why do we suffer?

@ momentai.
Drystan smirked a little as he peeked in on Aria. She was asleep and her breathing was heavy. The very smell of her blood coursing through her veins made his mouth water. This was a great idea. Taking a human for himself in exchange for quite a large debt had turned out to be a great idea - her blood tasted as divine as it smelled. Of course, she was new to his home and didn't like him too much but he was sure that she would warm up to him. If not, it didn't bother him - this was the price that her family had paid to relieve their debts... They had just given up their daughter to him - so she had better get used to it. "Wakey wakey." He said as he moved slowly forward, like he was stalking his prey. He pounced, sinking his fangs into her neck.

Maddie awoke in her same quiet room, cursing Alec's name underneath her breath. It had been what - a few months now and she was still stuck here, in the grasps of a vampire. She was his food supply as well as his little house slave and she had given up counting the days - it only made them longer. She thought her family would come to rescue her, to get her away from such a beast but once she had reached 100 she knew the fight was over. She had to just get used to her new life. She knew that yet still she didn't succumb easily - she still had her dignity. She was still looking for a way out - and close to finding it. Maddie rolled out of bed, descending the stairs and going to make herself breakfast, hoping to delay Alec's.

Aria had been having trouble sleeping ever since she was forced to live in the house. It was bad enough that she'd stir at every creak and wake from nightmares at all hours of the night, but Drystan didn't make things any easier when he disturbed her sleep to feed. She'd only been sleeping and hour or so when she heard his voice and panic immediately filled her, though she hadn't had time to react before he pounced on her. She cried out when he sank his fangs into her neck and she slammed her fist against his head in hopes of getting him to go away. "Stop it!" she snapped, overly irritated and frustrated with how her life had turned out.

When Alec woke, he immediately felt his throat itch from hunger. He tried not to feed from Maddie every day, but having her in the house, her scent floating everywhere and surrounding him, made it hard to wake without the temptation to feed. Climbing from his bed, he made his way downstairs, following Maddie's scent since it seemed like she wasn't in her room. He could hear noises from the kitchen as well. Since it had been a few days since he last fed from her, he figured it wouldn't be such a bad thing to feed tonight. When he spotted her, he arched an eyebrow and couldn't help but to announce, "I'm starving."

@ momentai.
Drystan smirked a little into her neck at her feeble chances of getting away. He had his fangs buried deeply in her neck and it wasn't like having her hit him was going to stop him. He liked the fight though - he liked having her surprise and feeling her heart race, pumping the blood right onto his eager tongue. He pinned her arms to her side and finished his breakfast, pulling away from her. He didn't feed from her every day but when he did, he liked to make it like a hunting experience, the way it was supposed to be. Her blood was just so good - so tempting. "You know, if you didn't fight, it would be easier! You just have to relax and then it's over faster!" He chuckled.

Maddie jumped a little at the sound of his voice. She expected to have a little bit more time before he woke up, but of course her expectations were never a reality. "Well I'm sure you could find an unsuspecting human wandering out there somewhere. Maybe you'll even get lucky and find a drunk one so you can just be drunk of the day." She said, trying to act nonchalant while also silently begging him to not bite her. He wasn't all that bad of a person when he was just acting normally but she went back to hating him every time that he bit her. That was why she could never like him. He was evil - he had taken her from her family and now used her as food. Didn't he know it wasn't polite to play with his food?

Aria's eyes narrowed at him and she was quick to press her hand to her neck. "How can I relax when you attack me like that?" she asked, her voice angry and annoyed. "How can you expect me to not fight you when it hurts? Are you that cruel?" She glared at him as she moved to sit up, though she felt dizzy for a moment from the blood loss. She hated it here and she hated him. All she wanted was to go home and pretend none of this had ever happened, but she honestly felt betrayed by her parents as well because they had given her up to him so easily. Didn't they know how awful he was?

"I don't think hunting will be very fun today," Alec drawled out in response as he eyed her for a few moments, an eyebrow arched as he tilted his head slightly. "Besides, I don't think I'll like anybody's blood tonight besides yours." The smell of her had completely overwhelmed his senses and he doubted he'd be satisfied for the night until he had her blood. And, the longer he waited for it, the hungrier he would get. Hadn't she learned that by now as well? "Just let me have my meal, then I'll leave you be so that you can enjoy your own meal," he added on casually and though it sounded like a request, it was clear he was expecting her to agree.

