Chapter 16 A Drizzling Voyage

"Mm-a-ate h-He-l-p mm-e-e"

"Ah-h-hhm wW-h-a-tt-'s gg-oin-g o-n?"

"Wwh-hh-u-o aa-ree-e yy--o-uu! Gg-get aa-way- FF-Fr-om- Mmm-e-e"

"YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FOR HIGH DIVINE SUCH AS MYSELF!"

"DIE! DIE! DIE!"

AHHHH!

WAH! What the heck? It was just a dream or more like a nightmare. I was woken up by the crackle of thunder, it's still raining heavily outside and the roaring of thunder still resonates. Even until now, what happened earlier still had a toll on me, Vladimir's horrific event I can't seem to shake it out of my head, his actions really affected me to the point of I'm having bad dreams about him.

I almost forgot, Eleanore did mention to Sebastian that we have to leave the manor tonight because of Vladimir's stay for a few days here. She deemed it would be unsafe for me to stay here and Dmitri so she sent us to Prigoria to stay there for a few days, even though she's against the fact that we are there with other humans. But in order to safeguard my life, me and Dmitri are going to stay there until Vladimir leaves after three days.

Even I'm dripping in cold sweat, breathing slowly as I go since that was very unpleasant to dream about. Dmitri was surprised when I woke up from my sleep. He checked up on me, looking very worried and said;

"Theodore, are you alright? You seem to be in a fragile state right now? Should I be concerned about what's going on with you?" Dmitri said, looking worried.

"I'm okay Dmitri, no need to worry, I just had a bad dream at all, you can go back to sleep" I replied.

"Alright if you're sure, you really did give a scare there, I got awake from my sleep because of that and we need all the energy we can get in order to reach Prigoria as soon as possible since this rain proves to be a nuisance to us" Dmitri replied.

I heard some information about the rain and it's all because of Vladimir. The High Caliph had this hex that enables him to manipulate weather from a mile radius, so I guess he likes heavy rain and loud thunder to heart, it does speak a lot about him. Dmitri and I were just trying to get back to resting, I'm trying my best to fall asleep when I heard clanking on the stairs nearby. I grabbed a book from the stand to use it as a weapon as I stared at the staircase, awaiting who's coming up here.

"Dmitri ... Dmitri, wake up, wake up!" I whisper as subtle as possible.

"Wha- what is it Theodore, can you see that I'm sleeping and you're--" He cut himself off and slowly stood up.

He heard footsteps ascending up the stairwell, nearing our location. Dmitri came over to me and blocked me from what imminent danger was coming.

"Alright Theodore, I recommend for you to close your arms and feet, I won't let that mysterious person see you first, I'll take care for it, I'm here to protect you and if that's Vladimir then he's about to get a fight for his life" Dmitri said, clenching his hands to tight fists.

His aura began to radiate as the mystery person comes closer and closer, climbing up the stairs. I hold the book tight as we both wait for the person so reveal itself. Dmitri prepares himself for what's to come, in full stance and ready to strike. He's about to lunge at the person climbing stairs when he immediately stops himself from doing it. Phew! Sigh, good thing Dmitri stops because the person who's ascending up the stairs is none other than ...

"Dmitri, Theodore, I brought you some dinner to indulge with and ... Oh, what's the matter? It seems like you've seen a very terrifying ghost just now, by the way the look of your face suggests you did have seen one" Sebastian said, placing our trays down the side cabinet.

"We thought you were Vladimir that's were on full alert, good thing you've brought food with you because I'm starving" Dmitri said.

"Wait? Sebastian, how did you get inside the tower? I swore the door was completely closed and you're holding two trays in both hands, How is that possible?" I asked him.

