An Unlikely Friendship:
A/N: Hey guys, back with another story! Please check out my updated Sassy Seagulls story if you have the chance, all views are greatly appreciated!
Disclaimer; I own nothing.
Piercing red eyes locked onto mine. How I got to this point is a rather complex story, but for now, I'll explain that I'm currently in an old castle of some sort, out to do a chore for my elder brother, Arthur.
Why ask me, I'm not sure. Probably because I have been quite fond of him since I was little. Anyways, back to the creepy red eyes. They watched with curiosity as I tried to find my voice again.
"U-Uhm. .I'm looking for Mr. Romania. . I'm Arthur's sister, Penelope."
The eyes shifted quickly, and disappeared. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but it did make me feel more at ease.
Shortly there was a gentle tap on my shoulder behind me, making me jump a little and look up. This time it was a man. The owner of the red eyes. He had strawberry blonde locks, a single fang poking out, and a curious look on his face.
"Ahh, Blondie's little sister? I'm Romania."
Oh. So that's what he looked like. I knew the magic club had a third member, I just never met him. I live with my uncle, Lukas, one of the three in the club, besides this guy and Arthur.
"Oh- it's nice to meet you. He sent me to pick up. .something?"
Romania blinked a bit, taping his chin lightly for a few seconds in thought before snapping his fingers, "Oooh da! Follow me Blondie number two." He floated towards an unlit corridor.
I of course followed, stumbling a bit. "It's Penelope, Mr. Romania-"
"Hmm? Oh. I know! I just like nicknames. Formalities are so boring." He landed gently on his feet once we reached the end of the hallway, the click of his heels giving me an eerie feeling. Why did this feel so creepy to me? I couldn't place the feeling I felt about the guy, but he was. . quite eccentric. The floating effect didn't help much either.
Watching him take a key out from his pocket, he twirled it around his finger, as if trying to show off, abruptly dropping the key with a squeak.
Arthur did mention that Romania was a bit odd, but to be honest. . he seemed a bit childish to me. It was kind of funny.
He looked back at me to see if I had watched his failure, but I played it cool, looking elsewhere with a small smile. Romania seemed like the type who tries to seem intimidating, when in reality they are far from it. I guess I shouldn't judge him too quickly yet, since I just met the man a few minutes ago.
Romania unlocked the door, letting me in the dusty, old library. The smell of the books was quite pleasing, and reminded me of Uncle Lukas' library, though his was much more organized and didn't have cob webs all over the place like this one.
I took a few steps into the library, only to be tossed over the elder's shoulder, making me gasp in surprise.
"Hmm, let's see. Potions, potions making, blah blah blah- oh! Black magic books, here we go-"
I felt the blush creep onto my face. Of course I picked this day to wear a rather short skirt. If I knew I was going to be manhandled like this, I wouldn't have worn it. He didn't seem to notice luckily, as the strawberry blonde checked through his books, occasionally feeling the spines of some of them.
"U-Uhm could you please put me d-"
"Ahhhh! I found one of them!"
Completely disregarding what I was going to say, the Romanian picked out a dusty book, and placed it on his head of all places as he continued his search.
"So little blondie, do you like magic too?"
"I-I guess-"
"Well either ya do or ya don't, which is it?" He almost tripped over a large book, catching himself thankfully as he continued looking. With this small talk, I had a feeling I would be here longer than I had intended earlier. It didn't help that he was the touchy-feely type either.
"Sure- I mean- almost all Kirklands have magic. I only can do basic things. .like teleporting."
"That's a start! There's always hope! Agh where'd I put that book. ."
Just then, he held me upside down, making my skirt show. .well everything I didn't want to show, my cheeks turning bright red in embarrassment. I don't think he meant to do this, but it still made me feel a bit attacked.
"U-uhm-"
"Wha- oh- oopsie!" He tossed me high in the air, and caught me bridal style, smiling with his single fang still sticking out.
