Arlo James

See what it's like to be a vulture's lunch

It was an idle inquiry, he supposed, asking the elder vampire whether or not those of a more advanced age seemed to need less blood. After all, he knew simply because of what he was that Malek had not fed in at least a few days. Arlo so eternally able to tell, in most cases, when his own chosen prey had last had something to eat and by that notion whether or not they were going to be worth his time to pilfer that meal from. Malek was hardly his idle victim based upon that alone and yet the man smelled appealing enough to warrant that assault all the same. The older ones so unfortunately seemed to so often smell better- or so it would appear. It was a shame that they were so often opposed to letting him feed from them, Arlo having learned to be wary of the older, more powerful vampires- at least in most cases. Hunger, sometimes, getting the better of him entirely as it had tonight. Yet still, how Malek was so....controlled was curious to him. If he went days without feeding he would be nothing short of ravenous. Arlo hardly liking to think of the idea. He knew from experience that his personality tended to be.....well.....less delightful then it might otherwise have been when that hunger struck him to deeply- this guy hardly seeming effected at all.

Malek's assurance that he hardly required less and that so much of his nature was simply because he had learned control, or at least entered some sort of Buddah like state of Zen (according to Arlo who also suspected Malek might just be stoned a lot to be this calm) saw both eyes lift upward in surprise. The idea that he could go weeks without food seeing a far more genuine surprise touch his features. Weeks?! That, he was sure, was not possible. No matter how much he refused to give in to bloodlust, to be ruled by it- surely....surely he couldn't be that good. Then again...maybe he was. Malek having failed to pay attention to any human they had passed on the walk here. Maybe the guy really just was more in control then any vampire Arlo had previously met. A diet of rabbit however, still seemed...well....kinda odd. Still- Arlo was inclined to try most things at least once he supposed, his attention return to the rabbit in his hands.

It took several moments of fussing, really, before the younger vampire was satisfied with finding a place to bite, the rapidly cooling little body inclining him to hurry before it lost all its body heat entirely, Arlo finally finding what he was fairly sure was a vein in the animal's neck and beneath that thick fur to bite down on. His fangs pierced that flesh easily, blood rushing to his lips. The boy, as any vampire, inclined to drink it almost immediately- it was a response, after all and yet he was no more than three mouthfuls in before that taste seemed to truly affect him. God that was- disgusting. He pulled his head away from the rabbit almost instantly, licking that blood from his lips all the same before eyeing the bunny with disdain. Really? Was this really what Malek was surviving on? Did all animals taste this.....bad? Arlo entirely oblivious to the idea that they tasted bad only to him. Any further thought on the idea was dramatically short lived, the mans stomach so suddenly seeming to roll uncomfortably. Nausea washing over him a mere second later, that rabbit thrust back into Malek's hands, Arlo barely making it to that stand of trees and shrubs in time to throw that blood right back up.

It was over nearly as quickly as it begun, a groan rolling from within him all the same at just how...unpleasant that experience was. The man muttering to Malek that he could surely have the rest of the rabbit. The animal clearly failing to agree with him on any level. God he'd known this was a bad idea from the start, he'd known this would happen and yet was it so wrong to hold out even just a tiny bit of hope? Evidently it was. One hand lent against that tree, Arlo taking a few moments to catch his breath, that sudden question catching him off guard as he spun back to face the older vampire once more, his gaze...suspicious. How the hell did he know that? The younger vampire momentarily considering denying it and yet he suspected Malek knew far more then he said. A sigh falling from his lips at last, one hand running through his near-black hair.

"No, I can't. Well- I mean, I can drink their blood without getting sick, it tastes alright...I guess and if I'm desperate I will- but it doesn't do anything for me. It barely stops me being hungry, it's like it just doesn't work on me like it should. I don't get sick like that- but it doesn't work. I might as well drink water."

His shoulders lifted into a shrug, as if trying not to make a big deal over the fact he was, well, a defective vampire. That mortal blood still healed him if he was injured after all it just....didn't really stop him being hungry, it didn't seem to give him much of anything the way vampire blood did. He couldn't live off it like other vampires. He couldn't feed off it.

"I don't know why it doesn't work.....it just doesn't. Vampire blood works though- that's why I was trying to eat you. I was- I am still, hungry. How did you know about the human thing?"