February 23th, 2025
Sunday; early afternoon
Ethan could see the stars sparkling in Daniela's and Rose's eyes; he probably wasn't that much different himself, if he was being honest.
It's like an entire new world opened to the trio of them as they crossed the bridge that led to the Bioparc's grounds. Situated in Cabecera Park, within the former Turia riverbed, this natural habitat-style zoo offered an unparalleled experience of an African safari while remaining in the comfort of a metropolitan area.
Ethan, Rose and Daniela were simply awestruck at the vastness of the park that was now open to them. With the four main areas of the safari to explore, Ethan was certain that none of them would leave this place without making some new wonderful memories.
The experience they were about to embark upon would certainly be enhanced further by the fact that today just seemed the perfect time to visit the Bioparc.
During the summer months, when the throngs of tourists would crowd every single venue, the whole experience was somewhat muffled by the onrush of people and the omnipresent scent of sweat under the searing sun. However, in a stark contrast with the summer, during the winter season not that many people were around to appreciate the safari, lending the place today an air of calm serenity. The few people that were around today were much like their own - small circles of friends out on a pleasant stroll or family units enjoying their own Sunday.
Of course, the winter season came with its own drawbacks in Bioparc Valencia, with venues frequently being closed due to poor weather. As if nature itself was on Ethan's side, however, the weather today was exceptionally sunny, with not a single cloud in sight and no precipitation in the forecast.
Every single venue was open to their perusal today, and if sunny weather alone was not enough to brighten their day, the carefree laughter of visiting children and the joyous banter of their parents did just that. Humans were social animals by their very nature and seeing so much happiness around them was enough to dispel the remnants of gloom from the Cafe Incident.
A small boy, no older than six, dashed past them, presumably on his way to rejoin a couple that were likely his parents. The kid stopped, for just a second, as he sneaked a peek under Daniela's hood.
"You're so pretty, lady! Why'd you hide your face behind a hood?" The lad mumbled with a child's pure honesty, before running past them and rejoining his parents.
Daniela appeared to be completely taken by this child's sudden exclamation, with a single tear beginning to glister in her eye as she turned around to regard him and his family. The boy shyly waved at her, before the small family departed in the direction of the baobab forest. Daniela waved back; a kind smile gracing her delicate features.
In the grand order of things this was such a small gesture, insignificant, really. Yet to Daniela, this simple remark meant more than anyone could even guess. A kind word from a stranger, which humans take for granted, was a novelty for Daniela. Her heart, hardened by decades of cruelty and darkness, thawed just a bit from that little thing alone.
That interaction managed to put a warm smile on Ethan's own face. Rose, lightly pulling on his sleeve, made him look down to regard his own beautiful child.
"Daddy!" the girl pointed towards the snacks vendor nearby. "I want an ice cream, please!"
Ethan wanted to remark that they had just eaten, but he was not one to deny his precious baby girl, not when she was looking at him with her big, expressive eyes like that.
"Sure, honey."
Still smiling like a carefree fool, Ethan walked towards the vendor, with both Rosie and Dani following along. After making sure that his girl wanted chocolate - her favorite flavor - Ethan bought her a cone. Rose expressed her gratitude and immediately started licking the ice cream, making that cute little face that made her look like a tiny kitten. It was beyond adorable, making Daniela coo in affection.
Before Ethan could inquire whether Daniela herself wanted a snack of her own, she looked at him with resolution in her eyes. "I wanna try that, too!"
Of course you do…
In hindsight, Ethan should've totally expected that Daniela - who was constantly observing their every action with interest - would find this delicious-looking cone of ice cream as something she would desire. There was just one problem, however…
"I am not sure that would be a good idea, Dani…"
Daniela's brows furrowed and her head tilted slightly. Confusion, with a slight tint of frustration played across her expressive eyes. Thankfully, there was no anger on her face, implying that she trusted Ethan's judgment implicitly, believing that he truly knew what was best for her.
In turn, Ethan sighed, before explaining the issue in a roundabout way. He wasn't looking to call out on Daniela's crippling vulnerability in the open, as that would lead to Rose herself asking unnecessary questions.
"It's called ice cream for a reason, Dani. Are you absolutely sure it's something you want in your mouth and stomach?" Ethan could still easily recall just how devastating the cold temperature was for a Dimitrescu sibling's unnatural body. He was certain that nothing good would come up from her actually consuming an ice cream.
"Oh…" Realization flashed across Daniela's face, followed by a flicker of sadness. Even though she had escaped the dark clutches of her forlorn valley, some unfortunate limitations were ingrained into her very being. It was obvious to Ethan that Daniela found that notion to be uncomfortable; that knowledge that she could never fully appreciate what it meant to be human. Surely her unnatural craving for blood, her propensity to disperse into flies while under duress and her aversion to cold precluded her from truly grasping the essence of humanity? Even against common sense, Ethan refused to believe that.
