Beginning of the Masquerade(Private)

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[Sears Nazi]

Дмитрий Иларий Александров

☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽⊙☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾

How many tens fit into an eternity? . . . Tentenfour seemed like a pretty high number as it was. . . People had died much sooner in their lives. People would continue dying - some around that age, some. . maybe the slightest bit older. It was normal, it was. . expected. Sixty years seemed like an eternity - sixtens. That was all. This was . . . more tens than both he and Bastian had of fingers and toes- . . . He couldn't even comprehend it. An eternity was simply. . a very long, immeasurable amount of time.

What if there was such an abundance of time . . that the events of one single. . memorable day. . were lost? The days now were. . easy to recall - almost every one of them with vivid detail. . He'd replay these days in his head time and again - not because he wanted to remember them and was afraid, no. . . It was so easy to remember every day when it might be the last one. He just. . wanted to stay in those moments. He had already spent roughly a third of his life with Bastian - an entire third ! That third filled with these memories, these. . emotions, these. . . stupid little things he thought nothing of until he recalled the moment - how Bastian walked, how he said things, how he'd put his arms behind his back every so often, perhaps in contemplation--- . . . How stupid that he remembered these meaningless details, and yet. . . how much they meant to him - the fact that he could remember them. That he did remember them. And. . how. . how similar and realistic it all was--- . . .

. . . Could it continue? Was it possible to recall these silly little things when so many days had gone by?. . Even if the little things did vanish into the oblivion that was 'forever', would things like. . like every kiss he returned - which still wasn't too many. . would . . those things become too mundane, too? Even at one kiss a year, every year -- . . that was a lot of kissing. Would the seven hundredth be as memorable, or. . as important as the first?

Would he regret the decision as time went by. . ? There was no way out of this if that was the case. Would he resent Bastian for it at some point in this eternity - unable to end things in fear of what'd happen to the both of them -- . . no, even if he could survive he couldn't let anything happen to Bastian. He couldn't live with himself, then and-- . . .

. . . . And it was a non-issue. He couldn't resent Bastian if this actually worked - it wouldn't work if he didn't want it and. . . Oh, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Bastian. . wanted Bastian to spend the rest of his life with him - though he wouldn't outright say that, no. . And there was only one way to go about that.

His eyes followed Prince Zakahr as he thought on these things, not sure he wanted Bastian to see his face. He could if he wanted to, but. . If all went according to plan, he'd know soon anyway. He'd know a lot of things Dima hadn't bothered saying. . . No, not bothered - didn't feel right saying. Things that - Dima worried - would make Bastian regret the whole thing. . . Like, maybe he liked it a bit too much when Bastian said 'mein liebe', or when Bastian said all these reassuring things - made these promises that Dima honestly didn't care if he ever filled or not. . and in some ways hoped he never would. After all, the longer the promise remained unfulfilled, the longer he'd have to be around. . if he was a man of his word -- and he felt himself getting red. It wasn't like that would stand out in the present company. And, well, maybe there were some things he never bothered with - like exactly how many portrait miniatures he actually had in his possession. Embarrassing on both counts.

He wished Bastian had something reassuring to say right now. . . Especially after that movement from the prince. That simple yet commanding movement which started the whole thing. . His eyes met Bastian's - it seemed like the first time. Those eyes were not made to express fear -- seeing them like that saddened Dima. There. . . wasn't anything to be afraid of, right. .? . . So he gave a smile in reply to those eyes - wide, broad. . Probably one of his widest ever - he could already feel his cheek muscles hurting. It would be alright. Everything would be alright. He had hoped the smile would be reassuring to Bastian. . . or at the very least, to himself.

With every layer Bastian removed Dima's smile faded more and more. He had seen Bastian like that before. . he had seen it numerous times, never really thought much on it. Bastian had seen him without the upper garments on, too. He supposed he was still blushing, face still that curious pinkish colour that he supposed none of the other people present could do - at least not to such an extent. Whatever were they thinking? What were they making of it? . . What was Bastian making of it? When Bastian's hand made its way to his cheek he gave a half smile - very faintly. He couldn't do much better than that - he already felt humbled walking into the place - ornate garments or not - . . Bastian sans shirt only served to make him feel more humbled - it was just. . odd. He wondered if Bastian could feel the warmth his face was generating with that lovely hand of his - all that blushing . . . More importantly, everyone here was seeing Bastian like that - . . . It caused him to blush a bit more - that was his and they had no right to see him that way. Yes, definitely his right - his and his alone - . . . er--- . . . . His face turned slightly redder, -- . . . he may have made it his business to go through Bastian's clothing one morning and might have touched every single garment, er-- . . redder still. Just how much of this would Bastian find out?

He considered Bastian's words as he said them, the mention of each mark bringing up one of those vivid memories before it quickly faded away into nothing again. . No time to reminiscence. At the very mention of the word 'immortality'. . .it was over. No more thoughts, no more worries, no more concerns. . . This was the beginning of the tens upon tens of . . .tens - the beginning of the rest of eternity. . Four years. Four whole years. . . but it seemed a lot longer when living four years was something to be proud of. Now. . now it was nothing - the wait was. . nothing. He could wait four more if that's what was needed.

He had noticed that Bastian's sire had decided to come and didn't quite know what to make of it. . . Didn't quite know if he was content with Bastian's decision or not, or if he was just there because he saw it as some kind of moral duty - oh, he had been filled in on that conversation alright. That discussion in German, the one he didn't like to think about if he could help it. . . Things like that just. . reinforced to him that he had made the right decision - that he was currently making the right decision. Bastian resting his forehead on his chest like that - it was enough to make him want to be the slightest bit 'defiant' - pet him, rest his own head against the other's even if only momentarily-- . . . kiss back if so many people weren't watching-- . . . After all, there wouldn't be much Bastian's sire could do after this. Why not be a bit bold? He'd . . claim that kiss later and hope it could still be a surprise-- though he didn't see how.

The cutting. . . was hard for him to watch. He knew, come the next night, it would look like nothing had happened. . . still. It was bleeding now, and that was cause for enough concern. Bastian's grasp was not the same - weaker than normal. . . He suspected it would be. Should be. . and though it made sense, much like the bleeding he. . . didn't like it. He wasn't a vampire - would never be one. . and so didn't know exactly how it felt to Bastian but -- . . . He wouldn't do something like that to himself and. . . would prefer if Bastian didn't either. He stood fairly rigid as Bastian held onto his arms, just incase the vampire needed extra support-- . . .

And as Bastian continued speaking - explaining what would be happening in mere moments. . Dima realized he didn't know what to say. Were these words part of the ceremony? . . They must think him a fool, this . . blushing, living fleshy . . . thing. Dog, he was sure some of them were thinking- . . .this. . dog thing that seemed a bit too eager for the rewards without thinking on the consequences- . . . He had thought. He wasn't doing it for the eternity - he hoped they weren't thinking that. This was all for an eternity with Bastian-- . . . . The tens upon tens of days that it came with was just an added bonus. Still. . .

. . . Before he could finish his thought, it was his turn to speak. He had lied to the Polkovnik fairly easily - made up the words on the spot. . . He figured he could do a similar thing once again - find the words; words that would make sense to say and not upset any of the present vampires- . . . "Is it my will?" he began, pausing for a moment as he thought of how to continue -- . . a simple yes would not suffice. He looked at Bastian - he must be worried - Dima certainly was and he was sure this hesitation wasn't helping matters for either of them-- . . and he didn't need that creepy Prince on his a**, either. ". . . Well,. ." another hesitation. Better think of something to say soon - there was only so long one could hesitate! 'Bastian, don't look at me like that. . .'

