The Last Vampire

So it was as feared, and perhaps not just a year, by how violent a reaction this was? Sunny couldn't help but grimace. It was difficult to decide what to say or do, so Sunny opted to just not think too hard about it. She came over, knelt by the bedside, and reached to comfort her. Alas, a hesitation stopped her from leaning into the corner she was already backed into. She fell away to simply watch from the bedside, a pit welling in her stomach from helplessness. It had to be recalled that she owed this child nothing. Sunny was not responsible for any sorrow she might be burdened with, nor was she charged to quell it. Knowing all of that didn't make the pit welling in her gut lighten.

She tried to speak, to soothe, but the coughs were too violent, the sobs too hard. She looked away. Tiny pools of ink stained the sandstone where the feather lay on the floor. One pool was dripped onto from above, where a lip of damp paper spilled a droplet of run-off ink. There, barely legible by the excess, Sunny thought she could make out the numbers "3.0.8."
-
Siiva was at the opened door, arms wide at what he was seeing. "Have you been playing dress-up all morn? Eh?"

Sunny glared at him as she fitted a dark lavender cowl over the now calmed, near inert little one. A chest lay open and empty, the rags it'd once safe kept now splayed across the bed in a dusty pile. "Bit rude to come barging into a lady's room?"

"It's my room, Lady!"

"Keep it down." Sunny pulled it taut, and was happy when the hem reached just to her ankles and didn't drag on the floor. "There." She reached around and tucked the estranged white hair into the back of the cowl, then brought the hood over. She studied the way it rested just above the girl's sullen eyeline, trying to judge whether anyone adult height would see the scarlet beneath the hood's shadow. Her eyes were still sore-red after the long bout, a sniffle all that came from her throat hoarse from coughing.

Sunny smoothed out the girl's shoulders, pressing them a tad to get her attention. "Are you going to be okay like this? Is it pretty enough for you? I know it's no dress."

"Mm." The girl nodded, tugging the hood down just a bit lower. Sunny's touch made her tense up slightly, but she didn't resist or try to get away. She quickly scribbled on a page, keeping her words brief.

Sun hurts. Shade good.

When her gaze met Siiva's for the first time, her head tilted in puzzlement. Quickly correcting herself, she brought her hands together and dipped into a polite bow of greeting, the tips of her fingers just barely peeking out of the long sleeves. At the same time, she offered the same page she'd written for Sunny before.

You saved me. Thank you. Name is Estella.

While Sunny parsed the letters together, then the pronounication and finally the meaning, Siiva pointed to the paper. "Are those my sale's logs?"

"Shu'shu!" Sunny squinted hard at the last message as she rose, the paper turned this way and that. "Sun hurts? I'm not hurt? And shade is... good?"

Siiva raised his voice, noticing the other messages. "What are doing with my parchment!"

Sunny gave up on the 'Sun Hurt' puzzle, rolling her eyes to her business partner. "It's polite to say 'you're welcome' when being thanked, Siiva."

The young man, who smelled of fish and salt, tore at his short hair. "Oh, you're so welcome... Estella? Was it?" He sounded out of breath, an exasperated sarcasm spilling into every word.

"Yes." Sunny answered for her, warning with another glare to change his tone.

He didn't. "Well, Estella." He gave a one bent-knee gentleman's bow. "You are so very welcome to my home, my expensive parchment, and even my ol' mum's cowl." He gave a sickly grin as he opened a palm to the girl. "Why not empty my coffers while you're at."

"Siiva." Sunny said, before motioning for Estella to follow her out.

She followed with no fuss, though the guilt at the realization of what the boy's words meant was evident on what could be seen of her face. She hastened to scribble out an apology, but hesitated just before she stained the paper with more ink. Unsure of what to do, she bowed twice and hurried to catch up with Sunny, the items still in her possession.

Sunny led the way out of the small hut's more open main room toward the warped, ill fitting door. Blinding light spilled from the misshapen seams between planks. Sunny strode over and had the back of her hand on it, but idled to check if she were missing anything. Her leather outerwear had dried, though her metal forearm-guards were a tad loose. She fixed them as Siiva caught up.

