𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 (𝔰𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔫﹠𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔢)

[Bunny]

Icy air ripped through her lungs with each ragged breath. The raid had happened unexpectedly. Even though her terror for a fleeting moment Arianna's mind snorted. Unexpected. All raids were unexpected. Her bare feet sped along the rough terrain, one of many fleeing from them. Vampires. The undead. Monsters. No matter what you called them, they were pure evil. The woods would have normally been quiet, but this night they were filled with screams, brush being trampled and the harsh breathing of other humans. Aria had been asleep when they had struck and it was only Theo that had saved her from meeting her fate sooner. His rough hands as he shook her awake and pulled her through the fighting, the slaughter... the horror. They had been lucky. Or at least so she had thought before she had been tackled. As she ran she could feel the bruise forming along the side of her face from where she had fallen, dazed by the impact. Theo had thrown himself at the monster, screaming for her to flee.

Flee.

She could feel shame for leaving him and so many others behind later. Arianna wasn't some helpless damsel, she was a fighter. It had been drilled into her from birth by her adoptive father and Theo's true father. This world held no pity for humans. Not any more. They couldn't rest on their laurels, couldn't become complacent. Complacent got you dead or worse. A branch slapped against her cheek, sharp as it split her cheek and she could feel the warmth of her own blood in the cold night air.

The monsters had picked their night well. Moonless, it put the humans at a disadvantage. Even Aria, who knew these woods like the back of her hand, stumbled and slipped as she ran. She wanted nothing more than to stop, to try and go back. See what had become of her den... But there were heavy footfalls behind her, the clink of something more than the rough cloth or leather that her kind wore. Risking it she turned to look over her shoulder and she could see her pursuer, hot on her tail. "Fuck." The word held the warmth of anger and the bitterness of frustration as she put on a burst of speed. If she couldn't escape this... thing... then Theo's sacrifice would be in vain. Like her big brother, Theo had looked out for her as long as Aria could remember. There wasn't a day his sun kissed blond locks and warm smile hadn't been in her life. He had put it all on the line for her.

Shifting she tried to turn, though at this point she wondered if she was just running out the clock on the evitable... That was when her foot caught on the slickness of rotting leaves her body sliding forward before she careened into an oak with a sickening thud. The wind left her in a rush and her world spun a second time, as she slipped to the roots of the tree. A derisive laugh sounded above her and there was another sharp pain at her temple before her world went black.

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A groan left Aria, her head throbbing. The rocking had woken her but it was the press of bodies, the stench of fear and adrenaline that made her stomach roll uneasily. Bodies closed in around her, swaying as the... cart... that is what it was rolled along the cobblestones. Some around her cried, others offered up prayers to whatever deity they believed in for salvation. Aria knew what they prayed for. Death. When faced with the alternative... there wasn't a human here that would wish for anything else. A fate worse than death would to be sold as a blood slave. Slowly used and abused until the mind or body broke and you were thrown away like a dejected toy. That was all that they, humans, were to them. First and foremost they were food. Chattel. Secondly a source of sick amusement. While no one really knew what happened to those who were captured in the raids, for none ever came back, they knew it wasn't good.

The back of her head bounced against the iron of the bars and she groaned again. She wanted to stand but she was unsure if there would be room. Struggling to her feet, those around her shifted to let her, though it was perhaps a blessing there was so little room so when she swayed uncertainty on her feet, the ground rushing up to meet her for a moment she didn't collapse back to the rough wooden floor of the cage. Hands steadied her, and she made a soft mumble of thanks towards them as her own hands wrapped along the iron bars. Her voice felt rough as she spoke louder. "What happened?" It was what she had expected. Most of the den had been captured, very few escaped. Some of the children.. Those around her knew her. They had known her since she'd been small. "Theo?" There was a small shake of a heads near her and she fought back the rising panic. It must have shown for an older woman brushed her wild red hair back from her face. "We don't know what became of him. He wasn't among the dead..." Exhaling she started to nod and then thought better of it. "I hope he made it out..." Theo was in line to take over from his father.. He deserved better than this.

The cart slowed and then stopped and Aria took a deep breath. Now... their fates would be decided. If you were lucky, you would be drained of all your blood right away. No drawn out torment. No living hell. Just the blissful ever after awaited. So what if it involved hundreds of needles. The pain would last but a moment and then it would be over. She couldn't see past the people, but she could hear noises past them. The gathering of vampires to bid on them, like they were nothing more than beasts. Wild, savage beasts.

One by one they were drawn from the cage. Some went crying, others stoically as they were led onto the chopping block. Arianna knew what she looked like, or what she had looked like before the raid. It had been almost two weeks since her last hasty bath. Her skin had been dirt smudged before her many falls, her flaming locks matted and twisted with leaves and likely sticks. Like all of those around her, Aria had never known a truly full belly and she could easily count her ribs. She was a scrawny thing even for her age. At sixteen, she should have been several inches taller and perhaps had her diet been better, they might have been some curves along her body. She had to look even worse now though, her body ached and her head throbbed viciously. The heat of the bodies that surrounded her slowly lessened and she could now see the stage. To the right there were women, men and children huddled together. It didn't take her long to figure out what they were grouped there. With the children crying, their young lives destined to be ended long before their time. They were the lucky ones.

Aria watched through narrowed eyes as a shirtless man was dragged out of the cage. It was then that she noticed all the men were shirtless and she felt instant disgust for the reason why. To entice the female monsters to bid... Arianna closed her eyes and said a silent thank you to whomever listened to their prayers that they had allowed the women to remain clothed. The man was purchased by a waspish looking vampire, her features severe. The way the woman looked at him, as if wondering what his insides tasted like made her stomach give a roll. One by one, they were pulled from that cage, their fates sealed and for everyone led to what had to be a fresh hell.

A strong hand clamped around her arm and dragged her out. She stubbled for a moment, to keep up with the long strides of the man. Pulled onto that damned stage she refused to show them her fear. Chin held high she glared at all of the leeches before her. Never show fear. Those three words a mantra in her mind over and over to still the shaking that wanted to start in her hands. Nails bit into her palms, quelling the trembles as they threatened to start. Hungry eyes raked over her skin and each place they touched made her feel far more filthy than she truly was. A man stepped forward, his features sharp. Golden blond hair and weaselly blue eyes, his kin a pallor that made him look more like a corpse than the others around him. His smile was oily and it made her skin crawl as his eyes ranked down her body for a second time. "I will take her... she might be good for some amusement..." Even his voice was off and it ran down her spine like nails. "At least... until I break her."

It took everything in Aria to not rip her arm from the vamp that held her. To flee into the streets. The man rifled in his pockets, retrieving the sum in which to buy her. She couldn't... wouldn't... let him touch her. If she ran.. perhaps they'd kill her? Golden coin was passed to the slaver and one pallid hand reached for her when a voice rang out. "Stop." There was command in that voice, it reverberated in the air and the hand that had been about to touch her froze. Angry eyes turned towards the speaker and Aria would have sworn it wasn't possible for the vampire to get paler and yet... he did. Her eyes trailed past him towards the man he looked at.

 

[Staine]

Reidrich could feel the sudden silence from the crowd as all eyes turned towards him, the single word he'd said echoing through the square. It hadn't even been a shout, he'd spoken, albeit loudly, and just like that everything stopped. The chatter that had been going on between the throng of vampires eager to purchase their own new blood dolls from the latest captured specimens turned to him, the auctioneer trying to complete the current sale, the bewildered looking vampire that was mid-way through his purchase, coin still in hand. All it had taken was that one little world to bring the gears set in motion to a grinding halt. It was unheard of, for anybody to object to a sale. Everybody had their chance to bid, to make an offer but once money had begun to change hands it was considered good form to just let it happen since family feuds had been started over far less an insult but for the life of him Reidrich couldn't bring himself to care what anybody else thought. He never cared, so long as it didn't put a stain on his honour and this...it wouldn't even register. There would be talk, rumours, gossip for a few days and then it would all die down again as the vampires moved on with their lives.


Slowly, not because he couldn't move quicker but because he simply felt no need to rush, he began to walk towards the stage, Nakoa by his side, pressed against his leg while two large looking vampires wearing all black and hooded clothes following close behind. There was no need to walk around them, as his long black cane tapped against the ground and he stepped forwards, the crowd just parted for him, moving aside as though he were preceded by a plough to guide his way. He could understand their surprise, of course. He was well known throughout the town, even if they had never shared a word with him everybody here knew who he was, could recognise him if not through having seen him before then by the huge tiger that followed his every step while large, green, dangerous looking eyes scanned the crowd for any sight of danger or hazard. As he approached the stage on which the humans were being paraded like cattle, he raised his hand to halt his guards. "I'll take her. Girl, down here, follow me."

From just his voice and tone you would know he was important, people who had never seen him couldn't take their eyes off of what was unfolding, the slaver barely hesitated before he raised his palm and shook his head at the vampire he'd just been about to sell her to, refusing his money. It just wasn't worth it. The vampire looked over at him incredulously, as though he'd sprouted a second head and was met with a steely gaze, or so he likely thought...it was hard to tell what Reiderich was thinking since seeing his eyes just wasn't an option. No, not with the dark, light rimmed glasses that covered his eyes, kept his secrets from being slipped by an astonished look at the wrong word. Satisfied that he was to be obeyed by the vampires at the very least, he turned his attention back to the girl. A pretty young thing, striking red hair that he couldn't deny held a very large appeal and a defiant air about her that Reidrich found slightly amusing. Before he'd spoken out, she had looked reviled, like she was about to lash out at the vampire that had bought her and he'd half expected it to happen, for her to attack or to bolt, for the crowd of jeering vampires to give chase and make an example of her. Not now...now she seemed to have frozen, she wasn't even walking towards him as he'd commanded. Nakoa was idly pacing in front of him, the large tiger a creature of raw power, a predator just like him, like the rest of the crowd. He tapped his cane twice on the ground and Nakoa stalked back to his side.

"I told you to come. You're mine, now. Do not make me come up there to retrieve you." She still didn't move, and the slaver reached out as though to grab her for him when he growled softly, a sound not unlike what one would expect from Nakoa and the man froze, his hand outstretched. "Do. Not. Touch. Her." It took a few moments for the vampire to unfreeze, as though he'd needed to be jump started before he pulled his hand back quickly, bowing his head slightly. "Y-Yes, your highness, my apologies." Looking like he wanted nothing in the world more than for this whole situation. Finally, she started walking, his eyes on her behind the glossy, smoky black of his glasses. She was filthy, malnourished, small in stature, less curvy than most of the girls on the stage, less voluptuous. She looked young, unsure, even scared...though not nearly as scared as some of the others did. She looked like she might fight for her freedom or die trying at any moment, at least she had before he'd spoke, now she just seemed confused, she was trembling a little and yet even at this distance he could still feel the fire raging in her stomach. She was wild, far from subservient, not the kind of girl he would normally like, and the first he'd ever purchased as a blood slave. One of his guards reached for her as she got closer, and his head snapped towards him. The hand was quickly withdrawn, and Reidrich turned his head back to the girl.

"Follow, do not try to run, keep up."

He turned to walk back towards the palace looming in the distance, a long walk in the town but still no more than fifteen minutes at their pace.

 

[Bunny]

All eyes had fallen on the new figure and the defiance that had squared her shoulders and tightened her jaw faded slowly. The anger seeped away in the confusion as she gazed at the creature. Aria couldn't bring herself to call him a man. He was a monster, though she couldn't help the small flicker in her mind that whispered back. A beautiful monster. He radiated power too and she'd have been able to tell that even if all of the leeches hadn't turned to gawk at him. The man who had been reaching for her recoiled beside her and the slaver hadn't needed to shoo him away. He knew better. He had no wish to get on the wrong side of the Prince. Inclining his head slightly, he muttered, "Prince Reiderich.." And then scampered off the stage and into the crowd.

She might have stood there dazed by his appearance had a flash of orange and black not drawn her gaze down. Just before him was a strange creature. It looked like a cat of some kind. A predator to be sure. The corded muscles that rippled beneath the stripped fur, the elegant prowling gait. Predator. It truth it scared her almost as much as the man it proceeded. What was it? Her eyes moved back to its master and her bright green eyes narrowed. Arianna didn't care which monster claimed her. They were all the same. They would use her, abuse her and when her mind or body broke, toss her aside. In truth, it would have been a hard call to pick which she though might be the kinder of the two. As if she had a choice. But Aria had heard of the royal family. They were vicious brutes. They were responsible for the state of the world now. This... thing and his family had waged war on her people, had all but decimated them. The choices after the war were a joke. You could join with them, agree to serve them... be forever a second class citizen. You could be a rebel like she was, live in freedom in the woods and caves. Scrounge for everything you had and live in constant fear of raids. That was what led to the very bottom of the food chain so to speak. Blood slave. Blood doll. It didn't matter what you called it. They were slaves in truth and it was a fate worse than death.

