A Pale Crescent Moon (Arkash)

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

Whether or not the Alistian thief felt relaxed was an understatement; It had been only a couple of hours during his time at the Eternity Priory, and already, the sinking sensation of people watching his every move was starting to become too much for the thief. Even in the middle of preparing some meals for himself and his roommates: Moop, and Arkash; What was supposed to be a method of destressing from a long day’s of travel and endless rumbling inside his head would merely change to simply trying to impress these watchmen of the Keepers of Light.

“This is getting very bothersome….”

Jared couldn’t help but mutter to himself, he merely wanted to be alone to his own devices, yet they would sit there and watch. Like a distant figure watching from the shrouded veil… Despite it all, the Daravinic chef quickly finishes his cooking, unable to bear the tense atmosphere confined to the kitchen. Letting out a loud, audible sigh, the thief takes a moment to clean up his workstation, having prepared a sizable, modest meal which mainly comprised of a seasoned stew with chunks of salted beef, lobed carrots, thick-cubed potatoes, sliced onions, and minced garlic for flavour, and nutrition.

It isn’t surprising that Jared maintained his nutrition despite living a relatively poor or modest lifestyle. Still, everything has its purpose and finding it is the majority of the journey or more. From this point, the thief wanted to find a secluded place within the Priory. He was briefly taking a moment to look up at the sky.

For a moment, the world was blanketed by a sea of glimmering jewels; and for a moment, the thief couldn’t help but chuckle; imagining that each star that shimmers brightly was the mere hopes, dreams, aspirations, and much more that every living soul is currently holding within Atharen.

“Huh… a crescent moon tonight, a sign of something fortunate now, besides… Probably, my favourite; I should probably get some practice… It has been a while since I haven’t been able to do any sort of hobbies….”

Just like that, the Alistian thief had a plan in mind, albeit not the greatest to work with due to the limited amount of time he had when it came to know about the Eternity Priory’s location, common walkways, secluded areas, and the likes. It was also hard to even case the joint since most of the time, Jared would spend countless hours investigating, planning various routes for escape, and finding sellers or fences to do the work. Heck, most of Jared’s waking hours are work, work, and more.

Was the thief genuinely living in his case; This was a common question the Alistian thief posed to himself, but the answer was more complex than it would seem. Nevertheless, Jared seems somewhat aloof as he starts to drift about, searching for a quiet place where he could merely sit down and gaze up into the night sky. Do a little dance and even some singing despite needing some practice.

"Once the sun shone upon a land, of sequined valleys and peaks of white. And at night, ruined castles glowed with alabaster light...
From the stars and the crescent moon, a king of light ruled this rambling place. Each night, he walked the palace alone, his luminosity dawn's own face..."

The thief mutters, taking a moment to figure out how to set certain words and phrases to make his words have deep meaning while also painting some imagery. Lost in thought, the thief continues to wonder, unsure where his body and mind will lead him but hopefully somewhere quiet and still for his troubled mind to rest for just a moment. Creating a melody of a music box from his gruff yet soften voice as he repeats the phrases.

[Arkash]

Tracking down the source of that delectable scent was relatively easy in the confines of the monastery's walls. Step by step, arkash prowled the pale moonlit paths and neared the source of the smell.

Every inch intensified its sweetness, and every step deepened the void in his stomach.

Arkash was, of course, starving.

Sure enough, he found his prey, and what was beheld was a bounty of the Daravain's cooking. "Oh, my my my..." he muttered to himself over the unguarded food and rubbed his hands together while he licked his lips.

Briefly, he closed his eyes and listened for the ambiance of beating hearts. There were none to spy on him, none in his proximity. So, the Rath took a few tender steps toward the prepared food and ate it all in a display of terrible gluttony.

Despite the mass and weight of the prepared food, Arkash's stomach said sunken, his ribs still showed through the skin beneath his leather tunic. It was as though every bite had just vanished from existence; sure enough, it had.

Intense hunger still wracked his form, as it always did. No matter what Arkash ate, he would always feel hungry.

