Private Of Lost & Found

[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

It was not a usual thing for the Sangnir to come across one that she didn't have a personal hand in raising. Rio had always considered herself a good sire, one who brought those she changed under her wing. It had been a bit since she had anyone around other than Markus. Tilting her head, she mused over the boy; unfortunately, he hadn't learned enough to leave her. At times, she wondered if he enjoyed being coddled as she did.

Once she caught the scent of her own, Rio was able to follow it — no matter where they wandered in the galaxy. It was how she kept tabs on those she had brought into this lifestyle. She chuckled at the word and the irony it implied. Sighing softly, she stepped off the private shuttle. It was a funny world she would find hers, but she continued to follow as she drew the Atrisian higasa parasol.

The woman walked with an unnatural grace; the passing public only glanced at her height and her uninterested glance. Her fingers spun the handle of the parasol carefully, letting the spiraled design spin. The eyes of the passing glanced up, avoiding the golden hue of her apathetic gaze.

No one smelled of her — they were all just potential snacks, but Rio didn't feel hungry… yet.

She continued, ignoring the stares and whispers. The trail led to a small building. Old files were housed here: the history of the First Order and anything encompassing their space. Rio wondered why the one she had been searching for would be here, of all places. Did they share the same desire for history and artifacts?

How curious…?

Slowly, Rio lowered the parasol, tucking it gently under her arm as she adjusted the silk gloves on her hands. While the light of the day didn't bother her, she enjoyed playing into the mythology of her kind.

As she continued her casual pursuit, she removed the silken gloves. She tucked them gently into the small pocket of the slim-fitted jacket she was wearing.

The woman made note that the building was unpopulated for them, which was appreciated. Rio wondered if this child was one of hers or maybe one of her own children. A grandma…

Just the thought made her wrinkle her face. Though she figured she probably was a grandsire a few times over. Inwardly groaning, she continued through the pathways until she came upon the raven crown of the one whose blood called to her.

"And what are you doing here, child?" Rio acknowledged the girl with a tender, curious voice.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Rio Naran

The pale blue light of a datapad lit up the young Sangnir's visage as tired stormy eyes flicked between lines of letters, a slender finger scrolling through the information as she skimmed through in her search for keywords that might catch her attention. The room was silent, dark, and best of all; empty. She may or may not have broken into this establishment in her search for knowledge but it appeared that her hunt was fruitless this evening.

She brought her hand to her face as she closed her eyes and rubbed at them with finger and thumb with a sigh, leaning back in her seat. The glow of the datapad was starting to ache her vision as she tilted her head back to let her long silky black hair fall down the back of her chair. Her arms both hung lazily as she opened her eyes to gaze up at the abyss that was the dark ceiling above her.

Answers... It was always answers that she was looking for these days. There was a time when life was a lot simpler though, a time when all she did was follow the old man around in search for their next heist. She recalled memories of leaning over a railing as they cased a building for days just to make sure it was empty, other times she'd wake up to him shaking her and telling her he 'found a really a big one.'

Never once did she catch that old man smiling, never once had he let her know she was the daughter he never had; and in turn she was just as guilty, never once did she tell him he was the father she lost. She huffed in annoyance at the memory before she leaned forward in her seat to hunch over the datapad and its dim light once more.

It was the life she knew once, a life that by all accounts had replaced her previous childhood; the one she couldn't remember. She couldn't recall the faces of her real parents, they were just inconceivable faces, a dream that was too difficult to recognize for its details. The Sangnir had memories of a home, of a family that loved her, of a very normal life, but the details of that life? Gone, blocked by the trauma of whatever happened before the old man found her. He never did tell her about that day.

But the death of her second father? That was one she could recall. He was so excited about his next big hit, so eager to get his hands on whatever he thought he'd cased from that place. He went in first; he never did that, that was usually her job. She kept watch outside for a second and followed in; and there he lay on the floor in a pool of his own blood with a figure standing over him. She couldn't recall the face of the one that killed him but what she knew was that they were the one responsible for what she was now. It was the last thing she remembered before she was changed forever after all...

