Sibiu

[Apollymi]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4482/37676485972_86ff4897e6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ZpkQDJ)

One of the seven great cities which make up the principality of Transylvania, Sibiu is considered a cultural center. This area is quite a hub of activity, various trades and a lots low level nobility trying to forge themselves into prosperity. It includes one of the largest churches and monstaries that this area has to offer. Church is an important part of daily life here.

[Bloodedge]

Over the city of Sibiu, Transylvania, the full moon let its light cascade from the center of the night sky to illuminate the streets below. Fear of vampires tended to keep most mortals off the streets here at night, but it was bright enough under the full moon's gaze to allow a few more brave souls some confidence. More importantly, Sibiu itself was a more blessed city in the principality known as Transylvania; some locals did not even believe or fear the eventual return of the great Count Dracula. Still, the infamous vampire's castle loomed over the city in a perpetual shroud of darkness.

Little did the common folk of Sibiu know, it was the very castle of the dead Count that would harbor the potential instrument of their untimely demise this night. Many mortals would suffer the fate of a vampire's bite this full moon, but one in particular would be visited by the present lord of Castlevania. A downtrodden, golden-locked woman in her mid-twenties was remiss to find herself roaming too close to a dark alley, only to be coaxed in by an eerie crimson glow upon looking down it. A raggedy pair of heels clattered against the cobblestone walkways as the entranced blonde stepped ever so casually into her fate, but as she approached the small glow ahead of her, the words spoken from its source would not quite resemble those belonging to a creature of the night.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen." The voice which spoke was masculine, yet gentle as the sun-kissed morning dew. It was so inviting in its own right, that the trance this woman was under suddenly began to fade away. Prior to her sanity's return to normal, the glow vanished entirely, and another set of footsteps took an opposing path to hers. A step into the lighter shadows of the alley revealed the culprit: A vampire of royal blood among the undead. He was young and bathed in absolute visual perfection, which seemed to settle itself within violet eyes that looked of pools reflecting twilight on the surface. Use of cliche would call him devilishly handsome, but such a claim would in fact be a slight against the visage of those silky locks of jet black hair perfectly framing his head, or the perfect lean to his dark-clad physique as he swaggered toward this enthralled woman with intentions of ending her pitiful existence in this world.

His name at present was Sorin Lothaire Phantomhive, and he was the biological son of Count Dracula, and current lord of Castlevania. While still a God-fearing man at heart, as a vampire, he required blood for sustenance. Sure, cattle was kept well and healthy within the confines of the castle, but there was a very particular reason he was out this night. He sought the thrill of the lesser undead lords. When he reached his victim, Sorin brought her directly into a sensual embrace. His arms caressed their way up her back with dancing fingers, his right hand taking the lead. This continued slowly and caused blood to fill the woman's face. Her mouth opened, and her breath swept across Sorin's face as his right hand finally reached a point near the roots of her hair that he could take into his grasp, pulling it to the left side of her head to bare the right side of her neck. Sorin's face sank into her exposed flesh, and with a deep inhale... he was already elated. This was the thrill he'd been looking for; an unsuspecting target accompanied by the fear of discovery of what he was. A wide grin slithered its way onto his mouth, and with it, a razor sharp pair of fangs were revealed. The woman remained dazed enough to be unawares. Sorin waited several seconds. He needed to enjoy this. He managed to restrain himself enough to only make these outings every full moon, taking the addition of its light as a challenge to his superior skills as a night stalker. After sufficient basking in the moment of his own enjoyment, his mouth became agape. This was followed by the swift burrowing of hi fangs into the blonde's nape, and unlike with the bite of the lesser vampires, she did not scream. It even seemed to be the case that she was pleased by the deliverance of this bite. She was.

Sorin took his sweet time draining this pitiful woman of every delectable drop of her life essence. He dared not leave her alive, but his prayer would serve the purpose of saving her soul as she perished. Her life persisted for moments after the full draining; this was long enough for her to experience the vampire removing his fangs and licking up the side of her neck to receive the residue of her blood. Frankly, hers was nothing more than an average feeding... but the thrill factor alone gave Sorin a sort of high that he was able to enjoy the ecstasy of all the way to the moment of the woman's passing. "We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."

[Apollymi]

As the moon sat high in the sky, covering the streets in its ethereal light, the light of a candle flickered in the middle of a table in a tavern, surrounded by young worldly boys. The children of Barons and Lords played games in the dark taverns of Sibiu. Gambling away their livelihoods before they were even old enough to claim them. This night, like many others they had their gazes fixed upon the single young woman at the table. She looked up over her hand of cards, with two large eyes in dazzling green. The high collar of her white blouse held together by a tie which had been loosened in the last few moments. Her mind seemed to be furiously working, and in fact she seemed to be quite distressed. As the shadows the candlelight danced across her skin, the young men who also held cards, found themselves dreaming of what they would get to do with her instead. If it were ever made clear by her parents that her hand was something they offered.

Raven locks were cut in even bangs across her forehead, hiding brows lightly furrowed, while the rest of her hair was kept neat up in a lace bonnet. Pink lips were lightly reddened by a gentle gnawing at their skin as she peeked over. The voice of one brutish Baron's son came to her mind as she furiously calculated her odds. "You seem stressed Kas, perhaps... you should fold, while you still have your dignity?" the boy teased, causing a great guffaw among his playmates. The girl's eyes shifted towards him, as her long fingers held close the cards in her hands. A deep breath came out of her as her heart skipped a gentle beat. It seemed everything was on the line in this moment and they believed they had her beaten, but... "Hendryk, there is nothing in me this night but elation, knowing I'll own the summer home you never even got to visit..." she said a flare of confidence coming to her as she twisted her single most favored worldly possession, a silver ring on her finger, before she said the words they all feared. "I'm calling, love. Show me?" she asked this caused the other two players on either side to drop their cards, both had hands which didn't show anything worth looking at, and both had lost bank notes of only a meager amount. Their shame was gentle a light reddening of the cheeks as they pushed their lost items forward. The man named Hendryk smirked as if he won, showing his hand which included a pair of threes and a pair of fives. "Two pair deary, if you actually manage to beat that, I'll also give you the deed to my personal stables, I heard you recently lost a mare," the boy chuckled, raising the stakes in light of his own arrogance. It seemed he didn't think himself capable of losing. And the girl's eyes widened as she looked down at the cards. "Oh? I suppose there is something to be said about two pair, but... I am fairly certain a straight flush wins," she said showing in her hand cards in sequence from eight to four in the hearts suit.

The color drained from the blond man's face, the light blue of his eyes drained their color until they were but a pale misty impersonation of their previous selves. He bit his lip, in the corner as his entire face gained a reddened hue, starting at his neck and moving up to the very tips of his ears. In this moment, his defeat was assured. The entire table erupted the tavern itself seemed to be alight with mirth as she held out her hand and waited for her winnings. "You're some kind of witch. I swear, I've given you half my inheritance already," the boy said as he handed over the signed documentation in front of witnesses. "And yet you still bet, Hendryk," a sigh escaped her as she collected her belongings packing them away, in a beat up old briefcase. This night had been fruitful, more so than usual given the addition of stables to her already claimed summer home. As she put these items into the small case she intended to carry out, she turned down offers of continuing to play. "Another hand, at least give me the opportunity to win back what I've lost..." said the boy and his friends whom she'd already milked quite a bit. "Where would all the thrill go if you could simply gain it back~" the girl said laughing.

She'd soon find herself out of the door. Case in hand, held firmly within her grasp, as she navigated the streets back towards her parents modest estate. If she had her way, one day, it'd be larger, even if it didn't include her. As she moved about the streets, her face was given a gentler glow by the full moon. And the sound of her little red heels tapping against the cobblestones could be heard as she moved about. There was a smile on her face and a light in her eyes, the likes of which could only be found like this. In the dead of night, after taking from some bratty male a portion of his inheritance. Somehow in the taverns, surrounded by the smell of ale and the light of candles with the smoke of the blazing hearth fires filling her lungs, she felt alive. All the the moment before the final call, before she decided that she could win. It felt in that moment, like she held a tiny piece of a man's life in her hands, and as she took it away, as she watched the color drain from their faces... in that moment she truly won. It wasn't simply about her goals. It wasn't enough that their loss would secede her victory... they should suffer in that moment, a defeat which was humiliating, with no way to retaliate. And this is why she kept her love of gambling, regardless of the penitence required for the activity by her own god fearing religious beliefs. Even as she thought over the Hail Marys she'd have to perform, she enjoyed taking hold of her own life, with her own two hands, and there was nothing quite like it.

And as she had this thought she took a left turn down a dark alley and as she moved upwards she came upon a shadowed figure. She heard a voice lower than normal not that such a thing was unusual. Lovers often found themselves, incapable of waiting for a more appropriate venue to deal with the necessities of their lusts. But what she was seeing now wasn't simply a lustful young couple's night gone awry. Her emerald green eyes caught sight of something else entirely, a man, drinking the blood of a woman. 'Vampire?!' the mind shouted the word as she watch this face buried in her neck clearly by the light of the moon. He was drinking this poor woman dry, but the woman's voice wouldn't come out. She watched transfixed, paralyzed by fear and unable to speak by virtue of what she was witnessing. There was nothing she could do about what was happening here. Perhaps... she could simply take a step backwards. Several even, until she cleared this alley and hoped that none would notice what she'd seen here.

[Bloodedge]

After a successful feeding, the vampire looked into the face of his victim with that deep violet gaze of his. He watched the life escape her face over the course of a few seconds. It was such a waste, but the woman he'd chosen as his target this night was not long for this harsh world even before his intervention. Sorin could sense these things. Her emotional state had been weak, and the embrace of mortality was loosening its hold on her with each passing day. He'd done her a kindness. She'd now been spared the cruel fate of continued existence in this world, and what's more, his blessing - he believed - would lead her to the gates of Heaven still. Such was not normally the case for those drained to death by a vampire; humans in this situation would normally be bound in limbo so long as the vampire drew breath.

Soon, that golden veil of hair billowed one final time as the late woman fell to the cobble street. Sorin was fed, and he'd managed to relieve himself of the lackluster existence he led for just a few moments. The lord of Castlevania would not see this thrill again until the full moon adorned the night sky once more. But lo... there was more to this night yet. White lace kissed by the moon's light shifted at the end of the alleyway. It was upon the head of a womanly figure, and a fine one at that. Sorin's gaze became fixed on this fleeting form, but only a second passed before she was gone. 'I've been careless,' he thought. In all his years of public feeding only on the night of the full moon, he'd never been seen by a mortal before now. Had she truly seen him, though? Perhaps he was lucky. Perhaps there was a chance she'd not seen the actual feeding, and thought nothing more of the scene than one would of a pair of humans feeding their more carnal desires...

No. He had to be sure. Taking only a few steps forward, the vampire swept his left arm against the inside of the wild black cloak he wore, forcing it to billow around him as he vanished from the alleyway. His reappearance would see him in the girl's path, yet many paces ahead of her. He wished to stay out of sight during the arrival, only to step out into the light as she came closer to his location. Those glowing eyes of his would shift until they fell upon this female in a way that would allow him to view her face this time.

[Apollymi]

The young woman's grasp on her dusty old case remained the same as she moved. She took tiny steps as she gracefully navigated down the different cobblestone street. Her only goal would be to forget that which she'd seen, and confer a prayer for the fallen blonde woman who'd so recently gotten herself ensnared in the grasp of the undead. Of course, until she'd seen it with her own eyes, she hadn't even believed in vampires. It seemed like the sort of thing that parents told their children to keep them in line. 'One can only wonder about such things... I pray she find peace, but her soul is none of my concern. I can only hope I went unnoticed,' still she was relatively safe for now, but as she crossed the light of a street lamp a man stepped out before her, and she hadn't seen him there before this moment.

Those emerald eyes framed by thick dark lashes widened just a tad. As she took a step back a tiny gasp escaped her, as the man's gaze assessed her visage. Those layers of light and dark seemed to play across her skin in the moonlight. The tie around her neck still gently loosed from the time she'd spent in the tavern, the bangs framing her small angular face all that were visible as the rest of her raven locks were lost beneath the lace bonnet which had given her away. Her breath would almost seem to be caught in her throat but as she exhaled, she found herself speaking. "Ah! You gave me a bit of a fright, sir," she said seeming to easily overcome her previously startled nature. The case she held in her hand rested gently against her knees as a soft breeze blew at her dress causing various ripples of fabric to sound off against the night. At this hour there were few about and even fewer dared travel as she did. Still she'd intended to keep on her way, only this gentle speech was necessary. If she recognized him at all, she didn't speak upon it, given the things she'd witnessed this night, she had no intention of revealing her hand just yet. As if this was the only thing in mind, her fingers absently twisted the ring present on her index finger. This was quite the living gamble on the girl's part, but she couldn't just let go of all she was working towards, because she'd seen a woman die this day. People died everyday, and so long as this man had nothing to fear from her, this number wouldn't include her.

[Bloodedge]

She was taken aback by his appearance. This much was to be expected, given the frantic state of her leave, but what was the exact reason for this surprise? Was it because she'd simply not been paying attention, and would have been surprised by anything she didn't expect in front of her? Or perhaps... she reacted this way because she knew she'd been seen, and knew Sorin was the vampire who'd seen her running away from his feeding. Either conclusion would be a reasonable place to arrive, but Sorin had to be sure which thing it was.

"My apologies, my lady," he said. "In no way did I mean to alarm you. You seemed to be plagued by something as it were, which left me wondering why a maiden such as yourself would be wandering the streets alone so late. These are very dangerous times we live in, and there is even talk of vampires. Surely you could use an escort." Sorin spoke with confidence abundant, finding that he could prod this woman for a reaction of any sort to receive his answer. If he remained unseen, all would be well. If she did see him preying on mortals, he would have to come up with a plan to keep his identity hidden in future, though his immunity to most conventional vampire weaknesses was likely enough. He did not suffer death by daylight or holy relics, and he could even enter a church in broad daylight. In fact, he visited church regularly.

[Apollymi]

An apology was uttered, as this man seemed to think twice of having caused the young woman a fright. He went on to explain why he'd bothered approaching her in this moment. There was a bit of pause from the young woman, though her face didn't seem to change initially. She was keeping herself at bay, so that she could continue having this conversation as if she wasn't in fear of the next few moments. Her heart seemed to race, but that could be accounted for by many things, one of which would cause the woman's brow to raise. "Vampires? Sir, surely one can't take the tales that adults tell children to heart so readily?" she said a smile coming to her face in this moment. She could do this indeed, keeping the same calm demeanor she'd had while playing cards with the boys in the tavern. She'd done this many times before, the fact that at this very moment she was playing for larger stakes than inheritances and farm animals only made it that much more amusing. "There is no need, to worry over me. I only recently left a tavern and succeeded in my endeavors there. I meant only to enjoy the lingering thrill of my victory as I made my way home. This is a common enough activity for me that I do not worry about my own safety when I act this way..." she mentioned as her gaze shifted towards the sky. "But... it isn't polite to turn down a kindly gentleman willing to see a lady home at his own inconvenience," she said knowing it would be better to continue as if she didn't know anything, as if it were normal for a person to appear in front of her, after she'd seen them draining someone's life fluid from them. Her last statement gave her acceptance of this escort, which was obviously offered by the man as he aimed to figure out what she knew. Even as she mentally processed this information she tried to keep it off her face. Surely if he had nothing to fear, she shouldn't have anything to fear as well.

[Bloodedge]

"Fortune favors the cautious, my lady," Sorin replied, finding this young woman's words to be almost laughable. Following the acceptance of his offer to escort the woman, he felt the light tingle of a grin forming upon his face. This occurrence could have revealed him immediately, but when his lips parted to show his teeth, not a single fang was present. He looked to have nothing more than a flawless pair of pearly white, human chompers. His back arched as his right arm escaped his cloak, crossing over his chest with outstretched fingers nearly touching his shoulder. In that same moment, he bowed his head as well. "If you worry not for your own safety, allow me the pleasure of worrying for you, my lady. I will ensure your safe journey home, be there dangers or not. Allow me to first introduce myself." As these words were spoken, Sorin's head rose. His piercing gaze fixated itself once more on the raven-haired female's face, and for a moment, Sorin himself seemed entranced. 'Surely she is no commoner,' he thought, believing one so well off in appearance could not have fallen far from the upper echelons of society. If nothing else, a woman of her age and visage would be married off as early as possible to a man of high stature. Maybe she already had been.

After a moment, Sorin realized he'd allowed his thoughts to escape him. Between offering his introduction and looking upon the human he'd intended to fish information out of, something had gone awry. What was it? One could only wonder. Still, Sorin knew he'd gone silent for a moment too long. He would have to be addressing that. "... Forgive me. It seems I allowed myself to be stunned by your radiance for a moment. I will contain myself henceforth. Sorin. Sorin Lothaire Phantomhive, of the Phantomhive Estate."

[Apollymi]

The young woman seemed to find this man strange. And though she was quite certain of what she'd seen previously, when he smiled at her in these moments, there were no fangs present in his visage. 'Does he hide them? Well obviously, one cannot simply have all their cards on the table like that...' she thought absently. Of course, it was a bit strange to her, that if this man intended to hide, he'd gone so far out of his way to reveal himself. Perhaps it was his plan to convince her she hadn't seen anything of note, if she alluded to having seen anything at all. For now there was naught to do but play the situation by ear. "As you like, sir." was all she had to say on the matter of him worrying over her safety since she wouldn't worry over her own. Of course, this man also said he planned to introduce himself. As such she waited, but it seemed he was quite distracted, his thoughts having gotten away from him for some reason or another.

'I hope he isn't thinking of eating me... that would put a damper on my life...' she thought with the same impassive expression. But soon enough she was being greeted by different words altogether. This man went on to say he'd be stunned by her radiance, and though she knew she was attractive enough to be paid compliments ever so often, something about how this man chose to speak to her caused the faintest hints of a blush to creep up her face. "Sir Phantomhive pays me many compliments with those honeyed words. I accept them of course, as gracefully as I am able. Though to be honest I didn't expect to be offered an escort by a man of such stature," the raven haired lass seemed to be a bit flustered herself, it was as if for a single moment, she'd almost forgotten why she was speaking to this man in the first place.

'The Viscount Phantomhive is a vampire!!' the girls' mind shouted this information at her, but she couldn't simply let go of this conversation and turn tail. Something about this situation was beyond tantalizing. An attractive well off man had taken quite the interest in her, she wondered if her parents would ignore the fact that he counted among the undead when considering her marriage prospects. As she thought this over as well, she seemed to remember that such things weren't presently concerning. "Ah, but I've forgotten myself as well. Kasmina Elise Dacian," she said as she curtsied gracefully as if the motion was practiced daily. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The young woman was the daughter of a baron. And though her father was cash poor they still held a small plot of farm land and a large storage facility as well as a set of stables and a small set of sheep. It was their meager existence on the lower rungs of upper society, which drove the girl into her current position, but that wasn't information that many knew.

[Bloodedge]

Sorin had to maintain his composure by any means necessary. This was among the more difficult things he'd ever done. Blood rose up Kasmina's neck, filling her face. He could smell it... even almost taste it. Was this the thrill he'd been seeking without knowing so all along? Did he wish to feed upon this woman, who seemed to strike a nerve akin to arousal within him. Her blood would undoubtedly be the sweetest drug he'd ever let himself be exposed to, and he suddenly found himself wanting in more ways than he could keep track of. If he gave in, he could manage. Sorin could bed this woman and drain every drop of her blood right at the moment of bliss. He could even make her a thrall and have her in whatever way he desired.

She was a sin.

He could not act on these desires, even as they grew more powerful. To go through with these thoughts was to go against his own faith, which he held strong even as a vampire. He received the female's introduction. Her name rang a bell. "Dacian? Of Baron Dacian's family? I expected about as much," he said while stepping closer. With another bow, he held out his right hand. There was an expectation of Kasmina to place her hand in his, at which point he intended to bring his face within reach of the back of said hand. Another brief moment of hesitation was to follow in this event. This one, however, had nothing to do with his thoughts of drinking this woman... but much to do with other intentions he aimed to suppress. "Lady Kasmina Elise Dacian, who smells of lilac and gooseberries. I assure you, the pleasure is all... mine." With nothing more to say, Sorin would shut his eyes and gently press his lips against the hand he held in his.

[Apollymi]

As this man struggled internally against his very real demons, Kasmina, was left to appreciate that she hadn't simply been killed at any point. 'This is surprisingly going much better than expected...' the girl's thoughts were all about her prolonged survival, though even she had to admit, she'd had less interesting conversations. Beyond this it seemed that this man recognized her family name, and even the claim to nobility that her father had. She simply nodded at this information. "Yes, the Baron Dacian is my father, and I am his eldest child..." she mentioned casually. Wondering if this one was willing to out himself by taking the life of one such as herself. Her father was no longer a seriously prosperous individual, but her family name still carried a bit of weight, enough at least that she had a great number of suitors waiting in line for whatever marriage plans her father had lined up. Though she didn't intend to see any of that through, she could at least respect her heritage.

As the man took another step forward, Kasmina had relaxed enough that she seemed unworried about his approach. A bow enused and a hand extended which caused her to place her own within it. This of course left her to carry her briefcase using only her left hand while the man busied himself with a more formal exchange of introduction, which was quite common among the upper echelons of society. 'Am I sure of what I saw?' she mentally questioned herself. This man was being uncommonly nice if he'd hunted her down just because she'd witnessed his night stalking activities. Beyond this, the more he spoke to her, the more she realized he was truly charming and quite attractive. Surely such an individual couldn't be some secret creature of the night, but...

Fortune favors the cautious.

Sorin had uttered these words himself, and they were ones she'd held fast in her own mind in this moment. She wouldn't admit to anything. That being said, she couldn't deny the distinct feeling which caused another blush to creep up her face as this man's lips met the back of her hand. She couldn't remember a time in which anyone had stirred such feelings in her. It seemed to completely slip past her notice that he claimed she smelled of lilac and gooseberry. Things which she enjoyed personally but she'd just spent the evening in a smoky tavern, she expected she should smell like ale, and perhaps a warm hearth, but never anything tart and sweet. "You're quite charming, sir. Those words belie a kindness, of which I can only hope I am deserving, thank you." the girl managed, her own words slowly drawn out as if every syllable had to be thought about. Her flesh was still warm and tingly where his lips had touched her, but perhaps this was some form of trickery. Something to ignore, many men fancied her and paid her compliments. So what made his commentary different enough to illicit such a reaction from her? 'Flirting with danger, Mina.' she thought to herself as they carried on, she could only hope they'd begin moving again quickly enough that she might leave this entire situation behind her, and let the nightmare of what she'd seen, disappear in her dreams.

[Bloodedge]

"The Baron Dacian... I am sure many men envy his genes, to have produced such a gem." Sorin lingered over Kasmina's hand briefly, only to loosen an already gentle grip upon it to allow a calm slide of the hand away from him. He rose then, offering his hand again for different reasons entirely. "Allow me," he said, alluding to the briefcase carried by this woman. If he were to be an escort, it would only fall within common courtesy to take the lady's luggage. With the passage of time, he all but forgot his original intentions in approaching Kasmina... but not quite. The vampire remained curious as to what she knew, but felt the odds would be in his favor by this day's end regardless. All he had to do was restrain himself until her home was reached.

