The Vampire's Apprentice

"Why have you been unable to sleep?" He paused and looked up as Sam trundled down the stairs.
The confused dog whined as thunder shook the house again. Where had his human gone? He wandered over to Kitty and shoved his head in her lap. Storms weren't fun alone.
 
"Perhaps you should try reading lighter books, or confront what the nightmares are about. Constant nightmares mean you are trying to avoid dealing with something heavy," Clancy said simply.
Sam leaned into Kitty, sighing in contentment. Gooooood human.
 
"Ya think?" She was being sarcastic, but again, it was only because he was quite correct. Kitty scratched the dog behind his ears and tried to avoid looking annoyed.
 
Clancy folded up his clothes and took them to set on the table. He hesitated, looking upstairs. Then, with a sigh, he returned to Kitty and pulled the ottoman closer. "What do you dream about?" he asked bluntly as he sat to face her.
 
Kitty examined what of his face she could see in the darkness, not quite sure how to answer or even if she wanted to at all. He seemed sincere, and an answer seemed a valid obligation of hers, so she replied after another moment in silence; the quiet warped only by the storm outside.

"I had a family once, believe me or not," She began, focusing more on Sam's scratches than the vampire sitting atop the ottoman. "The only time I get to see them is when I'm asleep, and even then they ridicule me. Not in an obvious way, but throughout the nightmare I know they're slowly working their way towards some awful demise of mine. My mom opens the door to retrieve me when my fate is ready, and I wake up. I never see what it is."
 
"I see. And was your family particularly harsh toward you in reality?" Clancy asked calmly. "Your father and mother overly judgemental?"
 
Clancy rested his chin on his fist, his elbow on his knee, and waited patiently for the full answer. He could tell she was holding back. As her master, he could compel her, but he did not want to abuse the ability.

Sam nuzzled Kitty and whined, sensing her unhappiness.
 
"Kitty," Clancy said, almost singing her name. "Come now. You should not have secrets from your Master. What could harm you in telling me the past, hmm?"
 
"Nothing," She admitted, "but that doesn't mean I want to. It's my past; same as you dislike like me asking of yours."
 
"True, but you are my Familiar," Clancy pointed out. "I will know eventually, but for now I shall allow you to keep this secret. For now." He stood and stretched. "There are new neighbors on the other side of us. Be wary of them, understood?"
 
"Understood," Kitty could care less wether he figured out her past later. Right now, it was a touchy subject. "Permission to greet them tomorrow?"
 
"Perhaps. I'll likely find something smaller this time." She lay down on the couch again. "But that's for tomorrow. No need to worry about it right now."
 
Clancy reached out and patted her shoulder. "Rest well. I will see you tomorrow night." He stood and went to his bedroom/closet and got ready for a shower.

Sam licked Kitty's hand and laid down on the floor next to her. He'd look after her.
 
Kitty slept better after that. It didn't mean she wouldn't stir slightly on occasion, but she didn't wake.

Daybreak came, though the rain hadn't quite let up yet. The girl was too deeply asleep to notice Clancy slip underneath the butcher's block, and she remained as such for a long while afterwards. It was around eight or nine by the time she finally got up.

Today's order was roughly the same as it had been every other morning; only a few things were added, and she mixed these around within her daily routine. Check to make sure there was food and water in the dog's bowls, let Sam outside (wether he wanted to be outside or not; she would follow him into the rain after breakfast when she went to fulfill her tasks,) check for any particular mess the mutt may have made during the night, briefly wonder where Clancy disappeared to every morning, and during breakfast she checked the day's note.
 
There were no notes today, only the folded clothing to remind her to take care of the dry cleaning. If she wanted to greet the neighbors, Clancy left that up to her. Sam had been good so far about not messing inside the house, though he clearly did not care for the rain now that he knew what houses meant.
 
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