>>909316
Ok, night goals done. All that's left is to fuck each other to sleep and get sex advice from Pascal.

It's obvious enough you two are going to bone, so lets slice through the tension and ask the master the most important thing. Teach me to FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK.

its been a long night. maybe change the subject to something like your game plan for leaving the city. will the brooklyn den have you?

Laugh a little at him trying to talk himself out of being upset by saying it's his own fault. Pretty sure it doesn't work like that. Could give him a hint next time something like that happens though, if he's going to explain later what the fuck other vampires are on about. You're just tired of being on the outside looking in, if Pascal is gonna let you in then you can wait until they don't have sparkly gossips and their husbands around.

Also, while a woe is Pascal party is a little justified given the whole arm thing... He's not being fair to say "oh boo hoo I'm so sad and Pascal and because I am sad and Pascal I will always mess things up so sad for you tragic mistake of mine" because take some damned responsibility, jfc. Might not be the time to get into all of that but it's definitely starting to look like a pattern.

Hey. I care about you. As a... travelling partner. So I care that you're upset. And I need you. For teaching me things. Like how to hunt. It's good that we're hunting again tomorrow, so you can teach me more about that, and what to do afterwards.

(Also Ricardo should wrap his arm around Pascal's waist, either in a sweet way or a sexy way)

well, we're partners now. you can trust us to have your back in battle, so we're trusting you to tell us what's important in vampire society. first though, lets make a travel plan and get some rest. and get pascal some breakfast when you wake up. does pascal have any ideas of where to go?

>>909334
kel told the cradle lackeys theyre going to new york. so, they cannot go to new york.

put. put an arm around pascal, gently, gently. lean closer, as if you're lowkey supporting him so he doesnt fall over, which you are. gently. tenderly.

>>909350
sound plan!

Yeah well, we've got enough for one night. Just keep teaching us and eventually we'll make up lost time. For now we can focus on travel plans and then getting some sleep.

>>909316
The only way to make sure we don’t find out about sensitive stuff in a way that’s going to hurt your feelings is to tell us about it yourself. If you’re not comfortable with that, that’s fine, but it means you have to get comfortable with the idea of us finding out from other people instead.

Anyway, that’s enough angst from both of you. Sling Pascal over your shoulder and get back to the apartment for some rest.

(On this subject, this is definitely not a topic for tonight, but we should follow our own advice. If Teddy is going to keep coming up, we should admit to Pascal that we know more about him than we’re letting on due to reading the letters, and the sooner we tell him the better our chances of him reacting well. It could be really bad if we keep acting like we don’t have that information and he finds out by accident later.)

Oh hey, Pascal, can we try to take over the human world once we're done with the Bathory's? Honestly, it's always good to have something to look forward to after your first goal is done, makes the first goal easier to accomplish.

I was thinking making our very own vampire Illuminati. Try and save the planet and themselves from humanity's own stupidity. Sounds like a chore to a Vampire like you, and generic as fuck, but its open ended enough where we can stretch our legs and it won't really end until we die. Like taking care of the house.

Lets go hunt and kill some Nazi's or something tomorrow, to start. Bad idea? Fun idea?

>>909377
i agree we GOTTA come clean about teddy. we read those letters and we gotta own up to it. i mean pascal just said that he couldn't be mad at us for looking for information that he wouldn't provide... but no this was really just a bad call on our part and we went through his shit so i say own up and apologize and face the consequences so that we can get this journey started with some HONESTY and TRUST

if pascal forgives us lets start up some travel plans and figure out where we ought to go next. we should go meet up with kel, right? or is kel coming to us? i forget. but either way getting out of the city and away from new york is a must. europe is right out too because of the cradle so we should probably head west or south.

>>909407
clarification: not wouldn't provide but like, didn't. like in regards to us looking for information i dont know how to word this right but we are in the wrong at least as far as teddy goes

Honestly I actually disagree with bringing up the Teddy thing at the moment. As mentioned in the first comment that suggested it this is NOT THE NIGHT FOR THAT with everything else that has happened and is sore. Focus on moving forward for now and getting adequate rest/food.

