netherese: (179)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-02 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
[Gale lets out a soft, thoughtful hum in response to their messenger's remark, not sounding wholly convinced, but knowing better than to say so aloud.

He knows what this is. Cazador means to demand proof, to see how they behave in public before important members of vampire society— to see whether or not they're bluffing, or if he might still have his witch. Invitations and challenges may as well have been interchangeable among his kind.

The vampire looks to his guest, offering her a small nod of confirmation.]


Indeed, the upper echelons of vampire society. It's been some time since I've found myself invited to such a gathering— we've garnered ourselves quite a bit of attention, indeed.

[Cazador's messenger smiles thinly.]

"You would be most honored guests, on this occasion. For Mystra's Chosen to enter into such a pact is worthy of such attention. Your power and potential are well-remembered by our master, Gale Dekarios of Waterdeep."

[The former wizard feels the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth at the mention of Mystra's name, his former title— yes, he had a feeling that would come up sooner rather than later, as well. For him to bond with a witch was a bold move, politically. It gave him the potential to appear a threat, to some.]

Naturally, we will accept.
netherese: (181)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-04 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Only once the other vampire has let the door close behind him and Gale has heard their footfalls move away from the shop does he let out a long sigh, his shoulders dropping forward as he gives up his posturing. He casts Amelia a worried glance, shaking his head.]

I'm afraid not. Rumors still work in our favor, and we're keeping up appearances, but I guarantee this invitation is meant to call our bluff in public— or, if he can't, no doubt he has something else up his sleeve.

[He scrunches his nose for a brief moment, the messenger's departure having left him rankled. That the other vampire had remarked on the scent in the air, or lack thereof, was perhaps a bit classless, but something that would need to be addressed.]

Would that vampire senses respected privacy more than they do, but I suppose we cannot help what we see, hear or smell— or don't.
netherese: (15)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-04 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
More than you know.

[If she thinks she detects an exhausted note of withering defeat in his voice, she would be absolutely correct.]

Many are creatures of vice and decadence, and expect such displays from others, especially when it comes to...

[He pauses a moment, clearing his throat.]

Marking territory, so to speak.

[Right. Plants.]

Would that be possible in such short order? A muddling plant?
netherese: (107)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-04 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[That earns a slight chuckle from him, easing some of the tension in the room.]

Admittedly, it would likely get you into more trouble than you already are— or we, I should say.

[They are, after all, a team now.]

It would better suit us to be clever. We do have an advantage that not every vampire has access to. I'm far from the only wizard to have been turned, and vampires have a rather varied skillset among them, but you and I both have magic on our side— and if I may be so bold as to say so, even in undeath I remain more skilled than many who follow the same path in life.
netherese: (158)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-06 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
Magic would likely best be employed here, though there are some protective wards we might enable before we attend. I have a few ideas regarding alchemy, as well, but...

[He sighs heavily, glancing towards the door the other vampire had left through only moments before.]

I think this particular outing is going to test our acting skills. More than that, we may need to consider some... practical measures. That messenger won't be the only one looking for bite marks.

[Which brings them to a conversation that's been some time in coming.]
netherese: (59)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-12 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
[For his part, Gale looks hesitant about venturing further— the subject is a delicate one.]

The good news is that no other vampire ought to be able to tell if you've been granted marks— that, they have to take our word for, and it's early enough in our 'arrangement' that no one should expect any grand displays of power. They mean to appraise us— Cazador wishes to see that our bond is genuine, and others will wish to know if this partnership makes us a threat.

[Makes him a threat, specifically, but given that he has no political aspirations, only the most paranoid vampires would likely be deeply concerned.]

Performance will be the name of the game. They will want to see— behavior that implies possession.

[While he doesn't seem particularly happy about that, the next part does give him pause, and there's a heavy moment of silence before his gaze meets hers, earnest.]

I'll need to bite you. At least enough to leave a mark before we go, but I wouldn't put it past Cazador to 'encourage' us to make a display of it in person. I don't— [He pauses another moment, furrowing his brow before admitting:] I don't typically drink from... people.
netherese: (114)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-13 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[The question gives him pause, but only for a moment, and only because he spends that moment trying to intuit where she may be headed with this. After the space of a single heartbeat, he nods and steps forward, his brow still slightly furrowed as he holds his hand out to her, palm-up.]

