Connections [Invite]

[Myk]

Myk had been careful with his tone, suggesting nothing of his own opinions. His intention was to remain neutral on the matter and avoid stirring up any negative feelings on either end. Some of his own thoughts would be deemed anti-Masquerade and anti-Vampire by the current standard, and since you never could rely on gossip or a man’s reputation, Myk deemed it wise to be careful. He had watched the Crownet rather prudently, observing the obvious pattern of deaths over Masquerade violations and as much as he was curious about the Dark Place, he didn’t necessarily want to end up there on somebody else’s terms. He knew the day would come, he’d even dreamt about it on numerous occasions, which just steeled his will all the more to have the time come at his accord. He had decided that, when he was ready, he would approach someone he trusted to get the job done and if he failed to return from the Dark Place – for whatever reason – at least there’d be no sour milk spilt over his death.

Despite Myk’s wariness though, he choked on the laughter spurred by Robert’s rather blunt confession. He never failed to be surprised by this one’s boldness and as much as it probably should have unnerved him, it amused and thrilled him much more. The sensation infiltrated his organs like venom. He could feel his rib cage tighten around heavy lungs, his stomach condense into a small ball and his bladder swell. He also felt a distinctive tingle in his nether regions that forced him to cross his legs once more.

When Robert sat back in his seat and began to speak again, Myk was all too aware of the fact that he was being looked down to like a juvenile delinquent. Had Robert been expecting him to fly off the handle and skewer him? Myk hadn’t brought the simplest of implements with which to do such a thing. His eyes glanced idly toward a lamp on the table nearby, judging it as an effective distraction, but nothing at all like a decent weapon. And unless he wanted to come at the Vampire with paperclips or a stapler, he really was out of options. Myk sensed that he lacked the strength to wrestle the man to the floor or throw him out the window, and while his hand-to-hand combat skills were fairly practiced, he knew his experience left much to be desired. Myk hadn’t honed his skills for combat and neither did he feel particularly aggressive at that moment; curiosity had taken precedence of all other cognitive functions.

“Interesting…” he murmured quietly. “Very interesting.”

Robert’s opinion of their community was certainly reasonable, but then again, Myk wasn’t entirely certain if his opinion of the other man’s opinion was particularly impartial. Humans were violent enough as it was. Given power and very few consequences, their antagonistic natures become ever more extreme. And of course, they were frustrated; this immortal curse and the Rift from the Shadow Realm kept them entangled with their nemeses for eternity. Though, just because he could reach to understand and validate their reasons, didn’t mean he approved. Myk suspected he knew what the future held as a result of this hypothesis and rather than blame the causes on something he knew little about – such as the supernatural – he chose to blame it on what he understood and what he could therefore fix. He could concede to the point that perhaps a portion of their natures could be attributed to some supernatural force, but he had few ways to test this. Regardless, these people could not be cured of their deviancy by increasing their consequences – as was proven many times by their rebellious natures – and so, they would lose their power. Myk just had to figure out how such a thing was possible.

“And do you have any plans to do such a thing? To end them as they are now, I mean. Do you lean more towards a mass extermination or some form of… medical or psychiatric treatment or the like?”

[Robert Pratt]

Robert watched the man carefully, not planning on moving if the attack came..... which it never did. Instead, it looked like the man were about to laugh at one point. Then he just... sat there and did nothing but look towards a lamp.

"Ikea."

He mumbled, filling in the silence before the man spoke again after quite some time. The question that came was well considered, yet hesitant. A piece of Robert's mind wondered if perhaps he was being tricked, that this man had been sent to find out his plans so that he could be stopped, killed again for plans not yet brought to fruition. His hand lifted and stroked at his chin, the scratching of stubble as it pinged back into position after being displaced by his fingers seemed so very loud to his ears. He watched the man carefully, trying to weigh up his options and to work out how he felt about him. He seemed harmless enough, but there was always that saying of 'The smiling assassin'. The one you never saw coming and even invited into your home willingly. However, there was something about Myk that Robert trusted, and figured he would give him a chance - see how it would go. Afterall, he could divulge a little of what he planned,without actually risking his plan or putting it in jeopardy.

