Bishop J. Santiago's Story

He felt a sharp pain in his leg, letting out a grunt before loosening his grip on the human he was feeding from. When Demetri first released Jason, there was an insatiable blood lust in the red haired vampire's emerald eyes. Being stabbed while feeding turned out to be far more infuriating than he would have imagined, but the wound closed almost immediately after the knife exited his skin, leaving flawless porcelain skin in it's place. He could feel the leftover blood dripping from his chin, so he wiped his mouth with his thumb, licking it off seductively, staring at Jason with unfiltered desire. However, the desire was not merely of the flesh, he wanted to drain the man standing before him dry. In fact, every fiber of Demetri's being begged him to do so.



Once he licked up all traces of blood from himself, Demetri closed his eyes, letting out a soft chuckle, "I suppose I let myself be a little too indulgent.." he mused, licking his lips. He could still taste the traces of Jason's blood, the scent tantalizing him. If he remained in the room with the bleeding man, no knife would be able to hold him off. Besides, he needed to find Camilla. Hopefully she was feeling better by now? There was also the fact that she had been assaulted by Bishop, but he was his twin brother, what was Demetri really supposed to do to him? It wasn't like he could kill his own brother, besides, he just fed from said brother's butler, so Camilla would simply have to take the loss. Demetri had needed blood, and she ignored a direct order the day before. He had told her that arrogance would get her killed in this house, if she chose to not heed his words, he could not protect her from his sibling's wrath, "Until next time, deary."

Demetri threw Jason a towel on his way out of the human's living quarters, his eyes narrowing in a teasing manner as he spoke, "Hold it to the wound. I wasn't that rough so it should close on it's own after a while." A smirk formed on his lips, and without another word he left the human's room, closing the door behind him as common courtesy demanded. He waved to Bishop, who seemed to be in an awkward conversation with Anise. He tuned in as he approached Camilla's bedroom door, knocking as if he were paying the duo no mind at all. Demetri couldn't help but be a nosy bastard, he was born out of wedlock and snooping was simply an addictive vice he couldn't seem to shake.

"U-Uhm.. I'm still missing pieces of my memory.. Which room is Alice's again? You'd think I'd never be able to forget something like that, you know? I-I want to make sure she knows I'm alright."

Those memorizing emerald eyes of Demetris that he and his twin shared widened and his entire body stiffened at the mention of Alice. He could still remember her mangled body, the smell of her blood and the stench of werewolf all within the room. No matter how many times they had washed her body her entire body reeked of dog. The anger and sadness he had felt was indescribable, but it was nothing compared to the torment of Anise. She had completely shut down for two weeks. Not a single word was uttered by his brother's fluttery maid during that time, and she barely ate. How did she not remember? Had the poison done damage to her brain? How much of her memory was she lacking? His eyes shifted to his brother with a knowing gaze, wondering if his brother would say something. Demetri felt his brother would tell Anise the brutal truth, which Demetri was certain would completely break the poor maid all over again. To lose Bishop... I don't think I could bear it...We've lost so many people already.. She has no one, I respected her for pushing forward. I wholeheartedly thought she was going to die from her grief... not that I can say I blame the little dove if she did. I'd go mad if Bishop left me to an eternity alone...

Orange-Red brows furrowed as Demetri found himself suddenly growing impatient, not wishing to overhear any more about his previous maid. He loudly banged on the door, an irritated expression on his face as he shouted into the maid's room, making sure his voice would reach her on the other side of the thick wooden door, "Camilla, wake up and open this door or so help me I will come in and dress you!" His voice was stern, and he definitely meant it this time. His temper not as easy to control as it once was, especially when forced to remember Katerina's, Angelo's and Alice's deaths so early in the day.

Bishop Santiago

Anise's assurance that it was not fear of retribution from him that caused her to act shy and anxious around him was oddly relieving, though he was undoubtedly puzzled about what other things were weighing on his maid's mind. His emerald gaze remained on her as she spoke and fidgeted, her innoccent lip-biting making him imagine sinking his fangs into her soft flesh, the thought a tempting one. Fighting to squash the urge, Bishop noticed Anise's body language change as soon as he mentioned the asshole- his own mood soured by the thought as well. Not to mention his thought of feeding.

As Bishop snapped and glared death at the opposing wall, he became aware of the shock on Anise's features at his outburst, earning an annoyed huff and a low growl- though not directed at her. "What? Demetri nearly died because he's too damn nice to her, and then she's so useless she won't offer a single drop of blood to save the one who goes out of his way to accomodate her in this place? Little shit." he reiterated, shaking his head at the soft question of leaving him be. Without even thinking about it, he had allowed his glare to linger on Reiji when the asshole passed on his way to Tanzy's room and wherever else he wandered off to. He wouldn't let him close in on the maid, wary now that she was once more ok. He didn't think to insult him though, and relaxed as soon as the older vampire passed without incident.

At last Anise seemed to cheer up, his remark of her and his twin being better finally prompting a smile. He was glad she at least could bounce back in a short period of time. His shoulder's relaxed as he contemplated patting her on the head- idly wondering where the inclination to do so was coming from. He wondered if he was soft in the head as none other than Demetri emerged from the room next door, waving back as his twin silently greeted him.

Bishop's calm vanished in an instant, hand dropping and green eyes widening in disbelief before narrowing, the male biting his own lip this time. He glanced over at Demetri as the fellow redhead passed, warring with the options in his mind. He couldn't even remember the last time he had felt this stuck on what to do, at a loss for words for a second. He wanted to demand Anise not screw with him and his sibling. But her giggle and her pure, blissful ignorance was unmistakable. Like she had forgotten.

Could she have? Was it possible the poison had so damaged her mind that some of it was lost to her after recovery? He had assumed she merely had hallucinations and nightmares. The young woman had never given any indication of memory loss before. And even now, she was aware that she had been sick- and thus was not ignorant of the present. Yet here she was, thinking her sister was alive and well, eager to tell of her recovery.

She truly had forgotten, and he had no damn clue how to properly answer her. Come out and say it? Hint at it? Demetri was better at this stuff. Making decisions in battle was far easier than the likes of this.

Placing a hand on Anise's shoulder, Bishop lowered his voice and let out a deep breath, testing the waters. He may say otherwise, but he couldn't stand the thought of breaking Anise's hopes, and he dreaded seeing her crumble in sorrow again."...What do you remember of your time working here? What are the last things you remember?" He wondered if it was possible to go slow. Which would be less painful? Talk her though it slowly and try to get her to realize? Or get it over with- like pulling a bullet from a wound or tearing a bandage stuck to the skin by caked on blood?

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Ashlyn wasn't sure if she pities the young girl or should be surprised Reiji liked someone like her enough to keep her around. She seemed likable enough, but extremely shy, or nervous. As if she wasn't certain of herself whatsoever. It was rather opposite of the way Ash herself was. Taste could change she supposed. The pink haired girl looked at Ash and she couldn't help but want to reach out with magic to hide herself looking back, to make herself look indifferent.

The short attempt failed as Ash swayed slightly, leaning against the wall to hide her weakness. Perhaps Reiji would notice, he was often that perceptive. Ash followed the girl as she walked, studying the castle she knew all too well from long ago. It hadn't changed a bit really. A few different pieces of furniture, a few different colors, entirely different people, perhaps in the same bodies yes, but with different realities than before.

Ash noticed the uneasiness with the gun and found she felt bad for the girl. If she wanted to pull the trigger, Ash finally realized it probably would hit it's mark somewhat, perhaps not as a death blow, but certainly a painful one that would give Reiji enough time to finish the job. Ash sighed inwardly, how her sister had ruined her life. Taken everything from her. Absolutely everything. It made her clench her fists in anger before she realized what she was doing and dropped them.

As they were going down the stairs, Ash trailed her hand along the banister. She looked up as Tanzy responded, giving a slight smile. When Tanzy however called Ash Reiji's novia, Ash tripped. She managed to catch herself with the banister as she shook her head. "There, you are wrong. He can confirm the fact that he has no feelings for me whatsoever," Ash stated simply. He had all but said he hated her in his room. She wasn't sure what she felt. She was angry at him and the love she once had was near death, but perhaps it would never die, just remain shriveled and on the edge of death.

"You're rather curious for a Santiago maid... " Ash stated simply in response to Tanzy's question about food. Ash shook her head as she walked about, looking from thing to thing. She had been in the kitchen fewer times than anywhere else in the house merely because servants often did anything for Ash that would require going into the kitchen.

"Tell me, how long have you been with the family?" Ash asked as she turned, taking in her surroundings as a young girl, perhaps sixteen, entered. She had fed Demetri the day before as a last resort after the vampire had rushed the carriage home for Reiji to work on Anise. How odd was it that she seemed to be so young, still unfamiliar with her surroundings, so probably much newer than Tanzy who seemed to know her way around the house and it's household.

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Jane finally arrived at the kitchen where she entered to find Tanzy and a girl she had not seen before. The girl looked sharply to Jane's entrance causing Jane to pause. She looked to Tanzy with a questioning face, but merely stated, [color=2E6E85]"Good morning. Can I help you with anything, Tanzy?"[/color] Jane moved closer to the pink haired girl, further from the unfamiliar one. Something about her made Jane uneasy, something about her features...

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Jason looked up as Demetri released him, seeing a feral sort of look in his eyes. Jason wondered briefly, without concern in his clouded mind, if Demetri would try to keep drinking, but the red haired vampire withheld. Jason forced himself to straighten up as reality came into focus and he ran a hand through his hair, his stomach filled with knots and his mind still dizzy.

Jason cracked a slight smile as he reached to his neck to hold a hand to the lightly bleeding wound. Jason looked at his hand covered in blood as Demetri left, deftly catching the towel tossed to him. He stared at it briefly before holding it to his neck. Jason felt shame wash over his being as Demetri closed the door. A trained response to anything unacceptable by most standards of society. His father would have beat him if he knew Demetri had done that and Jason's response had been pleasure from it. Jason thought about it briefly though, for he realizes he didn't regret his actions, instead, was rather proud of himself for being so okay with it.

Jason moved to his shirt which had been discarded, slipping it on while carefully avoiding the blood. He managed to pull it on before pulling on his jacket as well. He checked his neck for any more blood still coming out and was pleased to see his hand came away with a few flakes of dried blood rather than wet. Walking to the washbasin, Jason wipes away the remaining blood before moving to go outside of his room.

Jason saw Demetri down the hall banging on Camilla's room to wake up while Bishop spoke with Anise. He kept back for a moment. Straightening his jacket one more time, Jason finally emerged fully from his room as if the scene inside his room hadn't just happened while his heart beat rapidly. What did it mean what he felt after something such as what just happened? Demetri probably thought nothing of it. Jason wondered briefly back to the one boy he had loved before his father had forbidden it. It was so many years ago, the boy was probably married to a beautiful woman that he would cherish forever while Jason worked with the dream of finding love one day. It was interesting thinking such thoughts. Ever since they were discouraged, Jason mostly attempted to suppress them, hardly ever thinking about the notion of him being with another man. Demetri was so comfortable with himself, it made Jason wonder if he too could be as confident as the red headed vampire. Confident, and on the outside, happy.

”Come now, before we’re missed. I have a dress for your friend and you should change. I’m sorry.”

What was taking place did not immediately register within Reiji's brain, but the touch was quite welcome. Reiji's crimson eyes blinked in curiosity as Mirabelle led him away from the secret corridors, much like when they were children. It had been some time since a woman led him by the hand so assertively, even if it was just his sister, it was a pleasant feeling
and he allowed himself to cherish the moment. There couldn't be too many like this, their other siblings would never understand. Although the feelings remained a small ember in his chest, he could not allow himself to subdue to them. If he wished to successfully lead this family, his feelings for Mirabelle had to remain burried in the past. Besides, he was having a lot of fun with a certain maid, so he could distract himself all he wished. Besides, he did enjoy Tanzy's company, perhaps also a bit more than he should. Reiji closed his eyes, realizing he was in over his head. He morally should not fall for either woman, yet his feelings were there for both, just one was more selfish and prominent than the other. He refused to contain himself with Tanzy, yet he could not display the same recklessness with Mirabelle. There was too much at risk.

"What if I wanted to choose one myself?" He replied with a chuckle and amused quirk of one of his ebony brows, but shook the thought off. He was only teasing his sister, attempting to ignite her jealousy, to be honest, Reiji didn't really mind what Ashlyn wore. He only hoped that his sister would choose thoughtfully. He'd feel guilty if she forced Ash to attend the ball in anything too cruel. He gazed upon his bloodstained shirt at the mention of changing, shrugging his shoulders at the blonde beauty nonchalantly, "I agree, but I have grown rather used to it these days... Whether you have noticed or not, Demetri has become a crying drunk as of late." He frowned, not enjoying the flash of memories that assaulted him. The dark haired vampire pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, it was obvious that he did not enjoy the experience near as much when his younger brother embraced him with tearful eyes when compared to when it was his younger sister. Reiji immediately tensed when he stumbled upon such a revelation. ..Do I have some sort of sister complex!? Get ahold of yourself you pathetic man... The thought was horrifying. His siblings would never approve, besides, he could not risk losing his current relationship with Mira. He refused to jeopardize the bond they currently shared. Besides, Tanzy was an amusing target and he did not wish to truly crush her, especially after forcefully stealing her first kiss.

A smirked crossed his lips as he thought about that sweet kiss he had shared with his maid, even licking his lips, although his last kiss had not been with the rosy haired neatfreak. Before he could amuse himself further with thoughts of his innocent little maid, Reiji disappeared for a brief moment when Mirabelle's lead brought him close to his living quarters. He returned shirtless in record time, his black jacket and a fresh white shirt in tow, draped over his left arm. He slipped into the button down, his flawless ivory skin and chiseled chest in clear view to her as he began buttoning his shirt. Once he made it halfway up, his fingers paused. He noticed Anise was still at his brother's door. He proceeded on, half dressed, "It's nearly time for breakfast. We should head downstairs, Belle" His eyes landed on Anise and Bishop, but decided to cut them some slack. He was too flustered by his own actions to do anything to them, but there was also the fact that Bishop had nearly lost the fragile girl. For today, he would not interfere, much. A smirk formed on his pale lips as he passed the two lovebirds, leading his sister down the staircase, "Getting an early bite, Bishop?" Reiji teased, walking on as if he had not seen his brother disobeying one of his previous orders, leading Mirabelle by the hand this time.

