there is no spf in the world strong enough to be out pre-7pm

[malignans]

Who: Dio Brando + you; Enrico Pucci
Where: The trek to & from the hospital; his shared home with Pucci
When: March 13th @ ~9pm or so; ~12am or later
What: Dio needs a refill on his blood supply; (most likely confusing) late night chats with Pucci
Warnings: Blood-drinking; will update as needed.

open.

[He is already a bit tired of having to make this trek, what with the winter weather still lingering in some capacity. He's also well-aware that he could simply order Pucci to fetch his blood supply for him, and he would do so without question. But when it comes down to it, Dio would much rather contend with the unpleasant climate of this little town over remaining completely cooped up inside. It's also only the second time he's made the trek so far . . . ]

[. . . But he is rather tired of this trek, and does not look forward to it next month. The thought occurs to him to simply abandon this cooler right here and now, and find something fresher to consume, but he knows himself to be smarter and far less impulsive than that. He needs to be patient for now. There will come a time, he knows it, when he might feed freely.]

[So, for now, Dio makes the journey to the hospital with both cooler and thermos well after the sun has set. He's polite enough to the few willing to be outside at this hour, the temperature dropping appreciably without the warmth of the sun, but he doesn't seem to possess a particular interest in lingering outside or slowing his pace much. When Dio reaches the hospital, he approaches the nurse's station, and places both cooler and thermos on the desk. The nurse appears to have been expecting him, smiling warmly at him as she takes both items, and assures him it will be just a moment and he can have a seat.]

[He doesn't take a seat. Instead, Dio leans against a nearby wall, arms folded and with bended knee to rest the sole of a boot against the wall behind him. He has no desire to sit and mingle with those in the waiting room, but he observes them silently as he waits. Once the nurse returns and calls to him with a polite Mr Brando, he collects his now heavier cooler and full thermos. He opens the thermos to drink on the way back, and those with sensitive noses will most certainly smell blood in the air.]

closed - pucci.

[Initially, he had thought of obtaining a separate refrigerating unit for storing his blood — it's not as though they lacked the space for it and would allow some evasion of any potential houseguests — but Pucci will never fill the fridge entirely, and it's the right temperature. So, it is into the fridge the blood goes once Dio returns home, and the cooler is left on the counter to be emptied of its remaining ice at a more reasonable hour. Or, well, a more reasonable hour for humans. As for the thermos, Dio's already downed the last drop, and takes the time to wash it out quietly before placing it atop the fridge once more to its proper place.]

[It is then that Dio retreats further into the house to the keeping room with a glass of wine and a book. A fire is lit to serve as the only light in the room, and Dio settles on the couch to read. One hand holds his glass by the bowl, idly swirling the liquid every so often before taking another sip, while the other props his book up and turns the pages. He's slouched in his seat, oriented toward the opposite end of the couch with a leg partially on the cushion beside him.]

I didn't wake you, did I?

[It's isn't sound or scent that alerts Dio to Pucci's presence. He's too absorbed in his reading, and the close proximity he has to the fireplace prevents him from noticing any of that without truly concentrating. Although he does not lift his gaze from his book, it's the movement behind the couch in his peripheral vision that catches his attention.]

Comments

[dehanded]

[ hunger and boredom do things to an oni. she is too weak, too soft without a source of power, to fight off the humans, should she turn on them and they retaliate, and no one in that miserable building she shares with lancer can cook. eating all the humans would deny her the opportunity to eat more sweets in the future, but she is still bored, and still hungry, so there's only one thing to do. provide for herself. even out here in the cold, the woods are a bounty full of animals with beating hearts, even if that damn human with the star and the hat finds her moments after she brings down the deer. not even enough time to cook it, just bundling her up into his "car" thing, deer and all, and depositing her on the main drag back into town. rude! but she does have a meal, now. her magic is enough to burn and flame and cook it, but first she must take it home to pick the best part to eat.

cackling, ibaraki hoists the carcass over her shoulders and sets off towards her lair, only paying a little bit of attention to the human walking down the road in front of her. the sidewalk is cold on her bare feet, and she hurries as best she can, until the wind shifts. even with the overpowering smell of her own prize, the smell of human blood is unique, and decadent, and is coming from the small giant ahead.

GUESS WHAT SHE'S GOING TO BE ANNOYING, and picks up her pace until she draws even with the man, taking two steps for each one of his, the antlers of her dead deer bouncing with the motion. ]

An injured sheep without a shepherd! And so far from the lights, so late... [ that's still vaguely threatening, even coming from a tiny girl. ] Have you no fear of wolves, human?