"Don't listen to the mean boy." She cut before he went on. "He's mad at me, not you. Sunny owes him a few coins. Coins that I will have, before I leave here."

"Yeah." Siiva threw a limp hand to the door. "Don't blame me if I don't believe that."

Sunny pouted, before unclipping the round shield from her back. She set leaning against the wall. "Collateral. Don't pawn it till I'm back tonight."

"Now wait a minute!"

Sunny was focused on Estella. She made to fix her hood down, but the little mute was doing well of it on her own. She blazed the path out, letting the warmth of day envelop them.

Estella made to follow her out, but completely froze up before the light. The slip-ons worn with age and larger than her own feet that Sunny had stolen borrowed danced around the edges of the beams, but refused to step into them.

But Sunny's retreating form brought about a panic in the girl, and she slowly stuck a hand out in experimentation.

As her fingers peeking out from the sleeve touched the light, they singed almost immediately, steam rising from the points that they met the rays. She hissed in pain as she yanked them back, the pale white skin now seared a red tint but thankfully not blistered.

Whimpering, she pulled on the edges of the cowl to make sure it covered as much as possible. Crossing her arms in order to bury the sleeves, she dipped her head down, took a deep breath, and leaped into the light.

...Several seconds passed whilst she stood stock still, shivering in fear. The paralyzing agony she was expecting never came, and eventually she opened one ruby eye to peek out from the hood.

The cowl was perfectly shielding all parts of her skin from the light, to her amazement. She dared a step forward with newfound confidence. Then another, then another until she caught up to Sunny's side. The parchment and quill that had been placed in a pouch on her side caught her gaze, but she refused to remove her hands from her underarms to retrieve them.

But what had her even more fearful was the bustling town before her. The sight alone had her slipping closer to Sunny's side, to the point where her cheek was pressed up against her leg as she peeked out.

Sunny stretched before the open sea just beyond the tight network of other huts. Gulls flapped above a pearly blue sea peppered with junk boats sailing to and from the horizon. She breathed in the sea smell with vigor. "Ahh! Finally can stretch my legs."

"What was," Siiva had a quivery finger at Estella. He rubbed his together. "What happened that with your-"

"Come along," Sunny mistook the question to be another harrying for money that'd just waste time getting any. She at least gave a hint to where they'd be before joining the traffic. "We'll be near the stalls. I'm sure there's someone who can take a look at her."

"You should take a look at her right-!" But she and Estella had their backs to him, and some strangers didn't as they watched him like mad drunk. He settled to watch them go, until he lost sight. "Just what's she gotten herself into..."
-
Sunny had to relax her gait. She'd forget every so often, and momentarily find herself alone. But the little shadow against the street would be spotted, and waved along. "Ever been to a port-town's market? Lots of exotic folk coming in for trade." She peered over a woman balancing a basket of carp atop her head. "Looks pretty busy. Stay close, alright?"

She didn't respond, not unless her frightened whines counted as a reply. Estella was also having trouble relaxing, but for a different reason. For every noise, shape, or person had her on complete edge. It was clear that she was worried about bumping into something for fear of her cowl coming undone, with the way she shied away from everything as much as she could.

She did her best to keep her head down as well, almost reflexively afraid to raise it under the sunlight. Instead, she studied the ground and the feet passing by to distract herself.

Even under the shade of the marketplace, she still couldn't calm herself. The bits of light peeking out from the torn tarps and tents were like puddles of acid to her, and she awkwardly danced around them like a child playing a game of 'The Floor is Lava' or 'Don't Step Off the White Line'.

Her rather brazen display caught the attention of many, most discarding it as the amusing sight of a child messing around in the excitement of the marketplace, but one individual's stare held for far longer than any other.

A large, bushy black tail bounced from side to side as matching dark eyes watched Estella hopping around with peculiar focus. A pair of sagging ears atop a head of black hair reaching down to a small back perked up, and the figure of a girl even more youthful-looking than Estella began to step in her direction-

"Ah ah." Only to be stopped when one such ear was pinched between two slender fingers. The girl was yanked back to the side of a woman with a short mop of dirty blonde hair. "This ain't the time ta be a-playin'. We're onna job, 'member?"

