transfusionem | •daybreak inbox

[ The tone she speaks in is familiar in the worst way- she sounds like he does when the thrill comes to him and he can hear his own heart pounding and feel his blood flowing and is undeniably more alive than ever. Right in the middle of a clash to the death.

That alone, the instinctive terror he has of his own bloodlust, is what allows him to react in time, fingers flicking outwards and covering his skin a sheen that provides him with protection but does nothing to stop him from being knocked around- much, much worse, he can already feel himself ready to join her in that delirium of violence. And it doesn't even have the one thing that always drags him out, the negative emotions from his dance partner.

"Ah, wouldn't it be so beautiful to kill each other, without a shred of fear or hate?"

He hears that call but doesn't give in to it just yet. Instead, he's going to try and use the momentum of her pounce to throw her across the room- if he can keep her off him for a few seconds, he can cast enough to restrain her. Unfortunately, she's just so fast.

It'd be more fun to grab the spear though. ]

[That's no fun - or maybe it is? It makes things harder, that's for sure, but that means things aren't going to be over before they've even begun.

She gets thrown, and she manages to land on her feet. She takes a moment - a breath - to gather herself before launching back at Rex. There's no finesse to her movements, and she doesn't even think of taking out the knife and using it. She doesn't want to use it. She wants to take Rex apart with her bare hands and see what he'll do in return.

(Mostly, though, she wants to tear into his skin and get blood on her teeth, but she'll get there.)]

[ The time she gives him is enough for Rex to cast something useful. Regrettably, in typical Rex style, when he's on the back foot and doesn't have a plan to fall back on he spends too long thinking. It's the major weakness of his ability to take on so many skills- he doesn't develop the sort of reactive instincts a more focused person would.

So he gets ploughed to the floor and only has the wherewithal to get his legs up to his chest to try and keep her at bay. She'll find the shield he's put up isn't an invincible defence. Struck, scratched, anything, it burns away the area that's hit- the harder it is, the wider the surface of his body is exposed. The gaps are filled in as the edges expand, like scooping a bucket of water from a lake, but it'll come apart quick enough. ]

Adelaide- it's not you!

[ He's going to die, he thinks, and can feel his lips quirking up at the idea. ]

[Hey, long limbs have to be good for some thing. It does keep Adelaide out of hitting reach, but not for long.

She grabs onto his ankle - tries to, at least - and laughs again.]

What is it, then? Someone else?

[Of course it's her. She's always wanted to do this - wanted to fight the world and have it fight back. Now she can, starting with Rex. Not that Rex has done anything wrong, but what's mortal combat between friends?

Life and death, probably, but that's okay.

Her grip tightens on his ankle, and if she can't get past his shield without constantly hitting him, might as well go for covering as much ground as she can.

Which means throwing him against the wall.

(There is a part of her, a distant part of her, that feels that Rex might be right, but...she just ignores it. It's not as loud as the rest of her.)]

It's not the real you-

[ He manages to get that out before she swings him like a toy. Her instincts are right- smashing into the wipes out such a lot of the surface area the barrier disappears entirely with a fun little 'pop', like tugging a wet finger on the inside of a cheek and letting go.

He doesn't hit the floor for it though. He lands in a crouch, only the tips of his toes and fingers on the ground and a wide grin to match her own. It's softened by his coat, but the brilliant golden light of the Hero Medal slips through small cracks of the buttons like god rays through clouds.

The use of the Human Power is a rare thing for Rex- despite it being one of the strongest tools in his arsenal, he fears its use will expose him and he's just not well suited to its use. It transforms focus (with Rex usually juggling a thousand thoughts) and fighting spirit (with Rex a self-confessed coward) into power. This is the first time it's been used in conjunction with this part of him, that ignores the world for the sake of a fight, doesn't care if he dies. ]

-But I think this is the real me!

[ The irony makes him laugh, hearty and joyful like a child, rising to his feet. All his usual fatigue is gone (endorphins? The medal? He doesn't know) and his joints don't ache, nor is he worried about tomorrow. He's locked in a room with the second most beautiful woman he's met (mother still holds top ranking), and she wants to kill him.

Heaven. ]

We're friends, right?

[ That's said in the middle of a flicking a leg out at her head- but swapping to a fist launch him into classic superman punch. If it lands, she may well get to experience being knocked across a room herself. ]

What do you know about the real me?

