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Post by Inu on Jan 17, 2009 18:58:51 GMT -5
At least going to try. Well that would be good enough for now. It was more than most vampires ever thought of. They usually scorned vegetarians, or at least were disgusted by such dieting habits. This wasn't such a bad thing, however; vampires were naturally rather solitary, it was rare for a coven to exist, as it usually made them easier to find, as opposed to the other way around. In fact, most covens that lasted any time at all without being discovered or killing each other were vegetarian. Or at least very even-tempered. Like most carnivores, vampires were defensive of their chosen hunting grounds. In any case, she wouldn't really know what it was like until she had tried it - it wasn't something that could be explained, even by Damocles. The best way of saying it, would be like a human eating some crummy little vegetable when they could be eating candy. Or doing drugs. However, Damocles wasn't human and neither was Gernet, so he didn't bother with this.
"If you don't slip up too much, yes. It is easier to blend in when you have very little chance of being caught hunting. But you will need to learn how to blend in as a human. They have certain little habits that will be noticeable if you don't adopt them. Humans will not be able to explain this, but they will think something is wrong about you. In fact, they'll most likely think that anyway, at least if they pay attention to their instincts - the key is to make sure that the logical side of their brain cannot figure out anything wrong with you." Lecture number one complete. Damocles was full of information that couldn't possibly be shared all at once, but he did like to throw tidbits at people like this. Vampires had good memories - he expected her to be taking mental notes.
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Post by Jellybean on Jan 17, 2009 19:09:53 GMT -5
Gernet listened to him speak. When he was finished, she started thinking. Humans were much different than vampires, and strange in a way. They sometimes had things to do, but other times were so bored and had nothing to do at all. She couldn't believe how they could not do anything, not find something to do. She could think of loads of things as she was standing here, right now, that didn't involve hunting or anything to do with vampires. Not that she would ever do any of them. But then she realised - she could do those things now. If she were to hunt animals, she'd be able to all the things she missed in her human life. "What else should I know?" She asked. She was curious, very curious, if this were a way she could change her whole lifestyle. She felt very happy that Damocles was teaching her these things. I will learn, She thought to herself, I will try, and I will not kill any more humans - as is possible.
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Post by Inu on Jan 18, 2009 16:47:31 GMT -5
What else did she need to know? Many things indeed. It was like asking a human what they needed to know to graduate from their petty little schools - except that this knowledge was rarely used by humans after they had succeeded in graduating (or not). A vampire, on the other hand, required a certain amount of knowledge to survive, and it was deadly to forget any such information.
What could he tell her now? An infinite amount of things. The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Why the chicken crossed the road (actually, there were an infinite amount of answers to this question). The square root of pi. None of this, however, was very helpful vampire knowledge. He had already told her some basic things - don't breathe, think of humans as sentient beings, etc.
What else was there? There was so much in his head that it was a little difficult to pinpoint exactly what he wanted sometimes.
Aha.
Werewolves. Since she was planning on staying, he supposed he'd better be a good neighbour and tell her all about the werewolves.
"Well, there is something. You recall that human-animal smell that you picked up in the forest?" he didn't bother pausing for her to answer, he knew she would recall it. Vampires had good memories, and it had only been a few seconds ago. He also took the liberty of assuming that she knew nothing at all of werewolves. "They are werewolves. They appear human, but can change at will, or when angered, into extremely large and powerful wolves. They have been our natural enemies since they came into existence. In fact, they appear because of us. If there is a werewolf gene in a family, it can lay dormant for generations - until a person who is not yet an adult comes to live near a vampire settlement. In such a situation, the gene will awaken, and the first change will be made." he looked off into space for awhile, his thoughts very abstracted.
"They live in the forest because they remain pack animals even with the human gene. Their instincts require them to form into groups with an established hierarchy, and to claim a territory for themselves, even though they do not actually need it. It is we who need to hunrt." He couldn't help a certain note of bitterness from creeping into his voice. Werewolves bugged him. The fact that his 'niece' Deidre and her little boyfriend Damien had brought two of them into the Inn the other day didn't help. He was still trying to get rid of the scent. It was utterly disgusting, but any human air 'freshener' was even worse. They had had to leave the windows open in order to waft out the smell, but his delicate vampire senses were still bothered by it. Werewolves really were revolting creatures. The more he thought about them, the more he had to agree.
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Post by Jellybean on Jan 18, 2009 18:31:34 GMT -5
"Well, there is something. You recall that human-animal smell that you picked up in the forest?"
