Fantasy St. George's School for Young Hunters (closed)

[Reynarda]

“Lights, right,” Scarlet said.

The eerie glowing lights appeared around third and forth harpoon crews. They attacked the slayers like angry Christmas lights, lighting the crew on fire.

“Scarlet,” Esme said, watching the mayhem through binoculars from her perch in the highest tower. “Could the wolves be of assistance?”

Scarlet nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know how to ask them.”

“Yes, you do,” Esme said firmly as if Vlad had given Scarlet an intensive course on protecting the castle and how to use the familial magic.

Which he hadn’t. Mostly because Scarlet had refused to listen to his instruction, but still. Stupid need to be difficult, Scarlet thought.

Starless came to Scarlet’s aid, conveying her understanding of how that particular aspect of the familial magic worked.

Scarlet nodded, calling the wolves through the earth and asking for their help. The pack, who did like the vampire who kept them safe from the town’s inhabitants and did not like the people who had panicked and killed several of the pack, obliged with gusto. They converged on the two harpoon crews. The slayers ran from the sudden appearance of the large predators, breaking from the cover of the trees.

“There!” Rue cried triumphantly. Luke was already firing, so she asked, “Alex, do you see them?”





Tailing Bram like an overjoyed puppy on a walk, Vlad suddenly froze, all his previous cheerfulness evaporating. First, Jurriaan had to go and accuse him of being unlovable—which was not true, and so he repeated this fact to himself. But this was not what had caused the freezing.

It was May’s voice, but it was not May. And the way it was talking—

Vlad felt his blood go cold.

He could feel Winona’s fear, May’s confusion, and, to his surprise, Jurriaan Leeuwen’s fear.

What the hell? Your child is possessed? You took in a demon—

Shut-up, I’m thinking, Vlad snapped. And no, but that’s none of your business. May? May, talk to me.

You’re going to let your possessed child do to Bram what I did to you?

Vlad nearly screamed at Jurriaan in frustration, but letting May and Winona know he was panicking just as much as they were would not be helpful. Think, think, think. How could they get the fallen guardian to go back to whatever plane it had come from? At this point, if he had that cleansing water stuff, Vlad probably would have tried dumping it on the mage and seeing if that helped. Anything. Anything to get the guardian to leave May alone.

Go on, then, Jurriaan snarled impatiently. Dazzle it with your words.

Do not do this to him, Vlad said, deciding to address the ancient guardian and pretending like Jurriaan Leeuwen had not told him to do so. You are a protector, are you not? Do not violate him further by killing with his hands.

“Vlad?” Sensing his shadow was gone, Bram had turned to find the vampire swaying on his feet.

He followed Vlad’s unfocused gaze and saw May holding out his hand as chains wrapped Jurriaan’s throat. That was not May. May had panicked when he had suggested they shoot to kill. May wouldn’t be doing this. That meant it was that spirit-ancient-god-thing.

A slayer took advantage of Vlad’s obvious distraction, and Bram threw his knife. It landed, but Bram didn’t wait until the hunter fell. He caught Vlad and scooped him up. The vampire over his shoulder, Bram ran across the field from the trees to the group by the wall. Vlad was obviously trying to get the thing to leave May alone, but Bram still ran as fast as he could. He made it to the castle in no time at all, and Bram wasn’t sure that the land hadn’t shifted to reduce the distance.

Bram deposited Vlad far enough from his father but close enough to Winona. Entirely ignoring the kneeling slayer, Bram dropped to his knees in front of May. Placing his hands on his shoulders, Bram looked May in the eye. He didn’t care if the monster-thing was controlling him. May was in there somewhere.

“May, come on, kiddo, I know you’re in there. I know you’re stronger than this. Come on, May, you can do this. You can take back control.”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

May could, vaguely, make out what was happening, but somehow he couldn’t stop himself from moving and acting. He tried to express as much to Vlad via their link, but found words failing him and he had to use vague thoughts and images instead. He felt very, very sleepy.

The serpent paused from where he was prepared to choke the life out of Jurriaan, turning his eyes to Vlad with a look of very mild confusion on his face.

“I don’t understand. Do you not want this man dead for hurting your family?” He asked, sounding genuinely curious. He had assumed that that was what everyone wanted. May had basically been crying out for help, after all, and while the serpent was sealed he could still see and experience things through May’s eyes. He knew, at least on a basic level, that Jurriaan deserved to die. He did not understand why everybody was converging on him with fear and confusion. Surely they had to have known this would happen eventually? And he was helping them. Shouldn’t they be glad that he was helping them?

He kept his feelings tightly under control, though, as he considered correcting Jurriaan that he was not a demon, he was much more powerful than a basic spawn of hell, but then Bram was in front of him, and he frowned as May tried to focus on him, to fight through the cloudy fog that the serpent had put him under to come to the surface and reassure Bram that he was ok, just very dizzy and sleepy and didn’t really know what was going on. His legs gave out as he fell rather unceremoniously to his butt.

“That child is resting now,” the serpent said with a slight scowl, because his seal was not undone completely and this was very difficult to begin with, and these people were making it even harder for him to pass judgement when he had the right to do so, and he had expected that they would agree with him.

 

[jones573]

“Yeah of course,” Winona told May, or May’s body, or whatever was in May’s body. They did want Jurriaan dead, or at least /she/ did.



She had steadied her voice somewhat, but kept her head bowed even though she had turned from facing Jurriaan to face more towards May. Showing fear was acceptable, so long as it was deferential. “We just- Want to do it ourselves,” she said, trying to make an appeal that would be understandable to… Whatever this was.



“Some things are… Personal.”



She didn’t quite understand the panic from Vlad and Bram- Of course this was bad, because it gave her that feeling somewhere in her gut that screamed ‘wrong wrong wrong’ the way it had when Alex’s father’s boyfriend or whoever had smiled at her, but they were also being /rude/ to it and trying overtly to get May back, which was no good.







Alex had just kind of thrown that idea out there as an example of how very few ideas he had, so he was quite surprised- and pleased- that Scarlet /could/ make use of the lights.



“Yeah, I see ‘em,” Alex confirmed, readying his aim- When a large wolf appeared in his scope to attack his target. Well, that was effective, too, he supposed.



“Do wolves have the dexterity needed to tear about the gun units?”



He didn’t want to shoot one of them by accident, and even if they only herded the slayers and stayed low instead of attacking, Alex wasn’t that confident with his aim.

 

[Reynarda]

Scarlet frowned at Alex’s question. “No, I don’t think so. I just asked them to chase the slayers from the woods. I don’t want them to get hurt helping.”

She turned her attention back on the pack, directing them to hide in the trees where it was safe. The wolves were reluctant to do so until Scarlet told them guns were about to go off. That changed their minds, and the wolves quickly slipped back into the underbrush. They remained there, snapping at any slayer foolish enough to seek the shelter of the woods.

“They should be clear,” Scarlet said. “Devon, what’s happening?”

Devon hesitated. “Um, May’s sort of… killing Bram’s dad? Bram’s trying to talk to him or something, I’m honestly not really sure.”





“Yes, of course,” Vlad answered honestly to the guardian’s question, ignoring Jurriaan’s mental grumbling. He did want Jurriaan Leeuwen to die for attacking his family. For what he had done to Bram. For what he was doing to Winona and May. Strangulation would be dandy because it would take a little while, and he could die knowing that he had lost and Bram was free of him forever. But… “But doing so by May’s hand would be a violation of his person.”

“You give him back,” Bram demanded of the serpent, never one to be frightened of lesser-god-thing. The only thing stopping him from shaking the serpent out of May was the knowledge that shaking May was a bad idea. “You don’t get to exact justice or whatever. You’re not part of this. You can’t just take over May like this. Wake him up and go back to sleep. I’ll deal with my father.” Bram glanced back at the man in question, an idea popping in his head. He turned back to the thing that had hijacked May. “Actually, you’re a magical guardian thing, right? Have you ever, like, stopped up someone’s magic so that they couldn’t use it?”

Jurriaan’s eyes widened, and Vlad raised his eyebrows.

“Abraham?” the vampire said cautiously.

