Under the Rose's Eye (for pink4never)

[UnseelieRaven]

Zachary groaned quietly as he blinked open confused green eyes; the light seemed piecing to him and he shut them again with a wince. His head was pounding and he numbly wondered how much he had been drinking...except this didn’t quite feel like a hangover and he couldn’t remember drinking anything.

Actually, the last thing he remembered was following up on a lead he had gotten. The strange group of mismatched people were meeting up and he had been planning to get some pictures of them. He was certain that he knew what they were, but no one would believe it – he didn’t even believe it – without solid proof. Which was why he had stalked out the meeting place, mentioned on the hidden forum he’d hacked into, with his camera…. his camera!

The chestnut haired man jerked up and wildly looked around the room; someone had snuck up behind him and took his camera…why couldn’t he remember what happened after that?

[pink4never]

It had been a quiet evening, a magnificent one, unusually peaceful. The midnight crescent moon gleamed down as the group of undead held their gathering— it was Twelve's Eyre, in which those of the twelve most prominent clans of vampiric origin got together, creatures of the night knit together through a garden party beneath the harmless rays of la lună. Usually, these parties were exquisite, the happenings only occurring once every half a century, often undisturbed and extremely successful— until that night.

And it was throughout this night Clarence Rosenthal found himself gaining a new fledging, on behalf of the outrage caused by the youth's unorthodox snooping through a meeting meant clearly not for breathing flesh and blood. As seen with his own two eyes, the poor— though, very well considered pesky by most— thing had been caught trying to sneak pictures of them, document its experience. Risking its own very life in the process. There was a flurry of a wager-war between clans, after the perpetrator had been ceremoniously knocked out— camera destroyed of course— when the usually-charming, cheerful male willingly volunteered to take the human in on his own creation; after all, what was the harm in having a new addition to the family? Surely it would be more fun, wouldn't it? He thought his house needed a bit of liveliness; such an old soul was only expected to long for company, was he not?

Most questioned his decisions to take in strays rather than true, bonded fledglings anyways, with an irritably charitable personality compared to that of the crazy next door that rescued "useless" and "rogue" cats off the street when he could just, make them himself— and Clarence thought maybe, just maybe, it was high time to do so. Perhaps this was fate's calling?

And thus, the newest addition to the Rosenthal family had been christened, currently set to lay in the master bedroom of the fair vampire's manor after the blood bond had been carried out, few days past the night of his letting. Clarence, having stayed in the very room all throughout his slumber as to check on his first childe, unwilling to let him out of his sight, temporarily popped out to bring him a fresh change of clothes. He was back soon enough— though noticed something a little different about the boy since the last fifteen minutes he'd left him. "Ah, hello!" the male greeted, a crispen bright smile blossoming in greeting, canines distinctively sharp. “I see you've awakened, hm?"

[UnseelieRaven]

Zachary yelped when faced with strange man – with far too sharp teeth – his mind immediately returning to what he suspected the gathered people to be. The brunet man moved as far back on the bed as he could to get away from the…vampire. Wide eyes, darting around the room.

“Who are you…where am I?”

[pink4never]

Clarence blinked a little in confusion at the fledging's sudden yip, head tilting. He seemed awfully scared. The immortal seventeen-year-old took slow, curious steps in approaching the other, clean pressed clothes still in hand. “What ever is the matter?" he asked, before continuing to smile. "Oh. I see. Do not be frightened, young one. I'm your adra, your creator. Clarence Rosenthal," the name rolled smoothly of his tongue, "and currently, you are in my estate! Is it not obvious? Art thou eyes blind?" He chuckled. "What is your name, if I might ask, childe? We will be living together for quite some time, so might as well get to know each other, yes?"

[UnseelieRaven]

“I’m…Zach.” The brunet said cautiously, eyeing the approaching ‘youth’. “What do you mean ‘creator’? And why would I recognize your estate?” The rest of Clarence’s sentence seemed too much for Zachary to take in ‘living together for some time’ was an oddly scary statement in the fledgling’s confused mind.

[pink4never]

Clarence stopped his advance, pausing. He stared at him back, sapphire violet eyes batting calmly. "I suppose it's safe to assume you weren't listening all those hours I've spent explaining these things to you by your bedside?" he hummed.

The events prior to the fledgling's turn had proceeded hectically and in fray, but after the bind had been set in stone, he was placed into a deep, coma-like slumber. Newborns often experienced this: for two, three days they would sleep, their bodies changing and mingling with the venom placed inside, the blood received from their provider, an open wound held to the would-be vampire's lips, and then, they would awake refreshed-- though starving-- as their newly transformed selves. For these days, Clarence waited safe by the male's side, as he was compelled to, with him being his childe, whispering nothings, yet nothings of importance-- that he seemed to remember not a word of.

"You are a vampire now," he said rather bluntly, though pleasantly-enough, a large grin forming once more. "Exciting, right? You are my childe, and I am your creator, sire of sorts-- the one who has made you as you are." The muddled confusion radiated off the boy in waves, and Clarence gave a gentle sigh, rocking on his heels habitually. He seemed to avoid the latter question as a whole. "You were trouble-making with your little camera three nights 'fore... I'll have you know a generous number of the Clans were conspiring to kill you. And they near did. Thus here you are, perhaps not alive and breathing as the man you might've been in your past life, but reborn anew, as one generously taken under my wing. You're welcome."

The teen-vampire seemed to tease him partially, hoping it would set him a bit more at ease. That is if he was even willing to be then.

[UnseelieRaven]

“I don’t remember any of that…” Zachary mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to make the headache go away; the light seemed far too bright and everything was so loud…and he could smell everything. His newly heightened senses were overwhelming and too much for him to manage at the moment; especially while he was trying to recover what sounded like very important memories.

He winced suddenly, at a sharp pain in his stomach, wrapping his arms around himself as he realized that he hadn’t ate anything since that night three days ago. But if he was a vampire now…the fledgling swallowed heavily at the thought of what he might have to do to solve that hunger.

[pink4never]

Clarence looked at him gently, noticing the arms wrapped around his stomach. Fear could easily be detected from the other, hunger. Placing the clothes on the bed, he took him by the hand, composed upon offering his wrist. "If you wish you may drink now, of my own blood, or downstairs, from bottles or a glass if that'd be easier for you. You may go through your options, though I advise not depriving yourself of the liquid you need." Not that he would let him, anyways. It was a sire's duty to ensure their young was cared for and well fed.

[UnseelieRaven]

Zachary blinked when Clarence took his hand and shook his head. While part of him wanted what his sire had offered – had a hard time not looking at the elder vampire’s offered wrist – the rest of him was horrified. The thought of drinking blood turned his stomach and he turned to pull away.

“I’m not…I don’t need to do that.”

[pink4never]

"Yes, you do."

Simply, Clarence stated this, his encouraging smile never once faltering. "My childe, it is no big deal. Drink and you will feel much better." He moved his porcelain wrist away, yet kept his hold on him, beginning to gently lead the other away. "Let us go downstairs; you can feed from a more suitable container if this truly is not to your liking."