Chapter Text
Knock knock knock
“Monsieur Noé?”
Knock knock knock
Noé’s eyes fluttered open, slowly and in succession to blink the sleep from his eyes. He was sprawled out on his back, limbs laid out and away from his body with his blanket kicked halfway onto the floor. He stretched and blinked intently a few times to focus himself into a state of consciousness as he sat upright with a small groan. “Yes, I’m coming,” he said, sleepily straightening the collar on his nightshirt and stepping over Murr, who lay in a small ball on the corner of the comforter that had been kicked off of the bed. He unlocked the door and pulled it open to find Amelia, standing up straight with an awaiting smile. “Mademoiselle Amelia, good morning,” he nearly sounded surprised to see her, yet welcomed her with that same eager tone as always. Seeing her standing before him now was like the welcome of a rising sun, which he had surely missed by a couple of hours by now.
“Good morning, monsieur Noé.” She cocked her head ever so slightly to the side with a subtle welcoming hum. “Oh, hello there Murr!” she added, looking down at the feline who had rushed over to press his body into her leg with a little mew. “I’m sorry to have awakened you,” she looked back to Noé, “monsieur Vanitas wanted me to wake you by now, he asked me to bring you some breakfast.” She raised a tray that she held in her hands, offering a small warmed baguette with a little side dish of softened butter.
“Vanitas sent this?” Noé asked, confused, his mind now alert. “Where is he, did he leave for somewhere?”
Amelia chuckled lightly, sensing the alarm in Noé’s tone. “No, he’s up on the roof, I believe. He wanted to talk to you but you were so deeply sleeping that I think he wanted to let you rest some more,” she reassured.
“Oh,” Noé took the tray, sighing a small relief. He now noticed the smell of the bread, as well as how hungry he was. “Thank you, this looks delicious.” He looked behind him to find the curtains swiftly swaying as a breeze came through the opened window. “I’ll go speak with him now,” he said, eagerness creeping into his voice; he didn’t trust Vanitas to not run off without him and leave him behind. The thought of Vanitas chasing down a curse bearer without him while he slept away bothered him for a few reasons. He wasn’t sure it was very likely, seeing as how Vanitas was the one who declared to use Noé as his partner and shield in the first place, yet he wasn't convinced that it was out of the realm of possibilities either. Vanitas was unpredictable, careless in his actions, had way too many mood swings, and was hard to read, as always, so predicting his moves wasn’t something Noé had completely sorted out just yet.
“You’re welcome,” she chimed, “happy to do so for the two of you.” Her voice was kind and genuine. “And I’ll see you later on, Murr,” she added, perking up her voice for the sake of the fluffy cat. She rubbed her fingers against the bottom of his chin as she turned to go, and he purred back contently.
“Thanks again, mademoiselle,” Noé called after her. He shut the door and set the tray at the base of his mattress, picking up the petite baguette and sticking one end into his mouth as he started to crawl through the window.
-
Noé found Vanitas in his usual spot on the roof of their building, his gaze fixed on the skyline in the distance. Noé couldn't tell if his companion looked deep in thought or void of it altogether- another thing that Noé had yet to figure out. He did look rather peaceful, however, as the afternoon breeze sent several long strands of raven hair astray.
“Well, look who’s finally awake,” Vanitas teased with a grin playing at his lips, sensing Noé’s presence. He spun his head around, looking back over his shoulder and leaning his weight down onto his arm that propped him up. His head stooped to one side slightly, like that of an intrigued dog, causing his bangs to shift and cover one eye. Noé noted that it had always given Vanitas a much more mischievous look when that happened.
“Vanitas, good morning.”
“It’s about time,” the human said, bringing himself to his feet and then stretching his arms up above his head with a sigh, one that sang of something like relief. He spun on his heel to face Noé. “Ah, I see you’ve been given breakfast already as well. Good.” He flashed a grin, shifting his gaze from the partially eaten bread to Noé’s violet eyes.
Noé swallowed a bite then started, “about that- not that I don’t appreciate it, but,”
“Orlok wants to see the two of us,” Vanitas interrupted, getting right to his point. He scratched at his collar bone lazily with the nails of his glove.
Noé furrowed his brows in retaliation to the interruption. The day had just started for him and yet the human had already managed to get on his nerves. Not surprisingly, but annoying nonetheless.
“His little lackeys came by this morning. There's been rumor of a curse bearer outside of the city limits, that’s all I know.” Vanitas then gestured to the bread in Noé’s hand. “So the two of us are supposed to pay him a visit post haste, so finish that up and get dressed, will ya?” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he moved forward, left shoulder brushing into Noé’s as he passed. “I’ll be out front.”
