InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "King of Babylon"

Spike (wasghostly) wrote in reality_crisis,
@ 2012-06-08 20:48:00

Entry tags:

eric northman, spike, status: complete

All Kinds of Fangs (Eric)
When the rain finally stopped Spike had set off, stomping through the streets in a less than stellar mood. When you'd endured your entire body being invaded through every hole by a plague of beetles, a few reptiles hitting your head just didn't seem too problematic, but it was still annoying. And some of them were still alive now, and kept getting underfoot as he moved through New Troy. Not to mention the corpses lying everywhere, bloody and some still twitching. He paused to head into a bar to get directions before he left it, not wasting any time, and soon found what appeared to be the Mayor's house.

Pushing past the gate he headed up and knocked, looking around. Not a bad place to set up shop, given the condition of the world. The door opened and a weedy fellow looked out, then opened the door wider and invited him in.

"Thanks. This is the Mayor's place, yeah? He in?" Spike grunted, walking in and stepping on the head of a snake that tried to pass him as it entered. The man shut the door and nodded, opening his mouth to say something else, though Spike was already continuing on, leaving grimy footprints in his wake. "No worries, mate. I'll find my own way."

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ododlig
2012-06-09 01:29 am UTC (link)

Eric was aware of the arrival of another vampire in his home, despite the feeling being vastly different than what he was used to. Vampires all had a certain smell, and it was definitely on the air now. He heard the exchange through the quite halls of his house and base of operations, and decided to remain right where he was to see how quickly this new one found him.

Pam had told him about the vampire she had met, Spike. Eric was assuming it was the same one Jack had told him about. They were too rare a species on this planet to suspect anything else. He would have known for sure if a fourth vampire had taken up living in his city, and he thought that he would have heard rumors coming from die Festung.

In truths, Eric was interested to meet a vampire that was unlike himself. He had never thought such a thing possible before. Of course, before here, he had never thought many things were possible and was discovering just how wrong he had been. Pam had given him some details about the other vampire that he wanted to see for himself.

He sat in his office, on the long couch, reading. Pam had set some books aside that she thought that he might be interested in. One of them was a book on the prophecy that had a note attached that it wasn't very thorough but a good idea to read anyway, the second was a comic book about the girl he had met, Kitty. Kitty Pryde, her name was, and she could do some very interesting things. He'd read that one through twice, and it sat on top of the book of prophecy. The one in his hand however, he found disturbing and uncanny.

It was a book about him. Or rather, Sookie. He was in it. Pam was in it. Bill was in it. It was by a woman named Harris and called Dead Until Dark. Eric was about halfway through it and discovering that he was fairly unhappy at being a part of such fluff. It was exactly the sort of book that he would never have touched of his own volition.

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wasghostly
2012-06-09 01:46 am UTC (link)

It was fairly easy for Spike to hone in on the areas of the house where the other vampire spent the most amount of time. He had a scent far different from the humans who moved through the halls. Different from Spike's sort of vampire, too, though similar enough to Pam to be recognizable.

Spike stopped outside of one doorway, pausing. He heard no breathing from within, but that didn't mean anything. He thought he heard the sound of paper moving, though. As a man who secretly loved literature and had once been a writer himself knew the sound of pages turning almost instantly.

He paused, then reached down and turned the knob, pushing the door open without moving to enter. In fact he leaned slightly back, assessing the room the was revealed to him before making any move to walk in. He noted the office decor and the man on a couch who appeared to be reading a novel. "Hello? Looking for the big man of the town. Suppose that's you?"

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ododlig
2012-06-09 01:51 am UTC (link)

Eric set aside the irritating novel and stood up. He moved across the room in a blink to greet his guest. The quickness was not meant to be an intimidation tactic, it was just nice to be able to skip over the boring slowness that he had to use around the humans lest he frighten them too much. They knew that he wasn't like them, they knew that he drank blood to survive - many of them volunteered to donate, but they seemed unnerved still if he displayed any of his vampiric abilities too much.

"I am. You must be Spike. Pam has told me about you." Her detail was amazingly rich, as always. Her mind like a sponge for faces. It often left no room for surprise in any way, which Eric liked. Even so, there were still things he liked to see for himself. Hearing and seeing were often different animals entirely.

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wasghostly
2012-06-09 02:07 am UTC (link)

Even if it hadn't meant to look like he was showing off, Spike still felt he was, though he didn't react except to stick his hands in the pockets of his coat and looking the other up and down, quirking a brow thoughtfully.

"Yup. That's me. And you're Eric," he said, walking into the room without needing invitation. He looked over the room, taking in the atmosphere and pausing to pick up the comic book. That was a surprise. What didn't surprise him was that Pam had already given her buddy in charge the rundown. He assumed she'd mentioned the differences they'd noted between their species, too. "Heard a Champion took over New Troy. Didn't figure it to be a vampire. Much less a vampire... keeping a government."

