Vladimir smiled back while Nightwing's nickered in reply. "I think he likes you too." he said softly.

He continued to stare, seeing Daemon's eyes closed in content. The young man's warm heart and love for the large beast was oddly adorable. He continued to watch them bond with one another until the sun was going down just as Nightwing was getting playful, biting Daemon's hair gently. He never saw Nightwing like that in so long. Like the castle, Nightwing slowly lost his personality and became a stallion that would still obey it's master, but each time he was let out of his stall to roam, he never pranced or galloped.

"Daemon, we should say "Goodnight."" Vladimir said softly.

Daemon chuckled when the horse grabbed his hair, not enough to break strands off, but enough to be playfully tugging. He smiled at the horse and gently took his hair back.

"I'm not for you to eat, Nightwing.." his voice just as playful as the horse.

When Daemon heard Vladimir speak, he turned to look out of the stable. The sun was in fact going down and he should let the horse rest up and eat. He nodded and gently ran his hand through Nightwing's mane.

"I will be back here tomorrow to feed you and all that. Goodnight you beautiful stallion."

He cooed before he walked towards the door of the stables, waiting for Vladimir.

Vladimir gently pet Nightwing's muzzle. "Rest up for tomorrow, friend." he said softly. Nightwing nudged into him affectionately and walked off slowly to continue eating his hay.

Vladimir walked out of the stable slowly and closed the gate before walking back to the castle toward the front. He needed to get a back door. He walked into the castle slowly after the doors opened and he removed his cloak to hang it on the coat tree.

Daemon followed Vladimir like a puppy would. When he went inside the front door after the man, he closed it as gently as he could. The house seemed to creak all the time from the doors opening and closing. He smiled.

"Thank you. I'm really thankful that I got to meet your horse. You two have a really strong bond.." his voice was soft and filled with gratitude.

He walked farther in and looked to the living room. He wondered if Vladimir would want him to play tonight or if that was going to start some other time. He turned his neon greens to the other man and kind of got lost staring at him. The man was one giant mystery but Daemon always loved a good puzzle. He wanted to know this man while he was here.

"I'm going to get the IV stand from upstairs." Vladimir said softly, before looking at Daemon. "Well you play for me tonight?"

Daemon nodded to Vladimir. "I'd be honored to do so. May I take the violin out?"

"You may. You can tune it the way you see fit. I shall be there shortly." Vladimir replied before walking towards the stairs and up them to the left.

Daemon lit up and he practically ran to the living room with excitement. He wanted to play already. He looked around the living room and found the violin case where Vladimir had left it earlier. He walked over to it, well, more like dove. He pulled the case onto his lap and flipped open the top after popping the locks. He gently took the violin and bow out, already recalling every note and bow stroke of his favorite pieces. He placed the case aside and pulled the bow over each string, adjusting them to fit many of the songs he wanted to play. He pulled the bow over each turned string to make sure they all fit his needs. He couldn't help himself and started to play his favorite piece on the violin.

He winced when his notes started out by squeaking. He continued to play from the beginning each time it did until he finally managed to get the notes to flow correctly and without the horrid squeak and squeal of the strings. He started out on high notes, his eyes falling to half mast. He loved violin music. It always soothed him. He continued to play high before dropping to C notes and then the deepest notes. The song flitted between the middle and low notes, creating a soft and relaxing melody. His neon greens were hidden behind his closed eyelids, letting the music completely surround him.

{I don't remember all the notes from when I played, but I do know the song. I don't know if you want it so you know, but yeah. ^^'}

(I don't mind ^^)

Vladimir walked downstairs with the IV stand and he paused when he heard the notes. He smiled hearing the song. It was so peaceful and soothing. He walked over to the saddle bags and picked up one of the blood bags, then walked over to the IV stand to hook it up and walked into the living room after inserting the needle into his arm and covering the insertion point.

Daemon was so caught up in the sound of the violin that he did'n't even hear Vladimir enter the room. His eyes remained closed and his fingers deftly navigated the strings as he went through the song he so loved. A small smile was on his lips. All in all, he looked rather peaceful and like he genuinely enjoyed playing because he really did.

