A medical emergency

[fadingworld]

A deep navy cloak hides his features and the more ornate tunic the courtesan usually wears to greet his clients. Mal hunches his shoulders and slides through the crowds hoping to avoid notice. He keeps his head down until he reaches the home of the doctor and wraps smartly on the door. "Open up," he calls in a voice that expects to be listened to.

How much time did he have? He could not have a client bleeding out. Not this one. Not one who had come to him for help, to be treated privately.

Comments

[mandragoraspiritus]

"Ah, well..." Regis looks up, his expression almost a little sheepish. "As it would happen, you are my first."

He had mentioned outer relationships and affairs, this is true. But he had never said they were human.

[fadingworld]

Mal starts to sit up in surprise. "Ow," he says with a rueful laugh. "Sorry, I never thought I would be anyone's first human. How come there has never been one, have none caught your attention before?"

[mandragoraspiritus]

Right away Regis is up on his knees beside the bed, gently but firmly pushing Mal back dow to lay still.

"Never in such a way that I have wished to truly get involved with them. There has certainly been those where I have appreciated their appearance or personality, or both. But it has never before ventured from idle thoughts into action."

[fadingworld]

Mal lays back with good grace and a smiled apology. But this was interesting and not in a ego boosting way! He supposes after a long life Regis will not have narrow tastes. That would get boring after a hundred years or so.

"I will give you a wjole new set of tastes and interests," he teases.

[mandragoraspiritus]

It is in all truths a fair compliment to Mal, this this time Regis has been interested enough, has developed such fondness for Mal to have moved past his reservations.

He laughs, settling back down on the floor again with his legs folded up under him. "Oh yes, I am certain you will. You have gotten quite the start on that already."

[fadingworld]

Mal grins, he does enjoy that. It is a pleasure to make Regis start looking at things differently.

"So this lady," he says all light and teasing, "What was she if she wasn't human?"

[mandragoraspiritus]

"Hmm?" Lady? Oh, yes, he had told him a little of his adventures in Beauclair, hadn't he? "Ah, Natanis? She was a succubus. Or, is, I should say. Last I heard she was still very much alive and well and enjoying herself."

[fadingworld]

There is a faint giggle burbling up from Mal. To him it is funny that a succubus and then a whore could tempt Regis. "I have to admit that she would be interesting to meet. What fate did you save her from?"

[mandragoraspiritus]

"I did save her from the utterly jealous noble wives of Beauclair," he says, actually looking a little cocky as he grins up at Mal, teeth flashing.

"They were quiet upset, you see, that she was, ah, sunnying herself in their husbands' attention, shall we say? So they had convinced the duchess to hire a witcher to take care of the problem, seeing as a witcher was already at her court. The husbands, however, were willing to match the price offered for Natanis' head if he would just leave her alone.

But, since I had already had an encounter with the lady in question, I convinced Geralt to allow me to take care of matters in my own way, by.. Well, simply by keeping her attentions focused sorely on my humble self."

[fadingworld]

There is no stopping the quiet giggles now. This story appeals to Mal so much. "And that was such a chore for you," he says.

"I like that a lot," He admits. "It was an elegant, happy solution. She didn't deserve to be punished for being who she was."

[mandragoraspiritus]

"Oh, it was exhausting at times, I will say, but I would still hardly call it a chore." He shakes his head, still smiling. "It was fun while it lasted. She was content with the solution, as was I. If not for more pressing matters calling on us all to leave Beauclair, I might have been tempted to stay longer."

[fadingworld]

Mal listens with warmth. "You must miss her from time to time. You will go back some day, I am certain." He can accept it with great ease that there will be people after him for Regis, just as there had been people before.

"Will she have to leave Beauclair at some point to find other men with less troublesome wives?"

[mandragoraspiritus]

"During my last stay in Toussaint, I heard that she had taken up on of her past lovers again, one of the men with a jealous wife." He shrugs. There isn't a shred of jealousy in him about that fact. "I do not think she cares so much, if she incurs the wrath of other women. And there were other matters for the duchess to deal with."