His true form was capable of dislocating its jaw and swallowing enormous masses of food in single sittings, but even that failed to make a dent in his waistline.

Ever hungry, Arkash's powerful nose picked up on another scent, a similar scent, mixed with the sweetness of human flesh. The Rath took a deep breath through his nose, exhaled, then licked his lips.

It was the scent of that cook, surely the one who had prepared such food. All the spices and herbs used in the preparation clung to the fabric of his clothing, which complemented the alluring smell of his strength.

The balls of his feet rolled against the stone flooring as Arkash was off once more, and sure enough, he heard the voice of his mark in time.

Ahead of him, Jared wandered and muttered poetry to himself. Arkash closed his eyes again and found that the only beating heart near him was that of Jared's.

A shiver ran down his spine, his mouth watered in anticipation and he loosed a slow, shaky breath through his partially parted lips.

Without so much as a sound, Arkash crept down that hall. He moved with incredible pace for all his skill in remaining undetected, and the moment he was close enough, wrapped an arm around the rogue's shoulders without a word. It was something that might have been a friendly gesture to some, but given that Arkash would have appeared from seemingly nowhere, and the bad hunger of his burning eyes, Jared might not think so.

"Complimun's to th' chef," he said in his thick rien accent with a grin that he openly bared for the shorter man. "It was delicious, just 'ad t' fank 'ew in person," he explained, a rouse.

He sighed then, and pulled softly on the chef's neck. "An' when I say fank 'ew, I mean it..." he trailed on as he led the chef around the nearest corner. "But bollocks it all... A pretty boy like 'ew's probably spoken for, eh? An' 'ew's a fantastic chef, too... I bet ew've got no sho'tage o' suita's."

Image source.

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

Despite not having a formal education, it was still a surprise that the thief could make words have a deeper meaning. In Jared’s honest opinion, his moments of solitude brought much comfort in various forms, from cooking, dancing, and peering at the world through a different lens, yet something felt missing.

Jared wasn’t entirely sure what he was missing; Was he missing the presence of a kindred soul? Or was it something more? All these questions left the thief relatively relaxed and guarded as he continued to mutter to himself, practising more on his wordplay for his amusement. His gruff voice hides much of his accent as he speaks clearly in his relaxed state.

“When beckoned by death’s fateful kiss, At this moment you might reminisce; As your past is unfurled, to cling onto this world. One must let go and descend into the abyss.”

The Alistian thief couldn’t help but think of something a bit dark. But, of course, everyone eventually succumbs to the passage of time; It was the natural order of things in Jared’s citrine eyes. But it is understandable when a soul would not want to leave on their own accord; an innate fear is instilled in all.

Just as the thief continued to walk through the empty hallway; a surprising grasp along his shoulder caused him to freeze, his umbralplasm which he would keep hidden under the various enshrouded parts of his cloak and clothing; briefly hardened before slowly vapourising off due to his mutation with Nightfall; acting as an extension of his personality.

It was a surprise to see Arkash wrap his arm around his body, despite the friendly gesture, but due to his aloof nature regarding social interactions, which could be attributed to his profession as a thief and lonesome nature.

The scent of allspice, clove, and vanilla was currently veiling around the thief, who simply clung to his clothing, skin, and hair; Ethereal, sweet with very little to no sort of sharpness was the sort of aura that the thief was giving off in his vulnerable moments despite the rugged appearance that the thief attempts to portray when no soul was within sight.

As stress started to settle, his voice leaned back to a rather heavy northern gentevarese accent when he spoke.
Usually, the thief’s voice is clear and concise; but one of the many tics that Jared had was during a stressful situation, his accent starts to show, with a racing pace.

“wha??? Are you doeng??? Ummmm… thhhank???”
(“Wha??? Are you doing??? Ummmm… Thhhank???”)

The amber-eyed thief couldn’t help but be flustered; most of his friends back home from Alistian, loved that Jared could get easily flustered despite hating surprises and being caught flat-footed. So often complaining that the thief wasn’t enjoying life but merely trying to survive in this dog-eat-dog world, and while their comments had some merit, Jared was only doing what was best for everyone.

