#i've had this saved in my drafts since right after i sent my app in sgjklsfdg

[yunhycran-blog]

( the cuteST )

for once i don’t have a long ass spiel typed before introducing myself, imagine that ! hey i’m kat, i’m 20, canadian, and uh, i’m rly pulling this stunt again huh !! bc of lo siento fucking me up, i’m giving this brat one last shot in the group rp realm rather than pick up a new muse ( i am.. v convinced i kill or ruin rps by presence alone but with her ?? it’s tenfold so fingers crossed GKSKGKSL ) i’m just.. rly attached to her ok. 

i’m a uni student and in love with sowoo if that wasn’t already obvious, plus i’m 90% sure at least a quarter of you have seen me use hyeran before so this shouldn’t be a surprise to you SDKGJGKLDFS. you can find extras abt her — including stats — HERE, hmu on d*scord if you’d like ( STREAM LO SIENTO !!#2030 ) and with that, i’ll shut up and ( re ?? perhaps ? dfgjslkg ) introduce you to this brat !

` +⬦･ﾟ——— SHE/HER, PANSEXUAL — YUN HYERAN is said get mistaken for JEON SOMIN on campus all the time. they are TWENTY-TWO and about to go into their SENIOR YEAR. rumour has it they’re majoring in MUSIC COMPOSITION and came all the way from DAEGU, SOUTH KOREA. their roommate says they’re EBULLIENT & RESOLUTE but also SELF-CRITICAL & CIRCUMSPECT. ( kat, 20, gmt-3:30, and she/her  )

yun hyeran, a daegu native with an older and younger brother, an ambivert and an all around baby

tbh this is a copied intro from a few months back that i tweaked a bit for the rp, and i don’t have the time to perfectly incorporate much of her bg, so you can check out all of that HERE

buT she became involved in music through her father, who studied it in uni and ended up becoming a music instructor with a focus on piano, flute and vocals

her and her mom.. also her older brother, didn’t have the best relationship when she grew older, which seemed to die altogether when her parents divorced and her mom left. but her and her brother’s still exists, albeit barely. he’s a bit of a toxic influence on her, or at least that’s how she perceives it, and she tends to distance herself from him

would visit jeju island when she was younger bc her aunt lived there

she adores said aunt, her dad’s sister and the maternal figure she Deserves, so overall jeju holds a special place in her heart

went to uni in seoul to pursue music like her father ( a daddy’s girl too like ) but transferred to busan u after some.. shit and her own feelings ? anyways she was content when she settled here and soon found her way into the world of production !! by junior year, she’d transferred out of her original program and majored in that instead and has loved it ever since

for the time being, she works full-time as a barista at a café off-campus

she’s also making something of an income as the creator of an acct on youtube and soundcloud for her music, something she’s had for abt a year now

she’s not even close to making it big yet ofc, and she doesn’t mind if she never works for a moderately to highly popular label — though she should if she wants to get by

among the aesthetic, lo-fi music crowd ( one of those yt accts with a livestream for certain playlists that go on for hours, rip ) where for the most part, it’s personal faves mixed with her own works, and has a substantial following as of now. but has an interest in experimenting, with mashups ( as a lover of them ?? i couldn’t help myself sgflkdsjg ) for example, with a small fear of how that change would be received

this is so short since i took out a bit from when she was recent uni grad!hyeran so, pardon that sgkljgskfld

in terms of her personality and other things:

she’s a very loyal person, v e r y. while like i said ( and will elaborate on in her bio ), her relationship with her brother is Not Great, she hasn’t completely given up on him. maybe for the time being — by that i mean another two years or so ?? LJSKSDFGJ my baby’s still hurt by his bullshit so — but her being someone who’s open to the idea of people changing for the better somewhere down the line, leaves a bit of room for her to possibly change her mind if he does enough to allow her to consider it

so she can be a bit of a doormat in some cases, it all depends on how she sees the person that determines if that’s the case, but she generally won’t let you off if you’re being dumb/an ass to someone or if she gets advantageous vibes from you for example ( given she can.. be a little naive and is a p gentle soul ) so.. idk fgklsj good luck to the 99% ig ??

don’t confuse that with her being v forgiving, weak, etc, etc. she’s a soft bitch, p vulnerable too ngl but.. she’s not that Dumb sdljfkg

speaking of vulnerable, she does have a slight dependency on others despite her thinking all signs point to the opposite, and even though her and her mom never rly had a good relationship she still reels from the neglect/abandonment some days so handle her with Care if she deems you a close pal

spontaneous tbh, transferring to busan was a little last minute on her part, for one

she’s a bit reclusive when focused on something, if she tells you she’s working on a track, it’s essentially a head’s up that you might not see her for a couple of days depending on how soon she gets it done — lowkey that bitch™ who makes up an illness to her boss, so she wouldn’t even show up for work if it’s more than just her fucking around

bc admittedly, a lot of what she posts is fucking around and liking it, her more thought-out and effort packed projects are hidden away on her laptop

