It had been a warm night in the summer of 1776. Kooky was playing Bach's Prelude in C Major on the keyboard; a sensible piece for a beginner like him. His father paced the room back and forth, slapping a ruler in the palm of his hands to keep time.

Kooky yawned under his breath, his eyelids growing heavier by the minute. He was becoming tired of playing the same dreamy sequence over...and over...and over....

and over...

and over........

AND OVER!

As Kooky had drifted off to sleep, he'd inadvertently hit the wrong key. His father was dead silent now. Kooky trembled on the piano bench, suddenly wide awake.

"G...C...E..." His father muttered under his breath, slowly advancing towards the keyboard.

"G....C...E...G....C....E....G, C, E, G-C-E, GCE!" He yelled, forcing Kooky's little fingers into those keys on the keyboard. It hurt, but he didn't dare say anything.

"G!C!E! WHAT THE HELL IS SO DIFFICULT ABOUT THAT!?" His father screamed. Kooky didn't answer as he silently used the last slivers of his energy to hold back his tears.

His father sighed deeply as he sat down at the dinner table. He drank his alcohol straight from the glass pitcher, seemingly unable to last the duration of the music lesson without a drink. When he'd finished consuming its contents, he set the glass down. He rubbed his temples, mumbling about how big of a disappointment Kooky was to his entire family. He'd wished Mozart was his son instead.

"HEY! I didn't tell you to stop!" His father shouted. "You're going to sit there all night if you have to! Dedication is what separates the elite from the commoners!"

Kooky was very tired. He had no energy to care about being an elite or a commoner, he just wanted to go to bed.

But he did not dare complain. A night at the piano bench was much more preferred to another night locked in the cold, dark, stone cellar.

He was simply lucky he'd gotten off without a beating this time.

~~~

"So...why are we going to Germany again?" Lili asked.

"Why not?" Ludwig retorted, "It's a free vacation. The School is paying for everything."

"Ok, sure but...won't this be, like,...triggering for you?"

"It could, but my therapist said this kind of exposure could trigger lost memories--"

"And then you'll finally be able to remember why you were in the ER."

"Sure." Ludwig replied. He himself had almost forgotten that he'd even been in the ER.

"I don't expect it'll be too scary anyway, because I'm very strong and brave."

"Alright, whatever you need to tell yourself." Lili responded, rolling her eyes playfully.

She picked up the remote to the private jet's television set. "What do you wanna watch?"

"How about Jurassic Park?"

"Jurassic Park?"

"Yeah. The flight might take a while, we could watch the whole series." He smiled.

Lili shrugged. "Sure. You put the first movie in while I make us some popcorn; I think Roy said this thing had a microwave somewhere..."

Just as she wandered off to find it, Roy flew back into the cabin with Joseph in tow.

"Where...were you?" Ludwig questioned.

"I was outside," He said, pointing to the window, "I was showing Joseph what the world looks like from up here."

Ludwig found it a tad bit irresponsible for Roy to take the baby outside of the safety of the private jet, even if said baby was a ghost.

"Hey...are you okay?" Roy asked randomly.

"Um...why wouldn't I be?" Ludwig retorted defensively.

"I mean....I dunno know...you might be a little nervous about facing your past. If I went back to the Rock Candy Mines, I know I'd be nervous."

"You still haven't gone back after all this time?"

Roy shook his head slowly. "No. I'm....too scared to see what's become of the place. I feel like a failure as it is, I'd only feel a thousand times worse if I saw the ruin with my own eyes...."

"Well I suppose it's not entirely your fault. None of it would've happened if Apple hadn't killed you."

"True...but knowing that doesn't make me feel any better..." Roy admitted.

Ludwig didn't really know what to say, so he said nothing. He wasn't very good at consoling people. Lili returned with the bags of popcorn and gave one to him. Detecting the smell of something edible, Beethoven slunk over from wherever he had been hiding and began to rub his body on Ludwig's legs, because for some reason Ludwig couldn't understand, Beethoven seemed to believe he hadn't found out about his whole begging routine. He leaped up on the couch and cuddled up to Ludwig, trying to pretend he was only over there for some innocent cuddles.

Ludwig sighed and offered Beethoven one of the plainest popcorn pieces he could find.

Beethoven stared at it, flattered. "Wow, what a nice surprise! I wouldn't want to impose but...if you insist...I shall accept your thoughtful gift." He said dramatically before eating it.

"Can I have just one more piece? You're not seriously going to eat all of that, are you?" Beethoven inquired.

Ludwig sighed before giving him another piece. "This is going to be a long flight."

It would've been even longer if Matthias were there, but Ludwig was very grateful that work had kept him away. He didn't know how he would've survived being around him 24/7.

***

Their jet finally arrived in Bonn, Germany at about 10:25 am. The weather was fairly cloudy and the air was cool, just like back in the Fruit Kingdom.

"Ugh! This is terrible vacation weather! I thought I'd finally get some sun." Lili complained.

"I don't know what you were expecting. Germany isn't that far from home."

"Sure, but it is further south. Sometimes a few extra inches is all you need."

"Heh, that's what she said." Roy chuckled.

