Astro del Ciel (OPEN)

[lucrezia conti]

December 14, 2027

There was nothing that said that vampires couldn't put up festive decorations for the holiday season. Christmas lights weren't sunlight, and it was nice to see them illuminating Horizont Alley in the middle of the night. At least from Lucrezia's perspective, it kept the blood bank looking welcoming for donors and recipients alike, and it wasn't a bad idea to try to get more blood donors through the door during a time of year when many people were too busy with work and holiday plans to donate blood to the vampires and part-vampires of the magical world who didn't have other ethical options.

Having come across some decorations that she or one of her staff members had bought at some point, Lucrezia decided that she would decorate the inside of the blood bank where she could, too. She didn't want to go overboard and make it look completely tacky, but sticking a Santa Claus hat here and there wasn't going to hurt anyone.

Not going to the lengths of having Christmas music playing, though, Lucrezia glanced around the blood bank. Being that it was darker earlier in the day at that point, there had been a donor or two stopping in on the way home from work plus the usual vampire crowd.

OOC: OPEN!

[Deleted]

Mac was a regular at the Ripam De Sanguinem. As a healer focused on creature induced industries he was often studying blood and doing experiments on it with different kinds of creature venom. He was happy to be the one to pick up blood there for the hospital, but that didn't mean he always got paid for the experiments he did at home. Which was... a lot. As a bit of a workaholic, it wasn't abnormal to find him locked up in his study for hours on end.

He even worked on his birthday.

It was December 14th, his 27th birthday. He was hoping to go out for drinks with some friends tonight but no one had confirmed yet due to holiday planning, so he thought he may as well get some experimenting done while he was waiting to hear from them.

It was always easy to stop at the bank on the way home, so he stepped inside and looked around, smiling at the decor. "Wow," he said, nodding toward Lucrezia, the owner, "it looks stunning. The colors really go together."

lucrezia conti

[lucrezia conti]

December 14, 2027

One of the regulars at the blood bank, a Healer from St. Mungo's who typically picked up blood products on behalf of the hospital, was the next person to enter.

When she first became a vampire, there were a lot of things that Lucrezia had to learn about the magical world. One of those things was that magical people didn't have "doctors"; they had "Healers". The ways in which their roles differed depended heavily on the context, she discovered. Though Healers used Blood-Replenishing Potions on patients instead of giving them blood transfusions, for instance, they didn't seem to know quite as much as might have been expected when it came to how doctors performed their jobs. Obviously, though, the Healers at St. Mungo's saw patients who were full vampires or part-vampires, and those patients needed to get blood to consume, too.

The Healer, a young man whom Lucrezia knew as "Mac", smiled and immediately complimented her on how she had decorated for the upcoming holiday. "Wow," he told her. "It looks stunning. The colors really go together."

Lucrezia nodded her head, glad that Mac was appreciative of the effort that she had made. "Thank you very much," she responded. "What can I do for you tonight?"

@mac

[Deleted]

"I'm wondering if you have any A positive," he asked. It was the last blood type he needed to test out on his current project. He was happy to do the work, more than most people were.

He also was happy that vampires had a better relationship with Healers than the used to. Back in the day, healers always say the vampire gene as a poison and weren't entirely helpful or wanting to be helpful. The majority of the wizarding world had accepted them as full members of society now... though there were still some trouble makers who were not kind in any capacity. The healers, as far as Mac knew, had been the first to really get on board with vampires and werewolves and other wizards and muggles alike who's bodies were altered by different types of venom and magic.


lucrezia conti

[lucrezia conti]

December 14, 2027

"I'm wondering if you have any A positive," Mac replied to her question.

Lucrezia nodded her head to acknowledge that she was pretty sure that they had some blood of that type in. "Yes," she said. "I think so." It wasn't one of the rarer types, but that wasn't usually something that most vampires really cared about, anyway. As long as it was of good enough quality for them to consume, that was what mattered. Sure, some people could be picky about what they consumed, but there was no real basis for it other than being difficult. "One moment."

Since she couldn't just summon the blood Mac was seeking over to herself, the way someone who had been a witch might, Lucrezia motioned to Mac to wait and then went off to check their current supply. Sure enough, they had some A positive, and it was fresh.

Pausing, Lucrezia stepped back out into the main room. "How many units do you need?"

@mac

[Deleted]

"Yes, I think so," she said. He grinned at her, his classic, charming Mac grin. She told him one moment and he nodded. "Sure," he confirmed, looking around a little as he waited to see what he came back with. She stepped back into the main room for a moment - "How many units do you need?" she asked.

