Andrei stalked up the driveway quietly. He probably should have called ahead. Dimitrius seemed very astute at tracking down the psychic doctor after all- but to ask Dimitri to do so would be to invite his questions about why.
Andrei didn't want to say why. Nobody but himself and the doctor needed to know. He was angry at himself. The one ailment he couldn't cure on his own, and it had to be such a personal one.
He knocked at the door and waited patiently.
Andrei didn't want to say why. Nobody but himself and the doctor needed to know. He was angry at himself. The one ailment he couldn't cure on his own, and it had to be such a personal one.
He knocked at the door and waited patiently.
The man who answered wasn't the one Andrei was after, but perhaps that was to be expected: doors weren't Bob's strong suite anyway. Rikky was wearing loud and gaudy clothes as ever, but the slippers were an unusual touch which suggested he'd just been settling down for the evening.
"Oh, hey Andrei!" he chirped, before assuming his serious face.
"...Anything wrong? Kinda unusual for you to come around this way unannounced."
"Oh, hey Andrei!" he chirped, before assuming his serious face.
"...Anything wrong? Kinda unusual for you to come around this way unannounced."
"Nothing wrong." It was a lie but Rikky didn't need specifics. It was bad enough that Bob had to know.
"I was hoping I could talk to Mr. Bob. He ah... helped my youngest with a problem in the past and I was wondering if I could get his input on something. It is somewhat...private." he stared hard at Rikky, hoping he got the hint not to ask more questions.
"I was hoping I could talk to Mr. Bob. He ah... helped my youngest with a problem in the past and I was wondering if I could get his input on something. It is somewhat...private." he stared hard at Rikky, hoping he got the hint not to ask more questions.
"Say no more, say no more. Come on in and I'll fetch him," Rikky said, opening the door wide and stepping aside for Andrei to enter.
If there was any 'fetching' happening it was wordless. Bob was standing in the room with a disarming smile.
"Andrei, good to see you. Why don't we sit down and you can tell me how I can help?"
"I'll uhh... go somewhere else," Rikky said, slinking away.
If there was any 'fetching' happening it was wordless. Bob was standing in the room with a disarming smile.
"Andrei, good to see you. Why don't we sit down and you can tell me how I can help?"
"I'll uhh... go somewhere else," Rikky said, slinking away.
"Thank you." Andrei muttered as Rikky dipped out of sight.
"Well. Hello again Bob. I suppose it's my turn to be embarrassed in front of a physician." He chuckled nervously. His true feelings were tense, and more than a little fearful. One didn't need to be an empath to tell he didn't want to talk about what he came to talk about.
"There was a time you helped my son with an issue with a thrall. He imprinted on a woman and he tells me you fixed it." He scratched his beard and avoided eye contact with the specter.
"Well. Hello again Bob. I suppose it's my turn to be embarrassed in front of a physician." He chuckled nervously. His true feelings were tense, and more than a little fearful. One didn't need to be an empath to tell he didn't want to talk about what he came to talk about.
"There was a time you helped my son with an issue with a thrall. He imprinted on a woman and he tells me you fixed it." He scratched his beard and avoided eye contact with the specter.
Bob didn't mind - eye contact was entirely pointless to him anyway. He listened carefully, letting Andrei explain in his own time and being careful not to probe into his mind too much.
"I did. A tricky matter, your son's abilities are very strong, and he wasn't able to control them very well at the time. But I think I managed to untangle the two without there being any lasting effects. I hope there isn't a problem?"
"I did. A tricky matter, your son's abilities are very strong, and he wasn't able to control them very well at the time. But I think I managed to untangle the two without there being any lasting effects. I hope there isn't a problem?"
"No. He walked away virtually unscathed. That is actually why I am here." He finally made himself look up.
"Do you think you can do it again? Potentially on a more difficult mind?" He asked quietly. "It would be for myself, this time. I can't do it alone. I have tried."
"Do you think you can do it again? Potentially on a more difficult mind?" He asked quietly. "It would be for myself, this time. I can't do it alone. I have tried."
"I could certainly try, although in my experience there are lots of factors which impact how successful such a procedure is. The length of time the bond has existed, the willingness of the participants for it to be dissolved, that kind of thing. The fact that it is something you are initiating is a good sign."
Bob was beginning to burn with curiosity and professional intrigue.
"Who is the bond with?"
Bob was beginning to burn with curiosity and professional intrigue.
"Who is the bond with?"
"My son." He sighed heavily.
"Not Dimitri. My eldest son, the adopted one. Gilgamesh. You see, he was my laboratory assistant for a long time, and he is grown now and decided to move out. I am trying to give the lad his freedom but I..."
He inhaled sharply. "I can't help but find myself stalking around his door. Putting food in his fridge. Inserting myself into his shop as if I have any right to be in control there. I can't stop worrying about him and the distraction of it all has made me very useless."
Could a vampire blush? He seemed like he did. "Sorry to unload on you like that. But I wanted to do this for my own sanity and also for his well being. I am afraid I will be unable to step back and it will drive a wedge between us."
"Not Dimitri. My eldest son, the adopted one. Gilgamesh. You see, he was my laboratory assistant for a long time, and he is grown now and decided to move out. I am trying to give the lad his freedom but I..."
He inhaled sharply. "I can't help but find myself stalking around his door. Putting food in his fridge. Inserting myself into his shop as if I have any right to be in control there. I can't stop worrying about him and the distraction of it all has made me very useless."
Could a vampire blush? He seemed like he did. "Sorry to unload on you like that. But I wanted to do this for my own sanity and also for his well being. I am afraid I will be unable to step back and it will drive a wedge between us."
"Aah, I see", Bob said. He was smiling, clearly quite touched. "That might be the nicest reason I have ever come across for wanting to break such a bond. Why don't you come and lie down on the couch, and I'll take a little look?."
When Rikky had picked out their couch he hadn't expected that it would become Bob's makeshift workspace, but once again Bob was treating it that way.
"I do have a few preliminary concerns", he said as Andrei got into position, "Firstly, regular human parents fight those same kinds of feelings. I don't think that breaking the bond will make the problem vanish entirely. Secondly, I think you should be prepared for the possibility that your relationship with your son might... shift, after this."
When Rikky had picked out their couch he hadn't expected that it would become Bob's makeshift workspace, but once again Bob was treating it that way.
"I do have a few preliminary concerns", he said as Andrei got into position, "Firstly, regular human parents fight those same kinds of feelings. I don't think that breaking the bond will make the problem vanish entirely. Secondly, I think you should be prepared for the possibility that your relationship with your son might... shift, after this."
"I had considered that." He said sadly, and laid back with his hands folded over his chest.
"If the lad sees me with unclouded eyes and suddenly despises me, I suppose in a way it would only be what I deserve. Ours was not a happy first meeting." He wiped his eye, Bob may pick up a hint of guilt amid the fear.
"He didn't go willingly. Not at first. But if he wishes to be free, if I love him as much as I say I do, I have to do this. I must prove it."
"If the lad sees me with unclouded eyes and suddenly despises me, I suppose in a way it would only be what I deserve. Ours was not a happy first meeting." He wiped his eye, Bob may pick up a hint of guilt amid the fear.
"He didn't go willingly. Not at first. But if he wishes to be free, if I love him as much as I say I do, I have to do this. I must prove it."
Bob sat at the end of the couch, his own eyes fluttering closed.
"Right. Let's do this together, then. I think I'm going to need your help, I think. I would like you to close your eyes and think about Gilgamesh. Think about your lives, how they entwine. Can you see that bond? We need to travel there."
"Right. Let's do this together, then. I think I'm going to need your help, I think. I would like you to close your eyes and think about Gilgamesh. Think about your lives, how they entwine. Can you see that bond? We need to travel there."
