After once again having to resort to helping the stagehands and passing out the novelty treats, Nyx couldn't concentrate on watching the performance play out in front of the jam packed audience.
The word variant kept ringing in her ears. She doesn't feel like she's different from other vampires. She feeds on blood like them, she flits like them - she doesn't know if they can turn like her but she never saw that in both her monster and her new master.
And being presented to the Princes? The palms of her hands became sweaty just thinking about that. If she was going to be given to them like a play thing, she'll freak out, though that was truly not the case.
Though Nyx has been a vampire for a long time, there is so much she doesn't understand or comprehend in this dark, unforgiving world she walks within. Her child-like mind has a long way to go before she could fully understand it all. Even though she has suffered greatly over her young years, she still retained some sort of innocence to certain things.
After the show, Nyx and Lefty, the little person that walked with a limp walked next to her in silence as she went to scavenge food for the blue cloak troops.
Though she has never heard any of them say a word, Lefty in its own way tried to keep an eye on her when others were busy. She didn't mind the creature, and she didn't mind the shared silence.
When a scent of a cat wafts close, she turns to Lefty, having a hand up to signal it to stay put before she crouches down.
Stealthily walking towards a pile of junk, her eyes narrowed as she watched carefully. A few moments later, the cat she smelled climbed out of the pile with a rat in its mouth. Jumping when seeing the little girl and scurries.
Nyx quickly went after it, having some experience in hunting and chasing animals in her tormented years. She grabs the cat's tail in a flash and holds it up in the air.
The cat lets go of the rat to turn and twist around and try to bite and claw her. Only to have her reach out and shoved her nails right into the feline's neck, piercing its flesh and ripping it's throat with ease.
Its yowls whimpered to no sounds at all as the blood drained. Nyx stuck her nose up at the blood, knowing that she can't feed on it.
Cats are cute but they taste yucky.
Lefty approached her with the bag used for carrying prey. It held the bag open for her.
Nyx tossed the cat in the bag before scooping the dead rat and threw it in there as well.
These Little People would eat pretty much anything. Including mud. Evra often joked that they have no taste buds, Nyx was inclined to believe that.
The sound of heavy breathing caused her to look up at the rooftop. Seeing a familiar figure sitting on the ledge watching her.
"Hey, Nyx!" Gavner called out once she spotted him.
The vampire jumped down and easily landed on his feet in front of the two.
Nyx shuffles back from him while Lefty stands in front of her and acts like it was guarding her.
"Well ain't this familiar." The general muttered, recalling the last time he saw Little People and the same protective motion. Talk about a case of Deja Vu.
Pretty sure it was snarling underneath its mask.
"W-what do you want?" Nyx asked, looking up at him.
Gavner raised his hands up, now standing she could see his two large knives strapped to his hips. "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm about to be on my way and I'm wondering if you don't mind taking a walk with me?" He asked her. Trying to proceed as non threatening as possible for the little kid.
He then lowers his hands and stuffed one in his pockets. "Larten has told me a few things about you but there are still a few things that I need to clear up before I report back to the Princes." He said.
Nyx shifted her gaze to the ground, thinking if she should go ahead or take off…
But if Larten says not to worry, then she won't.
"Okay. Hey, Lefty, go and head on back with the others, I'll be fine." Nyx softly said to the blue robe creature.
It didn't say anything but it grabbed the sack it dropped a second ago and then limped off to where the others were placed.
Gavner watched it limp off. "How many act like that around you?" He questioned.
He would be inclined to think she may be an offspring of Mr. Tiny if Larten hadn't said so.
"Only one." Nyx muttered.
Gavner hummed, then studied her bloody hands, having seen her kill that cat. "Did Larten teach you to hunt?"
Nyx shook her head. "No… it was trial and error on my own. " She muttered uncomfortably, wiping her bloody hands on her pants.
The two began walking around, Nyx made sure to keep her distance from the older vampire but easily matched his stride.
After a moment of thinking, Gavner spoke. "Like I said, Larten told me a few things about you, but in order for me to do my job, I'm going to need you to tell me everything you know about the one who blooded you." Gavner said.
With what injuries were described, Gavner wants to help the little girl what he can.
"Are you going to kill him when you find him?" She asked him.
