//I decided to write a little hurt-comfort story, in which Gilbert is the injured party, and he has to let Lily take care of him. He is slowly softening up around her, and I love it. >w< Read More is for length.
The attack had been sudden and unexpected. That much is obvious, of course. Had I been expecting it, I would not be in the state I am now.
A small gang of degenerates who had no business being in my neighborhood apparently thought I’d make an easy target. An old man with a cane, walking his small dog in the evening. I can see why they thought that. Unfortunately for them, I am Prussia, and do not go anywhere unprepared. I soon had three of them backing up away from my sword after having given one a good slash across his face. Unfortunately, as I was telling them to leave, a fourth snuck up from behind and stabbed me in the side with his knife. I turned and stabbed him, getting him in the shoulder. That was enough to send them all running, with Marie barking furiously at them, as though she could do much. But the damage was done.
I stored my sword and limped back home, the knife still in my side. I would have to pull it out when I was home and could bandage myself. Every step sent a shot of pain through me, and I am sure I was paler than usual when I finally stepped into my house. My housekeeper and cook were both gone for the day, which was fine by me. I hardly needed anyone to see me in this state.
I made my way to the kitchen where the first aid kit was stored. After swallowing a good pain killer, I set to pulling the knife out. The medicine hadn’t taken effect yet, so the pain was still immense. But I am nothing if not strong willed, so I pushed through it and pried it out of my flesh. I immediately began to bleed more, but I knew what to do. I cleaned the wound as best I could, and then stitched and bandaged it up. It did not need to be a perfect job. My immortal healing capabilities would take care of it. But at least I wouldn’t bleed to death in the kitchen.
After cleaning the mess it had made, I pulled out my phone. Those filthy creatures would pay one way or another for what they had dared to do tonight. I called my daughter.
“Papa? What’s going on?” she said as soon as she answered the phone. I was pleased that at least I wasn’t hearing loud club music coming through as well. So at least she was not at one of those establishments tonight.
“I require your particular set of skills,” I said, cutting straight to the chase. I kept talking as I walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs to my room. “I was attacked tonight, by a group of young men. Four of them.”
“What?! Where are you now? Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?”
“I’m already home, child,” I said, a note of impatience creeping into my voice. “No, what I need you to do is track them down and have them imprisoned for their crime.”
“I…Okay. What can you tell me about them then? Where were you when you were attacked?”
I gave her all the details I could, being as thorough as possible: exactly which street I had been on, their looks and build, and of course mentioning that one would have a slash on the face and another a stab in the shoulder.
“Do you need anything else?” I asked as I finished relaying the information.
“No. That should be enough. I’ll get on it right away. But are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. I just need rest, my dear. Just tell me when you have them found and arrested.”
“Yes. Okay. I hope you get your rest then, Papa. And that you heal up soon.”
The corner of my mouth tugged up despite the soreness in my side. She was such a sweet girl.
“I will. Good night, my dear.”
“Good night. I love you.”
I lingered on the line for a few seconds, debating…well, it didn’t need to be said right now. I hung up. Now that I was in my room, I changed into sleep clothes and settled carefully into my bed. Marie curled up on hers and looked at me with a worried look in her eyes.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured her, as though she could understand. I picked up the book on my nightstand and opened it up to read until I felt tired enough to sleep. It did not take long for the adrenaline to wear off and for exhaustion to take hold.
I didn’t realize how late I was sleeping in until the sun peeking through the curtains woke me. As I sat up, a sharp pain shot through my side. I grunted and clenched my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut. I laid back down, breathing heavily.
As I was debating how long I could reasonably stay in bed, a knock came at my door. I frowned in confusion. Both my staff members had the day off today, so it was unlikely to be either of them. And Marie was calm, so it must be someone recognizable. I called out for them to enter.
Perhaps not too surprisingly, Liliane came in. She looked as though she hadn’t slept at all last night, judging from the dark circles under her eyes and her messy hair. She came straight to my side and clasped my hand.
“Oh, Papa, I’m so glad to see you awake and alive,” she said, as though she had expected to find me dead this morning. “I was worried when no one answered the door and you didn’t answer your phone either. So I let myself in. I hope you don’t mind.”
I blinked at her, unsure of what to say. It didn’t matter though, because she kept speaking. She had a habit of over-talking when she was upset.
“I came to tell you, we found the men who attacked you last night. At least, we think we did. They match your descriptions and have the injuries you said they would. They’re being detained now. When you feel up to it, you can go identify them. But there’s no need to rush. We’ll worry about that later. What’s important is that you’re okay first. Are you okay? You almost never sleep in like this. Can I get you anything? Do you need water or medicine or–”
“Liliane,” I said, raising my free hand to silence her. “Liliane, you must calm down. I am fine. Do you think this is the worst injury I’ve ever suffered? I’ve had half my body blown off from a canon before. This is a fly bite compared to that.”
