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lepetitloir · 1 month

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Astolfo and revenge

(Something I posted on twitter, that I'll add a bit to)

I don't think the message of Astolfo's story is "vengeance only does more harm than good". It's pointed out multiple times in the manga that vengeance/hatred is what keeps him going.

Hell, Astolfo is morally opposed to murder, he KNOWS. I genuinely believe he still doesn't want to kill, and only kills because he is stuck in a cycle, realizes this, and is trying to keep others out of it.

"Revenge/murder is bad" it not the lesson he has to learn. I have the theory that his story is about how people keep up discrimination so they can benefit from it.

(1) His family was "an active player in the war against vampires", and I get the feeling that's why the Granatum house is so wealthy. I mean, they had strong ties to the Church, while regularly holding the seat of Garnet. Of course Astolfo's father told him to kill vampires, he needs to be the Garnet Paladin so the family keeps its wealth and status! There's the implication in the manga that the Granatum family (and the Obsidian house) have their status thanks to their participation in the war. Once an institution benefits from something, it won't easily let go of that, no matter how morally apprehensive it is.

(2) Charles wants to make Astolfo the Garnet Paladin so he can become a symbol for the Chasseurs (or at least the vampire eradication faction, and like I said, killing vampires is what gave these people power, so it is very possible the vampire eradication faction is a reflection of that). Charles is building a narrative: "Astolfo Granatum's family was injustly killed by vampires, now he kills to avenge them, therefore he is justified to kill vampires". The weapon of the Garnet Paladin is named "Pillar of Justice". That Astolfo fights for justice is part of the whole act!

(3) I really think Astolfo kept resisting against his fate of "killing vampires". His father gives him the knife and he gets scared, Charles tells him to pick up Louisette and he gets scared...

In the end, he gives up. His self-hatred, carefully upheld by Charles, is too strong. He has no other options left, especially when Roland leaves him! This proves to me that he only "takes revenge" because he felt like there was nothing else for him left. I really want to emphasize the "he gave up his struggle" here.

So, I came to a conclusion that surprised me at first! "Hatred isn't automatically bad, preying on that hatred to push an agenda is bad". Astolfo is a victim of the institution he works for. That is the message, I believe.

I think that theme will be addressed in the current dham arc as well. So far it seems it's building towards it, with the whole scene of Vanitas explaining to Noé how discrimination works.

#vnc #vanitas no carte #my thoughts

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aguacerotropical · 10 months

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On Astolfo’s fugue, free will and salvation in VnC

The Astolfo arc is set around his own salvation and what it might look like - either forgiveness, represented by Roland, or a darker idea of “salvation” made up of perpetual genocidal violence, represented by Charles.

Now, Teacher’s fugue reference, which frames and structures the story, suggests that Astolfo has the power of choice, free will, over his own life, and his tragedy is precisely that he lets his rage and grief overpower him, and robs himself of that choice. I will now explain my reasoning.

What is a fugue?

Like Lady Archiviste (not her actual name) says, it is related to a canon, which is a composition that is an imitative counterpoint. In other words, it repeats melodies, but a canon has no space to develop, or even deviate from the original melody. It is a simple composition.

Fugues though are complex, and I’m no music student, but according to this video, they are made up of an exposition that has a central melody (a subject) and an answer (a near exact copy played in a different voice), and counterpoints, which are melodies that fit in with the subject. Sometimes there are counter subjects,which are repeated counterpoints that appear after exposition and with the subject. Bach’s Little in G minor appears to have 3 countersubjects.

(See this video to see the different voices and structure in Bach’s G Minor “Little”. This analysis is neat too.)

When comparing this definition to our plot, the easy answer is that the fugue’s subject is the hatred and animosity caused by mass killing and revenge, represented by the vampire killing Astolfo’s family for being associated with the paladins, and the (musical) answer is Astolfo murdering vampires and human allies.

