Slave for grabs (Lady Thorn’s whatever character.)

[mscrow]

Erik pulled himself out of the basement as the street lights came on. Night, a time that he was better suited for. But it wouldn’t last for long, he knew that. Tugging at the over large pants he slipped his stolen whiteboard into the waist band and headed off to the subway. It was a vampire ground there, or, had been. Not so much recently. But it was still worth a try to get a master back. He was scared, being alone. There were too many vampires that would rather kill him than have him as a servant.

He wanted his queen back. But that wasn’t going to happen; she was just a pile of ashes now. He hated that, it happened some time ago, but it still gave him nightmares in the middle of the day. Taking up a seat in the corner where he had seen vampires before, he wrote on his whiteboard, hoping that it would attract someone in need of a servant.

Meal and service, open.

[Lady Thorn]

Fabian stumbled down the steps to the subway, yawning widely. He'd not been to New York for some years, but he still remembered that this was where one went when one wanted to find vampires. The dirty floor crackled and squeaked alarmingly under his neat shoes, but he paid it no mind. He wasn't entirely awake yet. As night had fallen, he'd dragged himself out of bed with an almighty hangover, knowing he had to be on time for his damn meeting. So here he was, in the subway.
Forty-five minutes later, and a considerable amount of swearing, and still no show. He gave up.
Had he not been lingering and waiting for such a long time, his mind would not have woken up sufficiently for him to process the sign which caught his eye as he prepared to storm off and find better entertainment for the night.
"Meal and service, open..." he murmured, reading it to himself. He was intrigued. He hadn't noticed the man in the corner on his way in, though that wasn't much of a surprise, considering the headache he was nursing at the time. The few hangovers he ever managed to spawn were not exactly gentle on his brain.
Hands in pockets and a bemused expression on face, he wandered casually over to the man... human, he presumed. He had been looking for a servant after all... life just hadn't been the same since the last one ran away.
His stomach growled at him, and he groaned in reply.
That settled it then.
"Evening," his voice lilted softly at the man. "Am I to take it that you are offering your services? How much?" He was pretty sure he could pay anything that was requested. Servants were increasingly hard to come by these days anyway.

[mscrow]

Erik had been watching Fabian for a while, curious as to what he was doing. This time of night, clearly not physically well, and standing in the station for some time. He had no idea that it was only forty five or so minutes, but he did know it was some time. It was strange… and that was coming from a guy that had lived underground his whole life as a vampire slave. So, there had to be something odd. But Erik watched him with interest, finding his behavior something of strangeness that was fun to see what happened next. It wasn’t until the vampire came up to his sitting form that Erik even thought that just maybe he was waiting for someone. Ah-well.

Vampire? Erik wrote, clearing his whiteboard and holding it up. One could never be too sure what creature one could be. He was not interested in some kind of were-beast. They were cruel. Vampires, if they kept you alive, were careful. Or, in his experience, they were. How much what? Only thing I ask is that you don’t drink me to death, and food is nice. That was, in hopes that this was a vampire.

[Lady Thorn]

Fabian nodded at the question, giving a tired smile to bare his gleaming fangs. Small, for vampires, but no less dangerous for it. The man intrigued him... why on earth was he writing everything down? And why was he sat in the subway with a whiteboard? Ah so many questions. Among them: why was no one here? Maybe no one used this place anymore, but still... he wished he had people of whom he could ask for answers.
But back to the present.
The guy was cheap... and he did desperately need someone. He'd been such a mess lately, forgetting to feed, forgetting where the hell he was. He needed to have someone else around. Humans kept him linked to reality, in some small way.
"You don't want paying?" He was having trouble with this. He'd never come across anyone who didn't before, even for the daftest things. Not that he objected in the slightest.
"Well... if that's all you want..." he'd already decided, it seemed, "want to come work for me?" He held out a hand politely. "My name's Fabian, what's yours?" Not technically true, but everyone called him Fabian these days (except tax collectors, who called him Mr. Nonymous and tried to contact him concerning a seventy year debt). He didn't like giving out his real name.

[mscrow]

Oh my gosh! He had someone to live with again! Pushing himself to his feet the tall man stood a step from Fabian, waiting until he was told to do something or until he started walking and Erik could follow. Glad he was going to be of use again to the rulers after so long, he listened to what was being said.

I will gladly work for you master. I am Erik. What is your first need of me? It felt wonderful to be needed. To be useful. When humans are useless, they die. Vampires would drain them or break their necks. He hated that idea, so he strove to be as useful as he could be. And Fabian looked like just the vampire to make him useful again. He was a bit eager, it had been some time since he had had a master or mistress. How strange, in his life before he had never known that there were things like males and females. He had been the only male. This could be very interesting indeed.

