Dire Consequences; Relocated

[Existentially Odd]

From \'Dire Consequences\'

The entire way from Mandy\'s apartment to his home, Kerr thought about two things; how he would get inside and what he would do when he did. Since the former was really not much of a thought monopoliser, it gave him a lot of time to concentrate on the latter. And get mad. Prompted by the horrors of the evening and the empty despair he was confining deliberately to his deepest secret places, the unresolved issue of exactly who had alerted the Oligarchy to his rebellious ways became a blinding fury directed at one person; Sawyl. There was no room for doubt; not when he\'d experienced the greatest horror of his existence in at least the last three centuries this evening, all with no support from the beings who supposedly loved him the most. Or at least needed him the most. Again... supposedly.

Kerr punched the code into the automated gate with growing anger, practically flying through as soon as the metal structure had rolled aside. On the verandah, he walked to a large marble planter holding a beautifully-trimmed miniature orange tree - too large and heavy for any mortal to lift - and hefted it aside to retrieve the spare key hidden beneath it. Once he\'d opened the front door and disabled the alarm, he replaced it, knowing that even if a supernatural ever chanced to see his secret hiding place and open the door, it was highly unlikely they\'d bypass the security measures in place. Still, he glanced furtively about as the key was used and replaced, making sure - to the best of his ability - that he wasn\'t watched.

Once inside, he slammed the front door and raced up the stairs three at a time, bellowing as he went.  "Sawyl!" He didn\'t wait for an answer and only frowned when his head suddenly lit up with the buzz of enquiry from the twins. He strode through to the child\'s bedroom, expecting he\'d be either in bed or getting ready for it (since dawn was just under two hours away), finding himself slightly at a loss when he found the room empty.

Where are you?

His mental probe yielded no response, so he spun on his heel and stalked through to the twins\' room, flinging their double doors open in his most dramatic entrance yet. Three sets of eyes swivelled avidly towards him; three minds poking and twisting their convoluted way through all his pain and anguish this night without waiting for him to speak or to be invited. It spurred him on, made him more violent than he\'d intended; he lurched forward, his face twisted with rage, and grabbed his sire around the throat, wrenching him from his secure position.

Until that point, Sawyl had spent quite a nice evening with his mothers. He\'d brought them a pair of dazed lovers he\'d found canoodling in Pisky Memorial Park - dazed once he\'d Dominated their minds, anyway - they\'d all had their fill of blood, toyed with the pliant mortal minds a little and then let them go like pigeons that had flown into a clean glass window and plopped dumbly to the ground, kept warm until the dizziness had worn off and then been released to their own devices, none the wiser. After that, they\'d settled in - after a bath and showers to wash off the various bodily fluids they\'d taken sinful delight in coaxing the young lovers to spill upon one another with unconscious abandon... that had somehow managed to leak upon the vampire trio as well... no doubt due to their positioning at the time - to watch a DVD on the set in Meinwen and Dei\'s bedroom.

Sawyl had snuggled up in his blue satin pyjamas between the two women, gathering great curtains of their golden blonde curls - so like his own, except their hair was much longer and prettier - around his small body as he watched the large plasma screen set into the wall. Stroking it rhythmically along his torso, rubbing strands repeatedly beneath his nose or simply closing his eyes and letting it fall ticklishly across his face, he\'d been having a fabulously cosy time. The frequent kisses and coos of love from both adoring, sated women were lovely, too. All in all, his attention had been equally divided between the sweet Reese Witherspoon movie and the waves of adulation flowing over him.

Until his progeny decided to walk right in and blow it all to Hell by grabbing him round the throat, hauling him right out of his warm spot - sending his mothers into a hissing, squealing frenzy - and shoving a decidedly angry face right into his startled one.

"What the fuck did you do?" Kerr demanded in a yell that set the beautiful dolls still on the couch scrambling to get away. They scurried, wide-eyed (because they were excited, not scared), to the other end of their specially designed seat, to get a better view.

"Nothing," Sawyl answered calmly, seeing exactly what he was being held responsible for in Kerr\'s mind. A slow smile turned his beautful lips into a tragedy.

"Don\'t fucking lie to me!" the adult screeched and flung the miniature vampire with all of his might, attempting to crush him against the wall beside the entranceway. A sob issued forth as the boy was released, hardly out of place in the emotion-charged air, and certainly noticeable in the silence.

The twins ducked as their son sailed over their joined heads but there was no need for their cringing; Sawyl managed to gather himself hastily enough that he stopped, mid-air, hovering about a metre away from the wall and two above the floor, the limits of his talent on full display for the first time.

Kerr was devestated. "Fuck!" he cried, falling to his knees, horrified that his sire was able to not only defy gravity and every ounce of his force, but also deny him any satisfaction.  He wanted to rip and tear, maim and break; to take out every pent up frustration and hateful drop of fucking guilt that was poisoning his system... and he knew Sawyl could take it. Unlike the mortals he\'d sentenced with his own stupidity. Plus, he wouldn\'t be punished for taking it out on him... his vile sire. But the child would never give him that satisfaction; the smile only grew as he began to float gently down to the carpet and then waddle casually over to Kerr\'s defeated body.