The conversation at hand was making it difficult for Sorin to remain composed. The second blush of the night came from Kasmina. At this point, Sorin could not tell what was so appealing to him. it could have been the scent of blood finer than aged wine. Just as likely, it could have been simply the way that very same blood applied its rosy hue to amplify the already creamy flesh of her cheeks. Bite or bed? This was the question resonating within a soul struggling for salvation, but doomed to damnation. Resist was the answer which came still. "I assure you, my lady, that you are deserving of far more than what such measly words can portray. Alas, we should not tarry. Let us away."

[Apollymi]

Sorin had lingered just a few seconds longer than most would have deemed necessary. But still, Kasmina found herself waiting with bated breath, as the young man allowed her hand to fall gently from his grasp and he stood from his bow. This interaction had been tense, and not for the reasons which Kasmina had imagined they would be initially. In this moment she could almost push from her mind that she saw him feasting upon the life's blood of another being, and simply see him as a charming young man offering to walk her home. "I'm sure many would agree with that sentiment," she said quite wistfully.

The extension of his hand towards the case she carried brought a wariness from her which hadn't originally been within her person. Even as he jumped out of a street in front of her seemingly out of nowhere. In the briefest of pauses she considered her options in this moment, but she'd never taken anything from the Viscount. He was likely unaware of the business she conducted and as such he wouldn't abscond with her things. Beyond that he had no reason to. "My life is in this case, Viscount, please treat it with care," she offered before allowing him to hold on to it for her. Such a thing was almost outside of her reason, but given the outcome of her being without the things in the case and her being in the care of a hungry vampire, she figured her odds were about the same. It seemed this man loved to pay his compliments and went so far as to insinuate that his words simply weren't enough, he went on to state that they shouldn't tarry and as such she began to walk with mild interest towards her own home, wondering of course what this man got out of this exchange. 'Does he know what I know? Is he softening me up for a kill?'

[Bloodedge]

Kasmina's retort gave Sorin some insight to her life as it stood. With these few simple words, he'd come to a conclusion about the marital status of this woman. "It goes to figure one such as yourself would have many suitors," he replied. Such an assumption had already been made, based solely on Kasmina's visage and the social status of her father. It would be a boon for any man of lesser or equal status to be married into connections with such a family.

His offer to carry her case was accepted with some hesitation. It was strange that she'd hesitated at all; this briefcase had to be of major importance. Her words which followed gave credence to this, but he had no intentions other than to safeguard it no matter its importance. As he took it in his left hand, he made this known. "All the more reason to leave it in my hands, my lady. Your very life will be in my care until we part this night. God as my witness, I will allow no harm to come to you and your belongings." Another toothy, yet fangless grin accompanied this claim. He was quite serious about this. Sorin was always a God-fearing man, even being a vampire, so he'd have nothing happen to someone placed in his care so long as he could do something about it. Even if he became forced to reveal himself as a vampire this night, he would do so to honor his word. He would only have to then do something to the extent of wiping her memory of this night's events. After all, Sorin was no murderer. Taking off after Kasmina, he quickly caught up to take her side as they walked. "Is your home very far from here?"

[Apollymi]

"That is quite true..." she said of the number of suitors she apparently had. "According to father I am the talk of the town. But that is his doing, and I can't say I am pleased," she mentioned. It was quite the strange thing the relationship this young woman maintained with her father. And it couldn't exactly be called happy or cordial. Of course, there wasn't much choice in the matter, there was very little she could do besides what her father wanted, until such a time as she was married and then it would be about what her husband wanted. Such things, made the young woman writhe with uncertainty. But if she were her own woman, perhaps she could find herself in a place where it wouldn't matter.

On the matter of her things, it seemed that the Viscount Phantomhive, was more than willing to look after both her own safety and that of her things. "You have my gratitude, can't say I mind you worrying after me," She smiled and seemed to lose the temporary hesitation she had before. Of course, without the weight of her case she was allowed to move a bit more freely, her hands clasped in front of her person as she walked, her eyes occasionally looking towards the case. As she walked the man caught up to her, and asked after where she lived. Now that she thought about it, the Viscount was almost never seen, in public. "My father's estate is right at the edge of this side of the town... not a terribly far trek... I wouldn't be able to wander off very far... being someone's prized daughter, limits mobility," she spoke almost as if it was a joke. But she quite envied her male counterparts and their freedoms. Ones they took for granted, so... she had made it her personal mission to take a few of them for herself.

[Bloodedge]

"Your suitors displease you? You do not wish to be wed, then?" he asked. Many women in this area seemed accepting of marriages for any given reason. It was very likely that her family would have her married into a family of even higher standing, which would be beneficial in numerous ways. Perhaps she had no desire to be in the upper echelons of society; she was, in fact, in a less-reputable area of town in the middle of the night. The life she chose to lead could not have been a very luxurious one.

It seemed they were not long for their journey to Kasmina's home. Sorin noticed how frequently she was looking at this briefcase of hers as they walked, but in doing so, he realized how frequently he was looking toward her. He couldn't help it. Many things about this woman were appealing to a side of him he wished to ignore, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. He was only managing to distract himself with the ongoing conversation, which saved him from many an outburst. "Your words portray distaste, even in jest. It is almost as if this briefcase is your escape plan."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina was asked a question which she never expected to hear from anyone. It took her by surprise that someone was at all interested in what she thought of marrying at all. The man presently in her company, for all his faults, was surprisingly intuitive. To the point that it was astonishing to the lass that he bothered to care, even if it was only in passing conversation. "My suitors do not displease me, I do not know them. The whole idea of this marriage business bothers me. But only because it is a business, one in which I do not gain. And one in which my opinion does not seem to matter at all," she said. She knew it wasn't her place to express any extreme concern, but it also simply didn't seem right to her that she could end up married to some man twice her age, so that her father could gain property to give to her little brother some day.

Beyond this it seemed that the Sorin was perfectly sharp mentally as well. As evidenced by the fact that he seemed to understand what was in the briefcase the girl carried with her, and even noted the distaste of her joking state. She could very well say such a thing had never happened before. She found herself looking down at her hands as they walked, her body carrying her towards her home in a way she walked often enough that she didn't need to look to know she was going the right way. "I do not think I would call it an escape," she said trying in her mind to find the right words to use. "I would call it an investment, in myself." she said calmly. Because of the sensitivity of this moment she went on to explain further lest one end up with the wrong idea about her activities. "For the last year, my father has been gathering the interest of various suitors throughout Transylvania. He plans to marry me to the one who offers the greatest price for my hand. I find that to be detestable. I am a person... not a horse. And of course, I understand the political reasons for marriage, but for the monetary gain of my family alone? So my father will have something to leave just my younger brother, it seems a bit shallow. So, when I found out I began to gather the resources to supplant my father." she said seeming to talk about her scheme under the cover of moonlight without even the slightest bit of remorse. She couldn't imagine wasting away in some castle with an old man. "That case contains notarized copies of various deeds and properties I've come into the ownership of over the last year. There are plenty there, by right I own quite a bit, more than enough to buy my own hand and move far away. Freeing my father of responsibility for me, and not leaving my little brother to inherit squalid nothingness. It is fair..." she paused, she realized that she'd just told this man her entire plan for absolutely no reason, conveniently missing from this explanation was how she'd acquired these things. This was her biggest hand held closest to her chest for an exceedingly long amount of time, she hadn't meant to reveal so much. She'd simply gotten carried away, lost in their discussion and in someone taking a proper interest in what she thought... for once.

[Bloodedge]

"Ah. You do not wish to marry for status. It is a respectable sentiment, albeit not shared by the brunt of society in this age. Perhaps, one day, romantic marriages will be commonplace," Sorin replied, having a similar distaste for the conventional marriages of the era. He, however, had reasons of his own for this. "I am of a mind that it is against our Holy Father's will that we be wed in such a way. It is certainly the folly of man to find material value in holy matrimony."

With nothing but the sound of footsteps against cobble and the voice of the maiden, Sorin chose to open his ear to the latter. Over the few moments that followed his assertion about her briefcase, Kasmina shared more words with him than she'd done since their meeting. Into these words, she seemed to pour out her feelings about the situation she was dealing with. Even from an outside perspective, this sounded like quite the annoying ordeal. Sorin couldn't even begin to imagine being forced into these conditions. Still, something bothered him... so much that he suddenly stopped walking, and looked upon the woman with curious worry in his eyes. "And you believe your father is the type of man who'd accept these offerings without then having your hand promised to another man for additional gain?"

[Apollymi]

The words this man had to offer about marriage in general were ones which she didn't expect to hear from anyone. She did not know what love was, but she was quite certain that the idea of marrying for love specifically while divine was not one which would be accept by any at all. She could however respect the sentiments offered by the young man at her side and found him to be a breath of fresh air among the dozens of people she'd had contact with in her life. Still, she could not help but let her mind wander around the things she had witnessed this very night. 'A man, creature of the night. Spends his evening walking me home, and even hearing out and respecting my marriage wishes. Something about this seems not to line up at all...' she thought finding him to be strange though rather enjoyable.

As they walked and spoke it seemed that something had come into the mind of her escort. Something which gave him enough pause to stop. Kasmina found herself standing still only a half pace in front of him, looking back a small smile creeping up onto her face. It seemed he understood indeed what the problem of this situation was, and it was simply that even if she handed over the entire contents of the case in tact to her father, she wouldn't simply be allowed to go free. "Ah, no. My father is a lot of things and more than a bit miserly is at the top of the list. It was once said that my mother was the best of him, and I believe that. My stepmother, bless her heart, is quite clueless and thus has less influence. No, I could hand over everything I have now, which would cover about three marriages by our current standard, and he'd still marry me off to some random person who offered him something more," she said this as if it was a fact that she'd accepted much longer ago than this point in the conversation. "But that barely begs more attention than anything else. One must deal with their problems one at a time, lest they become overwhelming," she offered with a smile before carrying on.

They were rather quickly approaching the main gate of her estate and as they traveled down the long walk she'd reach for her case. "I do thank you kindly for the escort, Sir Phantomhive, but I am probably about to be chastised, there is no reason for you to suffer through such a thing," as surely as the girl had spoken did a candle light appear and footsteps begin moving around behind the large door at the entrance. Such would open up to the girl's father. A stern looking man with slightly rounded cheeks and sleek black hair opening the door to stare out into the darkness. What was missing from his visage, were Kasmina's emerald green eyes, obviously a feature she got from her mother. "Kasmina! How many times must I tell you, wandering about at night during these times is dangerous!" the man seemed to genuinely care about his daughter's safety and such sentiments would normally have held up if his speech hadn't continued. "For Christ's sake, you'd lose a handful of potential suitors if they knew you wandered about a night in town, doing god knows what!" he said which seemed to bring something strange from the girl. "Good evening father, I am surprised you are still awake. My apologies for my late return. But it is not good for your health, getting so worked up."

[Bloodedge]

She already knew. She understood the most likely of scenario for one such as her father, yet still she went through with this plan. It was preposterous. Surely, there was something else. Some form of reason could be applied in some way to better the situation... right? Sorin was without words for the situation at hand, but it was less due to Kasmina's own endeavors, and more due to the fact that he thought to try and do something about it for just a moment. Whatever the case, he could not allow himself to remain in this woman's company for much longer. Such a thing would lead to many atrocities, and eternal damnation would be guaranteed for him.

Soon after continuing their walk, the pair reached their destination. Kasmina reached out to reclaim her briefcase, stating that she would soon be chastised, and wished for him to avoid it. He gladly returned the briefcase to its rightful owner, but wondered briefly what this chastising could be related to. Could it have something to do with her outing at this hour, on the night of the full moon? Sorin's answer would come sooner than expected, and before he could even decide whether he would be sticking around or not. In their presence stood the Baron himself, Sir Dacian. He was indeed quite furious with his daughter for her late night adventure, but seemingly for reasons unexpected of a father. 'I should go,' Sorin thought.

His thoughts meant nothing at all. This man's fury was something Sorin, for some reason he could not explain, felt compelled to address himself. Stepping forward, he bowed cordially to the elder male. "Allow me to offer my sincerest apologies, Sir Dacian. You see, the lady Kasmina was in my care this night. It pains me to say time was lost to us, but you may rest assured that no harm came to your daughter this day."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina soon found herself staring in wonder. Though she'd been more than ready and capable of handling the verbal berating at the hands of her father, the voice of one Sorin Lothaire Phantomhive spoke up after she did speaking of her father's rest. Thick lashed emerald eyes widened at the speech as she couldn't believe he was one still standing here, and two speaking up on her behalf after knowing the kind of man her father actually was. 'Of course, my luck. Spend the evening chatting up a man so I don't get killed for knowing he's a vampire. Have him continue trying to look after me, even in our parting moments.' Her lips were in a straight line but inwardly she was quite pleased, but she couldn't really fathom why this was the case. 'What am I even thinking, vampire. I should be mortified.'

Meanwhile the male Dacian seemed to find himself facing a younger male who came up with rather amply an easy excuse for the tardiness of his daughter and even stated he'd been looking after her for the duration of her outing. "Oh? And who might you be, that you concern yourself with my daughter?" said the father as she stood up a bit straighter and looked at the lad before him as if confused by his presence. His eyes cast to his daughter as she managed to cover the initial stunned reaction she'd had and nodded. The return of the face she'd perfected in poker would be seen again this night, for very different reasons of course. Her eyes flickered over the man who'd walked her home silently questioning this decision with their gaze.

[Bloodedge]

While still bowed with his face out of the man's sight, Sorin looked through the corner of his eye to view Kasmina, who looked as if she wondered why he'd even interject. As his head rose, moonlight gleamed against violet eyes which portrayed reassurance. Sorin was a man of his word by all means, and he did say he would see after her well-being until they parted. It would be rude to limit this to physical safety alone.

A smile which showed no teeth whatsoever was shown to the Baron. "Ah, how rude of me. Sorin Lothaire Phantomhive," he said, keeping his right arm crossed over his chest for the duration of his introduction and following speech to the man. "I must say, sir, that you have a lovely daughter. My time spent with Lady Kasmina this evening was an absolute treat, and it was my honor to see to her safekeeping this night."

[Apollymi]

When she looked at him, Kasmina found his eyes reassuring, and a strange shade of violet by the candle light. She couldn't help that her look softened about the edges as she waited quite silently to see how this ordeal played out. 'Whatever he is, he is one of the kindest men I've ever met.' she thought, only to realize that she had no reason to think such a thing, but yet, every reason to do so as well. Tonight has been a night shrouded in confusion, a night of turns and twists... a night of thrills.

The Baron Dacian was confronted by strange information. Following this male straightening up, he introduced himself with his arm crossed over his chest. Much to the surprise of the older male he'd at least heard of this young man who'd spent the evening with his daughter in some capacity, but he really could not see the reason for such a meeting between the pair to have occurred. "Ph...pha.... Phantomhive?!" the man seemed stunned by the revelation and looked to his daughter seemingly stunned. "Viscount Phantomhive? In the company of my daughter?!" her father's face was unreadable for just a second and then broke into a grin which could only be described as a strange mix between covetous and proud. Like he saw some potential here which had been previously lost when his daughter had first returned home. 'Of course, he's fine with this... he now has the idea that he's a potential suitor,' the girl thought which would only be affirmed. "Kasmina, you should have said. I didn't know you knew someone of such standing, nor that he kept you company. I was worried, but obviously you were in good hands. Thank you sir, for looking after my daughter." the man said, but something about this speech and its random shift was strange.

It was such an outright change in demeanor that one would have to be an idiot not to know why such a change had come about. "I would have explained father, but it didn't seem prudent in the moment. I did offer my apologies for the ta..." the girl's words were cut off by her father speaking and a look cast in her direction which she'd gotten quite used to since the idea of her marriage had first come up. One which said she should stop speaking, though surprisingly enough it wasn't accompanied by that speech and instead he spoke directly to Sorin. "Oh forgive me, I've been rude, after you've done me... well us such a kindness." this old man's tune had changed so drastically it'd taken every muscle within the girl's body to control the sigh she wanted to let go of.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course, sir Dacian. I believe you had some form of connection with my father," Sorin said, knowing that he'd previously dealt with this man to some extent. He was presently living his second life as a human under the name Sorin. Formerly, he was known simply as Lothaire Phantomhive, an epithet he now claimed to be the name of his father. With the Dacian estate, he'd once exchanged a few business trades some twenty or so years ago, though he'd never met the Baron in person. "Please, no thanks are necessary. It was truly my pleasure."

As Sorin allowed his arm to fall to his side, Kasmina began addressing her father with another clause concerning their current situation. She was interrupted in a rather rude manner. In this very moment, Sorin's brows drew ever so slightly closer to one another. If nothing else, he'd been raised a classy individual. Such an outright disregard for the words of another person, especially a member of one's own family, was not something he was prepared to tolerate. "... Sir Dacian, any rudeness toward me has hardly been noticeable, but I must say, the disregard you've just shown toward your own daughter of all people... is not something I can turn a blind eye to if it were to happen before me again. I would expect more of one who calls himself a Baron."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina's father didn't even need a moment to think about the connection to the Phantomhive, it was one he remembered well. A few of his business transactions. It was an integral part of some of his earlier successes. "Yes, I did a bit of business with Lothaire Phantomhive, never met the man but he was quite important to some of my earlier business transactions. As such I appreciate a visit from his son any day." said the man who seemed to show much regard for the lad. Or rather the man he believed to be a mere lad.

Such a conversation was easily noted by Kasmina but after being so astutely interrupted she'd decided it was in her best interest to remain quiet. Quite unexpectedly though the next words out of Sorin's mouth were a bit of a reprimand for her father for cutting off his daughter's speech. Such a thing was something she never expected to hear, let alone be around to witness. 'Christ in Heaven, what am I actually witnessing? He's speechless!' the young woman thought. And it took all of her remaining mental reserves to stop the gasp which would have come at the surprise. Her mouth opened gently behind her right hand as she suppressed a giggle as her father stumbled through an apology for the lad as he tried to recover from the offense. One could clearly seen on the man's face that he thought he was losing his meal ticket right before him and thought to recover it as best it could, the reddening of his face a hint at his embarrassment. Grasping at the potential up rising that marrying his daughter into such a family could provide, if only he didn't muck it up. "I...uh... " he started as Kasmina put her poker face back into place and watched as her father tried to apologize to Sorin for his transgression. "My sincerest apologies of course, Lord Phantomhive. I didn't mean to disregard her speech. Of course, it won't happen again," he managed. Though the rest of the emotions the girl could have been feeling were well hidden on her face, there was something of an amused light in her eyes as her father stumbled through that apology. 'This man... even knowing what he is, I can't help but think he's a good man.' she thought absently.

[Bloodedge]

"It is not me who is owed an apology... Sir Dacian," he spoke with mild annoyance polluting his words. This statement accompanied a glance in Kasmina's direction, as if to portray his meaning through body language alone. "You see, my good sir, my father was not the greatest parental figure for me. It was my mother who raised me, and her doing so instilled in me something of a... zero tolerance policy. A lady deserves nothing short of absolute respect; wouldn't you agree?"

Sorin did not expect the Baron to agree. What he did expect, though, was for him to struggle through his responses like he was doing. For the crime of disallowing a woman's speech, he would be punished with an inability to properly speak himself. Sorin thought to accomplish this without a single ounce of his powers as a vampire, but soon enough, he thought perhaps he should be leaving while his more sinful side was not bothering him so constantly. If Kasmina's father had done one thing, it had been providing a distraction from his earlier thoughts in the woman's presence. Now, though, Sorin felt this usefulness was reaching its end.

[Apollymi]

There was mild annoyance in the voice of Sorin and Kasmina could hear it as clear as church bells on Sunday morning. And to her, the sound was just as musical. Her father on the other hand managed to look confused but luckily for him, it seemed that Sorin was content to provide a proper explanation. As the words hit the Baron Dacian's ears he could scarcely believe a stranger was so willing to publicly chastise him over his treatment of his own daughter. He knew though in order to sustain not offending the lad he'd have to apologize to his daughter, something he'd never thought himself capable of doing before this moment.

Beyond this the seriousness with which Sorin addressed the subject seemed to cause even more distress in the Baron Dacian much to his daughter's amusement which she tried to stifle quite a bit. She could only look to Sorin with innocent wonder in her large eyes as her father stumbled through the words of an apology this time turned to her. "Daugh... Kasmina... I... please... accept..." he was working towards this apology with all the strength he could muster as he saw his opportunity falling through his fingertips. "Please accept my humblest apologies daughter, I did not mean... to disregard your words. Of... course you deserve the utmost respect," he finally managed though it had taken several moments and the redness in the man's face made the young girl wonder if he even had any blood left anywhere else in his body. Unlike her father the girl seemed to be rather easily capable of graciously accepting this apology. "Father, of course, I accept such a kind and sincerely offered apology," she said offering the man a wide smile though it wasn't honestly for him. Her face turned to Sorin and she gave him the full affect of her completely humored and brightest smile. "Sir Phantomhive, it's been great getting to know you this night, but I regret to say I should be off to bed by now. Forgive this rather abrupt end to our evening, and thank you kindly for seeing to my well-being. You've done me a far kinder service than you know," she said kindly, speaking of course to a great many things, including the present treatment of the Baron Dacian. Her father seemed to wonder when his daughter had become so unassumingly charming. He could have used such information before, but he dared not speak on it for fear of further reprimand and humiliation.

[Bloodedge]

Standing in silence, Sorin observed the struggle this man went through to apologize to his daughter. It was pitiful. The difficulty he showed in voicing these words could not have made it any more obvious that he'd apologized only for fear of Sorin's status. Still, it was at least a step in the right direction for this exact moment, and Sorin felt the sentiment could be appreciated. "A fair start, I suppose. It will do... for now," he mused.

Now that all had been said and done, Kasmina was prepared to part ways with the Viscount. With their impending separation, Sorin took a moment to bypass the Baron and approach the woman. As he had done with their meeting, he bowed and held out his hand to request hers. "My services are always on offer for you, my lady. It was the greatest of pleasures," he said, awaiting the potential offering of her hand. 'What am I saying? I can't be in this woman's presence!' was his following thought.

[Apollymi]

The Baron Dacian managed to look simultaneously abashed and mortified, as Sorin commented on his apology being alright for the time being. Such a look was quite a feat for a man who'd so recently taken to terrorizing the lives of his direct family members, and none more so than his daughter. Even so the maiden known as Kasmina felt a tiny bit happy in this moment and could allow herself to bask in its glory for as long as it lasted. 'Hm, that should be good for a couple of days of quiet perhaps?' she thought as she saw the Viscount Phantomhive approach her once more.

She couldn't help the smile that came to her face as he bowed before her, awaiting a hand that she willingly offered, despite the fact that she knew she should be more cautious. 'You've made it out with your life, the least you could do is act like you want to keep living Mina.' she thought to herself, but even so she allowed herself to be addressed in such a caring way and somewhere deep inside enjoyed the idea that she'd have this man's services if she needed them again. "I will be sure you are at the top of the list, should you be required again. " she mentioned, as she flicked her gaze in her father's direction and offered the man before her a discrete wink, hinting at her meaning. "Though it should go without saying, your company is appreciated regardless of the circumstance," she said before her mind screamed at her once more. 'He's a vampire...' she reminded herself once more. She did this as she waited for something she knew was coming with her offered hand now within the Viscount's own. Her father watched this entire display in minor shock, as if he wasn't a married man himself and had never seen such an interaction, chaste as it may be, before this point. He'd completely missed the reference to himself in his daughter speech and could only think about how he'd use this moment as part of his plan to marry his daughter off to the highest possible taker.

