[It's not that she doesn't believe Ozpin, even though he was clearly trying to resist telling the entire truth, but she still wants to check in on Ford and make sure he's fine. Besides, she needs to warn him about the dangers of letting vampires drink from him. She assumes he has little to no experience with them, and simply doesn't realize what could happen.
She sounds worried and downright stressed when she reaches out.]
Hey... You're okay, right? You're not. You know. Dead or dying or a vampire or anything.
[Because this is a totally normal thing to ask and absolutely does not sound like it's coming out of nowhere.]
[ To have someone make sure he's not dead or dying is a normal thing to be asked when you're Ford Pines. The only puzzling part is that he's not immediately sure what prompted the question, as things have been fairly uneventful as of late.
To have someone ask if he's a vampire is entirely different, and feels entirely too pointed. There's a startled silence from Ford's end before he finally finds his words again. ]
I'm fine, Willow. Where is this coming from, exactly...?
[Willow sighs audibly with relief. She's still is expecting an awkward and difficult conversation, but at least Ford is okay, and she can take from that too that Ozpin is not as far gone as she was afraid he might be.]
Good - I'm glad. Um. I was talking to Ozpin. The - the blood drinking thing. Your name came up. I got a little worried.
[She got a lot worried and it shows easily in her tone, but it's fine. She takes a deep breath.]
You should be a little extra careful - vampires are common in my world. They're really, really dangerous.
[Huh? It's Willow's turn to be puzzled. She's not sure what could possibly be more dangerous about Ozpin than being a vampire. It's probably not the important thing to focus on right now, though.]
You say that now... Look, just be careful, okay? There was a - a good vampire at home that went bad, and uh, he started targeting the people who were closest to the one person he loved most. I'm not saying Ozpin's going to do the same, but he's drinking blood - that's going to lead nowhere good real fast.
I think you should be more worried about Oscar or Qrow's friends, in that case.
[ Well, at least she's not pressing him about the actual blood drinking incident. Now that the awkwardness has largely passed, he feels comfortable and confident enough to focus on actually reassuring Willow - she did check up on him, after all. ]
There's a connection between Vilebloods and vampirism in Trench, so I doubt he's the type of vampire from your dimension.
[ .... Wait, that makes it sound like-- ]
But I'm not interested in seeing him again. So don't worry.
[Willow respects Ford's space enough not to push - not on the blood drinking, not on his relationship with Ozpin. Besides, if there's a connection between Vilebloods and vampirism here in Trench... that's far more valuable information right now than focusing on the details Ford doesn't want to talk about anyway, and her focus is on keeping everyone safe, and trying to help Oz.]
I know you don't want to see him, and normally, I wouldn't even bother you with this, but... Ford, if things go bad - really bad - he might not feel the same way, that's why I wanted to warn you.
Vampirism here might not be the same as at home - and anything you've got on that would help us out a lot. There's some similarities, though. I can bring a friend over to cast a spell to ban him from coming in uninvited, if you want. That should help some.
[ Right. Willow is worried. It makes sense. He knows what paranoia is like, knows how and why someone might look for threats even from people they'd normally trust.
Which is why there's another pause from Ford once Willow has made her most recent offer - and more importantly, her most recent request for information. Because he gets where she's coming from - gets it better than most people would. And that's the thing, really. He gets it well enough that he's suddenly not sure Ozpin is the only one she'll see as a threat. ]
Willow...
[ There's a new edge to his voice, something restrained, reserved, a little closed off. He doesn't sound angry or annoyed or even properly cold, but there's a guarded quality to his tone when he continues. ]
[There's another puzzled pause. What difference does it make that Mabel's a Vileblood? Is she a vampire too?]
Well, no. I didn't, but I'm not sure that matters? The spell I'm talking about just keeps a specific vampire from coming in until you invite them.
[This conversation has suddenly taken on an unexpected and worrying twist.]
Ford, I hope you don't think I'm, I don't know, discriminating against Vilebloods or something. I mean, I do sleep in the same room with one every night.
