Blood is thicker than bullets.

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[alvamavris]

“The manipulation of energy or substance beyond their natural course. Generally outside the scope of scientific explanation? I don’t exactly know the details as I am unable to do so myself.” He was not graced with any magic abilities but he knew people who were and had been on the receiving end of their magic.

But by the youth’s reaction, it was probably a safe bet that he had at least some knowledge of magic which might lead to an explanation of why he was able to come away from the crash relatively unharmed.

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor was taken aback by the man's confidence and knowledge. He wouldn't have been able to define magic himself, but that seemed like a pretty accurate description of it... as far as he knew, anyways. Whoever this stranger was, he was onto something, and that either made them a potential ally or a dangerous enemy. Either way, Vicktor couldn't afford to loose him just yet.

"...Let's go somewhere where we can talk more comfortably," Said the bloodmancer, looking around their environment before nodding towards the opposite end of the alley. "I don't know about you, but filthy backstreet doesn't sound like the ideal place for a pleasant conversation. And I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

He smiled, trying to seem friendlier, more welcoming than he had before. "My name's Vicktor, by the way. Nice to meet you, although I wish it were under better circumstances."

[doctorsinclair-deactivated20140]

"Hey, Ernie. I haven't heard from you in a long time. I've been missing you man, what's up?"

"Oh, hello Vicktor.  Quite too much, to be honest.  Goodwill still hasn’t offered me a real job, and the shelter’s downsizing.  Doesn’t help that I don’t get unemployment unless I spend a regulated amount of time job-hunting.  I haven’t been getting nearly enough sleep.  What’s up with you?"

[thebloodmancer]

"I’m sorry to hear things haven’t been going your way lately, but come on man, you gotta stay positive! I mean, you can’t get all the glory without going through some rough patches, right?"

[doctorsinclair-deactivated20140]

Ernie rolled his eyes.  Naivete was unbecoming on a man of Vicktor’s age.

"I certainly hope you don’t think I’m ever going to have a remotely prestigious job again.  There’s such a thing as vetting, you know.  Speaking of which, I’ve considered veterinary medicine, but the trouble with that is I’d still have to go back to school, and I don’t see a forty-year-old man getting a scholarship any time soon.  And they tend to ask things like ‘have you ever been convinced of a felony’ when you apply.  Or, at least, they did when I was your age."

He sighed, and waved dismissively at his own problems.

"But, enough about me.  How are things with you?  Better, I hope?"

[thebloodmancer]

"Surely, there must be some jobs out there for someone with medical experience like yourself, even if they're no longer practicing." The teenager refused to believe Ernie had been permanently prohibited from practicing medicine. Specially not because the ridiculous accusations he had been burdened with.

"Heh, life's been..." He looked away from Ernie, absentmindedly scratching his arm as he spoke. "It's been pretty hectic, actually. School's been weird, and some weird people have been dropping by the library. But hey, I guess I should be thankful, right? Got education and a job. That's about as much as I can ask for."

[doctorsinclair-deactivated20140]

"Hey, Ernie. I haven't heard from you in a long time. I've been missing you man, what's up?"

"Oh, hello Vicktor.  Quite too much, to be honest.  Goodwill still hasn’t offered me a real job, and the shelter’s downsizing.  Doesn’t help that I don’t get unemployment unless I spend a regulated amount of time job-hunting.  I haven’t been getting nearly enough sleep.  What’s up with you?"

[thebloodmancer]

"I’m sorry to hear things haven’t been going your way lately, but come on man, you gotta stay positive! I mean, you can’t get all the glory without going through some rough patches, right?"

[inboxideas]

My character has just killed yours for something yours didn't do. Send "regret" for my character's reaction to learning yours was innocent.

[thebloodmancer]

Natural Flow ((thebloodmancer || little-marbles))

[thebloodmancer]

"Who wouldn’t?" Muttered Vicktor, more to himself than to Marbles as he absentmindedly looked around the room, contemplating the exhibits. "Eternal remembrance, right? I think most people would be pretty okay with being admired forever, even if your greatest achievement was to have a well preserved body…"

He didn’t realize how blunt that was until he had already said it, and immediately regretted it. Trying to change the subject, he instead focused on the exhibits she was pointing out, hoping she hadn’t heard his muttering.

