Clockwork Tower
Summary: Tonight is the River of Sanguine. Tonight their blood will run red over the stone. Or so they say... Steampunk AU.
Spinning, endlessly.
Bronze, silver, an occasional gold gear going round and round. It would press into its neighbor to continue the cycle. To make the other gears spin and dance. To twirl in the night, moonlight glistening off the metal when it poured in through the open window.
If one looked at them long enough it may make them dizzy.
Ib only found it beautiful. She loved listening to the little clicks of metal against metal when they collided. That soft ping from the wall when a lone rusted gear turned, tugging on a chain that creaked as it moved, following the motion through to a bell at the other end.
There was a continuous whirr in the room that made the stone behind the gears vibrate, made the wood shift ever so slightly beneath her feet when the elevator just a door away was in operation. Like it was now.
That ping from before told her that someone was coming up and considering there was only one other person that lived here with her it had to be Mary. Unless, of course, one of the villagers had got it in their mind to come upstairs. Usually if they did venture inside the tower they kept to the ground floor, sometimes going up to the first if they were feeling brave.
Most were not.
Ding.
The sound filled her ears as if Ib herself was standing in the contraption. The wood door was thrown open and Mary stepped through the doorway. The metal doors of the elevator slid closed behind her, etches of the sea and mermaids engraved onto the metal.
"It's almost time!" Mary said, clapping her hands together and twirling in a new dress.
This time she appeared to have a forest theme going on. A patch of light green cloth appeared to be almost slung around her neck, opening into an upside down v in the back that resembled two flaps of leaves sitting there between her shoulder and neck. It rose up the back of her neck, sweeping around the front to form a v again, this time open with two bronze balls near the center, a similarly colored cord wrapped around one to keep the fabric from falling from her neck. An emerald necklace lay between the opening. What looked like wings came out of the big rectangle emerald that was settled just below her collarbone. A smaller gem laid below that, surrounded by bronze chains falling in loops over her lightly tanned skin.
Below that was the corset. Black lace rose up from the edges, thin and forming half flowers. Light brown needle work laid below that before the corset became the same as Mary's neck piece, with dark green splattered around. It formed into shapes that reminded Ib of those old movies where the doctors asked the patient what the image looked like. When really it could form anything considering they looked like white paper with random black blobs placed around it, though they always were the exact reflection of the other side. It continued in that fashion down the middle, the sides completely dark green, like leaves. They even ended like so past her waist to form a skirt.
A belt looped around her waist. Dark brown rope with a tan one in the middle, clasped together with leather. Loops of leather hung around attached at the sides with a few round holes. A thin rope was looped through one of the holes, carrying a clear glass oval shaped container that swung freely at Mary's waist. Then there were two bronze chains, claws wrapped around the belt to keep it steady as they dipped down to meet in the middle, holding another accessory. A bronze circle that looked like the sun with bronze flames coming out the sides, and in the middle there was a flower, an emerald stationary in the center of it, laying flat against one of the dark green petals of the corset. The corset was tied together in the back with green string looped through open holes along the edges.
On her feet were brown boots with a sort-of gold finish at the edges. A green rose was centered on the foot of each with a bronze center. The gems and bronze sparkled in the light as Mary danced across the room with an enthusiastic whoop causing Ib to giggle.
Mary spun around to face her, reaching out to clasp her hands just above Ib's and around her wrists. "Come on! Come on! There's barely an hour left before it starts! Have you seen the sire's grave yet?"
"Not yet," Ib admitted. She immediately felt guilty afterwards for not doing so earlier.
It was traditional after-all before the events of the night started. She could feel her mouth water at just the thought of what would be coming later tonight. The pounding of racing footsteps sounded in her head from the year earlier. A procured treat gasping for air-
She quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind as she felt her blood start to sing under her skin at the memories. It was already racing faster through her veins though.
The air in front of her already had a lighter tint, the whole room did. She could see the small sparks when the gears spun into each-other a little too fiercely. The vibrations in the floor traveled up her spine making her head spin. The light spilling in from the window was softer.
The room was positively glowing in her deep red eyes that had just gone a hue darker. There was a thick air in the room now, heavy against her skin and she knew that Mary already felt it. That same pressure had an extra layer on her wrists, where Mary's hands remained.
Ib's fangs slid down as her blood flowed like liquid ecstasy.
Mary's giggles filled her ears, knowing full well that Ib had entered into the River of Sanguine with her. "Come on," Mary's breath tickled her ear when she spoke.
Ib broke out into a smile as she was pulled forward, feeling her wrists released she was quick to follow Mary down the spiral of stairs just off to the left of the closed elevator.
