It's a sight to behold, Valeria thinks grimly. She should turn her eyes away from it, but she can't.
It hadn't take very long for her to heal Sorin and to locate his belongings, which are being held by a small group of cathars, including, she would later learn, the one who'd done the damage to his back. They'd been sitting around actually discussing how they'd caught the 'vampire prince' and how they bet that he would be dead by the next day. Valeria would have taken them on herself at the insult, but Sorin had done so first.
They never stood a chance. The first one is dead before he hits the floor as Sorin yanks him from his chair and latches his teeth into the man's throat, ripping it out and draining him dry. He drops the body and goes for the next in a flurry of black and pale gray. The second man is left in much the same manner as the first, but with considerably more broken limbs when he tries to go for his weapon only for Sorin to grab his arm and snap it hard enough that pale bone stained with gore juts through torn skin. He tries again with his other arm and that one goes as well. His cries of agony are abruptly cut off when his trachea is forcefully removed.
The others make a run for it, understandably scared for their life. It's unfortunate, then, that Sorin won't have it and cuts their path off with his returned sword drawn and a bloodthirsty smirk.
"This is horrible," Jace remarks, also watching the horror show taking place. He doesn't try to stop it despite his dismay, clearly realizing that getting in the way between a vengeful vampire and its prey is one that will lead to his equally unpleasant end. His eyes flicker down to Valeria's face. "You really shouldn't be watching this."
She hasn't taken her gaze off the scene. "I'll get used to it."
"But, you shouldn't have to," Jace points out, grimacing when Sorin's blade finds itself tearing through the entrails of a man who tried to block it, the remains spilling out onto the floor through the man's eviscerated abdomen. "I know that you have feelings for him, but this might be too much. You can care about him without tolerating this sort of...massacre."
Yes, maybe that's true. She's seen Sorin feed before, but nothing like the carnage he's inflicting. She should be running away, screaming, not watching it happen with a sense of disassociation that better befits someone like Liliana, not her. Valeria can already hear what the people of her village would say. There probably is something wrong with her; she was ruined the day Sorin entered her life.
Finally, the deaths end and Sorin walks towards them, frowning at the blood that has splattered onto his clothes and skin, he doesn't pay heed to the blood that surrounds his thin mouth. His tongue darts out to lick at his lips. She should not find it that pleasing.
"Feel better?" she asks while he attempts to wipe himself down with a scrap of cloth he took from one of the now-dead Cathars. He looks like himself again and completely sated.
"More or less," he replies. He glances at her wrist. "How's your arm?"
She waves it. "Fine. I healed it on the way."
A genuine smile. "Good."
They are still staring at each other when Liliana clears her throat for their attention. "Now that you've gotten your revenge out of your way, could we go back?"
"You two go. We'll meet you there," Sorin said. His hand brushes Valeria's. "I think we need to talk."
Liliana and Jace share a look. And Jace gives a sort of half-shrug. "If you want."
Liliana doesn't have to be told twice and disappears presumably to Valeria's home. Jace hesitates a moment longer. "You both be careful out there."
"We will."
Once Jace is gone, she's left standing with just Sorin. Tension she didn't know was there grows. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I will be in a moment." Sorin, in his own sort of gallows humor, kicks a body off a chair and drops into it.
Valeria locks the door to the room, hoping that no one else will show up to cause more problems. She feels emotionally drained and is half-tempted to find a seat for herself as well. She watches Sorin clean off his sword, running his fingers lightly across the flat side of the blade.
"Did you get enough?"
Sorin's eyes lift and his mouth quirks with amusement. "Yes, Valeria."
"I'm sorry, I'm just..." Valeria makes a tired waving motion with her arms before they flop back to her sides. "Anxious."
"I couldn't tell," Sorin says dryly. He sits his sword down on the table beside him and leans forward to rest his arms on the tops of his knees. "I wanted to say thank-you, for helping me. It appears that I'm in your debt once more."
"There's no need for it to be a debt. I did it just because I care. Isn't that enough?" Why does he care whether or not there's some sort of debt between the two of them? "Why are you being so paranoid about it?"
Sorin lets out an unnecessary breath and stands up again, his rest short-lived. "A topic for another time, I suppose."
That's something Valeria can agree with. She's physically and emotionally exhausted and the idea of arguing with him again drains what little energy she has left in her system. It bothers her that half their conversations involve some sort of argument cropping up because one or both of them decide to be stubborn. There's no denying that they're both stubborn to a fault, stuck in their own ways; Sorin from years upon years of a long life of doing things of his own accord, and Valeria from being told the same things over and over again and deciding that she would hear no more of it and that the only opinion that really matters is her own.