[ Oh no... is Ford going to ruin Willow's relationship with her partner with this information...?
Probably not, actually, and it's something she should know anyway. ]
Willow, I haven't found a single piece of vampire lore originating in Trench that doesn't connect to Vilebloods in some way.
[ For some reason it's been a subject of significant interest to him lately. ]
Plenty of things I've found suggest that Vilebloods are vampires - or close enough that the difference doesn't matter.
I understand that you're worried and I appreciate that you want to help, but I'm not going to risk any spell that has a chance of hurting Mabel, no matter how small that chance is.
[No, this is fine, and actually very important. Willow has been focused on trying to find solutions for her own issues in Trench, and not so much researching the broader aspects of the town.]
Hold on, hold on. But not all Vilebloods are biting people, and drinking their blood. So this can't be an all the time thing, so maybe there's a way to fix this.
[Being able to bounce ideas off Ford like this is better and much more grounding. He has obviously been looking deeply enough into vampires in Trench to be able to help her reconcile her Sunnydale knowledge with local lore. Before she gets too deep into it, though, it feels important to offer a reassurance.]
I don't want to hurt Mabel either, or anyone else, for that matter.
[ Her reassurance is... well, reassuring, and it does a lot to take the edge off of his mood and tone. ]
I know you don't, Willow - but I know better than most people how easily mistakes can happen.
[ And after the number of time his own mistakes have threatened his family he's not willing to gamble on someone else's mistakes. ]
Regardless, it may not be a matter of 'not all Vilebloods drink blood' so much as a matter of 'not all Vilebloods drink blood yet'. There's a remarkable amount of consistency between the skills and behaviors of certain blood types: Palebloods and telepathy, Darkbloods and influencing reality, Coldbloods and their associations with fire and ice. There's no reason to assume that there are any Vilebloods that won't eventually develop vampiric tendencies.
I don't think it's something that can be 'fixed', short of finding a way to change someone's blood type entirely.
[There's an audible sigh of relief when Ford acknowledges he knows she doesn't want anyone hurt.]
Thank you.
[The idea of all Vilebloods naturally trending towards vampirism is concerning, but her focus is still solution oriented.]
Okay. So maybe it's not about fixing it, but maybe... I don't know. Managing it? Like me having to learn how not be reactive to every single emotion around me, or Ruby figuring out how not to randomly turn into a block of ice?
[ Aha, he thinks he knows what this is about now. Ford (tells himself that he) doesn't really care about what's up with Ozpin, but Willow is a compassionate young woman and he sees a lot of his own tendencies in her. His tone takes on a gentler note as he continues. ]
I'm sure any Vileblood that wants to can manage it, but it isn't something you can manage for them. Not anymore than you can stop Ruby from leaving ice cubes everywhere she goes, or I can stop Dipper from getting prophetic visions.
[ Willow's joke is a relief, and prompts Ford to add: ]
We barely even need the freezer anymore with Stanley around.
[ But, back to the actually serious matter at hand. Helping Ozpin is something Ford doesn't really care about (he continues to tell himself, despite the evidence to the contrary) but Willow? Willow he wants to do right by, and so the decision is easy. ]
I'll send you the notes I have so far. They aren't much, but hopefully it can get you started.
[ The next question is a little bit of a surprise, but he sees no reason to say no, and thus: ]
[Ford gets a breath of laughter for the joke before she moves on.]
Thanks. That should help a lot - at least give us a starting point. And I'll share anything we should find with you, of course. In case you need it some day too.
[Ford is probably the only person in Trench who has seen Willow both at her absolute best and her very worst, which makes it far easier to trust his opinion on this. She takes a deep breath. Best to give him the whole story, probably.]
Vampires are demons in my world. So, basically they can turn people, and take over their body, and their memories, but the person that was there before is just... gone. They don't always - I mean, a lot of the time, they just kill, and it's a pretty common thing.
