Chapter Text
This is what it now means to feel alive.
It is awful.
Allegro blinks, the rush of loathing dripping away. There is blood in his mouth, a body beneath his foot. His shoulders roll, and he pulls back, grip tight around bird hollow bone. Skin, muscle, and tendon tear, the sound sharp in his ears over his ragged breath. A muffled scream bounces around the gleaming stone walls, glittering, cold crystal.
The elders watch from on high, eyes bright spots of red.
Fine watches from on high, eyes lidded slivers of beautiful silver.
He drops the vampire's arms, firms his perch upon their spine, draws up. Fine looks away. The elders stare. The whimpers cut off with a pitiful crack, squelch. Allegro thinks he knew her, but that doesn't matter anymore.
Is it strange he isn't quite sure when he got here?
From the shadows, attendants rush forward, damp towels and blood in hand. He and the body are tugged in opposite directions, the smears wiped from his cheeks as he's led away. Anything said to him is a white noise he can't understand. Allegro gulps down the blood pressed to his lips, and then shoves the attendant away to displeased buzzing.
He had the dream again.
Why did he have the dream again?
Allegro blinks, finds himself halfway out of his vestments and somehow back in his quarters. He nearly tears the waist tie, barely catches the bitten off breath in the corner of the room as he pauses. Bloodbag. He's still so thirsty.
"Come here," he hisses, blearily surveying the thin gloom. It's… bright. Candles? "Come here."
There's a shuffling noise, like paper, like cloth, a breath, and then darkness. Then she is there. He drinks. His nerves settle, and the day comes back to him a little more clearly. Dropping the warm's arm, he turns away to the bathroom, closes the door behind him without a look back.
A midday challenge to his right to Fine's hand.
He'd wondered if he'd get any. Idly, not seriously.
A sigh escapes him, a trembling exhale. He thinks he knew her, somehow, another noble maybe. She must not have known him well, though. Pity. Challenges can only end one way.
Allegro stumbles over to the vanity, hands bracing along the sink, and blinks at his reflection. Hair windswept, eyes wide, teeth too full for his mouth. He brushes at an errant loc, and growls at the tremble to his hand.
He's… He's never had to put down one of their own before. Let alone over something so ridiculous. They all should know better. In what world would he ever fail Fine? He'd rend them limb from limb in her honor. Would do anything for her, but.
He's never… never had to…
Frustrated, he pushes away from the counter, shucking the last of the clothes for the large, rounded tub. He crawls in and turns the faucet, fills the tub with water hot enough to burn a Warm. It hurts, but it keeps him there, doesn't let him spiral into the hazy after echoes of Fine's smile superimposed over frightened glazed eyes and a broken jaw.
"Idiot," he sneers, the water up to his bent knees, shoulders by his ears. It sloshes over the edges as he hunches over further, the tip of his nose to the frothing steam. He closes his eyes. "Stupid, stupid —"
He had that dream again.
Allegro closes that miniscule gap, plunging his face beneath the searing surface. Bubbles fizzle by his ears as he exhales a frustrated but silent scream.
He had that dream again. He had that dream again. He had that dream again .
Fine wouldn't— He wouldn't— Except, he would have. Allegro knows that, hates that about himself because he's doing it, right now. Except that idiotic, stupid version of himself did not have his heart in it, spineless, gutless, coward . He let Fine out of his sight. He let her get hurt, let her think he'd ever be anything other than on her side, let the Elders see that weakness, and look at what happened—
He should have killed them then and there. Killed them as soon as they dared to take advantage. Pulled their wings from their backs like the arms of hapless warms, torn out their throats and crushed their ribs—
Allegro hopes she knows that now. He has to make sure she does—
With a soft gasp, he rears up, the water running pink rivets off his jaw. He breathes into the silence, deep breaths, and leans back against the tub, sliding down to his chin. Allegro stares at the ceiling, the dark spots fuzzy to his wet eyes.
"It… It was just a dream," he croaks, but.
It felt so real.