obviously flirting, but flirting as a distraction. Flirting as a misdirection.
He swallows, hand still in the unfortunately named Figaro's own. He should pull away. Gepard knows this. He doesn't, not quite yet.]
If you're satiated, then...fine, I know I taste terrible. [...which is really embarrassing?] But the Silvermane Guard is looking for you. If things had gone slightly differently, this night would have ended far worse for you.
[Apparently he is concerned, but Gepard's telling himself that Figaro's a Belobog citizen with haunting eyes and unique dietary requirements, and there's no reason why they can't meet his unique dietary requirements, this is simply a matter of public service and he's not thinking with his dick right now. (He can do both. Both's possible. But he's ignoring the dick and focusing on the public service angle.)]
I can try to come up with something more... [What's a good word for it?] ...sustainable, but it'll take time, and I don't know if time is something you'll have.
[Interesting! Though Gepard flushes a pretty red when the-man-currently-known-as-Figaro kisses his knuckles and flirts, he doesn't pull away or chastise him for it, or even turn him down. His hand remains in Sampo's grasp. He continues to be concerned about his well-being, even though he has absolutely no reason to be. Really, he has every reason to not give a single fuck about whether or not Sampo can sustain himself, and every reason to send his guardsmen to raid Sampo's safehouse the second that he's back with them.]
[What a strange guy. Sure, he's a keeper of the peace or whatever, but technically, what Sampo did to all those people was a crime, even if he didn't cause any permanent damage and didn't want to hurt them in the first place. Being desperate has very little impact in a court of law.]
[And is he satiated? Not even a little bit. What he got out of Gepard was barely a sip, hardly even enough to take the edge off. Sampo can't even really remember the last time that he was actually able to eat until he was full. It's been a scarcity diet since he left his Aeon. But, hey, it keeps his figure trim, right?]
Don't you worry about me. Ol' Figaro's been in worse spots than this before, and I've pulled through! What's one skipped meal?
[If Gepard's been keeping track, he'd know that the last person they'd found who'd been attacked by their mystery mugger had been almost two weeks ago.]
I've already tried to go the whole, [He waves a dismissive hand.] ethically-sourced people juice route. It's really not reliable. The hospital doesn't have a whole lot of blood to spare on a normal day, and definitely not if something bad happens.
[And he's not willing to take badly needed blood bags from the hospital when they've got patients who need them.]
It's okay. Really!
[It's not okay. But what else can he do but smile and try to deal with it?]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2024-03-25 01:43 am (UTC)[There's a man that he's been trailing for a while now, staying quiet and out-of-sight as he does. He's alone, which is certainly attractive for Sampo's purposes, and seems normal enough aside from the fact that he's a little under-dressed for the weather. Drinking something, too, which is a bit unappealing, Sampo tries to stay away from drunks. That's really the only way that he can get drunk anymore-- by cracking into somebody who's already got alcohol in their blood, and keeping a clear head is kind of important when he's on the hunt.]
[But he also hasn't seen any other viable targets, and he's getting too hungry to put off a blood meal for much longer. And he can't even break into the hospital for more blood bags to stave off the hunger pangs, because they're in a shortage after a bunch of guards got ambushed by some big Fragmentum monster and got themselves maimed.]
[So. Back to this guy.]
[They're getting into a pretty deserted part of the back alleyways of Belobog; people don't really live around here, businesses aren't open. Sampo picks up his pace, closing the distance gap between himself and his prey. In his pocket, he's got a few of his bombs ready, full of gas that will knock his unfortunate victim right out, leave him insensible while he gets what he needs from him. A way better modus operandi than trying to physically subdue his meals-- nothing good happens when someone tries to struggle while he's got his fangs in their neck.]
[All he has to do is get close enough, get the guy to stop walking for a second. There's an easy way to do that, and it's to call out--]
Hey, excuse me?
[Like he's just another normal civilian walking the streets.]
