8771/Hard Day's Night

Hard Day's Night
Date of Scene:	21 November 2021
Location:	Jubilee's Apt - College House
Synopsis:	Jubes comes home after a difficult night out slaying monsters. They trade stories about their day and Nori finds out about Jubes' fangryness and how she handled it.
Cast of Characters:	Jubilation Lee, Noriko Ashida

---

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    It's late. Jubilation's recent trip to the city was an eventful one, to say the least, and it lasted a full night longer than she expected. Was this the bender to end all benders or something more sinister? She stands outside her apartment, cheek pressed against the door. After some negotiating with the door's locks, she turns the knob and leans against the door, which causes it to sloooooowly open, taking her body along with it.

    Instead of getting changed, Jubilee simply nudges the door shut with her foot and flops face-first onto the couch. Her hair is tangled. Her clothes have dried blood stains. It has been an evening. "I'm dead," she mutters into the cushion, apparently perfectly okay with talking to her couch tonight. "More than usual."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Can anyone blame Nori for wanting to snooze in Jubes' bedding while she's away?  The speedster showed up earlier in the night and apparently took a doze.  There's the shuffling sound of cardboard and then the thin pale limbed figure blur-trudges into the doorway to the bedroom.  She's wearing a pair of blue shorts, that shirt of hers that Jubes' cropped, some neon socks, and her gauntlets of course.  Her hair sticks in a few directions.

"I should have rubbed my eyes," Nori regrets aloud before using the tail of her tshirt to do so.  That's when Jubilation and all that blood comes into focus.  No it's not just some new outfit.

Noriko appears by Jubilation's side and immediately her fingers are all over the vampire, checking her person for trauma.  She's not waiting for permission.  "You-ok?-what-happened?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee's body is perfectly fine. Free of damage. It actually has some color, too. It's not nearly as pale as it normally is. "Nori..." Jubilee mutters right into the couch. "Ugh... What /time/ is it?" She doesn't lift her head to check. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's not my blood."

    "Ughhhhh..." She rolls over so her back is on the couch and her face is pointed up at the ceiling, eyes closed. Dried blood circles her mouth and cakes her lips and teeth. "I feel like I got hit by a bus. But, like, a really strong bus and not a regular one. Like, one of those British ones. But driven by an American."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Jubes..."  It's a lot of blood.  This is like someone going to town on a whole hog without a bib.  This isn't sipping.  This isn't civilized.  Jubes wasn't under control...was she?  Or at least these are the little thoughts that shoot through the speedster's superhighway of a brain.  Nori isn't even sure how she /feels/ about any angle of it, but she doesn't seem horrified.  The time for that is long past isn't it?  Jubes already ate a horse...allegedly.

"You're not kissing me with those teeth."  Noriko shows up with a wet rag.  "Why?  Also, I think they just call those wrecks."  Americans driving British buses that is.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I know what you're thinking, Nori. I've had this conversation over and over in my head all the way home," Jubilation groans, still keeping her eyes closed. She brings her both hands up to rub her temples. Dried blood is caked into her fingernails and cuticles.

    "It's not from a person," Jubilee confirms, as though that needed to be said. Her brow wrinkles a little as a pang of anger finds its way into her expression. Nori didn't accuse her of anything but that doesn't stop Jubilee from getting defensive about it.

    "We were investigating an attack... And this place, you should've seen it. The whole place was /covered/ in blood. It was dried and old but it was /everywhere/... And I was hungry. I didn't realize /how/ hungry..." Jubilation presses her thumb and index finger into her eyes and groans. "And then there was an ambush. The fucking stake-baits that made that mess attacked us. And I, I, I just lost control."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I wasn't thinking anything," lies.  "I mean I didn't know anything so the thoughts are all junk," she tries to explain as if somehow Jubilation read her mind.  She does it instinctively and doesn't even realize it.  She instead busies herself with gently swiping little bits at Jubilation's mouth between her words.  It'd probably feel odd and trip up someone who hasn't been interfered with while talking before...but it's not like this isn't the first time Nori's done something similar to Jubilation.  At some point though, she just settles into only listening.

"Jubes..."  Nori's mouth pushes to the side with a flash of worry.  "Damnit I really need to work on our communication thing.  If I knew you were hungry I could have brought you some blood...or packed you a bunny or something...how do you feel now?  I mean, what is it like drinking that...blood?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee shakes her head emphatically. "No, no, it's not from /them/..." she replies quickly, as though the very suggestion is somehow rotten to the core. Even without a link to the vampire subculture, Jubilation knows that such an act is a taboo of the highest order. "...It's from a butcher. They sell pig's blood to people who want it." Nevermind the logistics of how Jubilee /got/ it.

