agentlelog | Seven notes of warning in the summer sky

Entry tags:

Seven notes of warning in the summer sky

Who: Jonathan and Allairavar
When: First official morning
Where: The practice fields
What: Post training talks
Warnings: Well it's about vampires so there's definitely going to be talk about blood and whatnot.

Jonathan had been preparing to turn in for the day when they'd all been summoned to the practice fields for what was explained to them as a daily requirement if they resided in the housing provided by the queen. Fortunately with the season it was still dark enough during training that, while Jonathan felt on edge, he made it through unharmed. But he was exhausted by the end of it, and the sun creeping over the horizon drove him quickly inside.

All the more reason he needed to speak with their leader in this activity, the rather impressive man by the name of Allairavar. Waiting until the man was inside, Jonathan approached him, carefully making certain to avoid any windows now that the light threatened to break through.

"Sir, I wish to speak with you."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Allairavar's face drew into a sharp frown as the skin cracked and peeled on Jonathan's hand. He did look disturbed, but not precisely afraid. Instead, he listened and then said nothing for a long moment.

"I will assume from your tone that a vampire is something feared on your world." Allairavar's eyes fell half closed. A look that could have been described as sleepy were it not for the weight of barely leashed violence slowly filling the air around the man. "My Queen asked for your help, Doctor Jonathan Reid and you answered her call. So I will ask you now and hold you accountable for your words for as long as you are in Terreille. Do you mean my Lady harm?"

There could be no doubt from his tone and the slow rolling growl beneath that if Allairavar suspected a lie, Jonathan's time in this particular immortal coil would be short.

The fact that Allairavar didn't even know what Jonathan truly was startled him, and he shook his head and gave a wry laugh at the response.

"We- I have this... thirst for blood. I must feed on living blood to survive." There was a heavy threat of violence in the air and Jonathan welcomed it. It was a sign that Allairavar understood the danger even if he didn't understand what Jonathan was. That, if it came down to it, he would not hesitate to protect his Queen.

"I do not intend her harm," he said, watching the Prince's face carefully. "In fact I don't intend harm to anyone here, and I don't feed on people. But I am still an inherent danger. Should you wish me to leave I understand, but you should know what I am and what I... require."

The dangerous look in Allairavar's eyes faded as he listened and instead, his expression turned contemplative. The confession that Jonathan drank blood was met with little more than mild surprise.

"Can you take blood in wine?" Allairavar asked. "The tradition of the Yarbarah - blood wine - remains in Draega. There are a few animals kept at the Queen's residence to supply fresh blood when it is made." Allairavar stroked his chin a moment before continuing. "If that is not sufficient for your survival, we can hopefully make other arrangements. Since you wear the Red, more might be required."

Then Allairavar cracked a faint smile.

"There is no need for you to leave unless you intend on snacking on the people under the Queen's care or the Queen herself without their permission. As for being an inherent danger, the Lady has four Warlord Princes serving her and we are all inherently dangerous."

"Blood in wine?" The idea sounded so strange that Jonathan had to wonder how there would ever be a tradition for such a thing. Regardless, it didn't matter, he already knew the answer.

"No. It... has to be fresh. From a living creature. My body rejects anything else now." Jonathan turned away, raking his fingers through his beard and taking a small step back as the sunlight threatened to spill through the window onto him.

"I don't feed on humans," he repeated. "I usually hunt small creatures when I need to. I'm certain I can manage here as well and I don't intend to upset or frighten anyone with the knowledge of what I am."

The implication was, of course, that he wouldn't have told Allairavar given the chance. "But I cannot train in the sunlight. I hope you understand."

"I will make arrangements with the kitchen staff and you may find suitable game in the forests beyond the wall. I only ask that you bring back what is left of anything that you hunt for the rest of the city once you've taken what you need." He stared to say something else, but then Allairavar paused, rethinking his words.

"Then you will meet me two hours before dawn for training. It is standard for all those in Queen's court and if you stay here, you are a part of Queen's court." He seemed quite unmoving about this point. "Secondly, why do you not feed on humans? Myself or one of the others in the Queen's Inner Circle would be willing if animal blood isn't sufficient. A Red Jewel may require more than you are used to imbibing."