a bit insecure with her work and just her general disposition ?? those first few points above mess with her a lot and leave her disheartened so.. my poor child

v strong overall, takes people’s shit and if it gets to her, she gets over it p fast. doesn’t dwell on much and will be courteous to you even if she’s declared you too toxic to stick around 24/7

isn’t exactly one to get angry ?? she’s basically just disappointed or annoyed at best 99% of the time, it takes a lot to get her beyond that

positive, ugh. maybe not sickeningly sweet, but.. still dgklsf

don’t confuse that with optimism tho, bc she’s a bit of a defensive pessimist deep down, with her optimistic side always trying to overpower it

a cute bean who wants the best for everyone

uhhh

has a good understanding of english, her mom’s an american national so she grew up with it being spoken in the house at times

prob speaks it better than i speak french ( and uh, i studied that for almost ten fucking years with a shit end result on that end of things LKSDFGJGDKF ), but still wouldn’t consider herself fluent

.. i would tho js

plays piano and bass guitar, but knows her way around a flute and tenor sax ( you don’t know how tempted i was to say clarinet as an homage to jiwoo gjflkgds )

prob had some kind of little amateur rock band with a few music majors and took up bass for the hell of it lmao

loves animals, leans towards cats or big dogs. corgis and those little spaniels get a pass tho

speaking of, she has a cute little calico kitten back in daegu ( i’m shit with pet names so if lucy sounds lacklustre.. you know why rgkjls ) who she Loves, her baby !!

sweater, ball cap and basic t shirt junkie

those glasses somin wears a lot ?? hyeran wears them too but.. actually needs them for reading and especially while she’s working on shit on her laptop, not even close to a fashion statement

doesn’t don much makeup unless someone’s dragging her to a party or something

thaT’S when she looks a little more like a classy early twenties bitch.. which lbr, is hard enough when adulthood is a whole Train Wreck for the most part LGFJSDL

not a heavy drinker, but the textbook definition of a lightweight so.. she’s always praying for anyone who has to deal with her dgfjklsfg

lattes are her livelihood

a bit of a hopeless romantic, just a bit, but god help her nonetheless

her favourite subject in hs was literature/writing and reads quite a bit on her breaks at the café, even took up a couple of courses since attending uni

favourite music genres.. it’s easier to say what she doesn’t like/finds boring, which is prob country and some aspects of edm/pop, not into punk/metal either

these are super basic but.. i’ve gotta get myself together for the day so this’ll do for now i hope ??

so if you’d like to plot, im me here or on d*scord ! i prefer the latter personally, but whichever’s easiest for you. i have a list of a few of the specific wcs i have in mind ( for the time being, catch my lazy ass avoiding listing all the basic ones and revising a few i have on an old blog ) for hyeran up now, which you can find here, so just lmk if any of them appeal to you !!

[alstroemeriadissonance]

vampire hunter rosa and vampire vyn?

The Hunt

This was accidentally posted when I was tinkering with the draft on the mobile app (and some have seen it prematurely, since it got a couple of likes)--with the embarrassing draft notes and all aaaa (⌒_⌒;) and I couldn't find the option to set it back as draft so had to delete it (and retyped).

I am super duper happy I got this kind of ask. The possibilities!

This is a one-shot, but the imps in my head have charted out enough material to make this a short series (including NSFW bits between the vampire hunter Rosa and vampire Vyn); so if you like to see more of this let me know and I'll work on chapters in between the other asks :'D

Bonus points for anyone who can identify what game I've been loosely referencing in this bit

Holy. This thing is goddamn long. I had too much fun with it.

Eeep. Obligatory WARNING: Suggestive stuff at the end. Also some gore.

Year 1700's, Duchy of Stellis

The night air was cold, damp, and heavy with despair.

The cobblestone roads leading away from the town center increasingly become more desolate, deserted, and bereft of signs of any living activity.

The hoofing of horses pulling the lone carriage traversing the roads and narrow alleyways leading towards the Chateau de Haspran resounded loudly, heralding the arrival of two hunters who have come to hunt the feared vampire ruling over the Duchy of Stellis--the Duke of Stellis himself, Duke de Haspran.

The two hunters sitting in the decrepit carriage--the only one whose owner was willing to take them near the Chateau--were inspecting their weapons.

Artem of the Hunter's Guild loaded his flintlock rifle, forcing down the wadding with the rifle's ramrod before giving it a light shake. All good. If it doesn't rain, that is.

"Are you nervous?" asked the second hunter, whose face was hidden by a leather mask, and rest of the head obscured by the shadow underneath their cocked hat. In their hands was a threaded cane, a seemingly nondescript walking stick that has already seen much blood.

"We are only going deep into enemy territory." Artem slung his rifle across his shoulders. "Nothing so terrifying, oh no."

"It is alright to admit fear, you know." The second hunter crossed their legs, the shifting of their legs revealing a flintlock pistol holstered to the hip. "I am afraid. We are already the tenth and and eleventh hunters sent to 'bring the demon to task."

A pregnant pause hung over the two companions.