    "The others finished them off but I just had to get out of there. I was /this close/ to killing them all. I could feel it. Phoebe. Tim. Jon..." Jubilee's thumb and index finger come together to illustrate how close 'this close' means.

    "Ugh, Nori. You know how when you eat too much candy or whatever and you feel like shit after?" Jubilee moans. She falls silent for a few seconds, perhaps for dramatic effect, and then: "....Pig's blood."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Good."  There's actually a flash of relief on Noriko's face.  She doesn't know why, but it's instinctual.  Also maybe, secondarily, vampires could have many friends.  There could be all sorts of things.  Nori knows she's out of her depth.  She just listens.

"Well you just drank a bunch of shit that's probably horrible for you," Nori teases lightly with a smirk, knowing very well the delicacy that runs through her veins.  She's just glad Jubes is okay.  "Do you care if I track your feedings?  I want to see if there's a pattern."  She lazily mops at the blood in Jubilation's hair as she looks hopefully to Jubilation.  Cleaning that hair is futile, further underlining the fact that it is a gentle sign of affection.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I drank a bunch of shit so I wouldn't kill anyone," Jubilee replies, clarifying Noriko's point a little bit. She shakes her head a little and brings her fingers together again. "This close, Nori. I was this close." It wasn't Jubilee who was that close, but it's a silly distinction to make. Losing control would mean surrendering it to her Dark Passenger.

    Track her feedings? Jubilee's eyebrows rise as her shoulders shrug. "Yeah, sure, I don't care," Jubilee answers honestly. "Just...." Her nose wrinkles. "...Let's just say 'eat' or 'meals' or something." She smiles a little, almost laughing even. "...Not 'feedings'..."

    "You want to figure out how long it takes for me to get hangry?" Jubilee gently accuses with a smile. "Or is it fangry?"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Yeah.  Of course," Noriko laughs, not realizing her shift in terminology.  Her cheeks betray her shame rather quickly and indicate her understanding of just what kind of slip up that was.  It all passes so quickly though and she's back to thinking about how close 'this' close is.

"Yes.  Because I'm pretty sure you'd hate me following you around like a dog.  Plus if you didn't realize how hungry you were this time, there's a chance that could happen again," and Nori...Nori seems determined to look out for Jubilation, through day and night.  "I mean wouldn't it be awesome if I could claim to know how to predict a vampire's hunger?  The sheer credibility.  I could write that in my journal.  Impress idiots at bars and nerd pickup games of Magic the Gathering.  Can you imagine?" she hams it up in content, but delivers it with about as much enthusiasm as hanging out with table top gamers would give her.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation opens her eyes and then frowns. "Yeah, um, I guess that's cool," she replies hesitantly. "I mean, anything so you can impress idiots." It's a joke, she knows it's a joke, but there's just something about the idea that tweaks her fangs. Jubilee rolls over and falls onto the floor in an uncharacteristically graceless flop.

    "This is my life now," she mutters, though a smile still comes along for the ride. "Sleep all day. Slay monsters at night." The next question comes with a fair amount of shame, but it comes anyway. "...What have you been up to?" she asks hesitantly.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Jubes...I just want you to be safe," and maybe she wants to know what she felt earlier, if it was even real.  "So you don't fang out at a grocery store or something like a diabetic with low blood sugar."

"Yeah.  You clearly hate it," Noriko smirks.  The bloody rag sails across to the kitchen sink with great accuracy, not a stray drop.  "You seem to be good at it," she says, a true compliment.  Has Nori had dreams of ass-kicking monster slaying Jubilee after seeing that video?  Would she ever admit to it?  "Do you want the abridged version?"

"Read two books, hit some balls, finished that stupid essay due tomorrow, went for a run in the city, worked on the underwater mural a little, read through all of your magazines, took a few naps, you know the usual kind of stuff to keep from going insane."  Which means the speedster did /way/ more.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I don't love it," Jubilation answers. "It's just... If human slayers found those guys they would think they're doing 'the Lord's work' or something. All vampires must die. It's bullshit."

    Plus, killing those feral vampires briefly distracts from the overwhelming fear that she'll become like them one day.

    Jubilee nods at Noriko's description of her day, secretly filing all of that away for the next argument they have about Jubilee leading a life separate from Nori. They both kind of have that going on but for entirely different reasons. "I like that mural..." Jubilee mutters with a smile, enjoying the treat of another one of her pleasant memories returning to her. It's like a piece of her life has been given back. "...Sounds like you--- Essay?!"

