Teeth and Whispers [Gladis & Z3N]

[Z3N]

 

 

Name: Toji Asaoka.

Age: 24.

Gender: Male.

Species: Human.

 

 

 

There he was, standing in front of the mansion that was supposed to be abandoned and even haunted by some resources. Saying that ghosts had been spotted before, even having heard footsteps coming up and down the stairs. Toji however was really sceptic about it as the so-called documentary they had showed about the building reeked of fake. Honestly, why would they never show the so-called ghost and the footsteps always come from so far away even though they were standing close. It didn’t help that he was really excited about it and his expectations got crushed at once after seeing the video. His friends thought the same thing but still somewhat believed that there was a chance that it could be true. Eventually giving Toji the assignment to investigate the building and take a picture as proof that he had been in there. Blame it on his fascination for the occult but he accepted the challenge.

 

His eyes overlooked the building that was standing in front of him. The kids in the neighbourhood always quickened their pace as they passed by it due to the appearance. Well, he did have to admit that it looked pretty old and ominous with the crows sitting on the branches of the dead trees in the front yard. If it only had a nice cleaning, it wouldn’t be so scary anymore. If only one was courageous enough to take it upon themselves but that didn’t seem to be the case anytime soon. Letting out a sigh as he felt like he was getting himself into something troublesome. He had just moved to the UK a year ago after learning English diligently in Japan so he didn’t need any more problematic things for the meantime.

 

Hesitating to go inside or not, but eventually his curiosity took over the more he thought about the possible outcomes that weren’t really possible. Pushing the gate open with a creaking noise, indicating how old the thing must have been. Slowly crossing the yard before reaching the front door of the mansion. Oddly enough it wasn’t locked so one less problem he had to face. It was quite neat inside, it’d be even better if it there wasn’t dust hanging around. Turning his face to the door before taking a selfie with the peace sign. Even sticking his tongue out while at it.

 

Adjusting his backpack after having put his cell phone into his pocket and then started to explore the house. Luckily he came in at daylight so he didn’t need to worry about dark spots where he would need a flashlight. Though sometimes there were such cases so he used the light on his phone to make his way through, deeper and deeper inside of the building until he found himself completely and utterly lost. Groaning in annoyance as he couldn’t seem to find the exit anymore, walking around in circles before spotting a door he didn’t manage to spot before.

 

Opening it only to be met with a room covered in complete darkness. In the middle of it a coffin was presented which made him widen his eyes as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing right now. “No, no, no. This can’t be true, I mean… Stuff like that doesn’t really exist right? But what if they were true, I wouldn’t be completely crazy. Then again, what if a monster pops out and kills me on the spot… That wouldn’t be good. I just found myself a nice job too so it’d suck if I would die now. But this is a once in a lifetime chance, come on me.” He talked to himself as if he was actually having a conversation with someone. Eventually he moved over towards the coffin and placed his hands on the edge so he could open up the thing.

 

Pushing it over, he was met with something that looked like a human being. But it didn’t rot or anything, it was still perfectly intact. Once the monster opened his eyes, at the same time a spider creeped down in front of him which made him scream and go backwards. Falling down on his butt as he pointed towards the creature without being able to utter a single word. His eyes full of fear as he looked at it. “Kill it ! The spider ! It’s moving…” He yelled as he was absolutely scared of those things, even more than a random monster popping up out of nowhere.

[Gladis]

 

Name:

Vincent Blackwater

 

Age:

Looks like he’s in his early to mid 20s

 

Gender:

Male

 

Species:

Vampire

 

The very moment the lid of the coffin was removed, something within began to stir. A pair of eyes, as fiery red as the crimson sky on a summer night's eve snapped open. He only managed to catch a glimpse of a face before the room erupted in a horrible shriek, soon followed by a soft thud. Well, he supposed it was only natural. Most would be surprised to see a moving corpse. Except, as it turned out, that wasn’t even what the human was screeching about.

 

A frown creased Vincent’s fair features as he slowly rose from his coffin. He was as pale as the newly fallen snow, locks of gold whipping about his shoulders. His clothes, though tailored by hand from the finest of cloth, and adorned with exquisite embroidery would have seemed outdated to any 21st century individual. Breeches and frills had after all long since gone out of fashion. Once he stood upright, he fastened his crimson gaze upon the intruder, his eyes gleaming as they caught the light of the device on the floor.

