(ENG) The Case Study of Vanijeanne

5. To Feel Your Hands Upon My Face (Part 1 of 7)

Feels So Right When I Let You Pt. 1

It was another day, another excursion into Altus Paris in search of the ever elusive Charlatan. Noé and Vanitas found themselves accompanied by Domi, and the trio had spent the better part of their day in a futile hunt, with none of their leads materializing into anything concrete. As if that wasn't irksome enough, Vanitas had to contend with his diminishing status as a member of their party, as he was now being relegated to a third wheel. His eyes threatened to roll back inside his head with every glimpse of the vampire duo flirting — and stealing nauseatingly saccharine glances at each other. His already dour mood was worsening by the minute, as he had no intention of spectating the foreplay taking place before his eyes — all while uncomfortably holding on to the knowledge that the pair before him had been quite more than just childhood friends for some time. With some fruitless research at the local library turning over no further clues, a deeply peeved Vanitas was ready to depart.

Clearing his throat, he grabbed the attention of his companions, "I'm going to take a look around," and with a jeer, pointed at them, "Perhaps my human instincts will work better than either of you two if I'm alone."

Noé immediately leapt to his feet, ready to rebuke his friend for even daring to suggest such a thing, "Wait, Vanitas, you shouldn't!" He couldn't dare allow this human, especially not a member of the Blue Moon's kin, to simply go off on his own. Not when there was constant danger afoot, with no shortage of vampires ready to sink their claws into him. Noé could never quite dispel the unease when Vanitas roamed about on his own, in spite of the fact that they were still technically under Orlok's protection and that the human carried his distinctive pomander with fresh herbs — especially when said human had a nasty habit of simply casting care to the wind.

All the vampire's concerns, however, were met with nothing but mockery by his counterpart, who blinked at him with indifference, shrinking his shoulders: "I don't need you on my neck all day long. You're not my maman and we're not here to play house. I know damn well how to take care of myself, Noé."

At that unnecessary barking, Dominique's brows furrowed. How dare that jerk take Noé's pure intentions for granted?

And right in front of her?

She still couldn't understand what exactly it was about Vanitas that had captivated both Jeanne and Noé, especially in light of his wild antics, shady character, and other unsavory attributes. Fearfully, or perhaps thankfully, Dominique appreciated her immunity to such bizarre charms.

The sight of that egocentric figure, brimming with nonchalance in the midst of others' concerns brought the taste of bile into Dominique's mouth. It was beyond her understanding how someone so uncouth, so could have any success in life.

Sighing in frustration, she retorted, "Whatever, Vanitas. You know where to find us," while shifting her focus away from the vein ready to pop in her forehead as she continued, "Just ask a guard to call me and I'll meet you at the entrance."

Just as she was about to turn heel, however, a sudden concern arose from the back of her mind:

"But don't you dare attempt to enter the castle alone. You still remember what happened before you two left the last time, right?!" Ending her brief tirade, she realized that the whole exchange made her feel like a mother rebuking a petulant son.

Well, he is way stupider than any other child I've ever met, she mused, dragging Noé away before the two fellows came to blows, convincing the Archiviste that the human had indeed been there prior, so he should be able to manage even in the worst case scenario.