EXT to INT - Windgrace Manor
Niles Roesler sauntered up to the manor's front door on one of those rare occasions he braved the fog and the mainland for a social call. Typically he sent a messenger but the state of things warranted a personal call, in the doctor's opinion. He did, however, stop at the porch and pass off a greeting to one of the house staff tending to the gardens outside, letting them hurry in to try and find one of the siblings to announce the doctor's arrival. He waited on the bottom step, arms free of burden but sitting crossed over his chest as he leaned against one of the pillars patiently.
Dorian had music blaring on the gramophone machine downstairs and was dancing his way through the jazzy tune like no one was watching. As he tapped, leaped, spun, and generally threw his limbs around, he'd continue doing so as if no one was watching in the great expanses of space the downstairs offered to him as his own accommodating and familiar dance floor. his siblings were aloft or abroad. He'd been at it since getting back from the morning ride, after which he'd bathed and eaten and then took advantage of open space downstairs. There was still food on the table, in family holiday tradition, for people to graze upon. Dorian had left his glass of brandy somewhere while he was getting lost in the solid jive of a swinging set of bars. Of all the new things to be able to get when the fog fell, he was looking perhaps most forward to records.
It just so happened that he'd been nearer to the fireplace when the door needed attention, so it was attended by a maid in uniform who would hurry to announce the visitor to the nearest of the family. Dorian stopped short when he heard the name and informed the maid, "I will go get him myself. But please be a dear and put on the Edith Piaf record, it's bottom of the pile there." This gave Dorian time to straighten out his face, even try to pull a smile onto it while he was striding to the door. He cursed himself silently for his display of nerves as 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien' began to play. Less of a dance number and more dramatic as it was, he was sure he'd chosen wisely. Dorian swung the door wide when he got there and presented a smile while he let bright blue eyes rove over their guest.
He began to speak a moment after this examination began, not at all haltingly, but with his butter smooth British accented voice, "Welcome Doctor Roesler, please do come in. What a strange and unexpected experience it is to see you again." He wasn't subtle enough not to comment on it, and concluded as he stepped back to admit the man, hand yet on the doorknob, "You look much better than last I saw you and we are glad for it."
Niles Roesler was much paler than his doppelganger had been but the facial structure was the same. His bearing, his posture, even his facial expressions were unchanged - Nilesian in the smug comfort he seemed to have in most any situation. There was recognition in the pale blue eyes but no hesitation as he mounted the stairs to approach Dorian at the door.
"Mister Dorian Windgrace. It's a pleasure to see you. It's been quite some time," he demured, pausing to hold out a hand to him for a handshake. When Dorian commented on the unexpected nature of his visit and the status the man had left his Fae-self in not to long ago that hand tapped at his own abdomen as he laughed. "Oh, wholly intact, you mean? I imagine you're not all glad. I remember everything, Dorian. There's no need to pretend you don't want to do the same thing here and now."
He extended his hand again, tilting his head forward. There was a moment where he paused to enjoy the choice in music though without the psychic talents of his siblings Dorian had only the little widening of Niles' smile to guess at the man's thoughts. "But it's the holidays. And considering the trouble plaguing the family at present, perhaps we should save further murder attempts until a better time."
Dorian: me couldn't help noting the self-satiety present in the other man's face and it did vex him. There was a flare of the nostrils and an unmoving stare in response to the greeting, face frozen in a smile that was not merry under eyes that sparkled and flared in bright blue fire. A fire that burned on the truth of the other man's words and whose heat was undeniable. But after a few heartbeats looking like that, he'd loosen the white knuckle grip he had on the doorknob, shaking his head. He'd break eye contact as he did and let a truer grin emerge. It wasn't the false formal smile, but something real, that accompanied words more in that shade, "You are not wrong, and while that is not my favorite thing to admit, it happens to be true. Come in, really, you made the trip all of the way down here, please." He'd stand back and wave the other man in, letting civility reign, hackles backing down.
