Chapter 22: Giving a future
***
Once he finished talking with Nelson, Mary waited outside, receiving weird stares from the sailors, making her really meek, ashamed to even raise her head up, which lasted until Vlad returned.
"You've finished your business?"
"Mhm, pretty much. That fuckers house will be used for a better cause, maybe an orphanage, since there's not such a place in the city. As for their ship, I'll have my own use of it. Let's go home."
"Wait, isn't that illegal to take the property of someone without their consent?"
"Criminals don't have such rights. Once you get in the hands of someone stronger or influential, you lose everything depending on how ruthless the one capturing you can be."
"Anyway, those things shouldn't bother you. Let's get going."
"Where exactly? I don't have a home." replied Mary with her head down, quietly following in Vlad's tail.
Not showing much emotion on his face, he continued walking forward, only telling Mary as if he was casting a spell to calm her.
"For now, I'll take you to my house, and we'll talk afterwards."
Exiting the Dock's Headquarters and moving on the streets illuminated by strong oil lamps at spaced intervals, on their way back to Vlad's home that was not far from the Headquarters, Mary began shedding tears slowly, and like when he took her binds off, it was a genuine one that Vlad believed, where she expressed some of her concerns.
And most of her concerns and worries were centered on a specific person, Revil.
"I don't know, Vlad. I really don't know what I should do. Revil, that bastard can make my life miserable by spreading all sorts of lies about me.
No one would ever look into my eyes as a person that could be given trust. Even if you blinded that bastard, I am sure his henchmen will be more than willing to take revenge for him."
"You are worrying too much. Knowing that old man, Dugar, the chances of those guys exiting prison and not rotting in their cell are slim. For the record, the dirt on that bastard, besides the usual petty thievery, are large, incriminatory enough to have him sent to the gallows."
"I pray that is exactly his fate."
"Now that you mention fate. Maybe I should have killed that guy. I never liked his tone, filled with arrogance even though he had nothing to back it out."
"..." Mary had no comeback answer from such a declaration and remained quiet the entire way to his house.
Yet on his way, Vlad still asks her to be as efficient as possible with all his time.
"In the end, I never bothered myself to ask you about yourself. But seeing you lost makes me wonder. Do you have a hobby? A passion you would love to pursue with everything you got in your soul?"
Hearing that intimate question, Mary replied quietly with her lowered head. "I love making toys. Broide toys to be exact of all various forms. Weird right?
"Not at all. In general, it is good to have a dream, a passion that you want to pursue. You have a meaning to your life."
"A meaning in life?"
"Indeed, many old philosophers discussed this aspect, but that's what breeds meaning in one's life, doing a thing they love without feeling the passage of time."
"Still, I am not that good of a toymaker to give children smiles on their faces."
"You are not good? Then practice. It is that simple."
"If it were so easy as you say, I wouldn't be in this situation." mentioned Mary with a dejected tone, feeling that everything Vlad was trying to do was an attempt at lifting up her spirits, yet she was mistaken
"You are wrong, Mary. You are in the situation you are right now because you didn't dare to try what you pursued. So what if you don't have the materials you require to build said toy?
You can find those materials thrown in the garbage. You could ask various people about things they would throw away and reuse them. There's no, you can't. Only "I am too lazy, and I don't want to."
With Mary listening to Vlad give his thoughts about her situation, the way she looked at him changed, finding this colder personality far more charming than the one from the past, and until they got home, she began opening up about this other side of her life, the first part of his mind that could trigger a chain reaction was achieved.
When she mentions that she has nobody in her life, which was one part of why she was doing other guys, only wanting to feel security and feel that she was worth someone.
Mary suffered the trauma of being abandoned by her parents, who chose the sea, being pirates.
She gained his interest as her story went about, mostly about her passion which he would ask about different things that she would immediately respond with a smile.
"I don't know a lot about toy making. In fact, I know nothing about it. Nevertheless, I am a person with an open mind, and I will be glad to listen to how you would make such a toy.
Tell me more, not only about the past you experienced. That's in the past. You can only live in the present."
Vlad's approach made the young lady get animated, starting to slowly regain her rosy cheeks and some of her self-esteem.
Finally, after reaching home, he tells her she can go to his room to sleep, allowing her the first peaceful night in a long time without stressing her, or even engaging in some intercourse without any build-up to it, consuming her energy.
Before leaving her alone, he brought out some of his healing ointment that he spread all over her bruised body, from her face to neck to her whole body.
