I used to be like you Who: Valentin and Laurent Where: Paris, France - A Party When: 1786
Red wine stained Val's lips as he laughed into the kiss, the woman against him beautiful, blonde, and buxom, her name completely unknown to him. It hardly mattered at this point, as she'd known his name well enough to scream it and then some. She re-adjusted her corset as he stole another kiss, the sounds of the party blaring from the other side of the door, and whispered that she had to get back. Of course. She would be missed. Her skirts back in place, she stole from the room, leaving Val to saunter out behind her. No one had missed her. No one had even known they were gone. Picking up another stem of wine, Val leaned against the wall and watched the party from the shadows, not quite ready to join the foray once more. His head spun from too much wine, making another glass unnecessary, but every chance to indulge should be taken. He would not pass this one up.
Paris. Once upon a time Laurent would have enjoyed being in the city. He would have come with his sister and their mother on an excursion under this or that excuse because he would rather be with them than at home with Raoul. Now it did not matter because he was jut there. His mother and sister were gone and he was left without so much as a sire. Just unending time that was not even broken up by times spent sleeping. Sleep had become a joke that taunted him - something that everyone but him could do. Walking in their dreams had not yet become something that he was terribly attached to so he chose to waste his time at parties like this little gathering he was not quite sure he had actually been invited to. But someone that he knew had come and so he had tagged along, dressed in his military finery because although he was retired he was still recognizable. A few more years would pass before people started to wonder how he continued to appear so young, and if he actually had an illegitimate son or something of that nature.
Me with a son, it was an amusing thought that actually caused Laurent to smile as he continued to look over the guests, noting as a young blonde returned to the room only a moment before a man did as well. Two guesses as to what they were getting up to, but I'll only need the one. A smirk as he pretended to drink from the wine he was holding. "Having a good night?" he asked of the man who he thought that maybe he should know. If he paid better attention to the nobility of his own country.
Val should have been concerned about the possibility of getting caught, though it wasn't his reputation that would be on the line. That had been nicely soiled by the time he was eighteen, at least among those who liked to gossip. Men didn't tend to hold it against him, and it was their perspective that mattered. "Truly enjoyable," Val smirked, turning to face the man who had spoken. A man in uniform. A very pretty man, in his opinion, one that his attention a few seconds too long before he spoke again. "Yourself?" The wine made him less cautious, yes, but he didn't even know this man's name. An improper gesture of that sort might not only be unwelcome, but could truly tarnish his name. That didn't stop him from looking though. Val licked his lips and took another sip of wine. He hated behaving himself.
"I've been to worse," Laurent allowed himself to say. This was not his favorite party of all the ones he had attended, in life or after, but it could be worse. It could have been full of foreigners who spoke of things he had no knowledge of after all. Laurent supposed that the day when modern affairs were out of his league would come before too terribly long. After all, the world would always change and his changes had been stopped in their tracks. "Pardon my asking, but who exactly are you? You appear familiar but I fear I've had too much wine to remember exactly." An easy enough lie that Laurent saw no harm in. Surely no one could be expected to remember people who did not actually matter to them. Chances of anyone in this room knowing who he was were slim to none. And he was fine with that. "Ah, my manners. Commandant Laurent Rousseau." An inclination of the head and a slight smile. Laurent had still not mastered the art of smiling more than a little without showing off the fangs he was supposed to keep hidden.
At some point in the future, Val would need to be recognizable by those around him, but until he took his father's place as Marquis, he felt that he could do as he pleased. For that, anonymity worked to his benefit, but he could not deny Laurent his name. "Lord Valentin Devereux," Val said with a sweeping bow that was certainly not necessary for a commandant. Or was it? At the moment he could not remember and was doing well not to spill his wine. Straightening himself, he smiled and took a few steps closer, keeping to the shadows. It was as he preferred at these parties-- when he was not the host, he could disappear as he pleased. "I'm sure I've seen your face before, but I can not place where or when. Perhaps at court." There were generally so many people at court that he never met them all, unless they were of greater importance than him and his family. Then he had to remember them, which meant he had to keep the wine to a minimum.
