The Loft’s fireplace glowed amber with rich, orange flames licking at the firewood. The charcoal grey smoke slinked up the narrow chimney, out into the sky above them. Wafts of smouldering wood filled the Loft, mixing with the fading smell of fresh mint and that background smell of Ren’s favourite incense. She always lit the same one; Oud top notes with a baseline of leather. That earthy yet floral scent resided in the Loft even when the incense remained unlit. 

Surrounding the Huntress and the ancient vampiress were the shelves upon shelves of literature Ren had collected. Undoubtedly, in many of them, there would be documentation stating exactly why the two of them being sat opposite, calmly on leather sofas, was exactly the opposite of their written destiny. But the Universe had other plans. And despite it all, despite all the books who watched on doubtfully, still they continued to gaze at one another curiously. 

[b]“I guess we’re bound by some sort of fate—to figure this out. I… I appreciate you sparing his life. It’s true I haven’t ever seen a vampire spare… anyone… b-but I’m young still… and not even a fully ordained hunter.”[/b]

Ren arched a brow at Lyselle’s honesty. She marvelled at the girls openness, her willingness to be vulnerable. Human nature, when faced with a Vampire, was to be guarded, alert and wary. Known for their manipulative tactics, vampires were approached with caution. But it was true, Ren disregarded her well-developed abilities to coerce and influence. With Lys, similar to her thirst, the desire had simply evaporated. That wired-in tendency to mould a humans’ mind, to mentally bribe them in whichever direction she so pleased, was dormant in Ren when faced with this particular human. Hunters were resistant to it, granted, but there were ways to dodge past the mental blockades the Hunters mark installed. For the vast majority of Vampires, that was enough to deter them. But with Ren’s years of experience, it was possible to barrage past the mental shield and infiltrate like an army anyway.

[b]“Probably won’t ever be, now. I’m… a heretic, maybe? Heh.”[/b] Lyselle continued, her half-hearted chuckle made Ren echo the sentiment. Letting out a raspy chortle to match Lyselle’s, the vampire drained the cup of the fresh mint tea and set it to one side. Caressing her tongue over her pillowed lips, moistening them thoughtfully, Renaissance eyed Lyselle in contemplation.

[i]“It can’t be anything but destiny,”[/i] she mused [i]“This goes against everything we’ve both ever known… And yet neither of us have any intention to kill-“[/i] Ren paused, shooting Lyselle a mischievous glance. [i]“Unless I’m sat opposite an extremely powerful master manipulator, and you plan on running me a bubble bath of holy water?”[/i]
Ren’s purple-flecked piercing green eyes danced with challenge, that playful smirk still tugging at her lips. She watched as Lyselle ran a hand through her jet black hair and Ren resisted the urge that flowed through her to do the same. To reach out and intertwine her fingers in Lyselle’s flowing dark locks and discover how she felt between her fingers.

[b]”Even if I left…”[/b] The Huntress trailed off pensively and Ren’s face reset. That mischievous half-smile had been replaced with a frown of concern. Their eyes locked, like a gun on its target, and for a beat or 2 they remained just like that: Opposite one another, each respectively diving into the pool of the others eyes. Ren would swim in them if she could, drown in them, even. The more time trickled by, the bond grew ever stronger. And now, there was something else that hummed beneath the thread that tied them. Something that was the most human Ren had felt in centuries.  

[b]“If I had the willpower to leave… my whole worldview has been shifted. I probably wouldn’t last long in the Vigil without pretending—or burying this feeling deep inside…”[/b]

Ren contemplated that sentiment for a moment. However distressing she found the idea of Lys leaving, straining that tie that now connected them both, they had to debate all options. Looking at a subject matter from all angles was an important academic prospect and one that Ren wholeheartedly believed it. In order to arrive at the “right” conclusion, you first had to ensure that all other possibilities were “wrong.” And at the mention of Lyselle returning to the Vigil, suppressing all they’d experienced in just a flicker of time, was not an outcome much desired by the vampire. Responding to the inner disdain of this possibility, Ren shuffled forward on her leather sofa. 

Now, she was poised on the very edge, closing even more of the space between them. Elbows on her knees, Ren leant forward, arching her intricate spine. The vampire was now so close she could see very clearly the most minute of details on Lyselle’s face. The lines of laughter etched in her skin, the slightly darkened under eyes, hints of barely-visible peach-like hair on her cheeks. She was so close that the heart beating in Lyselle’s chest was like a sturdy baseline in Ren’s ears. She could hear the heart working to pump all that blood around the body, quickening at their proximity. 

[i]“Lyselle,”[/i] Ren began softly, letting her tongue embrace the lettering of the name, voice cracking with her vocal fry. [i]“You will never be my prisoner- In any sense of the word. This means you are, unconditionally, free to leave. I won’t stop you. I won’t pursue you. I will simply let you go back to your own life, as it is or as it was, without a fight.”[/i] The ancient vampire, after analysing Lyselle’s face whilst she spoke, slowly raised her slender hand. She moved it, carefully, towards Lyselle. Then, like handling a precious stone, she took Lyselle’s hand in hers. As their skin collided, the warmth of human flesh pressed against the cool, smooth skin of a vampire, Ren’s eyes fluttered in bliss. She held up Lyselle’s hand, inspecting it with softened eyes, taking in every detail. The rough palms from combat training, the threat of callouses on her fingers, the beautifully silky skin on the exterior… The bond filled to the brim with a warm, glowing energy. It was responding to their physical touch. Opening the door, letting that warm feeling flood in, Ren fixated her gaze back to Lyselle.

[i]“But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed to watch you go…”[/i] she half-whispered. Bond pulsating with excitement at their touch, Ren began gently circling Lyselle’s palm with her thumb. In slow, calming movements, her thumb went round and round as she opened her mouth to say, [i]“Just stay, for now, and let us figure out why you’ve become my destiny.”[/i]