[Location: Orbis Line, Locked to Bruce Banner]

[faderbroderson]

The train was empty except for Godric and one other man. Godric had been following this man in silence for hours, watching him go about his day-to-day life with no indication that he could turn into a giant green creature with strength to match Godric's own and resilience that was unheard of. Perhaps it had all been part of the costume glitch that had manifested on Halloween, but Godric wanted to be sure. He'd waited until the crowds had thinned and the man had boarded the train, quietly walking on after him and sitting at the other end of the car.

Even clear on the other side of an empty train, it was impossible to ignore a vampire who was studying you intently.

Comments

[hulk]

It hardly mattered how vigilant one was when being stalked by a vampire, and Bruce certainly hadn't noticed Godric until after both had been seated. As a matter of course, he occasionally glanced around the car, even though there were only the two of them (Bruce knew from personal experience it wasn't paranoia if somebody actually was out to get you).

A few moments passed, and he was starting to get antsy... Well. Antsier than usual, thanks to the continued scrutiny of the stranger. Bruce finally turned to him, brow furrowed slightly under his baseball cap. "Um. Can I, can I help you?"

[faderbroderson]

As Godric watched, he noted the man's caution. The way he hunched in his seat, baseball cap pulled down to shadow his eyes, periodically looking around as if he expected someone other than Godric to be watching. But it was only Godric -- not that that should be taken as any sort of comfort -- and Godric was becoming more and more sure that this man had something to hide.

"What are you?" he asked calmly. A straightforward enough question, though many didn't see it as such.

[hulk]

His eyes widened at the question, and Bruce's mouth suddenly got very dry. He tried to laugh, but it was a shaky, nervous sound. He ducked his head so it wouldn't be quite so obvious he was checking to see when the train's next stop was - but of course they were just out of the last station. Nowhere to run to.

"Wha- what kind of question is that?" he asked, staring down at his hands clenched in his lap. "I'm just. I'm nobody, obviously."

[faderbroderson]

Even if Bruce had somewhere to run, Taxon was a small city, and he would always be slower than Godric. Sorry Bruce, you're going to have to stick around and face this.

"A simple one. A nobody does not have the ability to transform, as you do." Godric was banking on the idea that it wasn't a one-time Halloween glitch, and Bruce's reaction would either confirm or deny his suspicion. He also knew that if he was correct, he was possibly treading on dangerous ground.

[hulk]

All points that Bruce was well aware of. ...Well, not that Godric was faster, but everything else.

The way Bruce entirely froze up at that was definitely a tell. He hadn't ever been good at hiding these things, relying on hiding from people in the first place. Of course, that was kind of blown to hell thanks to the tablet's tendency to broadcast at the most inappropriate times, but Bruce didn't know that.

"...You. You were there on Halloween?" he asked quietly. It wasn't much of a question, seeing as he already knew, but. As Bruce couldn't remember much of anything from that night, he had to make sure.

[faderbroderson]

Bruce's reaction confirmed his theory. This was not a one-time incident. Bruce was well aware of what he was, whatever he was, and he didn't have an easy time with it. Godric could relate to that on some level, and it eased some of the antagonism he might have felt if Bruce had reacted more aggressively.

"I was. It's been a very long time since I met anyone who could match me so well in a fight. I actually felt the need to retreat." He did sound impressed, but there was no denying the sting of bruised pride in his voice.

[hulk]

Bruce would have been more than content to study his hands for the rest of this conversation, but something Godric said made him look up in confusion. Something here didn't fit.

"A fight? ...Wait. You're not saying that y- You? You fought it?" His tone was just this side of incredulous. He had seen the . The person in front of him was barely grown up, just a kid. "But how is tha-" Something clicked in his brain, and he peered at Godric. "...What are you?"

[faderbroderson]

Rather than responding verbally, Godric simply extended his fangs with a shink, his calm expression unchanged. He left them out for a few moments, long enough for a person to properly absorb what they were seeing, before retracting them, his visage once more deceptively benign.

He was very aware of what he looked like, and had used it to his advantage more times than he could count. However, it was detrimental when one was trying to explain that one was a dangerous creature of the night. More often than not, explanations were met with disbelief, even laughter. Demonstrations were not. Besides which, that bruised pride of his may have wanted to frighten Bruce, just a little.

