Scene 7
As the dhampire strode into Meier's mansion carrying the bloodied body of what he only termed "creature" he incited quite the stir. Manservants gapped while a maidservant fainted. Humans they were, and while accustomed to strange sights in the household of a Noble, none had seen such a horrifying mangled body. However D had managed it, he'd tied the pieces together which made it only more unpleasant to witness.
Leaving a trail of purple blood as he ascended a set of stairs, D reached his destination--Meier's main foyer, where he'd found the vampire before. Inside was only a single maidservant whose eyes widened at the sight but retained her composure. When he asked where the lord of the household had gone off to, she directed him to Meier's bedroom.
Inside was Meier but also Leila who had flopped onto a chair, booted feet planted on Meier's writing table. The Noble didn't seem to mind, his eyes glued to a letter in his hand. The vampire huntress glanced up and gave him a lazy smile as the dhampire entered, but the vampire lord ignored him completely.
"What the hell is that?" Leila said as he dropped the body unceremiously onto the floor.
"Dinner," quipped Leftie but D cut off whatever else he mineded to say by tightening a fist. In the symbiont's place he replied, deadpanned, "I found this in an abandoned warehouse amid some poisonous liquid."
Now Meier did look up, his lips parted. "Who could have done such a thing?"
D didn't answer, instead asking, "Who wrote you and why?"
The Noble glanced down at the letter in his hand then back up at the dhampire. Then stepped over to D, passing it to him. D took it without a word. "Not me. He wrote to you."
"It's from the Sacred Ancestor," came Leila's slightly amused voice, gauging D's reaction most acutely. "Your old man wants to see you."
Scanning the immaculately written letter, D remained extremely calm. But the vampire huntress could see how his eyes narrowed ever so slightly again, how his mouth twisted lightly, how even his breathing deepened. He was fighting something deep within his soul. His Noble side? His burning hatred for his father?
"We leave at once," was all the dhampire said before he set the paper down on the table and started for the door.
"Wait." Meier's hand came up and D halted. "First of all we need to discuss the matter of that hideous pile of guts you've left on the carpet I got imported from the Capitol at great cost...but more importantly you will not be leaving for the Sacred Ancestor alone." Letting out a deep breath, he added, "I will accompany you."
"I go alone."
His silver-shaded hair glowed even more in the approaching dusk as the Noble shook his head, "I refuse to let go of an opportunity to retrieve Charlotte no matter what your personal matters are. We will go together."
"All three of us." Now Leila was on her feet, head tilted smugly. "You'll need our help anyways."
"Oooooh, I knew that one had spunk!" Leftie was saying before D once again shut him up with a closed fist. Leila snorted at the countenanced carbuncle's dismay at being silenced.
"He is the one who manufactured that creature," D said while pointing at the body on the floor. It seeped out more purple blood. "Your City of the Night is rotting at the core. He gave you paradise but it was built on the foundation of hell. Your city will die, and soon."
That seemed to shake Meier. He twitched, lips twisting. Leila could easily see why. Charlotte and Meier had endured persecution from Nobles and humans to find a place they could reach that would accept their forbidden love. The City of Night appeared such a solace, a home humans and vampires lived together in peace. A place where their love could flourish not only not attacked repeatedily, but actually celeberated.
Then Charlotte had perished. Meier's world froze solid, yet the vampire continued on, taking her body to this safe haven. Leila had heard that he'd managed to be in communication with her still, yet the Noble hadn't explained how when he contacted her in an effort to reach D.
"And he knew I was coming here, else why send the missive as soon as I arrived?"
Meier responded calmly to what was an undercurrent of an accusation in the dhampire's voice, "Not knew you were coming here, but knew when you arrived. You're not a man that escapes notice, D, especially to one who's sought you for so long."
"Looks like you're not the only one eager for a 'family reunion'," snorted Leftie.
Leila looked from dhampire to vampire and back again. Both men had ample reason to want to track down the Sacred Ancestor. One to bring back the love of his life; the other for hatred that burned in his soul. Her? The money which was certainly nothing to laugh at, yet facing against the Vampire King? If she escaped with her life the woman would be quite fortune indeed.
Her eyes appraised D. There was definitely more than the money...
"We leave in an hour then," D said, again his voice leaving no room for argument. With that he made his exit, hurrying down the steps, heading for downstairs to the room he'd been assigned to. The liquid left a miserable smell on his clothes and he would need to clean his blade properly too. And while he did all this, the dhampire's face remained as still as a pool on the quietest of days.
Just as D was stripping out of his clothes, there came a knock on the door. The dhampire gave a grunting acknowledgement and Leila entered. In his disrobed state he made the young blonde woman gasp, but D didn't care, redressing unhurriedly. With a white cloth he soaked up the blood from his blade, seemingly completely oblvious to Leila's presence.
"D?"
"Yes?" was all he said, still immersed in the task.
"I'm still here to talk to."
"I know."
When several minutes passed with nothing more, Leila snarled, "What? That's it? I'm trying to be nice, you know. So save this stony-face act for some damsel in distress and let it out."
No answer. The sword made a magical sound as it clicked into its sheath at his back. D strode over to the door, but Leila stood before it, jaw set in determination.
"Move."
"No." Leila stretched out her arms to make herself even more of an obstacle. "You need to let it out, D. Like you let me let it out. Get the crap off your chest. I know it's gotta kill you to be hours away from facing your old man. I'm here for you, so take advantage of my good mood and talk to me."
After a few moments of neither making a move, the human huntress decided to throw caution to the wind and embrace the dhampire. Perhaps an emotional reaction required a human touch. His body was rock-hard, yet soft to the touch. Cool, too, like the feeling of sitting too near a chunk of ice. Because D didn't push her away, Leila pushed her luck and started to stroke his back, murmuring, "D, I know this hurts, but you'll feel better when you talk about it. Trust me."
Then D sprung into action, shoving the woman back and drawing his sword. For a horrifying moment Leila feared he'd run her through for daring to invade his personal space. And indeed his sword swung at her at an angle that sliced a flesh wound, sending a string of blood onto the floor. D's eyes flashed crimson for a moment and when he spoke it was not tepid nor calm, but rather the Noble nature coming out.
"I told you if you came at me again I'd cut you down." He sheathed the sword. "Don't press your luck."
And once again he was gone, leaving Leila's face red with rage and completely helpless to do anything about it.