"Can I get you something to drink? I am afraid you've caught the only one in residence you wouldn't have asked for, but I ah... I won't upset my sister. Let's delight her heart and have a proper visit, hm? Merry Christmas, Niles."
Niles Roesler | There was no change in his own expression as Dorian seemed to relax. Niles hadn't been particularly tense before that, practiced as he was at being infuriatingly calm. He did drop his hand to stuff both in his pockets though, stepping through the doorway and into the house proper so Dorian could shut the door against the fog and chill. "There's nothing wrong with it admitting it, you know. Honesty is a respectable thing and I'm sure it's a quality of yours your sister admires. And while I'm much more acquainted with your other siblings my visit is about the presents Risley delivered so I suppose I am looking for you too."
Pausing at the foot of the stairs the doctor took in the decor and the tree with a tilt of his head. "Goodness, you're all making me ashamed of my own decor. Hard to fit a tree so grand on the ship, after all." He leaned in to examine the tinsel and ornaments more closely. "I'll pass on the drink but thank you for the offer. Somehow I doubt you'd like to provide my preferred. Merry Christmas all the same. Have you opened your present?"
Dorian was ready and a little less willing to let honesty drop, though he thought he owed the tall, dark-haired German that much at least, so before getting to the gift, whose mention already had his ears turning red, he'd admit, "In all honesty then, allow me to say: you have a troublesome habit of not staying dead." A shrug of beige shirt clad shoulders posed as a punctuation that aimed to cast off frustration before he went on, "This makes them happy, so I suppose things shall have to go on this way."
It was easier not to talk about that gift than to admit anything about it to this man standing here all alive and beloved by his siblings. He'd shut the door and ambled in behind him, thinking about what he could mean about the drink. Dorian wasn't about to admit he didn't understand, but trying to move past it and continue behaving, he'd open his mouth to address the issue of the gift only to find it falling closed again. At length he managed, "I ah.... I.... admit I never expected a gift from you of all people. I suppose I ought to thank you. That is- thank you." He coughed rather than say anything further about it. His blood vessels did the speaking for him, heating up his face from ears to nose, inward in a furiously spreading blush. This probably provided a more informative answer than anything the Englishman said.
Niles Roesler chuckled and shrugged his own shoulders. "Well... time is a bit of a tangle and he doesn't seem to want to let me go," he said with a little wave of his hand. "I'm sure you'll have the pleasure some day. Your sister did manage a well and true death, after all. At least temporarily." He seemed entirely unperturbed by the topic.
Despite the ease of the conversation Niles was all too eager to latch onto the evident embarrassment the topic of Dorian's present brought to the younger man. His lips spread from smile to grin and he cleared his throat, looking down at the ground momentarily before meeting the blonde's eyes again. Any other person and the gesture might've been a bashful one. "Well... I'm glad that the red I see on your face isn't accompanied by a flare of anger. Not that I can sense, anyway." He nodded at Dorian. "I'm glad you like it. Perhaps your sister might as well, hm?"
Dorian: || As they'd both agreed to the fact that Dinah could manage, Dorian did not even feel the need to bring up the usual assertions that he'd punish anyone who tried to harm his sister. That Niles hadn't abandoned her after that spoke to some sort of madness or strength of character that even Dorian couldn't deny. But the blond was miles away from those thoughts, instead it was surreal and impossible that someone was speaking such words to him about his sister. He searched the other man's face for scorn or reproach, what he expected. Seeing only that maddeningly smug expression on the handsomely proportioned face, he managed, sputteringly, "I... well... not anger, no. I ah.... I did have to ask her what it was for," he admitted.
And the very moment after he'd done so he cast his gaze over his guest's face again, looking for mockery at his unworldly self. He hadn't meant to admit that he'd been so stumped about the bit and bridle's likely intended use. He'd mumble something unintelligible to himself and finally finish, "Now I owe you, you know?" Dorian had spent the better part of the past day trying to figure out what to get for Niles and while he had a notion, he'd have to wait for the port to reopen if there even still was a world out there beyond the isle anymore. "So beware." it seemed even when he was tryign to be nice there was an air of competitiveness he couldn't quite rid himself of.