He chuckled and said, Theodore, as you may know I'm a half Vampir, I can't fully explain to you the whole detail of my hexes but I have my ways in passing through places undetected and the door closed by three wooden planks in hilts is not hard task for me to bypass"

After that, Sebastian presents our meal and surprisingly enough, Dmitri's dinner consists of actual human food this time, showcasing a juicy and meaty Steak au Poivre along with a half loaf of Beef Wellington. While on the other hand, mine is Boneless Pork Chops in Creamy Garlic Spinach Sauce and with the other half of the Beef Wellington.

"Wow this is all delicious, how did you even get this out of the kitchen and to here without alerting our esteemed guest and his meddlesome nose? I should've not been underestimating you but I have to know how you do it?" I asked Sebastian.

"Well Theodore, you don't know all of my craftiness and propositions but I do have my ways and not just so, Eleanore did have an involvement with this since she and Vladimir are at the solarium, taking a look at the rare fauna and flora there, remember the door is air tight shut because Eleanore doesn't want her plants be contaminated by other plants outside so that's why got away of bring this food to you both" He said, smiling.

As long as Vladimir is out of the way, I can finally eat my food in peace and quiet. Sebastian excuses himself to get us our drinks. This is such good food, the aroma and spices used in this dish is superb. Even Dmitri is transfixed in his food, he already had finished his Beef Wellington. Footsteps resonate at the staircase and I thought it would be Sebastian but it's actually ...

"Theodore, Dmitri ... Here's your drink and two glasses, a complimentary for your dinner to go with" Lannister said.

"Well it's good to see you Lannister but where's Sebastian, I thought he was going to bring us the drinks?" I commented.

"Oh, it's because Sebastian got busy at the moment since Vladimir saw him on the way here and he ordered him to prepare him and Eleanore a meal and what's frustrating is that our esteemed High Caliph suggested to use my fermented and deep seasoned human carcasses as their dinner and I for one don't--" Lannister stopped himself short, looking at me.

"Now you've done it, brother. You've made Theodore upset because you can't close your unfiltered mouth of yours" Dmitri said.

Well he's not wrong though, hearing that made my stomach churl and remembering the earlier events of that room. Lannister must be speaking of the condiments in that room near the jars full of body parts, which makes my spine shiver just by thinking of it. I placed my utensils down for a while.

"I'm so very sorry Theodore, I apologize for making you upset, I didn't mean to say these things to you intentionally" Lannister said, looking remorseful.

Dmitri glances at his older brother who keeps apologizing to me even though I told him it's okay. Seeing that mischievous smile of his, Dmitri is enjoying himself the misery of his brother unfolding right in front of him. I slap his shoulder, gesturing for Lannister to stop and I could go back to eating my food in peace. Dmitri sighs and tells him to stop what he did. We all three stayed at the tower for a while longer, finishing our meals and enjoying our drinks. The loud thunder erupts in the sky and the rain gets heavier.

We were about to prepare for the night when a loud shout resonated from inside the manor and it didn't sound so good.

"WHAT IN THE HIGH HOUSE OF ORPHEUS IS THIS PUTRID SMELL? IT'S HUMAN FOOD! THIS IS AN ACT OF INSUBORDINATION!" Vladimir shouted.

Everyone stopped for a bit, all looking panicked by the High Caliph's retortion of resentment. This is bad, this is bad, how and why now! Slowly but surely we started to prepare ourselves when someone was rushing up the stairs, Dmitri told me to hide and the brothers prepared for what's about to come up here when it was only Sebastian, frantic and worrisome looking, his eyes on us.

"Dmitri, Theodore, you have to leave the manor immediately! Vladimir is onto the scent of the food and you must leave! We can handle it from here" Sebastian said, pushing us to the opening of the wall.

"H-How did that happen? What's going on?" I asked Sebastian while Lannister put Dmitri's bag onto me, strapping it in.

"It was an uncalculated error on Eleanore's part when she accidentally opened the solarium door without alerting me but I wasn't finished clearing up the odor, so better go, leave the manor immediately!" Sebastian said.

K-N-O-C-K-! K-N-O-C-K-!

Everyone stopped when we heard the door being banged downstairs. He's already here!

