Lucine watched Callum with concern in her yellow eyes, aware of the stares from the masked girl standing across the table from her, but those really weren’t important at the moment. What was important was getting Callum somewhere that wasn’t here, so whatever was about to happen could play out its’ course.
She had been lonely in those months, where Callum had been battling his demons- she wasn’t even sure that she knew he was alive, though her soul kept trying to convince her otherwise. She wished she had listened to it, it generally told her the truth and probably knew a bit more than she did. For a brief moment, she tried to listen to it again, but found it had nothing to say, or well, to feel. She fought the urge to close her eyes tightly.
She tried to stay calm while watching Callum, waiting for his response to her question- the fact he hadn’t given one was worrying her, and the stares from the woman on the other side of the table were making her feel very uncomfortable. She clicked her tongue occasionally, and Lucine knew, for some reason, that meant she was thinking. The half-vampire tried to block that from her mind, and focus on the boy in front of her instead.
“Callum,” she said again, sounding a little less calm and a little more like she was incredibly worried and about to burst, “Do you think it could be..”
Lucine heard Serilda mutter something about hybrids, and she grit her teeth. The last thing she needed was this Serilda girl, whoever she was, figuring out that Callum had, at one point, been a hybrid. She squeezed his hand a little tighter, though she doubted that he had actually heard what Serilda had said.
She watched cautiously, and a little disappointedly, as Callum closed his eyes. It was harder to read him that way, and she needed to be reading him right now more than usual. She had to know what was going on, she couldn’t help him if she didn’t know, and the idea of no knowing what was going on with him and not being able to help scared her more than anything. Unfortunately, that happened to be a fear that was coming to pass, as she really didn’t know anything at all about what was wrong with him, and she had no idea how to help.
She found her breath hitched when she heard her name, the “c” sound slurred in a similar manner that the “s” in poison had been slurred. She wondered, then, if he was having difficulties with pronouncing “s” sounds. Especially since the s in “poison” and the c in “Lucine” made similar noises. She found that she was muttering all of this, which made her realize she was probably overthinking.
“I’m here,” she said carefully, sending a small wave from her soul to his, “I’m right here.”
She was quiet as he apologized to her, which she didn’t understand. She didn’t see a need to apologize, but she let him finish, and when he was done, she only shook her head.
“Nonsense,” she told him, giving his hand a harder squeeze, “You have nothing to be apologetic for.” She knew this was true, and the small snort from the older woman made her want to go over there and shut her up. She would always wonder how Callidora and Felicity had managed to put up with each other, due to their species- though she supposed they didn’t really put up with each other at all. Then again, Felicity wasn’t bad in the slightest, not as bad as Serilda at least.
“You didn’t mess up anything,” Lucine told him, her voice becoming calm like she usually tried to make it in these situations, “You’ve done nothing wrong, my love.”
When Callum leaned in and hugged her, she found herself squeezing him, as though she would lose him the minute he let go. She supposed she always felt that way, like anything could come at any moment and take him away. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to live the rest of her life with that fear, but she knew she would, because she wasn’t letting go any time soon.
Before he pulled away, the girl planted a small kiss on his forehead, and then watched as he scooped Raven up, eyeing the small wolf in his lap before, looking at him, and then turning to Serilda as he asked the question. She looked blank faced, with that stupid mask on, and reached into her belt, pulling out a small metal flask, and uncapping it, handing it to him.
Lucine could immediately smell that what was inside was no water, but infact blood, and the strong stuff as well- 100 percent human. She gagged a little at the scent, and grabbed the flask, looking inside.
“Absolutely not,” she said, shaking her head as she sniffed it, gagging, “He’s not a vampire anymore, “dumba**”, and besides, I’m not going to allow him to drink human blood. I can’t even handle that, and I’m- why in the name of the Spirits do you have human blood on you?” She didn’t wait for an answer, and instead allowed Serilda to snatch back the flask, watching with disgust as she downed part of its’ contents, giving Lucine a fanged smile, confusing the girl even further.
“I’ll go get his water.” she said simply, placing the flask back in her belt and exiting the room, Lucine watching her leave with confusion written all over her face. She sighed loudly and turned back to Callum watching him.
“A memory..?” she asked curiously, shifting in her position on the floor- she was still kneeling after all. She didn’t really know anything about what had happened to Callum while he had been a hyrbid. She didn’t think she wanted to know.
She barely remembered those months, they had felt so bleary. She had stayed with her dead sister’s wife, who had been staying with her brother, and who was trying to abduct her child from her child’s adoptive parents- but Lucine really hadn’t cared about that. She had locked herself in a room, and wrote letters, countless letters to Callum, which she would throw into a river after she had finished. She allowed herself to become violent in her despair, threatening anyone who even tried to enter the room with the knife Callum had given her. The only person she talked to was Felicity’s brother, Alfred, and even then, they just talked through the door.
Bringing herself back into reality, she watched Callum quietly, wanting to say something but not able to find the words, until the girl from earlier, Kylie, rushed in the door carrying a mug of water. She stopped and looked at the couple sitting very curiously, before handing the mug to Lucine.
“Serilda told me to give this to you, but not to talk to you or say anything.” she then paused, and realized her mistake. “Oops. She called you the ‘cranky vampire’, but I think you seem nice. She’s the cranky one.” The girl stuck out her tongue, “But without her, I’d probably be dead in some haystack, so I like her. Anyway, is he going to be okay, miss?” She motioned her head towards Callum. Lucine smiled at the girl.
“He’s going to be fine, so don’t worry.” Lucine assured her, both hands on the mug of water, “Now hurry up, or Serilda will know you broke the rules.”
Lucine turned back to Callum as Kylie rushed from the room, her smile fading, as she handed the mug to Callum. “Here,” she said gingerly, “You must be thirsty.”
Lucine watched Callum with concern in her yellow eyes, aware of the stares from the masked girl standing across the table from her, but those really weren’t important at the moment. What was important was getting Callum somewhere that wasn’t here, so whatever was about to happen could play out its’ course.
She had been lonely in those months, where Callum had been battling his demons- she wasn’t even sure that she knew he was alive, though her soul kept trying to convince her otherwise. She wished she had listened to it, it generally told her the truth and probably knew a bit more than she did. For a brief moment, she tried to listen to it again, but found it had nothing to say, or well, to feel. She fought the urge to close her eyes tightly.
She tried to stay calm while watching Callum, waiting for his response to her question- the fact he hadn’t given one was worrying her, and the stares from the woman on the other side of the table were making her feel very uncomfortable. She clicked her tongue occasionally, and Lucine knew, for some reason, that meant she was thinking. The half-vampire tried to block that from her mind, and focus on the boy in front of her instead.
“Callum,” she said again, sounding a little less calm and a little more like she was incredibly worried and about to burst, “Do you think it could be..”
Lucine heard Serilda mutter something about hybrids, and she grit her teeth. The last thing she needed was this Serilda girl, whoever she was, figuring out that Callum had, at one point, been a hybrid. She squeezed his hand a little tighter, though she doubted that he had actually heard what Serilda had said.
She watched cautiously, and a little disappointedly, as Callum closed his eyes. It was harder to read him that way, and she needed to be reading him right now more than usual. She had to know what was going on, she couldn’t help him if she didn’t know, and the idea of no knowing what was going on with him and not being able to help scared her more than anything. Unfortunately, that happened to be a fear that was coming to pass, as she really didn’t know anything at all about what was wrong with him, and she had no idea how to help.
She found her breath hitched when she heard her name, the “c” sound slurred in a similar manner that the “s” in poison had been slurred. She wondered, then, if he was having difficulties with pronouncing “s” sounds. Especially since the s in “poison” and the c in “Lucine” made similar noises. She found that she was muttering all of this, which made her realize she was probably overthinking.
“I’m here,” she said carefully, sending a small wave from her soul to his, “I’m right here.”
She was quiet as he apologized to her, which she didn’t understand. She didn’t see a need to apologize, but she let him finish, and when he was done, she only shook her head.
“Nonsense,” she told him, giving his hand a harder squeeze, “You have nothing to be apologetic for.” She knew this was true, and the small snort from the older woman made her want to go over there and shut her up. She would always wonder how Callidora and Felicity had managed to put up with each other, due to their species- though she supposed they didn’t really put up with each other at all. Then again, Felicity wasn’t bad in the slightest, not as bad as Serilda at least.
“You didn’t mess up anything,” Lucine told him, her voice becoming calm like she usually tried to make it in these situations, “You’ve done nothing wrong, my love.”
When Callum leaned in and hugged her, she found herself squeezing him, as though she would lose him the minute he let go. She supposed she always felt that way, like anything could come at any moment and take him away. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to live the rest of her life with that fear, but she knew she would, because she wasn’t letting go any time soon.
Before he pulled away, the girl planted a small kiss on his forehead, and then watched as he scooped Raven up, eyeing the small wolf in his lap before, looking at him, and then turning to Serilda as he asked the question. She looked blank faced, with that stupid mask on, and reached into her belt, pulling out a small metal flask, and uncapping it, handing it to him.
Lucine could immediately smell that what was inside was no water, but infact blood, and the strong stuff as well- 100 percent human. She gagged a little at the scent, and grabbed the flask, looking inside.
“Absolutely not,” she said, shaking her head as she sniffed it, gagging, “He’s not a vampire anymore, “dumba**”, and besides, I’m not going to allow him to drink human blood. I can’t even handle that, and I’m- why in the name of the Spirits do you have human blood on you?” She didn’t wait for an answer, and instead allowed Serilda to snatch back the flask, watching with disgust as she downed part of its’ contents, giving Lucine a fanged smile, confusing the girl even further.
“I’ll go get his water.” she said simply, placing the flask back in her belt and exiting the room, Lucine watching her leave with confusion written all over her face. She sighed loudly and turned back to Callum watching him.
“A memory..?” she asked curiously, shifting in her position on the floor- she was still kneeling after all. She didn’t really know anything about what had happened to Callum while he had been a hyrbid. She didn’t think she wanted to know.
She barely remembered those months, they had felt so bleary. She had stayed with her dead sister’s wife, who had been staying with her brother, and who was trying to abduct her child from her child’s adoptive parents- but Lucine really hadn’t cared about that. She had locked herself in a room, and wrote letters, countless letters to Callum, which she would throw into a river after she had finished. She allowed herself to become violent in her despair, threatening anyone who even tried to enter the room with the knife Callum had given her. The only person she talked to was Felicity’s brother, Alfred, and even then, they just talked through the door.
Bringing herself back into reality, she watched Callum quietly, wanting to say something but not able to find the words, until the girl from earlier, Kylie, rushed in the door carrying a mug of water. She stopped and looked at the couple sitting very curiously, before handing the mug to Lucine.
“Serilda told me to give this to you, but not to talk to you or say anything.” she then paused, and realized her mistake. “Oops. She called you the ‘cranky vampire’, but I think you seem nice. She’s the cranky one.” The girl stuck out her tongue, “But without her, I’d probably be dead in some haystack, so I like her. Anyway, is he going to be okay, miss?” She motioned her head towards Callum. Lucine smiled at the girl.
“He’s going to be fine, so don’t worry.” Lucine assured her, both hands on the mug of water, “Now hurry up, or Serilda will know you broke the rules.”
Lucine turned back to Callum as Kylie rushed from the room, her smile fading, as she handed the mug to Callum. “Here,” she said gingerly, “You must be thirsty.”
Callum hadn't noticed Serilda continuously staring at the two as he proceeded to worry Lucine even further, which saddened him. He wanted to control himself better, but this poison was making it impossible. He was still holding back the urge to cry. Why was he such a crybaby all the time, even now? Was the poison somehow reverting him back to his old state?
No. That was impossible.
Even with everything else, that was impossible.
He hadn't cared if anyone stared, especially after the kiss on his forehead. A warm wave filled his soul from the kiss, and it comforted him more than a little bit. She had told him that he didn't mess up anything. He began to believe her. It wasn't his fault that the dart had hit him in the first place. Well, it was half his fault; he could've let it hit Lucine. He didn't, though. If this thing was made specifically to kill vampires... no. He wouldn't let it happen.