Breaking them both out of their grim musings, Rose attracted their attention by suddenly offering her half-eaten cone to Daniela, probably thinking that Ethan was just being mean and punishing Daniela for the earlier incident.
"You can have my ice cream, Dani!"
Funnily, Ethan had always noted that Rosie was a little greedy when it came to her food, rarely showing any eagerness to share it. Yet, the lack of hesitation in her tiny frame as she held the cone in her outstretched hand spoke volumes about how much she cared about Daniela's well-being. Even though they only met today, Rose already considered Daniela to be her friend. It awed Ethan to observe just how empathetic his little girl was; it truly felt like despite her tender years, she could already glimpse into the redhead torn soul and witness all the tragedy inside - and more than that, to try and do her part in mending it. Of course, her attempt at kindness was misguided in this particular instance, but the overall gesture still filled the parent's heart with pride.
Daniela appeared to seriously consider the offered gift, even tentatively reaching forward with her own fingers. The notion of refusing Rose's kind gesture seemed painful to the redhead.
Now, Ethan had no clue about the exact specifics of what temperatures Daniela could and could not tolerate, but he had no desire to conduct a potentially dangerous experiment in the middle of the Bioparc Valencia. Maybe they could try it back in Daniela's house - in a more controlled environment, starting with half-melted ice-cream and tentative licks… but definitely not here.
He had to make Rose understand that without explicitly naming Daniela's unnatural condition. A little white lie never hurt anyone. "Daniela can't eat that, Rosie. She has an allergy to… ahm… ice cream."
Rose turned to regard him, a blank expression on her face; her hand still held outstretched. "Allergy?"
Ethan chuckled. Rosie was a bright child, but that didn't mean she already knew every word. Sometimes he forgot that. "She could get hurt if she eats that, dear. You don't want Dani to get hurt, do you?"
Rose's outstretched hand coiled back so fast Ethan was afraid she would smear the ice-cream across her own sweater. The girl's large eyes widened in horror as the implication sunk in. "No! I don't want Dani to get hurt!" Bringing the miraculously intact ice-cream close to her chest, Rose looked at the taller woman with a sheepish apology on her lips. "Sorry, Dani…"
The redhead just smiled, genuinely touched by all the care the two Winters showed towards her. She did a good job in not breaking down in tears, but in truth her black heart swelled with giddy joy at being a recipient of so much kindness, which was made all the greater by the fact that her own family had once wronged them both so gravely.
"Do you like chocolate, Dani?" Ethan suddenly asked, making the redhead swerve her head to stare at him.
The answer came naturally to her. "Yes!" While blood was a delicacy that her body could not help but crave, it didn't mean that the vampiric girl lacked a sweet tooth… which was actually a shame, considering that her isolated village was not exactly famed for being a premier producer of confectionery goods. Beyond Bela's occasional homemade baking and a musty chocolate bar that would rarely find its way to the Duke's stock, there had been very little that could satisfy that particular craving the youngest Dimitrescu possessed.
Smiling at her, Ethan nodded, before briskly moving back to the snacks vendor, and after buying something, returning back to them.
"Here, wanna try this?"
Without thinking twice, certain that whatever Ethan would offer her would be no less than perfect, Daniela accepted the offered gift - a square-shaped object, with a sky blue label that marked it as an 'ALPINE MILK CHOCOLATE'.
She fiddled with the wrapper for a couple of seconds, but before Ethan could offer his assistance, opened it on her own. Unhesitating, the woman bit into the chocolate and her eyes widened in surprise the moment her taste buds communicated its flavor to her brain.
For a second, Ethan was afraid that Daniela also happened to be lactose-intolerant or something like that and the widened eyes were her body's initial response to a harmful stimulus.
That fear was shattered the next moment, as the redhead greedily chomped into the rest of the chocolate bar, hungrily consuming it within moments. Despite her slender build, she sure was capable of devouring vast quantities of food! Ethan briefly wondered where all these calories went, but soon reasonably assumed that the chemical processes that occurred in her unnatural body likely demanded far more nutrients than they would for an ordinary person. Her enhanced strength, resilience and the ability to shapeshift into flies probably took quite a toll, after all.
"This. Is. So. Good." Daniela appeared ecstatic as she gazed into his eyes.
This was among the favorites of Ethan's choice in chocolates as well and the man enjoyed the fact that their tastes appeared so similar more than he'd care to admit. More than that, he'd be lying if he claimed that he did not gain any satisfaction from being able to provide joy to this capricious woman.
Simply nodding in response to her expression of delight, the man motioned towards the Savannah venue, "Shall we go on, my dear ladies?"
Daniela and Rose giggled alike as they took their place at his side. With their bellies full of delicious food, their spirits uplifted and the warm sun shining down on them, the trio proceeded to appreciate the majestic African wildlife.
In the dry Savannah the trio of visitors found such incredible examples of nature's boundless creativity such as rhinoceros, zebras, ostriches and hyenas. Inside their vast natural habitation zones - separated from the visitors by organic barriers, rather than intrusive metal bars, the animals appeared to enjoy the sunny day just as well.