For a moment Aria debated trying to still run. Calculating the risk. They would catch her. There was no doubt about that. First, there were too many of them and second, they were faster. It was the plain and simple truth. The question really was what would they do if she did run? Something told Arianna that they wouldn't kill her for running. They'd hurt her. Was it really any different? While she debated the merits of running, ignoring the order from him, she tested his patience. He'd told her to come to him, to follow him and yet she hadn't moved. A small part, microscopic really, was bravery. The larger, overwhelming factor was fear. She was... terrified. Of him. This word. What was to come. It was like ice down her spine and it took everything to not have her legs shake. Her small hands curled into fists and she let the wave of pain ground her as her nails bit into her skin.

Do not make me come up there to retrieve you.

Those words had her chin rising and her brilliant verdant eyes narrowing once more. Defiance radiated from her. She might have forced the issue, made him come get her had two things not happened. Movement behind her made her body tense and she braced herself for the cold touch of the slaver when the man barked out an order. Not to touch her. That alone might have goaded her into staying, forcing him to retrieve her. The other factor was the large creature padding toward her, the crowd parting for it. It was huge and if Arianna was honest it scared her almost more than the dead around her. They were a known quantity. She knew what to mostly expect from them, but this beast of orange and black? It was unknown. It seemed to be tamed, but it scared her nonetheless and as it circled her she fought back a sound of fight as she edged down the steps. The cat herded her towards him, till she was an arms length away from Reiderich before returning to his side.

Fighting her rising fear and panic she looked up at Reiderich. She still tried for defiance, but there was something else in her gaze. A flicker of fear. A hand reached out towards her and she watched in amazement as his head snapped to the guard who had been moving to reign her in. The hand fell away almost as quick, his face a mask of shock at the look he'd received. No one was to touch her it seemed....

Mind reeling Arianna followed behind him trying to keep up while also keeping her distance from the cat-like thing. However, her fear and defiance were replaced as they moved through the town. She knew what the town looked like from afar, with the white and red like a bleeding wound upon the land and she knew of the glittering lights that filled it's streets and illuminated the palace. She was told they were not fires but electricity. It had sounded like magic to her as a child... Yet here as they walked along the stone laid path it really was magic to her eyes. There were shops lit from within with a light that seemed like mini suns. The one to her right selling flowers of every shape, color and size. Her eyes widened and despite herself she let out a small gasp. The town floated by her as they moved through it and it was hard to not stare in awe at what she saw. Arianna was taken in by the bright colors, the glittering of glass in the sun. It was.. beautiful.

The closer they got to the palace though the less dense the buildings became. It was almost like being in the woods again. Almost. Passing through giant doors guarded by more of his kind Ariana followed behind until they reached a long hall. Within she stopped, gaping in truth now, a gasp leaving her as her hands moved to her mouth. Whatever Arianna had thought she would find inside this palace of misery it wasn't.... this. White and gold overwhelmed her senses. It was... bright though she couldn't quite say cheery. It was beautiful in a cold sort of way. Above their heads were giant lights that were layer on layer upon one another. While she hadn't known what the cat was, these she could recall the name for... Chan... chandelier? She had never seen one, but there were some who still remembered before or knew the stories that had been passed down from before.

 

[Staine]

Reiderich was expressionless as he watched Nakoa stalk closer to the girl...his blood slave. His eyes were on the tiger's tail, swishing dangerously as he padded his way up towards her, and he watched her reaction with interest. The vampire who had been trying to buy her had left the stage as soon as possible, no doubt terrified that one of the royal family wanted to purchase the slave he'd tried to buy. Their reputation, and by extension Reiderich's own reputation, was one of violence. Sadistic, cruel, controlling, nobody in this city or any nearby dared to challenge them or stand between them and what they wanted, mostly thanks to the ruthless way in which his father ruled. Humans had rights...if they submitted. Indeed, the town was filled with 'free' humans who lived in relative peace. Some opened their own stores, shops, some provided services, tailors, repairmen, builders and human doctors. It was a community unto itself. They had their own food supplies, hunters and farmers who went unmolested by the vampire population. Of course, there were also those who offered other services...humans still outnumbered the vampires but there were enough of his kind that they needed a constant food supply. The first blood brothels had been opened by vampires, using their own bloodslaves captured from amongst the rebels, kept as chattel and feeding any vampire with enough coin to pay, as well as sating other, more carnal desires. It hadn't taken long before some humans had opened up similar establishments, though curiously none of their workers were there against their will. Consensually feeding their vampire rulers, there was good money in a willing human, many vampires preferred to feed on the willing and refused to take blood and sex by force. Reiderich himself had been known to visit these establishments himself; he preferred his girls eager.

These humans, however, were constantly afraid of angering the ruling king and his family, but so were the vampires. Any crimes against other vampires or even the humans that had been granted this freedom were quickly and brutally dealt with, there was no room for dissent and mercy in this new kingdom they had fashioned after the great vampire war, when they'd come out of the shadows and city after city had fell, when they'd taken everything from the humans and shattered their world. The king kept a tight hold on all he now ruled, to insult a prince would be met with death and so none in the square would challenge his claim over this girl. She, however, hadn't moved as he'd called for her. Rebels...the last vestiges of the truly free, living like animals in the forest, resisting the rule of vampires to the last. When a rebel was captured, or a free human committed a crime, this was their fate, to be dragged up before the city and sold as a personal slave. Those that were undesirable would be killed, drained of their blood and cast aside so that they could not cause anymore problems, and they were the lucky ones. Those that were sold would no doubt be tortured, raped, used and abused and used to feed their new owners. Blood slaves were the lowest of the low, living a miserable life of service and torment until they were sold on to another, equally as cruel owner or mercifully robbed of their lives. She had every reason to be terrified of him for these reasons, to be bought by any vampire was a horrifying sentence, to be bought by one of the royal family was the worst thing that could happen to a rebel, that was what Reiderich had heard in hushed whispers. So...why was it that she shot him with that defiant look? This waif of a girl, skinny, dirty...and somehow defiant.

It didn't matter. Nakoa had reached her, and as he prowled behind her she had made her first move, stumbling forward, seemingly more wary of the tiger than she was of his master, until she was just a couple of feet from him. Shooting a warning glance at his guard who had taken it upon himself to try and grab her, he'd ordered her to follow and confident that Nakoa would keep her from trying to flee, he'd walked through the town at a reasonable pace. The humans and vampires around them all knew him by sight and reputation, giving him a wide berth as the small party made their way to the palace. He supposed he had his younger brother to thank for that, for putting truth to the reputation the royal family had by taking no small delight in exercising his rights as a prince. As they entered the palace, even Reiderich paused for a moment, his eyes flitting behind his dark glasses, taking in the sheer opulent splendour of the well maintained, beautiful building. It had been a long, long time since he'd just enjoyed the sights around him and he didn't feel he wanted to waste the opportunity, though he was careful not to move his head as he looked around, he wouldn't want to give anything away, he preferred to keep his own counsel, the less those around him knew of him the better. After a few moments, giving the girl time to realise exactly where she was, he carried onwards. It was amusing, knowing that she had lived her life among the trees and caves of the forest he had little doubt that she'd never seen anything nearly as fine as the palace, hell, she had seemed to be gawking at the sights around her in the streets outside.

They finally came to his apartment on the upper floor, and as he opened the door the room inside was pitch black, perfect darkness that was only barely illuminated by the well lit hallway. He turned to his guards. "Get some of the maids. Female...and send them to my apartment. Have them bring some clothes and supplies for a bath." He turned to the other. "You, find another to bring food up in an hour. A lot of food." His eyes were on them, watching as they both nodded and turned to walk away. He hardly needed anybody watching him in his own home, in fact as one of the most powerful creatures on the entire continent in addition to most being too scared of accidentally insulting him, he hadn't needed them for the walk through town either. He'd let them follow him mostly to give them something to do, and in case he needed somebody to carry anything he purchased. He certainly hadn't expected to come back with a blood slave, and he'd heard some of the servants and other vampires they had passed whispering to each other once they thought he was out of earshot, staring at the filthy girl following him. He didn't blame them, Reiderich returning home with a blood slave was the absolute rarest of sights...so rare, that she was the first.

"In." He didn't wait for her, walking in himself and knowing that if she didn't walk in of her own accord, Nakoa would force her in. Sure enough, she walked into the room and he closed the door behind her, not bothering to lock it of course. The door did have a lock, but he'd seldom ever used it, nobody would enter without his permission, not even his siblings. Nakoa, seemingly happy to be home, moved to go sit on the rug by the large sofa, and Reiderich took his time looking over his new purchase as he pulled off his coat, hanging it up, the shirt beneath it a deep blue. The first thing she would need would be a bath, and he knew his guards were going to send up some of the maids. She'd need to eat too, she was far too skinny for his tastes, nevermind it likely affected her strength. "What is your name?" A simple question, but he had to start somewhere. "Do you know who I am?"

 

[Bunny]

It seemed she had spent enough time staring at the opulent, cold beauty of this grand hallway. The orange beast stalked towards her as his master moved away. Biting back a small yelp she scurried to catch up with him, glaring at the creature as she closed the distance. Perhaps she was being silly, being so scared of the creature. It was the threat of the unknown that had scared her but logically, it wouldn't be different than mountain lions, right? Dangerous, deadly. Intelligent too. Arianna could see that intelligence in the big cat's eyes too. Tearing her eyes away from the cat she looked around the palace. She wouldn't make it out of here alive. That sinking notation hit her. She would try of course, she had to. It was a part of who she was. The chances though were slim. Up a flight of stairs and down another hallway the troupe stopped just before a door. It opened to a dark room, though much like the rest of the palace she'd seen, there was a clear elegance in the splash of light that entered from the doorway.

He walked in with a single word in her direction. In. Aria's jaw clenched and she eyed the darkness warily. Could it really be worse in the room than it was out here? Yes, the small voice whispered. In there, she could be fed on... Sure he could have done it at any time, but what if they were still like humans in some way? Preferring solitude for their acts of depravity.. She stood there in the doorway for as long as Nakoa allowed her to. Soon enough she was herded in though and she stuck to the beam of light, though that vanished and she trembled in the darkness. From the windows faint light illuminated the room, but it was a pitiful amount. Closing her eyes Aria took a slow, deep breath. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her.

His question came from her side and her lashes opened. She could see his outline in the darkness and she frowned at him. Her name? She could lie to him of course, but there was little reason to not tell him. While she was connected to the leader of the rebels, she wasn't a blood relation. If they knew anything about the rebels, they'd know Theo's name and Christopher's. Not her name. She was in the grand scheme nothing and while that had hurt while she'd been within the camps, here it served her well. Aria wasn't so arrogant to be upset about her lot in life or her place within the movement. She was respected and well liked. She even had a family in Christopher and Theo. They did love her. Yet she had always felt like an outsider for some reason. Loved or not, she had felt different. Her hands tightened into fists at her side and she said finally, "Arianna." The singular word was soft and silky as it slipped from her. She needed to play along though. Pretend to be afraid, obedient. They... he... might let his guard down and allow her escape. It was her only hope.

The second question wasn't hard to answer. He, she had heard of. He and his father were largely responsible for the state of the world now. "Yes.." She had heard his name, knew of him by reputation. There were other rumors of course about his family, but she didn't know if any were true. Some said he had several brothers and sisters. Some said he was an only child. Others said he had a brother and sister. Who really knew? Her eyes were cast about the room, looking away from him. In the dim light she could make out the living room easily enough. She fought the sneer that wanted to curl on her lips. They lived in caves while he and his family lived in a fucking palace. her thoughts were stopped by a knock on the door and she shifted slightly so she could keep him and the door in view.

