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Fate and Blood, 50 percent Solution	By : HimeAndi Category: S through Z > The Saga of Darren Shan Views: 1359 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: All characters used without permission and are owned by respective Creators . See contect for specific copyright

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Various required disclaimers, too long to be posted properly:

Cirque du Freak created and held by Darren Shan and various world publishers. All characters are used without permission. HimeAndi makes no money from this story.

Shattered Glass created and held by Elaine Bergstrom, soon to be re-released as self published material. All characters are used without permission. HimeAndi makes no money from this story

Twilight is owned and held by Stephenie Meyer, published by Little and Brown. All characters are used without permission. HimeAndi makes no money from this story.

Basic Instinct is held by Carolco Pictures. All characters are used without permission; HimeAndi makes not money from this story. (Yes I said Basic Instinct!)

Sabelle Simone held by the author, please contact for any possible use (Right...)
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I liked how Larten was cast for the movie so you can imagine John C. Reilly as Larten including the appearance of his scars. Sabelle does indeed find Larten to be attractive; this is based on her feelings for him, not a skewed sense of beauty. Sabelle finds him to be quite good looking. She will argue the point violently as well, so do not even mention how ugly Larten is around her, or you will get an earful! Still he is not a good looking guy, I did not change that. Its simply our heroines point of view.

Feel free to debate things with me, or add ideas. I wont promise to use them, but we can have lively discussions about things anyway. you can email me at himeandi@gmail.com (but don't tell the world about this email please!)
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I dislike Author notes. I do. I added one anyway. Read it for some details you might want or need about this crossover and how it works.
This is a Work In Progress. Again, read the author notes for more info. this is being updated a lot, so I sk you to check back from improvements in cannon Bear with me...
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The camp was just as she had been told it would be. It was a ragtag community of what most normal humans would not consider to be pretty people. It was dusk; the area was lit with fairy lights and the soft glow of lamps inside the tents. She pulled a piece of paper out and peered at it, then back down at the small vale where the camp nestled. Yes, the tent she sought was of course near the outer edge, not far from the tallest tent in the complex.

She started down the hill, long black coat flowing around her gracefully. She carried a largish bag over her shoulder and another in her hand, her black dress looking a bit odd with the bags about her. She was dressed more for a renaissance faire, not traveling. She smiled a bit as she heard and felt the attention of the camp shift to her as she crossed the bridge onto the small island the camp called home at the moment.

Despite herself, she felt her eyes wandering about, catching all she could with her vision. This was the temporary home for a freak show, so everyone her eyes landed on was… well freakish. She refused to dwell on it; she had seen far worse if not as interesting, and she was neither afraid, nor disgusted by them at all. She was simply fascinated, but she felt it was wrong to stare... unless she paid them for the privilege. She stopped and let her large bag drop to the ground then rubbed her shoulder, even though she was not at all sore from carrying the burden. It was just best to seem normal, even among freaks. They could not know just how like them she actually was.

“I must speak to Mr. Tall, can someone guide me to his tent?” she said quietly, knowing her voice was heard by everyone present despite the volume of buzzing chatter around her. A chubby little brunette with alarming teeth and a very openly curious expression approached her.

“I can show you Mr. Tall’s tent. Do you need help with that bag?” The woman’s voice was not a good match to her face; she sounded like a school marm. Before her question was even finished, a green-skinned young man with scales and fascinating slit-iris eyes sidled up to the two women.

“I can take this for you, yeah yeah.” He said in a pleasant voice, followed by a strange reptilian clicking in his throat. She nodded and waved a hand at the bag gracefully; the young man grabbed the bag and held it carefully, not using the shoulder strap but letting it dangle from his hand via the hand grips.

So it was that she was escorted by a silent yet obviously curious woman with huge and probably strong teeth, and a far less silent snake-skinned man who was inundating her with questions. She smiled and refused to say a word however. Sometimes she nodded a reply such as when he asked if she had been traveling a while. They arrived at the requested residence quickly, and the woman with the teeth went inside, returning almost instantly. “Mr. Tall would be pleased to meet you, Miss...”
“Thank you very much, and I can take my bag again. Thank you for your assistance.” She smiled serenely then entered the high opening of the tent. Needless to say, the resident of the space was in fact freakishly tall. Mr. Tall was of Asian descent, and certainly lived up to his name, topping seven and a half feet easily. Her eyes blurred for a moment, and another extremely tall man with long limbs and a compact torso eclipsed the man truly before her. She did not shake her head despite the mad urge to do so, to rid herself of the double vision.

