Hey everyone!
Quick author's note here just to cover three things real fast! For starters, do keep in mind that this new chapter of ours is a flashback from the present timeline, and takes place roughly one month after the events of the last one (where Vlad and Lucy played the organ together), which puts the events of this chapter right about after the arrest of Jack Savage, and the start of Nick and Judy's vacation. I just wanted to clear that up to avoid any confusion!
"Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation." - Joe Osho
8:30 P.M ; One month later, the Nocturnal-District...
The world was upside down.
Vladzotz opened his single, blood-red eye, and breathed in deeply through his nostrils. He took in the sight of one of his new offices through an inverted gaze, his body hanging by his clawed feet from a small metal bar fastened to the roof.
Though upside down in his own field of vision, Vladzotz was still very much able to make out the detail and space within his office: A large, and spacious room situated within the attic of one of the Nocturnal-Mob's more prominent personal warehouses, where his minions shipped smuggled goods brought in from the other districts. The warehouse itself, which was positioned in one of the far corners of the Nocturnal-District and away from the public eye, was a massive distribution center for all things nefarious, whether it be black-market goods and services, smuggled materials, or even mammal trafficking.
Vladzotz was alone, having taken refuge in his office, away from the hustle and bustle within the warehouse. He admittedly missed Castle Fangpyre, with the organ, windows, and all the beautiful paintings. The bat lord's organ may have been the most regrettable of the three, since it was one of his most prized possessions. But it too had been lost in that horrible fire.
His large office (and temporary home) within the spacious attic of the warehouse was complete with its own, brand new organ. However, it was slightly smaller in size and played less powerfully. Vladzotz found great enjoyment from playing upon it, but he couldn't deny that it simply didn't feel the same.
The bat lord personally found that the memories gathered from an item were often more treasured than the item itself. His precious pipe organ may have been gone from this world, but in his mind, he had a lifetime's worth of memories from it, each and every one of which he would cherish until the day that he passed away.
Yet, of all the hundreds of hours that he had spent playing upon his towering organ, memorizing music piece after music piece, and gathering entire lifetimes worth of experience and memories from such, there was one very particular memory that stood out like a lighthouse beacon in a storm of remembrance: Of all the things that he had seen and wrought with his organ, none stood out more, and none was more cherished, than the moment of intimacy between himself and his good friend, Lucy Sang, nearly a month ago, at this point in time.
Aside from being kissed full on the lips by his female counterpart, with a true, genuine intent, Vladzotz relished in the memories that he had obtained from his experience playing the organ with her, not just with her simply watching, but with her sitting right beside him, playing along with him. He remembered how she had peacefully fallen asleep against his shoulder, having been lulled into a state of dormancy due to the soft music.
That event had been the last time he had seen his friend Lucy. It had been a month since. And it was all his fault.
For over a month, Vladzotz had been in hiding, having gone dark to avoid recapturing the attention of the ZPD, and of course, to recover from the painful wounds and injuries that he had received from the fires. Now, save for his missing eye, his ailments had all but fully healed, nearly to the point where he had looked before the accident.
On the more business-related side of things, he had only just recently reconnected with his mob and criminal associates, so his attention as of late had been near-exclusively focused on restructuring and recovering from the setback of Castle Fangpyre's destruction. It had been a bitter, painful setback.
Now, with the ZPD no longer after him, his wounds healed and recovered, and his criminal empire back in working order, Vladzotz wished to see Lucy once again.
He missed her greatly, and the many weeks of absence had only strengthened his desire to see her in the flesh, to stare into her green eyes with his very own, and perhaps, even, to kiss her sweet lips and indulge in one another's esteemed company. Vladzotz had quite a lot to tell her, and he was almost certain she had much to tell him as well.
Vladzotz sighed longingly. Thinking over the last time that he had seen his friend in the flesh - the kiss between them both, in particular - the bat lord couldn't help feel conflicted with himself. He and Lucy were business partners , and great friends, yes, but that single kiss between the two of them suggested otherwise - Suggested more. For the past year, they had been working together with great success; Lucy was a professional thief for hire, with a freelance mindset and a very particular set of seasoned sneaking skills, and took whatever job she thought the most beneficial. Yet of all her employers, she shared no relationship with them as she did quite like with Vladzotz and the Nocturnal-Mob. Everyone else was just another means to an end, but to Lucy, Vlad was more than just another business associate in the criminal underworld: He was an outlet for the best of times, and a dependable friend who saw her as more than just a tool to be used, as her other employers did. She had even become a full member of his own organization.
Lucy had often told Vladzotz of her feelings on that matter. It pleased him, and made him hopeful for the future - Hopeful for something more. Vladzotz noticed that Lucy's personality grew sweeter around him. After all, in her own words, she trusted and appreciated him more so than anyone else, their bond having strengthened and solidified through months of work, companionship, and also simple business association.
To Lucy, Vladzotz was a sturdy shoulder to lean on in hard times, a stable business partner, and a dependable friend. Vladzotz recognized that much. She was a friend, yes, yet she had kissed him so passionately. A friend, yes, yet she seemed to regard him as so much more. Just what did that make them?
Vladzotz himself wasn't so sure. He considered his relationship with Lucy to be friendly, and at times quite affectionate, but the most romantic thing that they had undergone was that simple kiss from one month past. It was clear that there was still room for growth, and Vladzotz longed to see just how far these hopes could reach.
In the end, just having her company and affection was all that he would ever need. He came to realize that he loved her, and although he didn't know it yet, he hoped Lucy herself felt the same way.
And so, the bat lord wished to reunite with his friend, partner, and hopefully, his lover. After everything that he had been through as of late, from the scalding fire that had injured his body and cracked his mind, to the destruction of his age-old home of Castle Fangpyre, Vladzotz sought nothing more than to find refuge in the company of Lucy, the only mammal capable of quelling his fear and rage. Likewise, he knew that Lucy felt the exact same way about him in return, the fact of which only further fueled the male bat's desire to reconnect with her once again.
But where to start?
Unlatching his clawed toes from the metal bar fastened to the roof, Vladzotz dropped rather elegantly to the ground, landing expertly on his own two feet. Readjusting his blood red bowtie and recomposing himself and his formal attire, the bat lord then set out towards a line of wooden tables that were pushed against the far corner of the attic, where piles upon piles of paperwork, documents, deeds, deals, and other bits of information were lain out for the bat to see and take in.
