VAMPIRE AU

[enigmaster]

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[agoodname]

Edward? [yeah he's stepping quickly towards that back door, something cold curling in his stomach]

[enigmaster]

[Still no response. No Edward. Except...

There is a familiar scent there. One Oswald should know very well. It's a delicious one, after all.

There's some blood on the ground, if he steps through the door. He'll recognize it.]

[agoodname]

[Oswald freezes--and terror's a live thing, suddenly, writhing in him. And he moves over to that blood, heart feeling like he's in his throat, scanning the alley outside for where on Earth Edward could be]

[enigmaster]

[Not here, apparently. But the blood seems fresh enough. Whatever happened, it was recent.

Recent enough that he can try to track the smell further, at least, as intimately familiar as he is with Edward's blood.]

[agoodname]

[Oh hells. Oswald swallows, hard, before closing his eyes, breathing in, trying to focus and hone in on that scent]

[enigmaster]

[It takes some doing. Gotham's busy and has far too many sensations around, but here and there there's a few drops, keeping him on it.

It'll lead him to an old building. It looks abandoned, definitely not in use for some time. An old office or something, maybe. But the scent's going in there.]

[agoodname]

[this is...bad. This is very bad. It's clearly a trap. He should walk away and call for backup. Ivy. Selena. Someone. But Edward's probably in there. Whatever this is, he's hurt if not...well. Oswald swallows, and goes in]

[enigmaster]

[Definitely an old office. Looks like the ideal place for squatters, really. As soon as he enters, he'll hear moving in one of the other rooms. Shuffling and hurrying. A door slamming shut.

Uh oh.]

[agoodname]

[Oswald's eyes narrow--and he snarls, once, low in his throat--before he's slipping into the shadows as naturally as breathing, using them to move through the warehouse, towards that sound]

[enigmaster]

[He'll move quick, through the house. Someone's slipping out another door, it seems, aiming to leave.

Looks like some low level kindred, the type that runs errands at best. He's heading for a car.

He looks to be alone, though.]

[agoodname]

[to go for the car, or to check the house. Oswald pauses, taking a whiff of the air--ware there more in the house?]

[enigmaster]

[It's hard to say, but...

There's that familiar scent of blood again. Inside, somewhere. But it's faint. Down, maybe...?]

[agoodname]

[Down. That...does not bode well. Down he'll go. He slips into the shadows again, heading downward, looking for a basement or...or something.

He's giving up any chance of catching whomever did this, he knows, but he has to find Edward first]

[enigmaster]

[There is, indeed, a basement. It's dark in there, but there's that scent, so strong now. Leading to... something, in the dark. It's hard to see.

But there's a light switch on the wall.]

[agoodname]

[Oh. Oh no. Oswald's slipping from the shadows, reaching for that light switch--he needs to see--]

[enigmaster]

[The light turns on. And there's Edward, on the floor. And... blood. So much blood, flowing from his chest - even as it seems he's trying so hard to keep some pressure on it - and some at his throat too, which looks... bad. Partially torn open. Oswald will recognize what that looks like. Like someone decided to take a drink and didn't give a single fuck about being gentle. It's a mess. He's wheezing quietly and doesn't seem too aware of the light suddenly being on.]

[agoodname]

[This is--it's his worst nightmare.] Edward! [it's torn from him, anguished, as he stumbles, flinging himself across the room until he can drop down at his side, trying to assess the damage--maybe if he gives him some blood, he could heal, maybe, maybe--]

[enigmaster]

[It's bad. Looking close like this, it's very obvious. Edward's been trying to stop the bleeding, but he doesn't even have the strength to put pressure on the wound anymore (doesn't matter anyway. it looks like a gunshot wound, who knows how much is happening internally). Looking at it, he has maybe a couple minutes left before bleeding out. At best. It's... hard, for him to focus. Everything's dark and blurry and cold. What part of him's still conscious is absolutely terrified right now.]