[She laughs with him. Seems like things are getting interesting. She takes note of the glow, though she doesn't know what's making it. Something under his coat for sure, but what it could possibly be she has no idea.

Not that it matters. What matters is the fight. The rush running through her veins, the way it almost feels like her heart is pounding again from all the excitement. That's more important than a mystery.]

Of course we're friends.

[And she takes the punch, and she can't stay on her feet. She pushes herself up with another laugh, running a hand through her hair. By now it's a mess - she really should've worn it in a ponytail or braids today - and she flips it over her shoulder before sizing up Rex.]

If we weren't, we'd be doing something else.

[She aims lower, this time, settling down into a crouch. Her goal is to take out Rex at his center of balance, knock him down, and keep him down.

There's probably worse things that could happen to him than having a pretty girl sitting on him. Probably.]

[ Rex pointedly ignores the way the neighbour bangs on their wall to inform 'the damn kids' to calm down after the smashing and crashing. If that guy wants them to stop, he can come in and try it himself- he'd probably just die in the crossfire and that'd be dull.

Rex is used to this sort of attack- there are only a few disadvantages to his size in a fight and the major one is being knocked down. It takes longer for him to get up and hurts more, due to both weight and larger surface area. So he bends his knees, making himself more stable and in a better position to deal with her charge. Like a two-person Rugby scrum, a clinch that lasts only long enough for him to ask- ]

Yeah? Like what?

[ -Before he attempts a rudimentary powerbomb. It's not a move he's well acquainted with, so she gets her wish- he goes down and she ends up on top, whilst he lets out a delighted gasp of air. Oh! This might be it! It's too quick! What a shame!

Of course, he's equally unfamiliar with the Human Power and that the strength it gives his muscles makes them more durable in equal measure. Otherwise, he'd pop his limbs from their sockets with every punch, so at least he'll be tougher to sink teeth into (figurative or literal) than most. ]

[The old man can deal with it. If he wanted peace and quiet, he should have gone somewhere else. Which isn't what Adelaide would usually think, because she's not usually hopped up on magic blood.

She's not surprised when he catches her, but she's pleased when he still goes down. She settles on his waist, reaching up to grab his wrists to pin him down. Her grin is all fangs by this point, and she leans in close.]

Studying. Not talking to each other. Who cares?

[She doesn't think Rex does, with the way he finally looks like he's alive. It's a good look for him, and she's glad to see it.

She also knows she could take that away so easily. She could drain him dry. She doesn't want to do that, not right now, but it's simple instinct. Why not follow it for once?

She goes in for the bite, not deterred by the strange glow. If she can't pierce the skin with one bite, she can go in for another - or simply bite down harder. She's made for that, now, changed by the magic that stopped her heart to be able to break though just about any defense possible.]

[ Under her grip, Rex can feel his own pulse as it struggles against her palms. With the way his mind is racing, even in the middle of their battle, he wonders if she can hear those all the time. It'd be nice, he thinks. He wouldn't need to listen to music all the time, if he could have the sounds of his own heart to keep him away from the dreaded silence.

He laughs, earnestly, at her question. Who cares indeed. Forgot all his worries. Nothing matters. Nothing has ever mattered. Except maybe right now, this wonderfully perfect moment. She really is fantastic. He wants her to be by his side forever- even if forever turns out to be just a few moments for one of them. He feels her fangs clamp onto his throat and realises from the way they don't glide in his body is tougher. All the same a few drops of blood are forced through the tiny breaks, no more than an insect's bites.

He has more time than he thought.

She grabbed his wrists.

She shouldn't have left his fingers free.

They rapidly flex as he whips up a spell. Two really. One per hand. The lightbulb in a tasteful lamp pops and pulls a spear of electricity at Adelaide's back, while the other hand alters a few properties of his body so he's not only unharmed by the shared shock but he retains the charge. Not the nicest thing to bite or sit on. ]

[Those few drops are enough - but also not even close to being enough. It's a goddamned tease is what it is, and Adelaide bites down again, trying to rip and tear but not getting very far.

Everything is focused on that she doesn't event notice her mistake until it's too late and there's electricity coursing through her. Though maybe Rex could have picked something better, because what happens first is her body seizes up. Her nails bite into the skin of his wrists, her jaw clamps down, her knees squeeze against his side.

