"Where are we going?" Arlette asked as her and Caius's arms were locked together. The large double doors had been opened and now they walked through a Hall as they headed even deeper inside the main building.
Arlette's question didn't co from a place of nervousness. She was really just making conversation as it really set in that she was here, in Caius's ho, as his guest.
"I thought it prudent to greet the man of the house first," Caius said lightly.
"Oh," Arlette said and nodded, "Right."
Caius leaned his head closer to hers and whispered.
"Relax."
They didn't walk for long. At least Arlette didn't think they walked for long because whatever distance they needed to cover to get to their destination would never be enough. If it were up to her, they might as well walk forever. That didn't sound too bad with Caius's arm locked with hers as it was.
Caius knocked on the door and Lucian's voice ca from behind it.
"Co in."
Right opposite the door was a massive ornate desk with a high-backed chair behind it to match. But Lucian wasn't there. Caius moved his eyes to the side and standing in front of the wall was his father, dressed as usual in a military uniform.
The wall was covered with a massive map that reached from end to end. The Map depicted the entirety of the Acheron Empire and honestly really put into scale just how massive the territory was. Lucian's arms were behind his back and he had been busy looking over the map in preparation for his next expedition.
Once Caius and Arlette had taken more than two steps into his Study though, Lucian turned away from the map-covered wall to offer them both a smile.
As Lucian turned, Caius felt Arlette pull her arm from his and he smiled lightly. He then watched as she did a curtsy. She probably would have grabbed her gown to do so but she was dressed as she usually was and her gown was clinging far too close to her body to be grabbed and pulled in an elaborate greeting.
"Lord Von Helsing," she said with reverence, "It's an honor to et you in person."
She placed so emphasis on 'in person' because truly, the hologram had failed to convey just what sort of presence Lucian possessed. The atmosphere tingled with electricity and not the sort of zing Arlette had grown accustod to from contact with Caius.
The electricity with Caius was a ntal, emotional reaction because of how he made her feel. The electricity caused by Lucian's presence, however, was very physical. It was powerful. It felt like it was heralding a smite.
It was very much contrasted by the kind smile on Lucian's face. Arlette had to say she could see where Caius got his ability to keep a natural, welcoming appearance while hiding sothing dangerous within.
"Professor," Lucian greeted with a bow, "Caius has spoken very highly of you."
"He has?" Arlette asked, looking at Caius who just stood with a slight smile on his face.
"Yes, yes. Granted, he has actually told very little. But that little? All good things," Lucian said, "You seem a person worthy of trust."
"You spoil with Praise, My Lord," Arlette said and curtsied again.
"Please, make yourself at ho," Lucian said, "And I hope you'll join us for dinner."
"I wouldn't think to miss it," Arlette said and was relieved at how easily those words left her lips.
In a short exchange, Lucian Von Helsing had lulled her into a sense of security. To the point where she didn't even feel all too bothered by that dangerous electric aura all over the Study.
"Good," Lucian said with a hearty nod, "Now, go on. I'm sure there's much of the Estate Caius still wishes to show you. Won't do well for to keep you here."
"Thank you, Father," Caius said, speaking for the first ti since he and Arlette had entered the study, "We'll leave you to your work now."
Lucian just smiled as he waved his hand and the last Caius and Arlette saw of him was him turning back toward the massive map as his welcoming expression beca a serious one complete with a scowl.
Caius closed the door gently and looked over at Arlette.
"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Not bad at all," Arlette said with a smile.
"So," Caius said clapping his hands together, "What would you like to see first?"
"Hmm," Arlette said, acting like she was giving it even a bit of thought, "You decide."
"My God," Caius said with faux worry, "I just might bore you out of your mind."
•••
The Von Helsing Estate wasn't packed with a lot of history. It was barely half a century old as it had been built specifically by Lucian for him and his wife and, eventually, their son. It was his ho after he decided to move away from the Von Helsing Duchy.
As such, there wasn't a long string of past generations who had road the walls. That said, there were still things to say. Caius had mories from the old Caius of being a kid who made it his mission to explore the entirety of the Estate, massive as it was.
So when he pointed at rooms, he often had so cute story about his childhood to sprinkle in.
"… I didn't see the glass until I slamd into it. Fortunately and unfortunately, I was far too weak and it was far too strong to shatter. I was safe from glass shards but the blunt force broke my nose and chipped my tooth."
"Oh gods," Arlette said with her hands over her mouth but Caius could see she wasn't horrified. She was trying just not to be too loud with her laughter.
"Yeah," Caius smiled as he nodded and pointed, "I sat on the floor there and bawled my eyes out. Soiled my pants too like a big baby—"
Caius paused then and the corner of his lips rose as he said slowly.
"Probably not the story to tell a lover, is it?" He asked with just the barest bit of sha.
It was funny because technically, that event was just a mory and hadn't actually happened to him. Alas, with how the mory transfer worked, it also technically did happen to him.
"No," Arlette said and chuckled, "It's exactly the kind of story I want to hear from you.
So what happened next?"
"Mom was irate, of course. She rushed off to a Healer who fixed right up. And then she went off about how I wasn't allowed to run all over the Estate anymore," Caius said with a little snort.
"And?" Arlette prompted.
"I still ran about. But I was a bit more careful. At least for the first few days. I… rembered the look in her eyes when she asked the Healer if I'd be fine. It was pure horror. Like her world was crumbling around her.
I never wanted to see her like that again. I never wanted to see her that worried about again," Caius's voice was llow.
"Were you two close?" Arlette asked gently.
"Very," Caius said with a lancholic laugh, "Father was usually away. Mom was always… there. I could always count on her to help up when I fell. To console when I cried. As a Kid, it can be easy to take that for granted. It was 'normal'.
Only when she wasn't there anymore did I finally realize having her with wasn't the norm. It was a blessing."
"I'm sorry," Arlette said.
"Thank you," Caius said and then shook his head with a smile that didn't at all touch his eyes, "Ah, God damn it. Look at putting a dampener on what should be a fun tour."
Arlette grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight.
"You're not dampening anything," she assured him.
Caius squeezed her hand back and they continued the tour. There were many more stories attached to many other parts of the Estate but Caius steered clear of talking about his mother. He was realizing now just how much of a sensitive topic it was for him.
Also, as he spoke of it, it had felt incredibly personal; It was his story. It was his life. The devastation he felt from losing his mother was real and wasn't just inherited. As far as he was concerned, he had experienced all that and had then spent most of the five years after he was turned into a Vampire rembering everything about his mother. Every smile and every frown.
Every mont of celebration and the tis of Sadness;
Celebrations like the day Caius reached the Third Circle at the age of thirteen. Becoming the youngest to ever do so.
Sadness like when they learned his mother was ill.
Sadness like when every Healer checked on her and diagnosed the ailnt as incurable.
Sadness as he watched her grow thinner as the life drained from her.
Unfortunately, the sad mories were most prominent in Caius's mind because he had spent those five years—while he was at his lowest point—fixating on them the most. Also, every good mory that ca to his mind at the ti had been tinged in sadness because she wasn't there.
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