If Teddy keeps coming up, yeah then it would be good to bring it up perhaps. But right now its way better to keep this in the back of your mind. Everyone is already incredibly mentally exhausted and at the moment it would be adding fuel to the mentally exhausted fire.

>>909407
Absolutely this. I agree that this probably isn't the time, but as soon as Pascal's rested and had some food, we need to come clean. There's a chance he knows already, given how long Ricardo took in the bathroom; he might even have smelled Ricardo's scent on the box or something, no idea if vampires can do that, but it still feels like a really bad thing to have hanging over the budding relationship.

Cuddles and sleep for now. Better spend the day protectively curled around Pascal in bed. You know, in case any Cradle vamps surprise us and we need to defend ourselves.

FRACTAL 2018/11/04(Sun)08:15 No. 909534 ID: 270774
File 154134812790.png - (102.32KB , 800x525 , 226.png )

Ricardo rolls his eyes. “Is that pity party actually making you feel any better?”

“What?” For a second, Pascal sounds put off — but then he laughs, again, as always. “You know, not really.”

“Yeah, so cut it out.” He’s walking too slow. Ricardo leans over and slips his arm around Pascal’s waist, prompting a little noise of surprise from him, and then unceremoniously slings him over his shoulder, which prompts a scream. “It’s simple. If you don’t want me finding stuff out on my own time, then you just have to tell me first.”

“Hey! How can you do this to me? I am ten times your age!” Pascal is kicking and squirming, but in his current state, he might as well be a human. Ricardo can keep a grip on him with no effort. “Cacat! Put me down! Disrespectful!” He knees Ricardo in the pec, and it feels like nothing. “I turn into jackal and make piss in your shoes!”

“Knock yourself out.”

FRACTAL 2018/11/04(Sun)08:15 No. 909535 ID: 270774
File 154134814462.png - (98.83KB , 800x525 , 227.png )

A little further, and the apartment is in sight. Up one flight of stairs, through the destroyed doorway, and he dumps Pascal onto the bed. Pascal splutters, hissing like an enraged cat, as he rights himself amidst the sheets. Ricardo already knows Pascal’s face well enough to know that if he hadn’t been drained of blood, he’d be fully flushed with anger.

I even miss how you get mad and cry over nothing, says an unbidden voice in the back of his head, and Ricardo tenses a little. Shit. It occurs to him that if he’s going to demand that Pascal be straightforward and open, he’d probably better lead. When he first read the love letters, he’d known the guy for ten minutes, and he’d come here to kill him — so whatever. He doesn’t particularly feel like he did anything wrong. But Ricardo’s not an idiot, and sitting on this while overhearing everyone dance around the subject of the letters — and acting like he doesn’t know what any of them are talking about — can only blow up in his face. It needs to be taken care of.

He glances over at Pascal, who is still glaring daggers at him. Not tonight. Soon, but absolutely not tonight.

“We should figure out a plan,” he says instead. He turns away to kind of awkwardly prop the broken door back against the doorframe. “First things first, we should hunt again tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Pascal still sounds irritable, but he’s cooperating with the topic change, at least. “Ugh. Such a waste. I’m completely sober now, do you know that? All the tequila we drink is now splatter on the ground back there.” He makes a wet noise with his mouth, and Ricardo clenches his jaw to stop himself from snorting. “You are, too, right?” Pascal continues. Ricardo blinks, and then takes personal inventory. He’s right, actually. “Is not the same as losing blood from an injury, but to use your affinity so much will drain you, too. And when we travel we will want to be fully fed, in case something happen.”

“Both of us, then,” Ricardo agrees. He sits down on the floor to unlace his boots. “You can teach me a little more. About…” He’s floundering. He’s trying to be nice. He’s trying to communicate that he thinks of them as partners, now. “About hunting,” he finally says, a little flatly. “And what to do after.”

“What to do after? You know what to do after.” Pascal pulls his shirt over his head, snickering — as soon as the collar is off, his pendant falls through and hits his chest, followed by his hair exploding around his face again in bouncy curls. “Ricardo, you are so bad at talking that I never know if you are trying to charm me, or if you just do not think before you speak.”

FRACTAL 2018/11/04(Sun)08:16 No. 909536 ID: 270774
File 154134816556.png - (136.01KB , 800x525 , 228.png )

Ricardo’s not touching that one. “And we should figure out where we’re going, too.”

