06 - Welcome Home, Honey

[spitefulvitae]

[919 Bilko, Morning - Limited to Housemates]

[Another beautiful Mayfield morning dawns, but all is not well in the Goodman household. That pleasant drone wife has been replaced with someone far stiffer, deader, and somewhat mildewed-smelling. That alone might be bad enough. But she had been quite silent while things were dark. Now that there's sun, there's screaming.

As soon as the first sufficiently brilliant rays of light come pouring into the room, Natalie bursts from her spot on the bed with an inhuman shriek. She tears the blankets off the bed and wraps them around herself, but it's not nearly enough protection against the light. She can't see, with all of the brightness and all of the fabric covering her... it's making her efforts to find some sort of cover far too slow. A hand has crept out from the covers, and it's fumbling at the doorknob for the closet... it's also sizzling.]

OhgodohgodthesunnotthesunohfatherpleasenonotthesunfatherhelpmenoNONONOnonono...

[Around Town, Evening]

[It's a warm late-summer evening. A perfect time for light blouses and short sleeves. To hell with that, tonight. Not after the kind of morning Natalie had been through. Every inch of her is covered by clothing. Long sleeves cover her arms. Gloves cover her fingers. Her usual scarf is wrapped very, very high along her face. And her hair is even pulled forward to obscure her face even further, with just a slit left to allow for vision.

Really, the malfunctioning drones are a mercy, tonight. She needs blood, and lots of it, if she's going to be presentable anytime soon. Were you being annoyed by a particularly persistent drone asking the time or wishing you a good evening?]

...oh. Here. Let me take care of that...

[And she'll just be grabbing them, exposing their neck, and sinking her fangs in. Masquerade, shmasquerade. What was there to cover up, here? She was doing everyone a favor, honestly.]

Comments

[kingofhero]

[Keith wastes no time; he'd already accepted by now that Mayfield was a different place with different people. The fact that the light is somehow bad for her seems odd but he doesn't question it yet, and he's strong enough. He'll lean in, hefting her over his shoulder and run out of the room into the hallway, slamming the bedroom door after them. He'll set her down carefully against the wall, then make sure all the other doors are also closed.

And it's only then that he gets a good look at her.

He'd definitely seen this woman before, but he couldn't remember her name.

[spitefulvitae]

[She's not making it easy to be lifted. Natalie kicks and screams and thrashes, in part from pain and in part from primal terror. When she's set down out in the hall she pulls the blankets back over herself and curls into a fetal position. It's still too bright, far too bright, it still hurts...

...and the hurting stops, with all of the doors securely shut and the hall dark. Slowly, sluggishly, she emerges from her protective cocoon.]

...y... you...

[She had seen him before. She had heard that voice before. But...]

Where....?

[She's a mess. A hideous, burnt mess. Every bit of skin that her nightgown exposes is a seared, painful red, with the exception of her right hand and part of her face. Those are blackened. All of the screaming kicking thrashing panic has left her. It seems to be taking effort just to keep her head up.]

[kingofhero]

[She doesn't look so great, and Keith can tell. He'll kneel down in front of her, not touching her or anything yet. ]

I'm sorry to tell you that I don't understand why you're here, I don't, but I think we need to get you to the clinic.

They're burns right? Does the sun burn you?

[He's seen burns before, at any rate. And then he'll hold a hand up, trying to put her at ease.]

I'm Keith, Keith Goodman? I think we've met but I can't remember your name. Do you mind if I touch you and help you to the car? Is that okay with you?

[spitefulvitae]

[As Keith kneels, her head shifts slightly in an effort to follow his movement. When she looks at him, it seems more that she's staring through him.]

..it hurts me. The sun. It hurts...

[With considerable effort, she sits back and shakes her head, pulling the blankets back up and around herself.]

No. No clinic. Can't leave here. I'll die. Let me sleep. Take me to the dark. Let me sleep.

[Her gaze fixes on that hand that he's holding up. Keith...? Had she heard that name before?]

Natalie. I'm Natalie.

[kingofhero]

Miss Natalie; I'm afraid if we don't do something for them, the burns could get infected or leave scars. They also must hurt a lot.

We can make sure that you're out of the sun, we definitely can! And I can use the police car, since this is an emergency.

[Really not okay with letting her sit here and suffer, no he's not.]

[spitefulvitae]

[She shakes her head violently. And then immediately slumps against the wall. It took far too much energy to do that.]

No! M'not human. Vampire. Let me sleep. No infections, just have't...

[Her eyes close. She goes very, very still.]

[kingofhero]

Natalie? Natalie!

[. . . well. Now that she's not freaking him out by screaming and being upset, Keith is going to let some of this sink in a little more. She was a vampire; the clinic was out of the question, she's right. Well, there was one thing Keith always lived by; help first, ask questions later. And that's what he'll do.

Why on earth was she in his house? Did she live here now? He'd woken up in bed much the same way, so it was highly probable.

Regardless, if she doesn't say anything else, and doesn't make any complaints, he's going to make sure the blankets are covering her and take her downstairs, to the basement. After re-arranging a few things quickly, he'll make sure she's comfy on the sofa down there, also making sure that not a bit of sunlight is coming through any of the windows by using a few more blankets. After fishing around, he'll also come up with a flashlight that he sets on the ground next to the sofa.]

