The Vampire's Donor

"Got it got it," she mumbled, getting portions fixed on the plate before adding the guests desired additions. "Rosada's," she pushed the plate gently in Camphor's direction, grabbing his wrist quickly before he had the chance to start bringing the plate to her, "Is there a certain way I should refer to them or am I meant to play casual? Lady and Lord? Aconite and Rosada?" Claire's voice was hushed, yet thickly laced with anxiety. The truth was she was afraid to mess up. Never had something been so important to her.

Camphor brought her on for this job, but he also regarded her as a friend which meant that impressing his friends could change a lot. She snapped out of her head, squeezing his wrist before letting go entirely and making Aconite's bowl. "I can serve them. What do you want on yours Camphor, that is if you plan at eating at all since-" she paused, not knowing if it was okay to talk about his drinking in front of his guests, "since you ate a bit before you went to sleep earlier. I'll bring you your dish too, so you can sit once you have explained," Claire offered a weak smile to the man, trying her best to feign confidence.

Her hands shook gently as she portioned out a third meal, not letting Camphor reject or accept the meal first. Worse case, this plate became hers and would be on the counter ready for her. Moving Aconite's plate quickly she rested the new one in its place and glanced up at Camphor, awaiting his answer.
 
Camphor could not help but tilt his head and watch the female in fondness. Miss Claire was hardworking and it showed in her dishes. Grabbing the plate for Rosada, the vampire looked for a tray to place the others to have her holding his wrist. Turning to the female, she listened in a bit of panic.

And that panic was a false alarm. Camphor had to chuckle at his silly thoughts. "Just be who you are, love. Lady Rosada and the coach are not really keen in acting. They will see through your act. It is better to show your true self." He wanted to hug the female and give her some strength but thought better of it. She might have found it creepy.

"I will take whatever you place in them," he winked. Sensing her anxiety, he really wanted to ease her mind. The only way to do that would be using his ability and taking it away. Think, Camphor, people do not want others messing with their minds at this day and age. "Worry not, I will join you for the meal. Not really trusting the coach." Walking before her, she tipped her chin up for her to gaze at his eyes. No abilities used. "Just see them as instructors, Miss Claire. I will not let you sit on a new environment alone."
 
{I am SO incredibly sorry that's it's been so long}

She nodded in thanks. Something told her he had a thorough understanding of the way she felt despite the lack of words really exchanged about it. "I will just prepare yours the way I make mine Cam," she smiled softly at him, her hands shaking as she plated things. If this were the restaurant she would've had to clean the plates, making sure they were flawless, but here that wasn't a concern. To her, Rosada and Aconite's plates had been clean, so in that sense she'd done her job.

"There's a bit more leftover than I thought in terms of sides," she mumbled to herself. Claire knew she'd have to pack them up later once they'd cooler to room temperature which meant she may have to excuse herself from the table should Cam's instructors be chatty, but there was -- of course -- good reason, so she hoped they'd understand when she did so.

She grabbed Cam and herselves plates and nodded towards the table, telling him she was ready. Well, as ready as she figured she could be.
'It'll be fine Claire, it's not like they'll pick at intimate thoughts or ideas. They surely won't ask about Cam's earlier feeding even if they know about it,, right?'
 
[Tis fine XD. I am basically in discord more and more anyways]

Nodding his head, the vampire would have patted her head if it was not for his hands being full. "Let's get this over and done with," he laughed lightly. Inside, he was dreading on actually sitting with the pair while trying to know more of his 'live-in partner'. Alone, he could take on the coach's weird questions and Lady Rosada's requests. He could threaten them only to be blackmailed back or just tackle Sir Acon without a care of the world.

With someone else though... For some reason or another, Camphor was more tame in conversations when there were more people. He would insult back but there would be no physical harm from him. Sir Acon, on the other hand, has no filter whatsoever and would just blabber and tease anyone. He prayed to everything he believed in that the witch would help him in not verbally attacking Miss Claire.

"Here we are," he declared, once everything was served and in order. Unconsciously, he moved to where Miss Claire was going to sit and pulled it for her. He also gestured for her to sit and gave a smile before going to his own all the while Sir Acon whistled and Lady Rosada nodding in approval. It might be an old gesture but all three of them were.
 