Vladimir sat down in the chair slowly and watched him play. He loved seeing this side of Daemon and enjoyed watching his face. Soon, he laid his head back and closed his eyes as he continued listening to the song Daemon played, completely relaxed for the first time in centuries.

Daemon was too in love with the violin that he didn't want to stop, but he knew he may have to soon. His favorite song was coming to a close and even though he played it slower than it normally should be played, it was still too short for Daemon's liking. He finished the first song and didn't even open his eyes before he began another song. This one started out rather low and his fingers changed over to the middle notes as the song grew higher in pitch. It stayed relatively low or in the middle notes. He smiled to himself, loving the feeling of the violin. It was beautifully taken care of to still sound this beautiful even without being used for years he assumed. The song gradually turned to the higher notes. The song staying high and middle for a bit before dropping once more. This song was soothing and it was one of those songs Daemon played solely to relax himself when he was stressed.

{This one is "Only You", Winter Sonata- Only you}

Vladimir continued to relax, eventually finding himself falling asleep in the chair instead of his coffin. The IV continued to fill him with blood as he slept.

Daemon finished his second song and he smiled contently. He lowered the violin and opened his eyes. He finally noticed that Vladimir was there and he kind of jumped. He noticed the man was asleep and he gently placed the violin down in teh case and the bow was replaced back in the case before he closed it. He looked at Vladimir and noticed the man was actually less stern when he was asleep. He walked over to the man and sat next to him. He looked at the man and felt his own tiredness get the best of him. His own eyes closed and he slumped over on the couch, his head falling onto Vladimir's chest.

Vladimir continued to sleep peacefully throughout the night. The blood running through his veins from the IV gave him body heat and his heart began to beat slowly until it was at a regular pace for humans. He slowly awoke the next morning, blinking his eyes open until he was able to keep them open and he looked down to see Daemon laying his head against his chest. He couldn't help but smile. Daemon looked so adorable the way he was that he couldn't find it in him to move him, instead he gently ran his fingers through his inky locks. Being this close, he could smell Daemon's scent...it was sweeter than any humans he had met in the past.

He couldn't help but lean his head down to inhale Daemon's scent through his hair and gently exhale as he wrapped an arm around the young man to keep him close. Vladimir couldn't help it, he just smelled so sweet.

Daemon felt whatever it was under him shift but he really didn't want to wake up so he kept himself still. Daemon heard shifting and he gave a small moan of protest until he felt a weight pulling him closer to whatever it was he was already on. He curled himself even closer to the warm at his side, his left hand coming up to grip at the fabric of Vladimir's shirt, clutching tightly. Daemon fell back asleep but that didn't last very long. He started to whine and whimper, his breathing becoming erratic and frantic, like he'd just ran a marathon. His eyes welled with tears and a few slipped past his tightly shut eyes. His grip on Vladimir's shirt tightened and he pulled the fabric closer. He moaned and let out a breathy "no" followed by "stop".

Vladimir watched the young man in his arms begin to experience a night terror. He had no idea what to do. He did what he thought would relax him the most and started combing his fingers through Daemon's hair while softly humming the first song he heard Daemon play on the violin. He figured if it would work on a fearful child, it could work on Daemon.

Daemon's mind was so wrapped up in the nightmare that he almost didn't notice when Vladimir began to stroke his hair. Once his mind registered the feeling, it became distracted from the night terror. His captors faded to black and the rope securing him to the chair began an arm. The chair he was tied to was now a body. His mind registered it as Vladimir. Dream Daemon looked to the man he was sitting on and for some reason, it made him feel safe. He should have been awkward about it, but no. Daemon's body began to relax and his face relaxed once more. The grip he had on Vladimir's shirt loosened and he stopped whimpering. He continued to tremble from fright, but his tears stopped and Daemon moved himself closer to Vladimir, if that was even possible without sitting on the man. "vlad... mir.." the broken word coming out as a whisper.

"I'm here, Daemon. I'm right here." Vladimir said softly.

This delicate youth, like a flower afraid to bloom. Vladimir couldn't help but feel the need to protect him from anything, illusion or real. While the wolves would not dare pass the gates onto his property, he couldn't stop Daemon's fears from getting to him other than being there when they sprung up. He continued running his fingers through Daemon's hair and held him as close as he could without hurting the young man.