[Bloodedge]

'Surely my services will never be called upon. If they were... I may damn myself.' This train of thought raced through the mind of the vampire across several moments of him screaming within himself. Kasmina had his attention again, and with that, everything he'd been successfully avoiding up to this point was brought resurgence. Greed and lust both aimed to overcome him. He had to hold fast. That was an easy enough task, right? After all, it had been managed for the duration of their time together.

... Wrong.

'Drink,' his mind told him as his lips drew closer to the back of Kasmina's hand. With every millimeter of distance removed, the thought became louder and louder. The blood coursing through her veins was calling to him the way no blood ever had, and as he placed his lips upon her hand, yes...

He could see it. He could smell it! He could taste it! The scent alone had been halted in the back of his throat, giving him some semblance of an idea as to what it would taste like. 'Father, give me strength!' This was maddening! The worst part of it all was not having the slightest idea why he felt this way now, of all times, and toward all people. "I..." Sorin stammered. He had slowly separated his lips from the back of Kasmina's hand, and could feel himself trembling. Snatching himself away, he returned his extremities to the confines of his cape. "Forgive me. I... look forward to our next encounter. Baron. Lady." With each person addressed, Sorin bowed; then, he took a rather hasty leave of this pair. "Our Father's grace, be with you."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina didn't know of this man's internal struggle, but she did know of his kindness. She seemed to argue with herself over reconciling the idea that he was indeed a vampire with the idea that he was also a good man. If she'd known of his struggle, she likely would have made this leap even easier, for to deny ones self something they wanted in such a complete way was about as selfless as this world got. And at present, Sorin was a shining beacon of selflessness. As his lips brushed against the back of her hand, the young woman felt the same rush of energy she had the last time such a thing had taken place. Causing heat to rise to her face, her heart to beat a bit faster. What was it about this man? Was it simply the danger, did she appreciate the gamble? She couldn't quite place it, but something about their interactions stirred something within her. Made her fight against logic and reason. Kasmina's father the Baron Dacian seemed confused by the ordeal, as if there was something here, he didn't quite get, perhaps it was young love, it'd been too long since he'd experienced it himself for him to tell the difference.

But then, just as soon as it had started, it was over and the lad was taking his leave at quite the rapid pace. "And with you," the girl murmured. For some stanch reason, she thought this man could use a prayer, she wouldn't forget him this night. 'I wonder if he is really a vampire... and if he is... is it sacrilege to pray for him?' she internally questioned before pushing it aside. 'It matters not, it isn't as if I have plans to see him. It was simply what should have been said,' she mentally told herself. She found it in herself to be strong, and usher her still stunned father back into the house. "Come father, you should have some tea before bed. You'll catch a cold out here, and that wouldn't be good at all..." the young woman cooed lightly at the adult man who turned to follow her inside. "Yeah, you're probably right... that man is he, one of your suitors?" asked her father, curious as ever. The girl simply shook her head. "I would think not, but... what do I know, I wasn't under the impression that I was allowed to seek my own," she finished up her speech and their night would end as such with the girl doing her duty and taking care of her father, wondering about the Vampires she'd only very recently come to believe in. "If you are seeking Viscounts, who would I be to interfere?" Her father asked this question but it would remain unanswered as she closed the door behind them as they entered their home. It was hardly something she'd willingly discuss with him, given his own behavior. Nor did she feel inclined to mention to him that the Viscount Phantomhive was actually a vampire, for whatever reason, she didn't feel it necessary to sound any alarms. After all, even if he was a vampire, considering what he'd done for her this day, she could call it fair to keep his secret.

Continue the story here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?561-Transylvania-Castlevania&p=7278&viewfull=1#post7278).

[Bloodedge]

Three days after the chance meeting between one Kasmina Elise Dacian and a vampire, the former's family would be receiving a visitor at their doorstep. A male figure of massive proportions traversed the long walkway to the Dacian residence, with a black warhorse in tow. This flawlessly-chiseled hulk of a man sported bronze armor with much open space upon his arms and thighs, and a red cape with golden fur framing his neckline and shoulders. His warhorse was adorned with armor and a saddle of similar make, but what truly stood out about this pair was a feature of the man himself. Even the dazzling glow of amber eyes took a back seat to the burning red hair upon his head and face. This was not the hair of a native. It looked as if the male's head had caught fire, and the flame had spread down either side of his face to meet at his chin, only to then rise up into his bottom lip.

He was a Baron of the Scottish Highlands, who'd been working toward building a new life over the past month or so. Some time ago, he'd received a letter from a Baron of these lands - a man offering his daughter's hand to the highest prospect. At this point in his life, this man needed a ball and chain, so he'd chosen to throw his hat in the ring, so to speak. A mighty knock of his massive right hand would announce an arrival to the residence at last...

[Apollymi]

Some three days after the ill-fated meeting between Kasmina and Sorin, a knock thundered the door of the Dacian Residence. A man stout but well built, one Baron Dacian went to answer assuming his plan to marry his daughter off was finally starting to come into play. He'd heard rumors of a few suitors more willing to approach before and as such he always expected a visit or two per day. So he went to answer the door, while his first born son also contributed to his plans, albeit unknowingly. As the Baron Dacian opened the door, a small boy with dark hair no older than three years went running by the door, his eyes alight with laughter and giggles escaping him as he slipped out the door beside his father, and if one actually looked they would see in his hands a lace bonnet which he'd taken from somewhere else in the house. And someone was giving chase to him.

"Oh? You must be one of the suitors... I'm the Baron Dacian and that was my first born son. Children that age are full of energy, but I am sure you will know all about that eventually." He said stepping outside the door and looking up at the massive war horse. "Fine steed you have there sir, what pray tell is your name?" he asked of the man as the person giving chase to the three year old was soon to make herself known.

Dark lashes framed large green eyes which narrowed at the scene before her. She managed only a quick apology as she slipped by, though those emerald eyes widened greatly when she noticed this man's stature compared to even that of her father. And his rather astonishing contrasting burning red hair. 'That man is old enough to be my father! And huge! For once I hope he's poor...' she thought to herself as she didn't want anything to do with what she was seeing. Even so, she managed to hold her face and keep for the prize she actually needed at the moment given the requests for appropriate dress from her father. "Apologies, sirs. I have a baby to catch. Cosmin! Return my bonnet at once!" the young woman chimed. As a trail of long dark locks followed her otherwise perfectly dressed body out of the door and she chased down this child with all the energy of a young person and a smile on her face. Though she didn't like her present life situation, she did love her little brother quite a bit and as she chased the boy out into the grasses she was apparently content to play with him once she finally caught him, there while her father carried on whatever conversation he meant to. "And that, was my daughter. Normally more charming than that, but... she's always a bit freer when playing with her younger brother. Plenty of experience with small children, as you can see..." the man was speaking of the girl like he was aiming to spark extra interest her looks alone wouldn't garner.

[Bloodedge]

A patient wait was not long for this man. Little time passed before his knocking received a response from the man of the house himself. In this very moment, a young boy came running through the open door. The Scotsman shifted himself out of the way with a couple of light steps. His gaze fell upon this boy in passing. It seemed the child had taken something not his, and run off with it. "Ho, where ye goin', wee waen?" he spoke through a chortle, in a voice that was shockingly high-octave for his brutish appearance. The man's attention bounced then, reaching his fellow Baron. "Top o' the mornin' tae ye. I be the Baron Gregor MacLaird, come tae take ye up on yer offer... somethin' aboot..."

Gregor's statement came to an abrupt end. This was the fault of the second individual to come bursting through the door. This one, though, was in pursuit of the child. It was none other than the very woman he'd come to negotiate for. Her hair was notably the most outstanding thing to meet Gregor's gaze, but a quick inspection let him believe her to be capable of healthy child-birthing. Her interactions with the small lad brought a gentle smile to an otherwise stonelike face. "Aye, a man is always wantin' fer a fiesty bonnie li'ah'. No mere wench, that lassy."

[Apollymi]

"Oh so you are one of the suitors. It's a pleasure making your acquaintance," said the Baron Dacian. He couldn't have planned a better scene than the one unfolding before the man so obviously interested in his daughter. He took note with keen eye of the appraisal of his eldest child as she ran past chasing her young brother out into the grasses, as well as the smile on the man's face as the girl played with the boy. "She's quite a beauty, huh? Lively and clever, just like her mother, she's got the interest of half the town by now... yourself included sir." he mentioned of the girl who he'd gone through the trouble of making sure everyone knew who she was and what was at stake here.

Kasmina instead of thinking too hard about this situation found herself sitting on the ground with her younger brother who still had a hold of her bonnet. She picked several flowers for him and offered him those in exchange for the bonnet, which he soon handed over for something new. "So much like father are you not, Cosmin?" she said to the boy. Who looked a bit confused played with the flowers for all of a few seconds while the girl put her hair away in the bonnet she'd sought after. A few seconds later, the baby looked at his sister with grey eyes and offered her the flowers instead, sticking them into lines behind her ears. And as such they played. "Well well, already better at sharing than Father. Might have a bit more hope for you yet, Cosmin. You've earned yourself an extra treat, keeping me out of earshot of whatever giant man that is..." she said as she stood finally. "Of course, we have to play the interested potential wife don't we? We should say hello and see if father's previous chastising will let us observe a bit more directly," she whispered to the boy who seemed happy his sister was speaking to him. Her hair put away she reached for the small boy who climbed up into her arms. She walked back towards the front door with the child practically latched on to her person, and moved about.

"Father, if you are going to entertain guests you should have them in for tea at least. The sitting room is ready and the maid is bringing tea," she said in open offer to the man before her. Her father took this moment to make an introduction. "Of course, Kasmina, where are my manners? This man is Baron MacLaird. He's come with interest in you. Nice man, just moved here from... Scotland, by that accent," said her father who was a decently well traveled man due to his own business experience. "I see. It's a pleasure to meet you Baron MacLaird," the girl offered as she extended the hand which wasn't occupied holding the small lad at her side. This was a matter of politeness which she always extended in front of her Father regardless of her own feelings on the matter. Flowers now decorating the hair still visible around her face from her bonnet the girl gave the man full view of her piercing emerald gaze before moving inside. "Father would you like me to join you after I get Cosmin settled back in the house?" she asked the man and surprisingly enough it got her a gentle nod. "Of course, Kasmina, I expect a little tea and chat with Baron MacLaird is in order. Come on in sir, have a seat and enjoy a bit of hospitality. You can leave the horse for a few moments, our stable boy will come look after her." offered the Baron Dacian who was surprised his daughter showed any interest in speaking with this man. Kasmina of course, wasn't at all interested, but figured playing along would get her easy access to her father's thoughts on the matter. Her poker face of previous days had returned with a vengeance, and her own feelings were kept close to her chest.

[Bloodedge]

"An' my pleasure anaw, mister Dacian," Gregor replied. It seemed he was but one of many suitors for this man's daughter. This was to be expected, now that he'd witnessed Kasmina, and her father seemed to be an apt spokesman for her even in his letters. A few moments later, the woman returned with her bonnet donned, and the child in tow. Baron Dacian decided to introduce him then, drawing attention to his homeland in the process. "Aye, the Scottish Highlands. Fine place, that. Came up as a farmhand for my da, bless him. Lots'a sheep been wrangled by these arms, I tell ye."

Immediately following introductions and a brief explanation of his own raising, Gregor was offered the physical hand of the potential bride. As chivalry dictated, he was to take it into his own, and he did exactly that. "Pleasure's all mine, hen," he said only a second prior to his lips making contact with the relatively tiny hand of Kasmina. "And a pleasure to meet you, wee barra!" Gregor's hand, upon leaving that of Kasmina, reached out to cup itself over the head of the young Cosmin. In spite of the pure size and bulk this man boasted, his touch was gentle. Of course, it paled in its gentleness when compared to the almost effeminate touch of a certain vampire, but such should likely be the norm. "Cosmin, was it? You'll be a fine man one day, laddie!" When his hand left the boy's crown, Gregor's other hand released the reins of the warhorse, whom he'd been assured would be taken care of upon his entry to the Dacian home. A simple pet of the beast ensued, after which Gregor took it upon himself to pass the threshold into the residence. "Many thanks. I put my faith in yer boy. I've ne'er seen a steed finer than ol' Duff. Named her when I was just a lad meself. Thought she was a lad back then! Ain't that a hoot?"

[Apollymi]

Kasmina had her hand taken by the Baron MacLaird and she found his hand to be massive. Even when approximating his size before this moment, she was nothing but astounded that this man managed to go anywhere or do anything considering how large he was. Even so, she found his hand to be surprisingly gentle as he took her extended hand and pressed his lips against the back of the flesh found there. She couldn't call the experience soul changing, but she definitely expected a bit more gruffness than the man present. 'Gentle giant... farmhand become Baron. An intriguing story, but there is nothing there. Sir Phantomhive seemed to stir my very soul, perhaps it was only the danger?' she thought as she looked towards the man with a gentle gaze, still keeping to herself all her thoughts. Her little brother on the other hand seemed to be very amused by all the attention he was getting. And let out an audible giggle at the hand placed atop his head, and his grey eyes seemed to be alight with joy soon after as he was addressed directly by name even by the man with the strange accent. "I believe, Cosmin likes you or at the very least the attention," she said as the blushing boy continued to giggle as the man's hand was lifted. Kasmina took this opportunity to step into the house with the child she was holding. "I'll return in a few moments father, Sir Maclaird," A small curtsy would ensue before Kasmina disappeared into the house with the boy who waved over her shoulder at the men as they left.

On the matter of the war house, a small stable boy appeared from the side of the house and took the reins offered. He nodded his appreciation as the pair of men disappeared into the house. A large laugh came from Baron Dacian as he shared a similar experience with the man and his irresponsible horse naming. "That's quite funny, I understand the feeling. It's really easy to do such things when you are young, sir." said the Baron as he lead the man to one of the more comfortable sitting rooms within the estate. Within was a maid who'd recently rolled in a cart with some tea and cakes upon it. She then bowed out and left leaving the room with it's three chairs for this man and the Baron Dacian. "Please have a seat," offered the man. "Anything you wish to tell me before Kasmina returns, I am... listening, of course," the Baron Dacian was quite good at pitching his daughter. And leading customers into a buy, he was of course, interested in seeing what this man was willing to offer for his daughter's hand. And was more than willing to marry her off if the deal was sweet enough.

[Bloodedge]

"Aye, take yer time, bonnie. Your pa is plenty company in the meantime," Gregor said to the raven-haired woman during her journey to put away the child. During his wait, he seated himself in the room Baron Dacian guided him to. There was a single reason he'd come here, but with the other Baron asking if there was anything he wished to share, he thought there were a few things of note that could be mentioned. "Aye..." he spoke hesitantly. Whatever it was he had to say, it was rather disturbing information.

Several seconds of silence passed, and Gregor finally spoke again. "I'll be honest with ye... I'm not just here to find a lass. My da was killed years ago by bloody vampires. Been huntin' them ever since. I came 'ere to make a new life, but that's just the start. I planned on havin' a couple of bairns and gettin' back to the hunt. I didnae want to rush a wedding, but I saw somethin' that makes me feel like I need ta get right back into the hunt."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina seemed to find something strange about how this man spoke. She thought about it more and sincerely hoped she wasn't forced to marry him, as she could barely understand what he was saying and found some of his words to be strange. 'Would it be odd to ask what 'bonnie' could mean? I assume it's something nice... but you can never be too certain,' she thought as she took the baby into the kitchens fetching him some sweet bread which he ate before she took him to his room so he could play. His own mother was here was well and the boy seemed happy enough to join her and share his treat. The girl spent only a moment here before she allowed herself to leave this room.

Meanwhile, her father was quite taken aback by the information he was receiving from this man. "Your father was killed by a vampire? Christ in heaven that is scary news. Never seen anything like that, though my great-grandfather was said to have known a great terror of vampires in the area. I don't think many believe in them presently. Though I suppose hunting down creatures who prey upon humans is honest work." said the Baron Dacian. "Still if you are wanting to rush a wedding for reasons like that. I have to wonder what kind of life you intend to set up for your potential future wife?" a few seconds after this was spoken, Kasmina returned to the room. "Father, Sir MacLaird," she greeted both and took her seat to have tea with a smile. Her father also did this. "Daughter, so kind of you to join us, you'd do well to listen to what this man says, since you insist on running about at night, it seems by trade this Baron is a vampire hunter," her father mentioned this made Kasmina's brows draw together. 'Vampire Hunter? These are things really?!' the girl thought curiously, still a huge grin spread across her face. Her same cool demeanor came up as she sipped. "Sincerely father, you think to continue trying to scare me with old tales I am not so easily scared. That can't be true," the girl said, sharing her general disbelief with the room at large. This was about what her father expected but he was also curious about what else this man would say to help protect his daughter. Though the Baron Dacian worried less about vampires and more about the trouble she could potentially get into with boys. If she could be scared into not making random trips at night that would be quite a relief to him.

[Bloodedge]

"A vampire, aye. He was mindin' his own on the farm one night, and it came out of nowhere. I'd like to say there were heroics involved, but there's no such thing in front of those monsters." As they spoke of Gregor's life as a hunter of vampires, Kasmina returned. Gregor took this moment to pick up his own teacup. He felt it was only respectful to wait until she was here and ready before he even reached for his, as a way to return whatever hospitality he could while here.

Upon Kasmina's arrival, the girl's father warned her to heed Gregor's words. She had apparently taken to nighttime activities, which was not something Gregor would recommend of anyone in an area such as this. Apparently, Kasmina was in disbelief of vampires. It was strange that one would think this. As Gregor knew, this place was very close to the old home of the infamous Count Dracula, once Vlad Tepes of Wallachia. The first and most powerful vampires had come from here, and it was their influence that spread other creatures of the night across other areas of the world over the past few generations. Gregor understood those in disbelief back home, but not here. "Ye don't believe? Ye should. Vampires are real as the clothes on yer back, and they'll be upon ye just as quick as ye can curse them for it. Took my da from me, they did, and that was a lesser one. If ye be goin' out at night, don't go alone. Just a few nights ago, a woman from around these parts was bitten by a stronger bloodsucker than I e'er seen. These vampires, when they suck a person dry, make a ghoul. Strong ones don't have to, though... they can suck the very soul out of ye with those nasty fangs, and there won't be none left of ye. There's no blessin' the soul o' that lass. That's why I came here; I can't rightly leave this world without an heir."

Now that this tangent was over, Gregor sighed and sipped the tea he'd been so graciously offered. He found it delectable, but there was still the matter of Baron Dacian's question regarding his daughter. Of course, Gregor had some intentions. It was only right that the father of his potential bride be informed before anything was done. "I don't plan on dyin', mind you. I just want to rid the world of this menace, but I'd be a fine husband to your lass. I managed to pick up a good bit of property here in Sibiu, but that's nothin' compared to what da left me back home. Of course, I'd be willin' to part with all of that to take care of yer family. It's roundabout the size o' this town."

[Apollymi]

Her father was nodding about whatever this man had to say. She didn't know the full extent to what they were discussing but as the topic of discussion switch to vampires, and her own apparent disbelief she seemed to find it rather stunning. 'Really? He found the body of that woman the other night then I take it... the Lord Phantomhive should be more careful...' she thought to herself. 'Perhaps I should tell him, considering it is a fair exchange for him helping to shut down my father so completely the other night,' she thought to herself as the man spoke on the various powers and abilities of these supposed vampires she should believe in. Of course, it wasn't that Kasmina didn't believe in vampires completely, she simply had no reason to assume any such thing was ever something to worry about in her own case. Beyond this, she couldn't really believe that Sorin Phantomhive had done anything like removing a woman's soul from her body, after all this man said prayers and uttered religious things surely he couldn't be that sort of person?

"Did you say you own a property as large as this town?" her father asked, though his tone was calm, Kasmina looked over her tea cup and could see his excitement. 'And just like that he climbs to number one suitor, father's got no face for gambling. It's a wonder he didn't lose everything after mother died,' she thought as if she could see the man's thoughts about the place where Gregor had come from. The fact that the man had all but offered him all of the property made it seem to the girl that she'd end up married to this gentle giant without being able to say much of anything about it. Still she had to play along like an interested party, and so she did, choosing this time to hunt for information about vampires, as it was probably the last time she'd be able to question it without revealing what she knew in any way. "Well when you say it like that, I feel like I must be more vigilant. I had no reason to believe before as such a thing bears generally the sounds of wives tales and whispered forgotten secrets. But, with your first hand experience sir, I can hardly choose willful ignorance," she said as she sipped more tea and went on to ask a question. "Sir, what all do you expect I should do to avoid these creatures, besides not being out alone at night? How will I know if I encounter this vampire?" she asked, seemingly curious about his work and making sure to look out for her own safety. Of course, her father saw this as a proper change of pace for the lass, only further showing the greed he felt in the matter.

[Bloodedge]

Baron Dacian had picked up on Gregor's mention of his property. This was a good thing to note, as he was very keen on leaving said property behind him. "I do. My da, Laird, inherited it from his da, and his da before. Where I'm from, the name Laird means landowner. Rightly so, it is. Still... I'd just as soon get rid of it all, what with all the bad memories it brings up. Got to keep me head clear to do the Lord's work and clear out the vampire menace." True enough, Gregor had long since resolved himself to wipe out the vampire race with his own hands, if necessary. He knew there were many other hunters before him, but if he could contribute to the cause in any way before his passing, his only complaint at the end would be not having an heir.

Kasmina, at the very least, seemed to take some interest in what he had to say. As far as Gregor was concerned, it was curiosity well-used for the sake of one's continued existence in this poor, ravenous world. If it was information she sought, he'd be glad to give her all he knew. "Well, I'd be a poor man to advise never goin' out at night again. There are some precautions ye can take. These bloodsuckers all have different allergic reactions to things ye can find layin' around here. Garlic and anythin' silver can stave 'em off from bitin' ye, but that won't do on the good ones. Ye want something blessed. Holy water works best, but a simple cross'll do fine. If, God forbid, ye wanna kill one... ye want a wooden stake to drive through the heart. Just remember to never look one in the eye. If they be strong enough, they'll latch onto yer mind and make ye a slave."

[Apollymi]

Her father's eyes widened lavishly at the idea that this man's family owned much of the land where he was from. Enough of it, that even his name was connected to it. It was impressive to say the least, though he found it strange that the man was willing to give all of it up just to settle into a life of killing things that stalked in the night. "I can't say I understand your motivations, but such an offering is worthy of my daughter's hand, lord willing a better offer doesn't come up," the man said. Such was the sort of thing Kasmina's father would say as he tried to make sure he could get as much out of this deal as possible. After all, at present Kasmina was his only daughter and he didn't know if he'd have any more children any time soon, with his son being so young.

