Spice and Sparkles ((Closed RP- Baron Harkonnen, Jasper, and the Raptor))

[i_am_harkonnen]

((Many thanks to A-mun for coming up with the thread title. It is my area of extreme FAIL.))

Although he couldn't claim to be satisfied, the Baron had finally gotten his rooms in order. He was still irritated that rooms was really one large room, with a closet and a semi-acceptable bathroom, but didn't plan to put up with it forever. What he'd

Comments

[i_am_harkonnen]

"So, it was conditioning." It was hard to keep his eyes from wandering to Jasper's hand as he fingered his wand, naturally wondering just what those lovely hands would feel like, but he had a disciplined focus and managed to stick to the subject. "What the hell kind of conditioning is that? I'm not sure how that would be conducive to training a detective. Perhaps they rationalized it as experimenting." The distasteful way he said the word suggested he didn't approve of it if so. It sounded wasteful,and reminded him of Piter and Tleilax. Even though everyone in the Imperium purchased their products, they weren't popular.

Some might argue that Vladimir was being hypocritical with this view. He'd repeatedly had his way with many slaves, not always with their enthusiasm. But, Vladimir was from a different culture, and they were slaves. A disposable commodity, like livestock. His mentat was twisted by Tleilaxu conditioning, but he was a ghola, a genetic duplicate of a dead man pre-inclined to take the conditioning properly. Piter had

[i_am_harkonnen]

((We'll just say it's the spice, and Vlad's getting some subtle impression of them rather than a glaring one. XD))Vladimir found it interesting that the body of a vampire was modified to produce toxins. He was surprised he'd never heard of Tleilaxu trying that, as it would become all the rage in the Imperium. The Imperium was a bit obsessed with its poisons, to the point where noble houses had overhead poison snoopers mounted everywhere because it was a necessity. He wondered if Jasper would produce a positive result on his portable snooper, but felt this was one of those questions best left for another day. As was the question about what exactly it does, how it does it, and what it feels like

[j_whitlock]

"Well, I'm not like some of the demons and other humanoids here. You won't offend me by calling me human," he said, a corner of his mouth quirking up in a half smile. "That's actually a sort of compliment, I guess." Even though he was technically another species now, by the modern world's understanding of what made a human, human. So sex with a vampire could count as bestiality. Or an irredeemable monster, if one went by Edward's definition. Jasper's own view of himself and of vampires in general was a bit more complicated, and not something he was comfortable discussing with anyone he didn't know well. Calling it his 'uniqueness' was as apt a description as any.

The tiger comment made him laugh, a genuinely amused sound with no edge of mockery to it. He didn't want to embarrass the Baron further, even though that hint of blood moving closer to the surface of his skin did smell quite appealing. "A tiger? So they still exist in the distant future you're from? I'd have thought mankind would have forced them into extinction by then.

[i_am_harkonnen]

((Please forgive the slow reply! Got caught up with a RL project and time got away from me. ))

He agreed- Jasper was not like 'other humanoids' here, he was special. Not because of what he was. What seemed more intriguing was who he was. What he was played in, but, he'd have still been intriguing even if he was not a legendary 'monster'. He may have had unusual talents, but it wasn't these that had Vladimir's heart pounding faster whenever that smile appeared. It was just so unusual and invigorating to have someone appearing to truly enjoy his company.

He listened to Jasper's explanation about his eyes with interest, finding his (which were a bit odd, being black, but still in the realm of human potential) drawn to Jasper's, wondering just what they'd look like in burgundy. Surely it would look quite striking, especially against that porcelain skin. So distracted was he for a moment that he almost didn't register the mention of a wife. Almost. It pleased him that Jasper did not linger on the subject. The topic was one that irritated

[j_whitlock]

((I tried not to make the end seem forced. Since their conversation could really carry on indefinitely if we let it, I think it best to end it soon. XD Sorry for my epic slowness. In the future I'll definitely try to keep my novel length tags down so I'm not stalling our threads for quite so long.))

Even as brief and mild as it was, Jasper caught that flicker of vague irritation from Vladimir at the mention of Alice and Edward, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. This gave him a sort of focused curious look, rather than being an expression of suspicion, which was very deliberate. He'd learnt to keep his own real emotions from showing when it was necessary to-as it so often was when attending human schools, and being in a constant state of pain due to his thirst. Staring at his teachers and 'peers' as though he'd like nothing more than to leap over his desk and eat them on the spot was never received well. Except in the case of the teachers being older women, who seemed to find that unsettling vampiric nature of Jasper's

[i_am_harkonnen]

((No worries at all on slow- I have the same lengthy habit and should try the same. *g*))It didn't escape Vladimir that his flash of anger seemed to cause a shift in Jasper, but he was pleased when its fading reversed it, that too-lovely smile appearing again. The Baron supposed sensitivity to emotions was a frequently frustrating thing- he wouldn't want to be assaulted with feelings all the time, unless they were pleasant ones to experience. He realized he'd have to make an effort to manifest positive emotions as much as possible around Jasper. At least it would be easy. That smile was enchanting, and Vladimir found he didn't want Jasper to suffer

[j_whitlock]

"An evening walk would be nice," Jasper readily agreed. Nevermind that the Baron didn't walk. Semantics weren't important there. "You could expound on your homeworld, and those which you have a tyrannical hold over," he said lightly (and yet with clear interest), so that the Baron would perceive it as a jest, though Jasper was also quite serious. Regardless of Vladimir's unusually pleasant behaviour with him, he had little doubt that the man was very different in his own time, his own universe. He briefly reflected on the Baron's prior trace of anger, again wondering at its cause. Perhaps he'd ask, one day

[i_am_harkonnen]

"We'll have to call a little stroll on the grounds a plan, then. I expect that the summer nights are lovely. It's a great deal more scenic than my homeworld, although it does have it's impressive bits of scenery." Namely volcanoes. Giedi Prime wasn't a 'nice' place at all. He smiled at Jasper, unable to dampen the affection welling up for him. To realize that this perfect creature wanted to spend further time in his company was just so flattering, somehow enhanced by the knowledge that Jasper was apparently fantasizing about him too, just in a much different way. But was it that different? Possibly not from the vampire perspective. True or not, he thought that was an unusually provocative thought