The Art Of Healing

[Mandy]

Mandy shifted lethargically against the softness of the sheets, her mind gradually becoming re-aware of her surroundings as she slowly came to.

At last, it was time to get up.

Her back was tight (though surprisingly, it didn`t feel crusted. A good sign that she might have averted any bleeding as she slept) and her limbs were exceedingly stiff... but she was well-rested, and that had been the entire point of her near death-like slumber. How long was she out for this time? The last thing the pink-haired mortal could recall, was Kerr (at least... she thought it was Kerr) murmuring to her about something or other and applying, what? Cream, to her back? In truth... the past twenty-four hours (and indeed, twenty-four had passed) was something of a blur, accented by the occasional memory or fleeting sensation of someone at her side, re-applying cream or trying to coax her to eat.

 Never before, had Mandy Lynn slept so deeply in all her life!

 Forcing her eyes to open, the wounded mortal gazed furtively about the pleasantly dimmed reaches of Kerr`s quarters - her focus eventually coming to rest on a collection of various item`s resting neatly at the side of the bed, on the floor. Was that... her sketch pad... and duffel bag setting there so neatly for her? A second glance showed her that it was. Her immortal companion must have already retrieved all that she`d requested or rather... what her mind had requested... as she slept.

 She smiled weakly at the idea, preparing to crawl to her knees (and use the restroom), when suddenly a sound at the closed door caught her undivided attention...

[Existentially Odd]

The solid wood of Kerr\'s bedroom door swung open furtively and large blue eyes peered around it, approximately even with the latch in height. Sawyl froze as he caught sight of Mandy about to get up, looking his way.

Kerr had gone out (in need of sustenance in many ways) and deliberately left the door unlocked this time.  He\'d actually asked his sire to watch over the mortal in his absence - while threatening dire consequences if she should go anywhere near his mothers or they to her - worried that she hadn\'t eaten in so long, yet had continued to sleep so soundly she seemed impervious to being woken. Already her second night in their house was at hand and she showed no signs of rousing, so he\'d given numerous instructions about Mandy\'s care and left only an hour after the moon rose. Sawyl hadn\'t wasted a lot of time in going to ascertain her condition for himself (half an hour) and he was pleased that he seemed to have arrived at precisely the right moment.

Still not entering, the boy smiled shyly through a curtain of curls, hand still upon the circular doorknob. The door was open enough to reveal his outfit of dark suit pants, white long-sleeved shirt and navy blue suspenders - sans shoes - but not so far that he was already in the room.  That would be impolite, and the last thing he wanted was for her to think him anything but a gentleman.

"I\'m glad to see you\'re awake," he piped coyly, dimples flashing. "Are you hungry? Do you want to have another bath in my room?"

[Mandy]

She experienced an overwhelming volley of mixed emotions as her eyes fell upon Sawyl`s angelic features - her heart once again, finding itself at odds with her mind.

Which proved the superior point?

 Reason would have her pay heed to Kerr’s initial warnings – seeing Mandy offer the child vampire only as much attention as was absolutely necessary while outside of her caregivers watchful eye. But her heart… her heart refused to believe that one so seemingly sweet and helpful, could mean her any measure of harm. True, they may never become \'best friends\' (all things considered), but he certainly wasn’t trying to harm her, was he? She was so utterly confused by the dilemma, and the fact that she`d only just woke, didn`t help matters much.

 In the end… the emotional beatings of her heart reigned victorious over common sense (as was so often the case theses days) though, before succumbing to it’s touching wiles - she made a pointed promise to herself.

 While Mandy could hold no reserve at spending time with Sawyl… she would attempt to remain cautious - taking nothing Sawyl did for her or said, at obvious face value. Perhaps it was rude to maintain that level of suspicion in one she knew so little of, but Kerr warned her about him for a reason. As such, it would be in her best interests to at least keep that thought in the back of her mind while commencing pleasantries with the smaller immortal.

He was just so damned sweet…

 Stifling a gentle yawn with her palm, Mandy allowed a shy smile to touch at her sleepy features, “A bath sounds nice… but I`m afraid that I`m not very hungry just yet,” The sudden realization of this concept worried the pink haired mortal a great deal. Without sustenance…she would not be able to heal effectively - nor fast. If she didn`t eat something soon...