"How is that 'that's what she said'--"

"Guys, can we focus!? We have to check into the hotel! You can have this debate later!" Ludwig interrupted.

The taxi slowly pulled up to the Maritim Hotel Bonn. It appeared very large and luxurious. Almost all of the exterior was covered in windows. Various flags of the world's countries and kingdoms decorated the front lawn. The word "Maritim" was stationed above the front entrance, and on the top of one side of the building.

They paid the driver and walked inside the building, their luggage rolling behind them. Lili let Ludwig check the group in, for he was only one who could speak any German.

The main lobby reflected the high class feel of the exterior. The sun shone down on the guests through the glass skylight in the center of the room. Or at least it would, if there was any sun. There were plenty of plush armchairs for guests to sit in and glass chandeliers. Lili began to wonder where The School got all the money to fund their trip.

They'd been given 2 single rooms right next to each other with a door in the middle that could be opened if they wished. Lili suggested that all the boys stay in one room and she stay in another, but Ludwig quickly insisted that she wasn't about to dump her crotch spawns on them. They were going to keep her up all night in her room.

Each of the rooms had one bed with a red bed scarf draped across it. There were lamps and nightstands on both sides of the bed. Across from the bed there was a table with a gray rolling chair where the TV, another lamp, the telephone, and some other papers sat. The safe and mini fridge were located underneath the table. The room had a large window with yet another lamp in front of it, as well as a comfortable lounge chair and a glass table. Outside of the window, the lawn of the building could be seen as well as a few other buildings in the distance.

The bathroom sink had black marble countertops and a large mirror, bordered by bright LED lights. There was an assortment of little bottles on the sink filled with lotions, hand soaps and the like. There was a toilet of course, and a small shower made entirely of crystal clear glass. Interestingly, right next to it was a bathtub. Ludwig wondered who would use it, taking a bath in a hotel was like taking a bath at a strangers house. You weren't supposed to sit and enjoy it, you were supposed to get in and get out.

"So...what do you guys think?" Ludwig asked.

"It's pretty cool, honestly a lot better than I was expecting." Roy admitted.

"Why is that?"

"Well, you said that Graeme guy said The School was, like, lacking funding or whatever. So, I was just surprised they could afford any of this."

"I'm with Roy," Lili said, "The hotel is amazing. Where does The School get all this money?"

Ludwig shrugged. "I don't know, I just work there. Don't question it, you'll enjoy it more."

Roy chuckled. "That's what he said--"

"Anyways, I'm going to set my stuff down in my room. Come along, Beethoven." Ludwig said leaving the room.

He eventually returned, opening the door between the two rooms.

"What took you so long?" Lili whined. "I thought you were just going to put your stuff down."

"I did. But I also cleaned the place. This place might look amazing, but you can't see germs, Lilium."

"You don't have to clean, though. That's what the staff are for."

"And you really trust the staff to do their jobs?! Once, I saw a news story where they were exposing hotels for not actually changing the sheets and cleaning the rooms. Pretty much every hotel failed! If people can get away with not doing a job, they won't do it. That's just how people are." Ludwig told her.

She rolled her eyes, choosing not to feed into his constant paranoia.

"Anyway, if you guys are fine, I'm going to go take a nap--"

"A nap?! You can't take a nap! It's only, like, what? Eleven o'clock? There's still time to do something fun and go sight seeing today!" Lili insisted.

"You could always do that on your own."

"No I can't! I need a local to show me around and you're supposed to be the translator! I need you so I know what the heck everyone's talking about!"

"First of all, I hardly count as a local at this point. If memory serves me right, I haven't been here since the 1700s and I'm, like, 99.9% sure things have changed around here since then. Second of all, that sounds like a personal problem. I told you you should learn some German before we came but nOoOOoOoOOOOOOOoooo! Nobody listens to me!"

"But German is difficult! Learning a new language isn't easy for everyone, you know."

Ludwig groaned dramatically. All of that bullshit just sounded like excuses to be lazy and not do anything to leave her comfort zone. And Matthias was way outside of her comfort zone; Ludwig wondered what he even saw in her. But then again, all Matthias ever did was comply and bend to her will. She won't learn his family's language, participate in their culture, or convert to his religion because she's too eurocentric and lazy to understand anything? No problem, apparently she's worth all the trouble. God, he was such a simp.

"Fine. We can go. I suppose the earlier we start, the better."

===

They arrived at their first location on their itinerary: The Beethoven House Museum.

The exterior of the building was, surprisingly, pink. The baroque-style house was completely flat at the front with five double windows facing the street and a dark blueish-green door that matched the shutters on the windows. There was an old, worn plaque under one of the windows that read:

"In diesem Hause wurde Ludwig van Beethoven geboren am 17ten Dezember 1770"

"What does that say?" Lili asked.

Though he thought it fairly obvious, Ludwig replied, "'In this house Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 17th, 1770."

"I thought your birthday was the 16th?"

"Honestly....no one knows. I'm pretty sure it's the 16th. It doesn't really matter though, it's only a one day difference. Maybe we should start celebrating my birthday on both days!~"

Lili shook her head. "Shall we go in?"

