“How the ever-loving fuck does Valen put up living with you?” said Louise.

“I take regular showers,” answered Enid, “which is more than can be said for you. You smell like week-old pizza.”

“Soap’s expensive, okay?! Do you have any idea how much shampoo it takes to wash all this bloody fur?!”

Enid looked down at Louise with visible disgust.

They’d been throwing increasingly crass insults at each other for the entire walk. Valen gave up trying to make peace between them about five minutes in.

On the bright side, they were getting to know each other pretty well. On the downside, they’ll probably use that information to murder each other one day.

Enid turned to Valen. “This is who you hung out with when I wasn’t around? No wonder why you’re so bloody patient.”

“Wait, come to think of it.” Louise scrutinised Valen’s attempt at a poker face. “If you hung out with me when you were here and ginger bitch at school, doesn’t that means you knew both of us at the same time?”

“Genius deduction,” Enid said dryly. “It’s a wonder why you couldn’t get into school.”

For the first time since they met, Louise ignored her jab.

“How come you never told either of us about the other?”

Both women shot him an expectant stare.

“It just never came up,” said Valen a little too quickly. “I also didn’t think you two would get along very well.”

“You got that right.” Enid shot another nasty look down at Louise before turning back to him. “Are we close to your place yet?”

“Oh yeah, we’re near,” said Louise before Valen could answer. “I’ve been to his house, which is more than can be said for you.”

Enid glared back at her. “Why? Because your own place is a kennel?”

“Alright, that’s quite enough of that.” Valen came to an abrupt stop. He turned around to look at them. The contempt on their faces melted away to make room for concern. “I don’t know why you two dislike each other so much after being acquainted for less than an hour, but I’m going to have to ask you both to put that aside for at least the time being.”

Louise looked at the ground. “She started it,” she said, sounding the meekest she had all night.

“I know, and that wasn’t very nice of her.” He shot Enid a disapproving stare. “Enid, I know you were just worried about our safety, but you could’ve been more tactful when talking to Louise and she did save us. Remember, she’s my friend too.”

“I guess so,” Enid muttered under her breath.

Valen put a hand on each of their shoulders. Their eyes met his and shifted his gaze between them as he spoke.

“You two may not be very fond of each other, but I know how much you both care about Vivian. And right now, she needs both of you by her side to get through this. So whatever it is you’ve decided to have against each other, can we please put it aside for now? For Vivian.”

Enid and Louise looked at each other before rolling their eyes at the same time.

“Fine,” said Enid. “For Vivian.”

“As long as you don’t expect us to kiss and make up,” added Louise.

Enid made a soft sound that could almost be considered a chuckle. “Don’t give him any ideas. He just might bleed out through his nose and he’s thirsty enough as it is.”

“Well, now I kind of want to do it!”

“Maybe we should record it for him, too.”

They looked at each other without sneering for the first time all night. Louise let out a snicker. The corner of Enid’s lips twitched.

Valen turned around with a sigh.

“You two are impossible,” he said as he continued to lead the way back to his childhood home. “Come on, let’s not keep Vivian waiting any longer.”

‘She doesn’t have much time left as it is,’ he thought to himself.

The three soon arrived in front of an old two-storey townhouse nestled between identical buildings that could be very generously described as middle-class if you were drunk and squinted real hard.

Valen’s mother had bought the property for cheap with what little fortune she brought with her from the Necropolis Empire. She wanted her children to always have a place to live no matter what, and considering what happened to her, it was a good thing she did.

“Gods, I missed this place,” said Louise with the look of a child returning home after a long day at school.

Enid studied the giant grey box before her. With her no longer bickering with Louise, her expression had returned to the neutral, unreadable frown Valen had come to expect from her. Though she didn’t say anything, seeing her before his childhood home hit him with the sudden realisation that it might as well have been a cardboard box compared to what she was used to.

He pushed the self-conscious thoughts to the back of his mind.

“I’ll call Vivian to let us know we’re coming in."