"A cure, would be the option I'm working on at the moment. To find some sort of vaccine that will rid us of our vampirism and protect others from catching it in the first place. It's difficult, especially as I never completed my degree, but I'm ruling things out one by one and hopefully one day - I will find a way to do it."

He grinned, wishing that day were today and they could all once again go back to being 'normal'.

"But until that day comes - I'll be working towards integration. If the vampiric race is known to the humans, it will be policed. The violence will have to reduce and vanish and those who cannot control themselves will find themselves policed and governed as they once were as humans. If they could control themselves as humans, then they can control themselves again. If not - they will face the consequences as they would have done before the change. Don't you think?"

His head cocked to the side as he smiled and looked at Myk questioningly, wishing he could know what was going through the man's head after such revelations.

[Myk]

“Honestly, I doubt it’ll work.”

Myk didn’t pause to think about what he was going to say to Robert because, in his mind, he was certain of how things would play out. His face remained serious, his body straight as he watched Robert’s eyes and spoke.

“What punishment could you even deal to them to make them fall in line? And who would be responsible for such control? I’m not saying it’s not a valid idea, Robert, I just think that it would be impossible to deliver given the circumstances. They have too much power at this point. They’ve even overthrown a deity for all intents and purposes… And, it does concern me that this power they have will only grow in time. I believe the race is already over. The finishing line was passed months ago and we’ve not even made it to the half-way point. Frankly, the only alternative is changing the game. Let’s not race when we can hopscotch.”

Okay, perhaps he had spoken a little too much there, but he couldn’t help himself. Often, the worst part about not being able to trust people enough was the fact that he’d even had to keep his gloating to himself. And, in Myk’s odd little mind, his theories and the way he explained them made sense. Though, perhaps he had been watching a little too much of that tv programme: House.

[Robert Pratt]

He shrugged his shoulders as Myk said that his plan wouldn't work, because he was damned well going to try everything possible to achieve his goals. However, he did smile as Myk asked what the punishment would be, as well as responsibilities and such. He just shrugged his shoulders and cracked his neck nonchalantly.

"That, is none of my business and I'm sure greater men than me will be able to sort that one out. After all, as things stand, the humans seem to regulate themselves a whole lot more successfully than we do. Easpecially should there be, a common enemy for them to band against."

He let out a deep chuckle, really not caring what happened to the minions of Darkness, knowing he would be fine for he was good and protected by the Light.

"Though, what deity has been overthrown pray tell?"

He was sure there was something else he'd been going to say, and he frowned as he tried to recollect what it was - his face lightening as it broke into a grin of rememberance.

"Ahhh yes! Also, they have scientists who know so much more than I. They could close whatever it is here that means we can return. Once closed - the threat of death becomes that much greater to all concerned. And with the humans superior numbers - I think they would indeed fall in line!"

[Myk]

There were a few questions that Robert threw at him and Myk crossed his legs and breathed heatedly. He was a little peeved at having his excellent diagnosis thrown to the dirt quite like that, like he hadn’t spoken at all, but he would get over it quickly. He propped his elbow onto the couch’s arm and balanced his cheek on a curled fist, listening with one good ear as the pitch of his head had made all that long, thick hair smother his right ear. He patiently waited for Robert to finish before making his own observations. He had to, his opinions couldn’t form thoroughly when there were so many other things to consider all being slotted in randomly and of course, those voices were loud here. Myk wasn’t sure how he was able to keep such a focus considering how his skull felt like it was two sizes too small for what was buzzing within it. And where were all those extra voices coming from anyway? Was it the human populace? Myk’s fingers slowly crept to his left temple to rub the space, hoping that the subtle action would go some way to weeding out that niggling pain. His thoughts idly continued along the tangent of the voices’ origins, so when he sensed a pause in the speech, he quickly perked up looking somewhat like a drowned cat.

