The Golden Rose coven, like most covens, are like small towns hidden across the world.
Covens usually will be built in hard-to-reach and isolated places. Some are built underground, either in the forest or even deep under an entire city. Most will use some form of magic or curse to safeguard the entrance, and some will rely on magic entirely to hide themselves.
Of course, magic has a lot of downsides, especially depending on its form and demand of it. Some relatively new covens who can't afford such large-scale magic or have nobody with the ability to help them have even gone so far as to buy islands to try to avoid relying on it. In some ways, it was quite effective, and many older covens have reached out to either copy or collaborate and merge with those covens. After all, there were only so many islands for sale in the world ah.
Golden Rose coven, befitting its romantic-styled name, actually resided in a garden. Far out in the outskirts of Green City, boldly named The Return to Eden, or simply, the Eden Gardens. It was the largest botanical garden in the country and was filled with a variety of beautiful vegetation and flora from all seasons and collected from different parts of the world.
It was considered a cultural and even a heritage site where many people will flock to visit, walking around and admiring the beauty of nature. And the Golden Rose coven was hidden in the most private area, far from the business of the tourists, surrounded by a large maze. To make it even more deeply hidden, the entire area the coven sat on was cursed by one of the past vampire kings. Nobody would notice or see the entrance to the coven unless one of their own led them through the labyrinth of roses. Not only that, you needed to smear their blood over your eyes while holding a rose petal under your tongue to be granted access.
Was it a bit elaborate? Of course, the harder and stranger, the better. Not only that, the king of the coven can even pick which rose species to use and lock in, much like changing the password to the computer every few months.
If one wanted to infiltrate the coven without permission, not only would you have to break into a nationally recognised cultural site, you would have to find the coven among the maze of flowers and even pick the correct rose petal. All this while conveniently carrying the blood of a vampire from the Golden Rose coven simultaneously. Even then, it had to be at least one of noble status. Not just any vampire from Golden Rose would do.
Unfortunately, this also meant the drive back would be very long.
Jia Hyson groans as his head bangs against the car window as it hits a small bump. His shoulders and neck were stiff, his back was sore, and the headache he had made him want to stab his head with a melon baller* and scoop his brain out. Actually, he wouldn't mind scooping out bits of his lower back and shoulder muscle and nerves too. Clearly, they were faulty.
*think of it as small ice cream scooper
"Surprisingly, you're quite weak to car rides," Darrian notes with a slight frown. Because both of them were coincidentally in the same hotel, Darrian had told Alaric's supervisor the situation, and they shared a car ride home. "You should've told someone to register that. As a vampire, that's not normal; it could be a weakness due to your powers."
After all, while some powers were more overpowered than others, every power had its own restrictions, limitations and weaknesses. His own was very powerful, and the amount he could move telekinetically was awe-inspiring. Still, it took a toll on his mind. Fortunately, he found a way to alleviate the symptoms, but many weren't half as lucky as himself.
There was another telekinetic he knew, she could only lift things twice her weight, but she also had hyperthyroidism which is a problem of an overactive thyroid that increased metabolism and made it very difficult to gain weight.
To many, this may sound good on the surface, but it was considered a disease for a reason. It not only made it hard to gain weight but will also cause the body to lose weight, rapid and unstable heartbeat, increased anxiety levels and muscle weakness, among other things.
Unfortunately, when this vampire awakened, the problem was not acknowledged. Many people even brushed off her concerns as bragging due to her inability to gain weight. In the end, she experienced many health problems during her life and pressure to gain more weight to make her power more useful to society. In the end, she went untreated and died from heart failure.
As a vampire, they should not be so prone to these diseases. However, the awakening of some individuals' powers was simply linked to the awakening of a genetic disorder, disease or something else. Why the weaknesses and limitations were so different for each vampire and how the 'cures' discovered can vary wildly was still unknown.
Therefore, vampires were encouraged to honestly report their powers and problems to the appropriate people. Originally it was all compiled into handwritten diaries and logs. Still, with the internet age, everything was slowly being half moved online thanks to the more technologically competent vampires. This way, if there were previous vampires with similar powers or complications to a new vampire, one could find their information and get a reference on how to control or help themselves better.
In Darrian's case, there was a telepathic vampire who experienced similar headaches but had found that sleeping with classical music would alleviate the symptoms greatly. Thanks to that, he focused on doing things that helped his sleep cycle. Over time, he finally, albeit more unintentionally, figured out how to help himself.
