Whose afraid of little old me?

Most people were impressed by helicopters, private rooftops, sports cars, a view money couldn't ordinarily buy—but her response suggested she had already seen that particular side of the world. Which made her all the more intriguing. An equal.

"Isabelle Laurent," he repeated her name slowly, deliberately, as though he was savoring it. Women tended to like that sort of thing. It made them feel special. Seen. Whether it worked or not, Dorian saw little reason to abandon a strategy that had served him well for years. Her name was one he recognized. Attached to the right circles. The right kind of people. "That's better than sweetheart." His smile deepened a fraction as he touched a hand to his chest in an easy, habitual gesture. "Call me Dorian. Please."

His gaze drifted briefly to the untouched martini before returning to her. "Now you've made me curious," he continued, folding one arm across the back of the booth, entirely at ease in the shadowed corner he'd claimed for them. "What does an interesting night look like to you?"

She raised the glass to her lips, her lipstick leaving a vivid red mark upon the rim. "So Dorian, do you make a habit of playing prince charming to the maidens in need?" The way he practically purred her name suggested a certain familiarity with the game that they played. She was no pawn on the board nor did she ever wish to play with one. It was far more interesting to be challenged by an equal.

"Indulging in the unknown. I'm certain you must understand the lack of thrill when everything becomes so trite and repetitive." In her time upon this earth, she had seen empires rise and fall. She'd heard every joke, every pickup line, every supposed novel idea. True singularity was something that she rarely encountered.

He physically recoiled at the idea of putting the blood substitute into humans. "I don't know enough medically to say yes or no. But if you wanted to test that you would need to be in a hospital with a whole group of emergency personnel in case they started rejecting it and their organs start failing. " He grimaced and took a sip of his drink to dispel the bad memories. "I don't need to be anywhere near that sort of thing."

"Interesting." She tilted her head to the side, letting her mind wander. The substitute could help their kind with their hunger, yet it was not the sort of substitute that was directly interchangeable with real blood. She wondered if it was lacking some key compound that would make it thus and possibly improve the taste. "Aside from the flavor, are there any other concerns for the product?"

"I'm glad to hear it, I'm certainly not everyones cup of tea." She shrugged sipping her martini, that was how she preferred it. There was no desire to be everyone's friend that took too much work that she was certainly unwilling to do.

Belle raised her brow at that. In her long life, the woman could count those she turned on one hand. She was selective of those gifted eternity, yet if Mab truly desired, Belle certainly wouldn't oppose being the woman's sire. There was a certain fire that all her fledglings possessed which Mab had in spades. "Do let me know if you ever change your mind on being human, darling. There is an entire world waiting just below the surface." One that Mab had interacted with but was yet to be fully embraced in.

"I think beyond advertising it'll be getting buy in." He said in a more sober tone. "I think Teddy could be brought in with the argument for emergencies, but I imagine Leon isn't going to be a fan." Chris grimaced. "Given the little I know about some of his business."

"Teddy will see the benefits." If he didn't, Belle would make him see the benefits. It was Leon and the rouge vampires who would be more of a difficult sell. Those who valued the nature of being a vampire above all else tended to chafe at the masquerade. Intending to further stunt their natural instincts with fake blood might be seen as an insult. "What about other markets? Do you believe this might have any medical advantages? Could we possibly use it to replenish the blood taken from humans?"

Only then did he stop, turning back to her properly, his attention settling in full. Up close, his earlier assessment held—everything about her was deliberate. Expensive. Not loud or flashy, but built to be noticed anyway. The kind of presence that didn’t ask for attention and got it regardless. It held his interest in a way most things did not.

“Depends how interesting you want the night to be.” His gaze held hers, steady and openly assessing. “We can stay here, have a drink,” he continued smoothly, “or, if you’re expecting something more, I can arrange that too.” He gave a slight tilt of his head, considering her without hesitation. “There’s a helipad not far from here. Clear night, right altitude—you get a better view than anything this place can offer.”

It wasn’t pitched as an attempt to impress her so much as a baseline, something he was used to offering. “But we can start simple,” he added, quieter now, more direct. His thumb brushed once, absently, across the back of her hand before stilling again. “Dorian Wells." He let the name sit, like it should already mean something. "Do I keep calling you sweetheart, or are you going to give me something better?”

