Kuoh Town

[Bloodedge]

When they reached the cellar, the dimly-lit area revealed few things. However, Mahad bore witness to living creatures other than himself and Eira. Additionally, there was a very strange item for one to find in a cellar, that being the sealed coffin in the middle of the room. Eira's speech to the entity, followed by her mention of the phenomenon, gave Mahad a moment of realization for what they were truly facing. 'Vampire?' he thought. Clearly this was the reason none of his magical abilities could serve him here. Vampire magic was something well and truly beyond the knowledge and understanding of virtually every magician in recent history, as far as he understood.

Eira came to the conclusion that this coffin was also designed in a way that would hold the stone in the sephirot. Perhaps then, the source of this magical anomaly was a vampire currently residing within the coffin. It didn't seem to matter much either way, since Mahad couldn't release the stone, nor did Eira seem able to. "The stones are mysterious artifacts. Each stone located by the Magician's Council has been bound to a sephirot, and no magician as of yet has proven capable of releasing them. It would seem their demands are also different, as are the events surrounding them when they are inspected. This one is reported to have drained everyone to come into contact with it of their very lives, and I imagine it has only become more powerful after doing so for such a long time."

[Apollymi]

The quiet initially coming from Mahad let Eira assume he'd figured out what manner of creature was to be found within this coffin. Even normal humans with their limited understanding of the supernatural would make this assumption. The more she learned about this situation though, the stranger it was to Eira, but she was about to receive the clue necessary to make this puzzle give her a clearer view. A hint perhaps at a piece of this entire situation. Mahad though he didn't have any information about vampires did know about the stones, apparently the one found here wasn't the only one found and each one was found within a sephirot. And each had different things going on around it. According to him, this one had drained the magicians who came here of their very lives when they tried to remove the stone from its casing. Perhaps this was why he hadn't bothered trying to free it himself. But it was more curious than that... "Each stone was found in its own sephirot," she said as if seeking confirmation of this fact. "But why, that one upstairs holds 10 stones and it only has one in it, why make more?" it was kind of a problem of logistics. "Maybe we are thinking about it the wrong way..." she mentioned and with this in mind she began the journey back up the stairs with her intention to go back to the sephirot and try something else. She'd actually not tried freeing the stone before figuring that it was an artifact worth keeping intact, but she had one more question for the man with her about the others and perhaps if he had it she'd have a better way of handling this situation. "The other sephirot, do they look like this one?" she asked as they reached the point of their initial meeting once more.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes, and there they remain to this day," Mahad replied. Beyond this was the curiosity surrounding this sephirot's purpose. True, there was a legitimate concern regarding the necessity of numerous sephirots, each capable of holding all ten stones. "A fair question. The sephirot is found in Judaism. These stones are representative of its layout, in which case..." Mahad would forego verbalizing the rest of his clause there, until the moment they were standing before the slab once more. Once there, he brought a hand to his chin while recollecting his knowledge. "Malkuth... representative of kingship. That is the purpose of this stone, given its placement in the tenth slot. The others also require specific placements, but you are correct. Numerous copies existing for only ten stones is far from sensible." With that said, Mahad began to walk around the sephirot, staring at it from every possible angle he could manage. In doing so, he gained the ability to properly answer Eira's final question of whether the other copies shared this one's appearance. Only when he stood in front of it again did he answer. "From this angle, yes. The structure itself may change between them, but the face must always remain the same."

[Apollymi]

Eira went back to studying the stone inside of the sephirot. She couldn't help but look into it more and feel like there had to have been a way to free it. While she did this, there was the matter of the actual history of the sephirot, and it was apparently based in the religion of god. Her left brow rose at this as she realized that whatever was created from all of these things she might not want any contact with because of its religious significance. Even so, there was the fact that this particular placement of stone represented 'kingship'. A smirk crossed Eira's face in this moment as she had about all of the information she might have needed to determine what she should do, she began to verbalize these in order of practicality. "If more of these sephirot exist and they all have the same layout, then I could simply destroy that which is holding the stone freeing it. Such a thing is well within the range of my powers..." she said with a flippant nod. "I could also try to drain the magic out of it, but... I don't really want to do that, knowing it is connected to something sentient..." she offered. "I could also, give it what it wants. Beings older than me would say, that kings are born of blood and sacrifice. This stone pulled at me when I touched it, but it got nothing... it might and the being connected to it, might just be hungry. If I feed it enough, it might free itself," she mused. Currently of her options the first and last were obviously the most easy to be considered. "Hm, but they all pose risks too don't they?"