 

[Staine]

It seemed to take the girl a long time just to tell him her name, but Reiderich was patient. He could have tried to force it, he was well within his rights to hit her, mutilate her, feed from her or otherwise persuade her but the very idea of such things left a sour taste in his mouth. Well...feeding from her certainly didn't, but he'd fed earlier in the day anyway, and besides he had a policy. Not once in almost a thousand years had Reiderich ever taken blood by force, not from a human. There had been darker days in the distant past where he'd fed from animals of course, such as during the war, but unlike the vast majority of other vampires he had no desire to take blood from the unwilling. He never said as such to the servants of the palace, of course, he never even said it to his family though they knew, there was no way they couldn't miss that he had never taken a blood slave before now, nor that he never visited the dungeons where there was always fresh stock from the latest raids just waiting to be claimed by the nobility that ruled over the city. He could just about see her face in the dim light of the moon coming in from the windows, and that itself took his excellent vision into account, he knew for a fact she likely couldn't see him at all. As she spoke her name, he reached out beside himself towards the wall with practiced ease. He'd often had to turn the lights on for his guests during the night, and while the darkness had never bothered him no matter how difficult it was to see, she would much prefer the light he was sure. That, and he wanted a better look at her now. His fingers found the switch and pressed it, and the lights started to flicker a little before turning on, illuminating the room entirely.

He studied her without moving his head, his eyes hidden as they roved over her body behind the reflective black surface of his glasses. She could be beautiful, perhaps, but she was most certainly malnourished, filthy, there were small cuts on her arms and legs that had barely healed where she had no doubt caught herself on brambles or bushes trying to escape, or in the struggle. She was dressed like a commoner...no, worse, she was dressed like she lived out there, in the trees and caves of the forest, like she wanted to blend in and it was very likely that was indeed the case. He could smell her too, and it wasn't pleasant. She clearly didn't have the opportunity to bathe often, and when she did it was likely not with hot water and soap. The way these human rebels managed to live, it astounded him, especially when he thought of how humans had lived just over a century ago. "Arianna..." His tone was deep as he spoke the word. It was a pretty enough name. "You're filthy. When was the last time you took a bath?" There was a knock on his door as he spoke, and he turned away, walking towards the sofa. "Come in." Sitting down on the sofa, close to Nakoa, he smiled as he looked down at the tiger, who looked back up at him inquisitively. The two maids who entered eyed the pair of them. They'd often been in his chambers of course, mostly just for cleaning duties and they'd seen Reiderich walking the halls with the beast next to him but they were seldom in such close quarters with the animal and they eyed it with more trepidation than they did the vampire prince in front of them. "Y-Your Highness, umm...we were told you needed our services?" The darker haired girl was clearly nervous, though the other one had a more confident look on her face, he could tell that as he turned to face them. "Prince Reiderich, we're here to clean your blood slave." She gave a small curtsey, and there was a note of haughtiness in her tone as she said the words 'blood slave'.

He gestured towards Arianna. "She needs a bath, and clothes." He could see that they had brought several items of clothing with them, dresses, skirts, blouses and shoes. He looked back down towards Nakoa and smiled softly, reaching a hand down to scratch behind his ears. The creature that served him so faithfully was indeed handsome, and it was clear to see why they might be afraid of him. Standing, he moved towards his new blood slave. "You will let them bathe you, and dress you. Am I understood?" His tone was strict, a note sharper than it had been when they were alone. The girl had at least been a little more timid around him, particularly with Nakoa around but he hadn't missed the defiance in her eyes earlier, and if she showed him that same defiance here then he would have to put her in her place, not just for her sake but in case gossip started the spread around the palace. Blood slaves did not talk back to royalty. He decided to nip it in the bud, reaching out, his hand finding her throat, holding it tightly but surprisingly gently all the same. "There will be no arguments. Come."

He released her, and his hand slipped down to grab her wrist, pulling her with him into the bathroom. The maids followed, and leaving her in the middle of the room he stepped back towards the corner. "Run her a bath." The blonde turned to him and smiled, before looking at Arianna with barely hidden disgust. "Of course, my lord, I dare say she needs one." The black haired girl smiled not at him, but at her, almost apologetically as she moved to start the bath, putting the plug in and turning the taps that would make the water flow. Steam started to rise as Reiderich leaned against the door frame. "You two, make sure she is cleaned. You." He tilted his head towards her. "Do not cause any trouble. You don't want to get on my bad side." Leaving them, he went back to the sofa, his voice far softer as he looked down at Nakoa. "You are a handsome one, aren't you, Nakoa?" The tiger chuffed at him, bringing a smile to his lips as he busied himself petting the creature while listening to the commotion in the bathroom. As he was idly petting the tiger, there was another knock on the door. "Enter." A third girl came in with mousy brown hair, and he gestured to the dining table nearby as she wheeled in a tray of food. "Over there."

 

[Bunny]

Everything in her body screamed at her to run. The fear of him and his kind was built into human DNA and it clawed at her instincts. It would be foolish to run now though, just as it would be foolish to appear as anything other than a meek, obedient human. It wasn't too hard honestly. As he reached out to the light, the movement caused her to flinch as he came closer than he had been. She didn't like him being close, that much was for sure. The knock too made her jump and she spun. While she wanted to appear as a docile human, she couldn't bring herself to not put both him and the door that opened in view. Her back too, was not toward the window, but a solid wall. She wouldn't allow them to sneak up on her. Arianna could feel her heart in her throat as it raced. Adrenaline and fear were a potent combination. The question he'd asked her had not been answered, though that blush in her cheeks had been answer enough.

Bathing wasn't a luxury that she or any rebel could afford. It also, in the long run, seemed pointless. You were clean for an hour at most and it took a lot of willpower to dunk oneself into a freezing stream. In the warmer months she enjoyed swimming and that cleaned some of the dirt off her skin. In winter she could have filled one of the tubs with hot water, true, but it seemed so damn wasteful. It took time and effort that she too was loath to spend on something that didn't last. She'd just get dirty again. Besides, once she was clean, the rest of her kind seemed to smell worse. It was better to not expose her nose to such things in the long run. If she smelled just like they did, it didn't seem so bad. It just.. was what it was.

Two women entered the room and her eyes flickered over them. Fighting back a curl of her lip, a sneer at them. Human traitors. Rather than fight for their freedom, they bent under vampire will and served. It was disgusting. Their dresses were modest enough, which to some extent was as surprise in of itself. She knew these humans had more freedoms, but they still bowed to vampire rule. Vampires were perverse, sadistic monsters. Arianna had half expected something far less prim and something more... revealing. Her eyes flickered to the bare wrists of the blonde and she could see neat puncture wounds marring her skin. Bile rose in her throat and she found herself looking at her new master over the blood traitors. How could someone sell themselves to the vampires?

The order made her pretty green eyes harden, turning them into icy chips of jade. It was just a flicker but she inclined her head slightly, her lashes hiding her eyes from view. Docile. Meek. Subserviently. Weak. The words were like a mantra in her mind. She followed him and the women towards the bathroom, her eyes on the floor, watching three pairs of feet. If she didn't look at them directly, any of them, it was easier to reign in her temper. It was his hand that made her pause, her body stiffening as her eyes rose to meet his. Again, there was that flash of emotions that passed too quickly. Her body trembled beneath his touch. Fear spiked even as her mind registered the gentleness in which he touched her. It was.... confusing. His hand slipped from her neck to her wrist and she found herself being led to the bathroom, a warm blush spreading to her cheeks.

The room that the three of them entered took her breath away. This is where he bathed? There was a tub, deep and surrounded by a dark stone that continued into a strange transparent room. Its function was unknown and she frowned at it before turning to see the wall of mirrors above the sinks. She was dirty, that fact driven home by the cruel words of the blonde. Aria's cheeks heated with shame and she tore her eyes away from her grimy reflection. Her eyes caught the raven hair maid's gaze and she could see a softness there and her smile held a hint of an apology. Her back stiffened with his parting words and then he was gone leaving her with the pair of maids.

What occurred next was mortifying and unpleasant. Stripped down to her skin, she watched the blonde's lip curl into a sneer as she tossed the 'rags' into a black little can. Ushered into the bath, she bit back a soft moan of pleasure at the warmth of the water. That was the last pleasant moment in this torture room. While the darker haired women aimed to be gentle, the blonde was ruthless in her attempts to clean her. Her skin was rubbed raw and genuinely ached from the abuse. The other had the task of taming her hair which was no better in truth and despite her clear attempt at gentleness, her scalp was left aching long before it touched the water. That was before the bizarre event of removing the hair from her legs and underarms, which had left her puzzled. Her skin felt too sensitive as they dried her off, buffing the water from her bright pink skin. Not once had she made a sound, though there had been times she had to bite back a cry or wince of pain.

Set before the vanity in nothing but her towel she was then subjected to her hair being dried and left to wave around her face gently as the other painted her nails, both on her fingers and toes with an odd lacquer in a deep red shade. It seemed popular though, as both women had their nails painted similarly if not quite so.... garish. A gloss was applied to her lips making them seem shiny, which again stuck Aria as odd. Why even bother to make her look nice? Then it struck her.. who wanted to own something ugly? A red dress was laid out and she eyed it with trepidation. Aria had been dressed in long pants and a long shirt, even in the heat of the season. This was... scraps of cloth at best. Biting back a sigh, she allowed them to dress her, feeling all but naked. It was as if the dress wished to mimic this, for the under layer, beneath the bright red lace was the same shade as her skin. Gritting her teeth she frowned at her reflection. Aria hated to admit she liked the way it made her look. In the same breath she felt like a whore. The final touch was a pair of shoes that Arianna was quite positive were meant to be torture devices. Like the dress they had been lovely, but upon her small feet they pinched painfully and as she rose she felt her body tremble, uneasy on the stilts in which they had placed her. Taking a careful step she looked down at her feet doubtfully. She was going to break her ankle....

The women left her and she sighed looking at the open door where the doubtless waited for her. She took another step, her small body swaying with the effort to stay upright. Another step, then another. Arianna had made it to the doorway to find only her owner and his beast remained. Could she just stay in the doorway? Something told her no. Inhaling through her nose Arianna squared her shoulders and took another step. She made it about halfway to him on those damned stilts before her world gave a funny tilt and she felt herself falling. It was slow, like honey, the way she fell. As if she could see herself hitting the carpet of his room before she did. Twisting she tried to stop her impact, but in the end... it would be for naught, she knew this.

 

[Staine]

She didn't answer him as he asked her when the last time she had bathed was. It was...frustrating. Frustrating, but expected, it wasn't a pleasant question to answer, and she was obviously very guarded around him and for good reason. He was a vampire, he was the architect of her people's downfall and to many of them, a monster to be sure. He didn't say a word, just continued to examine her, expressionless, as the maids came into the room. A slight blush, he could almost hear the blood rushing to her cheeks at his question. A good sign, really, at least it showed that she had some sense of shame at her appearance, and her demeanour hadn't shown that fire from earlier, that defiance. Again, understandable. Even a common vampire was a terrible threat to her, and she would have to be wary of angering any that bought her for fear of what they would do to her, and Reiderich was far from common. He was taller than most, 6"4 last he checked, and quite clearly powerful. His bloodline was a strong one, it was one of the ways his father had managed to gain power among their kind, and to hold onto it. On top of that he was far more well trained than most. Both facts lead to him being more intimidating already, and the rumours he knew circulated about his family had to make it far worse. The girl, Arianna, was clever to recognise that she should be afraid of him.

When he gave her an order, however, that she would be bathed, he saw that flash of steel in her eyes, brief though it was, a mere flicker of defiance. His brows raised over the silver rim of his dark glasses, as though daring her to say something. Reiderich was not accustomed to anybody challenging him, when he gave a command it was absolute, not his guards, not townsfolk, not the servants and most certainly not a blood slave, and he was feeling a mixture of mild annoyance and amusement at the way she seemed to think she could get away with it. Or, perhaps she didn't think that, and it was just her nature, the fire in her defiance as vivid as the colour of her hair. It was impossible for him to know for sure, but he didn't let it trouble him as he led them to the bathroom.

While he wasn't looking at her he heard the sharp intake of breath at the sight of the bathroom, and as he turned he could see her eyes wandering, taking it all in. It occurred to him that she may never have actually seen a bathroom...she certainly smelled like she rarely, if ever, bathed, and while he knew they lived in the forest and the caves it had never actually occurred to him before that it meant her and her people had likely never seen such simple things as running water and ceramic. It was a minor miracle she hadn't freaked out as he turned on the light, he realised, though perhaps she had seen the electric lights out in the city streets and had gotten those out of her system. As he watched, the brown haired maid had turned on the hot water, and she had a similar reaction upon seeing it, staring at the steam that rose from the crystal clear water as it pooled. It was...interesting. How little did this girl know? Would she be as shocked at other such things? When he thought of some of the things he'd once seen just a hundred years ago surely it would seem like magic to her. Telling her to behave herself for the maids, he'd left, and gone to dote on Nakoa, idly scratching the tiger and petting him as the third maid had entered and wheeled in the tray of food, setting it all out on the table.

