Metagaming

A distant yet constant haze remains in the recesses of her mind despite Ren's head now being clear enough for thought and reason.

[Are you feeling better, host?]

The voice suddenly speaking in Ren's head startles her, causing her to leap back a pace — while letting out a brief hiss — and then look around for the source.

[Did you forget about me entirely?]

Not finding anyone around, Ren then looks above and below for the voice that continues the one sided conversation in their usual emotionless tone.

[Ah, I see. You have amnesia.]

'Amnesia?' Ren echoes curiously to herself in thought, pausing her search. 'What's that?'

Still reviewing Ren's information, the voice responds, [To put it simply: it's why you can't remember anything.]

'I see.' A few moments later, Ren further inquires, elongating the first word as she asks, 'And~ who are you? Why are you in my head?'

[You're my host, so naturally I'm a part of you.]

Ren stares off blankly into nothing, quietly blinking with judgment in response.

[...You have often referred to me as "Rumpelstiltskin".]1

'What name is that? How am I to remember such nonsense? I don't even know my own name.'

[...] Unsure of what they should reveal, Rumpelstiltskin opts to say nothing. They knew that Ren was originally tight lipped and possessed acting skills. It's part of the reason they chose her. However, with her memory now entirely wiped, Rumpelstiltskin was no longer sure of such skills. They can't exactly have her going around talking about what the voice in her head said.

Ren asks with emphasis, 'Do you know my name?'

[That would be metagaming, host.]

'What?' Ren thinks while scrunching her brow.

[Don't worry about it, host. You'll understand later.]

'You're not helping my head hurt less,' Ren thinks, now massaging her forehead which hasn't stopped aching since she became conscious.

[I wasn't trying to help your head hurt less, host,] Rumpelstiltskin responds matter of factly.

'Then, what use do you have aside from intruding inside my head,' Ren mentally rebukes.

[...]

'What can you tell me?' Ren asks, no longer massaging her temples. 'Anything would be helpful since I know nothing.'

After thinking for a couple moments, Rumpelstiltskin reveals, [Your goal is to live a long life that impacts the world.]

Disappointed, Ren tries fishing for more, 'Anything else?'

Rumpelstiltskin reluctantly reveals after another brief calculation, [You're a Blaublütiger Vampir2 who had a near death experience and, as a result, have entered your undead life state.]

'How did I nearly die?'

[You fell, host. From a cliff and hit your head. It's due to this trauma that you have issues with your memory.]

Ren's brow scrunches at the explanation and tries to think back — seeing if she can remember such an event — only to have a sharp pain shoot through her head, causing her to keel over and unwittingly hiss in response.

[Don't force yourself, host. Your memory should come back after a while.] After some consideration, Rumpelstiltskin adds, [If you never reveal to others what I tell you, then I'll reveal more. You must continue to act as if you know nothing for now. Understood?]

With her head still pounding, Ren simply gives a nod in response.

Once the pain in her head subsides by a manageable amount, Ren straightens herself and looks towards the direction the two from before had come from.

Sensing her thoughts, Rumpelstiltskin comments, [You should first clean the blood from your body and dress yourself.]

Having no reason to not follow the advice, Ren uses the bloodier tunic of the two to wipe the blood from her face and body as much as possible before dressing in the cleaner tunic, belt, and cloak.

'Better?' Ren mentally asks while quirking a brow.

After some consideration, Rumpelstiltskin simply responds with, [...Yes.]

Ren gives a small nod in response and then pulls up the hood of her newly acquired, used cloak to help shield her sensitive eyes from the lingering sunlight. Feeling some sense of relief, Ren starts down the path in the direction the two had come from. 'They had to come from somewhere, right?'

...

Eyes.

They seem to follow Ren as she moves through the large, busy settlement. Sticking to her like the dirt that coats her skin. A range of unpleasant looks befall the faces of those who take notice of her filthy, rag clad figure.

