The Vampire and The Traveler Ch. 06

About a week after their date, Alex yet again found himself making the same trek to her mansion. Lilith had sent a text inviting him over, saying she wanted to talk to him about something. She refused to specify what, which wasn't exactly the most comforting thing in the world. He figured it wasn't anything too bad, but someone just saying "we need to talk" without specifying was always worrisome.

When he finally arrived at the mansion, he saw Lilith sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair. When the flashlight of his phone shined on her, her eyes reflected back like a nocturnal animal. With how unnatural she appeared in that moment, it felt like he was in one of those found footage films. Except he wasn't running from this supernatural creature, he was dating her.

"Can you please turn off that light?" She asked, rising to her feet. "It's like looking into a lighthouse."

"Sorry." He turned it off, which he immediately regretted because now he could barely see anything. "I had to find my way here somehow."

"First the scheduling conflicts, and now the lack of night vision." Her voice suddenly came closer, and the next thing he knew, she was standing right in front of him. "Perhaps I should turn you into a vampire early simply to resolve these issues."

"Don't threaten me with a good time. Also how the fuck did you get in front of me so quickly?"

"Vampiric speed." She crossed her arms. "Did I not mention that?"

"I remember something about it, just haven't seen it in action."

"Well, no matter. Let's go for a walk in the forest, shall we? As I said in the text, there are some things I want to talk about."

The couple walked down a path behind the mansion which led down a hill. His eyes were starting to get a little more acclimated to the darkness, which was aided by the full moon. He still held onto her arm just in case, however (he probably would have done that anyway, this just gave him an excuse).

"So, for the reason I invited you over," she started "there is going to be a ball in a few weeks, and various vampiric houses will be in attendance. My parents have urged me to come along with them, and they wanted to take this as an opportunity to meet you."

"Do they?" He looked to her. "Do you think it'll be alright? Y'know, a human going to a gathering like that?"

"It is unusual for such a thing to happen, yes." She said, the wind blowing through her natural hair. "It's not every day one of our own gets into a relationship with a human, though it's not entirely unheard of. My family is eager to see what kind of human their daughter has gotten involved with for that very reason. Many vampires are of the belief that we are incompatible with humans, so our relationship might be the cause of contention."

"Wait a minute, wouldn't you bite me later on if things worked out? If that's the case, why would it be a problem?"

"'If' is the key word. I wouldn't bite you unless I was sure I wanted to marry you. I hope you don't take any offense to this, but we've only recently started dating so I'm not ready for that commitment yet. And even if I do drink your blood and marry you, you would still be a newcomer to this family."

"I guess that makes sense..." the two grew quiet for a moment, as they drew nearer to the tree line at the bottom of the hill. The dirt road cut through the woods, as the distant sound of the river slowly became louder.

"Are you nervous about it?" Lilith asked, breaking the moment of silence.

"Kind of." He answered. "I'm worried they won't accept me. Also, what should I even wear? Is it just gonna be the standard suits and dresses, or will it be the same renaissance kind of style?"

"That typically depends on the specific event, but the theme for this ball is masquerade so everyone will be wearing masks. I'll be sure to get you outfitted with something appropriate, so you shouldn't have to worry about that." She giggled. "Perhaps we'll wear a matching color scheme. We'll look like a fine couple."

The irony was not lost on him that he would first be meeting her parents at an event where everyone was wearing masks. He wouldn't even know what they looked like. But then again, perhaps the dress code would make him feel slightly less out of place. Lilith seemed fine with it in any case.

They came to the riverbank and the sound of running water rose above the rustling of the trees.

"Wait a minute, I just thought of something." Alex said, looking out on the black stream of water. "I remember you telling me that vampires can't get pregnant, so how do you have parents?"

"You really don't know anything about how vampires operate, do you?"

"In my defense, I didn't even know vampires existed until several weeks ago."