The animals here might not be free to roam the wilderness like they were meant to, but Ethan still had to remark at how content and healthy-looking they appeared to be. He did not appreciate the animal abuse some circuses and zoos were known to engage in, but Bioparc Valencia seemed to truly care about the wildlife that lived in the park's picturesque grounds. He could not think of a better place to visit with his baby girl in Valencia on this fine Sunday.
Even though this was not the first visit for Rose, the girl's eyes still sparked with fascination and joy alike as she gazed at the gorgeous fauna.
In turn, as if trying to contest Rose to see who could visibly express more awe, Daniela appeared to be utterly entranced as they strolled through the Savannah venue.
Her mood took a small dive when they came to look at the pack of hyenas relaxing under a small waterfall, as the redhead curled her lips in distaste; it swiftly soared up as soon as they had a chance to behold the majestic ostriches, the noble zebras and the formidable rhinoceros.
As they crossed into the Wetlands venue, Ethan noted the increased proximity between himself and the redhead. While previously they would try to keep some distance between themselves, now they pretty much walked side by side, with their shoulders almost touching. Ethan found himself not minding the slightly compromising proximity. The sweet aroma of her perfume made this wonderful day even brighter, somehow.
As if reading his mind, Daniela spoke softly, "You smell so nice today, Ethie. I could just eat you up."
At her soft voice, Ethan felt the urge to have her wrap her arm around his own nearly overwhelming.
We are not a thing! That mental reminder helped him push the urge away, but it did little to make Ethan believe that he felt nothing towards the redhead. The emotions and physical attraction he felt towards this enigmatic creature was undeniable.
Fortunately, as they reached the next venue, Daniela's attention was redirected towards the fauna that lived there.
Awestruck, she could only dumbly stare at the towering giraffe that was calmly browsing the leaves and the fruits from a tree next to it. "Oh my…His neck is quite long indeed!"
A couple of minutes later, the large family of meerkats next to their burrow might not have dazed the redhead with wonder as much as the giraffe, but her yell was still filled with adoration. "Ethie, Rosie! Look just how cute these are!"
Rosemary was just as taken by these small furry animals. "So cute! Can we have one, daddy?! Roxy could use a friend!"
Ethan just chuckled, before having to bring the girl's spirit a bit down. "Sorry, hon. Meerkats just don't make the best house pets, despite their cute looks."
"Awww…" Rose's disappointment didn't last even a minute, as she soon caught a glimpse of her favorite animal.
The pride of the King of the Jungle regarded the gawking humans with cold indifference as it lounged under the sun. In turn, Rose gasped in delight as she beheld the majestic beasts, "Look, Dani! These are lions! Real lions!" For whatever reason, Rose was really taken by these animals in particular; Ethan actually preferred tigers himself, though these were not present in Bioparc.
The way Rose tugged on Daniela's sleeve in a bid to bring her closer to the edge of the observation platform appeared incredibly sweet to Ethan. He was really glad to see his baby girl make such a good, if unusual friend; but also that Daniela found a person who was able to see the goodness in her heart.
In turn, the redhead let out that beautiful melodic laughter that was akin to an enchanting song to Ethan's ears, while eagerly following the tiny girl along. Daniela was just as enthusiastic as Rose about gazing at the fearsome predators.
Strangely, as the girls approached the edge of the natural cliff wall that separated the habitat from the visitors, one of the lions - a large male that occupied the center of the pride, suddenly stood up and stared straight at Daniela.
Out of all the many visitors, only Daniela Dimitrescu somehow managed to win this noble animal's attention today as it stared at her with its surprisingly intelligent eyes.
The fearsome beast took several steps towards Daniela, as if to put his formidable bulk between her and his pride. The King of the Jungle straightened up, standing tall on his mighty paws. Even though his glorious mane made him appear bigger than he actually was, this was a powerful apex predator who would not be trifled with - few could match him in a staring contest without becoming unnerved.
The beast let loose a low, threatening growl, never letting his eyes wander off Daniela's own.
Even though the animal's attention was not directed at Ethan, the man couldn't help but feel uneasy from this intimidating display. Daniela, however, showed no fright whatsoever in her firm posture.
Undaunted, the youngest Dimitrescu sibling stood tall as she regarded the big cat. As if to mirror him, the vampire placed herself between the stock-still Rose and the lion. A light, but audible hiss left her lips, and Ethan felt chill creep down his spine from that uncanny sound. On the surface it sounded human enough… but there was just something a little wrong with it, a tiny undertone that almost sounded like the buzzing of a thousand carnivorous flies.
Something told Ethan that the King of the Jungle was no longer the apex predator around, not until Daniela vacated the Bioparc, anyway.
