Inspectre Online.
*sets down this giant box labeled 'Mail' and pulls out an Artix and Sepulchure figure, among a couple other nerdy things along with review letters*
At Gropau25: Sabatooooon! Hammerfall. Blind Guardian. Stratovarius. Brocas Helm. Manowar. To name a few other of my old favorites.
At TheSuperLucius: *wonders what makes him super* Glad you like it! You'll have your fill!
Alrighty! Time for chapter 2! Let's see if I can knock this (blood)sucker out in a day. Yay for spontaneous scheduling! Two chapters in a row? My will be done! We gotta find out what Weiss' deal is. Vampires don't get sick, right? Although there are some kinds of sick that or more mental than biological.. Also we get to see vampire!Winter! How frickin' awesome is that? And yes by extent her name means 'Winter Fang' or 'Fang of Winter' if you wanna be fancy.
*post-writing* HA, nailed it. Maybe I can pull off chapter 3 tomorrow! Yeah we're kinda on vacay now sooo yeah. I do have to work some days though. Money's tight.
The other white haired woman looked down at Weiss with a smile. Winter Zahne/Schnee, her older sister and an actual princess of the Zahne royal vampiric family. While certainly her sibling was a fair maiden, Winter was a stunning epitome of vampiric beauty. A full and voluptuous figure clad in black and icy white/blue. A cape similar to Weiss' covered most of it but instead of a spiked mantle it had a pair of smaller wings extending from the nape and it was fastened by a black geometric heart with a snowflake in the center. Beneath, she wore a pair of black garters and opaque white stockings over slender and smooth legs with a pair of bondage heel boots strapped to her feet. White silken gloves extended to her elbows, open at the fingertips to allow her claw-like nails to poke through. One of those fingers sported a white ring with a red diamond. Around her rather ample chest was a black overbust corset dress with a flowing black skirt that came down to just above her knees, both of which were laced with white. The first however had a gleaming golden pendant shaped like a snowflake hanging over it, connected to a golden chain. A gift from her husband.
While hard to tell under her asymmetrically cut bangs of snow white hair which was pulled up in the back into a chignon bun to reveal feminine facial features that could be immortalized into a marble shape worthy of gods, an exactly same case of heterochromia met her younger sister's own. One eye of black and red and one of white and blue. Normally with some exceptions all vampires gained two of the former but the Schnee family was special as one of their eyes was the conduit and projector of their dark powers. To this end they could craft animate objects from ice created via moisture in the air or twist shadows to their will. Most vampires served the darkness but with this family? The darkness served them. Hence, that one eye remained pure and untainted by the corruption. Or evolution if you asked any blutsauger after the turning.
These formerly mirthful eyes narrowed slightly, getting a good look at Weiss' condition. In all her many years she'd never seen her sibling in a state like this before. She was a gifted fighter so it's not like she had to worry about struggling for blood and even supernatural diseases and illnesses were normally thwarted by their pedigree bloodline..
"Well then let's discuss it inside. It must be serious."
"Of course, sister."
The two females turned towards the main entrance to the castle, past the rest of the courtyard and the group of necromancers and their summons. One of those skeletons stopped and waved, and Weiss waved back. Pretty sure that one was Charles the Immortal.
"So.. How are things? Must be nice living out here in such a splendid grandeur of.. Dusty-ness." She said rather apprehensively. The hinterlands of Atlas were much more preferable in her opinion. Vast expanses of snow, fields of sweet memories, icy flowers and white trees.. Not to mention the massive castle town that the Schnee family ruled at the heart. Well technically the kingdom's capital of Atlas which doubled as name for country was the heart but outside that same territory was the bustling residence of the royal family, which was also home to many different monster races and humans that sought peaceful coexistence. Unfortunately that sentiment wasn't shared by many outside so the Schnee family was seen a bit of a radical one, paving the way for future relations.
The only relation Weiss saw though was hunter and food. Humans? She merely referred to them as prey. Little did she know that'd be changing, one very specific case at a time.
"I admit it's not to my loving taste but it grows on you." Winter responded with a smile, nodding to the second group of dullahan knights that barricaded the entrance to the castle itself. Unlike the squires at the front they were very serious and more diligent warriors. The pride of the Zahne family. A single salute was offered by the closest as the others knelt, one that did neither immediately opening the door and bowing her head to escort the vampiresses inside.