Drystan rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I am not being that cruel... I am just eating, just like you have to eat. I feed you the nourishment you need and I take my nourishment from you every so often... I can't help it that your blood is just so distracting." He chuckled and then pulled her up. "See, now it can be time for your breakfast and I'll leave you to your own devices for the rest of the day? Is that good enough for you?" He said. He liked having her here. He had been alone for so long but he also didn't know how exactly to handle her. They were from two different worlds.

The sound of his voice saying that he liked her blood made her shudder in pure disgust. Everything that he did disgusted her all the more. She had tried to like him.. She really had. But every time he wanted to feed she was filled with such dread that she couldn't help it anymore. She crossed her arms and ran a hand through her hair... "Okay... okay... Just get it over with." She said, tears coming to her eyes and she couldn't help her breath hitching quickly. She always dreaded his fangs and did whatever she could normally to keep him away. But she wasn't in the mood to fight.

"Except your eating hurts people, including me," Aria muttered quietly, though she glanced away from him. She hated when he fed from her, but she hated it even more when he acted as though feeding from her was no big deal. He didn't understand humans, obviously, but it wasn't as though she expected him to, anyways. "You'll leave me alone completely tonight? Promise?" she asked, because she really didn't want to be bothered by him.

There was a certain thrill that ran through Alec when she agreed to let him feed. Her blood was his favorite and he never bothered hiding it, though he was troubled with the issue of hurting her when she fed and of her hating him because he fed. Regardless, he smirked slightly. "It's always nice when you agree without a fight," he purred as he made his way over. Gently, his hand ran through her hair, pushing it out of the way before he sank his fangs into her neck.

Drystan rolled his eyes. He tried to be nice to her... He really did, but sometimes his feral instincts just took over and he couldn't help it at all... "Do you hate me that much that that really gets you excited?!" He asked with a slight growl and then shook his head. "But fine - if that's what you want... I'll leave you alone for the night... As long as you still agree to the rules like no going outside and no trying to get away. I think we could be friends if you give me a chance.." He said with a frown.

Maddie shuddered a little as he approached her. His body being so close to her made her blood run cold. She didn't have time to respond to him, disgusted with his words, as he pressed his fangs into her neck. She pressed her hands against his chest, pushing back slightly so that he didn't get too close. She just prayed for it to be over quickly and tensed her whole body, making herself shake slightly in anguish. Her neck stung more intensely the longer his fangs were in her neck and she just tried to relax.

Aria snorted quietly and brushed past him so that she could go downstairs to eat. "I'd give you a chance if you didn't feed off me," she reminded him once she passed him and walked down the stairs. She didn't say anything else and she hoped that he would just keep to his word and leave her alone so that she could at least enjoy one night of peace by herself.

Alec only drank enough to fill him up. He tried to avoid taking too much when it came to Maddie, because it wasn't as though he liked hurting her. Blood was just his source of food, his way to survive. That wasn't his fault and he wished that Maddie could see that. When he pulled away, he eyed her for a moment. "Not feeling dizzy or anything, are you?" he asked quietly.

Drystan growled in annoyance. "I don't do it just for fun, Aria... It's nourishment just like the food you eat." He said and started to follow her towards the stairs, to continue to bother her - but then he remembered their agreement. "If you ...get bored or something... I'll be in the living room." He said quietly.

When his fangs were finally out of her neck, she reached back and held the counter. She was just happy for it to be done and she avoided looking at him. "I'm a little dizzy... as always... I'm always dizzy after you're done." She said, reaching up and feeling the bite marks as her eyes danced with stars for a moment.

"Then get blood bags or something. You don't have to constantly hurt people to feed," Aria grumbled, though she hoped that he couldn't hear her since she was in the kitchen and he was apparently heading to the living room. She didn't want to argue with him; she just wished that living with him was easier.

"Sorry," Alec said gently and he was genuine in his apology. He didn't like the state that she was left in each time after he fed, but there wasn't much he could do about it. "I hear sugar helps with dizziness. Do you want me to have something sweet brought here for you?" He did want to help her, after all.

Drystan thought about what he said. He lasted a total of five minutes before he wanted to bother her again. "Would that make you happier?" He asked her, walking out to the kitchen where she still was. "I know you don't like me or what I am but I think you could at least enjoy living here with me." Behind that tough exterior, he was trying to open up to her, slowly.