"There, there," he whispered, brushing pudgy hands through Kerr\'s hair as he stepped close enough to rest his elbows on the broad shoulders now at his level; to rest his cherubic face atop the soft brown hair; to shush and murmur comforting nothings as he stroked the hair at his guardian\'s nape. "It wasn\'t me, love. I didn\'t tell anyone anything."

Kerr was lost in a storm of emotion; he wrapped his arms about the child and clenched him so hard that he would have suffocated him, had he needed to breathe - or retain functioning internal organs. He cried like he hadn\'t since he was embraced; the boy had held him then, too. He\'d told him of love and adoration, promised that everything would be fine because he had made of the simple nobleman a champion; a force of good and strength, who would do so much more, that he oughtn\'t mourn what was lost, but celebrate what was gained. The irony of that moment and this were not lost on Kerr. It seemed a circle of effect had run its course; the ripple had died and there was nothing to it, after all.

Just a smooth surface. He was blank, even though he sobbed hard enough to shake his enormous body and force the tiny one he was crushing to support him. He\'d been created to champion a cause that had no right demanding such things. By nature, he was a travesty - an ill will, a destructive force that stole life and revered nothing - for he was owed the respect.  He, who would exist forever in a state of beauty and untouchable stoicism, would do all the harm he shouldn\'t and give back nothing. The moment he\'d tried to give to one and enlighten the other, his own kind - supernaturals - had seen fit to enact a revenge that both humbled and elevated him. Remind him that he was beyond such trivialities - and to prove it, he would watch them suffer as he would never have to do; watch them cry out and strain their weak bodies; buckle, as his proud and eternal shell never would. They would break him, to prove that he could not be broken.

This was the knowledge - the irony - that twisted him back to emptiness. They became stained, because he could not. He was blank, while she was cut and he was... God only knew where and in what condition. And Sawyl had not been to blame; he had. Always him. Always... always. Forever, he would be. They would ache, they would cry, they would scream and bleed and he... wouldn\'t. But eternally he would be.  What fucking sense was there in that, if he couldn\'t ever be the champion he\'d been told he would be? If he walked quietly upon the earth but tainted it with every step? What fucking good was he?  He hated it, for he feared it.  He\'d feared becoming this and now he feared losing it.

And Sawyl knew it.

Breaking away abruptly, he was on his feet and a step away from the little immortal before the thought could sink any further into his crawling skin. "I\'m bringing her here," he stated, his voice hatefully uneven with restrained emotion.

Three pairs of enormous blue eyes - two sets sky blue, one set dark, dark blue - blinked at him. He\'d managed to get the thought out before they\'d read it, because his mind was in such turmoil. He couldn\'t gauge their feelings on the matter from their expressions; was too worn out to press his own mind into theirs. He just wanted it to be over... to curl up in a ball and sleep for two years, waking up only when Mandy\'s scars had healed, and she had found her way back to smiling again. In two years she might have found a way to forgive him because he was a bad dream, a horrific memory that she\'d managed to push from her mind and life. A scar that dwelt deep in her secret places, where she didn\'t have to look too often.

"This is our home," Sawyl answered testily, his angelic face marred by a frown of obstinacy.

"She needs to be cared for."

"Heal her with your blood," he sneered.

"I can\'t," Kerr ground out, jaw clenched.

"Why not?"

"It will get... worse."

"Noooo," the baby voice jeered, as if he were speaking to a person of very limited intellect, "your blood will make her better."

"The Oligarchy will make her punishment worse."

Sawyl giggled and the hideousness of the pretty little tinkle was only appreciated by the one who couldn\'t bear to hear it. "Why should we care?"

"Because I do."

"You\'ve done an awful lot of that lately," Sawyl hissed, eyes narrowing. Although the words were said nastily, there was a thoughtful look stirring in the blue orbs... as if he was only just beginning to draw conclusions about this. Truly... he had thought it only a phase that Kerr would pass through. Perhaps it wasn\'t to be treated so lightly; perhaps his conditioning over the past four centuries would all come to nought if he didn\'t pay this more mind.

"And you\'ve done none," the adult criticised, lapsing into Gaelic in his passionate condemnation.

"They\'re mortals," Wyl scoffed in the same language, glancing at his creation\'s shoes... like he would see multitudes of humans gathered there, where they belonged... beneath their feet.

"They\'re my friends.  And my responsibility.  I\'m bringing her here - and if I find Ben, and he\'s hurt, he\'ll come too.  And none of you will object, let alone interfere. Or so help me I\'ll... " he broke off just when he was beginning to get worked up into righteous anger again. He wouldn\'t have these twisted beings interfering with Mandy\'s recuperation. Or her life.  Perhaps - more accurately - it was that he couldn\'t, but he wouldn\'t bother to restate it.  He\'d said enough to make his point.

Sensing a moment of direst import, the twins chose that moment to speak. They\'d sensed correctly; Sawyl was shocked that Kerr had even begun to threaten such things (even though they were unnamed), and Kerr was equally as stunned that the words had even found their way beyond his lips. He regretted the veiled threat, wishing desperately to take it back; especially with the heavily pregnant silence that had swelled between them.

