Asra rose to see shafts of light across the floor, coming through the shrunken wall boards.
Sweeper stood at her side, its eyes staring at her every moment, but she ignored the skeleton and got up from the table.
Walking outside, she raised a brow as she saw the fire, then noticed the other skeletons behind it, standing in front of a large white cube.
Bob’s been busy. She thought, and walked over.
The armored skeleton locked its eyes on her as she drew nearer, but never raised its sword, even as she passed by the fire and pulled open the door of the bone-cube house. Inside, she found Jay, his feet resting up on a bone desk and a book in his hands; a luminous orb and a black orb next to him.
Despite being in the swamp he seemed so relaxed, which was simply infuriating. While she was suffering in Hegatha’s shack, being touched and smelling the smells, he was here enjoying himself, reading a book?
“What are you doing?” She asked, frowning.
“Huh?” Jay asked, tilting his head to the side.
Asra didn’t know what to say. How could she complain? How could she ask for help from a husk? She glanced at the bed and sat down.
It was a low-grade swag, like half a matress, but compared to the rotting wooden table it was like a taste heavenly clouds cushioning her backside. Jay watched her sit but remained silent.
“I can’t believe you had this and you let me sleep in the damn dirty shack!”
Jay scratched his chin, “Oh, my bad.” He shrugged, and went back to reading the immortal book.
Asra stared at him, expecting something more—perhaps a sorry grovelling, but he gave her nothing. She groaned, then flopped herself back onto the bed, closing her eyes for a moment.
“How’s your wound? Nearly healed?” Jay asked, but didn’t take his eyes away from his book.
“It’s okay. One more should do.”
“Good. We can probably leave tomorrow then.” Jay said.
He pulled out the blood-compass for a moment and checked its direction, noting that it pointed somewhere south before stashing it away again, then turned to Asra.
“I’ll check on Hegatha soon. Are you excited to return home? Back to your family?” He said.
Asra scoffed, “Family?” She shook her head, “We’ll see.”
Jay decided not to ask more. Asra stretched, got up from the bed, then stood in the doorway, looking over the fire and the skeletons.
“Do you control them directly? Or do they choose to serve you?” Asra asked.
Jay sensed an opportunity to misinform Asra. He wasn’t sure if it would yield and results in the future, but the opportunity was here. He hid his smile and kept his voice level as he replied, “They can do what they want, but each of them chose me as their master. They’re as free to disobey as you are. I’m actually surprised they haven’t tried to kill you.” He said, shrugging.
Asra’s eyes widened, and stepped back from the doorway.
“What? You don’t?!”
“Don’t worry. I can always unsummon those who disobey. But the others wouldn’t like that.” He shrugged, still reading his black book. “Besides, I prefer it this way.” Jay said.
Jay’s face was straight, but inwardly he was smiling. He already began to see advantages to this lie—it would make him blameless if he ordered a skeleton to attack a pesky vampire. Asra or otherwise.
“Oh… ok. Well keep me on their good side.” Asra said, stepping back into the doorway.
“Don’t worry. I think Sweeper loves guarding you.” Jay nodded.
“Good. Thank you Sweeper.” Asra said to the skeleton just outside the door.
“By the way, do you need any blood?”
“Yes.” She said, and glanced at Red. “Yes please.”
Jay stashed his book away and Asra began to feed. She noticed the gross bump of parasites in Jay’s arm but decided it was something the upper vampires could fix—if they even let her keep Jay around. As she sipped his sweet blood, she thought it kind of made sense that Bob was level four and could control so many skeletons of similar level—they were not being controlled at all. Each were willing servants, and she wondered what it was about Bob that inspired such loyalty.
Jay resisted the urge to pat her pristine black hair. When she fed, something seemed intimate about it. Not sexual, but nurturing. He hadn’t been touched by someone in a long time, not that something as simple as a hug was intimate, but the need for human connection gnawed at him.
The desire to reach out and caress her hair or hold her hand, was a powerful temptation. But Jay knew that crossing that line could lead to consequences he wasn’t ready to face.
As for other connections he’d had, they were superficial and fleeting. Some were even done out of social-obligation, and he doubted most people even wanted to shake his hand.
He pondered why he even had this yearning, questioning the depths of his own longing. Was it the primal need for closeness, for the reassurance that he was not alone in this soul-crushing world? Or was it something more complex, a desire to bridge the emotional chasms that separated him from others?
Either way, it was too late. Past experiences had taught him the painful lessons of misplaced trust and shattered expectations.
For a moment he thought that perhaps it was the bittersweet longing itself that held the most profound beauty, unrivaled by love or hate, but he cast those thoughts aside.
(Red, stand in the door and stare at Asra. Raise your sword and hold it up until she leaves.) Jay ordered, and Red came inside.
“I have work to do… and you’d better leave. I think Red is jealous.” Jay said, tapping her shoulder and pointing at Red.
“Oh, ah, okay.” Asra said, stood up, glanced at the bed, and quickly left.
“If you want something to do, there’s some mushrooms outside. I know you can’t eat them, but let me know if they taste any good.” Jay called out, and Asra waved her hand.
(Red, stay in the doorway.) Jay ordered.
That lie’s already paying for itself. Alright, time to spy on Hegatha, Jay thought, and leaned back on his chair.
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