Chapter 18: Back Home and The Doll
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After Vlad spent plenty of time with Patrick telling him about his departure toward Galena and his return.
Later on, he moved toward his own house that he bought using a part of his accumulated wealth coming from commissions, his monthly salary, and the people he treated to this day.
Still, having the heavy backpack on him, not expecting anything to happen to him along the way, staying in a better-off neighborhood.
On his way, he noticed someone standing in his courtyard on an arranged bench.
His sharp smell immediately identified the guest waiting inside his courtyard, a young woman with brown shoulder-length hair, tanned skin, and rather revealing clothes.
Meanwhile, Mary, sitting on the bench for about thirty minutes, heard someone approaching the house from the alley, where she raised her head to check who it could be, and to her surprise, Vlad returned home.
His appearance was rather messy, with his long hair disheveled flowing over his shoulder and reaching his back, while on his back was a large backpack that looked heavy, so heavy that if she tried to pick it up, her back would bend like a croissant.
She felt impressed by this show of strength, yet she remembered her mission to get Vlad to the docks, and acting in a pathetic manner of a woman waiting for her husband to return from the battlefield, she cried his name.
"Vlad!! Thank God you returned back to me. Why have you left me waiting for so long, abandoning me for three weeks?
You should have taken me with you."
Vlad wasn't that impressed by this cheap act, continuing to walk toward his house door, ignoring Mary in the process, and once he felt her snatch his arm, placing it around her bosom, he turned his head at her face, opening his blind, black eyes.
"Little Mary, I am tired after this journey of mine.
Have you been waiting for me like this for three weeks?"
*Crying* "Day in and day out. I never stopped praying for your return."
She continued acting all worried and hurt by this cold treatment she received from Vlad, and her act was so good that a clueless person would eat from her palms for the end of their days, making him remember about the Opera Actresses from Venice who would put on magnificent performances aweing their audience with their talent.
In fact, someone peeked from one of Vlad's coat pockets in an irked way, looking at the young lady getting all clingy with the young man.
Seeing this way of behaving, the Fairy felt a repulsing sensation and even scoffed at some of Mary's replies.
'This woman has a deeper motive in approaching Vlad. I have to find an opening to tell him about this, so he wouldn't buy into her sugar-coated words.'
'Bah, what a human girl. Acting all desperate? This is not how a woman should act.'
Titania had already made up her mind about Mary, and the more she watched the young lady get intimate with Vlad.
She felt a new emotion that she couldn't explain properly that boiled when the young man stepped inside the house, followed by Mary kissing his lips, getting into a deep kiss.
Annoyed by this act, she got back into Vlad's pocket and started kicking him in the stomach from where the pocket was positioned, which made Vlad release a dry cough in Mary's face.
"Ahem, I must have caught a cold from this journey of mine."
"I'll take care of you, darling. Right now, you can relax. Do you want to take a warm bath?"
Vlad was about to respond affirmatively, especially when he knew what Mary insinuated with her sexy tone, remembering the experience of doing her in his large bathtub was quite enjoyable.
Yet someone had another opinion, and with constant hits to his stomach, it made him shake his head.
"I'll decline this, Mary. The only thing I want right now is a night of good sleep. Can you allow me this?"
*Snif* "You want me to leave you alone again? I don't want to."
"Indeed. We'll talk tomorrow if you want."
"Fine, I will not stress you now that you wish to sleep. However, I want to take you to my parents so they can meet you."
"Sure, I don't mind. You know the way out." replied Vlad, giving Mary's the okay sign for the following Stages of her plan, slower than she expected, yet it was good that Vlad was still infatuated with her.
'My blind boy, were you always so cold? You'll be now singing to my tunes, becoming a good boy in bed.
'Hah, I guess I'll take a taste of you tomorrow.' thought Mary, who went to kiss Vlad again in a passionate manner, getting her ass groped in the process that she felt it.