Once downstairs, Reiji's eyes caught a glimpse of his sister's blood stained face and he instinctively grew closer. He practically pinned her to one of the walls, out of anyone's sight. Both of the man's large hands rested against the stone surface, resting on opposite sides next to her face. The older vampire unintentionally blocking any form of escape that his younger sister possibly had, stared upon her, but his eyes were fixated on the lower portion of her face. Reiji leaned in as if to kiss her, but instead the tip of his tongue ran up her cheek, which was surprisingly warm unlike the rest of him, whether she could feel him there or not. The blood on her face disappeared with a little added pressure, and he repeated this action on the other side, "We can't have you scaring the maids, now can we...?" Reiji whispered in a low and sensual tone before completely withdrawing from her, casually buttoning the rest of his shirt. His expression was carefree and composed, but if his heart still beated, it definitely would have given away his embarrassment. He could hear the maids in the kitchen vaguely, then smiled back at his sister, deciding to distract her from his previous actions, "Shall I play piano while we wait for them to finish cooking?" He smirked, remembering she loved it when he played instruments for her as children. Reiji realized that the piano might have been new to her due to her isolation, so he wished to play it for her. He approached the piano, patting next to him and began playing. He chose to play Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven for his sister.

Ivory fingers moved across the keys with expert precision and he played, his hair and body beginning to sway as he began entranced by the sound, as though he had constructed the piece himself. He was not sure if Belle was accustom to this song, due to her captivity, but he hoped she enjoyed it as much as he did. He found immense comfort in this song and often played it whenever life proved to be too stressful. It was a great form of release for the brooding male. Due to the castle's structure, the song echoed through the entire first and second floor. He never felt more at peace than when he played. This was perhaps the first time since his return to Castillo de la Muerte. This was perhaps the first time the piano had been touched in over a year.

Bishop Santiago

The redhead rolled his eyes once more as Anise defended Camilla, the thought of the young human enough to make him want to puke. Stupid useless chit! He made no further comment, seeing his maid was already looking dismayed at his opinion. So much for getting her on his side.

Bishop nearly cursed and questioned Anise when he felt her instinctively shrink away- even if only minutely as he moved his hand towards her shoulder. Why did she tense under him?! It was maddening to say the least. He contained himself, his temper smothered by his growing dread that she had actually lost pieces of her memory. His mind froze with each word that left the ebony haired girl's lips- a sinking in his gut as she confirmed his worst suspicion. She wasn't playing some infuriating joke. She wasn't trying to earn his wrath. She had honestly forgotten that her twin sister had died.

Shit.

No battle plan had ever left him this conflicted in what to do. Nothing but fear for his own beloved twin had ever before shaken him like this. What in the hell was he to do? She'd be crushed, and he didn't know if he'd be able to deal with it when that happened.

Promptly ignoring Reiji's taunting jab as he passed, Bishop carefully steered Anise to an armchair in his room, making her sit down even as he spoke. "Sit, this will be hard." he said softly, shielding her from the rest of the house, though he did not close the door (Not only to keep her from fretting, but also to counter Reiji should the prick start trying to be a tyrant again).

Letting out a breath to try and settle his own nerves, Bishop met his maid's amethyst eyes with his own emerald gaze, trying to keep himself calm and neutral. Make it quick- don't prolong it. That was his final decision. Keeping one hand on her shoulder, he somberly began to speak.

"You are right about everything, but you forgot something about that night." Bishop shook his head, about to glance away when he mentally snarled at himself- his resolve to get this over with echoing in his mind. He couldn't be a damn coward over breaking bad news! This was life- and she was going to learn eventually. He met her eyes once more. "Your sister was one of the casualties...she also died at the hands of those vermin, and you had to kill the worthless scum that did it." Bishop went silent, squeezing her shoulder gently in some vain attempt to show support, to offer some modicum of comfort.

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Tanzy McNeal

As the young woman smiled at Jane and awaited her opinion, the sound of music reached her ears- a piano by the sound of it. It caused her to pause, turning to face the direction the song was coming from. It wasn't far- maybe two or three rooms away at most. Tanzy could tell the music came from skilled hands- the sound beautiful and clear even with the walls separating them. For a moment, she was lost in the melody, tempted to leave the kitchen and find out which Santiago was the pianist.

Anise blushed a dark shade of red when Reiji mentioned Bishop trying to make breakfast out of her. It had been ages since she had been bitten. She wasn't fond of the experience at all, considering she was either in sharp pain or felt a sense of humiliating pleasure. Anise was surprised to be led back into Bishop's room for the first time in over a week, but felt it only confirmed Reiji's words. Was he really going to bite her? It was a strange feeling being back in the familiar room, "W-what are we doing in here..?" She asked in a timid tone of voice. Why was Reiji being so lenient all of a sudden? She had so many questions, so she complied, hoping Bishop had answers he was willing to share. She sat down with a baffled expression on her face, wondering what was so terrible that he couldn't say it in the corridors.

"Sit, this will be hard."

Hard..? What will be hard? Anise couldn't help but wonder how big her memory gap was. What was so important that she had to sit down? She didn't realize he was being kind enough to shield her from whoever happened to walk by, but that was because she didn't realize she would be hysterical in a few moments. She felt absolutely fine, actually quite happy aside from the worry Bishop was stirring in her gut. Just the fact that he met her gaze with such a somber attitude made Anise realize that there was something very important that she did not remember. She bit her bottom lip, gripping her dress nervously as she waited for him to explain.

"You are right about everything, but you forgot something about that night."

Anise felt gut wrenching pain consume her as he mentioned her memory loss. Why hasn't she seen her sister yet? Where was Alice? Why hadn't she seen her yet? She began to panic, her heart beating fast. Her head was hurting, why did her head suddenly begin to hurt? She brought one hand to her head as calmly as possible, trying to keep her cool, but the searing pain inside of her skull was impossible to ignore. Where did this pain come from?

"Your sister was one of the casualties...she also died at the hands of those vermin, and you had to kill the worthless scum that did it."

Suddenly a montage of memories came flooding back, but only in pieces. It was like looking at short flickers of what happened, but there were still gaps. Thankfully she didn't remember the state of Alice's body. She barely registered his hand on her shoulder until he applied pressure. It wasn't until then that she realized she was trembling. Tears dropped down her face, feeling as though she had lost Alice all over again, but she finally remembered, for the most part. While it was traumatizing that she lost her sister, she still couldn't grasp that she had killed someone, supernatural or otherwise. She stared at the floor, but she wasn't actually looking at it, her mind was completely frozen from shock.

How was she supposed to handle this information? Why did he have to tell her? She understood why he did, but she almost preferred not knowing now that she knew the gruesome truth to her once lost memories. She only wished that her initial suspicion of his intentions had been correct, which was actually the same thought as Reiji's, oddly enough. she would have preferred being bitten a thousand times over if it meant being able to avoid the pain she currently felt. Her entire body attempted to shrink into itself as she continued to cry, her mind elsewhere even though her body sat in Bishop's room. Her vague memories that returned of the event forced her to accept that it happened, but she couldn't help but wish that it hadn't. She just wanted the pain to go away, she didn't care how. She couldn't do this again. It was like she was losing Alice all over again.

She knew that she had to stop crying. She had moved past this once before, the muscle she had acquired over the past year only verifying that she had moved on. She was determined to protect Tanzy, and this way she wouldn't be able to protect anyone. All that working out couldn't go to waste. She wiped her eyes, forcing the tears back. She let out a silent breath, looking up to Bishop, "I should have expected that.. We wouldn't have needed both of the new maids if she were still alive." She let a weak smile cross her lips, unsure if she was trying to convince herself or Bishop that she was okay again. Her body still lightly shook from the emotional pain, but she was for the most part, accepting her situation.

"However, if M-Master Reiji's words were incorrect, shall we head downstairs, Mi'lord?" She asked in a slightly timid manner, but met his gaze. She finally remembered everything, and most of her restrictions evaporated with the figurative walls built inside of her brain to shield her from the painful memories she had lost. She did not wish to assum, because Bishop was a lord of the house, and as a mere maid, she had no political power to deny him her blood. She wasn't sure if that was something he wanted, but to leave his quarters without permission, that would be seen as insubordination. She waited for his response, staring to the open door. It was so strange, being here with the door open, in fact, Bishop often made her sit at the foot of his bed before, now it was a chair. A lot had changed in a year. She was now serving the mentally incapacitated Castiel. It should have been a blessing considering he never once bit her, but it was rather boring. He wasn't up for conversation anymore, not speaking to her even once after their first one when she was first assigned to serve him.

Managing to turn her attention away from the sound of the piano, Tanzy returned her gaze to the occupants of the kitchen, Ash's words going through her mind. So they were a couple at one point. She found herself curious as to what had happened to cause them to break apart? She didn't dare ask though, and internally scolded herself for being nosy.

The chuckle was met with an almost sheepish nod, agreeing with Ash. "I guess so, I've only been assigned to serving him for about a week now. You're probably right." Tanzy watched as Reiji's past love moved towards the doorway, listening to the music that was still threatening to draw her attention away. The apologetic smile was met with a small bob of her head- signaling she bore no ill will towards Ash for wanting to lose herself in the music.

Tanzy resumed her gathering of cooking utensils and prepping the stove, looking over at Jane in time to see the raised brows. Before she could ask what the look was for, her fellow maid answered and ended up mentioning a certain blonde vampiress in the process. Tanzy scowled, the thought of the undead female grating on her nerves. Stupid, rude little girl! As far as she was concerned, Mirabelle was no lady!

Deciding not to say as much, the older maid was spared having to dwell on her least favorite Santiago much longer as Jason stumbled into the kitchen, looking more than just a tad dazed and unsteady. Tanzy bit the inside of her cheek in concern, about to ask if the butler was not feeling well. He smiled at them and was at least on his feet, but after the previous day's events, a slight worry lingered.

Jason spoke first before she could inquire about his health, his answer earning a look of surprise. Tanzy had assumed Anise would only be one of two places after her ordeal the night before, and Bishop's room was not one of them. "Master Bishop's room you mean?" Now biting her lower lip in worry, she glanced in the direction Jason (and everyone else for that matter) came from in the morning. "She didn't go back to her room after feeding Master Castiel?"

The young woman went silent, glancing once more towards the direction of the stairs, only to realize the other two servants were looking to her for instruction. Oh right. She and Anise were the senior maids, and with Anise not with them, she was in charge of the hired help. She flushed momentarily in embarrassment.

"Well, since we will be having a lot of food provided this evening, perhaps a simple but hearty bowl of oatmeal with the fixings and some toast would be enough to tide everyone over?" Tanzy suggested, swiftly getting out ingredients (though not quite as swift as usual- still nervous about the gun in her apron). "If one of you would gather the toppings, and someone set the table, I'll make the oatmeal."

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Were it any other time, the flush of color on Anise's cheeks would have been endearing and enough to earn a satisfied little smirk. As it was, Bishop was too busy dreading the reaction he would receive for correcting the maid's memory. He almost missed her timid inquiry about going into his room.

She was silent as he spoke, and he tensed slightly as soon as he heard her heart begin to increase it's tempo- soon racing in fear and anxiety as he knew it would. Had his own heart been functioning as it once had- he wouldn't be surprised if it too trembled slightly.
Bishop let his eyes linger on his hand upon her shoulder momentarily as he let his words hang in the air.

Her trembling brought his gaze back to her face, tears trailing down her cheeks as he knew they would. She wasn't bawling or collapsing to the floor in despair. She wasn't freaking out or going into denial. The red-headed vampire was tense, expecting her to be distraught at learning about her sister's death all over again, but she didn't. She was fighting to remain calm.

He wasn't sure which was worse. He did not want to see her curled up in overwhelming despair and sorrow. Not like he secretly feared he'd be should he lose his own twin.

Without a word, his hand left Anise's shoulder and instead pulled her up so she stood once more. He said nothing in response to her rationalizing and her acceptance. He didn't comment on her tears or her movement to wipe them away. Her weak, shaky smile was met with him tugging her against his chest. Saying not a word, Bishop wrapped his arms around her, one across her upper back and shoulders, the other placed on her head and cradling her to his chest, still making sure he stood so no one would see her should they pass his room.

Was she mad at him for revealing it to her? Or did he somehow make it even minutely less painful by getting it over with? He didn't know which he'd prefer, and he didn't want to find out.

"Don't be afraid in front of me. I don't care if you need to cry or anything else..." he muttered softly, loosening his hold just enough so Anise could move away if she needed to. Gingerly, he patted her head, trying to recall how he was comforted in his youth (usually by Demetri). It felt almost silly, but he secretly liked getting such treatment when he was truly sad in the past.

"Don't be afraid in front of me. I don't care if you need to cry or anything else..."

The tears came flooding from her eyes again, and she couldn't handle it. Hearing Bishop of all people giving her permission to show weakness was surprising in itself, but suddenly being embraced by him as well tore her composure to shreds. She couldn't even see, but surprisingly Bishop smelled a lot nicer than she would assume the living dead to smell, in fact, aside from his diet, superior senses, and problem with sunlight, it was hard to believe he was not human. Hearing the words he spoke was almost enough to crumble every single lie she told herself about him. It was hard to keep her guard up when he was being so gentle.