Bram glanced back at his companion. “I have a theory about why he’s been stealing energy. I think it got blocked when I pushed him off that roof.”

Vlad arched an eyebrow. It was an interesting theory, and all it took was a glance at Jurriaan Leeuwen’s bare shock to know whether or not it was the case. Vlad smiled fondly at Bram. “And they say you are the muscle of this duo.”

“Obviously you aren’t.” Bram gestured vaguely at May. “Plus, it might… you know.”

Vlad nodded. Placate the serpent so that he would be content to slumber further.

Had they not been discussing stripping him of his magic, Jurriaan would have been tempted to deride their exchange. As it was, he had other things on his mind. “Death would be kinder.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not really in a kind mood, Dad. You’re stealing energy from my vampire, invading my mage’s mind, and forcing my problem child to do your biding. Give me one good reason that is not related to our shared DNA why I should be kind to you.”

Jurriaan had nothing to say to that, and Vlad put his hands up in a rare display of not getting involved with that particular conversation.

“That’s what I thought.” Bram turned back to the thing inside May. “How ‘bout it? You get to do your justice-thing, then we get our May back. Sound good?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

The serpent’s eyebrows drew together. He didn’t understand how exacting justice would be violating anyone, aside from the person who was about to die.

“This is my body,” he said, though it was true that May was in here too, he supposed. Still. “It was created for me. I have no reason to leave.”

But Bram was being particularly obtuse, and was actually trying to bargain with him. It made his nose scrunch up in confusion, because wouldn’t simple death be easier and a better alternative than the simple removal of magic? Not to mention, Winona seemed to think this was personal, and he had a feeling she would not be pleased with that solution. He did not know why he cared if she was pleased or not, but he found that he did not want to upset anybody here. Secondhand emotions, maybe. It had been a very long time since he had actually had a body and a brain capable of actually processing these things, and it was making him feel very confused.

He frowned as he considered what Bram had asked him to do. It would, in a way, be exacting judgement, just in a very different way than he was used to. Still.

“He needs to be punished,” he said, pointing to Jurriaan. “If you do not wish for me to kill him then I... can try. I have never done such a thing before.”

He sounded not unlike a lost child who had no idea what he was really doing, and he was about one step away from pouting in frustration. He still didn’t have a reason to leave, even after this act was carried out, but he figured saying such would just make Bram surly and rude again.

Hm, how to remove someone’s magic. He knew the basics of manipulating magic flow, since it was how he existed. But this was something completely different, and he had never seen magic like this before. He pressed his feelers out, the same way that somebody would take prana from May during a ritual, except doing the reverse. Poking and prodding, first at Vlad, because his magic was more familiar, but he quickly left him alone to instead focus on Jurriaan. His magic seemed to be connected to his blood more than anything, which was very strange to the serpent, who drew power from the world itself instead. Fascination flared slightly through their connected link as he sampled it, then decided quickly that their magics were not compatible. It wouldn’t be too difficult to manipulate, though. In fact... he blinked, before looking down and rolling up his sleeve. He had never understood why May bothered with stones when his power really came from within himself, but in this case... he pulled a bracelet of quartz from his wrist and held it in one hand, redirecting the flow of Jurriaan’s magic from his body into the stones themselves, sealing it much the way that the other guardians had sealed him, though on a much smaller scale. It was easier, since magic itself had no consciousness.

Once the act was done he turned to Bram and dropped the bracelet into his hand.

“It’s in there,” he said by explanation.

 

[jones573]

This was cheating, as far as Winona was concerned. But- She swallowed down her objections. Stripping him of his magic would make Jurriaan easier to kill, and make Bram happy that he didn’t have to kill his father. And apparently make the… Thing go away, which everyone was all concerned over.



And then Winona could kill Jurriaan in secret, and Bram would never have to know, or feel guilty about it. This was… Satisfactory, she decided.



“Do we have to destroy it,” Winona asked, peering at the quartz stones. So that he can’t use it anymore? Can he get at other people’s, she questioned Vlad.







Without needing to worry about the wolves, Alex resumed firing on the slayers, keeping them away from the castle and from returning to the device. So far, things were going a lot better than they had been-



“He’s /what/? No, that can’t be right,” Alex said in a panic- But when he looked down, May was standing directly across from Jurriaan and the silver chains were around the older man’s neck and May’s arm was out in a way that definitely suggested he was in control of the situation.



The impending freak-out Alex had been stifling was just about to boil over, when May stepped back slightly and gave something to Bram. Which was.... Good? Maybe bad? Alex really couldn't tell.



“Bram? Do you copy? Are you guys okay down there?”

 

[Reynarda]

Now that the wolves were safely in the trees, Luka fired rapidly, once again taking out the slayers. Something seemed to happen, like a fuse had failed, and suddenly hitting Jurriaan’s minions was much easier. There were loud pops as body armor imploded and weapons failed.

Starless suddenly roared, and dragons dropped from the clouds, spewing fire at the confused slayers.

“What is happening, Devon?” Luka asked.

“I don’t know!”

“Jurriaan Leeuwen doesn’t have magic anymore,” Scarlet said with unwavering certainty. “I can feel it’s absence like I just took a lot of fentanyl after falling off a cliff.”

“Oddly specific,” Devon said. “Guys, May’s acting really strange. I seriously would think it was someone else if I couldn’t see his face.”




When the serpent actually did what Bram suggested, Vlad looked between May, Jurriaan, Winona, and the bracelet in Bram’s hand. That had actually worked? He had actually done that? Vlad had felt the fallen guardian prodding his magic, then taking Jurriaan’s magic from him. The spells Bram’s father had crafted did not instantly disappear—such was the potency of his magic—but Vlad had no trouble tearing them down with no active slayer to inhibit him. He did not release the mind spell he had activated, however. Not because he wanted to hear Jurriaan Leeuwen’s rage, but because he wanted to keep in contact with May. He could still sense the mage, deep within his own mind. The serpent had declared May’s body to be his own, after all. Vlad was not leaving until he had May with him.

Bram, for his part, looked like he totally knew that was going to work. “I don’t think this goes with my outfit,” he said after a few moments of silence.

Were it anyone else, Vlad would have expressed his exasperation, but he noticed the way that Bram was staring down the bracelet, not looking at his father.

Tapping his bluetooth, Bram answered Alex. “Yeah, we’re fine. Just hit a few bumps. We should be good to go in a bit.”

I do not know, Vlad admitted to Winona. He cannot steal anyone else’s without his innate magic to activate the spells. Theoretically, he could get another slayer to give him an artificial boost of magic—which is what Vlad assumed Jurriaan had done upon waking on the pavement of Saint Paul’s and discovering his magic did not work properly—but he decided not to mention that to Winona. But without even a spark of magic, his method of brute-forcing it through with the energy of someone else was not viable.

“We could lock it in Vlad’s vaults,” Bram proposed.

“Hell no,” Vlad said with a rare display of cursing.

“This is like a horcrux,” Bram muttered. “Let’s not repeat Voldemort’s mistakes. How ‘bout the Marianna Trench?”

“How could you?” Jurriaan snarled at his son in Dutch, pushing himself to his feet.

“I had mercy on you,” Bram growled back.

“‘Mercy’?” Jurriaan scoffed. “Allowing someone to live after destroying everything important to them, now where have I heard that before?”

“Our motives are different!” Bram nearly shouted. “And wow, your magic is the most important thing to you—I’m so surprised!”

Jurriaan raised his fist, which was free, thanks to not-May relocating the silver chains.

“What’re you gonna do?” Bram demanded, spreading his arms in an invitation. “Hit me? I’m not ten anymore, Dad!”

Jurriaan’s eyes dropped to Vlad, who was still crouched close to Winona. It was an insane thought as the guardian still had the chains around his neck. Still, Vlad watched his death flash across Jurriaan’s mind and scrambled back, having no doubt that the slayer could kill him even without his magic.

“You can’t stop hurting people, can you?” Bram asked, dropping his voice to a more conversational tone. “You have to make everyone feel like you do. I’m happy, and you can’t stand it. For pity’s sake, you’ve lost—just give up!”