 “Maybe I`ll have regained my appetite after the bath?”

[Existentially Odd]

"I hope so," he nodded, releasing the doorknob and taking her conversation with him as a sign that he was welcome to enter. She excused herself to go into the bathroom and initially he frowned when she mentioned it, thinking she was going to shower and then come to his room for a bath... ? Then he remembered (vaguely) about bodily functions and didn\'t respond until she returned to the bedroom. By this time, he was sitting almost on the spot she\'d just vacated, peering curiously at the belongings Kerr had stacked beside the bed for her.
 
He hadn\'t let Sawyl touch them when he\'d brought them in the night before, which hadn\'t pleased the little vampire at all. He was curious about what was in the bag and didn\'t wish to ferret through all Kerr\'s stupid thoughts to get to them. He\'d mumbled about a music pod (though what in God\'s name that meant, he really couldn\'t fathom), pants and underwear, some shirts she might like and \'other\' things. Female things. Plus, there was the book, which he\'d been expressly forbidden from looking through - his progeny pompously declaring that he hadn\'t looked through it, so Wyl certainly was not allowed to. Bully for him and his righteous lack of curiosity. Sawyl wanted to see and know everything about her; she was... living in their house, after all. Yes, that was it. He needed to be completely informed about his houseguests at all times.
 
He looked up and gave a half smile as she emerged from the bathroom, his small legs swinging gently against the wooden edge of the bed\'s base. "What\'s in there?" he asked enthusiastically, nodding at her belongings gathered on the carpet before him.

[Mandy]

What was in there, indeed.

 Mandy had only the vaguest idea herself - knowing full well the disorderly state her mind had been in, when sharing her mental requests with Kerr. For all she knew, the mortal may very well have asked for toilet bowl cleaner! Well, maybe it wouldn`t be to quite that extreme, but nothing at this point would surprise her. And there was no time like the present to find out.

At the very least - she could see her drawing pad resting dominantly just beneath the duffel bag...

   "You know, I don`t really remember what I asked Kerr to bring me last night... do you want to look together?"

She didn`t wait for a reply, but instead - made to shuffle over to Sawyl`s side... sitting primmly at the edge of the bed next to him (strangely unconcerned by the fact that he would be able to see her naked breasts in full). To wait for him to respond, just didn`t appeared necessary. Judging by the immortal`s inquiring tone and curious eyes - it was obvious that he already longed to see what manner of provisions a mortal might request during their time of need... Mandy was increasingly curious herself.

Perhaps this would show her what the core of her subconscious mind, deemed as most important in her life?

   Habitually rotating her navel ring, Mandy leaned over her knees and retrieved her bag - lifting it slowly into the delicate valley of her lap for inspection. She shifted once before flashing her companion a playful look of mock mystery (all on Sawyl`s behalf, of course), "Shall I open it then?"

[Existentially Odd]

Sawyl answered with a keen, "Yes, please!" when she asked if he\'d like to look into the contents of her bag with her, nodding as well. He gazed surreptitiously at her naked torso while she fiddled with her navel ring, reminded of Kerr\'s tongue stud and imagining the two mingling; tongue in belly button, stud in ring... would they tangle? Would that hurt? The images (afforded him by Kerr\'s actual memories as well as his own fertile imagination) were slightly flustering and altogether intriguing, so he forced them aside when she teased about opening the bag.  Other curiosities would be sated sooner.

He found there was nothing exactly thrilling in there, after all; two pairs of white cotton long pants, one tan cotton pair with embroidered paw prints all up and down the legs and a vibrant red flannel pair with snow flakes all over them, several sets of underwear in various colours, two lightweight long-sleeved shirts (one black, one tan - for tying around her neck, she assumed), a box of something that made her blush even brighter than when she\'d pulled the underwear out in front of him (it was brand new, still wrapped in the plastic it had been when Kerr obviously bought it), an address book, a container she recognised as art supplies, a few letters bound together with a rubber band and a small electronic device of some description.

Torn between asking about the little device - which she was thinking about singing to - and the sketchpad that still lay on the floor first, he opted to work both into a question. "What\'re those?" he demanded, pointing from one to the other.  He found he was only being aided by her thoughts to a minimal degree (without digging) and hoped a worded explanation would give him more.

