#soren1

[councillor-roland]

closed starter for @ravisurendra

Rhys had begged a break for a while so Roland found himself alone for the time being as he wandered through the town and the Christmas market. Cheap trinkets and festive wear didn't particularly interest him but he hardly minded the spirit of the thing. It was interesting to see who had set up where, which businesses were doing what, and he really didn't intend to stop at any of the tables unless something or someone happened to intrigue him. Cassian's clinic seemed to be giving out hot drinks and there was something to do with charity. The man behind the table was also wearing one of those hideous Christmas sweaters some people insisted on which made Roland's lip curl in distaste. Hopefully Cassie hadn't been responsible for that though Roland had a feeling his favourite dragon might have been, knowing his sense of humor as he did. Roland's outfit was much more expensive and sophisticated, of course, though still festive in terms of colour. That was the way to do it in his opinion.

In spite of the despicable sweater, the man was quite attractive and a face Roland didn't recognize. Novelty always intrigued him so he approached the table and stopped in front of the other man. "I hope that outfit is a clever ploy to solicit funds by looking like you desperately need them for your own wardrobe." Roland couldn't seem to help commenting, though the rest of the man's outfit was hardly as bad if rather...basic. "Or are you simply hoping to prey on the festive spirit of giving in the hopes that we'll open our pocketbooks?" Roland quirked an eyebrow, smirking a little to perhaps soften the blow of his rather more cutting words. He expected to be recognized but would obviously introduce himself when it was appropriate. It was rather more interesting to start a conversation this way, though.

[ggaudetmd]

[continued from here]

“Oh, do not be coy with me, Doctor Surendra, we’ve got much to discuss.” Gabriel stated in what would have come out as a cheerful yet slightly menacing tone, if he weren’t sniffling repeatedly through his words. His usually tanned complexion was slightly pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse and tired. He had meant to ask his colleague about his mysterious research project since that animal of Dmitri had blabbered out about it a few weeks earlier, but he never found the right chance to do it. The thought of spiking Ravi’s drink with a truth potion had crossed his mind, but he could not risk receiving a formal complaint from a colleague while his father was watching and assessing his every move. That stupid celebration would have been the perfect occasion to get the other doctor to spill all of his secrets if he weren’t turned into a human that was probably about to die. But Gabriel was nothing if not persistent, so he had decided to corner Ravi in his lab while there was no one there. “A little birdie told me you’ve been a busy bee. Since when do we do research about heart diseases here?” He asked, crossing his arms over his white coat to keep his shivering body a bit warmer. “And what’s with the twinkish look? He looks pretty.” He smiled, giving Ravi a puckish once-over, before being hit by a coughing fit that shook his whole body. Jesus Christ, how did humans do it?

@ravisurendra

[mindful-mateo]

Mateo nodded and listened to the explanation, actually quite curious about all this. Even if Ravi had gone into more detail it wouldn't have likely resulted in Mateo's eyes glazing over. Besides, it was nice to see someone talking about their passion and Ravi was clearly passionate about this subject. The information settled Mateo a little. At least it didn't sound like the other man wanted this for any nefarious purpose. "Sounds like the goal is to help people, right? Like if you can figure out how non-human species live so much longer you can try to prolong human life? Or cure disease? I'm hardly gonna say no to that kind of thing." That pretty much decided Mateo that he'd at least sit down and have that conversation with Ravi at some point. The thunderbird was a sucker for helping others and if he'd understood the doctor correctly that seemed like the goal.

"Keeps things even, right?" Mateo teased a little, though it was all good-natured. He smiled and nodded, taking the offered hand and pulling himself up at Ravi's question. "Sounds good to me. I'll get the first round." He winked, playfully more than coyly, and let go of Ravi's hand to lead the way into the bar. They had a good time chatting over the beers and parted amicably. If nothing else, Mateo figured he'd made inroads into a new friendship and that was never a bad thing in his book.

END

"Mainly, as a point for comparison," Soren tapped his fingers idly against his thigh, a thoughtful twist to his mouth as he decided exactly how much to go into with Mateo right now. It wasn't that he feared the details would put the thunderbird off, though that was clearly a risk worth considering -- just that the amount of detail he could go into verged on excessive for a curious layman. Soren had gone through the painful experience every researcher had to of watching the interest die in a conversational partner's eyes. "I mentioned that I'm studying longevity, right? Imagine if I could point to the exact sequence in your genetics compared to my own that decides our relative lifespans... or identify a completely unique kind of stem cell in your bone marrow, let's say, that gives your immune system its incredible resilience. Without understanding what the baseline looks for every species though, we're sort of wading in the dark. I'm here trying to build that baseline - every point of data helps." Was that enough? He thought that was likely enough.

Mateo's laughter was reassuring, Soren relaxing that mite bit more, his smile tentative but warm. Along with the realization that they were flirting came the realization of how long it had been since he'd indulged in it, just for fun's sake, no need to creep around with more subtle insinuations and an undercurrent of paranoia. This didn't even have to lead anywhere, he thought, if they didn't want it to. But he recognized that look in Mateo's eye, the way his brow cocked, that quiet question behind the spoken one. Is this serious? Soren had no fucking clue. And a very stupid, shocked little voice in the back of his head going 'you're flirting with a phoenix'. "At least we're both willing to accept some blame," The human said amiably, smile spreading enough to crinkle at the corners of his eyes before Soren stood, offering Mateo a hand, "We should stop taking up space out here though, you're right. Another night. We can debate the merits of being direct over a couple beers instead, if you like?"