Suddenly, Joseph burst into tears in his baby stroller. Jacob grimaced at the house, as if he believed it was the cause of his brother's tears. Soon enough, he began crying too and now the other patrons were staring at them.

"Ludwig, you can go on ahead inside while Roy and I deal with these two." Lili suggested, pushing the stroller to somewhere less in the public eye.

Ludwig entered the home on his own. It was quiet, aside from the footsteps and muffled chatter of the visitors. Upon entering, he was met with seperate pieces of an organ. Seeing the inverted color of the keys made him feel...strangely nostalgic. They claimed to have his original piano, but he couldn't remember if it was or not. The hairs on his back rose and he suddenly felt on edge, as if something was going to happen but he wasn't sure what.

There was an old cello, a violin, a large bow, and some sheet music on display in a large glass case. There was another case that apparently held his seal, though--yet again--he couldn't remember if it was real or not. The house felt vaguely familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time. Perhaps because it wasn't the same as he'd left it all those years ago. There were glass cases everywhere and the walls were full of portraits of people he did not remember.

He came upon the cellar. It wasn't near any of the real exhibits; he'd stumbled upon it by accident. He did not know how he knew it was the cellar. He could just....feel it. And he could smell it too. The old, dusty smells of coal and cobwebs. His heart felt like it was trying to pound its way out of his chest. Cold chills pierced his skin yet he felt uncomfortably warm at the same time.

"...And you're going to stay in here and think about what you've done! Maybe next time you'll to take your lessons more seriously!..."

Ludwig whipped his head around, searching the room for the source of that voice.

What the hell is wrong with me? He thought to himself.

His legs felt weak, so he stumbled into the next room, in search of place to rest his feet. He took a sip of blood from his water bottle, wondering if dehydration was the cause of his fatigue. According to the bottle, he hadn't drunken enough today.

He took deep breaths, trying to remember the techniques his therapist taught him for staying grounded.

He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He realized he was in a room dedicated to portraits of Ludwig van Beethoven. All of the photos depicted him as a young boy, but one particular photo at the back of the room caught his eye.

There was a woman and a young boy, both with brown skin, dark eyes, and blue hair. The woman was seated in a wooden chair, a delicate hand placed on the boy's shoulder. The boy had his hand on his hip and the other on the woman's knees. Interestingly, the painting appeared as if it had been torn, though of course Ludwig did not know when or why.

A plaque located underneath the painting described it as:

"Ludwig van Beethoven, his mother, Maria Magdalena, née Keverich, and and an unknown individual"

Unknown individual? Ludwig questioned, scanning the photo for any other people. Suddenly, he spotted a hand on Maria's shoulder. The skin was brown as well, and they wore a dark blue coat but the rest of their body was no longer visible because of the rip.

Ludwig was violently startled by a hand on his own shoulder.

Lili giggled at his dramatic reaction, but Ludwig didn't find it very humorous.

"That's a great way to get killed, you know?" Ludwig said, irritated.

"Relax! I didn't think I would even startle you, you're always telling me you can smell me from a mile away."

Ludwig did not respond.

Changing the subject, Lili asked. "So...are you Ludwig van Beethoven or are you just related? I'm a little confused."

"...Do you see that hair on display over there?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said, looking over at the little strands.

"A while back, I had The School steal the hair on display so they could compare it to mine....it was a match."

"If you stole the hair, how is it still over there in the container?"

"I replaced it with one of my own."

"You can't just do that! That's tampering with museum property!" She scolded him.

"What's the difference?" Ludwig retorted, "What's important is who the hair is from, not the hair itself. It should be all the same to them."

"Fine. But if this is all true....your birth certificate says you were born Kooky van Beethoven instead of Ludwig...how did that happen?"

"Ludwig was a pen name to obscure my identity...also, I'd never liked the name Kooky. My mother said she gave me the name because I was a strange looking child, which is just another way of saying I was ugly. I'd always liked the name Ludwig much more, so I took the opportunity to change it." He explained.

Lili nodded. "There's...not a lot known about you. This museum mostly contains your instruments, your music, your patrons, and things about the city of Bonn itself. Even though it's called the Beethoven house, there aren't very many personal Beethoven things on display."

"Yeah, I've noticed, but this was by design. I made fewer and fewer public appearances as I got 'older' because of my vampirism. I had to hide that I, in fact, wasn't getting older. If people found out I didn't grow up like a normal child, they could've killed me. Around that time, there was actually hysteria surrounding vampires, so the people were already on edge....my father was a vampire too, so he was experienced in making sure people never find out what you don't want them to know. So after a certain age, there were no public concerts, no paintings. Only a few patrons knew of my peculiar condition. They were people who knew how to keep a secret." Ludwig explained.

"Wow..." Lili breathed, taking all the information in. "....I prefer Mozart's music, if we're being honest."

"I suppose I do too, he was my idol once upon a time." Kooky agreed before beginning to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"I've seen enough and now I wish to leave. You can stay if you want." He said before walking out the door.

×××

"I want to find your parents."

Ludwig choked on his mouthful of blood. He coughed and hacked, the other visitors of the Stadtgarten park giving concerned glances at the sight of him coughing up blood.