[Mandy]

“Well,” She began slowly, depositing the device into Sawyl`s chubby little hands, “This is called an ‘iPod’. It plays music… you listen to it through these,” She held up the headphones (meant to rest just inside the shell of each ear) and smiled weakly. It was in truth, an iPod ‘Shuffle’… not exactly - top of the line - far as MP3 players were concerned, but it was all she’d been able to afford. Besides, it served it`s purposes. Who needed the ability to store and listen to over three or four hundred songs at a time anyway?

  “You’re welcome to use it whenever you like,” Mandy offered in earnest, toying casually with the zipper on her bag, “I listen to just about everything, so there’s bound to be something on it that you’ll enjoy. Except hard rap – can’t say as I care much for that particular style.”

She gazed curiously upon Sawyl`s porcelain features - wondering what manner of music the tiny immortal preferred to listen to… if he cared to listen at all. You could tell a lot about a person by their choice in music… at least, that’s what her godmother used to insist. Hmm… if such a statement were true – then what did that say about her? She liked everything (rap being the only exception), so did that make her fickle… or just easily amused?

 Chuckling to herself, she tore her eyes from Sawyl`s cherubs face and peered pensively down to her sketchpad… the other object at the top of his piqued interest. Suddenly, Mandy wasn`t so sure she felt comfortable sharing what was inside.

 She shifted (lowering her day bag to the floor) and quietly debated her options.

 It would probably be useless to try and dismiss the subject of the book now that it`d been seen. And her outright refusal to share, might give off the wrong impression. The last thing Mandy wanted tonight, was to appear rude... or to anger her small companion. After all - Sawyl was still a vampire. And the mortal was vaguely aware of the fact that if he wanted to… he could likely kill her at any given moment. Compliance was the only course of action given the situation. But really, would it be so bad just to show him?

 Chances were good that Sawyl wouldn`t think much of her work anyway. Not when he`d had the chance to view art of far superior stature over the past few centuries. Oh, what she wouldn`t give to have been around during those historical times - to see the works of great artists in person and with her own two eyes. She envied him in that sense... if only a little.

 Reluctantly, Mandy reached down for her sketchpad - clutching it closely to her breast as she searched desperately through Sawyl`s large peering eyes, “This is a sketchpad, “ She explained simply, “I would like to share it… but I have to warn you - my drawings are probably no where near as good as the pieces you`ve had the chance to see throughout the ages.”

[Existentially Odd]

"Had the chance to see?" he scoffed rudely, quelling any fears she might have had about baring her soul (her visual one, at least) to an art afficionado with surprising ease. He was clearly nothing of the sort. "I haven\'t looked at art. Not deliberately, anyway. I\'m sure yours will be better than any old boring picture of a landscape long since turned into apartments or a naked woman laying on a lounge, anyway," he enthused, gesturing hopefully for her to open the sketchbook and show him what was within it.

On the first page was a bright hibiscus flower, colored with pencil crayon against a sky blue background. He smiled, liking the vivaciousness of it. Next was a realistic pencil drawing of a cat sitting on a window sill, followed by hands holding one another. He noticed the page was slightly curled because the paper was never intended to be used with water... and she\'d done them in water colour paint, but it didn\'t detract from the detailed shading she\'d managed to render the hands in. It made him feel peaceful, though he wasn\'t exactly sure why (given his lack of experience when it came to artistic appreciation).

She showed him another cat then, this one painted with acrylic and nowhere near as realistic as the other had been. He didn\'t quite understand the point of that, but held his tongue for fear of offending her. A naked angel viewed from the back followed the stylised feline, her wings large and stretched out on either side, set against a black background. He could appreciate this one far more, as it was realistically drawn and coloured with pencil crayon.

