Wadin' in the Water | Private

[Arich Kaus]

He shrugged. "So I've heard. I have not walked among them for long, but most mortals seem to be good at heart. Even if they are selfish."

"Nearly any species can be like that. I suppose it must be worse for vampires due to your inherent needs. What a perversion of faith and marriage, though. I'd say in that case the church is just as guilty as the ones feeding off of the victims."

"That's a shame. Is he a good leader, at the very least? Perhaps he does some good in his position."

[Ayato Sakamaki]

"I don't quite trust mortals. They are very emotional, not as logical as someone along the likes of us." he said, his finger brushing over his bottom lip.

"I do agree that the church is guilty. But, I must say that we are very healthy because of it. More blood means less hunger. The girls think that the cross would burn us, shrivel us up, and make us die. They are absolutely terrified after that.

"The people like him, so I assume so. My home has been safe since I have left, so I guess he is doing good in his spot."

[Arich Kaus]

"That's true. They're terribly unpredictable. I think those of us who are capable of living far beyond the normal human lifestyle are very calm and methodical compared to them." He shook his head. Their world was also very loud. He didn't like loud.

"So they're betrayed by those they trust and live their final days in absolute terror before dying young in an unfamiliar place?" He couldn't keep a hint of an edge out of his voice. "I don't blame you for leaving."

"That's good, at least. Even if he was not a good father to you, at least he has it in him to care for a larger population."

[Ayato Sakamaki]

"I have been alive for probably a few centuries, if not more. I have seen humans do what they do. They fight each other and attack one another. They are the same people. They just are compelled with emotions.

"If you put it in simple terms, they are. One of my brothers, one of the triplets out of Laito and myself, had come up with a strange way to keep their bodies in a room no one gets to a lot. I don't know why he does it, but I don't question it.

"He wasn't even there for any of us. It was my mother and servants raising my brothers and myself. He just left one day." Ayato said, his voice hinting anger.

[Arich Kaus]

"They're still young," he protested gently. "If we only had eighty years to live, do you think that we would act as we do now? Even the oldest of humans is no more than a child to us, and children commit crimes without knowing the damage they are doing."

"...That's demented. Are your other brothers similar to that?" Perhaps he should tell his traveling companion. Should he ask permission? Going behind the other's back seemed manipulative. He decided to hold off on it for the moment.

"I can't pretend to understand how that must have felt, but I'm sorry it happened. The loss of a parent, even when he simply leaves, must be very hard." He wasn't too good at consoling people. He paused. "Do you hate him?"

[Ayato Sakamaki]

"They age quite quickly. They are ants compared to us. House flies. The shortest lifespan possible while we live like turtles, what seems like forever.

"Only he does that. He has ... issues. He always carried around a teddy bear. He never leaves it behind. It's his best friend. We let him be.

"Of course I hate him. He did this to all of us, whether I like my siblings or not. He jumped to three different wives. He never talked to us."

[Arich Kaus]

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Ants in terms of lifespan, yes, but never in terms of worth. Not that it's what you were saying," he added quickly, "but it's an argument I've been told to expect. Yes, most humans will never learn to mature to the point that we do, simply because they do not have the time to do so."

"He doesn't sound entirely stable. Do your siblings hurt humans out of maliciousness, or are they like you?"

"He sounds very frivolous." His tone was disapproving. "And your mother? You mentioned that she was gone."

[Ayato Sakamaki]

"I certainly do not mean as ants in general. Just in years, or even months. I am not sure how long ants live.

"My brothers and I don't go around and kill people for the fun of it. We wait for the sacrifice, and that's all we get for the time. It is saddening, but it must happen.

"Trust me, he is. My mother is gone. My brothers and I got rid of her. Long story short, she took over one of the brides that was sent here, who survived, and we extracted her from the girl's body. The girl is fine and alive as of now. She was close to me when I was home. I am hoping she is alright now."

[Arich Kaus]

"A couple of weeks, I think, but I wouldn't count an individual ant's lifespan. They're almost literally a collective. Separate parts of a body."

"I suppose that's true. Most sane humans wouldn't willingly give blood to vampires, and you do need it to survive. The greatest solution would be to eliminate the need to drink blood entirely or find a way to cure vampirism." He blinked. "I wonder if it could be done."

"So do you still receive sacrifices? I'm pleased to hear that your mother is gone, though, if you don't mind my saying so. Possession is nasty business.

[Ayato Sakamaki]

"A couple of weeks. We are the humans to their ants. They just do not know it yet.

"Yes. We usually get the blood by force, or there is the rare times that a human is foolish enough to sacrifice themselves. Well, it may not be foolish. Selfless, I suppose. But, while being a vampire has downfalls, I enjoy the perks. I can live as long as I want as long as I am not stabbed or starve. I can fly. I am very fast. I could go on and on.

"I am not sure, really. I think the last one we had is still safe at our home, and I want to keep her safe. My brothers have to control themselves, though. And, I am too. I am too." he said, repeating the last phrase a few times as he looked up.

[Arich Kaus]

Arich paused for a moment, thinking about what to say.

"It's always interesting when an immortal takes a mortal under their protection. Even moreso when, by your very nature, you want to uh. Eat them. You've changed my perspective on vampires and creatures of the night in general. Do you enjoy being a vampire? Given the chance, would you change your race?"

[Ayato Sakamaki]

"Well, it has happened a few times, but we did not take enough blood to kill her. She seems fine, though. I am glad I have changed it for you. Is it more positive? And, I do enjoy being a vampire. But, I do not think I could be anything else. I would be an outcast if I changed my race. And, I do not know what I would become. Would you?" he asked.

[Arich Kaus]

"To an extent. I will never fully accept vampires, I think. Not that we're fully capable of such emotions unless we've lived among humans for a very, very long time... I will be honest, it's more pity than anything. I cannot identify with your struggles but I can understand a little more where you are coming from. I almost wish that you had never existed.

"I would not. We have a fear of death and dying. To strip one of us of our immortality would be the most devastating thing that could happen. It has never happened to me, but I've heard that one can literally feel the slow process of dying the moment it begins at around the human age of twenty-five. I also quite like being a unicorn, though if I could try to be something else I would become a dragon. Flight and power are two abilities that we will never have."

"An outcast? Has it happened before? Would your whole kind shun you?"

[Ayato Sakamaki]

"I do not want pity. I am glad to be here. I just do not like the way I was brought up and that my family is split apart.

"I would not give up my vampire self. Dragons are significant, but I wish to be the bloodsucker I am.

"It probably has. Some people would cheer. The rest would turn their backs on the new being. They were once someone else, someone not like them. It is unnatural." he replied.

[Arich Kaus]

"But aren't many vampires originally human? Would it be wrong for them to want to return to their previous state?" He shrugged. "It seems bizarre to me, but to each his own."

"I don't understand. You claim to hate doing harm but at the same time you would not leave your own body for another that does not need to drink from others to survive. Why? Wouldn't it be better for all of the mortals who will never have to undergo a feeding?"