Michel's hands held the letter that Lucien had sent him, his eyes darted across the words as the sun sank into the horizon. So he had met Gabriel… that got a chuckle out of the man as he imagined them meeting. Lucien was a very serious man and Gabriel was the opposite, he was impetuous and frivolous.
He is certainly an experience.
"You can say that again," Michel muttered, taking a sip of his water. He wondered if he should write back, and setting the letter aside he did pick up his quill and parchment paper. He was away from his usual manor for the time being, though he found himself missing it dearly, and especially the friends he'd made back in the village of Lilygrove. Other than Gabriel and Lucien, he had also met a woman named Elisa, and another named Marianne that he had grown fond of. The nobles here in Vedia's capital bored him greatly. It was partially why he had left Vedia Castletown, and yet, he was back in the big city nonetheless. Michel looked outside to the passerby on the cobbled streets and opened his window to feel the cool night air on his skin.
Michel was staying at an inn for the few weeks he'd spend signing the legal papers over to the new owner of his old villa, and then he could at last return to Lilygrove. Although he was no longer living here, he still got the invitation or two from Queen Asteria welcoming him to her annual ballroom dances. He wondered idly if Lucien had ever been to the city, or if he'd like to see it one day.
To my dearest friend,
He wrote after a moment of quiet contemplation,
The city feels very empty without all of the faces I've come to know in Lilygrove proper. It's good to hear that you and Gabriel are 'getting along,' for the most part. I should have known he would come around to meet you, remind me to warn you next time about any of my potential old friends appearing.
Michel continued his letter with a few more little details and then folded it neatly once it was dry, placing it in an envelope, sealing it with his family's crest, which was a dragon holding a gem in its right claw. He had a few gifts for Lucien he would give him when he returned, but for now, a letter was good enough.
He sighed softly as he gave the letter to his courier raven, giving her a handful of seeds as a reward. She ate them and then took off into the night sky, carrying the letter and cawing into the distance. He shut the window and drew the curtain, checking the amount of wine that was left in his cup. It was just a little bit, so he sat and drank the rest. He thought about Lucien again, his mind wandering to the way he laughed when he was happy, the furrow of his brow when he was serious, the quite frankly adorable blush he wore when he was giving his sermons. He had stage fright or anxiety or a strange combination of both, and Michel found it to be endearing.
… he knew this feeling, he realized as he sat up. It was how he had felt when he had met his first wife, Alexandra. A sudden fear gripped him– Alexandra had died of illness about seven years prior, and for some reason, the idea of anything happening to Lucien panicked him all the same. Not that the priest was in danger, but rather, the company that Michel tended to keep would likely scare him off at best. Michel sighed, pacing his room again as he thought this over. Nothing would happen to Lucien unless he said or did something to Gabriel and even then, Gabriel was mostly harmless. He ran a hand through his dark hair.
"I suppose I should tell him the truth."
The room did not answer him, it remained as cold and empty as ever. Michel uncorked the bottle of wine he'd brought with him and poured another glass, the viscous liquid slowly filling the cup. The acrid smell of copper slowly ebbed away as he sipped at the deep red blood in his wine glass. Michel thought of how Lucien would react and soon realized that he did not wish to know, that perhaps keeping the idea of what he was secret a little longer would be good and fine, actually.
He was a man of God. He would shun Michel and at worst ask to be moved to another church. His grip on his glass tightened. No, Lucien could not find out what he was, under any circumstances. He heard a knock at the door and quickly finished off his 'wine,' setting the glass aside and using magic to make his eyes turn green again. When he opened the door, Gabriel was leaning on the frame, his arms crossed.
"Gabriel," Michel said with relief in his voice, "What are you doing here?"
"Hello Michel," Gabriel stated before sauntering into the room, "I heard you were in town so I wanted to come see you. Pour me some blood, won't you?"
"Not so loud," Michel hissed as he closed the door and locked it.
"Who's going to hear us? Some lowly human scullery maid who reads too many romance novels?" Gabriel rolled his eyes as Michel poured him a cup of bloody wine, taking a generous sip.
"I don't know how you can drink this, the real thing tastes way better." Gabriel sighed.
"What are you here for?" Michel asked again, and Gabriel set the glass aside, approaching the man and tracing a hand down his jaw.
"To see you, mostly."
"Mostly?" Michel asked as he caught Gabriel's hand, holding it lightly. "What's the other half of this, then?"
"To invite you to the gala. I want you to be my date." Michel paused, slowly dropping Gabriel's hand.
"I cannot," He said in a hushed whisper, "You know this. I do not live here in Vedia any longer."
Gabriel scowled and crossed his arms, tilting his head.
"Is Lilygrove really better than the big /city,/ Michel?"
"It is," He answered without any hesitation. "That is why I picked a home there."
"You're so strange," Gabriel jeered, "Who picks a little township over the thrill of the city life?"
"I do," Michel answered, "In every way possible."
"I guess I will have to find another date," Gabriel said as he walked towards the door, "I wonder if Lucien will be free.~"
And before he could protest, the man left. Michel felt something tighten in his chest at the idea of a human at the gala full of vampires. They would eat him alive. And he could not have that.
He grabbed his things and headed out then and there, he had to get home before Gabriel could get to his friend.
… and little did he know, it was already far too late.