1804/The Reluctant and Not-So-Reluctant Vampires

The Reluctant and Not-So-Reluctant Vampires
Date of Scene:	26 July 2024
Location:	Mitakihara Ward
Synopsis:	The Back Street Slasher meets Lacrima during a feeding attempt. A Talk ensues. So does dinner for Lacrima. Vampires are weird.
Cast of Characters:	Norie Okana, Taro Yamada

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Norie Okana has posed:
A Salary Man yawns as he walks his way home from work. He cuts through an alleyway, a shortcut he's always taken safely. A shadow slides down the side of the alleway as La Crima, on the hunt for energy, finds the salaryman. This is a happy accident. The shadow follows the salaryman for a bit before forming slowly into a black humanoid shape behind him.

It coalesces into the form of a young, elegantly dressed young woman with striking purple features in her hair, her eyes. She silently almost floats off the ground a few centimeters, no footsteps, as she starts to slowly starts her reach to touch the salary man, a frown on her face the whole time.

"Let's get this over with." she says under her breath.

Taro Yamada has posed:
The Back Street Slasher's been stretching his legs after what has been, frankly, a bizarre month. Kidnappings! Everyone goes to France to commit murder! He died! He told several people his secret identity! A seventh grader cried at him??? Is it weird he's still feeling sore about that? He's a hideous vampire-yokai who must consume the blood of the innocent to survive and somehow it's his human baker form that's the one getting yelled at???

So. Parkour. Running. He's not looking to eat someone, for once, since he's got an assured meal back at the Acadamy in Naru and he figures it'll buy goodwill to continue not eating people -

But uh. Boy, when an elegant girl shows up floating and entrancing some poor schmuck trying to walk home, he can't help but wince. Oh, he's been there before.

"Are you that Obsideon vampire chick people keep talking about?" asks the Slasher, hanging down from a wall - all seven feet of vampire and worn brown cloak, two red blades poking from his corpselike face like horns as he boggles at the whole situation.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima reaches out to touch the man..... and mid reach, someone hangs down from the wall and the salary man also looks over. And the Salary Man starts RUNNING AWAY from the strange elegant young woman who was mid-reach out from him and the hanging man.

She curses as she moves a few feet forward before angry floating back and getting in The Back Street Slasher's face.

"What if I am!?" she spouts. "You ruined my attempt at feeding!" she says, crossing her arms angrily and turning away. Hrmfph! She goes, Hrmfph!

"What are you going to do, then? Do you want to stop me, too?" she asks.

Taro Yamada has posed:
"Yeah, people ruin my attempts at feeding all the time," the Slasher says, waving off the complaint as if it's nothing. "You'll live."

(It is nothing to him. He's failed to catch and eat people loads of times in his long career. If you lose one, find another!)

"Mostly I'm curious. Are you just gonna eat or are you gonna be a dick to whoever you're feeding from first? I can't throw stones, a girl's gotta eat, but your coworkers are batting zero outta ten for being the most jerkface obnoxious chucklesocks in town and I was hoping I'd find at least one exception to the rule."

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima frowns. "Sure. I'll live. And when I turn into an uncontrollable, ravenous beast because I haven't fed, who's fault is that?" she asks with a soured expression and rolls her eyes as she wilts in defeat. She'll have to find someone else tonight.

Still, she's asked a question as she scowls. "Huh? Only if they deserve it." she says quietly. "Like obvious gangsters. Thugs." she says quietly.

"Otherwise. I drain. Make sure they don't hit their head on the way down, and try to leave them somewhere safe." she says. "They just wake up tired soon, anyways." she says, waving a hand away with a 'feh'.

"Coworkers? Like who?" she asks. "Are.. you working for Obsidian, too?" she asks.

Taro Yamada has posed:
"Yours because you couldn't find someone else to eat," the Slasher says point blank. "If you waited so long that you're gonna turn into a hideous beast in an hour because you hadn't eaten, that's on you. I generally don't put that off until the last minute unless it's some real life or death nonsense."

He hops off the wall and leans, watching the salaryman run. "That guy's a thug? I mean, he looks healthy enough to munch on him without more than a month or two of being super sick after, but not like he's out stealing wallets from third years." Like, yeah, he'll also target assholes, but he generally will catch them in the act for the drama of it all. More fun that way.