“Oh, shit,” says Pascal.

Ricardo looks up, finds that Pascal is trying to peel himself out of his leather pants, and looks down again. “What?”

“We did not think to ask Minoru what he would be saying about us. Or to give him guidelines for what we want him to say,” Pascal points out, and Ricardo curses under his breath. He’s right, and it’s a massive oversight on their part. “We cannot go anywhere he will tell lies and say we have gone — how stupid, to be caught because we accidentally made a lie true.”

“I can text him in the morning,” Ricardo says. “I got his number.”

“Then we will decide, when he has finished his work. Pula mea, these will not come off. I don’t care.” Pascal flops over on the bed, his pants and heels still on. “And we cannot go anywhere where you made a fuss while looking for me, probably. When we get a list from Minmin, I will assume anywhere else you suggest is a place you have not been.”

“Mm.” Ricardo pulls his own shirt over his head, too, and kicks his jeans off. “Do you know anyone else besides Kel?” A split second of hesitation. “Would the Brooklyn den have us?”

“Stupid boy,” Pascal mumbles, from within the pile of blankets. “Kel has already sent the Cradle hunters there. We would not be able to go even if they would have us.”

Pascal goes quiet for a moment, that kind of pensive silence he takes up sometimes, that feels less like a pause to be filled and more like continued conversation in its own right. Ricardo waits. “Ricardo,” he finally says — and he sounds reluctant, but he continues. “I will say this, just in case. Only because we do not know what will happen, not because I think we will need this. But… if something were to happen. To me. And I could not get back to you, or you could not come to me.”

His hands are folded across his chest, and they part to toy with the pendant idly as he talks. His face is turned away. “You have a way to talk to Kel, and you can ask her to have you talk to a man named Jim. And if you give my name, and you have nowhere else to go, the Brooklyn den will have you.” He sighs, a little forcefully. “Maybe they will not be friendly to you! Ahaha. But, euhhh… they will keep you safe. They will not let anything happen to you. And if it is needed, they will finish your wardship in my stead.”

He lifts his hands, a helpless little gesture, then lets them flop back down on his chest again. “But like I say, this is for emergencies only. This is if I am not around at all.”

Memorise this information quietly, then HELP! HIM! OUT! OF! HIS! LEATHER! PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!

nod. or grunt, whatever.

then ask if he wants (not needs) help with his clothes. if yes, take off his heels and uh. the pants. im thinking you could grab the waistband and pull toward his feet, turning the pants inside out? would that work?

also hes pretty banged up, so be gentle and careful not to accidentally remove his feet or something bc that would be. bad.

Take off his shoes first and then gesture at the pants,,

>>909540
Hello? Vampire regeneration?

>>909539
Yes, this. Though I sorta wonder about having sex with him without talking about the Teddie thing, feels a little duplicitous. Maybe extract him from pants and then initiate cuddling, rather than sex.

>>909546
Kinda think pulling his feet off would kill the mood

absolutely no sex until we come clean with pascal about teddy. honest relationships only final destination horniness on lockdown

bundle him up in a blanket burrito

>>909557
>>909567
It’s absolutely true that the Teddy thing could snowball VERY badly and it needs to be nipped in the bud, but at this moment in time I don’t think it’s actually a big enough deal to be a moral quandary. Like Ricardo said, he did the snooping when he’d only known Pascal a few minutes. If he’d looked at the letters later, like now that he knows what a sensitive subject it is, or if he kept overhearing conversations or God forbid asking questions about it while having this information, that would be the point at which I’d say sex would have to be on hold. But right now I think it’s a pretty small transgression, it’s just that we have to say something about it before it becomes a big one.

Aside from all that, though: Let’s not get so distracted by Pascal’s sexy little leather pants that we forget to pursue the jackal comment! Is a jackal his main form, the one he chose instead of the bat? Why? We can ask this stuff while carefully helping him with his pants.

>>909578
The thing is consider how it will look after the fact. Like, Ricardo goes to pound town with Pascal, then when they wake up the next evening he's like "btdubs I read those letters in your bathroom, soz" to me that would be a hell of a betrayal to have sex with someone while not telling them something which will feel like a betrayal to them. Pascal has been uncomfortable to losing his shit every time someone has brought up Teddie, there is no way this is going to go down well.