She swallowed and bit her lip, still looking horribly worried.
“I am glad you found them so quickly. I thank you for that. But you shouldn’t trouble yourself anymore. I can tell you didn’t sleep last night. Perhaps I should be the one worried for you.”
A weak smile came to her face. “No, it’s fine. I’m used to pulling all-nighters. Are you certain you don’t need me to do anything else for you? Can’t I at least make you breakfast?”
I leaned my head back with a sigh. I knew her. I knew how stubborn she was. She reminded me of her mother, who would fret over the smallest cut I might have, even when she knew I would heal just fine. I smiled a bit at the memories. Then I looked at her again.
“You can start by taking Marie outside. Just let her loose in the back. Then you can make us both some breakfast.”
She brightened at the opportunity to be useful. “Yes, Papa. I’ll do that. You just take care to not hurt yourself.”
I looked annoyed at the suggestion, but she either didn’t see it or ignored it. She was already standing and calling my dog to her, who eagerly followed her out. When she was gone, I sighed loudly to myself and ran a hand down my face. So much for a peaceful day of recovery. But at least she was eager to help in any way I asked of her.
Once again, I pushed myself to sit up, working through the pain. I grunted as I stood up and walked into my bathroom to prepare for the day. I looked at myself in the mirror, noticing the pale, restless look I had. That wouldn’t do. As I cleaned up and made myself presentable, I took care to make myself look as strong as I could. Once I was ready, I went downstairs to the breakfast parlor.
I could hear Liliane working in the kitchen. I sat down and pulled over my tablet to read the daily news. It wasn’t long before she was setting the table for two and putting out food and coffee. She also set a bottle of pain medicine next to me. I looked at her through the corner of my eye and she looked back at me. I nodded a thank you and she smiled. Then she leaned down and kissed my cheek, which surprised me more than it should have.
“I made everything just the way you like it,” she said, sitting down in her chair as though nothing had happened just now. “I hope it helps you feel better.”
I set my tablet aside and looked at the nice spread before us. “Thank you, my dear. I’m sure it will help.” I cracked open a softboiled egg and dipped some toast into it. As I chewed, I looked at her, noticing that she was picking at her food more than eating it. I ought to simply let that be, but I couldn’t help commenting on it.
“For someone who wasn’t even attacked last night, you’re rather pensive.”
She looked up from the coffee she had been stirring nonstop without even drinking. “I’m just worried about you,” she said. She hastened to add more before I could say anything. “I know I shouldn’t be. I know you heal up and are immortal like me. But I hate seeing you be hurt. And I hate thinking that it could happen again. What if it’s worse next time? What if you do die on the street? I know you’ll come back, but I don’t want you to be hurt at all. I just want you to be safe.”
I set the remainder of my toast down on my plate. I laced my fingers together and leaned forward, staring at her. She looked at me nervously, afraid she had said the wrong thing and that I would berate her for it.
“My child. Do you remember me telling you, perhaps on more than one occasion, that life is full of pain? You cannot prevent it. You must simply stand strong and deal with it when it happens.”
“I remember, yes,” she said, her voice quiet and nervous.
“Good. Then you will understand that I will be hurt again. And again and again. As will you. And yes, I may die now and then as well. But that is hardly a reason to worry. You will only cause yourself more suffering if you fret about it.” I paused, then added, “Besides, you are my child, not my mother or wife. It’s more my job to worry about you than it is yours to worry about me. I appreciate you hunting down the perpetrators and coming to help me today. But I do not want you up at night worrying that I might be hurt again. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod.
“Good. Now eat some food. You need it.”
She complied, and we ate together quietly. When we were finished, she began to clear the table while I made my way to the living room to read after taking more medicine. I sighed and grimaced in pain as I sat on the couch. I picked up the book I had left on the side table the night before, The Letters of Cicero, written entirely in Latin, and settled in to read for a while.
When Liliane finished cleaning, she came in to join me. I thought to myself that I should tell her to go get some sleep, but she quickly took a place right next to me. Like a persistent cat, she slipped under my arm and laid her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my torso. Thankfully, she avoided putting pressure on my wound.
She was staring at my book. “You never taught me Latin,” she said, “But you have so many Latin books.”
The corner of my mouth tugged up. “It wasn’t necessary for you at the time.”
“I know,” she said. She yawned and closed her eyes. “But could you still teach me?”
