There was a lot to take in from what he was hearing between the two women. A lot that he was sure he wasn’t suppose to hear but they reassured him, But it still felt weird for Nikolas to be in the middle of this round of gossip. Apparently Nemesis had more secrets in his closet than he ever thought. “I figured as much from seeing Lucian and Nerezza. They do look much like him…uh…them I guess is a better word.” He was aware that the portals that caused such a mess with the realm had some effects on the people, but nothing like this. He was still wrapping his head around it but thought it was best to put it away for now.

“If he hadn’t, I won’t bring it up. I’m sure he has his reasons for never mentioning them to anyone outside his inner circle. I won’t lie and say I understand all of this, but perhaps in time I will.” Nikolas cheered up a bit in time for her to draw up the contract. It sounded well done and got to the point. Everything was accounted for, but being wise, he made sure to re-read it when it was his turn to sign, which he did. “Then it is settled. I hope for ours houses to have a long and healthy relationship.” He looked to Lilith and shot out a warm smile. At least she was here to usher this whole affair along. The idea was thrilling that he would have more imports to sell. And now the Draconis officially had another vampire house in support of them. “It was lovely meeting you, Lady Rose. I hope that our relationship will flourish as much as mine will with the Draconis.”

—-

It had been several weeks since he had trekked over to Sularia. But in the meantime, he did his best to assist Aaryona and Lilith in thriving on the island, teaching them of the politics and laws of Kurayo so that they didn’t overstep boundaries. All the while, Nemesis kept his word and continued training the former in becoming a more effective leader. When news arrived that Furtuna was to arrive, Nikolas came to their house and was excited to see what goods he would be stocked with. Also, it was one more reason to see Lilith. “We should celebrate this sometime, perhaps a dinner at my home?”, he requested. “It goes without saying that Eirik comes as well, my lady. Perhaps even Lilith too? None of this would have been possible without her, after all.” He gave the vampiress a friendly smile, though he wasn’t completely innocent in requesting her presence.

They stood at the airship port in Kurayo waiting for Furtuna to show up. There were 5 crates of rum behind her and three of Kurayo’s best as asked by Angela. Aaryona was filled in with the details and while she wasn’t happy about it she knew it was a necessary thing for her people. Her brown eyes looked over at him and nodded. “I appreciate you realizing how much having Eirik there would mean to me.” She smiled at him. “Of course Lilith would come as well. She is the reason all of this is happening.” She smiled as she reaffirmed what he said.

Lilith smiled at him. She was in a corset and pants together which was her regular wear when she wasn’t being formal. “Hopefully, Furtuna shows up soon.” However, once she said that Aaryona pointed up to the sky. There was an airship fitted with magic cannons coming that way.

“That would be her. I don’t know much about her other than she is my eldest sister here. Mother said she wasn’t happy and she had to steal her alcohol to get her to do it.” Aaryona sighed a bit as she looked over at Nikolas. “I’m sorry you had to get mixed up with my crazy family.”

Once the war airship docked and the bridge came out the half air genasi stomped down angrily. A man followed behind her waving his arms around in warning. “Where the hell is my alcohol. You are lucky she took it or I would be dumping all of this junk into the ocean RIGHT NOW.”

Aaryona face-palmed a bit and sighed. “Sister Furtuna… I was told to let you know I have three crates of Kurayo’s finest.” She held her composure as Furtuna stalked closer.

“Oh?” Furtuna crossed her arms and her anger simmered down. “I guess that makes up for the witch stealing my stuff.” She grumbled a bit. “Vincent get the crew to unload this shit so I can have my alcohol and be done with this. The next time you lot want something done… just ask and not steal my shit. DO NOT let her ask.” She sighed a bit.

“We’re sorry for that Furtuna. This should be the last time we need your assistance until the seafaring ships can make it out this way,” Lilith offered up an explanation.