“Fall in line?” he parroted unconsciously, quickly forcing him to act on the words. “Do cockroaches even fall in line?” Myk waved his hand as if to dismiss the thought. “I’m afraid that our… caro amato... will never fall in line and on the subject, I can’t tell if this is a matter of too much or too little fear within the populace.”

Realising he’d gone off on a bit of a tangent, Myk decided to answer some of those questions from earlier, but he came up a little short. Honestly, he knew little of the Crow, just that the Lady had thought it very godly. It certainly seemed omniscient at any rate and that power led the Vampire society to become suspicious, distrustful and sap its strength. Now their society and security was in upheaval, and they were tasked to sort the messes out themselves. Humans could access the Crownet boards and out of the woodwork they crawled onto the streets and into the hospital. So many lives just crushed and stolen too soon; it really was tragic.

Myk closed his eyes for a moment and breathed slowly. Vampire though he was, he never had kicked those Human habits. He even convinced himself that his heart was still beating. Whether it actually was or not remained to be seen, but to him, he still felt alive, which included breathing, sighing, sweating, blushing and various other cardiovascular events. Unfortunately, he couldn’t eat or drink, no matter how he tried. And it was a real shame – he missed the taste of sweet things, of salt, of bitter, sour and fiery. He’d spent a good portion of his life in the culinary capitals of the world! Blood was so boring and even if he tried to taste the different characters of each one like wine, he still found it all a bit bland. Still, it satiated the pangs in his stomach, so he couldn’t complain. He’d never been squeamish, so it was no problem to bleed creatures or drink from the source. He’d butchered a few animals as a kid when they were visiting family in Tuscany. It was natural to kill to survive, what wasn’t natural was to kill in bulk, and just because you could too. Really, they needed to be stopped.

“Sometimes, Robert, I do wish there was a cure to this. Or… some way to permanently reset the balance without any need for quarrel or bloodshed. But I suppose those are pipedreams.”

He wasn’t sure exactly why he was sharing so much with Robert, but something about the man had caused him to take off his armour and unshackle his thoughts. It was a relief honestly. Despite whatever trouble may indeed come from just speaking with this one – regardless of the conversation’s context – Myk decided that he no longer cared. He needed an excuse to visit the Dark Place one day anyhow.

[Robert Pratt]

"Carrot Tomato?"

Robert asked, totally confused by what Myk had said, and why he'd randomly mentioned a fruit and a vegetable in the middle of what he was saying. He couldn't really respond to the rest of what was said because he was too confused by the random words to concentrate on anything else. Maybe Myk had pet cockroaches and he'd just remembered they needed to be fed. He really wasn't sure. But then he did think about Myk's final comment, about wishing there was no need for bloodshed and he had to agree.

"I'm with you on that one Myk. We teach self defense here, teach the humans about vampires and their powers, how to expect them and perhaps defend against them. But we do not advocate violence. Not at all. If there was a way to do it peacefully - I would be first in line to make that change happen! I promise you!"

[Myk]

Myk’s button nose scrunched at the mention of carrots and tomatoes. What in the hell was Robert talking about? He had to think about it a bit more, think about the way Robert had said the words and wondered why it had sounded like a question, like he was asking Myk about carrots and tomatoes. Eventually Myk shook his head to dismiss the thought; his brows still very much hanging like a V over his pewter eyes. This man had an interesting mind, that was for sure, but it hadn’t made him think twice about trusting him. Myk trusted him about as much as he trusted any person he came across. He was willing to, he was there for them when they needed him, or when he felt like they needed him, and although he listened and shared their feelings, he often never spoke about himself. He didn’t like to share those things, even if it meant clearing up any misconceptions. He wasn’t good with people and cultures, never very good at communicating, but he never explained this or why this was, so the uncertainties remained for both sides.

