Tales of Malaketh: Ritual of the Blood Red Night - Part 1: On The Run

[Nanami Touko]

"It should be fine, Glen... I hope. It's been some years since I ventured inside, but... I don't imagine it's a popular venue." The area Misea had in mind was a small cave, a few miles out from town. Whether it had been covered by growth over the years, become inhabited, or caved itself in... They would find out. It had been around twenty years though, so...

"Ah, Alex... It's fine. I've grown used to it... I..." Misea sighed, smiling wryly at themself. "I got too comfortable. Grabbed onto something from long ago, after speaking to Jackson. And I suppose... Putting so much faith in the people there, and Lua, was a downfall. I need to stick to being what I am when we're near humans... I'm so sorry for putting all of you through this." One glance at Alex, clothes spattered with blood, and Misea sighed again. "I'm not much of a knight, am I, Alex?"

Meanwhile, Sharena tried to take Astrid's explanation at face value... Finally giving up and leaning against her. "Just... If you ever need blood, I'm... R-Right, here. Okay?" It felt really odd to offer herself up as a faucet, but, it had been such a wonderful experience, if possible, she didn't want to give it up to anyone else. And with that settled... "Hey. I'm... Sorry," she nearly mumbled out, towards Mina. "Shouldn't have, called you that. Freaked out... Too much happened, today. So... Sorry."

[Ether]

"Of course, Sharena. On that note though... After such a... harrowing experience, I was not in my right mind. I could not bear to see you sacrifice yourself for me sake, after I was the one to convince you not to simply stay within your home and depart on your own accord later in the day. Combined with losing a rather egregious amount of blood from that assault, and the particularly cruel sting of light beneath the sun..." Astrid replied, biting her lip in frustration as she recalled it. Accepting the shopkeep using her as a leaning post, and gently running fingers though her hair, the Countess looked over at the schoolteacher, as Sharena uttered an apology to her.

"I must apologize to you as well, Mina. I already hope that my rather savage retaliation against that guardsman didn't sour things for the lot of you, but I've done you yet another personal injustice, directly afterwards. It is rare for me to sustain such a wound, I was... unused to the primal urges that are beckoned by such a thing. It would seem her hostility towards you was my unintended doing as well, so please do not hold it against her."

[Xinnidy]

"Hmm, it still just, sucks. That you can't just have a calm time and gotta keep your guard around here." Alex still felt the situation was a bit unfair for the knight amd Almira. Some would argue that there is no way to tell bad and good vampires apart without taking the risk... but is it truly that bad? "I mean, just look at her, she seems so... down. Would be nice if somewhere here accepted her, especially when her home just wanna sacrifice her." Alex motioned with her head, taking a glance back at Almira. The girl had been confined to a keep for her life, from what Alex knew, and was now being exposed to people who valued her more dead than alive --from both sides!

"A knight... well, you've been pretty loyal to your princess, I'll give you that." Alex conceded with a short attempt of a smile. "I dunno about the part where you go commenting on women in their sleepwear though. Doesn't seem very chivalrous." She snickered. At least, it was a funny moment to lighten the mood now.

[Nanami Touko]

"I hope Almira will be alright... You lot seem to like her, so she should be okay as long as we're together... And whatever do you mean? It's perfectly chivalrous. I'm trying to help a wonderful woman realize just how enchanting she really is. Tell me, what could be a more chivalrous endeavor, hmm? You wound me~" The joking certainly helped, Misea cracking a smile, as they rode on. Hopefully such levity could remain. Though, the storm clouds on the horizon, they didn't paint such a good picture for their travels...

[Xinnidy]

"I--No, I'm really-- I don't see what you mean at all. Every other woman here has leaps more charm than me..." She shook her head quickly, trying to steer that topic aside. "Nobody here could bring themselves to hate Almira, I feel. She's about as innocent as a child gets... you know, despite the whole being 47 thing... it was 47, right?"

[scorri]

Seph had been watching Almira, unsure if he should talk to her or not. After all of that, it almost seemed best another one of the vampires try and help her. Besides... He was still struggling with his own  on everything that had happened. He'd turned on humans to protect the vampires. Almira he could justify as protecting an innocent. But Misea and especially Astrid... It was easy when their enemies were vampires. And even though Seph knew there was evil in men, it was harder to take that knowledge and put it into practice than he had expected.

Trying to push those thoughts aside for now, he instead turned towards the newest member of their group. "So, you regretting your choices yet?" He laughed slightly, hoping the man would take it as a joke. "Probably thrown into the deep end a bit sooner than you expected if nothing else. But you did well. Thanks for the support for sure."