"He thinks that we\'re
not important any more.  That
we\'re not his responsibility
                 anymore," they said.

Where one began speaking, the other took over at a random word, their voices hypnotic in their lovely, feminine tones and Welsh lilt. More girly and childish than even their son did they sound; lovely as sirens atop a rock and all the more powerful for the knowledge that their interbred sentences disconcerted those they spoke to. Their brains were entwined, their thoughts not separate; they moved and processed cognitively as one. They spoke separately briefly, together at the last. Their pretty, open faces - cheeks slightly pink from the feeding they\'d had, eyes surrounded by thick cinnamon-coloured lashes that their son had inherited, dominating small, red mouths (that their son had not got from them, thankfully) leering at the odour of dissent entering the household - spoke volumes of their excitement. A rift was forming; would Sawyl and Kerr let it fester or mend it?

"No!" Kerr shouted again, glaring at the hateful women that strove always to make things worse. His gaze was imploring as he stared into Sawyl\'s eyes. "No," he repeated, more quietly and with obvious sincerity, "that\'s not it at all. But I need to acknowledge my fault in this. And take responsibility for what I have done.  At least until it\'s better."

Without realising, he\'d slipped back into modern English, ready to follow through on everything he\'d said. He waited for the eldest vampire to say something - anything - but that haunting expression of calculated thought and brewing... something... didn\'t come with words, apparently. He\'d obviously said too much. Enough, at the very least, to make his position clear, and that would have to do for now. Gnawing on his tongue stud, he walked out of the room as quickly as he\'d entered it, driven now by the need to gather his mortal charge and find some peace. In her presence, in the knowledge of her safety, in slumber, if it would come. Right then, he didn\'t give a flying fuck, so long as all this pain would just... stop.

~*~

The sky was beginning to lighten noticeably as the kitchen door finally closed behind Kerr. His vehicle was securely closed in the garage, all the gates locked in place and Mandy once again back in his arms. All the movement had opened her wounds again but he hesitated only long enough to get a bottle of water from his fridge (how lucky he had some mortal food on hand) before getting her upstairs and into his bedroom, planning to wipe her down once she was settled. He set her on her feet beside the bed - she was so drowsy he was sure she didn\'t even know what he was doing to her as he held her swaying form with one hand, put the bottle of water and her bag on his bedside table, then pulled the covers back with his other - then removed the towel from her neck before encouraging her down onto the mattress. He\'d need to replace the sheets tomorrow night; he hadn\'t paid nearly enough attention to his laundry recently.

As Mandy hugged a pillow and mumbled something unintelligible into it, he got a washcloth and rinsed off her seeping lashes yet again, regretting the late hour and the fact that he couldn\'t get any sort of antiseptic cream from a chemist to aid her recovery. Again, that would have to wait \'til the next night. When he was done, he turned on the light that ran along the edge of the other side of the bed - which he\'d used when last he\'d had a mortal here, he realised as a painful twist of irony stabbed his dead heart - so that she\'d be able to see and realise where she was if she woke up. He also left the bathroom light on.

Finding himself hovering over her, he knew that it was time to get himself looked after - or he\'d be in no condition to care for anyone. He kicked his shoes off in his wardrobe and shuffled blearily into Sawyl\'s room, closing bedroom doors but not locking them as he went. His mind had become mush in his fatigued state, but he had the presence of mind to turn on the alarm system as he passed the stairs, shuddering at the perceptible change of light leaking up through the void. Sawyl was curled neatly in the middle of his bed. Kerr stripped, dropping every item of clothing negligently on the floor, and crawled in beneath the covers beside his sire. The child would not be phased by his nudity - nor his proximty - when he awoke in under twelve hours... and Kerr was beyond caring about anything by that stage.  He fell asleep faster than he ever had.

~*~

Sawyl was immensely pleased when his large blue eyes opened in the early darkness of twilight in just ten and a bit hours; his guardian was spread nakedly beside him, sound asleep, and there was a new mortal nearby.  Smiling, he worked himself beyond Kerr\'s contact and padded into his bedroom (happy that the door wasn\'t locked this time). Gingerly, he climbed up onto the large bed, settling himself in a neat cross-legged pose beside the slumbering woman, pudgy hands tucked into the space between his thighs, toying with the tip of a mussed ringlet.

The woman - Mandy, he mentally corrected - was turned his way but his gaze only took in her pretty features briefly, before he was distracted by the pink hair... and the gashes in her back. They were eloquent in the tale of horror they told - and no doubt the cause of the fact that she was still asleep after so long - and his attention was rapt as he gazed at them. Mortals normally slept less than twelve hours (often much less), in his experience anyway, but he was prepared to wait by her side for as long as it took. He just hoped she\'d awaken before Kerr did; he\'d prefer to speak with her alone, first.

   

   

   

[Mandy]

...aching....

 It was the first sensation Mandy became aware of as her mind made the languid journey back to awareness; a throaty moan escaping her slightly swollen lips in reply. Such exquisite pain... would it only continue to worsen as time went on? Perish the thought. She winced, curling a portion of bedding tightly within the balls of her hands and - taking in deep lungsful of air - attempted to overcome the throbbing pain, pulsing mercilessly along her back. To her great misfortune however, this task was easier said than done. Clenching her teeth, Mandy wrestled with the desperate urge to cry out in agony...

