The next morning is suspiciously calm. No one's hovering over the bed, my clothes are all in place, and my bedmate isn't doing anything other than sleeping. If I'm lucky, I can relax today.
Lucien doesn't follow me to the main room, and I secretly hope no one else is there. Unfortunately, I can see Adrian's blond head as I walk in.
But my disappointment is immediately replaced with wonder at the spread on the table. There's a platter of what looks like rice risotto, some steamed vegetables, fluffy rolls, and at the center, a whole broiled fish.
"Adrian, did you do all this?"
He beams at me with pride "Well, I've got to treat my lover well, haven't I?"
I raise my eyebrow at him as I take a seat. "Oh, and you expect absolutely nothing in return?"
"Well, not expect," he teases. "But maybe hope for?"
"Hmmm, well, keep hoping," I chuckle, and dig in.
As expected, though, it's absolutely terrible. The rice is still hard in the center, and bland; the vegetables are almost slimy, with no butter or salt, and the fish is overcooked and bony. But it's hot, and it's different, so I finish every bite.
I can feel Adrian practically sparkling next to me. "Well? It was delicious, right?"
"It was terrible," I laugh, and his face falls for half a second before I give him a kiss on the cheek. I don't have time to see his reaction, though, because out of the corner of my eye I see Virgil standing in the doorway, jaw slightly agape. I wave at him with a smile, but he stumbles backwards slightly.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt!" he squeaks, and turns around to leave, but Adrian stops him.
"You're not interrupting anything," he says. "Besides, I asked you to come in the first place, didn't I?"
Virgil's shock turns into a frown. "Yes, but if you only wanted me here to show off, then-"
Adrian grins "What, are you jealous?"
Virgil's frown deepens, so I interrupt before Adrian makes it any worse. "He hasn't successfully seduced me, if that's what you're thinking. He's just trying to make it seem that way. Just come in, have some tea." I wave him over, and he finally sits down with a doubtful look on his face.
"But-, you-"
I pour him a cup and pass it to him. "I suppose you could call it a deal?" I begin hesitantly. Virgil's expression is only getting worse, so I try to rephrase it. "I'm trying to prove a point," I explain. "Adrian thinks the only way to have a close relationship with someone is as a lover. But that's ridiculous."
"So," adds Adrian, "the little bird is acting as my provisional lover-"
"Without the actual...lover stuff," I hastily add, feeling my cheeks heat up at Virgil's expression-
"And she's going to attempt to prove that it's possible," finishes Adrian.
Virgil's eyebrows raise in skepticism. "How...exactly does that prove your point?"
"Well, for me it's just regular friendship," I reply with a shrug.
His eyebrows are still raised. "And you kiss your friends?"
"On the cheek, yes," I reply innocently, but his expression doesn't change.
"You're just lying to yourself, Adelaide," he scoffs. "He totally has you under his spell."
It seems he won't listen to my words, so I stand up and walk over to him. "What are you doing?"
I put my hand on his shoulder. "It's not that big of a deal," I say, and give him a light peck on the cheek. "See?"
He just stares at me and puts his hand to his cheek in shock. Across the table, Adrian bursts into laughter, and Virgil's brows draw down again in a slight pout. "You're just weird," he mumbles.
"Maybe so," I respond, and start to clear the table. "But it's not like it's bad, right?" I take the dishes to the kitchen.
Behind me, I can hear Adrian laughing at Virgil. "You're blushing like a maiden in spring! How old are you anyway? It's like you've never been kissed before!"
"I have had plenty of experience, thank you," huffs Virgil in response. "I was just surprised!"
I can't help but giggle as I wash the dishes. It's actually peaceful for once, and I start thinking about the best way to sneak away. That is, until I hear what Adrian says next.
"So, do you have anything in your collection that will work? I can modify it for her if I need to."
I freeze and listen carefully.
"Not really. I don't keep it all in my room, so it didn't come with me when they sent me here."
"Really? That's a surprise, considering your reputation as the roleplay master."
"Stop calling it that," retorts Virgil.
Actually, I don't need to hear the rest. I walk quietly to the back door of the kitchen to leave, but I feel a cold hand close on my shoulder. "Where do you think you're going, little bird?" whispers Adrian into my ear, and I flinch a little despite myself.
I turn hesitantly to look into his glimmering eyes. "What exactly are you planning?" I ask.
"It's a secret," he giggles, then grabs my shoulders to steer me out of the room. "Bring it to my room, won't you, Virgil?" he calls as he leads me out.
His bed is covered with an array of colorful fabrics, but I barely have time to look before he tosses me the bathing dress. "Here, put this on."
I raise my eyebrows at him. "Why…?"
"Well, I need your measurements if I'm going to make you new clothes," he replies with a grin.
"Can't you just lend me some of your own? I can sew just fine, you know," I respond grumpily.
