“Are you sure these humans' blood is safe for consumption?” Isabela asked Akuppi-Adad, worriedly.

The humans in the feast hall were stumbling around. They could barely stand.

“Yes,” Akuppi-Adad answered. "They should be." He pulled a face after hearing one of the human's incoherent rambling. "Should be," he repeated.

Isabela wasn’t so sure about Akuppi-Adad's answer being correct, but she wasn’t going to argue with him.

The humans had been stumbling around the room aimlessly, slipping and falling.

Akuppi-Adad was the first to go in for a bite. He nervously approached one of them who seemed to be dazed. He laughed nervously, telling Isabela, "I've had blood like this… Sure, it's tainted… but gives you a hell of a good time." Then, he leaned in, biting down on the human's neck, to which he earned a loud, blood curdling shriek from. He bit deeper. Akuppi-Adad continued to drink for a few minutes before pulling away, his red eyes glowing. “Go on, Izzy! The blood is just fine!” He slurred.

Isabela shrugged and thought, what do I have to lose?

She took a deep breath, her hands shaking, and gripping onto a woman who seemed out of it.

The woman started to squirm.

"I know, I know," Isabela began to say. "But, trust me, it'll be easier for the both of us if you stop struggling and cooperate with me for a moment." She huffed before lurching forward, sinking her fangs deep within the woman's neck. The blood felt warm on her tongue. Within seconds, she felt as though she was hallucinating at that very moment. She pushed off from the human, stumbling backward a little.

Isabela rubbed her head as the room began to swirl around her. "I- uhhh… need to sit down," she slurred as she slipped into a seat nearby.

“Wanna know a secret?” Akuppi-Adad asked, giggling a little bit.

Isabela was a little off put by that. “What?”

“My name isn’t really Dracula,” Akuppi-Adad answered, giggling like a little girl.

“You told me that already,” Isabela stated, laughing a little.

“Oh. Well, no matter. I'll just tell you s-something else! What do you want to know?" Akuppi-Adad asked, still so obviously slurring his words.

"Ummm," Isabela began to ponder what to ask the older vampire. Finally it came to her. "Why don't you like royals?"

"W-when did I say that?" Akuppi-Adad inquired.

"When you first met me," Isabela responded, as she was seeing double.

"Oh," He began. He sat beside Isabela. "That- that is a long story."

"I'm willing to listen," Isabela responded.

"Okay… so," Akuppi-Adad began. "A long, long time ago… You weren't even a thought in your mother's mind yet… Hell, she wasn't a thought in her mother's mind… and so on. This was about 9,000 ish years ago… I was young then…" He acknowledged the look on Isabela's face. "I know, I know. Akuppi-Adad young? Will the wonders ever cease?"

Isabela laughed a little.

"I was a peasant in Sumeria. As the oldest child, it was considered my responsibility to help my father, Bomilcar, take care of my mother—-Puabi, my sister, Ia, and my little brother, Anzû-Kikuid. It was hard to bring in money… and that was because of the king—-Iphur-Kishi. Iphur-Kishi imposed taxes that sold my family out of a home. We wandered the streets at night… in the cold… wondering when our next meal would be. I soon stole from street vendors to keep my family fed." 

Akuppi-Adad reclined a little. "I caught the attention of a… certain crowd. They took me into their ranks and soon I was climbing the social pyramid. Iphur-Kishi saw me as a threat…. A threat that needed to be gotten rid of at all costs. He sent assassins after me. I was able to out maneuver them though. Eventually, Iphur-Kishi turned my younger brother against me and forced him to try to kill me. Iphur-Kishi tortured Anzû-Kikuid before and after he failed to kill me. He left Anzû-Kikuid in the desert to die…" He exhaled. "Does that answer your question?"

Isabela nodded. "Y-yeah. It does…" She paused before saying, "I'm sorry about what happened."

"Psh. Don't be. That was thousands of years ago." Akuppi-Adad wetted his lips. "You have to tell me a secret now!”

 “Me?” Isabela asked. She relaxed once she noticed that Akuppi-Adad wasn't as tense.

Akuppi-Adad nodded.

Isabela inhaled. “One time… my parents took flesh from my sister’s—-Alagia—-leg and sold it to another kingdom. They claimed it was chicken!” Isabela began to giggle. "The nobles… they couldn't get enough of it…"

Akuppi-Adad held in a laugh.

Isabela swallowed, growing upset. "...They played out that scheme until my sister died…" 

“What are we laughing about over here?” a female siren approached them.

Isabela and Akuppi-Adad both looked in the siren's direction.

The siren had long black hair with beautiful light pink eyes. Her face was covered in freckles. She looked like she couldn't be too much older than Isabela.

“We’re on drugged blood!” Akuppi-Adad exclaimed, clapping a little after saying so.

The girl laughed. “I can tell that, my liege.” She turned to Isabela. “I’m Axiothea Pyliraxia. What’s your name?"

“Isabela,” the young vampire answered, barely pronouncing her own name right.

Axiothea smiled. “Nice to meet you, Isabela." She bowed to Isabela. "See you around.” Axiothea then winked at Isabela and walked away.

Isabela's face was slightly red with blush. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears.

Akuppi-Adad turned to her and slurred, “You like her.”

“No, I don’t!” Isabela denied.

“You like her!” Akuppi-Adad said even louder. “Isabela has a crush on Axiothea!” he kept repeating. 

“Akuppi-Adad," Isabela said, covering his mouth with her hand.

“What?” Akuppi-Adad mumbled from underneath her hand.

“I’m gonna need you to shut up,” Isabela told him. She slowly moved her hand away.

Akuppi-Adad smirked. “How about we try to catch up with Axiothea?”