When I woke the next morning, I noticed the world outside my window had begun to change. The glorious colors of autumn were beginning to bleed. As orange and yellow leaves fell to the ground, viciously red ones grew in their place. This must be the start of the transition into ashe. It'd be the first unique season I'll observe here, and perhaps the most exciting considering it's essentially two months of Halloween.
It's good that the season of evil is upon us. The raised levels of magic energy should help Ricky to recuperate, but I can't wait that long. I've got to do something for him now and I think I know just the thing, and just the little elf and fairy to ask. Ash doesn't have that busy of a job, really. She picks up our guests room once a day, she'll do the dishes for me after dinner, and if she's bored, she'll help Vinny in the garden. The other servants don't care to have their personal spaces disturbed, even if it means their rooms won't get cleaned. I wouldn't mind, but I don't think there's much she can do for a dungeon.
I found her out in the garden, sat on the edge of the fountain reading a book. Yuu was somewhere nearby, too. His sugary scent is unmistakable. I'm beginning to wonder if he has some ability that allows him to sense others nearby because he always seems to know when I'm in the vicinity.
"It's not like you to come out here." He commented as he walked down the path.
Vinny popped out from behind one of the rose bushes, asking, "I'm not in trouble, am I?"
"No," I replied, seeing Ash about to ask. "You're not either. I came to ask a favor. I was thinking about putting together a healing bath for the Master. I'm not very familiar with flowers and all that shit, so I was hoping you could help."
Their faces lit up with joy. From the reading I've done, and from what I've witnessed, healing people is kind of moon elves' whole deal. Fairies, not so much, but they do love nature. Just as quickly as their smiles appeared, they faded and I knew exactly why. There was no mistaking that rough musky scent. I turned around to find Ryan standing a few feet behind me.
"Here to ruin our fun?" I asked.
"No. Actually, I think it's a good idea, but asking them for help isn't going to get you anywhere." He said, "Neither of them are originally from this region. They're just as unfamiliar with the flora here as you are."
"Well, I don't suppose you want to help?" I responded, being perhaps a little overly patronizing. It's not like he hasn't talked down to me several times. When he didn't hit me with a snarky comeback, I realized he was serious and my expression changed.
Ryan sighed, arms crossed, "If you're going to make a big deal of it, I won't."
"Sorry." I replied, "I just want to make him feel better. I'd be grateful for your help."
He looked past me, addressing Yuu. "The Tenshi River, you know where it is?"
"Of course." The elf answered.
"There's a salt on the bed of the river, it's dark red, almost black. The coarser you can find, the better. You shouldn't touch it, but Ash should be fine to. There's some empty mason jars in the pantry you can use to collect it." After receiving their instructions, Ash and Yuu happily fluttered off. Once they were gone, he told me, "Pour a bottle of gräslig in the bath, too. It's a kind of magic infused liquor here. The gifts Ricky came back with after the conference a few months ago, he never unpacked them. There should be a bottle in there. And Vin! Cut a few red roses for Chris. The ones that grow towards the northwest."
I'm not used to him being so cooperative. Even if it was a good thing, I felt uncomfortable seeing him break character. "Thanks. Can I ask, about the salt?"
"The Tenshi River itself is very clean. That's because the minerals it runs over absorbs dark magic, purifying the water. It has negative effects on most people, but on a demon lord..." He trailed off, allowing me to fill in the blanks.
I guess that's not much different than how humans become ill without sunlight, yet vampires thrive in utter darkness. Our souls feed off of that which harms the innocent. I think it's good for the universe. Those who walk in the light may think us to be like a plague, but I see us as equalizers.
Perhaps all of our travel caused Ricky's energy to become imbalanced. I'm sure, at the end of the day, this boils down to depression brought on by facing his past abuser. I'd like to try to think there's something else, though. That way I could actually help him. All these years, all this experience, I've never figured out exactly what to do when a partner falls into the pit of mental agony. Some get angry if you try to help. Others will accept the love you're trying to show them, but you know deep down it's not really making them feel better. Maybe, just maybe, we're the only ones that can truly save ourselves from that kind of pain.
I don't know. I don't have all the answers. While I waited for Ash and Yuu to get back, I went searching through the castle to figure out where those trunks were that Ryan mentioned. I can't believe Ricky hasn't touched them, but then again, I guess I never realized he hadn't. Eventually, I located them in a storage area beneath the staircase. Of course, last place I checked. Luckily, I found the liquor bottle far easier. There's a lot of shit in here. We really should go through it, maybe send some damn thank you notes to some of these people.
There was a ribbon wrapped around the bottle, sealed with a wax stamp. I wonder if that's the seal of the maker of the liquor, or the demon lord who gifted him the bottle. It looked to be the letters "DW" in some fancy text. Who am I to say that's really even English? Might just look like it.