"This is more fun~" he insists, pushing me behind the screen. "What better do you have to do, anyway?" I sigh and give in.
I can't help but feel self-conscious when I step out, and Adrian catches on. "I've seen you in less, you know. What are you getting embarrassed about now?"
"It feels weird outside of the bath," I argue hotly. "Besides, I really do need more clothes. So just do what you need to do."
Adrian goes to his 'chest of wonders' and pulls something out. When he turns around, he's holding….a rope. His grin seems much more sinister than usual.
"No way," stutter, backing up. "I don't know what you're planning, but it does not need to involve ropes."
"Relax," he says teasingly, advancing. "I'm just going to take your measurements~"
"Try anything and I'll burn you," I say warily, but I let him pull my hand forward.
"Now, is that any way to treat your lover?" he asks, but yanks his hand away when I burn his palm. This time, I'm the one smiling smugly at him. "All right, all right, I get the picture," he chuckles. "Now, hold still for me."
He starts with my waist, crouching down to wrap it around me. He then moves it further down, to my hips, brushing his hands ever-so-slightly against my bottom. I can feel his breath on my waist. "A-Adrian-"
"I'm not doing anything on purpose," he says defensively, but when he turns to look up at me, he's grinning impishly. Without moving away, he slowly rises back to his feet, centimeters away from me the whole time. "You said you sew. You know what's next, right?" His gaze flicks down to my bust.
I can't even look him in the face right now. "Make it quick. And I'll hold it in place in the front."
Adrian just smiles as he moves behind me, brushing my hair out of the way. His cool breath on my exposed neck makes me shiver. I can tell he's enjoying the excuse to come in close contact with me as he lingers a little too long.
Finally, he comes back around and reaches for my arm, Seeing the rope, I come to a realization.
"Adrian."
"Hmm?"
"How exactly are you keeping track of the measurements?"
He doesn't respond at first as his grin widens. "Aww, you caught me. I was hoping to get away with it for a little while longer."
I smack him on the chest, but he just laughs. "Come on, be serious. I really need more than a single dress to wear."
"Fine, fine," he chuckles, and pulls a swath of red velvet off of the bed. It's huge, but looking more closely, I see that it already has finished hems and a gathered edge.
"Is this…drapes?"
He nods and wraps it around my waist. "Looks like I'll have plenty of extra for the bodice, with this length." He looks serious again, but I know better now.
"Adrian, can you even actually make anything?" I ask doubtfully. "You're not just messing around again, are you?"
"I'm not, I swear," he replies, though he's still grinning. "I always keep my word. I just...add bonuses," he teases.
"And you wonder why everyone thinks of you as so insufferable," I say wryly.
"Well, I don't wonder," he replies, and makes a glowing mark near the hem of the fabric. Vampires, always so over the top, using magic when regular means would do just as well.
"Do you have some scissors? I can cut the hem," I offer.
"Well…" Adrian trails off as he lays the fabric on the bed. "I don't have any blades at all. We weren't allowed to bring any. You saw that the kitchen didn't have any knives, didn't you?"
"Well, yes," I admitted. "But I was hoping…"
He shook his head. "I'll have to do it myself. And then magically fuse the fabric at the seams, since we have no needle and thread." He sighed as he stared at the suddenly-daunting fabric on the bed.
"Well, since you're serious about doing this for me, I can help," I say, putting my hand on his shoulder. "Here, I'll guide you. Since we have no patterns, you'll basically have to use the draping method. And you'll want to turn it inside out when you do, to hide the seams…"
Now that we have an actual goal in mind, I find myself actually enjoying it. And wow, having magic really can make a difference. I've never been jealous of vampire magic before, more resentful that they had something so powerful that we didn't. But instead of having to handsew yards of fabric by hand, all Adrian has to do is run his fingers along the edge to fuse the pieces together.
At last, we finish the dress. It's simple, but it fits perfectly, since it was basically sewn straight onto me.
"Now," says Adrian, stepping back to look at it proudly, "all you need to do now is change out of that bathing dress and wear it properly!"
I hurry behind the screen, bubbling with an excitement I didn't realize I had. I guess even an adult thrall can still feel as giddy as a child, I think wryly to myself. However, once behind the screen, I realize we made a crucial mistake, and burst out laughing.
"What's wrong?" asks Adrian, popping his head around the edge.
"I- I'm sewn in!" I giggle, barely able to get the words out. "I can't take it off!"
When he realizes as well, he joins me in uncontrollable laughter. Soon enough, we find ourselves in a giggling loop, sputtering out stupid laughter until we're on the floor, gasping for air.
At last, we catch our breath and lie on the floor in silence. But it's a comfortable silence, and I close my eyes to feel the peace. Next to me, Adrian shifts. I crack my eyes open just in time to see him climb on top of me. His red eyes are dark with hunger. I hold his gaze for just a moment before I nod, and he sinks his teeth in gently.