Pandering to noble's egos and their ideas that they needed to be remembered was something that Laurent had never been good at. Yes, he had been born among them, but his family was ranked too low to truly matter and, with his elder brother eager to learn everything, Laurent had been left to mostly his own devices. The military, basically, had become his interest. Now if there was a high-ranking official, then he would know who they were without hesitating. Nobles were just a different story altogether. "Lord Devereux then," Laurent acknowledged. The family name was one that he recognized if only because it belonged to one of the more well known in the country. Even someone like Laurent could remember that, if he put a bit of effort into it. The small smile was back on his face. "Ah, perhaps when you were younger, I more commonly attended parties in my youth before I became too involved with the military." What age was he trying to pass for these days? I still can't claim forty, people would think I've found the fountain of youth. "When I had maybe as much fun as you seem to have." Telling when humans had been up to something had become almost entertainingly simple. And they left their scent all over everything.
"If I'm not to enjoy it in youth, then when? Expectations change with age and I'll not miss my chance while I have it," Val answered, the smirk back on his face. It would not be long before he was expected to wed--in fact, his mother was already pressing the matter-- and immediately after produce a child. A family was not something Val wanted at the moment, for with them came the promise of responsibility. He also preferred to choose his partners as one chose dessert, sampling a different flavor with every day. Settling with one woman was not something he was looking forward to. "Does the military keep their soldiers on such a tight leash that the occasional night of debauchery is strictly permitted?" he asked with a raised brow. "Or are you too tight laced to take advantage of it? There are plenty here who could entertain you." His tongue would get him in trouble if he wasn't careful, but he'd had far too much wine to realize the line he might have crossed until he was clear on the other side.
Youth was the time to enjoy things, that was true, and Laurent vaguely remembered that he had enjoyed his time then. Although it had been short-lived when he chose to join the military. Not to say that he had not continued enjoying himself but it was likely very different from what Valentin did. The essential difference between being a noble who did not have to do anything to sustain themselves and someone in the military who was always at work. "No and no again," Laurent replied, raising his own eyebrow as he spoke. That was almost insulting. His kind of fun was different from this man's - no, he was closer to a child with that view on the world. Too pandered to look past what brought him his own amusement. "I'm retired as it is, the military doesn't keep me on any sort of a leash. The one your mother likely wants to keep you on is probably shorter. Mother's are the same in that regard no matter who you are." His own had tried and been sorely disappointed when he never settled down with a girl. Hard to have a child when you're a vampire.
Val's jaw tightened at the thought of being reigned in, something his mother wished to do most desperately. She would pull him in and tie him to a wife and that would be the end of his freedom. At least, that's how Val saw it. "The harder she pulls, the farther I run," he said under his breath. "Once I give in, there's no going back. There are duties I must fulfill, responsibilities that will be mine to keep, and a family I will be expected to produce and provide for. It is not a life I wish to obtain at present." If ever. Val had a hard enough time finding a woman that held his attention for more than a moment in passing. He found men to be more intelligent companions, but his fancy for them was unacceptable. Were there women who could fill both needs? He doubted so. As much as he enjoyed his trysts with them, it only proved that they hadn't the forethought to realize nothing would come of it. He would never accept a woman as his wife that had fooled around with him before hand, as he was confident she'd done it with other men as well. "Pardon my saying so, but you seem awfully young to be retired," he said, his attention turning back to focus solely on Laurent. "What is it you do now?"
Talking under your breath was something that only prevented mortals, with their dull ears, to not hear you. Laurent's senses were quick enough to catch it and he had to bite back a smirk. Looked like this was one of those young nobleman who was not quite pleased with what his mother, and potentially father, wanted him to do. Laurent had known plenty of that sort in his day and most of them had ended up beside him in the military. It was one way of keeping them off your back. "The life of a noble," Laurent remarked with a slight shrug, brushing an imaginary piece of dust off his shoulder. Being asked about his age was something that never left him feeling very comfortable. He never knew who might remember how old he was supposed to be, nor how old he appeared. Because this Valentin was right, he appeared too young to be retired. "I do nothing," Laurent replied. A lie, but studying his kind and the powers that they apparently possessed was not any better. "I retired with honors at a young age because I deserved it and now I am simply enjoying my time. While occasionally stopping in on parties to see how the rest of the world is faring." He smiled. "Call me a hermit." His sister's children had.
