djinnoffire

[djinnoffire]

@fiadh-aich

Notelaih did like to seek out those new to town, but with his increasingly demanding new position, his own dreamlike state about the friendship - or more - he had with Bella seemingly in bounds, he hadn’t had the time in some weeks now to see what fresh faces had made their way to the town he very heavily considered his home - perhaps outside of the desert his own home. His eyes roamed the streets with a fondness, amusement turning them amber, the seeking gaze of an extravert. He spotted a creature who couldn’t have so easily missed his gaze before then, with fiery red hair and a curiosity to her. 

He’d never been one for beating around the bush, his interest in those around him was one of the main reasons he hadn’t turned sour yet. As a semi-immortal, his final breath would be spend to send himself back to the desert he came from. But chaos kept him young and gave him boundless energy.

“Excuse me,” he said, tapping the stranger on her shoulder. “We have not met yet, I have a sense you are new to this place, or perhaps newly returned? Am I correct?”

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih recognised the stranger now, of course, when his hood was drawn back. But only by name and position and reputation, not really, not truly. But he’d never been one to believe rumours, not unless he had first hand experience with said rumours. He instead wished to make his own decision on someone’s personality and being. But Kaladin’s position did make him interesting to the Djinn. 

He tried not to give it away. “I am glad you do,” the Djinn countered, as he plucked the smoke from the air and used it to create small detailed snake-like dragons. Perhaps that was too forward of him. But he had always liked to create dragons with his fire and smoke, to anyone who knew his shows this wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Dragons were creatures of great destruction, of fire that blaze hotter and more beautiful than that of the Djinn. 

“For survival? Surely you are not surviving every moment of every day?” he asked, as he let his hand fall slightly to touch the fingers that held the cigarette. 

The eyes that lock with the glint of his own shift in hue — the quiet, jeweled light of a dense forest, then the glare of a full moon. For a moment, Kal thinks it's a warning, and tension starts to pool in his shoulders, muscles warming up in anticipation. But then there is a smile offered; his question, albeit forward, is welcomed. Not one to stop strangers for idle chatter, he shifts his weight, waiting for the rest of the onlookers to disappear down their respective channels before he pushes his hood back just slightly. It's enough to allow the planes of his face to be observed by the object of his attention, but nothing more.

Before he has the chance to respond, the end of his cigarette is lit. Amused, he inhales deeply, filling his lungs to the brim with the familiar smoke of aged tobacco leaves. His head is cocked to the side when he exhales, the black pools of his eyes flickering. The only physical measure of his approval; if unobservant, it would be missed.

❝ My satisfaction is hard-won, I assume, because I've never been satisfied. But I like your answer. ❞ Another draw & exhale. Kal watches the Djinn through the curtain of smoke that separates them. ❝ Doing something for the enjoyment of it — that's a foreign concept to me. Everything I do is for survival. At best and rarely, then, for my amusement. ❞

❝ I guess that makes you lucky. ❞

[djinnoffire]

The stranger came towards him in a matter rather different from most of the onlookers. They'd all enjoyed the show greatly, they'd offered coin, praise, eyes filled with amusement and joy. This one questioned the use of his time, almost stalking him. It was a reaction wholely out of the ordinary.

And thus Notelaih was intrigued. Eyes shone, turning from their casual Emerald Greens to the colour of opal, signifying his interest.

He smiled. "The money is not why I do it," he admitted. Though it had once been. "I merely enjoy making a spectacle. I am a Djinn of Fire, you see, chaos keeps me young and alive, and there is no greater chaos than in the creation of art."

He held out a hand and fire flew from his finger towards the cigarette. "Does that answer satisfy you?"

Fire calls to him, like a siren to a sailor, and he follows like the ends of vines reaching toward the sun. The mastery of such a chaotic element is one thing, but oneness with it is another, entirely. Kaladin is one to keep to the shadows, but he moves like water through the crowd, a little rill along the stony hillside, toward the street performer. Everyone is gathered around him as if he's a hearth, a campfire, and they are all chilled & desperate for his warmth.

When the act ends and they all begin to disperse, sounds of coin clattering in a tin can, their fanfare, the scalewalker finds himself lingering. His strong, sword-wielding arms crossed over his chest, he walks an invisible arc around the other. The hood that shadows his face keeps all but the curve of his lips hidden. ❝ With the talent you've exhibited, compliments must seem redundant to you. I'm more curious why someone of your ilk resorts to conflagrant dances for coin. Surely, there are more productive uses of your time. ❞ Kaladin can think of dozens of instances where such exacting arson might have helped his cause. And he would have paid a hell of a lot more.

Boots scuff cobblestone as he stops and levels his gaze.

Methodical fingers fish a cigarette from the silver case in his breast pocket, and he sets it between his teeth. ❝ Humor me. ❞

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih had long since forgotten what it was like not to care about the opinions of those closest to him. He'd once been the rebellious youth, the one who acted before thinking. Until he'd grown used to being a servant, to serve. And he began to care about those he served. He would never think himself vain or jealous or any other negative emotion. The only flaws he saw in himself were those that were perhaps too positive. But the conversation with Bella had left him rethinking everything he'd said.

And he remained at a loss.

Meaning there was a serious flaw on his own part that he was overloooking.

He'd considered time and time again to go to Bella, to ask her if she could explain it to him. But every time he worried if this would only drive them further apart. So he continued to figure it out. Or to attempt it.

And while they were doing a similar job, their paths rarely crossed.