I covered my cheeks, trying not to seem flustered, though clearly I was failing since he started to poke my face.
"You're really cute and have squishy cheeks. Like my little brother! Ahh, I miss him."
He has family? Huh. . Arthur didn't mention that to me.
". .O-oh- why not visit him?"
He then had a look I will never forget. A sheer look of . .revenge almost. "Because of that stupid big nosed- I mean- he's busy- haaa."
Big nosed? Well. . I know a few people who have big noses, but I'm not sure who he meant exactly, and I didn't want to push this guy's buttons. Romania is actually quite strong, despite his looks.
"Oh. Well. ."
"BUT YOU COULD VISIT ME RIGHT?"
Slightly startled by his tone, I simply nodded, not knowing what I was getting myself into. Oh boy, I did it again.
Romania smiled again, more lovingly this time. "You can call me Vladimir then. And you'll be my little sister, da?"
". .Y-yeah-"
I smiled anxiously. I didn't want to upset him, plus I felt bad for the guy. He lived by himself in this large castle, and clearly missed his little sibling. I could maybe ease his mind a little, maybe make a friend out of this. . or learn magic or something. It's not like I had paperwork to do.
"Great! But you need a new nickname hmmm." He inspected me for awhile, like I was a trophy of some sort.
"What's your favorite animal?"
That was an easy question.
"Cats-"
"Perfect! You'll be Pisoi then. Means cat."
"Oh-"
Pisoi? I mean. . I've only had a few nicknames, but never 'Cat'. Whatever floats his boat I guess.
"Pisoi is so cute," he rubbed his cheek against mine, smiling.
I appreciated the affection, despite the odd way it came off. We had met minutes ago, and he was already giving me nicknames and nuzzles and calling me his little sister. He must truly be. .lonely. And I know how that feels. So I guess I'll just let him do whatever with me. Despite how. .odd he is.
After a seemingly painstaking long search for three more books, Vladimir then carried me and the items down the hall and to a dark . .dining room I believe, with a few candles lit on it. He placed me down in one of the chairs, which squeaked whenever I shifted. This place was certainly old, and needed some lights and new decor.
"Mr. Romania I mean-"
"Call me big brother! Silly Pisoi."
"Right- big. .brother I was wondering why there are no lights here?"
"Do you want lights? I can make them- da-?"
I looked to the left, then right. I hope he wasn't going to set anything on fire. There were candles lit already all over the place, seemed like a fire hazard to me.
"Yes please."
With a snap, all the darkness was replaced with light. I looked at the elder in awe. He had a beautiful complexion, and a radiant smile, more noticeable in the light of course.
"Better?"
"Yes, much- thank y-"
"Are you hungry Pisoi? Thirsty? Bored? Hmm?"
He asked a lot of questions.
"Oh, I'm fine-"
"Are you really? Because you seem uncomfortable. Is it the chair? Ahah, I've had it for centuries-"
Well that certainly made sense, I could feel the thing falling apart beneath me, and I hardly weighed that much. As a twelve year old, I was fairly light and easy to carry.
"The chair is fine," I lied simply to not raise a conflict, though his brows raised as if he was expecting me to say otherwise. He seemed good at reading people like Uncle Lukas.
"Hmm. If you say so, Pisoi. Though, I am hungry. Would you mind lending your arm to me?"
Blinking a bit, I did as told, not quite sure what he wanted with my arm I the first place. Big mistake on my part. The second I moved my arm closer, he grabbed it, and his single fang sunk into my arm, a small yelp escaping from me.
What was this guy? A vampire? A vampire. . .why didn't I notice earlier.
"O-ow that hurts big brother-"
He pulled away shortly, blood dripping down my arm and his mouth. "Huh- oh- sorry-"
Wiping his mouth, he blotted my arm with his sleeve, "Pisoi has sweet blood. Like lollies! I love lollies. The red ones."
