Monsters do also have a taste for art - Alexander

// Short start. But SURPRISE!!!!!

Today wasn't special, it was just like any other, visiting museums and points of interest in this city was a regular thing for him, there was plenty of art and knowledge to be discovered, Though this place didn't offer him anything he didn't already know, but he could appreciate it as art nonetheless. On the way in he read the paper they were selling by the entrance. "Another heinous murder taken place in the district" apparently the person behind it had gotten more attention lately seeing as they had nothing to go on apart from how the victims were displayed. Gives him a slight smirk as he leaves it behind and continues in the museum. He usually kept to himself when it came to places like this, he knew more than the people in charge of this place anyway and the chance of finding someone with a high enough intellectual value to speak to was low. The anatomy part of the museum is where he kept himself today, like mentioned he knew all there was to know here but the architecture of the human body was still amazing, one of the greatest works of art to exist. And besides, it was nice to be inspired for his engagement later this week.

He has his back to the door but he heard when someone walked in but didn't turn around, he was fixated at a large femur display. That was until he heard what she said out loud, fitting, he turned his head to give her a quick look before returning to his display. "Well, apart from it being essential to the rest of the body, i figured someone like you would know what it's good for..." He smirks as he says it, still eyeing the femur bone. There was no doubt in his mind, he knew what she was, after that quick glance at her he got the information he needed. A vampire out in public in Etermia, that wasn't particularly common, and at a museum no less. Could be a worthy creature to talk to, depending on how old she was, she had to be more intellectual than the rest of the dregs around here. Seeing as there was no one else in the room but them, he spoke more plainly "You can relax, nothing wrong with whatever you're going for, just not the first time I've seen one of those rings.." Someone close to him had a similar one, different ornate to the ring, but same white stone, hard to forget. She seemed to be sketching the skeleton centered in the room, so he approached her with a calm walk, looking at the display. "What brings you here Ms. ?" Wouldn't hurt to check her out, if she wasn't interesting he could just move on anyway.

Of course she knew, she was a vampire after all, that wasn't surprising. What was surprising however was that she wanted to get his attention, could be she was after her next meal, but there were way easier methods of getting that, unless she had some sort of high standards. Either way if that's what she wanted then she would be sorely disappointed. "Well you have my attention.." he had an unimpressed tone to him saying that.
Hearing her go on about what men do bored him, he wasn't "most" men, far from it, his interest was far beyond the whole find a wife and start a family garbage, he knew there was no one fitting or even in the same league. "Playing the whole weak girl to drag people in, only to turn the table on them later.. really? I figured your kind would come up with new methods by now but i suppose i overestimate you." He sighs before he looks at her with a grin for a short while. "Don't flatter yourself, we both know what you are, how strong you are, you don't have to pretend around me" After returning his gaze to the display again he continued "To be frank i find it more interesting to talk to like minded people, or at least people that can think for themselves, rather than explaining simple things to sheep.."

He lets out a quick exhale through his nose from amusement as he hears her seemingly offended tone explains how shes not hiding. "Bold, in this city" He said quiet and moves on. "Parish" The name goes through his mind as he replies cold and almost monotone with an expressionless face "Alexander, Stonewell.." The name didn't ring a bell, he knew the names of a lot of important people, rich people, or just people in interest, but that name wasn't part of them, yet it had a familiarity about it somehow. The conversation quickly changed its path as she brought up race. It did make him smile though, "equal" as if she was his equal, ridiculous, he saw her point but she seemed too cocky, overconfident, maybe she was a young one, not that experienced, or maybe that was just for show. "Yeah well, i think you might underestimate humans, they're like cockroaches, they just wont die no matter what, Humans may not have fangs, or claws, or wings or fire breath, but there is no other creature more capable to adapt, endure. A human can get used to anything given enough time.. So i guess the so called monsters missed their chance to wipe us out, because its too late now." He cuts himself off at the end, no vampire wants to hear about humans, even he hated talking about them so he stopped himself before he got really into it.