Miss? Natalie? Can I do anything for you? I've never helped a vampire before, so I'm sorry that I don't know!

Maybe we can fast forward to the evening? :o

[spitefulvitae]

[He can move her with relative ease. She's not struggling... but she's entirely dead weight. No breathing. No movement. No body heat. The position he settles her in may well be comfy, but she gives no real indication of comfort. There are very few differences between her and a charred corpse right now.

Although his insistence on talking and being concerned does barely, just barely rouse her. One eye opens. It fixes on him.]

...go.

[And it closes. The daytime is weighing on her far too heavily. Sleep can no longer be resisted.]

Sure!

[kingofhero]

[He's clicked on the flashlight; once she's closed her eyes, he'll wait a few more minutes before shutting off the light and tucking it next to her sleeping form, along with making use of one of the throw blankets.

He'll stumble up the stairs a bit in the dark, but he's fine. He didn't want to really leave her, but for the moment she was fast asleep. Mamizou was probably home, and after an hour or so he decides to go to work, but not before asking John to keep Natalie company in the basement. If she wakes up while he's gone, she'll notice a big, happy-looking golden retriever sleeping next to the sofa.

It's around 6pm when he comes home, greeted by John enthusiastically.]

Hello, I'm home! Mamizou? Natalie?

Hello?

[spitefulvitae]

[Natalie slept like the dead for the entire day. Literally. No movement, no breathing... she might as well have been a charred corpse. But when the sun finally began to set, she stirred. There was a shift on the couch, and a slow, cautious opening of her eyes. And then a long, long period of staring at that sleeping dog.

No. No. She was not going to eat the dog. It might be someone's dog. What a blessing that she didn't have to fight the urge off for long. There were footsteps above, and the sound of a door opening, which sent the pup running. Someone was home? Keith? Likely Keith. Yes. It sounded like him.

She slowly and painfully rises from the couch, and makes her way to the foot of the basement stairs.]

I'm awake...

[It's very dark down there. Chances are, the most he can see is the outline of her.]

[kingofhero]

[The basement door will open a little as he pokes his head to look down the stairs.]

I'm glad you're awake, again, very glad you're awake! I worried all day that I should have taken you to the hospital.

[spitefulvitae]

[She startles somewhat when the basement door opens. There's light... but it's not painful light. So she soon settles back down.]

I appreciate the concern... I shouldn't blame you. That must've been disturbing, what happened this morning.

[She sighs, and then starts to slowly and painfully make her way up the stairs. She's still in a nightgown and still burnt... though the blackened parts are marginally less blackened-looking.]

What's.... what's the house number? Where is this?

[kingofhero]

[He'll smile easily.]

It was startling, but I'm used to helping people in bad situations, really I'm happy to help.

I'm really just glad you're okay. You will be okay, right? You said taking you to the clinic wouldn't help, but I still can if you'd like.

We're at 919 Bilko Boulevard.

I'm so sorry I'm late. D:

[spitefulvitae]

You sound like you're some sort of paramedic. Or policeman.

[When she gets to the top of the steps she leans heavily on the doorframe and looks all around. The house is pretty much the same as her last one. Strange...]

...ah?

[His question pulls her out of her little reverie.]

I'll heal myself over time. There's... really nothing that a clinic can do for me. Unless they let me eat everyone there.

[She laughs a horrible laugh, looking up at him, daring him to be repulsed already.].

So.. Yes. Hello. I'm Natalie Waters. I'm a vampire.

we are both guilty

[kingofhero]

[He'll blink at that laugh, but Keith has had a lot of practice at riding out awkward situations. She wasn't the first vampire he'd met here, or his reaction would be pretty different.]

A-are you?

[Playing it cool, playing it cool.]

That explains this morning, then!

[Oh hahaha!]

I'm a police officer in Mayfield! I wonder why you woke up here. . . does this mean you live here now?

[spitefulvitae]

That's what I said, didn't I? [She has moved on from a horrible laugh to a horrible grin. One with sharp white fangs that make for quite the contrast to her badly-burnt face.]

A Mayfield police officer... you take your job seriously, you do, you do...

[Her fangs and her grin vanished, and she stepped unsteadily past him. If she lingered too long she'd be tempted to eat him. That wouldn't do. Not right now.]

Maybe it does. I don't know...

[She checks the coat rack in the hall. Well. There's her sweater. There's one of her long scarves.]

...mm, those're mine....

[kingofhero]

[. . . this has moved a little bit past awkward. Still, Keith is going to keep a calm head on his shoulders and just give her space. ]

I guess that sounds like what's going on then, don't you agree? If your things are here . . .

. . . I guess you don't want the upstairs bedroom at all, do you?

[Normal conversation please. . .]

[spitefulvitae]

I agree. This town isn't very good at planning these things...

[She snatches the scarf and starts, still painfully and carefully, for the stairs leading to the second floor. She stops at the foot of them, casting a glance back to Keith.]

No. Not particularly. Can I have the basement? I'd like the basement.

[She's a monster. She won't deny this. But a monster can still hold a conversation. A monster can still communicate her needs in a reasonable fashion, right? At least for now. As long as no one comes in with a bleeding finger or something, then all bets are off...]