What Was Missing (Devious Bunny and XWhySoSeriousX)

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Devious Bunny

Guest
Original poster

What Was Missing



“Here, sir?”

“Ah, yes, put it right there.” Sal sighed in relief as the cool air blew through the store. He watched the burly man position the air conditioner unit from behind the counter, hunched over the counter with his head resting in his hands. He finally felt like he could breathe again as the coolness cut through the Nevada heat, and he wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the soft fabric of his peach-striped tank.

The worker carefully made his way towards the front of the shop, making sure to avoid bumping any of the precious artifacts arranged on Sal’s shelves. He approached the counter and crossed his arms, huffing from the exertion. “I’m all done, then. It should condition your store nicely.”

The large man extended his hand. Sal nodded, and placed his pale hand in the other man’s, shaking it firmly. Sal saw the man’s green eyes widen in surprise, as usual. It was strange for someone to be so cold in these parts. “It’s already working,” Sal said with a warm smile before releasing the worker’s hand.

“Just send me the bill and we’ll be all good. And here, this is for you, sir.” The shopkeeper slid the man a twenty-dollar bill across the glass counter, and he accepted it with a smile and a wave before making his way to the door.

“You have a nice day, sir. And if you’re ever looking for some nice decorations for your home, I’ll give you a discount next time you come!”

As soon as the door swung shut, Sal closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. He wiped his hands down the front of his shirt, as if trying to rid himself of human essence. He could tell he was getting hungry, but he had to wait until nightfall before he could eat properly.

Ugh. I have to do something to get my head off of this hunger…

Sal stepped from around the counter and towards the far wall of his shop. There were books in bookshelves along two of the walls, and on the wall behind the counter, there were plaques and frames hanging. The other wall was reserved for the large glass windows that drew in everyone’s attention. In the middle, there were assorted rotating racks that held miscellaneous trinkets, which looked borderline gift-shop-esque but were much more valuable.

The vampire started to hum an improvised tune as he rearranged some books that were out-of-place, but his focus was shifted once again as he heard the tone that played when the door opened.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It definitely was a hot day in Nevada. It was something to get used to since Japan got hot but it never really got this hot. "Okay Grandma! I'll be back later, and when I get back I'll be sporting treats" a small smile came across her face as she waved to the older woman that was sitting in her lounge chair with an orange tabby lazing around on her lap. Closing the door to her small home, Ophelia pushed her glasses up on her nose and made her way down the street. Since she really couldn't afford a car right now she had to resort to walking, it wasn't horrible in the fall months but in winter and summer, it felt like death.

Sighing softly she wiped the beads of sweat that already were forming for her forehead. Today she was planning on going to the library but she might have to cut that walking trip and check out that antique shop her friend had told her about. But first, she smiled softly when she saw the ice cream man pushing his little cart around.
"What can I get get you today" she thought for a second before she decided on a banana fudge pop. After she gave a five to the man she went back on her journey to the antique shop.

It hasn't taken her that long after the ice cream visit to get there, but she had stood outside just looking in the window. Whoever owned the shop had some beautiful stuff, Opehlia felt her excitement picking up as she pushed the door open and heard the inviting chime of the bell.

"Today sure is a hot day isn't it" Ophelia said as she looked at the figure running the shop. He seemed pretty pale to be living in this heat, but maybe he just didn't tan easily. But she couldn't say anything, she looked like a pale ghost in the winter.

Placing the book that she was holding in her messenger bag she looked around the antique shop like a little kid in a toy shop. She always loved collecting, but taking care of her grandmother had kept her occupied all the time.
"This stuff is amazing, did you find all of this yourself?" Ophelia looked up at the pale male a small smile on her face.

Then she saw all the books and an excited squee left her mouth as she walked over to them and ran her finger across the spines of the older books. It was like she had died and gone to ancient heaven. If this guy had found all of this by himself then he had been hunting for a while now since there was so much to fill a shop.