   That was when she noticed it.

 A strange sensation washed over the mortal`s body (like a wave of lukewarm water), distracting her mind from the severity of her pain - if only for the briefest of moments. What was this? It felt as though someone was watching her... that she were suddenly not alone.

Kerr?

Could it be? Was he there with her, waiting patiently for his wounded charge to wake? How long had she been sleeping for, if the vampire had already returned to her side? Given the dire condition of her health, there was no telling how many hours had passed... maybe even days.

 Confused and disorientated, Mandy forced her eyes to open - squinting through the limited light, for the familiar form of her vampiric companion.

[Existentially Odd]

Sawyl\'s hands stilled and his gaze was drawn back from contemplating the curtains that had now lost all semblance of light behind them - stupid Kerr, with his stupid notions that layers of curtaining was better than the wooden boards and multiple layers of curtains over his windows and sliding door; a vampire was likely to die if a storm decided to hit one day or his window got broken somehow - and he watched the woman.  Kerr had left a light on for her but she was still snuffling about and appeared to have some sort of problem with her vision, judging by the way her head kept bobbing up and down.  Of course, it could also have been wavering from pain and she was no longer looking in his direction, either.

"Hello," he piped up, smiling his friendliest smile for when her head swivelled to look at him.  It wouldn\'t do to have the mortal uncomfortable.  "It\'s almost seven p.m.," he told her helpfully - even though she was looking directly at the alarm clock that told her it was 6:48.  She may not realise it was night again, though.

[Mandy]

Mandy blinked with surprise, unable to determine which startled her more; the unbelievable passage of time, or the angelic voice who revealed it to her. 7:00pm... how was such a thing even possible? Hell, if it really were so late, that would mean that she`d been out for well over... 15 hours! It was a staggering number to digest, a hardship made even harder by the fact that someone other than Kerr was present to explain this to her. That had not been the comforting timber of her vampiric companions voice she`d heard just now... so, whom did it belong to?

   Toying at the possibility that she might still be asleep, (the close proximity of a stranger, nothing more than the creative conjuring\'s of her slumbering mind) the pink-haired mortal turned her head to search out the truth, groaning soundly at the expected twist of pain which ran down the length of her back. Lucky for her, she need`nt look very far for an answer... unluckily however, what she found, didn`t settle the dispute of whether or not she was still dreaming, not in the least...

   A young boy?

 Mandy blinked, questioning her eyes - disbelieving what she saw - and made to look again. Either she was playing victim to one of the most realistic fancy`s she`d ever produced... or the situation concerning her recovery just got a little more confusing. Wetting the pillows of her dry lips, she hesitated a moment to consider what she was seeing.

 He had a cherubs face, further accentuated by an impossible head of curls (which curtained his pudgy cheeks and tumbled playful out of view). Her eyes combed in brief over the youths attire but failed to register what it was that she saw. Clothing was the least of her curiosity at the moment, though... she did manage to take note of his posture before returning her gaze to his features. He sat criss crossed before her, his rosy little expression stretched into a deeply inviting smile... hands clasped patiently before him. How old was he... 8 or 9, maybe? Perhaps a little younger? In either case, there was no denying his angelic beauty and instant charm. Actually, the more Mandy stared, the more the young boy came to remind her of a porcelain doll, innocent and flawless.

   She absolutely had to be dreaming.

   "H... hello," she whispered (with a mixture of weakness and careful contemplation) privately wilting at how feeble she sounded in her reply, "Who... who are you?"

[Existentially Odd]

"I\'m Sawyl," he responded, positively beaming as her baffled thoughts came tumbling so easily into his mind.  She was perfectly easy to read; but what he didn\'t know was how she\'d react to hearing him identified as the figure she\'d made almost mythic in her mind - the \'man\' that had sired Kerr, the creature of the night, the mysterious he... the image taking on some truly interesting roles in her head... most that he couldn\'t quite interpret because they were buried so deep.  Lover?  Father?  He saw those but... hardly!  His smile was beatific as he lifted a chubby had to serenely soothe her brow.  "And you\'re Mandy Lynn," he told her liltingly.

[Mandy]

An icy chill ran up one side of Mandy`s body and down the other as the small boy`s identity was made known - a vicious torrent of emotions and confusion appearing promptly to follow. Sawyl? This seemingly innocent and darling child - was Sawyl? But... if such a thing were true, that would make him... a vampire. Her heart missed a beat. A child... vampire? He had sired Kerr? The unspoken horror of it all left Mandy nearly as breathless as did the physical pain wracking her body. My God... what kind of a monster would make a monster of one so young?

Ah, the \'joys\' of being at a loss for words. Obviously, this was not a twist the wounded mortal had anticipated.

She expected to feel anger and resentment - jealousy and contempt... not empathy. She`d played out the scenario of Meeting Kerr`s sire, so many times, that to stray from the plan of attack now... seemed utterly surreal. He was only a child... or at the very least, a man trapped inside a child\'s body - for surely, he`d been alive a great deal longer than she. But even keeping that remarkable fact in mind, Mandy Lynn found it difficult to harbour any measure of ill-feeling toward him... much to her lingering dismay.

