interposal | In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone

[ Shadows clung to his dusky skin, lingers fingers of the clouds dripping down touching the ground and bring with it a hint of old bones and empty crypts. He smiled, reaching up to tap slender fingers against his lips, the silver rings on his hand glittering and then Tarr growled, low and exasperated, and the human mage laughed. ]

Well, you're no fun. I'm not allowed to joke when you go off and toss yourself into danger?

[ Tarr's eyes narrowed, but he didn't move. In fact, he could feel some of the tension leave his muscles. If there was a mage around, they wouldn't have an easy enough task to take out someone like Dusty. ]

Shut up.

[ Dusty laughed and the shadows clinging to him faded away, his skin tone turning more golden than ash gray. Dressed in casual sleepwear, he had a bag slung over his shoulder and a lot of jewelry on him, some gold, some silver, but all of it looking like it had been grabbed and put on in haste. Giving the two vampires looks, he took a few pieces off and shoved them into his bag. ]

Relax. I'm not here to kill anyone.

[ While Dusty's presences seemed to have Ki-moon relax, it had about the opposite effect on Young-ho; tensing as he stood his ground, though his fangs did seem to retreat a bit. It's not for another couple moments that his arm starts shifting back into a legitimate limb rather than a blade as well. He's still wary, there's no doubt about that. ]

We didn't "toss ourselves into danger" - more like it threw itself at us. [ He says it with a small huff. Apparently irritation and exhaustion brought out the sarcasm in this one - or perhaps it was the fact that he knew he didn't have to be as formal here as he would normally. Though the sharp scent of the grave has him faltering for a moment. ]

... who are you?

Oh, I know but that one has the tendency of throwing himself into the path of sun bombs all the time.

[ Tarr's scowl deepened and Dusty fished out a bag of blood and a straw. He looked at Young-ho for a moment and then stepped around him to hand both to the older vampire, patting him on the arm fondly as Tarr grabbed it and stabbed the straw through the plastic. ]

His partner. You can call me Dusty.

[ Turning around he moved to one of the dead vampires, swinging his bag back and crouching down next to it. Dark stains twisted over his fingers, forming hooks and keys and daggers as he poked it. ] Bloodfangs?

[ Tarr made a face around his straw. ] You're not going to...

Too late. [ The body jerked, shadows clawing into the blackened skin, Dusty's face stern, cold. ]

Kim Young-ho.

[ He doesn't have anything to say at first beyond that (he's sure rumors of what he's trying to do have reached the other's ears, never mind whatever Ki-moon might've confided in him if he thought it were necessary. He trusted the elder with that much, at least), but it's not until Dusty mentions that he's Ki-moon's partner that his eyes widen slightly as he watches the mage slip past him to hand off the blood bag to the elder. ]

He never mentioned that you were shadowkin.

[ He knew why - he understood that probably better than most. It's more of an observation at this point. He would've been the same in talking about Molly if the incident that confirmed her relation to her ancestor wasn't so infamous in multiple circles. That and her heritage was a key point in why they needed to change things.

Dusty moving past the both of them to one of the remaining corpses of their attackers nearly goes unnoticed until the body starts to twitch. He tenses again, eyes narrowing as he sees the shadows seeping into the body. ]

Or a necromancer, apparently.

[ The blood was stale and lacking anything that he really wanted, but Tarr knew that most of that criticism came from his baser want for a living neck to bite into. He shoved it away and instead just drained the blood bag, watching Dusty as he started working his magic on the dead vampire. That was not very usual. Dusty didn't like to invoke his darker powers, letting his minor shadows do most of the work. But even he knew that there were times when Dusty needed his magic.

Feeling strengthened by the first blood bag, he walked over to Dusty and tugged on the bag, rooting out another bag to replace the drained one. Dusty didn't pull away from the body, but he did look up, making a face, and Tarr calmly stabbed the fresh bag and started drinking. The burned skin was knitting itself together and he didn't feel as shaky as he had been before. ]

Well?

[ The shadows had consumed the body hissing as they settled in and then there was a sharp crack as the surviving bones were twisted. ] Twice dead are not that easy to get to talk, brat.

[ Tarr rolled his eyes and stepped back and Dusty stood up, his fingers twisting as lines of shadows stretched from their tips to the twitching body. ] But I am good enough to know what they whisper.

[ The body became ash as the strings vanished. Dusty brushed his hands off and turned around to Tarr, poking at his cheek before he walked over to Young-ho and held out his hand, the shadowed forms gone and his skin a pleasant tan again. ] It's nice to meet you. Are you one of Tarr's strays?

