After a few minutes, Betty had a small blood sample ready. She stared at the cup considerably in hand like a rare jewel before meeting her gaze with a worried Marceline. Even though Betty understood the folklore of vampires long beforehand, she still found it interesting how drinking human blood would miraculously heal all wounds and injuries, no matter the extent. At the same time, she mentally prepared herself for a fight as a vampire could become feral upon consuming their main source of diet. Betty knew Marcy would do her best not to lose control, but the former suspected Marcy would at least lash out a couple times before stopping altogether. As the two exchanged a long meaningful gaze with each other, they both understood right away what needed to be done. Both of them had dried their tears up at this point and Betty placed a comforting hand on Marcy's cheek to give one last word of advice.
"No matter what happens," the woman said with a serious expression. "I will still love you. Nothing will ever change that and I will hold nothing against you."
"Promise?" Marcy asked. She would hate herself forever if the worst should happen.
"It's my job as a parent to love unconditionally," Betty reassured. "We get through this first, and then we'll figure out a way how to meet on the other side." She scooted closer at her bedside and held the drink up asking, "Ready?"
The vampire nodded meekly, while the nearby elementals took up defensive stances on cue. As the cup moved closer to her mouth, she could sense the drink giving out an enticing aroma similar to a fresh brew of coffee. She gulped in preparation, knowing that the taste would be just as great but also became wary of controlling her unquenchable thirst. She wondered for a fleeting moment if there could have been a better choice to heal without the risk of endangering others, but ultimately came up with none.
Marceline's lips came into contact with the cup's edge before the liquid streamed down her throat. She felt her tastebuds light up with joy from the familiar taste and then she felt a surge of energy course through her body. The effects of consuming the blood despite being a small portion had managed to eliminate most of the cuts and bruises accumulated on her face and upper body. The only exception however was that her ribs and chest line were still sore due to Finn's desperation move. While her bones were intact and no longer fractured, the pain lingered as they shifted themselves back into place. She cried in agony for a brief moment but it was soon replaced with another feeling as the drink settled further in her stomach.
Suddenly, Marcy's natural instincts as a vampire began to sharpen as her sight focused on Betty. Her eyes began to blacken as she became feral and her fangs elongated as she stared at Betty's neck. The blood did wonders for Marcy to recover for the most part, and yet she found herself wanting more. Thankfully, Betty took the precaution to back away quickly after the fact or else Marcy would have easily lost control from hearing the former's strong heartbeat.
Betty was on her guard at all times as she watched Marceline rise slowly from bed. Although her hands were prepped to conjure ice at a moments notice, she still hoped there wouldn't be a violent exchange despite there being a high probability.
The vampire stood still beside the bed as she studied her meal across the room. It had been centuries since she feasted on human blood in the early days of the post-Mushroom War, and yet it felt like it was yesterday. Back then, she protected the friends she made in the apocalyptic wasteland by going after the people who were deemed as thieves and murderers. It was considered a neat idea at the time to satisfy her hunger, but eventually her instincts became more demanding. Killing off the unsavory group of society wasn't enough anymore and her mind began to perceive everyone as a potential food source. Before it could get worse however, Marcy discovered that consuming shades of red would calm her nerves altogether. Since then, it became the perfect solution to live through the years without the risk of endangering her friends unintentionally.
Today was much different. Marcy's hunger for blood was stronger than it was ever before since she abstained from it for such a long time that she slowly made her way towards Betty. Even though one part of her mind screamed at her not to harm her maternal figure, the other part brushed it aside and said it needed to have more blood regardless of who it was. It didn't care about the facts and the overall situation, it cared about satisfying a need. The repercussions could be dealt with afterward as far it was concerned.
"Marcy?" Betty asked cautiously.
"Get away from me!" The vampire warned as she started to move closer. Her hands began to shift into claws as Betty's scent intoxicated her nostrils.
