He wasn't one to receive positive attention that often, or get praised for something he thought he was decently good at. Being easily embarrassed was a side effect, one that Bryce hated, "Yeah. I just wished I could travel again, see the world. I didn't really have that opportunity before I was turned and now I'm stuck living in the shadows. At least we have the internet I guess." Bryce knew it wasn't the same, it was the worse option, to only see the world through pictures online, but it was the only option he had. At least Cyprus could travel if he wished.
Cyrpus nodded. "Honestly, most of the places you can go are sort of overrated. Like Paris." He grimaced, shaking his head. He'd done a whole tour one year, burned half his savings account seeing all of Europe and some of Asia. It was, for the most part, worth it, and he'd run through a sketchbook every month or two. "It gets hyped up, but really it's gross. I walked out of my hotel and almost got pissed on. The people there have no sense of decency. And everywhere famous has an eight hour line of people waiting to see it."
"I mean fair enough. But still… it would be nice to see the Eiffel Tower in person just once. Even from a distance. I don't even have to climb it just be there to take a photo." He shrugged, "Most places tend to be over hyped these days, but I just wish I could go to get the experience." Even if it was shit, even if when he returned home the trip hadn't been worth the money, it was better to go and find out then stay here wondering.
"Yeah. A shitty trip to Paris is still a trip to Paris." Cyprus laughed quietly, running a hand through his hair. He'd forgotten how hard it was for full vamps to move around. Your dreams of travel tended to whither when you couldn't be anywhere with windows during daylight hours. "But… who knows, maybe one day they'll find a cure or something. Then you can travel to your heart's content."
Bryce sighed, nodding softly even though he highly doubted that it was going to happen. They were all too stuck up their own asses to collaborate and focus on the bigger issues, “Yeah, maybe. Doubt it but, always good to having something to hope for. Even if it’s probably never gonna happen. I think my dreams of travel are grounded.”
Cyprus shrugged. "The world changes pretty fast these days. They're doing things I couldn't have even imagined twenty or thirty years ago." He was still figuring out laptops, which were fascinating but also very strange. All this talk on the news about drones and smart appliances and honest to god cloning made him feel like he was living in a sci-fi novel. "I'm sure someone will figure out some way to travel, they've already figured out everything else."
"I guess so. But majority of the vamps with access to that kind of tech, money or power don't bother using it for the great good for all of us. They use it for themselves," He'd seen it first hand. Vamps who were allowed to create technology that could help them survive, prevent injury of all types, but hadn't shared. It was stupid, ignorant and selfish. But none of them cared. Bryce may act like he doesn't care, but he did, he cared a lot. More then he should but no one needed to know that, "Suppose we can always hope. Not sure how good that is nowadays though."
"I'm not talking about the vamps. I mean humans. They're going to make something brilliant someday and we're going to find some way to change it into a thing that works for us." He knew the vamps who had resources didn't share, it was stupid to assume that they would. But humans were different. Humans had a funny way of making things that could be bent and shaped until they were most useful to any vamp having a hard day. "We're parasites, it's not in our nature to do anything but steal."
Bryce sighed, "Maybe. It's possible. With the rate of evolution humans are at it could happen soon, maybe in the next decade if they put their minds to it." There were more then enough humans in this world, there at least had to be one or two with technology that vamps could adapt, "However I feel like they're too bothered with politics and trying not to blow up the whole world and start another war to put their time into something like that."
Cyprus sighed quietly. "Well you're not wrong there. Humans could be so good if they just stopped fighting each other, but I suppose you could say the same about vamps so I guess I don't really have room to judge." Then again, it wasn't like vampires were going around starting wars. They liked being sneaky about things, and humans were more than happy to shove their anger and their aggression into everyone's faces. "The world would be a lot nicer if it were all apolitical, I swear."
"At least vamps don't go throwing bombs on each other and blowing up whole territories," A perk, he guessed, that they tended to stay away from the humans and their weapons unless necessary, "The amount of destruction one of those and a gang of angry vampires would cause wouldn't be great for either human nor vamp." Bryce just hoped nothing of the sort ever happened, "If the human world wasn't run by dick heads then maybe it would be a better place."
"But vamps don't need to. We all know our spots in the hierarchy and we all know that the people highest on the chain have the most power. The old vamps don't need human weapons when they can mesmer a whole crowd of whoever they damn well please into doing whatever they want." The older vampires tended to be reclusive, so incidents were rare, but you heard about them every now and then. "But yeah, if humans weren't assholes, things would be a lot less difficult for us."
