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ciestessde · 4 years

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Chapter 9

Another few months, another few eternities, and another stage that needs setting for the next phase in Xihrae’s plan.

[Beginning]

Tess has arrived to pick up the Englishman, "Jonathan," just before midnight. He’s waiting with the villagers who’d volunteered to bring him through the valley and to the foot of the mountain. They seem to be trying to tell him about those of us in the castle without revealing our little secret, but… well, they just don’t know enough English, nor he enough of their language. The carriage comes close enough for the humans to hear, and the villagers cease their chatter to wave at and greet Tess. < Their genuine enthusiasm actually makes me smile! > Right as Tess stops next to them, her wolves begin howling, reminding me what night it is.

Tonight is a special night for vampire-kind. They’re stronger tonight, and the wolves can sense that difference. The creatures are both celebrating it and giving out a warning -- and a challenge -- to any who might oppose their masters. The villagers didn’t forget, it seems. They’re closing their eyes and enjoying the music. Jonathan, on the other hand, is looking left and right, shaking and shivering and gripping the edge of his seat. He’s a bundle of nerves, and his companions soon notice. They’re jeering at him, poking his sides and laughing.

< Now THAT makes me smile! > < No kidding. A few years ago and they would have been even more terrified of that sound than Jonathan. But now… > < Now they trust me. They trust that I control the wolves, and that I will keep them from attacking! > < Those innocent fools. >

A couple snaps of Tess’s fingers get the group’s attention, and Jonathan hops into the back of the carriage. The howling continues as she drives the horses back up the path to the castle. Jonathan, while calmer (likely reassured by the villagers’ reaction to the wolves) still jumps when the sound comes closer or gets louder.

Occasionally, Tess spots a little, mysterious blue flame in the forest and stops to investigate it as we pass. < … I'd say I appreciate the gesture, but you’re just doing this- > < -to confuse Jonathan. Yep! I won’t be able to play with him much, if I want the plan to work, so I need to have what little fun I can! >

As we near the gates, the wolves come onto the path to greet Tess -- and block any intruders. < … One last little prank couldn’t hurt, right? > Tess gets out of the carriage to pet her wolf-soldiers -- much, she notices with great pleasure, to Jonathan’s shock.

< ... EHEM! > < UGH! Alright! Time to get to business. > The wolves run next to the carriage the rest of the way to the castle gate. Once inside, Tess takes Jonathan’s luggage, leads him to the door, and knocks. When a maid allows us in, Tess hands her the luggage and tells Jonathan to follow her to the guest room he’ll be staying in.

"You’ve had a long journey. Take this time to refresh yourself. And, if you wish, you can join the Count and I for a meal?" Hesitantly he replies, "If it’s not a bother, that does sound lovely." "No bother at all, though I’m certain you would prefer to sleep, with how exhausted you must be. However… and this is a bit awkward, but…" Tess puts on her best ‘please forgive me’ act. "The Count… he has a few peculiarities. One of them being his schedule. He prefers to work at night, you see, so-"

"Quite alright. I understand that those of higher station often find themselves with a few… quirks." He strengthens his stance, shoulders back and feet square. A show of reliability and respect. "It is my job to work around my client’s needs." "... Very well. I’ll have them prepare a plate for you then." Tess nods to another servant, and they scamper away. "I hope you won’t be offended, but I must see to a few things before joining you." He nods, "Quite alright."

She hands him off to the maid, then, and goes back outside to care for the horses and carriage. By the time we make it to the dining area, Jonathan is already finishing his meal. "Ah, you’ve already met my dear Ciestess?" Drac introduces her. He’s sitting in one of the comfier chairs in front of the fire. "Indeed…" Jon replies, an unspoken question in his tone. "She is something between a sister and an advisor to me. A good friend, let’s say."

His suspicions dispelled, Jonathan smiles, stands, and holds out his hand. Tess takes it, and he gives a courteous "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Ciestess." Drac offers him a seat by the fire, and Jonathan joins him in front of it. "I would offer you a cigar, but I’m afraid the smoke does not agree with dear ‘Tess." "I see," he nods a few times, "Quite alright, quite alright." < Is that his favorite phrase or something? >

There is silence -- the kind one only encounters in the dead of night, and Tess’s wolves choose that moment to begin to howl again. She gives a contented hum, and Drac closes his eyes and rests his head against the chair in appreciation. Tess’s eyes stay open, however, and she watches Jonathan, who is clearly still uncomfortable with the sound -- shifting in his seat, crossing, uncrossing, and recrossing his legs. < So amusing! > "Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!" Drac exclaims. He opens his eyes. Then, glancing at Jonathan’s discomfort, says, "Ah, sir, you dwellers in the city cannot enter into the feelings of the hunter."