"THIS IS WHERE THE SMELL IS COMING FROM! WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH HERE ELEANORE AND INVESTIGATE! AND WHERE IS YOUR HYBRID LACKEY HE SHOULD OPEN THIS DOOR IMMEDIATELY!" Vladimir shouted, continuing on banging the door.

I started to cough, the heat slowly getting worse, I'm starting to feel uneasy and the sleep earlier didn't work. Lannister finished strapping the bag secure to me as Sebastian pushed both of us to the edge of the opening.

"Quickly go! We can handle things from there! Before Vladimir sees you leave!" Lannister said and Dmitri nodded at him.

He jumped down the opening, landing safely on the roof. The rain pours even harder and heavier than earlier, we heard the quick ascend of footsteps closing in on the tower. We immediately left the manor grounds, traversing to the woods of Pin Mare before being seen. I took one last glimpse if Vladimir somehow saw us travel out of the manor premises but it was pouring rain very hard and it's hindering my ability to see clearly. I just saw something standing on top of the roof where we were earlier, he's not following us if Vladimir or not.

We reach the forest, the rain gets heavier and the wind gets stronger by the minute, rendering us helpless to get some supplies from the bag. We're trekking the forest blind through the dark forest while the heavy abnormal rain continues to pour on us. I don't feel so well, I pat my neck and I'm starting to heat up, getting uncomfortable from the cold rain.

"Dmitri ..." I called him as I slump to the ground, getting weaker.

"Theodore, are you alright? I'm here, let's go" Dmitri said, picking me off the ground and holding me close, slinging my arm to his neck for support.

We're fighting the elements of the weather and the darkness that surrounds the forest of Pin Mare. I'm slowing both of us down, this uneasy feeling must be from earlier, my body is experiencing a shock from traumatic events, but that won't stop me from reaching the town before something might happen.

Unable to see the thick forest, our only indication we're going the same way is the path on the ground. All of a sudden, I stepped on something and unexpectedly, I accidentally fell into the open ditch, too late to hold Dmitri as I descended into the darkness. I plummet to the ground, hitting my body hard with the leaves breaking my fall, rolling down to the incline and body flat upwards enabling me to look at the dark sky.

I'm in so much pain right now, I can't even crawl upright because of the bag strapped onto me. I'm wet and mucky from the dirt on the ground, with my face poured with rain water blinging my sight. I called out.

"DMITRI!" I weakly shouted, hoping he's able to hear me.

"D-Dmitri!" I cried again but this time much louder I could muster.

Breathing slowly, I'm feeling sicker than usual, feeling heat from all over my body and irritated from the cold wind blowing to my body.

When I heard something, it sounded familiar ...

"THEODORE!"

"THEODORE!"

"Where are you!?"

Dmitri kept on shouting, he's nearby. I can't even shout one last hurrah on me, so weak to even look up. When my vision cleared, something loomed beside me, holding my head a bit and shaking my shoulders.

"THEODORE! I found you, please wake up, are you okay? say something" Dmitri said.

He helped me up again, using his neck as my support to angle myself to him and we continued moving forward to the forest, hoping to find the town in time because I'm starting to feel dizzy. With that, we steadily traverse the forest, losing our path when I fell from that ditch but to our luck, way above the trees Dmitri saw something illuminating.

It must be Prigoria or something to take shelter with.

"Theodore, I think I saw Prigoria, we're almost there, we just have to walk a bit more" Dmitri mentioned, he steadily quickened his pace.

Far beyond, I can sort of see something, a light source. There's two people standing there in raincoats. I'm starting to get weaker by the minute, my knees wobble and I stumble a bit but Dmitri catches me on time.

"Theodore, what's happening to you? we're almost there, I see some humans by the far end of the forest, wearing some yellow plastic coats or something and holding lanterns" He said.

