Ultimatum

Malakai touched down gracefully outside of the castle gates.

"We're here."

Simon slid off the much larger vampire's back with a lot less poise than he would have liked. His wobbling was understandable, considering how he had just been taken on the ride of his life. And while it was true that he might not have felt like a million Asters at the moment, the tailor did have to admit that the experience made him appreciate the little nuances in life that much more; because never had the contrast between the two brothers been so starkly drawn. Flying across the cityscape, protectively cradled in Alabaster's arms, had been the smoothest ride imaginable, while clinging to Malakai's back as he sped through the capital had left his heart racing, his head pounding and his legs feeling much like a new born colt's.

Without missing a beat, Malakai stalked toward the castle, not giving the human much time to recuperate. It would have been considered rude, if Simon had been the noble's equal. But, he was only a common man. Just an humble tailor, nothing less, nothing more; as such, vampire or not, Simon felt the creature of higher breeding and status owed him nothing. Even if he had been whisked away to the gala in a diamond-studded carriage, socialized with the rich and danced with a man who was practically a prince in his own right, he had never once forgotten his place.

So, without any adieu whatsoever, Simon straightened his coat with a tug before following the man into the castle and up the stairs, doing his best not to bump into any priceless artifacts along the way. By the time he had sorted himself out, they had come to a darkened wing of the castle. All of the windows were covered with a thick, black satin, triple layered over the openings to keep any trace of sunlight from bleeding through. The only thing illuminating these halls were candles. Dozens and dozens of them, all dripping wax onto the floor, creating large mounds that were reminiscent of the stalagmite formations in caves.

'Caves,' Simon's mind echoed as he stared at the same back he had been riding on just a few moments before, 'Appropriate atmosphere for a creature likened unto a bat.'

But, then again, if Malakai and his ilk reminded Simon and so many others of bats, then what did that say about Alabaster? What DID he associate with the Crystal Vampire? Stealing him away from such thoughts was when they finally arrived at their location.

"Open the door."

At that curt order, Simon slipped between the imposing figure and the wood, before turning the ornate, brass knob. Upon opening it, the tailor found that it was the same room Alabaster had called him to before. Memories rushed back to him of how the vampire had apologized for not thinking more carefully over his plight, before inviting him to the gala. It had only been a few short hours. But, for some reason, it felt like a lifetime ago.

As Simon relived it, Malakai gently placed his brother in bed, undoing his outer coat for comfort, before covering him up to his neck. He glided to the windows, before lowering the black, velvet drapes to block out the light he would soon be expecting. Of course, Malakai knew that the arrival of the sun in all its glory was a sight Alabaster would have preferred. He took the chance to greet every new day with a smile, like it was his very last.

'It COULD be his very last,' the noble reminded himself bitterly, only pulled from such morbid thoughts by the sound of the tailor dragging up a chair to his brother's bedside.

The vampire wasn't one to give much consideration to a human's feelings. But, the expression on the other man's face told him quite the elaborate tale that was almost worth focusing on. The way Simon's brows knit together with stress. How he braced his elbows on the bed, clamping his hands together in front of his mouth, trying to hide his trembling lips from prying eyes. But, what really made an impact on him was the way Simon stared at Alabaster, whose milk-white skin was becoming more ashen by the second.

It was the very picture of a man wrestling with himself. Wrestling with his inner demons. Wrestling with his desires. But, most of all, wresting with his own guilt. A sudden realization hit Malakai Stone like a stray bolt of lightning; this was an opportunity he couldn't afford to waste.

The vampire noble wasn't blind, no matter what his kid brother believed. While the sun was high in the sky and his family slept, Malakai was convinced that Alabaster was out visiting this mortal. At first, the only thing feeding his suspicions was the scent. A curious, lingering hint of cinnamon, tea leaves and a crispness; one that was reminiscent of cotton.

Perhaps his high-fashioned brother had simply been out browsing the exotic collection of human-made clothing? That idle preoccupation should have been the end of it. But, as time went on, he noticed that the smell never changed. If Alabaster had been visiting random clothing shops, wouldn't the essence of what he was surrounded by at the time been reflected in the odor he was giving off? But, no, this one fragrance kept showing up, again and again.

The scent became a mystery. The mystery became an irritant. Right along with that smile the Crystal Vampire wore and couldn't seem to keep off of his face; not even if the whole world depended on it! Alabaster never smiled like that back home, not even once. That being said, this new development deserved inspection. Deserved to be analyzed, turned end over end, until not a piece of it lacked inspection from a critical eye!

But, there were meetings to attend. Obligations that he simply couldn't shy away from. Especially not as Lord Jasper's oldest son. So, even if it needled at the back of his mind, the golden-eyed man put his curiosity on a leash. He would get to the bottom of this sooner or later; or so he thought.

Because the next thing he knew, a spruced up Alabaster was headed downstairs on the night of the gala. When Malakai asked him where he thought he was going, the other man spun on his heel to grin at him, before declaring to his brother, who made it his business to know everything about him, that he had a 'date' for the gala; a human 'date'. He could recall standing there, stunned, as he watched him roll out of sight in that diamond-covered atrocity, realizing that he didn't know Alabaster as well as he thought he did.

Perhaps there was no harm in it. Perhaps it just meant that his younger sibling was finally growing up and needed space for secrecy. Malakai scoffed slightly, before shaking his head, a deep ache settling into his chest as he forced himself to look at his brother's prone form, once again. Just look where that kind of thinking had gotten them! Now, his one and only brother, the mortal vampire who never had enough time, was on the brink of death and it was all his fault.

Just then, something drew his attention to the human once more; he saw Simon close his eyes and move his lips in the dark. He was uttering something. Was that.. a prayer?

"I.. By my hat, this is difficult," the tailor uttered, his eyelids creasing with concentration, "I haven't really said a word to you since that night. Since the night.. they died."

The human fell silent for a moment, fighting his own throat, as it threatened to close with emotion.

"But, please, don't take my lack of faith into account just this once. Not when I finally got around to beseeching you for something. For someone. He.. Alabaster, I mean.. Doesn't deserve to die. Not like this."

"Do you really believe in the gods? That there's someone up there listening to your plight?"

Simon sighed, before dropping his hands and straightening up to look at Malakai. The man flowed into the light of a nearby candle, like smoke wafting into a room. He should have been terrified, by all accounts. Absolutely frightened out of his wits by the supernatural creature that was staring at him with those inhuman eyes. But, as he stared back a while longer, Simon Hart found his courage and the power to speak.

"No. I don't believe it," he confessed with a sigh, "But, I thought I would try, just in case I'm wrong. There's nothing really more that I can do for him than this."

Something flashed in Malakai's eyes, before they dimmed once again. The human didn't catch wind of it, but the vampire knew an opportunity when he saw it. He may have had his own guilt over what happened, but the human clearly had more of it; MUCH more, if he was willing to pray to something he didn't even believe in. That could be used to his advantage to kill two birds with one stone. But, only if he played his cards right.

He carefully seated himself on the bed, turning his head to gaze at the two of them, right as the tailor made ever so bold as to take one of Alabaster's hands in his own. Golden eyes narrowed with contempt. Yes, it was time to put an end to all of this. To his own guilt and to the presence of an outsider that was putting Alabaster at risk.

"You're wrong, you know. There IS something you can do."

Green eyes finally turned to him, giving Malakai his full attention, just in time for the vampire to seize Alabaster's hand by the wrist. He carefully placed it back on the bed, out of the human's grip, before issuing a vague, yet still no less potent ultimatum.

"You can stay away from my brother."