He turned around to look at Eric, face carefully carefree and a bit arrogant, just the first impression he liked to leave. "They know you're a blood sucker or are you keeping that under wraps?"

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ododlig
2012-06-09 02:14 am UTC (link)

"In my world, vampires have almost always had a government of their own. Kings and Queens, alliances and secret wars. Laws. Rules. It was fairly easy to fall into the role here. Especially without all those laws and rules and politics in place."

Eric quite enjoyed that he didn't have any of those things to worry about here, not to mention synthetics. He was still quite relieved every time he ate that it wasn't out of a bottle because of the human/vampire politics involved.

"They know. I haven't hidden it from them, or what I need in order to survive. There are members of my staff who stepped forward to willingly donate, in fact. I thought that I would need to have random citizens for that, people within New Troy who knew and were willing, but it turns out, I have a healthy pick right here."

He raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to find somebody for you? Have you eaten yet today? I have to ask you to not kill them, of course, as our supply is somewhat limited."

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wasghostly
2012-06-09 02:41 am UTC (link)

"Kings and Queens," Spike repeated, not hiding his skepticism. "Most we have where I'm from are a few insane cults." Nobody was ever in power for long, though. Vampires from his world were just too unruly and greedy for that sort of thing.

"Huh. They're not quite as skittish as they look," he said, thinking about the one that had let him in.

He considered the offer for a moment, then slowly nodded. It had been a bit more than a day since he'd eaten and he was starting to feel the effects. And the offer of willing human blood when he'd been on pig's blood for so long... that was definitely hard to ignore. But in the end it was the man who offered more than anything that had him nod. The fact that he didn't have to make an excuse as to why he wasn't going to kill was just a perk.

"Sure. Hell, I'm not going to turn down a meal. And don't worry, I'll make sure they'll live to kick another day. But don't get anyone tainted or weird, will ya? Last time I tried to eat here I was dosed. I'd rather stick to pig than go off like that again." He didn't like being that high for that long. Not in an unfamiliar place. It was dangerous in more ways than one, especially in a world like this.

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ododlig
2012-06-09 03:42 am UTC (link)

"Kings, Queens, sheriffs." Eric smiled crookedly. "It's all very complicated. Entangled. I like it better here where things aren't steeped in politics and all the strict rules that had to be put into place after we came forward and revealed ourselves to humans."

Eric peered out the door and motioned to one of the staff. When she skipped over to where he and Spike stood, he explained that Spike was hungry and a volunteer was needed. He told her to go ask around to see who was available.

"Don't worry. They're all clean. They know better than try to hide something such as drugs or alcohol from me." But there was another question wasn't there? Pam had brought it up. "My kind of vampire is only susceptible to one disease, and I don't think it's even here. Do you have to worry about such things?"

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wasghostly
2012-06-09 04:00 am UTC (link)

Sheriffs? Spike smirked as he thought about vampires walking around in ten gallon hats with a silver star on their chest, but he didn't make any comments. The whole system seemed ridiculous, and he wondered what the differences between these vampires and humans really were, other than the blood and powers. "My lot are more anarchistic. And even when we're not, the leader is usually some other kind of demon who just bullies the weaker leaches into doing his bidding," he shrugged.

He watched the girl come and then go, wondering how bad a town this must be if gladiator games and voluntary vampire chow were accepted as part as daily life here. Somehow he didn't think Belia's people, or the gypsies or that new town would ever go for this sort of thing.

Maybe it was something in the water....

"Disease? No, never heard of any back home. Not that can infect me, anyway. Just, whatever the person has in their system already. Alcohol, drugs, sickness, magic.... usually just effects the flavors or how much strength you get from feeding, but the ones here can be dangerous. Ate a bit of a boy that put me into a stupor for a good day or so. Might be fun in the right circumstances, but out in the middle of enchanted forest? Not so much."

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ododlig
2012-06-09 04:15 am UTC (link)

"Sounds much like how things are for my kind, just more in the open. Even now, with the knowledge of vampires being present, we haven't allowed them to know about the way our... relationships... to one another work. I don't think they'd like knowing that their states are secretly ruled by vampire monarchs, or that their own government and churches are manipulated from within." Eric paused. "Demons?"

He let a lull in the conversation happen as a second girl came in, smiling nicely. Eric gestured to the sitting area, the long couch and two chairs.

"I think your mistake was feeding on anybody in the fairy forest. Generally speaking, at least where I'm from, fairies are intoxicating and addictive. This girl, however, is clear. Would you like a moment to yourself, or do you care?"

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wasghostly
2012-06-09 04:36 am UTC (link)

"The public knows about you all?" Spike arched a brow. There was a healthy number of people in the know back home, sure, but if the entire world knew demons and vampires were real... well, Spike didn't know what would happen. But it would be messy, that was certain.

