Dareios sat stiffly in the chair across from her, tipped forward at his pelvis so he was barely in the seat at all. He was anxious, waiting as Miya considered his very intimate offer to drink his own blood. He refrained from listening to her thoughts - another gift he'd developed over the years but rarely used. The vampire Mayor had learned a long time ago that it was more trouble than it was worth - to know every single thing about a person, even what they thought. So his hard-in-place discipline kept him out of the doctor's mind. But it didn't take being able to read her thoughts to see that she was putting the pieces together quite logically, like any well-trained medical professional would. "The university is working with the hospital as we speak," He said coolly, raising one slender, dark eyebrow. "For some reason, it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on the current strain of the virus. They're not sure why. My assumption is because our blood - my blood - isn't really blood at all, at least not in the human, living sense. But I'm also not a doctor, so what do I know." Dareios shrugged his shoulders then, but remained hunched over the table, watching her. The mayor donated his "blood" every time he visited Miya's workplace, usually before or after his meetings with health officials on the current state of the pandemic. A long silence spans between them and Dareios holds his breath, waiting to hear her verdict. He lifts his chin when she speaks, and a short-lived smirk finds its way to his lips at her question. "No, no." He said breathlessly, chuckling somewhat. "That process is... much more involved, I assure you." He dismissed quickly. "Whatever you feel from drinking this again will only be temporary." The vampire can see plain as day just how tired Miya was, and for a second he feels guilty even putting her in this position. He knows it will help her, and that's really his only motivation in this moment. He nods his head once in understanding. But a shred of hope fills his chest when she announces he has her trust. That meant more to him than she could know. His beady stare follows the porcelain tea cup as she lifts it from its saucer, and brings it closer to her lips. His gaze then locks with hers, and he offers her a reassuring smile before placing his cold, undead hand over her opposite wrist, careful to avoid the burn on her open palm. "The last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you, Miya." Dareios Auerbach | Vampire | Vinyl |