ravisurendra

[ravisurendra]

"A pleasure, Finn." If the name didn't match the dress, it did match the accent. Soren was still as careful leading the other to the dancefloor as he would've been with an actual dolled up deb; it only seemed right to pander to that part of the illusion. "The real question," He said seriously as they took the proper position, hesitating only a moment before he put his hand where it belonged on the other's trim waist (no way there was an actual corset under there, right?), "Is how tall you actually are. Are there platforms hiding underneath the skirt?"

"I might've not used that word right at all, but you got the point anyway," Finn laughed, rubbing at the side of his neck. He saw Krovs as being very liberal in dress codes and policies given what went on around here. Seemed Soren saw that too.

He glanced down at the hand extended his way and he took it in his own as he moved away from the bar, his emptied drink forgotten. "Finn," he introduced himself in return. "I can manage a dance, it's better than standin' around and drinkin' all night. I'll follow your lead, Ravi."

[ravisurendra]

Soren had the proper bottles out before Enzo even finished hedging his options, glass clinking softly as the human got to work at the makeshift bar he'd transformed the small kitchen counter into. "No lemonade, but..." He felt indescribably grateful that he'd actually gone grocery shopping a few days before, fishing into the fridge for a lemon, "We can still bring your dream somewhat to life." Soren had very little clue how to cook much for himself, but he'd always found it useful to be able to throw a good drink together for company. A bit of the lemon juice went into the G&T, Soren making quick work of the peel with a paring knife to prop a jaunty twist on top of the ice.

"There we are." He almost looked shy when he closed the space between them, holding the glass up to the siren with a transparently infatuated smile. "It's on the house." Enzo's comment made Soren's mouth twist into a grimace, the expression collapsing into a sheepish laugh to cover up the knotting of his stomach. "You don't have to be nice. It's a bit shit, isn't it? I mean, I'm glad you like it, but I've barely decorated at all. You don't think there's room for improvement?"

Finally getting to see where Ravi lived was interesting, not really knowing what to expect from the other's place, but once they were up the stairs and into the other's apartment, Enzo looked around at the inviting yet humble space. Lorenzo being Lorenzo was incredibly extra in every aspect of his life, including his living quarters, which.. as a guard.. were not that big, but he'd made use of the space. Ravi's place felt entirely different and yet homely all at the same time. Enzo chuckled at the grumpy cat, deciding to leave her be for the time being, until she warmed up to him at least.

At the offer of a drink, Enzo grinned, making his way over to Ravi before leaning casually against the countertop. "A gin and tonic would be perfect, actually. Or with lemonade instead of tonic, whichever you have available. If neither is available, I'll take straight whisky," he said with a soft chuckle before glancing around at the apartment, taking in his surroundings. "I like it here. It feels very.. you."

[ravisurendra]

Soren shook his head, his own amused grin lazily in place now. This type of banter was very familiar, comfortable. "'That first mile', he says. Just that easy, eh? I believe it, for you at least." He'd been a good runner himself, years ago. But Soren had never been the type who could lose himself in exercise and when the stressors of life started to weigh all the more heavy, that part of his routine had phased away completely. Time for himself had felt unfathomably rare and a little shameful. Now here he was again, throwing himself at work to forget the things the human couldn't run from.

His eyes cut Cyril's way at that muttered last, softening in sympathy. "It's a tough town to make your way in independent from all... this," Soren gestured with his glass to all the grandness of the ballroom and its immortal occupants whirling each other on the dance floor, "It all seems to find you anyway. You don't have to work for them to work under them, y'know?" His own voice had quieted a shade, mimicking Cyril's. There were a whole lot of things Soren shouldn't say, shouldn't even imply, likely. But camaraderie was hard to pass up.