Until they did.

"Bella." He couldn't help but smile, something about her always set his heart in motion, it grew the heat that was already at the core of his being. He'd once admired her, and that admiration had turned to more once he'd actually gotten to know her.

He knew no other being at this moment who he cared for more.

"It's been... some time. How have you been?" Ever kind, ever patient, even if he also felt something between them was tense and tight, and perhaps ready to snap.

Apologies || Bellamy&Notelaih

The young vampire stood outside of Merrymock's estate, the one he had claimed as Governor, a concept that now seemed relatively up in the air. He was likely inside, but Notelaih wasn't, and Bella had not seen him since their fight. She had attempted to see him a few times, but felt uncomfortable leaving letters at his home, and once the deaths of the council members became more prominent she had taken to remaining in the St John's estate for her own safety. This cause to leave was valid, however, and she intended to remain outside in the small garden of the modest home until Notelaih's arrival, even if it meant being in the line of sight for some potential killer.

Bella could defend herself, of course, hidden within the long cloak she wore, burgandy velvet draped around her dark hair as the cloak's hood hung over her, was a blade and yet it likely would have been the last thing she'd draw after her claws and her fangs, after her companions had taken their share of flesh from whoever came close. The wolves, as such, were with her. Each more alert than normal, one by her side, the other searching the grounds on behalf of the entire council. Regardless of if she could defend herself though, she was not stupid enough to be ignorant of potential danger when it could be avoided, which was why she had remained in her home with her sire.

Bella had stilled missed Notelaih.

This missing him became especially true when Valentin mentioned he had come by the estate to introduce himself. He had wished to try and know him and Bella had to assume that was for her benefit, even without asking further on the interaction she assumed it had gone poorly. Poorly to Notelaih, at least. Valentin had seemed rather indifferent, only mentioning it as Bella had asked about the deliveries that had arrived earlier in the day, arrived at the same time Valentin had dismissed Notelaih apparently.

One of her wolves stepped forward at the djinn's familiar scent stepping onto the estate, causing Bella to do so as well. The woman's hands, covered by lace from the length of her sleeves touching her knuckles, reached for the edges of her cloak's hood and pushed it back over her shoulders. She looked quite herself, cream skin of her collarbones appearing as soft as the velvet, the lace dress contouring her form. The only evident difference was that, unlike her typical attire, the base of her garment was not half so worn away as it normally was. Both an indication she had not left home in some time, and that she'd had more time to devote to her work.

"Notelaih," she spoke at his arrival, unsure how her presence would be taken. Should he simply tolerate her there because decisions needed to be mad? Did he miss her too? Was he angry she had not seen him since she had become distressed by his words?

@djinnoffire

[djinnoffire]

No further words were offered, which made Notelaih question if only for a short moment if Valentin and Bella had anything to talk about. Perhaps the Vampire was one of few words, one who placed a lot of worth on them, decided they shouldn’t just be meaninglessly expressed. He could only guess, fearing his curiosity would be matched with silence.

Then a carriage came by and the Djinn realised he did not know how to properly end this conversation - he’d need reading material on Alchemy if he wanted to catch the other’s attention, he decided. Perhaps the occupant of the carriage would allow for him to cut out. Instead, someone with a connection to Valentin jumped out. He considered his options, then turned to the friend of Bella with an apologetic smile. “I’ll have to take my leave,” he said. “Perhaps before I go I can help your friend get everything from the carriage?” he offered.

Valentin gave a nod just generally to indicate he had heard and understood and did not speak on it further. It wasn't his place to offer any opinion or advice though he certainly did have an opinion. Valentin was simply this way, he would not offer these things unsolicited, most people understood their own selves well enough so to meddle as essentially a stranger was pointless. He had nothing else he wanted to inquire after that and so just carried on smoking in silence entirely at ease, not minding at all either way if Notelaih remained to try and make another attempt to converse or if he left.

The grating squeak of a turning wheel crunching over the stone and dirt covered road paired with the clomping stamp of hooves signaled the arrival of an approaching buggy. It came to a slow stop just before the St. John estate, a few feet away from the two gentlemen and out from the door of the carriage hopped out a stout and surly looking but well-dressed gnome. "I thought I told you to oil that wheel," Valentin commented without lifting his eyes toward the carriage. Clearly the two were familiar with each other. The gnome gave a grunt followed by an apology then went on to busy himself with unloading the carriage. The gnome made an obvious show of side-eyeing Notelaih a few times and clearing his throat as he went on to struggle to remove a large crate from the back of the carriage. The crate was bigger than the gnome himself! It made one wonder how it even got into the carriage in the first place unless he'd had help loading it in.

[djinnoffire]

OPEN STARTER

Notelaih touched fingers to his lips as the last of the fire died down around him, sweat beaded his naked chest and arms, but it soon dried up as the heat remained. He bowed and pointed eyes at the small tin can that had filled up with coins during his performance. He did not need the coin, he had plenty, but he would not take himself seriously if he didn't ask money for his entertainment.

The crowd moved on and he collected the tin before putting his shirt back on, it had tinged back to blue, but under the heat of his hands the colour shifted. It still surprised him, and his eyes turned to a shade of amber. He looked up to find a spectator still watching.

"Are you here to offer words in compliment?" he asked, in a joking tone.

