OOM - Pam's room

[lazy_but_loyal]

[Continued from here.]

Pam has no qualms about simply taking what she wants from humans. The humans who don't matter to her. Which are 99% of them. But sometimes one or two stand out, like Yvetta back home, or even Ginger to a degree. She's learned to treat Jay a little better, because he has a connection to Eric.

And Jemma, well... It just wouldn't feel right to take her blood and not give something back, even if she offered to help.

(In the old days, they could just grab someone off the street, drain them to within an inch of their life, glamour them and leave them in an anemic heap. Good times.)

So it's with this in mind that Pam opens the door to her room. She lets Jemma in first, following her inside, and then closes the door behind Eric.

Her room is as it has always been since they were last here. Same warm lighting, same huge comfortable bed.

Eric has already had a small taste of Jemma from the wrist. Pam figures he might want to go for the usual, less formal method via the throat. She's not overly concerned, no. But she will watch carefully. Eric is hungry, and just like herself, he can get carried away.

Comments

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma politely turns her attention to the state of her collar, and to poke curiously at the now non-existent bite wound. That will never cease to be incredibly cool, no.

[onceaviking]

Eric briefly closes his eyes at Pam's touch.
Enjoying it, because he can.

Then he moves his attention back to Jemma.
"Thank you, Jemma."

He's less conflicted about telling a woman no. He probably shouldn't make distinctions based in gender - but he does.

[protect_and_survey]

"You're welcome." Now that it's over, and she's gotten her bearings back, she can at least appreciate the experience from an experimental point of view.

"No offense, but I hope that won't be needed again any time soon."

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam is about to say something wry and flippant when she-- suddenly loses heart.

The past 24 hours or so have annoyingly caught up to her, and she doesn't want to deal with whether or not Eric will even be around much longer, so fuck this shit, she's going to disappear into the bathroom and lock the door for a while.

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma blinks at the sudden departure, thrown off balance. With no explanation from that quarter, she looks to Eric with a stricken expression.

"What did I say?"

[onceaviking]

He looks after Pam, clearly conflicted.
Then he rubs his face. And sighs.

He sounds bone-weary. And old.

"I've killed another vampire. His Maker wants me dead. And he is older than me." He looks up at her.
"He's stronger than me. I've tried to make sure that Pam will be -"

He looks away, clearing his throat.

"I've had our house secured. And I'm - she'll be taken care of."

He wants to sound sure and calm and stoic.
He is not quite succeeding.

"It's hard on her."
Now he looks almost pleadingly at Jemma.

The dry air is irritating his eyes.
Obviously.

[protect_and_survey]

"Oh." Well. That's certainly some... impressive aftermath from a 'little' torture session. "Do you want me to go, or..." She's really not sure what vampiric ways of working are for these sorts of situations, and... well. It's never come up. Ever.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam sits still and quiet on the lowered toilet lid, her hands on her knees, her gaze fixed on her hands. Red tears drip sluggishly from her eyes. Occasionally she sniffs.

She's sad, yes.

But rising from deep within her is anger.

At Russell Edgington. At Nan and the Authority. At the fucking Magister.

Even at Eric.

And right now, at herself as well, for losing control of her emotions in front of a human.

[protect_and_survey]

Jemma nods to herself, and pushes herself upright.

"You should talk to her, work all of this out, I'll go take a shower and order in something, watch trashy movies, that sort of thing." She assures him, her resolution to not make things more awkward stronger than her urge to curl up in that ridiculously comfortable bed and let them duke it out with company.

[onceaviking]

He stops her with a large hand on her arm.
"Are you alright?"

Looking at the pulse at the side of her neck, the colour of her lips.

He can feel Pam, in his blood, in his bones.
He knows how she feels.
He might even have realized that a good deal of it will be directed at him, even if she still hasn't.

But he needs to make sure that Jemma is going to be okay before he lets her go.

[protect_and_survey]

"I'm absolutely fine." She's a horrible liar, it's shocking how bad a liar she is considering her employer, but at least she's only lying a little - she's not absolutely fine - definitely wan, she'll be feeling the effects of this for a few days. Now that she's gotten a bit of a jump-start and a chance for her blood pressure to stabilize, she at least isn't in danger of passing out.