The vampire allowed him a moment to access her and decide whether he wished to continue the evening in her company or not. He'd served his purpose if he wished to leave, but there was something intriguing about him. Few possessed the confidence that he'd shown so far. This was a man used to getting his way.

"What makes you think I haven't already seen the city from above?" She toyed with the olive stick in her martini. If he wanted to impress her, he would need to be far more original than mere showings of wealth and status. Isabelle had plenty of that on her own. She longed for someone to challenge her and make her existence a little less mundane.

"A pleasure, Mr. Wells." Wells... Wells.... The name struck a cord with Isabelle, although she couldn't remember where she'd heard the name before. Of course there were Orson and HG, but she doubted this man to be related to them. No his assurance came from a more self-made perspective than an entitlement. "Isabelle Laurent."

"Is that the property damage or the personal injury you disagree with? Or are we speaking of something else entirely?" It was simply a question of just where his boundaries lay. Leon had been injured. Teddy had been injured. Matthew had been injured. It seemed as if the list grew ever longer as the days passed. Then there was that little stunt they pulled at Judas' gallery opening. The headache to keep the existence of vampires secret still plagued her waking nightmares. "Have you ever read Douglas Adams, Mr. Maxen?"

Belle took a sip of her wine. There were some blood vintages on offer at this particular establishment, but she wanted the comfort of a relaxing glass even if the alcohol no longer affected her. There was something soothing about it. "I do appreciate the sentiment. There are so few people who acknowledge the independence of a woman while displaying the chivalry of old. It's quite the balancing act that speaks of paradoxes of your mind."

"Yeah I have. The taste needs some work, but it does what was intended." He thought for a moment about how to pitch it best to Isabelle, having to stifle a chuckle when his friend from before brought him a glass of bloodwine. Perfect timing given the conversation. "I don't think it's going to replace blood bags and normal feeding, but it'll be good to have if we go through another blood shortage or something like that."

Belle took a deep inhale through her nose. If the fledgling who once refused fresh blood did not care for the taste there was still a great deal of work to be done to make it palatable. "That's going to be something that needs immediate work. If there isn't a reason for the clients to actively choose the substitute, then it might as well not exist." Unless there was a crisis, their kind were far too picky. "We will need someone with a mind for marketing as well."

"Arjun, I haven't met him yet. I'm hoping to soon. I do think he's stayed with us here once or twice." She'd not had the pleasure of meeting the deity but she had to admit she was abundantly curious about them. She likely wasn't someone that a deity would want to be friend to much, were they all goodie two shoes? "He's known you quite a lonf time then, I'll continue to be jealous. I'm sure being your friend all these years has been quite nice. Hell being your friend in the short years I have has been rather enjoyable."

She hummed a moment, "Ayumu asked me about if I were to... become a supernatural like you all and I couldn't decide where I would rather go with it. It was something I hadn't given much thought to since I do so enjoy showing your people up while being human."

"I need to introduce you two. He runs a lovely little gallery with some of the finest art pieces on the island." An easy way to make a friend and launder some money should the need arise. Of course the deity believed in the value of art, but Isabelle knew that values could rise and fall depending on the demand for the artists work. One could appreciate the works of the undiscovered talent just as easily as the famed, yet there was only one that demanded a price for the pieces. She shuddered to think what her dear friend might think of such schemes. "I've quite enjoyed your company as well. There are few able to keep me interested for any length of time."

The idea of Mab becoming one of them was something that Belle toyed with. In her long life, she'd only sired Vivian. She had to see something worthy of eternity to bestow the dark gift upon another. Mab certainly had that spark, but she imagined that the woman would chafe if asked to be her progeny. The power dynamic simply wouldn't work, although Belle would gladly welcome Mab into the sisters. Yet Ayumu was the one to bring up the subject. There would be competition to bring Mab to the other side. "Hypothetically speaking, what would you pick? I am curious. Surely you have some inclination what you would wish and what you wouldn't."

