- Crescent Moon -

Is intimidated by them, but wants to be friends with them.

[good luck. you'll need it.]

It's a small gesture, the way Bloody bends down to meet Aesop's height, and yet the embalmer finds it oh so familiar, lantern lowered and held close to not get in the way. Aesop nods, trying to hold eye contact, trying to ensure he pays attention. But as the words turn sour, he puts together the possible meaning behind Bloody's words. Someone gave him a life, but is now involved in too much of it...? Something about that twists his gut the wrong way, as his shoulders tense and he presses his limbs close. He still can't imagine his youth with Jerry being entirely for the worse, even with what he's heard. "I'm... quite sorry to hear that." His free hand moves over his chest (his heart?), eyes slowly drifting downward. "...truth be told, I know how that feels, having someone's influence be... possibly more than it needs to be. Though I'd already killed that person by the time I had been informed of this..." The wording is kept vague here, to not mention who guided him to that truth (the person currently being threatened).

“'You had been informed'?”, the vampire repeats, tone tinted with confusion.

“You did not realise it yourself, yet already committed the final crime already? How very silly of you!”, he chided him like a child, clicking his tongue in disappointment, before he shared his wisdom: “In fact, it still seems like you haven't made up your mind at all - your head such a mess you cannot even find the words. You may feel a fraction of what I do, that I will not deny, but you are far from living the same experience. As long as you do not loathe his guts, wish to wreak his life from his dead bones and dye the earth with his blood, what you have is but an ember while mine is a flame.”

... maybe even an inferno. Truth be told, the rage of which he spoke was a great power, a motivator like no other, making you claw your way back from the grave again and again and again. But it also came with a price: It burned just as much of you, if not more, than it burns of the world around you. A dangerous tithe to be paid for those who wish to bring revenge and destruction.

Haha babe ur so sexy~

Someone was following him.

When he was a postman, he was always wary of people following him. Now as a vampire, he was extra aware of his surroundings, especially with the two major factions out to get him. He could even include the times when he experienced the paranoia of checking every other room in the church for anyone listening in to his conversations. Embrace was no stranger to the premonition of someone on his tail; his growing anxiety cautioned him that he was being watched for a while already.

(That last one wasn't him, though. That entire period of the Tome piloting his body through religious espionage could only be described as an extremely realistic lucid dream where Victor could only watch as something with his face used his voice to preach things he barely believes in.)

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy of the forest. Birdsong echoed alongside the gentle rushing of a nearby stream, and there was even a squirrel stopping by for a quick drink. Embrace would have loved to pause and just take in the peaceful sounds and sights, but the imposing presence nearby could not be taken so lightly.

He strolled down along the river quietly so as not to scare off the squirrel. All of a sudden he took off faster than a scared animal, vanishing from the banks and into another corner of the forest. He did not know who was after him this time, and if he was fast enough, he didn't have to know.

Embrace was used to the ever present sting of hunger since he avoided human blood for the longest time, perhaps in a futile attempt to preserve whatever humanity he had in himself. He could also tolerate pain pretty well considering how little he used to think of his well being, not to mention he kept getting into a ton of fights with different factions who want him dead. If he was feeling bold, he could go as far as to say he was starting to get used to dying and coming back to life ever so often- until the actual process began.

He closed his eyes so he couldn't see the black spots dancing into his vision, but even that could not block out the demonic orange creeping into his consciousness. It wasn't just that the way the Tome was slowly reclaiming his body was painful; Victor had felt all these sensations before the very first time he had perished in that burning building. The way everything felt way too hot, the way each breath made him choke on the taste of smoke and ash, and the sensation of a flaming piece of ceiling smashing onto his head... All of these were amplified tenfold during the process. It was like reliving that nightmare again, always ending in the same way as it once happened- coming back as a soulless vampire.

From his front row seat in the grass, Bloody watched the fiery spectacle with wide eyes and held breath - both in fear and awe. It did not take long for him to recognise the tome's golden magma, and he was, of course, immediately fascinated. Apparently, the tome did care for some people, even if that did not include him. So much so, that it pried them back from death's door more than once. And all of him, too, even the already spilled blood on the gr-

Bloody hissed, as he realised, the aching feeling in his stomach was not Embrace's blood revolting, but rather burning, singing his insides until he felt like he was about to go up in flames. He let out a stifled scream, as he bent over, clawing at his own flesh. The golden liquid dissolved him - not into ashes, but rather into the very essence of his being, clawing through his veins as it burned away age and rot and cleansed him from all marks of time. Oh, what a familiar feeling. Though when it had first gripped him, had been dead and buried, covered in gold and steel for his journey to the afterlife. The sensation had been much stronger back then, but when the pain subsided, he still felt born anew.

He lay there in the grass, dishevelled yet pretty as a porcelain doll, breathing heavily despite not needing to and staring up with a fire in those pale blue eyes that almost made him seem alive.

Embrace finally opened his eyes, his chest heaving as he tried to remember what had killed him this time. The fiery glow of whatever it was that wanted him back to life had already left him, along with most of his wounds. There was not much he could do about the growing hunger, though- at least, not yet. The peaceful blue sky above was somewhat of a relief for him, until his vision stopped spinning and he recognized the other figure on the ground next to him.

Right! Embrace!

Bloody shot up into a sitting position, his head thrumming in drunken discontent, yet his vision was sharper than ever, his hearing crisp and his senses tingling. However, it did seem like he had taken far too long. All he could sense was some animals, scurrying through the wood works. No matter! He could find him again. He always did.

Someone was following him.