The other two maids exited the bathroom as the third was finishing laying the table, and he heard one of them move closer to him, tentatively placing her hand on the back of the sofa just a foot or so from his broad shoulders. "Your blood slave has been properly bathed and dressed, Your Highness..." Her tone was almost purring, though he didn't miss the disdain at which she said the words blood slave. Did she too hate the practice? It would be far more common than it would to learn that the crown prince himself was none too fond of it, so he supposed it was likely. "Would there be anything else you require of me...of us? We are always happy to serve the royal family." Reiderich could hear a small amount of movement, a nervous shuffle of the feet from the other maid, but he didn't look up from Nakoa as he answered. "No, that will be all. Leave us." He didn't turn to see the slight frown either, as the maids bowed their heads and left. He could already hear other footsteps in the bathroom doorway, he was well aware Arianna was there, but he waited patiently, only turning as he could hear her beginning to move into the room on unsteady feet. The change was miraculous...she was far more beautiful now that she was clean, wearing a pretty little dress and her hair was no longer matted and filthy, catching the light from the bulb, almost shimmering. She was still a little gaunt, too skinny for his liking, but he could feel the hunger inside him as he looked at her from behind the darkened glasses. It was minor, he had fed plenty just that morning, so it was easily ignored. He was starting to rise, when she started to do the exact opposite, tumbling towards the ground.

The speed at which he moved was a clear contrast into how slow and deliberate he had been until that moment, so fast that she wouldn't even be able to see the movement, had she not been focused on the floor, trying to prevent her own impact. One hand found her stomach, the other catching her chest, the hand ending up around her right breast as he halted her fall with a surprising tenderness, a gentle touch. In his haste to make it in time, Nakoa had raised his head to see what was happening, and as fast as he was she had been far enough away that she had almost fell flat on her face. He'd had to put himself low to the ground, one knee impacting with the soft, carpeted floor as he bent low. "Be careful. If the shoes are difficult to walk in then take them off, don't hurt yourself out of pride." He assumed that was why she had tried to walk in them, as he rose slowly, lifting both himself and her up as he did so. A flick of his wrists flipped her over and his arm was around her back as he carried her back towards the sofa, laying her down gently, leaving room for himself to sit at the further end of it.

Without waiting for her, he reached down and took off the shoes one at a time, examining them. He did like high heels, or rather he liked the way they accentuated the calves and the ass of the women that wore them, but he never quite understood why women had thought they were worth the effort. He placed them down by the sofa, leaving her bare-footed, and gestured to the food. "You're hungry. Eat." It was clear that it wasn't a request, as used to being obeyed as he was, and he remembered her fear of Nakoa, who was still laying besides the sofa they were on, between them and the food. He'd already glanced hungrily at the meat. "Don't worry about Nakoa, he will not bite you."

 

[Bunny]

This word was so alien. The bright light that illuminated the room was not quite magic in her eyes, but it was odd to see. Outside it had made sense, but in here? It struck her as odd. In the caves they had fires to illuminate the cavernous rooms. She could almost hear the lights and whatever powered them. A soft whine of sounds that made her eyes flicker to them as they had moved through the room. The comfort of his rooms were just as awe-inspiring. Her dirty shoes had sunken into the carpet, it was like fresh spring grass as her foot sank into its softness. The bathroom had been the oddest room so far though. Baths in the caves had been a labor intensive process, it took time and you had to really want one to go through the trouble, but here? The twist of a knob had hot water spilling out and filling the basin. The mirror hadn't been as new. They had a few, but they were dirty and most of the time Arianna hadn't bothered to look at her reflection. She didn't care what she looked like, why would she?

The scent soaps had been another oddity to Aria. As they had scrubbed her within an inch of her life, it had smelled sweet, cloying and had made her head swim. The sharp little blade to remove the hair from her body had been just as strange. The practice seemed vain and in her case just highlighted the bruises and scratches on her legs. Life in the wilderness was hard, harsh and her body showed signs of it. The marks that marred her skin to the ribs that she could easily count. Her stomach had never known what it was like to be truly full. To sleep without that ache of hunger was unknown. The red nail polish had been the most absurd though. Her nails were short, kept shirt for ease and now they were painted a bright, cheery color. Ridiculous.

That word could also be applied to these damned shoes... Arianna hated them. Her toes felt cramped in the too little space that the tip of the shoes came to. The back of her heel already chafed, rubbing her skin raw. Why would anyone want to wear these damned things? She had been hobbling from the vanity she had been sat at to the doorway when she heard the maids being dismissed. At least she wouldn't have to see the blonde's face as she stumbled forward. Her cruelty was what she had expected from someone who had sold their soul to the monsters. Her soul was just as black as his. Arianna could feel his eyes on her as she came into the doorway, as he watched her move toward him on unstable feet. Gritting her teeth she tried to make her way to him, hating every step.. hating that damned blonde... hating him.

The gasp that had left her as she had fallen had come unbidden and she waited to feel her already aching body hit the floor. for her still tender head to slam into the surface. No matter how soft the floor was, it would still hurt. Her dark green eyes had scrunched up, waiting for that stinging impact... that never came. Strong, gentle arms cradled her, her face a breadth from the floor. Trembling she was turned in his arms and she felt her world swim with the too quick motion as she found his face just above hers. His words hadn't been lost on her but Arianna was struggling to not be sick. Cradled in his arms she sagged against him as he carried her to the couch. Tenderly she was laid upon the leather and she frowned up at him as he sat near her feet. Those offensive shoes were plucked from her aching feet and her gazed darkened as she focused on them. Evil.

Slowly sitting up she closed her eyes tightly as her world spun. The gash on her head had been washed, the skin around the mark was red and angry. Her head felt tender as she eyed the food. This... banquet would have fed her family for weeks.. This sort of casual opulence was disgusting. Eying the food, she felt her stomach grumble. The tantalizing scent tickling her nose. She wanted to eat and it was clear her body demanded it of her as well.. but there was the slight problem that even thinking about eating that food made her feel green around the gills. Shaking her head some she shifted slightly, eyes moving to him instead. "I will not feed you. Not willingly." The words were firm, and her eyes narrowed some. "I will fight... You will have to force me."

 

[Staine]

The more he observed the girl...and Reiderich had been observing her ever since he'd first seen her up on that stage, paraded in front of the vampires to be sold, the more he grew confused. She clearly was intelligent enough to at least understand the danger she was in, she knew how to act pliant and subservient to avoid angering him, she knew even knew to stay silent, though he didn't know if that was simply her personality or a defence mechanism to not give too much of herself away. She knew all of that, but she also seemed fierce...the few times he had seen that flash of defiance in her eyes, in her stance, in the way her position shifted and she looked as though she was almost on the verge of challenging him...he had a feeling the girl had a fiery temper that he was yet to see, that she was trying to delay the cruelty and torture she expected by acting meek, or using it as a way to seem harmless as she looked for an escape. Now that he could see her in a dress, see the small cuts that marred her limbs and the cut on her head, he could see she was probably a fighter. Maybe she wasn't just a rebel...not the kind of rebel that just tried to live outside the law like so many of them did in their little settlements, keeping to themselves, avoiding the vampires...no, maybe she was a part of the active resistance instead. It would explain a lot...like how he got the strange feeling that she was less scared than she let on. Scared, to be sure, but he'd seen his brother acquire his own blood slaves, those girls had been trembling the entire time, physically incapable of looking a vampire in the eyes as they dreaded their inevitable fate. Some of it might have been how prey reacts to a true predator, picking up on his sibling's cruel and capricious nature, but that wouldn't explain how they had trembled around Reiderich himself too. He didn't think he'd seen that at all from Arianna.

He also found a strange amount of joy in how she'd reacted to the electric lights, to the hot water and the splendour and opulence of his rooms. It was...cute. Things he took for granted, had known all his life he looked at in a different light for just a moment. As he caught her and carried her back to the sofa, he saw how she looked at the shoes as he took them off one by one, the way she glared at them with venom in her eyes. Amusing, how she'd not yet looked at him with quite as much hate, a little of course, but nothing so openly vehement. Funny, how the thing she seemed to hate the most were the shoes and not him, and how she had showed more fear for Nakoa, who had made no threatening moves to her, a creature she didn't seem to have ever imagined before...than she did to him, prince of her hated and feared enemies. He waited patiently for her to eat after commanding her too, and found himself bristling when she didn't. He was starting to feel he may have to get used to that feeling...unless he planned to force her to obey, to torture her into it or punish her severely for disobedience, and it was an odd feeling. Even considering disobeying a prince in this palace was tantamount to suicide, she had to know that, surely? No, instead of eating, she narrowed her eyes at him, speaking, and he turned his head so that he was looking directly into those defiant greens. "You will not fight, and I will have to do no such thing."

His words were simply a matter of fact. Of course, she would have to interpret them herself, but as was his way he'd said only what he felt he had to without giving any of his plans away. Being the crown prince, next in line, Reiderich had to stay guarded with his words at all times, he measured each and every one carefully, it was sometimes exhausting to do but it let him keep his own counsel and an air of unpredictability. Even amongst family he tried to never give away how he truly felt. He reached out with his hand, swift, accurate, but again so very gently as his thumb rested on her chin, his fingers on the back of her neck, giving him easy control over the movement of her head, tilting it just a little to better look at the cut, now even more visible after she had been cleaned. "How did this happen? Did the maids treat it for infection?" It was a simple enough question. Releasing her, he looked back to the food on the table. It was still hot, but it wouldn't stay that way for very long.

"Arianna, I can hear how hungry you are." It was true, he'd heard her stomach rumbling, his hearing far more accurate and keen than even most vampires. "I did not command you to feed me, I told you to eat." He looked back to her. "You're malnourished, a waif. You haven't eaten well in what I imagine is a long time, and there is food here, now. What do you gain from not partaking of it?" Reaching for the table, he took one of the empty plates; there were several in a small pile, and he started to put food on it. He had no idea what would taste good, or what she liked so he went by sight and smell, piling the food on before he placed the plate in her lap. Sitting back against the arm of the sofa, his body facing her, he watched her carefully, his eyes hidden as always behind those familiar, ever-present glasses. "Now eat, or I will make you eat. If you're concerned I will feed from you, then you can relax. I've never taken blood from the unwilling before."

 

[Bunny]

The adamant tone that he used as this monster told her she wouldn't fight him made her hackles rise, though she fought to keep the emotions off her face. The words that had followed those infuriating ones had confused her. He wouldn't force her? That seemed unlikely. He had bought her as a blood slave. She might know not much about this grand world he lived in and now she lived in, but she knew what was expected of her. She was meant to be his food. Her brows furrowed as she held his gaze. She couldn't see his eyes, but that weight of his eyes could be felt every time they fell on her. A small part of Arianna wanted to know what his eyes looked like. Were they as handsome as the rest of him? While she didn't have feelings for the leech, she could admit he was handsome. It wasn't a given, for the man who had been about to buy her had been far from handsome. He though, he was oh so very handsome. That beauty covering a multitude of sins.

She flinched as his hand snaked out, his thumb under her chin as his fingers curled around the back of her neck. Aria could feel the gentleness in his touch but she didn't like the vulnerability. She moved her head, tilting her shin down and to the side to get a better look at the wound on her head. As he released her she jerked back further putting a bit more space between them, her heart racing. He hadn't hurt her and hell, he had been almost kind to her so far. This was some sort of sick game, of that she had no doubt. Her jaw tightened and she looked away. "I got it when I was trying to flee..." It was the truth. She didn't mention how they hadn't needed to tackle her. "And no, they didn't." The spot in question was tender and Aria knew it was likely responsible for her stomach.

Stiffening some as Reiderich mentioned being able to hear her stomach and a small hand moved to it. Aria knew she was hungry. She should try to eat.. She needed her strength if she was going to try and escape. "There is never enough food.." The words held reproach to his statement. He wouldn't know what it meant to go to bed hungry. She had never known a night where she wasn't still hungry as she fell asleep. There were so many mouths to feed and not enough food to go around. Not like the waste of food before her. He piled food onto a plate and set it on her lap. her mouth watered and despite the threat he'd make her eat she lifted the plate to her nose, sniffing. It wasn't that she thought it was poisoned, but she had never smelled anything like it. It was richly seasoned and there were things she had never seen before on the plate. He hadn't given her a fork, which for Aria was perfectly fine. She had used one, but only a few times. She was used to eating with her hands. Lifting a small potato to her mouth she took a bite and closed her eyes as the salty, savory flavor exploded in her mouth. Fighting back a groan she began to eat in truth, ignoring the unease of her stomach. The potatoes were demolished first before she moved to the tender meet that was coated in some green sauce. She had no way to know what any of it was, but it was delicious.

