His response was an expression that agreed, like a facial shrug of acceptance combined with a couple of small nods. "Ya might be right, it does sometimes feel as though some spaces seem ta shift when no one's lookin'. I don't have tha whole place memorized either but this one hasn't disappeared on me yet."
It was strange, it was true, but despite that almost magical quality to this library he quite liked it. He reached the door at the end and opened it, walked through and held the door for Astarion. The corridor was too small to let the other man pass him to go first, but inside the room was much larger than the outside conveyed. It was spacey enough for four to six people to move about easily, making it quite comfortable for just the two of them. The room was lightly decorated and held accommodations for relaxing with whatever media type from the library was a person's choice. All in all it was a cozy little space.
"What would have been doin' fer tha new year back in yer world?" He asked as they settled in.
"Not much different, truthfully. The larger holiday is the winter solstice. Then, I'd be slumming it in some raucous tavern down by the docks," he chuckles, nostalgia in his tone. "Watching the fireworks over the water, bonfires lit in the squares - usually trying to court some pretty thing so I wouldn't be spending the year's longest night all alone."
This is all mostly true, but absent of some important context.
"Fair enough. Speakin' of which..." Collins set his bag down and began to pull things out of it. Two glasses, two bottles, and some thin books carefully wrapped in thin paper. He slid the bundle of paper over towards Astarion--inside the elf would find sheet music for his lyre, including tabs for some pieces, a general hodgepodge of random music from all over the worlds to try out--and left it for him to take at his leisure.
The assassin moved onto the glasses and bottles. He set one of each in front of them. The bottle he set in front of Astarion didn't look particularly fancy but there was a unique notation on it. He opened the bottle and poured some into Astarion's glass. It looked (and in fact was) wine today.
"Now, you tell me how that hits ya and then we'll go from there."
In the meantime, he opened the second bottle and poured himself a lick of whiskey. He wasn't sure if the alcohol in Astarion's bottle would have any ill effect on someone not of the vampire's constitution but Collins figured why chance it. He distrusted most things magical anyway. But Astarion didn't and he hoped the gift worked as requested and if it didn't he'd just decry the admiral even more than he already did.
Astarion gives him a sidelong look, slightly unsure of what he's being told, then decides that if he's being being made a fool of then he can just skin Collins alive later. He lifts the glass, sniffs it discreetly and then takes a sip.
It...tastes like wine. Not vinegar or ditchwater or sour milk, but wine, a rich sharp red.
He hasn't properly tasted anything except blood in two centuries.
He takes another sip, tries to pace himself; for all he knows, the contents of that bottle are all he's getting.
From that reaction Collins deduces that at least part of the gift came as requested, the most important part honestly, and the assassin smiled happily to know it.
"I got it while we could from the admiral fer all tha festivities. I debated on it, wasn't sure it would work, but if yer tellin' me it's good... well, then I'm pleased ta have a drinkin' partner." He rose his drink in hand again and took another sip in celebratory cheers. "It might please ya ta know that--if it works as requested--there will be another drink waitin' fer ya tomorrow. And if...if ya want ta change it, well, there's supposed ta be a way fer that, too."
Although he couldn't possibly begin to understand how it worked, he had refined the request as the thoughts hit him. He only hoped they worked as sought out because he honestly didn't know anything about magic, especially from other worlds than his own. As far as he had been concerned it had been a long shot. But now he was glad he made the request anyway.
Astarion reaches for the bundle of papers, lightly leafing through the sheet music. Mostly for something to do with himself. He's not really accustomed to receiving gifts.
"As much as I loathe feeling even a scrap of gratitude to the Admiral, this is...very thoughtful of you, darling. Thank you."
"Oh, trust me. I hate that part, too. But no sense in lookin' a gift horse in tha mouth I decided."
He watched Astarion leaf through the sheet music for a moment then looked away to appear engaged in something else. There was really only his drink or a few books on shelves that he already had memorized and he had no interest in the books at the moment. He swirled his whiskey around in his glass for a bit before taking another sip.
"I'm glad ya like it. Seemed a shame when we talked about it before."
"It is. Not that I'm complaining. I'll take the immortality in exchange for
a fair few downsides, naturally, but...truly, I thought I'd forgotten how
wine even tasted."
A pause, and another thoughtful sip.
"...Did you ask the Admiral to make me able to get drunk on this?"
That caused Collins to pause for a moment. Then he realized what Astarion was telling him: that he did the whole vampirism and drank the bear's blood. And apparently got intoxicated on it. He laughed.