When he was a postman, he was always wary of people following him. Now as a vampire, he was extra aware of his surroundings, especially with the two major factions out to get him. He could even include the times when he experienced the paranoia of checking every other room in the church for anyone listening in to his conversations. Embrace was no stranger to the premonition of someone on his tail; his growing anxiety cautioned him that he was being watched for a while already.

(That last one wasn't him, though. That entire period of the Tome piloting his body through religious espionage could only be described as an extremely realistic lucid dream where Victor could only watch as something with his face used his voice to preach things he barely believes in.)

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy of the forest. Birdsong echoed alongside the gentle rushing of a nearby stream, and there was even a squirrel stopping by for a quick drink. Embrace would have loved to pause and just take in the peaceful sounds and sights, but the imposing presence nearby could not be taken so lightly.

He strolled down along the river quietly so as not to scare off the squirrel. All of a sudden he took off faster than a scared animal, vanishing from the banks and into another corner of the forest. He did not know who was after him this time, and if he was fast enough, he didn't have to know.

Embrace was used to the ever present sting of hunger since he avoided human blood for the longest time, perhaps in a futile attempt to preserve whatever humanity he had in himself. He could also tolerate pain pretty well considering how little he used to think of his well being, not to mention he kept getting into a ton of fights with different factions who want him dead. If he was feeling bold, he could go as far as to say he was starting to get used to dying and coming back to life ever so often- until the actual process began.

He closed his eyes so he couldn't see the black spots dancing into his vision, but even that could not block out the demonic orange creeping into his consciousness. It wasn't just that the way the Tome was slowly reclaiming his body was painful; Victor had felt all these sensations before the very first time he had perished in that burning building. The way everything felt way too hot, the way each breath made him choke on the taste of smoke and ash, and the sensation of a flaming piece of ceiling smashing onto his head... All of these were amplified tenfold during the process. It was like reliving that nightmare again, always ending in the same way as it once happened- coming back as a soulless vampire.

From his front row seat in the grass, Bloody watched the fiery spectacle with wide eyes and held breath - both in fear and awe. It did not take long for him to recognise the tome's golden magma, and he was, of course, immediately fascinated. Apparently, the tome did care for some people, even if that did not include him. So much so, that it pried them back from death's door more than once. And all of him, too, even the already spilled blood on the gr-

Bloody hissed, as he realised, the aching feeling in his stomach was not Embrace's blood revolting, but rather burning, singing his insides until he felt like he was about to go up in flames. He let out a stifled scream, as he bent over, clawing at his own flesh. The golden liquid dissolved him - not into ashes, but rather into the very essence of his being, clawing through his veins as it burned away age and rot and cleansed him from all marks of time. Oh, what a familiar feeling. Though when it had first gripped him, had been dead and buried, covered in gold and steel for his journey to the afterlife. The sensation had been much stronger back then, but when the pain subsided, he still felt born anew.

He lay there in the grass, dishevelled yet pretty as a porcelain doll, breathing heavily despite not needing to and staring up with a fire in those pale blue eyes that almost made him seem alive.

Someone was following him.

When he was a postman, he was always wary of people following him. Now as a vampire, he was extra aware of his surroundings, especially with the two major factions out to get him. He could even include the times when he experienced the paranoia of checking every other room in the church for anyone listening in to his conversations. Embrace was no stranger to the premonition of someone on his tail; his growing anxiety cautioned him that he was being watched for a while already.

(That last one wasn't him, though. That entire period of the Tome piloting his body through religious espionage could only be described as an extremely realistic lucid dream where Victor could only watch as something with his face used his voice to preach things he barely believes in.)

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy of the forest. Birdsong echoed alongside the gentle rushing of a nearby stream, and there was even a squirrel stopping by for a quick drink. Embrace would have loved to pause and just take in the peaceful sounds and sights, but the imposing presence nearby could not be taken so lightly.

He strolled down along the river quietly so as not to scare off the squirrel. All of a sudden he took off faster than a scared animal, vanishing from the banks and into another corner of the forest. He did not know who was after him this time, and if he was fast enough, he didn't have to know.

Vampires usually don't bite each other - if you wish to steal life, why would you prey on the dead? Bloody Sword, as an especially picky 'eater', hated nothing more than tasting his own kind, yet made frequent exceptions: Primarily for a certain freshly turned troublemaker turned lapdog, and now for Embrace. It wasn't about the taste. It was about power. All vampires were scared of death. None more afraid of the reaper's cold grasp than those who live eternal. Having someone's teeth in your neck, sucking out what little still ties you to your already dead flesh... what better way to assert dominance?

Embrace was sure Bloody Sword wasn't usually this messy and unsophisticated of an eater, especially not one who had enough pride for the entire bloodline. He was equally sure he tasted just like their mutual feelings for each other: absolutely disgusting and positively revolting. No, the intention for him to spill as much of his blood as possible was a deliberate and frustrating decision, one that Embrace had no choice in the matter. He tried to stay as still as possible when he realized he was entirely at the mercy of the other vampire, if only to avoid losing too much blood (a lesson he had learnt over and over again). The moment Bloody Sword released him, he clamped his other hand to his newer wound and turned on his side.

Embrace wasn't dead. But he had come awfully close.

His muscles were sore, his body aching, his throat dry and his hunger tearing apart his insides. But he was alive - with the tome's power lurking the at edges of his vision, ready to conduct another nightmarish miracle. Unless he got some fresh blood from somewhere, it would overwhelm him the second he made one wrong move. Bloody still sat on top of him with a hand over his lips, trying to hide the self control it took to force another vampire's blood down. He hadn't felt this sick since… probably since he last tasted Exorcist. But even then, he never drank this much. Maybe he would just throw it all back up once he had parted ways with Embrace… But when would that be? He would have to hold it for now.