Disclaimer: I did not, do not, nor never will own Vampire Hunter D or its
affiliates or anything of the kind. I repeat it is not mine. I am poor
and work at a grocery store so if some big company wants to sue me they
won't get much. So please do not sue me. I am just expressing how much I
like the character and the stories by writing my own little piece of
fanfiction.
The Color of Night
Chapter four: Dinner time and a side of questions
D entered the kitchen to find Milly sitting at the table while Clarra spooned stew in the three bowls. Looking up Clarra pointed to the chair across from Milly for D to sit in. D sat down and looked at the bowl in front of him. Since he is a dampire he didn't need to eat much. He would usually only eat to take the edge off of the bloodlust or to keep up appearances when necessary. Since Milly is still a child her vampire abilities wouldn't have kicked in yet so she would still need to eat normally. Clarra obviously doesn't know much about damphires. D wondered if he should talk to Clarra about certain things Milly would eventually go through. As Clarra plopped two rolls onto the side of D's bowl he decided he would defiantly have to enlighten Clarra. But for now Clarra was right he had traveled a long way and it had been extremely hot. It would be best if he ate something just to be on the safe side. Clarra sat down at the table and was about to say a prayer but stopped looking at D. D sensed her hesitation and to put her at ease he bowed his head. Clarra smiled and went on. D himself wasn't really religious but sometime around his 6,000th year his father had made his peace with God or so he said. He would from time to time find his father praying. No one outside the immediate family knew about the Vampire King's religious reconciliation. D always found it interesting though for a vampire who could not be near crosses to pray to God. So he was use to enduring a dinner prayer. Clarra finished her prayer and picked up her spoon. D eyed the bowl a minute but didn't want to seem rude after all he was a guest. A reluctant guest but a guest never the less. Out of a habit born from centuries of eating at a royal table D sat straight backed in the chair and unfolded his napkin placing it lightly in his lap. D picked up his spoon and stirred the stew a bit studying what was in it. Meanwhile Clarra and Milly where watching D while eating their own stew. Milly started copying D for a few minutes until she found eating and sitting up straight to be to hard. Clarra noticed D had complied with her request and took the opportunity to get a good look at his face. His sharp aristocratic features and table manners suggested he was well born. She wondered if it was even necessary to tell D to remove his hat and cloak before dinner. She decided that D was defiantly good looking. He looked young maybe a few years younger than her except in the eyes. She remembered her father saying something about being able to tell a lot by a person's eyes. She didn't know a whole lot about dunpeals yet but she knew that like vampires they were immortal. She was getting curious about D's age. Noticing that D had started eating she saw an opportunity to strike up conversation.
"So what do you think of my stew?"
"It's good." Of course D had tasted better but wanted to be polite.
"I was just wondering how old you were. Not to be prying or anything. But I was just curious if dunpeals lived as long as vampires."
To D this was the second problem of people knowing what you are. The first is that they try to kill you. If they don't want to kill you then they want to know how old you are and what kind of odd things you remember from times long ago.
"Old." Milly giggled at D's answer while Clarra scowled.
"Well I gathered that. You can't give me an estimate or something."
Sighing D thought a minute. Since his father died he didn't have or need to put much emphasis on his birthdays. Years just seemed to blur together anyway when you travel so much. And when you have lived this long the years seem more like minutes. His father always made a big deal about his birthday especially the big ones like a century or millennia birthday. D hadn't calculated his actual age in a very long time. He really didn't feel much like doing it now. He looked up to see Clarra and Milly looking at him expectantly.
"My age takes a while to figure out so just leave it at that."
"You're so old you don't know your own age?" Milly gasped out. D just shrugged. He really didn't care how old he was. Plus it wasn't really good for people to know his exact age anyhow. There weren't many vampires or damphires of that age alive. He wouldn't want to draw unneeded attention to himself. It wasn't a good thing for people especially certain vampires to know who he really was. Some would what to put him on the throne then others would want to kill him. A lot would want to kill him. He had enough of that as a hunter. Though it would make his job a lot easier if the vampire just bowed at his feet instead of fighting him. D mentally laughed at the thought.
"Well if the townspeople ask we will say I am older since I look it ok." Clarra said as she cleared the table. Milly bounded outside to play with some other children before it got too late. Clarra noticed that D didn't eat all his stew and eyeballed him. It was the same look D would get from his mother when he annoyed her. It always made him uncomfortable.
