Shadowman (ZonaTea & Vyrania)

Two hours Emil would leave Aaron there and he was not surprised to come back to find there was a fresh mess on the floor. The scent of the vomit reached the vampires nose but it didn't churn his stomach like it would most. "If you're good my pet I will unchain you" he told him as he approached. Aaron looked like he could use a break regardless. He didn't care about the bodies above, he strung them there so as to not clutter his dungeons. There were a few others, a very long pit. Fifty feet down into pure darkness where he could store the bodies but...for some reason that's where most looked. No one ever bothered to look up.

The creaking drew his attention. The idea of putting weights perhaps would help. The beams he knew were in there, it was the chains and simply the way the old castle groaned that made such sounds. "Surely you would like that. Don't worry...you won't be just another victim to hang upon my ceiling" he assured, not that it was meant to be comforting. No when Aaron died, he would have a proper burial for him and all he would write upon the tombstone would be 'little lamb'.

Aaron was hinging in his chains, exhausted from his retching, coughing, and crying so that standing up was extremely difficult. He stared at Emil with wide blue eyes filled with terror, a new understanding behind them of how many people this creature must have killed.

And he was trapped here.

Aaron didn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything to say that would help him or placate the beast. He just trembled in his binds, deathly pale and trying to look anywhere but up.

Emil took the silence as a 'yes' just to go easy on Aaron and would unchain him. He didn't look like he'd put up a fight anyways. He would need to clean the other up. Gripping him he would throw him over his shoulder, not wanting to deal with the sick that was on the floor. Perhaps he ought to keep a servant around that could clean up the messes. Especially if he was going to have Aaron there. Or maybe he would make his little lamb.

Taking him from the room he would head upstairs, he had taken the liberty, just for Aaron to light the hallways. It looked more like when he was actually human. Paintings on the wall gently covered to prevent the paint from wearing down further, knights in full armor stood empty along the hallways, various other antiques littered the tables that supported them. "You need to get cleaned up...you see I would have been kinder to you before...invited you to a place few have set eyes upon in years. Unlike trespassers..who always meet a swift death"

Aaron couldn't help but look at everything as he was carried through the halls of the castle. It was as if he'd stepped back in time, but no... not quite. Everything showed its age, but it wasn't interspersed with signs of the current era, either.Perhaps a highly authentic museum then? Still, it was hard to appreciate everything, as there was an aura of darkness and terror over it all. This was an old castle in which a vampire dwelt, kidnapping, feeding off of, and slaughtering the living.

Slaughter... and his lovely little pet name was 'little lamb'. The fear made him want to be sick all over again, but he had nothing left to vomit up.

"...you can't blame me for running..." he whispered, his voice hoarse. "...it is human nature to...fight or run from things that hurt us... Have you forgotten that... after all this time...?"

Emil let out a soft breath "At times perhaps I forget what it is like" he told him. "Believe me Aaron...there are few things you can never forget, no matter how many hundreds of years you live. It may seem like a lot to you, but my time has aged so slowly..." he if he would have been able to see his face, there were demons that lived in the eternal vampire. Many, many demons and he had yet to diminish and fill with new, pleasant memories.

"I protect my home, feed and do things like any 'human' you only think I'm a cruel murderer for my...let's say not so proper way of taking another life" he wasn't going to apologize for those. He wouldn't.

"Now. Are you going to be good?"

Aaron still wanted to run, still wanted to escape, but his hopes that this would ever be possible were diminishing rapidly. He also knew that being defiant would get him nowhere. This situation was utterly terrifying, and now all he could hope for was that cooperating would save him somehow.

It was humiliating to be referred to in such a way, but what good was pride in a place like this, with a creature like this laying claim to him. He swallowed, trying to ignore the taste of bile in his mouth. Right now, he only had one sensible option.

"...I-I'll do whatever you want me to. Just... please... d-don't take me down there again..."

Emil would ignore Aaron's pathetic pleading for the moment as he would take the poor boy into the bedroom. His room. The others remain locked. There was a good layer of dust on everything but he ignored it as he put the frightened male on the bed. "I want you to stay so I can clean you up...I doubt you want to reek while you're here" he may be nice and let him actually see the sunshine again. Perhaps even let him take a view on his own throughout the castle. But it would be dark..probably frightening to him. There were plenty of places where light could touch, the bedrooms however couldn't just the way the castle was designed.

