[Warren freezes when she catches his gaze, exactly like a dog with one paw in the snausages jar. What do you mean he wasn't a sneaky stealth master? How did she KNOW he was up here?!
A shiver runs down his spine at that terrifying look... A pleasant one. (Don't judge him.)
Warren points to himself. Me? Then over towards the door. Use the door?]
Youkooo! Let us iiiin!
[Bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk - The sound of a plastic pumpkin-shaped popcorn tub being used to assault the window frame. There's no use in glaring daggers at Warren; he isn't the one holding the bit of Halloween whimsy. Tiny bat feet tightly grip the tub's handle, now visible as the rest of the lovely lady flaps into view.]
[The pantomimed Who, me? routine has her sorely tempted to snap the curtains shut until he figures out entering the normal way, but the bonk of plastic on glass draws her attention away, and with it her ire.
Even just a few short years ago, seeing an unusual creature fluttering at her window probably would have alarmed her, made her worry the poor thing was sick or injured, but at this point she is mostly used to the strange comings and goings of anything that might be categorized as a familiar. Besides, there is an inept skulker right there, escorting her and all but heralding her. Even if a bat were a surprise, the vampire's presence would temper her shock.
Unlatching the window lock, she slides the protective screen and glass open wide enough for one (1) bat with a plastic pumpkin popcorn tub in tow. Warren, however, she fixes with an unamused look.]
[Goodness. He nearly expects to see steam flooding from both her ears. A snowball has a better chance of surviving Hell... There's no convincing Youko that infernal creatures have an insatiable yearning to enter domiciles through unconventional means.
Her attention diverts to the darling Esmeralda and Warren watches Youko's face. He wouldn't expect surprise, really. Ah, how he mourns the loss of the unworldly woman Youko used to be, that he never knew her, never had the chance to see her startle and marvel at a familiar's presence. The uncommon has become common for her. Youko's appeal is in a different sort of ladylike demeanour than an innocent waif but he would nonetheless have liked to see her in that light, too.
The chill of October surrounds him. Warren is unaffected but he has dressed for the weather anyway for no reason other than to fit in with mortals. He looks good. The season's colors suit him; warmth and tenderness manifest in a blend of Autumn hues from head to toe.
Dear, dear Esme enters the small space Youko has made for her and chirrups in thanks. The tub contains not one single popcorn kernel, alas. Warren tilts his head to align with the new gap. What do you mean he can't fit through there? No?]
You've fallen into my trap!
[Warren winks; his words could be nonsense. Whatever he actually means, he finally takes the hint (read: direct instruction) and adjourns for the door, leaving his bat alone with Youko.]
[The chirrup the bat makes widens her eyes a little. It isn't a sound she's acquainted with, and it isn't the sort of chatter she's become used to. Hyouki and Hankyo and all the rest of Keiki's shirei speak with human — if disembodied — voices, each with their own mannerisms. An actual animal response is... new. Can she speak or are noises the closest she comes?
She looks back to ask Warren, dressed like he would fit right at home with all the splendor of maple leaf piles and with a warm cinnamon-tinged drink in hand, and catches him fitting his face to the gap, killing the question on sight. At least he decides to take the wiser path and use the door before a disappointed look sticks permanently on her face. Idly, she flicks the lock so he isn't left stranded on the balcony, even if the cold can't touch him, and wanders past the familiar and her dining table, bee-lining towards her kitchenette.]
And... what trap is it that I've fallen into?
[Digging in her cabinets, she retrieves a milk glass bowl and fills it with cool water from the fridge, only to carry it back to set it on the table. It might be silly, maybe even fruitless courtesy, but she makes a wordless gesture from the bat to the bowl. A drink for the laborer if she wants it, with plenty of room beside it for her cargo.]
[Oh such a delicate sound. Just ever-so-slightly above audible unless one were a cat or fox. Warren could wax poetic about his bats for days. Sadly, there is nothing poetic about the stupid grin on his face when he finally comes in from the cold.]
You invited me inside!
[Not that he hasn't been here before, obviously. Are those scorch marks on the kitchenette's ceiling...?]
Would you happen to have a ripe tomato instead?
[In possibly the world's most jarring segue, made while he notes that he doesn't get offered a water bowl.]
Esmeralda adores them. The perfect mix of mild sweetness and hydration!
[Fruitless or no, Warren observes the courtesy with what might be something like pride in his chest. Youko is already an Empress but damn girl, such a queen! Manners these days are so terribly lacking in the youth, not even a hat to tip in respect of one's elders, etc.]