The final two pages were what interested him the most though; and he was sure she\'d known they would. His little hand stayed hers as she revealed her rendition of Kerr`s tattoos (the ones on his back, depicting the Celtic cross and all the knots surrounding it, in almost exactly the right style), in case she made to turn the page too hastily. He wanted a moment to look at it properly, knowing - after four hundred years of staring at that well-toned and intricately decorated back - where she\'d gone wrong and exactly how right she\'d been for the most part. Sawyl surmised that she\'d obviously done a lot of looking at his back, to get the acrylic representation so remarkably close. The last page depicted a profile sketch of Kerr done in graphite. She had used the light to cast dramatic shadows across his face, somehow managing to make his eyes appear hauntingly real. It was set against a black background, just as the angel had been; he wondered if there was some subliminal connection she was making there, and, internally, he sniggered at the thought.  Still, it was very good and he was thoroughly impressed.

"They\'re beautiful; especially the ones of Kerr," he complimented her sincerely, tossing his hair and giving her a coy look. "You\'re very talented.  Would you like to draw me?"

[Mandy]

Mandy was startled by Sawyl`s generous reaction - startled, being something of an understatement. She`d expected him to humor her efforts, yes… but had not anticipating such favorable feedback! It was touching on a level the pink haired mortal came to undeniably respect.

 “I… I would love to draw you,” she answered, regarding the small immortal with sudden appreciation. He was making it progressively difficult for her to take Kerr`s warnings seriously. The more she spent time with Sawyl, the more unreasonable the well-meant advice seemed. Was this the behavior of someone trying to harm her? It was possible. But if he wished to lull her into a sense of false security, surely… there must be other – more effective and less time consuming - ways.

 Closing her sketchpad slowly (as to ensure that Sawyl was, in fact, done looking), Mandy hugged the object habitually to her exposed chest - utterly oblivious to the fact that she was even topless anymore.

 “Shall we do it now, or after the bath then?” she asked, wincing minutely as she twisted at the hip to offer Sawyl her undivided attention. “And we should decide on how you would like to be drawn. Position and background, I mean.” A surge of anticipation filled Mandy`s chest (despite the ever nagging annoyance of her wounded back) as she made to solidify some of the finer details required to create Sawyl\'s portrait – the strangest desire to run her fingers through his bouncy curls, unexpectedly entering her hands. “It`s up to you.”

[Existentially Odd]

His pretty face lit up as he became the centre of her undivided attention, his smile beatific and blue eyes glistening with delight. Straightening his shoulders and toying with the tendrils of hair that fell upon his hands as he tilted his head, he began to see exactly why Kerr would like her. She was talented, smart and - most importantly - gave willingly of herself. He bet even her blood was sweet and was almost envious that his handsomest creation would probably find out for certain, before long... almost envious because he was sure he could convince her to let him drink from her as well. With not a great amount of effort, either.

"We should do it after your bath," he decided, nodding as if to reinforce the wisdom of his decision. "I\'d like to have my fire in the background when you draw me - I\'ll build one in the fireplace for it and maybe pose on the bed?" He wasn\'t sure that would be the best idea, but had faith she\'d make of it the best that could be made. Before his mind followed the trail of making a fire too far - for he\'d thought of Rafi, with a disquieting pang - he broached another topic that had occupied his mind when she spoke. "Could I bathe with you?"

[Mandy]

The fire would be a challenge for her - though a wonderful idea nonetheless.

Things like fire and flame were a difficult element to capture with graphite lead, mainly due to the substance\'s multidimensional properties... but Mandy was confident that she could do it justice. Just as she was confident in her ability to capture Sawyl in as life-like a pose as she had Kerr... more so, really. With her portrait of Kerr, the mortal was forced to go from memory... and photographic as it may be, it was nothing compared to working with the actual subject right there before her. She was exceedingly excited for a chance to draw the angel-faced vampire in person.

"The bed will be a fine choice, I think," she agreed, wondering if he could see her mind already working out which techniques to use, in order to capture him best on the paper. Thank the heavens, Kerr thought to bring her small pencil case of drawing pencils when collecting her things.

And then, there was Sawyl`s considerate suggestion for the bath first - sketching later. It couldn`t have come as more of a relief.

Mandy`s muscles were tight from lack of movement and prolonged sessions of sleep. A nice warm bath (maybe a little hotter than warm) would certainly limber her up for the artistic task at hand - and that, in turn, would make the drawing a great deal better in the end. Sawyl`s question about joining her for the bath however, was slightly unexpected, though surprisingly - it didn`t serve to \'throw her for a loop\'.

