Arkos Week 2018 - Day 5: AU
Vampire hunters, especially ones that were fresh to the job, were usually a cautious folk. It came with the territory of course, as anyone could be a vampire’s thrall or even a full blooded vampire out to get you, and anything that seemed odd or out of place could be a trap or an ambush. So when Jaune was approached by a vampire for protection of all things, he was wary, to say the least. However, she offered to pay him a lot of money, and he was flat broke, so what could he say?
She was wandering about his house, wearing a blood red dress that matched her hair, seemingly curious about the items he had, from the old Arc family books and weapons to an action figure he had gotten when he was young. She had told him her name when he begrudgingly accepted to take her in, Pyrrha Nikos, and that had made him more uncertain about all this. The Nikos family was among the oldest and most infamous of the vampire bloodline, having survived throughout the centuries despite countless hunters going after them in an attempt to put an end to their reign; so why one would come to him was utterly beyond him.
He was about to turn on the TV, remote clasped in his hand, but Jaune couldn’t take his eyes off her. Part of it was out of worry and caution, but he would be lying if it was also in part of how she looked. He knew a lot of vampires used their physical charm to lure in a potential dinner, or fool a novice hunter, so he tried his best not to get drawn in. Although, something seemed… innocent about Pyrrha. Something was off, and he couldn’t tell what it was.
Jaune shook his head, not sure what exactly he was thinking, before turning on the TV to hopefully just get as much of this off of his mind as he could. It was working… up until Pyrrha came up in front of him, drawn to the TV like a moth to a flame.
“Tell me, Mr. Arc, what is this… device of yours.” She didn’t look at him as she asked, seeming to be too distracted by the images that were playing before her.
“It’s… a TV, a television? You’ve… seen those before, haven’t you?” He raised a brow, things getting increasingly odd, even for him.
“I… have not, Mr. Arc. I haven’t had the chance to see the world in a long while…” The vampire turned to him, frowning a little. “Truth be told, that is part of why I hired you. I have not been allowed to set foot out of my casket for who knows how long… everything is so different than it was last time I was free.”
“I… see…” Jaune grimaced, not sure what he should be feeling right now. “May I ask whhhhyyyy you weren’t let out?”
“My parents… my family…” She frowned, clutching her chest as she started to recall. “They put me away, saying that I was important for some prophecy, I don’t know what. The only time they ever let me out was to occasionally feed.”
Jaune paused, mulling this newfound information over. Part of him felt sorry for her, but there was this lingering doubt that this was just a sob story. “...If that’s the case, then how did you escape?”
“I… I don’t know. I was being pulled out to feed, but… then no one was there. My home… no, my family’s home was abandoned. I’m… not sure what happened, honestly, but maybe I just ceased to be useful?” At this point, Pyrrha looked absolutely solemn, making Jaune feel more than a little guilty, even if he had a right to be suspicious of her previously.
“That… I… I’m sorry you had to go through all that. No one, human or vampire, should ever go through something like that.” With that, the hunter sighed, not sure what he was thinking as he went on. “...Tell you what. If we can figure out a way to have you feed without killing anybody, then… you can stay here as long as you want.” Almost immediately, a good part of him felt absolutely stupid for making this offer, letting a vampire stay at his house, where he was most vulnerable. By the look on Pyrrha’s face, none of this escaped her, as her eyes were wide in surprise. They soon narrowed, and a small, innocent smile pulled at her lips.
“Thank you, Mr. Arc. I appreciate your generosity.” With that, she took a seat beside him, seemingly to join him in watching a show. However, just as Jaune let out a breath of relief, that innocent smile turned into a sultry one. “And I’ll only bite if you want me to~”
In just a matter of seconds, his face paled before gaining a deep red blush, which just made the vampire laugh quietly, happy with the reaction she got. The sudden temptress then simply rested her head on the rookie hunter’s shoulder, a hand reaching out for his other one, as she watched what was on in peace.