Step Into Death - Initiation

A few days after his undead rebirth, Rha's maker had finally seen fit to relay a critical piece of information. One couldn't just be turned into a vampire and call it a day. No, there were a few more stipulations in place.  Suppose it made sense. After all, if just anyone had this sort of permission, he was certain the roads would be walked by more than just a handful of them. Though the thought of having to swear fealty to someone and follow a new set of laws was something that went against his very character. Rha had always been one unbounded by the world at large. He lived freely and did as he pleased. Never did he intend to tie himself to someone for at least a few more decades. Oh how that had all been turned on its head within the last year. Here he stood now, with a lover that had made him anew only to bind him to them for the rest of their lives. And now he had to give himself over to one higher than the both of them. To say the least, he was conflicted.

But it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter.

Pledge yourself to her or be permanently undone. All in all, it wasn't the worst price to pay and his partner assured that he would still be free to live like before. After agreeing to this final step, they packed their bags and made the travel. He wasn't sure what to expect, but the whole proceeding went both exactly how he imagined and not. Preparations were rather formal. Some designated officials took down his name and he had to provide a brief overview of who he was and where he came from. This was all to keep record of their newest addition to their society. It wouldn't surprise him in the slightest if they conducted an in depth investigation later on. After that it was all ceremonial. Someone instructed him on exactly what to do and made sure to drill the pledge into his head. They said he could come up with his own version if he so chose, but to make sure it included certain specific points. There were some things that wouldn't be accepted of course, but those more or less went in one ear and out the other. Stupid, disrespectful things that anyone with common sense would know to avoid.

After that, he was left to practice on his own time. To his surprise, they seemed to be pretty lax on attire. He was certain that with everything else requiring a degree of care and attention that this would also follow specific rules. In all fairness, this was half true. (You had to be decent and presentable, of course. Semi-formal was preferred but not required). But primarily, they wanted new initiates to "come as they are". A true version of themselves as opposed to someone just putting on an act. It was... strangely poetic in a way. And quite considerate.

The night before his initiation, he practiced his pledge a few more times. His lover had offered to stand in for the vampire lord, but he rejected the offer. While it might have helped so that he could get a feel for things— gauge their reactions and adjust his lines— or even overcome any possible embarrassment, he thought it better to let it all out in the moment. This seemed to sadden his partner a bit, but they understood. The following day, Rha dressed according to his usual style. Dark fitted clothing and a leather jacket. A few pieces of jewelry and styled, slightly messy hair. His partner helped to make sure not a thing was out of place— though this was more out of their own nerves than his concern. He smiled and gave them a kiss to assure that he was fine. And finally, it was time to go recite his pledge.

.

.

.

The hall was something from the movies. Large and grand and decorated with fine fabrics and gold. Lining the pathway were, assumedly, other important members of vampire society. His partner being his maker stood among them. In truth, Rha wasn't the slightest bit nervous before now. He'd never been one afraid of crowds and attention, but there was an intense judgement behind every pair of eyes. It made him just a little worried that he might not be accepted and cause trouble for his partner because of it. To put this out of his mind, he chose to stare straight ahead and ignore them all. After all, his attention was supposed to be solely on the vampire lord at the end.

Calla.

The one that many before had sworn fealty to. He was about to be one among that count.

She remained seated in a grand, throne-like chair. Crimson eyes unlike his own observed his every move. He couldn't tell what she might've thought of him so far, but that didn't matter. Not yet, at least. Rha stepped forward with no hesitation. He could feel the eyes on his back with each vampire he passed by. It was unnerving. Uncomfortable. But he pressed forward. When finally he stood in front of Calla, he gave a short bow that transitioned into a kneeling stance. The pledge he'd practiced a dozen times by now freely flowed from his lips. Moments passed in silence then as the vampire lord assessed the one before her. Despite the seconds ticking by, Rha didn't budge. Didn't make a move until she finally grinned to herself and stood,  extending a hand out to him. He took it while looking up at her and instead of immediately drinking, as was the custom, he grinned too and placed a kiss to the back. Only then did he turn it over to sink his teeth into her wrist.

The blood that filled his mouth had an amazingly rich taste. Although he hadn't had the chance to taste many others before then, there was something about it that stood out. Something that said yes, this is the blood of a vampire lord. If one lacked control, they might easily get greedy and try to take more than was allowed. But that wasn't him. Once he'd had his appropriate fill, Rha pulled away and gently licked up any drops that had slipped past. After another quick kiss to the wound, he let go of her hand and stood to face the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the night," her voice rang loud for all to hear, "I present to you our newest vampire."