"Are.....you good?" Lili asked.

"Yeah..." He replied between wheezes, "I'm just....choking to death...."

He took some more deep breaths until he was finally back to normal.

"My mother is dead and my father is a deadbeat. I have no idea where his sorry ass went off to, nor do I care." He replied.

"How did your mother die?"

"It's...a long story."

"I have plenty of time to hear it."

"Well I don't want to tell you." He refused. "Why do you want to find my parents--if that's even what you could call them--so badly anyway?"

"I-I...want to find your father so...well...um..hecouldmaybeturnmeintoavampiretoo?" She confessed nervously.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed incredulously. She wasn't entirely sure whether he'd reacted that way because he was surprised or because he hadn't quite understood what she said.

Secretly, Lili wanted to find his father so she could kill him, and thereby miraculously heal Ludwig of his trauma.

"You heard me! I want to find him so he can turn me into a vampire too!"

"I heard what you said." He retorted. Huh, so the latter then. "I just don't understand why you'd want him of all people to do that."

Lili tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, I can't ask you to do it. I don't trust that you won't completely suck all the blood out of my body and turn me into a raisin."

He laughed, which she felt only proved her point.

Then his face became very serious. "And you believe an abusive, ravenous, dangerous stranger won't? That makes zero sense! God Lilium, the extent of your stupidity never ceases to amaze me!"

She scoffed but brushed off his insult because even she knew that it sounded absurd.

"Nothing you say will change my mind, I still want to find him." She insisted, "Face it, you're only acting like this because you want to be the only one who's special!"

Ludwig cringed. "Lilium, you are a human, a normie. All your life you have gone without powers or magic. You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if you got some. You wouldn't know how to control them."

"And you do? You're, like, 300 years old and you still act like you can't control yours."

"I'll have you know, I can control them now much better than I could before." He replied indignantly.

"It's clear all of this is hard for your tiny, little, immature brain to comprehend...I suppose I should tell you what happened to my mother...."

"It was a very long time ago...obviously. By the time of her death, my mother wasn't the woman she'd always been. She was...well, the most accurate description would be that she was quite literally mad as a hatter. Mutter worked as a milliner to help make ends meet after Vater left. Mercury poisoning was common among those of such a profession, because mercury was used to make felt, which was then used to make the hats. I watched her decline...it was terrifying. I had no idea what was happening to her and why....before I'd seen that old painting in the museum, I couldn't even remember what Mutter was like before the mercury."

"That sounds horrible but....what does your mom dying of mercury poisoning have to do with this?"

"Because it was not the mercury that killed her, well, I suppose some people might say it was but that's beside the point! Just let me finish the story! So anyways...where was I going with that? Oh, yes! So, as she became poisoned, she became more paranoid. Well, rumors of war spilling out of the Waffle Kingdom made her especially anxious. She was desperate for an escape. Around that time, I was offered a sponsored trip to Vienna to meet Mozart and study under his tutelage. Mutter begged for me to let her come on the journey but...I refused."

"Why?" Lili asked, finding herself now invested in his story, no matter where it led.

"Because after the mercury, she'd become abusive and hostile towards me. She was always acting like she didn't want me around anymore. Going to study with Herr Mozart was going to be my escape. My escape from this family who obviously never wanted me, so if that is how they felt they could stay right where they were and die. It wouldn't be much of an escape if I brought her along with me, her presence a constant reminder of my past...."

"Well? How did she react?"

"...Surprisingly well, or so I thought. She'd seemed very desperate but after I made it clear she couldn't come, she dropped the subject and went about her day as if nothing had ever happened."

"The day before my departure, Mutter told me that she wanted to...spend the day together so she wouldn't miss me so much when I left. Me, being the stupid kid I was, actually foolishly let myself believe that my mother genuinely wanted to spend time with me. It was....starting to get a bit dark out...and we went to a park near the Rhine. She told me if we went at that time there would be less people there. And...she was right. We...walked over by the water's edge..."

"Lilium, the water was so....filthy. It was filled with garbage, waste, rotting meat, and disease. It smelled horrendous, and considering people hardly bathed at all back then, that is really saying something."
Ludwig took a moment to rub his eyes. When he finished, his eyes remained locked on the green grass beneath him. He appeared as if he were mentally somewhere else, as if he were seeing the dirty river as he described it to her.

"Mutter kneeled down next to the edge and asked me what I saw. I don't really remember what I said, but it must've not been the right answer for she told me what she saw: how similar we looked. Brown skin, dark eyes, blue hair. She told me that we looked like...family. Like we belonged together."

"I was...stunned, to say the least. Of course, I could see the resemblance but no one had ever...said anything like that to me. I thought, for only a moment, that maybe she loved me...." Ludwig trailed off. He didn't say anything more for a few seconds, and Lili was unsure if he was going to continue.

Eventually, he went on. "But that was only for a moment. While I was stunned, Mutter pushed me in and...." His voice faltered and he felt as if he had a hard lump in his throat.

He looked away from her. "I...don't really want to talk about the rest....do you remember that time I woke up crying last year?"

