Dead of Night: Intravenous Discussions

A long clear tube quickly filled with red. The winding plastic led from a needle in Jousah's arm to a bag already labeled 'B+'. He nodded along, trying to keep his head clear as he fought the slight shakiness that came from going cold turkey. He wanted to be sure he could contribute to the emergency blood donations. Arrie had talked him into bringing over some of the more sober members of his extended friend group. "You know. It could just be a total coincidence. Like, sure, demons are super powerful and do magic n' shit. But I don't think they have any reason to fuck with us. They practically own us. They are like, our creators or something." He ran his hoove through his hair, pushing the thick curls out of his eyes to see Arrie clearly. The worry on her face made his stomach twist. 

Arrie tried hard to focus on the process of taking blood more than the cold grip she felt in the middle of her chest. "I know. But when Irvyll called me. He seemed so sure that Darlet might know more about this whole situation." She lowered her voice to speak just to Jousah. "What happened to those people. What happened to Oleander. He said he was going to figure it all out. That was a few days ago. He isn't at home, and he hasn't been online since all of that news broke about the disappearances. He was one of the first people to check with the church, I had my girl Satin trick him into a reading. But she said he was focused on getting answers. Now with all of this, I am scared he got in way over his head. What if it really is demons!" 

A volunteer nurse working with a patient nearby gave Arrie a puzzled look. She sighed, watching the blood reach to the top of the bag before quickly plucking the needle from the vein, padding the spot with a folded napkin and taping it down to stop the bleeding. Jousah grabbed her shoulder, his grey eyes looking serious behind his thick curls. "I know. You're scared. But this is something that Irvyll needs to figure out on his own. He has done this for a long time right? Talked to plenty of bad people, gotten out of some bad situations." He talked like knew the guy well. But in reality, he'd only ever met Irvyll during the context of his parties. Arrie knew him well, and he knew her concerns weren't unwarranted. People randomly dropping off the radar is already a major concern, having someone dive straight into the fire would only increase those chances. But he had to play it brave, for both her and for himself.

Arrie gave a hesitant nod. She hated the fact Irvyll willingly put himself in association with violent criminals for work. But she had to respect this was his path to take, even when it got hairy and especially when he was in danger. She had to hold out hope that he was alright. "Do you think we should ask Darlet about it?" She moved to clean up her station for the next patient. Her slight shakiness steadied instantly when she held the syringe in her hooves. This was a blood drive, she volunteered to help people, not to wallow in self pity. "He is probably the only person we know that's gotten close to another demon other than Murmur. Maybe that could give us something to hold out hope for? I don't know. I just want to know what we should expect."

Jousah moved off to the side, waving over one of his friends to take his spot. A skinny man with a set of thick glasses, definitely not who you'd expect to end up at one of Jousah's parties. "What you should expect chica, is a lot of work ahead. I will deal with all of this messy conspiracy stuff, you just do your duty here. If anything, it's probably just some bad people doing criminal things. No spooky mystic stuff and nothing your detective boyfriend can't handle." He shoved his hooves into the pockets of his jacket before giving a lighthearted grin. "Also. Don't mind the wiz here, he is a bit freaky with the blood stuff. He really wanted to come down."

Arrie took a glance at the man she was prepping her station for, noticing the smirk on his face as he oogled the needle in her hoove. Why did she have to get the guy with a blood kink. "First, he is technically not my boyfriend. Second, I will absolutely get you back for this later." She glared at Jousah for only a second before returning her attention to her next patient.