[Bloodedge]

Eira went on to list three possible solutions to the trapped stone they sought to free. Of the three options, he could see positives and negatives across the board. After finishing the list, Eira brought up the concept of each option having risks, and Mahad absolutely agreed. Assuming she meant for him to comment, he did so after a few brief moments of thought. "Indeed. To destroy the slab, you must entertain the idea of potentially destroying or damaging the stone and whatever it is connected to in the cellar. To drain it, you present the same risk, as well as the potential of having it succeed, but freeing us from this paradox without aiding the creature sleeping below. To feed it your own life's essence... well, one would think such a thing requires no explanation. Nevertheless, I stand with you. If you fail, myself and that creature beneath us may both be here for an eternity. Such is the cost I am willing to pay for knowledge, but what of our mysterious host?"

[Apollymi]

At her last posed question, Eira received a myriad of important potentials as far as risks and outcomes were concerned. She considered all these things herself but found it interesting to hear them in another's voice. Outside of her own head, it was easier to find fallacy and logic, especially when she wasn't encouraging herself with her own flawed thinking. "Hm, I guess that only really leaves one real choice for me, huh?" she posed rhetorically. "I want nothing more than to help our host, for all we know they've been locked down there for longer than we can imagine. Perhaps they'll even be grateful for the meal and free us after," she mused with a grin on her face as she ran her left index finger across her canine tooth on the left side of her mouth. "I don't really feel like I've earned this kind of support but, arigatou, Mahad." she thanked the man before starting the next leg of this journey just in case something would go wrong before they spoke again. Of course she drew blood and with this now flowing from her finger she once again touched it to the stone. "Don't worry, I don't mind feeding you this once, since you've been so nice," she mentioned again to the stone and thus was obviously talking to whatever was connected to it. She'd freely give this blood in order to wake up what she assumed was a vampire connected to the stone, causing some very weird phenomenon in the house.

[Bloodedge]

Three. Eira had three choices to make. In the end though, she chose the highest risk of all: the one which risked her own life in the attempt to produce a positive outcome for all parties. In the first show of any emotion thus far, Mahad seemed visibly shocked by this decision. Following this, he let his expression soften to its normal state, yet with some semblance of compassion within it. "You underestimate yourself, Eira Gremory. One such as you is most certainly deserving of support."

After drawing blood from her own forefinger, Eira touched the stone once again. The moment she did, the pulling began again. In this case, her blood would flow into the stone rapidly for only a moment before slowing considerably. It would then flow in pulses to match her heartbeat, as if drinking in gulps. The stone's glow strengthened while the darkness of this area receded into it, though time did not return to normal. From below, the coffin rose. In an upright position, it burst through the floor behind the stone slab, which began to crumble around the stone due to the latter's increasing power. The sephirot's final moments accompanied the stone's final swig of Eira's blood, after taking in a rather considerable amount. The stone then moved itself through the air until inserting itself in the coffin. It didn't stop there. The lid to this coffin dissolved along with the rest in time, revealing the true location of the stone: in the chest of a male. He was a young man with long unkempt white hair that almost appeared transparent. Green eyes opened to show that his gaze was sharp like a steel blade, with the red stone buried in his chest similarly projecting an enthralling lustrousness. Once his eyes were fully open and set upon Eira, red marks appeared beneath those emerald pools.

Fully unclothed to show his slender, yet ferociously-carved form, he descended gracefully to the floor in front of his savior. That piercing gaze of his never wavered from Eira as he stepped well within reach of her, having eyes for no one and nothing else at the time of his resurrection. "... Gremory..." he said, seeming to have some knowledge simply due to having her blood fresh in his veins. Her name passing his lips as a soft-spoken and inviting utterance was followed by him reaching out with his right hand, keen on taking her already-outstretched left hand into it, and pull her into his arms as a result. "You're the one from the dream."

