Sometime Later...
Doflamingo's Pov
I had given her an arm full of yarn and let her be although I was growing curious about what she was doing. Of course, I refused to speak as my eyes trailed down her neck. My fangs had left a mark on her but it was hidden away beneath those bandages. I wanted to see it for myself. "Elizabeth, why is your neck bandaged?"
She had looked up from her little project but had this mad expression on her face. It was amusing to witness and as she replied I found myself grinning. "Something attacked me in my sleep" She did not have a clue her attacker was sitting right beside her. I would need to keep it a secret, for now, one day soon the truth would come out. By that point, it would be far too from her to run away. All before her never stood a chance and this time was no exception. "Any ideas as to what it was?"
"A vampire" That was not a term I was unfamiliar with although it could not have been the name of any bug so I asked about it. "I am sorry but what is that?" She gave me an odd look however still replied so I was content. "A person who has died and come back to life. They feed on the blood of innocent people to keep themselves alive" Now, that sounded familiar. Perhaps we had similar creatures but their world was so boring. Creatures of my world could be present in theirs only when they decided this one was not good enough for them any longer.
"How interesting. I have never heard of such a thing... however what you described sounds more like a Devourer" Telling her about them was a risk. I had fed on her once although if she continued to believe something else was responsible, she would never connect the dots. "What is that?"
She was curious, that was good. If she wanted an answer, I would gladly give her one, and hopefully, that would satisfy her curiosity for the time being. "A Devourer feeds off blood to keep their strength but does not require it to retain their immortality. They also obtain a certain power when they are turned although that is unique to each Devourer" Her little brain was thinking the information over but eventually she did come back to her senses. "Wait, are you saying these creatures are real in this world? Vampires are things of fiction in mine"
"Oh yes, they are real. I have met several in my life" Elizabeth's eyes narrowed although I was not prepared for whatever came out of her mouth. "Are you one of them?" I could have told her the truth but that would have ruined our little game too soon. This was going to be drawn out for as long as possible to make up for the years I spent only being able to toy with adults. Elizabeth was technically over eighteen but still considered a teen so I was content with her being the latest plaything. "Tsk. Do not be silly"
"That's good. Can you give me your wrist, please? I figured pink was your favorite color, I hope I wasn't wrong" She had something made from yarn in her hands but I had not seen anything like it before. "You would be correct. What are you doing?" As she tied the yarn to my wrist, I noticed it was a bracelet of sorts. "I made you a friendship bracelet. I know it may be silly but I used to make one for any new friends I got. Do you like it?" I had intended to lie to the girl about her foolish gift although as I stared at the bracelet, I found myself smiling. I often smiled in front of others but this was different.
Elizabeth had made me something and I had not asked for it. No one else had ever done such a thing. She deserved a little bit of praise for such good work. "You are quite the young talent. Fufufu. Why is it we are friends? We only just met and you have yet to figure out if I am a good person or not" She should have been wary of my intentions however as her words spilled from her lips I nearly scoffed. "I'm sure you are a good person, Mingo... After all, you gave me a chance to have an enjoyable night. Thank you for all you have done, it means a lot"
"Can I make one for you?" I could give her anything but at my request, her eyes widened before they quickly returned to normal. Building her trust would be easy and when the timing was right, I would find such joy in watching it shatter. "This is your house, Mingo. You can do whatever you want" I would have started although I had not paid attention when she was crafting her little creation. She knew how to make them so I needed to ask her for some assistance. "I have never made something like this before"
"I'll show you. What color do you want to use?" She had selected my favorite color when making my gift so it was only fair to use hers for this task. "What is your favorite color?"
"I like blue"
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30 Minutes Later...
Elizabeth's Pov
Doflamingo had wanted to surprise me so he sent me to wander the halls as he worked on my bracelet. I found myself traveling quite far although one thought did cross my mind, it was in regards to Doflamingo and how he was all alone in this house. He must get lonely and I remember him saying something like that but the terrible things Law had said were also weighing on my mind. "What if Law was telling the truth?" I hadn't known either man for long although Law's eyes reflected so much hurt while Doflamingo kept his covered.
"Get it together. This is only a dream and Law is bat shit insane... What happened to all the lights?" I wanted to continue down the hall although when the hair stood up on the back of my neck I hesitated. The dark was one thing however as I debated with myself, I swore I felt something staring at me. It could have been nothing and I was going to turn around but my feet refused to move. "You should not be here. He is a dangerous man. Run away from this place before he steals away your innocent life. Run!"
"Ahhhhhhh!" My feet had already reacted before I screamed however even as I fled from the hall I never saw anyone. Well, that was until I run straight into Doflamingo causing me to lose my balance. He had managed to hold me steady although that was when I noticed I had been shaking. "What happened Elizabeth? You are shaking and crying as well. Did something give you a fright?" My head immediately turned toward the direction I had fled from but again nothing was chasing me. "I-I don't k-know"
"You should remain by my side. I would hate for anything to happen to you while in my residence. Here I managed to finish your bracelet right before you started to scream" Turning back to Doflamingo I saw he was holding out a bracelet but I was still too shaken up to take it. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you worry" My comment must not have been ideal since he immediately replied to my claim. "I was not worried. There is no one other than us in this house so why would I need to be worried?"