He took another look around the room - pressure and anxiety rising as he glanced at the handful of familiar faces and the others he had seen only on days like these. . it should be easy. It should come naturally. . He should want to say it just because he could - because Bastian's sire was there and . . . Hell, he shouldn't have to find these words so young, he should be dealing with who gets to keep his b*****d children when he dies and-- . . . . Strange how he thought that conversation would be easier to find the words for.

But sometimes . . it wasn't about the words someone said, or. . even the things they did. If. . . if someone meant something to you, there needn't be a reason - no sense trying to rationalize it, it . . just worked that way. That's what made it worthwhile-- . . Oh, there were appealing qualities - things like how Bastian could promise anything and fetch it for him. . . but that. . didn't make him want to stay around. If anything that made him feel worthless- . . . Perhaps there was no reason, then - . . and perhaps that meant things were going wonderfully. Perhaps, having had this epiphany, he could figure out exactly what to say. . .

"I think you're a strange person," he said with a nod, eyes fixated on the wound rather than Bastian's face - oh, he couldn't bare to look there. . even that horrible wound was better than a facial expression he was sure looked pained - "even now, a lot of the things you do I can't find a reason for. . and it's been a while, a good long while. It's not because you're German, either, or of aristocracy," . . He wished he was in his own clothes - not the fancy ones from Bastian's world. If things kept up this way he'd end up ruining the outfit -- . . he was fighting back tears. . happy tears, but tears- . . s**t. His gaze shifted to the ground. "Like right now, I don't know why you're here." . . No, that was wrong. He didn't mean it like that-- ". . I mean, here with me. I almost feel selfish accepting something like this. I'm the one who wants this so much and here you are going though so much for it--" . . . It seemed this way to him, anyway - there was a lot he was still naive about when it came to Bastian. . Exactly how important it was to him, too, for one. ". . . I'm the one who is getting eternity," . . . If he was just going to find out soon anyway he may as well continue-- . . . take this, Aloysius - though he never looked up from the floor - ". . . eternity with a strange person who I . . . don't need to understand to know that I want to spend that eternity with them."

Finally he looked up - and oh, he was red. . the remainder of his words coming out rather timidly - Polkovnik he was not, he did not deal with these. . 'group presentations' well, especially when it dealt with talking about himself. "I'd ask if you were sure about this, but. . I have all the proof I need. I was just worried . .there still isn't much I can offer you in return for this. But I suppose I should give you a real answer." He took a deep breath - this was the hard part. "It is not my will, it's something I have to do for my own sake - if I didn't I doubt I'd last many more months let alone years. . . I couldn't live with myself if I refused your offer of eternity - at least, eternity with you. So. . I will drink from you, know everything about you. . . and you'll find out some very interesting things about me. . .” He nodded to himself, though after those words. . Bastian probably already knew most of it, "I think. . .I think this will be the first night of many tens." He returned the smile, happily - . . still very red in the face. At least. . he found something to say.

So now. . all he had to do was drink some of that blood, and. . . --

. . .while it sounded simple enough when explained. . .

. . . . . Oh, this was not simple. This was painful. He was having. . . a rather hard time. . . keeping conscious. . .

[DeliriumNitemare]

xxxxஇZakahr Varfolomeiஇxxxx

இஇ

ஒOver an eternity, improbabilities become certainties.ஒ

Zakahr tilted his head lightly as Bastian did indeed pass out over the strain. He wasn’t surprised by that, no. Bastian was still a Neonate, still too young to really have any sort of power, and perhaps too young to do any of this. What surprised him was the fact the bond actually… Worked, that the werewolf –Which he knew was called Dima, least by Bastian… Actually was true on his word to the Ventrue who now laid in a bloody heap on the floor. Waving a hand both Dima and Bastian where collected, along with Bastian’s clothes and relocated to one of the very elaborate rooms, not that they’d realize it now. It was dark as most things tended to be, deep purples and reds where the cloth color of choose while woods stained black where used for the bed frame, the dressers, and the doors. The floor was made of black marble and it all held a very… Gothic… Feel to it. This bed was perhaps the biggest bed Dima would ever come to sleep in and perhaps the softest, one’s body sunk into the bed and it almost felt as if one was sleeping on a cloud.

Dima was put there first and left to rest after being changed into something more comfortable – A night shirt if you will, while Bastian was first washed and his wound was handled before he too was put into a night shirt and placed in the bed with his new servant. No lights where left on in the room so not to add to their strain, and the door was locked to make them feel safe. For the next three days they where left there to recover, and would continue to be left their until they came out, when they felt mentally up to it.

ஒYes, I will feed you to my pet alligator who thinks he is a fairy princess.ஒ

xxxx♕Bastian Skeffington♕xxxx

♕♕

✯ Regere sanguine, regere in veritatem est. - To rule through blood is to rule in truth✯

On the third night Bastian’s eyes finally opened up. He still felt physically tired from the event… But happy. The rest after normally gave the counterpart’s brain a chance to sort through the memories… To process them and to understand them. Dima may have not lived as long as Bastian but he still had so much to offer mentally… Even if Dima didn’t feel he had anything to offer up for the bond… He did, and the things Bastian learned made it all worth the while even more. Just as Dima wanted it, he too wanted to spend the Eternity with him… Though he never feared things coming mundane like Dima did. The 1000th kiss would be just as sweet as the first, just as sought, and just as loved. All of it would be this way, least to Bastian. Though Dima would know now how he had planned to just… end himself if Dima ended too… All of his everything. He did find some very interesting things in those memories he got… In the feelings he got… And he knew Dima would too.

He was amused Dima showed his picture to this… Man, the… What was it? Polkvnik… That was amusing. As was his odd draw to these little pictures of women on it… And Dima called him strange! Tententententen indeed. He chuckled and with strain turned to his side to look at Dima, placing a hand on the boys chest softly. He hadn’t made a mistake in this, no. Dima could know everything… And then some and he’d know that now, he’d know Bastian had no real plans of leaving even after he kept his words… It’s why he promised more and more. Just to be with the other longer… Because it had become a need and a want. ”Mein liebe..” He said lowly, petting over his chest with a tired hand, he could feel Dima was tired… But he took on a lot more memories.

It made him sad how Dima grew up, how… Without he was then, how without he was when they met. How he looked to Dima… Tisk, did it matter now? It didn’t matter what side of the world they came from nor the money that was on their name… Bastian wasn’t a rich man… Least not without Dima - And for only Dima would he leave such lavishing riches behind, such comfortable living. He picked a hard path to let someone in while he was so young… But perhaps it was better that way…. Yes, it was, it’s not as if Dima would have been there still in 100 years…

He pulled Dima over carefully to rest against his chest, to be able to feel him and the warm coming from his body, to know he wasn’t going anywhere now, not unless someone managed to kill one of them… Then the other would be lost too… So they’d never really be without the other. Though if ever life fully lost it’s meaning, and they truly grew tired from it all… They’d…. Think of something, it wasn’t as if Dima could go into torpor too, his body wasn’t made for that – Hell his race wasn’t made for that… It wasn’t the same with a vampire. So perhaps when the time came they’d bid the world farewell and face the rising sun together… But Bastian didn’t ever think such a thing would happen.

Not when they both hungered for the next tomorrow.

Bastian kept his voice low so not to aggravate the other, choosing to talk in full German rather then the broken he had been… The language barrier would be gone between them now anyway. ” Some things are worth being selfish over… Perhaps it was selfish of me to offer this, to not want to lose you to the will of time…. So I am glad you where selfish in accepting this… On your will. I’ve wanted this… Just as badly as I know you have, just as strongly, and I don’t look for something in return… Mien liebe you’ve given me so much now… So much more then you where aware of. You’ve been my friend, my companion and my love. The light of my life and the earth in which I walk… Humbled. You’ve made me truly happy.” He nodded kissing Dima’s temple softly.

