Elijah Mikaelson (agentleman) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2018-08-09 21:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, elijah mikaelson, william laurence |
Who: Laurence and Elijah
What: A cultural evening out
When: Recently
Where: The Pageant of the Masters
Status: Completed
Rating: Low
Laurence had been rather charmed by the man from the coffee shop, and had been eager to continue their potential friendship, and so he’d been delighted when Elijah had agreed to attend the Pageant of the Masters with him.
It was still quite painful to walk on his leg after the unfortunate dream he’d had, but he had gone out and bought himself a cane, black except for the silver dragon head handle, to spare himself the indignity of walking with a crutch for the next several weeks. He normally wouldn’t have indulged himself in such a decorative cane, but the dragon and the ruff that surrounded its head reminded him of Temeraire, and he hadn’t been able to resist the childish temptation.
“Elijah,” Laurence called, rising from the bench where he had been waiting. “I’m delighted that you could make it.”
**
“Thank you for the invitation,” Elijah answered, offering a smile as he walked toward the other man. “I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to find someone else who shares some of the same interests.” All too often Elijah went to events like this alone. Even if he had nothing in mind but friendship from the other man, he did enjoy the companionship.
“How are you faring?” The cane had not escaped his notice, of course.
**
“I’ve had some luck in that regard, thankfully,” Laurence said. Mary, in particular, probably would have enjoyed something like this, although Laurence had been hesitant to push his presence on her too much for fear of scaring her off. After the embarrassing incident where he’d texted her on painkillers, he’d decided to proceed more carefully.
Laurence followed Elijah’s gaze, brief though it had been, to his cane. “I’ve fared better. I’m afraid I had a rather unfortunate collision in the dreams. I hadn’t realized that injuries could carry over like it had.” Though, it made a certain amount of sense, given the objects that had also crossed over.
**
“Quite a lot can transfer over from the dreams, unfortunately,” Elijah answered, flexing his hand slightly to feel the weight of the lapis lazuli ring perched on one finger. Case in point.
“Do let me know if I can be of assistance.”
**
“I’m sure I will be fine, so long as I’m careful to rest it when I can,” Laurence said. The problem was that staying at rest for too long was enough to drive Laurence mad. He had been trying, at least, to take it easy for the last few weeks, as well as doing his physiotherapy exercises. It was still taking a dreadfully long time to heal though. “Have you had dream carry over as well, then?”
**
“Oh yes,” Elijah nodded. “Nothing quite as painful as your injury. And luckily or not depending on your point of view, my siblings had experienced the carry-over previously, although I was unaware of it at the time.”
**
“I believe I can manage. Have you experienced anything yourself?” Laurence asked, and immediately regretted doing so. The dreams were so fascinating that he could hardly have helped himself, but he made it a rule to not overstep and ask potentially rude, prying questions of a man’s personal life without them first sharing. He hoped that he would not cause offense now that the question was out.
**
“I have,” Elijah nodded. “Quite recently, too.” Though he hesitated to give too much detail. After all, how would one react knowing that they had made the acquaintance of one of the Original vampires?
“If I might ask...when you dream, are the dreams of this time? Or a different time? In the past or the future even?”
**
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope that it has been nothing too horrendous,” Laurence said, wanting to ask further, but sure that Elijah would volunteer the information if he wished to.
“No, they’re certainly not of this time,” Laurence said, with a bit of a chuckle. “My dreams started in eighteen-oh-five, during the Napoleonic Wars, though with some differences. Most notably, the presence of dragons, and the dragon Aerial Corps.”
**
“I was born a Viking,” Elijah answered. Perhaps it was simplest to start with that. “Nearly a thousand years before this current time.”
He glanced to Laurence, trying to decide how much further to go. Perhaps it was best not to press his luck. “My father was a warrior, who had wooed one of the spoils of war. I believe that at some point they must have been happy. That was before they lost their eldest child. That was the first drop to sour their marriage.” Not the last.
**
Dreaming of two centuries in the past had been a jolt enough for Laurence; he could hardly imagine what it must be like to have dreamed of being a viking. There was much he wanted to ask, though he supposed now was not the time to question whether or not Elijah had done much sailing in his dreams. “The loss of a child can be a very difficult thing,” he admitted. Even in his own dreams it wasn’t uncommon to lose children, or mothers, to the ague, and there was far more medical knowledge in the Victorian era than the viking era.
“Do go on,” he said, beginning to make his way toward the downward steps that led from the platform on which they now stood to the theatre.
**
I always felt a certain responsibility to protect my younger siblings from Mikael’s temper. His mood could turn on a dime.” Most of his fury was directed to Niklaus, given that the boy was a constant reminder of Esther’s infidelity. Not that Elijah had ever cared one way or another.
“But for all of that, we were happy. It was almost idyllic.”