 

”You dare disturb my slumber, human?” He asked, his voice as soft as the silk he wore, yet threatening all the same. In a single graceful movement he stepped out of the coffin, his buckled leather shoes clicking softly every time they came down on the hard, stone floor. He stopped only a small distance in front of the pathetic looking human, crouching down before roughly grabbing hold of his jaw, pulling his face closer for inspection. ”No, there has to be some kind of mistake…” he murmured, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. ”You look nothing like her.” Leaning closer, he sniffed twice, though this only caused his frown to deepen. ”Yet your scent resembles hers, if only by an ounce… and you are a man.” Just to make sure his suspicions were right, he ran his free hand across the human’s chest, still keeping his jaw in an iron grip. The young man’s body felt pleasantly warm to Vincent’s icy touch, though there was no denying the fact that beneath his strange and according to Vincent ugly shirt – he was flat as a board.

 

”How peculiar...” he noted, pursing his lips before finally letting go of the human. He stood back up, glancing around the room as though trying to find answers to unspoken questions. He stepped over to the old, finely crafted desk which stood against the wall near his coffin, gently sliding his fingers across the surface. Dust clung to him like a child to their mother. ”For how long have I been asleep?” He asked wearily, the question more directed at himself than anyone else. Then he swirled around to face the human once more. ”What year is it, boy?

[Z3N]

When the unfamiliar voice spoke, revealing the man who had been in the coffin before, he was confused as to what he was seeing right then and there. It couldn’t be true, this had to be a prank set up by one of his friends. Though they didn’t even dare to set foot in this mansion before as it looked creepy so it couldn’t be them after all. Staring blankly towards the tall man in front of him as he sat down on the ground, forgotten about the spider who would’ve probably already disappeared by his scream that was near to ear deafening. Anyone would be startled after hearing that kind of thing and probably run since they were in a mansion like this, it would be a natural reaction unless they were more to the odd side.

 

Toji couldn’t really utter a word as the man said those things, his mind still processing what was happening right now. Luckily the flashlight on his cell phone was still switched on so he wouldn’t be in complete darkness with this stranger. Holding his breath as the other came closer to him, taking in every feature before starting to remember all the traits of the monsters he had looked up before when he was bored. If he was right, this person had to be a vampire. The coffin was one of the main factors as to why he came to the conclusion but also due to the way out of date clothes the male was wearing. Unless he was into cosplaying but he doubted that to the fullest.

 

The problem now was, due to his absentmindedness, he was caught in a grip that was stronger than that of the average human being. He couldn’t even move his face for an inch. Being slightly ticked off as his chest was being touched without a warning, this guy just blurted out whatever he wanted without thinking about Toji’s feelings. Muttering some incomprehensible words under his breath once he was let go of, consisting of swear words for most of the part in Japanese so he was sure the other couldn’t understand him anyway.

 

Slowly standing up as well, before rolling his eyes dramatically to the question. “First of all, don’t go groping me all of a sudden. I’ll seriously find a way to kick your ass if you do it again without warning. Second of all, it’s 2018… 20th March.” He responded to the male with a slightly annoyed undertone to his voice as he wasn’t too appreciative of the actions from before. Rubbing the bridge of his nose as he looked around the room a bit more in detail. “So… I guess you’re not completely human, right? I mean… Nobody would survive in that thing for such a long time and still look the way you do.” He asked, crossing his arms as he looked at the male.

[Gladis]

”2018… you say?” Vincent echoed, appearing to sink into deep thought for a moment. He tapped his chin, quickly subtracting from the number in his head. Then he paused. Had he really been asleep for that long? No wonder then, that he felt ravenous. A vampire could sleep decades without ever needing to feed, but even then there was a limit to how long they could manage. Vincent realized that at this point, he must be running on fumes. If he didn’t feed soon… his hand found automatically found his throat, which felt dry to the point of burning. It seemed a wonder he could even control himself around the human, remaining surprisingly composed. Only his quivering hands might have given him away, and right then he was certain it was too dark for the young man to even notice.

 

The question about whether he wasn’t completely human seemed to amuse Vincent, for his lips pulled back into a grin, fangs glimmering in the blue-ish light of the human’s peculiar torch. ”Clever boy~,” he mused, clapping his hands twice. At first one might have mistaken it for mockery, but when moments later the candles lit up seemingly without any human intervention, casting light and shadows across the windowless room it became clear that his intentions had been something else. Vincent had no problems seeing in the dark, and had to remind himself of the fact that humans senses are considerably duller. ”Although, I suppose it hardly takes a genius to figure that out. Now, if you’re done dilly-dallying around – the two of us have plenty of work ahead of us. This mansion won’t be cleaning itself.” By then he head already turned his back on Toji, simply expecting the youth to follow as he made his way into the corridor. ”Although before that if I may–” he stopped in his stride, raising a gloved hand before turning around to look at the human once more.

 

”I need you to find me a snack. More than a century in that coffin has left me starving, so I won’t be picky. A back alley whore or an orphan off the street will do – avoid taking anyone who might be missed. We would hate to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. Are we clear?” He smiled as though he’d just made a perfectly normal, perfectly innocent request.