All the anger and frustration she`d planned to release upon her vampiric rival... all the damning facts she`d hoped to throw back into his preternatural face, none of it seemed justified anymore. Whether he was a killer or not (or possessed Kerr`s heart in a way Mandy would never be able to fully understand nor compete against) she simply could not bring herself to release her festering anger on Sawyl.

And for the hundredth time in the last few days, the pink haired clerk found herself damning the tender muscle beating passionately within the cage of her chest...

"I\'m Sawyl... and you\'re Mandy Lynn,"

   She swallowed as the tiny vampire`s pudgy hand came to caress her brow, forcing her mind to formulate some form of reply, lest her silence serve to upset him. Innocent looking or not - he was what he was... and she had no idea (as of yet), if Sawyl would be as caring a vampire as Kerr,

   "I... I am," she answered in a hushed tone, blanching as she attempted to shift on her side that she might face the immortal more directly.

She wanted to remark on the preservation of his tender age... to offer a comment of condolence and compassion on the condition that was his existence, but somehow - she got the distinct impression that her pity would not be well received. Not when she was of such a pitiable state herself. Instead, Mandy came to utter the first unintrusive statement she could think of (given the circumstances), "T-thank-you... for letting me stay in your home, until I`m feeling better," Nervous pause, "I appreciate your tolerance."

[Existentially Odd]

Ohhhh and didn\'t he just like her so much more than Ben, suddenly? That arrogant fuck had never seen fit to acknowledge Sawyl\'s elevation in the household; he\'d always been too busy maintaining Kerr as the be-all and end-all. This lovely creature, however, not only wore her heart (and mind) on her sleeve, she had the grace to go with her unquestionable beauty, placing her as a clear front runner for Sawyl\'s indulgence. Possibly even his affections, if she managed to prove her sincerity.
 
His smile turned into a beam as he mimicked her actions and slid gracefully down onto his side (facing her), snuggling up with minimal disturbance upon the sheet - due primarily to his satin pyjamas but also the manufacture of the no-partner-disturbance mattress. He glanced at her bare breasts but his gaze focussed on her eyes as his little hand snuck out to caress her cheek, stroking it gently and repetitively. "That\'s alright," he crooned, in the manner of an adult comforting a wailing child. "Kerr should have known better. He should make it up to you. He doesn\'t know the proper way to deal with mortals," he mused apologetically, the irony of his statements - completely contradicting his sentiments from the night previous - totally lost on him. "He should have been whipped too," the child declared in his melodic baby voice, nodding gently, as if agreeing with his decision.
 
Did she hate him? Sawyl couldn\'t quite tell but he rather hoped she had convinced herself that Kerr was not worth her time or energy. Her thoughts seemed delightfully jumbled and though he couldn\'t fathom much of where one ended and another began, he enjoyed watching her process his words... while he waited for her (hopefully) agreement.

[Mandy]

She wasn`t sure how she should feel upon hearing the whole of Sawyl`s words. They appeared of good-intent, but somehow... managed to retain a certain air of indignity to them. Perhaps in his mind, the things he said and the way he said them were actually intended to soothe, however... Mandy couldn`t help but wonder at his meaning all the same.

"...He doesn\'t know the proper way to deal with mortals,"

   Deal? What on Earth was that supposed to mean? Did he refer to Kerr`s inability to handle situations with mortals with much grace, or was the statement alluding to something more... something a little less flattering? And then there was Sawyl`s declaration that his companion should have been whipped as well. By all respects, any other individual might have insisted that only kerr - the main source of all the heart-ache - should have been made to suffer... that Mandy should not have been whipped at all. Did Sawyl actually believe that she deserved any measure of the punishment she was forced to endure?

  She closed her eyes, succumbing to the unnaturally calming effect the demon-child\'s touch had against her skin and contemplated the validity of her concerns. Her initial reaction, was to defend her mortal status - but that was before taking certain truths into consideration. It was quite possible that Sawyl (much like Kerr) was not well versed in the art of interacting with those not of a supernatural origin. She could hardly hold it against him. Besides - it was practically impossible to harbour any measure of offense when... aside from his less than tactful wordings - Sawyl was basically siding with her on the matter.

   Mandy was still bitter with Kerr and believed it well within her rights to feel as such. This pain would not go away over night. And although she did`nt exactly see eye to eye with Sawyl on all that he condemned his fledgling for, she could not deny a secret sense of satisfaction hidden deep within the immortals articulation`s. How interesting that the very being Kerr fought so passionately for (claiming to be his one and only beloved)... could speak so harshly of him now - and in her defence, no less.

 "He should have been whipped too,"

   "Maybe," she finally whispered, seeing it in her best interests to neither agree nor disagree with her fascinating bed-mate.

It would be prudent to play things safe until she could further gage Sawyl`s temperament, and - seeing as she really didn`t have any idea how she truly felt about Kerr yet anyway - it was the most forthcoming reply she was able to provide. The mortal would require time, patience and a great deal of soul-searching before she could formulate a definitive answer regarding her feelings for her companion... for now however, it was most reassuring to have at least one person on her side (even at the possibility that it was nothing more than a show).