“Whiskey. Neat,” he said to the bartender before his attention drifted back to the man still lingering like an unwelcome afterthought. Dorian’s expression didn’t change, but something in it cooled—possession settling in where charm had been. His arm slid along the back of her chair, not quite touching her, but close enough to imply familiarity. Close enough to stake his claim. “I think,” he said lightly, though his gaze never left the other man, “you’ve monopolized her quite enough.”

There was something to be said about whiskey drinkers. They knew what they liked and settled for nothing less. It was the confidence in his every move that intrigued Isabelle more than any of the other patrons in the bar. Taking her drink in one hand, she waggled her fingers at the finance bro, elated to finally be rid of the man who wouldn't take no as an answer. Perhaps she would give his name to Teddy for one of the younger vampires to feast upon. She never indulged in junk food.

She took his hand in hers, allowing Dorian to lead her away. "Do I get to know where you are taking me?" Isabelle's curiosity was piqued more than anything. If there were any true danger, the ancient could easily handle herself. But this was an offer far too tempting to allow common sense to hamper.

"A table would be wonderful, darling. Do you want a drink before we go?" The least she could do was get her savior du jour a refreshment before they would part ways. She didn't know how long she would be monopolizing his time after all.

“I am not…” Howell studied her face and knew he was exactly where he should not be. He’d already known the district itself might be hostile but in his rush he hadn’t even considered that establishment he walked into was of the same category. “…but I tend to believe it’s best to see what this city is working with. Would you suggest I not bring patronage to an establishment even though it may wish to see me dead?”

“Glenallachie 12 year, neat please.” With glass in hand he turned on his seat, face calm but thinking the situation over, voice soft and low. “So I assume you did not need a rescue.”

"A refined pallet. You are particular about your Scotch." There were the rumors that one could tell quite a bit about a person by their drink order. Scotch tended towards the traditionally minded who values patience.

A smirk tugged at her lips as Belle sat back in her chair. "Matthew loathes when I get blood on his rugs. While a rescue was not needed, it is appreciated. Alas a man's claim is valued more than a woman's no to this day."

"I really was coming from work. Traffic got me because a couple roads were closed." He answered with a shrug before raising an eyebrow. Viv said she'd told Isabelle about the blood project and gotten her approval. "I assume you mean her synthetic blood project. That's almost all Viv's work, I'm just helping advocate for it."

She raised a brow at the way that his hand clasped with the server. He was showing his youth, but it was sweet in a way. It showed that he actually had a friend or two besides Vivian. "She said that you were an important part of the project. You needn't downplay your achievements. I assume that you have tried the synthetic blood."

She knew Belle would really never need her help to deal with people. After all she was a Vampire council leader for a reason. The offer was more a solidarity than anything, that was just the way they operated.

Mab couldn't help the witch like cackle that left her at Belle's comment. "You are too right, I would hate to be in those meetings. I wont say that I wasn't at least a little curious about the human council spot but I very much doubt I would be a viable choice given my... attachments."

Everyone in this little world knew what she was doing. That didn't exactly make her a friend to people like Artemis. "Do you have a favorite council member or are they all pretty awful?"

She snorted, shrugging her shoulders. Council meetings tended to devolve into temper tantrums rather than anything that would make a true difference in the community. There were far too many egos to manage. Many of the elders refused to divert from their original standings on any position no matter the argument, thus it tended to be a headache and numbers game getting anything at all accomplished. "I did put your name forward for the spot. Unfortunately it was voted down most likely due to our affiliation with one another." As much as she would have adored having Mab on the council, it was probably for the best that her friend not have to endure being on the Council.

"Arjun and I are rather fond of one another. He knew me back in my human days." Something that few people realized. Belle treasured the endurance of their friendship.

"It's quite alright, but I was getting lonely without you." She hammed it up, touching Mira's cheek. "Dalton here was kind enough to keep me company while I waited, but you know that I much prefer spending my evening with you." She smiled at him, hoping that he would continue to play along with the ploy.

She could feel the man to her left starting to shift uncomfortably. Hopefully it would only take a single sentence to banish the bore for good. She was so looking forward to an evening of relaxation rather than being subjected to mansplaining.