Sibiu

[Apollymi]

The union of this pair of individuals went on to receive a blessing directly from the priest himself. Though part of the ceremony as normal, somehow it felt oddly necessary to Kasmina who smiled as she heard out these words. Beyond this soon a small child with a pillow holding two rings approached the pair, one of their final acts during this ceremony would apparently leave the pair placing rings upon each others fingers. One of these rings was soon placed upon the ring finger of her left hand, while Sorin gave his speech Kasmina watched him and felt this band slip up onto her finger appreciating its beauty and inscription which she read with sightly widened eyes as she picked up the ring for him.

"Sorin, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." And with those words she slid the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand as well. Of course, in doing this, she came to realize that she'd spoken this man's name twice over the course of this ceremony but never before. It was strange to think their relationship had been so formal before this point.

[Bloodedge]

True enough, this pair had scarcely referred to one another on a first name basis, even in third person. Either way, there would be much of this to come, as they were now wed under the eyes of their god and all present. All that remained was the Universal Prayer, performed by the priest.

"Let me love you, my Lord and my God,
And see myself as I really am:
A pilgrim in this world,
A Christian called to respect and love
All whose lives I touch,
Those under my authority,
My friends and my enemies."

"Amen," Sorin said at the prayer's completion. Around this time, bells could be heard ringing throughout the church. This had become a signal to the newlyweds, and Sorin gladly took the cue. Pulling his right hand away from Kasmina's left, he moved it to the side of her head, near the back. With his hand placed this way, he leaned toward her face, intending to lock lips with this woman before the entire population of where they lived.

[Apollymi]

"Amen." A single word spoken at the end of the prayer conducted by the Priest who'd overseen the whole of their wedding. Kasmina was now officially wed to the Count Phantomhive and had with that all the rights and responsibilities that would come with. Even so, it seemed the benefits of this would come to light long before any potential hardships as when she released this man's hand after placing the ring upon it, it soon found itself near the back of her head where she soon found herself kissing the man before her, much to her own surprise. This first kiss occurred in front of the congregation of the church and pretty much the whole of their town, and was quite enjoyable in Kasmina's case.

[Bloodedge]

With his lips pressed against Kasmina's, and his right hand upon the side of her head, Sorin saw to it that his left arm brought her into a tight embrace the likes of which was... almost bloodthirsty. Sorin was experiencing a worse form of bloodlust than he'd ever experienced, even in Kasmina's presence. His pursed lips quivered momentarily against hers, but this moment alone granted him the restraint he needed. He became able to sink into the moment and enjoy it for now.

And enjoy it, he did. Sorin had been on this world for 57 years, and never had he experienced a sensation such as what he knew now. His eyes widened briefly, before narrowing to a close once more. Just prior to the parting of lips, the vampire understood that he had indeed made the proper decision two nights ago.

[Apollymi]

Kasmina felt the smallest quiver in this man's lips as they pressed against her own. She'd never experienced a kiss before this moment, but in being wrapped up in this almost consuming embrace she realized that even if she had, it would have been nothing like this. She appreciated this moment and got to understand first hand what it was like to be thoroughly invested in such an activity. As their lips finally parted the girl's eyes slowly opened tiniest of blushes creeping up her face, as the murmurs of the crowd alerted her to the fact that they were still in the crowded church being watched by numerous people. The idea of Sorin's blood-lust was lost upon her, if only because physical lust seemed to override it just a bit, her own included. At this moment a minor breathless whisper escaped her, "I had nearly forgotten, we are presently the object of spectacle," she said as if she could feel the eyes of the crowd upon them.

[Bloodedge]

When they separated, Sorin shifted his right hand to his now-wife's cheek. Pulling away did not get him far; he was close enough afterwards that he could feel the woman's breath against his face when she spoke of their observers. Sorin briefly shifted his eyes in the direction of the congregation. His grin spread once more. "What a shame. Perhaps... we should away, that we may part from the gazes of the many. Shall we retreat to our home?" he asked, simultaneously offering his hand to the raven-haired woman. Should she take it, he would escort her down the aisle, and continue on the path toward Castlevania.