"Relax, I will felch something, and then let you rest. There is nothing in the room that is...scary" at least he didn't feel so. Weapons perhaps. But he would only find them amusing.

Knowing anything else would be stupid and pointless, Aaron lay still. He didn't relax; he wasn't sure when or if he'd ever be able to relax again, but he did wait where he'd been left. He found himself staring at the ceiling, half expecting to see more corpses decorating Emil's bedroom. He didn't, but the gnawing fear wouldn't leave him.

Emil's bedroom... God... he was truly lost. How long would it be before anyone noticed he was missing. Surely not long... His thing had just been discarded in the train station, he wouldn't be on the train, he wouldn't arrive in London to stay with his uncle. He shivered and shut his eyes. Would he ever see his family or friends again? He could feel his hopes sinking.

Emil would come back with a wooden bucket and some clean looking water. He had his ways of getting it though he didn't really need it for himself. "Get naked" he told Aaron. Dropping a clean cloth into the bucket as well he would fold his arms as he waited for his little lamb to do what he wanted. He would have to remember at some point to go down to his dungeon and start cleaning up down there, just a bucket and push a clean cloth around or a mop. Made things easier.

Ignoring him for just a moment, the vampire would move to his closet. He doubted he would have anything that fit Aaron. He might just have to go round naked. Not that the older male would mind, he rather liked seeing his little lamb going around naked. Finding a warm fur lined cloak, he figured that might be fine. Grabbing it he would brush the dust off of it, he was glad it wasn't gross and full of mold. It stayed pretty clean in there thankfully.

Aaron looked at the bucket and cloth, the full implications of being trapped here coming to him at last. This place had no modern amenities. No electricity, no running water, no central heating or cooling. He also doubted there was food here.

Of course, the lack of modern comforts was the least of his concerns in this place. Right now, his rapist was telling him to strip. He would need to in order to clean up, of course, but Aaron could never think this was so innocent. Trembling and still nauseous with the fear, Aaron began to do as he was told, peeling off his soiled clothing and dropping it to the floor. He chose to stare at the bucket of water instead of looking at the vampire, not wanting to see the kind of look he would get once he was exposed.

Emil noticed Aaron was finally stripping like he asked, at least he was following orders. Of course he would fetch things for him, maybe his bag too. Which was probably just sitting at the lost and found if someone hadn't taken it of course. They could see but he would let him know. Though there was no comforts of home, there actually was indoor plumping at least for toilets. He could fetch fresh water, he would need to.

"..You should wash up. Do it or I will" he said grabbing the soiled clothes from the floor and tossing them into a corner to be forgotten about while he placed the warm cloak on the bed. He remembered as a human it tended to get a little cold at night so huddling down in a warm cloak under the nice covers was something that was necessary.

Aaron looked again at the bucket and the cloth, then dipped the cloth to start rinsing himself. Without soap there was only so much he could do, but he did the best he could. He was shivering. It was in the middle of winter and this place was built of stone, so it was already cold, but now he was wet, too.

He tried to work quickly, motivated by the cold and by the creature standing there watching him. He tried not to look at Emil, but he kept glancing over out of the corner of his eye, expecting to see the vampire drawing closer to him at any second. He had a sense of panicked urgency, as if not finishing fast enough would result in something truly awful.

Once he finished, he dropped the cloth in the bucket and moved toward the bed, toward the cloak lying there, wanting to have something covering him as quickly as possible.

Emil could tell that Aaron was so cold, he could practically see the goosebumps on his skin. "Come, I'll light a fire for you. It'll be much warmer" there was none in the bedrooms unfortunately but there were lounge chairs in the great hall and he could get the huge fireplace going surely. The last thing he needed was to let his little lamb get sick. It would do him no good when he finally fed, and perhaps thrust into that warm body again.

Sustenance, though, food, was something that would have to be acquired. Perhaps he would surprise him and track down the bag while he slept, or poked about whatever he decided to do. That cloak would probably only protect his body, Emil could doubt it would protect his feet. "You are free to look about, but let me tell you, there are worst things than looking upon a decaying corpse"

Aaron picked up the old cloak and pulled it around himself. It was too large for him, so it fit more like a blanket, but that would be fine for now. The cloak smelled quite old, but it was thick and warm and covered him well. He then prepared to follow Emil, though he kept a distance from him.

