Heirot

Tenele blinked at Sho, and then at Atul. "Sho," she called. "Thank you for your help. I guess you can see how frustrating this is." She placed her hands on the young woman's shoulders. "Second thought, aim for the gut. No, no, no... Don't... Maybe we both should go for walks?"

Sho scowled at the still body, frustrated that she couldn't fix the problem. Life was pretty simple in Sho's reality. Complex things didn't suit her. "Come. I show you our warm place," she sighed, taking Tenele by the hand and pulling her away from her unconscious husband.

Tenele sighed. "That sounds like a good idea." Sho was very proud of her warm place, but Tenele had yet to visit it. She'd stayed mostly in the rooms or walking around the grounds. By now Maxwell's body was petrified and buried in snow. "I'll be back," she called to Atul before closing the door behind her. "Lead the way."

Sho took her down the long flight of stairs and proudly showed her the place she'd met Talon, and the mines, and the fire pit, and her kin, with much greater further and excitement than the tour probably deserved. Of course, it was all very important to Sho, and she made sure that Tenele didn't slacken her attention.

Meanwhile, Vlad shifted his head slightly on the pillow, muttering something about Talon.

Tenele wasn't like Talon or Vlad or Atul, and was also very different from Sho. The room was hot at first, but by the time they made it to the fire it as scalding. While her other companions could handle the temperature, Tenele was pretty sure that if she got any closer she'd combust. Her skin felt like it was singeing, but she didn't want to be rude. She pressed on with the tour, hoping it would end soon. It was a fascinating in its own right, but the heat made her feel woozy.

* * *

Atul jumped up and teleported to Vlad's side, because walking didn't seem fast enough. "Vlad?" he called, shaking the man. When that didn't work he decided to take Sho's approach, and slapped him across the face.

Vlad's eyes shot open, wide and unfocused. He looked terrified and definitely wasn't recognizing who was in front of him. He shot his hands up and shoved at the man's chest like his life depended on it.

Atul flew off his feet and crashed into the stone wall a few yards away. The stone cracked and crumbled as his body slid to the floor. The King slumped and went still.

* * *

Tenele wiped the sweat from her brow. "Sho," she sighed. "This is really great. You guys are hard workers. I can't imagine being tasked with doing this all day. Thank you for showing it to me. I think I should go up again, its a little too hot for me down here. Human's like heat, but we can't handle large amounts of it, just like we can't handle heavy cold. We do well with tween states."

Vlad drew shallow breaths and slowly came around to the room he was in. No one was holding him down or injecting him. He wasn't even on the table outside. It felt like he'd been in a fog. He sat up slowly and pieced together memories of what had happened. It took him several minutes to notice Atul lying on the floor. He had a moment to wonder if they'd been attacked by something, and then shame filled him as he realized it was his own doing. "Atul," he breathed, vaulting out of the bed and running to the man's side. His muscles complied willingly, barely even stiff compared to a few days ago. He crouched down beside the man and lifted his shoulders carefully into his lap before checking his head for cuts.

Sho nodded as if Tenele's weakness to heat was a point of pride. "I see. This is why you have one hot blood and one cold blood serving you," she assessed with interest. "Human needs are detailed."

The wound on the back of Atul's head closed, just leaving a small patch of blood that would dry. A second later his blue eyes opened. He stared up at Vlad, blinked, and then chuckled. "Wow, Sho's idea wasn't so bad after all. I'm just glad you threw me and not her. Tiny thing would have splintered into a thousand pieces with a hit like that." He shook his head, like he was shaking off the hit.

* * *

Tenele smiled. "That is exactly why I have both," she admitted with a grin as she headed away from the heat. "You are very perceptive Sho, I can see why my brother is so fond of you."

Sho raised her head high at the compliment. "All reptilians are clever," she proclaimed as she led her poor tourist back out of the smoldering basement toward mortal temperatures.

Vlad laughed shakily, running his hands along the sides of the man's face and through his hair like a worried mother. "I don't know what possessed me," he murmured. "You're okay?"

Atul nodded. "I heal fast," he reminded the man. "I'm just thankful it was me taking that hit. Sho only a few moments ago stood there with Tenele trying to wake you of. She just took Tenele down into the basement to show her the fires."

He cupped Vlad's cheek tenderly. "How are you feeling? You slept for three days. We've been so worried."

* * *

Tenele sighed with relief when she felt the cold air. But, being down in the heat and coming back into normal temperatures made the air seem far colder than it actually was. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself and hoping her body adjusted quickly.

Vlad blinked. He wanted to think Atul was kidding, but the man looked serious. "I've slept three days?" he asked slowly. He looked down at his arms and felt out his body. "Seems to have helped..." He felt stiff, the way humans did after harsh workouts. The pain was completely healed. "There's no pain," he whispered, his eyes widening. He'd been a slave to pain for so long. "Atul..." He ignored the possibility that the man could still be healing and tackled him into the floor. He straddled the man and flattened himself against him, burrowing his face against his neck. He felt positively ecstatic.

Atul grinned, stretching out across the floor as Vlad straddled him. "Yep, this was worth the hit," he sighed, twining his arms around Vlad's waist and pulling him tighter to him. He was glad that Vlad was feeling better, but even more happy that he was showing affection again.

Vlad rubbed his face against the man's neck, then up to his cheek. He experimented with the rougher texture of his goatee, running his lips lightly along the edge, and decided he liked it. He licked under Atul's chin, at the smooth underside of his jaw. He nibbled on his chin playfully. And he pressed his lips down over Atul's, firm with affection and joy.

Atul cupped the back of Vlad's head and returned the kiss, his other arm tightening around the vampire's waist. He hummed happily as he felt Vlad's affection radiate from his touch. "I missed his," he whispered, planting kisses on Vlad's neck.