This is a lil fic I have written of two of my own original characters from a story I'm writing. This was written for a friend of mine as payment for making art for a game I am working on.
The night was cold, bitter and unforgiving, the falling snow threatening to swallow everything in a seemingly eternal freeze. It was nights like these that saw the city at it's truly lifeless peak. Everyone remained indoors, unwilling to risk freezing outside, the absence of the sound of animals made it clear they felt the same. Despite the frost and the dead atmosphere that overwhelmed the populace, one soul remained away from the protection of her home. Kathar found nights like this to be enjoyable, the large absence of people made her much more confident, and her adventurous inventors' mind led her to build an internal heater long ago, to her the cold was a trivial matter. She even enjoyed that the frost added to her colour palette, her short lavender hair was highlighted by the specks of snow. The patterns that covered her shirt and cardigan were disrupted by the welcomed invader, which in her eyes, made them more unique.
Kathar wasn't just out for a nice midnight stroll, she intended to visit a flower garden. One that resided outside a seemingly abandoned castle, and appeared to be enchanted, as no matter how much it snowed, not a singe speck ever made it near any of the flowers. Although it was a bit of a trek, Kathar found it an enjoyable and necessary one. She had recently begun to learn about souls, she was mostly interested in how they were made, and what their creation needed, was life-force, life-force which flowers could provide plenty of.
As she arrived at the outskirts of the castle she took a few moments to admire the contrast between the obvious winter theme that surrounded her, and the apparent summer theme that surrounded the castle. Neither merged with the other, almost as if they were stuck in a standstill of a territory battle. She walked forward, passing the untouchable barrier, as she did she felt the snow that highlighted her being brushed off, and although it saddened her, she was glad to know that she wouldn't cover the flowers with it, even if she was about to pick them and take them away from their home.
Like she always did, Kathar begun her flower collecting by simply admiring the field of colours before her. Admiring how the fields kept their own individuality while slowly merging with the others to create a smooth swarm of natural colours that personified the beauty of mother nature. Of course there were oddities, small absences from where she had picked before. She found a small joy in creating these spots of darkness, seeing it as her way of marking the world, her small way of making her existence known. Unbeknownst to her however, her existence was already known.
As she begun choosing which specimens to gather, she remained completely unaware of the figure that stalked her from the castle window. It watched Kathar with admiration, paying close attention to her every movement, watching as she very delicately grasped and plucked each flower, placing them carefully in her bag. She enjoyed watching the ends of her hair sway as the wind carried them; the way they flowed so freely acting as a representation of Kathar's own freedom. She enjoyed the way Kathar moved, there was a clear purpose in every movement she made that gave away her confidence. Most of all she enjoyed the delicate hand that belonged to her, no matter what it was, she clearly handled whatever she held with care, the figure couldn't help but yearn for her touch. Everything about her made her feel wistful, for she longed to carry her around her home and introduce her to the beauty of an extravagant life that she felt was befitting for the subject of her admiration.
The figure had been watching Kathar from day one. Upon first sight she felt anger towards her mildly destructive tendencies, how dare someone invade and ruin the beauty of her home. It wasn't until she fully diverted her attention to Kathy that she changed her mind. She soon found herself entranced by every little detail of her. The soft and light material of her clothes that somehow made their patterns stand out more, patterns that blended so well with her silky skin, soft smile and cheerful personality. To her, Kathar's lack of an eye only highlighted the beauty of her singular ocean blue orb. It had been a while now, since Kathar started to come here, and so the figure felt that today would be the day she introduced herself.
Kathar never bothered to worry about the possibility of other people while she was in this garden, as far as she was aware, she was alone.
"Do you enjoy stealing from others?"
The sudden disturbance in her silent peace startled Kathar, and she threw her head towards the voice. There, stood a woman, not much taller than her, with piercing rose red eyes, and long snow white hair. The clothes she wore were eloquent, the kind of clothes you'd expect to see on royalty.
The figure giggled, "Did I startle you into silence? You aren't used to being caught, are you?"
Kathar threw herself out of the apparent trance caused by her admiration of the figure in front of her. "No, I'm not, so I'm afraid I must go now"
Kathar turned to sprint away, only to be met with the figure's face, she looked back over her shoulder to see nothing.
"Trust me, little firefly, I'm faster than you, you won't be leaving without my permission."
