Moar drabble fun teeheehee
For Dolly. XD
I thought about making this super cracky, but then it sort of wound up being cute instead--?! AGAIN. IT IS DISJOINTED aslkdklfkldlkskld
There weren't too many circumstances that would lead to Haine Rammsteiner and Naoto Fuyumine willingly staying together and in the company of Zelman Clock... but such was the situation now, even if two of the three were smaller than they usually were.
They were curious children, the vampire had to admit. Neither one responded to the names he knew them as and their behavior differed drastically from many of the younger inhabitants of the island. Naoto's glares and distant attitude had been replaced by a confused melancholy, one that made itself evident whenever he asked her questions about herself. The dark eyes would narrow in thought and she'd shake her head helplessly and tug on her bandages, almost as if she couldn't understand why she was so subdued. Haine, on the other hand, rarely displayed any emotion except for the occasional flash of concern towards his companion. And that collar...
It had taken three hours to get them to open up to him enough so that Naoto (now wearing his jacket) no longer ducked behind Haine when he addressed her and Haine actually talked to him. He'd even managed to convince them to take a break from their fruitless search and rest under the shade of a nearby tree, if just for a few minutes. He was growing soft, unable to let two innocent children wander straight into a dingo den or something worse, but Zelman assuaged his ego by convincing himself that their adult version's reactions to his kindness would be more than memorable. He could get his amusement then. But for now...
"Red eyes."
"Hm?" Zelman blinked, focusing on the little girl who was staring at him intently.
"Both of you have red eyes." She pointed to Haine, her other hand tightly clutching his, then at Zelman. "And you called him 'Haine'. Do you know him?"
That made him chuckle, pulling his toque down slightly. "You could say that. The both of you remind me of other people, although you're much cuter~."
Much like her older self, Naoto didn't even blink. "Your eyes--"
"I happen to like the color red," he continued. "It's a striking color that suits not only myself but our young friend here."
"... Blood's red." She was frowning again, lips moving soundlessly as she struggled to sift through her patched memory. "There was... a lot of it."
"Mm, well, I like blood, too-- ah." Zelman broke off as Naoto shrank closer to Haine, who gave the (much) older man a small warning glare. He still wasn't too familiar with the situations they had been pulled from, but it was easy enough to assume that the girl had lost more than chunks of her memory. Thinking quickly for a safe topic change, he sighed. "You said you didn't know what you were looking for, correct?"
This time Haine spoke. "A room.... with other kids."
"No daycares here, I'm afraid."
"... What?"
Humor was wasted on the young.
"... Never mind. But you're aware that if you keep wandering around by yourselves, you'll only get lost."
"I... can't be lost if someone's not looking for me." Naoto said this quietly, staring at the ground now. After a long moment, she added, "I don't... remember how to be found."
"Here now, missy." Zelman's tone was suddenly firm, drawing her eyes back to his face. "I found you both, didn't I?"
"You weren't looking for us."
"How do you know I wasn't?"
That shut her up, but earned him two very skeptical stares from his audience. The chuckle returned and he lazily flapped a hand.
"Were you?" Haine asked eventually.
"That's for me to know and you to ponder for the rest of your life." Zelman grinned, looking over his two inadvertent charges. "But isn't it past your naptime? You're drooping~."
No response from either of them, just a headshake from Naoto.
"No?" The grin turned into a smirk. Any fool could tell that both children were tired, despite their silent determination to stay upright and awake. How nice to know that their stubborn qualities had been engrained in them at such an early age. "Are you sure~?"
"We're not tired."
"Are you sure?" The vampire repeated, and this time his eyes flashed blue. Naoto let out a small gasp as her own pupils were replaced by that same glow, just before her eyes closed and she slumped against Haine. Startled, the boy glanced at Zelman-- only to fall victim to the same tactic.
"Hm... I guess they weren't." He studied them, taking in their bedraggled appearances, and settled down next to the sleeping duo with a little sigh. He was half-tempted to light up and enjoy a nice smoke, but with his luck, they'd cough themselves awake and all of his hard efforts would be wasted. Instead, he settled for resting his hands on their heads briefly, their soft breathing drifting up to him.
After a moment, he laughed quietly under his breath and closed his eyes. "Maybe I was the one found this time around."
SORRY DOLLY IT'S SORTA WEIRD?!
