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"Catherine your eyes look very nice, i would love to harvest them after you die, only with your consent of course" Valdemar whispered to themselves alone in their office, they had a small hand mirror and were holding it in front of their face, they tried putting on a nice smile and then scoffed, shame as a distant and uncomfortable tug at their stomach.
It was ridiculous. They were acting completely ridiculous. She would...
Three quick knocks on the door made them hide their mirror away on their desk before getting up to open the door to the person behind it, not surprised to see her there, they were waiting for her after all.
"Hi Doctor!"
"My my, little pediatrician, what brings you here? it's been awhile"
"Oh i..." She looked around alarmed, oh well, it's best to be honest. "I was around and i thought of paying you a visit"
They knew it already, today doctor 069 was supposed to meet with the countess and of course he would bring their fiancee, Catherine, with him, much to the Quaestor's pleasure.
They had been doing that for months now, while the countess and that ridiculous reck of a doctor made aqueduct plans or whatever it was they did on those meetings, the little pediatrician would come down willingly to the dungeons to "pay a visit" to the Quaestor, every time with curiosity and wonder in her pretty green eyes, at first she came just to say hi to her old teacher, she was very grateful for them and all they have taught her back in the day when she was their apprentice, she had come to like talking to them so she kept coming back whenever she would find herself at the palace and if Valdemar was wary at first soon enough they've notice the pretty little human thing was just naturally curious and not grossed out by them.
Pretty? they thought her pretty?
They would show her what they've been working on and that's how they'd spend the evenings whenever she was around, reading their notes and discoveries for her, studying different types of poison plants together or showing them the organs they were harvesting, they even showed her the beetle pit and she didn't run away!.
On the other hand she would tell them all about her patients, the little monsters she had to deal with, she would laugh it off and say kids were nice and good but Valdemar was certainly better off with the dead.
She was an exception, probably the first one since they made their first deal although that had been too long ago.
"Well I'm glad you're here cause I've got something for you" She tilted her head with curiosity and the gesture didn't escape the Quaestor's eye, nothing ever escaped them, she had adopted that gesture from them. "Your Birth anniversary was a couple days ago if I'm not mistaken?" they ventured acting as if they weren't really sure, but of course they remembered the date.
They caught her blushing briefly.
"Oh doctor, you shouldn't have bothered really."
"Please allow me to show you"
They gestured her inside the office and opened the first drawer to find their hand mirror, the one with which they were practicing earlier, reflecting their face... sickly green skin, red-eyes with small pupils and their smile faltered, too wide and sharp. What if they found their gift unpleasant? they thought, oh well, they shouldn't care about that right? They only spent hours making it, they even went outside to find a Butterfly and some flowers and well...
They could always erase her memory or pretend they didn't have it here and get her something else.
"Valdemar?" Catherine's soft cheery voice got them out of their thought spiral.
They figured that whatever their reaction was it shouldn't affect them, if they were disgusted by it and decided to run away from them then that was probably the best thing that could happen, it had been nice while it lasted... on the other hand they could like it.
They pulled the small blue box out and handed it to them.
"Oh, what might this be?" She said excitedly and took a sit on the chair in front of the desk, Valdemar took the other chair behind the desk.
Catherine opened the box and her mouth fell open, various small resin cubes the size of an ice cube, a bit smalled than that, that contained small preserved insects, a tiny butterfly even, bees, some dry flowers, a wasp, and there was another one with teeth, a couple small teeth, a finger nail and it also had some sparkling star shaped pieces of glitter, she eyed it curiously. Six cubes in total.
"Do not worry i did not pull those teeth out of a live kid's mouth... they were already dead, thought since you treat children well you would think it's nice, erm... and insects died of natural causes too" Valdemar explained.
"You made these for me?" Catherine's eyes were wide.
Valdemar almost fidgeted nervously.
"I did, indeed." They pressed their fingers together.
"Oh Valdemar, these are beautiful, i could turn these into necklaces."
Valdemar felt something leap in their chest, the phantom of the heart they once had probably.
