Richter scans the Abbot's book with troubled blue eyes. He slowly flips through the pages as Olrox peers over his shoulder. After a moment, Belmont sighs and closes the book. He leans back in his chair with a groan.
"I can feel a headache forming if I try to study the words and drawings any longer," he mutters.
Olrox laughs softly and bushes some hair away from Richter's eyes gently.
"Then take a break, Belmont," the Aztec muses, kissing the younger man's forehead.
"Come, dance with me," he smiles.
Richter looks up at him, looking caught off guard.
"Dance? With you?" Richter echoes.
"Do you not know how to?" Olrox asks with a tilted head.
"Does moving my body around to make my whip move count?" Richter guesses.
The Aztec laughs, shaking his head no with amusement.
"No, no, my dear," the vampire muses, holding his hand out to Richter with the other behind his back.
"Let me teach you, if you'd like."
He feels his heart rate spiking again as his face heats up. Figuring he has nothing really left to lose, he takes Olrox's hand and stands. The Aztec smiles, looking genuinely happy.
"Here, let me show you how we have to position ourselves," Olrox guides him, his fingers intertwining with his. He guides Richter's left hand so it rests on the vampire's shoulder.
Richter jolts a little when he feels Olrox's other hand resting on his lower back.
"Do you feel comfortable?" The Aztec asks with a small smile.
"I'm okay," Belmont whispers. "But how do we dance without music?"
Olrox smiles. "I'll guide you for now. Just follow my lead."
Slowly, Olrox takes a few steps and Richter follows. Belmont winces when he steps on the vampire's shoe.
"Sorry," he says sheepishly.
"It's all right. I don't expect you to be a master on your first lesson," Olrox says with an easy smile.
"Besides," the vampire smiles and twirls Richter, making Belmont yelp before having him in his arms again, "there is a night creature that has a surprisingly beautiful voice down in the dungeons."
Richter's eyes widen as he is twirled again, the longer ends of his now clean blue hunting outfit twirling with him.
"You've met Edouard," he realizes, dizzy and giddy from being so close to Olrox. Realizing that Olrox has seen his friend down there.
"You know him?" Olrox muses, slowly moving in a circle while guiding Belmont.
"He's a good friend," Richter informs him. "I have to get him out of there. I promised Annette and the others."
Richter feels Olrox's hold on his hand and back tighten a little bit.
"Going now would be risky," the Aztec informs him, looking more worried for Richter now.
"But who knows what they're doing to him down there," Richter counters.
Olrox sighs a little bit, rubbing Richter's back to comfort him.
"I'll help you get your friend free," he promises Belmont with a soft kiss to his lips.
"Thank you, Olrox," he smiles sadly, flustered at the kiss.
"Of course," Olrox nods, happy. "For now, shall we continue dancing?"
****
Richter sits down next to Olrox under the same tree they were at before. The Aztec has already had his fill of blood, (he always hunts away from Richter, probably to not freak Belmont out), and watches Richter eating another apple.
"Could you eat regular food, even as a vampire?" Richter almost blurts out. The question has been bugging him all day. Olrox looks a little surprised.
"Technically, yes. I could eat normal food, but I would still need blood. It's like how humans rely on water to keep them hydrated," he explains.
Richter hums in reply, taking another bite. That does make sense.
"How long could you survive without blood?" he wonders.
"Perhaps a year, maybe longer," Olrox answers matter of factly. "But my reaction time would be slower, I'd be more prone to anger, lashing out."
"Sounds like you speak from experience," Richter observes.
"Yes, but not my own experience," his voice has a tinge of sadness laced in it.
"What do you mean?" Belmont asks with a tilted head.
Olrox sighs and looks out at the wild flowers blowing gently in the wind.
"My other lover, the Mohican, refused to drink blood after I turned him," he says quietly, looking away from Richter, the sadness clear in his green eyes.
Richter listens quietly.
"He soon went mad. He never drank blood from any of my kills, not even animal blood. I tried to keep him under control, and separate him away from his home village. His people, even his family, grew afraid of him. To the point your mother heard about his rampage."
"And she killed him," Richter fills in. "Now I see why you were so angry."
Olrox remains silent, looking back at Richter with tired eyes. The Aztec gently plucks a daisy from the grass and tucks it behind Richter's ear. Belmont supposes this is Olrox's way of subtly apologizing.
He smiles a little, listening to the leaves rustle above them as it begins to rain.