Corinth

Corinth picked his way through the forest on his rounds about the castle. Shifting his bow on his shoulder he steps softly but firmly down the path to a nearby stream. He crosses the sandbar bridge and keeps walking, eyes scanning for wildlife and other sentients. He spots a small flag tied to a brnach and retrieves it. "That's the last one..." He puts it in his pack and keeps walking.

As he walks he thinks back to when he forst arrived here, a few years ago and how intimidating this place was. Especially it's King. There were stories of what insane and monsterous acts he was capable of. And how he was seen as something even darker than a mere vampire. Back in his hometown the adults often said that if you were too loud at night you'd wake old Dushan. And to wake him was to sleep as deep as he...

Magnus/Gunnar

The lumbering giant of a vampire holed himself up in his office working over papers and generally shutting himself away from everyone. He notes that none of the Rangers or Scouts have found the flags Gunnar hid yet. He hears a strange sound and looks down at the form next to him. "Fang..." He grumbles in his deep voice. "Where the hell did you get that..." He grabs the wooden training sword from the hound who whines. "No. You have bones." Magnus stands up and places the sword back in it's spot, kicking the aforementioned bone to the hound. He looks around and sees Storm dozing near the fire. "Hmm... Maybe i should go out..." He grabs his jacket and his claymore and heads out of the room. Fang lets out a whine and follows after rousing Storm who huffs at the smaller dog and follows Magnus out. He heads out to the back gardens, pulling out a cigar and lighting it.

"You know... Those things can kill you." Gunnar walks up next to him, a smirk playing on his face.

"I'm already technically dead, Cousin." Magnus gives a puff of smoke before growling at Gunnar. "What do you want, Gunnar."

The smaller man laughs. "You've been inside for the past week. Lets spar." He al but drags Magnus to the Training Grounds where once they have their weapons and step into the ring, they prove just why they are some of the strongest warriors.

Alice woke up to the sound of distant screams of what seemed to be like Uncle Mahzun's victim. Who knows why anyone would let that old trash hang around here. She had no clue what time it was, but most likely everyone was probably up and about. A man's arm wrapped around her waist, a lover from the evening. She sits up to see the sight of clothes and undergarments thrown around the room and knowing that dinner was probably soon figured it would be best to clean up and throw out the one-"night"-stand before anyone notices.
"Sorry love, I'm going to have to kick you out now." Alice gets out of bed and slips on her dress while the guy twisted and turned in the bed.
"But it's like 1 in the morning, you're really going to kick me out?" He groans and tries to usher her back into the bed. Alice rolls her eyes and picks his clothes up off the floor and throws it at him.
"Yes. exactly why I'm kicking you out. Now leave before my creeper uncle catches you as his prey." After he puts on his clothes, she pushes him out the door of her bedroom and shuts it. God forbid if she was late to dinner but she couldn't come looking like a mess. She heads out to her closet room to search for something more appropriate to wear for dinner.

Niklaus

The air was crisp outside of the castle and the sky was clear.  The tall, dark figure of the eldest vampire prince stood up against the stony castle wall. Niklaus tried not to spend much time in the castle these days.  There was always some pressure on Nik and most of it was him becoming king. Nik didn't want to be king.  He wasn't supposed to be king but it was a role that he was stuck with thanks to the criminal locked in the left wing tower that was watching him through the one small window of the tall shadowy structure.

---

Caspen

Caspen laid sprawled out on the chaise in the study with a human blood servant sitting on the floor beside him.  The servant was looking a little light headed and Caspen was a little bored. He wiped the excess blood off of his mouth  and sat up.  "You can go clean up, I'm done," he said nonchalantly and the dark haired servant girl bowed and left. He got up and moved to the window. What mischief to get into now?