[sweet podado]

As they left the town and headed on into their journey, Mikaela blinked as he looked over at Seph and instead of giving him a glare, he was all smiles and cheer, quite uncommon for someone who had just survived an angry mob.  "Regret my choice?  Absolutely not!  I am absolutely enjoying this journey so far, quite the exhilarating start we've had," he says with cheer in his voice while nudging the other with his arm.  "It's not every day you get to face down a mob of angry villagers out for your blood....uh, no pun intended," he then adds as he looks at their vampiric team members.

"And of course, thank you for your assistance Seph.  You were quite the watch out there, so heroic," he replies back, and just because he enjoyed teasing the lad he winked and smirked before looking over at the others.  "So how's everyone faring?"

[Nanami Touko]

Misea could only sigh, was Alex truly going to play things this way? It was disheartening, but... Perhaps a moment would spring up soon where Misea could prove to Alex that they meant what they'd said. "Yes, it was forty seven. Though, age aside, she acts as young as she looks, most times. Being stuck in that castle has done her no good... I can only hope she has positive experiences with people outside of our group. This fight seems to have... To have done quite a number on her. I'll speak to her once we have a moment to stop." As for Alex... Still...

"And quit undervaluing yourself, else I shall have to show you exactly what I mean~"

Almira... Didn't really want to reply to Mikaela's question, but... "M-Mikaela?" She poked her head up from her knees, looking at him a moment, before the wall of the wagon became very interesting. "Do I frighten you?" Likely not, but... "I... I went into a house, to try and tell the people inside to stay safe, but... They just, s-screamed at me and cowered. I'm... Are we really that frightening to humans...?" She'd glanced at Sephtis for just a moment, but managed to rest her gaze on Mikaela, hoping for a good answer.

[sweet podado]

He didn't mind that Almira simply asked a question of her own instead of answering his, but when she asked his expression softened a bit.  "I can't speak for everyone, but I for one can't really see you as a threat.  Why, you remind me of one of my sisters actually," he answered, but he wasn't quite done yet.  "The way you act, it's quite uncanny...but, I will tell you this.  I was afraid of you lot, once.  When I was younger." What made him change his mind?  Only he knew.  "Almira, there's humans out there, the majority to be exact, that fear and hate vampires.  The fear of the unknown is such a common fear, and yet...humans should probably fear other humans first, before they fear vampires."

He didn't know when, or how it happened, but the smile on his face had changed into such a serious look that it was quite surprising for a man with such charisma as him.  "From experience, I've seen more humans kill and harm others than I've seen vampires.  To answer your question, yes, you are that frightening to humans.  Do you deserve it?  I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, and that you should be given a chance..."

[Moblin Major General]

"Pardon my manners, but I don't think talking philosophy is gonna get us out of harm's way any faster. Not that I haven't thought about similar things, myself. I've killed for money. Money. Worthless metal  with the face of a man long since dead to fuel a system of greed. No offense, Miss Sharena, you are a credit to your occupation. But I sold the lives of people I never knew to men who I would have rather robbed of their lives, all because I was taught by my father that moral superiority was a luxury beyond the grasp of any man. Is that true? Even the brightest of scholars, kings, and sages wouldn't be able to answer that, much less a sellsword." Glendwr was surprised to hear such words leave his lips. It made him sound much wiser than he was, which made him wonder if he even knew what he was saying. He felt that he wasn't in control of himself again, just saying things to make him sound smarter than he was. But it didn't matter, because the words were already spoken, and now it was up to everyone else to respond. Or not.

[scorri]

Seph chuckled as Mikaela was anything but down about the whole situation. His excitement was almost palpable, but the mood quickly shifted as Almira switched the subject to humans and their opinions on vampires. Mikaela's response was a good one, telling the truth but being gentle about it. It wouldn't do to completely crush the girl's spirit, but she'd seen the truth at this point, so it wasn't something they could hide from her either. And then Glen spoke up. Sigh. He just couldn't help but stick his foot in his mouth here, could he?

"Well, I don't see how talking about any of this is going to hurt, given the cart isn't slowing down just because we're talking about some heavy subjects." He turned back towards Almira, adding in his thoughts on the subject. "The fact of the matter is, humans are often scared of things that are different than them. Especially when there's history with them, and there's been so much bloodshed between our races. The stories get blown out of proportion and they become the truth. There are all sorts of things that we've been taught as fact that clearly aren't true. My family was dedicated to fighting vampires that crossed into our country because we thought it was the right thing to do, to protect those around us. And maybe that came from a place of necessity once upon a time, but it hasn't been needed for a while. But we can't get rid of so much time thinking those sorts of thing quickly. And most people don't want to get rid of them. It's easier when there's a common enemy after all. It doesn't make it right, but that's how things are unfortunately."