Jurriaan’s eyes flicked to May, then Winona, trying to figure out who he could likely kill before someone stopped him.

This is madness, Saint George, Vlad said, and the use of Jurriaan’s former title got his attention back where Vlad preferred it—away from his family. For Bram’s sake, do not make one of us kill you.

Jurriaan laughed mirthlessly, knowing full-well Vlad had phrased it that way on purpose. I have never been able to make you do anything, little dragon.

Let him be happy, please.

With you? And your half-breed monster children?

Yes.

Jurriaan blinked, returning his gaze to his son. Bram was tensed, glancing between May, Winona, and Vlad, trying to figure out who his father was going to attempt to murder. Jurriaan Leeuwen sighed and held out his wrists. Bram eyed him like he had grown a second head.

“Come on, then. I’m giving up.”

Bram was pretty sure his father was lying, but he didn’t really have time to question it. That thing still hadn’t given May back to them. Giving everyone a look that said to stand back, he took a step forward dropping the bracelet in one pocket and feeling around in another.

“I think I still have those handcuffs from when I used them on Victoria.”

“Abraham,” Vlad complained from behind him, having apparently not obeyed the “stand back” look.

Jurriaan also made a disgusted face.

“Not like that! Yeesh, you two have dirty minds.” Bram produced the handcuffs and slapped them on his father’s wrists.

Jurriaan could have made a grab for the bracelet in his son’s pocket, but Vlad was eying him and mentally wagging a finger at him.

Release your accursed magic this instant.

Not until we get May back.

As Vlad was staring down his father, Bram decided it was okay to take his full attention off him. He turned to not-May the serpent. “Alright. Where’s May? You got a name? If not, I’m calling you ‘Not-May’.”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

The serpent clearly was not used to Bram’s form of humour, because he gave him a very blank look and tilted his head to the side curiously.

“It isn’t an accessory,” he said, then further pondered over what on earth a horcrux was. At least Winona was asking questions that he had the actual answer to.

“Don’t break it,” he warned, because breaking it would release the seal, but he didn’t want to outright say that with Jurriaan right in front of them.

He could feel the threat from Jurriaan’s mind, and he turned to glare at him, the chains that had loosened before tightening ever so slightly as a warning. He was being merciful right now, which was a rare thing, and this human should not push his luck. But it seemed soon enough that he was actually giving in anyways.

“I don’t have a name,” the serpent replied to Bram. “Not in the way you do. I am the serpent of the fifth month, the fifth guardian. You can call me whatever you wish.”

He pursed his lips and frowned, because May was starting to wake up again, and with the exhaustion of rerouting all that magic, the seal was starting to get stronger. Still, he did not want to leave just yet.

“He is resting,” he continued, because it was technically still true. “However I cannot stay here much longer. If you do not want me to kill that man, then I will not. However I do not think leaving him alive is wise, but i have already passed judgement in your preferred way, so I will not interfere.”

He pointedly did not mention how to wake May up, though he had a feeling it would happen sooner or later on it’s own. Besides, he had one thing he wanted to ask for before returning, but felt that it wasn’t quite the right time to ask.

 

[jones573]

Winona peered at the bracelet, unsure. It was an unsatisfactory solution, if it could not be completely neutralized. All the more reason she should enact her original plan-



When Jurriaan broadcast his ill-wishing thoughts about Vlad, she turned back to him slowly, raising her eyes to meet his and the corner of her lips twitching upwards. And privately, she showed him just a few of the ways she might kill him- A gruesome ‘robbery gone wrong’ down some alleyway, a punctured fuel line in his car, a spoonful of hot metal poured down his ear while he slept.





“Thank you so much,” she told the thing that wasn’t May in the tone of false-politeness Bram and Vlad had taught her to use with cashiers and other people that she was apparently supposed to thank even though she didn’t really understand why.



They were all being very tense about the whole thing, which Winona thought was odd. May was obviously… Not in control of his own vehicle, to the point that he was maybe in the truck or something, but she had a connection with him. He could just carpool with her and he would be able to communicate and comprehend just fine, even if it wasn’t with his own eyes and ears. Maria had explained the word ‘taboo’ and ‘immoral’ and reiterated their importance, but Winona still thought it was a bit silly.





Like Luka, Alex found his targets easier to hit- The ones with magical shielding no longer seemed to need a first bullet to strike through, and they scattered in confusion. Dragons and wolves were not necessarily what Alex considered ‘herding’ animals- so much as ‘hurting’ animals- but they were doing an excellent job of both.

“Um. Okay then,” he told Bram, keeping an eye on the perimeter so they wouldn’t have any escapees. No magic from Jurriaan was definitely helpful, though like Devon, he was a little worried about how Scarlet was looped into this knowledge. “Let us know if you need anything?”

A ‘few bumps’ didn’t sound great, but it didn’t sound /bad/, and things seemed to be generally under control, so. Maybe things were all right.

 

[Reynarda]

Vlad gave Winona a look because he could most certainly see her inventive ways of killing Jurriaan Leeuwen and did not approve. Not only had her previous attempt not worked, but spoonfuls of hot metal? That was not a viable idea at all.

“The fifth what of the what?” Bram asked. “That’s not a name. Larry is a name. Not the fifth month—just call yourself... oh. May’s name makes sense now. I honestly thought it was short for something. How about we call you ‘Larry’?”

“Abraham, you are avoiding the problem at hand,” Vlad said in the Roma tongue. After several seconds of deliberating which language they knew Jurriaan Leeuwen was least likely to know, he had chosen this one.

Only Bram had a thick Dutch accent when he spoke Romani.

“I’m not,” Bram said, his attention still on the newly dubbed “Larry”. He was, of course. He babbled more than usual when he was stressed, and now was such a time. “You have a crypt, don’t you?”

“That man is not entering my home.”

“Set him free, then.”

“No.”

“Crypt, then. I’ll call the Eastern European Guild branch and have them try him for his crimes. We can hand him over to them in Bistrita.”

“We will be expected to testify.”

Bram waved this away. “We’ll send in Gabe.”

Gabe was going to love that, Vlad thought ruefully.

While Jurriaan had never bothered to learn Romani, he understood the general gist of the conversation from Vlad’s obvious dislike of Bram’s executive discision. He smiled with mock warmth at the vampire.

“You’ll put me up in the family wing, of course.”

“Go to Hades.”

Bram reached over and put his hand on Vlad’s shoulder in a placating manner. It was just until they could hand him off to the Guild officers.

Vlad threw up his hands in surrender. It wasn’t like he could call the local authorities and ask them to hold someone he claimed were attacking a castle that didn’t exist. He touched his own earpiece only to discover his mobile was out of range. Which would explain why he hadn’t heard the others since leaving the castle.

Bram touched his own. “You guys can stand down now. We’ll round up the rest and take them prisoner until we can hand them off to the Guild for trial. The dragon’s won’t mind helping gather the survivors.”

“Oh, yes, just invite your father and his army into my home.”

“You got a better idea, smartass?” Bram asked, using “smartass” fondly.

Vlad muttered darkly under his breath.

Bram heard what threats he breathed. “Oh, you were all careful about wanting him dead until I pointed out we have to keep him in your castle.”

It didn’t actually bother Bram. He sorta wished his father was dead, too. Bram tapped cheerfully on the gates.

They didn’t open.

Stupid peevish vampire castle responding to Vlad’s irritation.

Vlad continued to scowl. He had promised that he would stand by Bram’s decision, but Jurriaan’s smile told him in no uncertain times that he was just biding his time. Bram had taken his magic. He was going to take everything from Bram. Vlad was going to have to roam the halls with his cloak and sword until they handed Jurriaan Leeuwen over to the Guild.

Starless landed behind the little group, shaking the ground as she did. Opening her mouth, she roared right in Jurriaan’s face, causing Vlad to clap his hands over his ears. Jurriaan, for his part, did his best to wipe the burning-hot flecks of dragon spit from his face before his skin blistered.

“Why does the murderer still have fire in his belly?!” Starless demanded in a bellow. “He has murderer two of my hatchlings and tormented two more! Not to mention what he has done to my grand-hatch—”

Starless broke off and dipped her head to regard May with one large sapphire eye. “You are not little May.”

