Kersen

[autcaesar_autnihil]

It had been some weeks since Cesare and Kersen had been so rudely interrupted by business... just when they'd almost certainly been about to get to the good bit, as they said. Cesare had promised to return sometime, and the long wait had not been intentional. He'd had certain things on his mind, certain plans to make, and very little time to troll piano bars for one of the most gorgeous creatures he'd ever seen. Which was, in fact, saying quite a lot.

But now, dressed simply and elegantly in black and silver-gray, Cesare returned at last. He had the car drop him outside and meant to go straight in, but was distracted by a flash of red in a nearby alley. "Come here, pretty boy," a low, melodic female voice said sweetly.

Smirking, one hand poised to go for the knife he kept inside his Burberry jacket, his mind searching for the reassuring feeling of the other in his boot, Cesare went. Possibly he was being mistaken for a John. Which would not, on some evenings, be so much a mistake. Possibly he was being mistaken for a rich, easy mark for a pickpocket.

Either way, he was certain he could handle it.

He turned the corner into the dark alley and opened his mouth to speak--

But was cut off by a sudden hand wrapping around his windpipe and slamming him into the brick wall behind. He'd gone for the knife in his coat on instinct, but it clattered to the ground with the surprising, far-too-fast impact, and Cesare's head swam. How is it possible? How could anyone move that fast? No one can move that fast, not even Micheletto...

"Ohhhh, you're so pretty and warm..." that throaty voice said in his ear. "I'm gonna eat you all up..."

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[autcaesar_autnihil]

Cesare's hand went to the small wound at his neck when Kersen mentioned it; his fingers came away bloody, but it didn't hurt in the least. The bitch had bitten him! He was about to ask what that was supposed to mean, 'it should be fine'...

But then he glanced up to see Kersen's look of disappointment over his dress. And Cesare barked out a sudden, dark laugh. "You just turned some homicidal bitch to dust with a high heel, and all you can think is, 'My dress'." It was neither good or bad, it just was. And that was the most ridiculous thing imaginable, at the moment.

[kersen]

Kersen could smell Cesare's blood in the air. And it was distracting as hell.

"She will no longer have to worry about her clothes," Kersen said. Then he looked at Cesare for a long moment and said, "And here is where I ask you if you already knew anything about vampires at all, or if your life just changed forever. Probably not for the better, to be honest."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

Cesare narrowed his eyes. If he knew Kersen better, he would've been able to judge if it was some kind of joke. A lie. A set-up to catch the Borgia son off guard, to make a fool of him. He looked at the blood on his hand. Then looked up at Kersen again. "Possibly my life has just changed forever.

"If this isn't some elaborate hoax."

[kersen]

"I'm going to get you a drink," Kersen said. Telling, not asking. "Scotch? Bourbon? Brandy? And you can wash up if you want, bathroom's through there..." He pointed.

[autcaesar_autnihil]

Like hell Cesare would be drinking anything Kersen gave him until he was certain of his position. But he could play along for now. He wanted to play along for now. The shock was fading, his mind calculating possibilities right and left.

If it was a trick, he needed information. Who, how, and why? It was a lot of trouble for Rover to go to, and where the fuck would he have gotten such special effects? What the hell kind of drugs had he used? Nothing Cesare had ever heard of, let alone seen. He felt... fine.

"Scotch," he said. "Get yourself one, too. It'll make the explanations more pleasant."

[kersen]

Kersen ducked into the closet for a moment as well, and when he emerged the dress was off and he had a short black silk robe on instead, though all of his undergarments were still on underneath. And the long black wig. He couldn't help but care what Cesare thought of him.

As he poured the scotch he tried to decide what to tell him.

[autcaesar_autnihil]

In the bathroom, Cesare splashed water on his face, pushed back his unruly curls, and dabbed at the shallow wound in his neck. Slightly more and it would've pierced the jugular... and he'd be spurting.

Only then, looking himself in the eye, seeing all the shock and amazement he'd been repressing there, did he allow himself to consider the alternative explanation: what if it wasn't a hoax?

Kersen had moved like that madwoman. Kersen had known what to do. Kersen was obviously in control of some sort of scene here that had far more going on than drag shows, pianos, and good shiraz.

What if it was real? What if Kersen was one of them?

Possibly even more reason to get as much information as he could. For entirely different reasons.

