"before i show you, i will say, this monster will be a big responsibility," adrianus said. "it has quite an appetite."

"and what does it eat?" victor asked.

"well, luckily it is something that can be replenished."

"is it blood?"

they simply smiled at him, which was concerning, although he was almost used to it, at this point.

he tried to keep his distance as they stepped toward the wall, carefully squeezing a small drop of black fluid onto it, before calmly backing away as it grew and spread in front of them, thickening into some sort of slime. it seemed to bubble and ripple, until a writing mass of tentacles began to emerge. the movements were erratic, at first, but after a while, the tentacles appeared to be reaching for something.

he couldn't help but take another step back.

the question of what and how exactly it ate did bother him, now that he was looking at it - but more than that, he realized that he absolutely could not use this against his rival. this had been a complete mistake. there was no way he could calmly monologue to someone while they were caught in that.

"what do you think?" adrianus asked.

"well, it's... it's... something," he responded, continuing to stare at it. "i'm not sure it's... what i was looking for. don't- don't get me wrong, it's, impressive, but..."

their hand touched his back, a simple gesture which nearly made him jump.

"it's a bit late for that, isn't it?" they said gently. "it's quite difficult to get rid of, you know."

"i-is it really?"

"it's not impossible, but..." their touch was firm. they stood behind him. "it's easier to remove when it's full and satisfied."

his mind went blank for a moment, as the implications sent a shock through his body.

"jim- we could get jim to..."

"it would take a while just to capture him and bring him here."

"and?! it can't wait?"

"it will only get hungrier, the longer it goes without feeding. by then, it would likely require both of you to be satisfied, anyway."

"you couldn't have warned me about this before you--?"

"i did warn you."

"that wasn't--!"

"victor," they murmured, their left hand now gripping his shoulder as their right remained firmly on his back. "it will only become less manageable the longer you wait to feed it."

"what does it eat...?"

"just your energy. it will replenish on its own."

his heart pounded, his body leaning back as much as possible, his eyes trying to look at anything other than the strange monster in front of him, the glistening black tendrils that grabbed at and coiled around an imaginary person, one which seemed roughly his size.

"i'm not just- i'm not just prey or a snack or monster food. is that what you see me as?!"

adrianus pushed him forward ever so slightly, despite his trembling and protests.

"ev- even if it's just my energy, even if it will replenish, that's still... it's still feeding on a part of me. and you- you did this on purpose, didn't you? you just wanted to see me get... wrapped up in this."

"it's alright," they cooed, continuing to push him. "don't be shy."

he shuddered. "don't say things like that now," he responded, though his voice had become quieter and softer than he meant it to be, his complaint sounding more like a polite request.

"and why not?"

victor was already just barely out of reach of the tentacles, twitching and squirming as they nearly brushed up against him. "if you do, i'll..."

"you'll start to relax, won't you?"

that tone they used always had a way of reverberating through him. even in this situation, he could feel himself freeze for a moment, before trembling again. "you can't make me relax right now... you can't just..."

"it's hungry," they said quietly, unwavering. their hand slid down his arm, guiding it forward. "you understand, don't you?"

"i don't--" it felt impossible to regain control of his arm, even though their grip wasn't particularly strong or tight. the most he could do was wiggle his hand and fingers, trying to dodge the monster the best he could.

"you'll understand, victor. you'll understand when it begins feeding."

with one final, gentle push, he was too close to avoid it any longer, a squeak slipping out of his throat as a tentacle wrapped around his arm. he didn't have time to get used to the texture of it, to the feeling of it on his skin, before it had attached to every limb on his body, moving him around like a puppet, turning him to face adrianus, and pinning him to the wall, where his back sank slightly into the gooey mass.

even as it held him in place, it continued to move slightly, rubbing against him. thankfully, none of the tentacles were placed in any especially sensitive or intimate areas (and he was wearing clothes, anyway), but it still felt strange on his neck and face.

there was a sort of suction, a stickiness, as well. it seemed to latch onto him. and then it began. it didn't feel like anything in particular, at first, but he could see something being pulled through the tentacles, as if they were sucking something out of him. just the visual and the sound would have made him squirm, if he had been allowed to do so.

then, all at once, he became aware of it. the drop in energy. the steady trickle of it, leaking out of him. the tension starting to leave his body. he could feel the hunger coming from the monster, the greed, and the satisfaction with every drop of energy that it took. it grew more still, as if all of its focus was just on feeding now.

he was prey. there was no other word for it. there was no escaping it. he wouldn't say he was resigned to it, or that he accepted it, but it was an unavoidable truth of the situation.

adrianus moved closer, tenderly running a hand along one of the tendrils. "that's right," they said. "just eat. just like that... you were hungry, weren't you? it's alright... you can have as much as you want."

they were talking to the monster. they were talking to the monster instead of him. encouraging it to eat its fill. from him.

"i'm sure he can handle it. he has so much energy, doesn't he?" their eyes flicked up to meet his.

everything seemed to be slowing down, though it only became more intense and overwhelming with every moment, blood rushing and pulsing through his body, a sort of dizziness washing over his mind. an odd, primal feeling of danger, becoming dulled by his exhaustion, and a deeply rooted sense of... trust, he supposed.

he realized that none of it had hurt. there was no pain. the melting tension felt more like weakness than relaxation, and he felt almost feverish, but in the absence of any actual sickness, it was just another sensation.

and perhaps he was just a bit loopy at this point, but there was this thought that came to him, vague and wordless, something about how good it was, that he could be useful. the idea that this monster was becoming stronger, filled up, satisfied, because of him. because of what it was taking from him. it should have been horrifying, and perhaps it was. but as his vision blurred and his ears rang, he could feel its hunger start to fade, its feeding getting gentler.

it finally released him, and he collapsed into adrianus' arms, being rocked, having his back rubbed, realizing his skin was very tender. they were probably murmuring something to him, it was difficult to make out, but it was comforting nonetheless.