They ran down the steps, feet landing softly on the stone as they danced and twirled there way to the bottom, down fifty flights of stairs in a matter of minutes. Twenty to be exact. They weren't exactly racing to get to their location as they got off the last step holding onto each-other as they spun before stopping in the middle of the front room. Neither was gasping for air, instead they were laughing as the room slowly stopped spinning around them. As everything settled in Ib's vision she let out a, "Catch me if you can!"
Ib darted away from Mary into the back hall, truly running now. To the human eye it would look like she was flying, toes barely touching the ground as the stone of the walls blurred past her. The dark wood of the doors seemed to melt into the gray when she passed, air whistling in her ears.
She came to a stop after throwing open the back door.
The outside air was cool on her heated skin, a breeze lifted her hair so the dark brown strands flowed behind her like a wave. In the yard was a lone tree sprouting from beyond a headstone. It's branches were bare of any leaves, the dark wood seeming to soak up any light the moon offered, hoarding it.
Ib stepped forward, the soles of her feet crunching the dry grass beneath them. She could hear Mary behind her, having stopped running when she entered the sacred area. Throwing a sly grin back at the blonde girl Ib walked forward until the dead grass beneath her feet became grains of sand and pebbles that slipped between her toes.
She stopped there. Just standing on the dirt before lowering herself to the ground, kneeling in front of the tomb.
Guertena Weiss
1824 - 1976
Ib leaned forward to rest her head on the edge of the stone. "Sire," she murmured, lips brushing over the stone. "Rest well and easy. For we, your faithful are here with you today." She could feel Mary slide into the space next to her, joining in, speaking the words, "Tonight, the River of Sanguine will run over you just as it did in life. For you will taste their blood by morning, feel the last beat of the frightened rabbit in your coils. For we will never forget the master and the gem of the afterlife you showed us." She fell silent with the last words spoken.
She stayed like that for a time; knees settled into the dirt beneath her, the light breeze running cool over her skin, forehead against the cold stone, upper lip becoming numb as the cool of the night sank into the grave. The moon was almost directly overhead. In the next few minutes it would be hovering directly over the her and the stone would be like ice, smooth and freezing to the touch.
It was almost time then. Mary would already be inside the tower waiting for the night of the dead to start.
With a soft sigh Ib raised herself from the ground. Her skirt slid up the back of her legs as she stood, the front barely reaching down the first few inches of her thighs only to trail down to her ankles when the white silk reached her sides. The extra layers of the skirt made her legs moderately warm even with nearly all of the front exposed, ruffles of snow running down her legs.
She leaned down to brush the dirt from her knees, the same dark brown as her boots. Except for the light red laces that kept them tied to her feet. The corset wound around her nearly combined the two colors to make a lighter brown that looked close to that of the manzanita wood. Honestly, it reminded her of velvet when she ran her fingers over the surface, rolling over the soft cream belts; one on her waist, the other wrapped along her mid-section.
Hand traveling up she pulled at the white frills spilling over onto the corset, straitening the lace that continued up to cover her chest - or not. Depending on how one thought of the way it pushed her rather small breasts up, showing an inch of skin and the dip between her flesh. Most woman in the village would think it vulgar while the one's in the city wouldn't even notice.
Ah, the city. She loved the city. So full of people that starved for the air that drove itself into her lungs now, piercing cold and melting into her bones. It may as well have been blood with how it burned at her skin.
A sharp gasp slipped through her lips, fang slipping to form a thin cut and she licked instantly at the red drop on her pale pink lips. It stopped flowing after that, frozen by the air and with one last glance at the grave Ib turned and walked over the threshold, closing the door behind her and turning the lock. A thin piece of metal in the shape of a knife slid into place next to the knob silently, the edge slipping into a metal nook that clasped onto it. Even so it would hold against any mortal force applied against it.
The clock chimed in the distance and she looked down, grasping at a gold chain around her neck. Five shiny silver pearls were attached to the left side before it reached the butterfly shaped pendant hanging around her neck. On the left wing metal bronze glowed on top of the gold beneath it, a diamond laying on the surface. The right wing held the top of a golden rose, petals forming bumps along the surface. In the corner was a small clear clock, both hands touching at the roman numeral for twelve.
It was time then.
She could hear the entrance in the lobby room swing open, creaking on the hinges that neither Mary or her bothered to oil since they hardly ever used the front door when they left the tower. What fun was it going out the front when there were a dozen other ways out of here? All unlocked unlike the main exits. All hidden.
"Hello?" A female voice called out. "Does anyone work here?" Ib slipped into a side passage, clinging to the shadows as she moved along until she could get a clear view of the woman that had entered their domain on this sacred night.