[tristan-philips]

Time: Flashback, 1920s Location: Paris, France @adraculaabara

The streets were near empty. There was a fresh smell hanging among the buildings, some bakeries opening up their fires to have bread finished come morning. Thiebaut was wary, post-war Paris wasn’t much different from how it had been before, and the war was years ago now. The place had become a haven for many artists, and would become even more famous as time went on. 

Tangi Portugal spoke with a near perfect French accent from the city itself when he walked among the lit streets. Old buildings were looking down at him, he was used to greeting those he found along his route home. The First World War had rendered him rich, or at least as rich as someone could be in an economy that was facing inflation as much Germany was, albeit it would take years for it to become a problem. Not for France that was. In France people still celebrated the victory, celebrated it despite how much it had cost. 

While he barely looked a day past twenty, he was still a war veteran, a French soldier. He commanded respect, he told stories of the war every evening at the bar, shared his wisdom, spoke of those who died. He recited their poetry, read out loud the letters they never got to send home.

Tangi patted his pocket, letters from German and French soldiers, from Belgians, from Brits, from anyone who had dared to fight in the trenches. 

His head in the clouds he took a moment before he turned towards a familiar scent, eyes falling upon a figure in the dark streets that he had never seen before. Recognition hung from his lips, but he didn’t say a word, just studied the other Vampire with the slightest show of recognition. 

[little-big-town-vibes]

Alix: oh shit

Alix: Kody is... complicated

Jess is cool

Olivia, sometimes ur stuck up

Axel I dont think you have ever had a clue on what ur doing

Lukas ur cool

Petra's my girlfriend and a badass, and shes awesome

Ivor1 is annoying

so is Ivor2

Ellegaard1 is my mom so I dont think im allowed to say anything bad here

Elliot is technically my aunt, but I mean ive rlly never seen her before

Elliot and Ellegaard1: *exchange this look*

Magnus1 is my foster parent he's cool

Magnus2 is um... interesting...?

Gabriel1 never really met him

Gabriel2 aparentally rlly likes sneks

Soren1 is kind of an asshole and he's a coward

Soren2 has an obsession with endermen

Alix: and we're done here *runs*

Ellegaard2:No, no it's fine

Eliza: Jesse, truth or dare

(can you tell this is my first time doing this)

[nicotine-noah]

Noah stared at Taliesin, not sure if the other slave was playing some kind of stupid game or if he really was under the influence of something. "What do you mean you don't think you are? Pretty sure Stigr woulda told you if you were and if he didn't tell you then you're not." Then the other slave went all stock still after touching his hair and Noah wanted to shake him just to see what he'd do. He managed not to and snorted at the comment. "Makes two of us. You're bein' super fuckin' weird." What did Taliesin have to be confused about?

Then he asked who he was and Noah screwed up his face though was forced to answer truthfully. "Noah Carmichael but you fuckin' know that. What kinda bullshit are you pullin' here?" First he was trying to sneak out now he was acting like he didn't know Noah? Was that his new idea, just play dumb and pretend they'd never met before so he could ignore him? Seemed stupid and like it would get on Noah's nerves real fast. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed. "This is gonna stop bein' cute real soon so explain your shit or drop the act."

Soren blinked back at the other man a moment, thoroughly taken off-guard by how familiar the stranger's tone was. As if what he said next was any more illuminating. Soren felt a fresh wave of dread, slowly rising out of his skulking posture as his brain tried to untangle what the hell that meant and how he was supposed to respond. Should he pretend he understood? Just be honest? Had he miraculously slipped into some parallel fucking dimension when the hunters had taken Soren instead? Honesty. For once, maybe he should go with honesty.

"Not on house arrest. Um, I don't think I am - at least." His hand slid up to the back of his neck and there was the first sign that things were even stranger than they seemed: the tickle of long hair against his fingers when he'd always kept his short. Soren froze, still staring forward while he short-circuited all over again. "I'm not going to lie to you, I am exceedingly fucking confused right now," He blurted. "Who are you?" He'd heard that Stigr had claimed another slave not long after his brother - shit, was this Taliesin's roommate?

[mindful-mateo]

Questions about his health. A basic profile. That seemed....okay, Mateo supposed. It wasn't like he'd ever done anything like that before and wasn't sure he should on top of that. Still, Ravi seemed nice enough and if it was just a conversation, just information for some kind of...research? Had he already said why he was interested in that? Mateo couldn't remember. "Right. And if I give you that information what are you gonna use it for?" Getting specifics probably wouldn't hurt and Ravi had been fairly open so far. Maybe Mateo was being too cautious or coming off as paranoid but his species were more or less hunted. He was already wearing a collar, by choice, but he knew how easily he could slip into the Undercroft and he had no interest in that. Not that he suspect Ravi of wanting that for him, but still. He did a pretty good job of mostly avoiding the vampires around here and he wanted that to continue.

