[Another pause as Stiles consults with the Watch again, this time to ascertain the current date. His finger slides over days on the calendar accordingly.]
One of the latest arrivals here threatened to rape me—a vampire. [At the blank look from Sasuke, Stiles explains further:] Vampires are undead creatures who need to feed on blood in order to survive. Their powers range depending on cultural mythology, but all you need to know is that they’re capable of some pretty nasty shit. Anyway, this vampire fed on me and was able to hunt me down in the resort because of that. So, a friend stayed with me for a while in case she showed up. The whole thing got me thinking, though…
[The calendar is set aside. Fingers folding, he looks at his hands and realizes they’re shaking.]
Inevitability, y’know? Like…he couldn’t babysit me forever. In the end, she’d eventually get what she wanted. The House would damn make sure of that. [After all, every time he’s tried to contact Cyram in a tricky situation, the Watch has conveniently refused to activate.] Then… I finally talked to Jin Mingming. The Red Cardinal owner? Yeah.
[Stiles hasn’t eaten since waking, yet feels his stomach churn regardless. Swallowing heavily, he tries not to dwell on his father.]
My dad needs me back home. His health depends on it. And I just—
[A harsh sound, torn as if from his soul, in the confused shape of a laugh and a sob.]
Let me just put it this way. I’ve got some problems. [He taps his head pointedly.] Hallucinations. Parasomnia. Alexia. Dissociation. It’s been getting worse. And I’m not…I’m not telling you that for pity points, okay? It’s because—there was a time in my world where I couldn’t differentiate between dreams and reality. So, I started to wonder here: what if this is all a dream? What if I can wake up? What happens if I die?
[Stiles angles his head away, unwilling to meet Sasuke’s gaze as the shinobi begins to put the pieces together.]
I wanted to do it myself, but I was too much of a coward. Didn’t wanna die alone. I went to her instead. Figured if anyone would be willing to kill me, it’d be the rape-happy vampire.
cw: ref to noncon threats
One of the latest arrivals here threatened to rape me—a vampire. [At the blank look from Sasuke, Stiles explains further:] Vampires are undead creatures who need to feed on blood in order to survive. Their powers range depending on cultural mythology, but all you need to know is that they’re capable of some pretty nasty shit. Anyway, this vampire fed on me and was able to hunt me down in the resort because of that. So, a friend stayed with me for a while in case she showed up. The whole thing got me thinking, though…
[The calendar is set aside. Fingers folding, he looks at his hands and realizes they’re shaking.]
Inevitability, y’know? Like…he couldn’t babysit me forever. In the end, she’d eventually get what she wanted. The House would damn make sure of that. [After all, every time he’s tried to contact Cyram in a tricky situation, the Watch has conveniently refused to activate.] Then… I finally talked to Jin Mingming. The Red Cardinal owner? Yeah.
[Stiles hasn’t eaten since waking, yet feels his stomach churn regardless. Swallowing heavily, he tries not to dwell on his father.]
My dad needs me back home. His health depends on it. And I just—
[A harsh sound, torn as if from his soul, in the confused shape of a laugh and a sob.]
Let me just put it this way. I’ve got some problems. [He taps his head pointedly.] Hallucinations. Parasomnia. Alexia. Dissociation. It’s been getting worse. And I’m not…I’m not telling you that for pity points, okay? It’s because—there was a time in my world where I couldn’t differentiate between dreams and reality. So, I started to wonder here: what if this is all a dream? What if I can wake up? What happens if I die?
[Stiles angles his head away, unwilling to meet Sasuke’s gaze as the shinobi begins to put the pieces together.]
I wanted to do it myself, but I was too much of a coward. Didn’t wanna die alone. I went to her instead. Figured if anyone would be willing to kill me, it’d be the rape-happy vampire.