257 Whipped Vampire

Ciri's words echo through the clearing and Despite the almost comical sight in-front of them the tension in the air is still thick, Nerissa's mother tries to wipe away the kiss marks from the males neck but he directs her hands away and drags his fingers across the red marks, trailing four large deep cuts through his flesh, not flinching even slightly as fresh new skin heals over the top... Of course, without the kiss marks.

He turns his gaze to them and begins, \"Daughter, you've brought us dinn-\" he's interupted as his wife slaps his shoulder while saying, \"Ammy! No self mutilation infront of guests!\"

...

The vampire or \"Ammy\" as his wife had called him dips his head down, \"Apologies dear...\" She seems satisfied by this and doesn't bother on commenting the incredulous faces of Reima and Ciri.

The male takes his wife's arm and steps forwards \"Greetings, I am Ambrose Dracula and this beautiful woman beside me is my wife Talicia Dracula, formerly Alucard. You appear to have already made my daughters acquaintance, may I have the pleasure of knowing your identities?\" he says, eyeing Nerissa who's still hanging onto Reima's elbow.

Reima bows slightly, if he can't show respect to his friends parents then who is worthy? \"Reima Ludvig, Witcher and Wizard.\" Ambrose nose seems to raise in disgust at hearing the word \"Wizard\"

Ciri steps forwards next and performs an elaborate bow that looks similar to the one Geralt had to perform to Emhyr. \"Ciri Rivia, Witch and Witcher in training.\"

Talicia \"It's a pleasure to finally meet someone in this place, I hope my daughter hasn't troubled you?\"

Ambrose growls out, \"Or troubled my daughter?\"

Reima shakes his head, \"Not at all, she's a wonderful person and I've come to appreciate her company while I train my companion in the forest... I hope you'll continue to allow us to utilise them?\"

Talicia and Ambrose speak at the same time, \"Of-course!\"/\"Absolutely not!\"... The look at each other and send meaningful looks at each other, the wife's scowl seems to pacify Ambrose fortunately.

Ambrose \"Very well, however... I'd like to discuss something with you, please come inside for... Dinner.\" he's slapped on the arm again by Talicia, \"I'll be preparing some game we caught, no need to worry.\" She looks at Nerissa, \"Come along my little rose, we'll prepare some food for your friends.\" Nerissa looks awkwardly at Reima and Ciri before leaving with her mother as Ambrose leads them inside the large manor.

Elsewhere in one of the kitchens of the large manor :

Talicia starts butchering a small elk while Nerissa cuts vegetables beside her, while vampires don't really need to eat they still all have functional taste buds. \"So dear, could you tell me about those friends of yours?\"

Nerissa seems to shrink under her mothers gaze, \"Yes mother, I had... Left the Manor to explore the forest, there I saw some people using strange abilities in a clearing, I must have watched them for hours. Believe me mother they're not like other humans that stumbled inside these lands, the man Reima is kind, compassionate and relaxing, the female, Ciri... She's nice, I think she's a good person but has trouble interacting with new people, or maybe just vampires?\"

The mother smiles as her daughter stutters through describing her first and only friends, her cleaver appears like a silver glint as it easily separates flesh from fat and bone. \"So they're trustworthy then?\"

Nerissa nods. \"They don't seem to mind that we're vampires, I don't think Reima is entirely human either... His blood is like molten lava and his eyes are clearly in-human.\"

Talicia ponders thoughtfully, Molten blood? That's new, if what her daughter says is true then they might have some hope at escaping this prison... She continues asking her daughter various questions about their guests and finds herself appreciating the company they've provided her, after-all it gets incredibly lonely around here, were she and her husband not constantly... \"Physical\" they may have gone mad centuries ago.

Reima and Ciri are led into a large dining room with a long table strentching from one side of the room to the other, Ambrose takes a seat at the end on the most ornate looking chair and just silently watches them. The duo sit in the middle of the table next to each other and continue looking around, the room is dark and only lit by many candles, everything on the table is valuable looking and covered in Gold, gems or bronze... No silver however, though that's probably because silver's qualities cause \"dark\" creatures discomfort and even pain if they come into contact with it.

Ciri \"This is a beautiful room, did you design it?\" she asks, trying to relax the tension in the room.

Ambrose waves the compliment away, \"The furnishings are of my Wife's design, I hadn't noticed it until you mentioned it.\"

Reima \"How long have you been living here?\"

Ambrose appears to count on his fingers with a thoughtful expression, \"I seem to have lost count, maybe a thousand years?\" he says without any confidence.

Reima \"A thousand years? How old is Nerissa then?\"

Ambrose seems to smile slightly before returning to his neutral expression, \"Thirteen, she turns fourteen on the 14th of September if I'm not mistaken?\"

Ciri \"Do you have any other children? One thousand years is quite a while...\"

Ambrose shakes his head, \"Some families don't have a problem but the Dracula family has notoriously low birthrates... Perhaps it's natures way of balancing things?\"

They continue to talk for a while until the doors open revealing Nerissa pushing in a large cart with five plates on it, Talicia follows behind her with two red bottles in her hands. \"Please grab a plate, Rissa, why don't you take a seat with your friends?\" she says sweetly. Nerissa nods, gives everyone a plate before wheeling the cart to a corner of the room and sitting down next to Reima.