Ignoring the signs of her body though would come back to bite her in the ass, quicker than she had expected. She had eaten more food in that sitting than she would have in a week and her stomach felt almost pleasantly full when it hit her. Closing her eyes she pushed the plate to the couch beside her. She could feel the bile working its way up her throat. Bitterness filled her mouth as she rose quickly. Stumbling away from him she moved toward the bathroom, slamming into a table in her way in her haste. It toppled over but she didn't even stop as she hurried into the room. Where could she even throw up? Settling for the sink she bowed over it hastily as the contents of her stomach came back up. It came in waves and Aria could see spots in her vision as she swayed uneasily on her bare feet. Her hands were white knuckled on the counter's surface. Groaning softly she slowly slid to the floor, her head resting against the coolness of the counter. Sleep.. she wanted to sleep... Sleep sounded good..

 

[Staine]

It wasn't difficult to see the confusion on her pretty, if malnourished, features as she tried to figure him out. She didn't believe him, that much was clear to Reiderich, and he couldn't find fault in her logic for that. To a human, he knew he must be a terrifying figure. The sheer difference in power between their kinds was just one facet of it and likely the lesser considering he knew exactly how most vampires treated their blood slaves. It was, in part, why he'd never taken one before. Reiderich had never felt the need to torture just for the sake of his own enjoyment because he simply wouldn't enjoy it. The pained screams that he sometimes heard coming from the dungeon, or his sibling's quarters didn't thrill him or give him joy, he had no love for the anguish of humans and he enjoyed his women willing, enthusiastic, not begging him to leave them alone, crying, sobbing messes. Broken. It was probably the best kept secret the royal family had, that the eldest, next in line to the throne, wasn't the monster his father was. Reiderich did what he must, and of course he respected the king, he obeyed the king, duty was everything to him but he had never wanted what the world had become, he'd been happy before it, before his mother had died, before his father, in his wroth, had laid waste to humanity and the world they had built.

After giving her the plate full of food, hoping at least some of it was enjoyable for her, he stood, opening the door to the hall outside for a brief moment. There was always somebody around, guards or servants, and without turning his head he called over the nearest one. "Go get me a doctor, my blood slave needs attending. A female doctor...now." Closing the door, he returned to the sofa, seeing she had decided to at least eat, the corner of his lip lifting just slightly. Buying her had been an impulse, as soon as he'd seen her he'd known he was going to do it, but now that he had her he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with her. Oh, he knew what others would do, and that he could do anything he liked, but the thought of forcing himself on her, to feed or for other pleasures, wasn't appealing and he had to admit it was unlikely she would offer herself either. She wasn't like the maids or the girls in town, she wouldn't fawn over him, throw herself at him practically begging to sate any and all of his desires. No, she hated his kind and him as the prince. He sat back down. "No, I imagine there isn't...so why? Why do you resist?"

It was an simple question, one that just asking made him realise he'd never actually spoken to a rebel. Had anybody? They'd been tortured, questioned under threat, used, killed, but had anybody ever tried talking with one, without the threat of those things? He watched from behind the darkened lenses as she ate like she had never eaten before, consuming the food quicker than he expected, no sign of manners, no thought to how it looked. He smiled a little more, it was cute in a way, as he watched her start on what he presumed was a cut of lamb drizzled in mint sauce, wondering if she'd even heard his question when suddenly, she pushed the plate down and started to rise, stumbling towards his bedroom. He frowned, watching her, standing to follow as she ran into a table and ignored the impact, stumbling onwards to the bathroom where she vomited up a good portion of the food into his sink. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, stepping closer to her as she finished, sliding down the wall to the floor. Reaching for some toilet paper, he pulled a little off and knelt on one knee in front of her, dabbing at her mouth, wiping it clean like she was a child. "I don't suppose you're used to eating so much. Go slower, the food isn't going anywhere, we have more than enough." The humans had their own farms, they raised the animals, fed them, harvested their crops and a portion of all their produce was taken by the palace to sustain the blood slaves, if they desired, and the staff that worked to keep it operational. Part of the price for living in relative comfort.

Once he'd cleaned her up as best he could, he rose to find a beaker, filling it with water from the cold tap. Not just room temperature, the water was sent through cooling pipes so that it was much colder, an extravagant process that only existed in the palace. Crouching beside her, he cupped her cheek with one hand and held the beaker to her lips with the other, tilting it up. "No sleeping, drink. Wash the taste away." While he was no expert, Reiderich knew that with a head wound, it would be unsafe for her to fall asleep before they knew the damage and it looked fresh, and she probably hadn't been assessed. After he was sure she had drank a little, he carefully lifted her up into his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder and one arm beneath her rear, carrying her to the front room and laying her on the sofa. Why was he doing this? Had he simply purchased an expensive pet to care for? Was that what he'd done?

There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Looking down at her, he heard the doctor enter, and he didn't turn to greet her. "She has a wound on her head. Treat it, make sure she isn't in danger of dying from it." He wasn't sure why but the thought of his new pet, if that's what she was, dying filled him with a sense of unease he couldn't quite shake. While he was rarely cruel to humans, Reiderich accepted the way the world was and his father's laws, he didn't intervene nor did he lose any sleep over what others did to their blood slaves even if it wasn't to his tastes. Many had died near him, around him, he hadn't been moved in the slightest other than a slight feeling of distaste, so why was he so adamant that this one lived? The doctor, who had knelt by her head and was starting to examine the wound, likely thought he wanted to keep her healthy because her dying from this before he'd had his fun would be a waste but that wasn't it, and it wasn't just because she was his blood slave either. No, something about the unremarkable girl herself was what made him fear her death, and he'd never felt this anxious about anything before in his long, long life. It was...perplexing.

 

[Bunny]

The fact that he had only requested females attend to her struck her as odd. Was it something territorial? In the end, it wasn't worth considering further as he pushed as to why they fought, why they resisted. A soft snort slipped from her and she looked down to the plate before her, picking at it as she considered her words. While she hated him, his kind, she doubted very strongly that he was stupid. The question seemed almost insulting in truth and it rankled. Why resist? Who ever liked being slaves to another? To have their free will dictated or obstructed fully? She had been trying to find those words, while still seeming innocent, subservient. Snapping at him, talking down to him... those options didn't seem wise. Nor did being sarcastic. So while she had pondered her words her stomach had begun to squirm uneasily. Like a nest of snakes, rolling over one another, pushing against the walls of her stomach. On some level, Arianna knew she had eaten too much, but she was unsure if it was that fact of the head wound that sent her stumbling for the bathroom.

The act of throwing up had left her throat raw and her head aching. The coolness of the floor and the cabinets soothing to her. The past day had been a nightmare and it seemed as if it refused to end. She wanted nothing more than to slip into the coolness which surrounded her and sleep. There was softness at her mouth as he gently wiped away the sickness that had been clinging to her lips. Cool water was offered next and she tried to avoid it, but the idea of washing the taste from her mouth was too appealing. Taking a small sip, it took everything she had to swallow it. She felt so out of it, she didn't notice the way in which she leaned closer to him and his coolness. How her cheek nuzzled into his hand as she forced herself to take another sip.

A groan left her as he picked her up and no matter how tenderly he moved her, it made everything swim in her vision and her stomach ached once more. He had said no sleep, but sleep sounded so good. Her head fell to his shoulder with a gentle thump, her eyes closing. The hollow pit in her stomach ached even as she took slow, calming breaths. His scent washed over her and for some reason she found some comfort in the deeply masculine scent. Something sharp and slightly spicy with the sweetness of citrus, deepened by something woodsy that reminded her of home. The resinous scent of fir and the smoky notes of sandalwood. The softness of the sofa was felt as he transferred her from his arms to it and she groaned again, the motion making her stomach roll uneasily.

Her eyes closed again and Aria was gently prodded. "No sleeping my sweet." The words were kind and she opened bleary eyes to view the owner. Her eyes were a deep honey brown, her life written around her eyes. Laugh lines and worry lines mingled, giving her beautiful features character. A warm, kind smile curled on her lips and her gently waving white locks fell past her shoulder as she leaned into Arianna, tilting her head gently to get a better look at the wound. "Tell me, have you been dizzy?" Aria nodded and then closed her eyes. She needed not ask about if she'd been sick or a lack of coordination. She could smell the lingering scent of bile on the girl's breath and the table had been clearly knocked over. Her eyes, those lovely green eyes, seemed to focus and unfocused with ease. Looking to Reiderich she smiled, inclining her head. "Prince." Standing, she gently guided Arianna to sit, her fingers stroking her hair. "She will need to be monitored. I can come back, but she will need constant watch for at least a day. A lot of rest, nothing strenuous. No running, sports, dancing or cartwheels. Fluids too, water and perhaps broth till she can stomach food" Her eyes danced and she looked down to the young woman. She knew what she was, the news had spread like wildfire through the palace. "I would also advise against feeding her for at least a few days as well, Sire." Her eyes moved back to Reiderich and she inclined her head. "I will also have a servant bring some meds, to help with any of the normal issues that can come with a concussion." Standing, she wished nothing more than to kiss the girl's hair and reassure her that everything would be okay. It would be a lie though... "If there is nothing else, my prince?"

A nod was offered and she slipped past the prince without anything further. She wanted to have the meds sent up quickly. Such a pretty thing... she doubted she'd live to see another birthday. It wasn't that she thought Reiderich to be cruel, but it was the simple truth of blood slaves. They never lasted. This girl would be no different. Sad as it was, there was little she could do to change her fate.

 

[Staine]

It was a strange level of concern that Reiderich was feeling as he dabbed at her mouth, cleaning her. Humans...they meant nothing to him, while he wasn't outwardly cruel to them, in public nor in private, he didn't care about them or their plight. Mild distaste had been all he'd ever been able to muster for them in so very long, even before the war. So many of his fellow vampires were cruel, sadistic, loved to torture humans and treated them as little more than chattel. Those that didn't, those that preferred to co-exist with them, well...most of those were gone now. His father's regime had strict rules about it too. Humans and vampires could not be together, if a vampire was found to genuinely care for a human, romantically, the human was to be destroyed. Even Reiderich had to follow this rule, his affection could never be more than that of a master and their pet, or a prized possession...so he really had no reason to be concerned for her, and yet he was.

It didn't take long for the doctor to arrive after he had laid her down on the sofa, and Reiderich made a point of not looking too directly at either of them, merely sitting on his chair opposite, listening. The doctor's questions were answered silently by Arianna, with gestures rather than words as she seemed to be too sick to speak, and his turned his head towards the doctor as she addressed him, nodding slightly. "Constant...watch." He would have smiled at the words, at the irony in them but Reiderich rarely smiled, he hadn't in decades, at least not genuinely. Life hadn't held anything to make him truly smile for such a long time. He had his fineries, he enjoyed the women he'd had, feeding, he didn't hate his duties either, but true happiness had evaded him. Life felt...hollow. He made a short noise, something like a laugh though it was only a single, sharp note. "No running, sports, cartwheels...just what do you think I plan to do with my blood slave?" Her warning of no feeding at least made some sense to him and he nodded again. "I'll find my sustenance elsewhere. That will be all." He would have thanked the woman, but a prince thanking a mere human doctor, the notion was laughable, and he wasn't wont to start any more rumours then had already started, and taking his first blood slave already had the palace buzzing, of that he had little doubt.

As she left, hearing the door close, he risked a glance at the resting girl. So weak, a simple cut on the head gave her so much trouble, fragile. That's what humans were. He rose from his seat, silently moving so that he was standing over her and he reached down to move the hair out of her face. Cleaner now, and with her eyes closed, she seemed peaceful. Still gaunt, but if she continued to eat well and resisted vomiting it all into his bathroom sink then she would eventually fill out. A knock on the door drew his attention, and answered it rather than shout this time, taking the medication from the servant without a word and dismissing them after listening to the instructions. Stepping to his kitchen, he filled a glass with water, took out the meds she was to take now and held them in his palm. Placing the water down, he gently lifted her into a sitting positin. "Arianna, do not sleep, not yet. Open your mouth, take these." He pressed his palm to her lips, tipping the pills in, and followed it up with the water, keeping it there until she drank and swallowed the pills. With that taken care of, he scooped her carefully up into his arms and carried her. He could have placed her in her own bed, and he was well within his rights to strip her, to dress her up in the nightclothes that had been brought up for her by the maids but he couldn't bring himself to do that while she was so out of it.

