The vastness of the ocean
It's Fluff Time 3
As always I wish you a lot of fun while reading :3
Your Salaka-chan
The cool evening breeze caused a pleasant goose bump on Livia's naked upper body. She closed her eyes, breathed in the fresh air and tried to enjoy this moment to the fullest, while the warm waves of the lake continuously splashed against her thighs. The exhausting march through the mountains was already noticeable after the last two weeks, but she wouldn't give herself in the exposure and agree with the vampire afterwards. Dettlaff criticized her decision to travel without a horse or an equivalent form of transport. The young alchemist herself already saw this journey as a phase of training and study. They had to cover a long distance on foot and would cross different areas whose natural habitat, that of Toussaint, was in no way similar. In Livia's eyes, this was ideal. On the one hand she could help people on their way to Oxenfurt, on the other hand she had the unique opportunity to admire plants in their natural environment, which were unknown to her until now, and to record them in her journal.
However, the young alchemist was plagued by a guilty conscience, as she only had 5 months left until the beginning of the semester and, driven by curiosity, preferred to move through the country rather than continue her parents' business reliably. She fervently hoped that the hired help from Regis would keep the business running during her absence.
With a sigh she dived into the mild water and enjoyed the brief weightlessness.
Despite her hair being tied up, her tunic was quickly soaked by the numerous drops of water in the upper part. The dense linen fabric stuck to her body and with an annoyed sigh she stepped closer to the camp for the night. From the distance she heard the muffled chirping of the birds, while the campfire immersed the nearby surroundings in a warm light. The burning wood made crackling noises and occasionally a spark strayed into the area outside the fireplace. The embers glowed for a moment in the grass before they went out and a small wisp of grey smoke rose into the air.
Livia blinked for a short time as the vampire stepped out of the shadow and settled down elegantly on a tree stump. With his blue eyes fixed on her, he waited for her further approach. They had been traveling together for two weeks now, but the vampire's unrestricted attention and his offensive directness were still very irritating for Livia. This behavior, ... he, Dettlaff, upset her. She cleared her throat before she covered the last distance and made herself comfortable on a larger foundling.
Uncertainly, Livia let her gaze wander over the dark treetops while she put a lost, wet strand of hair behind her ear. "It is so quiet around us. I must confess that this is still a little strange to me." Right after her thoughtless statement she bit her lower lip.
"Hmmmmm." A joyless laugh lay on Dettlaff's lips as he bent forward slightly. "You get used to a lot of things when you have enough time."
"But you don't have to get used to everything!" Unintentionally her voice had taken on a defiant undertone.
"My kind do not belong in this world. It is only natural that the indigenous creatures keep their distance from us."
Livia knew that he would not give in on this issue and paradoxically he was still here. With her.
"But not everyone keeps their distance from you."
Dettlaff inspected her. He was visibly indecisive as to what he should reply to her statement.
The young woman averted her gaze and spotted the smaller pile of wood next to the fireplace. She made a surprised sound and jumped up excitedly. With brisk steps she approached the pile and pulled out a somewhat bulkier branch and held it out to Dettlaff with a demanding look.
"If you restore dolls, I'm sure you'll know how to carve, right?"
The abrupt change of topic seemed to confuse the vampire for a short time, he frowned thoughtfully before nodding hesitantly. "Yes, with the right tool I could shape it into something."
The young woman smiled at him and threw the branch to Dettlaff with a movement from the wrist. She unerringly went to her luggage and pulled out the tools she had from the toy store in Beauclair and stepped in front of the black-haired man. His eyes narrowed: "Where did you get that?"
She scratched her cheek in embarrassment and noticed that it reddened. She remembered the picture of Syanna with the moustache she had added and she had to refrain from laughing. "Well, in addition to my Beauclair shopping spree, I spontaneously had a property inspection." The young alchemist cleared her throat before continuing. "The owner was not to be found and the items inside the building seemed no longer needed and therefore..." With a mischievous smile she handed Dettlaff the tool.
The corner of Dettlaff's mouth twitched and amusement was reflected in his blue eyes. " Regis."
With a laugh, Livia settled down on the mossy erratic block again, relieved that she had found a way to change the initially depressing subject. "Yes! I guess if he didn't get involved in other people's business, he'd have to walk up and down the walls in boredom."
Thoughtfully, the vampire looked at the piece of wood.
In order not to pull him out of his creative phase, Livia took out one of her books and continued reading where she had left off last time.
"Regeneration is the ability of an organism to replace lost parts
Plants are able to do this, but so are many invertebrates such as various cnidarians, ascidia, flatworms, etc. Among vertebrates, the ability to regenerate organs and tissue has been largely lost. Amphibians such as the newts or axolotl are partly able to regenerate lost limbs, eyes and also parts of internal organs. The ability of some reptiles, such as lizards, to shed their tails at a predetermined breaking point by muscle contraction and then to regrow (in reduced form) is also rather rare among vertebrates.
