“Well, I…” Bastian smiled and began to backtrack through the door, excusing himself. “I have to go, a grouchy crow must have been wondering where I’ve been. I’ll come back later.”

Lyssa said nothing when he left them alone in the chambers, while Nerys grew slightly nervous. Those ochre eyes were fixated on her, and it was clear that she was pondering over many things while she sat cross-legged on the edge of the big bed.

Nerys stood there for a few seconds, and she was only able to say one thing in the end, apprehensive of the caring yet thoughtful stare Lyssa was giving her.

“So, do you like them?”

That timid question made her smile warmly, for the tone was familiar. She had not changed much deep inside.

“What’s not to like?” She looked all around her again, noting how spacious the rooms were. “I’ve never been given such accommodations, not even as a general. Hell, even Sergius must be impressed.”

Nerys huffed and looked at a wall, wishing she could see through it. Sergius had claimed the adjacent chambers, without a word. He surely was trying to listen to them both, paranoid as always. Still, she ignored those thoughts, to focus on her.

“They are yours; I hope you can feel at home in them.” She moved silently and slowly, to sit by her side, whispering doubtfully. “Are you really going to stay?”

She was given a blank stare.

“No, I’ll gather as much information as I can and then report back in Hollowgrave…” She chuckled, looking into her nervous green eyes. “Of course I’m staying, silly! If I can, forever.”

Nerys sighed and began to tug at her red hair, unable to hide the uncertainty in her gaze.

“Lyssa, I can’t help but wonder if you are in denial. You don’t show any doubt about this.” She said the next words carefully, letting her fangs peek. “Doesn’t it bother you? Aren’t you afraid?”

Fear was not something Lyssa felt easily, and she would never be scared of her. She proceeded to grasp her claws, noting how they trembled. Nerys did wince due to her hold, but in a subtle way. Her green eyes saw clearly the intent determination she admired, and her words were resolute.

“I won’t hesitate, because being with you is what I have wished for most. Some things do worry me, but I want to overcome them. I regret that you had to reach this point… Yet I won’t let this disease do us part.” Lyssa smiled as she said the next words, both seriously and in jest. “I’ll let you know that you can’t intimidate me. Perhaps you were able to frighten him into submission, but I would have kicked your fangs off.”

There was a reprimand there, but she showed no anger, surely because of his forgiveness and care. If he had hinted any trace of resent, she would not have doubted to condemn her.

Luckily, Bastian had explained carefully what he felt towards his past predicament. Due to it, the two did not feel that much apprehension. Nerys smiled like Lyssa did, even if more sadly, and then dared to hold her hands between her claws.

“You can rip them right now if you want to. I deserve it.”

Lyssa leaned her head and reached for her lips, to examine her fangs curiously. It did not fail to make Nerys blush.

“Don’t you need them?”

Nerys stammered, nervous.

“Yes and no. I don’t need to bite to feed, so I would only sink them into flesh in battle. However, ever since you left… scuffles are uncommon. If you were to break them now, they would grow back by the time I could need them.”

Those ochre eyes glinted. Before Nerys could blink, Lyssa sat up more and moved both her hands to her fangs. She tugged at them, exclaiming in wonder.

“Oh, so they DO grow back?! I’ve never had the chance to verify it!”

Some officials back in Hollowgrave researched and studied vampirism, but it was kept from the public eye. The few vampires that were locked away in the dungeons were mistreated, and they usually did not survive for long. If the populace saw them at all, it was when they were burned.

In her crusade, Lyssa could not afford to spare her foes. Now she had vampires around her, and two that she could trust. Any question she made, they would answer truthfully. That did not mean they would not dread her interrogations and prodding.

“Lyssa, p-please, they can cut. Sto-“

“I’m not going to stop!” Nerys paled even more, because Lyssa let go and began to plot, much more brazenly than Bastian ever would. “This is my chance to study the disease like no one ever has before! No lord would allow their bloodline to be researched by a human. But that changes now, for you will let me! I will have all the time and resources I may need! This could help humanity much more than vain skirmishes near farms and villages! I could invoke my magic on you two, without resistance or deterrence, and perhaps reverse this affliction!”

With every word, Nerys shrunk more, in fear. Lyssa was lost in her own thoughts, planning ways in which to put the disease to the test. There was no way she could be stopped, because they did not wish to assert authority over her. She was in trouble, and strangely enough… she treasured the notion.

——–

The silence was only broken by the sound of pages being turned. Nadiya had nested between multiple piles of books on the desk, without a care in the world. The only vampire around was her owner, who sat nearby, reading absentmindedly.

Bastian had gone into the library to try to busy his mind, worried about what Lyssa and Nerys were talking about. There were too many things that needed to be addressed, and he knew well that they would not be easy to voice. It would take time for everything to settle.

There was one thing he was sure of, however. She was curious, much more than him. When she ventured into the quaint library, he was not surprised. His sharp silver eyes stopped gleaming in the dark, because light brushed him when she opened the door. She held an oil lamp in her hand, which she used to look over her surroundings, noting how he had stockpiled many tomes where he sat.

“So this is where you like to hide now, huh?”

He sighed and shrugged, still unused to the fact that he could see her. It was strange, to say the least.