Meanwhile Kasmina managed to look quite engrossed in what Gregor had to say. She was at the very least interested because it allowed her to compare this information to what she'd seen from the man she'd encountered on the night of the full moon. 'Didn't bother with garlic, seemed unaffected by silver. My ring is pure silver and he took my hand, with no obvious problems a couple of times even...' she thought to herself. That seemed like the sort of thing which would lead one to believe that if Viscount Phantomhive was actually a vampire he was likely one of the strong ones the man before her was warning her against. At the mention of holy items the girl's eyes widened, of course, it would go without saying that if a holy item were to work, she didn't think it would on this particular man, especially not considering he spoke of god himself and conferred blessings to her at the end of the night. She supposed there was no harm in keeping a cross on her person but, she could hardly see a reason for it. 'Blessed items, perhaps they work on lowly creatures, but what if he is something more?' she thought as the final thing was spoken by this man.

Who seemed to be under the impression that vampires could somehow ensnare victims with their eyes. And this made her wonder if that wasn't how this man had come to have the meal of the woman he'd killed before they'd properly met. 'I suppose being able to lull a victim into a false sense of security is to be expected. But I made eye contact with him constantly over the course of the night, and I never felt unlike myself,' she completed her thoughts. By all rights what was said confirmed any lingering suspicious about the nature of the Viscount Phantomhive, even so, she believed him a good and righteous man, even more so because he'd apparently had the power to do whatever he'd wanted to her and had refrained. With this in mind she had all the information she needed to feel confident in her decision to warn him of this vampire hunter who might pose him a problem or two at some point. "Thank you for informing me, Sir MacLaird. I will of course, do my best to remain vigilant and aware of my surroundings. I doubt I am the type to hunt a vampire or anything like that... such activities should be left to professionals such as yourself. But I appreciate your honesty in this matter, and pray I never have to put such information to good use," she said offering the man a smile. She really was grateful and it wasn't as if he was the worst man she'd ever met. Beyond this it gave her the opening she'd wanted to return a kindness shown to her by the Viscount Phantomhive. "That's my prized daughter, always curious and gracious. I'd rather hold off on accepting the offer just now, Baron MacLaird. You know, give the idea some time to settle and all of that..." said the Baron Dacian. Of course, this man was miles above any other in the area as far as what he had to offer, and given this the Baron Dacian had all but decided. He only avoided immediate confirmation because business had taught him to leave a potential customer dangling for just a little while would often sweeten the deal in anticipation.

[Bloodedge]

A few additional sips of tea followed Gregor's speech. He didn't expect Sir Dacian to understand his reasons for wanting to be rid of his land in Scotland. For years now, that home had only caused him additional pain and suffering. He hoped his new life here would create more pleasant memories, but only time and perseverance would allow him to know for certain. At the very least, he could now be content in knowing he was deemed worthy to have this man's daughter as his bride, provided no better suitor came along before Baron Dacian decided to finalize this deal.

More importantly, there was the matter of Kasmina's dealings with the night, and her seemingly newfound wariness of nightstalkers. With her voiced prayer, Gregor lowered his own teacup to place a hand over his heart, and join her in the sentiment. "I'll keep ye in my prayers as well, hen. Same goes for all of ye here. I never thought even Transylvania could be so bad aboot these vampires. Must be the remains of that Dracula still plaguin' the land."

[Apollymi]

Though this man's speech was hard to understand, Kasmina was at least able to get the sentiment in his words. She didn't know of Dracula or anything about what of his could plague this land. After all, she was under 20 years of age, and tales of Dracula occurred a few generations ago. Much could be lost to time and beyond that she didn't know if her city of choice had a 'vampire menace' as the man had put it. The girl smiled to the man and bowed her head, soon after she'd take the last sip of her tea and stand giving a small curtsy to the group at large. "It was a pleasure meeting you Baron MacLaird, but if you'll excuse me, I shall be taking my leave now," she said as went to make her exit from this place. Their business had all but concluded so her father was less stressed than he could have been. Even so, the Baron Dacian couldn't help but wonder where his daughter was off to. "Daughter, you're leaving again?" he asked, it was the middle of the day so there was less to fear overall, but she was liable to be gone well into the night depending on the activity she chose. A smile came to the young woman's face as she paused at the door.

"I figured with all this talk of vampires it was better to show at least a bit of caution. Hendryck sent over the mare he offered as a present to me, so I was going for a ride to familiarize myself with her. I figured it'd be better for all if I didn't wait too late. If it's alright with you father..." she said as if she was asking permission, the same look of neutrality on her face that she'd managed to hold. Unlike her father, she could see this room and knew such a simple activity would be more than enough to explain away her suddenness of her leaving. And this small act of submission and the tiniest bit of information, would allow her to leave without it being an ordeal. "Oh yes, I forgot you said he gave you mare. Go ahead then, enjoy your ride, and do be careful." said her father in earnest, before looking to the Baron MacLaird. "Girl is adventurous at least, but it's all in good fun, one of the children of the other Baron in the area raises horses. He heard that her favored one died and sent over a prize one for her... kind boy." said the man as if to further stir the pot a bit. Meanwhile, if no further interruptions were to take place, Kasmina was head to the stables for the horse she wished to ride, and disembark towards the estate belonging to one Sorin Phantomhive forthwith.

[Bloodedge]

At this point, his prayers were all he could offer to anyone in this household. At least, that was the case if the concern was keeping them out of vampire-related dangers. Gregor knew this land did not suffer from as many different things as his homeland; they had few, if any werebeasts at all. On the other hand, the severity of the vampire threat was yet unknown. He'd have to find out for himself what sort of dangers one should look out for, but in his experience, one powerful vampire always meant a cult of them. "Don't fret much, either of ye. I'll lop off the head of whatever bloodsucker's in charge 'round 'ere. That'll cripple the rest of 'em."

With Kasmina departing, Gregor tipped an imaginary hat to the woman. It was Baron Dacian who spoke on the matter of her adventurous nature. Frankly, it reminded Gregor of how others close to him would be in his old home, before the vampire menace properly reached Scotland. The red-haired man's words would, however, regard the gift horse Kasmina had apparently required in recent times. "Ah, nothin' like a trusty steed to forge a bond! I'd best be makin' my way anaw," he said while rising from his seat, preparing to depart shortly after Kasmina. "I'll be in touch, Baron. Got to make sure I'm able to keep a strong offer on the table."

Continue the story here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?561-Transylvania-Castlevania&p=7305&viewfull=1#post7305).

[Apollymi]

After her daylight horseback ride away from the dwelling she called her home, Kasmina would be returning to her home on the back of that same horse, a completely black steed called Midnight. Her day had been one of great clarity and confusion but she'd enjoyed her horse ride nonetheless. Surprisingly enough, though it was after dark the girl didn't return alone nor had her ride back taken nearly as long as her ride out. The crisp night air danced across her face as her mind filled with dread, as she knew the hearty steps of her father even without supernatural abilities from outside the door. The girl's father, miffed as always about her late return, swung open the door of their house, with a great creaking, to see the girl before she dismounted her horse. "Kasmina! You claimed to be back before nightfall, what is it you've been doing this time?" the man claimed to want to know. As usual whenever the girl returned to her home after dark, her father had a problem with it. It seemed to be the case more so as he'd already negotiated the girl's marriage in all but actual acceptance of it. He couldn't have the Scotsman withdrawing his offer because of the girl's wanderlust. The girl's emerald eyes turned towards her father and she said nothing immediately, no she waited for she figured this night would be very much full of surprises.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, the young lady Dacian did not ride alone for her journey back to her place of residence, as she had upon leaving. For the second time in life, as well as in recent days, she would be found in the company of the vampire Sorin. He rode in on the back of a mare whose fur painted a picture of the midnight sky with its shiny coat. Upon reaching the residence, he could smell the approach of Kasmina's father beyond the door. It was strange. Kasmina, beyond her bodily scent of lilac and gooseberries, bore blood which surpassed the appeal of the rarest flower, or the sweetest fruit. The Baron Dacian was very different from this. His blood now smelled of meat taken from a sickly lamb, sat next to a glass of milk left to spoil. It was repulsive. Sorin couldn't begin to fathom the stark difference between father and child at this very moment, but he felt they weren't as different before as they were now. The visiting Scotsman had woken something within the Baron.

Sorin had abandoned his horse prior to the Baron's appearance, and walked beside it as Kasmina dismounted hers. In the meantime, the woman's father rose to question another late return home by her. "My apologies again, Sir Dacian. I am afraid your daughter was once again in my care. We meant to return sooner, but I take full responsibility for underestimating the distance betwixt Castlevania and your humble abode. Even riding horseback could not ensure a timely return."

[Apollymi]

At this moment, as Kasmina finally dismounted her horse, the man who'd ridden with her back here, spoke to her angry father about her apparent tardiness. Though the green-eyed beauty knew well it wasn't about her well-being at this point but simply about the image and greed her father wished to uphold, the speech of the Count of Castlevania seemed to lull the man back just a bit. The Baron Dacian seemed to find it a bit strange that the girl would be found in this man's presence twice, and though he jokingly mentioned the girl could do what she wanted days ago, he hadn't expected this turn of events a second time. "Oh? Lord Phantomhive, once again returning in my daughter's company," it seemed the Baron Dacian looked strangely upon the blossoming friendship between these two.

"Of course, I thank you for returning her. But I do find your secondary visit here to be more than a bit odd, sir. The girl is practically betrothed," said the Baron, whose given name was Costel but chose to be addressed as such, even within his own home. This was quite different than what Kasmina expected. Her father had tripped all over himself before in this man's presence. Perhaps the Scotsman had awoken something within her father that helped him find the less than savory parts of his personality. Whatever the case the young lass looked at the man with not a hint of her thoughts showing on her face. "Oh? Settled on that one did you, father?" asked the girl with meek curiosity. "He's a strong man, with a good offer on the table, I'd be a fool not to accept it..." said the man. This led Kasmina to inwardly scoff, 'He's twice my age, his words are barely intelligible and his work is dangerous. Father you are far too easy to understand. Hm,' she thought, but he hadn't accepted it. He knew this deep in his mind, it was simply trying to fish out what this lad's interest in his daughter was, for lands or things in his home land of equal or greater value would make the Scotsman's offer seem dull and dreary. But a Viscount wasn't likely to simply want to marry his daughter, and if that wasn't the case, then the lad should be discouraged from further interactions with her.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course, Sir Dacian," he replied while giving a light bow, crossing his right arm over his chest as he did so. The Baron thought it was odd that he'd be found in the company of Kasmina a second time, but more importantly, he thought it was pertinent to mention her virtual engagement at the time. This was of no consequence to the Count. He would see to it that this marriage did not happen. He was now here to claim his betrothed.

As he rose from his bow, Sorin met this man with his gaze. It was time now to make his purpose known. "Practically betrothed indeed. That, good sir, is why I stand before you this very moment. I would see the Lady Kasmina wed to me, instead. What say you?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed this young man had something to say to Baron Dacian and bowed in greeting. Of course, Kasmina remained as well, if only to see her father's reaction and because she had been present the last time such a thing had been said. Still surprise was bound to run itself across the face of the Baron Dacian who was taken aback by the idea that this man wished to marry his daughter. He was not of his own choosing and as such he found it to be quite strange. Though there was obviously something unseen going on between Sir Phantomhive and his daughter Kasmina the man could only think of how such a thing could benefit him. 'Viscount marrying my daughter, I could get land and a title attached to her name... if he has at least a sizable offer it will be worthwhile to consider,' thought the man as the light of greed took over his eyes.

"You wish to marry my daughter, instead? Well if such a thing were possible it'd have to come with a heavy price. The Baron MacLaird offered me all of his lands in Scotland enough to fill even this town," said the Baron whose greed was obviously getting the better of him. Of course, Kasmina fully expected this, but it still took all in her power to not scoff at the pettiness of such an endeavor. "If something more substantial is an offer, then I could likely give you her hand instead. Your title is greater and as such is more beneficial," said the man who seemed to be thinking of this strictly in terms of what this could get him. All present likely understood this, except for the Baron himself, Kasmina would simply be happy to be wed to someone she actually fancied.

[Bloodedge]

Much to Sorin's expectation, and to his disgust, the Baron took this opportunity to try and squeeze every little droplet of benefit from this proposal. Sorin could not believe one could be so taken by avarice. A man had come to offer him more land than should be given away, and still, he sought more where possible. Now, Sorin understood completely why this man's blood smelled so foul tonight. He was already becoming fed up with this behavior. "... Pardon me," he said while stepping forward. A few steps led him past the other male, and into the house. Sorin did not stop moving until he reached the house's sitting room, and once there, he seated himself. A few glances around the inside of the building occurred during his trip to this seat, and as he crossed his right leg over his left, he also placed his hands in his lap. "What a lovely home you have. Costel Dacian, wasn't it? Did you happen to have another daughter before this one? Perhaps you traded her away for this place."

[Apollymi]

After begging pardon, apparently Sorin was content to walk into the dwelling and straight past the man. "Sir you overstep, a Viscount while outranking to just invite himself into my home is far too much. No matter your interest in my daughter..." the man said. Of course, that was all that the man got to say, Kasmina also came inside as her father followed the other man inside and too the sitting room. Within the sitting room the young Viscount seemed to have taken a seat and gone on to address the man by his name and speak of his home and apparent greed all at once. "Sir, the Count will hear of this. How dare you come into my home and say such things to me?!" the man said having the gall to be offended by his speech. He didn't realize the hypocrisy of his statements as he was trying to trade his daughter exactly for material possessions. Still Kasmina was curious enough to see how this would turn out to find herself sitting in the same seat that she'd been in before.

[Bloodedge]

Sorin sat with a regal aura surrounding him, befitting of a prince. While he was indeed the prince of the night, by all technicality, he felt quite comfortable upholding himself this way while preparing to tear this Baron's sins limb from limb in the confines of his own home. "I have overstepped nothing. If anything, I could easily say you have stepped over your boundaries as a father, and as a man," he said. He came with the intention of offering this man something, but he had not known exactly how far the Baron's greed had taken him. For this behavior, Sorin found the man deserving of... nothing.

Apparently, the Count was to hear about Sorin's attitude. The vampire found this laughable... Hilarious, even. He could not resist the guffaw which emerged from deep within in his chest. "Will he? My good sir, I'm afraid your greed has resulted in you being without information regarding affairs of the state. The Count already has the information you wish to share with him. Perhaps it is the future Countess you wish to address with your concerns?" he asked while shifting his gaze to Kasmina.

[Apollymi]

"As a man, well I never!" the Baron Dacian who seemed to be internally fuming as blood rushed to his face in the most angry of moments. Still even as she watched this unfold, Kasmina had a slightly bemused look on her face. She sat up with a great deal of dignity as well watching the changes in her father's face as it was stated that the Count already knew of the activity. This of course was interpreted to mean that Sorin himself had recently been made count without the knowledge of the Baron, not that he was ever given much information about those of higher rank than him to begin with.

If the man was simply fuming before he was now furious, and when it was mentioned that his daughter was soon to be Countess and that he should take up his complaints with her he looked at the girl who seemed as innocent as a freshly born babe. Sorin's look to Kasmina didn't go unnoticed by the young woman who took a small bit of glee from the situation. Her father seemed to think over the approach if only for a moment but didn't let go of his indignation at the comments of the Count Sorin, knowing full well he could do nothing to the man about his commentary given his status. He had no choice but confer with his daughter about the situation at hand. "Daughter you aim to be Countess, and would let your future husband speak to me like that?! I'm your father..." he stated caused a smile to appear on the girl's face, she found it amusing that he would try and claim his fatherhood as a reason she should stand up for him in this moment.

Kasmina wasn't necessarily a spiteful person at heart, but in this moment, she saw the need for a fitting answer to the man's inquiry. "Father, though you might be, that does not change the nature of this situation. I aim not to become Countess, though I am quite enthralled by the idea of being Lord Phantomhive's wife, which should be the information of greatest importance. In all fairness to the Count Phantomhive, he mentioned interest in marrying me and you were rude first, by not inviting the man inside, and offering tea. This could have been a cordial conversation about the welfare of your eldest daughter and is not by your own doing. Such is hardly befitting of a man with the title of Baron, nor particularly befitting of a father aiming to secure a marriage for said daughter..." she mentioned with the utmost calm, aiming to completely shut down her father in this moment. Her father looked at her blankly in this moment as if she'd become a different person in a matter of seconds. He didn't recall this girl possessing this much charm or eloquence in speech before. He opened his mouth and closed it several times the red hue to his face never wavering. In this moment Kasmina couldn't tell whether her father was simply embarrassed or severely angry. "I... you... ugh..." the man managed but this only made Kasmina look to him with unwavering emerald green eyes. "Father take a moment before you speak again, you would not want to behave rashly and cause a further decline in this conversation." As those words left Kasmina's mouth it seemed her father was at a loss for words completely. He would stand unmoving for several moments without knowing what to say or do, his mind a mass of confusion about the situation unfolding before him.

[Bloodedge]

"Everything in this world has once seen its first time, mister Dacian." Sorin was content to leave the rest of this discussion to Kasmina for some time. She seemed satisfied enough to have this moment of power over her father, which was enough for him. She even managed to force him to a stutter. This was an amusing thing to behold; he never imagined seeing the Baron in such a state. During his wait, Sorin hummed a light tune to pass the time. All the while, he smirked at the turn of events befalling Baron Dacian. This mortal truly was being driven to a very pitiful state.

Eventually, Sorin saw a point in the discussion where he could comfortably return to speaking. While sir Dacian struggled to find words of response to his daughter, the vampire inserted himself. "Sir Dacian... Your daughter will be my bride, come Sunday. If you make any attempts to hastily marry her off to the Scotsman between now and then, you will be made to understand a fury the likes of which one such as yourself cannot fathom. I will offer you nothing in return, but I dare not leave the boy with nothing to his name bar what you've managed to scrape up. He will receive land with men to till it, a great deal of livestock, and... I may name him my Viscount when he comes of age."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina's father seemed to be at a complete loss, but as the Count spoke up once more he made the claim that he would give nothing for the hand of his daughter. Going so far as to point out the man's propensity for trying to act shadily and threatened massive harm should he decide to try and marry the woman off before the day of their supposed wedding. This man looked at the other sitting within the sitting room and looked completely baffled, and surprisingly just a little scared. How attached could this man have gotten to his daughter in three days that he was willing to threaten so much for such a thing? Was he willing to risk himself just to find out? The answer to both of these questions was a resounding no, if this man wanted his daughter so badly he could have her. Though he offered the man nothing, he would apparently set the boy up with a solid livelihood when he was of age. What was he to say in response to a statement like that. Which did exactly what he wanted, but cut him out of the deal entirely? 'A Dacian Viscount? I dare not damn the boy...' he thought, as a sigh escaped him. Apparently having chosen his favorite among his children some three years ago. Still he could barely form a sentence. His shoulders hunched and he seemed a bit defeated. At the very least, he could continue on living the way he had been and win the favor of his son further, even without his daughter around anymore.

"I understand..." he said his head bowed in shame. "Thank you for your kindness in consideration of my son. I will do nothing to interfere with the wedding, you have my word." said the man which was quite a surprising thing to hear. Though Kasmina herself was still wary of her father's rather sudden change in opinion, because she knew the man to be without stopping point for his greed. Whatever the case she could take this momentary victory knowing there would be plenty of time to foil any further plans for his greed. "If... you'll excuse me. I should be going to bed. Do not stay up too late, Kasmina..." the man gave bow and lumbered off into his house, to his own study and not his bedroom. Apparently he felt quite defeated this day and could do nothing more than hide away from his shame. After watching her father walk away there was nothing more than a smile on the young woman's face. "Well... that surprisingly took much less than I figured it would. That is a rather generous gift to my younger brother, thank you," she said of what he offered to Cosmin.

[Bloodedge]

"You needn't thank me on behalf of your son, sir Dacian. I would do anything within my power to see to the well-being of my betrothed's family. The boy, especially, has done nothing to cross me or anyone else. He will be cared for as he deserves to be," Sorin commented to specify his intentions while clearing any debt this man may have thought he owed the Count. With Costel retreating to his study, Sorin allowed his grin to fade momentarily. "Very well. We will be wed on Sunday."

Baron Dacian was no longer present in the sitting room, and since he wasn't, it was high time for Sorin's departure. He stood, stepping toward Kasmina and extending his hand to await hers. Should she provide it, he would once again kiss the back of her hand - something their meeting earlier this night had not allowed. With this, would come his farewell. "It is my honor to see the boy's future be a bright one. I'll be taking my leave of this place now. We will meet again on Sunday. A messenger will be sent tomorrow with the location and other necessary things. I'll see to the acquisition of a dress tailored to your preference as well. My messenger will take you to the seamstress."

[Apollymi]

The Baron Dacian was gone, and now the Count Phantomhive was standing before Kasmina again with hand extended. She took no time at all allowing hers to meet his in a way they hadn't met earlier for reasons of urgency. After his lips met the back of her hand he went on to explain that he intended to take care of the arrangements for her younger brother in the future and for the wedding more immediately. The news that he'd be sending her to a seamstress was rather interesting, but she wouldn't turn down new clothing and the like as it was something she was sure she'd enjoy quite a bit. "Then I will see you Sunday," she said having already agreed to marry this man it still seemed odd to her that this was going to take place of her own accord. She couldn't even think that she resented this in any way which is much the way she expected to feel about marriage. In this moment she was allowed a bit of happiness and as such she'd enjoy it.

After seeing Sorin to the door the pair would part for the day. The next day she would be within the household of her father, the man still locked within his study, no doubt drowning his own sorrows. Kasmina herself seemed to be waiting just as she thought she should for whatever messenger was to come. She was fairly interested in the next day as soon enough she'd be wed, but she wondered about the fanfare which led up to a wedding. She'd never considered the idea that she could be more than mildly interested in her wedding. But now she found herself all but bemused by the idea.

[Bloodedge]

The next day, Kasmina would be receiving a visit from the messenger of Sorin, as expected. In broad daylight, a lonesome blonde girl - dressed in black and red bodice with a very short dress - casually walked up to the Dacian residence. She carried with her a large parasol, which shielded her exposed skin from the sun's harmful rays. Dainty and feminine knuckles would soon be pulling on the front door's knocker. After only three slams of the brass against the door, the girl's hand was retracted and brought before her face. A pair of candy red, gleaming eyes inspected long fingernails sharing the same color scheme. The girl's bottom lip protruded from her mouth as she stared at scuffed nail polish, and a sigh escaped her during the ensuing wait for an answer.

[Apollymi]

As she wandered around the house casually pacing a knock was heard at the door of the Dacian residence, given this Kasmina found herself at the door soon after rather confused by the sight before her. What she saw before her was a woman who could not have been sent by anyone but Sorin as her appearance was rather strange. Even so the young woman met her with a kind smile and general good demeanor. "Good Morning, Miss. I assume I am the one you seek, my name is Kasmina." said the emerald eyed woman as she looked onward to what she assumed was a vampire and wondered why this girl who appeared to be younger than herself was out during the day time.