Judging by the plain leaf green shirt with such a wide neckline that it hung over one shoulder this one wasn't from the village nearby. They always made sure to cover their necks when they went outside, especially at night. This woman was a traveler then which was made more evident with the red hat she wore, a pair of plain black goggles on top, nothing fancy. Glittery gold wasn't something people like this traveled with. That was the city folk, common targets of bandits when they ventured out from the high stone walls. The only embellishment this woman seemed to have were the few feathers in her light brown hair that ran straight down to her mid-back.
Her eye moved over the woman as she walked, noting the green and tan striped shorts that clung to the skin and therefore weren't likely to get caught on something when she ran. That always did make the chase that much more interesting. When they didn't trip over their own clothes. The black boots looked worn, but still in good condition. It was a pair she could run in.
Gaze landing on the brown pouch at her waist she wondered what was inside. Not a gun by any means judging from the small size. Maybe a handheld knife then. Mary did always like the fighters.
Ib dipped her head just slightly, signaling to Mary that the woman was hers.
"No?" The woman turned then, calling out through the open doorway, "It appears abandoned. Safe. Come on in."
Three pairs of feet tapped against the floorboards and Ib felt her mouth water. Two for her and Mary. She could already imagine sinking her teeth into the skin, blood flowing directly into her jaws. Last time they had had to share the third member to walk inside. This time she wouldn't have to. All hers.
It made her head pound. Vision clouding over in a temporary haze that she quickly shook off when the group began speaking.
"You sure, Claudi?" A man asked the first woman. "We thought the same when those raiders-"
"Would you shut up about the raiders Timothy? That was months ago and we got away didn't we? Even got some of their belongings from that scrap. Stop being such a worry wart." Another woman snapped. Her whole outfit seemed to be made from strips of leather, two rolling over the shoulders, the rest making up her shirt that stopped a few inches before even reaching her belly button.
Perhaps this group was from the dessert to the south then. The climate here was cold and yet they were dressed for a heat wave, and there were those black clear goggles again. More likely to keep out sand than snow, though it would keep both from blocking sight well enough.
"You know, Dixie, you could get some new lines for insulting me."
"Oh?" Dixie turned, the leather pleats of her skirt flaring up around her when she spun, settling down a third of the way to her knee. A large belt at her hip kept the attire from coming loose. "I thought my current lines were working just fine, or are you still not bothered by being called a Duu hicke-"
"Okay." Timothy threw his hands up in the air. "Okay, just shut up about it for the millionth time." The metal pendant hanging from his neck slid up the mostly exposed chest of the man, his vest open, sleeves non existent for the time being though the metal knobs suggested he had them on him somewhere if he happened to get cold. Simple brown slacks followed that and then the brown shoes with a black trim that clanged when they hit the wood beneath him. Inlaid metal then, somewhere in the leather. That could be a problem if he had quick enough reflexes. Perhaps she should leave him to Mary as well.
"Touche." Dixie raised a hand, tugging down Timothy's goggles so they fell from his head, strap hanging loose around his neck. The goggles of his seemed to be the only embellishment this Timothy really had. The right lens had more glass that could be moved down and positioned accordingly to get a better look at things.
She wondered briefly if one of the slates of glass let him see off into the distance as well instead of just close up.
"Could you two cut it out for a moment? We came in here for a warm fire not more of your bickering." Another male voice cut through her thoughts and Ib shifted in the shadows to get a clear look of who had spoken.
The first thing she noticed was the violet hair, it stuck out against the pale stone and dark wood around him. Bright and colorful, it didn't blend in to the dull surroundings at all. In fact, even his outfit stuck out, also rather colorful.
A dark blue scarf was wrapped around his neck. The color of his shirt was a light green, more of a tank top really that hung loosely on his thin frame. A single dark brown belt was slung over his chest, laying diagonally across the green attire. There were small pouches that formed simple bumps along that belt and she spotted a silver chain dangling from the top one. At the end of it was a bronze pocket-watch with the plate currently closed, the design of a rose engraved into the lid.
His pants were the same color as his belt, little black gears woven into the thread at the bottom above his shoes, still loose enough that they spun lazily when he walked. The shoes were gray, dark blue laces criss-crossing over the front.
This one was not from the same village as the others. Likely he was picked up as a fellow traveler that just happened to be going in the same direction as them. That's the tale his clothes told anyways.
"Bicker, bicker." Dixie said as she walked toward the violet-haired man. "We're out of the storm aren't we? Clam it, Garry."
"Aren't you a gem?" He was smiling as he said it but his voice came out flat, unamused. Garry turned then, going back and shutting the door they had all just come from.
The games were finally going to begin.
There was a distinct click when the doors closed and the violet haired man tugged at the brass handle for a few moments before giving up. "It's locked." He reported to the others.
Ib had to resist the giggle that wished to spill forth from her lips. Of course it was. These four weren't leaving now that they were inside the tower.