"I am not afraid," said Artem after much thought. "I have long since resigned myself to certain death the moment our--" he cleared his throat, as if he regarded his next few words with such distaste. "Ehem--nobles have decided the Duchy of Stellis required 'saving' from the Night Duke de Haspran.

"However, I am of the opinion that you do not deserve this fate, Lady Rosa."

The second hunter often referred to as Lady Rosa of the Hunter's Guild let out a soft laugh. "This fate is preferable, rather than becoming an unwilling consort to the von Hagen brat.

"Better to die on my own terms than be locked up in that pretty spire in Orchidshine and made to produce spawn after spawn."

"There is a line of ladies willing to undergo such a fate, if you must know," Artem remarked as he tightened the belt of his rapier sheath.

"Then let them," Rosa flippantly replied as she lazily spun the threaded cane with the gloved fingers of her right hand, like a baton. "I have no desire to live out my nights merely spreading my legs."

She then sliced the cane through the air, the sharp movement producing a loud crack sound. With a flick of her wrist, the body of the threaded cane split into several segments, revealing its trick form as a bladed whip--numerous silver razors connected by a fine silver chain catching the glittering moonlight and cutting through the chilly breeze.

Satisfied, Rosa once again flicked her wrist to return the whip to its previous form, as an unassuming walking stick.

"If this should be our last mission together, Artem, please accept my sincere thanks...both as you partner and your friend." Rosa then stood up, tapping her cane against the glass separating the passenger's benches from the driver's seat.

"This is far enough. We shall alight here."

===

The two hunters similarly clad in heavy coats walked side by side in the narrow, dark alleyways to their destination up ahead--Chateau de Haspran--bathed in the ominous glow of the gibbous moon.

Their footsteps echoed in unison as their heels struck the cobblestones.

The rows of crowded houses and various buildings in various states of disrepair, which lined both sides of the road, were shuttered, windows boarded up, and no light sources visible from within. It was obvious to the hunters however, that there were people inside, hiding.

Hiding perhaps, from them?

The Chateau de Haspran loomed ever larger, ever more sinister against the backdrop of the gloomy night sky with each and every step.

Rosa took out her threaded cane from within her coat, holding it in her right hand to ready herself of any ambush.

Her left hand, trained to ambidexterity enough to handle firearms despite not being the dominant hand, slipped slightly into her coat--ready to grab any of her numerous flintlock pistols holstered to her inner coat and hip should the need arise.

Beside her was Artem who walked into a more relaxed manner, but whose eyes sharply scanned the path ahead including any possible routes that they may take on foot, even on the rooftops.

"I think this is where we need to part ways, Lady Rosa." Artem finally spied a cluster of towers, tall enough to give him a good view of their planned battleground and where he may provide firearm support for his partner, who will be doing most of the siege.

"You speak as if we will never see each other again, rather than this being part of our normal procedure."

"Truthfully, I feel that it is," Artem admitted, not one to mince words; his uncovered face showing a wan smile. He then tipped his hat to her. "Lady Rosa, thank you as well for your companionship all these years. I am ever glad to have made your acquaintance in the Themis Hunter's Guild."

"And I, yours." She returned the gesture.

Rosa resumed her walk towards the main gate of Chateau de Haspran, while Artem's path took him to the inner alleyways to make the climb over the makeshift ramparts leading to the towers.

===

Inside the Chateau de Haspran, Duke Vilhelm de Haspran was working on a patient.

However, he was not ignorant of the yet another Hunt placed on him by the nobles of the neighboring duchy. A twitch of his silver eyebrow was the only tell exhibiting his utter displeasure at the situation.

The old man on the operating slab, fully conscious, spied the irritated look of the vampire standing over him.

"Ah, Vyn," The old man's tone was amiable. "Is it another of those outsiders again? I thought I heard the bells ring out earlier before sunset."

"Never you mind, Sir Bennett," The vampire said, dismissively, in dulcet tones. "Instead, ready yourself for the procedure." He produced a roll of thin cloth and with deft hands wound it tightly around the old man's upper right arm, tight enough to numb the feeling on the lower arm.

Duke de Haspran then removed the leather glove covering his right hand, revealing slender, almost alabaster-white fingers tipped with sharp fingernails.

"This will hurt, so ready yourself."

"I know, I know."

With nary a warning the duke sliced open the main vein of the old man's right wrist, his preternatural golden eyes throwing a quick glance at the old man's face to gauge his pain tolerance.

Blood dripped steadily to the silver pan placed just below the edge of the operating table.

Duke de Haspran bent on one knee to dip a finger in the blood catch. He briefly tasted the blood, letting the iron taste roll in his mouth along with his saliva.

"You have had much too much to drink recently, Sir Bennett. I am disappointed."

The old man on the operating table hissed in pain, yet struggled to carry on their conversation--something that the Duke always encouraged as losing consciousness during his procedures may pose risk of death. "Ahh...you know. Nothing else to look forward to than drink."