It couldn't have been, surely. Weren't vampires stronger than humans? Didn't they live longer? Yes, they did. The dart would've probably killed him by now or given him worse symptoms, since he was a human. Perhaps it was affecting him in this way because he used to be something stronger than a human. He was honestly confused over the entire situation; besides, he hadn't heard Serilda's earlier explanation of where the dart was from.
He was about to apologize again, but he didn't say anything. He awaited whatever water may come to him, as he was, again, thirsty. He assumed his body was craving water at the moment; anything else that it could've been slipped his mind. He eyed the metal flask as it was pulled out, a new scent suddenly hitting his nose.
He had no idea how he was able to tell, but there was no water in the flask. That was blood... not just any blood, but human blood. He felt more than a little repulsed, unable to react when the flask was handed to him. His eyes slowly lowered until they met where he would be able to see the blood inside the flask. He could barely see it, but he could smell it for whatever reason. Sure, if blood was this close, he would be able to catch the scent, but he had caught it before it got this close, and he knew what kind of blood it was.
He sighed a little in relief as Lucine took the flask from him. He didn't know why, but it was stimulating his senses somewhat, and that scared him. He squeezed his eyes shut and even seemed to curl inwards slightly in his chair, holding Raven closer to him. She looked up at him worriedly, her head leaned up against his stomach. He waited for the smell of blood to go away, and when it did, he was relieved. The slight stimulation unnerved him, not to mention, it was confusing.
What was this poison doing to him?
He didn't see Serilda drink the human blood, but he did hear Lucine's negative reaction to her even carrying the blood on her. He didn't know why his senses had reacted in the way they did. He was human, after all. If he took even a slight sip of that blood, he would be committing cannibalism. The very thought made him feel sick, and coincidentally, it seemed as though the poison was reacting the same way. He suddenly felt nauseous.
He noticed Serilda leaving the room to go get him some real water. He didn't say anything before looking at Lucine. He nodded towards her when she asked him if it was really a memory. If Lucine was the only one in the room, he would be able to tell her. He hadn't had a reason to tell her any of those memories when they first found each other. Maybe now, he did. But did she want to know?
He was about to say something, anything, when Kylie came back into the room with the mug. He was starting to become a little dizzy. He held his head in his hand, rocking gently back and forth and closing his eyes. He listened to the short exchange between Lucine and Kylie, immediately stopping his rocking once he heard the little girl ask if he was going to be alright. He lifted his head and opened his eyes slowly, taking deep breaths. He tried to smile at the girl.
I have to be fine...
He watched as the girl left the room, turning his blurry gaze back to Lucine. He looked down at the mug of water with wide eyes. He glanced up thankfully at the girl before lifting the mug to his lips and almost drinking it too fast to swallow it all without choking. Luckily, he didn't choke, and he finished the water rather quickly. "T-Thank you," he panted, handing the mug back to Lucine as gently as he could. "Thank... you..."
He coughed a bit, and the nausea increased. "Ah..." he moaned, leaning forward and nearly clutching his stomach. Raven leapt down from his lap to allow him to do so if he chose. She placed a paw on his leg, looking over at Lucine and whining apologetically, as if apologizing for not being able to find help that would suit the both of them. She could tell that Lucine didn't like Serilda.
"...Sssssshould we sssssstay in here?" he slurred, unable to prevent the words from coming out that way. "Issssss it a good idea...?"
After he spoke, he sighed a little raggedly and slowly pulled Lucine into another hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, almost tearing up. He was so close to doing so. He felt a little more nauseous. He started rocking back and forth a little, gently at that. "I love you... I love you more than anything... do you... want to know... what happened to me...?"
Callum hadn't noticed Serilda continuously staring at the two as he proceeded to worry Lucine even further, which saddened him. He wanted to control himself better, but this poison was making it impossible. He was still holding back the urge to cry. Why was he such a crybaby all the time, even now? Was the poison somehow reverting him back to his old state?
No. That was impossible.
Even with everything else, that was impossible.
He hadn't cared if anyone stared, especially after the kiss on his forehead. A warm wave filled his soul from the kiss, and it comforted him more than a little bit. She had told him that he didn't mess up anything. He began to believe her. It wasn't his fault that the dart had hit him in the first place. Well, it was half his fault; he could've let it hit Lucine. He didn't, though. If this thing was made specifically to kill vampires... no. He wouldn't let it happen.
It couldn't have been, surely. Weren't vampires stronger than humans? Didn't they live longer? Yes, they did. The dart would've probably killed him by now or given him worse symptoms, since he was a human. Perhaps it was affecting him in this way because he used to be something stronger than a human. He was honestly confused over the entire situation; besides, he hadn't heard Serilda's earlier explanation of where the dart was from.
He was about to apologize again, but he didn't say anything. He awaited whatever water may come to him, as he was, again, thirsty. He assumed his body was craving water at the moment; anything else that it could've been slipped his mind. He eyed the metal flask as it was pulled out, a new scent suddenly hitting his nose.
He had no idea how he was able to tell, but there was no water in the flask. That was blood... not just any blood, but human blood. He felt more than a little repulsed, unable to react when the flask was handed to him. His eyes slowly lowered until they met where he would be able to see the blood inside the flask. He could barely see it, but he could smell it for whatever reason. Sure, if blood was this close, he would be able to catch the scent, but he had caught it before it got this close, and he knew what kind of blood it was.
He sighed a little in relief as Lucine took the flask from him. He didn't know why, but it was stimulating his senses somewhat, and that scared him. He squeezed his eyes shut and even seemed to curl inwards slightly in his chair, holding Raven closer to him. She looked up at him worriedly, her head leaned up against his stomach. He waited for the smell of blood to go away, and when it did, he was relieved. The slight stimulation unnerved him, not to mention, it was confusing.
What was this poison doing to him?
He didn't see Serilda drink the human blood, but he did hear Lucine's negative reaction to her even carrying the blood on her. He didn't know why his senses had reacted in the way they did. He was human, after all. If he took even a slight sip of that blood, he would be committing cannibalism. The very thought made him feel sick, and coincidentally, it seemed as though the poison was reacting the same way. He suddenly felt nauseous.
He noticed Serilda leaving the room to go get him some real water. He didn't say anything before looking at Lucine. He nodded towards her when she asked him if it was really a memory. If Lucine was the only one in the room, he would be able to tell her. He hadn't had a reason to tell her any of those memories when they first found each other. Maybe now, he did. But did she want to know?
He was about to say something, anything, when Kylie came back into the room with the mug. He was starting to become a little dizzy. He held his head in his hand, rocking gently back and forth and closing his eyes. He listened to the short exchange between Lucine and Kylie, immediately stopping his rocking once he heard the little girl ask if he was going to be alright. He lifted his head and opened his eyes slowly, taking deep breaths. He tried to smile at the girl.
I have to be fine...
He watched as the girl left the room, turning his blurry gaze back to Lucine. He looked down at the mug of water with wide eyes. He glanced up thankfully at the girl before lifting the mug to his lips and almost drinking it too fast to swallow it all without choking. Luckily, he didn't choke, and he finished the water rather quickly. "T-Thank you," he panted, handing the mug back to Lucine as gently as he could. "Thank... you..."
He coughed a bit, and the nausea increased. "Ah..." he moaned, leaning forward and nearly clutching his stomach. Raven leapt down from his lap to allow him to do so if he chose. She placed a paw on his leg, looking over at Lucine and whining apologetically, as if apologizing for not being able to find help that would suit the both of them. She could tell that Lucine didn't like Serilda.
"...Sssssshould we sssssstay in here?" he slurred, unable to prevent the words from coming out that way. "Issssss it a good idea...?"
After he spoke, he sighed a little raggedly and slowly pulled Lucine into another hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, almost tearing up. He was so close to doing so. He felt a little more nauseous. He started rocking back and forth a little, gently at that. "I love you... I love you more than anything... do you... want to know... what happened to me...?"
As Callum reached out to take the mug of water from her, Lucine felt her shoulders sinking slightly. So much was running at an incredibly fast pace through her mind right now, and she found that it was hard to stop and focus on any of it without going into a long muttering spiel, and the girl didn’t want Callum to think she talked to herself. Well, he probably already knew she talked to herself. She didn’t want him to think she was crazy.
Once the mug had left her hands she returned them to her lap, playing with the thumb on her prosthetic. If you turned the finger a certain way, it would make this sort of clicking, and the action was strangely comforting to her, though it probably seemed weird to anyone else watching. It seemed that being calmed down from the sound of something clicking was something that ran in her family.
Speaking of clicking noises, she was suddenly reminded of something else that had annoyed her about Serilda- the way she would click her tongue. It reminded Lucine of someone, who even though her opinion of her older sister had been slightly changed, it still made her feel a little bit uncomfortable to hear the sound. The masked girl, whoever she had been, was a mystery to Lucine, and she didn’t like that- especially now that said mystery person knew about Callum’s poisoning and brief period in which he had been non-human. She was even more shocked that the werewolf carried blood on her- human blood, nontheless, and had drank it without any sort of reaction.
Which reminded her of Callum, as she looked up from where her hands were to see him essentially chugging the water. She blinked slightly, before opening her mouth to ask him to slow down for fear of choking, but he had already finished, and gently placed the mug back into her hands. The half-vampire just stared down at it before placing it on the table.
“You’re very welcome,” she said calmly, with a small smile as she turned back to him, trying to seem as though she had everything under control. She found that it helped her, at least, to make pretend she had everything under control, even when the whole world seemed to be running at full speed. “Though you should thank Kylie, she brought the water to you.”
She watched with sad, worried eyes as he bent over, moaning, and she tilted her head, not acknowledging Raven due to focusing solely on Callum in the moment.
Lucine was quiet as she processed the boy’s question, and then she nodded, looking towards the door. “It might be in our best interest to get you returned to the room, where you can lay down… I’ll try to acquire some more water for you.” She was pretending like the way he was slurring wasn’t bothering her. Truth be told, she had no idea the effect of the poison, or why it was doing this to him.
She almost gasped as she was pulled into another hug, this time her yellow eyes began to well with tears. She found herself holding tight to him, closing those teary yellow eyes as he rested his head on her shoulder- though she could feel him rocking back in forth and knew he was probably feeling incredibly unwell. Nausea, she could deal with however.
“I love you too, so so much..” she told him, her voice softening into something close to a whisper, but also so he could hear. She tried to stop her breath from hitching when he asked her if she wanted to know what had happened to him.
Truth be told, she did. Lucine wanted to understand what he had gone through, so she could help him. She knew he had probably been to hell and back, and that fact she was away from him made her feel guilty. Holed up in that little room, doing nothing. Days went by, and turned into weeks, and everything was so gray. There were only small spots of color, and deep in her soul she knew he was alive but she didn’t trust her soul anymore, not at that moment in time. She wished ever so desperately now that she had trusted it then.
“Yes..” she said cautiously, carefully, softly, as though she was choosing her words with great thought. “Yes, I.. I wish to know, I wish to understand, I want to help, I-”
It was all coming out before she could stop it.
“I-I want to know what you’ve been through, Callum. I-I don’t want you to face it alone anymore..”
As Callum reached out to take the mug of water from her, Lucine felt her shoulders sinking slightly. So much was running at an incredibly fast pace through her mind right now, and she found that it was hard to stop and focus on any of it without going into a long muttering spiel, and the girl didn’t want Callum to think she talked to herself. Well, he probably already knew she talked to herself. She didn’t want him to think she was crazy.
Once the mug had left her hands she returned them to her lap, playing with the thumb on her prosthetic. If you turned the finger a certain way, it would make this sort of clicking, and the action was strangely comforting to her, though it probably seemed weird to anyone else watching. It seemed that being calmed down from the sound of something clicking was something that ran in her family.
Speaking of clicking noises, she was suddenly reminded of something else that had annoyed her about Serilda- the way she would click her tongue. It reminded Lucine of someone, who even though her opinion of her older sister had been slightly changed, it still made her feel a little bit uncomfortable to hear the sound. The masked girl, whoever she had been, was a mystery to Lucine, and she didn’t like that- especially now that said mystery person knew about Callum’s poisoning and brief period in which he had been non-human. She was even more shocked that the werewolf carried blood on her- human blood, nontheless, and had drank it without any sort of reaction.
