Bloodsport [2430-2-3 Fri 12:30 am]

[Titus Vere]

The worst weren't quite meant for Titus, but he nodded to them anyway. It rang true. There had been many events in Titus' life, and the ones that had given him the most insight, the most understanding, had been the truly strange and unexpected ones. The first time he had killed for money, he had felt nothing. The first time he killed on his own terms... the world had opened up beneath him.

"My life has been taking increasingly strange turns as of late. The past few years have been... enlightening." Titus turned the thought over in his head a few times, trying to decide if he should speak of this now. He could save it, but this would be a good moment to get it out in the open, not just because he owed Elijah information for information. But because Skye had to understand some of these basic truths.

"My parents were murdered when I was a child. I have no memory of that night, or the following days. They found me a few days later, when my father failed to attend an important Council meeting." When he spoke, his voice was flat and emotionless, the tone of a computer reciting information. Titus didn't looked at Eli or Skye, but at some fixed indeterminate point that lay far beyond the confines of the room. "The police said it was a burglary gone wrong." His fingers shied over to the scar on his cheek, and then away again.

Titus blinked, and the images running through his mind ceased. He fixed his attention on Elijah again. "I was entrusted to my parent's closest friend, Digeo d'Asola. He raised me, and two years ago, he encouraged me to become an assassin, like him. Since then I've discovered many things, the first and foremost being that my parents were likely assassinated in order to free up my father's seat on the ruling council. The second being that they were likely killed by Digeo d'Asola."

[Skye Thompson]

It was strange to hear Titus speak of his decision to take her in. She had never known why he’d done it, and she’d never thought of asking, but Skye had assumed that he at least knew why. Recently, she’d even come to speculate that Titus might have brought her home with him because he had actually wanted to, because he really liked her as a person. But he was just as confused as she was. His decision to answer her plea had been just as impulsive as hers to make that plea. And now, she was more lost than ever.

She found Eli’s comment rather perplexing as well. Skye had certainly been through some weird events recently, but what truths had she accepted about herself? What was the truth about her? She had never though of herself as a mystery, as something she needed to discover.

But then, there were those moments, the worst moments of her life, the moments that she never thought about, that she just couldn’t remember. Not that she had ever really felt like trying. And it seemed that Titus experienced the same thing around the night of his parent’s murder. Had someone been murdered in those days she couldn’t remember? As much as she hated her father, it was somehow hard to imagine that he’d actually killed someone. But the next moment she wasn’t thinking about her father. She wasn’t thinking at all.

Skye’s mind was numb with horror. She barely noticed the involuntary gasp that escaped her. Images of Digeo flooded her mind’s eye. Images of his cruel smile, his cold, heartless eyes, and his hands. Those hands that had touched her skin, that had murdered Titus’ parents, and so many others. The fact that Titus had also killed was irrelevant. Her entire body was shaking.

And suddenly, Skye was running. Not from Titus, not from Eli, but from Digeo. From the cruel, sick man who had defended Titus’ father against her claims of his adultery, who had claimed the man he’d ruthlessly murdered as his closest, dearest friend. Slamming the door behind her, she clasped onto her bed, her body still shaking, her breath coming like that of a drowning person. She starred blankly at her comforter, her tears blurring its design into a confused mass of colors. Skye’s father had been evil, but at least he’d been honest about it. At least he hadn’t murdered a man and then raised his son, taught him to kill, to take the lives of others as ruthlessly as those close to him had been taken. Compared to Digeo, Jack Thomson was a saint. Perhaps that was the truth she had to realize about her self. Despite everything she’d been through, maybe Skye’s life really hadn’t been so bad.

[Eli Wellington]

"Harsh," Eli commented, listening to Titus' history. Not that he had much regard for the consequences of death anymore, but he supposed--based on his vague recollections of being human--that having one's parents murdered by the very one who would then raise you would likely have some sort of effect on one's psyche. It was interesting, though, to find that the one who raised him was the one who intentionally turned him into the killer he was today.

Different story all around, but perhaps not so different in idea to becoming a vampire. Eli found the thought almost amusing. "Wait until you wake up dead, though. That's enlightenment in spades."

Eli hadn't even gotten all of the words out of his mouth when he realized that Skye had run off in a panic, and half his brain--the one run by instinct--wanted to take off after her. He kept himself in his seat, though. Had she figured out what he was yet? Was she as discerning as Titus seemed to be at these things? Or was it something else?

"What's with her?" he lifted an eyebrow.

[Titus Vere]

Titus watched Skye run. He knew better than to go after her. This was like the moment she had fully understood that Titus was a killer. They could talk in the morning, once she had digested that information. It was strange. In a way, Titus had been telling Skye not about only Titus' parents, but in a way, about her own. She was his sister now. His parents were hers. And their murderer was now her parent's murderer.