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Date: 2024-03-25 03:36 am (UTC)But then a voice calls out to him and Gepard hesitates. If he was wearing the Silvermane uniform he'd absolutely stop because this is someone who wants his attention, and he knows how to react when he's on duty. Gepard half-turns towards the voice, works hard to suppress every last fucking instinct in his body that tells him to serve and protect.]
Yes? [Not friendly, not...not friendly. Neutral; eager Silvermane instincts tempered with the fact he'd been gently freezing for the last whatever, honed to something blunter by the fact that this could just as easily be some random guy and the bizarre thief could be nowhere to be seen.]
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Date: 2024-03-25 04:28 am (UTC)Sorry to bother you! [He keeps his voice friendly and nonthreatening, and as he approaches, palms one of his bombs and holds it behind his back. Strikes the fuse. The anesthetic drugs inside the grenade don't do anything to him, he can stand right in the middle of the cloud and not feel a thing, but to the average human? It would leave them unconscious, with no memory of what had happened.] I'm a little lost. Can you point me back to the Administrative District?
[Just a little closer. Close enough that the other man would almost be able to make out his features, and that's when he'd toss the bomb at his feet, when it would gush anesthetizing gas around him.]
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Date: 2024-03-26 02:16 am (UTC)Gepard hasn't consciously realized it yet, but he's already settled on a plan: at the first sign of something untoward - a thrown punch, a knife, a rock lobbed at his head, the possibilities are endless - he'll take the bottle in his hands and throw it at the guy. Simple, straightforward, and he can go from there. He has yet to realize that this will end very stupidly for everyone involved.
For now, he just frowns. Not angry, just a little bit puzzled.]
The Administrative District? It's...that way. [He turns in that direction.] Belobog's not that big... [Odd. Sure, it's a decent sized city given the situation, but it's not that huge, so huge locals get turned around on a regular basis, maybe.] Are you from the Underworld? [Strange...]
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Date: 2024-03-26 03:42 am (UTC)No, just lost! [This guy doesn't need to know where he's from. He wouldn't remember after Sampo's done, anyway.]
[Sampo knows where the District is, of course. He knows Belobog like the back of his hand. But what he wanted was Gepard's attention just briefly averted, so that he could drop his bomb in just the right spot have it roll towards his feet. It doesn't explode, it's not meant to be an explosive that could cause damage with shrapnel-- but it bursts, spewing out heavy, acrid clouds of anesthetic gas.]
Really, sorry for the trouble. [He darts a hand out, to wrap around his quarry's wrist. The gas will spread pretty well, and it usually affects people quickly, but things could get ruined if the guy is fast enough. Sampo's also stronger than he looks-- a benefit of being an Emanator that's actually sometimes useful.] I promise it won't take very long.
[It'll be faster if he doesn't struggle, if he goes down easy. Then all Sampo has to do is take a quick bite and leave him to wake up on his own, no worse for the wear! A minor inconvenience.]
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Date: 2024-04-01 02:55 am (UTC)The first one is realizing that he's an idiot, because no one normal would be out in Belobog at this hour, on these streets, asking for directions to the Administrative District. Sloppy. He'd been sloppy.
The second is realizing the guy's fast. Fast enough to trap his wrist, fast enough to hold him there.
The third is something that nobody should be thinking right about now. (It's that the stranger is actually kind of...nice to look at, at least from what he can see through the smoke and the darkness, there's a general impression of niceness that he shouldn't be thinking. Out of sight, out of mind.)
And then there's the fourth thought, which is that he should hit the guy with the bottle.
Gepard does that, with a savage snarl that no Silvermane Guard should have on his face, the sort of snarl that would cause his men to all take an alarmed step back from him because they know what's coming next. He just goes and shifts his grip on it and gives it a good whack. Like the thief is some random Fragmentum monster and he needs to bash it in, that sort of whack.
It'll be fine. They might be generally devoted to the Amber Lord but there's enough followers of the path of abundance that they can stitch together any glass wounds from after the fact. It's fine.
He should be saying something like, "Stop, you're under arrest, come quietly and you can plead your case before the Architects." But they don't have enough time for that.
