Private Tales By The Pale Moonlight

[Vaxyr]

He enjoyed her shock, but that was ruined by the seemingly cheerful attitude that followed.

She even stepped past him and into his room!

Vaxyr turned on the spot. He frowned down at the mortal. This, too, did not seem to send her scurrying away.

"Mmm," he went, stepping back into the room. He pulled out a chair for himself.

"You may sit," he said. The second chair did not look as well worn as the one he took.

"Such a thing is not always clear. Maybe a secret, maybe a promise. Perhaps I should sire a child with you so part of me can return to the world. Maybe you must simply save my life."

He lifted the mug and took a sip.

"This tea is acceptable."

 

[Lunabelle]

She blinked at him at the mention of siring anything with her. To stop herself from saying something that would get herself in trouble, she picked up her own cup of tea, sipped from the warm contents and pondered the options presented to her.

None of her secrets would be of any interest or much use to a man living alone in the Wilds.

She glanced around the room and realized none of the sprites were visible. Were the afraid of him or just giving them space?

Her gaze returned to Vaxyr and her head curiously tilted to the side. "Part of you can return the world... are you not able to do so yourself?"

 

[Vaxyr]

"You seem surprisingly calm given the events of the last day," Vaxyr observed.

It was slightly frustrating. All this time and a mortal brought him tea. No begging. No quaking in fear.

"No. I live in exile," he offered freely. One of the wisps would have told her anyway.

"This is acceptable tea," he decided.

 

[Lunabelle]

"I'm glad you like the tea." She offered with a small smile.

Her eyes lingered on his features, curiously glimmering with consideration. While he said very little, he had told her more than she expected. Then again, she'd not known what to expect from him in the first place. Encounters with an exiled fae were not exactly common place. Either they were reclusive or many never lived to tell the story.

Her thumb brushed along the rim of her cup as she cradled it between both hands.

"You weren't the one trying to kill me last night and you took some serious injuries defending me. So far, you haven't given me a reason to be afraid of you." She spoke softly, looking down at her reflection in the cup of tea.

"Is your exile of your own choosing or were you exiled? Is that why you can't leave?"

 

[Vaxyr]

Once again he found her calm demeanour irritating. He had been respected and feared. Then he had crossed too many lines and fear had become loathing and jealousy. And those had turned into plots against him.

"I do not wish to speak of that," he said plainly.

In reflection, that probably answered her question.

He was still in pain from the ordeal. That probably didn't help his temperament, but he felt no need to moderate himself.

"You often find yourself being chased by vampires?"

 

[Lunabelle]

She nodded with understanding when he made it clear he did not want to talk about his exile and didn't press him for further details. While curious, this was not the time to press him.

"No, actually. This was the first time I've seen one in person. I've heard stories, sure. We all have, but..." her words trailed off as she shook her head. "Not sure what I'll do if it's not safe to forage anymore. Don't the stories say that they live in covens?"

Her heart sank and she took a ragged breath. "What if there's more of them?" Dozens of questions raced through her mind; she kept most to herself. She pushed a curl out of her eyes as she looked up at Vaxyr.

 

[Vaxyr]

He regarded the human carefully. Vaxyr even leaned forwards across the table to take a closer look.

"Curious. You worry about more vampires with your scent than about being trapped here."

He didn't extend his wings and yet the shadows seemed to grow behind him.

"I used to be feared by mortals. You think I cannot do worse than some vampire scratching at your neck for a few minutes?"

One of the wisps appeared in the corner of the room as he raised his voice. This one was brave and stayed in place as they followed the conversation.

 

[Lunabelle]

Confusion flickered across Lunabelle's face as the fae's anger flared. She leaned back in the chair and carefully set the cup of tea down on the table. The corner's of her eyes narrowed at him as a frown settled over her features.

"At what point did I say I thought you couldn't? Why do you want me to be afraid of you so badly? Or is the opinion of one mere mortal so important to you?" She countered, unyielding.

"If you want me to be scared, then by all means. Make me."

 

[Vaxyr]

Vaxyr remained quite still. The wisp in the room made a small sound and vanished.

It need not have.

"I..."

Vaxyr leaned across the table, setting his hand down on it firmly.

"I have torn out the tongues of mortal, bound their souls to torture demons, split their minds in two... All for less than..."

"But I do not care what a mortal thinks!" he snapped, drawing his hand back to his lap.

 

[Lunabelle]

Lunabelle eyed him, unflinching; but she did not press him further. Her words seemed to have gotten through to some degree and that was enough for her. She took a deep breath to steady herself and picked up her tea for another sip, watching him over the brim of the cup as she struggled with the urge to smile.