"That's fair." She sighed, an accepting smile on her face. A part of her was growing weary of having to explain so many things to him, but the other part of her was understanding of his situation. For her these were facts of life, but for him it was like a whole other world. "In vampiric families, it is not very common to be biologically related. Typically we are adopted as young children, and then bitten once we are old enough. There are also our human servants, who in some cases will work their way through the ranks and eventually be adopted. It's a similar system for our spouses. If you'll recall, I told you on the day we met that marrying you into the family meant turning you into a vampire. You would not be a full, adult member of the family otherwise."

"So would our wedding ceremony involve you sinking your fangs into my neck?"

"It is not technically part of the ceremony, but yes I do intend to do that once we decide to wed." She raised an eyebrow "Though you said that in a strange way..."

"How so?"

"There was something whimsical about it. Do you...does the idea of me drinking your blood excite you?"

"No it doesn't." He said, blinking.

"You're lying, I can tell!"

"Okay, maybe just a little. The way they sometimes show it in movies, I feel like being bitten would like...sensual? Romantic maybe?"

She laughed. "You see, this is the sort of thing I love about you. What I just said would scare so many people, but you seem almost excited at the prospect."

"There are more people like me than you'd initially think. I'm not that special." Since she had internet, he had to wonder if she was aware about the whole subculture of people who wanted to fuck vampires and other supernatural beings.

"Oh, you are very special I can assure you." She reached out and held him by the hand. "Plenty of people can say they want to date a vampire but how many of them went out and did it?"

"Not many, I guess..." she said that like the existence of vampires was common knowledge. Or maybe it was, and he had just been left out of the loop somehow (in which case, someone had some explaining to do).

"There you have it." She gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Come to think of it," he said, "didn't you make some promises on our first date?"

"Promises?"

"Yeah, you know..." he avoided eye contact "you said you'd peg me at the next chance you got."

"I did say that didn't I?" She sighed. "I hate to disappoint, but I'm not really in the mood for anything sexual right now."

He slumped his shoulders. "Oh come on!"

"Don't be impatient, boy." She said, shushing him by putting a finger on his lips. "Your mistress has spoken. That will have to wait until after the ball. If things go well, you can consider it a reward."

"Yes, mistress..." he pouted a little, but understood his dom's wishes. Now promised a good time, he had to wonder how the ball would go.

The week passed, and the date of the event came. He was summoned to her house the following Friday afternoon and was given his outfit upon arrival: a long black coat with a dark red undershirt, along with matching black pants and shoes. It came with a white bird-shaped mask which reminded him of a plague doctor. Normally he didn't like wearing suits, but the cool mask made up for it. He had to admit that he was excited to go to a masquerade ball for the first time.

By contrast, Lilith was wearing the same frilly black dress she wore when they first met, only now she had a white mask to go with it. Unlike his, it was human shaped and had dark red paint around the eyes. A "volto" she called it.

They got into his car, and began driving towards the ball. Lilith apparently didn't know how to drive, but she was at least able to give him directions. The event was being held at a mansion belonging to a family friend, which was roughly a 30-minute drive away. He had no idea who this family friend was, but maybe he would meet them at the ball. Eventually they turned off the paved highway and went down a dirt road leading through a more forested area. After several minutes of driving through the pitch-black woods, they came to an open field with a mansion built in the middle of it. The windows were dimly lit, and he could make out the dark outlines of cars and people in the distance.

The dirt road came to a circular driveway with a fountain in the center. The stairway leading up to it was lit only by wax candles, giving it an almost ominous feel. Between the remote location and the masks, he felt like he was getting involved in some cult.

Alex found a parking spot (which in this case just seemed to be an empty patch of grass beside the road) and they both got out. After putting on their masks, the couple held hands as they walked up the steps. From the doors he could hear a sound of muffled orchestral music, along with idle chatter. When they opened the doors, he found a large room which was bustling with many different vampires in masks of all shapes and colors. Right off the bat, Alex was reminded of his situation: a human in a room full of vampires. Aside from the servants carrying trays of goblets and wine glasses, everyone seemed to have red eyes shining through the holes of their masks. He wondered if there were any other humans in the same situation as him.