"You do know that if the men of your house produce substandard blood I will be forced to take your family's blood tithes from your precious little grand daughter."

At the mention of 'grand daughter' a slender figure scurried out of the shadows from a corner of the Duke's operating room. It was a younger girl, aged around fifteen years, wide-eyed and pleading.

"T-that is fine, Lord Vilhelm," she stammered. "Just please, heal my grandpa! I will give ten vials of my blood!"

Ten vials was the maximum the Duke de Haspran would take from an individual in each transaction.

The Duke sighed. "Regeneration of his liver will take more than that. But fine. Ten vials as a starting price." He adjusted his monocle. "Then I will decide on how much more to take depending on the toll the organ regeneration will be on my current blood stores."

The grand daughter nodded, despite not fully comprehending what he just told her--all she knew was she needed the vampire Duke's help in curing her grandfather's disease, and that she must pay the price.

===

The door to the operating room suddenly burst open.

It was Luke, the Duke de Haspran's Master of Arms and personal guard.

Luke had yet to fully prove his loyalty to him--he had defected from another duchy that attempted to usurp his holdings--but Duke de Haspran already decided his skill with weapon smithing and immense hatred of his domicile of origin as enough for now.

"Lord Vilhelm! I apologize for the intrusion, but--"

"I know. I can feel their presence closing in." Duke de Haspran took the bloodied wrist of his patient and licked the wound that he sliced open previously, slathering on a generous amount of his saliva to close off the cleanly-sliced flesh.

"It is regrettable, but I need to take care of our guests."

He then put a hand on the top of the girl's head. "Kiki, I need you to watch over your grandfather for now."

Kiki blushed, secretly pleased that the Duke de Haspran remembered her name. "Y-yes! And Lord Vilhelm...be safe..."

"You know where to find the bandages should your grandfather need them."

"Yes!"

"Be gentle with them, Vyn," came the voice of the old man before Duke de Haspran and Luke closed the door to the operating room behind them.

The two strode through the dark, sparsely-lit corridors of the Chateau's interior. "I have seen only one Hunter in approach," Luke reported.

"Two," Duke de Haspran said. "I can feel at least two hostile presences outside."

Luke fell silent. "So it really is her..."

This piqued the Duke's interest. "Is it an acquaintance of yours?"

"There is only one Hunter bearing the rose coat of arms, where I come from." Luke pushed open the door leading to the armory, quickly lighting the sconce lamp within with a flint lighter. "Of course, I do not know if other territories have their own Rose Hunter."

Light flooded into the armory, revealing weapons of differing varieties and origins. Blades of all lengths, shields, armors, and Luke's personal contributions--personal siege weaponry and experimental ballistics--lay neatly arranged and ready for deployment should the need arise.

"But if it is two people including the Rose Hunter and no one else, it only means it is Lady Rosa and her partner Artem of the Themis Hunter's Guild." Luke inspected a rather sizable long pipe outfitted with the ability to fire projectiles. "They always come as a pair, and do not work with others."

"So, only two of them." Duke de Haspran eyed the contraption in Luke's hands warily. "I thought we already talked about avoiding damage to property in my holdings."

"Yes, but they function as well as an army if left alone unimpeded." Luke checked if the chambers of the flintlock grenade launcher were fully loaded. "Do not worry Lord Vilhelm, most this can do on stone and even wood is leave scorch marks. I cannot same the same for flesh, however."

"Do as you wish," Duke de Haspran relented, massaging his temples. "I will just discuss the matter of property damages with you after the fact."

Luke fell silent, then blinked as he felt the familiar tingle in his head which, he suspected, is caused by the vampire's attempt to intrude in his thoughts.

"You wish me to spare your...friends?"

"I truly could not hide my thoughts from you, could I?" Luke murmured, pursing his lips.

"You may, with enough practice." Then, he added, "Whether your friends will live or die after this farce of an attack will depend on them. I will put my myself and the safety of my property above their own lives."

"I understand, Lord Vilhelm."

"Do not take it against me should they fall by my hand."

Luke crossed his right arm over his chest and made a small bow. "Of course, Lord Vilhelm."

Duke de Haspran opened a chest containing his sparse personal effects. From it he unfurled a dark cape lined with wine-red velvet, throwing it over his shoulders and fastening its clasps over his neck.

The vampire took out a scabbard and belt from the same chest, handing it to Luke.

"Help me, will you?"

"Of course." Luke slipped the baldric--the sword belt--across his lord's shoulder and buckled it across the chest. He then removed the greatsword--the Holy Moonlight Sword--from its display rack and sheathed it in the scabbard now strapped to Duke de Haspran's back.

"Then let us make haste," the vampire said to his personal guard. "Sir Bennett awaits our return."

===

Rosa finally reached the gate; it was the usual ornate wrought iron gate typical of lavish lodgings owned by the nobility except for one minor detail: off to the side of the grand gate, just by the giant hinges that connected the left gate to the rest of the equally ornate wrought iron fence, was a tall stake on which a severed head was impaled.

