Xaviers!

"Serves them right," she says, taking a seat on one of the couches and slipping out of her shoes. "Think you could put up with attending more of these things?"

"Absolutely. I'd have to be stupid to turn down an opportunity like that."

"Good," she says, patting the seat next to her on the couch, "Can I trust you?"

"That's kind of a pointless question, isn't it?" she says, slowly walking over to take a seat. "I'll always answer yes to that whether or not it's true. The question is do you trust me enough to believe me when I say you can."

Alessia searches her eyes for a long moment, looking for something. She seems satisfied that whatever it is that's there. "I have some... unusual dietary requirements. A peculiarity of my abilities, but easily misunderstood if the wrong people were to get their hands on the information, you understand."

"I'm not sure I follow. That seems like an odd thing for people to be judgmental about."

"People are judgmental about the strangest things," she says, her canines looking slightly sharper than they may have been previously. She leans against Miriam, resting her head on Miriam's shoulder. In the back of her mind, there's something about that that should bug Miriam, but it's all okay the rest of her mind tells her. "They hate what they can't understand."

The gesture is more vulnerable than Miriam would have expected from Alessia, if not unwelcome, and she puts the nagging thought in the back of her head down to that as she places an arm around her shoulder. "I do know that feeling..." she sighs softly.

"I am sorry for that," Alessia says, tilting her head and brushing her lips against Miriam's neck. "I could do some things about that."

"It just comes with being who we are, doesn't it?" she says quietly, but it's obvious she's distracted, leaning into Alessia a little. She's had a couple glasses of wine and she's getting caught up in the moment a bit.

"It does, but you can always be something more than they expect," she says. She nuzzles at Miriam's neck, shifting position to pull her closer.

"Is that the reason for all this? The social, the high-society people, to proof that you're somebody?" she almost whispers. It's a sentiment she only understands too well and maybe she's projecting a little, but the need for somebody to understand her makes her grasp for it. The chance to be herself without having to risk misunderstandings or contempt. She's not vain, just searching for meaning in her own way, right? And maybe finding somebody else who feels the same way would... legitimize it somehow?

"That's part of it," Alessia whispers. She nibbles at Miriam's neck before there's a brief moment of pain as Alessia latches on to her neck. The pain's quickly replaced by a different , more pleasant feeling almost like being high in a sense. It's not Alessia's telepathy doing it though, it's something else and it makes it hard to focus on anything except how good this feels.

Miriam sighs softly at the nibbling before letting out a sharp scream. She moves to push Alessia away before this pleasant fog settles over her mind. Somewhere in the haze she realizes that something isn't right but every time she tries to focus on the thought it slips away. So much easier to just sink into this sluggish feeling and let herself drift away if only it wasn't for that little voice getting increasingly panicked as her strength is sapped away. Enough that she finds herself struggling inside her head, trying to fight against the self-imposed sluggishness in her arms until she finally manages to burst out of it, shoving Alessia away and weakly sliding herself to to the other side of the couch with what little strength she has left after that brief burst.

"Wh-what..."

Alessia's canines are exceptionally pointy and sharp and she looks at Miriam with a soft smile somewhat marred by the blood at the corner of her mouth, "I mentioned the dietary requirements. You'll be fine, better if you'll let me close again so I can close the wounds."

"That's a little different than a vitamin deficiency!" she says, wanting to sound like her usual calm and sarcastic self but her voice ends up sounding a little too panicky for that. She reaches for her neck and stares at her hand when it comes away bloody as if that somehow makes it more real than the blood on Alessia's lips. The fact that she's still smiling only makes the whole thing even more surreal.

"So you're going to judge me now that you know?" Alessia asks calmly, leaning to look at Miriam's neck for a moment before she snaps something in Italian. The young woman from earlier appears, offering Miriam something to hold against her neck. Alessia wipes the blood off the corner of her mouth.

"You bit me!" she says, but as far as outrage goes it's weak and she's not sure if that's because she just lost a bunch of blood or because Alessia's words strike at least bit of a chord. She does take the small towel, surprised by the nonchalance of the servant even though maybe she shouldn't be. The whole time she eyes Alessia warily.

