Hexus: Neo

=25= Revert

Adam knew from his tone that there was no point saying more. He sighed as he got up and eased the tension in his back, his gaze still fixed on the spot where Ecru lay.

=CHICKEN!=

I'm coming!

He scowled as he left the room, walked through the corridor and down the stairs. He met large glowing blue eyes as soon as he turned towards the hallway that led to the kitchen.

"You know, I liked it better when you could talk."

Erwith grinned, though with his dragon teeth it looked more menacing than friendly.

= Burned a couple of trees before I accepted that I don't have a voice box. Good thing I still have my magic, eh?=

Adam hissed and shimmied around Erwith's large scaly body which took up most of the space in the hallway. He walked through the kitchen doors and into the pantry where the large metal door of the walk-in freezer was located opposite the storage shelves. He pushed the unlock button and it swung open, leading into a frigid room where metal racks holding a variety of foodstuff were arranged along the walls. Damilare had restocked recently, so there was enough in there to get them through a six-month famine. He grunted as he pulled two bags of whole chicken off the rack and quickly made his way out of the freezer, using his elbow to push the button for the door to close behind him. He dropped the bags into the sink and turned the hot water tap, then turned around to watch Erwith. Erwith had settled in front of the kitchen door, crouched with his wings tightly folded against his broad back and head on the cold tiled floor. Adam grabbed the kettle and put it into the stream of the hot water, filled it halfway and flicked the switch as he placed it on the stand.

=How long before Elisabeth comes back?=

"About five hours. They return after three, as always. You know this, yet you keep asking every day."

He whimpered and closed his eyes. =I miss her.=

"She'll be with you all weekend. Actually, no, she'll likely be training all weekend."

Erwith moaned and Adam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Erwith's core personality was still reflected in his actions and the thoughts he pushed out, but there were certain attributes that came from the fact that he now had a dragon's brain. He was impulsive, demanding, and overly expressive with his emotions, and though Adam knew these features were part of his original human nature, they seemed to have been ramped up to the maximum setting.

=So I assume that means Ecru is done with the devices.=

"He should be," Adam replied. "I assume that's what he was doing all night. For all I know, he could have just been moping around again."

=Why do you say that?=

"I think he's trying to hold on to the feeling of being a vampire for as long as he can. He still avoids the windows during the day and acts like he doesn't need to eat. I've caught him checking his teeth more times than I care to count. It's pointless, but every time I say that, he goes back to sulking."

Erwith made a chuffing sound that sounded like a gruff chuckle. =For someone so smart, you don't have a lot of emotional intelligence. Try to imagine how he feels. He despised humans and fully embraced his vampire identity for over seventy years. He never expected this to happen. It's almost like he died a second time, but now he has to continue living in a fragile human body, forced to change his habits and accept that he is once again part of the race of people he hates so much.=

Adam paused as he let the words sink in. "Wow. That was really...astute."

=I know. Sometimes I miss my opposable thumbs, but all in all, I think I got an upgrade.=