So here's the plan: bash in Sampo with a bottle, tackle him to the ground, knock him out, and then drag him back to Qlipoth Fort. (Once Gepard realizes that it's knockout gas it'll quickly become 'bash in guy with bottle, they both can pass out, hopefully he'll wake up quickly enough and if not then Pela will likely notice his absence' but he's currently living in an idealistic world in which he's just dealing with a human, not something...other.)]
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Date: 2024-04-04 03:13 am (UTC)[Sampo realizes this after the guy decides that the appropriate response to being grabbed and smoke-bombed is to try to bludgeon his attacker in the face, and, honestly? Good instincts. If Sampo hadn't been the guy who needed to get a little sip of this asshole's people juice, he would have been impressed by his response. A real give-em-hell attitude, this one. But he's giving hell to Sampo, and that's kind of not great for him.]
[His reflexes are good enough to get most of his face out of the way of the bottle; it clips his jaw, which is jarring and unpleasant but he'd take that over getting his nose bashed in. Not only is this man quick, he's strong, and that is, again, not great.]
Come on, don't make this so hard! [Ugh, he's too hungry for this. There's a part of him, a part that Sampo tries very hard to keep on a tight leash, that wants to say fuck it all and just grab his victim by the hair and get his teeth right into his throat. Sufficient blood loss would put an end to his struggling just as sure as anything, no matter how strong or quick he is. But that's a bad idea, leaving bodies and ending up covered in blood is High Profile. He doesn't kill people. He doesn't kill people, even if killing would be easier in the moment.]
[He shoves his quarry instead, to get him pinned against the wall, and grabs for the arm that holds the bottle. Get that stupid thing out of his hand if he can, keep him still until the drugs can do their work, get out of this with a nasty bruise and a fully belly and take it as a fucking lesson learned-- sometimes lone men who look like easy marks are traps. Honeypots.]
Look, friend, just take it easy. [A little sliver of light falls across Gepard's face; Sampo kind of thinks that he looks familiar, but he's not entirely sure from where.] I'm not gonna hurt you.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-05 03:50 am (UTC)Gepard knows that he will never, ever be able to live this down. But this leaves him...what? Pinned? Trying to wiggle free, something that's...increasingly difficult? (His eyes are growing heavy. He hasn't realized this yet. Stubbornness works a lot of magic in situations like this.) Staring at this guy and trying to memorize what he can of his face?
Witty banter?]
If you're not going to hurt me, then what, exactly, is going on? [He can manage annoyed, at least. Snarl defiance. Stall for time, until...what? He doesn't know. A good idea, maybe.]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-07 07:43 pm (UTC)[As he struggles, Sampo can hear the blood rush in his veins, the increasing pace of his heart. Can smell the iron-rich pulse of his jugular like someone else might smell a steak cooking in another room. It's mouth-watering, and he's so hungry. His teeth itch to get into this man's throat, to feel the brief resistance of muscle and skin before breaking through to the sustenance underneath; the body-hot flood onto his tongue and down his gullet.]
[He breathes, slow and controlled. The man smells delicious, but everyone kind of smells delicious to Sampo. It's really a bit of a problem.]
I don't want to be doing this either. [Aeons, he wishes that he didn't have to do this. What wouldn't he give to be able to go to a food stand and order something fried and terrible for him and be able to eat it without it coming back up.] But a guy's gotta eat, you know?
[Sampo sways in towards him a little, nose near his neck. He smells so good, strong and healthy. Maybe it's just because he's starving, maybe Gepard really is a whole snack, who knows. But right now, he might as well be a three-course meal set out in front of Sampo.] Just relax and it'll be over before you know it.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-09 02:02 am (UTC)Gepard tries to snarl, and it sounds...sleepy, but still with anger, an implicit threat: he will fucking bash in this guy's head, but then a few things happen in order.
The guy says but a guy's gotta eat.
Gepard's eyes widen in horror/surprise/shock/fear/confusion? A confusing cocktail of feelings, and he's ready to express them, but- remember the smoke? Yeah. Gepard opens his mouth and a loud yawn escapes, and he blushes without thinking about it, a flush, because nothing cuts the tension of whatever is about to happen quite like interrupting it with a yawn.
