Holding On

-----Kaede's POV

We successfully made it through the night with Fleur and Faye having joined us. With Rina being the only non-vampire staying up, Sicily and Lillian ended up sleeping on the wooden floor. I did give them a couple pillows and another blanket to keep them warm though.

Fleur: "Hehe. Did you stop by the guild on your travel?"

Kaede: "Hmm? Oh, yeah. I picked up a bunch of things that I figured I should bring back."

I only just realized that the blanket I covered Sicily and Lillian in was a blanket I got from Fleur's room. Thinking that it's a good time, I end up taking out some accessories I found in the guild, specifically a couple necklaces in particular; although they look to be for a child rather than an adult.

Faye: "You found them!"

She immediately snatched one of the necklaces in my hand as she begins to inspect it. I'm glad that this wasn't just some random junk. Fleur also gently grabbed the other necklace as she too inspects it. Both necklaces were made of some sort of string, but the main attraction was what the string was connecting to. They look to be some kind of long tooth? Or maybe even a talon?

Fleur: "Thank you, Kaede."

Kaede: "No problem."

Faye: "Mm. I was honestly sad that we left these behind."

Kaede: "Do they have some sort of significance?"

Fleur: "They're our mother's talons. It's tradition for our kind to shave off a talon for our children."

Faye: "It's like a charm for protection. It's like our mother is still with us, protecting us."

I start to imagine what that would even be like. Ripping off a talon? I feel like that's the same thing to ripping off a nail or a claw...

Kaede: "Wouldn't that be painful?"

Fleur: "Of course. But our talons do grow back. But it does take a while."

Kaede: "Well, I'm glad that I found them for you."

Fleur/Faye: "Mhmm!"

They both come in to hug me from both sides. Seeing them happy puts a smile on my face as I wrap my arms around the both of them. I would show them the other things I had brought with me, but that's mainly clothes, so that could wait till we get back home.

We soon let go as I start to dig through my bag once more before taking out one blood bottle that I filled from the human corpses at Inasdale. This was the main reason why I had Fleur and Faye come here. 

Mell: "Is that-"

Kaede: "Mhmm! Human blood."

Fleur: "!"

Faye and Mell look at the bottle with curiosity, however Fleur reacts a bit differently. That's to be expected considering she knows first hand what human blood tastes like; it's quite strong. I take a moment to pop open the top as the scent of human blood fills the room, causing the three of them to immediately tense up. I guess they're hungry after all.

Neri: "Are you sure this is the right time for this?"

She whispers in my ear out of concern for everyone else here, but I got this under control.

Kaede: "Don't worry. I've done this before."

I reassure her before facing Mell, Fleur and Faye.

Kaede: "Now. I have plenty of human blood, however I will moderate how much you can drink. It'll take a while to get accustomed to it, so just try and steady yourselves the best you can."

First up was Mell. I drew out a small ball of blood from the bottle, about a handful size as I hold it in the palm of my hand before extending it to Mell.

Kaede: "Remember. Restrain yourself."

Mell: "M-mm."

When she opens her mouth, I can already see how watery her mouth has become as she bares her fangs to the ball of blood. And once she made contact, I could tell her body immediately tensed up as she grabs my wrists with quite a lot of force. If I was a human, I'd imagine my arm would be broken right now.

Kaede: "Mell. Relax."

I force her head away with my free hand as she tried her best to sink her fangs back into the blood.

Mell: "Mm...Mom!"

Kaede: "Go ahead."

Seeing as though she can make words, I let her finish the rest as she begins to clean off every bit of blood from my palm with her tongue. Makes me remember the time when I did this for Fleur only for her to sink her fangs into my hand. I guess I could count this as a success.

Next came Faye. Seeing Mell going first must've made her more nervous as she took a while before going at the ball of blood in my palm. But what I didn't expect was for the sudden change as she immediately gulped down the blood in an instant. Did she even taste it?

Faye: "S-sorry!"