**
“I believe I’m familiar with the type,” Laurence said, darkly. He’d served with more than a few short-tempered men in the Navy before, men who Laurence hoped were kinder at home even if he knew they likely weren’t. If Elijah’s dreams were like Laurence’s, in that the family dynamics were nearly identical despite the changed times and circumstances, it followed that Elijah had not had an easy childhood.
“No child should ever have to take such a burden upon himself,” Laurence said. “Though I am glad that you can look at it-” Laurence’s sentence was cut off with a surprised grunt. Still unfamiliar with the use of it, he had missed the step with his cane and his bad leg had taken the full weight of him and collapsed under the weight. With no banister nearby to catch himself on, Laurence tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs.
**
Perhaps no child should but that didn’t mean Elijah had ever truly regretted the choice he made. It was in his nature, after all, to protect those that he cared about even if he weren’t the eldest of the Mikaelson children.
Elijah, too, was caught off-guard as Laurence tumbled. If he’d reacted a bit faster, he would have been able to catch him before he fell to the bottom, using his vampire speed to stop the fall. As it was, Laurence fell the entire length of the staircase, Elijah watching as the events unfolded almost in slow-motion. As he came to a stop, Elijah leapt into action, blurring to the crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs.
“Laurence?” Elijah’s mind already raced to the possible outcomes. Fearing the worse, he didn’t really wait for a response, instead unbuttoning his shirt sleeve and pushing it and his jacket sleeve up and out of the way, exposing his wrist. Vampire blood could heal a multitude of ills.
**
Elijah’s voice came to Laurence’s ears, far away and dim as a white hot pain filled his vision and his ears. The pain in his leg had been bad before, but it seemed to be nothing compared to it now. Even still, he felt himself reaching for Elijah, and heard himself say, in a strained voice, that he was quite alright, he just needed a moment to collect himself.
**
Elijah didn’t hesitate a moment more. Laurence may have claimed he was alright but the way he said it, voice strained and a bit distant, eyes dazed more than Elijah would have expected, the pain etched onto his features, all combined to give urgency to his reaction.
“Shh,” he answered, biting his wrist and holding it to Laurence’s lips. “Don’t speak. Drink, it will help.”
**
There was confusion over what, precisely, was happening, until the first drops of blood fell on Laurence’s tongue, and, entirely unaware of what, precisely, was happening, Laurence brought his hands to Elijah’s wrist to hold it in place while he drank. A warmth filled his body, in place of the pain, and only once the pain had completely left him did he realize what was happening.
Hurriedly, he pushed Elijah’s arm from him, and ran his hands over his lips. He still wasn’t entirely convinced that he’d been doing what he thought he was doing, until his hand came away red. “What in the devil are you doing?” he demanded of Elijah. What in the devil had he been doing, for that matter?
**
Laurence pushed him away and Elijah let him, making no move to stop him. It was a lot to take in, after all. Being healed by someone’s blood, of all things. Rolling his cuff back down and buttoning it meticulously, he was careful to make no sudden movements.
“I healed you,” he answered calmly. “Your injuries seemed rather serious.” And he had been able to help, so why not?
“You needn’t fear me.”
**
Healed him? By pouring blood in his mouth? The entire idea was absurd, though that was when Laurence noticed, truly noticed, that he didn’t feel any pain anymore. Tentatively, he bent and then stretched his leg. It was the first time in weeks where even that simple action hadn’t caused him pain. Now that he thought about it, he felt great. Better than he had in a long while.
“Of course I’m not afraid of you,” Laurence said. The idea was absurd, even if Elijah’s blood could heal. “How is this possible? Is it from the dreams?” he asked.
**
A short nod. “It was the truth when I told you that I was born to a Viking but I neglected the rest of my family saga. Our mother was a witch. She lost her eldest child before I was born and when my youngest brother died, she could take no more heartache. In a decision both she and my father came to regret, she changed my siblings and me into a new type of creature. Something never seen before.” Vampires.
“But it is a long and sordid tale and one best not shared on the ground.”
**
Laurence coloured slightly, realizing that there really was no need for him to continue sitting on the ground. He climbed to his feet, and brushed some of the dirt from his clothes, frowning a little as he noticed a tear in the knee of his trousers. This wouldn’t do at all. There was a part of him that wished he could return home and get a change of clothes, now that his were so ruined, but the tickets to the show had already been purchased and it would be a terrible waste, not to mention an inconvenience for Elijah.
“The first of your kind? Then am I to assume that your… peculiar healing abilities aren’t the least of your powers?” He couldn’t help his eyes straying to Elijah’s wrist. He had wondered if the price of healing came at the expense of the healer, but aside from a slight amount of blood still on the wrist, the wound had already closed as though it had never been there.
**
“They are the best of them.” As Laurence rose to his feet so, too, did Elijah, brushing any specs of dust real or imagined from his suit and ensuring that his shirt sleeves were crisp and visible below his suit sleeves.