Another annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she shut her eyes at the memories again. That was the past, it was long gone now, no point thinking about what ifs anymore... She had to focus on the present, on what she was, on those close to her.

It was in that moment that she was made aware of the presence of another and she was startled in her seat as her stormy grey eyes turned to catch the midsection of an incredibly tall woman. The surprise of that height only seemed to make Valaine shift back in her seat more as she turned her eyes up to meet her face. Where had she come from? How hadn't she even heard her? As Sangnir her senses were incredibly keen, and yet this woman seemed to have snuck by like it was nothing...

"Huh..? Child...?" asked Valaine puzzled before the startling surprise passed and her brows furrowed lightly. Her posture relaxed and she let out a huff, "I'm almost nineteen lady, I ain't a child." she answered in response. "... Why're you here? We're closed." she added, feigning that she herself, an intruder, belonged her.

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[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

It was hard not to laugh or get frustrated with the youth. The girl was only startled by what she saw for a brief moment. But it seemed she had no care or worry for the stranger who had just walked in on her. Rio raised an eyebrow and let the girl speak her peace — defending her age and her 'maturity'.

"Wow, nineteen, I'm sorry for assuming you were so young." Rio gave the younger girl a toothy grin, "Well, I'm nearly four-hundred and fifty years old, so pardon my assumptions, Child."

It was hard not to want to see her temperament. The younger generations always intrigued Rio. They lived different lives from hers. She often recalled the dark ages; it always felt as if the galaxy were preparing to consume itself. Technology had gone dark, and worlds no longer could communicate. The saving grace for the galaxy was the Jedi — but now, they were absent from history.

"As for why I'm here, I'm looking for someone." Her eyes flickered to the tablet in the girl's hand, then to the rest of the room. The Sangnir's eyes fell back onto the girl as she tilted her head. Every flicker of motion from her, Rio could calculate easily that she was trying to put up a front most likely to make her lose interest quickly.

Instead, it only made Rio more curious. Already, she could feel that the girl wasn't as strong as the others she had sired. The woman could feel the difference in just her current childe. Her thoughts trailed off as the tips of the girl's pointed ears peeked through the dark hair, and her interest piqued.

Rio's lips pursed together; she didn't remember ever changing one of her own kind. If she had, the girl would not have ended up in a stuffed building like this… and with an attitude like she did. Her mind had worked over the past few years, trying to place the little face and the pair of striking storm-cloud eyes.

"What's your name?" she questioned, wanting to buy her mind more time as she mulled… hoping it wasn't the one she assumed to be dead. She hadn't awoken as quickly as the others, and she had been a partner or the child of the man who imagined himself a master thief.

But no one stole from Rio.

Remembering how the young were, Rio let her smile linger as she introduced herself. Barring the hint of her fangs, "I'm Rio."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Rio Naran

"Four hundred and fifty? You don't look a day over three hundred." commented Valaine in retort. Was it a compliment? Was it an insult? Hard to tell with this girl sometimes as her stormy tired gaze drifted back to her datapad instead as she leaned her head in her hand. She was feigning disinterest, one of her favored methods of keeping tensions low and potentially taking people off guard if they tried something.

She noted the implication of Rio looking for someone in an empty building with only one person in it though; she was looking for her. As for why? She had no idea. Valaine wasn't the type to make enemies despite her tendency to be rather arrogant and dismissive of strangers. Instead her eyes kept on her datapad for now as she scrolled lazily with a single finger. "Yeah? Lots of people outside." she answered again with a gentle sigh through her nose as if the woman was boring her somehow.

The request for her name was met with an even longer and drawn sigh as finally Valaine pulled her gaze away from her datapad and levelled an accusatory stare at Rio now, one that seemed to shout 'really?' in deafening silence as she raised a brow at her. "You ask this to all the girls you meet in the dark?" she asked with a light roll of her eyes, what a petulant woman Valaine was. "Valentine." she answered plainly before her stormy gaze stared upon Rio's face.

It was the flash of fangs that finally seemed to have the young Sangnir start taking this a little more seriously. Never before had she met one of her own kind, but was she? Many species had fangs after all, just because Rio had them didn't mean she was Sangnir too. "Rio, huh...?" she asked softly as the woman gave her name.

