#plot continues!

His sister stands in the doorway, looking a bit sheepish at waking him and smelling of the same blood she’s smelled of for months now. 

Selene has told their nanae about Deceit and Fear, and they had sent out Morwen to make certain everything was safe and to gather information on their identities. They are the trusted servants of the young Lord Dirthamen, a local lord and son of the prominent Count and Countess Elgar’nan and Mythal from Hunter Fell. 

It is never entirely safe to deal with nobility, too many people notice when nobility acts strangely, but his nanae hadn’t told her to stop, just remain vigilant should the lords come looking.

Aelynthi isn’t entirely certain they’re harmless, especially this Fear, but knows his sister can handle herself. She’ll let him know if she needs him, but she is far better at all of this than he is anyway. Though if his sister is planning on taking a permanent thrall or ghoul she’ll need to talk to their nanae, and make certain there are no complications.

Selene seems to mistake his frown of concern for one of irritation as she walks further into the underground chamber. “Sorry for disturbing you. You really should have slept yesterday.”

It is an old point of contention. Aelynthi...rarely sleeps. He doesn’t enjoy it, doesn’t like the dreams that come with it. Besides, with his underground studio he doesn’t need to worry about the sunlight. Even when he was mortal he tended to forget to sleep or eat when inspired, so it isn’t unusual.

Not that his family had found the habit healthy back then either.

“Did anything exciting happen tonight?” Aelynthi changes the subject, brushing out the wrinkles in the paper he’d fallen asleep on. The charcoal is smudged but it is just a sketch, so he doesn’t see it as too much of a loss. He can redo it later.

His sister stiffens, which is surprising. He had certainly not meant anything by the question, but upon seeing her reaction he slowly turns and smiles. “Something did happen, then?”

“Nothing unusual,” Selene shakes her head. “Nothing unusual at all.”

Aelynthi purses his lips. So there is something. Still, his sister is not someone that keeps secrets easily, not when she thinks they might affect others. So if she’s apprehensive about sharing it must be something personal. As much as Aelynthi enjoys teasing her, he doesn’t want her to feel pressured. Instead he begins cleaning up his studio. If it is dark it means he can go to his above-ground studio and work there, in the moonlight.

“How long since you’ve fed?”

Aelynthi pauses. “A few days?” He can’t quite remember. It had been a man in a tavern a few towns over, but that is all he knows. Perhaps it had been longer…

Selene’s frown deepens. “You need to feed, ‘lynthi.”

“How long until sunrise?” His sister will not let it go if he doesn’t head out. And he is a bit hungry, he will admit.  Maybe he’ll find someone to fuck. It’s been far too long since he’s slept with anyone.

“Five hours.” Selene answers, “You should be able to go to town and back in time, if you make it quick.” The way she says ‘town’ makes him all the more curious about what she’s done. Perhaps he’ll do a bit of snooping after he eats.

“Very well,” He stands and heads toward the door, his sister in tow.

“Would you like me to come with you?” Selene asks, in a way that tells him she both wants to go very much and also not at all.

“I’ll be fine.” he shakes his head, “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Selene. Sleep well.”

“Sleep well,” Selene calls after him and he watches her head down the darkened hall toward her own rooms, before heading up the stairs.

The foyer is quiet but he hears low voices, and then a young surprised exclamation and turns to see Morwen leading a qunari woman and child through the side wing toward the kitchen, the smell of smoke trailing behind them. His nanae stands beside the large grandfather clock and watches them go, expression unreadable. They turn at his footsteps and make their way to him.

“Who is that?”

“Guests,” Melarue rubs a bit of charcoal from his cheek with their thumb and a fond smile, “They will likely be gone by morning.”

Aelynthi nods. It is not unusual for his nanae to let a lost traveler stay for the evening and wipe their memory of the place near dawn to send them off none the wiser. “I am going out to feed. I will be back before dawn.”

I will be back before dawn. It is a promise he makes to them, whenever he leaves the manor. They are so afraid he will leave them, and that it will be their fault. He can’t entirely say he hasn’t blamed them more than once, when he is at his lowest. He doesn’t like that he does, but he cannot help the resentment that builds when he remembers that Sariandi was their first childe, and that they did not do more.

He hates himself for it.

His nanae presses a kiss to his forehead, seeming to read his thoughts, “It is raining, remember to take a cloak.”