But that would describe a more simple, canon type structure. A person is killed, then there's revenge, and so on. Instead, Teacher insists it is a fugue, and specifically states Astolfo’s story is not a mere imitation, because “it changes flexibly, developing freely” and that, because of it, “it is the most suitable accompaniment to the tragedy of Garnet”.

That description of flexible change introduces the idea of free will. And, if we abandon the usual definition of Greek tragedy as events that are fated to happen, we could arrive at the fact that this tragedy hinges on that there is a way out of the violence, yet it is not taken because the character (Astolfo) insists on being trapped.

Now, let’s look at this tragedy with some panels. First off, we have the theme of salvation woven into coexistence with vampires, shown via juxtaposition.

Roland prays to find a way to save Astolfo, and then it cuts to an explanation of the truce between vampires on Altus and humans.

In the next panel, Astolfo thinks of a plan to murder the Altus vampires, and Roland is immediately put off by it and tries to explain why genocide Is Not A Good Thing.

It’s important to remember that Olivier tells Roland to not take hatred away from Astolfo, but he doesn’t seem too keen on following through with that advice. He clearly believes there’s a third path, which is letting go of hatred and aiming for coexistence, even as he’s mocked by other chausseurs as a hypocrite, later in the issue.

Now, we can listen to our fugue. We have a subject (violence), an answer (more violence under the guise of revenge), and a countersubject (coexistence, letting of hatred and forgiveness as possible). Astolfo’s story can develop freely, like Teacher said.

Roland tries to guide Astolfo to that third option, but when Astolfo is confronted with a situation in which humans defend vampires against the Church, like he once did, he kills them. He doesn’t even give them the benefit of the doubt.

Immediately afterwards, Roland gives up on being able to save Astolfo, because he's so trapped by his trauma, he can’t forgive himself or anyone else. Instead he justifies murder by dehumanizing those who trust vampires as heretics. In a sense, he’s coping by killing what he sees as versions of his past self who could put an indeterminate someone (that doesn’t really exist) in danger.

Here we can insert Tumblr’s favorite cliché: “Why does tragedy exist? Because you are full of rage. Why are you full of rage? Because you are full of grief.”

On Astolfo’s psyche:

Now I want to dig a little deeper into Astolfo’s psyche. He tells himself that his hatred is for all vampires, but this is… imprecise. He actually hates the vampires responsible for the murder of his family, but they’re already dead. You can hate the dead, but you can’t do much with that emotion, since its object does not exist anymore.

Additionally, his punishment of himself is part of the denial + bargaining aspects that show up in grief. “If he hadn’t been kind! if he could stop others from the same actions! Then they would be alive.

All of that is a lie. Those vampires would probably have found another way to attack, because they were already set on killing his family due to their association with paladins. And that attack isn’t his fault. He didn’t make that choice, it was out of his control.

But, blaming himself and blaming vampires gives him an illusion of control.

Illusion, because it’s clear he has zero control over his grief and his actions. And it also leads him to commit the same evil as the vampires who killed his family.

He’s a fugue’s subject switching voices and ending up in a musical answer on a different, but repetitive, key of violence.

As a last resort, Roland tries to become the main object of Astolfo’s hatred, to control its effects. It does work by making Astolfo vulnerable, something which Noé and Vanitas later exploit in battle.

Anyways, for Astolfo to forgive himself, it would mean stepping into the realm of uncertainty and admitting that there was no sense to any of this violence. The world has no good and evil that is occupied by humans and vampires. It has no point. He would also be responsible for his actions, including his hand in murders.

At the end of this chapter, it is evident that these questions are weighing on Astolfo’s mind. Above, he gazes at the dagger he inherited from his father, who stated that he must kill vampires, and sees himself beheaded, asking for more blood to be shed.

And to resolve this existential angst, he would need to craft his own purpose, not have it handed down by chausseurs who want the worst for him and only see him as a symbol, a means to an end for the vampire eradication faction. Roland, on the other hand, sees him and loves him as who he is.