He let out a laugh, soft and genuine, “It’s alright, most people can’t tell.” He didn’t take offense to it, in fact, he felt it played more in his favor. It’d make it easier to slip from the country should he need to. Though, he didn’t plan on it for now, so he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. His smile grew even more amused, “Oh, c’mon. Once you get up to that first mile your body temperature evens out and you don’t even notice it,” Said the shapeshifter who regularly ran five or more miles when he had the time. Really, he didn’t judge. Working out had become his sanctuary, and even after that old bastard died and he didn’t need to be strong, he still continued almost religiously.

He nodded, brows raised slightly at his assumption. “Actually, yeah, that’s pretty much it. I’m either really earning my wages or I feel like I’m getting paid to watch paint dry,” He chuckled, taking another slow sip of his flute of champagne. “Interesting is certainly a word for them. Probably one of the nicer ones,” He said the last part a bit lower, as if worried someone who shouldn’t hear would.

[ravisurendra]

"Whoops." Soren whistled softly, quickly turning to follow the pamola's guidance and keeping his seething confined to the inside. It wasn't Khion's fault, really. Was Soren about to get mad at the man for being trapped here, just like Taliesin had been? For being friendly? No, he'd just have to think up some excuse to tide the councilman over and hope Stigr didn't have an appointments looming.

"Three years? Good God." Now he knew why they hadn't seen him. Soren couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice at that. Khion still seemed so... lighthearted. Maybe it wasn't right to judge off of so brief an encounter, but it startled him a little still. So did having to actually register how long he himself had spent in this place. Soren's mouth twisted a moment as he thought, admitted gruffly, "Since October. Feels like shorter. And like an eternity." His eyes roamed up the hall, then darted over his shoulder to see if they had any company. "Not sure how much longer I'll be. I wouldn't mind seeing London again soon."

"Okay, well, first of all, you're going the wrong way, dude," Khion pointed out, that crooked grin still plastered on his features. "This way's going through the councilmen suites and shit. Library's the opposite direction." He tipped his chin some and walked past Soren expecting him to follow along through the castle.

He tucked his hands into his pants pockets and hummed softly in thought as they wandered through the castle. It'd be a few minutes till they reached the library. "Honestly, feels like it's been either five minutes or forever that I've been here. Time's weird like that. In reality I've been here almost three years, I remember getting taken in the summertime." He glanced over at the human now. "When did you get here?"

[ravisurendra]

"Right. Could've been random." Soren didn't sound like he believed that in the slightest, but it was a nice thought. If it was intentional though, it was very likely the perpetrator was lying in wait to waylay either himself or Taliesin in his body -- an incredibly bizarre notion he still hadn't totally wrapped his head around. It just made it all the more important not to let himself be caught off guard again. A pained sound escaped the human at the idea the change could last days, his fingers digging into Taliesin's narrow biceps. "Glad some people are having fun. I have a job," He said despairingly. Though come to think of it, a lot of the nurses at the clinic had taken their days off all at the same time this week. Maybe Soren really hadn't been paying enough attention to the world outside of his lab and his apartment. "Listen..." He took a few quick steps towards Noah, the only person Soren could begin to call a confidant in this moment. "I'm really not trying to get into trouble. I just - I don't belong here. I don't want to make anything worse for Taliesin. Can you help me lay low? Even... maybe even from Stigr?"

Well, at least they'd figured out that mystery. Noah shrugged at the other man's puzzlement over who would do it. "Doesn't need to be a reason during Spring Mischief. Could be that someone just picked up a wand and you were the random person they hit with it. Shit like that happens all the time." Noah thought there might have been a hesitation in Ravi's words when he was explaining how he and Taliesin knew each other but Noah didn't care that much so he ignored it. "Must be random, then. Ah well. Guess you get to hang here for a while." To Noah, that wasn't so bad though he supposed if Ravi worked at the clinic he was used to being more free than this and it might be a shock. At least he seemed less annoying than Taliesin. At the question, Noah tilted his head, thinking. "Uh, that one? I think it's a day or two? Most spells are a day at least. Some are three. Can't remember that one exactly." The cambion laughed at the second question. "You don't but trouble's the whole point of this thing. It's fun, or usually it's fun. Get to do all kindsa wacky shit, hook up with people you might not normally, fuck around and find out in all kindsa different ways." Maybe it was weird but Noah liked the chaos of it, it suited him.