Valaine paused in thought for a moment before she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Nice teeth." she commented. She was keeping it vague, being more cautious of her words now. "This person you're looking for, they have a name?"

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[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

"You ask this to all the girls you meet in the dark?"

"Only those that are ornery and may have a developing palate for something a bit more exotic…"

Valentine was the girl's name. How silly. Rio thought quietly to herself as she watched how the child couldn't care less about their conversation. Rio raised a brow, listening and watching every motion the girl made as she showed her disinterest in Rio's existence. This was new; most of the time, the person she spoke to was enamoured, scared, or just curious about her presence.

Nope. Not this time.

Rio pursed her lips as she looked at the girl. Her interest was more in the datapad than in the actual conversation. Was there a moment in the past few years that Rio somehow managed to actually birth a child? Was this that force-forsaken child? Was this girl Rio's punishment for the chaos she had caused? A question spiraled in her mind as the girl continued to be annoyed with her presence.

Her eyes fluttered as she seemed to finally catch the girl's attention and with it — a question.

"Thank you." Rio moved from where she stood, drawing closer to where Valaine had happily sat herself. The chair suddenly began to crumble, collapsing onto itself.

"Her name is Valentine and she's starting to grate on my nerves." There was a sharpness in her tone, one that was far from the sweet and almost motherly one she had previously had. The girl had irritated her, particularly with her attitude.

It reminded her too much of her own.

"You should stand up and clean yourself up, Valentine." She looked at the girl.

"I have a few questions for you, first though, who made you?"

Rio was direct; she didn't use any special words, figuring that the girl lacked manners. Moreso, it was apparent that general sense was not trained or taught.

This only reinforced Rio's worst nightmare.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Rio Naran

When the chair suddenly crumbled into nothing Valaine fell to the ground with an embarrassing yelp of surprise. She didn't know what Rio had done to the chair but it was clear she held some power. Her tired stormy gaze looked towards the tall woman approaching her as for a moment she crawled back and away from her before standing herself up, brushing her hands down her clothes as she narrowed her gaze towards the other woman.

Her name was spoken and her heart sank; she had a feeling it was her but she was so very much hoping it wasn't the case. Nobody was ever looking for Valaine with a good cause in mind; except maybe one. Her jaw tightened as she took slow and cautious steps back as Rio advanced. There wasn't much space behind her and she'd be in a corner if she kept retreating, but now she had no idea what this woman's intent was having found her.

Valaine was a curious sort in moments like these; there was arrogant disinterest, a sense of confidence almost, but there was also concern and a level of fear. It was that fear that typically kept her from harm, acknowledging threats when they were presented and swallowing her pride if need be. This was one such situation, but even during her retreat her words were laced with that arrogance. "You did a lot of stalking before saying hi then? Kinda creepy don't you think? Got a camera in the shower too?" she spoke, half cursing herself afterwards for her own big mouth, she just couldn't help it sometimes.

Despite that frustrating and annoying arrogance though, she did actually respond to the question. She offered something of a confused look at first before she shook her head, "What do you mean who made me? My parents?" she replied as she felt the wall meet her back. A dead end, but she wasn't defenseless... She had her claws if she needed them, and she was so much more dangerous when cornered, like any beast was.

"... I don't know what your game is 'Rio', but if someone's paying you, I can pay a lot more." she offered, and it wasn't necessarily a lie. She was sure her pull with a certain Lutris could get her out of most situations when it came to credits.

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[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

A part of her was surprised… another part of her wasn't. If Valentine was anything like Rio was assuming she was like, this behavior was going to continue — even if she was backed into a corner facing death itself. A hint, the slightest hint of pride bloomed in the ancient woman's heart. Something was fascinating about a creature that retained its sense of self in any situation.

Blinking rapidly, Rio was caught by surprise by the response, specifically about cameras in the shower. Once her mind caught up, she let herself have a moment to take in the girl now that she was standing. Rio's eyebrow slowly rose as she scoffed at the thought.

