Fiore takes an deep breath as she steps on the first step leading to the room belonging to the vampire brothers. " Too bad I can't stand outside the tower asking Slaine to let down his rope." She said as she walks up the winding stairwell. Her uncle would've been proud of the Rapunzel reference.
Fiore carefully walks in order to avoid slipping. One wrong move might result with an broken neck. Eventually she steps onto an platform with an old wooden door that really needs to be replaced before it falls down. She lightly pushes the door causing it to open with no problems at all. The sight that greets her are two twin size beds. One has red covers with some dust from not being used for an week. The other is blue and definitely occupied.
Fiore tiptoes over to the blue bed. The occupant is an boy with shoulder length white hair in a ponytail, pale skin tone similar to Crona's skin tone, and slim compared to his slender twin. He is wearing an black blouse, black shorts and black and white stripe knee high socks. His chest moves every time he takes a breath. He looks so peaceful for someone who is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of all humans.
His delicate features he shares with his twin didn't help. He looks almost like a doll and his looks so innocent. Fiore almost feels bad about waking him up.
Fiore reaches out to touch him when an cold hand tightly grabs her wrist. She jerks back the second she saw the boy's blood red eyes are open and glaring at her. " What do you think you are doing?" He growled tightening his grip.
The brunette winces at the intense pressure. The stories about vampires weren't completely wrong. They are incredibly strong. If he tightens his grip again her wrist might break from the pressure. That is an warning indicting he is ready to break her wrist at any moment if she doesn't answer or give him a good answer.
" I'm the new caretaker. Aunt Olivia is gone on an rescue mission." Fiore whimpered in pain. It was two whole minutes before he finally let go of her wrist. She grimaces at the already forming bruise. She will need to hide it whenever she goes into town. The last thing she needs is someone assuming she is being abused.
The vampire studies her for an few seconds before he sits up with an sigh. " Have you seen my brother Crona? Or my older sisters?" He asked getting off the bed. His movements are flawless despite the slight jerks.
" Yeah, the mirror Crona is in is at my bedroom. I haven't seen any other vampires besides you two." The girl replied satisfying Slaine. He immediately heads towards the staircase. Fiore quickly follows him to catch up. She waves at Aiyana and Libra while continuing following the white haired vampire. How did he know where her bedroom is at?
" Aren't you going to ask me any questions?" Fiore asked as Slaine enters her bedroom.
He stops and fixes an cold gaze on her face. " Just because you are the new caretaker doesn't mean I trust you. Until you do something to earn my trust, I refuse to respect you. And I will be watching you to make sure you won't harm my brother or anyone else the sanctuary."
Crona snickers. " Same old Slaine. He has trust issues due to being tricked by an leprechaun when we first came here. He honestly thought the leprechaun was going to take him to the end of the rainbow but he ended up falling into a pond. He forgotten that Leprechauns never willingly give up their gold unless their lives are in danger." "
Slaine scowls and moves in front of the mirror. " And you are still my idiot older brother. I told you ten times that mirror was dangerous. And look what happened when you gotten too close to it."
" You're my twin, so you are an idiot too!" Was the only protest that came from the other vampire.
Fiore couldn't help but be glad she is an only child. Watching the twins bicker wasn't an experience she wanted to be in. She knows all to well what happens when two people argue too much. Eventually Crona explains the situation to Slaine.
" I see... We should just go on with our daily lives until Nikolai arrives. We will have to be extra careful around the wraith since I won't be able to subdue it if it attacks someone. It is highly volatile and we don't have weapons to temporarily stop it should it attack someone." Slaine sighed. He turns to face Fiore. " There is an watering can under the sink in the kitchen. Fill it up and water the plant monsters in the greenhouse. They are probably thirsty by now. The wraith should be resting by now, but hide in a building if you smell something rotting or hear something snarl. The wraith can't enter the buildings on the property because they are protected by magic."
