Holier Than Thou

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad smiled at her carefully as he crossed paths with her into the bathroom. "You didn't need to draw it yourself," he started. The words didn't really sound like him. He seemed to pick up on it and end the gesture without trying to own it. Instead, he just leaned down and gave her a peck on the forehead before pressing on into the smaller room. He swung the door so that it was nearly closed, but still open enough for him to hear if she needed anything from the other room. He wasn't comfortable being completely blocked from her, any more than he was comfortable being fully open to her right now. He took his clothes off slowly and frowned at the fresh-smelling bath. She'd used oils. Taken care to prepare it.

He lowered into the water slowly. The warmth sifted in around him. It felt like his heart might snap in half.

He didn't realize what he was doing until pink drifted through the water in front of him and caught his attention. He looked down at his extended claws and at the swiftly healing marks on his opposite arm. He wanted to strike himself, give up the blood he'd stolen from her. He didn't deserve it. He shouldn't keep it. He shouldn't keep her. Or Atul. Perhaps they should keep one another, and he...

He began to shake.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele knew she'd changed, but she decided that sleeping in a dress wouldn't be comfortable, so she drew on a very thin silk gown that was perfect for the warm climate of their home and drew back the covers to their bed. Tenele sat on the bed and waited. She stared out the open curtains at the stars twinkling in the sky.

Her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies. She felt happy and lonely at once, and she thought that maybe the loneliness was attributed to Vlad's withdrawn attitude. Maybe he wasn't completely withdrawn, but he wasn't himself. She wondered if maybe he was still angry with her, or maybe he was angry at himself. She also wasn't sure how to fix it.

Her green eyes flickered to the door. She stood up, pacing the room, and with each step she drew a little closer to the bathroom door. Part of her wanted to slip in, climb in the bath with him, just to feel him close to her. The other half was worried he didn't want her there.

[Soran Nightblade]

The vampire took his claws to the joint of his arm and slowly sifted the sharp blades into his skin, down to the bone. It hurt, but it was nothing he hadn't felt a thousand times before. Blood began to bubble from the incision, running along his skin. He dragged the blades slowly through the flesh, heading down the length of his arm. But after a few inches, he stopped and retracted his blades abruptly. This is inane, he growled to himself as the water marbled with red. The wounds closed quickly and left him feeling like a crazy idiot. He pressed his palm to his forehead, his mind clenched in thought. The stale scent of iron mixed with Tenele's bath oils.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele pursed her lips together, frowning at the door. She let out a heavy sigh, and decided to risk the rejection. She went to the bathroom door, turned the handle... and then stopped. She didn't want to crowd him. She wanted him to have his space if he wanted it, and he did seem to want it.

Tenele closed the door back without entering, and wandered back to bed. She slipped down into the covers, tucking a pillow under her head. She immediately regretted not going in.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad looked over at the door as he distinctly heard someone touch the knob and then step away. "Tenele?" he tensed. He was losing his mind. What would she think if she saw him like this? He straightened up, tired of looking at the red water, and yanked the plunger free. He waited for the water to drain and the ran the faucet over a washcloth. Standing in the bare tub, he began wiping the soot, sweat, and disgust from his skin.

[Emora Deen]

Arul entered the room quietly. Tenele rolled, poking her head up from the covers to look at him. "You're here earlier than I expected," she murmured to him. He stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes before climbing into bed with her.

"There wasn't as much to do as I thought," he admitted as he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her back against him. "Where's Vlad?"

"Bathing," Tenele told him softly, hugging the pillow while Atul hugged her. "He should be done soon, he's been in there for a little while."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad finally made himself satisfied that he and the tub were clean. He wrung out the cloth he'd used and threw the pink-stained fabric into the wastebin. He paused when he heard Atul come in and speak with Tenele. Slowly, he took his towel from the rack and dried off. He couldn't imagine going back to them and curling up at their sides. He didn't know how to go back into that room when he was filled with Tenele's lifeblood. He leaned back against the wall and clenched his eyes, surrounding himself with a blood shield. It glowed fully around his skin, protecting him from nothing in particular. This was the best and least dramatic way. If he burnt enough off, maybe he could even exhaust himself into sleeping with them. Then he would be too tired to think or to feel like this.

[Emora Deen]

"I'm worried about him," Tenele muttered softly. "Or maybe I'm worried about myself. I'm worried I've ruined this... He hasn't been the same since I tried to get him to turn me."

Atul's arms tightened around her, and he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her head. "He loves you," he told her softly. "You can work through this, if there is anything to work through. Why don't you go join him in his bath? I'm sure he wouldn't mind it. Maybe that's what's taken him so long? Maybe he's waiting on you?"

Tenele twisted in his arms so she could see him better. "Do you think that? Do you think he's not angry with me?"

Atul brushed her silver hair away. "If he is, he can't stay that way for long. No one could stay angry with you Tenele, not if they love you like he does..." Atul frowned. "Like I do."

Tenele frowned, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "I'll go check on him then."

Atul's face brightened with a smile. "I'll wait here."

Tenele slipped out of bed, watching Atul's face as he took in her silk gown. "Vlad..." Tenele gave a gentle knock to the bathroom door before pushing it open.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad was so focused on his spell that the movement of the door in his peripheral vision was the first awareness he had of her entrance, he jerked back, knocking his head on the tile wall. The shield around him flickered and broke away, scattering into sparks that dissipated into the air. "...Tenele," he said stiffly feeling out his limbs to see how much power he'd spent. How long had he been focused in that thing, anyway? He took a step off the wall and stumbled quickly back against it for support. He blinked his wife into focus like nothing had happened. "What is it?" he asked stiffly.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele frowned at him, wondering why he seemed so cold. "I, uh, well I thought I'd come join you. You've been in here for a while. I thought maybe you'd want the company?" She stepped closer to him. "Is everything okay?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad stood stiffly against the wall. He planned to send her away. He opened his lips to do so, but what came out was, "Perhaps it is not." His cool gaze dissolved into chaos as he stared at her.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele swallowed, clasping her hands in front of her. Absentmindedly her left hand skimmed over her left wrist, feeling the newly healed flesh there. One moment they were talking about having children, and the next it seemed like they were right back in that room... sullen and angry.

The Queen's Maiden took a few steps forward, desiring to be closer to him even if he pushed her away. She had to know whether that was okay. She couldn't figure out what was right, or what was wrong, or whether he was acting through everything... What if he was still angry? What if he didn't care for her as he had? What if she'd broken and shattered everything between them.

Tenele blinked the thoughts away, and swallowed hard again. "Do you want to talk about it? What's wrong?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad leaned into the wall and studied the love of his life. "I am having some difficulty..." he hesitated, embarrassed to be having so much difficulty expressing himself. His eyes drifted to the empty tub. "Difficulty...coping with things."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele frowned at him, taking another step towards him. "Coping?" she asked him, her voice wavering. She took a deep breath and asked him. "Is it our fight? Is that why you're upset?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad shook his head, leaning deeper into the wall like he could drop through it. Well, technically he could. "I can't...I can't be the person who hurts you and the person who claims to protect you at the same time." He took a shaky breath. "I lashed out at you for treating me like a monster. For a while there...I seem to have forgotten it is what I actually am."