---

Silas and Blaire

Blaire sat in the corner chair reading a book while Silas sat with kingdom finances in front of him.  He always was doing something that involved numbers and it consumed him. Blaire on the other hand sat quietly out of the way.  Silas will sometimes forget Blaire is there but he enjoys his company all the same. Blaire didn't think this life was all that bad.  He never left Silas because Silas didn't want him to but it wasn't really an order. At the beginning, Silas would always ask Blaire to stay with him and now it was normal that Blaire never left Silas and no one was to mess with Blaire. "Blaire?" the deep voice called and their blue eyes met each other as Blaire looked up from his book. "Yes, Si?" and Silas leaned back in his chair, smiling at his nickname. "I have to bring these to my father. Come with me? " he asked and Blaire nodded. "Of course."

George had gotten word of a man coming out of Alices room. He wasn't an approved suitor and would have to be killed. "Man this family is brutal." George said. He had been watching Muhzan with his killing. "Save some guts for me will ya? I gotta go take care of some buisness." George added before heading off.

Soon enough he saw the male that Alice was with as he was heading outside. For the most part the man paid George no attention figuring that he was a merchant or someone of little importance as he never did stand out. Soon enough though George was behind him and grabbed the mans collar before tugging him into an alley way.

"You aren't meant to be a suitor." George said as he pulled the man in close then grabbed him by the stomach and flipped backwards with the man still in his arms crushing his head into the ground with a german suplex. "And down you go." George said motioning to the young man as a few brains seemed to ooze out of the crack in the mans head. "Oh right." George added with a smile before ripping off the mans arm and taking a large munch out of the arm.

George believed that the meet of a prey was just as important to a vampire as the blood.

After his job being done George headed back inside to look for Mahzun hoping there was still something left that wasn't entirely drained of blood.

[this doesnt exist]

Helena was outside in the grounds, working with a wooden doll. She much preferred hand-to-hand than sword fighting, but she practiced both regardless. Her right forearm hit one of the upper sticks while her left arm "blocked" a possible rib shot. The vampire repeated this, only in reverse, her left arm struck and her right blocked.

The sounds of Mahzun's killed broke her concentration, making her miss the post and stumble. She had heard the screams of his victims many times, but they were still surprising every time. Everyone's screams were different, everyone's pain different. She took a deep breath and continued to work with the post, increasing her speed as she continued. The sound of the wood knocking against her arms clicked across the grounds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adam took a bucket of water and poured them in the troughs for the horses. He knew ordinary horses liked to be awake during the day and sleeping at night, but this species had been bred for hundreds of years to be more nocturnal. The man grabbed another bucket, now feeding each horse oats and other grains. There was nothing he loved more than taking care of the horses and considered himself lucky to have his dream job.

Screams echoed from the castle and Adam knew these were from Mahzun. He didn't flinch, but a few horses bucked up and reared, flailing their hooves in the air. "Shh shh shh!" Adam said, holding his hands our and clicking his teeth a bit. The horses calmed a bit, but still stirred. He went to each startled one, petting its face and whispering it comforts. They didn't understand him, but that was okay because the tone of his voice calmed them. "Better now?" Adam chuckled, patting the nearest one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diane walked through the city, carefully noticing everyone. She noticed a girl innocently splash in a puddle, a woman enter a store, purse ready to have money taken out of it, a man sitting on the corner singing. He didn't seem homeless or in in need of help, more singing for others to hear. Regardless, Diane tossed a coin at him, causing it to land on the rim of his hat. "Thanks!" This was the city she loved and strived to keep safe with everything she did.

@AlicePleasanceLiddell

Adam heard soft footsteps coming towards the stable and knew exactly who it was. He turned to meet Alia and gave her a deep bow just as the guards had. "Bonjour madame," Adam replied, coming up from the bow. He loves hearing her intricate language. It was so graceful and complex at the same time, at least to him. There were times he couldn't understand a few words, sometimes even a whole sentence, but this was because of his lack of education. This time, however, the man understood every word.

"I have been good, sweet Alia," he replied, trying to match her intracy a bit. Adam was in no way mocking her, simply just showing her he cared.