"You're unimpressive." Rio tilted her head slightly, "Scrungly, under layers, I doubt it gets better." Feeling a little mean, she did sigh softly.

"Your face is cute, but that's about it, so don't flatter yourself."

Rio's eyes rolled as she pinched the bridge of her nose, hearing the following response to her questions. Did this child not even know what she was? This was criminal, whoever had made her left her with nothing — how did she even survive? Rio felt her own panic rise; she hoped this wasn't the girl she had left for dead. If it was, she did both of them a disservice.

"No. Not that, I know your parents would do that to make you. Stop being obtuse." Rio's hand fell from her face in disbelief.

"Pay me? You're reaching new levels of stupidity, Valentine. No one is paying me, I own money you've never seen before." She stepped forward, as she looked at the girl, trying to figure out how she even made it through the galaxy with a mouth like that.

"I'm talking about turning you, siring you. You're a sangnir — aren't you?"

Rio paused and then eyed her troublesome little mouth.

"Open your mouth. Now."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Rio Naran

Valaine blinked in uncertainty for a moment. She had listened to Rio's words, all the way to the demand of her telling her to open her mouth, acknowledging that she's Sangnir. The young Sangnir seemed dumbfounded in her silence, as if she had listened to some revelation she was still parsing. Even as Rio had stepped closer and she remained with her back against the wall she couldn't help but think about it, couldn't help but try to understand... This woman had called her scrungly.

Immediately those stormy greys narrowed up at Rio. "Scrungly?" she repeated in disbelief as she briefly glanced around as if to ask nobody whether Rio was being serious. "...This supersized hag did not just call me scrungly." she voiced as she turned back to the other Sangnir. "Are your eyes failing you in your old age grandma? Not only did your creepy stalker self come slinking in the night to find the one girl by herself in an empty building, already having learnt her name because of course you did, but now you're trying to insult her? Who the hell do you think you are you cryptid?" she asked firmly; not only was her tone shifting to a more aggressive one but even her body language had become more confident in her anger.

"First off lady you're not the gift of the galaxy yourself with your rusty shade of hair that can't seem to decide if it wants to be red or black and moth-eaten clothes from last decade, and secondly the air up there must be getting real damn low if you're calling me scrungly, you must be suffering from air depravation because your lanky ass can barely get through the damn doors without knocking your own teeth out, and yeah I bet you wanna see inside my mouth, that's probably the closest you get to action considering how much of a dusty old relic you are, honestly I'm surprised you're even moving around half as well as you are with your ancient creaky ass joints. Probably older than this building at this point right? Eligible to be considered an archaeological find? Better watch out they don't stuff you in a museum about ancient civilizations. And now you're trying to get all up in my face, making demands and acting like you're somehow better than me already? Well you better curb your ego lady because the only thing big about you is how much of a schutta you are." she ranted on, punctuating her finishing sentence by extending her hand all the way up towards Rio's face, as close as she could, as she presented to her the back of her middle finger.

"Now get lost, maybe there's a Wookie outside that's more your type." she answered. All fear had been replaced with, funnily enough, spite and aggression over the insult that was levied at her. Valaine was quite the sensitive sort when it came to her appearance, who knew?

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[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

Rio listened and didn't interrupt. She did insult the girl, but to see the amount of venom that came from a simple insult was entertaining. Rio listened and nodded along, letting Valaine get it all out. All of this because of Rio calling her scrungly, she wondered what other words would burn under her skin.

All of it, punctuated with the girl's middle finger now in Rio's face. If she hadn't worried, the little thing would have bitten; she would have grabbed it and pried her mouth open herself. Still, with how much her annoying little mouth moved, she was able to see the little stubs the girl had for teeth. Sighing softly, Rio shrugged.

"I was just answering the question you asked and to why I would never do such a perverted juvenile thing to a—" Rio stopped herself, if she called Valaine scrungly again, she wondered if the girl's precious ego could handle it. Instead, she pursed her lips and then let them fade into a smile.

"To a um… girl like you." Rio widened her smile, trying to force some pleasantry into her words.