Furtuna perked up a bit and sighed. “If she had said that I wouldn’t have been nearly as pissed. So… Where’s this Nikolas… I was told to let him inspect the cargo before we unload…”

“It’s no problem at all. I do hope that it won’t be a burden for him, given customs and such”, he replied. Eirik didn’t quite strike him of a wearer of fancy wears, but Nikolas could be surprised still. Aaryona seemed full of surprises as did those associated with her. He enjoyed watching Lilith’s smile towards him, but he soon had to pay attention to the business portion first as they spotted the oncoming airship. It had already been made aware by him that the sisters hardly knew one another and surely the other would be slightly peeved by Angela’s tactics to make sure the delivery was sent out.

His golden eyes shifted over to Aaryona before giving a shrug. “I let myself be placed into the madness. Don’t fret about it, Aaryona.” Of course, he hadn’t been prepared for the tempest that was Furtuna as she came out as soon as the ship settled. Vincent came out as well and was trying to warn the group of her moody temper. One that he and the rest of her crew had to endure for weeks now. “Now Furtuna, let’s think rationally about that. Your mother can make it so that you won’t have another drop if you went through that ridiculous idea. Please don’t pay your sister any mind, she’s been without a drop to drink for a while now, it causes her to be…on edge.”

After Furtuna cheered up and got Vincent to get the rest of them to help unload the stuff, Nikolas was left scratching the back of his head. “That would be me.” He signalled the men that worked his ships to follow Vincent and after a bit of inspection, the cargo was brought out to them, all accounted for. “Everything’s here, all right. We begin inventory at once and then start getting ready to market it.”

—–

Once that was settled and the date had been set for the dinner to celebrate, he had his staff at home prepare for the coming days. By the time the night had finally arrived, his home was ready. The house smelled of distinct aromas of meats and other dishes meant for Aaryona and Eirik, while blood steaks were specially made for Lilith and himself to enjoy with bloodwine. Nikolas was dressed to impress- a dark dress coat with a cream shirt beneath it, matching pair of dress trousers and boots. His hair, as always was kept neat and short and he couldn’t wait to see his guests arrive.

Eirik, on the other hand, couldn’t believe what he was wearing. A red cloak draped his body which also bore dress clothes and his wild locks were tied into a neat ponytail. The large man felt completely out of place. “Can’t believe I’m wearing these things. I feel like I’m one of those monkeys people dress up because they can…” But he was doing this for Aaryona at least, as to not be rude in disregarding the generous invitation.

As soon as Furtuna came down the ramp Aaryona nodded to Vincent. She was trying not to laugh by the look on her face. “Mother has a way of making things worse… Thank you for putting up with her antics.”

“Antics… I’ll show her antics I’ll tie her to the bloody front of my ship for decoration.” Furtuna grumbled about as they made peace and set about finishing what she was set out here for. Once she was cheered up everything seemed to be better as everyone took a deep breath.

“At least… she isn’t as bad as Aelwen,” Lilith joked over to Aaryona just in earshot of Eirik and Nikolas.

“Oh… gods if this had been Aelwen we would have had to find a new island. I don’t care if Furtuna has a fleet… Aelwen’s anger control is smaller than she is,” the Draconis leader rubbed the back of her neck. “Though they are a lot alike if you don’t take into the fact that Aelwen’s temper is nearly on display at all times.” Lilith chuckled as they finished making sure everything was here.

–

Both houses were on their best behavior not only behavior wise in itself but also dressed nicely for the occasion. Aaryona’s red hair was swept back and up pinned with an elegant clip of sorts. Her dress was long and black. It was an off shoulder and showed off what bust she did have. Around her waist was a gold belt as decoration. She was chuckling at Eirik. “Well, you are at least a handsome monkey.” She leaned over and touched his cheek softly. “Thank you.”

Lilith was watching the exchange with interest. Her brown hair was in curls for the evening and she found herself wearing a simple red strapless dress. It hugged her curves and was oddly the same shade of red as her eyes. They greeted their host and Aaryona once again bowed. “Thank you for the help that you’ve given my family. I cannot thank you enough for the head start we’ve gotten.”

