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Post by endingwonderland on May 6, 2023 12:04:27 GMT
"Come here." June instructed seeing his despondent return to the fray. It was a lot to both consider and to process but it wasn't like he was the only one who had ever gone through such a thing, firstly there were other Wunderkinder all around his age and that was the ones THEY knew of, there was no telling how many Wunderkinder existed in the world that were unknown or undetectable since they looked just like humans and couldn't be detected by their sensory equipment, as well as, there were non human entities that worked for the saints, as June was about to demonstrate much to the interest of Mary.
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Post by floofmasterfox on May 6, 2023 23:28:41 GMT
When he had something productive to focus on, Adam always found himself more efficient than not. His new birth certificate was a quick job to complete, the name "Adam James Mayweather" was scrawled neatly at the top, along with all the other relevant data needed for his new identity. A noticeable caveat for the perceptive eye was the change in his date of birth. He'd bumped it up three years, adjusting it so that in the eyes of the law, he was now 21. It was a smart choice to make, he could easily pass as a young adult, even with the youthful glow in his features. And having a legal ID would give him access to places like bars, nightclubs and casinos. More avenues of approach for this work they were expecting him to do.
When he was interrupted yet again he barely gave any sign of recognition, his focus honed in on the property catalogue he'd been given, and a small notepad he was scrawling in; a list of ideas of useful features for whatever place he'd choose to live in. Eventually though, he did give a weary sigh, not even deigning to look up as he responded. "What is it now?" His tone was dry and apathetic, a clear sign of the minimum of interaction he wanted to give. He was done getting wound up in his emotions by people who didn't care for him, who were only interested in doing their assigned duties.
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Post by endingwonderland on May 10, 2023 6:10:43 GMT
"Some perspective." June said facing Ezra so his back was to the wall, she stood directly in front of him and pulled a pocket knife from her left pocket switching the blade out. "You lament waking up one day and discovering that you're not human, a monster, that is the technical determination for any non human entity but while you may feel isolated from everyone and thing you knew in your old life." While speaking she looked at the dagger, almost longingly, holding the blade tip on her finger before thrusting it gently and poking her finger, her face remained emotionless despite the stab and what flowed from her finger was closer in description to pale purple icor than red blood. The smell was putrid as if garbage had gone stale the pungent odor smashing into Ezra where his initial instinct at seeing blood was to consume this time his body told him to run as if his life depended on it. "You're not alone, there are plenty of us hiding in plain sight, those born as monsters who never knew the love of a caring parent, I can't pretend to know what you're going through but If I said I wasn't envious of you I'd be lying...Honestly, Ezra, I just want you to be happy, my mission is to get you to willingly join the saints, my entire continued existence depends on you choosing this path, but yours doesn't." She set the blade down at his feet covering her hand and dampening the rotten stink. "You don't have to step into this world, you can run, but if you choose to, they're going to harass you when they find out what you are, they're going to try and break you for fun, they're going to do their best to forge you into a weapon, not a person, a tool of the organization dedicated solely to killing vampires and saving humans, preserving what lies between." With a long sigh she released her finger, it having already healed. "You may be scared, angry, and confused, but you're never alone, I'm always right beside you in the same boat... if you ever die, I'll lose all purpose for existing.... sorry if I've been bad at showing concern or kindness, human emotions don't come easily to a Homunculus like me."
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Post by floofmasterfox on May 11, 2023 8:02:48 GMT
Some perspective? Those words did little to shake him, he doubted what she could show him would change his view... but it was enough to draw his attention at least. The sight of another knife unnerved him, doubly so when she brought it to her hand and cut herself, causing his body to visibly tense, wide eyed as he braced himself for a sickening rush of visceral hunger. It never came though, instead confusion wrought in his gaze as an odd, pale liquid seeped from June's skin.
And then the stench hit him like a truck, it was nothing like before; a rancid, bitter aroma that seemed to seep into every pore of his being. No greater exposure had ever elicited such a raw, primal disgust from him in his life, and even though it didn't show in his face, he felt that wave of revulsion quiver through his entire being. Whatever monstrous presence lingered in his mind, instead of prickling his mind with a near blinding hunger it pushed back, with the kind of repulsion one would feel in their gut upon finding a month dead corpse. He knew she wasn't human... humans didn't bleed like that. This changed everything, throwing all his assumptions out the window.
Shaken from this exposition, June's earnest reassurance hit him deep. She hadn't been lying back in the morgue, when she said she was made to be with him. He had never expected that to be so... literal though. And in his loss, and his grief, he'd lashed out at the only connection to the Saints he had, her. But she wasn't responsible for what'd happened to him. She hadn't hidden him with the Mulvaneys, she hadn't ordered his violent extraction, ordered Andrew to shoot him and flee into the ether. A wave of guilt washed over him, a quiet remorse dampened only by the assurances she gave him. "I..." he felt guilty for his emotional reaction, despite knowing that he had every right to feel that way. But June wasn't the target of that. He gave a deep sigh, and as the tension melted from his body he turned his gaze to her in a moment of terse vulnerability. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you the way I did, you weren't responsible for what happened to me. You didn't deserve that, I'm sorry."