"It's an old door, leave it alone." Claudi said, fishing out a piece of dry meat from a pouch and popping it into her mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing and speaking again. "Come on, let's go find that fire and a kitchen. This place is huge, it can't have been completely cleaned out by raiders."
"Doesn't that make us raiders?" Timothy asked as the group set off down one of the halls branching off from the main room.
"There's no one living here. Therefore there is no one to raid from. So how on earth could we be raiders, Tim?" Claudi glanced over her shoulder at him. "Or do you secretly want to be a raider?"
"No." The reply was instant and caused the others to laugh.
With them gone from the main room Ib stepped out from her nook along another side passage and into the room, heels making no sound against the wood. For now anyways. There was no reason to bring light to the four that they weren't alone. Not yet.
"Ib," Mary hissed into her ear, having fallen from above and landing silently next to her, staring at the backs of their prey before they disappeared around another corner. Their voices still carried though. It wouldn't be hard to find them. "What do you think of them?" In other words; which did she want?
At the memory of that dark blue scarf her fangs dropped. "Garry." There was no way she could pass up such a uniquely packaged treat.
"Oh?" Mary sounded somewhat disappointed and Ib heard rather than made the hiss that slipped between her fangs. Her friend only laughed softly as to not disturb the morsels in the next room over, not taking her threat to heart. "I suppose that leaves Little Timmy to me."
Ib didn't have the heart to tell Mary that she had gone and killed the real Little Timmy last week when she drained the young boy from the village dry. If she wanted to continue with the charade she wouldn't kick up the dust. "It's settled then?" she asked instead, gaze moving back to the open doorway. From the sounds of the clangs of pots and pans they had found the kitchen now.
"Having seconds thoughts on your first choice?" Mary asked, blue eyes gleaming in the low light offered by a window perched high on the wall above the front door.
"No, you can take Miss Pilot." Ib would rather play with the one wrapped in belts. Her tongue ran over her lips. There would be so many ways to unwrap that one.
"Where do you think you're going!" Her head snapped to the patch of wall the yell had come through. "I need you here to help me fix this Tim. Do you want to eat or not?" Ib's stomach growled and Mary broke out into a smile, the tips of her fangs showing.
"Leave the food finding to us!" Dixie's voice called out, further away and Ib's gaze was drawn to a passage that would allow for a shortcut to the woman's location.
"See you in the morning." Mary whispered and then she was heading off across the room.
Ib just nodded her head before walking down the hall, boots barely touching the wood turned stone of the stairs. The incline was steady, moving up in a twirl that got smaller the further up one went. The walls loomed in close, curving inward once she was past the thirteenth landing.
If there was one thing this woman was doing it was exploring. Not finding food.
She only smiled though at this thought, they were so far up by now it was likely no one would hear them. That meant her own plans wouldn't interfere with Mary's. A nice change of pace considering last year when things got all but a little too hectic for her liking. There had been screams coming from every which direction then.
It was quiet now. A good thing. Ib wanted to savor the treat ahead of her.
Even now she could hear the soft clangs of the belts as the woman moved up, the light thud as Dixie stepped from stone back onto wood. She was getting off the stairs.
Ib was quick to follow her mark, staying behind in the shadows even though the woman didn't look once over her shoulder. Normally the people that came in would be glancing in the darkest corner by now, expecting a creature to jump out at them, but most of their visitors the past few years were those villagers. Specifically the children, daring each other to go to the Clockwork Tower and see if the rumors were true.
If demons really did exist.
There was a loud clang as heavy metal hit the ground, causing the woman to jump from her spot. Though she had been fiddling with it. If she hadn't expected it to fall, then what had she thought would happen? That music would start playing like from one of those little boxes? A dancing ballerina inside. Ib loved those. The last person she had drained had one on them and she had turned the dial over and over again until it stopped playing, spent.
"People really shouldn't leave loose metal hanging around," Dixie was looking down at the fallen gear as she spoke, "If it falls someone can seriously get hurt. Like me." The woman seemed to be berating the metal for almost falling on her and it caused Ib to giggle. Cute. "Huh?' Dixie turned then, brown gaze landing on her own. "I'm sorry. Do you live here? When me and my friends came in no one answered so we assumed no one lived here. We could leave-"
Ib stepped the few steps forward to be face-to-face with the woman, red eyes gleaming in the moonlight splintered by the bars that filled a window to her right. "No. You're welcome to stay," she said softly, already recognizing that look of confusion in the woman's eyes. Those eyes that were asking a single question.
Why are her eyes red?
She could see the wheels begin to turn though. For memories of tales to seep into the mind and recognize that red eyes were a vampiric quality. That smooth pale skin was the harbinger of death.
Ib smiled, showing her fangs.
The woman bolted. The soft thuds from before were loud and Ib laughed as she ran across the room to the one other door here as she was blocking the path her prey had come from. One other door that only went one direction, up.