He suspected the invitation to look around was some kind of trap, perhaps meant to make him think he'd be able to run. The thought did occur to him, of course, but he was too afraid to try without some kind of plan or hope of escape. If he attempted to flee the first time he was left alone, he would certainly fail and he was sure his punishment would be much worse the second time around. He shuddered at the thought, but it was almost indistinguishable from his chills.

Emil would lead the way through the dark hallway to the old dining hall. The grand room was huge. All the old furniture survived. No broken windows, no sources for bugs to get in. Sometimes, down in the basement there were but maggots in dead bodies was the least of his problem. Not worrying about it he would move to the large fireplace It was a good ten feet long. Made to heat up the entire area. When he was living, it seemed it was always going, except in the summer time. "Don't get too close, from what I remember it gets rather toasty...but it's been a good few hundred years"

Leaving Aaron there, Emil would fetch some wood. It was old and rotted for the most part. But there were some logs well preserved that he could drag in. None from outside would do. Not in the winter. Returning he would line them up and place a little of the flint around to get it started. After a little bit of fussing about he would finally get it going. The dry wood would catch on fire almost immediately and the large blaze would light up the room. He winced. as he rubbed his eyes. He forgot how bright it could get. Family portraits hung on the wall, these ones not covered. A large dining table complete with fifty chairs took up space and it looked like there would be plenty of room for dancing in there too.

"...It's been a long time..." even he could mildly feel the warmth from the flames.

Aaron clutched the cloak tightly as he looked around at yet at yet another room that seemed to not have been touched since a much older era. Emil's words confirmed this, he had to briefly wonder if the vampire was actually getting sentimental. He didn't dwell on this for long and went to get one of the chairs. he wasn't sure if he should trust their integrity, but the floor was cold and he just wanted to curl up. He sat down and tucked his legs underneath him, facing the fire and waiting for the warmth to seep into the room.

"...If this is the only fireplace, how did you heat the bedrooms and the rest of the castle?" Questions: those seemed to go over well and distracted from whatever else the vampire was thinking up. He was also thinking of his "comfort" while staying here; he doubted he'd be left to sleep in here.

Emil still had his thoughts and feelings on the matter. he wasn't all mindless killer. Probably because he lived there, surrounded by his memories and they were all he was ever going to have. Unless, he thought about turning Aaron. But he still figured that he shouldn't. After all, it was no life to live. It would be slow going like all fires were. He noticed right away his little lamb was still cold. "Give it a moment you'll warm up soon enough" he said.

"We were used to the cold, but mostly heavy clothes, fur lined blankets. Or coming there to sit by the fire until were warm enough to make it back to our rooms" he said. All that was left was the cold though. Everything that he'd known was gone. But, he was becoming less aware of the sentimental value unfortunately as time wore on.

Aaron hugged himself a little tighter. He could feel the heat radiating from the blaze now, but fear, exhaustion, and a growing hunger were going to make it more difficult for him to really feel warm. This place was so dark, so empty, and whether or not he was chaine din the dungeon, it was his new prison. He supposed he could see why Emil might desire company, but he couldn't feel much sympathy for the creature and his long-gone life. For now, he just focused on warming up and trying not to think of endless days spent in this place, the personal plaything of a vampire and with no contact to the outside world.

Now, Emil could be cruel. When he got a new victim he could rip out their heart and grill it and serve it to Aaron. If he cut it in a certain way he wondered if he would even know what it was. But the thought was quickly gone, perhaps he could find something or another from a closed shop. Some kind of groceries. He would just pick whatever he could. There was surely something he could find. Everything in the castle still worked pretty much, old hand built items tended to last forever. Sure everything in there probably belonged in a museum but what did he care? "I am leaving to feed, don't think I can't track you down if you run again Aaron" he warned him before he turned and walked to a dark part of the room, disappearing through the shadows.

Aaron looked up to watch him go, saw him melt into the shadows, and shivered. How could he hope to escape a creature that could do that? He'd thought he was safe in the daylight, but Emil had found a way. Perhaps all that about sunlight was just some kind of trick, a game to see what he would do with the information.

Aaron knew he wasn't going anywhere. It was too cold to go out into the night, and he'd never get somewhere safe in time, if there was anywhere safe. Feeling despondent tears coming to his eyes again, he got off the chair and scooted it closer to the fire, then did his best to make himself comfortable in it. It was large enough for him to curl up in, but it wasn't cushioned.