Vinny brought me a few roses he'd clipped from the garden, as Ryan had told him to do. He seems to really enjoy his job as the groundskeeper, which surprised me. I thought he'd be insulted, going from a warrior to a gardener. On the contrary, he was delighted to have a purpose in life beyond being his brother's shadow. But, I get the feeling he's the type of person that could find a way to be happy no matter what he's doing.
—
Ricky's room was dark, the shades drawn completely closed. It was night anyways, but he wouldn't even allow in the moonlight. He hasn't moved from his bed ever since we got back. I'd check on him to make sure he was still breathing. Other than that, I didn't want to bother him. I leaned over his bedside, gently brushing his beautiful hair out of his face and kissing his forehead.
"Hey, baby." I spoke just above a whisper, "I've got a surprise for you."
"I'm not in the mood." He muttered.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter." I replied, "C'mon."
Before I came in, I already had a feeling this is how things would go. I pulled him out of his sheets as delicately as I could, tossing him over my shoulder. He whined, slamming his hand against my back. "Damn it, Chris. I said no!"
"I know you're not in the mood, but just bear with me." I said.
He only groaned in response. Good thing he's too tired to fight back, because he definitely could overpower me if he wanted to. I brought him across the hall to his bathroom, setting him down in front of me. Ricky glared up at me angrily. I simply turned him around, revealing all the effort I'd gone to in order to make him feel better.
His bathroom, just like everything else in the castle, was luxurious. The tub was essentially a giant black basin. Behind it, the windows looked out on our breathtaking view. I lit any candles I could get my hands on. The hot steam rose off the of the water's surface, fresh rose petals floating around in a bath of blood red salt and maroon liquor. It turns out gräslig is similar to spiced whiskey, and thus the room smelled of cinnamon.
"Trying to tell me I stink?" Ricky joked.
"Well, you haven't taken a bath since we got home, and vampires do have very sensitive noses." I brought my hands around his waist, pressing my chest to his back. "I just want to make you feel better. That's all."
He fell silence for a minute. Ricky stood there, watching the spirals of steam twirl across the bath's surface like little ballerinas. The candles danced in the reflection of his icy eyes. "The water's too hot for you to join me, but please stay."
Stay. That's such a powerful word. Just as much as love. I placed a kiss upon the back of his neck, answering, "As you wish."
Ricky rid himself of the little clothes remaining on his body. I removed my jacket and opened the buttons on my shirt to prevent myself from getting too hot. There was a vanity on the left wall, of which I retrieved a chair from so that I could sit beside the tub. Ricky moaned lowly as he relaxed into the water. He let his head slip under, wetting his hair. As he reemerged, his took a revitalizing breath.
For some reason, I'm not sure why, the first day we met popped into my head. Back then, he painted himself as power personified. He intimidated me with the hellish flames he wielded and the intense conviction in his eyes. That man would've rather died than let a stranger see him for the weak and broken person he was inside. I guess I'm not a stranger anymore.
I reached over his chest and placed my hand on his scar. He jumped slightly, looking at me like a scared puppy. "It's okay." I whispered, "Tell me something. Why does it upset you so much? Is it because it's a disfigurement? Or is it because of the reason you have it?"
"Both, I guess. There's other reasons, too. Sometimes it reminds me of..." He sighed, "Devin. He was the one that used to serve me, and the one who attacked Kuza. He used to tell me that he liked my scar. No matter what he said, it didn't make me feel better about it. I've been thinking about him a lot lately. I don't know why."
"Were you and him an item?" I asked.
"I don't know what we were. We slept together, but it just wasn't the same." Ricky placed his hand over mine, of which remained resting on his chest. His skin against mine, it felt so amazing. I loved to feel his heartbeat. "He was always possessive, even of the things he didn't want. Now that other people have seen you, seen us together, it's only a matter of time before word gets around to him. He'll be mad."
"Demon lord or not, a jealous ex doesn't concern me."
Ricky replied, "Hm, honestly, if he ever meets you and he doesn't realize who you are, he'd try to sleep with you. He's a whore. I don't have any room to talk, though. I didn't put any effort forth to restrain myself for several years. That's changed now."
"What changed?"
He switched his position, leaning over the edge of the bath to bring our faces together. "You know what changed." Ricky pressed our lips together. He was so warm from the water, I felt like I was going to melt. I dealt with the discomfort because I was just happy to witness a little life in him. When he pulled back, though, I could still see it written all over his face. He was in agony. Yet, he still looked so fucking gorgeous.
"I-" Shit. My words were getting caught up in my throat. I placed my hands on either side of his face, holding my precious beauty. "Ricky, I love you."
—
a/n
aye, send your predictions/opinions on whether or not Ricky should say it back <3