I thought about it, and then smiled. “I suppose. But you will remember that I am not an easy teacher. I demand hard work and dedication to the subject.”
“I know. But if it means I can spend more time with you, and do something you like, I’ll do it.”
That gave me pause. I looked down at her and noticed that she was starting to sleep. I smiled more and even chuckled slightly. “Well, if that’s what you want, my dear.”
When she didn’t respond, I knew she had fallen asleep. I kissed the top of her head and then rested my cheek against it as I resumed reading. As much as I would fight against being seen as a helpless old man, I had to admit to myself that it was nice to have her around to help when things went south. Not having to face it all by myself was a nice change of pace.
//Listen to this song while reading for more of sad feels.
Everything had begun to fall apart, the paradise that had been so desired by the young plant Adept was slowly and surely being taken away from her. Most of her adopted family had been mercilessly slaughtered with only her priestess and her beloved remaining. Victorique had been increasingly anxious upon hearing that the Azure Striker was making his way to where the priestess was. Her fears increased when she learned that Asroc, her dear boyfriend, would make his stand against the intruder. Victorique’s body shook violently as she waited in the room adjacent to where the fight was taking place, sounds of electricity and gunfire from Galette Krone shook the metallic walls of the room. Upon hearing the activation of Amuse-Bouche, she knew that she needed to get into the room before she would be finding her love dead.
Rushing into the room, her eyes widened in shock as she witnessed Galette Krone blow up in front of her, the Azure Striker being revealed when the smoke cleared. Hearing a ragged cough behind him, she pushed the Adept out of the way as she rushed to where Asroc was, beaten and bloody. He collapsed into her arms as soon as she reached him, his breathing shallow as he struggled to get his final words out. “T-To think that it is I...who ended up in the stewpot…” Asroc glared at Gunvolt as he continued. “But I’m n-not done...it’s already activated... I used my Puppetwire Septima...I-I gave...everything…” A grin slowly appeared on his face. “You can’t stop it, Adept...n-nothing can…” Asroc rested his head against Victorique’s arm, grimacing in pain. “I-In the name...of o-our...paradise…” The look in his eye softened as he turned to look up at Victorique, who was sobbing by that point. He weakly reached his hand out, trying to wipe her tears away. “D-Don’t...avenge me…” A few tears appeared in his eyes as his hand fell to the floor. “M-Mon ange...y-you’re fading…” At that moment, blue flames covered his body, and the Pygmalion Furnace was no more. Tears streamed down Victorique’s face as she saw this, seemingly in shock before letting out an ear-piercing scream. Clutching her head in her hands, anguished cries could be the only sounds heard in the room.
“Please no, don’t leave me, mon amour! Don’t leave me all alone, Asroc!” Gunvolt visibly winced at the girl’s lament, even Joule was staring at her sadly. While he wanted to comfort her, the Azure Striker knew his words would not give any solace to the girl whose love he just murdered. With a sinking feeling in his heart, Gunvolt silently left the room to leave the grieving Victorique alone. After a few moments, the Quiet Botanist stood up, her Glaive appearing next to her. “Y-You think you can just...w-walk away after that?!” There was an unparalleled rage in her words. Darkness surrounded her as she activated her Glaive, now in her alternate form. “I’ll kill you for this, Azure Striker! You’ll be dead and buried before you can even reach Zonda!” With those words, she stormed off after Gunvolt, completely consumed by her sorrow and rage.
The last mission Summer went on was actually sent to both Taiyang and Summer. Unfortunately since Qrow was gone on another mission at the time, they were lacking a babysitter so only one of them could go. The fought about it for a day or two, Taiyang saying he should go and Summer saying the opposite. The last night Summer decided to just go by herself, leaving in the middle of the night. She left a note for him, explaining what she’d done and Taiyang carries it with him all the time.
the story is under the cut since it’s pretty long
TW: Character death, hints of depression
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"Summer, babe, come on. You know the girls like it more when you're taking care of them."
They had been arguing about this for hours and neither side was letting up. Not this time.
Summer crossed her arms over her chest and stared upat Taiyang, almost glaring. "And we both know that's not true. I'm going and you're staying here. It's not that big of a deal, you need to stop worrying so much." she complained, she hated how much he worried about her sometimes. Summer loved the man with all her heart but his worrying was going to be the death of her.
The blond male shook his head obviously not agreeing to the terms of this. "No i think you've got it wrong it's going to be the other way around. They need you here." he began, obviously making his argument up as he went along. "Besides you promised Ruby that you would make cookies tomorrow and you can't back out on that. We all know that I can't make cookies as well as you do so, I guess you have to stay."
