unknownballad | ❝ Pleasure is sweetest ❞

The vampire stared at him, through him. He's equal parts bored and in credulous. But the emotion fleeting before those dark eyes return to reflecting nothing. Look at Subin as if he's nothing more some some pretty rock Ruvin saw on the ground.

"How could you possibly fathom what I want?" Though Ruvin's grip is like iron, his eyes drop to where they touch, fingers moving subtly over that warm wrist. He can feel Subin's blood racing, hear his heart thudding, the tensing of muscle. Movement humans aren't even aware of are so simple for him to detect.

Then his gaze sharpens, like he finally sees Subin again. "Do not lie to me again."

"I-I just..." He can't. There's no world where Subin could even presume to know what Ruvin wants. What lamb can fathom the mind of the wolf? And yet he has to try something. He's desperate. He doesn't want to be taken by the vampire because he's sure that he'll never come back from it. Subin is panicking. Though he can never even begin to imagine what the monster might want, especially from him, he wants to try to convince the monster that he's useless. Not just to him but in general. He's not good for anything or at anything except for music. There are others better suited for whatever it is that Ruvin wants him for. There has to be.

But what happens to him if he does convince Ruvin he isn't worth it? Does he really just get to move on with his life? Could he, even if he was given the opportunity?

Subin's damp eyes widen considerably and he tries to pull his wrist free from Ruvin vise-like grip. Nothing happens, of course. Subin's rather weak even by human standards. Against a vampire? He may well be doing nothing at all.

"Wait, no! No, I didn't-" He did. Though there was some truth to what he said, it was truth twisted into a lie. His family will eventually start to find it strange that they haven't heard from him in a while and they might search for him, but that wouldn't be any time soon. Just as likely is the chance that they'll notice he hasn't been around for a while and they'll simply think he's off living his life.

"...what's going to happen to me...?"

There, that's better. Just accept that there's no going back, little rabbit. Hunters seldom give up their prey. At least, not until they're done with it.

Seeing the Subin's fight is fading, Ruvin gives a tug to drag him along. "Nothing good," he simply answers. Nothing good for Subin. But taking Subin isn't completely for his own entertainment. At least he'll have a doting companion with whom to cower in fear.

Unfortunately, there was little fight in him to begin with. He knows that he's no match for a vampire so his best chance was trying to appeal to humanity that the monster clearly doesn't have. That and his begging were all he had. He didn't expect anything to come of it though. He went into it knowing that he already belonged to the vampire.

It was an inevitability the moment Ruvin laid eyes on him, wasn't it?

Subin awkwardly climbs to his feet and stumbles along behind the last person he'll probably ever see. His eyes fill with fresh tears as he looks toward the lovely outdoor venue where he played not long before. The applause from the crowd cuts especially deep at this particular moment. It feels like they're applauding his demise. He poured his heart and soul into playing for them and this is how they return the favour. He knows it isn't the case, but this feels personal. He knows that not a single person out there knows what's happening to him right now.

Would they do anything even if they did?

"Are you going to kill me?"

It was an inevitability. The moment he captured Ruvin's attention, Subin's fate was sealed.

Ruvin doesn't pause, whether Subin's walking or getting dragged beside him. Nor does he even deign to look at the boy. Are you going to kill me? Probably. Eventually. None of his pets have survived him. But killing them is never his purpose.

"Why are you afraid of dying? There is so much worse."

Ruvin's response makes Subin stop dead in his tracks until he's tugged along by the vampire, causing him to stumble and almost fall back to his knees. Instinctively, he reaches out to catch himself, grabbing hold of Ruvin's arm with his free hand, though he quickly releases it the moment he realizes what he's done. There's so much worse than death. For Subin, death has always been the scariest thing he could imagine. Being human means that death is the end. There is nothing else after that. No more chances. Death doesn't care about the people you care about or goals you didn't meet. The idea of just one day being gone terrifies him.