She felt his hand on her head, wiping her eyes in attempt to see past the tears, managing to open one to gaze up at him, "Thank you for not lying to me." She responded, even though she felt she would have been happier that way, she would have grown to resent Bishop for keeping that from her. She couldn't ignore how comforting and gentle he was being, baffled by how much he had changed since she met him. She had been terrified of him when she first arrived here, yet now he was the person consoling her. He was the only one who could, after all, he was also a twin. She let herself enjoy his comfort, gripping at his sleeves and pressing into his embrace despite how he'd given her space. She didn't know if she'd ever get to embrace him like this again, so she let herself be selfish for a moment. It was rather odd to Anise, seeing as she was so fragile compared to Bishop, yet he handled her so gently despite their difference in strength. She didn't care if Reiji caught them, she didn't care if she was punished. When his hand had met her head, it has become undeniably obvious that he was doing his absolute best to comfort her, and that was something she admired about him. Despite his terrifying instincts and old habits, he was being so kind toward her.Despite all of the anger and rage, he controlled himself for her sake, it was hard to initiate an escape from his tender embrace knowing all of that about him. While he still intimidated her, she was beginning to think that perhaps there was hope for the Santiago family, despite being vampires, they all had redeeming traits that made it impossible to give up on them. Even Reiji, because despite the fact that he had nearly killed her a few days ago, he chose to save her life the night before, even though he could have easily chose to let her die. Whether it was for her own sake or his reputation was irrelevant, she was grateful either way. However she wished that he had never put his lips anywhere near her's... It was absolutely unnerving that he'd stolen her first kiss.

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The sheer amount of valentines decorations made Anise nervous. A holiday committed to expressing and finding love made her uneasy, considering she was doing everything in her power to avoid such thoughts. She tugged on her dress and glanced around, walking through the main hall as musicians played, the sound of piano and violin filling the air. She couldn't drink wine to calm her nerves, not after everything that happened. In fact, she was afraid to eat or touch anything for that matter. She shifted to a less crowded corner of the room and leaned against the stone wall, letting out a soft sigh. How was she expected to enjoy herself with her memories of the massacre? As she saw individuals dancing, she grew even more nervous, realizing that several in the crowd were vampires, specifically vampires that she had never met. She couldn't contain her sped up heartbeat and anxiety. While she looked composed and dignified on the outside, to anyone who could hear her heartbeat, which included every single immortal noble that the Santiago family invited, and the Santiago family themselves, it was obvious that she was freaking out.

"What's wrong, kitten? Remembering our little kiss?" Reiji cooed, appearing almost out of nowhere, towering over her with a smirk. Those Crimson eyes were unnerving enough, but his arrogant and mischievous gaze sent a chill down her spine. Bishop demanded that she stay away from him, but it seemed he had a knack for finding her regardless of her efforts.

"It's nothing, Master Santiago... Thank you for your concern." Anise replied in a sugar sweet tone, though it was clearly fake kindness and she struggled with each syllable. She pushed off of the wall with both hands and curtsied politely before attempting to escape Reiji's presence before Bishop could witness what was taking place, but his large hand pressed to the wall kept her from leaving. Once she was pinned to the wall once more Reiji peered down at Anise's hand, the scent of fresh blood teasing his nostrils. He had not fed from Tanzy yet, so he decide now was as good of a time as any to grab a bite, and Anise was standing in his line of sight. He claimed her wrist in his free hand, leaning in. From anyone else's view, the petite girl was fully shielded, and it seemed he was becoming quite romantically involved, but in reality, he removed her bandages and sank his fangs into the veins of her inner wrist. He began gulping down her blood, and the girl's knees buckled weakly, held up only by his grasp on her wrist, "A-Ah... Master Reiji... P-Please stop..." She begged in a timid and frightened tone. While he was not roughing her up like before, his previous threat of draining her dry caused her anxiety to spike ten fold. She felt her heart would leap from her chest at any moment. Hell, she could practically hear it pounding in her ear.

"I won't harm you, I've made a promise to not harm a single hair on your head.." Reiji cooed, removing his fangs from Anise's wrist, reapplying her bandages firmly to stop the bleeding. He then shifted his attention to her neck, licking his lips stained red by the maid's blood. With a elegant jerk of his wrist, Reiji claimed Anise's chin and tilted her head, forcing her to expose the nape of her neck to him despite her struggles. After brushing loose strands of her ebony hair out of the way, he leaned in and sank his fangs into her undefiled neck, a gasp of pain escaping Anise's lips as his porcelain fangs broke through her skin, "L-Lord Bishop..." She called out desperately, realizing she could not escape Reiji with her own minuscule strength. Her voice was so soft that the music and conversation prevented human ears from overhearing. He wrapped one arm around her waist, hungrily consuming the crimson liquid that met his tongue. While he knew if Bishop caught him the younger man would be angry, he did only have the intention of feeding, so he released Anise when he had his fill, wiping his mouth on his handkerchief, pressing it roughly against Anise's neck. He couldn't just leave her to fend for herself now, she'd fall victim to all sorts of lecherous vampires. He knew his younger brother would never forgive him then. The maid flared up, glaring at him angrily now that she was no longer under the effects of his bite, causing him to chuckle in amusement. While he wasn't fond of Anise the way he enjoyed Tanzy, she made quite the entertaining prey all the same.

Time skip!




Tanzy went over her appearance once more, feeling prettier than she ever had before, comparable only to the previous ball.

She shook her head to free such thoughts, the memories frightening and painful. It was definitely unsettling to face another ball after the only other one she'd ever attended ended in a bloodbath. But they had overcome, and the enemies from then were killed. And no more attacks had come since that day, so perhaps this time things would go differently.

Brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, the maid decided nothing more needed to be done, and finally left her room to join in the festivities.

Despite the ball just recently getting underway, there was already a decent number of guests milling about. All sorts of colorful and exquisite attire adorned each attendee, and it felt more than just slightly odd to be wearing finery of her own. Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, Tanzy made her way downstairs and into the crowds, being polite if spoken to but otherwise keeping to herself for the time being. Such events made her feel anxious about herself, even more so knowing that other undead surrounded her. Vampires she was not familiar with. Thankfully, none seemed to pay any particular interest in her for the time being, most of the nobles catching up and exchanging pleasantries as they arrived, and otherwise occupying themselves with food or dancing.

After having a small drink for herself, the young woman decided to find Anise, always happy for her friend's company. Catching sight of the ebony-haired maid across the room from where she stood, Tanzy smiled at the sight, heading towards her with a slight spring in her step. Before she could reach her fellow human, however, a certain vampire lord approached, a tell-tale smirk on his features. Heart starting to flutter in anxiety, Tanzy watched what she hoped was going to be mere pleasantries or at most a taunt to subdue her friend. Her horror grew as Reiji trapped Anise before she could leave after her curtsy, the male expertly leaning so her body was trapped and it simply looked as if he was intent on cozying up. Tanzy knew better, and she stood rooted to the spot as she saw Anise's hand brought to his lips, a sickening in her stomach. She felt like she had swallowed a pound of lead, the feeling intensifying and nearly eliciting a pained cry as Reiji touched his lips to her neck in what Tanzy knew was no kiss.

Finally finding her feet and her will to move, Tanzy approached until she was a mere two steps behind her master, voice wavering slightly as she forced back tears.

"Master Reiji."she managed, hands shaking at her sides as she struggled to keep herself composed. Dread, anger, and a nauseating pain churned in her gut, the emotions overpowering her usual caution when dealing with the head of the house.
"...Why...Why would you..how could you? You promised me...you wouldn't hurt her...you wouldn't raise a hand against her. So why?" Tanzy's voice began to shake, prompting her to swallow and try to level herself, forcing her voice to come out as more than a timid stammer. "I...I trusted you Master Reiji."

Tanzy felt tears threaten to fall, and it took considerable willpower to keep them at bay. Meeting the vampire's eyes, she bit her lip almost to the point of breaking skin. Somehow, she continued, not as soft this time. "If you were going to use all the servants regardless of who you assigned them to...if all the servants are yours to command, why do you need me? If...If it's all the same to you, why? I promised I'd serve you without fail if you'd only leave the ones I care about alone. Was it a lie all along?"

Tanzy frowned, a pair of tears finally leaking out despite her best efforts. "If you don't need me...and it's all the same to you, then give me back to master Castiel!" With this, she turned and ran, unable to face the head of the house anymore. She fled to the seldom- used balcony overlooking the garden terrace. The sounds of music and chatter could be heard behind her, but she paid it no mind. She was still technically attending as expected, but no one wandered away from the ballroom and banquet hall, and even the quieter of the guests weren't likely to stray from the drawing room. Shivering, the maid hugged her arms around herself, simultaneously berating herself for leaving Anise behind and wondering why she felt so betrayed.
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Bishop paid no mind to the tears that got onto the fabric of his clothes, simply holding the maid as she relented and cried as he encouraged her to. Her thanks earned a slightly surprised arch of his brow, but he simply patted her head again. It wouldn't have made anything better to lie, so he simply nodded to her. Expecting her to pull away at any moment, the red head was surprised to feel her cling to him even as he loosened his hold. He'd of course never say as much, but the simple gesture pleased him. She was holding on to him for comfort and stability. Well, if she was realizing he was not harmful to her and she wanted him to keep holding, who was he to not oblige? Replacing his arms across her shoulder and hand on her head, he allowed Anise to cry and rest in his hold until she made the decision to pull away herself. Bishop felt sorry for Anise, but he'd be lying if he wasn't also proud and satisfied to have her take initiative to all but snuggle into his hold.

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The ball itself was lavishly put together- a given since Demetri was the mastermind behind the planning of such events, and the festivities were already underway. It took considerable effort on Bishop's part to be cordial and charming as he greeted the guests along with his confident and sociable twin. If there was ever a time he wondered about their differences, it was in regards to how outgoing his brother was. Demetri fit in with social situations ever since his youth- his charisma, charm, and confidence winning over young and old alike. Bishop had once upon a time been able to frolic freely and find some of his own enjoyment in socializing with his twin, but he had never been as outgoing and personable as Demetri. Now however, he found himself almost bored with the tediousness of dealing with others, and looked upon fawning woman with disdain as opposed to flirtatious interest. While he and Demetri chased skirts in the past, it seemed only Demetri retained the habit. Bishop would have, save for the fact that he loathed women for not looking past his looks and wealth. He knew it was the name of the game, but it still pissed him off. Just like how they fawned over Reiji, and Reiji was an absolute devil. Not than any of them would care, they'd put up with it for the benefits.

Idiots, nothing but idiots.

Bishop found most others hypocritical, shallow, irritating, or just plain stupid. So as soon as he was able to leave conversations, he did. The few dances he was asked to he declined with a suave politeness, and the ones looking coyishly on in hopes that he would ask them were ignored. How on earth did Demetri do it? Bishop always wondered this, but it never ceased to amaze him. So long as his twin was happy.

Thinking about Demetri, Bishop glanced about the room and relaxed upon spotting his twin. The male seemed to be feeling alright, and didn't look any the worse for wear considering his injuries the day before. Bishop had almost insisted upon his beloved brother excusing himself from the party (actually, he had suggested they both skip out) in order to recover, but despite being near death's door, he seemed to have made a complete recovery like Anise. Even so, Bishop couldn't surpress a slight nagging worry for Demetri and his maid.

Speaking of Anise, where had she scurried off to now? About to scan the room for the maid in question, he froze on the spot as an all too familiar scent met his sensitive nostrils. Anise's blood.

But how? Castiel wasn't anywhere to be seen, and she would have fed him already. There was no possible way he should be smelling fresh blood unless...

Reiji.

Cursing under his breath, Bishop followed the smell and felt his blood come to a boil upon the sight that met his eyes. A low growl exited his throat, and all thoughts of gratitude towards his sibling for saving Anise were gone in an instant. He'd kill the damn bastard! Forcing himself to walk at a human's pace so as not to alarm or tip off any humans in attendance, he marched over towards Reiji as Tanzy ran off after approaching said asshole.

As soon as he was standing before the self proclaimed head of the house, Bishop stood between him and Anise and drew a small silver dagger from under his waistcoat- having armed himself in response to the last ball's tragedy. The crowd thankfully wasn't focused on them for now, and he took the opportunity to hold the blade leveled at his brother's gut, emerald eyes full of hatred. Reiji would have a hole burned through his head were it physically possible to do so from his livid stare. Jaw taut, it took every conceivable amount of self-restraint to not shout or simply lunge at the fellow vampire. He wanted nothing more than to tear his damn tongue and jaw out through his fucking neck!

"You son of a bitch! You DARE to touch her with your vile mouth? Get your filthy hands off my maid you self important, mother fucking piece of amphibian shit!" Bishop seethed, practically spitting the words at Reiji as he stood shaking in near overwhelming rage. He wanted blood, he wanted to kill the asshole standing before him!
"Fuck you and fuck your bullshit rules and meaningless orders. I'm done listening to your horseshit. If I so much as pricked the finger of your pet, I doubt you'd take it so well! I don't care if you wanna be head of this household, but I'll be damned if you take what is mine! I swear I will kill you you worthless, miserable son of a bitch, and when I do, I'm gonna take your oversized head and shove it up your mother fucking ass! It should've been you who burned in the sun, not Castiel or Demetri! It should've been you and not our sister who was stolen by those scumbags! It should've been you and not Angelo who died that night! It should've been YOU! Everything would be better if YOU hadn't shown up! No one wants you you miserable leech!"

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Ashlyn couldn’t help but like the pink haired maid. She seemed innocent enough still. Ashlyn couldn’t help but think that the girl would get hurt though when she realized the way Reiji was. That he wasn’t always there for those he cared for if it didn’t suit him or was not convenient. She didn’t tell the girl though. Ash knew what people would do if they had knowledge given to them that they shouldn’t have, or at least without figuring it out on their own. Tanzy needed to learn about Reiji. Perhaps he had changed, and while Ash wasn’t sure, she didn’t want to ruin something that might have been if Reiji had perchance changed.