    Jubilee sits up suddenly, eyes wide. "Fuck fuck fuck. On what? How many pages? For which class?"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I know Jubes," Noriko says a little softer.  She doesn't try to counter it with a joke or anything, but lets her understanding hang there for a moment.

The speedster has certainly always lead lives apart from everyone else.  She, like Jubilation, has so much time alone in her life she has to fill...only in different order of a sort.  "Yeah.  It's pretty big now...You should add some more to it."

"It was that critique we had to read in English and then write up five pages on it like it was interesting enough to do that in the first place. I can help you research," Nori offers.  "And I feel like there's only two positions you can really write on it so you can read mine and then just go the other route," Nori says as if there's nothing to be worried about.  "Jubes.  You have super speed.  You'll be fine."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee flashes a grin, though. "...Still, it's nice that the last thing they see is this..." she brags with a smirk. Jubilee gestures to herself with one of her hands and then throws some fake punches paired with wooshing sound effects. Slay all night and look hot while doing it.

    The point about her speed gets an emphatic shake of her head. "It doesn't work like that," Jubilee protests. Her vampiric sprints are good for certain things but reading and writing are likely not among them. "...Besides..." That word comes with some foreboding.

    "I learned something about all this. All these bursts of speed or the mist thing or, like, being warm... Or..." Her eyes study Noriko awkwardly. "...Or, like, coming up with, like.... /spit/...." She purses her lips, no doubt referring to making out. "....It all makes me hungrier and hungrier."

    It's like the blood is a currency to be spent.

    "...So, like, when I went sickhouse on that vampire... It emptied me out."

    Jubilation lets out a little noise of frustration. "Five pages," she moans. "...I think this calls for some of my old tricks." A slightly larger font for punctuation is a sneaky way to pad the length of any paper.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"How can they complain?" Noriko smiles back at Jubilation, watching her shadowbox...and watching and just happily letting that moment draw out slower than her, basking in Jubes' quirky sound effects and reaching out to kiss Jubilation's knuckles with her fingertips on every extension as if she were playing an arcade game...and always at that last split moment before Jubilation would be able to react.  Little tap.  Tap.  Tap tap.  In perfect mirrored harmony.

"Really?  That sucks.  Well I can still help you speed up your research, because it /does/ work that way for me," which mean Jubes still might have a chance.  "Oh..."  Jubes' sample of things she uses blood for allows Nori to infer a lot.  The speedster's eyes dip, her lips ajar for a moment before she swallows.

"Okay that changes things.  Well I guess it is no different than taking in calories and then turning those calories into energy to use for doing things."  The speedster shrugs as she concludes this ever so quickly.  "Are you going to be okay on blood till tomorrow night you think?  Or will you need a sip before sleep?"

"Yeah, definitely," time for those old tricks.  "...so like...you kicked some ass?"  probably more like eviscerated some throat for all Nori knows, but she's not fantasizing quite so graphically.  All she's thinking about is how badass her girlfriend is.  There's a small smile curling at the edges of her lips.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Noriko's little kisses draw out a smile, then a grin, and then a giggle. Jubilation shakes out her hands dramatically, as though she's drying off the speedster's own spit, but it's all just played as a joke.

    "Thanks," Jubilee replies appreciatively. Her schoolwork has certainly suffered lately, but it takes a village, right? She smiles widely at Noriko and her offer to help.

    "Huh... I guess you're right," Jubilee mutters, staring. Noriko's reduction of the blood to calories makes perfect sense. For some reason, Jubilee assumed it was more magical, but it's actually a lot more mundane. She just has more control of her bodily functions.

    "I'm not really hungry, now, but... What do you say to a shower? I need to get cleaned up and you look pretty dirty yourself..." Jubilation's eyes squint to allow her cheeks to come up for a big smile. She stands and makes her way to the doorway of her bedroom, which leads to the bathroom. She lingers in the doorway.

    "I kicked a guy and he flew across the room," Jubilation answers simply, her own smile forming to mirror Noriko's. Her eyes lift and watch the speedster before her head tilts, as if to beckon her to follow.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I'm sure the mechanism of it is totally different but...each are kinds of exchange," Nori recognizes curiously.  It's a passing moment though, since the conversation marches on.

"Sure, just...uh..."  Noriko sprints over to the fridge and opens it to down a few meal replacement drinks, shooting them all in a line into the trash on her way back to follow after Jubilation.  She stops at the doorway, smiling.  "Oh yeah?"  That's a yes on her face.  A yes to the shower.  A yes to all of the above.  Did Jubes just say she was dirty?  Nori doesn't care.  She probably is.

"Oh yeah I'm way too dirty..." the speedster agrees as she follows Jubilation into the bathroom for a nice warm, /zappy/ shower...no blood necessary.