It's just a vulnerable moment, there and gone again. (He will never live this down, even to himself.)]
Eat? [It's a quiet rasp, because it's just so hard to keep his eyes open and he's slumping all the more, and the only thing that's keeping him awake, to some extent, is stubbornness. Gepard walks the path of Preservation not so much because he's a builder, as he is someone who has the instinct to protect and the instinct to stubbornly cling to whatever-it-is until he's forced away from it.
That said.] Eat? [A quiet, more confused, more horrified, more...something repetition, slightly louder.]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-09 03:16 am (UTC)[And you're on the menu for tonight.]
[The gas has been working its magic, and Sampo takes more of the Captain's weight as it affects him. It's less of a pin now and more of a hold, shifting Gepard's body weight into a more comfortable position for feeding. Moving to support his head, keeping it steady. The horror-confusion-shock in his voice is... not unexpected, but a little uncomfortable for the fact that Sampo knows that from the other side of things, this is a horror movie. It's a nightmare, finding yourself unexpectedly in the clutches of a monster.]
I'm not gonna hurt you. [It's half a reassurance for Gepard, half for himself. He's not going to hurt him. Not really, not any more than Gepard would have been hurt by going to a blood donation.]
[His mouth opens; his teeth scrape over the thin skin of Gepard's throat, too sharp for any human. When he bites down, it's a smooth, practiced motion, designed to pierce into skin and tissue cleanly. A clean bite bleeds clean and heals clean, it's the best for both himself and his victim--]
[Hot blood flows over his tongue.]
[Sampo gags, then recoils.]
Ugh! [This man tastes awful. He's never tasted someone who has such unpalatable blood before, it's like trying to choke down battery acid. The expression on his face would probably be comical if it weren't for the whole, you know, vampiric monster nightmare scenario thing.] What-- how?
no subject
Date: 2024-04-10 03:16 am (UTC)Sniff.
-the monster to smell kind of nice? Or maybe that's just the smoke disorienting him. The world seems to slow. The man says that he won't hurt him, and Gepard grumbles back because on one hand, he's a liar; on the other hand, they hadn't found any dead bodies, so is he a liar? Is he?
He doesn't know.
There's a scrape of lips and teeth over his throat. It's almost tender. It's enough to make Gepard flush (a betraying blush on his cheeks) because this is- this is the most confusing experience he's had, because it's horrifying as he's overpowered and helpless and the monster's being so tender, but also, the monster is being so tender. No one is this tender with him. Not even his sisters.
The monster bites down- Gepard makes a noise as his hand clenches at the monster's shirt, and-
And then the spell's broken. There's an ugh! and Gepard's eyes snap open, and then promptly flutter half-lidded because it takes more than an offended monster to shake off knock-out gas, but boy is he going to try. He's blushing for a different way. Why does he feel so offended? Why is the monster recoiling from him? He started this?]
How what? [Gepard snaps it out, or tries to, but his every instinct is telling him to aggressively snuggle this guy (the guy's warm and offended and Belobog is cold and miserable, and he's so tired) and Gepard's too busy fighting off the instinct to burrow to be too sharp with the guy. He's sharp enough to get the job done, probably, and he holds onto the guy like a koala...not that he knows what that is. But like that.]
You bit me! [And it was weirdly nice?]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-10 03:32 am (UTC)[Well. It's because Sampo actually does put in a lot of effort into not killing anyone, but technically Gepard doesn't know that. All he knows is that they haven't found any bodies.]
[The whole kiss of the vampire moment is broken when Sampo recoils from him, of course it is, but thankfully the anesthetic keeps Gepard from struggling too much. He's more clinging to Sampo than trying to fight him off, which is more annoying than restrictive with how sluggish his movements are. Almost like he's trying to catch him? Sampo has no choice but to keep supporting his weight and endure his grip, too.]
Yeah, I bit you, and you taste terrible.