[ravisurendra]

"I'd like to think so." He couldn't begin to tell if the councilman was being genuine, not with Raphael looming so close. At least the topic was safe. Where the hell was Gabriel? "That... the leukocytes in our bloodstream are mutable, at the very least. They have the potential to become unstoppable with the right trigger, a wolf bite can do that. All species are made of the same building blocks, but humanity's systems haven't perfected themselves like the so-called 'supernatural' species' have'. Maybe they can't, without outside prompting. Or maybe --"

Soren's voice faltered, his eyes cutting down to stare at the ghoul's hand so boldly resting on the counter in front of him. This was going way too far. There had to be a difference between being passive and being a pushover, right? "Councilman de Luca," He began, quiet but trying to reach for firmness, "I would be thrilled to discuss this with you further. But not like this." Impulsively, Soren turned, heart leaping in his chest as he sucked in a sharp breath to see the immortal's face so close to his own. He forced himself to continue, clasping the little glass vial tightly behind his back. "I have a responsibility to safeguard the privacy of my patients' information. And... I would like to preserve your son and I's work relationship. As it were." He wasn't sure if it would be worse if Gabe or Enzo came through the door with the two of them standing like this.

"Oh, well that sounds extremely fascinating," Raphael said, eyes alight with genuine interest. It wasn't all that uncommon for humans to research such a thing with the existence of supernatural creatures well known throughout the majority of the world, though it'd been a long while since he'd stumbled upon someone actively studying that. He found a safe area to rest his palm on the table, his body curving around Soren's and very much in the human's space as he leaned against it, watching the man work diligently with his chin nearly over his shoulder. "What have you learned so far if anything?"

[ravisurendra]

Soren tried very hard not to tense up as the councilman followed him close enough to go peeking over his damn shoulder, pressing his thumb extra hard against the vial he was holding as he smoothed the printed label over the glass. He took a beat just to make himself breathe and ignore Raphael's proximity, the vague distraction of... cologne? Or was that just the smell of his skin? "It will sound trite to you, I'm sure," Soren said steadily, refusing to turn around, "But immunity. Supernatural immunity, specifically. Humanity still hasn't perfectly dissected our own systems, yes, but we haven't even begun to understand yours. Or a werewolf's, or a faerie's... the list goes on. We're curious how the mechanisms at work in your body compare to our own. If ours can ever learn to do what yours can." Without the drawbacks, he nearly added, but he wasn't about to invite a councilman to pressure him on what exactly about glorious undeath could be considered a flaw.

"Well that sounds rather important," Raphael noted. He followed Soren with his hands folded behind his back, hovering behind the taller man as he peered around his shoulder to watch what he was doing. He briefly wondered how steady this human's hand was when being observed, especially by a councilman. It didn't seem like many in Raph's position came down here to see what was going on in the clinic. "I'm intrigued what it is you do in your spare time with your own experimentation," he added with another grin to be met if Soren turned around to look at him. "Tell me about it."

[ravisurendra]

A more solid smile slid into place at the slide of Enzo's hands on his chest and remained there as they started to walk, even when that dicey question came. "A decent amount for a man my age, I suppose. I've had one or two close calls with matrimony, even. Never could convince myself it was for me." He'd even done the ring shopping once and felt such a profound dread picking over the damned things, he'd left without a word of explanation to the jeweler and hadn't talked to his then-girlfriend for three weeks. "It's been a few years, if we're being honest. I think I burnt myself out on it or just... got distracted by the rest of life. You know, 'married to his work', all that nonsense." Soren shrugged, going for sheepish, which wasn't too far off. "Most people expect a guy like me to do all the initiating. If I don't bother, it won't happen." His eyes slid sideways to Enzo again. "So I suppose that makes you a bit of anomaly for me." In more ways than one.