Explaining your power and weaknesses to add to the system had a lot of benefits both for yourself and the coven's future. Still, at the same time, there was always the problem of the information being leaked and misused. It was the natural emotion of distrust and paranoia, much like having to give your full address, card details and other personal information to the government or a website. No matter how 'trustworthy', there is always some unease in one's heart if you think too deeply.
So, while it was suggested and there was a lot of education explaining the benefits of reporting, it was not compulsory to minimise dissatisfaction. Of course, if any vampires were caught with crimes that didn't report their powers and weaknesses, it was assumed they did so with malicious intent, and their punishments would be harsher than others who committed the same crime.
Plus, as long as you lived in a coven and socialised enough, not to mention if you attended classes, it would be nearly impossible to hide at least your powers. Therefore most vampires didn't find it a big deal to at least register that and a contact address. If anybody really wanted to talk to them about potential problems, they could confirm with a vampire that oversees this database, and after some filling of documents, they can gain the contact address or number.
Alaric had, of course, registered his information like an upstanding citizen. His limitation was that he had a step-by-step process that must be fulfilled, but in terms of any weaknesses or problems, he left it empty.
Generally, it was more popular to leave the limitations of one's power empty since it was a more dangerous thing to exploit if it fell into bad hands. Instead, it was more common to fill in any weaknesses if you had any since no vampire would be eager to just let their ailments get worse for the next thousand years of their lifetime.
Unfortunately, this carsickness was not Alaric's but Jia Hyson's problem.
Jia Hyson weakly smiles and waves off Darrian's concerns. After all, it wasn't great, but it wasn't anything crippling either. "It's fine. I just don't feel particularly comfortable after long periods in the car. Sometimes it's better than others. I think it's just muscle stiffness or something."
Mr Garth frowns, then reaches over to take off his student's seatbelt buckle. It was a bit ridiculous having vampires wearing seatbelts, but they were still living creatures. Nobody liked getting injured in an accident, after all.
Most 'teenage' vampires would usually be quite self-assured about their vampire superiority and mortality, thinking that nothing will kill them and they'll live forever- sort of like normal cocky teenagers, to be honest. However, Alaric was still a good child who followed the rules and regulations, so it was impossible for Jia Hyson not to wear a seatbelt even if he altered his character to be more relaxed and less stringent.
While he had a lot of room to adjust his personality, there were still a few traits that really couldn't be ignored, such as; the inclination to follow the rules, to be very invested in maintaining a 'good child' persona to the general public, and to love crossdressing.
Therefore, even if he revealed he actually had a wanton and slutty side to Mr Garth, it would probably not be considered ooc given the more or less natural journey of his self-directed sexual awakening. If anything, it gave the character depth to have such a secret side, and while it was a bit shameful, vampires tended to be open about sex, so there were no big problems with this being discovered. It was only his crossdressing he had to be really wary about.
"Lie down, come on," Mr Garth orders, tugging the other, his actions gentle compared to his rough attitude. Jia Hyson obliges, enjoying the slight stretch that barely eased the throbbing of his lower back.
Lying on the other's lap, Jia Hyson twists his neck, trying to relieve the tension and some of the pain in his head. However, to his surprise, a gentle force covers the back of his neck, squeezing firmly and then releasing before it presses the base of his skull, accurately pressing the Gates of Consciousness pressure points* for about fifteen seconds before releasing and then pressing again. Jia Hyson subconsciously sighs in satisfaction under the massage.
*it's located at the base of the skull in the parallel hollow areas between the two vertical neck muscles, a good acupressure point for tension headaches (this author gets a lot, so I use this quite a bit :3 results do vary, but at least temporarily it's got good effect)/
It wasn't just his neck, but his shoulders, upper and lower back, and even his butt, were experiencing the wonderful feeling of being massaged by many hands. There was not a hint of ambiguity, it was all professional with the intention to release the muscle tension and relax the body and mind. "This is… "
"Do you think my telekinesis is only for fighting and fucking?" Mr Garth chuckles as he idly strokes Alaric's hair. "You know I get headaches constantly, of course, over the years, I picked up on various techniques to try ease my problems. Massage and acupressure is one of them. With my telekinesis I can influence any physical object without touching them- you understand?"
Jia Hyson groans happily. "Nhmmm, yes!" He can feel the ache in his muscles subside under the relief of the pressure on his body and he couldn't help but deeply admire and envy such a convenient power.
"How's the pressure?" Mr Garth asks a little softly.
