Vampire Heart 36

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Scroll 37: Courtly Love
Naoko smiled as she bit into the brownies the Claude had baked for lunch. "I love you," Naoko said after she swallowed the brownie.
"You're welcome," Claude replied with a laugh.
"I love you too," Vicente grinned as he swallowed another brownie.
"When she says it it's cute. When you say it, it's just creepy," Claude replied.
Nora laughed, "I guess poor nutrition is my only concern about you living on your own."
"I have my vamps here," Naoko motioned to the vampires, "So, I'm never alone, really."
"How do you make money?" Nora asked.
"I'm pleading the fifth," Naoko said before sipping at her glass of milk.
"Ditto," Vicente grinned.
"Me as well," Claude added.
"Uhhh..." Jaden sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"If they accidentally kill somebody while feeding, they rob their wallets of cash," Dameon said simply.
"Oh..." Nora muttered, wide-eyed.
"Yeah..." Vicente rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "So, I'm a multi-millionaire."
"How long have you been a vampire?" Nora asked.
"About five hundred years," Vicente replied.
"What age are you eternally?" Nora asked.
"How old do I look?" Vicente asked.
"20 or so," Nora shrugged.
"I'm 522," Vicente replied.
"You do like older men," Nora turned to Naoko.
"Mom!" Naoko hissed, trying to mask her embarrassment.
"So, Mistress..." Vicente trailed off.
"Hmm?" Naoko asked.
"Can't be too far away from you and I need to get something," Vicente said simply.
"Alright," Naoko stood up from the table, "I'll be right back down."
"Okay?" Nora replied as she watched her daughter take Vicente's hand and lead him up the stairs. Dameon, Claude and Jaden were all sipping from their glasses of milk when Nora turned to them, "Do they have a sexual relationship?"
Jaden and Dameon coughed on the milk and Claude spat it back into his glass. "No, why?" Dameon choked.
"Sorry about that," Nora said sheepishly. "It just seems like they're more romantically involved than they were when I first met Vicente."
"They're romantically involved closer to the way of courtly love than a physical relationship," Dameon said simply.
"Naoko's in love with him," Nora commented.
"Vicente wants nothing more than to get over his pride and tell her that he loves her," Dameon explained.
"How is their relationship courtly?" Claude asked.
"They don't see each other as sexual conquests. I'd be willing to bet on Vicente's virginity, in fact. They appreciate each other in a deep way, more than words can explain. That's why Vicente's stupid actions are easily forgiven. She appreciates him for more than what girls would call a boyfriend," Dameon replied.
"You can see that with her, too." Jaden agreed. "She loves that he'd do anything for her and she feels the need to do whatever she can for him. She doesn't know what she does to make him want to risk his life to save her."
"What does she do?" Nora asked.
"She showed him love," Dameon replied. "He used to think of himself as a dragon that trapped the princess, and I told her that. She talked to him and he has a less bleak outlook on himself."
"Her kindness and acceptance are what he was searching for for 522 years," Claude explained.
"What did you need?" Naoko asked as they stepped into the bedroom.
Vicente hopped over the bed and held up a bandana. He flattened his hair and tied the bandana around his head. "My hair's making me sweat."
Naoko nodded, "You're lying."
Vicente blushed, "You can tell?"
"I always know," she replied as she sat on the bed.
Vicente rolled over to face her on the bed, "So, I'm tired and this is my trick to try and get you to let me sleep."
Naoko kissed his forehead, "You can't sleep yet."
"But, Naoko.." Vicente whined. "I was thinking," Vicente's tone was even again.
"About what?" Naoko asked.
"Since we've both seen each other, can we just sleep nude?" Vicente asked. Naoko blushed and hit him with a pillow. "Preferably you," Vicente added and got hit again. "Okay, just me?" he smirked.
Naoko shook her head, "You're getting bold."
"I hate clothes. Especially on you," Vicente said, getting hit again. "They do nothing for your natural beauty..."
Naoko stood up, "Let's go."
"Well, they don't..." Vicente muttered as he slid across the bed.
"I must say that the bandana adds to your bad boy air," Naoko commented when Vicente stood behind her.
Vicente smirked, "Anything else I can do?"
"You're liable to get hit," Naoko warned him.
"You're the only one I let bully me," Vicente replied with a shrug.
Naoko stopped when she felt his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulders. "Wake up!"
"B-but I'm tired..." Vicente mumbled.

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Vampire Heart 38