"Well, I guess it’s just a way to deal with it, you know? Death is hard to understand. Giving it a humanoid form brings it closer to home…" As he said this, he looked the sculpture up and down, and couldn’t help but to feel slightly nervous "… I’m not sure why, tho. It’s kind of creepy, don’t you think?"

[artful-deception]

She stares up at Anubis, the dark colour of the stone and the impressive stature. Something about it spoke to her. “I don’t know… I kinda like ‘em. I think death should be creepy but I also feel like if he was real he’d take care of me as long as I wasn’t a shit.” 

She looks over at Vicktor and smiles, “I wonder what they’d think now if they found out their great fight for immortality was this. I wonder if they’ll even have museums in another hundred years or will society have crumbled and gone back to nature. Mankind just a sad memory.” She sighs and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I’m getting morbid again. Maybe we should move on to something else?” 

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor cast a somewhat curious side-glance towards Marbles. Death taking care of her was an... interesting way to see things. One he wasn't quite sure he understood.

"I've never really pictured death as an actual person, you know?" He crossed his arms over his chest "It always sounded a bit too good for me, that whenever you died, you would get your own personal guide into... I don't know, 'the world of the not-living' or whatever it's called now."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but to feel somewhat uncomfortable. They were here to have fun looking at old pictures and statues, how had the conversation turned so dark all of the sudden?

"Er, sorry, I guess I am, too. I actually saw a roman history exhibit on our way here, and I was hoping we could go check it out once we were done. Do you mind?"

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[thebloodmancer]

Well, shit. Vicktor stammered, finding himself at a loss for words as his brain rushed to find some sort of excuse. Fuck, why did this man have to be so inquisitive? Couldn’t he just give up and go get checked out by the paramedics? The mage started looking around nervously, trying to avoid the old man’s stare as he looked for a way out.

"Y-yeah, I don’t know about that," Came his response, not seeming terribly confident. Vicktor realized that and tried to correct it as he spoke: "Look dude, there’s just some things I can’t explain. I got lucky, let’s be happy with that, alright?"

And without saying anything else, he proceeded to turn around and started walking towards the opposite end of the alley, hoping the man wouldn’t follow.

[alvamavris]

“Sir, unless you are magically capable of healing yourself, I really must insist,” Alva called after him. He was not familiar with the magic of this world, but it could be perhaps this young man was capable of such a feat. He was no mage himself but he was more than familiar with magic. It could also suggest why the youth did not want wait for the paramedics.

And to be completely honest - if that were the case - Alva would have no qualms about leaving and continuing his day as planned. He, too, did not feel like being questioned on the accident. 

[thebloodmancer]

Those words struck a nerve inside of Vicktor. For a moment, he stopped and thought: Was the man just taking a shot in the dark? Or was he seriously contemplating the possibility of him having supernatural powers? If the later was true, then there was a great chance Alva knew more than he appeared to. And if that was the case...

"What do you mean by magic?" Said the young man, turning around and shooting Alva an inquisitive look.

[thebloodmancer]

Natural Flow ((thebloodmancer || little-marbles))

[artful-deception]

Her eyes roam over every bit of the exhibits reading bits and pieces and then moving on to the next. Everything is just so old it blows her mind. “I think I’d be happy for my remains to end up in a museum. At least then I’d be remembered in some capacity.” All her family was gone and she wasn’t the likely to ever be stable enough to have children of her own. Collecting dust in a museum was probably her best bet. 

"I wish there was a way to really go back to that time and see what it was really like, ya know? To actually feel the heat on your skin and just watch as they made these huge monuments." She sighs at the thought, stuck in front of one sculpture of Anubis. "It amazes me too how every culture makes up their own version of god and death. We’re all so terrified of it." 

[thebloodmancer]

"Who wouldn't?" Muttered Vicktor, more to himself than to Marbles as he absentmindedly looked around the room, contemplating the exhibits. "Eternal remembrance, right? I think most people would be pretty okay with being admired forever, even if your greatest achievement was to have a well preserved body..."

He didn't realize how blunt that was until he had already said it, and immediately regretted it. Trying to change the subject, he instead focused on the exhibits she was pointing out, hoping she hadn't heard his muttering.