"That so? So ya can get drunk off a victim's blood, can ya? Wouldn't have expected that." Nor the bear part. "Have ta ask: why were ya drinkin' from a bear, lad?"
"Ah, well - I hadn't disclosed certain details about myself to those I was travelling with," he says. "I wasn't yet in a position to trust them not to start sharpening their stakes, and we were travelling through the wilderness with few other people around. So - animals were my best bet."
A pause.
"I don't usually go after anything that large, but the bear started it."
"It wasn't easy," Astarion agrees. "But we were brought together by
a....common problem. And the forces causing that problem were much larger
than I could have ever hoped to deal with alone. Safety in numbers," he
concludes, with a slight shrug.
Collins seemed to consider that for a short moment before he nodded in acceptance. He hadn't run into trouble he couldn't handle on his own but he made an effort to know how to win the game before he played it. Then there was larger matters like this place--he could see where getting mixed up in something that wasn't planned for and was much larger scale than usual might mean taking extra steps to win. Including using pawns to get close enough to the target to finish it.
"I see," he said with one last nod. "Whatever it takes ta get tha job done. Must have been somethin' major ta force ya ta do what wasn't usual, I take it."
"Oh - gods of death, a threatened mass invasion of brain-eating monsters, mad cultists. World-ending matters." He sighs. "Really needed the attention of heroic types with experience of such apocalyptic situations, but I got thrown into the mess as well."
His eyebrows rose slowly as Astarion said his list. "Aye, that would do it I suppose. Sounds like an adventure no one would want ta take alone. Or at all." He tilted his head to one side. "How did that work out?"
"Ah," he nodded in understanding. "So it was all that that got ya. Can't say I'm surprised with a list like that." He pursed his lips briefly in thought. "Do ya think yer world's doomed?"
"Maybe? I honestly don't care." He takes a long sip from the wine glass,
relishing it. "The place had very little to offer me even before people
started growing tentacles and eating their friends."
He paused to consider the implications. It wasn't necessarily that he hadn't heard the rumors of such being true, but that he hadn't put much thought into it. "You would go ta someone else's world then?"
He seemed to consider it for a little while longer as he sipped his drink for a moment. Then he waved his hand dismissively in the air as if to scatter the thoughts like flies.
"To tha future not bein' on fire," he said in toast and took one more drink before needing to refill his glass. "Fer now, let's have a bit of relaxation and fun. Leave tha serious thoughts behind fer a while at least."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-01-02 09:39 pm (UTC)It was strange, it was true, but despite that almost magical quality to this library he quite liked it. He reached the door at the end and opened it, walked through and held the door for Astarion. The corridor was too small to let the other man pass him to go first, but inside the room was much larger than the outside conveyed. It was spacey enough for four to six people to move about easily, making it quite comfortable for just the two of them. The room was lightly decorated and held accommodations for relaxing with whatever media type from the library was a person's choice. All in all it was a cozy little space.
"What would have been doin' fer tha new year back in yer world?" He asked as they settled in.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-02 11:12 pm (UTC)"Not much different, truthfully. The larger holiday is the winter solstice. Then, I'd be slumming it in some raucous tavern down by the docks," he chuckles, nostalgia in his tone. "Watching the fireworks over the water, bonfires lit in the squares - usually trying to court some pretty thing so I wouldn't be spending the year's longest night all alone."
This is all mostly true, but absent of some important context.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-02 11:41 pm (UTC)The assassin moved onto the glasses and bottles. He set one of each in front of them. The bottle he set in front of Astarion didn't look particularly fancy but there was a unique notation on it. He opened the bottle and poured some into Astarion's glass. It looked (and in fact was) wine today.
"Now, you tell me how that hits ya and then we'll go from there."
In the meantime, he opened the second bottle and poured himself a lick of whiskey. He wasn't sure if the alcohol in Astarion's bottle would have any ill effect on someone not of the vampire's constitution but Collins figured why chance it. He distrusted most things magical anyway. But Astarion didn't and he hoped the gift worked as requested and if it didn't he'd just decry the admiral even more than he already did.
"Cheers, lad."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 12:03 am (UTC)Astarion gives him a sidelong look, slightly unsure of what he's being told, then decides that if he's being being made a fool of then he can just skin Collins alive later. He lifts the glass, sniffs it discreetly and then takes a sip.
It...tastes like wine. Not vinegar or ditchwater or sour milk, but wine, a rich sharp red.
