Heirot

Mizuki smiled, but sighed. "I'd love too, but I have to clean up your messy sheets. I'm sorry Rai, I had no idea." she apologized then picked Rai up in the towel and brought her back into her room. Mizuki grimaced at the bloody bedsheets but ignored them for Rai's sake. She put Rai back down on her feet then grabbed Rai's pack from a chair.

"What would you like to wear today?" she asked Rai, opening the bag for her.

Rai giggled and "I want to wear a princess dress! But I don't have one... Hmm... so my yellow dress! The one with the pretty lace!"

Mizuki smiled and made a little note to herself. 'She deserves something special...' she thought while getting the dress out for Rai to put on.

"Thank you!" Rai put the yellow dress on buttoned it up the back, but missed on button at the top. She grabbed a blanket that was folded over a rocking chair and wrapped around her snuggly. "I'm going to go curl up on the couch!"

She walked out the door and down the steps, dragging the blanket behind her like a queens robe. She waved to Soran and the old vampire and then crawled onto the couch, curling up under the blankets.

Mizuki smiled and giggled at Rai's cheerfullness. Then she stood up and gathered up the bloody sheets on her bed. Sighing, Mizuki went downstairs and slipped out the backdoor to the stream. Mizuki didn't think she could actually save the bedsheets, but at least she could try to take some of the bloodstains out. One by one, Mizuki placed the bedsheets under the water and secured them with heavy rocks so they could soak. The she went back inside to get some soap for them, then rushed back outside.

She thought about what she'd do today. She should shop for the house today, she figured. Get it more looking like a home then a quick place to spend a few nights and days at. But then she thought about the money it would take to do that. Did they even have enough? But the memory of the ring she had found practically a month ago resurfaced in her memory as she scrubbed the bedsheets.

Maybe that was worth money?

"So you just need to take them out the next time they try to come for it," Dralan was saying matter-of-factly, ignoring the stern frown on Soran's face.

Soran's head was beginning to throb now that he wasn't focused on Rai or Mizuki. "Unfortunately, I have other matters to see to," he said flatly.

"Don't be that way! I have a special need here. Consider it a favor to an old friend. Or have you decided to retire here with your 'family'?" Dralan teased.

Soran took firm hold of the vampire's collar, and he fell silent. "I am not your friend," the rogue stated coldly.

Dralan blinked and nodded, stumbling backwards when Soran released him. He may have acquired companions, but he didn't seem to act any differently toward anyone else, even though Dralan was fairly sure he was the closest thing to a good acquaintance the rogue had. "My, my. If those vampires get a hold of my experiment, a lot of people will suffer for it, you know."

"That's not my concern. You created it; you protect it," Soran pressed two fingers to his head.

"I seem to remember you making plenty of effort when a young vampire girl needed help. Someone you didn't even know, if I'm not mistaken," Dralan challenged.

"That was a different matter," Soran said, recalling the situation back then. He hadn't done it for the vampire girl at all. Mizuki's foolish sentimentality had intrigued him, that was all. "I have no need to justify my decisions to you, old man."

"I'll pay you handsomely."

"No. Get out." Soran's headache compounded with irritation made his voice intimidating, though his face wore little expression.

"I think your lady friend might feel differently. Oh Miss?" he called up the stairs.

"Leave her out of this," Soran snapped.

Dralan just grinned a pointy smile. "You certainly have changed quite a bit, Nightblade," he said, waiting for Mizuki to come over.

"Keep your deranged observations to yourself, old man," Soran warned flatly.

Rai poked her head out from under the covers to look at the two. "You're both being silly!" she said rolling around until she was comfortable, but tangled in the blanket. "Don't you know the best way to keep something safe is to hide it!!! Like that time I hid my favorite pink paint from the that little girl mommy invited over. She never found it! Hehee... and it was safe! 'Cause she would have spilt it and used it allll up."

OOC: omg Rai is so cute! *huggles Rai* I love how little kids just see through the problems like that.

Mizuki had finished what she could and walked back inside drying her hands on a towel. She had done what she could for the bedsheets but Rai's old dress... it had to be trashed. Mizuki promised herself she'd buy Rai a new one.

She came into the room where Soran and Dralan were bickering and quirked her brow at them.

"Now what's happening?" she said, both tired of events springing forth at them and annoyed that something new seems to be happening.

"Soran here was just telling me he would endure a little errand for me in exchange for some expendible income you could use for this house," Dralan said to her.

"No he didn't!" Rai said, and shot out from under the covers. "Ooo... You lied!"

She folded her arms, wet curls danging down her face.

Mizuki blinked. More stunned at Rai's excited outburst than what Dralan said.

"Uhhh... what?"

Rai grinned tiredly. "See you didn't think I heard, but I did." She moved her hands out flat in a motion of her doing something quiet. "I'm sneaky like that.... Better watch out. Rarrrr...." Turning her hands into claws.

Soran cast a glance of approval at Rai before turning his stern frown back on Dralan.

"Thirty gold," the old man said to him, holding out three fingers.

Soran twitched. That was a heck of a lot of money. "Just what the hell did you create?" he demanded suspiciously.

"Now that's my business. All you have to say is yes," Thornock grinned cryptically.

Rai yawned, her little display tired her out so she returned to curling up under the covers as if it had never happened.

"He created prune juice," Rai muttered, hugging the pillow.

"Thirty gold,"

Mizuk's eyes widened. What was going on that Dralan was offering Soran thirty gold? She cleared her throat. "What, may I ask, is so vaulable that you'll give Soran thirty gold?"