Okay everyone is concerned with banging Pascal but I would like to point out that Fractal said on a curiouscat answer that vampires can't get their dick up if they don't have enough blood, so thinking about boning right now is a bit of a moot point anyway.

>>909601
this. help him out of his pants but just go to cuddletown

..especially considering he just brought up the brooklyn den i don’t think we’ll get a better lead in to the convo. definitely he’ll him w his pants if he doesn’t get rly rightfully upset @ you

>>909567
>>909609
This, yes. Protective cuddles if he wants/accepts them. There'll be all the time in the world for wild passionate camping sex while evading capture, and after we've done some more communicating.

its been a long night, maybe mellow things out by talking about what cities either of you have never visited, to plan your escape route

we can't be horny we need to tell him we read the letters... RIP our dick but. we Gotta

FRACTAL 2018/11/04(Sun)23:02 No. 909652 ID: 270774
File 154140132246.png - (102.41KB , 800x525 , 229.png )

Ricardo walks over to the bed and sits on the edge. “Do you, uh. Want help with that?”

Pascal lifts his head just enough to give him a look. “Do you want to help?”

Ricardo takes that as a green light and pulls Pascal’s feet into his lap, to unlace his shoes. “Gonna turn into a jackal, huh?”

“Oh.” Pascal snorts, extending his legs one at a time to help Ricardo pull his heels off. “Yes. The only thing I can do.”

Ricardo slides his fingers under the waistband of Pascal’s pants. He recalls, grimly, that Pascal isn’t wearing underwear. “Why’d you pick that instead of the bat?”

“Oh. Stupid. It’s so stupid.” Pascal lifts his hips as Ricardo inches the leather off, one hand laid lightly over his face. “There are jackals, you know, in the Romanian forests, and I thought they were so beautiful and mysterious. But I can’t do it right! I am all black, when I am a jackal, because my hair is black, and I don’t know how else to do it.” He sighs. “But, anyway. Also I had this little black dog, when I was human, who came on hunts with me, and I missed it. Dogs are scared of vampires, you know, and I couldn’t have one ever again, and I was so sad about this. And…”

He trails off for a second. Ricardo is very, very slowly working his pants off, because it’s occurred to him that at some point Pascal’s dick will be out, and he’ll have to stare at his dick the entire time he’s peeling his pants off his legs, and he’s putting it off. “It’s stupid,” Pascal says again, softly. “I thought that… a black dog is so terrible an omen. And maybe, when I was let out of the castle to hunt on my own, maybe humans would see a black dog, and they would run away.”

As Ricardo peels Pascal’s pants down, he finds that, mercifully, Pascal moves to cover himself with one hand. “I was naive,” he laughs. “It didn’t matter anyway. Decorative wards do not hunt.” Ricardo tries not to focus on the sensation of his palms moving down Pascal’s thighs. “And anyway, I did not stay so resistant to feeding on humans, for very long. And humans did not stay so superstitious. Now, when a human sees a black dog, alone at night, do you know what they do? They try to touch me! Disrespectful.”

FRACTAL 2018/11/04(Sun)23:02 No. 909653 ID: 270774
File 154140134344.png - (120.82KB , 800x525 , 230.png )

Once Ricardo gets Pascal’s pants off, Pascal is completely naked, soft and pliant underneath him. He exhales, keeping his eyes firmly on one of the twists of fabric in the sheet beside Pascal’s head.

For all that he’d thought about while undressing him, for all the places his mind wandered — he thinks about the way Pascal’s face contorted when Minoru brought Teddy up. And in spite of himself, in spite of everything, he can’t make himself do anything more.

He flops on top of Pascal instead, arms on either side of his head. “Ow,” says Pascal, immediately. “Ricardo, you are heavy.”

Ricardo doesn’t reply. There’s a beat. Pascal narrows his eyes. “What. Is that it.”

“What do you mean, ‘is that it,’” Ricardo growls.

“Well.” Pascal seems to be figuring out what to do with his hands. Eventually, they slide up Ricardo’s shoulderblades. “I was thinking, for you to go out of your way to undress me like this, probably you are trying to fuck me.”

