Vampire: Crowned In Blood

High above the forest floor, Teo lay sprawled across a sturdy branch, his arms folded behind his head as he watched the clouds drift by. The faint sound of footsteps approached below, and without bothering to look down, he knew the dungeon cleanup squad had arrived, their chatter echoing through the trees.

"Right on time," he murmured to himself as he spotted the flurry of activity around the dungeon's entrance. The squad members moved in a precise formation, entering and leaving with practiced ease.

In Wéidù's subspace, his familiars were busy building a house and tilling a garden. Teo could feel them working hard. As a low breeze rustled the leaves around him, he closed his eyes, basking in the calm, unbothered by the thought of the squad scurrying through the dungeon to clean up his work and collect all the remains and valuable materials.

One of the cleanup squad members looked up, his gaze landing on Teo lounging comfortably in the tree. His face twisted in surprise, and he shouted, "Hey, you there! This is a restricted zone. Get out of here!"

Teo cracked one eye open, irritation flashing across his face as he lazily waved the man off. The squad member huffed, looking like he was about to shout again, when Teo's driver came sprinting over, grabbing the squad member by the shoulder.

"Are you crazy?" the driver hissed, eyes darting toward Teo. "That's Teo Amanar. The Butcher! You want to get yourself killed? Just get back to work."

The squad member's face went pale, his gaze snapping back up to Teo, who was now watching the exchange with a bored expression. The man stammered, "Wait… him?" He swallowed hard, his earlier bravado crumbling. "Right... not someone I'd, uh, want to cross paths with."

"Exactly," the driver muttered. "Now go on, let's finish up here and be grateful; he's just relaxing."

As they quickly turned back to their work, Teo gave a small, amused snort, leaning back against the branch and closing his eyes once more. Not that he cared much about what they thought. He just wished they'd leave him to enjoy the peace.

As they lounged in the subspace, the familiars exchanged knowing looks after witnessing the interaction between Teo, the squad member, and John, his personal driver.

Yōulíng sighed. "He really is just isolating himself further and further."

Ember Tyrant nodded. "Well, can you blame him after everything he's been through?" His voice softened. "We may never fully understand his feelings as spiritual entities, but at least we can be here for him," Somniroth replied.

"That's a good point," Yōulíng agreed. "And he does have people he trusts, even if he tries to avoid her."

He hesitated. "But one thing I don't understand is why he's so rude to the one person who doesn't judge him for his past."

Somniroth's expression darkened slightly. "Maybe that's why he avoids her. If she sees past his reputation, she also sees past his walls. That makes him... uncomfortable."

Ember Tyrant gave a small, sympathetic growl. "Trust is a risk for him. Even when he knows someone's genuine, he doesn't want them to see what he hides."

Yōulíng sighed again. "Well, maybe with us around, he'll let his guard down, and one day he will open up to us or others."

The familiars fell silent, each lost in thought about their unusual master. Suddenly, they all looked towards the dungeon. 

"Seems like Master went a bit too far in his rampage." She said the others saw it too; some newer members of the cleanup squad lost consciousness upon seeing the mess Teo left behind.

Meanwhile, John surveyed the chaos, sighing as he took out his phone. With practiced calm, he typed a single number 1 and sent it to Selene Karmov.

Miles away, Selene's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, and upon seeing the familiar number, a small frown crossed her face. "Come on, Teo," she muttered to herself. "I know you're frustrated, but I have a hundred other things on my list today." Shaking her head, she typed out a quick reply to John, confirming her arrival.

Straightening her coat, Selene glanced at her team in the office. "I'll be back shortly. It seems I have to go clean up after Teo again." Her voice was laced with equal parts frustration and familiarity, as if this routine was as natural as her daily commute.

As Selene walked out of the office, she caught her reflection in the glass doors and paused. She'd lost count of how many times she'd been called in to clean up after Teo, yet each time, she found herself going with the same mix of annoyance and worry.

On her way, she glanced down at the list of tasks she'd planned for the day: budget allocations, squad assignments, and more. Now, all of it would have to wait. Shaking her head with a sigh, her thoughts drifted to Teo's indifferent smirk. He never seemed to grasp how much she tried to help him. Or maybe he refused to acknowledge it, acting that way as a means to protect himself.

She braced herself for the scene she was about to face. Teo's cleanups always came with surprises, some good, others... less so. His unique approach to dungeon clearing was rarely considerate of the squad tasked with cleaning up afterward.

When Selene finally arrived at the dungeon, she took a long look at the wreckage: half-eaten monster bodies strewn about in what was both a chaotic and predictable scene. It was a clear mark of Teo's handiwork.

"Looks like he's outdone himself," she remarked. With a nod to John, she turned on her heel and headed directly to where Teo lay lazily on a tree branch overhead.