[ Best not to dawdle. It was a short process, done with a slight, stiff, almost clinical-nature to it. Just like drawing blood. Best not to consider it too much further than that. Once his forearm was exposed, he offers it over. ]
[Erik guides his wrist up to his teeth. As promised, there are two quick sharp pricks, and then his mouth seals around the wound. He sucks gently and doesn't take much. Just a taste. This was more about seeing what he could get away with than a true feeding.
When he pulls away, his face is flush with color. He lifts his thumb to a fang and breaks the skin. He smears the fresh bead of his own blood across the bite mark, and the holes heal over instantly as if they never were.]
Hm. There is something interesting about the way you taste. Very curious.
[ The initial puncture leaves Jon's face twitching into a scrunch with the twinge of pain, but the deed was done. Erik surely had gotten away with it - come what may of it, the siren song of discovery and understanding was always too much for him to not put himself in these less-than-ideal situations. ]
I'm not human. Not entirely. [ His answer was short, blunt, nondescript - clearly not something he loved to dwell on or think of too hard. ] But I hope that was... sufficient. Enough for your stories.
Maybe I'll share, but I'd like to hear you out first. That sounds like a perfect place to start.
[ The warmth rising to Erik's appearance is something that Jon took a mental note of, but didn't yet ask about - what a fascinating result. The vampires of his own world didn't operate even remotely similarly on any accounts, it seemed.
Without further wait, Jon waved Erik over to his simple table, taking a seat and rolling his sleeve back down. ]
[Erik perches himself primly on his chair, one leg crossed over a knee.]
To become a vampire, first you must die. These days, we have an Accord with humans that states that no one may be turned against their consent. That wasn't so in the time I was created. But, as things are now, after the appropriate warnings and conversations have taken place, typically, the vampire who will be the Sire will drain their new pledge of blood to the point of sure death. At that point, the Sire will feed his pledge some of his own blood with the intent to turn.
We do believe intent to be a crucial element. There have been times when a human tried to force a vampire to turn them but the vampire was too unwilling, and so it never took. Stories of that are told as rumors, so I cannot personally confirm their veracity.
Once the vampire's blood has been administered, the human pledge dies. They will lie in that state for as little as twelve hours or an long as three days and nights. It is the Sire's responsibility to stay with their pledge for as long as the turning takes. Because, it is not always successful.
You see, every vampire has within him a beastly instinct. It is almost like a separate consciousness alive within us. During the turning, we feel it hunting us. We feel it trying to overtake us. We must fight it for control. If that fight is lost, then the creature that wakes in the end is not a vampire, but a monster beyond reason and beyond saving. It will be a hungry thing made only of teeth and desire. The personality of the person it was before will be gone forever. If that happens, it is the Sire's job to kill that beast in its cradle, before it can get its first taste of blood. It cannot be allowed to live.
If the turning is successful, of course, the new fledgling will awaken with their own mind and memories intact. They will wake ravenous, and they will still be very dangerous to anything living. The Sire must be there to give their Childe their first blood, and to coax them through their first feeding. And for quite some time after that, it becomes the Sire's responsibility to teach their Childe all they know, all the laws, rules, taboos they need to be informed of in order to join the greater vampire society. It is very much like a parent and a child. We take it very seriously."
I see. Such precautions and care would be incredibly necessary, considering how sour things can turn if that careful monitoring isn't there.
...You mentioned that turning was not always consensual, particularly in your time. If its too much or too sensitive to ask, I won't pry, but what were the circumstances of your own?
Precisely. Humans were right to be angry when a vampire was made with so little care. The collateral damage it could cause was, frankly, shameful.
[He's quiet for a moment, considering how much he may want to say of that particular subject. These are not happy memories.]
I was turned against my will. At the time, I and my twin sister were servants of a very old vampire. I was mortally wounded and my sister begged our master to change me against my own wishes. Obviously, our master obliged her. It took me a very long time, after that, to make peace with what I had become.
That sounds incredibly difficult. I imagine its so long-passed that my condolences don't mean much, but... I'm sorry you had to go through something like that, even so long ago.
Time has healed those wounds all it can, but I am grateful for your condolences. Thank you.
As you can imagine, because of my own background, I was very much in favor of the new rules when they were instituted. I have only ever sired one vampire myself, and it was very much at his request. He is my second in command now. Unlike me, he has no regrets about it.
