[ One last kiss, and he fusses with the buttons of his tunic as he stands. Not quite undoing them, but making it look as though they've been done up hurriedly and clumsily.
It's worth the effort, to see them try to hide the scandalised looks on their faces. It's worth it to see how Theodora's expression doesn't change at all until her mouth is safely hidden behind a slice of cake and when it is her smile still reaches her eyes. It brings few practical advantages, their guests already being wrong-footed as is, save for that it feels like it's something they can do to make Alucard feel more in control.
It works. For a few days, it works. It's on the last day of the talks that their guests ask to bring another man into the talks. It's a clergyman, tall and thin. He speaks rarely, and his voice is soft and calm when he does. ]
...the wine.
[ There's less than an hour to go before the talks are done. Trevor's been pale since the man arrived this morning. He's been quieter, too, trying less to get under people's skin, and his food is untouched. But he hasn't given the signal until now, stubbornly trying to manage.
By all appearances, he's talking to the staff, but the message is meant for Alucard and Theodora. He needs to leave. Now. ]
The wine is running low. Another bottle, for our guests.
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[ One last kiss, and he fusses with the buttons of his tunic as he stands. Not quite undoing them, but making it look as though they've been done up hurriedly and clumsily.
It's worth the effort, to see them try to hide the scandalised looks on their faces. It's worth it to see how Theodora's expression doesn't change at all until her mouth is safely hidden behind a slice of cake and when it is her smile still reaches her eyes. It brings few practical advantages, their guests already being wrong-footed as is, save for that it feels like it's something they can do to make Alucard feel more in control.
It works. For a few days, it works. It's on the last day of the talks that their guests ask to bring another man into the talks. It's a clergyman, tall and thin. He speaks rarely, and his voice is soft and calm when he does. ]
...the wine.
[ There's less than an hour to go before the talks are done. Trevor's been pale since the man arrived this morning. He's been quieter, too, trying less to get under people's skin, and his food is untouched. But he hasn't given the signal until now, stubbornly trying to manage.
By all appearances, he's talking to the staff, but the message is meant for Alucard and Theodora. He needs to leave. Now. ]
The wine is running low. Another bottle, for our guests.