Oops, hes said too much. He can't really say he's a potential defector who listens to the lunchroom gossip, so - "Nah, I don't work for them, I'm a freelancer. But I bet you know how it is. You're out as an independant entity and someone from Obsideon is like hey! Our vampire is way cooler and more evil than you! And is better looking! I can't help but be curious about the competition. Especially if you really are a man-eater like me."

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima frowns. "I'm not starving yet.... but. I don't. Like to feed. I didn't ask for this, okay? This whole garbage vampire thing." she says quietly. "But I'm stuck with it. That guy? He'd be the guy I make sure doesn't hit his head on the way down. That's all." she says quietly.

She crosses her arms. "I'm not evil...! I just... am willing to get the work done." she says softly. "...and I am better looking." she says. "...and I don't...eat men. I drain their energy , yes. I eat that. Do you.. drain energy? Or do you drink. Blood?" she asks more curiously.

"....oh."

"I'm being rude."

"My name is. Lacrima." she says softly.

"What's yours?" she asks curiously.

Taro Yamada has posed:
"You're preaching to the choir, lady. Do you think I like eating people? This sucks! Blood tastes terrible! I don't like gnawing on people, but I gotta, because it's that or starving to death!"

....He has known that he's a bad person for a long time. Hurting others to live. Too afraid to die. He's heard rumors of Lacrima in the lunchroom, but it's something else to see her, to see a similar agony in her eyes.

He's spent decades making the Backstreet Slasher famous, because that's the proof he still lives. That's a reason to hurt people. If he can make them remember him, if he can make his mark on history, as his predecessor Jack left his own mark on London - If Taro Yamada can exist -

"It's not evil to eat. It is a dick move to be an asshole who whoever you're feeding on. I used to drain blood, but I learned I can drain energy from mahou this year and am trying to revamp my diet," he says. "Since they seem to bounce back a lot better than vanilla humans do and all. I'm the Back Street Slasher." He bows politely - because even if they're both man eaters, his Ma said to be polite to girls, and he's going to try his best!

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima sits down on...nothing. In mid air. "Well. That's not the most ridiculous name I've ever heard. Can I call you 'Slash' for short?" she asks. She then ughs. "So how'd you end up like you are then?" she asks. "Me? I bought a damn necklace in a second hand shop and it was f***ing cursed." she says. "Fell down during a dance recital. Died. Came back as. Energy construct. I don't like it very much. I can't feel positive emotions anymore." she says bluntly, monotone.

"Yeah. They also like to offer free energy. I try not to take those offers. Unless I really need it. It's..." she says quietly.

"I don't want to be the reason one of them dies. Because they gave me a little bit of energy they could have used to not..die. Like. In a fight." she says quietly.

"But they can be persistent about offers." she trails off. "I try not to bed an 'asshole' to people I drain unless they deserve it." she says. "Like. That guy. Probably didn't deserve it. But I..."

"Well I don't die. I can't die. That sucks, too. But I become something godawful and drain people uncontrollably and dangerously if I don't eat. As far as I can figure out because I woke up in a pile of people the first time I tried to starve myself thinking I'd just die or sleep forever or something." she says.

She purses her lips. "I wonder what would happen if I drained another vampire..."

Taro Yamada has posed:
"Got bitten by a freaky vampire doll. Became a vampire. Am stuck as a vampire. Can't die. The worst hunger pangs - " Wait. "And it's 'Slasher', not Slash! That's a rock and roll guy. The energy is completely different!"

Utterly! Entirely!

And - he pauses. Hm. He knew some mahou were pretty critical of Miss Lacrima, given her love of chomping on people, however!

"I don't think it's bad to take energy from a mahou who's offering? They know the risks just like we do, and it means we don't have to chase normal people or fight them about it," he decides. "I get a lot more 'food' from a mahou. You might too. And it's less shitty for them, knowing what they're doing, instead of - purely in theory - being some dumb kid who gets attacked in an alley and wakes up missing time and covered in blood and has to go to the hospital for an injury that no one can find."

not. not that he's talking from experience there!

He nods seriously at her suggestion. "I can die if I run out of energy, but not from much else." From one of his dolls getting damaged, but no one gets to know that, thanks! "Do you want to try it? I've fed recently. I don't use dark energy or any of that stupid shit, so it shouldn't taste funny."

His doll Jack will kill him. His doll Jack can suck it.

