damnpire | (no subject)

... I see.

[ She says, though her troubled expression indicates she is entirely unsatisfied with that as a response, even as she accepts it. ]

[D can tell, but there is truthfully nothing more he can tell her on the craziness of other people's empathy, the things they will go through for their friends, and, sometimes, even for others they do not know.]

Is there a reason you are unsettled by this?

It is only as I said.

I do not wish others to be hurt because of me.

I see. [A nearly impossible endeavour, honestly. Humans won't be the only ones, he doesn't think. Violet, though strange to most, holds a bit of peculiar charm.] Trust in the abilities of others as they should trust in yours.

Trust...

[ Violet pauses, turning that over in her mind. ]

... It is not that I am inherently mistrustful of others ...

Rather, I suppose I am not used to relying on others in combat.

This is a change for a lot of us. Working with others.

[ She looks surprised to hear that. As if she simply assumes that others find it easy, and she is the only one who doesn't. ]

During the war... most of my fellow soldiers were afraid of me. Even though I was on their side, I was always given a wide berth. But ... it is not the same here, for some reason.

Why do you suppose it is...?

[Naturally, D is quiet for a long stretch of a moment. There's opportunity to be honest, and opportunity to lie. He knows what it means, to be avoided, ostracized. Their reasoning may both be similar and different.

Just the same, he understands the feeling of being feared. Here, it's true, it's so different. On the Frontier, there were always a handful that didn't care he was a dhampir. But here... The very first thing Alucard said to him had been, "The Guild will accept you as you are."]

Many of them have been with the Guild for a long time. They could be accustomed to everyone being different. Maybe they know the importance of working together.

Soldiers, too... understand the importance of working together. This is not that.

... Perhaps the former is possible, though.

[He would mention that Violet, though strange in her constitution, looks no different than most of the rest of them. That's why. And yet, D understands he doesn't look like anyone else here, save maybe Alucard--too pretty, too ethereal, too pale, too tall, with pointed ears and long nails and rusty eyes.

The members treat him with the same respect they treat others. It can't be based on appearances.]

Have you met any of those here who aren't human?

[ Silence. She has to think about it fairly hard for a few moments. It's clearly not something Violet notices super often. Eventually-- ]

... There was a man with ... [ she sticks both palms up from her head as if in imitation: ] ... dog ears ...

[Slowly, surprisingly, one of D’s brows rises. Dog ears. Hm.]

Inuyasha. A dog demon. His species in his file. All members have one, if you wanted to read them.

[ Violet just blinks. ]

I see ...

Normally demons are considered to be a bad thing by society, are they not?

It depends on the society. [It doesn't sound condescending, merely conversational.] On the Frontier, demons are merely mutants created by the Nobility.

They are powerful and great in number, and the humans fear them. But they are also honorable and servantile to their Noble masters.

[ Sounds familiar ... ]

... He did not seem bad either. ... The one I met.

[For a moment, he's quiet in a thoughtful sort of way.]

You don't fear me.

[ Blank headtilt... ]

... Why would I?

I'm a dhampir. Many on the Frontier fear my kind. [Though he doesn't appear bothered by this? It's probably just his face.] You were surprised no one here was afraid of you.

But you are also not afraid of anyone else.

I am capable of fear. But... it's true, in general, I am not afraid of others.

... I also do not know what a dhampir is.

A mixture of a vampire and a human. [To clarify for her in the simplest terms.] You can tell that I'm not human. [She's too smart not to notice that he's at least a little different than her norm. Yet she still had no real fear of him, and she treated him respectfully.]

Perhaps the others here are more like you than you think. When you treat them with kindness, they are kind to you in return.

I understood that you were different. I am not sure if "human" or "not human" was something I ever thought about.

It does not seem to me to be a particularly helpful classification.

How would you classify it?

It seems to me that "human" or "not human" is just another way for people to specify "us" and "them." An arbitrary marker based on the speaker's own personal beliefs and biases.

[Great, time to be a nerd. This may be one of the few times he's ever spoken as much to anyone since being here. But he finds the discussion interesting with someone who can be rational and unbiased.]

A classification system can cause a great deal of problems. [So he's saying he agrees.] Humans are prone to creating labels to discuss things with one another. The separation is typically about survivability.

Saying, "I saw a human," is different than, "I saw a suspicious alien."

Even though Drakstaden civilians are all human, they have done the same with labels. If you ask about the Vakdir above, they are considered allies. If you ask about the Vakdir below, they are considered ones to be feared. In the end, the Vakdir are just like everyone else: human.

[ Violet listens intently, taking in D's words with her usual impassive face. Then, finally, she nods. ]

... You have thought on this a great deal.