ph_logs | November Catch-All

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oc: lord erik osborne

November Catch-All

Who: Lord Erik Osborne & You
What: Open post for November shenanigans
When: Thru Nov
Where: All over town
Warnings: General vampire warnings that blood drinking is always possible for discussion/depiction, NSFW warning in some of these because he is, you know, the town whore, discussion of death. Will warn as needed.

Well, I don't know where they come from
The morning after his demise at the hands of Chris, during that carnival duel to the death, Erik finds himself sprawled out in the alley behind the Oak & Iron looking for all the world like a drunkard in a gutter. And, ew, why is he wet?

"Ugh," he groans as something steps on his chest. Something... alive? "A-ah," he sits up lightening fast, causing the cat that was treading on his chest to yowl at him indignantly as if he's being the rude one.

It isn't just one cat, either. There's a whole mob of them. They are rubbing up against him now, standing up on his legs and headbutting his back, meowing insistently like they are expecting something from him.

"What do you want?" he asks them, annoyed. "I don't have anything for you to eat."

But they sure do come
These cats are relentless. He's walking back to his home now looking like the pied piper with a parade of loudly meowing cats following behind. No matter what he tries to do to shoo them away, they just won't leave.

"I already told you, I don't have any food!" he practically pleads to them. "Just leave me alone!"

I hope they're comin' for me
A new notice goes up on the bulletin board:

Seeking:
Someone to help test the sturdiness of my new writing desk. Open to all comers, but especially certain newspaper employees who know the value of a good, hard endorsement. Call on me at any time.

Your Premier Whore,
Lord Erik Osborne.

Wildcard
Hit me up with anything at all. I love surprises.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{OOC: Should I be catching up on tags I have already? Yes. Am I starting a new one anyway? Also yes.}

At some point, either leaving his house or coming back to it, Erik is going to find somebody lounging by his front door. A new somebody he hasn't seen before.

Emery doesn't move from where he's seated, but looks up at Erik with a grin. "Hello, moon brother. How's tricks?"

(ooc: shh, i won't tell)

It's not unusual to find people waiting by his door, since that is the best way to contract him. But, that greeting is certainly unique. So is the scent he's catching from this new face. Best not to jump to conclusions, he cautions himself.

"The best in town according to my own opinion," he replies back smoothly. "But you don't have to take my word for it, if you care to come inside."

"Not in the mood for a fuck right now, but thank you for the offer." Emery says, "Of all the people here, you've got a scent I recognize. And since you aren't human, I probably won't have to be on my guard like I do with them."

That scent is probably heavily canine, and with associated woodsy smells, along with the metallic tang of old blood. Emery rises smoothly to his feet. He's well-muscled, in a compact, runner's build fashion, with browned skin and dark curly hair. His light blue eyes are a striking contrast.

And those eyes are watching Erik with some caution, though his smile is friendly. "I'm Emery Deluca. One of the wolfborn, should that mean anything to you, moon brother."

"The offers stands, in case you ever change your mind." But now he really is at a bit of a loss. That he's been spotted for 'not human' is not shock since he's been rather open about that lately, but... it still seems like something is getting lost in transmission.

One of his thin eyebrows lifts quizzically. "I am Lord Erik Osborne. And, while I do not know that term specifically, between what you've said and how you smell I can make a guess." Speaking of smell, Erik's own scent is masked by a fairly strong spiced cologne, but the rot of death and blood lingers beneath it. "I think if we are anything, it's cousins, not brothers. I am not a wolf. I am vampire." And he's reminding himself that there are other kinds of werewolves here, apparently, who do not share the same origin that the ones he's used to. Or else he might already be readying for a fight.

"I hope that won't be a problem?"

Emery laughs and shakes his head, "I shouldn't be surprised that people don't have the same stories here! Ah... I apologize for confusing you, Lord Erik Osborne. If I thought you were the same as me, I would call you wolf-kin. And you being a vampire is not a problem for me."

He bows, enough to bare the back of his neck to Erik -- a translation of wolfish submission, to show he's not a threat -- and then straightens up.

"It's an old story, which I could tell if you're interested. It's probably not true, except for the fact that vampires and werewolves are friends where I come from. And I can exchange some blood for your time, since you seem a busy man."

Erik's confusion grows with that bow, until he recognizes it for the submissive gesture it is. He's still wearing a baffled expression when Emery straightens up. Vampires and werewolves... friends? If he still relied on blood-pressure he might be feeling dizzy right about now.