Mateo laughed lightly as Ravi turned it back on him. "I did, didn't I?" That had also been an entirely innocent offer, legitimately just so he could have access to some books but he appreciated the other man taking up the joking spirit with him. "Could be. Maybe we should be more direct." He quirked an eyebrow, wondering if Ravi was even interested in that or if he was just going with the joke. It would be surprising if he wasn't at least somewhat interested in that kind of thing but then it wasn't the main reason Mateo had come to Krovs so maybe the same was true for the good doctor. "I believe you, more or less. But let's save that for another night, si? It's a party after all." Mateo gestured at the crowds around them. "On that note, you wanna head inside and get a drink? Or go for a walk? Either works, really." In spite of the wanting possibly too much information research angle, Mateo was genuinely enjoying Ravi's company and saw no reason to cut that short just because they were finished smoking.

Soren couldn't help but laugh at Mateo saying he found it safer to just assume, giving an emphatic nod, "I'm learning that myself." It was probably the best attitude for him to start taking, going forward: assume the supernatural and hash out the details later. It was strange to consider that others might be doing the same with him, in all his apparently surprising mundaneness. Being a boring old human was doing nothing to calm Mateo's obvious trepidation and Soren felt a flash of self-reproach. He'd come on strong, he knew, especially for a creature that was infamously secretive. At the same time, who knew when Soren would encounter someone like Mateo again, or at least someone who would openly admit to it. "Questions about your health, mostly, as ridiculous as that probably sounds," He explained, "I'd take a basic profile: age, origin, exposure to public health events - like if you've ever come into contact with a population experiencing a viral outbreak and the like. The rest of the conversation is guided by your experience. And your comfort with disclosing, of course," Soren was quick to add, hands spread in supplication. He knew it could be a bit much, especially sprung on the other man unexpectedly. He nodded again, more relieved this time when Mateo said he'd consider it. Even if he was just being nice to brush it off, there was still a chance.

Seeing Mateo flash that smile sparked some hope that maybe the chance wasn't as slight as Soren assumed, though the joke that accompanied it did take him off guard for the shortest moment. This whole village of just menfolk, and it hadn't even registered in Soren's mind how his gesture might come off. He realized all at once, blinking back at the other man around his own automatic chuckle, that Mateo was a genuinely good-looking guy. Maybe it was the bar atmosphere that kept things feeling loose enough to make light of, the only place Soren ever tried anything close to conscious flirting with another man. "I might've given you the number, but you already invited me up the hill," He replied with a faint grin as he caught the librarian's eye, "Maybe we're both making things too complicated." A beat, and then Soren cleared his throat, shaking his head with a flicker of bemused embarrassment as he glanced away, "I mean -- listen, we could chat anywhere you like. Doesn't have to be in one sitting, either. My intentions are pure, though, I promise. All business."

[councillor-roland]

"There is certainly a change, at least when a vampire makes a fledgling. The mortal essentially dies and becomes new, different, as a vampire. That transformation undoubtedly introduces the immunity, though the dead can't exactly get sick, can they?" Not that vampires were dead but they did die a mortal death to become this way. Roland watched, with interest, as Ravi tapped his throat. Did he think that a wise idea, drawing attention to it? Or was he assuming that Roland had too much decorum to take his blood if he wanted it right here in the marketplace? Intriguing either way and it spoke of assumptions the human was making about him, even if they were unconscious ones. That, or he was just making a mistake. Roland's eyebrows rose and he settled his gaze back on Ravi's face. "Oh? Why not? I doubt it would be difficult to get a vampire to agree to transform someone inside your lab. We have slaves of most species in the Undercroft. Why not rent them and do tests and experiments or whatever it is you need? It will hardly be the worst thing that's happened to them here and it would provide you with valuable data." Would it jar the human, who was clearly relatively new to the town, to hear Roland speak so casually about the slaves? The vampire assumed it might but he was hardly above being jarring.

Ravi clearly saw that Roland was about to touch him, didn't even seem overly surprised by the proposition even though he stilled then pulled back almost politely. Roland noticed the slight shake of his hand, however, as it was withdrawn from his own, noticed the shift in the other man's expression. He hadn't liked that, then. Roland sighed, perhaps a little dramatically, at the rejection. "Such a pity given how nice a body it is. Also for the state of your funding and research. I could've given quite a donation." He returned his hand to his side but made no move to leave just yet, blue eyes still sparkling. "What of your blood? Is that on the table? Not for a donation, necessarily, but I wonder how deep that scientific curiosity goes. Perhaps experiencing a bite yourself might give you some valuable insight. I promise to be gentle..." In an eyeblink, Roland used his speed to be on the other side of the table with Ravi, very much in his personal space. "You did rather daringly draw my attention to your neck." He lifted his hand to trace his fingers over the spot Ravi had touched moments ago, smiled as he felt the pulse racing there and leaned closer. "I think you might want it more than you realise..." His other hand settled gently on Ravi's hip, his voice sunk low as he dipped his head to the other side of Ravi's neck, only his breath touching the skin...for now.

"To sum it up as succinctly as possible, yes," Soren offered a one-shouldered shrug, "Not just vampires, but all supernaturals, in their infinite variety. Which includes those who once were human and now are something else entirely. A man bitten who becomes a werewolf was not always capable of fighting off all infections, for example. Something had to change to allow it to happen. Either there is something dormant in the human system that the bite awakens or something is introduced that transforms it. There's a similar dynamic at play when a vampire turns a mortal being with their bite." He tapped two fingers lightly to his own throat, "I suspect close observation of that moment of transformation is our key to figuring out those mysteries. Though it isn't as if you can study such changes in a controlled lab environment..." Soren relented, "The ethics to be considered would only be the tip of iceberg."