"Well, I guess it's just a way to deal with it, you know? Death is hard to understand. Giving it a humanoid form brings it closer to home..." As he said this, he looked the sculpture up and down, and couldn't help but to feel slightly nervous "... I'm not sure why, tho. It's kind of creepy, don't you think?"

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[alvamavris]

The younger man did seem all right. “But what of all that blood? Surely it must have come from somewhere.” Something didn’t add up. If he was really as okay as he said there should not have been that much blood. He didn’t understand how there could not be a large, profusely bleeding wound. Unless he had someway of healing himself, Alva was at a loss to explain what was going on.

[thebloodmancer]

Well, shit. Vicktor stammered, finding himself at a loss for words as his brain rushed to find some sort of excuse. Fuck, why did this man have to be so inquisitive? Couldn't he just give up and go get checked out by the paramedics? The mage started looking around nervously, trying to avoid the old man's stare as he looked for a way out.

"Y-yeah, I don't know about that," Came his response, not seeming terribly confident. Vicktor realized that and tried to correct it as he spoke: "Look dude, there's just some things I can't explain. I got lucky, let's be happy with that, alright?"

And without saying anything else, he proceeded to turn around and started walking towards the opposite end of the alley, hoping the man wouldn't follow.

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor let out a relieved sigh, nodding towards the man, grabbing Alva’s arm and muttering a quick “Come with me” before he started walking down the street. He could now notice several people turning away from the crash and looking towards them, pointing and muttering things he couldn’t hear to the people besides them.

Realizing he had to break line of sight with the crowd before someone actually decided to go after them, Vicktor turned at an alley not too far down the street, taking of his jacket and quickly locating a dumpster where he could throw it away. Shame: He really liked that one, but he knew for a fact he wasn’t going to wash the blood out of it.

"Sorry about that," Said Vicktor, looking around to make sure no-one had followed them. "I just… Uh… I was a bit nervous. Are you alright?"

[alvamavris]

Alva let himself be pulled along down the street. He was a bit unsure of where they were going when they ducked into the alley, but it seemed the other indeed just wanted a private place to talk.

“A little shaken but no worse for the wear. But you sir, you took the brunt of the hit. Are you quite sure you are all right? People don’t often run from the scene of an accident when injured.”

[thebloodmancer]

"I don't feel to injured..." Said Vicktor, stretching his arms and testing to make sure he was, indeed, alright. His neck felt a bit stiff, and he scrapped his arm during the fall, but seemed otherwise unhurt. He was glad he had seen the car coming: Hadn't he summoned his powers, he wasn't sure what would've happened...

"I'm not sure what happened. I think I just got lucky. I'm just going to take my victory and walk away, I'd really rather not get interrogated by the paramedics."

The young man made no attempt at rationalizing his survival: doing so would have been futile, and trying to come up with some unfeasible excuse would've made him seem even more suspicious. It was probably better to pretend he was as clueless as the old man in front of him.

[thebloodmancer]

Natural Flow ((thebloodmancer || little-marbles))

[thebloodmancer]

The cashier handed him a couple of tickets and his change, which he stuffed in his pockets as he walked towards Marbles, to whom he handed one of the tickets. “We’re gonna have to cash these in near the entrance. Keep yours in case wee need them later

"I think they had an Egyptian exhibit a while ago. It’s probably gone by now, but chances are they still have some pieces out. Let’s go check them out!" He said, opening the door for Marble’s, waiting for her to step inside before eagerly following behind. 

[artful-deception]

Her face falls when he says it’s possible the Egyptian exhibit is gone but then there’s still hope so she’s willing to go for it. Eagerly rushing through the door her eyes scan the signs on the walls. “Oh! Egyptian stuff this way.” 

In her fervor she grabs Vicktor by the hand and pulls him towards where the signs says to go. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I like the really old stuff. It blows my mind this person was alive a thousand years ago and now they’re in a museum. They had no idea this would happen to them.” 

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor happily complied, quietly following Marbles as she dragged him towards the Egyptian exhibit. He had never been too into Egyptian culture (perhaps the inner hipster in himself not allowing him to be interested in anything everyone else liked), but he didn't mind browsing the section with Marbles. After all, visiting the museum had only been an excuse to see her again.