Had anyone else asked to bathe with Mandy, she would likely have shifted through several shades of pink before declining in a not so lady-like fashion. Well... unless it was Kerr asking - then she had no idea what her reaction might have been, but that was neither here nor there. With Sawyl... it was different. Perhaps it stemmed from the fact that he appeared of a tender, \'innocent\' age - a time preceding the realm of sexual awareness and curiosity (even though she realized that his years far exceeded that of her own)? Well, ill-placed as her confidence may or may not be... Mandy found that she wasn`t intimidated or apprehensive about the prospect of sharing a bath with him.

It may even be slightly fun.

Did he behave like a young boy in the tub, playing with toys or splashing about in the water? She hadn`t seen any water toys when last she`d used his bath, but then again - Mandy wasn`t exactly looking. Suddenly... she found herself overwhelmingly curious to see how a child vampire bathed!

"Could I bathe with you?"

With a coy little smile, she offered Sawyl a bashful nod - waiting patiently to see how the tiny immortal took her acceptance of his politely uttered query.

[Existentially Odd]

From a perfectly posed and arranged cherub, he exploded into a flurry of action. Jumping off the bed, he knelt beside her bag and offered to pull out any clothing she wanted, so that she didn\'t have to make any extra effort. Once she\'d watched him follow her instructions and taken the clothes she wanted from him, he took her hand and walked by her side the entire way into his suite - even though she was still painfully slow. He considered making the offer to mend her back for her, but recalled that the stupid Oligarchy had insisted that that was not be done. It was most inconvenient.

Once in his room, he skipped away from her at the bathroom door to turn on the tub - a little hotter than she\'d had it the night before, according to her wishes - squirting generous amounts of bubble bath into the bottom so that the strong flow would aggravate it into a thick, healthy foam the two of them could swim around in for quite a long time. Once it was running strongly, he left her alone while he stacked and built a large fire carefully in the roomy grate near his bed. It took him quite a while longer than he\'d anticipated but he was building it for longevity, not a mere flash to backlight him while she drew his portrait; he wanted it to be burning strongly by the time he got out of the bath.

By the time he returned to the bathroom, Mandy was already in the water, her vibrant hair barely visible in amongst the mass of bubbles. He giggled, excited by the prospect of having someone to share one of his favourite activities with, and checked that they had fresh towels. Thankfully, Kerr had done the laundry and put four new ones on the racks around the room - fluffy, dark green bath sheets, in fact - so he stripped hastily at the bottom of the steps, dropping his clothes negligently on the floor. It didn\'t bother him that he\'d showered already and the clothes were clean; he\'d get others when he got out... or perhaps she\'d like to draw him naked!

It also didn\'t bother him that she saw his painfully white skin in its entirety; underridden by multitudes of pale blue veins, flawlessly smooth and eternally supple. His little nipples were light brown, his chest only barely beginning to take on a squarer shape when he was embraced at eleven, his belly still rounded. He had a navel that poked out, a few wisps of emergent pubic hair and a penis and testicles that showed the first signs of reaching puberty. His little bottom - seen when turned her way as he climbed carefully into the tub as a courtesy to her (rather than diving in as he usually did) - was pert and beautifully rounded, his legs longer than his torso (like they\'d been stunted in the burgeoning of their growth) and beautifully shaped over strong muscles. His back also flexed as he moved, his biceps defined and hinting at the extraordinary strength his contradictory body held within.

Once he was submersed in the water, he couldn\'t resist dog-paddling over the depths on his side, laughter only increasing and pealing enchantingly into the cavernous bathroom. "I hope you like bubbles!" he cried, ducking his head underwater so that his hair would be plastered to it and remain out of his eyes while he tried to tunnel a path to her through the foam. "Do you want me to turn the spa jets on, or would they hurt you too much?"

[Mandy]

Mandy wasn`t sure about the jets, but she was enjoying the frothy collection of bubbles presently encasing her stiffened form. That and Sawyl`s laughter was all too infectious as he made to swim through the endless mountain of froth,

"I love bubbles," she answered. "As for the jets, maybe we could give them a try when some of these start to die down?" she patted at the top of a particularly tall accumulation of suds. "These will likely grow again when you turn the spa on... so it`d probably be best to wait... unless of course, you enjoy playing Marco-Polo?"