[Those are scorch marks on the ceiling and they both know the provenance. Which is why she looks to them, then back to Warren and his grinning face, cocking her head to one side as if it can convey the tired, 'Obviously,' she feels in her heart. Maybe Warren doesn't need blood at all and simply leeches energy away from his victims. It would explain why he depletes her social battery so quickly.]
A tomato? I might...
[She spares his bat — Esmeralda, and isn't that an extravagant name — a glance before wandering back to crouch down and thoroughly rummage in the produce drawer of her fridge. Being in between grocery trips, there is no guarantee she'd still have something to furnish the request, but after a minute of digging Youko pulls a green plastic basket of cherry tomatoes free from the back and holds it up for Warren's approval.]
[Every muscle in her beautiful face practically shouts her weary 'obviously'. She needn't say a word for him to feel the effect her mindset forces her body to endure. A living being is a cacophony of subconscious motion he can only imitate.
They are night and day. Youko's exasperation is a truthful emotion, and exactly what he wants. Not irritation. Just honesty. Especially since she hasn't noticed that being invited really did please him. Why even bother... (the answer's deeply-rooted trauma, of course.)]
Perfect! I'll take a few for her reward if it's no trouble.
[He's happy as a clam, apparently. Warren brings Esme up onto his hand first; the bat is as comfortable with him as if he were family.]
Take some for yourself, in fact!
[As if they're not hers in the first place. Warren plucks a bunch of the gem-like fruits out of the neat little basket and slices one open handily with his thumbnail before feeding it to his eager companion. The look on his face towards the delighted bat is best called smitten.]
[Being offered her own tomatoes... how very on brand. It gets a soft snort of a laugh and the briefest shake of her head before Youko is putting the carton back into the drawer and closing things up, getting back on her feet. She should offer Warren something to drink — hot tea or juice or water — but she's a little transfixed with the show of little Esmeralda settled comfortably in his palm, happily being fed tomato in recognition of her service.
That he looks as taken with the bat as the bat is with her treat is... soothing in a way. Nice. It's a quieter delight than the ones Warren seems content to default to around her, the ones that ruin kitchens and pull her metaphorical pigtails. She shifts a half-step closer, mindful not to make any large movements that might startle either subject of her leisurely observation, and keeping her volume low.]
[It's surprising, isn't it? When the grown man whose lonely neediness manifests as bratty pestering finally settles down. He isn't often content like this. The two ladies in his presence seem to have cast a spell.]
Since she was born. And her mother before that, and her grandmother, la-la~
[The snacking bat has no idea that her ancestry is so meticulously measured in Warren's memory. Her little mouth moves all over the juicy tomato as if it were the tastiest thing she has ever had the privilege of dining on. It's one of the things he cherishes. That easy pleasure. Youko now has the turn of reading him like a book; he clearly feels a unique admiration for the hairy black thing spilling goopy mush with her enthusiastic bites.]
Bats are quite fragile, you know. So much more than they seem.
So you've been caretaking her family for generations?
[Watching over a bloodline, one beloved little pet after another after another. That isn't an idea she's considered yet about her own longevity. In all honesty, she's still stuck between the idea of just making it a decade and the inevitability of her parents dying while she looks the same as the last day they saw her. Maybe if she makes it the whole decade, she'll consider raising the progenitor of a chain of palace cats.
Her eyes glance back and forth between the adorable chomping bat and the plainly charmed vampire, though they linger longer on Warren. It really leaves her feeling out of her depth to see him so calm. Nothing on fire, not needling her, just... looking happy. It has her smiling despite any stubbornly clinging annoyance from the song and dance with the window. It is a good look.]
[He hums a low assent at her initial question. A fellow immortal crossing his path is a rare event, nevermind becoming a trusted ally. Perhaps Youko sees too much of him but the chance to share the quibbles of a very long lifespan was a luxury his current self wanted to have, and offer.]
Most of them, sadly. For reasons you're likely aware of already.
[The usual climate change, habitat loss, disease and so forth. Not wanting to lay out a rant full of information his studious side uncovered, he somewhat sets the question aside for now.]
I can't help but enjoy them. You're very welcome to see my little brood one day.
[Then, he wouldn't mind sharing more on an informative angle. The parental nature of the relationship will suffice. Warren lifts his fuzzy widdle boo to his lips for smooch. It pretty much goes unnoticed by the receiver... indicative that he does it rather frequently.]
Here, would you like to hold her?
[A tiny pink tongue licks at the leftover tomato juice. Innocent brown eyes look up at Youko from the comfort and safety of Warren's hand. Those palace cats will have a godfather if the plan does see the light of day (and Youko hasn't exiled Warren by then).]
