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It's overcast, which means James doesn't have to be all "careful" while walking around outside, so he can in fact just walk around outside! It's nice to do that every now and then. And then there are a couple of packages he's expecting so he might enjoy this lovely unsunny day to visit the Post Office, why not.
James meets his mate
brilliant_smile
"Yes," he says, nodding slightly. "Someone else would have noticed it failing before, if it did fail."
poll-the-stars
"And there aren't people that get stuck in ludicrously unhealthy romances for all eternity? Or where their failure mode ends in both parties dying to overenthusiastic retribution from the law? And you're sure of this?"
brilliant_smile
"I am not sure of this. I know only about the cases I heard about. And over the past hundred and fifty years I have heard about many cases."
poll-the-stars
"... Okay." Snuggle. "I hope you'll forgive me if I'd rather try to be the sort of person that you'd at least be proud to be in love with. Not be inclined to regret. Regardless of anything else."
poll-the-stars
Snuggles are nice. She is glad she made this executive decision.
"So you're... a hundred and fifty? Or something?"
poll-the-stars
She does some quick math in her head.
"So you're a hundred and sixty-five, and you were turned, ah... in 1791? Are you American, were you there for when America ceased to be a set of British colonies?"
poll-the-stars
"... Huh. If I were a historian I'd probably have some kind of questions for you, but I am not." Snuggle. "What have you been doing with your hundred and change years of immortal life?"
brilliant_smile
Snuggle snuggle. "Mostly traveling. I visited... pretty much everywhere. I mentioned Antarctica, but I've been to every continent and saw many places—I swam down into a number of sea trenches, you would not believe how deep some of them go—I visited volcanoes, although those I prefer to stay a safer distance from..."
poll-the-stars
She smiles and hums a confirmation, a little bit charmed.
"Good. Do not jump into a volcano, James."
poll-the-stars
He has been a vampire for one hundred and thirty-nine years.
Eating people once every two to four weeks.
"Oh," she says.
poll-the-stars
For a little while, she doesn't, either.
"I don't want to eat people," she murmurs. "Even terrible ones. Because what if I'm wrong? What if even though they're terrible, their loss is a, a net negative for the world? I don't want to play judge and executioner, and I don't want to be forced to do it by my diet, either. I don't... want to be a thing that has to kill people to live."
brilliant_smile
"I—I can live on animals. I will only eat animals from now on, and, and if it works then, then you'll know?"
poll-the-stars
"Okay," she agrees. She sounds upset again. At least she has snuggles. "I'm sorry. I don't want to use the, the mind control to twist your arm to suit my whims."
brilliant_smile
"It's not the mind control. I want you to not be unhappy, and I care about your happiness more than about human blood."