Tess smirks. < Heh. Playing the part a little strong there, Drac. You’re not just smiling, you’re grinning. Why, ~if I didn’t know better~, I’d think you were enjoying this! > < Enjoying it a little too much. If he’s any more flamboyant, he’ll blow his cover! > < Worrywart. >

Drac rises from the chair, Jonathan following his example. "Well, I do believe we have kept you from your rest long enough. Your bedroom is all ready, and tomorrow you shall sleep as late as you will. I have to be away for a time, but Ciestess will see to you. Sleep well and dream well!" Drac leaves with a soft snap and rustle of his cloak, and Tess leads Jonathan back to the guest room. Once he’s safely inside, she checks that the servants -- at least one of them -- is staying in view of his door. < Good. We really can’t have him wandering. >

Tess spends the majority of the day after that sleeping. Come evening, we’re curled up in her reading-writing nook, engrossed in a fantasy novel, when one of the servants alerts her that Jonathan is awake.

We find him eating the breakfast that was prepared for him and Tess invites him to the library, "The Count will join us in a couple of hours, but you might find something to entertain yourself until then." He does indeed, looking through all of the information laid out on the table for him; everything Tess, Xihrae, and I had gathered about the house and the area around it. He seems impressed.

Finally, Drac joins us and they discuss the details of the sale. Tess and I don’t bother paying attention. Our goal is to keep Drac on the track Xihrae has planned for him, not assist him in buying a house. That is a detail unworthy of our attention.

So we read. And they come to some conclusion. Jonathan returns to his room to rest a bit more. And he leaves in the morning.

Unharmed. And unsuspecting.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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#Crossroad Of Infinity #crossroadofinfinity #fantasy #sci-fi #dracula

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dont-doubt-dopple · 7 years

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How You Fell In Love With Me - Chapter 2

A/N: Anyways, thank you guys for the support on the last chapter. It means a lot and I can’t wait for you guys to see what I have in store for this. And don’t forget to leave comments. I love reading all of them and they just make my day. I also like to know how people think of the format, because I feel it will get boring if I keep the same style for each chapter. ~•~

Chapter 2: Thank You?

“Mike, you are working yourself up.” Dracula warned as the two of them lay on Drac’s bed. Mike’s head was on the pillows and Swag’s lay on the other end so that they were by each other’s feet. Their hands just barely able to interlace each other, for which Mike was grateful for. He needed the interaction. “It’s not nothing.” He argued. “It’s a big deal to Bryce and I don’t know where to go from here.” “I didn’t say it was nothing. I understand it’s a big deal. Can’t you just … tell Bryce? He understand it was a mistake.” “Yeah, but you didn’t see their reactions, Swag. They enjoyed Bryce’s writing. They wanted more. And I want to give them more. The second chapter is ready to go, but I also need to tell Bryce about it but he’s just so insecure about his writing that if I tell him then he’s not going to give me access to the chapters and let everyone else see how good of a writer he is and … and …”

