marlowemuses | Diplomacy and Romance

"I'd like that," Lenore confirms, though she does wonder whether he means a meal of food or of blood. She doesn't question it, trusting that whatever he provides will be pleasing for her.

Leaning in, she presses a soft kiss to his cheek, sweet and chaste. As much as she desires him, she doesn't want to rush into anything. The prospect of being courted sounds lovely, and she wonders what it will entail. "Shall I start calling you Vlad now, instead of 'my lord'?" There's a slightly teasing note to the question, and she thinks that she perfectly well might still call him 'my lord' from time to time just to be playful.

He nodded his head, and he already had a meal in mind that they could share that both would surely enjoy. It would have to remain a surprise for now, of course. Strategizing - even for meals - could bring him pleasure when he decided it was worth the consideration, and given the tilt of their relationship, he considered it a worthwhile endeavor. Courtship was meant to be a romantic affair after all; they had no reason to use it for strengthening alliances like humans of course.

He wasn't surprised by the kiss to his cheek, but he had to admit that he was unexpectedly pleasant. He could be charming and charismatic after all, and he also recognized that Lenore could rival him potentially in that. Her affection filled a tiny bit of the old repressed loneliness. The corner of his lips pulled in a smile at her question. "You may call me as you like. Vlad, Dracula, my lord... as it suits you," he replied truthfully. "In this courtship and whatever else may come, we are equals."

Her chin ducked again, shy with pleasure at being asked to be his equal in this courtship. It felt like so much being offered to her. More than she felt she was worth, even though she had spent so much of her life ensuring that she was valued more highly than any other jewel that a vampire warlord or king might own. She'd still, in those courts, always been a thing to be owned. Now, she had a place at the side of the most powerful of any of the vampire lords she'd known, and he wanted her to be his equal.

But her chin didn't stay down for long. She wanted to focus on the pleasure of his company, rather than her own nerves.

"I like the sound of that," she murmured softly. Tucking close, she pillowed her head on his shoulder. Even though there was no warmth to him, the comfort of being held like this soothed a deep instinctual need inside of her. "Will you tell me about some of the science you've been working on while I've been away?" She wanted no more talk of politics and diplomacy for the night. She wanted to simply be in his presence, whether to read or to talk of anything at all. His experiments were a reliable topic to get him to talk, filling the time so that she wouldn't feel that she had lingered too long in his lap.

He relaxed into his large chair when she settled in against him, and he was pleased when she rested her head to his shoulder. One hand moved from her leg to cup her dainty feet, stroking the top with a thumb as he enjoyed her company. His arm tightened around her shoulders to hold her close against him where they were cuddling. He could sit with her in silence or in conversation for many hours.

He made a soft noise at her request, tipping his head back against the chair as he considered the numerous theories he had in the works that he was trying to validate with evidence. He had shown her a few experiments, and she had been politely interested in what he worked on and how he set up his projects.

"I'm currently continuing my work with fungi and their medical implications. Drying out their fruiting bodies and boiling or breathing the fumes is the most current curative methods, but I suspect that there are other methods that can extract their properties." He dropped his head so that his chin rested on the top of her head. "Distill? Mix with certain herbs? I haven't found the correct combination for afflictions."

He then took a moment to launch in the details of each of his current experiments, laying each out and walking through how he had come up with the theory and which elements were successes or which were not the providing evidence to his theory. All the while, he stroked the top of her feet with his thumb.

She loved hearing him talk, on this or any other topic. It was true, however, that his experiments held her attention less than the other subjects they discussed. Comfortable as she was in his lap, with his arms safe around her and his hand gently caressing at her foot, she let her eyes close as she focused on the pleasure of his grasp and his voice.

Inevitable, then, that after a few minutes her mind drifted away, sinking into a slumber. Her hand slipped from where she'd left it resting against his chest, falling into her lap like a cherry blossom drifting down from a tree.

He continued to explain to the most minute detail the current experience, including the pH of the water, the microelements as he was aware of them and the application of heat or humidity over all. He was aware of her relaxing against him further, and he knew the moment that she fell asleep against his shoulder. That she was tucked against his body and all the danger that he could be and fell asleep was telling.

For a few minutes, he simply kept talking, but his red eyes dropped to study her sleeping face. His fingers continued to stroke her foot through the fabric of her dress, and he let his head lean back against his chair for a moment of consideration. How long had it been since someone slept on or near him? Longer than he cared to admit.

Slowly, his voice trailed off to silence, only the crackling of the fire providing background noise. After watching her sleep for some minutes, he made the decision and leaned in to press a soft kiss to her forehead, lingering against that soft pale skin for half a minute before he gathered her up carefully in his arms and rose from his chair to take her to her bed chambers.

Lenore gave a soft sound as she was picked up, shifting a little in his arms. She was dimly aware of what was happening, but felt safe and trusting enough that her mind found no reason to try and wake up properly. She felt so cozy and safe, content in the knowledge that he would care for her. He was sweet, in his own way, and she was increasingly getting to see that, which was a lovely treat.

Nestling her cheek against his shoulder, Lenore made another sleepy noise and curled her fingers around the front of his shirt.

While standing, he waited for her to settle into his arms or potentially wake. When she remained peacefully asleep and even nestled her face to his shoulder, he tightened his grip on her as he turned to ease from the room. He abandoned games, wine and the hearth to travel through the castle depths to the guest quarters where he had intended Lenore and her waiting staff to have plenty of room and privacy for their own business.

Of course, making the journey with her in his arms, it did seem a rather long distance to travel. He didn't consider it terribly though as it allowed him to continue to hold her, monopolizing time he might otherwise lose on a hand off with the maid servants. In fact, he made a concerted effort in the corridors to avoid them.

He arrived to her bed chambers. It would be considered rude to admit himself to a lady's chambers without invitation first. Yet, he shouldered in knowing he could be breaking her confidence and trust, all so he could be the one to set her gently upon her bedding. He did so slowly in an attempt to not disturb her sleep, even going so far as to use his index finger to move some of her red hair back to be behind her pointed ear.

"Sleep well, my dear," he whispered softly.

Diplomacy and Romance

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