“Not many wish to browse through boring files and archives, so it’s quiet here. I can afford to take my time reading now because I don’t need to oversee many assemblies, thanks to the fact you stopped wreaking havoc.” He let down the book he held, in order to stand and face her. “Sadly, I have the feeling that chaos will soon befall us again…”

“Oh, Sebastian, worry not.” She smiled tauntingly, ignoring his drift. “Much like you did, I have abandoned the insurgence. I do not intend to disturb the peace of this castle.”

He smirked and crossed his arms, noting her thinly veiled jest.

“You know well what I really meant, you riotous ruffian.” There it was, she answered him with that spirited grin he knew well. “Have you come to chat or did you just want to look around? I’m surprised you aren’t asleep, the moon is up.”

He remembered how she always dozed off in the nights, as long as she was not out there hunting for loners. It was clear that she was as determined now, even if she would not wander to kill.

“I am not going to sleep, not until I have seen every nook and cranny of this fortress.”

“You’ll drop down due to exhaustion first. It took me days to explore everything. I advise you to rest, you’ll have plenty of time.”

“Shouldn’t you go to your chambers yourself? It will be dawn soon.”

He sighed, not quite sure if he would be able to sleep.

“Ah, I don’t think I will. I’m still trying to get used to this, you know? It’s like a mood swing; I usually follow my instincts and roam while the sky is dark, but sometimes I can’t help but stay awake to walk under the sun. Nerys scolds me for not sticking to a schedule, yet she can be as heedless as me.” He admitted, looking at her eyes subtly. “I have a lot in my mind right now, so I will stay for a while here.”

Bastian began to try to organize the files he had scattered all over, to avoid addressing the facts that troubled him. Lyssa knew that he was thinking about his condition, and what it meant for them. Neither he nor Nerys appreciated being vampires, but he was more bitter about it. Luckily, she understood his apprehension, so she changed the subject.

“So, you are not really busy right now…”

“Not really. Why?”

She grinned again, not doubting to step closer, leaving the lamp on the desk.

“Could you help me fetch some materials from the storage and forge? I want to craft some things.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Only if you don’t plan to put together a stake.”

“Agh, why do you have to look at me like I will purge this place?”

“Because you would have done it if we had not been in the equation. I have seen what you can do to a vampire, and seriously, I don’t like the idea of you having a weapon. If I disliked the vampires around me before changing, you surely hold much less forbearance.”

There was no malice in his words, just simple truth. She answered with her own, as honest.

“Bastian, I don’t need a weapon. I could burn any of you with my bare hands, anytime, anywhere.”

“That attitude is exactly why-“

“I just want some alchemy bottles and tools. I need to study.”

He blinked, forgetting about the matter due to her soft interruption.

“Alchemy?” She nodded firmly, something that made him grow suspicious. “What for? You have already learnt the properties of every single ingredient and concoction known to man, thanks to Sergius.”

“I’ve researched all that humanity has discovered, yes, but not what is unknown. I am in an environment that no other human has beheld before, not with this reliability and freedom.” He was just staring at her with a frown, so she was more direct. “I am going to study you and your vampirism.”

Bastian paled, much like Nerys did.

“What the hell do you mean with that?!” His yell startled Nadiya, who croaked and began to eye Lyssa suspiciously. “I’m not an animal you can inspect! If you are planning on making me drink an experimental nasty elixir, the answer is no!”

He had seen many times how extreme she could be in her ventures. When they were younger and in training, she loved to test her magic while she sparred with them. As well, she got sick often, because she kept sampling many plants that she gathered.

Nothing could ever discourage her, no matter what. She stepped even closer to him, and he saw clearly the bright joyful hope that had faded from her eyes long ago. Her next whisper made his apprehension fade completely.

“What if I managed to get rid of those fangs?”

He frowned slowly, but not due to aversion. His gaze began to hint the same hope as her, even if he was skeptical of the possibility. He hated his inhuman traits, and she knew it. Nerys had told her how he had tried to halt his changes, to no avail. His fangs and small black nails unnerved him, to this very day. He never bit anyone, refusing to feed if it was not from a goblet.

She felt caring pity when he gave her an intense sad look, for he wanted to believe she could manage to cure him, somehow. His next question was quiet, hesitant.

“I-is there any chance that my eyes could lose their sharpness too? I sometimes shudder when I see my reflection in the dark. They always lose their natural colour a few days after feeding. There is this hideous brightness to them and-”

She stopped him with a soft nudge, whispering supportively.

“I think they are pretty. Her eyes gleam in the shadows too, but that only intensifies their beautiful hues.” He winced a little, because she dared brush his scars, fondly and with a sympathetic smile. “You do not look hideous, Bastian.”

He sighed with a faint smirk, grateful for her words. When she moved her hand away, it was to proclaim enthusiastically, pointing at the door.

“Perhaps I don’t mind how your eyes look, but if they bother you that much, I will do my best to make them look human. Just give me what I need!”

He truly admired her confidence and fiery will. It was something he had always tried to mimic, even if he was not as valiant as her. And so, he took a breath and nodded, ready to assist her.

“Let’s get you things to work with, Lyssa.”