Daemon's eyes snapped open when he realized he had actually been talking in his sleep. He remained still and his breathing remained the same, but he was blushing like mad. Vladimir had witnessed his nightmare and the person who somewhat rescued him in his dream had been Vladimir as well. He couldn't have been more embarrassed. The older man was still petting his hair and Daemon felt his face burning. It calmed him but the man had only run his hand through the inky locks for a second before. Now it was pretty much petting. Daemon couldn't help but purr, not very well obviously, but what could be considered a human purr.

"Are you alright?" Vladimir asked softly. "What did you dream about?"

Daemon lifted his head and looked at Vladimir. The man was speaking so gently to him, as if he was going to break. Daemon sighed heavily and sunk back onto the man. He didn't know what else to do. "Torture..and not the good kind.."

Vladimir held him closer. The young man was sitting in his lap, cuddling him, and his sweet scent was hard to ignore. "You've only been here for a few days...and I feel like I needed you here for such a long time. I...I hope you don't find it...creepy."

He had to come out and say it. It was better to say something than to just sit there holding him and sniff his hair over and over. He wanted to be honest with this human that he's only known for a few days.

Daemon chuckled and merely brought his arms to hug Vladimir's neck, his face resting in the crook of his own arm. He ignored the throb of pain in his leg and arm and just sat where he was. He didn't think it was creepy for Vladimir to think something like that. He really didn't mind it either. It made him feel wanted and not for just what he could do for the person.

"S'not creepy... I know I've only been here a couple days but you've been so nice to me. It's kind of nice. Though I feel kind of the same. I mean, I probably needed someone like you. There for me. All that."

Daemon's cheeks flushed bright red as he spoke. He sounded so cheesy to himself.

Vladimir smiled and looked at the blood bag hanging from the IV stand. The bag was empty. He'd never emptied a blood bag in one night. Then again, he couldn't really remember the last time he'd had a drink. He looked down at Daemon again and rubbed his back slowly.

"You're so kind to an old man like me. Normally, I scare people off." Vladimir said softly.

Daemon loved the way the man's hand felt on his back. It was calming and it soothed Daemon's rustled nerves. He sighed contently and gently grabbed a strand of Vladimir's hair, running his fingers over the snowy lock. It was really soft.

"You did save my life. You scared me at first because your face was so stern and kind of menacing. You scared off wolves so you're bound to be scary. But, after actually looking at you, you aren't that scary at all. Especially when you sleep. Your face is so relaxed."

Vladimir looked down feeling Daemon run his fingers over a silvery lock of his hair. He looked over at Daemon after pausing for a few moments. "You know...I don't think I let you bathe. That was quite rude of me."

Daemon suddenly grew very self conscious of his body odor. He hadn't realized he hadn't really taken a bath. He paled and sat back, placing his hands on his knees. "I-I apologize, I probably don't smell all that good... and you've been very close to me. Oh goddess.. that's embarrassing." he shrunk back a bit, not wanting to be too close to Vladimir.

Vladimir chuckled softly. "That's quite alright. That was my fault. Allow me to show you where...well, where one of the bathrooms is."

He waited until Daemon was off his lap to remove the IV needle from his arm and he stood to lead Daemon up the stairs and into one of the many bathrooms of the castle. It was modern as well, with sand-colored walls, marble flooring, granite counter tops and three sinks. The toilet was made of stainless steel. The bath itself looked more like a small swimming pool that was round, big enough to fit many people in it at one time with showerheads built into the ceiling. The controls for the shower and the bath were built into the wall above the tub and the curtain had an unclear look so all you saw was the blur of the person in the tub.

Daemon, once off the man, followed Vladimir up the stairs. He continued to trail after the man until they came to the bathroom. Daemon looked at the bathroom and immediately his jaw dropped. He snapped it shut and just stared at the whole thing. It was just as beautiful as the house and it was modern to boot. He blinked and looked to the tub. It was huge! He walked into the bathroom and looked at the bath. It was pretty big and the shower heads were built into the ceiling. It was all so lavish that Daemon felt like he shouldn't even use it. The tub could easily fit us both... wait.. what? He blushed at his own thought.