"..." The girl silently watched the cowled figure disappear in the crowd. Disappointment was evident in the way the wagging slowed to a stop, the ears sagging once more.

"Hey now," The woman's hand moved to gently run across her hair, smoothing the appendages down even more. "I reckon this 'ere quest'll get us enough ta relax fer a bit. You be a good youngin' and I'll buy ya sum'a that jerky ya fancy at the inn, 'kay?"

The wagging returned, and the woman let out a laugh as the pair continued down their own way.

"Hmm?" Sunny tossed a glance back, catching a mention of something that'd really hit the spot right about now. "Jerky... Come on, Estella." She said, waiting for the odd girl to do her odd dance before heading further into the shades of color.

The Hamlet's market was alive. All sorts mingled with their wares on display, from resident shops attracting travelers to what the town had to offer, or the other way around. The smell of roasted meats, pungent fruits and wines, and the ever dominating fish mixed with the harsh cinder of cast-iron work being smelted somewhere near. The glint and gleam of weapon and armor stalls neighbored the perfumed greenery of herbalists and alchemists. The rattle of minstrels with their flutes and lutes intermingled with the shifting chains of slaves being directed off a newly docked galley. Beast-kin strolled in the minority of a town within Man's Kingdom, yet a wolv-ish tower of a figure showed a few curious lookers to some tribal necklaces. And on the other side, a feminine arachnid spun silk at the center of a huge collage of strung up silken garb.

"Stay close..." Sunny reached behind her without looking, and grasped empty air. She found Estella lagging again. "Come... along..." She watched her do her odd dance. The way she stuck to the shade. Shade Good. "Never going to find a Seer at this rate." She ruffled her hair, sighing toward the garb shop. She feared for her wallet. When Estella caught up, she bent to her level. "Cowl's not enough?"

Due to not paying attention, the girl bumped right into Sunny mid-leap between spots of light. She rubbed at her crown as she nervously glanced about, Sunny's question barely heard. Quickly, she scrambled out the paper and, after dipping the quill in the small ink container she'd been given, wrote out a reply.

scary scary scary light is scary scar

The words were sloppier and less legible than before because of how fast she'd drawn them, and she was almost shoving the thing in the woman's face before she'd even finished the last word. From beneath the cowl's hood, she looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Woah woah woah, hey hey," Sunny gave Estella's shoulders another light squeeze. It was mostly just to get the damn paper steady. "Relax, let me read..." But it was hard to follow. Scar-y? '-y', as in the light was scar-like? It was scarring? That's when she saw the fingers around the scribbled paper, and even with not totally getting the frantically laid phrase, she understood that those had not been there this morning. "Goodness..." She tenderly held her wrists to examine the hotpink skin at the tips. She checked the sky, aware that she'd unwittingly brought some kind of harm to Estella, and it had to do with the shimmery star glaring through the light fabric overhead. But, how, exactly? How could light cause such terror?

She bit her lip, bringing Estella's sleeves over her tiny hands. "Don't write for now, okay? I need to ask you about this, but first let's get you something better than just a dirty cowl."
-
"I spin only the finest, silk, m'ese."

"I don't need the finest," Sunny crossed her arms, putting on a hard-sell voice starkly different to the sweetness Estella's heard till now. "Give me the second-finest shi-tuff." She gulped at the stutter, trying and failing to play it off.

The silk-weaver crossed a set of her own human arms while another thinly, black, lower two sets worked a whirling spinner wheel. She fed the contraption silk straight from her massive arachnid abdomen, simultaneously adjusting the wheel's quick pace and negotiating with Sunny. This kin had the decency to wear a burgundy top over her human half, most likely just as advertisement of her own skill for tailoring. It matched the symmetrical markings on her hard carapace, which was mainly as pitch black as her many eyes. Despite their uniformly void sclera and pupils, she still bore a mischievous interest in her most recent customers. It was all in the brows, Sunny decided.