"It will be cold, but after a couple of minutes, you'll feel your skin burning. Don't get scared, this is just a natural reaction of your skin, and as the burning sensation goes, it will turn into a pleasant warmth."
"Ahhhhh, it is cold. What is this ointment of yours?" asked Mary that changed into some of his clothes that were oversized.
"Ice Thorn, Dreamleaf Blossom, Frostbloom, Aloe Thistle, Snake Venom and Hot, really Hot Peppers."
"Snake Venom? Hot Peppers? Wouldn't I be poisoned?"
"With that amount I used for this extract, you'll be just fine. Now take it easy and relax. No one will harm you here." ended Vlad after he explained to her in a lazy way that his ointment had no chance of harming her.
"I can feel it! It burns me too much! Are you sure this will be okay for me?"
"I am a doctor apprentice, I might look like a barbaric person, but my knowledge of medicine is decent. You'll feel much better. Don't forget to sleep. This is the most important thing to our bodies."
Saying that, he slapped her buttcheek in a teasing manner, which made her cry in surprise, and only after that he left the bedroom, getting on his couch in the living room.
Swiftly after settling down from his pocket, the fairy made her way out, giving Vlad a weird look as if she was trying to explain to herself what he did.
"Was there a reason for harming those people? Blind that guy?"
"No comment. As I told you, little Titania, you are not in the right to judge my decisions. In fact, those guys are lucky I didn't kill them and got bored quickly at their cries. However, I will kill them at the first sight of aggression on anyone "close" to me."
"I don't understand the need to spill blood."
"And you should remain like this, pure, not being dirtied by the darker side of humanity's mind. Besides, do you think those guys were innocent?"
"Weren't they?"
"No person who raises their weapons at you to harm you is innocent. An innocent person is someone who has no intention of harming you, yet you still attack them, harming them. That is an innocent person, a child, the old, someone who can't fight you from the beginning.
I can go into more details, but I fear that my experiences will mark you and might change the way you are." remarked Vlad calmly, almost detached in his explanation, fully knowing what he was speaking to the Fairy.
"Try me. I've seen you do all those bad things. I don't fear you like the rest. I saw what's inside of you." replied Titania, who wasn't fearing Vlad or his stories, yet she only received a pat on her head.
"I'd rather not. When I open my eyes, I want to see a beautiful smile, not something that is forced. Let's not discuss what happened to those guys. They received what was due to happen at one point in time.
Pirates would usually die young, either being devoured by the sea, being killed in battle by similar pirates or the marines protecting whatever they protect… Their interests.
What I've done to them is saving their lives in a sense."
Hearing all that Vlad had to say, Titania placed a pondering expression, contemplating all the information she received from Vlad, and shaking her head, she didn't pursue this subject with him, instead from where she was standing on his shoulder, received a question.
"What's your opinion on the situation with Mary? Are you still jealous of her after all she experienced from the stories she told me?"
It was a question where he had a specific answer in mind, and for that, he wanted to get Titania's thoughts on this matter, how he would act if she was in his place.
She remained quiet, leaving Vlad to relax his mind in the process, waiting for her response.
Now, even Titania was aware of the woman she considered a nuisance. After hearing Mary's story, it would be harsh not to say she didn't feel sorry for living all of such bad memories.
"I don't know. I still don't like her. But what about you? What do you think about this Mary"
It was the kind of response he didn't expect that lengthened his silence, making him think about the situation at hand. While initially, he allowed Mary to approach him, wanting to play around with Revil in particular, because of how he treated him 6 years ago and for extra reasons only a person like himself would perceive.
'Everything started with that conversation with the boys, about Arik's girl and how I should also get a partner. How ironic can things be, in just a playful moment of mine, that I went about with a memory of that event when it reached this stage.
It is not like people can say that I spend much time with her, yet it is undeniable that we used each other. I used her to read my books and release my sexual carvings belonging to an adolescent body. Still, I didn't learn much from those interactions with her since it was all facades.'
'I simply enjoyed her company and body without bothering myself about who she was. Even now, it is none of my concern who she is since it wouldn't affect me.
'Something like a romantic relationship is out of the question. I don't plan to remain on this island. My sight lurks in another place, waiting for me to reclaim it.'
"You didn't respond to me." mentioned Titania, who looked at Vlad's silent face only to receive a smile.
"Her story is genuine, no doubt. After I removed her ropes and muzzle, what we saw from her was her true self. However, I am not interested romantically."
"Mhmm, good. You'll let her stay here until she recovers?"