But then the initial shock passes, and she rips herself back.

That...hurt, in a way most things haven't hurt since she's been changed. Surprisingly, one of the first things she's noticed was that pain isn't the same anymore. Stubbing her toes, scraping her knees, burning herself. It didn't hurt anymore. Nothing hurt at all any more, but that did.

It makes her feel alive.]

Oh, that's a good one.

[She laughs again, shaking her head. Her hair is around her like a halo from all the static, and she moves her hands up to thread her fingers between Rex's. She can still feel the shock and knows she should probably get off of him to stop it, but...

She doesn't feel alive very often. She wants to revel in this, even if it means it's killing her.]

[ Rex doesn't cry out as he feels her jaw tighten, pushing deeper and rewarding her with a thicker gush of blood, more oozing from his wrists. No, he doesn't cry out- it's more like a breathy moan as her knees press into him and force air out of his lungs. Oh, it does feel good to be injured so! This is what life is all about- this is what he was born to do, born in the midst of, grew up with. He used to swing from a papoose while mom headbutted people to death. There's no joy like it. ]

You're wonderful!

[ But the thrill he's chasing is different to hers- what Rex wishes for, more than anything, is a fight to the death with no malice. It's the culmination of everything he is, what he really is... A warrior with a heart filled to the brim with love. But Adelaide doesn't seem to be fighting anymore. She's embracing the attack. Suddenly, it's no fun anymore. That joyful smile disappears and the golden heart, too innocent to know the thrill of the kill is anything but fun, is wrapped in a flood of black instantly. The medal's power vanishes with his desire to fight. It's not a fight. It's just a side effect of his failures. ]

Stop.

[ The shining light has gone and he draws the charge inside of him- ready to be released in a burst if she refuses to relent. He's just trying to get her to listen to reason, unaware that the power flowing through her still responds to his commands like all phantom matter. ]

[She doesn't want to stop. She wants to lean back in and tear him to pieces, give him that rush he wants again, but...

She finds herself letting go of his hands, pulling back. She blinks at him for a moment, mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out. She doesn't want to stop, but she does. She has to. She has to listen to Rex.

She doesn't know why, can't piece it together, and she pushes herself upright on shaky legs. It's not like everything stops or the haze lifts or anything like that. It's just a chanting of obey obey obey obey- and she's off of him.

She blinks at him, stupidly, from where she stands above him.]

Okay.

[Even though things are pretty far from okay.]

[ Rex doesn't believe in any sort of higher power (gods and whatever obvious exist, but they're just powerful entities, not important) but he thanks them in some sort of nebulous way. He's killed a lot of things and a few people, but never someone he cares for so deeply. He knows, without a doubt, it would drive him insane. He'd break. He'd just end. The last drop of Rex would be gone. It'd be the same as being dead, except he'd have to keep walking around.

Her response is suspiciously submissive and her dumbfounded look makes it clear she's as surprised as he is. He breaths heavily down there, fingers flexing as he comes up with a plan. He's caught between protecting himself further or restraining Adelaide. He opts for a stronger barrier, one that takes more time to prepare. Did she listen to what he said because the blood is wearing off? Or because he said it? ]

...Sit down. Please. On your hands.

[ He starts to stand, slowly, carefully, waiting for another attack at any second. He wants to mop up his blood- thankfully the barrier is putting pressure on the wounds for him and stopping more from leaking out, but there's already far too much for comfort when locked in a room with a vampire. ]

Tell me what you're thinking.

[She finds herself obeying, sitting down as soon as he says to. She tucks her hands underneath her once the order comes in, staring up at Rex as he stands.

The scent of blood is stronger now, and the taste is still on her tongue. She wants more. She didn't have enough. It's not fair she had to stop, but she had to listen to Rex.

For some reason. She doesn't want to, though.]

I don't want to listen to what you tell me to do. Why am I doing what you tell me to do? It doesn't make any sense.

[She takes a breath, letting it out with an irritated huff.]

You smell really good. Your blood does too - and it tastes good. I want more. I want to drain you dry, but you're not going to let me.

[ 'You're not going to let me' more or less confirms that he has some sort of control over her. It's an unexpected side effect, but all of it has been. He wants to dissect the situation in depth, but this is really not the time or place. ]

Because I'm being perfectly reasonable.

