Westly didn't make any small talk, staying silent throughout the entire day of walking. His legs felt like jello by the time the sun had set, but he didn't bring it up, just grunted in response and sat down near the closest tree. He included a glare as the vampire brought up the idea of not starting a fire, and replying was the only time he spoke all day. "Do you expect me to eat raw food? Or not eat at all?"
He shrugged his pack off his back, watching Elijah and not moving an inch. With the way his legs felt he figured he couldn't move even if he tried.
"Find some berries," Elijah responded uncaringly. He had some blood with him, so he took a pack out of his bag to take a drink. Deer blood tasted the best; though human blood gave him the most strength, it tasted foul or too sweet. Elijah preferred something that was just right. "You're a hunter; it would be stupid if you couldn't hunt for something as simple as berries."
Westly was, unfortunately, tired. But the vampire didn't bother offering to give him food; instead, he decided he would if the human asked.
Taking a page out of Elyse's book, Westly simply flipped Elijah off, staying right where he was. It was a tough battle between his mind and legs, arguing between staying where he was or going to find food. The gnawing feeling in his stomach was much more pressing than his exhaustion though, and somehow he found the strength to get to his feet.
"I'll be back," He grumbled, grabbing both his stake and his knife before wandering off slowly, unsure of exactly what he was going to find.
This area was new territory for him. Around the base, he would've known exactly where to go to find whatever he wanted to eat, but here, it was going to be much more frustrating to find something. Especially something as small as berries in the fading light.
Elijah watched him leave with an amused smile. It would be interesting to see the little human hunt in unfamiliar territory; enough that Elijah began to follow after him, taking small sips of his blood as he did so, and made sure to stay out of Westly's line of vision.
The only little thing was… the berries in this area, both poisonous and edible… looked incredibly alike. Elijah wanted to see if Westly would make a mistake. Of course, he wouldn't let him die; that would beat the entire purpose of teaming up. But… it would definitely be interesting to watch.
Westly took his time wandering around, keeping surprisingly silent for how much he let his feet shuffle. It took him several long minutes to track down some bushes with his pace as well. And even then, he could tell the bush had been thoroughly picked over by animals. Barely any more than a handful of berries remained that he could see.
Sighing, he started fighting with the thorny vines to grab the berries, sure that they were safe if they were mostly eaten. It definitely wouldn’t be enough to tide him over for more than a little while though.
Elijah leaned against a tree, hidden from sight as he watched the human shuffle around for food. It amused him immensely, there was no doubt about it. Westly had picked the right berries by looking for what was eaten the most. Smart.
The vampire took another sip of the blood, lightly shaking the bottle, then put the rim against his lips again. They weren't very far from Lilith's manor. If Elijah knew Lilith–which he did–, she would have Onyx in the Room. No food, no sunlight, just plain darkness. Lilith hated disobedience. And Elyse… she would be incredibly close to his former mistress. Lilith would make sure to triple guards; she'd know he would try and rescue Elyse.
So going in and coming out with just Elyse wouldn't work out. He'd have a run-in with Lilith, and that was inevitable. So he needed to figure out a way to use Westly, as awful as that sounded. If he could get Westly to be a distraction for Lilith, Elijah could find Elyse. He could find her and leave, and… but she wouldn't leave, not without Westly. So that meant he would have to keep it from her, keep the fact that he'd brought her friend in the mess.
Her friend. Elijah removed the bottle from his lips and pinched his nose.
Goddamn it, there was no way Elijah would be able to live knowing he'd risked the life of someone Elyse treasured. He'd have to find another way to bypass Lilith.
(Elyse would most likely never even speak to Elijah again if she knew that Westly had died or was hurt so she could escape tbh XD)
As soon as the berries were picked and disappeared into his mouth, Westly moved on. The only sign that the berries had even existed was the fact that his mouth was ever so slightly stained the color of the berries. He seemed to be a little more awake, or at least rested as he continued on, this time eyes set on the ground. In the faint light, it would be horrible to try to scavenge for much more, and so plants would become his next best option.
He reminded himself that he was vulnerable at this time of night though, and if he wanted to avoid being vampire food, he would have to move quickly. That or eat in the morning, and he was damn sure that waiting until morning to eat was not a good idea.
(He knows xD It's a difficult decision)
Elijah felt bad for the human. He could live off of blood for a good while before it would be dangerous. The human could die from starvation even before Elijah could feel its pull on him. And he couldn't have him dead before they were able to rescue Elyse, so he sighed, capped his bottle, and set out to search for fruit.
He couldn't hunt; fire was not an option. But fruit was easily acquired, especially things like apples and other berries. A while later, he found Westly again.
"Here," Elijah said, tossing him the bag he'd filled with what he'd found. "Eat."
In the time that Elijah had disappeared, Westly had only found a small handful of things that were actually edible. He had given up and trudged back to camp, settling into peeling and cutting up the plants into pieces he could eat. It was far from enough to fill his stomach, but he hadn't been the best at foraging in general. Hunting had always been his specialty.
