[Me and [@Rivaan]]

Andiira was making her way over towards the bookstore Scylla had said she was going to before. She figured that the book Scylla wanted had to been delivered since she still was not back. Andiira had waited a little while after she was done at the forge and had stuffed down her belongings again. But still no sight of Scylla and she was starting to get slightly worried about her new friend. But she figured it just had to be Scylla getting engrossed in a book.

It took a little while, getting lost twice, before she made it to the store and asked at the counter. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a woman about my age, dressed all in leathers which had ordered a book and was going here to collect it. Do you know where she is?"

 [b]"Ohhh?" The bookstore clerk made a questioning sound with a questioning expression before nodding.[/b]" That's your friend? Yes, she is still here, gave me hell of a surprise when she appeared... dressed like that. I thought an assassin had come for me or something. She's back behind that bookshelf over there at the corner of the hall. She is at the table there."[/b] The man said with a nod.[b]" Is everything okey with your friend? She grabbed that book like her life depended on it when she arrived earlier"[/b] The man asked.

"I'm sure she's fine," Andiira said and smiled gently. "She's been waiting on that book for a while, if I understood her correctly. Thank you for your time," she said finally and bowed slightly and made her way over.  A faint grin appeared on her face as something fun came to mind. Andiira slowed down her steps, trying to walk as quietly as possible as she snuck up from behind Scylla.

She was indeed still reading the book and Andiira leaned over slightly and read a few lines before smiling wider. She very slowly and carefully inched closer to Scylla's neck made a hissing noise before gently biting on Scylla's neck.

 The book was such a dead end! Scylla had already skimmed it a few times to check for direct answers, but nothing was inside on first glance. She lost track of time as she started reading it more carefully at least till she sensed a pair of lips and teeth on her neck. Her eyes opened wide in shock and horror as she in fear swung her elbow back and jumped back to bring even more force on the unknown attacker. A look of fear and hate could be read in her eyes as she used her fore arm to press the neck of the person to the wall.
 
  Her eyes expression quickly turned confused as she focused who was that bit her.[color=f7941d]" Andiira?"[/color] She asked as she sensed something and reached with her other arm to her neck. A fine stream of blood was flowing down her fair skin. She must have caused Andiira's teeth to hurt her with that violent movement earlier.[color=f7941d]" Why?"[/color] She asked her new friend.

Andiira had not expected that violent a reaction and had by instinct bit slightly harder as the elbow hit the side of her head. She was still feeling slightly groggy as she was firmly pushed up against the wall. "Hai..." she said slowly before a few pained moans escaped her lips along with a few droplets of blood. "I just wanted to scare you slightly, expecting you to freeze up," Andiira said with a nervous chuckle and rubbed the place where she had been hit.

She quickly grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and reached out for Scylla with it. "I'm sorry...I did not mean to hurt you," she said with an apologetic look on her face. She honestly was concerned about Scylla, her prank gone quite wrong and she looked down at the floor in shame.

 Scylla took the handkerchief and pressed it against her neck. It wasn't going to be really needed, but considering she couldn't run around town with bloody neck this was for the best. She nodded with a sigh, put the book in her bag and quickly began dragging Andiira with her away from the library." COME!" Priscilla said with slightly angry voice as she was dragging the girl away and towards the inn she was staying at.
 
  She paid no attention to anything right now, didn't even hear if her friend was saying something. When they were finally at the inn and in her room, she closed the door behind them, locking it up.[color=f7941d]" Why... why did you have to do this..."[/color] Scylla mumbled as she rummaged through her bag until she finally pulled a small potion.[color=f7941d]" Drink this... the whole of it to the last drop!"[/color] She said to Andiira. It was a potion for curing diseases, a few drops usually would suffice for certainty if she drank someone's blood, but this time her blood was drank so she didn't want to risk Andiira turning into a vampire.

Andiira had not said anything as she was dragged along. The angry tone and the speed of which they walked meant something was up. [i]"guess I messed up badly this time,"[/i] she figured as Scylla locked the door behind them. "I'm sorry.." she started as the potion was shoved into her face. Andiira eyed it and sensed what it was and was quite confused. She knew that some diseases infected through blood. "Are you...?" she said while looking up at Scylla, wanting to ask if she was dying or something.