Kathar felt a small spike of annoyance that turned into mild fear as the figure began to walk towards her. Something about her unsettled Kathar, so she started walking backwards, trying to keep the distance.
"There's no need to be scared, I have no intention of harming you, and I'm not mad about the flowers."
Something about her voice felt calming, so calming that Kathar slowed her movements until she stopped completely, allowing the figure to get closer, until she too stopped, right in front of Kathar. She felt slightly nervous as the women didn't say anything, instead, her eyes traced her body.
"What are you doing?"
"Admiring you, I've only been able to do it from afar."
"You've been watching me?"
"Have been since day one darling. Trust me, if I wanted to hurt you, I would've done so ages ago."
Although it unsettled her to learn she was being watched, she felt more at ease, knowing she had no intention of harming her. The women's eyes stopped wandering, and stared into Kathar's eye, her gaze was one that demanded attention, attention that Kathar wasn't sure if she was going to give or not.
"Your name, what is it firefly?"
"Ka-Kathar"
The women closed her eyes, smiled, and took in a deep breath, almost as if the name intoxicated her to the point that she wished to absorb it.
"Such a lovely name" she opened her eyes "you may call me Rithika, and you are more than welcome to come here again, whether it's to pick flowers, or to see me."
Rithika stepped to the side and extended her arm, signalling to her that she was free to go. Kathar awkwardly shuffled past her, increasing her speed as she got further away, but looking back every few seconds to see Rithika smiling and waving to her.
And this is how Kathar’s life went for the better part of a month. Everyday she would journey to that castle she once thought was abandoned. Of course she did so with the intention of gaining more specimens to use in her studies. Rithika enjoyed her presence anyway, she spent all of their time together being close to her, watching her pick flowers and just generally admiring Kathar as she did her thing. Despite the unusual first interaction between them, Kathar found herself warming up to Rithika’s presence, she didn’t exactly have many friends, so the company of another, although only for a short time each day, was rather pleasant to her.
Rithika never followed Kathar outside of her castle’s boundaries, and so she decided that today she’d at least find out what it is her little firefly was collecting her flowers for.
“So, why have you been coming here so often to pick flowers? Would it not be easier to grow your own?”
Kathar shivered a little, while the pair had spent a decent amount of time together for the past month, they spent it in silence, this was the first time either of them had spoken since their first meeting.
“Why the sudden interest, getting bored of just watching me?”
“I could watch you for the rest of eternity and never be bored. I’m just curious.”
“Well, given that you seemingly live here, and after witnessing you that night, I imagine you’re probably responsible for these flowers and the potential invisible force field around this place, so I guess I can tell you, it probably won’t seem as outlandish to you as it does to others.”
Kathar looked carefully at a pair of flowers, then picked them both and turned to Rithika, presenting them.
“Can you tell me the difference between these two flowers?”
“Nope, they both look the same to me.”
“Every living thing has energy in it, most people can’t see this energy, it doesn’t exist to the untrained eye, think of it like an aura that surrounds it. This unseen energy is it’s life force.”
She held up the one in her right hand.
“The aura that surrounds this one is brighter than the other, meaning it has more life force to it. Hence why I’m being so selective about which flowers I choose.”
“So, can you see the life force of every living thing?”
“I can, it did take quite a while for me to figure out how to see them, let alone manipulate them, but I can.”
“You can manipulate them?”
“Yes. It’s the whole point of what I’m doing, by collecting enough life force one could, theoretically speaking, create an entire soul; which is what I’m aiming to do.”
Rithika’s admiration for Kathar only grew with these statements, she found it so amazing how she was able to learn all of this, when even someone as powerful as her, knew nothing about it.
“Could you demonstrate how it works? Being able to manipulate life force I mean.”
“I guess I could, watch the flowers.”
Rithika begrudgingly pulled her eyes away from Kathar’s and to the flowers so she could witness what Kathar was capable of doing.
As she watched, Kathar began to focus and with seemingly very little effort, transferred the life force between the flowers. The only indication that this was actually happening, was the flower in her left hand suddenly decaying at a rapid pace, and the one in her right, seemingly getting healthier.
“From what I’ve learned, life force can’t truly be destroyed, as something lives it gathers enough life force to sustain itself from seemingly nowhere. It’s like the energies just exist and flow about as freely as oxygen does. When something dies, all of that life force is just released into the surroundings, unless someone is directly channelling it, like I was with the flowers.”
