David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 12, 2009 19:03:06 GMT -5
((Continuation of another thread.))
The infamous Red Windmill looked just as David imagined it, itself, but with a decidedly 19th century flair, and a certain scandalous prestige that was unlike that which it had in the 20th century. Certainly it was still scandalous and prestigious, but not for being a novelty, being as old and illustrious as it was. Today, this was a living tradition. David could have come here alone and marvelled at that for a while before gently leading away a jaded, alcoholic dancer dreaming of her lost youth, or a penniless dime-a-dozen writer from America would would amount to nothing, or anything of the kind and take their life in an almost gentlemanly way.
But tonight this would have been stupendously unwise, and besides, it would have been a discourtesy to his young friend Yager, who had apparently never been to the Moulin Rouge, had never seen the dancers rush up and do that frenzied dance, showing off their thighs and their sequined, colorful garter belts, nor watched the prostitutes of either sex sift through the crowd and flirt with all the English tourists and French nobles, nor simply ordered a drink and watched the artists sketch things. That this was what David expected to see there did not make it any less remarkable. What a picture this was. What everyone told you about the Moulin Rouge, and here it was, quite real. That was just too dazzling, wasn't it?
David had an appreciative, almost dreamy look on his face as they entered.
"Well, drink's on me. Why don't you pick a seat? I'm in no hurry."
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Post by Yager on Mar 12, 2009 19:34:09 GMT -5
Yager had never been to the Moulin Rouge... and now he was there... and he still didn't get what all the fuss was about.
It was rather flashy, if that was the right word for it. The vampire hunter wasn't familiar enough with such establishments to rightly describe them. Yet... he somehow felt out of place, even though David's presence soothed that discomfort a little bit.
The vampire seemed to be very much in place at this establishment. Then again, this seemed to be the sort of place Yager's father would describe as an amoral cesspool of filth... or something similar. If you looked at it like that, it was obvious that a creature of the night would be perfectly at home there. After all, Yager's father had given equally unflattering descriptions of vampires.
"Over here seems fine..." he said, walking over to a hopefully suitable table. It had a reasonable overview of the establishment, which Yager hoped to utilize. Perhaps a bit of observation would reveal the attraction of the place.
"So... I'm guessing wine for me and a glass and knife for you?"
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David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 12, 2009 19:47:07 GMT -5
David offered Yager a rather attractive smile as he settled in.
"Don't be unkind," he said, amiably but with some sort of undertone or other in the words. "I found you good company before, and you wouldn't want to seem discourteous, would you, not now that we've called for a truce?"
He motioned a waiter over in a discreet hand gesture.
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Post by Yager on Mar 12, 2009 20:12:33 GMT -5
Yager gave the vampire a puzzled look.
"What's discourteous about offering you a drink?" What that usually required for a vampire was a knife and a container of some kind... well, unless they opted for drinking straight from the source, but they were hardly on any basis for that.
The vampire hunter took off his coat and rolled up the left sleeve of his shirt a bit, exposing a long, thin scar on the inside of his wrist and arm.
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David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 12, 2009 20:21:24 GMT -5
David's smile faltered a bit, replaced by a thoughtful frown. No, this hunger wouldn't do, he pushed that aside easily. Had Yager shown more violent tendencies, David supposed this fact - proof of precisely how disturbed he actually must be - would have unsettled him slightly, or at least put him off his stride a moment, but the fact that Yager was so consistently clueless and likeable made him feel slightly compassionate.
"No, I think that would draw entirely too much attention," he said, after a moment. He continued to watch him for a while, more thoughtfully. No, clearly more layers to Yager than he'd thought there were. He had beyond met other vampires in the past, then, and clearly had had some sort of relationships with some of them. He thought of Daniel and Armand, unbidden, the blood exchange between them, and wondered if Yager's own personal problems were due to some initial encounter rather than, as he'd originally supposed, some mental imbalance. "Though the offer is extremely generous, and tempting."
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Post by Yager on Mar 12, 2009 20:44:01 GMT -5
"Perhaps later, then," Yager replied with a nod, rolling his sleeve down again.
He could hardly understand how being discreet would be a point in a place like this, but if it was what his companion preferred the vampire hunter was willing to accept it.
"So, what is it people come to do in a place like this, anyway?" Yager looked around in a manner that might befit a rather confused puppy rather than a relatively big man like himself.
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David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 13, 2009 13:18:18 GMT -5
David smiled and gestured at the people they were around. "Well, watch." After a moment, although it should have been unnecessary if Yager was indeed watching, he said, softly, "It's a music hall. People come to be entertained by the singers and the... dancers - "
Who were very hard not to miss, not dancing like that -
" - who all come here to make a living, and, perhaps, for the art itself. Several of them will be immortalized in paintings and poems made by the artists - " another hand gesture - "who are here for the art, and perhaps for the scandal of it."