"Allegro was spooked this morning by the screams," Adam explained, speaking as he normally would. "If you would like you can take him for a bit of a ride." By ride, he meant letting the horse go at a fast trot. He took great care in taking care of the princess- all of them. With Alia he tended to keep her delicacy and ladyness very protected, usually not letting the horse go fast enough to tangle her hair. If she asked, however, he made exceptions to his personal rule.

Out at the gardens she was, sitting on a beautifully crafted marble bench as she contemplated the stary dark sky above. Breathing in, she filled her partially dead lungs —mostly used out of habit than out of real necessity— with the fresh night breeze and the delicate scent of the flowers. The beautiful vampire woman enjoyed those moments of calm and silence out there, where she could feel at peace with only the sound of some occasional little animal around and her thoughts... And the soft beating of the human heart just a few feet away from her, of course. She used to seek for a servant's company whenever there was one around, in case she would need anything —even nourishment. Korine had found out that Aiden happened to be an agreeable company, always quiet and barely noticeable, as well as highly efficient ever disposed to his superior's command. At least, if not exactly for pleasure, he knew his place and how to behave around his masters in order to stay alive.

An unsettling scream inside of the castle suddenly broke the peaceful atmosphere surrounding them. Whether it was because of the alarming note of terror in the victim's scream or merely the night chill, the redhead servant shuddered inevitably. Korine turned back towards the castle, a subtle frown on her face. She couldn't understand why Mahzun had to be that savage and ruthless with his victims every time. It had become somewhat tiresome and unnerving. The poor boy's reaction hadn't gone unnoticed, his face twisting on a slight wince as he paled just a bit. He hated that, it made him feel sick every time he had to witness or just listen to such brutality against his own kind, and somehow Korine seemed to understand that.
"It's alright, Aiden. You don't have to clean that mess, I'll get someone else to do it instead.", she muttered, offering him a soft smile in an attempt to console him. "I'm afraid we're already late for dinner. Let's go back inside, shall we?" She stood up, not really waiting for an answer to that, since it had been more like a statement.
"Yes, mi lady.", Aiden lowered his head, following the vampire back into the castle as she said.


Had it been decades ago, one would have expected Derrick to be at some pub out there, drinking his dead guts out as if nothing really mattered and as if he had nothing better to do with his eternity. But that was a pleasure he had long left behind, mainly because it had been a friend's advice —or rather said scold. Now, instead of hanging out at pestilent local taverns, the relatively young vampire enjoyed his evenings hanging with his best friend and partner in crime, Kellan. They were both at the black-haired's chambers, chatting about nonsense as ever, joking and having a laugh until the whole 'scream drama' happened. They had both frozen in place, a tetric stillness of the aftermath ghosting in the air.
"Dinner time already?", Derrick huffed with dark humor. He was kind of used to Uncle's Mahzun's extravagant way of hunting his prey,... more or less. It never ceased to surprise him, though, every time the screams echoed through the castle walls; but it was inevitable and undeniable. He took it as a fact, more than anything else.
A cushion hit him right in the face, muffling a huff out of his mouth. "Shut up, Derrick! That was awful!", the blonde vampire scolded him, a frown visible on his face. That only made the other grin tauntingly.
"It is what it is, bro.", Derrick shrugged nonchalantly. Kellan glared at him, not quite amused as his friend seemed to be. "C'mon! You know I'm just kidding.", he added after a pause, chuckling. "It's still a bit late, and I'm kind of thirsty. Fancy coming?" Standing up from his sitting position at the center of his queen size bed, the dark haired vampire headed towards the door.
Shaking his head in mild disapproval, Kellan rolled his eyes and stood up from the edge of the bed where he had been sitting, still a little reluctantly. "Fine!" He agreed and they exited the room, going downstairs.


As soon as night had fallen, the stylist was already on her way towards her first job on her agenda: a vampire woman who had seeked for her service a few days ago, asking for a makeover. It was only some block away from her humble appartment, so she could easily walk her way there. Not like she minded it at all, anyways. And she seemed always eager to work, since it was something she actually enjoyed doing. It pleased her to know her job could please someone else as well. Deena only had a couple more clients for the night, so she could probably ask the local canteen's owner to let her play something later on, once she was done with her agenda. Her job and music were the two things that passionated her the most.