"No second-rate silk here, m'ese." The spinner's voice came as sinister and patient as what her animal half might suggest, her heavy accent alluding to far travels. She gestured to the many hanging hats, dresses, and rugs. All silk, patterned so intricately it could only come from the skill of a kin. All immensely expensive. "What you see in my stoll, is what you pay for. You won't find such beauty elsewhere."

"Fine." Sunny said, feigning flippancy. "I'll be on my way then. I'm sure a lesser tailor might fit my needs better anyway. Come on, Estella." To cement to the play, she was already walking. It'd be embarrassing if she had to return, but it was basic haggling-knowhow that you couldn't be wishy-washy.

"Wait." The arachnid let them get a few steps before conceding. Her sets of spider arms left the wheel to hold up some clothes that'd been hiding under the table. They were plainer, smaller. Still incredibly fine. "I make these out of leftover. Fit little munchkin. Cheap, very cheap. Come 'round back, and we try some."

Sunny bowed slightly, her tone softening with just a taste of victory in her bright smile, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
-
Behind the square of thick rugs, the spinner worked in a flurry. Sunny was mostly a spectator, but mostly so Estella wouldn't be too freaked out while the spinner tried to sell them on a unique look. "What unique hair... like silk." The spinner coo'd, weighing its texture in one three fingered spider appendage. The cowl was already thrown aside, her many arms slipping scarves, other colorful over-coats, or lacy elbow sleeves on and off again in its place. After some minutes, she faced Estella toward a standing mirror. "How about this?"

"Erm..." Sunny was already forming her own opinion silently.

Estella gazed in wide-eyed wonder at her own form. Immediately, her fingers went up to pull the new hood over her head, finding that it fit more snugly than the cowl's had. The hood connected down into a large shirt, the soft material of the long sleeves ticking her cheek as she rubbed against it. They were also just long enough for her fingers to peek out of, per her request, and the long arm sleeves she had on under them provided extra protection while also covering her exposed digits.

Perhaps sensing her intentions, the woman had explained that the hood was specifically made for rogues and thieves for blocking light and encasing the wearer's face in shadows, obscuring it as long as it was on. Though the Hood of Shadows was quite a bit more expensive than the other garments, Estella had begged Sunny for it until she gave in, mourning her wallet as she passed over the necessary funds.

The long shirt reached to just about her waist, and was covered by a vest that couldn't quite be called armor, but was still thick enough to block out sunlight. The frills and bows weren't something she'd requested, but hadn't resisted either as the woman spun her in circles to apply them with supernatural speed.

It took minutes of stubborn quarreling before the woman had relented on giving her a skirt, and instead she now wore loose-fitting shorts that stopped at her mid-thigh. Under them were a pair of stockings that matched her arm sleeves, both made thicker, tear-resistant, and more light-blocking on her request.

A long belt ran around her thin waist, fit with many hooks and pockets for holding small items, and a slightly bigger pouch than what she'd used before hung from one. The parchment, quill, and ink container were already put away.

Finally, she kicked up one foot, wiggling a thick, tiny boot to test it's comfort, nodding at how it wasn't too loose or tight. Twirling in place, she pulled the hood down and smiled at both women, indicating how much she loved it.

...Which was just as well, considering two whole hours had passed before they'd finally assembled it just how she wanted. Once they had finished, she returned to Sunny's side, clinging to her waist with none of the fear she'd had previously.

Sunny brought her arms up, not having expected Estella to cling quite so close. "Ah haha... you look, great." She settled in well enough, lowering a hand to the thick hood for a moment.

This excited the arachnid, her many arms rubbing at the expectation of coin. Sunny relented, but not all in coin. The silvers came also with one of the light bags untied from the wayward's belt. The arachnid furrowed her brow as she peered inside.

"What is this?" She hissed.

"Bone dust." Sunny waved her over to some spare silk. "I use it for Magelight, I'll print the sigils here. Sow the dust in the fabric, and you can make a whole outfit that burns a brilliant blue. I'm sure it'll be worth it."

The two haggle more, the seamstress never asking where or why Sunny had this much bone dust. A smart one, this merchant. Eventually, they came to a respectable agreement. "Please come again, m'ese. And especially you, Silk-hair." Five palms waved them off as the others started up the spinner once more.

