As the siblings combed through the soiled garden for any other sign of intrusion they, couldn't hide their excitement. Despite the terrifying implications of a breach in the barrier, each of them tried to find some levity in the situation. It had been a very long day, full of tears and personal injury, streached further into the moonlight night with their new house guest.
“You know. I’m sure Pim would appreciate all the chaos that happened on her birthday,” Liszt muttered sarcastically, hammering one of the wire frames in the tomato plot back into shape.
“... Is it seriously still the 16th?” Asmo asked dumbfounded. He was busy pruning away bent and broken flowers in the rosepatch.
“It’s only 10:30. The night is still young,” Liszt paused and shook her head. “I have a feeling that our days are about to get a whole lot busier little brother.”
Liszt sighed. “I am NOT changing diapers.”
Asmo scoffed in response, “Same, besides, could you imagine anyone trusting me with diaper duty?”
The two laughed and gave Lili and Vie space. They’d stayed in the garden to comb through and assess the damages, while Lili and Vie took care of baby stuff. Neither of them were experienced in the subject. And Asmo was eager to keep it that way.
Meanwhile Nyx had wandered off to prepare a proper nesting space for the young Vampire, digging through the archive and cold storage for anything that could help them. Though they’d raised quite a few children, none of the siblings had been infants or toddlers when they arrived in the Sanctum.
And the Old Order's strict rules on the subject of newborns in their territory made finding relevent information a struggle, especially a child of Fey origin.
Vie held the child and stared into his violet eyes. “He’s so small. And he smells funny. And he’s just… so helpless.” Vie cooed, scritching the baby’s chin.
“Says the woman still dripping blood” Lili said with a chuckle, cradling the baby tightly.
Vie pulled her arm away and wiped off some of the coppery blood off her arm. "I..." she started, nervously.
“Lilith... Look, I’m sorry. I know I took your time with mom. We’ve both been super emotional, and…” Vie started.
“Annnnd?” Lili asked, leaning forward smugly, twisting the thumbscrews of guilt.
“And, you know the last thing I want is you to feel ignored... So can we try to work this out sis? Because I don’t exactly know how to raise a kid by myself.” Vie's posture deflated as she inspected the jagged fang marks in her arm.
“... You’re still bleeding,” Lili whispered, taking Vie’s arm gently. “Let’s start by fixing that.”
“Wait-” Vie said, pulling her arm back before Lili could close the wound closed with her kiss.
“Why are you always weird about it? I’m fixing it!” Lili snarled, dejected.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, and besides it’s just a scratch.” Vie said, wrapping the wound with a handkerchief.
“You’re so superstitious,” Lili muttered. “I know you’re Fey, but an open wound is an open wound. And besides, the baby drank some already.”
Vie shook her head silently. "The baby doesn't have your blood magic. At least not yet. We both know how dangerous it is if you lose control with it."
Lili sighed. “Okay, fine. So apology accepted I guess? And besides, who says yer the one raising this one? She pulled at the child’s cheeks with a grin. “Check out the chomps on this kid, the bairn’s one of mine.”
Vie’s eyes narrowed and she deadpanned.
“What’s with that face?” Lili asked.
“… got something you’re trying to hide from us?” Vie asked with a raised eyebrow.
Lili felt her face flush. “N-NO, THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT!” She frowned, embarrassed. “We just… we’re family, y’know. I can tell.”
“It’s not a one person job raising a child Lili. We have a village. And, even though we bicker, you know I love you Lilith… Right?” Vie asked, leaning against her sister. “More than anything?”
“HEY! That sounds an awful lot like us getting voluntold to contribute to diaper stuff, and I gotta say that was NOT in my contract,” Asmo yelled out from across the garden.
Lili said, making an obscene gesture at Asmo.Lili and Vie ignored him and giggled.
“Oy, quit geddin’ sappy on me. Y’know I love you too sis. I only get jealous cause it’s YOU. I know who the favorite is!”
“Oh bugger off with that!” Vie muttered with a playful shove. “YOU’RE HER FAVORITE! I wish I could get half the alone time you do with her.”
“She just always seems more invested in you,” Lili groaned. “Yeah, she humors me. But it’s not like anything I do gets taken seriously...”
Vie shook her head. “Lili. I love you, and I mean this in the nicest way. I’m too busy to spend my days looking for new ways to fight with my sister just for attention.When you decide to start making decisions that concern people other than yourself, I’m sure Basil will notice that initiative.” Vie's constant lectures to Lili in that motherly tone. It wasn’t intentionally condicending, but that doesn't mean that it's poor reception was undiserved.