"Mmhn… can you do it a bit harder on the shoulders?" Jia Hyson murmurs, entranced by the massage he received, "My neck area especially is really- ah! Yes, there, oh my god ehnnmn…"
The gentle pressure became firmer, and it felt like multiple fingers were rubbing small but pointed circles on the sides of his neck. The tense muscles around the shoulder blade were also dug into, pushed deeper by the invisible force, mimicking an elbow, blunt but pointed. It was perfect for relieving the soreness. Jia Hyson grunts with satisfaction and relief as he feels a knot in his rhomboid muscles being meticulously worked on.
Jia Hyson: '…Bebe, I know I'm usually very scared of commitment, but I'm suddenly filled with the urge to get down on one knee and propose.'
Bebe: '…Bebe also doesn't blame you.'
A hot mature man is already very good. A hot mature man who is sexually compatible with you is extremely good. But a hot mature man who is sexually compatible with you and can massage you with his mind? Now that's a fucking man you need to lock down immediately.
For a few minutes, Jia Hyson relaxed on the back of the car seats, half hugging Mr Garth's waist as he melted under his first experience with a psychic massage.
In the end, because of the nausea that, while subsided quite a bit, was still there, Jia Hyson still couldn't fall asleep. So he felt he should at least try chat with the older vampire. After all he was being so considerate, it was unfair for the other to do all the work. While they weren't officially dating or anything, Jia Hyson always liked to make sure everyone was having a good time at the start. Besides, he appreciated Mr Garth and this appreciation has increased exponentially in the last few minutes.
Nuzzling his teacher's stomach, Jia Hyson started to chat. "So what were you doing in Grey City? I can't imagine it was for the view."
Mr Garth who was still fiddling with Jia Hyson's hair pauses for a second before continuing to play with the soft hair. Jia Hyson had already changed it back to his usual hairstyle and colour before they left, citing it as a special dye he had bought.
"Hah, the only good thing about Grey City compared to the rest is probably how cheap the cigarettes are there." Mr Garth scoffs before shaking his head, "Nah, there's apparently some illegal experimentation or something happening 'round those parts. No real evidence, though. Just rumours. The content was disturbing enough though, so they sent a few other seniors and me to take a second look or provide backup if needed."
Mr Garth pulls out a cigarette and places it in his mouth, biting it absentmindedly. Because his headaches weren't present, there was no need to distract himself with nicotine, but he was so used to the action that he would end up feeling uncomfortable without one or three cancer sticks between his lips. "Since I'm teaching you brats, I was only there for a preliminary search and mainly as backup if needed."
That made sense. Mr Garth's force power was definitely one of the strongest in the coven. His telekinesis wasn't as fancy as Alaric's Icy Kiss, but it was because it was both basic and powerful; the simplicity was an advantage in itself. Not to mention it was extremely convenient.
If there were illegal experiments found, with Mr Garth on the scene, they could quickly collect as much as possible or efficiently save any victims trapped. Unfortunately, Mr Garth had a more rebellious personality, and the migraines he gained from using his powers too much made it, so he was only willing to participate when he felt he was really needed. It was also probably why he didn't have much of an appearance in the Jessica Fang series except during the later more serious conflicts.
Thinking on that line of thought, Jia Hyson felt this rumour was related to Kylan's unique physique. After all, there are almost no coincidences, just convenient plot devices. Snuggling closer into the warm body and inhaling the man's scent while closing his eyes and enjoying the massage, he asked, "What sort of experimentation is it? It must be quite serious if you're involved."
Mr Garth raises his eyebrow and taps the other's forehead softly, "You, don't think I don't know what you're doing."
Jia Hyson smiles, "I'm just expressing admiration for my teacher ah. Everyone knows you don't go out unless it's for serious work."
Pressing his hand to his forehead and trying to suppress his smile, Mr Garth shook his head with fake exasperation, "Why didn't I know you had such a sweet mouth before?"
"It's because I was too lazy to show it off. After all, you weren't my favourite teacher, ah." Jia Hyson honestly replies, suppressing his own laughter at his teacher's stiffening expression.
It was true, though. Alaric was especially thoughtful toward the teachers he respected and liked the most. The title of teacher's pet was really not given in vain. His favourite teachers were the strict ones who were generally quite unpopular but showed results. Jia Hyson wasn't personally a fan, but he did think strict teachers were quite sexy, so he was willing to play along according to Alaric's previous preferences and attitudes toward the teachers.
Jia Hyson: 'To be honest, if I had to pick a teacher to get fucked by, I really would've preferred the sterner gothic literature teacher, Mr De León.' (,ಡ w ಡ,,)
Bebe: 'A solemn-faced, mature Hispanic vampire with glasses… yeah, Bebe could see the appeal.'
Jia Hyson: 'Aiyah, say less, I'm drooling, keke.'