[Okay, rude, but also Gepard really tastes awful. Like, Sampo's bit a lot of people, and there's a wide range of flavors that people juice comes in, but this? This is the worst, like, objectively speaking. Which feels very unfair, because Gepard smells like he should be a gourmet meal but tastes like something you'd fish out of a dumpster.]
What have you been eating? You're so... bitter. People aren't supposed to taste this bad, are you sick or something?
[Technically, Sampo couldn't really catch anything from a sick person, but that doesn't mean that he wants to get all that in his mouth, either. Ugh, it figures, the first person he finds when he's starving has like, weird space boonies herpes or something.]
I should leave you by the hospital so that the doctors can look at you, there's something wrong with you. [Sigh.] That's so far out of my way, and I can't even get a decent meal out of you...
no subject
Date: 2024-04-10 03:47 am (UTC)Still.
Gepard learns a few things. The first being that he's shorter than someone...it's a strange feeling. The second, is that the strange...whatever this guy is-]
You have nice eyes? [It's said more like a question than it is an actual statement, because he's stlil groggy, clinging to the world's weirdest thief like he's a koala, slightly succumbing to inevitability and maybe cuddling just a little, and just got bitten and apparently tastes terrible...? This shouldn't be as offending as it is.]
What am I saying- why do you need blood? [There's a lot he's missing.] Most people don't need to eat blood? Is that why you keep on attacking people? I- [Wait.] There's nothing wrong with me. I just- [Maybe has a terrible schedule. Maybe he skips meals and eats too much lizard.] I'm not sick.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-10 04:16 am (UTC)[Sampo adjusts his grip on Gepard when he hears that moan, trying to keep him steady. The last thing he needs is his unwilling dinner date to get nauseous and ruin his shoes. Normally, his meals don't have to deal with any nausea after they've gotten hit with one of his bombs, because they're unconscious by now.]
[So Sampo's learning all sorts of new things about the affects of his drugs on humans, especially when Gepard looks up at him and compliments his eyes. In other circumstances, Sampo might think that he was being coy, maybe intentionally flirting a little. In these circumstances? He's just loopy.]
Thanks, you're pretty cute yourself. And pretty durable, too, most people are out like a light by now.
[Of course he had to find the one guy in Belobog who wouldn't get knocked out by his bombs and tastes like a bar floor. And stays clear-headed enough to start asking really pointed questions, like why Sampo's going around noshing on necks.]
It's kind of a long story, friend, and we're not close enough for that kind of kiss and tell. But I promise that I'm not out here biting people for fun! [Okay. He needs to get this guy over to the hospital so that a doctor can figure out what his deal is, so it's time to shift his grip into a bridal carry. Up you get, Gepard, into the weird man's arms.] I've got the worst dietary restrictions. Nothing but the real deal will work for me!
[It's human blood or bust. He can drink animal blood and it helps to stave off the hunger pangs, but it's like filling your stomach up with water-- a temporary measure. It won't stop you from starving. Sampo's learned a lot of tricks to keep him on that edge, and now that Gepard's in his arms, he might be able to feel it-- the way his clothes pad him out a little to make him look bigger around the shoulders and chest, gloves to hide how knobbly his hands have gotten. The knife-sharp cut of his cheekbones and jaw, which a lot of people would just write off as something attractive, good genes.]
Even if you're not sick sick, you still don't taste good. You should get checked out. Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you again.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 01:58 am (UTC)But he doesn't, in part because this is the part in which he realizes that the guy called him cute. Gepard blushes, a light flush, and hopes the dim lighting keeps the guy from seeing that, or, barring that, he assumes it's a blush of shame at being held.
...okay. It's fine. Focus on the alarming part.]
You can't. [His hand gropes for the guy's face. It's a bit of a struggle, but he manages to cup his astonishingly (now that Gepard's paying attention) bony cheek, all things considered, and then forcibly turns it towards him. Someone passing by would assume they're having a...uh, moment, but Gepard's not thinking about that. He's thinking about the fact that he's being taken to the hospital and also-
Shouldn't he be encouraging the guy to take him to the hospital? Wouldn't that just mean he has to say, "Ignore the position, this is the thief and criminal, get him, guards." And then enough Silvermane Guards can jump him that the problem will solve itself. (It would not, but let him pretend. He doesn't know the whole story.)
