Cass perched at the very edge of his chair, uncomfortable and wary as he watched people move around him. Raielle had brought him to a small dining hall; several long tables lined the room, the numerous chairs comfortable with black cushions, the furniture all made of glossy, dark wood. The vampire noble sat across from him, long fingers laid across a fine red tablecloth, idly running over delicate embroidery of leaves and flowers in golden thread.

Though the vampire and his thrall were both silent, the room was filled with the gentle murmur of quiet voices. Other servants glanced up from their meals, Cass twitching under their fascinated gazes. His hands balled against his knees as he ducked his head, feeling anxious and exposed in such a large room, with so many people- so different from the cold silence of Emrys’s manor, servants never dallying in one place for long.

The soft scrape of the chair next to him being drawn out made Cass flinch, his pulse jumping as his body tensed to jump out of the chair. Kallum’s friendly brown eyes were disarming as he gave Cass a sheepish smile, setting a tray down in front of the startled young man. “I thought you might be hungry,” the servant said softly as he took his seat next to Cass.

His pale blue gaze flickered to Raielle for a moment, hesitant; he had eaten the majority of his meals alone, apart from a few rare occasions where he dined with Syrus, and had been taught it was bad manners to eat in front of the nobles. Emrys had made it clear he found the act revolting. Swallowing, Cass shook his head and pushed the tray away from him.

Raielle leaned forward, his golden gaze fixated on the nervous human. “I will not punish you for eating, Cassius,” he said, his rich voice gentle. A frown pulled at his lips when he saw the disbelief in Cass’s gaze. “We all require sustenance in some form. It would be madness to be angered that you are fulfilling your body’s basic needs.”

Cass grimaced, looking away as he remembered speaking of the madness of Sector 8’s lord; glancing up, he caught Kallum’s gaze for a moment, the faint smirk somehow comforting. It made him feel like he wasn’t completely alone in front of the intimidating vampire lord. With a sigh, he pulled the tray back in front of him, his fingertips resting against elegant polished silverware as he looked over the food Kallum had brought for him.

His brow pinched as Cass realized the vibrant colors which filled Raielle’s manor extending to their dining options. The meals he was given in Emrys’s care had always been bland, colorless- carefully balanced to fill his daily nutritional needs, but no more. Cass poked at the thick cut of marbled, red meat on his plate, eyes widening as a pool of rich juices seeped from the small holes left by the fork, spilling red across the white porcelain dishware. His gaze flashed to Kallum again, alarmed and confused- feeling as if he’d done something wrong, and tensing as he prepared to be lectured for his incompetence.