None of the flesh remained, but an ivory skull picked clean was left behind.

"Tasteful," Rosa remarked at the grisly sight, then tried opening the gate with a small push.

It gave with little effort.

If only our previous prey were as welcoming, Rosa thought as she pushed the gates all the way open and walked into the courtyard.

The courtyard was full to the brim of various blooms and flora; however in the moonlight what could have been vivid reds, pinks, yellows and other beautiful floral hues were instead awash with various shades of blues and dark purples, lending the entrance leading to the Chateau an eerie atmosphere.

Rosa planted her heels in the middle of the expansive courtyard, her threaded cane in her right hand, its tip digging at the grass underneath.

She took a deep breath.

"Duke de Haspran," she projected her voice loud and clear without the need to shout. "I, Rosa of the Themis Hunter's Guild, have come here to put your vile deeds to task."

Vile deeds? Really now.

Rosa blinked. It wasn't a voice that carried through the air. It was a gentle, soothing voice sent directly into her head.

"W-where are you?!" Rosa looked around, trying hard to stamp down the panic that threatened to burst out. She have killed numerous vampires, but most of them were mere fledglings and none were powerful enough to even think of attempting telepathy.

Look above you, came the maddeningly soothing, genial voice, that spoke as if he was welcoming an important guest.

Rosa's head snapped up, and sure enough perched directly high above her, right on the peak of the gable roof of the chateau's foyer easily five storeys high, was a caped figure with long silver hair shining brilliantly in the moonlight.

Despite the distance she could make out the vampire's golden eyes piercing through the dreariness of the dark blue landscape of a gibbous moon night.

Let me welcome you properly, Lady Rosa.

Rosa's vampire prey stepped off the roof gables and, with his wide cape and silver hair fluttering in the thin wind, effortlessly landed on the ground a few paces away from her.

"Good evening, Lady Rosa," said the vampire, this time in his normal voice that carried through the air, as he made a short bow. "I am the...creature that you seek.

"I am known as the Duke de Haspran of the Duchy of Stellis."

Rosa eyed the vampire from head to toe warily.

As a vampire, the Duke de Haspran's stature was on the unremarkable side.

Rosa had previously made short work of thralls that were several heads taller than him, or of considerably heavier, more muscularly built, but there was something about the vampire in front of her--as impeccably dressed, and good looking as he was--that quietly screamed of how much danger he posed, and that her life was already forfeit by the time she set foot in the courtyard.

Said dangerous vampire had his hands neatly folded in front of him, the smile on his unnaturally-glowing golden eyes beatific.

"I do not suppose there is still a way to parley with you?" Duke de Haspran said. "The night is a pleasant one, and I do not wish to sully it with the ugliness of battle and..." his voice fell a couple of octaves lower. "...death."

Rosa smirked, fully knowing that her face was not visible behind the leather mask that obscured her visage. "I am afraid not, vampire," she said, truthfully. "This is not a mere guild task, nor are we allowed to return without the head of our mark.

"Also, we are here representing our Guild, and we cannot dare speak on behalf of them. Except," Rosa then makes a half step backward, holding her threaded cane in front of her. "with our weapons."

Duke de Haspran sighed. "Ah, this is regrettable."

Then, in a matter of seconds, a strong gale whipped around Rosa, tearing away her cocked hat and leather mask obscuring her face.

The wind dissipated as fast as it happened; Rosa's long auburn hair spilled down her shoulders, and her bared face now openly displayed her shock at what had happened. "W-what--"

There was no change or movement to be seen on his form, except for the fact that his right hand has slipped out of its glove, his long-nailed slender fingers stretching languidly. "Do forgive me, Lady Rosa," he murmured as his eyes gazed on Rosa's face. "But I want to know how my enemy looks like...before I kill them." His tone finally dropped all pretense of friendliness.

"Such a shame; a beautiful flower such as you, only put to waste in such a barbaric profession." Duke de Haspran whispered as reached over his shoulder, pulling out his great sword single-handedly. "They have done you a great injustice."

He then started to walk towards her, the great sword held by his side. "I sincerely wish your lot in your next life will be a better one--"

A projectile--a silver bullet--hit the vampire's shoulder, causing him to flinch and break off from his approach.

"Artem!" Rosa exclaimed, glad for her partner's timely support. She could see him in her peripheral vision aiming downsight with his flintlock rifle from a far off rampart.

His accuracy despite the great distance was incredible as always.

Seizing the chance given to her, she made an overhead slash of her cane--swinging it as how one would with a sword--aimed directly at the Duke's neck.

It connected, but the cane only bounced and did not do any noticeable damage to the vampire. It only earned Rosa an indignant glance from Duke de Haspran.

That was the moment that Rosa realized she had been set up for failure right at the beginning. The threaded cane, even when in its inert form, should have been able to inflict noticeable pain. It also happened to be the most powerful weapon she had in her possession; her flintlocks, much like Artem's, were only brought along to distract or stall the enemy and not much more.

To see it merely bounce off the vampire's bare skin told her that her life was well and truly forfeit.