But no. No. Gepard skims the guy's face, and tries to pull himself closer. People passing by would turn and walk away from the scene, and any implications are going whoosh over Gepard's head. He studies his eyes, nose, lips, eyes again.]
How many have you killed? [It comes out as more of a challenge than intended, but he's also woozy, just got bitten, and a lot has just happened in the last few minutes, modulating his voice is the last thing Gepard has in mind. He's trying to decide on something.]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 02:21 am (UTC)[Cute guy kind of fumbles at his face for a second, and Sampo tips his head away from that groping hand until it figures out what it's doing and finds his cheek. He lets him move his head, turning it so that he's looking at his pretty cargo. He's got gorgeous eyes-- pale, piercing blue. You can't, he says, like that's a good enough argument to keep Sampo from taking him to a doctor.]
Come on, don't be stubborn-- [He was going to just ignore the guy's protests and keep going, but the next thing out of his mouth is far more pointed, more serious. There's this flinty edge in his voice like he's used to giving orders and having them followed, and out of everything, that's what makes his face click into place in Sampo's brain.]
[This is the Silvermane guard captain. Sampo hadn't recognized him at first because he's only ever seen him at a distance, wearing his uniform and armor and flanked by guardsmen. Powerful and seemingly invulnerable.]
Were you setting a trap for me, Captain? Where are the rest of your guards? [It would be stupid for him to set a trap without an ambush. He couldn't have been foolish enough to play bait without having backup, nor would he have been stupid enough to wander around like this on his own accord. Great. Either Captain Landau is secretly an idiot (or stunningly arrogant), or there's a contingent of guardsmen waiting somewhere that he hasn't picked up on yet.]
[He huffs a sigh. What a bad fucking night this is.] Even if I told you the truth, would you believe me?
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Date: 2024-04-11 04:43 pm (UTC)...which is probably a good thing, but tasting that bad is...
It's something. It's a something. It's sure a something.
He's being asked to think. Gepard hates the fact he has to consider questions and think. Would he trust what the guy says?]
...maybe. [He says this after a moment, hand still on cheek, which...he should move, and does. Hand on collar is better, and still gives him the leverage to stare at Weird Blood-Drinker.]
You could kill me, and haven't.
[A point in his favor.]
I'm in your arms and you're trying to take me to the hospital... [Fuck. He's reaching a conclusion he doesn't like.] And if we don't move soon my reinforcement will come looking for me - they have orders. [Fuck.] Away from the Administrative District.
[That's an order. He'd do it himself, go walk, but...drugged and feeling sick, so Sampo needs to do the moving for them.]
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Date: 2024-04-11 09:35 pm (UTC)[But he also doesn't like leaving bodies. And Gepard's probably already coming to that conclusion on his own, based on his own behavior.]
[More immediate problem, though-- there are more guards in the area, and they're going to start looking for their wayward Captain. Staying here means that they'll definitely find him and catch him red-handed, literally standing around like an asshole with Gepard in his arms. Granted, leaving with Gepard also means that they're going to think he kidnapped him or something, but he kind of doesn't want to leave him on the street, either. He doesn't know how long it'll take for his boys to find him, and he's having a strange reaction to Sampo's anesthetics. If he can't take him to the hospital, he should at least look after him and make sure he sobers up.]
You're really a pain, do you know that? [But he's moving, taking Gepard away from the Administrative District where his guardsmen are presumably waiting for him.] You're lucky that you're cute.
[Sampo has a safehouse in the Overworld, and he hates that he'll have to abandon it after this, but there's nowhere else for him to take Gepard to at this time of night. He navigates the twisting back alleys with easy familiarity.]
For what it's worth, I don't kill people. [For what it's worth, which probably isn't much.]
