Mina’s mouth hung slightly open, surprised at Victor’s animated approach. She stared at the cube, nodding slowly. “Yes… that’s what Van Helsing told us.” She straightened. “But no, he always emphasized that killing them was the only way to save them. Although…” she put a hand to her chin. “I was bitten. Van Helsing put a Sacred Wafer on my forehead, and it seemed to prevent me from turning. Religious items may not be a cure-all solution, but it may help those who are turning, or close to.” Her hand dropped to her side. “Me and Jonathan have extensive knowledge on vampires’ various abilities as well. Aside from that…”
Would going there prove helpful? She didn’t like the idea of going to Lucy’s grave. That place held too many memories, ones that she didn’t want to resurface. She frowned, but she quickly replaced it with a warm smile as she looked up at Eden.
“Good morning. And yes, I’d appreciate it.”
Eden quietly and quickly served up a plate for Mina, setting it down on the table. “I suppose I do,” they said in response to Lo, giving her a small lopsided smile.
“Religious items, hmm? This is… well, it’s positively fascinating! Is it a learned aversion, like a placebo perhaps?” Victor mused.
“Ooh,” Her eyes widened. “I never thought about it that way, but it’s certainly possible.” She went around Victor to sit down. “I think that’s how Van Helsing and the others repelled the vampire that bit me, too. Thank you,” she said to Eden. “I prefer my pancakes with blueberries myself, but these smell so good, why should I complain?” She chuckled before taking a fork and knife to cut them into manageable pieces.
Jonathan came down, his jaw freshly shaved. “Smells good down here,” he remarked before joining Mina at the table. He kissed her cheek.
“Hey darling.” She smiled at him. “Up to discussing vampires with Victor?”
Jonathan glanced at Victor, his eyes wide. Then he cringed, and Mina could tell he was remembering another time.
“Uhh…”
“If you know anything, it would be very useful.” Victor said excitedly. He was on a roll here, he was putting the pieces together, figuring it all out. “Perhaps, if you will, tell me how to kill them? It would be very useful for my research.”
Sherlock, at receiving no response to their question, shrugged and moved further into the kitchen. They looked around to figure out what there was to eat, not interrupting the others conversations that went on around them. They hummed quietly to himself.
“Um…” Jonathan swallowed. Mina put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance.
“I wouldn’t really know if there’s a specific way to kill one, but we usually tried to go after them at least before the sun set. They’re nocturnal creatures, and their powers weaken during the day. We killed two vampires. One was struck in the heart with a wooden stake, the other I struck in the throat, and a friend struck in the heart. We both used knives.”
Mina didn’t like the detached, almost monotonous tone her husband spoke with, but she knew it couldn’t be helped.
“Ah. So you kill them normally. That… makes sense, actually. I heard rumors that vampires had an advanced healing factor of some sort, but those were clearly false.” Victor shrugged, turning to edit his notes.
(Aaaaa wait I was wrong both of them were struck through the heart sorry)
(Struck through the heart, and you’re to blame…)
“Ahh, no I don’t think so.” Mina’s brow furrowed. “I remember something that Van Helsing said though…” She took a few bites of pancake.
“I think he said that they just use blood to keep themselves fed and looking young. Nothing about healing, necessarily.” Jonathan said, staring at her plate absentmindedly.
“Right, right.” She waved her fork around as she spoke, turning to him. “Are you going to eat anything? You must be starving.”
He was about to say something when his stomach gurgled. He chuckled. “Yeah.”
He got out of his seat halfway, turning his head to the kitchen. “Morning Eden! Would you mind getting me some of that bacon?”
“Absolutely!” Eden smiled, dishing out a portion to Jonathan. They placed it on the table before him and, taking their own plate, sat down on the floor by the others. None of the chairs were made to accommodate their size so they had to make do with what they had.
“Thank you kindly,” Jonathan said, returning the smile. Both of them went silent, digging in to the good food. Then Mina looked up.
“Anything else Victor?”
“Hmm… yes, but I’m sure you want to eat before answering any of my questions.” he said, seeming incredibly unhappy about that fact.
“Oh no,” Mina chuckled. “I can do both.” She brought another bite to mouth.
Jonathan simply went, “Mmm,” and continued eating.
She grinned at him. “He can’t, but he’s a quick eater.”
Sherlock smiled faintly as they listened to the discussion, not adding to it. They found it harder to socialize with others, and often ended up saying the wrong things. So it was easier just to stay quiet.
