transfundere | TLV Inbox

An honorable man on our ship of madness. Whatever will we do with you, Doctor?

[Quiet, wry, and very sincere at the same time.]

I haven't the first idea, though it's hardly my decision to make, I suppose.

[ A small huff, clearly at himself. ]

...may I ask a slightly delicate question, Jedao? If you aren't up for it, please do feel free to say so.

I don't promise to answer. But you may ask anything you like.

[A vampire's keen senses can likely detect the faintest emphasis on you.]

[ An emphasis he does not begrudge in the least. All he can ask for is the chance to try. ]

I believe something might have been stolen from your companion; I remember him looking differently on the network and it took me a moment or two to remember what was missing but once I had, I followed the recent scent trail from the room towards the library and I am currently in the stacks, but there's a preponderance of the smell here that has made further tracking that way difficult. Is there perhaps some sort of significant book or subject of study that you're aware of that might provide some guidance on where the items might have been stashed away?

I... I realize I'm very much a third party to all of this, but I thought to perhaps relieve one burden from him and from you, if possible.

[It purely bowls him over a minute. Arthur, whom he had asked to search, to ask his own ally to search, had simply told him it was most likely useless. Doctor Reid, who had not even been told, had simply diagnosed the need -]

You are entirely correct, Doctor.

[Jedao's voice is precise in the way that suggests he is controlling a great deal of emotion.]

I believe he would have deliberately avoided any such significance. But I should be able to locate the items myself, with the general area so narrowed down.

May I prevail upon you for another favor? Even though I hope you'll agree this was not merely the expectation of your position, and I am already indebted to you for it.

[ Quick diagnosis was as much a skill on the battlefield as here, or so he's learned. But scent trails are fleeting, thus he'd pursued the idea even if he'd find such a roadblock at the end of it; it was worth a shot. ]

Please do.

One, if you could rule out whether he went very recently to the deck, that would be some relief. And two - this is the larger request, and if you have other obligations please don't worry about saying no - would it be a terrible imposition to watch over the area tonight, and perhaps tomorrow morning, unobtrusively, and let me know right away if he returns to that spot?

I am assuming, given that you followed his trail, you already have some idea of our culprit's identity.

I don't want to leave Hakkai's side at the moment, but tomorrow I will have an opportunity.

I don't, actually. I was going purely by, um... er, well, the scent also jumbled with the bitter almond scent. I followed it from the room to the library.

But given my dead end here, I can certainly take a trip up to the deck. The library has a mix of the scent alone and with the bitter almond, so I ought to be able to tell whether he went there after he had the scent on him.

[ A pause. ]

And I certainly wouldn't mind keeping an eye out on your floor, Jedao. It isn't far from my own room. I'll make arrangements at the infirmary.

[ Very wry- ]

We have on-call staff for such a reason. And I do consider this part of my duties.

Clearly Earth does not have a proper concept of support staff.

[Just a little bit dryly. SIR. Please acknowledge that this is above and beyond.]

But you'd recognize it, if you smelled it again, even after the cyanide fades?

[ That earns him a small self-depreciating huff. ] The bulk of my practice lately has been on the battlefield, I'm afraid, and thus my standards may include some very non-standard services.

[ A quick nod to the camera. ]

Certainly. I wouldn't call myself a bloodhound, but only for fear of a terrible joke. Er, one moment-

[ One quick communication later and- ]

And I am clear for duty tonight.

Edited 2023-07-18 18:48 (UTC)

Then I hope you will never hesitate to call on me if you require anything, as though we were members of the same service.

[Which, of course, in a way, they are. But wardens aren't exactly the most coordinated or reliable group.]

And show me the area?

[If Arther is right that Nat disposed of them immediately - and he probably is, Jedao has to admit - he'll be able to hone in on them right away.]

I'll keep that in mind. [ A pause as he considers how frustrating a situation Jedao is in right now. ] I promise. [ Said more softly.

Then he breathes in deep and shifts a few feet. ]

The almond scent ends here among the stacks. [ And he'll turn around to show the shelf number and label as well as some of the books. ] I assume he turned around and walked out here, so it's my best guess. For all I know, however, he might have thrown them further; I recall them being rather small.