Andiira looked down at the potion again and started drinking it. The taste of it was quite bad so she made the occasional pause when drinking it. Eventually though she forced the entire potion down and made a twisted face as the aftertaste came around. Slowly her face returned to normal and she looked up at Scylla with a face full of worry. "Are you.....infected?" she asked with concern. "I don't see anything wrong though...." her gaze made it's way across Scylla's form wondering in her mind if the reason because of the armour was some skin disease she was trying to keep secret.

 Scylla sighed again as Andiira began asking about her disease. She ran her fingers across her temple. This was going to be... problematic. She could keep quiet or try to lie to Andiira, but even if some vague rumors start there will be people for her head. She shook her head again and looked at her new(maybe now former) friend. Scylla took an unneeded breath and in the very next moment hissed at Andiira, her fangs quickly resuming their full length, clearly revealing her nature.
 
  [color=f7941d]"This is what I am..."[/color] Scylla replied.[color=f7941d]" Infected with this... curse... a disease I cannot remove as it's taken roots inside my body."[/color] Scylla explained.[color=f7941d]" Question is what will you do now? If you go tell others about me... even if it's simply me being sick eventually people will come for my head..." [/color]

Andiira shook back slightly as Scylla hissed at her. But slowly her face turned from worried and scared to concerned. She slowly approached Scylla and observed her. Vampire, the word echoed through her mind and what little things she knew about them. She knew about the different stages, about the lords and common vampires. She was sorely lacking on actual knowledge though.

She smiled sadly, her eyes looking into Scylla's. "People fear many things," she said and averted her gaze. "I know what it's like to be feared," she walked up to Scylla and gently placed an hand on her shoulder. "You don't come across as someone I need to fear, more like a person in need." She turned around and raised an hand slightly above her own waist and produced a bright blue flame. "In comparison to you, I think this is scarier. A thing that is more frequent than vampires, mages. Especially people like me who can't control it properly," she said and snuffed out the flame. She turned around once again. "I fear what might happen if I lose control......I've already left enough corpses in my wake."

Andiira smiled brightly. "Besides, I do consider you my friend, vampire or not makes no difference to me as long as you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you."

 Scylla smiled gently and with sympathy. She too was a mage so she understood he fear of going out of control that her friend had. What the human girl said afterwards made Scylla's face turn almost as if she was about to cry for a moment. Not that any tears would have been shedded for a vampire's body couldn't cry at best her tears would be those of blood.
 
  [color=f7941d]"I... always wanted simply to have friends even after I got turned into this..."[/color] Scylla said with a smile of joy.[color=f7941d]" I too consider you a friend now..., but I fear what I may do in the future to you."[/color] Scylla said suddenly and took a step back.
  
 [color=f7941d]"Closer I have people around me, sometimes harder it is to resist this..."[/color] She explained as she finally put the needed effort to turn her face as normal as possible. Her fangs began to retract and the muscles of her face relaxed.[color=f7941d]" I can often hear the pulse of peopel around me... the blood that surges through their veins... does that not scare you?"[/color]

"No," she said simply and shook her head. "I'm more sad than anything. Sad that you have to go through that. With my problem at least I can live as a hermit out in the wild, you can't really." To prove her point Andiira took a few steps closer and gently embraced Scylla before backing off again. Thoughts raced through her mind. At least now she understood why Scylla wore that armour everywhere which had been on the back of her mind for a while now.

Finally she opened her mouth again. "How much blood do you need to stave of the call? I can probably provide it for you," she said and shrugged. "Like, a glass every week or something? I could probably just drain that from myself," she said and scratched the back of her head. She figured it would not be too much, otherwise the world would be overrun with vampires; right?

 [color=f7941d]"I cannot ask you to do that for me!"[/color] Scylla said shocked. Drinking blood from humans was something she did rarely, but to do it from a friend? That sounded even worse... though then she made a thoughtful expression. Andiira was the one who proposed it and certainly would have been nice to have fresh human blood every now and again... a glass of blood would keep her for a day or two... Naturally drinking blood from didn't always infect the victim especially if you were careful about it.
  