[Z3N]

When the male seemed to be slightly confused about the date, it only confirmed his assumptions even more. He didn’t know if he should be really excited or actually scared by the presence of an actual occult being as it was the first time he encountered one. Well, besides the spirit that had been haunting in the middle school he had been going to, it was a friendly spirit so it wasn’t problematic at all as they could just have a normal conversation. He didn’t tell anybody about it but his friends who came to see the spirit with their own eyes. At first they were scared to death but once they got to actual talking they actually liked the presence of the other. However it seemed like the spirit had always wanted friends and once that wish got fulfilled, he was able to move on to the next realm whatever that might’ve been. He didn’t really believe in the afterlife once passed on, only darkness would greet him like it should. It was quite the experience to say the least about it.

 

He was pulled back out of his thoughts by the voice of the person that had just miraculously woken up from a long slumber. Not to forget, he even emerged from a freaking coffin. He tilted his head to the side however when the male asked for food. More in particular, asking for a human being to quench his thirst. With a slightly opened mouth, he followed behind the vampire as he couldn’t believe his own ears right then. “Are you an idiot? I can’t just go and drag somebody like that here without anybody getting suspicious… It’s not the medieval time you know, it’s the twenty-first century.” He responded slightly shocked by how the other was so casual about all of this. Groaning as he thought about a way he could relieve the thirst from the other.

 

“I could get you an animal, there are some cows in the back but I can’t get you humans. And if you’re not satisfied with an animal… I guess you’ll have to take me since I woke you from your sleep. Just try not to kill me…” He suggested, the last part was more reluctant as he didn’t want to actually become the food of an occult creature going on like he was the freaking king of this country. Golden eyes looking straight towards the vampire as he sighed and started to explain a bit more about current society: “Humans will always be sought after now, even if they were poor or abandoned. There will always be someone to report it to the authorities who will investigate and that’ll put you into great trouble as it’ll be classified as a serial killing. Especially if you do it more than three times.

 

“So what is it going to be? The cow or me?” He asked.

[Gladis]

Vincent’s lips twisted in dissatisfaction at the Koji’s response. How troublesome. Had the justice system really improved as the human proclaimed? In that case Vincent’s life was going to become considerably more difficult. During his time people would disappear left and right. Especially those who were too poor and meaningless to matter. Who really if some random street urchin lived or died? On the contrary – some might even have called it a charity to take the poor things off the streets, even if only to grant them the eternal kiss of death. Things would rarely ended well for their kind – that was something Vincent himself could attest to. Besides, come winter they would likely end up dead or kidnapped anyway. It was hardly anything to cry over.

 

That said, he didn’t exactly want to cause trouble for himself or the youth. No matter how much he was struggling with the idea that this boy… this 21st century brat was… no, even to think it would be to admit it. So then, what were his choices, really? The cow wasn’t an option. If it was, wouldn’t he have changed his diet ages ago? It wasn’t as though he took joy in killing, and his dependency on human blood was all but practical. In which case…

 

He sighed heavily, folding his arms across his chest. He smiled, yet there was something weary about the look on his face. ”You are brave lad, very brave. Perhaps not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I suppose the two tend to go hand in hand. Not many would offer their own blood to save the skin of others…” he trailed off, almost instinctively reaching out to gently brush the back of his hand against his cheek. Yet remembering the youth’s warning he stopped himself midway, his hand dropping limbly back to his side. Sadness lingered in his gaze, if only for a brief moment. Perhaps there was some of her in him after all. Just maybe. She’d had that same look of fearless determination in her eyes.

 

”I suppose this once, you will do. However, I would rather not let it turn into a habit, so we will have to think of a better solution for the future.”

[Z3N]

When he was called brave, he wasn’t too sure how to take it. But he guessed that his sacrifice meant a good thing as nobody else had to suffer through this at all and they could be left alone. Honestly, he didn’t even feel afraid of the vampire in front of him as he didn’t feel anything really threatening oozing out of the male. It was weird but he was being true to himself here. The last thing he would ever do was to put someone else in a dangerous situation just to save his own skin. It was what a coward would do.

 

When his hand stopped touching his cheek and a sad look in his eyes could be seen, he wondered if he said something wrong to the other. Though he couldn’t recall what exactly it was as he didn’t feel like he was being hostile to the other. Chuckling however when he heard what the vampire said about this situation. Well, he didn’t mind being the life source of someone if it couldn’t be any different. It actually gave him a good feeling about this as he was the one who was being needed for once. He liked it however the thought about getting bitten and his blood sucked was a bit grim as he didn’t know what to expect from it. He just hoped he wouldn’t get sucked dry.