”You know how… Important you are to me now… How important these years have been. Not just these four but every year I’ve had with you. How close to the heart they’ve been. I am… Glad that you are so willing to stay with me… Even though I am a strange person you don’t understand.” He chuckled, taking a light jab at Dima’s words before… Before the ceremony was completed. From there he just held the boy, petting the side of his face gently with the back of his hand, content to lay there as they where now… Content to always do this. So happy he’d never lose this. It was far too important, Dima had become the most important thing to not only him, but his life and his happiness… Bastian wasn’t about to change his feelings either… Oh no.

”No more secrets, no lies… Not that I had ever lied to you… But now you know everything I’ve said holds true ground… And from here we start the eternity. Ten, ten, tens.” He chuckled again and took Dima’s chin gently to lift it, placing the first of what would start out as rare kisses on those warm living lips.

✯You will do as I say, or you will die as I say.✯

[Sears Nazi]

Дмитрий Иларий Александров

☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽⊙☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾

What had happened? Where was he and why was this bed so comfortable? . . . Such a familiar feeling, that hand-- . . . Ah, Bastian. He held his eyes shut - tighter, trying to awaken himself more -- a harder task than ever it had been. He was still so tired though he felt as though he had been dreaming for years. . No, perhaps they weren't dreams. They made too much sense to be dreams. There was no surreal qualities to them, nothing. . seemed too horribly out of place. It just felt as though he was playing spectator to some kind of show - a show with familiar characters, some not too familiar. Bastian was in them, even he had those strange characteristics: sometimes familiar sometimes not. The others, the people he didn't know - strange people. . they were later given names and stories - not full stories, but enough to know who they were and why they were. . . how they knew Bastian.

Bastian, in these. . strange stories. . The earlier ones, anyway. . Those were the ones he was different in-- Slightly unknown in. He looked a bit different, softer, maybe -- if a person could even be described as soft. . but it was an aesthetic softness. Not the kind of 'softness' Dima knew Bastian was capable of, no. . . That softness could only mean one thing - human. Aha, such a cute human, too. He still was, but. . . With what he knew from these 'dreams' . . . if he tried hard enough he could probably make Bastian blush, too -- . . he'd have liked to have seen it from that 'soft' person, at least once. Such sad eyes, though - he'd like to have tried to correct that. Yet, he couldn't find himself anywhere in this 'dream' - him, the casual observer. Names were assigned to the faces, voices to the person -- . .

It had to be that family he had mentioned. Bastian, his wife-- . . the lovely children only by association, even if. . as Bastian said, only one looked like him. It was strange to think that all of those children were older than Dima was. . Either way, for whatever time they knew Bastian, they were lucky. Even the. . . not related ones, just because they had that time -- however brief. It was time Dima didn't have - couldn't have - after all, though. . . he felt like he was there, almost. So . . very. . vivid. Which also made it all the more. . painful.

. . . . It just . . seemed too real to be a dream, but. . was it not only in dreams that these things happened? Such good things which turned to such. . saddening things at the drop of a dime- Mmhm. "Could you say that again? Mein liebe, I mean." He muttered, afraid to speak too loudly in case it was just a dream - that and his head hurt. . badly. Surely. . . a dream Bastian would not listen to him - only continue to do whatever that manifestation of the mind had started to, finish the story as it were. Bastian - the real one, who he hoped was next to him. . would reply, wouldn't he?

Or a touch - a touch was better proof yet, and he got that much. It still seemed surreal - still had a strange dream like quality and allure. . Things so familiar it was almost scary - how Bastian would rest on him for one. Then there were the . . unfamiliar things; rather, things he was familiar with from a completely different perspective. . Where was it coming from? These things were certainly no memories of his; why, then, did they exist with such elaborate detail? No reason to think about these things, these dreams, they were over and done with and he had never even taken part--

. . . And then . . there was the distinctly different sound, a voice - speaking. . . But it had a more realistic quality. The sound of speaking versus thought. . Curious that he could understand both, differentiate both-- Thoughts had a much more quiet quality to them. . Or were those the dreams? . . Were they dreams? Better reply to the spoken word before inquiring about these thoughts he was having that. . weren't his. He didn't need to sound crazy - and wasn't awake enough to recall exactly what had happened, why these things were happening-- . . So professing to these things, he thought, would make him out to be a loon.

. . Now why was he going on about being selfish? No matter. He shook his head. What was there to say to something like that? Why was it even said? He put a hand to his face, rubbing at his forehead. It was much hotter than he remembered - but, oh, perhaps his headache was the thing contributing to that. He just wished he could remember why they were together in this unfamiliar bed - . . . His mind went to a time when the bed the two of them often shared was unfamiliar. He was there for that, but. . those weren't his memories of it. It was a good anchoring point, though - finally, 'dreams' of the familiar. . 'Dreams' good enough to----

. . . Right. That's what happened. Having been awake for a few minutes now made things easier to recall - having 'dreams', which he now knew were nothing of the sort - just made him certain of it. It was a strain, trying to remember - trying to differentiate his own memories from the other. So, he knew where they were - not how they got there, but where they were. Why they were there. He knew what had happened, and . . Bastian was still talking to him, or, more importantly, Bastian was still there and as far as Dima could tell the both of them were still. . alive. . so he must have done something right. He was proud of himself - he had been so worried. . .

His only regret was that he couldn't remember exactly what happened; what was said. . what he said and. . to some extent, how much Bastian already knew. If things worked right. . which they had to have. . Bastian now had access to information about his entire life - all of it. Bastian would know what he was thinking as he thought it, if he was so inclined. What had Bastian learned already? Was he still going through the 'archives'? . . . Wake up faster, Dima. But it was so hard, rising from this stupor. .

All he knew for certain was that his head hurt worse than it would have if he had downed multiple bottles of vodka in a row. . . he didn't much care for vodka. There were. . sweeter drinks out there. Ones that would give this same feeling but not after many had been downed-- . . And here he was, all the pain and none of the fun -- . . . Still wasn't fully awake. At least Bastian's words had begun to register. Dima knew what he had done. Enough on it, anyway . . and, what that meant. Beyond this temporary - yet excruciatingly painful headache. . there would be an infinite amount of tomorrows - beyond those tens upon tens. . Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands. . . Not everything had to be in a multiple of ten, it seemed. Huh. Well, wasn't that a curiosity-- . . . The aristocracy even counted differently.

"I guess this is the first day of eternity, then." he started. What does one say to follow that? How could one possibly follow that? ". . . So, I don't think you need to worry about time anymore; it won't touch me as it doesn't touch you. . " . . Such a strange thought, still. It was easy to talk about eternity - easy enough, anyway. . but when the realization hit that this idea - this . . impossible idea was now the reality of things he just didn't know what to say or what to think. ". . ." He smiled - stupidly, tiredly, ". . . No, I. . I think I know how much I mean to you, now. There was a lot I wasn't aware of before but. . I think I. . I understand it, now. Why you were always there, offering so many things. . No, not out of obligation. Never out of obligation, not for a long time-- . . . Perhaps I was wrong about some things, initially, though. . . I'm glad I was." He paused for a moment, stretching - as though using it as an excuse for the pause, "Yeah, I . . . think I'm aware of a lot of things, now. And I'm happy that I mean to you what you mean to me. . I was worried for a bit, thinking maybe - maybe. . . . maybe. . - you'd be uncomfortable and. . . stuck --- for a very long time. But, you'd just have to get used to it~" . . . He smiled about the kiss to his temple, though it didn't do much to ease the pain. His own words made him smile too - oh, things were wonderful and there was no need to worry about things that, now, seemed so . . trivial.