[Nanami Touko]

"I see..." So it just was what it was... Not something she could really change, at least not in a few days. That she'd managed to make this small group like her was probably impressive enough... "But I don't scare you... That's, enough for me. I think." With a bit of a sigh, she scooted herself over some, sitting next to Mikaela and letting her legs out just a tad. She didn't want to curl herself up into a depressed little corner around people that actually cared. "Wh-What about you, Sephtis?" Whether she scared Glen or not, it wasn't really a concern for her... He was really, really weird, even for her sheltered standards. "Do I scare you...?"

[sweet podado]

When Glen spoke, and man did he speak, Mikaela was about to give him a piece of his mind, but before he could do so he noticed a certain someone sit next to him.  He closed his mouth, focused on what wasn't making him angry at the moment, and simply smiled over at Almira before gently placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  He squeezed it slightly before letting go, and then focused on Seph to see what his answer was.

[scorri]

"You? No, of course not. Come on, do you really think after all of this that you could scare me?" He smiled at her and reached out to gently  squeeze her knee. "I'm not saying that there isn't part of me that's scared of vampires. Some of them deserve fear. Like the ones who were trying to kill us, or your father who is trying to wipe out all humans. But there are humans I'm scared of for similar reasons. Fear of individuals isn't the same thing though." He frowned for a few seconds and then shook his head. "You're a good person, vampire or not. I could never be scared of you, ok?"

[Xinnidy]

"Yeah, she should... I don't know if we'll see more people that can warm up to her, but that's really what she needs." Hopefully the group was enough warmth to keep Almira from being too down, it wouldn't do for her to lose her fire. Especially now, the princess' life in such danger. "No matter what, we can't let either of them get her. Nothing good's gonna come out of that." That was something worth fighting for, Alex felt.

But herself? That was a different matter, a more private one, and one the flirty knight kept poking in such weird ways. "I... show what? That doesn't make sense." Such a cryptic vampire...

[Balcerzak]

Well, that was a messy, gruesome finish to something that never needed to happen. What happened to the warm welcome and lack of concern Jackson and company had shown? Distracted, lost in thought, Misea's shouts snapped Wilhelmina back into things. The lazy owner was still cowering in the street, and as the others raced to the carriage, Mina stopped a moment, then approached and hugged her briefly. "I'm so terribly sorry, none of this should have happened," she apologized, which was met by a flinch, shivering, and a panicked plea of "Please don't bite me!"

That... hurt, a stab that cut deeper than even Astrid's fangs had. Mina wasn't a monster. At the risk of failing to be properly modest, she might even argue she was the least like a monster of any in their crew, and yet... And yet...

Awkwardly and abruptly breaking off the hug, the teacher too turned and broke into a run for the wagon. Getting left behind was not on the agenda, even with these strange turns of events.

 

---

 

Once on board, Mina found that her seatmate from their previous rides had opted for different company, Alex having pulled herself up a spot next to Misea instead. Astrid and Sharena were together, as were Seph and the newcomer, with Almira just a little bit separated from them, but mostly drawn up close to herself. So that left sitting next to Glen for this stretch of road. He was a bit of an odd egg, to be sure, but quirks aside he was doing his part. She didn't care to let herself be drawn into his bit of conversation at this point, what with the strange and misguided indictment of capitalism, and she was too busy wrestling with her own position on the morality of everything they were doing to want to weigh in with thoughts on that--it wasn't an exciting prospect, sharing feelings and opinions that would surely only be picked apart as soon as they left her lips. She didn't much care for yet another squabble with Astrid either, or more apologies, or whatever was coming. Mumbling a brief response, Mina instead withdrew, at the same time the princess did the opposite, apparently emerging from her own spot of funk to open up to the others.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

"You'll see. I have a plan in mind." One that Alex wouldn't be able to deny, were it to work out. With another glance back at the group, Misea was pleased to see that Almira was feeling better... Mina, though... Oh dear. Whatever had transpired with Astrid, and this carry on of hers, or perhaps even just the morning's battle... The woman looked far worse for wear. I'll have to try and speak with her... If she'll even consider talking to one of us, after all this. Thrice bitten, yet still here... I can't help but worry.

Sharena sighed quietly as this Mina shrunk herself away... Did she not care? Well fine, then... Less of a worry for the shopkeep, that woman seemed like quite the mess of trouble.