[In a sea of immortals who dog her heels and lecture Youko for this, that, and the other, Warren holds the rarefied position of being just a friend. Sure, he has valuable input she can learn from, but he's as likely to dispense wisdom as he is to thoroughly desecrate her kitchen. It makes him like more of a peer than maybe she should feel comfortable naming a centuries old vampire.
It isn't hard to imagine what he means without his spelling it out. What endangers animals more readily than humanity, their would-be stewards, and the drum of progress? Something she misses the least about her new circumstances. Luckily, the mention of his little brood and watching him kiss the tiny, completely unbothered bat on the head chases the sour feeling those thoughts drudge up away before it gains any real traction.]
I can understand why, if they're as sweet as she is. Though when you say 'brood'... how many is that? Dozens?
[The offer to hold Esmeralda makes her look down at the bat and those big, glossy brown eyes and hesitate for a few long seconds. As much as she enjoys animals, it isn't anything like trying to tempt a neighborhood cat down off a wall with chin scritches. She is clearly a delicate animal, precious to her handler, and one that seems perfectly content where she is situated. Youko does shift a tiny bit closer, but she keeps her hands stiffly where they've been, glancing up at Warren for assurance.]
[Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Or in Youko's specific trials, the gold hairpins.]
Not especially. Esmeralda has been trained not to mind humans. She was unusually sensitive as a pup and required hand-feeding.
[How can you say no to this face? Warren lifts his girl up so as to bring her closer to Youko rather than himself. Look at those sensual wings! The marvellous curve of her left ear!]
Her insectivorous cousins number in the thousands. Some time ago I acquired the ownership of a significantly cavernous residence in Transylvania...
If she really doesn't mind, then... yes. I'd like to hold her.
[Really, who could say no to that face? Not Youko, not when she's been reassured she won't be bothering the adorable little creature. She will just be mimicking how Warren has his hands cradling her, and present her open palms for bat distribution purposes.]
Thousands of cousins, huh...
[The skeptical look she shoots him at the mention of Transylvania probably says all that needs to be said on how much she believes him about the cave, but thousands of bats seems... perfectly reasonable given how Warren is.]
[Warren's opinion of Youko was already fairly high but with her acceptance of his darling soot-angel that opinion has soared. Far too many women are squeamish at the mere thought of a rabies-carrying pest. That warm smile lives on, Warren's enjoyment of sharing this passtime of his for many years giving a sheen of delight in his eyes.]
Sirens of the night!
[The bat colony may be his in a legal way but oh, how he takes vicarious pleasure from watching their freedom, soaring high in the moonlight! Not long before he tugs at Youko's arm to bring her along on a whirlwind tour... For now, baby steps. A very neat and experienced hand-off awaits.]
There - Oopa~
[Plop. Esme is a bit squirmy at first, but Youko's hands are warmer than Warren's. An improvement!]
[That absent squeamishness could either be attributed to her natural fortitude or just the fact that Japan has been rabies-free for decades, so it doesn't occur to her to worry. Though, considering there is only a slight aversion to the multi-limbed variety of creepy crawlies present in Youko, maybe it is her own stoutheartedness at play.
Aside from curling her fingers inwards to act as guardrails, she is content to watch Esmeralda wiggle and shift in the bowl of her palms, getting used to the new, temperature-controlled perch. The way she feels squirming in her cupped hands isn't too dissimilar to holding a pet hamster, even if her anatomy, the gauzy wings and scrunched nose, mark her as something more. When it seems she has mostly settled, Youko does an experimental brush of her thumb at the crown of the bat's head, right between the ears. Just a slow, gentle circuit to see if that's an acceptable way to pet her.]
Hello there, Esmeralda. Do you think your doting parent will answer me if I ask what he made you carry a heavy bucket here for?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
A shiver runs down his spine at that terrifying look... A pleasant one. (Don't judge him.)
Warren points to himself. Me? Then over towards the door. Use the door?]
Youkooo! Let us iiiin!
[Bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk - The sound of a plastic pumpkin-shaped popcorn tub being used to assault the window frame. There's no use in glaring daggers at Warren; he isn't the one holding the bit of Halloween whimsy. Tiny bat feet tightly grip the tub's handle, now visible as the rest of the lovely lady flaps into view.]
no subject
Even just a few short years ago, seeing an unusual creature fluttering at her window probably would have alarmed her, made her worry the poor thing was sick or injured, but at this point she is mostly used to the strange comings and goings of anything that might be categorized as a familiar. Besides, there is an inept skulker right there, escorting her and all but heralding her. Even if a bat were a surprise, the vampire's presence would temper her shock.