This argument was going nowhere and they both knew it.
Summer...had another plan though.
"Oh....oh yeah, Ruby would riot if i didn't stay." She muttered, biting down on her bottom lip.
Taiyang practically smirked in triumph. He slowly wrapped an arm around his love's waist and pulled her close, resting his forehead on her own.
"See? And everything's going to be fine out there, i'll be back before you know it." He reassured, assuming that he had finally won. After a day and a half of fighting about this it was a relief to the aging man.
With a laugh, Summer leaned up and kissed him softly. "I guess you're right..."
"Always am~"
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"Daddy, Daddy! Wake up!" Taiyang felt the rough shoving of his seven year old look alike.
The 27 year old groaned, "What is it sweetie?" he questioned, not bothering to open his eyes even though he could hear soon to be 5 year old Ruby crying from the other room. He didn't feel Summer's presence beside him, so she was probably already taking care of the toddler.
"Mommy’s not here!"
Those three words had him shooting out of bed. In seconds he was on his feet, running out of the room with a tiny Yang attempting to follow behind him.
"Summer! Come on, don't joke like this!" He shouted, praying she was just playing a joke on him, a joke that she had gotten Yang in on. So he began checking all the rooms in the house.
Kitchen: Nothing, Bathrooms: Nothing, Yang's room/closet: nothing, the living room: NOTHING,
Ruby's room was the last one...he could still hear the 4 year old wailing from inside and he quickly entered to comfort her as well as see if Summer was there.
He carefully lifted Ruby off her bed and began rocking her. She probably had nightmare. "It's alright squirt it was just a dream." he muttered to her as he made his way over to her closet and finding nothing but her tiny cloaks and dresses.
"Damn it Summer..." he muttered, he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and he doubted it would go away until Summer returned.
"Daddy where Mommy? I want Mommy" Yang decalared, tugging on the pants leg of his pj's.
Taiyang slowly lowered himself to the floor to sit in front of Yang, sitting Ruby down on the floor next to her sister now that she had stopped crying.
He flashed a weak smile at his children. "Don't worry she'll be back soon. She's a super mom, remember? She'll be back in no time."
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"Ozpin don't fucking lie to me!" Taiyang had never been this angry in his life, there was no way Ozpin was telling the truth. Summer wasn't....she couldn't be.
Ozpin kept a calm face as he stared down at Taiyang. Qrow and Glynda stood nearby, both with solemn expressions on their face. They had told Qrow before telling Taiyang since there was a chance of...this happening.
"I am very sorry Mr. Xiao Long, but Summer's body was never found." Ozpin spoke as he normally would, but there was a hit of softness. He knew Taiyang and he knew how much this would hurt him.
In an instant Taiyang had grabbed Ozpin by the collar, ready to punch him straight in the face. He didn't like liars and there was no possible way she was dead. No chance!
Qrow quickly snapped into action, pulling his old teammate off of Ozpin, but he didn't say a word as he did this. Taiyang fought his actions with every pull, struggling to get back to Ozpin and pound him into a bloody bruised mess. But he was so weak at that moment, his body felt numb. The words were hitting him and somewhere inside his mind, he knew that Ozpin wasn't lying.
Around the corner sat two little girls, one looking like she was about to fall asleep...the other though had figured out what had happened. "Come on Ruby, let's go back to bed..." she muttered, tears rolling down her face as she dashed back to her room. Alerting Glynda to their presence. The other three were still far to distracted to notice.
Taiyang's head hung limply as Qrow held him back, he kept muttering to himself that they had to be wrong and that she would be home in a few days.
"Qrow, i'll leave you to handle the situation." Ozpin told, turning on his heel to leave the home. "Come on Glynda." And they were gone.
Qrow decided that it was safe to let his friend go but as he did the blond simply slumped to his knees. "She can't be gone Qrow."
He had never heard his friend sound so utterly broken...not even when Raven left him. Qrow didn't even know what to say to him, words didn't seem like they would help...not in this instance.
"She can't be gone too."
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Taiyang stared down at the floor as he sat in the living room of his small home. It reminded him to much of her to be here. It hurt to much to look at the room and remember all the times that they had spent together. It had been almost a year and by now he knew she was gone and she wasn't coming back.
Just that thought was enough to bring tears to Taiyang's eyes but he didn't move to wipe them away. He just....sat in silence.
Ruby and Yang had gone to bed hours ago thanks to Qrow.
He wanted to feel bad about not being there for his daughters but....right now he couldn't feel a damn things. It was like everything in his mind wa shut off and even though he knew that Summer wouldn't have wanted this...he couldn't make himself feel better.