[ He's silent again while Dusty tries to get the information out of the corpse and he frowns again, nose twitching from the scent coming from the blood bag. It was a sharp reminder that he probably should feed after all this.

When Dusty holds out his hand, he takes it firmly, his eyebrows raising slightly at the last question before shaking his head. ]

No. I'm ... a bit different. I'm sure that you may have had heard whispers of an attempt at an alliance between hunters and vampires, the young lord and the huntress with blood ties to one of our progenitors.

Ah? I suppose I have heard a little whisper about that.

[ He glanced back at Tarr, and then swung his bag around, humming as he pulled out another blood bag and a fresh straw, holding them both out to Young-ho. ] Here, you probably need a boost after getting a little tanned.

[ Tarr finished up his second bag and sighed, walking over to shove the empty into Dusty's bag. ] You're stalling.

And you are annoying. [ Dusty reached up with both hands and smushed them together, ignoring the glare that Tarr was giving him. It was probably one of those kind of moves that usually would have the offending person get smacked into the nearest building but that he allowed Dusty to do it showed his feelings far more then mere words. It still didn't mean that Tarr didn't do anything, he just turned his head and nipped at the long fingers on his cheek. ]

Brat. Fine. Does the name Han Sang-suk mean anything to you?

[ Young-ho blinks a couple times when the blood bag is presented to him - though he has the feeling that he really can't say no in this case at all. He takes the offered blood bag and straw and quietly inserts it. He drinks, eyes widening quite a bit more now that he's seeing the dynamic between the two of them.

It was ... odd. Kind of endearing, really.

But odd.

In all honesty, he's shifting on his feet a bit as he turns away, feeling a bit like he's intruding on a private moment between the two of them. He's about to speak up again when Dusty finally answers their question. ]

Sang-suk ... [ He lets out a huff of air, closing his eyes and looking almost disappointed - before he opens them again and nods, his eyes flashing red for a split second. ]

Yes. He's an elder Lord. Never was too fond of my ascension, never mind the talks of an alliance.

Though I hoped he wouldn't stoop to assassination attempts.

No doubt you did something and he felt threatened or that his pride was wounded... stop that.

[ Tarr had managed to catch one of Dusty's fingers and was worrying at it. Not hard, no, but it was almost like a playful cat that managed to catch a finger and wanted to show that there was no real malice to their play. Dusty managed to tug his finger free after a moment or two, scowling at the very obvious smirk on Tarr's face. ]

Waking me up and making me use my magic and now you're being a brat.

I didn't make you do anything you didn't want to do. [ Dusty's scowl deepened and Tarr ignored it as he turned back to Young-ho. ] He has a stronger base in the local council last time I checked.

Probably one or both. I wouldn't be surprised if he took offense to something my partner in this has done either, but they know they'll have almost quite literally hell to pay if certain parties catch wind.

[ One of the perks of Molly's ancestry being what it was, though it still made the both of them prime targets.

That slightly embarrassed feeling from intruding upon a private moment has come back, and Young-ho makes a pointed effort to look away, blushing slightly before he clears his throat to continue. ]

That doesn't surprise me. It would make it easier for him to be able to find Bloodfangs desperate enough to take the chance at ... this. And unless I have hard evidence to prove it, it will be my word against his. As much as I would like to put more faith in my fellow council members, I have both my youth and ideals working against me.

He probably feels that you don't have any true backing like her.

[Which was how things were in vampire society. Bloodlines mean a lot and when Molly's ties appeared, no one was willing to sink to certain moves because of how the most honorable ancestor would react. True she was a hunter and there would always be a chance to her days being numbered, but a full out assassination attack would not make the ancestor happy. ]

Idiot.

[ Dusty raised an eyebrow at Tarr and peers at him before turning towards Young-ho and blinks. Then he grinned and reaches over to squish his cheeks together, his hands cool and soft. ] Aww, are you blushing?

[ He doesn't want to admit it, but- ]

It's the best explanation we have so far. Considering it was a ... bit of a predicament with my ascension in the first place, as you know.

[ Never mind that he wasn't supposed to take the throne so early. Beyond that, as mentioned before, he knows that his youth also betrays his inexperience, despite his insightful moments.

Young-ho stiffens as Dusty squishes his cheeks, his face reddening even more at the contact. If anything betrayed how unused to he was with contact, it was this. His voice is even softer as he replies, voice muffled from the position he's in: ]

I'm ... Trying not to. Please stop.