"I guess you could say that about any other exhibit," Said Vicktor, glancing around towards the displays as they passed them. "I mean, unless they were from a fairly recent time, I don't think anyone could've imagined they would be in a museum. Then again, even now, we don't think about the fact our stuff will end up in exhibits like these ones sooner or later, do we?"

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[alvamavris]

Even if the man had come out of that crash as okay as he insisted, Alva wanted to stay with him until he could convince him to be checked out by some sort of medical professional. And if he couldn’t, he’d stay until he was sure the other wasn’t critically injured.

It was unnerving to see all of that blood. Alva was glad he was still holding it together as he had he hard enough time even dealing with small cuts and scrapes. 

“Alright,” Alva conceded, seeing as the younger man would not come back to the accident site. This way he could keep an eye on him.

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor let out a relieved sigh, nodding towards the man, grabbing Alva's arm and muttering a quick "Come with me" before he started walking down the street. He could now notice several people turning away from the crash and looking towards them, pointing and muttering things he couldn't hear to the people besides them.

Realizing he had to break line of sight with the crowd before someone actually decided to go after them, Vicktor turned at an alley not too far down the street, taking of his jacket and quickly locating a dumpster where he could throw it away. Shame: He really liked that one, but he knew for a fact he wasn't going to wash the blood out of it.

"Sorry about that," Said Vicktor, looking around to make sure no-one had followed them. "I just... Uh... I was a bit nervous. Are you alright?"

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[alvamavris]

Beyond the lingering ache from the jarring impact, Alva had been lucky. He managed to take the brunt of the fall on his good side with his coat taking most of the damage from asphalt rather than his skin. The adrenaline still running through his system helped but he was starting to feel his knee and running after this young man was not helping in the slightest. He would probably bruise and definitely feel the fall tomorrow. Everything always hurt worse the day after. 

“Sir, I can’t just let you run off, or whatever you want to call this stumbling pace,” Alva said, irritation seeping into his words. He grabbed the less blood-covered arm with his free arm, attempting to stop the younger man.

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor sighed in resignation. There was no point: The man clearly wasn't letting up, and wrestling him right on the middle of the street would only bring more unwanted attention their way. Still, he couldn't just stay there - if the doctors found him, they would be pretty curious as to how he withstood a car collision without any major damage. No, he would have to drag the old man away with him, to somewhere concealed and safe.

"Alright, alright, I'll do whatever you say," He replied to the old man in hushed tones, already keenly aware of the people looking their way, his bloodied hoodie no doubt raising some suspicions "Let's just go somewhere more private, okay? I can't stay here."

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[alvamavris]

Alva stood there for a second as the man pulled away from him and began making his way through the crowd. Someone should wait here for when the police came, but Alva could not in good conscience leave the other to walk around alone. He seemed to be having some difficulties and with the amount of blood he was covered in, it didn’t surprise Alva in the least. He followed after him, quite easily actually since he was moving slow and was easy to spot with all the blood.

It didn’t take long to catch up with him “Sir, please wait.”

[thebloodmancer]

The old man moved surprisingly quick for someone with a cane - then again, he thought, he mustn't have been exactly the speed racer, what with the crippling disorientation that barely allowed him to walk. Still, he was hoping his companion would at least be wise enough to let him to his own devices. The rest of the crowd seemed to be ignoring in favor of asking the driver what had happened. Now he just had to get rid of him.

"I can't," He said, still walking straight ahead, not even bothering to look at the man "I gotta leave before people start asking questions. And you should do too. You're probably hurt, stay here. Paramedics should arrive soon."

[thebloodmancer]

Natural Flow ((thebloodmancer || little-marbles))

[artful-deception]

She doesn’t push it, not wanting to make things awkward by pushing something that wasn’t life or death. As long as he knew he wasn’t obligated that satisfied her and she didn’t push. 

"It’s a good idea though." She says with a smile standing beside him as he pays. "I hope they have Egyptian stuff. I love that stuff." 

[thebloodmancer]

The cashier handed him a couple of tickets and his change, which he stuffed in his pockets as he walked towards Marbles, to whom he handed one of the tickets. "We're gonna have to cash these in near the entrance. Keep yours in case wee need them later

"I think they had an Egyptian exhibit a while ago. It's probably gone by now, but chances are they still have some pieces out. Let's go check them out!" He said, opening the door for Marble's, waiting for her to step inside before eagerly following behind. 