Almira's smile got just a bit brighter, it was nice to be reassured. "Alright... Sorry for worrying. You guys, you like me. And that makes me really happy... It's nice to have friends, after so long. My only friend in the castle was Misea... H-He's really nice, but... He's, kind of like an overbearing uncle, sometimes, rather than... Than a real, friend. Uhm. S-So... Y, Yeah. Thank you, all... For liking me. I suppose." Maybe you never had a friend because you're awful at small talk, huh? "I hope, wherever we're headed next, h-has a nice place to sleep! I sure could use a rest, after all that... Yep... Throw me onto a pillow and turn out the light... S-Speaking of, thanks, clouds." The brewing storm in the distance had luckily, for the vampires, rolled in front of the overbearing sun. "Hahh... No more of that annoyance."

[sweet podado]

At her description of Misea, the merchant couldn't help the laugh that left him as he looked over at said vampire.  "Overbearing uncle huh?  I know that all too well," he replied, loud enough for Misea to hear, smirking before looking back at Almira and switching to a sweeter smile.  "Friends are good, and to be honest?  Once this adventure ends and you're out of harms way, you should work on getting friends that will be there for you, encourage you to be more open!  Not saying that we're not friends, but I feel like you'll be more comfortable with friends....well, not your age per se, but same mindset!"

[Moblin Major General]

Glendwr heard a distant clap of thunder. "I don't know whether this is the best or worst time for it to be raining, but hopefully, it won't matter that much if Misea's hideaway is nearby." Hearing Almira compare Misea reminded Glendwr of what felt like a different lifetime. He watches closely. I give the money back to the customer. He tells me I could've gone a little higher on the haggle, but I have time to get the hang of it. The rest of the day goes by and they tally the earnings. I didn't make as much as he did, but he wasn't expecting me to. He looks and tells me that nothing could stop me from being a better merchant than him when I get to be his age. Glendwr stopped. Under his breath, he offered a swift condemnation of his uncle's arrogance. "He was wrong." He shook his head. That didn't matter right now, if it ever mattered beyond that moment. Right now, there was only the rain, and how long until they could be sheltered from it.

[Nanami Touko]

"Maybe... I think that'd be nice. Heh." Friends her own 'age'... Wouldn't that be something?

---

The wagon kept on trucking for a good few hours, but the weather refused to improve. The lack of a sun was a boon to all the vampires, but, the rain, and the small bouts of thunder and lightning, were starting to spook the horses, and worry Misea. They could continue through it, but... I'm not sure if it's even still around here... It was a rather large cave, but, that was... So long ago. At least twenty years... Maybe thirty? If I can't remember, it can't have been that important to me. Dammit all...

"Everyone!" they called over the din of the rain. "I need you all to weigh in for me... I'm fairly confident I know where this resting spot is, but if you all would prefer, we can continue on and try to beat this rain. What say you all?" The wagon was covered, so it wasn't like the people in it were getting all that wet... Misea was soaked to the bone, but they were dealing with it as best as they could.

"Uhm, w-we should probably try to find somewhere to rest, to dry you off, Misea..." Almira was certainly worried about them, but...

Sharena stayed rather quiet, clinging a bit tighter to Astrid's arm. She was quietly praying for all this lightning to miss their wagon.

[Moblin Major General]

"We shouldn't take any chances. We should seek shelter." Glendwr didn't want to risk them getting hit by a lightning bolt.

[sweet podado]

"I agree.  With the horses spooked as they are and the rain not letting up I doubt we'd get far before something bad could happen," Mikaela offered while wrapping an arm around Almira out of comfort for the girl.

[Xinnidy]

"Raining and thunder is hardly the time to be rushing it. Let's find some shelter, Misea." It wouldn't do good, they could lose control of the horses, or worse. "Ain't gonna make further until it gets too dark, either." Hopefully that spot wasn't too far still.

[Ether]

Well, it seemed Mina had little intent to respond to what they had to say, and Sharena's tighter clinging as the storm began showed that the merchant was likely not particularly pleased with the weather.

"The weather is ghastly, Misea. Get us to your shelter and get yourself warm. Were it only rain, perhaps... but I don't think anyone fancies their chances being struck by lightning."

[scorri]

Seph nodded along with the rest of the group. "They have a good point, it's probably best to seek shelter. They won't be coming after us in this weather anyways, so we can take the chance to get a breather. It's something we could all use right now I suspect." He glanced at both Mina and Almira. They both could probably use a chance for a breather. It wasn't going to be enough, most likely, but anything had to help right now, right?