[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]Killian leaned back and rested his head against the pillow, feeling drained... Drained and sad. How unusual, those feelings were. How rarely he felt them in another's company...
He had a moment to himself after Henry left, and found that it must have been the worst few seconds of his life - something in him had collapsed on those stairs, when he had fallen to his knees. Some unconquerable wall had been toppled, but who would clean up all the rubble in his chest? He didn't want to be left alone with the aftermath, it still hurt, in the deep, shifting core of his chest.
Killian turned to his side, wincing as the few remaining wounds on his body shifted with his muscles. Free from the silver in his body, the relief came so sweetly that almost wanted to cry. [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] Henry silently shut the door behind him as he stepped out, before leaning against it. The blood on his hand was making him extremely uncomfortable, especially when he could still remember the sensation of pushing his fingers through the wound. It was honestly disturbing but worth the effort because now Killian wasn't in pain anymore. His wounds had even started healing.
Pushing himself off of the door, he made his way towards the restroom to rinse the blood off. He couldn't even look down at himself, because he knew that the shirt Killian had given him was also stained a scarlet color. Did those wounds not hurt? He was more than positive if he would have gone through that, he probably would have died. But Killian was a vampire, while he was a mere mortal. Finally, he reached the bathroom and he rushed to the sink to remove the blood from his hands while starring at himself in the mirror above it. It was barely his first day here and he had already experienced something unthinkable. Who knew what was next? He could only hope that it wasn't something too crazy. Once he was finished, he grabbed a towel and went to go fin a basin to get some water.
By the time he returned to Killian's room, Henry was growing tired and just wanted to go to sleep, but he needed to remove the blood from the floor and the stairs. It didn't help that it was way past midnight, but he would just have to deal with it. Setting down the basin next to the drying up blood, he knelt down and dipped a corner of the towel before cleaning up the blood. "What do I do with the silver, Master?"
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]Killian listened to Henry shuffle back into the room, only vaguely aware of how strange the silence was. He was too tired to be cocky. The servant knelt down and began to clean the floor, and so Killian turned all the way around to face him, despite of the pain, and watched as he worked. Cleaning up the blood... Getting rid of the stain. Something in his soul felt like it wanted to tear itself apart, and the urge was too strong to resist.
He reached out and weakly placed a hand atop Henry's head, and smiling, delicately ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "I think you should keep it. It might help to keep you safe from vampires." [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] The boy jumped slightly when a cold hand rested atop his head, before it's fingers gently weaved themselves through his hair. It was a strange sensation and he honestly didn't know what to make of it. However, he found himself leaning into the touch slightly. "Are you sure? I don't want you to see it as some sort of threat later on." Henry murmured as he dipped the rag into the water before squeezing the excess out and resumed wiping off the blood from the cool tile.
It seemed like Killian was a completely different person. He was no longer starting at the man who had shamelessly ran his fingers along Henry's body but at someone with feelings. He was even smiling down at him. "Are you feeling better?"
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]Killian chuckled, but realized that Henry was right. He knew he wasn't the best at controlling himself when threatened... But it was also because of his lack of control that the vampire knew that Henry should hold onto the blade. "Vampires... Are unpredictable. You are the only human in this manor, and so... For your safety I think you should keep it for now." Surely Alice would try to feed on the boy, or even Keegan, if tempted enough. The last servant he had fall into Gerard's hands while the man was still a newly made vampire, and the cook lost control of himself.
It was difficult, keeping all the monsters in his house in check - but ruling through fear and blackmail seemed to be effective... For now.
Killian also knew he would fail to control himself. His brother was much better at it, almost always keeping himself above the insatiable need for blood, while Killian... Killian never bothered to. His brother had plenty of practice - all of his servants were human, and he frequented the village to greet its people. Koshi had plenty of experience with keeping himself under control, despite constant starvation. While Killian made fun of his twin for his gentle nature, he truthfully, desperately wanted to be like the other. The vampire despised being ruled by his lust.
"I'm feeling much better," the vampire said, suddenly wearing the same adoring, puppy-dog look his brother would wear. "And that is because of you. If you were not here I... I... I suppose that I'm grateful." He couldn't find the words, never having expressed himself in such a way before. Trying to get a show of gratitude from Killian was usually like trying to dig to China with a plastic spoon. But it came so easily when he was alone with Henry... It came so easily that is scared him.