She got the story from Vlad through high-speed mental download, and she pulled her lips back from her teeth, which were as long as Vlad’s forearm.

“Go back from whence you came, serpent. Return that precious hatchling this instant.”



“Did he say ‘stand down’?” Scarlet asked.

“In Bram’s defense,” Devon ventured, “they didn’t actually kill any of us.”

Scarlet snorted. She opened her mouth to tell him what Vlad suspected about Devon’s mother but quickly shut it. There was no reason to go that route.

“The dragons are herding the survivors to the gates,” Rue said.

Luka snickered as he watched the dragons.

“And by herding, I mean they’re setting anyone who tries to escape on fire,” Rue amended. “I would estimate there are twenty left.”

“Vlad’s not a happy camper,” Scarlet mumbled. She knew because she had felt Bram attempt to open the doors twice, now, and the hadn’t budged. “She we go help keep them out of trouble, I guess?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

The serpent blinked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

“You can call me Larry, then, if it pleases you,” he said, though he seemed a little pleased himself. He had never had a name before, and he kept repeating it mentally to himself like a child repeating a new word. May couldn’t help but think, though as bleary as he was, that this being was very different from what he had expected.

Except everything changed when Starless landed. The serpent reared back and downright hissed at the dragon when she addressed him. He looked ready to fight her, and had he had his hood it would be flared open and threatening. As it was he just had his fists, but he raised them in defense anyways, even though Starless could easily crush him with one claw.

“You do not control me, dragon,” he snapped, his entire demeanour changing to hostility. He had forgotten about Winona, Bram, Jurriaan and Vlad all in favour of Starless, who was /commanding/ him. Threatening him. That would not do. He would not allow it. He would not submit to a dragon twice, even if this one was different from the one who had sealed him away.

May shrunk back in fear, because this could go very, very badly, and he wasn’t sure if he was scared for himself or for Starless as the pressure in the air increased, gravity itself seeming to grow just the slightest bit stronger.

“I will kill you if you do not back down, dragon. /You/ leave,” he snarled, though considering May’s size it was not a very efficient threat.

 

[jones573]

Winona looked bored by Vlad’s chastisement and the following conversation he conducted with Bram in a language she didn’t know. She started to arrange herself so that she could push herself up to standing, and immediately froze when Starless spoke from behind her.



Shitshitshitshitshit



She pushed through the distraction of terror she associated with Starless and her kin.



"Oh, stop it,” she told both creatures, her voice harsh but wavering. “He was… Helping. May’ll be back soon.” She said it with a great deal of confidence- A reassurance for Starless, or perhaps a threat for –or vote of faith in- ‘Larry’. Or sheer naivete. It was often difficult to tell with Winona.



She pulled herself up to standing, but as soon as her weight settled on her left foot her face crumbled in pain and she stumbled over.



“Bandaid please,” Winona mumbled in request, looking down at the bright red pool collecting between her foot and her athletic sandal.



Wait, what did Starless mean ‘murdered two of her hatchlings’?








Alex nodded, then realized that no one knew he had done that. “Sounds good- After the gate where are we herding them to?” Alex didn’t want to assume Vlad had a dungeon, but… Apparently his own home did, so.



He moved away from the rifle after he replaced the safety, but he wasn’t ready to disassemble the whole set-up yet. “Should we go out and try to find any survivors who aren’t mobile? They may not have been here under their own free will,” he said hesitantly. This was the morally correct thing to do, but unless they knew for sure it was safe out there, he was a bit reluctant to put any of them in further danger.



And if the Guild was arriving soon- Well, those were trained adults who were actually responsible for transgressions by hunters, he supposed, though he winced at how very Maria-like that thought was.

 

[Reynarda]

“Awesome,” Bram said, flattered that the ancient being had liked the first name that had popped into his head. “Larry, it is, then.”

Starless’ eyes narrowed at the serpent’s posturing. “You are in my territory, serpent, not the other way around. You leave.”

She lifted her wings up in what generally was akin to a humanoid flexing their knees.

Vlad was between her and May in an instant, pushing against her nose. This, of course, worked as well as pushing against a mountain or against Bram when he had made up his mind to do something stupid.

May is in there, Vlad growled mentally.

I am aware, Starless replied.

Starless did prick up her ears when Winona spoke. She sniffed disdainfully and immediately realized she smelled vampire blood.

“Who is bleeding?” she demanded as if there were more than two vampires present.

This was of course answered by Winona attempting to stand. Both Bram and Vlad stepped over to her and knelt next to her foot.

Starless eyed the serpent. “Be careful. I will be very put out if I do not see little May in the near future.”

“What happened?” Bram asked Winona.

“Your daughter stabbed herself,” his father informed him.

“I see that,” Bram shot back. “It was more an expression of dismay.” Ignoring his father’s subsequent comment about how he always asked stupid questions and wasted precious air, Bram slid one arm under Winona’s knees and the other behind her back. “I’m going to lift you up, ok? We’ll get you a Band-Aid.” He grunted as he lifted her. “Have you been eating rocks or are your muscles stronger?”

“And here she was telling me she didn’t have two fathers,” Jurriaan mused, watching his son pick up the half-vampire.

“Well, one of us is more mom than dad. Mom? Open the gate for your injured kiddo?”

The gates opened before Bram had finished speaking.

To Not-May, he said, “Larry, you’re with me. You wouldn’t happen to know any of May’s healing spells, would you? He’s not a healer by trade, but he does his best, and it’s great. If not, we might need him back.”

Devon buzzed out of gates, immediately taking up the spot next to Vlad that Bram had vacated. He eyed Bram’s father with a dark scowl that promised to mess Jurriaan up should he make a grab for his other guardian.

“You are also bleeding,” Starless informed Vlad, bending her nose to his back so she could sniff his wound.

“I am aware—ouch!” Vlad spun and glared at the dragon, who had licked the wound, sealing it with her hot saliva. It instantly soothed, thanks to the burn-healing properties of dragon spit. “I will never get that out of my clothes.”

Starless hummed deep in her chest. It was a soothing sound she used on restless or injured hatchlings, and Vlad would have been offended if the sound wasn’t so calming.

Scarlet slipped out, striding over to her sire.

“Scarlet,” Jurriaan greeted with a smirk.

“Butt-head,” Scarlet replied. She flicked her eyes to Vlad. “Alex wants to know where we’re sending the evil army. I would suggest hell, but you do you.”

Vlad sighed. Now that his phone—which he could see in Scarlet’s hand—was close, he could respond to Alex’s question himself. “There is a series of catacombs underneath my castle. At their heart is a crypt that can be used to hold prisoners.”

“We could kill them all now. Like, an avalanche or something. Oopsies, sorry, Bram. Your dad died in a freak accident. Wow, so random. Right before the family reunion in the ancestral home. What a crazy random happenstance.”

“I can hear you,” Bram reminded her via their group call.

Scarlet acted is if she hadn’t heard him. “Are you still in contact with Baba Yaga?”

Devon was confused about this, but the roll of Vlad’s eyes suggested that this was probably a Scarlet-invented nickname.

The elder vampire rubbed his forehead. “Can we just get them to the crypt, please?”

“Yeah, and how are we going to get them to Bistrita? Or were you planning on inviting the Guild for tea? Might as well. The devil’s already here for a sleepover.”

Vlad placed his hands on her shoulders. “I promise you I am aware of these things.”

“Okay, then can I remind you that this monster tortured us both?”

“I made you what you are,” Jurriaan retorted, but both vampires ignored him.

“You can’t just let him live. What are you going to do about him?”

Vlad shrugged. “I was planning on letting the castle finish him.”

“I can hear you,” Bram said.

“I could eat him,” Starless offered.

“Ew, that would be old and stringy,” Scarlet said.

Starless showed off her many sharp teeth. “A little bit of… what is that sauce? Oh, yes, tabasco. A little bit of tabasco, and he might not be too bad.”

“You’d need a hella lotta tabasco. It’d give you horrible indigestion. His blood probably tastes like tar. He’s probably turned sour with all that hate.”