With a grin Ib walked slowly to the open door, moving up the staircase with her head tilted to the side so she could see the flash of metal bits on the belts as the woman rushed up the stone steps. From the panting she could hear Dixie was already panicking. Perhaps she noticed that her neck was exposed in her attire. Perhaps she noticed just how appealing it was.
Ib hesitated on the second to last step before with a smile she bounced up to the landing. "Peek-a-boo!"
There was a stifled cry from across the room and her gaze quickly found the woman opposite of her, the only thing between them a circular table that was welded to the floor. Ib kicked the door behind her shut as she gazed at Dixie, head tilting left and right, trying to judge which way the prey would go. When the woman didn't move she bounded across the room, vaulting over the table to stand over her.
Dixie's hands were thrown up in front of her face the moment the mortal registered her movement. If Ib had wanted to drain her then it would have been too late. But she didn't want to, not yet anyways. "You're sweet, dressing all special for me. Tell me," Ib said as she dropped to her knees, legs spread out behind her to form a wide v. "Are you my lost present from Santa? You see, he never visited me or my family and I always wanted to unwrap a present. So is that how I do it? I unwrap you like a gift? Ribbon by ribbon? Or in this case, belt by belt?"
The woman's eyes only widened, staring at her. "W-what? I... No, I'm not a present."
"No?" Ib asked, cocking her head to the side. When Dixie shook her head fiercely Ib frowned. "That's too bad... I guess I'll just have to force you open then."
"N-no-"
Ib didn't let her finish the sentence, instead reaching out to grab at one of the middle belts and pull her forward and up off the ground, releasing the woman so she flew behind her and hit the metal table with a groan. She stood up and walked over to the wall, turning a handle and listening as the chains rattled above, as they descended to hang from the ceiling, above the table in low loops. Ib grabbed a metal hook from off the wall before turning back to Dixie. "For future reference, pick present next time." She walked forward to the edge of the table, only now slowing her unnatural speed down for the human to pick up on where she was from more than just a blur.
She reached forward, twisted the metal hook around the middle belt she had grabbed seconds before and lifted the woman until she could secure it to one of the chains above. After checking it wouldn't come loose she turned around, grabbing more hooks from the wall to spread across the table beneath the woman. "What are you doing?"
Ib raised her gaze to meet Dixie's gaze. "Oh, don't worry so much." From the way Dixie's eyes flickered from one corner of the room to the next, to the table and back to her, she was most certainly worrying. "I'm just opening you." The words didn't seem to reassure the woman as she could hear her heart beating louder, erratic. It made her want to slip her fangs into the exposed flesh and she bit in to her lip to resist the urge. "Calm down and try not to move."
She took up another hook in her hand, sliding it beneath the right belt strap over the woman's shoulder and connected it to a higher chain above, forcing the woman into a more upright position. Ib continued like that for a time. Slipping a hook through one loop then the next, but instead of connecting them to a chain she had ripped a belt off and attached them to that, moving the belts so they surrounded the woman's left arm in an intricate twirl before driving a metal spike into her hand and twisting it up into the chains, ignoring the scream as she did so.
Her tongue flicked out between the belts, catching droplets of red running down the skin and directing it back into her mouth. She kept moving up the arm, standing on the table so she could access the wound and lick along the metal until it closed around it and there was no more blood. "Mmm." Ib licked her lips as she crouched down, pulling an empty chain with her.
She grabbed a hook and a belt, unwrapping it slowly from the woman midsection and entangling it around the others before moving it down to wrap along her thigh, closing the clasp again before sliding the hook through the open metal, attaching that to the lowered chain.
Ib hopped off the table, stepping back to admire her work. The one belt she had moved up to wrap along the woman's neck and entangle in the chains just above her head. Most of her skin was on display now with the belts pealed back the way they were. "Don't you look delicious?"
Dixie didn't answer, having passed out earlier when she drove that spike through her hand. Oh, well. It's not like her prey ever answered in the affirmative anyway.
She leaned forward, hand encircling the ankle of the leg she had left untouched and her palm up ran up over the skin, checking the pulse at her inner thigh. It had grown steady again. "Hmm," Ib hummed as she leaned forward-to stop short.
What was that?
She pulled back from the tempting vein, glancing along the wall until she found the slant in the stone. Ib moved forward to press her palm against it, shoving the stone back until the space below it was open. Yes, that was much better. Now she could hear more clearly.
"Stupid doll." There was a distinct sound of a button colliding with the stone wall. "Did this use to be a little girl's room or a demonic play house? And why is everything pink?" Garry.
Ib sighed softly, glancing behind her to see Dixie still out of it. "I'll be back for you," she promised the unconscious morsel before turning to the hole in the wall.