 

“Ah, but before you bite me, it’s better to introduce ourselves don’t you think so? My name is Toji Asaoka, a twenty-four year old who is currently working in a noodle shop in the centre of the city. Nice to meet you.” He introduced himself politely as he wanted to know something more of this vampire. He couldn’t possibly just call him Vamp or Vamp Boy. That would be one awkward thing to go through especially if they ever decided to go out and people would hear the nickname. The cringe would be real.

[Gladis]

Vincent blinked, appearing slightly surprised by the youth’s statement. ”Oh!” He exclaimed, ”my sincerest apologies! In all my haste, I have completely forgotten formal introductions. How terribly rude of me. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Asaoka,” Vincent swept an elegant bow, gently taking hold of Toji’s hand to kiss the back of it. Then, once he had straightened back up he smiled pleasantly, his fangs once again glinting in the flickering candle light. ”I am Vincent, Lord of Blackwater. Welcome to my estate,” he gestured around the hallway, ”If I had known I would be receiving guests I would have made sure to have this place tidied up.” He chuckled softly before turning on his heels he continued his stride through the hallway. ”Well now, come along. Although I imagine it has stood unused for a rather long time, the parlour is bound to be more comfortable than this old stuffy hallway.”

 

Up the staircase they went, and then into another corridor. With only a candle and a cellphone to light the way, most of the passages had seemed very dark and threatening. Yet here there were large windows, the moon casting its silver light across the wooden floor and painted walls.

 

”Toji Asaoka is a very interesting name,” he noted, perhaps as an attempt to fill the silence, ”I have never heard one quite like it. Would it be wrong of me to presume you are not from here?” Not only did his name sound foreign, but now that Vincent thought about it, he realized that the boy also looked the part. In appearance he reminded him a bit of the settler’s from the far east.

 

As he spoke, the doors to the parlour swung open – seemingly by themselves, and just like in the cellar the the candles came to life, bathing the room in a warm orange glow. This room appeared a lot tidier than the the basement had, as though someone had actually bothered to keep it neat over the years. It was covered in neither dust nor cobwebs, every candle holder held a candle and the furniture had been left just as Vincent remember it. This pleased him, the ghost of a smile touching his lips.

 

”You will want to take a seat, as having your blood drained, even in smaller quantities may cause you to become dizzy.”

[Z3N]

The way the vampire spoke was amusing as he wasn’t used to this kind of thing in the slightest. Most people didn’t talk like that anymore either unless they were from a really old fashioned family which had quite a sum of money. He never met one of those though. Luckily. The way he would have needed to act if he did was utter cringeworthy as it wasn’t exactly something fit for him. Even those who didn’t know him only had to take one look at him to know that he was more of the casual side, not thinking too much about things as he didn’t want to. If he did, he wouldn’t be the person he was today. The easy-going Toji from England. It was just a matter of like and dislike in his case, no in-between.

 

When his name was complimented, he felt a bit happy inside as nobody said that before. They just thought it was an odd name, nothing more nothing less. Well, where he came from it wasn’t so unusual. Nodding towards the commentary of Vincent. “Yeah, I’m from Japan. I moved here a year ago.” He responded to the other casually as there was nothing embarrassing about his past. Of course in the beginning it was a little tough since he had to speak a completely different language but due to his preparation, it went well. During the year he had been here, it was near to perfect. He did struggle with difficult words though as he didn’t hear them that often.

 

Once they reached the parlour after going up the stairs, his mouth was shaped in an ‘o’-form as he was surprised by how this place was kept so well unlike the other parts of the mansion. Looking around for a little as he was mesmerized by the objects laying around. Nothing out of the ordinary but these thing had been here for who knew how long. It was interesting to say the least. His interest for the occult going to an all time high right then and there.

 

Sitting down on one of the sofa’s as suggested. He indeed didn’t want to make a faceplant on the ground for being dizzy. That would’ve been quite a sight. Taking of his hat, laying it on the coffee table in front so it wouldn’t be in the way too much. “So… I guess you take it from the neck?” He commented as already started brushing some of his hair out of the way so Vincent could reach it without having anything unnecessary in his mouth. Grinning mischievously towards the other as he thought about something. “Also don’t worry about garlic, it’s been a while since I ate anything with that in it.” Chuckling at himself like an idiot.

[Gladis]

”Japan?” Vincent asked, a slight frown creasing his forehead. It sounded only vaguely familiar, and he couldn’t quite recall where he’d heard it before. So, with the risk of sounding uneducated, he asked carefully – ”Is that a part of China?” His knowledge of the far east was more or less limited to the gossip and rumors he’d heard heard about the chinese seamen migrating to the port cities over the course of the last decade or so. He’d never had much of a reason to educate himself more on the matter. Furthermore, he was surprised to learn that Toji had only come to England a year ago. ”Your English is very good, if that’s the case.” He complimented, sitting down beside him on the sofa. Then he shook his head.