Of course.

[She has put an unimaginable amount of trust in him. Whatever she has in mind, he trusts her, as well.]
netherese: (171)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-14 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
[He watches her with curious interest, and indeed initially mistakes her intention and guesses what's to come might be magical in nature— but instead, she simply looks, the light brush of her thumb against his pulse point curious in its own right.

He's no stranger to casual touch, but it's been a long while since he had been touched by someone alive— his choice not to feed from humans was not one made out of moral standing, but because the act of feeding itself felt too intimate to him to share so freely. Human blood that had been donated, supplemented with that of animals, suited his needs just fine, but as a result, he'd not had the opportunity to touch someone whose heart still beat in years.

Amelia's touch is light and strangely warm, a foreign feeling so long after his own heart had stop beating.]


I'm afraid not. It left me long ago.

[Hers, however— he can hear it from where he stands, clear as day.]
netherese: (169)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-14 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's a fascinating question, one no one else has asked him for as long as he could remember— truly, he did not know the last time he had examined himself in such a way, and for a moment, the furrow of his brow deepens, thoughtful as he gives her question its due consideration.]

In my youth, I was determined that I was destined for greatness.

[He lets out a soft, mirthless chuckle as his lips twitch to one side in a knowing smile; times have changed, but he remembers full well who he once was.]

Not just eager for power, though surely that must have been part of it. I wanted to be the greatest wizard this world had ever seen, to learn everything I possibly could to master magic itself, rather than to merely serve it. Magic was my very heart and soul, and remains so even now, though time changes us all.

[He shakes his head a bit, dismissing the mental image his own words had conjured of his younger self.]

I want nothing so grand, now— but the fact remains that our world is expansive beyond our wildest imaginings, full of mysteries yet to be discovered. I wish to see and learn as much as this world of ours has to offer, even if I must do so by moonlight alone. I want to uncover the secrets of those who came before us, of things greater than myself.

[Once a scholar, always a scholar.]
netherese: (198)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-09-27 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
[There was a time when he had considered giving up, when all he'd known had been turned upside down, the very woman he had changed for denouncing him and leaving him painfully adrift as she replaced him with someone new, not more promising, but certainly more subservient. His ambitions had been too great for her, a threat, and that had meant more to her than well more than a century of devotion.

Here and now, having had the time and space to gain perspective, he knew that his path forward would be whatever he made it— he did not need to let the next century and however many after be controlled by the person who had drawn him into this world.

The wag of Amelia's finger brings him to absolute attention, and he cannot help but smile softly at just how matter-of-fact she is about such things.]


You truly have taken so much of this in stride. It's very admirable of you. Even knowing who and what my kind are, not everyone would be so practical.

[He huffs softly, putting his own hands against his hips to inadvertently mirror her, giving a sharp nod of agreement.]

I meant it when I said I would let no harm come to you. I promise that any 'nibbling' will be painless.

[It tended to be quite the opposite, in fact, which was part of why he abstained from feeding from live humans most nights, with a few exceptions.]
netherese: (19)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-11-28 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
[For a moment, he's utterly blindsided by her approach— not the subject at hand, particularly, but he's still not entirely used to just how direct the witch can be at times.

That, and he honestly can't tell whether or not she's joking.

He raises a fist to cover his mouth as he clears his throat, schooling his expression to appear decidedly less startled than he actually was.]


I don't know that... scheduling will be necessary.

[There's a quizzical loft to one of his brows. Would she really...?

He supposes it doesn't matter.]


Given our situation, the sooner that step is taken, the better, but I defer to your comfort.

[As ever.]
netherese: (36)

[personal profile] netherese 2024-12-02 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
I thank you from refraining in this instance.

[He does offer a wry smile quirked to one side in response to that little quip, but the topic at hand is somber enough that it fades— all things considered, he supposes she has every right to be particular in this instance.

He clears his throat softly.]


No, it doesn't have to be at the neck, though it has its... advantages.

[Some practical, others not.]

As far as access is concerned, it could be done anywhere.

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