[Bloodedge]

As she stared at her now ruined nails, the blonde girl had her attention pulled away by the door in front of her being opened. There stood the woman who would be the focus of her attention until her task was completed. She gave this woman a once-over during her introduction, figuring up the amount of work that would have to be done for her. Indeed, this girl was both the messenger of Sorin, and the seamstress meant to craft Kasmina the most elegant wedding dress in all the land. "Kasmina Elise Dacian Phantomhive, yes?" she said. Wasting no time, she allowed her tongue to immediately continue moving toward the formation of her next clause. "I am Madalina Cojocaru. Congratulations on your engagement to Lord Phantomhive. I'll be seeing to the dress today, and I also have information for where and when your wedding will take place. If you would be so kind as to invite me inside, we can begin. It would also benefit me greatly to get out of this dreadful sunlight. " Madalina was, in fact, a vampire. She was of a different sort than Sorin, though; the sun burned her flesh, and she could not enter a home without prior invitation. She did not need to remain within this building for long, but she did prefer to inspect the general style of her subject before going to work.

[Apollymi]

Kasmina was more than a bit stunned by the way this woman chose to name her. She couldn't keep the surprise off her face but she supposed it was close enough to being true that she couldn't well disagree with the statement. "Yes, that is what my name will be," she said seeming to think it over as over the course of the day the idea of this marriage was becoming realer to the young woman. Green eyes looked over the young woman who by her assertions of needing to be invited in and wanting to get out of the sun was apparently a vampire. Not one to be rude, Kasmina soon stepped to the side and opened the door for her. It seemed she was to make her dress and be the one to give her the messages she was to receive from her betrothed. "Thank you for the sentiments, and I am quite sorry about that, I have been rude. Please come in, Madalina." she said extending an invitation to the young woman that she might come in and get out of the sun. As soon as she stepped inside the young woman would close the door behind them allowing her to enjoy the indoors without the unnecessary sunlight.

[Bloodedge]

"If that is what your name is to be, that is how I will acknowledge you for the duration of this day. I am not so righteous as Sir Phantomhive. While you retain humanity, I will need to remember that you are... marked for claiming," she explained. The scent of human blood was something which drove Madalina to feed, no matter whose it was. Unlike Sorin, though, she did not limit herself to feeding on certain types of individuals. Her soul was long since lost to damnation, but she was loyal to Sorin enough that she would keep her fangs away from the woman meant to be his wife.

Once she was properly invited into Kasmina's home, Madalina passed the threshold to the interior. Without hesitation, she followed Kasmina's scent directly to her room, closing her parasol en route to the wardrobe. A thorough inspection ensued. Madalina had to absorb the knowledge of this woman's preferred ensemble to have inspiration for her ultimate dress. "Hmm. This won't do at all. I had hoped this would be a simple ordeal that I would not need to move for, but... I suppose Lord Phantomhive was never likely to take a bride that would be so mediocre. Come with me. Your betrothed will have to forgive me for allowing you to travel this way." Without further ado, Madalina held out her left hand. If Kasmina were to take said hand, a shroud of darkness would encompass the pair.

Moments later, they would appear in a location familiar only to Madalina: Her personal sewing room. It was incredibly dark within, but Madalina's eyes glowed in a way that would illuminate her smiling, childlike face around them. There wasn't much to this location outside of the more basic materials. A single, small needle accompanied massive amounts of thread in various colors. These spools were positioned around one mannequin, which had at its base a large chest filled with the only other items Madalina needed. "Disrobe," she said with a nonchalant wave of her left hand, while taking up the singular needle with her right forefinger and thumb. "You can see well enough to manage yourself, I assume?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed this woman's movements would take her towards Kasmina's bedroom, as the host of this particular endeavor she supposed it was only right that she followed along. She was informed along the way why this particular woman chose to address her by the full name she'd possess once married and it was apparently simply a reminder to herself that she shouldn't bite the young woman before her. "Address me as you like," she said seeming to be alright with this regardless of the implications of herself as food in this moment.

Once within Kasmina's bedroom the blonde woman seemed content to look through her clothing choices for some reason. Beyond this there was some utterance of disapproval, but not at her clothing choices but simply because a change of venue would apparently be necessary. This was explained by Madalina as a lack of mediocrity in Kasmina's clothing choices. 'I suppose I should take that as a compliment...' she thought absently. When the green eyed woman considered this she supposed it was a perfectly reasonable thing to say, and as this woman was charged with being her dress making and was trusted by Sorin she took the outstretched hand into darkness which led apparently to this woman's personal sewing room. Once within Kasmina's eyes needed a few minutes to adjust to the darkness, but adjust they would, given her own constant night outings. It was then mentioned that she should disrobe and the pair of them being the only ones in the room made her comply without hesitation and only minor commentary to ensue.

"My eyes will adjust just fine. Though I am fairly certain I could manage to disrobe blind... only dressing properly would be an issue..." she mentioned as she undid the tie at her neck and multiple buttons along her shirt before slipping it off her shoulders. Next would come ruffled skirt and shoes and that would leave the girl standing in just thigh height silk stockings and her underwear and corset. She figured this was disrobed enough for whatever reason, though if more was needed she'd likely comply with little to no fuss.

[Bloodedge]

From what Madalina had seen of this woman's wardrobe, she already knew what sort of color scheme to apply to this dress. Telekinesis was among her powers as a vampire, and she made use of this by willing threads from their spools in the colors black, white, and red. These thin lines of thread remained hovering in the air around the vampire as she awaited the discarding of Kasmina's clothes. This came in a way that left Kasmina standing before the blonde in her undergarments. A sigh escaped Madalina.

A secondary application of telekinesis ensued. This time, Madalina's purpose was to untie her corset from a distance. "Cheap," she said to give reason to her efforts. The quality of these garbs were far beneath her craft, and she would not have a dress of her creation touching it in any way. "I mean you no disrespect, but Lord Phantomhive's full wardrobe has been designed by yours truly. I would see to it that his betrothed upholds the same quality of dress. What remains under the dress will be seen shortly after the wedding, no?" As these words were spoken, those glowing red eyes seemed to narrow toward the black-haired woman. The slightest upturn of her lips at the left side of her mouth allowed one fang to protrude from within with a gleam of its own. "Off with the rest."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina was nothing if not capable of holding herself together during such an interesting moments as these. It seemed that this particular woman was rather keen on Kasmina removing what little remained of her clothing. Going so far as to undo the corset which caused it to slip and begin sliding down until it met the swell of her hips, exposing the young woman's chest. "Ah, I see. Well, one would not want to upset their seamstress... as you like," she said. She knew that people who did such tasks for anyone were often very picky about their own work, from experience it said that she could not have something lesser quality than what those were willing to allow. Even so, she couldn't help the slight reddening of her own face as it was mentioned that what was underneath her dress would be seen soon after the wedding. Though she'd accepted this as one of the primary functions of being married, somehow the idea of being naked in front of her husband was still the tiniest bit embarrassing. Or maybe not... regardless of how she chose to wrestle with these wayward thoughts of hers she soon enough found herself stripped down to nothing hands clasped casually behind her back for lack of knowing what to do with herself standing so very naked in front of a relative stranger.

[Bloodedge]

As Kasmina finished disrobing, the blood pooling in her face produced a reaction of shock from Madalina. Her next inhale would nearly drive her into instantaneous madness. She was easily capable of restraining herself for the sake of Sorin, but while also having a proper look at this woman in her birthday suit, many things were made clear. "My goodness. The Count will certainly be satisfied with you," the young-looking vampire had to say. Hazarding the close proximity, Madalina stepped toward Kasmina and stripped her of her bonnet, leaving raven locks to billow and cascade over her back and shoulders. Seeing this massive heap of hair brought a widening to Madalina's eyes.

"Hmm..." she murmured. Something would have to be done with this as well; modesty was sure to be thrown out the window here. For now, though, Madalina threaded her needle with a string of black silk, leaving it attached to the spool as she strangely stared at the pelvic region of this mortal. A string of white silk remained in close proximity to her, but she forewent use of it for the moment. She would be making something she'd never even attempted before this moment. Using the air, and her eyes as measure, her hands began telekinetically guiding the threaded needle and the white silk. Primarily, she focused on the former to forge black undergarments with only white accents across them. At the top of this garment, she gave an additional layer to cascade over the rest. What she formed was a sort of veil to overlay the garment; a strong, hexagonal design to make a lacy, floating look to the additional part. This process took approximately one minute, thanks in large part to her ability to move the needle as fast as her mind could visualize the movements. With the breaking of the final thread, she was done with this, and moving on to tear apart the previously discarded corset. The underwear were, in the meantime, placed upon the mannequin. "You may return your old ones to your person now. I only needed the bare measurements of your hips and spacing of your thighs. Are these to your liking, my Countess?"

[Apollymi]

Kasmina soon enough found herself completely naked before this young looking blonde, who seemed content to appraise her just a bit. Her statement that the Count would indeed be satisfied with her after viewing her naked form made the raven haired lass' eyes widen just a little. "I would hope so," she said seeming to allow this comment to fall from her face as she tried to keep herself from blushing too much. Soon there after the bonnet was removed from her head much to her own surprise, and her locks were allowed to tumble freely all the way down her back past her waist even. Her hair was significantly long and well cared for considering it generally unseen by everyone. The widening of this woman's eyes cued Kamina to two things. The first of which was, that her eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness of this space as she was now capable of seeing the full expression on the face of her vampire seamstress. The second thing was that this woman thought something of her hair which Kasmina wasn't necessarily sure how to quantify.

Regardless of this she could now see and watched the woman as she began her work, creating first and foremost a pair of underwear the likes of which Kasmina had never seen before in her life. They were created quickly and with such accuracy that the girl was left dumbfounded by the skill shown in this young woman's craft. It wasn't to say that Kasmina had never before in her life seen a skilled seamstress, it was just the sheer difference of what this woman was capable of in time with her abilities which was amazing. "I've never seen anything like that before. You are quite amazing, Madalina," she said of the undergarments while returning her own to her person. "They are very much to my liking," she managed, seeming to think there would be much fun to be had with this change in wardrobe. She was very content to watching this girl work as it was more than obvious that the supernatural application to a daily activity was well beyond anything she could expect. 'No wonder Lord Phantomhive claims to use his abilities freely while not hiding from the masses. Things like this are amazing...' she thought with wide eyes.

[Bloodedge]

"I'm certain you do," was Madalina's response to the other woman's hopes. She quickly dismissed this matter to focus on her work, but she was sure to keep an open ear to Kasmina's opinion of the first piece. As she'd come to expect, there was nothing but praise for her craft. Sorin had been the only person she'd worked for regularly for a very long time now, and he'd never given anything but the greatest compliments for what Madalina offered. It was to be expected that his future bride would be no different.

After dismantling the corset, Madalina fixated her gaze once more on Kasmina's bare flesh, this time focusing more on her upper body. While her needle and thread began to work around the frame of the corset, she walked in slow circles around the human. She needed to observe a bit more intently this time, in order to receive the proper measurements and curvature on Kasmina's torso. The corset's frame was slowly being readjusted to more perfectly fit the woman as she was now, since her size and shape was liable to never change again after tomorrow. The corset was to become one for appearance only, and in only a few short minutes, it was complete. It was now black lace with underlying red to form diamond patterns with flowers at each point. Red and black threads held it together around the mannequin as she moved on to quickly forming a garter belt and stockings without much need for measurements. "You may return to your old corset now. I'd rather not be forced to gaze at your bust all night. I am prone to jealousy."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, this woman was quite set on the idea that Kasmina was a proper fit for Sorin. And with that mind Kasmina could do nothing but accept with a curt nod before continuing to watch the woman work. It seemed her next piece was to be a corset, made specifically for her body as it was now. She was sure of the actual sizing of it, based on the blonde woman walking circles around her, with Kasmina almost being able to feel her looking upon her skin. She watched as threads came together to form one of the most ornate pieces she'd ever seen. She could even imagine it against her skin red and black threads being something she favored she felt the piece was magnificent. "Your work is like magic... I am scarce able to believe I am seeing such things done right before my eyes," said the young woman in constant appreciation of this blondes work. She really was almost incapable of knowing in great detail how such a thing was managed, but seeing the work this woman was creating, she imagined once she wore these actual pieces, she would not be very inclined to wear ones not created by her.

It was stated at this point that Kasmina could return her corset to her person, lest she spark the jealousy of Madalina, and in this moment Kasmina did just that re-lacing the corset backwards as she was quite prone to doing, only to slip it around and pull the strings at the bottom thereafter. "Well, I wouldn't want to do such a thing as that, and distract you from what is obviously such passionate work," mentioned the green eyed lass who was still stunned at the skill which created new garters and even new stockings. While this happened she allowed her gaze to approximate the age the other woman had been stuck with. Her body was lean and her breast perky. It was as if she'd been frozen right before the time in which growing in age added the necessary plumpness of womanly curves, which made Kasmina think the woman was probably in her early teens when she was made a vampire.

[Bloodedge]

When receiving the next compliment to her work, Madalina unveiled a gentle grin. It was funny how this mortal chose to speak on the craft this time. "My work is magic, Countess. I would be a poor seamstress without the magical edge, I'm afraid." Madalina spoke these words while continuing to work. She soon finished the stockings and garter belt, and became able to begin work on the dress. "The queen received an invitation to your wedding," she commented to break the silence during this more time-consuming task. "She was here too recently to be capable of returning again. Lucky her, for tomorrow, the Countess will outshine even her majesty."

True to Madalina's words, the dress was already coming along wonderfully. It contained multiple layers and frills. It was white silk inside, which shone through the bottom in a fashion which mimicked sleeves that revealed two white ruffles stemming from elbow to wrist. Various black layers were trimmed in white silk ruffles; even the top of the garment which seemed to bare the wearer's shoulders and collarbone. Madalina completed the torso with four red bows, and pinned two lattice strips to the front of the dress with red flower designs. Five minutes later, the dress was being applied to the mannequin as well, and Madalina was working on what was apparently a mob cap to adorn the bride's head.

[Apollymi]

As Kasmina looked on in amazement more and more things about her dress for tomorrow were being finished. It seemed that the vampire she was presently in the care of was content to call her work magic, claiming that she'd be a poor seamstress without it. "I find that hard to believe. But in this case, I am glad you are magical and that I get to witness these feats," praised the young raven haired lass as she continued watching this woman work right until she started the dress which, judging by how long the other pieces took would be by far the longest piece.

As Madalina began work upon this most important of pieces, she began to relay information about the fact that the Queen had been invited to the nuptial ceremony of herself and the Count. She then went on to say that it was good that the Queen couldn't make it because she would be out shown by Kasmina herself this day. Kasmina found her own eyes widening at this statement but as she watched various frills and pieces come together she was entranced by what she was seeing. This dress was more than she could have ever imagined, she found it to be just to her liking and even more beautiful than she could have ever gotten from anyone else. "Her majesty is said to be a stunning woman, that is high praise. But this dress is by far the most perfectly flattering beautiful thing I have ever had occasion to lay eyes upon. Words cannot adequately express how I feel looking upon this dress. I am certain in such enchanting attire I can live up to such compliments," the young woman said aiming to both praise this young woman and answer the compliment she'd been inadvertently paid. Still her eyes saw this dress and the idea that she would be married the next day became more and more real to her. Surprisingly enough, Kasmina was not upset by this wedding. She'd always expected her wedding day to be a death sentence, something that she wouldn't like which would mean the end of her freedoms and being shoved off from her family for her father's greed. Now it was something she'd chosen, something which was allowing her into an entirely new world and life experience, with a man she found herself inextricably drawn to.

[Bloodedge]

Now that she had completed all the pieces of Kasmina's wedding dress, she made quick work of the new bonnet. She placed it upon the mannequin when it was done, just as she'd done with all the other articles. Without warning, the young-looking vampire approached Kasmina once again. This time, she threaded her needle with the woman's hair, instead of any sort of thread. "It is not the dress alone that would see you outshine the queen. This hair... we will have to do something with it now, won't we?" Even though she'd asked this question, Madalina did not await any form of response. Her needle had already begun the process of creating two coils in the woman's hair, fashioning them in a manner similar to screws descending from either side of her head. Interestingly enough, Kasmina's hair still reached incredible length with these loose coils. Her bangs were left in tact, with two streaks able to frame either side of her face. With this development out of the way, Madalina stepped back to appreciate the new appearance of the future Countess. "Yes, the Count will be very pleased with this! The dress and hair will blend together perfectly. I will spend the rest of the night fashioning a wardrobe for the lady's stay in Castlevania. Is there anything else you would ask of me before your wedding?"

[Apollymi]

Kasmina was apparently continuing to be complimented. The statement about her hair needing some sort of treatement made the young woman's brows draw together only lightly. Though she'd asked a question, this Kasmina already appreciated that Madalina would act of her own accord when she was ready. The woman then threaded her hair into the needle so recently used to create her attire. What she did next, made Kasmina a bit unsure of what was happening. Having been standing in this room for several moments the woman before her appraised her work seemingly happy with what she'd done. Kasmina soon turned and looked into the mirror to have a look at what was now spiraling pigtails on either side of her head. The girl's green eyes widened as she took in this view of herself.

"I'm pleased with it, beyond pleased even..." the girl mentioned as she turned around to look at herself in the mirror several turns taking place so she could gauge the length of these spiraling curls. "I have never imagined having such a thing done with my hair, since father said showing off in such a way as immodest..." the girl thought aloud looking at herself, appreciating this new look to an extreme amount. "You have my gratitude Madalina, I need nothing else, aside from whatever else you have in store for me. I place full trust in your magical abilities," mentioned the young woman as she straightened up. She assumed she'd be fine to put back on the rest of her clothing while speaking to this woman, seeming to have completely forgotten that she was all but staring at herself in the mirror in her underwear without the slightest bit of bashfulness. "Oh, now that I think about it, you know the location of the wedding do you not? Lord Phathomhive said his messenger would tell me."

[Bloodedge]

"Modesty is incredibly underrated, Lady Phantomhive," said Madalina. "You will be an immortal tomorrow. One should learn that, with eternal life, the restrictions of mortals become quite... inconsequential." Though Madalina herself had lived only a little more than her previous mortal life since becoming a vampire, she'd long since discarded many limitations the mortals often held themselves to. One would find the lass quite... free with herself, in many ways. One such way would be made known when Kasmina offered a question involving the location of the wedding itself. Madalina did indeed have this information, but she was never intended to be said messenger. "Ah, yes... the messenger. I enthralled him just last night. Lord Phantomhive was not very pleased with that, but I agreed to deliver the message in his place. Your wedding will be held in the Great Church at high noon, milady."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina was very soon to be given a morality lesson from Madalina before she was to leave this woman's side today. Apparently, being immortal seemed to make things people took for granted as mortals less important than one would have originally thought. When she considered this from an objective standpoint she supposed as mortals most people bound themselves to standards of modesty and morality based solely upon what everyone else thought was good or just. 'Still it sounds like the road to corruption...' thought Kasmina who simply nodded just a little her understanding of this woman's statements.

As she carried on she would soon find herself redressed with her hairstyle quite intact and herself together for the first time in several moments. But with the statement about where her wedding would be taking place, came with it an explanation of the lack of messenger. Kasmina's green eyes widened as she turned towards the seamstress who'd apparently enthralled said messenger the night before, which caused Sorin to be less than pleased. The bluntness with which this statement was given though made a giggle escape Kasmina. "You are funny Madalina," she finally managed once she stifled her giggles enough to continue speaking. "The Great Church tomorrow at high noon," she said calmly only to have a sudden realization. "I AM TO BE MARRIED IN THE GREAT CHURCH!" her said gasping as her hand came up to her head as she seemed clearly stunned. In her life she'd never heard of anyone actually having their marriage ceremony performed there, even most of the nobility had their marriages performed in their manors or even in some of the lesser churches. She'd only been inside of the church during holiday mass when her father felt the need to show off only a couple of times in her life. Such a ceremony would likely make them the absolute talk of the town for an extended period of time.

[Bloodedge]

Madalina now only awaited the redressing of Kasmina, and the acknowledgement of the wedding arrangements. The former came in a timely enough manner, and the latter was accompanied by the shock of the wedding occurring in the "Great Church" of Sibiu. "Yes. Lord Phantomhive went to great lengths. Apparently, he considers this a matter of great importance. Now then, it is time for the lady to get her last night of mortal rest she is to receive. Your wardrobe will await you at Castlevania." In the next moment, the shadows consumed the pair of women once more, as well as the dressed mannequin. All three would reappear in the confines of Kasmina's bedroom, where Madalina and the lady herself had previously been. "Congratulations once again, milady," the blonde said with a curtsy. With nothing else to do or say here, she vanished via the same method she'd previously transported herself and Kasmina.

[Apollymi]

Soon enough Kasmina was back in her own dwelling, but not until after she was told that her future husband had gone through great trouble to secure a venue for their impending wedding. Such information brought nothing but a huge grin to the face of the green eyed lass. It was somehow very sweet for her to know the trouble her future husband went through on her account. Back in her own room, she looked at the dress mannequin which held her wedding attire with wide eyes within her room. "I look forward to seeing the rest of it," she said of her coming wardrobe. She imagined it would be something quite ridiculous given the lengths the blonde vampire had gone through to create her wedding dress. "Many thanks, Madalina," she said meaning to encompass all this woman had done for her this day. Soon after the woman disappeared from her presence. A squeal escaped the young woman as she threw herself on her bed and just stared at her dress.

Sometime during the time that she was getting her dress together, her father had finally woken within the study he'd retired to the previous night. It was quite obviously he'd lulled himself to sleep with drink as he opened his daughter's door with little to no regard. "Daughter..." he started only to look at the dress. Kasmina's smile faded in this moment as she looked towards her father. "I'm getting married tomorrow, in the Great Church at high noon," she stated plainly as she figured the man wanted to know of the arrangements. "THE GREAT CHURCH!?" he seemed stunned. He wondered what kind of pull the Count Phantomhive had to pull that sort of arrangement on such short notice. He managed to recover soon after and simply nodded at the girl. "I see... well... get some rest then," he managed closing the door behind him. One might assume this man was having regrets about his treatment of his daughter. But Kasmina had no time to think about it. Happiness filled the soon to be Countess as she considered that her life was about to be very different. She was nervous, excited, overjoyed and a bit sorrowful. A whole mix of emotions with her coming wedding. But above all she was hopeful, something which the man known as Sorin had sparked in her just a few days ago.

And on Sunday morning the girl would rise early and bathe seemingly excited about her future. The Dacian Household was abuzz with activity as the girl dressed and soon enough readied for her departure.

[Bloodedge]

On the foretold Sunday morning, the town crier of Sibiu brought attention to many residents. Never before had the Great Church been used for the purpose of a wedding, but on this day, it was fated to be. Countless passers-by were alerted to the ceremony's existence, and nearly the whole town eventually crowded the streets with individual paths toward the church. The journey was a literal uphill battle, alight with chatter regarding the crier's mention of an upscale wedding. This was already the talk of the town, and the town had only just found out. Of course, the massive church atop the hill would easily be capable of holding even more than those present.

At the altar of the church, Sorin stood before the priest, in wait. He was one of two persons to be wed this day, and high noon was quickly approaching. He'd gone through many mental preparations for this day, this moment. Though he found himself always having to be in a state of restraint around his bride-to-be, he was especially careful to avoid even a hint of a blood frenzy this day, before the entire town of Sibiu and a few aristocratic individuals from just outside the city.