[djinnoffire]

Instead of the answers Notelaih was hoping for the Alchamist placed his interest upon the Djinn’s eyes. He smiled kindly, though he was disappointed that he saw no way to continue the conversation upon the direction he wished for it to go. He’d entertain the other, merely because he wished to have a good connection with someone so important to Bella. “They do,” he admitted. “Though if I wish I can alter them whichever way I like,” he added. “I simply do not see reason to do so, as I’d only guard them when I feel I need to hide myself.” And he hadn’t felt that way in Destarin for a long while now. He was openly of his own kind, openly offering his services. He shifted the colour of his eyes back to their natural greens. 

Valentin noticed the shifting tones of the djinn's eyes, an abstract variable he did not yet understand the meaning of but he had seen enough of one color to make an educated guess. Opal seemed to be present just before the djinn asked a question, a color to perhaps signify interest or a desire to find connection. An unfortunate trait, the vampire concluded, if one's eyes gave away their innermost feelings so readily. His own eyes gave away nothing of his internal thoughts and feelings and this was just the way he preferred it. "Yes," he replied simply, not elaborating further on the subject. He instead shifted it to his own interests and questioned, "Does your gaze reflect your feelings unconsciously or are you capable of altering it to suit your interest?"

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih looked taken aback by her response, not sure what he’d said that could’ve raised her anger. Perhaps his honesty and vulnerability about his nature had not been what she had expected. His eyes changed, from the amber of his desire for her, to a light milky purple. When she took a step back, so did he. “I apologize if anything I said has offended you,” he said, the rawness of his own shame at doing so far greater than the sadness he felt for being misunderstood.

In her company he felt like he could be himself, to voice his fears as she did hers. He felt like he did not simply discover another being, but that Bella had wished to know him too. He knew she loved his eyes, but he thought she would give him the same understanding as he had her. That even if she could not fully comprehend it, she would not wish to change him.

Instead he was hit by a sudden fear that he’d shown too much of himself and Bella could never live with not understanding him. He did not work the way one of her kind did. It did not mean his love for her, his devotion to her, his awe of her, nor his affection towards her were nothing.

He watched her carefully and nodded. Perhaps it was not in the cards for him to have the kind of love most beings craved. He offered her a sad smile and bent in on himself. “I will not keep you if you wish to leave,” he said, turning his eyes from her because looking at her made him sad.

He felt misunderstood and judged. He felt like he had given himself once again to someone who would never have him the way he was. Even if she had given him the feeling like she would. And with it came the growing feeling that perhaps it was time for him to move on. Seek out a new place to settle. Start over.

He remained standing there as he waited for her to leave.

"Music, art, design," Bella answered, most of which he had already witnessed her affinity for. "I think I may return to the harp soon but my focus has been my designs as I now have space to fully immerse myself in their creation." Bella was more creative than she was logical, even if at times it seemed she could be overly analytical of situations. The latter was simply because she felt a constant need to protect herself, to not be hurt again. With that knowledge it was challenging to hear him continue to explain the nature of what he was.

It should have comforted her to know that nothing she could say would upset him and yet it did not, as he explained that he desired discovery it made her feel rather unimportant, an odd sense she had fallen for the trickery of a djinn, and ultimately, more protective of her thoughts on Valentin. He was a private person, to think her emotions, opinions or knowledge on him would be feeding another's nature did not feel like something he would be comfortable with. "I shouldn't like to," she responded, "telling you of him sounds as though I would be betraying his personal agency for your desires. Something I would not do in reverse."

His smile was sad, reminding her of the one she'd had when she'd given him his gift. It felt as though the two were level with each other, standing face to face, like they should be able to see one another clearly, and yet one stood in darkness and the other in blazing light, each blinded in a way. If she had not already thought they were ill equipped to deepen their connection she did in this moment, her heart aching at his words because she had come to care for him. She would not have come to his home, she would not have warned him of her temporary distance, if she had not. So his words stung her small heart, betrayed by his words and perhaps hoping she misunderstood them.

"I must not understand it because it does not sound selfless when you put it that way," she responded, the words causing Bella to step back because they didn't feel honest enough for the gesture accompanying them, his fingers feeling out of place on her skin as he explained how he worried she could not fathom his selflessness. "It sounds like your version of devouring me and asking me to be grateful for it," Bella responded, her eyes darkening as the muscles around them tightened, the soft mossy hue offset by the sharpness of her gaze.

He laughed and yet she could not. She had felt him selfless for so long, because her boundaries being respected felt so uncommon to her. The decency of the act seemed something she should be grateful for. "Should I be endeared you enjoy my vanity and selfishness but cannot see it on yourself?" she returned, her words hurt as her shoulders curled further around herself, muscles in her back tight but unable to truly affect anything without her wings. "I think them painted on you in this moment, lacquered in a shining coat of pride."

She did not wish to answer his question on what element of herself she felt the most beautiful, his laughter feeling like mockery now. Like answering would only further give parts of herself away. She had allowed compliments of her craft to blind, shame rising in her stomach like acid wrapping around the twisting knife. It hurt so much she could only be grateful for the fact she did not feel hunger as others of her kind did, did not have that same rush to rage filled violence. "I do not imagine you heard any unkindness in your words," she spoke with her hurt heart. "So I do not wish to be angry, but you have hurt me and I feel it growing. I think I should take my leave."

How she had worried she might have accidentally trapped him to her, how she worried that she would hurt him that day, and instead she felt it wildly clear she had never needed to concern herself with either.