In arthropods, the ability to partially replace lost body parts during the next shedding of skin is widespread. In each case, one piece more is replaced per flaying than in the previous flaying, so that if a sufficiently large number of flaying occurs, body parts can also be completely replaced. However, the number of moults is limited in some groups of arthropods (e.g. insects), so that in these cases no further regeneration is possible after the last, often imaginal, moult."
Thoughtfully, she frowned. To what species should she count vampires? Their regenerative ability could not be compared to any of the creatures listed. To create a healing potion to accelerate the regeneration for a vampire proved to be extremely complicated if the goal was to optimize and adapt it.
She breathed out thoughtfully, loudly through her nose and rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. When she stood up and put the book aside, Livia yawned and realized that Dettlaff was absorbed in his work. It was a cloudless night and the moon was shining out with its faint glow. Dettlaff's eyes rested on the wood while he carved with routine movements, lips pressed tightly together in concentration. The outer bark of the branch had been almost completely removed and the scattered chips gathered between his legs. Livia's curiosity grew immeasurably, as she could not yet see what Dettlaff wanted to model.
With a warm smile she turned away and lay down on her prepared resting place to sleep, her back turned to the fire. After a short time she heard the now familiar rustle as the vampire approached to her. The weight of his black leather coat on her body was pleasant, while the garment was still warming her after the campfire had gone out during the night. Since the beginning of her journey, he did this every evening, always taking care not to lie within her sight while doing so. Was he afraid of a possible negative reaction? Happy with his care, she nestled her cheek against the warm inside of the cloak and slipped into a sweet dream that brought the smell of tonka beans.
During their march, Livia often questioned the vampire about his home. Nazair was completely foreign to her and she only knew stories from books or travelers' tales about it.
He obviously seemed to like her interest, as he answered her questions with sparkling eyes and extremely enthusiastic. Contrary to her expectations, Dettlaff turned out to be a very pleasant travelling companion and for Livia the time spent together flew by. She was pleased to see that the vampire slowly opened up to her and hesitantly gave up his permanent attentiveness.
"You.. hffffff, will you tell me, hffffffffff, that hfffff", the young woman paused to catch her breath. She took a deep gasp and then threw her head back. Sweat ran down her reddened cheeks and despite the hair being tied up, an unpleasant layer of sweat also formed on the back of her neck, while the vampire stood quietly beside her and showed no signs of exertion on the outside.
Oh Gods! She was even sweating between her buttocks! Simply disgusting. In such moments he truly seemed like a demigod to her. His physical endurance seemed inexhaustible to her, yet she appreciated that he always travelled with her in human form. He could also transform and fly relaxed to the next oppurtunity for a camp and save himself the long walk. Thanks to the entertaining conversations, however, she usually forgot about her physical shortcomings and usually enjoyed the best of moods during her journey. "So you mean to tell me that the Eretein Mountains are a barren desert region with a few mountains and apart from vampires, they are hardly inhabited by any other creatures. That sounds quite... ...boring."
Dettlaff tilted his head and examined her with narrowed eyes. "You were always surrounded by your family."
"Of course, but it's also about the environment münn wrient." The alchemist paused briefly, as the amused look of the vampire irritated her more than just a bit. He seemed to fight against laughter, so she flared her cheeks in indignation.
"Hey! I mean it! It's awfully dull when there's no variety of creatures."
"At first glance, it may seem boring, but I assure you it is not. Life is not limited to animals, humans and monsters. The earth, rocks and plants are part of it too. You humans have forgotten how to live in harmony with nature and to absorb its beauty."
Silence prevailed between the two and each hung on to their thoughts before Livia began: "I think I understand roughly what you are getting at. As progress was made, nature became more and more repressed." Livia looked around in surprise. "Am I wrong or do I hear the sound of water?"
"There should be a river ahead. Would you like to take a break?"
Livia nodded and set off visibly exhausted. Behind her, she heard Dettlaff clearing his throat before he uttered a "Mijn vriend" in a strikingly neutral voice. She had to smile and was more than grateful for the vampire's company. Besides, she would need a lot of practice before she would seriously incorporate some Nilfgardian terms into her sentences.
The water was pleasantly cold and stood in great contrast to the scorching hot midday sun. It was breathtakingly clear so that even in the middle of the river the stones on the bottom could be seen. Livia groaned in relief as the cool current worked against her calves. It was beyond her comprehension how Dettlaff could strut around during the day with his long-sleeved tunic and the striking coat in an unimpressed manner.
The vampire paused on the shore and watched her with crossed arms and an inscrutable gaze.