Gavner nodded with a hardened expression. "The one who blooded you shouldn't ever turn you. Children don't understand the nature of the risk they're taking. That's why we have a rule that children should never be blooded. In the case of Children, the shock of the change is difficult to withstand, combined with what you've suffered, whoever did it will have to be accounted for."
"As long as I don't get to be in the same place as him, I hope he does." She said, her eyes glowered in response.
It was no mistake Nyx has a strong hatred for the monster who blooded her. Many a night she had hoped he somehow dies in the more gruesome and violent ways yet. But most of all, she prays to never see him again.
"In order for me to do my job, I need your help." Gavner said. "His name first off, that will help out a lot."
Nyx went silent after that. For thirty years of captivity, she had to think long and hard to even remember if he ever gave out a name. For the longest time, she never heard him say his name. She always referred to him as the monster. Eventually she does recall him being drunk one night and he slurred out a name, declaring sick things to her. Even more so in the recent years before she escaped.
She looked at Gavner then. "Silas… his name is Silas Hornsby. He has dark hair, green eyes…. Black veins all over him."
Gavner raised a brow. "Black veins?"
She nodded. She trembled in thought of him. "The black veins were something that developed over time after he started… " she closed her eyes and as she felt tears coming again. Parts of her body still felt sore from him touching her from his mouth to other parts of him.
"Started what?" Gavner asked, seeing her shaking.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "N… Nevermind." She said, not wanting to say it, in fear if she did, other vampires would come at her. "He's a really bad man… I don't want him to hurt me ever again… can you make that happen?"
Gavner stared at her,but he wasn't going to push her. He stopped walking and knelt down to her level. "Listen, that bastard is gonna get what's coming, don't you worry. You've been a big help telling me this.
"Now, you're in good hands with Larten. He's widely respected among our kind. Truly the best, he used to be a great general on the verge of becoming a prince."
"I've been meaning to ask about that." Nyx said.
"About Princes?" He asked and she nodded. "It's what we call our leaders. There are very few of them and only the noblest and most respectable vampires are elected." He explained and giggled seeing the gears in the girl's head going.
Nyx faintly recalls tales of Royal Princes rescuing princesses and fighting dragons and such. Trying to picture Larten being one with a crown and all was something she wasn't expecting but it somehow fits him.
"But alas he stepped down before it was finalized." He sighed then. "And then left and disappeared on us all on his own."
"Why? " The tiny girl asked.
Gavner shrugged. "No one knows, he has his reasons." He said, then giving her a soft smile. "Listen, Nyx, no matter what happens, stick with Larten. Trust him and you won't go wrong. Can't ask for a better teacher. This world as you know can be very dangerous for vampires, stick with Larten and learn everything he teaches you."
Nyx nodded in response, blushing a little. "I do trust him, a lot."
Gavner chuckled, "As one does. You know, we're not so different, you and I. Larten took care of me when I was much younger. Took me in when my old sire failed. Us strays have to stick together, you know?" He winked at her and she giggled.
"Just how old are you and Larten? "She asked.
"Uh Larten, I believe he's either 180 or 200. Can't say for sure." He grinned once he saw Nyx's little mind explode. "As for me, I'm a whippersnapper barely past the 100 mark. Got my sights on a thousand though!" And proceeded to relish on her mind trying to compute that.
"Try and imagine blowing candles off of that cake!" He said, sneaking out a hand and ruffled her hair. Nyx was too busy having her mind blown to register him touching her.
He then stood and stretched his limbs and groaned. "Oof, places to go, people to meet I'll be seeing you around, Nyx."
"You're leaving?" Nyx asked, a little disappointed that he was leaving already.
Gavner nodded. "Got a few more things to take care of before I embark for the Mountain to tell the Princes about your case. This won't be the last time you'll be seeing me. You have those who got your back, kid. "
"Okay, see you later. " She said, waving at him.
Gavner grinned and said, "If you have a chance to annoy the old man, do it as much as you can. Larten does need to lighten up a bit after walking around constantly with a stick up his butt."
Nyx let out a laugh at that. The sound of her laugh was infectious.
"Larten will be leaving soon too." He said lastly.
Nyx stopped laughing to ask him why, but the vampire had already flitted off into the night.
Larten's leaving…? Nyx thought. And suddenly made her very anxious and nervous about that.