Crouching Acolyte, Hidden Dragon

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap arrives on a noisy, beat up dirt bike that sounds like it's muffler is shot. He stops it and parks it leaning on a tree at the beginning of the long driveway to the farmhouse, and walks quietly in the rest of the way, raising an arm and hailing the figure on the porch from a distance.

"Evening, Mister Boyle." Dirt Nap says. "Thanks for the invite. After seeming like all my answers to your questions at Court were, 'tell you later', seemed like we ought to talk a bit." he says, chuckling.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods, smiling at Thomas Boyle's eagerness for knowledge, finally a hunger he can allow himself to relate to, even if he isn't in a position to fully satisfy it.

"Outside is good for me." he says, simply, taking a seat. "An' the main thing to me is, what 'honorifics' would you like to use? I like to call people what they like to be called, when I can." he explains.

When they are settled, Dirt Nap is silent in thought for a full minute after Thomas Boyle asks the question. "Well, I suppose the right way to go about this would be some kind of trade." he says, smiling, "Just to keep things appropriate." he says.

"How about this, I will answer the way that seems right for me, and then you can tell me something along the same lines from your side, that seems like a fair exchange to you. Does that sound like something that would be approved of by our peers?" he asks the Lord's opinion.

[Dirt Nap]

"Alright." Dirt Nap nods. He is silent a long moment and then says, "So, you wanna start with the feeding, and how it's an experiment." he says, nodding again. "So, if you can bear with me, I try to be methodical about this stuff. So, the basics are, we are all of us, cadavers animated by a beast," he says. "Seems like each one of us has our own beast, not just one big one pulling the strings," he says. "Leastways, our individual beasts react to each other wanting to murder or run away."

"Feeding...is interesting."Dirt Nap says. "We all need to take in blood, presumably to feed the beast." he says, "But once we take it in, it isn't regular blood anymore, not any more than we are regular corpses."

"And as our beasts grow stronger, they need a more specific kind of feeding. At first, animal blood won't do anymore. Then...later, human blood won't do." Dirt Nap summarizes.

"My experiment has to do with finding out just how far I can push, or train, or wean the beast in me to live off animal blood," he says. "I've been doing it for a while. Long enough to stunt it's growth a bit. I'm probably a tich older than some might think. I don't aim to stay weak forever. I aim to figure out how to grow stronger, while still regulating the feed."

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap chuckles, "Well, that's what I feel is right to share. The rest of the process, the Study, well you could join us, I guess." he says, smiling. "But are you sure the blood isn't needed, I mean, are you sure that the blood isn't transformed into something, that is needed? So as raw material?" he asks. "What I wonder though, is what is your goal? You want to learn, sure, but why do you want to learn? Just to have the satisfaction of knowing?"

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods, "No offense meant, Thomas. I respect you've got a different Way. Just sayin' the details are for Ordu Dracul only." he says.

Dirt Nap goes preternaturally still, staring and listening to Thomas Boyle intensely as he speaks.

"Well. I believe the humble things, the little things are key, and easy to look down on, or overlook." he says. "I think the physical, messy detains are a lot more important then it might seem."

Dirt Nap listens some more, to Thomas Boyle's goal.

"That's a big goal." he says, nodding. "So...research then, more like archaeology, I guess. Trying to piece together what came before. To recreate it." he muses.

Dirt Nap chuckles, "My end goal wouldn't really show what the Order, everyone in it, is aiming for." he says. "You know, we experiment on ourselves." he says, "It's because our physical, or maybe spiritual selves seem to be unique. What works for one, doesn't for another." he says. "So, there's a limit as to how much good it does us to study the past. It helps, no doubt. But our common goal, is to make real Changes to ourself, that are permanent, not a temporary effect." he says. "We're not just changing what we know, or what we can do. We are changing what we are. Our reasons, and the specific methods and changes, are going to be different." he says.

"Mine? Well, I'm taking it one experiment at a time. They're pretty dangerous, so I don't necessarily have an ultimate goal at the end. I know I can make real, incremental changes. I guess if I survived all the possible changes I could ever want, I'd end up like some kind of living, but undying human being, without any of our limitations." he says. "What would your Golconda look like, Thomas? Is it power to be in charge of other people? Or some kind of difference inside, in your outlook or experience?" Dirt Nap asks.