Noticing the creep of the sun across the floor and Jonathan's now understandable aversion to it, Allairvar flicked one finger. The curtains flutter from their holders, covering the windows. A ball of witchlight illuminated the space a moment later. "Better?"

Edited 2019-01-31 01:46 (UTC)

"Game in the forests?" That seemed a reasonable alternative; although Jonathan had little experience with hunting, having grown up in London and then focusing on his work, with his increased speed and agility he didn't doubt he could find something in the forest if need be. And it would surely be better than feeding on rats.

"If you have no concerns about the... manner of death, then I can do as you ask. Truthfully I haven't run many tests to see if there's any concerns about contamination or infection in the remains. If I can have access to a laboratory and some supplies, then I could do that just to make sure it's safe."

A laboratory would be useful for a number of other reasons as well, although before Jonathan could ask about the matter further he was thrown by Allairavar's rather blunt question. He was grateful that the curtains were drawn a moment later, allowing him to move closer and fix the Prince with a proper incredulous look.

"Why? Why would you or anyone else trust me to control myself?" Jonathan returned, disbelief apparent in his voice. "I am a monster, I don't know I could even control myself and stop from hurting or killing someone. Surely it's better not to put anyone at risk in the first place."

Allairavar didn't answer immediately. Instead, he seemed to absorb everything that Jonathan said with solemn consideration. When he did speak, his tone was gravely serious.

"From the sound of it, you don't know if you'd harm someone or not and in my experience monsters don't question whether or not they might harm anyone. They just do as they please and delight in the misery that they spread." Pain flickered across his features and Allairavar shook his head. "I've seen monsters and I've killed them. You don't strike me as one of their number. But," his eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "you are in great pain over it. I recommend that you speak to either Prince Verim or Lady Fayura once the lady is feeling better. They maybe able to help you with some of your troubles more than I can."

Stepping past Jonathan, Allairavar refilled his mug. One finger tapped against the side, heating the brew inside until it steamed again.

"My caste is that of Warlord Prince. Most of the landen and even some of the Blood consider us monsters or at the very least rabid animals and its not without some reason. We are dangerous and in each of us exists a certain line that once someone crosses it, devastation follows. But that does not mean we have to be nothing more than instruments of destruction. You do not have to be that either. The fact that you're here, worried about it proves that fact." Monsters didn't worry about being monsters.

"For now, you will train with me and we will work on your control. If you feel it falter, you will come to myself, Prince Verim, or Lady Fayura - the strength of our Jewels will be enough to contain you until you are yourself again." None of that sounded like a request or that Allairavar was looking for Jonathan's input. "As for the laboratory, you can ask Healer Jesiree," they Yellow Jeweled healer from the the night of the attack, "to see her facilities here. If you require something more elaborate, you might have to speak to the landen Medicos."

Jonathan shook his head. "The most dangerous monsters are those that do not look it," he said. "There is a part of me that could become such a creature if I do not keep it in check and I am not certain that tempting it by trying to learn control is the best idea, Prince."

For all that he might speak of Warlord Princes being dangerous, Jonathan had a hard time picturing it as anything close to what might happen if he lost control himself. Possibly because he had yet to truly understand what a Warlord Prince was and the sort of power they had, while his own experiences were far more intimate and vivid in his memory.

But by the sound of it, Allairavar also didn't intend to allow him much room to avoid the matter. Jonathan's jaw tightened and he looked as though he wanted to continue arguing for a moment, but instead he let out a sound closer to a growl of annoyance.

"Very well, if you insist I will do as you command, Prince. But I do not think it a wise course of action."

"Perhaps not, but we'll find out." Allairavar held up with forearm set in a leather bracer that covered half the space between wrist and elbow were two gleaming Jewels - one Red and one Gray. "You were the Red and speaking from personal experience, it is far better to find your limits in a controlled setting than one of chaos."

Allairavar's wings stretched a little and his head canted to the side in thought. Or perhaps he waited to see if Jonathan might decide to argue after all. When no other protest came, Allairavar flashed a brief, pleased smile. "Does daylight tire you?"

Jonathan's gaze travels to the motion of Allairavar's wings and curiosity immediately colours his expression.