The hand danced through the strands of the other's hair before moving down the side of his face in a caress. That was better than words - showing what he wanted to say came easier somehow. [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] He was the only human here? Heavens, he was in a manor full of blood sucking creatures that could easily kill him. When he had arrived here, he had expected that his servants would be humans never vampires. "O-okay," Henry nodded as he glanced over to the metal coated with dry blood. He finished wiping the blood from the tile and rinsed it off in the water.
Though, he came to a stop to when continued to run his fingers through his dark locks of hair. It was soothing and for a second he closed his before opening them to stare up at him as his fingers trailed down the side of his face. This was all so strange. He wasn't use to this type of gentleness, especially when it was coming from a male.
"I'm glad I was able to help." He murmured as he averted his gaze.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]Killian chuckled again, keeping his eyes fixed upon the other's features as the human averted his gaze in perhaps either uncertainty, or shyness. Killian's hand dipped further down to hook shockingly cold fingers under the Henry's chin, to lift the boy's face so that he could meet the other's aqua eyes.
"When I saw you and your cousin... Well, in the case of a appearance, the two of you are quite different. Your hair is what marks the difference between the two of you most clearly..." Once more the fingers wove themselves into the other's rich, dark locks. His fingers delighted in the sensation of something so soft when he himself was all hard edges and anger. "But... Your disposition... She bore the mark of a gentle spirit on her face, and at first, I saw none of the same in you. But, now I see it, and it is something... Quite lovely. It reminds me of a girl from... Long, long ago. Edo era, Japan." The vampire chuckled, skimming a thumb across the other's pallid cheek. Killian hoped that Henry would not somehow take offence to his statement, but rather took it for what it was - a desperate search for some kindness in the people around him. That gentle nature, helpful and sweet - that was what drew him to an individual, and for a long time, he had though himself incapable of feeling... For a long time, there had been nothing but lust in him.
Gender mattered very little to Killian when the soul of the boy was so sweet. "I do hope that... That you are not just here because you are hired to be," the vampire uttered before he could stop himself, then decided to proceed further - afraid of Henry's answer.
"I digress. Where do you come from? What village, city, or rather, what ring of heaven?" [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] Henry closed his eyes while Killian's cold nimble fingers trailed down the side of his face, before snapping open when he gripped his chin. Aqua colored orbs met grey orbs. At the mention of his cousin, the male grew slightly tensed but relaxed when the fingers began to weave themselves through his hair. The sensation was just to calming.
They were different in certain aspects of their appearance, due to the fact that Mary took more to her mother than her father. Her father was brother to his father and they all shared the same dark colored hair and blue eyes. Along with the white soft skin. Mary had been the odd one out of all the cousins, with her brown hair and green eyes.
It was like watching a complete one-eighty of the vampire, yet he preferred this. He preferred the gentle carresses than the proding fingers running along his body.
Now that he voiced out that question, Henry realized that he had done everything out of willingness. He could have left the vampire to die with the silver, but his heart wouldn't allow him.
"I'm from Erilea. It's north from here." Henry answered as he felt a small ache in his chest. He frankly missed the village they had lived in. Everyone was kind, with the occasional grumpy individual yet no one amounted to the cruelty the vampires held. "M-my village got destroyed and burned." Henry murmured as he closed his eyes.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]Seeing that the boy wasn't rejecting his touch, Killian continued doing as he pleased. At the same time as his fingers grew only softer and warmer against the other' skin, the insides of his heart gushed out, and Killian could see himself clearly - pale gold and crystallized, that he was... Terribly needy and unbarred, dead-pale, and unhappy. He could always keep himself above that clear-blue waterline, he always found a smile somewhere in his chest. It didn't matter if it was fake, and much too cocky. He needed that to hide all the bared, jagged teeth on the nape of his neck. That guilt, always pricking at his skin.
He spent a century living as someone other than himself, he needed to learn how to change. "Erilea? What a lovely-sounding name it must be a lovely place..." And the boy's next few words cast his face in cold stone, oh faux pas - he had said something stupid. As Henry shut his eyes, a sharp tugging filled his lungs and cast cold ice over the dead aveoli and nonfunctional sacs, spaces where only carbon sat, glowering and heavy. "I'm sorry..." The fingers ran ran down to the hidden blue eyes, and danced lightly along a pale cheekbone, what a lovely shape, Killian thought as he studied the face of the human.
