#ft. stigr

Soren scanned the dining room one more time, mouth twisted into a small frown as his fingers tapped against the bartop. He'd given into his nerves and showed up for their appointment early, nursed two drinks to take off the edge and cut himself off halfway through the second -- there was no affording being tipsy at such a crucial venture. It was a small venue, but fine quality: public to afford Soren meager bit of safety, not so far from the castle that Stigr would be unwilling to accept his invitation, sparing on details as it was. All he had to do now was wait.

Soren had bet on intrigue to be enough to lure the vampire down from the hilltop and miraculously it had worked. Ever since he'd learned exactly which councilmen were currently in Oymyakon, he'd been steeling himself for this encounter. The odds that Soren could make his way in Krovstown and ingratiate himself with the castle to any degree without being recognized by his father's old business partner were next to none. If Stigr outed him in the belly of the beast, it would be a disaster. If he refused to look the other way now, then the game would be over before it had even begun, but at least Soren might get a running start. And if he agreed...

Stigr was a business man, after all. Soren wasn't totally sure what exactly the councilman might want for his silence, but he was determined to find out. It wasn't as if he had much of a choice. He'd very nearly reversed his decision and ordered a third drink after all when he caught at first look at his guest in the mirrored wall behind the bar. It was like being transported back in time watching the vampire cross to where Soren leaned into his chair, not a hair on Stigr's head seeming to have fallen out of place in the last decade since they had seen each other. Immortal. He would have to put more effort into wrapping his head around that here.

"Councilman Anselm," Soren turned quickly, voice far more calm than he felt. He extended a hand, meeting Stigr's eyes, every lecture in Viraj's office about setting the proper tone for a negotiation running through his mind again, "It's a pleasure. I appreciate you taking the time to meet. Should I assume that we both understand why I asked you to come here today?"

In all honesty, Soren hadn't quite computed who he now found himself bound to until the other spoke and those lofty tones and the cadence of the woman's voice immediately pinged recognition in the human's mind. If it was at all possible, his face went even hotter. He'd come up to the castle to begin with to try and bargain his way out of the spell that had him dressed in leather far tighter than any trousers he'd ever willingly put on himself and the harness he was trying to cover with his jacket. "I - um, I hoped the consultants here might be able to help me out. Do you think they can..." Soren gestured at the chain between them with a feeble flicker of hope.

"I promise I didn't cast that."

It'd been too long since he'd been at a proper club. Even dodging the tail end of countless wings and who knew what else sticking off of people's costumes, Soren felt he was fighting for his life just trying to get to the front of the bar and wrangle enough attention to ask the bartender a few questions. He was in no way prepared for how many party-goers were in Krovstown that night, not compared to the strangely relaxed air of life he'd seen in the village thus far. All these people couldn't have come down from the castle... could they? He pushed his way between two dancing men who had gotten their drinks without bothering to make way for anyone else to get through, smacking his hand down on the bar finally with an exasperated grunt as he shouldered a bit too hard into his neighbor in his efforts to close the gap.

"Sorry," Soren leaned back with an apologetic grimace, staring for a second at the admittedly pretty impressively made costume the other man was wearing, "Just need a mo-- councilman?" There was no way. The human stared at the other man incredulously, taking in what little he could make out of his face and saying the first thing that came to his mind as he tried to process the sight of Stigr in this get-up, "You have to be burning up in that."