As if ethics were a councilman's chief concern. Soren watched Roland leaning into him with a wary prickle of premonition, eyes tracking as if in slow motion the descent of the other's hand to his own. He stopped in his fidgeting immediately, Roland's touch feeling disarmingly cold against his skin, the human already lightly chilled from the winter air. The vampire was charming, certainly, but the gesture was almost too rehearsed. Soren felt like he was watching a bit of theatre he happened to be a part of, expected to blush and bat his eyes on cue. He smiled pleasantly instead, his face closing off like a gate pulled shut as he tugged his hand gently away from under Roland's. The gesture was not entirely steady. Soren had experienced plenty of come-ons in his life, but never from men like this. It felt a little surreal. "I'm not in the business of pleasure, Councilman de Rochefort," Soren managed, "I'm in the business of science. I hate to disappoint, but my body isn't on the table."

[mindful-mateo]

"Fair enough." Mateo supposed he had underplayed that a little bit considering how rare his species actually was. It was hard to remember that when he had relatives that were all like him. "I'd say witches are harder to spot than vampires but I know what you mean. Gets tricky when you get into the rarer species and the hybrids and everything." He supposed humans weren't really well versed in all of that. Sure, people knew about vampires since they ran the world, but the rest of the supernatural species weren't nearly as well known especially some of the stranger or more rare ones. "Don't feel bad. I still can't detect 'em all either. I just generally assume everyone's something and go with that." It was really more surprising to find out that Ravi was human considering where they were.

The thunderbird's brief reticent moment distracted him a little from Ravi's sudden anxiousness but he clued back in a moment later. "Questions?" Mateo blinked, natural wariness starting to creep back up a little. "What kinda questions?" He tried not to sound too suspicious but Ravi had said he was some kind of doctor and that didn't seem like a great combo. He'd also only been interested in that once Mateo revealed he was a thunderbird....there was a prickle of unease at the back of Mateo's neck. It didn't get better when Ravi pulled out a business card and then started talking about research. Mateo took the business card out of politeness, glanced at the name and number on it, and smiled a little, more reserved now. "I'll think about it, for sure." He tucked the card away. A conversation would probably be safe but he wouldn't meet at any kind of lab or anything. Maybe it was silly to be so wary when Ravi was just human and Mateo could obviously easily overpower him but he still didn't like the whole implication. Mateo wanted to get things back on a better foot and get over his own wariness so he shook his head. "Y'know, that's all kind of elaborate just to give me your number and set up a date. Most guys just ask to go for a drink or something." He was fairly certain Ravi hadn't been flirting with him but being lighthearted made Mateo feel better about things and he smiled, hoping the other man would take the joke just as well.

"Not very common is a bit of an understatement, yeah," Soren replied, the humor creeping back into his voice with an edge of pleasant surprise. Mateo's cheeky comment only emphasized his cluelessness to himself, Soren rubbing a hand sheepishly over the back of his neck, his eyes still trained on Mateo's face. "Too true. I mean - everyone knows the tricks about spotting a vampire or recognizing a witch and all that. Old wives' tales. Moving here has just proved to me that I'm even worse at it than I thought." His encounter with Kaden earlier, too, made that clear. He felt the imbalance between himself and most of the other villagers potently in that matter, unable to stop the creeping unease the notion prompted in him, even with the revelation Mateo had handed him still sparking potential in his mind. It felt like too good of a coincidence to let slip through his fingers.

"You don't have to apologize," Soren was swift to respond, shaking his head emphatically, "I just... ah, how do I say this." He'd started bouncing his leg nervously, realized it then and put a hand on his knee as if he could physically stop the tic, shooting Mateo a still-mildly disbelieving smile. "I have a lot of questions I could ask you. That I'd like to ask you. Maybe not - here though, I don't want to steal away your holiday, but if you're up for it sometime in the future." He fumbled inside his jacket, quickly pulling out a creased business card from the clinic's front desk. There weren't any printed with Ravi's name yet, but he balanced it on one thigh and fished a pen out from the same pocket, scrawling his name and number onto the back. "The research I mentioned - a big part of it is longevity. Well, that and a slew of other things. Immunity, cell resilience, I could go on all night. You can imagine how you might factor into that." His head lifted again, Soren offering Mateo the card hopefully, "I'd be happy to explain more later and I wouldn't demand anything out of you that you don't want to give. No need to rush. Just think about it, eh?"

[councillor-roland]

If Ravi was surprised by the casual mention of a centuries long friendship he hid it well. It was for the best that the human adjust to such comments if he was going to be spending much time at Krovs and all the immortals that frequented the place. Roland rolled his eyes at the comment about the humans and waved a hand dismissively. "I did say nearly unnecessary. Regardless, an easy, non taxing job for a friend who's time I wish to take up a good portion of." The specialization was somewhat more interesting, Roland supposed, though he hardly cared if humans had improved immunity for anything. There were other species to feed on if they all suddenly died off though that seemed unlikely. "So you seek the differences between why a vampire is immortal and immune to disease and why humans are not? Is it not just the nature of each species?" Granted, Roland had never taken an interest in science. He much preferred the arts and didn't much care why certain bodies functioned in certain ways so long as those bodies were pleasing to look at.

