Chapter Text
The stones beneath him are damp from the night's mist, Pyro can feel the sun's burn slowly eating away at his skin. He opens his eyes, suppressing a hiss as the sun hits his eyes. He sits up, obviously having transformed into his humane form overnight. Shelby has buried her face in his coat, hiding from the morning rays.
Pyro glances around and… the bridge is repaired? How have Scott and Owen managed that? All the moss and overgrown greenery have vanished as well. As he lifts his gaze, he notices that there's a whole goddamn castle towering over him. “What on earth?" He mutters under his breath, both in confusion and amazement.
The castle is certainly different from what they'd had planned for the place, it's much higher and larger in size generally. It's not built from the dark broodish deepslate, rather clean almost beige colored stone bricks. The roofs are red and pointed, towers standing out with the sky as a backdrop and flags waving at the tips. Seriously, did they get a whole construction crew overnight? Red banners flutter in the wind, displaying a design with a flaming bird depicted in the middle. A Phoenix, symbolizing transformation, rebirth and resilience.
And then his head hits the ground. Multiple figures tackle him from behind, awakening Shelby in the process. With surprising strength from what seems to be humans, judging from the smell, they manage to pin him down as he struggles. They press him down and place Pyro’s wrists in silver shackles. Agh, he'd gotten distracted.
Shelby's fast up on her feet, hissing at the four humans in some sort uniforms. The vampire's hair is a tussled mess. “What are you doing in our home!?" She furiously asks, swinging with her claws. The humans don't seem interested in conversation as they simply prepare for battle. Half of them stay holding down pyro and the other two take out their swords.
Shelby manages to scratch and claw at the attackers, probably would've been able to flee if she wasn't so determined to try to get Pyro. He watches as slowly her blood reserves twindle and she's pushed down in a similar manner. Not that the humans manage without injury, one having even lost a few fingers to Shelby, smudging the corner of her mouth in blood.
" What are you doing, who even are you?” Pyro asks in bafflement as he and Shelby are hauled up on their feet. A moment of silent walking (more of dragging) tells him yet again that these people aren't interested in conversation. "Right, wonderful.” He redirects the effort into observing their surroundings.
They get escorted past the gate and castle walls. Outside of the castle is full of well cared for greenery. Some look exotic and even magical, certainly nothing Pyro had seen before. They're brought down long wide halls. There are high arches, various art pieces line the walls. Any windows or open spaces for sun to pass are covered by white cotton fabric that only let's a slight gleam of the light through.
" Pyro… what'll we do?” She whispers low enough for only his sharp hearing to pick up on it. He's about to respond before they both go quiet as they see one of the paintings on the wall.
A man with fair skin and a sharp jawline. His eyes are looking down at you in a manner that seems to say ‘you’re nothing’. Striking tells of a vampire are of course the long white hair and red eyes that the man possesses. Of course none of those matter, not the regal clothing or the carefully crafted hair ornament. The most important fact of course is that it's Scott Goldsmith.
He digs his heels into the carpet to have a moment more to observe the oil painting as they're dragged past. It doesn't take long for it all to click. Having listened to Scott reminisce of his time ruling the region. “Shelby, I think we've traveled into the past." He ends up whispering, to which Shelby responds with a pointed nod.
Soon they're shoved in a room, by the looks of it some sort of sitting room. Pyro had one of those way back when he still lived with his family. The furniture is finely crafted, detail and time poured into each piece. By a chaise lounges Scott, gaze still laying on the book in his hands. ‘The Bridegroom’ reads on the simple brown leather cover.
He's wearing a white silk blouse with sowed on detailing and gems. The sleeves are flared and underneath he's wearing elbow length white gloves. His blouse is covered at the waist by a corset that's tied behind with silk ribbons. His pants are dark brown and quite casual in design, slight detailing at the hip in star patterns. His hair is notably longer than in Pyro’s time.
Scott glances up, no question needed to be asked. The guards shove Shelby and Pyro on their knees. “We discovered two intruding vampires sleeping on the bridge, we're unsure where they snuck in. They put up a fight as we contained them.”
Intrigue lights up in Scott's eyes, he hums in a contemplating manner. “Hm we haven't had intruders in years, or none that snuck this close." He slips a bookmark in-between the pages and sets his reading down. " You four may leave. Go interrogate the night shift, I'll deal with these myself. Unlock their binds and lock the door behind yourselves.” He instructs with a smile.
The guards don't ask further questions, simply freeing them and leaving Pyro and Shelby with the elder vampire, in his prime too. Scott certainly isn't merciful and currently they're considered intruders…
“I- this is a difficult one to explain, but we're not intruders. We're your coven.. from the future." A moment of silence, then another. " Yeah, we're roommates!” Shelby adds with a smile.