" O-oh okay." Fiore said as she leaves the bedroom. Yikes his tone is definitely icy. She half expected icicles to form on her bedroom ceiling.
She walks downstairs where Aiyana is trying to keep Libra from reading the book she had earlier.
" What are you doing now, Fiore?" Aiyana asked when she spots the young human girl. She successfully wrenches the book out of the young elf's hands and puts it on a shelf.
" I'm going to take care of the plant monsters in the greenhouse." The girl simply replied while she walks towards the kitchen. " By the way, you two are welcome to stay here." She added.
" R-really?!" Libra asked in surprise while the centaur was looking hopeful.
Fiore smiles at them as her confirmation.
" So that girl must be the little lady some of the others talked so fondly of." Slaine sighed leaning on the end of the bed.
" Her name is Fiore. I met her only yesterday, but she made an good impression on me. She wasn't bothered when I said I am an vampire. Nor did she run out of her bedroom out of terror. Other humans would have treated me like predator. I only thought Olivia was capable of showing us monsters kindness." Crona softly smiled.
The white haired vampire shakes his head. " That girl hasn't earned my trust. To me, she is the same as the hunters that murdered our parents and tried to kill us. We were only eleven years old yet they only saw us as demons."
Crona shuts his eyes at the reminder. Him and Slaine are now thirteen which still makes them considered young for their race. Their parents died before they could even ask if there are other natural born vampires.
" I still want to believe that not all humans are bad like our eldest sister. I refuse to stoop down to the hunters' level of hatred." Crona finally said.
" I wish I could say the same thing. Unfortunately the mental trauma was worse for me that it left an scar. Like I said before, I don't trust that girl. And I won't trust her until she earns it. I'm not being judgmental like the hunters. I just don't want to go through another tragedy." Slaine told his brother who stayed quiet.
Crona remembers when his brother was bubbly and hyperactive. He was so ridiculously kind to everyone including goblins. He always put everyone's needs before his own. However his innocence was ruined the moment he witness their parents getting killed in a brutal manner. Slaine became so cold after that horrific night. The leprechaun incident was the straw that broke the camel's back. The incident further broke Slaine.
He hated seeing his younger twin brother being unable to open up to anyone and being unable to trust anyone beside his own brother. Crona wonders when Slaine will let the ice covering his heart melt before he ends up getting colder.
Fiore cautiously walks to the greenhouse. She warily glances around occasionally in case the wraith suddenly shows up. She never saw what it looks like and she didn't want to know what it looks like. To avoid it, she opens the door with some difficulties and quickly gets inside.
" Gosh... I never thought I would be afraid of my own backyard." Fiore sighed. She looks around until she hears noises. It takes a second to find the sources.
Standing in a middle of a giant rose is a green skinned woman with long dark green hair wearing only a vine crown with roses on top of her head, and leaves that barely covers her D size chest.
Another woman with light green skin, long green hair and amber eyes is standing in a unknown big purple flower. She is wearing a leaf bikini top and a ruffled green and blue bikini bottom.
A different woman with light purple skin, purple hair in partial pigtails is standing in a big purple rose. She is wearing a purple Lolita dress and a frilly headband.
Stand in front of her is a girl with light purple skin with a dark purple mushroom cap on top of her head, vuvla like feet and a bikini that resembles a mushroom's annulus. There another girl actually wearing a bikini with ruffled cuffs on her wrists. Her feet are like the other mushroom girl except her is orange and she has multiple mushrooms growing out of her short light red hair.
Fiore takes a few steps up to them. " Um hello?" She said gaining their attention. " I'm Fiore, Olivia's unofficial niece."
" How lovely. I wasn't expecting you to come back. You grown up so much since i last saw you." The green woman smiled softly.
" Y-you know me?" Fiore lightly stuttered.
