first chapter got really good reception though!!! I'm psyched! AAAANYWAYS-Oh wait I have to tell you-so fun faacttttt-your vampire's Dracula.
mhm!!!! Aight lemme justtttt-
Dee tugged at the hood of his cloak with a gloved hand, shading his eyes as he wandered through the bustling market crowd. It was late afternoon, and the sun had dipped low on the horizon that crisp fall day, the long shadows providing him a respite from the uncomfortable, but not lethal rays. Dee chuckled to himself as he melted into the throng. The myth that vampires would be killed by sunlight, as opposed to merely irritated, had helped provide him with many delightful meals.
Such as today’s.
Dee had found him dragging a struggling young woman into a darkened cellar. Distracted by his own efforts to muffle the poor thing’s cries for help, the man hadn’t noticed Dee until he’d grabbed him from behind, fangs a breath away from his tart, sweat-covered skin. Dee raised his eyes over the man’s shoulder and glared at the young woman, frozen in front of them with her mouth hung open. “Run,” he’d ordered in a whisper before sinking his hungry teeth into her would-be assailant’s neck. Dee drained him, then let his limp body fall down the stone cellar steps.
Sated, Dee still couldn’t help the heady giddiness that threatened to overtake him as the hot, sweet scent of flesh and blood and life surrounded him on every side. The warmth of the early autumn sun discouraged most shoppers from wrapping themselves in too many layers and Dee took pleasure in the sights and smells ofthe vitality moving past him, all within hands’ reach.
The pleasure turned to a subtle, empty ache, though, as the approaching dusk called families indoors and drew lovers both young and old outside. As he glided through the marketplace, Dee fought to ignore the gnawing yearning in the center of his chest as he passed couple after couple walking hand-in-hand, fingertips grazing pulse points, nervous heartbeats racing. His skin itched as the pairs drew close to each other, trading soft glances and furtive kisses in the crowd, or exchanging more in shadowed alleyways.
He reached the outer edge of the marketplace, far from the vendors selling ale or smoked fish or sweets. He turned left past a merchant selling cups and bowls and encountered three more vendors’ booths.
The first was a large fishmonger’s stand, bordered by long, heavy oaken tables covered in buckets of fresh, swimming trout from the nearby creek. At the other end was an old woman selling charms, the soft dusk scattered through an array of hanging crystals, the light falling across her face and wares in a sparkling rainbow, undulating in the breeze. She glanced at Dee and quickly looked away, holding a small reddish crystal close to her chest.
Nestled between the two, tucked into a tiny stand no more than two feet wide, hunched a young man in a roughly knit wool tunic and downcast eyes. Spread before him on his table was a small bounty of mushrooms and roots and nuts, each carefully gathered in piles on hand-woven hemp cloths. The fishmonger suddenly guffawed next to them and the merchant looked up, pushing his unruly black hair from his face. Dee’s hands twitched and he tucked them into his cloak before they could reach out of their own accord to discover if his wavy locks felt as soft as they looked.
....I am very glad you make stories- uwu
His glare at him, wasn't exactly the loveliest, but the doesn't mean it wasn't pretty.. oh no, after a moment or two, his glare became soft, almost as if this man just, sorta calmed him in a way. Well, not even close, but oh well.
".. Forest picks, no?.. May i ask of why this choice of product?"
:)
His gaze briefly flitted up, not quite long enough for Dee to get a good view of his eyes. He quickly looked back down.
"H-Hm-? Oh-Oh! G-good evening, sire. And um-yes, they are from the forest-I find that there's many who want things like herbs or mushrooms or-well um, really anything that grows in the woods since they can make decent home remedies for simple ailments-and it's a lot less expensive than going to an apothecary...can um-c-can I interest you in anything...?"
"... I don't have to many interests with a few, mushrooms and roots.. though perhaps if there's anything.. 'special', you have.. then I'll gladly take it off your hands.."
He spoke in a rather soft tone, he wasn't trying to show himself as a threat as anyway, obviously-, but it was still rather.. strange in a way.