The most unusual room in The Wretching Dragon inn is also the most tastefully decorated. Apart from the wooden floors and competent accomodations of the guest rooms, Amilei's room has a lustrous, deep red, and painstakingly crafted tile floor. The walls are silver in color, and embossed with intricate leaf and vine designs that run along the entire length of the room. Various hangings dot those walls at even intervals; torches whose glow is mystical and displays a color attuned to Amilei's mood, paintings of various important people including an old nude of Kaies, which is tastefully obscured by a leafwork frame. A circular bed dominates the center of the predominantly round room, it's burgundy mattress mixing well with violet silk sheets. There are no windows in this room, but it is quite spacious.
The Wretching Dragon
"Here we are, Saea..." Amilei leads the albino into her room, noting with amusement that he clashes with the darker decor in here. "Please, have a seat and I'll find what I need."
Saea nods, glancing around. "This is a very nice room," he notes, nodding. He sits on the bed, as it's the most convenient spot.
"Thank you," the vampiress answers, the picture of modesty. "Kaies paid for everything in here, months ago. He said I had been doing such a fine job for so long that I deserved better." She trots across the room, to an armoir that does a fine job of matching the 'dark heat' colors of the room. After a moment of digging, she returns to Saea with a platter bearing two odd-looking fruits, kiwi-sized, a cupful of wine, and a fresh piece of potato. "Here you are," she says, handing him the platter. "It seems odd, I know, but bear with me. The fruits are Anshu and Milshu, very tasty, and quite good for you if eaten together. Anshu clears the blood of white cells, temporarily, and Milshu strengthens the other parts of your immune system to compensate. Vampires have been using them forever for their generous donators," here she winks at him, "and it is perfectly safe. The wine is so you won't be so nervous."
Saea laughs a little, put at ease. "That's very kind of you, Mi... Amilei, thank you. And I'm fine, really." More so than before, though he'll be glad when this is over with. He munches on the first fruit. "This is very good."
"Oh, they're both delightful. Horrible when eaten one at a time, though. You have to be watchful of illness, if you don't have the Milshu to counteract Anshu. And of course, Anshu alone will make you weak." She gazes at him, trying not to look at his neck. "Thank you so much for this. I'm really so very excited."
"It is no trouble. I am glad that you will get what you need." He smiles at her. Her sheer enthusiasm makes this worth it.
Fruit and wine finished, Amilei returns the platter to its rightful place, taking her time about it. She wants the stuff to have enough time to cycle around Saea's system, so that she can get the reddest of red blood from him.
"Saea sweety, would you please open your collar? I would but I think it would be more comfortable for you to do it." Amilei sits upon her bed next to him, eyes aglow, her face anxious, hopeful. "Unless you prefer I do. How do you feel?"
"I feel fine. I feel the side effects of the autoimmunal shifts a bit, but nothing worrisome." He undoes the top two clasps of his jacket, feeling a little nervous again as he does so. Not from real fear, so much as the same sort one does on just before a shot. He folds the down against his shoulders, and smiles at her. The wine does help. "Is that adequate, Amilei?"
The vampiress bites her lip. "Very much so, Saea. Very much so." She looks into his eyes for a moment. "Thank you so much for this..." Her hands slide around Saea's waist as she cuddles up, gaze fixed firmly now upon that special spot of his neck. She's practically quivering with bloodlust. "Here I go..." Her lips settle along his neck, warming the flesh there for a split second before parting to sink her fangs into the soft flesh there. Her grip tightens upon him, unconsciously, her beyond human strength making its presence quite known.
Saea gasps when her fangs sink into his neck, both from pain and also from the sickly draining sensation that simply can't be compared to anything but a vampire's bite. But, again, it isn't his first time...he swallows hard, and forces his body to relax again--the wine really does help that--and waits quietly for her to get what she needs.
Amilei is quite nearly in ecstasy by this point. She can't help herself, really, as it is her nature. Her hands rises to Saea's upper back, squeezing him against her despite her best efforts. She holds onto the bite as long as she thinks she can without hurting him -much- and then pulls her face from his neck with no small feat of will. Her lips slide across his cheek, and quite without her instruction, find their way to his lips for a bare instant. Her eyes snap open, her mind absolutely whirling.
Saea blushes brightly at that. He doesn't return the kiss, but neither does he refuse it. "...you are welcome." He smiles, pleased at her emotion. "Do you feel better?"
She stares at him, eyes somewhat mournful. "I'm sorry, Saea, I was not... I did not mean..." Smiles. "Much, very much. You, ah..." she reaches up, stroking his cheek with a thumb, "have a little blood on your cheek. Sorry about that..." she gives his neck one last gentle peck to clear it of blood and relaxes, leaning back until the sheer physical bliss of the feeding can subside. "There is a towel on the nightstand... to stop the bleeding."
He smiles, glancing it over and beckoning it to his hand. He doesn't feel safe standing
just yet, and wipes the area around the puncture wounds gently as they seal. "It has been some time since you have fed," he observes.
"Mm... yes. Far too long... it is hard to find willing people in this town. Most are still leery of my kind's hunger. But it feels
so good, Saea..." Her sly grin returns as she lays back, still breathing hard. "If most men could do for a woman what you just did for me about in thirty seconds, I think we would think much better of men."
Saea laughs, though the statement drives him to blush still again. Probably as planned. "That could very well be. Though...convi
ncing women that I'm not one of them is forever interesting." He grins a little.
"I am not so sure, Saea. I think it depends on the woman, whether it matters." She grins. "I think you are a beautiful boy. But then, I am a bit biased, after that." Amilei is quite incapacitated... and probably will be fore some time. "You know... in years past, those... bastard vampire hunters would wait for us to feed, like I have done. We are left vulnerable for a while after we feed..." she sighs softly, but contentedly. "As I'm sure you can see. I am... quite defenseless."
