Leila breezed through the halls, the child in her arms slowly calming down while the boy contentedly trailed behind her. She should really get their names…
Taking a moment to look down, she questioned both kids. "You know, after all of this I think it's time we introduce ourselves. My name is Leila Dracul, what are your names?"
The girl peaked out of her throat long enough to answer between her hiccups, "Mirajane…"
Glancing back to the boy, Leila heard him mumble. "Damien."
Well at least she knew what to call them now, progress. "Those are very nice names, I think Vlad will like them too when he hears them. You Romanians have such interesting names, it makes me a bit jealous."
Mira pulled her head out again, this time the tears had slowed until only sniffles remained. "Your name is pretty too."
"Well thank you for saying so, that does make me feel better. Now then, I need to get you two clean. Do you mind if I enlist my sister's help? I could use the extra pair of hands." Mira seemed uncertain, while Damien just shrugged.
Biting her lip, Leila considered her options. She really could use the help, but if it made Mira uncomfortable then it would be a bad idea. "How about this, you guys can meet her and decide then if you're comfortable with it?"
This time Mira nodded with more confidence and Damien relaxed from his previous tense stance. After receiving both of their agreement, Leila went in search of her sister. Was she still in Maximus's room? Hopefully he hadn't finished in the dungeon already, because she doubted Zelda would be happy with her if she interrupted them again…
Shaking the thoughts to the side, she focused on the closed door of Zelda's room as she approached. She didn't hear anything and considering how close she was, that was a decent guarantee that nothing was going on. Breathing a sigh of relief, she came to a stop outside of the room and knocked.
I jolted at the sudden knock, not having been expecting it in the slightest. It wouldn't be Maximus since he wouldn't knock and as possibilities ran through my mind I began to worry. Had something gone wrong and he was hurt?
Wheeling to the door, I jerked it open, happy that I'd thought to pull on some clothes when Leila sat on the other side with two children in tow, to me confusion.
"Um, hi?" Not my best start, but considering the odd situation in front me, I'd say it could have been worse.
Leila shot me a tentative smile, "Yeah, I hate to bother you since you're probably already not happy with interruptions today, but I may need your help with something."
Considering the children around her and the dirt that clung to them, I could guess what it was she needed help with. Rolling out of my room, I shut the door and turned my full attention to them.
"I'll do my best and I'm not mad at you. I understand necessity making interruptions, besides," I paused to smile down at the boy who had eerily similar eyes to mine, "I'm just glad you both are alright."
He blinked in surprise before he gave a hesitant wave which I happily returned. I couldn't tell what color hair either of the kids had, the dirt completely covering them making it impossible and tugging on my heart. How long had they been under those monsters, to be this filthy? Deciding I didn't want to know the answer to that, I focused on the two sets of eyes tracking my every movement.
"Hello you two, my name is Zelda. What are your names?" No better place to start than an introduction.
The little girl clinging to Leila whispered her name too quiet for me to hear, but Leila easily inputted it for me. "Sorry about that, she's still a little spooked from an encounter with a mean lady. Her name is Mirajane and the boy is Damien."
The boy, now dubbed Damien, pouted sullenly. "I wanted to introduce myself…"
Biting back a chuckle, I waved to get his attention. "You still can, I can pretend really well that Leila didn't tell me."
He pouted for another minute before moving to stand in front of my wheels. To my surprise, he stuck his hand out for a handshake, "Hello, my name is Damien and it's a pleasure to meet you."
The manners made me smile, mildly surprised when touching him didn't make my skin crawl like it did with others. Then again, he was a kid. It made sense for me to not mind their touch.
Shaking myself from my thoughts, I beamed back at him. "That was very polite, I'm impressed that someone as young as you knows how to sound so grown up." Kids liked it when you told them they were grown up right?
As if to prove that point, he puffed up his chest in such an adorable way I had to fight my urge to coo. Oh that was adorable, but I doubted he would want to hear that.
"I practiced really hard on it, Mama said…" His previous pride disappeared as he trailed off. Tears pooled in hazel eyes, the sight sending a spike of pure pain through my chest in empathy. Had his mother died?
Before I could change the subject, he continued and what I learned made me see red with rage. "She said people would only want to adopt me if I was good."
What kind of mother trained their child to be put up for adoption!? Although considering my own mother, maybe I shouldn't be judging…
I went to comfort him, the pain on his face feeling like a knife in my chest, but before I had a chance to get a word in, he pressed on.
"I've been good! I learned how to be polite, and not make noise, and help around the house, and-." I couldn't help it. As he began to work himself into a frenzy, I rolled forward and wrapped him into a hug.
I knew I should ask before doing this, but seeing him so close to tears ripped through my heart. If he struggled I'd let him go, but he looked so lonely…
Instead of fighting against me, he slumped after a moment of surprise. His little arms came up to curl around my shoulders as his head rested against my throat. Poor thing, he'd been through hell even before he was taken to the ring. I could only imagine what he'd been through there…
Neither of us moved for a minute, I was happy to offer the comfort he so obviously needed as long as he wanted it. After a bit, he tugged away while scrubbing at his eyes where the tears had gathered.