Ravi was obviously trying to get a read on him, trying to figure out what might motivate him, and the attempt only amused Roland further. He liked being unpredictable, unreadable, but he also had no problem announcing just what he wanted and when he wanted it or indicating it in other equally clear ways. "None of those, certainly." He brushed them off easily. What point was there in leaving a legacy when he would live forever? He had no need of business and good deeds couldn't have interested him less. "Can't you guess?" Roland teased, leaning forward slightly, blue eyes glittering as one of his pale hands settled on the back of Ravi's stilling his nervous motion with the cups. "I find pleasure terribly motivating. Are you willing to indulge me for your cause? Please me well enough and I may just consider a donation..." How far was Ravi willing to go? Roland was eager to find out.

Soren nodded politely as if it were simple small talk, and in a place like this he supposed talking about friendships over the span of centuries was. Did the councilman and Soren's boss make for an odd couple, absolutely, but perhaps the human needed more reminders that Cassian was not as straightforward a man as his goofy persona might lead one to believe. The dragon surely had far more in common with the one smirking in front of Soren now than he did with Soren himself. "I daresay the humans living in the greater valley wouldn't call it unnecessary, but I take your point on demographics," He said neutrally enough, unsure if he should take the comment as a jab or just a flippant aside. Roland was giving a few different signals, some of them contradictory. "I study immunity, in humans and supernaturals," He unstacked a few more cups just to give his hands something to do, hiding his nervous energy in the action, "I could be more specific, but I won't bore you with jargon unless it interests you." Soren really didn't think it would, but what kind of scientist would he be to not chat at least a little when he had an audience? "Which means my focus is on exactly what makes you consider our clinic superfluous. I'm looking for the biological markers that will explain why."

For a moment, Soren thought he might have touched on something Roland did find intriguing, but that shark-like grin on the vampire's face wasn't encouraging in the slightest. Still, he felt more like he was being toyed with than interrogated. No reason to panic yet. He just had to keep both hands on the wheel of this conversation. "Difficult to say when I know very little of what drives you," Soren said gamely, his eyes darting over Roland's face, trying to read him, "Some like to see their names on buildings. Others want investment opportunities, or doors opened in business. A few just want to bask in the admiration of their good deeds. What do you find motivating, councilman?"

[mindful-mateo]

Ravi clearly thought Mateo was just speaking from bravado about the not getting sick thing at least until he clarified which clearly caught the other man off guard. He chuckled a little at the incredulity though he supposed he should've expected that. Mateo was clearly too used to Krovs where all manner of species could be found at any given time. "No joke." He nodded as the other man went on and clearly tripped over his words a little. "I'm not surprised. You obviously know we're not very common or at least keep to ourselves. Thought it's always possible you have met one and just didn't know it." Mateo smiled a little mischievously. He knew a lot of phoenixes used their human disguises to slip into the mortal world for brief periods before slipping away again and were good at going undetected. Mateo should've been one of them according to his family but he'd chosen differently and on the whole, in spite of everything that had happened, didn't regret that choice. He certainly wouldn't have gotten to see as much of the world if he'd stayed in his ancestral mountains.

Ravi was clearly still dealing with the revelation and Mateo felt a little bad now. "Sorry. Didn't mean to throw you for such a loop. Just figured it seemed only fair since you'd mentioned you were human." Or at least had heavily implied it. The thunderbird shrugged a little, hoping the rest of their interaction wouldn't be too awkward. He could always bring out his talons if Ravi needed real proof. They seemed to be back onto moving locations and that was probably safer though Mateo's smile fell away at the last question. It wasn't Ravi's fault, there's no way he could've known and it made sense given their conversation but Mateo shook his head and looked away. "No." His tone was quiet, more subdued for a moment. "There were....other reasons for leaving Guatemala." Not reasons he was going to share or explain and it was because of the drinks and the question catching him off guard that it affected him so much. He took a breath and tried to shake it off, clearing his throat. "It's beautiful, though. I recommend visiting some time if you get the chance." There was a slight wistfulness in the words. He hadn't been back in so long. Maybe he'd have to go, as part of the help he was trying to get, closure or something, but that was still likely a long way off. He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned a little harder against the brick behind them.

"No?" Soren arched one eyebrow in mild amusement, plenty used to men who seemed to consider themselves immune to getting sick right until a cold knocked them on their arses for a week. He wouldn't have guessed Mateo to be the type, off first impressions. A second later and he realized that assumption had actually been correct. He just didn't expect Mateo to back his claim up like that. Soren stilled with his cigarette halfway to his lips, eyes widening as he stared back at Mateo in clear surprise. Had he heard that right? "You're joking," He said immediately, flabbergasted, then quickly shook his head in disgusted self-reproach, "I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say, I just mean that I've never met -- " 'One of your kind' definitely wasn't the right thing to say. Mateo was just a man, or, Soren thought with a flare of keen interest, someone very convincingly pretending to be one. "-- anyone like you before," He finished lamely, taking in his acquaintance with new eyes. A flurry of questions crowded at the back of his mind. His gaze dropped to the collar; how had he not taken note of the thing before?

