Lukas blinked.
He didn't expect to hear such words come out from Cerisedel.
He had heard Drusilla call him a Vampire-man, and for Rhea to announce that she knew that he was human based on his dreams—but for another being to declare that she could see through him was a bit too much.
Was it a terrible feeling?
Not entirely, but Lukas coughed and tried to locate her based on proximity of her voice and then looked in that direction.
"I appreciate the observation, but I do wish that you'd also reveal yourself as well, Cerise."
There was a shifting sound in the cave, before Cerise let out a breathy laugh.
"Hah. Nice try. I'm unaffected by such attempts to influence me—you need to be better than your current state now if you wish to make me do something."
"It was only a wish." Lukas said nonchalantly. "You've indulged me enough with allowing my name to be remembered and for you to grant your name—what would a peek into your true form be?"
"You're not going to see me." Cerise hissed.
"Then I'm not." Lukas said. He presumed that being given small leeway, one after the other would make her much more compliant—Charm active or not, but she was on guard.
Cerise was someone who blabbered a lot, but when it came to the end of things, she was careful and only revealed what she wanted to reveal.
"…"
"…."
"….."
"...AH!" Something hard slapped into the ground and Cerise groaned out loud, but then didn't say anything after that.
Lukas kept himself quiet. It was another tactic to stay silent until the other person became uncomfortable and responded to your words and request, and Cerise was definitely on the losing streak.
'I've dealt with many people before, compared to Cerise, this is practically of no difficulty for me.' Lukas thought, although he couldn't help but still be a little on edge.
Was he playing with fire here?
Oh, Lukas could play the role of a Fool and keep a King, or in this case, Queen, happy. As someone who had familiarized himself on how to deal with customers, fellow employees and bosses in his own time back as a worker, this was something he could do.
But surely merely a small stretch of time and he'd have Cerise opening up to him out of her own volition.
"… you, you—did I upset your weak and pathetic heart when I called you strange-kin? I suppose this revelation is startling, but I assure you that you are different as well. In that regard, you and I are alike… so you should find it an interesting thing to comprehend."
"I know that I'm different." Lukas bared his fangs, knowing that this didn't originally belong to him, but he had them now and he'd use them all the same. "And another thing that I do know however is the fact that I am not as strong as you are. You've made that very clear to me, Cerisedel the Unprevailed."
"…"
"Cerise." Lukas tried again, and he couldn't help but think that was enough to mollify her a little.
"It is good that you know your place." Cerise said.
"Yes, and it is why I've actually come here to this mountain, I wish to beseech you to help such weak mortals that we are." Lukas said.
'I think I remember Drusilla once mentioning that Vampires were strong enough to stand toe in toe with other powerful Races, but at this point, we're going with the weak mortal thing, I guess. It's a good thing that Drusilla isn't here or she'd never let me hear the end of this.'
"Help." Cerise said the word with a touch of hesitance, but then her tone shifted into a haughtier one. "You come here to seek my help? You have nothing to offer me, no tribute, no gift or even anything in an attempt to appease me and make me more willing to listen to your request. You are so bold to come here with nothing."
"I… I did not come emptyhanded." Lukas said.
"So you mean that you wish to give me that pretty dagger? I suppose it does look rather sharp, great for my fangs maybe—er, I mean, is that all?"
"Drusilla's not going to like to know that she could have been used as a toothpick." Lukas chuckled to himself but then shook his head. "I'm afraid that is not what I am offering you, Cerise. I've come from a place afar, and with that comes knowledge and information that you may wish to consume?"
"I am quite intelligent! Dare you imply that I am insufficient with what knowledge I already possess?"
"The world is vast and there are many things that you and I both don't know, even you would have a lack for some information and that is why I come here to trade information for your assistance."
"…What you must provide to me should be equivalent to the help that you dare to seek from me." Cerise said.
Lukas smiled in relief. At least Cerise was not arrogant to think that she knew everything, and perhaps like Drusilla once was, she was starving for new information.
"I would like you to imagine a new world, of another world that perhaps function like this one." Lukas said. "That is what I wish to tell you about, the wonders of Virtual Reality."
"Virtual. Reality?" Cerise said. There was a frown in her voice. "You mean what the Vampires in Nyx sometimes possess? Those technological advancements?"
Lukas' smile slipped a little. He had forgotten that Cerisedel probably knew about it because of wyverns stealing from merchants—and maybe even eating them, if they were snacky.
However, Lukas wasn't one to give up.
If she knew some basic information, then he'd simply wow her with an indepth of knowledge to astound her.
"Yes. Similar to what they have—it is like a simulation. A world where you can be anything that you wanted to become. It is a miracle and a life-changer for some… and it really was life-changing for me."
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