[ Of course he wants to be there for when Iorveth gets eaten. He plans to play the dashing, gallant knight for once in his life.
The shoulder nudge pacifies him somewhat, although an anxious energy still runs through his body as he glances toward the manse. Perhaps the servants fled, or perhaps his siblings released the spawn and they devoured them. He can't say he'd be sad if that were the case; Cazador's servants were idiots desperate for a 'gift' that they didn't understand. Still, it would be a problem for him if the spawn were ravenous enough to rip their way through the entirety of the palace staff. ]
Yes, they must have, [ he says, distantly, hoping that's the case. ]
[ He turns his attention back to Iorveth then, eyes drifting past the long line of his neck to the hollow of his clavicle. The stolen ring glints in the soft light of the street lanterns, and he reaches out to run his thumb over the smooth stone, mouth quirking up faintly. Despite the cold sense of foreboding permeating every inch of him, the sight of Iorveth wearing that ring makes him feel warm. ]
You look handsome.
[ Very much not the point right now, but necessary to say regardless. He tucks the ring underneath Iorveth's collar; he's sad to see it go, but he'd feel worse if the chain got broken in a scuffle. ]
I don't want anything to happen to it, [ he explains. ] Not when it flatters you so.
[ Iorveth's gaze momentarily slides to the side, just shy of demurring from the compliment. He isn't ashamed of wanting keepsakes- elves and their longevity means that they lose people to memory more often than not- but he doesn't want to come across as overeager.
He adjusts the chain around his neck, and feels the stone inset warm against his skin. It's grounding, in a way. ]
Nothing will happen to it. [ An encouraging nudge, again, before he turns and wraps his fingers around the entrance doorknob. ] You won't let anyone near my neck, I trust.
[ This would've been bitingly sarcastic if he were saying it to anyone else: a scathing "thank you for the completely unnecessary concern". Aimed at Astarion, it's a simple "I trust you".
Iorveth pushes the door open. The interior of the palace is like pitch, a darkness that tests even his natural Darkvision; the atmosphere is even more fetid and funereal than his first foray into the premises, thick and oppressive.
The dessicated body of a woman lies prone on the corridor leading into the main foyer, paper-white skin ghoulish in the dark. Iorveth wrinkles his nose. ]
[ For once, someone's trust in Astarion isn't misplaced. He has no intention of letting anyone—whether it's his siblings or a feral spawn—sink their teeth into Iorveth. That privilege is reserved for him alone.
The moment they enter the palace, he can sense that something is wrong. If the smell was bad before, it's horrid now, the musty stench of death billowing out through the open door. It takes little time to realize the source of it, and as he stares down at the pale corpse in front of them, he recognizes it as the body of the servant who'd given them trouble when they came here last.
He won't shed a tear for her, but his insides twist a little. ]
Petras's work, perhaps.
[ It very well could be, or any of his other siblings. They must be just as hungry as he was when he first escaped, and the household staff would be a convenient source of sustenance. He isn't concerned about the possibility that his family decided to rid the world of Cazador's last sycophants.
He curls his fingers around Iorveth's sleeve, holding him in place. ]
Or it could have been one of the spawn downstairs. They must be voracious after all this time, and if my siblings decided to free them—
[ Well, it would only take one out of thousands to act up. It would only take one to drain Iorveth of his lifeblood, too. ]
[ The grip at his sleeve stops Iorveth from moving over to the corpse to investigate it― which isn't to say that he actually has to, given that the cause of death is obvious. Glancing sideways at where Astarion has his fingers curled in his shirt, Iorveth tries to gauge if it's an anxious hold or if it's a firm reminder.
Either way, he reaches with his free hand to rummage inside their anti-vampire pack and fish out a Scroll of Sunbeam, which he brandishes with casual care. ]
This should dissuade anyone who gets too ambitious.
[ Whether or not he can use it as well as, say, Gale could is up for debate, but it'll work to thin the horde at least once. It doesn't seem very productive to reflect on the fact that his skillset is better-suited for one-on-one fighting or long-distance combat in the open, so he won't. The less metaphorical hand-wringing Astarion has to do, the better.
Iorveth tucks the scroll under his belt for easy access, and runs his fingers through Astarion's hair. ]
[ Still, he relaxes his facial muscles, using his fingers to smooth the skin between his brows. Just in case.
He steps over the servant's corpse as if she were a dead bug on the floor, nose crinkling and lip curling with a distant disgust. Astarion couldn't care less that she's dead, but it is rather unseemly to leave a bloodless corpse out. Whoever did this never learned to clean up after their dinner.
The manse is still quiet; perhaps it always will be. Even with Cazador gone, there's a suffocating quality to it, like the walls are constantly closing in. It's no place for joy or relaxation. He runs a finger across one of the tables in the foyer, coming up with a thin film of dust. ]
My siblings won't have lingered here long, given the choice.
[ He knows somewhere deep down that they feel the same as him. This place is a coffin. ]
If anyone is still here, they'll be down in that crypt.
[ The less time they have to spend in what serves as the physical manifestation of Cazador's atrocities, the better. This place has played spectator to centuries of senseless death and brutalization, and been made complicit by association; it should be dismantled piece by piece.
A future task for Wyll or Jaheira, perhaps. For now, the unhappy duty of clearing it out is left to him and Astarion (mostly Astarion), so Iorveth wastes no time in heading towards the half-open massive double-doors leading into the inner sanctum of the manse, frowning as he catches a glimpse of the gilded rats embossed onto the metal of the door's surface again.