"And... wow, I didn't expect someone like you to be so sensitive about her appearance, might not have anyone breaking down your door to see what's under all that," Rio extended a finger and waved it over Valaine to add a little bit to her words, "but my goodness."

She didn't address the rest of the girl's insults. Rio figured they were all trying to detour her from continuing the conversation. Still, Rio was here for a reason, scrungly, annoyed girl or not. A hand brushed back her hair, only a smidge hurt that Valaine attacked her hair — Rio thought it was pretty modern looking for the times.

Maybe Rio was a little sensitive, too, but was better at hiding it.

"Anyways, I don't need you to open your mouth anymore, as much as you were baying like a wounded calf, I was able to see what I wanted to see." She grinned, letting her own lengthy, sharp, and slightly curved fangs show. Two fingers rose and pinched the air to add weight to the following words.

"I saw those short little stumpy fangs of yours. No wonder you're so frail. How do you even feed?" Rio figured she was going to get another little tongue-lashing, but she didn't care. Sadly, the girl was indeed a lowblood, even if Rio didn't want to admit it from the evidence presented to her.

"I'm Sangnir as well. I'm a Highblood, so yes, I am better than you since you're a Lowblood, but there's room for improvement." Tilting her head, Rio continued to smile.

"From how disrespectful you're acting — I'm assuming you know nothing, Child."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Rio Naran

Valaine only lowered her hand when Rio started to talk again, and now her arrogance was soaring with confidence as she stood in cornered defiance of the Highblood. Those tired grey eyes pierced her sharply, glaring up at her with a less than friendly stare. Her stormy greys only seemed to narrow further at the finger that wagged at her like some unruly child.

Her attention once more turned to Rio's long fangs, much larger and more prominent than her own. In truth it was something of a mystery to Valaine why she had the alterations that she did, not just her pointed ears and her long tongue, but those short fangs of hers... In truth it was likely her lack of understanding in becoming what she had that some latent shaping ability inherent to Sangnir shortened her fangs into something more... human. A subconscious part of her no doubt trying to clutch onto that humanity, onto who she used to be.

A scowl was given in response to how Rio seemed to laud her superiority over the younger Sangnir however, and upon hearing the word frail another thread snapped inside of her as she raised a hand to bring her long metallic claws out on display, etched with Sith runes and honed to a razor's edge. "I don't know who you think you are but I'm getting real tired of your tone, lady. I can look after myself. Don't know what a highblood is but if you keep talking to me like I'm some piece of garbage then you're gonna be a lowblood too after I spill it to the floor." she answered with nothing short of a hiss to her tone.

The way she was being treated reminded her of home, the looks she'd get from higher society, it reminded her of why she started hunting nobility in the first place... Though her claws were drawn she made no attempt to actually attack Rio, but rather it was more of a warning; that she could bite back if she wanted to. The words Rio spoke did incite some curiosity within the Sangnir though, she after all did want to know more about what she was... But Rio's attitude towards her simply rubbed her the wrong way, to the point that it was really grating on her and no doubt the taller woman could tell but that sharp gaze and tightened jaw.

"And yeah, I don't know anything, hag. I don't know how I'm meant to have known anything, I was attacked and then I woke up like this, that's all there was to it." spoke Valaine in response. Her claws were steadily retracting back into her hands, though it did it slow enough as if to try and caution against further insults.

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[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

HAG?!?!?!
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Rio was ready, fully prepared to attempt to outdo the teenager. She could, and she would have, if it weren't for the last bit of information the girl had revealed. The claws, the attitude, the outright disrespect toward someone considered her elder. All of it was enough for the much older woman to put the girl in her place.

Yet, instead, Rio felt sorry for the girl. Even if she hadn't wanted to be turned, the monster that had done it waited with her. He had, for some reason, seen something in her, or maybe he wanted her to suffer the horrible existence he did. Rio would never learn the truth; even as he died, he just grinned at her and called her good.

The memory grated on her; even after all this time, his face haunted her. Rio didn't retort, letting the insult linger and allowing the girl to win this time.

Out of pity and pity only.

"You're not garbage." Rio's tone calmed, seeing that she also lost her composure with the girl. It didn't help that Valaine was so easily irritating, particularly because she was good at finding the little bits of the carefully constructed facade that Rio had made.