She raised herself up to sit on the edge of the stone, looking down the thin tunnel that went straight to the source of his voice. Just from that alone she could picture him again. Bright violet hair, that blue scarf along his neck. He had been the only one to have anything covering his neck. Though it was clearly for the purposes of dealing with weather not a vampire.
"I wonder why they left so many belongings here. It seems... wrong." Ib closed her eyes and moved forward, judging from the sounds below that he was away from the door now. That she could close it before he knew what was happening. She slipped off the edge, dropping down below into the dark.
The air hissed around her as she fell, a wind picking up and throwing her strands of hair past her face. The cool breeze ran over her skin and she practically growled when it caressed her. The sides of the wall just inches away making her own heart beat fast as she plummeted down. If she just turned so she would smash into the stone and quickly find herself bleeding on the floor. It was that knowledge that made the blood in her very veins pulse. If she lost concentration the building itself would kill her, striking from wall to wall like a pinball. Her blood was singing.
Her feet met the floor then with a loud thud and her ears were met with a loud, "Gah!" followed by a crash.
Ib opened her eyes slowly, pushing herself up from her crouched landing. She grabbed the door knob first, closing the entrance point before turning to see that the man had fallen against a rotting wood structure that she hadn't been able to distinguish the purpose of before he broke it with his back. Now it just looked like a mess of wood sticks and shavings around him. A bird's nest.
"Uh," Garry groaned, rubbing the back of his head that must have hit the stone wall. "H-hello? Are you okay? You seem to have fallen from quite a ways judging by your landing. But, your standing... so I guess nothing's broken."
She blinked at him for a moment, having expected another scream to follow when she faced him. Why wasn't he screaming? "Hello," she said the word slowly, drawing it out as she took a step forward. Did he not know then? About the tales of the vampire?
"Oh, good. You sound fine, better than me anyway." Garry groaned again, still rubbing at the base of his skull. "Do any of my bones look broken to you?" He just pulled his hand away from his head then, instead stretching his arms out as he opened his eyes to look at her, head now resting on the stone.
"No," she replied, glancing over his form. At the way his arms were open around him as if in invitation for her to take a closer look. "Your bones are perfect." Besides the bruising he must have from falling backwards, but she hadn't heard a snap.
He laughed then. "That's what I was hoping for." His arms fell back to his sides and she took another step forward, glancing over his colorful garb, eyes settling on that scarf. "Do you live here?"
She didn't answer, just seeing that curious blue. Her mind was still spinning from the fall and although he had fallen among pieces of wood he wasn't attacking her. So it would be okay to get closer, because she so desperately wanted to be closer to the vivid man. So bright, so... unaware of what she was. Her tongue ran across her lips. That had to taste amazing. Like fruit. He certainly looked like a piece of fruit, a pear with a scarf.
Ib took a few steps forward before darting quickly across the room, careful not to move too fast. She didn't want to spoil this. Every other piece of prey had known what she was with a glance and ran. He wasn't though.
"Woah, there." His hands had flung up when she approached, the back of his arm against the wall, palms facing outward. She stopped just in front of him, falling to her knees that settled on either side of his chest. Her head dipped down immediately, already wanting a taste. His head craned up and she practically salivated. He was so... accommodating. Ib opened her mouth to grip the fabric of his scarf between her teeth, slowly, gently pulling it back and staring as the cloth slid from around his neck, revealing the skin inch by inch. This, this was a proper present. "Excuse me, but what's your name?"
"Ib," she breathed, lips parting as she stared at veins along his neck, beating steadily even beneath her gaze. The skin was slightly flushed, only kept warm by the scarf before. What a pretty sight.
"Ib." Her gaze darted up when he spoke her name. "Uh, my name's Garry. Your eyes... are very red. Is that their natural color?"
Her shoulders rose slightly. If he suddenly started to fight back she would need to jump back fast to avoid any wood stakes. "Yes," she kept her voice soft even as her muscles tightened.
"Oh, they're very beautiful." Her eyes widened at his words. Beautiful? The corners of his lips turned up and she stared at them, fascinated at the smile being directed at her. A chuckle slipped past those lips and she leaned closer to hear it better. "I take it you don't get a lot of compliments." Her head shook lightly from side to side as if gliding through the air as she leaned closer, her muscles relaxing once more. "I suppose with the state of this place you don't get many visitors at all-"
The sounds stopped coming from him when her lips landed on his, tongue running along his lower lip, tasting. There was a sweetness to them, like sugar. She pried his mouth open with her tongue to get more of it, moving over every inch of his mouth, any part she could access. It was sweeter there, and it took her a moment to remember what he tasted like. Blueberries. Little orbs of blue that she used to slip between her teeth to then bite down as the juice spilled from the fruit's wound.