Claire set Cam's plate in front of his seat before setting hers down on the table in front of her own. She nodded and returned his smile as a thanks before sitting in her seat and scooting herself in to be closer to the table. It was odd, sat here with the three of them; she definitely felt like the odd one out even with her and Camphor having a close relationship already. To be fair, it was sort of hard to not be close with the nature of her real job here and all.

She was unsure if there were pre-dinner rituals to be experienced, so she remained silent with her eyes tracing the grain in the table. Hopefully dinner would go quickly or at the least, painlessly. Of course, if they were going to talk about her job things may be a little awkward even without the intention to be.
'You'll be fine. It's just dinner with coaches; it's not like you're meeting his parents to cement a relationship. Wait...am I going to have to have dinner with parents too?' Claire cut off her inner dialogue and raised her head, offering a soft smile before speaking. "If anyone finds themselves needing something more just let me know. I'd be more than happy to get it for you."
 
Aconite was already wolfing down his meal while the witch took her time, giving a small smile of approval to the taste of what was made. Rosada could not help but give a nod. "No qualms from here," she announced. "It is quite to my liking, miss. Do not worry."

Camphor looked like he was the one being tested from this. He gave a sigh of relief and a bit of a breathy chuckle. "Thank the heavens for that," he muttered before digging and closing his eyes - overexaggerating his expression. "It really is good," he stated truthfully, blinking back and shaking his head. "Are there any missions you two are needed?" he asked his instructors just to keep the conversation going.

"Nope," the coach chirped out. "Why do you think we came to visit? If either of us have one, we would be in the apartment preparing." His eyes landed on the nervous female and winked. "Do feel at home, lady. We are the visitors here and what you did was already welcoming enough. We will be out of both your hair in a matter of an hour." It was odd how Sir Acon was so lax to Claire. Did the witch confront him before coming here or that he felt there was no hidden motivation? Camphor has to consult and tell Claire of his findings before she freaks out once the others come by.

The dinner went peacefully. Questions were thrown and stories were shared. And as usual, Claire was in a bit of a hot-seat. Questions of her previous experience with the supernatural, of her current situation, sleeping arrangements, if she was comfortable in the house. Lady Rosada's eyes turned cold when she asked this. It was not particularly directed at the employee but at the person who hired her. Camphor knew that if ever she will be hurt, it was his head that was going to be on a platter.

"I do think Miss Claire would be good for the house," Camphor stated.

With dinner finished, Camphor motioned for Claire to wait as he escorted both instructors out. Acon gave a few suggestive advices making the vampire blush before shaking his head, not heading the said advices. Kissing Rosada on the cheek, Camphor bid a good day to both before dashing back to the living room and collapsing on the chair near Claire. "Thank the heavens, they are gone," he stated and chuckled.
 
Claire shook her head and laughed with him. His laugh seemed to warm her from the inside out, dispelling any lingering anxieties that may have tucked themselves away as she'd done her best to be conversational. A smile remained on her face and she glanced over to Cam. "I'm glad I'm not the only relieved party," she rose, collecting stray dishes and silverware, "They're lovely, don't get me wrong, but the both of them offer quite the whirlwind of experience when together."

The dishes clattered softly into the sink; she rinsed them and expanded on her statement. "Aconite," she paused, hoping the name hadn't slipped out of her wrongly, "he's, interesting. Quite uhm, direct, jovial, flirtatious even. But the Lady, she's collected, cool, threatening; not that she made me feel unsafe. I just have a feeling should she need to, it would be quite easy for her to strike." The leftovers were quickly arranged into containers and put into the fridge, the cookware rinsed and left in the sink. "Would it be alright to do these in the morning? I'm wiped." She dried her hands with paper towel before crossing into the living room.

She had watched as they exited, hoping that if there were any mumbling about her she would pick up on it. Desperate for any sort of praise, feedback, or intrigue that his mentors could offer. Instead, she had only heard the voice of Aconite, his words unknown to her, and selfishly she wondered if it had been about her. "Also, you had said I'd be good for the house. In what way did you mean that? You seem to keep the place quite lovely without me around," she mused, resting her chin on her arm that laid on the armrest of the couch she had plopped onto.
 