Which reminded her of Callum, as she looked up from where her hands were to see him essentially chugging the water. She blinked slightly, before opening her mouth to ask him to slow down for fear of choking, but he had already finished, and gently placed the mug back into her hands. The half-vampire just stared down at it before placing it on the table.
“You’re very welcome,” she said calmly, with a small smile as she turned back to him, trying to seem as though she had everything under control. She found that it helped her, at least, to make pretend she had everything under control, even when the whole world seemed to be running at full speed. “Though you should thank Kylie, she brought the water to you.”
She watched with sad, worried eyes as he bent over, moaning, and she tilted her head, not acknowledging Raven due to focusing solely on Callum in the moment.
Lucine was quiet as she processed the boy’s question, and then she nodded, looking towards the door. “It might be in our best interest to get you returned to the room, where you can lay down… I’ll try to acquire some more water for you.” She was pretending like the way he was slurring wasn’t bothering her. Truth be told, she had no idea the effect of the poison, or why it was doing this to him.
She almost gasped as she was pulled into another hug, this time her yellow eyes began to well with tears. She found herself holding tight to him, closing those teary yellow eyes as he rested his head on her shoulder- though she could feel him rocking back in forth and knew he was probably feeling incredibly unwell. Nausea, she could deal with however.
“I love you too, so so much..” she told him, her voice softening into something close to a whisper, but also so he could hear. She tried to stop her breath from hitching when he asked her if she wanted to know what had happened to him.
Truth be told, she did. Lucine wanted to understand what he had gone through, so she could help him. She knew he had probably been to hell and back, and that fact she was away from him made her feel guilty. Holed up in that little room, doing nothing. Days went by, and turned into weeks, and everything was so gray. There were only small spots of color, and deep in her soul she knew he was alive but she didn’t trust her soul anymore, not at that moment in time. She wished ever so desperately now that she had trusted it then.
“Yes..” she said cautiously, carefully, softly, as though she was choosing her words with great thought. “Yes, I.. I wish to know, I wish to understand, I want to help, I-”
It was all coming out before she could stop it.
“I-I want to know what you’ve been through, Callum. I-I don’t want you to face it alone anymore..”
Yes...
Callum hadn't expected Lucine to say that. He hadn't known if she even wanted to hear his lonely story of how he passed his time as a non-human hybrid. He would've guessed that her answer would be no, and how could he not agree with that? Did he really want to pass on his torment to her? Did he really want to hurt her by speaking about it?
While his head was still on her shoulder, he looked unsure of himself. He continued rocking back and forth, though his movements were restricted by himself. The nausea was subtly getting worse, as well as slowly. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to try and shove it down at least a little. He suddenly felt a cold chill wrack his entire body, erasing whatever effort he was putting into making himself feel better. He tried not to shiver along with the chill.
He listened as Lucine added more words to her answer, clarifying why she wanted him to explain himself. He found himself sighing sadly, tilting his head downwards to temporarily bury his entire face in her shoulder, nuzzling her at the same time. He held her a little closer. His mind was already working to mentally prepare him for what he was about to say. He had to choose his words carefully. He had to get through the entire explanation without choking up or crying. He had to be strong.
He could be strong.
As he finally lifted his head and drew back from the embrace he had put Lucine in, he found himself smiling sadly and slightly. His arms slowly fell back to his sides for a few seconds before he moved them to rest on his lap. He decided to ignore literally everything outside of him and Lucine for the moment. He didn't even need to explain to himself or anyone else as to why.
The boy took a deep breath, looking straight into Lucine's eyes. The moments before he had to speak might just be the most painful part. The darkest parts of his mind whispered to him, taunting him, thinking he wouldn't be able to handle accessing them again. With another deep breath, he closed his eyes briefly and dove in.
It didn't take long to process all of them again, however, it was difficult to go through them without breaking down into tears right then and there. He clenched his fists as he searched, and when he was done, he forced himself to relax. He finally opened his heterochromic eyes, staring into Lucine's comforting yellow ones again. He could do this.
"...After I died... I couldn't feel anything," he began, pausing and clearing his throat. I can do this.
"I couldn't feel pain, or discomfort, or anything like that. But... then I woke up somewhere else... and all I felt was fear and confusion. It was dark, there were trees everywhere, and most of all, there was no one around. I just woke up lying there; I remember feeling some of the pain leftover from when the God impaled me. It was... odd. It was also scary at the time. I had no idea what happened to you, or Raven, or Thalia... or Athus..."
He took a moment to pause, not because he was reminiscing or anything, but only to swallow instead. That was when he realized that he wasn't slurring. Weird... why the heck did that even happen to begin with... pointless...
He didn't even mention to Lucine that he had tried to beg Athus for help before he died.
"I could see out of both eyes, my senses were heightened, and I did look different, especially because I had fangs. I tried calling for anyone to find me - which at the time was kind of a stupid decision because I could've gotten attacked right away - but there was no one around. I was dragged down by the fact that our promise was broken, and that I was being stupid by openly defying that God... as always, I wasn't thinking at all."
Don't cry. Callum, don't you cry.
"I spent a couple days wandering around aimlessly. I didn't care where I went as long as it was some form of shelter with food and water. Along the way, I met three adult werewolves... I was able to tell without having to look at them because of my newly advanced senses. As you can imagine, they were half-hostile towards me at first because I was half vampire. Once again, I couldn't control myself... they mocked me about my parents, and I called them all mutts. It was as if something else took control of me entirely, because I hadn't meant to say that at all. Of course, they got angry, threatened me, and even hurt me a little. I told them to run, and they eventually did. I didn't have to hurt anyone, which I was grateful for, but I had to get somewhere safe soon or I wouldn't be able to get out later.
"I did manage to find a village a day or two later, but when I ate actual food, I became sick. Though, I didn't become as ill as I would've if I were a full vampire. That didn't mean it was pleasant. I felt hungry at the same time, but it wasn't for food. At first, I couldn't tell what it was because I wasn't able to think for very long.
"When I realized that it was blood I craved, I tried to leave the village... the thing was, I could smell everyone's blood, and it made things worse. I tried to intentionally starve myself to protect everyone. I remember seeing someone staring at me before I blacked out from the strain of preventing myself from going feral. If I could describe how it felt... well, it was as if a particularly sharp spike was being slowly nailed into my head and being twisted when it actually embedded itself in my head. It was difficult to handle."
He stopped momentarily once more, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again just as quickly, if not a little longer.
"I woke up in someone else's house in the middle of another forest or something like that. There... there was this lady caring for me. Her name was Uphira. I couldn't tell what species she was. She was an anomaly. She saw me collapse and took me to her house to recover, since I was still sick. I wasn't hungry anymore, so I guess she just fed me blood while I was asleep or something. She was nice and considerate to me. She didn't seem to mind taking care of me.
"She even gave me the supplies I would need, including vials of blood so I wouldn't have to kill anyone to get some. I had no idea where she got it, but I tried not to think about it too much. But I wasn't allowed to leave for a while. I had to wait until I was absolutely sure I could control myself... so I ended up spending a lot of time in a single room; the same room I woke up in. I spent weeks with Uphira, and I helped her whenever I could. It was the least I could do to pay her back.
"It wasn't until weeks had passed that... I... I felt you. Lucine, I felt you, in the depths of my soul, and I couldn't be more overjoyed... and worried. You being alive meant that... you were probably..."
He couldn't finish that sentence. He couldn't allow himself to cry.
"I-I left as soon as possible to find you," he continued, subconsciously moving his hand to his chest. "I tried to go as fast as I could to reach you, to find you. I couldn't send anything to your soul for whatever reason, and it confused me. I had quite a few setbacks. In a way, it was like another quest. For one... I did run into vampire hunters. I barely escaped. I had to avoid going feral while getting away. Not even a day after that..."
He paused yet again.
"I was caught by a group who participated in the black market. They wanted my magic, my blood, and my fangs... for some sick reason... and again, I barely escaped with my sanity intact. They did get some of my blood though... apparently, hybrid blood sold well in that area. Other than those circumstances, I can't think of anything specifically big, really..."
Callum paused for what seemed like the tenth time. He had to suppress the memories and shudders that were threatening to ravage him.
"...That's how it went, day after day, just going from point a to b, hoping no one attacks me for whatever reason they want to throw at me. It was... it was lonely... whenever I woke up from a nightmare, no one was there to comfort me, and I just... I just felt alone..."
Don't cry, don't you dare cry!
"I swear I could hear voices whispering to me... they were telling me that you weren't alive in this place. I-I had nightmares... th-they played my death over and over... it was painful... my death was slow and... painful..."
He was trembling now, his throat clenching. His eyes were shimmering.
DON'T CRY!
"I-I missed you. I... I thought, I-I..."
Callum suddenly slumped forward, directly into Lucine's arms. He wrapped his own arms around her to prevent himself from falling past her and to the ground. His eyes widened slightly as his skin paled further.
"...I feel sick," he rasped quietly, taking deep breaths.
Yes...
Callum hadn't expected Lucine to say that. He hadn't known if she even wanted to hear his lonely story of how he passed his time as a non-human hybrid. He would've guessed that her answer would be no, and how could he not agree with that? Did he really want to pass on his torment to her? Did he really want to hurt her by speaking about it?
While his head was still on her shoulder, he looked unsure of himself. He continued rocking back and forth, though his movements were restricted by himself. The nausea was subtly getting worse, as well as slowly. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to try and shove it down at least a little. He suddenly felt a cold chill wrack his entire body, erasing whatever effort he was putting into making himself feel better. He tried not to shiver along with the chill.
He listened as Lucine added more words to her answer, clarifying why she wanted him to explain himself. He found himself sighing sadly, tilting his head downwards to temporarily bury his entire face in her shoulder, nuzzling her at the same time. He held her a little closer. His mind was already working to mentally prepare him for what he was about to say. He had to choose his words carefully. He had to get through the entire explanation without choking up or crying. He had to be strong.
He could be strong.
As he finally lifted his head and drew back from the embrace he had put Lucine in, he found himself smiling sadly and slightly. His arms slowly fell back to his sides for a few seconds before he moved them to rest on his lap. He decided to ignore literally everything outside of him and Lucine for the moment. He didn't even need to explain to himself or anyone else as to why.
The boy took a deep breath, looking straight into Lucine's eyes. The moments before he had to speak might just be the most painful part. The darkest parts of his mind whispered to him, taunting him, thinking he wouldn't be able to handle accessing them again. With another deep breath, he closed his eyes briefly and dove in.
It didn't take long to process all of them again, however, it was difficult to go through them without breaking down into tears right then and there. He clenched his fists as he searched, and when he was done, he forced himself to relax. He finally opened his heterochromic eyes, staring into Lucine's comforting yellow ones again. He could do this.
"...After I died... I couldn't feel anything," he began, pausing and clearing his throat. I can do this.
"I couldn't feel pain, or discomfort, or anything like that. But... then I woke up somewhere else... and all I felt was fear and confusion. It was dark, there were trees everywhere, and most of all, there was no one around. I just woke up lying there; I remember feeling some of the pain leftover from when the God impaled me. It was... odd. It was also scary at the time. I had no idea what happened to you, or Raven, or Thalia... or Athus..."
He took a moment to pause, not because he was reminiscing or anything, but only to swallow instead. That was when he realized that he wasn't slurring. Weird... why the heck did that even happen to begin with... pointless...
He didn't even mention to Lucine that he had tried to beg Athus for help before he died.
"I could see out of both eyes, my senses were heightened, and I did look different, especially because I had fangs. I tried calling for anyone to find me - which at the time was kind of a stupid decision because I could've gotten attacked right away - but there was no one around. I was dragged down by the fact that our promise was broken, and that I was being stupid by openly defying that God... as always, I wasn't thinking at all."
Don't cry. Callum, don't you cry.
"I spent a couple days wandering around aimlessly. I didn't care where I went as long as it was some form of shelter with food and water. Along the way, I met three adult werewolves... I was able to tell without having to look at them because of my newly advanced senses. As you can imagine, they were half-hostile towards me at first because I was half vampire. Once again, I couldn't control myself... they mocked me about my parents, and I called them all mutts. It was as if something else took control of me entirely, because I hadn't meant to say that at all. Of course, they got angry, threatened me, and even hurt me a little. I told them to run, and they eventually did. I didn't have to hurt anyone, which I was grateful for, but I had to get somewhere safe soon or I wouldn't be able to get out later.