I looked at my arm, some blood still rolling down my pale skin. It was almost disgusting how pale I was. At least he had a bit of a tan to himself, despite always being in the dark.
A juice box was placed in front of me then, labeled 'Cranberry'. I looked at him, who licked his fingers oddly.
"Cranberry juice is good to drink after blood loss, replenishes it."
At least he cared enough to do that. I put the plastic bendy straw into the juice box and sipped slowly. The bitter taste was definitely there. As I was sipping, I slowly noticed that he was staring at me again, in thought. Uncle Lukas did that often, but his intentions were different I think.
"Pisoi has pretty hair."
"Thank you-"
He's quite the complimenter. I wonder if he's a flirt like Feliciano. Well, now that I think about it, Romania is a descendent of Rome, so they are related. Explains part of the childishness.
"Can I play with it?"
"Uhm, su-"
Within seconds I was on his lap instead of the creaky old chair, the vampire braiding my hair. My cheeks were slightly pink again, sipping my juice box until it was completely empty. This was certainly an odd visit, and a different way of meeting people, but I believe Vladimir means best at heart, he seems lonely anyways. He just needs a friend. . and I'll be that one.
"Pisoi you'll come over again right?"
"Mhm."
I could tell that he was relieved by that. Which confirms my suspicions about the loneliness.
"Gooood. I'll teach you lots about magic and stuffs! You can meet Momo and Cammie and Marku and Dracul and-"
". . Who-"
"Ohhh, you don't know- Momo is Bulgaria, my best friend! Cammie is Transylvania, my sister and Marku is Walachia my brother and Dracul is my other brother-" he went on for quite some time, mentioning that his youngest brother was Andrae. That must be who he misses so badly.
"You have a large family like me."
"Daaaa. Pisoi will feel at home!"
"Hah. ."
I'm not sure if that was what I would feel, but if his siblings are anything like him, that would be a sight to see.
He had finished braiding my hair, hugging me then like a teddy bear, "Thank you Pisoi."
I slightly relaxed against him as a gesture that it was okay for him to hug me. Usually I don't like others doing that, because I am so short, and it makes me feel even more short when being hugged.
Isolation played a big part of my life, and it seemed it hit Vladimir too.
"Big brother, are you lonely here?"
"Da. ." His voice didn't seem as cheery as the other times. The smile was still there though. A broken smile was the worst.
I placed the juice box down, looking at one of the candles. It was red, which seemed to be his favorite color.
"Then maybe you should come over to my place? I mean. . it's not fun being lonely, and I was for quite some time myself and-"
"Great! Mulțumesc!" He hugged me even closer, and it felt like he was burning up. Almost like fire.
". . .What element are you?"
"Hm? Oh! Fire! Hehe."
Of course. A fire elemental vampire. How ironic.
"Why do you ask Pisoi?"
"You have candles all over the place, plus you're really warm."
"Ahh- observant, that's good. What element are you, Pisoi?"
I looked to the side slowly, mumbling out 'spirit'. Apparently, it;s the rarest element that a person could be. It was sort of the center of all of them. Fire, earth, air, water, and spirit.
"Oooh! Spirit? You could do some amazing things with that element! And you only know transportation? What is Blondie teaching you?"
I puffed a cheek out. Arthur refused to teach me, simply because he didn't want me to get hurt.
"I don't live with him, I live with my uncle Lukas."
As soon as I mentioned the Norwegian's name, he gasped, holding me up in the air. Sometimes, I truly hated being this lightweight.
"LULU? PISOI LIVES WITH LULU?"
Did he really have a nickname for everyone?
"Ah- yes- for a few years now. Why-"
"I miss Lulu! Too bad he's an earth element," Vladimir sneered slightly at that.
Ah right, earth and fire elements typically don't get along. I guess it was an unlikely friendship then, but this guy was full of surprises, it was mildly entertaining to an extent. I wonder how uncle Lukas got along with him though. He only shows affection to a select few, yet Vladimir seems to show it to everyone. It was kind of cute in a way.