[Apollymi]

Uphill battle to the Great Church or not, come high noon the doors of the church opened and though this sunlit path came the bride to be. Along with the music provided by the organist the young woman took measured steps forward. Though she knew weddings didn't typically take place in the Great Church she didn't expect the mass of people there. All turned to look at her as she entered and seeing this the girl soon became the blushing bride, she chose instead of allowing her emerald eyes to meet any in the crowd to hold her head high and face her soon to be husband and in light of positioning the priest. 'I think no one has any idea what it feels like to be such a spectacle. I feel it would have been better for someone to warn me of this...' she thought as she moved forward. Her dress was a beautiful mix of black and white silks. Ruffled and layered upon one another in the style she tended to favor for her casual attire. A scooped neckline revealed slim shoulders and a perfectly fit corset beneath seemed to maximize the curvature of her shape. Small ruffles and lace adorned the front of her dress including 4 red bows aligned down the center of her being. And atop her head, a crown of lace which perfectly framed two large spiraling pigtails which hung all the way down to the young woman's waist. Her large green eyes set between her bangs and the two small pieces to the side of her face she made this walk, with the eyes of the entire town upon her. But would take these steps until she ultimately reached the end of the podium where her husband to be was standing.

[Bloodedge]

Sorin had actually been the first person present within the church this day. He'd come even before the priest, and had been very patiently awaiting the arrival of one specific person all this time: The bride. Of course, patience was easily a virtue of one who'd known since childhood they would live for nigh eternity. When the woman of the hour arrived, he looked upon her encroaching form with a gentle smile upon his face. He seemed to be keeping his composure with relative ease this day. Upon Kasmina's arrival to his location, and with the idea of preserving the silence around, a simple grin accompanied a telepathic message to the bride. 'You look stunning. All of this, on my behalf? I'm flattered,' he relayed.

Moments after the bride's arrival, the priest before them raised his hand to silence and stand the crowd. Moments after that, he was speaking aloud. "Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the Church so that in the presence of the Church’s minister and the community your intention to enter into Marriage may be strengthened by the Lord with a sacred seal. Christ abundantly blesses the love that binds you. Through a special Sacrament, he enriches and strengthens those he has already consecrated by Holy Baptism, that they may; and your love be enriched with his blessing you, so that you may have strength to be faithful to each other for ever and assume all the responsibilities of married life. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions." With this said, the priest looked upon the couple. "Sorin Lothaire Phantomhive and Kasmina Elise Dacian, have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?" he asked of the two. "I have," Sorin answered.

[Apollymi]

Kasmina's walk was painstaking but once she reached her destination she felt at ease. Even with the murmurs among the people as they took in her visage, none of them particularly concerned her. No, instead it was the words of her soon to be husband within the confines of her own mind. According to the Count Phantomhive, his future wife, looked stunning to this day and he was flattered by the trouble she'd gone through. 'Many thanks, and of course this is for you. I would not bother for anyone else,' she thought. Though she personally had no idea when she started enjoying the idea of being married to this man. Within a few moments of her arrival and after giving the onlookers a chance to thoroughly gawk at the soon to be wed, the Minister started the marriage ceremony properly.

She listened to his speech most attentively, finding his words somehow comforting as she looked on to her husband. And when their names were spoken and they were asked if they claimed to enter into this marriage without coercion with all of their hearts, she could only smile and agree after Sorin. "I have," she mentioned loud enough for all to hear. Kasmina felt sure of this part of her speech, more sure than she had of anything else, she could not have agreed to such words if the man standing across from her was anyone else. One might have thought it strange, for this pair to meet each other only a few days prior and so freely agree to marry each other. But in this moment, Kasmina felt there was no other for her, and she had no idea when she'd come to this conclusion.

[Bloodedge]

With the agreement of both parties, the priest continued his speech. It was almost mechanical, the way he spoke. There was hardly any leeway between the answers of Sorin and Kasmina before he asked the next question of them. "Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?" he asked.

Sorin found this question almost laughable. "As long as you both shall live," for vampires, was more lifetimes than a single familiar line could comprehend. Still, Sorin had also accepted that there was no other person to be his betrothed. The idea alone was something that he'd gone without understanding for nearly a week, but he now knew the best way to solve his problems of earlier was to bind himself to this woman. His answer came with overflowing confidence as violet gaze met one of emerald. "I am."

[Apollymi]

Though the priest seemed admittedly less enthused than the wedding party at hand, Kasmina could hardly say she didn't understand this. His next sentence mentioned the idea of these two loving and honoring each other for the duration of their lifetimes. If Kasmina's understanding of this man's life and thus her own one in the very near future, forever was a very long time. Of course, she had no problem with this, as it was already quite obvious to her that she would be well cared for by this man and she would obviously do her best to care for him as well. Her gaze met his and she found herself agreeing to him forever wholeheartedly. "I am," she responded after Sorin seeming to have no problem with this, though admittedly her current human life time paled in comparison to what she was undertaking. She seemed to be more than alright with this, that violet gaze gave her confidence.

[Bloodedge]

Once again, the pair had consented. This permitted the priest to move on and ask what would be his final question to them this day. "Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?" he asked. Sorin was, once again, quick to retort. "I am," he said. All this time, his gaze had never wavered from that of the woman who would be known far and wide as his wife within a matter of mere moments.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that they had finally reached the final question of this wedding ceremony. When asked if they would accept children and bring them up in the ways of Christ, Kasmina realized she had not even considered having children before this point. She knew of course it was one of few things expected of her as someone's wife, but for some reason before this moment she hadn't thought to ask. Though if she were to be able to have children she saw no problem with this. Looking at Sorin she was quite reassured that her decision was the correct one and she would be able to do any and everything if they so desired. "I am." Her retort came after Sorin's with no lag or hesitation. If he was willing she could be no less willing. And at this moment it occurred to her that her marriage mere seconds away.

[Bloodedge]

And with that, all agreements had been made. Though there was no joy visible in the priest's face, he was quite pleased to be seeing to the nuptials of this young pair. He was simply a man of his duty before anything else, and currently, duty called. "Since it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church."

The smile upon Sorin's face widened. At this point in the ceremony, he'd all but forgotten what the priest looked like. He could only see the future ahead of him... or rather, them. When he spoke next, he did so while reaching out with his right hand to grab that of his betrothed. "I, Sorin, take you, Kasmina, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life."

[Apollymi]

The Minister of this church seemed to be all about his job. This was of course, fine with Kasmina as she had only eyes Sorin and had not even bothered to to cast a waning glance at Priest nor congregation in all of the moments since taking up the aisle. Of course, it soon became necessary for this couple to declare their consent before God in his church. This lead to Kasmina's hand finding its place within Sorin's. Surprisingly enough for one who'd never much liked the idea of being married before this point, she seemed happy enough to consent willingly, not out of duty or obligation to her father, but because of her genuine interest in their future together.

She received Sorin's words while looking only to him. And though they'd not known each other long, she felt he meant these words with great conviction. She could do not, but answer in kind. "I, Kasmina, take you, Sorin, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life."

[Bloodedge]

It was all but official now. The bridegroom and bride had each given their respective vows. The priest had another blessing to be offered, but there was little else required of the couple. The elderly male began speaking thus: "May the Lord in his kindness strengthen the consent you have declared before the Church and graciously bring to fulfillment his blessings within you. What God has joined, let no one put asunder. May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God who joined together our first parents in paradise, strength and bless in Christ the consent you have declared before the Church, so that what God joins together, no one may put asunder. Let us bless the Lord."

Following these words of the priest, the entire congregation of the Great Church, which was presently almost every citizen of Sibiu, replied with "Thanks be to God" in unison. During this time, a young male of the church walked the aisle toward the altar. He came bearing a pillow, which had upon it two rings of an elaborate design in gold. Diamonds adorned these rings, and within, they were inscribed with the phrase "Keepe Faith Till Death." Sorin took one of these rings in hand, and began slipping it onto Kasmina's left ring finger as the priest spoke once more. "May the Lord bless these rings, which you will give to each other as the sign of your love and fidelity."

"Kasmina, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

[Apollymi]

The union of this pair of individuals went on to receive a blessing directly from the priest himself. Though part of the ceremony as normal, somehow it felt oddly necessary to Kasmina who smiled as she heard out these words. Beyond this soon a small child with a pillow holding two rings approached the pair, one of their final acts during this ceremony would apparently leave the pair placing rings upon each others fingers. One of these rings was soon placed upon the ring finger of her left hand, while Sorin gave his speech Kasmina watched him and felt this band slip up onto her finger appreciating its beauty and inscription which she read with sightly widened eyes as she picked up the ring for him.

"Sorin, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." And with those words she slid the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand as well. Of course, in doing this, she came to realize that she'd spoken this man's name twice over the course of this ceremony but never before. It was strange to think their relationship had been so formal before this point.

[Bloodedge]

True enough, this pair had scarcely referred to one another on a first name basis, even in third person. Either way, there would be much of this to come, as they were now wed under the eyes of their god and all present. All that remained was the Universal Prayer, performed by the priest.

"Let me love you, my Lord and my God,
And see myself as I really am:
A pilgrim in this world,
A Christian called to respect and love
All whose lives I touch,
Those under my authority,
My friends and my enemies."

"Amen," Sorin said at the prayer's completion. Around this time, bells could be heard ringing throughout the church. This had become a signal to the newlyweds, and Sorin gladly took the cue. Pulling his right hand away from Kasmina's left, he moved it to the side of her head, near the back. With his hand placed this way, he leaned toward her face, intending to lock lips with this woman before the entire population of where they lived.

[Apollymi]

"Amen." A single word spoken at the end of the prayer conducted by the Priest who'd overseen the whole of their wedding. Kasmina was now officially wed to the Count Phantomhive and had with that all the rights and responsibilities that would come with. Even so, it seemed the benefits of this would come to light long before any potential hardships as when she released this man's hand after placing the ring upon it, it soon found itself near the back of her head where she soon found herself kissing the man before her, much to her own surprise. This first kiss occurred in front of the congregation of the church and pretty much the whole of their town, and was quite enjoyable in Kasmina's case.

[Bloodedge]

With his lips pressed against Kasmina's, and his right hand upon the side of her head, Sorin saw to it that his left arm brought her into a tight embrace the likes of which was... almost bloodthirsty. Sorin was experiencing a worse form of bloodlust than he'd ever experienced, even in Kasmina's presence. His pursed lips quivered momentarily against hers, but this moment alone granted him the restraint he needed. He became able to sink into the moment and enjoy it for now.

And enjoy it, he did. Sorin had been on this world for 57 years, and never had he experienced a sensation such as what he knew now. His eyes widened briefly, before narrowing to a close once more. Just prior to the parting of lips, the vampire understood that he had indeed made the proper decision two nights ago.

[Apollymi]

Kasmina felt the smallest quiver in this man's lips as they pressed against her own. She'd never experienced a kiss before this moment, but in being wrapped up in this almost consuming embrace she realized that even if she had, it would have been nothing like this. She appreciated this moment and got to understand first hand what it was like to be thoroughly invested in such an activity. As their lips finally parted the girl's eyes slowly opened tiniest of blushes creeping up her face, as the murmurs of the crowd alerted her to the fact that they were still in the crowded church being watched by numerous people. The idea of Sorin's blood-lust was lost upon her, if only because physical lust seemed to override it just a bit, her own included. At this moment a minor breathless whisper escaped her, "I had nearly forgotten, we are presently the object of spectacle," she said as if she could feel the eyes of the crowd upon them.

[Bloodedge]

When they separated, Sorin shifted his right hand to his now-wife's cheek. Pulling away did not get him far; he was close enough afterwards that he could feel the woman's breath against his face when she spoke of their observers. Sorin briefly shifted his eyes in the direction of the congregation. His grin spread once more. "What a shame. Perhaps... we should away, that we may part from the gazes of the many. Shall we retreat to our home?" he asked, simultaneously offering his hand to the raven-haired woman. Should she take it, he would escort her down the aisle, and continue on the path toward Castlevania.

[Apollymi]

When they separated, Sorin hadn't moved very far away from the face of Kasmina. This lack of personal space only furthered her need to leave this place though not entirely for any reason which she could name. Sorin's words after she spoke, lead her to believe that he also found the same in their current placement. Soon after he was offering to abscond with her back to their newly shared dwelling. A smile spread across her face as she simply nodded to the suggestion before reaching for his out-stretched hand without the slightest bit of hesitation. She found her hand sliding rather easily into his own, making her even more sure of her decision. The girl would be led back down the aisle as the onlookers got their final glances at the newly married couple's whose wedding ceremony had taken up a great deal of the day but had been well worth it to witness. After the couple fled all witnesses would disperse as well, after witnessing such a spectacle their day's entertainment quota had been more than filled. Though surely something as great as a wedding in the Great Church would be talked about for a long while to come.

Continue the story here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?561-Transylvania-Castlevania&p=7383&viewfull=1#post7383).

[Bloodedge]

The night of the very next day, a local tavern bustled with activity. Talks of the wedding were upon the lips of many patrons. None were struggling for a pint of ale this night, and the hearth burned warm as a summer day. The red-haired Scotsman known by few as Gregor MacLaird sat at the bar with four mugs around him, only one filled. All of the empty pints had been emptied by him alone, and a pouch of coin saw to it that it would keep coming. Even drunk, he seemed very easily capable of managing himself. "Aye, keep 'em comin' lad! Next round's on me for the whole lot 'ere!" he said to the bartender, who went on to begin filling the empty mugs around Gregor. "Your coin's always welcome here, Sir MacLaird. Anyone else while I'm pourin'?"

At the bartender's request, one particular male raised his mug. He sat in a far corner of the tavern, at a table by himself. This man had red-violet hair reaching his shoulders, amber eyes, and strong facial features. He dressed in a long, black jacket with a white and gray trim, matching trousers, a red scarf and a hooded, gray and white mantle. He also wore a black fedora, and a winglike accessory on his left arm. "One over here," he said calmly while the man he addressed worked on filling Gregor's multiple cups.

[Apollymi]

"I'll have another..." mentioned the man who'd been sitting at the bar. His wails to the bartender as he lamented his current life situation. "She's been turned against me. Since when does she tell me no, why can't she see!? Married and living in a castle changed her..." said the stout dark haired man as he held his cup out to be filled on someone else's dime. "All the things in there, lights that turn on by themselves, no fire against the walls, she could have helped. One word would have helped..." gloom and sorrow seemed to hover over the man known as Costel Dacian. He'd finally lost a bet that would have him left nearly destitute by his own bad decisions. He hadn't attended the wedding of his daughter. "Vile fiend she's married to turned her against me... The nerve of him, and it took less than a day, to make her act so. My Kasmina," he moaned into his arm as he all but cried. He didn't see the wrongness of his actions, he saw only his daughter, with the means to help him not doing such.

[Bloodedge]

"Easy there, Baron. Here; have another." The bartender seemed to have missed the call for a refill by the man in the corner, all due to Baron Dacian's wailing about his apparently lost daughter. Immediately after filling three mugs for Gregor, he moved down the bar to fill Costel's. "Maybe it was a miscommunication. Your daughter is married to the Count now. I'm sure she's just overwhelmed, being a Countess and all." With these words said, the bartender tilted his pouring vessel upwards, having filled Costel's mug nearly to the brim.

"... There's no man who can tame a fiery hen li'ah' with one night of slingin' his pecker," Gregor interjected. A freshly-emptied mug slammed against the bar counter. Then, Gregor slid himself into a stool closer to his fellow Baron and once potential father-in-law. "Look at us. Barons, so close to the end of the wee ropes of life. Your lass, wed to a Count barely older than she, and not payin' any heed to her old da a mere day later. An' what's this about the lights?"

A sigh escaped the drunken male in the corner. It became apparent that he would not be receiving his refill without making a move of his own, as the bartender seemed clearly invested in the conversation that now involved Gregor. This sigh was a mighty one, and was accompanied by this male forcing himself to move from his chair, pushing through all the aches of a long, hard day that he'd yet to put behind him. He was a traveler, from the looks of things. The sound of his voice was also notably of a more western-European influence, though it hardly showed in his initial words. Soon, he was upon the bar with his mug held out toward the bartender. "Pardon, mate, but... can I get that refill? I've been halfway sober for a few minutes now." The bartender looked toward him with a quizzical expression painted upon his face. He seemed less than willing to serve this man, but his coin had been good earlier, and this round was on Gregor, so he filled away. Still, he was very skeptical of this individual who'd come dressed in such a way. "Fine. Here, but I'm having your coin upfront next time," the bartender said. Gregor's attention was briefly drawn to this strange male, and though he was in the midst of a chat with Baron Dacian, he spoke to the newcomer nonetheless. "... That's a funny coat ya' got on there lad." The other male barely paid him any heed. He only sighed once more. "Yeah. I get that a lot."

[Apollymi]

"Overwhelmed, he says," the Baron Dacian mentioned as he picked up his recently filled mug and downed more of it. The blush of drunkenness across his face as he sighed. "She looked at me with her mother's eyes, and laughed while claiming not to be able to help me. My girl wouldn't have said such a thing to me. So much poise she has... she used to help me without a question..." the Baron said. It'd seem to most that her father was indeed a good man, and one of few needs. Nice to his daughter and looking out for her best interests. And to many it would have looked like Kasmina helped her father all the time, but this was simply the outward appearance. There was no way for the girl to not help her father, while helping herself, her brother and her stepmother.

The words of the Baron MacLaird drew Costel's attention. His words bolstered the man, in his drunken state and seemed to feed him quite a bit. "Right? He's young, she's young, such a match could have been made long ago between me and that boy's father. I didn't even know he had any interest in her, before he showed up with her on my own doorstep almost a week ago. Night of the full moon my whole world fell apart." said the Baron. About the house and lights the Baron had much to say. "The entire house is strange. Big enough to fit my entire house just in the entry way, large throne room lined with lights the likes of which I've never seen before. Stunning really, had to have costed a fortune to make the lamps look that way. Hardly a thing negative to be said about the decor. But he claimed she was busy, couldn't be seen. I yelled until she came, and boy did she arrive. Lies that man fed me, my daughter is just the same as she always was... too good for him I say!" he slumped and took another sip while Gregor's attention was elsewhere. His eyes shifted to the new comer and he seemed to grin widely. "Oi, that man was another, wanted to marry my Kasmina, he didn't get a chance to meet her. Missed out he did." he said of this man. His daughter had all the finest suitors in the land and had gone with a fiend so vile that he wouldn't allow her to help her father any more. "I swear he turned her against me, that Phantomhive..." he spit most angrily the name of the man he thought had taken his daughter away.

[Bloodedge]

"Laughed at your troubles, eh? Doesn't sound like your lass at all," Gregor agreed, thinking that only in the short time he'd seen Kasmina, he'd found a hefty enough sample of her personality to determine her worth to the Baron. Costel's cries seemed well-placed, and very justified. This Count was a vile person by every word the Baron Dacian shared about him, but Gregor's mind wandered beyond a simple bad influence. The description of the castle was beyond what humans were capable of. More importantly, for that man to claim his wife was unavailable, only for her to arrive when called upon, was levels of suspicious Gregor only saw reached in a few instances of his life. Gregor only needed a little bit more to go by.

Costel knew the young man who'd recently approached the bar, and the latter knew him as well. He, however, was more well-versed when it came to dealing with humans of all varieties, and did not think as highly of Costel as other locals did. "Yeah. Evening, Baron. Congratulations and condolences for your daughter," he said. Apparently, he didn't mind at all that the woman to whom he was a suitor had been married off very recently. Gregor had more to say about this male. "Your lass didnae even believe in vampires. Can't see her makin' much of a Belmont." These words resonated in the ear of the newcomer, warranting nothing more than a sigh as he shut his eyes and drank his share of ale. "I knew it!" the bartender spoke. "Filthy Belmonts comin' round here. We don't want no trouble, understand?" Of course, the alleged Belmont had no intentions of causing any trouble; Belmonts never did. The unknown man's next words would not address this, however; he instead had something to add to this conversation sparked by Costel. "No clue what you lot are on about. You should all be more worried about the name Phantomhive than anything, though."

[Apollymi]

Costel looked up from his drink. Someone cared for his troubles, understood what he had to say, his eyes filled with hope. "You understand! My Kasmina was such a good girl, she'd never have said such a thing to me without... him," Costel was disgusted. But none knew the reasoning of the lass who refused her father for the first time in his life. And in typical childish fashion he was complaining now to anyone who would listen. This man who had previously been one of the girl's suitors seemed to offer both congratulations and condolences to the man which Costel accepted in the way only a narcissistic parent could. "Thank you sir, for understanding. My lass was beautiful, married in the Great Church at high noon on Sunday. I couldn't be prouder! Except for how she acts now..." as Costel drank more he cursed himself for not attending the girl's wedding. 'For Christ's sake I could have bragged so much about her, if I'd actually bothered to go. Curse my love of drink and my pride.' still he drank even more.

Seeming to lose track of the conversation just a bit. Apparently the man who also wanted to marry his daughter had some sort of reputation and involvement with vampires. Because of this Gregor thought the girl might have been unsuited. Costel couldn't have this, no... he'd defend his good genes and child-rearing. "Vampires? Hardly a bother, my girl may not have believed in them, but she's a good God-fearing girl. Attends church every Sunday, says her prayers and does the lords work. Such devotion makes her a fine choice for any and every man. My prized daughter," he paused. "Except that man...." his eyes narrowed, making obvious that he somehow had some fundamental problem with the man his daughter had married. The man who'd come to his door and called him on how he treated the lass. The man who'd not paid him a cent on her bride price and instead taken care of his son, the man who poisoned his daughter against him. Still, that family was not one he'd ever heard anything bad about. "Phantomhive is a family name, important 'round these parts. Been so for generations... His father Lothaire was a good man, he had a vile son though," said the Baron Costel, who seemed not to realize that he was the rotten one in this situation.

[Bloodedge]

"Aye, I understand. If the Count is such a shit man livin' in a place li'ah, it pains me to say he might not be a man at all." Gregor had a rough idea of the situation that had befallen Costel's daughter. It wasn't anything solid, but a warning of the name Phantomhive from this other man made him more wary. "And what say you about this family name Phantomhive, Belmont?" he asked. The former suitor of Kasmina sighed yet again. How had he managed to drag himself into this discussion? He only wanted another drink, and now he was being accosted for his coat, the name associated with it, and something he'd managed to let fall from his mouth. "Not that I know anything, but... Phantomhive sounds like a vampire name, is all," he said, wishing only to exclude himself from the discussion at this point. In truth, he knew the name Phantomhive; it was a once-great name of nobility, much like the Belmont clan, until the reported last daughter of its line married one Vlad Tepes of Wallachia. "No point playin' the ignorant role now, lad. I won't hassle ye, though. There ain't much a man like that can be, but one of the filthy bloodsuckers. Probably usin' yer lass for cattle there, Baron."

[Apollymi]

This conversation seemed to fly over the head of the Baron Dacian. It seemed this pair of Kasmina's former suitors thought something of the Count Phantomhive. Beyond all this it seemed to be that the lad who'd married his daughter was a vampire. The Baron thought about this and he could almost believe it too. "You saying, he bewitched my Kasmina, and is using her as cattle? Disgusting my daughter deserves far better to be at the beck and call of a parasitic man like that!" the Baron said slamming his hand down on the table. It was easy to see the man's courage was far greater after a day's drinking. Even so, how could he hope to best a vampire. Surely he could not, "I want my Kasmina back, not in the clutches of some fiend. McLaird you said you do work such as this, bring my daughter back to me and rest her from that man she 'married'," he chimed. He hadn't even gotten a proper bride price for the lass. At least if he got her back there would be her holding of this man's property. She'd still be Countess even if her husband died and that was worth quite a lot. 'And the Dacian name would return to glory, it wouldn't even take long. And if she's a vampire and he exterminates her as well... all the better,' it seemed the Baron was far too hurt by his daughters chastising of him to think about this situation in a way that didn't make him seem like a venomous and vengeful old man. Greed shown in his eyes clear as day, he was truly an uncaring man, but he had the people convinced of his victim status in this matter.