“Curse bearer?” Noé nearly whispered, taken aback by the serious shift in mood. His voice instantly trailed away as his thoughts had taken over. However, the graze of Vanitas’ shoulder against his own snapped his attention back into focus. “Yes, I’ll hurry, thank you Vanitas.”
-
When Noé exited the front of their hotel, he was welcomed by the sounds of city life, something he’d grown quite fond of. In the distance he could hear the trotting of horse hooves clacking onto the pavement, and the wheels of the carts they pulled along with them. Fountains with water splashing down from eye-catching heights, People walking in all directions before him, talking, laughing. All at once everyone and everything caught his attention and he gawked, lost in it all, yet again. Murr hopped down from his shoulders, meowing as his feet met the ground and Noé, who had now been shaken from his admiration, bent over to pat his head with his free hand.
“There you are!” Vanitas called, blue eyes lifting up from a book in his right hand. He snapped it shut with one swift movement and took a step towards Noé. “Let's get going before the old man changes his mind.” Bending over, Vanitas scooped up his bag. He sounded rather playful, and Noé was pretty sure he was feeling smug. Afterall, Orlok threw them out the last time they had met with him, due to Vanitas’ impertinent manners, yet now he was asking for them to return. Vanitas’ ego was surely higher than usual, if that were so possible.
“Right,” Noé said, adjusting his hat with a nod and clutching the handle of his bag. He only hoped that the meeting with the Count went well and that Vanitas didn’t cause too much trouble for them. Yet, for them to be personally invited to speak with the Count about information regarding a curse bearer intrigued Noé quite a bit, and he held his jaw tight in thought. In unison they both took a step, making their way down the strip before them and towards the road. “Thank you for waiting for me,” Noé added, trotting forward a few paces to keep up. Though Vanitas did have shorter legs, he tended to walk quicker than Noé would have expected.
“Tch.” Vanitas raised a brow and shifted his gaze in the direction opposite of Noé, with what Noé would have considered a pout. The vampire always had to say things that just left Vanitas feeling… off. As if waiting on the lazy vampire were some big deal or grand act. ”Well, I did say he wanted to see the both of us, didn’t I?”
“I suppose you did, but,” Noé looked away from Vanitas now, “thank you anyways.”
“Well, if it isn’t Count Orlok,” Vanitas beamed as the two doors opened before him and his partner. He stepped inside, not even batting an eye at the two vampires who had welcomed him in, despite their glares of annoyance aimed in his direction. “I’m quite flattered, really, that you’ve come to recognize the power that this book of mine holds, so much so that you’re seeking me, a mere human out for help.” Vanitas dropped his bag and slumped himself down onto crimson couch before him, looking across the room at the Count who sat at his desk, face distorting to match that of his servant’s as Vanitas spoke. Vanitas hummed smugly, tossing a hand up into the air. “I’ve heard you have some information for me on a curse bearer.” Looking away from Orlok now, he eyed the nails on his gloves and crossed his legs.
Count Orlok folded his hands onto his desk, tightening his grip which whitened his knuckles. “Don’t assume things, you insolent human,” he grumbled. “What I’m giving you here is another chance to prove the book’s powers to me.” He cleared his throat and began again. “As I’ve already told you, I have come to acknowledge a fraction of the book’s power, but due to unfortunate circumstances following the capturing of Thomas Berneux, we have yet to see what side effects may be present following such a transformation. Your so-called-cure could very well be fallacious.” His scowl was fixated on the human before him.
Taking a small step forward and gesturing to the human before them, Noé interrupted, tone growing apprehensive. “Isn’t mademoiselle Amelia proof enough that Vanitas’ cure is legitimate?”
The grip on Orlok’s fingers loosened and his tone had calmed slightly, though remained characteristically strict. “While Amelia Ruth has been showing signs of a promising recovery, she is still only one test subject, so to say. Meaning her situation alone cannot speak for the authenticity of the book itself. Berneux would have been kept under supervision as well, had he survived, and so-”
“You want me to cure another curse bearer successfully before you’ll give accreditation to my book- that’s fine.” Vanitas rose from the couch, standing now next to Noé as he interlocked his fingers, stretching them out to crack the knuckles. “I assume you have a particular curse bearer in mind for me to cure, then? As your servants had mentioned this morning.”
