>Nod. "Yes, I had noted that. Young vampires are notoriously unstable for the first few years or so."
>Frown slightly. "After all, they were the most commonly-claimed victims of Hunters...And people called us monsters."
>Let out a short, derisive bark of laughter, with hardly any mirth to it. "In our eyes, they were the real monsters."
>The Countess lets out a long breath. "Many of us were deserved of the title of monster, Scarlet Devil." She spreads her arms wide. "We sit in one such example. Once this Keep was a monument to the vileness of but one of our kind. And there were many more like it." Celes takes a step forward, seemingly about to say something, but her mistress silences her with one hand.
>"Is that true?" Kogasa asks her, looking rather disturbed at the thought. "Did people really used to hunt vampires?"
>The Countess nods. "'Better to strangle evil in the cradle, than let it fester and grow', they used to say of those hunts. I spent many centuries on the outside. I cannot say, and mean it, that they were wrong in doing so. Being a vampire is not a guarantee that one will be evil. But when a vampire makes that choice, the evil we are capable of is the stuff of mankind's blackest nightmares." She gives Reimu a look. "But things are not the same here as they are on the outside. If they were, I do not believe I would be here to speak on the matter."
>Then soften back up a bit. "But at least here, in this land of magic, we can be free. That, is what makes Gensokyo a haven to even those such as we."
>"At least NOW." Honoka adds darkly. "Even so recently as a hundred years ago, to mention the name 'vampire' was to conjure terror."
>"You seem somehow familiar to me." The Countess says thoughtfully.
>"She is the Scarlet Flame." Celes answers. "One of the more powerful slaves of the Red Tide, when we were awake before."
>The Countess lowers her head. "I see. Then you too have suffered at the hands of my kind."
>"But no longer. She who held me is no more, and those like her have all but faded from this land."
>"And when folks like grey-hair here start making trouble, fixing it falls into my lap." Reimu grumps. You twitch slightly. 'Grey-hair'....
>The Countess, however, manages a small smile. "Then times have changed. Good. That's what I was hoping to find when I awoke. The fact that it is earlier than expected makes it even better."
>"In time, Rei will acclimate, and be ready to learn proper Vampire Etiquette, among other things."
>Smirk slightly. "After all, I may resemble a child, but I know a thing or two about behaving as befits one of my status."
>"Of that I am sure." the Countess says with a peaceful little smile. "But until that time comes, when Rei grows into her new life, she is my responsibility, totally. If she one day chooses to spend time learning under you, then I'll certainly give her leave to do so. In fact, I'm quite certain there are things you and yours could teach her that she couldn't here. Not the least of which being recent Gensokyo history. After all, by some definitions, we are but new arrivals here."
(Ah, great! I'll make the question assuming that Remilia sees the wings as being common to elders; if this is not the case I'll change it)
>"Well, with this particular topic resolved, I would like to ask you something that I hope is not too personal. I can see from your servants and estate that you are, like me, a vampire of high class, age, and power. However, you seem to lack some of the signs that would show your status in our society". Spread our wings as far as we can without hitting anyone or anything. "More specifically, you seem to lack wings. Did something happen to them?"
>Only say that if having wings is normal for vampires. If it's not: why do we have wings?
Never a bad idea to address a curiousity.
>A vampire having wings is indeed quite normal. Not every vampire has the same wing shape, of course, you and your sister's wings are about as different as night and day. And while not every vampire does have wings, this is the exception, not the rule. Rei had no wings, but they do not always sprout upon transformation. To your knowledge, it came sometimes take as much as a decade for a vampire to sprout wings.
>Some vampires hide their wings, for varying reasons, but for a vampire bearing the title of 'Countess', concealing her wings, especially when in the presence of another vampire or a spellcaster like Reimu, let alone both, would be very odd indeed.
>Celes' face falls flat as you inquire into the Countesses' wings, but the Countess gives her a very slight shake of the head. To you, she says, with an even expression, "When I was turned, my wings sprouted right away. They were not too dissimilar to yours, as a matter of fact, though with a bit more fur. But my... sire," she says the word with a hint of bitterness "decided that I would serve him better without them. So he tore them off. And seared the area with holy water to ensure they would never grow back."
>"That's horrible!" Kogasa cries. Shou's face mirrors the sentiment. Honoka and Reisen, however, do not seem entirely shocked. Nor are you, sadly. Some sires go to great lengths to 'mark' their progeny.