"Sheesh." Sunny itched at the back of her skull. She hated how lighter her belt weighed. It was already light enough to make a girl anxious, but... "At least you seem more comfy?" She couldn't help but smile at the way Estella was beaming under her new clothes. "I thought of someone who might help me understand matters. Someone learn-ed."

She led them away from the thinning, but still busy early eve market. Fishers were returning with their hauls, now. They waved to Sunny with surprise and passing comments.

"Ah! You're still in town. Come on by if you can spare the time."
"Who's the little one?"
"Aye, I knew they were wrong about you skipping out on your tab. You're a good soul, bettah than anyone says... but you bettah get me my tab next you visit, ya hear?"

Sunny gave them all cursory smiles and thin excuses all the way to their next destination.

"Here we are." She said, parting the door for Estella. Within, a very small one story book and parchment seller. Feathers much like the one the girl had pilfered were displayed in glass cases, while a few rows of shelves were filled top to bottom with thick and thin tombs.

(Had to throw this in cuz Stella's adorable)

Compared to her earlier attitude, Estella was still excitedly hopping around, only now she was bouncing with each step, a large grin on her partially hidden face. And now, where she used to avoid them like the plague, the girl took every opportunity to jump into the patches of light littering the ground, as if to remind herself of her new protection.

The act of walking through the light--or perhaps just being able to--had clearly made her giddy, and it took several more warnings from Sunny to get her moving at a faster pace than before.

Estella's eyes wandered over the interior of the book store curiously, soaking in the sight of a place she'd clearly never seen before. Her inspection eventually led to her meeting the gaze of an adolescent girl tucked away in the corner, nose buried in a book.

Or at least it appeared that way with a simple glance. In actuality, the girl was peeking over the rim, her eyes locked onto the two of them that had just entered. When they made eye contact, she started before sliding the book up like a shield to block her gaze.

Tilting her head curiously, Estella had no time to ponder the strange occurrence before Sunny had already moved on to the front desk. The smaller space made her more apprehensive, and she pinched a part of the woman's shirt between her fingers in order to stay closer to her side.

"Eh, Estella..." Sunny whispered, minding her manners to the other quiet patrons. The little one wasn't so clingy before coming in, dancing and prancing. Did she hate the light, or love taunting it? Did she not like being indoors? Sunny couldn't say now. She put the matter out of mind as a dusty figure came to greet them.
They were dusty, old, in pale robes from neck to toe. The old scribe wore a contentment on his wrinkles that said he wouldn't be content anywhere else, save this cramped building. The symbol of the Saviour dangled outside his robe.
"I need to know more about a particular word." Sunny said after some pleasantries. She leaned in across the table, her voice getting even lower to a half breath. "Vampire", have you any knowledge on-"
"What was that?" The scribe crowed loudly in her ear. "Vampire? Never heard of it!"
Sweat broke across her brow as she motioned to lower their voices. "Eh heh heh, might just be a fairy-tale. Is all. A fabled people, or race." She looked around, and found the other patrons just sighing, annoyed. They must be regulars used to the old fool's lack of tact.
"Ah!" The scribe had shuffled around, wavered an unsteady finger to the back of some books, and plopped a thick tome on a vacant table.
"Come along, this might take awhile." Sunny lightly tapped Estella's hood as she walked her to the table, pointing briefly to one of the worn but comfy looking chair.
The tome was pried back, a wonderful crack from its spine putting a toothy smile on the scribe's lips. "I've never heard of such things, but mayhap we find them here..."
And as if the scribe had nothing better to do, he trawled through tome after massive tome. Sunny helped in the hauling, but was quite useless hanging over his shoulder any other time. Hours began to pass.

Estella snored lightly, curled up into a ball in the chair. She'd waited patiently for all of ten minutes before she got bored and decided to help out herself, picking a random book from the pile.

Unfortunately, she hadn't made it past the half-hour mark, and was out like a light sometime during the pair's silent discussions. Her light snores did nothing to draw them attention, but none noticed the piercing gaze of the girl from before, nor her approach to the table.

"Hey old man," Her book slapped down against the wood with the force of her palm, her voice just barely passing for a whisper. "I'm done here. Can I borrow one of those?" She pointed to their stack.