"If I were in your shoes I couldn't sell any of if, but I guess we all have to make a living huh?" A small chuckle escaped from her mouth as she picked up one of the book flipping and scanning through the pages. Ophelia had pushed some light blonde hair behind her ears and instinctively felt her hand go to the necklace that was hanging from her neck. Her eyes shot up to the guy once more but then she looked back down not wanting to be rude by staring, he was really pale and his hair was so white like it just snowed constantly on his head. Biting her lower lip she pushed her glasses up in her nose once more. "I'm not being bothersome am I, I feel like I'm talking your ear off"
 
"Oh no, not at all, friend; I'm quite the talker myself," Sal said back as he straightened himself out. He turned to greet his new customer, who seemed to be enjoying herself already searching through his collection. Great, someone's eager today! He always loved to find people who were just as obsessive as he was. He almost started to reach out and shake her hand, but he paused when he noticed her constant quick glances at him. His cheeks were tinged with a light pink color. If she were already curious about his strange appearance, shaking her hand with his own cold one wouldn't help much at all. The vampire shook the thought away and settled on smiling at the girl. She was cute, at the very least, he thought.

"I see that you've found my collection appealing? Yes, these are all items that I've collected during my travels. Some of it was sold to me, some of it I found on my own." His voice was light and airy - the voice of someone youthful. Maybe that was a bit ironic, for Sal. He stepped away from the bookshelf and idly spun one of the rotating shelves with a hand, glancing down at the items it held. "And you're right, selling it is a bummer. But-," he lowered his voice playfully, as if hiding a secret from someone that wasn't there, "just between you and me - I keep all the super important stuff out of sight, not for sale."

He chuckled quietly. Indeed, there were some things he could never sell. Or if he did, it would have to be a copy. Anything originally belonging to the Library of Alexandria was to be kept so that he could restore his beloved home to its former glory. Of course, that wasn't something he could flat-out say to anyone, unless he wanted them to think he was a madman.

The shopkeeper ran his slim fingers through his hair, brushing his messy white locks out of his eyes. "Anyway, is there anything you were looking for in particular, friend?" He gestured over to the book she was holding. "That's a new one...," Sal's voice trailed off as his eyes traveled to the necklace the newcomer wore.

Is that...? No, it can't be...
 
Well maybe this trip wasn't so bad after all. Christy had said that the owner was quite the looker. But she was quite grateful when he had said that she wasn't being an annoyance. She tended to get that from a lot of people. So he was a traveler, Ophelia found herself smiling at the thought...just traveling by your lonesome, it must have been pretty fun and exciting seeing as he had gotten all of this. "Wow you travel...that must be a sight huh? Seeing all those new places, Can I ask where you've been?" She must have seemed crazy to him, asking all these questions and trying to strike up all of this conversation. Sighing to herself quietly Ophelia kept her attention to the book but looked up towards him once more when she heard his voice drop a few levels.

She laughed softly covering her mouth with her hand and once she was done she put her hand back under the book to support it.
"Well then what am I doing out here...you might have to show me that stuff one of these days silly" she teased closing the book placing it where she had found it. Honestly she was looking for something for her grandmother, she felt bad that she couldn't be with her 27/7 so a gift that kept her interested could go a long way.

"Anyway is there anything you were looking for in particular, friend?" His voice pulled her out of her thoughts as she opened her mouth to speak but saw his eyes fall to her necklace. She laughed quietly at his interest, "I know I'm quite the collector myself, I would tell you the story behind how I got aquatinted with this necklace but I would want to bore you or waist your time"

That and she hadn't wanted to seem as crazy. She couldn't tell him that she was reading a book one day and poof the necklace just appeared from no where. She didn't even want to bring up that she had found the book at a yard sale, someone stupid had been selling that priceless book from an ancient city called Alexadria and she just seemed to pick it up, not that interesting of a tale.
 
He returned the warm smile, glad to see her laughing at his comments. Sal always felt a little better when he could make other people laugh. It always helped him feel more comfortable around his customers. And really, he couldn't even remember how long it had been since he had come into contact with someone so enthusiastic about his travels. He welcomed her bombardment of questions with glee.

"Yes, it's quite the wonder. I'll be sure to tell you all about my travels sometime. It's quite the long story, though, so we'll have to pace ourselves, ha!" In reality, that was quite the understatement. Sal knew very well that his stories spanned two thousand years; that would be way too much to tell correctly in just a few visits. He could explain his travels to her for the rest of her lifespan. That's a morbid thought...

