"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?"

"Drinking from an animal once would have no adverse effects, and if one does drink enough to have adverse effects, returning to a consistent diet of human blood eventually reverses it; as long as elementals are as intelligent as humans I have no expectation that the adverse effects, if any, would be intolerable to wait out."

"They are," says Maurabel. "Although Penumbra's shy."

Penumbra hides behind an invisible wing. This is not very effective.

"Oh, is that why you're speaking for her?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry," says Penumbra.

"I don't mind."

"I assumed there was a reason."

"Could I maybe go in the guest wing and take a nap?" asks Penumbra.

"Certainly."

"...where is it?"