[He follows wherever she leads him, trying not to let it show in his gait how much the injury hurts. He's had worse!! (Or so he tells himself, but this unintentional hit having had such an effect only underlines that Saya could dismantle him faster than pretty much anyone else he knows.)]
Yeah. I was hit by a werebeast curse on the last world I visited, along with a bunch of other people. There would've been a cure, but it has its perks!
[Only a total meathead like him would willingly remain a part-time monster...]
[ Hey some people are full time monsters, no meatheadedness required. ]
[ Saya leads him into a bedroom (she leaves the door open, this is just where the first aid supplies are, which -- look, when you're a vampire, that makes sense) that's all sleek, dark furniture and dark bedsheets and flowing curtains. She nods at a lush armchair. ]
I can imagine. I was without my innate abilities where I was last, and it was awful for my fighting abilities. [ Also all the dying. ]
Have a seat and get that shirt out of the way, please. Cleaning wounds through cut fabric is never a good idea. [ She goes digging in the nightstand for supplies and starts lining them up on the table. ]
[Oh, the meatheadedness lies in how he declined the choice that many other monstrous people never get - but then again he does feel vindicated in his decision now. His weredog curse may just allow him to spar with Saya properly, for one! If he got hurt like this under the full moon he'd just heal back up right away.
He takes off his jacket, vest, and shirt, wincing a little at the latter, and opts to keep standing, both to make it easier on her to get a clean wrap of his side wound and to avoid staining her armchair.]
For me it was the other way around. Both previous worlds I visited took everyone's powers away, so this place has been... a bit of an adjustment.
[He was so frustrated at first, feeling inferior and weak... but the more of the stronger people he gets to know, the more he's coming to appreciate them. Their ability to face off against threats, after all, is more important than his feelings.]
[ Being nonhuman in whatever way is always a valid thing as far as Saya's concerned. Sparring together being more fun is a nice bonus, too. Assuming she's around at the next full moon she's definitely going to text him. ]
[ Supplies in her hands, Saya kneels down so she can get a look at the injury. Don't mind the suggestive position, she sure doesn't. Then she wets a clean rag with sterile water and begins to clean off the blood, very gently. ]
They wanted everyone on equal ground, I guess. I understand why, but it was like suddenly losing a limb. Even without my memories I knew something was really off.
[He doesn't know it yet, but he'll unexpectedly end up spending June's full moon nights in the Winter Segment. He'll wish he were back in the city playfighting with Saya then! But there will always be a next full moon.]
I can imagine. It's not really comparable, but being completely without magic when I went back home from Prismatica and Avalon took me a while to get used to again, too.
[He actually relaxes as she gets to work on his injury - sure, it stings, but he knows he'll feel better once he's patched up, and... well, it's nice to be taken care of.]
I guess it's suitable that we're both summer power holders, but for things like this spring powers would sure come in handy. Being healed feels so nice.
[ Saya's out a fair bit herself, running fetch quests to try and fix her life cycle. They'll manage to both be available on the full moon at some point. ]
My husband has healing magic of his own, too. But he doesn't seem to be at home. [ Alas. Healing magic does make her life a lot easier. ]
Never fear. If anyone knows how to treat wound, it's a vampire. [ One might notice that this room is decorated specifically to be blood-proof. She shoots him a playful look and switches sterile water for disinfectant, dabbing at the wound lightly. ]
[This bedroom does have a unique decor... on all the worlds Hijikata was transported to he never bothered personalising his dwelling, whether it was an empty apartment or inn room, or a furnished tent or hut left behind by its owner. It's only now that he moved in with his mentee that there are personal touches to their home, and it's not thanks to him.
He winces ever-so-slightly as Saya disinfects the wound, but doesn't squirm around.]
You take good care of your donors, don't you?
[He wants to tell her to feel free to treat herself to some of his blood while it's available, but holds back because it somehow feels rude - like if a vampire told a human to treat themselves to some apples that just so happened to fall off the tree.]
[ Oh trust, the idea of licking up his blood occurred to her. But when she's not sure it'd be welcome she usually doesn't ask. Saya has a lot of donors and is very well fed so it's not like she has a need for it, it's just fun. ]
[ But now it's covered in disinfectant and that tastes gross. ]
It's the least I can do. Although I'm quite sure most if not all of them will say my bite is its own reward, I still like taking care of them.
[ With the wound cleaned up, she looks more closely at it. ] You won't need stitches, fortunately. This is one reason I keep my sword sharp. Just no stretching if you don't have to for a couple of days, or until a Spring magic user heals you up.
