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Elvira walked down the Bloodrose mansion with those thoughts in mind, continuously repeating them in her head as she clutched the piece of paper in her hand.
She kept unwrapping the paper and pressing the tip of her pen on it, to no avail. “Ugh, why is this so-”
“Having trouble?” Abigail suddenly spooked her, which made the bluer vampire jump and curse at her. “I wasn't even trying to scare you… You're usually on guard, why the sudden change Elvira?”
“Mind your own business.” Elvira pouted, speeding up and entering another room all the while ignoring her. She looked over her shoulder and sighed when nobody followed her.
“I think you're forgetting who this mansion belongs to.” Abigail said, appearing from within a secret passageway inside a closet. “A letter?” She picked the paper from her hand and skimmed through it. “To whom is this addressed to? I thought you didn't have any friends.”
“Indeed I don't. Least of all you.” Elvira tried stealing back the paper but Abigail jumped back into the closet, dodging her efforts. “Give it back, I don't have time for this!”
Abigail glared at her suspiciously. “In case you forgot, the whole being immortal thing kind of gives us infinite time… Unless someone else is running out of time?” She suddenly stopped and nearly fell over when Elvira bumped into her. “Ow!”
“Just because Kane is gone doesn't mean we're on friendly terms now.” Elvira said to her, snatching the paper and only after helping Abigail back up.
“Jeez, you're acting like it's a love letter you're holding…” Abigail pouted, almost leaving it at that, but Elvira's sudden silence spoke a million words. She turned to her and saw her ears turning pink ever so slightly. “Oh.”
“Don't say another word.”
“Oh.”
“I said not another word.” Elvira yelled out of embarrassment. “It's stupid anyway! A terrible idea, that's what it is. I should just throw this damn thing away and forget about it!”
“...”
Elvira crossed her arms and tapped her feet on the ground, wondering why the nosy vampire behind her was suddenly disinterested. “Isn't this the part where you try and but in?! Where's your character development?!”
“Huh?” Abigail blinked in surprise. “Oh, sorry. I thought you'd be whining for a bit longer like usual, I didn't know it was my cue yet.” She shrugged. “So… Someone's in love, eh?”
“How insightful of you.” Elvira responded sarcastically. “It's a wonder why you weren't the brains of our operations.’
“Is that right?” Abigail smirked as she turned around and waved her goodbye. “If you're so smart, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Let me know how it goes, okay?”
“...” Elvira watched as she walked down the hall, and she knew better than anyone that Abigail could really go on with her day without a care for her dilemma. “Ugh… Fine. Fine! Abigail, dear colleague of mine, will you share your wisdom with me for a bit?”
With a bright smile on her face, the pink vampire stuck her tongue out before dancing back to her side. “You should praise me more often, it suits you.”
“Don't push it.” Elvira sighed. “Really.”
“Well, that aside… I've read plenty of books about stuff like this, and we could ask my sister as well, right?” Abigail knew her sister would come home with Dagger Cicar today, so she made preparations and dinner for all of them.
“That will take too long.” Elvira blushed, averting her gaze.
Abigail paused with dumbfounded wide eyes. “...You're not in love with my sister, are you.” She said, looking at her with disgust. Shivering at the idea of becoming stepsisters with Elvira.
(“Truly not the brains of the operation.”)
Elvira chose not to make that comment.
“I've had my fill of the Bloodrose family for a lifetime, and we're literally immortal.” She confirmed, relieving Abigail.
“Then who is it?” Abigail continued, now knowing it was definitely one of the Dagger Cicar people since they were all that was left. “If it's Haste, I can't help you.”
“It's not that bra-” Elvira coughed. “I'm sure Haste is a great kid, but no.”
“...Eligos?” Abigail asked. “It's one of the guys right? I think you'll have some competition if you're trying to go for that guy. Coli is quite possessive of him.”
“I'm grateful he planted a bullet in Kane's chest. That's as far as it goes though.” Elvira shyly held her arm, knowing there was only one name left to cross off the list. “Cidd.”
