Jamie had done well. He had not looked pleased with the situation, but he seemed to accept the necessity of it in his own way, and that was enough. Those who could not never lasted long. Satya would have been saddened were that the case.

While she would have much preferred to go home immediately and send him to clean himself up she supposed there was no harm in rewarding him.

She tried to think back... who was the first person she had killed? What had it felt like? It was a long time ago, and she did not like to reminisce about the early nights of her existence. She owed him some sympathy, at least.

The distraction appeared to do him good. He talked about the stuff he collected, about the pieces he could use, and Satya didn't know if he was talking to her or himself, but the chatter was reassuring.

While she was willing to accommodate his hobby, however, she was certainly not touching any of the garbage he gathered. She allowed him to take only what he could carry himself. That shortened the venture considerably, and she was grateful when he finally announced that he'd got what he needed and they could return.

Her first order of business once they arrived at the house was to send him to shower. No complaints, this time, but she supposed even he must be keen to wash away the blood. Clean and in a fresh set of clothes he immediately went to the garage.

He seemed absorbed in his task. Satya thought she understood. She was the same, sometimes, when the world grew too much, it was easy to find solace in her craft, to forget the complications and confusions and instead focus on something that made perfect sense.

She left him to it, only calling him away as morning approached.

Jamie glanced at her inquiringly when he entered the room, and she sighed, nodding her consent and letting him settle on the bed. She would indulge him just this once more, she told herself... but she was beginning to doubt that assessment. It was becoming too familiar, too much of a routine, and she didn't know who she was truly indulging anymore. It was surprisingly nice to have him close. To know that as they lay at their most helpless, neither of them was truly alone...

Hmmm, a peculiarly sentimental thought.

She took his proffered hand with only the briefest seconds of hesitation. It was warmer than before, pooling with the fresh life he had drained not long ago, and it felt natural to curl her fingers through his own. Why did she allow this?

Satya did not have time to dwell on it though as the dawn drew aside all other troubles, and she lost herself as always in the immeasurable void as her body turned leadened and unresponsive, along with her mind. The hours flit past all together. She could not tell them apart, nor truly experience them, simply ride out their passage with only the weakest of grasps upon her own existence. How many lifetimes had she misplaced here, in the gap between dawn and dusk? She could not say.

When night fell back into place and she felt time return to its normal rhythm, Satya took the opportunity as she always did to examine Jamie. It was invariably longer before he regained his control but that was not a bad thing. I gave her a moment's peace, to play over her own thoughts, to watch his silent form and ask herself as ever what had inspired her to drag him into this. What was so special about a smile, anyway?

Minutes later and he shifted slightly, eyes regaining their spark and chest rising as he remembered to take a breath. "Satya?"

"Let me guess, you have a question?"

He grinned at her. "How could ya tell?"

"Hmmm, I am beginning to detect a trend," she replied dryly, though it amused her as he tended to do. His brows drew together in a look of concentration as he seemingly pieced together what he wanted to ask. His face was so animated, it was ridiculous.

"What was it like? When ya first got turned, with the one who made ya like this?"

Satya's expression went cold. Those were memories she still did not like to entertain, but she forced herself to study them fleetingly.

"Different," was all she supplied.

Jamie frowned, but he appeared to accept that she was not about to elaborate and quickly changed the subject. She was grateful he understood.

For most of the night he dedicated himself to finishing his arm, and after several hour of hard work he called her into the garage excitedly, giggling to himself.

She regarded him loftily, but he just held up his hands – both of them, the flesh one and a crude mechanical substitute – wiggling his digits in delight.

"Look! I can count to ten now!"

He laughed again, but he appeared so very pleased with himself, and Satya had to admit... it was quite endearing. His emotions tended to burn close to the surface and his giddy mood was infectious, and even discounting that fact she felt a swell of pride at seeing her fledgling accomplish such a thing. He was clever. Foolish at times, but clever.

"You shall be a mathematician in no time," she told him, covering her smile with her hand.

He beamed back at her. "Seems appropriate, right? A vampire who can count."

That earned a roll of her eyes. Jamie was in good spirits though and that was pleasant to see regardless of how many bad puns he felt the need to share.

After that he spent the night practicing with his new arm, and Satya gathered some of her less precious possessions for him to train with and set them out on the kitchen table where he was happy to settle. He would pick them up, and set them down, clumsily at first, but improving. The prosthetic arm did not appear to have the dexterity nor sensation of her own, but it was still an impressive piece of work given what he'd built it from.

After several re-calibrations and hours of repetition he was getting the hang of things and the metal hand moved with more confidence, no longer misjudging the strength or range of movement.

"Gonna paint it orange," Jamie told her as he attempted, and failed, to juggle a set of paperweights. They hit the table with a thunk but he was unperturbed, simply picking them up again.

"Do you like orange?"

"Yeah... it's kinda bold, loud, ya know? Like explosions. Always loved orange."

"It is not a bad colour," she agreed, though she'd never had much of a taste for it herself. She preferred cooler colours, the crisp perfection of an unblemished white surface, a gentle blue...

A sudden knock at the door distracted her. She paused.

Jamie shared some of her confusion, catching the paperweights and setting then back down as he looked over at her. "Expecting guests?"

Satya frowned. "Wait here," she told him firmly, leaving him in the kitchen as she went to investigate. This was unusual.