"Bye, my love. Don't forget what you promised me." ended Mary saying while she was at the door, waiting for Vlad's rather detached response, and with her teeth gritted, she went outside, starting her journey back to the dock.
.
"Hah, such an interesting doll. She is ready to get herself sent into Heaven by the first minute I get back."
"Besides, little Titania, you got quite restless inside my coat pocket.
Did it get too hard to breathe right there? Or do you have a stomach ache? The bathroom is not far from the lobby."
The Fairy jumped from his pocket and landed on his face, beginning her own interrogation, which swiftly had Vlad give a small smile, a pleased one.
"Vlad, who is that woman that got clingy like a slug on you? You didn't tell me about a woman being on the list of close people.
Why did she kiss you then in that embarrassing way?"
"Heh, what's wrong, little Titania?"
"There's a lot of wrongs. That woman wants something from you that is badly intended.
I can feel it, yet, you are like an idiot, simply allowing her to get closer and even get touchy with you. You have to explain yourself."
Hearing his little Fairy get so vocal about Mary and how she touched him in indecent ways, kissing him, and talking all sweet with him made him see Titania differently. Getting closer and closer to a normal girl that also experienced those mundane emotions.
*Chuckle* "Little Titania, do you know what you are experiencing?"
"No! But it annoys me a lot. Hmph, that ugly girl acted so pathetic and immediately got better once she got a kiss."
"My bad, it will not happen… that often. However, my young miss, what you are experiencing right now is called jealousy."
"Jealousy? Is it bad? I think it should be bad since that girl angered me."
"Haha, it could be healthy in small portions, but don't let it get to your head, little Fairy.
If I told you the list with people I consider close and she is not on that list, it means she is nothing to me."
"So there's nothing between you and that ugly woman?" inquired Titania, who felt slightly better when Vlad told her his stance with Mary.
"Nothing romantic of sorts. That girl is just my doll and nothing more. Also, it is not like you are the only one who felt her hidden intentions. What you saw me do is play her own game since I am curious to see what she prepared for me."
"You shouldn't see her."
"Heh, that's not for you to decide, little Fairy. A bad person like myself is captured easily by intriguing events.
I am like those sharks of the sea that notice an insignificant bait yet still decide to check it even though they can escape from the fisherman."
"But you are not a fish, you dummy."
"That was the analogy. Do you think something will happen to me anytime soon? It required someone like the old Guardian to have me wounded, which tells a lot about my abilities and training.
Only a handful of people in this city are interesting to me, who could face me in combat."
"Like the old mister you visited?"
"Mhm, he is the pinnacle of this Island. That old fox has many tricks up his sleeves, from a strong swordsmanship to naval combat knowledge, navigation, and medicine.
Such an Elder, you can only respect."
"Yes, I like the old mister. He has some sweet candies."
Vlad could only laugh when Titania mentioned how Patrick tried to capture her using the tactics an old man would do with a child, the simple candy trick, and it almost worked.
Nonetheless, the old man suffered a heavy loss from Titania.
Then as he began clearing out the items inside the backpack, he arranged them neatly so he could wash them later.
Next, he went to the backroom while Titania followed along, looking around curiously to everything new surrounding her, making him ask her in a teasing tone.
"I prepare to wash. Do you want to join? Or will you continue to hide like in the bath 5 days ago? I don't mind it, but you don't know what you are losing out."
"I'll decline."
Vlad didn't disturb the Fairy and let her mess around the house while he was heating up the water for the bath, taking him some minutes where he started to check the wounds that had already formed, scabs itching him constantly.
He resisted the temptation of stretching them, not wishing to get additional scars.
Such that his relaxation time began with a hot bath, starting off by washing his sweaty body and, later on, his long hair, before planting his legs on the wooden tub and making it seem he was having the greatest time of his life.
Still, a young woman was watching from a distance, peeking from the crevice of his door at Vlad bathing, and immediately when she saw something indecent, she would dash away and plant herself inside his bed.
"I want a warm bath too. Why did I decline?"
