Vsmpiressss

[deo_volente]

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[deo_volente]

Luca grew up in the monastery grounds. His mother died when he was young, but even before that, they already were living with the monks. He doesn't exactly know why, just that it was his life from early on to be taking part in the endless practice of body and mind, meditation, exercise, reading, copying holy texts, prayer, chores, start again. He knows the temple grounds better than his own pockets. He knows exactly where to head out in the morning if he wants to greet the sun, where to sit if he wants to bathe in the day's last rays of light.

There's one area of the temple that he hasn't spent countless hours in, however. He's visited the dungeons once in his life. As a young boy he crawled in there and saw the vampire they have been holding captive down there for centuries. Luca doesn't remember if they exchanged any words, but he remembers standing in front of the bars staring back at the ancient eyes that looked back at him from across the prison cell.

He had been forbidden from entering the dungeons again. And like the dutiful boy he was, he had obeyed.

Until today.

Today something happened and he finds himself again at the dungeons, standing there in front of the barred cell. There's no sun down here, just torch light and dust, the air smells of history. Luca's grey robes sweep up clouds of dust as he walks. His sleeves are wrapped up and tied, indicating that he had been taking part of some cleaning chores earlier. His hair is tied back to a modest braid bun at the back of his head. He's slight and narrow, even the small size of the robes hang on his frame. But there's calmness about him as he stands there looking at the caged vampire.

"My name is Luca," he says hesitantly. "What is yours?"

[ashenheart]

Ash is as still as a statue within his cell, collared and cuffed to the stone-carved chair that's a poor mockery of the throne he'd once occupied. His eyes could easily be gemstones with how hard they are, even as they reflect the firelight, and at first it seems they aren't even registering he's got a visitor.

But then after a long, stretching moment of dead silence, he finally answers with dry amusement, "You should ask your owners, little boy. They do so enjoy their numerous names, and have assigned many to me over the centuries."

Oh, recognises Luca. He'd known exactly who the child was when he first found his way down into the depths of the monastery where all the filthy secrets were buried, as soon as he'd laid eyes on the cherubic little face. Why or how the monks had gotten the latest descendant of that hateful bloodline, Ash will never know, but he'd never had any doubt of Luca's identity.

[deo_volente]

"I have heard their names," Luca says quietly as he takes a step closer, his hand reaching up but not quite landing on the barriers between them. "Plenty of them are written in the holy books."

He draws in a quiet breath. He hadn't known that those names referred to the man locked in a dungeon beneath the temple. He hadn't known. Not before today.

The sound that comes out of the creature chained onto the chair isn't what he expected. It's not beastly at all. Dark and deep but there's nothing inherently evil about it. Nothing animalistic.

"I doubt anyone remembers."

[ashenheart]

"Oh, at least one of them remembers it," the vampire answers with a mirthless chuckle. "They have to, lest they forget their pretty little curses to keep me bound at their mercy."

Despite being prisoner and very literally bound in place, Ash still manages to look regal, uncowed and unbroken. His clothes have become worn with time, but since he hasn't moved much more than a corpse (i.e. not at all), the lack of friction has kept the fabric from completely falling apart, thus preserving his modesty at least. Just as well for the monks and their delicate sensibilities.

Just like this young creature who doesn't know how dangerous that face of his is.

After a moment of staring, Ash finally concedes to give one name. "You may call me 'Ash', if it pleases you."

[deo_volente]

Luca lets out another breath, stepping in that other step as his hand lands on the bars. Something like a gong sounds in the depths of his mind as his hand meets the cold bar, a resonating sound that seems to shake his foundations.

"Ash," he says quietly, tasting the name, wondering why it sounds so simple and definitely not evil, just a name.

"Surely, if you were not bound, you would cause a great deal of harm, wouldn't you?" he ventures then. "This... confuses me. What makes your heart so evil?"

[ashenheart]

Ash stares in silence, frozen still as a statue again.

Then... he laughs.

What a ridiculous question to ask.

