Chapter Text
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He had no reason to be nervous.
Yet no amount of self reassurance seemed to seize the horrible beating against his ribcage or the tightening of his palms around his now drenched handkerchief, the unfortunate thing would have to remain there for the duration of their journey, as it was more or less the only thing grounding him in this present moment,
If he wasn’t careful enough his mind would stray off, granting unwanted visuals of large regal gates and the snobbish glares awaiting behind them.
Qifrey stole a glance at the older man sitting just across him, his presence alone made the carriage feel smaller than it already was, ‘choking’, that was the only word that came to mind when he looked at Beldaruit, who at the moment seemed too engrossed in a thin paperback to notice his glower, a school brochure that he’d initially intended for Qifrey to glance over but his efforts had ended in vain and it appeared that at some point he must have picked it up and settled himself into it instead,
Qifrey hadn’t even noticed when his father had reached over to take the paperback away from his limp hands, how long had they even been in this carriage? They had departed quite late in the morning but he had no clue what time of day it was now.
His sudden lack of awareness caused discomfort to wash over him, he released the small cloth from his grip, hastily fumbling his breast pocket, he was sure he had a watch in there but whether it was due to his shaky hands or the vehicle slightly swaying, he found the watch he’d just managed to retrieve clattered unto the ground,
The sudden sound of compact metal against the carriage floor caused both Qifrey and Beldaruit to flinch away from the sound,
“Heavens! you startled me” Beldaruit spoke, he bent forward on his seat, aiming to retrieve the fallen watch but was beaten by a much quicker hand, he looked back up to see Qifrey pressing the item to his chest.
“Apologies, I merely wished to check the time, the carriage must have shook” except the carriage hadn’t shook at all, he hoped the delivery of his words was enough to signal that he wasn’t interested in carrying their conversation forward, he'd managed not to speak thus far, he intended to keep it that way
He knew he was being petty, but this was the closest he would get to ‘punishing’ Beldaruit, he’d expressed his disdain for the arrangement several times in the past, yet here he was, sitting in a one way journey to his own personal idea of hell.
“I understand your frustration but there are all sorts of people and events that are waiting to be experienced by you” Beldaruit sighed, dropping the brochure unto the cushion next to him, Qifrey’s gaze followed the movement of his hand,
‘CLAN’ the word blared out from the page facing upwards, he involuntarily scowled at it, before returning his gaze to his father.
“I think a change of pace is the best thing for you right now” he continued, his words becoming more pleading with each syllable.
Qifrey knew he was being difficult, but still…
“What happens if someone found out” Qifrey countered him, although now he was no longer able to return his father’s gaze, “Out of all the absurd ideas you’ve ever proposed, a boarding school?! I’ll have to wake, sleep and eat with these people”
“I’ll be outed within a few months, what happens then?” His voice came to a hush, wanting nothing more than to collapse in on himself, the thought of having faces like that directed at him once again, it was unbearable.
“Except that won’t happen, I’ve made sure that all necessary precautions have been taken, your safety is assured at the academy,” a beat of silence followed,
“I promise”, a lithe hand on Qifrey’s shoulder accompanied Beldaruit's final words.
“Master! Young master!” Their chauffeur’s voice broke through the stifling scene, “We’ve arrived at our journey’s end!”
The chauffeur had already received Beldaruit’s wheelchair from the trunk, ready to assist him into it as he disembarked the vehicle, the secondary carriage following behind them, consisted of Qifrey’s luggage as well as some of their helping staff, one of them quickly rushed to his father’s side whilst the rest of them began off loading the belongings.
Qifrey stepped out of the carriage after his father, glad to finally be able to stretch himself out properly, although his relief was brief as he gazed upon the grandiose building before him, the pictures hadn’t done the academy justice, it spanned across several acres and then some.