And as he enters Charles’ room, Roland comes out, and it’s almost like he is torn between both options of who he can be. He seems to choose Charles, as he walks past Roland, but will it stand?

Either way, his story is part of a repetition that has gone on since the world was cleaved by Babel and it was consumed in wars driven by revenge. It represents the current status quo in the larger story that makes up Vanitas no Carte’s plot. And it suggests that our characters have free will, and the fugue that has forgotten how to stop can remember how to end.

Coda: A final note on salvation and free will

I really want to get into this, but it’s a pretty complicated topic, so I just want to highlight that the idea of “free will” is woven into the idea of salvation in Christian faiths. It’s not explicitly mentioned in the manga, but the paradox of free will, in which an omniscient God clashes with the idea that humans have freedom of choice to save or doom themselves, is absolutely a central question that people have tried to answer since the start of Christianity. My favorite exploration of this is Steinbeck’s East of Eden.

As a superficial analysis, we could say that Roland and perhaps Noé + Vanitas represent a camp that is for free will, while Charles and his paladins stick closer to predestination, since humans are the only candidates for salvation. There is this panel in which Roland’s faith starts to crumble, since he starts to accept that God also created vampires. I think this will get much more explicit as we see more of the Church’s actions.

And Teacher, who started this whole analysis, I’m not too sure what his stance on free will is, but he’s certainly curious about its effects.

---

Sidenote: I take this opportunity to link my huge doc of Vanitas no Carte references. it is still a work in progress. If anyone wants to add anything, please let me know. I need info on the Matter of France / Song of Roland; Noé and Vanitas’ Vincent and Gilbert pseudonyms, and other stuff.

#vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no shuki #astolfo granatum #vnc #heres my essay!#there will be a part 2 on astolfo and vanitas as each other's foils. but that will be later #vnc meta

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sifya · 9 months

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Astolfo and Persephone's myth

This a speculation after I read the article from digital-dhampirs.

One most interesting thing about Astolfo is his cover which presents a pomegranate.

I found strange nobody talked about this because pomegranate has very strong symbolism, and maybe can be a hint of his story.

First it is possible symbol of his family, because the word Granatum is part of scientific name of pomegranate; Punica granatum.

But the connecting between the family and the fruit doesn’t stop here, because in fact the word “garnet” comes from Latin word granatum from seed or grain, most likely are reference to the seeds of pomegranate fruit.

Pomegranate also has strong Christian symbol because represents martyrs’ blood, which it appropriates for hunter family.

If we remove Astolfo from the cover we have a picture in still life, a work of art using also like metaphor, because pomegranate is also a Christina symbol that represents a priest, hard outside soft inside, but because the corruption around and inside the fruit, the author is talking about corrupt of the Church but I don’t think only about the Beast act but the tragedy of family Granatum.

If we look inside the fruit we can see tubes, I thought can be Chloe library but it is too dark and broken and there are not books, but another place with tubes it is Moreu lab.

Moreu got help from Church now and then, because it is impossible there is no one in Church didn’t know about a secret lab near to their headquarters.

But why Moreu’s lab if Astolfo had never met him and he is not with Ronald about the search.

His sister can be n°70, a child who is been rewriting by 13 marks and from a powerful line of hunters, a subject who Doctor would love to have.

Plush it is possible Granatum family bloodline isn’t completely human, anime color in VNC it only used on vampires/dhams, but from anime we know both siblings has got pink hair/eyes, but there is not other humans with anime colors.

If his sister is n°70 , her and Astolfo has got a lot parallels with Demeter hymn, or more knowing as Persephone myth.

This myth is already showed up in series, when Veronica talks with Domi, she sat down on statue of Ratto of Prosepina, that Latin name of Persephone.

I think this myth is connect with Granatum siblings; Astolfo fills as Demeter and his sister as Kore/Persephone.

