"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kiss you," Tristan mumbled, a little guilty for not letting the girl escape from his tight embrace.
"You… you are annoying! What an annoying pervert!" Lavelle cursed for the umpteenth time.
"I'm sorry, does it hurt that much? Want me to carry you?" asked Theophile as he crouched down in front of Lavelle and tried to look at Lavelle's sprained wound.
Lavelle brushed Theophile's hand away. "Keep your hands off my feet, I know your perverted thoughts!"
"I just wanted to see your wound, nothing more than that," Theophile said with a faint, meaningful smile.
"This is all because of you!" said Lavelle indignantly.
Theophile took a deep breath, then glanced at the rope from the pony shoe, then nodded in understanding and tried to tie the horseshoe back tightly. A moment later, he saw Lavelle's ankles, which were still covered by the white socks.
"What if I help?" asked Theophile then.
"No need," Lavelle pressed.
"I'm serious, the sprain will only get worse if it's left alone." Theophile looked at Lavelle's face now.
"I'm used to this too," Lavelle replied.
Without thinking any longer, Theophile lifted Lavelle's body in bridal style. Lavelle wanted to rebel, but Theophile carried her away behind the luxurious and old building. Theophile could feel Lavelle's heartbeat. Clearly, even the girl had been dropping her head on Theophile's chest.
"I really like it when we can touch longer like this but, you seem to like avoiding me," whispered Theophile.
"You are the most annoying creature I have ever met," Lavelle complained in such a low voice.
"So cute," Theophile complimented.
"What do you mean?" asked Lavelle.
"Your voice sounds sweeter when you curse like that," said Theophile, "See, there are so many thorny vines here that flower beautifully."
Lavelle glanced at the garden Theophile was referring to but didn't move an inch within Theophile's grasp. Finally, Tristan quickened his pace and immediately lowered Lavelle when they arrived at a dock made of only wood next to a mossy wooden gazebo that seemed to have been abandoned for so long.
"Sit over there, I'll make some herbs for your sprained leg," Theophile said later.
"Are you kidding me about leaving me in a lonely place like this?" asked Lavelle then.
"Not leaving you here alone, however, I'd like to find some lemon leaves and honey around here," Theophile replied, "Looks like there's a lemon tree not far from here."
"Still you're going to leave me here alone, right?" asked Lavelle again.
Theophile chuckled. "Why do you look afraid I'm leaving you?"
"I might be worried if you really made me a victim here," answered Lavelle concisely and clearly.
Theophile raised one eyebrow slowly. "Huh? What clan do you think I am from? I'm a vampire, not a witch."
"But I think it will happen if you leave me here," Lavelle said once again.
"So, what do you want, sweetie?" asked Theophile with a deep breath.
"Just explain it to me. Why did you have so many maids wake me up just to take me to such an unattractive place?" asked Lavelle irritably.
Tristan laughed so crisply. Even so, he was still trying to pay attention to his surroundings, hoping to find a plant that could be used as a sprain medicine. Not long ago, he seemed to remember something.
"I'll go over there first. I won't go far. I'm just going to take a few clumps of turmeric." Theophile pointed out a thicket not far from their current position.
And without waiting for Lavelle's approval, Theophile walked briskly towards the place, and in a matter of minutes, Theophile was back with a few clumps of turmeric still complete with leaves. Lavelle couldn't help but gape in disbelief as Theophile stepped so swiftly like the wind.
"I'm going to grind the turmeric first and mix it with a little lime leaf extract and honey," Theophile said, immediately taking off his coat and handing it to Lavelle while he quickly rolled up the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing to his elbows.
"How-how did you manage to move so fast?" Lavelle stammered.
"Sweetie, I am a vampire. Stepping into Africa in a matter of seconds, I can do it," Theophile replied without turning his head as he was busy peeling the turmeric.
"Then… what are you going to do when the potion is ready? Are you going to tell me to drink water that tastes more or less like armpit hair?" asked Lavelle.
"I'll put this over your sprained wound," Theophile replied.
"Oh...."
"Just take off those sneakers you're wearing and roll up those levis pants you're wearing," Theophile said.
"How am I supposed to take those shoes off if my ankles really hurt to move?" asked Lavelle, slightly pouting her lips.