In a way when he turned his head to the side was adorable although I kept that comment to myself. When his attention shifted back to me, I decided to scold him for not seeming to care if I had managed to get hurt. Sure, he had come running to see if I was okay but his attitude had turned cold for no reason. "I could have been hurt" As I waited for him to say something I felt my arm being taken in his own before a blue bracelet was tied on. "Doubtful, your scream was filled with fear not hurt... How do you like it? I hope it is not too loose or tight"
This could have been a way to distract me and even if it was, I was glad to think of anything else than what was in the hall. "No, it's perfect. Thank you" I was looking it over but when Doflamingo spoke up I froze. "You are worried" Hiding my fears wasn't going well although as I looked behind me, I asked him a question. "Are you sure there is no one else in this house?" When looking up at him I saw his smile fade for a second. "Not in years... They all left after the fight and I refused to see any of them since. Why do you ask?"
His tone had so much hurt in it but I pretended not to notice it as I shared my thoughts with him. "There was just this weird feeling in one of the halls. I think my mind is playing tricks on me again but hey look at this. We match now" Holding up my bracelet I knocked it against his before allowing my smile to widen. Even if it had been fake, I didn't care since it seemed to make Doflamingo happy.
"Hm, I suppose we do. How would you like some lunch? It might put your mind at ease. This house is old and even at times, I see things that are not truly there. Fufufu. It always happens in the south wing of the palace. The lack of light does not help matters either" I wonder if that was where I had been? It was a possibility but I didn't dare ask about it. "The south wing?... Lunch sounds good" I had been getting hungry and from what I had tasted last night I knew Doflamingo made delicious meals.
"Yes, the south wing. Fufufu. Best stay away from that wing, it has been condemned for years. You might encounter a mouse or perhaps even a ghost. Follow me and I will prepare you something to eat"
"Alright, lead the way"
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Doflamingo's Pov
I could have prepared lunch of my own although Elizabeth insisted on helping. However, as I looked over at her I was just waiting for the moment she cut a finger off. It would have been a sight to see but I decided to put a stop to her recklessness. "Elizabeth, when you said you would help cut the vegetables, I did not expect you to be this terrible at it. If you are not careful one of those pretty fingers is going to be missing. Actually, you come here. Stir the meat and I will cut the rest"
She refused to leave her spot so I started heading in her direction to teach the stubborn brat a lesson. "Relax, I got th-Ahhhhh!" I slowed my pace as I watched her crimson blood spill onto the tile although I did not find myself wanting to feed on her. No, it was almost sickening to witness it dripping from her fingertips. That was not like me but I pushed it to the back of my mind as I walked toward her. "This is what happens when you do not listen to reason. Let me see" I tried to take her hand in mine or at least I attempted to as she moved it out of my reach. "I'm going to bleed to death!"
"Doubtful... It is a lot of blood although it is not very deep. You are bleeding quite a bit... Hold this tight" I wrapped a clean towel around the wound as I thought of what the best approach would be. "But-" She was not listening so I forced her hand to hold the towel and made sure her grip was tight. "No, hold it there I will be back in a second" This time when I let go her hand remained in place. "W-What are you doing?"
I needed to make sure that mark was gone before she returned home. If it was still in place then she would know this world was real and not a dream. That could not happen just yet so I took a jar from a nearby cabinet before unscrewing the top as I walked back to her. "This should fix you right up. It might feel a little cold but bare through it" I went to take an orb from the jar although Elizabeth was curious about them. "What is that?" The towel keeping her blood inside her body had fallen to the floor but it did not matter much right now. However, I decided to try and get her distracted. "You got blood on my clean floors. I mopped yesterday too"
The way her eyes narrowed caused me to chuckle to myself but thankfully she did not notice. "Excuse me? I'm over here bleeding to death and you're worried about the floors? Some friend you are"
"Fufufu. It was only a joke, my Little Doll. Hold still for me" I went to apply the orb to her wound but she only pulled her hand away. "No" Elizabeth was currently bleeding out and somehow it was not her top priority to allow me to fix her. "What do you mean no?" I tried to reach for her arm to get a better grip but she put a foot out to keep me away from her. Elizabeth was not strong enough to manage to keep me away although I remained still to listen to what she had to say. "I'm not letting you touch me until you tell me what that thing is and your joke wasn't funny"
"This is a healing orb. I kept a few from an old friend before she returned to her own kingdom. Only what remains in this jar are left" I would have thought that answer would have been enough however she only answered another. "What are they made of?" Of course, she would ask that although I was going to keep that a secret. "I am afraid I can not tell you. Now, hold still before you faint from blood loss. I would hate for anything unfortunate to happen to you. You are precious to me after all"
"I'm what to you?"
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To Be Continued...