Addressing Vanitas again, Orlok scowled. “So to say, yes. My sources have been preventing chaos from breaking out as growing rumors are spread just past the city limits. Word of a curse bearer having been spotted several times is starting to cause some troubles for us.” He pressed at his temple with a couple of fingers. “However, my sources are having a hard time locating the curse bearer to resolve the issue, it seems as though it’s rather elusive. This is where an opportunity for you comes in,” he started, lowering his gaze to a stack of paperwork on his desk, sifting through and pulling a sheet of paper from the pile. He placed it aside and straightened the remaining pages. “If you track down and find this curse bearer and bring them to me, you will be able to gain another patient, as you say. We will let you take care of the vampire and then they'll be placed under supervision like Miss Ruth, and they will in turn avoid immediate termination.”
“We’ll do it!” Noé cut in hardly a moment after Orlok had finished speaking. Memories of the gratitude displayed by Amelia back on the airship when he had first met Vanitas played in his head. The captivating display of her revival that night moved Noé in such a personal way, and he vowed to himself to see Vanitas’ mission through. They would save the vampires. Noé would make sure not another curse bearer would meet execution, not if he could help it.
“Very well,” Orlok nodded once, returning the sheet of paper to his hands that had been set aside. “Nox, Manet,” he called, immediately snapping his two servants to his attention. The two were found in the corner of the large office, batting cat toys in hand as they cooed over Murr contently. With the mention of their names, however, they immediately stood up straight and attentively. Orlok then continued on with his instruction. “Vanitas and Noé, you will head to this address. This is a hotel that has a room reserved for you both- you’ll be staying here during your stay outside of the city. The hotel owner has been made aware of your visit and Nox and Manet will be there to oversee your stay as well.”
“Still keeping us under close watch, huh?” Vanitas said. “It sounds a bit overkill to hire babysitters for us…”
“Naturally. I’ll have eyes on you the entire time,” Orlok warned. “I do not yet fully trust you or that accursed grimoire.” He extended his hand with the paper, and Noé stepped forward to take it, eyeing it curiously. “Once you have supposedly cured the curse bearer, you are free to head back to the city. Just take the vampire back to that hotel and Nox and Manet will take over from there, you needn’t worry after that.”
His servants nodded in agreement, “right, sir,” they spoke in unison.
Vanitas huffed, sounding as if he weren’t satisfied with that plan. “And should we trust that you won’t execute the curse bearer the moment we take our eyes off of them?”
“For now, yes,” Orlok responded matter-of-factly. “Seeing as you’d be doing me a favor just as I’m doing one for you, we remain even with no gain to be made in doing so. Like I said, they’ll be placed under supervision here and will be allowed to live- for now. Though you must know that if they make one false move under my watch, execution will be met on the spot.”
Vanitas smirked, concurring in a small hum that displayed just how much confidence he had in his cure. “Very well then.”
Noé’s eyes were still fixated onto the paper in his hands and he then loosely clutched it in his fist. “Thank you for this opportunity, Count Orlok.”
-
“Vanitas,” Noé started as they made their way towards the main exit door of the building from Count Orlok’s office. “Orlok had said this place is outside of the city, just how do we plan to get there?”
The Human chuckled. “Don’t you worry, Noé, I’ve got that all figured out!” He stepped in front of Noé as they approached the end of the hallway. Grinning mischievously, he leaned his forearm into the door and pressed his weight onto it, swinging it open to reveal an open-back carriage with two horses hooked up to the front on the street before them.
“It’s about time, you quack,” a voice called from off to their right.
“Dante?” Noé said, turning his head to find the informant leaning against the building, resting in the shade of an awning to avoid the sun.
Vanitas looked up at Noé and gestured towards Dante with a flick of his wrist. “Seeing as how we need to first locate the curse bearer, I thought it best to rally up some reinforcements.”
Dante huffed, adjusting the toothpick in his mouth from one side to the other with his tongue. “Yeah, real smart of you to get us to secure the wagon for you, you’re paying me back for this right away!” he yelled, pushing himself off of the building and pulling his hands from his pockets to jab a finger towards Vanitas.
“Us?” Noé cocked his head to the side, eyeing Dante.
The red head flipped a thumb over his shoulder to gesture to their ride. “Johann is over there waiting, keeping these horses from walking off after I paid a fortune for ‘em.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Vanitas marched forward, hands on his hips as he neared the road and intentionally ignoring his informant. “And with that we’re off! Let’s go!”
“Hey!” Dante called, stomping towards the human in front of him. “Did you hear me, quack, I said you’re paying me back for this!”