“You truly are marvellous.”
Kathar blushed a little at the unexpected compliment.
“I do hope that when you are successful in creating a soul, that you will come and show me, or perhaps, moving to the source of your research would be better for you?”
“As nice an offer as that is I wouldn’t want to intrude on your home.”
“You’ve spent a while coming here and stealing my flowers, and have you not seen the size of the castle that is my home, I could have 20 of you living with me and there would still be plenty of room.”
“I-I guess I can consider it, I would like if you showed me around your home first, if you would be so kind.”
“To have such a gem set foot in my home would be an honour, how about I show you around now?”
“Well I’ve collected all that I need for now, so sure, I have plenty of time to spare.”
Rithika stood on one leg and spun around in a moment of joy, “oh how wonderful. Come now Firefly, we best not waste time.”
She held out her hand for Kathar to grab, which she did so in the most gentle manner she could. She was so gentle in fact, that Rithika felt as if the soft embrace of her hand had made her physically melt; her desire to hold her only enhanced that feeling.
It had been a while since Kathar felt the touch of another person, the feeling of Rithika’s hand in hers made her realise just how much she had missed the sensation.
The pair walked through the castle’s garden without a word to each other. Rithika was busy humming to herself, clearly happy with being able to finally touch Kathar and have the opportunity to show her around her home, and Kathar had found herself enjoying the little tune that escaped her lips, wishing not to disturb it.
The tour of Rithika’s mansion lasted a couple hours, it would’ve gone quicker but she felt she had to explain some of the stories behind her home. Kathar found herself enjoying her time with Rithika more than she thought she would. There was something about her voice that made it pleasant to listen to, making it easy for Kathar to allow Rithika to indulge in her need for telling stories. During the tour Kathar also came to the realisation of just how lonely Rithika was. Kathar had always enjoyed her own company, in her normal life, most would avoid her as a point of viewing her as weird or scary. She learned to become unbothered by this, and soon found herself living the life of a willing loner, and as such, she could tell that Rithika had not gotten used to the loneliness.
Kathar spent a few days after that considering taking Rithika’s offer. She wasn’t entirely sure if she was considering it out of pity or her own desire, but she was considering it. She slowly started spending more time at Rithika’s home, still collecting her flowers but making sure to get it done quickly so she could enjoy being with Rithika for longer. The sudden change in the amount of attention she gave her sent Rithika wild. She wanted more. She wanted to be able to spend every second she could with Kathar at her side. She wasn’t stupid, Kathar could see how Rithika’s obsession with her was growing, but she found enjoyment in teasing her about it. It soon got to the point where any outsider looking in would be convinced they were lovers forever cursed to be unable to interact with the other. Until a certain day where Rithika was unable to hold herself back, revealing one of her many secrets to Kathar.
Kathar had become very comfortable around Rithika, and didn’t mind holding her hand, hugging her or other various forms of physical touch. She of course used this to her advantage to toy with Rithika’s obsession of her. They had gotten into the habit of hugging each other goodbye whenever Kathar would leave for her home, except this time, Rithika didn’t want to let go.
“You know I don’t actually live here yet, you’ve gotta let me go at some point.”
Rithika moved her head to bury it in Kathar’s neck and she swore it felt like she was smelling her.
“I think at this point we should just call your home away from this castle a holiday home, you stay here often enough.”
“Still I’d have to move all of my stuff here, you would have to let go of me so I could do that.”
“You can do it later, right now, I want you.”
She moved her head up so that she could look Kathar directly in the eye. Kathy was momentarily shocked upon seeing those rubies glow, and when Rithika opened her mouth once more, Kathar bared witness to a pair of fangs.
“You. Smell. Delicious. And it has been driving me crazy, you’re like a drug, and I’m high on you without even having you.”
“Well if it’s just my blood you want,” she leans in and whispers into Rithika’s ear, “go ahead and take it.”
Without a second thought Rithika sank her fangs into her neck and held her as close as possible. Kathar was a bit caught off guard at the sudden speed that she had moved at, but got over it quickly and allowed herself to sink into Rithika’s grasp.
Once she was done Kathar felt as if she were about to pass out. The only thing keeping her upright was Rithika’s hold on her, who looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world whilst simultaneously seeing her as the most satisfying prey she had ever caught.