[thebloodmancer]

Natural Flow ((thebloodmancer || little-marbles))

[artful-deception]

She walks with him listening to him talk. His face lights up as he speaks and she finds that endearing. As they approach the ticket counter she digs into her pocket for the cash she’d stuffed away, but then he offers to pay and she’s not sure what to do. She doesn’t want to offend him by refusing the offer but it feels wrong to demand fair payment for what was meant as a gesture of gratitude. 

"You don’t owe me. That tea was a thank you. You saved my neck, remember?" She smiles to soften the statement, not sure how he’ll take it.  

[thebloodmancer]

He smiled at her, placing a couple of bills on the counter and nodding towards the cashier and ignoring Marble's objections. The entrances were pretty cheap, anyways. History museums weren't exactly overflowing with costumers nowdays. "Oh, don't start with that. Helping you was my privilege. Besides, I'm sure you would have been fine without my help."

In reality, he didn't even want to think about what would've happened hadn't he stepped in, but it was true no one had asked him to help and, had he been given some more time to think about it, he probably would have chosen not to - but of course, she didn't need to know that.

"Besides, this was my idea, right? I'll let you handle the bill next time."

[thebloodmancer]

Accidents ((thebloodmancer || alvamavris))

[alvamavris]

There was so much blood. It was everywhere, on the other and around him. Alva paled at the sight but pushed through, settling into a more clinical mindset so that he could assess just what was going on. There seemed to be no immediate source, or if there was, not for the amount of blood currently covering the other.

After the initial shock of witnessing an accident, chaos started to break out among the bystanders. Some moved towards them, others watched, and a few pulled out phones to dial emergency services.

The other had said he was all right, but with that much blood, it seemed unlikely. Seeing the other stumble to standing, Alva clambered up after him. Alva moved to steady him as he seemed uncertain on his feet but stopped just short of touching him – or the blood. “Wait, sir. You should probably wait for the paramedics. You’re bleeding quite a lot.”

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor hadn't realized the man was standing next to him until he spoke, and it took him a moment to make out his words. He simply shook his head: He wasn't thinking straight, still shaken up by the crash and unable to put his thoughts in order. "No, not now," He mumbled, more to himself than to the man in front of him "I need to get out of here."

And, without adding another word, Vicktor stared moving, stumbling through the crowd which actively seemed to avoid the blood covered man. Moving felt slow and tiring to him, like he was trying to walk through water - yeah, something was definitely wrong with him, but he would have time to figure it out later. Right now, he had to take advantage of the crowd's confusion and get away as quickly as possible.

[thebloodmancer]

Natural Flow ((thebloodmancer || little-marbles))

[thebloodmancer]

Vicktor had been so delighted, enjoying himself under the sun, that he hadn’t even noticed Marbles approaching until she was already right next to him. He looked up at her, smiling, before stretching his muscles and standing up to greet her.

"Giving everyone else a fantastic day just so that it can make us feel slightly dumber. Destiny is truly a bitch." He shook his head "I still don’t feel like changing plans, tho. How about you? Are you looking forward to  spending a day browsing some really old, dusty stuff with me?"

[artful-deception]

"I won’t be seduced by flimsy weather. I love old, dusty stuff." She says with enthusiasm. Remembering the past was important to her. Most of the things she loved were only in the past now. Not to mention history and literature painted grand pictures that were easy to cling to when living in a hell. 

"Will you be able to explain any of it to me?" 

[thebloodmancer]

"Now, that's the spirit" Said Vicktor, patting Marble's in the back as he started walking alongside her as they moved towards the museum's doors. "I really like museums, freakish as that may sound. I'm somewhat of a history buff, and museums are a sort of window towards the past. Or maybe they just make me feel smart."

He stopped in front of the ticket booth, asking the cashier for two tickets and reaching inside his coat for his wallet. "Entrances are on me. You owe me that much after paying for my tea the other day."

He didn't think Marbles would simply let him pay for her like that, but he had to at least try. He didn't like feeling like he was in debt with someone.