Valeria watches as he pulls on his shirt and begins to don his armor with the skill honed from doing it hundreds of times before. It never fails to impress her.
"There," he says, straightening his coat collar, "we can go."
Luck must be on their side as they leave Thraben. No more Cathars appear before they're out of the city, and Valeria sends a silent prayer to Avacyn, thanking her for it. She doesn't think she would have been able to handle another high stress encounter after the last. It's bad enough that Sorin smells slightly of drying blood as he walks beside her, reminding her of it. There'll be no easy way of getting the smell out of his clothes.
As they walk, they witness flights of angels swooping through the night sky on their feathered wings. A part of her envies their ability to fly. It must be amazing to have such a freedom. The more logical part of her wonders why they remain when the state of Innistrad is unraveling around them. Is there anyone praying anymore, now that the truth of Avacyn came out?
"Why did you create Avacyn? I already know, but I want to hear it for myself in your own words."
Sorin stops walking at the question, and for a moment Valeria thinks she must insulted him in some manner before Sorin sighs. He does that a lot, mostly at her words.
"I created her because my kin don't know moderation," he begins. "They drink and drink and drink without any forethought on how many humans they kill and how it effects the populations. They don't realize that to kill off the humans would lead to the killing of themselves in kind, once they were finished cannibalizing each other," There's frustration in his voice. "If it wasn't them killing humans, it was the wolves and the wandering and restless dead."
Valeria has seen ghouls and the geists and shivered at the memory. To become one of them is one of her worsts fears, as much as it is for anyone else here.
Sorin continues. "It took me years to find a way to help keep the balance, years away from Innistrad, and all the while vampires killed. Avacyn is the way to keep the balance, but not tip it in any one race's favor. Vampires can still feed, but on a much smaller scale, and humans can sleep more safely at night knowing that their guardian angel keeps watch over them."
Valeria is puzzled and scratches at her hair, dislodging some strands. "I don't understand why you're so hated by humans when you helped us. We're in a much better spot than we would be if you hadn't created Avacyn. We'd probably all be dead by now. We should be grateful. I'm grateful."
Sorin's smile reappears, faintly, starts to walk again. "That's because I'm a vampire and one vampire is much like any other in the eyes of humans. I'm sure Beleren warned you about me. He trusts me more than most, but that's not to say that he trusts me completely. Even those I call friends barely do."
"I trust you."
"You really shouldn't."
"And you really need to stop trying to push me away. It's obviously not going to work." Valeria struggles to keep up with his pace. She has a feeling he's walking fast on purpose.
"Clearly." He pauses for a moment."I know that Beleren was in my head."
Well, that's a sudden change of topic. Valeria ties not to look over at him and instead focuses on not tripping on the shrubs that dot the landscape. "He was just checking on you."
"I'm aware. I'm just surprised that he didn't tell you anything."
"He thought it wasn't appropriate," Valeria admits, kicking a stone with her boot. "I didn't ask for him to elaborate"
Sorin nods slightly. "I suppose I should thank him for it."
"I'm not sure that he expects you to."
"No, I suppose not."
The ride is a long one and by the time they reach Hanweir Keep in the wee hours of the early morning, Valeria's is so tired that she barely manages to stay on her horse. At some point or another, Sorin stops their horses and puts her in front of him. She mumbles protests, but relaxes into his arms all the same until she falls asleep. When she eventually awakes, they're near the Kruin Pass, resting under trees. They've walked ridden night, and judging by what was visible of the sun, it's almost noon.
She knows that she looks like a mess as she pushes her hair out of her eyes and sits up, but that doesn't seem all that important when she sees Sorin dozing, leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed and one leg drawn up. It never fails to surprise her to see him sleep. She forgets sometimes that even with the stamina he possesses, sleep is something even vampires need from time to time.
With a mischievous grin, Valeria crawls towards him as closely as she dares. No nightmares this time, no frown on his face; just the relaxed expression of a person deep in sleep. He really does seem to need it after his ordeal. Tethered to a wall, he had likely gotten little to no sleep.
"Yes?" Sorin murmurs, cracking open an eye to fix it on Valeria.
She freezes and forces herself to keep her smile. "I was just taking in the view. I never get used to seeing you sleep."
"Yes, well, even I need sleep," he says, nearly quoting her thoughts on it. He shifts, stretching his arms with a wince.
"I'm sorry that you had to ride with me. I could have kept on it alright on my own." She doesn't know who she' trying to convince; herself or Sorin.
"You were slowing us down," Sorin says in a matter-of-fact tone that leaves no room for debate. It would sound harsh if Valeria didn't know by now how to translate his words. "Besides, you were going to get hurt going on like that."
"I'm still sorry. You shouldn't have had to."