"It does," he admits, still studying the other man's wings. "I usually sleep around dawn and wake at sunset. But I can remain awake so long as I am inside and away from the sun."

And with the window shielded, he can focus entirely on satisfying his curiosity now. "You have wings, are you a different species? Is it common here for some to have wings and others not to?"

"Then once nightfall comes today, we'll make sure that your room is properly secured." They couldn't seal off of the residence as a whole. However, a set of rooms should suffice and several of the hallways had no windows in them to worry about. Nor would it stir too much interest if they kept the area small.

"There are two races in Terrielle that have wings. I am Eryien." His wings flexed again in what looked like pride, but there's an unmistakable sadness in Allairavar's gold eyes. "Eryiens are one of the long-lived races. Unfortunately, there are few of us left now. Our nature is more combative than most so, when the wars broke out after the cataclysm, Eryiens fought on the front lines too many times." His lips quirk downward, but as Allairavar rubbed the back of his neck, his expression smoothed out once again.

"I take it wings are not common where you're from?" He asked with genuine curiosity. Having all of these strangers running around wasn't an easy thing to accept, but it was fascinating.

"I appreciate the gesture but I don't need any special protections," Jonathan protests, wondering as well how it would look if his room was different from others. Despite everything, he's still worrying about how others might take learning what he is. Not standing out had been important in London, and despite Allairavar's words, it has to be the same here too.

Although looking at how those wings flexed, Jonathan has to admit that there was clearly much different here from London.

"No, nothing that isn't human, I'm afraid," he says, moving to look more at the other man's wings and how they flex and fold. "Or that was widely known of. My kind keep to themselves and I've never seen any with wings. May I look at the articulation?"

"I won't press them, but you should consider them." Allairavar gave a lose shrug. "Keep in mind that the Lady will want you to be comfortable here for as long as you chose to say." Something about the way Allairavar offered those words made it seem as if upsetting the Lady would be a terrible (un)life choice for anyone.

At the request, Allairavar's brows rose with a hint of suspicion in those golden eyes. However, he eventually nodded and extended both wings as much as he could in the space. Both of them arch up and away from his back, ruffling the leather vest that Allairavar wore in lieu of a shirt.

They were not unlike bat wings in general shape and look. Dark and leathery. There the similarities ended, most notably that Allairavar's wings were not akin to forelimbs and couldn't be used for ground maneuvering the way that a bat's would. The skeleton over which membranous flesh stretch was thicker as well and harder. There were scars on his wings. Some large. Some small. But great in number.

Jonathan is grateful again that the window has been covered as in the darkness he can move closer to inspect the span of Allairavar's wings and reaches out with gentle yet confident fingers to trace the flex of bones and muscle down to where it disappears beneath clothing.

"Fascinating," he murmurs. "I'd appreciate a chance for a closer look at a later time, if you're willing. I'd like to see how your musculature is different from a typical human specimen, particular at your back. If there's an x-ray facility I'd like to take a look at your skeletal structure. It'd be worth knowing in case of any injury in the future."

Beneath Jonathan's careful study, Allairavar remained still and steady. When Jonathan reached a particularly sensitive spot, Allairavar's wings fluttered slightly in response.

"X-ray? You mean the landen technology that allows for photographs of a persons insides." The disdain in his Allairavar's voice was crystal clear. "If you've an interest in Eryien physiology, there are books the the library that might whet your curiosity." He paused, canting his head to the side. "Not as many as there used to be."

"Did you need anything else, Jonathan Reid?" Allairavar sipped his coffee.

Reluctantly, Jonathan ceased his inspection. Medical texts may be a good place to start, at least to allow him a basis to ask more focused questions, and he nodded as he stepped back again.

"No, but I thank you for your understanding in this... delicate matter," he said, making note about that remark about the texts to ask after later, once he'd gotten a better look at this library.

"Thank you for your time, Prince."

For Jonathan's honesty and candor he gain +1 Reputation with Allairavar and some nice blackout curtains for his room along with instructions on how to use Craft to anchor the curtains to the wall so a stray breeze doesn't cause the good Doctor to have a bad day.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Seven notes of warning in the summer sky

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject