(No worries!)
His sister gazed intently at Estaban before she glanced at Ascelin. "Fine. I have no care if you keep your pet. If it is to wander the halls with you, keep it on a leash. I have no care for something as small as this. If it takes one step out of line, Onyx has fill permission to slit it's throat, am I clear, Oleander?" She ordered coldly.
"Yes, sister. I thank you." He bows lowly, his eyes shutting tightly as he waited for anything else to be said.
She waved her hand. "Get the human out of my sight." She sneered. Oleander nods and straightens before grabbing Estaban's hand and taking him out of the throne room as quickly as possible without hurting him.
Estaban wouldn't have classified the whole situation as small. He actually thought of it as kind of a big deal. He'd messed up and was now to be kept as a pet? The thought of being considered such a thing almost offended him.
Estaban had been about to brake his promise to Oleander and speak when the other had grabbed his hand and dragged him from the room.
"The whole leash thing is just a figure of speech right?" He pulled his hand out of Oleanders grasp
once back in the hallway.
He had a little more pride then to be leashed. he wasn't a pet. He knew they didn't see him as an equal, but something so dehumanizing? It made Estaban a little uneasy.
Oleander was obviously panicking, his eyes wide with nervousness. "Don't stop walking- don't ever stop walking. Not until we're away from the throne room completely." He whispered, grabbing his wrist once again, this time stronger. He pulled them away from the throne room almost gasping for breath. Once they were in Oleander's room, he shut the doors quickly before sliding to the floor and hiding his face. "No, it's not a figure of speech." he murmured quietly, brushing his hands through his hair. He curled into himself. He looked like he was going to be sick, his eyes watering and he looked pale. He glanced at Estaban. "It's…" He hesitated. "It means bonding." He murmured quietly.
Estaban rubbed his wrist once Oleander let go. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a little brusing later. "Are you-" he wasn't to sure what to say. He hadn't seen Oleander like this before. "Are you okay?" What else was there to say? He didn't know how to comfort others, let alone how to tell what they where feeling.
He wanted to ask other questions, to Hell what the other felt. But mayne dealing with whatever was going on with him first would make answering Estabans questions go smoother.
He inhaled shakily as he leaned against the shoulders as he leaned into his arms. "Oh god-" He whispers quietly. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. He was so sick and tired. "Bonding, is possibly the most degrading act to a human and so physically painful for a vampire one might die-" He whispers, his eyes shutting. "She really is trying to kill me." He whispered fearfully.
Estaban cursed under his breath. If Oleander died he could pretty much just kiss his own life good bye. "Thanks for everything you've done for me so far, but you really are starting to be to nice." He sat across from Oleander. There was no way Estaban would go threw with something with such high stakes if the places where reversed. Or atleast thats what he told himself.
"Just get it over with and kill me or something." His voice cracked. "You can say i tried to escape."
Oleander shook his head, his body shaking. "I can't- I've never fucking killed anyone." He shook his head. "Do you think I wanted this life, Estaban? You think that living like royalty- while the human race dies around us? All because of my crazy sister." He whispers as he rubbed at his eyes. "Do you think I wanted to become a vampire? I had no fucking choice." He leaned into his hands. "I don't want to die- I don't want to kill anyone. I was an herbalist with a knack for venomous plants." He glanced at the other before gently grabbing his wrist. "I- If we bond, you will be bound to me until the day you die. But you can be as free as you wish." He whispers. "Full reign throughout the palace. Food to your hearts content, your mother protected. All of it. Honestly it would only be degrading at the beginning. Letting a vampire claim you."
"And if you die? It looks like one of us is screwed either way." Estaban was a bit taken back at the others growing panic. As much as he wanted that freedom, wanted to k ow of his mothers safety, he couldn't put someone else's life on the line for it. Besides, he knew his mother could take care of herself. After she finished grieving the supposed death of her son she could move on- at least that's what Estaban hopped for.
"If I die, then it is most likely my siblings will give you a day's headstart and you flee." He murmured quietly. He shut his eyes tightly. "There's no point… Besides. I don't care if I die." He whispered. It's better than this hell." He inhaled shakily and ran a hand through his hair. He glances at Estaban. "What do you say?" He murmured quietly. "You'd have to look after me for a day or so. Think you can handle that?" He asks quietly.
A days headstart didn't mean anything. Estaban had little to no clue where he even was, not to mention he didn't have the money to book passage on a ship, if he even made it that far. He chewed his thumb nail in thought, gods he wished he was drinking for this kind of decision. Then he wouldn't care as much. Either way it sounded like one of their lives was on the line. Granted he cared about his own life more, but being responsible for the death of someone who'd tried to save him?