Timeskip

Ashlyn looked down at the dress once more. It was a beautiful gold thing that hugged her body. It was one she had never seen before and she had seen many Castillo de la metro dresses. She thought back to when the family had discovered she was there. Miracle had known so her reaction wasn’t one of extreme surprise, just caution. Ashlyn knew what the girl had gone through and while she was still wear of the youngest vampire from her injury, Ashlyn couldn’t help but wonder why the girl had done that. The twins had been a different story. Bishop had made it expressly clear if she was even suspected of anything bad she would be dead. Castiel was still up in his room and Angelo… The middle brother was simply gone.

Ashlyn smiled at the vampire leader who approached her, accepting his offered arm as he swept her off to the dance floor. She knew many of the vampires due to her immortal life lining up with theirs. The seemingly young man had dark brown hair and Ashlyn couldn’t remember his name at all as he led the two across the floor to the music.

It was odd, when Ash’s sister had attempted to help herself to whatever she wanted when she wanted it and as a result, hurt many people. The Santiago family a prominent group. Many vampires though didn’t mind the evil witch, some even supporting her. The vampire dancing with Ash though had been one of the indifferent ones who had simply left it alone.

The dance ended and Ash left the vampire quickly without making it obvious. A hired help approached her and Ash accepted the offered drink without a second thought, taking the delicate class and sipping from it once before her attention caught on the Santiago family. She nearly groaned at the sight. They couldn’t go through one ball without causing a scene. From the looks of it, Bishop’s maid had been cornered by Reiji either to steal a kiss or a drink. Tanzy was clearly hurt and Ashlyn had to refrain from chasing after the poor girl who fled. Miracle broke up the violent brothers.

Ashlyn approached from the side and back, setting her drink on a passing table as she approached Anise. ”Let me see,” She stated simply as she held up a hand to the girl’s neck. Ashlyn felt a headache pressing but pushed it away by blinking her eyes a few times as she focused on the girl’s neck.

She snaps her head to the siblings with a cold look. ”In case you all haven’t forgotten, there is a ball going on that your family is hosting. You all are posing quite a scene here. You can figure out your anger and frustrations later or in private but certainly not out in the open where you have royalty and the counsel here,” Ashlyn states, giving stares at both brothers in turn. She may be more fragile in body compared to the vampires, but she had just as much a temper when it came down to it. She didn’t care if they were royalty, nobility, or commoners. They were being irrational and making poor choices they were all capable of not making.

Ashlyn took in a deep breath, turning back to Anise more calm. ”Can I fix that for you?” Ashlyn offers as she nods to the girl’s neck. She didn’t ask Bishop since Mirabelle was right. Anise was not a piece of property. Ashlyn certainly did not ask Reiji since she owed him no favors though she was sure he considered not killing her a favor.

It was odd. Ashlyn had not been left alone once since she had been there, yet for the most part, she had felt at least partially at home again. She had wondered if she would see her adoptive father appear at the ball but was thankful he didn’t considering it would have complicated matters of the night.

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Jane couldn’t help but feel rather pretty in her dress. She felt horrible wearing it though. The thing was beautiful, the nicest thing Jane had ever worn for sure. Jane walked through the ballroom, uncertain as to where she should go. She could see a lot of the family in one corner of the room though she figured it best not to join them. She looked about, unsure as to what she should do. She had never learned how to dance properly and surely would be a terrible dance partner to anyone though she didn’t see anybody with any interest in her in the first place.

Her heart hammered at the thought of not having anyone, remembering her brother. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of him. She had received word he was gravely ill and it was such a horrible thought, but she couldn’t do anything for him by going home to him. Jane looked around again, wondering if any of the people attending the ball were vampires as well as the Santiagos. She saw the girl from that morning dancing with a brown haired fellow who was rather handsome before moving to the Santiago cluster in the corner. Jane didn’t move to join her, instead, moving to one side of the room by herself.

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Jason felt incredulous at the ballroom around him. He had managed to dodge all of the hired help trying to offer wine and other spirits. He had accepted a drink of something he wasn’t quite sure of though he was certain it wasn’t alcoholic. Jason moved about the room, enjoying the scenery. He was asked to dance by one girl and accepted, managing to get through the dance without too much of a problem.

Jason spotted Anise in the corner, the dark haired girl who had been introduced as Ashlyn that morning was looking at something on Anise’s neck leaving Jason slightly concerned for Alice’s sister. He so dearly didn’t want the girl hurt. It was as if it was Alice all over again and it was enough to make Jason slightly sick. Jason swept through another dance, his eyes on the Santiago’s with concern though he kept from staring.

When the twin brothers entered the main hall standing side by side, it was much to the women's delight, but also to some of the men. Demetri smirked a bit as he heard enamored squeals and waved upon the crowd before plunging straight in without restraint or mercy. He kissed the back of married women's hands, twirled the single ladies in toward his body smoothly and shook many men's hands. A vast majority of men hated him, but almost all of the ladies loved him. All the while he gazed to his twin out of the corner of his eye, secretly not paying any of the guests any mind. This was all a game to Demetri. While beautiful, he knew what these women wanted and he would not mind playing along, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe they truly loved him.

Consequently, Demetri accepted a few requests to dance in order to benefit their family's social standing of course, but shortly into his third dance, Demetri began to overhear a commotion between Tanzy and someone else, shortly after getting a whiff of blood to top it off. Growing worried for the maid, he tuned in.

"Master Reiji....Why...Why would you..how could you? You promised me...you wouldn't hurt her...you wouldn't raise a hand against her. So why?"

He could tell that Tanzy was upset, and thanks to that superb hearing that was bestowed upon vampires, he had no issue in overhearing. He began to scan the room for Reiji and Tanzy, to find his brother with Anise as well in a corner of the room. It didn't take him long to put together what had happened and he closed his eyes for a moment disappointed in the ebony haired man. Can he be any more dense? Demetri thought to himself, twirling his dance partner. He couldn't give away that something was wrong or bring attention to Reiji, so he simply had to wait for the song to end before he could freely strike.

"I...I trusted you Master Reiji."

Ouch. I've heard that line before... That one always stings. Demetri thought, Tanzy's words only verifying the suspicion he'd had for quite some time. As the womanizer danced around the room, he continued to listen in, his eyes searching for Bishop. He located his twin, realizing he was not yet aware. That was good. Perhaps he could act fast and avoid crisis so long as Bishop remained too far away to overhear. He knew his twin would not handle this well, but who would? Demetri knew he certainly could not allow anyone to feed from Camilla. He knew Tanzy was fighting to remain strong, her irregular heartbeat giving away her emotions even to someone as distant as Demetri.

"If you were going to use all the servants regardless of who you assigned them to...if all the servants are yours to command, why do you need me? If...If it's all the same to you, why? I promised I'd serve you without fail if you'd only leave the ones I care about alone. Was it a lie all along?"

So they made a deal? I wonder what kind... Demetri thought to himself. He was tempted to snoop through his adoptive brothers study, but he assumed it would be too much of a hassle, plus he would risk being caught.

"If you don't need me...and it's all the same to you, then give me back to master Castiel!"

Demetri nearly bit a hole into his cheek, feeling bad for the poor girl. The song finally ended, but before he could make a move he caught his brother making a beeline for Anise and Reiji's location. Damn it to hell... Demetri thought to himself and began walking towards the conflict that would inevitably ensue between his hotheaded twin brother and the selfish older sibling.

When he noticed the knife, Demetri sped up but was blocked from accessing his brothers by a group of women interested in dancing with him. He attempted to brush them off, but they weren't so easily shaken off. He kissed each of their hands promising to dance with them before the night was through to get them off of his case, listening to the chaotic anger of his twin bestowing itself upon Reiji.

"You goddamn son of a bitch! You DARE to touch her with your vile mouth? Get your filthy hands off my maid you self important, mother fucking piece of amphibian shit!"

Demetri couldn't help but smirk. His emerald eyes gleamed with amusement, but he sidestepped around the women and finally approached the conflict remembering that Bishop was armed and had motivation to actually kill their brother. He could easily see his twin brother's body quaking in anger, and he knew the situation would have to be remedied soon before he actually attempted to gut Reiji. He knew that wouldn't bode well with their guests.. Not that it would kill the older male, but that alone would raise suspicion towards his family's immortality.

"Fuck you and fuck your bullshit rules and meaningless orders. I'm done listening to your horseshit. If I so much as pricked the finger of your pet, I doubt you'd take it so well! I don't care if you wanna be head of this household, but I'll be damned if you take what is mine! I swear I will kill you you worthless, miserable son of a bitch, and when I do, I'm gonna take your oversized head and shove it up your mother fucking ass! It should've been you who burned in the sun, not Castiel or Demetri! It should've been you and not our sister who was stolen by those scumbags! It should've been you and not Angelo who died that night! It should've been YOU! Everything would be better if YOU hadn't shown up! No one wants you you miserable leech!"

Demetri's eyes widened and he placed a hand on Bishop's shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze before gently putting himself between Reiji and Bishop with Mirabelle. His green eyes glared sharply at Reiji, then he gave Bishop a kind smile, "Let me handle this sister, brother, so we can put this all behind us. Let's just get this part over with so we can move on as you said..." Demetri explained in a calm tone, possibly the most objective in the bunch. Everyone seemed so angry, too close to the crime to do what needed to be done with Reiji. He was not involved with Anise the same way as his twin and Mirabelle were, so he was certain he could handle Reiji accordingly, "While he did something terrible, killing him will only make our family more vulnerable...but that doesn't excuse him for what he's done.... so...." He sighed, forcing Bishop's hand to pocket the knife before swiftly punching Reiji in the jaw causing their older brother to crumble to the floor. While he agreed with Mirabelle, he understood how Bishop felt as well. Every single person in the main hall gasped hearing Reiji hit the ground between songs, looking to Demetri in horror. He raised his hands in the air, "I've had my fill. Now that we've gotten that over with, everyone calm down and return to the festivities." His eyes landed on Ash, quirking an amused brow. He remembered her immediately. She looked beautiful, but now was not the time. There were plenty of other things he had to worry about now, "So you fooled me, eh Ashlyn?" He chuckled before shaking his head. He was a little embarrassed that she had managed to trick him, but bygones and all that crap.

Demetri was not a fighter, everyone knew that, so the fact that he had done it was shocking enough, but the fact that it was his older brother, head of his family's house was even more jaw dropping. The punch was to satisfy Bishop's hunger for justice, but also to vent Demetri's own irritation with Reiji's heartlessness towards the girls and his twin. He pulled Reiji up to his feet, "Excuse us, someone needs to cool off. Let him have a moment, and I will return him to you soon, dear sister." He smiled warmly to everyone before dragging Reiji away. He did not stop until they reach a secluded hallway, shoving Reiji away from himself. If Reiji wished to fight, he would not stand a chance, but he needed to say his piece, "She's fallen for you, at least I'd bet my money on it.... but you make it incredibly hard to love you brother, for all of us.." He stated in a serious and no-nonsense tone of voice. He was tired of watching others get hurt, and after Katerina's and Alice's death, he believed one should not play games in love. He ran a hand through his red hair, releasing a sigh. We had begun to regret getting involved in the buzzkill, but he couldn't sit back and watch a bloodbath play out either, "Calm down and go talk to her, or I will.... and women who need comforting are my absolute favorite." He threatened, subtly hinting to his brother that he would attempt to steal Tanzy's affections if he did not man up. He gave his brother time to respond leaning against the stone wall of the corridor with a devilish grin, "So what'll it be?" He asked cocking his head to stare upon his brother. The mischief and carefree attitude Demetri wore were quite genuine compared to the depression he typically suffered during the upcoming year.

"Master Reiji....You promised me...you wouldn't hurt her...I...I trusted you Master Reiji....why do you need me? .....Was it a lie all along? If you don't need me...and it's all the same to you, then give me back to master Castiel!"

While Anise's hearing wasn't doing that well, she could tell that the feminine voice belonged to Tanzy. She couldn't open her eyes yet, because she was certain she would vomit. She felt so dizzy, that keeping her eyes was the only way to keep her upset stomach tranquil. She made a promise with this monster for my sake...? Anise thought to herself, her free hand pressed against her forehead as she tried force herself to recover. There was so much she wanted to say, to ask Tanzy, but after recovering from poisoning, and now being fed from, Anise just did not have the strength to form the words she wanted to say. Before she could breathe a word or push Reiji away, Bishop's voice rang through her ears, angrier than ever and her purple eyes fluttered open as she felt Reiji removed from her, her own hand holding the compress to her neck in place of his.

"You goddamn son of a bitch! You DARE to touch her with your vile mouth? Get your filthy hands off my maid.... Fuck you and fuck your bullshit rules and meaningless orders. I'm done listening to your horseshit. If I so much as pricked the finger of your pet, I doubt you'd take it so well! I don't care if you wanna be head of this household, but I'll be damned if you take what is mine! I swear I will kill you you worthless, miserable son of a bitch...."

Continuing to fade between consciousness and unconsciousness, Anise only caught about half of what Bishop was shouting. His words were so fast, and he was just saying so much all at once, she couldn't possibly keep up. Her vision was spinning, in fact, if she did not know better, she could have sworn that it was the room spinning, not her gaze. She felt incredibly sick and weak still, but with the compress Reiji supplied after his assault, she was slowly improving as well. There was that, at least. So much for a silver lining!

"How dare YOU?! You'd threaten your own family for a human that you've yet to claim for something more than someone that is beneath you?!"

Anise cringed at Mirabelle's words, which cut her ego like a thousand blades. The ebony haired girl felt incredibly small, and she had to admit that she knew what Mirabelle said was true. She let her eyes meet the floor, trying to tune out of the conversation as the angry woman scolded Bishop. In all honesty, Anise wanted to run, run as far away from this family as possible. There was too much noise inside of her head and all around her. She couldn't shut off her thoughts, and her trembling limbs kept her too afraid to stray from where she stood in fear that she might actually collapse. She couldn't escape anything in this condition.

"You continue to claim her as your property!"