 [color=f7941d]"That... I..."[/color] Priscilla said, still struggling with herself about it.[color=f7941d]" I will be grateful. I usually drink blood from my horse..."[/color] She added finally, looking down.[color=f7941d]" I rarely risk drinking from humans unless it's travelers somewhere in the wilderness. I try to not infect them and that's why I have potions against diseases."[/color] She explained.[color=f7941d]" Surviving off animal blood is possible, but unless it's a big animal like a horse, it won't survive drinking from it every day or so."[/color]

Andiira chuckled slightly as Scylla told her about her horse. For some reason in her mind she saw Scylla walking up to it and biting it in the leg because she was short. She smiled as the mental image faded and she noticed that Scylla was still talking. "Then...since I've already had an entire potion; should it still not be active?" She thought about it for a little while before she made up her mind. 

She walked over to a chair and sat down on it, facing the wall and moved her hair out of the way along with some fabric. "Come on, see it as my first rental payment," she said with a joking tone and took a few deep breaths and tensed up her body preparing for what would come. It was almost exciting, which she found weird, but it was also relieving to be able to help someone else for a change.

 Scylla stood there, staring surprised for a few moments. She then nodded an slowly walked next to the sitting Andiira. She could feel...hear the blood passing in Andiira's neck. The sigh so clearly displayed made her start losing control of herself. The beastial instincts that made part of her mind now, quickly began to gain strength as her eyes locked on the neck of the girl." This should... not hurt... some even like it..." Scylla managed to say as she felt her fangs growing and soon she bit into Andiira's neck.
 
  It wasn't long before the vampire had to use all her willpower left, to pull herself away from the soft neck she feasted on. She didn't drink too much from Andiira's blood, but it still would have left an effect on the smith girl.Even with this much lost blood, she would feel quite tired and weak for a little while. Scylla pulled a small healing potion from her bag, handing it to her friend.[color=f7941d]" So... how did it feel? I tried to be as gentle with it as I could..."[/color] She asked before shaking her head, realizing what she was asking.[color=f7941d]" AHm... you will feel weak for a little while... it will pass."[/color]

Andiira felt a bit groggy, the loss of the blood reminded her body that she had not eaten anything of worth today and hunger and tiredness crept on her. She shook her head quickly to shake it off and placed her handkerchief on the wound left by Scylla. "It wasn't too bad," she said as she tried to stand up but had to support herself on the chair. "Like two tiny pricks of pain before a....a calm feeling." She looked at Scylla with a smile and accepted the healing potion and drank a few sips of it before handing the rest back.

She took a few deep breaths and stretched her body as another wave of tired hit her. The long day and not sleeping properly for the last few days were taking it's toll on her along with the loss of blood. "You don't happen to have anything to eat? Despite being a vampire and all," she asked.

 Scylla gave a sigh of relieve as she was told it wasn't really bad experience. She had always tried to keep this at least not horrible for her... victims. Her own infection with this disease was very painful and horrible for her captors didn't really care about her. The vampire quickly put the remaining potion in her bag, planning to use it later in similar cases.
 
  [color=f7941d]"Well I usually buy food cause if I don't it starts to arouse suspicion on myself."[/color] She replied and looked around.[color=f7941d]" Ohh yeah... I threw away that food last night to pretend I ate it..."[/color] She said in realization as she saw the empty plates.[color=f7941d]" Going to be right back then, I will go ask the innkeeper to prepare two sets of meal for us then and bring them here."[/color] Scylla said and walked to the door.[color=f7941d]" Make yourself at home..."[/color] She added with a smile as she left the room.

"All righty then," Andiira said and plopped down on the bed, resting her tired body for a while. It did not take too long though until she started looking around in the room. She was curious about what Scylla kept in here, but she was not going to do the same mistake twice. Sure, even if it had worked out all right in the end, she did not want her new friend to be upset. She closed her eyes and laid there, thinking about the day as a whole. It had been quite an interesting day. 

 Scylla carefully opened the door of her room after a little while, carrying a pair of trays. She had wanted to have the innkeeper or a waitress bring those, but it turned out the food was already ready so she simply brought it.
 
