s t a r s t r u c k

alistair aurelis. larkin galathryn.

[duskomens]

prince of aurelion - alistair aurelis (intro.) (bio.) (connections.) (threads.) high lord of eryndor - larkin galathryn (intro.) (bio.) (connections.) (threads.)

[astrxls]

draeven  chuckles,  "  i  have  no  business  sharing  yours,  my  prince.  "  and  he  didn't.  drae  may  not  be  perfect,  he  certainly  had  a  reputation  of  his  own,  but  he  never  saw  a  reason  in  exposing  others.  what  the  prince  did  with  his  coin  was  his  secret  to  keep.  a  shake  of  his  head  at  the  arm  on  his  shoulder,  but  he  doesn't  mind  at  all.  "  i  suppose  i  might.  "  the  shadowborn  knows  it's  a  joke,  though.  he  actually  had  quite  a  lot  of  loyalty  to  the  crown  and  would  happily  aid  should  he  be  needed.  drae  rolls  his  shoulders  when  the  arm  is  dropped,  and  he  sighs  heavily.  "  i  can  only  hope,  but  it  would  be  your  mother  deciding  that.  "

[duskomens]

"Ah, well, all your training won't go to waste one way or another. I'll keep my bet, don't worry." Everything seemed to fall into his mother's lap, didn't it? Heavy was the head that wore the crown or whatever, perhaps Alistair was just relieved his was made of flowers. Much more aesthetically pleasing and easier to carry. "I heard that there's a tavern around the corner that is visited often. Couldn't be by me, y'know, but I've heard so many good things. Leave the sword, come with me."

[astrxls]

"  i  don't  think  we  expect  anyone  but  you  to  be  our  comedic  relief,  son.  "  a  tease,  offered  with  a  slight  smile.  helion's  mood  had  improved  since  his  son  walked  in  the  door,  and  he  was  more  than  thankful.  alistair  brought  out  every  grey  hair  he  owned  nearly,  but  he  also  was  the  cause  of  many  smiles.  "  your  mother  is  the  one  who  locked  the  gates.  "  he  says  pointedly,  nothing  either  of  them  can  do  about  it.  "  but  do  ensure  i'm  in  the  room  when  you  tell  her  it  reminds  you  of  a  prison.  "

[duskomens]

"Right, I sometimes forget you're just there as a trophy," he teased, though to be fair, it wasn't like Alistair ever had any sort of crown envy for his mother, or for his sister who was next in line. He was spoiled of the benefits of status, nothing more or less. Free to do what he wanted, Alistair walked down the hallway beside his father, "I will, don't worry. And when I say you're the one who gave me the idea, I'll be sure to watch."

[andrew-garfielld]

PAUL MESCAL Ph. by Greg Williams for Hollywood Authentic (Nov 15, 2024)

[boysappetit]

Michael Vlamis

[caelumvult]

gossip   had   run   amok   in   the   palace   halls   ,   throughout   the   palace   grounds   ,   and   seemingly   along   every   pathway   of   the   city.   around   every   corner   ,   under   every   archway   ,   the   whispering   continued.   most   of   the   talk   circulated   around   the   recent   appearance   of   the   species   thought   long   extinct.   the   rest   hovered   over   the   unknown   ,   the   bodies   that   continued   to   pile   up.   whether   the   vampires   were   responsible   ,   or   if   their   word   was   true   ,   and   something   else   hovered   just   beyond.

it   was   all   rather   mundane   ,   a   clear   lack   of   any   sort   of   imagination   to   the   fabricated   stories.   to   the   chatter   that   continued   ,   despite   how   he   hovered   just   near   them.   then   again   ,   he   supposed   the   senses   of   these   fae   were   not   nearly   as   profound.   enhanced   ,   but   to   what   degree   ?   for   as   soren   settled   against   the   wall   of   a   building   ,   tucked   just   under   the   shadow   it   cast   ,   he   watched   as   the   fae   mingled.   or   rather   ,   as   one   stomped   out   the   fire   that   had   begun   to   quickly   spread   along   another's   cloak.   how   amusing.

❝   no   ,   certainly   not.   i'm   sure   it   just   happened   to   catch   fire.   out   of   blue   ,   one   might   say.   ❞   amusement   painted   his   tone   of   voice   ,   as   he   eased   himself   from   the   wall.   his   eyes   darted   to   the   scorched   fae   ,   before   returning   slowly   to   the   one   who   still   faced   him.   my   ,   didn't   he   smell   divine.   but   soren   simply   lingered   ,   curious   to   how   he   may   be   received   ,   now   that   he'd   made   himself   known.