But who could have guessed that this defending grace would come from the very last being on Earth she`d ever expect to step up to the plate for her?

Reopening her eyes (uncertain as to why it didn`t bother her more that Sawyl could easily see her naked breasts) she gazed intently into the child\'s bright, blue eyes. "It was the most pain that I`ve ever experienced in my whole life," Mandy explained, wincing as she struggled up from her side to sit delicately upon her rear - resisting the urge to reach out and fondle Sawyl`s bouncy curls. He was a wonderful distraction from her injuries, and she`d take it without regret. Her ignorant bliss was marred however, by a grimy (almost stagnant) sensation blanketing her skin. She could feel that her wounds had teared as she slept - the familiar twist of crusted blood repulsing her and making her skin crawl. Would it be out of line to request a bath?

    Holding off on asking too much too soon, Mandy instead made to continue the pleasantries between them, "Is... is this your room then?"

[Existentially Odd]

He giggled as he sat up in sync with her, giving her a look filled with mock recrimination.  "Nooooo, this is Kerr\'s room - mine\'s much better! Do you want to come and see it? I have a bath you can use, Kerr doesn\'t," he revealed in a truly superior manner, wrinkling his white button nose in disdain. Whether he was concerned about telling her that he was watching her mind work wasn\'t clear; he certainly didn\'t appear to regret the statement as his pretty countenance melted back into an expectant smile. It should have been obvious, in any case, that he would make a fearsome poker opponent.

He flicked his curls, stilling with his head cocked to the side very briefly before his grin widened and he straightened up with a new handful of hair to pet. It was as if he\'d paused to listen to something reaching his hearing from a great distance, then begun paying attention to the person in front of him once more. "Has Kerr told you about my mothers? They would like to meet you too," he informed her in a stage whisper, working the effect by cupping a pudgy hand around his rosebud mouth and leaning forward slightly, dark blue eyes widening dramatically as he shared this - obviously - important information.

[Mandy]

So he could read thoughts as well? Of course he could - he was a vampire after all. But even with that fact in mind; he appeared quite astute at it, none the less. She`d not even being aware that Sawyl was peeking in.

 Inwardly enthralled by the \'magic\' and mystique of Sawyl`s abilities, she forced a weak smile. What a remarkable talent! Would it seem strange if she took no offence in his intimate prying? Her mind shifted gears. Had Kerr thought it strange, when she`d offered him open access to her psyche prior to his trial? Chances were good that he did, for what \'normal\' person wanted the secret places of their mind - tapped into by a another?

Well, she wasn`t exactly normal... now was she?

 "...I have a bath you can use, Kerr doesn\'t,"

   Ah, a bath would be nice... something warm, but not too hot. A chance to clean the filth from her skin and make herself feel pure once more. What a delightful offer. Before she could supply an answer however, her porcelaine companion made to volunteer an even more interesting proposal,

"Has Kerr told you about my mothers? They would like to meet you too,"

  Sawyl`s mothers? Two of them? How was that even possible?

The pistons of logic sprung to life as the paradox of such a statement struck the base of Mandy`s curiosities head on. How could someone be in possession of two mother`s, unless... unless one was the birth mother, the other - her lesbian lover? She was as confused as she was intrigued, and if it hadn`t been for the pain associated with movement - she would have jumped at the chance to meet them. As it was however, even the task of moving from one room to another in order to bath, was going to prove a challenge.

   "I`m afraid he`s never mentioned them," she began - privately crushed by the fact that Kerr had kept yet another intimate secret from her. She tried desperately to convince herself that he couldn`t have told her - even if he`d wanted to (given the situation) but found herself at an utter loss. "In truth, I didn`t even know that you existed until last night... just before we were swept away to the trial..." She drifted off - putting an ellipses in the story where she was more than certain Sawyl already knew the results. No doubt, Kerr had shared with him the particulars of his trail, or at the very least... had seen it in his mind himself. Did vampire`s elect to read each others thoughts... or would it be seen as rude... tabu?

Laughing inwardly at herself (for conjuring such unimportant questions in the midst of something requiring a great deal more of her attention), Mandy gazed warmly into Sawyl`s expectant features. Was it such a great secret for him to invite her to meet his mothers? Would it anger Kerr to do so?

    "Are they very close by?" She asked softly, readjusting herself on the bed with a slightly pained gasp. "I would be honored to meet them, but fear that in my current condition... I might not be able to make it very far on my own."

[Existentially Odd]

Sawyl\'s smile turned coy and his head tilted, causing some shorter curls to fall across his eyes. "Well, as long as you want to meet them, that\'s all that matters. We can do it when you\'re feeling better - their room is as far away as mine so you might be better off bathing for tonight. I\'ll introduce you to my mams another night," he decided, sitting up with preternatural speed. He was off the bed and standing at the foot of it in the blink of an eye, watching her expectantly.
 