[hulk]

...Well, that was different. Very much with the different, here. Which was probably why Bruce couldn't stop himself from staring, even as his conscience nagged at him that it was rude to do so.

It took a few swallows for him to get his mouth working again. "...Uh. We-well, that. That would say, ah. A lot. Yes."

[faderbroderson]

"Vampire," he explained succinctly. "And you?" He raised his eyebrows, awaiting the answer to his question almost eagerly. Bruce was something he'd never seen before, and like Gaila, he found that fascinating. Very little was new in Godric's world, but he had to admit that Taxon had presented him with a number of interesting diversions since his arrival.

[hulk]

"Vampire. Sure. Because there's everything else here, so. Vampires." Bruce rubbed his forehead, pushing up the bill as he did so. Sure, he wasn't exactly Joe Blow, but this stuff was ridiculous.

He blinked and pulled his hand down over his face to buy some time. The honest answer was that he didn't really know anymore. But that was only temporary, he reminded himself sternly. And with that thought foremost in mind, he answered. "I'm human. I just... I just have a temporary problem, but I'm going to solve it and then everything will be all right."

[faderbroderson]

Godric leaned forward slowly, intently, not liking the evasive nature of Bruce's answer. "I was human once. Transformation is rarely temporary, rarely reversible. This is common among all beings." Godric paused, just studying Bruce in a slightly disconcerting manner. "But perhaps I'm wrong. I wouldn't know; you have yet to explain the nature of your temporary problem."

[hulk]

"Rare, but not impossible," Bruce shook his head, refusing to believe anything else. When he noticed Godric's increased nearness, he shifted uncomfortably, but couldn't exactly back up through the back of his seat (as much as he wished otherwise right now).

He sighed, because smart as Bruce was, he could see he wasn't getting out of this without explaining things. "I was working with gamma radiation - that's what I was, a scientist - and... And I don't know what happened. A safety protocol failed, or my math was wrong, or something else but. I got a blast and then... Well, you saw what happens."

[faderbroderson]

Godric didn't understand the science behind it, but the gist was enough. An experiment gone wrong. How very sci-fi. He leaned back in his chair again, satisfied for the most part.

"What triggers it?" That was probably the most important question of all. If it were voluntary, that was one thing. If it could be triggered accidentally, that was very much another.

[hulk]

Very few people would have understood, hence why Bruce kept it short. With Abby, he knew she'd get most of the general terms, scientist to scientist. But something told him a vampire wasn't going to be big on the technicalities.

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, and tried to explain. "It happens whenever I'm... I get too angry, or upset, or scared, basically any overly excited emotional state. I've tried controlling myself better, but sometimes..." Bruce shrugged, a sad frown on his face. "Sometimes, it uh. Doesn't work too well. Obviously," he muttered.

[faderbroderson]

Well that wasn't very reassuring. A being so strong who had no control over himself was nothing but very serious trouble waiting to happen. Godric looked stern well beyond his apparent years when he asked his next question.

"What measurements have you put in place to prevent yourself from dealing damage on Taxon should you lose control again?" He was willing to bet there were no such measurements in place.

[hulk]

"If I could think of anything, don't you think I would have done it already?" Bruce answered sadly. He didn't need Godric's sternness to feel guilty over what had happened on Halloween - he'd seen the aftermath of the monster's rampage, and could only imagine how many other people had gotten in its way. Most of which probably didn't have whatever super special vampire powers this guy had.

"I tried to put myself in a cell," he added, "but the people I live with wouldn't let me." He still wanted to, but he couldn't do anything against Magnus' glares. And considering she held all the keys to the place, well. That was that.

[faderbroderson]

"Imprisoning yourself is hardly a solution." Not one that would solve anything, anyway. The obvious solution was to learn control, but even Godric was a fish out of water in concern to this one. No vampire was ever so powerful to start out with, and always, always they had a maker or more powerful vampire who could control them if they lost their senses. Bruce seemed to have less control than even the newest fledgling, and Eric and Godric together would have a difficult time subduing him. It certainly wasn't something he would volunteer them for.

[hulk]

"It is. Somewhere minus any possible triggers, somewhere I'd be safe and everyone would be safe from me." It was a very strange day when a person sounded almost wistful about being voluntarily locked up. "I've tried everything else. And I mean, literally. Everything."

Normal living, meditation, breathing exercises, suicide, rare plants and herbs - seriously. The list goes on and on and on.