[Lady Thorn]

Shaking his head at the strangeness, Fabian smiled. His appearance showed his recent neglect of things like "washing machine" and "sleep", so it was a surprise when the man accepted. Wonders would never cease.
"Erik," he repeated, rolling the word around his mouth like a taste of exquisite wine, "Good name..." He'd known an Erik once before, nice guy, except for the murdering.
It struck him that he had barely looked at the guy before employing him, and so he turned and looked again, trying to force his brain to wake up and play along. It managed, vaguely. He took in the ill-fitting clothes, the paper on the feet, and underneath that, the rather pleasant looks-
No, Fabian, he interrupted himself mentally, none of that... He'd been in enough trouble for seducing the wrong people in the past. Three of his past servants had cited that as their reasons for leaving (or slapping him). But all the same, he couldn't help but appreciate aesthetics.
Feeling a little tug of guilt, he spoke again.
"I can pay you £300 a month, too," his tone was a little exasperated, if only at himself. He was just too nice sometimes. "Use it to buy some shoes for yourself or something..."
He turned, waving that Erik should follow him as he scurried lightly up the subway steps, barely making a sound. His skinny form didn't exactly weigh much anyway, but he was naturally light on his feet. When they were out under the moonlight and light pollution, he was revealed more plainly as suffering from his hangover. There were bags under his eyes and his clothing was rumpled more than could be expected for having been worn barely an hour.
"Ugh..." he groaned, to no end in particular, "I need coffee... have you eaten yet today?"

[mscrow]

Shoes? Erik looked at his feet covered in paper from the cold and sharp-things on the ground. They clashed with his wrinkled suit thing. They were what he found, what he had been in for the last few years. Not that he knew how long he had been doing so. Every night it was sit in the corner, with the sign. Night after night, station after station. But he was found now, and had a person to call his owner. It was wonderful. But, pounds? He was going to get paid? Why? Money didn’t mean anything to Erik, his services were always paid in food and life. But whatever he was going to do was fine. So long as he was being used.

Shaking his head as he was asked if he had eaten, he wondered vaguely what coffee was. That horrid smelling beverage that was on every corner? He had heard the word before. He was hoping more for the pink ones, they were cold and thicker. What were they called? No idea didn’t matter. As Erik followed he caught the look of his master. He didn’t look well, at all. He didn’t understand how a vampire could look so disheveled, they were the rulers, the leaders… appearance was everything. Maybe it was the clothes?

[Lady Thorn]

Wondering what sort of odd person he'd just employed, Fabian shook his head and walked off, simply indicating that Erik follow him. It was too early in the evening to contemplate such strangeness. He needed some human food, and something else, before he'd even contemplate thinking.
He bought some form of greasy, dreadful burger from a vendor, and a coffee too, wolfing both down as if he hadn't eaten in days. They worked wonders. His eyes lost the grey, undead look of the heavily hungover, and his skin seemed to turn a less dreadful shade of yellow-grey. He stood up a bit straighter, and his eyes had a sheen of brightness to them belying the brain behind, which had been hidden by tiredness and headache.
Stretching widely, his joints clicking, he paid for another two of the burgers, passing one to Erik and wolfing the other down with the same hunger the first had vanished.
He felt more awake than he had for days. He almost didn't mind anymore that he'd missed his meeting.
But with that awakeness came a growing curiosity.
"What were you doing wandering around the subway?" he asked, sitting down on some nearby steps and scrutinising Erik. "And how come you're dressed like that? And can you not speak? Where are you from?" He stopped himself. Too many questions.
"Never mind... just... come on..."
He wasn't a cruel vampire, but he needed blood, and pretty soon. He gestured that Erik should come closer.

[mscrow]

A hamburger was shoved into his hands and the other two were vanished like lightning into the vampire. He had never known vampires to eat food before, only blood. This interested Erik greatly. There were so many different kinds of vampires; he was only finding this out in the last couple years. He watched in interest for a moment; then looked down at his own burger. What was he supposed to do with this? He didn’t eat solid food. He never had. But the blood-drinker had eaten it, maybe it wouldn’t hurt him? Taking an experimental bite, he sat with it in his mouth, lost for what to do now. It tasted so good! But, how did it go anywhere?