[How many spring power holders does he know..? Venti - but if he were home, Saya would likely have suggested asking him -, Xingchen, Eva... that's pretty much it, as far as he's aware. He'll ask Xingchen. He's always helpful and kind. Eva would only chide him for getting hurt, that little brat.]
You know a bunch of masochists, hm?
[There's no sarcasm in his voice at all. He knows a bunch of masochists himself, and while he doesn't understand them it certainly is good that there are enough people who enjoy being bit by a vampire. (He might have felt that there's more to it than just the pain, back when he offered Saya his blood to stabilise her after the treanpire fight, but all the adrenaline in his system overrode any such sensations.)]
[ Saya laughs lightly and starts getting a bandage and tape and antibacterial cream ready. ]
Not all of them are. I think masochists are more drawn to me than to your average person for obvious reasons, but plenty of people like my drinking their blood for other reasons. And I can bite without much pain if I set my mind to it, my fangs are sharp enough for it.
Some are just curious. Some like it because blood drinking is intimate, like kissing, or any number of other things one can do with their mouth. [ At least she's being something like classy here? It could be worse! ] For some there's some association with fiction stories that they found intriguing.
There is a libido connection for me, which I think is appealing even for those who wouldn't like it otherwise, after all what's hotter than knowing you have someone's interest? Sure there are times when for me it's about only survival, but I'm very good at making it a mutually enjoyable experience in the right circumstances. [ Which the treanpire really wasn't. That was survival. ]
[That is a lot of information..!! He tries to play it cool (emphasis on "tries").]
Hmmm. I see, I see.
[She sure shut him up! He lets her dress his wound in silence, suddenly more acutely aware of her hands on him and her overall presence. This woman really is something else.]
[ She pauses just before putting the bandage on and looks up at him. You can't blame her for assuming that someone who asks about S&M is going to be okay hearing some generalities. ]
What? [ She knows exactly "what" but she'd like to hear him tell it. ]
Don't say that. Surely the investigations into stopping your hibernation cycle are progressing, right?
[He doesn't want her to, for all intents and purposes, disappear. It would cast a whole bunch of people here into grief, that he's sure of without even having a solid overview of her relationship network.]
Why shouldn't I say it? It's true. I won't know what that concoction will do before it goes into my vein. Maybe it'll stop my hibernation. Maybe I'll sleep for three thousand years. Maybe it makes me lose my mind. Maybe it does nothing.
[ She finishes with the bandage and stands up to look him in the eye (more or less, she's short). ]
I can't control what happens with that whole thing. I can control whether I let the people around me know they mean something to me. I'm not great with words, though. Touch is easier. I can say a thousand things with a kiss that I'd never be able to express otherwise.
[Much as he'd like to protest, she's right. This isn't exactly a common problem with a known solution, and getting her hopes up too high might be just as fatal as giving up her hopes too soon.
Part of him wants to encourage her to do as much of that - expressing her feelings for her loved ones - as she can during the time she can be certain of having left, but of course he can't get the words out. She already knows, anyway. He gives her a smile that he hopes transports his gratitude for the medical treatment - and for forgiving him the mess he made out of their sparring session.]
Well, I'm not good at either. So you've got an advantage there.
[Good. Smooth. How is that even relevant?! He kind of wants to sink into the ground.]
I shouldn't hold you up longer than I already have.
[ Saya breathes a laugh, covering her mouth as she does so out of pure habit, despite that he obviously knows she has fangs. She looks nothing but charmed, he's fine. ]
You don't have to look so nervous, I'm not going to bite... without permission, anyway.
And you're not holding me up. At least come eat something before you run out. I'd rather not send you packing and have you get woozy halfway home. There's all sorts of baked goods out in the kitchen.
Besides, your shirt is still open. [ She lightly flicks one of the lapels. ] I could try and get the bloodstain out and sew it up, if you like. Goodness knows I have experience.
[He's glad that she's so easy-going about this! It allows him to recompose himself as he takes off the bloodstained shirt.]
Are you sure? It was my mess-up, you don't need to do all of this for me.
[He isn't saying no, though, instead letting her take the shirt and the less stained, but also damaged vest from him. He'll just follow her into the kitchen topless - but not without first grabbing his mayonnaise bottle from his uniform jacket (which was luckily willowing out when he got struck and didn't get cut).]
