Holier Than Thou

[Emora Deen]

Atul chuckled. "No, she can't," he admitted. "But, beware getting kicked in the face if she wakes. She's angry with me too, if helps. But, I think it might be because I stuck up for the people who hurt her. She couldn't see how simple minded people could be tricked by such evil words. I don't suspect you to forgive them either. I don't forgive them. I just can't punish them as harshly as I'd like. I can't become my father. So I punished Arken instead."

Atul backed away to give Vlad some room. "Tenele has lost hope in humanity. She's been at war a long time. It does that to you. Tenele just needs to be reminded of the beauty of her humanity, because right now all she sees is the ugliness."

[Soran Nightblade]

"A human relationship," Vlad said without thinking.

[Emora Deen]

Atul blinked, a little perplexed by Vlad's statement. He didn't put any words to his confusion, and instead opened the bathroom door. "Let's give them some privacy," he told Talon and Espha. "Come on Espha, I need to speak with you." Espha moved off the bed, leaving the rags and water on the table. Talon left the room, Espha after him, and then Atul nudged Stalker out. He closed the door behind him.

The room went quiet and still, except for the sound of Tenele's soft breathing.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad stood and walked back into the bedroom. He watched his sleeping wife for a few minutes. Being physically refreshed was helping his composure. Perhaps dealing with so great an issue when he was half-dead had not been wise. Or maybe it was Atul's support, his mix of anger and sympathy, that had renewed him. He wouldn't have accepted either reaction alone, but the two together had been the push he needed. He went to a table in the corner and generated a new bowl of green herbal solvent. With careful attention and movements so delicate that they couldn't disturb her sleep, he shifted the blankets away from one of her legs and set to work improving the hasty bandage that had been applied in the capitol.

He worked slowly and with extreme gentleness for the next 45 minutes, until both her legs were carefully wrapped in burn cream and well ventilated bandaging. He took a short break from his work to replace the blankets over her legs and swap the towel on her forehead with a cooler one.

[Emora Deen]

Espha's soft cries filtered up from the living room, muffled but still audible. Tenele blinked her eyes open slowly, glancing around the room until her gaze fell on Vlad. For a moment she looked at him with such a soft, sleepy expression that it was hard to believe earlier she'd been so afraid of him. Then, in a rush, she remembered what had happened. She stiffened, but forced herself to relax. She reached up and drew the rag off her head as she slowly sat up.

Tenele pushed herself back against the pillows, not sure what to say to him after all that had happened. It all felt like a blur except for that clear moment when Vlad had her pinned to the bed. That was a vivid painful memory.

"I shouldn't have pushed you," Tenele told him, cupping her bandaged arm to her chest.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad shook his head quietly. "It will be okay. Rest." He stroked back her hair with a careful touch. "Is there anything else burnt, aside from your legs?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenele shook her head. "They lit the fire unevenly," she told him. "And Atul arrived quickly." Tenele removed his hand from her hair and held it in hers for a moment. Then, she slipped back down beneath the covers. She released his hand slowly, tears springing to her eyes. She rolled away from him so he couldn't see them. "My heart hurts."

[Soran Nightblade]

"They should never have hurt you. They are cowards and fools," Vlad said, accepting the lack of contact. "But no one has taught them any other way. You are here for that. You are the example, the only example that can make them any better than they are. There's a girl downstairs, crying because she's just lost her father. These last three days I was with her, she knew she would probably lose him. The only moments when I saw a glimpse of happiness or hope from her were the moments she was asking about you."

He smirked to himself. "And probably, it was the same for me."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele wiped her eyes. "I'm tired, Vlad." Her whole being was tired. "All we do is fight. We fight and fight and fight and the wars never end. People keep dying. I don't see a point to it anymore. I've been doing this too long. That's why I thought being a vampire would be easier than being human. All I feel right now is hurt. I want to feel something good."

[Soran Nightblade]

The vampire chuckled. "Turning to a vampire is an odd way of expressing an aversion to death, my lady. Vlad slid under the covers with her and ran his cool fingers over her forehead in place of the rag she'd dislodged. He didn't try to get too close. He didn't want to scare her again and couldn't handle feeling her scared.

"I can take some of the physical pain away, if you'd like," he offered softly, smoothing back her hair. He could do a lot with a skillful bite.

"For the other pain...I am ready to discuss it. I swear to remain calm."

[Emora Deen]

"You frightened me," Tenele whispered. "But, I pushed you. I have no one to blame for being hurt but myself. I think that after being betrayed by the townspeople and then you hurt me..." Tenele cradled her arm, remembering it so vividly that it sent a chill through her. "I just want to be with you forever... and I figured it would be okay to be a vampire. I didn't think it would be so different from what we have now. I didn't think there was any point in me being human, because we can't have children or grow old together. It hurt to think about that you would let me die, instead of turning me."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad nodded as she spoke, thinking hard about her words and trying not to personalize them. "I would love to be with you forever myself," he said. "I do not enjoy the fact of your mortality, or take pleasure in seeing you hurt. If there were a way to keep you alive with me forever, I would do anything for that. I am yours my entire life - not just the years you are at my side, and I know the former will probably outnumber the latter." He ran his fingers along the side of her face.

"I want you to understand...that to me, turning you would be the same as killing the you I know. It would mean losing you. It would be selfish and cowardly. I do not believe it would make you happy. Vampirism is not about happiness. There are moments of euphoria more extreme than anything a human feels, yes, but always at someone else's expense, and always as punctuations to extended, constant hunger and emptiness. The curse tortured me for a very, very long time. Years of torture taught me to control it and find it tolerable, but I don't want that to happen to you. I swore I would never spread the curse at all. But Talon...I lost my head. I still don't know if it was right. But I know I was able to do it because I didn't love him. He didn't love me. It was to preserve him as your brother, but a part of him will never be him again. Talon despised me, Tenele. Now, he belongs to me. He cares first and foremost about my expectations and my survival. He will continue to obey me until he outlives me. I like that you challenge me and have your own thoughts. You keep me human. You keep me connected to humanity." He noticed he was rambling, and cut off.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele scooted closer to him. The fear of him had ebbed with the reminder that this man loved her. She kissed his lips softly, the first kiss they'd shared since seeing him in the city earlier that day. "Then, I will stay as I am. If it means so much to you, I will be human. I would do anything for you."

Tenele pressed her forehead to his. "Is it make-up sex time?" she chuckled, wanting to bring something light into the conversation.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad pressed his forehead to hers, elated by her kiss. There were moments there where he really wasn't sure if she'd ever want to touch him again. "It is always time for make-up sex," he chuckled, knowing full well her body wasn't up for it. "But there is something else I wanted to talk about first." He moved his head back enough to look into her green eyes. It was a relief to be able to make eye contact with her again.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele stared at him curiously. "What is it?" Tenele was intrigued and afraid of what he might want to discuss.