The myth is often rewriting as love story between Hades and Persephone but it is far away from original myth.

Demeter’s hymn is part of Eleusinian Mysteries. Her hymn is sole protagonist who is mother in grief for losing of her daughter, and only when she played dirty she can have her daughter back.

After the kidnapping of her daughter she ignored her duties for looking for her with help of Hecate.

Hecate is one who proposed to ask help for Helios, because he can see everything.

Helios has pity of her and only one who shared the truth(other Gods ignored her because they were afraid of Zeus).

After Demeter found out Zeus sold out Kore to Hades, she took all humans hostage by famine, and Zeus had to give in.

Hades tricked Persephone to eat pomegranate seeds, so she cannot completely come back to her mother, because she is part of underground.

So season are born because the staying of Persephone.

Like we can see Demeter is sweet and devote person who can be so powerful turning the world outside down if her beloveds is in dangerous. She can be pretty revengeful and mean, she punishes humans, who are innocent, for bring Zeus to his kneels.

Astolfo is a devote, sweet and self denial person, but also a revengeful force.

During the myth we don’t know how Persephone lives in underground, if she is love with Hades ecc.

The beauty of Anciest Greek mythology is a big mess fandom of fanfictions so you can find a lot version of same myth, and pick your favorite.

But what is sure, Kore that means maiden, from innocent girl turned is a fearful and severe goddess who scared also big heroes like Odysseus.

It is interesting if his sister alive, both they share a lot with myth.

Also Ronald and Oliver can fill in some roles in myth. Ronald like Helios, the god of light, the only one who pitied Demeter and told the truth, Oliver as Hecate, a reasonable figure for Demeter/Astolfo.

Like we see in chap 59,they are only one they give a darm about Astolfo, the other hunters are disinterested or mean to him, like Demeter and other gods.

Ronald was only light for the boy, Oliver used to be near to him, so the relationship is pretty strong like for Demeter with Helios and Hecate.

Like I said before Ratto di Prosepina is other connecting with the myth and possible with Granatum siblings.

“Ratto of Prosepina” can be connect with his sister because this statue represents a sexual assault.

Ratto in old Italian mean marriage by kidnapping or rape, between VNC characters despite there are a lot of violation, Misha, Astolfo and sister are victims of sexual abuse. Astolfo acts a lot like SA victim. Maybe he didn’t suffer by the act but he saw rape on his mother, seeing sexual acts against own will still rape.

Astolfo also said to Noè “My sis was only six when they…!”

The sentence has never ended by implication are grave, because in previous meeting he already told about the torture, so he didn’t need to repeat himself, and we know there were already rapists in group, so we can hope for best but be prepare for worst.

So this version Hades is a terrible monster who violates completely body of people and our doctor Moreu fills the role

My guess his sister is in fact n°70 and possible the first artificial vampire in series.

VNC is a very peculiar vampire media, because we don’t have turning vampire plot, the most similar thing to that is the rewriting.

Rewriting sounds a terrible and mysterious transformation which we and VNC’s world didn’t know enough

So artificial turning in a vampire maybe is not so far away, like for Kore Olympic godess turned in Crhonotic one by tricky and egoism of other.

An another point making believe Astolfo’s sister is alive because she should be chekhov's gun

and the fact Astolfo mirrored Vanitas.

A character is not mentioned if they aren’t necessary for plot. Yes, there are characters like ghost but these ones are alive and often are used like joke.

Astolfo’ sister is not really necessary character for writing his background dark, if we remove her now and making a lone boy who befriend the wrong person still work, but Astolfo is the mirror of Vanitas and what’s happened to Vanitas recently? He found out his brother alive.

So his sister would work like character if she show up in future and if she is counterpart of Misha.

It’d ’ be pretty cool; while Misha uses childshness as coping/manipulation mechanism and cannot move on from his past with Luna and Vanitas, in contrast she’d be more mature of her age and she don’t try to reunite with his brother because she know things wouldn’t be the same and in fact are enemies.