“Mike, baby. Breathe.” Dracula stressed, squeezing Mike’s hand tighter. “Listen to me. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breathe for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds.” Mike listened, and followed what Swag suggested. Breathe in for 4, hold for 7, breathe out for 8. “That’s not going to help.” One of them said, as my breathing became shallower. “You never tell someone having a panic attack to calm down!” “Well I don’t know these things, Del!” One of the others screamed back, and I let go of the wall to cover both of my ears. Tears were streaming down my face and I could barely identify the speakers as the colors had fully taken over my vision. I collapsed onto the concrete, as my legs felt too weak to support me at this stage. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the pain might dissipate. “Hey.” I heard the third guy speak. His voice was softer than the other two arguing, but it was much closer. “My name is Ohm. It’s not my real name, but everyone calls me that.” He stopped, but I couldn’t see what he did as I refused to open my eyes. “Can you tell me your name at least?” “Bryce.” I squeaked out, sounding more like a pubescent teen than a 24 year old. “Can I help you, Bryce?” He asked as I moved my hands away from my ears and gripped my chest. I always hated the heart palpitations of it. Regardless, I managed to shake my head. “Are you sure?” He sounded really concerned for some reason, despite pointing a gun at me seconds earlier. Well, one of them anyways. “I said I’m fine.” Mike insisted as continued to punch the bag in front of him. Ryan glanced at Luke, who was looking at Mike’s bloodied hands with concern. Despite the blood, Mike continued to pound at the leather bag with an anger he very rarely showcased. “Mike.” Ryan spoke carefully. “What’s wrong? You’re not okay.” “You can talk to us.” Luke added. “We’re here.” “I fucked up, that’s all.” Mike stated, finally walking away from the bag to face the two. “My problems are none of your concern.” “They are if you are going to fucking hurt yourself over them.” Luke argued, leading Mike by the shoulders toward the med kit. The three of the were silent as Luke patched up Mike, while Ryan simply watched from the sidelines. “Promise me you won’t tell Bryce if I do?” Mike broke the silence as Luke finished up. The statement was odd, and it took a Ryan back. Luke didn’t respond and Ryan didn’t expect him to. He was probably already cursing the person who caused Mike to hurt himself in this was. “Promise.” Ryan answered for the both of them. “I …” Mike felt himself choke on his own words. “That piece you were reading in the library the other day was Bryce’s. But he’s really insecure about his writing …” “And you weren’t able to get the first chapter back after you left it in the library.” Ryan finished. Mike nodded, and Ryan mentally cursed himself for not realizing it sooner. Bryce had mentioned sometimes that he wrote in his free time, but almost always got the subject dropped soon after. Ryan took another look at Luke, who looked like he needed a round on the punching bag. Mike was practically in full blown hysterics. “I want to tell Bryce about it, but he probably doesn’t want you to read it anymore and you guys reacted to it so positively before and what now?” Mike repeated, using almost the same words he used when he told Swag. He looked defeated to Ryan. “Mike.” Ryan said, making sure he and Mike had eye contact. “I promise I won’t tell Bryce.” Mike’s eyes lit up and smiled. “Thanks Ryan. You too Luke.” Mike added, and Luke stopped zoning out at the mention of his name. “The next chapter is in my bag if you want to read it.” Mike stood up, and began to head out of the gym. “Wait, Mike!” Luke called out after him. Mike turned, his hand on the door ready to leave. “Do you … I don’t know, need your bag?” “All my classes are done for the day. I’ll just ask Gorilla or Swag to pick it up when they come back later.” And with that, Mike left. “You okay?” Ryan asked, seeing the pained look on Luke’s face and felt sorry for him. He’d fallen in love with a man who was ‘taken’. He used the term lightly. Nobody but Mike, Mark, and Bryce have ever met this Swag Dracula and almost everyone thought it was a fraud that only the three of them were in on. Either way, Luke was head over heels for someone who would never love him back. “I’m good.” Mini replied, turning his chair around to face me. The hairstyle was different from the last time I saw, exposing more of his forehead. The glasses and nerdy personality were still there though. “So this is where you ended up after you were back on your feet?” I asked, taking in all the monitors and high tech equipment. He laughed as I took it all in. It was nice to hear Mini’s voice again after all those years. “Not at first. You know how I left you guys after getting that job to finally buy an apartment?” I nodded. “Most of that money came from hacking that I picked up during the repetitive hours on the job. Started leaking money out of bigger accounts that would miss them. Just enough to get by day to day. One of the guys, Basically, you’ll meet him later, who I was working with recognized my name and offered me to join this family of his. And well, the rest is history I guess.” “You really seem to enjoy it here, don’t you?” “Yeah. These guys are practically a family to me. How are the other guys doing?” I knew he was referring to Panda, Smitty, and Kryoz. The four of them were very close before he left and I think it was even Mini who found the CAH deck. “Kryoz was �� um … I don’t know how to say this …” I stammered, but Mini nodded solemnly. Me and him were one of the firsts when the raids started, and we excepted the truth very on that we couldn’t save everyone. I have practically become desensitized to losing people at this point. “But before?” Mini asked hesitantly, and just thinking about it made me perk up a little. “Still playing with the CAH deck you found.” I replied and a smile made its way onto Mini’s face. I smiled too, as it was practically habit at this point. “Smitty also complains a lot that without your loud laugh there is nothing to counteract Anthony’s fake one.” He laughed. I didn’t realize I missed it until I heard the wheezing of it myself. “Seems you and Mini really hit it off.” I turned to see Delirious standing in the door, still wearing the Jason Voorhees mask. He still wore the same clothes from the deal, which contrasted from the business suit and yellow flip flops of Mini. “We have a history, Del.” Mini answered for me. “Of course we’d get along.” “That’s good. C'mon Bryce.” He ushered me his wave. I threw Mini one last wave before starting to follow Delirious. As soon I got to him he threw his arm around me and ushered me one way. “The others guys should be home soon, but until then let’s show you where your room is going to be?” “I have my own room?” I exclaimed. “Isn’t this a little sudden for someone you just picked up off the street?” “Relax.” Delirious said, trying to push down shoulders that I didn’t realize had begun to tense. “Vanoss has a reason you’re here. It’s not like we didn’t at least have some objective when taking you.” Delirious open a door on my right to a room with amenities I never thought I’d see again. There was a queen bed next to the door, and a side door on the far wall that was either a closet or bathroom, I couldn’t tell. A desk sat opposite the bed, with a brand new laptop and cellphone on top of it. Not the cheap flip phones either, a good smartphone. “This is … amazing.” I gawked at a room that really wasn’t anything more than basic. Delirious chuckled a little, before putting his hand on my shoulder again. “Welcome to the family, Bryce.”

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