"Skye deals with news in her own way." Titus answered, mind still elsewhere. Then he realized what Elijah was actually asking. "She's not emotionally stable. Her biological father was abusive, and violence still disturbs her greatly. She had a similar reaction the night she first saw me come home from an assassination that ended badly. Sky has gotten better but... she is still very sensitive. She will spend the rest of the night in her room and tomorrow she will be better equipped to deal with the truth."

"I doubt she's noticed that you are anything other than normal." There was nothing about Elijah that screamed vampire, unless you were looking for a vampire. He simply looked pale, and there were nothing but pale people in the Below. "As for waking up dead, I doubt I'll ever experience such an event. My fellow assassins are through in their methods. And I imagine, you must be as well, since I've heard no stories of vampires in the Below." Titus got to his feet after a moment, approaching the small bar near the balcony doors. He poured himself a little brandy and returned to his seat, not bothering to waste Elijah's time by offering him something he couldn't have. "How are vampires created?"

[Eli Wellington]

"If violence disturbs her, she sure picked a dumb person to shack up with," Eli commented casually. Really, humans astounded him with their stupidity some times. Not that he could complain. It was the stupid ones who provided him with the most food. Even if they weren't as fun to catch. "Also, her mind is gonna be blown sky high if she ever realizes what I am. Is she going to throw a fit or something?"

Titus turned the conversation back to vampires, causing Eli to smile. "No, I suppose you won't... I have no plans of turning anyone else for a very long time, if ever again. I've learned my lesson long ago. Competition is already annoying when it comes from an outside source. It's not something you want to create for yourself." Besides, he wouldn't be as special if he started creating more vampires on Terra, and his element of surprise would most certainly be diminished if more people were aware of the vampire presence on the planet.

"How are we made?" He leaned back in his seat, smiling coyly now. "You could call it a trade. Blood for blood. A little... swapping of bodily fluids, if you will..."

[Titus Vere]

"When I first met her, she attempted to pick my pocket. Skye's decisions are often not good ones." Titus savoured the brandy, reflecting on that day. Any other day, he would have ensured that was the last pocket she ever picked. And yet, here she was, living in his home, and heir to part of his fortune. "She may. I imagine she'll flee to her room, or to me. But she'll recover. So long as she never sees the bodies or the aftermath, she'll be fine. Skye's a survivor in the true sense of the word. She survives."

He nodded as Elijah explained his reasons for not creating new vampires. They were reasonable and sound, and increased Elijah's standing within Titus' mind. Competition was the bane of an assassin's existence, and apparently a vampire's existence as well. It was somewhat amusing as well. Digeo had guided Titus onto his path as an assassin, like a vampire turning another. He left this unsaid though. He didn't know enough about Elijah's history to be making comparisons, particularly ones that could be ill-founded.

Titus allowed himself to return the coy smile. Flirting with a vampire was a rather dangerous move, but he had already granted Elijah access to his apartment. And Titus was still feeling the post-kill high. "Sounds vaguely familiar. I'm well acquainted with a variation, though that one involves less blood and more of everything else. "

He finished the rest of the glass and set it on the coffee table. Titus wouldn't have minded a bit more brandy, but he wanted to keep his mind clear for this. "Would you mind clarifying something for me? Some myths state that vampires are able to enjoy pleasure of the flesh as well as humans. Others say that a lack of pulse renders you unable to achieve the... necessary requirements for intercourse. Which is it for real vampires?"

[Eli Wellington]

Skye certainly seemed like an interesting girl. Eli made a mental note for later that he'd like to learn more about the strange little girl that Titus had taken in. Really, he wanted to learn even more about why he'd taken her in, but that was likely a story for another day. He'd have to ask her some questions, once he'd won her over.

Titus, on the other hand, was already amusing him with questions. His curiosity was finally landing on something Eli would have fun discussing. "Most definitely the former," he replied. "We still have blood, after all. I couldn't tell you the science of it, because obviously I've never opened myself up to find out. I can only speak from experience. But in my experience?" He leaned forward once more, excited now. "Better than when I was human. I can't even remember what it was like when I was human, but I definitely remember the first time as a vampire. Once you're turned, your senses are so entirely heightened... it's unexplainable, really. Especially when your mind is so in tune with the other person's life force... all that blood pumping through them..." He just closed his eyes, beginning to feel distracted and hungry again. It probably wasn't a good idea turning his mind so fully on the topic at hand.