Chocking just slightly, he swallowed the bite whole, gagging and holding the meat and bread out at arm’s length. For the taste to be so good why did it have to be so hard to eat?! He could already feel it sitting there, heavy and solid… he didn't feel so good. Holding the sandwich out to his master he decided to go hungry for the night. Or until he figured out how to eat solid things. But now the questions came, faster than Erik could write them on his board.

I’ve been trying to find it’s what the hunter gav no I can’t my queen said I was And then came a never mind. Right… okay. He wiped it clean as the order to “come on” was given. Scrunching closer to his master on the steps Erik stayed still, knowing that he was being looked over. The scars on his neck, the colorlessness of his skin. Property had to be checked. Maybe he was still hungry? That could be.

[Lady Thorn]

Taking the uneaten burger from Erik and laughing gently to himself, he rolled his eyes.
"You're meant to chew it, y'know..." But the presence of more food in his hands couldn't be ignored, and it followed the two before it. Fabian felt ever so slightly greedy at this point, but he had one of those metabolisms that just blitzed anything that went in, so the niggle of guilt wandered away, lonely, to sit in the corner of his brain where it had spent the last few months alone.
Besides... blood.
There were scars dotted all across the neck, which settled any reservations he'd had that the man knew not what he was doing. He knew that sort of scar well. It worried him that there were quite as many as there were, but perhaps Erik's previous masters, or mistress, as had so briefly appeared on his whiteboard, were careful, as was he. He had been taught from a very young age how to take blood from a servant without causing lasting harm... it was one of the many skills he'd learned from his mother. All the more reason to hate her, he felt.
His mind had wandered, he realised. Stupid. His stomach growled and forestalled any further thought.
Gently, carefully, he sank his fangs into Erik's neck. He took only a little blood, having noted the pallor of his new servant's skin. Enough to get him through a couple more days, at any rate. He didn't need to feed as much as most of his kind. He felt the warmth of it rush through his system, making him more awake, more alive. His senses opened up again, and he could hear the hum of the night-time about him and see through the shadows and the darkness. He was himself again.
He pulled away, shaking his head and running a hand through his messy hair.
"Thanks..." he murmured, wiping a tiny drop of redness from his lips. "I needed that..."
He felt strong again, alive again. Full of energy and wanting to go out and dance the night away. But he was wise to his own foolishness, and checked that impulse. He'd only end up feeling dreadful tomorrow.
Instead, he pondered the man before him.
"Are you ok?"

[mscrow]

Chew? Erik just blinked at that. Chew? But, what? Whatever, didn't matter. The offender was away now, and he could find something to eat later. At the moment his master was drawing near, fangs ready. Erik leaned his head back, turning it to the side just a bit to allow for easy access to the side of his neck. He felt the cool touch of enamel to his skin, the sharp second of pain as his skin was breached, then a faint pull of blood leaving his system. All were familiar, and in seconds the endorphins were released, removing any “pain” that should have been there. It was like getting your blood drawn at the doctors, you think it would hurt when really it didn't.

But it did send a rush. His heart pumped faster at it, his body relaxing into the bite. It made him feel weightless, his mind allowed to blank out completely and white sparks of bliss flowing through his being. The vampire’s gift to their subjects. And just like that, it was over. He hadn’t taken much, just enough to sustain him and give Erik a little tingling in his neck. The younger put his hand to the bite, trained to press to keep the blood from flowing anymore. That’s when he felt the eyes on him again. His master.

He nodded a bit, still floating on the drug-like effect. That was enough to take the ill feeling from the food away, and his hunger as well. They would come back in a bit, but at the moment he felt explicitly wonderful. Taking up his Whiteboard Erik was back to business, as was need be.

What do you require of me? What should I wear, my duties be, such things as that? He had to know what was expected of him.

[Lady Thorn]

Fabian shrugged.
"Wear what you like... but please, include some shoes." He had never been a particularly attentive master. He let his servants do as they pleased as long as it didn't clash with his own interests. He hadn't ever had to tell them what to wear. A gulf of sudden mutual misunderstanding loomed. He supposed he wasn't the norm for vampires, and his perplexity was probably his own fault, but he felt uncomfortable rectifying it. Who was he to tell people what to wear?
He sighed... ah well, if it was expected of him.
"Your duties are to try to keep my clothes vaguely clean and to provide blood occasionally. Oh... and to try to make sure I don't lose too many of my belongings when I'm travelling." That was his life. Get up, go wandering. He was an incorrigible moocher and idler, and his life was a terrible mess when there was no one to encourage cleanliness.
"I hope you have no problems with travelling, since that's what I do."
He was twiddling with his necklace as he spoke, a silver coin-shaped pendant on a silver chain. He always did that when he was agitated, he knew, and stopped as soon as he realised. It was tucked back into his shirt with a furtive look.
"So," clapping his hands, he looked around at the night, getting his bearings... he'd almost forgotten the way back to his current abode... ah... there. "Homeward... you can walk?" He hadn't failed to note the effect his feeding had had on Erik, and only hoped he hadn't picked up some sort of addict. He'd always had dreadful luck like that.