"I did manage to find a village a day or two later, but when I ate actual food, I became sick. Though, I didn't become as ill as I would've if I were a full vampire. That didn't mean it was pleasant. I felt hungry at the same time, but it wasn't for food. At first, I couldn't tell what it was because I wasn't able to think for very long.
"When I realized that it was blood I craved, I tried to leave the village... the thing was, I could smell everyone's blood, and it made things worse. I tried to intentionally starve myself to protect everyone. I remember seeing someone staring at me before I blacked out from the strain of preventing myself from going feral. If I could describe how it felt... well, it was as if a particularly sharp spike was being slowly nailed into my head and being twisted when it actually embedded itself in my head. It was difficult to handle."
He stopped momentarily once more, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again just as quickly, if not a little longer.
"I woke up in someone else's house in the middle of another forest or something like that. There... there was this lady caring for me. Her name was Uphira. I couldn't tell what species she was. She was an anomaly. She saw me collapse and took me to her house to recover, since I was still sick. I wasn't hungry anymore, so I guess she just fed me blood while I was asleep or something. She was nice and considerate to me. She didn't seem to mind taking care of me.
"She even gave me the supplies I would need, including vials of blood so I wouldn't have to kill anyone to get some. I had no idea where she got it, but I tried not to think about it too much. But I wasn't allowed to leave for a while. I had to wait until I was absolutely sure I could control myself... so I ended up spending a lot of time in a single room; the same room I woke up in. I spent weeks with Uphira, and I helped her whenever I could. It was the least I could do to pay her back.
"It wasn't until weeks had passed that... I... I felt you. Lucine, I felt you, in the depths of my soul, and I couldn't be more overjoyed... and worried. You being alive meant that... you were probably..."
He couldn't finish that sentence. He couldn't allow himself to cry.
"I-I left as soon as possible to find you," he continued, subconsciously moving his hand to his chest. "I tried to go as fast as I could to reach you, to find you. I couldn't send anything to your soul for whatever reason, and it confused me. I had quite a few setbacks. In a way, it was like another quest. For one... I did run into vampire hunters. I barely escaped. I had to avoid going feral while getting away. Not even a day after that..."
He paused yet again.
"I was caught by a group who participated in the black market. They wanted my magic, my blood, and my fangs... for some sick reason... and again, I barely escaped with my sanity intact. They did get some of my blood though... apparently, hybrid blood sold well in that area. Other than those circumstances, I can't think of anything specifically big, really..."
Callum paused for what seemed like the tenth time. He had to suppress the memories and shudders that were threatening to ravage him.
"...That's how it went, day after day, just going from point a to b, hoping no one attacks me for whatever reason they want to throw at me. It was... it was lonely... whenever I woke up from a nightmare, no one was there to comfort me, and I just... I just felt alone..."
Don't cry, don't you dare cry!
"I swear I could hear voices whispering to me... they were telling me that you weren't alive in this place. I-I had nightmares... th-they played my death over and over... it was painful... my death was slow and... painful..."
He was trembling now, his throat clenching. His eyes were shimmering.
DON'T CRY!
"I-I missed you. I... I thought, I-I..."
Callum suddenly slumped forward, directly into Lucine's arms. He wrapped his own arms around her to prevent himself from falling past her and to the ground. His eyes widened slightly as his skin paled further.
"...I feel sick," he rasped quietly, taking deep breaths.
Lucine felt like she was being chilled down to her core.
She was about to find out what had happened, what Callum had endured in the period where he had been hybrid. In the months were she was absolutely positive his life had been a hell. She had never asked about it before, he had never brought it up, and she didn’t want to pry, she didn’t want to make him relive something that he wouldn’t want to…
And yet here they were. He had offered to tell her, and she was sitting, ready to listen. She didn’t know what to expect, what she was about to hear, she hadn’t any clue of what he had gone through. She still wasn’t sure she wanted to know, even though she had just agreed to listen- no, she wanted to know. She had to know. This wasn’t something she could just not know about him, she had to help him somehow.
Her arms were still around the boy, one of her hands reaching up to stroke his hair lightly after he pressed his face into her shoulder. She tried to relax some of the tension she felt currently, though there was a small feeling of something crawling up her back. She felt scared for what she was about to hear. She felt terrified.
She blinked and pulled her arms back around herself when Callum broke away from her, wrapping them around her own waist, watching to see what he did. There was a sad smile on his face, one that was already causing Lucine’s eyes to tear up, which she tried to blink away. She took a deep breath and looked back into Callum’s gray and orange eyes, watching the feeling behind them. He was scared.
“You…” she began, meaning to say that he didn’t have to say anything, but she stopped herself. If he was ready to tell her, than she would listen. She would always be here to listen. She instead just nodded her head slightly and met his eyes again, ready.
When he closed his eyes, blocking off her view, she found herself feeling alone. SHe was just waiting for him to return, and when he did, she allowed herself to calm down briefly for a moment.
When he began, mentioning his death, she found her breath hitching without her consent, like she wasn’t used to hearing that. Of course she was, but she didn’t want to think about the moments when he was dead, when he died.
She quieted herself and focused in on listening to his story.
He had woken up, and had woken up different- he was a hybrid. As Lucine listened to him recounting his tale, she stayed silent, her only noises being an occasional gasp. She found that throughout the entire story, her hands had moved from where she was hugging herself, to covering her open mouth, her yellow eyes wide as she listened. She hadn’t imagined..
Her eyes began to fill with tears as she listened to Callum describe what it was like to feel like he was going to go feral. It was something Lucine had experienced, many times, and nothing she would wish on anyone else. It was painful, uncomfortable, and it felt to her like someone was squeezing her brain, or like a dark shadow was pulling it away from her, and the thirst.. The thirst was horrible. She was absolutely furious with herself that Callum had experienced that. That she had… that she had done that to him. If she hadn’t drank his blood, he wouldn’t have had to experience being a vampire, he wouldn’t have had to….
She was crying, crying very obviously and she didn’t even realize. She was sort of hunched over in on herself as she thought about it, as she listened to everything that had happened to him. When she heard about the help he had received from the woman named Uphira, she found herself feeling very grateful to her, a small positive feeling in the mix of despair Lucine was feeling.
She listened to the rest of his story- about how he sensed her and immediately went to try and find her. How he was captured by vampire hunters, and then the black market, and then.. About his nightmares, about how no one was there for him, how lonely he was…
The girl was shaking, very obviously, her small body slightly curled in on itself, silently sobbing as she tried to process what she had just been told- what he had been through, and what she had put him through. She had done it. It was all her fault, and she knew it, and a small part of her mind was telling her that he knew it too. Why he didn’t run from her was beyond her comprehension.
She looked up as he began to finish his story, hearing the shaking in his voice, and found herself immediately realizing that this wasn’t the time for her to be upset. No. She didn’t deserve to be upset about this, not when she had essentially done it, and that what her job was instead was to help Callum. That’s why she had wanted to hear. She uncurled herself slightly to face him, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She watched him, with her yellow eyes wide, and suddenly, gasped as he fell forward, right into her arms. She quickly wrapped them around him, to keep him from falling over, as she tried to stabilize herself due to the sudden weight. Suddenly, all her tears were gone.
“Y-yes..” she said patiently, looking briefly toward the door, and then back at the pale boy, her body still shaking, “Y-yes, of course, I-I’d imagine so…”
Quickly analyzing her options, she decided getting him to their room would be the best one, and she started to shift, trying to move him so she could give him support with her shoulder.
Slowly she stood, taking his arm and draping it over her shoulders, trying to support him as she brought him up with her. She grunted slightly as she did so under the weight. Despite being a vampire, her strength came in small bursts associated with adrenaline, as opposed to her sister, who had full vampric strength. Of course, Lucine did have less vampire in her than her sister did.
She took careful steps, counting them out under her breath, looking behind her briefly at the wolf pup, yet she maintained her focus on the door.
“I’m taking you to lie down somewhere, love,” she said quietly, moving slowly towards the door, not waiting for a response. Her whole body was incredibly tense as she finally made it there, looking out into the hallway.
The pair from earlier was there, and the younger girl tugged on the woman’s sleeve as Lucine entered the doorway, causing her to look up at them, and then quickly move over to Callum’s other side, bending down to support him on the side without saying a word. Lucine quietly thanked her under her breath, and got a grunt in return.
“Can he hear us?” Serilda asked, to which Lucine didn’t know the answer.
“I believe you should ask him,” She said, as they mounted the stairs together.
Lucine felt like she was being chilled down to her core.
She was about to find out what had happened, what Callum had endured in the period where he had been hybrid. In the months were she was absolutely positive his life had been a hell. She had never asked about it before, he had never brought it up, and she didn’t want to pry, she didn’t want to make him relive something that he wouldn’t want to…
And yet here they were. He had offered to tell her, and she was sitting, ready to listen. She didn’t know what to expect, what she was about to hear, she hadn’t any clue of what he had gone through. She still wasn’t sure she wanted to know, even though she had just agreed to listen- no, she wanted to know. She had to know. This wasn’t something she could just not know about him, she had to help him somehow.
Her arms were still around the boy, one of her hands reaching up to stroke his hair lightly after he pressed his face into her shoulder. She tried to relax some of the tension she felt currently, though there was a small feeling of something crawling up her back. She felt scared for what she was about to hear. She felt terrified.
She blinked and pulled her arms back around herself when Callum broke away from her, wrapping them around her own waist, watching to see what he did. There was a sad smile on his face, one that was already causing Lucine’s eyes to tear up, which she tried to blink away. She took a deep breath and looked back into Callum’s gray and orange eyes, watching the feeling behind them. He was scared.
“You…” she began, meaning to say that he didn’t have to say anything, but she stopped herself. If he was ready to tell her, than she would listen. She would always be here to listen. She instead just nodded her head slightly and met his eyes again, ready.
When he closed his eyes, blocking off her view, she found herself feeling alone. SHe was just waiting for him to return, and when he did, she allowed herself to calm down briefly for a moment.
When he began, mentioning his death, she found her breath hitching without her consent, like she wasn’t used to hearing that. Of course she was, but she didn’t want to think about the moments when he was dead, when he died.
She quieted herself and focused in on listening to his story.
He had woken up, and had woken up different- he was a hybrid. As Lucine listened to him recounting his tale, she stayed silent, her only noises being an occasional gasp. She found that throughout the entire story, her hands had moved from where she was hugging herself, to covering her open mouth, her yellow eyes wide as she listened. She hadn’t imagined..
Her eyes began to fill with tears as she listened to Callum describe what it was like to feel like he was going to go feral. It was something Lucine had experienced, many times, and nothing she would wish on anyone else. It was painful, uncomfortable, and it felt to her like someone was squeezing her brain, or like a dark shadow was pulling it away from her, and the thirst.. The thirst was horrible. She was absolutely furious with herself that Callum had experienced that. That she had… that she had done that to him. If she hadn’t drank his blood, he wouldn’t have had to experience being a vampire, he wouldn’t have had to….
She was crying, crying very obviously and she didn’t even realize. She was sort of hunched over in on herself as she thought about it, as she listened to everything that had happened to him. When she heard about the help he had received from the woman named Uphira, she found herself feeling very grateful to her, a small positive feeling in the mix of despair Lucine was feeling.
She listened to the rest of his story- about how he sensed her and immediately went to try and find her. How he was captured by vampire hunters, and then the black market, and then.. About his nightmares, about how no one was there for him, how lonely he was…
The girl was shaking, very obviously, her small body slightly curled in on itself, silently sobbing as she tried to process what she had just been told- what he had been through, and what she had put him through. She had done it. It was all her fault, and she knew it, and a small part of her mind was telling her that he knew it too. Why he didn’t run from her was beyond her comprehension.
