Post by Costin Dracula on Oct 28, 2017 10:46:07 GMT -5
This did not sound like any kind of story Costin would ever want to read, but he didn't think she was actually going to write it. She was just..being peculiar, which he was quickly realizing might be her most obvious talent. "You don't have to depend on people to be trustworthy," he told her, leaning forward onto his forearms now that his plate was gone. "Just because people trust me doesn't mean I need to trust them. Trust is a very valuable thing to possess, and vampires generally don't inspire a lot of it, so if you can start out with a positive balance, it'll only help later on."
He peered at her notes, but between the fact that it was handwritten on a napkin and the fact that it was upside-down, he couldn't make out what she was writing down. She did say something about chronicling people's stories, and he wondered how much she actually knew about his parents so far. If she was here writing books, and she had as much of a hunger for knowledge as she certainly seemed to, he wondered if she had heard things he hadn't.
"Lorelei," he said, trying to keep his tone casual. "What exactly do you know about me that I haven't told you at this table? What sorts of things did your research turn up before you decided to come and...join me?" He was going to say accost instead of join but he was trying to be civil here.
Post by Lorelei Summer-Lac on Oct 28, 2017 19:30:27 GMT -5
"It's about building trust though, which totally requires other people. Good on you for the forward thinking toward your eventual, inevitable vampirism. Y'know, unless your parents are thinking that being undead is a curse and trying to save you from it," and yes, that did require further notes on Lorelei's part. She could write an entire fanfiction based upon that theory alone, really. She was already starting to smile, swaying slightly in the restaurant, and they hadn't even given her the sugar yet (though it bears noting that she did drink about half a glass of wine; only half; she's not a big fan of the flavor).
"Oh, mostly it's based on cross-referencing loose accounts and doing some backlogging through journals left behind by the people before. So, like, I know about your parents some and i know you're from space or something and I'm pretty sure you're a noble of some kind, and I totally thought you were a vampire until you were all,' Lorelei paused, straightening herself slightly, her voice dipping, "'I am in deep desire for the kiss of undeath.' hold on," she held up a finger, beginning to write down more on the napkin. After all, that kind of awesome line required chronicling for the ages.
Post by Costin Dracula on Oct 29, 2017 22:52:23 GMT -5
Costin frowned deeply. "They aren't trying to spare me anything," he assured her, "they're just being stingy and selfish about it, presumably because they don't want to be bothered teaching me all the ways of vampires. Which is stupid, really. I've been observing them for fifteen years, I think I know what I'm doing by now." He glanced up as the server brought back his coffee, which was obviously a little quicker to retrieve than the actual dessert. "Thank you," he said, taking the cup and stirring the dark liquid with the accompanying spoon.
"I'm flattered you thought that," he said sincerely, "but for further reference, if you need it, it is far too early yet for a vampire of our sort to have been out, gotten to a restaurant, gotten situated, and eaten an entire meal since sundown. That's one part the legends get right. Sunlight is right out of the question." He watched her jot down yet another note on her napkin, and thought to himself that he hoped her writing talent would do his great saga justice. "I am also Viscount of the planet Wallachia, but it is a nearly irrelevant title because I've never been to Wallachia, and neither has anyone else for at least a century or two, as I am told."
Post by Lorelei Summer-Lac on Oct 30, 2017 16:45:29 GMT -5
Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Or they totally think that trapping someone as an eternal teenager or young adult is just asking for trouble. Could you imagine eternal puberty? Or, like, having to be carded for literally ever? That would suck. Or they're just waiting until you get the right amount of knowledge to become a worthwhile addition to the ranks," Lorelei pause and quickly jotted down a few more notes. At some point the server returned, all but sneaked Lorelei's admittedly decadent looking cake next to her elbow, and seemed to almost vanish. It was almost like they didn't want to talk to Lorelei for some reason.
Lorelei glanced up as Costin continued. "Not necessarily," she said, pointing outside. "You could have a secret passage or have come up through the sewers. A savvy vampire would have ways of getting around and would probably try to put in a few appearances throughout the day so that people wouldn't necessarily start suspecting him. Unless he already had a stranglehold on the population. Because the moment you start just coming out at night, people are gonna be thinking angry mob and we get these awkward but surprisingly catchy songs and people screaming fire and weirdos elected in important positions."
Lorelei jotted down a few more notes, not quite looking up: "How do you spell Wallachia?" she somehow got the pronunciation right on her first try.