"Can you see into my heart so easily, boy?" he mocks, baring his fangs in a wolfish, savage grin. "I never drank from the unwilling, unless they were criminals to be executed. Does that make me less evil than the lion that devours whatever prey crosses its path? If you wish to consort with true evil, you won't find it down here. Look to your own. There lies greed and betrayal and a willingness to destroy everything for the sake of power and glory."

[deo_volente]

The laughter makes Luca shiver but he doesn't back down. Instead he steps closer, both of his hands now on the bars.

Surely, this beast is full of lies. That's what the holy texts say. The Father of Lies, isn't that one of the names that they call him by?

And yet...

He isn't lying.

"The scripture says that you were bound because you were rampaging and killing whatever happened on your path. Was that not true? If I were to step into your cage now, you wouldn't drink from me?"

He doesn't know what to think of the accusations towards the monastery. Is the order unblemished? Definitely not. But surely there is a noble cause behind it all.

[ashenheart]

"I am bound, but yes, I would drink from you," Ash answers easily enough, with little to no emotion in his voice. "I've been denied blood since my capture. Your masters only grant sustenance in the form of their magical concoction that's designed to keep me weakened and trapped at their mercy."

Then he scoffs quietly, just a touch disdainful as he adds, "But drinking is not the same as killing. We vampires are not the mindless beasts your order turned us into. We've always known when to stop feeding before the heart would stop and the damage be irreparable."

But would Ash hold himself back from draining this little lamb dry? He's... not too sure. That face is both achingly precious and hateful at once. A sharp reminder of love and betrayal. Ash knows, though, that this 'Luca' is not the same man his ancestor was. This is not his lover and jailor.

[deo_volente]

"It is our duty to uphold the balance," Luca says firmly. This he knows, in his gut to be true, even despite all the confusion he feels about everything else. "Your kind are disrupting the balance." Or at least that's what he's learned.

There's something very commanding and convincing about this ancient vampire. His conviction of his own justification is compelling but isn't that what they also say he is? A seductive force of evil, a temptation...

Luca can see that, in those dark eyes that seem to look through him, holding seemingly aeons of knowledge and power in them.

"And if I would refuse to be drink upon, would that stop you? Or would you feel it your right to feed upon me?"

[ashenheart]

"You, little lamb? I might just drain dry for justice," Ash scoffs, sneering at the young monk. "A blood debt is owed. Balance is everything, isn't it? Things are very disrupted, now, and have been since my capture. All because a few power-hungry and self-righteous individuals decided they'd alter the ways of the world."

Then he quiets and his face smooths out back to the near marble-like countenance. "Why have you come down here? You're so certain of your beliefs, surely you've no reason to consort with a 'monster' like myself."

[deo_volente]

Luca hangs on the bars, watching the vampire quietly for a long moment. He doesn't even try to hide the conflicting emotions that furrow his brow and darken his gaze.

"Tell me what you mean by that?" he asks quietly finally. "Why do you say power-hungry and self-righteous with such conviction?"

He wets his lips with his tongue quickly and then continues a little louder: "No creature is beyond redemption. And no creature is thoroughly good. That's what balance means. We all have dark and light in us..." He takes a break, just looking at Ash, then finishes with a stubborn frown upon his lips: "You aren't an exception. And yet, that is what I've been taught."

[ashenheart]

"And yet, you have faith in what you've been taught," Ash responds near-mechanically with little to no inflection in his smooth voice. "Run along, boy. There are some questions you don't want to hear the answers to. Why does one falsely accuse and condemn another? Why does a mother slit the throats of her babes in their cribs? Why does one take a blade to their lover's back? Simply call it 'evil' or 'madness', and be comfortable in your ivory tower. You do not want the truth."

[deo_volente]

"I believe that is my right to decide whether I want it or not," Luca replies, his voice clear and strong.

"Of course it is your decision whether to say anything or not," he continues a little quieter.

"I'm asking. Please."