[Sampo shifts Gepard's weight a little to get at his keys, opening a door that leads to one of those tiny nothing one-bedroom apartments in the cheap part of town. It's not much, but he really only uses it to crash for the night anyway-- it just needs to be a place that's warm and secure, it doesn't need to be fancy. But it's got a bedroom with a real bed in it and a couch that's mostly comfortable and definitely secondhand, and a kitchenette that has literally no food in it other than a can of instant coffee. If he turns on the boiler for long enough, he can even sometimes take a shower that's kind of warm.]
Home sweet home. [He shuts the door with his hip and has to shift Gepard again to bolt the lock. Then it's down onto the threadbare couch for you, Captain, hope it's good enough for you. Try to stay put while Sampo gets the geomarrow heater going to warm the place up.]
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Date: 2024-04-11 10:13 pm (UTC)Don't call me that.
[As he tucks himself back into his arms, holding tight. It's strange, being held and carried like he's important, like he's worth protecting instead of being the protector; stranger given who's doing this. (Or is the word what? Not who, what.)
He watches with blue eyes as they wind through streets, breathing the air in, out, in again - his stomach is starting to feel more settled, less queasy. He's taken to an unremarkable apartment building on an unremarkable street. Small. Barren, and intellectually? Gepard knows that it's likely just a safe house. Emotionally? He hopes the guy has somewhere...nicer, somewhere.
He's quiet as they enter, besides a slight surprised noise as he's shifted like he weighs nothing.
He's dumped on the couch, and he tries to get up and immediately regrets it as he lies back down again. He feels better. Better isn't a synonym for good.
But he watches and feels...weirdly safe, and Gepard wants to ask important questions like where does he get his blood, or if there's other blood-drinkers in Belobog or if he really tastes that bad...
...this might bother him, yes...
But first things first. Gepard shifts very carefully, the better to look at his...
Whatever he is. He licks his lips, tries to speak, clears his throat, licks his lips again - one of Gepard's hands touches his neck, then, back down again.]
What should I call you? [Then;] It doesn't have to be your real name. I know how this works just as well as you do. [Then.] I'm Gepard. Captain Gepard Landau. [Which the guy might have known. Judging from how he reacted, he definitely knew he was a Silvermane, decent chance he knew he was Captain Landau. Probably didn't expect being able to jump to 'Gepard', which was why he said it, as there was a time and place for formalities and that time and place isn't when he's on a strange guy's couch, staring at someone with dietary restrictions that forces him to eat...people.]
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Date: 2024-04-11 10:58 pm (UTC)[While Gepard watches him, he goes to one of the cabinets and pulls out a first-aid kit, for the bite he left on the Captain's throat. That'll have to be taken care of, before he sends Gepard back to meet his guards. They'll certainly still notice it, but it won't be as alarming as having the guy show up with an open wound.]
[Gepard asks for his name, and introduces himself. Sampo's half surprised that he's bothered to ask.]
I already know who you are. [He's an off-worlder pretending to be a native, he's not stupid.] You're the Silvermane guard's golden boy. The savior of Belobog! Who doesn't know you in this town?
[As for giving a name of his own... well, he'd really like to stay off of the Silvermane's radar for as long as possible. Granted, Gepard could probably track down his real name if he tried hard enough, but why make it easy for him?]
[He brings the kit over and sets it on the couch next to Gepard, flipping the lid open to reveal its contents-- bandages, antiseptic, the usual.] You can call me Figaro.
[It's unlikely that Gepard knows much about theater, so it'll be a private little joke for him.]
Let me clean your neck up, Captain. You can't go out in public looking like that!
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Date: 2024-04-12 02:09 am (UTC)No, the problem is that the guy called himself Figaro. Not the worst name? There's worse names. Gerard. Rupert. Elmo. But also, it's not the sort of name that Gepard wants to fantasize about, and he realizes in that moment (with a terrible clarity that he hates) that he's absolutely going to fantasize about some guy who calls himself Figaro. His dreams are going to be haunted by Figaro.
But there's no way Gepard's going to tell Figaro that he's got the sort of face he can see himself falling in love with. Gepard doesn't. He just takes that thought, unproductive as it is, and shoves it aside in his head. Gone. Banished.