They continue. Past the mess of the ballroom and its decaying mass of corpses, down into the velvet hall with the side room and its hidden elevator. The dais leading down into the crypt glides more smoothly along its invisible rails this time around, as if it's been used more frequently in the past few days.
The dark makes way to dim, green-blue subterranean light. Unlike the surface, there are whispers of activity below them, indistinct conversations in several voices. Glowing red eyes get brighter in the gloom as the elevator hums to a stop, and Iorveth can spot three figures discussing among themselves: one of them looks like Petras, flanked on both sides by a tiefling and an elf, both women. ]
More siblings, [ Iorveth notes blithely. ] They seem to be arguing.
[ Descending into the bowels of the manse is harrowing, just as it was previously. Every step further into the palace makes him tense involuntarily, and this time the ride down the elevator is filled not with fear of Cazador but a churning in his gut, preemptively sick at seeing the evidence of his disgrace. It's almost a relief to see his trio of siblings, a thought he was sure he'd never have. Talking to them means he won't have to face his victims yet. Images of their sallow, gaunt faces are still stamped into his brain. ]
Aurelia, [ he says to Iorveth, canting his head toward the tiefling woman, her skin an ashen reddish hue, her dark locks pulled back in a braided style. Another cant of his head goes toward the elf, pale-haired, fair-skinned, and beautiful. Cazador has a type. ] Dalyria.
[ He steps forward off the dais, the heels of his boots clacking against the stone floors, the sound reverberating through the vast crypt. Despite how uneasy he feels being down here again, he throws his shoulders back, looking every bit the confident cad. ]
Look at us. It's a veritable family reunion. [ He waves a hand. ] Well, all of the tolerable members, anyway.
[ The jury is still very much out on Petras.
The trio, which had been engrossed in a heated conversation only seconds earlier, turns to face them. It's obvious that Dalyria and Aurelia are surprised to see him—and even more surprised to see his company—but Petras hardly seems fazed.
"Astarion!" Dalyria exclaims. "Petras said you'd taken on the master and lived to tell the tale, but—" ]
[ Iorveth hangs back, not discomfited by the three pair of red eyes that swivel on him momentarily, but heeding Astarion's warnings to be careful. While he doesn't fear any of the vampire spawn present, he can appreciate that it would be monumentally stupid to antagonize three starving creatures who are literally out for blood.
Arms folded, he stands a step and a half behind Astarion, remaining in his shadow. Petras seems to regard that deference with mild scorn, as if he knows that the sullen elf is less than civil; he sneers at Iorveth, to which Iorveth shrugs in response.
Manwhile, the one Astarion pointed out as Dalyria steps forward, brows turned down in a mournful frown at her brother's apparent disregard for the situation at hand. "Of course we doubted. None of us would have dreamed of..." She trails off, and Iorveth thinks he notes a tremor go through her, as if she's afraid to even finish the rest of that sentence. How long they'd all spent wishing to kill Cazador, only to have their spirits broken, Iorveth can't imagine.
Aurelia picks up where her sister left off, sharper in tone than Dalyria. "We'd thought that you'd assumed the master's place－ finished the rite on your own." Some stubborn refusal to acknowledge that the rite couldn't have happened without their blood ritual clings to her expression, torn between anger and uncertainty. "But Petras tells us that that isn't the case, either. And we've seen the..."
She stutters. "...The others. Astarion, they..."
Her frown twists into a deep grimace. Iorveth can sense her unease, less pronounced than Astarion's had been when he'd first seen the spawn in the cages, but similiar. ]
Edited (when you spot a typo 500 years later) 2024-09-30 03:39 (UTC)
Yes, I know, [ he says, waving a hand as if this is all very banal to him. An affectation, an attempt to keep it all together by reverting to old ways. ] Our forgotten step-siblings do look a little worse for wear.
[ The understatement of several centuries. They look like death. No, they look like something worse than death. Undoubtedly, they've all begged to be killed by now. To starve a vampire is one of the worst things one can do. At least a mortal person's suffering eventually ends. ]
Well, don't you worry your pretty little heads. Your big brother has come to—
[ Abruptly, he trails off. What has he come to do? If he frees them, they might run amok in the city. He could kill them, put them out of their misery. The thought is both appealing and appalling at once. It would be nice to rid the world of the living proof of his shame, but picturing himself doing it feels... dark. ]
Ah. [ Unconsciously, he glances back at Iorveth, as if looking for guidance. He catches himself and snaps forward again. ] To take care of this little problem.
[ It's impressive, watching Astarion slip his mask back on. Cavalier indifference, smooth as porcelain. The only slipup is the glance backwards, and Iorveth reacts to it with the barest twitch of one hand, instinct telling him to reach and place his palm to the small of Astarion's back.
He doesn't, but the three pairs of red eyes track over to him anyway, likely having sensed his slight twitch. Aurelia raises her brow, hunger mixed with curiosity, while Petras still looks like he's inclined to sink his teeth into whatever soft part of Iorveth he can get his mouth on.
Dalyria, on the other hand, seems conflicted by the non-spawn's presence down in the bowels of the manse. After a beat of silence after Astarion's not-quite-reassurance (which, Iorveth notes, the other siblings look somewhat convinced by), she ventures a soft: "why did you bring a human with you, brother? It's... cruel, almost, to bring something alive when so many of us are starving."