Having opened up like this, there was a notable improvement in Adam's mood... somewhat. He still had that tired, beleaguered air to him; knowing what he'd been through it was an understandable state. But the weight on his shoulders seemed to weigh him down less, his focus renewed. Having finished most of his important paperwork he slipped the pile to the side. Finding a new apartment could wait just a little while longer, though a quick scan through his new notes would give a pretty decent idea of what he was starting to envision. "Could you take me to meet Dr. Fried tomorrow? They're another one of the heads of Project Eden right? If I'm gonna be much use to anyone I feel I'll need a better understanding of what I'm capable of. Can't think of anyone better to fill me in on that."
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Post by endingwonderland on May 12, 2023 1:59:31 GMT
Your sympathy and guilt is wasted on a creature like me, if I ever seem sad or angry it's just an act, Homunculus don't have feelings we're not human, we're dolls made to look human and be expendable in case of emergency.. perfect agents for the Saints and mediators for the creatures of the night June explained When she heard his request her face reflexively displayed worry. If that's what you want but just don't expect to leave there with all your hair and nails in tact... Doctor Fried was a... bit special even for the Saints a woman whole obsessed with studying the creatures and unraveling the mystery of the Mythological infection.
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Post by floofmasterfox on May 13, 2023 2:09:28 GMT
Dealing with June's... bluntness, was definitely something Adam was going to have to learn to adjust to. That level of apathy was something he'd never experienced before. As for the promise of untoward testing at the hands of this Dr Fried, Adam could only shrug and offer a half cocked smile, a glimmer of confidence leaking back into his returning mellow mood. "Well... look at it this way. If I'm going to join the Saints I need to test the limits of my body anyway. I'm pretty damn good with a gun, that's one thing my dad taught me to do well. Ezra Mulvaney was a national championship speed gun shooter for three years after all~." Aside from his good grades and athletic potential, target shooting was one of his primary hobbies. He'd never been able to take part in any contact sports, he was forbidden to do so by his father, for obvious reasons. But his enhanced reflexes and superhuman perception really shone at the gun range. All his old belongings were likely boxed up in some evidence locker somewhere, within which were a mountain of shooting trophies in his dead name.
"But... dad forbade me from fighting, obviously to keep my true nature a secret. While I have a pretty good idea how physically strong I am, I can't handle myself in the ring to save my life. I reckon I'll need a full physical to really test myself, and I'll need some form of hand to hand combat training before getting let lose in the field." He then turned his gaze to the busy kitchen, an apparent, less monstrous hunger rising in his eyes. "But right now I just want to eat and rest first. I have no idea how long I was locked up in that morgue... after, you know... everything happened. Could be hours, days of even weeks since I last ate, as far as I know."
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Post by endingwonderland on May 13, 2023 11:29:25 GMT
"Twelve hours to the dot, the saints don't need such egregious amounts of time to erase a presence, a few clicks and you never existed." June explained with a shrug. "I thought you'd be put off after the stunt my Mother pulled but if you're hungry we can do this for real, just so you know, I don't need to eat, but I can still taste things it just.. doesn't go anywhere." June explained and moved towards the kitchen where Mary was finishing off a boiling pot of stew which smelled pretty decent.
"Get it all out?" Mary asked stirring the pot. "Sorry about the test, standard protocol when we find a ghoul to see if they are cognizant or not, technically you're closer to a ghoul than a vampire or you were when we found you as a child... less you be curious, you are biologically His and Molly's son, you fed on their blood and adapted it to your DNA you are as good as born of her womb as far as DNA is concerned, but you're also like an empty note book someone only wrote a single line in... so much.. potential." Mary sighed wistfully.
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Post by floofmasterfox on May 15, 2023 8:06:09 GMT
"Twelve hours? Jeez... frickin Deadpool over here." He couldn't help the comic hero reference, especially in regards to his rapid recovery. He followed suit and quickly made his way back into the dining room, seating himself at one of the open spots at the dinner table with an expectant eagerness. June's apprehension of his constitution earned a nonchalant shrug in return. "That's... different, in a way. I don't really no how to explain it, but the hunger I feel for food is about as normal as you expect. What I felt at the sight of that blood was... darker, it felt malevolent. Like there was something else in my head for a moment." It was a sensation he knew he was going to have to get used to, quick. An impulse he would have to learn to control on his own.