"I hate to see you on your knees." He really did - Killian wasn't, in all honesty, the debauched monster he seemed to be. "Come up here. Sit with me." Henry was a servant, but Killian could care less. The male was fascinating, and a breath of fresh air compared to the vampires that haunted the manor. The human was the first person to speak with him about their past. The others feared that Killian would manipulate them with that kind of knowledge, but that... He didn't want to be so cold anymore.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] Henry could still remember the day the blood sucking creatures had attacked the village. It would be a day he would never forget because it was practically engraved into his mind. The screams of pain and fright. The second a vampire tore through the doorway to his home. His parents had fought hard to keep him and his younger brother alive and got killed in the process.
Suddenly, Henry's breathing turned shallow while a lump formed in his throat. He would not cry, not right now. "It's okay." He murmured before opening his eyes. It was clear that he was surprised at Killian's words. "Okay." Rising to his feet, he hesitantly took a sheet on the edge.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]Killian could tell that whatever memories the boy had were weighing heavily on his soul. He pressed his elbows into the red-stained sheets and struggled to pull himself up. As he finally began to lift away from the matress, Killian could feel the coagulated blood spread over his defined stomach crack and warp with the shifting of his muscles, and it was oddly uncomfortable against his skin for a few moments until, with a grunt of pain, Killian finally managed to summon enough strength to fully sit up.
He reached out, and one of his hands encircled Henry's thin wrist, giving it a reassuring squeeze while his body shifted closer so that he could fully face the other.
"Are you alright, Henry?" The other hand lifted to absentmindedly touch the seam of the boy's now soiled shirt before finally finding the courage to settle over the other's shoulder in a comforting, suddenly platonic manner. "Hey, chin up." [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] Henry glanced down at Killian's pale hand that was circling around his thin wrist. This was clearly an attempt to bring comfort to him, but Henry couldn't shake off the strong emotions he felt.
"No." He answered honestly as he bowed his head and felt the tears gather in his eyes. He missed his family, but he knew that there was no way to bring them back. He and Mary had been left alone with nothing but each other and now they were even seperated from each other. "Will...will I be able to see my cousin again?" He questioned quietly as he stared up at him.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]At the boy's honest reply, Killian frowned, but did nothing. "Your cousin?" Immediately the scheming, dark part of his nature twisted into a claw and tore down the center of his mind - blackmail, he could make Henry do as he pleased by using the boy's cousin as a way to bribe him... Yet the secret, gentle nature of the male protested with a whisper - no, that would be wrong. Killian stared at the boy, noting that he was nearly in tears.
"Yes, I think so. Perhaps in a few days." The vampire sighed, and reached up to pat the top of the other male's head while wearing a kind smile. "Henry, would you draw a bath for me? I have to get this blood off... Ah, you're a human, so I suppose you need to sleep..."[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] "T-Thank you." Despite the lump in his throat and tears in his eyes, Henry managed a small grateful smile. He honestly missed the brunette, despite being only separated for a few hours. Suddenly the vampire patted his head, causing a light chuckle to resound from his lips before sitting up. "It's no worries. I'll go prepare the bath." Henry stated as he rose to his feet and went towards the bathroom.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Killian Brighton, maroon, dashed, 10"]Killian soaked himself in the water, watching it turn from clear to pink as he pondered. The water was warm, yet it could not heat up his skin - that was ever-cold until his fangs were in someone's neck. All the thoughts that the creature bore in his mind about change steadily vanished as the pink-stained water flooded his senses - without someone to change for, Killian was a lost cause. He scrubbed the crimson off of his skin until he was clean - the duality of that was undeniable. Finally, the vampire exited the tub, dried himself off, and put on fresh clothes, oddly unenthusiastic as he swathed himself in silk and pearl.
Vampires slept, but only to escape the day. When the first few rays of dawn light pierced through his window, Killian clicked his tongue in annoyance, changed into a nightgown, and locked the door to collapse and hibernate until mid-day.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Henry Courteney, blue, dashed, 10"] Henry fixed a warm bath for Killian and even placed a clean towel nearby, before heading back to let him know. Then he went back to his room and collapsed on the bed, but not before dusting off the sheets and pillow. The boy was completely exhausted after today's events and it wasn't a surprise that he knocked out a few seconds after he had closed his eyes.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, azure, dashed, 10"]Peter awoke early in the morning, feeling particularly tired. There was a pressing matter to take care of, and all too eagerly he climbed out of bed, dressed, and proceeded to the kitchen. With eager hands, unsteady and shaking, he filled a large vessel with fresh blood and made his way upstairs to the master's chambers. Usually, Peter would first rouse the servants so that they could begin to prepare the manor for the master's daily routine, however today... Today, that mattered not. He entered the room without knocking to find Zachary sitting sleepless, cross-legged on the bed.
