[ she steps inside, setting her purse down as she takes a seat on the couch. ]
Be grateful I hadn't stepped in with exclamation expressing my plain desire to suck your blood. I considered it momentarily, but even Bela Lugosi was never guilty of such a thin line.
It is exceptionally likely you would have been going hungry, if you'd done that. The buffet doors would have slammed shut so fast it'd make your nub spin. [ There are limits to what he can abide.
He takes a seat beside her, but this is where a little of his confidence starts to flag. It is still a bit awkward to him, initiating this. Maybe best to leave it up to her. ]
There are never many times when I could not be considered ready. Unless I was worried about overtaking my measured input, but this is a case I wouldn't hesitate to calculate around.
What kind of steps? [ He watches her with curiosity rather than apprehension, now, at odds with the first time she did this. ] It doesn't hurt that much in the first place. Not as much as I was expecting it to.
[ so annie hopes, but it's good to have the back-up known and factored in. it matters, even if annie also hopes there won''t be a need for it this time. at least by now annie knows how to fight in heels - just not with a skirt that clings to legs. oh world. ]
I'll let you tell me how much of a taste it is. I really won't have good grounds for comparison.
Well, anesthetics are out, they'd likely only transfer with the blood, and a topical agent would only get all over my lips. [ she knows these things, she's been training enough for them, after all. she gets up from the couch and disappears into the kitchen, returning after a moment with a couple cubes of ice, holding them out for him. ] But there are non-medicinal ways to numb the area.
[ It might not hurt a lot, but avoiding the initial sting of fangs isn't something he'll say no to; he takes the ice cubes without complaint, holding them against his skin where he'd seen her following the vein. ]
You know, since you're real, have you ever wondered how many other Drinkers there were, back on Alternia?
[ she resumes her seat next to him, idly watching the ice, and waiting. ]
I imagine it was standard for my caste, but...my caste was never terribly common. Or perhaps they only seemed that way, due to being isolated from the rest. At first I thought it may have been a way to protect us, as our role and rarity were rather crucial in our society's infrastructure, but your question raises an interesting point.
[ it will be at standard, right, is what she really means. there are too many standards for everything, but mostly - it'll be in regulations. right??? she has to trust the expert's gonna make it work.
dear goodness. what's next friday going to be like? ]
youll certainly be able to dance i wont give you anything inappropriate for the occasion but you do have a point we should perhaps ensure youll be accustomed to moving in it as im fairly certain you dont make a habit of having to move with skirts
[ though now she's wondering if she should ask Ken if he minds her practicing in a dress with him, since they've been dancing together on mondays the last two months. ... instead of houka.
... there's some amusing inconsistencies in annie's head at times, but she does know she and ken can dance together just fine, so if it's a matter of testing out how she can move, then it's better with him, than adapting to houka at the same time. ]
[ inconsistent to someone else, perhaps. too overcomplicated, too many layers. but sometimes the structures are exactly what they need to learn in the best way. ]
as i was already aware maybe i should make you one now that will be similar to the skirt of your dress you can wear it around a few places to get a feel for it
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