I muster all of my strength and upend his pace. I can see what he's saying and it's a raincoat Dmitri. Getting out of breath and slowly getting dizzier by the second, I broke down and became frail, falling down on the ground, dragging Dmitri with me. I felt I slump to the ground, out of breath, my body starting to heat abnormally and getting a cold feeling.

I can still hear Dmitri, shouting at me and shaking my shoulder, trying to wake me up. But I can't and I feel I'm about to pass out ...

His shout still rings to my ears until it's all gone to a blur ...

"THEODORE!"

"WAKE UP, Theodore!"

"YOU HAVE to WAKE UP!"

"Lil bro, of course I'll support you whenever I can and always will 'cause you're my lil brother and with that being said, I just wanted to apologize for missing your graduation day ... You know your big bro had some business overseas to take care of so by missing it, it's the least I can do by supporting this that you wanted"

"The reunion is a promise and we'll have it when I get home ... And I have to go so thank you guys for calling and expressing your love for me and to have a safe journey, and even if I'm there I'll try my best to contact one of you, okay?"

"Yes I am and thanks for the welcome! It's my first time visiting to Romania"

"What am I doing? WHAT AM I DOING!? Well, it's none of your business because you're not going to be alive to find out, given that you're going to DIE for what you DID!"

"Lad, I welcome you to the magnanimous and palatial, Grand Constantine Manor!"

"A plan, Theodore ... One involved Dmitri replicating your performance from earlier, that is the ambiguity of the whole ordeal, hence why we are involved too in a series of activities I have prearranged"

"Alright, if you say so ... then, LET'S GO! Let's have the best SATURDAY of our lives!"

"You know, this is the best day ever, thanks for coming along even though you threaten not to go first but you've liven up while we're there, hoping to have another adventure with you again"

... I gingerly open my eyes, unaware of what's going on. Ugh, I wince in pain, feeling something wrapped around my body. AS my senses start to be more aware, I can't help but notice I'm dry. And as my eyes adjust, somehow I'm looking at a room and to my side is Dmitri all dressed up differently, curiously looking at my phone in his hand.

He saw me looking at him and placed the phone down at the side table. "Theodore, you're okay, I'm glad you're awake, you had me worried there for a while, you were passed out for a few hours and good thing too, you were in dire shape" Dmitri said, adjusting the bedsheet on me.

Okay, what the heck is going on? Am I dead or something? I quickly moved to sit upright but the pain was too much, I lied down again, holding the painful part.

"Theodore, careful I just finished wrapping you with this item called 'gauze', the kind human insists that I put this on you along with some thin plaster that is in your sore part" He said.

I checked inside the bedsheets and weirdly enough I'm wearing a different attire from the ones I remember earlier. I look at Dmitri and embarrassingly cover myself with the bedsheets, feeling flustered.

Dmtiri also turned scarlet upon seeing my flustered face and took a step back, saying, "H-Hey! If you're thinking something perverted then your speculation is wrong, I didn't do anything to you, I just did what I had to do to take care of you, said by the kind human who let us rent this room we're in" He said.

I look around the room for the first time and wow, it's gorgeous yet old looking. Dmitri helped me sit upright and we rested on the helm of the bed, looking above the ceiling.

"Dmitri, can you explain to me how we ended up here, what happened after I passed out and who is this kind human you're mentioning?" I asked him.

"It's a long tale but since we have time, I'm obliged to answer those questions of yours ... So it started when you passed out right at the moment where this two humans on yellow tarp sprinting towards us ..."

"... They assisted us to Prigoria, I was carrying you and the other human at the time, following the other one up front and he's finding somewhere he'd like us to stay. I know and can speak fluent Romanian so it wasn't a difficult task to speak with these humans. Until they found the place we'll stay at, a familiar looking edifice, the place where you bought your pastries and where you pulled me out of the road in time so as not to get her by a small vehicle with a female human using it ..."

"... The kind human lady welcomed us with open arms, she even recognized us since we bought at her bakery, the child that assisted you was the reason why she knew our appearance, then I told her about the situation we're having and with the help of the other humans, they helped me bring you here to this room and the human lady helped me with instructions of how to give you care ..."