Post by Costin Dracula on Nov 1, 2017 7:32:09 GMT -5
"Lorelei," Costin said, giving her a somewhat dubious look, "I am not going through puberty. I am nearly twenty years of age. That time has passed. I am a grown man." He took a slow sip of his coffee. "But you may be right that they want me to prove I am worthy. I've never been able to get a straight answer from them on that, if I'm honest. It will happen, though, I am sure of it. I don't want to be any older than this, physically, I mean. I suppose, in retrospect, I wouldn't have wanted to be eternally fifteen or sixteen, which is around the age I started asking, but...now, I think, this is a good way to be."
He was slightly intrigued by her mention of a secret passage, but that interest was vastly overshadowed by his disgust at the idea of coming up through the sewers. "I would rather die than climb into the sewers," he said, absolutely serious. Costin had a list of things over which he would prefer death, and it grew longer almost every time someone suggested something he found particularly unpleasant. "It is good of you to be concerned for the masses, I imagine, but I am not worried about starting mobs. When I am immortal, I will find my own place. There are plenty of worlds in my reality where one can be anything they see fit." Even if 'anything' was a homicidal vampire who fed on the surrounding innocents, but that went without saying.
He took another sip of coffee, then set down the cup. "Wallachia is spelled..." He was going to say it was spelled like it sounded, but it probably wasn't, depending on what her first language might be. "It's W-A-L-L-A, and then the 'k' sound is actually a hard C-H, and then I-A. Does that make sense, did you get that?"
Post by Lorelei Summer-Lac on Nov 1, 2017 11:48:21 GMT -5
"Aren't guys supposed to peak in their late twenties, early thirties or something?" asked Lorelei. "I know that was sort of covered during some of the health lectures and lessons I went through, but I'm not completely sure about that. Like, look at your dads, they're locked in more in their late twenties or thirties, right? They might just know what they're doing there."
Which, now that Lorelei stopped to think about it, was probably the most sensible answer. From what she'd heard about Dracula, she doubted that he'd be the type to hold special love in his heart for someone. It was likely a matter of annoyance or waiting for the right time, maybe age or earning or so forth. Still, Lorelei wasn't completely discounting love: it did crazy things. Like making people travel through sewers.
For now, Lorelei focused on getting the spelling right. "Gotcha," she said ,finishing with a flourish. It was then that she noticed the cake. "Oh, cake,' she set aside her writing utensil, moving instead to grab the fork. A forkful of the delicious, rich dessert went in, and Lorelei closed her eyes, letting out a little moan of delight, soon followed by a wiggle. 'So glad I went with dessert,' she said, pointing at it. "You wanna try a bit? It's all dark and stuff, so it's totally fitting in with your motif."
Post by Costin Dracula on Nov 1, 2017 19:53:12 GMT -5
Costin was not an expert on human biology, or any sort of biology for that matter. Why bother knowing all the details of a body he wouldn't be keeping a day longer than he could help it? There just wasn't a point. "My fathers, as far as I know, did not choose the age at which they were brought across," he told her. "Father has never spoken to me of his life before this, I don't know if he even remembers it, at this point. And to the best of my knowledge, he turned Papá not long after he met him. There was no waiting period, or anything silly like that."
His motif? What was that supposed to mean? That since he was interested in being a vampire, he was drawn to anything that was aesthetically dark? Was she serious? He hesitated, that one eyebrow creeping ever-higher as he looked at the cake, then back up at the girl eating it. It was such a ridiculous notion that he wasn't even sure what to say in response.
"I'll try it," he agreed finally, removing the spoon from his coffee and wiping it dry with his napkin before reaching over to take a small bite of her cake with it. "It's got to be better than the wine, at any rate, hm?" He brought the spoon back to his mouth, and ate the bite of cake thoughtfully, contemplating it. "I'm not sure it's dark enough," he said, after swallowing. "I'm going to need at least three shades darker, I think, to really meet my standards of darkness."
Post by Lorelei Summer-Lac on Nov 2, 2017 9:03:12 GMT -5
Weird that Dracula wasn't sharing his life with his kid. NO, wait, that was actually matching up perfectly with what Lorelei knew. Which was kind of weird, since wasn't there like, a book out there somewhere that detailed some of Dracula's life story and weaknesses for everyone? The vampire stuff was pretty much common knowledge at this point, after all.