It didn’t help that the rogue’s heart was beating quite fast as his pale-skinned cheeks, neck, and ears began to coat themselves in a light shimmer of sunset pink as the Lorien male whom, the thief didn’t know that well at all looms closer to his neck, giving off a bit of warmth as his blood attempts to dissipate some heat from within.

Before the Davarinic scoundrel could react, The amber-eyed rogue quickly led to a nearby corner, stunned by what was happening. But, unfortunately, responding to a situation without preparation or foresight has always been a struggle for the thief, and carefully listening to what Arkash had to say and attempting to discern his heavy rien accent made it all the harder for Jared to comprehend the situation.

Only able to make out that Arkash was flirting with him? Was he teasing him for his cooking??? Jared was somewhat bewildered as if no operator was present or a wheel was moving too quickly for his liking.

““ummm… ai don’t know what you aré talkéng abut??? Ai don’t think zo??? I’m usual-lee alone???”
(“Ummm… I don’t know what you are talking about??? I don’t think so??? I’m usually alone???”)

[Arkash]

Arkash's grip was firm, deadest on the younger man's shoulder.

With ease, he led his prey exactly where he wanted him to be: the corner.

It was in the corner that all the ferocity of an animal was unleashed; fighting was the only way out when it had nowhere to run and no means of escape. But as Arkash pressed Jared's back into the corner and totally blocked his exit, he found no such fight.

Instead, Jared was a fluster. His heart beat quick and his breath was erratic. Arkash's stomach churned as his eyes glossed over the throbbing width of the vessels in the chef's neck. His mouth watered in need and his teeth were on edge as he held Jared there, pinned.

"Yeah," he answered, voice low, soft. "I wanna thank you," he spoke a little clearer, garish accent dispersed. "I hate t' dine and dash, after all... I have t' show you.... Some form of gratitude," he pressed an open palm to the rogue's stomach, and ran his hand up the length of his torso. The Rath was sure to squeeze and prod to get a feel for the musculature beneath Jared's dark clothes.

He spoke slowly, his voice a gravely bass that rumbled in Jared's bones while he played with his food.

The palm that ran his front stopped beneath his neck, where his thumb came to hold from the front.

"Alone?" he asked with some bizarre breed of glee in his gaze. "You're joking," he said, "You've gotta be. No way is a morsel like you up for grabs..."

He trailed a finger along the thief's jawline, and stopped at his chin. Lightly, he pinched the smaller man's chin and lifted it so that his gaze was aligned with the chef's. "But, if you insist..."

A gentle, welcoming smile was offered as Arkash discretely swallowed again, and as quick as a whip, moved in and pressed his lips to the chef's. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady while he felt the tension in Jared's body; all the contractions and flexions of his muscles and the beat of his heart.

If Jared did not pull away, Arkash would in his own time. Soft eyes and a sweet smile mired his features as he proceeded a trail of light kisses down the thief's cheek, his jawline, and finally to his neck. There, Arkash pressed a firmer kiss or two before his lips parted, and he wrapped his lips around the supple skin of the area.

Eager teeth sharpened themselves in the veil of his mouth as his skin turned pale and his eyes sank. Jet black quills shined from the back of his neck and dangerously clawed hands.

And there, with the chef in his trap, he bit down on the supple skin of his neck, and drank freely from the rich, iron-laden blood of his veins.

As the warmth of Jared's vitality flowed down his throat, the realization of the smaller man's strength hit him all at once. Jared, for all his secrets, was far stronger than Arkash had given him credit for.

As Arkash came to comprehend just how strong his selected meal was, he pressed a little more forcefully into the smaller man and squeezed him into the corner while he mercilessly fed.

Image source.

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

It was all but a surprise for the thief; One moment, Jared could see Arkash grinning as he pinned the thief’s frame down with his weight. But, unfortunately, Arkash’s grasp was not something one could make light of either, as his fingers dug deep into his shoulder, which caused a light wince from the Alistian thief.

