Sometime later, having had her fill, Avalina calmed down. While she was embarrassed for her actions, no one blamed her. After all, she had no control over herself after the sudden evolution.
Ashton was by her side the entire time. It was during this time something weird happened. While Avalina was chugging blood, she suddenly threw it all up.
A vampire throwing up blood was unheard of, as unlike humans, while a vampire could 'satisfy' their hunger, they could never fill their bottomless stomach. Keeping these reasons in mind, everyone knew something was off.
Without wasting a heartbeat, Ashton checked Avalina's stats and low and behold; the reason was flashing brightly.
Avalina had undergone some sort of double evolution. At least, that's what Ashton assumed.
[She turned into an 'Insane Vampire' at first, but as soon as she had fill, she evolved into something else? This is the first time I have seen something like this.]
'Psi-Vampire, short for psychic vampire.' Ashton got lost in his thoughts, 'A type of vampire not dependant on blood but on the prey's emotions. I have only heard about it from Dracula, but even he wasn't sure anyone could evolve into one on their own.'
An Insane Vampire was akin to the berserk form of a werewolf. In their respective conditions, both creatures lose all reason and rationality, and they only care about filling their belly or, in some cases, taking a target's life.
[If you think about it, it makes sense your mother's evolution was influenced by her mental strength.]
Ashton silently agreed. She had gone through a lot in her life, and maybe this evolution was her body's way of safeguarding her from further detriment.
After taking samples and administering some tests, Laihud left the room, urging everyone to do the same. Even dull-headed Vimur knew what Laihud meant and dragged everyone out of there except Ashton.
Avalina wrapped her arms around her son as soon as they were alone. Ashton did not utter a word and kept caressing her head. Not wanting to break down in everybody's presence, Avalina stayed strong but couldn't do it any longer.
No tears came out of her eyes, but she cried her heart out. Remembering every moment she spent with Jonathan and kept mumbling incoherent things through periodic gasps.
Ashton wasn't unaffected either, as he sniffled quietly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. But for his mother's sake, he had to stay strong.
'Just a bit longer, mom... just a bit longer.'
***
After a while, Avalina calmed down enough to converse. Ashton did his best to run her through everything following his return from Nirvana about a month ago.
At first, Avalina was surprised she had been unconscious for so long. But then she was relieved to know Ashton's progress in such a short time. Not only he took care of the problem brewing in Contingency, but he also defended the region from invaders.
Avalina couldn't have been more proud of her son's efforts even if she had tried. Once she felt good enough, Ashton introduced her to the rest of his crew. Vimur's goofiness and Laihud's sarcastic remarks to him made her forget all about her pain.
Soon, it was night, and everyone parted ways for the night. Ashton and Anna decided to stay back with Avalina despite her protests. They were just as stubborn as she was in her youth.
While chatting, Ashton received an urgent call and left to take care of it for a while, leaving the ladies to themselves.
"Nonsense, you look better than me!" Anna chuckled.
"I'm a vampire. It's obvious I'll look youthful for the rest of my life," Avalina replied, laughing alongside.
"If you don't mind, can I ask you something?"
"Anything, dear."
Anna took a deep breath, hoping her words didn't sting her. Upsetting Ashton's mom was the last thing on her mind.
"Ashton talks a lot about you but not about your husband." Anna sheepishly mumbled, "I was hoping you could tell me more about him and Ashton, only if you're comfortable with it!"
As soon as those words came out of Anna's lips, the smile on Avalina's face disappeared. Anna panicked, thinking she fucked up big time. Just then, Avalina beamed again.
The time she spent with Johnathan was some of the best moments of her life, and reminiscing about it brought her a lot of joy.
"Ashton was quite young when we separated, and I would be surprised if he remembered anything from our time in the Enclosure or before it." She mumbled, trying to remember more, "Though it's safe to say he was just as troublesome as he is now."
Anna agreed with a smile. Sometimes Ashton does move on a whim, which is annoying. But then again, those little things made Anna fall for him in the first place.
"I know how you feel about him," Avalina remarked as soon as she noticed the slightly red hue on Anna's face, "After all, I feel for Johnathan's goofiness as well. As for his past before meeting me... I don't know much about it."
She continued, "Johnathan always had been enigmatic. As far as I know, he was an orphan and didn't remember much about his family. Though sometimes, in his sleep, he talked gibberish.
"I say gibberish because I never understood what he said, but I'm sure it was some language. Maybe such an observation was the product of my overthinking. Who knows, maybe I'm correct."
Anna rested her chin on her hand as Avalina told her about the littlest things Johnathan did for her. The more she remembered, the cheery she got.
"Other than that, Johnathan was a great man, husband and most of all, a great father who always put Ashton before anyone else. A man every woman would love to have by her side. As for you..."
Avalina playfully flicked Anna's forehead, "I'm confident you'll feel the same... with Ashton."
"I..." Anna was suddenly too embarrassed to say anything.
"No matter what, you'll always have my blessings."
Little did they know, Ashton had been standing outside the room for quite a while. Listening to them and remembering Johnathan.
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