Maddie licked her lips and nodded her head. "Yeah..." She said in acceptance to his apology and then smiled at him offering her something sweet. That sounded like a great idea and she couldn't help but perk up a little, smiling at him. "Yeah, that would actually be really nice." She said, blushing by the excitement in her voice. She didn't want him to think she was okay being here.

Aria sighed heavily when he made it clear he wasn't going to keep to his promise. How long had he lasted without bothering her? Just a few minutes? He could have put more effort into keeping his promise, but she didn't say anything about it. "Yes," she said simply, "It's bad enough my parents gave me up so easily but you make it worse when you feed from me."

Alec smiled slightly when he heard the excitement in her voice and noticed the blush on her cheeks. With amusement, he parted her head gently and pulled out his cell phone so he could search up places that delivered desserts. "Is there anything specific you'd want to eat?" he asked her, figuring that might make it easier to decide what place to call.

Drystan sighed a little at her answer but nodded his head. He was trying to be understanding, but he was also an addict to her blood. "I will be better about not feeding from you... but that doesn't mean I don't get a treat every once in a while, okay? Just like I can treat you... your home is here now and I want you to be okay with that." Her being here was so new and something he had to get used to.

Maddie blushed a little as he patted her head. Why did he treat her like a child - they weren't that different in age, she thought. "Ooo, I don't know... Ice cream." She said happily. "No, brownies - ugh what I wouldn't give for a brownie sundae right now." She said lost in her thoughts as she knew that a vampire like him would hardly understand her sweets obsession.

Aria wasn't too happy with his answer, but she left it as it was because there was clearly no getting through to him. No matter how much she complained or even when she suggested he try a different method like blood bags. Sighing, she returned her attention back to getting her food prepared. "Fine," she muttered quietly, "Will you leave me alone now?"

"A brownie sundae?" Alec repeated, though he offered a small nod. "So... I should contact an ice cream parlor." He looked through his phone, because even he kept up with the technological advances of humans. It didn't take long to find a place that delivered and he called, placing the order, before he hung up and looked at her. "They should be here shortly," he assured her.

Drystan sighed and nodded his head. "Fine - I will leave you alone." He said and crossed his arms, leaving the kitchen and going back to the living room. She was hard to read and he didn't know what he was doing wrong. He couldn't help that he was addicted to her blood like he was...

Maddie blushed a little and looked away from him. He probably couldn't understand her need for sweets and the excitement that she had behind her order. She didn't like him but for a second she thought that he wasn't so bad. "Um... thank you, Alec.." She said with a blush.

Aria sighed in relief, though she had been so distracted by the conversation that her food had burnt. With another sigh, one that was far from the relieved one from moments ago, she tossed the food in the trash and settled on making popcorn. She wished things were easier hear, but everything about this place only served to frustrate her more.

Alec hadn't expected her to say anything else, much less for her to actually thank him. He stared at her for a moment, taking in her gratitude and wondering how he'd earned that, but he became distracted by the blush upon her cheeks. "Are you embarrassed because you thanked me?" he asked, though he was mostly trying to figure out how humans worked.

Drystan was overly frustrated by everything. He sat on the couch just absorbed in his thoughts. He was trying - couldn't she see that? He knew he wasn't the easiest person to get along with but he was trying for her... It wasn't his fault - but he knew it wasn't hers either. Maybe leaving her alone would be the best thing he could do for her... He could try.

Maddie shrugged to his question and looked away. "I don't know." She said softly and crossed her arms, not wanting to look at him. "You're just not exactly the easiest to live with... And I'm not used to your kindness - and I don't want to be bought..." She blushed even more at finally vocalizing her feelings.

At least Drystan seemed to be giving her space now. Aria was more than relieved with that. As the microwave beeped with the popcorn, she moved to grab it out. She decided to settle on eating her food in the kitchen since she worried that going in the living room to go to her room would just make Drystan follow her. She wished she could watch tv with the popcorn, though.

---

"Bought?" Alec asked with an arched brow. "Who said I was buying you?" He shook his head slightly and leaned against the wall as he watched her with a small frown. "I'm merely trying to ensure that you're at least a little more comfortable here. You're so set on avoiding me or hating me that it makes things difficult and I think that needs to be fixed."