It didn\'t bother him that Kerr would likely explode when he found out Mandy had agreed to meet the twins; it was possible he wouldn\'t even learn this fact, given the sullen thoughts the mortal had with regard to her (former?) beau. If the meeting occurred without his knowledge, it would be a fabulous coup; if it didn\'t and he found out... there\'d be a fabulous row. Either way, Sawyl\'s point that mortals brought disharmony to immortal lives would be made... even though he did find Mandy rather intriguing. She didn\'t care if her thoughts were explored, she didn\'t mind that her emotions were pegged out for all the world to see, she was able to rationally put aside both traumatised aspects of her self in order to concentrate on what was important; healing. The contradiction of her was fascinating; he could possibly have a lot of fun playing with her. The time she spent in his house would not be too arduous, after all.
 
"Would you like me to go and run you a bath, while you make your way to my room?" he offered politely, wondering if the sound of splashing water would wake his elected guardian (he doubted it) and if his lordship was still spread-eagled, stark naked across his enormous, satin-sheeted bed, as he had been when Sawyl awoke. He also wondered if Mandy would find it as erotic a sight as he had; he could only suppose so. A secretive smile lifted his lips as he awaited her verdict.

[Mandy]

His understanding of her physical limitations (in relation to meeting his family) remained unprecedented - his beautifully angelic expressions... only seeming to amplify the enormity of his benevolence. He was sweet (and helpful) in a way that left Mandy wondering what she could have possibly done, to warrant the immortal\'s delicate attentions. Given the circumstances, he almost appeared to be dealing with her too kindly. Didn`t he? But perhaps Sawyl was beyond the fickle brand of flawed mortal emotion that Mandy Lynn was so prone to employ... that all mortals were prone to fall back upon?

Maybe a vampire could rise above such things? It was possible...

 Did he honestly feel sympathy for her, or was it merely the act of being polite? Could it be something... more? If left to her devices, the pink haired clerk may very well have wafted back and forth like that, from one possibility to the next (working her stomach up into a nervous knot and further impeding her recovery) for the remainder of the evening. Not an appealing prospect, to be sure.

Stop thinking so much and start concentrating on what`s important... namely - getting well.

 Watching Sawyl as he leaped down from the mattress, she absorbed the full intentions of his words, her smile renewed by the last.

"Would you like me to go and run you a bath, while you make your way to my room?"

 "Yes... please... I would very much appreciate your help - if it`s not too much trouble." She set about slowly getting to the edge of the bed, wincing in unspoken pain all the while. "Thank you, Sawyl."

[Existentially Odd]

"It\'s fine," he demurred and, in a swirl of flying curls, he\'d spun on his heel and raced out of the room. He left the door behind him open, trotting soundlessly down the hallway to his room where he left his double doors (sure to grab her attention) open as well. He slowed to a sedate walk as he crossed the threshold, eyes glinting mutinously at the still-sleeping figure of Kerr upon the king-sized bed on the other side of the suite. As predicted, the adult vampire was still laying on his back, right leg crooked (penis laying negligently across that thigh) and both arms flung wide as his closed eyelids silently contemplated the ceiling. He looked devilishly handsome - and, of course, that was part of the reason Sawyl had chosen him in the first place, so many centuries ago - but he was disappointed to realise that Mandy wouldn\'t be able to make any details out in the solid darkness. Unless Wyl turned some lights on.

He started with the bathroom \'mood\' lights - the softer ones set discreetly around the spa alcove and those surrounding the massive mirror - which spilled out of the two open bathroom doorways quite pleasantly. He then turned the water on (warm, as she\'d mentally hoped for) before skipping out to his bedroom. Flicking a few switches, he eventually settled on his lounge area\'s light being on, because it had a dimmer switch that allowed enough light to reach the bed, without running the risk of waking Kerr. He hoped. Pleased with the effect he\'d created - so that he could more accurately gauge the effect the vampire still had on the mortal, by provoking her thoughts into a... less calm state... when she saw him prostated vulnerably before her - he then hastened out to see how far she\'d got. As an afterthought, he turned on some hall lights to help guide her, as he went.

[Mandy]

Mandy blinked as the dark hallway flooded with light, automatically shielding her eyes with one hand while the other clutched (quite ineffectively) across her breasts. It was bright... but at least she could see. Searching ahead through squinted lids, she found Sawyl waiting patiently for her in the frame of a large, open doorway. She guessed she`d been going in the right direction after all.

 "You\'re very fast," she commented hoarsely, shuffling with a certain degree of embarrassment and humiliation toward his tiny form, "thank you for the light."

 Sawyl made some manner of hand gesture (a wave to dismiss her thanks?) before she finally reached him - inwardly sighing as the child turned immediately on his heels and skipped across what she could only assume to be his personal chambers. It was obvious that he wanted her to follow... that he was leading her to the bath, but Mandy secretly wept at the fact that she would not be permitted an opportunity to stop for a moment and catch her breath. Ah well, once she got where she was going... the mortal could rest as much as she liked. Lowering her hand from her eyes (but instinctively holding fast to her naked chest), Mandy entered the scantly lit room.

Every step she took, felt like hell on Earth - a constant reminder of the horrors from the night before. God, how it hurt to move. Suddenly (and against her better judgement) she found herself wishing that Kerr was around to help make her journey easier.

As though in answer to this passing thought - her vampiric companion appeared through the dim... but not in the capacity that she had expected...