[mscrow]

Again with the shoes. Erik wasn’t particularly fond of said shoes. Yes, they protected your feet and kept them warm. But they were constricting, often to the point of pain. He did, however, know that if his master required it, he would do it. So later he’d have to find some shoes… which would mean going out in the light next morning. Gah. But whatever, it would work. Nodding again he wiped the board and slipped it in his pants behind him, standing and brushing the dust off his butt. So make sure his master didn’t make a fool of himself, and feed him now and again. Erik could do that.

Homeward he said. Erik looked around trying to guess where his master would live. He didn't see any castles or mansions around. Maybe he was on another street. That made sense. It would interesting to see where he was going to live. And what he was going to do. And soon, the effects of the bite was wearing off and he could feel that bite of hamburger again. He had to figure out what to do about it, it was starting to really feel strange and heavy. Solid food was evil he concluded, he’d have to go out tomorrow and get that pink thing while he was getting his shoes.

[Lady Thorn]

It wasn't a long walk to Fabian's current lodgings. The house wasn't in the nicest part of town, but that suited him fine. It was relatively old, and the exterior was dirty with goodness knew what detritus the city had thrown up in past years. He tried not to look at the grime... it made him feel a little disgusted, since his normal home or the houses in which he stayed were often far... nicer. But no matter. Inside more than made up for those deficiencies which plastered the walls and sucked up the moonlight.
The key squeaked in the lock, and only gave with a show of brute strength that left Fabian's finger-prints in the metal.
"Blasted thing," he grumbled as he struggled, his curses slowly wandering into Latin until with a cry of "stercus!" he shouldered the door and let them in.
Inside, a deep blue carpet and expensive wallpaper were shadowed by the moonlight. The lights flicked on and displayed a comforting opulence. The high-ceiling held a small chandelier and open doors revealed rooms of equal splendour. Money was plainly no object here.
But Fabian was already kicking off his own shoes and climbing the dark-wooden spiral staircase. Upstairs there were several rooms, and he indicated the one at the front of the house. I wasn't huge, but a fair sized bedroom with a little en suite bathroom.
"You can sleep there... but we'll be moving on soon, I think." He was becoming bored of New York.
Leaning against the pale wallpaper, which was emblazoned with elaborate pictures of peacocks, he bit his lip, trying to remember what had happened last time he'd employed a new servant. That one... a woman... had known exactly what he wanted of her and had scurried away as soon as they'd got in. Then she'd turned out to be stealing from him, so perhaps best not to compare.
"Well, only a few things you need to know I suppose..." what was there? Ah yes... "If anyone calls in the daytime, and especially if they mention anything to do with tax, do not let them in. Tell them my name's Oscar Delaney and I work in France or something." That was his most important rule, as it were. "Kitchen's downstairs, help yourself to food and drink... all groceries get delivered so yeah... it's well stocked..."
His fingers had found his pendant again, twiddling it and watching it gleam as it caught the light. Silly habit of a thousand years.
He remembered something. Shoving a hand into a pocket, he recovered a key, exactly similar to the one which now was imprinted with the vampire's fingerprints.
He tossed it to his new servant.
"In the daytime, you can come and go as you please. I only ask that you stay either here or where I ask you at night." That seemed about it.
"Right... I'm going to try and find some clean clothes to wear... then, we're going out."
He had the urge to buy the man some clothes that actually fitted.

[mscrow]

(Your character has a thing for sex huh….)

Erik had to smile as Fabian fought with the door. Stupid contraptions really, but they kept out sun and wind and rain. So, that was good. They helped. Once it was open he stepped in after his master, following suit and stripping off the paper from his feet. Ah, so much better. To feel the carpet under his feet again was wonderful, and very soft. Following obediently he looked into the room he was told he could occupy, mouth dropping open. That was his?! Sure they’d be moving soon, that’s what was said. It was beautiful! And so big. He’d have to work out how to sleep there later.

His master was still talking, and Erik listened patiently. He had to learn everything, it was important. There was stuff he could check out to eat in the kitchen, which was good. He’d have to get something soon. Turn people away in the day, he could do as he wanted (probably sleep. He was used to night-time wanderings.) Oh! They were going to go out and something. Awesome.