"It grows a lot of things I bet, I can taste it in the air."
"Come now, this is your home as well. So.. Dearest sister. What IS troubling you? I've never seen you in such a pitiable condition before." Winter asked unable to hide the worry edging in on the tone in her voice. Sure she had a penchant for tough love but it covered earnest love deep inside.
"It's.. Not here. Somewhere private please."
"Very well."
Across the golden red carpet that stretched to the currently empty but not unoccupied thrones, past multitudes of servants and other castlegoers. Through stone halls and past paintings of older Zahne family royals (some of which were still alive), and eventually into the royal dining hall where knife-bedecked battle maid(en)s and wolflike butlers were moving to and fro in preparation for dinner. Taking two seats at the end by themselves Winter and Weiss sat across from eachother, the latter facetabling onto the oaken long table.
".." Winter reached out to place a comforting hand on her head, getting the attention of two nearby servants whom she waved away after inquiring of her condition.
"What's wrong? You do look quite ill."
"I.. I haven't fed. Not once in almost.. Ten days?"
"Dear gods, why not? Even someone like you must drink blood at least once a week to maintain yourself!" She almost shouted, eyes widening in surprise.
"I can't. I can't do it. Every time I try to feed lately I just get sick. Like I don't want to do it. No matter who or what I try to get it from their blood just smells foul and bland." Weiss groaned, folding her arms on the table and plopping her face back down on them. Her sister bit her lip and drew her hand back, rubbing her chin with it and hmm'ing to herself. That sounded like some kind of disease alright but what kind?
"When did you notice this starting? Perhaps you picked it up from one of your victims, or maybe it was something else you ate."
"Well.." Weiss looked up, scrunching her face in concentration. "I think it was the first time I tried to feed after I bit this one girl. The one from that cafe in downtown Vale? I'd been going there for about two weeks. I told you about those pigs I slaughtered after they picked on her didn't I? They even got juice all over my favorite dress!" She exclaimed, slightly baring her fangs. So apparently it started with this female..
"Was she a demihuman of some sort?"
"No, just a regular human."
"Preposterous.. There's no way a human could carry something fatal to a vampire, much less to a superior breed like ours." The older vampiress adamantly stated, narrowing her gaze and tapping her clawed fingers on the table.
"Except a wooden stake to the heart."
"Who wouldn't that kill?"
"A zombie."
"Touche. At least your sense of humor still works."
"At least I have one."
"It got shot off in the war. Very sad."
Both of them stared at eachother, both breaking out into gigglefits. Winter was first to stop, folding her arms and tapping her heeled foot under the table. This was disconcerting.. Something that was afflicting her younger sister and she couldn't figure out what.
While she became lost in thought Weiss would glance aside at the room's interior. Stone here and there, interrupted only spottily by scant things like the furniture (including a rather large grandfather clock) or an occasional portrait of some kind. Wrought iron candelabras hanging overhead of which cold blue water candles flickered, emanating an alluring and soothing sensation to most nonhuman creatures. The stained glass windows at the side facing out onto the grounds looked rather pretty in that light. Except for one which was warped and distorted to allow a single large bat to pass through. For the brief moment it was visible it appeared to have four wings, significant of its Zahne blood. Those wings' membranes were white with red 'fingers', connected to a black furry body illuminated by glowing silver eyes.
That moment after a puff of black smoke along with the swish of a newly formed coat would lead to the appearance of a tall and somewhat muscular figure with medium-length and brilliantly blonde sleeked back hair that spiked at the very ends. While obviously much much older, his visible age looked to be only in his late twenties. Black irises with golden pupils immediately moved to Winter's eyes and their owner would move with a swift stride to her side. The coattails of his brown leather duster coat flowed behind him, open to reveal a fully button down black work shirt and the shoulders of said coat layered and thick to match his rough hide leggings, stetson hat, leather belt, hide boots, leather gloves.. A stark contrast to the classy elegance that most elder vampires chose to wear he went for the dashing handsome cowboy approach. Oh how he worked it too. Considering the days of the westerns had been current events when he was alive. A certain vampiress had been drawn in by his charm the first time her mismatched eyes were laid upon him.