He hasn't properly tasted anything except blood in two centuries.
He takes another sip, tries to pace himself; for all he knows, the contents of that bottle are all he's getting.
"...Good gods. How did you get this?"
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 12:35 am (UTC)"I got it while we could from the admiral fer all tha festivities. I debated on it, wasn't sure it would work, but if yer tellin' me it's good... well, then I'm pleased ta have a drinkin' partner." He rose his drink in hand again and took another sip in celebratory cheers. "It might please ya ta know that--if it works as requested--there will be another drink waitin' fer ya tomorrow. And if...if ya want ta change it, well, there's supposed ta be a way fer that, too."
Although he couldn't possibly begin to understand how it worked, he had refined the request as the thoughts hit him. He only hoped they worked as sought out because he honestly didn't know anything about magic, especially from other worlds than his own. As far as he had been concerned it had been a long shot. But now he was glad he made the request anyway.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 12:02 pm (UTC)"...I see."
Astarion reaches for the bundle of papers, lightly leafing through the sheet music. Mostly for something to do with himself. He's not really accustomed to receiving gifts.
"As much as I loathe feeling even a scrap of gratitude to the Admiral, this is...very thoughtful of you, darling. Thank you."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 01:34 pm (UTC)He watched Astarion leaf through the sheet music for a moment then looked away to appear engaged in something else. There was really only his drink or a few books on shelves that he already had memorized and he had no interest in the books at the moment. He swirled his whiskey around in his glass for a bit before taking another sip.
"I'm glad ya like it. Seemed a shame when we talked about it before."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 06:59 pm (UTC)"It is. Not that I'm complaining. I'll take the immortality in exchange for a fair few downsides, naturally, but...truly, I thought I'd forgotten how wine even tasted."
A pause, and another thoughtful sip.
"...Did you ask the Admiral to make me able to get drunk on this?"
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 07:57 pm (UTC)"This would have to be exceptionally strong wine to get me more than tipsy on one bottle," he says thoughtfully. "But we'll see how close I get, mm?"
He has no idea what vampirism has done for his alcohol tolerance.
"The last time I got intoxicated it was from drinking a bear."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 05:55 pm (UTC)"That so? So ya can get drunk off a victim's blood, can ya? Wouldn't have expected that." Nor the bear part. "Have ta ask: why were ya drinkin' from a bear, lad?"
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 06:03 pm (UTC)"Ah, well - I hadn't disclosed certain details about myself to those I was travelling with," he says. "I wasn't yet in a position to trust them not to start sharpening their stakes, and we were travelling through the wilderness with few other people around. So - animals were my best bet."
A pause.
"I don't usually go after anything that large, but the bear started it."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 06:42 pm (UTC)He raised his glass in toast and then drank from it.
"Why were ya travelin' with those folks? Sounds like it was more trouble fer ya ta travel with others."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 07:36 pm (UTC)"It wasn't easy," Astarion agrees. "But we were brought together by a....common problem. And the forces causing that problem were much larger than I could have ever hoped to deal with alone. Safety in numbers," he concludes, with a slight shrug.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 11:23 pm (UTC)"I see," he said with one last nod. "Whatever it takes ta get tha job done. Must have been somethin' major ta force ya ta do what wasn't usual, I take it."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-07 12:44 pm (UTC)"Oh - gods of death, a threatened mass invasion of brain-eating monsters, mad cultists. World-ending matters." He sighs. "Really needed the attention of heroic types with experience of such apocalyptic situations, but I got thrown into the mess as well."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 03:01 pm (UTC)Astarion barks a quick laugh.
"Well, I died," he points out. "So, suffice to say that I have some reservations as to our progress."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 06:36 pm (UTC)"Maybe? I honestly don't care." He takes a long sip from the wine glass, relishing it. "The place had very little to offer me even before people started growing tentacles and eating their friends."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:07 pm (UTC)"No, no. But my options aren't merely the Barge and the Sword Coast. If one graduates, they can go wherever they please."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:55 pm (UTC)"I'd happily pick one at random," Astarion says, shrugging. "As long as it's not on fire, it'll be an improvement."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 08:10 pm (UTC)He seemed to consider it for a little while longer as he sipped his drink for a moment. Then he waved his hand dismissively in the air as if to scatter the thoughts like flies.
"To tha future not bein' on fire," he said in toast and took one more drink before needing to refill his glass. "Fer now, let's have a bit of relaxation and fun. Leave tha serious thoughts behind fer a while at least."
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