Edited 2017-05-19 04:01 (UTC)

So cute!

[ It would take a lot to get Dusty to back away from a blushing vampire, even if he knew just how embarrassing it might be for someone of a prominent social standing. Tarr had told him at one time that he was like one of those grandmothers who would pull out all the baby books just to show off how much silliness a kid did right before calling them baby names. Dusty disagreed, but well, Dusty would disagree if he didn't like where Tarr was going with his words.

But probably to Young-ho's relief Dusty does end up stopping, but only because he was squinting at Young-ho like something was puzzling him. He dropped his hands and looked over at Tarr, who saw his expression and raised both eyebrows in a slow dawning horror. Dusty opened his mouth and Tarr pounced, attempting to cover said mouth with his hands.

He didn't make it. ]

Are you two related?

[ Embarrassing and never mind the fact that Young-ho still doesn't really know how to respond to that sort of contact, either. He had heard from Ki-moon about how his partner was a bit ... eccentric at times, but he didn't really think it was to this extent.

He does let out a breath that probably was more for show than anything else once Dusty gets his hands off his cheeks, tilting his head in slight puzzlement at the mage's odd look between himself and Ki-moon. His gaze flickers up to the elder vampire and he registers the movement before he really sees it, and the words come out of Dusty's mouth before he can stop it -

But Young-ho looks more confused than anything at this little exchange. It hasn't fully sunk in for him at this point, bless his heart. ]

Related? I ... what makes you say that? [ It's not like where Ki-moon is trying to stop Dusty from voicing the connection, it's more that the younger vampire actually, genuinely doesn't know where Dusty's coming from with the sudden question. ]

Edited 2017-05-22 12:34 (UTC)

You two feel -

[ Tarr finally got Dusty to shut up basically by covering the mage's mouth with his hands. Which meant that the mage was glaring up at the elder and making muffing sounds against his hands. ]

He has no reason to say tha - ow!

[ He jumped back and Dusty grinned, pointing at Tarr. ]

You are, why else are you hiding it?

[ Excuse him for a moment while he tries to process this. And it's definitely an attempt, because Young-ho's expression is almost comically exaggerated in its surprise when it's brought up. Wide eyes, mouth agape, and all. He's not sure what's got him more riled up (relatively - no pun intended): the continued embarrassment he's feeling upon seeing what he can only imagine as an intimate moment and subsequent reactions, or the fact that he and Ki-moon might actually be related. There had been some remarks made about how similar they were in demeanor from time to time, but he honestly took them as compliments than anything (even knowing that they weren't a lot of the time). ]

Is. [ He pauses. Though it would partially explain the elder's interest in him beyond agreeing with his attempted ideals. ]

Is this true, Ki-moon?

I hate you.

[ Dusty grinned and gave a little bounce on his heels, all but dancing at the expressions crossing Tarr's face. Well, expressions that he could read and others just had to guess at since he always had a good poker face. ] That isn't what you said yesterday.

[ He huffed and gave Dusty a look and the mage then turned back to Young-ho, still smiling. ] Surprise?

You are horrible and I didn't want anyone to know anything about it.

[ Dusty just waved his hand at Tarr as if that would keep him from voicing any displeasure about having his secrets just dumped out the way they were. Tarr continued to glare at the mage's back before huffing a sigh. ]

I had younger sisters when I was mortal. I felt sorry for being taken from the family and came back to make sure they were fine... and I just continued to keep track.

[ It's taking a few moments for him to process this further, but there is one thing that's clear right now - ]

I understand why you didn't want to come forward with this.

[ Yes, while blood was considered one of the strongest connections, especially with vampires, there still was the matter that Ki-moon was, while respected in some circles - still a loner. Clan affiliations were also important, and if their enemies caught wind, well. Things would get even messier than they already were. ]

I'm just. [ He lets out a semi-amused huff, running a hand through his hair. ] I'm surprised I didn't see the potential connection in the past when we've talked.

How long did you know?

Mm.

[ That was good. It was enough for him to actually say what he did without having to go into details when Young-ho was smart enough to understand. Vampire politics was messy enough as it is without the added weight of being related. It was one thing to have a bond through maker and child, it was something mush darker to have a bond through human ties. Look at all the trouble it caused Molly despite her relative being who he was. It would be much worse for Young-ho. ]

Much has changed and you can say that I don't speak as much to others for them to see the connection so easily. [ He shot a glance at Dusty who assumed a hurt innocent expression. ]

You're not that sorry.