Perhaps even the lion himself felt the same. Regardless, the pride leader did not back down from the challenge, yet made no further aggressive moves - remaining still and motionless as he regarded the potential threat he somehow managed to detect in a seemingly ordinary human woman.
Completely out of his depth, Ethan nevertheless felt like they had antagonized the lion enough. "Let's get going girls… I am sure you'd love to see some elephants down in the baobab forest."
Daniela's expression shifted from intense to carefree in a heartbeat. "Alrighty!" Without sparing the lion another glance, Daniela swiftly but gently grabbed Rose's tiny hand and marched to rejoin Ethan.
While Ethan had no idea just what the fuck had just occurred, Rose herself appeared to have an inkling.
"Did you talk to that lion, Dani?! What did he say!?" The tiny girl was ecstatic as she hurriedly mumbled out the words.
Daniela merely giggled, before lovingly patting Rose's blonde locks. "He said you were so cute that he was afraid that his wives would grow jealous of you!"
Even Ethan let out a hearty chuckle at that, genuinely amused at Daniela's quick mind and nimble tongue. Moreover, he was pleasantly surprised at just how well Rose and Daniela seemingly got along. Looking at them now, he wouldn't blame random passersby from assuming them to be mother and daughter. Except… that would make him the husband, wouldn't it?
Feeling a little bit uncomfortable from the conflicting emotions that once again surged through his mind, Ethan withdrew into himself, though he did not break that wholesome hand holding that Rose and Daniela engaged into. Just what is right anymore…?
The trio took their time strolling through the rest of the park, gazing at the awe-inspiring elephants in the perfectly recreated baobab forest before venturing towards the Island of Madagascar venue. Through a force of will, Ethan banished his conflicting thoughts for the time being, intent on focusing on simply enjoying this wonderful day.
As the trio got close and personal with a couple of lemurs, who climbed down the branches of the trees as if to greet them, Ethan, Daniela and Rose felt uplifted like rarely before. Unfortunately, Rose's and Daniela's squeals of delight scared the skittish critters away.
Of course, not just the lemurs inhabited this incredible place.
A huge gorilla appeared through the dense foliage for a second, making both Daniela and Rose gasp in surprise, before vanishing from whence it came.
"I'd never even dared to hope to see these wonderful creatures anywhere but in this old picture book I had…" Daniela mumbled, awestruck. This whole journey throughout the primeval safari her supply of genuine wonderment appeared inexhaustible, with every new creature they would encounter only adding the fuel to the fire of her soul. To Ethan it seemed that Daniela's longing for life they all took for granted was truly boundless. He could not be happier than to be here right now and provide her with this first foray into the brave new world. A part of him wished for this day to last forever. Of course, nothing lasts forever.
They had walked through the park for hours at a leisurely pace, simply enjoying themselves and their cheerful surroundings; occasionally stopping to observe the majestic animals or the gorgeous scenery; sometimes merely taking a quick break on one of the benches next to numerous food carts. By the time the trio saw everything the Bioparc had to offer, they were thoroughly worn out and even the sun was about to go down on its inevitable cycle that would soon hide it from their gaze.
Despite some setbacks, this was as a picture-perfect family day as Ethan could imagine, with the only difference being that Mia's place was taken by Daniela.
Not taken! Daniela is just here as a family friend. An acquaintance from Romania who helped me and Rose get the hell out of that damn valley. A trusted comrade.
Again, Ethan's mental self-reproach felt as feeble to him as it presumably would to Mia, were she present to observe all this.
Disregarding that, Ethan checked on his smartphone, eager to distract himself from these intrusive thoughts.
Half past five already? Jeez, time sure flies by fast…
Ignoring a couple of messages about their ongoing project at work and silently thankful that there were no messages or calls from Mia, the man also glanced at the pedometer application on his smartphone. 26442? Not bad.
While he was not quite as obsessed as Mia was when it came to leading a healthy lifestyle, Ethan still made an effort to keep himself in good shape; ten thousand steps a day and two hours at a gym per week seemed like a reasonable enough effort - not that he'd always meet his daily goal, but such is life. Sometimes you just don't want to get your ass out of the chair for the whole day, after all.
Smirking in satisfaction, Ethan missed a pair of inquisitive eyes that carefully observed his every move.
"Ethie?"
Daniela's curious tone brought him out of his self-congratulatory musings. "Yes?" Ethan turned to regard the woman at his side, looking down a bit to account for their close proximity and her slightly shorter stature. She was so close he could feel the warmth of her breath upon his skin. It gave him a pleasant tingling sensation.
The redhead nibbled on her lower lip as she regarded the small device Ethan still held in his hand. "Is that a telephone? Would it be possible for me to have one, as well?"
Since he had already considered this subject, Ethan responded swiftly, "Sure."
Daniela's eyes lit up, "Really? You mean it?"
"Naturally." Ethan narrowed one eye at her, once again surprised at the amount of amazement in her voice, "We can get you a reasonably cheap but fully functional smartphone from any electronic store around here." The man scratched his head, as an issue made itself obvious to his mind. "I guess you don't have any kind of ID, though?"