Lilith smiled up at Nikolas as she and the others got seated for dinner. “You look quite charming though I bet you always do.” There was a chuckle as she watched Aaryona and Eirik once more. “It is odd watching the young lovebirds at times. They do things much differently than I did.” Aaryona was showing Eirik how to smell the wine properly though she didn’t quite think Eirik would get it right away. “It was after a different time and place.” She smiled towards Nikolas again. “It makes me happy to see her happy and relaxed. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her as such.”

“Fortuna…you wouldn’t…”, Vincent groaned as he trailed right behind her and headed back to their ship. The last thing he needed was to get caught in the middle of some stupid family feud- that wasn’t what he signed up for in the least.

“Interesting…family you have, Lady Draconis…”, Nikolas responded, not completely sure of what to make of this himself. But he suppose the experience wasn’t all too bad; for one thing he got himself some new trade routes and he threw a smile at the other reason, which was Aaryona’s mentor.

—-

Eirik gave Aaryona a stern look, not appreciating her jest. But he refrained from speaking against it and sighed when she kissed him. He had promised to be on his best behavior and he wasn’t going to mess it up now. When they were welcomed, the master of the house here smiled warmly and gestured for them to enter his home. “Always a pleasure to see you lot. Please think nothing of it, much.” He snickered among himself when he caught sight of the big, scary barbarian all dressed up. He did clean up nicely when the effort was placed onto it. Lady Draconis looked rather lovely herself yet his eyes glued onto Lilith, perhaps for a few more seconds than he should have. “Ah, what beautiful doves to grace my halls. And Sir Eirik, you are looking nice yourself. The wolf grumbled at the comment and couldn’t wait to rip these garbs off him.

“Again, think nothing of. What are friends for, after all?” He waved it off as they approached the dining halls and took their seats. While Eirik sat next to his mistress, Nikolas took his seat near Lilith. “I do try my best whenever I can. You, on the other hand, don’t have to try at all and yet you succeed.” He poured her a glass of wine and placed it to her; while filling his own glass, he looked to the couple as Eirik sniffed at the glass beneath his nose and attempted to swirl it around like she instructed.

Aye, I see, he spoke into her mind, as to not disturb the enjoyable atmosphere but he was curious. How much different were things for your and your beloved back then, if you don’t mind me asking. I’m glad that Lady Draconis is faring well and is happy, but what about yourself?

Aaryona groaned a bit and gave an apologetic look to Nikolas. “You don’t have to tell me twice. They have always been… quite the family but now there are even more of them. I will never get used to it.” She flashed him a smile. “Even though we are siblings… All of us are very much different from one another.”

–

Lady Draconis knew from the way Eirik was acting and looking at her that she was touching a nerve. It wasn’t like him to be so dressed up. It was sort of cute in his own little wolf way. Though he didn’t think it was. Aaryona had to hold in her chuckle as Nikolas complimented Eirik. Though she supposed this evening was more for Lilith and Nikolas than anything.

She had noticed the way they acted and she was happy for Lilith. Maybe she could get her happy ending after all even if her father was gone. Lilith smirked at his compliment as they sat down together. “Trust me, I have learned from being alive for so long. There was a time that the best look I had was rags and chains.” Lilith nimbly took the glass of wine and sipped on it.

As they watched the two lovebirds Lilith looked thoughtful. “We were quite different. Separated by class. I was the lowest of the low and Marius? He was the future king. I was merely a plaything gifted to him because he begged for my life. I wouldn’t really have called it begging though. There was a time when we thought we had everything… Harkon gave us the reminder that I was just as much his as I was Marius’s. I hadn’t felt that dirty ever in my life but it was a reminder not to cross him. He used it whenever he thought Marius was getting out of hand. I was a thrall, after all, nothing more nothing less… Though in the vampire hierarchy dirt is higher than a thrall is.” Her words drifted to his mind as she sipped on the glass of wine some more.

“Marius wasn’t like Harkon but… He wasn’t greatly different either. The Draconis lords are cursed with the inability to die. Each time they die a part of their humanity becomes lost. The more Marius fell victim to that… The more Harkon came out of him. I do not wish that for Aaryona. I suppose it is an odd thing to say that I have been living through her. My time in life has been long and I have done a great many things. She sees things through fresh eyes and many experiences that I have had she hasn’t. It brings me joy to see her happy perhaps because it was taken from me.”