"Maybe I should join the militia," Val said with a little laugh. It was a joke-- not the militia, but the idea that he would be successful there. There were so many rules that he was almost a guaranteed failure, but the idea of escaping the restrictions of his home life was appealing. Unfortunately, he'd just be transferring one set of chains for another, and Val's goal was to escape them entirely. "So how does the rest of the world appear from this vantage point?" Val asked, looking from Laurent out into the party. People were having fun, drinking a bit too much, and trading the secrets that ran the aristocracy in circles. He wasn't sure if the world looked grand or if it was falling to pieces. Perspective was something that could be hard to come by, and Val suspected a man of Laurent's rank would see things differently anyways.
Laurent just blinked at the statement and made no remark. It had to be a joke. People like Valentin did not just join up because it would get them away from home; they usually did it because it was family tradition or necessary at the time because the country was at war. Which we will be if rumors are true. Rumors of war were always far too plentiful in the country. "The rest of the world appears to be getting on," Laurent replied after a glance around the room. Nothing interesting. Nothing entertaining. Humans being humans without a care in the world for what was happening outside of the room at the moment. "Though I know that there are those who would see this as an extravagant, useless waste." There his tone was more careful, deliberately nonchalant. Nobles could get so very touchy about that sort of thing and he would know from experience. "So I would say to enjoy it while you can. You're still young and free after all."
Val watched Laurent as he surveyed the room, finding both his response and reaction a curiosity. He knew that kind of look, gave it far too often himself, but it wasn't one he expected to see in this sort of environment. Unless he was reading it wrong, which was quite the possibility. "You're bored," he said, an observation that should have been a question. "Why attend a party if you don't enjoy it?" If he was enjoying it, he wouldn't call it a waste. It sounded like Laurent was looking down on the rest of them with disdain, in which case Val would rather see him thrown out on his ass. Pity, since it was such a perfect one.
"The enjoyment isn't always in the party that everyone sees," Laurent responded with hardly any thought at all. It was boring. In a way he supposed that yes, he was bored by the gathering and the way that the mortals were behaving. "But yes, I suppose that you would call me bored. I've been to a lot of these and they're never my taste. But for why I came..." His eyes went back to the crowd until he found the slender young man who looked even younger than him, yet had a higher rank. "My former superior." My sire, eternally my superior no matter what our rank. "Dragged me out of my home and told me that I needed to get the dust off my shoulders before it became a permanent fixture." Laurent offered a smile that was not as good as it could be due to his fangs, but was close.
It was hard for Val to comprehend the situation that Laurent described, one where an evening out was more of an obligation than a source of enjoyment. It could have been his age, or his class, or his general temperment, but it left Val feeling like he had absolutely nothing in common with Laurent. In fact, it was starting to put a damper on his mood, one that shouldn't be spoiled after having such a wonderful time with Lenette... or Claudia... whatever her name was. "So you're here," Val said. "Will you just hug the shadows till the night is over? Is it a total waste or is there still chance for redemption?"
Redemption was such a tricky word and nearly always triggered thoughts that probably had no reason being there. For Laurent it made him think of the war and the times that were happening now. Already he had had word of fellows dying who should have continued on for much, much longer. But drifting off into my thoughts will only make Phillipe think that he's right and I can't have that. The boy, his sire, whatever he wanted to be called could be so very stubborn about this sort of thing. Laurent occasionally wondered how he had managed to get such a high rank when he was not particularly interested in the army. "There's always a chance for redemption," Laurent replied, swirling the untouched wine in his glass. The scent of alcoholic blood was strong on the air and he found himself longing for a taste. "Maybe it's because I... you've been drinking, haven't you, Valentin?" He had enjoyed drinking when he was still alive, it was one of the things he missed. That and the warmth. "Perhaps a breath of night air would salvage the evening. You should accompany me before the blonde drapes herself over you again." Before Phillipe drags me off.