Simon's fiancée took a quick survey of the room as Marcy struggled with herself. Once her gaze met a spare ballistic helmet colored in crimson, she reached over to grab it and then gestured to Marcy. "Here, take this!"
The helmet was tossed in front of Marcy but unfortunately she remained fixated on Betty. Each step she took became more of a struggle to simply pounce on impulse, but her mind steeled itself from surrendering to temptation. "My health may be restored," Marcy admitted. "But I cannot control my other functions."
"You have to fight it, Marcy!" Betty pleaded. "You're our only hope at saving Simon and everyone else."
The vampire paused as she tried to process this information. She could see the fear in expressed in everyone's eyes around her, and there was a moment of hesitation when she realized her actions. However, the feeding frenzy roared viciously within her that she snapped back into pursuing Betty.
The magic user was caught by surprise as Marcy suddenly flew towards her. Her back ached as she felt herself being slammed into the wall and her arms were effectively pinned from fighting back. The surrounding elemental soldiers raised their guns on cue in a desperate attempt to rescue Betty, but the latter shook her head slightly and got them to stand down.
"Desire is irrelevant!" Marceline stated with a crazed expression. "I am.. a vampire!" Her fangs were nearly inches away from piercing the human's skin.
Despite the situation clearly appearing hopeless, Betty countered her argument grunting, "You're more than that, Marcy. In all the times we've spent together, you've proven how you could be this remarkable woman who shows strength and independence in the face of adversity. Even with all that you are, you didn't let yourself become outright immoral because of it. That is something most people can't do and for that I am proud to look at you as my own daughter."
Marcy's ears twitched as she heard the words. At that moment, her mind was fighting back to become rational again and she froze right in place.
Betty relaxed in the vampire's grasp and stared at her imploringly, "If you truly need to have more blood, go ahead and take it. Just promise me you'll save Simon after it's all said and done. He'll understand."
Marcy blinked as Betty closed her eyes in acceptance. While one part of her mind argued that drinking the blood was now an open invitation, the other countered by stating it was still not tolerated. As she thought more about the long-term consequences, her natural instincts began to lose their foothold. The first indication she started returning to her senses was when her fangs shrunk to their normal size. Then, her eyes changed back into their normal red ones.
"I.. I cannot!" The vampire finally admitted as she became more upset with herself and changed her hands back to normal. Before long, she released Betty in one sudden motion and forced herself to drain the color from the helmet she bypassed earlier. Although the taste was bitter and left much to be desired, Marcy's appetite for blood was ultimately spoiled because of it. She pulled her hair with both hands as she shook her head irritably to regain complete control, while everyone else watched with uncertainty.
A long moment of silence filled the room as Betty cautiously approached Marcy. Once she got close to ten feet, the vampire gestured her with a palm to stop while looking at the ground. "Don't get too close," the vampire warned with shame in her voice. "The hunger may have left, but it can never go away completely."
"Do you.. want something else that's red?" Betty asked awkwardly.
"No," Marcy said shaking her head. "I'll be fine." She paused for a moment and frowned to herself saying, "When I drank your blood, I also learned about what happened in recent events... I understand why you had to go through all of this, but that doesn't mean I like it." She lifted her head and met Betty's gaze with a hardened expression, "I believe you have something to track Phoebe down?"
"I do," Betty said as she pulled it out of her pants pockets. Right when she was about to hand it over, Marcy stopped her and instructed to toss it instead.
"I hope this helps you reconsider your interest for immortality," Marcy stated mildly as she tucked the compass away. "I have at least a thousand years of experience under my belt, but even then it almost didn't matter."
Betty closed her eyes and nodded solemnly.
"I'll be back," Marcy continued. "Once I drop Phoebe off, I'll get Simon to the nearest hospital. I still have half a mind to go after that.. gumwad myself and take the matter into my own hands, but it seems like a plan has already been set. I just hope that it works, whatever it is." She began to head for the doorway with purpose and stopped before she could leave. She then glanced over her shoulder and called, "And Betty?"
The woman looked right back up in response.
"Thanks."