Like Kore from an innocent girl became to fearful goddess.

Turning a really strong vampire, not for her choices(in myth is tricked by pomegranate seeds) but she enjoined the power but still deeply miss Astolfo.

She would be the one who take care of dr Moreu;Vanitas and Misha are clearly avoiding him, but killing him is not only for revenge but also for stopping him.

If Astolfo ‘s sister is Kore, there is an other possible connection with myth; they are both sold off by someone support to protect them.

Astolfo hates himself because he thinks he’s responsible of tragedy, but it ‘s not a tragedy but a full shreme, with a mandate church/charlatan.

The vampires attacked when the mansion was more vulnerable, most hunters leave for looking a group of vampires, they weren’t guards, the presence of 5 powerful vampires and the fact the group didn’t leave.

What criminal stay in crime scene? They stayed for days, giving all time for Marco asking for help, why they stay a place frequented by vampire hunters.

In fact they give enough time to Church to organize itself and kill all them.

And if wasn’t Church, senate could send bourreau. We know bourreau are sniper for rogue vampire, and they act very quickly to act; one day for Mina, and Amelia was afraid to have them on her way.

Now a situation of a rogue group of vampires who assault humans is a big problem to Senate, because peace threat, we see they send Jeanne to Chloè for that.

And not mention killing a family of paladin is the same to send a letter” We want war kisses”.

Like when Charlaton attacked Luca using very similar clothes from hunters, if Luca didn't survive, they would be political consequence between Church and Senate, why didn’t this happened with Granatum tragedy?

Why didn’t these vampires leave? Why there wasn’t a diplomatic accident after that.

That group must have protection until its protect let them die.

“Oh we are sorry,but responsible are dead.”

This group looked like they were used a sacrifical lamb.

Onother points makes me believe Church can be responsible of Tragedy, it is missing of Lousiette.

In anime we see the lord using a rapier not Lousiette, but Charles told Astoldo to take it, that it is means Lousiette is the weapon of Garnet throne.

I think the paladin weapon are unique and best pieces cannot be reproduce so only when somebody become a paladin get one.

Ronald didn’t have Durandal when he met Astolfo, so why Lord Granatum who presumably was a paladin didn't have Lousiette, one of stronger weapons of The Church and a weapon that he was used?

A good weapon and ability to use it, can make difference in battle.

Dr Moreu was able to make disappear a trainer, faking his death, and we see clearly there some members a Church help him,, so kidnapping little girl wouldn’t be hard.

If Church is implicate with Granatum tragedy and sister’s missing, we can have a plot line for Astolfo.

Astolfo isn’t loyal to the Church, his drive is hate for vampires, but if found out everything about his family also what doctor Mareu did to his sister and other people, I cannot see Church survive.

Remember Demeter put down on their kneels Olympus, Underground and Earth, when she went ballistic.

But who represent Zeus, my guess is Charles, he is intrigued on Astolfo, but Gano and his blond vice who were asshole, they were showing pity on him saying Charles is scary and should be let the boy die.

I don’t know how Astolfo reached if his sister is alive and vampire, my guess can be deny but I think his love for her would be stronger; Astolfo hates more himself than vampires.

So maybe they can reunite in future but cannot be together because they belong to two different words.

If I’m right I really serious want their reunion being a reproduction of Frederic Leighton-The Return of Persephone (1891).

Astolfo eyes are drawn empty it ‘d be interesting after he reunite with his sis, got reflex back. I like idea also his sis eyes’ make the same.

And or couse they must go together to kick out some ass together.

In worst case she can be the new vessel of queen but remember Demeter's rage...