[Apollymi]

When they separated, Sorin hadn't moved very far away from the face of Kasmina. This lack of personal space only furthered her need to leave this place though not entirely for any reason which she could name. Sorin's words after she spoke, lead her to believe that he also found the same in their current placement. Soon after he was offering to abscond with her back to their newly shared dwelling. A smile spread across her face as she simply nodded to the suggestion before reaching for his out-stretched hand without the slightest bit of hesitation. She found her hand sliding rather easily into his own, making her even more sure of her decision. The girl would be led back down the aisle as the onlookers got their final glances at the newly married couple's whose wedding ceremony had taken up a great deal of the day but had been well worth it to witness. After the couple fled all witnesses would disperse as well, after witnessing such a spectacle their day's entertainment quota had been more than filled. Though surely something as great as a wedding in the Great Church would be talked about for a long while to come.

Continue the story here.

[Bloodedge]

The night of the very next day, a local tavern bustled with activity. Talks of the wedding were upon the lips of many patrons. None were struggling for a pint of ale this night, and the hearth burned warm as a summer day. The red-haired Scotsman known by few as Gregor MacLaird sat at the bar with four mugs around him, only one filled. All of the empty pints had been emptied by him alone, and a pouch of coin saw to it that it would keep coming. Even drunk, he seemed very easily capable of managing himself. "Aye, keep 'em comin' lad! Next round's on me for the whole lot 'ere!" he said to the bartender, who went on to begin filling the empty mugs around Gregor. "Your coin's always welcome here, Sir MacLaird. Anyone else while I'm pourin'?"

At the bartender's request, one particular male raised his mug. He sat in a far corner of the tavern, at a table by himself. This man had red-violet hair reaching his shoulders, amber eyes, and strong facial features. He dressed in a long, black jacket with a white and gray trim, matching trousers, a red scarf and a hooded, gray and white mantle. He also wore a black fedora, and a winglike accessory on his left arm. "One over here," he said calmly while the man he addressed worked on filling Gregor's multiple cups.

[Apollymi]

"I'll have another..." mentioned the man who'd been sitting at the bar. His wails to the bartender as he lamented his current life situation. "She's been turned against me. Since when does she tell me no, why can't she see!? Married and living in a castle changed her..." said the stout dark haired man as he held his cup out to be filled on someone else's dime. "All the things in there, lights that turn on by themselves, no fire against the walls, she could have helped. One word would have helped..." gloom and sorrow seemed to hover over the man known as Costel Dacian. He'd finally lost a bet that would have him left nearly destitute by his own bad decisions. He hadn't attended the wedding of his daughter. "Vile fiend she's married to turned her against me... The nerve of him, and it took less than a day, to make her act so. My Kasmina," he moaned into his arm as he all but cried. He didn't see the wrongness of his actions, he saw only his daughter, with the means to help him not doing such.

[Bloodedge]

"Easy there, Baron. Here; have another." The bartender seemed to have missed the call for a refill by the man in the corner, all due to Baron Dacian's wailing about his apparently lost daughter. Immediately after filling three mugs for Gregor, he moved down the bar to fill Costel's. "Maybe it was a miscommunication. Your daughter is married to the Count now. I'm sure she's just overwhelmed, being a Countess and all." With these words said, the bartender tilted his pouring vessel upwards, having filled Costel's mug nearly to the brim.

"... There's no man who can tame a fiery hen li'ah' with one night of slingin' his pecker," Gregor interjected. A freshly-emptied mug slammed against the bar counter. Then, Gregor slid himself into a stool closer to his fellow Baron and once potential father-in-law. "Look at us. Barons, so close to the end of the wee ropes of life. Your lass, wed to a Count barely older than she, and not payin' any heed to her old da a mere day later. An' what's this about the lights?"