Valen pulled out his phone and called his sister. The droning dial tone went on for a bit too long and was just about to become worrying when someone finally picked up.

“Hello?” asked a woman's voice on the other side.

Though it was barely any louder than a whisper, Valen still recognised it as his sister. Even with half a breath in her lungs she still took care to pronounce every word with the proper articulation expected from it. Their mother had insisted they spoke Commontongue the same way the people of Dragon’s Rest did instead of copying her Necropolian accent.

“Hey Viv, it’s me, Valen.”

“Oh! You’re here early. It’s only-” She paused to check the time. “Oh, wait, nevermind. I overslept again.”

“Happens to the best of us.” Though Valen knew it was probably the Divine Plague causing her to oversleep, she didn’t need to be reminded of it anymore than she already has. “Is it alright if we come in now? I have a couple of other visitors who want to see you too.”

“Oh? Come on in! I’m in my bedroom at the moment.”

“Alright, see you soon sis!” Valen hung up his phone and mentally braced himself. He turned to his friends who’d come all the way to meet with his sister. “Have either of you ever seen pictures of Divine Plague victims?”

“No, not really,” said Enid.

“I saw one of my old gang members show signs of it once,” said Louise.

Valen looked both of them in the eye. “Well, I’ve seen pictures of its victims while studying for med school and it’s always a crapshoot. Sometimes you can’t even tell they’re sick. Other times it’s hard to believe you’re not looking at a corpse. Vivian hasn't sent me any pictures of herself since she got infected so I don’t know what to expect either, but you two should brace yourselves just in case.”

The air around them grew grim. Enid’s frown deepened and Louise softened her expression as they were reminded of the enormous weight of Vivian’s affliction.

The Divine Plague was not some cold that could be recovered from with enough rest and drugs. For all they knew, this might be the last night they got to see her alive.

“I understand,” said Enid.

“She’s still Vivian no matter what she looks like,” said Louise. “I won’t treat her any differently.”

“That’s good.” Valen sucked in a deep breath. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you two knew what to expect first.”

He pulled out his keys to look for the old house key he hadn’t used in four odd years. A worn keychain shaped like a cute cartoon bat hanging upside down dangled from the keyring as it had ever since Vivian gave it to him for his tenth birthday. It was only when he saw it clinking against the keys that Valen realised his hands were shaking.

“Valen.” Enid wrapped her arm around his. She looked like she wanted to say more but couldn’t find the words, so she instead rested her head on his shoulder to assure him she was there.

Louise did the same with his other arm, though she was far too short to rest her head on his shoulder. Each of her four-fingered hands squeezed him through his sleeve.

“We’re here, Valen,” she said. “I’m not going to leave you this time.”

Knowing they were there gave him the strength to muster a smile. Vivian would’ve wanted to see him smiling anyways.

“Thank you,” he said. “Both of you.”

Hands steadied by the touch of his friends, Valen opened the door and stepped inside his childhood home.

Not much had changed since he first left. Although the living room was small, it was kept so tidy that it felt much larger than it really was. Still, good cleaning habits can only cover up so much.

Dust trickled from the ceiling whenever the rats above scurried about, duct tape was plastered on cracks in the windows to keep the draft out, and there was a mysterious, vaguely person-shaped stain on the grey carpet floor that might’ve had something to do with why the place was so cheap. Valen tried his best not to think too much about that last one.

Enid tightened her hold around Valen’s arm. Her eyes darted from one dilapidated corner to the next.

“You used to live like this?” she asked. There was bewilderment in her voice accented by no small amount of pity.

“It’s how Vivian still lives too,” said Valen.

“Just like a lot of people around here,” added Louise. “If they’re lucky, that is.”

Enid kept silent as she was led up the rickety stairs that struggled to support three people at once. Aside from Valen’s old room, Vivian’s bedroom was the only other room on the upper floor.

Valen reached into his coat for his earring. If this was the last time Vivian saw him, he wanted her to see him wearing it.