Val snickered, coming just short of laughing aloud at Laurent's question. Had he been drinking? Only all night. He'd had at least one bottle all to himself, possibly more, and he would sleep like the dead before waking with a hangover the next day. But he tended to remember those night's fondly, even if the memories were clouded with red wine. "Only a glass or two," Val grinned, a gentleman's lie. "Fresh air might be good for me. As would a good hiding spot." His intention was not to court the girl, and he'd rather not be around should she come looking for him again. The longer he stayed in one spot, the more likely that was to happen. "It is a fine suggestion," Val said, looking towards the doors before leading the way out. It was his assumption Laurent would follow, since it had been his idea in the first place.
A glass or two if each glass was the size of a bottle, perhaps. Laurent had not had a particularly good nose when he was alive, but death had changed that and he knew the scent of blood full of alcohol. It helped so much when it came to relaxing for shifting over into the sleeping world. Since he was unable to sleep himself. He made no remarks about that though, and instead just followed Valentin. He caught Phillipe's warning glance and only shrugged before making a half-mocking salute in his direction. He brought him out and he had to deal with him going off on his own. And it was so much nicer outside, away from the noise and glances he did not welcome. His eyes adjusted easily to the lack of light, though the change of air did nothing for him. He did not breathe. "What do you believe in, Valentin?" And not once did he think there was anything wrong with asking that sort of question out of nowhere.
As they stepped outside, Val looked up at the stars and took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second. It felt good outside, not near as stuffy, and it made him want to relax. The only bad thing about parties such as these was that he had to be on his game the whole time, watching every word, standing straight and remaining proper. It was why he lingered in the background as the party dragged on, unable or unwilling to play the game properly. Outside, with the party quietly off behind him, it felt like he was free from it all, even if he had an audience still. "What do I believe in?" His brow furrowed as he opened his eyes and looked at Laurent. "What do you mean? In general?" It seemed like such a broad question, a bit too deep for his current state of mind, but he was willing to try. "I suppose, if nothing else, I believe in myself.
Definitely drunk. Always easier to deal with them than the ones who were sober and therefore able to figure everything out. Laurent hated when he got hungry away from a party. The fact that he was technically capable of just taking a bite out of someone had occurred to him, yes, but as had what would happen if anyone found out. Easier to find a drunk who would blame their memory of what had happened on too much wine. If not this one, then there were others. "Believing in yourself is better than a belief in something you can't see," Laurent agreed with a nod, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "What about things that go bump in the night? I grew up on tales of vampires and witches." And playing with fire with my sister. Now there was something he truly did miss - holding fire.
"Don't we all?" Val said, his lips turning up as his mind drifted into a world of fantasy. "Witches and goblins, dragons and pirates. Ghosts. I don't know that I believe in any of it or not, as I've had very little real experience with them. But either we as people are very creative or there has to be some basis. Some connection. to something." Was he even making sense? It was really starting to hit Val that he'd had a few glasses too many and he might be talking gibberish. It might be a better idea to turn the conversation back over, at least until he untied his tongue. "And you? Do you believe in them?" Val asked, looking back at Laurent.
Goblins and dragons were just ridiculous. Pirates had been real, but Laurent saw no reason to give them the idol status that some did. They had been dirty and besides that, thieves no matter how politely you said it. Witches were just as real as vampires though, even if Laurent had yet to make the acquaintance of one. From what he had been told by his sire they could make use of what the witches could do - but not learn how to do it themselves for some reason he could not explain. Laurent did not care. His vampire family gave him enough abilities without feeling the need to demand even more. There was such a thing as too greedy. "Not in goblins and dragons," Laurent corrected. "Vampires, though, I believe in very much. Once upon a time I was even bitten by one." Valentin was drunk, no one would believe anything he said and even if they did it was easy enough to disappear. He grinned widely, the faint light that came out from inside glinting off his far-too-sharp canine teeth and said nothing else.
"Were you?" Val asked, grinning like an idiot. He enjoyed Laurent's story, despite his disbelief. He had quite the imagination, but he'd never claimed to be bitten by a vampire, or under a witch's spell. It was an intriguing thought, if nothing else. "What was it like? I imagine it was painful, but..." Val licked his lips, mind jumping to the lovers that scratched and bit in bed. That was painful, yes, but so sexually charged that it was worth it. "You live to tell, so it must not have been that bad," he said with a little chuckle that died as he caught sight of Laurent's teeth. That was unusual, and just a touch creepy, though it wasn't something he related to vampires. They were horrific creatures in his head, not men he'd enjoy the company of just as much as a woman.