"You're bathroom is huge.. It's all so lavish. You're pretty rich, aren't you Vladimir?"

"My father was a business man and he knew how to play his cards right when it came to his expenses." Vladimir replied proudly. Yes, he had a fortune to his name, but most of the money went into keeping the castle from completely falling to pieces, to which he's been successful up until he found out that the bricks of the structure were falling off. He could fix it himself, yes, but the job was laborious and took time to replace each brick that has fallen.

"Oh wow, that's pretty awesome. My parents don't usually spend money or give me money. Obviously. They're spending it out of country. I don't think they'll be back." He smiled and looked at the bath again. It really was huge. He wanted to use it really badly since Vladimir had mentioned that he hadn't showered. He scratched the back of his head. "This thing's huge.. Could easily fit us both..."

Vladimir tilted his head to the side a little. He had to admit, it would save him on the water. And...oddly, he had no problem sharing a bath with the young man. They were both men after all, therefore having the same anatomy. There was nothing awkward about it, was there?

"I...suppose it would be efficient for us to...bathe together. After all, I haven't bathed in awhile either and...perhaps...we could wash each other's backs." Vladimir replied softly, turning his head to the side. He almost flushed at what he said, but his still pale skin hid any signs of a blush.

Daemon froze. He said that out loud, didn't he? His cheeks flared and he turned his head away from the tub.

"y-yeah. that's fine with me if... if you don't mind that is."

Daemon gave a nervous laugh, not really sure if he should say something about them bathing together. He didn't know what to say so he just accepted his fate. He would bathe with him if VLadimir really wanted to. They both had the same stuff.

Vladimir walked over and started up the bath water after plugging the tub. He began unbuttoning his white collared shirt slowly and glanced at Daemon before removing it slowly. His body was fairly fit, his arms displaying not too much and not too little muscle. His chest had scars from as many times as he was almost staked to death. His back had scars as well from stakes that went through. On the center, however, was the crest for his family, the Celtic knot, to represent unity between the generations.

(http://emergingyouth.files.wordpress...02/trinity.gif)

Daemon couldn't help but glance at the other as he removed his shirt. He wasn't disappointed in what he saw. Scars. There were quite a few scars and they all seemed to generally aimed towards the man's heart. Were people trying to kill him? Daemon's eyes fell to the man's chest. He had never seen that symbol before. It was actually really cool, until Daemon realized he had been staring, mouth slightly open. He blushed bright red before he turned away and unbuttoned his own shirt. He slid it off and revealed more of his rather pale skin. He didn't have a lot of muscle, just enough to tell. He wasn't scrawny, thank the goddess, but he was rather thin. His upper right arm had what appeared to be a scar that spelled the word "Purus". He glanced back at Vladimir, feeling rather self conscious of himself compared to the other man. Vladimir was more fit than he was.

(I'm assuming Vladimir gave Daemon some clothes that he wears/wore)

(Yeah, like last time ^^)

Vladimir looked over seeing the man remove his shirt. He noticed right away that he was skinny and didn't have as much muscle tone as himself. His eyes were drawn to the scarred word on the young man's arm. "Daemon...was does that word mean?"

Daemon looked to where Vladimir was staring and saw the scar from long ago. He blinked and then looked up at Vladimir. "It means Pure. Daemon Purus. My parents found it ironic when I renamed myself. My uncle wasn't the nicest man." Daemon's composure was calm, but inside, his nerves were completely rustled. He didn't want to talk about it. His heart beat was erratic.

Vladimir frowned. He found it impossible to believe that someone could ever do something like that to such a nice young man. He felt that Daemons no longer wanted to speak of it, so he dropped the subject and reached over to turn the water off now that it was high enough for them to get in. He unbuckled his belt and started undoing his pants before he slipped out of his shoes, then he pushed his pants down and stepped out of them, leaving himself in a pair of black briefs.

Daemon was glad for Vladimir dropping the topic. He unbuttoned his pants and slid them off before stepping out. He took a quick peek at Vladimir and blushed. Damn it.. Why did he have to be so fit! Daemon really needed to put some muscle on his bones.