Something didn’t seem right; Despite the flustered nature at the moment, Jared was still able to process a few details around him like, for instance, the salivation of Arkash’s mouth or the fact that his eyes seem somewhat glossy as if he was barely holding control over something.

The tones of a low, rumbling voice with hints of softest around the edges made the thief relax for a little bit as the Lorien Hunter took a moment to explain his appreciation for the thief and hating this so-called dine and dash. This comment left a lingering confusion on the thief’s face before it quickly subsided away as his weather-beaten hands explored every inch of Jared’s upper body.

Despite having layers of darkened clothing, some of which were laced with a thin wispy sheet of Umbralplasm as a sort of make-shift protective armour that was malleable to all of the activities, the thief would undertake during various operations within the dark.

Jared’s physique leaned more towards a lithe build with some structure from years of training his body based on his profession as a thief. However, he was still a bit rusty on a few details. Still, there was some dense muscle tissue in his arms and chest and, surprisingly, some muscular density along his hips, suggesting that Jared does his fair share of the whole body experience, whether this was due to his work or hobby, is something to be left to the imagination.

The thief couldn’t help but shiver as his ears picked up Arkash’s voice. A weakness or an attractive feature the thief enjoyed. Jared was thinking about potential suitors since most of his life was about survival... Not experience the many pleasures that life offers, but that isn’t to say the thief was ignorant...

After all, Jared was a fledging sparrow who took flight into the big world. Leaving his home Alistian to understand further who he was as a person, and even now, many months have passed. Despite being its cruellest teacher, life has already been formidable to the scoundrel.

Distracted for a moment but enough to allow a brief window opportunity to take place, the amber-eyed thief felt his chin be lifted, his eyes taking a moment to soak in all Arkash’s features before suddenly the thief’s lips were pilfered from him for a couple of seconds. The lingering warmth of another surprised the thief, who simply turned a beat red, while not his first kiss; It seems like fate would like to have his kisses stolen from him quite often.

A surge of mixed emotions started to brew up in Jared’s thoughts, never did the thief would anticipate all of this in a single night, and it didn’t make any sense to him as to why Arkash found him rather attractive? No, that might be the right way to describe his opinion. But things were moving too fast for the thief even to catch a break as the Lorien hunter would part ways, the lips unsealed, leaving a flabbergasted thief in his wake before leaving a trail of soft kisses down his cheek, jawline and firm kiss against the Alistian scoundrel’s neck.

His breathing grew rapidly as his pupils diluted for a moment; the stress/anxiety was seeping deep into his muscles as he tried to figure out what was happening before suddenly something sharp pierced the surface of his neck. For a moment, the thief’s gaze would widen in panic as he felt his neck drained.

Despite attempting to push Arkash away from his body, it was futile as the Lorien man had more strength than the thief could muster in his weakened state; It didn’t help that he had only recently recovered from a death-defying battle against a skilled magus and could live the tail for it, but nonetheless, the thief would cloak his body in umbralplasm in a quick motion with his Obscura.

His breathing became erratic as his body adopted the liquified shadow as he used Trespasser to temporarily turn into a shadowy living mass that would pass through Arkash, which felt cold to the touch, slightly slimy yet light before the effects would dispel themselves, causing the thief to tumble into the ground, but rather quietly as his umbralplasm would stifle much of the noise.

Clutching around his neck with his right hand, the thief was in utter shock. Trying to muster up his voice but failed to do so, merely watching Arkash for a moment and attempting to gather what had happened and who he was. A figure that stood with clawed hands, black quills standing at the back of his neck, and paled skin with bits of jagged teeth, it was hard to discern what Arkash was, but that didn’t stop Jared from Devising the moonlight around him to create a cloud of darkness around him, condensing itself into multiple spheres of levitating darkness; his wispy Compasses would merely hover and circulate his body.

Based on Jared’s features and position, it was more of a defensive manner as he tried to piece together what he should do.

“What aré you??? What waire you tryeng to do??? ”

That was all the thief could muster as his body felt slightly limp from having some of his vitality drained from his weakened body; Using one of his Compass to undulate and shift itself underneath Jared’s body, propping him up a bit as if he was using it as a crutch of sorts.

[Arkash]

Time spent savoring the thief was time spent wasting his meal. Even so, Arkash couldn't help but tease the smaller man with soft affections prior to his strike so swift. Teeth pierced the man's skin, sundered vessels, and damaged muscle in the area all for the sake of opening his veins to the Dranoch's palette.

Greedily, Arkash filled his mouth with the plentiful ichor of Jared's vitality, the spines along his neck stood on end as he shivered in delight. The flavor, the richness, the warmth, the thickness. Everything about the sensation urged him to continue, to bite down hard and take out a chunk of the meat he so hungrily squeezed.

But the good patron he was, he wouldn't bring any lasting harm upon the chef.

And for all its bountiful comfort and delight, the sensation receded the moment he swallowed the last of the blood he was allowed.

The drop of Jared's body was deafening in his sensitive ears; the collapse of prey, of his meal. A dinner bell, calling him to feed.

Wild-eyed, Arkash turned his upper body and pressed an open palm to his own chest as the sensation of Jared's umbralplasm set in.

He saw the thief there, on the floor, compasses encircling him.

Nightfallen.

His sunken eyes widened in the dark of that shadowy corner, pupils burning a deep red at their core, a menacing visage shrouded in darkness.

"Pardon me," he spoke in his regular accent as he lifted the back of his hand to wipe some mess from his lips. In that same motion, his features receded. His claws shrunk to fingernails, his skin darkened, and his eyes reclaimed their regular hue. All the quills of his neck and hands withdrew into his skin, and his teeth flattened like the unassuming sheep he often played.

"Arkash," he answered plainly. "I was jus' playin'," he smiled. "Didn' mean 'ew no 'arm, jus' wan'ed a li'l taste is all," he said with both hands raised, palms open to show his unthreatening disposition.

"I did bite deep..." He began with a motion of his head to Jared's neck. "I can fix it if 'ew let me," he declared as he reached into his pocket and claimed the Grafting Needle with deft fingers.

Arkash crouched down to stand on his toes with his heels raised to support his body. "People like me feed on strength," he explained. "I could smell 'ew were strong from the moment you got 'ere, I jus' 'ad to 'ave a bite..." He haphazardly explained. "Lots of us don' stop at blood, tho'... Skin, muscle, bone, eyes, hair, teeth... All of it." He bowed his head. "Course, I wasn' doin' that wiv 'ew. I'm not lyin' when I say all I wan'ed was a taste."

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[Gloomcrest]

The teasing was getting to Jared’s head; most sane people would immediately bear up arms against an attacker by any means necessary, but the thief wasn’t in the right headspace. There was so much going through his head that if the thief had to ponder any longer, his skull might as well explode; nevertheless, for a moment, everything felt so slow as the adrenaline started to kick into high gear.

The multiple orbs of materialised shadows would twitch and jerk as it was encircling Jared’s body, Ready to strike and protect him to the best of their capabilities, no less; In the past, Jared immediately made attempts to get away but based on how easily Arkash managed to sneak up on him. The amber-eyed larcenist couldn’t escape without leaving a trail that would be easy to discover.

As Jared’s gaze started to narrow towards Arkash’s visage, it was only then that he saw something interesting amidst the shadows; the monstrosity form would quickly revert to the slightly taller, dark-skinned Lorien male he had just met just a couple of hours prior. Of course, the first thing that went through Jared’s head was if Arkash was a Malformist, and based on his limited experience with Malformist in general, it wouldn’t be hard to make that misconception.

“wéll… pardon me, mon ass… what la 'ell was zat fair??? Zo plaieng, you got a nice gash oot of me….”
(“Well… Pardon me, my ass… What the hell was that for??? So playing, you got a nice gash out of me….”)