"So I did what she told me, I brought you to the bathroom, took off your clothes and cleaned you up then I rummaged through our bag and found what clothes suited you. You're even wearing my shirt now which looks very nice to you ... Afterwards, kept you comfy in the side of the bed and put more pillows inside, I washed myself and stayed here by your side until you started to awaken"

That's very kind of him to do all of that just for me. I was smiling when he finished his tale and he'd kind of surprised when I did.

"I can't believe you did all that, it was very nice of you, thanks Dmitri I mean you didn't have to and you can even ask for help with the others but I'm more relieved that you did help" I said to him and pat his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

Dmitri blushed, looking away from me so I won't see his flustered face. I chuckled at him and made myself comfortable with the pillows all around me. With that, he thought of something, excusing himself for a bit and went outside. Then, as the door opened, Dmitri came in with a trolley. He picked up a tray and handed it to me, then came back to the bed with me, moving a bit more closely.

"I remember the human lady said if you were awake, I have to give you this and have it in your system so you can recover more quickly. She also mentioned this is in the house and her recipe for making things better" He said to me and lifted the lid.

It's soup and I have to say it's different from the ones I ate back home. The omnipresent pickled-cabbage juice I smell is aromatic, surely I'll taste a bit of slightly soured delicatessen. The meat is cooked perfectly and is seen on the bone for a more profound taste.

"Theodore, this is Ciorba de Porc or in English it's called 'Romanian Pork Soup' the best there is in Prigoria and specially made for you, I already ate mine and I can guarantee divinity when you taste it" Dmitri said, holding the spoon.

I was about to grab it but Dmitri pushed my hand away. He points at himself and said, "No no, I was specifically instructed that I will feed you this soup because the human lady prefers the care of another is given so you can get better faster as she mentioned"

Dmitri scooped a spoonful of the soup and slowly made its way to my mouth. I accepted it and upon tasting its contents, it was very scrumptious. I have to request Sebastian to make this for me when we get back to the manor, hoping I'll taste the same as the lady Dmitri is mentioning about.

He continued to feed me and I accepted every spoonful. I can see he's slowly getting red as he feeds me with every serving, he somehow enjoys caring for others than himself. Reminds me of Alessia back when they were together, their story was amazing and heartachingly at the same time.

I grabbed hold of the spoon and took it from him and said, "Why not I feed you next? There's plenty for two and I know you love pork as much as I do" I said to him.

Dmitri gets even more redder than usual, about to object even but he stutters every time he's about to speak. I hush him and scoop up and bring the spoon into his mouth. He was calm but slightly objected that he's the one now getting fed with the pork soup. But I feel that he likes the interaction we're having since his blush face didn't dissipate even, it was kind of cute on him.

We take turns giving each other a spoonful of soup until we finish it.

Hours later, still dark out, I woke up suddenly. I glance at the clock and it's only 4 in the morning, I turn around and see Dmitri sleeping peacefully. It was still dark so I went back to bed, with my back on Dmitri. I slowly close my eyes when I feel Dmitri's warm breath on my neck and I feel his arms on top of my shoulder, it's like he's hugging me by his position he's in. I see his hand dangle about and I gingerly slide mine to hold his hand.

He reacted by closing his fingers around mine, suggesting he was awake or just his body was active. I wasn't against it, to be honest it was kind of a fuzzy feeling. It was hard to imagine that I'm sharing a room with Dmitri and I'm comfortable being with him. We stayed like that for a while when I turned over now facing him.

Dmitri looks so peaceful when he's sleeping, still flustered but I hope it's just the heat of the room that's making that reaction. I can't help myself to wonder how adorable he is when sleeping. It's like the aggressive and snarky Dmitri is not the Dmitri I'm sleeping beside me. I can't help but notice his nose's tip is reddish, reminds me of Rudolf the Reindeer and I wanted to do something about it.

