At the time where people were having teas and biscuits, gossiping about what had transpired today and the days before, an elderly man with a cane was strolling through the streets of London, alone.
Today was a special day for him, you see. He was going to London's largest underground auction to purchase 'wine' and other items that caught his eyes. But before that, he had plenty of time to unwind and enjoy himself.
As he was walking steadily on the firm ground lost in thought, a gentle wind passed by him carrying a flowery and nutty aroma. Wondering where that aroma came from, he traced the source of it and saw a café shop situated on the left side diagonal to where he was standing.
He paused for a second, then glanced at his left and right briefly before crossing the road and entering the café. 'It would be a lie if I said I don't like coffee', thought the old man while opening the door.
*Ring ring*
Upon entering the café, he looked at the counter and saw a middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner or manager of this café, and a young girl he presumed to be his assistant. The man was instructing the girl, helping her establish some skill in the craft of latte art. The girl's eyes were burning with passion as she listened to the man's words.
When the middle-aged man finished what he was doing: which only took about five seconds, he looked at the door and saw an old man wearing black shoes, black pants, a white shirt with a black vest over it, a long black coat with golden linings intertwined on the shoulders and white buttons on the cuffs, a black top hat with a brown hat band and a well crafted cane that had a silver bat with closed wings, as though it was hugging it on the top. Where its eyes were supposed to be, were a pair of small red jewels. 'What a refined gentleman' thought the middle-aged man. His brow raising a bit.
Giving the old man a simple 'welcome', he resumed what he was doing.
The old man replied with the same attitude and focused his gaze on the interior of the café. It was not that small, 6 elephants could fit in it. The atmosphere was serene, making you feel at peace. He liked it and decided to spend the rest of the time there before the auction began.
Excluding himself and the duo who were running the place. He saw a couple who were having a dessert that looked to be a milk-shake drink, their eyes glancing at each other every few seconds. There was also student whose face was grimaced while he took a gulp from a glass of orange juice that was next to him, varieties of books sprawled in front of his table. And an office worker, judging by his attire, who was sipping on coffee with his brows relaxed while working on a microsoft laptop.
Walking past them, he sat in the right back side of the café, next to a window where he could see everything clearly and admire the scenery. He placed his cane beside him. Just on cue, a melodious piano sound started playing, making his eyes lost in thought for a second.
'…Alas, everything has its order, and mine is about to end, ' thought the elderly man.
Speaking about order. He heard someone approaching him, causing him to focus at them.
"Hello sir, welcome to our Solitary café. What would you like to have?" Said the young girl from before.
"Well hello there. An interesting name for a café if I say so myself. Does the name correlate with the vibe of this place? If so, I like, and think it's a great name. " the old man said.
"Haha, thank you for the compliment, sir. Most of the people that come here don't seem to understand the nature of our café…but you on the other hand, appear to catch on it. Mind if I ask for your name..?" The girl trailed on that last sentence and added with hurry. "Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself. My name is Emily!" Said Emily as her lips naturally morphed into a smile, her ponytail hair swinging left to right.
'What a friendly girl', thought the old man as he smiled benignly to her.
"My name is Allister, but you can address me as Mr Allister. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Emily", responded back Allister.
In which, Emily replied with "The feeling is mutual".
Remembering the reason why Emily was here, Alister ordered a cup of black coffee and nothing else, as he didn't have the appetite to eat presently.
Seeing that Mr. Allister wasn't asking for anything else, Emily went back to the counter and started to prepare a cup of black coffee for him.
***
*Ring ring*
Exiting from the Solitary café was non-other than Allister, who passed some time, chatting with Andrew: Emily's father.
Unlike his daughter, who was energetic, Andrew was an easy going man. He was also knowledgeable like Allister. After all, both gentleman were old, and had their fair share of obstacles. Anyway, this similarity empowered their conversation as they both got along splendidly.
Andrew's wife had passed away a few years ago, making him work harder for his daughter. Upon knowing this, Allister's perception of the man changed instantly, making him much more admirable: and likeable.
