Chapter Text
Owen woke up drained. He was tired when he buried himself six feet under, and he was tired when something he couldn’t name forced his eyes open. He curled up a little tighter in the small space he had in the dirt, because it hadn’t worked and now he was forced to be.
He waited for a little bit, and then he waited for some time more, and he didn’t go back to sleep. Anger filled him at that, and it was a familiar emotion, one he felt frequently. Owen could tell the reason he couldn’t sleep was because something was up with Oakhurst and the woods around it, he wasn’t able to name the reason why, but something was up. And it was the reason why he couldn’t sleep, so whatever it was needed to stop.
Owen could dig himself out of his grave, find whatever was causing this disturbance, and just, go back to sleep. He could do it, he will do it, he’s doing it… Owen sighed in frustration, he would lose his mind in here if he stayed any longer so he just.
Angry, be angry, something dared to wake him up, something dared to disturb his land, and now it would face the consequences. He would make whatever did this pay, by rending it of its power, and choice, and whatever form it took. He would drain it away until it only became dust, because nothing was worth experiencing without him. And they were trespassing on the land that was his, ruining his resting place, and stirring up things they did not want to fight.
Feeling more motivated, though mostly angry, Owen started the process of pushing at the dirt on top of him. It was hard given how little space he had, and how packed down the dirt felt, but really he had nothing else to do and sleep was escaping him. So he pushed, and dug, and clawed at the dirt until finally he felt his hand break through into open air. After that it didn’t take long for the rest of him to follow.
He stared out at the land below the clif he had buried himself on, and the river and trees beyond that. It took a moment for him to register the decayed but not dead lands around him, and the tower behind him that felt strangely powerful… It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Not when he was dead, not when Owen had to be alone again.
He didn’t linger, didn’t care, he just took in the changes in the land so he could mark down any dangers. He started moving as quickly as possible, not wanting to linger, he scaled down the cliff, crossed the river on some stones he could easily jump between, and then he started hunting. He had to get stronger if he was going to kill something, and blood was needed for that. But he did not want to get spotted or found out, so he made sure to bury his prey after draining it, and he always kept his eyes and ears out.
Scott was honestly a little sick of waiting, and he was hiding in stupid bushes to boot. See Scott had gone back to hunting, and had started planning, after he watched from the walls of Oakhurst that first time.
The plan was simple, he would have the doc introduce him to the townsfolk, get close to everyone, and make sure his reputation was one of magic and knowledge. If he could convince the townspeople that he had some magical power that would save them all from never leaving, then he would have better access to them and their inherent life magic as humans. And if he gained their trust he might be able to turn some near beacons, which would definitely be helpful in turning the beacons quicker and more strongly.
It was a pretty solid plan Scott felt, and it could always be adjusted on the fly if needed. Which meant that he really only had to go over the finer details of his ‘character’ while hunting. The hunting itself was going smoothly, all the blood and life magic was doing wonders for him, and so was the physicality of it all. Stretching himself back to wakefulness all the way, though he felt the lingers of the curse still attached around his soul.
That was unavoidable however, as he hadn’t really done much to actually break the curse. So it lingering was no surprise, he would just have to be careful and not let his guard down while it could still strike out at him.
Scott couldn’t hunt forever though, as that would not only depopulate the wild life, but also just end up being useless. He could hunt everything in the wards right away if he wanted, but he had to give his body time to process the blood and magic, otherwise drinking more wouldn’t lead to him getting more powerful, it would just lead to him being too full. Being full does give a vampire a more flushed life like look to their face, but since vampires get used to not having that emotional tell it would probably be safer to just avoid eating that much anyways.
So it was a day later after first leaving the doc’s that found him hiding in the bushes outside their house. He would of loved to be inside, but he hadn’t really been welcomed in… just taken in. And given how strong the nature and neutral magics were right now, he had no hope of breaking the laws of hospitality.
The only reason Scott had decided to use the doctor was because they had a weakness. Based on what happened during his brief visit, Scott could tell that the doctor was a reasonable person, but also a kind one. The kind of doctor that actually wanted to help people, is the kind of doctor Scott can easily manipulate.
Play up the pity, play up the hunger, act out pain. It would be easy if Scott was correct about their character, and he had a feeling he was. And that future ease is what kept him on the ground, getting dirty in bushes and leaves on his clothes.
If he could just… Ah! Perfect. Scott watched the doctor walk down the rough path to their house, a book in hand. He waited for the doctor to enter their house before checking for anyone in sight, while also listening for any nearby heart beats. It seemed like nobody was around… but he didn't know how long that would last so he had to act now.
Scott moved as quickly as he was comfortable with to the doctors door, while also being silent. He knocked twice before waiting, hunching in on himself a little while arranging his face into a sheepishly apologetic one.