Soren knew about thunderbirds. Not very much since, like the rest of their cousins, the species still seemed closer to myth than reality, even in the modern age where their existence had become something provable. The only creature that had fascinated the founding scientists behind the Prometheus Group more than the undead was the phoenix, of course. A nice summation of everything they hoped for for humanity: a revitalization of what their species could be. There was a damn firebird on the institution's letterhead, a fact Soren felt mildly embarrassed about now with Mateo sitting next to him. Their group had a single interview on file with an actual phoenix from before Soren's time, paranoid enough to demand a meeting where they choose, which was of course in the middle of nowhere. The blood sample had gone dead before it ever made it back to the lab. And here was one casually sharing pub stories with him. "I, uh." Soren took one last hurried drag off his cigarette before he stubbed it out, definitely distracted now and scrambling for a more coherent sentence that wouldn't make him sound like a gawping moron, "Big change of scenery, yeah. That why you left Guatemala too?"

[mindful-mateo]

Mateo nodded as the other man confirmed his occupation, chuckling a little. "Luckily, I don't get sniffles or rashes. This isn't gonna really affect me either." He held up the cigarette then took another quick drag, blowing the smoke away from the other man. Ravi had revealed that he was human it was only fair for Mateo to tell him what he was, though ancient warnings from his family rang in the back of his head just because they'd been drilled into him so much. "I'm a thunderbird." It was weird how little he'd actually had to say that and how strange it sounded coming out of his mouth. All the supernaturals around here could mostly just sense it. He lifted his free hand to touch his collar, as if reassuring himself it was there, having had the irrational sense that saying his species out loud might summon his magic in some strange way. But no, the familiar leather was there, solid under his fingertips, and no crackle of electricity in his veins so he dropped his hand again. Maybe it was better to stick to their jobs, after all, and he brightened again at the interest in the books. "Sure, come on up any time. We do have a lot of real interesting stuff. Old, rare, just plain weird, we pretty much cover it all."

There was a short silence and Ravi seemed preoccupied with his thoughts but Mateo just finished his cigarette and didn't pry, managing to actually keep his mouth shut for more than a handful of seconds which seemed like an achievement at this point. He crushed the butt under his heel then glanced back at the other man as he spoke again. "No, not really. I like people so it didn't really bother me to be in a crowd." Only during heat week and storms but there was no need to bring that up. "Besides, once I got to work I could always just hide in the stacks. Bethnal Green? One of my favourite pubs was over there." He laughed a little at the observation. "Yeah, I did. But my best friend works here and told me about the librarian position opening up so I figured I was probably due for a change of scenery." That wasn't the only reason but it was one of them. Mateo generally didn't share the real reason, though Rhys obviously knew and Finn now. It was too personal and in some ways embarrassing to talk about how he was afraid of his own magic and why so he generally gave Rhys as the reason and left it at that.

"That I am," Soren confirmed with a subtle smile. This part of the conversation was the easiest -- anything about work was, honestly. Most of the conversations he had with strangers, be it in a suit or a lab coat, tended to tilt that way. People cared most about what you could do for them, after all. But this was an introduction, not a job interview, and he leaned out of the urge to pitch himself and into something appropriately casual. "Not in general practice though, so I'm afraid I can't do to much about your sniffles or strange rashes. Best medical advice I have is to tell us both to knock this off," He raised his cigarette as he ashed it, his smile going a bit crooked. 'Librarian' nearly caught him off guard just by the virtue of how... normal a position it seemed. Tame, even. Mateo of course followed it up so casually with what that position actually entailed and Soren struggled to balance his incredulity with his genuine professional curiosity. "I'm sure you have plenty of the sort my kind of library normally wouldn't bother stocking. I'll have to take you up on that sometime."

For humanity, arcanum was long the realm of wishful thinking and outsider gawking. Years ago, the founders of his association had complained at a fundraising gala of the struggle of pinpointing accurate information when so many of the sources of it seemed reluctant to share. No better time than now to start taking advantage of his sudden proximity to the truth. The end of that thought was a painful one, a tug of association, thinking of Taliesin and the shelves in his empty bedroom at home. Mateo's comment only emphasized the image, Soren wondering with a bittersweet pang if on any other night his brother would be huddled away that dungeon, wrinkling his nose down at some over-important American novel. Soren wrangled himself back from staring into the glowing basket of the heater in front of them with a furrowed brow, then shifted, angling his body towards Mateo like a silent command to himself to focus. These questions weren't even difficult ones to lie about. "Camden's a lively spot" He remarked, "Didn't get tired of the tourists? I was over in Bethnal Green for a long while. You came a long way to be shivering out in the Russian winter."

[councillor-roland]

"Oh yes, for centuries. His whole life, really, since he was a hatchling." Granted, Roland had been in and out of Cassian's life that entire time and they went long stretches without seeing each other but they knew each other quite well. Ravi seemed surprised, given his tone and that second, appraising look which Roland caught no matter how quick it was. Did they seem unlikely friends? Immortality often made for strange bedfellows and he and Cassian had similar tastes when it came to certain things. Roland snorted a little at the gratitude, amused. "You're welcome to thank me but it was hardly altruistic. Rather selfish, in fact, to finally get him here. He needed the break and given the rather high supernatural population of Krovs working at a nearly unnecessary clinic seemed like just the thing." Was he being insulting again? Maybe a little but Roland seemed to be in that kind of mood, though his moods had also been known to shift quickly.

