When Richter stepped into the room after his bath, he noticed that something had claimed the vampire’s attention in his absence.  She stood over the bed, where he had laid his belts prior to going to wash up.  Had he not kept his whip with him, he would have thought she was looking at that.  Stepping closer, he saw that she had taken his dagger out of its sheath and was looking it over.

Truthfully, he did not mind the vampiress touching his things.  He had been around her long enough to know that she was more curious than anything.  The only thing he found cuter than her curiosity was getting a rise out of her.  She could use a bit of teasing for toying with his belongings.

After setting the whip to the side, Richter crept right behind her without her noticing.  The feel of his arms coiling around her caused her to gasp and drop the weapon onto the bed.

“I hope you’re not plotting my demise, little vampire.”

“Lord Belmont!” she exclaimed.  “No, I apologize…  I was just looking at it.”

Still holding her with one arm, Richter reached around her to pick the dagger up off the mattress.  

“Do you like it?” he asked, holding it up for them both to admire.  He rolled the hilt in his hand, allowing the light of the candles to catch the dull silver blade and the gold embellishment of the handle.  “It’s been in my family for centuries.  Quite weak compared to the whip or that sword truthfully, but it does the job.”

“It is very nice, my lord,” she replied.  “‘Twas the intricate handle that caught my eye.”

He hummed in agreement before taking her hand and placing the knife’s handle back in her palm.  “I’ll let you play with it.”

“Oh,” she laughed and tried to hand it back.  “That’s not necessary.  I only wanted to look.”

“No,” he said.  “I insist.”

His hand curled over hers and he turned her around.  With her now facing him, he used her hand to bring the blade to his bare chest.  She tried to pull away when she saw the tip against his skin, but his hold was too strong.

“No, I-I don’t want to hurt you…  I promise, I wasn’t looking at it in hopes of using it against you.”

“I trust that is true.  It’d take a fool to try it, and you’re too smart for that,” he said.  “However, I do not think you can truly appreciate a weapon like this without using it…  Or at least getting a feel for how to use it.”

Though she seemed confused about how this could possibly help her get a better picture of it, she nodded.  There was no point in it.  Richter just got a thrill out of seeing her reactions.

“This dagger is intended for close combat,” he explained.  “Rather than slashing at something, you’d ideally take advantage of the double-sided blade by thrusting it into your target.”

Her eyes widened, she shook her head and tried once more to pull her hand away.

“No, I don’t expect for you to stab me,” he said with a laugh.  “Just get a feel for the weight of it.”

Judging by the way she trembled, one would assume Gwen was the one that had a weapon drawn on her.

“Relax.”

She wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be calming, but it certainly didn’t help.  Sensing her apprehension, he continued.

“I’m sure you realize the more your hands shake, the more likely you are to cut me.  You don’t want me to bleed around you, do you?”

The vampire squeezed her eyes shut the moment he reminded her of that.  The blade was blunt, in dire need of sharpening, but she didn’t need to know.  He didn’t expect her to draw blood, he just wanted to trick her into thinking that she could at any moment.

“The calmer you are around a weapon, the more control you have over it.”

With Gwen’s hand still in his, Richter began to guide the knife down.  The tickle of the steel blade tracing down his sternum made him shiver more than the fact that he had a knife to his chest in the first place.  He watched her eyes follow the tip of the blade cautiously.

“You know…  Of all my weapons, I find this one the most suiting of you.”

With this statement, he drew her attention away from the blade to catch his gaze.

“You do?”

Richter nodded, causing her to shake her head and let out a defeated laugh.

“Because it’s weaker than the others?” asked Gwen.

“No,” he replied.  “‘Tis small, but that does not mean it is any less deadly.  If someone isn’t careful around it, it could certainly draw blood.  One would have to get close in order to fall victim to it…”

Richter froze when he realized the last part slipped past his lips.  While he had been thinking it, he did not intend for it to be said aloud.  Yet her distress melted with this explanation, and he found that he managed to get a smile out of her.

“… I see…”

Smiling himself, he took her hand and pulled the knife away from his body.  With furrowed brows, she watched as he instead brought it closer to his face.  He kept his eyes locked with hers and enjoyed how they widened when he pressed his lips to the flat of the blade.  After doing this, he used the dagger to tilt her chin up so he could bring his lips to her instead.