[duskomens]

The vampire was one that he knew of, because it was simply his business to know who had exited the ships and made their way into Aethara's courts. It didn't mean Lark was even remotely impressed, however, the way the statuesque man approached, eyes that were as sharp as his senses and whatever else lingered behind false smiles and heartless pleas. It was probably not in Lark's best interest to be incredibly rude to guests, but his RBF seemed to do him for that most of the time. He was less impressed with the way the vampire's held themselves when they were technically fighting a war and dragging fae into it.

"Glad we can agree," he forced a smile, a glint in his own eyes that simply promised there was more fire where that came from. No matter how devilishly put together these vampires looked, Larkin was still on guard. "Are you waiting for another ship? Or for one to whisk you back away home?" He would assume Soren waving a handkerchief and drying bloodied tears with it would complete the picture in his mind.

[duskomens]

@aethara-starters who: open where: by the docks

Maybe it was his temper, or maybe it was an ill timed event that made itself known to purposefully anger him, but Larkin stood there awkwardly as he stomped on the cloak of another older fae who'd shrieked like the goddess was coming for him. It may have been accidental, or it may not have been, as the noble's incessant yapping had made Lark sigh, and maybe his cloak had been set on fire or it was just a series of unfortunate events, but it was out now, and Larkin put his hands up and took a step back, "Nothing to see here, everyone. It's all fine." There was a bit of an audience, but now? He turned around and made a face at the person who'd possibly seen him, but plausible deniability was all he had as he spoke to them, "I didn't do it."

[bigassbowlingballhead]

[telluricn]

“I won’t deny it’s risky,” she relents with a sigh, placing her hands on the bench and leaning backwards to look at the sky as she thinks through her options once more. 

“I have informed High Lord Vorros of the matter and we have come to an agreement  of sorts on how to proceed, which includes my guard following me around everywhere now,” she says, tilting her chin to point at the two watching from a distance. “So there are some safeguards already. And I will be asking if they believe it is possible to feed from a fae safely, before even putting the offer forward.”

She sighs again, a shrug following. 

“It’s not a perfect solution, but these are the first questions we must ask if we are to find what the so-called rebels are doing to the competitors they have taken. And finding the answers the Queen needs is my duty, one that I will fulfill gladly if it means you all get even one more piece of information about vampires,” she says, voice slow but steely. “We know so little of their kind, every piece of information it’s worth its weight in gold.”

[duskomens]

Lark looked at Violante again, thinking of Lucian and the fact that they were all stuck in this dreaded place. He missed his own home, but alas – peace was as fragile as it could be at the moment. He followed her nod towards the guards, though he didn't seem convinced based on that fact. Larkin was relentless in his own training, insisting he never needed anyone ever, as one did. Perhaps if he had any friends they'd joke about how he needed to loosen up, get laid – but he didn't have any, so here he was. "You want to know my idea? Slowly bleeding them to death. What else would they do with some fae? The rest have all been drained completely."

[astrxls]

helion  did  all  he  could  to  remain  a  source  of  strength  for  his  children,  and  while  he  may  not  be  actively  reading  alistair's  emotions,  he  could  tell  when  his  son  relaxed  a  hair.  "  your  sisters  would  do  better  than  you.  "  he  agrees,  teasing  grin  remaining  on  his  lips.  it  wasn't  a  lie.  but  helion  took  enjoyment  in  agreeing  anyway.  asterin  would  probably  be  the  best  at  soothing  his  sister,  but  he  wasn't  sure  he'd  want  to  throw  any  of  his  children  to  her  like  that.  "  are  you  planning  to  ask  me  to  play  some  silly  game  next  ?  "  further  tease,  but  with  a  flourish  of  a  signature,  helion  finishes  the  letter  and  sets  it  aside  to  mail  out  in  the  morning.

[duskomens]

"Not all the time – who else would be the comedic relief when things got too grim?" They all had their different waves of personalities, with so many children, he was sure that if his father attempted to "read the room" with all of them in it, he'd be overwhelmed. Alistair watched as Helion signed the letter, off to do its duty the next day, "Well – I mean I wish I had a game to play. When are we free to go? This place is turning into a personal prison."

