Trash Panda

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

The embarrassment on Iris’s face didn’t slip past Cas. He hadn’t meant to make her feel uncomfortable about forgetting that high borns had their houses taken care of by maids. It had just been a strange thing for her to forget. Then again, he didn’t really know what she still remembered and what had slipped her mind, so he couldn’t really judge her for not recalling that detail. If she did come to stay with him tomorrow, he had a feeling he was going to have to get used to filling her in whenever her memory failed her.

Noticing something in her expression change, he leaned forward in his chair with interest. It looked like she had remembered something else about her life. He listened as she brought up her father. So, at the very least, she had memories about both of her parents. Maybe that meant they were still around. He hoped so. Even if she had to come to his place for a while, it was only a temporary fix. Going home to a family later would certainly be better than going back to an empty apartment whenever she got past her amnesia.

“If you want to give it a try, I’m sure the maids would be happy to take a break for one meal. Maybe it’ll help you remember why you know how to cook in the first place,” he suggested with a smile. Though it was an unusual hobby for someone in the capital to have, if cooking might help jog her memory, then he wasn’t going to stop her from trying it. Plus, he was kind of curious to find out what her cooking would be like. He’d only ever eaten the meals that had been prepared by his family’s chefs. Maybe her family had different recipes that he would like too.

“I’m not,” he assured her when she asked him not to judge her. She was definitely a self-conscious person, he’d come to realize. She apologized a lot about things he barely noticed or expected from her, since she was still recovering. It was considerate, but he hoped her confidence would return as she remembered more about who she was. She was beautiful and had a kind demeanor from what he could tell, so in his opinion, she had every reason to be sure of herself.

As she joked about learning how to use a phone, he laughed. “I can help you if you need it but I’m sure you’ll remember,” he said, pulling his phone from his pocket and spinning it in his hand. “I don’t know a lot about psychology, but muscle memory is different than other memories, right? I think someone told me that when I was in high school.”

Glancing down at his phone, he briefly unlocked the screen and then sighed when he saw that it was two minutes ‘til nine. “On that note, I should get going,” he announced with reluctance as he stood up from his chair. “Visiting hours are about over, and I have some things to do at home. If your family comes to get you tomorrow, give me a call, okay?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

They definitely will xD

Thanks! I just got done, so I can get started on a post now

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah, it's definitely going to feel like a slap in the face when he realizes how wrong he was about her ^^;

Also, I'm going out to get brunch with a friend now, so I'll get my post done when I come home! :)

~Bonsoir~

Sorry that one took a while! I started on my post last night but got a random bought of writer's block, so I had to finish it this morning ^^; Hopefully the next one is faster!

~Bonsoir~

As Victoria looked at him with that coy smile of hers, Vail felt his heart beat a little quicker, and he knew he was starting to fall for this woman. It was a curious thought. He’d always believed he would either remain alone or have his marriage arranged to another vampire by his father. Being with someone for the sake of love had never appealed to him. It wasn’t that he thought there was anything wrong with the concept, but there had never been another person who had piqued his desire like this before. Even Sylvia, whom he had gotten along with when they had last met, hadn’t interested him in a romantic way. He had found her to be pleasant company but nothing more. His emotions toward her were nothing like what he felt about Lady Crest, the intriguing human who had captivated his heart and mind in a way no other woman ever had.

He wished it could be simple. He wished he could just tell his father that he wanted to be with Victoria and gain his approval to wed her instead, but it would never be that easy. Even if he killed her current fiancé and eliminated his competition, Peter wouldn’t allow his only heir to marry a human, a mortal who could offer their elite family nothing of value. To the leader of the Hygraces, his eventual marriage was a tool to be used to gain favor with another clan that would make them stronger, like the Maceys. His father would never willingly let him squander such an opportunity by giving himself to a Crest instead.

Regardless, he was done being someone else’s tool. If Peter would object to his decision, he would stand his ground without wavering. He was not going to marry Sylvia, because his heart already belonged to another. If that meant confessing to the clan leader that he had broken one of their most closely kept rules, then so be it.

Firm in his decision for the first time, Vail didn’t hesitate to lace his fingers with Victoria’s as she took his hands in hers. Her skin still felt cool to the touch, a symptom he had realized was due to the blood that had been drained from her delicate body rather than the cold outside. He hoped the little heat that his own nonhuman frame put off would warm her, if only by a degree.