There was a flurry of movement from inside, but it was quiet enough that a human wouldn’t hear it, before the doctor opened the door. “Oh,” Legundo blinked at Scott, surprise colouring their face. Scott forced an awkward smile on his face and shifted from one leg to another, letting them both sit in silence for a few seconds.
“Sorry, I know I was rude when I left last time but…” Scott trailed off, turning his head to the side, while staring at the doc from the corner of his eyes. “But I need help.” As Scott asked he made sure to straighten his posture, like he had mentally prepared for a rejection.
“Right, I assume you tried to leave but failed?” Scott was a little surprised that the doc asked that first, seemed he had made a slight misjudgement.
“Yes it… It didn’t go well for me, especially since I’m so weak at the moment.” He muttered that last part at a volume that would of been criminal for a vampire to whisper around other vampires, but for a human? It was the perfect level of quiet and annoyance.
“I see, and you think I can help?” That question also surprised Scott a little, but not by much. Because he expected the doubt, but he didn’t expect the question to be asked in curiosity. Another misjudgement then. Seemed he would have to switch out some of the character traits he had planned for, oh well, it would be fine.
“I don’t really have anyone else to turn to.” Scott made sure to sound scornful, he had to act in character, and he had been arrogant when he left a day ago, but he dropped a kernel of desperation into his voice. He also leaned forward slightly, like he wanted to be inside, out of sight and sunlight.
“I might need some guidance, but I’ll do what I can.” Scott let out a small sigh of relief at the doc’s statement, loud enough for the doctor to pick up on, but quiet enough to sound unintentional. He also fully turned his head towards the doc and gave him a hesitant, but grateful smile.
“Thanks doctor.” he said quietly, like he was ashamed, but thankful.
“I’m just doing my duty, pay it no mind.” The doctor replied, a smile on their face. They moved out of the way of the door and walked inside a little. That was more inline with what Scott expected, which was good because that meant his initial assessment of Legundo’s personality wasn’t entirely wrong
“Erm, doc.” Scott called out, stopping the doctor in their tracks. They looked back at him, slight confusion on their face.
“Can-” He cut himself off, and looked around like he was feeling awkward, before continuing again. “Can I come in?”
The doctor seemed to process that statement for a few seconds, before a flash of realisation showed up on their face. “Oh, yes of course, please come inside.” Unfortunate that it wasn’t a more open ended welcome, but oh well, it would do.
Scott smiled at them gratefully, before he walked into the doctors house, closing the door behind him. Now that he was paying more attention he could actually notice how small of a home the doctor had, a small kitchenette filled in one corner, and there was a large shelf and some chests opposite that filled to the brim with things, a large table also filled out the center of the room. Other than a few chairs scattered around, and the general signs of life, there was only a ladder to the right of the door leading to the attic taking up the final bit of space.
The doctor pulled two chairs up to the table on the kitchen side and set them up on the same side of the table facing each other, they both took a seat, and the doctor eyed Scott over, lingering on the way he seemed to tilt to one side and hold himself tightly.
“So what can I do for you?” The doctor asked, his tone was knowing, and with the way he was observing Scott's side it seemed his deception worked, despite how hard it was to fake injuries around doctors.
“I was a little panicked when I left yesterday and…” Scott rubbed his brow, letting tiredness flow through him, “well, panic is never good in a wild forest.” He let the scorn and sarcasm from his statement sit for a moment, before he reached up to his shirt and pulled it up enough to reveal his side.
Now, being wounded for long enough to need stitches or any actual medical attention is very hard as a vampire. You can ‘bleed out’ but that won't kill you, just weaken you. And wounds don't last long anyways, especially after feeding since fresh blood helps increase the healing process. To keep a wound open you have to actually be trying, which is an annoying and bloody experience. And it only makes sense visually if your clothes are torn as well, which can be more annoying as it's attention grabbing, and attention is something you almost never want in the kind of situation where you’re faking wounds. Additionally any wounds that do end up staying open for long have no chance at getting infected, as vampires can not get sick. Meaning when you have an open wound the only thing you need to do is make sure it’s fully clean before it closes over, as any foreign objects that get into that wound would make for an unpleasant experience.
It can cause an internal itchiness, cause forms of madness or paranoia, or even block certain powers. A vampire is mostly screwed if, for whatever reason, they had just eaten the biggest meal in their life, but along the way got injured enough to break skin, and before that skin could heal over silver got into the wound. An open wound that has silver in it is basically a death sentence for a vampire, because while it wouldn’t kill you, it’s the vampire equivalent of having an intense migraine.
All this to say that, faking any wound is hard for a vampire. But that only really applies if you know how vampires work, and the doctor… certainly is not one of those people. So all Scott had to do is lie.