That's right - every once in a while, he would forget about his immortality, just for a second. And whenever the thought came back, he would feel twice as aware of his separation from the human world. That's when he started to notice the girl's scent. She smelled really good, and not in the perfume way, either. Sal blinked several times, refusing to let his hunger control his thoughts. He really couldn't wait for this day to be over.

He watched her handle the old leather book with care, and it warmed his heart to see her sheer level of respect for it. "Hmm...I don't know, I only show my special collection to special people~," he teased back in a singsong voice, chuckling again. His eyes still fell to the girl's necklace.

"And I can assure you, whatever story you have to share with me won't be a bore. I am a talker, like I said. Try me." In reality, he would've preferred to say something along the lines of "Are you aware that you're currently in possession of the most valuable relic that belonged to the Library of Ancient Alexandria and that you're literally wearing the answer to all of my unsolved mysteries?", but as he couldn't be sure just yet what the actual characteristics of the necklace were, he settled on his simple answer.

"And trust me," he added, "nothing you say will be a waste of time."
 
Ophelia sighed and looked up at the bookshelf seeing if any more titles caught her eye. "Oh please, I would love to hear stories...since I would love to travel myself, read books in the libraries of France...eat dinner with a camel or something crazy like that" she laughed softly and turned to just staring. His eyes were a beautiful brown, but she was still stuck on how pale his skin was.

Once she caught herself staring she felt her cheeks turn a soft red as she listened to his next statement.
"I'd like to think that I'm a special someone...I mean, when I was four I learned how to fly" she left out the part of the story where she jumped off the couch, stayed in the air for about two seconds, then crash landed to her face.

But he was pretty invested in her necklace, she grabbed ahold of the black jewel encased in a pure gold set of wings with a ankh dangling from the black orb. Little had he known that her story was pretty boring, and made her seem like she belonged in an insane asylum. Her teeth grabbed ahold of her lower lip as she contemplated telling him her story or not, he had seemed pretty interested and he had just said that her stories couldn't bore him.

She made up her mind with a smile and crossed her arms over her chest. For some reason she trusted the mysteriously pale male so what could be the harm, and if he thought her crazy then she just wouldn't come back. Simple.
"Okay but you have to promise that you won't think I'm completely crazy after I tell you, I haven't told anyone this story so you also have to keep it a secret. Pinky promise" she held out her pinky and looked up at him her blue eyes becoming a lighter hue.

"Well I'm 22 as of today so this story takes place ten years ago when I was twelve. So my grandmother had been a collector, which is how I got into it, but she always used to say that the ratest treasures were at yard sales so we could always be found at one." She picked up another book from his shelf and looked down at the pages so that she didn't have to look at him as she told the story. The last thing she wanted to see was his reaction. "Well we went to this yard sale and I had found an amazing book, I flipped through the pages and it seemed to be talking about this ancient civilization...they lived off of artwork and antiques, the city was called Alexandria and I just imaged icing there in that time period...well I asked my grandmother if I could have the book and she let me buy it, I read it one day and...well, It was like...I was transported to Alexandria...and if this makes me sound crazy well so be it, when I woke up the necklace was in my hand and I've worn it ever since" she looked up and then looked back down in the book flipping the page. "Nothing extravagant...that's why I said it's a bore"
 
"You learned to fly, huh?" he mused back at her. He let his eyes wander away from her necklace, and instead settled them on her own captivating blue orbs. In a way, they looked familiar. Which was strange, considering that they definitely had not met before on any occasion.

He fought the urge to cringe as she offered him her pinky. Of course, Sal would do just about anything for the sake of hearing her story, but he knew that his coldness would only draw more attention to his oddness. It was the same reason he had avoided shaking her hand earlier. Reluctantly, Sal wrapped his slender finger around hers, smiling to reassure her. The warmth of her finger was a sharp contrast to his icy hand, and even just that little piece of her seemed to be bursting with life and energy. "I pinky promise," he said, "I won't think you're crazy. Really, you have no idea what I've seen along my way."

