Closed RP Spot for loveinsideme/nachtvogel [NSFW WITHIN]

[heyhohey]

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[heyhohey]

"Oh - like hunting? That's... that's not so bad, I...I guess."

The thought actually makes Alfred cringe though - he can barely stomach killing a spider, let alone anything else.

"They're just so long," the neophyte whimpers, bringing his own hands up to examine the fangs by touch - until the words click, and he makes a noise of realization.

"Wait - out? You can...you can bring them in, right? Yours didn't seem so long when I first saw you."

[loveinsideme]

"Oh you're so precious. I haven't met anyone just turned in so long, I'd almost forgotten how many things there are to teach you.

Yes, yes. They retract a little, to be not quite so long and cumbersome. And then when you feed, when you feel the hungry and hear that heartbeat and smell the blood in them, they'll come back out so you can bite more deeply."

[heyhohey]

For a moment, Alfred looks a little nervous at his ignorance - the look of someone used to being chastised instead of explained to.

But he calms when Herbert just...tells him. Without calling him stupid.

"That sounds...better. H-how do I...make them go...smaller?"

[loveinsideme]

"I think -- concentrate on them like you would an appendage. You think about bending your finger before you bend it. So think about your fangs retracting, imagine them doing so, and in time your body will start to respond.

I have to ask you though, chéri," he adds, holding Alfred at an arm's length. "What on earth are you wearing?"

[heyhohey]

The concept is easy enough to grasp as Herbert is explaining, he thinks - and so Alfred immediately tries, brow scrunching up as he tries very hard to focus.

He manages to get one of them to retract before he is asked the question, leaving him snaggle-toothed as he looks down at himself.

"...Uh...something I...took...at the...ball. Ssssssorry."

[loveinsideme]

"Darling," Herbert coos, and taps him on the chin. "You didn't have to sneak in. You were going to be my honoured guest. Before that professor of yours shooed me away so rudely."

[heyhohey]

That nets another cringe from Alfred, who is looking more than a little silly at the moment with only one long fang.

"Well, we... were sort of there to try and sneak Sarah out. And also we...sort of thought we would just be...food otherwise."

[loveinsideme]

"Well the professor, certainly. We get human blood so rarely, it's always a treat." He sighs, wistfully. "I wish I had been the one to turn you. I'm so jealous that it was Sarah. But I'm glad you came back, and I'm here with you now."

[heyhohey]

Alfred swallows hard at the vivid mental image he gets of the party descending upon his mentor, the way he would scream as he was drained dry, the way he would no doubt beg for the help of his assistant-

Oh, he feels a little sick. He swallows hard, clenching his eyes shut for a moment to shake his head and try to dispel the thought.

When he opens them again, he brings his hands together to twiddle his fingers. Always so anxious.

"I sort of...if it had to happen, I...I sort of wish...it had been you. You wouldn't have...left me for dead. She did. I...."

He looks pathetic - shivering in the foyer in drenched clothes that don't belong to him, eyes welling up with heartbreak, paled skin going a little further off-color with overwhelm.

[loveinsideme]

"Oh, mon chéri -- " Herbert pulls Alfred into his arms and gives him a tight hug, petting his hair. "Why don't we get you into a warm bath? It will help you relax and warm up a little."

He knows that his father loves Sarah dearly, but Herbert hates that she just left Alfred out in the cold after turning him. He's going to have to have a Talk with her.

[heyhohey]

He doesn't even fight the hug, doesn't cringe, doesn't wince.

In fact, he buries his face in Herbert's shoulder for a moment, his tears soaking into the other man's shirt.

"Mhmm," he whimpers, weakly, muffled.

[loveinsideme]

He rocks Alfred gently, back and forth, rubbing his back. "All right. We'll use my room for now, until we find one for you. There are plenty of rooms for you, you'll have your own space. But for now, you're welcome to my room. What's mine is yours, hmm?"

[heyhohey]

That helps. Slowly his sniffling subsides, his hands gingerly wrapping around Herbert's waist.

"...Okay. I - thank you. Thank you, Herbert."

[loveinsideme]

"Of course, of course. And we'll get you some clothes, too." He pulls back a little, stroking Alfred's cheek. "Come, I'll draw you a bath. Tomorrow, I'll teach you to hunt. We can't have you going hungry, can we?"

[heyhohey]

"That sounds...that sounds good. I can...tailor and mend, if I need to."