"Try not to kill me, will you? I'll probably survive, but it still sucks."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima sighs and says. "Can you eat normal food? I can. Food still tastes normal. I like donuts a lot. Comfort. Things." she says quietly, monotone. "The hunger sucks. I have a hard time ignoring it. I have to make physical contact with someone to drain them." she says quietly.

"Oh! You're not dark energy based?" she asks, suddenly leaning forward. "I am. Made of it. Riventon-senpai keeps warning me from glowering in my bad feelings because of it. But I'm pretty sure there's nothing worse then how far I've fallen. I think I'm the END result of such things. I can't prove that though." she says.

She hesitantly holds a hand out and touches your shoulder. It stings, for a moment, as she drains a bit of energy, though not a super long amount, as she draws her hand back.

"You taste. Like Black Licorice." she says politely as she can.

Taro Yamada has posed:
"I like ramen. Ekiben," the bento boxes they sold at train stations. "Mochi. Rare meat tastes really good to me, but blood doesn't. I eat and I eat when I'm human, but I never stop being hungry. I never stop being hungry like this."

He is haunted by hunger. But he is not full of dark energy, that gnawing desire; he is filled with pure power, neither healing nor harming, just pure potential. Ready to be transformed into whatever is needed.

She consumes. It stings; it aches; the Back Street Slasher is hungry again, but it's not the desperate hunger of a dozen recent deaths, of putting off his need to feed. It is a hunger he can put on the calendar and work around.

It is worth it as a price to pay.

"Better than root beer, I guess?" the Slasher says with a shrug. "I'm staying away from dark energy - and it sounds like I made the right choice. I'll probably have to eat extra this month, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. Is that enough for you?"

This is probably a bad idea. But he had cousins, once, kids like this. He has classmates like this. He's torn between the desire to save and the desire to eat. Eat and be eaten, kill and be killed: he's been eaten a dozen times over. He cannot kill, but he cannot be killed. Maybe he has the strength to reach out to someone else?

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima answers. "Yeah, that'll do for tonight, at least. Maybe I outta bug Amy tomorrow, she says her soul gem is overflowing with energy because of some dumb thing or another. But I don't like draining from Puella Magi. They're energy is limited. Like ours." she says quietly.

"Sorry if that hurt. I know it hurts. I don't like that it hurts. But..." she sighs a little. She keeps sitting on nothing as she rests a hand against her chin.

"Oh. I don't have a choice in my dark energy useage. As I said. I'm a dark energy construct. use Dark Energy is... what I kind of have to do." she says.

"I wouldn't suggest filling yourself up with the stuff. No. It's awful when used like that."

"You have to have. Training. Or be a construct. Or a youma. Or be born with it. Stuff like that, for it to be remotely useful to you. It can't backfire as much then. But it's a double edged sword. There's... things. Some magical girls can do that can really hurt you when you're a dark energy user. Yeah. You're strong. Or whatever. But it's SOOO OBVIOUS when you're using dark energy and then Sailor Moon is hitting you with this Escalation bullshit and it..."

"It's like I can barely touch my feelings again. When I'm hit by it. And then it's all ripped away again and I feel godawful and my everything hurts, and you wanna do is say you're sorry." she says in quiet monotone.

Taro Yamada has posed:
It hurts. There's an ache in his stomach. But he's always hungry. Life is about being hungry. No matter how much he eats, he's hungry.

Perhaps that is a mercy, to not be at the mercy of dark energy. To simply be filled by the ravenous desires of the flesh as mortals do.

"I won't. It sounds like the price is too high to be worth the benefits. All power comes with a price, but this is ridiculous." He'd decided to fly the white flag around Sailor Moon for a REASON. Ok, several reasons! But he likes not having lasers shot at him by a newlywed, ok?

"If you can't feel anything on dark energy, but you can feel something on Moon Marriage Escalation," and he hopes he's reading what she's saying correctly, "Can you feel anything with my energy?"

He's got, well. The satisfaction of a job well done, crippling isolation, single minded bloody determination, and aching hunger, but that's probably better than nothing, right? Right??

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima says. "Well. Good. And no. Eating others energy...doesn't make me feel anything except mostly wishing I didn't need to eat others energy." she says quieter. "I used to be afraid of a thing in my closet. It turned out to just be a dumb jacket I hated hung up weird. Now I'm the thing that might be someone's closet monster and I hate that." she says quieter.

""So no. I don't. Feel things. When I feed. Sorry. I taste. Everyone has a taste. At least to me. Everyone is different. That's novel at least."