Hence the exact same kind of ring gripping one of his covered fingers, the hand it was attached to laying on his wife's shoulder as she turned her head to face him momentarily before moving back to her sister. Others that were inside the room at the time of his appearance immediately bowed or curtsied before moving back to their tasks, carrying platters and centerpieces back and forth.
"Lucyyyy I'm hooome, you've got some 'splainin' to do." He said in a teasing voice, giving a slight joking shake of his head. Apparently Winter didn't find it as funny because she reached back and up without looking, darkness coagulating around her wrist and extending like an extra length to her arm to grab his pointed beard and pull him down to eye level.
"So do you, dearest husband. Where have you been?" She asked, looking rather cross as he tried to explain himself before having his pride torn off. Well his second pride anyway.
"Owowow jus' takin' care of some business! I know you didn't really mean it but I took it 'pon myself to go deal with those 'taurds. Some of 'em anyway. I even brought you a gift now would you please let me go snowball?"
A figurine seemingly carved from some kind of large horn into the shape of an angel was withdrawn from a satchel and held out for her to see. Accepting this rather nice peace offering with a smile and the faintest pink cheeks Winter released him, muttering something about how he was forgiven 'this time'. The male would then caress his chin, chuckling and glancing over at the other Schnee. "Well now who's this pretty little snow angel? Ya must be Weiss, right? I-" He paused, looking a little taken aback at her appearance. It was obvious to anyone she wasn't exactly in prime condition and with a frown he'd pull up a seat next to Winter after setting the horn figure on the table. "What's got you lookin' like a hungry dog in the rain?" *smack* "Hey now I'm jus' curious! She's my family too y'know."
"Apparently she's sick. This started after she fed on some human girl over in Vale. Not that I'm surprised. The standard of living is lower there than it is in Atlas. Maybe she's contracted something we haven't heard of before. I've seen how filthy humans can be if they're not raised properly."
"Don't talk about Ruby like that!" Weiss snipped at her sister, growling a bit before immediately squeaking and apologizing. This got interesting reactions from the other two vampires who both rose an eyebrow and shared a look. Something was already cooking in the male's head that Winter didn't seem to catch. With a chuckle he then extended his hand to introduce himself. One would think that being her brother-in-law for what felt like ages would mean they'd have met at least once. However her older sister had gotten married in Vale instead of Atlas and Weiss never left her home much. 1st Prince (one would never suspect this by looking) Verdreh Zahne or 'Earl' as he preferred to go by his old pre-sired name outside of proper company. Which to him family was something he could be informal with. At least these two. Greetings shared, Verdreh would ask for more details on this girl the younger spoke of.
"You did say you'd been tracking her for two weeks. Was there something particularly striking about this one to warrant such an extended hunt?" Winter mused innocently. Her husband was already picking up on what the problem might be however and continued before Weiss could answer.
"I reckon she lllllikes her. I wouldn't even wait one week t' pounce on a target." This had her tinging pink and muttering denials, awkwardly fidgeting in her seat. Bingo.
"Llllli- Speak normally!" *smack* "Likes her? A mere human? ..I suppose I won't judge, least not until I've met her in person but still. I've heard of lovesickness before but not to this extent."
"I think it's a mite more difficult than that. What'cha think Loue?" Earl asked nobody in particular.
Except there was someone he was addressing, someone now perched atop the grandfather clock by the wall. Another Zahne royal, this boy looking to be only a little older than Weiss in mortal appearances was Loue Zahne. Unlike his older brother the 3rd prince was dressed to fit the title, wearing a cape of darkest purple and black with a collar raised to almost conceal his pointed ears. Dark silver hair with spiked locks parted away from fine boyish features showed off crimson orbs and gleaming fangs were bared in an amused smirk. With a short thrust Loue hopped off the top of the clock and touched down on the floor eliciting another round of curtsies and bows. Black dress shoes squeaked on the cobbled floor as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his fine black trousers, ensuring the red ribbon fastening his cloak was still tight, and doublechecking the buttons on his black vest and white undershirt.
"I think that we're drawing the same conclusion. No wonder you always spurned my courteous advances Weiss." He chuckled, laughing when she snapped at him as well. "Ah.. But on a more serious note, I think that is exactly the problem."