"There's no shame in crying, I've cried plenty of times when I was stressed or scared." I glanced up to Leila for back up which she quickly provided.
"Me too, nothing wrong with crying it out. It's better than bottling it up at least."
Damien hesitantly nodded, before tugging on my arm. His eyes shifted from one place to another nervously before settling on me again. "Can you help us wash?"
Ah, so it was baths she needed help with. I looked up to the little girl, not sure how she felt about it.
Mira hesitated before looking to Leila, "Can you help me and she helps him?" Leila shot me an apologetic glance which I easily brushed off with a smile of understanding.
"I don't mind handling Damien if you have Mira." The little girl sighed in relief when Leila agreed, causing another wince to come from my sister.
I didn't take offense to her preference for Leila, if I was right then Leila had saved her so it made perfect sense she would attach herself to her. Besides, it looks like I'd have my hands full with Damien…
The little boy had gotten as close to my chair as he dared, nearly leaning over me in his attempt to stay close without touching. A smile twitched across my lips at his not at all subtle attempts to brush against me without being obvious that he wanted more contact.
Holding my hand out, I offered. "If you want, you can sit on my lap while we get everything ready for the bath? Mira looks pretty cosy and unfortunately I can't stand to hold you, but if you'd like…" I let it trail off, not sure if I'd misread him or not until he practically lunged into my lap.
His head thumped against my shoulder where he nuzzled in happily. "Please?" I bit back a chuckle before nodding.
I never would have expected someone to have gone through what he had to be so cuddly, but then again kids were amazingly resilient. If all he wanted was to be held, then I was more than happy to do so. I gestured for Leila to lead on once I had Damien situated in my lap, the boy seemingly content to doze against my shoulder.
The bathroom she led us to was thankfully large enough for my chair to fit in without problems, a common worry with me. Once the water was started and the temperature met both of the kid's approvals, Leila left to get some clothes that would fit them while I turned around to give them privacy to change.
"Just let me know when I can turn around, alright you two?" Two affirmatives were my answer as I stayed faced away from them. The minutes ticked by as I slowly began to worry. "Is everything alright back there?"
It was another moment before Mira's voice hesitantly piped up. "I can't get the shirt over my head…"
She sounded close to tears, the small hitches in her breath pulling on my heart. "Do you want me to help, or go get Leila?"
Another minute passed before I heard, "Can you help? Damien tried but it's stuck in my hair."
I easily turned and wheeled my way to her, I kept my movements slow and announced everything I did before I touched her. She'd managed to get the button on the old and torn shirt caught in her hair, not surprising given the state of it.
There were more tangles and snares than free hair and I knew that if she didn't want to cut it, it would take hours to comb through. Focusing on the current problem, I carefully worked the button free with the least amount of touch possible. Once finished, I backed away and gave her space again, to her obvious relief.
"Thanks, it really hurt." I smiled, at her manners.
"It's nothing to thank me for, I'm just glad you're feeling better." Turning to Damien, who'd stayed silent throughout the exchange, I offered. "Would you like help getting yours off as well?"
He only thought about it for a moment before nodding, plopping himself in my lap for easy access while I began to carefully tug the shirt over his head. By the time I had disentangled him from the destroyed fabric that was stained with things I didn't want to contemplate, Leila had reentered with a bundle of clothes and a bath toy.
"Unfortunately, the trunk of my mother's old things only had one toy. Do you think you two can share it?"
Both kids nodded, excitement lighting their gazes as they began discussing what they were going to play with the new toy. The sight warmed my heart as I pulled up to the side of the tub. It was good to see that some innocence had survived their encounter, hopefully we'd manage to preserve some more of it as well.
The worn rubber ducky floated in the water not long after we got them settled, both of them coming up with adventure after adventure to go on as Leila and I carefully scrubbed the grime out of their hair.
By the time we were almost finished the water had turned a nasty grey that made me want to cringe in sympathy. Now we could at least tell what hair color they had…
Mira's black hair hadn't been much of a surprise, but finding golden blond under all the grime of Damien's hair had been. He seemed surprised to see the color, to my chagrin. Could he truly not know what his own hair color was under all that filth?
Before I could get lost into thoughts that led nowhere good, Vlad walked into the bathroom while stripping his shirt, only to freeze at the sight of the two children and me. Mira flinched back, her previous happiness gone as she tried to disappear into the water. Damien shifted in front of her, not seeming to mind Vlad's presence but wanting to soothe his new friend's distress.
I looked away while flushing at the glimpse I'd caught, this was definitely not how I thought today was going to go…
Leila rushed to explain while Vlad slipped his shirt back on and took a step back in hopes of calming Mira.
I gently coaxed her out of the filthy water, putting my back to Vlad to give her an extra cover while Leila finished explaining why he had two children in his master bathroom.
By the time she finished telling him of what happened, his eyes were streetlight green with rage. "Melinda, you say? I'll look into that once I leave here."