The other was right, it probably would've been a bad time to have a change of heart now that they were actually there, but Enzo still wanted to check, didn't want Ravi to feel like he was being pressured or forced into something he actually didn't want. He smiled, reaching up to run his hands over the lapels on the other's jacket, smoothing out the material. "Mm, two thousand years," Enzo confirmed, smirking a little as he started to lead the way towards the food place he'd been thinking about since the castle. "Honestly? I've not really had many of them, I don't usually do.. dating," he explained, figuring it was better for him to be open and honest about it. "What about you? Much of a dating history?"

[ravisurendra]

Squirm, Soren didn't. But his expression did drop a moment, startled, clearly not missing the implication. When Stigr didn't explicitly foray into detail, the human's mind quickly supplied him with wild imaginings to fill the gap that he had to push aside just as fast, for sanity's sake. Well played. "I've never been very good at croquet, I admit. If some cricket bats appear from the basement, I'll give it a go." He almost joked that Viraj cared that his sons knew the game nearly more than he did that they knew the family business, but the words stalled out behind his lips. It felt far too surreal to talk about his father in front of this man. "Should I take that proposition to mean you're a sporting man?" Soren asked automatically, noting that the vampire hadn't even bothered to ask what he wanted to drink. He settled next to him at the bar, mouth twisting only briefly, unamused. "Sure." He smiled banally. "At least this vice comes with company."

"We do. I'm sure with time we'll find something else to make a habit of." Stigr said casually, even as amusement slid very briefly across his expression. The councilman had the suspicion that it would make the younger man squirm. There were many things he would prefer to do with Soren, but, for now, the vampire would keep those things private. "We could go and watch one of the games outside being played. Unless you would like to join in on one of them, of course." They'd reached the bar by that point and Stigr ordered both of their drinks, turning to consider the human before he offered a smile. "I don't think it's something we need to worry about just yet. Worse things we could be doing, hm?"

[ravisurendra]

"Then you're used to all of this and I'm talking out my arse," Soren said amiably, not at all offended, though he was intrigued by the lightness of that accent. Cyril had lived internationally, mayhaps? He wouldn't scrutinize it too much; too many people meeting Soren for the first time got a surprise when he opened his mouth and London came out instead of Mumbai. "Ah, don't say that. I've been using the Russian winter as an excuse to neglect my own fitness. Guilt me enough and I'll have to remember where my workout clothes are."

He thought he could see the other maybe relaxing a bit and he nodded encouragingly as Cyril went on. 'Security' was intriguing. There was not a chance his new conversational buddy was human if his employer trusted him to pull that job off in a town overrun by supernaturals. "If I try to imagine what running security would be like in a place like this, I'd think either dead boring or chaos, what with all the... interesting characters running around."

He smiled, soft and a bit awkward but genuine as he let out a soft laugh, "Yeah, uh, I was born and raised in Russia," He spoke light-heartedly. It was hard to tell, his parents hadn't been from Russia, and his accent was far more light than it should be for someone who hadn't left the country. "The bubble is certainly nice, I can finally go on my runs without wearing an abundance of layers," And that was something he definitely appreciated when he liked running for so long that he came back dripping in sweat.

He hummed, lightly amused when he mentioned it wasn't like anyplace else. That alone made it obvious that they came from two very different backgrounds, since Cyril was maybe too used to most of the things around here. He definitely didn't prepare for the sheer amount of libido that the people residing here held, but that was on him for taking the 'sex' in 'sex slave castle' super literally. "Mm, in a way, yeah, work," He didn't feel nearly as threatened talking to a villager but, there was always a chances that he wasn't willing to take, so he was careful as usual with what he said. "Pretty easy being security, good pay, good benefits. Can't complain," He also had nothing to compare the 'good' things to so really, he didn't have a clue if they were truly good or not, but they certainly sustained him.