Well, assuming she doesn't do something silly like hit the gym, but that's hardly likely.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam has heard everything through the door.

Part of her really doesn't want Jemma to go; the other part is overwhelmingly childish and refuses to come out until she leaves. Let Eric deal with her.

Fucking humans.

And what is she supposed to do with Eric, tell him to get out, too?

She has no idea what to do except let the tears keep rolling slowly down her cheeks.

She hates this.

[protect_and_survey]

"Honestly, it's not that big a deal." She has extensive plans, mostly including taking a nap and eating something high in iron (and lots of chocolate, she feels she's earned it). "You go on then, I can take care of myself."

[onceaviking]

He lets her get up.

"Dinner is on me," he says.
And then he quickly bends down and brushes a kiss to her cheek.

He was a brother once. It's that sort of kiss.

[protect_and_survey]

"Thank you. I am glad you're feeling better." Her answering smile is one of sympathy and encouragement. Scooping up her notebook again, and a last glance at the resolutely shut bathroom door, she takes her leave.

Forget her problem with the stray hydrogen atoms. Tonight she's going to see exactly how bad the soap operas are here at the end of the universe.

It's for science.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam hears Jemma leave.

It makes her sad but she ignores the shit out of that.

Except for wiping the blood from her cheeks with her fingers, she doesn't move. And she waits for Eric to say something, because she sure as fuck isn't going to say anything first.

[onceaviking]

Eric stands in the middle of the room.
Getting a hold of himself.

Then he walks to the bathroom door.
"Pamela?"

He sounds tired. Perhaps even a little sad.

[lazy_but_loyal]

She takes in a short breath when he speaks her given name.

For a moment, she remains stock still. But then she gets up, turns on the faucet, and splashes water on her face, washing the streaks of blood away. After drying her face, she steps over to the door.

She pauses; she can feel him just on the other side of it.

Turning the lock, she opens the door, and she stands there on the threshold with her eyes lowered and her jaw set.

[onceaviking]

He stands there as the water is turned on. Then it's turned off.

He can feel her just on the other side of the door.

And he sees what he feels mirrored when she finally does open the door. Not looking him in the eye. Her jaw telling of words she is keeping back.

He has failed her. By being rash. By being weak.

"Pamela."
He no longer sounds tired. Or sad. He sounds - neutral.
A little flat perhaps.

"Look at me."

It's not a suggestion.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Her eyes immediately flick upward to meet his own.

She would never disobey him even for the littlest things, and even as her jaw remains set, she looks at him without defiance.

But she does look to him for strength, for certainty, something to hold onto. Because if he can't give her at least that during a time like this, then she's as lost as he is.

[onceaviking]

"Edginton is weakened now," he tells her. "He loved his Consort to an absurd degree and with him gone, he will be pushed into madness. And a mad dog attacks without reason."

He holds her gaze.

"If he attacks first, I will glean why I need to know to defeat him. He will reveal himself, because he cannot hold back. And I will win."

He believes this. In theory.
It's a sound principle when it comes to conflict, be it a brawl or war.

And he sounds like he believes it.
And he does.

Apart from the last sentence.
But he pushes that down. She does not need his doubt.

"But I will need you at my back, Pamela. And I will not need questions."

[lazy_but_loyal]

With every word, a bit of her uncertainty is chipped away. She never really, truly doubted him. She was just afraid. And she still is, but this is the most decisive she's seen Eric since this whole thing began. And she needs to hear this from him. She needs to know that he is going to do something.

It's one thing for him to promise to protect her. But he has to find a way to save himself as well.

"I will always have your back, Eric."

He should have no doubts about this whatsoever.

[onceaviking]

He steps close and puts his arms around her.
"I know that," he whispers.

"But I will need you to be strong. He might try to get to me through you."

[lazy_but_loyal]

She slides her hands up onto his shoulders, her gaze unwavering.

"He has to try first."

She would die for him if it came to that.

[onceaviking]

He runs a finger down the side of her face.
He knows.

It weighs on him like the weight of the world.
he would have died for Godric - a thousand times over

The tears are gone.
He knows they were there.

"He'll be a fool to try."
Smiling at her. Just a little.