When does a man become a Monster?

It had been Inge’s idea initially. Cassius had gone and visited her (with candy, as per her request), and she had the idea to have a gathering. The vampire suggested hosting, seeing as she was still mending, and he finally had a house to throw get-togethers at. When he had told Richard of the plan, the elder vampire was none too pleased. Still, he eventually relented when Cassius told him that it would be full of people who mattered to him and knew about Richard. “No hiding in the basement,” he had told his sire.

So that’s where the pair found themselves decking out the old Victorian house head to toe in Christmas decor. Cassius hadn’t gotten around to putting his spin on the house (namely, painting everything black and purple), but the old house had enough charm to it that it didn’t matter. Cassius gave Richard a pointed look when the doorbell rang and said, “Don’t disappear. These people have wanted to meet you.” 

Richard rolled his red eyes and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.” He replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. The elder vampire’s features were twisted to look more batlike than human, which made him feel self-conscious. “Behave.” Cassius insisted in an exasperated voice as he hurried to open the door. 

Inge wasn’t much of a fan of Christmas, generally speaking. It reminded her of things long gone and aches not yet properly mended, but with her body still in pain and her usual ability to partake in shenanigans significantly limited, she figured she should do something. And it was funny, because there was actually something to do. A small group of people to gather together to have the most ungodly Christmas with.

She was still in pain, her movement still limited. It’d be a few months, Zane had said, and she wasn’t pleased about the constant reminder of her shortcomings. But she had ample distraction, and Dīs on her side. She was impressed by the Christmas decor, amused by Cassius’ dedication to the craft and rang the bell merrily.

Merrily, as in a piece of performance art. As in, she still wanted to cry and rage and throttle Siobhan and Rhett both. As in, she missed those same things long gone. When Cassius opened the door she smiled brightly and wiggled a bottle that read merlot. “I brought a gift!” It didn’t contain merlot. It contained blood. This was the time to be charitable, after all. “And also this bottle of wine.” She moved inside, a small twinge of pain marking her features and looked around with a look of surprised awe. “Damn.”

___________

It seemed Zofia’s social life was a concern to a host of undead. 

Inge had invited her to a little holiday get together. Then, later, Cassius had invited her to the very same party being hosted at his house. She had been amused to say the least. She had no intention to attend, of course. It was very kind of them all to be so very concerned, but frankly she wasn’t feeling particularly festive. 

She had fully intended on sitting alone and adjusting to silence again, when she received one final invitation. Richard, of all people had decided to extend the invitation. She wasn’t entirely sure why the invitation had given her pause. But for some reason  she had found herself getting wine and a little poinsettia plant, and heading over to  Cassius’s. 

The door opened and her mouth quirked up into an attempt at a smile “. Wesołych Świąt, Cassius “ she said, holding up the gifts. She breezed into the space and took in the faces around her. It was strange to not offer embraces in greeting, but she wasn’t sure it would be appreciated. “Hello kochanie,” she waved to Inge, and then her eyes fell on a familiar figure with golden eyes. “You. I know you.”

———-

Lukas was pretty happy to get out of his own house, his Sire’s apparent willingness to let him only raise a few alarm bells in his head. After all, it felt nice to do something lightly normal even if he was fairly sure that he was about to have a rough time of it. She seemed to be amused for being alone on a holiday, and that usually meant she had something in store for him. 

A bottle of Whiskey in his hand he gave a small smile to Cassius before nodding to Richard. “Ah I believe I’m the last - apologies. Inge - Dīs - it’s nice to see you. ” He didn’t comment that Lizzie had been chuckling at him, and how he was sure something bad was about to happen and that’s why he was late. After all, it was just as likely that she was doing so on purpose. He also didn’t make his way next to Cassius quite yet, wanting to be sociable. 

To the only person he didn’t know he outstretched his hand to shake hers, “I’m sorry I’m not sure I’ve met you. I’m Lukas.” 

———-

Christmas wasn’t something that the lampade, or their family, celebrated - nor any holiday, really, save for birthdays and accomplishments are various kinds, so when they were invited by Inge to go with her to a little festive gathering of friends, Dīs thought: why not? They liked Inge, would have liked Cassius more had it not been for the unwarranted snacking, and Lukas — Lukas was unusual but not unpleasantly so. They nodded to him in response, offering a placid, yet amicable smile.

It was just nice to be included for a change, even if they didn’t care for the decorations.