Anyway. There's also a Slayer - she's got mystical powers specifically for fighting supernatural evil. Back home, she's one of my best friends - I've been helping her for years, which is how I got into magic in the first place. Actually, the first spell I ever did was to put the soul back in that vampire I told you about earlier. It was the people close to my friend he was going after.
So, when I found out about Ozpin, all the instincts from home kicked in, and I did what I thought I had to to protect everyone. He's been lying, he's been drinking from Sleepers, he's even been staring at some of the other people who live with us - that's maybe going down a path to some really bad places really fast. I told him to stay away until we could get things figured out, and got Tara to cast that spell I told you about to keep him from coming back in uninvited.
Away from it a little bit, I'm kind of starting to think maybe I overreacted a little. I'd kind of like the opinion of someone I know I can trust, who isn't... you know. Quite so close to it all.
[ A lot of this is concerning news, of course, but not so concerning that Ford isn't taking careful, extensive notes about everything Willow tells him. Vampires are one of those things he's realized are a sort of multiversal constant. Nearly every civilization he's come across has some sort of vampire-like creature. Cataloguing the differences is always interesting, particularly when the true mechanics are different from what he's familiar with, even if they seem the same on the surface.
The news about Ozpin, though... that's troubling, to say the least. Deeply troubling, and it's something Ford feels like he may bear at least some responsibility before. He saw Ozpin attack that zealot, after all. Maybe he should have expected that the situation wouldn't just solve itself, that Ozpin couldn't be expected to just go home and immediately be fine. It's something he needs to address, and something he will address. ]
[Willow pauses. She's not sure what sort of reaction she was expecting, but this wasn't quite it. She's just going to let him have his moment, though. It's fine.]
Uhh, yeah. It worked too. He tried to come back, and couldn't cross the threshold - it looked kind of like walking right into an invisible wall.
[ At this point Ford actually disconnects the voice feed for a moment. Laughing is extremely inappropriate when Willow is coming to him for help.
But Ford is a horribly petty person and he hasn't had the chance to laugh about anything relating to Oz lately. So he's going to take a moment to basically just giggle to himself over the situation and resulting mental image before he finally returns to answer Willow's question. ]
[ When he does finally return he clears his throat and manages to maintain a serious tone - mostly because the more he speaks, the more he realizes how much of himself he's putting on the table with this response. ]
I can't blame you for being cautious given your experience but I wasn't exaggerating when I said that being a vampire isn't the most dangerous thing about Ozpin. Do what you think you need to. Just...
[Ford's validation is appreciated probably more than he realizes in light of how things have gone at home with everything happening, but she's going to set that aside for a minute. The reminder that suppressing Ozpin's vampiric traits won't change who he is, though, is heartbreaking, even with what little she knows of the situation.
She knows he likely doesn't want sympathy, especially from a much younger friend, but it's impossible to not apologize for making him dredge up the past.]
I know. I'm sorry, Ford. This is all probably bringing up a lot of old memories. I appreciate your help, though, for what it's worth. Really. Thank you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cryptograms) wrote2021-09-04 07:34 pm
Voice
She sounds worried and downright stressed when she reaches out.]
Hey... You're okay, right? You're not. You know. Dead or dying or a vampire or anything.
[Because this is a totally normal thing to ask and absolutely does not sound like it's coming out of nowhere.]
voice
To have someone ask if he's a vampire is entirely different, and feels entirely too pointed. There's a startled silence from Ford's end before he finally finds his words again. ]
I'm fine, Willow. Where is this coming from, exactly...?
no subject
Good - I'm glad. Um. I was talking to Ozpin. The - the blood drinking thing. Your name came up. I got a little worried.
[She got a lot worried and it shows easily in her tone, but it's fine. She takes a deep breath.]
You should be a little extra careful - vampires are common in my world. They're really, really dangerous.
no subject
Okay. Okay okay okay. This could be... worse... probably. Ford can't really think of how, he's sure there's a way.