Cesare stood straight, dried his face, and unbuttoned his shirt so the collar wouldn't rub at his neck, leaving it open to midway down his chest. When he emerged from the bathroom, he paused, looked at Kersen--Jesus Christ, but the man was beautiful. Beautiful enough to be a vampire, if there was such a thing, even. The hungry look that suddenly flashed behind his eyes was more than it had been last time, for a lot of reasons. And it all depended on the next five minutes.

Cesare went to him and held out his hand for the drink.

[kersen]

Kersen handed it to him, and watched the man carefully, trying to judge his reaction.

"Maybe you should sit down," he said, gesturing to the couch. "The first thing you should know, is that if you're feeling a bit... odd... a vampire bite can have something of a narcotic effect. It varies a bit based on the breed of vampire and based on the person. But it will wear off."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

Cesare was silent at first, burying his initial reaction (which was to be contrary and tell Kersen he'd prefer to stand) and settling into a nearby seat, careful to keep his face clear of anything but cold amusement and curiosity. "Or someone's drugged me to make me think I just saw... what I saw. But let's go with your explanation, for the moment."

He held the drink--which smelled divine. Wanted, needed a sip desperately at the moment. But didn't.

[kersen]

Kersen arched a brow. "Well, that's an interesting theory." He sat down as well, crossing his legs. Stocking peeked out from under the robe. Not that he'd known Cesare was coming.

"I don't blame you for not drinking the scotch then," he added. "Look. You could just go with that theory, leave now, fall into bed, and it will all seem hazier in the morning. And if our paths cross again I won't even correct you. Or I can tell you what's really going on and I can prove it to you. I honestly don't know which would be better. Probably the first option."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

Cesare's gaze flicked down to the stocking briefly, then back up to meet Kersen's eyes. The small, almost satisfied smile reappeared. "You don't know me that well, Kersen. But probably well enough to know that isn't an option at all.

"Tell me what's really going on." A slight pause, a slight cocking of his head. Another glimpse at the stocking. "Show me."

[kersen]

Kersen followed Cesare's gaze. The hint of sexual tension wasn't making the lingering smell of Cesare's blood any easier to deal with. Though at least it wasn't as strong as before.

He waited for a few seconds, and then clicked out his fangs.

[autcaesar_autnihil]

There was a rush of blood and adrenaline, similar to the all-too-recent one from the alley outside, the moment he'd been put against a wall, the moment he'd known he'd have to go for his knife, the moment he'd been afraid he was outmatched, at last, for real, for good. For perhaps a split of a second, it was terror.

And then, before the second clicked past even, it was a thrill. And it was a need. Cesare leaned forward in the seat, gaze now fixed on Kersen's mouth. So, so pretty, and now, like so many pretty things, so deadly.

"What happens, when you bite them? Really bite them, not that little nibble I got outside." He still wasn't ruling out the hoax theory. But now, oddly, he was nursing a mad, absurd hope that it wasn't.

[kersen]

The fact that Cesare seemed more intrigued than scared... maybe Kersen shouldn't be surprised, after that bit with the knife outside.

"Are you asking if I kill people?" Kersen asked. His fangs retracted again, leaving only white teeth against red lips. "No. Mostly I drink blood from a wine glass. Or... volunteers, who don't come to any harm. But can a vampire drain someone? Certainly." Pause. "You handled yourself well, considering you didn't know what you were going up against. I recommend replacing that knife with one made of pure silver."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

Now he mentioned it, Cesare could absolutely see Kersen drinking blood from a wine glass. He smiled again, and this time it reached his eyes, crinkling them slightly even as they remained fixed on Kersen's face. "I will." And I'll make sure Lucrezia keeps one on her at all times, too. Not to mention Michael. What bloody use is a bodyguard who isn't prepared for everything?

Kersen was right: the world had changed suddenly. But it had always been hostile, for Cesare, for his family. And every hostile party had their weaknesses. Again, it was possible the Kersen was steering him wrong, setting him up for something, vampire or no. But for the moment, it served no purpose to argue or demand proof of the silver matter.

"What was I up against, though? Speed, strength--I've never seen anything move like that. All that power." Cesare licked his lips. Lifted the drink slightly. But didn't drink. Not yet.