“I appreciate your welcoming me into your tent, Mr. Tall. I need to assure you I mean you and your people no harm, but I do need to speak to one of the performers; Mr. Larten Crepsley? Is he in the camp at the moment? I have some news for him that he might not like but has to hear.”

Mr. Tall waved to a chair, indicating she should sit then sat himself. He stared at her then spoke softly with a strong Mandarin accent.

“Larten is here, well he was here this evening. Is this news private? Can I be of service to my old friend in this matter?” he asked, eyes fixed on her face. She knew he was judging her reactions, testing her emotions. She also felt a subtle yet powerful sensation in her head; a nudging or poking, the telltale sign that the man across from her was a telepath or powerfully empathic. She let her eyes narrow a bit before slamming the doors and windows to her mind shut. He flinched and let his eyes drop to his lap.

“I do not bring him harm, but it would be up to him if you can assist him, Mr. Tall. I do mean more than poking into my mind for clues about my visit.” She smiled a little tightly; she had not had an inkling the caretaker of the Cirque was psychically gifted. It complicated things a little.

“Ah Miss Simone…” Since she had not offered her name yet, she stopped short in surprise then jumped to her feet and backed away from her chair just as a powerful hand grabbed it and tossed it aside. She blinked up at the newcomer, a man with blazing red hair and deep set, anger darkened eyes. His face was scarred, but it did not detract from his looks. He was not terribly handsome persey, but he was striking and he exuded an attractiveness that surely helped him in his line of business.
“Who sent you?!” the red-head growled in a lovely voice that went right down her spine. She felt herself struggling with rather unseemly emotions in the face of an angry Vampire. It was not the time or place to be twitter-pated. She certainly felt drawn to him, though his type were always attractive…

“I’ll be glad to tell you, but you won’t recognize their names. Mr. Crepsley I presume?” she said then squeaked and ducked a slashing swing of the Vampire’s arm as he tried to grasp her neck. She felt someone grab her arm and pull her around, and then realized Mr. Tall had shoved her behind him. She peeked out at the pissed Mr. Crepsely as he glared up at the giant.

“She is Vampaneze! Or something! I can smell it!” he snapped. Mr. Tall shook his head.

“No, not Vampaneze, maybe something other than human, but even so we do not attack anyone here Larten!” The red-head took a deep breath then relaxed, replacing the chair he had overturned after a moment.

“I apologize. But with all the trouble brewing with the other faction, I am wary.” He kept his eyes on Sabelle nonetheless as she stepped forward.

“I came to meet with you. However, and no offence meant to Mr. Tall, some of the things we need to discuss are not for just anyone else’s ears, Mr. Crepsley. I can say its Vampire Business, however, and what is safe to say is that things are afoot that are very dangerous and also rather avoidable.” Mr. Tall shifted nervously and sat again, eyes on the Vampire. Mr. Crepsley did not move; he seemed a little startled at her casually dropping the fact that she knew he was a Vampire.