[fadingworld]

"Only if they set a witcher on her." Mal smiles. The Madame's two attempts to get him back over the past months had been pathetic. It must have been even more laughable for a succubus to have someone air their grievances with her.

"Was she your first succubus?"

[mandragoraspiritus]

The madame's tries to draw Mal back to her had indeed been laughable and Regis had watched with glee as Mal had spurned her.

"No, I have had a few brief encounters with them before, but no more than the rare, single nightly visit. Natanis was the first I actually came to know and care for."

[fadingworld]

Mal cocks his head on one side. "How many people have seduced you over the years, or is it usually all other way around?

[mandragoraspiritus]

"It feels rather crass to keep count, so I haven't. But, there were some, during the days I still overindulged in blood. Pointless and emotionless moments, really, that if I'm honest only happened because they were offered. I was rather shy in my youth, something I masked by drinking and by donning a mask of over-confidence." Not unlike what could often happen with humans, the was he tells it.

"Later, when I had entered into sobriety and was living in Dillingen, learning my craft, there would sometimes come a visitor to my bed. In those days I learned to appreciate it for what it was. That it was temporary did not make it meaningless, I found. One can spin quite the world to stay comfortably in, if only for a night or two." Something he hardly needs to tell Mal, Mal probably knows that even better than he does.

[fadingworld]

Mal nods in understanding. Still temporary was only good for a time, eventually everyone wanted something more long lasting. A companion at least to share happiness and hard times with.

He smiles, this also told him that Regis did not share his heart easily. He knew he was very lucky.

"I understand, there is a time and place for all kinds of connections with people." He gently runs a hand through Regis' hair. "Forgive me, but you fascinate me. And it fascinates me to find some parallels to each other in parts of our lives."

[mandragoraspiritus]

Regis hums, leaning against the side of the bed and tilting his head back into that hand in his hair, encouraging it to continue.

"Our races are exceedingly different to each other," he muses. "In how we are made, how we function. Our behavior, our customs. Yet, in some ways, we are almost achingly similar." At least Regis fins that in himself, but then he has chosen to live among people, rather than isolate himself like so many vampires does.

[fadingworld]

Mal keeps light pressure against the scalp as he continues the hair stroking. "We are," he says softly, "I think because we are capable of feeling and expressing the same emotions. The capacity to feel for others has always been at the heart of humanity for me."

[mandragoraspiritus]

Regis hums his agreement. In that way, they are indeed alike. Sitting there, simply talking like this, Regis feels a surge of deep affection for Mal. To think that this fragile human man caught his heart so securely that despite his concerns he has become so involved with him.

[fadingworld]

Mal feels it and a happy flush spreads over his cheeks. He half shuts his eyes again. The warmth from Regis leaves him feeling warm and safe.

"I am honestly glad," he says sleepily, "that there is not one client that I can think you remind me of, even in the slightest."

[mandragoraspiritus]

That is why Regis behaves the way he does in their intimate moments, to remind Mal as little as possible of his past life. It doesn't always work as intended but they are both still learning.

"I am glad of that too," Regis says softly before he turns and rises somewhat, to press a gentle kiss to Mal's forehead. "Go back to sleep, dear."

[fadingworld]

Mal's face relaxes towards sleep. "Hope nothing tries to get into night," he mumbles as he slowly dozes off.

[mandragoraspiritus]

As it turns out, there are things that goes bump in the night. Hours later when it has become fully dark, Regis sits listening to the sounds of paws on the ground outside. Heavy creatures by the sounds of it but still surprisingly light on their feet with the kind of gait he would associate with a predator. Or, predators, here. There are more than one. Four, maybe five.

He gets up and approaches the door. Before opening it he sniffs the night air that comes through the cracks and picks up the stench of rotting meat. Ah. Necrophages. Opening the door he sees them. Ghouls, three of them within his line of sight and he can hear more behind the cabin. Yet he isn't worried. He hisses at them, low and warningly, and that is all it takes. They gather and scuttle off, to find easier prey.