"Trust me. You wouldn't want me to feel like 'normal' or 'human' on your energy. Otherwise I would had kept draining. and draining and..." she shakes her head.

"I don't want to think about it." she says quietly.

"Because either you'd be dead. or we'd be fighting. and honestly I hate both those outcomes."

"Do YOU need to feed now? I dunno who to point you at.... if you drink blood."

Taro Yamada has posed:
The Slasher tilts his head, pondering. "Well. If we do fix whatever's got you so bummed, you'll need to get some self control. It'd be inconvenient to find something you can eat to feel better and you gorge yourself on it! It sucks that people are food but that's our lives now! We cope!"

It's a shit situation and a shit solution but he doesn't know what else he can offer. His life has been an ongoing series of coping and seething, ok? Sucks to have self control. Sucks to have to hold back. Sucks to be afraid to hurt people! But he persists! And LaCrima is strong, so she can do it too!

"I'll feed, but later. I've got a mahou I can snack on. I really do think if you can take their offers instead of eating randos, they'll chill out some," the Slasher says. "I'm hungry all the time. I can eat your hunger and fulfill it later."

Hunger is hunger. Meat is meat. The privilage of the strong is to offer help to thers, after all.

"Do you do phone stuff? I can give you my henchman's number as long as you promise not to snitch on him. Good help is in short supply and if he gets eaten, I can't get any midnight fast food runs." Especially since that is the other him and all, but shhhhh.

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima frowns. "I 'cope', yes." she says quietly.

She suddenly trails off for a bit, before she speaks again. "...Norie Okana." she says quietly. "That's who I used to be before I became this thing. It costs me energy to put up the projection of being her. It's one of the major reasons I need to feed. To pretend to be human." she says.

"It isn't a big secret. Lots of people figured it out. When you're the weird girl at school that needs to wear gloves because touching living things drains them of energy."

"Even the fricken. Guidance counselor knows I drain energy."

"Yeah I do phone stuff." she says, producing her phone by....well it sort of pulses out from her palm like she was keeping it inside her. "Okay. What's the number?" she asks.

Taro Yamada has posed:
"It's active when you're human? That sucks," the Slasher says, grimacing. "I just feel hungry all the time, or get dizzy and weak if I haven't eaten recently." A pause. "I mean. My powers could act up, but it's been a real long time since that happened. I'm not letting that start now."

Being able to create knives all over his body was useful? Yes? except not when he was trying to be human. Except not when he was HUNGRY.

He enters her name into his phone, then recites a number for her. "My henchman's Taro Yamada. Tall guy, skinny, wears hoodies and sweaters a lot. You can't miss him, he looks like a Digimon villain. He can grab me for you if he's not in school, he cooks, just don't drain him unless it's life or death, ok? He's my lunch delivery guy, he can't deliver food if he's weak."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima frowns a little. "Yes. I'm still a vampire even when I have an illusion up. I hate it. I can't...pet dogs anymore or anything. Because. Because. Look. Animals have a really small energy pool okay?" she says. "I almost killed some kid's golden retriever by petting it, when I didn't know better." she says.

"I won't touch him. Alright?" she says. "I promise. As long as I know who he is, first." she says.

"I won't bore you with the details. You don't..need to hear my whole sob story. But it sucks being able not to touch people." she says silently.

"I should go. I'd offer you blood, but I don't have blood. I bleed something thick and black. I'm not sure it's blood." she says standing from her invisible seat.

She lets the illusion of Norie Okana wash over her before she sighs. The now black haired, blue eyed girl wilts. "I'm going to walk home instead of doing the teleport thing." she says, walking away. "Take care, Slasher." she says. "Try not to starve tonight."

Taro Yamada has posed:
The Slasher grimaces, and then grimaces extra. Can't even pet dogs?? Even he can pet dogs!!

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I managed to not draw the short straw this time. Listen, even if I can't eat you - if nothing else, if I can help you eat a little, then you can stop eating other people and are less likely to get hit with 1000 laser attacks and die, and we all benefit. I figure we can do that much, right?"

He waves after her. He feels - strange, watching her go. Another person like him. He's alone, but there are so many people like him, after all.

...She can't touch people. Well, he's got to work on getting rid of the Fade, because it's stupid and losing all the friends he's newly gained would SUCK, and make Obsideon be less full of jerks because their brand of villainy straight up sucked, so maybe he can add vampire uncursing to the to do list. It can't hurt, right?

"Walk safe!"