"...so like not very immortal the way elementals are."

"Oh. No. I wouldn't need to put as much effort into wards if I were very immortal. Elementals are truly immortal?"

"I think so."

"Convenient."

"Yeah. Why were people trying to kill you?"

"Because I was a vampire, because I was a 'witch,' because I was a threat to my half-siblings' inheritance..."

"People don't like vampires? Or - people with magic?"

"Most people these days don't understand that they're real. Most people a few centuries ago did, but knew very little that was accurate and quite a bit that was wrong and abhorrent."

"Gotcha. - What's your name?"

"Kanimir."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Do you happen to have a place we could crash at least until Penumbra can move us on?"

"Certainly. I have a guest wing."

"Wow."

"I house and feed people in exchange for their blood."

"Oh, I'd been assuming goats or something. I guess that works."

"Animal blood doesn't work very well."

"- doesn't work? Not, doesn't taste good -? Work at what function?"

"It keeps us alive, but it has--degenerative mental effects over time. From what I can tell the effect is roughly that drinking a creature's blood as a vampire pulls one closer to the creature in mind and body. With humans the effect is utterly negligible. With animals--well. The mind goes first."

"Eesh."

"Yes. I avoid it."

"Although now I'm sorta curious what an elemental's blood would do."

"Um," says Penumbra.

"You don't have to try it," Maurabel assures her.

"I would be interested in finding a willing donor to try it with but have no interest in breaking my habit of only drinking from meaningfully consenting persons."

"So it's definitely not risky to try it just once?"