[userbrielarson]

LUCIUS VERUS GLADIATOR II (2024) dir. Ridley Scott

[evrflamcs]

"when  did you  become  so  wise?"  turning  just  as  her  little  brother  turned,  and  met  his  gaze,  looking  away  from  the  group  of  vampires  in  their  garden.  their  eerie  speed  and  heightened  senses  was  something  to  be  envied  to  be  sure,  but  astra  couldn't  imagine  needing  blood  to  survive  -  that  in  itself  sounded  like  another  form  of  hell.  "although  that  line  of  thought  is  a  bit  tricky  when  we're  surrounded  by  an  abundance  of  attractive  individuals."  the  ever  constance  among  magical  species.  the  small  part  of  her  pride  that  was  also  ever  present  didn't  find  the  vampires  any  more  attractive  then  fae  were.  she  supposed  for  vampires,  their  beauty  was  simply  lethal  for  humans  who  were  lulled  by  them.  she  had,  however,  began  sketching  them  because  one  might  never  know  when  that  would  come  in  handy  for  research  purposes.  she  shook  her  head  at  her  brother's  words,  not  because  it  wasn't  possible  but  because  she  hoped  another  set  of  creatures  would  not  appear  at  their  door  step.  "goddess,  i  hope  not.  at  this  rate,  we  won't  have  any  room  left."  that  was  assuming  more  vampires  didn't  an  appearance.  "thank  the  stars,  our  parents  have  a  better  grasp  on  handling  these  many  bodies."  she  stepped  closer  alistair,  her  words  had  been  hushed,  even  more  so  than  usual  knowing  by  now  the  vampires  had  better  senses  than  fae.  "what  do  you  make  of  them?  are  they  really  here  to  aid  us  or  also  looking  to  gain  something  further?"

[duskomens]

"I'm not just here for my looks, you know." Debatable, but alas, Alistair only smirked at his sister, moving a bit closer to her. "I guess so – it's never stopped me before." He didn't plan on letting it stop him now, but either way, he wasn't entirely sure that these vampires weren't the same boogeymen from the story they'd presented at court. Alistair was always in on the action, but he preferred to study the reactions of others – Astra no different at the moment. He watched her features change as she spoke, analyzing it for himself so he'd know what sort of mindset his sister was in. It beat trying to get away with reading their minds, at least. Her tone turned hushed, and Alistair once more gave her his full attention, "Pompous, especially for claiming rebel invaders. You'd think they'd have left their pride in those dusty ships they came over on. You?"

[celestialwhispcrs]

where - some local eatery including - anyone @aethara-starters

esmeray could have been eating with her siblings and the other royals. and she had earlier. but she had wanted to explore the local haunts, and the smell coming from inside this eatery had been too hard to resist. It was the best way to get the proper gossip as well. not only could she eat and listen to the whispers spilled over drinks, but she could read the minds of those in the eatery and pick what they really thought about the recent events. deaths. vampires. mysteries abound. she glanced up as someone slid into the open spot opposite her and offered an innocent smile that gave no hint of who she really was. " I'd offer you a bite, but this is just too good to share. "

[duskomens]

It wasn't often that Alistair ventured out in broad daylight with another, only because he was such a night owl and restless soul that the party was much more chaotic as the sun set. Though as of late, with all going on, he'd only been slightly more cautious. Slightly. What fun would it be in their "captivity" if they couldn't push the limit? He slid into the seat that was open across from a familiar mischievous face, leaning back in his seat, "You know I don't do leftovers anyway, babe." Alistair flashed his friend a smile, relaxing into the spot now that he was here. "Avoiding the drama at court?"

[ofheliacal]

✧˚ · . ─── His secondary affinity was not as thoroughly practiced as his terra manipulation. Mostly, he reflected the emotions of what others bled out, but Alistair often eclipsed any genuine feelings by remaining in such an aloof and detached resonance. He liked to believe the prince was simply a virtuoso at retaining his emotions in comparison to other fae; the fear and uncertainty Esai had felt from others since the vampires arrived was overwhelming. Still, the diplomat sighed, " And perhaps if you were not of House Aurelis I'd have no reason for my transparency . " Where Alistair often ventured with leaving the door wide open, Esai could so miserably slam it shut, his own strain of aloofness different than Alistair's. " Everyone else can so clearly wear their emotions , to the point where it feels impossible for me to parse through. You - you , I can never seem to read . "

[duskomens]

Alistair leaned against the balcony, tilting his head back as he took in the fleeting sunlight of the evening and the words that were floated to him, "So you'd lie to me if I was a nobody? Good to know." He was mostly joking, but he glanced at Esai anyway, his gaze drifting over the other before he smirked, "My father is an empath, you know. If I didn't want to get caught, I had to be really disciplined." Alistair knew he masked most of his feelings with an aloofness that smothered everything else. If anyone looked too deep, he was worried what they might find. So many siblings, so many different personalities, Alistair was not the heir, perhaps more of a symbol of the love his parents shared. "Let's keep it that way."