“Who was Cidd again…” Abigail pondered out loud, earning a kick from Elvira. “Okay, okay, my bad. He wasn't on my radar. I genuinely forgot about him.”
“Why does this matter anyway? Forget about who I lo-... Like.” She swallowed her breath and ignored the sadistic smirk on Abigail's face. “Just help me write that letter. Work that Bloodrose magic.”
Abigail cracked her knuckles. “I'll have you know my family is mainly known for its tragedies.” She giggled. “But we do always get the man at some point in the story, so try not to lose him.”
“R-right…” With a gulp, Elvira allowed herself to be dragged into the study before they started brainstorming. They only had until Melissa arrived, after all.
That evening, Eligos walked into the dining room with his group right behind him. Haste sat down and both Pyllis and Abigail quickly took the seats next to him, ready to start arguing at any moment now.
With Coli joining Eligos’ side, the only remaining seats were for Cidd and Elvira, although she was a surprise guest, she was a welcome one.
“It's been a while.” Cidd greeted her, eyeing the food on the table before turning to her. “How is unemployment treating you?”
Elvira chuckled. “I can finally cash in on those vacation days he owed me.”
“Glad to hear.” Cidd smiled. He then called Eligos. “Boss, I'm starving, can we dig right in?”
Eligos nodded before raising his glass, toasting to a job well done. “Suit yourselves, just remember our boat leaves tomorrow.”
Elvira suddenly got really anxious as realisation hit her that time was ticking, it was such a surreal concept to possibly not have enough time anymore.
“What's next for you?” Abigail asked.
“That's private, I'm afraid.” Eligos told her, twirling his glass, refiling it. “It's possible we may meet again, though I wouldn't count on it in our line of business.”
“Oh.” Elvira accidentally let out.
“We'll be out of your hair.” Cidd told her, charming her with a wink. “Erasia has plenty of beautiful sights to see, but there's nothing quite like home.”
“Huh.” Elvira leaned closer to Cidd, who kept eating like nothing was happening. He chowed down on a piece of bread in a way only she could find endearing. She bit her lip before asking, “Would you show me around if I visited, some time?”
Suddenly the whole room fell quiet.
Coli instinctively held her knife like a dagger, suspicious of her request.
Pyllis watched carefully, quiet but observant.
Haste continued eating, but he kept stealing glances occasionally, knowing Eligos had the final say.
Eligos put his wine glass down and wiped his mouth with a tissue, his expression was unreadable.
Melissa and Abigail looked at each other, and being the older sibling, Melissa could tell something was up, so Abigail promised with a gesture that she'd explain later.
At last, Cidd himself put his fork down and shifted his seat towards her, as up until now she was looking at his blind side, so now they were face to face.
“I wasn't expecting that.” Cidd brushed the tension in the room off with a laugh. Playing it cool, he crossed his arms. “I can't make any promises… Right, boss?”
Elvira looked at Eligos, who bore the responsibility Cidd laid on him. “After finishing a job, Dagger Cicar has to lay low for a while.” He took a deep breath. “We can't make any promises. I'm sorry.”
Elvira's eyes, red ever since becoming a vampire, suddenly started twitching for unknown reasons. Fortunately, she kept them under control long enough to excuse herself. “Please, don't let this stop you from enjoying the rest of your dinner.”
Shortly after she left the room, to who knows where.
For a whole five minutes, nobody spoke a word. The only two sounds in the room were the fireplace, and Haste continuing to eat as if nothing happened.
“It's cold.” Haste said, analysing the meat on his fork. He rolled it around before dropping it on his plate, disinterested in the rest of Dagger Cicar, mainly Cidd, glaring at him.
“I thought I warmed it up before serving it…” Abigail said. She currently had a lot of things on her mind, wondering if there was even a way to fix things. “Sorry if it's not to your liking.”
Haste pushed his plate forward and threw a piece of gum in the air before catching it in his mouth. “I'm not talking about the meat.” He said, looking at Cidd with disappointment.