"I don't require much food."
"Oh. Hmmm. I suppose that has its advantages when traveling. But what about Milly am I feeding her too much. I mean I really don't know much about dunpeals. I'm trying but there are no vampires or anything around here with the exception of Trevlin. So there isn't much information to go on." Her look was a mixture of worry and relief. D figured she had been very anxious to find out how to take care of Milly properly. D wondered how he got himself in this situation. He didn't particularly care for heart to heart talks as the symbiot would call them. He could probably count the number he had held with people on one had with the exception of the ones with his father. Of course he never started those his father just liked to talk a lot. His father was defiantly a people person unlike D. Off hand he could only think of three his talk with Dan, Doris, and Lelia. Yep all on one hand. But he supposed she did need some help and she was right about there not being much to go on in a place like this. And he had told himself that he was going to explain a few things to her. He sat back down in his chair decided to start with her first question about food hoping this whole situation would be over soon.
"At this age she will eat and behave like a human child. Just make sure she doesn't stay out in the sun to long on hot days and she will be fine."
"Oh so I am doing fine with her then. That's good. You said at this age what about when she gets older."
D mentally sighed. He really couldn't believe he was having this conversation. "Around the age of fifteen or sixteen she will probably stop eating as much. She may also start craving blood," D watched Clarra grimace and the news. "She will just need to control it. It's basically an act of willpower. Eating food particularly meet will take the edge off." Clarra looked a little relieved by the news.
"What about the sun."
"Some are more sensitive to it then others. The more time she spends in the sun the greater her resistance will be. If she does ever get heat syndrome she will need to be buried in the ground. If she is real bad a little animal blood will help." Clarra looked uncomfortable with D's last statement but still looked eager to listen.
"And when will she stop aging?"
"Anywhere from eighteen to twenty-four usually. For some with vampire blood it doesn't start till later, but that is rare."
"Ah and will she be strong?"
"She will be stronger than a human but how she will rank on vampire standards depends on her lineage, training, and what she learns over time. Usually the stronger the vampire lineage the stronger the vampire blood will be. It's rare that a dampire will be stronger than a full blooded vampire but that also depends on lineage. If the vampire is of week lineage then they don't have a lot of power. Age can be a factor too. The older she gets the stronger and more powerful she will get."
"So growth in power is like that of a vampire but she most likely wouldn't be as strong as a vampire?" D nodded.
"Anything else you can think of that I need to know?"
"Her senses will be sharper than a human's. What other powers she possesses depends a lot on how strong her father is and what kind of power he has. If she is strong enough she can learn other things."
"For example."
"She will inherit certain abilities and some she will not but if say Trevlin could not turn to mist, which is very likely, then Milly could with the right teacher and enough power may be able to."
"Oh I get it. But why do you say that it is unlikely that Trevlin could turn to mist. I thought turning into mist and bats were common characteristics."
"Only very powerful vampires can do those things. The case with most vampires today is that the lineage has grown thin and they don't have the power for the grander abilities. It's usually a safe estimate that a vampire under the age of around three thousand can't turn to mist or disperse into bats among other things."
"Will she have fangs?"
D nodded, "fangs are retractable. Again it's a willpower thing for the most part."
"Thank you so much D for explaining things to me. If I think of anymore questions can I ask you?" D nodded. "You really seem to know a lot. I guess you have lived a long time. Does that mean that you are powerful?" D wasn't sure how to answer her question. He was powerful for a lot of reasons. His age was a small factor for him. Being the son of Dracula had its advantages. The best lineage you can get other than being Dracula himself. Considering his age and constant training, even if he was full blooded he wouldn't be to much more powerful than he is. Not to mention he had the best education in academics and fighting. He new more vampiric tricks than the majority of living vampires put together. He didn't use them very often but he new them. He'd probably forgotten more than most vampires learn now a days. D noticed Clarra still looking at him waiting. She was hopping that he hadn't decided to go back to his silent stupor before she got to know more about him.
D simply said, "Age helps." Clarra wanted to knock him up side the head but he had been real informative so she decided not to press him. At least not now, maybe tomorrow she thought.
End chapter four
And there is D's talk with Clarra about Milly. Also helps to explain how I see the world of VHD. I know some people peg D's father as bad but I don't think he was. After all in the first movie D said that Dracula never believed that the strong should prey on the weak. I know the praying thing is a stretch but I like the idea that Dracula eventually made his peace with God. Forever is a long time to hold a grudge. =P I have the fifth chapter written but I am still editing it. There is a fight scene in it and I am trying to make it good.