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih’s eyes shone, the colour of opal to signify his interest, curiosity. They did tone down a bit however, slightly shifting back to their natural emerald green colour when Valentin said he would not show him. He was hoping for some kind of bond with Valentin, or at least something to make them connect, to make it easier for Bella. Of course, he also had no idea if that was something Bella wanted, perhaps it would be easier for her to keep these two worlds completely separate. But he’d approached the other now, he should make the best of it. 

He listened intently as the subject was offered, it sounded like something created with Bella in mind, though perhaps she wasn’t the sole focus of the experiment. He already thought of what would possibly be needed in order to find the answer to such a question: what was it about blood that sustained a Vampire. He wondered if his would do, or if there was too much sunlight and fire in it. “That is incredibly interesting,” he said, eyes once again turning opal. “Have you been able to find what it is about blood that a Vampire needs?”

Valentin exhaled another lungful of smoke, there was an element to it when it caught the light which made it shimmer, much in the way faerie dust did. "I do not," he replied to the inquiry on whether he wanted to know what it was about them that made Bellamy like them. He knew what reasons Bellamy had for attaching herself to him and he knew enough of why Bellamy had attached herself to Notelaih based on what she had told him, beyond that it didn't matter to him because whatever she had told him was enough. He didn't need more than that nor did he wish to go digging for more than what she was willing to share. If there was a similarity between the two of them it simply didn't matter to the vampire. "She likes me. This is enough. She likes you. This is also enough," he stated plainly. As with all things regarding the mind or the heart, it was his own belief and experiences which led him to the conclusion that such things did not often make sense and nor did they need to. One could waste away entire decades of their life contemplating about the feelings of another only for those feelings to shift and change on a whim.

"I will not show you," Valentin was always incredibly secretive about his work, it was the reason he wrote all his notes in his own created cypher of which no one but him knew the key to decode it. He was, however, not opposed to speaking on what he was working on for this was not secret, only the specific formulae and experiments he made were and only really shared bits and pieces of them with a small circle of associates. "I am working on the formulation for an artificial blood substitute which can satiate the needs of a vampire."

[djinnoffire]

He nodded. Notelaih loved the sciences, he loved things he didn't understand, but he could also understand wanting to further one’s knowledge in something they were already good at. If he hadn’t mastered his own ability with fire, he’d gladly search to master the ability. “What are you educating yourself in?” he asked with interest. He thought it was fabrics, and their magical potential, like the clothing she had made for him. Something to charm the world with, to create awe. To make clothing more than just that. 

She was correct, though he barely had a jealous bone in his body. Whereas his kind was often at the mercy of others, enslaved to their desires, to their orders and commands, Djinn themselves rarely owned a thing. Notelaih did not think he ever had the right to another person, and he knew what it was like to be in someone’s servitude, so he’d also never wish it upon another. He was a being who longed to be free, thus he left others free as well. Even if it would hurt him to know they would not be as close and he’d desire they be, it was not jealousy. “I will not push you to do so if it makes you uncomfortable, but I don’t feel these emotions the same way another might. I’m a Djinn, much of my life I’ve lived for others, it is in my being to do so. To serve, to raise the next generation once I perish and return to the desert. I value discovery and awe, to experience, not to dwell on what I cannot experience.” He smiled. “Thus to know what you value in Valentin does not turn any knife, it merely offers another window for me to see you through. The company we keep says a lot about us.” 

He smiled sadly. “Sometimes I fear you, anyone, would not understand my selflessness, who I can survive just on the idea of getting to know another person. How it sustains me.” Perhaps a reason why the Djinn attached themselves to others so quickly, why they did not notice being tied to another being before it was already too late. He chuckled along with her. “Even Vanity can be a positive emotion, positive attributes can have negatives, and it is true the other way around. But far from that, I enjoy your vanity, I enjoy your selfishness. I do not have either, yet I wish I could have it a bit more. He ran his thumb on her skin, kindly, a gesture that could be both romantic and platonic. “What feature of yourself do you most value?” 

Notelaih's response did not lessen Bella's concerns. Perhaps her decision would do more good than she had initially intended. Some distance might assuage something terrible growing in him and tethering itself to her. "That is true, it does hold a unique appearance without the heat of your magic," she acknowledged, offering a smile the way she might to Merry, when she feared her thoughts would upset him to speak.

The young woman gave a wave of her hand at the notion of it being interesting enough to pursue. She could admire Valentin and make no sense of it herself. "I would not attempt to venture into it again, not for a long while," she explained of her own intentions with it. "I do not think I had the foundation for it, any of his books I would attempt only furthered my confusion, so I focused on talents I already had and furthering them." Maybe one day this would change, when Bella had aged and had a better understanding of the basics but for now she was contented by what she was choosing to educate herself with and Valentin did not seem concerned their passions did not perfectly align, after all, he had those he had worked with who he barely spoke on or cared for.

"Not jealous," no 'jealous' was not the word for what she thought he would be. It was similar but not quite what she concerned herself with. "If you are jealous you'll be jealous no matter what I say," Bellamy reasoned of why she did not concern herself specifically with jealousy. "More like I do not wish to turn a knife." Bella had already told him she intended to pursue things with Valentin and not with himself, why turn the knife by talking about how wonderful he is?

The gesture was soft and kind and Bella smiled into it. "Why would I not think so?" she asked him, unsure of the origin with which he'd assume she did not believe this. At least externally she'd never questioned it and internally she felt she probably knew it better than Notelaih did. He hadn't seen her hunt, an act she was unsure how he would feel about, but when she did? Well then she was closer to ethereal than she had ever been as Aasimar. "Perhaps the more you peel back the more vanity you will find," she laughed against his hand, not that she believed it was vanity. Bella just didn't think beauty was important enough to doubt in ones self, inside or out.