Lili nodded, until she remembered Ludwig wasn't even looking at her and she said, "Yeah."

"Well...um...that is what I was remembering. My mother drowned me in that river, Lilium." Ludwig tried to talk about how it felt, but the memory was too painful and too horrific to put into words.

So he moved on. "I died in that river but I...came back to life somehow. I ended up out of the river somehow, I don't know, my memory is very foggy when it comes to that part. I knew something was different about me. My senses were heightened and I felt a strange new craving for the blood of the living."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on. So you're saying that drowning in the river turned you into a vampire?"

"Mmm, not necessarily. I was born a vampire, I think. I was born with a smaller version of the fang I have now, that's why my mother named me Kooky, because I was born with teeth, which she found ugly and strange. And I didn't really age before my death either. I....don't really know what truly happened. My father was the only other vampire I knew and he was long gone so I couldn't ask him about it, I had to essentially find out everything about myself and my powers on my own. Personally, I refer to it as my Awakening. The event awakened the vampire that had always been there, he was just dormant."

"But even though I had been 'awakened', I felt like I was in a trance. I was aware, but not really aware nor in control. It had began to rain, but somehow, I made it all the way back home, my clothes still soaked with all the water and garbage and shit. Mutter was there, packing her luggage, preparing to leave for Vienna using my postcoach. When she noticed me watching her, she screamed...it was strange, seeing her so frightened of me. But I was full of uncontrollable rage."

"I....remember the piercing wail of Mutter's shrieks....but they only lasted for a moment. When I had finally come out of my 'trance', everything was quiet. Her body was there....mangled and lifeless. There were chunks of flesh missing from her frame. And I had blood all over my hands and mouth. I knew it was hers, and I knew what I had done...and I was horrified at what I had become. I cried over her body, but I don't know why, not after what she'd done to me."

Lili didn't really know what to say to all of that. There was nothing she could say that would make the situation okay.

"...What happened to you after that?"

Ludwig cleared his throat, surprised she even wanted him to continue. "Mutter's screams and my cries attracted...unwanted attention. One of the neighbor's came in to see what all the commotion was about, and they found me with the body and the evidence all over my hands and mouth. They sounded the alarm and alerted everyone in town. In no time, an angry mob had been formed: silver pitchforks, torches, garlic, stakes. The whole shebang. I'm kind of impressed at how quickly they mobilized.

Anyways, I ran....like the wind! It was storming harder then, and it made it harder for the mob to see but my eyes had never been more perceptive! After my awakening, I could see in the dark just as well as I could see in the day. I don't remember how long I had to run, I just....did. In no particular direction. I ended up in the nearby woodlands. I stumbled upon a den and--desperate for a hiding spot--I crawled in to escape the mob and the rain."

"Is that all?" Lili asked.

"No, but it's not really relevant to your situation. Why are you so interested all of sudden, you couldn't wait till I'd finished before."

"Because I find your history interesting. This is kind of a deep, intimate moment...and I don't really want it to end just yet...besides, I've always loved listening to old people's stories!" Lili chuckled.

Ludwig rolled his eyes but decided to continue, for this was his favorite part of the memory.

He smiled. "The den was warm and dry, and the mob never found me in there. As I caught my breath, I noticed I was not alone. There were two little wolf pups in the den, fast asleep. I'd never seen wolves in real life before then." He chuckled, the vision of what he was describing playing in his mind.

"After everything I'd been through that day, I was exhausted. Without knowing any better, I fell asleep with them and we kept each other warm. Of course, the she-wolf returned with food from her hunt. The smell of the meat had woken everyone up, including me. But as her offspring dug in, she growled and snarled at me and I just sat because I didn't know what to do, I thought she was going to attack."

"But she did not. She gently sniffed my hair and my cheeks, licking the stray blood off of them." He giggled. "She even allowed me to have a piece of meat. And I felt strangely happy...no one had ever shared anything with me before. To keep a long story short, the gray wolves let me stick around so I stayed with them and adopted them as my new family. In my mind, I dubbed the alpha male and female--the parents--Vater and Mutter and the two pups--my siblings--Wolfgang and Nannerl, after the Mozart siblings. I didn't call anything any of them that to their faces, of course. I learned to speak their language of growls, barks, grunts, howls, and the like. I learned to walk on all fours, so I could be more like them. The Alphas taught me much of what I know about surviving in the wild and...well, I dunno...this probably sounds pretty stupid but....I felt like I belonged with them in the forest."

Huh, so that explains the weird running on all fours thing, I guess, Lili though to herself.

"Forest life wasn't always easy, but it was simple. The wolves never beat me, berated me, forced me to play piano, locked me in any cellars, drowned me, used me for money, or made me feel like they wished I was never born. They were gentle and they offered me protection and physical affection...I'd never experienced anything like that before....that feeling of love...." He trailed off, his eyes beginning to water.

"Lilium, do you know that part in Guradians of the Galaxy where that Yondu guy says to Starlord, 'He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy'? Yeah...that's what the Alpha male was to me. So now I call him Vati and my biological father, Vater. The same goes for my mother-- I call the Alpha female Mami, instead of Mutter." He paused, realizing he'd started rambling.

"If life in the forest was so amazing....why did you ever leave?" Lili asked quietly.