[agoodname]

Oh--oh, no, you can't--[he can't heal this. He can't heal this. Not just with his blood alone. It's too much and there isn't time. He should gather him up and hold him. Let him go. It's what he should do. Chalk this up to a lesson learned the hard way. Of course, he's not really thinking about what he should do right now. Instead, all he can feel is panic, desperation, and he's gathering Edward up into his arms because he has to save him, he has to, he can't lose him he doesn't know what he would do with himself if he lost him--] Hold on--Just hold on, darling, I'm--[and he's brushing Edward's hand at his neck out of the way before leaning down and sinking his fangs into him--and starting to drink]

[enigmaster]

[Everything's so... confusing. He can't think right, his brain just failing him. But he notices that presence, finally. It's... familiar, comfortable. Safe. And for a moment he's just so grateful not to be alone, he reaches out. Trying to... something. He's not sure. He ends up just blindly reaching for Oswald's sleeve, like that'll do anything. The next, his other hand's moved away from his neck and and and he feels good, suddenly not afraid or cold or in pain at all anymore. everything feels good and nice. for a bit. then something seems... wrong. it's... too much? it keeps going and he feels so faint. . .]

[agoodname]

[He drinks. And he drinks. And Edward tastes as good as he ever does--if not better. But he can't focus on it, can't even register it at all. He's too focused on finding that precipice; on ensuring that he gets everything, before Edward has to ingest some of his blood. And he has to, there's no way he can't, and he's so focused on that, he can't think of anything else. When he thinks he's gotten all of it, he pulls back just enough to lift his head--before he's tearing at his own wrist with his fangs, getting himself to bleed, before pressing it to Edward's mouth] Drink--Edward, you have to drink it--

1/2

[enigmaster]

[It's a small window. The act of feeding like that keeps Edward alive a little longer, even with no blood left. That doesn't mean he's especially lucid. He's staring blankly ahead, not really hearing Oswald. But something presses to his mouth, suddenly. And a few drops make it onto his tongue and something tells him he needs this. Somehow. He doesn't know what he's drinking. It tastes strange and metallic and... wonderful? He gets a good mouthful of it, closing his eyes. For a moment he's just... so tired. He wants to sleep.]

2/2

[enigmaster]

[The next moment, his eyes snap open, and he gasps and suddenly he's aware of everything around him. Every sight, sound, smell - he feels like he can almost taste the air around him - and it's so much. It feels like... like he's drowning. He shuts his eyes quickly and curls up, wrapping his arms around himself, trying to block out the world. But he can't block out whatever he's feeling right now. This horrible need, all throughout his body, suddenly. He just keeps breathing quickly, as if hoping maybe air is what he needs.]

[agoodname]

[he's...covered in Edward's blood. And Edward is curling into himself; definitely in the first stages of going into a frenzy, and he has got to get him to somewhere safer than this with extra blood storage--so he's scooping his prone form up in his arms and holding him close to his chest] Just--hang on, Edward. I'm taking us somewhere safe--I promise. [his voice is tight, and if he's trembling, he's too focused on slipping into the shadows with Edward in tow, moving as quickly as he can to get them to one of his safe houses. It doesn't take too long to get there; he has a couple different ones, after all. It's no trouble to get inside the apartment and lock them in. The place is cold and still, as it should be. Oswald is immediately moving to initially set Edward on the couch.] There, just--stay there a moment, I keep this place stocked, it's alright--[it's anything but alright. Nothing is alright. But it tumbles out of his mouth and he has to resist the urge to make a hysterical noise as he races to the kitchen to grab one of the blood packs out of the fridge so he can get it over to Edward.]

[enigmaster]

[None of this really registers, for him. There's just... the vague feeling, somewhere far away, of slipping into something. Maybe. He doesn't really know. It all just seems meaningless compared to the feeling inside him. It's drowning out everything. There's nothing else in the world anymore, other than the need, the... the want. It's dark and burning through his veins and he feels so empty why does he feel empty he's lying on something and why is he lying on something, he should be doing something about this. Somewhere in his state he's stumbling off the couch, not getting very far before he's doubling over to the floor. He's stuck somewhere between heaving and... and growling, almost. what's happening?]