I'm dead. Haha. Well, it has been a good life, thought Rosa ruefully. Well, might as well have fun while it lasts. "Hey, vampire, let's dance," she murmured with a seductive lilt to her voice, a small smile playing on her lips as her right wrist flicked to transform the threaded cane into its trick form, the silver blade whip.

She did not notice the telltale touch, a tingle, in her head as she made her attack.

With a short hop backwards she sent the bladed whip slicing through the air, aiming directly at the Duke's arm holding the great sword.

He parried easily with his blade--as if he was carrying a light rapier instead of a heavy blade that was usually held with both hands.

Unperturbed, Rosa once again brought down her bladed whip at him only for the Duke de Haspran to catch the blade of the whip with his bare hand--this time successfully drawing blood--and tugged at it strongly enough to pull Rosa towards him.

His sword was poised to thrust at her the moment she enters its range of attack, only for his movement to be halted by yet another bullet hitting him on the shoulder of his sword arm.

Luke, fend off this girl's partner, if you please. He is irritating me. The personal guard, being human, could not reply via telepathy of course--but he knew that the message was received.

Now, about you. He focused his full attention now to Rosa, who, he noted in amusement, now held the handle of her whip with her mouth, leaving her hands free to dual wield her flintlock pistols.

She steadily fired a stream of bullets at him, one pistol per bullet, all of which were easily fended off by the preternaturally quick parrying of the Duke's great sword.

Rosa casually tossed spent flintlock pistols to the ground and quickly drew replacement pistols out of her coat--she did this in such quick succession that the Duke initially thought she was armed with pistols capable of containing multiple rounds.

Amazing, he noted. Themis Hunters Guild indeed has sent their prized Hunter to me, finally.

All the firepower did was to stall him, however, and eventually Rosa ran out of pistols. Duke de Haspran easily counted around fifteen pistols on the ground. She is obviously outfitted for a blitz attack, but she will easily lose in battle of endurance...how unfortunate for her to be sent to me.

"It's my turn, little girl," he smiled languidly as he easily spun the Holy Moonlight Sword in his hand and, lifting it above his head, swung it down to Rosa's general direction. He did not care to aim it at any specific part of her body--the blade was large enough to guarantee crippling damage or maiming if it connected anywhere on her person.

Rosa quickly hopped aside to avoid the blade, which tore at the ground on which it landed instead. That could have been my arm. I wish to die in one piece, she thought. I guess simple wishes don't come true for bastard, abandoned children like me.

"Ah, that is your wish?" Duke de Haspran said.

Rosa looked at him incredulously. "You--you read my mind?"

"Surface thoughts, yes," the Duke admitted with a winsome smile as he switched into a thrusting position, his sword arm cocked behind him. "Well then, let us kill you in one piece."

===

Artem frantically bit into a cartridge and poured the powder into his rifle's flash pan with shaking fingers. Even at this distance he could see that Rosa was facing imminent death--despite all the talk of being resigned to their deaths earlier, he couldn't bear to stand and watch idly by even if he knew that it was only a matter of time before Rosa was finally cut down.

After ramming the wadding and bullet Artem once again aimed downsight to at least buy his partner another second--every second counted, especially when each bore the potential to bring with it a miracle--but suddenly the rifle was kicked away from him.

"Hey." came a familiar voice.

It can't be...

"Luke." Artem was about to say he was happy to see his old friend alive, being the seventh Hunter sent to kill Duke de Haspran who never returned, but the fact that he kicked away his weapon only meant one thing.

"You traitor," was all Artem could manage to say.

Luke shrugged, which was a feat considering the heavy steel pipe strapped to his shoulder. "What. We never had their loyalty either," he said, rather darkly. "We are just expendable weapons to them."

Artem did not make any effort to retort, as there was nothing false in Luke's statement.

"I suggest you stand down."

"You know well that I cannot do that."

Luke sighed. "This is the problem with you two. They've succeeded in brainwashing you into thinking that there are no other options to live out your lives." He shrugged off the steel contraption off his shoulders, aiming its business end at his erstwhile colleague as he quickly stepped several paces back. "I'm not going to waste time with you Artem--the sooner I get rid of you, the sooner I can go down there and beg for Rosa to be spared."

"What?"

Before he could get any further explanation, Luke fired his prized flintlock grenade launcher point blank at him.

===

An explosion resounded, exactly at the spot where Artem had set up his supporting position.

Rosa was about to resign herself to her final fate, but, seeing that her partner have gone up in flames, something akin to a frenzied despair had been fanned within her.

"Artem!!' she shouted.

Duke de Haspran had to stop mid-thrust and turned to look at the ensuing fire. "Scorch marks only, indeed." he noted wryly.

He was about to face Rosa once again when he felt a sharp sting by his side.

Rosa looked at him, her expression blank. "Got you." In her hands was a silver dagger, the blade end sticking to his side.

Vampire blood trickled down to the ground.

The vampire hissed, as contact with silver was indeed painful for his kind, but both he and Rosa knew that the wound wasn't anywhere close to immobilizing him, much less killing him.