" Oh... The geas must have erased me from you memory. I am Meadow, a Alraune. These three are Reshia, and Aluru, they are Alraune too. The mushroom girls are Mashu and Kino, they are Matangos. The moving plant here is Tree. She is a Mandragora." Meadow affectionately strokes a leafy plant with little red berries. Kino nervously hides behind a big oak tree. Her tentacle hair vibrates as she trembles.
" Kino. You will release spores if you keep doing that." Meadow warned putting her hands on her waist.
" I know.." The Matango whimpered hiding herself further. Mashu pats on he back with a sympathetic smile.
The alraune shoots Fiore a apologetic look. " Kino is shy around new faces. She thinks Oakley will protect her from strangers when he along with his daughter haven't woken up yet."
"Oakley?"
" The oak tree is Oakley. He is the oldest treefolk here in the greenhouse. His daughter Blossom stays with Plum and Kii the resident Dryads." Meadow patiently explained.
Fiore remembers why she is there. " You guys must be thirsty from your long sleep." She lifted the can.
" I collected nutrients from the soil thirty minutes ago." Kino mumbled.
" Me too." Mashu smiled.
Fiore was about to say something when Meadow leans down and gently takes the can from her.
" I can water myself, Tree, Blossom, Aluru, Reshia, Kii, and Plum. I'll leave the can outside after I am finished with it." The Alraune told Fiore before shooing her outside.
The girl shakes her head puzzled. She walks towards the mansion only pausing to see Stine still kneeling by the fountain. Dina was still missing from the spot Crona mentioned. Only the sound of running water greets her.
What can she do to wake them up?
" Hello? Is anyone awake?" An voice called out jolting Fiore out of her thoughts. She dashes towards the shrine where she thought she heard the voice coming from there. No one was there.
She walks the building to see the start of the boardwalk. Sitting next to the gazebo is a beautiful well-endowed young woman with long pink hair and sidelocks that end in ringlets. Her fair skin looks flawless even with the thin slits on her torso. She is wearing a black bikini with white frills along with a short skirt similar to the top. She has a black and white barrette reminding Fiore of something a maid will wear.
The young girl steps onto the boardwalk and walks towards the young woman. As she drew closer, she can see that the woman has a pink fish tail with pelvic fins. The woman even has fin like ears. Fiore also notice she has pretty blue eyes.
" Hello? Are you okay?" Fiore asked making the young woman gasp as she jerks her head towards her voice.
Fiore stops walking to show she isn't a threat. A tense moment later, the mermaid sighed in relief.
" I was hoping that a man has shown up to ravish me. Fortunately someone still showed up when I called out." She sighed.
Fiore assumes that she misunderstood what she said in the first part. " My name is Fiore." She introduced herself holding out her right hand.
The mermaid grasps her hand with her webbed hand. Her skin feels cold and slimy against the brunette's dry skin. " My name is Meroune Lorelei. It is nice to meet you, Lady Fiore. Please call me Mero." Mero smiled as she shakes her hand before letting go.
The girl couldn't help but wonder if this mermaid is a princess. She notices a wheelchair in the middle of the gazebo. She quickly gets it and brings it to Mero after remembering about the wraith. " As much as I want to stay here. We can't be out here any longer. There is a wraith here. It's highly dangerous as it attacked me earlier this morning."
Fear flashes in the mermaid's eyes. She pushes up into the chair with little difficulty. Once she is sitting properly in the chair. Fiore pushes the chair towards the manor.
" I didn't know it was feral. When I notice the others in the pond were still asleep, I came up to see the condition of the property. I wouldn't have done that if I knew the wraith was feral. Just about everyone here except Lady Olivia are terrified of the wraith. Wraiths are one of most commonly feared creatures." Mero spoke up once they enter the kitchen.
" I can understand that. The wraiths I have seen in video games and read in books are not pleasant beings." Fiore agreed.
In her mind, she thinks about all the monsters she has seen and heard about. She feels like she is living in a fantasy novel, but this is definitely not fake.