I'd come to associate that particular glower with his, someone is going to get impaled, look and for once I didn't mind the thought. Really, what had that woman been thinking? Striking a child who'd just been rescued from a horrible situation. I'd thought Vlad's staff had more tact than that.
His mouth curled in distaste and I remembered that he could hear me a minute too late. I sent him a mental apology, but he shrugged it off. "My staff generally do have more tact than that, but this was unacceptable. Rest assured it won't be happening again."
I nodded before focusing back on Mira, "You don't have to fear him, I know he looks scary but he isn't dangerous to you." I made sure to add that last part after a moment of thought. He was very dangerous but I doubted that little girl could do anything to earn Vlad's ire. So the threat level he posed to her was minimal.
Vlad nodded from his place leaned against the wall, "She's right. You have nothing to fear of me, but if you'd prefer. I can leave the room until you're finished dressing. I have no desire to make you uncomfortable. Had I known you ladies were in here, I would have waited outside."
Mira stared in open amazement, the look ripping through my heart. It was a horrible thing, when a child was so mystified by someone respecting their wishes and boundaries that they were speechless.
Instead of asking Vlad to leave, like I expected, she mumbled. "Can you turn around? I don't mind if you're here but…"
She trailed off, not sure where to go from there, but Vlad easily agreed. He turned so he leaned against the open doorway with his back toward us.
Again a look of mystified surprise passed her face before she thanked him. Vlad brushed it to the side, before addressing Leila. "If you're almost finished, the kitchen should have some food and I believe Maximus will be looking for Zelda soon."
I nearly cursed as I remembered my poor partner. I can't believe I'd gotten so caught up in Damien that I'd forgotten about Maximus. I hope he wasn't too worried about my disappearance…
Vlad piped up, again in response to my thoughts. "I already alerted him to your location, he is anxiously awaiting you in the kitchen when you're ready."
I nodded, memories of where we'd left off making my face flush, which Damien noticed immediately.
His little hand pressed to my forehead with concern as he asked, "Are you okay? You look really red… Does she have a fever? Is she sick?!" His voice rose in panic as he moved to scramble out of the tub.
I barely managed to wrap the towel around him before he was in my face, pressing both palms to my cheeks in obvious worry. While I appreciate the concern, I was beyond mortified and Vlad's low chuckle announced that he knew exactly why that was.
Quit laughing and help me.
He smiled but did so, "There is nothing to worry about, young man. She must be too warm from the steam of the bath. Once you are finished she will be fine."
Damien accepted that, cuddling into the soft towel as Leila dried off a now clean Mira. The kids looked like completely different people now, free of the grime that had coated them both. In perfect sync, their stomachs rumbled, announcing another need that had to be taken care of.
Well, I'd already been planning on headed to the kitchen, so why not bring along the kids? Although once Maximus found me, I doubted that we would be staying far from the bedroom for awhile…
Shaking off the thought, I turned so Damien and Mira could dress in peace while I chatted with Vlad. "Does Maximus have any other duties for the night?" I didn't even bother trying to hide my reason for asking and his lips quirked in amusement.
"No, that is why he hasn't made it to your side yet. He is finishing everything now so there will be no more interruptions." He put emphasis on the word 'interruptions' but I refused to rise to the bait.
"I'll be stealing him for the rest of the day, if at all possible please don't need him for anything." Vlad's grin widened, his amusement clear even as he nodded in agreement.
"Unless someone is dying I won't be bothering either of you again. Even his loyalty to me only goes so far and had our positions been switched I would make no promises for how I would have reacted to the interruption."
His teasing was light hearted and it made me smile, he was reminding me more and more of an elder brother as the days passed and I couldn't bring myself to mind the comparison.
His sharp smile softened into something more genuine, "Considering I married your sister, you are technically my sister in law. Don't fret, you're already leaps and bounds better than my own blood siblings. After all, you haven't tried to kill me yet."
I didn't think he was kidding and wasn't that an awful thought? If the bar for decent sibling was that low then I'd pass with flying colors… Turning away from the thought, I smiled. "I sincerely doubt that will ever change, but if you were to interrupt Maximus and I again at the wrong moment…" I let it trail off with obvious humor in my tone.
He knew I'd never try to hurt him, even if I could, but my returning tease made him grin. "Indeed, well as I said I have no plans to do so. And speaking of your Knight, you may wish to find him soon. It sounds like he is pacing a hole in the kitchen floor as we speak."
Considering where we left off, it made perfect sense that he'd be restless. Quickly, I finished drying Damien before moving to leave, only for his small hand to stop me.
"Can I come too?" Big, hazel eyes locked onto me with a pleading gaze and I internally groaned. While usually I wouldn't mind him tagging along, I was going to be going back to my room with Maximus soon…
Leila came to the rescue, as always. "I think Zelda is tired Damien, how about we all go to the kitchen and we can bake some cookies. Maximus can take you to get a nap, Zelda."
She threw in a wink when the kids weren't looking, making me have to fight off a flush again. "That would be nice."
Damien pouted, but agreed with the promise that he'd see me again soon. He was a cutey, I'd have to be sure to introduce Maximus to him when we got to the kitchen.