[ravisurendra]

"Progressive?" Soren barked out a unexpected laugh at the comment, eyes flashing away from Finn a moment in his amusement, "Dunno if that's the first word I would've chosen but I think I take your meaning. We'll workshop the optics." He could start to picture the other stripped out of his costume with those details, just a bit. It was easier if he focused on the eyes, the shape of the stranger's actual mouth beneath all the makeup. Soren thought he was handling it well, better than the human would've. He had to suppress a shudder at the thought of Stigr dolling him up the same way but that was absurd to even consider. Soren just... wasn't androgynous like that, wasn't shaped right to pull it off. And he was pretty sure that kind of look wasn't to Stigr's interests anyways. He could be grateful for that.

Soren's brows quirked up a little at the tease, but he was still smiling. "I don't know about the whole night, but we can try for one drink. Or... one dance, maybe? That's the point of all this Jane Austen cosplay, right?" He put out a tentative hand, just in case the other man actually took him up on it. "I'm Ravi, by the way. But if that skirt is proving a health hazard, don't force yourself."

“Probably not, but shits a little more, erm, progressive here, I suppose,” Finn said. He didn’t believe Krovs had the same level of professionalism required in every place of business as the real world version might. Well, unless that business was owned by a councilman maybe. “Under normal circumstances I have dark hair and a lot more facial and body hair than this. Not sure if that helps paint a better picture for you.”

He hummed around the lip of his beer bottle in response. Seemed perfectly logical to Finn really so he didn’t question it. “I see. I’ve not seen anyone else wearing pink yet. Would that make us a couple for the night then?” he teased, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

[ravisurendra]

Soren smiled winsomely as he could back at that look, hiding how caught out he felt by it even if he wasn't sure he'd said anything wrong. Strange being called lad, too. The human had learned by now that appearances meant next to nothing in Krovs, but he'd guess the other at least a decade younger than himself if looks were trustworthy. "Not so sure that would come off professional in the lab," Soren laughed, ducking his chin as he turned against the bar to face his new conversational partner properly, "Nah. Just trying to picture what you actually look under all that, I think." Probably cute enough, right? He'd have to be, to pull off all that dolling up without veering into clowning territory.

Soren was glad to be taking a sip of his drink when the stranger asked his own question, if only because it gave him the chance to think up a proper response. He pulled a face of reasonable sheepishness, he thought. "Sort of. A... work connection of mine suggested it, for the summer theme. I put off thinking about the outfit long enough that this ended up being the best option. Right now, I think you're my closest match here."

"Probably," Finn grumbled into his beer. Gareth threw a lot of designer brands into his closet. Some names he recognized, others he didn't, but he saw a few of the price tags. Even just the "monthly maintenance" for waxing and getting his hair and occasionally nails done was a few hundred bucks alone. He arched a brow as he looked at Soren for a moment. "It's all pink, down a little past my ears in the back at this point. Why so curious, lad? You lookin' to get this done for yourself?" he teased with a crooked grin.

He propped his chin in his hand elbow on the bar while he scrutinized Soren silently. "You might be able to pull off some pink hair, but I wouldn't trust my own judgment on that," he said. "You tryin' somethin' new and gettin' out of your comfort zone or did you come 'ere with someone you're tryin' to match with?"

[ravisurendra]

Soren almost thought he'd done something wrong by the way the stranger hesitated before he took his hand, but then again, Krovs didn't exactly run by the typical social rules of engagement. "it's a pleasure, Cyril." If, yeah, the other man seemed a little awkward and uncomfortable, Soren wasn't going to be the one who pointed it out. Instead, he stepped to the side to let the other guests get at the drinks, giving Cyril an approachable smile as he gestured for him to join him. Small talk, Soren could do in spades. And with someone who wasn't undead? Even easier.

"Welcome to the great white north. Only place colder is Antarctica and Greenland. Once you're out of the big magic bubble, of course." Thanks to that bubble, the breeze blowing into the ballroom was practically balmy after the long winter, everything green past the windows. Soren's face pinched a moment at the question, actually being confronted with the number. "Not too long, no, in the grand scheme of things. Moved in October, right around Halloween." Four months til a year. Jesus. "It's not like anyplace else, that's for sure," He buried a small laugh in his glass, stealing a sip of champagne. "Come for work?" Soren wondered if the other man had been fully prepared for Krovs or as clueless as the human had been.