He didn't mention the more sordid details. Yager seemed, however morbid his profession, to be more of an idealist to him.
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Post by Yager on Mar 13, 2009 13:44:24 GMT -5
"I've never seen anything quite like it."
Yager obediently let his gaze wander over the performers and artists, since that was apparently what one was supposed to do in a place like this. He supposed some would find it entertaining. It wasn't entirely his thing.
Personally, the vampire hunter preferred a bit more peace and quiet... with perhaps a few less swinging legs. Surely some of these dances were hazardous to either the performer's or the spectator's health. Though several might be quite effective in fighting vampires if the heels were replaced with wooden stakes... and perhaps a crucifix could be painted on the underwear, since that was showing so much.
"Do you visit places like this on a regular basis?"
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David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 13, 2009 13:50:28 GMT -5
David shook his head, smiling, although his teeth, naturally, did not show. No, the thought was laughable. And yet it was just the sort of question that one might expect David would be asked, under the circumstances, which were hardly average. How little Yager knew of him. And David wondered how usual this was for him.
"No. But I could hardly offer to buy you a drink in anyplace I usually go."
David would not have considered himself bookish, but scholarly, yes.
"Is this usual with you? After declining to kill your intended victim, you go out and get... drinks?" he said, the latter phrase rather vague, being as Yager did have that scar on his arm and it was more than obvious where he'd gotten it.
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Post by Yager on Mar 13, 2009 14:05:24 GMT -5
Well, at least that was a comforting thought... the vampire might just have some taste. That supported Yager's decision not to kill him... though that was hardly the entire motivation. While David was in his company, he wasn't out attacking and biting innocent victims, which was enough of a triumph for tonight.
"I can't help but wonder where those usual places are..." Yager replied with a faint smile. Coffins and hunting grounds not included, of course... though perhaps knowing those might come in handy as well, for vampire hunting purposes.
"And well... I try to show some good sportsmanship about this entire thing, provided the other does the same of course. Though it obviously doesn't always include drinks... especially not in such an establishment."
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David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 13, 2009 15:09:50 GMT -5
David smiled back. He supposed it was some sense of justice, of fairness, that made him continue on a little in the company of a vampire-hunter. Normally he'd certainly want to get away from him, for David did not generally like being suspected and second-guessed in a relationship, but, well, if he was going to be a hunter, he might as well spend time among those who hunted him. Only fair.
It didn't hurt that Yager wasn't much of a threat to anyone, except in Yager's own head.
"Ah, well. Libraries. Museums... art museums, yes, granted, but more often than not I am interested in archeological exhibits than otherwise."
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Post by Yager on Mar 13, 2009 15:37:11 GMT -5
"Libraries and museums are nice... I'd probably spend some more time there if I wasn't so busy with the whole hunting thing. Though I have to say I've seen some exhibit-worthy castles and such in my time."
Why vampires often made a point of inhabiting scary castles, Yager would never know. It made things unnecessarily complicated for them... huge, spooky castles were like huge signs that proclaimed 'Vampires in here! Get your bloodsuckers while they're undead!' or something of the like. It all seemed highly... impractical to him. Then again, perhaps a few centuries on this world gave you a different perspective.
"Though you're right about the drinks... a librarian has berated me more than once for carrying around a flask of holy water. Vampires, I can handle... old ladies with stern looks, entirely different league."
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David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 13, 2009 15:43:11 GMT -5
Vampires, I can handle. David smiled faintly, not wanting to disillusion him. It was starting to become endearing, anyway.
Nonetheless, he couldn't resist saying, "You don't think holy water works, do you?" in the most pleasantly teasing sort of way.
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Post by Yager on Mar 13, 2009 15:50:50 GMT -5
"With some it does, some it doesn't. I've got this theory... it might have something to do with what the vampire him- or herself believes. At least the more classical things. Remove something's head and it will usually die, no matter what it believes," Yager said airily.
"Well, I say 'I've got this theory', but it was originally my father's theory." The vampire hunter's father had had a great deal of theories concerning a lot of things... and sometimes a habit of trying stuff out on Yager as well. Perhaps to make sure it was a foolproof vampire-identification method or something of the like.
"He was quite a wise man."
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David Talbot
- In the Duggins -
((This avatar. It amuses me.))
Posts: 90
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Post by David Talbot on Mar 15, 2009 17:05:37 GMT -5
"Ah. Teach you all he knew?"
David thought he might be beginning to get the picture. Beyond some strong sense of duty, he couldn't picture why Yager had any interest in the profession he claimed, particularly as he seemed so hospitable to vampires in general. And this was a better explanation for why he had gotten into the idea in the first place than insanity. It was... promising.
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