sleepytimejunction | fear the old blood

fear the old blood

[Rumors travel around in Garreg Mach fast. Most of the time, they're baseless and don't really catch Ashe's attention; he's admittedly more interested in making sure he's performing well. He has a roof over his head, and he wants to keep it that way, so he keeps his nose out of trouble.

But there is one that hangs on his mind. That there's something deep in the bowls of the church, a monster, a beast. That particularly bothers him, hangs over his mind, makes him think about how beasts have been improperly revered or maimed in the past. He's seen it in all manners by now. If the church does actually have a creature they're harboring, he can't help but wonder why.

It wouldn't be the first church to keep secrets, after all.

Ashe eventually decides that having all the facts won't hurt. If he's wrong, then he'll be happy to be. If he's not, well...

That's why he has his sword strapped to his back and his gun at his hip. He has more items he's harbored since the days before Lonato officially adopted him, most of them locked away in a trunk just in case. It's night, and most everyone is back in their dorm rooms. There's security, but Ashe knows their patterns enough to keep out of sight. He's spent his life as a thief, then as a hunter, now a student; he can manage.

It takes a bit of research, but he does find a secret path that starts in Rhea's office and extends to a rather old fashioned elevator. He opts to not use it in case it causes noise, instead climbing down the chain as he makes his way.

He doesn't expect what he finds, a grand room under the monastery, deep inside, full of stone caskets.

And something else.]

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Heh. You were afraid of my kisses, once. How satisfying to know that you now crave them, as I crave you.

[He purses his lips just slightly as Ashe's fingers trace over them, a suggestion of a kiss while still letting Ashe do as he likes. But he can't suppress a sly grin as that little tremor of something goes shivering down Ashe's spine; what could be turning in that lovely head of his? Something pleasing, no doubt.]

I will. If you tell me what you just thought of, that delighted you so.

I told myself I should be worried about your fangs...

[Which leads into Dimitri teasing him more, trying to draw out that admission from Ashe. He can't help but pout a little, then he squirms as he tries to figure out how to say this.

There's no good way, he decides. Plus he's just tired enough to give up overthinking it.]

But I thought about how you... you must have looked, drinking from me. You're so handsome, and it must have looked good. You probably make everything look good.

[Handsome. What an odd thing to say, and yet, Ashe really seems to believe it in earnest, sulking and shifting in the most enticing way when he's goaded into revealing his secrets. And what's strange is that the satisfaction of it washes over Dimitri, too, warming him with pleasure in the same way that Ashe's blood warmed him with life, and his arms tighten just slightly around his hunter.]

You flatter me. You and those lovely eyes of yours.

[He touches Ashe's cheek with one fingertip, letting it rest high on his cheek, just below his left eye.]

When we both are free of this...look at me as much as you like. All that you desire, I will give to you.

I, um... If you ever want my blood again like that, I-I'd like to watch somehow. With a mirror or something. If that's okay. I'd never want to take advantage of your devotion.

[Which is still an alarming thing, to have such intense loyalty. But it makes him think of the Doll a bit, who loves in her own way as well. For her, she never had a choice about it, but at least Ashe had worked hard to feel like he earned any of her affections. Dimitri doesn't have to give him anything, and Ashe would be happy enough to just give him freedom.

But he's happy with this outcome, too.]

More than anything, I want your happiness.

Mmm. Are you setting a condition, or making a request? Either way, I accept. As though there could be any question of whether I will want you again.

[He glances toward Ashe's neck, checking to ensure that the puncture wounds are stable and pinkish instead of red with fresh-welling blood, and fusses over him a little in the meantime. His color is coming back slowly, with time and attention, but Dimitri will wait patiently, ever patiently, until Ashe himself confirms his own readiness.

Besides. It's really no hardship to keep holding him. To have him close. To have him, unlike all those days he'd gone without.]

Ashe...if you were to withdraw your favor from me, I would lose everything good I have left in this world. I offer my devotion freely. I have been so long a wild thing that...

[For an instant, he actually manages to look a little sheepish.]

There is a comfort in following where you lead. You may fear it means taking advantage of me. For me, it is the offer of a place in a world that long left me behind and forgot me. If I am yours, I am something. And I would give much to never lose that again.

A request, of course.

[To hear that he matters that much... it's almost inconceivable to consider. When he'd gone to Yharnam first, it was to try to cure himself of his sickness in order to keep protecting his siblings. But then things spiraled out so much, and he ended up getting involved in things he could never have predicted.

It seems like not so long ago, he was just a frightened boy trying to get by. Now there's this, something that makes him feel so happy.]

Then be mine, and I'll be yours. For as long as you'll want me.

Then know that I will want your blood again, and again, and again.

[This time, when he ducks in to run his tongue over Ashe's neck, it's playful, and misses clipping the previous wounds full-on, so as not to set them to bleeding again from the contact.]

And you will watch me take it from you. Watch me touch you. Watch how it inflames you.