Still, he can't help but offer a brief, tired, and bitter laugh in response to Willow's warning. ]
I wouldn't say being a vampire is the most dangerous thing about Ozpin.
no subject
You say that now... Look, just be careful, okay? There was a - a good vampire at home that went bad, and uh, he started targeting the people who were closest to the one person he loved most. I'm not saying Ozpin's going to do the same, but he's drinking blood - that's going to lead nowhere good real fast.
no subject
I think you should be more worried about Oscar or Qrow's friends, in that case.
[ Well, at least she's not pressing him about the actual blood drinking incident. Now that the awkwardness has largely passed, he feels comfortable and confident enough to focus on actually reassuring Willow - she did check up on him, after all. ]
There's a connection between Vilebloods and vampirism in Trench, so I doubt he's the type of vampire from your dimension.
[ .... Wait, that makes it sound like-- ]
But I'm not interested in seeing him again. So don't worry.
no subject
I know you don't want to see him, and normally, I wouldn't even bother you with this, but... Ford, if things go bad - really bad - he might not feel the same way, that's why I wanted to warn you.
Vampirism here might not be the same as at home - and anything you've got on that would help us out a lot. There's some similarities, though. I can bring a friend over to cast a spell to ban him from coming in uninvited, if you want. That should help some.
no subject
Which is why there's another pause from Ford once Willow has made her most recent offer - and more importantly, her most recent request for information. Because he gets where she's coming from - gets it better than most people would. And that's the thing, really. He gets it well enough that he's suddenly not sure Ozpin is the only one she'll see as a threat. ]
Willow...
[ There's a new edge to his voice, something restrained, reserved, a little closed off. He doesn't sound angry or annoyed or even properly cold, but there's a guarded quality to his tone when he continues. ]
Did you know that Mabel is also a Vileblood?
no subject
Well, no. I didn't, but I'm not sure that matters? The spell I'm talking about just keeps a specific vampire from coming in until you invite them.
[This conversation has suddenly taken on an unexpected and worrying twist.]
Ford, I hope you don't think I'm, I don't know, discriminating against Vilebloods or something. I mean, I do sleep in the same room with one every night.
no subject
Probably not, actually, and it's something she should know anyway. ]
Willow, I haven't found a single piece of vampire lore originating in Trench that doesn't connect to Vilebloods in some way.
[ For some reason it's been a subject of significant interest to him lately. ]
Plenty of things I've found suggest that Vilebloods are vampires - or close enough that the difference doesn't matter.
I understand that you're worried and I appreciate that you want to help, but I'm not going to risk any spell that has a chance of hurting Mabel, no matter how small that chance is.
no subject
Hold on, hold on. But not all Vilebloods are biting people, and drinking their blood. So this can't be an all the time thing, so maybe there's a way to fix this.
[Being able to bounce ideas off Ford like this is better and much more grounding. He has obviously been looking deeply enough into vampires in Trench to be able to help her reconcile her Sunnydale knowledge with local lore. Before she gets too deep into it, though, it feels important to offer a reassurance.]
I don't want to hurt Mabel either, or anyone else, for that matter.
no subject
I know you don't, Willow - but I know better than most people how easily mistakes can happen.
[ And after the number of time his own mistakes have threatened his family he's not willing to gamble on someone else's mistakes. ]
Regardless, it may not be a matter of 'not all Vilebloods drink blood' so much as a matter of 'not all Vilebloods drink blood yet'. There's a remarkable amount of consistency between the skills and behaviors of certain blood types: Palebloods and telepathy, Darkbloods and influencing reality, Coldbloods and their associations with fire and ice. There's no reason to assume that there are any Vilebloods that won't eventually develop vampiric tendencies.
I don't think it's something that can be 'fixed', short of finding a way to change someone's blood type entirely.
no subject
Thank you.
[The idea of all Vilebloods naturally trending towards vampirism is concerning, but her focus is still solution oriented.]