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih blinked, taken a back - which was new to the Djinn, who had been around for such a long time that very little of people still surprised him. He did not mind however, he was one who was curious, and the idea that someone could throw him off made him want to stay closer to that person. It was what he loved about Bella. She allowed him the room to get to know her, while also wanting to know him, and with everything he learned, she became more of a person. He loved learning all the things there were to learn. 

His smile returned quickly however. “Apologies, I’m afraid it’s very much my person to leap onto small talk,” he said. “I’ll try to tone it down.” 

He frowned a bit. “You do not wish to know what it is about us, what could be similar between us to explain why our mutual acquaintance likes us both? I find it fascinating, I’m not a scientist, or alchemist, but I find it fascinating. I’m not against experimentation, if anything, it interests me a lot. I’ve seen much in my life, but I am always seeking for things to give me wonder.” He held his hands together behind his back. “Alas, if you have no interest in perhaps finding a like-minded soul, I will not bother you further. But I’d love to know what it is you’re working on? And if you wish not to talk about it, perhaps you could show me?” 

There was a shift of his languid pale blue gaze away from the djinn before him when he carried on speaking, declaring his reasoning for approaching and subsequently this official introduction. The reasoning for it seemed to Valentin to be dull, uninspired friendliness that so many seemed to insist upon and the pairing with a thank you almost resulted in a break in the vampire's relaxed expression. Inwardly, he rolled his eyes at the interruption and the forward pretense of being thanked by someone who had not been party to the event in question.

Following the question, Valentin in his usual manner, did not deign to reply quickly. He always took time at his own leisure, with a life eternal he had no need to hurriedly respond in the way mortals did without hardly a break or pause for thought and so it came to be that everything that Valentin did decide to speak had been well considered.

Valentin decidedly opted not to respond to the question nor even acknowledge it, it was boring and would only confirm what was evidently already known and so ultimately unnecessary. "You can drop the platitudes and pleasantries," came his reply, "I abhor small talk," his attention now directed to producing a small metal tin box from his inner coat pocket and from it drawing out a pre-rolled cigarette which was then placed between his lips and ignited by touching the tip to what appeared to be a small pebble that glowed orange. The tin box with the rest of his cigarettes and pebble were returned to his pocket as thin smoke was exhaled, appearing to almost shimmer before it was filtered away by the light breeze. As a vampire, naturally he did not need to breathe and only did so in this moment for the purpose of smoking as so many things he did or took part in had meaning and if there was no viable purpose then he simply did not do it, simple things like miming human life were therefore forgone, such as feigning to breath or blinking; his gaze constant and unrelenting, reprieve from it only found when he decided to look away.

"I also do not care to propagate an acquaintance simply because we share a companion. If that is your only motive for your attempt to converse with me then you may please cease in your attempt. Otherwise, tell me, what need have you for a scientist?"

[djinnoffire]

Unable to see her worry, Notelaih simply smiled gratefully. “Wear it I do,” he assured her. “But once washed I hang it right back to admire, afterall it looks completely different when I touch it and when it is not touching my body,” he said. And he liked to see the magic at work when he took it from the wall. Sometimes just for himself, just to take it off and put it back, to enjoy the sight of it for a moment. 

Notelaih wasn’t sure if she noticed the pride she radiated by her favourable look upon the science and magic that her maker did. Or maybe he read into it. It was a kind of compliment he’d make for his former masters, when in company of others, when his love for them was so grand that he had only good things to say about them. “I have heard of alchemy,” he stated. “I’ve never truly ventured into the subject, but it does sound interesting.” He’d never consider himself a scientist, but he did have the mind of someone who wished to make sense of the world, who liked experimentation. His ability with fire meant he’d set many things aflame, and he’d tried to see what he could do with it. 

Her comment about herself made her sound like she was an experiment, that she was a test subject rather than a person. But given how much she seemed to love him, Notelaih made no comment on it. “I don’t mean to disrupt your trail of thought,” he said. “You cut yourself off? Are you afraid I’d be jealous?” he asked, but he asked it as someone who only wanted the other to feel like any subject between them was allowed, that he would not hold anything against her. He wanted her to be herself in his company. “Unless you’d rather wait to make me jealous another time,” he teased. 

He nodded, with great respect to Bella and the boundaries she set without fail. He would rather her be frank and fair with him, than to attempt to make him happy. He liked to know these things as well, the idea that she had something that she was keeping to herself, something she protected and that protected her. He touched her cheek with his thumb in a loving manner, it could even be a platonic gesture. “I do not know how you can become more and more beautiful to me,” he said. “Not your looks, but your being, with everything I learn about you. Maybe you don’t think so, but to me you are so you, and I get to peel back these layers of you and find them to soothe my soul. Getting to know you is a blessing.” 

The vampire woman's gaze lifted as curtains were drawn to reveal the attire she had made for Notelaih hanging on display, it unsettled her in a way she could not describe, looking to it with a gentle tilt to her head. There was a mixing at her core of emotions but mostly, sat on top of the rest, it was worry, for Notelaih, that their attachment was doing things to him she had not intended. "It is for wearing, and I should make you more," she shared with him, trying to shield her concerns from him. Still her fingers began touching at her own waist like she might discern if she could feel some invisible tether between them were she to be inadvertently binding him.

