Hung by chains

13. Hell's ballad

Skafil spent the entire week making sure the manor was flawless. These vampires must be pretty important if even he was putting effort into presentation. He also spent time trying to teach Solace minimum etiquette and teach her about the guests. Skafil was a surprisingly efficient and tolerating teacher when it came to mistakes. She seemed slightly tamer now, listening to Skafil's instructions and never snapping. She twisted her tongue tortuously before speaking, as to not completely piss off one of the two who held her captive. Solace also found her closet to be full of outfits that looked like they came from a fantasy book: everything from ball gowns to pants and blouses.

Before the others arrived, Solace learned the ways of proper etiquette. Her speed exceeded Skafil's expectations by a long shot. She turned out to have known the basics pretty well.

Six vampire families total came to the Sutton manor. The Tohv twins were the most distinguishable: their hair was dark as night, interrupted by a tuft of white. The shorter one was called Vexx, and his brother was Zoad. These idiots sure had weird names.

Solace had styled an old black suit with a deep V-neck blouse and long black dress pants. Her dyed hair was tucked into a low bun. She looked at the crowd leaning on the wall above the stairs with her hands in her pockets.

The vampires weren't exempt from dressing stylishly either: Kasvald, who was entertaining the guests with a delightful piano solo, wore a maroon vest and tie, while the rest of his outfit was black. Skafil wore a similar outfit, but his was a dark glass green. He was welcoming the newcomers and analyzing the victims his other comrades brought with them.

The monsters didn't come alone: one young person was brought per family. One of them was a woman about Solace's age with coily black hair and impeccable style: she wore a pink flowy dress with matching flats and gold jewelry. She also had two braids on the side of her head, and left the rest of her hair loose. However, her face was haunted by anguish: she was surrounded by menacing "people".

At the sight of her, Solace knew what she had to do.

She came down the stairs, catching everyone's attention in the process.

"What's that woman doing?" One asked.

"She's completely disregarding the rules! The hosts' prime guest is to be presented only when they're introduced by their retainers!" Another complained.

Solace ignored the remarks while walking a graceful and elegant step: The only thing in her mind was presenting herself to the stranger in the pink dress.

The stranger, once surrounded, looked up to see the threatening circle dissipate around her. She found a woman slightly taller than her smiling at her warmly yet elegantly.

"Greetings, esteemed guest. My name is Solace, it is an honor to meet you." Solace greeted with a bow.

"The honor is all mine..!" The stranger in pink sputtered after a few seconds with a slight french accent. "My name is Manon." Manon gracefully bowed as well.

They lifted their heads and their eyes met: both pairs a chocolate brown. They seemed to look at each other for too long, because next to Solace, Skafil cleared his throat with a disappointed glare. Manon's vampire, Vexx, also reprimanded her. Solace quietly glared back at Skafil while standing up, but her gaze was so cold, so distant, the only thing differentiating her hateful gaze from an elegant and refined one were her ever so gently furrowed brows.

"I sincerely apologize for the disrespect of our prime guest, she's still learning our customs." Skafil explained in a cold tone, completely ignoring Solace's glare.

"You've always been way too soft for your own good, Skafil: a simple pest shouldn't have the privilege of learning our ways..." Vexx's dry voice reprimanded just as coldly, almost in a robotic way. Mannon received his glare, and the young woman looked away in fear.