The Color of Night
Chapter four: Dinner time and a side of questions
D entered the kitchen to find Milly sitting at the table while Clarra spooned stew in the three bowls. Looking up Clarra pointed to the chair across from Milly for D to sit in. D sat down and looked at the bowl in front of him. Since he is a dampire he didn't need to eat much. He would usually only eat to take the edge off of the bloodlust or to keep up appearances when necessary. Since Milly is still a child her vampire abilities wouldn't have kicked in yet so she would still need to eat normally. Clarra obviously doesn't know much about damphires. D wondered if he should talk to Clarra about certain things Milly would eventually go through. As Clarra plopped two rolls onto the side of D's bowl he decided he would defiantly have to enlighten Clarra. But for now Clarra was right he had traveled a long way and it had been extremely hot. It would be best if he ate something just to be on the safe side. Clarra sat down at the table and was about to say a prayer but stopped looking at D. D sensed her hesitation and to put her at ease he bowed his head. Clarra smiled and went on. D himself wasn't really religious but sometime around his 6,000th year his father had made his peace with God or so he said. He would from time to time find his father praying. No one outside the immediate family knew about the Vampire King's religious reconciliation. D always found it interesting though for a vampire who could not be near crosses to pray to God. So he was use to enduring a dinner prayer. Clarra finished her prayer and picked up her spoon. D eyed the bowl a minute but didn't want to seem rude after all he was a guest. A reluctant guest but a guest never the less. Out of a habit born from centuries of eating at a royal table D sat straight backed in the chair and unfolded his napkin placing it lightly in his lap. D picked up his spoon and stirred the stew a bit studying what was in it. Meanwhile Clarra and Milly where watching D while eating their own stew. Milly started copying D for a few minutes until she found eating and sitting up straight to be to hard. Clarra noticed D had complied with her request and took the opportunity to get a good look at his face. His sharp aristocratic features and table manners suggested he was well born. She wondered if it was even necessary to tell D to remove his hat and cloak before dinner. She decided that D was defiantly good looking. He looked young maybe a few years younger than her except in the eyes. She remembered her father saying something about being able to tell a lot by a person's eyes. She didn't know a whole lot about dunpeals yet but she knew that like vampires they were immortal. She was getting curious about D's age. Noticing that D had started eating she saw an opportunity to strike up conversation.
"So what do you think of my stew?"
"It's good." Of course D had tasted better but wanted to be polite.
"I was just wondering how old you were. Not to be prying or anything. But I was just curious if dunpeals lived as long as vampires."
To D this was the second problem of people knowing what you are. The first is that they try to kill you. If they don't want to kill you then they want to know how old you are and what kind of odd things you remember from times long ago.
"Old." Milly giggled at D's answer while Clarra scowled.
"Well I gathered that. You can't give me an estimate or something."
Sighing D thought a minute. Since his father died he didn't have or need to put much emphasis on his birthdays. Years just seemed to blur together anyway when you travel so much. And when you have lived this long the years seem more like minutes. His father always made a big deal about his birthday especially the big ones like a century or millennia birthday. D hadn't calculated his actual age in a very long time. He really didn't feel much like doing it now. He looked up to see Clarra and Milly looking at him expectantly.
"My age takes a while to figure out so just leave it at that."
"You're so old you don't know your own age?" Milly gasped out. D just shrugged. He really didn't care how old he was. Plus it wasn't really good for people to know his exact age anyhow. There weren't many vampires or damphires of that age alive. He wouldn't want to draw unneeded attention to himself. It wasn't a good thing for people especially certain vampires to know who he really was. Some would what to put him on the throne then others would want to kill him. A lot would want to kill him. He had enough of that as a hunter. Though it would make his job a lot easier if the vampire just bowed at his feet instead of fighting him. D mentally laughed at the thought.
"Well if the townspeople ask we will say I am older since I look it ok." Clarra said as she cleared the table. Milly bounded outside to play with some other children before it got too late. Clarra noticed that D didn't eat all his stew and eyeballed him. It was the same look D would get from his mother when he annoyed her. It always made him uncomfortable.
"I don't require much food."