It was 5 o'clock by the time Fiore starts cooking dinner. She is planning on making Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and tomato soup. Only Libra and Aiyana were the only ones having the soup. Turns out they are vegetarians. Aiyana actually gagged after hearing what Fiore and Slaine are eating.
Mero wasn't joining them because she is still tired from waking up. The mermaid is currently resting in a inflatable pool with some water in it. Mero had insisted that she will be okay in the living room.
Urushihara was resting in his room. He claimed pulling the pool and filling it up with water drained his energy. He didn't ask why she needed it which made her feel grateful.
Surprisingly vampires can eat regular food. They just mostly prefer to drink blood. Speaking of which, Fiore already poured a blood from a blood pack into a wine glass for the white haired vampire.
The three other occupants enter the kitchen and sit down at the small table. In Aiyana's case, she stays standing up.
Fiore puts down plates and bowls with everyone's meal before she takes a seat. She wanted to ask who took her remaining slices of pizza from the refrigerator. But she kept her mouth shut. First the remaining waffles, scrambled eggs and bacon end up disappearing. Now the two pizza slices are gone too. Someone or something must be stealing food. She definitely knows that Urushihara had nothing to do with the missing food. The same goes for the others.
" I tried opening the door leading to the dining room. It wouldn't budge, but i'll try again when my strength is completely back. A week without blood weakened me." Slaine reported while gently swirling the blood in the wine glass. " Olivia's girlfriend's study along with the library and basement are the same as the dining room door. I tried talking to Mero, but she is too tired to speak. Everyone has different reactions to waking up from the sleep spell."
" Something might be blocking the doors." Libra suggested after swallowing a spoonful of soup.
Aiyana does the same before she nods her head in agreement. She didn't say anything as she is busy thinking about checking on Mero after dinner.
" What would be blocking the doors?" Fiore questioned before she pops a piece of steak into her mouth. She thoughtfully chews on the meat before she swallows.
" Furniture or other stuff can block the doors. But I have no idea who would do that. It cannot be a coincidence, because Crona and I cleaned those rooms before my brother fell into the mirror." Slaine pointed out.
" Are there many enchanted or magical items we should know about? Some of those things can be pretty dangerous." Aiyana asked in concern.
The white haired vampire shrugs his shoulders. " A few here and there. I'm not sure if Olivia removed the dangerous ones before she left."
" Were they hidden from the staff?" Fiore asked.
Slaine furrows his eyebrows at the question. " What staff- Oh.." He slightly relaxes in his chair. " Olivia doesn't have a staff. Nikolai and her other trusted allies tried to get her to have a staff to avoid incidents like this. The sleep spell wouldn't work if humans accepted by the mansion and the caretaker regularly enter or work on the property. Olivia doesn't know anyone who would be accepting of us. She didn't want to take the chance of someone running out of the mansion screaming at the top of their lungs in terror about a place with monsters."
Fiore imagines the scene only to shudder at the mental image of multiple bad results of the scenario.
" But some sanctuaries do have staff to help the caretaker." Libra said.
" He is right. When my tribe was passing by a sanctuary in Alaska while I was younger, I saw that there were humans helping the inhabitants." Aiyana recounted.
The white haired vampire sighed. " All that is true. But Olivia had mixed feelings. One wrong move can easily destroy a sanctuary. Those moves are reasons why there are only a few sanctuaries left in the world."
" What about Urushihara? He was awake when I first came here. So he has to be an helper." The brunette pointed out believing that the teen is a human.
Slaine rolls his eyes. " If you knew what he is then you wouldn't ask that. Stronger supernatural beings can overcome most spells faster than normal ones. They can easily disguise themselves as regular humans."
Fiore takes a bite of a spoonful of mashed potatoes. She mentally ponders on what kind of monster the purple haired teen is. " Anyway... For now we will try to find the others and open the blocked rooms." She said after swallowing.
The centaur and elf nod their heads. Slaine looks away while taking a sip of blood.
" Looks like I still a long way to go before he warms up to me." Fiore thought with a little sigh.