Sharpened by the panic, it dawns on her what was bothering her before Alessia bit her. She hadn't been able to feel Alessia's breath on her neck. Alessia doesn't seem to be in a hurry to bite her again, "If you'd given yourself over to the sensation, you'd be no worse for wear. I would have healed the wound. I could still heal the wound."

None of this made sense. At least not in a way Miriam is willing to admit right now, because the obvious explanation that is staring her in the face would be to admit that people like Erica and Sam are actually right. She's not even sure what she's really outraged about. It should be the fact that Alessia attacked her. In a way. But in actuality her head is a mess of conflicting emotions.

"And that makes it alright?" she asks, but she can't help but think of what she did to Will's head. Things neatly packaged away, smoothed over, no harm done. On some level she still believes that to be true, so is this only different because now it's happening to her? That's a bit much to swallow for her right now and so she ends up sounding like she wants Alessia to tell her that it does.

"How is the Americans put it? 'No harm, no foul'? Your body produces more blood and I didn't and wouldn't take enough to harm you. I was telling the truth during the party, I consider you a friend."

"You have a really strange way of showing it, you know that?" she says, pressing the towel against her neck and flinching a little at the pain.

"I trusted you enough for this, didn't I?" She says, her canines now normal looking. She reaches a hand forward halfway between them, "May I?" She gestures with her hand towards Miriam's injury.

"This is ridiculous..." She does lower the towel and let's Alessia reach for it, but she keeps a wary eye on her the entire time.

Alessia pulls her hand back and licks her thumb, moving it back to rub against the two puncture wounds. The pain almost immediately disappears and the wounds quickly close up. Alessia sits back, watching Miriam carefully, apparently to see how she reacts.

Once Alessia withdraws her hand she reaches up for her neck and runs her fingers over the smooth skin, only leaving a couple smudges of drying blood behind. She keeps her hand pressed against her neck as if letting go would somehow open the wound again. "If this is how you treat your friends I'm not sure I want to know what you do to your enemies..." she mutters quietly.

"Deal with them efficiently," she say, pulling her knees up a bit, "I can see it in your eyes though. There's a part of you that's intrigued. A part that wants to know more... experience more."

"I'll... admit it wasn't as bad as it should be." she admits a bit hesitantly.

"That's a place to start," she says with a smile. "Would you like to stay the night or should I have a car brought around?"

"I think I better go..."

"A pity," Alessia says, sounding genuinely sad about the decision. She looks towards the young woman, "Have Andrew bring the car around to take her back to Maldon." The young woman nods and leaves the room as Alessia stands, "I'm glad you came to the party. I hope you enjoyed it, despite the nightcap."

"I did. I'll call you, I just..." she says, gesturing at nothing almost a bit defensively as she gets up. "Not really sure how to handle this right now. It's rather... much to take in."

"You wouldn't be the first to have problems with it," she says, escorting Miriam to the door.

Miriam frowns a little. "Look it's not just... It's complicated, okay?" she says before muttering a quiet "Bloody hell." to herself as she stares at the ground.

"If you decide you want to talk, do call me," she says quietly, opening the door. Miriam can see Andrew waiting next to the car.

"I will." she says, blinking and shaking her head ever so slightly as she walks past Alessia and steps outside as if she's trying to clear the cobwebs in her head. Probably just the wine though.

The door shuts behind her and Andrew opens the back door of the car.

Miriam gets in the car and casts a glance back at the house as she waits for Andrew to get into the driver's seat, running her fingers across her lips in contemplation. She's doing the sensible thing, right? But what if all this non-sense is actually true. Haley's words echo through her mind and she has to admit the little dumb blonde did have a point. She can read peoples' thoughts through means she has no understanding off. And if this is true then who would more likely know about the guy who attacked Wanda than Alessia. Even out here she can still feel the disappointment practically radiating off of the other woman and what if this is a bridge she shouldn't burn?

"Damnit..." she mutters as she pops open the car door again and hops out of the car, her heels slipping a little in the gravel of the driveway and she reaches down to take them off as she hops away from the car on one bare foot. Finally she's holding her heels in one hand and hurries back to the door and knocks.

There's a pause and Alessia's sister answers the door, looking Miriam up and down, "Is there a problem with the car?"

"Oh for the love of..." Miriam pushes her way inside and reaches out with her mind. "Alessia?" she calls out loud as well as mentally.