[Titus Vere]

It seemed that Titus had finally found a conversation topic that Elijah was fully and completely interested in. Elijah's entire body came to life when speaking about sex, and Titus found himself more than a little interested in seeing if what Elijah was saying was true. But not that interested. After all, Elijah had just made it clear that he didn't have plans to turn anyone, and Titus was insane, but not suicidally so.

However, most interesting of all, Elijah seemed to have been overwhelmed just talking about the subject. He had closed his eyes in what appeared to be concentration. The hairs on the back of Titus' neck had raised themselves, warning Titus that Elijah was starting to resemble the creature who had hunted Titus for food rather than the pleasant being who had chatting with Titus on the elevator ride up. "Your description is peeking my interest, and you are most certainly my type. But you seem somewhat... distracted. Are you hungry again?" Titus tapped his fingers on the arm of his couch, "How often do you need to feed, and how much must you drink to be sated?"

[Eli Wellington]

He needed to let it pass. He'd done it billions of times before, he could do it again. He just needed to think about something else. Were-blood, that was what usually did the trick. Remembering how ill it had made him would usually turn off every raging appetite he could muster. It hadn't worked on the ship, being so completely trapped in a small space with a buffet, but now it was working.

He took a deep breath, opening his eyes once more and focusing them back on Titus. "I'm okay. I... I've already drained two since I awoke today. Any more is overkill and I need to slow myself down." He rubbed his forehead and brow a little, sighing. "I'd gone so long living off of rats and other tiny animals... these past few days have just been a little overwhelming and I've been spoiling myself in my lack of control."

He leaned back on the couch once more. "I suppose I could easily be sated by one every few days, technically speaking. But it's been like... well, in human terms, if I can remember much... imagine you've been living off of scraps for years. Most of your life, even. And then, someone comes along and puts a great feast in front of you, filled with your favourite foods. And your first bite of it, after so fucking long, is just..." He tried to search for a different word, but none came to mind. "...orgasmic."

This wasn't necessarily the best way to ward off his appetite, but Titus had asked, after all. "And then, you know, all those years off of crumbs and disgusting leftovers from someone else... that built up hunger explodes, and you rip into that feast like you're afraid someone's going to take it away from you once more. And you know that maybe going a little crazy on it isn't good for you... you might get sick or someone will get mad at you or something... but you really can't help it because you're just so. damn. starving..."

Eli realized then that his fangs were out once more. He quickly ran his tongue over them. How long he'd left them bared as he spoke, he wasn't sure. "...sorry." He quickly stated, tucking them away again. "Anyway... I've been feasting for a few days now. I'm at the point where I need to stop and remind myself that I survived for a thousand years or more on rodents. I'll survive if I don't have three people in a day. No matter how pretty they are."

[Titus Vere]

It seemed the very topic of feeding made Elijah hungry. Titus couldn't blame him. "I understand, though the food metaphor isn't one I can completely relate to. I do know another sort of hunger. When I first began to hunt, in my own peculiar way, it was difficult to restrain myself as well. One kill is never enough." Titus felt the bloodlust within him, sated for the moment but still eternally hungry for more. There were a trillion lives on Terra, and when Titus was in the throes of bloodlust, he could have killed every last single one. He couldn't offer Elijah any advice though. Titus controlled his urges, but his lust for blood and his dinner were two separate things. Combining them gave Titus pause, and made him wonder if he could be satisfied with only two a day.

Titus found himself staring at Elijah's fangs. It was fascinating. Eli didn't seem to be aware that he'd triggered them. Did that make them an involuntary body function? That could be quite useful to know. It did seem he could put them away when he pleased, and they slipped away, almost as if they'd never been there. "That's quite fine." Titus ran his tongue over his own teeth, feeling their dull flat edges and considered. "I have heard rumours of some selling blood to vampires on Nox, at a rather inflated price. Can you feed on packaged blood? Or would you simply rather not?"

[Eli Wellington]

"Yes! Exactly!" Eli nodded. One kill is never enough... It really wasn't. Even after all of these years. Even after all that he'd suffered and learned to live on less, and those who had been lost along the way. It was still never enough.

The question of the packaged blood made Eli scrunch up his nose. "Yes, it's true. It's actually how I got here. I stole away on one of their ships." He decided not to say that he'd actually made a deal with a human on purpose. No reason to leave a trail that might lead back to Grace being a willing partner in the plan. "We can feed on it. But it's disgusting. Cold and dead... no lifeforce left in it... no kill to associate with it. It's very nearly worse than eating rats. Some honestly don't mind, because it's more blood you could manage to get from a rodent, in a pure clean form... but I only drank them if there was no other option."