As Jared held onto the side of his neck, applying as much pressure as possible as he didn’t know the extent of how deep the wound was, Jared couldn’t help but freeze for a moment as Arkash would slowly make his way over towards the semi-prone thief, pulling out a needle that Jared recalled during his time spent at rest in a Necrodoctor’s ward.

The alistian thief’s agitation could be felt and seen as the Compasses that were circling his form started to ripple for a moment before the surface was coated in hundreds of spikes that glimmer in the silvery moonlight, just by the look of it alone, one could tell that substance was capable to piercing stone and metal if Jared had the intent to kill.

“you béttair stitch zat bite mark of yurs… eet 'urts lik fuk… okai, ai get zat you feed on strength and all from what you aré saieng, but why not zumoné anothair random ass dudé?”
(“You better stitch that bite mark of yours… it hurts like fuck… Okay, I get that you feed on strength and all from what you are saying, but why not someone another random ass dude?”)

It was only then that Jared realised that despite his short outburst of anger, Arkash’s words rung rather deep as he mentioned that his kind wouldn’t just stop at blood; but the skin, muscles, bones, anything that was essentially human flesh the Lorien Hunter could take for him… The thief was this close to death once again, and that sensation caused his blood to run cold.

His breathing started to run rampant again, the fear of dying nestling itself quite cozy in Jared’s core as the Compasses would move closer to Jared’s body to protect him from Arkash as he was currently Jared’s source of fear.

“wéll… you got what… you wénted… could of at least warned me….”
(“Well… You got what… you wanted… Could of at least warned me….”)

The thief attempts to control his panicked state, as letting it run wild could spell disaster, and the Alistian cook does not want a fight to brew within unfamiliar territories. Nevertheless, the thief was and still is apprehensive about the situation but seeing the Grafting Needling in Arkash’s hand and his limited knowledge in mending wounds; the thief would continue to tense up, still feeling on edge.

“you’re just doeng a quik fix… alright… don’t mind le scar… just gét eet doné and ovair wiv..."
(“You’re just doing a quick fix… alright… don’t mind the scar… just get it done and over with...")

[Arkash]

The Cardinal couldn't help but grin, baring the reddened whites of his teeth. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Arkash asked as he knelt before the Nightfallen. "You're quite the snack... I'm surprised you don't have more guys taking bites out of you." He winked toward the end and maintained that cheeky smile.

Arkash moved with such confidence and poise; he didn't once flinch or appear concerned about the mage's compasses. If anything, his grin broadened a touch when the surface grew turbulent and spiky.

"Warn you?" He laughed, throwing his head back to open his lungs and hold his chest. Even so, the tone it carried was dry. "Maybe I'll try that with my next meal... Just like 'Hey, I'm going to take a bite out of you. Clench your cheeks'." He mocked. With a shake of his head, he offered a sweet smile with his eyes affixed to the injured mage. "Who's to say I got everything I wanted, hm? I wasn't lying; you are quite the looker." He claimed the Nightfallen's chin at that and tilted his head to get a better look at the mage's features.

"You want to keep the scar?" Arkash affirmed. "Cute," he grinned somewhat maliciously. "Something to remember me by, huh?" He continued as he crawled a little closer, needle bared and ready. He moved deliberately slowly, as to not startle the bleeding lamb. Needle pinched between his index and thumb, he steadily peeled the thief's bloodied hand away from the gash in his neck, then swiftly ran his needle through Jared's flesh. The thief would feel a sharp pinch in several points through his skin, before a pulling sensation. Arkash drew the needle away from his neck, and a blue line of etheric thread followed it into Jared's line of sight.

A twist of the needle saw the thread snap, and a soft tingling sensation would muddy the pain in the area. Gradually, the wound would stop hurting altogether and become itchy for just a moment before being restored to its original feel, before anything had ever happened.

"All better," Arkash chimed with a smile.

His grafting needle was licked clean of the residual blood to stain its chrome surface before he pocketed the instrument and began to suckle his fingers clean of any of Jared's essence. "Now, take it easy for a day or two... You might be a little woozy so drink lots of water and eat well..." He trailed off, brown eyes trailing all over the site of the wound, the smeared red all over Jared's pale skin and clothes.