[Apollymi]

Eira was soon confronted by a new truth, even one as stoic as Mahad thought her to be worthy of the sort of blind support of which she was never short. Mahad's moment of praise made the crimson haired heiress' eyes widen if only for a moment as they returned to normal soon after. Perhaps she did sell herself short, but she still appreciated these sentiments just the same. Still there was a risky game at play and Eira had to see that through to the end, and what an end would this moment have. Her bloodied finger began to thump against this stone, being siphoned for the blood she'd so freely offered up. Her eyes widened at this rather strange sensation and though it had been fast at first, it eventually slowed to the same pace as the thumps of her heatbeat. As if the vampire from below drank at a slower pace as it realized it was being fed properly. "You must be starving..." she mused, as the darkness receded as this entity was fed. Only to be further surprised by the sudden appearance of the coffin from below as the stone began to glow brighter the more blood it took from her. Beyond this point it began to seem like there was no way to save the sephirot, as it shattered from the additional power of the stone, along with the blood flow from her finger tip coming to a halt though the finger itself was still injured. The stone then moved into the slot meant for it on the coffin front only to make that disappear as well.

"Nani?!" she wondered her hand still outstretched only to find within this coffin the body of a well built man with the stone itself buried within his chest. Beyond all this his wonderfully green eyes opened and made very direct contact with Eira's own. She was stunned beyond belief, but happy to find someone alive and for all intents and purposes unharmed from within the coffin. "You... know my name?" she questioned this only to have this man take up place before her next breaking eye contact only to reach for her still extended hand and upon making contact with it pull her into himself. With the amount of blood she'd donated, she might have been woosy, but she felt she had nothing to fear from such contact as at this point it could only really help her. Strangely though the last thing said by this being mentioned that Eira was from his dream which brought a bit of confusion to the lass. "Did I appear in your dream? I didn't interrupt did I?" she asked just an edge of teasing in her voice, as if she didn't expect a real answer but she was most certainly curious about this man.

[Bloodedge]

Mahad observed the events taking place with great wonder plaguing his mind. As the sephirot crumbled and the coffin appeared to do the same with the stone inside it, every part of the mystery he'd been trying to solve for what felt like ages came together. One shining moment saw it all come to fruition. The interaction fated to happen between Eira and the apparent vampire which followed though, was not something Mahad cared to observe - mostly due to the nudity of the male creature of the night - so he looked away until what he could consider an appropriate time to do otherwise.

The vampire stared into Eira's eyes even after she was in his grasp. He was close. So close in fact, that he could feel Eira's breath upon his bare flesh as she spoke, and his would surely in turn have the same effect. His gaze shifted to her bloody finger after a short time, as he raised her left hand to the right side of his own face. Turning his head to face that hand, he lashed out with his tongue to slowly lick up her entire finger, savoring every precious instant up to the one where he ultimately tasted her blood directly. This taste gave him a far greater amount of confirmation than the sight of her alone did. "Yes. Eira Gremory. For an eternity, I slept through starvation and emptiness... and then... there was nothing but you. You, the one who shares my starvation... the virgin Succubus." By the time his statement came to a close, his eyes found Eira's again. With that, his left hand rose along Eira's back until it reached the back of her head. "Don't worry. I'll share my kindness to you, my summoner," he said. If he had his way after that moment, he would lean forward while also pulling Eira's head toward his own. In doing so, he fully intended to press their lips together while his right hand abandoned her left, aiming to take its place instead upon her very grope-able left breast. All the while, the vampire's very erect manhood would brush and press against the front of her body as it grew with its developing solidity.