He felt a slight pricking pain as the sharp earring pin pierced through his left earlobe, but his healing factor regenerated the flesh around it before it had time to bleed.

Once he was sure the earring was fixed right where it should be, Valen rapped the back of his hand against Vivian’s bedroom door.

“Hey Vivian,” he said just loudly enough for her to hear him. “It’s Valen. Plus a couple of other people who want to see you.”

A cheerful voice that tried to hide its pain answered from the other side.

“Come on in! The door’s unlocked.”

Valen eased the door open and stepped inside with Enid by his side. He never went into Vivian’s bedroom all that often, but it more or less looked like how he remembered it. The peeling green and yellow floral wallpaper was still ugly as sin and patches of dark mould had spread throughout the ceiling.

A simple white mask depicting the Divine Mother of the Gods crying tears of blood, a holy symbol among Sanguinists, hung on the wall opposite to the bed where Vivian laid propped up by several pillows.

The bed itself was a shaky old thing with springs threatening to poke through the mattress and one of its unbalanced pegs held up by an old piece of folded newspaper. Vivian had to keep her long legs bent to one side in an awkward position to keep them from sticking out.

It was easy to see the family resemblance on her. She had rare black-red eyes like Valen, considered an attractive trait among vampires and utterly terrifying for everyone else. They both even had similar beauty marks on their faces, though hers was on her chin while Valen’s was under his left eye.

She was a handsome woman, but the Divine Plague had taken a clear toll on her.

Black vein-like bruises ran up Vivian’s pale neck, reaching as far as her lower jaw. Her long blonde hair which was usually braided in an intricate bun instead lay splayed out like matted vines on her worn out pillow. Black blood smeared the corners of her dry lips and the smell of a slow death hung in the air.

And yet, despite all that, she still managed to greet them with a bright smile.

“Good evening, Valen!” she said with all the cheer she could scrounge up in her state. “You too, Enid.”

“Hey Viv,” said Enid. “You seem to be doing well.”

Enid only ever met Vivian whenever she dropped off or picked up Valen at their school, but it’d been enough to make a lasting impression on her.

“As well as I possibly can in this state.” She craned her head to the side to peak behind Valen. Her red-black eyes widened in surprise when she spotted the unmistakable white fur of a certain werewolf she used to know. “Louise? Is that you?”

Louise poked her head out from Valen’s back and offered a small, awkward wave. “Hi Vivian.”

Vivian’s face softened back into a smile.

“Hello Louise,” she said with unabashed fondness. “It’s so good to finally see you again.”

“You’re not angry?” she asked, still not meeting her eyes.

“No.” Vivian leaned forward and held out her hand, beckoning Louise to come closer. “I’m just glad that you’re here.”

Valen gave Louise a gentle nudge forward. She was hesitant at first but took a shaky step forward upon seeing her outstretched hand.

When Louise was close enough, Vivivan used what little remained of her strength to pull her into a soft hug.

Even when sitting on a bed, she was tall enough to dwarf Louise and bury her face inside her long blonde hair with her hug.

Louise didn’t mind. It made it easier to hide her watery eyes.

“I missed this,” she said, her voice matching her small stature for once.

“I missed you too, Louise.” She broke away from the hug to look at her. “How’ve you been?”

“Well, for one, I finally quit hanging with that gang.” A great weight lifted from her conscience when the words left her. “Took me a while to realise what bloody shits they were.”

Vivian choked out a weak chuckle.

“That’s good to know.” There was palpable relief in her voice. “Real good. I can rest easy now knowing that you’ll be okay.”

Louise wanted to tell her not to talk like that. To tell her that she’ll be fine. But even an uneducated runt like her knew that there was no recovering from what she had. It was a miracle she’s even conscious right now.

“I wouldn’t exactly say I’ve been staying out of trouble,” Louise said in jest. “But I’m trying to do better. Even got a proper job delivering pizza.”

Enid mumbled under her breath. “So that’s why she smells like that.”