So he carried her to his own bed. Pulling the sheets back while easily holding her against him, balancing her perfectly, he laid her down on her side on the luxurious, lavish king sized bed in case she vomited again and tucked her in, letting her keep the dress on for now. Once again he pulled her hair aside and back behind her head before he took a few steps back. His shoes and his socks, he removed, his belt and cuff-links too but he paused as his hand moved to the zip of his trousers, then, for reasons he couldn't quite understand and without even thinking it through, he simply unbuttoned his sleeves, rolling them up for comfort, then he climbed onto the bed behind her. Not into it...onto it. One arm curled over her as he wriggled close, spooning with her, though she was beneath the sheets and he was on top of them. He could smell the delicate fragrances of the soap they'd used to wash her with, the shampoo in her hair and he could even detect something beneath it, notes of vanilla, cedar and the faintest notes of cloves and pepper. Her natural scent. He could feel the warmth of her body in stark contrast to how cool his own was. He could hear her breathing, as he kept his arms wrapped around her, telling himself it was to protect his property. To keep her on her side, so she wouldn't roll onto her back in her sleep and choke should she vomit. He'd been told to watch her, supervise her. He started to fall asleep, and as it claimed him he didn't even realise that he'd done the strangest thing of all.

He had smiled.

 

[Bunny]

Lifted to sitting she relaxed against the couch, her eyes heavy. This sort of haze was funny, her mind felt sluggish and her defenses that had been so strong just a little while ago were slipping through her fingers like water. Arianna knew she should try to hold onto them, those instincts that had protected her all those years, but she couldn't. Her lashes felt too heavy and she slowly let them fall closed, unwilling to fight the pull of sleep. Sleep sounded so good. Sounded so peaceful. In sleep her body wouldn't hurt anymore, that blissful darkness offering relief. Dimly Arianna was aware of how her limbs felt so heavy, leaden. The molasses of her mind was interrupted by a voice. In this mindset Arianna didn't know enough to refuse the pills offered to her by her enemy. The monster who now owned her. Her lips parted and the pills fell into her mouth with ease. Next the water and she took a sip, swallowing the water and pills in one go. Being injured and out of her normal frame of mind was so dangerous...

Lifted into his arms she whimpered softly and clutched at his shirt tightly. He was the cause of the wave of dizziness and the grounding stone she needed. Arianna would have been mortified to know where he took her, to whose bed she was laid into. He was so gentle that when he placed her on his bed she gave a soft sigh and nestled into the softness of the pillow. A bad like this was unknown to her. Such softness, elegance it was like sleeping in a cloud. It only added to her foggy thoughts. None of this was real. Sleep danced around the edges of her mind and she shifted uneasily as he tucked her in. A little groan as she began to feel trapped. Arianna couldn't sleep in so much clothing. While she always wore something, this was too much. Sleep however couldn't be denied further and she was sucked under.

Hours passed and Aria's dreams were odd and foreign. The scraps of the past few days twisting in and out of focus. Some of it was so good and others so bad. Theo in the darkness, the warmth and safety of arms. Running, heart racing and then the aching of her body. Close to dawn she shifted uneasily and whimpered. The sheets, dress and arms made her feel trapped. A soft cry left her and she twisted in his arms. Her dreams had taken a deeper turn and she tried to flee from her pursuer. She couldn't' get away, couldn't get free and it was causing panic to well up in her sleep incombered brain. Kicking out her feet connected with something sturdy and she clawed at the mattress, her breathing came quick and fast. Arms tightened around her and she let out a cry. She fought in truth now, scrambling to get away.

Her feet kicked back as she tried to throw herself forward. Sleep clung to her loosely now and she scratched at his arms before sleep faded completely. Panting softly she stilled and looked into the darkened room. Confusion hit her first. Where was she? The second thing that hit her were the strong arms and the press of a body behind her. Arianna went stock still. The day before came rushing back and she knew who held her. Disgust, bile and fear rose in her as she tried to pull away again. "Let me go.." There was a firm tenseness to her voice. It was clear she wasn't nearly as happy about how they'd slept.

 

[Staine]

It wasn't a sound sleep for Reiderich. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he hadn't had a peaceful, restful night's sleep; it had been well over a hundred years since the war that had brought about the current state of the world, since he'd been on the frontlines, leading by example. In those days he had many nights of restless sleep, sometimes because of where they were sleeping and the sounds of combat going in close enough to him, sometimes because the things he had done, and seen others do, had kept him up at night. Since then, he'd slept in the luxury of the palace, sometimes in one of the other buildings he owned or had access to across the land, but always in peace, in silence. Nobody was foolhardy enough to interrupt the crown prince in his repose, least of all the servants that worked here and tended to him unless there was an emergency.

That made it all the more jarring to be woken by the girl in his arms, struggling. He was a heavy sleeper, but she was making panicked sounds and movements, kicking, squirming, it was like she was running from something truly terrifying in her dreams and her body was reacting in the waking world. "Arianna...shhh..." His voice was only a whisper, and it was clear she didn't hear it as she continued to thrash and whimper. He could wake her...perhaps it would even be the merciful thing to do, but she was unwell, injured, she needed the sleep and despite having no real reason to care, the thought of taking what little rest she had from her was unappealing to say the least. Instead, he held her tighter, one hand even began to idly pet her arm and as she laid on her side, trying to soothe her. It seemed to work, for a short time, she seemed to become more restful and eventually he too closed his eyes and fell asleep once more...only to be woken again a couple of hours later by the same thing. This time, when he held her more tightly and went to stroke her arm again, she froze, completely. He could feel in the way her breathing had quieted and how she had stopped that she was starting to wake up, was likely confused, and it wasn't long before he heard her voice as she started struggling even harder than she had in her sleep, trying to pull out of his iron firm hold.

Reiderich's brows furrowed in annoyance, and he refused to release her at first. "Stop struggling, it isn't helping." His tone was firm, and there was that hint of frustration in it as he kept his arms around her, kept her held against his chest and wrapped in the sheets. He wasn't entirely sure how long she fought for, perhaps a minute or two, before she seemed to give in. "Good..." Slowly, carefully, he pulled away from her, giving her the freedom she had craved. "If you try to move, I will restrain you. Don't test me, Arianna." Climbing from the bed, he gave her space but was fully prepared to intervene, to hold her down if she tried to get out of it.

"The doctor says you need rest. You have a concussion, so you will be careful. If you start to feel dizzy, or sick, you will tell me. You will not try to hide it, am I understood?" The doctor hadn't specifically mentioned that she needed bed rest, so he wasn't inclined to force her to stay there unless she proved to be a pain, but Reiderich wasn't going to let her out of the room until he was sure she understood the gravity of the situation. "I will have the servants bring you up more food, the maids can bathe you again so I will find one of the ones from yesterday. You'll need to change your clothes, you slept in them." He looked down at himself, no expression on his face and yet somehow still annoyed. He'd slept in his own clothes too, they were wrinkled, sleeves still rolled up...he looked far from princely in his own opinion. He started to unbutton his shirt, looking back up at her, observing her as he did so until it was completely undone, and he removed the garment, throwing it into a small basket in the corner of the room. Turning to face the wardrobe, he found similar attire, a deep green shirt and black trousers, a fresh pair of boxer shorts and socks. Throwing them all over his arm, he turned to face her one more time. "Stay in here. I have guards in the hallways." It was a simple, matter of fact statement, and he walked into the bathroom, already unbuttoning his trousers. The sound of the shower starting could be heard, the door open just the tiniest bit so that he could hear her if she tried to leave as he stepped beneath the hot water and began to wash himself.

 

[Bunny]

Arms tightened around her and it took everything Arianna had to not scream. Reiderich wasn't hurting her. Not, he was like he had been the day before; gentle and almost tender. It had to be some sort of act, something to lull her into a false sense of security before he broke her. His kind were like that, not a single one of them could be trusted. Manipulative, traitorous bastards. The tone was firm, but there was a tinge of frustration that betrayed his feelings. A crack in that perfect façade. She didn't obey him, not at first. She struggled against his hold for a minute longer before collapsing against him panting softly. Normally Aria wouldn't have said she was out of shape, far from it actually. She was still winded from her struggle to get free and it made her cheeks burn.

She was released and she took a deep, shaky breath. The threat lingering over her head, she didn't try to move right away other than to push herself to sit. Back to the headboard she watched him through wary eyes. She could try and see his actions as something caring.. but she struggled to see it. He was being kind, but for an end to his own means. Doctor? Aria could dimly remember the woman, her kind face and she offered a slight nod of remembrance. When he demanded she tell him if she felt unwell she only looked away. She saw no reason to keep him informed of her wellbeing. She was his food at worst and a fucked up pet at best.

"I don't need anyone to bathe me." Her tone was defensive and almost resentful. She had hated them washing her yesterday and her skin still ached from the scrubbing. Another small nod, though after yesterday she wasn't thrilled about the thought of eating. She was hungry though. Whatever food she had eaten had been purged not even fifteen minutes later. She had been watching him warily when he began to undress. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes averted from him. She wasn't stupid enough to try escaping now, but as she heard the door close she shifted to the edge of the bed. When the water started she slipped from the bed.

This room was clearly his, deeply masculine in tastes, and the wardrobe that held his clothing. Was she meant to sleep in here? The idea made her skin crawl. Rather than focus on that she began to search around his room. It didn't take long, he hadn't bothered to hide the weapons, not that they'd do much more than piss him off. Sighing she peeked through some other drawers and rifled through his clothing. There was nothing she could do. She was about to head back to the bed when her eyes caught sight of his desk and a bookcase to the side. Her fingers reached out tentatively, brushing the clearly well loved books. Aria knew her letters, but reading was beyond her. It wasn't needed in the woods... A wasted skill.

 

[Staine]

At least she had eventually stopped fighting. As he'd been holding her, Reiderich had been concerned that she simply would just continue, that he wouldn't be able to soothe her, that she might even hurt herself but she'd been worn out pretty quickly truth be told, in no small part to being sick he was sure. If he didn't suspect she might hurt herself further if she started to panic, try to run or fight him away he'd have let her go sooner, but it was only when she was certain she wasn't going to do anything stupid that he'd released her and climbed out of the bed, turning those tinted black glasses at her as she spoke her only sentence. "That was not the impression I got when I first saw you." Perhaps it was a little mean, to remind her of how filthy she'd been, but Reiderich was used to speaking the truth, and she had definitely needed to be bathed. He didn't trust the girl not to hurt herself somehow, or try some form of escape if left unsupervised and he had actually been generous, in his eyes. "As I told you before, it is either the maids who bathe you, or I do. I had assumed you would rather spare your modesty in front of me, but it will be no problem to do it myself, if you'd prefer."

He felt he already knew the answer to that. Leaving her, his own shower hadn't taken too long, nor had shaving. The aftershave he used was one from the old world before the vampires had taken over; there had been a lot of it left once they'd found the storage facility, and as his old favourite Reiderich had taken as much of it as he could for himself, a masculine blend of jasmine, honey and cinnamon fragrances. Satisfied he was clean, and dressing in the bathroom more for her sake than his own as he was far from shy, he returned to find her looking around the room, specifically at his bookshelves. He was buttoning the cuffs on the deep blue shirt as he approached her, shockingly quiet for a man his size. "Would you like to read them?" Reiderich was fully aware of the allure of the written word, he'd been an avid reader back in the day though he hadn't read a book in around a century. He could remember some of his favourite stories, some of the classics but also some of the more trashy novels that had been written, stories that it was so very easy to get lost in, even ones about vampires such as himself. Back then, vampires hadn't been known to be real, there were rumours and tales but most humans were blissfully unaware, those that had known were often either close to the vampires themselves, victims that had survived and, of course, hunters. A lot of the information they had was incorrect, such as vampires not being able to walk in the sun. The simple fact was that they preferred to hunt at night, less chances of being seen, it was easier to take somebody, and drunk humans coming home from a night of drinking were often an easy target to seduce or to take, depending on the vampire and their inclinations.

