The Last Vampire

Why couldn't all books just be pictures? Well, probably because it didn't say much beyond looks. She was about to close it when she saw Estella also having taken interest. "Mind if we borrow this?"
The scribe wobbled away from where he slid a weighty text. "Hmm? Oh, no. Only residents may borrow from me, I'm afraid."
Sunny thought a moment, biting her lower lip. "Hadn't you heard? I'm betroved." It was a desperate move, but one she couldn't really see too much trouble sprialing from.
"Really?"
"That's right." Too late to second guess now. "Siiva. Fisher here? You know him."
The scribe rubbed at his white stubble. "I know him. He stops by for supplies every so-
"
"Great! Haha," Sunny collected the book, handing it to Estella to hold while she escorted her out. "Well, put it under his name, because we're to be wed. Yes."
"Oh hoh! Well... congratulations!"
Sunny waved thanks, tossing whispers to hurry along.

When the door shut, she let a sigh of relief. Lanterns were lit about the business sect of the Hamlet, but that was all for light. The sliver of crescent moonlight did little to beat back alley shadows or looming shapes of buildings unlit. Far, far away, Sunny knew the shadow of that seaside fortress was hiding. She just stretched noisily as they went on their way. "I doubt we'll find anything Siiva can read to me about Vampires in there, but you could do with something to occupy yourself with." She said as they made to the residential streets. The lanterns were sparses here, with even less people.

"Mm." Estella nodded appreciatively at her words, hugging the book a bit tighter to her chest as they walked.

Some odd minutes passed as they traveled in silence, and if there was any hint of her apprehension during the daytime, it was completely gone during the late hours. Her demeanor was much more energetic and lively, comparable to her excitement after receiving her new clothes. But rather than jumping around giddily, she was now more comfortable, like any other person would be when simply taking a stroll.

Her hood remained up, but she didn't seem to mind standing near the lantern at all, even when specks of light grazed her face as she looked around, evidently enjoying the sight of the district after dark, and the shortage of people it brought with it.

All in all, it seemed a night like any other. So when the girl's neck suddenly whipped around so quickly it would have broken had she been human, neither of them were very prepared for the oncoming wave of clear liquid headed right for them. Or rather, for her.

Despite that, Estella kicked off the ground, launching herself back and away from the splash of the liquid in a feat of unnatural agility. The motion was clearly undershot however, as a tiny droplet licked her cheek--and to her surprise, she hissed as it stung like a match had been pressed against her face. She massaged the burned area with one hand, her eyes darting to the alley they had walked in front of just prior.

"H-Holy shit...! You...y-you're really..." Though it would be difficult for Sunny to make out the figure shakily clutching a now-empty wooden pail in the shadows of the alley, Estella's hyper-focused gaze was trained directly on them, the way her ruby eyes glowed under her hood triggering a primal instinct of fear in anyone who looked her way. With a clack, the item hit the floor and the girl who'd stormed out earlier in a fit of curses emerged just enough to be seen, nervousness plaguing her expression.

And Estella made to lunge forward, but stopped just short of the puddle now formed on the ground, creating a barrier of separation between the pair of them and the alley where the girl stood. Her eyes glanced down at it for a moment, and her nose wrinkled from the smell, deeming it unpleasant. Her boots crunched as she took two steps back.

"Y-You..." Noticing her reaction and the hand still rubbing her cheek, the teen raised a shivering finger to point at her. "You know what that is, don't you? It's holy water. And it...it burned you!"

"..."

"So you really are one of them...! One of those...those...things!" She seemed to struggle with the word, the memory not quite surfacing until a moment later.





"Vampire. You're a Vampire!"

Sunny was vaguely aware she hadn't moved in several seconds. She was tired, sure, but she thought she could handle any vagrants looking to start trouble in the dead of night if she had to. She had whipped into action other times at some idiot who thinking her unaware, even in this very town. And yet, the absurdity of this particular assault had stunned her. Water? Holy, water? She looked from the splashed puddle to Estella, to the plume of steam rising from her cheek. Those fingers now clenched tight in her gloves came to mind. That's probably how it looked like, if they really had been burned by light. And now... Holy Water?

Where Estella had backed off, Sunny stomped passed with a crack of the puddle around her heavy footfalls. The teenager was so fixed with fear she barely made a move besides shivering in place. Her eyes flicked away from Estella to Sunny just before her wrist was snatched, forearm pressed to her chest until she was backed to one shadowy wall. Sunny leaned in, brow furrowed. "What do you know about Vampires? Huh? What's it mean?"