Myk simply shrugged his shoulders at the thought, at the thought about carrots and tomatoes and about thinking Robert was just a touch on the side of crazy. Really, it just made things all the more interesting. A smile assembled on his lips and stuck there, sweet and small like a lollipop. Hearing Robert’s promise had put him in a good mood and now he was done talking about depressing inevitabilities. It was time to change the subject.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” he said. “You’ve been very helpful with sharing your thoughts. It’s nice to pull rumours into the light.”

Myk wasn’t aware if he was making sense or not, and since he was very clear about what he was talking about and what his intentions were, he carried on speaking after only a small pause and bow to show his appreciation.

“I haven’t kept you, have I? There’s nothing I’m pulling you away from?”

[Robert Pratt]

He didn't get an answer as to why the man had said Carrot and Tomato, but he wasn't going to push it. He was sure it wasn't that important anyways. The man seemed like he was done talking and beginning to wrap things up, so Robert stood up with a smile and offered the man his hand to help him to his feet. Once the man was standing, Robert smiled and closed the distance between them, giving Myk a massive hug and rubbing his back in a very - fatherly manner.

"No problem at all. I enjoy meeting with people and talking with them. It's always interesting to see what others think and have heard. Especially about me!"

He chuckled at that, finding it highly amusing that people talked about him.

"But you've not kept me from anything at all. Is there anything else at all I can help you with? Anything you need, or want? I've enjoyed our time together. We should, do it again. If you'd like? Sometime soon?"

He smiled and rummaged on his desk for a card, offering it to Myk so that the man would have all of his contact details in case telepathy failed him one night if he found himself mind blocked. Or worse.

[Myk]

He’d heard the tone of his own voice, the arrangement of the words and understood their meaning too late. Robert was already on his feet, encouraging Myk onto his before the obvious scratched through his thick skull. It sounded as though he was done talking to Robert, like he had better things to do and had to be on his way. What better things had he to do? He couldn’t think of a damn thing. That same fogging emptiness came over him again, something a little like depression he imagined. It stopped him thinking and moving on, which, in its own way, made him rather sad and disappointed. The feeling normally came and went swiftly enough, but this time, it sustained. He couldn’t think, which included not being able to breathe or speak as, out of the blue, he was thrown into a hug. Big arms wrapped themselves around his tall, slim frame. He felt his long hair tug slightly and he stood rather rigidly in the soft, easy pressure. Was he supposed to do something? Hands rubbed his back like he was a cat, but Myk could only frown.

He was lost to that feeling. It was familiar, but unknown. Robert, for all his sweet quirks and wit, was a stranger to him. He didn’t understand how Myk operated; he didn’t know anything about this young, weird man he was hugging. Myk found it rather strange that Robert could be so friendly to someone he didn’t know, to someone he’d spoken to for mere moments, to someone who’d come so physically adorned and mentally patterned. It was odd to see this shoe on someone else’s foot. Myk would hug people of course – or try to anyway – and often it was simply because he’d felt the whim to do so; he was happy and couldn’t contain it. Yet seeing this behaviour in another put him in a state of discomfort. Was this how people saw him? Was this why they cringed? Were they so busy battling with their own deep-rooted, fucked up experiences that they simply couldn’t relax and accept this gesture as it was intended?

Myk sighed softly to himself when he was released and, even though he’d only been barely paying attention, spoke on cue.

“It would be a pleasure to speak with you again,” his words sounded dully. Realising this, Myk tried his best to perk up as he took the card that was handed to him. “Thank you,” he said a bit chirpier, tucking it into his trouser pocket – albeit a little awkwardly considering how tight his pants were. “And… I’m glad I’ve not kept you. That would be terrible. I’m sure you’re… a very busy man.”

The smile held. Fake smiles were remarkably easy to hold when you convinced yourself that they weren’t fake. To distract himself from the terrible heat that was waging war on his heart, Myk had decided to think of happy thoughts – like a cute cat or a little duckling or whatever – but his mind was still being uncooperative. Myk simply had to settle with: think happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy, happy, happy thoughts. It did the trick. The eerie carousel tune that accompanied the chanting helped. He was smiling and it didn’t look half bad either.