Chapter 36: Confusion

 "You want to use make-up?" Andromeda asked, as she went and sat on a chair. The two boys were staring at her vanity. One with excitement, the other one with trepidation. 

"Yes, to hide this," Anastasios showed off his water breathing rune tattoo, and his grandmother gasped. 

"Anastasios Vicente, when did you have this done?" The woman took a hold of her grandson's ear, and tugged it mercilessly.  

"Dari gave it to me," Anastasios said, and soon Andromeda's free hand was free no more. For there was another ear in her grasp. 

"Darius Loreth, for shame, boy. You both just turned six, and you give my grandson a tattoo? How did you even manage it?" Andromeda asked, almost growling. 

"Well, the thing is," Darius said, tilting his head to the side in an attempt to get the grip from himself. "It is a rune. One I invented. It will let him breathe underwater. He was not hurt while the rune was placed." 

"A rune that doesn't require a paper?" The old vampire lady asked, and the two boys nodded. 

"Dari is a genius, grandma. He can invent all kinds of runes. This rune is powered by both his blood, and that of a Basilisk," Anastasios said proudly. Darius just shifted uncomfortably. He was still not used to receiving prize from others. 

"Well, if that is the case, then I suppose I must put you to the test, young man," Andromeda said, and then she led the two boys to her vanity. "See my creams, and my powders. See what you can invent on the spot." 

"I will. Thank you for not grounding us," Darius said. It would have been bad, if this ended with him spending days in his room back home. 

"I just might, don't thank me yet," the old vampire lady said, and then took out a box. "This is my favorite powder. You may try it on." 

Darius dipped two fingers inside the box, and placed them on his cheek. Immediately, he noticed that the powder felt like dust. He stared into the mirror, and saw that his cheek was now paler at the spot where he had applied the powder. 

"I think I get it," Darius said, but then looked at a box with a face cream inside, as was written on the lid. "But dust can be blown off easily. I think a cream is better." 

Andromeda opened the box with the cream without prompting, and Darius dipped two fingers inside. He smeared the cream over his other cheek, and felt like it was something he could put up more easily than a powder. 

"Yes, I will use a cream. Let us see. I will need a water rune, and an earth rune. No, I can't just use mud," Darius shook his head. He rubbed his cream covered fingers together, to get a better feel of the substance. "What is this made from, my lady?" 

"What is this made of, grandma," Andromeda corrected sternly. 

"Sorry, grandma," Darius said with a small smile. 

"Well, fat, mostly. This cream is made from almonds," Andromeda said, and Darius grinned. 

"Then, that is perfect. There is a rune for almonds. I will need a water rune, a wind rune to crush the almonds, and the almond rune. Also, a spreading rune," Darius took out a sheet of paper from his pocket and a pen, and sketched the rune. He sketched it again a couple of times, until it looked as close to perfect, as it could be. Then, he took another sheet of paper and sketched the final sketch on it. "Grandma, do you have the blood of a magical beast in here?"

"I have some manticore blood," the vampire lady said, and then went to a safe. She typed in the combination, and came back with a bottle. "It helps me when my bones ache." 

"I won't exhaust your stash," Darius promised. 

"Wait, you are going to cut yourself, right?" Anastasios asked, suddenly realizing what was to follow. 

"I will. Don't worry, Nastia. I have done this before," Darius said, and then took out his trusty dagger, which he carried around all the time. He activated his skin softening rune, to negate the titanium armor rune, and made a shallow cut across his palm.

As Anastasios watched as the blood dripped on the paper, his fangs began to itch. He couldn't explain why, but he felt incredibly thirsty, even though he had drunk blood just an hour before. 

His grandmother noticed this, and bent down to whisper in his ear. 

"Not his soulmate, eh, boy? You are drooling at the sight of his blood. Tell me, have you ever felt this thirst for blood before?" Anastasios held a hand to his mouth, and found that there was indeed some drool at the corners of his lips. Wiping it furiously, he did his best to think about old socks. 

Prisila's socks, after a month under the bed. Better yet, my socks, after I come back inside after a rainy day.

The unappealing mental picture calmed his nerves, and he watched, as Darius held up a rune. Clearly oblivious to the prince's mental struggle.

"It glowed, so it will work. It glowed yellow, so it will become a part of the skin. Nastia, come on. We can't let mom see that you have a tattoo," Darius said, and then pressed the rune over the rune placed before. After he removed the paper, the sheet was empty, and there was no sign of either rune on the prince's skin. 

"You saved me from the grounding of the century," Anastasios said, as he touched up the spot. Then, his nose twitched. "Why does my skin feel like it is covered in cream?" 

"This is wonderful," Darius said, as he touched Anastasios's neck. "That means that all of your tattoo runes will be covered by a single cream rune. Hey, that is not a bad name. Cream rune! That is how I will call it." 

"Well, boys, I have to admit that young Dari really knows his stuff," Andromeda said, as she patted them both on the heads. "I just hope that you two don't make it a habit of coming in here to play with make-up. Your parents will be understanding, in time, but it will still be a shock to them." 

"It was for science," Anastasios protested, as his grandmother ushered him out, but not before she kissed each of their cheeks for goodnight.