"Her problem is that she's in love?" Winter asked incredulously, not understanding what he meant by that.
"Yep. It's an old wives tale but it ain't exactly a tale that came from nothin'. Loue you're a smart little feller you explain it- Hey put down that tomato! It ain't dinner time yet!"
"Spoilsport." The boy huffed, replacing the juicy red fruitable. Yes, fruitable. At one point the tomato's correct classification had caused serious infighting in the family so to save them all future trouble they decided to agree on disagreeing and call it both. "Anyway.."
"Like Verdreh said, it's an ancient story that predates many of our lineages and was widely spread to discourage interspecies relations with those not sired and prevent rampant turnings or mixed child bearing and thus muddle them. I'd have to check our texts for further information on the matter but to summarize, it's believed that a vampire who falls in love or grows attached to a non-vampire or one not of the undead will be tainted by an unknown force. Unless they kill the source of the condition then they will deteriorate, become frail, and wither away into nothingness." Loue spoke seriously, glancing at Weiss out of the corner of his eye. Nobody had to look, they could feel her sudden discomfort at the prospect of taking the little brunette's life to restore her own.
"Which o' course lead t' keepin' the bloodlines pure and in the process broke up a lotta good partnerships and genuine loves."
"Right, which in turn lead to people becoming very untrustworthy of our kind and created a divide where formerly there had been none. Aside from the occasional illegal feedings or sirings. This only exacerbated the problem."
"Freaky choice o' word kiddo."
"EXACERbate! It means to make something worse you- How do you put up with this man, elder sister in law?" Loue asked Winter with an animesque sweatdrop on his head.
"Sometimes with great difficulty. So.. The way you speak of it.." She narrowed her gaze, placing her hand over her mouth. "This is somewhat distant from the truth?"
"Not very, unfortunately. In truth this condition which currently has no name causes a number of symptoms in the affected." The young prince held up a hand and started to list them off. "For one, Weiss in this case, she will no longer be able to ingest or tolerate the taste and smell of blood from other sources than the subject of her affection. Not without some difficulty. It'll taste bitter and foul like medicine and it also won't rejuvenate her as much as it would normally. While she won't die any time soon drinking that kind of blood or just going without won't make her much better. However.." He paused, smiling a bit. "It's stated that drinking your loved one or close friend's blood will create a more powerful rejuvenating effect than normal and give you greater power. Someone sired in this situation will also be granted a more powerful form of vampirism than the norm as well. That's the part they conveniently leave out when recounting this strange affliction. There are pros and cons to it. Too bad the stereotype these days is that it's a curse to fall in love with a vampire. If you're not another."
He sighed forlornly, catching his breath after the extensive lecture and folding his arms. This was rather troubling.. For them, marriage wasn't an issue. While inter-family marriage between the Zahne and Schnee bloodlines was common there was no dictation of who they could and could not marry, on either side. However a human..? That was rare. Most often it was other inhumans who found themselves brought into the family. Siring was optional but for a pureblooded human to join.. Only werewolves were less commonly found, as in there being an extremely small number over the millennia.
"So what's the deal with curin' it? Somehow I just reckon she ain't gonna warm up to killin' this girl." Earl finally asked, breaking the silence. Weiss was currently unable to comment on anything and Winter had nothing to say or any ideas. Luckily..
"There are two ways, three actually." Again the younger prince held up his fingers and counted down. "One, which we might as well scratch off involves removing the problem's source. Two, she must be sired. You've already bitten her correct? The turning process must have started so it'd be a simple matter. She simply has to feed for the first time to complete it. Otherwise if she's cured which is common, or never finishes the transformation which happens often with poorer families then it will persist until these feelings fade. Three.." Loue bore a large smile at what was apparently next. "You two must be pronounced married in the grace and name of a god's priest or by soulbinding."
Weiss' face was buried in her arms, barely visible splotches of red brightening her face.
"Guess that's all there is to it then. Ya got yer options."