[kersen]

"Speed, strength, yes," Kersen said. "Nearly impossible to kill. And some have minor mind control powers. The narcotic effect of the bite, and our blood can have healing properties."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

Cesare's mind had begun separating the rush from the images, now he had some distance, and he could parse them. The way his blade had little effect on the mad woman, though the wound would've had anyone on their knees screaming. The way the woman had sliced at Kersen, destroying his dress but leaving him utterly unscathed. The small wound at his neck where a human bite would've left something much, much messier. The undeniable effect it had had on him...

Of course, he couldn't show his hand and ask what he wanted to: Apart from silver, what are your other weaknesses.

Or, even more importantly: How the fuck did you find such power? Were you born with it? Was it given? How

He lowered his gaze again, this time taking Kersen in with what felt like new eyes. And, finally he sipped at his drink. "She must've been desperate. Are volunteers hard to find?"

[kersen]

"If you know where to look, not so much," Kersen said. Though Kersen didn't really do that. When he said volunteers, he mostly meant when he happened to have sex with someone.

"Though some just don't care about the volunteer part. There are evil humans. And there are evil vampires. And there's a lot about this life that can push someone over the age. Even if it's just age."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

"I know it better than most," Cesare said, just a hint of his usual darkness gathering at the edges of the words. He still wasn't sure Kersen knew who his family was, but if he did, no explanations would be necessary. "How long have you been this beautiful then, Kersen? And how long will you be?"

[kersen]

Kersen had been expecting that question. He told the truth. "Four hundred years and some change," he said. "And... until I die of some unnatural cause. You're taking this very well, Cesare."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

In truth, Cesare couldn't wrap his mind around it. Four-hundred and something years. Kersen might've known Rembrandt, Mozart, Ramanujan. He pushed it away for later, as he did all things he was uncertain of, to be dealt with when he was alone and could spare the moment of mental vulnerability. He'd had one too many of those already, tonight.

"I won't pretend to have completely wrapped my mind around it yet... but there are options, when it comes to that sort of thing. I can panic, deny, run. I can insist on living in ignorance." I could turn my back on a source of power like no Borgia has ever seen; like no Rover ever will. Cesare looked directly, deeply into Kersen's eyes as he finished with: "Or I can believe what my own senses tell me. I can look directly into the face of the truth and make it mine."

Was he there yet? No, not quite. An unshakable voice in his head that some might call 'paranoia' but a Borgia called 'survival instinct', insisted that a little trick of the teeth proved nothing. But he'd come to that. Eventually.

[kersen]

"And how... do you plan to do that?" Kersen asked, find himself having a bit of a response to the phrase make it mine. "Any more questions?"

[autcaesar_autnihil]

"Hundreds," Cesare assured him, a flicker of a smirk playing at his lips. "Which is part of making it mine.

"I mean to understand it. To really, fully explore it. Inch by inch." Cesare's gaze drifted downwards again, his voice acquiring a certain roughness. It was a gamble, of course. For all he knew, Kersen had meant to drag him down here and drink him dry the other night before they were interrupted. He should wait until he had the silver knife, at least, before playing this card. He should master his impulses, draw it out, play it smart.

But he didn't want to. His blood was up too high, from the attack, from the flash of terror at this new knowledge, from the rush of impossible potential power so close, now; Cesare wanted something entirely different, just then. "Until I know it, as I thought I knew the truth before. Until it speaks to me clearly. Until it becomes a part of me, and I of it, no matter how briefly. That's the best way to make a thing yours, Kersen."

[kersen]

The innuendo could not go unnoticed. And it was probably a bad idea. Not that that made Kersen shy away from it.

"Cesare..." he said after a moment. "You should leave, if you want to. I mean, not that I... I have a great deal of self restraint, actually. More than most vampires. You're safe with me. But you're looking at me like you're the one who wants to do the devouring, and the scent of your blood is still lingering in the air..."

[autcaesar_autnihil]

That spike of terror in him again. Cesare grabbed it, mastered it, channeled it. The entire situation, his senses all sharpened, his muscles tight and ready to spring. It'd do him no good, though. If Kersen wanted to take him out, there was nothing, absolutely nothing Cesare could do to stop him.

Or was there? Somehow, he doubted it was standard vampire practice to assure a potential victim of their safety before taking more than was offered.

After a short pause, Cesare tilted his head slightly, curiously, and said, "If you want me to go, I'll go, of course.

"If you like being looked at like it might be your turn to be devoured, for once, I'll stay. And you can help me understand."