He swallowed abruptly, and with a predatory glimmer in his eyes, the Rath climbed over Jared, took him by the shoulder, and dove his lips at the man's neck.

No teeth came, not that time. Arkash handled his jaws with care, lashed at the mess with his tongue, and suckled at various spots on the thief's newly scarred neck.

Image source.

[Gloomcrest]

The grinning merely made Jared quiver for a moment as if a mouse was cornered or its tail being caught by a cat’s paw; the comments of being attractive do make the Alistian thief fluster a little bit, but the startled nature that is currently reigning through, Jared’s thoughts remains the dominant emotion for now.

What was even more startling was how the Lorien male merely moved forward with confidence despite the projection of spiked compasses circling the thief’s form, but it was fair to say that Jared’s attempts to sort of keep at an arm's length were mere child’s play based on the grinning notion.

Even Arkash’s quips stung; both mentally and physically wounded, Jared couldn’t help but question his purpose for being at the Eternity Priority. The Alistian scoundrel could think of many people who could be more quality, yet the burning of parchment claimed by Herald and Ordinant of the Keepers of Light kept the thief questioning.

“Ummmm… What are you implying? What is it that you truly want, then?”

The thief couldn’t help but tilt his head slightly to the left in confusion and slightly less startled. But, of course, it didn’t help that Jared, while curious about everything currently around him, various situations, mainly when it came to social interaction, were often the thief’s bane of his existence as his aloofness would be shown.

Possibly, the daravinic magus’s head space was currently occupied by trying to process the situation around him. Nevertheless, his thoughts about his place at Eternity Priory would quickly dissipate as Arkash comments about keeping a scar as a reminder.

“That is the point, a reminder to be on guard… and a night to remember….”

The thief couldn’t help but scratch his right arm with his left, staying still for a moment as the dark-skinned huntsman loomed closer with the instrument at the ready. Jared couldn’t help but swallow deeply as his bloodied hand was removed from his neck; Despite being prepared for it, the needle's sharp penetration caused the thief to jump slightly before quickly biting onto his lips.

Bearing the pain as best he could, the amber-eyed thief’s knuckles would quickly turn pale white as he clenched tightly. Other pricks would soon follow, and the sensation of the etheric thread would slowly tighten the bite-sized wound, but the feeling was no less strange as his flesh would slowly mend itself together, felt oddly better than his insides burning from within.

“Uhhhhh! Fuck! That hurt like a fucking bitch… Better than your chest feeling like it is going to explode.”

The brief itching sensation would annoy the thief, but now that his wound had been tended to, the thief couldn’t help but feel his muscles sag, collapsing onto the floor as all the stress evaporated.

“You had to scare the crap out of me… I appreciate the help, though; I truly am.”

The thief took a moment to collect all of his umbralplasm, quickly moving underneath Jared’s body before infusing itself into the nooks and crannies of his clothing, leaving a minimal trace as it blended into his dark clothing.

Just seeing Arkash, licking the needle before speaking about how much time is needed to recover from the bite and the general recommendation of having some water and something to eat. The thief couldn’t help but chuckle in his exhausted state.

“Probably should head back to the kitchen then. I can whip up some soup if you are still hungry for something other than my blood.”

For a moment, the thief paused, waiting for Arkash to respond until something caught his eye. The brief swallowing of air before a glint or shimmer of his eyes would catch Jared’s attention; From that moment, the amber-eyed chef couldn’t help but let out a gasp as the Lorien hunter drove straight for his neck, but the sensation was different.

Softer than gnawing teeth but this time with relative care as a wet mass of flesh would coat the newly-formed scar, and the brief moments of suckling on his raw scar caused to thief to groan for a moment which surprised him more than anything. The back of his ears and neck would flush in a light dust of pink as the heat began to escape from the internalized embarrassment that Jared was currently thinking of.

“I think we should head back and eat??? Yes????”