"Yeah. Demons predate humans but aren't any more known about than vamps where I'm from. And they're part of the vampire thing, though we're mostly known as "half breeds" or something. Most demons look down on us. I don't really know the history of it all," he said in a tone that also heavily implied he didn't give a rat's ass. Which he didn't.

The girl who came in certainly looked and smelled nice, and Spike took a moment to appreciate her before he walked over, glancing at Eric. "I figured you invited me to a taste just to see me face," he said honestly. If Pam had described him already he would have been more than a bit intrigued about her not mentioning the physical differences of his demonic side. And after warning her that he wouldn't show himself off to just anybody he figured a snack was Eric's way of seeing without seeming like he wanted to.

The blonde perked a brow at the way the girl still smiled at him. This was... weird, but not unworkable. "Brace yourself, sweetheart. I'm not always pretty like he is," he jerked a thumb at Eric, then unleashed the face that seemed to most notably set the two undead beings apart. He ignored the gasp and grabbed her arms, pulling her to him and sinking his fangs into her neck.

The rush of strong human blood made him groan slightly. It had been a long time... such a long time. First with him getting the chip, then the soul, then the being dead.... he'd almost forgotten what honest human blood tasted like.

A bit caught up in the flavor he didn't realize he'd taken more than he should have until he felt her body weight start to shift too much to one side. He quickly pulled himself off her, breathing a bit heavily and holding her up as he shook the bumpy face away, and the 'callous ass' act slipping when he saw her blinking dozedly at him. "Shit. Sorry, luv, you ok?" he mumbled, helping her to sit carefully. She wasn't too pale, which meant she'd be fine with a bit of rest, but he felt a stab of guilt at having let his control slip for a moment. It wouldn't have taken too much longer for her to be in trouble.

Spike frowned and patted his pockets, finding the one with the handkerchief he'd never fallen out of habit of keeping and taking it out, pressing it to her neck carefully. He turned his head slightly, speaking to the other vampire over his shoulder without looking away from the girl. "Hey, you, King Eric. You've got something for her to drink or eat?" He offered her a comforting smile. "Get your head to stop spinning so you can go sleep me off."

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ododlig
2012-06-09 04:51 am UTC (link)

"We came out of the coffin, as our PR department likes to call it." Eric wasn't very fond of the term, but found himself using it more often than not. As it described exactly what had happened. "The Japanese came up with a synthetic blood that we could live off of and we decided that we could make ourselves known because of it. Because it meant that humans had nothing to fear from us any longer. The whole world knows of us."

Of course, they didn't know about much else that went on around them, which was going to startle the living daylights out of them when it happened. And it was bound to.

Spike's description of demons interested Eric, it sounded to him as if vampires in his world were closely related to them. It was not so where Eric came from. It struck him as odd. Vampires where he came from didn't know where they'd started and just called it evolution.

"I'm curious to see it, but I would ask outright. My offer was just what it is, an offer for food. You're the only other vampire here aside from Pam and I. I can't deny wanting to know more about you and your kind, especially after what she described to me. But I figured I can also be hospitable toward you as I have been my other guests. Since I offered them food and drink, I offer it to you as well."

Eric watched, though, since Spike didn't seem to be shy about feeding or the way he looked when he did so. The change was incredible and very odd. Eric, admittedly, didn't think that he would want to look like that. He was pretty happy with the way his appearance was, and though he wasn't a horribly vain creature, he still had a good deal of pride about himself.

He frowned a bit as Spike held a cloth to her wounds and stepped forward, then knelt. His own fangs popped forward and he punctured his thumb with one of them. Brushing away Spike's hand, he placed his blood over the wounds and spread it around a bit. They healed quickly and he stood again.

"I'll find something for her." He was gone in a flash and back just as quickly with water and some soft bread. He placed them on the table between the chairs.

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wasghostly
2012-06-09 05:08 am UTC (link)

Synthetic blood? That didn't sound appetizing at all, in Spike opinion. But it made sense that something like that would let vampires have the guise of acceptability on the world stage. Or at least the potential to lead to that.

He felt the other vampire's eyes on him while he fussed, but blinked when Eric put his blood on her wound. So he had healing properties, too. And just when he was about to comment to the girl that her boss was a show off the vampire flittered away and back again and he paused, eying the bread and water.

"Right," he said, giving her the water first and then tearing off a chunk of the bread, putting it in her hands. After she ate he tilted his head and nodded. "Feeling better?" She nodded and he let go of her, standing back and letting her finish consuming what she needed to.

He suddenly became aware of her blood still on his chin and wiped it off with his thumb, looking at it. He felt a rather resounding stab of guilt in his gut, but he finished off the blood and then thrust his handkerchief back in his pocket.

"Sorry. It's been a while since I've had a decent snack," he grunted. It really wasn't worth trying to go back to appearing soulless, so he reverted to one of his more honest, albeit moody dispositions. He didn't like it when people knew he cared.