"Well, you can always visit me if you wish. I don't have much to do anyways."
Typically all I did was read, play with uncle Lukas' cats and bunnies, and talk to the Nordics and my Kirkland family. I wasn't reckless nor impolite, which the adults appreciated. But I did grow tired of the laid back lifestyle. . .and Vladimir had a friendly fire inside of him. He mentioned that he was interested in teaching me magic, which may come handy later on, who knows. At least this way we both won't be lonely anymore.
"Ahh? Well . . how about you be my apprentice! I make charms and potions all the time! Plus spirit elementals are good in all fields anyways."
I gave a small smile to the Romanian as my answer, who gently placed me on the wobbly, scratched up oak table.
"But there's something I'm missing. . .what is it. ."
I raised a brow in confusion. He also misplaced things as much as uncle Mathias did. They were like giant, excited puppies.
"Oh! My hat!" With a snap, a small, silk red hat with ribbons wrapped around it appeared neatly atop his head.
This hat looked handmade, with intricate stitching and accented ribbons. Despite the appearance, it looked about centuries old, and was worn out. At least he took good care of it.
"Now what?"
"Now I gotta get all my magic books organized! Till then, I'll call Lulu when I'm ready, Pisoi." He lightly papped my cheeks, which made a tapping noise when he did.
"Ah- okay- I'll see you soon then, big brother-"
Vladimir had me transported back home, right next to my uncle Emil on the couch, who jumped a bit.
". . .Hi-"
"Penelope, you're using magic again? I thought you weren't interested in it."
"Ah- well- about that-"
Uncle Lukas came in with his usual large mug of coffee. I'm pretty sure he lives off the stuff, and butter.
"Ah, you're back. Where are the books?"
As I was about to open my mouth, the said books landed in his arms, making him spill his coffee, Emil covering his mouth so he wouldn't laugh at his sibling's misfortune.
". . . .That wasn't me-"
A small sigh escaped through him as he cleaned up the mess and had the books sent to Arthur. "Vladimir, I swear. ."
". . . . . . .Uhm, about Vladimir."
Both Nordics looked at me, raising a brow. They seemed surprised that I talked to the vampire. Was he really that shy around adults or something? He didn't show it.
"I'm going to be his magical apprentice. . . he said he would call you, uncle."
Before either could say a word, the door was kicked open by my eldest uncle, Mathias. He had that huge smile still on his face, Lukas now having a slightly irritated look.
"Why must you kick open doors, Dane?"
"I wanted to make a big entrance!"
"Well. . you made a big noise," Emil mumbled as he bookmarked his spot and placed his book to the side.
"Oh Icy, you're mumbling too much!" Mathias gave him his usual noogie, picking me up in hug. What was it with people always picking me up?!
"Penny I got ya a gift!"
"Really- what-"
He gave me a huge lollipop. A red one.
"Oh-"
"Some guy gave it to me! How weird right-"
"Why would you give our niece stranger candy, you idiot."
"Whaaat? I was being nice!"
I unwrapped the lollipop from the plastic, which had a cat on it. It must've been from Vladimir, otherwise a huge coincidence.
After he placed me down, I watched Lukas and Mathias bicker about who was the better uncle, while Emil simply looked at me.
"You are the better uncle," I mouthed to him, which made the Icelander stick his tongue out childishly, throwing a pillow at his brothers. "Did you hear that? Penny said I'm better."
"Neeeeeej! I am I gave her candy-"
"Which will make her hyper, Dane. And you know who has to deal with that? Me-"
"Then Penny should live with me!"
"I think that would be an awful idea," Emil rolled his eyes.
I nommed on the lollipop as the three bickered now, thinking to myself. It was already an interesting day. . I wonder what else could surprise me at this point.
And then everything went black.
A/N: Well, that concludes for the first chapter. I hope you like it so far. Mulțumesc means 'Thank you' in Romanian. Please review!