As soon as the girl told him her story about the necklace, his suspicions were affirmed. This girl, who had just stumbled into his shop completely by chance, happened to be wearing the amulet. The black jewel, the wings, the ankh - they were all perfectly in place. And by the gods, it was even more beautiful than the vampire ever could have imagined. He almost wanted to cry nostalgic, joyful tears as memories of his ancient home came flooding back to him. Sal's mouth hung open in awe, and it took him a few seconds to realize he was gawking rather awkwardly and to fix his face.

"You...you said you saw Alexandria?! You, what, how? I never thought the amulet could do that!" Sal continued to mumble incoherent things to himself. Oh, there were so many things that he wanted to ask her, so many things that this girl was probably unaware of for herself. He felt like he was going to go insane. He placed a hand on his forehead. "Ten years...ten years you've worn the Amulet of Enlightenment, and you don't even know the extent of its meaning..."

Suddenly, the vampire snapped out of his daze and changed his pace. He placed his hands on her shoulders lightly. "Listen to me. You are not insane, and you are special. There's so much about that amulet that you should know, and so much that even I have yet to discover!"

Sal flashed the girl in front of him a smirk. "Did you just say that you've always wanted to travel? And by the way, have I introduced myself yet? I'm Sal."
 
He was cold, his skin was freezing! How could one person be in a place so hot and have skin so cold. Well, he did have an air conditioning system but it wasn't working that well. Yeah she was cold but she was cold in the normal person cold, he was a deadly kind of cold. But she hadn't said anything as he wrapped his pinky around hers and she felt a grin on her face.

As she told her story she had his full attention, which was peculiar to her since she hadn't found the story that interesting. But once she was finish he seemed to think differently.

He was all over the place, staring at her but not as if she was crazy but as if she had the key to complete his life. You saw Alexadnria! I never thought the amulet could do that, what had he meant by that. Cause she was pretty sure that there weren't just pamphlets for Alexandria lying around. But he seemed as if he had known so much. "U-Um...excuse me" her voice was quiet as she tried to piece together what he was saying, his words became meshed together and soon enough he was speaking gibberish and she was looking at him as if he was peculiar.

"Ten years...ten years you've worn the Amulet of Enlightenment, and you don't even know the extent of its meaning" okay okay okay slow down, what was he talking about? The Amulet of Enlightenment, had she just walked into the twilight zone or something? She bit back her tongue until he was done speaking and once he was done she was flushed in the face from his sudden contact and beautiful smirk. "W-wait...h-hold up a sec...well first off it's nice to meet you Sal, I'm Ophelia, and secondly what are you going on about? The Amulet of Enlightenment? Something tells me you aren't giving me a big piece of the puzzle?"

Ophelia felt as if all the breath she had come into the store with was gone with the wind. He called her special, of course she was probably reading into what he was saying but she felt her cheeks heat up once more. She reached up to take his hands off of her shoulders and felt herself gasping at how cold he was.

The first time she thought it was just her imagination, but he was really cold. It was as if they had just stepped out of a winter wonderland. Ophelia looked up into his brown hues and pulled her hand away from his.
"G-geez you're really cold, you're about to clarify everything for me right about now right?"
 
Sal stepped back, realizing how freaked out she must've been by his sudden swing of attitude, and the male cleared his throat as he wiped his hands down the front of his shirt. His eyes darted back and forth as he looked around the room, wary of other people that might have been listening...even though they were the only two people in there.

"Yes, yes, sorry, I promise I'll explain everything. Well, not everything; there's simply not enough time to do that at the current moment, but I'm sure I can..." he stopped himself, realizing that he was about to ramble again. He pressed his fingers to his temples and shook his head, tossing his white locks back and forth. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, pressing his palms together in front of his chest. "Okay, let me just calm down," he said out loud, not really meaning to.

The vampire quickly walked right around the blonde girl and and to the large windows at the front of the store. He peered out, making sure that no one was approaching, and without a word, he flicked off the lights and flipped the "Open!" sign to say "Closed!" before pacing back to the other girl's place.

His next words came out in a low voice. "Listen, there are a lot of things about Alexandria that have been hidden from human...from history for a very long time. All of this is for a very good reason, too." The vampire turned away and walked behind the counter as he continued speaking. He lifted the corner of one of the frames behind the counter, which held the remains of an old piece of parchment, and slid his hand under it. Without even peeking behind the frame, he punched in the numbers of a five-digit sequence into a panel in the wall, then turned a dial three times. As Sal removed his hand, a small "click" and shift of paneling could be heard, and the vampire looked down at the new opening in the floor, which revealed a steep staircase that descended into the ground. He turned to face the young woman again.