 

”If my intentions were to kill you, I would go for the neck. It’s the fastest and least painful way to drain a body of blood. However, since those are not my intentions, it is considerably safer to draw it from your wrist. So, if you’ll allow me…” he reached out, gently grabbing hold of Koji’s hand. Again he noted how warm it felt in his deathly cold grasp. It was… nice. ”Now, you have to promise that you will keep still. It would be very unfortunate if I ended up tearing open a wound. There’s no need for you to worry. It doesn’t hurt. Not much, anyway. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.” A little too pleasantly, perhaps. That was one of the reasons he didn’t want to turn this into a habit. It was easy to become addicted to the ecstatic high caused by a vampire’s bite, but it was not as easy to get rid of that addiction once it truly was allowed to take hold. It was another thing Vincent only knew all too well.

 

At the mention of garlic, his lips curled into a smile. ”It is a mere rumor that garlic is lethal to my kind. However, I am still pleased to hear that, as I neither like the taste nor the smell of it.” In fact, the blood of someone who had recently consumed garlic always tended to leave a bad aftertaste in his mouth.

 

Without further ado, Vincent raised Toji’s hand to his lips, bowing his head slightly to meet the soft skin of his wrist. His razor sharp fangs pierced the smooth skin almost effortlessly, a familiar taste of salt and iron exploding on his tongue. Slowly but surely the burning sensation in his throat began to subside, and with every passing moment, the vampire himself seemed to grow warmer, almost as though the blood was bringing life back into his undead body.

[Z3N]

Toji nodded when Japan was mentioned, that was where he came from. Though the question that followed made his mouth fall open as there was actually someone who didn’t know where Japan was situated. At least the continent was right but that was about it. He rubbed the back of his neck as he shook his head. “It’s not. It’s an island and not a part of China.” He explained calmly. This was the first time he had actually said this to anyone who was a grown up. Most people knew it was a country on its own but he guessed that the vampire had been asleep for such a long time, it was bound to be not known. But still it was quite a shock for him as he didn’t expect it in the slightest.

 

The compliment was however nice to hear as he had practiced the language until late in the night for several weeks until he became a complete master of it. Well, the casual talk was easy, the more difficult words were still a hassle as he had to look them up so he would know what they meant by it. When he was being told about the wrist, he felt more sure about this. So the guy didn’t want to kill him after all, maybe he was some kind of saviour for the vampire which could be interesting. The fact that it wouldn’t hurt too much either was a good thing as he wasn’t too fond of feeling pain. So when it could be avoided, he did without a second thought unless if there was some kind of reasoning behind it.

 

The garlic comment made him nod silently as he got some new information again. One thing was sure, he really loved the occult more than he thought. A normal human being would’ve already ran out of the building as fast as they could without looking back. Perhaps he was just a little weird for not doing so.

 

Once the teeth pierced his skin, he hissed slightly but the pain went away almost immediately. He felt some kind of heat spreading through his body but besides that, nothing really happened. Just sitting there while taking out his cell phone, scrolling through the social media, liking pictures here and there to keep himself busy. He did start to feel dizzy though by the blood that was taken from him yet there was no sick making side effect that he would throw up or anything. It was just a bit unpleasant that he couldn’t really focus on anything.

[Gladis]

As he fed, Vincent could almost feel how his own body was beginning to warm up, as though the blood were returning life to the undead. A little color even seemed to touch his cheeks, though the difference was so miniscule that it might hardly have mattered. If he were to drain Toji entirely, things would have been different. To drink the blood of humans was the only way for a vampire to truly get warm – to feel alive, if only for a fleeting moment. Perhaps that was why most of his kind were so inclined towards draining their victims entirely. Once they had started, it was difficult to stop – the desire to feel that sweet warmth of life overpowering any sense of reason. To keep the human alive was a hassle, especially in that raw, untamed moment of bloodlust. Yet that was exactly what Vincent had promised to do. So, far from feeling satisfied, he forced himself to withdraw his fangs before they’d reached a point where Toji might begin to suffer permanent damage from the bloodloss.

 

Vincent licked the excess blood off the two punctured holes on the human’s wrist, barely wider than what might have been caused by a needle, before he straightened up to have a proper look at Toji’s face. Unsurprisingly, he had grown rather pale.

 

”Are you quite alright?” Vincent asked softly, and there was almost a caring tenderness to his voice. ”Man who hails not from China.” He added with a slight smile, gently tucking a few loose strands of Toji’s hair behind his ear. Then he stood up, dramatically clasping his hands together. ”You must not think it safe to stand just yet, young sir. I will have a servant fetch you a glass of- oh.” He cut himself off as soon as he realized that he no longer had any staff at his beck and call. Logically speaking, they would all have already left or died. Most likely a combination of the two. Besides, the wine he had intended to serve Toji would most likely have turned to vinegar by then. Even wine meant to age would only last for so long.