Its splendour enhanced by elaborate floral decor, which ordinarily could have been classed as too excessive but nothing could ever be ‘excessive’ for an occasion such as this one,
This was Clan’s annual opening ceremony and the academy held itself to a strict standard, it was most well known for its prestigious students, many aristocrats and noblemen across the globe enrolled their children here, producing multiple alumni who’ve later gone on to become some of the most influential figures in today’s vampire society,
Within this society, class was everything, the very trajectory of one’s life decided as soon as one was born, those not born lucky enough understood this fact more than anyone else.
Members of the school’s staff appeared shortly as they arrived, rushing to handle the luggage and greet them, the similar gesture was extended to the surrounding guests, ushering them all to the grand hall,
“Your Grace, allow us to handle that” although the sentence was made in address to his father, none of the staff dared to look upon him, directing their focus instead to the chauffeur and two maids already handling Qifrey’s belongings.
Beldaruit waved his hand in response “Of course, of course.”
Without a moment’s hesitation the luggage was exchanged, the chauffeur and the maids, except one (someone needed to push Beldaruit’s wheelchair), retreated back to the carriage as they had no other duties to carry out.
Purely going off body language it was obvious the academy staff were on edge and rightfully so, Beldaruit wasn't one to grace public events like this often, amongst the many influential figures spanning across this particular region, he was a part of the most powerful, his presence alone commanded reverence, this reverence naturally extended to Qifrey, since in everyone else’s point of view he was on his way to becoming a fine aristocrat just like his father, if not greater.
If only they knew the full picture.
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Even though the size of the hall was nothing to scoff at, the smell of vampire blood was especially pungent as bodies occasionally pressed against his sides, he could almost visualise the velvety liquid coursing through each individual blood vessel, thanks to the species’ heightened senses and the fact that Qifrey has never been in such a large gathering of vampires,
He felt suffocated but he had no intention of showing it outwardly, he had a name to uphold, and he planned on doing so,
Beldaruit had already been whisked away by other parents, most likely lesser nobles judging by how easily they laughed at his subpar jokes and the shaky glint in their eyes when he spoke, anything to gain proximity to the top.
Beldaruit was a fairly sociable man, he wasn’t one to shy away from a conversation, now that Qifrey found himself alone, he hovered around the hall’s right wing, grabbing a glass of sparkling wine each time a server passed by,
He licked the roof of his mouth after his first sip, snakes blood, although the taste was subtle, there was no mistaking it. He’s never cared for it, he’s always felt that blood from mammals was far more appetising, but due to its rarity, blood from snakes was viewed as a signalling of class,
It didn’t matter if you liked it, ‘it’ along with many other things that high society didn't care whether you liked or not.
He took to observing his surroundings, seeing as he had nothing better to do.
The first thing he noticed was the overwhelming number of young men his age, all draped in similar attire to his; soft flowing linen shirts and beautifully ornamented vest tops with finely tailored trousers complimented by well polished dress shoes.
And of course the ladies were just as well dressed as the young men (if not more), layers upon layers of gold trimmed skirts paired with bustiers of various colours and materials to announce wealth, it wasn't necessarily a new sight for Qifrey, as the son of a very influential aristocrat himself, but to see nobility on such grand display was enough to take anyone aback, even if briefly.
Every so often, a person roughly around his age would walk by him, for a split second a change in facial expression could be observed, starting from confusion as to why he was just standing there to the realisation of who he was and before finally settling on that patronising look, the look of someone who wants something.
“Ruchia of the Raruka family”, a young lady presented herself, curtly bowing and extending her hand towards him, he expected no less, children bred into high class society must learn to carry themselves with an air of eloquence regardless of age.
He dutifully returned her gesture, taking her extended hand, lightly kissing her gloved fingers, “honour to meet you”, he intentionally avoided introducing himself, hoping it would be enough for her to leave him alone.
“Nonsense, I should be the one saying that” she withdrew her hand,
“Hahaha” Qifrey chuckled politely, doing his best to control his expression. Why was she still standing here?, why wasn’t she leaving?
“A son of an upper congress man” she continued oblivious to his discomfort, “hanging around like a wall flower, who would have thought”
“My father said he’s worked with your father in the past, in fact he was a member of the blood alliance congress’ upper cabinet,” Ahh there it was. This was a defining factor of high society, it always circled back to a bunch of self absorbed people competing for who outranked who in terms of status,
It was going to be an exhausting few years.