Stepping in behind her, he pulled out a single book he remembered. Not a classic, nothing too difficult, it was the story of a boy in an abusive home who discovered he was, in actual fact, a wizard, and was to attend a magical school. He'd liked the tale at the time, the boy discovering a whole new world of magic and wonder that existed beneath the surface of his own, finding joy in it and being free from the abuse of his family. The newfound freedom the boy had found had appealed to Reiderich, who was always bound by duty, being the firstborn son of his father, who while not officially a king at the time was the oldest of the vampires, the strongest, and was considered the ruler by default.

He looked down at it and for a moment he almost smiled at the memories. "Take it, it was one of my favourites a hundred years ago. I think you'd enjoy it." A knock on the door interrupted him, and he heard the door open; the maids were here again. While he hadn't ordered them to arrive that morning, he had informed them the night before that he would require them for the forseeable future, and breakfast was already being wheeled in to the front room. He left her there to join them, though she was of course free to follow if she would like. "Leave the clothes here. You, wait outside." He gestured to the one that Arianna had seemed to like, or at least not hate as much, the night before. "I'll require your services shortly, take some food for yourself if you haven't eaten. Do not go too far away, we may be a while." The maids both bowed to him, the darker haired girl grabbing a few crumpets onto a plate for herself while the blonde looked to be almost pouting. Watching them leave, Reiderich poured a glass of apple juice, waiting for her to join him for breakfast.

 

[Bunny]

Eyes narrowed, her arms crossing across her breasts. A part of her mind told whispered docile, timid, pliable, yet her temper simmered close to the surface after waking in his arms and the tussle, if one could even call it that that had ensued. A part of Arianna wanted to retort, claim that she had bathed when she could... but what was the point in explaining herself to him? She doubted he knew what it was like to bathe and have that effort erased easily, making a wasted effort. Just like she doubted he knew what it was to be truly hungry. Jaw clenched she watched him, his last jab making her look away and despite herself, her cheeks flushed brightly. The idea of being washed by anyone was mortifying... but him? That would be so much worse. Stewing for a moment, she had waited for the water before moving about his room.

Eyes on the books, scanning the titles that she couldn't read. Hearing his voice so close made her heart give an alarmed thump but she didn't jump, which Aria was happy for. The question he asked made her give a small shake of her head. The fact that she couldn't read wasn't unusual among her kind, but he would think less of her. Think of her as a savage... That for some reason bothered her. More than that though, Arianna didn't want him to know of this weakness. He was so close, her body stiffening as he reached past her, plucking a book from the shelf. The book was handed to her and Arianna accepted it helplessly, gazing down at the cover. It was worn, well loved, that much was clear. Her fingers traced the faded pattern on the front. In her mind she tried to sound it out... H.. haai...ree hairee. Her cheeks burned, even though he had left her to answer the door. Maybe she could work through it slowly? She did know her letters... How hard could it be?

Laying the book down on his desk, she moved to follow him into the living room. She watched the pair of maids leave, the blonde shooting her a dirty, angry look as she left. Blinking, she frowned and moved closer to him. Her stomach gave a low growl and she eyes the food warily. She could vaguely remember throwing up yesterday.. remember his remark about eating less. The food in front of him now was mostly foreign. Some of the fruit Arianna knew, like apples... but the others were just as strange. The breads were at least known to be breads of some kind, but what kind... that was another matter. Sitting as far away from him as she could she eyed the food for a minute longer. rather than wait for her to pick, the vampire beside her began to build her another plate of food.

A crumpet richly coated in peanut butter, a small bowl of mixed fruit, hand picked by him; grapes, orange segments, strawberries and chunks of honeydew melon. The last thing he offered her was another bowl, this one filled with porridge. This he topped with nuts, brown sugar and a splash of milk. The tray of food was placed on her lap and she frowned down at it. Picking at the fruit, none of it known to her, Arianna took a bite of a strawberry. The sweetness of the berry burst in her mouth, slightly tangy to take the edge off the sweetness. Her eyes closed as she ate slowly. Arianna worked her way through the fruit slowly. Each one was complex, sweet and refreshing. Her favorite was the strange orange fruit. Next, the crumpet was sniffed, given a small squeeze. The texture was light, spongy... taking a bite she gave a gasp of pleasure. The rich nuttiness of the peanut butter, the crunch of the nuts were divine. This she scarfed down without hesitation till all that was left was the porridge.

This looked good, Arianna had to admit, but it would require a spoon. She had used one before, like the fork... but it was far from her comfort zone. She was still hungry though. Her eyes flickered back to the crumpets. Maybe she could just have another of those? They hadn't required anything but her fingers, which she had licked clean with relish to get all of the sticky sweet substance off her fingers.

 

[Staine]

It wasn't like Reiderich missed the way her jaw had yet again clenched as he'd mentioned that instead of the maids, he could wash her instead. He took no offence to it, he understood that he was her enemy, that she had no reason to trust him. Even as he'd looked after her through the night, done far more than his brother would have to ensure her well-being, he knew that Arianna wasn't grateful for any of that. She only saw a monster still. It didn't matter, he would get the maid to wash her, he'd selected the one she seemed more comfortable with over the blonde, who he'd noticed Arianna looking at with scorn. After his shower, he'd emerged to find her at the bookcase, and despite the way she'd stiffened as though he was about to attack her, he'd handed her one of his favourite books from decades ago. It wasn't anything special, it had been a very popular series at the time but it wasn't considered a literary masterpiece but that was exactly why he'd enjoyed it so much, and why he thought she might appreciate it too. He watched as her fingers traced the letters of the title, quite confident that out in the woods they wouldn't have had enough of a selection to have anything like this. "Hold onto it for now, enjoy it. When you're done, I will give you the next. There are seven in the series overall, and I think you'll like it, the characters can be quite...colourful."

The door had knocked, and he'd sent away the maid for the moment, filling a plate with food for her. For vampires, the food was...almost tasteless, only the ghost of flavour could be savoured and so like many of his kind he simply didn't eat it; he would rather not taste it at all than just have the echo of what it could be, what it should be for a human. Back when the world was whole Reiderich had been fascinated with a lot of it, he'd asked some humans what things tasted like, drawn to how they blended flavours together to make something that they seemed to truly enjoy. For one who couldn't taste it, it had been immensely interesting, and he'd craved whatever it was they were enjoying. He was older now, he'd gotten over it but he remembered some of the simple foods that brought people joy, and he made sure to fill her plate with some before he handed it to her, wanting her to have only the best. He watched, forcing himself not to smile as she began to eat it, and he actually failed as she bit into the crumpet, the soft gasp of pleasure turning up the corners of his lips into a rare smile. "That's a crumpet, with...I think that's peanut butter. I don't suppose you've had them before, have you?" It was a silly question, he knew there was no way she had, a lot of the techniques in creating such food were well preserved here in the city but out there? There had to be so much they didn't have.

He watched her as she ate almost everything, only the porridge left, and then she licked her fingers clean, staring at it. His brow furrowing, he couldn't quite grasp it at first; she seemed like she wanted it, but she wasn't eating. A moment passed before he realised that she might not be accustomed to eating as humans in the city did...it was unlikely they had many utensils out there, and so far everything she had eaten had been by hand. He reached for the table, first grabbing a spoon and laying it down, the wide end in the bowl of porridge itself. "If you want to try it, you'll need that. It's good, or so I'm told." Then, he grabbed a few more crumpets instead, placing them on her tray beside the bowl. "Or you can have more of these. Really, eat anything you like, as much or as little. If you need more, the maid will have them sent up." Rising to his feet, he looked back down at her. "i have business...I may be a few hours. You'll let the maid clean you again, do not give her any trouble, then you can read the book I gave you if you get bored. There isn't much else to do in here...and you may not leave. There is a guard patrolling the hallway, do not give him reason to hurt you, am I understood, Arianna?"

He moved to the doorway, grabbing his cane and his coat, and of course Nakoa, sensing he would be needed, rose to his feet to follow from the corner he'd been curled up in. Opening the door, he spoke to the maid. "Come in. Bathe her, watch her. I'll be gone for a while, if she dismisses you, then wait out here until she needs you again." The maid looked up at him and nodded. "Yes, your highness." Just the three words, spoken with a shaky voice, and she slipped into the room as Reiderich turned to leave. "Actually, I want you to stay in here until I return. She is not to be left unsupervised unless she needs the bathroom or to change. I'll see that you receive extra compensation for your troubles." With that, he left. He realised it was unheard of, to offer extra pay and food to the servants for simply following an order, it was far more likely his family would simply threaten the maids rather than offer them a reward but he did so hate to threaten them, and while he was fully capable of punishing one, he didn't like doing it, he found no pleasure in it unless they did too. His cane clicked along the floor as he walked to his father's throne room, ready to continue in his duties.

 

[Bunny]

The book had been pressed into her breasts as she looked down at it. She couldn't read it, not yet... but she could try and teach herself, couldn't she? If the world had been different, she might have been able to ask him for help, to teach her... Yet that was a weakness she couldn't expose. It was more than her own pride that could be wounded, but it gave further knowledge of her people. A general weakness that could be used against them. It was something she doubted most of his kind would know about. Blood slaves were not normally kept as pets... They were used, abused and tossed aside broken or dead. Who took time to get to know their food after all. It only made her question his motives more. Why would he give her books, care about her? On one, sick level she could guess. Arianna was now his property. The word made her lip curl at his back, a sneer he'd never see. Who wanted damaged goods? Though, she failed to see why it would matter if he just planned on damaging her himself.

Composing herself, she had followed him, wearing her rumpled dress into the main room. She didn't care that her clothing was rumpled, or that her hair was wild from sleep and the tussle form the morning. Sitting on the couch she had looked at the platter of food with longing and he'd laid a try on her lap like he'd done the day before. The food had been amazing, though while she had enjoyed the sweet, refreshing fruit, the crumpet, named by Reiderich had been her favorite. It had been coated in a sweet, crunchy substance, peanut butter. Both unknown to her previously and Aria found she adored both. Naturally neither compared to the food made back home. Their meals were simpler fare. A spoon was placed before her as she contemplated the porridge. A frown pulled at her lips as she looked down at it. The thick porridge looked good, but Aria felt blush touch her cheeks as she considered trying to eat with the utensil before him. Crumpets were added to the tray and she looked at them for a moment before snagging one. taking a big bite and chewing it slowly. Watching him rise, she said nothing. She had nothing to say to him. On one hand Aria could have thanked him, but she would have rather eaten rocks...

Ignoring him as he moved to grab his coat, she pulled her feet up and away from the tiger as he padded past her to his master. Behind her, she heard the orders issued and she fought a frown. Docile. Timid. The words seemed needed, for it went against everything she was. She could feel as he left and she was alone with the servant. Aria took her time eating, though this time she listened to her body and stopped as her stomach became full, pushing the tray away. Turning some she looked to the maid who had been left to care for her, the dark brown haired maid. While Arianna cared very little for either woman, she had preferred this one. She hadn't been... cruel. Eyeing her warily, she rose from the couch to refill her glass of milk. "What is your name?" Aria's voice was soft and the dark haired girl smiled and said, "My name is Clara, miss." Shaking her head, Arianna lifted her milk to her lips, drinking deeply, drowning it before setting the glass down, a hand rising to wipe her milk mustache away. "Don't call me miss..." Her tone was almost defensive and she sighed. "I am Arianna" Clara inclined her head. "As you like, Arianna."

Sighing Aria looked to the door of the bathroom. "I can wash myself, you know..." Clara lifted both her brows. "I was instructed to, Miss Arianna..." She seemed uneasy, clearly wanting to give her the space she wanted, but also wanting to follow orders. "What.. if I stay in the room to help, if needed and you can bathe yourself?" It was the best she could do, not wanting to anger her Lord, but knowing that the girl before her needed some kindness in her life. While she didn't really understand rebels... She knew their life was hard and had few kindnesses in them. If she could offer something so simple, while making sure she was safe, she would. Aria watched her for long minutes before nodding. It was likely the best she'd get. "Okay.." Clara beamed at her and moved past to start the bath for Arianna.

Following her into the bathroom, resigned, Arianna set her glass on the table on the way. The bath itself had been uneventful and true to her word Clara had stayed, but had turned her back even to give Arianna the most privacy she could. Aria appreciated it, though she could get in trouble, the effort was... sweet. Once done, Clara had helped her dry off and then had gone to deal with the wild tangle of her red locks. In the end, Arianna found her red curls pinned gently into a messy bun that she found she liked as she gazed into the mirror. Curls fell down around her face, around her neck. Toying with a curl she eyed the outfit that Clara held out. "A leg, Miss Arianna." Turning on the stool she watched as a long charcoal sock was slid on. It came to mid thigh and chased away the cold air. A second sock was added before Clara turned to grab a pair of panties, a deep burgundy with nude cutouts, forming flowers. They were ridiculous and Aria had to fight the snort at the scrap of fabric. Lastly a cream sweater dress was held out to Arianna. It had looked itchy and made her frown as she lifted her arms. It however wasn't itchy, the soft knit like silk against her skin.