  [color=f7941d]"Andiira...?"[/color] The vampire asked quietly, checking if the other woman was sleeping. It was still daytime, but she must be quite tired so it wouldn't be a surprise if she did. Seems she wasn't...for now.[color=f7941d]" Here..."[/color] She said and placed the two trays on the table.[color=f7941d]" Baked potatoes, some stew, salad and a jug of wine. You can eat also from the second serving if you are really hungry and the first isn't enough."[/color] She said with a smile.
  
  "Thank you," she said with a smile and got up and sat down at the table. "Man, I could eat a horse right now," she said and winked towards Scylla as she dug into the meal. "They do make quite lovely food here I must say," nodding approvingly and quickly finished her plate. After a while though she spoke up again. "Can you taste food? As a vampire I mean? And what's it like in general? Who turned you? ........how old are you?" Questions rushed out as she didn't give them too much thought but then she added. "Sorry if I ask too much, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

 [color=f7941d]"No need to apologize, it's natural to be curious, but afterwards you too will have to tell me something about yourself, okey?"[/color] Scylla replied with a smile and tilted her head, thinking where to start.[color=f7941d]" Well answers in order of given questions... yes I can taste food through eating it gives me no benefits at all... I occasionally cook for myself and people around just to remind myself of what it was like to do so."[/color] She added with a smile.
 
  [color=f7941d]"It's... for me at least a constant nightmare... I feel things no person should... a hunger that constantly I need to resist to not turn into the blood thirsty monsters many of those like me turn into. It hurts to stand under light even when I'm well fed. I don't really need to sleep though I can if I want to pass the daytime faster. Also I can rarely stay at one place or around people much... I don't age... I don't eat... even if I try to hide it eventually people find out."[/color] She explained with a sad voice. [color=f7941d]"I'm 37 will turn 38 the end of this year..."[/color]
  
Andiira was nodding slowly, trying to take it all in as Scylla spoke. She realised that Scylla had it far worse than what she had it, by a long margin. Her life had been rough, but Scylla's had been hell, or so it sounded at least. She felt it even more now than before. She wanted to help this poor unfortunate soul. Others saw a vampire, a creature to be feared, but Andiira saw a sweet woman, twi....

"You're 37!?" she exclaimed and her jaw dropped. Even though being a vampire for 14 years she still did not look any older than what she herself did. Most of the other things left her mind, but the age. Andiira sighed and rested her chin on the table, muttering something along the lines of lucky girl. For a moment her thoughts randomly drifted and she couldn't help but think to herself how amazingly awesome Kyle was. 
  
  [color=f7941d]"Yes, I've been like this for 14 years... 14 cursed years... as for who turned me... I would prefer to not say anything about it now..."[/color] She finally said, her eyes full of pain. It hurted to remember.[color=f7941d]" I'm now trying to find a cure, but I have no luck so far."[/color]

 [color=fdc68a]"Yeah that's what most people would think... 'lucky' is it lucky that I cannot have a normal contact with a person?"[/color] She asked her friend.[color=f7941d]" I used to have a suitor back in the day before I got turned into this... I used to have a family... I used to want to have a family of my own too..." Immortality isn't a sunshine as they would have you believe."[/color]

Andiira had to agree with Scylla about the points she mentioned. "I guess good looks is the only perk of being a vampire," she said and smiled gently. "I don't know, it just, sounds so good to be immortal, never to age, never get sick. You can basically do what you want," she looked Scylla in the eyes, "part from the whole, risk of running bloodcrazed, infertility and such." 

She looked dreamily up into the room. "The power of immortal life, something that has been sought for ages. I guess all good things come with a downside. Like paying for food, getting up in the mornings" she said with a giggle before her face turned slightly more serious.

"However, you also wanted to know something about me...I'm not as interesting as you, but feel free to ask anything."

 "I suppose normal immortality that still allowed you for normal life if you wanted just not aging might be good." Scylla agreed with a shrug of her shoulders before giving a tired sigh and sitting down on a chair next to Andiira.
 
  [color=f7941d]"Not as interesting?"[/color] The vampire asked with raised eyebrow and a smirk.[color=f7941d]" Why not start with the usual things like where are you from, how old are you and why were you out cold in a side alley where thieves roam? You probably would have had nothing left on you if I hadn't found you that early this morning."[/color]

She chuckled before she started telling the story. "I'm from my mother's loins 17 and a half years ago and I like sleeping in weird locations," she said with a big smile. She let those words sink in for a few moments before talking again. "I was born in a brothel here in the imperial city. I don't know who my father is, nor do I care. When I was younger I was sold to the college of whispers. I've been living with them for many years, until I had a weird dream about hammers and accidentally torched the place. I was forcefully thrown out and then you found me."