Disrupting his fantasies, strong fingers pinched the sides of his cheeks together, making his cute and beautiful face distorted into a shocked, kissy fishy expression. His eyes met Mr Garth's who had a smile on his face. If he couldn't see the visible throbbing vein on his head or feel his cheeks being smushed together like dough, Jia Hyson might've really believed the other wasn't irritated.
"Oh really? So it turns out before you were actually so perfunctory to me ah?" Mr Garth's smile is warm, but the air is a little cold.
Jia Hyson wittily shakes his head. Though his jaw movement was a bit hindered, he spoke quickly. His blue eyes sparkle with enthusiasm to clarify and clear his name like a student eager to please, "You misunderstand. Even if you're not my favourite, in my heart you've always been the best looking. For others I merely respect them as educators, of course the appreciation is different."
Mr Garth raises an eyebrow before snorting. However Jia Hyson could feel the pressure on his poor cheeks lessen by half. Besides, throughout the entire time, he was still being considerately massaged, showing how the other was merely making a fuss to be petty. Jia Hyson found it quite cute.
"Best looking, huh? Even compared to Mr De León?"
Jia Hyson: '…' Damn, is this guy telekinetic or telepathic?
With a flattering smile, Jia Hyson reaches up to rub the other's chest intimately, "Can you compare? You're both different types of beauty after all. While I admit Mr De León is also very good-looking, my preferences of course, lean toward your type, which is more masculine and wild. Therefore you can't compare."
Mr Garth laughs and finally lets him go, "You really do have a sweet mouth."
Jia Hyson grins and rubs his cheeks, "So are you going to tell me about the experiments or not?"
"It's not much to say," Mr Garth shrugs, "One of the vampires that watch over here had noticed some strange human deaths, and they were all connected to a pop-up clinic. However, the clinic is unsettlingly hard to track down and the people connected are unwilling to help. Recently, the vampire who reported their concerns and was investigating disappeared, which triggered the concern of the higher-ups. Their last message was about their suspicions toward human-vampire experimentation."
"So, most likely using vampire blood and DNA to try to improve the human body to become a more superior being, I suppose." Jia Hyson sighs. The only thing more cliche would be if the 'illegal' experimentation group were actually backed by the military or something. And they also have made a super vampire monster in their closet somewhere because they still haven't figured out how to fully control it- and probably never will, but that won't stop someone from using it eventually.
The older vampire admiringly nods at Jia Hyson's answer, "As expected of one of the smartest students in the current generation, yes, that's what we indeed suspect." He praises generously and genuinely.
Jia Hyson: '…The baseline for smartest in the generation seems a bit low.'
Bebe: 'It's a teen vampire romance. What were you expecting? Most people are love brains here.'
To be honest, if the Rong family didn't have their personalities, acting as the lawful and faithful backbone supporting the Golden Rose's royal family, the coven probably wouldn't have achieved its status as one of the best and largest vampire covens in America.
After all, the majority of the stories in this world were in the romance drama genre. Therefore everyone in this world was subtly influenced and tended to be very romantically inclined unless specifically written otherwise. It also explains, to some extent, Jia Hyson's personality as he came from a more dog-blooded and dramatic world filled with not just love but intrigue, scandal, murder and so on.
Mr Garth didn't have much else he could tell his student. After all, it's okay to say general things, but details on the investigation itself were really not allowed. After all, fellow coven members were taking the risk to look for clues and loose ends. Even if Mr Garth had a rebellious and lone wolf-looking appearance, if he really was that sort, with his abilities, he could easily break off from Golden Rose and live independently.
Jia Hyson tried to pry once but seeing how the other didn't want to be pressed further, he easily let it go. It was enough he had an idea of what was happening and had a few good ideas on how Kylan was related to the illegal human experimentation group. He was only here to improve the story; he didn't need to uncover every mystery. As long as there was an idea he could move accordingly with it in mind.
Seeing how obedient Alaric was in letting the topic drop and not pestering him further, Mr Garth felt relieved and pleased. Nobody hates people who are sensitive to the mood and can react appropriately.
Instead, they began to chat about their time in Grey City. Jia Hyson brings up his past few days patrolling and playing with his puppy.
Because Prince Silas was not someone to talk much with since he was usually half asleep, and Jia Hyson had to still play a more upright and uptight role in front of him, it was rare for him to speak comfortably to others in this world so far, so he felt a little relieved being able to talk and talk.
Mr Garth listened and occasionally put in a few words and comments, happy to just let the younger vampire prattle on and fill the car with liveliness.