She looked up as he began to finish his story, hearing the shaking in his voice, and found herself immediately realizing that this wasn’t the time for her to be upset. No. She didn’t deserve to be upset about this, not when she had essentially done it, and that what her job was instead was to help Callum. That’s why she had wanted to hear. She uncurled herself slightly to face him, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She watched him, with her yellow eyes wide, and suddenly, gasped as he fell forward, right into her arms. She quickly wrapped them around him, to keep him from falling over, as she tried to stabilize herself due to the sudden weight. Suddenly, all her tears were gone.
“Y-yes..” she said patiently, looking briefly toward the door, and then back at the pale boy, her body still shaking, “Y-yes, of course, I-I’d imagine so…”
Quickly analyzing her options, she decided getting him to their room would be the best one, and she started to shift, trying to move him so she could give him support with her shoulder.
Slowly she stood, taking his arm and draping it over her shoulders, trying to support him as she brought him up with her. She grunted slightly as she did so under the weight. Despite being a vampire, her strength came in small bursts associated with adrenaline, as opposed to her sister, who had full vampric strength. Of course, Lucine did have less vampire in her than her sister did.
She took careful steps, counting them out under her breath, looking behind her briefly at the wolf pup, yet she maintained her focus on the door.
“I’m taking you to lie down somewhere, love,” she said quietly, moving slowly towards the door, not waiting for a response. Her whole body was incredibly tense as she finally made it there, looking out into the hallway.
The pair from earlier was there, and the younger girl tugged on the woman’s sleeve as Lucine entered the doorway, causing her to look up at them, and then quickly move over to Callum’s other side, bending down to support him on the side without saying a word. Lucine quietly thanked her under her breath, and got a grunt in return.
“Can he hear us?” Serilda asked, to which Lucine didn’t know the answer.
“I believe you should ask him,” She said, as they mounted the stairs together.
Callum felt horrible.
As the boy recovered from the shock of suddenly falling forward and being caught while simultaneously catching himself, he fought his instincts and struggled to keep most of his weight off of Lucine. He breathed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to speak for a while. He couldn't coherently respond to Lucine. He couldn't attempt to reassure her with words. Hell, he couldn't even focus on spiritually communicating with her without increasing the urge to throw up.
He thought about what he had just told the poor girl in front of him. He had noticed her reactions to everything he said, yet he had forced himself to keep going... even when she was obviously crying. He didn't want to hide anything from her, but at the same time, he was afraid he may have said too much. He felt selfish; then again, he would've felt selfish either way. If he had chosen not to say anything, that would be selfish, since she wanted to know. He had said everything he felt he needed to say, but he scolded himself for adding more than he should've.
He opened his mouth to say "I'm sorry", only to groan instead. He didn't know whether or not saying sorry would help. It probably wouldn't, as he would receive the same response as he always did.
You have nothing to apologize for.
His heart beat a little faster when Lucine stood, taking him with her by draping his arm over her shoulders and supporting him. He realized that if he went completely slack, he could potentially crush her. He tried to take some of his weight off of her, finding out the hard way that the strain of doing so was causing his nausea to increase. He felt a growing pain in his stomach and gulped. He suddenly shortened his breaths, for fear that if he kept his mouth open for too long, he would give in to the feeling trying to take him over.
He tried not to let his feet drag as Lucine began walking out of the room with him, Raven following suit. He nodded dully as he was told what they were doing. Something small inside of him wanted to insist he was fine and protest. However, he ignored that stupid part of himself. He was unwell, and he needed rest. He felt guilty for slowing things down. There was nothing he could do about it but try to deal with it, he supposed. Feeling guilty wasn't going to help jack s**t.
He couldn't lift his head to see the people from before standing in the hallway. He wanted to; having his head hung like this was only making his nausea worse. He did feel someone else supporting him from the other side all of a sudden. He opened his mouth once more to muster a "thank you", but once again, nausea stopped him from talking. He also had to stop himself from coughing, as it would compel him to empty the contents of his stomach, and he didn't need that right now. At least, not until they made it to the room and there was somewhere relatively safe to retch.
His ears suddenly seemed to fill with water. At least, they felt that way. He was still trying to keep himself from going slack in the arms of Lucine and presumably Serilda as he felt his feet touch the bottom of the staircase, hearing a slight ringing in his ears. He heard Lucine's voice - but not Serilda's - and moaned in response.
"Lu..."
His voice shook as he muttered the nickname he had come to see as affectionate. He usually used it when he was weakened to the point of being unable to say her full name, but he still thought it was cute. Focusing on that alone was helping him at least a little bit.
When they were only halfway up the stairs, he began to pant and tremble. He struggled harder to keep as much weight off of the two supporting him as possible, which wasn't working as well as he wanted it to. He could feel his wrist dully throbbing, cracking his eyes open only slightly to glance over at it. He saw that the same black blood from before was starting to soak through the linen, much like how the blood from his arm had done when he had molten metal embedded into it. He looked away from it, his head hanging again unwillingly.
"L-Lu..."
Raven watched as her companion was taken up the stairs by Lucine and Serilda. She opted to stay by Kylie's side, almost bumping into her leg as she moved closer to the girl. One of her ears flicked as she glanced towards the entrance to the inn, suddenly feeling cautious. After staring at the door for a while, she leaned her head against Kylie's leg.
Callum felt horrible.
As the boy recovered from the shock of suddenly falling forward and being caught while simultaneously catching himself, he fought his instincts and struggled to keep most of his weight off of Lucine. He breathed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to speak for a while. He couldn't coherently respond to Lucine. He couldn't attempt to reassure her with words. Hell, he couldn't even focus on spiritually communicating with her without increasing the urge to throw up.
He thought about what he had just told the poor girl in front of him. He had noticed her reactions to everything he said, yet he had forced himself to keep going... even when she was obviously crying. He didn't want to hide anything from her, but at the same time, he was afraid he may have said too much. He felt selfish; then again, he would've felt selfish either way. If he had chosen not to say anything, that would be selfish, since she wanted to know. He had said everything he felt he needed to say, but he scolded himself for adding more than he should've.
He opened his mouth to say "I'm sorry", only to groan instead. He didn't know whether or not saying sorry would help. It probably wouldn't, as he would receive the same response as he always did.
You have nothing to apologize for.
His heart beat a little faster when Lucine stood, taking him with her by draping his arm over her shoulders and supporting him. He realized that if he went completely slack, he could potentially crush her. He tried to take some of his weight off of her, finding out the hard way that the strain of doing so was causing his nausea to increase. He felt a growing pain in his stomach and gulped. He suddenly shortened his breaths, for fear that if he kept his mouth open for too long, he would give in to the feeling trying to take him over.
He tried not to let his feet drag as Lucine began walking out of the room with him, Raven following suit. He nodded dully as he was told what they were doing. Something small inside of him wanted to insist he was fine and protest. However, he ignored that stupid part of himself. He was unwell, and he needed rest. He felt guilty for slowing things down. There was nothing he could do about it but try to deal with it, he supposed. Feeling guilty wasn't going to help jack s**t.
He couldn't lift his head to see the people from before standing in the hallway. He wanted to; having his head hung like this was only making his nausea worse. He did feel someone else supporting him from the other side all of a sudden. He opened his mouth once more to muster a "thank you", but once again, nausea stopped him from talking. He also had to stop himself from coughing, as it would compel him to empty the contents of his stomach, and he didn't need that right now. At least, not until they made it to the room and there was somewhere relatively safe to retch.
His ears suddenly seemed to fill with water. At least, they felt that way. He was still trying to keep himself from going slack in the arms of Lucine and presumably Serilda as he felt his feet touch the bottom of the staircase, hearing a slight ringing in his ears. He heard Lucine's voice - but not Serilda's - and moaned in response.
"Lu..."
His voice shook as he muttered the nickname he had come to see as affectionate. He usually used it when he was weakened to the point of being unable to say her full name, but he still thought it was cute. Focusing on that alone was helping him at least a little bit.
When they were only halfway up the stairs, he began to pant and tremble. He struggled harder to keep as much weight off of the two supporting him as possible, which wasn't working as well as he wanted it to. He could feel his wrist dully throbbing, cracking his eyes open only slightly to glance over at it. He saw that the same black blood from before was starting to soak through the linen, much like how the blood from his arm had done when he had molten metal embedded into it. He looked away from it, his head hanging again unwillingly.
"L-Lu..."
Raven watched as her companion was taken up the stairs by Lucine and Serilda. She opted to stay by Kylie's side, almost bumping into her leg as she moved closer to the girl. One of her ears flicked as she glanced towards the entrance to the inn, suddenly feeling cautious. After staring at the door for a while, she leaned her head against Kylie's leg.
The half-vampire felt a little unsteady under Callum’s weight, though she knew what she had to do. Lucine tried to move at a slightly faster pace than she had before, and yet it still seemed almost impossible. Supporting him was harder than she had thought it would be originally, and she wished desperately that the adrenaline which gave her strength would kick in, yet it seemed nowhere to be found.
She was grateful when the werewolf decided to help her with supporting him, and was relieved to find that she seemed to be stronger than she looked. As they mounted the stairs together, and continued to climb them, Lucine found herself occasionally looking over at Callum, watching the boy with his head down, and her stomach flipped over. She wasn’t certain she would be able to view him the same way now knowing what he had experienced. She shifted her weight slightly.
After noticing Callum’s lack of a response to Serilda’s question, aside from him muttering the nickname he had given her, her worries immediately began to increase. He wasn’t able to make out what they were saying, which could spell an intense trouble. Serilda just clicked her tongue.
“So, he can’t hear us,” she said, nodding, “Good. I don’t want him to flip.”
Lucine’s eyes widened slightly as she said this, tilting her head. “What exactly would he, as you’ve put it, ‘flip’ about?” she didn’t need this worry added onto everything else.
“I’ve got a theory,” the werewolf said, and Lucine noticed that when she was closer, there was something different about her scent, in that it wasn’t entirely werewolf. She tried to shake it off, and instead listen to the woman speak. “Probably wrong, but it’s all I have to go off of.”
Lucine remained quiet, beginning to feel Callum’s trembling. He had muttered her name a second time, and she nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “I’m right here, love,” she told him, nodding, “We’ve almost reached the room.”
Serilda waited until she had finished until she continued, and it sounded to Lucine like she was wording herself very carefully. “I don’t think there was a poison in that dart. I think it was an instigator.”
“A… a what?” Lucine asked, her voice expressing her confusion. She got a tongue click in response, and then a deep breath.
“There wasn’t any poison in that dart,” Serilda said again, “I was thinking, it doesn’t have the properties of a poison. His heart would’ve given out by now- don’t be dramatic, I’m just stating it.”
Lucine allowed herself to listen.
“I think it was an instigator- probably meant to hit you-” Lucine made a small noise to that, and didn’t see Serilda’s smile. “I see. Anyway, it’s probably got something in it made to draw out the traits of a feral vampire.”
Lucine processed this in her mind. “W-what sort of things..?”
“Vampire blood is super hot on the market right now, it might be that. Some herbs and sh*t will do it too- cause boy toy isn’t a vampire, at least not any more, it’s pretty much ravaging him, cause there’s no feral traits to bring out.” Serilda finished, and Lucine let that sink in.
It sort of made a little sense, at least to her. They reached the top of the steps and turned left down the hallway, towards the room.
“But, why would a vampire hunter want to draw out a vampire’s feral traits..?” the girl asked, sounding more curious than confused.
“Makes em easier to find.” Serilda commented, as they approached the door, “Think about it, a mindless feral vampire is gonna get killed by villagers or found by other hunters pretty easily.”
“So… you don’t think he was poisoned.” Lucine said, opening the door with her elbow, “but injected with an ‘instigator?’”
The door swung open and the pair of girls entered, bringing Callum with them until they reached the bed, and then they took a group effort to lay him down on it. They were quiet once her had been laid there, and Serilda backed away towards the door as Lucine kneeled next to the bed, watching Callum. If he tried to get up, she’d just force him down again.
She said nothing as she thought on the idea that had just been proposed to her. It didn’t make sense, but at the same time, it did…. She knew it wasn’t likely though. As she sat, she watched Callum with her yellow eyes, waiting to see what he would do. She didn’t want to say anything.