"'In' might be generous," she answered his query, still lingering her touch to her sides. Certainly it was not the same as being outside in the sun, not from her memories of it, but it was still better than him having to wait until sunset to see her if he wished too. "But yes, we could walk by the windows and look at it," Bella nodded in partial affirmation.

At the notion he was a magician Bellamy had almost laughed though, she was sure he'd have ignored the playful comparison and simply focused on what he was. "He is an alchemist, it is science, yes, but with magic tied into it. Far superior to both magicians and scientists," she insisted of the man's qualifications from both the work and experience he had been cultivating for far longer than she had been alive. "Observing him work is almost as complex to understand as what he works on. I -" Bella could have gone on but she realised it was perhaps not something that would engage Notelaih as it engaged herself. It would have been cruel to keep going. "I am very lucky he was able to turn me without those awful compulsions to hunger."

Bella looked to his bed once more at the offer of his escort. It was hard to explain why her coffin was so private. Valentin didn't even sleep in one, she wasn't sure many wealthier vampire's did. For Bella now, it was less about protection from the sun on the days when Merry was forgetful and played with the curtains, it was a substitute for the protection for her wings and while she wished she could bring anyone into the coffin with her as easily as she fantasised she knew it may take time. "My coffin is an element of me that may take a moment," she explained honestly. "But you might escort me to through my wing of the estate."

[djinnoffire]

“No matter the object of the holiday? I am much impressed. But it is what any good place needs, it does not do a person well to dwell solely on the bad and not leave a space open for the good.” Notelaih had to agree that the place barely had a boring moment, even when it was burning down, he figures its patrons would still find a way to have cause for celebration. Though he was glad it had yet to do so while he was in Destarin.

The Djinn chuckled. “I do not plan on either,” he promised. “Fire listens well to me, I have yet to find it unwilling to follow my orders.” As a creature of fire, born out of fire, he figured only fire controlled by another might ignore his commands. “I require only some water,” he admitted. “I find you often now behind the bar and not in the kitchen,” he observed. “Has anything changed recently or have you simply been wishing for more company?”

Tannas released a single but hearty scoff of a laugh, "If a celebration in here is sober then I ain't doin' my job," the dwelf filled a tankard with room temperature ale and slid it down the bar top to the waiting patron at the end of it who thanked him loudly with a burp and a wave of appreciation.

"Well, ya didn't burn the place down yet so what'll it be?" Tannas asked Notelaih, a drink to be provided on the house for not burning down said house. Those who were native to Destarin were well familiar with the establishment's ill fate when it came to fire so it was a wonder at all that a flame djinn was permitted to perform but then again, all their efforts to keep the place from burning had still resulted in the same end so might as well embrace the fire now, so far it was doing well and the only thing that caught flame recently were the curtains in a side room, caused by a wayward left candle.

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih smiled and tried to imagine his room filled with knick knacks. Though he would love more reminders of his former lives, of everywhere he’d been before, all the masters he’d served. But he could not bring much whenever he travelled through fire, whenever he managed to escape the clutches of another master. He had to leave many things behind. Some things broke or were taken from him. Sold for him when they had not been another’s person’s possession.

“I do not so mind it on others,” he said. “I’ve simply never been in a situation where I was allowed to collect things that I liked,” he admitted. “What I love now has the best place in my home,” he said, as he stepped away from her and pulled some of the silk curtains aside to show off the beautiful outfit Bella had created for him hanging from one of the walls. He had some items, but they were few. He could show them all to her within the turn of a clock.

He hummed at the suggestion, his eyes shining. “I will keep that in mind,” he said, and he would. Perhaps he could do so. It might not be hard to find it, simply to get it created.

He noted the slight change, but did not raise attention to it, did not mention it or ask about it, he knew that if she wished to share it with him, she would. What he could do was give her the room to do so if she wished, to ensure that she understood he'd never judge her for anything.

He chuckled at the mention of Merry, the odd jester was beloved, even if Notelaih did not completely understand the other, he still could not imagine a town without him. But he did not comment on it, instead followed her around, watched her look at his belongings. His clothes were hidden away, trinkets were few, all on the mantel piece of the fireplace, a golden box with the letters exchanged, an old lamp, and a few golden items such as rings, candleholders, and sculptures.

"Then I will come visit," he decided. He was already planning on, and to meet Valentin, just to see that part of Bella's life, but he was happy to be invited to come visit her. And her room sounded amazing as well. "We could walk in the sun? Your Valentin is a magician as well as a scientist?" he asked.

"We could do the sunrise, and after I will bring you to your coffin," he suggested.

The young vampire laughed when he stated he hadn't been able to find a desert, presuming he was teasing her just a little. The laugh allowed for some distraction from the fact the open space had a bed placed so openly in it's vicinity, by the fire too. Certainly it was what she had imagined, something quite free. "You would perhaps loathe my own room then, it is filled with knicks and knacks, and my bed covered in pillows and blankets," she smiled, somewhat amused she had found herself enamoured with two men who could not bother for trinkets.

"Imagination is simply possibilities, at least here," she indicated. Maybe this space felt enough for him to sleep and keep belongings in and her idea of something else was unnecessary but it didn't seem harmful to try. "A witch or fae might be able to create a pocket dimension for you," Bella suggested. Tricky. Costly. Dangerous. It could be all three but it seemed like it could hurt him to not be near one.