Gods, this again. Iorveth sighs, as if resigned to his designation as walking food. ]
[ The spawn do realize that in some distant way, he's sure, but Astarion can see by the looks in their eyes that it's difficult to separate the concept of a living person from prey. They've spent so long seeing other people as things to exploit or victimize in one way or another. Of course the adjustment is difficult. Astarion went through it himself not long ago.
"Is it an offering?" asks Aurelia, eyeing Iorveth. ]
He's not food, so stop salivating, [ he snaps.
Petras, probably tired of being scolded for a second time, scoffs and leans in toward the two women. "He's our brother's personal blood bag," he says. "Astarion won't share."
Honestly, Petras looks better than he did last night; a little more color to his cheeks, a little more energy. Astarion wouldn't be surprised if he really did feed after they met. The women, though, still look listless and pallid. If he had to guess, Petras didn't share, either. ]
He's half the reason you're all rid of Cazador now, thank you very much. You should all be on your knees thanking us.
[ "He doesn't look enthralled," Dalyria observes with a frown. An insulting assessment, really, but the other siblings' difficulty in believing that Astarion could be around someone simply because they're comrades or friends (or whatever they've decided they are, Iorveth doesn't have a word for it yet) speaks volumes.
"And he scarcely looks like he would have been able to..." This time, it's Aurelia's turn to hesitate before finishing the sentence, which Iorveth assumes is "kill Cazador". She doesn't fill in that blank, and chooses instead to look over her shoulder towards the direction of the underground kennels, expression clouding. Remembering the other spawn, no doubt.
"The others... they'll tear the elf apart, if they're given even a sliver of a chance. Even if it participated in their liberation. Take care, brother."
It. Iorveth's frown turns sharp, but decides, with extreme restraint, not to say anything about how he's being referred to for now. ]
We'll see how far gone they are, [ he suggests to Astarion, his focus swiveled back, unwavering, on him. ] And assess what we should do with them afterwards.
[ If they're too deranged for rehabilitation, the difficult option might be the kindest; if they can still have some part of their minds left, Iorveth thinks that they could continue living, albeit with some sort of supervision. Not theirs; they still have things to do. ]
[ It's the same thing Astarion has been saying, but the warning feels offensive coming from Aurelia. He bristles, about to tell them that Iorveth is quite capable of defending himself against a weak, starving vampire spawn, but Iorveth himself speaks up before he's able to. Iorveth taking point is comforting; Astarion hardly knows where to begin, so there's no disagreement from him. After a simple nod, he tugs Iorveth along by the forearm, brushing past his siblings.
He doesn't miss the hungry stares as they pass by. His fingers wind tighter around Iorveth's arm, and he pulls him closer.
The cages are further down the corridor, bathed in a sickly green light. As they approach, he frowns. ]
To think that I always thought of the palace as a prison, and all this time it really was.
[ He stops dead in his tracks a few feet out of sight from the wretched creatures behind the bars. His body doesn't want to go any further, his feet like lead blocks. ]
They're going to be furious. If they still have their wits about them.
[ They leave the siblings behind to confer amongst themselves about their big brother and his intentions; the closer they get to the barred cages lining the corridor leading to Cazador's now-empty coffin (Iorveth vaguely wonders if his remains are still there, a congealed mess of blood and gore), the stronger the scent of huddled masses become. More death, more misery.
Keeping himself within Astarion's reach, Iorveth lets his eye settle on the hand on his arm, on its white-knuckled grip. ]
They'll want your head. [ Not reassuring, but the truth. ] You should worry about your own safety, not mine.
[ His gaze slides upwards, trying to read the outline of Astarion's expression; anxiety? Dread? Embarrassment? ]
What are you afraid of?
[ If Astarion is afraid, which Iorveth assumes he is. His tone is soft despite the bitingly blunt nature of the inquiry, his shoulders turned towards Astarion to telegraph attentiveness. Astarion doesn't have to answer, but as always, Iorveth wants to know. ]
I'm not afraid, [ is his immediate, defensive reply, unthinking and instinctive. Admitting vulnerability still feels like handing someone a knife and baring his throat for the slitting.
But if there's anyone who he'd allow to hold a blade at his neck, it's Iorveth. He shrugs his shoulders, eyes drifting off to gaze, unfocused, at the tip of Iorveth's ear. It's clear that he's unused to spilling his most sensitive thoughts, and the act makes him feel restless, apprehensive. ]
This is a— gallery of my humiliation.
[ A selfish reason to be discomfited by thousands of starving prisoners, but his reason all the same. He'd comforted himself with the knowledge that he'd never have to see any of his victims again. That they'd be dead and gone, the evidence of what he'd been made to do erased from the world. The worst part isn't even that he'll have to look them in the face and remember what he did; it's that there are so many that he won't be able to remember. ]
I've spent the past two centuries trying to forget about them. Now...
[ He gestures vaguely toward the corridor. That speaks for itself, he thinks. ]
[ No mincing words. There's a sliver of Iorveth that wants to think that he understands a fraction of what Astarion is feeling, even if not on the same scale or magnitude: he's been confronted with the futility of his existence, and chose the continued humiliation of kicking and screaming against extinction in lieu of dying with dignity. He wants to think that he understands how hard it is; he wants to think that he understands the weight of it.
A low breath, and Iorveth reaches to cup his palms on either side of Astarion's face. Bracketing him, and turning his head to align their focus, one eye to two eyes. ]
And you'll have to make a choice. On your own terms this time, and of your own volition.
[ No one forced Astarion to come back here. Astarion decided that he had to, which Iorveth respects more than Astarion may realize. The sternness of his gaze gives way to something noticeably softer, a little resigned. He expects pushback, but that's fine. ]
A final farewell to your past, no matter what form it takes. Trust me, I know the feeling.