Scanning over the many tables and the contents lain across them, the bat lord eventually singled out a thick, purple-colored writing book, the cover of which was blank, smooth, and clean, save for the single crooked symbol of House Fangpyre, the bat shape that served as Vladzotz's family coat of arms. The book itself was chock full of papers and post-it notes of long-forgotten reminders and other notices, and the real, genuine bovine leather that wrapped around the book's smooth spine was etched with the bat lord's full name, including the title of his inherited lordship and nobility: Lord Vladzotz Canomir Fangpyre III.
The book was his personal journal, where he wrote down his thoughts and ideas, planned out intricate schemes and strategies for the likes of his mob, and even occasionally documented routine events of his daily life. Flipping through the many pages, Vladzotz eyed over old memories of long completed business deals, strategies for various heists, and even several passages that he had written a few years back, of which detailed his mob's latest bout of success within the criminal underworld.
Alongside the more formal sections, Vladzotz's journal was also filled with lines of poetry that he had written, drawings that he had sketched, and photographs that he had captured. Sifting around through the various pages, Vladzotz noticed a depressing pattern in the likes of his poetry, art, and pictures: The oldest ones were plentiful and pleasant, with the journal entries dating back to nearly a decade ago. However, after that, the pages grew empty, blank, and devoid of markings.
Vladzotz knew even without thinking that this particular section was the period of time in between the loss of his old family, and the emergence of Lucy into his life, which interestingly enough, had prompted him to resume documenting his own personal poetry. Looking within the journal's latest few sections, Vladzotz smiled as his blood-red eye locked onto a light pencil sketch that he had created of Lucy's face the night after he had returned from his first assignation with her, when he had gone to her apartment to recollect his locket nearly a year ago.
The bat lord was a fan of all the fine arts, ranging from music, art, poetry, and dance, but even he was surprised to take note of just how accurate he had sketched out his female counterpart's features, ranging from her large ears to the minuscule, needle-like fangs that protruded slightly from just below her upper lip. Perhaps he simply hadn't been able to shake Lucy's face from his mind upon his departure, at the time - So much so that he needed to put it to paper.
As lovely as it was, it was not what he was looking for, at the moment. The bat lord flipped past the next few pages, his blood-red eye delicately scanning over the many words, all written in cursive, some in ink, others in pencil, and the rest in blood, creating a diverse range of printed colors within the confines of the journal.
Eventually, Vladzotz managed to find his intended page: The very final, and latest entry in his journal, dated to some few weeks past, roughly, with the date itself being the exact one that the bat lord had last seen his female counterpart in the flesh, which had been when she had visited him in Castle Fangpyre and played upon the organ with him.
Thinking back on the old memory, Vlad smiled slightly as his blood red eye glazed over, but soon refocused his attention back to the dusty book before him.
There was work to do, and if he wanted to see Lucy again, he'd have to plan this out effectively.
Sure, he could have simply called her, but after nearly two full months of separation, he wished to see her face to face. This was to be special.
Within the last few pages that the bat lord had filled out on his own time, a slew of entries detailed the likes of various bits of specific information that Lucy Sang had once previously told to him about her past and family history. Vampire bats, with a culture centered highly around family names and descent, were a species that relished in the idea of ancestry and veneration. Names were viewed as an extension of oneself in bat culture, so as to further learn more about his female counterpart, Vladzotz had taken to noting down her attributes and family history.
Now, with the thick velvety-purple book laid out before him, Vladzotz's blood-red eye quickly skimmed over the various passages of information that he had written in comparison and contrast between his own family and its history, and Lucy's, respectively. What he was looking for in specific was a single note that he had taken down roughly a week before the incident at Castle Fangpyre: The address of Lucy's old family home, where she had been raised before her life took a turn for the worse, she was framed for a crime that she didn't even commit, and sent to prison, where she had learned to fight and steal to survive. The female bat wasn't one to openly talk about her somber past very often, but the mere fact that she even so much as considered to do so with Vladzotz really showed just how much she trusted him.
Ah, and there it was... The address of the Sang family house. Located on the outskirts of the Meadowlands, in a small, yet considerably wealthy and quite sophisticated suburban neighborhood situated away from the hill-choked farms and ranches. The information itself may not have seemed very helpful or of any particular usage at first, but for his current situation, his burning desire to find and see Lucy once again rendered the coordinates practically priceless to him.
Several months back, before the incident with the fire at Castle Fangpyre, and even before Lucy's surprise visit where the two of them played the organ together and shared their first true kiss, Vladzotz had met up with Lucy in secret, the point of their assignation being in the small community park that was located near the outskirts of the ruins of what was once the neighborhood of Blackwood, down in the dark depths of the Nocturnal-District.
While the two vampire bats strolled peacefully through the park, all alone and meandering over this and that, the bat lord recalled how Lucy had so avidly spoke about her latest discovery at the time, having just recently found out that her old family home in the Meadowlands was being purchased by a brand new owner, and that said customer had scheduled an exquisite house-warming party for all the other wealthy socialites in the area: One that Lucy had intentions on crashing, so as to gather some juicy bits of information for blackmail, though Vladzotz himself reasoned that his female counterpart simply wished to revisit her old home, above all else.
The party itself was scheduled for that very evening, some half hour from the current time of half past eight.
He had the date, he had the address, and he had the motivation. Now, all that he needed was a quick shower and a fresh formal outfit.
Party time.
9:03 P.M , The Meadowlands...
There's no place like home. Lucy must've heard that phrase at least a million times by now, and each time that she did only caused her to despise it even more.
She wasn't one to reminisce over her past very often, mostly due to how glum it caused her to feel on the inside: The female bat didn't like it when such petty emotions got in the way of her and her work, so she consistently took to brushing them off and aside whenever they popped up and reared their ugly, distracting little heads.
Whenever she heard that phrase, it made her think of home. Not her apartment, nor any of the other places that she'd grown accustomed to throughout her life thus far: Her real home, the one that she had lived and grown up in. The one that held many diverse and cherished memories to her, and the one that had protected her in her early years.
Yet... It was also the one that had held refuge to her darkest of memories...
The female bat shuddered, a chilling shiver worming its way through her nervous system.
No... She wouldn't think of it. She refused. She hated it.