"That's enough story time for today, Lilium. Gosh, I've rambled on so long I've forgotten the moral of my story....oh yes, that's right..."

"Lilium, if Johann turned you into a vampire, you would become just as ravenous and hungry as I had been when I was awakened. You would do the same thing to Joseph and Jacob that I'd done to my own mother. Well, I guess you'd just do it to Jacob since Joseph is already dead--"

"And you'd just sit there?" She asked incredulously.

"What?"

"You'd just sit there and watch as I murder my baby? You wouldn't even try to hold me back?"

"I can't--and won't--be around all the time to stop you. Even if you're miraculously reborn with the self-control to spare his life, you'd still crave blood every second, of every minute, of every hour! And all that blood's gotta come from somewhere! And do you truly believe you'd be able to keep your job as a nurse in such a state? They'd have to be insane to let you around their most vulnerable patients. And what about Matathias? Surely, he wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life with a monster. You're just kidding yourself, Lilium. A normie like you would never survive life as a vampire." Ludwig scolded her, getting up off of the bench.

"Where are you going?" She shouted, forgetting all about not getting mad at his reaction to her stupid cover-up.

"Back to the hotel. Today has been...pretty rough. All I want to do is eat dinner and go to bed. There's too much stupid around here anyway. "

---

It was the trio's third day of their vacation, and their last day in Bonn. Ludwig was relaxing in his hotel room with Beethoven when he received an unexpected email from Graeme Leonordson with an address as the subject:

Hey,

I happen to be in the area and I've got something I need to talk with you about. How about we discuss it over dinner? My treat :)

Ludwig internally cringed and verbally groaned. However, he still replied:

In the area? This address is all the way in Hamburg! How am I supposed to make it over for dinner?

Graeme's reply came frighteningly quick:

Oh don't be like that, you can teleport right? It should be no problem for a powerful vampire such as yourself. Come on, show me what you can do ;)

Ludwig groaned again even louder.

"What is it?" Lili asked from the next room after hearing him do that twice.

"Graeme asked him on a date~" Roy reported, revealing himself.

"Wow, really?!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

"NO! IT'S NOT A DATE! Graeme just...wants to talk to me about something."

"Over dinner~" Roy added teasingly.

"It doesn't matter anyway because I'm not going."

"What, why? What if it's important business?" Lili protested.

"If it was that important he would've just come out and told me the subject matter instead of being annoying and withholding information from me."

"Well if he did that you wouldn't come to the dinner. He might be shy so he has to make up an excuse to get you to show up. He might have...a crush." Roy guessed.

"Maybe...if constantly fetishizing me, disrespecting me, and talking to me in an uncomfortable manner even though I've told him to stop is having a crush on me, then sure! He might just have a crush!" Ludwig exclaimed sarcastically, feigning excitement.

"Sorry Lud, I didn't know it was that bad..." Roy apologized.

"Whatever. I guess I'll just show up anyway. Like Lili said, it might be important. It might even be classified or something, so that's why he wants to tell me in person." Ludwig concluded.

Roy gave him a translucent thumbs up. "Whatever it is, good luck, bro."

____

Graeme was sitting in front of the airport when Ludwig stepped through the teleportation portal. Graeme watched silently, in awe of Ludwig's power. He was wearing a simple hoodie, jeans, and Converses while Graeme had dressed up more formally for their encounter. He was beginning to rethink that decision.

"Ah Ludwig, I'm positively chuffed you could make it this evening!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can we just get this over with?"

"Straight to the point as always, I see. Well, right this way, I've reserved the conference room for just the two of us."

The lights were dimmed in the airport conference room. The polished wooden table had white rolling chairs and an array of different alcoholic beverages on display.

Graeme poured himself a glass of red wine. "Fancy a drink?"

"No. You know I don't drink."

"Yes, I know. I was just checking if you'd changed your pretty little mind. They have other beverages too, you know. You don't have to drink alcohol. The offer of my own blood is always on the table you know--"

"Yeah, I'm good."

The two sat there in silence for a while, Ludwig frowning and Graeme staring at him as he took small sips from his glass.

"Would it kill you to smile for once?" Graeme asked.

"There's nothing to smile about."

"Ludwig, I know you only frown all the time to hide your fangs from the fearful eyes of normies, but you don't have to do that around me. I know what a magnificent creature you are." Graeme told him, a dreamy look in his eye, as if he himself weren't a normie. Ludwig couldn't understand why it made him so uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because it made Ludwig feel like the center of attention. He hated that feeling.

"Graeme, what did you want to--"

A waiter quickly entered the room and served them their dishes. He sat a plate of seasoned meat and

"French fries?" Ludwig questioned aloud.

"I know, right? I thought it was an interesting side dish for a formal dinner, but I do know how much you fancy them, especially after a long day." Graeme said. Ludwig didn't know how Graeme knew that, but it was true.

The aroma of the meat and its many seasonings wafted up to his nostrils. It was soft to the touch with a nice caramel color, just as a steak should be. He inhaled deeply, so he could hold onto the memory of such a heavenly smell.

"What...is this?" Ludwig asked.