You're fine. I take good care of my sparring partners as well as my donors. Besides, you've been nothing but nice to me. [ And no one in this house will bat an eye about someone walking around shirtless. ]
[ She presents him with an array of scones and bread and cookies. ] Help yourself.
[ Saya disappears into a bathroom and emerges with a bottle of cleanser and a brush as well as her sewing kit. She starts scrubbing the blood off in the kitchen sink. Another thing people who live here are used to. Her hand moves so fast that it's a blur. ]
...You do know that I really wouldn't hurt you without permission, right? Accidental sword nicks during a spar aside. I feel like you spend most of your time around me looking uncomfortable.
[He makes himself a mayonnaise sandwich. Saya's reassurances put him at ease - as far as the inconveniences are concerned, that is; he didn't think she'd intentionally harm him at any point. Hell, their first meeting involved her putting her life in his hands, which is quite the opposite of being a threat. As for his discomfort... it makes him feel embarrassed that it's apparently so obvious, but since 95% of it boils down to him feeling inferior to her in strength and unable to keep up with her (with the remaining 5% being down to him being a prude), he doesn't know how to explain without feeling even more awkward.
While he internally struggles to find a starting point she mentions Rosen, which makes him perk up with surprise.]
Huh? About Rosen? What do you mean, you don't mind?
[He distinctly feels like he's missing some information here...]
[ She wrings out the shirt, examines it, adds more cleanser and scrubs some more. ]
I'm guessing that's not it, so it doesn't really matter, but just for the record. He's one of the few I'm officially attached to. Seeing each other, I guess you could say. [ It's more intense than that but she'll put it in human terms, you're welcome. ] But it's not like I police his time and attention.
[ Clearly she assumes something was going on there. Lucky for Hijikata she seems to think it was consensual flirting. ]
[He was bullying Rosen there, alright, but only because he had bullied him at work before! Honestly, their relationship is a big question mark to Hijikata, despite him being half of it. Rosen was a fair adversary to him in the arena, despite the blatant power discrepancy, and while he constantly pushes Hijikata's buttons, the only thing stopping him from leaving him be is Hijikata's own stubborn refusal to ask for just that. There is excitement in the tension between them, but if Hijikata is honest with himself, he frequently feels in over his head with him. He just doesn't admit it.
Hearing that Saya is involved with Rosen leaves him with obvious surprise on his face, but after a moment it turns into a grin.]
Hah... that bastard. Playing around with me when he already has you?
[It's honestly a relief, in a strange way. Rosen and Saya are far more equally matched - she won't only keep up with him but challenge him to keep up with her, he's sure of that. (Part of him wonders - isn't she married -, but clearly she and her husband have arrangements in place.)]
[ She chuckles and adds some peroxide to the shirt. ]
Now, now. He likes to enjoy himself, nothing wrong with that. And it would hardly be fair of me to restrict him when I have no intention of being restricted myself. I'm far too much for any two hands to manage, even delightful as his happen to be.
In any case, it's not a problem unless you do something awful to me and he finds out. He can be a little protective. [ She says this like it's a compliment. ] So can I, if I'm honest, though I try not to be overbearing if I can possibly avoid it. But I can't picture you doing anything like that.
[ Yep she's married, and in addition to Rosen she has two others she's officially partnered up with and a whole host of casual partners. Monogamy wouldn't suit her at all. ]
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(no subject)
Date: May. 30th, 2023 05:40 pm (UTC)Yeah. I was hit by a werebeast curse on the last world I visited, along with a bunch of other people. There would've been a cure, but it has its perks!
[Only a total meathead like him would willingly remain a part-time monster...]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 5th, 2023 01:39 am (UTC)[ Saya leads him into a bedroom (she leaves the door open, this is just where the first aid supplies are, which -- look, when you're a vampire, that makes sense) that's all sleek, dark furniture and dark bedsheets and flowing curtains. She nods at a lush armchair. ]
I can imagine. I was without my innate abilities where I was last, and it was awful for my fighting abilities. [ Also all the dying. ]
Have a seat and get that shirt out of the way, please. Cleaning wounds through cut fabric is never a good idea. [ She goes digging in the nightstand for supplies and starts lining them up on the table. ]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 5th, 2023 01:25 pm (UTC)He takes off his jacket, vest, and shirt, wincing a little at the latter, and opts to keep standing, both to make it easier on her to get a clean wrap of his side wound and to avoid staining her armchair.]
For me it was the other way around. Both previous worlds I visited took everyone's powers away, so this place has been... a bit of an adjustment.