"I am NOT in love with her!" The young vampiress exclaimed, glaring daggers at Verdreh. Though she tried to look intimidating it just came off as rather adorable. "There must be something else. I mean.. She is cute, and I did enjoy the time I spent around her but-"
"Ever talk to her?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow. When Weiss didn't answer he just laughed and crossed his arms. "Well I think the solutions are clear. See if you can get her t' return those feelins or try and get her to drink someone's blood. She might do it on her own too. Can't imagine someone who works at a food joint is rollin' in money for a cure so.."
"Actually if memory serves she spoke of a cafe in downtown Vale. Not the Xiao Long cafe is it? I must admit it's a rather fine establishment. Certainly not five star material but it's a very acceptable place to eat at. It does also see quite a bit of service, especially since the owners are firmly pro-coexistence and the staff are both charming and friendly."
"It's been some time since I visited Vale itself, even though this place is not too far from it. Maybe it has improved since then. Not many places were that open to nonhumans." Winter added. Loue nodded his head and confirmed this for her from personal experience.
"I think I know who she speaks of as well. A short dark-haired girl with silver eyes.. Hmhm."
"Silver? Sounds like a strange catch. ..Hey wasn't there a big ol' uproar 'bout silver eyed Hunters a couple years ago?" Verdreh tilted his head, rubbing his chin.
"More than a couple, older brother. At least a decade. Just typical superstitious mutterings by ignorant commoners. It's nothing of significance so much as an uncommon genetic trait. I hear that Crossbreakers were involved though so I imagine it got quite bloody. It's become a popular conversation starter since- Hmm?"
First the young prince, then the other two turned. Weiss had mysteriously vanished from the room. Dinner was almost ready to be served as well.. When questioned, none of the staff in the immediate area had even noticed her disappearance. They wouldn't find her on the castle grounds either. It wouldn't be until the front guard and ballista majors were contacted that they reported her leaving the castle in the direction of Vale. Though Winter showed a strong desire to chase after her the other two males convinced her to stay and let things play out. Worst came to worst, she still had a guardian in the shadows to watch her.
...
*several hours later in the city of Vale, currently nighttime*
...
Ruby grumbled, slowly prodding at tonight's dinner. Being grounded sucked. Yep. Raven had found out about her little encounter with Weiss at the shop. First it started with the inquisition against Yang when all the battle scars were discovered. She'd been able to hide them at home and her coworkers promised not to say anything lest they face her burning wrath, but a friend of the family had noticed and called her mother. During that little argument Ruby had nearly walked in on it slipped out that she wasn't the only one out 'playing with monsters'. Though the seriousness and exact details of what had happened to the two of them was still secret the swordwielding woman put her foot down and forbade the two of them from any extraneous activities for the next month. Harsh but that was Raven Branwen for you.
The house was empty at the moment, since Taiyang and Raven had gone to the hospital for a checkup and to see about a cure for their adopted daughter's worsening vampirism. His fever was finally going down and they were making sure it'd continue that way with the proper medicines and such, plus an examination couldn't hurt. As for Yang.. She'd tagged along with them to get herself checked out. This strange sickness that was plaguing her after being marked up by that beast of a werecat must have done something to her..
"Bark!"
Okay, not ENTIRELY empty. There was still Zwei and she was glad for his company at least. Otherwise she wasn't sure if she would be able to tolerate the silence that pervaded the house. Except for the TV she had running for background noise in the living room there was nothing else to make her feel so.. Not alone. If it weren't for the fact that Raven was under the assumption this vampire hadn't been invited into the house and even then Ruby had no idea how she got in in the first place.. She'd probably have been dragged along with them. Which she was worried for Taiyang but at the same time.. The girl was not feeling very well and with good reason.
With more grumbling the girl just decided she wasn't hungry and wrapped up her food, giving some to the dog as a treat and the rest into the fridge before heading upstairs. What she wanted wasn't meat or vegetables or anything of the sort. What she wanted.. What she wanted was blood. Ruby hated to admit it but now this disease had a fierce hold in her. She couldn't even look in the general direction of streaming sunlight without heavily tinted shades. Merely standing in its rays directly caused her skin to turn red and too hot to bear. An incident with holy water yet again the day before yesterday left more than a scalding feeling. It had actually blistered her hand in a few places. It also healed rather quickly the girl noticed.