 

He hung his head. ”My sincerest apologies; it seems I have neither food nor drink to offer.” Then he paused, his blood red gaze falling on the strange device in Toji’s hand. He had noticed it before, but only now did it strike him as strange. ”Forgive my curiosity, sir, but what manner of witchcraft do you hold in your hands?” He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. ”I find its glow to be rather peculiar.”

[Z3N]

Toji didn't mind the slight stinging at the beginning, it passed by rather quickly so he just had to sit there while doing nothing. It was odd that his blood was being sucked by a vampire nonetheless. A creature that was supposed to only exist in myths and what not. It was not that he disliked the turn of tides but he just couldn't process the whole thing completely. But feeling pain for only a split second was the indication that he was definitely not dreaming right now. He let out a deep sigh as his thoughts started to go in circles like a cycle that didn't stop unless he felt like it. Once the other pulled back from his wrist, probably because he had enough, Toji stared into the creature's eyes with a wondering glance. Not asking anything however as he did feel a bit dizzy by the sudden blood loss.

 

Humming in response towards Vincent with a light smile as he didn't mind it too much. Blame it on his easy-going personality for taking it so lightly as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Chuckling when he heard the other talking like that, make him completely sure that the vampire wasn't from this era and had been asleep for a long period of time. He leaned back into the sofa to catch a breath, letting his eyes roam around again at the beautiful interior of the room. "Well, it would be pretty weird if there was still a servant here don't you think? Even more since you've been asleep for who knew how long." He commented to the other, laughing silently as he didn't want to offend the other too much.

 

When he was asked about the device in his hand, he tilted his head to the side as he guessed he would need to explain about it now. "It's called a cell phone. It's used to text people, call them or just browse the internet with it." Pausing as he realized he was probably talking in a weird language now since they didn't have this thing in the past. "Well, as to say... You can send letters with this and the person will receive it in only a few seconds. You can also talk to somebody through this and search stuff up instead of going to the library. It's pretty handy." He explained to Vincent in the easiest way as possible.

[Gladis]

Vincent frowned at Toji’s reasoning. ”It would not have been strange for my staff to still be around,” he said, ”had they been immortal like myself. Elizabeth, my late wife was always very peculiar about wanting human servants. Perhaps because she was mortal her-” he cut himself off, shaking his head. ”Excuse me, I did not mean to go into a rant about it. She was… she was very dear to me…” he trailed off, and again there was that sadness in his eyes. Looking at Toji only reminded him of how much her alleged reincarnation was unlike her. Things hadn’t worked out the way it had been promised at all, and he was beginning to have a creeping suspicion that he had been scammed. Perhaps, once he had this mess sorted out, he should pay that accursed witch a visit! Provided she hadn’t been burned at the stake during his absence.

 

At least this so called ’cell phone’ was enough to distract him – for the moment. He crept back closer to the human, gazing down at the device with great fascination. ”How handy…” he said, sitting down at Toji’s side. ”It does not quite seem like anything I have ever seen before. May I give it a try?”

[Z3N]

Toji couldn’t help but to catch the words rolling out of Vincent’s mouth as the male was talking mainly to himself from what he noticed. Elizabeth? The name sounded weirdly familiar to him. He didn’t have any friends who were called like that nor could it have been from the country he grew up in as they were completely different. Frowning as he looked down, wondering as to why he had this sense of déjà vu inside of him. He couldn’t lay his finger no matter how hard he tried to think about it as he couldn’t remember a woman with that name who he had met before. Perhaps in the passing by that he heard it but it wouldn’t make him feel like this if that was the case.

 

The mentioning of the cell phone got him back to the conversation which made him chuckle. “I’m not going to let you destroy it so…” He stopped his sentence as he started to move closer towards Vincent, sitting directly next to him, almost glued to the male without a care that the other was in fact a vampire. Someone who sucked blood for a meal. Placing the device in the male’s hand before showing him where to tap in order to reach the wanted app. Giving some explanation whenever a question was asked or whenever he felt like it was necessary in order to not ruin the thing at once.

 

His eyes slowly made their way to the long blonde hair of the other, eyes that resembled those of a ruby, perfect pale skin which would make a lot of girls jealous back in Japan. Instinctively moving his head closer to the vampire’s neck, smelling the scent which wasn’t too bad for someone who had been in a coffin for so long. But before he would do anything weird, he realized what he was doing and jerked back suddenly. “Ah… I guess losing some blood makes you do odd things.” He laughed awkwardly before seeing the time on his cell phone. Taking it back before standing up from the sofa.