Niles Roesler showed no signs of scorn, no anger at Dinah for having murdered any version of himself, changeling or otherwise. He seemed impressed by the fact more than anything else - and a little surprised that it was possible at all. If Dorian really pondered things he might get the impression that Niles found the ability to truly off him something close to attractive.
Focusing on the topic of Dorian's gift the doctor put a finger to his chin. "I'm sure she had quite the time having to explain it," he mused when it was mentioned Dinah had to educate her poor brother on the uses of such things. Niles seemed tickled pink at the thought, moreso at the notion that Dorian owed him. As far ahead as he seemed to plan for things, Niles seemed taken aback by that.
"Owe me? Dear Dorian, I had no such thing in mind when giving it. Gifts ought to be given freely. I'm no Fae, after all. I don't deal in contracts and sneaky hidden oaths." He set his hands on his hips and tapped a finger on the burgundy fabric of his pants. "If you however feel inclined to give one, I'd absolutely welcome it. And will enjoy thoroughly trying to guess what it might be. And whether it'll be in the... ah, same vein."
Dorian had to admit to himself that he was impressed in some ways by the German and that came with a sting. There was a time Dorian could remember getting more and more enraged by the mans simply being so urbane and unbothered. Now he accepted it like he would a ribbing from one of his siblings: gamely. And when Niles insisted there was no trickery, no trying to induce its like from him, and seemed surprised by this, the middlest Windgrace's grin renewed itself. And he'd explain himself, "We are starting anew, despite our storied past. I am afraid I cannot pass up a chance to extend the same courtesies back, on my honour as an Englishman, I'll not be outdone. Even if I already might have been, in this case."
He was making himself not think of those lips on his twin's, trying not to sink back into the easy embrace of enmity. It was a harder and more intricate dance that took more work. "Dinah cares for you. Drystan wants you to draw breath. So too does the divine. Who am I to argue, right? So reciprocity it must be. Besides i am grateful that you make them happy. It is not strictly speaking, the easiest task in the world." Given all of their ages, finding things and people fascinating enough anymore to pay attention to and enjoy was it's own sort of gift.
Niles Roesler nodded in acceptance of this. Fresh starts, histories and prior marks included - it was an interesting game for the vampire and a necessary one. He knew well enough that the three siblings came as a package deal and that Dorian, very specially, was much more Dinah's other half than any other could be. "Then I eagerly await your riposte. A duel less in blades and fists and more in repartee and camaraderie, yes?"
The doctor turned to look up the stairwell as if searching for something and an expression that bordered dangerously on remorse flitted over his features. "I'm sure I don't always make them happy. Did Drystan mention what happened on our first meeting? Re-meeting, that is? After my death and return?" He dug a middle finger into his palm and opened the hand, letting blood drift in a lazy swirl above it. "He was rather upset. It was far less congenial a time than this has been." He hummed, shrugging again. "Safe to say - I'm sure I vex your brother and sister as often as I entertain."
Dorian's blush had started to retreat, but it reheated given some thought he didn't give full voice to. He listened attentively, trying to understand that the man he was meeting now was different from the same faced version he'd known before to some impossible to understand extent. The blond man knew enough to know that supernatural things couldn't always be explained to anyone's satisfaction, that at a certain point they just had to be accepted because explanation was no help. After Niles had said what he did about Drystan, he'd shaken his head, and then tossed golden hair out of his eyes. The easiest answer to that quandary was a true one, almost a family adage, "Drystan is a complex man. Always has been, and Dinah, well... Say--"
He'd take a step toward the other, looking up into that well-formed face with lips that seemed to want to smirk and with his own expression growing more serious, "--you're not just having a go at me, are you? People actually ah...." He'd make a 'and so on' gesture with his other hand fast in his pocket. Without explaining that he was back on the topic of the human face shaped bridle, he couldn't let the chance to ask the man himself. Dorian didn't mean to out himself as quite such an innocent, but at the same time seemed to be truly looking for an answer to this line of questioning.