A sigh escaped the drunken male in the corner. It became apparent that he would not be receiving his refill without making a move of his own, as the bartender seemed clearly invested in the conversation that now involved Gregor. This sigh was a mighty one, and was accompanied by this male forcing himself to move from his chair, pushing through all the aches of a long, hard day that he'd yet to put behind him. He was a traveler, from the looks of things. The sound of his voice was also notably of a more western-European influence, though it hardly showed in his initial words. Soon, he was upon the bar with his mug held out toward the bartender. "Pardon, mate, but... can I get that refill? I've been halfway sober for a few minutes now." The bartender looked toward him with a quizzical expression painted upon his face. He seemed less than willing to serve this man, but his coin had been good earlier, and this round was on Gregor, so he filled away. Still, he was very skeptical of this individual who'd come dressed in such a way. "Fine. Here, but I'm having your coin upfront next time," the bartender said. Gregor's attention was briefly drawn to this strange male, and though he was in the midst of a chat with Baron Dacian, he spoke to the newcomer nonetheless. "... That's a funny coat ya' got on there lad." The other male barely paid him any heed. He only sighed once more. "Yeah. I get that a lot."

[Apollymi]

"Overwhelmed, he says," the Baron Dacian mentioned as he picked up his recently filled mug and downed more of it. The blush of drunkenness across his face as he sighed. "She looked at me with her mother's eyes, and laughed while claiming not to be able to help me. My girl wouldn't have said such a thing to me. So much poise she has... she used to help me without a question..." the Baron said. It'd seem to most that her father was indeed a good man, and one of few needs. Nice to his daughter and looking out for her best interests. And to many it would have looked like Kasmina helped her father all the time, but this was simply the outward appearance. There was no way for the girl to not help her father, while helping herself, her brother and her stepmother.

The words of the Baron MacLaird drew Costel's attention. His words bolstered the man, in his drunken state and seemed to feed him quite a bit. "Right? He's young, she's young, such a match could have been made long ago between me and that boy's father. I didn't even know he had any interest in her, before he showed up with her on my own doorstep almost a week ago. Night of the full moon my whole world fell apart." said the Baron. About the house and lights the Baron had much to say. "The entire house is strange. Big enough to fit my entire house just in the entry way, large throne room lined with lights the likes of which I've never seen before. Stunning really, had to have costed a fortune to make the lamps look that way. Hardly a thing negative to be said about the decor. But he claimed she was busy, couldn't be seen. I yelled until she came, and boy did she arrive. Lies that man fed me, my daughter is just the same as she always was... too good for him I say!" he slumped and took another sip while Gregor's attention was elsewhere. His eyes shifted to the new comer and he seemed to grin widely. "Oi, that man was another, wanted to marry my Kasmina, he didn't get a chance to meet her. Missed out he did." he said of this man. His daughter had all the finest suitors in the land and had gone with a fiend so vile that he wouldn't allow her to help her father any more. "I swear he turned her against me, that Phantomhive..." he spit most angrily the name of the man he thought had taken his daughter away.

[Bloodedge]

"Laughed at your troubles, eh? Doesn't sound like your lass at all," Gregor agreed, thinking that only in the short time he'd seen Kasmina, he'd found a hefty enough sample of her personality to determine her worth to the Baron. Costel's cries seemed well-placed, and very justified. This Count was a vile person by every word the Baron Dacian shared about him, but Gregor's mind wandered beyond a simple bad influence. The description of the castle was beyond what humans were capable of. More importantly, for that man to claim his wife was unavailable, only for her to arrive when called upon, was levels of suspicious Gregor only saw reached in a few instances of his life. Gregor only needed a little bit more to go by.

Costel knew the young man who'd recently approached the bar, and the latter knew him as well. He, however, was more well-versed when it came to dealing with humans of all varieties, and did not think as highly of Costel as other locals did. "Yeah. Evening, Baron. Congratulations and condolences for your daughter," he said. Apparently, he didn't mind at all that the woman to whom he was a suitor had been married off very recently. Gregor had more to say about this male. "Your lass didnae even believe in vampires. Can't see her makin' much of a Belmont." These words resonated in the ear of the newcomer, warranting nothing more than a sigh as he shut his eyes and drank his share of ale. "I knew it!" the bartender spoke. "Filthy Belmonts comin' round here. We don't want no trouble, understand?" Of course, the alleged Belmont had no intentions of causing any trouble; Belmonts never did. The unknown man's next words would not address this, however; he instead had something to add to this conversation sparked by Costel. "No clue what you lot are on about. You should all be more worried about the name Phantomhive than anything, though."