"Now then, why are you suddenly being so spoiled for me?" Theophile asked back with a lopsided smile that seemed to have become his trademark.
Lavelle turned her gaze to a bunch of white lotus flowers that grew freely on the sides of the artificial lake. Lavelle took a deep breath as if to let out all the boredom she had felt so far. Moreover, let out all the saturation caused by Martian.
But somehow, whenever she was pensive alone, she often thought about why she was in such a difficult position to describe in words, why she could provide solutions to other people's problems. But, she couldn't get out of her own issues. She always feels that she is useless to herself. Her body and soul can't seem to work well together because of the trauma that presses her down. And that pain is amplified when the affection she should have is taken away by someone who has no right at all.
Theophile cleared his throat, surprising Lavelle, who was still lost in thought.
"I'm sorry, you look surprised." Theophile smiled faintly. "How about I help untie the laces from those sneakers?"
"Go ahead," said Lavelle later.
Theophile nodded, then he took off the shirt he was wearing at the time. It made Lavelle glare and scream hysterically, on the verge of being frightened and feeling so messed up. Lavelle even subconsciously grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at Theophile, leaving the handsome vampire confused.
"Hey! What are you doing? I only used my shirt to wrap your legs around," Theophile complained, a little surprised.
"Is that true?" Lavelle's face heated up.
Theophile shook his head slightly disbelievingly that Lavelle judged him so severely like that. But the handsome vampire still did what he wanted to do now, which was to tear his shirt off and use it instead of gauze.
+++
Lavelle swung her fine right leg to touch the icy cold water of the lake, occasionally spooning out the strange yet delicious dish she was eating this time. Lavelle didn't understand why grilled fish wrapped in turmeric leaves tasted a little sweeter than grilled fish alone. Lavelle didn't know where Theophile got the idea to grill catfish with turmeric leaves.
"Is it delicious?" asked Theophile, still busy on the grilled fish.
"Reasonable. This tastes sweet," Lavelle replied curtly.
"So funny, I thought you'd turn it down," Theophile muttered.
"We've been here almost an hour. What made you bring me here?" asked Lavelle to change the subject when several seagulls seemed to be busy hovering low and catching the fish that lived in the lake, hiding behind the lotus plants in the lake.
Theophile sighed, then lifted the fish and slowly approached Lavelle, who was now sitting at the end of the dock. Theophile sitting beside Lavelle didn't want to answer Lavelle's question at that time. The Burmese rosewood tree beside the pond makes the lotus pond atmosphere feel like the 90's era. Theophile smiled faintly and then showed Lavelle a swing of colorful flower arrangements across the dock, looking a little worn but still playable.
"Bringing you here reminds me of when I was in my twenties. I often take Mark to this place to just let go of our boredom. But I don't just want to be nostalgic. I also want to have more conversations with you," Theophile said.
"Oh...."
"It's really wonderful to remember a memory that is so memorable. When he was fifteen years old, Mark loved to write poetry. Did he ever tell you that?" Theophile continued for a moment and then inched his way to Lavelle.
"I don't know… I don't remember, or maybe Mark never told me that," Lavelle replied.
"I understand that the antipsychotic you've been taking for a long time has left you confused, right? It seems you have a cause so severe that you are a little dependent on the medicine," Theophile said later.
"I think so."
"Do you like writing poetry too?" asked Theophile.
"Not. I'm not good at writing poetry."
Theophile tilted his head while glancing at Lavelle with rounded eyes. "What kind of author can't write poetry?"
"Not all authors in this world are good at putting together beautiful words to form such good, Theophile. And I write just to pour my feelings into it because I feel less satisfied just telling Daniela, "Lavelle replied.
"Sounds like you really have a tough problem to solve," Theophile muttered.
Lavelle shrugged her shoulders, not knowing. "Then, how about you? Are you good at writing poetry too?"
"A little but no better than Mark," Theophile replied.
"That's great," Lavelle chuckled. "By the way, did you make that swing?"
"Of course, not me, because this building was erected when I was a baby. Our late father made our building, and actually, this glass building was built for our extended family gathering to discuss a meeting about city development and work and so on. We all held meetings in this building until going. Finally, our father died from the poison of the forbidden flower, and I prefer to have a meeting in the kingdom because going here makes my heart hurt to remember their departure so quickly, "Explained Theophile.