I thought about making this super cracky, but then it sort of wound up being cute instead--?! AGAIN. IT IS DISJOINTED aslkdklfkldlkskld
There weren't too many circumstances that would lead to Haine Rammsteiner and Naoto Fuyumine willingly staying together and in the company of Zelman Clock... but such was the situation now, even if two of the three were smaller than they usually were.
They were curious children, the vampire had to admit. Neither one responded to the names he knew them as and their behavior differed drastically from many of the younger inhabitants of the island. Naoto's glares and distant attitude had been replaced by a confused melancholy, one that made itself evident whenever he asked her questions about herself. The dark eyes would narrow in thought and she'd shake her head helplessly and tug on her bandages, almost as if she couldn't understand why she was so subdued. Haine, on the other hand, rarely displayed any emotion except for the occasional flash of concern towards his companion. And that collar...
It had taken three hours to get them to open up to him enough so that Naoto (now wearing his jacket) no longer ducked behind Haine when he addressed her and Haine actually talked to him. He'd even managed to convince them to take a break from their fruitless search and rest under the shade of a nearby tree, if just for a few minutes. He was growing soft, unable to let two innocent children wander straight into a dingo den or something worse, but Zelman assuaged his ego by convincing himself that their adult version's reactions to his kindness would be more than memorable. He could get his amusement then. But for now...
"Red eyes."
"Hm?" Zelman blinked, focusing on the little girl who was staring at him intently.
"Both of you have red eyes." She pointed to Haine, her other hand tightly clutching his, then at Zelman. "And you called him 'Haine'. Do you know him?"
That made him chuckle, pulling his toque down slightly. "You could say that. The both of you remind me of other people, although you're much cuter~."
Much like her older self, Naoto didn't even blink. "Your eyes--"
"I happen to like the color red," he continued. "It's a striking color that suits not only myself but our young friend here."
"... Blood's red." She was frowning again, lips moving soundlessly as she struggled to sift through her patched memory. "There was... a lot of it."
"Mm, well, I like blood, too-- ah." Zelman broke off as Naoto shrank closer to Haine, who gave the (much) older man a small warning glare. He still wasn't too familiar with the situations they had been pulled from, but it was easy enough to assume that the girl had lost more than chunks of her memory. Thinking quickly for a safe topic change, he sighed. "You said you didn't know what you were looking for, correct?"
This time Haine spoke. "A room.... with other kids."
"No daycares here, I'm afraid."
"... What?"
Humor was wasted on the young.
"... Never mind. But you're aware that if you keep wandering around by yourselves, you'll only get lost."
"I... can't be lost if someone's not looking for me." Naoto said this quietly, staring at the ground now. After a long moment, she added, "I don't... remember how to be found."
"Here now, missy." Zelman's tone was suddenly firm, drawing her eyes back to his face. "I found you both, didn't I?"
"You weren't looking for us."
"How do you know I wasn't?"
That shut her up, but earned him two very skeptical stares from his audience. The chuckle returned and he lazily flapped a hand.
"Were you?" Haine asked eventually.
"That's for me to know and you to ponder for the rest of your life." Zelman grinned, looking over his two inadvertent charges. "But isn't it past your naptime? You're drooping~."
No response from either of them, just a headshake from Naoto.
"No?" The grin turned into a smirk. Any fool could tell that both children were tired, despite their silent determination to stay upright and awake. How nice to know that their stubborn qualities had been engrained in them at such an early age. "Are you sure~?"
"We're not tired."
"Are you sure?" The vampire repeated, and this time his eyes flashed blue. Naoto let out a small gasp as her own pupils were replaced by that same glow, just before her eyes closed and she slumped against Haine. Startled, the boy glanced at Zelman-- only to fall victim to the same tactic.
"Hm... I guess they weren't." He studied them, taking in their bedraggled appearances, and settled down next to the sleeping duo with a little sigh. He was half-tempted to light up and enjoy a nice smoke, but with his luck, they'd cough themselves awake and all of his hard efforts would be wasted. Instead, he settled for resting his hands on their heads briefly, their soft breathing drifting up to him.
After a moment, he laughed quietly under his breath and closed his eyes. "Maybe I was the one found this time around."
SORRY DOLLY IT'S SORTA WEIRD?!