Kaede: "Pfft. We'll work on it. There's plenty of blood so don't worry."

Last was Fleur. She had already experienced human blood before so I wasn't all too worried. She did tense up, but managed to keep her nerves in check as she slowly savored the taste as she drank. Seems as though only Faye needs the most attention at this point. And to be honest, I'm quite proud of Mell. It was her first time and she managed to remain conscious through it. My hand naturally lands on top of her head as a smile grows on my face.

Kaede: "Well done."

Mell: "Hehe."

Rina: "Scary..."

Ah, right. I totally forgot that Rina is here with us.

Kaede: "Sorry."

Rina: "Oh, no. It's just that... It just hit me that I'm in a room with vampires."

Kaede: "Well, we aren't "normal" vampires."

I proceed to cut my finger after growing out my nail. Rina's eyes widen as she watches me bleed before I quickly heal it. Since I don't really like the taste of my own blood, I gave my finger to Mell as she quickly licked it clean. I guess this could be considered a treat for having remained in control with the human blood.

Rina: "You bleed?"

Kaede: "Mhmm. Didn't you realize? I've been calling the woman you're healing "mother" this whole time. It's because she is."

Rina: "Wait. So you were born from a human?"

Kaede: "Yes. My father was some vampire lord or something."

I honestly forgot his name already, not that I really care anyways.

Rina: "Fascinating..."

Rina looks back over to my mother who she's been healing this entire time. From the looks of it, Rina seems to be holding on okay. I don't see her acting tired at all, but just how long will that last...

-----Fabian's POV

I didn't know until I had woken up that I had fallen asleep. But upon waking up, I was met with an incredible amount of softness resting against the side of my face.

Ilfa: "Hmm? Good morning~"

And that's when everything comes back to me as I feel my face beginning to well up in heat. That's right... I ended up confessing to Ilfa and now we're in this, situation.

Fabian: "M-morning."

What is the best way to go from here? Do I let go and sit up? It would calm down my body, but then I'd be saying goodbye to this softness. And amidst my conflicting thoughts, I feel Ilfa tighten her embrace around me, seemingly making the decision for me.

Ilfa: "Sleep well?"

Fabian: "Mmm, mm."

Ilfa: "Fufufu"

This is so painful... I want to do it with Ilfa, especially after waking up like this, but I remember her saying that it's off-limits. I respect her decision, but now I feel a tinge of regret after waking up like this.

Ilfa: "You know. I thoroughly enjoyed watching you sleep. Was quite cute."

Fabian: "..."

Thanks to her words, now my imagination is going wild. What did I do in my sleep? Did I try something weird? I have no idea how I act when I'm asleep, I even hear that some people even sleep talk. Don't tell me I'm one of those people!

Fabian: "...What did I do?"

Ilfa: "Fufu. Secret~"

Fabian: "Hey! That's not fair."

Ilfa: "Don't worry~ You didn't do anything crazy. Like I said, you were cute."

That still doesn't help me. Her definition of cute could be entirely different than mine, which only makes me more curious. But since she seems to be not wanting to say anything, I end up sighing as I give up, relaxing my head into her chest.

Fabian: "So? What's the plan for today?"

Ilfa: "Hmmm. Nothing really. Kaede has yet to return, so I guess we continue to wait?"

I dread for that time to come. I know I need to clear up all of this with Rina, but at the same time, I'm scared. I have no idea how I'll even go about talking about this, so in a way, I hope that she can stay back for a bit longer. At least until I've figured out what to say...

Ilfa: "But I will need to sleep at some point."

Right, we are taking turns at sleeping. I remember now.

Fabian: "Not now though, right?"

Ilfa: "Nah. If I sleep now then I won't be able to spend time with you."

She took the words out of my mouth. I'm glad that our feelings are mutual. Her eyes don't look to be tired, so I guess I'll just enjoy my time with Ilfa while I can. And when she sleeps, I'll make sure to get back at her for calling me cute.