“Haste, not now.” Cidd said back.
“You froze up, huh, so you gave her the cold shoulder treatment.” Haste added, ignoring his complaints. “Too scared to finish the job yourself, so you asked the boss to shoot her down. I don't remember that being how we do things.”
“Boss, please say something to him.” Cidd looked to Eligos, who had his eyes closed, a clear indication he didn't like seeing his family making conflict, especially when they were guests.
Haste blew his bubblegum and popped it loudly. It irritated Cidd, even when it usually didn't, but he was doing it on purpose to rile him up over this. “I guess the boss won't help you this time.” and he knew it.
“It's dangerous. You know that.” Cidd tried to explain. “Dagger Cicar can't do its regular business and keep her safe at all times.”
Haste laughed. “That’s the best excuse you could come up with? If she can survive Kane, nothing back home can threaten her.” Haste continued mocking him. “If you're done lying to yourself, at least be honest with her.”
“What's gotten into you?” Cidd raised his voice, to which Eligos opened his eyes, his patience running thin. Cidd facepalmed, admitting defeat. “I'll talk to her, okay?”
Haste rolled his eyes before sitting down. “Good. My food was getting cold.” He wrapped his bubblegum in a tissue and took another bite. “You can thank me later. Just go.”
Cidd begrudgingly stood up and walked to the door, but before he left, he had to ask. “Thank you for what, Swiftie?”
Haste pointed his fork in Eligos’ direction, who pointed towards Coli. This entire time she was holding a glass and her knife, and only now did he notice how wildly they were shaking in her grasp. “If you're still in this room when I open my eyes, I swear on the Heir of the Covenant, I will kill you, Cidd.”
He laughed awkwardly, rushing out and slamming the door shut behind him.
A few seconds later Eligos nodded, only when they were all sure Cidd was gone. “I commend you for your quick thinking, Haste.” He complimented him. “I would've said something myself in private, but something tells me it would've been too late by then.”
“There's a way of doing things.” Haste answered. “That right there was just an embarrassment to Dagger Cicar.”
Eligos chuckled. He was proud, and with a firm hand on Coli's shoulder he calmed her down as well. “I hope you can forgive that shameful display, it won't happen again.” He told Abigail and Melissa. “Truth is, we all knew something was up with that guy, especially when we originally planned to leave yesterday and he insisted we stay a while longer.”
“Ehehe… Hahaha… Ugh…” Abigail groaned loudly after hearing that. “If they're not together by tonight I'll put a curse on them both.”
“Right there with you.” Coli said, still upset but containing it for Eligos. “That was beyond cruel. And we've all killed people here.”
Right then, a new friendship was born, and both Abigail and Coli quickly began to gossip about Elvira and Cidd. They had a lot to get off their chests, apparently.
On the other side of the balcony, a lonesome vampire watched the frozen forest all by herself. She was only comforted by the chilly breeze which no longer had an effect on her.
Elvira opened up the letter she hid away in her breast pocket, reading through it. For a while, a short while, a minuscule while, it was nice to think of getting her life back and even choosing what to do with it.
The cruel truth was that she believed she must have been too impatient.
“I don't know how anyone doesn't get lost in this place.”
Elvira flinched, turning around and hiding the letter against her back. “...Cidd?” She asked. “What are you doing here?”
“I'd say I realised I made a mistake thanks to Swiftie, but the whole truth is Coli would also be hunting me down if I didn't go looking for you.” He answered boldly. Naturally, she didn't respond. "Not the right time for jokes. Sorry, I still struggle with that from time to time."
Elvira was depressed. She didn't exactly enjoy Coli to be the leading motivator for Cidd. “I told you all not to mind, return and enjoy your dinner. You've an important trip tomorrow.”
“About that…” Cidd stuttered, at a loss for words. “Man, why does Haste make this look so easy, damn that Conwell.”