 

“Well, I have to get home… But since this place is about to be broken down anytime soon, perhaps you might want to join me?” He asked Vincent as he started walking towards the window. Opening the curtains only to point towards the wooden signboard standing in the courtyard. “I think it was going to be broken down within five days. What do you want to do?”

[Gladis]

Vincent’s initial enthusiasm regarding the device called a ’mobile phone’ began to vane almost as quickly as it had risen. Too much was happening on the screen for him to keep up with and the entire ’app’ system was just weird. Even with Toji’s explanations he found himself easily confused. After accidentally tapping on something that caused the device to blast out some horrible noise, startling the hell out of him, he quickly handed it back to his owner. Of course, only after almost dropping it on the floor.

 

It was only then that he noticed how close Toji was. If he had been human, perhaps his heart would have skipped a beat. As it was Vincent’s posture simply became rigid, his body instinctively tensing up in response to their proximity. His hand had begun to move towards Toji’s face, yet long before he reached him the youth jerked back and stood up, putting a considerable distance between them. Vincent almost found himself feeling disappointed, and yet he couldn’t quite fathom why. Toji may have been Elizabeth’s reincarnation, but to Vincent he was practically a stranger. He cared nothing for the human – he wasn’t even sure he liked him, and yet there was a part of him that would have liked for Toji to remain next to him on the sofa. There was a part of him that felt drawn to the human, which wasn’t just preposterous because he was a stranger, but also because he was a man. Then again, it wasn’t as though Vincent lacked experience with men. He just hadn’t really desired them before. He wasn’t sure he did now, either. Perhaps he had just found Toji’s presence soothing, in the same way he had enjoyed the company of his wife. That was entirely possible.

 

Vincent’s lips quirked into a smile, his fangs glimmering in the candlelight. ”I sincerely doubt blood loss can be attributed to insinuating any such behavior.” He mused, chuckling softly in clear amusement. The other’s embarrassment was surprisingly endearing. Standing up, he started walking towards Toji by the window, only to freeze halfway there. If there had been any color to his cheeks before, it was gone now. He looked as deathly pale as one might expect from a vampire.

 

”What did you say?” He asked, his voice coming out slightly more high pitched than intended. ”They’re… they’re doing what? B-but… how? Why?” Nervously he began pacing back and forth, as though he were pondering something. Eventually he came to a halt. ”This is not how I planned for things to go...” he sighed before relucntanly nodding at Toji. ”I will take your invitation and spend the night at your abode, but before we leave there is someone I need to pay a visit. It will not take long.”

[Z3N]

Toji rolled his eyes obviously as he heard the comment from the vampire. He knew that well but he just said it in order to avoid any embarrassing moments like now. Sighing deeply however as Vincent was surprised by the fact that this building was going to be destroyed. Leaning his back against the oddly clean wall behind him. “What did you expect? Who knows how long you’ve been asleep and nobody has been living her since probably. They want new things and this house is in the way.” Toji explained, not really minding it much but he did feel bad for the other as the man was about to lose his house to wealthy human beings who only thought about themselves.

 

Now that he actually realized it, it must have been quite a shock for Vincent to wake up in an entirely different era. Everything had gotten an upgrade, from clothes to vehicles to gadgets that people couldn’t live without anymore. Clustered onto the screens as if they were walking zombies, mindlessly roaming over the countless social media apps in order to gain popularity from a bigger public. He had to admit that he was pretty addicted to his cell phone as he felt like he needed it for some reason. Sometimes even forgetting about the outside world and skipping perhaps fun parties and such just so he could finish the game that he was playing. It was pretty sad but it was reality that he couldn’t entirely escape.

 

“And who’s that? I don’t think a human would still be alive this… day.” He slowed down his words at the end as he thought about something more unrealistic. “Unless they aren’t human.” He muttered under his breath with disbelief and excitement mixed together.

[Gladis]

Vincent’s eyes narrowed slightly as Toji rolled his eyes. He didn’t exactly appreciate such a direct display of disrespect. The vampire may have been asleep for a hundred years, but he was still a nobleman, and by all accounts, a superior being. He wasn’t sure whether all people of this era were so ill mannered, or if it was just this guy, but he certainly didn’t like it. Even so, he let it go. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Vincent was in a position where he, undoubtedly, had to depend on this human. He couldn’t afford to mess up at the moment.

 

”I suppose I was never meant to sleep for this long. It truly goes to show that everything is not as it should be…” he replied, a pointed edge to his voice. Then he sighed and shook his head. ”Well, no matter. To grieve over spilled milk is hardly a solution. Let’s make haste, shall we?”

