( Mika's always had a weird relationship with food and consumption.
His parents rarely truly fed him, but he fed a little better in the orphanage; the food was often bland, but it tasted good, he thinks, because of the company. In Sanguiem, they were barely fed at all - but the orphans fed at orphanage quality once Mika courted Ferid for food. On Mika's tongue, though, it had no taste; every spoonful a memory of the degradation he peddled to have it. (It was enough that his family was happy, is all.) And once he became a vampire - well.
The tinge of blood has always been bitter at the back of his throat, unwelcome hunger ever nipping at his heels.
So he doesn't know what he expects. Largely, he expected it not to work. Like - he would taste it, and despite Bruno's best efforts, it'd still just taste like blood. Or - it would have worked, but his curse would make him cough it up. You know. No happy ending. But he was willing to entertain it, because Bruno clearly really tried and sacrificed.
But if he had to be optimistic, against his nature: given everything, maybe, at best, he expected - bland, and all right. (That would already be exceptional, for what he understands to be flavored water.) Ginger has been trying to flavor the blood in his body his own way - and Mika can't say there's been no taste at all. It's just still overwhelmingly blood in flavor, and that seems to reside within the bounds Mika's allowed.
But that would still be something - miraculous, to taste blood that tastes like tea without flavor. God has been irate with him since he was born, and turned His back on him fully when he died. This would never happen in a million years, but if it did, he'd still be grateful for terrible, flavorless tea— but that the curse would have a crack that'd allow him the taste of anything would be... it should be impossible.
But it isn't, and the full taste hits his tongue, and it isn't bland, and it isn't nothing.
/2
His parents rarely truly fed him, but he fed a little better in the orphanage; the food was often bland, but it tasted good, he thinks, because of the company. In Sanguiem, they were barely fed at all - but the orphans fed at orphanage quality once Mika courted Ferid for food. On Mika's tongue, though, it had no taste; every spoonful a memory of the degradation he peddled to have it. (It was enough that his family was happy, is all.) And once he became a vampire - well.
The tinge of blood has always been bitter at the back of his throat, unwelcome hunger ever nipping at his heels.
So he doesn't know what he expects. Largely, he expected it not to work. Like - he would taste it, and despite Bruno's best efforts, it'd still just taste like blood. Or - it would have worked, but his curse would make him cough it up. You know. No happy ending. But he was willing to entertain it, because Bruno clearly really tried and sacrificed.
But if he had to be optimistic, against his nature: given everything, maybe, at best, he expected - bland, and all right. (That would already be exceptional, for what he understands to be flavored water.) Ginger has been trying to flavor the blood in his body his own way - and Mika can't say there's been no taste at all. It's just still overwhelmingly blood in flavor, and that seems to reside within the bounds Mika's allowed.
But that would still be something - miraculous, to taste blood that tastes like tea without flavor. God has been irate with him since he was born, and turned His back on him fully when he died. This would never happen in a million years, but if it did, he'd still be grateful for terrible, flavorless tea— but that the curse would have a crack that'd allow him the taste of anything would be... it should be impossible.
But it isn't, and the full taste hits his tongue, and it isn't bland, and it isn't nothing.
It's actually, really rather nice. )