Among the familiar faces, there was one that they had never seen before and one they didn’t think they’d see again so soon. At least, not in this capacity. They hung back, assuming that the older and clearly vampiric figure would be introduced by the host, so Dīs directed their attention to Zofia once she and Lukas became acquainted. “And I know you,” they agreed, a little amused by the circumstances. “Apparently, this town is deceptively small.”

Cassius watched as everyone said their hellos, suddenly realizing there was a reason he didn’t host any occasions. It’s because he was bad at it. He wanted to hide in a corner and wait for the gathering to start itself. But, of course, this didn’t happen. Sensing his nervousness, Richard strode up alongside the vampire and gave a welcoming smile (or as welcoming a smile as a batlike creature of the night could look, anyway). “I am Richard, for those of you who have not met me, which is, well, all of you. He gave a glance over to Zofia and winked. “Except you.” The man’s voice was deep and velvety, contrasting the monstrous face he wore.

Cassius swallowed, a sudden discomfort building as he let his sire take over. Why did he always let him take over? His gaze fell to the floor as he let his sire speak. It was weird to suddenly take on that submissive role that he always took as soon as Richard had put himself in the forefront. Cassius always told himself it was because Richard knew what he was doing and was more experienced in life. But a part of him was telling him that it wasn’t exactly the case. 

Cassius took a deep breath and forced himself to look up to his guests again, feeling Richard’s piercing gaze. “Food and drinks are set up in the kitchen, which is down the hall to the left, and the tree and chairs are set up in the living room, which is to the right.” He gave a cheerful smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, but there was a clear attempt. Richard’s presence made his skin itch. Why did it make him so damn uncomfortable? He watched as Lukas introduced himself to Zofia and nearly froze. He had never told Lukas her name, had he? Sensing the young vampire’s fear, Richard placed a hand on Cassius’s shoulder before walking toward the living room. “Let it be,” the elder vampire insisted as he made himself scarce.

The only face Inge did not recognize had to be that of Richard, that big bad in Cassius’ life that she had grown to detest and grown to be intrigued by. “I’m Inge,” she said, purposefully not going for her full name. She glanced at Cassius, who seemed almost like a puppy at the feet of its owner and redirected her gaze to his sire. “It’s great to meet you after all the stories I’ve heard. Spare a moment for me tonight so we may get to know each other properly?” 

Her gaze was considerably warmer as it fell on Zofia, giving her a smile, “Hi lief,” she said, giving Lukas an equally warm smile in greeting. Her eyes flicked between the female vampire and Dīs, wondering how they’d met. “Well, there’s a story there …” She was intrigued, a bit excited that the two of them were familiar. Jealousy didn’t arise. She had no need for such things.

Inge considered their options. “Should we get a small bite, then, and gather in the living room?” She moved towards the left, not with the usual skip to her step. She had no need for this either, the ache that spread from her waist to her legs. She half considered moving by astral — she could here, after all. “You guys –” this was to all the vampires in the room, “– should really try this wine. It’s locally sourced and though it’s not a vintage …” She smiled. “It’s supposed to be a good year. ‘93 if I’m correct?” 

____________

Zofia’s mouth tugged up into a small smile, and amusement glimmered in her usually cloudy eyes as the other vampire introduced himself. They certainly hadn’t met, but she knew who Lukas was. She’d watched him and Cassius when she’d first come back to town and her mind was worse for wear. She’d also become familiar with the name through his sire. And if Elzbieta Kowalska was his sire… “Lukas. Hello, kuzynie.” She said with a bad. “I’m Zofia.” She wondered if Lizzie had said anything. It was more likely than not though that the mad old vampire had neglected to inform Lukas of her, for her own entertainment. 

Her gaze drifted back to the only fae in the room, the small smile still hanging tentatively on her face. “Decidedly so. Lovely to see you again, Dīs.” Then her eyes found Cassius looking… stressed? He had invited her, was her presence really that alarming? Zofia was mostly in control of her own mind that day, and holiday festivities weren’t likely to send her spiraling off the deep end. She rolled her eyes as the elder vampire shot her a wink, but the smile on her face tugged a bit wider. She’d by no means consider Richard a friend. But he certainly wasn’t her enemy any longer. Not if he held out his hand to help. 