She hated thinking about how her own family had turned against her - How they had sent her off to prison, blaming her for the death of her beloved brother when whoever had truly done it had walked free. It was in prison where Lucy learned to fight, and steal, and survive. It was all she could do in a world that harsh. But she didn't like to think about it - Not now, when she was free.
Lucy sighed softly and leaned her head back against the metal wall of the air-duct behind her, of which her back and shoulders currently pressed against.
When she had first arrived at the house, the female bat had been quite excited over the whole ordeal: Her heart pumped fervidly in her chest as she managed to slip in through one of the windows on the upper story of the building, using the same technique that she had on one of the windows at Castle Fangpyre nearly a year ago; Tracing her claws along the smooth surface of the glass window, creating a hole large enough for her to squeeze through clean and untouched, without so much as a single sound left in her wake.
Eyeing over the sizable opening that she had made in the glass window, she snorted somewhat humorously, not so much as a single shred of guilt accompanying the prospect of her own vandalism. She didn't really care at all, in the end. Besides, the new homeowners would be able to pay for it easy enough on their own: It was their problem now.
From downstairs, she could hear the rowdy voices of other mammals, each one diverse and unique: Friends and other guests of the new homeowners, no doubt here for fun.
Smiling to herself, Lucy slightly snickered as she pondered over just what kinds of juicy information they'd so carelessly toss around as the night dragged on and on...
However, her excitement soon dwindled as she crept along through the halls and rooms of her old home. Gazing across the walls and furniture, none of it was quite as she had remembered from her own childhood, for her house had long since been vacant and empty, only just recently being filled with decorations for the new homeowner and his family. It was a strange feeling to think that at one point in the past, it was her that would've been walking through these halls, knowing that the building itself was her own home.
She had many memories of this place, and for as hard as she tried to block them out, they all just so easily came flooding back into her mind, filling her conscious with bright and colorful images of her old family and friends, and the very house itself filled with furniture and other decorations that were unique to her and her respective family alone.
Heck, of all the rooms in this blasted house, she should've recalled the one of her current residence the most of all: The dusty, spacious attic, hidden away from the others.
After breaking into the home and taking a quick little trip down memory lane, Lucy immediately made her way to the attic of the house, wedging in through a hidden air-duct in one of the storage closets, worming her way up and around through the framework of the house until she finally entered the attic: A large and spacious room within the roof of the house, with smooth wooden planks lain out across the drywall, creating a sizable platform and allowing for all kinds of unwanted furniture and other useless material to be stored away and forgotten, taken by time itself.
In her childhood, Lucy remembered spending a great deal of her free time up here in this very attic, carelessly milling about through old junk and storage, all the while listening in on the many diverse sounds that her hyper-sensitive ears managed to detect: All the metal air ducts in the entire house led to, from, and through the attic, allowing for all sorts of different noises to congregate within for Lucy to hone in on, whether it be of conversations from one room, or arguments from another.
The female bat had learnt much over the years of her childhood through her private eavesdropping, and she knew that if she wanted to hear anything important, noteworthy, or sensitive that these bumbling socialites and aristocrats had to say, that she would have to hole up in the old attic once more, and bed down with eager ears.
From her hiding place, Lucy could hear just about everything in the entire house: Classical music from the small orchestra that had been stuffed into the house for the entertainment of the guests, conversations from the lower levels of the building ranged in tone, frequency, and volume, and the diverse laughter and chortling of dozens of different mammals, and from the sound of it, mostly sheep; Not very surprising, considering the fact that they were the unchallenged mammal majority here in the Meadowlands, much like the rabbits down in Bunny-Burrow, although not quite as numerous nor overpopulated.
Back when she had first lived here in the more suburban part of the Meadowlands with her old relatives, they had stood as the only family of vampire bats in the entire neighborhood community, sticking out like a sore thumb among the sea of wool and cloven hooves that completely surrounded them on all sides. With the Meadowlands itself being a community made up mostly of sheep, with accepted sheep customs, practiced sheep ideals, and expectant sheep traditions all rolled into sheep culture as a whole, it wasn't very surprising to Lucy or her very own family when they had started receiving vile threats from those around them, some anonymous, and others far more upfront.
Sheep, like most prey species, were subconsciously terrified of predators; Even the smaller ones, like Lucy and her kind. An entire family of vampire bats suddenly parking in and settling down smack in the middle of the second largest prey community outside of the city of Zootopia itself was bound to attract unwanted attention.
But now, the present - The once publicly detested family of vampire bats was no more, and as it always should have been, was now replaced with even more sheep.
Even more sheep. As if the Meadowlands needed even more sheep.
Lucy rolled her eyes as she tapped her claws meticulously against the floorboards that she currently sat upon, each little point of contact enticing a slight and airy drumming noise to ensue. For nearly an entire hour and a half at this point, the female bat had been silently sitting by herself in the loft of the house, all the while casually listening to the conversations and other audible bits and pieces that emanated from the lower sections of the house. It wasn't exactly thrilling entertainment, but she still enjoyed it.
Although she had originally came to her old place of residence simply just to see if she could acquire some juicy gossip for her own personal amusement, it soon became clear to her that an underlying reason had also influenced her decision to crash the party that night: Perhaps, from the start, she had only wished to see her home one last time before it become just another bitter memory crammed into the back of her mind, intent on gathering dust and rotting away until there was nothing left but ruin and thought.
Though she didn't like thinking about this old house very often, she couldn't deny that it was one of the few places that made her feel at ease.
There was also one other in particular: One that had not only made her feel at ease and relaxed with herself and her thoughts, but one that made her feel safe and appreciated, perhaps to an extent even greater than her old family home itself. Yet now, it was gone. Castle Fangpyre had been completely destroyed when it had burned to the ground, along with everyone and everything inside of it when it had finally collapsed into a giant, smoking pile of charred wood and black powdery ash.
When the news had first reached her, she didn't know what to think or feel: There were no bodies found in the wreckage of the ruined manor, and knowing Vladzotz himself, he wouldn't have let himself get killed off so easily. She may have had her suspicions, but in the end, it mattered not: Each day of her friend's absence weighed heavy on her heart, to such an extent that it even begun to effect her work. Tears of anger were shed. She missed him very much so, and wanted him back. Vladzotz was her best, if not only friend, and she refused to believe that the world had taken the one mammal that truly loved her, and that she too, truly loved back. She grew stressed, and longed for some sort of release. That must've been one of the reasons why she came here to the Meadowlands, to her old family home, no less, in the first place.