“Nervous to say goodbye properly?” Elvira leaned against the balcony and smiled. Unconsciously, she had him in the palm of her hand, with no need to manipulate him. “You should know I’ve decided to stay here in Erasia, I've some unfinished business and… I guess it's better to start a new life where it all began.”
For some reason, Cidd felt a chill run down his spine. As if, if he were to allow that to happen, he'd truly lose her. Why? He couldn't explain. He just had that feeling.
“...When you said you wanted to start a new life, I didn't expect you wanted to start with a vacation to Ritania.” Cidd joined her on the balcony, noticing she hid something in her pocket, though he couldn't ask what it was.
“...T was more than a… cation…” Elvira murmured into her hand. She couldn't care less what Ritania had to offer, but someone could make her care, and that someone shot him down indirectly. That someone standing next to her, right now.
“I guess saying this doesn't matter now, since you've already decided to stay here.” Cidd sighed, shifting closer to her until their arms touched on the balcony. “Still, best not to leave things unsaid. Truth is, I froze up because you asked me what I've been trying to figure out on how to ask you for days.”
Elvira's eyes widened. For a moment, she had hope again. Still, it stung because she just admitted to wanting to stay here. That wasn't the truth. Not even close. How exactly was she going to admit to bluffing?
No idea. Except...
“I can still be convinced.” Elvira tried to play it cool and mysterious, knowing that Abigail would laugh to no ends if she heard. Cidd however fell for it all the same.
“In that case…” He hung his head and winked, showing off his cutest smile and softest puppy face. “What say you join Dagger Cicar? Even if it's not to your liking, there's a 30 day boat trip back guarantee.”
Oh sweet Sovran. “You just went out and said it.” Elvira hid her face by looking down the balcony. “It's hard to believe you're inviting me to be part of an assassination group.”
“We're mostly retired when it comes to that line of work.” Cidd chuckled. “I guess we mainly do espionage now… and well, Kane just happened to be a special case. A one-off.”
“Old habits sure die hard.” Elvira lifted herself up from the balcony and tucked her hair behind her ear. “If you ask me, joining your group is probably better than staying with Abigail for another few months. With her having her sister back, something tells me I'd just get in the way.”
“Do I take that as a yes?” Cidd asked, his hand in the air waiting for hers. “I'll promise to take good care of you. Also, Swiftie’s on the top of my resume, in case you want to really make an informed decision.”
“I'm sure we have plenty of time for that.” Elvira denied the hand gesture, and chose to opt for a hug instead, hoping he wouldn't mind. “It's freezing, and you're dressed much warmer than I am.”
He was clearly taken aback. “That's what I get for letting my guard down.” He let himself sink and hugged her back, admitting quietly to himself that he didn't mind this feeling, he even enjoyed it. Though, he didn't yet realise what name he'd even give this feeling at this time.
“Let's head inside.” Elvira said, opening the door for him. “Oh, one more thing… Just a second.”
She took out the envelope originally intended for him and put it on the desk, writing something on it before joining Cidd to announce the news.
They all expected something along these lines, and figured future developments could only come with time thanks to Cidd’s density. For now, they were glad nonetheless to have a new member joining Dagger Cicar.
The next day, after they all said their goodbyes at the port and the two Bloodrose sister's cleaned the mansion up together, Abigail entered Elvira's room with the balcony.
She quickly found the envelope and noticed it was still sealed, and sighed, figuring out all that hard work was for nothing. “You're such a handful, Elvira.”
She decided not to crush it, in case she ever returned and still wanted to hand it over to Cidd. In doing so, however, she noticed a message on the other side.
In blue glittery ink and a very elegant handwriting:
“Thanks for everything. Sorry that you found this after helping me out yesterday. To make up for it I'll promise that the next time we meet, I won't have lost him.
To: Abi.
From: Your friend, sincerely, Elvira.”
"A handful indeed... You never even used a nickname before." Abigail hugged the letter close and hid it away just as tidy. It was the least she could do as the brains of their operations. "I hope to see you soon, but not too soon, Vivi."