Camphor grinned at the statement. "I will give you that. Those two is a rollercoaster of everything from boring to dangerous in a blink of an eye," he laughed out, helping in the tidying of the table. As he listened to the female, he could not help but shake his head at the descriptions. It was true to the coach but it is also him that will strike with no warning if need be - always to protect and nothing else. He gesture to the female to do whatever she liked, feeling her exhaustion from meeting two people with very opposite personalities.

Following the female into the living room, the vampire tossed the predentary bird's meal before taking on the single chair neat her. "This house, as you could have guessed, houses objects and secrets that no ordinary human could comprehend. Either that or they have read it through fiction and articles from then long passed." He crossed his legs and reclined, giving off a lax posture and an amused expression. "I know you cannot feel anything, or hear voices from them but to me. Once you have entered the structure, all those turned silent." He frowned, a bit in thought on how to actually explain. "How about this. It feels as if I am the host of a very chaotic party and you are the police. Everyone fled or kept silent."

He could not really pinpoint as to why but the sight of a human might have caused the house to breath. All this time when he was living there, there were no humans who ever stepped foot.

"Anyways, you did say you are tired? Just get some rest and maybe we can think of an activity tomorrow."
 
"Of course, but.." she wondered if what he said was true. Maybe if the house hadn't been eased and quieted by her presence she would be bombarded with the whispers and such as well. "When other humans have come by or been inside, has the house paused its activity like it has for me?" The question was innocent. Claire assumed that since she was so easily welcomed into the structure that some other humans had to have at least popped in at some point. Door to door people had to have been on the front steps, as awed by the home as she had been when she'd first arrived here.

The meeting with the mentors had seemed to slip into the back of her mind as she found herself imagining all the beautiful and terrifying things the house may have whispered to her had she not "shut down the party". Maybe those books she'd been told to stay far from would've barked things at her in the night, taunted her when and if she made any mistakes. She figured since the house could speak it must also be able to hear as well. If she said something the house saw as a threat to its owner or picked up on something gossip worthy would it break its silence to speak to Camphor, to warn him or indulge him about the juicy statements she'd made. What if the house didn't like her? Could it do something to get her out, to harm her? Surely not, otherwise Camphor wouldn't have invited her to live in. He needed her.

"Did the house ever gossip with you when it spoke? You know, like float you things that people had said within its walls? I suppose the house itself isn't the sentient being, but all the objects here could certainly work together to do something like that I'd imagine," her words came out quickly, excitement lacing every word together.

She felt like a child, wondering about the "magic house" and how it worked, what its secrets were.
 
It took all of the male's will power to stop a grin. "It looks like the structure really do welcome you. Few humans have tried, hell, even other creatures came and went. Only a handful made it behave like this but that is only temporary," he muttered instead. "Most likely you will soon experience how it~they... 'welcome' new comers who they like." He grinned then, leading her to the upper part of the house.

When he came and inherited the structure from a master, he was never welcomed in. He remembered the first time he got lost and it took them days to find him. Luckily for the vampire, he was already undead. It took years of taming the unseen creatures and sentient cursed objects then. And like someone with a sibling, they had a love-hate relationship. The problem was that he was bound to forever take care of the house and it will do the same to him.

"Quiet poetic," he commented on her last few statements. "Yes, the house itself isn't sentient but some of the object - decorations, books, anything - can." He smiled then, looking at the awe-struck female. "Like I have said earlier, once I get into slumber, you will be welcomed by those around and I do hope you like horror movies 'cos they might actually try and prank you. If so, tell them off. They would not harm you intentionally," The last sentence was not directed at Claire then but to the spirits all around.

Getting into the front of his room, he bowed elegantly to the female. "And for the day, I will bid thee adieu," he greeted before opening his door and stepping in.
 
She gave him a small smile and bowed back, "I will see you again tomorrow." Claire waited until he closed the door behind him to turn her back. Her mind raced with ideas of what the house may try to pull, what objects may start to act strange towards her that hadn't before. The books were a given, she had been told about those and how dangerous they could be, but what about the other objects? More normal objects mainly. Things like shelves, drawers, dishes, tables, lamps, etc. Were they also in on everything?