"Filet mignon." Graeme replied.

"Filet mignon? Isn't that, like, super expensive?"

"Not super expensive, but I did pay a pretty penny. However, it hardly matters. I only want the best for you, mate, I know how much you love your meat. I even had the chefs prepare it rare, exactly how you like it." Graeme explained, pleased by the quiet sound of Ludwig's belly rumbles.

He sliced the tender meat with his silver blade. It was a deep red color on the inside, almost as if it hadn't been cooked at all. He took a bite, the buttery meat so delicate it melted in his mouth. Graeme could tell that he was enjoying it and he was secretly pleased. After he'd gotten a whiff of the steak, he seemed in much less of a hurry to leave.

"Thank you very much, you may leave us now." Graeme told the waiter. As the waiter bowed, Ludwig noticed he was wearing a black, leather collar. It was discreet and hardly noticeable, though Ludwig still found it an odd accessory for a professional uniform.

After the waiter left the room and they were alone again, Graeme asked. "Are you enjoying your meal?"

"Yeah...it's okay...." Ludwig replied between bites as he wolfed it down.

Graeme nodded slowly. "I suppose we should....get down to business then. I've...been pondering about this for quite some time but I've decided that this is something that I really, truly want."

"Go on...." Ludwig replied cautiously.

"Ludwig von Koopa, I would like you to turn me into a vampire!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

"Now I know what you're thinking!" Graeme added quickly when Ludwig began to sigh, "I've thought it through, and I'm prepared to take on the responsibility that great power--"

"I don't care and I'm not doing it."

"What? Why?!"

"Because I don't want to. You don't even know the extent of what your request truly entails. Your knowledge of vampirism seems to be pretty superficial anyway. It's just based on stereotypes and media made by normies."

"Well perhaps I would have a better understanding if you would give more information. I'm sure you know a lot more about it than what you let on." Graeme said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're only refusing because you want to remain the only one with special powers!"

Why does everyone keep saying that, Ludwig asked himself. Is that just the vibe I give off? Is it true or is everyone in my life just trying to gaslight me into giving them what they want?

Ludwig shrugged. "Why the hell are you so fixated on this vampire fantasy anyway?"

"Because vampires are amazing--"

"Actually, nevermind, don't tell me. It won't change my mind and I don't want to listen to your stupid fetish rant."

"That's fair, but your decision is not. I've done anything and everything you've ever asked me to do for you! I got you your birth certificate, your passport, citizenship, a paying job with free meals, got you new hearing aids, supported your therapy, paid for the trip you're on right now, and got you this nice fancy dinner but when I request that you do this one thing for someone other than yourself you refuse!" Graeme shouted.

Ludwig smirked and leaned forward. "So...you're admitting that you only did all of that, so that one day I'd 'return the favor' and make you a vampire? That's some elaborate manipulation right there, Graemy."

"No, no, that's not true. In the beginning, I wanted to establish a real, trusting relationship between us. But whenever I tried to reach out, you....always pushed me away. Even now, the only reason you decided to come was because it was business related. And even then, you were in a rush to know what was up so you could just...leave." Graeme explained. He hadn't expected how much it would hurt to express those feelings out loud.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure I'd be very interested in the quote-unquote 'relationship' you're offering anyway."

"How would you know? I doubt you've ever tried it before."

"Because I said so. And I'm still not going to turn you into a vampire Graeme, so if that's the only thing you wanted to discuss, I'll be on my way--"

"WAIT! There...actually is something. The higher-ups wanted me to...relay a proposition to you."

Ludwig reluctantly sat back down in his chair. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time the 'higher-ups' had wanted to communicate with him at all. "What is it?"

Graeme took a sip of wine and a deep breath before continuing with his proposal. "According to The School's records, there are currently 50 vampires alive in captivity, 35 of which are female and 15 of which are male. The School wishes to have more vampires, but most--by this point--are already closely related to each other because, being aristocratic, vampire families have a history of inbreeding to, you know, keep the precious vampire blood in the family. The School's conservation efforts, have also contributed to--"

"No."

"I haven't even made my request yet--"

"Yeah but I can already tell where this conversation is going."

"Please!" Graeme pleaded, "The species is vulnerable--"

"Just because there are few vampires in captivity doesn't mean the numbers are the same in the 'wild'. Those vampires are just smart, and hide themselves from wack jobs like you."

"LUDWIG, DO YOU WANT YOUR SPECIES TO GO EXTINCT?!" He shouted, tired of his shit and uncooperation.

"My species? My species? All 'my' species has ever done is abuse and mistreat me! The less vampires there are, the better. More vampires means more competition for resources."

"You can't really mean that, Ludwig. It wouldn't be all that bad." Graeme assured him. "Why, you'd get to to make love to a cute vampire chick, multiple actually, if that's what you wanted. Other men would die for that opportunity."

"Ew." Ludwig cringed, wondering how Graeme could even say that with a straight face. "If the 'oThEr MeN' want it so badly then why don't you go ask them instead of harassing me!? You did say there were 15 other males."

"It has to be you." Graeme stressed. "It's your genes that we want. You possess...important qualities we'd like to see in the next generation."