The wound Scott revealed is one that was relatively small, but very deep. It looked like he had been stabbed in the side with some kind of sharp rock. He had also pressed moss up to the wound, which was sluggishly filling up with blood, and preventing it from seeping into his shirt. Which was its main purpose despite it looking like it was there to stem the bleeding.
“Good lord, what happened?” The doc seemed shocked at first by the severity of the wound, but then they seemed to kick into gear, getting up to gather supplies as they asked their question.
“When I left I changed into a bat, it’s much faster than running or walking, and it’s much safer too.” Scott started, wincing as he let his arm drop from holding his shirt up, “I tried to leave first, and when that failed I started flying around in a panic looking for why I couldn’t”
The doctor rushed over to the table again, to drop an armfull of supplies down, before quickly turning to the kitchen to grab a cloth and water. “And because of how weak I was, and because of the panic I wasn’t able to fly right and the wind knocked me down.” The doc had finally brought all their supplies and set them down within reaching distance, they knelt in front of Scott and peeled his shirt up, he winced as the doctor gently removed the moss and started to clean out the wound as carefully as possible.
“I got disorientated and… I wasn't able to stay flying so I fell into the river right on a rock.” The doc grimaced at that, holding the cloth to the wound as they prepared a needle and thread with their other hand. “Taking a wound when you're a bat is always worse,” Scott explained, shaking his head a little in self doubt, “I thought I could hunt myself back to health but… maybe because of my sleep, or how hungry I am, it just… didn't work” He finished his explanation, exhaustion and sadness filling his tone.
This was, of course, a lie. Yes if you got injured in your bat form it would carry over into your human one, but if you got a torn wing for example, it would transfer as a pulled muscle, or in the worst cases a slightly torn one. This did vary depending on how much magical energy you had at your disposal however, because transforming while injured ate through magic like nothing else did. And usually the injury itself healed over, and the only thing that needed replenishing was your magical stores.
Because of this Scott had just, stabbed himself. Of course that kind of wound would heal over quick, especially since he had been feeding recently. And the doctor would of been able to tell anyways vampire strangeness aside. So Scott had set himself by gathering a small amount of silver and using it on the tip of a pointed rock, he also drenched the rock in garlic. Both working together into making a wound that wouldn’t heal quickly, and that bled more than usual for vampires.
He made sure to force a hiss through his teeth as the doctor started their first stitch. The lies, or well, half truths, seemed to work. As the doctor had started frowning, not just in concentration, but also concern. Scott held his tongue until the doctor stopped with their stitches, he didn’t want to seem unaffected by the pain, so he let his body stay tense and let out very slightly audible breaths.
It wasn’t long until the doctor had tied off their last stitch, leaning back on their heels to examine the result from a distance. Seemingly satisfied they stood up and started cleaning up the blood and mess that had resulted from the emergency wound care.
“Come to me when you need those stitches taken out, and try not to stretch the wound open.” Legundo spoke up, breaking the silence. Their voice had concern in it, but they spoke in the firm tones of a doctor who had to treat one to many impatient humans.
“Of course doctor, I hope by the night my body will have processed enough blood to have healed over most of it,” Scott started to chuckle to himself, but he cut himself off with a wince and a hiss of pain, “E- ugh, especially since now I won't be losing any blood.”
The doctor laughed a little at that, “Thank goodness for medicine right?” They smiled over at Scott, an amused twinkle in their eyes. Scott nodded at them, letting a small amount of gratefulness sweep over his face.
“Yes, thank you doctor. Though I am afraid I might need more of your help, and the help of the humans in this town.” Scott made sure to turn his look serious, and the doctor responded in kind.
“What do you need help with?” The doctor asked, sitting down and leaning slightly forward in their chair.
“I’ve only been awake for a day so I haven't had much time to explore, but the magic here…” Scott trailed off, glazing over his eyes like he was looking at something not there. “It’s not normal, and it’s not how I remember it.”
He looked up at the doctor again, and maintained eye contact, “I need protection while I try and study this, and possibly help from any of your mages or witches?” He made sure to maintain his serious tone and attitude while he asked this question, predicting it would throw the doctor off. But Scott was meant to be an aged vampire, and if he showed how normal magic was for him it would do better for his reputation in the long run.
“I don't think-” The doctor cut themself off, frowning a little. “Well, I suppose I don’t know if we have any… mages or witches.” The doc’s tone sounded doubtful, and they looked unsure. It seemed the doc doubted the supernatural before Scott got dropped on them, and it seemed his prediction was correct.
“Well, we’ll just have to find out!” Scott made sure to make his voice sound hopeful, and he gave Legundo a slight smile, they smiled back at him even though they still seemed doubtful.
“We could probably call a town meeting, I could introduce you then and we could explain a little bit?” The doctor proposed. Scott nodded in agreement, but before he could add anything the doctor spoke up again, frustration in his voice. “Though… Avid might cause problems.” The doctor's face had formed into one of annoyance.