They swam through the bustling crowd for a moment before Lilith spotted her parents. She waved to them, then they made their way towards the couple. The man that he presumed to be her father was wearing a half-mask which mainly surrounded his eyes, making his face more visible than others, along with dark armor and a blue cape. Her mother, by contrast, had her head covered by a blue scarf and was wearing a mask which looked closer to Lilith's. She was also holding a chalice filled with that he assumed to be blood.

"Masquerade or not, I recognize my daughter anywhere." Her mother greeted, before reaching out and hugging her daughter. "It is good to see you! How is that new mansion holding up?"

"It is doing quite well." She said, breaking out of the embrace. "And father, you seem to be in good health."

"That I am." He nodded, before looking at Alex. "But I'm more interested in this fellow here. Is this the human we heard about?"

Lilith gestured to her new boyfriend. "Yes, this is Alex. We began dating recently, but he is still mortal."

"Oh, is this him?" Her mother observed. "Do you mind lifting the mask for just a moment? I would very much like to see your face."

"Already?" He tilted his head. "Doesn't that beat the purpose?"

"Oh, it will just be for a minute." Her mother said, brushing off his concern. "If you are dating my daughter, then I must know your face!"

"Alright..." with that, Alex lifted his mask to reveal his face.

"There we are." Her mother scanned him for a moment. "Hm...is this what mortals look like when they're not in a state of terror?"

Her father, meanwhile, scratched his beard before speaking. "You look like those murdered English princes."

He was taken aback by the comment. "The who?!"

"Father!" Lilith exclaimed. "He looks nothing like-" she looked back at him and stopped herself. "Well now that you've brought it up...he rather does look like them."

"Who are you talking about?" He asked, putting his mask back on. He knew they were referring to something specific but had been left in the dark on the reference.

"You know the ones," her father answered "oh, what were their names?" He crossed his arms as he tried to recall.

"It was Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury." Her mother calmly answered before taking a sip of her blood.

"Ah yes, that was them!" He exclaimed. "I always get my names mixed up. So many Edwards, Williams and Henrys. I don't know how I kept track of it when I was younger."

"The numbers and titles are key." She answered.

"Yes, yes, you've always been better at remembering those details than me." He put his hands on his hips, then looked back at the mortal man before him. "Ah, but where are my manners? I am Solomon, head of the Maravalle household, and this is my wife, Ursula. Pleased to meet you."

"Good to meet you as well, sir." He bowed, trying to be as polite as he could.

"A human getting involved with my daughter, never thought I'd see the day." Ursula said. "I remember when a human would try to drive a stake through our hearts and start throwing garlics at the very sight of us. And now they're dating our sons and daughters," she tutted, before taking another sip of her blood "the times are changing."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Lilith." He said, glancing at his daughter. "That's all I will say on this matter."

With that rather discouraging remark, they went to flag down a waiter and soon the couple found themselves alone again. After they left, Alex pulled out his phone and started looking up the names of the princes that had been brought up. Luckily, he had been able to remember their names for that brief period.

Lilith noticed him typing and looked over his shoulder out of curiosity. "Do you not know who they are?" She asked.

"No, hold on I'm looking them up." He went to the image results to see the two princes in question and blankly stared at the painting.

"Well?" She asked. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

"I do and I hate it." He said bluntly.

She laughed. "Don't feel too self-conscious about it. I think you're very cute." She ruffled his hair. "Or should I start calling you my bonnie prince?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't..."

After that, Lilith helped herself to a chalice of blood as they wandered around the ballroom. The couple looked at some of the elaborate paintings on display on the walls. Alex had only been in two vampiric mansions, but it seemed "looks like it belongs to a duke" was a common thread.

"Who exactly does this mansion belong to, anyway?" He asked.

"Hilda, she's from another family but we maintain close ties with her house." She then spotted some people in the crowd that she recognized. "Wait, are those my cousins? I haven't seen them in a while."

"You can go catch up with them." Alex said. "I'm going to go see if there's anything to drink besides blood."