Niles Roesler conceded that point about Drystan easily. All the usurper-changeling's memories recovered from the shard, he knew very well that a lot simmered beneath the surface of the eldest sibling's mind and chose not to delve into the topic with his younger brother. He was rousted from that reverie quickly enough anyway as Dorian stepped closer, looking up into his face brazenly and, once again, surprising the undead doctor.
For a moment Niles was speechless, blinking down at Dorian in a moment of surprise and curiosity. Did he really not know? When it dawned on him just how innocent Dinah's twin really was his lips formed into a more sinuous smile. "Dorian... dear man, if I were having a go at you you'd know it in no uncertain terms," he answered. Bright blue eyes drifted briefly to the hand that sat in Dorian's pocket before trekking slowly back up the man's midline to his face. "People like to supplement their bedtime forays with plenty of props and toys."
There wasn't a hint of deceit in that voice for all the absolute delight that was on his face.
Dorian looked up with his face open to any manner of answer, not realizing for a moment that he'd shown quite so many of his cards. He'd been given occasion to chuckle when Niles said what he did about uncertain terms. He liked hearing that from an adversary, if that even was what the German doctor was in that moment. In any number of other moments of interaction, Dorian had been so sure. Just now though, he was taking notes from someone more worldly, someone who clearly had something to offer his siblings that he himself did not Having not let himself be too small a man to ask, now having his answer, his face was near red across the cheeks when he looked ceilingward, giving the matter a few moments of thought. After a moment, he'd respond, "I see. Well.... yes. I see. Ahem." Swivelling azure eyes to the set in the face before him he'd shove his other hand into his pocket too, looking boyish as new horizons of carnal play became known to him.
"Very decent of you to--hahaHAHAHAHA." He broke up with laughter, more than some of it nervous and awkward and a placeholder for words unavailable to him, he'd crack up unto holding his sides and try to explain, "It's just ahahaha she always says ahahahaha what a perfect gentleman and... I suppose it isn't heh entirely decent, is it?" Could it be, the pair of them delighted at the same time?
Niles Roesler did not create any more distance between them than Dorian himself did, perfectly content to remain in whatever staring contest or game of chicken they now found themselves in. His smile only widened as the redness spread over the blonde's features and for a moment he almost stepped closer still - but then Dorian broke into those peals of laughter and Niles stepped back, grinning himself. He let out a little laugh of his own and shook his head, a small part of him that responded with lizard-brain emotion to the memories he'd recovered baffled by the moment.
There were serving staff that had been, up until that point, very warily watching them no doubt. It was entirely likely that there were those among the houseservants that knew to brace themselves in the event Niles and Dorian were ever in the same room again in any level of proximity. Some of them probably flinched at the first eruption of laughter - all of them more than likely as baffled as that little bit of Niles' own mind at the absolute lack of physical blows. "I suppose a man can be a well-mannered cad, can't he?" Niles replied.
Dorian recovered himself, not marvelling as much as he should at the fact that he was laughing with one he'd so often considered his nemesis. Later he'd be able to contemplate if this meant they didn't have to be foes at all. Or if the animosity was just too natural a state. For now in some strange holiday cheer it was all water flowing calmly in a delighted burble under a very low bridge. A floating bridge, really.
When he stood to his full height again his grin would be wry. One that knew and didn't despise for the moment that they had a woman between them in the small space which there was, who had a predliection toward well mannered cads. In another world they might have compared totals on how many of her dresses they'd ruined, in a future world they might yet, but for now, Dorian turned to look at the staff that was looking on and remembered himself. Looking to Niles with the most relaxed smile he'd possessed in the man's company, perhaps ever, he'd remark, "I suppose a man must be, if he's in his prime. As we are. I hate to say as much, but I should see you out, I have an engagement to attend shortly. What a strange day." And though he wasn't sure of it after a moment his pocket would relinquish his right hand and he'd reach out to shake, "Happy Christmas Niles."