After Alfred calmed down and I stopped shaking, I signed my name with my own blood, and Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert left their seals in a triangular shape. Francis's seal was a raven with a small silver crown, Antonio's was a lion with a golden crown, Gilbert's was a wolf with a crown made of thorns.
"How do I make a seal?" I asked.
"If you vant to start designing it, you can. Ve like to have something in common vith each though, ve each have an animal ve relate to personally or spiritually vith different crowns."
An animal I relate to?
Alfred's crest was very similar to most American stamps, a bald eagle soaring freely in front of the American flag. But the flag was outdated, one of the first American flags. Alfred must've been born around that time. I wonder if he went through the revolutionary war, in which case he might be someone to thank for helping create a safe place to live, free of British tyrants. But that was all besides the point.
Right now, I wondered what my seal would be.
The first two things that came to mind were a cat and a dragon. Both are cool. I relate to a cat on personal levels; I pretty much act like one. Dragons are just awesome, and I've always loved them and wished I could be one, I also really like toothless the night-fury, but I'm pretty sure I can't use that as a personal crest/stamp.
I decided to ask their opinion.
"What animal do you think I'd be?"
"Snake," Francis answered immediately.
"Squirrel," Antonio responded blandly.
Lastly, Gilbert decided excitedly, "emu!"
"The fuck kind of answers were Squirrel and emu!?" I spat, and Francis snickered.
"Squirrels are really fast and energetic and constantly almost dying?" Antonio defended, and Francis sighed.
"Emus are awesome giant birds! Vhey're cute and fluffy, but vhey can totally dismember you!" He beamed, and I facepalmed. He looked at Antonio and Francis and Alfred, who all seemed equally disappointed in him.
"Oh come on, it's not vhat bad? Besides vhy don't ve have some variety in our crests? Most vampires just choose some normal animal. Vike Vlad is a bat, Vasch is also a wolf, Vily is a rabbit, Anna chose a bear, Ivan is also a bear, no one has a damn emu? Ve have normal animals like a lion, wolf, and raven, vhy can't __ have an emu?"
"It's not that you thought of emu it's that I remind you of a damn emu?" I berated.
"The Australians vost a var to vhem, Vhat's pretty awesome!?"
"You know what I like spiders?"
"I don't want a spider in our crest?" Francis cringed, and Antonio laughed at him.
"But they're so cute!"
"On what planet in what universe?" He argued horrified, and it was all too hilarious to me how seriously he took this. I couldn't help but laugh, and he calmed down a little, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Fine, I'll be a cat."
"Zhat's kind of plane-"
"So is a damn bird, Francis."
Gilbert laughed too loudly, and Alfred was barely containing himself, watching us argue about animal crests.
"Okay fine, what's your heritage, choose the national animal?" Alfred suggested, tired of just sitting back and watching us.
"A little bit of everywhere," I mumbled.
"That's doesn't help narrow things down..." Antonio sighed.
"We've left our crests already we just need ___ to use 'er fingerprint for now," Francis decided to wrap things up and discuss crests later on.
Alfred nodded and poured my blood onto a spongy tray. He let it drain a little, and I pressed my finger into it, it acted just like an ink pad. I looked at my finger closely before Alfred directed my hand to where I should put it.
"We're done now; let's go 'ome shall we. Gilbert, Toni, and I want to talk when we get 'ome," Francis warned, and Gilbert gulped nervously and gave me a scared look.
I held his hand and followed Toni and Francis out into the hallway.
We made the twists and turns of the house intentionally designed for you to get lost, and on our way out the door ran into Vasch and his coven returning. They wore black cloaks like Dracula, and the stereotype made me laugh on the inside. I wouldn't laugh out loud as to not possibly offend anyone.
Anna saw me, smiled, and blushed, and I made a mistake; instead of saying goodbye, all I could think to say was, "Ivan, huh?"
And then she ran and hid in embarrassment, and Vasch glared at me while some of his clan laughed.
Francis apologized for me while Gilbert laughed his ass off and kindly shoved us out the door to our car.
Francis opted to drive, per usual, and Toni sat beside him in the front while Gilbert sat with me in the back.
"Okay, back to animals," I insisted.
Thus started an hour-long conversation of why I wasn't an emu.