Recovering from the pain, Duke de Haspran smiled at Rosa sadly. "You...really want to die this badly?" He pulled out the dagger from his flesh and tossed it to the ground.

It was not a rhetorical question. He had touched her mind from the beginning, and he knew that she was essentially on a suicide mission. "I was going to stall for time. I was waiting for your friend to go here and plead your case."

"There's nothing in it for me," Rosa whispered. "My only living friend is now gone.

"Please kill me."

"I see. This is indeed regrettable." Then, he opened his arms toward her. "Come here. I will make it painless."

Rosa's lip trembled. "Why are you suddenly being kind to me, Duke de Haspran?" She stepped into his arms.

"Because I am a creature of medicinal arts," he simply said.

The vampire gently supported the small of her back with his left hand.

His right hand quickly thrust through her chest, piercing her flesh, breaking her ribs, splattering her blood, all with only one strike of his sharp claws.

He pulled out his hand, gored with Rosa's blood and pieces of flesh.

"I do not consider myself...a monster."

Gently he gathered what was once Rosa's body in his arms, carrying her as if he would a lover, if ever he would have one.

===

It was too late.

Luke ran as fast as he could, to reach the courtyard, but as soon as he arrived, he only managed to witness how his master snuffed out the light of his friend's life. Literally, by his hand.

"Rosa...ROSA!" Luke cried out. "No!"

Desperately he tugged at Duke de Haspran's cape. "My lord! Please! Please, spare her life! I am willing to do anything, anything..." His words slowly become incoherent.

"Unfortunately, Luke, she is beyond saving," Duke de Haspran said, ignoring the pleas of his personal guard. There was no denying the fact that there was a fist-sized hole in the girl's chest.

"She said that there was no need for her to live, as her partner is already killed. By your hands, if I am not mistaken. So I killed her, upon her request."

"What?!" Luke looked up at him. "No--No! Artem is alive!"

"What?"

True enough, in a nearby pile of rubble a hand jutted out; Artem picked himself up and half limped out of the pile. However as soon as he saw the bloodied sight of his partner his knees gave out and he wept hard.

I was not able to sense his hostility, which is why I was not able to pick out his presence. Luke must have talked sense into him sometime ago.

"My lord, please! Please! I know--I know there is one way for you to save her life!" Luke pleaded.

"No," the reply came quickly. "I have never turned someone into my....kind."

"Then please...try."

Duke de Haspran and Luke both glance at Artem, who now moved to a supplicating posture, his forehead touching the ground.

"Please, save Rosa." Artem plead, gritting his teeth. "I don't care what it takes. I will pay the price as much as I can."

The vampire noble looked at the fresh body in his arms, and then at the two men who are begging for her to be brought back.

After much deliberation, Duke Vilhelm de Haspran relented.

"I...will try."

===

After sending off Sir Bennett and his grand daughter for the night--having made sure the old man had his wounds fully closed off and symptoms temporarily abated--he hurriedly carried Rosa off to his personal quarters.

"The operating theater would not do," Vilhelm had said to Luke when the latter started to prepare the operating slab for Rosa's procedure. "Turning someone into a vampire is an intricate process.

"Do not interrupt me. Even if I take several nights, I myself have yet to acclimatize with the procedure."

And now, as Rosa is laid out on his bed naked, and Vilhelm himself in a similar state of undress--the real reason why he did not want to perform the turning in the operating room, nor have any one stand in as attendant was revealed.

To call it an 'intricate process' was a misnomer. Rather, it was an 'intimate' one.

Or so the books have told the vampire noble.

Vilhelm bent over Rosa, his long silver locks a veil that shrouded his conflicting feelings about the entire affair.

He did not even know if he would be successful, nor know what exactly would happen to him during the procedure, but the pleas of the two men managed to reach him.

And so Vilhelm willed himself to be put in such a state of vulnerability to save this one person who he had mistakenly sent to the afterlife.

A tome lay open just beside where Rosa lay, its text in full view.

Vilhelm took a deep breath, and recited the first line. "Ancient beings, I command thee in the name of darkness."

He brought his right wrist to his mouth, and with his fangs he scored the skin over his artery deeply, drawing blood. With a sharp hiss he squeezed his lower right arm with his left hand, making sure to saturate the wound he inflicted on Rosa's chest with as much of his own blood as possible.

This was the first difference between his blood medicinal arts that he performed on the people of his duchy, and on Rosa. His general practice made use of the people's own blood stores, taken from their regular blood tithes. The tithes were not merely for his own feeding, but rather also a way to procure blood that may be used to heal those with serious illnesses that Vilhelm had the power and knowledge to cure.

Rosa was currently the only being who has received Vilhelm's own blood.

Medical curiosity was partly the reason he acceded to his personal guard's and the hunter's request and so, with his breath abated, Vilhelm tried to observe how his blood worked on Rosa's grave wound.

Nothing yet happened.