"An ID?" Daniela appeared lost as she fluttered her rich eyelashes at him.
Ethan sighed, expecting that to be the case. He still tried to confirm, "A little something that confirms your identity."
"I am Daniela." The girl mumbled with confusion on her face, as if that statement was all the confirmation anyone could possibly need.
More amused than annoyed, Ethan merely smiled, before nodding. "Never mind, I'll get you a phone in a day or two." Getting a properly working SIM-card without an ID was a bit tricky nowadays, but hardly impossible. He knew just the man who could make it happen without asking any unnecessary questions. By a happy coincidence, that man was his good friend as well as a colleague at their mutual place of employment.
Daniela clapped her palms together, expressing her joy at the news. "Thank you, Ethie! You're the best!" Before Ethan could respond, the woman suddenly engulfed him in a full-body hug, once again reminding him that she was stronger than she looked.
"Ouf, Dani! Getting hard to breathe here!" Ethan mumbled jokingly, but the redhead did not relent. Instead, a certain someone added to the pressure by tightly hugging his right leg.
"Daddy IS the best!" Rose chirped happily.
Without thinking too much about it, Ethan proceeded to wrap his left hand around Daniela's slender torso, while his other hand went to gently pat Rose's head. Both girls let out sounds of contentment as he did so. Ethan smiled.
Somewhere in the depth of his mind, Ethan could vividly picture Mia quite literally murdering him for an infidelious atrocity he was committing right now. That little apprehensive bit of his mind was utterly and hopelessly buried underneath all the warm feelings of affection he experienced at the moment, however. It was almost a shame to break that warm embrace, but they couldn't rightly stand hugging in the middle of the park all evening.
Their feet were sore, yet the trio still walked with a spring in their step as positive emotions empowered their bodies beyond what is typically allocated for an ordinary Sunday by the habit-prone human organism.
Leaving the park, Ethan, Daniela and Rose all knew that today they've made wonderful memories that would likely stick with them for a very long time.
The setting sun, not quite hidden behind the Earth's horizon yet, sent dull rays of reddish light to illuminate the square that led to Bioparc Valencia. As the daughter, the father and their vampiric guest made their way through the square, they took a moment to appreciate it.
Basked in all the new lights, the peculiar elephant statue appeared to be sad to see them go, while the cafe with the presumptuous waiter seemed inviting, as if in an apology for its staff's lack of manners. The parking lot glowed with a hundred pale lights as the windshields of numerous cars reflected the last light of the day.
With Daniela by his side, somehow even this perfectly normal sunset appeared both mystifying and breathtakingly beautiful to Ethan. The trek towards their vehicle proceeded in nearly perfect silence, as the trio simply enjoyed the light show.
Of course, they were not alone in the parking lot; a small number of their fellow park goers were also on their way to their vehicles or were simply leaving the Bioparc grounds by foot.
Caught up in the moment as he was, Ethan paid them no mind whatsoever. This day simply filled him with such an overwhelming amount of contentment, that the man was experiencing a sort of a low-key euphoria. After all, despite suffering a couple of minor setbacks, the three of them managed to truly have an amazing time today.
While it was not exactly a date, Ethan felt like he had gotten to know the true Daniela a lot better. She was a flawed creature, there was no doubt about that, but somehow, that only made her more appealing in Ethan's eyes; more relatable…more human. He was already looking forward to spending the evening tomorrow with her. Even a simple reading session promised to be something unforgettable, when performed with Daniela Dimitrescu, mused Ethan as he gazed forward.
There was plenty of work to do if he wanted to smooth out her rough edges or to help her adjust to her new world, but that was a challenge Ethan found himself only too happy to accept. Surely there would be some other setbacks along the way, but Ethan was certain that the worst was behind them now. Daniela was well on her way to embracing the ways of this brave new world and that meant that they would be free to enjoy each other's company without any major hurdles. Weeks of carefree joy and pleasant new experiences awaited…
"Thief! Stop!"
Daniela's piercing shriek shattered Ethan's illusion of peace as surely as a speeding cannonball shatters a glass window.
At the slightest hint of danger, Ethan's well-honed survivor's instincts came back in full force, all but slowing the time down as he took in the situation.
Daniela - who was previously right at his side - somehow appeared a couple of steps away from him now. The redhead was not alone, however, as she was holding a scrawny young man by his wrist. The youth was also wearing a black hoodie - Ethan noticed, but more importantly, he realized that this was the same person who had passed them by a couple of seconds ago. When the hooded man had done so, Ethan had paid him no mind as he was lost in his dreamy musings - a habit that Ethan was awfully prone to, lately. In hindsight, Ethan figured out that normally he would've probably noted just how close that young man had passed him by - all but brushing their shoulders.