"If you were, I wouldn't have bothered to look for you." The word slipped, and Rio wondered if they would be taken as a compliment, as she had intended. But seeing how this had all gone, Rio expected those claws to return.

The pit that Rio had been feeling since sensing the girl only grew heavier in her chest and gut. Valaine had to be the poor girl that she had tried to offer this curse to, but assumed her dead. Instead of creating another highblood like Markus, she had done only a disservice to the girl.

Not only that, she did the one thing she hated others for. She abandoned her; she left her to figure things out in a confusing time. Rio's guilt only grew, and she stepped back to give the cornered creature some reprieve.

"Your sire did you a disservice, one that someone of our kind should never have to deal with alone." Her face softened, trying to not seem like she was feeling sorry for Valaine, but it was hard not to.

"I hate your attitude, but I can understand it." She tilted her head slightly, eyes focusing now on the retracting claws. They weren't like a morphed extension of the girl; they were implants, and they churned in the force as Sith alchemy does.

Clearing her throat, she stepped away from Valaine fully, giving her a chance to not feel so trapped.

"I came looking for you because I realized you might be a Sangnir," Rio sighed softly, trying to do her best to be as kind and motherly as she could fathom.

"There are not many of us roaming around, as you've probably noticed. So I wanted to offer you any help or answer any questions you may have — particularly since, like you've told this old hag, that you don't know anything."

Rio wondered if her own pettiness might have rubbed… no, it unquestionably rubbed the young woman the wrong way.

But maybe Rio could fix what she ruined.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Rio Naran

When Rio moved to give Valaine some space she noticeably relaxed a little as her form untensed, the claws finally having retreated back into her fingers as she breathed a silent sigh. Tired eyes remained fixated upon the taller Sangnir as she listened to her opening words; perhaps it was an apology of sorts, or barely an attempt at a compliment, but it at least wasn't further insult.

Although she was more relaxed than previously it was clear the young Sangnir was still on edge over the whole situation; having been tracked down seldom gave one a positive first impression. But she cut Rio some slack as she glanced aside in annoyance, but this time it wasn't directed towards her but rather the situation that had befallen her in general.

"You make it sound like there's rules to all of it..." she muttered in response as she pondered her words. Stormy greys returned to Rio as she levelled a more steady glare at her now, one not so laced with spite. "You're the first other one I've seen, can't say it's been the best introduction so far." she replied as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall behind her more casually.

She'd been given a rare chance it seemed; to ask any of the burning questions she had for what she was, her kind, why she was turned, all questions that had been lacking answers since that fateful night that changed her forever. But even given this opportunity she couldn't help but give what was perhaps the expected response; "... I mean... Where do I start...?" she asked as she looked to Rio with a semblance of confusion and loss.

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[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

The high emotions calmed for the most part. Rio sighed gently as she watched the younger woman find a bit of casualty in the situation. Maybe Rio had expected the girl to jump up with excitement, the chance to find out more about herself that wasn't in some dingy abandoned building. Rio let her eyes scan the area a bit more, now that she could let her focus wander.

The place wasn't the best, nor was it somewhere Rio would ever travel herself. Why would anyone come to a place like this? She didn't ask, seeing that her comment about her being scrungly had already gone far worse than she could imagine. The thought did still make her internally chuckle at how Valaine reacted.

It was unfortunate that Rio had decided to act like an adult for once; that Hag comment deserved some sort of retort.

Valaine relaxed, and so did Rio as the tension she didn't realize she was holding in her shoulders disappeared. There wasn't a flurry of questions, nor was there some other response of excitement. It made Rio wonder what was going on in that little head in front of her. She didn't need to wonder long; Valaine finally expressed her inability to know where to start.

Rio blinked in almost disbelief.

"I guess I could answer your previous statement." The woman shrugged, "There are rules. Typically not laws or anything along those lines — but there are hierarchies and just general guidelines…" Rio tapped her chin as she looked away from Valaine. "We can start somewhere simple..."

