𝒩𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔟𝔩𝔢

— have got to be doing pretty good by now," he mused, relieved that there would be no further need to change any bandages in the future. "Aside... from everything else, are you feeling alright? Pain-wise, I mean."

— better. With any hope, it would be gentle enough not to turn the other's stomach any more than their earlier meeting had.

And this time, he had brought water.

Both were placed on the side table, including one fork, and Caelus took a step back and gave Kakavasha a cursory glance.

"Your wounds —

— When he had been given a similar platter, he'd torn into it so fast that he barely remembered the taste .. but the sweetness of the oranges and the warmth of the bread were different from what he'd been used to at the time.

If he'd been in a better frame of mind, he would have appreciated it —

— that was fully stocked, Caelus didn't have to ponder for long, choosing to go with his own first meal from several months past.

"Here."

It wasn't an expensive platter by any means; just a couple pieces of toast and scrambled eggs he'd tried to season right, peeled orange pieces, and grapes. —

"Yeah, I made you breakfast. It's nothing fancy, but..."

Himeko had casually reminded him that the bodies of the freshly-turned took time to settle and to treat their newest guest with care.

... That hadn't meant he'd known exactly what to make him, but once left to his own devices in a kitchen —

— with a plate of food brought from the kitchen held in both hands. Knocking by gently kicking at the base of the door a few times, he cleared his throat.

"Aven..? Are you awake..? I- brought you something to eat..."

The door creaked open eventually, and Caelus curiously peeked in.

— Caelus knew better than to argue, difficult though it was to stomach the idea of being in charge of anyone's well-being when he barely gave any attention to his own... but he was standing in front of "Aven"'s door eventually, staring at it like it was to blame for the majority of his problems —

The next time he saw the blonde proper was almost a day later after an uncomfortably lengthy conversation with Welt and Himeko both. The disappointment was nearly palpable, betraying gentler tones, but it was the intent behind those words that mattered.

"You did this. He is your responsibility." —

— get sick.

"Get it together, idiot." His voice was ragged and raw; the cold splash of water from the sink helping to ground him whilst cleaning his face. Though the myth about vampires lacking any reflection was just that, he couldn't bring himself to look at it and just stared down the drain. —

— hurried affair with the silver-haired vampire all but scowling the entire way.

'What else was I supposed to do?? I didn't know- I shouldn't have—' The burn at his shoulder only intensified his feelings, and he nearly threw the door off its hinges once he reached his bathroom, just in time to —

On the contrary, forgiveness was not on Caelus's mind in the slightest. The only thing that occupied his thoughts by the time he was less twenty feet away from Kakavasha's door was the cold chill that had been blossoming through his body, bringing nausea in his wake.

Returning to his room was a —

— enough. The best thing we can do is go one day at a time." Shirt surely ruined by the mess of it all, Caelus heaved a quiet but heavy sigh and moved to the door. "Try and get some sleep- if you can. I know it probably feels impossible, but.. just try. I'll come check on you tomorrow."

— get hungry again in a few days anyway. Ms. Himeko's busy telling everyone that you're here by now, so you'll have people who'll help, but..." The flesh was still tender, winning a small grimace from the silver-haired vampire. The man had a powerful bite, that was for sure...

"I know that's not —

— instincts now." One didn't need to look Caelus in the eyes anyway in order to tell he was going through it then, a few deep breaths lingering in the silence that swept between them once more until a deep sigh followed the withdrawal of his hand. The bleeding had already stopped.

"You're gonna —

— from pleased trailed down his spine, suppressed only by the way his fingernails dug into his palms, and once Kakavasha relinquished his hold he was quick to press a hand to the sorry sight left behind.

It would heal; he wasn't worried, but damn did it ever -hurt.-

"That's between you and your —

— tightly closed and he winced audibly, but he didn't move away or try to stop him. This was just as much a necessity as it was karma, in a way, and he wasn't about to stand in the way of either.

"Ah-" A sharper note was pulled from him at the matching added pressure; a shudder of something far —

Caelus had braced himself well, but it was easier to imagine pain in advance of its actual emergence, yet he'd expected that much himself as well. The initial bite a mere few inches away from where he'd indicated felt as if it had landed miles away, and lured in a sharp inhale. Eyes scrunched —

— him by that point.

... But by making that choice for him, he'd been no better than-

....

'Don't dwell on it,' his thoughts sighed out. 'For now, you're going to deal with this.'

— with warring thoughts. Would it have been better if he'd just waited..? This guy wasn't the first dying person he'd ever seen, and from what he was hearing it wasn't as if this "Aven" hadn't preferred it. Himeko and Welt had often scolded him for trivializing what should come as second-nature to —

— else he could realistically do in that moment to prepare Kakavasha for his first feed other than holding still and passing along instruction. It was going to suck- every cell in his body warned him of that much.

Meanwhile, his mind was replaying the events of not even an hour prior, conflicted —

— along a small stretch of skin. "Aim for the vein here. You won't need to bite too hard, but I guess you're owed a chomp for the trouble too." He was already mentally bracing himself for that.

"When that gnawing goes away, you're good to go. Just bite, and drink. You'll get it." There wasn't much—

— done, Caelus could do what he could to make amends.

"It's fine," he went on, moving to settle on the bed while a hand moved locks of silver out of the way of his neck- the opposite side of which was adorned with the faintest two points itself, presumably from whoever turned him. Fingers drifted —

"Guess I do." Caelus had already figured this would be the next course of action. More seasoned vampires bordering on famished struggled enough on their own, but this one was brand new and in one of the worst positions to be in .. at least if he'd remained alone.

At the very least, after what he'd—

— He remembered when he'd been the recipient of this very same lesson. He couldn't have forgotten it if he tried, what with how awful he'd felt at the time, coming down from the surge of his own starvation. This "Aven" was quieter at least... but he doubted the turmoil was much different.

— feel is awful because your body is low in blood which.. is our natural source of food," Caelus went on. "We can eat as humans do, but that won't be enough to keep us alive. Eventually, we're going to have to feed.. and if we don't, instinct takes the wheel and we become Frenzied until we do." —

— started without any extra prodding. "Vampires, I mean. Most people just thought of them as fictional— it's probably for the best that they keep thinking that." He was cautious of this new face, and spoke calmly, but he knew what he was talking about by that point in his stay.

"That hunger you —

— wished to, for he knew far better in that moment.

Retreating footsteps and the click of a closing door cast a heavy silence over the pair, but Caelus didn't let it last very long. Still tasting a hint of copper on his tongue, he breathed deep and watched him.

"We've been around a long time," he—

— "I'll let Caelus explain what needs to be said. He's well-versed in our rules and customs after all; enough to take responsibility for his choices."

The other merely nodded, keeping his gaze away from either of them; a bitter 'something' roiling away in his chest. He said nothing of what he —

— shoulder. With a squeeze that may have been taken as reassuring, the silver-haired vampire knew better than to take it as such. She was -angry- with him, and this show of grace had been more for Kakavasha than anything else.

He didn't move from his spot, and she seemed to take warmly to that. —

"As much as I'd like to stay," began Himeko, moving to stand and drift towards the door. "I've matters to attend to. The others should come to know of the new presence this evening, lest there be any confusion. While I handle that..." A hand was settled, gentle but purposeful, upon Caelus's —