What could happen tomorrow - and every other tomorrow - was trivial. Tomorrow would always be a good day, no need to fear the things he had grown so accustomed to fearing. No reason to think tomorrow could be the last. . . No reason to think he'd wake up and Bastian wouldn't be there . . . "Speaking of selfish people, motives, things--" . . He liked this bit - didn't want to admit it, wouldn't admit it. . . Bastian would probably know anyway, just his luck . . ". . . You know we're going to have to be together for a very long time, right?" . . Of course Bastian would know - he was saying it more for himself - just to force himself to believe it. Ah, eternity was just so hard to grasp in this stupor-- ". . . Even if you don't want to be." . . You, not we - you. Dima. . couldn't see things changing on his end, no - Bastian would always be around - would always have to be around. . Dima wouldn't - no, couldn't - have it any other way. That question could never be 'we'. He liked those thoughts - Bastian's thoughts - about how Bastian felt. If only things stayed like that for the rest of eternity, if only . . that is when eternity suddenly began to feel. . . too short.

"I know everything about you and I still don't understand you." He remembered that part - how hard it was to find the words for it. . . Little beyond that, though. He hoped he'd remember it - hoped so hard he didn't make himself out to be a fool. It was true - he knew that he and Bastian felt the same. . Knew that Bastian was just as willing to explore this eternity as he was, knew how Bastian felt about him but-- . . But why? ". . . But I still want to spend forever with you. . You know, so I can figure you out. It does suddenly feel too short, though." He'd admit it - say it out loud. No use trying to hide it. "I feel kind of stupid-- not about the things that can't be helped!" . . Tententen indeed. . . The coin system was mostly 10 based, as was the measurement system - was it really so outlandish to believe that was how counting worked, too? About that he actually felt. . fairly accomplished. ". . Thinking back, not as my self but. . watching myself through your memories. . I really didn't know what I was doing back then. I guess being young is reason alone to be stupid -- so for now I guess I still am stupid, stupid enough to be here right now, and. . . stupid enough to be absolutely enthralled by it. I'm not much older but I see that I've grown up some, mostly over these past four years-- . . . Not that I know what I'm doing now, but, I think I'm doing the right thing. What do you think?" . . Good thing, right thing - it was all the same. He was taken back via his own memory now, they hadn't known each other for long - four years, but it wasn't long, no. . That first mark, the first time they were here - not in this room, but here-- . . .

'Are you sure you did a good thing?' . . . . Stupid question asked by a . . stupid child, or so it seemed in retrospect, though. . He was sure that if he didn't know how Bastian felt he'd be asking the same question. At the very least, this time, Dima was sure they did a good thing - at least, he did a good thing. . And did a good job of it. So very sure. So yes, he still didn't know what he was doing or why he was doing it - only that it was both good and right, and that. . if things went well, it'd always be this way. Always. But what to say. . . why was there nothing to say. . . Because it meant too much to put into words.

. . What what good were words when there were such thoughts - such wonderfully reassuring thoughts which were made better only from simple things like . . . casual touches. For that moment, once again, he didn't need to say anything. Just lie there as the backside of Bastian's hand pet him -- . . . his head actually felt a bit better. He was. . a bit more at ease about the whole thing. He just wished he could remember exactly what he said -- . . . But for now, just laying there was fine. . . and perhaps he'd try to figure out more of Bastian's thoughts - those. . made him feel pretty good about himself.

. . . Until . . the kiss. He didn't know what to make of that. All those years living the life of a rogue, all those little portraits stolen and he couldn't even steal the first kiss? . . . Why did he remember these things from that night, whenever that night was, but not what he said? Wanting to give those rare kisses. . The first of many over time. ". . I don't think. . there are enough tens to explain eternity." He said with a smile - not so much over the tens but. . because not only did the colour downstairs match, but it was . . natural.

[DeliriumNitemare]

xxxx♕Bastian Skeffington♕xxxx

♕♕

✯ Regere sanguine, regere in veritatem est. - To rule through blood is to rule in truth✯

Bastian had all the time in the world to go through the memories, to read one after the other with such care... And to understand them completely. The new ones that where to come they'd both know fully... And completely and have no need to try and have their mind work through them. They would just know and perhaps that... That was the very best thing. Knowing without saying. This wasn't Bastian's first kiss on the lips, no he had kissed his wife to show... He cared... Somewhat. More for show then for emotion... This one mattered more, it mattered so much more - Though the thoughts crossing Dima's mind where... Horribly amusing. Why yes the carpet did match the drapes.

"No, I don't think there are enough tens to explain that, but I think between the both of us we will live enough lifetimes together to find out just how much adds up to an eternity... Just how long one is. I think... no, I know I want to be stuck with you~ as you put it." He chuckled. "I've known that for a very long time mein liebe... And knowing now that you want such a thing too... Well... You're just going to have to get use to the idea that we are indeed stuck~ Together~" He smiled, though his face was still very close to Dima's, forehead resting carefully on the other's. He could feel Dima's pain still and it was making himself rather dizzy from it... but it'd pass. He knew it would pass in time.

"I don't think you knew either... I did my very best to inform you of things, never lie... Never hide things from you. I didn't want to rob you of your mortality only for you to resent me later because I was never true... That wouldn't be right.... That above all would be selfish. I could have never taken you into this without telling you fully and truly what it meant, what it'd do... No, I'd never live with myself." Again he went back to petting Dima's face gently, eyes closed now just enjoying how close they where... Still tired... Still recovering. This was nice, with everything that had happen this was very nice.

He had no plans to move out of that bed any time soon, not until he could see straight at the very least... Not until Dima wasn't in anymore pain. "I think... I think you're doing the right thing... If 'right' can be used with what we've done. I think we've done what's right for us, what we want... and we've made sure that the things we want and how we have them now will stay for as long as we please." Bastian paused but didn't open up his eyes. "But if life loses it's luster... If we grow tired... We'll figure out something to do... And if we so do choose we can face the dawn together and end it all -- Though I don't see us doing that any time soon... Any time at all. We wanted this so badly... We want those tomorrows and I think our want will keep us pushing forward." He nodded gently against the other's head.

"But I also feel you need to know I'll never be tired of you, never lose interest in the things that we do, from the first time to the thousandth time... I'll still seek for such things in a feverish nature... and enjoy them completely when I get them since the thousandth time will be just as dear as the first, just as wanted... You're always going to be wanted. I can't explain... Why it is you.... But I can promise you my feelings will not waver." And he was a man of his word after all... Though the strange comment caused him to smile and to open his eyes. "I'm not as hard to understand as you make me out to be mein liebe... And I still want to spend it with you... And you're more then welcome to take all the time you need to figure out... Whatever it is about me that still confuses you." He chuckled again.

"Even if it seems to short.. Well keep chancing the eternity a tomorrow at a time, just you and I and whatever fate may lay at our feet. We'll get through it and be better for it... So long as we never lose sight of what really matters to us... We came this far... We can go farther. I don't truly see things between us change." The hand that had been petting Dima's face located a hand of his to hold, settling down into the bed again... Still so very tired.

And what could the eternity bring them that they couldn’t handle on their own anyway? A different location? New people? Just… New things? They could handle that. Bastian felt he could handle it all so ong as he had Dima with him… and now he had just that and would continue to have that for as long as they where both pleased to live, pleased to do… Oh god how he was still so charmed by the boy that laid beside him… How Bastian wished they could just lay like this forever and be damned the rest of the world… This was all he really needed to be happy… And he was happy Dima was just as happy.

