Fen’s small and genuine smile, the comforting statement, made her reminiscent of her niece. Akira probably would have said the same exact thing. It didn’t matter that it was a monster in the mind, something all vampires have difficulties to control at times. In return, she gave him a small, genuine smile of her own. And then, of course, was the question of Rosenites, causing the vampire to burst into laughter.

When she was able to calm down, trying hard to suppress giggles, with no telling what image ran through his mind, Lirin tried to explain. ”No! She looks like me, just a little older. Celeste spent almost twenty years living before she was turned. I think… Rosenites have plant blood? No that doesn’t sound right… They’re a form of vampire, but they’re different, as they have plant traits. While they don’t look like plants, they absorb energy from the sun, and consider water sacred. Oh, and ivy green eyes with a red ring in the center. That’s how you can tell if they are a turned Rosenite.” Whoever the friend was, she sounded delightfully sweet. Yet, Fen was off by one thing. Lirin wouldn’t like her near as much as Celeste would.

Once more, she chuckled. Lynx had been much smaller when she came to Lirin, the size of a pup. Adorable as she was, the familiar was useful at this size. But he brought Tadhg back to her attention. ”His sister found us. She’s… Clingy. Celeste might be able to withstand people like that, I don’t like it.” Yet, wasn’t that was she was doing to Tadhg? No, he was dangled on a string, chasing it as a cat. Was being the operative word. However, it might be prudent to check in on him. ”Alright, we can search together, but first… We can’t have you go out looking like that. Come.”

In a single swift movement, Lirin scooped up the child and stood simultaneously. With a wink, the pair melted into the air. It was so freeing to be invisible, to flow around people, and still maintain full consciousness. There was no air pushing up against you, or to push you down. No, they simply were air. Guiding the child, the older vampire took him to an inn room through the window. The room itself was quite lavish with luxury, and obviously slept in with no apparent baggage anywhere. She carried him through the room and set him down in the bathroom. As she stood, she shrieked at her own appearance.

”You’re not the only one who needs cleaned up.” Taking a rag, she got it wet in the tub, wrung it out before scrubbing at his face and neck. After a minute of diligently working, Lirin nodded in satisfaction. ”Go back into the room, you’ll find a set of fresh clothing on the bed in your size… Should be in your size. I’m going to wash up myself.” Once the boy was ushered out of the room, the door was closed and the vampire quickly stripped before lowering herself in the water. She scrubbed every inch of her body, cleaned every crevice, including under her nails. Her hair was washed three times, then meticulously brushed in front of the mirror. A wave of her hand, and she was dressed in an elegant dress that normally would be seen on noble women. All it lacked was proper jewels, but she never wore most jewelry. When she was done, she opened the door and looked for the child she had left alone.

Being unexpectedly lifted into the air was jarring, but not nearly as jarring as literally becoming it. He thought that traveling via airship was unnerving, and at the time he believed it to be his least favorite method of travel. Little did the boy know that would be proven false within such a short time. Typically, acts of magic fascinated Fen, and typically he would have several questions about the spell in question. Yet the entire flight to the inn he was silent, partially uncertain if he even could speak in this form, but mostly too preoccupied with wishing it was over.

When it was over, he found himself in a considerably upscale inn room, although just about any room was upscale in comparison to where he spent most nights. She had led him to the bathroom, and only here was it was once more brought to his attention, the state that both he and his clothing were in. Having to be cleaned off caused his face to turn slightly red, although the experience was relatively quick and painless. Now just for his clothes. Lirin explained to him that there was a change of clothes for him in the other room, and with a nod he exited the bathroom, door closing behind him as he exited. As promised, a new outfit roughly in his size lay folded on the incredibly comfortable looking bed.

Lirin was mostly correct about their size, although the new wardrobe was a bit bigger than Fen was accustomed to. The sleeves swallowed his thumbs, leaving nothing more than his other four fingers exposed. Trying to roll up the sleeves proved pointless, as the fabric was loose enough to allow them to come unfurled the moment he allowed his arms to relax. It was annoying, certainly, but an annoyance he’d have to live with. Gently he folded his usual, still stained clothing on a chair, folded as well as his small, partially-sleeved hands could manage. Save for his hooded cloak, which once more took its place around his neck. Thankfully most of the blood had managed to miss this particular garment, but sentiment would have prevented him from going long without it, even if it had gotten drenched.

With a fresh wardrobe came a fresh take on things, and Fen felt prepped and ready for any challenge. Lirin however, wasn’t, given that she was still in the bathroom. At first, he was content to wait on the bed, contemplating what this Tadhg character was like, the odds of bumping into his friend, and a litany of other innocent thoughts that clouded a young boy’s head. And much like a boy his age, he began to grow restless.

At first, it was simple enough, rifling through any drawers or containers within his reach. Searching through these turned up nothing, and didn’t hold his attention for long. Glancing out the window revealed the celebration still going in full swing. Fen pressed an ear against the bathroom door. He was tempted to go out, get a head start on finding Tadhg. This idea was quickly abandoned at the quick realization that he didn’t know what Tadhg looked like.

But then, he did know what Raziel looked like. He could always look for her. He also knew what Lirin looked like, and could always find her at the party.