"I'm about to give you a warning, Ophelia. If I disclose this information to you, your life will never be normal again. The knowledge I bear is sacred and dangerous, and wouldn't force it upon anyone. But, as I said, you seem to be a special case, and I wouldn't be surprised if our histories were somehow entwined. The choice is yours. Follow me, and you will be enlightened, or leave now, and you will be safe."

Sal's breath caught with nervous anticipation. Finally, there was someone with whom he could share his knowledge! But at what cost? Who knows what might come after her if she knew the truth. And the last thing he wanted was to see someone else get hurt.
 
Her hesitation was clearly noted as Sal, as she just learned his name, calmed his words down. Why her? He wasn't a bad guy and of course this was amazing but, she wasn't ready for all of this...excitement. And that's exactly what this necklace seemed to be as she watched the other pace in front of her then come back his words calmed.

So Alexadnria was a real place, and not just a fairy tale land in a made up story. But he said that it was hidden from humans, and he seems to know a lot about this place, as if he lived there. Okay wait, Ophelia don't jump to conclusions...plus, what conclusions are there to jump to. He wasn't being any more clear. In fact he he was making less sense.

Ophelia felt her hand wrap around the small pendant as if it could keep her safe. All she wanted was a book for her grandmother not some grand journey with a guy who made about as much sense as pigs flying. Bitting her lower lip to keep her thoughts shit off she watched as he went over to te counter and did a bunch of things that resulted in one big thing.

He was a serial killer, he was about her murder her right now. He probably played the whole 'I'm a sweet guy who likes to make people laugh with my charming smile" routine just so he could get her in this position. The portion where he took her down into his toture room and killed her. Oh god, this is exactly what her grandmother told her to avoid. "Never trust the guys with a nice smile and a sweet laugh because one day they'll sink you down to their level" sorry granny..I should have listened. As Ophelia got caught up in her thoughts she held up her guard as she listened to what he had to say. How could her history be intertwined with his when, she hadn't even known him. Too much was happening for her little heart right now but in reality...she was curious.

Curious as to what he was talking about, why wouldn't he tell her what was going on right now, why was it so dangerous, why was it life changing, why were their histories connected. All these questions ran through her head as she walked over to the spot he was in and slowly swallowed the lump that was in her throat.

"I'm ready, enlighten me....I wanna know everything no matter how long it takes, I have no where to be and my grandmother can wait...so show me" why hadn't she cared for his warnings. It was like everyone always said, Curiosity killed the cat...and she was already down eight lives.
 
Upon hearing Ophelia's words, Sal's face lit up with a bright smile. He flicked a switch on the wall, and the staircase that led down into the earth lit up. "Great!" he said, nodding, "I promise you won't regret it." In reality, that wasn't something he really could promise. After all, not even he was sure of what would come out of this. All he could hope for was that the positives would outweigh the negatives of the situation.

"C'mon then, everything we'll need is right this way," he mumbled as he started his decline. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a door with quite the number of locks and combination keys. He opened them like second nature, and the door swung forward, revealing an earthy-looking room, with dark wood flooring. He flicked on a light switch, and the furniture became visible. The room was reminiscent of an old strategy room that one would see in an army's camp. There was a single, round table in the middle of the room, and a single chair sat behind it, on the opposite side of where they were. Against the far wall, there was also a desk, covered in a mess of old papers, and another chair. On a separate little table, there was a little teapot and a coffeemaker, for his own convenience. There were a few bookshelves down there, filled to the brim with books that looked twice as old as the ones upstairs; most of them seemed to be falling apart at the seams. On separate shelves, there were rolled up scrolls and miscellaneous artifacts, which were labeled with strange hieroglyphics.

The vampire steeped into the room, which was a familiar place for him, and he inhaled deeply. The room's scent was ruled by parchment, ink, and coffee. Lots of coffee. He pulled the chair away from his desk and slid it alongside the table in the center, placing it directly across from the chair that was already there.