Saea smiles at her. "I will stay with you, if that would make you feel safer, Amilei."
The vampiress smiles a dreamy smile. "I would love that. It helps that... I doubt you want to be doing all that much right now, anyway. Did... I hurt you much, Saea...?"
"It...did not feel nice." He smiles reassuringly. "But I am certainly intact, you feel better, and I have a lot pain tolerance in either case. You would have known it had you really hurt me."
"I'm sure I would be in oblivion by now." For a long moment the vampiress is silent, her even breathing suggesting that she's fallen asleep. Her mind has calmed, filled now with contented thoughts and a sort of peaceful babbling. "How long will you be about this plane," she asks after a while, "before you return home?"
"I do not know. It depends on my sister and whatever Kaishen wished to tell her, I am sure."
"Kaishen..." Amilei is quite again for a moment. "Saea, do you feel up to travelling? I think... I'm sorry, but I think I need to be alone with my thoughts for a while." She sits up, still breathing heavily. "Is that all right?"
He nods, and stands up. "It is fine, Miss Amilei."
Her smile softens, a truly heartfelt expression. "Thank you.. for everything. For the shoulder, the feeding... for not being angry when I kissed you, Saea."
He smiles warmly. "It was not so bad, Amilei. This was a nice evening. Rest well."
"Thank you, Saea. I will see you soon, I hope." That said, Amilei lays back upon her silk covers and, within a bare instant, is sleeping soundly away the effects of her feeding.
Saea smiles at her. With the aid of a light sleeping spell, the covers tuck over her. The day will warm, but not that much. The albino lets out his breath as he re-fastens his jacket and, though confused about some things, heads for the door. After some thought, refreshing the lobby's fire, and magically lengthening the time it will take to consume its wood, he heads outside of the inn again, looking up at the sky. The same temperature-regulating spells are over him again, and he's curious to see what Wu Yuan has to see.
Inside the inn, about seven minutes pass before anything of note occurs. Amilei is sleeping soundly, her heart certainly given a push in the right direction towards mending, and her body thrilling with the life of food so long denied.
Even so, she is not oblivious to Kaishen's sudden presence. Her eyes open to see him looming within the room, at the foot of her bed.
"Well? Did you win him, Amilei?"
The vampiress glares at him, though by now, she hardly has even the will to lift her head.
"I thought not. We had an agreement, child. Radivishe Moorn and I set up the blocks just as promised, and the wizard is dead. In return, you were to procure Senowin through the brother of Felina Deyono, who we cannot move without affecting her death."
Amilei still says nothing.
"Moorn would just as soon see her destroyed, though he would be hard pressed to achieve that end. I would rather see no harm come to her, Amilei, but we need that construct." Kaishen lowers himself partially over her, eyes colder now than ever before. "So you will win Saea over, and use him to sway her."
"No. I won't, Kaishen, I... changed my mind."
The wraith's features sour harshly at that. "Then sleep. Knowing what you know could jeopardize us more than anything..." she can't move to evade his hand, and he knows that. The wraith's life-stealing touch settles upon her forehead, draining her of every last drop of vital energy. Before it is over, Amilei lies in perfect, catatonic stasis, and her energy is stored within an odd looking gem (ooc: a dimensional shard wouldn't ya know it) at Kaishen's neck. "Forgive me, child. But the Yeliuran Derrias must live again, and Senowin is the key to realizing that dream."
When Felina appears much later, she finds her wide-eyed brother by Amilei's side, shaking her shoulder somewhat desperately in what he knows is futile. Her own eyes widen before she steps forward and takes his arm. "Saea, she's not her." It's gentle but firm. "Just her body. But it's functioning, she's alive somewhere."
He knows that. He just doesn't want to know that, more than stunned. Hours ago. Just hours ago... he touches the soft spot in his neck gingerly, eyes still thoroughly shocked.
Mara-kuru arrives shortly, appearing just outside of the door, lance in hand, ready to whoop somebody's ass if need be. She steps inside, her ears back, eyes focused.
"Felina, is everything..." she stops when she enters the room. "Heyyy..." Looks down at the bed. Then up. And back down. "Felina, she's not there. But she is, and she's not."
"Yeah, I know." Felina bites her lip, and nudges SAea mentally to pick her up. Saea's been resisting the urge to hug the body anyway, as she knows, nods, and gathers the vampiress up gently.
Felina looks to her double. "She's not legitimately planeswalking, I know. First, she doesn't know how, and secondly, it just feels wrong for that. Something happened. I can't find any clue here, though...the only thing is a slight undead remnant aura to the room that's not like hers, if you feel really closely, but...that narrows it down to half the planet's population."
Saea swalows hard, looking down at Amilei's face.
Felina puts her hand on his shoulder, then looks back to Mara. "We'll take the body back to the keep for protection. You can come or search for her, whichever you prefer...we'll join in looking soon enough. In any case, be careful."
Mara considers this for a moment. "We had better confer with Korliss. It is his little girl, after all... but this doesn't smell right. It is too soon, Felina. Bad stuff does not randomly happen, even to you, so fast. And you are a situation magnet." She looks down at Saea, features softening in sympathy for what she guesses was a very quickly developed friendship. "Saea, are you okay?"
He nods quickly. It's a complete lie. "Let us just go." And he's at Korliss's Keep.
Felina sighs, glancing back to Mara a moment, and then is gone as well.
Mara sighs as well. She sniffs the air, her ears pressing almost flat back. "It smells like... nah. It couldn't be." And she vanishes as well.
Stumble!