“I had, uh, an idea, since we’re all here. We could use it to get to know each other more.” Eden coughed into their fist, seeming a little embarrassed by their idea. “I was thinking, we could all go around and say one nice thing about ourself, then say one nice thing about everyone else. It would help us, uh, come, come together, and all… that. Sorry, it seems silly now I say it.” they sighed. “Forget about it.”
“Ooooh!” Mina gulped down another bite, her eyes sparkling underneath her glasses. “Oh no, I like that! Especially after last night,” she added nervously. She turned to Victor, trying to be considerate. “Would you rather ask your questions first, or can you wait?”
“If you have anything you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it.” Eden said, looking towards Victor also, just for a brief moment. Hopefully he’d even reluctantly participate. He still hadn’t ate, and Eden was worried for his fragile health. He was looking a little paler than usual, was he having a bad pain day?
Sherlock cocked their head faintly. "That does sound like an interesting idea, although I believe Alek is asleep on the couch still. Shall I wake him?" They asked, raising their eyebrows and glancing towards the living room.
“He may very well want to join, if you would wake him up.” Eden smiled at Sherlock. Well, it was either a smile or a facial tick, you could never tell with Eden. “So, I think Mina wanted to go first?”
She beamed. “Sure! Um…” She paused, looking down at her plate. It was much easier to think of things she liked about everyone else than herself. Then the memories from last night entered her mind uninvited, and she shook her head slightly, trying to keep them away.
It’s in the past, and the past can’t be changed.
She decided to just be honest. “Um, I don’t know what to say about myself,” she chuckled nervously. “But-“ she looked to Eden. “I like the way you talk. I like your voice, and the poetic language you sometimes use.”
Her mouth was drawn in a strained smile, and she felt Jonathan’s hand rubbing her back, as if in comfort.
Sherlock nodded, heading into the living room and blinking at Alek. Too late, they realized that perhaps they should not have volunteered to do this; they had no idea how to properly wake Alek up. They crouched down, shaking Alek's shoulder faintly. "Wake up." They said simply. "It's morning."
Alek pushed their hands away without even really being awake, face screwing up. "No." He mumbled, shifting a little bit. "Don' touch m'."
Sherlock blinked, surprised, but pulled their hands back. "Alek?" They questioned cautiously. "What's wrong?"
Alek's eyes flashed open and he stared at Sherlock uncomprehendingly for a long, long moment, gaze wild and crazed, and then he blinked and his eyes cleared a bit. "Oh. Sherlock." He said slowly, sitting up and scrubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands. "M' apologies."
“Thank you!” Eden smiled, allowing Mina to go on with only a minor interruption. They were actually starting to enjoy themself here, feeling something they suspected was pure, unrelenting happiness.
Lo smiled at the compliment Mina had given, raising her hand and waving it like a kid in a classroom asking for permission to speak. Her mind swirled with various things to say about each person, a few things coming to mind for everyone there. It was an exciting prospect. Especially for someone who adored making sure others felt like they had something to be proud of.
“Lo? Did you want to go next? I’d love to hear what you have to say.” they smiled in her direction. Happiness, so unfamiliar, but it was undoubtedly what they were feeling right this moment.
"I would love to!" Lo said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Am I allowed to do everyone? It seems unfair to leave anyone out. Does it defeat the purpose to do everyone?" She asked, pausing to pop another piece of her torn up bacon in her mouth. Having shredded the meat, her plate was now home to a bunch of smaller pieces.
“Yeah, go ahead.” Mina said, warming up to the cheerfulness in the room. She was glad to see Eden’s reaction to her compliment, and it made her want more of that, and to keep that atmosphere for as long as possible.
“I thought we were giving compliments to everyone anyways. That includes yourself, I don’t want any self-deprecation.” Eden waved a warning finger, imitating something they had seen on TV.
"Oh, perfect! I might have done it anyway, even if you'd said I wasn't supposed to." Lo pointed to herself, kicking her legs out from the counter. "I have incredible marksmanship. I'm very proud of that." She pointed to Sherlock, and then Victor. "Both of you are incredibly smart, in different ways. Detective-ism and science respectively." Mina was next, and then Alek. "I think you and I are going to have so much fun getting to know each other, Mina. And I like how you observe everything around you without chiming in, like you're waiting to know everything you need to know first. Jonathan, I admire your willingness to follow your wife into what could very possibly be an absolutely horrible few months, despite the danger. And you," She then turned to Eden, smiling warmly. "Are a very good cook, and one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."
((i think i got everyone fhfhd))
(Oh no is this gonna make me cry?)
