sterngaze | kenos

[ Hello... Gray probably could have just tried to drop in on one of Liem's baking sections to chat with him, but today her concern is a little more urgent. She carefully peeks her way through to Liem via Communion, like a candle entering a dark room. ]

Mr. Liem? Um, would you have a moment to chat? Specifically, I wanted to ask about something...

[The fact that Liem is now a T3 shard-bearer and also Springstar nobility and still regularly goes to the community centre lmao... A pillar of the Springstar community.

Liem's presence emerges quietly from the dark, making him seem to come from nowhere. Hello, Gray.]

Certainly, Ms. Gray. What can I do for you?

Ah, well, I hope it isn't too forward, but I wanted to know a bit more about... vampire etiquette.

[ A little beat of nervousness — but she barrels forward. ]

I know it was more your father, but I'm not sure who else to ask.

Oh, I see.

[Though Liem would have preferred to be asked a question about cooking, or taxes, or home ownership, or any number of other things he's well-positioned to offer advice on, he receives Gray's question patiently. He still doesn't enjoy talking about his vampire heritage, but he has to accept at this point that it's not really a secret anymore. Too many people either know or have reason to suspect.]

I'll give you what answers I can, but you should know, my father didn't raise me. I didn't know him, or any other vampires, very well at all. Not personally, at least.

From where comes your sudden interest?

[ A natural question that Gray has to answer carefully. She doesn't want to reveal the identity of the person she's thinking of, but the context is important... ]

I'm almost certain that someone I'm living with is a vampire. He's quiet and doesn't like to be a bother, so I don't think he'll bring it up on his own...

[ a little bit like. liem? ]

Do you think it would be too sensitive to try to speak with him about?

[Liem's immediate reaction is to feel a flicker of concern. Gray, living with a vampire? That doesn't sound safe, regardless of how capable a young lady she might be.

But almost as soon as he has the thought, he considers something else.]

Another shard-bearer, you mean?

[What vampire would be living in Springstar of all places, and why would Gray be living with them — unless it was another of Meridian's members? Liem can think of a shard-bearer who would fit her description quite easily: a man, quiet, disinclined to impose.]

I don't think it would be rude for you to ask if he has any preferences you should be aware of. I know one other dhampir who harmonized with Meridian, but if it's the man I'm thinking of, I doubt he'll volunteer any desired accommodations himself.

[D is definitely the type to expect nothing and ask for nothing.]

[ Detective Liem is on the case... Gray blinks when he mentions knowing a Meridian dhampir — but she supposes that no one would recognize a dhampir better than another dhampir. Gray will neither confirm nor deny the identity of the person she's thinking of not only for his privacy, but also because she's..... actually not sure if D is a vampire or a dhampir. ]

... I think I should have asked this before, but... what are the differences between a dhampir and a vampire? I remember that you mentioned not being weak to garlic or silver, but is that all?

[ Aside from the parent makeup, of course. ]

[Gray might think that Liem can just Tell these things because he himself is half-vampire, but the reality is just that D told him that he was a dhampir within minutes of meeting him. Since he’s seen D tell other complete strangers this thing too, and knows from inquiring about it that he prefers to be forthright about what he is, Gray’s uncertainty whether her housemate is a vampire almost makes him reconsider whether she’s really talking about D after all.

But then he considers how reserved both Gray and D are, and he decides it’s actually completely plausible that they might never speak long enough for it to come up.]

Well… Where I am from, vampires are undead beings. They can be slain by sunlight or running water, but otherwise are very difficult to harm or kill. They cannot enter private dwellings without an invitation, they cast no reflection, and they can be repelled by holy symbols. None of those things were particularly true of me before I became a shard-bearer.

[Things have gotten weird for him over the past year, but that’s another matter entirely.]

I have a vampire’s teeth and senses and reflexes, but not its strength or resilience or supernatural powers. But to understand your housemate, you would be better served asking him directly.

[An introvert’s worst nightmare: bringing up awkward conversation. Sorry Gray.]

Meridian’s other dhampir is not from my world, and he is not like me. I did not ask the extent of his characteristics as a half-vampire, but he clearly has capabilities that I do not.

[And he’d told Liem that being brought to Kenos had made him weaker. Horrifying.]

Also, he is warm, and has a normal pulse. So, I could not tell you what being a dhampir means for him, other than a craving for blood.

[ Becoming a Shard-Bearer has awakened more vampiric traits in Liem... How strange. Gray is beyond questioning such things by now, but it's something to keep in mind in relation to D. Even if Liem says it's a bit different for everyone, this is her only frame of reference.

As a tried and true introvert, Gray really is doing her best to sidestep as many awkward conversations as she can. Furthermore, she's a bit sensitive about poking too deeply into people's secrets, especially when Shard-Bearers so often come from abnormal backgrounds. D has been completely forthcoming (for someone who only speaks in single sentences at a time), but still old habits are hard to break. ]

... So it really depends.

[ To abridge things to a nearly disrespectful degree. She is but a simple girl from the countryside.

There's a touch of hesitation and a brief pause as Gray considers whether she should voice the question that comes to her next. In the end, she decides that this will just have to be one of those awkward walls she'll have to break through if she wants to learn. ]

Being a dhampir... is it something you're grateful for?

[... Well, yes. To make things short, it really depends does answer Gray’s question. But she came to him to learn, and Liem would feel bad about being evasive and vague.

Which is why, when she asks her next question, he hesitates… but does eventually opt to tell her the truth. He does not think he’s different from D in this regard, anyway.]