"No, but I did." Sorin' slow to stand up, taking his time with the effort.
"Are you alright?" Valeria asks when she notices it. He's mostly recovered, but it'll take more time for him to be completely himself again. "We can wait a bit long before we leave."
"We can go now," Sorin retorts, with half-hearted irritation. "I'll be fine until we get back."
Valeria doesn't argue. She shrugs. "Fine," she says, "we'll go."
They stop in a village on their way, and Valeria buys food with her meager funds when she remembers that she hasn't had anything to eat since the day before. Sorin keeps to the outside of the pub, keeping a watchful eye out for any threats but also staying enough out of view that no one will see him. Without a way to hide himself with magic, it's a far better choice than letting everyone know there's a vampire around.
"Anything?" Valeria asks as she rejoins him after she's eaten quickly.
"Nothing, thankfully."
It's another half a day before they reach Stensia and Valeria's home at the pace they're moving at. There they find Jace. Liliana, apparently, left earlier for her own reasons.
"She didn't say," Jace replies when Valeria asks.
"Wonderful," Valeria huffs in annoyance, sitting down in a chair. Actual furniture and not the cold hard ground or the back of a horse. She's going to enjoy sleeping in her own bed tonight.
"She does that." Jace studies them, but Valeria doesn't feel him poke around in her head. "How did the trip go?"
"Well enough that we didn't run into anyone, if that's what you mean," Valeria answers. She can really use more sleep. "And if you ask me, I'm happy for it." She lets out a loud yawn and stretches. "Well, gentlemen, if you don't need me, I'm going to bed early."
"Go ahead," Sorin replies.
She tiredly goes upstairs, strips out of her travel clothes, and promptly collapses onto her bed with a relieved sigh. She's never leaving it again. She twists onto her back and stares at her ceiling. What a stressful week. At least Sorin appears to be no worse for wear in the end, and that's enough to make her feel better.
She doesn't remember falling asleep.
"You need to be honest with her eventually, you know," Jace says once Valeria is well out of ear shot. "She's going to find out one way or another."
Sorin closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I'm aware, but I can't tell her."
"Why? Because you're worried you'll put her in danger? She's been in danger this entire time and seems to be fending well enough for herself."
Sorin's eyes snap open and he glares across the room at Jace. "Thank-you for your insightful input. While you're at it, perhaps you can tell me why Liliana Vess of all people came with you."
"She knew where you were." Jace pointedly looks away like a guilty child.
"Have you not wondered why she knew? Have you maybe considered the idea that she's the one who got me into that position in the first place?"
"She didn't," Jace's voice has a hint of denial. Is he really so oblivious to his former lover's actives?
"The only reason I didn't snap her pretty little neck is because of your relationship with her. I didn't think that you would take it very well." Sorin doesn't take into consideration his own relationship with the necromancer. It was in the past and doesn't matter now, in the present, as far as he's concerned. "If she tries anything again, I can't promise that I won't."
"I understand," Jace mutters. "Why did she do it? If she did, that is."
Sorin leans back. "Where would you care for me to start? I've known her longer than you have. You should know by now that she has her own agenda. "
By the look on Jace's face, he's considering the same thing.
"And you're changing the subject," Jace points out. "This isn't about me. It's about how Valeria has feelings for you and you just keep pushing her away, pretending that you don't have a heart. Which, mind you, you do a pretty damn good job making people think that."
"What am I supposed to do?" Sorin all but snarls, jumping to his feet to tower over Jace. "Even if I do tell her, that does not change the fact that she's still a human. She'll die. If not by my own hands or the hands of another, it will be from old age."
Jace's expression softens as he puts two and two together, not perturbed by having a vampire looming over him, blocking his view like a leather-clad wall. "You're scared that you'll kill her, and you don't want to change her because you can't guarantee that she'll be the same girl."
Backed into an emotional corner, Sorin scrambles to explain himself. It falls flatter than he likes, even to his own ears. "I've converted others; I don't care most of the time as long as they have their uses. But Valeria is the most human a girl I've ever met. Empathic, but has a spine. That's more than I can say for most of her kind."
"Sorin, have you ever considered the reason why you care for her, specifically her, is because you never take the time to actually get to know anyone until you're forced to spend time with them? You're barely even on your own home plane, with your own people, and just count on an angel to hopefully clean up any messes."
"If you don't stay out of my head, mind mage, I'm throwing you into the fire."
Still, he can't deny that there's truth to Beleren's words. That's the crux of the matter.
"Seriously, talk to her. Take it from me; lack of communication never helped anyone in the long run."
Sorin let's out a sigh equal parts frustrated and tired. This whole thing is going to be the death of him.