Drink Will Flow And Blood Will Spill

At first, there's nothing. Silence.

Then, the cold sting of metal along Thomas' throat.

"What have you done with Tommy?" The voice comes from behind, its warmth teasing the nape of Strigus' neck. Despite an apparent attempt at intimidation, there's no masking the barely-stifled snicker beneath the words.

It's Magnus, fresh from his duties of babysitting the First Years. Such is the joy of being a prefect.

Which was about as believable as Evey’s claims of not knowing how on earth a skateboard ended up in Snape’s path as he was coming down the Grand Staircase.

Nevertheless, Thomas managed to throw up his hand and summon his own sword, the blade forming a barrier between Magnus’ blade and his own throat, making a move to force Magnus’ away from him.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities : Pickman’s Model: 

He flinched as she bit his neck, it was not something that someone had tried with him before, at least not to puncture the skin. A deliberate move? Or an accident…even after all these years, he himself had moments where his fangs came out unprompted.

“Valid point, yes…Hiroshima hardly curbed the threat of nationalism, and Raccoon…they thought that destroying the city would end their troubles, and now it’s…” he paused in thought, “…five Biohazards since then, still showing no sign of stopping.”

He followed her lead to the archway, gazing at the scars on her bare back, reaching out gently to touch them, enjoying the contrast of scar tissue and smooth skin. For a moment he was silent, again in thought, before finally admitting:

“…I think we might have to go to war against a major foreign power.”

Her head draws back in satisfaction to enjoy his fingertips fitting within the indents of her scar, and how far he’s come to listen to reason. Much as she’d prefer negotiations, there’ll be time enough to measure options after they’ve assembled their forces. Her body turns to lean into his touch, and purr. “Say it’s Rome.”

“...it would be so much easier if it were Rome. Rome may even become our ally in this matter…if I can count on them not to stab us in the back at their nearest convenience. But then again, they probably think the same of me.”

He wanted to try and forget about it. To instead reach out and touch her, explore her intimate areas, to continue their verbal taunts and teases…but now that the floodgate had been opened, there was no stopping it. The information had to come out.

“If you are caught, you will no doubt be subjected to a long lecture on the responsibilities of the ruling class and temporarily lose favored recreational privileges that the Emperor has granted you. So I suggest two possible actions:“

“One of them is emulating the King of Bohemia and wearing a hat and a mask to protect your identity.“

“Or, alternatively…don’t let anyone see you.“

“You make it sound so simple, Lord Thomas.” She laughed already thinking of the difficulty and timing that would be required to do such a feat. Escape the palace walls. Unseen from her guards. It would be thrilling, if not slightly terrifying, but it was test she was curious to try and rise to. Which was why she weighed the bag of coin in hand before looking to him smiling. 

He had plans for what would happen at his residence, that one way or another he would end up getting a taste of her, be it the plasma that flowed through her veins or other delicious aspects her highborn flesh had to offer…but social conventions forbade him from openly stating such. So instead he gave the answer of: