#my sweet sweet children (ladysunbite orphans)

[ladysunbite]

How would Lady Orianna react if one of her children from the orphanage wanted to escape? Would it be possible?

[ warning! the following is a strong hc-based brew ]

More than anything she would be puzzled. With a few centuries of studying human behavior Orianna still has certain blind spots, one of them being, ironically, how the other races treat their young, and what they young ones are able to comprehend at certain ages. Among other things I hc that vampiric children grow to be adults very quickly and require no prolonged years of nurturing or learning empathy by strong example. Practically, apart from "do not kill your kin", "respect the territorial boundaries" and "unseen elder is the highest authority in any case that require judgment" they are given very little boundaries at the beginning of their life and learn by stepping upon every rake and stone there is, until their personality forms in one way or another. At least that's mun's humble opinion, based on Regis' insights in 'Baptism by Fire'.

As for the blood drinking, the cultured vampiress is confused why a child may be horrified by the exchange - for do not humans pay the taxes for land and protection and such? Do they not make vows and surrender their life to kings and queens, thusly forging a bond? Blood is not only a leisurely pleasure for her, but is such a bond, a promise of loyalty, a ritual of entering her little self-formed tribe. However, if she senses that a child is harrowed by the experience, she never repeats it. Ruthless as she is, Orianna abhors cruelty for cruelty sake, or as a cheap method to bend one's will. If a child tried to escape, she would not pursue them, for they are not necessary for her survival. As for the tales such one might spread, the mistress of Mandragora is well-guarded by her wealth, position, and no clear ties with the orphanage. Who would believe a wide-eyed tale of a nameless child, thrown against a noblewoman, whose house even Her Enlightened Ladyship visits under a flippant guise of a masquerade mask? Surely, their mind must be clouded by a recent tragedy and a long time of wandering through dusty roads. A house full of children that live like princes and princesses, doing no hard labour, indulging in the best education, run by a vampiress? Tscha. For while Orianna understands that the mental development is different, she is still in the dark why a child would desire to escape a comfortable establishment, with both physical and mental succour available and with no hard labour - a few peasant children can boast such fate - in addition to the company of their peers. Orianna views children as vessels with a wonderous spark and drive for creating. Her semi-immortal kin are not lashed by time and therefore rarely inspired to achieve anything in the area of arts within such a short flick of time, as humans are naturally prone to. She is especially encouraging if the interest is connected with performance and decorative arts, such as poetry, music, drawing and sculpture - anything she can tickle her hedonistic fangs with and later use at Mandragora. However, some children willingly stay with her as servants, an ability to keep her secrets is cherished no less than a quick way with a quill. Many keep in touch with her after they leave the orphanage and establish themselves even outside the merry Duchy. One of the notorious examples is Francis Bedlam, who helps with her urges to obtain rare objects of art, often available only through underworld markets. It's the other children the runaway should worry about. The children of La Compassion do not forgive betrayal, and anyone who would desire to run into the night with tales brimming upon their mouth, tales that might harm their lady, threaten their precious, sought-for safety, are traitors, vow-breakers, anathema. This is another effect of Orianna's upbringing, she is yet unaware of. The children tend to see her as godlike, the fairy-godmother, the only protector they have or will ever have. Coupled with her vampiric teaching that "tribe is important, you must not kill your own kin", it breeds dark fruits. They will protect their own with desperate ferocity, even if they have no claws or fangs.

[ladysunbite]

My sweet, sweet children

Upon leaving the orphanage many of Orianna’s charges become prominent artists. Although there are some who have chosen the path of noble wine-making and those who have succeeded in intrigue and crime. Some of the orphans stayed close to their lady as her servants at Mandragora or visiting tutors for a new flock of orphaned children at La Compassion. For Orianna tries to give a proper soil to any budding talent that finds its way into her clawed arms. At first she did it out of scholar’s interest - as the notes at Tesham Mutna suggest, vampires took pleasure in hunting as well as studying humans and other races. Later, patronage of promising charges became her hobby. A gamble, if one pleases to call it such. And the sun-eyed vampiress adores the games of chance.

What binds the late and present children together is an unfailing, fierce love and loyalty to Orianna. At some point orphans have organised a secret society. With every new flock of La Compassion ‘graduates’, their number grew and in time their influence flourished. Its more prominent members help those of their ilk, whose path in life turned more sour. The main goal of the society, however, is to guard the secret of their patroness’ true fanged nature. Orianna often seeks their assistance - be it an innocent endeavour of acquiring a group of musicians for a soiree at the last moment or a helping hand at the black market, where she sometimes discovers a work of art to her liking.

Upon knowing of their lady’s demise and having failed to prevent it, the orphans vowed to bring Orianna’s murderer down.

Picture Credit: Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky, Fortepiano lessons

[ladysunbite]

The Children of Compassion

While many of Orianna’s orphans chose to dedicate their lives to art - Toussaint soil was especially nourishing to any, who could provide entertainment -  there were those whose path lead to darker places. Like in a fairy tale, one boy went out to seek his fortune and his fortune turned out to be not in the field of medicine, but in the field of crime, intrigue and murder. Only when he triumphantly gained the throne of the shady ‘underworld’, he confessed to his benevolent lady that he had never reached Oxenfurt, and got a bachelor in a different kind of bloodletting. The said boy dearly missed the wild days at the orphanage, where he learned the invisible ropes of commanding the less gifted heads and inspiring the gifted ones. So far, he remembered the teachings of his sun-eyed patroness. It was a common knowledge that he never betrayed those who entered his gang, at the same time being indifferently ruthless, like a wild animal. And eerily unafraid of blood, no matter in what quantities the said blood flown. The wagging tongues at the Crippled Kate whispered that besides the usual ‘sampling’ of girls, he paid handsomely to those of a red-hair and asked no other service of them, but to bite his neck and sing to him. But we shan’t believe such vile rumours from the unprosperous little rathole, dear readers, shall we? 

Ah, and the name of the boy was Francis. In fact, ‘Bedlam’ was an affectionate ‘reference’ to the orphanage. Together with the other ‘Children of Compassion’ he vowed to kill the witcher, who had slayed their dear lady (for her miraculous resurrection was not made known for some time). 

Yet one question still remained. 

Who in Toussaint had put a contract on their fanged patroness’ head in the first place?

[ladysunbite]

Tags Masterpost

A hairpin may look like mere ornament (ladysunbite headcanons)

Eyes like the sun (ladysunbite aesthetics)

Lullaby of woe (ladysunbite rp answers)

Half heard end of a lullaby (ladysunbite rp meme)

Blood Simple (ladysunbite gifs)

My sweet sweet children (ladysunbite orphans)

Children are heartless (ladysunbite orphans' rp answers)

Delicate architecture of a throat (ladysunbite quotes)

Underneath a dripping tongue (ladysunbite music)