Sang

Contact
After having signed myself to a "list" of sorts, I was contacted shortly after by a Sang (who will remain anonymous without question) and so the exchange of messages was underway. I was invited to ask any questions I may have been concerned about, the Sang was aware of my experience and very understanding, patiently crossing off the plethora of questions I had, ranging from the terminology I should adhere to, down to extraction methods, how long the donation normally takes, and safety measurements in place.

after the exchange of necessary information had been passed back and forth to clear up the most important details, the social interaction seemed to change from more formal to informal, which was comforting for establishing some sort of personality connection, though it was already stated this to be few and far from kink which we both happily agreed upon, it was still important to have a connection regardless, it's worth mentioning whilst the social interaction changed from formal to informal, it was still very professional.

Steps
I had taken all of the steps necessary over the coming weeks, STI, full blood count, and blood born viruses screens to determine whether I would be suitable to donate. I was confident that everything would be OK as I had taken regular screens in the past and have never had any issues. During my health screen I would pay special attention to the nurse's technique, cross-referenced with what I had read from the fastening of the tourniquet to the angle of the needle. Everything seemed to be fine and I felt more confident that I had something to compare it to should I need to later.
In the upcoming days to receiving my results, I exchanged messages with the Sang, as well as tried to look after myself, ensuring I was eating healthy and trying to stay in good physical and mental condition. Up until my results everything seemed to fine until...

The day
I had to go in to receive my results, it was in the early morning and I hadn't eaten anything; pressed for time it didn't worry me. I was given the clear on my STI's, however the lab couldn't process my full blood count, so I volunteered to get this done there and then, I knew this wasn't going to be vital to my donation, but would be interesting information and this was the only way I would be able to find out. On a whim, I volunteered for this, it went fine when I had it done two weeks ago so surely there wouldn't be any problems now. Almost immediately after the blood sample I felt faint, clammy, and sick, I looked to the nurse uneasy and her reaction said it all. I was asked to lay down and relax, given plenty of water and a biscuit. I hadn't expected to give this early on in the morning and it nearly ruined everything, I staggered out in search of food desperately, I was supposed to donate to my Sang today and I almost fainted after a small 4m vial, you could imagine how disheartened I was, full well knowing that I intended to give (though was not required) more than this, tenfold.
After gorging on a sandwich and sugar drink, I had to rush to a physio appointment for a shoulder injury. I was told it was slight muscular damage, nothing to be too concerned about. During the consultation and screen, the physiotherapist did a small amount of deep tissue massage, just to get a feel for things I imagine. There it was again, the moment the physiotherapist released some tension in my shoulder I felt light headed, nauseous, I wanted to be sick and felt my body swaying heavy over my shaky legs. I was told to lay down again, whilst not uncommon, the physiotherapist explained that my blood sugar levels must be very low, and after the examination I felt so upset that I might not be able to experience something I'd been building myself up for over the last two weeks. I messaged the Sang, honesty was important and I trusted their judgement and advice on the situation. They asked if I wanted to call it off, there would be no implications or problems with doing so, and was told previously that I may back out at any given time with no questions asked. I told them I was going to get some food, sugary drinks, and rest before my train, but that I wanted to continue on with the donation as planned.

I ventured to my destination, eating food like a possessed animal at every change over, I wasn't even hungry I just needed to get in as much as possible. I gorged on sweets, sandwiches, crisps, and fizzy drinks, by the time I had arrived at my destination I had felt much better, and confident.

The meet
I met the Sang in public, we exchanged conversation whilst venturing back to the agreed venue. I must admit from meeting them, from appearance to demeanour and general vibe, seemed very surreal. I have agreed not to divulge information which may pertain who they are as a person, I can still tell you, they had a very different presence and allure, it wasn't unpleasant, but still a little mysterious, it's more the sense of not knowing, have you ever met a Sanguinarian? What can you expect? This was my first real interaction with one and I didn't know what to think or how to act. Would it be something similar to what I'd seen in films or read in books? A little, but maybe my brain was wired to think that way, or that is wanted I wanted to believe; perhaps both.

