Acadia (Jasper's Story)

In the Sunshine's Warmth

A few days passed, and the people in the castle grew used to the quiet presence of Tivachi and Oliver wandering throughout the castle and spending most of their time either in their room or the courtyard. Felix could be found with them occasionally, although he mostly gave them time to themselves so they could adjust.

Right now, he was resting comfortably in the courtyard, enjoying the sun and fresh air with Oliver and their gods. Oliver was brushing Tivachi's fur with a brush he was given. Felix was glad to see that both of them looked much more well taken care of, already. Tivachi's fur was shining even more, if possible, and Oliver's hair was a brighter white and looked much more shiny and healthy. Silky.

Tivachi had his head resting in Oliver's lap, stretched out beside him and panting softly with a grin as Oliver ran the brush through his fur. Felix smiled as he watched them, lightly petting Noir, who was in his lap.

"So, do you like living here?"

Oliver paused in his brushing, looking at the small pond in front of them, before looking at Felix again. "It's... Nice. Calm." He looked back down after a moment, nose crinkling in disgust and reminding Felix of a puppy. "Your bathing products are fancy and smell strange, though."

Felix smiled, amused, and leaned back. He propped himself up with his arms. "Yes. I suppose they are."

"Who washes their hair with vinegar?"

The knight laughed a little, throwing his head back and looking at the sky. "It helps the roots of the hair, apparently. I don't use it though. I use castile soap and rosemary, like you."

"How do you know what I used?" Oliver asked, looking at Felix and cocking his head to the side. Yep. Definitely a puppy.

Felix grinned and looked into Oliver's crimson eyes, lightly tapping his own nose. "You smelled like it, when I was helping you put on your cloak."

Oliver's cheeks flared red, and he looked away. "Oh."

Felix hummed, looking back at the sky as Oliver started brushing Tivachi again. "Have you been able go keep more of your food down?"

"Yes, he has!" Tivachi answered proudly, tail thumping loudly against the ground. Noir groaned and shifted around in response, grumbling in annoyance. "Turns out, adding it in small portions to human foods like pancakes makes it a bit easier for him to handle. I think it helps that it's a bit more solid that blood. Of course, it's only been a few days."

Felix smiled. "That's good! And how are your feet healing? You were trying to keep your weight off of one, right?"

Oliver's cheeks dusted red again, and he shrugged lightly. "It's... Iffy." He said softly, one of his hands rubbing his legs absentmindedly. "They're healing well enough, I suppose."

"Do you want our doctor to look at them?"

He shook his head, running his hand through Tivachi's hair. "No, thank you. I've already troubled you enough. They'll heal eventually, after all."

Even though Felix knew it would be no trouble at all, he felt it wouldn't change his opinion, so he stayed silent on the matter. "Alright, but let me know if you think you need them to. We want you to stay healthy and safe."

Oliver nodded slightly, continuing to pet his God, and Felix hummed again, leaning back until his back was against the cool grass. He thought back to how Oliver never whined once on their trip, and how different he seemed from most noble blood. Before he could stop himself, he asked, "Oliver? What did you do before becoming a vampire?"

Oliver was silent, and Felix worried he had said something very wrong. He glanced over, biting his lip when he saw Oliver had tensed and was looking at the sky. "Sorry," he backtracked, "you don't have to say if you aren't comfortable."

"I.... I would travel a lot." Oliver said quietly, surprising Felix. He had been sure the vampire wouldn't speak of his past, and even then, he very clearly remembered Oliver saying he was royalty- he was allowed out of the castle?

"Really?"

Oliver nodded, looking down and twirling a lock of Tivachi's fur around his finger. "I wasn't actually the heir to the throne, because my Dad's brother had kids much more suited for it and liked. I was already a "devil's spawn" because of my hair and eyes. Even my mother didn't like me that much; apparently she screamed and cried when she first saw my eyes, like I was some sort of demon who had taken over her child's body. When I was little, I wasn't allowed outside the castle walls, and I was lonely. No one wanted to be my friend and everyone in the castle avoided me... Only the captain of the guards was nice to me. He didn't think I was strange, and he taught me how to protect myself." Oliver's voice steadily started becoming super scratchy, and it looked like it pained him to talk. As if to confirm Felix's thoughts, he coughed harshly and reached up to carefully rub at his throat.

Felix frowned, feeling his heart ache for the vampire. He really never had it easy, did he? It made Felix feel bad, because while his dad cared for him while making his life terrible, he tried to stay as far away as possible as often as possible. Oliver was forced to be around people who hated him for years.

"O-Oh...." Slipped from his lips before he realized it did, and he flushed slightly from embarrassment. Oliver gave him a small, sad smile and a shrug, but didn't seem like he was feeling well enough to continue the story. "I-I-"

Oliver cut Felix off with a stern look and a finger to Felix's lips, shaking his head.

"He doesn't want your pity." Tivachi explained softly, glancing at Felix. "He's not used to it, and he doesn't want to start now.... Besides, that was millenia ago. The scars were made, and they'll stay for an even longer time."

"But, still. I-I mean-"

"Felix. People have different circumstances all the time. Just because your father cares about you does not make him better than Oliver's parents. He has very misguided intentions that make it right for you to want to stay away." Noir said sternly, and Tivachi nodded his agreement. Oliver nodded as well, his eyes saddening slightly.

"Parents suck." The vampire said, voice incredibly scratchy even though he had only just stopped talking once again.

Felix sighed, nodding in agreement after a moment. "Parents suck." He repeated. But he thought back to the painter the castle and his father would call whenever they wanted a painting- the nice woman from the town over. Thought back to the woman's warm personality and the air of motherliness and her gentle smiles.

"You know... I know someone who I think you would like."

Oliver raised an eyebrow, and Felix smiled shyly. "She, uh, she's really nice, and... I think she's be a very good influence for you to be around."

Oliver stared at him for a moment, blinking slowly, before he tilted his head to the side curiously. "An adult?"

Felix nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah. She's not like most, though. She's very motherly, but she acts a lot like a kid most of the time.... I think you two would probably learn a lot from each other."

"... Oh." Oliver seemed rather hesitant, and Felix offered him a small smile.

"If you don't want to just yet, I won't force you. Just think about it, please?" He asked softly, and after Oliver gave him a small nod, he smiled. "Thank you. Now, do you want anything to eat?"

Oliver shook his head and Tivachi looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Bring him something, please. Something light, if possible. He wasn't able to eat much this morning, and I would like for him to try and stomach food more than just once a day."

Felix nodded, bowing his head to Tivachi. "Alright. I'll be back soon, then." He said softly, before leaving the courtyard and heading towards the kitchen.

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When Felix came back to the courtyard, he smiled. Tivachi and Oliver had, essentially, switched positions.

Now, Tivachi was curled around Oliver, and Oliver was resting his head on Tivachi's side, sleeping away quietly in the sun.