Dressed, Arianna padded out of the bathroom while Clara cleaned up. Heading towards his bedroom, she closed the door with a soft click. The book was touched by the tips of her fingers as she moved further into his room. Eyes scanning for anything she could use as a weapon. She had searched earlier, but had come up empty. There was a table tucked into a corner with a vase upon it. Biting her lower lip she moved toward the table, picking the vase up and setting on the floor beside it. Arianna braced her hand on the table, holding it at an angle before kicking at it. Once, twice and the leg came free. The leg was allowed to fall to the ground as she set the table back into the corner. Braced as it was against the corner, it stood without issue. The vase was carefully returned and Aria nodded. The leg was picked up and she tested in in her hands. It wasn't going to serve for more than one attack and she'd have to sharpen the splintered end... but it would do for when it came time.

Aria could hear Clara still cleaning the bathroom from her bath and she moved to hide the soon to be stake. Opening the door quietly, Aria moved to the window seat with the plush cushions. It was there she hid the leg before moving to grab the book from his room. Curling up on the window seat she opened the book, her knees pulled up towards her chest as she slowly began to read. The progress was slow, damningly so.. In the three hours he was gone, Aria had made it almost to the end of the second chapter. Some words hadn't been known to her, but it hadn't killed her enjoyment of the book. That is how he'd find her. Curled in the window seat, sunlight streaming around her as she slowly traced a finger over the words, lost in a world of fantasy.

 

[Staine]

Silence was all that greeted Reiderich as he tried to help Arianna. Frustrating silence. She'd seemed interested in the book and deep down he'd hoped maybe she would be grateful, maybe it would spark enough of an interest in her that she would talk to him but she'd simply looked at it, ran her fingers over the cover and then placed it down. It never occurred to him that she was illiterate, reading had become such a common skill in the human world before the war that it was almost unheard of. Yes, there had been those unfortunate enough to never be taught but they were so few and far between that it never even crossed his mind. Even now, over a century later he didn't think for a moment how it must have changed, how different it was for those living outside the city, in the wilds. When he'd tried to help her with food it had seemed a little more promising. She didn't want to use the utensils, either that or she was incapable of it, so he'd offered an alternative, giving her more of the crumpets she seemed to adore. Within moments she'd snapped one up and hungrily ate it yet again there had been no words of gratitude, no look of understanding. Honestly, he'd have been getting more from the deal if he'd purchased a small bird to keep as a pet rather than a human blood slave, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. He'd risen to leave, given his instructions to the maid and gone about his work for the day.

Being the crown prince had given him the responsibilities of manging certain aspects of the town, of meeting with those engaging on his father's raids to try and squash the rebels his blood slave had been a part of and listening to complaints in his father's stead, managing disputes and passing judgements. The work was not too tiring, nor did it take all day but it was a little over three hours before he was done and before returning to his room he stopped in the town. He'd had a thought, and it didn't take long to track down what he'd been looking for in the human side of town before he made his way back. Entering his chambers he spoke to the maid as he removed his coat, not even bothering to look to her as he spoke. "Has she been any trouble?" He was speaking loud enough for Arianna to hear, no doubt, but that didn't bother him. "N-No, your Highness, no trouble, she's been quiet, mostly kept to herself and reading." He leaned his cane up against the wall by the door. "And did she let you bathe her?" "Yes, your Highness, she did." Reiderich looked to the maid for a moment, his eyes hidden behind those darkened glasses as he searched her eyes for any sense she might be hiding something, but like most humans the girl knew better. "Good. You've done well, you may leave us." The maid didn't even answer, she'd looked frightened under his gaze and quickly slipped past him and through the door, leaving them both alone.

Once he heard the maid start walking away down the hall, Reiderich approached the window, the small package he'd bought in his hand as he looked down at his blood slave. "Enjoying the book?" He looked down at the pages from over her shoulder, saw she was near the end of the second chapter. He'd assumed she'd be much further in, he had given her plenty of time and it wasn't a long book, nor did it usually take so long to read each chapter. "You're not very far into it, did you get distracted?" Knowing he wouldn't get an invitation, he sat down beside her anyway, the sunlight pouring over him from the window, so much so that he could even feel the small amount of warmth the light still gave. A popular theory amongst the humans of old had been that vampires burned up in the direct sunlight, a foolish notion that had helped hide their presence for centuries. The simple truth was that vampires preferred to hunt in the dark, humans were less vigilant, there were fewer of them around and they couldn't see nearly so well while vampires had almost flawless night vision.

He reached out, placing the small paper wrapper on top of the page she was reading. "It occurred to me that if you'd never had crumpets before, there was likely a lot you'd never tried. This is chocolate." The wrapping was simple green paper, folded carefully and tied in a ribbon. For most people, this was a very expensive luxury, there were few chocolatiers left to make it, the craft had gone back to being a trade that was only passed down by the one or two families that remembered how from before the war. Of course, being the prince it had cost him nothing to pick up. "It's a sweet, you eat it. It was very popular, before the war. Now...it's rarer, I doubt you've ever tried it. Be careful, do not make yourself sick again." He turned his attention back to the book, and finally the thought came to him. "Arianna...are you struggling with this? Do you not know how to read?"

 

[Bunny]

If she heard him enter, she wouldn't have acknowledged it. The task at hand required her full attention and while she was dimly aware of a conversation between the vampire and the human girl, she paid it no mid as she tried to piece the sentence together, a frown pulling between her brows. His question, much like the conversation, was ignored and she turned a page slowly. When he prodded her further she gave a small shake of her head, closing the book, finger marking the page. His body pressed in close to hers and she didn't scoot away this time. Not because he was becoming more accustomed to his presence, no... she had nowhere to go. Her green eyes turned away from him, the book toward the window and the garden beyond. That view was beautiful and while Aria hated where she was, what she was... she couldn't help but wonder what those flowers smelled like. So many colors splashed throughout.

Once upon a time, humans had thought vampires a myth and the sunlight that sparked through the large window should have burned him to a crisp. This was a story she knew and for a moment Arianna wished it was still true. Her head slowly turned back and she opened the book again, assuming the conversation was over. The package that had been in his hand was laid on the open book and she fought a sigh of annoyance as she eyed the package like it was a venomous snake. While she could hear what he said, she tried to puzzle out why he would give her a rare treat. This had to be some kind of game... something to get her to drop her defense before he broke her. Cruel, but nothing less than what she'd expect from a leech.

A small nod was offered, but no words as she turned back to the book, carefully lifting the package and setting it to the side. Her eyes focused back on the words and this time she did sigh in annoyance as he interrupted the already difficult task with another question. This question though made her cheeks burn and she gave a small shake of her head in denial. She was slowly getting through it! That alone made Aria proud of herself, even if some of the words she didn't understand. Shifting she tossed her fiery locks and used them to create a curtain between them, her eyes hidden from view. Now she felt awkward using her finger to trace under the words, to make sure she kept her place. His mere presence annoyed her, she could feel him watching her, judging her and she fought the rising anger and panic.

 

[Staine]

Arianna didn't acknowledge him as he tried to speak to her, not really. The light from the window danced along his hand as he'd placed the chocolate down for her, a particularly sunny and hot day and he had found himself momentarily captured by the way it played along her fiery red hair, illuminating her, making it glow almost like fire. Sat down beside her he felt like he was imposing on her solitude but if he didn't then he simply would never get the chance to speak to her, and to be quite honest he was growing tired of her attitude. He was fully aware that it wasn't going to be easy to prove that he didn't want to hurt her, that she feared him and his kind and even that he very likely disgusted her, but eventually she had to recognise that he'd done nothing to hurt her, didn't she? He watched as she lifted the package the chocolate was wrapped in, expecting her to open it only for her to place it to the side. A flash of annoyance, the look in his eyes no doubt reflecting it and thankfully hidden by the darkened glasses. He didn't say a word, only continued to watch her try to read. It was taking a long time, he'd already deduced that she was struggling with it, when he'd first entered he could have sworn he'd even seen her finger on the page, but now she didn't even do that and seemed to be having much more trouble.

He let her struggle a little longer...if she was too prideful to ask for his help then why should he offer it? After a few minutes of seeing the same page left open though, he sighed. Looking around, he made sure the maid had left and that they were alone before he turned back towards the book, watching her finally turn the page over and seeing the start of chapter three. Reaching past her he pulled the book so that it was closer to himself, between the both of them, and then he reached down between them, taking hold of her wrist and gently lifting it up. He guided her hand to the book, even going so far as to position her finger at the start of the chapter, and he slowly started to read out loud while he moved her finger himself. "Chapter Three. Letters from no one." He paused and went back to the word 'chapter,' turning to look at her rather than the book. "Here, the ch, it has different sounds depending on the word. Here it's soft, chapter, same as it is in the word 'church', but in other words it might have a hard sound like a k like in ache. You'll learn to spot the difference in time." He went back to the book. "The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor had earned Harry his longest every punishment. A boa constrictor is a type of snake, I have pictures in some of the zoological books, if you'd like to see?" He stood up briefly and found a book on snakes, bringing it back to the table and opening the page with a picture of one coiled around a branch.

He continued to read along with her, moving her finger as he spoke the words, going slowly so that she could take them in herself. By the end of the next couple of pages, he pulled his hand back and let her do it herself. "You try now. Read it aloud, I'll correct you if I have to. Don't worry if you get it wrong, it's how you learn, there is no shame in it." His voice the entire time had been soft, controlled, he was trying to be as patient with her as he possibly could. "I mean that, Arianna. There is no shame in not being able to read, I don't suppose you've had anybody to teach you, so how would you? There is still plenty of time to learn, and I have a lot of books for you to practice with. If you stopped being so stubborn, it would be easier to teach you."

 

[Bunny]

The press of his body beside hers wasn't altogether uncomfortable, yet... he wasn't Theo. Her adoptive brother and she had always been close and she missed the comfort his arms provided. If he was still alive, Ariana could only hope he wouldn't do something foolish... He'd be furious that she was in here. Worried for her, praying for her death. There would be no way for him to know that she now belonged to their enemy. That would sicken him though, to think of her being used in such a way. Aria wished she could tell him that at least for now, she was okay. Oddly enough her new master seemed kind. A ploy, Aria knew, but the kindness was still there. It was on her to not fall for it. Yet he made that difficult... The comfort he seemed to offer, that kindness wearing her down slowly. Unlikely to throw herself at him, she found it harder to not want to relax into him and have it done. Internally she smirked. A day, she'd lasted a day before wanting to give in...

As he pulled the book closer to himself, she frowned, clearly displeased. His hand caught her wrist and she stiffened until he placed her finger on the page. He guided that slender digit as his voice rumbled from beside her. It was infinitely easier when he spoke the words to her, to know how they were meant to sound.. to know what they were. He took his time as he explained the word chapter, and the way to form the sound. He was downright sweet as he explained the creature to her and her cheeks burned, but she didn't pull away. He'd figured it out then...

Bastard...

Yet.. he didn't mock her for it. Didn't ridicule her for her lack of knowledge. When he told her to do it now, she risked a glance at his face. Confusion there. Again, she knew that there had to be some catch.. his kindness was surely an act... some sinister plot to get her to drop her defenses.. Her hackles rose a little, but rather than fight him, she began to read. her voice was unsure and soft and every word she stumbled on caused her to flush brightly. True to his word though, he took the time to explain it to her, help her. Again that desire to lean into him was strong. This sort of kindness reminding her of Theo... Pulling her hand back from the book she rubbed at her eyes and looked to the garden again. A few hours had passed, as they had sat within the sunny window and read. It had been... pleasant. Turning to the package, she touched the pretty paper. She wanted to ask him why. Why help her, why treat her. She wouldn't live out the year... They both knew it. Rather than ask though she carefully unwrapped the chocolate and broke off a small piece. Sniffing it she stuck it on her tongue.

The flavor was rich and complex. Sweet and bitter and it made her inhale in surprise. It was a touch melty from where she'd left it in the sun and she licked the tip of her finger clean before carefully closing it again and moving it from the sun. After a moment she looked up at him, eyes searching his face. Those glasses made his face inscrutable and she found herself wondering what his eyes looked like. "Thank you.." The words were soft, but there was honesty there, sweetness.