“Stop it,” Vlad said, trying to keep a straight face. He turned his attention back to the group still inside. “Alex, if you would like to venture out with Luka, be my guest. If you find anyone, the castle will lead you to the crypt.”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

The newly dubbed Larry bared his teeth back at Starless in a display that would have been far more threatening if they were not blunt and human, and he were not a fraction of her size.

“He is /resting/,” he snapped again, because he refused to leave until his request was fulfilled, and it was beginning to look like that might take a little while. Priorities were important to humans, he knew, and this family’s priority was healing Winona.

Which, really, the serpent found himself frowning as he considered it. Could he heal her? He supposed he could, if he tried. He had just never tried before.

“My power is made to destroy, not heal,” he reminded Bram, because he was, after all, the world eater. He was prophesied to end the world in fire, and he certainly did not make a habit of healing others, but he still followed and considered his options anyways.

He focused on the land and the earth, which immediately refused him because this was Vlad’s land and he was not Vlad or his family. The only other option he had was to use his own magic to heal the wound, which...

It might wear him out and force him back. He didn’t want to go back yet, but if he refused to help then Bram and Vlad would be angry. He didn’t want them to be angry with him, and he was already eyeing Starless warily as they headed back into the castle. Having more enemies would be bad.

He focused on Winona’s foot and wondered how May healed people. Technically they had the same magical potential and abilities, but May had taught himself how to use his own raw potential while Larry worked on an instinctual knowledge of what he could do. He supposed that maybe he could give her a bit of his own energy and then redirect that energy to healing her foot. He tried it as they reached the entryway, and felt a bit woozy. At least, he figured he had stopped the bleeding, though the flesh was not perfectly healed by any means. It would likely leave a scar.

“That is all I can do,” he admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed about his lack of ability.

 

[jones573]

Winona looked very unhappy when she found herself being scooped up, and began to protest.



“I’m fine, I can wa-”



Well. Maybe she couldn’t. She pouted instead and allowed herself to be carried, and did not admit to having tucked the hardcover library copy of ‘Ozma of Oz’ into her bag, or eating rocks.



“M’fine,” Winona insisted again when May- when /Larry/ considered the extent of his abilities. She didn’t need him to try and heal her, and she definitely didn’t anyone to lick her, thanks very much- Huh.



Her foot… Still hurt. But not nearly as much. Whatever he’d done had kickstarted her body’s already-rapid healing process.



Which was suspiciously kind of him.



“… Thanks. What do you want,” she asked plainly, her tone a tad accusatory but not outright dismissive of his help or the idea that he might want something in return.







What Alex really wanted to do was to fuss over Winona and May and make sure everyone was really, actually okay- But he could see that they were doing just fine even from his perch. Winona was bleeding and looked quite unhappy to be cradled against Bram’s chest, but not in any current danger.



“Uh,” Alex debated. “I can do whatever is needed.” Which was really no decision at all. He could think quickly if he needed to, but once the urgency was gone, so was his judgment. “I guess I’ll help Luka, make sure everyone gets to the crypt all right.”



Catacombs with a crypt in the center did seem a bit excessive, but Alex really wasn’t in a position to judge other vampire’s home amenities.



“I’ll try to catch you down in the courtyard,” he decided, because he was just going to keep being anxious until he knew that the blood on Winona’s foot was superficial to her wounds.

“Anything that should be cleared out of the crypt first?” he asked.

 

[Reynarda]

“Don’t be silly,” Bram told Winona. “You can’t walk. Just rest, okay?” To “Larry”, Bram shrugged. “Yeah, well, power is all about how you use it, right? I mean, just ‘cause it’s made that way doesn’t mean you have you use it that way.”

But Larry was already proving Bram correct as Winona shifted in his arms and eyed her foot. He grunted. Dang, she was heavy, but Bram supposed he was used to carrying smaller and lighter vampires.

“Hey, no more bleeding,” Bram said triumphantly. “Excellent, thanks, Larry.”

Bram carried Winona up to her room and deposited her on her bed. “Stay right there. I’ll got get the first-aid kit so we can wrap that up.”

Bram left and returned carrying the castle’s heavy-duty first-aid kit. “Let’s check for breaks and see about getting this wrapped up,” he told Winona as he set the box on the bed. To Larry, he said, “I know May’s a bit squeamish, but how about you? Can you help me bandage Win’s foot?”

Bram certainly wasn’t happy with the fact that some evil snake-thing had taken over May’s body, but Larry didn’t seem exactly bent on destruction. Bram figured if he gave him things to do and treated him well, he might be content to sleep once more. Plus, Larry insisted that May was fine, so Bram assumed he was. If he wasn’t, Starless probably would have put up more of a fight.



“We’ll meet you in the courtyard,” Rue told Alex as her once again silent cousin began to break down his tripod.

“I will not be touching the dead as they are unclean,” Luka said quietly as he unloaded his gun. “But I will watch your back.”

Even then, he was going to have to go through the cleansing ritual, but he wasn’t going to let the vampire teenager venture out by himself.

Vlad chuckled. “No, it does not need to be cleared out. What do you think I keep down there?”

“Just old dead ancestors,” Scarlet confirmed. “It’s a bit creepy. Just kidding, it’s extremely creepy. The magic is really concentrated down there, and the castle will keep the evil army in.” She glanced at Jurriaan. “Hopefully.”

Starless snorted as the little group watching Jurriaan Leeuwen began to walk slowly towards the open gates. She was not as small as she once was, and therefore could no longer fit into the castle. This was deeply troubling to her, because she could feel the intents of Jurriaan’s mind. She conveyed as much to Vlad, who just sighed tiredly.

Starless spread her wings in a threatening display. “Here this well, Little Dragon Slayer. If you make so much as one scratch on any of my family, I will burn you slowly.”

Jurriaan would never admit it, but being threatened by a very large dragon was nothing short of terrifying. Still, he played it off as if he were not shaken in the slightest. “A pity you are so large.”

Starless bared her teeth at him. “I will rip this castle apart if I have to.”

Vlad patted her leg. “Not necessary. The stones will move for you, Asteria’a.”

Starless leapt up onto the castle’s wall so she could glare down into the courtyard. “So they will.”

Jurriaan Leeuwen would have liked to glory in the fear in the dragon’s eyes for a little longer, but he also liked the idea of keeping his head on his body, and so did not taunt her further. Instead, he followed after Devon, who Vlad had ushered in front of him. Vlad was at his side, and Scarlet followed after.

The second Jurriaan Leeuwen passed over the threshold of the castle gates, the castle groaned and creaked as the stones began shifting. Doors slammed and opened, and stones squealed.

“What was that?” Devon asked.

“The castle is changing,” Vlad explained.

Devon frowned. “It looks the same.”

“On the outside,” Scarlet said. “On the inside, it’s becoming an impossible maze. Only family will be able to find our way through it.”

They passed Luka and Rue in the courtyard, and Luka put out a hand to stop Vlad. After a glance at Bram’s father, Luka spoke low and fast to Vlad in the Roma tongue. He must have said something bold, because Rue stiffened and widened her eyes.

Devon glanced at Vlad, guessing the older vampire might get angry at what the human had said, but Vlad just looked tired. He responded quietly, and Luka frowned, eying Jurriaan again.

Esme appeared on the doorstep and folded her arms across her chest. “Go, grandson. Keep watch over Alex.”

Once Luka was gone, Esme fixed her eyes on Vlad. “My concerns are the same, Vladimir Drakonii.”

Vlad winced at the use of his full name. “And my response is the same.”

“You’re not dead?” Jurriaan said, finally. recognizing her.

The old woman regarded Jurriaan as if he were a child who had kicked a ball into her yard. “You’re not dead?”

“Touché.”

Esme did not move as they approached, standing directly in Vlad’s way. The vampire made as if to go around her, but she grabbed his wrist.

“All your claimed wisdom,” Esme hissed in Romani, “and you allow him into your sanctum. You are our protector—act like it. Do not make me cite the agreement.”

“And kill my best friend’s father?” Vlad responded in Romani.

“You have bound yourself to my clan. You are obligated to fulfill your end of the bargain. To protect us, you have to be alive. I think Bram would prefer you alive over his father.”