He made an uncomfortable face at the image of almost drinking something bloodied, a twist of nausea swirling in his gut as he shook his head. "Their descriptions make them seem like they're hallucinating," He had been victimized to quite a few in depth, detailed explanations of how his blood tasted. He didn't want to think about it. Blood was blood, no matter who it came from. Dark, red, metallic, and terrifying to see. Ironic considering his chosen place to settle in.

"Thank you, Ravi," He finished his sentence, glancing down at his hand that was extended to him. Touch. After a whole life of it being forced on him, he was still taking his time to get comfortable with the idea. Still, he reached out and took it, firm grip as he shook his hand before quickly pulling away and attempting to discreetly wipe his palm against his pants to make sure he hadn't been profusely sweating without realizing and his hand was clammy. "Cyril, is my name," Oh, too awkward. He cleared his throat, shaking his head at himself, "Yup. Bottom of the hill, just moved in not long ago." What was socially acceptable to share and what wouldn't expose him and the things he tried to hide? "You been living here long?" Good, perfect, switch the attention and then follow what he said.

[ravisurendra]

He made his relief at that statement a little less obvious than his initial surprise, Soren hoped. He might've gone into this arrangement with open eyes, thinking he was prepared to cope with what would be asked of him. That hadn't made the past few weeks under Stigr's thumb feel any less like a surreal dream he might wake up from any moment. Like a dream, he was still trying to understand what he could get away with. When the councilman released him, Soren dutifully followed after, stepping quickly to walk by Stigr's side rather than behind him like he saw so many of the claimed slaves do. He gave the other an almost disbelieving look at the suggestion, the phrasing of it. How very friendly. "We seem to make a habit of that, don't we?" Soren said with polite flippancy, a casual observation, "I can count on one hand the conversations we've had without wine being involved. When do we start worrying that this is a problem?" If he wasn't to have his typical social outlet, he'd simply keep those skills fresh on Stigr himself. Soren had never met a charade he wouldn't cling onto like a life raft and he needed it then, in that room packed full of people.

It was hard to miss the way that Soren's shoulders tensed underneath his hand, but Stigr didn't care. After all, he'd made it clear that, at the end of the day, the human was there to entertain him and not the many guests around the room. Just because he had no intention of taking the younger man to his suite just yet, that didn't mean that the master was going to leave him alone until he'd had enough of the party. "It is, which is why I'm not steering you toward the doors." Stigr lightly squeezed Soren's shoulder and then let his arm drop, expecting the other man to continue following him without needing to be guided along. "You'll have more than enough time to return to that conversation. But I thought we might get a drink together."

[ravisurendra]

Soren gave the stranger a quick nod, glad his split-second assessment had been correct and he hadn't just accidentally cut a vampire off from their tipple. "I almost did it once, my first night here. Took a breath right before it hit my lips and knew immediately from the smell of pennies. Hard to believe all the flowery descriptions they give about the stuff." Hell, he had notes about it back in the lab, listing off the flavors vampires had described certain species by like notes of a wine. Soren's eyes went to the other's neck automatically, noting the lack of collar. A new social cue the village was starting to drill into the human, slowly but surely. He wasn't sure he felt fantastic about catching himself doing it. "Call me Ravi," Soren smiled benignly no matter his thoughts, reaching out a hand to the other man, "I'm up from the bottom of the hill. I'd wager you are as well?" Had to be, considering the vehement reaction the stranger had to just the thought of taking a drink meant for the masters.

The lynx hadn't been paying attention. He had been lost in thought, absently reaching for another glass to nurse for the next few hours. The noise had him glancing towards who had made it first, then his words made him yank his hand away like it had been burned him with eyes widened. "Jesus- thanks," He breathed, making a face at the red-colored liquid filled glasses before reaching over to grab a regular one instead. "I think I might've had to drink bleach if I didn't notice. Seriously need to be more aware," His brows raised then dropped again, shaking his head as he brought the flute to his lips and took a small sip. "Thank you again, uh...?" He trailed off when he fell short of his name, head tilting slightly in light curiosity.

