Camus hated the scent of this town beyond the Harker Abode, compare to the immaculate and enticing fragrance Holly gifted him before, this entire place was pungent and unsafe. Everyone was wary of one another. Despite the big dislike for the mess and odor, the blonde attendant remained aloof–an expression he only wore when he was not in the presence of his wards. His other side was only meant for them and this side of him didn't need to be known. Two slayers accompanied him, all wearing half masks covering their eyes.

"Here you are," They found their target, curled in an almost fetal position in a narrow alleyway hidden from anyone's view.

A heaving man with clammy pale and almost bluish skin was drooped against the wall unbothered by the stacks of rubbish and rotting flesh next to him. He was dirty, his clothes were torn, and worse—his neck was wounded, and the puncture marks on it were larger than normal.

The slayer on Camus' left tsk-ed, "Good riddance, we thought you were already dead! You even sent us a picture along with that letter!"

"I want to be d-detailed, an i-important information that Lord Harker would find useful" Their target had a hard time talking, his breathing was short and uneven, and he was sweating in cold. "I wanted to give it myself b-but the barriers..." He no longer completed his sentence, wincing in a surge of pain.

"You did the right thing, if you attempted going straight to the mansion in this state, you would have brought a bigger trouble" Camus declared icily, his narrowed gaze focused on the large puncture holes on the fallen man's neck.

There was an attempt again to move, reaching an arm to Camus, "H-help me...Lord Harker agreed to–"

"Yes we are aware of the agreement, it's why we are here" Camus cut him off, "We will take care of you as soon as we are done getting more information that might have not been stated in the letter"

With a rabid nod of the head from the suffering slayer, he wholly believed he would have a chance to live and be with his family again. "Most vampires who were present in the carnage were Rapids. B-but...someone else–" He coughed, blood trickled out the side of his lips. "--is making them do the bidding"

Rapids or Mindless as Camus knew were the lowest types of vampires, all the roaming monsters in the woods of this country and underground sewers fall into this classification too. Dangerous they might be but they would need someone with a strong influence to make them specifically target the Enchants' caravan. And the message left on the fae prince's back...

A warning to the Lord and Lady Harker. His hands clenched into fists.

The slayer on the right muttered, only loud enough for Camus to hear. "We already acquired what we need, Camus, he is beyond anyone's saving"

"I know" Camus sighed, "It's not like I planned on trying to salvage him in the first place"

From the dirty ground, dirty blue fat caterpillars crawled up to the man's arms and went straight for the puncture holes—it tried getting inside to suck on the man's blood and flesh at the same time. More of those blue fat caterpillars came to feast on him.

"Don't leave me here..." The agonizing slayer pleaded, raising a shaky hand for them. "I told you everything I know, please, my friends..."

Camus was unfazed, "You have been a commendable slayer servicing our Lord Harker, the money will be given today to your family for their use. It will be a hefty sum that shall be more than enough for them to use. You will not be forgotten, my friend"

"No Camus! Save me! Please–"

The three men turned their back on him and walked away without another word, they heard him scream in pain pretty sure the caterpillars were already making a feast out of him.

Death is natural, in this world and what I do, I can't feel bad. Camus thought, once they were far away from the stinky venue, he turned to the two slayers in black. "Report back to the abode immediately, I need to take care of another errand"

They gave him a curt nod and left.

There was a coffee shop owned by a dhampir nearby, it was one of the most casual and what Camus would refer to as 'normal' in the sense that humans and other creatures could come without the fear of being someone's snack. The owner was not someone to be underestimated, he made it clear that his coffee shop wouldn't be stained with any malicious actions or killings or he would eradicate them himself.

Fresh coffee beans wafted through the blonde attendant's senses as he stepped inside, there weren't many customers inside yet since it had just opened. Except for a hooded figure at the far end sitting patiently in a booth. Camus went to the cash register to order some coffee before joining the hooded stranger in the booth.

He sat across from him on the table, "You look weird with a cap and hoodie shirt on."

"It's hot and uncomfortable yes, I look comical" The stranger stated nonchalantly, through the cap, blue strands of hair were peeking out. "Any reason for us to meet again in a mundane location?"

Camus crossed his fingers in front of him. "It will be odd if I go straight to the hotel, your brother will either charge me double by just wanting an audience with you or beat the shit out of me"

"Klaus does not despise you, but he hates losing either. You always were ahead of him when you used to work with us." Crystal amber eyes looked at Camus, "So what is this about? You will not ask me to meet you just to try this shop's coffee"

The blonde attendant shook his head, slightly amused. "Wisdom, I need your help...can this be kept between us? Your siblings included, but depends on you on how much you're going to tell them" His expression was serious.