Did he equate fear to respect, she wondered. He wouldn't be the first one to make the mistake, and he certainly wasn't the first she'd encountered during her brief existence in this world. Perhaps he just needed to see a different option.

"The wisps told me they weren't the ones to mend my wounds. Was that you?" She changed the subject as delicately as she could manage.

 

[Vaxyr]

Vaxyr sat in silence, attempting to stare the mortal down. She was on edge; he could hear her pulse racing.

He did not win the battle of wills. Her pulse slowed and she held his gaze.

Vaxyr could have used a word of power now she had offered thanks and given him that advantage. He could simply have used his strength and followed through on his threats.

That would have been cheating. A sign that he had lost his ability to influence a mortal woth presence alone. She should have been on her knees begging for freedom or quivering in fear.

"Yes," he went, turning his head away.

 

[Lunabelle]

"That was very kind of you." She said with a small, appreciative smile. It seemed now that she knew what was on the line for her thanks, she was more cautious with her words.

Lunabelle let the silence stretch between them as she finished the last of her tea. Vaxyr must have been alone here for a long, long time. Isolation took a terrible toll on the soul, she understood that; but she would not allow him to shout at her.

The quiet was filled by the ticking of a clock, the flickering flame in the fireplace. It was comfortable, relaxing had the fae not made an effort to put her on edge. She clicked her tongue and turned her gaze to the window. The sunlight poured through the panes of glass in beautiful golden rays.

"This must all be terribly boring to someone such as yourself." She mused.

 

[Vaxyr]

Vaxyr kept looking away. He drew his cup to his lips, forcing her to look at his profile as he took a sip.

She hadn't thanked him. She had been in a state of distress, nearly killed by a vampire. Not only had she fashioned a stake, but she had worked out how she had ended up in the situation.

"Terribly boring? This conversation? Yes indeed."

For a fraction of a second he thought he was terribly clever. Then he saw three sprites, they tittered at him. He glared and they did not vanish.

"It is quite tedious existing with these for company, yes," he admitted.

 

[Lunabelle]

Lunabelle rolled her eyes at his deflection and turned her attention to the wisps hovering in the corner, her expression softening. They were the ones she truly needed to thank for her survival last night, since they'd been the ones to guide her here in the first place. And they hadn't even demanded payment when she had thanked them.

Given Vaxyr's disgruntled demeanor with her presence, it stood to reason it wasn't his idea to save her.

"Maybe that's because they're afraid of you?" She wondered aloud. Frightened people rarely made for good conversation, why would spirits be any different?

 

[Vaxyr]

"Afraid of me?" he asked, with a shake of his head.

"It is because they are tiny half wits."

He pointed a claw in her direction and, for the first time, he offered a genuine smile.

"A wager!" he declared.

"You may hold a conversation with the wisps for as long as you want. If I am satisfied you manage to extract a meaningful, intellectual conversation then you will have won."

 

[Lunabelle]

Vaxyr's smile was infectious and unexpectedly charming, she couldn't help but grin in return. Intrigued, she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table, propping her chin on her hands. "A wager? Alright, but what are the conditions? Our interpretation of meaningful, intellectual conversation could vary wildly, after all."

"So, what would happen if I lost? What do I get if I win?" Excitement glittered in her eyes as she watched him.

Already the wisps had proven helpful, which she considered meaningful. Distractible did not mean the sprites were unintelligent of half-witted.

"Oh, and is there any topic I should avoid? I wouldn't want to get the little dears in trouble."

 

[Vaxyr]

Vaxyr leaned back, bemused by her reaction. He had missed the chance to mess with mortals by brokering deals and stacking the odds in his favour. He should have been delighted, but her lack of fear in seeing him for what he was concerned him.

She thought she was going to win this. She was trying to defeat him at his own games and she was happy about it.

"Hmm," he said, as he thought through the possibilities.

There was no point banning any topics he didn't want the sprites to talk about with her. She would only ask them when he wasn't present. What did she think she had in her hand of cards to play?

"I will be the ultimate arbiter of intellectual conversation," he said firmly. "If I win then I shall enjoy being right. I don't know, if you win then... What would make you more comfortable here?"

He usually knew what a mortal was greedy for before making a deal.

 

[Lunabelle]

"The ultimate arbiter of intellectual conversation." Her grin spread to a full smile and she shifted her chin to just one hand as she refilled both of their cups with the other.

"That is quite the title." Genuine amusement sang in her words. "A lot to live up to, really."

Setting the teapot back down, she shifted her weight and considered the question he'd given her. What would make her more comfortable? She wasn't familiar with the estate and did not know what was already available to her. What were the limits on the bond she'd accidentally forged last night?

"How about a tour of the grounds?" She asked, lifting her gaze back to his with a curious tilt of her head.