[There's a gasp before he can stop himself, a brief shiver running through his body as he clutches at Dimitri. Hell, he really loves that feeling, and he'd never get tired from it.

He swallows and he almost wants to hide his face at how flustered he feels.]

W-well. Then, I can definitely walk.

You can hide in my pocket, right?

With my strength renewed, there is much I can do that I could not before. A bat is far from the only creature whose form I can take at will.

[He draws back, grinning with all his teeth — and yet still his genuine enthusiasm manages to save the expression from looking sinister, and just tips it into toothy pleasure instead.]

I will show them all to you, in time. But for now, you would have me transform?

For now, yes. I think it'd be safe to keep you in my pocket. I should be able to avoid any guards outside, but just in case I want to play it safe and keep you from being noticed until we get to my room.

I can carry the Doll and it'll... uh, probably look weird to people, but nobody will know who she really is.

It was kind of you to let me keep her so long. I have been very glad for her company.

[He rests his hands on Ashe's shoulders, drawing him back briefly to arm's length and looking at him a minute before drawing on his abilities —

And it comes so easily, so effortlessly, that he almost weeps; in a flash of light, the tall fanged man disappears, leaving only a small snub-nosed bat where he'd formerly stood.]

Of course. She's always been kind to me, and you always seemed to need a bit more kindness than I could always give.

[And there Dimitri goes, becoming small and so cute. Ashe wants to pick him up and coo, but more than that he wants to get them out of here.

Still, that does not stop him from scooping up the bat and giving him a sweet kiss on the head.]

In my right pocket, okay? You can get comfortable there.

[And inside the right pocket is definitely the world's tiniest pillow and a bit of blanket he'd knitted.

Listen. He's been thinking about this day for awhile.]

[He flutters his wings, at first just playfully and then with more bashfulness when he is rewarded with a smooch to the top of his furry bat head, but his outright chirrup comes when he's eased into Ashe's pocket, and discovers the surprise waiting for him there.

Who in the world but his Ashe would think of such minute comforts as this? And for him, for him?]

You spoil me, my darling. Were you eager to surprise me? Surprise hardly even begins to describe my feelings on the matter.

[With Dimitri in his pocket, Ashe beams and stands up. He takes a moment to make sure nothing is forgotten -- not that there's much to check in the depths under the church, he supposes.

He takes the Doll's hand, gently guiding her to the lift with him.]

I was. I ah... I even toyed with the idea of having you in my pocket during class or something.

That's kind of silly, now that I've said it.

A dangerous prospect, more like. I don't know that I could refrain from teasing you, at times when you ought to be keeping a straight face.

[Ashe's pocket bulges a little as Dimitri takes the opportunity to get comfortable, wiggling and maneuvering his little blanket over himself before going still so as not to attract undue attention.]

Go softly, little hunter. If we are caught, I do not know if I will be able to defend you without repercussions.

Aw, you're so cruel.

[But he finds that endearing, honestly. It would be a terrible mix indeed, having Dimitri make comments that would tease and keep Ashe distracted. A horrible vampire, really, and Ashe adores him.]

I'll be all right.

[Soon, they get to the top. This part becomes much harder with the Doll, but he was able to get her in; he can surely get her out.

Gently, he takes the Doll into his arms, careful as he sticks to the shadows. It's probably an awkward thing to see, as she's considerably taller than Ashe -- most people are -- but he keeps his feet light and she is wisely silent.

Once they cross the bridge, they'll that much closer.]

I have the utmost faith in you.

[Already, the air has changed. He can tell from the barest taste of it, even snuggled deep in the concealment of Ashe's pocket. Something of the stagnation has faded, left behind in the accursed tomb below. It tastes of freedom, and the promise of rejuvenation, and it's all so close that Dimitri almost weeps from it.]

[The grounds of Garreg Mach have barely changed with time, ancient and nearly a thousand years old. Still, its foundation is strong, and by now Ashe knows everything like the back of his hand -- rooftops included, which most guards tend to miss. Lightly, he steps on beams, avoiding much in the way of noise.

He waits as a guard passes by once he's near his dorm room, then hops down. When he goes to open the door, he hears a voice behind him.

Hey. What are you doing up?

Ashe turns his head and smiles nervously.]

I couldn't sleep, so I had a small walk.

[Who's that with you?

When Ashe turns around to face the guard, the Doll in his arms is limp with her eyes open, inanimate as any object.]

Just a personal belonging.

[There's silence for a moment, the guard clearly stunned and unsure of what to make of a young man with a life-sized doll -- then decides he doesn't want an answer to that.

Just get back to bed, yeah?]

Yes sir!

[Ashe opens his door and slips inside, shutting it quickly behind himself with a heavy sigh of relief. Gently, he sets the Doll to her feet.]

Sorry. I-I hope you don't think that I consider you a thing.

[You are sweet, dear hunter. The Doll brushes hair from his face.

The room is adequately sized, but cluttered. There are various books piled up on Ashe's desk and shelving, half of them fictional and the other half for research purposes. Beyond that, he has a few weapons leaned against the wall.