Here, she could sit down and pretend that nothing bad had ever happened to her - As if she was still a thoughtless, careless child living a thoughtless, careless life.
Perhaps there really was no place like home.
The female bat's jade-colored eyes darted to the circular window that she had broken in through over an hour and a half ago, for a flicker of shadowy movement just outside had momentarily earned her attention. She was three stories above the ground: Nobody would be able to just walk around out there as if they defied the force of gravity itself.
She glanced away, but once again, the shadowy flicker of movement caught her attentive eyes, this time, the dark shape being much much closer to the glass window.
Realizing that there actually was something outside, Lucy lifted herself up from the wooden floorboards and quickly darted behind a nearby pile of boxes, making sure to hide her form before slightly peaking her head over and eyeing the commotion going on just outside the window. From her hiding spot, the female bat saw a long arm reach inside the attic from the smaller hole that she had entered through earlier, reaching around and unlatching the window before pushing against it and stepping inside the loft.
Through the shadows, Lucy could make out the outline of another bat, this one being a bit larger than herself. Male, as evident by the body shape and more muscular structure in his long arms, which in turn branched out into rows of fingers, each and every individual one tipped with sizable talons. The membrane of leathery skin that stretched between the male bat's left wing was peppered with a few small holes here and there.
Wiry black fur sprouted from his body. The male bat's ears were large and fuzzy, dotted with holes, but most striking of all was his right eye, or more accurately, the lack thereof: What once had been his eye socket was now nothing more than a sunken mass of scar tissue, accompanied by a single slash lining across the length of his muzzle, crossing over the obliterated optic cavity.
However, his left eye, a deep and blood-red color, burned as healthy and as bright as the sun itself. Lucy recognized this bat. She saw past the scars and shadows that enveloped his form. Lucy lifted her body up and away from the pile of boxes, stepping away from her hiding spot and with a hesitant voice, uttered her coming few words aloud;
"Vladdy?" She asked the figure, causing his single blood-red eye to lock onto her smaller body. "Is... Is that you?"
"Lucy!" The figure cracked in a that deep, velvety voice Lucy had grown to know and love.
Her facial expression softened, her ears laid back with endearment, and a smile spread across her lips. Rushing out from her hiding place, Lucy flapped up to Vlad and crashed into his body, wrapping her wings around his chest and nearly throwing them both onto the floor. Vladzotz reeled back in surprise before chuckling softly, and hugging back.
"You're alive!" Lucy cried out, just barely able to hold back the tears building in her eyes. "How did you... W-what are you doing here?"
With her hyper-sensitive ears pressed against the male bat's chest, she noticed an increase in his heart rate the moment that she had thrown her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. From behind, Lucy could feel Vladzotz's bony paws as they pressed against her shoulders, rubbing them reassuringly as he softly spoke his coming words.
"Yes, I am very much alive, my dear. I was in hiding, following the fire. I... I came here to find you. It's been too long."
"Find me? You mean..." She asked before trailing off. "Oh, Vladdy."
She hugged him even tighter. No one in her life had ever shown such consideration, such pursuit for her. It was more than just flattering: It was true endearment.
Lucy removed her head from her friend's chest and gazed upon his face. Besides his missing right eye, he still looked like that same bat she had grown to love. Moistening her lips, the female bat couldn't help but notice how her male counterpart seemed to have lost a little bit of some weight, further defining the strips of muscles in his long arms and the rigid lining of his jaws and skull. Even with the scars, Lucy thought that he looked quite handsome. Scars... She thought to herself.
The female bat's ecstatic expression melted, and her large ears drooped.
"I missed you so much. But, Vladdy... What happened to you?" Lucy asked softly, raising her palm up and pressing it lightly against Vlad's cheek.
When her palm came into contact with his face, Vladzotz closed his eye and sighed softly, nuzzling his jawline into her grip, all the while relishing in the cool feeling of her clawed fingertips as they pressed against his cheek.
"The fire." He croaked. "I escaped, but... Not without great agony."
Staring into his single, blood-red eye, Lucy saw great pain simmering behind his cornea. It was clear to her that he must have been through a lot.
"Everyone's been saying you were dead." Lucy muttered. "Word got around pretty quickly when Castle Fangpyre got torched... But you're alive! Gosh, your eye..."
She reached out, and using the soft underside of her thumb, delicately ran it down the mass of scar tissue that was once his right eye, the socket of which was slightly sunken.
"All of this happened to you in the fire, didn't it?" Lucy questioned.
"Not all of it." Vladzotz corrected, his tone laced with bitterness. "There are some burns on my chest, yes, but the scar came from a terrible fall into a pile of wooden crates."
"What?"
"It's a long story." The male bat groaned, but with a slight smile edging at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm willing to listen to it. Every last word." The female replied as she at last released her hold on her male counterpart, backing away before eyeing him up and down.
"If you insist, my dear." Vladzotz said. "But I need to rest... The flight here was longer than I originally anticipated."
Breathing in deeply through his nostrils, the male bat then leapt up into the air, and pushing with his powerful wings, ascended a few feet before lunging out with his feet and latching on to a thick horizontal support beam, digging his clawed toes into the wood and hanging upside down, all the while gazing carefully at his female counterpart, whom simply chose to sit upon a small wooden crate some three or so feet away from where he hung.
From there, he told her his story, sparing no detail.
The bat lord explained how he had escaped from the roiling flames of his mansion, starting with how he had woken up buried beneath a pile of wood and other splintered debris. A thousand different words he could use, yet not one of them would have been able to fully express just how painful the endeavor had been. He mused over the long and agonizing flight to Shahaz the Stinger's desert compound in the Sahara-Square, where he had lost his eye after passing out just a few yards away from the premises.
All the while, Lucy listened carefully, taking in every last bit of information she could. She made sure to make special note of the fact that her friend had been left traumatized by the paws of Nicholas Wilde, a former con-artist fox turned ZPD police officer. It made her mad, thinking over the fact that it was all his fault, and made herself a mental note to add that particular fox onto her personal shit-list.