"You can do what you want with it, even throw it in the trash, they're yours."
"I would never! i am flattered that you took the time to do this for me"
"It was no problem, it's a human tradition to give presents on the birth anniversary-"
"Birthday Valdemar, birthday Jeez" Catherine laughed, they talked as if they were stuck 100 years in the past. "Does this mean we're friends?"
"Pardon?"
"Yeah, it's tradition to give presents to your friends, family and partner on their birthdays... are we friends now?"
Valdemar waved their hand dismissively and proceeded to show her a new book they've been reading about plants and their medical properties.
A couple of hours passed by till they heard a voice calling her name.
"Catherine! my lovely bee, there you are, I've been looking for you!" a familiar red head appeared on the office door, his smile turning a bit awkward noticing the presence of the Quaestor who just looked at him like they might very well be planning his murder.
How much they despised doctor 069 for interrupting them.
"Oh, i was just here talking to doctor Valdemar."
"I can see that but it's about time we head home darling"
Valdemar felt the eye on the back of their neck roll with annoyance at his words, at his voice.
"Of course, Doctor it was a pleasure as usual" She smiled brightly and offered her hand, the Quaestor took it expecting a hand shake but she then pressed her other hand on top of theirs and squeezed it softly. Valdemar was surprised, they could feel her warmth through their leather gloves, the soft squishy flesh.
And then she let them go.
And left, hand in hand with her husband-to-be.
Now why did they feel so hollow after she left? every single time. They have always despised mortals, their inability to see the beauty in science and understand their fascination with death, they were always creeped out, always avoiding them, looking at them with either fear or disgust, Valdemar simply stopped caring a thousand years ago. They've found shelter in being alone with a corpse and study it, or with a very drugged or weak patient cause even though it was very interesting seeing them struggle it made the work less organized and clean, and they strived for beauty and perfection, although sometimes they were in the mood for getting a bit dirty with bodily fluids and an agonizing subject.
But Catherine... oh, the little pediatrician, she didn't freak out people, she was amazing with kids, she could've been an amazing surgeon, worked along Valdemar, after all they had trained her but then she decided to specialize on children, so she left the dungeons and sailed to Pakra where she could learn more, when she came back she started working in the public hospital, she also spent some time as a school nurse and along the way she found... doctor 069.
"It makes sense" Valdemar thought bitterly. She's sweet and optimistic and so alive, nobody in the palace could hate them not even Vulgora or that uptight pretentious jerk Valerius, it made sense she would fall for the flirty morally correct doctor with low self esteem, although in their opinion he wasn't good enough for her.
"And you are? what can you offer?" a life in their cold embrace, they weren't the type to show affection, "will you keep her here in your dungeon? your underworld? they're meant to be out, in the sun, with the people, not with something that's not even human."
"Do not think about it." They said to themselves. "There are greater plans to worry about than a silly mortal girl"
A few weeks later a party was announced in the palace, just a small meeting for nobles and palace friends, Valdemar was lingering outside the crowds just watching people pass by, Nazali had briefly greeted them and left and Volta had tried to make conversation too but soon they scared her off, their eyes continued falling on the pretty little thing dancing and giggling with a red head on the other side of the ballroom much to their disgrace. Catherine hasn't come up to them, she seemed to be more surrounded than ever, talking to everyone and with a huge smile, doctor 069 never leaving their side.
When a waiter holding a tray holding glasses filled with bubbly liquid passed by they took one and downed it whole, this ought to be interesting.
Catherine had been surrounded all night by her excited friends, talking enthusiastically and dancing, moments like this she felt like the luckiest girl in the whole world, but she still had someone important to talk to.
She turned around expecting to find the doctor where she had seen them the last time and her green eyes meet their red ones, she smiled and headed straight to them, Valdemar never breaking eye-contact, she came to their side and greeted them with a warm smile.
Oh how long has it been since someone, apart from Catherine, smiled to them genuinely, not those awkward polite smiles Nadia sometimes gave them at court meetings.