Even if he wasn't enthusiastic, Mr Garth was still a teacher that could be said to not be completely inept and uncaring toward his students that he technically could be defined as teaching. Because his class was centred around socialising, he naturally focused on the best and worst. Alaric had improved a lot compared to the previous year. Still, he was clearly fairly reticent, keeping to his arrogant nature and only choosing to circle around Prince Silas.
However, it was also obvious to Mr Garth that Alaric had long felt stifled and actually desired to branch out more but won't for various complicated young vampire reasons. At the very least… the other teachers who actually paid attention had observed this and reported to him about it.
Ah, well, it wasn't like he didn't try to help once he knew ah. _(:3」∠)_
Of course, now, Mr Garth felt like he understood Alaric better. Not only was he mature for his age and had an arrogant mindset, he also secretly had some interest in crossdressing and was, in truth, very lewd. With that, plus his upbringing in the strict and upright Rong family, it made sense that Alaric would be hesitant to make friends. It wasn't that Alaric couldn't. It's just he was insecure and afraid. The proof was right before him; now that Alaric's secrets had been more or less revealed in front of Mr Garth, he was much more chatty and spirited.
If Jia Hyson knew what the other was thinking…. Well, to be honest, he would applaud. Applaud himself. Ah! He was such a good actor now!
This line of logic was more or less within his planned character development after all.
Bebe: '…You can only act long-term when you forcibly reshape the character to be closer to your original personality, though. Is that really considered good acting?'
Jia Hyson: 'Sure, it's just called 'making the character your own' ah.' ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Finally entering the coven, Jia Hyson bid farewell to Mr Garth.
"Hey, wait," Mr Garth snaps his fingers, and a slip of paper floats toward Jia Hyson, who deftly catches it with one hand. Taking a glance at it, he could see it was a string of numbers. The writing was elegant and bold, contrasting to the owner of the handwriting, "If you need anything or want to meet up privately, just call me."
Jia Hyson smiles, "I think I'll need some after-school catch-up lessons soon then." Suddenly he felt a little reluctant to enter the vampire academy so soon. After all, he's fairly sure Mr Garth wasn't present during the school year in the books. Which was a shame, as Jia Hyson was still far from tired of the taste of sleeping with his teacher.
"Ah, that reminds me-"Mr Garth claps his hands as he suddenly recalls something, "Don't forget to do your assignment, kiddo. Knowing your group mates, you'll probably be in for a hard time."
Jia Hyson's smile stiffens. "…If we hand in a bad assignment, will you punish me~?" He jokes flirtatiously.
"Yes." Mr Garth crosses his arms and raises his eyebrow, "Your first failed assignment will be reported to your family. I believe that's punishment enough."
Jia Hyson's face turns black. Indeed it's quite a punishment. One he really couldn't afford to take. Not just because it'll violate Alaric's reputation, which both Alaric and himself value greatly, but also because he didn't dare to experience the infamous discipline of the Rong family. The Rongs would throw their younglings out to the wild to experience life as a character-building activity. It's easy enough to figure out their punishments might be more than a little unusual as well.
Even if he wasn't particularly close with his family members, much less those in a similar generation to him, the relationship wasn't so cold that they wouldn't chat if they were in the same room together. And everyone knows the universal way of bonding was through mutual hatred and complaints.
Therefore Jia Hyson heard many stories. For example, one of his uncles had skipped out on an important biology exam to buy tickets for a concert for his current girlfriend and was punished with sitting in a warm room with a frog on his face for three hours. The frog was under anaesthesia and was occasionally sprayed with water, so no harm came to it, but uncle vampire was very much harmed. He won't even accept the warm moist face towelettes offered in planes anymore, and it's been two years since then.
Another story he had learned about was his cousin, who spent all her money she was assigned for an Economics assignment that was meant to teach her about the value of money, on make-up products. After finding out why she failed, the elders as a result, forced her to live off edible make-up products for two weeks as punishment. While it wasn't like she could die from it nor could get seriously ill, it was definitely enough to disgust her greatly.
Of course, such extreme measures would not usually be done for people who had constantly been mucking around or were above twenty-five years old when they should know a little better. And, in trouble, as it would be to fail something, as it was his first offence, Jia Hyson knew that his own punishment wouldn't be so bad. Some 'I'm disappointed and worried about you' lecturing for a few hours at worst probably. However, the main point was he could only enjoy as much freedom as he currently had because he was considered the golden child of the generation.
"Tsk," Too lazy to retort, Jia Hyson leaves with a snort, shoving the slip of paper into his pocket as he leaves.
Mr Garth laughs. The brat is really too cute.