The excitable corgi raced into her bedroom, doing laps around her as the door was shut and locked. Everything else checked on and put in place.. Ruby picked up the tightly corked bottle of said holy water and stared at it for a few minutes, wondering. Weiss had never come back. Not Friday, not since then. The feeling of being watched had disappeared as well. She should be happy and yet, she wasn't. Something in her longed for the vampiress' return. To hear her voice, see her face, feel her touch..
She shuddered and tossed the item onto her bed. Bad thoughts. There had been too many of those, mostly in her dreams. Not just with the white haired female but even her coworkers, random people that came up to her at the cafe. Urges to haul them over the counter and tear into their necks were strong but she resisted. How much longer could she do it though.. The incident with her cousin wasn't the last to her dismay. One time after she'd come out the shower Yang's natural smokey scent and the allure of her blood had the shorter female shoving her to the wall and nipping at her collar with surprising strength, her hands almost at places they shouldn't be and leaving red marks on her unbroken skin. It happened again with Sun one night during closing, she' had him bent almost over backwards on the stove, her unusually sharp nails on his chest and looking into his eyes with longing.
Thank the gods they had been alone and that he was the understanding sort, due to a friend having undergone a similar predicament at one point.
"This really sucks.. I don't think I can take this much more Zwei. I hope they can figure something out. I don't want to be one of those things. Not after what happened to mom and dad.."
Ruby sat on the edge of the bed, twiddling her thumbs and thinking back to that horrible night. While she'd been very young when it happened it remained a clear memory and unpleasant nightmare how those twisted monsters had kicked down the door to their once peaceful home.. They'd barely had a chance to defend themselves. Qrow was first, taking two of them down with a single slice of his scythe before they shot him dead. Summer tried to escape with Ruby but was eventually found, her heart torn out by their leader even as she begged for them to spare her daughter.. Little Ruby tried to run but they snatched her up before she could even reach the front door. Those malicious eyes, glistening fangs, their pale skin.. He'd bared them to tear into her delicate neck.. Then the head they were attached to was smashed open like a watermelon thanks to a furious Taiyang and a pipewrench. Raven was right behind him, dicing apart several of the creatures before they'd even had a chance to react with her flawless odachi. Sharp enough to cut through bone and flesh like butter despite being terribly ineffective indoors with the limited range and space to be swung.
She stopped her recollection there, sniffling and rubbing her eyes on her arm before falling over on her pillows. Zwei trotted over and with the long cord hanging from the sides pulled all the curtains closed for her by his teeth before hopping up there with her. It wasn't long then she fell into troubled but certain slumber. Maybe things would be alright.. So she hoped.
So did the one watching her window from across the street, perching upon the rooftop. The currently cloudless sky allowed pale moonlight to reflect on even paler skin as they stood up. Watching. Waiting. They could hear.. Now. Now she was asleep. Yet they didn't move for her room. Instead they walked away, whispering to themselves.
Yeehaw! Another chapter hot off the press! Well, it's slightly cooled now 'cause I had to do a readover to make sure I didn't screw up anything or have any consistency errors or typos. Nobody's perfect though so feel free to point any out that I missed. Or critique my writing! Reviews are good. Like tacos. Okay not that good but still.
Yeah we got an OC in the house, someone I made for this story. I didn't mark Winter and him as a pairing 'cause I don't think it's really enough of a focus or plot-critical point to do so. As for the other vampire there might be one person who has a friend who knows a person that will realize who Loue is. He's a vampire from A Witch's Tale, a really underknown gem on the Nintendo DS and one of the games on my "games that I really want but will probably never see a sequel for" list.
I like the idea of falling in love being sort of a curse yet not in this universe. For vampires anyway. It actually popped up in my head after I wrote Blood-Red Like Roses so it'll be neat to see how this goes.
Also there's a handful or two of references in this chapter. Have fun finding them all. Bahaha! NO PROMISES but I'm hoping to put out chapter 3 the day after this one. Full speed ahead, CHOO CHOO. I don't know how many chapters this story will be though but I already know how it's gonna end and where I'm going with it. There will be an epilogue so don't freak out once we get to the last chapter. Keep that in mind.
Now I'm off to get some din-din and right after that hop back on writing chapter 3.
Lol 5555 words.
Inspectre Offline.