[Bloodedge]

"That's exactly what I be sayin'," Gregor replied. Another pint was downed by the Scotsman. He knew what he would be asked to do now that this information was out in the open, but this was what he came to this land to accomplish. "If this man showed his face the night of the full moon, he might be the one I've been lookin' for. Ne'er did I think I'd find 'im so soon. Be warned though, Baron. The hen Kasmina might not be the same, if ye even get her back when I'm done."

Gregor stood in preparation of his leave, splitting his remaining pints between the men on either side of him. The Belmont had yet to finish his own mug, but was satisfied enough to have another for free. He did, however, have some... advice for the Scottish Vampire Hunter. "You're going to die," was all he said. Gregor paid no mind to this. He left without another word spoken to the Belmont, believing himself to be the only true Vampire Hunter in the vicinity. With Gregor's departure, the other male scoffed across his mug. "Well. Can't say I didn't warn him, right Baron?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed that the man who was in this bar thought to offer Gregor some advice. His words seemed ominous for someone who claimed not to know anything. But this was no concern of the Baron Dacian. Actually, his courage still in full swing the man started on his free mug and chortled. "Hardly worth worrying about. The 'Count' Phantomhive is a skinny boy. Barely bigger than my finger. I don't know what my daughter sees in him... must be evil magic afoot," said the man but this wasn't anything true. No, the Baron Dacian had just sent another problem to his daughter's doorstep while she tried to enjoy her new life as a vampire and beyond this seemed only to want to continue living at her husband's side.

[Bloodedge]

The light chugging of the fedora-wearing man's mug continued as Costel spoke. There was a claim that there would be nothing to worry about on Gregor's part, but the reason he gave was the physical state of the alleged vampire. "Means about as much as a bucket of shit. Vampires' strength has nothing to do with what they look like, but they're always stronger than a human can be. That hulking friend of yours might be able to slam a bloodsucker through a wall, but they wouldn't even feel it. He's pretty dumb, too, so he'll probably just have his brain turned to grog or... something." A sniff followed this statement. Though the Belmont was in something of a drunken state, his mind was always clear when discussions of vampires were on the table. "Oh, and... if that man was any sort of real vampire hunter, he'd have seen some obvious signs of possession in your daughter. If she's married this Phantomhive, it was her own choosing. If there's one thing a vampire is, it's damn handsome and charming, the bastards."

[Apollymi]

Costel went on to learn more from this supposed Belmont and apparently the man had more information about vampires than even Gregor had offered. The news that one could in fact not look like much of anything and yet be strong enough to tank being thrown through a wall was quite different. "Seemed clever enough to me. I figured my daughter would enjoy a man like that..." he said of Gregor. In fact he thought the man to be like himself. Heartily made and well adjusted. Of course, Costel also had a very skewed view of himself. "He knows about vampires, hunted them back where he's from, I'm sure he'll be fine," finished the man as he once again buried his face in the mug he drank from. But this Belmont wasn't finished yet, he had more to say about the nature of Kasmina and Sorin's relationship. "Charming?! My ass, my daughter should have better taste than that, surely there is something evil afoot!" said the man as he delved into the depths of another drink. Of course this man wouldn't understand that his daughter wouldn't like any man he chose, simply because of how it was put forth. But... this wouldn't be obvious to a man like the Costel, who saw only what he liked in everything and respected no one else's views.

[Bloodedge]

"Clever enough, you say," he repeated. This older male was quite pitiful in his mind, much like the self-proclaimed Vampire Hunter that had recently left. Costel claimed the Scotsman knew about vampires, and would be fine because of it. The Belmont male found this to ideologically be an affront to everything he knew. "Right. I've been fighting Master Vampires for years, and my family has been for generations. Your daughter's been married to one for a day, though. I'm sure you're the biggest expert in town by now," he said in a surprisingly casual manner while tilting his mug toward his mouth again. "Damn shame, though. Smaller vampires usually have stronger mental powers. Before he kills your hunter, he'll probably read his mind to find out where he came from. You'll die then. But... you're a knowledgeable guy, so you probably already knew about all that."

[Apollymi]

Costel didn't like the tone this young man was taking with him. He was suddenly rather glad he hadn't married his daughter off to this man, as her attitude probably would have ended up the same regardless. "So sure of yourself," the man muttered but something in this man's speech caught Costel's attention. The smugness of this other man was something the man didn't like, but the pause caused him great fear as it was mentioned that smaller vampires apparently had strong mental powers. And as such even if MacLaird was killed, it would likely be known that Costel Dacian had been the one to send him. He broke out into a cold sweat, his mug shaking in his hand as he turned to look at this man. He was stunned, amazed. This couldn't actually be true, it couldn't be something that could happen to him. The man who'd married his daughter had threatened to bring down unending wrath on him if he'd married her to anyone else. What on earth would he do if he found out his drunken murmurings had basically set a Vampire Hunter upon them. "I... he'll know it was me?!" he said the clattering mug down. "I have to go," and just like that the Baron Dacian began to stumble about, making his way out of the tavern as fast as his stout drunken legs would carry him.

Continue the story here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?561-Transylvania-Castlevania&p=7517&viewfull=1#post7517).

[Bloodedge]

Another day passed. The vampire Count Sorin had met with Gregor the Vampire Hunter this night, and though the latter had escaped, he'd only done so after sharing the knowledge that Costel Dacian sent him to act as God's assassin against Sorin. As a result, Sorin brought himself directly into the house of Dacian via teleportation. He sat in the very same sitting room, in the very same chair even, that he'd been in during his previous visit. There, he waited with his usual posture when sitting... and he prayed. All he needed was for the Baron to arrive, and he would begin figuring out how to deal with this issue.

[Apollymi]

The Baron Dacian had returned home after finding out that vampires had stronger mental powers than simply the ability to entrance others. With this knowledge he had become extremely frightened for his own life, and as such had begun trying to purify his house and guard it against vampires with every urban legend he'd ever heard of. The doorway of his study reeked of garlic so did the doorways of all of his household entry ways. There were crosses uncovered at various places and even a silver cross around his neck as he passed out in fear at his desk. He didn't know this vampire was already in his house nor did he have any idea that a vampire could enter of their own accord. He'd give an order later to the maids and servants not to allow either his daughter nor her husband into his house.

As Sorin prayed inside, Alina and Kasmina arrived outside. "Here you are Mistress, call me if you need me," she said only to disappear once more. A smile crossed Kasmina's face as she entered this house once more her nose wrinkling up immediately. She walked through the house pausing at the sitting room and finding Sorin there, but she didn't interrupt him immediately. No instead she walked straight to the kitchens and after a quick word with the servant there she had a tray of tea to drink and joined Sorin within this sitting room. "This entire house smells of garlic and fear, I would swear I was late coming here if I had not found you so calm. Tea?" she asked as she sat beside him waiting for her father's arrival. Her calm demeanor had already returned and she was also keen to wait.

But she wouldn't have to wait long, as a couple of minutes later the Baron would come stumbling down the hall way holding onto a cross. Deciding to give the order to his maids and servants before he fell asleep only to pass before the door of the sitting room and find his daughter and her husband sitting there. He paused in a moment of shock and fear and didn't move, he couldn't he was paralyzed.

[Bloodedge]

Sorin's wait was a patient one which soon seemed as if it would be rewarded, but the first scent to approach him was not the one he sought. In fact, this was a scent he had intentionally left behind at Castlevania: Kasmina's. She entered the room with a tea tray, spoke on the scent of the house, and made an offer for some of the tea she brought. Sorin claimed a cup by willing it toward himself with magic, but he was not the fondest of the idea that Kasmina had come here after him. "It seems there is more at hand than we know. The Baron resorts to methods against low-tier vampires to save himself from what he likely thinks is his end," he said before taking the first sip of tea. He found it satisfying enough, but nothing compared to the tea of a demon servant. "You should try Alina's tea; it could be described as divine, if not for her unholy nature. You may or may not be satisfied as of yet, though. The first feeding has yet to come. More importantly, are you fit to be here now? I thought to handle this myself, to spare you the annoyance."

As he spoke, the time wound down to the moment Costel would arrive. Sorin smelled his stench gaining strength. He heard those clumsy footsteps thumping against the floor. Everything his senses told him of the Baron's approach was downright disgusting, and then... there he was. The cross-wielding mortal was stunned to silence and stillness. Sorin lowered his teacup, sending that glowing, piercing gaze toward the Baron as if to view his very soul through his flesh. "Good evening, Dacian. Please... have a seat."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina found herself sitting beside her husband but her own tea cup went unclaimed. The idea that the Baron had resorted to lesser known vampire ideas to save him from what he thought was his impending doom made her smile just a little before she remembered something rather important. "There was another man at the tavern, one the Scotsman thought capable of hunting vampires... strange surname, Belmont? Though that one did not confirm his identity," she said seeming to recall the information claimed from that man's mind.

It seemed that while satisfied by the offering Sorin claimed their maid created tea of a much greater quality. "If Alina makes the best tea, then it will definitely be something I try at my earliest convenience," she commented with the same tone she generally had. A small smile forming on her face as her husband went on to question her appearance here. Kasmina's expression softened because even though she realized this was why he left her behind, she thought it sweet for him to look after her as such. "Yes, I realized that of course. But it is not really in my nature to leave you to deal with the annoyance alone either. I do appreciate the sentiment, but in this case, worry not. I am revolted by the scent that lingers in my nose and my appetite is more than justly suppressed," she said as the stench of her father stopped before the door.

The Baron Dacian was petrified. He reeked of garlic, fear, and the underlying smell of his greed which made him smell like every kind of food that was no longer safe for consumption. With that in mind Kasmina found herself resting gently beside her husband, her own gaze cutting towards her father. This would frighten the man as well, because instead of finding the comforting green of his former wife, he'd find that unspeakable velvety red which could not be properly contained by any one shade of red on the spectrum. Costel could not help but stumble into the room he opened and closed his mouth several times clutching his cross to himself as if it was all that was left to save him in life. "Good evening, father. This is how you call upon people by the way. Been cleaning?" she mentioned passively as the baron took a seat across from them and shriveled up in fear. It was as if he couldn't not have a seat, but in the worst case scenario, he could scream and gather the attention of everyone in the house to save himself. Yes... that is exactly what he'd do, if this went wrong. "Why... why are you in my house?!" he questioned, as if he expected someone else.

[Bloodedge]

"Poppycock. For you, my bride, I would shelter the annoyance. Do not take my words the wrong way, though. I do enjoy you at my side, even now." These words were the only ones Sorin had to share with his wife at present. Though mention of the name Belmont did not go unnoticed, Sorin figured another time would be better to address that. The Baron was upon them, taking his seat just as clumsily as he had approached initially. He questioned the pair's presence in his home, but in doing so, he also ignored the greetings of both parties. That... was not a good start in Sorin's mind. Before responding to this Baron, the Count sipped his tea once more. A sigh fell over the cup before words escaped him. "No. No, no... no. We are people of stature here. Let's be civil, shall we? Good evening, Baron. Or should I call you... father?"

[Apollymi]

Sorin's words found their home in Kasmina's ears, and she found herself smiling well and truly happy. The Count enjoyed her company and would take on the things that burdened her mind and soul, if this was not the foundation of affection she simply did not know what was. But surely enough this touching moment between them would be forced to an end by the clumsy entrance of her father who sat down and immediately questioned the coming of this pair of people. Kasmina sat rather quietly wondering what on earth the man who'd helped create her could have honestly thought they were here for, but Sorin took more issue with the way he'd greeted them. The Baron Dacian seemed to look stunned for a moment, and stuttered out a single word. "Fa...fa...father? You'd call me that?!" his eyes widened at the the thought as he was confused. His daughter and her husband were people of stature, and by comparison far outranking him. They asked for civility, what would they do if he didn't comply!? He did not know, nor did he wish to find out. "I... there... you...." there were many stammers as the man tried to find the right words to express himself. Of course he didn't want this man to call him father, but what was he to do, his life was in danger. "Of course, call me what you wish. And..." there was a pause, like he'd never once considered how to greet anyone else in his house. "Greetings to you both." Kasmina of course watched as her obviously frightened father stumbled through his greeting and kept a smile on her face through it. She couldn't imagine why it was so hard to be civil.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course. I did say my mother raised me to value respect. If I infringe upon your rights as a man, I do so only as a retort to mistreatment." The Count brought his cup to his lips again. He would be as civil as the Baron's attitude dictated for the duration of this meeting, but there was one thing that needed to be made clear. It was obvious without the senses of a vampire that the Baron feared for his life now. Sorin wished to squash any beliefs this man had of the types of vampires he dealt with. "You may discard your fear. Your life will not end this night, or by the hand of anyone in this room. I am a vampire, yes. The man you believed to be my father was simply my previous epithet. Stay your cross; it would do no good against vampires of our caliber anyway."

Assuming this interaction would go smoothly, Sorin shut his eyes and sipped yet again. Tea made by a human boasted an interesting bouquet. While it could not compare to the demon-made blends he had become accustomed to over several decades, he found it to be amazing in its own unique way. Nevertheless, he was not quite done speaking. "Now then, I must ask what you wished to gain by sending an assassin of God with faith the size of a pebble to my door?" he asked, finally opening his eyes and casting his gaze upon the mortal once more. "Your honesty would be appreciated. If you lie, we will find the truth within your soul."

[Apollymi]

The Baron would have scoffed at the idea that he mistreated anyone, if not for his current state of fear. Reactionary mistreatment seemed to be an interesting thing to consider, and as such the man remained quiet. It seemed that this man was indeed the man that Dacian previously thought to be his father and that he didn't intend to end his life this night. That was nearly the most relieving thing ever. Costel had spent so much time worrying he would die tonight that he'd not been capable of doing much if anything else. The cross lowered to his side and though he did not remove his necklace he seemed to relax a bit. His eyes remained wide though as this man openly confessed to being a vampire.

As their conversation moved along, it seemed that Sorin was curious about the nature of this man's need to send a holy assassin after him, when he'd done no appreciable wrong. It was also stated that he could not lie in this moment, still in the twisted mind of this man, his reasoning was beyond sound. "I did not know the amount of faith he possessed would matter. In truth... it seemed like the easiest solution to the problem of my daughter refusing to help me." he said rather calmly. "I wish the Dacian name to live on properly, return to glory. I can not have that through her. It should have been obvious to her and all others that she should help in anyway possible. She had no problem doing so before, so it is obviously your influence which changed her. I never would have chosen a man like you as her husband," these were the words of the Baron as he sat free of any idea that he'd be killed. Kasmina knew her father's favoritism of her brother was extreme, but it wasn't simply wanting a son, he wished to live on through the boy, which was something she could not agree with for various reasons. The problem she had with her father, was the same as the one she had with the Vampire Convocation. 'I am beginning to realize that this is just how people onward in years think... and there is something about it which disgusts me beyond reason,' she thought absently. "There is so much wrong with that sort of thinking father. In the first place, I should make it clear that I never actually fixed your problems by befriending Hendryck and calling upon favors. I won what you lost back through superior skill in the game you fail at constantly," she said with made her father's eyes widen and his face redden. He didn't know what to expect of his daughter, nor what she'd think of his ideas. It was simply nothing he could do about it.

[Bloodedge]

"It did not matter. It is not faith in the Lord which powers Vampire Hunters, but faith itself. The greatest hunters history has ever known used faith not in the Father, but in their own abilities. The Belmont you met last night would attest to that." At every opportunity, Sorin was content to share information meant to cripple the ignorance of Baron Dacian toward hunting vampires. Truth be told, Sorin questioned his own ability to combat a Belmont of any caliber, though he had no reason of his own to face one. He knew his own mother had once faced one while barely emerging victorious, and it had been a Belmont to deal the finishing blow to Dracula in the past as well.

Costel went on to share his thoughts with the Count and Countess. His words and reasoning were as repulsive as they had always been, but Sorin was gentlemanly enough to hear him to the end of his speech. His opinions were annoying, and his logic was completely out of order. Following the address by Kasmina, Sorin spoke his mind to the Baron. "Baron Costel Dacian..." he said with closed eyes, a smile, and the lightest hesitation. "You would make a wonderful vampire. You remind me of my father. To be so absorbed in your own existence that you sacrifice the life of your firstborn child in favor of your younger son, whom you've unknowingly set up for failure. You even think yourself an upstanding man, expecting your own child to support you during a time in which you are fully capable of doing so for yourself... all because you've brought ruin upon yourself. Tell me, Dacian... What would your late wife say to you if she saw you now?"

[Apollymi]

"Faith," this word was all Costel had to say. He had faith in God, and faith in himself, but he didn't understand how such a thing could be a weapon. As he thought this, Kasmina turned her eyes away and shook her head in utter disappointment. It was obvious to her now why her father was incapable of winning bets. His faith was misplaced and misunderstood. How could he possibly win? Regardless of this point, it seemed that Costel didn't know what to say to his daughter about her apparent ability to win, which she expected as well. But as the conversation progressed he was asked something which made his eyes widen.

What would his late wife have to say about his present behavior. "Kasandra," he said the name of his late wife, as if he missed her. He tried to imagine it, he saw her in his mind. "She'd tell me I was stupid, and that I should enjoy the present instead of trying for things that will not matter," he said hanging his head in shame. "She'd also have smacked him with a ruler," Kasmina added with her hands in her lap and a smile on her face. She had very fond memories of her mother and that was among them. "She was a governess before she married and didn't take petulance from him nor anyone else," she finished. The grin on her face would be one of mild humor, it seemed that she did indeed miss her mother, and her stabilizing influence on her father. Though now that she thought about she began to wonder how her father managed to swing such a marriage in the first place. None of that seemed to matter though, as it was very easy to see that the young Count and Countess seemed to be chastising him. This was only made worse by the fact that he'd spent days upon days drinking and behaving like an animal.

[Bloodedge]

"Kasandra? What a lovely name," Sorin commented. It seemed the Baron had fond memories of his former wife, and this recollection brought him to the train of thought she would have shared with him if she lived. Sorin sat with the fingers of his hands laced together, both hands upon the knee of his right leg, which was crossed over his left. He seemed comfortable, but something was amiss. For all the things the Baron had done, Sorin actually felt sorry for this individual. Perhaps, in the end, he was too righteous after all, as his maid had told him on numerous occasions.

A sigh followed the revelation of the Baron. Sorin had made a decision. Though he already regretted the idea, it was an opportunity he would accept in the shoes of a mortal man, so he thought it to be something worth offering. "Baron... I said that I would grant you nothing for your daughter's hand, but there is one thing I may grant you. Would you like to see her once more? Kasandra."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina also felt sorry for her father. Though more than a little disappointed in him as a person, she knew that when her mother was living he was a much better man than he'd been showing himself to be over the last almost decade of her life. She looked to her husband and watched his posture. She could see how he felt about this situation but when he went on to ask her father if he'd like to see his dead wife again Kasmina's eyes widened. If he offered such a thing, she knew he could provide it, but given the Baron's less than stellar behavior in the Count's presence, she was surprised just the same that he'd even bothered to offer. Then again... 'He is the kindest man I've ever met. I knew already it was not limited just to me,' a small smile crept onto her visage as she appreciated the man at her side, more so than her father could even realize.

While this happened the Baron Dacian's eyes widened. He couldn't believe such a thing was even an offer, something he could actually have. He was elated by the idea, entranced even. But for this man to offer such a way, considering how slighted he had to have felt in the moments leading up to this... "You would do something like that for me? Truly?" he asked as if amazed by the prospect. "I'd love to see my wife again."

[Bloodedge]

The Baron questioned Sorin's willingness to bring forth the late Kasandra. Of course, Sorin was more than willing to do something like this. It was obvious to him that Costel had not taken the woman's death in a way that allowed him to move on unhindered. Though it was perfectly normal to be affected by the death of a loved one, Costel's descent was very out of the ordinary, and a detriment to the rest of his family. "If it is your wish, then yes. It is clear to me that her death weighs heavy on your heart, even today. I must only warn you that the late Baroness will only have a short amount of time. I would be remiss to keep her from everlasting paradise with the Lord for more than a few minutes."

With his warning given, Sorin stood and stepped into the center of the room. His head bowed, and his hands clasped together to pray as he accessed a strange form of necromancy which somehow glowed with a holy light. "Heavenly Father, forgive my trespasses unto your domain. I ask that you temporarily part with the soul of Kasandra Dacian, and that you allow her reentry. O Lord, deliver this untainted soul from evil as she makes her journey to the mortal plane. Amen." For the duration of his prayer, the golden holy light spewing from his body began to take form in front of him. If his powers reached the former Baroness, it would go on to materialize her in physical form, albeit with all the ethereal glow of a soul straight from beyond the pearly gates.

[Apollymi]

Kasmina and Costel both watched in awe as Sorin began to pray. He used a strange form of necromancy which caused this room to fill with light and after a few moments produced a from of her mother shrouded in light in the middle of the room. Costel couldn't deny the death of his wife almost broken him in a way that was irreparable. Kasmina had also watched this take place, within a moment, the baron himself was knelt at the feet of the glorious image of his wife. Dark hair and eyes that sparkled like cut emeralds. Her form solid enough for her husband to make contact and hug the dress she wore and she in turn rested a hand atop his head.

"My wife, I've been so lost without you... you don't understand," he said tears in his eyes as she gazed upon his visage and she understood. Her death had caused him a great deal of suffering. Kasmina felt conflicted watching this exchange take place. She was almost willing to avert her gaze. Until of course she saw her mother's hand raise from the top of her father's head where she moved to slap him across the face. "I know you missed me, but that is no excuse for your behavior. What kind of example are you setting? Luckily Kasmina isn't the type to take such direct influence to heart," she chastised him. Her father managed to look beyond stunned, he didn't imagine how his actions affected his daughter. But of course, this was always how his wife was, full of compassion while also being iron clad in her will, pointing out his inconsistencies and making him feel he could overcome them. 'I feel like I shouldn't be watching this... but... I can't look away.' she thought as she watched on. Her father was absorbed in this moment. Even so, after slapping him, Kasandra's hand came to rest on his face. "You were once a good man, don't taint that with your sadness." she mentioned to the man. In this moment it became more than apparent to Kasmina that her mother had chosen her father, and that at some point he'd had more redeeming qualities. It seemed in these moments of closeness were working on her father just the same. "I just... didn't know what to do without you," he mentioned. "Stupid man, you live your life. And leave our daughter to live hers. It's hardly worth the extra thought." she said in a statement which was oddly similar to something Kasmina could be noted as saying, particularly in reference to her seemingly futile actions.

