[ wherever todomatsu has ended up after cyoa returns, kate is coming to check on him. ]

Would you like some water?

[ she is, in fact, carrying a glass of water. ]

[ he'll be out sitting on the beach at some point, cleaned up and now in blood-free clothes. he's still very pale and greyish, though the perpetual sunset might make it a little harder to notice that.

he startles a little when he's approached, but then relaxes again and smiles tiredly. ]

Oh! Yeah, that'd be nice, thanks.

[ she'll come over and hand it to him, then. and as she's up close, she studies him a bit. ]

You look very pale... How are you feeling?

[ takes a sip... ]

Tired and sore, mostly.

[ if she's looking that closely, she can notice that along with his lightning scar, his neck is littered with pairs of puncture mark scars. they weren't there when she saw him before today, but somehow look like they've had plenty of time to heal. ]

[ she sits nearby. ]

Would you tell me what happened, to give you those wounds?

[ rubs his neck self consciously]

I just... got bitten by some things.

[ leaning in to peer at him. ]

What things...?

[ stooop it's embarrassing]

Um, just... some monsters...

[ maybe this is racist when astarion is here, he doesn't know ]

Monsters that bit your neck like that...

Could they be vampires?

[ she already knows there's a necromancer involved, so ]

Ah... yeah, they didn't announce it or anything, but I assume so.

It must have been frightening.

How did you come to encounter them?

Uh, it was... a party I got invited to...

[ this sounds so fucking stupid but he didn't KNOW it was going to be hosted by vampires!!!!!! ]

[ eric how many of your characters have weird vampire trauma now ]

A party...?

[ insert two nickels meme ]

Yeah... I was back home again, or at least it seemed like it. And this... guy I know [ there are clearly a lot of complicated negative feelings behind this very casual phrase ] who has a lot of social connections invited me.

How strange... Could it have been an illusion or a disguise? Or did he really...

[ maybe that guy who sucks just wanted you to go to the vampire ambush party. ]

Oh, no, that was totally him. [ ... ] Well, I mean. The whole thing was an illusion, I guess, but.

You mean, it seemed like something the real person would do anyway?

[ yikes. ]

I don't know, I don't think he'd like, deliberately offer me up to vampires??? Probably? But he's kind of a douchebag.

Oh... I understand. [ does she. ]

So you went to the party, and you were ambushed by vampires there...?

... What happened then? Were the others there with you?

No, that was just me. I guess I got turned into one while I was blacked out. I mean, within that illusion or whatever.

[ looks away... there's probably a lot he's skipping over here. ]

That... necromancer that was behind everything tried to use that to get me to ask for her help. [ ... ] I just told her to get lost, though.

[ a soft gasp. ]

You were turned into a vampire?

What about now? Do you feel any different?

I guess...?

[ he got turned into SOMETHING. ]

...Yeah... but it's not the same, exactly. The sunlight isn't bothering me anymore, and I'm actually getting hungry now.

[ but he still has the complexion of a corpse, and if she's been paying close attention, he's, uh. not been breathing this whole time. ]

In that case, you should eat something to replenish your strength...

[ ...?

but she does lean in a little closer to look at him. is he not breathing??? surely, she's mistaken about that. unfortunately for todomatsu, it's pretty much impossible to tell what she's looking at or what kind of expression she's making as she just leans in very close. ]