“I will leave my things here for Mr. Tall to watch, as collateral. I trust he won’t rifle through these bags unless I do not return. Some of my items are very dangerous for anyone not Vampiric to handle.” The red-head’s eyes narrowed a bit at that; she had just admitted she was a Vampire, in his mind. He had no way of knowing he was wrong, yet.
“Fine. We will talk.” Before she could blink, she felt a powerful hand slide around her waist and haul her against his side, just before the world seemed to disappear. On instinct, she held her breath and closed her eyes; she had been moved at inhuman speed before and it never had become comfortable. The sensation of being nowhere stopped as abruptly as it began and she was dropped to her feet. She spread her legs a bit and gasped for air; even with her breath held, the vacuum caused by such speed was hard on human lungs.
“So? Here we are, time to talk.” He stood looking relaxed, arms down, but she knew better. No Vampire was ever so relaxed that he could not kill anything coming at him in a second.
“I need to start a bit back in tie, please bear with me. My name is Sabelle Simone, and I am human, not a Vampire. I know you can smell that y blood is different; you are smelling Vampiric blood I have been drinking…”
“Vampire blood is poisonous, you would go mad if you ingested it.” He said smoothly. Now she was the one who was startled. She had not known of this. She shrugged; her statement was true and she could prove it, so she went on.
“Your blood might well be poison, but you and your clan are not the only Vampires out there.” He looked at her in disbelief. “Please let me finish, and I can prove it to you.
“I have met with three different types of Vampires. I classify them as UnDead, Living and Stone Vampires. I understand that you call yourselves undead, but that is not really true. You can be killed just like humans can, but with some more extreme injuries, like by a bullet, decapitation, being crushed etc. The UnDead can’t die anywhere near as easily, though they dislike sunlight, and it can kill them when they are younger. They have no heartbeat, and as time passes all their internal organs waste away until only the heart and brain remain. A stake to the heart can only kill an old UnDead if they are trapped while sleeping, and only in conjunction with other methods, usually decapitation.” He had started to pace a bit, listening with polite disbelief.
“The Living Vampires are truly alive, a parallel race to humans. They are born not made, and they are even harder to kill, because their blood is symbiotic. They can live on even if drained of blood to the point where a human would suffer irreparable damage to the brain, rendering them brain dead.
“The Stone Vampires are made not born, but they are bloodless; they drink blood to survive, but it need not be human blood… though that is what they crave. They are solid and hard as stone, but their animating force is venom, not blood. The venom lubricates their tissues, after it has changed their flesh. Obviously a bite is how they increase their number. And they are impervious to most weapons, the only way to kill one is to rip it apart and burn the pieces… and it would be near impossible for a human to do so.”
“Each of these clans had almost no knowledge of each other throughout the millennia, just as you have no idea they exist either. If any of them met, it is likely the two parties destroyed on another, any survivor simply thinking they dealt with some mythic being or an anomaly of nature. And other than the UnDead, they have no clear idea of how they came to be. The Living Vampires, who are a family by the name of Austra, have a patriarch who either cannot remember his early past or refuses to speak of it, and the Stone Vampires history is lost in time. Their oldest member is over three thousand years old.”
Larten snorted. “It is a fine tale, Miss Simone, but what does it have to do with me?”
“I found and was… captured by the Old One, the patriarch of the Living Vampires… I should say the Austras. It was a very… difficult time for me. Francis has many talents that his children do not, including some ability to see the future. He had a vision it seems, and sent me to find the UnDead with a message…” she swallowed and looked away for a moment.
“They were skeptical like you are, but by then the scent you have noticed was in my blood, because Francis had been forcing his blood into my veins for almost two years. He did not do this to make me one of his family, that is all I’ll say for now, but when I let them taste my blood, they could see the truth. They agreed with his plan that I unite them and also had me drink their blood; both types of blood can enhance a human’s bodies and senses, but it is not permanent. They gave me plenty of their blood as Francis requested, and I moved on to stay with Stephan Austra, Francis’ most powerful son for a while. Finally he got news of yet another clan of Vampires existence from his father, so I went to find them as well… and they were the ones who clarified what Francis wanted me to do.” She sighed.
“Stone Vampires often are reborn with some unusual powers. Each is unique even though some of these gifts fall into categories. I met a family… they call themselves covens, but the Cullens are a family… with some powerfully gifted members among them. Alice was the key; she can see the future, and her gift is much more powerful than Francis’ gifts. She saw me coming of course, and sent her brothers to meet me at the airport.” She chuckled.
