Happy Halloween everyone! Hopefully you all have a good time doing whatever you plan to do~
***
"Father...," Goth murmured, trying to subtly hide his bloody cloak behind himself as he sat up on the bed. The newcomer's red pinpricks slid between the young vampire and the young monster, narrowing on the latter. Palette could swear the temperature in the room dropped purely from their gaze.
This is Lord Death?
As they made their way into the room toward Palette, Goth scrambled off the bed and placed himself in their pathway. Raising his hands in a placating gesture, the small vampire shouted, "Father, wait! Let me explain!"
They towered over him, staring silently as he cleared his throat, "This is my friend, Palette. He helped me when a group of game hunters attacked me, but they ended up burning his home down in retaliation and now he has nowhere else to go. So... I offered to let him live with us."
The smaller shuffled nervously when silence met the end of his explanation. Goth's gaze fell to the floor as he muttered, "I'm sorry, Father. I couldn't just abandon him after he helped me and-"
In a flash, Death had wrapped his arms around the younger, pulling them up to his chest and earning a startled squeak. The elder laid his skull upon theirs, breathing out, "Thank the stars that brought you back to me."
"You're... not mad?" Goth inquired cautiously.
The small vampire was swiftly raised up and held aloft as Death yelled, "Of course I'm mad, I'm absolutely furious! Hearing that my son went off on his own again, only to come back covered in his own blood with a tagalong mortal! It has me tempted to raze the village that would commit such atrocities toward my own kin once more!"
The parent glanced toward Palette, sighing as his anger petered out. He brought Goth back down to socket level, "But I know from past experience that violence only begets more violence. Lashing out would make us no better than the ignorant mortals that attack us.
"Just as I have seen proof of great malevolence from mortals, I have also seen proof of great benevolence as well. One small group should not speak for an entire race, and another rampage would only serve to destroy our coven's safety. I would rather we not be forced to relocate again."
The elder pulled his son in for another embrace, his voice taking on a hushed tone as if warding off a curse, "You came back alive and able, that is the most important thing to me... but promise me you will never go off on your own like that ever again. You're all I have left in this world... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too."
Goth returned the hug, burying his face into his dad's cloak, "I'm sorry, Father, I didn't mean to make you worry. I promise I'll always have someone with me whenever I leave the village in the future."
"That's all I could possibly ask for," The older vampire smiled gratefully. Adjusting Goth in his grip, he approached Palette and asked, "As for you... you are the mortal that helped my son?"
Palette jumped slightly, not expecting to become the center of attention so soon, "Y... yes! My name is Palette Roller, Lord Death sir. Everything Goth said was true... I hope my being here won't cause any problems."
Death crouched down, placing his son next to him and reaching for Palette's tensed shoulder.
Both relaxed when the elder smiled, "Then you have my eternal gratitude for aiding my son and, as long as you don't stir up trouble, my blessing to stay here for as long as you see fit.
"Also, call me Reaper, or Lord Reaper if you must. I prefer the name my late husband coined for me over my given name. It sounds much less morbid."
Palette gave a hesitant nod, which caused Reaper's smile to grow.
"Now that that's out of the way," Reaper turned to his son, "I smell the blood and I saw the cloak you tried to hide, how are you feeling? Do you need anything? Medical attention? Blood? Do you have your vials with you?"
Palette blinked at the old vampire's transition in demeanor since arriving.
This is the same vampire that stopped me cold with just his intimidating aura, and now he's acting like a normal doting parent.
"No, they kind of got broken...," Goth averted his gaze, rubbing his arm like a scolded child. Looking up to find his father's sockets furrowing, he quickly added, "But I'm alright! Palette gave me some blood when he helped me, so I'm good!"
Reaper's scowl was replaced with surprise, followed by a sly grin as he gave a sideways glance towards the monster, "Oh, did he now? I take it he knows about your biting situation?"
Both youngsters nodded their heads in unison, making the elder laugh, "Wonderful! He's a keeper, Goth, you would do well to claim him as your blood servant before someone else snatches him up."
The small vampire's sockets bulged as he sputtered, "Wh... what?! NO!"
"And why not?" Reaper countered, standing up and crossing his arms, "He knows about your aversion to biting, yet this Palette fellow was able to get you to accept blood from him despite that. That shows his acceptance for your preferences and his ability to find a workaround that you deemed acceptable."
"I know, but that was an emergency... and...," his son floundered for some way to counter his father's words.
Palette interjected, catching Reaper's attention, "Goth wouldn't be required to bite me if I became his blood servant, right? Would I be able to do what he does now, toting around blood in a container that I can pass off to him if he needs it?"
"I don't see why not," the elder vampire mused, tapping his finger against his chin in contemplation, "it would probably need to be something more sturdy than glass vials, though..."
"You two can't be serious!" Goth squawked.
Reaper turned to his son with a stony expression, "I'm absolutely serious. Your inability to bite others puts you at a distinct disadvantage, so having a servant that's focused specifically on your wellbeing is essential for you, especially if that servant's willing to work around your preferences without a fuss. That was the main reason you were having problems keeping a servant, after all.
"Besides, you know full well what happens to unclaimed mortals around here. He would be fair game for any vampire that desires him and he wouldn't be able to refuse them if they decide to claim him by force."
Goth clenched his fists in frustration, stomping his foot into the floor, "But Palette's my friend! Claiming him would make others see him as a piece of property."
"Only if you treat him that way," the elder retorted, "By claiming him, you'll know he's not being manhandled or mistreated by another vampire and will be able to assure his safety from anyone who would. No one else would be able to touch him without your express consent unless he was being detained for a criminal act. If you're really set on him living among us and you truly consider him your friend, then claiming him yourself would be the best thing you could do for him."
Goth glared stubbornly at the floor in silence.
Palette reached out, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, his expression sympathetic as he implored, "Goth, I want to do this. I want to help you. If I'm going to end up being claimed as someone's servant anyway by staying here, then I'd rather it be you. Your consideration for my feelings already tells me you would be a good master. Please?"
Goth stared for a moment, then turned away, placing his hands over his face and making a noise the monster could only describe as a mix between a screech and a groan.
The young vampire fell silent afterward, defeat lacing his words as he addressed his father, "Fine, you win... have one of your blood servants place an order with the smithy for a pin and a cuff to be made with my mark on it."
Palette let out a cheer, sweeping the startled vampire into a spinning hug that lifted him slightly off the ground and put a lavender blush on his face.
"I'll make sure the items are ready by morning, you two get some rest," Reaper chuckled as he strolled casually out of the room.
"Will do!" Palette stopped mid-spin, popping to attention dutifully as the door shut, Goth still dangling in his arms.
"What have I done?" the smaller moaned to himself, leaning his skull back to rest against his new servant's chest.
"Only recruited the best blood servant ever!" his friend answered excitedly, only to ask moments later, "So other than providing blood, what else does a blood servant do?"
"You agreed to be a blood servant without knowing all the details?" Goth groaned, staring up at him.
"Well... you needed one and I would have eventually ended up as one. I figured I could learn on the job?" Palette reasoned, still smiling brightly.
Clenching his sockets shut, Goth groaned louder, "Paaaaleeeette!"
***
And here ends my Halloween fic. I might have a second part for this at some point, but I have to play around with the idea first.
Word count: 1,540