"Eh? Ah," The old man peeked one eye out of his own tome to see what she'd meant, but waved her off a moment later. "Sure sure. Take your pick."

"Mm." With an indifferent grunt as her only reply, she quickly swiped the top book off the stack and plopped into the nearest seat--the one right next to the sleeping Estella--and thumbed through the book disinterestedly.

And at some point after that...she'd also fallen asleep. The two girls' breathing seemed to almost be in sync as they rested, faces buried into their respective texts.

"G'ah." Sunny pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes beginning to bag slightly with tiredness. Her posture slacked, finger sliding down the parchment from where it'd kept her place. She had seen many very similar ensembles of seperate letters: Vagrant, Empire, Spire. Everytime she'd tried to discern a meaning, or ask the volunteering scribe, she came to nothing even hinting at what she was looking for. "I wonder if it's even commen tongue." She muttered with Estella's sleeping form in the corner of her eye. Something else caught there, and she came slightly awake. Only slightly. It was just another child, small and sleeping soundly. One of those who'd been reading long prior all this. Had she not noticed Estella making a friend? Strange, but not unthinkable.
"Ahhhhh..." A satisfied drawl brought Sunny back to the scribe.
"Found something?"
His thin, cracked lips smacked. "No. I just came across a funny tale. A fox-kin and a merchant. Quite the story, this one..."
She felt her eye twitch. "Does it has any to do with Vampires?"
"No."
Early evening turned to night through the one window.

And it was at some random hour in the night that the entire room heard a frightening scream.

It was the teen who'd fallen asleep next to Estella, leaping up from her chair so quickly that the thing nearly flew across the room. Hands planted firmly on the table, she panted out a series of rough, ragged breaths, looking like she'd run three marathons while she was unconscious.

Only, it wasn't just fatigue on her face. There was a clear, unmistakable fear etched into her expression, made clearer as she stumbled away from the still-sleeping girl like she'd suddenly contracted a contagious disease. In her frantic attempt to flee, she tripped over her own upended seat and crashed onto her rear.

Even then, the pain didn't seem to register in her terror-addled state. "Shit...shit...!" And as if an army of Ghouls had suddenly appeared, she turned and sprinted out of the store, crashing through the door with enough force to shatter it entirely.

Meanwhile, Estella still slept soundly, strangely unaffected by the girl's display. Only, unlike before, two wet streaks now trailed down her pale cheeks, much like when Sunny had first discovered her.

Sunny'd nearly fallen too at such a screech. She and the scribe looked wide eyed at the door left swinging all its own. The scribe was the one to break the proceeding silence. "My, what a nightmare it must have been."
"I'd say so..." was all she could muster on the matter. "Estella?" Curiously, the girl hadn't been awoken, yet there was a dampness just below her resting lids. "Seems she's not the only one having a bad dream." Sunny muttered, coming over gently with a clean cloth. She touched it to the girl's cheek, marveling for a moment at how much like a doll she looked. Not like any straw doll with button eyes she'd played with, but one of so very fragile ceramic. Look at me now. Fully grown and finally with my very own porcleain doll. What am I doing.
"Come now, Estella. It's about time we turn in."
"Oh my," The scribe had shakily unclasped the circular glass from his eyes, his attentiom to the night beyond the library. "I must apologize. Even trying my best guess, no such mention of this 'Vampire' anywhere."
Sunny began putting the stacks away, not completely sure if they were in the correct spot but too tired to really care. "Thank you. It's fine. Was just curious, is all." She closed the ones still splayed. One caught her a moment, its pictures depicting slender Lamia, man and woman aside by what she could only assume was a some detail pertaining to them or another. She did like the picture though. Flipping a page came a Wolf pair.

Sunny's gentle voice brought Estella from her slumber. She slowly sat up while idly rubbing away the excess tears that hadn't leaked out, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she'd been crying. After a yawn that turned into a small coughing fit, she rose from the table to return to Sunny's side.

"..." Though she had to stretch a bit to see it properly, Estella's eyes also caught sight of what had gotten the woman's attention. Like her, she followed the images silently.