"Ah, um-" she stuttered, partly from surprise, but fear was clearly dominating her emotions. Her answer was practically automatic. "I-It means she's a...m-monster, right? She killed so many people--ripped them apart like, like it was nothing!" She grimaced, her own words bringing the memory back as if she'd experienced it firsthand.

She dared a glance back in Estella's direction, only to flinch at the sight of her unbroken glare. Despite having not moved an inch, she'd been glaring at the girl ever since she appeared, and likely would have attacked her already were the holy water not creating a protective barrier.

"That girl...that monster... Fuck, there were so many bodies..."

"Bodies." Sunny chuckled the word, shaking her head as she glanced around. Not a soul in sight, but who knew what lay just beyond a corner? Her tone came back hard and firm. "You're coming with us."
"No! No I-" She wrestled with her, trying to free the wrist now, sliding off the wall on weak knees that would've sent her sprawling if Sunny didn't force her standing.
"I'm not going to hurt you." But Sunny saw the way the teen's eyes weren't on her, and added, "Neither will she. You have my word. Right, Estella?"
Glancing back to the girl, the 'monster' as their attacker had said (how ridiculous) was a mistake. She gulped. It was all she could do at the sight of Estella she'd never seen before: A piercing gaze that triggered the same instinct to run like finding a wolf or serpent primed to lash at your throat not but a foot or two away. A predator's gaze. Was that even Estella? Of course. Those were her new clothes. Those were her red eyes, the same she'd awoken to so curiously been watching her sleep this morning. Those red, now so very hate filled eyes.
Sunny somehow managed to forge a sideways grin for the teen, much more empathetic now but also ever firm. "See? Let's talk somewhere... private." "More?" Siiva was sitting in the living area, papers scattered about the square dining table. An uneven peg made the whole thing wobble as he shifted away from it, a loose sheet floating off the corner to Sunny's feet. He was looking to her tag-alongs as he went on. "That's your answer to our woes? More little girls in my home?" He gave a sour, breathy chuckle as Sunny bent and picked up the page. "Inquisition's going to have plenty-a question for me, they hear about all this."
Sunny took care to hold the sheet by the corner, suspecting the ink to be wet. It wasn't totally. She gave a look to him. "Forging your sales logs all day?"
"Aye." Siiva fluttered a few fingers to the work about the table, as if it were just as mundane as it seemed. "Have to. What with your little dialogue costing a few months of records."
"I'd figure the inquisition would be more worried about forging documents, than one too many girls in a bachelor's manor?"
"Two too many." Siiva sat back down, giving up. "Three too many, really. On with it. Who's the new one?"
Sunny turned around, arms folded. She half expected not to find her, but Estella was keenly fixated on the poor lass, making her fidget and glance over to the 'monster'. It took a lot for Sunny not to fidget when looking to Estella, too. "Good question. Why don't we start with that, and work our way around to why you threw pail of holy water at us?"
"Holy Water?" Siiva said with a hint of intrigue, tongue rolling in his cheek as he sized up the teen.

The girl fidgeted under the attention, even more so than she had been the whole time Estella'd been staring her down until they reached their destination. Several times had she tried to inch away only to be dragged back by Sunny, and she'd only stopped using the woman as a human shield when it was clear that the younger girl wasn't actually making any moves to attack her.

But now that she effectively had the floor, any nerves that she'd managed to calm on the way had returned. "Ivara." she muttered, gaze flickering between Estella, the floor, and just about everything except for the pair's eyes.

Now that she was in the light of Siiva's hut, her features were on clearer display. Short, boyish, messy dark brown hair stuffed under a dark schoolboy hat, and matching dull brown eyes. Her stance was nervous, guarded even, but still had a sense of indifference that--combined with her rather informal and direct way of speaking--suggested she was a typically relaxed or casual individual.


A dirty, loose-fitting tunic clung to her form and covered up most of her lithe, skinny figure. A wool coat sagged off her shoulders, hands shoved in the pockets while averting her gaze. Her shorts were longer than Estella's--reaching to about her calf--but lacked the leggings, her bare skin scratched and bruised in places.

All in all, she was a typical street rat. Unwashed, unkempt, and unperturbed.

"Y-You just want me to talk, right? Then you'll let me go. ...Well fine."

Estella tensed as her hands went up to undo the top few ties on her tunic, pulling it apart enough to reveal part of her left breast.