"Oh. Hmmm. I suppose that has its advantages when traveling. But what about Milly am I feeding her too much. I mean I really don't know much about dunpeals. I'm trying but there are no vampires or anything around here with the exception of Trevlin. So there isn't much information to go on." Her look was a mixture of worry and relief. D figured she had been very anxious to find out how to take care of Milly properly. D wondered how he got himself in this situation. He didn't particularly care for heart to heart talks as the symbiot would call them. He could probably count the number he had held with people on one had with the exception of the ones with his father. Of course he never started those his father just liked to talk a lot. His father was defiantly a people person unlike D. Off hand he could only think of three his talk with Dan, Doris, and Lelia. Yep all on one hand. But he supposed she did need some help and she was right about there not being much to go on in a place like this. And he had told himself that he was going to explain a few things to her. He sat back down in his chair decided to start with her first question about food hoping this whole situation would be over soon.
"At this age she will eat and behave like a human child. Just make sure she doesn't stay out in the sun to long on hot days and she will be fine."
"Oh so I am doing fine with her then. That's good. You said at this age what about when she gets older."
D mentally sighed. He really couldn't believe he was having this conversation. "Around the age of fifteen or sixteen she will probably stop eating as much. She may also start craving blood," D watched Clarra grimace and the news. "She will just need to control it. It's basically an act of willpower. Eating food particularly meet will take the edge off." Clarra looked a little relieved by the news.
"What about the sun."
"Some are more sensitive to it then others. The more time she spends in the sun the greater her resistance will be. If she does ever get heat syndrome she will need to be buried in the ground. If she is real bad a little animal blood will help." Clarra looked uncomfortable with D's last statement but still looked eager to listen.
"And when will she stop aging?"
"Anywhere from eighteen to twenty-four usually. For some with vampire blood it doesn't start till later, but that is rare."
"Ah and will she be strong?"
"She will be stronger than a human but how she will rank on vampire standards depends on her lineage, training, and what she learns over time. Usually the stronger the vampire lineage the stronger the vampire blood will be. It's rare that a dampire will be stronger than a full blooded vampire but that also depends on lineage. If the vampire is of week lineage then they don't have a lot of power. Age can be a factor too. The older she gets the stronger and more powerful she will get."
"So growth in power is like that of a vampire but she most likely wouldn't be as strong as a vampire?" D nodded.
"Anything else you can think of that I need to know?"
"Her senses will be sharper than a human's. What other powers she possesses depends a lot on how strong her father is and what kind of power he has. If she is strong enough she can learn other things."
"For example."
"She will inherit certain abilities and some she will not but if say Trevlin could not turn to mist, which is very likely, then Milly could with the right teacher and enough power may be able to."
"Oh I get it. But why do you say that it is unlikely that Trevlin could turn to mist. I thought turning into mist and bats were common characteristics."
"Only very powerful vampires can do those things. The case with most vampires today is that the lineage has grown thin and they don't have the power for the grander abilities. It's usually a safe estimate that a vampire under the age of around three thousand can't turn to mist or disperse into bats among other things."
"Will she have fangs?"
D nodded, "fangs are retractable. Again it's a willpower thing for the most part."
"Thank you so much D for explaining things to me. If I think of anymore questions can I ask you?" D nodded. "You really seem to know a lot. I guess you have lived a long time. Does that mean that you are powerful?" D wasn't sure how to answer her question. He was powerful for a lot of reasons. His age was a small factor for him. Being the son of Dracula had its advantages. The best lineage you can get other than being Dracula himself. Considering his age and constant training, even if he was full blooded he wouldn't be to much more powerful than he is. Not to mention he had the best education in academics and fighting. He new more vampiric tricks than the majority of living vampires put together. He didn't use them very often but he new them. He'd probably forgotten more than most vampires learn now a days. D noticed Clarra still looking at him waiting. She was hopping that he hadn't decided to go back to his silent stupor before she got to know more about him.
D simply said, "Age helps." Clarra wanted to knock him up side the head but he had been real informative so she decided not to press him. At least not now, maybe tomorrow she thought.
End chapter four
And there is D's talk with Clarra about Milly. Also helps to explain how I see the world of VHD. I know some people peg D's father as bad but I don't think he was. After all in the first movie D said that Dracula never believed that the strong should prey on the weak. I know the praying thing is a stretch but I like the idea that Dracula eventually made his peace with God. Forever is a long time to hold a grudge. =P I have the fifth chapter written but I am still editing it. There is a fight scene in it and I am trying to make it good.