Noteliah's sudden closeness stilled her with surprise, the whites of her eyes more visible as her eyelids widened for a moment as she felt the heat of his nose against the cool tip of her own. Her eyes were a hint at nervousness, a physical tell for the way fear struck her unexpectedly. It took a breath to quiet as instinctive muscle memory had caused her discomfort, not the djinn himself, her mind needing a few moments to regain control. A breath and they softened, lids falling so her lashes sat so parts of even her iris needed to be seen through them. It would take time for the reactions to stop when consented actions came upon her more suddenly than she expected. She wished for them, because the more they happened the safer her body would feel reacting to them.

"I do as well," she assured him, brushing her nose over his with a gentle private smile before she withdrew. "Even Merry returning home covered in mince and pastry with a stranger did not overshadow our meeting." Though it had come close, Bella would have wished to take care of him, but he his company had rather dispelled the possibility. It's mention did remind her though...

"I have moved," Bellamy shared as she wandered around him, eyes on him only until they jumped to his bed, scanning for his own potential trinkets, for his letters or where he kept his clothing. "Valentin has an estate in the town. I've taken up residence there. You are welcome to visit with me," she shared with wandering eyes, her comment so he knew she did not wish for him to concern himself about staying away from the older vampire.

Bella was not sure exactly how Valentin would take to Notelaih, not at all because of their connection. She actually doubted he would hold Noteliah's feelings against the djinn when Notelaih had never used said feelings as an excuse to do anything untoward. Perhaps that would even aid in Valentin's efforts, that Notelaih not only shared an affection for the woman but shared in an understanding that those affections entitled them both to nothing, as her own for them did not. Rather because he did not befriend anyone so far as she had ever observed. Even anyone who worked for him did not jest with him as she did the other artisans at Red Thread. Bella simply hoped, even if friendship did not blossom, that each saw a reasoning for her affections and could respect that.

"It unfortunately lacks a desert but I have a room just for my work and Valentin designed the windows so that the sun might be seen through them without harm, though I must admit I find staying awake for very long incredibly challenging," she laughed within her statement, "I would try so we might see it together."

[djinnoffire]

You are the Djinn.

It was not the reaction he was expecting but it was not incorrect. The the suggested he was a Djinn of some importance and he smiled a little smile to himself at the thing of Bella talking of him. That must be why he was recognised and named as the Djinn.

He nodded. “Indeed I am,” he admitted, not the least thrown off by it taking Valentin a moment before being able to adress him. He’d been in the employ of many masters and some did so purely because they could, while others truly did need a moment of self reflection before being able to draw their attention away from what was at that moment occupying their time. What little Notelaih knew of Bella’s maker did explain the latter.

“I know not if Bella would appreciate me attempting to converse with you,” he said. “But I thought it just to at least have an introduction, I have heard little of yourself, but Bella did tell me that you saved her wings from the flame, and I’d like to thank you for that.” Her wings were important, he had seen the raw hurt when they had spoken of them. Valentin had made a choice to save them instead of his precious work, which made Notelaih respect his heart.

“If I am correct you are a scientist of sorts, are you not?”

Valentin was seated outside of his estate upon an intricate looking bench, intricate and interesting in the weaving way the wood was twisted together and seemed to sprout up from the ground like a complex root system, giving it the appearance as if it had sprouted up from the earth for the sole purpose of being molded into a comfortable resting place for passersby. Within his hands, Valentin held a small notebook, big enough to write in comfortably but small enough to fit into the inside pocket of his coat, which he wore not to warm him from the cold but for the utilitarian access of pockets in which he stored various other items deemed important.

It was just after sunset, a warm glow of a recently lit roadside lantern illuminated and cast flickering shadows across the vampire where he sat, writing in a complex and unique script, a language of his own creation to protect his most important aspects of his study. The vampire scrawled in this neat writing, aware of an approaching being, but did not look up to look at him, not even after he was addressed and spoken to. It would very much give the impression that perhaps Valentin had not heard this one speak to him in the way he continued to write without pause or lifting of his head, not once acknowledging the spoken words, until a moment later where he finally stated, "You are the djinn." It was only after he finished writing his next sentence, finishing with a dot that the vampire looked up.

In mere seconds, the pale blue of his eyes quickly took in the outward appearance of the djinn before him, information flooding his mind with every insignificant seeming detail though his expression remained as unaffected and languid as ever, not an ounce of interest gleaned in the half lidded, unblinking stare.

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih nodded in agreement, his smile warm, heated even from the way the conversation felt like it had gone far more his way than he'd expected. And Bella's closeness was only further helping the temperature of his body. He would not act upon it, but he also didn't feel bad for feeling the way he felt. 

His eyes remained the amber of joy, though there was a hint of yellow to them too, it signified desire. "I have not yet been able to find a desert here in Destarin," he admitted. "So I settled for something that's warm and gives me the feeling of space," he stated, as he gestured a hand towards the large open space that fitted only a large bed and a beautiful fireplace. “One day maybe, I’ll have my desert,” he promised. Or he’d return to it. But he decided not to say that out loud to Bella. The world was still interesting enough that he did not dream of returning, but he knew he would one day. 

“I love your imagination however,” he said. He loved how she imagined things that he wouldn’t even dare to come up with, how her mind conjured things that her fingers then brought to life. 

“My compliments are given easily, Bella,” he admitted. “But I did not expect ever to meet you, and I cannot thank the eternal desert more.” He touched his nose to hers. “I am very glad I did, I look back upon that evening as more than a nice dance.” 

