"Ah— only the saying, you see." That is the sound of someone suddenly remembering important history.

Knowing what they're saying doesn't necessarily mean she understands the context behind the words. Which is inconvenient, but this is better than not understanding at all. Just going to... move right along, then.

"Hello," says Iovetra, to Daine. "Have some words now. In..." She doesn't know the language's name, funnily enough. "... This. Need small time to," and she waves her hand a little. "Think, before bite again."

"Thak most likely, but it's just about the same as Torran in Tortall, or Gallic in Galla. The Thanics got around and their tongue with them, and the Mithrans used it for their contracts, and now it's six hundred years later and we still talk half the same. You might sound fair odd in Tortall like I do here, but they would know what you're saying."

Snort.

"Think that most important. Will be some strange after. But I'm..." She motions vaguely to herself. "Fair odd already."

"Ha! Don't you learn from me or you'll be needing grammar lessons from Numair afore anyone'll listen to you true. All them fancy mages know Thak for the University, north peasant Gallic won't get far with the nobles 'less they've heard so many stories of you they'd not know you from the Goddess's own messenger. I needed King Jon to scry and confirm the first treaty I bargained on my own, and that after the rumors."

(She isn't not playing this up.)

"No promises for learning," says Iovetra, playfully. "Think I have different problem, though." She pokes a fang with a finger. Sharp. Terrifying. Glowing eyes. "But sound might change with - time, or bites. Could make do now, though, even if sound silly."

If the second volunteer wants to drop out of this. He can hear her, he's right there, and she looks at him expectantly. Still want to be bitten by a vampire, second volunteer?

He certainly seems to! (Zaimid is on hand and ready to heal immediately this time, having seen how the last bite went.)

She checks with him verbally, since she can do that now, but: since he's sure, okay. He gets the same efficient prep before the bite, to prevent pain and minimize all potential risks.

And then, if there aren't any second thoughts: chomp.

There are no second thoughts.

Carthak holds itself together only by threads. Anyone who is paying attention knows that. Ten years ago the droughts started. Seven years ago the old Emperor called up all the armies he could find, and half a year later mutterings started to spread in the east when four war barges never returned. Six years ago the Emperor fell, and the whispers got worse.

Kaddar has his loyalty. Kaddar has kept Carthak together, has turned near-open war with Tortall into a marriage alliance, has offered reforms he always wanted to make as compromises to keep the realm together. And Kaddar has convinced the Hag's Wrath — Daine, she says, and it's easy to forget when she's fixing how you tend to the horses, but she is still Veralidaine Sarrasri — to show her support of his rule. This progress could pull the empire together or leave it to collapse. Carthak will not survive another god venting her fury, and who knows what an angry Daine might do? It will not survive if Arram Draper, Numair Salmalín, whatever he wants to call himself decides he dislikes having been outlawed and condemned to death and wants to take just a bit of revenge on Carthak. It will not survive another drought year in the south if some god is angry and the Graveyard Hag doesn't stir herself for the empire which turned its back on her for near a decade.

If his blood can even faintly help the chances of Carthak getting through the next decade in one piece, this is a cheap price to pay.

Iovetra gets more than just language with this one - this is an obvious downside of filling in gaps in her knowledge, instead of just grabbing the bulk of the knowledge she wants and being done with it. She's trying to be fast, cursory, noninvasive, but, well. She is borrowing some knowledge; there really isn't a way to make it entirely noninvasive. Nothing complicated, nothing personal, just - some of what is motivating him to do this.

"Thank you," she says, pulling away and cleaning and putting pressure on the wound. Bandaging it seems a little silly, but there's no reason to let his blood go gushing out. "I think that should be everything I need to communicate properly, now." This is generally to everyone, but at least a little to the man whose blood is still on her lips, who is doing this so that his nation can better survive.

The wound is sealed within seconds. He's not in line to be the next royal healer of Carthak because he's bad at his job.

"A joy, milady. Worry not for payment; that you can speak with his Majesty is all the reward I need." Some of that phrasing seems put on, but some of it simply feels natural in this language; the oddity and impropriety of Daine's phrasings is quite clear to her newfound sense of grammar. It's not indecipherable, certainly, but it's clearly not right.

"I appreciate your sacrifice and courage all the same," she says, echoing the somewhat elegant phrasing. She looks at her other subject, still hanging around for probably-religious-reasons; she offers a grateful smile. "From both of you. Thank you."