"Suppose you're right there. I guess that's a good thing, in a way. Sure, the small incidents that happen on the very rare occasion isn't great, but it's better then being blown to shreds in a full out war." That was a situation Bryce would prefer to be far from. However being unable to travel kept him trapped in the area and if anything was to happen, meant he as well as many others like him, would be dragged into the mess. At least there weren't any signs that something was going to happen anytime soon.
"Yeah, you'd be kind of fucked if something big started happening. I think that's what keeps your type in line, honestly. You all know that it's over if something big breaks out, so you keep everything quiet." Full vamps got pissed at each other, it happened all the time, but things never really started to tip. Even the deepest divides between clans didn't devolve into outright violence. Not on a wide scale anyways. "I'm glad things are like that, though. Can you imagine what kind of hell would break loose if two full blooded clans actually fought?"
Bryce shivered at the thought. The amount of death and destruction that would be caused because of the war would be too great. There would be too many lives lost because of it, especially if it was between two full blooded clans. Everyone would be affected, and not in a good way, "I don't want to think about that. There would be no escape for anyone if something like that broke out. Everyone would be dragged into it even if they didn't want to be involved… at least it won't happen… I hope."
Cyprus hummed quietly, nodding. "Of course it won't. Full bloods are a bunch of snakes, but they're not stupid. They don't want to wreck everything any more than us. And they especially don't want humans figuring out about us en mass." Most vamps he knew weren't worried about humans finding out but it was always something that lingered in the back of his mind. "But… yeah, let's change the subject. Maybe something a little more… mundane?"
"Mundane?" He chuckled softly, "What like.. what's your favourite cafe to visit in your free time? Or apart from hiking and sketching and lurking in the corner of a bar what do you like to do in your free time?" He never really thought about the mundane things. It was just part of the background of life these days. Sleep through the day, party at night and repeat. Paint when he had the chance but..
Cyprus laughed. "Yes, exactly like that, so don't be such a brat about it." He gave Bryce a soft nudge, bumping their shoulders together. "I think coffee tastes terrible, but I like going to the cafe over by the park because I'm friends with most of the baristas. In my free time I go to the library." He had a pretty thick stack of memoirs in his room right now and he was almost through half of them. "It's nice there. Has a bunch of old newspapers on file, I like looking through them."
"Hey! I am not a brat!" Bryce protested, even though there was still a smile on his face, "How can you not like coffee, honestly that shit keeps me going half the time if I'm awake during the day." Usually he was awake until midday if he couldn't sleep and caffeine was the one thing that kept him awake, "Shame the library isn't open during the night, I'd love to go and find some art history books. However not many places hold them these days."
Cyprus rolled his eyes. "You are a brat, but that's beside the point because coffee is the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth and I literally ate dirt as a child." He scrunched up his nose, grimacing playfully. "It's just so bitter, and the taste lingers in your mouth forever. I don't understand how anyone can drink it, even if they add in all that fancy shit."
"I just think your old man taste buds can't handle how amazing it is," Bryce grinned, "Add some caramel to that shit if you're having it cold with some almond milk and boom, best thing you're ever gonna taste." He had a major sweet tooth, adding caramel or anything sweet to the drink would immediately have you in his good graces, "Iced coffee is just like… the best creation ever made."
Cyprus met Bryce's grin with a small smile of his own. "First of all, I'm not actually that old." For a human, sure, but for a vamp he was barely into adulthood. "And second, iced coffee is terrible because it's both iced and coffee, which are the two most unforgivable things a drink can be. It's too damn cold in this city without adding any freezing drinks to the mix, you either have something soothingly warm or you perish."
Bryce snorted, "Okay, okay, for a vamp you might not be old but to me you are so shush, the claim still stands," He replied, biting at his lower lip, "Iced coffee is like a gods damned miracle. It's sweet and full of caffeine and overall amazing. I'd rather perish drinking something that I love then be stuck drinking tea or extremely bitter coffee. Even I have my limits."
Cyprus rolled his eyes. "I think you're just a baby, but fine. I'm older than you, and that mean's I've got more life experience so I'm going to use that to tell you that iced coffee is a gift from satan himself, and hot cocoa is, in fact, the ultimate drink because it's delicious and it doesn't have that terrible bitter aftertaste that coffee always does. So limit that, I guess."
"Life experience does not count for someone's personal taste," Bryce crossed his arms, "I for one happen to like the taste of coffee over hot cocoa. I don't think I've had one of those for years. If it isn't water or alcohol, then it is coffee. No ifs ands or buts and your 'life experience' cannot change my mind. Unless I'm given a hot chocolate that is the best in the entire world my mind is made up."