[ That's the reasoning he's going for now, at least. It's almost certainly not the case, but it'll do until he can work out something better.

Rex has not read Peter's Evil Overlord List, but he's going to stick to Rule 48 anyway. It flexes his hands some more and all the blood already out of him swirls into a sphere, which he plops one of the mugs the inn so helpfully provides. It cleans him up and- ]

So you know that if you follow me, I'll make sure you get what's best for you, not necessarily what you want. Right?

[ He puts the mug next to her, backs up a bit and- ]

You can have that now.

[ It's not likely having a taste of the real stuff will dilute what she's taken of his phantom material, but it's going to help his foundation for getting a good mindset out of her. He has some degree of influence over her, but who knows how much? Better she wants to follow orders too. ]

And while you do, think carefully- what will be better for you. Drinking me to death now or following me and getting much more with my help.

[ He kind of feels sick at the idea of weaponising a friend, even if he refuses to use the word 'friend' in his head despite how loud his heart is, but... it's not a bad idea. ]

No, you're not.

[She might have to obey him, but that doesn't mean she has to agree with him. There's nothing reasonable about him at all!

She huffs, watching the mug, not moving to take it until he says she can. She takes slow sips, mulling over everything. There's still a part of her screaming to drain him dry, to make him hurt, to enjoy making him hurt, but that part is quieter than the part that has to listen to him. That wants to obey.

She finishes the blood in the mug, trying to think things through. Her head is the farthest from clear it could be. Like her thoughts are all jumbled together and incomplete and she doesn't know how to get any focus back. Slowly, things seem to be getting clearer, but...

The phantom blood still lingers, coloring her thoughts.]

I don't know.

[The answer is still sullen, as she puts the mug down. She wants to throw it at Rex, angry that she has to listen to him, but she doesn't. She can't.]

What does what's best for me matter? I'm just going to end up dead again anyways.

[ She might if he tells her to agree with him! But that seems like a poor idea, he correctly identifies for once. She at least seems to follow the intentions of his orders rather than the literal wording- she didn't smash her face into the mug because she wasn't told she could stop sitting on her hands, for example.

It says a huge amount about Rex that he finds her statement that it doesn't matter what she does because she's going to die difficult to argue against. It is, however, a good sign that he wants to argue against it. He will only apply the argument to her and not himself, of course, but a few months ago he'd probably have shrugged and agreed. ]

I know it's the weakest answer possible. [ But it is also the only one he can think of. ] But because I like you.

[ He's taken a seat across from her, distance enough he thinks he could pull off a quick spell if she makes a move. Looking her dead in the eye with his incredibly dark eyes. ]

[It's very good he doesn't do that, because that would make things so, so much worse. Adelaide already hates that she's obeying him - not being able to think for herself would just be the icing on the shitty cake.

She presses her lips together, keeping her eyes on Rex. Her gaze doesn't linger on any one spot, bouncing around from the would on his neck, his hands, his eyes, the spot where that glow had come from. Eventually, Adelaide's shoulders relax, and she meets Rex's eyes.

He likes her enough to want to keep her around, huh?]

I didn't know you liked me so much.

[It's teasing, with the hint of a laugh around the edges. Slowly, the phantom blood is wearing away, leaving Adelaide as just herself.

It's definitely a good thing he didn't give her very much of it, or this whole thing would've been much more painful.]

Well. [ Moving from pointing out he'd be a tasty snack to the teasing that is more like her. Despite it all, the ludicrous situation they've found themselves in, Rex still finds the time to gain a bashful glow to his cheeks and rubs the back of his neck briefly. ] I do.

[ He feels like there should be some sort of dramatic thing he can say or do, some set of words that will make everything okay- but he'd never find them no matter how long he thought about it. So he's just left with that. ]

[Adelaide laughs - this entire thing is so ridiculous. She tried magic blood that ramped everything up to one hundred and nearly killed Rex in the process. He doesn't seem to be too sore about that, though, and she has to admit there was something exhilarating about just letting go, so she's...not going to apologize.

She doesn't even really feel guilty, unlike how she felt when biting Toki. Maybe the guilt will come later, but for now she just has to laugh about how absurd everything is.]