@Silmaril @AlicePleasanceLiddell

Somehow, Helena's heart wasn't in the training at the moment. She wished to be away from the castle for a bit, on her own without family around. The vampire put the wooden doll back with the other training equipment and made her way to the stables. To her delight, Adam and Alia were chit chatting. "Hello Alia, hello Adam," Helena greeted to the two with a smile. "Sorry to be of short notice, but I'd like to take Flash to the city. Is he ready?"

Adam looked back at his friend's dark brown horse and nodded, "Yup, he's well-fed and slept." She noticed Adam start to go to the saddles, but she quickly stopped him by catching his shoulder. The man turned around, surprised.

"Oh, sorry Adam," Helena said, releasing her grip, "I don't want you to worry, I'll get him ready."

Adam nodded with a smile. He knew there was no point in arguing, especially when she didn't want him to do work. "No problem, you know where your saddle is, right?"

"Yes sir, I do." Quickly, she retrieved the saddle and saddles Flash. "You ready boy?" The horse dipped its head a bit, flicking its eat. "Alright." She mounted the horse and waved to Adam and Alia. "I'll be back in a few hours. Stay safe you too!" With that, she was off, riding across the fields.

"So, did you want to ride your horse?" Adam chuckled to Alia after waving goodbye to his friend.

Helena loved the feeling of wind rushing through her hair, loved to feel the power in the horse, loved the feeling of freedom. It took her about fifteen minutes to make it to the canteen. She tied off her horse by a few others, allowing them to "socialise" while eating and drinking water.

Not very many people recognized her royal status in the canteen, mostly because a lot of them were drunk, but the few people that did tended to let her be. Helena took a seat at the bar, though she didn't order any alcohol. Overall, she wasn't a big alcohol person, preferring to not be under control of any substance. She loved watching the entertainment.

@1Hawkeyes

She was done with all her pending apointments sooner than she had expected, if she had to be honest. But that only meant she had a greater chance to be allowed to play at the bar that night, and those were very exciting news. Right after she left the last client's home, Deena headed right off to the tavern; it only took her a few minutes to arrived. She was known there, and that's why she had a special access through the backdoor of the establishment. She didn't have to convince the owner, for he agreed to it almost immediately. A good thing was that, since they often had live music at the bar, they already had some instruments kept backstage, which Deena could dispose of freely if needed without having to carry her own all the way from home.
Grabbing an acoustic guitar, she then walked up the little stage they had there at the back, not too far from the stools by the bar. A microphone and a stool were placed for her at the stage, so she sat down with the guitar on her lap, wearing a bright confident smile on her face as she greeted the drunken audience before her.
"I hope you're all having a good time tonight, ladies and gentlemen. And I'll make sure you do with some music I'll play for you. I hope you enjoy it.", Deena spoke through the mic, setting in place and tuning the guitar before she could start playing. And soon, after the initial riff, her melodious voice gave lyrics to the song.

@Silmaril

"Are you serious?" Helena asked, shocked by a drunk man's story.

"You better believe it!" he said, cheeks rosey, "I had the sea monster by the throat! I looked at that scaley neck and I said to myself, I says, 'Charles, this is the finest beast you will ever fight. Drink the blood and you will become a god!' So, I sunk my teeth in and drank every drop of blood!"

"How did the 'god' feel after?" Helena laughed, figuring the story was fake.

"Terrible! Worst blood I had in my life!" he laughed, then finished off his pint.

Helena shook her head, still chuckling a bit, and looked back to a stage. A woman with a beautiful smile sat with a guitar. Helena couldn't help but smile a bit more seeing the woman. Her bold look was admirable and quite fitting for her.