Vlad bowed to the clan elder. “Trust me. I swear I am upholding the agreement.”

Esme grunted, but kissed his forehead. “You better take care of yourself.” Lifting her eyes to Jurriaan Leeuwen, she said in English, “One move that worries me, and I’ll kill you myself.”

Devon believed her, and Jurriaan must have as well, because he didn’t say anything.

Vlad directed Devon to the right and behind a tapestry in an alcove. Steps lay beyond, and the little group began descending into the bowls of the castle.

“So many death-threats,” Jurriaan mused.

“That’s what happens when you have people who like you,” Devon pointed out. “They don’t want you dead.”

“You should try it,” Scarlet added.

They descended deep into the mountain, doors opening and closing and passages rearranging. It was a little freaky, but Devon strode on as if he knew where he was going. He figured if he just kept thinking about the crypt, the castle would take them there.

He stepped out into a large room with high, vaulted ceilings and what almost looked like stained glass. In Devon’s opinion, it looked like the cathedrals Vlad was so fond of.

“Uh… do we go through this room?”

“This is it,” Vlad said, stepping out into the room.

Devon eyed the very empty room. “Uh… aren’t there, like, tombs in crypts?”

Vlad pointed at the floor, and Devon realized there were inscriptions cut into the smooth dark stone.

“Dang,” Devon said, looking at what he assumed were all names. “That’s a lot of dead ancestors.” He realized what he had said. “I mean—sorry, it’s just—”

Vlad waved his stammerings away. “They are not all grandparents. There are also cousins and aunts and uncles.”

Jurriaan strode around, reading the inscriptions. Vlad could tell he was looking for a particular one and so pointedly looked away.

“You can step on them,” the vampire explained as Devon eyed the floor dubiously. “It is not considered disrespectful.”

Devon wanted to ask how many of these vampires Vlad had buried himself, but he figured that was not a topic Vlad wanted to discuss. Instead, he just stared at the floor, wishing he could read the names.

Scarlet squeezed her sire’s shoulder. “I’m going to go help Rue and Esme get the evil army inside.” Pointing to Devon, she mouthed, “Don’t leave him.”

Devon nodded firmly.

“Alex,” Vlad said, “Have you found any who need medical attention?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Larry frowned slightly, because Bram seemed to be misunderstanding him.

“I chose my past actions that made me a destroyer,” he clarified, because he was not exactly a benevolent being. He did not plan on causing any problems here, of course, but he had also not fully awakened. When May’s natural life came to an end and he awoke fully, he would definitely continue in his goal to burn the world to the ground. Seeing Jurriaan Leeuwen had only reminded him that his choice had been correct.

When Bram asked him if he was squeamish he shook his head, though he had no idea what bandaging entailed. He stared at the first aid kit curiously, then his eyes widened a bit when Bram opened it, as though he had not been expecting that. He leaned forward and tried to figure out what a bandage was. He leaned in and picked up something at random, turning to Bram curiously and holding it up.

“I have never done this before,” he admitted. “Is this correct?”

He paused when Winona questioned him, then glanced back at her.

“I do have a request. However the denizens of this castle’s priority is you, so you need to be taken care of first,” he said.

 

[jones573]

“Umm,” Alex hesitated when Vlad laughed, and forced a chuckle of his own. “Yeah, stupid question.” Just because his own family apparently kept a variety of… interesting and potentially dangerous things in the deepest level of their home, didn’t mean that Vlad did.




Winona’s scowl reached new depths as Bram carried her further into the castle- And away from his father. “’Want to watch him,” she protested, though she ultimately decided against making too much of a fuss. She didn’t like being back in ‘her’ room, anymore than she liked not having eyes on Jurriaan, but she figured it would be best to play along for the moment. If Bram got suspicious, it would be much harder to execute her plan of execution.

“Nope,” Winona told Larry with an eye roll that was very reminiscent of her brother’s, especially when he had to explain kitchen gadgets to her. “That’s for gouging.”

Not very effective gouging, of course- A lancet was really only good for removing a splinter. But it definitely was not a bandage.

“I stabbed it, not fell on it,” Winona told Bram. It wasn’t broken, she wasn’t /that/ reckless.

“M’fine,” she reiterated, giving Larry a pointed look that made clear she did not care for stalling tactics. “Request it.”







“A few with minor injuries,” Alex reported, trying to keep his voice even. He closed the eyes on another breathless body and tied a piece of white fabric on the closest tree, numbering it and recording it on his own notebook. The Guild would take care of the dead, but he wanted to make sure there was an accurate count of how many and where.

He’d been disappointed to have missed the others in the courtyard, but- They were okay, and he needed to make sure others were okay.

Even if he was the reason they weren’t okay in the first place- He’d only found one person in genuinely critical condition. The others had either died with the first shot thanks to Luka’s aim, or merely been clipped by a spray of bullets that Alex had showered as a deterrent. Or the one guy who’d shattered his knee when he’d fallen down a hill.

“I’m wrapping up any wounds as tightly as I can and sending them on to the crypt,” Alex said. He wasn’t exactly a trained field medic but he could at least stop up some blood flow so that they could travel, escorted by a dragon or wolf or both. The presence of creatures with such large teeth at his back seemed to go a long ways towards persuading any of the injured hunters from trying anything reckless, and Alex was relieved to have them. Plus it was a lot easier to make sure an area was clear, with the wolves scouting on foot and the dragons overhead.

 

[Reynarda]

“Devon’s on it,” Bram assured Winona, though he doubted telling her that her twin was making sure Jurriaan didn’t stab anyone would assuage her concerns.

Bram glanced over at Larry and shrugged. “I get the allure of destruction, I really do, but don’t you ever get tired of it?”

Bram, ever the optimist, figured he might as well chat with Larry. Who knew? Maybe he’d be less hellbent on resurfacing.

“Everyone can change,” Bram said confidently as he felt along Winona’s foot for breaks.

“You can break bones by stabbing them,” he told Winona with a long-suffering sigh that suggested he was repeating something Vlad had told him.

Bram glanced over at the thing inside May and raised his eyebrows. Requests from people who were possessing your friends were rarely good. “Here, hand me that white cloth stuff. That’s a bandage.”

He cleaned Winona’s foot and began to wrap it. “We can multitask. What’s the request?”




Vlad smiled slightly at Alex’s awkward laugh. He was aware that the Yates’ and Moraes’ family homes probably had more than skeletons in their basement and was amused that Alex was surprised to find he did not.

“He’s tallying them,” Luka reported in inconvenienced Romani.

“I did not ask you to do anything about them,” Vlad said, rubbing his temple.

“You did not say not to. The Guild’s arrival could jeopardize the castle’s location.” Switching to English, Luka pointed to the one who had previously been in critical condition. “This one is dead.”

Vlad sighed. “I am assuming you will not let me cremate them, Abraham?”

“They probably have families,” Bram responded, wrestling with bandage tape. “Somebody needs to deal with their estate and all that. This isn’t the eighteenth century.”

“There will be paperwork.”

“Which I will ignore, and you will complete.”

“I hate you.”

Devon hadn’t taken his eyes off Jurriaan, not even as other slayers began trickling in, lead by Rue. The slayer had found what he was looking for and had crouched, an entirely neutral expression on his face. It was a too-neutral expression, and Devon glanced over at Vlad, who was keeping Jurriaan in his periphery but pointedly not looking at him. Devon eyed the floor, trying to figure out what was so special—oh. The stones were newer than the rest.

Jurriaan slid his eyes to the half-vampire and his guardian. Vlad always carried at least one knife on him, he knew. He could over-power the vampire even in this magic-less state and take it. Then he could kill him and the teenager.

As if sensing his thoughts, Devon bared his teeth and put a protective arm across Vlad.

Jurriaan laughed. Partly at Devon’s fangs and partly at his attempt to protect someone. “You have him well trained.”

Vlad flicked his eyes to Jurriaan. “Who? Devon? He is his own person. I am responsible for his book count, nothing more.”

“Why did the enemy of your father take you in?” Jurriaan asked, his attention on Devon. “You, a juvenile delinquent starved for a father figure?”