“Imagine my surprise when I got off the plane and two pale beautiful young men were waiting for me with a pretty sign with my name on it… Still they knew what was going on and escorted me to their home, and I never felt like I was in danger. Alice explained what she had seen and how her talent works, and we began to plan from there.
“Alice saw a great catastrophe coming for all Vampires and humans, centered within a conflict between your faction and the Vampaneze… we had some fun with that name, let me tell you. Seems they are likely to make a move of some sort against your clan but we were not sure exactly when. The important thing is, this war when it ends will spell doom for the human race, and likely all the other Vampire clans as well if the Vampaneze win. These Vampaneze will enslave the humans and eventually discover the other clans and the fighting will not end well.” Larten looked terrified suddenly and she paused, but when he was silent, she continued.
“Alice saw some key events that we can avoid or alter, events that can turn the tide and stop this dark future. The future is not ever set in stone Mr. Crepsley; humans re-write fate all the time. One of the things that must be done is to keep you alive at all costs. The second, to keep your… assistant I think you call him, Darren Shan alive as well. Because you are both fated to die; your death is especially needless and in fact demoralizes most of your clan enough to make them vulnerable. Darren’s death simply needs not happen; if you live he most likely will never face the death Alice saw.”
He was pacing again but silently. His eyes were dark as he scowled at the ground, rubbing the scars on his face absently.
“So somehow my life is the one that all this bizarre prophesy hinges on… But I am not a Prince, not even a General. My life belongs to my people, but still… I cannot fathom it. How can my death be so detrimental to all Vampires?”
“All we know is that you die of your own free will to save someone whom you should not sacrifice yourself for; this person is not what he seems. Someone else is killed by your hand literally moments before you are supposed to die; this creature is also not what he seems. So I am here to make sure you either avoid these moments or to remind you to choose wisely and do not die in a wasted manner.” She smiled ruefully.
“To that end, once a week I drink a dose of Vampire blood, mixed 50% of Austra and UnDead blood, donated by their strongest members. I dare not drink Stone Vampire venom; once the change starts it cannot be stopped and the alterations to my body and my mind could ruin my chances to mingle with human kind or your own. I am never going to be as strong as you are, nor as fast, but I will still be able to make even a Vampire regret running into me, especially when they piss me off…” She saw his glance; he did not entirely trust her; it was fantastic to the extreme, and she had no proof of anything she said. She had sought him out, knew about Darren, knew about Vampires but then had this fantastical tale to impart…
“My friends and allies do not want you and yours to die, Larten. Not because it means doom for them; all Vampire Kind are kin at some level. When Vampires turn on their own as these Vampaneze are supposedly going to do, it’s shameful to all the clans. The Stone Vampires especially want this stopped; they recently enjoyed a miracle that renewed even their most ancient members outlook on their unlives. If they had to, the Austras would retreat and hide, as would the UnDead, but most likely they would fight and die… and if my actions can save all these beings, Vampire and human… then I am willing to do what I must to save them.
She watched as he digested the last bit of her information, then she held her hands out. “Now, taste the proof of my words, but be careful. We have no idea what other Vampire blood types will do to your kind.” She stated simply. Larten strode over and grabbed her arm alarmingly then jabbed one of his fierce nails into her wrist. She hissed in annoyance, and then gasped as she found herself shoved against a tree. His mouth was pressed to the puncture he had made with his nail, her arm extended painfully far due to his right hand’s grip on her wrist, while his left arm was squeezing around her ribs. She shoved at him futilely; despite how the Stone Vampires and the Undead had scoffed about Lartens faction and their strengths, he was possibly stronger than many of the others could have dreamed, and had already shown he was faster than even the Stone Vampires, who were hardly slow.
“Crepsley, stop or you’ll kill us both!” She gasped, and then grimaced as his left arm flexed, effectively almost stopping her from breathing entirely. Her ribs literally groaned then cracked loudly. Desperately, her vision fading, her free hand dug into his wild red hair and curled into a fist before she yanked hard on his scalp. He snarled but stopped trying to drink her blood like a starving fledgling. “Stop it, if I am killed then you and your assistant are dead too! If that blood hasn’t killed you by dawn that is!” She said urgently. His eyes had gone a strange reddish color, but she saw them fade back to a soft lavender-blue as his expression softened then slid into shocked remorse.