Ricardo is so hard that he feels like his stupid fucking dick is going to shoot off his body like a bottle rocket. “Nope,” he says, through gritted teeth. “I’m good.”

“Hm.” Ricardo can feel Pascal’s gaze moving inquisitively over his face, even though he doesn’t open his eyes. “Well. Okay, then.” His hands curl, absently, half of a fond scratching motion over Ricardo’s back. “Probably it is for the best! Like I said, all my blood is gone anyway, ahaha. And we have an early day tomorrow. Probably I will get you up before it’s even dark outside.”

“Pascal,” says Ricardo, his voice strained. “Go the fuck to sleep.”

“Okay, okay.” Pascal closes his eyes. Ricardo tries to sync their breathing.

“Ricardo?”

Fucking christ. “What.”

“Good night.”

Kiss him on his hair, say "night"

Move your hands to places that could be mistaken for a hug and say "night".

hair kiss GOOD also yes tell him good night!! and if you can get away with it something sappy about tomorrow;; he is so pretty

jaws of life that dick outta them pants

"Night..." and hair nuzzle as you fall asleep....

Begin the grand bonding ritual of couples the world over. Dutch oven him and never stop laughing about it.

>>909654
HAIRKISS

Also oh no Pascal...
its not stupid - at the time, you wanted to protect humans, and tried your best even though you didn't succeed. with the context of your intentions, its not stupid. sure, maybe its a terrible idea, but stupid? naw.

maybe...maybe ricardo can help him become a proper jackal? maybe he can talk Pascal through it or something

S P O O N.

Think about how Pascal was raised to be a decorative ward, but he's survived for so long mostly on his own and is capable enough he's able to teach *you* how to hunt. No wonder he didn't feel confident enough to stick around at the beginning, he probably never expected to make his own ward ever. He wasn't trained to be responsible, or even self-sufficient.

S P O O N.

Think about how Pascal was raised to be a decorative ward, but he's survived for so long mostly on his own and is capable enough he's able to teach *you* how to hunt. No wonder he didn't feel confident enough to stick around at the beginning, he probably never expected to make his own ward ever. He wasn't trained to be responsible, or even self-sufficient.

FRACTAL 2018/11/05(Mon)11:46 No. 909691 ID: 270774
File 154144721179.png - (135.97KB , 800x525 , 231.png )

Ricardo presses his face into the soft curls piled at the side of Pascal’s head. Pascal smells like iron, and heavy, deep perfume, and faintly, the scent of powdery makeup.

“Night,” he mutters. Pascal shifts under him, and he accommodates, arms circling — and it’s not an embrace, he’s just keeping the other still. Pascal doesn’t respond. He’s still and unbreathing beneath him, and all Ricardo can hear is the slow movement of his remaining blood, with no heartbeat driving it, a ceaseless flow like a river’s. He’s already asleep, so Ricardo presses his lips into his hair, and then wills exhaustion to take him before he can think about why he did it.

FRACTAL 2018/11/05(Mon)11:47 No. 909693 ID: 270774
File 154144722542.png - (9.24KB , 800x525 , 232.png )

Ricardo is sleeping beside his sire. Does he have a vision of the past, the present, or the future?

A vision of the past will be clear and detailed, and is guaranteed to be accurate; but it will be unclear exactly when the vision occurred, and there will be nothing you can do about it — after all, it’s already happened.

A vision of the present will draw from three days: the night before, this night, and the coming night. It is guaranteed to be accurate, but may be distorted in ways that are misleading, and it will be unclear in what order the events shown occurred.

A vision of the future will be detailed and extremely abstract. It is only guaranteed to be accurate based on the network of events as they exist currently, because your actions moving forward may alter the flow of time; but perhaps this opportunity for change can be useful.

can i get uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh present

future; more useful for us to get a sense of something we could have control over

future; at least we'll have some idea of what might be coming

I vote future

present!

Past, having an accurate vision is the least likely to lead us astray and maybe we'll get some damned context for all the bullshit and whispering that's been going on

Past! Let us get some deets about Ricardo's life!