She returned again to the door, watching Vlad humming the tunes of a song, and with her interest picked she stepped inside, approaching closer and closer, listening to Vlad's singing voice, along with the rhythmic lines that attracted her more than she landed on the bathtub frame.
" Burns and dances, carried away by the majestic wind / The dirt of karma never settles down on the ground
"Ashes, ashes, if you enlighten and become the fire that burns for a hundred nights."
"Ah, then let that eternal, eternal sound. "
" Echo in the heart forever. "
.
"How is it, Titania? Do I have a voice for singing?"
"You've noticed me?"
"Since you stepped inside the bathroom. No need to be shy. Come in. The water temperature is just perfect for your skin.
Besides, I am blind, so no need to fear that I will peek at you." remarked Vlad in a calm voice, continuing to lay inside the bathtub, where after minutes of consideration, the Fairy also jumped on.
"Ahhhh, so good."
Titania moaned for a bit, quickly bringing her hands up to cover her mouth, but Vlad didn't say anything.
"Vlad, you mentioned that we will go exploring the world. When will that happen?"
"Pretty soon. When I turn 18 years old, in a couple of months. Plenty of time to prepare everything and settle down some of my closed ones so they wouldn't think I vanished like a ghost."
"Won't you need a large ship like the ones we saw on the sea?"
"I already have that settled. I just have to take it from an old acquaintance and set sail."
"It will be only the two of us?"
"Yes. This is an exploration and a journey for my heart where I wish to rediscover myself and learn more about myself.
This world is so vast, full of legends and myths, with different people and cultures waiting to be discovered. In fact, this Island is just a small raindrop in the large bucket that the world we are living in."
Titania nodded her small head while she held her arms to cover her chest while floating in the area of Vlad's chest and stomach, turning her body to watch the young man's handsome face that held an indifferent expression about.
She still couldn't explain what she felt for Vlad if it was love or something else, but one thing was certain, she felt a connection with him inexplicable.
.
Then after the duo took their bath, Vlad went directly to sleep, even though the sun was still in the sky, being on the road for longer than he expected, which drained him mentally.
Now recharging himself in the safety compound of his home, while exactly on the same pillow, the small Fairy watched him sleeping.
'I am not sleepy. Let's explore the house and get accustomed to the human customs.'
Departing from the bed, she started flying around the bedroom, acting like a daring adventurer in an unexplored cave.
It was an exciting sensation, and once she landed on Vlad's desk and library, she looked curiously over the opened book.
[The Legends of Atlas - Chapter 3 - Undying Flame]
Since she had the ability to read, something that Vlad and even herself couldn't explain how, according to her words, all of the memories she had were lost.
Yet, it was useful that she could read, beginning to explore some of the book's passages on the table, which talked about the Great King Atlas and his adventures, emphasizing the idea of the spirit and how one's spirit is undying, eternal.
The Undying Flame mentioned by the book's author was exactly that spirit that the Great King was venerated for holding.
However, something else made her question the book's contents, and it started with the book's title.
'The name of the book has a pleasant tonality. Atlas and Great King Atlas. This should be something that Vlad tries to read in the search for another legend and location. Similar to how he told me he stumbled upon Galena Mountain and the Lake.'
'But how can he read books? Does he have a method to read books without using his vision? I should ask him when he wakes up.'
Titania didn't waste her time too much on reading Vlad's books and instead moved around from place to place, even getting inside his garderobe, checking out his clothes, and in a comical way, she got stuck inside one of Vlad' shirts, exiting after a life and death struggle from the sleeve.
'Phew, that was dangerous but also fun.' thought the Fairy, who found this exploration activity quite enjoyable.
When she saw some things out of order, she tried to put them in place herself, yet, while she wanted to help out cleaning some spots, it ended in an improper situation where some objects dropped on the floor.
The house ornaments bought by Lagos and Arik found their calamity in the shape of a beautiful fairy who panicked and created a bigger mess.
"Arhhhhh, I have to stop, or Vlad will nag me."