Well, I like you too.

[The words are easy to say - and they're completely true. Adelaide does like Rex. She likes spending time with him, and she likes getting to know him. She knows she's barely scratched the surface, but...

It's been nice, and she knows he's unlikely to hold this little tussle against her.]

Gotta say I wasn't expecting that to happen.

[ Honestly, Rex probably wouldn't hold it against her even if he didn't consider himself wholly responsible. Not once, from childhood watching his mother kill or the blood on his own hands, as he felt anything approaching hate or resentment to his enemies. Things are as they are. Circumstances make things occur. The worst person in the world (2nd, after him) has a reason they're that way.

In her case, it's because he's a miserable waste of skin who shouldn't have even bothered. Everything he does that's just trying to help causes so many problems. How on Earth is he supposed to save the world? Is the Hero Medal fucking broken? Is he so horrendous a human being merely scanning his heart ruined it forever? It's a serious concern! He'd just been thinking the world needs an evil bastard until now.

All this builds up in his head, pitch black high-pressure smoke that is blown away by the gentle breeze of her laugh. Why is everything so hard? Why is sometimes something easy enough to make him lower his guard long enough to get sucker punched?

He laughs as well and it goes on for a while, until they transition into sobs and his hands cover his face. ]

[Adelaide doesn't know what Rex's thinking - probably wouldn't be able to piece it together even if she could see his thoughts. She doesn't know about the blackness that weighs down on him, how he views himself as something foul and twisted.

She has some ideas, though, of what might be weighing him down.

She scoots closer to him on her knees, until she can reach out to him. She rests a hand on his head, stroking his hair gently.]

Rex...

[She lets out a breath, blowing her hair out of her eyes.]

It's okay, Rex.

[Whether he believes her or not is another story - whether the words will help is another story. She just doesn't want him to be upset, or to blame himself for what's happened. Nothing bad has happened. They tried something new and it didn't work, but that doesn't mean Rex has failed.]

You didn't do anything wrong. I know you probably think you did, but trust me, you didn't do anything wrong.

[ He flinches when her hands apply a delicate touch to him. He hadn't in battle, not even before that smiling madman inside him came to the surface. But it's cruel, to accept care and concern from her after this.

He gasps in a deep breath and removes his hands from his face, resting on his knees. But his head stays down, staring at the floor as he contemplates if this should be when he gives up entirely. But he knows he can't. He can feel the medal's tiny weight on his chest and how it has the same weight as billions of people. ]

I almost made you a murderer. It's not okay.

[ It doesn't occur to him saying that gives the implication he'd rather have let her kill him than kill her to protect himself. He would. He promised to protect her. ]

[She doesn't pull back when he flinches, though she wonders for a second if she should. She doesn't want him to think she hates him, though, so she instead scoots even closer. She hesitates for a moment, before gently tugging Rex down so he can rest his head against her chest. It's awkward - there's a lot of Rex - and it's not like there's a heartbeat he can focus on - but she doesn't want him to pull away.]

You protected yourself.

[Even if he hadn't meant to, the medal had done its part.]

You fought back and you made me stop. [He had, and that counts. That's important.] ...And besides, none of us are going to get through this without getting blood on our hands.

[The end of the world is coming up, and Adelaide has no illusions she's going to be escaping it without killing something. Or someone. That's just the nature of the beast - and on top of that, she's got no choice in the matter anymore. She needs to get blood from somewhere, and she'd rather get it from someone she knows can stop her.]

[ Rex feels more pathetic than ever, that he's the one that needs comforting after this when it was surely so much worse for Adelaide. But he's not pride enough to reject it anyway, sliding off his seat onto the floor to make it easier. To stay in that embrace. Taking slow, deep breaths enough to make him slightly dizzy. But it's that or cry- despite his sobs, he staved that off. He knows he's too big, and too pale, and too stupid and grim and awkward and... the list goes on. He doesn't deserve to be held, to feel safe for a second, but since when as he believed in justice anyway?

It takes a while of silence, but his arms ever so slowly rise, hooking around her so his fingers rest on her shoulders from behind. ]

I... like being close to you.

[ It might be a sudden swerve of a topic, muffled against her silent chest, but it floated out of his mouth by way of his heart. ]

The worst thing I could do to you... is stop you from being who you are.

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