But there's so much worse. There's much worse fates than dying. "I just... I don't want to die." But he doesn't want to live with Ruvin either.

Perhaps, in that respect, Ruvin is very much like death; for he, too, doesn't care about the people others care about of the goals they didn't meet. And, unfortunately for Subin, Ruvin will be the end of his life, in more ways than one. Whatever dreams and goals he had, they're over now with no hope to return to their path. The people he care for? He'll never see them again. Indeed, all light and goodness will fade from his memory until death seems a welcome release from Ruvin's monstrosity.

"You all die, little rabbit. That is your fate."

Ruvin isn't wrong. It's a fate that every human shares. None can escape death, but they do hope that it can be put off for as long as possible. Most humans hope to live until they're old and grey. They don't necessarily expect to with vampires always looming (just because vampires aren't permitted to feed directly from humans, doesn't mean they don't. Humans aren't exactly a protected species) but they hope to.

Subin hoped that he would be among those who went largely unnoticed by the vampires who don't care for society's rules. There are much better candidates out there for a vampire's next meal so Subin never thought he'd catch anyone's eye. And yet here he is, falling victim to 'expectations' instead of 'hopes'.

"...you're right..." If he knew this was to be his last night, he would've done things differently. He would've made sure to speak to his family or invite them to his performance. Hell, he would've told them that he was performing tonight. He'd like to think he would've simply skipped the performance entirely but this is fate, right?

"Will you at least make it quick?" He's sure he knows the answer to that question, though.

“My intention is not to kill you, so no. It will not be quick.” Unlike the pace at which Ruvin is dragging Subin away. Away from where they met, away from Subin’s last pleasant memory, away from the world as he knew it. Society will vanish from his memory and only Ruvin will exist.

In a short time, the view shifts from the streets with people and shops to a more isolated area. Street lamps dot the darkness reveal large houses with larger properties getting further and further apart until they approach one solitary estate looming at the terminal point of a street. A large stone fence with an iron gate appears before them.

“This is your home now, my Opal.”

It will not be quick. Subin doesn't even get a swift death for his troubles, and he's not sure he's brave enough to take matters into his own hands. He's not sure that he can do what maybe he should when Ruvin gets to be too much to handle. Though who knows whether or not his new situation will force that to change.

Subin says nothing for the rest of the walk. The only sounds coming from him are quiet sobs and the scuffing of his shoes as he drags his feet along the ground. He stares over his shoulder, watching everything he ever knew drop away as Ruvin leads him along by the wrist. He can no longer see the lights from the venue where he'll never play again, or hear the applause from the crowd. Back there is the home he'll never see again and the family who may as well forget about him, the few friends that he's made over the years and his acquaintances. Musical rivals who lack competition now that Subin's out of the picture.

Not only does the world he knew seem to disappear but most of civilization does as well. It's only one the world grows darker that Subin turns to face forward, to see where it is they are and where they're going. Out of the city. Away from everything he ever knew. Away from everyone who ever knew him. This is the sort of place where no one would ever think to look for him.

By the time they reach the large stone fence with the iron gate, Subin is no longer sobbing. He's run out of tears. His eyes are bloodshot and dry. His face is puffy and his cheeks are all splotchy. But he's not crying anymore, though there are quiet sniffles and the occasional hiccup.

"I'm home," he says softly, miserably.

No, there would be none of that ever again. There will be nothing but this house and the monster who resides inside of it. Nothing but Ruvin and his delight in causing torment and pain. No more music, no more gentleness, no more softness.

Well, maybe some but Ruvin wouldn't approve.

Once they're through the iron gate the door looms before them, a single light flickering in an upper window with a wide-eyed face peering out. Look, Subin won't be all alone with Ruvin, after all. Inside the house is quiet. Once Ruvin turns the light on, Subin will get a look at the prawling entrance way. The house looks and feels somewhat sterile, unlived in. At least this part of it.

"Welcome."

❝ Pleasure is sweetest ❞

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