[ On his own terms, of his own volition. He's hardly ever done anything that way. It feels awfully intimidating, and he almost wants to ask Iorveth to just do it all for him. Unfortunately, he already knows that Iorveth won't. He'd say something about Astarion's freedom and independence and blah blah blah, and then he'd make Astarion make the hard choice.
He sighs, then forces himself to take one step and then another. His hand stays wrapped around Iorveth's arm, holding him close as if a rabid spawn could jump out any minute. They're unlikely to do any jumping at all; as they approach, it's obvious that the creatures are lethargic, wasting away. Some have enough energy left in them to approach the bars, grasping them and staring slack-jawed at the living person being paraded through their prison.
Astarion looks at them, at their faces. None of them are familiar, although hundreds of them must be here by his doing. To them, he's the awful monster who led them to their dooms. To him, they're only strangers. ]
I don't know where to start, [ he admits, a sea of red lights peering back at him. ]
[ A sea of hollow, glowing eyes; wraiths in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are wearing clothes that are fraying off of their thin bodies, in styles that seem old-fashioned even by Iorveth's standards. Iorveth sweeps his attention over them, maps the tired track of their slippery focus and turns back towards Astarion. ]
I wouldn't start with conversations about the weather. [ Dry humor, to take the edge off of a situation so sharp that it must cut Astarion to be present for it.. Doubtful how well it works, though. Nothing will make this process easier.
As if to corroborate his mental assessment, a low voice filters through the relative quiet, accompanied by the sound of jostling, cloth against cloth as one of the spawn pushes himself through the crowd.
"That voice... I've heard that voice before."
Matted silver hair and grime-covered skin mar what must have been a handsome man in life; he shuffles forward, staggering close enough to the prison bars that Iorveth can smell the thick scent of copper and earth on him, death made manifest. ]
[ The voice is soft, sad. As Astarion turns to look at the source of it, there's no recognition in his eyes. How could there be? Whatever's standing here now, oily-haired and sallow-skinned, wouldn't even resemble whoever he saw across a crowded tavern. Every bit of life has been sucked out of these prisoners. ]
Perhaps I just have one of those voices, [ he says, but he sounds distant, unsure.
"No," the man replies miserably. "I remember. It's the last voice I heard before—" Astarion swallows down the bile rising in his throat. Misery gives way to anger, although the poor thing is still too weak to put too much venom in his voice. Or perhaps he's just too good-natured to, even now, after everything Astarion has done. "You plied me with drink in that tavern. You invited me back to your home. I thought you liked me."
Recollection returns like a slap to the face. He remembers now: a good-looking young man, too innocent and inexperienced to know what Astarion had in store for him. Giddy and excited at the prospect of being liked for the first time. Astarion suddenly feels like retching. His gaze flicks to Iorveth, there and gone in an instant, apprehensive to be perceived like this. ]
I— [ He sounds like he wants to argue in some way, but he can't find the words. There is no argument that will undo what he did. He shrinks a little, shoulders rounding. ] Yes, I remember now.
[ Iorveth keeps his expression carefully still, the picture of neutrality. The Woodland Fox has killed countless brothers, fathers, sons, seen resentment in all shapes and sizes. He only shifts his weight from one foot to the other, regarding the starved man with distant caution.
"You... you did this to me." Defeated, the spawn hooks his weak fingers into the tarnished gold bars of the cell. Upright, he'd likely cut a more impressive figure－ tall and broad, barrel-chested－ but imprisonment seems to have bent him, his spine curled to match his broken spirit. "You lied to me. You gave me to him. And now I have nothing."
A sharp exhale, as if saying the words out loud have shattered something in him. "Gods, please, I don't want to die down here."
Some of the spawn around him look tiredly on, as if it's been centuries of hearing someone say this at least once a day. An endless rotation of despair and misery. Even their own hopelessness has become rote. ]
[ Now that he's imagined Sebastian without the grime and years of suffering on his face, Astarion can do the same for the others. He'd thought they'd all blur together, and they had for all of those years. People he'd used and offered up and told himself never to think of again. All of a sudden, though, the memories come rushing back. A wan, sickly-looking tiefling in the corner who had been uproariously outgoing. A human the next cell over who'd smelled horribly of ale but now only smells of death. An elf who'd treated him poorly then, now looking every bit the victim.
Sebastian is still perhaps the worst of all, because he'd been sweet. Guileless. He'd looked at Astarion like he was something special, and then Astarion had thrown him to the wolves.
"I'm so hungry," says another spawn, spindly fingers reaching out through the bars. She can't quite reach. "Please, just a drop of blood."
Astarion says nothing to them, instead tugging Iorveth a few steps away. His voice lowered, he hisses, ] Just because they're able to talk to us doesn't mean they won't drain you and everyone else in the city once they have the chance.
[ It's true, although it isn't really what he's thinking right now. What he's really thinking is that it feels so awful to exist in this moment that he wants to erase every link to his past life off of the face of the earth. ]
[ "It isn't fair", a different spawn wheezes in the shadows. "I just want to get out. I just want to get out."
The voice continues, repeating the last phrase over and over like a dirge. Iorveth frowns and glances back towards Sebastian again, two haunted eyes glowing red in the dark. ]
If even one of them can prove that they can exercise self-restraint, [ is a slowly-enunciated proposal, ] would you consider freeing them?