A bit of a mixed blessing, I suppose. I don't think most of the others have picked up on it either, though I can't say for sure.

Though now I'm worried with this escalation that it might come out into the open anyway.

[ They had thoroughly destroyed the assassination squad, true - but that didn't mean that others didn't have eyes and ears around here either. It was why he had taken to trying to stay out of certain territories and flitted between them when he was in one of his more inquisitive moods. It would be too easy to trace back to him if he were spotted in certain areas for too long. ]

I would be lying if I didn't want to know more, however.

I never gave them reason to think that I have living bloodkin.

[ Because it would mean that they had something that could be used as leverage against him. Other vampires might not care about their living relatives, but the simple fact of Tarr keeping track of his could prove disastrous towards him. He wasn't prone to the usual vampire follies as his peers after all, despite his ties to a human mage. Especially a mage that was the boogeyman of the undead - a necromancer.

No. Leverage against a lone elder like him would be either through blood ties he acknowledges or anything close to romance and with that one avenue very dangerous to face, well they would go after the other. ]

I think more would be better discussed in a safe house then an alley, mm?

I know.

[ That still didn't stop some of the other council members from being more perceptive of how things went than either of them would like to be. He does nod, however. ]

Yes, of course. If you do not have one nearby, I might be able to find a ... friend that could help us.

[ It's still odd to say that, but he's pretty sure that Molly would insist on it again after everything. ]

We've been staying at a hotel. [ Dusty raised his shoulder in a shrug, swinging his bag around and dug into it. ] If we're leaving, let me set a clean scent bomb to cover everything here.

[ Tarr hummed in response, stepping closer to Young-ho, letting his voice drop. ] Don't worry, he is very good at that.

[ Most clean scents on,y worked to mess up tracking and even then they were easy to figure out by experienced spell casters. Dusty was far better then most, but that was partly because of his unique line of castors. It wasn't just his skills that went into making them; it was the skills of all those before him centuries of necromancers adding to the working. There were few mages that could match that collective skill and none most vampire lords could hire.

Dusty found the right bottle and shook it until the dull green potion turned a light red. He scraped the wax seal off an set it down, the potion bubbling like fizzing pop. Tarr flitted over to him, picking the mage up and moving before the bottle shattered from the pressure, washing the alley in a bright red light. ]

Lead the way.

[ Young-ho was about to pipe up, but if the mage was able to clear any traces of them, then he wasn't going to be the one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He simply nods, following Ki-moon out of the alleyway before the mage bomb went off.

Once they were in the clear, he nods, beginning to walk down the street, keeping his ruined sleeve out of sight as he digs for his cell phone. Thankfully even the more stubborn members of the council had seen the reason as to why they should attempt to keep up with technology, even if magic did the job sometimes just as well, if not better in some cases.

Young-ho quickly sends off a text message while they walk, but not five minutes after he does so, does his phone start to play what sounded like ... "Kung-fu Fighting"?

(Young-ho would insist that it was Molly's idea to put the song on his phone in the first place, he hadn't looked into changing it lately with everything going on.)

He quickly answers it before it can go on any further- ]

I would've been okay if you texted me back instead of calling, you know.

[ "Yeah, but figured in case you get jumped again, I can at least figure out where you're at." ]

... Thank you for the vote of confidence.

[ "Holy shit you did get jumped, you only get snarky when you're irritated. Meet me at the old spot, I'll make sure to have my usual loadout." ]

I don't think we will be fighting any more tonight-

[ "Says the guy who just had to deal with an assassination squad ten minutes ago on the borders. Uh, dude - I kinda have to go out there one way or another, so. Might as well save myself a trip." ]

If you insist.

[ Young-ho sighs, shaking his head slightly before pocketing the phone once he hangs up. ]

It shouldn't be much further for us to get there.

[ As soon as he was sure they were safely away he set Dusty down, who gave a slight huff and smoothed his shirt back into place. Tarr ignored the huff since he knew it was just show and instead waited for Young-ho to get a hold of his contact. He did smile at what parts of the conversation he managed to hear, even though he kept his gaze on Dusty.

The mage looked at him and then sighed, moving over to stand close and reaching up to cup Tarr's face. The vampire sighed and leaned down, cupping his face in return. They stood like that for a long moment before pulling away at Young-ho's words. ]

I'm sorry if this puts you in trouble with your contact.

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