[malignans]

[Although it is still plainly a fresh kill, already Dio can smell the signs of rot on the carcass that this small girl carries. He does not crinkle his nose, but the look he gives her out of the corner of his eye is one of disdain. Her comments do little to improve it. Dio does not take well to being threatened or accusations of humanity of any kind.]

If you were one to truly observe what's in front of you, you would find no sheep or human here. [He turns his head to give her a once-over.] And if you think killing a docile creature like that gives you the right to call yourself a wolf, you are mistaken. You'll need to do far better than that.

[dehanded]

[ she hears his words, and registers the insult just fine, but the weird part is trying to parse together where she knows that voice from. there's the recollection of a shouting voice "IT WAS ME" during that great candy heist. she doesn't care what he says about her, only because she's satisfied with the situation, more or less, but how amusing... she laughs, an airy sound in the night air, at odds with everything about the two of them walking along. ]

An oni must eat, and a wolf does not look for challenges, only food. [ there's a momentary pause, a short inhale as she watches him with bright eyes, even in the darkness. under the smell of her own kill, and the blood which is so clearly not his own, she can tell — its like the other berserker, the one red horn loves so. but the voice? where is that from....

hold up. ] Ah — but I know your voice. The sun Rider, who called himself his god. Where is your pyramid, Rider?

[malignans]

[Oni doesn't mean anything to Dio, and catches his attention mildly. Nothing is a threat to him -- he's far too powerful for anything to ever pose a true threat -- but the unknown still does not sit well with him. He arches an eyebrow when she calls him a sun Rider. He could not be further from that, and scoffs.]

You have me mistaken for someone else. I answer to no god, [he says, spitting the word like it is the vilest thing he's ever tasted.]

[dehanded]

[ she trails along next to this giant man, unworried by his tone or the way he spits venom with his words, but scowls all the same. she does not like puzzles like this. ]

I know his voice, and it is yours, not-rider-not-human! I have heard it with my own ears!

[ and to prove her point, her skin shifts, warping with her clothes until the person walking next to dio is no longer a tiny, fine boned girl, but a much taller man, with golden eyes and copper skin. when she — he? — speaks, it is with that bastard koyasu's voice. ]

If you are not the King of Kings, who are you?

[ even with this new form, the dead deer has not changed, still hanging limply over her shoulders. ]

[malignans]

[King of Kings is something he has heard before in reference to himself, but this is far from an ideal time to reflect upon it. Dio looks her over instead, and brushes the memory aside. So, she's a shapeshifter? It's not particularly impressive, but it could perhaps have its uses if she was capable of using it effectively. He thinks of that rather than noting the sound of his own voice coming from another. It's mildly disturbing how little difference there is.]

My name is Dio, and I am the one who will rule over the world.

[Coming from anyone else, it might seem melodramatic or hyperbolic, but the way Dio speaks of it, it sounds like it's nearly his birthright.]

[dehanded]

[ the girl-man laughs, her shape and voice shifting once again, returning her much smaller natural form. she is probably one of the few beings who would hear something like that and just roll with it. she's not even bothered by the great difference in their heights, and her teeth glint with her grin. ]

Kufufufu...! How amusing... But how do you mean to rule from this cage, golden king?

[ at least he's not kintoki... she frankly already likes this blood drinker more than she ever liked the golden boy, especially after what the did to shuten. ]

[malignans]

[Dio scoffs.]

I am immortal for reasons beyond my species. What makes you think this cage will hold me forever? Hm?

[He may not yet remember the century he spent at the bottom of the ocean in a coffin, but he remembers a fragment of his triumphs, and he knows how to control The World. As far as Dio's concerned, his superiority is unquestionable. He takes a long drink from his thermos.]

[dehanded]

[ she shrugs. ]

If you are neither human, god, oni, nor Servant, I would not know what your capabilities are. Is it complacency or weakness that keeps you from acting?

[ no judgement, just curious. if he's a blood drinker, he might be like the other berserker, or red horn's assassin self... or even those gorgons, who have divinity... she just wants to understand this godless-not-human-ruler. ]

[malignans]

[Complacency he doesn't take much offense to because that's more a demonstration of ignorance on the part of the other than it is any true reflection of him, but weakness? Weakness is a baseless accusation, and one that strikes at his already short temper quickly.]

You know nothing of me, and yet speak as though those were the only possible reasons? Were I feeling less patient than I do tonight, this conversation would be over and your next breath would be your last.

[The line between the degree to which he feels patient versus less patient is a thin one, however, now that he's truly agitated with her.]

Raw power is something to contend with, but it is ultimately useless if it is not guided by intellect. What good does it do me to act and strike blindly?