Andiira chuckled as she finished, taking it quite lightly before gently grabbing Scylla's hands and looking deeply into her eyes. "And I thank you dearly for not robbing or killing me," she said with a grin on her lips.
 
[color=f7941d]"No need to thank me... it just didn't feel right leaving you there and... wait..."[/color] Scylla began saying as Andiira grabbed her arms. [color=f7941d]" You dreamt about hammers? Last night?"[/color] The vampire asked with narrowed eyes. Was that a coincidence... she didn't believe in those. This was too much of a thing to be a chance.

 "Was it by chance a night mare and a guy with a big hammer? Striking you on the chest?" She asked, unbuckling the belts on her chest armor so she can take it off, revealing the strange mark.

At first Andiira blushed and turned her gaze away, but then she blinked a few times. "No way...." her mouth was slightly open, stunned before she quickly unzipped her corset and revealed her own mark. Her eyes went between the two, back and forth a few times before she spoke up. "Does this mean.......that we're fated lovers?" she laughed after she said the last words but then her face turned serious. 

"I had a nightmare, a person from my past tormenting me before a strange man wielding a hammer appeared and she was ushered away and then he slammed the hammer against my chest, and left this mark........ Dang, and here I thought I was special," she said with a playful tone and smirked as she studied the other woman. She reached out towards it for a touch, her eyes full of curiosity.

 [color=f7941d]"Ehhh... I'm pretty sure that's not what those mean."[/color] Scylla replied with a laugh herself as she also studied the other mark. Both were completely identical, surely left by the same cause. This surely was no mortal occurrence... whoever caused it was on a divine level... or something at least near that.
 
  [color=f7941d]"Yeah my own nightmare was similar... nightmare of a past, tormenting me to a point of insanity till the figure with the hammer appeared and stopped it, hitting me on the chest."[/color] She nodded as the smith reached to touch the symbol. Scylla wondered to herself, what she was doing. She barely met this woman this sunrise and now it was late afternoon and she was acting as if both of them were as close as... She shook her head as she felt the fingers touch the skin. She let Andiira touch for a few moments before she started getting the armor back on.[color=f7941d]" This will require investigation... something must be going on for this to happen..."[/color]

Andiira was too deep in thought to notice what Scylla might be thinking about Andiira touching her. Her fingers ran across the scared tissue then placed one hand on her own. They felt the same, part from bodily differences. She was just about to do more touchies when Scylla started putting her clothes back on and it occurred to Andiira what they were actually doing and she blushed a bit before quickly zipping up her clothes again.

"Sorry about that," she said gently before she gave it more thought. "It's a scar, so the being must have 'physically' imprinted the mark......like branding cattle" she said and her face twisted slightly. "But it also saved us from our dreams. So the question is if he caused the dream, or stopped something way more sinister. I hope it's the latter, I hope that this mark is a sign of....hope, or a warning." 

Andiira scratched the back of her head. "I've never come across anything like it in my studies, not even close. If anything perhaps the Moth Priests know something, or the elder council, but they don't often share what they know," she said and sighed deeply.

 [color=f7941d]"Yeah... I also hope the hammer wielding figure didn't cause the nightmares, but saved us from them instead, but until we learn more, hope is all we have on it."[/color] She said with a node and a smile, sitting back comfortably on the chair.
 
  [color=f7941d]"I doubt asking the Elder council is a smart move with the war going on. As for the Moth Priests... ehh I prefer not get close to them with me being what I am."[/color] Scylla added with a shrug.[color=f7941d]" For some reason my instincts tell me to keep away from them... Well we still have some time before nightfall."[/color] The vampire said, throwing a look at the window.[color=f7941d]" You want to do something till then?"[/color]

Andiira shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we can walk the streets, or go to a pub or inn and listen in and see if we can glean any information about the marks," she paused for a few moments, "or on how to turn you human again."