 

He pushed past the shorter male, gesturing for him to follow along as he left the parlour and once again started leading him through the corridors. If Toji payed attention – the moment Vincent stepped outside the room the candles went out by themselves, and though it would be difficult to recognize in the dark, the room reverted to a state of old age and decay, like the rest of the mansion.

 

Vincent led him down the grand staircase and through the kitchen, existing the mansion via the backdoor which he could only get open with some difficulty. It was clear that the mansion had become a mere shadow of its former glory, and yet the thought that soon it would all be torn down still made his heart ache. He hated the place and he loved it. For a time he had wanted nothing more than to leave, and yet he had found himself bound to it. He had worked hard to make it his, and eventually, he had come to terms with it. For someone else to take it from him… it was as though none of that mattered.

 

”Make sure not to trip. You do seem like the clumsy and careless type…” he commented as they started making their way through the garden, passing overgrown benches and broken stone statues. Down the grassy slope they went, towards the lake that stretched far into the distance. He stopped a little ways off the shore, glancing around for a moment before calling out into the moonlit night.

 

”Charlotte, my dear…can you hear me?”

 

At first, there was nothing, except the wind rustling in the trees and an owl hooting in the distance. He tried calling her name again.

 

”Charlotte?”

 

Absolute silence. For a moment, it made him hopeful. Made him think that perhaps, just maybe she had found a way to leave this cursed place…. But then, slowly, something began to take shape over the surface of the water. It was only barely visible and incorporeal, glowing in a faintly in the silver light of the moon. The outline of a young girl – perhaps thirteen years of age, fifteen at most. She wore a simple dress, that clung as though soaked to the slender frame of her body. Long, wet hair clung to her face on shoulders. Her face, though gaunt showed signs of beauty, and anyone who bothered to take a closer look would have recognized a clear resemblance between the girl and the vampire.

 

”Brother? Is that you?” She called out softly, floating closer to the shore. ”It has been so long…” As she landed on the grass in the shadow of a tree, not too far from the vampire and the human, the strange glow disappeared and her form somehow seemed to become more tangible. Her hair and clothes seemed dry, the flickering light of Vincent’s candle casting a warm glow over her. Her hair was golden like her brothers, and her eyes as blue as the summer sky. She paused, her gaze settling on Vincent’s companion.

 

”Oh? Who is your friend?” She asked, and there was a note of curiosity in his voice.

 

Vincent smiled softly, though there was a hint of sadness in it. ”Charlotte, this is my new servant, Toji. He hails from the far east, but make no mistake. He is not Chinese – can you imagine that? He is from a country called Japan.” He announced, pleased to see Charlotte’s eyes grow wide with curiosity. Then he turned to Toji, gesturing towards the girl. ”Toji, allow me to introduce my twin sister, Charlotte.”

 

She curtesighed.

 

”I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Toji from Japan,” she said, her lips quirking into a warm smile. ”I hope my brother has not been treating you poorly.”

[Z3N]

Toji followed behind the vampire cautiously, making sure he wouldn’t trip over anything which would’ve been extremely embarrassing, especially if he would crash head first to the ground. It being quite dark didn’t help either as it made him fully trust on his touch and instincts. The moment the candles in the mansion went out without any real motion to do so, he was surprised. Taken aback even as he didn’t think that was actually possible but here he was with a vampire. A true, living [well technically he isn’t] one that just sucked his blood before. He couldn’t deny that strange things were happening this evening.

 

After having made sure that he didn’t stumble over any branches as just one mere candle wasn’t near enough to lighten up the path, they eventually reached the pond on the backside of the building which was both beautiful and creepy at the same time. It had a fantasy-like feeling to it as he overlooked the scenery. A light fog was hanging around it as well as the hooting of owls could be clearly heard at this time of the day. Feeling a little uncomfortable, glancing back to see if nobody would appear out of the blue and making him scream like a little girl as he didn’t like these kind of situations despite his fascination for the occult.

 

Letting out a shaky breath as nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary besides Vincent calling out to someone while they were practically alone at the moment. However once a shape started to form itself on the water surface, his heart dropped to the floor. Not being able to say anything to see the childlike form floating towards them, soaked through and through. Going closer to the vampire as he looked less scary than her, also he was strong so he could probably fend her off if she was too creepy or aggressive.

 

However the moment she came to land, her appearance became prettier. Actually looking like a bright young girl. Her voice ringing in his ears as she started talking to her… brother?! Holy shit, did he just land in a family reunion all of a sudden. At least the other could’ve warned him that they were visiting family and not some kind of haunted sea creature of the depths.

 

The smile on her lips was almost heart-warming, not seeming to want to do any harm, just wanting to talk. “Ah, no. Euhm, nice to meet you too?” He responded, not knowing what else to say as this was all a bit too much at once.