Jiahao let out a small sigh, "You should get some sleep." Jiahao wanted this to sound more like a friendly suggestion, but it was clear to Alice she was creating a distance.
"So should you, if you need anything don't hesitate to bother Arden." Alice smiled softly before seeing Jiahao off. Alice knew Jiahao was creating a distance, but didn't bother to press the issue.
Jiahao wandered the manor aimlessly for a while, she would say she was looking for an exit, but at this point, it felt hopeless.
Dejected, she returned to the dungeon to try to sleep, but she couldn't. She spent most of the day staring at the ceiling, thinking, thinking about the fact that her siblings had probably broken in to save her. Worried that they were hurt, and she wasn't there to try patch up their wounds.
She was no doctor, but could suture up Damien pretty well, she'd been doing it for years now. Who would suture him if he got hurt fighting Arden? Before Jiahao knew it she was back on her feet, what had felt like only minutes of laying down, worried out of her mind, was actually hours. When she walked up the stairs from the dungeon, leading into the main hall, she was shocked to see the night sky.
A familiar pang of hunger came over her, and with no real options, she headed for the kitchen. Knowing that there likely wasn't anything there to eat.
In place of any food, she found Arden, with a few books on the counter top. Arden didn't look away from the books when Jiahao entered, but did speak.
"Have you ever had nettle tea?" Their tone was as blunt as ever.
"No, I don't think so?" Jiahao was intrigued by this suggestion.
"Nettles sound horrible in a tea, I ate one once and lost my voice for a week." Arden mumbled almost as if they didn't intend for Jiahao to hear this at all.
Jiahao chuckled, and it reminded her of Alice's joke, "Hey, Arden, I've a question."
"Ugh, spit it out," They still didn't look at Jiahao, more engrossed in their book.
"Alice made some weird joke, if you could call it that, about making me her bride, does she normally say things like that?" Jiahao tilted her head inquisitively, but Arden didn't notice.
"Oh, not really, but there's this whole thing about vampire prince's taking human virgins as brides. Don't worry though, Alice has never believed in that crap, she was probably trying to get a reaction." Arden didn't seem too phased by Jiahao's question, still not even looking at her.
"Vampire prince's?" Jiahao mumbled this, but Arden heard, she saw them stiffen for a quick moment, as if they had only now realised what they said.
"Maybe ask Alice about it more, I don't think I'm at liberty to speak on the topic freely." Arden's voice was slightly stern, what they really wanted to say was 'I wasn't supposed to say that, so shut up with the questions.'
Jiahao nodded, before changing the subject back to nettle tea.
On the other end of town however, nobody was worrying about tea.
Damien was holding what used to be his white shirt, to the open wound on his shoulder, applying pressure as Jiahao had taught him before. May, and Max spent a lot of time trying to decide who would have the unfortunate fate of having to attempt to suture the wound. An open wound was no good in any situation at all, they thought it better to try stitch it up instead of leaving it open. Eventually it was decided that Max would do it, working with clocks meant he was better at more delicate work than May.
Neither of them really knew what they were doing though, Jiahao had been doing this for Damien for years, she had almost mastered the art of D.I.Y sutures. Max, and May could only go off what they saw her do.
A bottle of alcohol was kept in the flat, not for drinking, unless they really had a reason. It was cheap, and in Damien's words 'tasted like piss.' Jiahao kept it there specifically for disinfecting Damien's wounds. Max heated a sewing needle to sterilise it, and May soaked some thread in a bowl of the alcohol.
Damien was awaiting the incoming pain with horror. Sure, it was never exactly painless, but Jiahao was used to doing this. To him the twins were basically kids playing doctor right now, this was going to hurt.
"Damien, move your shirt." May held the bottle of alcohol in her hand, Damien looked up at her as she stood over him. He laid back on the creaky floor of the flat, and prepared for what was about to happen.
"Before you pour that shit on me, give me a swig, I'm gonna need it." Damien took the bottle from May, and took a large gulp.
When he was done, May doused his shoulder in alcohol, and it stung, badly, a string of obscenities escaped him. Before May shoved a piece of cloth in his mouth. He didn't bother removing it, he was going to need it.
Max kneeled next to him, needle in hand, and the thread still in the bowel. "I'm sorry." He sighed, before getting to work.
Everytime Max inserted the needle through a piece of flesh Damien thought he would pass out. He didn't have a low pain tolerance, but Max didn't know how to sew for shit.
He made many unnecessary incisions, multiple mistakes, and everything you could imagine, when he was done, May poured more alcohol on the wound, eliciting a muffled scream from Damien.
A few moments later a hot, wet cloth was put on his freshly sewn wound.
It took a bit before he attempted to speak, overcome with pain, but when he did, it wasn't anything the twins didn't expect.
"You're both such cruel little fucking sadists, oh my good lord, that fucking hurt like a bitch, no it still hurts like a fucking bitch!" Damien's voice was hoarse from all his screaming moments prior.
"Hey, we did what we could." May seemed less than happy with his response.
"Yeah, a thank you would be nice." Max added.
"Fuck both of you, I'm considering praying and repenting after that. It was horrible." Damien's eyes were wide, he looked traumatised, and to be fair, he probably was.
"God's not real." Both of the twins casually said at the same time.
"If God is real, then both of you are the fucking devil." Damien was angry, but he didn't mean any of it, it was the pain talking more than him.
×Chapter 4 End×