I'm not property... I never once ceased to be a human being with emotions and thoughts and free will! I was never just an object for another's enjoyment, and furthermore, no matter what anyone says... I AM NOT AND NEVER WILL BE ANYONE'S PROPERTY!! Anise thought to herself, biting the inside of her cheek. She could feel her body trembling, half from the wounds Reiji had inflicted upon her, but it was also derived from her growing rage and sadness. She couldn't fault Mirabelle, she was simply the messenger and trying to keep her family together.. A family she had not seen in ages. Anise could understand that, having been separated from her own twin for over a decade, only to lose Alice to this castle mere weeks after being reunited.

"And you! What the hell is wrong with you?! I don't get it!"

Hearing Mirabelle hit Reiji lightened Anise's mood, but only a fraction of a percent. The cloud that hung over Anise's head was stubborn, and the troubles that plagued her were not so easily forgotten. Anise could no longer ignore how she felt about this place. She was physically attacked by the head of house and could have easily been killed. Castiel was no longer in the mental state to protect anyone. Bishop saw her as nothing more than his favorite toy.. and Mirabelle would always choose family first, not that Anise could ask her to choose otherwise. She knew she should have chose Alice, yet she chose to remain here... She chose fear... now her sister was dead and she was stuck in this hellish nightmare, this was a prison of Anise's own making. I lost my only chance to escape when Alice died... Suddenly she knew the only way she would leave Castillo would be in death.

"You want to kill over a maid.. a maid who is nothing more than just a little bit scared.."

While Anise found that to be an understatement, because she was absolutely terrified of Reiji. However, she did not protest and instead grew stiff when an unknown face approached the group. The girl was in an extraordinary gold dress, and Anise admired her beauty for a moment, but then grew horrified. The events were turning into a scene, and if not taken care of, the human villagers would soon be aware of the sinister truth the Santiago family kept tediously hidden up until now. The maids would die with them, and Anise grew quite frightened for her fellow maids and Jason. In this moment, she did not care what happened to the vampires, because to them, she was truly expendable. Her life meant nothing to these creatures when it did not serve their means, that much was proven.

”Let me see,”

"I-It could stain your gown, mi'lady..." Anise warned, keeping pressure on her wound. She wasn't sure if the girl standing before her was royalty or not, but Anise did not wish to be scolded for insulting anyone. Her visibly bandaged wrist was no longer bleeding, but her neck was rather persistent. She did not know this girl, and what if she wasn't supposed to know? Anise was immediately skeptical, especially after her unexpected and unexplained poisoning. She noticed long haired girl seemed to be in pain herself, perhaps a migraine? She couldn't be sure, but she immediately grew worried, despite being the only one actually bleeding. While she wasn't going to die so long as she kept pressure on her wound, waiting for the wound to stop bleeding would be annoying.

”In case you all haven’t forgotten, there is a ball going on that your family is hosting. You all are posing quite a scene here. You can figure out your anger and frustrations later or in private but certainly not out in the open where you have royalty and the counsel here,”

"Counsel...?" Anise questioned, blinking with unadulterated curiosity. She wasn't sure if it was the medicine, but she did not recall the vampires ever mentioning a counsel. Just who was this girl and how did she know so much about the Santiago family and vampires? Anise's head was filled with questions, her swarming thoughts and blood loss resulting in a rather nasty piercing headache. Whoever she is... She makes a good point... Anise thought to herself, her pink lips curling into a small smile. At last someone was being a voice of reason. Though Anise's smile did not last, as it faded almost too soon for anyone to even register it had crossed her features. She couldn't lie to herself anymore. She was going to die at Reiji's hands or someone else's soon enough if nothing changed.

”Can I fix that for you?”

"I-It would be much appreciated..." She replied, stammering softly after the siblings failed to shoo her away. Apparently this girl was someone they knew, and if she could stop the bleeding, Anise was not going to decline her assistance. While she was not aware of who Ashlyn was, any help was greatly appreciated. Anise slowly removed the cloth from her neck. A droplet of blood forming on both of the puncture wounds rather quickly. The cloth in her hand was completely coated in her own blood, and she did not wish to sport bite marks after all. Especially not Reiji's! Anise looked to Ash with a grateful expression, her violet eyes sparkling with admiration. She had been the only one concerned about her well being aside from Tanzy. Bishop just seemed angry about his property being touched by his brother, much like his sister had said. Somehow, despite knowing that was the situation, hearing it put into words stung more than she expected. It was a hard truth to swallow... I.... I'm nothing more than an object to these vampires... To Lord Bishop I am nothing more than a porcelain doll... To Reiji I am little more than a sacrificial lamb... This place... Their species is so morbid and twisted... I can't take it anymore!!

The typically optimistic girl felt.. deflated and defeated. She let Ashlyn inspect the wound and heal her, honestly quite surprised by the girl's abilities, but she knew that she should have known better than to doubt anything. After encountering werewolves the year prior, this should have been expected. Anise's physical form was all better, just in time to meet Reiji's gaze when Demetri knocked him off of his feet. Anise was frozen in shock for a moment, only to stare at Demetri with a look of stupor on her face. He was always the peacemaker, yet here he struck his older brother with a devil-may-care demeanor. Tonight was too intense for the maid, so she bowed quickly before stepping away from the siblings, "Excuse me..." She stated in a soft voice. She bit her bottom lip; realizing she had one more obligation before she could free herself from the group. Her eyes landed on Ashlyn, a wide smile forming on her lips, despite the extremely distracted and distant look in her eyes, "Thank you." Her words were genuine, and without hesitation she fled the main hall. While she did not run, to avoid making a further scene out of what happened, Anise did scurry away at the fastest socially acceptable speed.

Once she met the doors, she opened one and fled down the steps, closing the left door of the main entrance behind her. Cool February air immediately hit her face and she continued walking. It was quite difficult to walk in the grass, so she removed her heels. She shivered as the moistened grass chilled her bare feet, and she broke into a full on sprint now that she was out of public eye. She had no idea why she was attempting to run now, but her legs began to move before she could rationalize against them. Anise met the woods before she knew it, her heart pounding with fear. Her bare feed pounded against thorns and broken twigs, yet amidst the adrenaline Anise didn't feel any of it. This used to be Dante's domain, territory that belonged to the wolves that attacked Castillo... yet anything seemed better than dying at Reiji's hands. At least any demise she met in these woods would be a fate encountered due to free will. Her once tied up hair was unruly and once again down, well past her waist once more as usual.



She seized a large tree, coming to an abrupt stop in order to catch her breath. Coughing ensued as her lungs struggled to take in enough air. Upon looking around, Anise was thankful that she had stopped running when she did. If she had continued to run, she would have ran straight off of the twelve foot cliff! She immediately thanked herself for being the sister that was terrible at running. She knew she would have received several injuries if she fell from this height, if she did not die from the impact alone.

To make matters worse, Anise couldn't even remember which direction she had originally come from. She knew she had to get back, one remembering that the punishment for fleeing would be left up to the maid's master... However, as Castiel was mentally incapable, she figured Reiji would make the decision on how to reprimand her. That was nearly enough motivation for Anise to leap from the cliff then and there, but she remained still. Not to mention Bishop would likely be fuming by now.. If he got to her first, she was certain he would lose his temper that she had until now never dared to risk igniting. Her fists clenched as he thoughts returned to Bishop. "What do I care...?! To that family I'm just a 'thing' to be used by them!! I HATE the Santiago family! To hell with them!!" Anise snapped to herself, seeing as she had not escaped with anyone else. Her voice was no longer timid and shy, she was angry and her amethyst orbs were engulfed with a powerful and fiery defiance that she had never felt before. She was completely fed up with Castillo de la Muerte, "They will have to drag me back every inch of the way, because I'm so fed up with this BULLSHIT!" she shouted to the woods. While Anise was never one to cuss before, but it was the only thing that helped release the boiling anger in her gut, well, other than shouting.

Animals rustling in the tall grass and surrounding foliage distracted Anise from her angry and anxious behavior, her entire body shivering. She heard owls and even wolves in the distance. The mere sound of a wolf, werewolf or otherwise, was enough to tempt her to return to Castillo. Though just as she turned to attempt to find her way back, Anise realized that she couldn't even see the sky, let alone any hint towards the direction she had come from. She had leaves and twigs stuck in her long black hair, and her porcelain skin was ripped open all over. She didn't even realize that she'd ran through patches of thorns, but her sliced up face, arms, legs, and bare feet were enough proof to verify that she had. In fact, she lost her butterfly pendant. She began searching for it, only to see it at the bottom of the ledge. She carefully began to climb down after it, only to slip and fall when she was halfway down. She let out a scream, despite her better judgement. She mentally cursed when she hit the ground, knowing that if anyone had followed her, the scream gave her location away. If anyone had been looking for her her, they would surely find her now if they didn't already know where she was.

After the pain subsided, the raven haired female forced herself to sit upright, despite her body's aching protests. Seeing as she only fell around six feet down, Anise figured her wounds would not be too bad. Her back was rather sore from the impact, but the bushes below took most of the blunt force. Anise retrieved the pendant that Bishop had gotten her before gazing ahead. The only choice was to keep going now, wasn't it? If anyone found her... She shivered at the thought. She stood, dusting off her dress, "I hope no one heard that scream..." She whispered to herself, taking a deep breath to prepare her lungs for another dash.

"Touch her, and I'll chop off more than just your fingers when I find out, brother." Reiji left his younger brother Demetri alone in the corridors, his Crimson eyes sending the redhead a warning glare before he turned the corner. His cheek ached, considering he was struck with strength nearly equal to his own but Reiji refused to acknowledge the pain. He did not even tend to the purple spot that was slowly healing on his cheek. He re-entered the dance hall, making a beeline toward Bishop, Ashlyn, and Mirabelle, speaking with a relatively unaffected expression, "I will admit that I was acting recklessly... However I meant what I said, sister..." Reiji stated, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. He ran his slender fingers through his ebony locks of hair, obviously not enjoying having to apologize for his actions. Reiji often did whatever he wanted, regardless of the consequences that would follow, even as a child. It was not in his nature to apologize, however as a child his intentions were not of a sinister nature. Back then, he only snuck out or hid out to avoid Elizabeth's abusive tutelage.

"I do not wish to be the reason our family falls apart, so I've decided that we shall have a family meeting tomorrow night to discuss what our next moves as a family will be due to the incoming threat... I suppose we can call a truce until they are taken care of, considering we once again have a common enemy." His eyes were directly on Bishop, this time, patting his brother on the shoulder. He was well aware that he did not properly apologize to Bishop, but he had no intention of having a heartfelt bromance moment. Reiji simply no longer remembered how to be compassionate. He couldn't attempt to understand his brother's feelings, at least not in his current state. Reiji couldn't change overnight, he couldn't forget all of his paranoia and the walls that contained what was left of his humanity would not crumble so easily. It would take quite a bit of time before he could properly embrace his brothers again, let alone accept the humans as anything other than prey and pets.

Speaking of pets, he had a certain girl to retrieve. His blood boiled just thinking about her words. Castiel? Why would he ever consider giving his toy back to his boring older brother? It wasn't even like Castiel could enjoy her, what with his memory loss... No... Reiji had no intention of giving Tanzy back to his brother without a fight. Reiji followed her to the balcony, albeit he arrived long after his maid had, what with the bit of theatrics he endured with his siblings shortly after Tanzy had run off. As his eyes landed on the gardens, he immediately felt his lips quirk into a faint smirk.

It had been a long time since he wandered the gardens, but they were still just as beautiful as he remembered. Gazing upon the gardens for the first time since he returned to his beloved home, it was almost as though nothing had changed. "She is physically fine if it makes this easier for you." Reiji stated, leaning against the railing of the balcony. He did not touch Tanzy, realizing that she was already quite upset. His Crimson eyes lingered on the gardens as he began to explain himself. Explaining himself to a human... just when did he get into a situation where he felt he needed to do such a thing? When did this sense of obligation sprout up? Whatever the cause, Reiji let out a soft 'tsk' of irritation with himself. Apparently he was suffering from the same affliction as his siblings, he only hoped that he was not in as deep. Perhaps there would be hope for him yet, or was he already drowning? Being a vampire, it made everything hard to understand. He had no heartbeat to let him know when he was nervous, nor butterflies to signal he was falling in love. It was those exact reasons that vampires often fell out of contact with their humanity.

"I did not hurt your friend aside from what is necessary for feeding. Your exact words were; 'I only wish to ask that neither my family nor Anise ever suffer your wrath...no matter what happens. If you truly feel such anger that you would want to punish either my family or Anise, I wish to take their place. Please...exact your retribution on me if you..if you ever feel you must...just don't hurt Anise or my family.'" He quoted her words with expert precision, minus the nerves that she felt and the stuttering involved when she had spoken her request to him. His eyes finally landed on her, those crimson orbs staring her down. They were cold, despite having such a warm red hue, and an indifferent expression on his face. He was angry too. She brought up that wretched golden-haired brother of his, wishing to serve him instead. It made his blood boil, "I do not want Anise as my maid, nor will I ever return you to Castiel, so erase it from your mind. We will not discuss it again, I assure you. As for your friend and our bargain, I simply required a snack and that is permissible. Seeing as it was not an act of malice when I fed upon her, nor punishment it was not a breach of our deal. Our agreement spoke nothing of benevolent feedings, darling." He spoke as if they were discussing fashions or the weather, almost as if he had not been feeding on the blood of his maid's best friend just moments ago. Reiji was mentally warped, brilliant of mind, but warped all the same.

He ushered for her to follow him back inside, but as she was a servant and he the Master of Castillo de la Muerte, it wasn't like she had much choice in the matter. He could force her, whether by station or brute force if he wished, "Shall we dance and move on. The night is young and you look lovely."

Already enraged, Bishop became only more hostile as his sister rebuked him, spinning to face her with fury in his eyes. He had half a mind to strike her, though he knew he could never raise a hand against Mirabelle. He growled low in his throat at her words, snapping back with venom in his voice. "A little scared?! Surely your senses are no less than my own sister, for any fool can tell she is terrified of him! Regardless, we had a system set up, and this asshole thinks it's his place to disregard everything and change things as he pleases! She is more mine than anyone else's, and I don't see any of you sharing your servants!" Bishop bared his own fangs as his little sister threatened his life in turn, eyes narrowed in anger. "I dare you, sister. Try and stop me, you know there is only one person in this world who can stand up to me or make me reconsider."