He didn't pause for her to answer, she didn't expect him to. She remembered the disgusting smell. "They are werewolves. They appear human, but can change at will, or when angered, into extremely large and powerful wolves." [/color]Oh, so that would explain the two scents mixed together. "They have been our natural enemies since they came into existence. In fact, they appear because of us. If there is a werewolf gene in a family, it can lay dormant for generations - until a person who is not yet an adult comes to live near a vampire settlement. In such a situation, the gene will awaken, and the first change will be made." [/color]Gernet was quite interested to hear this. These so-called werewolves trying to kill vampires? How was that even possible? She grimaced at the thought of something as large and as strong as a vampire. "They live in the forest because they remain pack animals even with the human gene. Their instincts require them to form into groups with an established hierarchy, and to claim a territory for themselves, even though they do not actually need it. It is we who need to hunt."[/color] Right. So we had natural enemy werewolves who were more human than anything - and they stank! At least the smell would give Gernet warning before one decided to pounce on her. Gernet nodded and Damocles. "Okay, so we have enemies. That's...different. I never thought vampires had enemies." She smiled widely, an evil smile. "How could these werewolves manage to kill a vampire, anyway? I thought it wasn't possible. I've heard of humans trying in the past." Stories of vampires long gone, apparantly gone, anyway, that humans had managed to kill. It wasn't possible for a human. How good could these half-wolves be? [/color][/size][/right]
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Post by Inu on Jan 19, 2009 11:26:34 GMT -5
It was a difficult concept to grasp. Damocles could recall when he himself had first arrived in Lamdon only to find that he had enemies there - he, who had thought himself one of the most powerful species on the planet. And yet the werewolves were their equals, just as powerful, in their own different ways. It wasn't something he liked to think about very much. The fact that werewolves could actually kill vampires, sometimes even very easily, if it was a pack against a single vampire, was even more disturbing. However, it wasn't so bad, as long as they stayed in their own bloody territory, which he had to admit they usually did. Every now and then, though, he caught the scent of one out in the wilderness while he was out hunting, and this was most irritating indeed. The fact that his instincts were telling him to hunt the beast down battled with his logical side which told him not to get himself into a stupid situation just because his temper was acting up.
"We are a tricky race to kill - it is possible, however, but werewolves are the only ones that I know of who can actually do it. A vampire must be broken, or chopped, or bitten into pieces, which then must be burnt. Every piece - if so much as a finger is left, we can eventually reassemble ourselves, although I'm sure this too is difficult. Human methods - stabbing us in the heart, brandishing garlic in our faces - are prepostorous." Yorick had once told him to watch Dracula just for a laugh. It hadn't been very funny, at least in Damocles' opinion. "On the other hand, we can also kill them, by hunting them down and attacking as we would an animal. However, they are considerably bigger and cleverer than most prey we are used to, and are usually accompanied by a pack. The packs in the area range from about three to five, perhaps, if I am right. But I have heard of them up to thirty or so. It all depends on the population in the area. Where two are gathered, a pack will emerge."
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Post by Jellybean on Jan 21, 2009 18:26:08 GMT -5
Gernet stood their. She listened to Damocles, but she found that it was merely not that interesting. She nodded at him, her mind on other things. She watched his orange hair as it seemingly sparkled in the moonlight which had just appeared from behind a cloud. "So these werewolves," She said after he finished speaking, "Are natural enemies of the vampire." She looked into his teal eyes, and shrugged. "Okay. And vampires can die. Got it." She was quite bored and didn't want to listen to him speak much more.
She looked up at the inn which they were standing by. "You stay here, I'm assuming? Strange, yet again. So when I have enough control of myself, I'd be able to stay somewhere like that? Humans all around me?" She seemed to find the idea amusing. Well, it was! Gernet, herself, surrounded by humans, hunting animals all day. It was laughable. And she was going to do it.
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Post by Inu on Jan 22, 2009 14:42:02 GMT -5
She seemed somewhat less than interested in his banter. Damocles could go on about pretty much any given topic for quite some time, and didn't really take others' interest levels into consideration much. At least she was paying enough attention to summarize what he had said in a few words; this was something that he himself had trouble doing. There was no such thing as saying what had to be said in a few words for Damocles, unless he was greeting somebody or had to take care of some social obligation.
It was a little strange that he had decided to live so closely to humans, even if he didn't hunt them. Obviously he was different from them, and they knew this; he would never really be a part of the town of Lamdon, and yet he stayed. Part of the benefits of being a vegetarian vampire was that one didn't need to travel as much; he could remain unnoticed for quite some time, in fact. Perhaps he was merely taking advantage of this fact. Also, there was Yorick and Deidre to consider. They were still learning the ways of being vegetarians, and therefore it was beneficial for them to be close to humans, so they could master the art of resistance. They were even able to attend the local high school for humans. Really, they were rather accomplished, even if he hated to admit it.