Aaryona was showing Eirik a great many things at the table and being so patient with him. “I remember… Being found. Marius had led a group of their soldiers up into the mountains to corner my sire. See he was rogue and he made me… That made him a target for Harkon. I had been beaten and tortured to the point where I couldn’t talk or rather wouldn’t… I wouldn’t look into anyone’s eyes and my mine were firmly planted to the ground.” Lilith recalled the memory with a bit of pain in her voice.

“At first Harkon thought I had been a willing participant but Marius had his doubts. I was in chains and rags… I was a mess. Dirt and grime covered me from head to toe while my sire was dressed like a god. It always struck Marius the wrong way to see things like that. He was kind-hearted in many ways. It was the first time in a long time that I had someone stand up for me. Especially in my new life as a vampire. I was so weak from not feeding that as soon as the adrenaline had left me I fell and Marius caught me as he would several times in our life together. He personally bathed me, fed me, and then clothed me. A thrall I may have been but in his eyes, he didn’t want anyone to live like that. He taught me to speak and to look with confidence at people. It took a good many decades together but he was patient.”

She sipped on the wine some more as she chuckled. “To be honest that last bit is Eirik with Aaryona. He is very, very patient with her. She is very patient with him. Even now they are learning from each other. Love is something wonderful… Tell me Nikolas… Is there someone you have loved?”

Adjusting himself in his chair for better comfort, Nik looked to Lilith while casually watching Aaryona and Eirik continue with their lessons on proper etiquette. But his attention was centered on the tale she wove of herself as her master and lover. Cutting into his steak, he savored a piece of it, properly chewing while continuing the conversation. “Sounds like Harkon was an old fool. Brash, I’m aware, but I can’t help but disagree with such tasteless tactics he performed. I’ve heard of the ordeal of thralls, though it’s not too often that it happen these days, at least as far as I’m aware of.” Nikolas was an idealist, not harbored to the ways of the old. There was no point in living in the past- learning from it, yes that was a good thing. But being stuck in it, like so many other vampire families were instead of trying to adapt and evolve with the times, it made him weep for Kurayo’s future, or perhaps a lack of one.

“I see, so they can’t experience the true death?” He leaned forward, keeping that smile crossed his face as she continued. He had a hard time seeing Lilith as a wallflower of sorts, especially since she seemed so prideful nowadays. Her past, though, was certain to break even the most strong-willed individuals with the right circumstances. “Marius seemed like a great man. Would have loved to have met him. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have the pleasure of meeting his daughter, I suppose.”

His head tilted to the side when she turned the tide to him and he took another savory piece of his meal. It was an experience that he had yet to deal with himself. Courting and such, he was familiar with. Hell, even attending the even more risque and costly brothels, he was no stranger to. But love? Like what Lilith had with Marius and what Lady Draconis and Eirik have? He shook his head with a slight chuckle. “Afraid not. Never met the right woman. It will possibly be a long wait for me, but I do wish to feel such a way one day. A hopeless romantic I am.” He smiled as he got up from his seat, “Excuse me, friends. I’ll be right back.” With that, he left the room and headed into his study, closing the door before he went over to the fireplace and retrieved a fairly old book from the shelf as the fire roared. Flipping through a few pages of the journal, he read amongst him of an observing a young woman of fair hair and gorgeous blue eyes in his younger years.

“And I fear that my heart would be skipping with each time I saw that radiant sunflower. Though I lack the courage to speak to her and my will waivers everytime she walks by, my feelings for her grow with each new day. Serena, a name of an angel sent from the heavens above.”

His smile dropped as he flipped through more pages, silently going through them before he snapped the book shut. He didn’t want to remind himself of her, he hadn’t intended to. But that beautiful vampire had to bring it up. It wasn’t her fault, but he had promised himself to not be reminded of her. Yet he kept the journal for some reason.