[Bloodedge]

When the spirit formed in the material realm, Sorin saw exactly where his wife had taken most of her genes from. However, there was something... more to this woman. It was as if... 'No,' he thought. His eyes widened, and he could not draw them away from the Baroness. 'That woman. Thirty years ago...' His mouth was briefly agape when he realized this woman was familiar to him. It was short-lived, however, as he was soon brought to reality by the sight of her slapping her widower with what physical presence she had. It was so sudden, Sorin nearly felt it himself. "Ouch," he whispered. A very heartfelt moment was at hand, even with this physical abuse - if it could truly be called so. It seemed Kasmina's eyes were glued on the scene just as his had been, albeit for separate reasons. "Go to her," he spoke softly. Something about the overall scene unfolding seemed to sadden the Count. "She's dying again. This is the only chance."

[Apollymi]

The whisper of ouch and the recognition in her husband's face made Kasmina curious and caused her gaze to shift away from the scene before her if only for a moment. By the time she did this her husband was already speaking to her more directly. Telling her to go to her mother, of course Kasmina made peace with the death of her mother when she was much younger than now. She'd had a decade to reconcile her feelings and did not immediately feel the need to interrupt such a tender moment between her mother and father. Given this and her abject trust for the man at her side Kasmina found herself standing near her mothers left as her father wept near the woman's feet.

"Not to worry Mother. I will live my life with my husband, it has hardly been a bother," she said of the plans of her life and her father's misbehavior, which made the woman look into her daughter's face. A smile broke out as she saw the girl before her and she too got a hand placed upon her shoulder. "Look at Kasmina all grown up. I am happy to see you well and happily married even," she said while looking in the girl's mouth. "Oh, and a vampire too," she said to the girl which made her face light up. Her mother was always the sort to encourage her daughter's wishes, even ones which didn't seem to align with the typical role of a young woman in their time. "You do not seem surprised by this..." she said to her mother who could only smile as her hand moved to up rest on the girl's face which looked much like her own. "Why would I be? Such is the nature of one growing up in the shadow of 'Dracula's Castle'. But not all things that start in darkness must end so..." said her mother as she turned to see the man standing in the middle of the room, who'd orchestrated this family gathering. "Oh... it's you! You... married my daughter?" Kasandra questioned this and Kasmina was left to be astounded by the idea but, she also knew Sorin to be much older than he appeared. It was perfectly reasonable in the town this size that two people on the upper sides of society knew each other. Before she married, Kasandra's name had been Kasandra Dacian and she was born Baroness of this land. They'd met by happenstance but she'd helped this young man at least a little at some point in their previous meeting.

[Bloodedge]

Sorin never believed Kasmina was in need of a chat with her mother, but such precious moments as these were fleeting. He would have jumped at the opportunity, had it been his own mother in this situation. It would be a shame if Kasmina did not take the one opportunity she had left to share any parting words with the woman who birthed her. Sorin did not feel this same sense of attachment to the Baroness, but something was there. This woman had actually been very important to him as well. This would soon come to light, as she addressed him directly soon after a few words shared with her daughter. A fanged smile was offered by the male vampire as he bowed in what had to be the most respectfully submissive way he ever had. "Yes, I did; I hope you approve. Your daughter is every bit the woman you were, my Lady Dacian. It shames me that I did not realize sooner whose daughter she had to be. I owe you thanks once again, it seems."

[Apollymi]

Kasandra Dacian was soon on the receiving end of the most graceful and submissive bow she'd seen in all her years. Even so, a smile spread wide across her face, the idea of her daughter and this man together made her quite happy. And she was of course, pleased to see him, under such different circumstances than their first meeting. "Of course I approve, good men are hard to come by. It's not as if you are still wasting away in the streets, thinking too much and acting too little. You both look very happy and I can hardly take any credit for this. Both of you should accept it for managing to find your own happiness," said the woman who remembered this lad at one point starving himself near to death because he'd let himself get carried away thinking about the differences between his faith and his being. Kasmina watched this interaction between Sorin and her mother, and was astounded beyond words. Her mother not only knew the man she married, but approved of him as well, nothing could have made her heart happier in this moment. Still her mother's eyes shifted to her daughter as she pressed lips against the girl's forehead. "You've done well, Mina. Finding yourself a husband and such a good man at that. Keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't wait decades between meals," were her last words of motherly advice. "Of course, Mother," said Kasmina as she wore a smile she simply couldn't remove from her face, though she still managed a raised brow at what was apparently Sorin's old demeanor. These words Kasmina took in stride, with wide eyes as she experienced the gentleness of her mother which she'd not known in decade or more. And though she didn't need this experience, she cherished it greatly.

Costel Dacian heard his wife's words to his daughter's husband and was ashamed of himself. Firstly he'd treated this man as a potential suitor way worse than all others, beyond that, he'd offered him something as immaterial as a shared moment with his wife. A moment later and Kasmina had moved to the side of this interaction, she'd had enough time with her mother and was pleased beyond reason at seeing her again. She'd also found out something interesting about Sorin which of course, she'd love to discuss at some later time. Regardless, the Baroness Dacian found herself speaking to her husband once more. "You know what you've done, and you are better than such behavior. If nothing else you should make it right..." she said as her lips pressed against his forehead as well. This was a shining moment in the life of her husband. He realized he was too far gone in his grief, too wrapped up in things that didn't matter. "I know... I just..." this man's face was wet with tears as he took in the last fleeting images of his wife. He knew this moment couldn't last forever. "I'll do better." he managed finally which made his wife smile. "That's a good man." and just like that the woman looked back at Sorin. "I am ready to depart once more, I owe you thanks instead. I never thought I'd see my grown daughter so happy, nor that I'd get the chance to set him straight again," she said seemingly pleased with her work this day.

[Bloodedge]

"Your words do me great honor, my lady. To hear such things from you grants a feeling akin to a blessing from the Lord himself. A fitting sensation, considering." For the duration of this clause, Sorin remained bowed. He rose moments later, wearing the same gentle expression he'd started with. "You will be pleased to know that I use my feeding to aide those who can no longer find salvation in this world. I send them to our Lord in your honor, that they might suffer no longer." Kasandra had more words to share with her daughter, including some to push her toward keeping an eye on Sorin's eating habits. This was an interesting thing to note, considering what state Sorin had been in when the Baroness stumbled upon him about 30 years ago.

Soon enough, Kasandra returned to speaking with Costel, and even chastising him again. When all was said and done between them, she faced Sorin again to note that she was prepared to return. A smile crossed the male vampire's face as he looked upon this woman. "The gates are open to you. No thanks are owed to me, my lady. It is my sworn duty to ensure your daughter is as content as she can be by my doing. You may rest peacefully," he said, waving his hand in a way that would cast holy light upon Kasandra's form, allowing her passage back into Heaven at her own discretion.

[Apollymi]

Kasandra Dacian got to hear from the once down trodden vampire, that he was pleased about the things she had to say to him, on his marriage to her daughter. And what was more, he had developed much better eating habits since the last time she'd seen him, using his need for blood to help the world in a rather remarkable way. The spirit of Kasmina's mother couldn't contain the large smile on her face, as she was given such news, and she was quite happy for the young man, who'd managed to find his way. "Well isn't that a pleasing bit of news. I am happy you found a way to make peace with that aspect of yourself, and am honored to have been part of it in any way," mentioned the former Baroness. It seemed that she thought highly of the vampire known to her as Lothaire and was beyond a reasonable bit content to know that he could devour people but still do good in his actions. People were always this sort of complex and if they only realized they didn't need stark leanings in any direction, they'd likely spend their lives as happily as she had. With the admission that Sorin would work to keep her daughter happy, Kasandra was more than content to ascend once more. The fact she'd also gotten to make her husband see the error of his ways, was just a bonus which likely helped the man more than she'd get to realize. "Well then, it's hardly worth any more consideration," She'd lived her life as happily as she could, helped where it was needed and had no regrets in that light she faded with a smile on her face casting one final look at the group at large before she disappeared once more. No good byes were uttered but somehow this was fine, considering the type of woman Kasandra was, both Kasmina and Costel expected such.

Kasmina found herself surprised by the sensation of a tear falling from her right eye. She wasn't sad or dissatisfied by the moment with her mother, if anything she was rather pleased to see the woman once more. Knowing that her mother approved her life choices was no small boon either, she believed greatly in that woman when she'd been alive, and strove for years to live with the sort of majesty that woman possessed. To know that she had her approval in anyway set the young woman at ease. Costel on the other hand, seemed calm. The man pulled himself together rather easily and back into his chair as he reflected on this moment. He was beyond quiet as Kasmina found herself reaching for the tear which rolled down her cheek within a few seconds of noticing it. She doubted their visit here was over, even so, she was quite pleased with this moment. 'My mother was amazing,' Kasmina thought happily as she turned to move back to her seat. But as she moved her father cleared his throat standing once more. "Daughter, Lord Phantomhive," he simply knew he wouldn't feel right enjoying the presence of his wife if he did not do this now. "My sincerest apologies to you both. I can not do enough to make up my transgressions to the pair of you," he said taking a bow deep enough to make Kasmina's brow raise in depth. She didn't know it was still possible for her father to apologize in such a way and mean it. If she was being realistic she hadn't seen such a display since her mother was living. 'Mother might have been on to something... those slaps always seem to realign his mind.' Kasmina thought.

[Bloodedge]

Sorin returned no words to the late Baroness. Knowing this meeting was virtually adjourned, he nodded his head and placed his right hand upon his beating heart to acknowledge her. It seemed she was the type of person to make such an exit that did not require farewells, and that was fine to Sorin. Still, it was a shame to see her depart. He'd have offered her life everlasting, but somewhere deep inside, he knew a person like her would not take it. She was perfect in her given existence... and perfection is always fleeting.

"If I may... She was a fine woman in life. For a human to approach a dying vampire, and even save his life. Any mortal would be so lucky to have such an easy trip to the hereafter." Sorin had not been there for the death and burial of Kasandra, but if he had been, these were the words he would have shared at her grave. The Baroness' memory was worth at least that, even for a person who'd only met her once in life. Sorin rose to look upon the others once Kasandra's passage. When he did, he noted the interjection of Costel. Unlike the previous apology he'd heard the Baron give, this one boasted much sincerity. Costel deserved credit for at least that much. "Of course, Baron. There is, however, still the matter of retribution. Costel Dacian, are you prepared to pay the price for your sins against others?"

While Sorin's question loomed in the air, the sound of a crying child filled the halls and entered the sitting room. It was the only child it could have been: The son of Costel, and brother of Kasmina, Cosmin. These sounds were quickly accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps. Moments later, as the crying seemed to grow louder, the footsteps did as well. The child and the one who now carried him were approaching, and soon, there they were in the entryway of the sitting room. The owner of the stepping sound was none other than the boy's birth-mother, and Costel's wife: Mirela. She stood there with long, wavy black hair that seemed to be perpetually dampened with its natural sheen - a trait shared by the toddler held in her arms. Her eyes were a pale green, like a river flowing over trenches of algae. "Costel dear, Cosmin doesn't seem to want this crying to sto--Oh!" An interruption came just at the end of her clause, as she spotted the others present in the house. Kasmina was not much of a surprise, but the presence of a man she did not recognize was a shock which caused her to tug on her nightgown, until her otherwise exposed cleavage was concealed. "A thousand pardons. Good to see you again, Mina. And greetings to you, sir..." The woman didn't know what to say to this newcomer. Sorin expected as much, but bowed his head as he normally did when greeting someone new. "Sorin Lothaire Phantomhive. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Dacian, and if I may say... the boy wishes to see his sister."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina soon wiped away her tears, and hearing what her husband had to say about her mother, softened her heart quite a bit. Of course, Sorin seemed to manage such feats unconsciously but that didn't change the way the raven haired lass felt about it. "That's incredibly sweet of you..." she said to the man who'd spoken so highly of her mother. She was soon able to sit happily and smile while her father apologized properly. Costel for his part, did so with sincerity and when asked if he was able to handle the retribution which would come with his actions he spent some time thinking about it. His posture soon straightened and he sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I was ready for such a thing. I don't believe anyone can be, but... facing the consequences of ones actions is a part of life, and one I can't escape," he said which was surprisingly honest for her father, Kasmina thought. But all of this was soon interrupted.

This was noticed first by Sorin, and then by Kasmina who touched a finger to her left ear, closing it briefly. But as the cries grew louder she seemed to adjust rather easily and soon enough her stepmother and younger brother entered the room. The former of whom, cried unmercifully for some reason and the latter of whom seemed to be at wits end about it. Kasmina smiled at this, and greeted her stepmother the way she always had. "Good evening, stepmother, and pardon us for intruding. Though it seems you weren't sleeping. Would you like some tea?" she asked, her own cup untouched she was more than willing to give it to her stepmother and take her little brother off her hands for a few moments, though she was a little stunned her husband seemed to know what the lad wanted and raised her brow at his assertion. Costel seemed a bit stunned that the woman had come to this sitting room at all crying baby in hand. But all seemed well just the same. "Oh, apologies... This is my wife, Mirela and my son Cosmin. Though he usually doesn't cry so much," said the man who seemed to have way more manners in the last few moments than he'd managed over the last decade of his life.

[Bloodedge]

"No pardons necessary, my lady," Sorin said to this woman, who'd been introduced as the lady of the house. She was stunned to know who this strange man was; she'd never met the husband of her stepdaughter until this moment. "Ah, you're the one that found our Mina. Pleased to meet you, Count Phantomhive." As Mirela spoke, she passed the toddler onto Kasmina. "No, dear Mina. I can't stand to see another drink tonight. What brings you two here so soon after the wedding?" she asked as the child left her hands entirely. There was an immediate wave of calmness washing over Cosmin in this moment of looking up into the visage of his elder sibling. Sorin looked at her as well, choosing to comment on the nature of this interaction. "He knew you were here, but you never came, so... he made someone bring him to you," he clarified.

Moving on from the others, Sorin addressed Costel once more, though his eyes trailed to the child he was seeing for the first time. In this moment, he thought of an apt punishment for the Baron. His eyes glowed brightly when they fell upon Costel. He saw something unspoken when viewing this man, and that thing he saw was exactly what he needed. "Costel Dacian... of the lives you have sacrificed for this boy, yours is not among them. I decree that from the day he becomes of age, your life will be sacrificed. Eternal servitude to your only son will be your Hell on Earth, that you might find salvation through this trial, and be spared the one true Hell in the afterlife." Sorin's eyes linked directly with Costel's when he spoke, as he was in fact casting a curse on this man. It was no mere declaration, but spoken words that would instill something akin to a law in the mind of the target male. It was mind control in its most refined form, where even Sorin's death would not undo the affliction.

[Apollymi]

Kasmina's step mother soon mentioned she would not like to see another drink which made something of a knowing smile come to her face. Still she accepted the child who was crying his heart's content to his mother apparently fussy for wanting to see his elder sister. When Kasmina took hold of the young lad he seemed to stop crying altogether gaining previously unseen calm which caused Kasmina to speak to him directly. "Was all of that worth it, I wonder..." mentioned to the lad. "As spirited as ever and then simply calm," she said to the boy. Her husband soon went on to clarify why he'd actually been crying and his motivations behind his actions. This made the young woman raise a brow before moving on to answer her stepmother's question though she intended to come back to it. "We came to see father is all. He seemed upset after coming to see us yesterday," mentioned the young woman who could. "That isn't to say it isn't a pleasure to see you both as well. I hope you have been adjusting well the last couple of days, I figured Cosmin might have been running you ragged," she went on to mention returning her attention to the child she seated in her lap. "And as for you Cosmin, it is hardly alright to force someone to move because you wish to do something. If you wished to see me you could have done so yourself. I know you are more than capable," she said as she gently placed her index finger against the child's nose only to smile and lower her voice just a little. "Though that doesn't change the fact that I was coming to see you," she offered a knowing bit of conversation to the young boy as she always did. Soon enough she found herself watching the actions of her father and her husband who seemed to be having a separate conversation but it was so much more than that.

Costel after seeing the calming effect his daughter seemed to have on his son wondered to himself why it'd previously been alright to force the lass into a marriage. She still seemed to be an integral and necessary part of their family unit. It was all for naught now, especially considering her super human status. Whatever though, all things seen from the future are clear and unfettered. Beyond this he soon caught the eye of his son-in-law and it was the strangest thing he'd ever have occur. The young count spoke of the people that Baron Dacian sacrificed for the well-being of the son and spoke of the fact that he'd not put himself into this number. Before the man knew it, he felt completely and utterly compelled to go along with what this man had to say. He should truly do for his son in the way that he demanded of everyone else. "Of course, it seems a just sentence..." Costel said as he felt he had no real choice in the matter because in truth he didn't. It didn't matter because in this moment, Costel seemed truly penitent.

[Bloodedge]

The current wife of Costel seemed surprised by the information that he'd been to Castlevania on the previous day. In fact, she was completely without knowledge of this happening. "That explains the mood. I wondered where he disappeared to after the other night," she said. Mirela had frankly been the sort of wife to take a back seat to all things occurring in the life of the Baron for the duration of their time together, choosing to mostly look after the youngest child since his birth. She'd grown very attached to the only one of their collective children she'd personally given birth to, even being a tad clingy for a mother of her time. "Cosmin... has been Cosmin. I've been running after him about as much as I always have. Though... he goes very quiet when I don't, so I leave him to it. I have been missing a lot of my things lately," she mentioned in passing to trail into another topic altogether. In the meantime, the boy Cosmin looked innocent as ever, even knowing all that occurred around him.

Sorin's work was complete. The punishment to be set upon the Baron was in place, but for the sake of the family, he thought to do one more thing when looking Mirela's way. He could see her soul, and he found it lacking. There was something strange about her, as if there was a part of her lineage which didn't reach her as it should have. While she spoke with Kasmina, Sorin carefully approached the mother from the rear. The powers he accessed this time were purely of a holy variety. 'Lord, allow me to grant this woman the strength she holds deep within, that she may not suffer the trials and tribulations of her betrothed. Amen,' he prayed. A second heavenly light washed over Mirela, unleashing from within her the memories of her soul, from her own infancy. She would then speak as what seemed to be a memory out of the blue struck her. "You know, Mina, my father was a swashbuckler once..."

[Apollymi]

As Kasmina figured, her stepmother was busy about the way she'd always been. She'd mentioned her stepmother being a nice woman but not the type to reign in the Baron as was needed. But it seemed such things wouldn't really be plaguing them anymore so it didn't seem to matter much. Instead, Kasmina carried on the conversation with her stepmother while holding a quiet and happy Cosmin in her lap. It seemed that Mirela was without even the knowledge that her husband had previously gone to visit his daughter and son-in-law a whole days ride away. Regardless, a smile came to her face as the woman went on to say that she was missing some of her things more so than usual. "That's a shame, stepmother, are you sure you aren't misplacing them?" she asked sincerely, though the innocent look on the boy's face made her look to him and whisper again. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Cosmin?" she asked Kasmina, having a vague idea, though allowing the hushed whisper to pass between the two of them as conversation tended to completely one sidedly. After all Kasmina had caught the young boy in the act of taking her bonnet a few days prior to this one. Perhaps she should have warned her stepmother of the phase the young lad seemed to be experiencing. But as an elder sibling she didn't wish to ruin the boy's fun at all.

While their conversation progressed, Kasmina watched out of the corner of her eye as her husband seemed to bless her stepmother in the same way he'd cursed her father. Such a thing was also very strange but she supposed she'd ask about that later. Not that she'd have to wait for any immediate results. Her stepmother soon enough mentioned that at some point her father had been a swashbuckler. A grin came to Kasmina's face. "Oh? That is a term I didn't expect to hear of outside of novels. You've never mentioned that before, perhaps Cosmin has inherited an adventurous spirit," she said of the lad, whom she knew to be perfectly capable of moving about on his own with a high level of dexterity to boot, usually to do things he shouldn't. Though such deviousness was expected from toddlers as they got to know about the world into their childhoods. Costel watched and listened to his conversation. He'd also never heard anything about his wife's father being a swashbuckler. But moreover he wondered how he'd managed to miss this kind of interaction in his family before this moment.

[Bloodedge]

"I'm not entirely sure," Mirela replied. "It's as if they disappear from wherever I've placed them. I may just be forgetting where I've put things, running after this child so often." The woman had no idea what sort of spell had been cast on her; the memories of her father were simply a passing thought to her, while it was an effort by Sorin to unleash latent aspects of her personality. "The thought never struck me before now. I feel somehow motivated by my father's words from long ago, though..."

As if to take these words as his cue, Sorin stepped around Mirela to Kasmina's side. He only needed to ensure that his spell worked as intended, and Mirela showed all the signs that it had. Things were sure to become more interesting in the Dacian house now. "Is that so? Well, I'm sure we would both love to hear such inspiring words passed down from a great man, but I am afraid we must be going now. The way back is treacherous, so we mustn't stay any longer. Still, it is good to know you are both well."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina found herself listening to her stepmother's words about her missing things with a knowing smile. There was no doubt in her mind her little brother was absconding with the woman's things, but that was hardly concerning. She knew if confronted the young boy would return the things he took, usually in exchange for something simple or a little attention. Regardless it seemed whatever spell Sorin cast on her stepmother was awakening her latent thoughts in relation to her father, and this was all together new for Kasmina to see, but alas she wouldn't get much time to think about it. "Well, I am sure such things will turn up eventually," she said while looking at the child in her lap and offering him a wink. Moving right along, according to her husband it was time for them to get moving. Whatever the case he was now standing beside her so she found herself rising speaking to her little brother before passing him to his mother. "Do be good little one, and try not to terrorize your mother too much?" she asked of him before handing him off. "I am remiss to say, we'll be leaving now. Sorry again for the intrusion, stepmother and thank you as always for the warm welcome," she said as kindly as ever. Somehow in this moment she felt she likely wouldn't have to worry as much after the well-being of these two people any longer, and with that said and her hands free of the small child she kept, Kasmina found herself turning towards her husband. In so doing she felt as if the world spun far too quickly inverting her senses if only for a moment and causing her to stop mid motion with widened eyes which snapped closed soon after. 'Christ in Heaven, that is horrid...' she thought of the sensation.

[Bloodedge]

Upon being returned to his mother, the young boy set his sights upon the departing pair of vampires, with eyes full of wonder. It was as if he knew there was something off about them - particularly the female he'd seen so frequently in his few years of life, and had known to be different to this. Perhaps he would understand one day. That day, however, would obviously not be today.

The Count's wife was prepared to join him in leaving this place. This was not the most gracious of exits, though, as she was halted by her own senses before even beginning to move properly. Sorin knew what this was. He had expected this sensation to plague the woman eventually, but it seemed he was just a bit too late to escape it happening in the presence of mortals. Taking her side again, he reached out for her hand. He looked upon her with a gaze portraying his understanding of her plight, but the words to escape his mouth were much to the contrary, as he intended them to be. "Tired, my dear? Forgive me for holding us up. Take my hand; I will take us home safely."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina waited for the world to cease spinning and when it did the cooling touch of her husband's hand came to her. A smile crossed her face as she heard what he had to say and knew he understood how she was feeling just this moment. "There is hardly anything to forgive. Of course, lead the way..." and with that she took his hand more than content to return to the castle from whence they'd come. Of course, this odd bit of vertigo was hardly what she expected, but she was sure there was a reason for it, and one which would likely be explained to her by her husband at some point in the very near future. But for now, she'd enjoy the comfort of his hand in hers as they left her father's house, seemingly for quite some time to come.

Continue the story here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?561-Transylvania-Castlevania&p=7567&viewfull=1#post7567).