Emil was out there somewhere... looking for someone to kill. The thought made him sick.

Emil actually had his little lamb on the mind but finding a victim certain was there as well. The only question was searching for the city for what he thought he might need. Question was, where to even start? Surely there was somewhere he just had to figure out just where that was and if he could find something suitable for Aaron.

Stepping out onto the dark streets he glanced around. There were some night goers, perhaps a few hookers here and there. He paid them no mind though. Seeing a shop just about to close he felt it was perfect! The lights were all closed yet he could still see movement within. Heading around the corner he would disappear from the shadows into the shop. The poor owner had no idea what was going on, they were simply busy cleaning up the shop. A camera that obviously wasn't on, and a darkened shop full of food? He couldn't have gotten any luckier!

Rushing the poor man he would make quick work as he quickly latched onto the mans throat with his sharp fangs, like some kind of overgrown leech. His hand over his lips so that he could not scream. Emil could feel the rush of liquid pouring into him as he greedily drank every drop that he could pull into his mouth. The man was drained in a matter of only a few minutes as he was savoring every pull. Once the man was drained he would grab a bag and start to fill it with all sorts of foods he recognized. Fruits and vegetables mostly, stuffing it full of items. He knew he had to get as much as he could.

Dropping the bag into the shadows he would fill another, and repeat until he had a good 7 bags full of various items. Even some unhealthier things like chips and such. Juices, powdered milk, water, everything that he could think of. It had taken so long to gather the things but his little lamb needed to eat!

Aaron's exhaustion and the heat from the fire had put him into a fitful sleep. He kept waking up as he was quite uncomfortable in the chair and extremely nervous about Emil returning. He expected to open his eyes to the vampire standing over him at any moment, or perhaps holding him as he had done on many nights without Aaron's notice.

Emil would let out a slow breath as he carried all the bags he had stuffed. It was quiet a bit but walking from shadow to shadow was easy and soon enough he would return. "..Not sleeping?" he asked as he set the bags he'd brought down. "Here, come get your things" it mattered not if some of it spoiled, most of it would keep a little while. Surely he was starving and would want to see in the bags...but that was just Emil's thoughts, Aaron...well he tended to do what he wanted.

Aaron's stomach tightened up the moment he heard movement, and sure enough the source of his fear had returned. He stared at the bags from his place and recognized them for grocery bags. Surely the vampire hadn't actually gone shopping? Did he even have any modern currency? Probably not...

Yet, Aaron couldn't worry about where the food had come from right now. Slowly, he got up from the chair, wincing as some of his cramped muscles were stretched. The large fire had done a little to warm the stone floor, but it still felt cold as he walked toward the table cautiously. He was afraid to see what had been retrieved for him and knew he would have to take what he was given, whether or not he liked it. Every step closer to Emil he took was more difficult than the last, but eventually he reached the bags and tentatively began to look through them.

He was hungry, but he wasn't sure he could keep food down. Still, he selected an apple to start with and retreated back toward the chair, keeping his head down.

Emil was instantly reminded of a scolded child. It mattered not if he was afraid, it wasn't as if he was going to eat him. Without another word to Aaron he would walk by. He had forgotten he wanted to grab his things as well but food had been much more important. Of course, he didn't really get modern currency, he was just used to taking things when he wanted and dealing with them that way. Whatever Aaron wanted to eat was up to him.

Remembering where the train station was, he would use the shadows again to return to the area. He loved to travel that way! It made it so much easier. Glancing around he didn't see his little lamb's bags. Surely they were there.... it hadn't been that long. Seeing the place that they kept the bags in he would smirk. There they were! He could smell his lamb all over them knowing they were his. It may have been faint but he knew the odor. He'd smelled it quiet often and he loved it. Doing as he had with the bags he dropped them in. A light suddenly flashed into his face and he winced.

A security guard had spotted him but instead of killing him, Emil would give the woman a pass. He could see she was pregnant and he did not kill pregnant women. It was his same feelings for children. No innocent died by his hands. So he let her be and when she lowered the light for that brief second he took it to melt into the shadows, all the bags he needed in hand. Tossing them through they would come out into the dining hall, right where he figured Aaron would still be.