She leaned back after finding every last trace of the fruit. His breathing was heavy in her ears as she leaned down, pushing her nose against his chin until his head moved up again, exposing his neck. "You..." He took a deep breath. "You're very forward."
Ib giggled softly against his skin, licking one spot on his neck until it was bright red and moved to another, continuing to lick at his skin. All of it. All of him was just so... "Sweet," she murmured.
She raised a hand to run up his shirt, stopping at the neckline, listening to his heavy breaths. Ib closed her eyes to heighten her other senses temporarily as she drew her nail down, cutting through the fabric. The scent of blood hit her nose and she peeled back the shirt, sliding down his body so she could draw her tongue up the fresh line of blood on his chest. It tasted just like she thought it would. Like sugar water.
"Ib," there was a soft groan above her but she ignored it. Instead she opened her eyes to see the mark she had just closed with her saliva. She grinned as her eyes moved over his chest, fingers running up his stomach to his chest, over hard dusky rose nipples to clasp on his shoulders. Her gaze hadn't moved once from the two spots of color on his chest. She descended quickly, her mouth latching onto one and she sunk her fangs in around it, sucking the lovely blood from his veins and into her mouth.
She could hear another groan above her, feel a hand press to the back of her head as if urging her to drink more. Ib sucked hard, blood pooling in her mouth, running over her chin to plop back on his chest. She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to collect the droplets but kept feeding as the hand slipped through her long hair, falling onto her waist. Soon his hand slipped down from there as well and she briefly wondered what he was doing until the sweet taste of his blood caught her attention again.
A thud sounded from above her and she licked around the nipple closing the puncture holes. Now where had those droplets gone? She bent her head down to seek them out a thrill running through her when she felt both of his hands on her suddenly, trailing up the back of her thighs slowly. Ib shivered, letting out a moan as she licked up the first drop of blood from his warm skin.
Her skirt was flipped up, cool air kissing her bare legs. His fingers running back down her legs, dragging a soft fabric down her skin before moving back up, his touch devoid of soft silk.
She licked up the last drop of blood on his skin, moving her tongue up and over his chest, over the untouched nipple that she flicked softly with her tongue. Ib parted her lips, about to slide her fangs back in when she felt him slide into her.
His hands were on her hips, moving her slowly as he thrust into her in steady strokes. Ib's breath caught, lips open and hovering over his nipple. He angled his hips and thrust again and she let loose a soft cry as she arched up against him. Her hands moved to the back of his neck as she sat up and rocked her hips against his, her entire body was singing from the movement. From his slow even thrusts that she met with a quick snap of her hips. To the lips that she barely registered on her neck, sucking on the skin, blunt teeth running over the flesh. His hands gliding up her sides to force her corset down past her breasts and pinch the nipples between his fingers.
Ib moaned as he kissed and nipped at the nape of her neck, hands running up in to that bright violet hair. She curled her fingers in the soft strands as she called out his name, "Garry, Garry, Garry," it became a sort of mantra to be filled in-between with moan after moan.
She moved her hips faster and a thrill ran down her spine when he picked up speed, thrusting harder into her, groaning against her neck, directly into her ear. "Ib." She came loose then, the cord inside her snapping as her muscles clamped around the cock inside of her, urging him to fill her. When she felt him burst she moaned, grinding her hips into his as she fought to sustain her position on cloud nine.
When the pleasure finally began its descent she whimpered. Her fingers wrapped themselves in his soft locks, angling his head up so she could brush her lips over his.
His mouth opened and she sunk her tongue inside, moving lazily against his own. When he leaned back she sighed softly from the loss, opening her eyes. "Garry?"
"Yes?" He was breathing heavily again and she resisted the urge to steal more of his breath with her lips, to listen to his panting afterward as his lungs filled with air once more.
"I don't want to drain you."
His lips curved up, a soft chuckle sounding through the air, his chest rumbling beneath her. "I suspect that would be a good thing for the both of us."
She frowned, gripping his locks hard and forcing his gaze on her. "I'm not joking."
His smile slipped away, hands coming up to rest on hers. "Good. That's good. I'm sorry."
She smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips before moving her mouth to hover next to his ear. "Go down the flight of stairs past the swan statue. There will be a bronze cog on the floor, slip it into the far left hole and a door will open in the wall. Go down the tunnel and it will lead you outside. I will meet you there after I take care of one thing."
"Okay."
Ib pulled away, jumping up from his lap, her skirt falling back around her legs. She turned swiftly to the door, pushing it open before starting down the hallway and then up the stairs. Ib moved swiftly up the stone steps, the sound echoing around her as she made her way back up to the old bell tower.
She pushed the door open, letting out a soft sigh when she saw Dixie still dangling from the chains and belts. So pretty. But she didn't taste nearly as good as Garry.