[telluricn]

“By just about everyone with a certain amount of sense,” she offers dryly as she shrugs, and pulls out a notebook from her bag. Carefully, Violante flips through the pages until she finds her proposal and turns it around. The main focus is obvious, at once, considering that there is a sketch of a pair of fangs sinking into skin by the alias she had given to the project. Project Leech is not quite original, but they are the only other creature that Violante knows off that drinks blood for survival. “As you can guess, I have found myself rather curious on what being bitten by a vampire feels like. Now, in my defense, my curiosity is born from the fact that all of the victims so far have been fed from by vampires. Why did they fail to struggle? Did their blood have a specific effect on these vampires? I want to answer those sorts of questions.”

[duskomens]

Larkin thought of his flames, of how easily it would be to perhaps douse the lot of them and walk away. It'd be a shame for the Aurelian palace but, alas, they would always have Eryndor. Pulled from his train of pyrotechnic thought, he huffed out a breath, "Bitten?" Lark couldn't imagine letting one of them that close to do something like that – and Violante seemed to be very adamant already. "Why did they fail? Violante, what if they incapacitate you? Then you'll know and you'll die anyway. And none of us will know. But hey, all for...your curiosity."

[telluricn]

players: violante & lord larkin galathryn/nikolai calderon (not a group thread) || @duskomens & @astrxls place: on the gardens near the wing assigned to the Eryndor delegation time: after the letter went out 

Violante does not pause as she approaches the man resting in the garden and sits on the bench across to him with a vague sense of purpose. Discussing her plans with Lucian is all well and done, but she is very aware that he is more of the logician between the two and will always resort to the safest measure rather than the one that will lead to the answers they all desire sooner rather than later. Now that she knows how to approach the vampires without causing an international incident, the last thing to do is ensure more people are told of her prospective shenanigans. Both to ensure that the vampire’s know she cannot be drained and thrown aside for their amusement, and to see the reaction of people who are not quite as careful as Lucian but extremely clever regardless. 

“I am about to engage in some rather ill-advised research, and I wanted to inform you of what it entails before I throw myself off the deep end,” she offers, voice calm and amused as a light smile dusts her lips. “It revolves around the rather curious set of visitors that has arrived at Aureth’s doors of course.”

[duskomens]

"Ill-advised? By whom?" Lark was always someone who liked to push the edge. He was dishonest, at least as dishonest as a fae who'd been practicing it for so long could be, and elevated to a position from nothing. The vampires wouldn't stand in the way of that, not for Eryndor or their court, as long as Larkin had a say in it. Still, now wasn't the time for that, as Violante took a seat with purpose. His interest was piqued, and he sat up from where he'd been laying with a book in his hand. "Tell me."

[astrxls]

draeven  flashes  a  smile  towards  the  prince  for  a  moment,  even  if  his  soul  weighs  heavily  these  days,  the  lord  still  attempts  some  lightness  in  his  routine.  "  it  would  be  quite  the  insult  to  us  both  if  i  did.  "  he  offers  with  a  small  chuckle  and  a  shake  of  his  head.  drae  remains  leaning  almost  touching  the  prince  after  the  small  bump,  proximity  not  something  he  ever  minded,  nor  did  he  think  about  how  it  would  look.  "  not  being  easy  to  pick  off  ?  "  questions  he,  though  it  is  clearly  rhetoric.  drae  kept  up  his  training  out  of  pure  habit,  but  it  was  obvious  that  others  were  picking  up  the  hobby  for  their  own  sake.  drae  didn't  blame  anyone  for  it,  he  just  wished  there  were  more  space  to  train.  

[duskomens]

"Our secret, yeah?" Last thing his family needed to know was his betting habits – it'd be way too obvious why he did what he did, and he'd rather not bother about it. Still, he slung his arm around Draeven's shoulders so he could get closer, "If I start screaming, will you rescue me?" He joked, dropping his arm after a minute before he clasped his hands and put them behind his head, "Though – be honest with me, what do you think? Do you think the games will even happen now?"