As she held his gaze, he let himself get lost in the deep blue pools of her irises that were watery with fresh tears. Hearing her profess that she would be his and no one else’s sent a shiver up his spine, and he leaned in to meet her halfway as she kissed him. Everything about the way he spoke and acted with her was new but also thrilling. He reveled in the feelings she stirred inside of him, things he had never felt with anyone else in his two centuries on earth. It was interesting to him that even though he had been alive for so long, there were still aspects of living that he had yet to explore.

With her supple neck exposed before his eyes, he could already feel the saliva begin to flow from his glands. Knowing she had just had so much of her blood emptied from her body only days before, he would not take much, but he also would not deny the meal she offered to him now. Letting go of her right hand, he lifted his hand to rest between her shoulders as he trailed his tongue over her warm skin. Intermittently, he brought his lips to her collar to kiss her as well, letting his affection seep through his bloodlust and quicken his heartbeat with mingled desire. She was his prey, but she was also so much more, so he would take his time before the bite.

Holding her close to himself by her upper back, he turned his head slightly to place a kiss on her jaw just before he finally sank his fangs into the soft flesh above her collarbone.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

It was good! And oh yeah, that was definitely a red flag for Cas, but he's still got it in his head that she's a high born, so he hasn't realized what it actually means xD

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Despite her efforts to stay optimistic, Cas could tell that Iris was starting to feel the weight of her situation. It showed in brief flashes on her face and in her voice and in the sigh that escaped her lips. He couldn’t imagine what was going through her head at the moment, but he knew it couldn’t be good. If his father didn’t agree to let her stay with them, it was only going to get worse for her too. He really hoped her family would show up to collect her before it was too late, so they wouldn’t even have to find out if his place was an option.

After he brought up his suggestion, he couldn’t help but smile as she brightened. He hadn’t wanted to bring up his backup plan to her so soon, especially since he had no idea if it was even possible, but he was glad it had lifted her mood. He only prayed she wouldn’t get her hopes up. All he’d been trying to do was let her know that he was still trying to help her, even if her situation was starting to look grim. He didn’t want her to take it to mean that he was going to come swooping in with a solution if things went south. It would have been great if he could, but everything depended on the king.

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged when she asked if he would really do that for her. “It would be pretty cruel of me to just watch you leave without trying to find a place for you to go. Besides, we’ve got plenty of room.” That was an understatement. The Maydestone mansion had at least ten bedrooms, most of which sat empty now that the only people living there were just him and his father. It used to be packed with his other relatives, but since the rebellion had started, his father had made the rest of the family, aside from him and his mother, move to a different house. Now, he wouldn’t have been surprised if a squatter had moved in and no one noticed—well, that was a bit of an exaggeration, since they had security guards everywhere, but there was still a lot of space.

“If my dad agrees, it won’t be any trouble at all,” he assured Iris when she said she didn’t want to cause any problems. If anything, he was more concerned about the problems the paranoid king might cause for her. It wouldn’t have been out of character for Atlas to assign extra guards to the hallway outside her room just to make sure she didn’t try anything funny. He just hoped his father wouldn’t do anything too outlandish to keep tabs on her if she stayed with them.

Iris’s next words gave Cas pause. Though it was a kind gesture for her to offer to help around the house, she should have known that everyone in the capital had hired staff to take care of all their household chores for them. Had she done the work in her own family? He’d never met anyone else who had. Even the people who moved into the apartment complexes usually paid at least one maid to take care of their homes for them. Basic skills like cooking and cleaning simply weren’t needed among high borns. He studied her curiously. She was a sweet girl. Maybe she had learned a few chores to help out her family’s servants? It was the only explanation he could think of that made some sense.

“Um, thanks, but we’ve got maids for that,” he offered her a smile, still grateful for her gesture even though it wasn’t practical. “They do all the cooking and cleaning and everything else, so you don’t have to worry about pitching in.” Unable to help his curiosity, he added: “Actually, I’ve never met a high born who knew how to cook or clean before. Do you think you used to help out around your house?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Makes sense!

Great ^^ I'll get to work on mine now

Have a good dinner!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

No worries! I need to clean my house too, but I'm waiting until the weekend when my utilities are cheaper to run big appliances xD

It's been good! I took Kai for a long walk and just got home about half an hour ago. How about you?

Cirque du Sombre [Siaya Dragalorn & Summer]

Okay, I'm fine with switching to the alternate version if that's easier for you ^^ I've got a lot of free time today, so I can edit my post to fit the new one later.

I understand that feeling, haha. I've also done that before, and I think your reasoning for wanting to change it makes sense.

Sounds good to me! Have a good day/night or whatever nocturnal people call it xD

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EDIT: Just finished editing!