“I believe you would know us as vampires.”
**
Almost of its own accord, Laurence’s hand rose to cross himself, though he was able to stop the gesture before he could even properly begin it. It would be potentially insulting, and it was the height of rudeness to insult someone who had just healed him of his wounds.
Still, it was rather worrisome. Laurence had no interest reading or watching those vampiric stories that seemed so popular a few years ago, but he had a vague notion of vampires turning people into their like by feeding them their blood. “And what exactly does that entail? Can you turn others into your like?”
**
It. wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar reaction, though at least Laurence had the grace not to follow through on it. Therefore Elijah wouldn’t comment. It seemed that he did have questions, as was only natural.
“I have,” he allowed. “Though not in quite some time. I had a rather naive notion of creating a society to improve the world. As with all things, it became corrupted through the years. I had not turned anyone in quite some time.”
**
Laurence frowned to himself. Elijah had been nothing but a gentleman so far, and so he had very little reason to doubt him. Laurence, however, had heard very little tales where the vampire was not the villain. It was hard to reconcile what he knew of Elijah with what he know of vampiric lore. “And may I inquire the process by which you turn people?” he asked, keenly aware how close it came to being rude, and that he would have never ventured to ask it if he didn’t need the reassurance that he, himself, would not become one of the undead.
**
Elijah could guess where he was going with the questioning. “It’s a more involved process than Bram Stoker wrote of,” he answered. “It is not merely ingesting my blood. And were I to feed on a human, that would do nothing except satisfy hunger. Be careful for the next 24 hours. In order to become a vampire, you must die with vampire blood in your system. Then you must make a conscious decision to feed upon human blood and transition. You needn’t worry. You are safe from becoming like me.”
**
Laurence fought down a wave of annoyance that Elijah had fed him this blood without even so much as a by-your-leave, but he forced it down. He had only been trying to help, and he supposed, if some unfortunate chance struck Laurence down in the next couple few hours, the ultimate choice would still fall to him. He could not deny that the ability to walk unaided was worth the small risk.
“Well, thank you,” Laurence said after a moment, giving himself time to digest the news. “I’ve not felt so fit in some time. I am indebted to you.”
**
“You’re quite welcome,” Elijah answered, as though it were nothing. And, truthfully, it was. At least to Elijah. A bit of blood and Laurence was healed. He didn’t go to the trouble for just anyone but the pair were friends and Elijah did not have many friends outside of his family. He simply didn’t have the interest usually.
“You needn’t worry about me doing this for every scrape either.” It was said with a hint of a wry grin.
**
“I would appreciate it not happening again without my express permission,” Laurence said, a little sharper than he had intended. Though Elijah’s reassurance did do well to help allay some of Laurence’s agitation.
**
“Noted,” Elijah answered, the smile fading. “You have my word, then. If I find you unconscious and unable to grant permission, I shall leave you as such.” Not that he expected gratitude but…. No, that was exactly what he expected. He wouldn’t turn Laurence, even if he had requested as much.
**
Laurence pursed his lips together, keenly aware that he had managed to insult Elijah, unintentionally though it may have been. “If you wish, you may treat it as CPR; it is up to your discretion if, for whatever reason, I am unable to give consent.”
He sighed slightly to himself, aware that that probably had not been what had so offended Elijah. “You must forgive my rudeness. Much of this still bears getting used to. It really is quite the extraordinary gift.”
**
“We have not known each other for long,” Elijah allowed, though he was still reserved in mannerisms. “But I trust you shall believe me when I tell you that I would not condemn someone to an eternity as a vampire. I have not turned anyone in centuries.” It had been mostly due to his experience with the Strix. There had been a few others since then but very few and far between.
**
“I believe you,” Laurence assured him. Every interaction he’d had with Elijah so far had painted him as an honourable man. He’d sometimes misjudged people, particularly in the dreams, but he didn’t think that that was the case with Elijah. “You needn’t answer if you do not wish, but is it very difficult? Being a vampire, I mean.” He imagined it was. He was not sure if he would be able to survive if the only way to do so was to feed on the lifeblood of innocents.
**
A nod. At least Laurence believed him. That was something, he supposed.
“It can be,” Elijah settled for saying. There had been many trials over the centuries. Their flight from Mikael, Niklaus and his moods, Finn and his judgement, Kol and his excess…. “There are certain benefits, of course, but it can be difficult.”
**
“As with most things,” Laurence said, with a bit of a smile which he hoped would help smooth over any awkwardness. “Oh dear,” he said, glancing at his watch. “I believe we must be off, if we don’t want to be late.” It was only a few minutes until curtain, though luckily they were right outside of the venue.
**
“That would be a shame,” Elijah nodded. Perhaps Laurence’s reaction could be understandable given the shock he had undoubtedly felt upon learning that vampires were in fact real.
“Shall we?”