The woman played the sweet music of the guitar and sang her song. Immediately people seemed to be lulled to her, a good part of the talking silenced to listen to her singing. Helena watched, absolutely mesmerized. She greedily took in every detail of the woman she could find- eyes, lips, hands, voice, everything. There was something about the woman that seemed... familiar. It took her a moment, but she remembered this was Deena, the stylist. Helena never saw her other than when a ball or formal event was being held, and even then Deena had never styled her before.

As the song drew to an end, Helena moved to the side entrance to the stage and asked for permission to enter.

"Nope, sorry, can't do that," the guard said.

"Please, I know Deena and I really need to talk to her. We're friends," Helena said. In reality, she probably could've used her status to get in the back, but she felt dirty doing that. She wanted to find a way in like any other of the patrons here.

The guard raised his eyebrow at Helena's words, not sure if he could trust this woman. After a moment, he took a step aside and let her in. "Make it snappy, and if I hear anything that sounds a little bit suspicious you'll be outta here."

"Yes sir, thank you," Helena said and entered the backstage. She was terrible with instruments and music, though she thoroughly enjoyed it.

Helena tried to think of a way to approach Deena without seeming creepy or weird. Her breath caught a bit in her throat when Deena finally came backstage. "Hey uh, Day- er, Deena," Helena said, stumbling over her words a bit, "I think your song is really great." She then realized Deena might not recognize her, so she quickly added, "Oh, uh, I'm Helena, by the way. We've met a couple times, but didn't really talk too much." Now that she thought about it, she might've overloaded Deena with too much at once, even though it was a couple sentences. Oh gosh she probably thinks I'm some stalker, Helena thought, nervously running her hand through her thick brown hair.

Niklaus
Niklaus started to roam the castle grounds after he got stiff leaning against the castle. His heart must've lead the journey as he ended up in front of the stables, the light radiating from the dark colored building. As Nik walked inside, he spotted Alia and Adam by one of the horses. Niklaus stopped briefly to greet his own horse, Pharaoh. "Hey buddy. How's it going?" He said, petting the silvery grey horse and smiled as he nudged in response. "We'll go riding later buddy. Right now, I need to speak to Adam," he said looking towards the chocolate haired man. "If it's no trouble."@1Hawkeyes

Adam spotted Niklaus walking over and gave him a warm smile. He loved when the royal family was around, though he didn't want to offend anyone by giving one more attention than another. He turned to Alia, gave her a silly dramatic bow and said, "If you would please excuse me, milady." He then turned his attention to Nik and said, winking, "Let's go to the supply room. I've got that new saddle you've been wanting." Of course there wasn't a new saddle, but they needed excuses to be alone so no one would suspect anything. Nik and Adam didn't know if there were consequences for being in a gay relationship, especially since Nik would take the throne. Adam led Nik to the supply room, giving Alia another silly bow before disappearing with Nik.

As soon as they were out of sight, Adam planted a quick kiss on Nik's lips. "How are you? Are you worried about something?" he asked, voice thick with concern.

@EmzyOfNeverland @AlicePleasanceLiddell

Nik followed Adam into the supply room and wrapped his arms around Adam, shaking his head at his words. "I'm fine. Just the normal swimming around in my head. " Adam knew Niklaus didn't want the responsibility as king but he didn't know that Nik wasn't the rightful heir. "How are you though? I haven't seen you in a few days. " @1Hawkeyes

@EmzyOfNeverland

"That's good, I don't want you to worry," Adam said, lacing his arms into Nik's. "Me? I've just been taking care of the horses and," he mustered up the cheesiest smile he could, "just been missing you." These words weren't lies, if he could spend every moment with Nik he would, but it was the way he said it that made it silly and cheesy. "How's the castle been? Are you still being pressured on finding a mate?"

Niklaus rolled his eyes at Adam's cheesy cuteness. "I kinda missed you too, " he said before sighing at the next question. "It has been normal, I guess. My father only cares about the crown staying in the Krishkrov family. So, me finding a mate is t just about the crown. It's also about having a son to give the crown to," he ranted and during the rant had pulled away from Adam. He was in love with Adam. That much Nik knew. It wasn't enough though. @1Hawkeyes