The bag being tossed at him jolted him out of his task, almost causing him to cut himself as he cursed. "So that's where you wandered off to. I was starting to worry as to how many innocent humans you'd murdered," Westly grunted, checking over his hand to make sure he wasn't bleeding, "My guess was at least five by now."
Pulling the bag towards him, he looked inside, hiding the look of both shock and surprise. the bag was chock full of apples, berries, and just-food. All things he absolutely needed.
(Let's forget about Elijah and Elyse. We love the hate relationship Elijah and Westly have)
Elijah rolled his eyes at Westly's comment, though a little smirk covered his lips when Westly began to check his hand for a potential wound. He'd already ate, so blood wouldn't have done anything, but that wasn't why he'd gotten amused.
"I don't kill needlessly," Elijah hummed, leaning against a tree, watching Westly with sharp eyes. "Only those who deserve it." the smirk on his lips widened. "Did you know that the more vile a human is, the worse their blood tends to taste?"
(They both mutually loath each other…I absolutely love it lol)
Westly rolled his eyes and pulled out an apple, barely glancing at Elijah, "Explains how somehow all the nice humans die." He polished the apple on his shirt, then set to work cutting it in half, then in slices, "So, exactly how many humans did you kill? Just have to have a rough estimate so I can make your death painful."
He started to eat the slices off his knife as he cut them, tucking the bag of food next to his bag. Westly didn't bother hiding his movement as he grabbed his stake and set it next to where he sat, going as far as to make eye contact with Elijah as he did so.
(I love it, too xD)
Elijah's eyes flashed a little before he blinked at the little emotion washed away. He didn't like killing humans. Just because he was used to it didn't mean he liked it. He began to follow the movement of Westly's hand, which enclosed around a stake and set it near himself. Elijah let out a little chuckle, blocking out what had once made him human.
"You think you can kill me. How amusing," he chuckled. "You know, I do wonder how you'll taste. Vile, like your fellow rebels? Or perhaps sweet, like how you claim your innocence? Too bad I promised Elyse I would bring you no harm."
“I take no promises that I am anything less than utterly disgusting tasting,” he replied calmly, going back to calmly cutting up his apple as he continued, “I assume killing vampires is grounds to taste disgusting anyway. Other than that…I’m not very concerned about morals. Or opinions of taste from half crazy vampires. Neither will help me or Elyse survive.”
Westly turned and made eye contact with Elijah as he finished speaking, taking the care to pop another slice of fruit into his mouth while doing so. He wanted nothing more than to stake this vampire and go about his merry way saving the one person he cared about, but if this bloodbag has promised Elyse he wouldn’t hurt him, then it was the smarter decision to travel with him. At least then he had some semblance of protection from other vampires.
“As for thinking I can kill you…I will do so even if it means I die along with you. But first we have a mutual interest in getting the most stubborn human around out of a vampire nest.”
Elijah's lips formed a taunting smile.
"You think getting rid of the world of monsters like me makes you a terrible human?" he asked, an eyebrow raised amusedly. "I assume that speaks for itself, doesn't it?"
He finally reached back into his bag to take out the bag of blood he'd been drinking from earlier, uncapping it and taking a sip while Westly continued to talk.
"The one who has her is called Lilith," he provided, licking his mouth. "She's one of the strongest, oldest vampires to exist. It's in our best interest to avoid running into her, but we'll be unsuccessful at any attempt because she'll most likely keep Elyse close to her."
Pushing himself away from the tree he'd been leaning against, Elijah capped his blood bag again. "Get some sleep, human. We continue at dawn."
The absolute last thing that Westly wanted to do was sleep so near a vampire. He couldn't imagine how Elyse could handle being around this bastard, or how she would care for him. If anything, he figured she was just oblivious to the constant look of impending murder in his eyes. When they got her back, he would make sure she saw it.
"And risk the chance of you killing me in cold blood?" He replied, raising an eyebrow, "Do you assume I'm dumb? I'll stay awake and plan out something. If anything, you won't kill me, but you'll have one of your bloodless buddies come by and do it for you while looking the other way.'
Sleeping in the woods normally was flirting with death, but this was sleeping while looking death in the eyes. He couldn't take the chance of putting Elijah more in charge of rescuing Elyse than he was already. Sleep would have to wait. No matter just how much he wanted to give in and get a few hours of blissful sleep after a long day of walking.
Elijah massaged his forehead, trying to get rid of a headache he shouldn't be getting anymore. Humans…
"If one of my so-called bloodless buddies come by, human, you won't be the one they'll be after," he said slowly, almost as if he was talking to a child, his red eye practically glowing. "I've told you thousands of times, but I suppose you're as stupid as you look, so I'll repeat myself. I require someone who is not associated with Lilith to be able to rescue Elyse. If I kill you, I would not be able to do that. If I wanted to kill you, I could do it right now. I could wrap my hand around your goddamn throat and crush it within a second; you wouldn't even see it coming. I could do anything to you. But I won't." He let out a low growl, his words a threat. "However, if you don't shut up and go to sleep, I won't hesitate to cut down a liability and find someone more willing to listen. Do you understand?"