Their one sided conversation continued on, he nodded and shook his head when he felt was needed, to show he wasn’t ignoring her entirely,
Suddenly the pace of the music slowed down, soothing acoustics filled the room and before long everyone was making their way to the hall’s centre, each person pairing up with another, taking their positions hand in hand.
Without having a chance to think, he was being dragged towards the centre, Ruchia held onto his arm tightly, glancing briefly at him before looking back towards wherever she was taking them.
“Dance with me” she breathed out, she was now very close to him, taking him by surprise,
Luckily enough his body responded quickly, having grown accustomed to the basics of dancing, his right hand rested firmly around her back and his left hand held onto her right hand, soon they both fell into a familiar rhythm. It’s okay, this was doable, he was actually doing this.
Vampires had a very distinct smells, varying between individuals, the only similarities shared was how overwhelming it was,
By now the species had evolved from the stereotypically pasty creatures they’d started off as and now looked more ‘human’ like, even being able to conceal their canines and wander beneath the sun,
But regardless of these impressive adaptations, the scent persisted, a scent so unmistakably vampiric.
Qifrey was breathing in lungfuls of it, the lady he was dancing with smelled of a mix of carnations and metal (?), no that must be from the wine, he was actually considering whether to lean in a bit, to accurately identify the smell.
He quickly thought better of it.
Once again the music changed its tempo, before he knew it he’d lost his dance partner, as she spun out of his arms and into the next person’s,
Another figure swiftly replaced her as the acoustics reverted back to the former tempo, although this new person moved at a quicker pace than he thought necessary, he was finding it difficult to adjust to them.
Step forward, now right foot to side then left foot to the right.
Qifrey thinks he’s got it, even down to his pace too, all he had to do was continue his mental mantra as he mo—
They had just transitioned into a sweeping turn, when his partner’s rhythm faltered, missing a step, causing his heavy dress shoe to come down hard unto Qifrey’s, he drew a sharp breath, trying his best not to outright yell at his lousy partner,
“It was right foot next!!” He withdrew slightly from his partner, finally looking directly at his face, he had initially been avoiding this, afraid the other might try to strike a conversation but he needed to tell the boy off to his face,
“My apologies I have never been paired with an amateur dancer before” the boy sputtered, although his face looked anything but sorry,
“I should’ve considered you might not be able to keep up with me”, giggling after every word, no longer trying to hide his amusement, his black fringe bouncing slightly as he shook with laughter.
Excuse me?!
“I’ll have you know, I’ve been privately tutored in dance since ten years old, if anyone is lacking in skill, it’s you” finishing his sentence with a not-so-gently step on the other’s foot.
“Ouch, at least it seems that we’re even now”, entirely unperturbed by Qifrey’s outburst, which only added to his growing annoyance.
Whoever this stranger was, they were giving Beldaruit a run for his money.
As he was about to give a response the music came to a stop, his partner bowed his upper body, leaving Qifrey was confused as to what was happening, before noticing every other pair was doing the same thing, it was the end of the dance, he quickly mirrored his partner, grateful he could at least conceal his pigmented cheeks.
He heard his partner stifle another laugh at his expense, dear god, why won’t this night end already.
“Olruggio,” the boy said, they’d both straightened back up and were facing each other at eye level, everyone around them had begun to retreat to a smaller adjacent hall, the clan’s headmistress was about to make a closing address.
“Olruggio of Ghordhey.” he repeated himself with an outstretched hand, ‘Ghordhey’ that explained the northern accent, the boy’s hand remained outstretched between them,
“Qifrey.” he muttered, the boy’s hand still dangling in mid air as Qifrey walked around him, following the crowd and staff members leading them, he felt his mood already improving, the closing address meant the end of the ceremony,
“I immensely enjoyed our dance Qifrey” a somewhat familiar voice called back after him,
He didn’t look back, scoffing as he quickened his pace, ‘enjoyed our dance’ his toes begged to differ.