"Hello Doctor, how's your night going?"
"My, little pediatrician, you seem to be glowing with happiness, you're definitely the prettiest little butterfly in this room, fluttering your little wings all around the ballroom" They said gesturing to the small butterfly preserved in resin she wore as a necklace.
To their delight Catherine blushed deep red, blood rushing under her skin.
"That was very smooth but not true, thank you though. Care to join me for a walk in the gardens?"
"Of course."
The night air was cold, the air smelled like wet soil and some sweet perfume underneath coming from the flowers Nadia kept there, Catherine was walking side by side with the tall Quaestor, finding very amusing how they were so much taller than her.
They got to the fountain and she sat down, the water wasn't running like it usually does, someone probably forgot to turn it on, she gently trailed the water surface with the tips of her fingers, disturbing the calm water, causing ripples and waves.
"It's a nice chilly evening out here" Valdemar said and Catherine snorted at them.
"You mean that?"
"It's just like the old times, when you were my apprentice." Valdemar replied.
She remembered that, whenever she would have a bad day or lost a patient they would always accompany her to take a night walk through the palace gardens.
"Yes, just like the old times. Valdemar, i have a confession to make, i haven't told anyone about this cause I'm very, very nervous." She started, playing with the hem of her dress. "I need to tell someone rational so they can call me ridiculous for being so scared."
"Why, i will gladly knock some sense into you" They pretended like they didn't feel proud that she was trusting them with her feelings but at the same time they felt a little nervous as well, was it bad?
She laughed a bit and then said the words she had been holding back.
"I'm pregnant." She said slowly. "I'm expecting a child and I'm so scared of being a terrible mother."
They spend the next five minutes in complete, tense silence till they finally said. "Now that's ridiculous" They managed to say after overcoming their shock.
"I know right?! but i feel it"
"You're a pediatrician for fuck's sake" Valdemar gasped when the word left their mouth and the little pediatrician was looking at them with her mouth wide open and eyes wide.
"WOAH, i made Valdemar curse this must really be top tier ridiculous." Catherine said holding back laughter.
"You're definitely being ridiculous." They scoffed.
"Will you curse again?" Oh, if she asked them with that smile...
"Never." They stated looking away.
"Once more?"
"Forget about it." They hissed. "Does your partner know?"
"I haven't told him yet... he's going to be so excited." She sighed.
"You don't sound very pleased."
"If i told him... it will make it so much more real. Valdemar i don't want to leave my job and Julian is so protective."
"Catherine..." Her name rolled of their lips probably for the first time in front of her "would you let me be your doctor during your pregnancy? that if you decide to keep it."
"That's not a decision i can make alone, but i would pretty much love that."
Love. She would love that, Valdemar thought with pride, but underneath there was a bitter taste, she's going to be a mother and the wife... of doctor 069. That's what he offers and they could never, normalcy, warmth, a family, a life full of... well, life.
Someone like her was bound to be loved by everyone, she should enjoy all the nice things in life, someone like her...
"Someone like you would be the most astounding mother" Valdemar said after another long moment of silence, for the first time in so long they felt their face grow a little warmer and a shy smile tug their lips.
They were not made for the sun and the people, children and family, they had gave up their heart and soul to science and the cold that came with giving up all of what made them human.
They would have to be happy to watch their little butterfly flutter her wings and fly gently around every room, with rosy cheeks, warm smiles, they would wait for the next time they will say goodbye and hold their hands like they did that one time, wait for the next walk in the garden, that will eventually stop completely as she pours her all into buildin her own home, they would stay at their dungeons, studying, doing the things they had always done.
Oh little Pediatrician. They would see her around with her child, holding it dearly against her, protective and caring, they weren't protective and caring...
"Valdemar are you alright?"
"It's getting late and I'm tired, i should go" They stood up and left her sitting next to the fountain, knowing that their face might have shown too much.
Someone like her shouldn't be left alone out in the cold night.
They didn't look back.
Someone like them should be fine with solitude anyways.