Still… Ethan was hesitant to jump on Daniela's bandwagon. What right did she have to accost a random stranger like that? Ethan certainly hadn't felt anything being stolen off of him - surely this so-called thief would've at least briefly brushed against him or touched him in some way to relieve him of his possessions?
"What's going on, Dani? Leave this young man alone…" Ethan tried meekly, truly not wishing to engage into yet another confrontation. Things were going so well…
"No!" Daniela turned her head to regard him, fury burning bright in her eyes, even as she still kept the man's wrist in her deathgrip. "He is a thief!" The amount of venom the redhead injected into that singular word was undeniable, making a shudder run throughout Ethan's frame. "He stole from you, Ethan!"
The so-called thief, who was previously frozen in fright from being manhandled like that by a slender woman, suddenly became animated, by roughly trying to yank his hand away from her gripping fingers - to no avail, as Daniela held tight, not allowing him to move an inch from her. Her vampiric power, combined with the young man's scrawny build and unimpressive stature meant that he was completely outclassed in terms of strength.
After a few moments of fruitless struggle, the man gave up on that and instead tried to plead his innocence in a rather frightened tone. "You're mistaken, Señorita, I have stolen nothing!" His voice betrayed his age to Ethan; it was unlikely that the young man was older than sixteen.
Feeling pity for the boy, Ethan tried to call out to Daniela once again, in a firmer voice than before, "Stop this nonsense, Daniela!"
Daniela's expressive eyes flashed with hurt and Ethan immediately realized that he had fucked up. She had trusted him to at the very least believe her, and he had damaged that trust with his off-hand dismissal. The short-lived hurt was replaced by a harsh defiance soon enough. "He stole from you, Ethan. I saw it with my own eyes."
Ethan scoffed, while reaching into his pants' back pocket in a bid to procure his wallet, which he aimed to demonstrate to Daniela to put an end to this disgraceful charade.
The pocket was empty.
A chill went down Ethan's spine as his fingers brushed against nothing but empty air, even as his brain tried to convince the man that his leather-bound wallet was surely still somewhere in there.
But… how?
Seeing Daniela distracted as she peered at Ethan, the thief attempted to free himself once again by roughly thrashing his whole body away from the redhead, succeeding in breaking her grip.
Of course, he likely came to regret his hasty move in the very next second, as Daniela swerved her body around and leapt upon him like a feral cat with lightning-fast speed, bringing them both down on the pavement, hard. With Daniela herself ending on top of the thief, there was nowhere for him left to run; though the vampire herself clearly grew enraged from his failed escape attempt.
A treacherous part of Ethan's mind was swift to assume that were things different, many men would not mind an attractive lady like Daniela mounting them like that… Of course, with his front facing the cold ground and her forearm savagely pressing against the back of his neck, the would-be thief was finding no joy from his unenviable predicament.
"You little rat. I'll show you what we do to thieves back home." The cold malice permeated her words. To Ethan, she sounded even more vicious now than she had been with Fabián the waiter. It felt as if back then she had been merely parroting her callous relatives when she had mistreated the waiter, but now… her own weight of conviction added an extra layer of vicious cruelty as she straddled the underage thief. Daniela really hated thieves, there was no mistaking that fact, not from the way her whole body was tense and positively radiated the intent to commit unspeakable violence. Ethan was certain that a tragedy would be unavoidable unless he intervened with all due haste.
With that realization in mind, Ethan swiftly approached the duo, and just in time. While still pressing one forearm to the thief's neck, Daniela had unzipped her hoodie and reached a free hand inside the chest area. It was hardly an erotic gesture; a deadly threat became obvious as soon a flash of steel glinted in the dying sunlight.
Ethan fearfully sucked in breath as he immediately recognized the hilt of that ornate dagger every Dimitrescu sibling apparently came equipped with. He still remembered the pain of having Bela cut his palm with it, just so her bitch of a mother could get a taste of him without sullying her pristine white dress. The shock of the fact that Daniela had carried this blade all along today had to take its place at the back of his mind, as his well-honed reflexes took over.
Before Daniela could retrieve the deadly weapon from whatever inner compartment her hoodie had, Ethan's firm hand shot to grasp her own wrist.
Without even looking at him, Daniela hissed out, "Let go, Ethan. The thief has to be punished." Still, she did not struggle to free her arm from his grasp; she waited for him to let go. It was his move now and Ethan knew that he could not afford to fuck up again, not with the subtle buzzing of the flies slowly rising in intensity as their tiny forms separated themselves from their mistress. The boy underneath Daniela whimpered audibly; Rose watched the scene unfold from several steps away, still and silent.
Ethan desperately wanted to yell, 'put the fucking blade away!' He just barely managed to suppress that desire; he had absolutely no desire to see just what the Dimitrescu family did to thieves back in their castle and even less for Rose to see the same.
"This is not how we do things around here, Daniela." The man spoke firmly, trying to convey his idea through both words and the tone. It took more than a little effort to hide panic from his voice.
