The house of rhapsody (Book 1 Of The Sanctuary and War Series)

A family in a way

Elias met Lily's eyes and gave her a simple nod. He didn't know what the Head of the House needed to do but she was clearly uncomfortable, in pain even. She was beginning to take on an odd scent as well, or maybe it was only odd to him. Elias was a relatively newer member to the House himself and he'd fallen into the role of groundskeeper by happenstance in his way. He had a knack for such things and it seemed a good fit, plus it allowed him ample outdoors time. The house itself was nice but Elias was used to being large. Larger than the house comfortably accommodated.

"Do what you need to do, boss." He told Lily. "We're here."

Elias wasn't one to overly smother a person. If Lily needed something from him, she'd have asked. If he thought he could help with something, he'd have offered. For now, she seemed like she needed a reprieve, in which case Zane (presumably) and he were perfectly comfortable staying with Adelaide. The vampire had been speaking to her about understanding and Elias had missed the entirety of the dialogue with his own concerns for Lily now. His attention returned to the other two so the Head of the House could discreetly exit the stage if needed and desired.

"As Zane said, Miss Adelaide. You're among friends." He echoed the sentiment quietly and calmly, fishing inside a pocket and producing his pipe as well as a small bag of spiced tobacco. He taped a small measure into the end of the smoking instrument, the sweet smell of it joining the air and drowning out some of the blood scent in his own nose. "It's alright to be confused or to not know what to do."

He'd been there a time or to himself. He didn't know all of Adelaide's background or where she'd been, what she'd seen. Her outburst suggested some unresolved trauma with a former partner but he didn't want to entirely assume.

"We're all refugees of a sort here. We're all a family, even if a mildly dysfunctional one at times." They had to rely on one another for mutual survival, at the very least. "Family looks after family."

A simple enough thought for complicated times. The bag of tobacco went back into his pocket, a small book of match's coming out next. He gripped the stem of the pipe with his front teeth and lit one of the small sticks, lighting the pipe next, then rapidly waving the match to extinguish it. The actual lighting itself was done slowly and smoothly, with some extra respect given to Zane's personal space. He didn't know how the vampire felt about open flame, some in the House feared such things. A small bit of clear smoke began to rise out of the end of the pipe with the same smell as the herbs that had gone into it and Elias inhaled smoothly, enjoying the taste as it went down his throat.

"Come." He suggested to Zane and Adelaide. "Let's find somewhere more calm to sit while the healers do their work. You can speak of whatever you need to, Miss Adelaide. Or not, if quiet is easier, and hopefully take solace in the presence of those who care for your well being."

Elias smiled kindly, red light from the pipe warming his eyes. He offered an arm to Adelaide, if she cared for an escort. Elias himself predated the Victorian and even Edwardian eras but he knew some of the old mannerisms. Naturally, he wouldn't force it either, and respected Adelaide's personal space if she didn't wish to accept, without any reluctance on his part.

"At the least, we'll all get to know one another better. That's a good thing."

he pale vampire had been letting the others speak. He offered his presence to help calm Adelaide. It also seemed as if the calming salve may have had an effect with its calming scents. He could tell Adelaide may not have been used to so much attention. He tried not to overload her senses.

After Lily and Elias offered their kind words to her, Zane added, "Life is not meant to figure out. None of us know what to expect on any given day. It's okay to be lost. You can always talk to one of us if you start to worry."

Elias had started smoking his pipe. Zane wasn't bothered by the flame. Fire couldn't destroy him, though it could singe his skin. This happened to him in the year 1566 after several townsfolk pursued the Vampire. He brought down four villagers before he fled into the night ablaze. It took him almost 20 years to heal his appearance. Still, he did not fear flames. There was an aggression in him which made him chase danger. Zane wasn't above smoking woodland herbs himself on a blue moon.

As Elias mentioned going elsewhere, Zane suggested, "We could convene at the grand lodge. Lady Noir, perhaps you could meet us there in a few?"

He could tell Lily needed to rejuvanate. He had not observed her rebirth cycle yet and did not know the specifics. It was one moment that he'd give her space. As the earlier attack showed, the hunters were crafty. They could breech defenses and end up within the Sanctuary at a moment's notice. He could not fail the Lady of the House by not protecting her.

The infirmary was too crowded now anyway. Zane was no healer and had begun to feel uncomfortable there. He almost felt out of place, like the healers wanted him out of the way. The shade keepers would have to do a better job of stopping this from happening again. So would Zane.

Rhapsody had suffered that day and anyone visiting the medical wing would see the tragic cost that the attack had reaped. Beneath the stainless steel pans and bright, white tiles of the kitchen, there had been a different, less tragic sacrifice. Niall looked down into the trash can where the batch of burned candies had been tossed. Rest easy, baked goods.

Just as the rest of the house were in the process of recovering, healing, so too were the denizens of the kitchen and Shantellias, the duplicitous trickster of a girl that Niall had followed into the kitchen, seemed intent on whipping up a new tray of treats. She flew around the space as if she were on rollerblades, fetching flour from here, sugar from there. The kitchen was a whirlwind of one-woman activity and Niall did his best to simply stay out of her way. Chuckling, he nodded along to her questions, trying to keep up with the frantic tempo of his new friend.

"What kind of supernatural am I? I don't know... I guess I've heard the word 'immortal' thrown around a lot. I can't die - but that's really all that I've got going for me." He then grinned playfully. "Well, that and my rugged good looks, of course."

Shantellias had surprised Niall by mentioning that she was the oldest member of the house. Surely not, he thought. How could she be? When she seemed to epitomise youth in every way? He did not say it aloud but he decided that he'd scrutinise her more carefully in future, as she seemed to be a creature of secrets and complexity.

Instead of answering her question on his cooking ability, Niall took up a bowl, a whisk and one of the eggs that Shantellias had taken out of the fridge. Pouring in a little flour, he began to stir the baking mixture with all of the elegance of a cement mixer.

"I'm not a great cook," he admitted. "I've taken a few classes during my time but it's just not something that comes to me naturally, you know?"

Almost as proof of this fact, Niall had managed to spin up a cloud of flour with his whisk and his face was peppered with little patches of white residue; he continued obliviously.

"But if it looks like I'm going to be here for any length of time then perhaps you can give me some lessons?"

He brushed a hand against his brow, successfully painting yet more flour over himself. He smiled over at Shantellias.

"And aye, it's Niall. But I don't think I ever caught your name?"