"....What kind of qualities?" Ludwig questioned.

"Well, your tree climbing skills, for one thing, are unlike any we've seen in other vampires. You also seem to be immune to the sun and garlic. You possess a bite force PSI of 310, allowing you to crush the bones of your victims. You are fast and...surprisingly graceful. Your olfactory senses are also superior because you possess a functioning Jacobson's organ. Your hunting techniques--that utilize your aforementioned tree climbing skills--are also quite unique. Heck, the fact that you even know how to hunt at all is unique. Vampires these days are very out of touch with their primal instincts. I assume this is because of all the pampering and privilege aristocratic classes enjoy. We want the next generation to possess all these amazing skills. Of course, some of them are learned behaviors, and we wanted you to be the one to impart your wisdom on the offspring." Graeme explained.

Ludwig thought about all of that for a moment. He'd learned some of the things Graeme mentioned from his time living with the wolves and living among cats and other creatures. Those weren't vampire things. Ludwig had no clue what vampire things even were.

"Well, perhaps I can do all those 'amazing' things because...I'm not really a vampire at all. You just wanted me to be so badly that you tricked yourself into believing I was." Ludwig suggested.

"Don't think like that, mate. You may not believe it but I know what you are. I had my own doubts at first, when I first laid eyes on you. But after seeing you in action, I'm confident."

"If you're not interested in mating with females, you could always mate with a male--"

"No."

"What about a fleshlight?"

"A flashlight?"

"No, a fleshlight. A flashlight made out of flesh."

"Sounds horrifying." Ludwig replied bluntly, though he had to admit the name was intriguing. What use would one have for a flashlight made of flesh?

"It's quite nice, actually. They have all these little groove designs on the inside. You just stick your willy in the fake arsehole, vagina, or mouth and there you have it, your very own pleasure trip!...I heard they made one that's supposed to look like Shrek's ear or something."

"What the fuck?"

"I'm not sure if the breeding department has that one though. You'd have to ask if that's something you're interested in."

"I'm not interested!"

"Okay, hear me out: you give us your sperm and you don't have to be involved with raising the kids! You just masturbate into a condom in the comfort of your own home--"

"No, no, and no. I don't want anything to do with this."

"Really? I mean...I thought you might like the opportunity...after what happened with Lili. I dunno, you might want a rebound or...a way to let off steam...."

"Well......." Ludwig drawled, touching his fingertips together ".....when you put it like that..."

"You'll do it?!" Graeme asked excitedly.

"NO!" Ludwig shouted. "You people are crazy! You don't know what you're doing and yet you're in such a hurry to do it anyway! You don't even take a moment to consider if you should! I'm not going to give you people any children to abuse for your own selfish desires!"

"Like I said before, we would know what we were doing if you'd stop withholding information from us!" Graeme shouted back.

"Too bad, 'cause I'm not givin' it to you! If you want it that badly there's no way your motives are pure!"

"If that's all you had to say, Graeme. I'm leaving. Oh, and I quit."

"Quit? You can't quit!"

"I can, actually." Ludwig insisted. "You don't own me."

"B-b-but, no! Wait! I-If you quit, then this whole holiday operation is over! You can no longer use any of the school's funds and you'll be on your own." Graeme told him.

This stopped Ludwig in his tracks. "Fine. I won't quit, but don't contact me ever. Again. Stay the hell away from me, unless it's an absolute emergency. I don't wanna see your ugly mug anywhere else during the remainder of this vacation. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Graeme mumbled as Ludwig walked out of the conference room.

In a fit of rage, he threw his glass against the wall, sharp shards exploding everywhere. He then threw his plate and then Ludwig's, both of them meeting the same fate as the wine glass.

Graeme stared at the mindless destruction he'd caused. He laid down on the ground and began to sob.

+++

When Ludwig returned home, he reported what had happened to Lilium and Roy.

"That...sounds like a lot. You good?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. If Graeme keeps his promise then I'll feel a lot better once he leaves me alone."

"I'm just surprised everyone wants to be a vampire all of a sudden. I'm pretty sure I can't just transform people anyway, because I think my vampirism runs in the family. Usually when I bite people they just bleed out and die." He said.

"But only because they deserved it!" He added quickly. "I only bit them because they deserved it."

"Why didn't you just bite Meth Larry? Then he'd think he was going to turn into a vampire and leave you alone, regardless of whether it would happen or not." Lili suggested.

"Because I didn't want to. If I did, he would make it all weird and gross and sexual." Ludwig cringed.

"...It sucks to be you, Lili, but my father probably won't be able to turn you into a vampire." He told her matter-of-factly.

He decided to turn in early for the night. The group needed to get up early to travel up north to Hamburg the next day. Beethoven leaped into bed with him, curling up by the headboard. He began gently licking Ludwig's hair. The two did not say anything to each other. They simply relished each other's company.

As Ludwig drifted off to sleep, his mind drifted back to the thoughts of Lili's desire to become a vampire.

So strange....she'd never said anything of it before. Why now?

He sighed and cleared his mind. It would be easier to fall asleep if he didn't dwell on such incomprehensible foolishness.