Lorelei kept eating cake, moving around Costin. She was still thoroughly enjoying it, but that didn't stop her from giggling a little at Costin's words. They ended up getting transcribed onto a napkin as well, which inevitably meant that they'd be showing up in a later.. work. "That's good," she said. "The cake, but also your comment. I don't mean to be all weird. It's just that," Lorelei shrugged. "This whole thing? It's kinda something I've been dreaming about for, like, ever. Like, you know how you're all into and longing to be a vampire? Like, that's sort of your thing? Well, I've always wanted to come here, to be a student and hang out with everyone. SO this stuff's all kinda, like,' she waved a hand a little, before shrugging. "Like a dream come true or something?"
Another shrug, and more cake. Through said cake: "You really should try lighter stuff too though. You totally look like an angel food kind of guy."
Post by Costin Dracula on Nov 2, 2017 18:36:36 GMT -5
If Costin had known her questions, he could have addressed them; his reality was not the one she was accustomed to, after all. There were other things in play in his life and lineage that might only be possible in the sprawling universe in which he had been born and raised, there was infinitely more space and more potential outcomes than this reality could offer. But she didn't ask, and he did not answer, instead reaching over to get another bite of cake.
Her enthusiasm was almost infectious. She wanted to be here, it seemed, about as badly as Costin wanted to not be here. Or, like she said, as badly as he longed to be a vampire. He wondered, though, why she had been kept from coming here before. She wasn't that young, he knew people had come here much younger.
"Wouldn't they let you come here earlier?" he asked, setting down his spoon and returning to his coffee. The server returned with the check, and Costin retrieved his wallet from his coat pocket, sliding his card into the little pocket next to the bill and putting it back down on the edge of the table for them to take. "And what were you doing before, just...sitting around reading about people's parents?" She was probably going to be an expert historian someday, if that was the case.
Post by Lorelei Summer-Lac on Nov 3, 2017 11:25:25 GMT -5
Lorelei shrugged. "Sort of? My Dad's kinda protective. See, there's, like, six Summer kids, but I'm the only Summer-Lac, so there's probably some Daddy's Little Girl going on there. Though there are times when I'm pretty sure he's super disappointed that I'm not at all like him. Oh, except for the first aid and healing stuff: that's pretty like him. But he's not a fan of magic, and I'm super into that--" she paused, seeing the card, and she took the hint, at least making sure to eat a little more of her cake.
Which gave her a mouthful of food to talk around as Costin asked his next question. "Uh, pretty much?" she dabbed her mouth, still chewing. "I cross-referenced information from various sources and did some backtracking and interviews. There's lots of journals and my parents would sometimes tell stories and I'd listen during their get togethers and stuff. So I'd dig around, see what I could."
She swallowed. "I also memorized maps of Trenale and Tintagel. I'm still working on getting the actual physical places down ,but I'm like, halfway there, I think. So long as I don't get laid up for a long stretch of time i should be able to do it in no time."
Post by Costin Dracula on Nov 3, 2017 14:32:18 GMT -5
Costin wondered what it would be like to have a protective parent. His own had never really been bothered about that sort of thing. He didn't spend time with other children, or go into any of the situations other children went into that would put them in danger, and even if he had, he was relatively sure his father might have encouraged it. "Healing stuff?" he repeated. That was certainly a useful skill to have. "Are you studying medicine?"
He realized that, given his parents' origins, she probably wouldn't have been digging around in anything specifically about them, except insomuch as they or he related to her own reality. That disappointed him more than he expected, or was willing to admit. "You must have learned a lot more about people whose parents attended this school," he said, sipping his coffee slowly, doing his best to disguise the sudden little wave of jealousy that came over him. Her next comment was a little odd, though, and he was distracted by that before he could spend too much time moping.
"What do you mean? Are you planning to get laid up for a long stretch of time? Are you doing anything particularly dangerous that would interfere with your exploration?" He was pretty sure there were signs pointing to all the major buildings anyway, but...somehow he thought Lorelei wouldn't be the sort of person to stay on pathways.
Post by Lorelei Summer-Lac on Nov 3, 2017 17:14:21 GMT -5
Lorelei kept eating cake, taking strangely delicate bites. That of course made it easier for her to talk while also eating, which she did without much pause at all: "Some? I'm not really into medicine, but i picked up some basic first aid stuff. I actually have some magic, and, well, most of the healing spells already memorized," she shrugged, then raised her head. Her eyes flashed gold, and a napkin jumped from the dispenser to her hand .Telekinesis was pretty easy and a fairly universal magical power, after all, at least for those from Camelot, and Lorelei had focused on getting hers up to snuff.
