Red Fang II

Chapter 3 (I-Arc): Party Preparations

We last read Chapter 2, in which Lily Ladair returns from her patrol around Cluj-Napoca and reunites with her sibling---and lover---Theo Ladair, gifting him with a camera tripod which she had plundered off the photographer trio that she and two other allied vampires previously attacked. They discuss the upcoming Peace Jubilee that is due to be held in a few hours within the Vermillion Enclave premises, and then remember that they have agreed to give a tour of the kingdom to one of the members of the Paragons, that being none other than Carla Rosenblood a.k.a. Nightclaw herself. Much to the two vampires' alarm, Carla---as Nightclaw---arrives at the Vermillion Enclave's front archway in record time, managing to startle the duo. Before the tour begins, Lily politely requests Nightclaw to not take too many pictures and refrain from both shooting videos and recording audio, before Nightclaw turns back into Carla and happily acquiesces.

During the course of the tour, Lily and Theo inform Carla of the Enclave's history and founding. They pass by the former site of Lily's parents' house, meet Lord Balfort Ladair himself---who happens to be practicing his speech for the Jubilee---and show Carla the ins and outs of Ladair Castle, the headquarters for the Enclave's royal family. At its conclusion, Lily and Theo show Carla the Enclave's sacred Bloodstone, the magical artifact responsible for granting all the kingdom's vampires their individual and differentiated experiences, while also explaining that they have rigorous security measures in place to prevent its theft; namely, a series of runes that instantly vaporize any unauthorized personnel trying to get close by incinerating them with a massive, red, upwards-shooting laser.

At the close of the tour, Carla voices her desire to stick around for the fast-approaching Jubilee, to which Lily expresses her immense gratitude. Then, the group splits---with Lily and Theo going one way and Carla going another---to finish up Jubilee preparations and mingle with the other visitors, respectively.

This time, Carla meets another member of the royal family during her exploration, and Lily and Theo reunite with their sister Mavis Ladair, a.k.a. Red Fang, upon her safe return.....

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-Ladair Castle, Vermillion Enclave, Transylvania-

The unmistakable smell of pastries and other delectable desserts filled the airspace around both the Ladair Castle's kitchen and its nearby dining nook.....and it was so palpable, in fact, that it permeated all the way to the banquet hall despite it being two passages down.

Carla Rosenblood, a.k.a. Nightclaw, was alone in said hall at the moment, gazing admirably at the transparent glass cases along the outer walls filled with ornate vases and artifacts with predominantly black and red coloration. Soon, though, her heightened sense of smell---which she had been granted as a result of her being a werewolf---significantly picked up the strong scent of the nearby dishes, even though she was in her human form at the moment.

Wow..... Carla thought to herself excitedly, taking a few more sniffs. What's that?

She followed the smell out of the banquet hall's southern doorway and turned to her left, rushing down about two hallways down and tracing the scents to their point of origin. To her delight, she entered the Ladair Castle kitchen and saw Lady Amber Ladair in the middle of using a pair of silver tongs to transfer freshly-heated cookies onto a series of clean white platters.....exactly as she had done several centuries ago for Prince Boripedes, way before Carla's time.

"Welcome," Amber greeted in a warm tone after turning around to face Carla's direction. "You must be the most recent guest to our Enclave, correct?"

Carla blinked. ".....How did you know?"