Ib climbed up onto the table, pulling the metal from the woman's hand and letting it fall with a clang to the table below. She licked up the blood from the newly opened wound, closing it again before she started unhooking the belts from the chains and removing the hooks. Each piece of metal hit the table, sometimes rolling off to hit the stone below afterward. When she removed the last one Dixie slumped onto the table, eyes now open and gazing at her with little comprehension of what was going on.
"Get up," Ib snapped, hands on her hips. She had wasted enough time undoing her handiwork and now just wanted the woman out of the way. Dixie was sitting up slowly, still staring at her and Ib frowned. It seemed she would have to spoon feed her. "You are free to go. So go down the stairs to the metal torch and pull it down. A space will open in the wall, go in and direct the elevator all the way down and follow the path out of the building. Understand?"
It took a few seconds before relief washed over the woman's face and after a few quick, "Thank you, thank you so much." Dixie had darted past her and down the stairs.
Ib didn't even glance to the stairs as she took the fast way down through the hole in the wall, plummeting through the air into the pink room once again. She pressed herself up from the ground, walking back out into the hallway. After a quick glance in the direction she went before she turned towards the other end of the hall and jogged to the stairs that spiraled downwards.
The stone kept pressing inward the further down one went. It was meant to deter those that came down this way. To make them feel trapped, like mice so they would go back up. It even got darker and the torches became few and in between until they stopped showing along the walls at all. There was no promise of warm flame until you got to the bottom at that point. This staircase might as well have been the first cause of claustrophobia.
All of the shadows didn't bother her though. The darker it got the more her vision changed to see soft blue hues on the stone, and if she looked up she would see specks of red where the torches were. She could see perfectly fine down here. Especially when it came to hunting those with warm blood.
Even now she could see a figure of red further down, likely at the bottom of the steps as it was disappearing behind the blue. Garry had to be finding that cog now. She smiled at the thought of having him for as long as time would allow, or at the very least until she saw fit to turn him. His blood wouldn't be as filling then, but it wouldn't lose its taste either.
"A torch would help..." She could hear his muttering from above and grinned as she began to skip down the steps. It would go faster if she found the cog first. "Oh, light. Thank err you?"
Ib blinked, coming to a stop on the steps. Who was he speaking to?
There was a distinct sniff of the air followed by a growl, "You smell like her. Like Ib. What did you do to her? You are a sack of blood! You don't have the right to touch any of our kind and you dare to force yourself on one of us? I'll tear out your intestines and wrap them around your neck, mortal!"
Ib took off down the stairs, feet skimming the surface of the stone as she heard Garry speaking quickly from below. "What? No, no. I didn't do anything. You're mistaken. I swear it!"
She hit the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Mary wrap her fingers around Garry's neck and raise him from the ground, stopping any further words coming from him. Within a second she was across the room, one hand working Mary's fingers off Garry's throat so he fell back to the ground, the other pushing Mary's head away so the fangs wouldn't sink into his skin. "He is mine!" Ib shouted, shoving Mary away from Garry to quickly stand in front of him.
Mary was back on her feet in an instant, eyes narrowed at her. "They are blood bags, not pets Ib. Do not tell me you actually coupled with food of all things! Do you forget what our sire taught us about mortals? They kill our kind! Now get out of the way so I can deal with this foul being."
"No." Ib snarled. "This one is mine. You have your own to feed on, leave us!"
"Right, to feed, and it looks like 'your's' is trying to get away. So feed and then we can get back to the hunt." Mary had taken a few steps forward, eyes darting around her to Garry.
Ib could hear him sifting through the cogs on the floor and moved to keep him out of Mary's direct line of sight. "He's leaving, because I'm leaving. Now go back to your-"
Mary let out a screech before she could finish and plowed right into Ib. "You're not going anywhere! You stay here with me and our sire!" She could feel her nails slashing at her skin, fingers trying to gain purchase on her body but Ib remained in constant motion. She twisted beneath her, hissing and biting at fingers that got to close to her face. "I'll tear open the blood bag! You don't put your own kind before mortals!"
Ib blocked her punches with her forearm, kicking up at her from her position. She grabbed hold of Mary when she heard stone shifting from behind her. "No," she growled, wrapping her legs around Mary's to stop the other vampire from bolting after Garry.
"Let go, Ib." Huh? Garry? "Quickly!"
Her gaze flickered up to see him standing there, a lighter in hand and a burnt torch in the other that he was lighting as he spoke. She retracted her arms and legs from Mary quickly, slithering out from under her as Garry threw the flaming torch onto the vampire.
Mary's screech echoed throughout the room, but she hardly had time to think about the flaming vampire when a hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her to the open door of the tunnel and out into the night, leaving the burning vampire behind even as the screams echoed after her.