“Avid?” Scott questioned, the doc blinked, shaken out of their thoughts.
“Right, of course you only just got here. Avid is our resident conspiracy theorist.” Legundo explained, and based on their tone and expression it was clear they did not like Avid. Which made sense based on the small amount of yelling Scott had heard from the human yesterday. “He might cause a lot of ruckus, but so long as most of us keep a level head it should be fine.”
Scott let a prideful smirk onto his face, and he let it leak into his tone too as he spoke, “Well, really this town can’t get rid of me anyways, my knowledge is far too valuable.” The doctor chuckled and they shook their head in disbelief.
“Never did I think this would be the outcome when I came to Oakhurst.” The doctor said, and Scott couldn’t help but relate. This is not where he thought his immortal life would lead, but at the moment he was thoroughly entertained by this game of play. He would be so curious as to how many humans he could convince to turn, and how long it would take for them to realise just how much Scott has lied about… Oh the drama that could unfold…
“Well, I don’t want to burn daylight, and I’ve used some supplies I would like to get back so I’ll be leaving to gather them.” The doctor spoke as they stood up, “You’re welcome to stay and relax here until I return, most meetings happen at night, so I could probably take your stitches out before that.” Urg, still not an open ended invitation, Scott would seriously have to be careful about the hospitality laws if all the humans were like this.
“Sounds good doc!” They nodded at Scott and turned to leave, grabbing a bag resting on the floor near the door, but before they could leave Scott called out. “By the way, what kind of human are you?” He asked.
The doctor turned, looking cautious and suspicious, “What kind of human?” He asked.
Scott blinked, before remembering he wasn’t exactly in the same circles he used to be in, “Right sorry, do you feel more male, female, or something other?” The doc blinked a little, before realisation filled their face.
“Oh um, male.” The doc seemed a little surprised, but he also looked curious and pleased.
Scott smiled, “Wonderful, thank you so much for your help. I promise I won’t get too comfortable while you’re gone, good doctor.” The doc smiled at Scott and thanked him before leaving, closing the door behind him on his way out.
~~~~~~>>>---------》♡
A few minutes went by before Scott actually started to relax a little, he loosened his posture and started to lounge in his chair. He set his elbow on the table and leaned his head on his hand, humming in thought.
Ledungo… He was interesting, and not exactly what Scott thought he would be either. Though obviously only having ten minutes with a person doesn’t really show all of their character, but yet.. The doc was much more than just a stupidly kind and reasonable human. He seemed to be more thoughtful than Scott first assumed and.
Avid… The doctor didn’t like Avid. Pearl seemed more amused by Avid’s behaviour, though not in agreement with it. And Shelby… Seemed accepting of his behaviour? Again, only hearing a two minute conversation is not a true showing of opinions and relationships. And a lack of facial expressions did not help in the matter at all.
But still, trying to understand the people in town would help, if Avid would supposedly be such a big problem trying to understand how people treated him would help Scott understand him… As such based on the behaviors the humans showed around him, and what Scott heard from him. Avid was probably the type that could never shut up, and he also seemed like the pushy type, so pushy it was almost desprate…
Hmmm, if more of the humans had similar opinions of Avid, then Scott would have to play this carefully. Be ‘weak’ but firm, kind but confidant, and most importantly, he would have to play nice. Ugh, he wasn’t looking forward to it, but he needed these humans to like and trust him for now, so being nice was probably something he needed to do.
Scott let out his most dramatic sigh, really, it would be necessary, and entertaining too of course. But he was not looking forward to shutting away his evil side, he had no idea how long it could end up taking for people to trust him, or even be interested in turning. And in the end he might have to end up throwing it all away…
Oh but in an event like that what would Scott do? Reveal the lies? Pretend to be possessed? Have a trust break? Oh there were so many options, now he almost wanted it to happen. But no, it would be much easier to gain their trust and break the barrier that way. Then he could leave the curse of Oakhurst behind, and its silly history and riots, and explore the world and start fresh somewhere else.
Yes all he had to do was just… Hold himself back a little bit, and Scott was capable of that, he just usually didn’t like doing it. He sighed again, and was then reminded of the stitches. Ew ew EW! Scott really did not lie stitches, they pulled at his skin weirdly and while they made the healing process faster he much preferred just downing a bottle of blood, or draining something fresh from the source. The process of putting stitches in, and taking them out was much too tedious for him.
But oh well, he would have to deal. He could go out and spy on the humans… But if Legundo came back sooner? Welllll, Scott liked to play risky, and sitting in this house all day would be boring. Spying on humans was much more fun, he would just have to keep an ear out, which should be easy enough.
Scott grinned, time to snoop around a little then, and really start to see who these humans were.