Soup, skewers, stir fried vegetables, rice, bread, noodles...the list went on. Ebony had really prepared everything she could for this feast. Having thirty odd mouths to feed was quite the challenge, but Ebony had delivered. Upon seeing the food Rassa had gone to buy, she'd immediately told him it wasn't enough, and Aegin had been sent to collect more ingredients. However, she hadn't considered that these people were malnourished and likely wouldn't eat as much as thirty people normally would anyway.

Still, the sheer amount of food seemed to bolster the mood amongst the residents, and they eagerly dived in without ceremony. Perhaps the greatest compliment to the chef.

"Wow, it's so good!"

"The vegetables are so yummy!"

"This is the best meal ever!"

The kids chorused their appreciation, and Ebony grinned at their praise, clearly happy.

"It's true, everything is lovely, where did you learn to cook so well?" asked Sharli.

Ebony's smile faded slightly as she glanced at Rassa. Rassa, who hadn't touched any of the food and was merely watching everyone else, shrugged. It was her story to tell, Rassa didn't care what she decided to say.

So, Ebony decided on the truth.

"I was a slave up until a couple of months ago, I had to learn in order to please my masters," Ebony said.

The mood on the table sobered somewhat.

"I...sorry," Sharli said, her expression dropping, "I shouldn't have asked".

"No, it's fine," Ebony replied, "I'm not there anymore, besides, it at least allowed me to gain a few useful skills".

Sharli didn't look much better despite Ebony's reassurance, then she glanced at Aegin and finally Rassa, "Then you were-"

"Not slaves, but prisoners in our own ways," Rassa replied, "Common ground brings together people who would have otherwise never met".

Sharli's head dropped as she put her spoon down, "It appears I have misjudged you severely. I thought you were just another noble, abusing your power".

Rassa smirked, "And you're just another poor girl, selling whatever she can to provide for her make-shift family".

Sharli frowned at the insult.

"First impressions are deceitful things," Rassa said, "Better to reserve judgement most of the time, though sometimes that can lead to stabbing yourself in the back. Regardless, I know you're at your core a good person. You would not have attempted to look after so many if you weren't. What you do to look after them is something you need to justify, not anyone else".

This seemed to make Sharli feel somewhat better, and she picked up her spoon once more, "To a better future then".

Rassa nodded, but Sharli paused when she realised that Rassa was not eating.

"Is the food not to your liking?"

Rassa smiled. For the first time in his life, he felt comfortable enough to not hide what he was, though he told himself to proceed with caution, "Something like that".

Sharli began to stand, "I'm sure we can get something for-"

"He'll hunt later," Aegin chimed in, sensing that Rassa had no intention of hiding, "Don't offer what you don't understand".

Rassa turned to Aegin, "You make me sound so horrible".

Aegin shrugged as he tore into a piece of bread, "Just doing my part".

Sharli sunk back down into her chair, "What does he mean?"

"I have a rather...unique diet," Rassa stated, "What you perceive as food doesn't do anything for me".

Sharli frowned, "Then what do you eat?"

Ebony and Aegin paused, glancing at Rassa and wondering if he'd go all the way. He'd yet to trust anyone besides the two of them outright. In the end Rassa tilted his head to the side, as if weighing her reaction as he spoke, "Blood".

Sharli's nose scrunched up in disgust, "Blood?"

Rassa nodded, "Blood".

The table paused again.

"As in...BLOOD, blood?" asked Kit.

Rassa nodded, "Don't know what other type of blood there is, kid".

There was silence before one of the older boys spoke up, one that had been working on the docks during the day, "You're one of them aren't you? One of those monsters that tore apart Fountain Ridge".

So the stories had reached this far? Rassa had somewhat expected it though he had no idea how fantastical they had become.

"To be more specific, I got rid of all the monsters that tore apart Fountain Ridge," Rassa replied, "It was partially my fault to begin with so I had to take care of it".

No one seemed to know how to respond to this. In the end, Rassa stood, "I'll let you continue your meal in peace, I don't want to ruin the atmosphere".

Rassa was nearly out of the room when Iah spoke. She was quiet most of the time, Rassa honestly hadn't expected anything out of her, let alone at a moment like this.

"Prove it," Iah said, "That you feed on blood, I mean".

Rassa was a little shocked as he looked at her. So was the rest of the table.

"Iah!" Sharli scolded.

"Apart from his initial show, he has been nothing but kind to us. He let us stay on his property and eat the food provided for him, even offered to employ us, and yet because he eats something different and some story from another land scares you you're going to turn your nose up at his generosity?" asked Iah, she pointed to Aegin and Ebony, "They stuck around, clearly he's not all bad like you seem to believe. Were we not just talking about how first impressions can be deceptive? There is a possibility he is not being deceptive at all right now, yet you're letting your imagination carry him further down a road of no return".

Sharli looked guilty. It was clear that whilst she was the leader, Iah was a voice of reason in times of need.

"How do you want me to prove it?" asked Rassa in the silence.

"How do you usually eat?" asked Iah.

"From the source," Rassa replied honestly, "Blood turns gloopy and sticky when its exposed to the air for too long. Gives a bad case of indigestion".

No one sensed the attempt at a joke except Aegin and Ebony, and they had long since felt uncomfortable with this particular part of Rassa's humour.

Iah rolled up her sleeve, "I'm assuming you don't need a lot?"

Rassa shook his head, "You might feel a little tired and woozy afterwards, but you'll live".

Iah nodded and offered her arm out to Rassa, "Then don't leave".

Rassa hesitated, looking at the rest of the table who seemed to be sitting on the edge of their seats, ready to run at a moment's notice. Not that they'd get far. Rassa decided he'd already said one too many bad jokes and shouldn't mention that detail.

Rassa sighed, he hadn't had an audience when he drank since the dear Doctor. It was somewhat unnerving, but if this was all it took to prove a point, then fine. Rassa rounded the table and took hold of Iah's offered arm. It was only when he touched her that it occurred to him that he still wasn't entirely comfortable being so close to a woman. He had to consciously stop himself from pulling away as he spoke, allowing his fangs to elongate in the process.

"It'll hurt initially," Rassa said.

"Hur-"

Iah gasped in pain and her expression tensed as Rassa sunk his fangs into her arm, then after a moment, she relaxed, the pain disappearing. She watched in fascination, like they all did, as Rassa sucked and gulped down her blood. It was a strange feeling, but something was stopping her from fighting it, in fact it almost enjoyable.

Suddenly, the feeling disappeared as Rassa pulled back, then his tongue swiped over the two little holes on her arm and he backed away. Iah watched as the mark on her arm stitched itself back together with a tingling feeling like pins and needles, until there was no indication she had been fed on but the slight light-headedness she felt.

The room was silent as Rassa took a couple of steps away. It became an awkward silence as the group seemed to realise that there had been nothing overtly special or scary about what had just happened. In fact it strangely felt almost...normal.

After a moment, Ebony spoke up, "Anyone for another bread roll?"

Sharli cracked a smile as she snorted, "Yeah, thanks".

As the rest of the table began to laugh at how ridiculously tense they'd all been, Rassa leaned back against a nearby wall. He'd done it. He'd been accepted. Though it was only a first step it was something. And something felt so much better than the deceit he'd been intent on sticking to up until then.