"That's an enticing offer. Yes, I do think I'd like to hear it. The idea of werewolf and a vampire being friends is so foreign to me I may just need to hear it to believe it. Where I come from, we are mortal enemies. Obviously, I'm not intending to hold that standard here but you can imagine how strange this is for me."

"Oh. Well. I might be down for a tussle however you mean it, then." Emery winks. Fighting and fucking can have... blurry lines sometimes, when it comes to werewolves in a cohort pack.

Emery waits politely to be allowed into Erik's home, and will sit wherever he is directed to. "I might start with the story first, as fanciful as it is. It'll explain why I addressed you as 'moon-brother', at least."

"I thought you were propositioning me. I am the town whore, after all." Just to make that perfectly clear. "Not that I don't also indulge in romps just for fun. I am most certainly more of a lover than fighter." And a talker. He's a massive talker.

The door is opened with the turn of a key, and inside the home is austere, with no sign of any personal decorations outside of the heavy drapes and furniture.

"Have a seat on the sofa. I'm afraid I don't stock anything to drink besides water but I'll bring you a glass." He stores very little in the way of food and drink in his home for obvious reasons, but he does keep a terracotta pitcher in a cold dark place so the water will be chilled. Certain historic habits are returning to him since the technology is limited.

"Here," he says as he sets the glass on a the side table beside the sofa. Then he takes his own seat beside Emery, crossing one knee over the other and leaning in. "Begin wherever you think best. I'm all ears."

"I live in the forest and I don't have coin on me, but I'd be willing to pay in blood," Emery replies casually.

Emery sits on the sofa as directed, and says, "Thank you for the hospitality." When Erik sets the glass down, he takes it and sips from it.

"So this is the story, as it goes. Some of the wolf-kin worship Mother Moon as a goddess, and some do not, but most know the story." Emery leans back into the sofa and begins.

"A long time ago, the Sun took the Earth as a wife, and the children they had became humans. But Earth was not happy being married to the Sun, and was swayed by the sweet words of the Moon to set aside her marriage. The children of the Earth and the Moon are the vampires, who are hated by the Sun and cannot withstand his gaze without powerful magics to shield them."

"The Sun was furious at being cuckolded, and would have burned up the Earth and all their children, but clever Moon changed their shape to that of Mother Moon and soothed the Sun, saying that he could have her as well. And the children from that union are the werewolves."

"Although the humans don't remember their ties to our kind, werewolves know our Mother Moon is also Father Moon for the vampires, and we are friends in honor of our clever parent. So it has been, and let it ever be."

"I have made similar arrangements with others. It would be a welcome compromise." But he can table that discussion for later.

He listens silently to this story, and finds himself marveling at how different a world it must be to have such an origin tale. And here, again, he is met with that same curious realization that most creatures who call themselves vampire's, apparently, cannot exist safely in the sun. It's difficult to picture how restricting life would be under such a curse.

"Fascinating. Our origin is very different. I take it the vampires of your world cannot be touched by the sun. I have no such issue. We vampires have a Mother too. But, she is no planetary deity, she is a being almost as old as time itself. She is our god but she does not only exist in myth. Proof of her is tangible."

"They cannot, especially when they are young. But when a vampire gets older, more powerful... they might be able to weave protection spells for their own self." Emery listens to what Erik says, looking fascinated. "It must be comforting, knowing that your Mother goddess is real."

Emery takes another drink of the water.

"What I know is, it's been over a hundred years since our kind had to stop hiding from humans. Humans know about us, and sometimes have to live beside us, but many of them still hate. Many of them wish we were gone. Vampires, werewolves, and witches all."

"Spells? Yet another thing we do not have." Arguably, it is some kind of ancient magic that animates him, but he cannot call on it to work his own will.

"A comfort in some ways, terrifying in others. She is real, and her mandates are iron-clad. But I hope never to meet her, for it would surely be the end of me. Drawing the attention of a god can only mean trouble." Which is why he finds it strange how some in this town invoke their names so easily.

"Ah, now there is one thing we do have in common. Vampires and all other creatures of supernatural ilk are known in my world, too. We coexist in a somewhat tense peace. It was Mother who made that so when she appeared to personally sign The Accords, a law that binds us vampires not to harm humans. In exchange, the humans let us run our own affairs with minimal intrusion. The werewolves in my world explicitly refused to sign or abide by this law."

"I suppose you're right about that. I'm never all that comfortable tangling with something killable that I know is stronger than me, anyway... I can imagine a god or goddess would be so much worse."

