Rykah was sketching out something in his sketchpad by now, the lines not really making sense if you didn't know what he was drawing, but it looked to be some soft of animal. "I'm okay… my wing is sore.. but it's fine."
.jpg)
"Okay, I'll leave some over the counter pain meds sitting out in case. And don't worry about wasting them or anything. I can't exactly take pills myself," Pollux replied.
He pulled a bottle from a cabinet in the kitchen and set it down on the counter.
Rykah nodded, "Okay.." he said softly, his attention quickly going back to his sketch.
Pollux sat back down on the couch, picking back up where he'd left off.
He let out a quiet sigh when he went to check his email, and he had one from his employer. How was he supposed to explain his whole situation? Not even the Rykah part. Just… keeping himself unbearably hungry to the point where he could be a danger to patients, and missing a day and a half of work, even though the fix was as simple as biting the bullet and drinking blood.
Rykah wouldn't say it either, but he also really needed that job. Not that he knew of the other's dilemma as he focused on his drawing, a regal looking Tigress.
After working a while, Pollux closed his laptop and got up when the laundry was done. He brought it back to the couch in a basket and began folding, separating his own clothes from Rykah's.
He hummed softly to himself. It wasn't really a happy hum so much as a bored one. God, he really needed to pick up some actual hobbies.
Rykah was putting the final touches on his drawing by now, using his finger to blend in his shading, erasing and going over some of the stripes with his blue pencil.
When Pollux was done folding the clothes, he moved his pile to his bedroom and put them away, then searched the shelf in the closet for the paints. He pulled down a small box where he was pretty sure he'd left them and checked inside. When he saw he had guessed correctly, he moved back towards the dining room with the box and placed it on the table. Pollux couldn't help noticing Rykah's drawing.
"That's very good," he said, his fangs flashing in a slight smile, "Have you ever thought about selling your work or doing commissions?"
Rykah startled a bit when the other spoke, his cheeks reddening a bit when he registered the compliment, "I.. I have actually.. but I'd never make enough to make a profit…" he said softly.
"Maybe not as a living, but a lot of people do it as a side gig. As long as you're not buying more in materials than you charge for your work, you should be able to make a little bit of extra cash," Pollux reassured him, "If it's something that interests you, you should totally go for it. You've definitely got the abilities."
He paused for a second.
"Oh yeah, I brought these paints. There aren't many colors, and some of them might be dried up, but I hope at least some of them are workable if you wanted to mess around."
Rykah nodded contemplatively, before his attention was drawn to the paints. "Thanks" he said with a smile, immediately standing to peek into the box curiously.
"Of course," Pollux replied.
He shifted a bit.
"I have to go back to work tomorrow, unfortunately. But maybe you can come with me to ask about getting a job there. We have cafeteria staff in addition to janitors, so there's something there for your experience level. Plus, I think they'd appreciate meeting you in person first. Although, I would hold off on actually starting work until you're healed up a little better."
Rykah nodded "You're sure they'll be willing to take me on?" he asked softly, his tailing flicking somewhat cheerfully, as he started staking paints on the table.
"I'm pretty sure," Pollux replied, "We are currently looking for more people, and you seem very willing. And with the added thumbs-up from me, they'll be more likely to hire."
He frowned a bit, rubbing his forehead.
"I gotta stop doing this, though. I don't think they're going to fire me for having to take off, but this isn't the first time. It won't be the last at this rate- I don't know what to do. Like I love my job, I don't want to have to take off. It's just… You saw it, you understand that I can borderline go into some sort of frenzied state, and I can't do that at work. I can't risk hurting any colleagues, or gods forbid, patients."
Rykah nodded a bit in response to the other's worries about hurting patients. "Yeah, that wouldn't be great.." he said softly "I'm guessing you don't feed very often, right?" he asked quietly.
"No," Pollux admitted, "The thought is kind of repulsive, to be honest. Humanoid blood is unethical usually, and animal blood tastes like sludge. Most vampires eventually snap and stop drinking animal blood altogether after a few months to a few years, because it's that bad. Not to mention, once you've had a taste of human blood, I've heard it's hard to go back. I mean… I have… once… But that's not something I like to think about. It wasn't on purpose."
He lowered his head.
Rykah nodded, "I… I'm sorry you don't have very many options.." he said softly.
"Ah, it's okay," Pollux replied, "It's not like it's your fault or anything."
He chuckled a bit to himself.
"Besides, there are perks. I'm a lot stronger than I used to be, I don't have to sleep, and I don't get sick anymore."
He shrugged. "I just hope whatever happens, I can just… not hurt people. That's my only real concern."
Rykah nodded, "I don't think the benefits outweigh the downsides… Last I checked nearly starving isn't fun.." he hummed sympathetically.
"I guess you'd understand that, huh?" Pollux said with a nod, "Yeah, I don't know that I'd have chosen to be a vampire, of course, but even if the good doesn't outweigh the bad, at least I get a few perks. As compensation, I guess. Though I kind of do miss sleeping and eating. Used to be sick a lot, though, so I'm glad I don't have to deal with that."
Rykah nodded in agreement, "So.. what happens if you get fired for missing work?" he asked.
"I have some money saved up, so hopefully, I just find a new job that's in an environment where I'm not exposed to blood on a regular basis. That's kind of why I worry about hurting patients. If they're bleeding, and I haven't fed in a while, there's a lot of temptation. Now, my boss knows that the stakes here are literally me killing a patient, so they've been lenient since I've turned, but I'm starting to think I should've figured something out by now," Pollux replied, "Worst case scenario, it's harder to find a new job than I expected, and I downsize some. I don't really need a lot of space to live, but it's nice to have."
Rykah nodded quietly, "Sounds like a decent plan." he said softly, Not that it'll help me much if anything goes wrong..
"Yeah, I don't think that'll be the case, though. I've been emailing my supervisor. I just- I need to make a real plan for feeding and all that. I don't want to keep doing this," Pollux replied.
He sounded pretty confident in his words, if a little tired.
Rykah nodded, "Hopefully you'll figure something out soon then.." he said softly.