"I'm sorry if I made you remember them again," said Lavelle.
"No, I'm actually delighted when you ask," replied Theophile.
"So? Why have you been appointed as the leader? Don't you still have an eldest brother?" Lavelle asked again.
"Oh. Regarding that, I became the clan leader, Neo Green Peace, because the Elders appointed me. I also didn't really agree to be appointed as a leader when I was too young and didn't understand anything about the development of our big clan because Tristan, who was still a teenager at the time, was also with Johnny so was still busy with his activities and couldn't. fulfill our late father's last request, Tristan was still busy taking care of some of his education so, the elders appointed me as a clan leader Neo Green Peace and with an unwilling, I have to accept it," Explained Theophile.
"You have an attitude mature enough to accept that fact," whispered Lavelle.
"Yes, this is all I show as my respect for our late father," replied Theophile.
"You are lucky to have a father who sounds so authoritative and loving. Mark used to tell me about your late father," Lavelle mumbled, then took a deep breath.
Theophile smirked.
"Maybe that's the opinion of everyone who just met us, but, in reality, it's not what you think, Lavelle. Dad is authoritative and loving, but he is also the most disciplined and annoying person. Even so, he doesn't want to see his children feel weakness in them," Theophile replied, "There's a place I really like about this building, and I'm sure you'll like it too."
"Is there anything interesting about that old building?" asked Lavelle, slightly disdainful of the building already surrounded by moss and brutally creeping thorny vines.
"Of course, there is, sweetheart. Inside the building, there is an edelweiss flower garden. Isn't it quite beautiful and rare for edelweiss flowers to grow in a glass building? And airtight like that." Theophile smiled, "Did you know that edelweiss flowers have a pretty good and cool meaning?"
Lavelle shook her head because all this time she didn't really care about the meaning of flowers.
"The flower edelweiss has a meaning as a form of love and devotion," continued Theophile.
"Then what about roses?" asked Lavelle then.
Theophile put down the stick that had the fish in his hand because Theophile had eaten the fish while they were chatting. A second later, Theophile took a deep breath. "There are so many philosophies about roses. However, the beauty of the "rose" is considered to be a symbol of the love and affection of the person who gave it."
"Gosh, I thought that meant like that only in movies… then are you going to take me to see those edelweiss flowers in there?" asked Lavelle.
Theophile shook his head quickly. Lavelle's expression slowly turned erratic, as if she was trying to hide her disappointment that Theophile had said something hopeful. However, she couldn't achieve that expectation. Theophile reached out his hand to stroke the top of Lavelle's head.
"We can go there in a moment, you just have to wait for the important meeting to be held, and you will come there as my partner," Theophile said, seeing Lavelle's face had changed drastically, blushed and her eyes seemed to move to and fro and trying to hide the blush on her face.
"As your partner? What does it mean?" Lavelle pursed her lips.
Theophile smiled then pinched Lavelle's cheek. "As my partner, you can't possibly understand what I mean yet."
"Actually, I don't care about the meeting but, why should I be your partner?" Lavelle frowned.
"Because you captivated my heart like a fool drunk on honey so sweet," replied Theophile.
"Wait, it turns out you're almost the same as Mark. You love to say words so poetic and sound a little redundant," Lavelle mocked.
"Mark loves to write poetry, and if he put it in a book, he might have written over a hundred poetic books that are very moving. I don't know, and maybe our Dad passed on such advantages to all of us. My late father was of French and Dutch descent, while my late mother was a native of England, but she once told me that my grandmother also has Georgian and Latin descent. They were both met by Moon Goddes in a poetry contest. This may sound a little funny because, in that contest, they competed… a unique love story. However, we all remember it well… after they got to know each other, and Mom found out that Dad was a Vampire… Mom lived with Dad." Tristan paused for a moment. "Even though I know it is a fatal thing because she will never be able to meet and be recognized by her family again. However, my mother always said that sincerity of love always glories over all things in this world as a whole."
"You are also an excellent storyteller, and you tell that with such a supportive facial expression," Lavelle thinks.
"Maybe I inherited the ability from my late Mom. My Mom is also very fond of storytelling, even though she actually prefers the world of poetry."
"So... after they got married, did they spend a lot of time on this dock?" Guess Lavelle.
Theophile nodded. "I also wish I could have a love story like that."