'He made me remind of those oldies back home. Sadly our time was short, and with every meeting, parting is also inevitable. ' Internalized Allister while he took one last look at the café and started walking away from it.
Going to the auction…
***
Arriving at the place, what he witnessed was a beautiful and large manor.
The manor was full of greenery, and there was a wonderful fountain that was designed circularly in front of it, making the arriving vehicles go around it and park where they were supposed to be.
Walking on the flexible pavement with his cane. Allister went inside the manor and a worker asked for his invitation. Allister showed it to him and was escorted to the auction hall.
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Entering it, Allister's brows raised a bit, slightly surprised by the size of the hall that had exquisite and refined decorations, seats for the guests, and a grand stage where the auctioneer would present the items for today's auction.
Escorted to his seat, Allister sat down. His cane beside him. The material he sat on was lavish and cushy, causing him to quickly relax as a sense of calm and relaxation washed over him.
A waiter who was walking around the area serving refreshments to the guests noticed Allister and approached him. Allister focused his attention on the waiter as he approached.
*Tap tap*
"Greetings sir. Would you be in need of a drink?"
"Hm, what do you have on the plate?"
"We have a mix between an apple and a grape with a dash of lemon, Gimlet cocktail, Soft drinks and other types of drinks. If I were to be bold as to recommend a drink for you, The first one is good for occasions like this, and it also reminds one of wine due to the ingredients that constitute it. " Suggested the waiter.
Allister paused for a moment before selecting the recommended beverage. He then thanked the waiter as he was leaving to serve another guest.
Allister took a sip of the drink, which resembled blood and savored the sweet yet sour taste brought on by the fusion of fruits with lemon, which appropriately contradicted the sweet taste. 'Delicious!' exclaimed Allister internally.
*Thunk*
All of a sudden, the lights went out and footsteps were heard!
*Thunk*
The lights were turned back on, but someone was standing on the grand stage this time: most likely the auctioneer.
'Finally, it's starting…' Thought Allister.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome and welcome to our auction: House of Ichor! Today we have a lot of items to auction off! Historical artefacts for those interested in ancient wonders, or researchers who want to take a glimpse into the past. Beautiful jewels and accessories for your lovely partners, as well as a variety of other items, including our main item for today!" Started the auctioneer the auction in a loud, yet compelling tone.
With that, the bidding war began…
***
"Hahaha, these old fogeys didn't bid on anything hoping I'd run out of money. Even so, how could they have known I'd been accumulating wealth for over a thousand years? I've already forgotten the total amount I have amassed!" Allister said as he laughed hysterically.
Looking back to how he almost took everything in the auction. The guests' eyes that failed to mask there anger contrasted by the auctioneer, whose eyes showed only avarice, it was quite the amusement for Allister.
Allister was already out of the manor and was standing in-front of the beautiful fountain. The auction had ended a minute ago, and he got out of the place as quickly as he could, and that in itself just took a second.
Allister took in the sight of the manor one last moment before going off to his destination.
He first walked slowly as if he was strolling. However, as soon as he was out of the manor's vicinity, he quickened his steps and walked through an alley.
Not a minute passed before numerous bats went out of the other side of the alley, circling the parameter for a while, then disappearing as quickly as they came.
***
Deep in a forest infested with gloom and danger, there was a castle. It was built with such finesse that if anybody were to see it, only astonishment and greed would reflect their countenance.
The design of the castle was breathtaking and awe-inspiring. It had four towering peaks with javelin shaped heads, four sturdy and high walls, and a main door made of a beautiful material that appeared to be a gold and platinum alloy. Overall, it exuded wealth and power!
Everything inside the castle appeared to be gilded. Decorated with precious materials, giving the entire space a sense of elegance and grace.
In one of the rooms, the bathroom to be specific, was an aged old man. This man was non other than Allister who had just finished his shower. He was brushing his teeth in front of a sturdy bathroom sink with an enticing mirror.
Finished brushing, he drank some water and rinsed his mouth, ending it with washing his face. As he raised his head to look at the mirror, an ordinary face was reflected on it, which in a split second later transformed into a handsome and elegant visage. A broad forehead, a platinum blonde hair that was turning gray, straight eyebrows, deep set eyes with vibrant red color, upturned nose with natural lips, and low cheekbones. The wrinkles of his skin denoted an evident seniority that somehow did not take away from his charm.