Devon stiffened. “How—those records are sealed!”

Vlad narrowed his eyes at the slayer. “Bite your tongue.”

Jurriaan gestured at the tomb at his feet. “Perhaps it’s because your mothers died when you were young. Slayer magic, drunk driver, what’s the difference?”

Devon started forward, but Vlad grabbed his sleeve. “He is after your knife.”

Devon growled at Bram’s father but returned to his spot next to Vlad.

“Perhaps it is not the method so much as the—”

Jurriaan leapt back as a stone dislodged itself from the ceiling and dropped to clatter on the floor where he had been standing. Several other stones fell, smacking slower slayers on the heads and shoulders. The stones then shuddered and shot back up to their places in the ceiling.

Vlad smiled, his eyes crinkling with what Devon could only term malice. “I do not like impolite and ungrateful house guests. Mind your manners. I would hate to dishonor this burial site with your unholy blood.”

The elder vampire’s tone honestly scared Devon a little, and he made a mental note to ask Bram about it. Vlad removed the earpiece from his coat pocket and returned it to his ear. Devon realized he had not seen the elder vampire remove it and assumed he had not wanted Bram to hear his threat.

“We are sealing the crypt,” Vlad told the others. “We will be up in a moment.”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Larry looked at Bram curiously, even as he got what he assumed was the bandage that Bram was talking about and handed it to him.

“You are a very strange human. Most people would not be interested in talking to me,” he said, though he seemed pleased enough. It had been a very long time since he had had someone to talk to, and it was nice. “And it is not so much the allure of destruction. It is... humans have gone astray, over time. They kill each other and others and sully the land, and as civilization has advanced they have only become worse. That man downstairs is a perfect example. I wish... I wish to cleanse the world of evils, so that humanity and civilization may start over. However the others did not agree with me and sealed me away.” He said the last words bitterly as he tossed the lancet back into the first aid kit.

“It is very inefficient for gouging,” he said casually to try and cover up his display of emotion, then hesitated when told to voice his request.

“I would like to eat that thing you made. That ‘waffle’. This child seems to enjoy them a lot, and I have never eaten before. I wanted to know what it was like.” He admitted.

 

[jones573]

Winona was not sure what she had expected Larry to ask for- Not necessarily something terrible, like a blood sacrifice or whatever. But certainly not something so… Benign.



She looked at him curiously, before deciding he was telling the truth.



“You hafta do the quarters different,” she advised, because there was no point in trying only one selection of waffle toppings. “One peanut butter and syrup, and one fruit and whipped cream,” she listed as suggestions- or perhaps requirements. “Berry fruit,” she clarified. She didn’t like the texture of peaches, and they didn’t have the nice color contrast against the waffle and the Reddi-Whip as a bright red or blue.



“Blanket?,” she prompted Bram. This would work nicely, she decided. She could ‘rest’ and Bram could go show Larry how to make a perfect waffle and stop fussing over her so she could slip down into the crypt and do what needed to be done.





Alex seemed satisfied as they turned to head back towards the castle, though obviously a bit worn. “Thanks,” he told Luka, because Luka’s gun was perhaps even more of a deterrent for bad behavior than the threat of supernatural creatures, and Alex got the impression that Luka would have preferred to let the bodies go to rot. Though honestly Luka was incredibly hard to read, so Alex would not have been surprised to be wrong.

“My aunt thinks you should always have an account of everything, even what you hate,” he said, trying to justify his actions beyond feeling guilty. “One of them could have escaped, or one of the bodies left behind for some nefarious force to use against us, or-” Alex thought he had maybe had more engaging conversations with Winona, back when he’d first met her and she’d only signed at him to communicate her basic needs and the occasional complaint. “Yeah,” he trailed off.

 

[Reynarda]

Bram chuckled. “I’m going to take that as a complement, Larry.” He nodded as he cut the bandage tape. “Yeah, I get that. Humans are the worst, and the man downstairs is a particularly nasty specimen of humanity. Take my word for it—he’s my dad. But you can’t just throw the baby out with the bathwater, you know? People are redeemable. Like, take my vampire for instance. He was not a nice person when I first met him. He was mean, vindictive, conniving…” Bram paused. “I mean, he’s still that way, but he’s nicer. And I used to hate everything that wasn’t human. And no offense or anything, but that man downstairs once committed genocide under the banner of ‘cleansing evil’. You gotta see the good in the world.” Bram nodded as if he, too, had once been sealed away because of his radical ideals. “Yeah, that’s rude of them,” he agreed sympathetically.

Bram readied himself for whatever Armageddon in caterpillar form desired, but he was not ready for the actual request. He recovered quickly, however. “Damn straight, he does. My waffles are the best damn waffles in the world. Well, Larry, are you in for a treat. I am going to make you the best waffle I have ever made. People will sing songs about that waffle. When you break out and eat the world, nothing will taste as good as my waffles.”

This might have been a bit excessive were Bram not passionate about his cooking. But he was a damn good cook and it was nice having people who weren’t on an all-blood diet to enjoy his food.

Bram nodded, agreeing with Winona. “She’s the topping queen. She knows.”

He pulled out one of the blankets they had brought from the townhome in the hopes Winona would find the familiar scent comforting and draped it over her. “You’re going to go to sleep, I’m sure,” Bram said sarcastically. “And not sneak off, because you’ve never done that before.”

“You are laying it on thick,” Vlad said, appearing in the doorway, Scarlet and Devon on his heels.

“Well, Larry wants a waffle,” Bram explained.

“‘Larry’?” Devon asked.

Bram pointed to Not-May. “It was either that or Armageddon. Armageddon was too long, so Larry it is.”

Devon blinked. “That’s… May.”

Bram shook his head. “May’s sleeping. That’s Larry. He’s the fifth serpent of the guardian month or something. It was too long. I suggested Larry, and he was cool with it. Anyway, he wants one of my world-class waffles.”

Devon leaned down to Vlad. “Is Bram crazy or is May possessed?”

Vlad’s lips twitched. “I would not negate the first, but, mm… ‘Larry’ is currently in control of May’s body.”

“Are we concerned that May is possessed?”

“Not at the moment. May should return soon.”

Devon was not entirely reassured, but this was also not the weirdest thing that had happened since he moved in with Bram and Vlad.

“C’mon, Larry,” Bram said as if one of his children were not possessed by a doomsday spirit. “Let’s go make a waffle. You’re in luck. I made a lot, so there should be some batter left in the fridge.”

“We going to yell at Win for running off, then?” Devon asked almost hopefully.

“No,” Vlad said softly. “If she wants to leave us, she may do that. We cannot keep anyone against their will.”

There was a stiffness to Vlad’s spine that Scarlet had not seen in a long time, and he seemed to be looking slightly to Winona’s left rather than at her. Scarlet winced.

“You should get cleaned up,” she advised her rigid sire, pushing him off towards his room. “Devon, you’re hungry, right?”

Devon glanced at Vlad, then Scarlet, then his sister and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

Scarlet waited until they were gone before turning back to Winona. “Look, I don’t know if you’re like me and you want to hurt them before they hurt you, but take it from somebody who tried the whole lone-wolf-thing. It sucks. Bram and Vlad are both pretty messed up, so they feel drawn to people like you and me—messed up people. I was created in a Nazi lab and you were turned into a killing machine. I get it, it sucks, and they can barely keep themselves together, much less people like you and me. And fine, run off. But for the love of all things, don’t you dare get yourself killed. Don’t take risks because you think your life means nothing. You have people who love you—don’t make my mistakes. Don’t burn those bridges. You can come home anytime, okay? Don’t forget that.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “I know, gasp, Scarlet can be serious! This batty old castle is getting to me.”

She grinned, the seriousness leaving her eyes and maniacal gleam returning. “I’m going to go sniff the waffles and remember what it was like to eat them—just kidding, I never got to eat them because I grew up in a lab and then Vlad’s blood turned me into a vampire. After wondering what they taste like, I’ll probably shred some curtains. Rest up, kiddo.”

With that, Scarlet turned and marched out.