“That’s great!” Vivian smiled, showing off her four extended fangs. “There is honour to be found in all professions. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” said Louise. “Gods, I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Louise,” replied Vivian in kind. “More than you can possibly know.” She turned to her brother, the boy she’d raised ever since the death of their mother. “Valen. Thank you so much for bringing her here.”

“Not a problem,” said Valen. “If anything I should be thanking her. She helped us deal with some trouble on the way here.”

Vivian didn’t bother to ask what sort of trouble it was. She’d lived in the Nocturnal District long enough to guess the answer anyways.

“I’m not surprised,” she said. “Louise always was a brave one.”

Vivian rubbed Louise’s head, messing up her already rugged white hair. Had it been anyone else, their hand would’ve gone missing before it could touch a hair on her head. But for Vivian, she decided to make an exception.

When she was finished patting Louise’s head, Vivian turned to look at Enid, then back at Louise, before finally settling on Valen.

“You know, Valen, I never thought I’d see the day where Enid and Louise are in the same room together. It’s a bit surreal.”

“Yeah.” Louise casted Valen a sideways glance, though it was more mischievous than malicious. “He never mentioned either of us to the other. Apparently he didn’t think we’d get along. Which is complete and total bullshit, right Enid?”

“Of course,” said Enid, somehow keeping a straight face. “We get along swimmingly. Like syrup and butter on a pancake.”

Valen let out a nervous chuckle. “Am I supposed to be the pancake in that analogy?”

“Anyways.” Enid brushed off his question. Her expression grew grim as she focused her attention on Vivian. “Vivian, I can help you get through this.”

“I’m afraid there’s no helping me now,” said Vivian with a sad smile. “My fate is up to the gods now.”

“But I can at least help you spend your remaining time comfortably. My family owns over a hundred hotels in this city. Pick any one of them and I’ll make sure you get to stay in the best room for however long you have left. Whatever the costs are, I’ll cover it.”

Louise gave her a puzzled look. “Just how rich is your family?”

“Very,” said Enid in the understatement of the millenia.

Vivian shook her head, still smiling her sorrowful smile.

“Enid, you know better than anyone that money isn’t everything.”

“No, but it does help quite a bit,” she insisted. “I just want to help you however I can.”

“You’re already helping me by just being here for me,” Vivian assured her. “The only thing I want you to do is promise to take care of Valen when I’m gone.”

Enid shifted her gaze to Valen before returning it to Vivian. “I was going to do that anyway.”

“Vivian.” Valen approached his sister. “I can stay here to take care of you for as long as you need. University can wait.”

“I can help too!” added Louise.

“I don’t mind pitching in either,” said Enid.

Vivian looked like she was about to cry.

“Thank you. All of you.” She rubbed her eyes, wiping away drops of black blood instead of tears. “But I’d hate to be a burden to you all.”

“You’re not a burden at all!” said Valen. “You’ve already done so much for me. It’s the least I can do to pay you back for it.”

“Same goes for me,” said Louise.

“Me too,” added Enid.

“It’s alright, really.” Vivian regained her composure. “I’ve already made plans for my final nights.”

Valen furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“The doctor who diagnosed me with the Divine Plague suggested a place for me to go.” Vivian reached into her nightstand and pulled out her wallet. “I intend to take his advice.”

She pinched a red business card from it and handed it to him with a shaky hand. ‘Stillheart Hospice’ was printed on it in white letters next to the holy symbol of the Divine Mother’s crying face.

An address was written on the other side of the card. One that Valen recognised but hadn’t been to in a long time.

“315 Stoker Street? Isn’t that where the Aeternum Nocturne Cathedral was?”

“Indeed it is,” said Vivian. “It was rebuilt into a hospice after it got burned down.”

“I think I heard about that,” said Enid. “It was during that riot way back when, right?”

Louise's face grew sombre at the memories. “The Ashen Nights,” she said. “Gods, I can still remember them.”

Valen handed Vivian back the card.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget it either,” he said with vacant eyes still staring into the past.