[Apollymi]

This vampire awoke his thirst sated due to the efforts of Eira herself, and still hadn't broken eye contact. Until of course he went to answer her question and aimed to take a more direct taste of her blood this time from her still injured finger. The movements of his tongue something she could only call sexual as he then blurted out information about her which none but a few were truly privy to. Their shared space was so intimate, she could feel his words across her skin as he proclaimed that her starvation matched his own. "Ano, nothing good ever comes from me being the only thing someone sees," she stated plainly. But to be fair to the man now holding her, she completely understood what it was to be starved and alone, perhaps this was why she went out of her way to answer summons like the one which brought her here. She was happy that this man was now free of his prison and felt no malicious intention coming from him, even so... Her own recent experiences told her this man had likely taken her kindness, in the one way she hadn't meant it. And if she needed anymore confirmation of this, she'd get it from his follow up sentence, the one which stated he intended to share the kindness she'd given him. While taking her up in his embrace proper, he rubbed his naked body against hers. "But... I don't," she didn't get a chance to finish this statement as their lips were brought together and his hand found itself groping her chest. At the moment this happened she realized it was always the case when it wasn't her intention to have this happen. She even felt his manhood and knew he was excited to be there and ready and eager to please and as such she used her own power to accept his kindness but in her own way. She aimed to drain this lust from his person and used it to feed herself in an exchange of energy which would restore her to what she had been before she'd given up her blood to wake him. If this worked according to her whims at the completion of this kiss he'd be calm and without his lust and she'd be full and capable of removing herself from his grasp to speak her mind properly. "I appreciate the offer really, and the meal though I took it unconventionally. But I am not starving in the conventional way. I choose not to feed in such a way because I am not ready to be slave to such feelings..." she said though the thought itself was not complete. In truth the one person she truly wished to offer herself to had turned her down. "I didn't free you because I expected you to feed me, I freed you because I thought you might be lonely in there," she offered.

[Bloodedge]

The vampire's pulse hastened as he held the crimson-haired devil. He could feel it in every fiber of his being; this would be his first act after waking from a sluber he could not even measure in any quantity of time. What happened as a result of his advances was unexpected, though. One should easily expect a Succubus to drain their energies during such interactions, but never did he anticipate it occurring when he'd only kissed and touched her. His eyes had closed after initiating the kiss, but they opened wide when he felt something being pulled directly from his body and soul. The grip he had on her bosom became weaker as seconds passed, and his jaw slacked as well. It was truly a shocking experience, and to top it all off, his erect state became nonexistent in the midst of the other occurrences. When this was done, Eira freed herself of his embrace to speak. His eyes, while sharp as ever, were now somewhat blank now that he was free of this mighty lust he felt toward the Succubus. The explanation of Eira's decision not to feed to her highest ability was one this man found laughable. "Shishishi~! What are we, if not slaves to our own power? Some words coming from a devil!" he replied. Still, this state of him appreciated the freedom he could now experience at long last. He'd previously been stuck in an otherwise endless dream of nothing, but now he could pursue life in his preferred way. But first, he had to address the notion of his supposed loneliness in the coffin. In doing so, he raised his right forefinger and tapped his head with it repeatedly. "Lonely? That's pitiful. You didn't get in here, did you?" he asked to reference his own mind, hence the tapping of his head. "But I saw inside you. Which one of us is the lonely one here?"

[Apollymi]

When Eira explained herself she found that this man now stripped of his lust laughed at her reasoning. She didn't really expect this, but she also didn't really know this being and as such she could only shrug off his apparent amusement. "You must have been in there for quite a while. That kind of talk makes you sound way too old for me," she mused in the same teasing voice she always had. "I am a slave to my own will, however wayward that might seem to you..." she said, knowing her logic didn't suit devils or creatures of the night. That being said she had much more to care about than how she looked to other devils and things that weren't usually worth her attention. She then got to watch this man tap his head as he asked if she'd managed to get in there and went on to state that he'd seen into her own mind and knew her to be the lonely one of this pair. "Well the obvious answer... is you," she said while looking at this man's cutting green eyes with her own crimson ones. "I won't lie and say I am not lonely but, I reach out to others because I know what it is like to feel like there is nothing in the world and you are drowning in that nothing. And I've felt that way even while being surrounded by people..." she mentioned mixing the answers to all of his questions, rhetorical or not into her singular idea in this moment. "But I am the sort of Devil who would rather be offered freely that which I could scheme, manipulate, or just take. If I choose not to make food out of people I consider my friends, that doesn't make me lonely. It makes me happy and lets me be surrounded by the warmth of reciprocity. To know that they know, I like them because I do for everything they are, not just what they give me... I thought someone used as a key would understand that."

