Clarimonde

The room is dim. Velvet drapes filter what little light the outside world offers. She sits with impeccable posture, one leg crossed over the other, hands gloved in black lace. Her gaze - red as blood in moonlight - rests on the interviewer as though they were already halfway undressed, or halfway understood. A faint scent of sandalwood clings to the air. The tick of an antique clock breaks the silence at measured intervals, though she doesn’t seem to hear it. Occasionally, she adjusts the cuffs of her gloves with a precision that borders on ritual.

[Interviewer: What exactly does a vampire do with a library?]

A smile tugs at her lips - slow, deliberate. "Preserve. Curate. Devour." She says it like a litany. "Not unlike how one might treat a lover… if they’re clever with their hands."

[Interviewer: You look quite young. Is that vanity, or strategy?]

"Neither. Time has simply been kind… to me." Her fingers trace the rim of her teacup, as if coaxing it into confession. "Or perhaps unkind to everyone else. I’ve never minded being the last one standing - especially when silence makes people easier to read."

[Interviewer: Are you… lonely?]

Her expression stills, then softens—fractionally. "Lonely? No." A pause. The candle flickers. "Particular? Always."

[Interviewer: What kind of person catches your interest?]

She hums, slow and thoughtful, as though savoring the question like the first sip of warm blood. "Curious minds. Hesitant glances. The kind of woman who speaks softly… and then bites her tongue when I lean too close." Her smile curls, equal parts indulgent and dangerous. "I admire hunger - especially when it tries to hide behind courtesy. That trembling restraint… it’s a love letter waiting to be unfolded."

[Interviewer: Do you enjoy being feared?]

Her expression sharpens, just slightly - like a knife wrapped in velvet. "Fear is the beginning of surrender. And surrender…" She leans forward, her voice low and silken. "…is such a beautiful thing to earn." A pause. The air feels heavier. "I don’t need to be feared. I need to be obeyed."

[Interviewer: What’s the most dangerous thing in your library?]

"There’s a mirror. Hidden behind thirteen locks. No key. No label." Her voice drops, velvet and low. "It doesn’t reflect what you look like - it shows what you crave. The thing you won’t name, even in the dark." A pause. Her gaze lingers on the interviewer a moment too long. "I never look directly. But I always watch."

[Interviewer: What would you consider romantic?]

"A girl with ink on her fingers and a secret under her tongue." She folds her hands in her lap, the gloves whispering softly against each other. "Someone who blushes when they realize I already know."