"Alright." He swallowed hard. "Please don't touch anything."
Suddenly it was very dark. Very cold. Very damp. Andrei groped in the dark and found the wall and gave it a hard shove. A mossy stone rolled away, revealing a little damp cave full of mushrooms. The outside of the cave didn't seem much more inviting. A terrible dark forest of twisted, dead trees hung over them in a misty twilight. It was the sort of place that could have almost been real, but a long time ago. Altered. Misremembered.
"It's ah." He shrugged. "Not terribly inviting. This way please. Do not trip." Could Bob even trip? Maybe he could here. The stony uneven ground would have been a good place to break an ankle if it were real.
Suddenly it was very dark. Very cold. Very damp. Andrei groped in the dark and found the wall and gave it a hard shove. A mossy stone rolled away, revealing a little damp cave full of mushrooms. The outside of the cave didn't seem much more inviting. A terrible dark forest of twisted, dead trees hung over them in a misty twilight. It was the sort of place that could have almost been real, but a long time ago. Altered. Misremembered.
"It's ah." He shrugged. "Not terribly inviting. This way please. Do not trip." Could Bob even trip? Maybe he could here. The stony uneven ground would have been a good place to break an ankle if it were real.
As always Bob seemed to be wearing sandals, which squelched and flopped as he tracked in mud from outside the cave. He observed their surroundings carefully and made sure to lift his feet properly, paying particular attention to the tangled trees outside. It was all very fitting for an ancient vampire.
"Few minds are very inviting. Do you know where we need to go?"
"Few minds are very inviting. Do you know where we need to go?"
"I think so. Come with me." He started off into the fog. The thick, damp mist concealed much of the landscape. Here and there it would clear to reveal a rocky chasm, a pitfall, a copse of sharp rocks or bent trees. Here and there, there was a cabin or small building. But the candle fires inside of them snuffed out quickly as they were noticed.
The entire place seemed to defy closeness. Every part of it was secret until the old man was nearly right on top of it. Here and there things rustled in the woods and disappeared before they could be seen.
"Tell me, Bob. Does the process hurt?" He held out his hand to help the psychic down the stony "steps" in the loamy earth.
"Maybe that is a childish thing to ask. I feel like I am afraid of getting a shot."
The entire place seemed to defy closeness. Every part of it was secret until the old man was nearly right on top of it. Here and there things rustled in the woods and disappeared before they could be seen.
"Tell me, Bob. Does the process hurt?" He held out his hand to help the psychic down the stony "steps" in the loamy earth.
"Maybe that is a childish thing to ask. I feel like I am afraid of getting a shot."
As they walked Bob tried to keep close to Andrei, worried that at any moment he would fall in some pit or get swallowed by a hidden body of water. It was a bleak and inhospitable place and he was an intruder. A parasite to be removed.
As they walked, he started to feel shaky. He had seen inside the minds of terrible beings large and small, but this was uniquely disturbing for a being who thrived on warmth and closeness.
"It doesn't hurt, but it does affect people differently. Some thralls, the ones who are strong and independent, often don't even notice, their behaviour simply imperceptibly alters. The ones who have been subject to strong manipulation over many years my break down entirely and need care for a long time. For most vampires I think it is a bit like when you are in a room and a distant, constant noise suddenly stops. Everything shifts a bit. Perhaps we should have warned Gilgamesh."
As they walked, he started to feel shaky. He had seen inside the minds of terrible beings large and small, but this was uniquely disturbing for a being who thrived on warmth and closeness.
"It doesn't hurt, but it does affect people differently. Some thralls, the ones who are strong and independent, often don't even notice, their behaviour simply imperceptibly alters. The ones who have been subject to strong manipulation over many years my break down entirely and need care for a long time. For most vampires I think it is a bit like when you are in a room and a distant, constant noise suddenly stops. Everything shifts a bit. Perhaps we should have warned Gilgamesh."