[ashenheart]

It's been a week since they escaped the order, and each day of freedom is better than the last. Their nights are often spent with their hands down each other's pants, Ash rather lovingly teaching Luca the pleasures of the flesh. He can't imagine sending Luca away, now, and suspects Luca has no desire to leave him either.

But there was no way they would be without at least one moment of danger on the road.

It comes in the form of bandits. Ash had left Luca with the horses to rest by some water while he scouts further ahead, not expecting danger to strike at all. Four men circle the former monk and the horses, aiming to surround and subdue him before his distant companion can return.

[deo_volente]

It's been the longest and the shortest week of Luca's life. Time goes by quickly when you are enjoying yourself but also each moment of his day is full of something spectacular now, something new and fascinating. He never thought he would ever have a single romantic notion in his life, and yet, now his gut feels warm whenever he's with the ancient vampire, his chest feels tight when they curl up at night together in beds on their way towards what Ash promises to be the origin of his bloodline. He wasn't prepared for this, and yet, he's not as lost with it as you might have expected.

There are times when he finds himself bitter and angry at the order that lied to him and fooled him. But mostly he's too busy to taste the world for all the wonders that it has to offer to care. He still doesn't know what he's supposed to do now, but Ash keeps assuring him that not many do and they still survive life.

Ash drinks from him but Luca suspects the vampire has to do some sipping somewhere else too. He isn't exactly happy about that, but there's little he can or wants to do about it right now. Every time he feels that connection between them, just beyond his reach, whispering suggestions about how it could be so much more if they'd just take that step. But Luca feels that Ash is not ready for that. The vampire is, understandably, doubtful of any commitment.

Luca is standing between their horses when then bandits surround him, the horses with their noses in the water and he's staring into the distance while he daydreams about the night when they have time to curl up together and give each other the well deserved affection they're both happily dishing out. He doesn't notice the men at first, but then it becomes something of an obvious thing when someone presses against his back with something sharp digging into his back. He gasps and freezes as a filthy breath hushes beside his ear: "Are you alone?"

[ashenheart]

Ash takes his time as he investigates, because he'd rather they be safe and slow rather than running headfirst into danger. He can see smoke in the distance and assumes it will either be a settlement or a campsite, but it's not worth going further to check on it. It's getting late in the afternoon, after all, and it would be better if he returned to Luca before it's dark...

[deo_volente]

Luca manages to raise one powerful spell as the bandits come at him and the horses. It saves his life in the end. But it doesn't spare him from the knife that sinks right into his back and lodges right into his spine. The spell that flashes out at the exact second the blade sinks into his flesh throws the bandits back and stills that knife just enough that it hits no vital organs.

He falls onto his hands and knees, then to his face. He doesn't know how much later it is when someone kicks him in the side, a hard boot cracking a rib. The next kick comes with a curse and a spat, landing on his neck. He doesn't know if he screams but it must quickly as the next kick, aimed at his head, darkness his consciousness and draws a blanket over his consciousness.

He's so sorry, is the last thing he thinks about, for letting his guard down.

[ashenheart]

Luca does scream, and Ash hears him.

It sends the vampire racing inhumanly fast through the woods, and if he were still human, he'd feel his heart frozen with fear. That scream had been desperate and pained and then abruptly cut-off.

Worse, he can soon smell blood in the air. He lets it fuel his desperation and when he sees the bandits and their bloody blades, he's ready for murder. The vampire falls on the unsuspecting men with all the fury that had built up on scenting Luca's precious blood, and it only grows when he sees his companion on the ground, unconscious and bleeding out.

The bandits don't stand a chance and after a few breathless minutes of screaming and the clashing of blades, they're all dead. Some have been torn apart altogether, their limbs and heads tossed around in a gory mess. The horses scream of course, eyes rolling as they rear and tear at their reins, wanting to escape the slaughter.

In the aftermath, Ash descends on Luca, gathering him up and feeling out where he's bleeding. There's just too much and it won't be something the vampire can heal just with is saliva.