Yeah, he qualified as so drunk that he would probably not remember this. Good, that was Laurent's second favorite sort of person. The first favorite were the ones who did not need to be drunk, they were so desperate to believe in something else that they clung to him like he was a lifeboat. "It wasn't bad," Laurent admitted with a tilt of his head, one hand coming up so that he could tap his chin. "It could have been worse. The dying part, now that did hurt quite a bit, but the bite didn't kill me. Legends do have that wrong." If Valentin was able to remember tonight as that time when he met the crazy man pretending to be a vampire then that was, once again, fine. Laurent was sure there would be worse memories of him in another few decades. "It wouldn't hurt you much at all to be bitten, not with all you've drunk." The human mind was also a fascinating thing that could forget whatever it wanted to. Valentin could very well forget this whole thing without the aide of the alcohol in his system.
There were wheels turning in Val's head, but he'd had too much to drink to pick up all the signs that should have pointed to danger. Instead there was curiosity, coupled with an unhealthy dose of lust that got him in more trouble than not. "So you can be bitten without dying? But you're saying you're dead..." Finally, a chill ran up Val's back as all the pieces clicked into place. Those were fangs. Or maybe he'd drunk himself into a stupor. The later seemed a more likely possibility than the first, but Val was of the habit of believing what he could see for himself. "I don't wish to die." It was a statement, and only that. Not a fearful cry, or any sort of begging. Even drunk, Val would not stoop to that level.
"I drank his blood," Laurent corrected, figuring there was no harm in the telling. It all came back to Valentin being drunk. Drunken people remembered things incorrectly more often than not, whether they wanted to or not. "And you won't die. You'll just be out a little blood that your body will make again. It won't actually hurt you." Yes, the human body kept blood inside for a reason, but it spilled from time to time without any incident past a little panic. It was only required to have so much in your system and vampires needed it as well. They just could not actually produce it like humans did. Without even realizing that they produced something necessary for survival they still did it. There was no reason that they needed to horde it all to themselves. "You'd just be sharing."
"And what do I get for sharing?" Val asked with a drunken little smirk. That was how his brain worked. He didn't give something for nothing, and this didn't feel enough like a threat for him to bow to the wishes of Laurent. In fact, he was willing to bet he could take the man down, if he wanted to, though if he was a vampire, he might be stronger than normal. They were about the same size, otherwise. "Would you take it from me? If I said no?" he grinned as he sauntered closer, feeling rather daring when he should have probably been trembling in fear. Val was no good at cowering, so this seemed like a logical option. Besides, maybe Laurent just had sharp canine teeth. It was possible.
"The knowledge that I won't do it anyway." Laurent would not take it if Valentin said no. That was not how his House worked. Taking from a human without their permission was no better than stealing and the Azraelans were truly above that sort of thing. They were not the Gabriels or Canis or Shades. No, they were better than that and Laurent was as well. But did Valentin know that? No. Did he have to? No again. The odds of him running into another Azraelan and whining about having his blood stolen by a vampire were slim to none anyhow. Laurent's face was still smooth, a little hint of a smile playing over his lips. Bluffing was not exactly lying. "You've never dealt with a vampire, Valentin." Laurent said simply. "I'm much stronger than you. I could take it. But say that I'm in a humorous mood. What could a noble want?"
While he knew it was against his better judgment, Val was curious. He wanted to see what it was like, so long as he didn't die, and he honestly couldn't see how Laurent sucking on any part of him could be a bad thing. He'd definitely had too much to drink. "So long as you don't kill me," Val said with a little smirk. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." Not too much, at least. He took a few steps closer to Laurent, then stopped. For once in his life, he could not be the aggressor, having no real idea of what he should do next. He'd made the offer; it was Laurent's card to play.
Wonderful, now Laurent did not have to go another night without something to eat. He did so hate going hungry, it left him weak and more likely to make some sort of mistake. And while Valentin did not smell like his favorite sort of blood he would be satisfactory. "Now just don't scream," Laurent warned Valentin. That would draw all sorts of attention that he did not want to deal with.