trade my soul for a wish

[from_scratch]

This is a successor to "call me maybe", which is getting crowded.

Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.


with Mark (kappa)

with Adanya (Aestrix)

with Sable (kappa)

with Ari (andaisq)

with Metella (kappa)

with Miles (kappa)

with Isabella (Eva)

with Steel (Rockeye)

with Daphne (Maggie)

with Edie (Maggie)

Comments

[kaolinandbone]

"The more things we attempt at once, the higher the chance that someone somewhere will notice something strange going on. That said, I've had many years of assassination attempts: what's a few more?" She chuckles.

"Higher-yield crops could be quite useful in Victoria. There's not a lot of space on the island to grow food in, given all the people on it."

[from_scratch]

"I mean, we don't have to implement them all at once, but laying groundwork should be relatively easy to keep surreptitious? Naively. You know the place."

[kaolinandbone]

"Each amazing technological breakthrough is going to need a different face behind it: either that, or we need someone prepared to wear the titles of 'genius' and 'polymath.' Setting up that kind of trustworthy agent is not exactly easy. Either that or we need to start dropping 'hints' covertly, and that comes with its own set of attendant risks."

[from_scratch]

"I mean, I'm indestructible possibly unless someone starts slinging magic, but unfamiliarity with the locale might make me a bad public face. Do you not have, you know, people? You have subjects and people you bite, none of 'em are competent?"

[kaolinandbone]

"Competence, trustworthiness, loyalty, and intelligence are different things. I need someone who has all four. My 'subjects' are a downtrodden group of slaves, servants, and lesser vampires. In the vampiric political climate, I can barely manage to keep them alive, let alone happy. There are a few good candidates, but none are so obvious that I would immediately say 'this is the person we need.'"

[from_scratch]

"Why does the political climate affect how happy you can keep them?"

[kaolinandbone]

"The vampiric political climate is that I am unimportant among the noblity and have to deal with other vampires attempting to poach my servants. In the sense that you might poach a deer from another noble's forest."

[from_scratch]

"So you have to sink resources into defense rather than infrastructure, because the servants don't get enough say in the matter that keeping them happy is a good strategy?"

[kaolinandbone]

"Essentially yes. The full answer is longer and uglier than that, but yes."

[from_scratch]

"...Separate question. I can make an entire, mindless, living human organism. Want to try biting one? They're kind of disturbing to have around, but."

[kaolinandbone]

"That sounds like a reasonable thing to try. It seems more likely to work to me than a vial of blood."

[from_scratch]

"Okay! One basement-dweller, coming up. Any requests? Do blondes taste more fun?"

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella's fingers tense on the sleeve of her dress.

"That was a disgusting joke, and I trust you not to repeat it."

[from_scratch]

"If I can't make tasteless blonde jokes what fun can I have?" asks Cam. "Seriously, specs on the basement-dweller, otherwise I'll probably wind up templating it after someone I've met and that'll just be gross."

[kaolinandbone]

"You can have fun that does not involve joking about the utter irresponsibility of my fellow vampires and the possibility that I will accidentally kill someone by biting them one day."

Isabella takes a breath.

"If you seriously need specifications, fine. Black hair, short for convenience but not a child, female. Do you need more?"

[from_scratch]

"I'll make do."

And there comes to exist on the floor, lying down, wearing a sort of white sundress, a human.

She opens her eyes unfocusedly; her mouth falls open; she does not make a sound.

"Never made one of these before. Demons are really bad at making minds. We can't even make, like, a dog, that will act like a dog, let alone a person."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella takes a breath, then kneels down next to the basement-dweller, lifts her wrist to her lips, and bites.

A moment later she pulls away, shaking her head. Blood drips onto the woman's dress and spatters the floor as Isabella carefully places the arm back on the woman's chest.

"Still nothing."

She looks at the woman again.

"I'm honestly not surprised. She looks like someone who's been fed from too heavily already."

[from_scratch]

"Right. Let's put her out of her disturbingness, then -" The already fairly limp basement-dweller goes still. "And now we have a corpse, that's delightful. Well, it was worth a try. I'm beginning to suspect the blood part is basically entirely cosmetic and you actually eat, I don't know, souls."

[kaolinandbone]

"Some shamans in Lupinia are supposed to be able to interact with souls, but I've never actually seen any sort of soul-based magic. There are the inexplicable things-vampires-can-do, but I have no idea if that's related."

She looks down at the corpse.

"... I'm sad to say that we will probably have absolutely no trouble disposing of this body."

[from_scratch]

"What things can vampires do?" asks Cam.

[kaolinandbone]

"Allow me to demonstrate."

She steps up into the air, and stays there. There's a vague suggestion of shadowy wings in the way the light flickers around her.

"So yes, flight. Also, we can nudge people with our voices - vampires can make things they say sound naturally reasonable and sensible. Jumping off of cliffs is a good idea. The sky is pink. As you can hear, it doesn't make you actually believe the statement, but it makes you less likely to question it. Vampires that are skilled in its use can brainwash people by suggesting things that actually are on the cusp of reasonable, and then a little further, a little further..."

She shakes her head.

"Or, if they make direct eye contact, they can dominate you outright. Domination is a unsubtle but effective tool: it's obvious to everyone that someone's been dominated, but that doesn't prevent the dominating vampire from giving orders."

"I'm also generally stronger, faster, and tougher than the average human, though I wouldn't be able to quantify it for you."

[from_scratch]

"I am alarmed by the suggestion and domination abilities."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella nods. "They are the primary reason why my security measures have to be so extensive."

[from_scratch]

"So vampires can do this to each other too."

[kaolinandbone]

"Unfortunately, yes. It's generally much more of a contest between two vampires, however, and I am happy to report that I have not yet met a vampire who wants to meet my eyes."