She went to see if her commotion woke Vlad and breathed out in relief seeing him sleep soundly, nevertheless one of his sleep talks got her embarrassed since it hit the nail with the mess she created in the living room.
"Hehe, what a bad girl. You require some spanking. Come to daddy."
'I was right, he is a pervert. … But am I as bad as he says I am?'
.
.
The night flew by without any incidents in Vlad's house, but the morning brought a gift for Vlad once he stepped inside the living room.
Stepping on some ornaments that were toppled by the Fairy, who acted innocently, responding cluelessly to his questions.
"You played out last night by chance?"
"Me? Noo way. I was sleeping beside you since you went to sleep."
"Ohh really?"
"Seriously. Why would I lie? Only bad people lie."
"Of course, how could my little Titania lie to me? She is my innocent Fairy."
"..." Titania found out in those moments that she had a lot to learn in the art of being a human. Only in those small exchanges she had with Vlad required her to expand most of her energy.
"Since my house is closer to the docks, it is quite likely that some rats have entered inside. Hah, and I told them not to buy me unnecessary ornaments since I can't see them anyway, but they still did it.
[You'll receive guests at one point, you can't have them stand inside an empty room.].
We have to clean up this mess, Titania."
"Indeed, those bad rats. I knew I heard something crawling inside the living room but I was too scared to check."
"Of course." replied Vlad, stroking the back of his Fairy, playing along with her and not making her feel bad for her antics.
"After that, we will go to the market and buy you some clothes."
"Clothes? For me? I thought there were only clothes for humans, not for Fairy, like myself."
"Hehe, you'll be shocked by the variety of clothes. I'll keep it a secret until then."
.
After Vlad and Titania cleaned out the living room, the Fairy felt better knowing that her mistake was repaired, and with a simple meal, they had.
Later on she found herself staring at the large buildings of the city again.
Slowly approaching the gates of an open space where a lot of people were walking in and out, called "Grand Market" which Vlad took his time to explain to her what this place was exactly.
"The Market is the only place inside Picodras where people of all works will come to trade their goods for money or different items.
Blacksmiths, Tailors, Artisans, Herbalists, Farmers, you can find all breaths of life inside this place." explained Vlad in a quiet voice to Titania, staring at the building that, from her perspective, looked rather huge.
"Wow, so many people, and it is so noisy."
"Hmm, that is the annoying part, especially for a blind like myself. Still, it is easy for me to walk in this Market since I've been coming to this place for 6 years."
Passing by the various people of the Market walking with his black cane, he was swiftly recognized, and without making his path complicated, they moved from his way while greeting him in a friendly way.
The news about Vlad's return spread out inside the Market like wildfire, and inside a peripheral zone of the Market, a group of 6 guys discussed this news.
"Our boy finally returned from his adventure."
"Elias, did you get your herbs ready for little Vlad?"
"What do you think I've done for those couple of weeks?"
The Herbalists were preparing for Vlad's return to their den.
Like this, minutes passed, more and more, and no sign of their cold young master approaching their zone.
"Oy, are those fuckers messing around with us? They say that Vlad returned, but it's already been 30 minutes, and he didn't come to check us.
That's some shameless lying to make us worked out, and now they probably laugh their ass off." mentioned one of the older herbalists, an early 40s guy, who looked with an angry expression on the alley leading out of the Herbalist zone.
"Fuck it, Elias, let's find our boy. Some idiot must be making trouble with him, like that cuckold bastard Revil."
"Let's go." agreed Elias, placing the locks over his storage boxes filled with plants, only for the rare ones, while the common plants he left out in the open, not caring about losing them.
And so their search began.
It didn't take long to stumble upon Vlad, who was in the part of the Market that was dealing with toys and dolls, and the sight of him holding a doll for little girls dumbfounded them.
"Oyyy, is that really our Blind boy?"
"The fuck if I know."
"Did he hit his head again from his journey and forgot who he is?"
"Probably. Let's go check on him and make sure he is alright."
***
A/N: The boys got betrayed.