Unlatching the window lock, she slides the protective screen and glass open wide enough for one (1) bat with a plastic pumpkin popcorn tub in tow. Warren, however, she fixes with an unamused look.]
You're coming in the door if you're coming in.
no subject
Her attention diverts to the darling Esmeralda and Warren watches Youko's face. He wouldn't expect surprise, really. Ah, how he mourns the loss of the unworldly woman Youko used to be, that he never knew her, never had the chance to see her startle and marvel at a familiar's presence. The uncommon has become common for her. Youko's appeal is in a different sort of ladylike demeanour than an innocent waif but he would nonetheless have liked to see her in that light, too.
The chill of October surrounds him. Warren is unaffected but he has dressed for the weather anyway for no reason other than to fit in with mortals. He looks good. The season's colors suit him; warmth and tenderness manifest in a blend of Autumn hues from head to toe.
Dear, dear Esme enters the small space Youko has made for her and chirrups in thanks. The tub contains not one single popcorn kernel, alas. Warren tilts his head to align with the new gap. What do you mean he can't fit through there? No?]
You've fallen into my trap!
[Warren winks; his words could be nonsense. Whatever he actually means, he finally takes the hint (read: direct instruction) and adjourns for the door, leaving his bat alone with Youko.]
no subject
She looks back to ask Warren, dressed like he would fit right at home with all the splendor of maple leaf piles and with a warm cinnamon-tinged drink in hand, and catches him fitting his face to the gap, killing the question on sight. At least he decides to take the wiser path and use the door before a disappointed look sticks permanently on her face. Idly, she flicks the lock so he isn't left stranded on the balcony, even if the cold can't touch him, and wanders past the familiar and her dining table, bee-lining towards her kitchenette.]
And... what trap is it that I've fallen into?
[Digging in her cabinets, she retrieves a milk glass bowl and fills it with cool water from the fridge, only to carry it back to set it on the table. It might be silly, maybe even fruitless courtesy, but she makes a wordless gesture from the bat to the bowl. A drink for the laborer if she wants it, with plenty of room beside it for her cargo.]
no subject
You invited me inside!
[Not that he hasn't been here before, obviously. Are those scorch marks on the kitchenette's ceiling...?]
Would you happen to have a ripe tomato instead?
[In possibly the world's most jarring segue, made while he notes that he doesn't get offered a water bowl.]
Esmeralda adores them. The perfect mix of mild sweetness and hydration!
[Fruitless or no, Warren observes the courtesy with what might be something like pride in his chest. Youko is already an Empress but damn girl, such a queen! Manners these days are so terribly lacking in the youth, not even a hat to tip in respect of one's elders, etc.]
no subject
A tomato? I might...
[She spares his bat — Esmeralda, and isn't that an extravagant name — a glance before wandering back to crouch down and thoroughly rummage in the produce drawer of her fridge. Being in between grocery trips, there is no guarantee she'd still have something to furnish the request, but after a minute of digging Youko pulls a green plastic basket of cherry tomatoes free from the back and holds it up for Warren's approval.]
Will something like these do?
no subject
They are night and day. Youko's exasperation is a truthful emotion, and exactly what he wants. Not irritation. Just honesty. Especially since she hasn't noticed that being invited really did please him. Why even bother... (the answer's deeply-rooted trauma, of course.)]
Perfect! I'll take a few for her reward if it's no trouble.
[He's happy as a clam, apparently. Warren brings Esme up onto his hand first; the bat is as comfortable with him as if he were family.]
Take some for yourself, in fact!
[As if they're not hers in the first place. Warren plucks a bunch of the gem-like fruits out of the neat little basket and slices one open handily with his thumbnail before feeding it to his eager companion. The look on his face towards the delighted bat is best called smitten.]
no subject
That he looks as taken with the bat as the bat is with her treat is... soothing in a way. Nice. It's a quieter delight than the ones Warren seems content to default to around her, the ones that ruin kitchens and pull her metaphorical pigtails. She shifts a half-step closer, mindful not to make any large movements that might startle either subject of her leisurely observation, and keeping her volume low.]
How long has Esmeralda been with you?
no subject
Since she was born. And her mother before that, and her grandmother, la-la~
[The snacking bat has no idea that her ancestry is so meticulously measured in Warren's memory. Her little mouth moves all over the juicy tomato as if it were the tastiest thing she has ever had the privilege of dining on. It's one of the things he cherishes. That easy pleasure. Youko now has the turn of reading him like a book; he clearly feels a unique admiration for the hairy black thing spilling goopy mush with her enthusiastic bites.]