[ A paltry benchmark, but it's something. Like holding one's hand out to a wild animal and testing to see if it'll bite― actually, exactly that. Maybe Sebastian will surprise them both, and his desire to be free will supersede his desire to sink his teeth into Iorveth's forearm and consume his blood.
Or maybe Iorveth is a crazy person. He can fathom a guess that the longer they spend waffling by this cage, the worse Astarion will feel; though it's up to Astarion to make a choice, Iorveth can offer options. ]
[ Of course Iorveth thinks that if the spawn can be free, they should be free. Astarion could have guessed as much. Freedom is one of his strongest values, if not the strongest. Astarion frowns, eyes flicking back to the ghosts of his past who've come back to haunt him. Some of them are crouched on the floor, hunched over, wretched and pathetic. Others are pressed up against the bars, eyes glassy but unmistakably fixed on Iorveth's throat. He turns back, pulling up Iorveth's collar with a sharp tug. ]
I— [ He falters. Is it so wrong to want them gone? He'd finally be free of the last of his ties to Cazador. And yet— how many times did he think the same thing? I don't want to die here. On constant refrain in his mind for two hundred years. ]
[ Probably not the best time to think that Astarion's fussing with his collar is a bit cute (unnecessary, but cute), especially given their current topic of conversation. He straightens his crooked collar after it's yanked, and pauses before pressing an index finger between Astarion's brows to feel the furrow there. ]
I present my arm for consideration.
[ There's only one living person down here right now, after all. ]
The one you were talking to seems self-controlled enough. He may be able to set some sort of example for the others, alongside your siblings.
[ Because Iorveth fully intends to involve them, too. Refugee spawn should be led by fellow refugee spawn, and though Cazador's chosen six (a conscious exclusion of Astarion from the headcount) were in extremely unenviable positions, they probably know a bit more about being on their feet than the prisoners do. ]
Sebastian, [ Astarion murmurs, the name bitter on his tongue. The last time he'd said it, he'd been leading a wide-eyed fool to his death with promises of romance, the words I've never met anyone like you before.
Astarion turns his head to look at him. He looks tired, the years of confinement and starvation etched into his face. He's dirty, grime-caked, although Astarion remembers him looking clean and bright-eyed across the tavern. His expression is somewhere between sad, angry, and exhausted as he slumps against the bars, watching. ]
Maybe.
[ Or perhaps he hates Astarion so much that he'd tear through Iorveth's flesh just to punish him. It's what Astarion would have done in his place. He would have done anything to get revenge, cut off his own nose to spite his face.
Not literally, of course. If there's anything he wouldn't do, it's tarnish his own beauty.
He approaches the spawn again, arms crossed, keeping a healthy distance from the bars. They won't want to take a bite out of him, but he wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to see him dead. ]
Let's play a game. All you have to do is keep your teeth to yourself.
[ "...I don't understand," Sebastian says. "Did you bring us food?" ]
Mm. In a manner of speaking, but you're on a diet.
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The shoulder nudge pacifies him somewhat, although an anxious energy still runs through his body as he glances toward the manse. Perhaps the servants fled, or perhaps his siblings released the spawn and they devoured them. He can't say he'd be sad if that were the case; Cazador's servants were idiots desperate for a 'gift' that they didn't understand. Still, it would be a problem for him if the spawn were ravenous enough to rip their way through the entirety of the palace staff. ]
Yes, they must have, [ he says, distantly, hoping that's the case. ]
[ He turns his attention back to Iorveth then, eyes drifting past the long line of his neck to the hollow of his clavicle. The stolen ring glints in the soft light of the street lanterns, and he reaches out to run his thumb over the smooth stone, mouth quirking up faintly. Despite the cold sense of foreboding permeating every inch of him, the sight of Iorveth wearing that ring makes him feel warm. ]
You look handsome.
[ Very much not the point right now, but necessary to say regardless. He tucks the ring underneath Iorveth's collar; he's sad to see it go, but he'd feel worse if the chain got broken in a scuffle. ]
I don't want anything to happen to it, [ he explains. ] Not when it flatters you so.
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He adjusts the chain around his neck, and feels the stone inset warm against his skin. It's grounding, in a way. ]
Nothing will happen to it. [ An encouraging nudge, again, before he turns and wraps his fingers around the entrance doorknob. ] You won't let anyone near my neck, I trust.
[ This would've been bitingly sarcastic if he were saying it to anyone else: a scathing "thank you for the completely unnecessary concern". Aimed at Astarion, it's a simple "I trust you".
Iorveth pushes the door open. The interior of the palace is like pitch, a darkness that tests even his natural Darkvision; the atmosphere is even more fetid and funereal than his first foray into the premises, thick and oppressive.
The dessicated body of a woman lies prone on the corridor leading into the main foyer, paper-white skin ghoulish in the dark. Iorveth wrinkles his nose. ]
no subject
The moment they enter the palace, he can sense that something is wrong. If the smell was bad before, it's horrid now, the musty stench of death billowing out through the open door. It takes little time to realize the source of it, and as he stares down at the pale corpse in front of them, he recognizes it as the body of the servant who'd given them trouble when they came here last.
He won't shed a tear for her, but his insides twist a little. ]
Petras's work, perhaps.
[ It very well could be, or any of his other siblings. They must be just as hungry as he was when he first escaped, and the household staff would be a convenient source of sustenance. He isn't concerned about the possibility that his family decided to rid the world of Cazador's last sycophants.