”I’m sorry if the kiss was bold of me… But I’ve waited a very long time to do just that… And I think now is the most appropriate time… Since you know where I stand and I know where you stand… Nothing can be misunderstood or taken the wrong way… No ill intentions… No nothing. Just us… Nothing more then that. You’re always going to be mein liebe, and I’m always going to do for you and prove that you are just as I say you are… I don’t ever see this changing… I adore you too much to let it change. You’re the light of my life after all.” He mused softly.

After that he just laid there with Dima, petting over his face when he remembered he could… It wasn’t until a bit later he bothered to give the room a look. So much more vast then the one they where use to sharing to say the least. ”I believe the good prince will allow us to stay here until we’re mentally capable of going on our way… My mind still hurts and I can feel you are in pain still.” He moved to have Dima rest on his chest, neither of them in the clothes they came in. ”No sense in rushing the process… It’s so much to take in.”

✯You will do as I say, or you will die as I say.✯

xxxxஇZakahr Varfolomeiஇxxxx

இஇ

ஒOver an eternity, improbabilities become certainties.ஒ

Since the bond Zakahr had dismissed Bastian's sire from his court room and home. Now unlike Bastian in the future - Zakahr lived in a rather grand domain, rather large, he came off as a Russian wealthy man, but when you lived as long as he you had plenty of time to accumulate this sort of wealth though the 'palace' had been passed down to him by the other Prince... Just as Nikolai had been given to him as a piece gift. Ah he did like to dress his alligator, even once toyed with flesh melting his looks into something else when Nikolai was younger, but out grew the idea as he got older growing a strange fondness for the bronze skin and dark hair that made him so exotic in these cold lands.

Passing through the black marbled halls, Zakahr looked around. It'd been three days since the final bond. He didn't expect them to get out of bed right away... It was a little different for everyone and both Bastian and Dima where far younger then he was when he did them, and his age did aid him in recovering faster... Hm hm hm. Where had Nikolai gotten off to anyway? "Nikolai...?" The name dragged from his mouth in a thick tone, slow, and above all... Creepy. He set a hand to the wall he was by and pet the stone slowly with his finger tips. ' My little alligator, where have you gotten off too? You better not be harassing the young ventrue and his new servant while they rest...' Even his mental voice was... drawn out and creepy.

ஒYes, I will feed you to my pet alligator who thinks he is a fairy princess.ஒ

[Sears Nazi]

Nikolai

The floor was cold to the touch - colder still on his knees. But ah, such a pleasant cold. He lowered himself, elbows bending ever so slightly-- . . . cheek pressed gently against the floor. . He shut the eye further away from the ground, trying to make the image come into focus. They were saying an awful lot but nothing was happening - 'Come on, get on with it so I can kick down the door-'

He wasn't too keen on the shifter being there to begin with. He especially wasn't keen on the fact that Zakahr had offered them sanctuary and that they had been so rude as to make it last three whole days. . . It was so easy to ever so conveniently forget how these bond things worked, wasn't it? It was easier still when it came to another shifter and his-- . . . What were they talking about now? . . . Sounded. . glittery, whatever it was.

Orange Hair was awfully pretty with that long hair of his-- He. . No, no he wouldn't -- Couldn't be ! There was only one fairy princess Zakahr would allow to stay so close, right? No, nono, Orange Hair didn't have the pretty robes, didn't have a tiara-- . . . Least not that he knew of, it wasn't like he wore his every day incase of thef--- . . .

. . Wait, wait, wait, wait. He had heard the sound - opted not to believe his own ears but then they had to go and say the word? Kiss? 'Next thing you know Orange Hair will be calling Black Hair his Prince and then. . he could. . call him. . . Princess. . . Not! fairy princess, he wouldn't--' Nikolai lowered himself a bit more, hands sliding forward followed by arms. . Ah, flat on the ground. He rolled onto his back and squirmed around a bit, trying to get comfortable. Perhaps his other eye could see clearer.

. . .Zakahr? . . All that squirming for nothing. He got up, slowly as possible as to not alert the other shifter of his presence, and stood as regally as possible before answering; My fairy Prince, I'm not harassing them, not at all, just standing here. . . incase they . . need something. Of course I am behaving myself!' . . . Did it really matter if it wasn't the full truth? Did anyone want to smell that?

And Orange Hair had better, BETTER not steal his tiara.

[DeliriumNitemare]

xxxxஇZakahr Varfolomeiஇxxxx

இஇ

ஒOver an eternity, improbabilities become certainties.ஒ

' Nikolai get away from there, it's rude.' He sighed and pushed away from the wall heading in Nikolai's direction. 'You remember it took us time to recover from the bond. They're younger then we where... It'll take longer.' Well... It took a while for Nikolai to come around, there was 400+ years of everything to take in... It was a bit of a large strain on the mind... But in return Zakahr had to learn and understand a slightly off kilter mind. That had taken... Years. 'And don't lie to me, you know I can tell when you lie... Come now we've had this bond for /years/ Nikolai.'

Sure, no one wanted to smell that but it was still rude. Rounding the corner Nikolai came into view and with a sharp tap of his foot and a curl of his finger he beaconed Nikolai to him. "Come hither moya printsessa, come away from their door and let them rest now. They're young... They're not going anywhere for a while." He knew the other would come, if he wanted to or not. "Besides we have not checked on your tiara yet today, it could have been made off with in the middle of the day." Unlike Dima who Zakahr saw as untrained, Nikolai was brought up in the world of the night... So he best be up all night... "Would you like to go see it?"

ஒYes, I will feed you to my pet alligator who thinks he is a fairy princess.ஒ

[Sears Nazi]

Nikolai

'It wasn't a lie,' he insisted. It was. . simply a half truth. Surely if they had asked for something he would have. . . assisted. Rather, he would depending on what the demand was. He owed them no favours, after all, and they were staying at their house. No, he wasn't about to play butler but he supposed he could have dealt with simple requests; showing them certain things and whatnot. . He also knew that they didn't have energy to ask for these kinds of favours, so. . He'd just. . have to . . sit there. . and watch. Or, maybe he was just being the bodyguard. Ah, that was it - they were too weak to defend themselves so he had to stand there and had to watch. . Incase. . something magically spawned in their room? . . . Something like that. It didn't need to be validated, it made. . enough. . sense.

. . To him.

It was still easy to conveniently forget how the bonds actually worked . . however it was also convenient to recall that, at least as far as he knew, there were no shifters present at the time, save for him. Ah, that made everything different! '. . Protecting. . you!' he amended, 'You can't trust the shifter, he could come for you and endanger us all come the night.' . . The night - or, everyone elses morning. He was quite the nocturnal sort, quite liked vampires, too, basically being raised by them - . . . oh, the shifters. . all shifters. . were enemies. He didn't even think of himself as one - he was just. . . the Prince's Fairy Princess. That was enough.

He took one last look at the door - even took a final sniff to make sure they weren't about to. . . do . . that - before turning to face Zakahr and giving a respectful nod. He went right to his master's - his Prince's - side, as was expected - but not before muttering something about how they weren't actually resting at the moment, and that could mean other things were soon coming, oh no-- . . . Besides, after the things he heard- . . . Ick, it left a foul taste in his mouth.

The tiara, though, was a shiny thing -- the very mention of it got his attention. "Come now we've had this bond for /years/ Nikolai," he repeated. Really now, Zakahr, if you're going to say such things. . . "Do you really need to ask?"