Bats are quite fragile, you know. So much more than they seem.
no subject
[Watching over a bloodline, one beloved little pet after another after another. That isn't an idea she's considered yet about her own longevity. In all honesty, she's still stuck between the idea of just making it a decade and the inevitability of her parents dying while she looks the same as the last day they saw her. Maybe if she makes it the whole decade, she'll consider raising the progenitor of a chain of palace cats.
Her eyes glance back and forth between the adorable chomping bat and the plainly charmed vampire, though they linger longer on Warren. It really leaves her feeling out of her depth to see him so calm. Nothing on fire, not needling her, just... looking happy. It has her smiling despite any stubbornly clinging annoyance from the song and dance with the window. It is a good look.]
Are they? Her species especially or most of them?
no subject
Most of them, sadly. For reasons you're likely aware of already.
[The usual climate change, habitat loss, disease and so forth. Not wanting to lay out a rant full of information his studious side uncovered, he somewhat sets the question aside for now.]
I can't help but enjoy them. You're very welcome to see my little brood one day.
[Then, he wouldn't mind sharing more on an informative angle. The parental nature of the relationship will suffice. Warren lifts his fuzzy widdle boo to his lips for smooch. It pretty much goes unnoticed by the receiver... indicative that he does it rather frequently.]
Here, would you like to hold her?
[A tiny pink tongue licks at the leftover tomato juice. Innocent brown eyes look up at Youko from the comfort and safety of Warren's hand. Those palace cats will have a godfather if the plan does see the light of day (and Youko hasn't exiled Warren by then).]
no subject
It isn't hard to imagine what he means without his spelling it out. What endangers animals more readily than humanity, their would-be stewards, and the drum of progress? Something she misses the least about her new circumstances. Luckily, the mention of his little brood and watching him kiss the tiny, completely unbothered bat on the head chases the sour feeling those thoughts drudge up away before it gains any real traction.]
I can understand why, if they're as sweet as she is. Though when you say 'brood'... how many is that? Dozens?
[The offer to hold Esmeralda makes her look down at the bat and those big, glossy brown eyes and hesitate for a few long seconds. As much as she enjoys animals, it isn't anything like trying to tempt a neighborhood cat down off a wall with chin scritches. She is clearly a delicate animal, precious to her handler, and one that seems perfectly content where she is situated. Youko does shift a tiny bit closer, but she keeps her hands stiffly where they've been, glancing up at Warren for assurance.]
... she won't mind me bothering her?
no subject
Not especially. Esmeralda has been trained not to mind humans. She was unusually sensitive as a pup and required hand-feeding.
[How can you say no to this face? Warren lifts his girl up so as to bring her closer to Youko rather than himself. Look at those sensual wings! The marvellous curve of her left ear!]
Her insectivorous cousins number in the thousands. Some time ago I acquired the ownership of a significantly cavernous residence in Transylvania...
[Hard to tell if he's joking tbh.]
no subject
[Really, who could say no to that face? Not Youko, not when she's been reassured she won't be bothering the adorable little creature. She will just be mimicking how Warren has his hands cradling her, and present her open palms for bat distribution purposes.]
Thousands of cousins, huh...
[The skeptical look she shoots him at the mention of Transylvania probably says all that needs to be said on how much she believes him about the cave, but thousands of bats seems... perfectly reasonable given how Warren is.]
no subject
Sirens of the night!
[The bat colony may be his in a legal way but oh, how he takes vicarious pleasure from watching their freedom, soaring high in the moonlight! Not long before he tugs at Youko's arm to bring her along on a whirlwind tour... For now, baby steps. A very neat and experienced hand-off awaits.]
There - Oopa~
[Plop. Esme is a bit squirmy at first, but Youko's hands are warmer than Warren's. An improvement!]
no subject
Aside from curling her fingers inwards to act as guardrails, she is content to watch Esmeralda wiggle and shift in the bowl of her palms, getting used to the new, temperature-controlled perch. The way she feels squirming in her cupped hands isn't too dissimilar to holding a pet hamster, even if her anatomy, the gauzy wings and scrunched nose, mark her as something more. When it seems she has mostly settled, Youko does an experimental brush of her thumb at the crown of the bat's head, right between the ears. Just a slow, gentle circuit to see if that's an acceptable way to pet her.]
Hello there, Esmeralda. Do you think your doting parent will answer me if I ask what he made you carry a heavy bucket here for?