"I'm not a fan of killing unnecessarily. I will if I have to, of course, but to feed and then kill is barbaric." She spoke of the action as if it were just a part of life. Which, in reality, it was, but there was something inhuman about it.

"If you're lucky, you'll find someone willing to be a host, feed you when you want… the willing are so much better than the alternative. Though they're hard to find, so I wouldn't bank on it. But that's a rule of mine, I don't like hunting and killing, it makes me feel like a monster."

It was a start, but she did want to know how someone with such stubby little fangs did feed themselves. Rio bit her tongue; she didn't want to slip up again and cause the girl to draw those unnatural claws again.

"So I guess that's a good place to start, I'm sure you were um… hungry when you woke up?"

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Rio Naran

Valaine listened to the other Sangnir's words and offered a nod in response to her question. "Yeah, couldn't really think straight, I was in too much pain. I didn't have control over myself, but I remember what I did to stop that pain." she answered as the memories of her first night as Sangnir resurfaced once again, a dark time in her past.

She glanced aside in thought as she sighed, "I don't like killing either, but I did it a lot in the early days. Not anymore though, at least if I can help it. Got myself a few reliable ways to keep the hunger at bay though." she spoke before tired stormy eyes shifted towards Rio once more. "Hunger typically isn't an issue for me right now... But I guess one of the easier questions I wanted to ask was how does being infected happen? Because... It is an infection, right?" she asked.

The young Sangnir recalled the initial tests Vakhari had done for her in her lab, she had noted that her blood seemed to have almost virus-like qualities to it, a desire to infect, duplicate, and expand, but her blood just getting into someone else's body didn't seem to cause the kind of changes she had found in herself when she awakened that first night. Being turned seemed to work differently...

But she had been given her chance to know more about what she was now, and another pressed at the front of her thoughts; "Also what happens if someone like, consumes my blood? It's happened a couple of times, don't ask... That won't just turn someone right?" she asked as she kept her stormy gaze upon Rio.

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[Rio Naran]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

It had been a long time since Rio was turned. Thinking back on it, she remembered the feral need to eat. It was a feeling most tried to avoid, knowing that, in that state, you're giving in to primal urges. She remained quiet, letting Valaine speak. Rio moved away again, giving the younger Sangnir more space. This was how she wanted this conversation to go, not the mudslinging that happened beforehand.

Rio was at fault for it starting, but she would never admit it.

"Reliable sources are good," Rio wanted to dig a little deeper and find out who or what these reliable sources were. But it wasn't the time or place — she still needed to earn Valaine's trust. The fact that she was speaking to Rio about anything like this was a good thing. She kept her tone gentle, praising the girl for her cleverness.

"Infection?" Rio questioned. She had never thought of their state as an infection, but that made sense. A hand rested against her cheek as she thought quietly about the concept and nodded.

"Well, typically the process of the whole change is that the person to be changed is drained of nearly all their own blood, then hopefully by choice they're offered the Sangnir's." Rio already knew how things worked with Valaine; the more she listened, the more she figured this was a mistake of her own doing. She could vaguely remember — the girl was young, and it would have been a waste to end her life.

Rio sighed softly, "With what you've mentioned before — I'm assuming this change was forced on you." She chewed the inside of her mouth for a moment, trying to find the right words to cushion the information, but nothing came to mind.

"So once you've consumed the Sangnir's blood, it multiplies with whatever is left in you…" Rio winced slightly. She remembered the process; she hated that she was coherent for most of it — the pain being unbearable and causing her to pass out. She, like Valaine, was forced into this life. And there was a part of her that died knowing that she had done it to another.

"As for someone consuming your blood…" Rio changed the subject to something better… if one could call it that.

"The person consuming would feel an ounce of your strength, healing abilities, mmm… It's almost like a shot of adrenaline." Rio had done it a few times, though she knew it was addictive, and she hoped that Valaine had only done it a few times and not something she did over a span of time.

"I know you said not to ask, but I have to, some things happen when someone is given Sangnir blood over a long period of time, but it's nothing bad, it's more helpful than bad, so don't worry." Rio smiled, giving the girl a grin.

"What, how much, and why?"