[DeliriumNitemare]

xxxxஇZakahr Varfolomeiஇxxxx

இஇ

ஒOver an eternity, improbabilities become certainties.ஒ

"I like to ask." He pet under Nikolai's chin with his fingertips slowly, looking at the door himself with a small tilt of his head. There where no shifters for their bond, no... Just them and his already assembled court. Zakahr was already Prince when he gave Nikolai his marks of power - but those where witnessed by his Sire, a Sire who was currently in torpor and had been for years come to pass. He kept petting under the other's chin slowly before starting to walk, guiding Nikolai like this, with long strokes of his fingertips. "Leave them be, they're not threat to me. I'm double their age and you are too. It wouldn't take much for us to handle them if they did choose to try and harm me." Those same nails that did the petting dragged jaggedly over the dark skin of the other - no blood... but light marks left behind.

Zakahr liked to mark his little pet... For one reason or another. Power over the other being the main draw.... One of many. He smiled to himself drawing the hand away, he sighed. "You can find better things to do then sit outside that damned door all night, you've been doing it the past three nights... It's starting to piss me off." He flicked his fingers and shook his head. "When was the last time you washed anyway? You know I don't like you walking around here dirty and not proper. That's not what a princess /does/ do you wish to humiliate me in front of the court." It was funny how that could be humiliating but the more questionable things they've done out in the open and in Zakahr's very throne room... Weren't.

Stepping through the hall a bit more he finally turned into their bedroom which was just as dark and done up as the one Bastian and Dima stayed in this very moment, only difference was the coffin was on it's on set of steps towards the wall, well away from the bed. Both the coffin and the underside of the bed held the dirt Zakahr needed due to his clan. "Here we are." Walks over to the dresser and opens the lid that covers the Tiara. "Right where we left it." Nikolai got this Tiara a few days after their final mark, as a nuptial gift of sorts.

ஒYes, I will feed you to my pet alligator who thinks he is a fairy princess.ஒ

[Sears Nazi]

Nikolai

The petting tickled somewhat - a curious feeling though he had grown accustomed to it. It didn't bother him, didn't make him shy away from the hand - no. . Oh, he knew they'd pose no threat - but where was the fun in that? It wasn't even as though he thought they'd honestly try something - well, he thought they'd try something but not against the two of them. . No, they didn't seem, much to Nikolai's misfortune, to be the stupid type. Those were always the most fun to . . play with, weren't they? . . No, the worst he could see them doing. . . that. . wasn't . . intimate. . was Orange Hair going after his tiara. He would look good in it, though. . hmm. . . No. Nonono. If he was a true fairy princess he'd have a tiara of his own. If he wasn't, he had no right touching such a priceless object.

There was worse than the . . . more harsh form of petting. . . and he had come to both expect and not mind that, either. Those marks would be gone soon enough - just caused the slightest bit of discolouration. It was almost strange when he took the hand away - ah, it seemed too soon, much too soon. "Better things?" This he had to think about. What could possibly be better than standing watch outside of a door. . . Where people might be doing questionable things at any moment . . . and then proceeding to catch them in such a horrible act? He hoped he wouldn't be missing anything during this. . as far as he was concerned. . brief intermission. "What better things?" . . . Oh, he did like washing. There was just no time for it, not with the strange guests but-- . . . Falling into the water as far as possible while still being able to breathe - watching things move and sitting very. . very. . still. Outside, it was the best way to hunt for fellow, too. . . They . . never. . .see. . it. . coming. For a moment, he wondered how the . . fellows. . nearby tasted. Probably not a good idea to try to find out. ". . Three. . days. . ago?" he professed. For the ceremony, yeah, that was the last time-- . . "And of course I do not want to humiliate you. . And I don't, do I ever? No. . no, perhaps if I wasn't such a pretty fairy princess, but. . ." he clapped his hands together in one swift motion, ". . you have the very best!"

He was glad to see the tiara had remained untouched - as it always had. . for the most part. Sometimes it was knocked just the slightest bit out of place, which was always cause for panic. Oh no, nobody but Zakahr and himself could touch the tiara. . and rarely did he touch it. However, there were. . ways around that-- . . "Zakahr. . since you took me away from my fun, do you think you could. . put that tiara on my head? It's only proper for a prince to do that for his princess, after all."

[DeliriumNitemare]

xxxxஇZakahr Varfolomeiஇxxxx

இஇ

ஒOver an eternity, improbabilities become certainties.ஒ

Zakahr looked Nikolai up and down with just his eyes then reached out to take one of the long bits of hair to feel. It was dirty of course, as he expected it to be, this caused him to shut the TIara box and shake his head. "Not with you as dirty as you are now Nikolai." He wiped his hand off on his cape looking generally displeased about the groomed state his pet was currently in. "And I'm not going to feed from you like this either, so don't even ask about that." Zakahr cleared up with a sharply raised brow. "Three days ago, that's sick. They've been asleep for three days you could have washed between now and then." He hissed moving past his pet and into the bathroom, yanking on a decorative rope which let off a chime. There was no pluming back there of course... But they had people to fill the tub for them.

"Very best indeed, you can't even stay groomed. I don't ask for much. Just for your companionship and for you to be clean, damn it." He didn't like dirty things, oh no, it was bad enough he had to sleep with dirt. It went with the perfection side of him... Dirty things where not perfect, where not... Wanted. As he talked two women servants passed through the room to start filling the bath for him. "The next thing you'll tell me is that you've not eaten either." He reached out and snatched Nikolai's chin and shook it back and forth slowly. "Why do you wish to make me so angry? Do I not take care of you? Love you? Give you the things a princess should have? You've all the lavishing you could ever wish for here and all you must do is be my protector, my companion, my servant. Yet you vex me and waist time on listless guest behind shut doors when you know well it's going to be a night or more to come before they rise, before they leave. I warned you when they came to leave them be and now I'm warning you again. The Ventrue and the Shifter mean us no harm and I don't see that about to change either." He flicked the chin out of his hand and scowled down at Nikolai.

He made a sharp shooing motion to the women and put a hand to Nikolai's back taking him into the bathroom. Without saying another word to his pet he added various oils to the water, for his skin of course and for the smell. He rolled up his sleeves and looked at Nikolai. "I don't like being displeased with you Nikolai, it pains me, you know this." He took off his cape and hung it up before pulling his pet to him, starting to undo the sash to Nikolai's robe, letting it fall to the floor once he was done. "Lets get you cleaned up hm? Then I will put your tiara on your head and we'll dress you in something wonderful, you outshine Bastian's new pet ten fold." His black lips curled into a smirk as he slid off Nikolai's armlets then started to take off the robe it's self, slowly letting it slip to the floor.

Perhaps in a better mood he would have been more coy, but Nikolai was dirty and he really didn't want to touch nasty skin, so he pointed to the tub. "In with you."

ஒYes, I will feed you to my pet alligator who thinks he is a fairy princess.ஒ

[Sears Nazi]

Nikolai

So very close -- closer still when Zakahr reached out to him, so close to his head where the tiara would surely look lovely as ever--- . . . . Which only brought disappointment. So close to wearing such a glorious thing. . so . . very. . close. It would seem his fairy prince was very cruel today - removing him from his very important post and. . . Now why did he have to shut the box? That was just vicious.

"I couldn't have, you know. They could have done something when we least expected it. . . " . . . And Zakahr had the nerve to call him the dirty one. He was only dirty because keeping everything - and everyone clean was in his best interest. In. . everyone's best interest. Why, the smell would linger for weeks, not to mention the sounds -- . . . And no feeding? As if the tiara wasn't harsh enough. Such cruel, cruel punishments. Well, that was Zakahr's loss. If he didn't want to feed, then he. . just wouldn't feed. His loss, wasn't it? No blood was purer than that of a fairy -- let alone the princess of the fairys. . . Silly vampire. But he was still humbled by the other's words. . . that was an awful lot of things to do wrong for a single night. He was still something of a slave, after all, and bad behaviour often warranted a punishment of a sort. Best correct that.