Finally, she tore her gaze away and turned around to look at Serilda, watching the woman standing near the door, and she took a deep breath, asking one more question.
“I-if it does happen to be an instigator, than..?” She asked, not knowing what to do.
Serilda shook her head and clicked her tongue, and for a moment in her stress, Lucine thought she saw someone else standing in the doorway instead of Serilda. “I’m not sure, kid.”
Kylie was somewhat in shock as she watched the vampire girl carry the boy out, supporting him under her weight as he looked as though he was going to fall over. She quickly alerted Serilda to this, as it was the only thing she knew to do. Serilda would know what to do, how to help. She always knew what to do, even when she didn’t.
She watched as Serilda went to help the half vampire- Kylie didn’t know her name, but the “cranky vampire” didn’t sound quite right, so she would just call her the half-vampire, staring as they disappeared up the stairs. It was then that she noticed the wolf pup from earlier moving closer to her, and she bent down to look at her once Serilda had left her sight.
“Don’t worry.” She told the pup, smiling, “He’s going to be okay! I know I’d be scared if anything happened to my friends…” She trailed off, thinking about something for a moment before bringing herself back, reaching down to pet the wolf, “But everything will be okay!”
The young girl noticed the wolf looking towards the entrance to the inn, standing up fully and looking at it with her. Nothing seemed off to the young girl, but something was upsetting the pup. When she leaned her head against Kylie’s leg, the young girl scooped her up and continued to watch the door.
“Is something there?” she asked, beginning to walk towards it. Certainly Serilda wouldn’t mind if she checked things out a bit, she seemed to be busy anyway. Her hand landed on the door and she pushed it open, gripping Raven a little tighter.
The half-vampire felt a little unsteady under Callum’s weight, though she knew what she had to do. Lucine tried to move at a slightly faster pace than she had before, and yet it still seemed almost impossible. Supporting him was harder than she had thought it would be originally, and she wished desperately that the adrenaline which gave her strength would kick in, yet it seemed nowhere to be found.
She was grateful when the werewolf decided to help her with supporting him, and was relieved to find that she seemed to be stronger than she looked. As they mounted the stairs together, and continued to climb them, Lucine found herself occasionally looking over at Callum, watching the boy with his head down, and her stomach flipped over. She wasn’t certain she would be able to view him the same way now knowing what he had experienced. She shifted her weight slightly.
After noticing Callum’s lack of a response to Serilda’s question, aside from him muttering the nickname he had given her, her worries immediately began to increase. He wasn’t able to make out what they were saying, which could spell an intense trouble. Serilda just clicked her tongue.
“So, he can’t hear us,” she said, nodding, “Good. I don’t want him to flip.”
Lucine’s eyes widened slightly as she said this, tilting her head. “What exactly would he, as you’ve put it, ‘flip’ about?” she didn’t need this worry added onto everything else.
“I’ve got a theory,” the werewolf said, and Lucine noticed that when she was closer, there was something different about her scent, in that it wasn’t entirely werewolf. She tried to shake it off, and instead listen to the woman speak. “Probably wrong, but it’s all I have to go off of.”
Lucine remained quiet, beginning to feel Callum’s trembling. He had muttered her name a second time, and she nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “I’m right here, love,” she told him, nodding, “We’ve almost reached the room.”
Serilda waited until she had finished until she continued, and it sounded to Lucine like she was wording herself very carefully. “I don’t think there was a poison in that dart. I think it was an instigator.”
“A… a what?” Lucine asked, her voice expressing her confusion. She got a tongue click in response, and then a deep breath.
“There wasn’t any poison in that dart,” Serilda said again, “I was thinking, it doesn’t have the properties of a poison. His heart would’ve given out by now- don’t be dramatic, I’m just stating it.”
Lucine allowed herself to listen.
“I think it was an instigator- probably meant to hit you-” Lucine made a small noise to that, and didn’t see Serilda’s smile. “I see. Anyway, it’s probably got something in it made to draw out the traits of a feral vampire.”
Lucine processed this in her mind. “W-what sort of things..?”
“Vampire blood is super hot on the market right now, it might be that. Some herbs and sh*t will do it too- cause boy toy isn’t a vampire, at least not any more, it’s pretty much ravaging him, cause there’s no feral traits to bring out.” Serilda finished, and Lucine let that sink in.
It sort of made a little sense, at least to her. They reached the top of the steps and turned left down the hallway, towards the room.
“But, why would a vampire hunter want to draw out a vampire’s feral traits..?” the girl asked, sounding more curious than confused.
“Makes em easier to find.” Serilda commented, as they approached the door, “Think about it, a mindless feral vampire is gonna get killed by villagers or found by other hunters pretty easily.”
“So… you don’t think he was poisoned.” Lucine said, opening the door with her elbow, “but injected with an ‘instigator?’”
The door swung open and the pair of girls entered, bringing Callum with them until they reached the bed, and then they took a group effort to lay him down on it. They were quiet once her had been laid there, and Serilda backed away towards the door as Lucine kneeled next to the bed, watching Callum. If he tried to get up, she’d just force him down again.
She said nothing as she thought on the idea that had just been proposed to her. It didn’t make sense, but at the same time, it did…. She knew it wasn’t likely though. As she sat, she watched Callum with her yellow eyes, waiting to see what he would do. She didn’t want to say anything.
Finally, she tore her gaze away and turned around to look at Serilda, watching the woman standing near the door, and she took a deep breath, asking one more question.
“I-if it does happen to be an instigator, than..?” She asked, not knowing what to do.
Serilda shook her head and clicked her tongue, and for a moment in her stress, Lucine thought she saw someone else standing in the doorway instead of Serilda. “I’m not sure, kid.”
Kylie was somewhat in shock as she watched the vampire girl carry the boy out, supporting him under her weight as he looked as though he was going to fall over. She quickly alerted Serilda to this, as it was the only thing she knew to do. Serilda would know what to do, how to help. She always knew what to do, even when she didn’t.
She watched as Serilda went to help the half vampire- Kylie didn’t know her name, but the “cranky vampire” didn’t sound quite right, so she would just call her the half-vampire, staring as they disappeared up the stairs. It was then that she noticed the wolf pup from earlier moving closer to her, and she bent down to look at her once Serilda had left her sight.
“Don’t worry.” She told the pup, smiling, “He’s going to be okay! I know I’d be scared if anything happened to my friends…” She trailed off, thinking about something for a moment before bringing herself back, reaching down to pet the wolf, “But everything will be okay!”
The young girl noticed the wolf looking towards the entrance to the inn, standing up fully and looking at it with her. Nothing seemed off to the young girl, but something was upsetting the pup. When she leaned her head against Kylie’s leg, the young girl scooped her up and continued to watch the door.
“Is something there?” she asked, beginning to walk towards it. Certainly Serilda wouldn’t mind if she checked things out a bit, she seemed to be busy anyway. Her hand landed on the door and she pushed it open, gripping Raven a little tighter.
Callum eventually had to let his feet drag. He could barely hold himself up for the ones who were helping him any longer. As much as he wanted to, trying to do so made him feel worse. His eyes were half-open, and his head was still hung. He could barely, if at all, hear Lucine and Serilda talking to each other. Their voices sounded muffled. He swore he was actually underwater right now.
He continued panting, taking in gulps of air. He was feeling thirsty again, even though he had just consumed water. With each stair he was carried up, his stomach tightened further. The main source of the pain was there now, aside from the dull throbbing in his wrist. He could only hope that it would go away soon.
The last time he felt this sick was when he had eaten normal food as a hybrid. He remembered the feeling. It was as if his body wanted to eject his insides. He had been left heaving for days, and even when he wasn't, he could barely move from the bed he had been placed in by Uphira without wanting to throw up again. It had been absolutely horrible.
Thinking about that occasion put him on edge. He hadn't consumed any food after being hit by the dart. The water hadn't tasted odd, so he couldn't have been poisoned by that. He decided to assume that it was merely the poison doing it. That was the easiest explanation, after all. The substance was unpredictable as always.
He lifted himself out of his stupor a tad when he realized that his feet were no longer on the stairs. They were presumably heading towards the room now, and getting closer at that. He was a little relieved. He just barely heard the door swing open, yet he still couldn't hear what the others were saying. He could tell they were speaking, but words weren't coming to his ears, only muffled sounds.
A moan escaped him as he was laid onto a bed. His forehead felt cool and clammy, beads of cold sweat forming in that area. His hearing was improving, that much he could tell. However there was nothing but quiet at the moment, and he found that he wanted to get up. He had to get up. His throat clenched. A warm feeling was slowly rising through his chest. He shivered and whimpered, his mouth shut.
He clutched at his stomach with one hand, using the other to push on the mattress and attempt to lift himself up. He didn't hear Lucine and Serilda share their short exchange in his efforts. His shivering kept him from trying even harder to get up. The warm feeling continued to rise, and he knew what this meant. His soul acted on its own and sent Lucine just a split second of the boy's nausea to give her an idea of what was going on.
"Bucket, p-please! Please...!" Callum yelled hoarsely, clutching his stomach tighter as it began to cramp more painfully.
Raven looked up at Kylie and slowly grinned at her as she reassured her. Of course he would be fine. He turned out fine for the most part. She would've usually thought he always turned out fine, rather than for the most part, but after his death... no. She didn't think that anymore. She always prayed for his safety in her mind.
She snuggled up against Kylie as she was scooped up into her arms, looking straight at the door. She felt a little bit of tension as the girl's hand landed on the door. She didn't know what she was expecting to see on the other side, or rather who. She hoped it wasn't a threat. That was the last thing they needed right now.
When the door was opened, a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s was in front of it. She made a small noise of surprise, looking down at the girl with an apologetic look on her face afterwards. She was wearing a black and purple elegant kimono. She had ghostly pale skin and light purple eyes. She didn't seem to have any visible blemishes on her skin. Her hair was black, flowing to her shoulder blades in the back. Strands of dark purple flowed from either side of her head, covering her ears for the most part, ending just below her shoulders. She wore a thin black choker and wore a pristine white rose in her hair.
"Oh! I'm sorry if I scared you," she apologized, smiling down at the child as well as the wolf pup. Raven blinked at her before offering a grin towards her. She laughed softly in response before speaking again.
"My name is Uphira. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Callum eventually had to let his feet drag. He could barely hold himself up for the ones who were helping him any longer. As much as he wanted to, trying to do so made him feel worse. His eyes were half-open, and his head was still hung. He could barely, if at all, hear Lucine and Serilda talking to each other. Their voices sounded muffled. He swore he was actually underwater right now.
He continued panting, taking in gulps of air. He was feeling thirsty again, even though he had just consumed water. With each stair he was carried up, his stomach tightened further. The main source of the pain was there now, aside from the dull throbbing in his wrist. He could only hope that it would go away soon.
The last time he felt this sick was when he had eaten normal food as a hybrid. He remembered the feeling. It was as if his body wanted to eject his insides. He had been left heaving for days, and even when he wasn't, he could barely move from the bed he had been placed in by Uphira without wanting to throw up again. It had been absolutely horrible.
Thinking about that occasion put him on edge. He hadn't consumed any food after being hit by the dart. The water hadn't tasted odd, so he couldn't have been poisoned by that. He decided to assume that it was merely the poison doing it. That was the easiest explanation, after all. The substance was unpredictable as always.
He lifted himself out of his stupor a tad when he realized that his feet were no longer on the stairs. They were presumably heading towards the room now, and getting closer at that. He was a little relieved. He just barely heard the door swing open, yet he still couldn't hear what the others were saying. He could tell they were speaking, but words weren't coming to his ears, only muffled sounds.
A moan escaped him as he was laid onto a bed. His forehead felt cool and clammy, beads of cold sweat forming in that area. His hearing was improving, that much he could tell. However there was nothing but quiet at the moment, and he found that he wanted to get up. He had to get up. His throat clenched. A warm feeling was slowly rising through his chest. He shivered and whimpered, his mouth shut.
He clutched at his stomach with one hand, using the other to push on the mattress and attempt to lift himself up. He didn't hear Lucine and Serilda share their short exchange in his efforts. His shivering kept him from trying even harder to get up. The warm feeling continued to rise, and he knew what this meant. His soul acted on its own and sent Lucine just a split second of the boy's nausea to give her an idea of what was going on.