Zwei, the service dog that Qrow had gotten him, whined softly and nudged his feet, but Taiyang didn't bother to reach down and pet the pup like Ruby or Yang would. He just stared into the room that seemed far to large and empty now that she was gone.
It wasn't long before the corgi left the room, leaving Taiyang to wallow in his frozen state all alone. It almost made the man laugh, even the dog left him.
Was he just that pathetic? First Raven left without a word, the Summer left and didn't return...never could return. Qrow only came around for the girls and even they were keeping a distance from him and lastly the damn dog. Was that all he was good at? Pushing things away? That's what it felt like.
For the first time that evening the man shook from his spot and rested his head in his hands, the tears that had threatened to spill earlier finally being released. He tried his best to keep quiet, not wanting to wake the girls up, not wanting to bother their restful sleeping with his sorrow.
"Daddy, are you crying again?" Well...so much for that.
He moved his head from his hands and turned to face his eldest daughter, her blonde hair mussed from sleep. In her arms....was Zwei. Had he woken her up?
Yang made her way over to him, setting Zwei down on the ground before she climbed into her father's lap. She wrapped her small arms around her fathers neck and muttered. "I miss mommy." He was trying to hard to keep it together now, but it was so hard when Yang was speaking of Summer.
"I miss my daddy too." That was all he needed, his tears wouldn't stop now as he held his daughter close to him. He had been so selfish, thinking only for himself when his children were hurting just as much as he was. Yet here Yang was, acting like she was the adult where he was the child. He had broken down when Summer died, he had left those two little girls all alone and not knowing why their father had changed so much.
It was a few minutes before Taiyang could even speak again, but he pulled away from the embrace and smiled at his little ray of sunshine. "I'm a pretty bad daddy aren't I?" he said, making it sound like a joke when in all actuality he was pretty serious. "Come on, let's get you some milk and get you back into bed."
"Are you better now Daddy?" She asked a hopeful glint lay hidden in her lilac eyes as the male picked her up and stood from his chair.
"I will be."
It had been a strange day.
Quieter than most. That in itself was odd.
The tiny angel hadn't seen hide nor hair of his favorite big brother.
That in itself was bad; if he were lost, he'd be looking for his baby angel brother Castiel.
Now, that may sound selfish, to think he'd be look for Castiel without thought, but it's not. He does.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Cassie just sat there beside his other elder brother Balthazar, his arm around Cas.
They were simply sitting there, watching Michael and Lucifer have at each other once more.
But Cas couldn't stand it.
His big, blue eyes filled with tears at the sound and sight of Michael and Lucifer fighting physically.
He whimpered, lowering his head, but Bal didn't notice. Not yet.
The little ones eyes went to the one exit of their home. If Bal just moved his arm for one second...!
He got his chance. Balthazar jerked forward with a sneeze and Castiel bolted straight out the door.
He looked around, fat tears rolling down the five year olds cheeks. That's it!! If he p r a y e d, Gabriel would help, he would come, maybe.
With that thought, just outside the door and no one following him, he hit his knees and prayed hard for his big brother to come save him from this insanity.
Then there was a hand on his back, another resting on his arm as the person beside him knelt. "Hey, what's the matter. Lil bean?"
"They're fighting again..." He whined, turning and clinging to the six gold winged angel. Gabriel let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through the silky black hair.
"It's okay, lil bean; Gaby will hang out with you for now, okay?" The tiny angel perked up and gave his brother a watery smile. "Th-thank you, Gaby... You're the best..."
It’s a wonderful day, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. It certainly seemed like a perfect day to you, and that wasn't an exaggeration.
Your fiancé asked you over, saying you were both going out on a surprise date again. You were excited. He always seemed to be trying to go all out, to make it absolutely perfect for you. He was such a lovable dork!
When you walked into his bedroom, he didn't appear to be there. You were awfully confused.
On his bed appeared to be an envelope. A pink envelope. With a rose taped to it no less. On the back said Sigrid in fancy lettering with hearts surrounding it when you inspected it, and you felt a wide smile grow on your face. You couldn't control it, you were so happy. He absolutely adored you, and he always tried to make sure you knew it well.
You carefully opened up the envelope and gently set it down after taking the letter from inside. You sat down on his bed and began reading, mentally translating the Norwegian words with a smile on your face.
Hey, my darling fiancée. You found my letter! I’m glad!
I’ll be in, in a few minutes, okay? But for right now, my dear, I need you to read this. But don’t worry, okay?
It’s not going to be too long, but I have to say it again. What is ‘it’, you ask? Well, it may sound cheesy as fuck, but it’s my love for you, of course!