"Good morning, master." Peter chirped, wearing a pleasant smile, as he always did.
"Yes, good morning..." The boy's eyes barely lifted from his paper, where his quill was hard at work against the pages of a finely-bound leather journal. "Poems again, is it?"
"Yes..." Zachary listlessly muttered, still not looking up at his servant. The boy had been like this for the last several days - so ravenously hungry that nothing, absolutely nothing could make him happy. "This one is called, "Storms Outside of Thebes..."
"Ah, that sounds quite interesting. As always, I would love to hear it read by you." The vampire had a particularly soothing voice, gentle as the rising tide, and when upset, hiding quills, shales of pain well within it - like pointed seashells, tilting up to cut the feet of happiness as she strolled along his shores, and chasing her away.
"The first moments of the hate were in long time making, Too much like the princes Eteocles and Polyneices,
They were cursed by fate to take in, raking,
For a loving rating by the fairest spring flower,
Forever from each other taking.
He sits in the Thebes he won and smiles,
(She was his love from the beginning, he knows)
Begging to begin anew, but not with bitter taste,
Bitter touch, bitter haste, but with brows Not furrowed at their first sight, but at why they weren't friends from the beginning."
The butler listened in silence as he set the vessel down beside the boy, and nodded his head. "It could use some refining."
"Oh yes, I know... The last line in particular."
"May I ask... Are you Polyniecies, or Eteocles?"
"What...?"
"Oh please, it is obvious that the poem is about you and your brother. I ask yet again, are you the betrayed conqueror Eteocles, or the bitter, vengeful Polynieces who struck the other to death?"
"I am... Neither, and both. What is that lovely scent...?" Koshi lifted his nose into the air, eyes growing wide as lust took him over in a matter of seconds. "Blood?"
"Yes. Here, master." Peter held out the uncorked vessel to the boy, who tore it out of his hands with the fury of a starving animal, and downed the whole thing in mere seconds. "Was that the blood of an animal? It was so, very sweet... Terribly so."
"Yes... I believe it was... Long pig, as some call it. If you would excuse me, dear master, I have other things to attend to." The butler abruptly vanished, shutting the chamber door tightly behind himself.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] The young girl's awoke with a yawn, before she just laid there starring up at the ceiling. Last night had the first night in a good while, where she slept with ease. The fear of vampires suddenly attacking her during the night had vanished and she no longer felt threatened. The bed was so comfortable and she had no desire to get up, but she knew that Peter would come to find her soon. She hadn't forgotten the fact that today she began her first official day as her master's personal servant, so with much reluctance, she pushed the covers of off her body.
Had they placed closed in the wardrobe? Rising to her feet, she hurried over and pulled the wooden doors open. Sure enough, her uniform was in place and she took it out. The girl was quick to change into the outfit, before fixing her hair into a long braid that ran along, all the way down to her lower back.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Peter, white, dashed, 10"]Peter made his way down the hallway, footsteps quiet and steady - the man moved like a ghost, not quite in the same, shyly-silent way Zachary did, but as one might see a jaguar move, deep in the bowels of the Amazon. He wore a faint, self-assured smile. Not confident in the same way his master's brother was, but rather, the polite way of a true diplomat. Nothing in his appearance could reflect the innate fear that the man felt. Who really was the vampire? Who was the one that struck out against the natural order of things?
While he was upstairs, it would make sense to rouse young Mary. It took only a few moments before Peter arrived at her door, and knocked on the fine, thick wood. Breakfast needed to be prepared, among many other things that must be done in the manor. [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Right when someone knocked on the door, Mary had finished putting on her flats. "Coming!" She called out with a soft voice. She rushed to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open. She was greeted with the familiar sight of the butler. "Good morning, sir." Mary bowed her head slightly, before nervously messing with the fabric of her clothes.
She was nervous to start her first day, especially when there was the possibility that she could mess up.
[/fieldbox]