"Please, sit down...and excuse me while I make some tea. Would you like some? It'll make this whole thing easier." As he spoke, he turned on the electric teapot, facing away from the door. Suddenly, he tensed up.

Had he really just trusted some random girl that he had just met to come into this room? He hadn't even taken into consideration the fact that she might be some kind of spy. This could all be a trap, one that he mindlessly wandered into. If so, he had just jeopardized his entire life's work. Sal shook his head, quieting his fears, and decided that he would just see how things played out. The girl was human, as he could tell, so if anything, he would have the upper hand if she turned out to have ulterior motives.

"Ophelia...before we begin...would you mind telling me what you saw when you pictured Alexandria?"
 
His words had, for some reason, put her at ease as she returned his bright smile with one of her own. Yep, she was right back to her old ways and she hadn't even cared if he was a psychotic murder. At this point she just wanted to see whatever was down stairs. Ophelia watched as he turned on the light and it was as if her own heart lit up with the flick of his switch. And she followed him to the beginning of the stairs trying to hide the smile that was the eating at her lips.

Yeah he was about to answer a few of her questions, but she had an even bigger one. Why was his hand so icy? Ophelia felt her mind going right back to when he had held onto her shoulders as she followed him downstairs to the mystery room. Her thoughts were once again subsided as she looked around the small room that was riddled with much older books than the ones upstairs and knick-knacks that seemed to have writings on them that she couldn't quite understand. It smelled like her room had when she tried to cram for a test, it was the smell of old coffee and determination. Whatever he was trying to do down here he had been at it for a while, and Ophelia found herself at a loss for words as she took a seat in the chair he had pulled out and looked up at him ready for whatever he was about to say.

"Um sure I would like some, thank you for offering" her voice was different as she looked around the tiny room trying to piece something together before he had even began speaking. The books he had reminded her of the dream she had, he must have been collecting and came across them, or maybe he had known of Alexadnria as well since he stated that humans hadn't really known about it. That statement still confusing her.

He had become silent as he made the tea and honestly silence wasn't something she was used to since she had walked into the store so now, she was a bit in edge. Ophelia says on the edge of her chair, a bad habit of hers, in case she had to make a run for it. Then he asked one question that sort of caught her off guard.

"What I saw, well that was ten years ago and I don't think I could ever forget what I saw" Ophelia closed her eyes that bright day coming back to her memory as she thought about what she was going to say to describe it to him. "There was sand everywhere but I hadn't minded it, there was this grand building where I was standing and people making trades for certain items...I walked into the grand building to see that it was lined to the ceiling with books, kind of like the ones you have, I looked around but just walked out instead...I didn't feel like I had enough time and I wanted to see everything...when I had walked out there was this animal and he looked at me then sat down, the animal had a body I could never describe but his tail would stick up straight even when he sat...when I woke up, I just saw the necklace and I haven't gotten any sights since then, but on some days out of the blue I would get glad images of these blue skies and sandy areas like I was right back" Ophelia hoped that her answer sufficed as she tried to ease back into her chair.

"B-but Sal...I-if I may, you said something earlier and I'm pretty sure it was just the slip of your words but you said that, humans don't know about this place...I'm just asking what you meant when you said humans" cause you said it as if you weren't one. Ophelia wanted to add that last part but just kept it to herself.
 
The vampire remained standing over the table with the teapot until it finished heating, and waited until it was finished before pouring the hot, steamy liquid into two small mugs. He took a sip from his own cup, nodding ass she spoke, and then turned to face her again.

Animal with a tail that sticks up...? Could that be one of Lord Set's figures?

The vampire made his way back to the round table and took a seat in his chair. He slid Ophelia's mug over to her side, and he crossed his legs under the table. His mind kept racing, and more and more questions flew through his head, but he figured that his questions could wait. He was sure that Ophelia had plenty more than he did.

"Well, it seems like you got a pretty nice view of the Library," he said. "That is the source of...well, of all of this." His pale hand motioned to the controlled chaos of his study. "And I think I have an idea what this animal you saw might have been, but I'll get into that later."

