Nuri shrugged before knocking back another bottle. She must have run out of beer because she was draining down the last of a blood-red fluid.

Wine cooler.

Definitely wine cooler.

“Shay, look-- what I’m saying is... What this is really about-- is about respect! And that’s something I had to learn the hard way-- and something you have to learn too, like it or not... resPecT is the most important thing for people like us.”

“Yeah...” Shay sighed. She knew exactly what that was like. That was a hard rule for Chinese families too-- or at least hers. All those values were ingrained into her as a result of what her mom and dad went through when she was younger.

Whether it was a family name, a company, or a sect, it was built on a foundation of respect. That’s why the Eternal Sun Sect had to accept the Zhang family’s demands for a martial tournament even though, at the time, they were the weaker party.

It was cruel, but a lot of rules that applied to the martial world were the same in business. Face and respect were more important than people’s lives.

Shay took in a calming breath. “And... because of what Monty was saying, you... felt like you had to do something.”

Nuri sat up lazily, her cheeks flushed, and her gaze half only half looking at her. Her head was drifting side to side to an imaginary rhythm, her mussed-up hair swaying to the beat.

“You... think I’m just a heartless bitch that doesn’t care about what people say?”

Shay tilted her head. “What? No~ Nuri, of course not~!”

Nuri looked up, her teeth clenched-- but her lips quivering. “I... Of course, I give a shit-- that’s my reputation! That’s me! My respect! My livelihood! And I’m not gonna be the dumb slut that just lets people say what they want and just-- smile and wave like a fucking good-girl!”

Shay wanted to respond to that. But... it was awkward because she was terrified that she was the good girl Nuri was talking about. So she forced a smile and waited.

“I have fucking fangs,” Nuri said, “and I’m not afraid of biting the fuck out of anyone that fucks with me-- or you, or anyone in my circle!”

Shay gave her a gentle (and more certain) smile. “You might be Nuri Park, but you’re also other things. And because you’re above a bunch of other people, you’re also supposed to be... held to a higher standard-- or something.”

It was a little dangerous to say. Nuri was obviously feeling vulnerable, but it was important to ground her a little. Being domineering was cool. But if she went a little too far and used her power to oppress peasants, that was not.

Thankfully, Nuri didn’t seem offended. She started laughing. But... she was laughing a bit too hard at something that wasn’t even a joke.

“What the fUck, dude? Is that some Sun Tzu shit or something? Fucking wow. You sound a lot like an old, decrepit lizard I know, spouting off shit about noblesse oblige or talking like he’s writing a fucking sonnet.”

“I don’t even know what a sonnet is,” Shay grinned. It came up a few weeks ago and she meant to look up the definition, but she must have forgotten about it.

“I don’t fucking know, either,” Nuri said with a low chuckle. “It’s probably stupid, though.”

Shay did know what noblesse oblige was, though. It was a term that came up in countless romantasy novels.

“Isn’t noblesse oblige a good thing? That’s the balance. There’s humans and then there’s people that rule over them, but they have a sort of respect for each other. And that respect means-- y’know... no pitchforks or torches or guillotines.”

Nuri leaned forward in her seat, elbows on her knees, head resting on her palms.

“ShaYy~” she sang teasingly. “You keep saying human like you know I’m not.”

Shay bit her lower lip. “Uh. Well... you know. You’re uh--”

She raised her elbow to her mouth like she had a pretend cape. Then, she started hissing while making clawing motions with her other hand.

“What are you doing?” Nuri asked.

“bLeigh~!”

“Does my breath smell or something? Do you have any mints on you?”

“I do not. I haven’t kept mints in my bag since the incident.” Shay sighed and lowered her arm... “Nuri... I saw the freakin’ blood packs in your fridge.”

Nuri drunkenly nodded her head-- nodding three times as many nods as a sober person would. “SoooOo?”

Shay shook her head and gestured to her with her palms. But Nuri still had a blank expression like she had no clue what she was talking about.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Really? Freaking rEaLLy??

She literally said she had FANGS a minute ago!

And then all the references she made to sucking--

Ugh. No. Maybe that was a Nuri thing.

Red eyes. Red hair. Kept blood in a fridge. Nuri was totally a vampire.

Unless...

Shay gulped. “Nuri... are you...”

“Am I what?”

“...a very large and very determined mosquito?”

“UhhhHh?” Nuri looked up in thought. “I’m kinda like a mosquito. But when you slap me, I don’t stop sucking.”

Of course. Classic Nuri.

“Are you an alien, then?” Shay asked in a flat tone.

“Nah. I was born here. My Korean’s pretty good, but I’m told I still have an accent-- not that I care.”