He nodded his head - companionship and cleanliness indeed. At least he didn't sleep with dirt. . . near dirt was different. Face still lowered to the ground he continued, a smirk slowly growing on his lips, "No, I haven't had anything to eat though. . I was wondering how an Orange Haired vampire would taste or. . or at least a dog." Aha. He wouldn't, of course, that was. . a bad idea. It wasn't like he'd become a vampire, though, hmm. . . Perhaps he'd try it, one day. Fellow was so rare this time of year unless you wanted to take a trek out to the slums. . Hm, they always seemed to notice if someone was missing, though -- wasn't that the problem. At least there was no political consequence -- although the nobles did. . taste. . so . . much. . better. More fat on the bones, just. . a more enjoyable meal all together - and ! And it meant left overs.

. . . Perhaps he'd fetch a fellow, Zakahr would be kind enough to feast with him. He would enjoy the company. . . And he would like to please his master, oh, he could fetch the best of all fellows if he put his mind to it-- . . . but that'd require him to leave the area. . get far. .away. . from the room. He still didn't trust either of them. Black hair was a shifter and orange hair was after his tiara - he was sure of it. Ah, more reprimanding ! He stood quietly as Zakahr moved his head, guiding it by the underside of his chin. . . He'd have to do something to make it up to the vampire, that much was apparent.

But now, now best drop all the thoughts - it wasn't even like it could be a surprise anyway, so he'd just. . act impulsively when the opportunity presented itself. Mm. Fellow. He still felt humbled, though, had to - his very role demanded it. Unfortunately, he wasn't all . . there. . and it was so hard to fall into such a role for very long. It simply. . didn't feel. . sane. "You do all those things, dear fairy prince. I had no such intentions to make you angry - I was acting in the way I thought best. It would not be very kind of our guests to act out of bounds, after all, and I'd like to end things before they got too into it--- . . . ." . . His slight smile faded, "You are far too kind to me. You give a princess all he could ask for and more." He put his right hand to his chest and bowed ever so slightly - ever so humbly. . as a good princess should do for his prince. "And so I shall leave our charming guests alone until they take their leave, at which time I will smile and bid them a fond farewell for being such. . . charming. . guests." Oh, how sarcastically it was said - it was hard to play humble for long. Slave he was, but, he was also the fairy princess, after all. He deserved to feel this way about the little peons. . . even if, as made evident by the prince's motions - the prince's way of . . dealing with him. . . he wasn't much more than a peon himself. A very pretty, very princessy. . very glittery and very. . dare he think, adored in a strange way. . peon.

He winced when Zakahr added the oils. Such a strong smell. . . Was it really necessary? "I know," he said - back to the ever so compliant tone. "And I am sorry." He was sincere, after all. . . . there was that punishment - that smell, he wouldn't be able to get that smell off for a while. He'd have to spend the next night going through and rolling on all of both his and Zakahr's clothing. . .Oh, joy. Not much of a punishment, really - wasn't even one, but. . . he'd still have to spend all that time doing such a silly thing. . and still have to deal with the 'nice', yet overpowering smells for a while. .

But it was worth it. It was worth it if Zakahr kept his promise and put that lovely little tiara on his head - oh, the prince, such a kind and . . gentle prince. . Fairy princes and their lovely princesses just did things differently, after all, that's what made them so lovely. How they showed affection was no different, Nikolai thought. All those little marks were . . marks of . . love, obviously. So he'd get in the tub alright, and he'd even enjoy every moment of it if Zakahr told him to--- as long as that crown was put back in its rightful place. . .

. . On the real fairy princess' head.

[DeliriumNitemare]

xxxxஇZakahr Varfolomeiஇxxxx

இஇ

ஒOver an eternity, improbabilities become certainties.ஒ

Zakahr crouched next to the tub and reached out to undo each braid. Time and time again he thought of having a Ventrue 'fix' his charming pet... But then he felt the charm would be lost... That it wouldn't be his Nikolai anymore...That didn't please him, so for years they'd stayed just like this... Him a little more cracked then the master but... But that was just alright. "No fellow, we've been through this. If you wish for fellow take from the fellows we have in the dungeon under the keep. They've been well beat Nikolai... They're tender now and ready. You can't go hunting in the city." He picked up a near by cloth and dipped it in the water so to wash his pet. He did take good care of Nikolai.... In his own special way... Their own special way.

... And he didn't sleep in dirt when he slept in the bed, he slept above it... Even still he took a bath every new night fall just to be clean and not smell of the grave. "We will clean you, then I'll feed from you." He said in a teasing nature as he washed around the creature's neck. "Then we shall dress you and I'll crown you... Mm, you'll look lovely. It'll be worth the fuss of the bath." he passed off the cloth to Nikolai so he could carry on while Zakahr moved on to wash his hair for him, long nails working through the short and long locks alike. Working more of the oils in and washing his hair clean with the water... Slowly... He drew this bath out since Nikolai hadn't bothered to wash in three whole days... Ugg. Though the cleaner Nikolai got the... Fresher.... Zakhar got. On one of the last rinsing of the hair he slid his nails a little too sharply over the back of the neck - Not to make bleed but just mark.

He did adore that feeling... The feeling of dragging flesh under his fingertips... So much so he did it again but this time along his pets inner thigh. Mm." He grinned and pulled his hands away to dry them off slowly. Once he was sure Nikolai was fully and truly clean he helped his Princess to stand and step out, drying him off proper before moving him into the bedroom, lead by the hand of course. "Now... I do believe I said feeding first, didn't I?" Bastian and Dima had such innocent feeding games compared to these two. Sure, kisses where the same, the touching and sometime even the coy banter... But it never stayed that innocent for long.

Zakahr was stronger then he looked, often most vampires are.... But Nikolai would be use to this... The pinning to a hard surface - Tonight the choice was his deep black wooded flat top coffin - the... Convenient placements of both bodies and pressure added in just the right area to come off teasing, then the biting... Always started differently, started with one... Somewhere, tonight the first bite was against the ribs, fast and hard, followed by another a little lower near the hip. This... would go on and on - Zakahr's need to mark and feed.. He'd not close the wounds (Not like they'd scar on a shifter and they'd heal fast on their own.) and he'd leave many. From the hip he moved to the inner leg... and on his way back that tanned body he dragged his fangs over Nikolai's abdomen, leaving small fine cuts along the way... Swaying to grind into the other.

Oh their feedings would drag on for a while, he loved them too... The final bite and the end always came when he made it back up to the neck and bit from there. Nikolai had been doing this dance since he was... little... Not so pervertedly, but his body was use to the expectancy of blood and produced more in expecting it now. He 'purred' against that final mark but didn't bother to get off top the other... Really he was an obnoxious tease most nights. "Now if you where good earlier... I wouldn't be leaving you unfulfilled like this." He said lowly, words almost hissing together to form.

ஒYes, I will feed you to my pet alligator who thinks he is a fairy princess.ஒ

[Sears Nazi]

Nikolai

He shook his head. The fellows in the dungeon weren't fun, didn't taste good and simply would never do. There was no fun in selecting one and dragging it upstairs to prepare and serve. .or just rip apart on a more 'casual' day. Snow was . . a bit colder than swampy marshlands, but it was water and it did work just as well. . . It was rather easy to sink into the snow, watch for a little bit - though his hair never seemed to blend in properly. . . and just pounce on them. Not that he could be there for too long - it was cold no matter who you were, shifter or not.