"But he is a thief!" Daniela exclaimed, though Ethan's steadfast tone clearly toned her own conviction down a little; the buzzing of flies abated, if only slightly. "You can't let his kind get away with their vile acts! They take and they take, until you are left with nothing!"
There was definitely a story behind Daniela's passionate tirade, yet for now Ethan was hardly in the mood to hear it. "We punish them, alright, but in accordance with the law… and not like this!" Ethan exclaimed, exasperated, motioning with his eyes towards her concealed dagger.
Finally, Ethan's words somehow managed to get through to her. "I see…" The dagger faded back into the concealed pocket in the hoodie's inner side and the errant flies melded back into her flesh; Daniela's whole body lost some of its prior tension - she was no longer akin to a coiled spring but still did not appear to be in any particular hurry to release her captive.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Ethan cursed under his breath as a stocky form of a policeman hurriedly waddled towards them. While Ethan was not someone who referred to them with a local equivalent of 'pigs' - unlike some of his colleagues - he still did not hold the officers of the Valencian police force in the highest of regards.
Thankfully, the officer couldn't have possibly seen Daniela's wicked dagger - it would've complicated their situation immensely if he did.
Still, overcoming the initial unpleasant reaction, Ethan presumed that the officer's sudden appearance was a blessing. Not only could the policeman hopefully handle the thief himself, but Daniela would see how justice was done in their world first-hand.
Swiftly moving his hand from Daniela's wrist to her shoulder, Ethan squeezed the girl in a comforting motion, while whispering to her in a soft voice, "I'll handle this." Daniela gave him a light nod.
"We have reason to suspect that this young man has robbed us." Ethan addressed the approaching policeman with carefully faked calmness and politeness.
The obese policeman lumbered forth to stand next to the four of them, his oversized belly bouncing with every step. His uniform appeared to be stained with spots of grease and there was a slight hint of alcohol to his breath. The officer's misaligned badge introduced him as Gonzales Garrido. Ethan had to suppress a scoff at the law enforcer's slovenly appearance.
Ignoring the father's thin frown, Officer Gonzales leveled his scrutinizing gaze against the prone thief and the hooded redhead still mounting him first, then briefly glanced towards Ethan and the tiny form of Rosie who hid behind her father's leg. "Did he, now?" The policeman didn't appear too surprised or shocked to hear about a robbery taking place so close to a popular tourist spot. In hindsight, Ethan recalled an advisory that was circulating lately, warning about a spike in thievery around the city.
The overweight officer proceeded to impatiently wave a meaty hand at Daniela, with the unspoken command being obvious. The woman still hesitated, making Ethan whisper to her. "Get off of him, Dani… the officer will take care of it for us."
Fortunately, Daniela didn't argue and started to disentangle herself from the thief, first removing her forearm from his neck and then slowly standing up. It really appeared to Ethan that she was seriously contemplating giving the prone victim a nasty kick, but thankfully the redhead managed to restrain herself.
Gonzales smirked at the sight, mumbling under his breath something that sounded awfully like 'I see who the real man is in this family…' Ethan bristled at the notion, but refrained from demanding clarifications, just wanting all of this to be over as soon as possible.
Daniela had no such restraints, however, and as she observed Gonzales taking over the thief, smirked and said, "Everyone who made the mistake of underestimating Ethie came to regret it later." It was the truth that the mutants at the Baker's estate and that forsaken Romanian village came to know well. Still, Daniela's earnest compliment gave Ethan's stomach a peculiar yet pleasant feeling of warmth; the man shot her an appreciative smile, to which she returned a coy smirk of her own, as well as a light nod of her hooded head.
Not forgetting about his daughter, Ethan knelt down to embrace Rose in a warm hug, while whispering to her that everything was alright. To her credit, the girl didn't appear particularly distraught and merely glanced at her father, while still trying to gaze at the prone form of the thief.
The officer just scoffed at Daniela's remark as he brought the potential criminal up, giving his head a light bonk when he tried to break free. The lawman then proceeded to check the thief's wrist after rolling up the sleeve of his hoodie - the peculiar tattoo that he spotted there made Gonzales let out a satisfied grunt. Finally, the officer roughly patted his way down the criminal, soon recovering an awfully familiar leatherbound wallet from his hoodie's kangaroo pocket.
Somehow being able to wrangle the scrawny thief with just one of his meaty arms, Gonzales investigated the wallet with his other hand. Apparently satisfied the moment his beady eyes gazed at Ethan's photo in his ID card, Gonzales carelessly tossed the wallet towards its rightful owner, "Everything is in order?"
Ethan sighed at Gonzales' obvious lack of professionalism as he deftly caught his wallet before carefully checking its contents. His ID, driver's license, debit card and around two hundred euros in cash were all there. To think that he would've been none the wiser about losing all that stuff until he got home, if not for Daniela… Ethan suddenly felt extremely ashamed of not believing her from the start. "Everything seems to be in place…" Ethan mumbled, while glancing Daniela's way, who was giving him a knowing smirk.
