I poured us both a glass and pushed it closer to her, and sat back as I poured a measure into my own glass. I stared into the alcohol for a moment, then slugged it back. Oh, that burned, and it burned but good. I closed my eyes for a moment as it scorched its way down my throat, then opened coal-black eyelids to study the woman across from me.
“Yes.” There was no reason to hide it. “I believe that there are two sides to protecting. There is being passive, reactive. A guardian. Then there is what I do. I hunt down and eliminate beasts, before they can be a bigger threat. Or, in some cases, I do my best to prevent beasts from coming to be at all.” Here, I raised a pointed eyebrow in her direction. She still hadn't answered my question.
She lifted her glass, which was far more full than mine. “Here’s to a fuckin’ sadist and a masochist doin’ business then.” I blinked. Looked down at her, blinked again. And I felt a stirring, that I quickly squashed. No. Not the time. Certainly not now. I wonder how she’d scream as she bled, when I wasn't trying to - stop. There. Instead, I took another drink of the fire whiskey and sat back. This was going to be an interesting partnership. One entirely different from my debates with Philomel. Or my watchful eye over the short dhampir girl - Kara.
I watched as she drained her glass. “In truth. Should you be drinking?”
“Fuck yes… why shouldn’t- Oh? That?” She scoffed. “Hunter, I’ve literally tried to rip it out with my fingers, I’ve tried potions and serums to get the wretched thing out. It won’t fuckin’ die. So if all that ain’t gonna hurt it, a lil’ firewhiskey won’t.” That was - concerning. I sighed and shook my head. It was probably a good thing the child was supernaturally resilient, because if it hadn't been - would the woman have already fallen? I felt it likely.
I watched her down the glass and pour herself another one. “Truth be told… I don’t fuckn’ have anything to hunt right now.” She bought the glass to her lips and stared at him with half lidded eyes over it. “Does that piss you off?”
I blinked, paused, considered. Did that piss me off? I thought about it for a long moment, then shrugged. “Not really. I just finished two hunts - even if one was aborted right at the end.”
She grinned at me and stuck her tongue out before taking another drink. “Was fun though. Thought I may have actually died permanently for a moment.” She seemed to be lightening up.
“So being - quite literally ripped apart, was fun?” Down. Down, down. “If that's the - hmm. This whiskey is rather good.” No. Distract myself. Damnation, distract myself until I could get away from her and take care of this with one of the whores I had seen wandering around.
“ Yeh….it was….” She tilted her head as her eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you pay attention to the toast earlier? That sorta things sorta the only thing that makes me fuckin’ feel anything these days….” She paused and finished her drink. “Drow….” The word flowed from her lips slowly. “So yer probably at least twice, maybe thrice my age eh?”
“I am eighty seven. I do not know how that compares.” Thank whoever was listening that she changed the topic. Down you accursed distraction. A fucking virgin vampire tried to seduce you with her pleasure venom, do not let the masochistic girl get you!
She hummed softly to herself as she poured yet another glass. “Close to thrice. Look about my age though. Fucked if I know though. Do you have family?” Another pause as a bitter tone raised in her voice. “I killed mine.”
This was the first time someone had actually asked me about my family. I sat back and closed my eyes, trying to picture them. It felt like it had been so long since I'd seen them. The academy had dragged on for ages. “I - I do, yes. A mother, father, two younger siblings, a brother and sister.” I frowned. Why was it difficult to remember them? My father’s face was concrete in my mind - but the others? I knew - I knew my sister was in her thirties, my brother was - he was… In his forties. There, there we are. I nodded.
“The fuck took you so long...isn’t that fuckin’ hard to say yes or no.” It had taken me a while? What? But - but remembering family should be easy, should be smooth.
“Rememberin’ things is easy when you can fuckin’ relive the experiences.” I can force anyone to experience anything I remember…” she mused, staring at her fingers. “Reckon I could even pull up others memories if I tried hard enough...course - I ain’t drunk enough yet to help ya with that. You being a forgetful shit is yer own damn fault.”
“I - sure. Being more drunk sounds like a fantastic idea.” Anything to stop the pounding in the back of my head. I could argue philosophy with Philomel for hours - but when asked a question about my family, I stall out. That - why did my head ache? I had not drunk enough to have a hangover already. That - that was the problem, I hadn't drunk enough. I filled my glass to the brim, then downed it all in one go. It burned.
She laughed at me from across the table, a bubbling laughter that was almost sinister. To shut her up, I filled her glass, then my own again. She stopped and took another sip, this time slow. Like she was enjoying it rather than just trying to get wasted.
She was easier to talk to this way, but then again, wasn’t anyone when they were drunk. Maybe she’d answer me now. The hell had I wanted to ask her though? It was… It was her… The black lines.
“Yer. Yer corruption.” Fuck. Accent, begone. I swallowed more firewhiskey. “S’bad. Gonna make ya a beastie. Don' wanna hunt you like that again.” Fucking fuck. I forgot I was a lightweight. And this booze was potent as all hell.
“You don’t? You didn’t find it as fun as I?” I shook my head sharply. “Nah. No - not like that. Hunting would be fun. You're fun to play with. Bleed nice, come back too-won't go away.” By the old and new. I had to stop drinking.
“You like the feeling of my blood?” she asked as she shifted in her chair, leaning forward on the wooden table. She kicked her legs up underneath her and if it wasn't for my coat, would have been displaying thing rather blatantly. “Is that what you call foreplay?” Scarlet laughed as she pushed herself away from the table. Fuck. I said the wrong thing. “You want to know why? I can show you.” she was close, incredibly close. I could smell the alcohol on her breath, smell a faint whiff of rot, but even fainter of sunlight. She pressed a finger to my temple. “The moment the old me died, the moment I told myself I wouldn’t...be that weak ever again. It’s not pleasant.” She cocked her head. “You may even hate me for it, but it’s not like I am at a loss here.” I reached up and gripped her hand, pressing her finger harder against my temple.
“Show me- tha beasts.” Corruption didn't - it didn't spring up anew, fresh. It always started somewhere. Where had hers?
The world around me disappeared and I was… I was faintly aware that I was her as it happened. My body shook hard nd she drew away, as my eyes went wide. Fuck. Fuck fuck - fuck. And she had - I pointed at her seat. Well. That had - that had cleared the whiskey from my mind. And I wish it hadn't, because then I could have ignored that she - and vicariously I - had gotten off on it. Well. Well. I hadn't, but now I want furiously aroused. I was not inherently a masochist - but I had been in her mind as that - demon fucking mage worked in her, on her. I rubbed my head with one hand as I tried to force my arousal down.