Kathar attempted to speak; the only thing that came out of her mouth was a raspy breath before she actually passed out. When she awoke, she found herself in an incredibly luxurious room, laying on a bed which probably could’ve fit ten of her on it.
“You’re awake.” Rithika’s voice came from the bedside and Kathar turned to look at her. There was nothing but adoration on her face as she looked upon Kathar.
“Were you watching me sleep?”
“I had nothing else to do.”
“Well, that’s fair, but with a bed this big you could’ve joined me.”
“As much as I love the idea, I felt you should get to enjoy the wonders of a bed you can actually move around in, compared to your usual resting place.”
Kathar had never mentioned anything about the state of her own home to Rithika, and decided to ignore the apparent unintentional confession of stalking. She had found herself falling for her, and so decided that she wasn’t bothered by it.
“Where are my things?”
“Right here.”
Rithika picked up Kathar’s usual bag from right beside her to show her.
“I imagine you’ll be wanting to get back to your home, however I was wondering if you’d perhaps stay for dinner?”
“Haven’t you already eaten?”
“The normal kind of food, the stuff unlike the delicacy that is you.”
“You flatter me.”
“I only speak the truth, I’ve never had blood that tastes as good as yours.”
“Well why not then, I’ll stay for dinner, but I must go home after.”
“As much as it saddens me to be away from you, I suppose I can’t stop you. However you should consider my proposal of moving in with me.”
“I’ll give it some thought.”
Kathar found herself to be an immediate fan of Rithika’s cooking, swearing that it was the best food she had ever had. Before long they said their usual goodbyes as Kathar left to make her usual trip home, feeling once again the change in nature as she stepped away from the castle and it’s denizen that she had grown attached to. As she walked she couldn’t help but constantly run her hand over the bite marks left behind from Rithika. This was the first time she had ever bit her, despite that she knew that she was a careful women, and so suspected that the light burn was just a mild irritation of her skin’s reaction to being punctured. She did note however, that the feeling of pain seemed to be getting greater, the further she got from the castle, from Rithika.
When she got home she had barely made it to the bed before she collapsed, the burning feeling overpowering her will to move. Slowly, she crawled her way onto her broken, messy bed, realising amidst the pain that Rithika was right; the bed she awoke in earlier, was much nicer, even if it was oversized. The thought of Rithika made her smile, before she forced herself asleep to avoid the pain.
Unfortunately for her, the pain was not temporary. It took every bit of her energy and willpower to get out of bed come morning, let alone make herself some food. She had a look at herself, moreso the contraptions she had made that rested inside her, none of them were in disarray, and yet none of them helped with the pain. She had suspected that perhaps her internal heater might be of help, as her pain was a burning one, but it did nothing. She continued to tinker with a few more of her creations that weren’t inside her, yet still nothing worked.
Her thoughts wandered back to Rithika, she was careful enough to avoid giving her a mark that would cause pain, wasn’t she? Then she remembered how the pain got worse the further away from the castle she got.
“She’s marked me.” Kathar uttered. Given what she knew about Rithika’s obsessive nature, and the fact of the pain being worse the further away she got, this seemed the most reasonable conclusion to the matter. She decided to pay an early visit to Rithika, mostly to see if the pain would in fact go away the closer she was to her.
Kathar started her trip in a state where she quite literally had to drag her feet across the ground to get anywhere. Once she had reached the castle, the pain was extremely minimal, practically unnoticeable. Rithika greeted her with a confused smile, Kathar however could see it in her eyes, she was expecting her.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what brings you here so early, you've never deviated from your schedule before."
Kathar wanted to mention the bite and the pain she felt from it the further she was from Rithika, but found herself completely unable to.
“What did you do to me?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
She tried to mention the bite again but the words were never formed. She instead revealed her neck to Rithika and pointed at the punctured holes. She said nothing. Then smiled at her, and opened her arms. Kathar found herself suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to be embraced by Rithika, and threw herself at her.
Rithika held her tightly but gently, her voice was soft as she spoke, to the point that it made Kathar feel relaxed. Instead of the question Kathar expected, Rithika asked her “do you wish to be mine?” To which the only response Kathar could even think of giving, was a silent “yes.”
And just a quick edit for those of you who may have an underdeveloped brain, the relationship depicted here is in no way healthy. Rithika is a stalker, the only reason Kathar falls for her is because she is incredibly mentally unwell, do not strive for this as a relationship, it is fucked.