Giggling, she allowed herself to sink slowly beneath the foam until her eyes were almost level with the water - attempting to search out her enthusiastic bath-mate. As something of an afterthought, she found herself lost in a sigh... shivering rapturously when the hot water swirled around her tight shoulders and neck. Even her back was feeling a little better for the wear - wounds stinging only momentarily as they made first contact with the steaming water. Perhaps the jets wouldn`t cause too much discomfort after all?

   Blowing playfully at the wall of suds before her, Mandy strained her ears for the tiny vampire, "Sawyl?"

[Existentially Odd]

"What\'s Marco Polo?" he enquired, appearing quite suddenly through the suds (intentionally close to her so that she would get a little fright). He giggled when she gave a small exclamation of surprise, pleased that his stealthy swim across the tub had had the desired effect (even if she hadn\'t exactly floundered, as he\'d ultimately hoped for). "Scared you!" he squealed, flicking a few bubbles playfully her way and hoping she\'d respond in kind.

"It doesn\'t matter if the jets make more bubbles and they spill over, though, Kerr\'ll clean it up, we won\'t have to," he assured her flippantly, continuing the conversation while grabbing another cupped handful to push towards her. He was unaware that his habit of taking his offspring\'s house maintenance efforts for granted was evidence of arrogance of the highest degree. It was merely a statement of the way things were, as far as he was concerned. He grinned slyly as a new idea came to him and he prepared to deliver a handful of bubbles to the top of her head.

[Mandy]

"It doesn\'t matter if the jets make more bubbles and they spill over, though, Kerr\'ll clean it up, we won\'t have to."

The comment left Mandy feeling slightly at odds with herself, several thoughts eventually coming to enter her head. Strange how one statement could summon such a variety of ideas within a person. The problem was, which of the impulses should she observe?

The first, was a sense of guilt.

To make a mess that Kerr would inescapably be forced to clean, did not exactly appeal to the selfless mortal - not in the least. She may still inwardly be sore at the vampire, but that didn`t mean that she didn`t care about him. Even if he was only too happy to clean up after her and his sire - was that really fair?

Next, Mandy found herself struck by Sawyl`s overwhelming projection of haughtiness. For one so sweet and small, he certainly held himself in high esteem. That, or she was simply over-analyzing his explanation. It may even be possible that he`d assured her of Kerr`s compliance based solely on their living situation - which brought the mortal to her third and concluding thought.

Did Sawyl see Kerr as more of a guardian... a father figure... than a lover, as Mandy once assumed?

It was feasible, given the age Sawyl appeared and his almost child-like energy. It would also explain why the tiny vampire placed the task of cleaning after them so matter-of-factly in the valley of Kerr`s lap. Perhaps she`d misunderstood Kerr`s explanation of his connection with Sawyl before?

   She blinked, tearing herself from such complicated thoughts - thoughts that ought not be at hand during a less than complicated situation. If she continued to over-analyze things, Mandy would never find herself well.

Offering a brilliant smile, the mortal dodged (with as much speed as her gently throbbing back would allow) to the left - avoiding Sawyl`s bombardment of suds. Instead, she reciprocated his efforts… splashing playfully back amidst their echoes of laughter. "You\'re so sneaky!" she praised, and scooped up a palm full of bubbles, blowing them teasingly over Sawyl`s soaken head. “But I fail to believe that you`ve never played Marco Polo before! It`s a fun water game. Shall I explain the rules?”

Mandy flattened down some of the larger gatherings of foam between them (to hold Sawyl`s gaze more completely), before reaching out to pull a stray curl of hair - plastered across his ceramic brow - behind his ear. Why she felt the impulse to do so... utterly eluded her. It just felt like the natural thing to do.

“Marco Polo is a lot like tag, only the person who’s ‘it\' has to keep their eyes closed. You call out, ‘Marco’, then – the people you\'re trying to catch respond with, ‘Polo’. That way, you can hear where they are in the water and know which way to go.” She hesitated for a moment, tapping at her teeth thoughtfully. “But I wonder how much fun this game would be for someone with telepathic ability? You could probably find me even if I didn`t say a thing.”