"Just a pint should do," he suggested. He didn't need much to do his experiments, he was pretty creative no matter what he had on him.

lucrezia conti

[lucrezia conti]

December 14, 2027

Mac answered her and said that he only needed a pint of the A positive blood that he had requested, which was perfectly doable from Lucrezia's perspective. He wasn't asking for much, and it wouldn't take long at all for the blood bank to replenish that supply. Besides, for all Lucrezia knew, the blood that he wanted was going straight to St. Mungo's. She had no reason to think otherwise.

Without hesitation, Lucrezia got Mac his fresh pint of A positive blood, all ready to go in its handy little bag. To her, it smelled wonderful; there was no denying that, but she had enough self-control not to sink her fangs straight into it. (Doing that would have been an excellent way to ruin her reputation, but the idea did occasionally cross her mind.)

"Here you are. One pint of A positive," Lucrezia confirmed verbally for the Healer, holding out the blood bag so that he could take it from her. "And that's all? No blood lollipops?" she checked again, just to make sure. It was the sort of behavior that got her in trouble with her daughter and granddaughter, but Lucrezia couldn't help being an older woman in a young woman's body.

@mac

[Deleted]

There was his blood, quick and efficient as always. He took the bag and pulled out the his wallet. "No," he chuckled, "I don't have use for that. I appreciate the offer though,"he smiled. His smile was generally considered charming, though possibly a little obnoxious since he always seemed to carry an inside joke fort just himself. He placed the money on the counter and turned back to get a look at the decor again while she gathered his change.

lucrezia conti

[lucrezia conti]

December 14, 2027

Mac declined her offer of some blood lollipops with a laugh. Without a doubt, they were an acquired taste, and Lucrezia assumed that she wouldn't have entertained the idea if she weren't a vampire. She had offered, though, which was all she could do. Besides, Mac was polite in his telling her that he didn't need any. A lot of people were more obviously put off by blood and vampirism, even some of the people who came in to donate their own blood to the bank.

"Alright," Lucrezia replied. She smiled slightly, her fangs visible. "Have a good night, Mac."

@mac

[Deleted]

She smiled, fangs and all, and offered him a good night. He gathered his bag and started to walk out. But then, he paused, turning back to face her. "It's my birthday," he blurted out. He cleared his throat, awkwardly, and took a step toward her again. "Got me thinking, any recommendations for party plans?"

He thought about asking when her birthday was, but he didn't know if that would be intrusive or like... incredibly creepy. Was it insensitive to ask a vampire how old they were? Still, it couldn't hurt to get a recommendation from her for tonight with his friends.

lucrezia conti

[lucrezia conti]

December 14, 2027

Before he left the blood bank, Mac suddenly shared with her that it was his birthday. Lucrezia, although slightly confused by his decision to mention his birthday at the last minute, didn't find it disconcerting. It was a bit out of the ordinary, but there was no reason for her to be suspicious of him. Every so often, people did stop by the blood bank on special occasions—as a way to "pay it forward" by donating blood, for instance.

What was more surprising was that he asked for her recommendations for party plans. Obviously, it was late enough that most businesses would be closed or getting ready to close up for the night, but Lucrezia wasn't sure that Mac meant that he was looking for something to do specifically on that same night.

"Happy birthday," she told Mac politely, though she had to think for a minute about how to answer his question. "For tonight, there are always nightclubs." That was probably an obvious suggestion, but the various clubs geared towards the magical community would be open late into the night, and they certainly would be lively. "Or maybe a restaurant?"

@mac

[Deleted]

She wished him a happy birthday, which was not a surprise. It was the polite thing to do. Then she suggested nightclubs and a restaurant, which both weren't bad ideas either. "Which club is your favorite?" he asked, taking the time to enjoy the conversation a moment longer. He had a lot of work to get done, but he knew it wasn't smart to just hole himself up in his office and not making contact with anyone -- especially on his birthday. No, it was better to try and make some sort of effort at being social, however small it was.

[lucrezia conti]

December 14, 2027

"Which club is your favorite?" Mac asked her.

Giving him a response to that question would have been far easier for Lucrezia if she had any interest in the same sort of nightlife as young people. She didn't spend her nights clubbing because her nights were similar to non-vampires' days. Other than hearing about the various establishments around, she had no substantial personal experience with them; her daughter was too old to care about nightclubs, and her granddaughter was too young.

From what she had heard, however, there were some good options around. "I have heard positive things about a place in Inverness called River Walks," she told Mac. That one seemed to be a hotspot. "Or Club Indigo here in London?"

@mac