At the explanation about werewolves refusing to sign The Accords, Emery says, "Ah. I could... I could see that. It's hard to get different packs to agree, and if you were trying to get a consensus from all of them? I could see them just going 'fuck it, not worth the damn trouble'. Not saying it's right, just... with what I know of my people..."

"Mother can compel us by blood. If she commands us to kneel, then we kneel. She could kill with a word." So, yeah, that's pretty intimidating.

As uncharitable as the thought is, he can't helping marveling that this is a rather surprising bit of humility coming from a werewolf. Not that he can speak much better for some vampires. Just because the commandment exists doesn't mean there aren't still bad actors within vampire ranks. When Mother is far away, her influence is weaker.

"This was more than just a refusal to bend the knee, however. This was a betrayal in blood. Werewolves are not a separate species. How to put this succinctly?" He taps his chin in thought.

"We vampires have the ability to take the form of animals. We always have. But, it comes at a risk. Inside us all lives a Beast, it is the bloodlust, the craving, the animal inside. We come closer to the beast in animal form. Sometimes, too close. Back in the time before, vampires began spending more time in their animal forms, mainly as wolves. They shed their human form and with it their humanity. They binged on blood and became so monstrous they were barely recognizable as vampires anymore. They liked to hunt humans and they were unwilling to give that up. So strong was that will to be something other than vampire that they were able to defy Mother. So they were cast out. It is now forbidden for any of us to take the form of a wolf, unless we also want to be cast out. Or killed."

Emery is silent for a long while after Erik explains how werewolves are related to vampires in his world. He drains his cup of water and fiddles with it in his hands, still thinking.

"The way you describe this Beast inside... it does sound familiar, in a way. There is something in me that enjoys the hunt, the kill, the blood. And I don't know for certain all of our history. But what I know... for me..." He looks up at Erik. "I am less human than the others. I'm one of the wolfborn. Born from a wolf and a were, born as a wolf... and maybe my humanity is deficient, but... they haven't had the best showing of things either, have they?"

Erik gives him the silence to think it over, so silent he isn't even breathing. Until he needs to talk again.

"No. They haven't. But it isn't as if my own kind are faultless. I can't help but wonder--and I'm sorry if this is a rude question--if you were born a wolf, why not stay as one? Or, do you not get to control when and how you change?"

{Feh, sorry. I just wanted to edit but then something weird happened.}

"To change is part of our nature, just like Mother Moon. We normally have control of when and how we change, except on the night of the full moon. Whatever form I am in, another will be chosen for me for the night. By their will and not mine."

A slight smile tugs at one side of Emery's mouth. "Besides, a wolf can't speak. Are you tired of hearing my voice already?"

"So, if I ever want to know what phase of the moon it is, you're the man to ask." He's trying to make light of something that sounds deeply troubling. But, maybe that's his own fear seeping through just a touch.

"No. I don't think I'll tire of it any time soon. You're very charming--just my type."

Emery shrugs, but smiles at the joke, weak as it is. "There are sillier talents. But I'm more accurate than an almanac."

It's the second part of what Erik says that gets a true laugh out of Emery. "You may be the first person to call me charming. At least to my face." Fun, sure. Wild, definitely. Not so much with charming.

He's a beast and he knows it. Revels in it.

"But who knows. Maybe you're the type to like a romp in the woods, despite appearances."

"Now, don't sell yourself short. You're personable, affable, and very good-looking. How is that not charming?" He didn't say you were polite.

"You should know that appearances can often be deceiving. I'm not afraid to get my hands and knees dirty when the occasion arises. So long as I can have a bath sometime after."

Emery grins, and the slightly too-sharp appearance of his teeth is probably more noticable with all of them on display. He teases lightly, "Could always toss ya in the river afterward."

(In truth, he wouldn't do that. But maybe it's a test, to see how Erik reacts to Emery saying something outrageous.)

Erik has to resist not showing off his own teeth in childish retaliation. "You could try. But you would have to catch me, first."

"Well," Emery chuckles, "you just let me know when the chase is on, Lord Erik."

For now, though, Emery moves a little closer on the couch. "You've indulged me and listened to my storytelling. I do think I owe you that compensation for your time. You just let me know where you'd rather bite."

"You'll know when it is," Erik replies back with a playful grin.

Emery moves in and Erik casually drapes an arm behind him on the sofa. "I won't say no to that. I prefer the neck; Call me traditional. I won't take much."

"Do you want to sit in my lap for easier access?" It's said in a teasing tone, but Emery wouldn't mind if Erik actually did.

As it is, he leans closer to Erik and tilts his head to expose the side of his neck, where the major veins are.

November Catch-All

Wildcard

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