His fingers laced in his human’s hair, keeping Kiki pulled close into the chill of his much bigger frame. While Garridan attempted to diffuse the situation, all Stanislav could focus on in that moment were the wiccan’s feelings pulsing through him. Even if unusual he was willing to silently deal with them, all for Kiki’s sake. He could feel the desire for death radiating from the depths of her soul as if it were akin to his own, and he pulled the human closer, allowing his human to rest her head against his chest.
As Kiki accepted to a bath, Stanislav eyed the blond vampire as he got up from his seat to draw a bath. In the meantime, he kept his hold on the wiccan; refusing to let go until Garridan came for the couple.
“Here. Allow me.” The elder vampire pulled back from the embrace, looking to Kiki’s expression as he carefully helped her up. Draping his arm around her waist, the vampire guided Kiki into the bathroom, closing the door behind them.
Looking to the bath tub, he noticed that Garridan had left out a variety of bathing products all for Kiki to use--a gesture Stanislav clearly viewed as his way of providing a sense of care--and he looked to the wiccan as he stripped himself of his overcoat. Rolling up his sleeves, he noted the way the wiccan had reverted into an almost zombie-like state of being. “Would you like some help-?” Stanislav asked, taking on a much gentler tone.
Stanislav stood before Kiki, helping the wiccan undress; his own gesture of caring for her. Sliding off her overcoat, her shirt, he hesitated before helping the wiccan undress from her underwear--folding her clothes as he did so--before taking her hand and helping her into the lukewarm bath.
Kneeling beside the bath tub, Stanislav didn’t seem to mind as he reached over and began to brushed hair out of her face; now puffed up and red from her tears. Taking a wash cloth that Garridan had left out for their use, he dampened it before carefully wiping off the wiccan’s makeup. His hues searched Kiki’s expression, though he refused to break his stoicism. Of course his human would know that he cared.
Once Kiki’s face had been cleaned, he took some body wash and carefully reached for the wiccan’s arm, lathering the damp skin with soap. The vampire king placed a chaste kiss on her hand, a silent manner of expressing his affection. Yes, he didn’t dare think of work or that damn creature within the woods. His entire focus had shifted to Kiki, the woman he had come to love with every fiber of his being.
The elder vampire continued to wash Kiki’s body, his hands avoiding sensitive areas of her body out of a silent chivalry. His intentions were not of lust, but the desire to provide and be a protector. Eventually, he helped dampen Kiki’s hair and began to lather her dark locks with shampoo, keeping his touch gentle. Clearly, he was in no rush to care for the wiccan--in fact, he relished in their time alone, even if it stemmed from unfortunate circumstances.
When Kiki responded, Garridan gently ushered Midnight off of his lap despite her outcry. “Shh, not now--later.” The blond murmured to the kitten, watching the dark feline curl up beneath the table.
Standing up from his seat, Garridan gave a tiny nod, noting Stanislav’s gaze once more. He held it for but a moment, giving a reassuring smile to Kiki. “Of course, just give me a moment--I’ll fetch it w-when it’s ready.”
Leaving the parlor, Garridan wasted no time in drawing a bath for his devastated friend. Though he wished he could provide comfort, he knew far better than anyone that grief took time; and that it would take Kiki perhaps even weeks to fully process the death of her family. How his heart ached for her, it really did. It was a pity he would never meet them, that Kiki would never be able to move on as she had hoped. Ignoring the tears that brimmed within his eyes, once the bath had been filled the vampire searched his belongings. While he much preferred a shower over a bath; he had stored supplies for his own use--but had never gotten around to it--various body washes, and other care supplies he set nearby for use. While he was at it, Garridan left out fluffy towels he had saved for guests, seeing as he preferred to use the older ones.
Once he felt that the bath was comfortable enough for Kiki’s usage, he made way to the parlor; calling out to the couple. “Ah--sorry, I...the bath is ready. Take your time, please...I don’t mind.” With that, Garridan exited the parlor and made way to the guest room, beginning to arrange it for both Stanislav and Kiki.
He pulled out spare clothes for Kiki, seeing as the wiccan had stored some spare clothes should she ever find herself wishing to spend the day at the mortician’s house. He set it at the foot of the bed, before he walked out into the hallway and went to his closet. Despite living alone, the vampire preferred to be ready for any situation--seeing as his anxiety would only relent with adequate preparation--and he searched through various sewing projects and found a lovely quilt of vintage fabrics he had managed to make a few years prior. He carried it into the guest bedroom, setting it in the middle of the bed; and began to prepare for the impending sunrise by drawing the velvet curtains.
Upon realizing that Stanislav was an unexpected guest, the blond silently panicked; seeing as his stature was much shorter and not to mention, much more lean when compared to his king’s. Nonetheless, he went back to his closet--quite organized at that--and managed to scrape by with a plain t-shirt and pajama bottoms, though he held a strong conviction they weren’t to Stanislav’s standard. Nonetheless, he brought the clothes to the guest bedroom and set them beside Kiki’s.
Looking at his prepared guest room, Garridan let out a soft sigh. This would have to do on such short notice.
She allowed Stan to coddle her as she kept sniffling. No more tears would come out at that time, now she was just left feeling numb. The yearning for death tugging away at her mind. She seemed confused when she was helped up off the couch and then she realized “oh...the bath....” mumbling to herself as she’d completely forgotten. Letting him lead her to the bathroom, her entire body feeling heavy as she forced her legs to move. When they entered the bathroom she silently stared at the water and didn’t move until Stan spoke. Looking over she just gave a small nod and stayed silent as he undressed her. Her brain wasn’t fully processing what was going on around her nor did she care. Stepping into the tub with the help of Stan she sat down and sighed softly. The warm water felt nice against her skin though of course the sensation of warmth didn’t comfort her.
As Stan began to wipe away at her smeared makeup. Her eyes only really meeting his once and she just looked defeated. This feeling was familiar but not at the same time. She’d felt broken before, on the edge, ready to give up but never had she felt so numb. She allowed her arm to be maneuvered so he could wash it and watched in silence. A small smile twitched at her lips when he kissed her hand but it didn’t stay for long. Her focus went back to the water as she allowed him to wash the rest of her body. ‘You should be dead right now’ ‘you abandoned your family’ the thoughts slowly began creeping back in and she completely zoned out. ‘This whole situation is your fault Isabella’ her eyes widened and she reached up gripping her soapy hair and shaking her head. “SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!” She shouted but then stopped as she snapped back to reality. She blinks and looks surprised for a moment before her face resumes it’s montone look. Letting her hands drop back down into the water she made sure her gaze was averted from her vampire. “Sorry...”
