I'm not sure yet. I think it's too early to tell.

[ Usually, things are felt, shared, so much more quickly between them. As though they're part of one singular entity. But here... everything remains dulled, muted. If the creature feeding has stabilised his own condition the way it usually should, he should hopefully know soon. But for now, the dizziness persists, and Konstantin runs a hand back over his face before moving to get to his feet, having to press a palm against the wall to steady himself in the process.

As he does, he glances up to the splatter of blood against said wall, and winces. ]

Even if that stomach of yours is made of iron, I'm sorry for the mess, Comrade.

[ A little smile, as much as he can muster. ]

[ Konstantin turns towards the other man as he readies himself to exit the bathroom, exhaling slowly against the slick nauseated feeling still lingering there in the back of his throat. He can't think too much about what just transpired. He just has to keep moving. And Vasiliy's words — the way he phrases them — do help. Like his company is something of equal exchange, something worthy enough to make up for the worst parts of this.

His own smile nudges at the corners of his mouth, shaky but there, and Konstantin's letting it soften his eyes as he tries to keep his mannerism light-hearted, even playful. ]

That's all right, you don't have to worry. I can catch myself if I fall. [ ....It is some lingering stubbornness and pride, despite the fact he was literally just vomiting blood while hugging the toilet. But Vasiliy's done enough, and he's feeling mildly embarrassed about the whole thing — about any moments of upset along the way, about the act of having to drink blood at all. He's already starting to shuffle forwards, keeping one hand gingerly pressed to his stomach, when his own movement upsets the creature again, still so alarmed within him.

Konstantin's throat heaves, dizzy with a sharp surge of pain, and he's tipping sideways, one shoulder hitting the doorframe that he was just trying to move past. He's not a small man and the bump isn't gentle, and there's a loud thud as he makes contact with it, a sharp hiss through his teeth. ]

I'm all right—

[ Konstantin's very careful as he crawls onto the bed — movements slow, every muscle tense and locked, trying as hard as he can not to disturb the fretful thing inside of him. But it's impossible not to be so uncomfortably aware of his own body, of the wrongness to the way it feels, and he's breathing shallowly as he slowly eases himself into his usual side of Vasiliy's bed. ]

No— thank you, I don't need anything. [ A beat as he looks up at him, trying to use the techniques he's familiar with to ease his own breathing. Every movement of it, every lift and sink of his chest and his stomach, can be felt by the creature. And it's still upset, confused, very much still awake and likely not to sleep any time soon, perhaps suspicious of this new experience, what might come next. ]

Just your company, would be nice.

[ It's maybe a little needy, and Vasiliy has no obligation to sit with him, but by now Konstantin knows that he'll want to, is the thing. He can't imagine the other man willingly parting from him; it wouldn't be in the EMT's character.

He lets his head carefully lean back against his pillow with another soft hiss of pain, but lying still helps. ]

Hopefully this isn't how it'll be every time we have to feed it.

[ Konstantin keeps looking over at the other man as he speaks, and all of it makes sense; it's nice to hear someone voice such sense aloud, to have someone else there to listen to about it. In the facility.... he had an ally and even a companionship, to some extent, with Tatiana, despite their differences in moral matters, but they couldn't speak like this. Not freely. Not without being watched.

But he's never had anyone helping him the way Vasiliy is. Without any trace of fear or judgment. He stays quiet for a few long moments before his eyes drift down to look at his own body, something he's more and more loath to do these days. ]

You're right. And it's... very intelligent. Enough to understand when something's different from what it's used to. Its norms.

[ But he has to wonder what its norms were before its invasion of him. In its natural environment. Maybe gruesomely eating humans is just as strange for it as anything else. ]

It only knows to eat humans because that's what the researchers fed it. We can teach it to stop, can't we? With enough time. [ ...A pause, a breath, and perhaps, a risk to address it again, something he hasn't ever since that first strange night when he'd woken and realised it had been out of him but hadn't so much as bothered Vasiliy— ]

I mean, it doesn't try to eat you. It doesn't seem to view you as food at all. So... there's hope.

[ Hope that he doesn't have to be as much of a monster. He doesn't know what he'll do if this thing decides animal blood isn't enough, if it refuses to keep eating this way. He can't drink the blood of humans. He can't. ]

[ That's a very good point — and touches on thoughts he's nursed here and there, but rarely voiced aloud. ]

I've wondered about that. What it must have.... fed on, out there.

[ So much about the clearly highly adaptable creature is still an unknown. What even is its true nature? If there had been no human interference, how might it have evolved differently? ]

I wonder if it had even eaten at all, yet. Maybe it was only just born. It seems... young.

[ It was a strange move, for it to force its way into him, damning itself to a host of unknown species, to an unknown world. It didn't seem to know what it was doing. Perhaps it had panicked. ]

[ He can't help giving a little laugh at that, amused even through the horror of it all. What a mental image! The thing, infant-like, thinking he was its mother and seeking refuge in his mouth. ]

Really? It does seem a bit fish-like, at times. It seems like... a mix of many creatures. Maybe that's what it was thinking.

[ Despite its capability of adaptation, the transformation into something so deadly, the little creature does spend nearly twenty-three hours of its time hiding inside of him. And now.... all of its time. ]

Maybe it was never meant to exit its host's body at all. Just stay inside, like any parasite, feeding on what its host eats.

[ It's... a disturbing idea, to be certain, given how large this particular parasite is, but.... if he could keep it inside of him with no risk to it harming anyone, that would be the ideal option, wouldn't it? Maybe feeding it the animal blood like this truly will keep it from ever needing to emerge from him here. ]

[ That's a thought to be sure, one that makes sense. The thing is capable of adapting to its environment in phenomenal ways, but the fact remains that Earth isn't its natural environment. Neither is he. It had to adapt to its host not feeding on blood himself.... It had to leave, in order to find nourishment. Maybe the fact he's drinking blood himself for it now... will be better for it, ultimately.

But it's that next thing that gives Konstantin an odd pause, a flicker of thought that pulls his brow a bit. Admittedly, it's something he hasn't thought much about yet. It's been too easy to perceive the entity only as an invader, as a thing that forced its way into him, tethered itself to an unwilling host body. But it isn't.... happy here on Earth. It isn't thriving; its existence has been stressful for it, confusing. Surely it would prefer to be back in its own world.

Does it know? That it can never return there? Does his little passenger know that it's a prisoner here for the rest of its life, however long that may be? ]

...It might have been. I don't think it ever had some.... agenda, on Earth. No plan to go here. It ended up here by accident.

[ He falls quiet for a moment, and when he speaks again, it's very softly, careful not even to breathe too deeply. ]

It's settling. I think it's tired .