The question of why he wasn't afraid of her was one that he expected would come up, normally people would be afraid, they should be, they are food, prey, he wasn't. No he was something else, something more like her. He grins as he walks up and looks her in the eyes for a second before he starts to look and walk around her display. "Because i know you can't do anything, your kind sneaks about, lie to draw people in, kill in the shadows, you wont attack anyone in broad daylight when there are people around. Besides, you don't know me, what if I'm faster, stronger? You never know, big risk for a low reward." His eyes are still on the display but his grin is now dead. "If you manage to kill me you get a quick snack but also loose your disguise and may have to fight more people just to survive. If i win, i become the hero that slayed a dangerous monster, your corpse burned or hung as a prop." He returns his eyes to her as his grin comes back "I knew someone like you a while back, that's the reason" He lets out a quick laugh to himself, for some reason that amused him more than he thought it would. He realized that he came off as cocky and aggressive which is why he just changed the ending, it was true that he knew a vampire himself, but the other thought... it was aching.
He was right on one thing, talking to her gave him some amusement, regardless of what she thought of him, talking to someone more predator than prey was a refreshing taste, something he missed. "So Mrs Parish, what really brings you here? i would think eating the marrow would be more your style rather than drawing it, no offense of course" He looks at her sketch as he awaits her response.

// Sorry beforehand, i know i'm rusty af

Angels, Gods, divine beings came down to save their special pets.. did they really care, or were they simply afraid of loosing their power without worshipers? Didn't matter, they were the reason humanity had a fighting chance sure but he didn't think anything would make humans completely extinct. After spending most of his life studying what was inside a person's body and mind, he had learned that humans were the most fragile and scared creature out there, so scared of death it's willing to do whatever it takes to anyone and anything in order to live another day, regardless of the consequences. "Well, without people there would be no angels, a self centered decision that just so happen to benefit us, people will grasp that straw for as long as it holds." her question in the end did not go unnoticed, but how he saw himself had nothing to do with the conversation so it was ignored.

As he saw her teeth it brought back some memories of "her" he heard the amusing tease, making him laugh quietly, a short huff of air out his nose that was barely perceptible, but his mind was still on her for a moment. It was a nice thought for once. He smiled and replied "You have my gratitude Mrs. Parish"

The start of the sketch was not bad, and listening to the reason for being here confirmed his suspicion and made him smile as he took a step back but still looking at her. "I'm happy to hear that, one is never truly a master in any subject, you can be a scholar your whole life and pass the torch down for generations and still, the one holding it will not be closer to the end than you were" He may have seemed weirdly happy about the topic but it was refreshing to see someone else still learning, even with near immortality, she was willing to learn. Way too much had he seen people calling themselves tutors, teachers, scholars, but very rarely had he seen them actually continuing what they know into something more. Only one doctor stood out to him in this regard, thinking about him he wondered where he was these days.
"Careful, it almost sounded like you cared for the humans there" He chuckles lightly as he knew she didn't care, it was only a slight tease to get a reaction. "Sounds like you need a cook more than anything." He said almost like a joke, even though he was quite serious. Cooking was something he was quite fond of in all aspects, so the statement was well founded.

When the question came back at him it was almost not expected, he was often there, or anywhere else that could be similar to there. People that often visited these places pretty much knew him at this point, so hearing someone ask him again was new "Me?" He turns around and looks in the direction of people for a moment. "I come for the art, for inspiration, you can look at something a hundred times and still find something new, even.." "Mr. Stonewell?" He gets interrupted by someone approaching him from the side. A younger man with light hair and a fancy attire that befits his role, the the director of the museum. "Ah, it is you, good to see you here again, i was meaning to find you so it's fitting you came here. My wife can't make it to the dinner later this week, she has fallen ill I'm afraid." "Ahh, Mr. Fischer, good too see you" They shake hands as he arrives. "Nothing bad i hope?" he says with a concerning voice. "No, only a fever, the doctors did however force her to be in bed for the next days just in case" Alexander's face gets warmer with the news, the smiles comes back as well. "That's a shame, i just got something very good for the meal, it's a shame she's going to miss it. But, that just means i make something better the next time she is well." They both chuckle with what he said and that's when it just hit him. He gestures towards Lavender "Where are my manners, this is the lovely Mrs. Parish, a very talented artist, pretty famous as well, you've probably heard of her" He smiles as he looks at her, seeing how she continues "lovely to meet you Mrs. Parish" He says with a smile as he does half a bow and holds out his hand to greet her. "Is there anything i might know from you?" He looks intrigued to hear from her, since she was famous he must have heard something about her.

"I'd say you just haven't met a good cook yet" As a great cook himself he almost felt obligated to prove her wrong. But then again she was fairly right, cooks make food for their own kind so blood was rarely on the menu, unless they were making something out of coagulated blood, which was more of something a peasant would make just to use everything they could from their livestock. But even then, he doubted most vampires would like anything but fresh blood, that said though, his friend from back in the day did in fact stretch that pretty far.. He had thought about this long enough, whenever the subject of cooking came up his passion always got the better of him.