He curls his fingers around Iorveth's sleeve, holding him in place. ]
Or it could have been one of the spawn downstairs. They must be voracious after all this time, and if my siblings decided to free them—
[ Well, it would only take one out of thousands to act up. It would only take one to drain Iorveth of his lifeblood, too. ]
Just be careful.
no subject
Either way, he reaches with his free hand to rummage inside their anti-vampire pack and fish out a Scroll of Sunbeam, which he brandishes with casual care. ]
This should dissuade anyone who gets too ambitious.
[ Whether or not he can use it as well as, say, Gale could is up for debate, but it'll work to thin the horde at least once. It doesn't seem very productive to reflect on the fact that his skillset is better-suited for one-on-one fighting or long-distance combat in the open, so he won't. The less metaphorical hand-wringing Astarion has to do, the better.
Iorveth tucks the scroll under his belt for easy access, and runs his fingers through Astarion's hair. ]
Don't pout. You'll give yourself wrinkles.
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[ Still, he relaxes his facial muscles, using his fingers to smooth the skin between his brows. Just in case.
He steps over the servant's corpse as if she were a dead bug on the floor, nose crinkling and lip curling with a distant disgust. Astarion couldn't care less that she's dead, but it is rather unseemly to leave a bloodless corpse out. Whoever did this never learned to clean up after their dinner.
The manse is still quiet; perhaps it always will be. Even with Cazador gone, there's a suffocating quality to it, like the walls are constantly closing in. It's no place for joy or relaxation. He runs a finger across one of the tables in the foyer, coming up with a thin film of dust. ]
My siblings won't have lingered here long, given the choice.
[ He knows somewhere deep down that they feel the same as him. This place is a coffin. ]
If anyone is still here, they'll be down in that crypt.
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[ The less time they have to spend in what serves as the physical manifestation of Cazador's atrocities, the better. This place has played spectator to centuries of senseless death and brutalization, and been made complicit by association; it should be dismantled piece by piece.
A future task for Wyll or Jaheira, perhaps. For now, the unhappy duty of clearing it out is left to him and Astarion (mostly Astarion), so Iorveth wastes no time in heading towards the half-open massive double-doors leading into the inner sanctum of the manse, frowning as he catches a glimpse of the gilded rats embossed onto the metal of the door's surface again.
They continue. Past the mess of the ballroom and its decaying mass of corpses, down into the velvet hall with the side room and its hidden elevator. The dais leading down into the crypt glides more smoothly along its invisible rails this time around, as if it's been used more frequently in the past few days.
The dark makes way to dim, green-blue subterranean light. Unlike the surface, there are whispers of activity below them, indistinct conversations in several voices. Glowing red eyes get brighter in the gloom as the elevator hums to a stop, and Iorveth can spot three figures discussing among themselves: one of them looks like Petras, flanked on both sides by a tiefling and an elf, both women. ]
More siblings, [ Iorveth notes blithely. ] They seem to be arguing.
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Aurelia, [ he says to Iorveth, canting his head toward the tiefling woman, her skin an ashen reddish hue, her dark locks pulled back in a braided style. Another cant of his head goes toward the elf, pale-haired, fair-skinned, and beautiful. Cazador has a type. ] Dalyria.
[ He steps forward off the dais, the heels of his boots clacking against the stone floors, the sound reverberating through the vast crypt. Despite how uneasy he feels being down here again, he throws his shoulders back, looking every bit the confident cad. ]
Look at us. It's a veritable family reunion. [ He waves a hand. ] Well, all of the tolerable members, anyway.
[ The jury is still very much out on Petras.
The trio, which had been engrossed in a heated conversation only seconds earlier, turns to face them. It's obvious that Dalyria and Aurelia are surprised to see him—and even more surprised to see his company—but Petras hardly seems fazed.
"Astarion!" Dalyria exclaims. "Petras said you'd taken on the master and lived to tell the tale, but—" ]
But you doubted me? Don't be ridiculous, Dal.
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Arms folded, he stands a step and a half behind Astarion, remaining in his shadow. Petras seems to regard that deference with mild scorn, as if he knows that the sullen elf is less than civil; he sneers at Iorveth, to which Iorveth shrugs in response.
Manwhile, the one Astarion pointed out as Dalyria steps forward, brows turned down in a mournful frown at her brother's apparent disregard for the situation at hand. "Of course we doubted. None of us would have dreamed of..." She trails off, and Iorveth thinks he notes a tremor go through her, as if she's afraid to even finish the rest of that sentence. How long they'd all spent wishing to kill Cazador, only to have their spirits broken, Iorveth can't imagine.
Aurelia picks up where her sister left off, sharper in tone than Dalyria. "We'd thought that you'd assumed the master's place－ finished the rite on your own." Some stubborn refusal to acknowledge that the rite couldn't have happened without their blood ritual clings to her expression, torn between anger and uncertainty. "But Petras tells us that that isn't the case, either. And we've seen the..."
She stutters. "...The others. Astarion, they..."
Her frown twists into a deep grimace. Iorveth can sense her unease, less pronounced than Astarion's had been when he'd first seen the spawn in the cages, but similiar. ]
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[ The understatement of several centuries. They look like death. No, they look like something worse than death. Undoubtedly, they've all begged to be killed by now. To starve a vampire is one of the worst things one can do. At least a mortal person's suffering eventually ends. ]
Well, don't you worry your pretty little heads. Your big brother has come to—
[ Abruptly, he trails off. What has he come to do? If he frees them, they might run amok in the city. He could kill them, put them out of their misery. The thought is both appealing and appalling at once. It would be nice to rid the world of the living proof of his shame, but picturing himself doing it feels... dark. ]
Ah. [ Unconsciously, he glances back at Iorveth, as if looking for guidance. He catches himself and snaps forward again. ] To take care of this little problem.