“Nuri!” Shay yelped, “You’re-- you know! That!”

“Yeah, I go either way,” Nuri shrugged. “But I identify as a girl. Does that kind of thing bother--”

“NO! No, it doesn’t!” Shay said. She was on the verge of tears-- just... out of frustration! “I love you just the way you are. You’re fine.”

“Aw, thanks, Shay. Love you toOo~”

“You’re a fucking vampire, Nuri.”

There. She said it. The room got quiet. And uncomfortable. It got so quiet, Shay could hear her heart thump.

But Nuri didn’t look surprised or angry or... any strong emotion, in particular. She just made a cute, little pouty face.

“Well, uh-- yeah? Also true. But that’s, like... the least important thing about my identity? Does the vampire thing really matter?”

“Yeah! Kinda!” Shay said, “It’s gotten really dangerous in Archangel-- and for regular people. My dad-- he’s...”

“A straight, cisgender, Asian male?”

“A peasant,” Shay glared. “He was... involved in vampire violence last week. And he almost died!”

Nuri’s expression finally changed into something actually resembling empathy, “Oh, shit. That’s... I’m so sorry, Shay. I get it now. That’s why... okay. No. That’s fine. Your dad is cool. I can absolutely do something about that.”

“It’s not just him, though,” Shay said. “The fighting that’s spilled out into normal people’s lives-- I know you and someone called the Marquess are involved. So help me-- or help me help you! How can we stop it? How can we get the vampires in the city to... I dunno, drink responsibly?”

Nuri met her gaze. Then her red eyes drifted over to eye her collection of empty beer and wine cooler bottles.

“Tryin’ to say something, huh?”

“How else was I supposed to say it?” Shay snapped.

“MehHhh,” Nuri groaned, “I’ll forgive it ‘cuz you said you love me. I don’t think anyone’s said that to me seriously before. So... thanks, I guess.”

She finished the wine cooler in her hands. There were more on the desk, but she didn’t reach for another.

“It all goes back to respect,” she said. “Since you know about the Marquess, you might already know. But in case you don’t, I’ll explain.”

She sat up on her couch, all traces of drunkenness mysteriously absent. “There’s two major factions right now. There’s the older folks and there’s everyone else, stuck following rules made up five or six-thousand years in the past.”

“So-- is it because you guys can’t agree on anything that everyone’s fighting?”

“That... is an incredible over-fucking-simplification,” Nuri snorted, “but yeah. The established standards are fucked and unacceptable to anyone with a brain. But because that’s how it’s always been, my side has to push super-hard, even for the tiniest change. And threats and insults don’t mean shit without some kind of action that probably bends the overarching rules and...” she sighed-- “leads to fucked up, unfair casualties.”

“But... we have ways that work historically,” Shay said, “non-violent ways! Protests? Uh. H-hunger strikes?”

Nuri gave her a weak smile. “I’ve got... something. It’s a stretch, but it might solve everything if it works out. And actually-- talking to you has finally convinced me to get it started.”

Shay clapped her hands together. That was it! There was hope! That’s why Tyvan hired her, so she could solve big problems with logic, reason, and the power of teamwork!

“So what’s the plan? Can I help?”

“Yeah, of course,” Nuri smiled. “If we combine your network with mine and the Marquess’, we can get actual results in weeks if not days.”

OhhHh. That was exciting. Tyvan would help too. And, with a little bit of coaxing, so would Grandpa Wei.

“So it’s like this,” Nuri explained. “The clans have weird rules of engagement. So no obvious murder. Can’t take land or property without a casus belli. And the traditionalists’ political roots have been stable for decades and centuries and each of them, individually, are crazy strong.”

Shay gulped. “Why does this sound like a bad idea?”

“Shut up-- hear me out,” Nuri said. “So what we need is a big achievement. We gotta do something that the old folks wouldn’t dare try. Something to say ‘Hey, we did this, so we deserve that,’ right?”

“I...” Shay cleared her throat. “I guess? And this... is probably the option that keeps the violence to a minimum, huh?”

“For sure,” Nuri nodded. “If anything, it’s a whole lot better than the Marquess’ current strategy, measuring dicks to win the rights to territories without any actual significance. Don’t tell her I said that, by the way.”

“No worries,” Shay said. “When I open my mouth, I only embarrass myself, not other people.”

“Better than me,” Nuri smirked. “When I open my mouth--”

“On topic, Nuri.”

“Ah, yea-yea-yeah,” Nuri nodded. She sat up again, her red eyes seeming to glow brighter in the dim light. “So... have you ever heard of an organization called ❴The Kingdom❵?”