The Ashen Nights was breaking news when it happened ten years ago. It even trended on Chirper for a whole week as opposed to a few days.

But for those in the Nocturnal District who had the misfortune to experience it, the scars it left will never truly fade.

Adrien Vickers, Nocturnal District vampire, was arrested for the murder of Colin Hayes, a human who was partying in Reveller’s Row. Hayes had been high off his mind on designer drugs when he jumped Vickers at the back of a nightclub and tried to stake him with a broken whiskey bottle. The vampire accidentally cracked the human’s skull in the ensuing struggle and put him into a coma he would never wake up from.

It should have been an open and shut case of self-defence, but the significant human population of Dragon’s Rest didn’t see it that way when Vickers was acquitted of all charges.

Memorials were held in the wealthy Financial District Hayes had come from while outraged humans flocked to the Nocturnal District streets to protest Vickers’ release. What started as a misguided but peaceful protest devolved into violent riots when the protestors started bringing cans of insecticide and lighters to use as makeshift flamethrowers for ‘self-defence’ against vampires.

The nights of the riots became known as the Ashen Nights, because only ashes were left in its wake. Nobody knows for sure how much of that ash came from the slain vampires. Valen only knew his mother became one of them when she burned alive in front of him.

“Remember when we used to go to the cathedral when you were little?” asked Vivian, no doubt trying to draw his mind to fonder memories. “You’d always try to play Mad Bats on your phone when you thought no one was looking.”

“I did,” said Valen with a chuckle. “But you always paid attention to the sermons.”

“Always,” Vivian said. “Even now, their words give me strength.”

Valen snuck a glance at the crying mask hanging on the wall. It amazed him how even as the gods tested her will to live by condemning her to death, she still honoured them by displaying a symbol of their Divine Mother.

“If that is where you truly want to pass on, then you have nothing but my support.” Valen reached out and held his sister’s hand. She was cold to the touch, but her smile remained warm. “And in case it wasn’t clear before, I love you, sis.”

Vivian gripped his hand with whatever strength was left in her body. “I love you too, Valen.”

“When are you leaving for the hospice?”

“I plan to call them to bring me there in a couple of days,” said Vivian. “I’ve held out on calling them because I wanted to tell you about it first.”

“Then let’s make the most out of your last night in this house.”

The rest of the visit went by in a blur that Valen wished could last forever.

Though her body was weakened, Vivian was able to walk into the living room with the aid of Valen and the world’s longest walking stick.

Valen put one of Vivian’s favourite shows on the telly, a melodramatic period piece about life during the age of gods. Enid offered to order pizza and Louise took the opportunity to order the most expensive toppings available.

Vampires had no biological need to eat, but many still did as a supplement to their blood diet. Vivian had just enough of an appetite left to demolish an entire box’s worth of pizza, chased down by a glass of soda pop mixed with powdered blood substitute.

In addition to being expensive enough to require careful rationing, the pharmaceutical blood substitutes tasted so terrible that no vampire alive dissolved the stuff in just plain water if they could help it. The especially hardcore or depressed used booze, though neither Vivian nor Valen ever touched the stuff.

Valen sat on the couch with Enid and Louise on either side of him. Vivian had her own armchair near them with the best view of their budget TV.

Good food, great company, and a tolerable show. What more could a tired university student ask for?

Valen felt truly happy in the moment, being surrounded by friends and junk food in front of the telly. He hoped Vivian did too.

But thoughts of the future still nagged the back of his mind. The idea that Vivian was going to be carted off into a hospice he just heard about didn’t sit well with him.

He had no doubt the place meant much to her. Vivian was already an adult when she arrived in Dragon’s Rest. She had clear memories of finding solace through faith at the Aeternum Nocturne Cathedral while Valen was too young to remember much about it before it burned to the ground.

As he listened to Louise piss herself laughing at a dramatic reveal scene that probably wasn’t intended to be funny, Valen resolved to pay Stillheart Hospice a visit.