"Yeah," he finally said after a long silence. "I can do that." He didn't even know what a bonding really was, or how it worked. "Any surprises i should be ready for?"
Oleander glanced at the other for a moment. "I'll probably scream. And end up with a fever… and pass out. Those are inevitable. It's not painful for you…" He sighed deeply and glanced at Estaban for a moment. "And I'll have to bite you." He settles in front of the other. "Hold out your wrist." He says quietly. "It'll be quick." He promises as he tries to calm his own jittering nerves.
"Right let's get this over with then," Estaban offered his left wrist, the one without his mothers name inked into it. The risk still seemed higher then the reward, but he was a pirate. Risk was something he was used to- on the seas or in a bar.
"if you die I'm gonna be pissed." He tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace.
He snickers softly before he revealed his own wrist. He took a deep breath before he bit into his palm. Once he was sure he was bleeding a fair amount, his blood an inky black, he turned his attention to Estaban. He gently took the others wrist and gently bit into it before turning it and letting his human blood drip into the blood that was pooling in his palm. He gently licked the bite along Estaban's wrist, which healed it almost instantly. He looked at the blood in his palm before he drank it. He gagged at the taste, his tongue burning.
((Hey so I'm gonna be inactive for a bit longer then I'd like. I promise I'm not abandoning this, I'm just really busy and stressed out right now))
((I LIVE))
Estaban cringed at the sight of all the blood, and almost instinctively pulled away when Oleander bit into his wrist. Almost. he didn't think he would ever get used to the strange feeling of it or the tingle of healing afterwards.
Shit, he thought. What was he doing? Well more like what did he do. Estaban was having trouble actually believing he just let the other do that. Granted it was a little to late to be having second thoughts.
(Welcome back!!!)
The pain was tolerable at first. But then it went over him in waves, crashing and burning. It felt like everything was caving in. His head pounded, his blood rushed through his ears. He didn't know what to do as everything started to black out. A strangled cry left his throat. Vampire blood was considered poisonous to other vampires. He fell to the floor, limp and completely passed out.
((Tyty))
Estaban stared at the Vampire in shock for a good few minutes before snapping back to reality. He scooped Oleander up off the floor and brought him over to the bed, setting him down gently.
Estaban didn't even have the first thought of how to care for a Vampire. Especially for something that seemed so alien. He could see the others chest still rising. "You better not die," he muttered knowing full well that Oleander probably couldn't hear him.
Oleander was like this for a few days. Servants brought Estaban food and water, clothes, etc. Anything he might need. At times, an occasional servant would shoot him a glare, possibly jealousy written in their eyes. It was on the third day that the fever broke. On the fourth, he woke up hungry and in pain. He sat up slowly in his bed, hissing quietly and glancing over at Estaban.
Estaban jumped. He'd been sitting in the corner practicing all the Sailor knots he knew with a shirt he'd ripped into strips. He had asked one of the servant's for even a thin short rope, but it seemed that something like that was off the table. He would apologize about the shirt later.
"Hey," he made no move to get up. "You sure sitting up like that is a good thing?"
Oleander looked like he was in a face for a moment. He pressed a hand to his head and groans quietly. "Water… Where's the water?" His head pounded but he made no move whatsoever. He didn't want to move at the moment. He needed to gain his bearings for a minute. He rubs at his face.
Estaban discarded the knot and quickly stood, getting Oleander a cup of water. He brought the cup to the others lips, not entirely sure if he could trust Oleander to hold it on his own quite yet. "Welcome back to the land of the living." He chuckled quietly. Over the past few days he didn't know if or when the Vampire would wake. Hell, he didn't even know if he wanted him to wake. But those where the darker thoughts that he usually tried to ignore.
Oleander sipped at the water gratefully, his eyes shutting as he let the other take care of him. "Yes… well. Certainly not my favorite…" He rubbed at his head, his body aching. "Thank you." He murmured quietly. "Did my siblings disturb you at all?" He asks quietly. Only his older brother, the one with the milky eyes had entered. He had ignored Estaban entirely, only came to pour a golden liquid down Oleanders throat, which eased Oleanders fever. As for the siblings, no one else had entered.
"Not really," the only people who had actually egnolaged (idk if I spelt that right?) His existence had been the servants. And he was more than certain they wished he wasn't there. "How are you feeling?" He asked even though he probably could tell the answer already.
He nods at the others words, shutting his eyes. (Acknowledged?) He hummed and leaned back into the bed. "Shitty. I'll be fine." He murmured, rubbing at his head. "The servants took care of you, yes? You ate and were fed?" He sighed deeply and rubbed at his eyes. Everything ached. He needed to get up and take care of himself. Needed to get bathed and dressed. But that could wait for now.