Strictly speaking, Satya was not in the habit of accepting visitors, she disliked the idea of inviting humans so close and her relationships with those of her kind were not tightly knit. She knew several, of which she had seen throughout the years, but they felt more like passing acquaintances than friends, all those who mattered had been left behind...

There was a third possibility, of course, but Satya discarded it. What kind of slayer would knock?

Feeling uncertain she hovered by the door. The knock sounded again, sharp and impersonal.

Setting aside any reservations she unlocked the door and opened it.

The woman on the other side smiled. "You look well, ma chérie, how have you been?"

Satya blinked in surprise. "Amélie... how... unexpected. It is still Amélie, isn't it?"

"For now, yes. I was in the area, I only thought it polite to drop by," she said airily, as if it were nothing. It had been at least a decade since Satya had laid eyes on her though. She looked the same as always, pale and slender with dark hair and delicate features, perfectly content with every aspect of herself and not afraid to show it.

"You could have warned me."

"Ah, but where would the fun be in that?" she asked. "Are you not going to invite me in?"

Again, Satya stood indecisively, but she supposed there was no harm in it. While they might not be close they knew each other, and the Countess had never done anything to directly offend her. She was far older than Satya, and far more bored with the world, it would be only polite to entertain the woman.

"You may come in, if you please," she allowed, stepping aside to grant her passage.

The Countess sauntered into the house like she owned it, wasting no time drifting toward the living room. Satya closed up and followed swiftly.

Jamie, of course, had not stayed in the kitchen. He waited apprehensively as they approached and the Countess made a delighted sound.

"And who might this be?" she asked, eyes roving across him.

"That is Jamie," Satya said, "I turned him a few nights ago."

"My, so young," she said with a sigh. She closed the distance between them as if to examine him closer, and Satya felt an unexpected surge or irritation.

Jamie looked uncertain. He was clearly uncomfortable being studied so intently but he didn't want to cause offense so he managed a lopsided grin. "Haven't seen ya before. You a friend?"

The Countess chuckled. "What a sweet thought. No, you may think of me more as a distant relative if you like. That is how I picture most of our kind."

"So I should call ya auntie or somethin'?"

"Not if you wish to remain on my good side." Apparently done with him she turned her attention back to Satya, shaking her head slightly. "I never expected this from you. It is nice to see I was mistaken, the company should do you some good."

"What brings you so far?" Satya asked bluntly.

"Like I told you, I was simply passing through," she said, finding herself a seat and elegantly crossing her legs over each other. Her gaze was expectant. "Now, forget about that and tell me what you have been up to. It has been far too long."

With nothing else to do, Satya found her own chair and obliged. They chatted for some time, discussing various events of the last several years, and Jamie listened with interest though he did not contribute anything himself. Given what she knew of him Satya would not be surprised if he was reluctant to relate his experiences.

The Countess, at least, appeared to enjoy herself. It was hours later when she finally announced that she would be taking her leave, walking across to give Satya a quick farewell kiss on the cheek. She thought, for one terrible second, that she was going to do the same for Jamie, the woman certainly seemed to be contemplating the idea, but in the end she simply bid them goodnight and departed with grace.

Satya attempted to relax with her visitor gone, but found she could not.

"Strange one, her. Are other vampires all like that?"

Satya glanced over at him. "No. The Countess is quite singular."

That clearly tickled him, for his eyebrows shot up and a daft grin spread across his face. "The Countess? She's a countess?" Jamie snickered. "That's fancy. Some proper Dracular shit right there."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Her real name is Amélie Lacroix, but you will find that vampires who manage to live for an extended period of time are in the habit of changing their names. To save confusion, in wider circles we tend to go by a nom de plume."

Jamie nodded wisely. "Ahhhh... like superhero identities?"

She sighed. "No."

He appeared to be thinking though, head tipping to the side as he contemplated her. "You got one? A fancy name I mean?"

Satya expected she would regret it, but she nodded. "I go by Symmetra."

"Symmetra..." he parroted, trying the name out like he was tasting it. "Mmm, I like it. Swanky. Think I could get one too?"

"There's nothing to stop you from choosing one," she informed him politely, "but you will have to build a reputation before anyone troubles themselves to learn it."

"Ah, now reputations I can handle. That's pretty much my specialty," he said with perfect conviction, and Satya felt her confidence drain. Oh, he was not going to do her own reputation any favors, that was for sure.

She let out a tired breath. "In any case, it troubles me that she would choose to visit. It is unusual for her to drop by with no other purpose save socializing, regardless of what she says."

Jamie watched thoughtfully. "Ya don't like her?"

Satya pondered this. "I do not dislike her, but she is different from myself. I have my own way of living and she has hers. To me, hunting is a necessity, to her it is a game... she enjoys seducing both men and woman alike to their unfortunate end, and she tends to leave far more of a mark on the places she passes through than I."

"Sound to me like ya don't like her," Jamie said with another grin.

"I... pity her, sometimes," Satya admitted. "She told me once that she does not feel much anymore. Perhaps because she is so old, perhaps because she is tired... regardless, it is a sad existence when the only real joy remaining is the hunt."

"Yeah... yeah, guess that is kinda sad..." he agreed, and the mood turned suddenly grim. That was the end of their discussion of the Countess.

They went to bed before sunrise and Jamie did not seek her permission this time but simply slipped into place, and Satya said nothing of it.