With the female bat honing in on his explanation as it flowed by, Vladzotz continued telling his story, from how his pangolin friend has nursed him back to health, leading all the way up to the present moment, with the two vampire bats idly chatting in the attic of Lucy's old family home, sweet orchestral music filling their ears from the lower levels of the building.
Soon enough, the male bat's story came to an end, and with it, Lucy only had even more questions to ask him of;
"How did you find me here, though?" She suddenly piped out in question, her curiosity having overtaken her desire to stay quiet and content, for the moment.
The male bat grumbled in thought as he pondered over Lucy's question, his mind pulling him back to the exact moment that he had learned of her location.
"Well, I recalled how you talked so fervidly about your old family home, and how you wanted to revisit it on the day of the new owner's welcoming party, for whatever reason."
"What else? Gossip, of course! Always enough to go around, huh? I know everything about everyone, even you, sweetie!" The female bat retorted teasingly.
"Hmm, well I can think of at least one exception to that." The male grumbled with a smile tracing at the edges of his muzzle, thinking of Ratsputin's archive.
"Please... I've got dirt on all sides. Well, 'cept for maybe a few sore thumbs here and there, like that one nasty old rat... I'll have to try my own against him sometime soon."
"Pardon?"
"Oh, forget it." Lucy waved her wings around in the air as if to waft away a bad smell. "Point is, yeah, I came here to get some dirt on those bumbling socialites down below."
The female bat thumped her clawed toes against the wooden floorboards beneath her feet before finalizing her previous statement;
"Ya never know when somethin' as simple as eavesdropping might come in handy!"
Vladzotz nodded his head in understanding, yet couldn't prevent himself from dissenting with his own personal thoughts;
"Is that all that you claim, my dear? Perhaps, you also simply wish to revere in the likes of your old family home, no?"
Lucy made a curious hmm sort of sound beneath her breath. "Sort of... I did grow up here, after all."
"Certainly. I can understand your choice to so-" Vlad began, but promptly trailed off as his ears detected a brand new noise, singled out among the many voices from below.
The ears of both bats twitched slightly at the sudden, rather high-pitched noise of what sounded like some sort of wood-wind instrument. Lowering his gaze and glancing at the source from which the sound had emanated from, being somewhere below the wooden floorboards beneath his feet. Being an able and seasoned musician, Vladzotz was easily able to classify the instrument behind the peculiar noise...
"Clarinet..." He muttered aloud softly, causing Lucy to slightly raise one of her eyebrows. "I know this song."
"What, the one down there that the orchestra is playing?" The female bat inquired, her interests somewhat elevated.
"Yes, the one downstairs... The orchestra." Vlad mused, almost trance-like.
His eyes glazed over in deep thought, and his mouth soon uttered a single word that his mind had pulled from the depths of his creative conscious;
"Kunstlerleben."
Meanwhile, Lucy tilted her head to the side, clearly taken aback by her male counterpart's sudden interest in the soft sounds of the orchestra emanating from below them both.
"Coon-ster-Whatnow?" She mumbled ineptly.
"The life of an artist." The bat lord mumbled, closing his eye and perking his ears up, intent on honing in on the sounds emanating from beneath his feet.
"Okay, you're acting kinda weird, Vladdy... Just sayin'."
"Yes, yes, I do apologize, my dear." He replied. "I just adore this particular song so very much... It reminds me of you - Very sweet, very fluid... Very beautiful."
Lucy felt herself blush at those enticing compliments. As quickly as it had arrived, the tone of the song changed: Slightly speeding up, violins and other stringed instruments replacing the blares of the trumpets and the flutes, a slow and winding waltzing tune unfolding from the coming sounds, all of which emanated around the room surprisingly well, having traveled up and about through the many different air-ducts and other connections to the varying floors below.
Dropping elegantly from his inverted perch, the male bat landed on his two hind legs before straightening himself out visibly, closing his blood-red eye shut and inhaling deep through his two quivering nostrils before breathing out from his fanged maw. Soon opening his eyelids, the bat lord stepped forward and picked up one of Lucy's arms with his own, gripping her delicately by the paw. With the music flowing around the two of them, he could think of no greater question than the one egging at his mind.
"May I have this dance, my dear?" Vladzotz questioned before lightly pecking at her wrist.
His lips sent a ripple of warmth up the length of Lucy's arm. It was difficult to ignore. "Wow, such a gentleman." She teased playfully.
Though secretly, she had enjoyed her male counterpart's minor, but meaningful act of affection quite much - It had made her feel somewhat giddy on the inside, with her small heart fluttering fervidly within the walls of her chest, and a warm blush beginning to heat up around her cheeks.
"So, I suppose that's a yes, then?" The male bat asked for clarification, since Lucy still had yet to give him a proper response.
In that moment, several different thoughts flashed through her head.
Truthfully, Lucy wasn't much of a dancer herself, despite having grown up in a part of town where classic ball-room parties were the norm, and the act of waltzing and other dances were even taught professionally in various schools within the area. Admittedly, she'd never thought of dancing as a very useful skill to have, especially since she was such a workaholic; Sometimes taking drastic measures to ensure that she got done what needed to be done. It was one reason why she felt as though she wasn't fit to be a mother, even despite her old family's opposing view - Her father always had been an overbearing, stringent bat. Deep down, though, she still wondered what it would be like to raise a family with Vladzotz. Maybe one day they could try, if they so desired. In the now, though, all that mattered was the two of them, and their time together.
Unfortunately, Lucy had added the art of dancing onto her mental list of useless talents to have, even despite her lavish upbringing, and desire to partake with Vlad.
Yet the way Vlad had asked her had caused her heart to flutter annoyingly within her chest, and a slight blush to begin developing around her cheeks, warming her face. She couldn't say no to him. Not after all he had done for her, and been through. Even if it meant embarrassing herself.
"Sure! Why not?" She stifled.
Lucy then stepped forward quickly, as the male bat had immediately tugged upon her arm as soon as he had her consent, effectively pulling them closer to one another, nearly nose to nose, in fact. The female bat tried not to look flustered as her male counterpart placed one of his large wings against the small of her back, pushing her lithe body even closer to him, their chests now touching slightly.
"Just follow my lead, my dear." Vlad requested.
He then interlocked the long fingers on his other paw with Lucy's own, holding both of their arms out to the side and away from them, yet still connected firmly.
"Oh, and Vladdy," The female bat quickly interjected, effectively earning the attention of her male counterpart. "One last thing."
