[Devin is silent for a little while as he considers whether to tell Fai what happened. Thus far, he and Kratos are the only ones in Keeliai who know that Devin is a vampire hunter. Neither of them yet know why.
He looks away again. Perhaps Fai deserves to know above any other, so that he understands better why Devin has made the choices he has. Fai, the vampire, who he has chosen not to destroy.]
I starved myself, [he says, voice quiet and tight.] My particular species-- when we're starved we become animals. Brutal, violent, savage - enormously powerful and extremely difficult to stop for a short period of time. Then we find blood, or we die.
[Devin pauses, as if he's reconsidering explaining this. Most of the time, he's good at hiding his emotions, but this-- this he has little practice with. This is something he's told only a very small handful of people in the past century. The last person he told tried to cut his heart out.]
I was different, when I was a child: nearly as weak as humans. Slow. And I didn't understand, nor did I enjoy, treating humans like fodder. I didn't like... playing with my food. For this, my father beat me, and discovered I could scar. None of the rest of my species can. I was six. [Fai might notice that there are scars on his arms that are visible.] After that, half the time he beat me because he hated me, and half the time he just wanted to know how far he could go, and how much I could take. How long it took me to heal. I no longer remember what my back looks like unmarred. The rest of my family treated me like I was an abomination. When I was eleven, I decided I had had enough. [Now, Devin turns back, and his expression is not so much a smile as it is a bitter upward twist to his face.] So I let myself become a beast. And then I killed them.
cw: child abuse, murder
He looks away again. Perhaps Fai deserves to know above any other, so that he understands better why Devin has made the choices he has. Fai, the vampire, who he has chosen not to destroy.]
I starved myself, [he says, voice quiet and tight.] My particular species-- when we're starved we become animals. Brutal, violent, savage - enormously powerful and extremely difficult to stop for a short period of time. Then we find blood, or we die.
[Devin pauses, as if he's reconsidering explaining this. Most of the time, he's good at hiding his emotions, but this-- this he has little practice with. This is something he's told only a very small handful of people in the past century. The last person he told tried to cut his heart out.]
I was different, when I was a child: nearly as weak as humans. Slow. And I didn't understand, nor did I enjoy, treating humans like fodder. I didn't like... playing with my food. For this, my father beat me, and discovered I could scar. None of the rest of my species can. I was six. [Fai might notice that there are scars on his arms that are visible.] After that, half the time he beat me because he hated me, and half the time he just wanted to know how far he could go, and how much I could take. How long it took me to heal. I no longer remember what my back looks like unmarred. The rest of my family treated me like I was an abomination. When I was eleven, I decided I had had enough. [Now, Devin turns back, and his expression is not so much a smile as it is a bitter upward twist to his face.] So I let myself become a beast. And then I killed them.