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no subject
Date: 2023-10-12 01:06 am (UTC)[ Best not to dawdle. It was a short process, done with a slight, stiff, almost clinical-nature to it. Just like drawing blood. Best not to consider it too much further than that. Once his forearm was exposed, he offers it over. ]
Whenever you're ready.
no subject
Date: 2023-10-13 02:37 am (UTC)[Erik guides his wrist up to his teeth. As promised, there are two quick sharp pricks, and then his mouth seals around the wound. He sucks gently and doesn't take much. Just a taste. This was more about seeing what he could get away with than a true feeding.
When he pulls away, his face is flush with color. He lifts his thumb to a fang and breaks the skin. He smears the fresh bead of his own blood across the bite mark, and the holes heal over instantly as if they never were.]
Hm. There is something interesting about the way you taste. Very curious.
no subject
Date: 2023-10-15 10:27 pm (UTC)I'm not human. Not entirely. [ His answer was short, blunt, nondescript - clearly not something he loved to dwell on or think of too hard. ] But I hope that was... sufficient. Enough for your stories.
no subject
Date: 2023-10-17 02:25 am (UTC)[There's a subtle glow to the color of Erik's skin. He seems less pale, more lifelike. His touch is warm too, though it won't last long.]
I'll start with how a vampire is made. Will that do? Let's get comfortable, shall we?
no subject
Date: 2023-10-22 11:07 pm (UTC)[ The warmth rising to Erik's appearance is something that Jon took a mental note of, but didn't yet ask about - what a fascinating result. The vampires of his own world didn't operate even remotely similarly on any accounts, it seemed.
Without further wait, Jon waved Erik over to his simple table, taking a seat and rolling his sleeve back down. ]
The floor is yours.
no subject
Date: 2023-10-23 08:38 pm (UTC)To become a vampire, first you must die. These days, we have an Accord with humans that states that no one may be turned against their consent. That wasn't so in the time I was created. But, as things are now, after the appropriate warnings and conversations have taken place, typically, the vampire who will be the Sire will drain their new pledge of blood to the point of sure death. At that point, the Sire will feed his pledge some of his own blood with the intent to turn.
We do believe intent to be a crucial element. There have been times when a human tried to force a vampire to turn them but the vampire was too unwilling, and so it never took. Stories of that are told as rumors, so I cannot personally confirm their veracity.
Once the vampire's blood has been administered, the human pledge dies. They will lie in that state for as little as twelve hours or an long as three days and nights. It is the Sire's responsibility to stay with their pledge for as long as the turning takes. Because, it is not always successful.
You see, every vampire has within him a beastly instinct. It is almost like a separate consciousness alive within us. During the turning, we feel it hunting us. We feel it trying to overtake us. We must fight it for control. If that fight is lost, then the creature that wakes in the end is not a vampire, but a monster beyond reason and beyond saving. It will be a hungry thing made only of teeth and desire. The personality of the person it was before will be gone forever. If that happens, it is the Sire's job to kill that beast in its cradle, before it can get its first taste of blood. It cannot be allowed to live.
If the turning is successful, of course, the new fledgling will awaken with their own mind and memories intact. They will wake ravenous, and they will still be very dangerous to anything living. The Sire must be there to give their Childe their first blood, and to coax them through their first feeding. And for quite some time after that, it becomes the Sire's responsibility to teach their Childe all they know, all the laws, rules, taboos they need to be informed of in order to join the greater vampire society. It is very much like a parent and a child. We take it very seriously."
no subject
Date: 2023-10-28 01:32 am (UTC)...You mentioned that turning was not always consensual, particularly in your time. If its too much or too sensitive to ask, I won't pry, but what were the circumstances of your own?
no subject
Date: 2023-10-28 03:46 pm (UTC)[He's quiet for a moment, considering how much he may want to say of that particular subject. These are not happy memories.]
I was turned against my will. At the time, I and my twin sister were servants of a very old vampire. I was mortally wounded and my sister begged our master to change me against my own wishes. Obviously, our master obliged her. It took me a very long time, after that, to make peace with what I had become.
no subject
Date: 2023-11-05 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-11-06 02:36 am (UTC)As you can imagine, because of my own background, I was very much in favor of the new rules when they were instituted. I have only ever sired one vampire myself, and it was very much at his request. He is my second in command now. Unlike me, he has no regrets about it.