“I am… I am so very sorry... I do not understand what happened to me!” he whispered, then lifted her arm to his lips. She tensed but he merely swiped his tongue over the bruised and broken skin. Instantly the bleeding stopped and the bruise faded as well. She nodded but then sagged when he started to move away.
“Vampires...” she muttered in annoyance, head swimming. “I need to eat something quickly, Mr. Crepsley. Then we must make sure what you’ve done wont kill you.” His head jerked back as he looked at her with wide eyes.
“How could your blood kill me?” He then lifted a hand to stop her from speaking. “I am sure we can find you something to eat, I am taking you to my tent; you can rest there while I get the food and your things. Take a breath, and I will get us back.”
“If I even can, you broke my ribs. Oh don’t look at me like that. It’s fine. I’ll fix myself up after I meet Darren.” She sucked in as much air as she could and nodded. Suddenly they were inside a simply decorated space that hardly looked like a tent since the walls were made of louvered shutters. It made sense if he could not bear sunlight, to minimize possible exposure if someone was stupid enough to open his coffin. He sat her on a loveseat and disappeared again.
She had a moment to discover that her ribs were broken and not just cracked or compressed, and to see that there was absolutely no sign of where he had broken the skin on her arm. She pondered how he could possibly be scarred if he could heal wounds so easily. Maybe he had not bothered to close those gashes on his face. They did add a sort of rakish charm... Charm she really needed to fight. She had to focus on the matters at hand.
Larten suddenly reappeared with both of her bags and a tray of food. She eyed the steak among the other items then sighed and nodded her thanks as she took the tray and set it beside her. He told her he was getting his assistant and disappeared again.
She had never liked red meat, but with all the blood loss (and how had he taken so much blood so quickly from such a tiny cut?) she desperately needed the iron. In fact she had devoured the steak and was halfway through a potato when he returned with a shy looking young man in tow.
“Darren, this is Miss Simone. She has been sent to help us with the Vampaneze. Miss Simone, Darren Shan. Is that enough for your needs?” Larten sounded contrite, which was obviously strange to the boy given how he stared at his master.
“This is fine. I usually do not eat red meat, but given the circumstances... Hello Darren. You can call me Sabelle. Please relax both of you, and can you hand me the smaller bag?” Darren offered it to her then fidgeted.
“So, uh, what is this all about?” He asked quietly, eyes curious. He must be noticing how she was hunched over and possibly thought she was deformed or a freak like his friends in du Cirque
“By making sure neither of you make the wrong choices in the coming weeks and months… or years. Alice has given me some idea of what is to be avoided, and she’ll call me if anything changes. Some events are unavoidable of course, as too many people are involved and their choices alter your future as well as their own.” Darren blinked then looked at Mr. Crepsley who shrugged.
“We will get to that in a moment. You said you could fix your ribs once you met Darren. I am curious about how you are going to do this.”
“So old and still curious as a child. Excellent. Let me just finish this and test Darren’s strength and then I will show you.” Darren instantly slid his hands behind his back with a look that told a complete, silent story; he knew how strong he was because he had harmed people inadvertently in the past, probable recently. “Oh no worries Darren, You will hurt me, but I have a secret weapon. It won’t hurt me for long. And it will show you and your master that I am not joking.” She dabbed at her mouth then wiped her fingers and held her hand out to him.
“Come and shake my hand, and squeeze it like you mean it. Oh, Mr. Crepsley, do you know how to set broken hands? It will help a bit if you do.”
“You want Darren to break your hand?” Larten looked more intrigued than horrified by the idea. “I can do a fair job of it, yes. It will hurt though.”
“You need not look so excited by the idea. Come on Darren, this is important.” The boy came closer then slowly took her hand in his. He barely squeezed.
“Nice control. I need you to squeeze harder. Do not utterly crush me, but squeeze my hand and if it breaks, all the better to show you something you need to see.” She said soothingly. He bit his lower lip then squeezed again, his hand clamping down on hers until they all heard several snaps and cracks. Sabelle winced and flushed red as he dropped her now broken hand.
“I am so sorry! Crepsley you have to help her!” Larten shook his head.
“She has a plan Darren, let us see what it is.” He took her broken hand in his own and with smooth yet incredibly fast motions, straightened the breaks into alignment. Sabelle almost lost her dinner from the pain of it but smiled wanly and fished in her bag quickly with her left hand, at length producing a vial of what could only be blood.
“This is the fifty-percent mixture of blood from the Living and the UnDead Vampires I told you about. I already have been mixed with them, which you know all too well by now.” Larten’s head tilted as she opened the vial with her teeth then drank most of the contents. Darren looked confused and wary.