She takes a deep breath, and stands from the position she'd been kneeling in. This second man's blood was - better, than the first, or at least more suited towards - this. Diplomacy, clear thinking, good judgement. It's a little odd; she's used to animal blood, and that lends itself better to speed, smell, and strength. There is some variance between animal types, but the difference between a human's blood and animal blood is. Vastly different, now that she can tell. If there is a time to go talk to an Emperor, this is probably it. She doesn't know when she's going to have anything like it again. It - makes some more sense now, why vampires prized their prey so much. Not complete sense, and it obviously still fills her with disgust, how humans were habitually treated, but - some.

"If his Majesty is free, then I'd rather not keep him waiting."

His Majesty is free! And quite happy to talk to her without needing to route through Daine.

"Milady Iovetra, Carthak would treat with you. How have you found our lands?"

"Very bright, but that's hardly anyone's fault but the one who banished my poor castle here," she says, in an effort to use humor to put everyone around her more at ease. She is a nice vampire, see! Please do not come at her with pitchforks and torches, that would go so poorly in so many ways. So, so many ways. "I hope my presence hasn't been too much of a disturbance? I expect to relocate my castle somewhere else that has a gentler climate to my complexion."

His thin lips bend up a little at that. "The only complaints I have received are those of the local animals, and I assure you the disruption to them has been well worthwhile. I do apologize for the lackinh hospitality you have thus far received — Carthak is known for the welcome we extend to guests, and you have been let down. What have your priorities been in considering location options?"

"No apologies for the local hospitality are necessary - I've been trying to avoid too much attention, castle in the middle of an open desert notwithstanding. I'd prefer somewhere chillier, and with more foliage - Daine was helping me pick out a place to move to, we think I'd probably be happiest in Tortall."

"If we must lose you to Tortall, so be it, though Carthak sorrows to have shown you such a face that you felt the need. I am told you come from a unique location with unique magic?"

"It's really not you or your country's fault that I combust in direct sunlight," she assures. "I am a vampire from a place called Vardoran, and I have vampiric magic and knowledge of alchemy besides. I cannot bestow vampirism or it's magic to others, I'm afraid." She could in theory make another living castle, but she's not really sure how it could be fed without a vampire to help channel it the appropriate energy, so. In practice, she's not doing that, and she's going to pretend she just can't. "But I would be more than happy to give seeds of some of my plants and explain medicinal and agricultural uses for the alchemy side of magic, which humans can do without any magic or Gift at all."

Which is to say: yes I will hand you (some of) the things you probably want to extract from me and my castle, so please do not attempt to break in for them. Also, she does genuinely want to share the medical uses of alchemy with humans for human flourishing reasons.

"You may have no way to bestow vampiric magic, but the University of Carthak is the best location in the world to study a new method and find useful possibilities."

"Unless they're still pretending those new methods are entirely legendary and all evidence should be disregarded!"

"Lindhall has convinced the University wild magic exists and we're already making progress, it's been five years! Thank Daine for me again! —Alchemical knowledge too would be appreciated, our arts are at present too skewed towards war and I would dearly prize methods to turn those alembics and purifiers to a more peaceful purpose. And on a personal level, I have a talent and a taste for growing things and far too little time to spare. I would love plants with interesting properties or histories, it would let me schedule an hour to tend them."

How to delicately and politely say she will figure out, and then give away secrets of vampirism over her cooling ashes...

"Vardoran has a fraught relationship with vampirism, and the man who figured out how to make them did it with lots of human experimentation, suffering, and sacrifice," she says, flatly. "I would not expect that it could be done without more of the same, even with a living vampire present to copy from. I am therefore exceedingly unlikely to assist in such an endeavor as I am herbology and alchemy." Apologetic smile. "But I do think that the specimens in my garden to be exceedingly useful for improving the health and welfare of many lives."

He appears momentarily confused. "The University knows better than to attempt to recreate the form of immortals. Such endeavors never end well, as my late uncle so cleanly illustrated. We simply find there is always something to learn in a new manifestation of magic. However, if you believe yours too much a risk to even consider, I shall trust in your understanding. What of your alchemical knowledge are you willing to share?"

"I have recipes for fertilizer, anesthetic, disinfectant, healing potions, and a few things for disease and parasite prevention," she says, ticking off her fingers, and clearly much happier with this topic. "The last two are both for humans and for crops, though not knowing everything that ails humans and their agriculture in this world, I could not be certain it would handle all possible ailments without research, but a lot of the principles of strengthening the natural defense system would still in my estimation be quite helpful. There are potentially other applications, but without fully understanding the native magic available, those are the obvious places where the benefits could be great."