Handcuffing the resigned thief, Gonzales grunted, before addressing Ethan and Daniela. "Normally, you'd have to follow me to the station to submit an official report, but let's be real, I don't have time for that, and I assume that neither do you."
While a certain part of Ethan balked at such disregard for the protocol, this worked out just as well for them. He had no desire to drag Rose and Daniela to a police station, after all. "Works for us."
"Alright then. Have a good evening and remain vigilant of pickpockets at all times." The officer recited the phrase in a bored tone before departing with the thief in tow, not even sparing any of them a further glance.
Apparently, seeing the hated thief being dragged off towards his grim fate, if not in chains, than in handcuffs was enough to satisfy Daniela's vicious streak, as she let out a proud hum. "What will they do to him?"
Figuring out that she meant the thief, Ethan responded unsurely, as he had no precise knowledge of how severely petty theft was punished in Spain. "A month behind bars and a fine, maybe? More if he is a repeat offender."
Daniela's lips shifted into an unhappy line. Clearly she considered that punishment to be woefully insufficient - if it had been up to her, that thief would likely be physically incapable of stealing ever again, after all. The woman grumbled a bit about humans and their soft ways, before turning to gaze down at Rose, who spoke for the first time after leaving Bioparc grounds, in such a sad tone, as well.
"Maybe he didn't do bad things because he is a bad person, but because things are bad to him."
To hear such a deep thought from such a young child was truly stunning, momentarily stealing the capacity of speech from both Daniela and Ethan. The latter responded after several moments of consideration as he stared at the departing backs of the thief and the policeman. "You're right, honey… he can't have an easy life…"
Daniela remained silent, but it was obvious that she was also deep in thought. Perhaps she never even considered before that someone would steal from her family out of something other than the simple desire to harm them.
Regardless, Ethan felt like expressing his gratitude to the perceptive redhead. Without her timely intervention he would've experienced quite an inconvenience by losing all that stuff he had in the wallet. Turning around to regard the woman with a genuine smile on his face, Ethan did something bold by suddenly engulfing her smaller hand with his own.
"Thanks, Dani… I really owe you one for this." Daniela smiled at him, appearing truly happy to be of use, but Ethan wasn't done yet. Clearing his throat, the man continued, "And I am sorry for not trusting you from the start. You deserve better than to have me dismiss your concerns like that… it's just the whole situation was a bit weird to see…" Ethan was rambling now, but Daniela didn't seem to mind. She squeezed his hand with affection.
"It's alright, Ethie. Trust is earned; not granted - and I have not yet done enough to earn your trust. But I will." The determination was unmistakable in the final part of her statement.
Ethan suddenly wanted to argue that she did, as a matter of fact, done enough to win his trust by aiding him during their castle encounter four years ago. More than enough, considering just how much that act of help had meant for both him and Rose. Before he could vocalize his thoughts, however, a brief but forceful hug expelled the memories of his gruesome past from his mind.
Daniela's gestures of affection were always so passionate; it did not take much thought for Ethan to return it by softly wrapping his arms around her back. Again, he could only silently marvel at just how right it felt to hold her slender body like this…
"And you don't owe me anything, Ethan." The woman spoke gently even as she still held onto him. "You can't even imagine what today meant for me." Ethan was completely taken off guard by the sheer amount of emotion in her voice. "To see this vast, beautiful world, with you guys by my side… I have never been as happy as I was today."
Daniela gently broke their embrace and took a step back, only to gaze into his eyes with a small but meaningful smile on her lovely face. "Thank you, Ethan…" Ethan was starstruck by her beauty in this moment as the last rays of the fading sun illuminated her fair features in soft orange colors. The woman continued, kneeling before Rose and taking the girl in an affection hug as well; with the child doing her best to return the favor. "And thank you, Rose, for giving me a chance. I apologize for not acting as a proper lady should, especially in your presence."
Rose mumbled something in return, but her voice was too muffled by the hug for Ethan to decipher it; though he was certain that there was a 'friend' mentioned somewhere in there.
With his heart melting from the wholesome sight, the man spoke, "We were happy to have you with us today, Dani. It was fun." It was, wasn't it? Despite the chaos and uncertainty Daniela brought everywhere she went, Ethan truly had a joyous day, with even the incident at the cafe and what just happened in this parking lot appearing more amusing than unsettling to him now. Ten years from now, Ethan could vividly imagine himself recalling this day with nothing but fondness. A precious memory, made with precious people by one's side, could last a lifetime.
"Let's get home, girls."
Smiling, the girls stood to face him as they both nodded in agreement. This unforgettable Sunday was drawing to a close, but all three of them were already eager to see just what kind of surprises the next week had in store for them.
Author's Note: I'll probably tone down on chapter notes from now on, to better preserve the sense of narration. Still, I want you guys and gals to know that I really appreciate your time. Any feedback is always welcome, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Have a wonderful week, everybody!