Thankfully it wasn’t too difficult to find his father, he was seated all the way in the front, just a few steps away from the stage platform, he seemed to be catching up with an old friend maybe, an older woman bent forwards to Beldaruit’s level, Qifrey felt it would be more ideal if she just sat down.
He wasn’t about to suggest that though, as he approached both of them, he quickly acknowledged her demeanour, it gave off authority, she didn’t seem like the type of person to do something unless she deemed it most appropriate, at least that’s what he gathered on surface level,
She was the first to notice his presence, “Ah, speak of the devil” what could father have said to her now. “And what a fine young gentleman he’s become.”
“A dear friend of mine, in fact we both walked the halls of this academy years ago.” His father scrambled for introductions, he must have picked up on his confusion. “Allow me to introduce you to headmistress Vinanna.”
“I understand the er— peculiarities of your situation. This academy is the best place for you, we pride ourselves in the safety of our students” her tone was soft, like she speaking to a difficult child,
Even though he appreciated the reassurance, he’d already accepted his fate at clan, hearing the same spew from a different mouth wouldn't make much of a difference at this point, funny how Beldaruit had managed to leave out this detail pertaining to his old friend.
“If you’ll excuse me, it seems it’s time for the closing address” The headmistress hadn’t bothered waiting for a reply, already taking stride towards the stage, most students and their guardians were now seated, some teaching and security staff stood around the hall,
Qifrey deflated into the seat next to his father, he could feel a mild migraine coming on and as if on cue loud, jarring footsteps resounded throughout the room, as the headmistress’ heels stepped across the wooden podium.
He groaned into his palms, pretending not to notice the few sideway glances aimed at his direction.
Completely drowning out her voice, he absentmindedly watched the headmistress make animated hand gestures as she read her drafted speech in such a way that demanded full attention, attention from everyone except Qifrey that is. He did catch a few words here and there, momentarily allowing the phrase ‘cocoon phase’ to rattle in his mind,
Similarly to humans, adolescent vampires undergo a sort of ‘puberty’, although such a description greatly undermines this stage, a period of time characterised by relentless hallucinations, heightened blood lust…etc, luckily these symptoms were a sort of spectrum, no two vampires experience this phase in the same way and completing one’s cocoon meant becoming a fully grown vampire. Academies such as ‘Clan’ aimed to nurture young vampires in this fragile state.
A polite applause from her audience later, The headmistress walked off the platform, finally signifying the end to this gruelling evening, which also meant it was time for goodbyes, he’d be lying if he didn’t feel a little bit emotional even if he and his father didn’t necessarily have the smoothest relationship.
“I’ll write as much as possible.” His tone wobbled a bit, it had to be the exhaustion, nothing else of course,
“As will I.” The maid stood behind him ready to carry him back to their carriage in the courtyard.
There was a sort of brief pause before they both went their separate ways, was he supposed to hug him or…? They never really did that type of thing.
Instead Beldaruit gave him an encouraging smile, to which he returned to the best of his abilities.
He stood in place briefly watching as his father’s retreating figure, finally taking in what was happening, come tomorrow he wouldn’t be waking up to his bedroom nor politely greeting the household staff like he usually did.
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Similar to the school itself, the dormitories were nothing to scoff at,
Two large buildings on either side of the academy, keeping both genders separate, along with a party of new students like himself they were lead to their respective rooms, his room was somewhere in building’s west wing, after being handed his key by a staff member, for the first time that evening he’d finally been left to his own devices,
He shut the door behind him, the sturdy mahogany barely made a sound as he thumped his back against it for support, oil lamps had already been lit, as if someone had already been in here,
“Cleaning must’ve come ‘round here,” a seemingly reasonable conclusion, except as he pushed himself off the door, to get a better view of the room, he noted a large wardrobe, he peeked inside to see several identical uniforms emblazoned with the school’s logo, nothing particularly out of the ordinary, discrediting the sheer amount of clothes there was,
but that wasn’t what hit the nail in the coffin, there were two beds, he looked over at the one with his belongings placed on top, then turned his attention over to the other one not too far off the large study table pressed against the wall, belongings were also piled unto it, belongings that weren’t his.
