Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sal slept soundly. Wrapped in Vlad's safe hold and being so close him was a comforting feeling. When he awoke, it was nearly evening. He looked at Vlad, seeing he looked...peaceful. He wondered how often the vampire slept like this. Resting a hand on the other's cheek, he leaned up and kissed Vlad softly before he slid out of his hold and stood, dressing in his robe. Sal needed to bathe. He looked back at Vlad, smiling softly, before he left the room and went up to the ocean room to bathe in it's bathroom. He didn't know why he wanted to take a bath there, but he did. Removing the robe again, Vlad ran his bath and then slipped into the tub. The warm water felt great against his sore muscles.

Sal bathed thoroughly, wanting to be squeaky clean. When he was done, he dressed in clean robes and wrapped his sash around him. The merman went back downstairs and to the pool, sitting at the edge of the pool with his feet in the water. He blushed softly as he recalled the night before. He wondered if Vlad really had enjoyed it.

Sal smiled at Vlad and leaned on him. "Hm....I slept wonderfully. It looked like you did, too, when I woke up." Vlad asked what he wanted to do and the merman thought, softly kicking his feet to make little splashed in the water. He knew what he wanted to do, but he was worried Vlad would reject it. Still, he had to try. Worst case scenario was that Vlad said no and lectured him. "W-Well....I'll be on the surface for a...very long time. I....I was wondering if....Can we go to town? I want to see if...maybe I can make some friends."

The merman frowned softly. But, Vlad wasn't a horrible person. Sure, he was scary when he was angry, but he was a kind person. He had just hidden that part of him behind a shell so he wouldn't be hurt anymore. Sal wanted the people to see that Vlad wasn't a monster. "If....If you really think it's safe for me....Vlad?" Sal leaned up and kissed his cheek softly. "One day, I'm going to make sure everyone knows you're not a monster. I know that this image keeps you, and me, safe. But, that doesn't mean you can't be nice, too. Will you come with me sometime?"

Sal was sad that Vlad tbought there was no redemption. He wanted the other to have friends, too, but he couldn't force him to socialize. He'd just have to start small. "I'll be back before dark. Promise. Oh....And, I swear to be extra careful. Now, go inside before the sun hurts you. I love you, Vlady~."

Sal walked down to the village. The ground didn't bother his feet as much as it should have, but he had brought a pair of sandals anyway. Now he was wearing them. Probably out of proper courtesy than anything else. The merman reached the village with time to spare, but it wasn't easy making friends. Not only did his lack of speech and their lack of telepathy get in the way, but a lot of the people avoided him for being associated with Vladimir. They really did see him as a monster. But, he wasn't, and if they didn't want to accept that, then Sal actually didn't want to be around them. Eventually, he did meet someone who was willing to socialize with him. She was different, too. She was deaf, so his inability to speak wasn't a problem to her. Not only that, but she wasn't human; she was an elf. Not being human made it easier for them to connect. Sal actually knew elven sign language, since elves were cousins to merfolk, and he found out a lot about her. Her name was Arianna Truesight, the last being the name her tribe gave her, and she was a nice girl who didn't think it was fair for Sal to be isolated because he was with someone the villagers didn't like. She herself wasn't fond of Vlad, but only because elves and vampires never really got along by nature.

He actually spent more time in the village than he had intended, and when he realized it, it was just passed dark. He frowned and apologized to Arianna, but she understood. She offered to walk him home, knowing that it would be dangerous for him since he had already been threatened twice; by the fishermen that found him and the construction worker after. But, Sal insisted she head home as well. Vlad would likely be out looking for him by now, and he didn't want to risk him and Arianna getting into a fight. They waved bye to each other before Sal turned and headed back to the palace, quite happy he had made a friend. He wasn't even phased at the slight worry of Vlad lecturing him for being late.

Sal blushed softly as Vlad came up to him. He expected Vlad to be more on edge than that. He thought there would be a lecture. But, it looked like Vlad wasn't too angry. "Ah, yes~! I did meet someone. She's a very nice woman. Her name is Arianna. She's...an elf. That...won't bother you, will it?"