A Scale of Sapphire

Cass

Home at last. I wanted nothing more than to collapse on the couch with a cup of chamomile, but I couldn’t allow myself that. Not yet, at least. I’d made a mistake, and that mistake hurt someone I cared about. I may have my flaws, but I certainly wasn’t the type to leave that kind of hurt unaddressed. Given the look on her face as she zipped towards me, it seemed the local pixie agreed.

“You hurt Evelyn.” She looked conflicted, righteous anger and familial affection at war in her eyes. “She deserves better than that.”

Evelyn, huh? Well that was something. I hadn’t ruined everything, not completely. Willow had been able to pick up the pieces. She should never have needed to, but at least she’d been able to do it.

“I shouldn’t have pressured her like that. I’m happy you were able to do better.”

We fell quiet after that. I'd said what I needed to, and she needed to take a few moments to let it sink in. She was watching me, searching for any sign I might not be genuine. Finding none, she seemed to come to a decision.

“That’s it then?” Her anger dimmed as she realized I wasn’t going to argue with her. Now she just seemed tired. Tired and deeply disappointed… funny how that works out. “Nothing else to say?”

“I won’t make any excuses for what I said. You’re a smart girl, and you have a lot more experience in these things than I do. You know exactly why I did it. Besides, it’s not my intentions that matter here. I hurt her, and I need to do better going forward. That’s all there is to it.”

“Good.” She addressed the centaurs next, most of whom were keeping a respectful distance, pretending they hadn’t heard the quiet confrontation that had just played out before them. “It’s nice to meet you all, by the way. My name’s Willow, and I handle most of our agricultural needs. There are a couple houses available, but I’m not sure what the best way to accommodate your horse parts would be. If you have any ideas, I’m sure the Fletcher’s should be able to help you out.” She gestured vaguely in the direction of their home. “Other than that, as long as you guys try to pitch in however you can, I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”

She started to zip away, then seemed to think better of it, turning back towards the group once again.

“Don’t go in the garden without me, by the way. The plants’ll probably eat you.”

Evelyn

There was a commotion outside. Cass was back, and it looked like I hadn’t scared the centaurs away after all. Honestly, there was probably never any chance of that actually happening. Trapped in self loathing as I was, I’d spiraled pretty severely then, hadn’t I?

I’d deal with all that in a moment, right now I was more worried about polishing off my tiny glass of Nori’s blood. It was delicious, by the way. It didn’t taste quite as sweet as Cass’, but it had this lovely tang to it that I found absolutely delightful.

I really was getting used to this.

Knowing what happened when I changed, and knowing what I did when I first arrived here, I believed I’d never really accept what I was. I thought I’d always be fighting against some inner nature that made me hurt people, but here I was, enjoying a cup of blood, willingly given, and calmly comparing it to others I’d tasted previously. It’s almost like when I accepted that I could be Evelyn, I accepted everything else too. Evelyn was a vampire, after all, and when I thought back on what few blood-drunk rambles I could recall, being a vampire was actually kinda nice.

Sure, the sun stung, and having a natural sleep cycle so far offset from everyone else’s was inconvenient, but the speed, the power, the flavor of that delicious red nectar, and even the buzz that came with it. They were all genuinely wonderful.

Our tea time was eventually cut short by a knock on the door. New arrivals meant new accommodations and a lot of new work for the Fletcher’s, so I expected they’d be busy for a while. I followed Nori and Eric to the door, planning to slip out and leave them to their work, but things didn’t exactly go as anticipated.

For one, the doorway was pretty much entirely blocked. Horses are big, so a centaur standing at the entrance took up the whole thing. Not only that, the centaur was a very specific centaur. He was the one that had done most of the talking, and he was the one who’d made me all flustered before. I barely even registered the conversation taking place around me as I analyzed his every detail.

I’d never been attracted to guys before, at least I didn’t think I had, and I know for certain that I’d been very attracted to Maria, even if I’d often had a hard time expressing that. 

And yet…

My eyes traced along his shoulders, his neck, his jaw…

He looked delicious. His eyes were this beautiful shade of brown, he had this thin layer of stubble that set my mind buzzing with thoughts of how it might feel if I just-

Ok.

Maybe I’m bisexual.

Maybe just a little.

“Uhh, Evelyn? You good?” He was looking at me now, I couldn’t help but watch his lips as he spoke. “Is she alright?”

I was shocked back to reality by a sharp jab in my side. Nori’s elbow granted me sudden clarity, and I looked into her eyes, horrified that I’d made everyone uncomfortable. She just smiled, tilting her head towards the hunky centaur guy.

“S-sorry! I just- I was drinking! Blood! I was drinking blood!” I had to explain this away. I didn’t even know his name! He could not, under any circumstances, be allowed to know what I was thinking about. “I get a little spacey when I drink. It’s kinda like getting high. I guess. Sorry.”

Nailed it.

“Seriously?” He didn’t believe me! “I guess there’s a lot of shit with real vampires that you don’t see in movies.” Nevermind, we’re good. “Anyways, I was thinking that a bunch of these garages could be converted into centaur friendly living spaces. Do you have any ideas about…”

He and Eric started going on about some pretty in depth renovations they had planned. It looked like I was in the clear! Nobody knew just how hot I thought this guy was.

A second jab to my side relieved that I was in fact, very incorrect.

“The amount of thirst that you are radiating right now is matched only by how dense he has to be not to notice it.” Nori whispered so softly it was more like breathing, but she knew I’d heard it. Of course she did. “His name is Tony, in case you missed it. You’re adorable. I’m gonna enjoy watching this.”

Shit.