"What can I say, I've had a long time to learn and adapt," he replies, glancing at him sidelong. He moves his face so it's not facing Skull - a casual movement that puts his back to the boy. It makes him vulnerable but it proves a point that he's not afraid. It also conceals the fact that his canines are becoming longer and more pointed as he gets ready to feed.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Kratzer shrugs, considering this and counting in German under his breath. "One hundred and fifty-seven years, give or take."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Carter's eyebrows shot up, those the rest of his face remained unimpressed. "So what's kept you alive for so long? Since you and your cellmate aren't one and the same."
He murmured a few words in German under his breath, then, without warning, he suddenly lunges forward and grabs Skull's arm in a vicelike grip before moving to bite his neck through the bars. His eyes flash an almost metallic shade of blue as his elongated canines make contact with Skull's flesh, barely piercing the skin and giving him a small taste of a drop of the boy's blood as he jerks out of Kratzer's grasp and evades the brunt of the attack. This leaves the vampire licking the small dribble of blood off his lips and gazing after his prey with the same agitation as a large cat that has just lost its quarry.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
He jumped back, bumping into the bars on the other side of the cell as he stared at Kratzer - who, for reasons he didn't quite understand, had just bit him. His instincts had kicked in before the moment had really registered. He raised a hand and wiped away the thin trail of blood running down his neck, all the while watching Kratzer. "Why the h*** did you do that?" he demanded, barreling his hands into fists. He took a step towards the other side of the cell. "You bit me-"
That was when he noticed the fangs.
"Oh, just great!" Skull exclaimed. "No wonder you're so old - you're a vampire! Jesus Christ, of course I get stuck next to a vampire. I didn't even know those existed! What kind of stupid magic is that?"
"Ach, verdammt," he growled, stalking back to the other side of the cell. His one chance and he blew it. How long did these people plan on starving him? His canines shrank to a more normal, if slightly exaggerated size, and his eyes lost their metallic glint. He didn't answer Skull's inquiries, too preoccupied with his own predicament of having not fed in over a month.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Though Kratzer may have conveniently decided to ignore his question, Skull was far from over what had just occurred. He stormed over to the front of his cell and furiously shook the bars. "Hey!" he shouted. "I know someone's listening in to us speaking right now, and probably with a decent camera too. What gives?! There's a vampire in the cell next to me, and you didn't even think to warn me?"
"Well it's not as though I could've killed you," he drawls, sitting down. "Besides, why feed me someone who they give a sheisse about when they could put another prisoner there instead? Yelling at the cameras won't do anything, either. They'll just ignore you if they hear in the first place."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Skull had to admit that Kratzer had a point, but it wasn't like he was going to let him know that. He settled with sitting on the ground very far from Kratzer's side of his cell, and staring out the bars before him. If only he hadn't been stupid enough to follow Bickerstaff through that rift. Now he was stuck back on Earth for crimes he had committed as a child, and Bickerstaff had likely already returned to the other world by now.
And he was nowhere closer to find out where Jess and Percy had gone.
Kratzer stood again, pacing the cell and gazing towards the door they'd been brought in through. There was a guard on the other side - he could hear their heartbeat - but he, of course, was unable to get to them. This frustration of being surrounded by humans and unable to feed after his months of captivity began to truly grind away at him. They were hardly giving him normal food, much less blood, and he for once he found himself wishing that Boomslang was involved - at least he could predict her and she probably wouldn't starve him of blood. Not again, not without reason.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