Future--the most interesting option and the most likely to lead us into difficult and therefore entertaining situations

my vote’s for the future

future! no point in dwelling, you gotta keep moving forward

i vote past! our pasts shape our future, and are set, and our future is malleable by our actions. with our past, we know exactly what's happening and we might be able to use it to shape our future.

Past. Don't want to get too confused with things that might not even happen!

ouuuu i vote,,, past. it might give us insight into our future!

present

mmmmm present

Present; we're in immediate danger, we need immediate info

hmmm i vote past

past or present!

present!

Present!

past, lets get some lore

Future for weird cryptic dreams!

The future feels far too mutable to be useful right now. A glimpse of the present, given the danger we're in, seems prudent.

I vote present. Past could be too far back considering vampire ages that it may not be relevent anymore, especially in potentially a bad way. And the future vision sounds too abstract and mutable to be useful.

A vision of the present may give us useful information about what other vampires are doing and planning at this time. Might be good for planning what we should do next tomorrow.

i like the idea of present tbh!

past!

Present or past!

The future of the past, so like still the future just a bit less futurey

present! maybe we'll get a glimpse of who is actively hunting us, and some clues about how to avoid them.

present!

present!

Past! More ricardo content for the soul

we’re already going to get info on the people hunting us from minmin tomorrow. but more importantly, i think future will be the coolest-looking vision, so obviously we should do that

Present please

past!

vote for present

Present or future; I feel like an accurate vision of the next night will be more useful than an abstract vision of something that might not even end up happening, but both would be handy to know.

past or present! I'm split on lore vs. current info, which we're pretty short on, the former sounds emotionally intriguing, the latter more Useful for deciding our paths right now.

present! future is fun but present is more directly useful

future

PASCAL WASH OFF YOUR MAKEUP

hmm....future vision! present is cool but future will be the most useful, as long as we can interpret it right

Future! I agree that we’ll get plenty of info on the current situation from Minmin.

auuugh present; as much as i would adore ricardo lore, i think we need to think strategically abt the here and now.

is picking just for the audience and guided by the hand of g-d or does ricardo have an affinity for clairvoyance/mysticism? can you have more than one affinity?

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:45 No. 910022 ID: 270774
Audio present.mp3 - (2.49MB )

darkness - v.k.

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:45 No. 910023 ID: 270774
File 154173873079.png - (232.16KB , 800x525 , 233.png )

The Staatsoper rises, imperious and white-columned, into the crisp Vienna night.

Within it, ringed by red velvet and gold railings, a high C rings out, pushed with force and passion from the strong lungs of the soprano standing alone in the center of the stage; and as her breath cuts off, there’s the sound of shattering glass from the VIP box closest to the stage.

“New York? NEW YORK?!”

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:45 No. 910024 ID: 270774
File 154173875014.png - (203.04KB , 800x525 , 234.png )

“Constantin, please.” The box is dark, and the second voice sounds equal parts bored and indulgent. “We’re in public.”

You’ve never heard this language spoken — and yet, you know it’s Hungarian, and you understand every word. Broken glass catches the light on the floor, and so do curls of heavy burgundy hair. “He has a particular talent for making me angry!” Heaved, obsolete breaths. The vampires lining the back of the box, standing behind the chairs, are pressing themselves silently back against the curtain. “He does it on PURPOSE! Did he learn nothing?”

“You’re spoiling the aria,” says the second voice, a bit more sternly this time. A sigh. “I’ve told you before. When you discipline your wards based on your whims, you can’t then complain that they’re as unpredictable as you are.”

“I want him back NOW. This is obscene.” Constantin slumps back into his chair, legs spread, heeled shoes dug into the carpet over a glittering layer of wine glass shards. “This is disgusting.”

“I told you already, I’ve sent wards. They’re waiting for backup as we speak.” The second speaker takes slow steps to Constantin’s side, but doesn’t sit. He lowers his voice, addressing the ward standing behind Constantin’s chair. “Can’t you see your sire is upset? Clean that up.”

The ward kneels, long-nailed fingers carefully plucking glass fragments from the wine-soaked carpet. “Backup,” Constantin scoffs. “For what? For a nest of urchins? Are your wards so useless, Cecil?”