Allister reflected, "At last...the time has arrived for me. "
Being in top shape was essential as he was leaving this planet today; otherwise, "those fools would laugh behind my back when I'm gone. " Said Allister as he raised his lips a little.
Leaving the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, Allister walked on the long corridor of his castle, heading to his bedroom.
A minute or so, he was in his room, changing. He wore black leather shoes, black pants, a white shirt and a suit jacket that had silver and gold linings intertwined on the shoulder with red buttons on the cuffs and a white handkerchief on his top left pocket.
Spraying here and there with perfume, Allister was ready. He grabbed his cane, and the items he brought from the auction, and headed to his study room.
Upon arriving there, he took in the sight of this simple yet efficient room that had a chandelier, bookshelves, a desk and a chair. He walked to his desk, which had a simple design compared to everything outside that had precious materials adorned on them.
He went around the desk, dragging his fingers on the smooth surface. He then put his cane in the cane holder and sat down on the chair.
Allister opened the drawers that were on his left side, pulling out neat blank papers. He grabbed a fountain pen that was placed next to him: the pen was black and red in colour. He dipped it in ink and started writing his will and farewells.
After he finished writing them, he brought out the items from the auction and placed them all on the desk with letters attached to each and every one of them.
While picking up the last item and a goblet he brought out of nowhere, he rotated his chair to face the window.
'Mhm?' He faced his desk again and pulled the right drawer this time. There was a necklace: attached to it was a small white squared box. It was his family's heirloom that had been passed on since the first generation to the current one.
He never understood the significance behind this necklace, but the first generation's patriarch treasured it dearly. The necklace was even next to him when he passed away.
As such, every generation adopted this tradition and placed it next to them whenever they wanted to bid farewell to life.
Allister was about to do the same. Picking up the necklace, the goblet from earlier and the last item(Main item in the auction) which was wine according to humans, but was actually the blood of a powerful vampire that had lived thousands of years (Apparently that individual has died a century ago. But He left a jar full of his blood to one of his friends before he passed) and rotated his chair once again to face the window.
Opening the bottle, he poured it on the goblet and started to drink it. Once he finished that, he poured again, and again with no sign of stopping, until he finished the whole bottle.
Allister was about to do the same. picking up the necklace, the goblet from earlier and the main item in the auction, which was wine according to humans, but was actually the blood of a powerful vampire that had lived thousands of years. Apparently, that individual had died a century ago; but he left a jar full of his own blood to one of his friends before he passed.
As he admired the gloomy atmosphere, Allister started to speak himself, but was in-fact sending a message to his coven through his blood that was in every one of them.
"Soon I will depart from this world" said Allister. "I might not have much to say, but all of you have my utmost gratitude for serving me, century after century. " He continued while the receiving end of this speech started to tremble all of a sudden. "That is why I say this with a heart full of sincerity. "It was good to have you all as my servants. And I'm proud of everyone who stood beside me in harsh and peaceful times. Just don't cause trouble when I'm gone brats, HaHaHa. " Allister's coven were on their knees when they heard that final part. Their eyes red and puffy, shoulders quaking as droplets of water fell in front of them.
Cutting the communication off with a heavy heart, Allister raised his right index finger, in which the nail of it started to grow sharper and longer. He then sliced his neck a bit: just to show some blood as a symbolic sign.
Coming to a pause, Allister thought 'What a bland life it was, at least I had people who I could joke with, making my life have some colour in it', making him drift focus off a bit.
But he pulled himself back and said.
"Goodbye my brethren"
Finally cutting off his life source, Allister quickly became limp. Chest lowered and eyes closed.
***
An hour later, groups of bats started to fly around the castle in a circularly formation. They covered the sky like clouds cover the blinding sun. These were his siblings, others relatives and friends, and the last of them were his servants.
All of them devastated and in grief, silently mourning for one that was beloved to each and every one of them.
Allister Dunkan.