"Bucket, p-please! Please...!" Callum yelled hoarsely, clutching his stomach tighter as it began to cramp more painfully.
Raven looked up at Kylie and slowly grinned at her as she reassured her. Of course he would be fine. He turned out fine for the most part. She would've usually thought he always turned out fine, rather than for the most part, but after his death... no. She didn't think that anymore. She always prayed for his safety in her mind.
She snuggled up against Kylie as she was scooped up into her arms, looking straight at the door. She felt a little bit of tension as the girl's hand landed on the door. She didn't know what she was expecting to see on the other side, or rather who. She hoped it wasn't a threat. That was the last thing they needed right now.
When the door was opened, a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s was in front of it. She made a small noise of surprise, looking down at the girl with an apologetic look on her face afterwards. She was wearing a black and purple elegant kimono. She had ghostly pale skin and light purple eyes. She didn't seem to have any visible blemishes on her skin. Her hair was black, flowing to her shoulder blades in the back. Strands of dark purple flowed from either side of her head, covering her ears for the most part, ending just below her shoulders. She wore a thin black choker and wore a pristine white rose in her hair.
"Oh! I'm sorry if I scared you," she apologized, smiling down at the child as well as the wolf pup. Raven blinked at her before offering a grin towards her. She laughed softly in response before speaking again.
"My name is Uphira. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Lucine was still sitting by Callum’s bedside, though she was looking away from him at the moment, towards the woman at the door. She was processing what she had just been told by her- the idea of an instigator. She wondered what kind of horrors a tool used to bring out the feral instincts of a vampire would be able to accomplish. Her mind went to the idea that perhaps it was used as a weapon of war, or perhaps.. She found that she once again was muttering, and closed her mouth tightly, staring up at Serilda, unable to tell that the hybrid had her masked gaze on Callum, watching as the boy was pushing himself up.
Lucine found that she suddenly gagged, like she was about to throw up, and she whipped her head around as soon as she felt it, knowing what it meant. The woman in the room ran out as Callum called for a bucket, leaving Lucine alone with Callum for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she had gone to get a bucket, or if she was just trying to avoid what was about to happen, but Lucine didn’t have time to think about it. Quickly, she stood, and ran over to the door, where a small bucket for dumping trash was sitting. She quickly rushed over to Callum’s beside with it and placed it in his lap, holding it upright for him.
“Here you are, love,” she said calmly, though she doubted he would even be able to hear her. He was obviously very sick- he seemed paler than usual, which was a feat for the boy, who looked like he was a vampire anyway. As he was clutching his stomach, the girl continued to hold the bucket up in wait for him to use it.
Hopefully, once he had, he would feel slightly better. She knew as soon as he was fit for travel they would turn around and go home- the quest had officially ended, at least for her. And all quests, for that matter, were officially ended. She’d take Callum home, and confine him to bedrest for a long time, even if he claimed he was feeling better, and then she would never try anything like this again. She should’ve been done with questing all those months ago.
Lucine found her thoughts switching to the fact that this was technically all her fault. All of it- the poisoning, Callum’s vampirism, all of it was her fault. The thought made her sad, that perhaps she was doing more harm than good to Callum. That scared her.
She brought herself out of her thoughts, though, and focused on the matter at hand. She continued to hold the bucket in place, hoping desperately that it would make it in and not all over the bed, or himself, or even her. It was just a waiting game to see what would happen.
The girl also made a small noise of surprise and jumped back as the woman behind the door was revealed, gazing up at her. Her first thought was that she was very pretty, very very pretty. Kylie smiled up at her and moved slightly out of the way of the doorway to let her in, the young girl holding the door open. Serilda had taught her manners, at least.
Kylie was unsure what the species of the woman was, but that was only a small observation, she didn’t really care much either way. She was slightly curious though, because she didn’t think she or Serilda had encountered a species like her before. She just watched the woman, and then shook her head at her apology.
“It’s no problem!” the young girl said cheerfully, watching the woman, and listening to her name. Uphira… it was pretty. Different, but pretty. Kylie didn’t like her name, but it was short for Kyliria, which she really didn’t like, so Kylie was fine with being Kylie. When she introduced herself, she stuck out her arm to shake, and a small glimpse of a scar could be seen beneath her sleeve. Kylie was used to seeing it, so she didn’t notice it, but she liked to have it covered. Infact, Serilda essentially told her to cover it, because it could be huge trouble if it was seen.
The mark of a slave.
“I’m Kyliria, but you can call me Kylie if you don’t like Kyliria, I don’t mind.” She told Uphira, smiling at her, using her foot to prop the door open since her other arm was holding the wolf pup.
Her next question, whether or not there was anything she could be helped with, Kylie thought for a moment to the boy who was upstairs with the vampire and Serilda. Kylie wasn’t really sure she knew what was going on with him, but it wouldn’t hurt to find out. She got the feeling Uphira might know.
“Y-yes, actually…” Kylie said, nodding and looking towards the stairs, “My friend, Serilda, and this other girl are upstairs right now with this boy. I don’t know who he is, but he has cool eyes… he seems really sick, though, really really sick, and they think he was poisoned- well the girl thinks that, Serilda said it was probably something else but she won’t tell me what because she doesn’t tell me anything, she says when I’m older she’ll tell me but I’m really not sure about that, because she likes to hide everything including her face, which I wish she wouldn’t do because she has cool eyes too, they’re like really really green, and she’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but anyways they’re upstairs and-” Kylie ran out of breath and took a deep one “-and the boy is really sick and they don’t know what’s wrong and I think the girl is really sad about it because Serilda says they look like they’ve been ‘doing it’ which I don’t know what that means but-” another deep breath, “I think they need help.”
Kylie stopped when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind her, and she whipped her head around to see Serilda, coming down while scratching her head, looking for something. Quickly thinking, Kylie grabbed Uphira’s hand and dragged her over to Serilda, calling for her. The woman stopped scratching her head and looked up at the two, staring at the woman who Kylie had found.
“Kylie, who’s this?” Serilda asked her, tilting her head at the woman, though not in an aggressive way like she usually does.
“This is Uphira! She was outside and she asked if I needed help with anything so I told her what was going on so now I need you to take her to the boy so that she can help-”
Serilda raised her hand and Kylie stopped, dropping Uphira’s arm and allowing Serilda to come the rest of the way downstairs, which she stopped and ruffled Kylie’s hair.
“Breathe when you talk, or you’ll get hiccups.” She told her, and then turned to Uphira, giving her a small nod. “Serilda. Nice to meet you. You know poisons, nausea, or both?”
Lucine was still sitting by Callum’s bedside, though she was looking away from him at the moment, towards the woman at the door. She was processing what she had just been told by her- the idea of an instigator. She wondered what kind of horrors a tool used to bring out the feral instincts of a vampire would be able to accomplish. Her mind went to the idea that perhaps it was used as a weapon of war, or perhaps.. She found that she once again was muttering, and closed her mouth tightly, staring up at Serilda, unable to tell that the hybrid had her masked gaze on Callum, watching as the boy was pushing himself up.
Lucine found that she suddenly gagged, like she was about to throw up, and she whipped her head around as soon as she felt it, knowing what it meant. The woman in the room ran out as Callum called for a bucket, leaving Lucine alone with Callum for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she had gone to get a bucket, or if she was just trying to avoid what was about to happen, but Lucine didn’t have time to think about it. Quickly, she stood, and ran over to the door, where a small bucket for dumping trash was sitting. She quickly rushed over to Callum’s beside with it and placed it in his lap, holding it upright for him.
“Here you are, love,” she said calmly, though she doubted he would even be able to hear her. He was obviously very sick- he seemed paler than usual, which was a feat for the boy, who looked like he was a vampire anyway. As he was clutching his stomach, the girl continued to hold the bucket up in wait for him to use it.
Hopefully, once he had, he would feel slightly better. She knew as soon as he was fit for travel they would turn around and go home- the quest had officially ended, at least for her. And all quests, for that matter, were officially ended. She’d take Callum home, and confine him to bedrest for a long time, even if he claimed he was feeling better, and then she would never try anything like this again. She should’ve been done with questing all those months ago.
Lucine found her thoughts switching to the fact that this was technically all her fault. All of it- the poisoning, Callum’s vampirism, all of it was her fault. The thought made her sad, that perhaps she was doing more harm than good to Callum. That scared her.
She brought herself out of her thoughts, though, and focused on the matter at hand. She continued to hold the bucket in place, hoping desperately that it would make it in and not all over the bed, or himself, or even her. It was just a waiting game to see what would happen.
The girl also made a small noise of surprise and jumped back as the woman behind the door was revealed, gazing up at her. Her first thought was that she was very pretty, very very pretty. Kylie smiled up at her and moved slightly out of the way of the doorway to let her in, the young girl holding the door open. Serilda had taught her manners, at least.
Kylie was unsure what the species of the woman was, but that was only a small observation, she didn’t really care much either way. She was slightly curious though, because she didn’t think she or Serilda had encountered a species like her before. She just watched the woman, and then shook her head at her apology.
“It’s no problem!” the young girl said cheerfully, watching the woman, and listening to her name. Uphira… it was pretty. Different, but pretty. Kylie didn’t like her name, but it was short for Kyliria, which she really didn’t like, so Kylie was fine with being Kylie. When she introduced herself, she stuck out her arm to shake, and a small glimpse of a scar could be seen beneath her sleeve. Kylie was used to seeing it, so she didn’t notice it, but she liked to have it covered. Infact, Serilda essentially told her to cover it, because it could be huge trouble if it was seen.
The mark of a slave.
“I’m Kyliria, but you can call me Kylie if you don’t like Kyliria, I don’t mind.” She told Uphira, smiling at her, using her foot to prop the door open since her other arm was holding the wolf pup.
Her next question, whether or not there was anything she could be helped with, Kylie thought for a moment to the boy who was upstairs with the vampire and Serilda. Kylie wasn’t really sure she knew what was going on with him, but it wouldn’t hurt to find out. She got the feeling Uphira might know.
“Y-yes, actually…” Kylie said, nodding and looking towards the stairs, “My friend, Serilda, and this other girl are upstairs right now with this boy. I don’t know who he is, but he has cool eyes… he seems really sick, though, really really sick, and they think he was poisoned- well the girl thinks that, Serilda said it was probably something else but she won’t tell me what because she doesn’t tell me anything, she says when I’m older she’ll tell me but I’m really not sure about that, because she likes to hide everything including her face, which I wish she wouldn’t do because she has cool eyes too, they’re like really really green, and she’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but anyways they’re upstairs and-” Kylie ran out of breath and took a deep one “-and the boy is really sick and they don’t know what’s wrong and I think the girl is really sad about it because Serilda says they look like they’ve been ‘doing it’ which I don’t know what that means but-” another deep breath, “I think they need help.”
Kylie stopped when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind her, and she whipped her head around to see Serilda, coming down while scratching her head, looking for something. Quickly thinking, Kylie grabbed Uphira’s hand and dragged her over to Serilda, calling for her. The woman stopped scratching her head and looked up at the two, staring at the woman who Kylie had found.
“Kylie, who’s this?” Serilda asked her, tilting her head at the woman, though not in an aggressive way like she usually does.
“This is Uphira! She was outside and she asked if I needed help with anything so I told her what was going on so now I need you to take her to the boy so that she can help-”
Serilda raised her hand and Kylie stopped, dropping Uphira’s arm and allowing Serilda to come the rest of the way downstairs, which she stopped and ruffled Kylie’s hair.
“Breathe when you talk, or you’ll get hiccups.” She told her, and then turned to Uphira, giving her a small nod. “Serilda. Nice to meet you. You know poisons, nausea, or both?”
Callum writhed in bed as the hand previously holding his body up slipped. He could feel it rising ever so slightly with every second that passed, and he knew he needed to expel it soon. That was why he had cried out like that in the first place. He thought if he hadn't gotten it out fast or loud enough, it would be too late. At least to him, the nausea hadn't reached the point of pure torment yet. He had high standards when it came to that kind of thing.
