Reproduction

"You don't want to say bye to the kids?" Jel asked, catching up to the man pursing his lips and with a frown deep enough to reveal all the creases on his face, which were barely there by the way.

"I would rather not. I can't look at them right now." Osbert said, as they passed several houses and illuminating plants that guided their path. "I keep seeing the dying woman and what she said to me."

"She said something to you?" Jel asked, grabbing his shoulder to make him stop. "What did she say? Was it something like, 'take care of them'?"

"Yes. You heard it too?"

"No. But she left a trace of herself in those words. That was how I knew where her children were." Jel explained, looking at the ground. "But I am impressed you noticed her murmuring those words."

"Well … it's not like I could have ignored them." He said, chuckling bitterly. "Maybe if I tried talking to her …"

"No!" Jel flicked the man's forehead. "No feeling bad for yourself. No regrets. It has happened and there is nothing you can do about that now, do what you can for what you can now."

Osbert rubbed his sore forehead, staring at the man before breaking into a laugh.

"What? Did I say something stupid again?" Jel asked, confused.

Osbert shook his head, "No, you made complete sense. You didn't have to hit me to get your point across though."

"Well, I am just doing whatever I want," Jel said, clearing his throat as he pulled the man in the direction of the way they came.

The two silently glided through the empty spaces in between the little floating lands with people and houses all around them. Osbert stared at the glowing plants, unwittingly mesmerized by them as his mind wandered to the woman in the alleyway and then all the others he killed.

Did they have families too? Did I subject kids to being hunted down by more dangerous people? This is not going to sit well with my conscience.

Wait.

"Jel." He said suddenly, pausing when he came inches from the man right in front of him, smiling brightly. "Gah!"

"Yes?"

"Why are you so close to me??" Osbert asked, hand over his racing heart.

"Well, you were so deep in your thought, no matter how much I called to you, you wouldn't respond. So I just stood still." Jel chuckled, tucking some of Osbert's bangs behind his ear as the man started to raise an eyebrow at him. "I take it back. I think I like your face."

"Ha. Ha." Osbert rolled his eyes at Jel. "Funny. Anyway, remember what you said? That you would answer the questions I have?"

"Yes?"

"I have a question."

"And I also told you to settle your thoughts before you ask me." Jel pinched his cheek. "Don't you remember that?"

"This is just bothering me so I want to know," Osbert said, looking at him with his pleading doe eyes. "Can't I know?"

Jel smiled as he heard a crack; that is his resolve chipping away as Osbert continued to plead with him without even saying a word.

"Fine." He finally admitted defeat, rubbing his forehead. "Ask the question but I want something in return."

"Fine," Osbert said.

Jel pulled the two into an empty space between the walls of two houses, "Are you sure? You don't know what I'll ask."

"You want my blood don't you?" Osbert asked, not even flinching.

"Well, I guess you do know." Jel chuckled. "Fine by me. Ask your question and give me my blood."

"People like us … can we reproduce?"

Jel stared at the man in front of him blankly for a second, thinking it was a joke but he did not look like he was joking, not even a little bit.

"You're seriously asking that??" He asked, struggling to keep his voice low.

"I was always told that we would never be able to reproduce. I thought we couldn't, then I saw the kids today." Osbert said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "It just made me wonder."

"Have you never attended a science class?" Jel asked, trying so hard not to make fun of the man in front of him. "Do you know nothing about human anatomy?"

"But we aren't humans."

"We were born of humans." Jel sighed, rubbing his temples. "Ok. Have you ever masturbated?"

"What's that?" Osbert asked, tilting his head to the side, confused.

"You don't even know what masturbation is???" Jel had to clasp a hand over his mouth to appear shocked while he was trying so hard not to laugh at the situation he is in.

"Is something wrong with that? I am mostly asleep during the day and at night, I am out hunting till I am exhausted. I don't do anything else."

"I should have expected that from you." Jel chuckled, resting his head on the man's shoulder. "Wait … does that mean your first kiss was with me??"

"You mean last night? Yeah."

Did I just … molest a virgin??? Jel thought, staring at the man in front of him before turning to face the wall. I thought he was a playboy!! Taio told me that acting on impulses will get me in trouble one day. I didn't think this was what he meant!!

"I'm sorry," Jel said, placing a hand on Osbert's hand. "I will take responsibility. I promise."

"Huh?"

"And yes, we can reproduce," Jel said, collecting himself. "With humans and with non-humans too. Satisfied?"

Osbert thought for a second before nodding, "Yeah."

"Good," Jel said, pushing the collar of his shirt down to reveal the bite mark from the night before, still visible. "I'll be quick."

"Why do you do this?" Osbert asked, not even flinching as his teeth sunk into his neck, blood trickling down.

"What do you mean?" Jel pulled away, licking his lips as smoke escaped his skin again.

"I knew it." Osbert grabbed his face and held it tight. "My blood. It burns you. Doesn't it? Why do you still consume it?"

"Maybe I'm a masochist?" Jel shrugged, the smoke dissipating as he grabbed Osbert's hand. "Let's get going. We wasted a bit of time."

"Ok."

_____________________________

"It seems you were able to send him off," Reagan said as Jel entered the house with a burnt mark on spots of his cheek.

"Yeah," Jel said, stretching. "It really is about to be morning. You should go rest. Where are the kids?"

"Lillian is putting them to sleep upstairs." The woman said, turning to him with a bright smile on her face. "Thank you so, so, so much for allowing me to meet her. I didn't think I would be able to."

"Don't worry about it," Jel said, yawning. "Go back to your post and stay there. Make sure no one else comes through the gate."

"Yes sir," Reagan said as Lillian appeared behind her, gently blowing on her neck. "Eeek!"

Laughing, Lillian stared at the woman. "You haven't changed at all. How are you even part of the entrance guards?"

"I am very diligent," Reagan said, pouting. "Oh, I need to leave."

"Come visit me again?" Lillian handed her a crystal that Jel also had as the woman left.

"Ok!"

Jel watched as Lillian waved the woman, sitting on the table as the floor was covered with all kinds of litter like unwashed pots and empty packages of who knows what.

"Charming." Jel teased, grinning at the woman. "Who would have thought you would meet your childhood friend after two hundred and forty years?"

Closing the door softly behind her, Lillian sighed before turning to Jel, "And it is only because of you that I was able to meet her. You have my thanks."

"I don't deserve it." Jel picked up a little marble thing on the table, twirling it in his hands. "Anyway, thank you for taking in the kids."

"It's the least I could do after what you did for me." The woman said, floating to the kitchen. "Do you want tea? I can warm it up for you."

"I don't think so." Jel politely replied, still looking at the marble in his hands. "I have work to take care of here."

"Are you still trying to take down the king?" She asked, chuckling at the man. "You know it is impossible right? He is the one that created this place and without him … well, the place will crumble."

"That is why I am trying to get rid of him," Jel said, crushing the marble in his hands to tiny pieces of glass. "Don't you think his existence is doing more harm than good? Only some of the people get to live comfortably here, with no worries. What about those on the streets in the human world?"

"Fine. But how do you intend to take yourself down, your highness?" Lillian asked, looking at him with glowing blue eyes filled with mischief. "Not when you, yourself, are incapable of dying."

"I have a plan," Jel said, looking at the palm of his hands, the glass reflecting his face. "And it involves the man I brought today. Will you help me?"

"Always," Lillian said, mirroring his smile.