And in the middle of the floor, a Hunter's Lamp, as if it was always there and hadn't blossomed out of whatever even makes the lamps.]

[Dimitri has been a corpse in a casket for dozens upon dozens of years, and yet he thinks he's never held quite so still or clung to such lifeless thoughts as he does in the moment when Ashe is accosted by the guard. His memories of Loog's war camps are faded and distant, yet it does not strike him as so unusual, the thought that a night wanderer might be ordered to turn out his pockets, and for an instant a sharp blade of fear lodges between his tiny ribs.

Yet he holds. He fights not to tremble. He is a tiny nothing beneath a very small blanket, propped on the comfort of an even smaller pillow. Ashe is talking to the guard. No order for a search comes.

It isn't until long after the door closes and the Doll is set upright that Dimitri even dares to breathe — for a figurative value of breathing — much less move. It's only once the lady talks that he shimmies around and pokes his little bat head up and over the lip of Ashe's pocket like a little mole emerging from its burrow in the ground.]

We...we are free...?

[He'd been so confident at the start of the journey, but by now he just sounds shaken from the magnitude of it all.]

Almost.

[Tenderly, he rubs a finger over the top of Dimitri's head, smiling at the fuzziness of it.]

Now we just go into the Dream. You don't need to do anything.

[As if emerging from another plane, Messengers bubble up from the base of the lantern, moaning and reaching out, as if to praise the hunter. Taking the Doll's hand, Ashe kneels by the lantern, placing his other hand near it as he returns to the Dream.

There is something certainly serene to it. The eternal dusk, moon high in the sky. The flowers almost seem to glow with it.

The workshop is... different, and Ashe can't quite remember when it changed. It's a bit of Gehrman's workshop, and a bit of Ashe's childhood home. Still quaint, but comfortable.

Welcome home, the Doll says, a bit more warmly. To both of you.]

Dimitri, you can come out now.

[He breathes in, and the air is sweet and cool.

Dimitri doesn't so much flap his way out of Ashe's pocket as he does tumble out of it, catching himself on his wings like a parachute and fluttering down to the grass-dappled path underfoot. Like before, his transformation is fast, occurring in the blink of an eye, but when he returns to his own form, he's not back on his feet; he's still on the ground, seated with his legs sprawling and his arms supporting him, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

The moon. The moon is overhead, milky and luminescent. The air is thick with the scent of flowers. The plants are green. The trees reach up toward the sky with branches like spindly fingers.

He is out. He's free. He's...alive.

Blood wells up in his eyes, brimming beneath his two whole blue irises until there's too much of it to bear, and then it spills down his cheeks until it reaches the limits of his jawline, and spatters off onto the ground. He weeps, because he can't help himself, because within the span of an evening he has gone from dust in a forgotten tomb to healthy and free and embraced once again by the night.]

Oh, Ashe.

[He sounds breathless. He's shaking.]

Oh, Ashe, the moon — the moon! Look at it! Oh, Ashe!

[He covers his face, curling in on himself as the emotion overtakes him, sobbing free and outright in his overwhelming gratitude, a long-deposed king finally returned.]

[The utter joy on Dimitri's face is all the gift he could ever ask for. Even if it comes with the bloody tears, he knows it is out of relief. Ashe goes to settle onto his knees next to the vampire, reaching out to place his hand over Dimitri's.]

It's not quite the true sky, but it's as close as any hunter's experience.

Still, it's probably as good as the real thing.

[Leaning over, he presses his lips to Dimitri's brow, then the top of his head.]

All of this is yours, as long as you want it.

Even if you were to stake me now, I would die blessing your name.

[It might seem like he's still just overwhelmed, but realistically, Dimitri has probably always been this dramatic, and just never had the opportunity to really bring it to fruition.

But still, he all but curls up against Ashe's side, his palms streaked with bloodshed tears, as starved for touch as he's been for release from his crypt.]

I'm free...I'm free, I'm free...!

[He covers his face again.]

Swear to me, my darling. Swear to me you'll end my miserable existence before I can ever be taken back there. Oh, Ashe, to have tasted the night again, to have felt the moonlight on my skin...I would go mad to have it taken away from me.

[Arms loop around Dimitri, and he pulls the vampire close as possible. Fingers run through his hair and he shakes his head.]

What I'll swear to you is that I will always come for you. And nothing will take you from me.

You're free, and safe. I'll keep it that way. If all else fails, then I'll do it. All right?

[How passionate his Ashe is, and how determined in such stark contrast to his usual blushing hesitance. So this is the face that monsters meet when they come up against his little hunter, is it? No wonder they suffer and die before it.

And yet for him, loathsome creature that he is, Ashe's presence promises security and a vow. Rhea will not have him again, in one way or another; he does, truly, believe in that.]

Yes. Yes, my love, yes.

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not gonna lie i saw the horror icon and thought this was a gagtag for a second

that is absolutely fair

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