Ariella gazed back at Valor when he pulled away to speak, to tell her that he would fight for them, that he would figure out a way to get out of this, before asking for her help, reminding her that she was strong, and assuring her that they would make it through this. She nodded, “Of course you don’t have to do it alone. I will do anything within my power to help,” she told him, smiling softly, grateful for his words of encouragement, grateful that he believed in her just as much as she believed in him.<br/><br/>When he stood, she stepped back, and then to the side, to allow him to move. She knew that they couldn’t stay here for the rest of the day. Someone was bound to find them if they did, after all. As he went about getting dressed, she did the same, choosing a dress, but one that was light and easy to move in.<br/><br/>Valor’s voice brought her attention to him and she tilted her head a little at the question. She had to think about the implications of that. “I wouldn’t say that, exactly. I have always been sensitive to the smell of blood. I can smell it in the air, even when no one else can. When it’s strong, it made me feel… uncomfortable, I guess you could say. But I never thought of it as a desire to feed,” she tried to explain the feelings, but she wasn’t sure it really made sense.<br/><br/>She was a little surprised by his offer for her to feed from him, but she could feel her heart beating faster as he sat on the edge of the bed and held his wrist out for her. She moved in front of him and turned so that her back was to him so that she could sit in his lap and lean back against him. This was all new and she wasn’t really sure what to expect, so it was comforting to be in his arms. Taking his hand gently in her own, she drew it closer to her while her other hand supported his arms. She had never really given it much thought, never really paid any mind to the blood pumping through someone else’s veins, but now, it was like she could faintly hear the beating of his heart.<br/><br/>Her eyes shifted from his arm up to him when he told her that she should be able to sprout fangs, telling her to look inside and embrace this part of her. She turned her attention back to his wrist, trying to follow his instructions as he continued to speak, telling her that it wasn’t just her blood pulsing through his veins. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the sound of his heartbeat, trying to look inside of herself, to find the part of her that she’d never known existed—or perhaps that she had buried long ago.<br/><br/>To her surprise, he was right. As she did this, she felt fangs sprout, bringing with them an uncomfortable sensation that soon faded. She looked down at his wrist, taking a deep breath to try to slow her racing heart before she slowly lifted his wrist while bringing her head down to meet it. She was careful in her movements, not wanting to hurt him, although she knew from experience that this was part of it. She kissed his wrist softly before opening her mouth and plunging her fangs into the artery that ran along the inside of his wrist.<br/><br/>She recalled what he’d told her about the venom and tried to focus on injecting it into his bloodstream. She felt it when she was able to do just that and had to rely on her instincts to tell her when to stop. After the venom was injected, she carefully removed her fangs and covered the area with her mouth. She felt the liquid fill her mouth and to her surprise, it tasted… good. She sighed, a soft and pleasant sound as she leaned back into him and tried not to tighten her grip on his wrist too much. She wondered if it all tasted this way, or if it was just him, because of the bond they shared.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Rosalie wanted to protest Jalice’s accusation that she had changed from the girl she had once been, the one who used to beat him up and claim it was his fault for being a crybaby. She couldn’t deny that he was right, though. The memories of their childhood brought a hint of a smile to her face and she almost laughed as she remembered how he had been as a child.<br/><br/>“In my defense, you<span style="font-style: italic">were</span>a crybaby,” she told him, only half teasing. Had he been anyone else, she would have denied the existence of a softer side, but there was no point. He’d seen it many times, and she didn’t feel the need to hide it from him. For some reason, he seemed to like it, and it was nice to be able to let down her guard around someone. She didn’t mind letting him see, the secret she kept just for him.<br/><br/>“You’ve changed, too, you know,” she told him. “You aren’t that same little crybaby anymore. Well, maybe sometimes,” she teased, smiling lightly to let him know it was only a joke. “You’ve become a stronger man than I would have ever thought. And you will be a great king one day,” she told him, even though it felt weird to say such embarrassing things.<br/><br/>When he drank from his blood bag, she followed suit, tearing her own open and draining it. She had been thirstier than she thought, too. She was grateful to Kera for her gift and made a note to thank her again later.<br/><br/>She noticed that Jalice’s attention seemed to have drifted and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about. It didn’t matter, though. She wanted his full attention, so whatever it was, she had no intention of letting him dwell on it. She moved from where she sat on the bed to sit in his lap so that she straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting them rest on his shoulders. Rather than say anything, she simply leaned in and kissed him, giving him no choice but to focus on her.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Celes watched the woman’s reaction to her appearance, noting the way she watched her, and the way the other version of her moved to hide behind her. She smiled lightly, in a way that seemed friendly, but perhaps also just a little bit mischievous. She could tell that the woman was at least intrigued by her, but not just because she had abruptly appeared, or because her blood no doubt smelled unique; she was also drawn to her because of her appearance.<br/><br/>The woman finally spoke up and answered the question she’d been asked, causing Celes to tilt her head just a little in curiosity. She supposed that she couldn’t exactly expect a real answer, considering that she was a stranger, and people didn’t usually pour their hearts and souls out to strangers. Not that she ever really wanted them to, anyways.<br/><br/>It wasn’t truly surprising to her that the other version of the woman was afraid of her, given that she was used to such reactions from humans and vampires alike. Even many demons were afraid of her, and for good reason. She had no intention of revealing this, though. “Who knows?” she answered lightly with a soft smile on her face.<br/><br/>She was curious about the ring that the woman put on to make the other version of herself disappear. She wondered what it was that made her split into three, and what the ring did to prevent this. Of course, she couldn’t very well ask such questions when they had only just met, but she was curious, nonetheless.<br/><br/>“Oh?” she smiled lightly, seemingly unperturbed by the woman having guessed what she was. “You’re a clever one, aren’t you?” she mused lightly, shrugging off the apology, as she generally didn’t find much use in such things. “Celes,” she introduced herself with the same light and casual tone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kera,” she said with the same light smile. Whether she meant it, or she was simply being polite was anyone’s guess, but it was likely some combination of both.<br/><br/>She wasn’t bothered by the woman drinking from the blood bag, nor by the fact that she maintained eye contact with her as she did. She’d never been one to flinch under the gaze of another, and she much preferred that the woman feed from the blood bag rather than trying to get a taste of her blood. For now, anyways.<br/><br/>“So, tell me, Kera, do you have any interesting plans for the evening?” she asked casually, the question seemingly innocent, whether it truly was or not. “I’m just passing through and I’m afraid I’ve found this area to be sorely lacking in entertainment so far. I would appreciate any recommendations you might have. If you are familiar with the area, of course,” she added the last part with a smile, recognizing that she might not know the area, although, in reality, she was more interested in her company than she was in the city.