He grew quiet when Mary spoke, that subtle guilt still simmering deep within him. Despite her explanation of the reasons why it had happened, the memory of his impulsive desires, and how close he'd come to hurting her still throbbed in his mind. June may be a monster like him, but Mary wasn't... to his knowledge at least. All this talk of DNA absorption, ghouls and vampires was confusing. It piqued his curiosity no doubt, but it almost felt like trying to read a knew language he barely knew; especially with his connection to his "parents". "So... what? I can drink peoples' blood and absorb their DNA or something? Is that some kind of superpower I have?" While he knew of vampires from all the books and movies, those references were quickly becoming dated with all this new information he was being bombarded with. There was clearly more to these monsters than he knew in the past, plenty to study if he was going to get up to speed, and reach a level of proficiency the Saints would need from him to be able to perform.
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Post by endingwonderland on May 17, 2023 19:50:08 GMT
"Oh, right, I forgot about all the mixed media released by both the Saints and the Aristocracy... no sweetie you don't drink people's blood or at least you don't HAVE to." Mary laughed softly picking up her fork and stabbing a piece of roast beef on her plate. "Much like how we humans eat for nutrients, so to do Vampires but what they require is a bit more complicated than simple proteins." Mary took a bite chewing slowly as she contemplated how best to explain. "Imagine, if every meal you ate not only served to nourish your body but also build it, physically, like if you ate a lot of chicken eggs eventually you'd grow feathers and talons, right, well obviously it would make you very self conscious about what you ate, and that is why Vampires mostly feed on humans because when they feed their body will absorb and digest the genetic information of their victim and compile it into their own genetic code, so you'd obviously want the majority of that code to be human or you might end up like a minotaur or some kind of leather faced monster." Mary was, a bit tone deaf to dealing with others outside of the world of the Saints, that was why she was a scholar and June and her children were Agents, all the knowledge and the benefit of people skills.
"If they eat too much non human they start to lose what little vestiges of humanity they had and become different types of monsters." June explained looking at a pile of mashed potatoes and peas on her plate like it had done her a great disservice.
"Right dear, except not, see Vampires have an advanced level of cellular control down to the very mitochondria they can divide, and replicate, and repair, and do all kinds of crazy things with their own body including with the genetics of the things they consume, so if a vampire fed on a cow it could conceivably grow an extra stomach, or gain leather hide like skin, or hooves, or horns." Mary went on
"Or make milk!" Chris added in and Mary paused smiling.
"Yes, though anyone who drinks vampire milk would then become a Ghoul." Mary laughed and June just shook her head at Chris's comment "Where you're different is that you are more like a Ghoul than a Vampire, if we consider the caterpillar and the butterfly or the silkworm and the moth if you prefer, a ghoul is the mid stage, a chrysalis fugue state between human and vampire. When a human is bit or more precisely is infected by the Myth virus their DNA is slowly consumed by the Virus making them like a feral animal as all vestiges of their humanity are slowly eroded, the only cure, consume material to replace the DNA they're losing, if they consume enough of a similar DNA they can bond theirs with the virus thus becoming a Vampire,.. those that fail will turn to dust, though I've heard rumors that in some parts of the world Ghouls simply consumed everything they encountered and reached a new stage of evolution, as well as we have confirmation that if a ghoul eats other ghouls it will become a Lich, a stable undead entity... oh this is getting too technical isn't it... sweetie?" Mary looked to see if Ezra's eyes had glossed over, this was about the time that the Slayers were asleep, not much more consideration was given to their targets than hunt, secure, and eliminate.
"He asked about HIS abilities mom." June looked up pushing the peas to the side with her spoon.
"Right, well, you are closer to a ghoul than a vampire, in that your DNA ... doesn't exist... or it didn't not until Molly and Andrew took you in, all the Wunderkinder were found in a comatose state and we weren't sure if you were dead or alive... exposure to sunlight didn't atomize you so you weren't turned vampire infants, but we couldn't confirm anything about you, that was when Doctor Fried and Molly had a hypothesis, what if you weren't vampires... YET. Following her hypothesis she gave you a portion of her blood and we were surprised to see you open your eyes and take your first wailing cry into this world, officially born!" Mary paused to give a single congratulatory clap. "Needless to say, when you opened your eyes and had the same eye color as Molly it lead us to realize that you were absorbing the DNA into your own, a simple blood test showed you and Molly genetically matched, you were her exact copy, so after some insistence from Molly Andrew relented and gave a sample of his blood to test, you were given it and your features further defined, when we ran the third blood test we were shocked to find that you were now a perfect combination of Molly and Andrew, their biological child, or a close equivalent." Mary explained placing her fork down. "No matter where you go from this point, up until your next feed, you are as close to a biological child of Molly and Andrew Mulvaney as there will ever be, but the moment you feed, you will adopt new genetics into your biology... at least we hypothesize, the Wunderkinder are now just coming of age and finding their way in the world, some are given the freedom to choose, others are kept under tight restrictions and there may even be more we don't yet know of, the entire thing is fascinating, but the big question here Adam, Andrew, Mr Mulvaney, is what do YOU want to be capable of?" Mary might not of had people skills but she had charisma for days.