"I'm a demon," she explained, the runic symbol marking her as such clear as day against her fair skin. "A Dreamwalker to be specific." Her gaze rose to meet Sunny and Siiva's, gauging their reactions to the news, before averting once again. "And yeah, I know it's not exactly illegal to be what I am, but I'm not registered. Plus it's easier to get by when people aren't assuming you're gonna suck them dry the moment they close their eyes near you. So I just pretend to be Human since it's more convenient."

Her lips pursed as she covered herself back, as if recalling a bitter memory, before she continued. "I don't really like jumping into dreams if I can help it, but it comes in handy when I need to-" She paused again, this time biting down the words. There were more than a few factors that made it clear that she was about to admit to a crime. Not really fully-aware that 3/4ths of the people present could be considered less-than-legal sorts, however, she opted to vaguely gloss over it. "Well, ya know. Anyway, I saw you guys show up at the library and I got curious about the kid."

Apparently not liking the way she was addressed, Estella let out a growl, making the teen, Ivara, flinch. "I um... I've been in Hamlet for a while, but I hadn't ever seen a ki-, er...a girl, like her before. It's not like I was planning to do anything from the start, but she fell asleep after a while. I thought, 'Why not? Could be interesting.' Tch, interesting my arse. Biggest frickin' mistake of my life, more like..." she grumbled out the last part, eyes flicking to the child once again.

"Never seen a tit like-" Siiva fumbled, tongue sputtering word salad. Sunny grimaced at him and waited patiently. "I mean a tat! Tattoo. Never seen a tattoo..." He leaned on his table, forgetting it wobbled, then stood straight again. "A tattoo quite like that..."
"Are you done?" Sunny said, having brought out a symbol around her neck to roll between her fingers.
He looked to a high corner of the room, thinking on it. "Just about."
Her eyes rolled, lids half lulling a moment before regarding the teen again. "Like she's said. She's a succubus. Dreamwalker. Fall asleep around them, and you're in for quite the dream. Or nightmare, depending. You'd most likely enjoy it." She rolled the symbol of the Saviour, letting the hearthfire catch its glint. "Inquisition would love to catch you. Not at all surprised one's hiding out this from from their reach." Her distate for the teen was mounting. She knew what her kind did. Could do. What she tried to do, curiosity be damned. But she tried not to let it show too much, tried to play the good option one could speak to out of Estella and the clueless dolt. "Well? Why was it a mistake?" She remembered the dampness on Estella's cheek, and her voice lowered in anticipation for something not so pleasant. "What'd you see?"

Ivara's mouth twitched at the word 'Succubus', but otherwise didn't react until she was addressed again. "Before that, I should explain something you probably didn't know about Dreamwalkers."

Her lips thinned into a line as she chewed on the inside of her cheek, hesitating just a moment. "When we enter someone's dream, we can, to some extent, control what the dream is about. Like, if I wanted to put you on some island all alone I probably could, though I guess I'd be there too obviously. Most often, we force the person to relive their memories so we can look at them. It's good for gathering info and all that biz, but not so good for the dreamer, depending on if the memories were good or bad. I guess you can probably guess which one it was lady, considering how I reacted..."

She scratched her cheek lightly, a small flush of embarrassment surfacing along with the memory. "I was just...surprised, is all. I've seen my fair share of shit, but that was...I mean-... Fuck, how do I even describe it...?" The same hand moved to run through her hair in anguish, and she grimaced as she found her answer. "Corpses. So many damn corpses all around her. Men, women, children, all of them ripped to shreds. A literal sea of blood. Guts everywhere. And her, at the center of it all just...staring at the sky with this blank look. It was...fucked up." She let out a shivering breath. "Nearly shit myself when she looked right at me, but it was just a group of Holy Knights that arrived trying to kill her. It...didn't end well for them."

"Thing is, the place looked familiar. I think it might've been...well, I don't really get it myself, but it looked a bit like Hamlet," Her brows furrowed. "But, I sure as hell don't remember hearing about a massacre that big in my life, let alone in the last few years. Especially not in this town. There were so many things that didn't make sense..."

Her gaze returned to Estella, surprised to find that she was no longer glaring, but was now staring sullenly at her own lap. Face scrunched up in frustration, she was clearly not enjoying the topic of conversation. The sudden silence caught her attention though, and she looked back to see Ivara looking at her in surprise.

