When the world slowly returned to him, Malachai felt so different, it was like he was a different wolf. Well, technically, he was. The first thing he noticed was that everything was much louder, like something that had been clogging his ear canals was removed while he slept. He could now hear everything that was said in the building, like everyone on staff at the club was in the room with him. This ability could come in handy, he thought.
After ten minutes spent gaining control of the sensitivity of his hearing, he risked opening his eyes, after cleaning out what seemed like a years’ worth of gunk holding them shut. Luckily, the only difference with his sight was that it appeared sharper. Easing himself into a seated position, he noticed something odd about his tail. It was quite…big. It seemed to have swollen to the size of one he had seen before, and before he could put two and two together, the proverbial devil walked into the room.
“How are you feeling today, love?” Julius asked with his back to Malachai, as he closed the door. Malachai responded, “Pretty damn good, except I think I took your tail.” Julius laughed at this, and turning, yelped slightly as he laid eyes on his mate. Lowering his ears slightly, he said off-handedly, “ That’s, uh, not the only thing you ‘took’, as you so eloquently put it.” As he said this, he pointed toward the Armour on the opposite side of the room.
Gasping, and reaching a hand up to his face, Malachai was quite dumbfounded by what he saw: All over his body, in the same places yet opposing color, were the marks Julius had on his. “ That's quite, odd, yet awesome.” Malachai said, “ It's like a part of you will be with me where you aren't, as a loving reminder.” he said this last bit with a huge smile, which was returned as Julius said, “ They suit you, if I may say so. Seeing as you aren't flinching at my every word, I take it you're used to at least your new hearing.”
Malachai replied, “ It took a little bit, but yeah, I did. That's quite the useful ability. What other tricks do I have?” Julius laughed at this, “ Plenty more, most of which you will learn after your initiation, in a week or two. For now, you need to stretch your legs, and get something to eat. Also, you need to stay inside during the daytime until you get your ring, which protects you from the Sun. I'll tell you more about the rings, and answer any other questions you may have over lunch.” With that he motioned Malachai out of bed, helping him to his feet.
Surprised by the weakness in his legs, Malachai knew he would have fell if not for Julius' help. He started walking slowly around the room with his mate by his side until he was confident, then made a few more laps by himself. When he was satisfied, Julius took Malachai by the hand, leading him through the door, heading deeper into the building, away from the club. A short way down the hall, turning left around a corner, there stood a set of double doors, which seemed to open inwards as if activated by they're prescience.
Inside was a medium-sized cafeteria, with long tables on either side giving enough room in between for foot traffic, stopping short of a long counter that stood at the opposite side of the room, with a dozen or more people bustling about. The pair headed towards this area, meeting with a rat who turned out to be the head chef, “ Good morning master Julius, and Mr...” “ Malachai” Julius interjected, “ Ah, Mr. Malachai. What type do you prefer, if any?” Malachai started at this, “ Type of what?” Julius laughed, “ He's new to the scene, so get us both A positive to start, to see if we have similar tastes.” The rat then said, “ Certainly, Master. I'll have it sent to you right away.” At this, and before Malachai could ask any questions, Julius led the way to the closest table on the right side, him on the end and Malachai across from him.
“What was that all about, with types, and A positive? Does that mean blood?” Julius replied, “ You got it. We vampires only get sustenance from blood, only eating and drinking real food for fun and appearance. Can't look suspicious ordering blood at a mortal restaurant, eh?” Malachai laughed at that, “ I guess not. Does alcohol affect us at all?” Julius nodded, “ It does, but not as easily as it does with mortals. Also, no other drugs seem to affect us, no normal ones anyway...” He refused to elaborate, and swiftly changed the subject, “ Anyway, as you could have guessed, most Vampires around here call me master, since I'm high ranked amongst them. Without going too into the details now, lets say I'm like the president of a company.
Vlad is Vice President, and Yap is one of his CEO’s.” The 'food' was then served, after which Julius showed Malachai how to eat it. He surprisingly loved it, considering what it was. After showing his approval, the waiter bowed, and left them to their meal. Shortly into the meal, Julius continued, “ Now, about the rings. Firstly, we have mages that create them, imbuing them with wards that protect us from the sun. Secondly, they have different precious stones depending on our rank, mine being the most precious, a diamond.
Thirdly, in order for the wards to last, the stone must be soaked in virgin blood on the night of the full moon. Otherwise it's just a regular ring, but can be revitalized centuries later and work like new. Lots of rings have been lost over the years, either for good, or ending up in the possession of mortals as family heirlooms, to be passed-down through the generations. There's also a symbol on top to represent rank, which we'll get to another time.”
Finishing up, the waiter returned to remove their bowls and utensils, exchanging thank you's and good-bye's before the pair left. As they headed back to the room to get changed, Malachai remarked, “ This place looks smaller on the outside; I never would have guessed that big dining area was back there.” Julius smiled, and said, “ There's a lot more to this place, most of it underground.” Entering the bedroom and closing the door behind them, they decided to spend some 'quality time' together before getting dressed. When they were finished, they got into Malachai's car and headed towards his soon to be old house.