Lili simmered silently. And Vie, in a rare moment of maturity and clarity, recognized the problem. “I- okay yeah, that sounded super rude. And-“
“YEAH. A little bit. Sheesh, if you’re going to apologize for being a jerk, don’t immediately go back to being a jerk.” Lili spat.
“I… I just…” Vie stammered. “Look, neither of us want to burden you with our problems.”
“Vie, I’ve lived with you for 17 years, when have you not been super rude and up your own bum? It’s not a burden, it’s my JOB to handle problems.” Lilith hissed, with more sorrow than anger. "We're constantly cleaning up the damage you leave in your wake, and you never tell us why. We just have to bite our tongues and watch you lash out at yourself." "Well. I'm sorry I don't treat you like an adult. I barely even feel like one myself and I've been alive for centuries." Vie said, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder.
“But good luck convincing Basil not to baby you. I’ve spent 17 years reminding her that I'm FAR older than she is.” Vie said with a hearty chuckle.
Lili smiled, brushing her hand through the small vampire’s mane. The baby cooed and clinched her ring finger as she did so. “You think Basil and Pim used to fight?”
Vie cracked a smile. “Oh, all the time. Just never in front of the kids. Or at least never when they thought we’d notice.”
“I miss her,” Lili whispered softly, while slowly stroking the infant’s small tuft of hair.
“Me too Lili. Me too,” Vie replied solemnly.
“This baby. He looks like me,” She stared, transfixed on the small child.
The unmistakle features of her kin. He had the same shock black hair with red roots, and her mother’s olive skin. His eyes were a sharp violet. The same as Lilith’s father’s.
He was from the same old lines, perhaps a distant cousin. But, above all she knew that he had inherited the same intensity that Lilith herself had inherited. It was undisputable, their mothers were of the same cut. It felt so alien after all these years.
“Be born of a Harlot under the sign of the Jackal.” Lili whispered softly. "You can feel the suffering in his blood."
"An old superstition." Vie said, comforting her.
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen someone who looks like me.” She whispered affectionately.
“I mean, we’re Fey… mostly. We all kinda look like you,” Vie said, confused.
“Yeah. I guess. But like…” Lili started, somewhat blankly. “This is mine and mine, y’know.”
Lilith cradled the baby tightly, and Vie felt a pang of jealousy. Lili handed the child over to Vie, without prompt. She’d lived with her long enough to read the body language.
As Vie intentionally showed her arm to the child, she felt her heart race. The pain of a bite on a major artery kicked in and her adrenaline began to spike. But the pain quickly subsided with warmth. Lamia with sense and practice could ease the pain of the bite, and an adult could even make it feel strangely pleasurable. This child had none of this experience. Nonetheless, it was a far cry from the instinctive chomp he’d taken from her earlier.
“Have you ever missed your kin?” Lili asked, almost rhetorically.
“No, can’t say I have,” Vie said bitterly. “I hope they all died in the war… Though I’ve never been very lucky. And so, I hope they’re all dead. And if not, I'll see them in Hades,” she muttered.
She smiled at her sister, and stroked the child’s cheek. “You folks are the only family I care about. Mine and mine.”
“Oh. That’s lovely,” Lili replied listlessly, only half listening to Vie.
Vie sighed. She was tired, and the blood loss wasn’t helping. As she handed the child back to Lili, the baby momentarily cried before Lili offered herself to feed.
Lili cradled the baby tightly and sang to herself.
“Looks like me, looks like me.~” The baby cooed and giggled at her.
“I have a little baby and he looks like me.~”
Vie felt a deep guilt inside of her. She’d given her blood willingly to this bairn. Something completely forbidden within her own kind. Something she dared not do to Lilith.
And yet, the child seemed fine enough.
Which made Vie no less fearful. Because satiating the hunger of a Vampire with the blood of an ancient, that was the source of countless nightmares for the Fair Folk.
And yet the small child had not reacted poorly. It had drank from her freely without consequences. Vie still felt her hands tremble. It was a calculated risk, but the child hadn't yet unlocked her thaumaturgy. It couldn’t do anything with the blood potency. It was just fuel to grow and survive. If there would be consequences, it would not be tonight.
And so Vie had no choice but to be patient and faithful.
She had sworn to protect everyone with her life. This stranger’s child was no different.
“I’m hungry,” Lili leaned her head on Vie’s shoulder, breaking her train of thought. “Can we make pancakes or something?”
“Love you too sis,” Vie replied, leaning in and resting her head on Lilith’s. As the two stared out into the waxing moon together, she whispered softly. “Love you always.”
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