cantilevers | Inbox (Etraya)

That's not answering the question. You're fine to talk about it, or you're saying you're fine to avoid talking about it?

[Grief is just background noise, Vander understands. That's how he lives his life right now.]

I'm fine with not talking about it. We don't need to.

[In other words, the latter]

Do you want to? Would it feel better to confide in someone about it?

[Sorry, you have to deal with a socially intelligent person who picks on nuance, but also isn't keen to share in return.]

[Damnit. And meanwhile, Kirk's very academically and technically intelligent but social and emotional intelligence aren't quite as high...]

There isn't a point. What was done back home has long past.

It sounds like it's painful for you with the way that you're be evasive. I'm here to listen if it would feel better to confide in someone.

[Sorry Kirk, this seems important and he likes to help.]

[Vander is too good at calling out Kirk. It takes a bit before Kirk replies back again as he needed to think about this. Vander's good at reading people and he probably won't permanently drop the issue. Then there was the matter of Kirk's cure and why this has been such a complicated issue for so many years.

Kirk is supposed to trust Vander, right? Wasn't this part of it?]

Stop by the lab whenever you want

I know and I appreciate that.

[Vander took that as an invitation of course. He wasn't working today, so he made his way over to the giant Justice building that Kirk and Hernan lived in. By this point, he knew to knock first, wait a few seconds then just wandered in to satisfy Hernan with that silly rule for control. No matter, he made his way to where he expected Kirk to be: the lab.

He knocked on that door after walking the half-marathon it was to navigate the building corridors. Then he entered without waiting particularly long. He expected Kirk knew it was one of two people, and his presence should be expected.]

Hey Kirk. Miss me?

[As usual, Kirk smelled Vander first before the man came in and again, Kirk isn't wearing his goggles or helmet. He still has the rest of his Batman suit on though. He looks away from his computer when Vander enters his lab]

I was glad to hear back from you after the last time we talked.

[Vander moved himself over to Kirk's computer terminal and came to lean his hip against the nearby bench as he examined the other man. The dim light did mask some of the finer details for body language, but this wasn't his first rodeo having to read people in dim light. Welcome to the undercity where that was normal.]

Ah well, appreciate the check in. It was potentially going to be hairy there, but apparently someone managed to convince the kid that it's a bad idea to steal from poor people.

[Kirk softly huffs]

Yes, it's probably a rather prudent lesson to know.

[Kirk will never understand what was the mentality behind what Damian tried. Meanwhile, his body language is neutral and he's speaking in his usual monotone]

So things will be quiet for a while?

I'm not convinced the kid learned it, what with previously attacking Hernan. Time will tell, I suppose.

[Vander wasn't that interested in fighting that particular family, but he would if it came down to defending their property and rights to the technology that they had. He ran his fingers through some of his hair, though at this point, it was long enough that he tied it in a manbun.]

Ha, will things ever be quiet? Who knows. I doubt it.

Somewhat quiet in between missions would be nice.

[Kirk isn't the type to revel in drama]

Did you at least get something of a break after that was settled?

It would be. Maybe next month.

[To be fair, next month was a mission month, so that wasn't shaping up to be quiet. Whatever, he could sleep when he was dead.]

No. Damian stirred up my side, and that's going to take work to calm down again.

[That doesn’t sound good…]

What happened?

Look, you have to understand: my people have spent lifetimes having things taken away from us forcibly and we've been subjugated for close to two hundred years. When something like this happens, we close ranks. It's like stepping on a mud hornet's nest.

[He shrugged his shoulders, tension obvious. Maybe he should focus more on Kirk... but no, that wasn't fair.]

Others of my world are likely preparing their own defenses, and we tend to go... the violent route. It will calm down, but it will take time.

[Kirk patiently listens as Vander explains]

Understandable. Years of oppression and broken promises would cause a need to be defensive of outsiders. And here, when none of us arrived by choice and come from a wide range of worlds, there are bound to be conflicts at times.

There are. I'll do what I can to manage the conflicts as they come up, but... people who are brought here tend to be headstrong to say the least.

[And most of them had no reason to trust him or what he had to say. He had not built years of reputation here yet, and that was problematic. No matter, they would persist. They had to.

He looked at Kirk, seeing opportunity in the wane of the conversation topic.]

So, friends, huh?

[At that question, Kirk goes quiet again and his body is tense. Maybe he can still back out of explaining his history with friends]

What about them?

[The change in body language was plain as day even in the dim light. Vander pushed off of the bench he was leaning and approached, setting his big hands on Kirk's shoulders and massaging lightly.]

Come on, you invited me over. We don't have to talk about, but the evasiveness tells me it's bad. Have you fed lately?

[Kirk lets Vander massage him. He tries to let himself relax but he still feels reluctant. Maybe this was a mistake]

I have. Plasma earlier today.

[So tense. This was clearly a topic that was uncomfortable for Kirk if he couldn't urge the other man to relax. It only added to his curiosity. Was it as bad as his own fall out with a certain someone?]

And what are you currently working on, hmmm?

[Kirk still welcomes Vander’s touch but talking about Will and Tina may still take a bit]

Reviewing my notes on my artificial plasma. I want to see if I can improve the formula so that I don’t have to drink it as often.

Can you also potentially concentrate and enrich it so that you also don't need to eat as much of it? That means you have more opportunity on missions to make it last longer.

[He knew the plasma was important to Kirk's survival and keeping the other man from having to kill for a meal.]

Have you found anyone you trust to help you try to search out different avenues for a cure?

I’ll have to work out what it would take to enrich and concentrate it. But maybe it’ll work.

[Kirk suspects the project will take some time and that some trial and error will happen]

I’ve talked with Viktor and Jayce about combining our knowledge to help each other. And I’ll need to check in with Yuri again if his world’s magic could help.

It would be worth a try if it could sustain you longer with less. I am curious what the mission coming up will be and if they will send us off world again.

[He knew from working with alchemists that these formulas took time and experimentation. It wasn't fool-proof and there was a cost to innovation. No wonder Kirk spent so much time in the lab.]

What will you do if you do find a cure for your vampirism?

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