[ A beat. ]
One way or another.
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He doesn't, but the three pairs of red eyes track over to him anyway, likely having sensed his slight twitch. Aurelia raises her brow, hunger mixed with curiosity, while Petras still looks like he's inclined to sink his teeth into whatever soft part of Iorveth he can get his mouth on.
Dalyria, on the other hand, seems conflicted by the non-spawn's presence down in the bowels of the manse. After a beat of silence after Astarion's not-quite-reassurance (which, Iorveth notes, the other siblings look somewhat convinced by), she ventures a soft: "why did you bring a human with you, brother? It's... cruel, almost, to bring something alive when so many of us are starving."
Gods, this again. Iorveth sighs, as if resigned to his designation as walking food. ]
They do realize that I can speak Common.
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"Is it an offering?" asks Aurelia, eyeing Iorveth. ]
He's not food, so stop salivating, [ he snaps.
Petras, probably tired of being scolded for a second time, scoffs and leans in toward the two women. "He's our brother's personal blood bag," he says. "Astarion won't share."
Honestly, Petras looks better than he did last night; a little more color to his cheeks, a little more energy. Astarion wouldn't be surprised if he really did feed after they met. The women, though, still look listless and pallid. If he had to guess, Petras didn't share, either. ]
He's half the reason you're all rid of Cazador now, thank you very much. You should all be on your knees thanking us.
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"And he scarcely looks like he would have been able to..." This time, it's Aurelia's turn to hesitate before finishing the sentence, which Iorveth assumes is "kill Cazador". She doesn't fill in that blank, and chooses instead to look over her shoulder towards the direction of the underground kennels, expression clouding. Remembering the other spawn, no doubt.
"The others... they'll tear the elf apart, if they're given even a sliver of a chance. Even if it participated in their liberation. Take care, brother."
It. Iorveth's frown turns sharp, but decides, with extreme restraint, not to say anything about how he's being referred to for now. ]
We'll see how far gone they are, [ he suggests to Astarion, his focus swiveled back, unwavering, on him. ] And assess what we should do with them afterwards.
[ If they're too deranged for rehabilitation, the difficult option might be the kindest; if they can still have some part of their minds left, Iorveth thinks that they could continue living, albeit with some sort of supervision. Not theirs; they still have things to do. ]
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He doesn't miss the hungry stares as they pass by. His fingers wind tighter around Iorveth's arm, and he pulls him closer.
The cages are further down the corridor, bathed in a sickly green light. As they approach, he frowns. ]
To think that I always thought of the palace as a prison, and all this time it really was.
[ He stops dead in his tracks a few feet out of sight from the wretched creatures behind the bars. His body doesn't want to go any further, his feet like lead blocks. ]
They're going to be furious. If they still have their wits about them.
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Keeping himself within Astarion's reach, Iorveth lets his eye settle on the hand on his arm, on its white-knuckled grip. ]
They'll want your head. [ Not reassuring, but the truth. ] You should worry about your own safety, not mine.
[ His gaze slides upwards, trying to read the outline of Astarion's expression; anxiety? Dread? Embarrassment? ]
What are you afraid of?
[ If Astarion is afraid, which Iorveth assumes he is. His tone is soft despite the bitingly blunt nature of the inquiry, his shoulders turned towards Astarion to telegraph attentiveness. Astarion doesn't have to answer, but as always, Iorveth wants to know. ]
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But if there's anyone who he'd allow to hold a blade at his neck, it's Iorveth. He shrugs his shoulders, eyes drifting off to gaze, unfocused, at the tip of Iorveth's ear. It's clear that he's unused to spilling his most sensitive thoughts, and the act makes him feel restless, apprehensive. ]
This is a— gallery of my humiliation.
[ A selfish reason to be discomfited by thousands of starving prisoners, but his reason all the same. He'd comforted himself with the knowledge that he'd never have to see any of his victims again. That they'd be dead and gone, the evidence of what he'd been made to do erased from the world. The worst part isn't even that he'll have to look them in the face and remember what he did; it's that there are so many that he won't be able to remember. ]
I've spent the past two centuries trying to forget about them. Now...
[ He gestures vaguely toward the corridor. That speaks for itself, he thinks. ]
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[ No mincing words. There's a sliver of Iorveth that wants to think that he understands a fraction of what Astarion is feeling, even if not on the same scale or magnitude: he's been confronted with the futility of his existence, and chose the continued humiliation of kicking and screaming against extinction in lieu of dying with dignity. He wants to think that he understands how hard it is; he wants to think that he understands the weight of it.
A low breath, and Iorveth reaches to cup his palms on either side of Astarion's face. Bracketing him, and turning his head to align their focus, one eye to two eyes. ]
And you'll have to make a choice. On your own terms this time, and of your own volition.
[ No one forced Astarion to come back here. Astarion decided that he had to, which Iorveth respects more than Astarion may realize. The sternness of his gaze gives way to something noticeably softer, a little resigned. He expects pushback, but that's fine. ]
A final farewell to your past, no matter what form it takes. Trust me, I know the feeling.
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He sighs, then forces himself to take one step and then another. His hand stays wrapped around Iorveth's arm, holding him close as if a rabid spawn could jump out any minute. They're unlikely to do any jumping at all; as they approach, it's obvious that the creatures are lethargic, wasting away. Some have enough energy left in them to approach the bars, grasping them and staring slack-jawed at the living person being paraded through their prison.