It was at that moment that said person intervened, the familiar squeeze on his shoulder drawing his eyes away from his sister and the prick. Demetri spoke with a surprising calm, always acting as the peacekeeper amongst the family. Bishop didn't move as Demetri's hands covered his own to put away the knife with a smooth and discreet motion. Had anyone else dared to touch him in this state, he'd have torn off the hand that did so. As Demetri began to speak, Bishop furrowed his brow, trying to see where he was going with this. What was his twin up to? He better not side with Reiji...

A satisfying thud met his ears as his normally passive twin slugged the creep in the jaw, sending said creep to the ground. Bishop smirked, his mood momentarily lifted at the sight of an injured Reiji. Served the asshole right. He looked over in approval at Demetri, eager to join him should the household gentleman decide to continue the assault. Sadly, this didn't seem to be the case, and he dragged Reiji off for a more private confrontation. Reiji better not do anything to his twin, or he would kill the bastard.

As Ashlyn was pointed out by Demetri, Bishop glanced over as she approached Anise and offered to help. Despite her being revealed to him an hour or two prior, he hadn't expected to see her still in the castle. His scowl returned, glaring at her in distaste. The hell was she doing here? "And who are you to scold us Ashlyn? You don't even belong here."

Seeing Reiji return without any signs of blood or sign of a struggle between him and Demetri, Bishop felt a surge of relief. It looked like Reiji had simply been talked to, and was not particularly pleased with the conversation. As the older male spoke, the annoyed redhead simply continued to glare back, abruptly shrugging off Reiji's hand with more force than necessary. "Don't touch me." he snapped cooly, clearly not willing to forgive his estranged brother.

About to address Anise, he realized she had wandered off, but try as he might, her scent was nowhere in the room. He scanned the hall for her just to be sure, but cursed upon realizing she wasn't in the ballroom. About to search the rest of the castle, he heard what sounded like the front door creak open. He nearly dismissed the thought, but eventually decided to check it just in case.

As he turned to leave the hall, another young noblewoman approached him, smiling in a blatantly coquettish manner. "Signore, would you perhaps honor me with a dance?"

Bishop dropped the formalities, far too agitated to give a damn. "Mi'lady, don't you think if I had wanted to dance with you, I'd have asked already?" With this, he left the stunned woman in her tracks, storming out of the room to continue searching for Anise. He vaguely wondered about how his pathetic butler was doing and if he'd managed to even attend the festivities. Such thoughts were quickly forgotten as soon as he opened the door, his only focus to find Anise.

Stepping outside, Bishop paid no mind to the cold air and scanned the scenery in silence. As he thought, nothing was out here. He let out an irritated sigh, ready to go back inside and search the castle when something caught his eye in the grass. A pair of shoes. Not just any shoes, Anise's pumps for the ball.

A slight prickling of unease was added to his irritation, realizing she had taken of her shoes in order to easier walk or run. What on earth was that woman thinking?! Letting out a curse, Bishop approached the shoes, scanning the ground until he noticed the subtle changes in the environment. Slightly depressed grass and foliage. Snapped twigs but no animal tracks. He proceeded to follow, soon finding bloodied thorns as well to indicate her trail. A single strand of ebony hair was snagged by a low hanging branch.

After a few short minutes, the faint sound of her voice met his ears, angry words coming from the distance. Bishop arched a brow at her ranting, catching most of her words. She thought she was just a 'thing'? She hated his family? Then an even more unexpected word escaped his fair maid's lips. Bullshit? Bishop nearly let out a chuckle, amused that such a sweet thing could get upset enough to use vulgar language. 'So she can swear...an amusing little dove indeed.' he thought, making his way forward.

A sudden scream pierced the air, and he ran towards the source, fearing the worst for the human. Bishop bared his fangs, ready to intercept whatever had accosted his maid. Seconds later, he reached the edge of a cliff, and footprints not inches from it in the dirt. Dammit!

Bishop looked over the edge, and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding upon seeing Anise alive. She was hurt, but she was moving, and he could hear a faint whisper leave her lips.

"Who ever said you were a 'thing'?" Bishop swiftly jumped down, appraising Anise for injuries as he approached her, inwardly cursing at how badly she was injured. "The hell were you thinking? Running away at nighttime of all things? You trying to get yourself killed?" Bishop noticed she was shivering, though from cold or fear he couldn't tell. Before she could bolt away from him, the male carefully tugged her close, one arm around her waist, the other coming up from under her arm and up her back.




[[pose: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/23 ... 91c36c.jpg ]]




Tanzy took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, with minimal success. Heart hammering in her chest, she felt sick with worry for her friend, bitter that she couldn't protect said friend, and hurt that Reiji would so casually play with the servants of the house.

Like toys.

The thought made a bitter taste rise in her mouth, and the young woman feared she may lose what little food she had eaten. She managed to will the sensation away, gut churning in worry as her thoughts shifted to concern for Anise. Was she ok? Had someone come to her aid? She needed to go check on her ebony-haired companion...

Her inner debate was suddenly interrupted by none other than Reiji himself. She tensed immediately at the sound of his voice, certain he was angry with her. As he spoke, Tanzy felt almost sick to her stomach, trembling slightly as the image of him cornering Anise played over in her mind. She didn't realize her hands had clenched into fists on the balcony railing until they began to ache from the force of her grip. Hearing her own words relayed back to her earned a sinking guilt, followed by self-disgust. She cursed herself for not being even more specific, she had simply assumed he wouldn't feed on Anise either. A foolish mistake, she now realized. And it was too late to ammend the agreement.

Tanzy looked over just in time to see those cold crimson eyes staring at her, and she looked away abruptly, biting her lip as he continued. He wouldn't give her to Castiel, but he clearly didn't need her or care who was assigned to who. So why did it matter then? None of it made sense. She remained silent, until the words 'benevolent feedings' passed his lips, prompting an abrupt response to start forming on her lips before she could stop herself and think on her words lest she regret them. As he turned to head back inside, she stepped away from the railing to trail after him.

"J-just because you call it benevolent doesn't mean that's how it feels! S-she doesn't like being fed from, and she just got over being poisoned!" Tanzy swiftly began to close the distance between herself and her master, tears once more threatening to fall, but these ones were angry and defensive. "I don't understand! You insist on keeping me as your maid, but you don't want me to clean your quarters, you don't have me fetch you things, or even seem to need me in the slightest! And even when you need blood, it doesn't matter who you get it from, so why do you care who's service I'm in? If you needed blood, why didn't you just make me give you some? If everyone is yours to use as you please, why do you need me? What do you want from me that you made me your personal servant?"

Tanzy's hands balled into fists at her sides, shaking with raw emotion as she stepped closer to him, her normal tact and caution gone. "O-our agreement said nothing of feedings at all!" she all but spat, only to continue on a tirade that she had only ever dared imagined saying to him.

"Why do you do these things?! You act like you don't care, then the next minute you're teasing me or complimenting me out of the blue, even when you make it known we're beneath you! You say something nice, but then go on to say you'd love to see what it would take to break me. I-I may be nothing more than a servant, I may be nothing more than food to you. Whatever I am though, I'm not a toy!" Tanzy forced back tears, voice shaking slightly. "I'm not....I'm not a toy....I am anything but a toy..."

A few seconds passed and realization of what she had just said began to process fully in her mind. Dread mixed with her frustration, and the young woman could feel the color leave her face. He'd kill her for sure now.

Even so, his suggestion was met with a flush, knowing he was going to retract the statement in an instant. She may have waited for him to begin leaving to start talking back, but she knew he heard every word.

As it was, she supposed she might as well answer. Not like he could possibly become any angrier than he was sure to be. "Do you not think I would embarrass you sire? I have never been formally taught the art of dancing..." she murmured as she followed behind him. Maybe, just maybe her demise would be swift if she followed quietly. Besides, she did agree to serve and do as he instructed, even if he didn't outright order her to follow. She didn't have to like it, she just had to obey.

"Whoever said you were a 'thing'?"

To be frank, Anise could have jumped out of her skin at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice behind her. Sure, if she really wanted to she could have darted deeper into the woods, but at that point, she was as good as procured. He was faster than her, and she wasn't interested in finding out just how quickly he could hunt her down. She already had a vague idea, considering he had already found her. Anise pivoted on her heel, her body sore, but not too broken up to move around. His jump left her wide-eyed, blinking several times. There were very few occasions that she had actually seen Bishop actually display his inhuman abilities, so moments like this caught her off guard. As for his question, pretty much Mirabelle had said it, even if she was only referring to how Bishop treated her, not her own general opinion of Anise. However, Anise knew that humans weren't very important to any of the Santiago family. Demetri may have fallen for Katerina, but the other twin caring about one or two human lives did nothing to console or reassure Anise, "We...We're constantly reminded of it, each and every day of our lives. No one has to say it, but there are several times which it has been implied." Anise responded in a hesitant manner. She couldn't help but wonder if he was angry, if she was going to finally be on the blunt end of his anger. Her breath was catching inside of her lungs from her anxiety, the cold air doing little to soothe her nerves.



As she opened her mouth to speak, she could have sworn she saw her breath in the air, "...We all were bought like toys. Some of us without even knowing we had been sold in the first place... If not objects, then what are we to your family...?" She asked in a slightly louder tone than she would typically feel comfortable using, especially with Bishop. For Anise, it could almost be deemed as shouting, but compared to the general volume of everyday speech she was hardly raising her voice above normal standards at all. She really did not want to hear the answer, as she was far too afraid of what he might say, but she needed to make it known how the maids felt. If no one else, Anise had to. Anise had no family that she cared for anymore, no one could be punished for her bold words except her. What did she have to lose by being a little straightforward?

"The hell were you thinking? Running away at nighttime of all things? You trying to get yourself killed?"

Anise let out a gasp of surprise when she was drawn close, both of her eyes closing in dread. This is it. I've finally done it. I crossed the point of no return. She thought to herself, but there was one problem. Bishop was being as gentle as always. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt her hands meet his chest. She was mortified, especially considering how bloody and dirty her hands now were. A dark blush formed on her cheeks as she came to realize that instead of punishment, she had been forced into Bishop's embrace. She could feel her resolve wavering, and her anger slowly dissipating with each second that she remained close to him. Her fingers met the left sleeve of his suit, her other hand between their chests. It was hard to breathe when they were this close, [b]"I... I was in the woods before I even realized what I was doing..." She responded almost breathlessly, tears swelling in her eyes as she spoke. Anise knew very well that ignoring his question would only make matters worse in the end. However, she couldn't deny her shock. Why was he not infuriated with her? Why wasn't he shouting or cursing at her..? Why was he being so gentle when she had nearly escaped...? Her body's trembling gradually came to an end, and she glanced up at him, "Why aren't you angrier..? I... I don't understand..." She stated, shaken up and utterly confused, searching for answers that she could not find on her own. Perhaps it was the blood loss, or maybe she was finally tired of pretending, but Anise was slowly unraveling piece by piece. Every thought that she had kept to herself was slowly but surely coming from her lips.

There was another question that he had asked, and she lowered her head, breaking eye contact as she spoke her honest answer, "I didn't come back because I did not want to get killed....Fleeing is punishable by death..." Her voice was quiet, and she felt the tears finally drip from her eyelashes to the ground. She couldn't help but think about her sister, how Alice was right. If she had run away with Alice, then her sister might have still been alive. It had been her attraction towards Castiel and Bishop, her fear of being punished, it all kept her at Castillo and it inevitably led to Alice's demise. Anise wiped her own eyes, attempting to pull herself away from Bishop, looking up at him with her glossy violet orbs, "Do not pretend that you don't know that you must punish me, Lord Bishop. Master Santiago will not stand for anything less, you and I both know it. Neither would have Lord Castiel, if not for the ...accident." The resolve in her eyes and the serious tone might have convinced a human that she was absolutely mad or at least some sort of sadist, but her heartbeat told another story. She was absolutely frightened, but she knew it had to be done. If nothing was done to her for her defiance against the Santiago family, then Bishop would be punished. She couldn't stand the thought that he would have to pay for her crimes, so she prepared herself for whatever he had in store for her. Though she was fairly certain that she had no idea what a vampire Bishop's age could possibly conjure up in terms of punishments and torture, "I can handle it, trust me." She stated with a nervous sigh, memories of her mother vaguely flashing through her mind.

---

---

Ashlyn looked Anise in the eyes with a small smile as she ignored the girl’s concern. ”Trust me, I know how to get the blood stains out very well. It’s a gift you develop when being surrounded by vampires, the Santiagos especially.” It was an easy task to fix the bite from Reiji. It wasn’t the first time she had fixed a vampire bite and it was probably not going to be the last. Ash didn’t mind so long as the next time it wasn’t done without permission. Ashlyn’s touch was gentle as she took off her gloves and held her hands to the girl’s neck, letting the magic flow through her fingers. It took longer than it would have normally due to her exhaustion, but it wasn’t a difficult task. A minute or so later, the wound was closed leaving a small smear of blood beneath where the wound would have been. ”There. Done,” was all Ashlyn said before replacing her gloves.

Ashlyn sighed as she watched Anise scamper off. What was it with the Santiagos sending girls running off? Couldn’t they just simply accept the fact love exists and cherish it rather than try to appear on top or more masculine? Perhaps listening a bit more wouldn’t harm them either…

Ashlyn managed barely to stifle the gasp, laugh, and smirk that all were a reaction to Demetri hitting his brother. While she did truly care for Reiji, he was being enough of an ass to deserve it. She did allow herself to roll her eyes before she caught sight of Demetri looking at her. She gave him a smile, remembering the friendlier of the red headed twins. ”Demetri, it wasn’t the first time now was it?” Ash asked with a hint of mischief and reminiscing as she remembered a time where they would joke around often.

