RP: A Sunset Stroll

[shh_sanguini]

Date: February 16th, 2005
Characters: Sanguini and Narcissa Black Malfoy
Location: Copper Towers/Streets Of Stoatshead (for now)
Status: Private
Summary: An evening walk between two friends.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_sanguini]

Sanguini heard the teacup clatter from behind the door and hoped he hadn't overly startled her. He thought he was here at an appropriate time, although he didn't own a watch or a clock. His day started when the sun sank below the horizon and ended when it came up again. There wasn't generally much of a need to know the specifics. He almost nervously ran his hands down the front of his new shirt, brushing away imaginary wrinkles. A smile came to his lips when the door opened. He was surprised, although not unpleasantly, when she pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"Good evening, Narcissa."

He stepped out of the way so she would be able to leave her flat.

"Yes, of course."

Sanguini offered his arm to her. "Do you want to Apparate to the street or are we walking down?"

[shh_sanguini]

"It is only through your generosity that I am dressed as such."

Sanguini smiled, baring the slightest amount of his fangs. He closed his eyes as they disapparated to the street outside of Copper Towers. The rush of it still bothered him sometimes, but it was still a convenient mode of travel. He watched her cast a charm to warm herself, glad he no longer had to worry about heat or cold. Of course he made some measure to blend in. If he had decided to wear shorts (well, he never had, but if) in the chill of a winter night, he was sure to get some stares.

He considered the directions for a moment. "West is alright with me. I've explored these streets enough to know my way either way."

[shh_sanguini]

"Of course. I have seen many houses that might be suitable for your purposes, but I will have to find out whether some of them are actually empty. At night when I go wandering, most lights are off, so it does make the task of figuring out whether or not they are abandoned slightly more challenging."

Sanguini looked up at the sky for a moment, gazing at the moon and stars.

"Ah, the museum. I have work there now, although it is mostly clerical in nature. He isn't in a position to pay me, but I do it to fill my time, not for Galleons."

He smiled briefly and then his face went calmly blank.

"I have a story to tell you. Would you like to hear it?"

[shh_sanguini]

He smiled briefly again, something close to nostalgia in his black eyes

[shh_sanguini]

Sanguini took Narcissa's hand calmly, his eyes locked on her as she considered his words. He wasn't quite sure what had prompted him to tell her his real name, who he was before became a vampire, but he didn't regret it. He trusted her, more than he had trusted anyone in a very long time. He watched as everything he had seen sunk in and saw various conflicting emotions come to bear in her expression.

"I am not the man I once was, but he is not lost entirely. To give up everything would be to divorce myself from all emotions associated with my mortal life, and that is not a sacrifice I am willing to make. Stefan lived for more than twenty years, Sanguini more than three hundred, but I am still both, in a sense."

[shh_sanguini]

Sanguini watched Narcissa as silence flooded over them. It seemed that the night itself was waiting for one of them to speak, provoking them with the sharp sound of the leaves brushing against the street. When she turned her head to the side to speak, he listened intently, knowing he had made the right decision in telling her his story.

"I have too many memories of my human life to completely toss them to the side, but they are memories, not all that defines me."

He saw her shaking her head, obvious conflict going through her expression. Still holding her hand, he followed her as she walked down the street.

"And you are mine, Narcissa. There is naught that would make me surrender what we share."

Sanguini was almost tempted to brush his fingers down her cheek when she leaned against him, but he kept himself still.

"You're the first person to use that name in centuries. It's a pleasant change."

[shh_sanguini]

"It is far better to die on your feet and fight for what you believe in than live on your knees."

Sanguini followed Narcissa over the bridge, enjoying the pleasant sound of the water rushing by, faint as it was. The wind blew his hair around a bit and he pushed it out of his eyes, watching Narcissa staring out into the water, a serious expression on her face.

"Mortal and trivial are not one and the same, Narcissa, nor are all mortal things easily forgotten." He spoke seriously, his thumb brushing over her knuckles absently. "I do more than tolerate your musings, Narcissa. I enjoy them. They intrigue me and capture my interest. And also know that whatever you say will be kept between us and no one else."

[shh_sanguini]

He saw Narcissa struggling with her words and felt her squeeze his hand out of stress or reflex. Sanguini remained silent as she tried to spell out what she wanted to say, and he focused solely on her, ignoring the sound of leaves whisking around the bridge and the soft movements of the water. From her words, he assumed that she was speaking of her husband, that she had taken steps to move away from the man she had been married to for years. He wasn't really quite sure what to say