PS: I'm sorry for mistakes , English isn't my first languange

#vnc theory #vnc meta #vnc #vanitas no carte #astolfo granatum #demeter deity #memoire 58 #memoire 59 #vanitas no carte theory #case study of vanitas #digital-dhampirs #persephone #vnc roland #vnc olivier

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strawbchez · 11 months

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I’m actually so proud of the hair I don’t want to continue

Comparison ^

Someone please give me tips and also ideas for what the other colours will be

I decided to make his hair kinda diamond like. I wasn’t completely sure of the colour of diamonds so I went white with hints of blue.

My main reason was that the other paladins had hair colours the matched their stones (Roland - jasper - yellow, Olivier - obsidian - black, Astolfo - garnet - pink) (though I thought garnets were red) so his would probably match too

The skin doesn’t look like much because I got bored of it and went back to the hair.

#vnc #vanitas no carte #vanitas no shuki #the case of vanitas #charles vnc #charles of diamond #manga coloring

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yuichi-ro · 2 years

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Astolfo + fem!vamp!Reader

─actually team chasseurs at this point tbh cw: fem!Reader, sfw (adult themes though such as drug use/blood/violence/etc), unedited word count: 2.2k

“You’ll die unless you snap out of it little lamb.”

For where his gaze had taken him among the maddening parade of Charlatan’s design. Astolfo’s garnet eyes dilated only in the moment before surrendering to pinpoint pupils the second they lay upon you. His lungs sucking in a breath he’d yet to realize was held in. Tremors wracking his body like he’d been elsewhere and not in his own two boots. But now when he scrambled to make out your face in the flickering fire the chasseurs waisted no time knowing exactly what he saw.

“You- Vampire-” Twisting around for his weapon Astolfo grabbed at nothing. Not his spear. Not his pack. The chasseurs utterly without his things, “My-”

“These?” Hanging from your index finger was the tiny satchel of clinking vials tucked away in their confines, “Or this?” You tipped your head back at his spear resting comfortably and unbroken behind you.

Vexxed with a look of irritation Astolfo’s once vacant gaze now narrowed on you. While it seemed he had every intention of causing a ruckus you simply weren’t entertaining the idea.

“I will say this again,” You spoke as clearly as you could as though that was the issue a foot, “You’ll die unless you snap out of it and come warm yourself little lamb. Or would you like your escort to come find you frozen solid in the snow?”

Clenching his teeth Astolfo looked from your face being bathed in the warm fire. To the gear you’d clearly lifted off of him amidst the chaos of whatever that beast was. In doing so he noticed the confines of the cave he certainly wasn’t in before he blacked out. Taking no time to realize that you’d saved him even after the failed scuffle with the other vampires, the curse bare-er and the Hellfire Witch herself. Whatever had happened in the middle of the forest and that maddening parade of screeching voices was the last thing he recalled. Now to just be standing here at the mouth of an unknown cave.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” Astolfo was in no position to make demands but alas his mouth was making up for it all.

Tending to the fire with a wet stick you’d saved just to poke and rut around in the burning logs with. You didn’t lift your face from it’s warm glow. Savoring it’s color and heat in contrast to the blackened iciness just a few feet outside the cave, “Well, do you slaughter a lamb in the off season? Or do you let it mature in the hopes it'll bare you twice as many lambs in the following spring?"

“Enough games.” He spat back.

“No games,” You finally looked over at him. Seeing the chasseurs still trembling. Be it from the cold clothes on his body. Or the echoing insanity of Charlatan. Needless to say you repeated for a third time your warning, “You will die if you do not fix your current state, little lamb.”

Eyes narrowing Astolfo hadn’t realized yet in the panic of being drawn back to reality that his body was betraying him. Strength of not. His fingertips felt like ice and his muscles shuddered with each passing second. Now in the company of a vampire though, he could only think regaining his things and little to do with his actual staying alive.