They should focus on more important things, but- Gepard shakes his head, touches whatever he can of...damned Figaro he can. An arm, a hand.]
...before you do, I know I taste... [Terrible. Awful. Horrible, apparently.] Regrettable. But when's the last time you've ate something? [...] ...er, someone? [Is that the word for it?]
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Date: 2024-04-12 02:39 am (UTC)[There would be absolutely no comfort for him if he knew that later, Sampo would probably have to tug it to a guy named after a wild cat known for both its land speed and its entire species' intense anxiety. So, really, nobody's winning here.]
[Gepard's hand lands on Sampo's arm, stopping him as he's taking out the bandages and antiseptic to clean up his neck. He expresses concern for him, and it's probably pretty sad that he's the first person in a long while to say something like that to him-- other than Natasha. But she only said something because she's a doctor and sometimes saw Sampo without a shirt on when he got injured.]
Are you worried for me, Captain? [He puts his other hand theatrically over his heart.] I might swoon!
If you're asking me to eat you, I usually don't do that kind of thing until after the first date. [He winks obnoxiously, then takes Gepard's hand in his own and kisses the knuckles. There-- that'll be ridiculous enough to distract him from a line of questioning that Sampo doesn't like to have prodded.]
[Besides, it sounds like a bad idea to get his teeth into the Captain again, even if he does offer. The Silvermane guard probably won't look too kindly on their beloved leader getting his blood drained, even if it was a meal freely given. Sampo doesn't need to take any more heat than he has to, it's hard enough for him to get blood as it is. If he eats any less frequently than he already is... well, then he'll really be in trouble.]
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Date: 2024-04-12 02:59 am (UTC)And then-
His hand is held. A kiss is pressed to his knuckles. Gepard inhales, sharp, his fingers ever so slightly trembling, curving around Figaro's own. Because he's not meant for this sort of thing. Gepard knows this. He's not meant for...whatever this is. Fake passes, faker flirting. Which means that he has no idea what to do about the fact that this feels like he's being flirted with? Well, it's obviously flirting, but flirting as a distraction. Flirting as a misdirection.
He swallows, hand still in the unfortunately named Figaro's own. He should pull away. Gepard knows this. He doesn't, not quite yet.]
If you're satiated, then...fine, I know I taste terrible. [...which is really embarrassing?] But the Silvermane Guard is looking for you. If things had gone slightly differently, this night would have ended far worse for you.
[Apparently he is concerned, but Gepard's telling himself that Figaro's a Belobog citizen with haunting eyes and unique dietary requirements, and there's no reason why they can't meet his unique dietary requirements, this is simply a matter of public service and he's not thinking with his dick right now. (He can do both. Both's possible. But he's ignoring the dick and focusing on the public service angle.)]
I can try to come up with something more... [What's a good word for it?] ...sustainable, but it'll take time, and I don't know if time is something you'll have.
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Date: 2024-04-12 03:49 am (UTC)[What a strange guy. Sure, he's a keeper of the peace or whatever, but technically, what Sampo did to all those people was a crime, even if he didn't cause any permanent damage and didn't want to hurt them in the first place. Being desperate has very little impact in a court of law.]
[And is he satiated? Not even a little bit. What he got out of Gepard was barely a sip, hardly even enough to take the edge off. Sampo can't even really remember the last time that he was actually able to eat until he was full. It's been a scarcity diet since he left his Aeon. But, hey, it keeps his figure trim, right?]
Don't you worry about me. Ol' Figaro's been in worse spots than this before, and I've pulled through! What's one skipped meal?
[If Gepard's been keeping track, he'd know that the last person they'd found who'd been attacked by their mystery mugger had been almost two weeks ago.]
I've already tried to go the whole, [He waves a dismissive hand.] ethically-sourced people juice route. It's really not reliable. The hospital doesn't have a whole lot of blood to spare on a normal day, and definitely not if something bad happens.
[And he's not willing to take badly needed blood bags from the hospital when they've got patients who need them.]
It's okay. Really!
[It's not okay. But what else can he do but smile and try to deal with it?]
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