The vampire sighed at Ophelia's later question. He knew that she wouldn't let his slip of the tongue fly past her. He wondered if he should tell her the truth. Usually, people freaked out when they found out that he was a vampire, and on top of that, those that did were usually food, so they tended not to survive very long afterward.

However, he did promise that he would explain everything. And if there was one thing he knew, it was that vampires had everything to do with Alexandria.

Sal took another long sip from his mug. The warmth that it sent through him always made him feel strange. Tea had always been an enjoyable part of his human life, but as a vampire, the heat made him feel odd. He still drank it, anyway.

"Ophelia...I have a question for you. Do you believe in...nonhumans? As in creatures only heard of in myths? Because if you do, you won't have as much trouble grasping what I'm about to tell you." He paused, before he continued speaking, not really waiting for an answer. With both hands on the table, he added, "Alexandria, the city that was once great and guarded the knowledge of the entire world - that was my home. And it, along with me, was attacked by vampires."
 
Ophelia had looked at the mug that he had slid over to her and nodded thanking him for the tea. Their once carefree conversation had quickly become serious, and she was still trying to determine if she liked this side of the conversations.

Taking a sip from the hot liquid that was inside the mug, Ophelia had listened to what he had said and it was as if twenty more question popped into her head. She placed her mug right back on the table and looked up at him once more finally relaxed in her own chair. Then she heard his sigh and everything wrecked havoc in her mind.

Why was he sighing was the question that serious. Ophelia, stop it, he's human and that's final it was just a slip of his words. Her mind was going at one eighty as she took another sip of her tea trying to calm herself down. On the inside she was freaking out but in the outside she had to seem like she could take all of this information or he just might not tell her.

Then, silence, it was silence one more in the room expect for her inner monologue. Why was the silence so crushing to her, maybe it was because in this moment she just wanted to know everything and silence wasn't an option. But once again his question broke the silence.

Had she believed in non-humans, myths? Well had she? As a younger child she could have sworn that she could speak to ghost but as she got older and the bullying got worst she just found it all to be stupid. Though he hadn't waited for her answer before he dropped another bomb on her.

Wait.What!? Ophelia found herself quiet during his confession but to stop herself from shouting out something stupid she took another sip and bit her bottom lip. Breathing in and out through her nose to clear out her mind and calm herself down. Ophelia found herself speaking once more except with a more shaky voice.

"S-Sal..." What if he was lying to her, what if this was all some practical joke. She hadn't wanted to believe that since he seemed like a trusting person to bring her down here and tell her this. So the least that she could do was trust him too...but she still needed to prove it to herself. "So you aren't human...you're a v--vampire" it took her all that she had to even push the word out. His confession had explained one of her questions though, this must have been why his hands are cold.

"I trust you, I really do and I'm trying not to asking you the dumbest questions ever or freak out and run back home....but how do I know you aren't lying to me and this isn't some elaborate prank that you pull on everyone who walks in...or how do I know you won't eat me if you really are what you say you are"
 
Sal bit his bottom lip as he watched the girl before him react to his confession. He heard the shakiness in her voice, and it sent a pang of pain through his chest like lightning. Of course she would be freaked out, but knowing that didn't make it feel any better. However, she didn't seem to be to afraid, which was a relief.

The vampire turned the mug in his hands and looked down at his pale fingers. His voice was gentle, and he said, "I promise I'm telling the truth." His eyes met hers again, and he pointed at his face. "My skin used to be a lot darker than this, my hair used to be brown. That changed after I was turned. My brown eyes...they're red under these colored contacts. My fangs, like all vampires, are retractable, but I won't show you those because I doubt that would make you feel at ease..."

Sal scratched the back of his head and tried to give her a reassuring smile. "And most importantly, of course, is that I won't hurt you." His face turned serious again. "My need for human blood is something I can't live without, so it is true that I take the lives of others. But as a policy, I never feed off of any of my customers, or if I know the person's name. If you decide to trust me, you will have to cope with the fact that I do hunt humans. If that makes you too uncomfortable, I'm giving you another choice to stay or to leave. I can't force you to trust me, but that's the truth."

