*Having returned from the funeral and officially taken over as Duchess again, Bathbomb makes a point of inviting the eldests to a dinner together. @just-camilla, @just-petty-rp, and @just-spine. Hopefully at least one of them will show up for a little introduction to her cousin, @just-bast-rp.*
A gurgling from within the walls announces the first arrival of the evening. Sure enough, within a minute something dark oozes under the door. Pulling himself upright, Bast says, “Oh dear, I seem to have missed dinner. My sincerest apologies. We’ll try again next century.” He reaches for the door handle.
"Oh no you don't! Youre the first one here, and I'm willing to bet you already knew that. Sit down." She rushes to the door to block it even though he could easily get around her, "you're doing this. "
“Fine.” Bast crosses his arms as he turns around, shifting into the body of a young adult, with messy blond hair and regal clothes several centuries out of fashion. He sits at the table. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll be playing nice.”
She frowns at the appearal. "You really need to update your wardrobe. You look like you're going to a reenactment. "
“Yes, let me just head to the tailor, who is going to have an extremely normal reaction when I explain that the clothing must be able to melt and solidify at will.” Bast adjusts the purple coat. “Besides. I like it.”
"Whatever you say old man... Are you nervous about meeting them?"
“Such emotions are beneath me.” Bast says, turning his nose up and not answering the question.
"Terrified, got it. This will be good for you, you know that right? You need to have people other than me around. I might be immortal, but I'm not invincible. If I die, I don't want you being alone. "
“‘Alone’. As if I don’t intimately know everything that happens here. I’m the least ‘alone’ in this entire kingdom.”
"You know what's going on, but that doesn't mean you have companionship. I'm your only friend, and that's saying something considering you constantly try to kill me. "
“Don’t flatter yourself. I try to kill a lot of people.”
"Exactly my point. I'm not special to you, and yet I'm your only companion. The only one that actually knows you anymore."
There’s a cough from the doorway “Um, hi. Am I interrupting anything?”
Bast straightens in his chair, pushing his hair back with one hand. “Not at all, Petty.”
“Uuuhh huh. And who are you?”
"This is my cousin. " she smiled at petty, "please, sit. I'm sure the others will be here soon"
"I don't like your cousin Momma," Camilla teleported into the room, popping up next to Bast, "he looks funny"
“Truly you take after your mother.” Bast adjusts his coat again. “This was the height of fashion in my day.”
"Your day passed a long time ago then, yeah?" She smiled sweetly, "Soooo are you my Great-Grand Cousin?"
"First cousin once removed actually."
“Same to me, right?” Petty sits down opposite Bast
“Yes. By both blood and law.”
"Well, I like Great-Grand more. Sounds...funnier," she smiled and waved happily at Petty, "I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Whatever makes you happy darling.... Bast's father and mine were brothers. We grew up together. "
Petty smiles at Camilla, waving back “Hi, yeah, I’ve been… busy”
Bast starts to drum his fingers on the table.
"I noticed," she looked over at Bast, "just how old are you? Are you a vampire like Mom?"
"Camilla, don't be rude. You shouldn't ask things like that, "
“Yeah, it’s true, that’s rude, but also, how old are you? How’d you get here?”
“I am not a vampire. Only a year younger than Seph, and it’s complicated.” Bast looks upwards, as if counting internally. “I believe that was all the questions.”
"Both of you need to mind your manners! " she scowls at them, "he isn't here to be interrogated. I thought I raised you better. "
"Well, you didn't exactly raise me," she shrugged, "and I....didn't really get taught manners either way Mom"
Petty sits back, staring at Bast “I was taught manners. But I thought you would’ve told us about your seven hundred year old cousin at some point, unless there’s something to hide”
"Blame him for that! I've been trying to get you two in the same room again for nearly 15 years!"
Bast grins. Tempers are rising, yes, this is a situation he can navigate. “Temperamental as always, cousin,” he chastises Sephitus. “Truly you and your wife are fleas in a pod now. And child,” he turns to Petty, “you truly don’t remember me? And after all those games of chess, too.”
Camilla frowned. "Don't talk about my Momma like that," she spat.
"Camilla... He doesn't mean like that. He's not insulting her. He's just trying to rile us up."
“What chess games? I’ve played chess before, I don’t remember playing with someone dressed like a cosplayer when I waa younger.”
Bast shrugs at the duchess. “Old habits, I suppose.” Then he turns back to Petty. “Maybe you’ll recognize this side of me better.”
All the color seems to drain from his body, then he gets darker, as if the shadows of the night were surrounding him like a cloak. Except for his eyes, which fade into a pearly white. When the darkness is thick enough that his features can no longer be made out, he reverts completely to his natural form, a vaguely humanoid tar-like substance with plain white eyes.
"Oh for fucks sake," she sighs and lies her head in her hands, "if you stain anything I'll murder you, goop boy. I swear I'll find away. "
Camilla hissed at Bast, scooting away from him. "Why are you just...letting him insult Momma and mess with Petty?!"
“Insult?” Bast gasps in mock shock before turning to Sephitus. “You mean you still haven’t figured it out?”
“Could someone please start talking sense? I feel like this conversation is a fucking chess game, and I can’t keep up”
"I'm not sure what he's on about this time either, " she groans softly, "he speaks in bloody riddles all the time. This is why you don't have any friends Bast. "
She glared at Bast and Duchess, "Stop being so secretive and cryptid, and just say what's going on!"
“Cryptic, child,” Bast says, clarifying the least confusing part of the conversation, “And I’ll tell you what. As a show of my kindness, I’ll answer a question for each of you, no riddles, no lies, no games. How’s that sound?”
"Oh so you can't give me a straight answer for the past few centuries but they get questions answered no games? Surprised you're capable of that"
“Yes. Who’s question is next?” Bast grinned.
"OH ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Fuck you, Sebastian! I wish you drank the poison sometimes, you know that?"
“I am not. And I do know that. Two more answers, just for you. Aren’t I generous? Now give the children a turn.”
Petty raises her hand “Yeah, I have a question. Who are you? A detailed answer would be preferable”
“My name is, er, was Sebastian Reginald Lianidus Edward Alexander Charles Williamson the Third, give or take a few names. Nowadays I go by Bast. I was the prince, in line for the throne so many centuries ago. Not that I ever wanted it. I just wanted to be left to my studies. Then I was cursed into what you see before you—” Bast gestures to his form “—and got to do just that. Curiosity placated?”
“Not by a long shot. In fact, I have even more questions now. But this is a good start, I guess”
"There's a few things I might be able to answer, but Bast tends to keep his secrets. He'll gladly trade information, and if you have something to tell him that he doesn't know, he's quite a good informant."