Beneath a veil of long tangled strands, Ren curiously takes in the sight of clamouring people moving between collections of wooden exchange stations that line the main road as she enters through the main gate. Each station is filled with something different ranging from produce to dry goods, raw materials to crafted goods, and of quality ranging from common to fine.

In her exploration, Ren ends up lingering near the edge of the city so as not to become lost. The area she roams is mostly made up of shoddily constructed wooden buildings, many of which appear to be dilapidated with much jerry rigging to boot. Many even have straw thatching and lack windows. In the distance, further into the city, Ren can see that the buildings are better constructed with sturdier looking materials.

When she turns her attention back to the nearby shabby buildings, Ren finds herself wondering, 'Why would someone choose these over those ones?'

[...] Not up for explaining economics to an amnesiac, Rumpelstiltskin opts to keep their existence scarce.

Ren continues wandering until an enticing scent catches her nose. A whiff of sweetness amongst the sour stench of the slums. Eagerly she follows the alluring mix of aromas to a building whose walls secrete an overwhelming, almost tangible, pull; calling to her seductively.

Ren barely makes it a few steps inside before a mind numbing wave floods her senses, causing her to pause her steps as trembles are sent coursing through her body before gradually levelling out to a tolerable degree. The feeling is intoxicating and heady with a near physical pressure surrounding her.

It all happened in the span of a few seconds yet it felt like an eternity to Ren. She barely had time to register the room full of groups of people sitting with containers of fizzy drinks scattered on wooden tables before feeling a wave of overwhelming intensity wash over and flood her nerves with excitement, making them feel as if they're on vibrate.

Even now, with it having levelled out, her fingers tingle as they fidget with the hem of her tunic, feeling every thread ripple across the grooves of her fingerprints while her wettening mouth longs for comfort.

Her mind turns wild, unable to think with restlessness.

It consumes her, burning with such strength until she escapes from the cause.

As Ren flees, her hood falls away.

'Need.'

Once outside, Ren slows to a stagger and makes her way through the maze of buildings toward the forest.

'I need..'

Everything around her blurs together in a mist of colours and smells, unable to properly take in her surroundings. Despite everything becoming washed out, Ren is able to navigate the way out using her instincts. She's almost to the treeline when Ren senses someone following her.

Trying to appear oblivious to the stalker, she pulls up her hood and continues into the dim woodland without faltering her pace. When she hears them continue to follow her, Ren's mouth salivates in anticipation.

'I need...'

Closer and closer she lets her stalker advance, nearly within arms' reach now. The aroma of that place clinging to them like perfume.

Ren takes a moment to breathe it in, relishing the irony of prey stalking a hunter, before her restraint finally snaps.

'I need release!'

A screeching hiss erupts from her throat as she suddenly spins to attack. Taken by surprise, Ren easily jumps and latches onto the base of her stalker's neck with such swiftest that he doesn't have time to react. Ren's legs squeeze tightly around him, nails digging into his clothed back, as she greedily drinks life from his nape. All that had been building until now surges through her body as his blood does, sending Ren's mind far from her.

Bliss.

He drops to his knees — a hand coming to the small of Ren's back — and lurches over, causing Ren to ease away from her euphoric climax. In the far recesses of her mind a voice begins to register.

"-ssin," begs the struggling voice. "Please... Stop."

'What'd it say?' Ren's mind finds her once again, gradually coming back to herself.

"Schneeweiß,3 stop... Please...Listen..."

Ren dislodges herself from his throat and looks him in the eye to hiss, "Why should I listen to you who follows me?" Ren pulls herself up and moves in closer, slowly articulating, "Especially when you're marinated in such a," Ren smells at his neck before finishing, "delicious scent." She then lets herself hang back so that she may look upon her prey.

His ashen face contrasts the brown locks that frame his deep green eyes, which appear far off and distant. "You need to-" he mutters as he faints from blood loss.

'Curious,' Ren thinks and drags him deeper into the dark forest before laying him against a tree and watching him until he comes around. As she waits, she soon becomes lost in her, now clearer, thoughts.