A Companion named Vladislav

Pilate stood with a salute as the militias were arranged in grids, while the leader of the group was saying a speech.

"I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying this so much", Pilate said with a straight face and a subtle smile. Dracula kept his posture with firmness and didn't reply to him.

"I'm serious Dracula. I might be the unspoken leader of this prestigious team, but that would not make me less of a jovial person. There was a reason the name "player" is invented. You have to enjoy the journey, not the destination, Dracula", he said.

"I think I've had my fill with pleasure for a lifetime. Life is full of hardship and cruelty, just so you don't know", Dracula said with an expressionless face.

Pilate fell silent as he glanced at him with complicated feeling. No matter how hard life was for him, he always put on a smiling face, at least that's who he was.