I'm conflicted if I want to continue what I'm about to do but my reaction is somewhat different. And it's Dmitri I'm talking about here yet his nose is irresistible. I hope he doesn't wake up.

I steadily inch my way in close to him, closing our gap, my breath starting to get warm and I'm blushing spatially. Then slowly I lean forward, kissing the tip of his nose for about a few moments and gently pull away. Dmitri slightly moaned a bit after I kissed his nose and surprisingly he smiled.

I quickly turned over and hid myself on the bed sheet. Did I actually do that? I actually did THAT! What's wrong with me? But I can't help myself, he was too adorable to not enforce restraint. Well it's just one kiss on the nose, surely enough he won't notice I did that.

With that I go back to sleep, with dreams not about getting murdered by the High Caliph and instead just some other good memories I had like when I arrived in Romania for the first time and being welcomed at the manor. Most especially, the night me and Dmitri had, enjoying the spectacle of the fireworks.

Morning arrived not too long ago and we were greeted with non stop rain. But unlike yesterday, this time of day the downpour is a lot calmer now and the wind is a breeze to enjoy. With us ready to get out and find us some breakfast, as we're about to leave, a trolley was blocking our way. Two trays with a note on the side, it was written in Romanian so I handed it to Dmitri and he read ...

'Stimate Oaspete al Casei, Iată micul dejun pentru dimineață, sper să vă placă și să vă reamintim că suntem afară în acest moment, așa că vă sfătuim să vă încuiați camerele dacă intenționați să ieșiți, avem umbrele la scară. intrare de utilizat. Buna dimineata.'

TRANSLATION: 'Dear Guest of the House, Here's your breakfast for the morning, I hope you enjoy it and to remind you that we're out at the moment so we advised to lock your rooms if you plan to go out, we have umbrellas at the staircase entrance to be used. Good Morning.'

It was nice of the owner to bring us breakfast, she just saved us from going outside in the pouring rain. We eat our breakfast in the room while talking more about Vampirs and their lineage, where one Constantine ancestor of theirs was in battle with 10 crusaders from Rome and of course they were defeated and had their belongings looted. I knew I saw some Rome armory back at the manor. We enjoyed our time there talking about things and good things for me, he didn't notice I kissed his nose earlier.

The day went on, we got out of the room for once and toured around the normal version of Prigoria. It went quite well. It was more the rain's fault but it was peaceful looking and not to complain there. Still the same places we'd gone which is still nice and we got to go inside some of the shops and indulge in some local food there. It was funny that Dmitri hasn't had coffee his whole life. I'll try to expose him to the delicacies of coffee both hot and cold which I liked.

It was just that a tranquil day and I never saw Dmitri more relaxed and engaging to be honest, he was more in talking with the locals and had such topics with me that we never talked about before. I never knew it was fun here in Prigoria even though it's raining and funny enough the locals mentioned that the rain they experience right now at this time of year always happens every year since the dawn of the town.

So I'm guessing Vladimir really does frequent his travels to the manor and might possibly woo Eleanore. I can tell she doesn't like him, not one bit. After that pleasant day out, we went back to the place. Unfortunately, we didn't meet the owner and her son today, we were outside the whole day and haven't had a chance to meet her, maybe tomorrow we'd run into her.

With that another day ends and tomorrow to start anew. I did resist kissing Dmitri's nose again but last night his hands were wrapped around my torso, hugging me tight. Is it just me or does he think I'm a pillow or he's just being touchy-feely.

It was another morning and to our surprise it stopped raining. Is it already been three days and the rain just vanishes out or did Vladimir just got tired of all doom and gloom and decided to bring the sun out. We were about to head out when as I opened the door, we never expected to have a visitor.

"Sebastian, Good Morning, what brings you here and how did you find us?" I said.

He looked at us, rather happy and said, "I came here to tell, both of you can now safely go back to the manor"

Vladimir already left?