Graisse Diner

Vera makes a gagging noise as Roy describes the food. That all sounded gross, until she tried Maelik cooking she had kept things pretty simple. Still all that grease sounded gross, besides as she told him the first time they met, she was only allowed to eat meat she killed herself.

"I am going to get a salad. They do salad right?"

Vera orders a salad.

"It's a druid thing, its not just a branch of magic it's a religion. It involves a few different things, but respecting the earth and her creatures is a big one. So I have to kill my own meat, I get leeway on veggies though. Do I get to ask a question now? How'd you become a vampire?"

Vera picks at her salad, frowning down at it. It was the most pathetic excuse for a salad, she had ever seen. She leans down and blows a bit of life into it. The drab lettuce leaves turn greener, the tomatoes more firm and crisp, and the croutons... remain soggy she couldn't do much about bread.

"It's more like the Land-Tillers tribes. We are broken into a bunch of groups, on the eastern edge of the continent. Most everyone is some kind of farmer, though we have a lot of mages, which is good because that's our main line of defense. We are big on spiritualism and the earth, I am part of the druid sect. It's an old one trying to reestablish itself. My questions next! Let's see, got any family?"

Vera's jaw goes slack as she listens to Roy, list of relatives. She was beginning to think she had made a mistake. She wanted kids someday sure, but not like million. That thought makes her face flush, it was wayyyyyyyyyyy to early to be thinking about kids. Her embarrassment turns to anger, and she glares at Roy. She shouldn't have ask that question, it took her thoughts to weird places. She shakes her head slowly, getting her now jumbled thoughts organized.

"Wait, what about your parents?"

Vera manages to calm down her flared temper, and She is smiling again.

"Well, not as many as you, but I got a few. I'm an only child, both of my parents are still alive. I spent most my childhood hanging out with my cousins, you get a lot of cousins in the Land Tillers tribe. Since most everyone is at least a little related. My best friend growing up was probably my cousin Jun, but I haven't seen her in years. What kind of magic do you practice?"

If she experienced any whiplash by this sudden change in topic, it doesn't show.

Vera puts on the googles and stares at the fireball, as requested. She grins, impressed by his work.

"That is handy Commandant Viddik, teaches a whole class on how to do that without googles. Gotta say, your way seems easier. Though I know what he would say: Googles can break, you can lose them, you can forget them, you always have your eyes. Unless you don't, in which case your googles are still useless, and you have bigger problems."

Vera gives Roy an incredulous look, then she snorts in amusement.

"Yes I do. What was your first clue, that time I said I was a druid? Yes I use earth magic, I am connected to mother Gaia. I defend her, and in turn she aides me."

She finishes her salad, and sips on her water.

"The salad was fine, at least after I breathed a little life into it."

Vera pauses and thinks on how to respond to Roy.

"There isn't much more too druidry than what I said. It's part religion, part magic."

She gesture to the tattoos running up her left side.

"These represent that I am bound to the earth. The different symbols allow me to wield different magics. Those magics have to do with the earth, and those creatures living on it. In exchange for this power, I have a duty to defend Mother Gaia. Basically if someone tries to exploit the power of the earth, or subvert the natural order with magic, I am supposed to stop them."

When he mentions going to a different restaurant, she smiles at him and reaches out to squeeze his hand.

"Don't worry too much about it. I am enjoying the company and that's what matters. Now I have a serious question."

Hand still on his, she leans in to speak quietly.

"Do vampires poop? Because, I always thought they had a straight liquid diet, but you clearly don't. So... do you still poop?"

Vera is also chuckling at her own joke. She actually had a lot of questions about vampires, and a few worries.

"So you aren't going to get any older right? Does that mean I can never say, force you to grown a beard? Then force you to shave off the beard, when I decide it looks silly?"

She tried not to let it show, but the aging thing was a concern for her. She was impulsive, and she fully planned to enjoy Roy for as long as he was enjoyable. The issue though was, what if he never stopped being enjoyable? Talk about family, had made her think about the future. A future where she aged, and he didn't. She really needed to put these thoughts away, it wasn't like her, and it was bringing her down.