"You, uh..." Whatever it is she was about to say was swallowed, and she instead averted her gaze again. "She doesn't remember the dream, since I erased her memories of it when I left. It's another thing we can do. Helps keep us incognito and all that. Yeah, so anyway, I obviously couldn't believe what I was seeing, so the first thing I did after leaving was go to Ilaani. You know, that wrinkly old hag who sells all the potions and stuff? Her shop closes early on weekdays, so I sto-...err, borrowed some holy water and came back to wait for you guys so I could confirm it. And...you know the rest."

Almost before she'd finished, her feet had begun inching towards the door. "So, can I go now? I've told you all I know, so..." Her voice cracked as she spoke--a telltale sign of a lie--eyes still averted as she scooted away.

"S-so..." Siiva wasn't paying her any mind. There was plenty to deal with given all what was said. "So what...? Little girl had a bad dream? Just a bad dream... must've been... Afraid little girl dreaming about the big bad Inquisition. Not too unheard of." But he didn't sound convincing even to himself, not completely.
Sunny, who'd up till now been as deathly quiet taking all this in as the rest, spoke briskly with none of the sweetness she'd been putting up. She was tired. Tired of hearing what she wanted to call nonsense. Too tired to make any more of an effort than to strike some fear in the succubus herself. "Leave out that door, and I'll be screaming your name and face all night and noon. Let everybody know who you are. And if you skip town, I'll be the one leading the militia on your tracks. I can do it, too. Without dogs" She said it like it was the easiest matter in the world. It wasn't true. She wasn't any better at hunting than the next dolt, even with a dog. No one needed to know that, though.
She took a heavy breath. "You're not telling us everything. Are you? That wasn't all to this nightmare? This memory, if it really was."

She muttered a curse under her breath, a cold sweat running down her back at Sunny's threat. "Wh-What, you think I'm kidding? Think this brand is fake or something? If there really wasn't anything to fear from that...girl, I would've ran away first chance I got. It's not like I have all the answers myself either. I don't know what the hell a Vampire even is. Shit, I don't *want* to know what a Vampire is. And I got no frickin' clue why you lot do..."

Despite her complaining, she answered as requested. "Fine, fine. Look, I just don't think I should really talk about..." Sunny's glare cut her off, and she winced. "...Right."

She snuck a glance at Estella, who was back to glaring at her. Though this time, there was a sense of urgency in her gaze, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face. It was as if she was as nervous about her next words as the others in the room.

"Okay, so...before that whole massacre thing, there was something else that happened. I guess you could probably look at it like...the trigger." Estella tensed up, likely realizing where she was going. Her hand shot down to remove the parchment and ink from the pouch on her belt and hastily scribble out a frantic message before she could continue.

shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up!

The paper nearly slipped from her grasp with how hard she'd thrusted it at the teen. Ivara glanced over it, looking uncomfortable as she inched away from the girl even more.

"Erm...you don't want me to say it?"

She shook her head frantically in reply.

"So...I guess that means I was right after all." The Succubus pursed her lips, mulling over the decision. It didn't take her long to close her eyes and sigh. "Sorry kid, but my life isn't as valuable to me as staying incognito." She faced Sunny and Siiva, ignoring Estella's silent screams. "The girl watched her parents die. Execution at the gallows for the whole town to see. I'm not really sure why, but it was the Inquisition that did it. Same damn group that swore to protect the public, same damn knights walking the streets to 'keep us safe' chopped their fucking heads off like they were slicing ham. Fucking bastards... After that-"

*Sniffle*

The whole room turned to Estella, who's face had quickly become a mess of tears and snot. Her glare had lost it's edge, looking more frustrated and bitter than the murderous gaze from before. The 'I'll never forgive you' message was clear in the way her teeth gritted, and the sight of her reaching up to feebly wipe at her eyes with balled hands was enough to make Ivara fumble with her next words.

"I, um-..." Before anyone could move or even speak, the girl had vanished in a flash of movement far quicker than anyone in the room could track. The door was left wide open in the wake of her disappearance, leaving a clear indication of where she'd gone.

Ivara certainly didn't move to chase her, instead facing the other two still in the room while scratching at the back of her head, fingers combing through her messy locks. "Ah, did I...screw up?"