Scott begins laughing, fangs on full display as he does so. He almost doubles over in the cackling, leaving the two younger vampires to awkwardly smile along. After a short while, he settles down. " Is that so?" Scott rises up from where he's lounging. As he approaches them, he significantly towers over them. With his already tall figure, his heels and both Shelby and Pyro currently on the ground, the vampire lord towers over them. Scott rolls his eyes.
“Well if you're mine then get your butts off the floor, Goldsmiths don't kneel unless I say so." Both of the time travelers breathe a sigh of relief.
As soon as Pyro's standing, Scott takes him by the neck and sinks his teeth in.
-
The two are certainly a strange pair, covered in dust with mud on their shoes. Both smell like they crawled straight out of a pig pen. However underneath that dirty appearance, their blood smells of him. Scott can tell that his venom flows through the boy's veins. Weaker in the girl’s, most likely the fledgling of a fledgling. And the clothes… He's quite sure his friend has had tailored exactly the same clothes that the girl is wearing. Additionally the boy's coat seems to be straight from Scott's very own closet.
He sinks his fangs in the first chance he gets, searching the memories as he draws out blood. Ugh animal blood. Six hundred years slumbering, his dukedom in ruin, trapped in a filthy town with livestock. Even turning anyone decent to scrape for an upper hand in the struggle against something as weak as humans.
What a pathetic situation. The worst of it is how soft he is in these memories. Sure he has his moments, but a blood thief and still alive? Truly a desperate situation.
He shoves the other away, Jack von Pyroscythe as he's learned. “A particular situation indeed.” He considers for a moment or two.
Scott sighs. “Sit down with me, just don't get dirt on anything." And then Scott plops down where he'd originally been sitting. He doesn't begin conversation, observing as the two baby vampires settle down and awkwardly fiddle their thumbs. Although Shelby seems to be more of excited kind of nervous.
" Shelby, Pyro. Let me get us something to drink.” He pulls a string by the wall. May seem like a strange action, but it connects to the servants quarters. “Hm, I assume you two didn’t purposefully travel for pretty much a millennium.” He generously gives them a topic to start at.
Shelby shakes her head. “No, and I must say your guards are terribly rude! They didn't even let us get a word in before just jumping us. I mean we were sleeping, where's the honour?" She huffs.
It makes him chuckle a bit, hardly anyone has the guts to speak to him so casually. "Hm, apologies. You did end up arriving quite close to my home and vampires who come here without an advance or invite are more often than not unfriendly."
Her huffy expression does almost instantly disappear. "Yeah that's fair actually.” she agrees a bit sulkingly. Shelby finally has time to look around and properly look at Scott, she begins smiling again. “I knew you had good style but this is seriously on the next level."
"I know, but I've had a fair two hundred and fifty years to practice.” He shrugs with a grin like a pleased cat. Pyro looks at him in surprise. Of course he does, he'd be four times older in their timeline.
" You're so young…” That draws a chuckle out of Scott. "been a while since I've heard that” he comments. Pyro awkwardly adds on.”Well not young but compared to the you we know.” He observes Scott cautiously.
It doesn't take long for the servants to arrive with a pitcher and three glasses. They pour a thick crimson liquid for each of them. “This is?" Shelby quizzes, peering into her glass.
“Blood obviously." Scott huffs. “I know that, but from where?" She adds on. " It doesn't smell like an animal..” the fledgling sniffs at it. "I don't really drink human.” Shelby pushes the glass away. What a weak vampire.
-
As she pushes the blood away despite the rumbling in her stomach, Scott's eyes narrow, looking at her with a certain coldness. "That's rather rude. I'm offering you my freshest blood and you don't want it?” He tilts his head. Shelby grows more nervous by the second.
" Drink it.” As those words leave this Scott's mouth, they sound more like a demand than a request or an offer. Her brain draws the difference between this and her Scott. She couldn't imagine him as her roommate anymore. While peculiar, she doesn't think he'd ever acted like this.
Scott continues chattering. " A vampire who can't even drink human blood from a glass isn't really a vampire, are they? Shouldn't even really have fangs at that point." He smiles, but it looks more threatening than anything.
Right there goes her hope on making friends with this Scott. She looks at pyro, only to see him looking at the hands on his lap, right.
Should she refuse again? Shelby doesn't want to disappoint Scott and she isn't really sure if she wants to find out how upset he'll get if she doesn't drink it.
Shakily, Shelby takes the wine glass in her hands and brings it to her lips. She can see Scott's grin widening. She tips the glass and tries to chug it as fast as possible. A few drops fall down her chin onto her skirt.
It's delicious, tasting like fresh strawberries in the summer, sweet. It's heaven compared to the stale muddy animal blood. So human.
Shelby gags, bile rising up. She covers her mouth, tears coming to her eyes before she's forced to retch. Shelby slumps over and pukes onto the fine bear pelt laid out as a carpet. It just keeps coming up.
Scott stands up, walking to Shelby's side while avoiding the vomit. He holds up her hair gently. “Shh, c'mon no need to be so dramatic. It's almost insulting.” He draws circles on her back.