Chapter Text
“—and I made sure of there being a village nearby once our blood supply runs out. It will not be human blood all the time, but security matters more than the amount of humans we can feast upon.”
The baron’s heels and cane clicked against the floor of the manor, his free hand resting against his chest inside of his overcoat. It had been so long since he had last visited this manor — what was it, centuries ago? In any case, a quick visit masked under a vacation couldn’t hurt. He glanced over at a few of his zompire covenmates.
“Regardless,” He continued, “we have multiple methods of getting blood should anything arise. I could not live with myself if my little darling starved.”
Immorticia appeared beside her father in a puff of magenta smoke, giving the older man a typical zombie groan and an eye roll. She begrudgingly allowed him to lean over and pinch her cheek for emphasis, but she waved her hand once she had enough. The baron retracted his clawed hand before placing it back against his chest. The two walked in near silence for a short while, the only sounds coming from their clothes rustling, their shoes clicking, and the shuffles from nearby covenmates as they carried a few suitcases in. Immorticia watched a few as they worked, but eventually her attention went back to her father.
“Why Greece?”
“Pardon?”
“There’s nothing to do here. We’re not even close to Athens! That’s why people go to Greece!”
“Why humans go to Greece, draga mea. We are not humans — they need their artificial lights and a cacophony of noise in their cities.” His voice dripped with disdain, but he didn’t let that stop him from opening Immorticia’s bedroom door for her. His tone changed to one of sincerity, “The shade and peace the countryside brings might prove fruitful to your magical studies, as well.”
Immorticia gave a nod like she had seen her father do countless times prior before entering her bedroom. It was sparse, but she could decorate it to her tastes in no time at all. She drew her wand out from her pocket and gave it a quick flick. In a similar puff of magenta and black smoke, her familiars’ cage appeared in the corner. She quickly went over, a smile formed on her face as she began to check on her bats. The baron had a similar smile on his own features, and he eventually joined his daughter by her side to peer into the cage. Three blueish-black bats stared back at the two zompires, their wings wrapped tightly around their little bodies and their feet gripped the branch inside. The sight made the baron’s undead heart flutter, and he tilted his head slightly. His hand subconsciously adjusted the blanket over the cage
“They become more at ease during magical travel with every trip we embark upon,” He noted, “did any issues arise when performing the calming spell?”
“No,” Immorticia hummed, tapping her wand against her free palm, “I gave them dubia roaches for being so brave.”
“Right,” The baron’s mouth formed a thin line at that, and he straightened his back before tightening his cuffs, “positive reinforcement is quite effective. Do be certain to keep those little vermin in their receptacle–“
“I’ve got books on the lid and Vaseline near the top, tata,” Immorticia reassured her father as she placed her wand back into her pocket, “They won’t be getting out any time soon.”
“Duly noted.”
The baron placed his hand back on his chest, and he turned on his heel to make his way over to the bedroom window. He adjusted the curtains, humming in annoyance over the dust that coated them. It mattered not — he could get a few of the covenmates started on cleaning the manor. Immorticia gave her bats a final once over before closing the door to the cage and adjusting the blanket.
“Dinner will be ready shortly,” The baron’s voice filled the room once more, “See to your belongings while our meals are prepared, if you may.”
Immorticia quietly thanked the stars that they weren’t going out and hunting that night — she was way too tired to hunt down a pesky human for dinner. She walked over to her bed and opened up her suitcase, her hands digging through the contents and setting some items on the bed. The baron walked over to the door, extending his hand out to turn the knob, but he hesitated. He glanced over his shoulder at his daughter before speaking.
“…Immorticia,” He waited for her to look at him, “call if you require anything.”
The witch smiled at that and gave her father a nod, “Of course, dad.”
Many vampires under the baron’s protection sat at the table tonight – goblets dotted its surface, only to be lifted occasionally by their owner to be drunk from. Immoritica (among a few other younger vampires) opted to drink out of mugs. Goblets were so bulky; She didn’t see how her father could stand drinking out of such things. Blood in-and-of-itself was such a harsh taste on her tongue, but years of drinking the stuff came with experimenting with food to mask or tone down the flavor. Tonight, she opted for honey on bread. The only problem came when she went to take a bite – fangs got in the way or snagged on certain human foods. Immorticia lifted the bread with her forefinger and thumb, bringing it to her face before pausing. Eventually, she turned the bread in such a way so that she could bite with her front flat teeth. She chewed, accidentally making eye contact with her dad for a split second before covering her mouth. The baron stared at her over the rim of his goblet and gave her a subtle nod, setting his vessel down and folding his hands over themself on the table.
“Did you experience any difficulties while unpacking, my child?”
“No,” Immorticia shook her head, her hands wrapped around her mug, “I managed to get everything unpacked before dinner.”
“Wonderful. I had…” He paused to consider his words, “...concerns that your chamber would not have sufficient space for your needs.”
“It is smaller than my bedroom at home, but I found a place for everything.”
The baron gave a hum of approval before picking up his goblet and taking a sip once more. Metal scraped against wood once he set the goblet down, his hand still wrapped around the stem of the vessel, “My only hope is that your chamber has not suffered during the process.”
That got a small chuckle out of the witch, “Of course not, tata. I made sure to put everything into a container or on a shelf. Don’t worry so much.” Immorticia glanced down at her mug, her reflection in the blood staring back at her.
Immorticia groaned softly, opting to use her magic to close the door behind her. A small pile of clothes and an open suitcase on her bed greeted her. She rolled her eyes, lifting her hand and snapping her fingers. Magenta mist engulfed her clothes and suitcase, and the items began to levitate over to her dresser and sort themselves.
She walked the few steps to her desk, pulling the chair out and taking a seat before scooting forward. The leather of her diary crackled as she opened it up. With a snap of her fingers, a nearby candle wick ignited, and the flame danced for some time before settling. Immorticia’s hand subconsciously grabbed her pen and began to write. Pen to paper allowed her to get her thoughts out – after such a long trip, it was definitely needed. She wrote…
…and wrote…
…and wrote…
…until the chill of the night breeze blew by her.
Immorticia perked up once she felt it, lifting her head up and looking over at the source: her bedroom window. Right, she had it open while she was unpacking to let the stuffy air out. She sighed as she rose from her seat and made her way over to the window. She lifted her arms up and grabbed onto the top of the window seal, and she looked out to the coastal region below the manor’s courtyard. Motion caught her attention – a splash in the water and a flash of… orange?
Huh.
Immorticia shook her head – it was probably just some big fish or something. With a grunt, she closed her window and shut the curtains.