A log cracked in the hearth. The symbol slipped from her finger, the metal plopping softly to her suddenly still heart. And after a long spell; it beat again. "Yes. By invading a little girl's dreams! And assaulting us!" Sunny couldn't keep it down anymore. But the hate was expended right then and there. Just the one outburst. It all drained away in a searing flash. "But I think," Her hard demeanor softened to a tired, guilt laced pulp. "I screwed up, as it were. I shouldn't have... Everything just happened so..." It seemed like a waste to go any further. They'd all seen how quickly that'd went to shit. "Watch her, will you Siiv?"
"What?" Siiva sounded breathless. He must have collapsed back at Estella's departure, because now he was sitting on the floor, a chair up turned. He righted it now, looking after Sunny as she disappeared after her into his quarters. "Wa!" The door shut quietly. He and Ivara found themselves alone. There was a pregnant pause where they both debated whether bolting now would end the tonight's nightmare. Siiva gulped, gathering enough of his wits to feign normalcy. "Care for some... stale bread?" The hearth here was cold. Yesterday's wood was peppered, grey ash in the little moonlight spilling from a crack in the drapes. "Estella?" She called into the darkness, wading into it like it were a trap laden tome. She willed the thought away, but it gnawed. The sense of danger did not totally free itself from her, even as she tried to focus on just what was going through the poor kid's head. "Was it true? Everything she said? Was that how..." Silence, save for the murmur of sobbing. Where? From which corner steeped in shadow? Who could say. The bed should be to her right. Might as well try stepping that way. "Estella... where are you?"

The bed creaked with her approach, two rubies peeking out of the dark at her. A small gust guided the drapes aside, bathing Estella's small, shivering form in just enough moonlight to see her quickly stand up before she was swallowed in darkness once more.

"Suh...n...yy..." The girl's first words were raspy and hoarse, but was undoubtedly her own name as tiny footfalls pattered towards her. She didn't so much as leap into her arms as she did wrap them around the woman, her own not quite able to fully reach around her. "Ar...ee...y...oo...s-sca...r..ed...uhv....mhe...e...n...ow...?" However difficult her question was to decipher, the girl's arms squeezed with the kind of force someone of her stature should not have been able to produce. It was the force of an adult bear, and the pressure of the grip threatened to snap her in two.

And yet, the girl was clearly still holding back her own strength, with the way the pressure fluctuated, like she couldn't decide how much to use. Her sorrowful sobs had calmed somewhat, replaced with an apprehension and anxiety that only revealed how much she hadn't wanted Sunny to hear what Ivara had told her. Burying her face in Sunny's waist, she squeezed even harder, as if the woman would disappear if she let go.

"S...or...yy...Ihm...a mon...st...r... Dh...on't...l-le...eev...pl...e...as...e..."

"Pf'oof!" The yelp she might've let out at such a sudden tackle came as just a wheezy exhalation. She instinctively tried to wrestle Estella away, but eased around the little bear's shoulders once she got a breath in. It took two more to get anything out stronger than an exasperated whisper. "O-oh. Then... then it's true. All true." The bodies. The inquisition. The execution. The imprisonment below the Savior's Keep, somewhere no one's tread for over a century. It was fantastical. Horrific, with not every piece put neatly to understand. But these tears... her parents. What does anyone say to that? What does one even do, delivered such a horrible life to work with. Sunny didn't know. There was so much she couldn't know, but guess at. She could guess what a child might need, even if the words would do shit all to fix a thing.
"I'm so, so sorry Este-laaagh!" Her fingers curled as another flash of crushing weight threatened her sides. "E-easy, Estella, easy. Please..." She rubbed at the back of the girl's head, for her own sake as well as hers. "Please... I know it hurts. It's okay. You're not a monster. You're not. Y'hear me?"

"Uuuuuuu~" Whether it was something in Sunny's reply, or just that she'd had enough, Estella descended into a fit of sobs right there, her arms slipping away from her sides to grip fistfulls of her shirt, easing the pressure immensely.

Get out of here, you little monster!

You're nothing but a monster!

Monster!

You're not a monster, Estella. You're my beautiful baby girl that I love more than anything in this world. But most of all, you're a living, breathing person. Your heart may not beat like theirs, and your eyes may not look like theirs, but you are ALIVE, Estella. And for that fact, you deserve to be free and happy. Never forget that.

"Maahhh...mheee!!! Wahhhh~!!!!"

Sunny held her, at a loss now. She tried to convince herself there wasn't anything to say further, but that didn't feel true no matter what. She simply stood, and endured her wailing sobs. Her sorrow. Her tragedy. Sunny stood there, resolving herself to the fact that this wasn't going to be easy. And all the while, though she tried her damndest to be rid of it, to say that she'd think on it later when it could be spared some time, what Ivara had said lingered.

Bodies. Holy Knights. Men. Women. Children.

Children.

The two held eachother that way for a long time. And for that time, it was just the two of them in that little dark room, with the rest of the unkind world so very far away.