"I will give her the chance of working herself into a new life. I don't need this place since we will depart in the following months. Until then, she can stay here and start recovering herself and building up a new life."
"A place she could use to make her toys?"
"Exactly, this will be a small seed for her future. In fact I have an idea she might be interested in hearing after she wakes up."
"Ohh, what idea?" asked Titania, curious, feeling that their discussion would go on a good note, yet she didn't receive anything, only a chuckle.
"Tomorrow, you'll find out."
They were awake for a bit more, and the two went to sleep on the living room couch, with Titania being on his chest while sleeping, a weird posture that someone who woke early noticed the duo and was at first sceptical about what she saw.
'He slept on the couch? Awww, poor him, I'll have to repay him. Wait, there's something on his chest? A fly?"
Approaching closer and closer, Mary, who felt her body sore from the wounds she received, woke early to use the bathroom and relieve herself, and in her passing, she noticed Titania sleeping on Vlad's chest.
"You woke up quite early."
That calm voice scared her, making her step back and look with focused eyes at the direction the voice came, and it came from Vlad, who opened his abyssal eyes.
"Sorry, I can't hold too much and need to use the bathroom. You have a large bug on your chest."
"I know, don't worry. There are still 2 hours until the morning. We'll talk at that point."
"You aren't scared about the bug on your chest?"
"No. She can't harm me."
"She?"
"You'll learn about it in the morning if she feels like it." remarked Vlad talking in a quiet voice, while not moving at all, with Titania having a deep sleep that could hardly be disturbed by quiet discussions.
"..."
Moving slowly toward the toilet while looking at Vlad and the bug, she could now see better, with the figure of a woman wearing a nightgown holding on to his skin. Big-eyed, once she returned from the bathroom, she had trouble sleeping for the following hours until roosters began sounding the alarm.
Waking up after only getting half an hour of sleep since she returned from the bathroom, she saw Vlad holding a cup of water and at his side being some cooked food from yesterday. On the table where the food was placed, a small woman was eating with a big smile, something you couldn't foresee.
"Serve yourself. Also, don't mind her, she is a glutton. The more you wait, the bigger your chances of getting nothing to eat."
"Hey! I am not a glutton. I know how to stop. The problem is that the food is too good."
"Who is she?"
"Annoying woman, I am Titania. This is the first time we meet each other face to face. I am Vlad's partner, his eyes and voice."
Mary looked at Titania, who took a break from eating, making her look cute, and then at Vlad, who was drinking water resting on the couch as if he had already eaten.
"Mhm, she is my lucky spirit Fairy. A partner I gained after challenging Galena Mountain. That's the place I've departed to in that month I was away."
"Exactly, only I can be called his partner. You are a bad woman who used him for your own benefits. Still, he too used you, so you shouldn't feel bad about me saying this."
"Sure, no problem, I am not offended. Are you really a Fairy? Like the ones in the fairytales? Can you do a blessing? Besides, you have such beautiful clothes."
"Right, right. This is what Vlad bought me. Also, I can't grant wishes or other things you might hear Fairy do. I can only fly using my wings, and that's all."
"Fair enough. Can I touch you?" asked Mary, as if she had become a little girl who entered a Fairytale, where the King of the Realm, Erlking, which was Vlad, watched over his servants, the fairy and young human girl that he picked up from her difficulty.
"No. Only Vlad can touch me."
"Awww, so cute. Come on, please. I am not a bad person … I am a bad person, but not to that extent." remarked Mary, correcting herself, no longer wanting to act in a fake way, which caused him to humm, interested.
When Mary approached her, Titania wolfed down another big bite of the food and took off from the table, settling down on Vlad's head, giving off some bread crumbs off landing on his hair and face.
"Ahhh, I've dirtied you."
Swiftly, Titania picked the bread crumbs and what food she planted on his face, cleaning him up, which looked comical, with the quiet man, giving off a serene appearance being treated like a buffet.
"Ignore her for a moment. Go and eat. We have something to talk about."
"Sure, but talk about what?"
"A future I saw for you. It might interest you, and you also have nothing to lose from listening to me."
Nodding her head, she took a seat at the table in the living room, and after she finished eating, Vlad immediately told her something that shocked her.
"You talked yesterday about your passion, toy making, and you've given me some details about how it goes, how one can make those toys. As you can see, I am not much of an artisan. However, I thought of something which made me interested."
"Hmm?"
"I can allow you to use my house for a Tailoring Workshop, where you can build those toys of yours for the children."