And there it was, that's where he knew that name. His parents knew that family, he even recalled them talking at some point, but he never knew what their relationship was.. In any case, his death made so much more sense now. this all of a sudden just got a whole lot more interesting. Alexanders smile just got bigger as he stood slightly behind Mr Fischer. "Ooh, the Mrs Parish" The first thing running through his mind was obviously the rumors, but he was a good man and a man of science and facts so he was never really a fan of rumors or gossip. And after hearing her sad voice talk about the rumors didn't sit well with him, it was shameful how people could just make up stories to ruin someones life. "One who gossips usually carries boredom in one hand and bitterness in the other. You don't have to worry, i know you are innocent, and so does everyone else that does not carry jealousy in their heart” He said with a warm smile, trying to lift her spirits. While Mr Fischer was convinced of her innocence, Alexander knew better, he almost wanted to laugh when he heard what he said but that would obviously be bad, so he just smiled and placed one hand on his shoulder while looking at her "Right"

"Your words are too kind, i would love to stay with you two and talk, i don't get enough time with people that are genuinely interested in this place. But i have to go, i was on my way to a gathering already, i just needed to update Alexander of my wife's situation. But I'll leave it to him, i can't think of more capable hands to leave it to." He says in a rushed voice as he realized he might be late. "Well, hold on" He looks at Mrs Parish with a perked up expression. "You should join us for dinner this weekend Mrs Parish, I promise I'll have something to your liking" He says with a smile, hoping she will accept his invitation. "That would be lovely, but I'll let you two work it out. It was a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Parish, hope to see you again soon" He does a quick bow towards her as he rushes through the people in the neighboring rooms towards the exit. "Well, what do you say? Including you, there would only be us three seeing as Mrs Fischer won't make it this time." He hosted a lot dinner parties of varying sizes relatively often depending on his free time. It was something he always enjoyed doing, hunting or gathering the food, preparing the food, serving it, meeting new people, catching up with old ones. And there were almost always an agenda behind it obviously but that came second to the rest.

Alexander always found it amusing when someone pretended to be something they weren't. This one was more amusing than normally though, but it was hard to tell if that was because of her acting or the fact that she hated doing. Regardless it was fun seeing people with their mask on, one could argue it was different for a creature hiding the monster within, but wouldn't that be the same for people? He watched Mr. Fischer leave the room and turned towards Lavender with a smile, listening to her accept the offer as he studies her expressions, the dark rosy smirk, the dark eyes. "Glad to hear it, your company will make the evening fairly interesting" he said with a satisfied tone. A dinner guest was nothing new, but it had been a while since he had one of her kind at his place. He had to change the party almost completely, but it would be a lot more interesting now to say the least. Peaking people's curiosity
was something he was used to, almost aiming for, so that wasn't surprising, yet it felt different coming from her seeing as her intelligence seemed higher than the average person around here. Someone like her would find out eventually.. but would it matter? Maybe. "Who says i don't?" He smirks an continues "It doesn't take a lot to impress someone around here, i'm sure you could manage that if you just took of that mask of yours" he takes his eyes off her and looks towards the people around them. "Once you learn how a thought sparks, its not hard to redirect it" His tone is low as he was thinking about something long ago. He turns towards Lavender with a smile, hearing her out.

The bone marrow catches his eye as she talks about dinner. "You know, there are these vultures in Drisdos, around the Tauren mountains, bearded vultures i believe. Their diet consists of almost only bone marrow, but when the breeding season starts, it changes almost to a full carrion diet, presumably for their hatchlings." He turns his eyes to hers "I just find it fascinating how any creature can change their diet if it needs to" he says with a teasing voice.
"I can't ruin the surprise. You can rest assured that i will find a way to satisfy you, one way or another" He found that being vague often let people think on their own, making them very readable as they act only on their own knowledge. It was about time to leave, he was already behind his schedule for the day, there were still things to acquire and prepare for the dinner. As she finished it made him chuckle "No promises" he continued to tease with a smirk. It was too much fun tormenting her with small talk to stop. "I should be going, but it was a pleasure Mrs Parish, i will see you again real soon and we can continue our conversation" He looks her in the eyes as he bows his head with a smirk before turning around and slowly walks to the exit where he takes his jacket, straightens his collar and leaves the museum and heads down the street to his next appointment.