The cause, he said. Roland still wasn't entirely clear on what that was and ultimately didn't care to find out. He didn't really care about any of this nonsense, truth be told, but he was an excellent conversationalist regardless. "Oh? Specialized in what way? What is it that you're particularly interested in?" Maybe that would be more interesting than the rest of this. The next thing Ravi said was far more of an intriguing subject and Roland's eyes lit up. "Oh, it will most certainly take more than that. What are you willing to do to convince me? I could perhaps be persuaded, if the offer was tempting enough..." He trailed off, his smirk growing wider. This was definitely worth pursuing.

"You know Dr. Lord?" Soren asked, not bothering to hide his bemusement at the nickname or the sudden clarity that this was the councilman Cassian had alluded to being friends with. His eyes skated over Roland quickly a second time, brows rising, trying to reconcile the peer Soren had befriended with the councilman in front of him in all his ornate glory. Cassian was certainly not unrefined but he seemed so... well, human, half the time. Casual more often than not, willing to openly be bashful or silly or excited. Roland, like most of the elder vampires Soren had been in proximity with, had a distinct otherness to him that wealth and personality alone wouldn't explain. It was strange to try and fit the two together in his head. "Then I should thank you, I've been led to understand you're the one responsible for guiding him to our clinic."

That smirk on the councilman's face wasn't encouraging, though it wasn't exactly hostile either and the continued line of questioning hadn't entered the danger zone yet. He kept himself steady, shifting on his feet with that pleasant half-smile still glued firmly in place. Soren had rehearsed this exact conversation a thousand times. "The cause, of course, though my work is somewhat more specialized than what the clinic provides. I'm allowed the use of their facilities in exchange for offering testing services that previously had to be outsourced to alternative centers. Prompt turnaround can be a life-saver in remote villages like this one." Time to loop it back in to what Roland didn't seem interested in. "Hence our fundraising today, though something tells me it'll take more than a cup of cider to convince you, if my fashion plight wasn't enough."

[mindful-mateo]

Even with the few drinks he'd had, Mateo's eyes were too good not to notice the way Ravi's smile changed a little when the thunderbird mentioned working up at the castle. Mateo almost winced himself and had to force himself not to jump to some sort of weird justification. Anyone who moved to Krovs town had to come to terms with what they lived close to, didn't they? Mateo was still struggling with it himself though he was more directly involved. He tried to tell himself that what he did for the people in the Undercroft was helpful but his reasons for working there were largely selfish and he couldn't deny that. Hard to blame someone for judging him when they didn't know all the details. "Does seem to be pretty sparse." Mateo agreed. "Are you a doctor, then?" He was curious about the personal research too but one thing at a time. He wouldn't want Ravi to think he was prying. Mateo nodded and sighed a little at the question. "Yeah, I'm the librarian. I don't know what your personal research is about but chances are we've got books on it there so if you need anything let me know. I try to rotate a good selection into the Undercroft, too, swap out the books every month or so they have new things to read." He probably didn't need to add that detail but that was his mouth running away with him again.

Us mundane folk. So Ravi was human? That did seem to be a rarity around Krovs. "Can't say I'm surprised. It's one of the few nights the guys in the Undercroft get to cut loose and I definitely don't blame them." Mateo still didn't like using the word slave, it seemed so...dehumanizing. That was the second time he'd mentioned the Undercroft in as many minutes, too. Ugh. He took another drag from his cigarette to try to shut himself up or at least be more reasonable about things. It was definitely easier to talk about where Ravi was from and Mateo brightened. "Yeah, I'm from Guatemala originally but I lived in London for decades, only moved here about a year and a half ago. Whereabouts in London? I was right in Camden so could walk to work at The British Library pretty easily."

Ah. Soren's mouth slanted into a more restrained smile. The implications of what seeing each other 'up in the castle' meant didn't escape him. Maybe he'd gotten a little too comfortable too soon. But if he was going to start setting foot on Krovs' grounds anytime soon, he'd be rubbing shoulders with men like Mateo before long anyways. It was probably smarter to start establishing himself now. "Indeed. Probably hasn't escaped your notice that the healthcare sector in the region is rather weak. The clinic here needed a little help and the area's good for my personal research. Their admin worked out a deal with mine and here I am." Mostly true. "You work up on the hill, then?" Soren kept his voice casual, trying to wrangle back the urge to overthink exactly what Mateo's place was at the castle rather than just asking the man in front him. Getting away with dishonesty in front of beings that could sniff it out if properly motivated meant not letting yourself even feel nervous, if you could help it. Not exactly Soren's specialty, but he'd gotten damned good at hiding over the years.

"Glad to hear that," He huffed out a dry laugh, "You should've seen our waiting room tonight. I know us mundane folk are apparently the smaller slice of the pie in town, but you wouldn't have guessed it by how many lads we had in there well on their way to alcohol poisoning." Soren was still trying to work out the village's proper relationship to the castle. Was is just an extension of the vampiric playground or were nights like tonight an exception to the rule? Mateo seemed to think the latter and God, Soren hoped he was right. The bigger the separation, the better. "London," He answered easily enough, scratching idly at his cheek. It was easier to talk about Ravi's life than his own, in some ways, "Technically from Leicester, but it's been years since I lived there. Most people I've talked to here seem to be from somewhere else, actually. I'd guess that includes you?"