No.

[He says it with patient matter-of-factness. No, he has never been grateful to be half-vampire.]

I wish I could have lived as an ordinary human, instead. But then I would have aged and died long before now, so… perhaps there is a reason why things happened the way they did.

[ She can very much relate to a bittersweet existence; the things that make Gray extraordinary are the same things that continuously plague her sense of self. But if they hadn't happened to her, she would have lived a less colorful life, and so she has to reserve a small amount of gratitude that they did. ]

I think I understand.

[ She won't tell him that she's grateful he's lived long enough for them to be able to speak like this, even if she is. It feels a bit too sentimental, and too contrary to what he would have liked for himself.

She'd also like to know how old he is now that he's hinted at his longevity, but that would definitely be too rude, right...? ]

... Um, how long do dhampirs usually live?

[At this point, Liem has to smile, just a little bit, even if it is a rather wry smile. A little bit of this feeling bleeds through the connection.]

I fear I am not being of much help to you, Miss Gray.

[She keeps asking him questions he doesn't know the answer to, even for his own world, much less D's.]

I don't know how long I might have to live, or how long our mutual friend might have. I haven't even asked him how old he is.

[He suspects that D is much older than he looks, but Liem still isn't anywhere close to guessing just how ancient he actually is. Liem would guess perhaps a thousand and still think he might be guessing too high.]

My guess would be that most dhampirs die from trauma, rather than from natural causes. But that is just because I have trouble imagining one living a safe, domestic lifestyle.

[Says the man who hosts cooking lessons at the community centre every week.]

[ So even dhampirs might live indefinitely... It's a pretty amazing fact that Gray won't have much time to appreciate as she rushes to wave off Liem's self-deprecating comment. ]

No, you've been very helpful! I don't know anything about dhampirs, so any information at all is helps.

[ Vampires get plenty of attention, but dhampirs not so much. Maybe there's an encyclopedia in some library she can look up an article in... ]

Wouldn't you like a safe, domestic lifestyle?

[ Because yeah. The cooking lessons. And Liem's temperament (around Gray at least) is mild enough that she could see him settling down somewhere given the choice. ]

[Gray's question gives Liem pause, makes him frown a little as he considers this possibility. He hasn't spent every day of his life in dangerous situations, of course. He's had periods of idleness where he was mostly doing paperwork, or just travelling or observing — and he enjoyed those peaceful stretches. But the lulls had always come between periods of fighting, investigation, struggle. They were the exception rather than the rule, he felt.]

I don't know, [he says finally.] I don't think I could live like that, if there were other people who were still in danger.

[ His answer both surprises her and doesn't. ]

You're really a nice person, Mr. Liem.

[ It feels maybe a bit too rare that she talks to people who are actively invested in doing good. ]

That's very kind of you to say.

[Liem should be happy that Gray hears him say this and just thinks he's nice, instead of assuming he has severe emotional problems. Many, possibly even most nice people are probably capable of living peaceful lives without feeling crippling guilt about it.

Unfortunately Liem isn't even properly grateful for not being perceived, because he doesn't acknowledge his own issues. However, he is still grateful that she said something sweet about him.]

Do you think your new housemate is a nice person, too?

[ You'd probably have to be a little damaged to still be a nice person despite all of the crap that's happened to them as Shard-Bearers (and Aions), so emotional problems are a bit of a given.

Liem gets a quietly pleased spot of warmth for his question. ]

Yes, he's been very kind. He isn't talkative, but I think he tries to be thoughtful however he can. Oh, and his horse is cute.

[ By some definition of cute... ]

[Wait... his horse? She doesn't mean... the demonic-looking horse with the mechanical legs that D had ridden up to his house the day he showed up to ask if Liem was being naughty?]

Are we thinking of different horses...?

[Maybe D has more than one?]

[ Hm. That more than anything suggests to Gray that they are talking about the same person. ]

You should try petting him or giving him a treat. I think he likes the attention.

[ God knows D isn't showering that horse with love........ ]

Ah...

[Normally he would avoid going near someone's horse, even a friendly one. Something about him has always made most animals a little nervous, and a horse like that looks like it could do some damage if it spooked. It occurs to him that D's horse is probably used to weird inhuman men, though, and probably doesn't spook very easily besides.]

I suppose I could, if I see it again. Though I'm not in the habit of carrying horse treats on my person.

[Unless the demon cyborg horse wants jerky?? He's not convinced it wouldn't...]

[ That is fair... ]

Well, his name is Erebus. Maybe he'll like it if you use it.

[ Pure speculation, but she really just wants D's horse to have nice friends. And seeing as how the horse's name only saw the light of day in recent days, Gray figures he'll like that it's being used. ]

If you ever happen to be in the area, you should visit and meet him. I don't think anyone would mind.

[Normally Liem would politely turn down an offer to visit someone's home to make friends with their housemate's horse, but Gray seems like a bit of a shy girl, and he thinks perhaps it might require courage for her to make offers like this. He probably shouldn't just shoot her down.]

I will remember. And, the next time I feel like baking, perhaps I'll stop by to share the results. I suppose I could say hello to him then.

[ Gray usually oscillates between being too shy to invite people to things and spontaneously inviting people to things before she can regret it. In this case, it's somewhere in the middle. Even if they aren't close, per se, she's known Liem long enough that she doesn't need to feel anxious. ]

Please do. Until then... thank you, Mr. Liem.

kenos | inbox

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