[Bloodedge]

"Shishi... I wouldn't know. Maybe it's been a day, maybe it's been a millennium or an eon. It doesn't matter," he claimed. Eira reported to be a slave not to her own power, but to her own will. Of all the people who could say such a thing, the last he would expect to hear it from was a Succubus. "You are a slave to your will, not everyone else around you? Sou ka..."

As far as Eira was concerned, he was the lonely one of this pair. She admitted to her own loneliness, which he clearly knew of from the bond of her blood, but she also produced a tirade about her own experiences with loneliness. Her alleged 'will' showed itself in the following clause, along with what satisfaction she got from her method of answering a lonely state of being. What also came from this speech though, was the mention of this vampire being one 'used as a key' of some sort, and the notion that she figured he would understand her reasoning because of this. Suddenly, the vampire's expression turned sour. "A key? Is that not the same form of key you devils refer to as a servant when you send them as sacrifices to your own bright future!?" he asked as his feet separated from the ground, leaving him floating in the air in front of this devil.

[Apollymi]

The laughter of this vampire was something which would come to plague this conversation. It didn't seem to matter to Eira very much though as she showed little to no concern for his laughter or the rather dismissive nature of his words. Even while arguing with this man over the state of his ideas, she felt bad that he did not know how long he had been away. Much like her own friends she would have offered him comfort about this point and perhaps she still would once their differences were settled. "I am everyone else is free to come and go as they please. To think for themselves and to be themselves..." she said as if the idea was one of the plainest in the world. In fact it was the backbone of most of her thoughts. For someone who'd been within the confines of her mind, it was as if he'd chosen only to latch on to things he understood and not the greater complexity of the young Succubus.

Regardless it seemed that a point of proper contention had been reached. Though this vampire had been up to this point, humorously mocking her sentiments, he seemed to take issue with the fact that she'd called him a key. To be honest he couldn't have been much else considering that two of three methods of freeing that which resided within his chest could have simply killed him instead of freeing him. It was at this point that Eira fully realized the problem that he had her with her and she was quite honestly stunned. "You were in my head, and you dare question that?!" she said almost outraged and vibrating with power. These words were almost a direct insult, not only to Eira herself, but to every member of her Peerage that she loved and adored. "I don't speak for other Devils nor what they choose to do, but I don't believe in sacrificial pieces. I wouldn't give up a single person for my own success. I'd give up myself to see any one of them happy, any day," she said with the conviction that burned down to the depths of her soul. Such was the truth of her as a person, she sacrificed her power because she wanted her friends happy and free of her potential corruption. She'd give up any of them who wanted to leave even though she loved them to see them smile with someone else. She couldn't believe the audacity of this man to question how she bonded with others.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou nanda." At this point, the vampire's expression had become as flat as it was when he slept. Eira snapped due to the simple fact that he'd questioned the nature of a devil's peerage in comparison to the nature of what he himself had been turned into long, long ago. In spite of her fury, he stared relentlessly into her eyes with those of contrast. "You're all the same in the end. You'd let them go so freely because they want to go? Ridiculous. They wouldn't go. Maybe they really are attached. Maybe they just don't want to hurt your sensitive little feelings. Or maybe... they feel trapped into servitude to you over anyone else, just because it was you who made them," he mused. Between segments, the vampire floated closer and closer to Eira, lowering himself toward the floor without ever reaching it. By the time he spoke again, he stood just within arms reach, barely a foot from the ground. "Even worse. They'll give their all to keep serving you, and you'll rise higher than you could ever imagine while they die, and die... and die again. Kuzure no Oujo. Maybe you're right, though. I'd much rather have sacrificed myself than to have been offered up by someone else. But, just like them... I suppose I'm going to disappear one day too."