Wisdom remained a visage of unpredictability, his handsome features through the hood and cap were void of anything. "Ah...you are finally going to tell where you went after leaving Tourmaline Hotel"

The coffee order finally came, Camus had a small smile amidst the tenseness of the situation and he pushed the other grande-sized coffee towards Wisdom. "Yes, somewhat related to that"

-*-

An expansive venue behind the main mansion was built for gatherings within the fortified walls of the ever-extravagant Harker abode. For as long as Evangeline could remember this venue had been witnessed on frequent occasions where their father and mother would have guests garbed in unfathomable but equally lavish outfits, they had decorated masks either covering their full face or part of it.

This was no different from before. Everyone inside the venue was brimming with mystery.

Evangeline had been standing there clad in a lilac dress lined with gold and silver, with ruffles and shimmering due to the rhinestones, pearls, and other studs attached to the expensive fabric. She was atypical in the crowd of everyone almost garbed in dark and muted colors. She took more than an hour to fix her hair too.

Where are my sisters? We promised to be present today... She had been delighted after confirming the news of this event from their parents, her reaction was the most animated and she couldn't be called or taken out of her room since she began preparation.

But being here alone, Evangeline felt her feet hurting in the shoes she chose to wear to go with the dress. The excitement already drained out of her system.

Sighed, "Maybe this was not such a good idea..." Her sister Ariadne's statement echoed back–about the fact that not everyone found interest or saw the gorgeous clothes she always put on–that plummeted Evangeline's mood further down.

"How much will it cost to hire their services for this case?"

"Expensive, I tell you. It has to be more than what you pay everyone here for. This is a suicidal task and we do not have any guarantee the Slayers you will employ are going to come out of the location in one piece or breathing"

The flow of conversation nearby drew Evangeline's attention in–she didn't hear everything but the familiarity of the one talking got her, she turned to the right and saw their father talking to an elderly pristine, and intimidating man. The youngest Harker decided to approach closer without being too obvious.

Father looks too staid at such a huge social gathering, is he still working? He should let loose and have fun. Evangeline observed, that their father didn't disclose his work details on them, their mother would just say they were in the flower business, distributing bouquets to flower stores or anyone who ordered from them.

With how taut he appeared right now even from a distance, it was hard to believe their father was in the business of selling flowers. Or perhaps Mother was the one primarily doing it.

But what are they talking about? What costs money?

"It will not be a problem, you do know money is never an issue with me. I want to get a solidified affirmation that–"

A pair of arms wrapped around Evangeline's shoulders, "Evie! I've been looking for you!"

Turning around, it was Arabella wearing a modest, sophisticated dress that matched the forest green color of her eyes. The youngest Harker noticed the paleness of her sister and next to them of course was Duckie with a ribbon around its neck matching its owner.

"To think mother and father allowed us to be here but we are instructed not to interact with anyone, what's the point?" Evangeline voiced out with subtle disappointment and annoyance, it also added to her irkness that some were eyeing them either with disdain or raised eyebrows.

Arabella held onto her sister's arm, "Perhaps it's a bad idea to be on this occasion? I am getting sleepy"

"Yes same here, I was even excited...Ari is right about it being a bore" Evangeline pouted.

A familiar servant came to them, she had a bright smile on and the uniform she wore was more formal than usual. "Young misses! We brought some snacks to the buffet tables that you might be interested in, would you like some? I am going to get large servings for you two!"

-*-

"Miss Holly, you should not be out here" Camus found the eldest daughter standing in the garden area, looking up at the cloudless dark sky filled with stars.

Holly did not look at him and kept her gaze up, "Camus, please return inside and look after my sisters" She declared softly.

This made Camus chuckle a bit, he walked closer until he was standing by her side. "They are well, Evie and Ara are eating sweets while Alanis is with Ariadne. So far they are keeping to themselves just as what they are told to do"

"Won't it be nice if one day we would get a chance to attend a proper gathering or a ballroom where we can acquaint ourselves with other people? I also want to dance..."

Hearing this, Camus walked around to stand before Holly. "May I?"

"...may I what?" Holly tilted her head in confusion.

Camus laughed a little at her denseness, he took her by the hand and went on a dancing position. His other hand wrapped around her back. "You look splendid in your garb, Holly" The eldest sister was in a pastel pink dress with a low neckline and decorated with small budding red roses while her long wavy black hair was tied up in a French knot and had small flowers on it.

"Thank you," Holly gave a small smile as they began to slow dance in a tune only they could hear. After minutes of basking in silence, she asked. "Are you not getting tired of seeing us every day, Camus? You've been working for my parents since before"

The blonde attendant leaned closer, his sky-blue eyes gleaming with an emotion never shown to others. Only for her. "I will never get tired, I'll tell you a secret..." Camus intentionally breathed in her ear, "Seeing your faces every day brings me joy, especially yours..."

"Do not talk to me that way" Holly palmed his face and pushed it away from her.

This made Camus laugh and Holly joined him as well.