Ashlyn looked to Bishop coldly. ”Bishop, if you’d rather your familial issues out in the open, by all means, continue to attract attention so all of Spain knows of the Santiagos,” Ashlyn leaves out the part about how she was irritated that Bishop was so hot headed, he failed to think about all that was happening around him. She had kept Anise’s throat from closing while at the same time trying to keep peace with him. He would never be pleased and it was very clear to everyone.

As Demetri reached down to Reiji, Ash frowned slightly. ”Take care” Ash says simply, so softly only Demetri and Reiji were likely to hear it. She worried Reiji would lose his temper with his brother and then the entire party would be a mess. Or Demetri would be followed by a mass of young ladies and the brothers be caught still. They were horrible things, parties. Hardly intimate at some times while others you couldn’t gather a crowd at all.

Ashlyn replaced her gloves before moving away. Her head was beginning to throb as she moved to accept a glass of what looked to be water. Rubbing her head with her fingers briefly, she took a sip out of a glass only to find it to be more wine. She immediately replaced the glass on the tray as she moved towards a love seat in a corner unoccupied by anyone. She took a seat before she was joined by a young brunette vampire in appearance. He was probably closer to her actual age than his appearance indicated. Ashlyn looked away, towards the dancing crowd to avoid having to talk with the vampire though it seemed he was determined to keep her company.

He eventually asked for a dance and Ashlyn hesitated. She hardly wanted to do anything more than find an unoccupied room upstairs and sleep again. She accepted, knowing if she didn't it wouldn't be courteous. Accepting his hand, Ashlyn allowed herself to be helped up before he led her out onto the floor again. The dance was easy as she kept up with him. She tripped slightly as they did a turn but recovered quickly. She had a tendency to be unable to hold more than one drink and she felt the effect of the wine now adding to her headache. It was quite annoying.

Even a human would be able to notice the catch in Anise's breath, and Bishop glanced down at her to make sure she didn't look unwell. Scratched up and distressed, but she didn't seem to be in ill health. Nerves then. Her pounding heart confirmed his suspicions, allowing him to pay attention instead to her words and her voice. Bishop couldn't help but frown slightly as she admitted her thoughts. She apparently felt like she and her fellow servants were reminded daily of their meager position- of their servitude. Which, to her, apparently meant she was a thing. Stupid human, he'd simply have to correct her.

"I cannot speak for my family. However, you're not some mere object. An object can be replaced, so how on earth would that not automatically disqualify you from being classified an object?" he argued, shaking his head as if to dismiss such an absurd thought. Her next probing question was somehow harder to answer, though he dared not admit such a thing. "What are you? Well, human for starters. A servant. A maid. Food. A pet..." Bishop had a feeling she wouldn't exactly like such answers, but he didn't know what other words to use. She wasn't just a servant to him, but what was she? More than a pet, at least it seemed so. Though pet was a good start- pets were companionship and something you treasured and cared for- something that relied on you for survival. "So...you're not a thing to me, so wipe such a dumb idea from your mind...you're..well why the hell does it matter?! That's not important right now!" he snapped dismissively, deciding he didn't need to answer her now. There! He didn't need to answer, and he wouldn't!

Keeping her in his hold, he felt her begin to relax, her trembling slowing and finally stopping altogether. Good. Bishop patted her back almost absentmindedly to keep her soothed, listening quietly to her explanations. She just ran without thinking- not exactly a shock, but it made him shake his head at her impulsive decision making. He could feel her eyes growing moist as her voice grew soft and uncertain, and he met her violet eyes as she gazed up at him in confusion. He would have found her expression almost sickeningly cute were the situation different. As it were, her being out here in the wilderness and asking him why he wasn't angry- well, she had a point there. Why wasn't he angry? He was a little, but not necessarily at her. He was more annoyed and frustrated than anything else. He let out a sigh before answering Anise.

"Angry? Well, I am, but not so much at you. You vex me, annoy me, and quite frankly, frequently leave me thinking you make utterly no sense whatsoever with how quickly you bounce back and forth between emotions and expressions. But am I angry with you? No. Frustrated maybe, but not angry. You ran away without an ounce of concern for the danger, so yes, I'm annoyed. But you're safe for the most part, so I'll excuse it." he said, allowing his arms to relax their grip slightly. Seeing tears upon Anise's face as she further explained herself, he reached up with one hand to carefully wipe them away. So once she had gotten away and realized what she had done, she feared being faced with death for her actions. Understandable at least. But even so, where would she have run to?

"Don't cry. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, alright?" he muttered, finally letting Anise free from his hold, but watching her carefully lest she be injured or try to do anything rash. He scowled as she mentioned the prick, the thought of Reiji making him twitch in agitation. He didn't deserve to be called the head of the house. About to protest that it didn't matter what the prick said, Anise brought up his eldest brother. Bishop paused; she did have a point. Castiel wasn't an asshole, but he did not tolerate such blatant disrespect or disobedience. That, coupled with Anise's determination, wiped away his unspoken protests. He could hear the nervous thumping of her heart, and her uneasy sigh of resignation made him reluctant to see her go under any further stress. What kind of punishment could he get away with inflicting without stooping to Reiji's level?

"Fine. You'll be confined to your room and fed prison rations for a week. But for now, we're going back. I'm sure the idiot is worried about you, and I need to check up on Demetri." Bishop decided, taking Anise's hand and tugging her gently along to the base of the cliff. Scooping his maid up without a bat of an eye, he held her bridal style and jumped up, returning them to the top from where she fell.

Looking down at Anise, the redhead frowned, shaking his head and admonishing her softly. "More importantly though, you ran off before I requested a dance. That's just rude. Now you owe me one, regardless of if I ask you first or not." Bishop's frown was gone as quickly as it came, and he continued to walk back to the castle with Anise, careful not to let her brush against branches or other such foliage.




The mention of being gentle and releasing pheromones was of little comfort, the maid feeling rather unsettled at his words and his smirk. She bit her lip, wondering if Anise would be ok. So far his demeanor was unthreatening, but she felt her dread growing as she followed behind, only to stop as he did. With a smooth and suave grace, he leaned casually against the wall to face her once more.

The blood that had drained from her face in dread began to shoot back up into her cheeks with a vengeance, her eyes widening in shock at the words leaving Reiji's lips. He would agree to never feed from Anise in exchange for a kiss? Was he screwing with her? Tanzy froze, the silken voice making her painfully aware of her wretched mistake. She felt utterly foolish and despicable, cursing herself mentally. Of course it was her fault- he had even urged her to double check the contract before signing! And she so stupidly failed to heed his warning. Damn it all! But here he was, saying he'd add to the agreement if she gave him a kiss of her own volition.

A kiss...?

Tanzy had no chance to answer, her breath hitching in her throat as Reiji's fingers tilted her chin up so her eyes couldn't escape his ruby gaze. Expecting the worst, she closed her eyes, but all she felt was a gentle touch of his fingers brushing aside her tears, prompting her to look once more. Pet. He called her his pet. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that, but it was better than being seen as a toy, or a thing. But what was a pet to him?

Expecting anger and threats, the young woman was astonished to hear a calm voice answering her frustrated inquiries, and her eyes widened further at the revelations. He thought she was fascinating and beautiful? Her cheeks flushed even darker, her heart drumming inside her chest. As amazing as his compliments of her were, they paled in comparison to his other replies, feeling a gasp of disbelief escape her lips.

Keeps them safe? Was this vampire- this terrifying, cunning, breathtaking vampire, actually saying what she thought he was saying? Was his callous attitude a farce to shield herself and the others in the house from danger? As nobles and as vampires, it was no doubt the Santiagos had enemies, but could he actually be trying to detour said adversaries from targeting those associated with him? Could that possibly be true? If by some chance it was, what other things did she not understand about her master?

Upon feeling his hand encircle her wrist, the maid stiffened in anticipation, but he did nothing more than that. The pressure was minimal, just enough to actually be noticed. Tanzy knew of Reiji's strength, she had been at his mercy before. She had felt those very hands around her neck when she had angered him, and yet here he was simply keeping her in place. She felt no pain, nor immediate sense of peril, he was merely holding her still. Even so, she'd have been no less stuck if her hand was a fixture in stone.

The grip tightened slightly, and his voice was hard, but still he wasn't showing any sign of lashing out against her. If anything, he sounded almost berating. Tanzy had half a mind to interrupt, to say she knew there was no way in hell she could stand up to a vampire in combat. But the intensity in his words gave her pause. He didn't want her to get herself killed by forgetting her own limitations? But that meant he wasn't going to kill her...

The maid continued to stare in bewilderment at her master even as he released her wrist and tore his gaze away first. Her mind was swimming with his words, heart pounding as his actions and answers played themselves over and over in her head- with her trying to sort through them and comprehend it all. This was not what she was expecting at all.

Thankfully, she was snapped from her shocked trance as Reiji escorted her back to the ballroom, leading her swiftly into a dance and moving gracefully across the floor. With a slight squeak of surprise, Tanzy allowed herself to be led into a dance, doing her best to match his movements while trying to not think about how close they were. She tried to follow the tempo of the music as well as the pace of her partner, glad she had at least seen ballroom dancing before. She doubted she'd stand a chance otherwise.

Face flushed pink, Tanzy struggled with where to look, alternating from watching their footwork to glancing up at Reiji, then averting her gaze to his chest, too flustered to completely meet his eyes for more than a minute. She managed to keep up somehow- thankful that no matter how she was doing, she was at least not stepping on him- she doubted he'd like that.

"You...you aren't angry with me sire? For speaking so boldly?" she finally whispered tentatively, glancing up to see his reaction. She felt her heart begin to speed up from nerves, but she knew without asking she'd keep fretting about it. Besides...

"Would you really be willing to allow me to ask for such an addition to our agreement, for a kiss?" Unable to keep looking into his eyes, Tanzy stared at her hand on his shoulder, trying in vain to will away her steadily growing blush.

"Touch her, and I'll chop off more than just your fingers when I find out, brother."

The fact that Reiji got defensive, just as Demetri had expected him to. With his suspicions now verified, Demetri couldn't help but smirk. Reading between the lines, he knew exactly how his older brother felt for Tanzy without him having to hear another word. He knew exactly what his brother was implying, but was too coward to dare speak aloud, or probably even admit to himself. He let Reiji leave first, following behind a few minutes later after he straightened out his suit. Touchy, touchy... He thought to himself in an amused manner, raising both hands to prove he was not a threat to his brother's romantic territory.

"I will admit that I was acting recklessly... However I meant what I said, sister... I do not wish to be the reason our family falls apart, so I've decided that we shall have a family meeting tomorrow night to discuss what our next moves as a family will be due to the incoming threat... I suppose we can call a truce until they are taken care of, considering we once again have a common enemy."

As he returned to the ballroom, Demetri overheard Reiji's apology, enjoying the struggle that his elder brother was going through. He smiled and waved to a few people he knew, particularly ex-lovers. Demetri's eyes settled on someone he was far less familiar with, someone who was not tucked away behind Mirabelle's skirts at the moment. That gave him the perfect opprotunity to slide in. As he casually strolled toward Jane, Demetri kept his focus on the discussion between his siblings.

"Don't touch me."

Without even looking even in his twin's general direction Demetri could perfectly picture the expression on Bishop's face when Reiji had the aduacity to make physical contact. He could see the cold glare perfectly in his mind. Demetri sighed to himself, wishing that the situation with his family had been in a better standing than this, but there was little that he could do given his circumstances. Instead, Demetri decided to focus on things he could change, like the fact that Jane was hiding herself away in a corner. Once the redhead was in proper speaking distance, he bowed cordially, then smirked up at her with a mischievous sparkle in his bright green eyes before standing straight, "It's a pity to waste away over here. Dance with me, Jane?" He asked, quirking a brow before extending his hand out in an offering manner. All of his previous amours pouted as he chose the maid standing before him instead of asking any of them to dance, but Demetri didn't even give them a glance as he waited for her answer. For the moment, she was the only girl that the womanizing vampire was paying attention to, as if she was the only female present, "You wouldn't leave a man hanging, would you?" He asked in a playful manner, hoping that his invitation would be well received. He wasn't exactly used to hearing the word no, and he would do anything in his power to make his attempt at charming her a success.

---

---

"I cannot speak for my family. However, you're not some mere object. An object can be replaced, so how on earth would that not automatically disqualify you from being classified an object?"

Violet eyes darted in confusion as Bishop implied that she could not be replaced like a mere object. This immediately brought heat to her cheeks, making the ebony haired girl extremely flustered, but also happier than Bishop could ever imagine. To hear out loud that she was not so easy to discard was reassuring, but in the end it did not change her status in the family. To the rest of his family, Anise was merely a tool for norishment, one that was abundant in this world. At least someone deems me inexpendable..

"What are you? Well, human for starters. A servant. A maid. Food. A pet..."

"P-Pet!?" She replied in a surprised tone, blinking several times. She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but in her experience, when lords bought the poor as 'pets' it was usually not of an innocent nature. Also, from how Reiji treated Tanzy, that only verified to her that most of society saw 'pet' as more of a fetish than what Bishop probably meant. However, Anise being naive, immediately figured he meant the more common use, rather than the innocent 'you're like a pet rabbit' variation. I-I didn't realize Lord Bishop had such p-perversions... Is it a family thing..? Lord Demetri's room has made strange noises before... I believe he's had more than one girl in there at a time before...

"So...you're not a thing to me, so wipe such a dumb idea from your mind...you're..well why the hell does it matter?! That's not important right now!"

Anise jumped when he snapped, unsure of what she had done in particular, but assumed he was simply finally growing angry for her betrayal. Perhaps it was simply a late reaction? While she wasn't sure of his irritation's origins, she simply nodded and stopped asking questions, returning to her obediant nature. Her cussing went out the window the second she knew he was in her presence, and her frustration disipated. She completely lost her nerve.