"I understand fully, temper tantrum," Westly growled back, "Before I even think about listening to something you say though, I will warn you not to treat me like a child that can't understand something. Put yourself in my shoes, or even Elyse's. Do you really think we're going to willingly listen to a vampire that could kill us before we blinked? Use that big stupid head of yours and think. We already risk being killed just by being out in the forest, let alone with a blood-lusting vampire that swears they won't hurt you. If I take the chance of falling asleep, I risk never waking up again."
He glared daggers at Elijah, a move he clearly learned from the blue-eyed girl they both cared about. But he didn't continue arguing. Just grabbed his bag and set it on his lap, resting his stake and knife ontop before leaning back against the tree warily. For his friend, he would trust this stupid blood bag. Or at least he would pretend to.
Westly closed his eyes slowly, evening out his breathing to the point where he could hold the illusion of sleep, even if he wasn't. He just hoped that he wouldn't actually fall asleep while doing so.
Elijah rolled his eyes and followed suit, though he settled on a tree branch. As a vampire, he didn't require sleep. Blood fixed everything. It didn't mean he couldn't sleep, though. It was different for him, that was it.
But right now, he needed to keep watch. He couldn't afford to be caught by Lilith or her other dogs. If he was, it would be game over for him and Elyse. And he supposed it would be over for Westly as well, but he didn't dwell on that. Westly wasn't his priority; Elyse was.
With a deep breath, Elijah closed his eyes, intent on focusing his hearing rather than his sight to keep watch.
As much as Westly didn't want to let down his guard, he found himself slipping into a dreamless sleep only minutes after pretending to sleep. The walking had exhausted him, as well as the lack of food and the overall stress of trying to find Elyse for the past few days. He was human after all. And as proud of that fact as he was, it came with the downside of having to sleep and eat, all things that vampires didn't need to worry about.
He didn't care though. A few extra things to take care of in return for the ability to not become a blood-sucking monster was a good deal. That was his last thought as he drifted to sleep, the stake still clenched tightly in his hand as he did so.
"Hey. Wake up. We need to move."
Birds chirped in the otherwise lonely forest, and light streamed through the little gaps of the trees. It was quickly becoming brighter, and Elijah knew they needed to get a move on. He would have woken Westly up earlier, but he didn't; as much as he hated the guy, he needed his rest, and he was no use dragging his feet around. He also went ahead and scoured for some food, only because he didn't want to waste any more time than they'd already have.
Elijah lightly kicked Westly on the side again, letting out an annoyed grunt.
"It's time to get moving, human. Get up before I start dragging you."
Westly grunted as he felt a boot to his side the first time, shying away from the movement but not waking up. The second kick was enough to wake him though, a tired look of annoyance in his eyes. "I'm awake, bloodsucker," He grunted, stretching as he slowly woke up, "Elyse must get her pestering from you."
Shoving his stake and knife back into their places on his belt, he stood slowly, aware of every protest of his body from the movement. "Do I have any time to eat before you get fed up and just drag me along?" It was plainly clear how much Westly hated waking up, if not in his words, then in his actions. He didn't hide the annoyance or grumpiness, if anything he acted more annoyed just to be an ass.
Elijah snorted, then turned around to grab his little bag, which he hung over his shoulder. He ignored the comment he made of Elyse, his expression hardening again once he thought of how she was faring. He just needed to trust Lilith to not hurt her. He knew she wouldn't hurt her as long as Elijah came back to her. Which meant he needed to get her out of here, and fast.
"Eat on the way," he said simply, not looking back at the human. He'd been thinking of what he could do to get her back, and quite frankly… there was no other option than the one he'd thought of. "We'll also be discussing our plans, so you'd better be alert."
Westly slung his pack onto his back once more, taking the other bag still filled with food in his free hand. "Wait a little while before you start spouting out your plan then, otherwise I won't hear a single thing," He replied, pulling out an apple and starting to eat.
Yes, he was hungry, and yes, he could technically listen to the plan and eat, but there was a good chance he wouldn't remember half of it if he was trying to stay alert as well. They would have plenty of time to talk, he assumed. Who knew how much farther they had to walk yet today.
"Humans…" Elijah muttered under his breath, turning around with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't bother sparing Westly another glance; instead, he began to walk, knowing he would follow.
They walked not three minutes before Elijah heaved a sigh, turned his head slightly towards him, and said, "Eat faster. We don't have much time."
He wasn't wrong. If they continued walking without a break, they'd reach Lilith no sooner than in a few hours. But he knew that, unlike him, Westly needed a break. He didn't have as strong of a stamina as a vampire like him did.
Elijah had been right with the idea of Westly following, and he did so silently, only the crunch of his apple and his footsteps breaking the silence.
He scowled at the vampire as he was told to eat faster, purposely taking an extra slow bite as he glared at the back of the other's head. They may work together, but he didn't want the other to think that it made them friends or gave him the ability to boss him around.
"Explain your plan when we take a break," He replied after a few minutes, chucking the apple core into the woods before wiping his hands on his pants. Wasn't the most sanitary way to clean his hands, but worked just as well for what he wanted to do.