From there, Lucy then punched Vladzotz square in the stomach with her free arm - Hard enough for him to bend over slightly with a gag.
"That's for faking your own death and leaving me all alone." She growled, her words stern, but with an undertone of playful chiding.
The bat lord coughed a single time before breathing in wheezily and straightening his spine back out, a smile pulling at his muzzle all the while.
"Guilty as charged, my dear." He croaked.
Repositioning her paws back in their proper places and assuming the classic waltzing stance, the two vampire bats then begun their dance, starting rather slowly at first, just barely scraping by the steady tempo of the song itself. The two of them turned about in a square-like pattern, each new step causing them to face an entirely new direction.
Lucy kept her jade-colored eyes fixated upon Vlad's very own, and as she stared deep into the single dark pupil in his one good eye, the female bat felt a gratifying chill course its way up the length of her spinal cord, causing her fur and ears to stand at attention, and her shoulders to shiver very slightly - His gaze, lopsided as it may have been, now that he only had one eye, was as piercing as ever.
Soon enough, the song picked up in its swiftness, with the many notes becoming quicker and more delicate, like wisps of wind among a field of wheat.
As the music picked up in speed and tempo, so too did that of the vampire bat's waltz, with Vladzotz increasing his foot-speed and his movements to match up with that of the song itself. All the while, Lucy stumbled along better than before, yes, but still rather inefficiently, especially compared to the likes of Vlad himself, whom despite his superior waltzing skills, made sure to not go so fast as to imbalance his dancing partner, or to cause her to feel unsure with herself, of course.
This little act of theirs went on for quite some time, with both bats relishing in the indulgence of their counterpart's accompaniment until at last the song came to an end.
The piece itself may have been over, but for the two vampire bats, their night had only just begun.
11:30 P.M , The Canal-District
Hours pass, but memories last.
What better way to experience such a thought than with an evening waltz at a socialite party, a midnight stroll through the flowing and grassy hills of the Meadowlands, and an expensive late-evening dinner at one of Zootopia's finest restaurants? Yes, upon leaving the old family home of Lucy Sang (but not before breaking a few more windows here and there, just for fun), the two vampire bats set out for their latest assignation, starting with a nice meal.
Ever since their first dinner with one another, Vladzotz had gradually begun to hone his skills in consuming purely solid food on his own, and now, he enjoyed indulging in all sorts of diverse new foods, ranging from flavorful house salads to sweet bread. Following their departure from the restaurant, the two of them enjoyed a peaceful midnight stroll through the winding hills of the Meadowlands, the stars up above their heads lighting up the night, much like the fluorescent blue light from the glow-worms back down in the Nocturnal-District.
Soon enough, Lucy and Vladzotz decided to retreat back to the former's personal flat, of which was located in the Canal-District, situated at a local high-rise building. It was one of several apartments Lucy owned throughout the city, where she hid in between jobs. It was a luxurious, but simply decorated home, with tiled floors and blood-red drapes coating the windows that overlooked the city skyline.
Upon closing the door behind him and setting foot within the female bat's home, Vlad could tell that she was feeling rather giddy by the way that she jumped up and down on the tips of her clawed toes, and lightly flapped her wings around as she whirled about, giggling softly to herself as she reminisced over her time with Vlad that night.
"Oh, that was just so much fun!" She giggled. "You're such a good dancer, you know!"
"You're not so bad yourself, my dear." The male bat replied with a teasing grin, of which caused his female counterpart to smile wide. She couldn't resist any longer.
From there, Lucy jumped up to his taller height and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into deep and passionate kiss. As his lips connected with her own, Vlad's eye widened in surprise, and his sensitive ears detected Lucy as she moaned softly into his mouth, clearly relishing in the kiss.
The kiss...
With her own eyes suddenly flying open in realization, Lucy quickly parted her face from Vlad's, severing their oral connection. The female bat thought back to just a few seconds before, when she had leaned forward and kissed her male counterpart in a bout of excitement and affectionate appreciation. Now, she swallowed and stuttered aloud;
"Um..." Lucy squeaked. "Sorry."
Vladzotz simply stared at her in seeming bewilderment. After a few short seconds of tranquil silence, he uttered aloud firmly;
"Don't be."
The male bat then leaned forward and reconnected their previously severed kiss, this time pushing back against his female counterpart and even wrapping his leathery wings around her smaller form. Although somewhat surprised at first by Vlad's sudden advances, Lucy soon melted away into the moment, and found herself kissing back against him, driving her tongue into his mouth and intertwining it with his own, causing a flavorful dance to assume between the two of them, with their lips locked together.
Lucy's long and thin tongue twisted about in Vladzotz's fanged mouth, wrapping slightly around his own tongue and relishing in the faint taste of blood that it detected, no doubt the flavorful remnants of his last feeding. The female bat felt a pressure apply itself to the small of her back - Vladzotz's paws, no doubt, tracing up the length of her spine in a soothing gesture of affection. All the while, the two bats continued kissing fervidly, with Lucy herself positioning her paws against the male bat's neck, preventing him from pulling away and breaking the sweet kiss that she was enjoying oh-so much.
Soon enough though, their kiss wound down, eventually resulting in the two vampire bats parting lips, but keeping their foreheads lightly connected, touching delicately together as they panted hotly, their warm exhales of air flowing outwards from their mouths and brushing against the fur on their counterpart's face. They both stared longingly into one another's eyes, each tick of the clock spent gazing unblinking into depths of their partner's corneas, staring past even the likes of their own reflections.
Finally the male bat seized the chance to speak, his voice husky and labored from the breaths that he had been so fervidly taking.
"I'm so sorry that I didn't find you sooner." He soothed. "Other pressing circumstances diverted my attention, but it hardly matters now!"
Vlad then leaned forward and aggressively kissed at her once again, the two vampire bats making out for a few brief seconds before taking yet another moment of rest.
"No need to apologize, Vladdy." Lucy responded softly. "It's clear that you had more important things to worry about than little ol' me." She teased.
The female bat's clawed fingertips slowly slid down her male counterpart's chest, having been unwrapped from the behind of his sturdy shoulders.
"Besides, those wounds of yours weren't gonna heal themselves, were they?" She cooed soothingly.