"Luca," he calls desperately, putting a bloody hand to Luca's face, trying to wake him. On getting no response, he curses and after a split second of thinking, he bares his own wrist and slashes a vein open with his fangs. He drips his blood into Luca's mouth, angling his head up so it won't spill and rubbing along his throat to encourage his body to swallow. "Drink, Luca, please," he whispers, dark eyes darting all over Luca's face desperately for any sign of life. "Please..."

my god... what the fuck is that tag. (mine) lol. don't tag piipa if you're batmanning

[deo_volente]

Almost as if the world is trying to scare Ash, Luca stays unresponsive for several minutes while the blood in his system floods the back of his throat and then the involuntary reaction to swallow kicks in. It doesn't magically heal him the way Ash's saliva would close wounds and repair damage. But it does something far more. It doesn't matter if he has a jagged hole in his back or his ribs are shattered. He's very much alive.

A jolt goes through Luca as he gasps, eyes flying open and staring at Ash. There's a hint of red on his irises, a flash of crimson over blue as he stares up at Ash. His body is on fire, another pulse running through him, cold and sharp. It's not just pleasure that courses through him, but pure bliss, that connection that he's had a whiff of suddenly opening to him like a flower blooming to the sun. A whole lifetime of emotions, rage, love, and currently dread and desperation flooding his system, making him whimper as he arches in Ash's hold.

shhhhhhhh it's aaaaaaall gooooood

[ashenheart]

That gasp and whimper make Ash jerk himself and his arm squeezes tight around Luca with silent relief. He quickly recovers and squeezes his fist above Luca's face, making sure more blood drips into his gasping mouth as he orders, "Drink, Luca."

It might not turn the man into a vampire, but it would heal him for damn sure. As for the side-effects... Ash will worry about those later.

lmao i have no idea how you even figured out how to tag that. XD

[deo_volente]

No, it doesn't turn him into a vampire. But it changes something. Luca has nothing in him to resist the lure of the sweet sweet blood that is dripping into his mouth. It burns, it chills, it tickles and he finds in himself a ravenous thirst for it.

He lets out a weak groan as his hand comes to grab at Ash's hand as he leans up to wrap his lips around that wound on Ash's wrist, his throat working around the thick liquid that spills into him.

And he feels the heat spread around, his bones shifting under his skin, repairing themselves...

i have a very special set of skills

[ashenheart]

Ash bares his fangs in a silent snarl as he feels that first deliberate pull of blood from his wrist, but then settles and holds Luca closer to his chest, tucking the man's head under his chin as he keeps an eye on their surroundings, letting him drink and recover in safety.

It's only when he starts to feel some strength in Luca's grip that he knows that's enough, but he suspects Luca might disagree now that he's had a taste. Still, he tries the gentle approach, stroking Luca's hair as he murmurs over his ear, "That's enough, Luca. You're fine, now."

bullshit to english, great

[deo_volente]

Lips smeared with blood and eyes clouded, full of those crimson stripes, Luca looks at him but doesn't seem to hear him. His tongue keeps lapping at the blood from Ash's wrist.

He will throw this addiction without a problem when he has it singled out but right now, he doesn't even know what the hell he's doing. All he knows is that it feels good, exhilarating. It's chasing away all the pains in his body...

IT'S A VERY SPECIAL SKILL OKAY

[ashenheart]

Seeing that Luca's not listening, Ash starts to gently draw his wrist away from the man's blood lips. "Enough, Luca," he repeats quietly. He'd better get the horses and take them somewhere safe and hidden to fully recover, but he can't do anything until Luca's stopped drinking from him.

SPECHUL BATMAM SKILL I GET IT A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT POINTS WENT TOWARDS THIS ABILITY

[deo_volente]

There's a groan in the former monk's lips when Ash draws away his wrist. He licks his lips as he looks at Ash with clouded eyes. And then something shifts in those eyes, a consciousness returning and Luca's brows furrow as tears start to well up. The weight of all that grief and anger that Ash hauls around almost flattening him.