Hope

Phase I: Gentleman, Jacob.

Chapter Seven

Jacob lay on his bed, eyes staring through broken glass. He had awoken rather early, and his mind was aching from all the drinking the previous night. Feint blue bags rested under his eyes, and his eyes burned. At times he did not think at all, and his mind would go blank. He stayed static, as if he were dead. He did not even flinch at his door opening when it was the proper time to wake up. Equius looked at him with equally tired eyes. Jacob did not look back at him. Instead he sat up, re-positioned his glasses, and sighed heavily,
"Good evening," he said. Equius simply nodded in response to that,
"The Prince desires to see you, English," he stated. Jacob looked up at him and frowned slightly. So he quickly got dressed and made his way to the master's bedroom. He knocked before entering, and then slowly opened the door. He peered in, and saw Dirk by the window, the light of the moon fading onto him now and then. He stood with his hands behind his back, hands forming into fists, and slowly releasing. There was still blood on his blazer, which hung off his desk chair. Jacob closed the door, and then looked at Dirk. It was a terrible period of silence. Dirk was too lost in his own mind. His lips would tense up every so often, and he would switch between leaning on his left hip, then his right. His whole body fidgeted save for his eyes. He stared off into the empty space outside, where the gardens were abnormally green, and the skyline of the city was blanketed in smog. He looked like a gargoyle, staring at time as it slowly consumed everything around them, except for him. He was stone that could not be chipped or cracked - at least not permanently. He healed too quickly. That is what he made people believe. That is what he did; he made himself obscure.
Jacob felt a certain honor whenever he was pulled into the prince's personal affairs. He knew nothing of this vampire, of who he was, but he knew at least something. Family was a force for him, either driving him toward darkness, or toward being better. Jacob could see stress in the vampire's stare, but he would act rough around his twin. He could never identify the reason or cause of that, though. The roughness never made sense to Jacob. It was because of a reason he did not know. Dirk was a true enigma that Jacob was secretly curios of. Jacob stood, wondering of Dirk while the prince stared out the window, wondering of something else.
Finally Dirk looked at Jacob, and brushed back his hair,
"Do you have a cigarette?" he asked, his voice raspy and cold. Jacob nodded and pulled the box from his pocket, and walked to his master. He slipped one out, and gave it to Dirk. He then lit a match, and let the flame burn the cigarette that hung from the other's lips. Dirk watched his servant, and continued to when the cigarette began to burn. Jacob looked at Dirk for a second before pulling the match away, and blowing it out. Dirk simply nodded in thanks, and then turned back to the window.
"We will be going to Italy soon. I must visit the senate and report these recent events," Dirk started.
"Oh? I never knew there was such thing as a vampire senate," Jacob looked at him with raised brows,
"I am the third highest ranked vampire there. We make sure everything is in order with our particular region, and England happens to be mine," his beastly eyes flicked to Jacob.
"I would have expected you to be the first person in charge. You are a prince after all,"
"I am a prince, but sadly the title is more of an accessory than anything else. The monarchy is slowly, but surely, crumbling," he paused to enjoy the cigarette, "but I am getting off topic. If we go, perhaps they might know something we do not."
Jacob nodded and scratched the back of his head,
"If you do not mind me asking, who was that chap you were brawling with?" he asked.
Dirk let out a sigh and shoved his one hand into his pocket,
"He was a lover of mine at one point," he confessed, and shrugged, "but it got tiresome. Weak blooded vampires always tend to get strange after getting comfortable. I never liked them in any case."
Jacob raised both brows in response, and he cleared his throat.Dirk watched him and blew smoke in the other's face,
"Come, I must bathe and then we must make our way to my sisters," he added. Jacob nodded and turned to leave the room. Dirk clicked his tongue,
"Did you not hear me? I said I need a bath," he huffed. Jacob tensed and looked over his shoulder at him, waiting to see if his master was simply toying with him. When Dirk stared at him with menacing eyes, Jacob knew he could not disobey.
With a hesitant breath, he stepped into the bathroom, which was beautiful. Unlike the cold appearance of the rest of the manor, the bathroom was strewn with white and gold. The amount of candles Jacob had to burn made the room glimmer with the wealth and delicacy Jacob had expected before. The human was too afraid to touch the golden taps, or to handle the soft towels that hung near the bath. He truly felt like a sore thumb in this mere bathroom.
Jacob - after marveling at the gorgeous bathroom - opened the taps. Once the bath was full, Jacob called Dirk, who entered the room. Jacob turned to face the door as Dirk undressed and stepped into the bath. He cleared his throat again and watched the steam fog up his glasses. Dirk could not help but chuckle softly at Jacob, but he would not let the man leave the room.