Lucy then carefully slid her thumb down the length of the scar that edged across Vlad's right eye socket, crossing directly over his obliterated optic cavity, which stood as nothing more than a mass of scar tissue amidst an empty, sunken eye socket. She sighed as she stared into the darkened hole, which itself stood in stark contrast to his opposing eye: Red, bright, and full of life. The female bat leaned forward and kissed her male counterpart's good eye, her soft puckered lips coming into contact against his closed eyelid, causing the male bat to rumble in satisfaction. Lucy then diverted her full attention to his other socket, his dead eye, of which she also smooched delicately a single time.
Vladzotz sighed longingly, relishing in the feeling of her soft lips upon his face. He had been dreaming of this reunion for so long.
"In a life of pain, you're the one thing I look back upon that makes me smile." Was all he said.
The female bat momentarily seized up as if she had been paralyzed.
Lucy felt her heart beat faster within her chest, and a warm blush begin to heat up around her cheeks. No one had ever shown true respect for her quite like that, before.
Throughout her entire life, the female bat had been so callously used to being despised, feared, reviled, and even just plain ignored by those around her: Lucy's reputation had cemented itself beyond repair, thus etching her destiny to be one of lonesomeness and crime, with no one but herself to have her own back, in the end. However, to hear the words so easily uttered from Vladzotz's fanged mouth, she felt a sense of acceptance and security that she hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Vladzotz was the very first criminal associate that she had ever worked with whom treated her as more than just an asset for their own personal gain, whatever that may have been. Before meeting and working with the bat lord himself, Lucy Sang had always been treated by her business partners as some temporary tool to be used and exploited, soon discarded in favor of a more substantial alternative. It was just how the criminal freelance business worked. But Vladzotz, however, both treated and saw Lucy as an actual mammal, and liked the whole package, flaws and all.
That fact alone was enough to make Lucy feel the way that she did now, but knowing that Vlad truly appreciated and valued her was ultimately what took it to new heights. She had felt these feelings before, during their first kiss on the organ, and during their first dinner together, when Vlad and declined her advances. A startling, but not very surprising realization came to Lucy right then and there: She loved Vladzotz. It wasn't just because they were the same species, or because they worked together so often that they practically shared the same home. Lucy had come to realize that Vladzotz truly cared for her, like no one ever had before. Heck, the first thing he did after recovering from his injuries was to hunt her down. His actions spoke loud, but as she heard those words flow so smoothly from Vladzotz's mouth, she understood just how much they truly meant.
Staring into the male bat's blood-red eyes, Lucy blinked a single time and sighed longingly. "Oh, Vladdy." She cooed.
Smiling warmly, she then closed her eyes shut and briskly leaned forward, pressing her lips firmly against Vlad's as she threw her arms around his shoulders once more and pulled him into another kiss, of which only grew more heated and passionate with each passing second. Subconsciously, Lucy slightly raised her left ankle up and off of the ground both to balance out against the force that Vladzotz was pushing against her, effectively preventing her from losing her equilibrium, and as a simple display of enjoyment.
As they fervidly kissed at one another's faces, their respective paws took to exploring the bodies of their counterparts, with the male sliding his palms down the female's sides, stopping at her waistline and pulling her hips against his own. In turn, Lucy began to unbutton Vlad's black vest and blood-colored undershirt, all the while leading him off in the direction of the nearby bedroom, her interests and desires aligned with his own.
Soon enough, they reached the aforementioned room of rest, where they promptly closed the door shut behind them, sealing the two of them within the confines of the room, all to themselves and their very own whims. By now, Lucy had completely removed her male counterpart's vest and undershirt, saving the removal of his midnight-black slacks for later. With his bare chest and torso now exposed to her watchful eyes, Lucy took to analyzing her male counterpart. The lean muscles in his chest and abdomen rippled beneath his thin black fur, and she couldn't help but ogle the healthy structure of his body.
As she gazed him over, her face and body just mere inches away from his own, she couldn't help but notice the burn patterns that dotted themselves across beneath the fur on his bare chest and abdomen, all evidence of the pain that he had suffered from that fire. Her gaze become momentarily solemn, and her ears sank a few inches.
Vladzotz observed the way that Lucy was staring at his torso with her blank, thoughtful stare; her once sultry and wanting expression having melted away upon catching sight of his healed injuries and scars. The male bat's ears lowered in shame, and his posture visibly slackened, for he believed Lucy to be disgusted by his appearance.
The female bat quickly noticed his sudden dejection.
"Oh..." She mumbled softly upon realizing that she had been staring. "I'm sorry, Vladdy... I-I didn't-"
"No, no... Don't. Don't apologize." Vlad interrupted as he pulled her closer. "I know what I am. I know that I am... Unsightly... A-and scarred."
Lucy felt a slight tinge of guilt edge upon her mind, urging her to correct the mistake that she had made. It was clear that Vladzotz was somewhat self-conscious about his new scars, as evident by the fact that he had so degradingly referred to himself as unsightly, and scarred, both being traits that Lucy didn't see him as a single bit. She needed to prove it to him.
"Vladdy, you're not unsightly. You're not scarred." The female bat cooed soothingly, rubbing at her male counterpart's bare chest. "Not to me. I... I love you, Vladzotz."
Lucy kissed his pectorals, her soft lips coming into contact with one of the claw marks on his chest. They made good paths to follow with her kissing. After smooching along his wounds, the female bat rubbed her cheeks against his upper chest and chin, peacefully nuzzling him all the while purring softly from within her throat. To her delight, Vlad returned the act of affection - Pressing his own face against Lucy's as he squeezed at the base of her large ears, running his claws through the fur on her scalp.
"Dare I say the same?" Vladzotz teased, whispering into her ear.
Lucy smirked. "Only if it's true."
"It is." The crime-lord assured without hesitation. "I'm in love with you, Lucy."
Lifting her head up and locking eyes with him, Lucy stared longingly into Vlad's own gaze before once again reconnecting their previous kiss, to which the male bat was more than happy to resume. They slowly waltzed closer to the bed, all the while completely stripping themselves of their attire, save for Lucy herself, who kept her own bodysuit on until they both reached the foot of the mattress.