Luka was quite amused that Alex was uncomfortable around him. Alex was, after all, a descendent of two powerful Nosferatu lines, and Luka was a human—albeit from a family of long-lived humans. Luka had always been reserved and confident of his abilities, but recently there had been whispers of him succeeding his great-great grandmother as clan elder. If she ever retired, which everyone doubted. Several members of his family were out large sums due to Esme’s lengthy lifespan, and Jurriaan Leeuwen’s recognition of her only confirmed she was far older than anyone knew. But Luka intended to fulfill his role as eventual clan elder, and to do so required him to earn the Drakoniis’ respect. Luka was going to have to fight hard against the fact that Vlad had once carried him on his shoulders and Scarlet had pinched his cheeks. He couldn’t have them seeing him as a child if he was going to challenge their decisions. He as also buoyed by the fact that Vlad had not bitten his head off when he expressed his concerns about letting all the slayers live. The vampire had seemed to actually respect his concerns, which gave Luka more pride than he knew what to do with.

Luka realized after several moments of silence that Alex was attempting conversation. He couldn’t let the poor kid be too uncomfortable. He glanced at the vampire. He supposed Alex was actually younger than him, which was a weird thought.

After they had crossed the threshold of the wall, the gates swung shut and the castle creaked as it fortified itself.

“Have you ever fought for your life before?” Luka asked curiously as the castle groaned and then settled. “Or are you just naturally concerned for people who would kill you without a second thought?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Larry frowned as he listened to Bram, and wondered if it was worth it arguing his case. He did not change his mind that easily, and he bristled at the comparison to Bram's father, but he did not disagree with it. He knew that his ideals were not exactly pacifist.

"I am not a good being myself; seeing the good in others is... difficult. But it has been over six thousand years since I last walked on this earth, and the knowledge that humanity has not changed is... disheartening. It makes me think that I was right," He said, which was probably not very encouraging considering that he was basically announcing his desires to end the world, but well... Bram had seemed surprisingly accommodating so far, so the least he could do was be honest with him.

He listened to Winona and nodded along, looking like he was taking mental notes on the correct way to eat a waffle. She obviously knew better than he did, and Bram seemed to respect her knowledge of toppings, so clearly he should take note of her advice.

"A normal waffle would be fine. I do not expect you to go out of your way on my account," he clarified quickly, but his mouth was practically watering at what Bram was describing.

Except then Devon came in, and Larry stared at him warily, the way a nervous animal would eye a larger predator. He had been mentally connected to Vlad and Winona, and Bram had engaged him directly, but this one he only knew from May's memories, and so he was not sure that he was 100% ok with him. He didn't seem to completely understand the situation either, which made things more difficult.

"It is not possession. This is my body, it was made to house me. That child just happens to inhabit it in the mean time. Right now we are... sharing," he explained slowly, trying to find the right words. "Once my request is fulfilled, I will go back to sleep until this child's body reaches the end of its natural lifespan, at which point I will awaken fully and..." He trailed off. Maybe saying that he would end the world would not be the best way to endear himself to May's family. "...Fulfill my purpose."

 

[jones573]

Winona met her twin’s eyes for one of the few times in days, but mostly only to glower. Why should /she/ get yelled at for doing what /he/ wanted of her?

Her expression did not improve with Scarlet’s lecture. “No,” she said slowly. “I’m not like you.” She wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. If anything, she was trying to /prevent/ them from getting hurt.

“Sure,” she agreed to Scarlet’s last instruction. She might actually take that advice, if only for a few minutes. It had been a bit discomforting to see a bunch of faces she had not intended to meet again come trooping through a room she had also not intended to see again. And the blanket was warm and heavy, and Bram had laid the quilted side down the way she liked so she could run her fingers along the texture of the seams without having to remove her hands from the warmth. Damn him.





In hindsight, Alex much preferred the uncomfortable silence of Luka’s unknown judgments over actually hearing what the young man was thinking.

“Uh, I’m only just old enough to vote,” Alex pointed out, as if this was a direct correlation with how many opportunities to fight for his life he’d experienced. He supposed in the last half a year he’d been in several situations with high stakes, possibly even life-or-death stakes, but before that he’d never even fought for his lunch money or shoved someone on the playground.

“I mean- My parents have tried to keep me isolated from the more violent aspects of their lifestyle, so,” he tried again. “But I know they exist!” He wasn’t some naïve, sheltered child. Well, sheltered maybe.

“And yeah, I am concerned for people who are bleeding out because of my actions, especially when I can take reasonable steps to ensure they can’t kill me at the moment,” Alex said a bit defensively. It wasn’t like he was unaware of the danger, and he certainly wouldn’t have gone if he hadn’t known Luka, the dragons and the wolves were ready to interfere.

After a moment though, he realized Luka’s question was less of a strategic one and more… Ideological. The slayers could have been unconscious and completely stripped of their ability to attack, and Luka may not have bothered checking anyone’s pulse.

The thought made Alex… Uncomfortable. Because he could understand where Luka was coming from. And he didn’t want to.

“We can’t know their true intent,” Alex decided firmly. “Maybe Jurriaan forced them into this, or something,” he suggested, which sounded weak even as he said it. Even if it was true, these people all had the abilities and knowledge Jurriaan would want in minions, and it was unlikely they’d learned those things through pacifism. “People can’t be given unlimited second chances,” Alex agreed. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve any.”

He was relieved to hear the others up ahead in the kitchen, because he didn’t want to hear Luka’s response any more than he wanted to hear more uncomfortable silence or even the sound of his own rambling justifications. The relief doubled when he saw May over by Bram and the waffle make, coupled with a rush of affection- May would understand why he’d wanted to prevent unnecessary deaths, because May saw the potential for good in everyone. Even when he’d hardly known May, he’d known the older boy to be compassionate and caring in a way that had dwarfed pretty much every other person in the supernatural world Alex had met.

And everyone was /safe/, too, if a little worse for wear, which Alex had hypothetically known but still was very happy to see.

“What a surprise, y’all ended back up where the food is,” Alex laughed, his generally muted accents coming on a bit stronger than usual. “Coulda just told me you were planning on badgering Bram for fresh ones as soon as you could,” he told May as he came up behind him, amused at May’s confusion about why Alex would want a plate of lukewarm waffles up on the balcony with them, even though they both knew magic was hungry work.

He wrapped his arms around May’s chest and pulled him into a hug so that Alex’s front covered May’s back, and dropped his head down against May’s shoulder after he’d brushed his lips along May’s cheek.

“Thank you for being okay,” he whispered in May’s ear, squeezing him a bit closer for emphasis. There was no way his voice was low enough for the vampires in the room not to have heard that, but he was really hoping they would be understanding and could just allow him a moment of sappiness for /once/.

 

[Reynarda]

“Yeah, but six thousand years ago there were like… only a tiny number of humans,” Bram said as he cheerfully pulled the batter from the refrigerator. “Now there’s a lot more. The evilness per population has surely dropped. And anyway, you claim not to be benevolent, but you also claim to be doing this for the good of humankind and stuff. And what about the vampires and werewolves and other non-humans?”

Bram had a lot of questions. Plus, he knew if you worked a destructive plan out logically, it often ended up seeming ridiculous. Vlad did it to him all the time. He should know.

Of course, he also tended to ignore Vlad, so…

Devon eyed Larry suspiciously as he entered the kitchen. “There’s someone else in there,” he pointed out.

All other arguments died out as Alex wandered in and immediately hugged Larry. Devon opened his mouth to warn the other teen that he was embracing the apocalypse, but Scarlet, who had followed Alex and Luka in, put a hand over his mouth, a wickedly mischievous grin on her face.

Bram waffled between warning Alex that he was hugging and ancient evil, but instead decided it would be funnier if he didn’t. Anyway, the waffle would be done soon.

Vlad strode in dressed in an exhausted expression and an oversized hoodie that nearly reached his knees. “I think I might need blood,” he informed Bram, striding past Alex and Larry as if he were entirely used to people kissing dangerous people they should not be kissing. He was, of course, thanks to Bram.

Bram nodded, opening the waffle iron and scooping out the waffle. “Sit down. I’ll get everyone something to eat once I’m done with this waffle. It seems like a breakfast sort of day.”