With a decision made, he left the room; this time through the door, and began making his way back to the festivities, not even bothering to let Lirin know before his departure.

Unfortunately, when she opened the door, her eyes fell upon an empty room. Lirin sighed, wondering what he thought to do alone. His rummaging through the room was almost unnoticeable, though she did not mind. Kids will be kids. While his body was eternally stuck as a child, his mind should still expand and mature through the years. It was the only logical theory she wanted to even consider.

Regardless how far he could have gotten, Lirin flashed a toothy grin. A game of hide-and-seek? The elder vampire dispersed into the air once more, absorbing the scents that lingered. Her mind filtered out all save one; that of the boy. Cold, with the underlying traces of blood led her downstairs and out of the inn.

If Lirin was in his shoes, she would not know how to find his friend without a description. Therefore, she would look for her own; if she had the logic of a child. No, as experienced as the elf was, she would try and find someone drenched in his scent. As traveling companions, they would have rubbed off on each other in that sense. Fen had not traveled far, and the wind ruffled his hair affectionately with a light chuckle echoing around him.

Before the boy, the now elegant woman materialized, hands on her hips. ”Well, young Fen, are we looking for Tadhg, or your friend? Or perhaps enjoy the festivities while we search?” Now that she was clean and back to proper senses, Lirin seemed much more approachable and normal.

How much time had passed between him leaving the festivities with Lirin, and subsequently returning without her, was impossible for him to tell. But if he didn’t know any better he might have guessed that no time had passed at all. If there had been any change in attendees, the number had only increased as the sounds of laughter and merriment that echoed in Fenriz’s ears had almost become unbearable. Only having the tidbits of conversations that he could overhear while eavesdropping among the crowd to rely on, he had only managed to cobble together a very limited understanding of what exactly was going on. The biggest takeaway was that the magical rabbit had actually turned out to be a danger, and that some of the gods might have been involved, although to what degree he wasn’t certain. Perhaps this level of celebration was justified? That sense of failure upon realizing that he wasn’t able to catch even a glimpse of the creature came rushing back. Although the temperment of the party was a bit different than before. The young vampire couldn’t tell why, but the people certainly seemed more… rowdy. A few seemed to border on violent. If things continued at this rate, surely some of the people around them would prove to be dangerous. Certainly more dangerous than the very rabbit whose demise they were celebrating. Perhaps it was one of those “when you’re older” things. He had been told that a lot, lately. The more he was told this, the more he found out that the world adult’s lived in was far more complicated than his own, the less and less he wanted to become one.

But his ascension into adulthood was a considerable time from now. In the here and now, he was back to square one. Back to searching for the companion he had arrived with. Young crimson eyes surveyed the crowd, hoping to come across the all too familiar purple hair of his half-angel friend. Alternatively, his new friend and fellow vampire would be a welcome sight, although he hoped she wasn’t too upset with him for leaving without notice.. Although eyes were incapable of finding him, he did keep his ears open, trying his best to filter a mention of Tadhg among the mindless chatter. Fenriz took cautious steps, going well out of his way if need be to avoid some of the more unpleasant patrons as he weaved through the crowd. Once more coming across a handful of unattended drinks, he decided to pilfer one. A quick sniff of its contents told him that it was not the same beverage he had before. Something about the scent reminded him of the tavern he had visited with Hiro and Raziel, though he couldn’t place exactly what was familiar about it. Either way, he scurried off, disappearing back into the crowd just before someone turned their attention his way.

As he had before, he subconsciously sought out a less active area. Though not completely devoid of people, it did feel much more detached from the rest of the party, protected from the loud screams and shouts of the more riled up revelers. He chose a spot on the street, figuring it was as good a spot as any to plant himself. Thus far, he had failed to find any of his friends. What if, just like he was searching for them, they were doing the same, and they had simply missed each other amidst the mass of people? Maybe it was best to stay still, and let his friend’s come to him. To his childish mind, the logic was sound, despite the fact that he couldn’t be bothered to wait for Lirin only moments earlier.

Speaking of…

A burst of air breezed passed Fenriz, not powerful enough to move him, but strong enough to considerably displace his snowy hair. As the winds hadn’t picked up beyond a gentle breeze the entire night, this was unusual enough. But the gust brought with it a chuckle, too loud in his ear to come from some random partygoer. Alarmed, his eyes darted all around him, seeking to identify the source. This lasted for only a moment, as the source revealed herself.

“Miss Lirin!” a relieved grin taking over his face, though it was quickly replaced by a brief flash of guilt, remembering that he had ditched her not too long ago. Yet, she didn’t bring it up, and he certainly wasn’t going to mention it himself.

“Do people really like these kinds of parties?” he asked, responding to her question with a surprisingly earnest one of his own “It’s really loud, and a lot of people seem almost angry. Even the drinks are weird now”

He took another whiff of it, confirming the bitter, unpleasant smell. Setting the container aside, he stood up, looking Lirin in the eyes as best as he could from his height “I promised to help find Tadhg and I always keep my promises! But I am starting to get worried about Miss Raziel. So if we could keep an eye out for both of them…”

He turned away, set and ready to resume looking, until he remembered one particularly important roadblock

“Um… what does Tadhg look like, by the way?”