(Untitled)

[morethanprops]

He numbly opens the door to his room, lets Urquhart in and locks it behind him.

Then pours them both large drinks from the bottle and sinks into a chair before saying, "I really do hate her."

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[scots_wolf]

Urquhart accepts the drink, and sips slowly. A man can get used to this kind of good drink...

Then, he sits on the arm of Moist's chair.

Moist. He could get used to that name, too. Alfred is so terribly English, in comparison.

But Moist obviously hates the name as much as the vampire lady.

"That is quite obvious," he says aloud, draping his free arm around Moist's shoulder. "But she obviously won't let that stand in the way of whatever it is she wants."

[morethanprops]

"It just makes it more enjoyable for her,"

Its an unfortunate name, not the kind of name that does things.

Moist is a name for someone who lives and dies in Uberwald.

[scots_wolf]

Urquhart rubs Moist's neck, feeling some of the awful tension there still.

"No, she doesn't do it just for fun," he says. "She has an agenda. Something from your world I don't quite understand. Perhaps she wants to recruit your talent to run things for her."

[morethanprops]

"Gods, I hope not. I shouldn't be worth her time,"

The rubbing feels nice and Moist leans back into the touch.

[scots_wolf]

Urquhart takes another sip, puts down his glass, and then uses both hands to rub Moist's shoulders.

"You would be," he says. "She might make you run her tax office? Who better to tell if people are cheating than an actual crook? And people cheat at taxes all the time."

[morethanprops]

That isn't a hopeful thought at all.

Working for any government would be horrible, he could never leave,

"Don't tell her that."

[scots_wolf]

"Of course not!" Urquhart laughs, rubbing Moist's neck and spine with his big strong thumbs.

"I was just trying to guess at what she might think."

[morethanprops]

Moist tries to relax into Urquhart's hands, but its hard since he keeps thinking of what she could want with him.

Its clear she doesn't want him with Urquhart or Saffron, but he's not sure why.

[scots_wolf]

"I no more want you to waste your life as a government servant than I wanted to waste my life as the laird of the castle," Urquhart says, stroking along Moist's shoulders. "You are tense as a bowstring! And she probably thinks me a bad influence on your perceived use of talents. We encourage you to a life of crime, instead of letting you go home and join her precious anchovy stew, or whatever she called it."

[morethanprops]

"She might as well have announced my name to the entire Bar, I'm allowed to be tense. Century of the Anchovy instead of the Fruitbat."

[scots_wolf]

"You are, but I am trying to help," Urquhart says. "And do you think anybody except the other two girls at her table could hear her? She wasn't actually shouting."

He bends his head, and drops a kiss on Moist's neck.

"And I doubt they did get what the context was. She wanted to needle you, reminding you of your name and your roots, and used me as a kind of sounding board, because in order to be embarrassed, you need somebody to be embarrassed in front of."

[morethanprops]

"I know you are but people listen and you heard,"

Moist's still not sure how he feels about that and its another reason he's worrying.

[scots_wolf]

Urquhart strokes his shoulders. "I won't tell anybody else," he says, "or use it."

Except in his mind.

Moist.

[morethanprops]

That should be enough, but Moist hates not controlling who knows what.

When he's doing a job, that's the point when things start going too fast and suddenly he's on a fast horse out of town.

He focuses on the feel of Urquhart's hands, "Its a horrible name."

[scots_wolf]

"Well, there are even more horrible names, and people live with them," Urquhart points out. "And you don't have to, actually. And it might mean something totally different in Überwaldian?"

Beat.

"In my world, there is a town in Germany called Lippstadt."

It sounds like 'lip stud'.

"Another is called Worms. Quite an important city, actually. I did a few jobs there."

[morethanprops]

"Oh, I know. Its just so Uberwaldian," And not who he is.