---

The downpour his nanae mentioned continues as he heads toward the town of Sapron. It seems far busier than it should be, for the time of night and the weather. Aelynthi himself heads toward the familiar tavern, listening to the heavy thundering of rain and the sounds of revelry inside.

A singular guard stands near the attached stables. An easy mark, and no one will notice him...Aelynthi moves away from the door and heads toward them; a human male, soaked to the bone beneath his woolen cloak. He looks up when Aelynthi nears, stiffening until his gaze meets Aelynthi’s and the tension in his body eases.

“There are more guards in town than usual,” Aelynthi murmurs, reaching for the man’s hand and rolling up his sleeve. “Why is that?”

“...a...a fire in Debrisc. Burned down an entire home. The family that lives there is missing.”

Aelynthi pauses. “A fire?”

“It’s only thanks to the rain that no other buildings burned. The storm didn’t hit until after. Divine justice from the Maker.”

Aelynthi frowns, just short of digging his nail into the skin of the man’s wrist. “Why would it be an act of divinity?”

“Rumor is the man likes to beat his wife and probably the child too. When a man treats his family poorly like that, things are bound to happen. Those qunari are beasts anyway, can’t expect any different. Still, starting a fire is a capital offense, we need to find them.”

A qunari family? Aelynthi wonders if his nanae knows that their guests are likely runaways. Though running away from a violent husband shouldn’t be a crime. If it were true, Aelynthi hopes the husband is dead. Less of a mess for the mother and child when they leave in the morning.

“What’s going on here?”

Aelynthi lets go of the guard’s arm as the human nearly jumps, startled at the booming voice from the front of the tavern. For a moment Aelynthi thinks it is the qunari man the guard had spoken of, though the significant lack of horns and long, tapered ears made it quickly apparent that the man is an elf.

“C-captain!” The guard hurriedly salutes, looking shamefaced at being caught unaware.

“I was merely asking for directions.” Aelynthi replies, as the guard captain turns toward him.

“Continue to your post,” The captain orders Aelynthi’s target, who hurries to do what he is told. The desire to follow his captain’s orders seems to push through the thrall Aelynthi had on him, which is intriguing.

Now Aelynthi is alone with the captain of the guard. Tall. Muscular. Handsome.

His type.

The night has certainly gotten better than it had started. He reaches up a hand and pulls back the hood of his cloak, to make it easier to catch the guard captain’s gaze.

“Asking for directions? Are you new in town, sera?” The guard’s stern expression turns softer, but his hand remains on the weapon at his side. “It is late and the next coach doesn’t leave till morning. It would be best to find yourself to an inn.”

“Mmmm,” Aelynthi hums as he sees his suggestion begin to take hold, “I think I’ll have something to eat first. And perhaps you can tell me more about why the guard is so worried about a runaway qunari family.”

“A...qunari family...no, Lord Elgar’nan’s son was attacked...searching for the culprit is more important...sending the new men to look for the qunari...” The tall captain blinks, unsure why he is giving the information freely to a stranger, even as Aelynthi backs him up against a wall. “Why are you asking?”

Someone with a strong will. Well, that is fine. He is done talking about it anyway. Aelynthi thinks he knows what Selene is so worried about now. He’ll have to tell her that whoever she attacked isn’t dead, at least.  

Aelynthi smiles, eyes glowing in the dark. He’s hungry—perhaps his last meal had been longer than a few days—and the elf in front of him is watching him with such a delicious expression...he cannot help it. He leans down and sinks his fangs into the captain’s wrist, enough sense in him yet not to go for the neck.

He hears a groan above him, one that matches his own as he cups the man’s arm in his hands and presses it to his lips. Warm, sweet, like spiced wine. Not too much, he warns himself, just enough to take off the edge.

He can feel the elf’s member harden against his leg, pressed tight against his breeches. Aelynthi licks the wound one last time, sealing it shut, mind reeling.

“Perhaps a little taste of this as well,” He purrs, falling to his knees in the mud. He reaches for the captain’s belt, and feels a hand brush through his hair. He finds himself leaning into the caress and has to remind himself of the task at hand. He can revel in the feel of that hand later, after he’s ridden him senseless.

“...you have beautiful eyes.”

What a thing to say, to the strange vampire about to suck your cock.

He’s about to tell him so when an odd sensation drifts over him. A scent fills the air, sickeningly sweet to the point of nausea. Aelynthi sees his hand trembled against the guard captain’s belt buckle.

It’s him.

Aelynthi pushes away from the guard, eyes wide in terror, and flees.