He got to his feet, heading over to look out the window, interested finally in looking down at the city. It wasn't a perspective or a sight he got in the Below, and he hadn't taken a chance to really take it in either time he was on the platforms, too worried about hiding under his hood, just in case. It seemed more lively up here, with ships and vehicles flying all over, lights of a different kind blinking and flashing all over. Eli had grown fond of the harsh and gaudy neon in the Below, but this was just as pretty looking in some regards. Like a glittery blanket across the city.

"How long until the sun comes up?" he wondered. He hadn't had to worry about that in the Below, or even in space, as long as he avoided the windows of the ship that were turned in the direction of the sun. But up here, it was a concern he had to once again take into account.

[Titus Vere]

A stowaway. Titus hadn't heard of any ships arriving crewless, and he doubted that Elijah had learned to pilot the ship. That meant that Elijah had managed to control his hunger within a small space for over a week. Titus was impressed, and also a little disturbed. If Elijah could control his bloodlust for that long, perhaps others could as well. That could mean more vampires in the future. More opportunities. Titus would have to keep a close eye on the spaceport.

"Once again, I find your descriptions hitting somewhat close to home. I preform assassinations, but... they don't satisfy my own urges. In fact, they can make them worse." Titus picked his glass up again and poured himself another few fingers of brandy. It was perhaps an unwise choice, but it was his choice to make. And the more he spoke with Elijah, the more at ease he found himself. "Assassinations are often bloodless things, but occasionally, I'm required to frame something as a violent crime. I have to be blunt and raw, and it sets my teeth on edge to be so purposely sloppy."

Titus got to his feet, impulsively joining Eli after a moment. He opened the balcony door and stepped outside, leaving the door so Elijah could join him. The view from the windows was lovely, but it was so much better outside. You could hear the hum of ship's engines, and the far off sound of music and laughter, or the wind whistling as it came down through the buildings. He sipped at his brandy, and then answered the vampire's question. "Four hours, give or take. If our conversation runs long, you can feel free to stay here. I can blacken the windows of the rooms upstairs easily and remove all sunlight."

[Eli Wellington]

"Hmm. The offer is tempting, but I'm not sure it's smart this early in the game," Eli shook his head. He wanted to say yes for multiple reasons, but the warning bells in his brain warned him not to. "It's a trust issue, going to sleep and leaving myself completely at you and your runaway's mercy while I'm out for hours. I'm sure you understand..."

He glanced back out at the city. "I could get used to this view, though. And the... lack of smell." He shuddered a little, realizing how quickly he'd begun to get used to the reek of the Below. It was a scary thought. "So... you get paid to kill people then?

[Titus Vere]

Titus inclined his head towards Elijah, understanding his reluctance. After all, had their positions been reversed, Titus would have also viewed the offer with suspicion, and a general unease. "I do. The offer stands, along with my promise that no one will disturb you while you sleep, but I won't feel slighted if you choose to return to the Below. After all, you are safer there."

"Yes." Titus set his drink on the edge of the balcony. He knew the direction the Assassin's Guild lay in like he knew the back of his own hands, or his authorization codes, and Titus' eyes shifting off towards it. "I'm a member of the Assassin's Guild. Contacts come in, and either I'm given an assignment, or I choose one from the database. Lately, the bulk of my targets have been assigned to me. Elections are coming around now that there's an empty council seat, and there are some politicians who are paying dearly to have me remove any loose ends or potential scandals. The money is good, but I don't need it. I do it to pass the time."

"When my parents died, I was an only child, and I inherited both their fortunes. As well, Digeo never married or produced an heir, or even a bastard, and I may stand to inherit his fortune as well." He didn't talk about this much at all, and liked to think of it even less. Usually, it was others bringing up Titus' wealth, expressing envy that he had full access to all his fortunes while others his age still lived on allowances from their parents to prevent them from pissing their fortunes away. But had promised to share information, and this was important. "I'm currently have an arrangement with an ex-girlfriend that if I haven't found anyone by 30, we'll marry and merge our fortunes. We haven't discussed children much, but I know she would like to have at least two. To be blunt, while I doubt I'll find anyone, I'm certain she'll find someone in the new few years. And if not, I'll arrange for her to find a man who isn't... well. Isn't me." He picked up his glass and finished his drink.

[Eli Wellington]

"Interesting... seems strange when it's something I'd do for free," Eli commented thoughtfully. Then again, it was something he had to do to survive. He had to laugh at the thought. "Though I guess paying me to kill is like paying you to eat a salad. Or breathe."

It was interesting to hear about the plans for an arranged marriage. He couldn't help but wonder whose idea it had been. Titus' parents? Maybe not, since they were dead now. "Arranged marriage, huh? I would have thought humans would have grown out of that dumb habit long ago, but I guess not. You're still just as backwards in some regards as they were in my human days. You're completely justified in wanting out of it, in my opinion."