Zofia let out a small laugh at Inge’s interest. “We met under… interesting circumstances. Our goals were similarly aligned.” Cassius probably wouldn’t want talk of vengeful murder and fae sparked madness at his holiday party. The vampire smirked as Inge described the contents of the wine bottle. “What region is it from?”

__________

Lukas blinked, not quite knowing why he was someone's cousin, but took it a little in stride not wanting to make it more complicated. Then it hit him on why that might be the case, he asked with a bit of a laugh , “Znasz więc Elżbietę? - Because you don’t look a little like my mom or dad’s side. In anycase, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Zofia.”  It was a small world after all, and part of him wanted to run out the door as he spoke, scared that his Sire would be there in a moment, and not wanting to appear too stressed. He couldn’t look at it after all. 

Still, his eyes followed Cassius’s and he paused something feeling off. Part of him wanted to go to him, but he didn’t want to intrude on him and Richard’s space knowing how much he was nervous around his own Sire.  So as Inge went to move he nodded and said, “Of course. It’s also lovely to finally meet you, Richard.” Moving to go to the room he said, “Excellent. I hope you don’t mind that I brought Whiskey. It was pretty standard in my family. I’m afraid I picked up the habit.” Glancing at Inge, he wondered briefly why she seemed to be straining, although thought better than to bring it up. 

 __________

When the stranger finally introduced himself, the energy seemed to shift. Not just from the guests, from the host, as well. There was a mixture of uneasiness and intrigue, both of which Dīs felt equally, but it was thwarted momentarily when Cassius took back the reins and explained the setup. They watched as Richard stalked off towards the living room; Inge's desire to know him better did leave an acrid taste, but they did their best to ignore it.

They were glad for the change in conversation, though intrigued as to why Zofia chose to leave out any details really about their impromptu interrogation. Was this not the time for such talk? There was more of a curiosity than disappointment, a want to understand. "Interesting is certainly one way to describe it. But I am glad they were, otherwise this conversation would be much different," — if they made it out in one piece, at all. If their collision with the vampire had soured because she chose not to show the grace she did that night, Dīs couldn't be certain that they'd escape the encounter unscathed.

"I'll explain more later," they directed to Inge, happy to share even the smallest of victories. "I think you may enjoy hearing it."

Drinks sparked the turn of attention. While blood wasn't exactly a drink of choice for the lampade, the whiskey would have to do. "There are worse habits to have," Dīs assured Lukas as their glass was filled. They stole a sip before continuing, "how have your meetings been? Are you still having them?" After their brief and awkward, yet enlightening conversation, they didn't really bother with keeping tabs on the community meetings.

 __________

Richard stopped in his tracks as Inge introduced herself. Yes, Cassius had mentioned her since his arrival. Cassius for his part, shot Inge a warning glare before turning his attention to his sire, who nodded toward Inge. “Lovely to meet you, Inge. I will not be hiding this evening, so you are sure to find me.” Richard’s gaze then fluttered over to Lukas, and his eyes narrowed. He didn’t know what to take of this new one, and he wasn’t so sure if he were to be trusted. After all, he knew his sire. And with that, the elder vampire disappeared into the living room, doing his best to hid the only way he could with the expectation from Cassius that he would be on his best behavior and socializing. He used to be so good at it, but not it made his skin crawl. What was he turning into? 

Cassius seemed to relax the second Richard disappeared, a soft sigh and a fake smile plastered onto his features as he looked to Inge and her bottle of so-called wine. “Yes, I’m sure it’s… great.” Cassius shook his head, unable to get himself back into the groove of things. There was something to be said about two of your exes and your current love being under the same roof. Maybe he was crazy for allowing such things to occur, but all three of them were genuinely important to him. 

The blonde’s gaze flitted back and forth between Zofia and Lukas’s exchange, a curiosity surging through him as she claimed to be family to him. Then, Cassius listened as Dis spoke of Lukas and his meetings. What meetings? A confused frown crossed his face as he looked over to Lukas. Instead of asking outright, he filed the question away for later. “Inge, Lukas, feel free to place them on the island in the kitchen. Presents go in the living room under the tree.” It was suddenly too much, so many people all knowing the most private things in his life. No, he had to get himself under control. So after taking a deep breath, Cassius turned to follow his sire to the living room. 

She flashed Cassius’ sire a bright smile that didn’t hide the mischief behind it. She’d been bored, restricted during her day hours and wallowing in self-pity/self-hatred. Pulling at the seams of an elderly vampire would be a welcome addition to what promised to be an interesting evening. Inge nodded at Cassius. “It’s glorious. I mean, so I was told — I haven’t tried it myself. I’ll be having regular wine.” To Zofia: “It’s local, of course.”

