ota 👏

[pixiesweat]

It was a regular day for Manuel. In other words, he had nowhere to be, nothing to do, and no motivation to do anything other than wander around aimlessly.

The anniversary of his sister’s death had come and gone. The emotional turmoil had faded away, but he felt curiously flat, like it had taken the rest of his emotions with it.

He’d had a quick breakfast before he left his flat, but hadn’t even thought about eating anything since then. He didn’t know how long it had been. He wasn’t keeping track of time. He barely felt hungry, and more importantly, he didn’t care.

He walked around, considered stealing something from a convenience store he passed, just because he could, but there wasn’t anything appealing enough to be stolen even for no reason. Eventually he came to a bench, sat, and watched traffic passing by until it was making him feel irritable instead of just empty.

He stood, and that was when the lack of food finally caught up with him. The sudden change in position made his head swim, and he staggered just enough to put himself in the path of someone who’d been about to walk by.

“Sorry,” he said, once his head had cleared enough for him to realise what had happened.

Comments

[hardertohide]

"Sweet deal," Dutch remarked.

[pixiesweat]

"It's harder for me to get drunk," he added, wondering if that might change her perception of how sweet the deal was.

[hardertohide]

Dutch frowned slightly, then admitted, "I can't tell if that's a pro or a con."

[pixiesweat]

"It can be either. It depends on the situation," Manuel said.

[hardertohide]

"Yeah, exactly," Dutch agreed.

[pixiesweat]

"I don't really get hangovers either," he said. That one was definitely a plus.

[hardertohide]

"Now that's definitely in the pro column," Dutch remarked. She'd had more than her fair share of those lately.

[pixiesweat]

"I'm nocturnal," he added, wondering what she would make of that.

[hardertohide]

"What, like a vampire?" she asked with a surprised frown. She'd never heard of nocturnal fairies.

[pixiesweat]

"Uh," he said. "Don't vampires like... die when the sun comes up?"

[hardertohide]

"They burn up in direct sunlight," Dutch stated, figuring that was what he meant. "So yeah, they have to be nocturnal."

[pixiesweat]

"I meant like... don't they die instead of sleeping? But I'm not like that." In terms of dying or burning up in the sunlight.

[hardertohide]

"What are you like?" Dutch shot back, rather predictably.

[pixiesweat]

"I just sleep like a human," he said. "But in the daytime."

[hardertohide]

"And you don't give a shit about vitamin D, I'm guessing," Dutch supplied.

[pixiesweat]

"No," he confirmed. Vitamin deficiencies were another thing he didn't have to worry about much.

[hardertohide]

"Are you... adapted to night life?" Dutch asked, thinking of nocturnal animals and the many ways they had adapted to life in obscurity.

[pixiesweat]

"I can see good in the dark," he said, figuring that was the kind of thing she meant.

[hardertohide]

It definitely was. "Is that it?"

[pixiesweat]

"I don't mind the cold?" he said, unsure what else to add.

[hardertohide]

"Is there a - community - of changelings?" Dutch asked. She was as curious about supernatural society as she was about supernatural creatures, yes.

[pixiesweat]

"Kind of," he said. "There are some parts of the city where a lot of changelings live," they tended to be the more unsavoury parts, he didn't add, "and sometimes changelings who know each other stick together, but some don't have contact with other faeries at all."

[hardertohide]

"What about you?" she asked curiously.

[pixiesweat]

He hesitated for just a moment. "I know a few purebloods who live in the city, but I haven't seen another changeling in ages."

[hardertohide]

"Do you make a point to avoid them?" Dutch asked. If he knew where they lived and didn't seek them out, he might have a good reason, and she wanted to know it.