Back at the venue that had been arranged it was inviting, the Sang had gone through great measures to make me feel welcome, with snacks and drinks arranged for me (as agreed prior to the meet) and generally a great level of hospitality. I consider myself a fairly confident person, and relaxed into the situation however I've always had my safety blanket as such, my friend had given me a stuffed toy that I take with me to most places, you'll have seen it in most of my pictures if you've visited my profile. I took my stuffed toy into the living room of the venue, exchanging conversation and snacking on sugary drinks and sweets provided; sounds great right? I was nervous the entire time, I almost fainted and vomited on two separate occasions that morning and I knew time was coming to a close. For the remainder of the evening I was relaxed, settling in to watch television and talking. We had both agreed to have a witness (each) present, and when they arrived things seem to be ticking down, that anticipation before the clock strikes. I felt ready, but didn't know how to tell the Sang. Nervously, I began clearing the wreckage of sweet wrappers I had left in my path of candy destroying destruction off the designated chair that was going to be most suitable (and earlier decided upon) for the procedure, which I think hinted the time was right. Once cleared, the Sang gave me my documents to read through, they detailed things that were appropriate but I won't state here, as I do not wish this to encroach on their personal details or give any information which may expose them as an individual. Whilst I read through the documents and agreed to the terms, the Sang carefully sterilised the surrounding areas and unpacked the necessary tools needed for the procedure. I lay in a comfortable position in the chair, it reclined somewhat similar to that of a hospital bed where you would normally carry out this procedure, nervously clutching my stuffed toy and kicking my feet against each other I marvelled on the number of vials before me, along with other equipment that was present, it had been my first time seeing them in an environment that wasn't a hospital or clinic, perhaps it caught me off guard a little because I was used to seeing a single 4m vial, not an uncountable quantity of 10m vials. Even though it was stated before, the Sang read me very easily, they could see me counting the vials with my eyes, the nervous tapping of my feet, and they reassured me that I could stop at any given time, no questions asked, and wasn't expected to do any number of vials at all, they were there for the sake of being there if needed, nothing more. We carried on with the procedure, focusing on my breathing as the tourniquet was fastened around my upper arm, then once the chosen vein was picked it started. Only a small pinch, then a flash of blood present in the equipment and my blood began siphoning away. I was relieved, I didn't faint, and I wasn't sick, despite the two events that morning. I imagined it would seem like forever trying to fill those vials, I wasn't really sure where to look, occasionally glancing to my close friend who attended, I asked them specifically for a reason and I am glad I did, though not really relevant to remainder of this writing.

Before I knew it, I was 10 vials down! This was my goal, I had achieved my personal target, everything after this point I wanted to do for the benefit of the Sang. They reassured me that I was doing well, and I felt compelled to continue on for them, comically pumping my hand and playing with the blood pressure at times, watching it dance into the vials with the rhythm of my hand clenching and releasing the pressure. As we drew to the end, only a few vials from a pint, my blood flow trickled slowly, not much life left in it as it barely entered the vial, I felt...Disappointed, I gave my hand a few more squeezes, but nothing, however the Sang could see I tried my best, and my body had hit it's limit, they reassured me that I still did very well, and I was happy to stop. As everything came to an end, the Sang carefully removed the needle, applying a disinfectant wipe with pressure to the wound and then in turn, my "lucky" band-aid that I had brought with me, blue with little sheep on it, it seemed almost ironic considering the professional manner of the whole procedure and care provided.

Each vial carefully labelled and marked, my blood was ready to be frozen, for the most part everything was over... As I relaxed back into the chair clutching my stuffed toy feeling rather pleased with myself, the Sang returned with a wine glass, though the contents were concealed, I knew what was in there, I had asked before hand how they consumed the blood, so this came as no shock. I wanted to see it, and so I asked, the Sang, at first reluctant to show me, because of previous reactions, indulged my curiosity. I can only describe it as slightly euphoric, surreal, very much like seeing it in film. My blood appeared dark, staining the side of the glass as the Sang drank from it, and welled up in a dark, viscous-like pool at the bottom of the glass. Not a single drop was wasted. Mere moments after the glass had been consumed, the Sang's colour changed, it could have been a multitude of things; though not expected, that was one thing I was not prepared to see, however pleasant and satisfying it was.

The end
I retired for the evening, I hadn't felt as tired as I presumed I would be, perhaps I was filled with adrenaline, and sugar from the snacks provided, but I knew I would need the rest and so I took it upon myself to get settled in. I went to bed that night feeling cold, and when I woke up my body ached, I felt distant from myself and overall rather down. I think this could have been the sugar crash hitting me, as well as my endorphins leaving me, after all I had spent the previous evening under the care of several people and it's probably something similar to sub drop, despite it not being connected. I did inform the Sang, who has provided the aftercare needed even till today as I write this, and with plenty of rest and support I'm pleased to say I feel fantastic.

This was truly a once in a lifetime experience, though probably not the last time either, for me at least. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if anyone is ever curious about doing anything similar, please feel free to ask me any questions, I am by no means any expert, but I can give you my honest opinion if those aren't conveyed in my writing.

Have fun, be safe