Larten’s eyes narrowed as the last swallow of blood drained from the vial. Sabelle’s skin was showing the effects of this blood already; she went from the ruddy flush of pain to a much more normal hue, and then began to grow even paler. It was not the unhealthy corpse-pale he was used to seeing in the mirror, which was odd to him. He could smell some of what was happening; her human blood was fighting and losing ground as this blood she had ingested invaded her veins and devoured it. She sighed and sat up straighter suddenly, making Darren jump; along with that sigh, a groaning and popping sound came from her ribs and her hand as they healed. Within sixty seconds of taking the blood, Sabelle had recovered, and become much more Vampiric in appearance. Her skin was now a lovely pale color, still looking alive but also like backlit alabaster. Her blue eyes had shifted to almost violet, reflecting the alteration to her blood. Ever her hair seemed to be shining differently and moved as if there was a breeze touching it.
“There, see Darren? I am fine now. And now you have to try to squeeze my hand again. If you can harm me again, I have more blood, so do not worry.” She held her hand out to Darren who shook his head.
“I don’t wanna hurt you though! Can’t Crepsley do it?”
“You don’t know this about your mentor, Darren, but he’s ridiculously strong even for a Vampire. I know without a doubt he can crush my hand to a pulp. It’s your strength we need to test; you and the blood I have taken. Come on.” The red-head chuckled softly and nodded.
“Do it. I will bet you your next meal you cannot harm her now.” Darren slowly did as he was told, increasing his grip until he was using the same pressure that had broken her hand before.
“Harder Darren... Don’t be shy. It’s a test, and I still have to finish my dinner before it gets cold.” She soothed. Darren’s brow tightened as he squeezed harder and harder, then he yelped in pain and jerked his hand away as she suddenly gripped his hand as hard as she could.
“Owww! You... you broke my hand now!” he yelled, hopping about the room and cradling his hand to his chest. She smiled.
“I have not. I simply finally squeezed back. Now, two more little tests.” She dumped the bread on her tray onto her dinner plate and then poured a few drops of the blood left in the vial onto the bread plate in two places.
“Mr. Crepsley, please add your blood to one of these samples?” She asked serenely. He did so, then all three of them leaned over the tray, watching to see what would happen.
The mixture of bloods was rather boring at first. The tiny puddle sat quietly for a moment before it began to swirl about. Sabelle’s eyes widened as what amounted to a small war began; the three types of blood seemed to separate somewhat, each a visibly different hue of red. She grabbed the red-heads hand and squeezed more blood into the mixture, ignoring the baffled Darren’s questions about what was going on. She and Larten watched with growing anxiety as the odd sight of blood battling continued, but once Lartens blood “outnumbered” the vial’s mixture, it absorbed the other two types then suddenly went dark and lifeless. He nodded, relaxing a bit
“Our blood does that once it dries. It is handy so humans cannot type it.” He had to admit to himself he felt odd, weaker than normal and a bit cold, with sudden waves of heat overtaking him now and then… it had not been a good idea to drink so much of her odd blood, even above the shame of his actions. His sort of Vampire never drained a victim dry, it was just not done…
“That’s a relief.” Sabelle sighed. “Seems as long as you aren’t drained you can handle this blood after all. I had hoped so. Darren, taste the other sample, please. Larten, make sure he does not attack me?” Darren’s nose wrinkled but he knew better by now than to not obey. He swiped the second sample from the plate and licked it off his fingers. Sabelle’s instinct was correct; Darren’s eyes went blank and he lunged at her, claws slashing at her neck. Larten grabbed him and grunted in surprise at how hard the boy struggled to reach their guest; he was much stronger than expected as well. When had he become this strong, he was still a day-walker…
“You are very lucky that my hair is a point of pride for me, or I would have killed you back there.” He said to Sabelle ironically, forcing Darren into a full nelson until the blood lust passed.
“I would have killed you right back, Mr. Crepsley. I am fairly sure your blood volume is less than a normal humans would be, and if you had drained me, that blood would have devoured your own. The end result of that is anyone’s guess and I do not care to risk my life or your own finding out what would happen for sure. He’s really eager isn’t he...” She eyed the still struggling Darren. “Maybe you should go and feed him properly, or something?” She asked. Larten shrugged then moved with all his speed, suddenly standing in front of Darren and slapping him hard enough to knock a semi over on its side. To his credit, Darren stumbled but did not fall or fly across the room. He shook his head then looked confused.
“What happened? I tasted that... blood... man it was weird, so good I wanted... I needed more of it! What did I do?”
“You did what I did; you tried to take more. I almost killed her myself, ignoring the stricture on draining a victim to death; I am sure Miss Simone does not hold it against you, Darren. Now, I need to speak to Miss Simone some more. Go and practice with your nails. Do not whine to me about them breaking later either. She should not be able to hurt you; if you drank properly, she could not have done so. Now go. Go on.” Darren sulked out of the tent, making Sabelle laugh quietly.