[councillor-roland]

It was at least somewhat redeemable if it was meant as a joke though Roland still never would've worn such a thing even if it was gifted to him in that capacity. Unsurprisingly, Cassian was also apparently wearing one and Roland snorted, rolling his eyes. "There's lighthearted and then there's tacky but I take your point. And of course Cassie got himself one. I should've expected that." The use of the nickname indicated his fondness for the dragon, though there was a hint of good-natured exasperation in the tone as well. At least this new man had a little spark to him, that was intriguing. Not everyone would have bantered with a councilman but so long as it wasn't disrespectful Roland welcomed the novelty of it.

Roland was the one being disrespectful by laughing but he hadn't been able to help it and thankfully the doctor or technician or whatever medical position it was he held at the clinic didn't seem offended. "Is that so? Well, I'll just have to see if I can pry the two of you apart then, non?" He smirked, liking the idea of such a challenge. The other man was obviously nervous underneath his calm demeanor, Roland could sense it, but that was hardly surprising given who Roland himself was. "A pleasure to meet you, Ravi. And what brings you to our frigid little town?" Obviously he worked at the clinic but there were far bigger centers to go to for medical work. He'd only lured Cassian here since it wouldn't be very busy and it would be like a break for the dragon. Ravi seemed intent on his cause, clearly something to do with people in the village, and Roland waved a hand. "We provide well enough for them with all the business the castle brings in. They don't require more." Roland could be damnably stubborn when he wanted to be and he had absolutely no intention of donating to whatever this cause was. As he'd said, his interest was in Ravi not his work, though he would have to talk a little bit about that to get to know him slightly.

"Very likely," Soren found himself surprisingly amused by the ancient vampire's seeming inability to comprehend something as mundane and silly as an ugly Christmas sweater, for all he knew he should be nervous instead, "Better to be lighthearted around the holidays, don't you think? If it makes things seem any more fair, my boss outfitted himself with one as well." And frankly, Cassian's was twice as garish. He wondered briefly if it would be smarter to just agree with de Rochefort's assessment rather than bantering with him, if it would make himself more boring in the councilman's eyes - but the cat was already out of the bag for now. The human hadn't accounted for the idea that being new in itself would attract attention, though he should've for how small the village was.

Soren smiled banally back as if entirely unoffended once the blond recovered from his fit of laughter. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen similar behavior countless times from the privileged in his own circles. "I'm afraid my cause and I are attached at the hip, councilman, no getting one without the other." Soren chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back, not naive enough to think he'd be getting a handshake, "Yes, I did know that. Doctor Aarav Surendra, but please, call me Ravi." Maybe he could make himself more irritating than dull and be dropped quickly for that sin instead. "I hope you'll change your mind; the people in the valley work hard for the benefit of the castle and it always reflects well upon its inhabitants to see their wellbeing tended to."

[mindful-mateo]

Ravi declined the offer and Mateo nodded, not offended in the least. "Oh yeah?" He latched onto the information about the other man being new, though that seemed likely. There were only so many faces around Krovs and Mateo was used to seeing most of them but he hadn't recognized Ravi. "You come for work? I haven't seen you up at the castle so I'm guessing you're doin' something in town?" Ravi didn't seem to want to talk much more about his friend or whoever it had been he'd was looking for so Mateo figured he might as well latch onto the new subject.

The other man had a firm handshake and clearly wasn't a vampire from the warmth of his skin, not that Mateo had really thought he was anyway. He supposed he could've been a master moving into some kind of house here in town but Ravi hadn't really given off that vibe so Mateo hadn't suspected it. "Hey, don't take it all. Leave me a little just for gettin' to see a new face around here." A new non vampiric face, anyway. That was definitely a pleasure. He ashed his cigarette as Ravi was gracious about his somewhat awkward ramblings. At least he hadn't offended him. "That's nice of you. I mean it, though, feel free to tell me if I put my foot in my mouth one too many times." His tone was still good-natured for all that and he took another drag, shaking his head as he exhaled. "It's not every night. This is kind of a rarity, really, though there'll be a couple more holiday parties coming up, Christmas and New Year's. The rest of the time it's a lot more subdued. Where'd you move from?" The accent indicated England but Mateo didn't want to assume.

Soren ran his tongue over his teeth nervously, eyes roaming over the patio as he considered answering that question honestly. Maybe the stranger did know Taliesin, but maybe he would have questions about how 'Ravi' knew him too. Maybe he would remember that he'd been asked and pass that along to someone else. For all the commerce that poured through it, Krovstown was a village, not a city -- it was small. Soren needed to remember that. "That's a kind offer, but I doubt it," He said finally, giving the other man a sheepish smile, "He and I are both new in town. I just moved in this week, actually. Not much time to meet people, though I'm glad to do it now"

Mateo had a good handshake: casual, not too firm. Soren had had too many first impressions of businessmen soured by a bad one before, those who went in simpering and limp or strangled you in their grip trying to project confidence. Mateo just seemed blessedly normal. Warm, too. He wouldn't even have to worry about keeping a eye out for fangs. "Pleasure's all mine." The sentiment that followed did have Soren flashing another smile, bemused and honestly slightly relaxed by the other's awkward stream of consciousness. "Don't apologize to me; I'm glad one of us has gotten lucky," He chuckled tiredly, absentmindedly thumbing at the filter of his cigarette, "Far be it from me to judge a man on what he says on a night out. Though it might get to be a bit much if every night here is like this."