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Post by floofmasterfox on Jun 1, 2023 6:11:55 GMT
For someone completely new to this dark underworld, Adam seemed to have no trouble keeping pace with Mary's riveting conversation. In between forkfuls of saucy beef and potatoes his focus hung off every word; even with how foreign some of these concepts sounded the logical points still clicked in his mind... somehow. It helped that he was throwing all his preconceptions out the window, no point trying to relate any of Mary's talking points back to the highschool biology classes he'd endured as a kid. When Mary broached the subject of the events of his discovery, and the reasons why Molly and Andrew had adopted him he paused, his gaze drifting to his plate. He'd resigned himself, with some bitterness, to the fact that he would never get closure for what had happened between him and his father days ago. But the knowledge of their intent when they adopted him, that despite his inhuman nature he was their flesh and blood... it was a reassurance he didn't know he needed, and the small, adorable smile that crept onto his lips revealed that.
Eventually Mary spun the question back to him, and his attention snapped back to the present. "So, if I may summarize all that... In a nutshell I have the ability to rewrite my genetic code and modify my physiology at will, and I do so by ingesting the genetic material of other organisms; similarly to a vampire. Unlike vampires though, I exhibit none of their fatal weaknesses." His gaze then shifted to June once more, a pointed curiosity stemming towards her. "And the Saints want me to be... what, some kind of secret agent to protect humanity from vampires? I mean it makes sense, it'd be pretty easy for me to infiltrate them if I can function like them." As he chewed slowly on another hunk of beef, Mary's words rolled around in his head. What did he want to be capable of? It was a question that needed a concise first step, to even begin to realize. "I need a baseline of my capabilities before I can even begin consider my potential, hence why I want to meet Dr Fried, get a feel for my capabilities. Gotta learn how to walk before I can fly after all~."
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Post by endingwonderland on Jun 7, 2023 5:14:41 GMT
"No actually that's the exact opposite, you don't need to learn how to do anything you just need to find something that does know and take that knowledge and capability from it." Mary sighed feeling as if she was talking in circles. "But I understand the sentiment I'd want to meet my godmother if I suddenly lost my family too... Oh right Dr. Fried is your godmother well she's all the wunderkinders godmother but still." Mary pointed her fork before putting it down. "Curiously.. after eating do you feel anything?" Mary took a note book from seemingly out of nowhere and June stepped up.
"Mom.. work stays at work." She said clearly annoyed that Mary was badgering Adam.
"Ah yes of course sorry..." Mary surprisingly closed her book and put the pen on the side. "Then allow me to speak not as the lead scholar but a parent of a non human entity... I know it's confusing for you right now but people in this business especially terminators as good as your father was, usually don't get to have a family so when presented an opportunity you take the offer even if you don't know exactly what you are getting into because after all isn't all parenting a new and scary adventure?" Mary picked up her plate and motion for Chris to follow her to the kitchen. "When your done you can just leave those there Chris will get them.. your room is up the stairs and to the right Adam you'll be sharing with June." Mary smiled before vanishing.
"Shes so embarrassing." June stabbed some vegetables on her fork before setting it down, crossing her arms and leaning back. "Well go see Fried in the morning she isn't asleep but going to headquarters this late at night your likely to encounter a wall of terminators who won't be exactly friendly to you, better to go during the day so no one mistakes you for a fang."
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Post by floofmasterfox on Nov 15, 2024 11:08:17 GMT
Adam sat quietly through Mary's little closing speech, chewing the cud a little as he mulled over her words. It would likely take time for him to really process his feelings on his past, especially with how things had upended so violently. If he had had the chance to grow up with his mother... maybe things might be different? It was impossible to say for sure, a mere figment of passing thought. He nodded in acknowledgement at her directions, shoveling more of the delicious stew into his mouth as Mary left to finish the washing up.
He couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself in the face of June's dry indignation, appreciating the poetic irony of it. Their plan was more or less set... at least, the next step was. Meeting with unfamiliar people was something he was somewhat accustomed to, and with June's description of Dr Fried the day sounded... eventful to say the least. As he mopped up the last of his thoroughly cleaned plate and stood he caught her gaze, nodding towards the kitchen. "You know I never grew up knowing my mother... only ever heard stories of her from dad. Having someone in my life like that was always one of my deepest wishes. It's something to really appreciate, not take for granted." A nugget of wisdom like that was likely lost on a homonculus, but he felt it was right to say nonetheless. He left with those words hanging in the air, scooping up his pile of papers as he made his way up to June's room to bunk up, and ponder more over his list of objectives; things to discuss with Dr Fried, and all the little accoutrements that were needed for his potential new home.
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