Astarion looks at them, at their faces. None of them are familiar, although hundreds of them must be here by his doing. To them, he's the awful monster who led them to their dooms. To him, they're only strangers. ]
I don't know where to start, [ he admits, a sea of red lights peering back at him. ]
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I wouldn't start with conversations about the weather. [ Dry humor, to take the edge off of a situation so sharp that it must cut Astarion to be present for it.. Doubtful how well it works, though. Nothing will make this process easier.
As if to corroborate his mental assessment, a low voice filters through the relative quiet, accompanied by the sound of jostling, cloth against cloth as one of the spawn pushes himself through the crowd.
"That voice... I've heard that voice before."
Matted silver hair and grime-covered skin mar what must have been a handsome man in life; he shuffles forward, staggering close enough to the prison bars that Iorveth can smell the thick scent of copper and earth on him, death made manifest. ]
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Perhaps I just have one of those voices, [ he says, but he sounds distant, unsure.
"No," the man replies miserably. "I remember. It's the last voice I heard before—" Astarion swallows down the bile rising in his throat. Misery gives way to anger, although the poor thing is still too weak to put too much venom in his voice. Or perhaps he's just too good-natured to, even now, after everything Astarion has done. "You plied me with drink in that tavern. You invited me back to your home. I thought you liked me."
Recollection returns like a slap to the face. He remembers now: a good-looking young man, too innocent and inexperienced to know what Astarion had in store for him. Giddy and excited at the prospect of being liked for the first time. Astarion suddenly feels like retching. His gaze flicks to Iorveth, there and gone in an instant, apprehensive to be perceived like this. ]
I— [ He sounds like he wants to argue in some way, but he can't find the words. There is no argument that will undo what he did. He shrinks a little, shoulders rounding. ] Yes, I remember now.
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"You... you did this to me." Defeated, the spawn hooks his weak fingers into the tarnished gold bars of the cell. Upright, he'd likely cut a more impressive figure－ tall and broad, barrel-chested－ but imprisonment seems to have bent him, his spine curled to match his broken spirit. "You lied to me. You gave me to him. And now I have nothing."
A sharp exhale, as if saying the words out loud have shattered something in him. "Gods, please, I don't want to die down here."
Some of the spawn around him look tiredly on, as if it's been centuries of hearing someone say this at least once a day. An endless rotation of despair and misery. Even their own hopelessness has become rote. ]
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Sebastian is still perhaps the worst of all, because he'd been sweet. Guileless. He'd looked at Astarion like he was something special, and then Astarion had thrown him to the wolves.
"I'm so hungry," says another spawn, spindly fingers reaching out through the bars. She can't quite reach. "Please, just a drop of blood."
Astarion says nothing to them, instead tugging Iorveth a few steps away. His voice lowered, he hisses, ] Just because they're able to talk to us doesn't mean they won't drain you and everyone else in the city once they have the chance.
[ It's true, although it isn't really what he's thinking right now. What he's really thinking is that it feels so awful to exist in this moment that he wants to erase every link to his past life off of the face of the earth. ]
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The voice continues, repeating the last phrase over and over like a dirge. Iorveth frowns and glances back towards Sebastian again, two haunted eyes glowing red in the dark. ]
If even one of them can prove that they can exercise self-restraint, [ is a slowly-enunciated proposal, ] would you consider freeing them?
[ A paltry benchmark, but it's something. Like holding one's hand out to a wild animal and testing to see if it'll bite― actually, exactly that. Maybe Sebastian will surprise them both, and his desire to be free will supersede his desire to sink his teeth into Iorveth's forearm and consume his blood.
Or maybe Iorveth is a crazy person. He can fathom a guess that the longer they spend waffling by this cage, the worse Astarion will feel; though it's up to Astarion to make a choice, Iorveth can offer options. ]
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I— [ He falters. Is it so wrong to want them gone? He'd finally be free of the last of his ties to Cazador. And yet— how many times did he think the same thing? I don't want to die here. On constant refrain in his mind for two hundred years. ]
How do you suggest we test their restraint?
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I present my arm for consideration.
[ There's only one living person down here right now, after all. ]
The one you were talking to seems self-controlled enough. He may be able to set some sort of example for the others, alongside your siblings.
[ Because Iorveth fully intends to involve them, too. Refugee spawn should be led by fellow refugee spawn, and though Cazador's chosen six (a conscious exclusion of Astarion from the headcount) were in extremely unenviable positions, they probably know a bit more about being on their feet than the prisoners do. ]
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Astarion turns his head to look at him. He looks tired, the years of confinement and starvation etched into his face. He's dirty, grime-caked, although Astarion remembers him looking clean and bright-eyed across the tavern. His expression is somewhere between sad, angry, and exhausted as he slumps against the bars, watching. ]
Maybe.
[ Or perhaps he hates Astarion so much that he'd tear through Iorveth's flesh just to punish him. It's what Astarion would have done in his place. He would have done anything to get revenge, cut off his own nose to spite his face.
Not literally, of course. If there's anything he wouldn't do, it's tarnish his own beauty.
He approaches the spawn again, arms crossed, keeping a healthy distance from the bars. They won't want to take a bite out of him, but he wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to see him dead. ]
Let's play a game. All you have to do is keep your teeth to yourself.
[ "...I don't understand," Sebastian says. "Did you bring us food?" ]
Mm. In a manner of speaking, but you're on a diet.
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