A small look was given to Dīs, one of excitement to see what they had to tell her, but she was off to the kitchen. Walk stiff, but back straight: Inge knew that if there were people to not hide her pain in front of it might be these people, but she still had her pride. Plopping the bottle of blood on the counter, she wondered if she should pop it open to let it ‘breathe’ or if that wasn’t a thing with blood. “Lukas, do you decant this? And I’d love a bit of whiskey.” She took an empty glass, sliding it towards him as she worked on picking out some food. Best to reconvene in the living room, she figured.

With enough to satiate her non-existent hunger for human food, she made her way over there, glad to sit down on a chair. The pain from her abdomen and lower back strained down to her legs but at least there was no more pressure. “This is much better than the crypt.”

_______

So you know Elżbietę? Zofia’s mouth curled into a smile at that. “My aunt. However distant a relation she may be.” What were a few hundred years to blood relations, after all? 

The smile widened as Dīs insinuated Inge would enjoy listening to the tale of their murderous evening. The hunter had without a doubt deserved it. And based on Inge’s recent encounters with hunters, it would likely be nice to imagine the face of the one who had done her harm on the other’s body. “A local vintage?” Zofia laughed softly. “Those fine ‘vineyards’ of Wickeds Rest will be delightful, I’m sure.”

She perched herself in a corner and watched as the others continued to interact.

———

The others' proclamation that she was his Sire’s niece only stilled him for a second before he shook his head slightly in amusement. “That would explain why she was excited for me to come.” Lukas didn’t mention that he was nervous now, his hands clutching at the bottle a little too firmly for protection. Still he went to open it, keeping the nerves off his face and the odd looks from Richard out of his mind. 

At the question Lukas chuckled and said, “Yes, I am still doing community outreach. They are going very well.  You are welcome back if you’d like.” He didn’t think the other would want to go back, but still the offer was always there. Pouring out the whiskey for both of the other two he shrugged lightly and said, “For a wine? Usually you would for a Red I believe. There you go.” 

———

Aside from the riveting tale about the death of that young hunter, there was plenty that Dīs wanted to speak to Inge about — mostly ask, if she was privy and willing to indulge their curiosity — but for the moment, they would enjoy her presence, even if she seemed keen on learning about the elder vampire. Truthfully, they couldn’t blame her. His introversion was interest piquing.

They caught a little of the back and forth between Lukas and Zofia, but they were more concerned with the vampires in the other room — and the whiskey in their glass. They stole another sip as their fingers picked at a few of the food items made available, though they felt just a hair uncomfortable with the knowledge that they were the only one that needed anything on their plate to survive, that they technically were a meal fit enough for the rest of them. It was an interesting position to be in, to feel like prey among predators, as awkward as they all seemed to be.

“Are they still being held on the same days? I’m afraid I haven’t kept track of the schedule,” they returned to Lukas after finding a rather lonesome seat with a leg crossed over the other and back straight. Dīs was surprised that he was even allowed back after the discomfort of their first meeting, that the offer was even being made to begin with. Regardless whether or not it was a genuine offer mattered not, they might have to take him up on it. If only to satiate their ‘nosiness’.

—

Cassius flitted about the kitchen, pulling out glasses for the various drinks. As he came upon the bottle of ‘wine,’ he shot a look at Inge before opening it up and pouring himself a glass. He made eye contact with Richard at that moment, then took a sip. Richard didn’t let anything show, but his monstrous face finally changed from monstrous to human. One of his many abilities that the older vampires could pull off, letting him blend in among them. Instead of batlike features, he looked just like anyone else. An older man with a hint of a beard and blue eyes instead of red.

Cassius smirked at the taste of the wine, his eyes glowing a brilliant red, proving to everyone that it was, indeed, blood. “Inge has always been good with picking out a good red.” He noted before moving to sit on the couch, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back. He listened to the various conversations, from Lukas hosting meetings to Inge’s comment. He snorted into his wine glass, shaking his head. “Much roomier than it too,” he shot back with a laugh. “I wonder how Mrs. Lindamann is doing.” He wondered, referring to the woman who actually was laid to rest in the crypt. “Oh well, I’m sure she’s glad I’m gone.”