Viktor came home unexpectedly that night. I was in the middle of binge-watching a drama about cowboys…although having lived through it, I noticed a lot of things they got wrong…when the door opened, startling me out of my daze.
"Welcome home!" I called out, not really paying attention.
There was silence for a second and then; "thanks," came the gruff reply.
I held up the bowl of popcorn I had made as an offering. Viktor had a very disappointing lack of snack food in his house, I would say.
He shook his head and started to remove his tie, taking a seat in one of the oversized chairs as he did it.
"It's time for that talk, Pui Mic," he said slowly, watching my reaction.
Before he could even finish his sentence, I was shaking my head no, my arms crossed into an 'X' in front of my chest.
He only smiled at my reaction.
"What are you, Pui Mic?" He asked, looking me in the eyes. But he never said 'tell me'.
"I am me," I responded automatically. He chuckled at my response, clearly expecting that answer.
"You're answer is neither a truth nor a lie. You play a dangerous game," he said as he crossed his legs, getting as comfortable as I think he was able to.
I smiled and dropped my arms, turning to look at him.
"Last I checked, it was only dangerous if you got caught. Have I been caught?" I tipped my head to the side, the smile still on my face.
I knew that he had all the power on his side. After all, I was well aware of the state I was in when he rescued me.
"Mmmmm," he said, non-commitally.
Infuriatingly frustrating man.
"I will not ask," he said, looking me in the eyes. "After all, every monster has its secrets."
The word 'monster' coming out of his mouth was enough to make me flinch.
My monster was both a blessing and a curse. Nothing could harm me, but I also had nothing to save me.
"I have a gift for you," he said unexpectedly and I looked up at him in surprise.
"A Silversmith weapon," he continued, handing me a dagger. "Do you understand what that entails?"
A Silversmith weapon was a special weapon, incapable of missing its target and guaranteeing death to whomever it struck. The downside was that after three hits, the dagger would disappear, melting back into the silver it was made of, never to be used again.
Growing up, this was one of the most coveted items ever. People would give up their entire fortunes to possess it.
Nowadays, it would easily sell for a few billion dollars.
It is what the Silversmiths were best known for and why their craftmanship was in such demand.
A dagger to kill a God… or a Fate… and it was in my hands.
I looked down at it without really seeing it.
"It is yours. Keep it with you and use it when needed. Protect yourself, Cub. Although I now know it is hard to kill you, it is probably not impossible."
I gave him a small smile, not saying anything either way.
I know how far I have been pushed, how far people have tested me… and I have always come back.
But he didn't need to know that.
"I will keep it save, Silver Smith, thank you," I said gratefully. This is the first time anyone had ever given me the means to protect myself and I cherished that.
"So, what were you watching?" He asked, turning his attention back to the tv, effectively ending the conversation.
"A drama on the Westward Expansion towards the end of the 19th century," I said.
I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. Viktor Van Helsing had been there for me since our first interaction. He was the first person to give me a way to protect myself and he was also the first to come to my rescue.
For that, I would step out on a limb and see how much I could truly trust the Monster Hunter.
"Really? Is it any good?"
"Yes and no. For pure entertainment, it is amazing… but it is not the most historically accurate depiction that I have ever seen," I replied, keeping my eyes on the screen.
He looked at me, understanding what I was doing, and what I was telling him.
"It's a shame," he said, not a hint of what he was thinking on his face. "I feel that way about some of the Van Helsing movies my Beta has made me watch."
"Well, it's not like they could know for sure," I smiled, thinking of some of the books and movies I have read and watched about monsters.
Humans were as fascinated by us as we were uninterested in them…
"Some days you just want to knock the directors upside the head with what they come up with. I'm sure that Vlad gets pissed at how old he is said to be. I know that he was not out fighting the Turkish to protect his castle and family."
"Mmmmm…." said Viktor, undoing the top button of his dress shirt. "And I'm sure that the Gypsies get upset that their importance is not as appreciated as it should be. Not to mention constantly being shown as thieves and liars."
"At least they got Pandora right," I replied as I pressed play again and wrapped a blanket back around me. Grabbing a handful of popcorn, I stuffed it in my mouth.
"You think they got Pandora right?" He asked surprised.
"Sure," I replied turning to look at him. "After all, she released the monsters onto the world and kept hope all for herself. Just think about it, Pandora had a box that was in the possession of her family for generations. Then in a moment of rage, she opened it up, allowing the monsters to come out."
Mother was good at that at least, keeping the best parts for herself. Too bad it backfired when Fate took hope into their own hands.
"Do you think she got whatever it was that she wanted?" Viktor asked as he focused on the tv, allowing me to study him.
"No, I don't think she did. And I am sure that she was as upset as everyone else when she opened the box but had no control over what came out."
"No control?" He questioned.
"Nope. As with everything else, it was up to the Fates to decide what hand people were dealt with. Did you not notice that the monsters only brought out what was already inside a person?"
"In the end, she was only human," he said softly not bothering to answer my statement. He took a few small kernels of popcorn from my bowl and slowly ate them.
I hummed in agreement. Pandora was only human, and like most humans, she died with regrets in her heart.