“I don’t intend to empty out my toolbox simply because your toybox is missing a piece.” Cecil is dressed in white, and his hands twitch fitfully as he crosses his arms. “But if you’re going to be a nuisance about it —”

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:46 No. 910025 ID: 270774
File 154173877534.png - (124.96KB , 800x525 , 235.png )

When the ward kneeling under the chair stands up, his cupped hands full of broken glass, your silent heart leaps into your throat.

You feel sick.

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:46 No. 910026 ID: 270774
File 154173879692.png - (71.50KB , 800x525 , 236.png )

You haven’t seen this skyline in decades. It’s changed, but it still makes your heart ache.

Two vampires are sitting on a rooftop — one standing, the other dangling their legs.

“Ain’t this a bite,” says the standing vampire. “The boss got us all cranked to come out here, we show up chrome-plated, and whadda we get for it? It’s deadsville. What’s he talkin’ about sending Cleve and Var out here for, anyway? He think we’re not up for it? That’s got me fuckin’ frosted.”

“Rex,” says the other vampire. They’ve got a keychain in their hand, and their phone out to illuminate the screen on it. “I don’t know what you’re fucking saying.”

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:46 No. 910027 ID: 270774
File 154173880820.png - (156.65KB , 800x525 , 237.png )

“Don’t be so cold, Specs.” He drops to a seated position beside them, peering over their shoulder at the keychain. “How’s Rex Jr.?”

“I told you that’s not his name.” There’s a long pause, punctuated only by the sounds of traffic below, and faint beeps as the smaller vampire presses buttons. The wind picks up. “He’s shitting like a demon.”

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:47 No. 910028 ID: 270774
File 154173883292.png - (136.81KB , 800x525 , 238.png )

“I don’t mean in any way to diminish the … intense emotional distress you’re currently feeling,” murmurs Cecil. The sheets shift under his tensed hands, and his face doesn’t change. “But —”

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:47 No. 910029 ID: 270774
File 154173884752.png - (124.97KB , 800x525 , 239.png )

“SHIT!”

Rex falls back against the brick, one arm instinctively flung out towards his partner — as if he could cover them from halfway across the alley. “Jonquil! You alright, buddy?”

“Aces,” Jonquil spits. The words leave their mouth accompanied by blood. They’re riddled with bulletholes. “I mean it. It’s not silver.” Their hand moves in one violent movement, and crushed metal casings scatter across the ground, thrown from their body in a wide, arced splatter across the ground. Rex hesitates. They look up and bark orders. “GO! GET THE DOORS OFF!”

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:47 No. 910030 ID: 270774
File 154173887668.png - (155.07KB , 800x525 , 240.png )

“No need for that, boys.” The vampire standing in the double doors flexes her fingers along the grips of her Tommy guns. “If you Cradle scum wanted to get inside, ya coulda just asked nicely for an invitation.”

There’s a rolling wave of chuckles from behind her, the metallic clicks of more guns being leveled. Rex is closing the distance, one arm held back and tense, and she cracks her neck. “So here’s a nice Brooklyn welcome for ya!”

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:48 No. 910031 ID: 270774
File 154173888783.png - (120.12KB , 800x525 , 241.png )

“You have threescore wards who look exactly like him.”

Constantin’s fangs glint wetly in the candlelight. Cecil’s hand is firm and unyielding at his nape. “Why all this hysteria over ONE of them?” A punitive tug backwards. “Just kill him and be done with it. This tires me. It drains my resources.”

He takes a few hissing breaths before he can speak. The thumbnail of Cecil’s other hand breaks skin at his hip.

“Because, my dear duke.” Constantin’s mouth stays open, but it’s warped, now, into a smile. “Because despite everything, I feel —” A hiss, a sigh. Cecil’s eyes stay lidded and dull. “I feel that in his heart, however deep it’s buried — Pascal Cosovei still hates me.”

That, finally, gets a reaction. Eyebrows lifted a millimeter. Constantin is out of breath.

FRACTAL 2018/11/08(Thu)20:48 No. 910032 ID: 270774
File 154173891193.png - (21.01KB , 800x525 , 242.png )

“And what could be more exciting than that?”

You don’t want to hear any more.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO: https://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/910050.html