private audio; day 51

[facilitated]

Private to Bruce Banner


Hi, Doctor Banner? [ Funeral assistance apparently isn't enough for her to be okay with first names just yet, it seems. ]

I was, well. I wanted to make sure my friend had spoken to you. Conrad? He has a bit of an issue, you see.

Comments

[greenisnteasy]

[ He'd rather "Dr. Banner" over "hey you freak," so that's a start. ]

Please, call me Bruce. And yes, Conrad messaged me earlier today. Are you a friend of his?

[facilitated]

Yeah, he lives in my attic. [ It might have only been a short time, but she's pretty damn protective of the people she lives with. Old habit, lack of family, projection, whatever. The point is, she's kind of concerned. ]

So did he tell you about his uh, condition?

[greenisnteasy]

Um, well. I have a patient-doctor confidentiality thing I like to uphold. What condition are you talking about?

[facilitated]

[ Should she go for it? She should just go for it. If he's spoken to Bruce, he must have told him something, right?

She's just going to go for it. ]

He's a vampire. He's a vampire and he's my friend, and I want to help him.

[ She...really hopes he told Bruce. ]

I want to donate.

[greenisnteasy]

[ He told him! And Bruce was about as underwhelmed as he is now, though he's a little more amused. ]

Seems like we're all on the same page. That's very kind of you, and I appreciate it, really. I'll probably need a few other volunteers or sources -- I'm not totally comfortable with him relying just on you, because you need blood too. But yes, that can be arranged.

[facilitated]

Oh thank God. [ She rubs her face quickly, letting out a soft laugh. Could have gotten really awkward for a moment there. ]

I do like keeping some of my blood, so that's good to hear. [ So hilarious Laura. ] But, yeah. I wanted you to know, 'cause he's dumb and waits until he's starving to say anything to anyone.

[greenisnteasy]

Well, that's never a good idea. Tell him not to let it get to that point, that there's no reason to.

[ He needs to figure out where he'll get the blood from though. He could ask Tony or Steve, but he's not sure about passing around Steve's blood either. He and Clint haven't spoken much since he came back -- how's this for a conversation opener?

Ooh, maybe Wallie...

...right, having a conversation. ]

I get the impression most people here would rather help him out than let him starve.

[facilitated]

Dude, that was like the first thing I said. I said if shit got bad to tell someone 'cause no one wants him going on a bitey trip around town or anything, right?

[ Not that she even thought Conrad was so much as capable of that sorry Conrad but it's worth mentioning nonetheless. ]

Okay, good. I just, I don't know how much other people know, you know? I didn't want to be like, one of two people he'd told. I worry, or whatever. No one should be going hungry here, even people with special dietary requirements.

[greenisnteasy]

I agree. I'm not on the bandwagon of revealing everyone's secret identities, but I do think people ought to receive the proper care they need. If you could... [ He frowns, trying to think of how to put it. ] Spread the word about that? I don't know how many vampires or werewolves or whatevers come confessing their sins to you, but if it comes up.

[facilitated]

More than you'd think. [ It's a joke, but the slight sigh that comes after it indicates that maybe it's not just a joke. She rubs her fingers lightly against her temples and laughs, shaking her head. ]

I'll do my best. You know, before this place - I'd never even heard of all this stuff? Like, vampires got their asses kicked on TV shows and demons got vanquished by priests in old budget movies. Was it like this where you were from?

[greenisnteasy]

Ha. Well. Where I come from people can become gamma monsters and there are superheros. A whole team of them, actually, and supervillains to go along with them.

I don't think my reality's a good one to compare vampires to.

[facilitated]

...Okay, fair point. [ She laughs, but it's kind of weak. Seriously, how do all these people deal with this stuff on a day to day basis? She's only just wrapped her head fully around vampire. ]

Superheros and supervillains, huh? Closest I got to that was movies. Were- I mean, are you...?

[greenisnteasy]

That's not such an easy question to answer. [ But he can't just be purely bitter or purely anti-Hulk, not with Tony advocating for him so hard. Bruce doesn't think he's worth the defense Tony launches for him, but Bruce can agree he lacks a villainous quality. ]

When he cooperates, he's one of the good guys.

[facilitated]

When he co-operates? Sounds...well. Sounds complicated.

[ She offers him a slightly sympathetic smile at that, shrugging her shoulders lightly. ]

Way I see it, we're all a bit like that, aren't we? There aren't many people on the earth that aren't capable of being awful people when pushed to it. I guess what sets people apart is the willingness to do what's right when the time calls for it. Right?

[ Wise words for a headstrong teenager. Maybe because she's seen a little too much of that aforementioned 'awful people when pushed to it'. Not that she'll ever tell a soul, though. ]

[greenisnteasy]

[ Wise words, but Bruce thinks they're too optimistic. His world-weariness makes it hard for him to accept them, but he'll smile for her. ]

That is important. You judge a person based on their choices rather than their mistakes, right?