“I will give you your things back in the morning,” You caught him off guard with your choice of words. Sparing a moment to worry that you could read his mind. But when Astolfo searched his neck or any other skin for bite wounds he found that you had not fed. In fact, he was totally unharmed. Had he been the one to find you. He was certain your head would have rolled to the back of the cave by now. Smiling down to the fire as you neatened the burning logs you couldn’t help but laugh, “A feisty young man. I do adore that about humans.”

Where his skin was cold. Such a simple gesture of correct gender usage sent a surge of warmth through Astolfo. Cheeks to frost bitten to show the surprise blooming even in the slightest. He looked down at his damp chasseurs clothes. Still fully dressed so he was caught off guard by your assumption he was male. Quite the opposite of anyone else he’d just met on this mountainside.

“What do you want vampire?” Astolfo clutched at his wrist trying to stop the tremors, “What do you want with me? For I will break your fangs off and shove them back in your eyes if you think of me a feast fool.”

Slowly licking your lips without looking at him. The glossiness of your freshly dampened lips made his gaze linger on your mouth when you spoke, “I’d like to make it to morning. To finish what I came here to do. I assume you’re ready to do the same, no?”

His mission at hand. Astolfo looked over his shoulder at the speed snow was falling outside. Only competition with the white wall of frozen was the utter swallowing darkness that lead out further behind it than he could see. Even upon squinting Astolfo didn’t see himself fairing well out in the middle of this night with his gear. And when his eyes turned back towards you and all his things you held hostage. There was even less chance that you’d come out after him to save him if he chose to leave. At your recommendations now, warming himself was perhaps the best idea.

Echo of his boots when he stepped further into the cave. Heat and light of the fire pit drawing him in. There was an unexplained weakness to his gait. Faltering just as he put his foot down. He hadn’t taken this tremoring affect too seriously and now he expected to land face first on the cave floor without catching himself.

With your arm curling tight around his waist. Enough to knock a bit of wind out of him at your speed. Astolfo didn’t meet his end on the ground. Instead stumbling into you with weakened legs that buckled under their own use. The chasseurs crumbling like a piece of paper into your embrace much against his own will.

“For a young man such as yourself, you do seem as tired as a newly birthed lamb,” You softly chuckled above him. No malice in your grip. He stopped to think this gentle touch might have been how you carried him here. Dashing those thoughts out of his head as quickly as they came. You were the enemy and bloodlust was in his nature.

Swatting you off did no good though. For when he tired to take another step on his own Astolfo caved to the same fate. Once more in your arms and this time his cheek pressed into your bosom when you caught him a second time. His trembling stopped only because all of him went ridged as well.

“I- Do not need your help-” He winced when you sat him down next to the fire. Something twisted in his forearm, assuredly from the mad dash to escape Charlatan’s illusions but nothing broken or what rest wouldn’t fix. Astolfo eyed you carefully when you took your seat back where he’d seen you. Still his stuff where you could reach it and he could not.

Picking up the stick you were tending the fire with. Musing at his words with a smile and silence before you saw Astolfo take a deep breath and set his own gaze on the fire, “You look at me like a monster, but, seems to me you’ve killed more men on this mountain today than I have in quite some time.”

Eyes set forward. Lulled almost into a contradictory state with the lick of warm he was getting from your fire. Astolfo hadn’t realized his trembling was slowing and his body was starting to feel more like itself, “Well...they simply would not quit referring to me as a young maiden. At which point-” Astolfo looked over at you for the first time since sitting down. His eyes almost as detached and vacant as Charlatan had left him. This time by his own twisted doing with his beliefs, “-was what I did not in self defense?”

No place to call the slaughter of ignorance right or wrong. What came of his answer was a smile tugging on your lips and the sudden seriousness to Astolfo’s eyes waned. Returning them to the beautiful pink they’d been when he snapped to it from earlier madness. And when you didn’t rebuke his words. Chastise him or disagree with him. But instead smiled in the oddest possible way. Astolfo was at a disadvantage to the warmth of the fire bringing back his nerve endings. Now the heat that grew on his cheeks weren’t only because of the flickering flame.