He knew he was worrying Lucine without having to look at her, to read her soul or her yellow eyes, anything. He felt even more sick for it. He despised himself at the moment. Why did he have to act this way every time he wasn't doing well? Couldn't he just suck it up? Sure, it was poison eating away at him, but still; he had been through worse before. That was a fact. He was sure he could suck it up if he wanted, and he did want.
So why wasn't it happening?
He vaguely heard footsteps getting farther away from where he was, meaning someone was leaving the room. His eyes were closed, and they wouldn't open. He didn't know who just left. He focused on his soul for a split second, just as long as he needed to, and was relieved to know that it wasn't Lucine who had left the room. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to or not. He didn't want her to watch him suffer like this, but at the same time, he didn't want to be alone.
You selfish boy.
You made this quest about you.
As that thought attacked him, he felt something placed on his lap. It was probably a bucket; just what he needed. He almost immediately lurched upward, his body acting against his will, one hand wrapping around one side of the object. His eyes still didn't open. He wasn't sure as to the reason. He accidentally gagged as he lurched. He was only making his own condition worse.
It was almost here. He needed to get it out, and it was going to suck, but it had to happen. He panted heavily as he waited. And waited. And waited. Shivering as he sat upright, attempting desperately to control himself. It was like waiting for someone who had a weapon aimed at your face to kill you. It was tormenting. Time ticked by slower than normal, and you would wonder if this hesitation was good or bad. Good because you weren't dying, but bad because you could very well die right then and there.
But all of a sudden, the nausea...
Stopped.
It was gone. He couldn't believe it was gone. He no longer felt like vomiting. The warm feeling sunk back down. The cramps ceased. He slowly took the hand clutching his stomach off of it, opening his eyes at the same time. There was surprise and disbelief in them. He stole a glance at his wrist. Even with the black stains making it hard to tell anything, he knew he was no longer bleeding black. He could see just a hint of red.
What the hell?
He sighed, again, surprised. He was shocked at how normal the sigh sounded. It wasn't shaky or anything like that. He let go of the bucket, steadily leaning back and letting his body rest on the mattress below him. He took a few moments to process what just happened. One second, he experienced so much discomfort and even pain... and the next, it was like it never happened. It was bewildering.
"It's okay," he said quietly. His voice sounded normal too. He looked over at Lucine. Small tears bubbled in his eyes, but the emotion bringing those out was... confused. It was either negative or positive, and it was hard to tell. "I'm not nauseous anymore."
He sighed again. The clamminess of his skin felt like it was fading. Or at least, not being as serious as it was anymore. Some of the color progressively returned to his skin, his face in particular. Shakes and shudders weren't ravaging his body. He didn't know what was happening to him on the inside. What he did know was that he felt better than he did just a few minutes ago.
You made this quest about you.
He closed his eyes for a moment. The guilt was trying to rise now, and he wouldn't let it. His determination was successful at keeping it from showing on the outside. Lucine was probably done with the quest. She probably wanted to take him home and keep him safe.
I shouldn't have told her. I shouldn't have, because now... did it do any good? No, it only made her feel worse. Maybe it actually made me seem more vulnerable. I know pain likes to follow me. It does. But... I have to be done. I can't keep letting it happen. We can't give up just because I'm not doing well. This isn't about me. This isn't about my family. I refuse to be a selfish boyfriend.
The boy raised a hand and reached for Lucine's, laying it on top of hers softly. He breathed just as softly as he opened his eyes and looked at her. The tears were no longer bubbling in them. "Lucine," he said calmly. He sounded a little surprised, maybe even a bit relieved. "I feel... better. I don't know why, but... I do."
He glanced at and flexed his bandaged wrist. He didn't see anymore blood being added to the other stains of blood, black with a dash of red. He looked back to Lucine. "It's not bleeding," he commented softly, sighing. "Oh... what happened? Is... is it gone? Is it... gone?"
Uphira continued smiling down at the girl, shaking her hand as soon as it was offered to her. She walked into the building as to not attract too much outside attention. She caught a small glimpse of the scar underneath her sleeve, but she decided not to say anything about it.
"Nice to meet you, Kylie," she replied cheerfully. "I like both names. They're pretty."
She remained silent and listened to the girl as she began to explain what was wrong. The girl's friend, Serilda, and another girl were with an ill boy upstairs. According to Kylie, he was very sick. She felt a shiver travel down her spine when she heard the word "poisoned". It seemed like someone poisoned the boy; either that or whatever Serilda had thought happened instead. She couldn't help but chuckle when the girl talked about how pretty Serilda's eyes seemingly were.
She continued to listen, paying more attention at the mention of... "doing it". From that, she was able to deduce quickly that this other girl and the sick boy were a couple. It sounded sweet, but at the same time, said boy was poisoned and said girl was sad about it. Of course, Kylie didn't know what "doing it" meant. She found herself thankful for that. Children around Kylie's age didn't need to know that at this stage in their lives.
She had a worried expression on her face as she was about to respond. However, she was interrupted by the sound of someone coming down the stairs. She reacted quickly to her hand being grabbed, walking along with the girl as she brought her to the other woman. She was wearing a mask, which made it hard to tell things like expression and where the woman was looking with her eyes.
She observed the exchange between Kylie and the other woman, who she now assumed to be Serilda. It wasn't exact yet, but it was a good assumption. She could tell from their interactions that they had a close bond, which touched her, she had to admit.
"Nice to meet you too," she replied politely, returning Serilda's small nod with one of her own. She took a moment to process her question, knowing that the woman was likely referencing the boy upstairs... why did he sound familiar already?
"Both," Uphira answered in a confident manner. "Those two coincide together in this situation, I know that for sure. Do you think you could take me to where the boy is? I think I may know something about it... a friend of mine has a friend who was recently poisoned with this." When she finished talking for a few moments, she stuck her hand in a bag she carried around and pulled something out of it. She held it up for mainly Serilda to see. She noticed that the wolf pup in Kylie's arms had her eyes fixed on the object she held.
It was a dart with purple fuzz at the end.
Callum writhed in bed as the hand previously holding his body up slipped. He could feel it rising ever so slightly with every second that passed, and he knew he needed to expel it soon. That was why he had cried out like that in the first place. He thought if he hadn't gotten it out fast or loud enough, it would be too late. At least to him, the nausea hadn't reached the point of pure torment yet. He had high standards when it came to that kind of thing.
He knew he was worrying Lucine without having to look at her, to read her soul or her yellow eyes, anything. He felt even more sick for it. He despised himself at the moment. Why did he have to act this way every time he wasn't doing well? Couldn't he just suck it up? Sure, it was poison eating away at him, but still; he had been through worse before. That was a fact. He was sure he could suck it up if he wanted, and he did want.
So why wasn't it happening?
He vaguely heard footsteps getting farther away from where he was, meaning someone was leaving the room. His eyes were closed, and they wouldn't open. He didn't know who just left. He focused on his soul for a split second, just as long as he needed to, and was relieved to know that it wasn't Lucine who had left the room. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to or not. He didn't want her to watch him suffer like this, but at the same time, he didn't want to be alone.
You selfish boy.
You made this quest about you.
As that thought attacked him, he felt something placed on his lap. It was probably a bucket; just what he needed. He almost immediately lurched upward, his body acting against his will, one hand wrapping around one side of the object. His eyes still didn't open. He wasn't sure as to the reason. He accidentally gagged as he lurched. He was only making his own condition worse.
It was almost here. He needed to get it out, and it was going to suck, but it had to happen. He panted heavily as he waited. And waited. And waited. Shivering as he sat upright, attempting desperately to control himself. It was like waiting for someone who had a weapon aimed at your face to kill you. It was tormenting. Time ticked by slower than normal, and you would wonder if this hesitation was good or bad. Good because you weren't dying, but bad because you could very well die right then and there.
But all of a sudden, the nausea...
Stopped.
It was gone. He couldn't believe it was gone. He no longer felt like vomiting. The warm feeling sunk back down. The cramps ceased. He slowly took the hand clutching his stomach off of it, opening his eyes at the same time. There was surprise and disbelief in them. He stole a glance at his wrist. Even with the black stains making it hard to tell anything, he knew he was no longer bleeding black. He could see just a hint of red.
What the hell?
He sighed, again, surprised. He was shocked at how normal the sigh sounded. It wasn't shaky or anything like that. He let go of the bucket, steadily leaning back and letting his body rest on the mattress below him. He took a few moments to process what just happened. One second, he experienced so much discomfort and even pain... and the next, it was like it never happened. It was bewildering.
"It's okay," he said quietly. His voice sounded normal too. He looked over at Lucine. Small tears bubbled in his eyes, but the emotion bringing those out was... confused. It was either negative or positive, and it was hard to tell. "I'm not nauseous anymore."
He sighed again. The clamminess of his skin felt like it was fading. Or at least, not being as serious as it was anymore. Some of the color progressively returned to his skin, his face in particular. Shakes and shudders weren't ravaging his body. He didn't know what was happening to him on the inside. What he did know was that he felt better than he did just a few minutes ago.
You made this quest about you.
He closed his eyes for a moment. The guilt was trying to rise now, and he wouldn't let it. His determination was successful at keeping it from showing on the outside. Lucine was probably done with the quest. She probably wanted to take him home and keep him safe.
I shouldn't have told her. I shouldn't have, because now... did it do any good? No, it only made her feel worse. Maybe it actually made me seem more vulnerable. I know pain likes to follow me. It does. But... I have to be done. I can't keep letting it happen. We can't give up just because I'm not doing well. This isn't about me. This isn't about my family. I refuse to be a selfish boyfriend.
The boy raised a hand and reached for Lucine's, laying it on top of hers softly. He breathed just as softly as he opened his eyes and looked at her. The tears were no longer bubbling in them. "Lucine," he said calmly. He sounded a little surprised, maybe even a bit relieved. "I feel... better. I don't know why, but... I do."
He glanced at and flexed his bandaged wrist. He didn't see anymore blood being added to the other stains of blood, black with a dash of red. He looked back to Lucine. "It's not bleeding," he commented softly, sighing. "Oh... what happened? Is... is it gone? Is it... gone?"
Uphira continued smiling down at the girl, shaking her hand as soon as it was offered to her. She walked into the building as to not attract too much outside attention. She caught a small glimpse of the scar underneath her sleeve, but she decided not to say anything about it.
"Nice to meet you, Kylie," she replied cheerfully. "I like both names. They're pretty."
She remained silent and listened to the girl as she began to explain what was wrong. The girl's friend, Serilda, and another girl were with an ill boy upstairs. According to Kylie, he was very sick. She felt a shiver travel down her spine when she heard the word "poisoned". It seemed like someone poisoned the boy; either that or whatever Serilda had thought happened instead. She couldn't help but chuckle when the girl talked about how pretty Serilda's eyes seemingly were.
She continued to listen, paying more attention at the mention of... "doing it". From that, she was able to deduce quickly that this other girl and the sick boy were a couple. It sounded sweet, but at the same time, said boy was poisoned and said girl was sad about it. Of course, Kylie didn't know what "doing it" meant. She found herself thankful for that. Children around Kylie's age didn't need to know that at this stage in their lives.
She had a worried expression on her face as she was about to respond. However, she was interrupted by the sound of someone coming down the stairs. She reacted quickly to her hand being grabbed, walking along with the girl as she brought her to the other woman. She was wearing a mask, which made it hard to tell things like expression and where the woman was looking with her eyes.
She observed the exchange between Kylie and the other woman, who she now assumed to be Serilda. It wasn't exact yet, but it was a good assumption. She could tell from their interactions that they had a close bond, which touched her, she had to admit.
"Nice to meet you too," she replied politely, returning Serilda's small nod with one of her own. She took a moment to process her question, knowing that the woman was likely referencing the boy upstairs... why did he sound familiar already?
"Both," Uphira answered in a confident manner. "Those two coincide together in this situation, I know that for sure. Do you think you could take me to where the boy is? I think I may know something about it... a friend of mine has a friend who was recently poisoned with this." When she finished talking for a few moments, she stuck her hand in a bag she carried around and pulled something out of it. She held it up for mainly Serilda to see. She noticed that the wolf pup in Kylie's arms had her eyes fixed on the object she held.
It was a dart with purple fuzz at the end.