"Good luck with that." She said sarcastically, before going and chatting with relatives he didn't recognize.

Alex wondered around the ballroom, checking out the snack table to find little outside of chalices filled with blood. He suspected that a few of the glasses may have held red wine instead, but he wasn't willing to make that gamble. He thought even vampires would enjoy a bit of "human food" even if it didn't nourish them, but here he was proven wrong. Yet again, he was reminded of how out of place he was.

With no food or drink to be found, he wandered idly around and continued to admire the mansion's décor. He stopped and looked at a particular suit of armor which caught his eye. In that moment, he was approached by one of the older-looking vampires. He walked with a cane and was wearing plated armor with a cape. He looked like a true count, and his bird-shaped mask only added the whole image.

"I don't believe we've been acquainted." He announced. "I am Ezra, Lilith's uncle."

"Oh, well nice to meet you." He gave a polite bow.

"How quaint." He observed. "So this is the man who my niece has gotten involved with. Really, she's always been unconventional, but to get begin dating a human..."

"But I thought introducing humans into the family was common! What's wrong with what Lilith is doing?"

He scoffed. "So she's explained some things to you. Yes, that is not unheard of, but it only recently became common practice. I remember a time when humans were inducted in the true way. We would drink blood in the dark of night, and the next day we would have a host of new members. Humans were mere servants, and could never become fully fledged members. He pointed his cane at Alex. "Do you know how both I and my brother were introduced into this family? It was many years ago, in the days of the Ancien Regime. Some vampires came to our village, and made a whole feast out of us. Many died right then and there, but me and my brother survived. We were infected, and the rest is history." He tapped his cane on the ground. "That is the real way, but we have grown soft since then."

Apparently, Lilith had noticed the two talking and decided to intervene. "I see you have met my new boyfriend, uncle." She said, coming up behind Alex.

"Yes, I was just giving him a little history lesson." He shook his head. "I hope you get a proper education on vampires soon, human. You've found yourself in another world entirely." With that, he transformed into a bat and fluttered off. Alex couldn't help but notice that his clothes transformed with him; the bat had a little mask and cape.

"And he leaves as quickly as he comes. That man never changes." Lilith sighed. "I suppose he's not entirely wrong, though. I think a few classes on vampiric society would do you well." She put his hands on his shoulders.

"What, is there a vampire school or something?" He asked, glancing back at her.

She chuckled at his comment. "No, but we can hire a tutor." She then fell silent for a moment, as the sound of the orchestra rose among the loud chatter. The socializing part of the event was about to close out, as vampiric couples took to the dance floor. The music was not a typical dance song however, it was distinctly melancholy and almost eerie.

"Ah, the Hills of Manchuria. One of my favorites." Lilith said, closing her eyes as she took in the sounds of the musical masterpiece. "Say, Alex." He turned around to face her, and she offered him her hand. "May I have this dance?"

Alex giggled. "You sound like a Victorian gentleman, fucking hell." He took her hand. "But yes, I'll have this dance."

They moved to the dance floor, then took each other's hands. They began swaying to and fro, getting into the flow of the waltz.

"Your form is off." She commented, before pushing on his back to make him straighten his posture. "You need to stand up straight, and get close to me." He began blushing when she did this. It was not common form for the woman to lead the man, but their relationship certainly wasn't traditional.

Once she corrected his form and he got used to the movements, the dance started getting easier. They swayed and spun together, maintaining the proper forms. He felt he was in a trance and that they were the only two people in that room. In that moment she was the only person he could see and nothing else mattered.

"You're getting better." She said, before dipping him.

"Thank you. Those old dance lessons my parents made me take are coming back to me."

After dancing a bit more, he stood on his toes so he could go in for a kiss. She lowered her head, and they both lifted their masks just enough that only their mouths were showing. As their lips met, he closed his eyes and melted into it. The sad song began to reach its end.

Their dance continued into the next song. It, too, had a similar melancholy sound to it. He felt he could whirl together with her for the rest of the night, but after a little while his legs got tired and they had to take a break.