You’re so beautiful and kind, Sigrid. You forgive my mistakes, you gave me a chance. And god, you’re the smartest person I know.
See, guys would probably look at you and think you’re just a pretty face or something. But I know that’s not true, because you’re beautiful, and you’re talented, and you’re smart, and you’re just so wonderful!
I love you so, so much, Sigrid. Don’t ever forget it!
I should be coming in now. I hope you enjoy our date!
Ƨ if they'd like to be dominated by my museSend “I’d like to see that on paper” to get a drabble of it.
“Fan...” The blond swore softly, arms around the younger man’s neck to keep him where he was. It was a rather rainy, dreary day, but not for the two guitarists.
Toki was on top of Skwisgaar, the Swede’s long legs wrapped around his waist as the Norwegian ever so slowly moved his hips back and forth, in and out. “Mer--!”
As the word passed through his lips, Toki became rather feral, pushing Skwisgaar back against the bed and pinning his hands over his head, quickening his pace and pressing into him, lips going to his neck and reveling in the moan that came from him.
They went on like that for what seemed like forever. Just when Skwisgaar got close, oh so close, Toki’d slow down, deliberately torturing him.
Then finally, finally, the Norwegian’s hand wrapped around the Swede’s cock, stroking him slowly and ending it, both of them practically screaming each other’s names, laying together when it was over with the blond’s head on the younger man’s chest. It had been a great day.
Another childe had been sired without permission and, as usual, both it and the sire were executed on spot. From his spot in the balcony, Maximilian heaved a sigh as LaCriox's final warnings to /not/ sire fledglings without his written permission were spoken and the crowd was dismissed. Honestly, it was a waste of time and energy for him to drag the city's primogen, barons, and other noticeable members of kindred society down here just to watch a criminal and innocent be executed.
That was one rule the Tremere regent had never understood, honestly. But he was in no position to question it, so he wouldn't bother trying.
As usual, he didn't linger to speak with the crowd forming in the theater lobby. Typically, the kindred who attended a meeting would spend a half hour or so talking about what had just happened, although conversations tended to stray onto other topics easily. Max rarely had anything to say to any of the barons or his fellow primogen, so he tended to pick his way through the crowd and return to his home right after the meeting. If he did need to say something, he would say it, but tonight there was nothing.
Thankfully, tonight's morbid events had scared most lingering kindred away, so he had no trouble reaching the door and stepping out into the cold rain. He grunted and pulled his coat closer to himself, regretting leaving his scarf and hat at home now. He had known for a few nights that a storm was inbound, but as usual, he ignored it.
Honestly, the more he thought about it, the more his life seemed to be stuck in a damned rut. Again.
Perhaps he would change up an apprentice's training routine or try a new spell when he got back. That would cheer him up.
"Hmm, perhaps Issac was right when he said you were a cold, cold man... Although, I've seen colder, and they still don't stand in the rain, staring at nothing." The voice was soft, purposely seductive, and too sweet. It made him cringe, although it did succeed in snapping him out of his thoughts. Max hadn't even noticed he hadn't moved from the puddle he'd first stepped into.
Turning to face the voice, he was met with the lovely sight of a kindred in a corset and panties. How wonderful.
He snorted and stubbed his nose in the air, glaring down at the small woman. Had he been human, perhaps her charms and lack of clothing would have interested him. But it had been many, many years since he'd had any interest in those sorts of things.
"Forgive me, I was lost in thought." Max had seen this woman before. She was a Toreador, he knew that much, and she was usually clinging to Issac. Perhaps they had a bond of some kind.
"About me?" Her smile was fake, just like most of her, but the response did earn a cold laugh from the Tremere.
"Hardly. I do not think much of nude females anymore." She pouted, and although Max did find it a bit cute, he hardly felt bad for snapping at her. Really, she did need to put clothes on. If he was in a better mood, perhaps Max would have offered her his coat. But not tonight.
The pout didn't last long, and soon she giggled happily, crossing her arms to push her already exposed breasts up higher."I can change that~ Unless you prefer men... that is. In which case, I'm sure Issac would be happy to cheer you up."
It took him a minute to get her hint and when he did, his scowl deepened and he growled softly. Honestly, if he had been human, he would have flushed scarlet. "The thought of doing anything sexual with the Baron of Hollywood disgusts me more than the Nosferatu do. I simply have no interest in either gender, thank you very much! I would like to keep it that way. I have no time for relationships or affection, even if it is innocent. Now begone. I do not have time for you, either."
His embarrassment must have been obvious, for she laughed again and stepped closer, not seeming to notice the way her wet hair clung to her face and smeared her makeup.