Quelling the doubts that threatened to poison his thoughts, Vilhelm turned to the tome, and read aloud the second verse.

"In this space, Gods shall be powerless; in this circle, the rules of Gods shall be forfeit."

Maybe not enough blood... Vilhelm was about to squeeze out more of his vampiric blood, when he finally felt faint stirrings of blood magic from Rosa.

Encouraged, Vilhelm continued reciting the text off the tome. "I shall be your master, my words your command."

Suddenly, the blood coming from Vilhelm started to glow an eerie shade of carmine. A tendril of blood that connected from Vilhelm's wrist and Rosa's wound glowed more brilliantly than the rest of his blood, its color shifting from carmine to electric purple.

Entranced at the sight, Vilhelm felt an invisible yet compelling force that drew him somehow to the girl unconscious underneath him.

Having no experience with females--neither human, nor vampire--Vilhelm did not understand the exact nature of what he was feeling until much later.

Unfazed, writing off the mysterious stirrings of his loins as part of the blood magic, Vilhelm read the next line.

"From this moment onward, your heart, body, and soul all belong...to me."

It is at this moment that Vilhelm realized the full implication of what the turning procedure entailed. But there was no more turning back, and so he watched in rapt fascination as the gored wound had its flesh quickly repair itself, the broken bones restored, and immaculate fair skin replaced.

Yet Rosa was still unconscious, and so Vilhelm recited the last verse in the page.

"Your spirit is inextinguishable, this contract eternal."

As soon as he uttered those words, the most magnificent sight Vilhelm would ever behold happened: Rosa's entire body glowed, the brightness eventually filling the room to such an intensity that he had to avert his eyes.

The electric purple thread of blood joining Vilhelm's wrist to Rosa's erstwhile wound glowed white-hot, until it dissipated along with the rest of the mysterious illumination.

Rosa started to breathe, her naked chest rising and falling with each breath.

Vilhelm suddenly felt a strong wave of exhaustion--he realized that he had let out too much of his own blood--and before he could think of how to replenish it, he fell on top on Rosa, instantly losing his own consciousness.

==

When he opened his eyes, Vilhelm saw Rosa watching over him, a blanket draped over her shoulders to cover her nakedness.

"I am sorry," he started to speak, but his voice came out too softly, and he found himself too weak to move. Yet his first thought was to apologize to Rosa. "I fell unconscious before I could replace your clothing."

"I realized that," Rosa replied.

Vilhelm saw, as her mouth opened to speak, that she had gained her own fangs.

"...how long was I sleeping?"

"I do not know," Rosa said, her olive eyes--now infused with a faint, ethereal glow--gazing at him intensely. "But I think at least two days. Or is it two nights?" Rosa let out a soft, quiet laugh. "How do you vampires count the days?"

"The same as how others who speak our language do, I suppose."

"Fair enough."

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Very," Rosa said, her eyes still fixated on him. "But I do not know how to satisfy this hunger."

Vilhelm sighed. He was still too weak, but feeding his made vampire took precedence. With an unsteady fingertip he sliced an artery on his neck, letting his own blood flow into rivulets that drew channels on his naked alabaster skin.

"You can try...this..."

Wordlessly Rosa bent over to him, her lips closing in on his wound, sucking on his blood eagerly. Her tongue licked his skin clean of any missed drops of precious blood.

"Hahh..ah--just...just like that," Vilhelm moaned. He felt increasingly weaker, but at the same time he felt the same stirrings of the alien sensation he that threatened to overcome him while doing the blood magic on Rosa.

The feeling that made him want to do things to the young vampire currently feeding on him was spreading over his loins, but Vilhelm, as inexperienced as he was, did not comprehend this.

What is this that I'm feeling!?

"Don't h-hold yourself--ahh--back," Vilhelm's moans filled the room, his whimpering breaking the once sacred silence that covered them as he remained sleeping. "Don't--you don't need to--hahh--subdue your hunger in my account--hnnh!!"

The sensations of Rosa's tongue against his skin was electrifying. The sensations pooled and concentrated in his nether regions...

Vilhelm found himself holding Rosa closer to him with his arms, albeit with a weakened grip, and slowly overcome with the urge to devour her--but not exactly feed on her. Whatever he felt, was of a more primal nature.

What is this what is this what is this what is this what is this what is this--ahh

"Mhm," Rosa steadily sipped and lapped at Vilhelm's wound, relishing his flavor and the sustenance that he was giving her at his own expense. Then she paused.

"I know what you're feeling," she gave his neck wound another languorous lick.

She managed to hear his thoughts. It was very loud and clear.

Vilhelm moaned once again. "...what--"

"While I still have traces of humanity inside me," Rosa murmured as she lifted her head to look at Vilhelm rather lustily, "Let me show you how humans devour each other. You may find it rather...delicious."

"Consider it payback for whatever you did to me..." She licked her lips. "Master."

She then removed her blanket, and moved to straddle his naked body.

The rest of the night was filled with more moaning, cries, and other sounds from Vilhelm that Rosa found were definitely to die for.