[ Midnight is not outwardly shocked, but is inwardly a bit taken aback. One part very touched, one part worried. Was she that confident she could get away? He doesn't want to think about what could have happened here with an elder vampire... ]

Any, to answer your last question. [ He tilts his head. ] You may have seen — oh, if vampires are just legends in your world, perhaps not. Well, the blood you saw in my bag is an artificial substitute that's available in most grocery stores where I'm from. They're useful supplements for more carnivorous human subspecies, but I think vampires are the only subspecies who can, theoretically, survive off them.

As for whether I need blood... Well, technically, I don't. I eat everything else a human eats. I like my liquor. But... [ Midnight scratches the back of his head. ] The reality is that if I don't drink blood at least every now and then, well, blood abstinence only gets one so far. People tend to get a bit unreasonable and touchy when they haven't eaten, right? Vampires get the same way, except everyone around them is a potential solution to the problem. I do hope I've made my point clear.