[He was so frustrated at first, feeling inferior and weak... but the more of the stronger people he gets to know, the more he's coming to appreciate them. Their ability to face off against threats, after all, is more important than his feelings.]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 5th, 2023 03:42 pm (UTC)[ Supplies in her hands, Saya kneels down so she can get a look at the injury. Don't mind the suggestive position, she sure doesn't. Then she wets a clean rag with sterile water and begins to clean off the blood, very gently. ]
They wanted everyone on equal ground, I guess. I understand why, but it was like suddenly losing a limb. Even without my memories I knew something was really off.
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 6th, 2023 06:15 pm (UTC)I can imagine. It's not really comparable, but being completely without magic when I went back home from Prismatica and Avalon took me a while to get used to again, too.
[He actually relaxes as she gets to work on his injury - sure, it stings, but he knows he'll feel better once he's patched up, and... well, it's nice to be taken care of.]
I guess it's suitable that we're both summer power holders, but for things like this spring powers would sure come in handy. Being healed feels so nice.
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 6th, 2023 06:53 pm (UTC)My husband has healing magic of his own, too. But he doesn't seem to be at home. [ Alas. Healing magic does make her life a lot easier. ]
Never fear. If anyone knows how to treat wound, it's a vampire. [ One might notice that this room is decorated specifically to be blood-proof. She shoots him a playful look and switches sterile water for disinfectant, dabbing at the wound lightly. ]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 7th, 2023 06:50 pm (UTC)He winces ever-so-slightly as Saya disinfects the wound, but doesn't squirm around.]
You take good care of your donors, don't you?
[He wants to tell her to feel free to treat herself to some of his blood while it's available, but holds back because it somehow feels rude - like if a vampire told a human to treat themselves to some apples that just so happened to fall off the tree.]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 7th, 2023 08:02 pm (UTC)[ But now it's covered in disinfectant and that tastes gross. ]
It's the least I can do. Although I'm quite sure most if not all of them will say my bite is its own reward, I still like taking care of them.
[ With the wound cleaned up, she looks more closely at it. ] You won't need stitches, fortunately. This is one reason I keep my sword sharp. Just no stretching if you don't have to for a couple of days, or until a Spring magic user heals you up.
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 7th, 2023 10:00 pm (UTC)[How many spring power holders does he know..? Venti - but if he were home, Saya would likely have suggested asking him -, Xingchen, Eva... that's pretty much it, as far as he's aware. He'll ask Xingchen. He's always helpful and kind. Eva would only chide him for getting hurt, that little brat.]
You know a bunch of masochists, hm?
[There's no sarcasm in his voice at all. He knows a bunch of masochists himself, and while he doesn't understand them it certainly is good that there are enough people who enjoy being bit by a vampire. (He might have felt that there's more to it than just the pain, back when he offered Saya his blood to stabilise her after the treanpire fight, but all the adrenaline in his system overrode any such sensations.)]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 7th, 2023 10:09 pm (UTC)[ Saya laughs lightly and starts getting a bandage and tape and antibacterial cream ready. ]
Not all of them are. I think masochists are more drawn to me than to your average person for obvious reasons, but plenty of people like my drinking their blood for other reasons. And I can bite without much pain if I set my mind to it, my fangs are sharp enough for it.
Some are just curious. Some like it because blood drinking is intimate, like kissing, or any number of other things one can do with their mouth. [ At least she's being something like classy here? It could be worse! ] For some there's some association with fiction stories that they found intriguing.
There is a libido connection for me, which I think is appealing even for those who wouldn't like it otherwise, after all what's hotter than knowing you have someone's interest? Sure there are times when for me it's about only survival, but I'm very good at making it a mutually enjoyable experience in the right circumstances. [ Which the treanpire really wasn't. That was survival. ]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 7th, 2023 11:15 pm (UTC)Hmmm. I see, I see.
[She sure shut him up! He lets her dress his wound in silence, suddenly more acutely aware of her hands on him and her overall presence. This woman really is something else.]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 7th, 2023 11:23 pm (UTC)What? [ She knows exactly "what" but she'd like to hear him tell it. ]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 8th, 2023 11:30 pm (UTC)I just... ah.
[He clears his throat.]
I didn't realise it was like this.
[Very committed answer, Hijikata.]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 9th, 2023 12:05 am (UTC)I've got to have fun somehow, don't I? I have a lot of living to pack into a few months.