Okay. So maybe it's not about fixing it, but maybe... I don't know. Managing it? Like me having to learn how not be reactive to every single emotion around me, or Ruby figuring out how not to randomly turn into a block of ice?
no subject
I'm sure any Vileblood that wants to can manage it, but it isn't something you can manage for them. Not anymore than you can stop Ruby from leaving ice cubes everywhere she goes, or I can stop Dipper from getting prophetic visions.
no subject
I'm sure there's going to come a time when we're glad to have our own portable icemaker in the house.
[She goes back to being serious again, but with a cooler head, she is starting to think that maybe she overreacted a little.]
But even if he has to do the tough part, maybe I can at least find him the instruction manual.
[She pauses for a moment, in thought.]
Hey. Um. Can I get your opinion on something? Judgement free zone?
no subject
We barely even need the freezer anymore with Stanley around.
[ But, back to the actually serious matter at hand. Helping Ozpin is something Ford doesn't really care about (he continues to tell himself, despite the evidence to the contrary) but Willow? Willow he wants to do right by, and so the decision is easy. ]
I'll send you the notes I have so far. They aren't much, but hopefully it can get you started.
[ The next question is a little bit of a surprise, but he sees no reason to say no, and thus: ]
Of course. What is it?
no subject
Thanks. That should help a lot - at least give us a starting point. And I'll share anything we should find with you, of course. In case you need it some day too.
[Ford is probably the only person in Trench who has seen Willow both at her absolute best and her very worst, which makes it far easier to trust his opinion on this. She takes a deep breath. Best to give him the whole story, probably.]
Vampires are demons in my world. So, basically they can turn people, and take over their body, and their memories, but the person that was there before is just... gone. They don't always - I mean, a lot of the time, they just kill, and it's a pretty common thing.
Anyway. There's also a Slayer - she's got mystical powers specifically for fighting supernatural evil. Back home, she's one of my best friends - I've been helping her for years, which is how I got into magic in the first place. Actually, the first spell I ever did was to put the soul back in that vampire I told you about earlier. It was the people close to my friend he was going after.
So, when I found out about Ozpin, all the instincts from home kicked in, and I did what I thought I had to to protect everyone. He's been lying, he's been drinking from Sleepers, he's even been staring at some of the other people who live with us - that's maybe going down a path to some really bad places really fast. I told him to stay away until we could get things figured out, and got Tara to cast that spell I told you about to keep him from coming back in uninvited.
Away from it a little bit, I'm kind of starting to think maybe I overreacted a little. I'd kind of like the opinion of someone I know I can trust, who isn't... you know. Quite so close to it all.
1/2
The news about Ozpin, though... that's troubling, to say the least. Deeply troubling, and it's something Ford feels like he may bear at least some responsibility before. He saw Ozpin attack that zealot, after all. Maybe he should have expected that the situation wouldn't just solve itself, that Ozpin couldn't be expected to just go home and immediately be fine. It's something he needs to address, and something he will address. ]
no subject
Did you really banish him from his own house?
no subject
Uhh, yeah. It worked too. He tried to come back, and couldn't cross the threshold - it looked kind of like walking right into an invisible wall.
1/2
But Ford is a horribly petty person and he hasn't had the chance to laugh about anything relating to Oz lately. So he's going to take a moment to basically just giggle to himself over the situation and resulting mental image before he finally returns to answer Willow's question. ]
2/3 i lied
I can't blame you for being cautious given your experience but I wasn't exaggerating when I said that being a vampire isn't the most dangerous thing about Ozpin. Do what you think you need to. Just...
no subject
... Just don't expect that suppressing any vampiric traits will fundamentally change who he is as a person.
If he decides he wants to hurt someone, he will.
no subject
She knows he likely doesn't want sympathy, especially from a much younger friend, but it's impossible to not apologize for making him dredge up the past.]
I know. I'm sorry, Ford. This is all probably bringing up a lot of old memories. I appreciate your help, though, for what it's worth. Really. Thank you.
no subject
[ His slightly tired but still steady tone might even make it sound like that's true. ]
I'm more worried about you. Don't think you have to fix the situation just because you might be able to.
[ Even Ford knows how hypocritical that probably sounds coming from him - but even so, he feels like it has to be said. ]
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