"My my, you are a cold one! Hmm... perhaps I was a bit too hasty with my advances... I am Velvet Velour. But you may call me Vv." She smiled and offered him her hand, which he promptly waved off. He didn't want to know what the last thing that hand had touched, and he certainly didn't want to touch it as well.
So this was the famous Vv. Hmph, honestly, Max hadn't expected to ever meet the stripper Gary and other primogen loved to talk about. She was well known for her... artistic outlet, if you could even call taking your clothes off an art, that is.
"Well, I can't say I haven't heard about you, Ms. Velour-"
"Oh~? So you do know who I am? And here I thought you might be one of the few who have never heard of me~ Tell me, Max~ What do you think of when you hear my name?" His eyes narrowed and he glanced over his glasses, staring down at her.
"A Toreador stripper. That's what I think of." It was blunt, but it was the truth. Better than saying "a whore", like he wanted to. After all, if she was Velvet Velour, then it was probably best not to upset her and risk the wrath of her adoptive sire. Max and Issac were already arguing enough.
Velvet giggled again. The sound was starting to irritate Max, and he was honestly starting to wonder if he could just trance her and make a run for it. "Blunt, aren't you? I suppose I can't complain... Issac did warn me that you weren't very chatty to those not in your clan." There was that pout again. "And to think that I thought you might actually be kind to a lady just looking for a chat..."
She was trying to guilt trip him, wasn't she? And damn it, it was working! With a sigh, the regent shifted to stand under the roof overhang. It wasn't much, it did block out some of the rain. He had a feeling he would be here for a while.
She moved closer to him, making it seem like she was getting out of the rain as well. However, there was no need for her to cuddle so close to him. It was tempting to shove her off, but he didn't dare. Not yet, at least.
"I didn't even do anything to you!" She continued, voice raising to a low whine. "I just wanted to talk... I've seen you around a lot and you interest me." She glanced away, silver eyes staring at the street.
"Oh?" That caught his attention. "What is so interesting about me?" Well if they were going to talk about him, then perhaps this wouldn't be too bad. Especially if it was about how others saw him.
Slowly, Velvet glanced up again, smiling ever so sweetly. It still churned his stomach, and not in a pleasant way, but it was a bit more bearable now. "You seem so strong and powerful... Issac talks a lot about you, you know. I think he's scared of you, honestly. I can see why... Heh, I wouldn't want to get into a fight with a big, bad Tremere like you."
Well she was just stroking his ego now, wasn't she? It was becoming harder to resist her charms and flirting, something that Max found... odd, to say the least. But then again, the Toreadors were known for being good at seduction.
He actually cracked a thin smile at her for that. She was proving to be interesting company after all. "Hmph, I'm not surprised. Issac and I have had many... disagreements in the past. I'm sure he's seen a fair amount of my power first hand."
Another giggled, this one softer than before. It faded though, and once more she glanced away, pulling a pout again. "Oh? Well, after hearing everything that's been said about you, I thought that perhaps I should speak to you myself. You always leave so quickly, though... I never get a chance to actually see you. It makes me sad, really... All I wanted was just one conversation with you, one chance to see just what you were like..."
She was insulted, he could tell. Probably from his earlier brashness. He felt a little sorry for hurting her feelings. She'd just wanted to talk, after all. And his crankiness had ruined that. His apprentices were right. He really did need to learn how to relax.
"I... apologize for my rudeness earlier. Tonight has not been a good night for me and I'm afraid I took it out on you." He struggled not to grit his teeth as he spoke, but somehow, he managed to sound sincere. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "I do need to be going... I'm afraid my apprentices can't be left on their own for too long. Accidents tend to happen, you see."
A hand smoothed the wrinkles on the front of his jacket, slowly settling just above his long dead heart. "Oh... I see.."
Quickly, Max added, "Perhaps we could speak some other time, at the next meeting, perhaps? You... are interesting." Disgusting, gross, weird, all better words that he couldn't dare say to her face. But if he played his cards right... Perhaps a bit of flirting wouldn't hurt. He was certain that if Issac found out, he'd be upset. Which was all the more reason to do it, honestly. Driving a little wedge between anarchs never hurt anyone.
Velvet perked up and smiled. "Really? Perhaps you're sweeter than I thought... I look forward to our next meeting, Max." She paused and leaned up, looking for a kiss. He panicked for a moment, wondering if a kiss to the forehead would work for her. Hopefully it would, so he leaned down, planting a quick, sweet kiss to the top of her head. That worked too, apparently.
She made a curious noise and glanced up before he could pull back, leaving them inches away from each other. "Ah..."