[Apollymi]

Costel looked up from his drink. Someone cared for his troubles, understood what he had to say, his eyes filled with hope. "You understand! My Kasmina was such a good girl, she'd never have said such a thing to me without... him," Costel was disgusted. But none knew the reasoning of the lass who refused her father for the first time in his life. And in typical childish fashion he was complaining now to anyone who would listen. This man who had previously been one of the girl's suitors seemed to offer both congratulations and condolences to the man which Costel accepted in the way only a narcissistic parent could. "Thank you sir, for understanding. My lass was beautiful, married in the Great Church at high noon on Sunday. I couldn't be prouder! Except for how she acts now..." as Costel drank more he cursed himself for not attending the girl's wedding. 'For Christ's sake I could have bragged so much about her, if I'd actually bothered to go. Curse my love of drink and my pride.' still he drank even more.

Seeming to lose track of the conversation just a bit. Apparently the man who also wanted to marry his daughter had some sort of reputation and involvement with vampires. Because of this Gregor thought the girl might have been unsuited. Costel couldn't have this, no... he'd defend his good genes and child-rearing. "Vampires? Hardly a bother, my girl may not have believed in them, but she's a good God-fearing girl. Attends church every Sunday, says her prayers and does the lords work. Such devotion makes her a fine choice for any and every man. My prized daughter," he paused. "Except that man...." his eyes narrowed, making obvious that he somehow had some fundamental problem with the man his daughter had married. The man who'd come to his door and called him on how he treated the lass. The man who'd not paid him a cent on her bride price and instead taken care of his son, the man who poisoned his daughter against him. Still, that family was not one he'd ever heard anything bad about. "Phantomhive is a family name, important 'round these parts. Been so for generations... His father Lothaire was a good man, he had a vile son though," said the Baron Costel, who seemed not to realize that he was the rotten one in this situation.

[Bloodedge]

"Aye, I understand. If the Count is such a shit man livin' in a place li'ah, it pains me to say he might not be a man at all." Gregor had a rough idea of the situation that had befallen Costel's daughter. It wasn't anything solid, but a warning of the name Phantomhive from this other man made him more wary. "And what say you about this family name Phantomhive, Belmont?" he asked. The former suitor of Kasmina sighed yet again. How had he managed to drag himself into this discussion? He only wanted another drink, and now he was being accosted for his coat, the name associated with it, and something he'd managed to let fall from his mouth. "Not that I know anything, but... Phantomhive sounds like a vampire name, is all," he said, wishing only to exclude himself from the discussion at this point. In truth, he knew the name Phantomhive; it was a once-great name of nobility, much like the Belmont clan, until the reported last daughter of its line married one Vlad Tepes of Wallachia. "No point playin' the ignorant role now, lad. I won't hassle ye, though. There ain't much a man like that can be, but one of the filthy bloodsuckers. Probably usin' yer lass for cattle there, Baron."

[Apollymi]

This conversation seemed to fly over the head of the Baron Dacian. It seemed this pair of Kasmina's former suitors thought something of the Count Phantomhive. Beyond all this it seemed to be that the lad who'd married his daughter was a vampire. The Baron thought about this and he could almost believe it too. "You saying, he bewitched my Kasmina, and is using her as cattle? Disgusting my daughter deserves far better to be at the beck and call of a parasitic man like that!" the Baron said slamming his hand down on the table. It was easy to see the man's courage was far greater after a day's drinking. Even so, how could he hope to best a vampire. Surely he could not, "I want my Kasmina back, not in the clutches of some fiend. McLaird you said you do work such as this, bring my daughter back to me and rest her from that man she 'married'," he chimed. He hadn't even gotten a proper bride price for the lass. At least if he got her back there would be her holding of this man's property. She'd still be Countess even if her husband died and that was worth quite a lot. 'And the Dacian name would return to glory, it wouldn't even take long. And if she's a vampire and he exterminates her as well... all the better,' it seemed the Baron was far too hurt by his daughters chastising of him to think about this situation in a way that didn't make him seem like a venomous and vengeful old man. Greed shown in his eyes clear as day, he was truly an uncaring man, but he had the people convinced of his victim status in this matter.