"Yes, I stay here. You will be able to also, eventually." he agreed with her, glancing over the building next to them even though he had seen every inch of it millions of times. "Perhaps you'd care to come inside? I have two other ... pupils you might like to meet."
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Post by Jellybean on Jan 22, 2009 14:53:39 GMT -5
She didn’t have to think about it much. ”All right.” She smiled, an almost evil smile. ”Why not?” Yay. More vampires. She thought to herself sarcastically. She didn’t know why she had never liked company. It must’ve been the hunting reasons. Well, damn. Now I don’t have an excuse for disliking company. Sarcastic, again. She didn’t think about what she said in her head much. What she said out loud was always thought through. Her head was her private place, and so it didn’t matter what she thought.
Unless, of course, a mind reader was around. Gernet quickly glanced around. Phhppht. Paranoid? The little annoying voice said. Why? It’s not like there is anything is your mind worth knowing. Gernet thought about that. It was very, very true. Unless she had a stalker, which would just be weird and unlikely. She sighed and looked over at the Inn. If she killed anyone tonight, she was sure to be dropped as a ‘pupil’ by Damocles. She decided that she would wait until he started to walk to the Inn before she went.
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Post by Inu on Jan 22, 2009 17:21:38 GMT -5
Alright then ... hopefully Deidre and Yorick would be willing to accept a new comrade. Damocles didn't see any reason why they wouldn't; in fact, it would probably be easier with them around. They could teach Gernet if she didn't understand things, or when he lost his patience. Not to mention that Deidre would be able to sense if Gernet was unhappy, for instance, and Yorick would be able to help fix this. And what's more, it would be company for them. He supposed he wasn't exactly welcome company for young people like that. He was a grouchy old miser more often than not.
Turning, he led the way into the Inn, not bothering to check that Gernet was following. Luckily there weren't many humans roaming the streets at this time of night, so she shouldn't have too much of a problem being out in the open. He opened the door for her, and then entered, immediately moving up the stairs. The Wolf's Tear was four floors high, and their rooms were at the top. He was assuming that Deidre and Yorick would both be there; actually, he was rather expecting it. Not that he had bothered to check such a thing, or even bothered knocking when he reached Yorick's door. Luckily, Yorick was in there, and he immediately rose from the leather armchair he'd been lounging in; he had been reading Catcher in the Rye, a favourite of his.
"Yorick, this is Gernet. She is interested in becoming a vegetarian,"
She had red eyes, Yorick noticed. A fairly new vampire, perhaps? Of course, she could simply have the diet of a normal vampire. In that case, however, why was Damocles bringing her here? To be trained as a vegetarian? It was unusual for a vampire who was set in the ways of human blood to change after so many years - although not unheard of. In any case, the situation called for him to be courteous. "A pleasure, Gernet," he nodded politely. He wondered how long she would last as a vegetarian; either he would hardly get to know her at all, or they might become as close as he was with Deidre. It would be interesting to see how things worked out.
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Post by Jellybean on Jan 22, 2009 17:49:10 GMT -5
Gernet followed Damocles up the Inn stairs, looking around as she went. The décor didn’t really interest her. She looked down at the steps. They were a few floors up when they stopped at a room. Gernet looked up, and saw another vampire. ”Why hello.” She said after his greeting. She scanned him with her scarlet eyes. He had dark hair, which she liked. It was…black. Like her hair. Huh. She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling it’s smoothness. She wondered if his hair was that smooth. ”So…” She said to the dark haired vamp. ”Your on an animal-only diet too?” She assumed he was, being with Damocles and all. She was just trying to speak with him, make conversation, actually think about what she was about to do.
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Post by Inu on Jan 27, 2009 17:57:53 GMT -5
"Yes," he grinned. "And you're going to try as well, then?" she seemed nice enough. Yorick wondered exactly how she and Damocles had met, but knew that the redheaded vampire was not one to enlighten anybody about anything too quickly. This was partially why Yorick was confused about her sudden presence here. They could not have known each other for long.
"Are you staying anywhere?" Damocles asked Gernet abruptly, wondering exactly what her situation was. If she had just been passing through, she probably wouldn't have found herself someplace to stay, and in any case vampires didn't have to sleep so this wasn't much of a concern. However, he wanted to get an answer, so that he could figure out if she wanted to remain at the Inn or not. It would make sense, but perhaps she didn't feel ready to move in to a human settlement yet. That was understandable. However, he wanted to figure out where he was going to put her if she did decide to stay; not that that was any difficulty, since there Inn was full of spare rooms, but he liked to have these things completely sorted out.
{ blah. sorry its short and took me so long x____x }
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