[ravisurendra]

Soren relaxed a little internally at the stranger's smile, glad to be taken for friendly instead of judgmental. "I'll do better next time." He nodded stoically, fingers fiddling at the stem of his glass. His eyes went back to said hair at the other's answer, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe it's not heavy, but I'd bet it was expensive," The human mused, thinking of an old flame's salon bills for something similar, "How long is your actual hair? Still pink?" Soren wasn't exactly sure why he was so interested. Maybe wondering how far down under the layers of costume he'd have to go to pull out the real man beneath it all.

His other eyebrow joined the first as the slave went on, sure he could find more than one meaning in that statement. Dealing with the outfit didn't just mean the outfit, of course. It meant the stares, the commentary, the intentions of the one who'd gussied him up like that to begin with. Suddenly Stigr's pink suit didn't feel like such a terrible imposition. "Ha, thanks," He glanced down at himself for a second, as if he needed a reminder, "Not what I would've gone for first, so I'm glad you approve. Think I should've gotten your dye job to match the look?"

"Must've been a lucky shot," Finn offered with a crooked smile as he watched the other shift gears from surprise to something else. Very manufactured, very polished, like the guy came from a place of high expectations placed upon him.

He squinted ever so slightly for just a second as he stared, confused by the question for a moment until it finally processed. "Oh. No, they're, erm... they're extensions glued in there or some shit," he mumbled. He brought the beer back up to his lips for a long drink. He kind of wished it was a wig at this point. At least he could take a wig off at the end of the night. "If it's heavy I can't tell. I find it easy to carry." Super strength came in clutch on that, though the layers of lace and chiffon underneath were the bigger potential problem if he wound up stepping and tearing any while walking. "I like what you're wearin', it's a good color on you like that. Looks a lot more comfortable too."

[ravisurendra]

Soren had the faintest prickle of premonition just before the vampire's hand landed on him, halting halfway through his attentive nod as he listened to the man speaking in their circle of guests. He couldn't help the way his shoulders stiffened, but he kept his expression pleasant and apologetic as Stigr steered him away, so very publicly. It had only been a matter of time before the councilman sought him out, he knew, but that didn't stop the faint annoyance Soren felt alongside his typical trepidation whenever Stigr was involved. He was actually good at this, the social schmoozing, all the party small talk and networking that had dominated a good part of his life before Krovs. Such a stupid thing to miss, but he missed it all the same. It wasn't like it had been any more authentic when he was Soren Mistry, either.

"I was," Soren said carefully, his eyes flicking longingly back to the staff members he'd been chatting with before they returned more slowly to Stigr's face. Maybe it was better not to tiptoe too close to anything resembling sass. He blinked, unfurrowing his brows, dipping his chin as he managed to hold the vampire's gaze. "Seems early to be thinking about leaving..." Hopefully that wasn't why Stigr was tugging him aside already.

Given that this was his first event with Soren practically belonging to him, Stigr had made sure to select the outfit that the human would be wearing. Not that anyone knew of their arrangement yet, of course, but that wasn't the point. Along with the pink suit that he'd picked out for Soren, there had been a small list of rules given to the other man. Nothing too difficult for him to follow, the two most important being that Soren behaved himself and that he would be going back to Stigr's suite by the end of the night. A prospect that perhaps made him squirm, but it wasn't as if villagers wouldn't be pairing themselves off with masters as the night ended.

Stigr had spent some time with various others before he decided to finally make his way to Soren. Given that most everyone seemed to be favoring a darker color palette for the evening, it wasn't difficult to spot the human and Stigr moved closer. He let a hand rest on Soren's shoulder, nodding at the men the human had been talking to before he steered him away. "I do hope you've been enjoying yourself tonight."

@ravisurendra