At the word hunt, he cringes again, though, even though he's calmed. Always wincing. Always anxious. "...I don't know if I'll be any good at hunting. I've never killed...anything, not on purpose."

[loveinsideme]

"It's not too bad, once you get used to it. The first few kills I'll help you with, of course. While you're still learning."

He wraps his arm around Alfred's shoulder, leading him towards his bedroom. "You might need to do some tailoring, if you're going to wear my clothes." Herbert is not a small man.

[heyhohey]

"...If you...say so."

Steadied by the touch, Alfred follows under the arm - it feels strange to walk these halls without feeling like he must be subtle. He belongs here, now. Maybe a little bit of him felt that he belonged here in the first place.

In spite of himself, he laughs at that comment, stealing a bashful little look up at his new...mentor? Friend? ...Something else?

"I can do that. If you ever need anything mended, I can - I can do that, too. I know how to sew, and mend, and darn. I used to do it for the Professor. Mother taught me."

Having a purpose makes him feel a little better, it seems.

[loveinsideme]

"Sewing and darning, how wonderful! Mother never taught me anything useful like that. She and father spoiled me awfully, so I never learned to do much for myself. I'm utterly useless for anything but standing around looking pretty.

I'm good at hunting, I suppose. But I had to learn that more of of necessity than want."

[heyhohey]

"Oh," Alfred chuckles, nervously, not quite sure what the polite response to that would be. Herbert is calling himself spoiled, but is it rude to just...agree? Would it be more rude to try to counter the statement?

Eventually, he settles on none of those things.

"Well, if you...would ever like to learn, I can teach you. You know, just so you...you can feel like you know how?"

Great job Alfred, not an obvious statement at all.

[loveinsideme]

"You know? I think I might like that. Lord knows Koukol can't mend or sew. So yes, you must teach me."

They finally reach Herbert's room, which is just as grand and ridiculous and opulent as Herbert is. Everything in dark wood and reds and golds. He ushers Alfred into the bathroom and starts the tub running, helping Alfred out of his coat.

"Oh -- we need to get you a coffin! You can share mine until we find a crypt for you."

[heyhohey]

"Well, then...I will. Maybe to embroider, too, if you want to...decorate...things?"

The bedroom is...well, it's about what he expected, actually, but still he casts a glance around at the finery with a look of awe before being moved to the bath.

He doesn't even have time to be embarrassed about the coat before the word coffin lands - and he freezes up suddenly, blanching a bit.

"...C-coffin? I... I'm...does it have to be a coffin?" He already knows the answer to that one - but he can't help it.

[loveinsideme]

"I know," Herbert pouts, pushing off Albert's suspenders and helping him untuck his shirt. "It's awful, isn't it? But it is a necessity. It's what keeps us safe."

While the bath is running, Herbert pours in some of his rose scented bubble bath. "You've had a hard few days," he explains. "You deserve a little something nice."

[heyhohey]

There's a high noise of panic that escapes him before he can stop it - not at being undressed, though that is...that is another matter entirely. He moves his fingers idly to the buttons of his shirt, but he's shaking, fumbling.

"...It's just that...I'm...I'm sort of...afraid...of tight spaces?"

He watches, briefly, as the bubble bath is poured in. As it stands, this bath is...much nicer than anything he had ever had access to, let alone with bubble bath. The scent of roses is...nice, actually. Puts him a little at ease.

Herbert sort of...puts him to mind of flowers, if he thinks about it a little.

[loveinsideme]

"Oh dear, that could be a problem." Though he sounds a little distracted, watching Alfred's trembling fingers undo the buttons of his shirt. "I'm afraid it does take some getting used to. I wouldn't insist on it, only I don't want you being burned by the sun."

[heyhohey]

Fortunately for Herbert, Alfred is, for the moment, clueless that he is being looked at - so there isn't as much hesitation as there might otherwise be when it comes to pulling his shirt completely off. Perhaps a little surprising given his demeanor...but years of toil, of carrying books and hoisting a grown man over his shoulder?

The nerdy, anxious little assistant is cut like glass, well muscled all throughout.

His mind isn't on his own physique, of course. He's too busy trying to figure out how he is ever going to sleep again. "...I...well, you said that...you said that I could sleep with y-"

Oh dear.

"You said I could...share yours for now, right? It's...it's pretty big, so maybe...I could...handle it tonight...."

Ohhhhh dear.