   Mandy`s eyes instantly found the floor as a rush of crimson attacked her pale cheeks. He was in here? Sleeping... in Sawyl`s room? Naked! An instant twitch of jealousy nibbled along her insides at the thought, but was quickly dashed away as the visual of Kerr`s naked body continued to invade her mind. Never before had she seen him looking so vulnerable.... never before had she seen him naked!

Prior to the trial, the pink haired clerk had envisioned countless scenarios where she might witness him in the nude - each more erotic and daring than the next. Innocent little fantasies she`d never been sure could ever be, but were satisfying all the same. To think that her first time seeing Kerr without apparel would be like this - him sleeping and unawares - her, struggling to determine how she still felt about him... was something of a disappointment. Not to mention.... uncomfortable. What was worse, Mandy had been so shocked and surprised to find him laying there... that she hadn`t even gotten all that good a look at his physique before turning away. It was probably better that she hadn`t anyway...

 Clearing her throat nervously (flinching at how loud the vocalization appeared over the familiar sound of flowing tap water), she hurried with as much haste as she could afford across the bedroom floor and into the restroom. There, Sawyl sat at the edge of a nearly filled basin - a pleasant smile gracing his chubby little features.

[Existentially Odd]

The young vampire looked up from watching his hand swirl about the rising water, as if he\'d been there the whole time. In actuality, he\'d been peering out of the bathroom doorway to see Mandy\'s reaction to his bare progeny firsthand. It had been a bit of a let down, truth be told. She hadn\'t even looked for long and then her thoughts weren\'t even that sinful... or wishful.  She really had shut him out for the time being. Intriguing. Sawyl had returned to the edge of the tub and posed himself innocently without her being any the wiser - an easy task in her current condition.

"Call me if you need some help getting in or out - I\'m stronger than I look," he told her, his infantile vocal tones belying the intent behind the knowing wink he dropped her, as he turned off the taps and stood up. He thought she probably would find getting up the spa\'s steps and down into the tub difficult but that she wouldn\'t call out; that would likely only happen when she wanted to get out - and then, only if she was truly desperate. "Feel free to use any of those lotions, soaps or bubble bath solutions," he offered, gesturing negligently at the array of expensive-looking bottles (many still in their wrappers) in the corner behind the bath as he walked past her and closed the door behind himself.

He lingered briefly on the other side of it, to see if she would require help, but her need to use the toilet and whatever she had in the little bag she was carrying obviously outweighed her helplessness, for he heard numerous movement noises and then the splashing of her slipping into the warm water... followed by numerous little pants of pain and pleasure. Deciding she would be fine for the time being, he set about finding himself an outfit for the evening - a pair of navy blue suit pants and the matching vest over a simple white long-sleeved shirt suited his mood nicely. Exiting the wardrobe, he was swooped up by the same claw that had grabbed him by the throat the night before. Except this time, he was swung and pinned bodily to the wall that separated the bathroom from the bedroom.

"What is she doing in there?" Kerr asked thickly - still obviously fatigued - teeth gritted.

Sawyl smirked, his gaze raking lewdly down the adult\'s body before staring into his eyes.  "Easy," he crooned. "You might be in the mood for it rough tonight, but she\'s going to wonder what in the Hell all the thumping against the wall is. Especially since she knows you\'re naked." He giggled, unfazed by the way his voice grew progressively constricted as Kerr squeezed his fingers together, mashing the little voice box.

"Let her wonder, then!" he growled, pulling Sawyl away from the wall, only to slam him back against it. He felt a smirk of satisfaction lift his lips when Sawyl winced, but it faded as soon as he heard Mandy\'s quavering voice coming nervously from the bathroom, calling the child\'s name. "She knows who you are?" he growled, slapping the small hands away as they attempted to caress their way along his shoulders.

"I couldn\'t very well not introduce myself, could I?"

"Yes!"

"What sort of host would that make me?" he snorted delicately.

"One who minds his own fucking business," Kerr ground out, his grip loosening at last.

"It\'s alright!" Sawyl called, taking advantage of the extra room in his throat to press some air through his talking apparatus. The grin at his lovely creation didn\'t die; if anything, it only looked more smug as the mortal was apparently mollified by the child\'s reassurance. Enough that she didn\'t ask any more questions, at least.

"Why didn\'t you wake me?" Kerr accused.

"You\'ve had a trying ordeal too. You needed your rest," the boy vampire declared, both his hands settling - like loving butterflies stroking gentle wings against their life mate - on the adult\'s large hand, like he was caressing it into being gentle with him. "You also need to feed..."

"I need a lot of things," the adult snapped, dropping Sawyl abruptly and striding out of the room.

The boy decided against following him - letting him glower and stew seemed a far preferable course of action - and contented himself with putting his shoes on instead. Once his ensemble was complete, he went to visit his mothers - passing Kerr as he strode by (now clothed in jeans and a mustard-coloured button down shirt with modern designs upon it in brown) with an armful of washing, heading for the laundry in the basement - but returned to his bedroom relatively quickly. He couldn\'t have Mandy calling out for him while Kerr was off washing clothes and changing sheets and he was visiting with his mams; that wouldn\'t give the right message about who really cared about her at all.  He settled on his lounge suite to wait, turning on his television with the volume down fairly low.