Incruentatus [prologue]
. prologue .
. xalxig . cleaned rp . NC-17 overall . AU . vampires .
There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
And the vermin of the world inhabit it
And its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit
And it goes by the name of London.
To say that Demyx Gainsborough was a thief wouldn't be entirely accurate. He didn't always steal - he delivered papers in the morning, took messages for any man with coin to spare, and if he was really down on his luck, he helped his sister with her flower selling. But... well, the best pickpockets were the ones that were never caught, and not even Aerith knew that he had a secret cache of stolen coin.
He often targeted the sorts of people who looked like they had money to spare - so a little skimming off the top wouldn't go noticed, the kind of people who flaunted what they had out of stupidity or overconfidence. And here was a perfect shot - a man in black velvet, who looked completely unconcerned for the fact that he was walking around at night, unguarded. Heh. Nouveau riche, Demyx thought with a bit of a smirk. Think they're invincible, do they? He sidled beside the unsuspecting man, nimble fingers working their magic.
Xaldin smirked when he sensed and heard someone coming up to him; Someone who seemed confident and determined, with a hint of nervousness. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were up to. He had to give credit to the boy, if he wasn't what he was and hadn't known he was coming, he wouldn't have felt or suspected a thing. "I don't believe any of that belongs to you," he said, as Demyx pulled things out of his pocket. He had considered being generous and letting the kid go, but it wasn't often prey came to him and he was pretty thirsty.
Demyx froze. "Well sir, they say finder's keepers, an' if it wasn't mine b'fore, it sure is now!" And with that, his zoomed away, took off down a side street and into a throng of people, looking to hide himself in the crowd.
Of course. Things were never that easy. He took off after Demyx, following easily. He was going to take back what was his...and maybe take a little extra, too.
Demyx knew the city like the back of his hand - better than, since he'd never had the time to study useless bits of him. But the city, yes, the city was where he would lose him, and after a convoluted series of turns that would make even the most hardened watchman dizzy, he scrambled up to a rooftop and ducked behind a chimney, congratulating himself. But... that stranger in black... how had he known? Demyx knew had hadn't made a sound, he knew he could slip past even the most alert of watchdogs without any trouble. So how had he known?
Anyway, that didn't matter anymore. He was long gone and Demyx was safe here.
Xaldin stared up at the rooftop, tempted to call out to avoid the trouble of having to climb up there himself, but he knew it might attract unwanted attention. He climbed up after Demyx, standing in front of the chimney. "Are you done running?," he asked, calm as ever.
WHATWHOHOLYSHIT- Demyx fell over, his brain spazzing right out. "Oy!! How th'hell did y-" bracing to run again, he moved backwards, only to lose his footing and slip on the precarious roof tiles. Bump bump bum- he fell right at the man's feet, and the stranger was the only thing keeping him from falling right off. The very... cold.... stranger.
Xaldin hoisted Demyx up by his collar, "Careful. Wouldn't want you to get hurt. Not yet at least." He walked back towards the chimney, pressing Demyx's back against it. "You're going to give back what you stole and don't you think I should get something in return for the trouble of chasing after you?," he asked, nudging at the boy's mind and testing his willpower.
There was a hard shell of fighter's strength in there, but for one crack - his competency had never been brought into question, and though he appeared overconfident - he was shaken, now, when a doubly sure thing is doubly undermined.
"...'m just a street boy, I've nothing to give to a man like you," he babbled.
"Oh, I'm sure you have what I need," he stroked along Demyx's neck, hearing his heart beating fast, feeling his pulse under his fingers. "And don't feel bad; You're incredibly good at what you do and it's no fault of your own that I was able to follow you." He leaned in, but then hesitated. The kid was young, younger than his usual prey and trickles of guilt were flooding into the back of his mind. No doubt a result of hanging around Xigbar too much. He pulled back, looking the kid in the eyes, "What's your name?"
Demyx had gone all still now; he wasn't dumb, and he'd suddenly got the sense that he'd walked right into something far beyond his scope of mind. And since he was treading in new waters.... he was quiet, and still - waiting to see what would happen, so he could react. "Demyx."
"Demyx...," he whispered, as if savoring the sound of it. "Do you want to die, Demyx?" he asked, in all his usual seriousness. He kept a firm grip on the boy, knowing that the question would likely alarm him and he might try to flee again.
:But he was still motionless, save for a slow tipping up of his chin. "No sir. Not for a long time."
Xaldin watched Demyx carefully, both his face and his mind, trying to gauge his reactions. He could...-- "How about forever?"
Demyx raised an eyebrow. "That's impossible."
Xaldin chuckled quietly, "No. It's not. Have you heard of vampires, Demyx?"
The boy's eyes widened. "Only in stories. Cor... d'you mean to say they're real?"
"All stories start somewhere. But now that you know...," Xaldin paused. "You're young so I'll let you choose. Eternal life or eternal sleep? There is no third option."
"Eternal life o'course," Demyx answered quickly, before thinking about it.
"Don't be so hasty. Are you sure? Forever is a long time." He doubted that anything he said would change the boy's mind.
"T'chyeah, forever alive or forever dead, who wouldn't choose t'live?"
"Don't ever say I never warned you." He leaned in, tilting Demyx's head up to better expose his neck and biting, he drank.
"I w- AAAHhhnn..." Demyx's initial yelp of surprise faded into a long, pained breath.
...It was a little bit like dying.
. next chapter .
. credits .
demyx: x-igrab
xaldin: clemmontine