She used it to dab at the crumbs on her mouth, wiping a little bit of raspberry away. "I'm not planning on it. But, like, see, the thing is that this school has all sorts of adventures and excitement. Like, the person in charge is almost always a crazy person who wants to rape, kidnap, or just plain mess with the students. Or we could get kidnapped for specifically oriented quests that require true love's kiss. Or we could all magically wind up on a boat. This stuff gets real, real fast around here."
Lorelei began dividing the cake into the last few bites, considering it. she was actually feeling pretty happy with what she'd managed here, both in conversation and in cake, really.
Post by Costin Dracula on Nov 5, 2017 14:54:40 GMT -5
Telekinesis, that wasn't too alarming. It was certainly useful, but not entirely unlike things he'd seen before. It would be awfully convenient, though, but one couldn't be greedy about these things. He was going to be immortal, and he was going to have his own set of abilities, and he had long since decided that was the skill set he wanted to go with out into the world. He didn't need golden eyes and flying napkins. "Does your magic come from your family, or is it...something you can acquire otherwise?" Not that he needed to know for his own reasons, but still, it was interesting.
She had some of the strangest ideas, Costin thought. Kidnapped? Magically on a boat? How? None of that made any sense at all. He could imagine that bad people might come into power, because that was what bad people generally tried to do, but the rest of that was baffling.
"Why would anyone want us on a boat?" he asked, finishing the last bit of his coffee. "Has all of this really happened here before?" He had to believe it had, otherwise she wouldn't have said it, but he was suddenly a little worried about the possibilities here. If he got kidnapped, he was honestly not even sure anyone would actually come after him, so he would just be kidnapped forever and never get to become a vampire. Yet another reason he wished he'd already been turned...no one would dare kidnap a vampire, that would just be reckless and suicidal.
Post by Lorelei Summer-Lac on Nov 8, 2017 13:45:27 GMT -5
"Combination of the two?" replied Lorelei, shrugging. "It's like, you can learn stuff about magic, but unless you've got some of the gift in your blood, you're not going to be able to do stuff with it. I've got some magic on my dad's side, which I'm pretty sure is where the telekinesis and eye stuff comes from. The rest is just memorization,' she shrugged, like it hadn't been a big deal to memorize several dozen different healing spells in a long dead language mostly from reading journals and getting bits and pieces from the most naturally magically gifted person to pretty much ever exist ever.
The next volley of questions and comments had her giggling. She was finishing off the last bits of her cake, sticking the fork into her mouth while she nodded. "Yep,' she said. "There's confirmation of it in lots of journals and cross-references. Crazy stuff happens at this school all the time," she looked down at her finished cake, gave a little shrug, and looked back to Costin.
"I can't wait for it to happen to me too!" she said, giving that squirm. "That's part of why I was so excited to get here and meet everyone. Kinda nice how everyone's pretty alright with me. Back home they pretty well just think I'm weird," Lorelei watched the server come around, likely to see if they were finally going to leave. Lorelei had finished eating everything, which was the main excuse for sticking around, sadly.
Post by Costin Dracula on Nov 8, 2017 22:00:20 GMT -5
The server brought Costin's card back with the receipt, and he took it, leaving what he thought was a rather generous tip considering the way the wait staff had avoided at least one-half of the table's occupants as if they were obviously suffering from a highly contagious disease. He signed his name - his full name, middle name and all, because that was how he thought a signature should be, then tucked his card away back into his wallet.
"You can't wait for someone to kidnap you?" he said, trying to pin down exactly what she'd just said. Was she serious? Hadn't he already wondered that exact same thing at least a dozen times over the course of this dinner? "That's...I'm not going to lie, that's mental. I've never met anyone who wanted to get kidnapped before."
Her last comment, though...that hit a little closer to home. Everyone thought Costin was weird no matter where he went. He told himself that he did that on purpose, he wanted that to happen because it made them keep their distance, but the truth of the matter was, in his heart of hearts, Costin was certain that he couldn't blend in with normal people even if he tried his hardest. There was just too much about him that would not fit into the mold of that life, it was far too late for him to undo the twenty years of upbringing he had been subject to.
"Don't worry about people thinking you're weird," he said, pushing his chair back from the table and grabbing his coat off the back of it. "The greatest of us are not meant to fit in with the rest, we are made of different stuff."