"No. If we warned him he may have tried to stop me." The old man marched resolutely through the unreal woods. "This is something I have to do for myself as much as for him. Not only the anxiety but also..."
A great twisted shape came into view.
"Also to prove to myself I am not a simple slave driver."
It was a tree, or rather, a pair of trees growing side by side. One resembled what might have been a bristlecone pine. It was barren, twisted into impossible shapes, leafless and windswept like sandstone.
The other was the mental image of a redwood tree. It was tall, not so much giant but still weedy and growing. It stood out on the dismal landscape as one of the few green and vibrant trees.
The two stood side by side, but curiously two branches seemed to have grown together. They twisted around each other like vines, tying the plants together.
"This is it." He said solemnly. "It looks very well connected."
A great twisted shape came into view.
"Also to prove to myself I am not a simple slave driver."
It was a tree, or rather, a pair of trees growing side by side. One resembled what might have been a bristlecone pine. It was barren, twisted into impossible shapes, leafless and windswept like sandstone.
The other was the mental image of a redwood tree. It was tall, not so much giant but still weedy and growing. It stood out on the dismal landscape as one of the few green and vibrant trees.
The two stood side by side, but curiously two branches seemed to have grown together. They twisted around each other like vines, tying the plants together.
"This is it." He said solemnly. "It looks very well connected."
"It does, especially without causing damage," Bob pondered, reaching out to touch the weedy tree, feeling the rough bark.
"This tree is young, though. Still pliable. We just need to be gentle."
Suddenly, Bob had a tall step ladder in his arms. He was able to prop it against the younger tree and climb up level with the tiniest twigs at the end of the branches, taking them in his hands. They were rigid and hopelessly interlocked.
"Andrei, how did you and Gilgamesh meet?"
"This tree is young, though. Still pliable. We just need to be gentle."
Suddenly, Bob had a tall step ladder in his arms. He was able to prop it against the younger tree and climb up level with the tiniest twigs at the end of the branches, taking them in his hands. They were rigid and hopelessly interlocked.
"Andrei, how did you and Gilgamesh meet?"
Andrei watched nervously from below. Bob wasn't asking for help, so he didn't climb up. Not yet. But then Bob was messing with things. He winced as the good doctor pulled at the branches.
"I kidnapped him." He admitted sadly. "There was a fight, between him and one of his cult followers and myself and my wife. I set the room on fire." The branches creaked in protest.
"I knew he was important and in that moment I decided that perhaps he was worth more alive. So I took him. He has lived in my home ever since."
Maybe the bond between them was more Stockholm Syndrome than anything else.
"I think he forgave me. I hope he forgave me. Do you need help up there?" He abruptly changed the subject.
"I kidnapped him." He admitted sadly. "There was a fight, between him and one of his cult followers and myself and my wife. I set the room on fire." The branches creaked in protest.
"I knew he was important and in that moment I decided that perhaps he was worth more alive. So I took him. He has lived in my home ever since."
Maybe the bond between them was more Stockholm Syndrome than anything else.
"I think he forgave me. I hope he forgave me. Do you need help up there?" He abruptly changed the subject.
"I'd certainly appreciate it, we could be here a while otherwise. Just don't force anything - slowly and gently."
It was strange. The branches in Bob's hands seemed to have unravelled slightly and separated, becoming almost like putty. He worked his way further up into slightly thicker branches.
"So you kept him as a prisoner? A slave? A clever move on his part, then, to work his way into your affections. An excellent way of securing freedom... of a sort, at least."
It was strange. The branches in Bob's hands seemed to have unravelled slightly and separated, becoming almost like putty. He worked his way further up into slightly thicker branches.
"So you kept him as a prisoner? A slave? A clever move on his part, then, to work his way into your affections. An excellent way of securing freedom... of a sort, at least."
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