Poor fellows, so malnourished - so tired from a hard day's work. . it wasn't like they even put up much of a struggle. It was simply more fun if there was a bit of a 'game' involved, even if it wasn't very fair. The fact that they had been hand picked just made them taste all the better. But he'd agree - for now - find one of those fellows that came 'pre cooked' as it were. . that'd be dinner. But later, later he'd have to drag a nice, new, fresh fellow home. Their lifeless bodies made the most pretty designs as they were pulled along in fresh snow. .

He still didn't get why Zakahr was so picky - why they had to go through all this just so Zakahr could feed - not that he wasn't looking forward to that, too - and so he could wear his tiara nice and proper. Still, he nodded in agreement - it was a plan, even if he wished things went the other way around. Why bother to get clean if things were just going to get dirty shortly after? . . No matter. If good things were coming, best hurry about it. He'd continue the job Zakahr started - washing as quickly as he possibly could. Quick scrub here and there. . he was done. Not quite as clean as possible, but. . done. At least he went through the motions - quickly and half assed as he did. He winced ever so slightly - not because the scratching bothered him, but because he was never fully sure when it was coming.

. . Or where.

The bath had drawn on a bit longer than he had hoped - why did he have to wash places he already did? - but the drying. . He could do fairly quickly and easily. And of course Zakahr helped. It was only proper for a prince to assist his princess. . . and do little things to claim him as their own. Zakahr was truly wonderful and perfect on both counts. "I believe you did mention feeding, my lovely prince." Having the crown on first would have been better, but. . both were prizes, so he'd be happy with. . either one happening first. It just didn't seem quite as official, him not having the very symbol which made him a princess while dear prince fed and took what was rightfully his. . .

. . and what a lovely experience it was. Somewhere during it Nikolai had lost count of exactly how many times he had been bitten - he often tried to count them but never could. Too much, too fast. . Not that it mattered. It was always nice, very nice - the more the better. He just wished he had an idea of how long it'd go on for, when it'd stop. . So enthralled by the moment, so easy to lose count. And there was the last one - so easy to tell by its placement. . The most ordinary place was always the least exciting, wasn't it?

". . . I understand," another slight nod - ever the subtle movement. . As soon as the shifter and the Orange Haired potential tiara thief left, being 'good' would become ever so easy-- . . . ". . But, good prince, now that I am all. . glittery," . . . Blood did reflect ever so nicely, even the smallest amount, ". .if you would be so kind as to help me into the royal garments and fetch that lovely fairy tiara of mine. . . I think I've earned it, now, 'bad' or not."

[DeliriumNitemare]

xxxxஇZakahr Varfolomeiஇxxxx

இஇ

ஒOver an eternity, improbabilities become certainties.ஒ

"Mm you have, lets not stain your clothes though." Reluctantly Zakahr slid off his pet and returned to the bathroom only to come back with the cleaning cloth. As said before he never closed the wounds, hell they where already healing on their own, but he cleaned up the extra blood and set the cloth to the side. His hands trailed over Nikolai for a moment, taking the longest parts of his hair when he found them and gave them a light pull while kissing his pets forehead. "Come along then." He aided Nikolai to stand then went about dressing him in fresh robes for the night. They where always simple but nice, made out of comfortable all be it expensive fabric. Once the dressing was all said and done he went back to the tiara box and took the little crown from it to place on Nikolai's head.

"There we are, lovely no?" Smoothes a hand over Nikolai's cheek slowly in a few long strides of the hand. "Now, try not to tip your head too low so it doesn't fall off... We wouldn't want it damaged, now would we?" He tilted his head, then turned to go back to the dresser with a tall mirror, sitting down in front of it to fix up the black coloring on his lips.. Since it got a little messy with the feeding.

ஒYes, I will feed you to my pet alligator who thinks he is a fairy princess.ஒ

xxxx♕Bastian Skeffington♕xxxx

♕♕

✯ Regere sanguine, regere in veritatem est. - To rule through blood is to rule in truth✯

Bastian had been having a nice time. He was laying with his chest to Dima's back and arm around him firm. It was comfortable... It was welcomed, and he was almost back to sleep until Dima started to move to get a pillow over his head. They'd heard voices outside their door before... He was sure it was the Prince and the material of which he was talking to... Whoever over, was questionable but dismissible... Least it had been. Bastian still not use to the marks tried to settle down again even after all of Dima's movements, petting the boy's stomach with his thumb slowly to sooth him... Form whatever was bothering him.

Least until the thoughts Dima was having slowly set in. This caused Bastian to raise his head slightly and perk up his brow. "...You... Must be mishearing things. They wouldn't.... While we are here.... Would they?" But who was he to question a shifter's hearing? His own would never be that sharp no matter how many nights passed... No matter how old he became. So once he... Allowed himself to believe what Dima was thinking he was hearing he... Just pulled the sheets over both of their heads and let out a sigh. They'd get toasty fast bundled up like this but it was better then hearing what... Was going on rooms over.

"You know... We have all the tomorrows in the world....And even the next. We should do something with them." True statement, even if it was being used to distract from the... Curious sounds. "We should see the world mein liebe... There is so much more of it then what we know of... We should take the chance to see it before we settle somewhere.... Would you like to do that? After we're rested... Just see what the world has to offer?" He kissed Dima's shoulder lightly, resting his head on the bed again.

✯You will do as I say, or you will die as I say.✯

[Sears Nazi]

Nikolai

No, no messy clothes would never do. Not proper, not good, not. . wanted. And it was hardly dainty. But, the prince did take such good care of his princess, wiping away all of that bad, bad, bad dirty old blood. No, he didn't like blood on him. Even after a feast on. . fellow. . he'd take the time to wipe the blood away from his mouth and hands with a dainty little kerchief. Blood on princesses was so. . unbecoming.

The tiara, however. . that just made the look. Dainty little thing, yes. . . Oh, he loved it. Loved how Zakahr put it on him, loved how it felt on his hair. . Such pretty hair when it was down like that - quite. . deceptive. It wasn't like anybody needed to know that he was a man. . and that hair, that hair did quite an elegant job of framing his face. Just. . like. . a . . princess. . . Not that he had the body of one - slight problem there. But, the people tended to look at him with open mouths anyway - Nikolai just passed their gazes off as looks of complete shock -- . . from admiration. Such a wonderful princess. They didn't need to know how short his hair was in the back. Ah, gorgeous~ And. . the long hair was good for pulling, too - sometimes gently (which led to the 'nice' things, such as the kisses) and. . . sometimes not. That was always an advantage- The time it took to do the braids, which he wouldn't even begin until after the tiara was put back in its box, was the only problem with it as far as he could see.

"Lovely, lovely. . pretty, pretty." He felt the tiara on his head - felt the fresh robes. . He didn't need to see himself to know how . . glittery. . he looked. Such was how a fairy princess was supposed to look, after all, and since he did such a fine job having that title. . . And his prince was ever so loving and . . dare he even think, admiring~ . . with his touches. . Not that he was surprised - everyone! admired him. At least they. . never said anything . . about not loving him. . Hmm. . . He touched the tiara again - they loved him.

Zakahr, Zakahr, Zakahr, whatever was he doing now~ Nikolai joined him, leaning over to rest one arm on Zakahr's shoulder and dangle the other over his chest making sure the tiara was secured firmly in place - "There's no reason to look down now. A princess walks with poise and always looks up to be eye level or higher with his subjects, proper posture is everything. . " Ah~ He caught his reflection in the mirror, draped over Zakahr as he was - such perfection, the both of them. He swayed his hips a bit, still watching the reflection-- . . Gorgeous, every movement; his own and the flow of the robe. . . Which lead to one question: "Why do you keep fixing that? It's just going to get ruined again."