"Well?" She turned to him now. "Wouldn't you like to cool off a bit in the water?"
He blinked in surprise before continuing in a serious voice. "Temperatures have little effect on my body. I do not require cooling."
Livia looked at him with narrowed eyes before she turned away from him and enjoyed the longed-for cold with her eyes closed.
After some time she approached the shore and stopped abruptly. A panicked scream followed, which startled the vampire. In a fraction of a few seconds he transformed and red fog enveloped Livia as he regained his human form behind her. His facial features hardened due to the tension as he searched for the source of danger. The shoulders of the young woman began to shake. Uncertain, he grabbed her upper arm, but he was not to go any further.
Water splashed in all directions. The vampire was wet from head to toe and simply overwhelmed by the situation. "What?!"
Livia couldn't hold back her bright laughter any longer, while she jumped up and down like crazy in the river and splashed everything around her wet. The jerky movements loosened her topknot and the golden curls surrounded her petite body. Her cheeks reddened, a joyful laugh on her narrow lips and the pure joy of life shone in her eyes. Her wet clothes lay close to her body and left little room for imagination. Dettlaff completely forgot the fact that he was standing in the river completely soaked and took in the sight of this lovely creature. This young woman, Livia, had reawakened his curiosity about people. She embodied everything he longed for as an immortal being.
She made mistakes, was unreasonable, quick-tempered, occasionally shy, mostly self-confident, open, full of the joy of life and just..., he heard her fast heartbeat, HUMAN. He appreciated her honesty towards him and the fact that she treated him as one of her own.
Livia noticed the vampire was looking at her with an intense gaze. She paused irresolutely and looked into his light blue eyes. It surprised her every time anew how many emotions lay in them. She saw in them a longing, which was completely unknown to her in this form. Dettlaff was indeed a being of extremes and what she thought she saw in his eyes made her heart beat even faster. She was not with him out of pity. He had aroused her interest with his sincere and clumsy manner. The events of his past are partly tragic and inexcusable, but he did not deserve to suffer alone in seclusion. She wanted to show him that life has so much more to offer, even for an immortal.
While she continued to lose herself in his gaze, breathing heavily, she realized too late that the vampire was slowly approaching her. Smooth, his gaze resembling that of a hungry predator, he approached her and paused as her upper bodies touched. Livia shivered.
At first sight he might look like a human being, but on closer look the individual differences became apparent. He was significantly taller than most of the men she knew, besides the extraordinary smell, he was always surrounded by a powerful aura, his appearance was full of grace and made all the other beings appear plump, the huge hands with the prominent claws, the pronounced jaw with the mostly pointed teeth and the absence of the shadow.
These would be enough reasons to stay away from him and yet she undertook her journey together with him. His cool hand on her cheek created pleasant goose bumps on her body and reminded her of the moment in her atelier when she had offered him her blood for the second time. He bent down to her until only a few inches separated their faces.
His pleasantly deep voice was muffled as he continued to look her in the eyes. "You didn't answer my question last time."
Livia's head was empty, like every time he was near her. His touches were unexpectedly soft and always on parts of her body that did not represent her femininity. In her life so far, there was no male being whose proximity she would have wished for. The emphasis, however, was on so far. There was no rational thought to explain her desire.
Her eyes widened and she held her breath as he bent further forward and whispered directly into her ear. "I am not a patient being. The time has come for you to accept the consequences of your actions."
When he let go of her, the young woman was still standing frozen in the same place. Before she could react he crouched down and shoveled a load of water in her direction. A squeaking sound escaped her. She jumped up out of surprise and slipped on landing due to the moss layer in the river bed. Completely drenched she looked at Dettlaff.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the vampire laughing. How had she ever seen him as a monster? In front of her there was without a doubt one of the most powerful and deadly creatures of this planet and it laughed exuberantly with the impartiality of a child, forgetting the events of the recent past for a moment. Her heart took a leap before she joined in to the deep laughter. The water battle continued throughout the afternoon and was only occasionally interrupted by a conversation.
As evening approached, they decided to set up camp next to the river.
Livia's guilty conscience towards her parents was completely suppressed that evening and she was only happy about the good time she could spend together with Dettlaff. The bond of friendship became stronger and Livia was curious about the future development. Such a bond was completely foreign to her until now.
The vampire sat slightly bent forward near the campfire and continued to carve his work full of zest for action. Meanwhile, Livia skimmed over a few pages of her book about regeneration before her eyes closed with tiredness.
If her map was correct, they would come across an inn tomorrow. Full of surprise, Livia realized that she would miss the pleasant silence of the evening.
The coat was absent that evening, as it was hung around the campfire next to the other soaked clothes. Instead she snuggled up against the dark blue tunic, which unfortunately hardly smelled of tonka beans.