Oh, Hello!

[Jaydee]

At that, Zeke finally cracked a smile. He liked Kari - anyone who could let something like that roll off their back so easily was guaranteed a spot on his good side.

And then he had to go and mention parents. It wasn't that Zeke missed his, but explaining what happened tended to get him sympathy he didn't want; he considered himself lucky more than anything. "You'll get used to it." He ran a hand through his tangled hair. "My parents weren't so sympathetic, actually, but it's okay. I made it here, after all. It's not so bad if you made it here."

Vegetarian? Ha, the irony. This was something they had to get out of the way early on, to avoid any awkward situations in the future. That was the last thing Zeke needed this year. "Um, well, I can only have raw meat... sorry, is that gross? Most people think it's gross. That's why I don't eat in the cafeteria with everyone else."

[Ixtlilton]

Kari blinked. And then, he was off. "Only raw meat, huh? LITERALLY only raw meat? Like that's the only thing your stomach will digest? Any kind of 'raw meat,' like fish or oysters, or just red meats like beef and pork?" Kari dove into a nearby box, all but literally, pulling out cook book after cook book. "I know I've got something heeere... I think it's in this one." He pulled out a book labeled Rare Gourmet Recipes of Western Europe. "Yeah, here we go... I've got a couple. Steak Tartare, of course, and Carne Cruda which I've been dying to try. Say, do you eat raw eggs, too? Is it a problem with cooking, or a problem with things other than meat, or both?"

He flipped through the cook book, then pulled out another, leaving others strewed on the floor around him. "I could probably make my own cook book with recipes strictly for you if I can get all the details down pat. If you're not entirely sure on the details, there's one surefire way to find out." He was grinning with a grin that could almost put Zeke's to shame.

[Jaydee]

This boy was just full of surprises, wasn't he? There was no sign of shock, no disgust at that little revelation - no, he was getting excited about recipes. Zeke didn't know what to make of it.

"It's not so much a problem as it is a craving," he responded, still bewildered by Kari's response. "I mean, um, I like... blood. It kinda comes with the package." Unexpected as it was, it was still a relief - this encounter could have gone much rougher than it actually did. He had to admit, though, raw egg sounded disgusting. And that smile on Kari's face unnerved him just the tiniest bit... "All I know is I'm a carnivore. I've only really had steak before."

Much as he didn't want to encourage the talk of eggs and oysters (oh, god, anything but those), it was nice to hear someone going on about his condition as if it were almost normal. A quirk or a choice, rather than a craving for the blood of his fellow human beings; yeah, that was far from normal. He tried not to think about it too much.

[Ixtlilton]

"Oh, so it's the blood! Hmmm... That gives me a lot to go with, thanks!" Kari said cheerfully, pulling out a notebook which was half falling apart, with pages and print outs falling out of every corner. "Blood... Uh... fish blood? Or... I guess red meat would be better, huh? Sorry, it's just, sushi would be a really easy to cook solution," he said with a girlish giggle. "I'll have Daddy mail me some stuff; I don't really eat much steak. Kind of a 'big tough manly guy' food, you know? I'm more... fish and salad."

He paused, flipping (or flopping, as it were) through his book. "Um, this might be rude, but do you know if you can eat anything else? If it's just a matter of craving it wouldn't matter if, like... there was a bed of lettuce or something." He pouted, scribbling something down. "Even some carnivores can partake of vegetation, but it might not be necessary for your health. ...Still, vegetables can taste pretty good. It's sort of sad to think you've only ever had raw steak." He paused again, then giggled. "I bet the Hindus wouldn't like you very much."

[Jaydee]

Ha, "manly food". He'd heard that before. Not that it applied to him in any way, shape or form, but he'd heard it. "I dunno. I'm still human, so my body can probably handle it. It's just that my teeth weren't made for grinding up plants and stuff." Sad as it might have seemed to a food connoisseur like Kari, Zeke was perfectly happy eating nothing but steak. Blood and water were the only things he ever felt the need to put in his mouth. "They never did sound appetizing to me, like... at all. But they won't kill me."

He smiled again (miracle of miracles!) at Kari's last comment. "Yeah, well, the Hindus are just gonna have to deal with that," he replied. "I like my steak."