“He still hates me a little I did what I did. He is utterly strange to me, in some ways.” Larten looked sad for a moment then sat at his small desk and rested his head in his hands.
“He’s a child, Larten. You never had children, obviously, while you were still full human. You seem to be doing fine though. A new dad is always nervous and confused.” She said as she stabbed some salad with her fork. As usual when she had just taken the blood, her stomach tried to rebel, but she chewed slowly, and forced herself to swallow. She looked up and saw Larten watching her, a fine and beautifully colored flush staining her cheeks as he stared at her.
“Why are you bothering? That blood should take care of you for a while, I should think.” He said with a flat tone. She looked at the salad which her tongue and mind wanted, but her body did not.
“Darren refused blood at first, I am guessing. Do you understand why?”
“He did not understand what had happened to him or what he had to do to survive.”
“He did not want to lose his humanity. He felt that he would become a monster if he gave into the new needs of his flesh. Which was not a real judgment upon you I can tell he worships you as much as he hates you. I want to eat... because if I do not, my body will eventually want nothing but blood, yet I will not be a Vampire. I’ll be trapped between the two races. I drink the Austra blood because it helps keep my senses sharp. I drink the UnDead blood because I cannot be strong enough to survive this world I am joining without it. And I eat food because I am a human still.” She pushed the tray aside and sighed heavily nonetheless. She knew sleep would be long in coming; Austra blood made her need for sleep minimal, and her hours nocturnal.
“I am wondering where you are to stay. I am loath to let you stay here... but I am certain I should not foist you upon anyone else here. You do sleep, correct?”
“Yes. Not much after drinking the blood, but I do sleep. I would appreciate staying here with you for a few reasons, but I understand if Du Cirque refuses me refuge entirely. I hope that Mr. Tall...”
“Larten, is your guest staying?” Mr. Tall himself ducked into the tent, eyes on Sabelle. She stood and bowed slightly to him, then looked at Larten as well. The redhead sighed and rubbed his temples.
“If you allow it, I think she should stay. She can share this tent, as I only use it at night.” Mr. Tall nodded then smiled at the newcomer.
“We expect you to pitch in while you are here, Miss Simone. What skills do you have that a Cirque might need?”
Sabelle blinked; what indeed? “I am sure I can find ways to assist the camp, Mr. Tall. I will be glad to earn my keep here.” She said with dignity. The giant smiled wider.
“Well, Larten... will you two explain what is going on now? Especially if it impacts our way of life here?”
Three snifters of brandy later, Mr. Tall was thoughtful and silent. Larten looked tired, and Sabelle was done with talking. They agreed that the Vampires should stay for the moment, but that moving when necessary should be planned in advance, and that nothing she had explained should leave the tent. Even Darren was to be kept as much in the dark as possible for his own safety. Sabelle stood and smiled wanly at the two men.
“Is there somewhere I can wash up and change clothes? I’d like to rest before I spring myself upon the camp. Also, maybe a rumor that I am an old friend of Larten’s can be arranged?” Mr. Tall nodded and stood.
“I can let the people know you are safe... she is safe to them, no?” Larten shrugged; he thought so, but who knew. She might try to drain someone after all.
“I will take responsibility for her as I did Darren. She will need to eat just as we do, which should put them at ease, Hibernius. And she will need a bed of some sort. My loveseat is far too small.” The Vampire rose and grabbed his long coat.
“Where are you going?” She asked, nervous about his leaving her alone suddenly. He did not reply, simply disappearing out the doorway quickly. Mr. Tall showed her the tents facilities, which she was delighted to see was a full bath when she had suspected that Larten would not have any need for such items.
“This was another person’s tent long ago. Larten fixed it up for himself, of course. These still work and he makes sure all is clean and stocked. Even Vampires like to bathe Miss Simone.” He said, chuckling at her expression.
“Mr. Tall, I thank you for your kindness, and I wanted to assure you, I will do my best to protect all these people, not just the Vampires who share this place. I have some help long distance which should prevent us from being blindsided. Please trust me to do what is right for the good of all.” She said, smiling at the giant with warmth. She sensed his goodness, despite his assertion that he was neutral. He smiled back and patted her hand gently.
“I will take care of the people. You take care of my friend Larten. I have a bad feeling, a shiver of doom about him, have had it since he brought the boy here all those years ago. Please make that stop, and I will make sure you are always welcome here.” She nodded; that was exactly why she had come.
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Fate and Blood, 50 percent Solution