The day for the dinner party had come and like all the other ones before it he had to make it stand out, make it unique. Not necessarily for other people, but definitely for himself. His philosophy on improvement was outdoing yourself every single time. "Be better than the day before and you'll never be outmatched" He took cooking very seriously, it was its own art and every piece had its place. The meal was about finished aside from the side dishes accompanying the main course. The dinner was sized the amount of people coming depending one guest's choice. This time it didn't have to be a beyond fancy meal seeing as it was more or less an experiment that differed from the norm. The main meal was purely vegetable based, finely sliced and cut, made to compliment the side dishes of fresh raw liver. The animal was still in the cold cellar, put on ice after harvesting. He had prepared in advance as always, stocked up on ice blocks again for a fresh kill hunted that morning. The liver was cut and cleaned but kept as fresh as it was inside. The vegetable and herbs plucked from the garden before the preparation of the liver. The wax lighting had been replaced the day before, the table prepared, candle sticks ready to be lit in the already dim lit room. Three knocks on the door, the last one a bit out of the order, it was Mr Fischer, always the same. Alexander puts the knife down and washes his hands before heading to his door. "Aah Mr Fischer, early as usual, come in come in." He gestures him inside. "Yes, better too early than too late i always say" he says chuckling lightly as he hangs up his coat. "Very true Mr Fischer, punctuality says a lot about someone, you can just take a seat in the dining room in the meantime, you know the way. I'm almost done and we're still waiting for Mrs Parish" He says walking back to the kitchen to finish up the meal. "So she decided to join us then, very good." he mumbles as he walks tot he dining room.

Barely any time had passed since Fischer arrived and he had finished fine cutting the liver, putting it on two separate plates then washed his hands, despite them being clean they still had a light iron odor to them. Before he could take the food out he heard more knocking on the door, had to be her as he wasn't expecting anyone else that evening. He walks out of the kitchen and passed Fischer who looks excitedly at towards Alexander getting the final guest.

As he opens the door he sees Lavender standing outside with her warm smile. "On the contrary, you're right on time Mrs Parish, come in" He has a smile on him from excitement, he was happy she came, but was more curious to see how she would respond to the meal. After all there wasn't anyone more picky about their food than a vampire, a worthy challenge. He lets her in and closes the door behind her, if she had a coat or anything to take off he would help and then show her in to the dining room. Walking through the long dim lit hallway one could see a few closed doors, ornate cornice and frames for the paintings on the wall. He moves his head slightly to the side and said "You look lovely in sanguine Mrs Parish, it has to be your color" He didn't miss a detail of her appearance, the dark red dress, the loose hair, the light makeup. He appreciated someone who took pride in their appearance, or just put in any effort, not because it was proper or to show off, but because it could tell a lot about a person. The appearance was in a way the architecture and the personality the architect, he could usually tell who was an artist or a creative soul based on that.

When they arrive in the dining room he pulls out the chair at the end of the table for Lavender. "Ah, Mrs Parish, lovely to see you again, I'm happy you decided to join us for dinner, Alexander is an excellent cook you'll love it" The table is long enough for 5 chairs on the sides but for convenience sake there is only one chair per side, leaving one empty as they are only three people. Mr Fischer sits on the side between them and they on the ends of the table. After Lavender takes a seat he moves the two ornate triple candlesticks from the middle to the side of the table to make room then lights them up. "I try to impress" he responds with a grin before he heads for the kitchen and gets everything ready. "So Mrs Parish, what do you these days?" Mr Fischer asked curiously as small talk while he waited for the food.

Soon after everything is ready and Alexander walks out with a small ice block on a metal plate with an ice pick on, he placed it on his end of the table and headed back into the kitchen to get the food. He returns with 3 plates, one medium one with the vegetables which he puts int he middle then the 2 smaller plates with the raw liver on both ends of the table, the liver was soaked in the pool of blood it leaked onto the plate. "It's a bit more minimal than you are used to Mr Fischer, but I'm sure you'll like nevertheless." He says with a warm and friendly tone. "I've yet to be disappointed  so I'm sure i will" Alexander then looks at Lavender on the opposite end of him. "It's more chewy than you are used to i expect but try some and tell me your honest opinion" He says with a smirk, curious to see if it works or not. Liver wasn't chewy compared to any other food, but seeing as she was used to pure blood it obviously had solidity to it, but seeing as the liver was the organ with the highest supply of blood and the lack of muscle and nerves it struck him as the best choice for a vampire meal.
Before he started the meal he moved his and Mr Fischer's glass to the ice block, using the ice pick to hack some small ice pieces into their glasses before he stopped with a slight shocked face and looked at Lavender. "How rude of me, i almost forgot, do you drink alcohol? I just assumed you didn't" He was not the assuming type, and even though the vampire he had known didn't drink, that didn't mean none of the others did either. He did not like making mistakes. Mr Fischer just looks a bit confused at them both.