Sal lifted the cup to his lips and finished its hot contents before he spoke again. "Since the day I was bitten by that vampire, I've stopped aging. I've been alive for well over two thousand years now. And during this time, I've travelled to many places, met many people, collected many items...all for the sake of trying to reverse what the vampires did so long ago. They caused the destruction of Alexandria, and they made off with most of the knowledge that the Library contained. I...I used to be the Library's keeper. Those were the best days of my life, and I want them back. I've spent so much time piecing together maps that lead to sites of the lost information, and that-,"

The vampire pointed a lanky finger at Ophelia's pendant. "That pendant is a direct link to Alexandria, or so it seems. I believe that it can help me...or us...find what's missing."
 
(I'm on mobile, I'll have to color the text later...)
 
It was magic, it had to be. Cause it was as if once again her mind was out at ease with his gentle tone. He killed people, for food, and she was still sitting here with him as if they were friends. Well, she had known quite a lot for them to be friends.

"Okay....I believe you..." Her voice was back to its softer tone as she picked up her mug once more then placed it back down after she was done. "You've shown me a lot and you've trusted me enough to tell me that so trusting you is the least I can do...I wish I had something breath taking and earth shattering but I don't...I mean unless you count being allergic to bees earth shattering" she chuckled softly to at least try and lighten the mood. It had been so serious and she wanted him to know that she wasn't just talking but that she actually trusted what he was telling her.

He was a sweet guy though, Ophelia nodded her head at his next words and returned his smile with one of her own. Vampire or not, she was in....whatever he was doing she wanted in because Alexadnria interested her too. What made it even cooler was that she felt apart of something.
"I-I....I can love with your diet...j-just, don't do it anywhere near me...I get nauseous easily and death makes me, nervous...especially dead people" figuring that she was just rambiling Ophelia quickly shut up once more and listened to what he had to say with open ears and heart. It had to be sad, to just keep living forever...all of his people and family were gone because he outlived them. Ophelia couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live the way he had.

Then he had brought up her pendan--Amulet of Enlightenment once more calling it the missing link to Alexandria. It was as if suddenly she felt a weight of stress dropped onto her shoulders. Not because of him but because of the expectations, one little book caused something that she hadn't even known was this big or important.
"Well...I'm on board, I know I'm not the important thing here but I'll help as much as I can...I might not have awesome looking white hair or retractable fangs...but I'm pretty good with a computer and some books so my help is all you, that is if I can give it" she laughed softly and sipped the rest of the tea in her mug and paced it back in the table with a smile.

"But I do have a stupid question to ask,
Or maybe two...is it true that garlic harms you, and do you sparkle in the sunlight...these are the questions for fan girls of vampires all over the world"

 
The white-haired vampire smiled and laughed softly along with Ophelia, brushing his fingers through his hair impulsively. "Listen, you might not be some kind of supernatural being or magical artifact...but at times, doing all of this gets terribly lonely. Having your company will be important on its own, I'm sure."

"And," he continued, raising an eyebrow and flashing her a teasing smirk, "to answer your question; I can assure you that garlic doesn't harm me. I've grown quite fond of Italian food, really. And I don't sparkle, sadly."

He leaned back and shrugged. "On the other hand, does sunlight does make me weak. God forbid there's any physical activity involved. I usually just tell people that I'm anemic. Holy relics are a no-go as well - holy water, crucifixes, bibles and the like. If I get too close, it's like I'm paralyzed."

Sal laughed again. "I suppose I shouldn't be telling you all of my weaknesses so soon, huh? Oh well, I guess now you know what to do if I ever go insane and turn on you," he joked, mock growling and sticking out his tongue.

With that, the vampire stood and stretched his back. "Now, we should probably get back on topic." He stepped away and pulled out a scroll. He laid it on the round table and opened it to reveal a map of North America, which was covered in red marker "x's." There was a large circle over the entire state of Nevada and its surrounding states, and another around Montreal, Canada. "This is one of many tentative treasure maps that I - with a lot of luck - procured from a vampire not two-hundred years ago. It seems like he had been looking for the same things, and I've been following his trail, along with my own. However...as you can see," he pointed to the two large circles, "this map isn't the most specific. I think that the Amulet might be able to narrow down those search areas."

"Oh," he placed his palm on his forehead, "how rude of me again...before we get into this, I should ask...do you have any questions for me first?"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.