After breaking their heated makeout session, the female bat backed away from her male counterpart before reaching her arms up behind her neck, smiling seductively as she pressed her talon tips upon the buttons that held her bodysuit tight against her sensuous frame. A small, slight clicking noise was enticed, the clasp unlocking audibly. Grinning as she eyed over Vlad's flustered expression, the female bat snickered before tugging on the zipper situated at the front of her bodysuit, slowly pulling it down as the male bat watched with yearning eyes as her naked body was revealed to him from behind the jet-black material.
Something told him this would be a long night...
Several hours later...
Soon enough, their twin climaxes came to an abrupt end, leaving their heated and energized bodies yearning for some shred of higher contact between the two of them, to which they both happily obliged, with the female bat holding tight against her male counterpart, not letting go even as Vlad lifted himself off of the bed and readjusted their combined weight, eventually abandoning the bed altogether in favor of the metal bar that was fastened to the ceiling above them.
While Vladzotz hung upside down from the bar, Lucy herself quite literally clung to him; Her clawed feet locked against her counterpart's ankles, her wings wrapped around his torso, and her head mushed and snuggling against his bare chest. The light grooves of burn patterns singed into the flesh on the male bat's pectorals gave Lucy a delicate path to follow along with her tongue and lips, kissing here, biting there, and affectionately licking everywhere else.
Meanwhile, the larger bat had taken to wrapping his massive wings around Lucy's form like a blanket, enveloping her smaller body in leathery darkness and shadow, and pulling her close against himself, their combined body heat providing an ample amount of comfort for them both. As Vlad cuddled against her, he took to carefully grooming the gray-colored fur on the top of her head; Running his claws across her scalp like a comb, picking out bits of unwanted material before tossing them aside.
Silently, the two vampire bats took to snuggling with one another, their bodies heated comfortably and their minds at great ease.
The female nuzzled her cheeks into the male's upper chest and neck, enticing slight groans of gratification from him, the low bass in his grumbles causing his torso to vibrate against Lucy, whom clung tightly to his larger form, purring softly from within her throat as she cuddled against her counterpart, holding him very close and very tight. From above, the female bat felt her male counterpart nuzzle his chin and jawline against her head, causing her to exhale softly, soothed by the act. She delicately ran her claws down the scars on Vladzotz's chest and shoulders, something she had grown fond of doing, reminding him that she loved every last part of him. Likewise, Vlad rubbed at his mate's lean, healthy body with as much affection as his claws could carry.
It was nice - Very nice, indeed. Yet something still cautiously egged at Lucy's mind. "Do you regret what we did?" She asked softly.
"No." Vladzotz replied firmly without so much as a single shred of hesitation. "Not at all. Not at all." He whispered, all the while caressing Lucy's ears and scalp with his talons.
"Good. Because I don't either."
Lucy then squeezed even harder against Vlad, smushing her cheeks into his chest. Her sensitive ears could hear the sound of his healthy heartbeat as it thrummed within the walls of his ribcage, echoing throughout his chest cavity like a drum. The sound of it resonating in her ears, and the feeling of it beating against her as they held each other close filled her a profound feeling of safety. Cuddled in his wings, Lucy felt warm and safe for once in her life. It was like nothing she had ever known before, and she wanted it to last forever. In Lucy's eyes, they were more than just business partners, more than just friends, and more than just lovers - Her connection with Vlad was something she had never had the pleasure of sharing with another mammal before. He was beyond special to her: A reflection of herself, and an outlet for her best of times.
She said the only thing she could: "I love you."
Vladzotz smiled. "And I you, my sweet Sang."
Though he didn't say it, Vladzotz had her to thank for everything - For saving him from his dark obsession of vengeance, and for reminding him that hope could still exist for those willing to give it a chance. For helping him to rebuild his criminal empire, and for providing all the comfort and reassurance he could ever need.
Around Lucy, Vlad felt as if a lifetime of pain and cruelty had never even existed, and around Vlad, Lucy felt more safe and more loved than she had ever been before. If anything, that was a match that both bats were more than happy to continue.
Vladzotz dipped his muzzle into Lucy's ear, kissing lovingly at the entrance to her ear canal before compressing his affectionate grip upon her smaller body as she clung tight against his own, somehow pulling her even closer. The female bat continued to nuzzle her cheeks and press her soft lips against Vlad's scarred chest, his blissful heartbeat steadily lulling her into a state of peaceful slumber. Soon enough, Vlad followed her example, closing his eye shut and sectioning off his sense of sight, relishing in the lovely feeling of Lucy's heated body breathing in and out against his own.
"My sweet, sweet Sang." He muttered softly one last time.
Eventually, sleep claimed him too, and with it came bright images of the future: Vlad and his new mate together maintaining their dependable friendship, criminal business partnership, and yes, even their romantic relationship. The male bat knew that such dreams were more than possible. With Lucy's help, he would rebuild what had been lost in that horrible fire, and whenever the times were stressful, he knew he would always have a devoted mate to turn to.
In the end, they would have each other, and with it, their bad romance.
Hey everyone!
Ah, it's about time this new chapter got released, huh? Yeah, it took quite a while, but it is finally here for you lot to enjoy to the fullest! :)
I myself would absolutely adore knowing what you think of this latest chapter of ours! Do feel free to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts over the various scenes and other bits that take place, of course... There is little I appreciate more than someone taking the time to write up a brief and friendly response to the chapters that I work so hard on. I always welcome the thoughts of any individual, so do feel free to voice your own opinions, my friends!
But regardless, I do thank you all for reading this new chapter! I certainly hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did myself! :)
That being said, most of the stuff I mentioned and brought up in the previous author's note still applies, but I won't bring it up again, of course. No need to.
Alongside that, I actually do have some more fan art to show off, for those of you who are interested, including one of a scene from this very chapter! On my personal Tumblr account (Labeled identically as my account here on FanFiction), you will find several wondrous new art-pieces gifted to me in honor of this story of ours, including a lot with Vlad/Lucy! A big thanks to the creators, of course, as your contributions are highly appreciated! Thank you all so very much!
Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I got for you for now. The next chapter should be the very first narrative installment of the upcoming 6th story arc, and will deal with all of the fallout and repercussions of the Ratsputin arc, including what becomes of Nick and Judy themselves! I'm very excited to reveal it to you, and I certainly can't wait to do just so! Do stick around for what's to come, as it only gets better from here!
Again, thank you all so much for reading this latest chapter! I very much appreciate it! Please feel free to drop a review. :D
'Till next time...
Peace!