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 12:00 am (UTC)[He doesn't want her to, for all intents and purposes, disappear. It would cast a whole bunch of people here into grief, that he's sure of without even having a solid overview of her relationship network.]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 12:18 am (UTC)[ She finishes with the bandage and stands up to look him in the eye (more or less, she's short). ]
I can't control what happens with that whole thing. I can control whether I let the people around me know they mean something to me. I'm not great with words, though. Touch is easier. I can say a thousand things with a kiss that I'd never be able to express otherwise.
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 01:55 am (UTC)Part of him wants to encourage her to do as much of that - expressing her feelings for her loved ones - as she can during the time she can be certain of having left, but of course he can't get the words out. She already knows, anyway. He gives her a smile that he hopes transports his gratitude for the medical treatment - and for forgiving him the mess he made out of their sparring session.]
Well, I'm not good at either. So you've got an advantage there.
[Good. Smooth. How is that even relevant?! He kind of wants to sink into the ground.]
I shouldn't hold you up longer than I already have.
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 02:09 am (UTC)You don't have to look so nervous, I'm not going to bite... without permission, anyway.
And you're not holding me up. At least come eat something before you run out. I'd rather not send you packing and have you get woozy halfway home. There's all sorts of baked goods out in the kitchen.
Besides, your shirt is still open. [ She lightly flicks one of the lapels. ] I could try and get the bloodstain out and sew it up, if you like. Goodness knows I have experience.
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 02:20 am (UTC)Are you sure? It was my mess-up, you don't need to do all of this for me.
[He isn't saying no, though, instead letting her take the shirt and the less stained, but also damaged vest from him. He'll just follow her into the kitchen topless - but not without first grabbing his mayonnaise bottle from his uniform jacket (which was luckily willowing out when he got struck and didn't get cut).]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 02:32 am (UTC)[ She presents him with an array of scones and bread and cookies. ] Help yourself.
[ Saya disappears into a bathroom and emerges with a bottle of cleanser and a brush as well as her sewing kit. She starts scrubbing the blood off in the kitchen sink. Another thing people who live here are used to. Her hand moves so fast that it's a blur. ]
...You do know that I really wouldn't hurt you without permission, right? Accidental sword nicks during a spar aside. I feel like you spend most of your time around me looking uncomfortable.
If it's about Rosen, I promise I don't mind. [ She saw something going on at the maid café, but she was busy so didn't examine it too closely.
If she had she would have squished Hijikata's face so it's for the best](no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 03:00 am (UTC)While he internally struggles to find a starting point she mentions Rosen, which makes him perk up with surprise.]
Huh? About Rosen? What do you mean, you don't mind?
[He distinctly feels like he's missing some information here...]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 03:10 am (UTC)[ She wrings out the shirt, examines it, adds more cleanser and scrubs some more. ]
I'm guessing that's not it, so it doesn't really matter, but just for the record. He's one of the few I'm officially attached to. Seeing each other, I guess you could say. [ It's more intense than that but she'll put it in human terms, you're welcome. ] But it's not like I police his time and attention.
[ Clearly she assumes something was going on there. Lucky for Hijikata she seems to think it was consensual flirting. ]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 03:25 am (UTC)Hearing that Saya is involved with Rosen leaves him with obvious surprise on his face, but after a moment it turns into a grin.]
Hah... that bastard. Playing around with me when he already has you?
[It's honestly a relief, in a strange way. Rosen and Saya are far more equally matched - she won't only keep up with him but challenge him to keep up with her, he's sure of that. (Part of him wonders - isn't she married -, but clearly she and her husband have arrangements in place.)]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 10th, 2023 03:40 am (UTC)Now, now. He likes to enjoy himself, nothing wrong with that. And it would hardly be fair of me to restrict him when I have no intention of being restricted myself. I'm far too much for any two hands to manage, even delightful as his happen to be.
In any case, it's not a problem unless you do something awful to me and he finds out. He can be a little protective. [ She says this like it's a compliment. ] So can I, if I'm honest, though I try not to be overbearing if I can possibly avoid it. But I can't picture you doing anything like that.
[ Yep she's married, and in addition to Rosen she has two others she's officially partnered up with and a whole host of casual partners. Monogamy wouldn't suit her at all. ]
(no subject)
Date: Jun. 11th, 2023 12:40 am (UTC)I don't think I could do anything awful to either of you, even if I wanted to.
[He's just a human-- but then again it was a human who experimented on Saya like on a lab rat.]
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