A roommate, he began to regret not taking a proper look at that brochure earlier, feeling the colour steadily drain from his face, he’ll definitely be writing to his father now.
He walked towards his own bed. “I need to stay calm” he said whilst carefully placing all his belongings off his bed, choosing to deal with the unpacking tomorrow instead,
“Sleep…he just needs to go to sleep, yes! That would work” he murmured as he began to take off his shoes and outer vest, hopefully he’d be fast asleep before his new roommate decided to come back, leaving the whole ordeal to be tomorrow’s problem,
His head laid against soft silk pillows, turning his head to each side at intervals, trying his best to fall asleep, as exhausted as he was, there was something keeping him up, he’d been ignoring it since he first walked in but it was starting to make him mental,
The mattress groaned as he suddenly lunged upward,shattering the stillness of the room,heavy blankets were thrown back haphazardly, left to pool in a tangled heap of fabric at the foot of the bed, His feet meet the cold timber floors with a blunt, heavy thud, sending a slight tremor through the nightstand positioned next to his bed,
A smell, it’s bothered him since he’d walked in, he looked over at the unoccupied bed, the smell radiating in full waves, an assault to his senses, it was also familiar (?), as if he’d encountered it before,
“Well it seems like I've finally taken leave of my senses.” he admonished, as he found himself slightly bent over the bed and the unfamiliar luggage, he took a large inhale which was then followed by a sequence of smaller inhales,
Cedar wood, Lavender, Rosemary and maybe Balsam Fir…?, he moved his head down the pile of luggage till he was knelt down at the bedside, grabbing one of the pillows then bringing it near his face,
Sighing into the pillow’s soft material “It seems whoever it was hadn't actually laid down here.” Something about the scent was so familiar but annoyingly he wasn't able to place it.
“What in the world are you doing?” That voice, he hadn’t even heard the door open or close, yet somehow he found himself looking up at a rightfully confused face standing just on the other side,
That face…
“My goodness, to think we’d run into each other again so soon,” Olruggio said, kicking off his shoes and then making an approach towards Qifrey’s crouched figure,
In response to Olruggio moving closer, he fell backwards unto the floor while simultaneously throwing the pillow back unto the bed, like that would make him seem like any less of a creep,
“Do you need help getting up?” In lack of response, Olruggio tried reaching for one of his arms hoping to help Qifrey to his feet,
As if suddenly gaining awareness Qifrey swatted the other’s hand away, “That won’t be necessary”, he stood up with minimal effort, making a show of dusting himself off, anything to play off what had just happened, as if his unsteady breathing wasn't a dead giveaway, He wasn’t supposed to be drawing attention to himself and needless to say he was of noble upbringing, behaviour like this was plainly unacceptable.
Choosing to ignore Qifrey’s obvious despondency, “The curfew bell has already gone off, we don’t want to be in trouble on our first night now do we?” Olruggio said
“I think it is best that we both retire for the night.” He added on.
“Y..yes I agree, it’s rather late now.” Qifrey said, shocked at Olruggio’s lack of further inquiry but taking his chance regardless, he made his way back to his own bed,
Breathing a sigh of relief as he settled back underneath the covers, thankful that there was now a generous gap between the two of them, maybe if he got lucky he would wake up and realise all that had happened was nothing more than a bad dream.
“Would you please excuse the luggage, I'll be sure to sort it out tomorrow” he spoke into the bedsheets, not daring to look back in Olruggio’s direction, he’s humiliated himself enough times today, the last he needed was for someone to revel in it.
Soft thuds momentarily filled the room “It’s no skin off my nose”, he must be placing his things on the ground too. “it’s just like I said earlier, it’s getting late and I don’t have the strength to unpack anything either”
After he was done clearing the top of his bed, he turned off each oil lantern and finally laid down, his figure sinking into the mattress.
“Goodnight Qifrey” Olruggio spoke into the darkness,
Admittedly startled by his voice, Qifrey could only muster a hum in response.