"Angry? Well, I am, but not so much at you. You vex me, annoy me, and quite frankly, frequently leave me thinking you make utterly no sense whatsoever with how quickly you bounce back and forth between emotions and expressions. But am I angry with you? No. Frustrated maybe, but not angry. You ran away without an ounce of concern for the danger, so yes, I'm annoyed. But you're safe for the most part, so I'll excuse it."

It stung a little to hear that she annoyed him, but she did not interupt and listened to his explanations. Why was he being so lenient? The Bishop she had met a year ago would have been furious, had threatened her older twin on more ocassions than Anise was willing to count. The fact that he was so calm was confusing her to no end, but asking questions only seemed to frustrate him even more. Both of her eyes closed as he wiped away her tears, only opening and gazing up at him when he was done, "Most of the time I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel.. My mother sold me to a family full of vampires, my twin sister was mutilated and slaughtered by werewolves, and the head of house tried to kill me not long ago and turned around saving my life.. Only a year and a half ago my only major concern in life was declining Derrek's marriage proposals..." Immediately Anise realized that she had said something she should not have, especially since her letter the day before had been addressed to the very same person she was discussing with Bishop. The letter had been filled with half of the money she earned working at Castillo the entire year, and Bishop would have known that if he had peeked into the envelope.

"Don't cry. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, alright?"

Anise's blush deepened, and she nodded quickly, turning her gaze away, letting her long black hair conceal her embarrassment from him. She wasn't sure how to respond.. his protective words made her want to smile, but she just couldn't let herself be happy after everything this family had taken from her. While that wasn't Bishop's fault, every time she thought about her feelings for him, she was reminded of her sister. Her sister absolutely hated the vampires.

"Fine. You'll be confined to your room and fed prison rations for a week. But for now, we're going back. I'm sure the idiot is worried about you, and I need to check up on Demetri."

"Of course. Who are you referrign to as 'the idio-'? O-Oh my, M-Mi'lord!" Anise stopped midquestion and squeaked out when he picked her up so effortlessly. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt her entire face burning with embarrassment when she realized the new situation they were in. The way he was holding her, it was too much and Anise immediately hid her face in her right hand, completely flustered. Though the jump left her breathless. She was left in complete shock. She knew for a fact that the cliff was at least twelve feet and he managed to jump it while carrying her?

"More importantly though, you ran off before I requested a dance. That's just rude. Now you owe me one, regardless of if I ask you first or not."

"E-Eh?!" Her cheeks lit up a brilliant shade of red as he mentioned dancing together, and she gazed away for what felt like an eternity, her heart beating faster the more she thought about it. Even though his frown disappeared, it did little to soothe her nerves knowing he expected to dance with her, especially in the pitiful state she was currently in, "My dress...and my hair.. It would make people suspicious... I don't even know where my shoes are, mi'lord.." While mostly she was just trying to avoid dying of embarrassment, or perhaps dying from jealous ladies attempting to assassinate her for stealing Bishop from their ambitious clutches. Though in reality she was a mess. Her dress managed to avoid tears, but her feet, arms, and legs were scratched up, her dress saved from such abuse as she had to hold it up to run. Her hair even had twigs in it, Anise was fairly sure that the nobles would mistake her for someone raised in the wild.

Anise's pink cheeks soothed his nerves, the vampire lord pleased he could so easily elicit such a reaction from the human in his hold. Even though he couldn't fathom why she would assume she was so easily replaced, he was glad she seemed to like the reassurance.
She did however surprise him with her lack of protest or response to his trying to categorize and label her. Her only reaction was to let out a startled noise, repeating his last word in what he almost thought sounded like mortification. Silly human, what was wrong with being a pet? There were worse things one could be after all. As it was, he merely quirked a brow at her.

When she first started speaking, the male was thinking little more than consoling the runaway maid and bringing her back with him. However, the mention of marriage and an unknown male who wasn't him made him stiffen even as he picked her up, her adorable squeak and half a question the only thing keeping his temper in check. Derrek? Who the hell was she talking about? He hadn't been aware of any past lovers, and Anise had never mentioned the male before. However, it did suddenly make sense why she had given him a letter to mail when they went into town. A letter he did not fail to notice was rather hefty in it's weight. Money then.

He ignored her question, deciding not to comment on 'the idiot' in question, knowing she wouldn't like what he'd have to say as a response. Instead, he walked in silence for a moment longer before letting out an annoyed huff, looking down at Anise with an irritable scowl. "So that's who you sent the letter and money to...hmph. Never told me you had a lover." he snapped, glancing back up and letting out another snort of disdain. Stupid human boy. He already didn't like him! And what the hell was her significant other doing all this time, not bothering to look for his novia? Nothing but a pathetic excuse for a man, obviously.

"Stupid git isn't doing a good job trying to find you. What kind of man doesn't go looking for his woman if she goes missing?" Bishop fumed, shaking his head in disgust at the thought of such a human. It was insulting that his competition was some lousy human male who couldn't be bothered to confront Anise's excuse for a mother to get clues. It was absurd!

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he realized he was probably only upsetting Anise with his irritable ranting (at least he was fairly certain he was, judging by her body language). Seeing the lights from the castle appear on the horizon, he finally could look his maid in the eyes again, quirking a brow at her concerns and her fretting about her appearance. He rolled his eyes.

"Do I honestly look like I give a damn?" he asked pointedly, shaking his head before continuing. "Besides, if it's gonna bother you that much, a quick trip to the powder room will take care of wiping off any dirt or whatever. And just let your hair down naturally, it's fine as it is. And if you must, just borrow some shoes from your obsessive friend, who I'm sure is also anxious to see you."

Still upset about the casual mention of another male, Bishop decided to erase such thoughts from Anise's mind, finally smirking as his plans began to mollify him. Of course, just make all her flustered attention focus on him. Mind made up, he leaned closer to Anise, his eyes locking with hers as his voice took on an almost challenging tone.

"Why, are you trying to say I can't have a dance with the partner of my choice on Valentines day of all things?" Bishop all but purred, pulling back in satisfaction and acting as if walking with his maid to the castle was the most natural thing in the world, not releasing the young woman despite being almost upon the building in question.



Tanzy could practically feel the piercing stares of the crowd, the women's jealous and disbelieving glares especially evident. Just as they had out in the town, the vast majority of the females had their eyes glued to the Santiagos, especially considering the only two brothers currently among the dancing being her master and Demetri (who currently seemed on his way to sweeping Jane along as his next partner). Tanzy wondered if any of those swooning women knew the real Reiji.

Did she even know the real Reiji?

Just as it seemed she was managing to calm down and focus solely on the dance, Tanzy's thoughts were swiftly whisked aside as the male's breath sent shivers down her spine, a mortified squeak leaving her lips as her cheeks burned a bright pink. She nearly missed the step as his sultry voice teased her, managing to catch herself just in time for him to spin her- leaving their audience completely unaware of her near blunder. Her heart began racing anew, wondering if she'd ever get used to his surprise remarks. Her eyes looked up at his in shock before instantly searching for something else to focus on- namely her feet. "Ah! N-no sire! The suit is perfect." she stammered softly, silently hoping her poor nerves would have a break. He always got her worked up just when she thought he couldn't find any new way to startle her.

Her flushed cheeks and bashful expression were gone in seconds, his answer prompting a shudder of fear. She swallowed hard, realizing it was foolish to think he wasn't angry. Of course he was, he was just exceptionally good at hiding it. He was unreadable, and a master at keeping her unaware of his true intentions and emotions. It was this inability to figure him out that threw her so off course and frazzled her poor nerves.

Reiji was as terrifying as he was attractive. As mysterious as he was cunning. She could make neither heads nor tails of the male, and she trembled at the thought of how much anger he could possibly be hiding. She had seen how calm he could be on the outside, and the result then was not something she wished to repeat. "Of course sire... Pardon me for thinking you'd be otherwise..." she murmured quietly, nodding to convey her acknowledgement of his soft and subtle- yet no less frightful, warning. She marveled at how he could be so calm and appear so gentle while simultaneously saying things that made her nearly sick with anxiety.

Soon enough, his smirk was back, and Tanzy bit back another squeak when he finally spoke. Did he really think she'd be so bold as to kiss him in full view of everyone?! She couldn't fathom kissing him (or anyone for that matter) in public, much less an entire ballroom full of people! "O-of course! I wouldn't dare do such a thing in front of prying eyes! I couldn't!" she hurriedly rushed to explain, feeling the sudden need to correct him in thinking she would be so bold- and reckless- as to do anything so personal or intimate out in the open.

"So that's who you sent the letter and money to...hmph. Never told me you had a lover."

While she hoped he did not catch her mention of the boy she used to live close to before moving to Castillo de la Muerte, she knew his hearing was far superior to that of a normal man. Anise's body almost immediately tensed when he mentioned Derrek, but her eyes widened in shock when he referred to him as her lover, "I-It.... It was never like that... He was always asking me, but I never acknowledged him..." She explained, feeling incredibly nervous. His annoyed attitude made her aware that he was not pleased, but she wasn't sure why he was so irritated. It wasn't like she begged him to save her... She only wanted to send him money to better his life. She didn't see a reason why he would have to suffer in poverty. It wasn't like she needed her own pay.. She would never leave the castle. Anise was well aware that she would die there. She accepted that, but she wanted to make a difference in someone's life, and Derrek was the only human alive that treated her decently. Considering his growing attitude, she tried to explain everything a bit better. She wasn't sure why talking about Derrek put him in a bad mood, but she had to make it clear that they were never lovers, that was an embarrassing misunderstanding she couldn't let continue, "I wasn't aware that you'd want to know about my past... Well.. He was really mean to me when we were children so I always acted like I hated him, even the day I was forced to come here, I completely ignored him..." Anise stated softly plucking leaves from her hair. She ran her slender, pale fingers through the ebony locks, making sure that nothing was left inside of them.

"Stupid git isn't doing a good job trying to find you. What kind of man doesn't go looking for his woman if she goes missing?"

"Find me..? I'm not foolish enough to think anyone can rescue me. I'm glad he never got a radical idea like that either.. he'd surely be dead. He's married now. Managed to raise his station, or so I've heard at least. His woman..? I-I never have been his!" She responded, smiling warmly, showing just how happy she was for her friend back home. Though Bishop calling her Derrek's woman immediately brought on a nervous feeling in her stomach. She wasn't entirely sure why she was so quick to deny Derrek, but she felt obligated to explain that there was never anything between them besides Derrek's numerous failed attempts to court her. Anise didn't expect him to come looking for her, he'd be killed for sure, "As I said, we were only childhood friends." She replied with a small sigh of her own. She never could imagine marrying Derrek, not even now. He was just... Far too bright and happy, there was no way she could have been with someone like that. She only would have brought him down with her worries and concerns, "I-I don't have a lover! I-I've never even kissed anyone before!" She stated with her hands up in front of her chest defensively, frantically denying his assumptions. Besides, what would it even matter? She had a duty to the castle and she would never be able to raise a family. She gave up such dreams a long time ago. It took her a moment to realize what she had just confessed in her flustered state, but Anise's entire face practically steamed from the heat of her blush when she caught on to what she accidentally revealed to him. H-How could I admit something so embarrassing!? She screamed at herself mentally, her heart pounding loud and nervously in her chest as she fretted.

"Do I honestly look like I give a damn?"

Anise stated for a moment, before shaking her head no. She knew what kind of lord that Bishop was, but she knew it would only anger Reiji and the plethora of rich and entitled women that believed it was their God given right to dance with Bishop. She was a simple maid, cut up and bruised. She was like some stray tabby cat in the eyes of everyone else, something dirty to be thrown out else it might sicken those whom he forces to gaze upon it, "It's just... Won't it hurt your family's reputation..? Isn't a lord meant to dance with the duchesses and ladies first and foremost...?" Anise was extremely flattered that he wanted to dance with her, but she did not want to see the family fighting anymore. There was enough chaos without her involvement.

"Besides, if it's gonna bother you that much, a quick trip to the powder room will take care of wiping off any dirt or whatever. And just let your hair down naturally, it's fine as it is. And if you must, just borrow some shoes from your obsessive friend, who I'm sure is also anxious to see you."

As he spoke of cleaning herself up, Anise gazed upon her hands, biting her bottom lip as she saw the scratches and the blood. Her feet and legs were even worse. All she could think about was the vampires in the ballroom. Wouldn't they smell her wounds? It immediately made her shiver, unable to accept that some strange vampire in the crowd of people might try to feed from her as Reiji had done. She did not want to risk exposing the Santiago family's secret, "Isn't it dangerous...? I'm still bleeding and there are... I do not wish to stir the guests..." The mere thought of someone she didn't know sinking their fangs into her throat made her turn pale, and made her stomach wrench in an agonizing and sickening manner. She choked on her words, completely frightened of the unknown vampires. She wasn't entirely at ease even when Bishop fed from her, but anyone else left her absolutely sick. However, Anise was quickly torn from her worries when she felt her entire face returning to it's cherry red shade as his face grew closer to her own. Anise's entire body shrank into itself in a shy response, appearing as small and non-threatening as possible. She wasn't sure what he was trying to do, but it definitely received the desired response.

"Why, are you trying to say I can't have a dance with the partner of my choice on Valentines day of all things?"

The sensation of her heart thumping kept Anise painfully aware that this was actually happening, her heart practically leaping from her chest at his words. He was so close and she wasn't sure what to say, "I... I never said anything like that... I haven't danced with a partner before..." She gazed to the ground, shuffling her bare feet along the grass as she tried to compose herself. The cool breeze soothed the pain she felt from the deeper cuts she had on the bottom of her feet, thorns having torn and demolished the skin there. However moving made the stinging much worse, so she dared not pry herself out of Bishop's hold, both out of respect for his status and to avoid the pain she was doing her best to conceal. She didn't want to worry him any further, but also she didn't want him to know just how much effort she had put into her escape. She didn't even know she could run that fast until now, "I'm sure I can walk now mi'lord..." she stated in a soft and flustered tone, suggesting it more than anything. The last thing she wanted was to be the source of controversy.