Perhaps that was his selfishness. Unable to seen by anyone else because it was an odd kind of selfishness. The selfish need to be protected and kept by someone he might love. He did. He did not mind that Bella wanted to be cautious with his heart, he would not mind if she defended his heart from others, if she judged others should they want to come closer. He sort of hoped she would. 

“I couldn’t have a better protector of my heart.”

The djinn's closeness that crept to her allowed Bella's heart to continue to find it's place back in her chest without being wrapped in pain. If he was hurt she couldn't sense it, not the depth of it at least, and she did not tell him what she had to create more distance than had been established. She had missed him in the weeks they had been apart, attempting to adjust to changes as surely Valentin had been too.

"Then we should treasure now," she asserted, her fingers still within his own, softly holding him as he stood so near now. "As my joy is in your company and I have never seen your home before. It is not as I expected, my mind seemed to presume you had discovered some unknown desert within Destarin and claimed it as your own. An indication that in all areas my imagination might run a little wild because it is an impossible notion," she acknowledged, watching the hue of his eyes for any shift that could have indicated something his words did not share.

Bella smiled when he said he had not been looking, recalling his forwardness at the gala. Not a vulgar forwardness by any means but seemingly sure of himself. "You were just looking for someone to dance with?" she asked, still a little amused. Perhaps had she not been there his charm would have seduced another and he'd be in their arms now.

The had that held his drew up to her core, resting the back of it against the lace of her bodice. "I'll be very cautious in letting anyone else hold it with me," she asserted, smile to her lips. She would not let anyone take advantage of him as those he had become bound to had. Bella did not care if that meant she angered him in the process by cutting out a toxicity he had found a love for. She would not let him be bound again.

[djinnoffire]

Notelaih's warmth was intense, not like the sun, but like the hearth of a fire, burning and bright. He was happy. There hadn't been many words between them over the past weeks, and he could've only guessed at what was happening. He'd ensured he didn't project his own feelings onto the situation. But he found that despite it, he'd still be nursing some that had now been broken.

He smiled back at her, selfishly as she assumed, for to be wanted was a selfish desire, and to be wished for as well. He did not think his feelings would fade no matter how often he might see her in the company of Valentin. He did not believe he had to fight for her attention or her affection. He'd made it clear long ago that he would open up his whole being to her, and Djinn were like the sun, they did not fade in their intensity for millions of years.

Even betrayal would never fully extinguish love. Those who he had served who had taken full advantage of his powers had still been forgiven.

And he did not think Bella would ever betray him.

He nodded. "It is not a rejection," he agreed. "It's a hopeful possibility, and an acknowledgement of our shared feelings." Because she'd done this for herself, but also for him, she'd wanted to be able to have an answer to the unspoken desire between them. And she'd found that answer.

Despite the promise, Notelaih did creep closer, as close as lovers yet they were friends. "We can be to the other what the other needs, our feelings don't have to be dictated by physical pleasures, for I find pleasure too in your happiness, in your success, in your joy. I treasure our moments because they are ours." And he'd treasure the letters now because they were the future.

He chuckled at her forwardness on his own relations. "I was not openly searching for one to hold my heart when I found yours," he said. "My heart will always be yours."

"And I am grateful to have you, my Sweet Seamstress."

He smiled. Her soul sinking inside herself seeming to lift at this. It appeared a selfish smile, not like the ones he'd shown before, gifted for her, a glandness that she had her wings and some comfort and explanation for a past she had run confused from. This smile seemed for himself and that soothed her.

Truly the djinn likely did not perceive the movement of her hand taking his she reacted so quickly. Rather it appeared as though her hand had simply appeared in his own, soft cold fingers against his palm, taking his warmth in through fingerprints that slowly caressed the base of his hand. His smile had eased her, but even if it had not she would not have withdrawn without some drastically unlikely shift in who he was.

"I would never make secret of my own either," she assured him, hoping her actions had shown as much. "Nothing has faded," Bella continued.

"It is not a rejection," she asserted of her choice, disliking the idea her words would be taken as that. To Bella it was not picking one and not the other, it was understanding herself as she was now. "I did not intend to imply it was. I don't wish to hurt myself or either of you. I knew you would understand, I didn't anticipate so well," she admited to him, her fingers still touching his palm tenderly. "But I knew you would, and I believed there was still a lot we could be to one another without the physical."

That was not to say she didn't think Valentin would understand, rather the beings were different in how they affected her. Notelaih was the sun and Val was the moon. Notelaih she knew she would rush with, even if he did not ask it of her, because they already had. Val was a calm and as much as Notelaih's fire took to Bella's intentions, Valentin's calm took to her as well. It was it's own kind of desire, and in Bella's case one she felt, beyond a belief the fact Val had uprooted himself to return to her meant she should dedicate time and effort to him, that it was a path forward safest for her cautious nerves that countered her desire for intimacy and love.

"We are blessed with time," she agreed of the future, a tugging of her hand within his to draw him nearer to her. "Not that you should wait for then, if you encounter other's you feel things for you should have that. I trust if my own feelings have not dissipated for you then yours will not for me," Bella promised him, hoping to have him close. "I should encourage it really, but I am selfish, so I will not," Bella explained of her capabilities to handle his affections to another, gifting him a softer smile than the one he had. She could be understanding without needing to be self sacrificing.

"I am grateful to have you, my djinn."