It was quite off-putting to realize that all of the things around you could be alive in some odd way. Of course, they weren't alive in a traditional sense, but neither was the houses master. It was all some sort of otherworldly magic. If the house had been along far before Camphor had what sort of things had it seen before all this, and what kind of creatures could've walked through its halls hoping to claim or tame what was within them.

Camphor had referred to the beings as they. Her feet met the living areas floor once again only to be quickly pulled up onto the couch. She lay looking up at the ceiling. The fact that he regarded them as such must mean that at some point some of the objects had to have be truly alive, well at least the spirit that gave them their sentience, right?
 
[If I am correct, the time would be around when the sun set. XD I lost track]

Once darkness settled and, to the house's surprise, the master retreated for the night, the spirits started to stir. Watching a female - a human, nonetheless - walk about, they were curious. 'Fresh meat?' one asked, moving around the new addition, making the area around the female ice cold. The others were not as keen as getting closer and the more mischievous ones were already plotting on how to make their night worthwhile.

It was the bird that came to Clair's rescue. It perched on her shoulder and the spirit was startled, he went back to the group and stared in horror at the guardian. Cherry would see them and him being there means that the girl was not to be played around with.

'Come now, Cherry. We won't do anything that would traumatize her,' another voice cooed. 'Much.' It added before giggling as Cherry flapped his wings to keep them at bay.
 
[probably I wasn't entirely sure either XD]

Claire had been a bit startled by the birds appearance; lost to her daydreams the weight of the bird had brought her back. Her arms crossed her chest, some of the hair on her arms raised. "It's best not to sneak up on people Cherry, especially when it's dark." Claire gently stroked the bird before patting the back of the couch. "If you're so keen on sticking around," she paused to look around a bit, "which I am grateful for, make yourself comfortable. I think I'm going to lay down for a bit."

She figured that if she was only allowed to rest in her room the bird would somehow let her know, of course it would also know the rule better than her which is why she left it up to Cherry. "I'm not quite sure of your sleeping tendencies however, so I suppose if you like to cuddle up that would be fine as well."

It felt almost eerie, all the space around her. Familiar objects had been tucked away in the shadows and no longer looked so familiar. It made her wonder if the trek up to her room was worth it, but at this point it felt best to just stay put. Besides the couch was pretty comfortable.
 
'Should we start making noises and banging up pans and pots?' the spirits asked within themselves, looking at Cherry before raising their hands at its deadpan expression. The demon bird then turned to the the female, rubbing its head on its cheek in comfort before hopping off to get its weight off of her and just stayed beside her, cuddling if she will.

Figures started to appear before the female but it looked more like hallucination than anything as they keep flickering off because of the light. All those who were curious did not dare move closer, knowing that the bird beside the human would 'kill' them if pissed off to an extent. "Hello?" one brave soul asked in curiosity, wanting to see if she could see them or not. "We are going to hurt thee not. For the master of the house seem to have an interest."

"Quite skinny to become a meal, no? Are thee not a friend?" another asked as they saw Cherry relax.

"Helper? I heard the master say he needs one to clean the house. Maybe more? A friend? But I have not seen her visit until now." Yet another muttered, rubbing his ghostly chin as he moved closer to inspect the female. "You can hear us, yes?"
 
Claire rubbed the sleep from her eyes finding the figures to still be there once her vision was awake. The voices slithered through her ears which caused her to hold the bird a bit closer. Her eyes fell on Cherry to see if the bird could see the figures as well.

"Uhm," she stammered, "Maybe I should sleep in my room. I just thought the couch would be nice. The uh sunrise or something." The words felt hollow, fake even as they slipped out. Nothing about this felt truly real, but she didn't think it was fake either. Out of all the warnings that Camphor had managed to give her surely he wouldn't have left this one out. Cherry sticking around made quite a bit more sense now as she assumed the bird knew this would happen.

"Friend maybe, but I just work here. Cook, clean, feed," her eyes fell on the ground. The image of the figures starting to put strain on her mind.

If she didn't know any better she may have reached out towards them to see if they were palpable, but fear kept her hands where they were. It felt safer not to know just how real these things were. They could speak which made them real enough to her.
 
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