[Not thrown, he's almost certain, much too haphazard for Nat's style. They'll be hidden behind or under or even inside any of a few hundred books, deeply aggravating to search for if he couldn't pick them out so clearly in his mothsense. But also a place Nat might hope - not knowing what Jedao is capable of, or that Doctor Reid might volunteer to get him so close - to take refuge in sheer obscurity. One leaf in a jungle.]

Thank you, Doctor. Truly.

[Timeskip to the next morning?]

If we're in the same service, it's just Reid. I'll head up to the deck as quick as I can and then return for a night of light reading.

[ a-okay with timeskipping! ]

Then thank you, Reid.

[Quiet and appreciative.

The next day -]

I'm on my way now.

[He finds that spot in the library in less than a minute - it's only down the hall, after all.]

[ He will no doubt see Reid sitting in a comfortable chair with a stack of books (mostly poetry, in truth) and what seems to be a journal beside him. He'll look up as Jedao makes his way towards the spot. ]

[Jedao looks - well, not as terrible as he could. His hair is a little mussed, but he doesn't show bags under his eyes, or similar physiological signs of wear. He gives Reid a very small, wry smile and a lightly-gestured version of the Kel salute, then closes his eyes, fingertips trailing the edge of one shelf as he walks up and down the identified area. Ah - yes, there. Close to the floor, actually, on the second-to-lowest shelf, out of the natural sightline, not where you'd go guessing based on someone's reach, starting from the top with the assumption that they'd be more inaccessible - just out of the way. He crouches down, pulls out a single book, and gingerly scoops up the limiters. He replaces the book and moves toward Reid, the sudden deep relief in his eyes and the set of his shoulders betraying just how tensely controlled he'd been moments before.]

It would have taken me ages to narrow it down without your help.

[He half collapses into a chair next to Reid. He has no idea how long Hakkai's no doubt excruciating talk with Nathaniel will take.]

Thank you, again. Do...do you mind, Reid, if i ask you a slightly indelicate question of my own?

[ He has been in states like that, felt that bone tired, collapsed like that on a bunk or a chair. He offers a nod of acceptance, for the thanks, before nodding again in answer to the question. ]

Of course.

[ He has no trouble declining if he doesn't want to answer something, after all, and no harm in asking. ]

You mentioned being a vampire, but unlike the common folklore.

[And he had also mentioned the relative awfulness of potential bloodhound jokes.]

I'm curious what you can eat, and what you can't. After all this, I'd be happy to offer you a vein myself, only I'm told I taste terrible.

[ Oh, that is... not at all where he thought this would go. He blinks, closes the book he'd been reading, and gives Jedao his full attention. ]

Animal blood, the blood of other immortals, and human blood, obviously, though I have largely abstained from the last other than what is provided by the Admiral. I've also been working with some samples to create a serum I can use which minimizes the amount of blood required for nourishment, both for leaner times and for safety. The serum does not require refrigeration or other preservative measures as long as the glass remains sealed.

[ He dips his head thankfully to Jedao. ]

I appreciate your offer, and would be willing to take a sample to test with. But I... don't drink from others.

[ The sharp eyed might notice that he seems almost bothered by the idea, not in an insulted way but in the sort of way that indicates past heartache.

He has only ever bitten one human being that wasn't trying to kill him. The results are... well, why he is here, after all. ]

Ah. I see.

[And he does see, if not specifics, at least the tenor of much of what is unspoken.]

Yes, I'll provide a sample in case you find it helpful. My...ichor is fairly unlike blood, but as I heal rapidly, perhaps it may provide some benefit to the serum overall.

And...may I ask if there is any particular food you miss from when you were human?

Tea.

[ Warm, comforting, constant. Simple to prepare, a constant companion. ]

I still sometimes serve myself tea if only to feel the heat in my hands and to enjoy the scent.

[ He dips his head towards Jedao. ]

And I would welcome a sample, thank you.

I'll come to the infirmary to give it in a few days, then.

[He lets out a soft huff of breath.]

I feel the same way about tea. I...have to eat human food, to live, but none of it is pleasant. With tea, though...well, as you said. The other senses...there's something lovely about it, still.

Please, take your time. There's hardly any rush, but thank you again.

[ He can't help a small huff of fondness. ]

I also find something soothing about brewing it: simple enough, and quick enough not to idle, but it does give me a moment or two to pause and reflect.

[ Something strikes him. ]

You find food unpleasant?

Yeah. There's an awful sort of...harsh metallic taste to everything. Everything is wrong.

Why?

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