Just behind her, the door swung open and Issac, followed closely by a heavily clothed Gary, strolled out. The baron froze at the sight, causing the younger kindred to run into him. "Damn it, boss! Don't just stop walkin'!" The snap was quickly cut off by a snort as the Nosferatu also caught sight of the two. "Flirtin' with the wrong side, huh, Ms. VV?" He teased, flashing a toothy grin at the two.
"Shut up, Gary!" Well, Max's plan to piss Issac off seemed to be working. "Velvet! What is the meaning of this? Did I not specifically tell you to avoid him? He's a Tremere, a Camarilla Tremere, none the less!" He stormed over and grabbed her by the arm, glaring up at the taller kindred. "As for you... don't you dare think about flirting with her! I know how your kind work! You'll just hurt her for your own amusement!"
"Issac! Stop it! I'm not a child!" Velvet's protests seemed to fall on deaf ears though, and she finally gave up with a loud huff, glancing up apologetically at Max. "Forgive me..."
"Don't worry, my dear. You did nothing wrong."
The regent's smile seemed to comfort her, although Issac's protest of "Don't you dare call her that!" made her pout reappear. Seeing the pout made Issac frown as well and he let go of her arm, gently nudging her shoulder. "Tsk, let's go. We'll speak when we get back to Hollywood. Good night, Strauss."
He turned away and motioned for VV to follow him, which she reluctantly did. She did glance over her shoulder, though, and blew him a small kiss, to which he simply smiled at.
Clearly Issac was not happy about this. Max knew continuing to flirt with her would further upset him, but he doubted Issac would actually be able to do anything. Or want to do anything.
"Playing with fire, eh, boss?" Gary's raspy chuckle drew his attention back to the former actor, who was busy rewrapping his face in a scarf. It didn't do much to hide his inhuman features, but not many humans were out today, so it likely wouldn't be a problem.
"Perhaps I am. Why does it matter to you?" He arched an eyebrow and frowned slightly.
"You kissed a stripper. Her mouth has been on places you don't even want to know." He laughed again, this time though, the sound was muffled by his scarf. "Besides, ya' know Issac doesn't like you, boss. What makes you think he'll let her see you again?"
"What makes you think I'll ask permission to see her? He's not her sire, really, so it doesn't matter."
"True..." The Nosferatu mused over though for a moment. "Well it's your head you'll be loosing if he gets too pissed about it, so it's up to you." With a shrug, he turned and shuffled away, not pausing to look back at Max.
The Tremere simply shrugged it off. He didn't really care if he couldn't see VV again, especially after Gary's little comment. But if he could, he would. It was a game to him, a silly little distraction to keep himself amused and his enemy unhappy.
He was aiming his first arrow, a six year old ready to hunt with his father and brother.
Lucas sat back in his light blue plaid shirt and red coat, grinning as Ronnie aimed at the bunny, their father hunting elsewhere.
Five seconds.
One. He aimed carefully.
Two. The bunny looked up as he shifted.
Three. He let go.
Four. He saw something out of the corner of his eye.
Five. A little boy was on the ground in front of the bunny that ran away, an arrow sticking out of his stomach.
Then it was in chaos. He began screaming and ran over to the younger boy, brother following over, screaming in horror as well. Their father didn’t show.
The six year old whimpered as his brother knelt beside him, a frown on his face as he checked the wound. “Damn.” He cursed and got up. “Ronnie, stay here, I need to go get help.” Ronnie nodded and Lucas ran off, screaming for help while Ronnie looked at the groaning, injured boy. He looked odd, yellow skin and bunny ears, but he paid no mind to it.
"H-hei, what can I do?" The little boy asked, the other boy turning his head to him, face pained. ".. T-tell my brothers and sisters… It was an a-accident…?" He asked softly with a little smile.
Ronnie nodded quickly, eyes filled with tears. “M-my name is... Michael… Wh-at’s yours, little one?”
The six year old sniffled quietly and nodded to the blond. “I-I’m Ronnie… My brother is Lucas…”
Michael smiled softly and nodded, looking toward the arrow as he trembled. “I c-couldn’t let you hurt th-e bunny…” He said and Ronnie nodded.
"I-I won’t hunt bunnies no more… I promise, Michael…"
Hours later, Michael was bandaged up and laying in Lucas's bed, their mother taking care of him and their father handling any legal problems. Ronnie stayed by little Michael's side the entire time, chatting with the boy. The kid was so mature for his age. It was quite amazing. He was alone, eleven years old and he got struck by an arrow protecting a rabbit.
So Ronnie made quick friends with him, happily agreeing, swearing on his life he wouldn't hunt rabbits and Michael promised him he'd be a lot more careful in the future.