That was short lived though. He glanced behind you. Set next to you was his satchel of things. Within them the Church’s own mixture that perhaps if he got only one vial in his system then he could be rid of this vampire company he had acquired.

“You want these so badly?” You didn’t have to be a detective to see his obvious stare at the bag. Opening them up to the green liquid filled syringes. Simply plucking one out of the bag and immediately holding it over the fire roused a gut response from the chasseurs, “Don’t break them you say?” You teetered with the human enhancing drug over the fire, “I assure you in your current state if you shot every one of these into your pulsing little human veins I’d still win in a fight. Or lest you try to walk over him and get them from me to prove a point?”

Bested both physically and contextually right now. Astolfo lowered his gaze but not without a word, “...I will kill you vampire. Chasseurs or not, you’ve overstepped your bounds you filth.”

“I look forward to it then,” He quickly looked over at you. Finding you closer than you were before. His eyes growing wide and that same undeterminable blush creeping onto his face like a disease. Without a word you slung your arm over his shoulder to yank him close to you. Clothes of your own dried from the fire ages ago. They were a little rough against his cheek. But underneath them the warm beating of your heart in your chest. He could hear it so clearly even through the fabric as well as his own thudding heart, “May the little lamb live to see another day.” Humming softly with your cheek against the top of his head you carded your fingers slowly through his stick straight pink locks. The scrap of your nails against his scalp reintroduced the only shudder Astolfo had since coming closer to the fire. He couldn’t stop the flutter to his eyes when you did it again. Soon realizing he was far more tired than he’d anticipated to be, “So that you may kill me by your own two hands.”

Unscathed of your bites. He still felt weak. Tired. Succumbing to an eye fluttering slumber that could only be induced by being so bone tired. He wasn’t thinking straight. Couldn’t think straight. The thud of your heart. The warmth of your breast. And the flickering fire before him. While snow blanketed the mouth of the cave and choked out any noises like the ones he’d heard through Charlatan's monstrous parade. Astolfo could only recall the inside of his eyelids and the gentle stroke of your fingers methodically weaving through his hair.

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Abruptly woken by the holler of a man. Day had come. Glaring snow outside and a dead fizzled out fireplace before him. Astolfo’s mind raced but his body took a few seconds to react.

Where was the vampire? Where were his things? What had happened?

Bumping directly into his spear set next to him. Astolfo saw his satchel within arms reach. Full as it had been when you dangled it in front of him. Everything he had taken from him the night before. Set out neatly for him to find. All was there but you.

“Master there you are!” The man’s holler that had stirred him was none other than Marco.

He traipsed into the cave exasperated from searching for him. Sheer dribble out of his mouth about how worried he was and how the young chasseurs shouldn’t go off on his own like this. Reasoning that their separation was too dangerous. Astolfo ignoring the prattling man as he refastened his things to his body.

“We have a mission to do.” Astolfo cut him off. With the weight of his weapon on his back the chasseurs didn’t see a trace of you in the cave. Certain you were there last night though. He reached up and touched the cheek he recalled so vividly feeling your warmth against. Still something lingered but he could not name it. Astolfo stormed past a still worried Marco with his eyes set up on the caste perched above else on this wretched hill. Eyes narrowing as he recalled you saying something about what you were doing as well in the murky memories of the night before. He felt the first crunch of fresh snow under his boot as he departed the cave and the thoughts he intended to leave in it as well, “I have a vampire to kill.”

#ok actually this is the most fun writing ive had in a long time #oh my god i loved writing this #i love writing astolfo #just -gestures vaguely at it- i love it so much #vnc #the case study of vanitas #astolfo granatum #vnc astolfo #vanitas no carte #vanitas no shuki #vanitas no carte astolfo #vanitas no shuki astolfo #vnc x reader #the case study of vanitas x reader #vanitas no shuki x reader #vanitas no carte x reader

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