7628/Dinner with a vampire!

Dinner with a vampire!
Date of Scene:	31 August 2021
Location:	The Well
Synopsis:	Lydia has dinner with the vampire, Blake. They discuss all manner of things and maybe a bit of flirting happened.
Cast of Characters:	Lydia Dietrich, Blake Riviere

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Lydia Dietrich has posed:
When the call came in from Blake, Lydia was more than excited to take it, and finding out that the vampire had actually /read/ some of her books has sent her over the moon. So where do you take a vampire out to dinner? The Well, of course! Only the most haunted bistro in New York City! This is one of Lydia's favorite places to dine, the irony of a woman who's constantly surrounded by glowing green ghost-matter eating at a place with actual ghosts was not lost on her. In fact she found the irony oh, so delicious, and their Monte Cristos even more so.

She leaves a text telling Blake that she's down in the lower part of the building, and roughly where to find her table. She's already sitting there, grinning, waiting for her dinner companion to show as she sips on a Manhattan.

Blake Riviere has posed:
Haunted, famous, and most of all comforting for Lydia, Blake could appreciate the choice. After all, she'd met the other woman at a Hellfire Club meeting, there was no need to try and show off some excessive luxury or exclusive club. Blake had taken the time to read the books, curious to know the writer she had trusted some of her story to, and now it seemed she was intending to discuss it over a meal.

Her usual gothic tones would actually fit in rather nicely here, but Blake had toned things down just a touch. Still the skirt, still the red stockings and still the ribbon tying her hair, but no corset and the hair was simply pulled into a ponytail as the vampiress makes her way to the table.

"Lydia," she greets, offering a light smile. "I almost wondered if you'd come. Most would pause at a dinner invitation from...well, it is good to see you."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia stands to offer Blake a hand, "And turn you down? That would be out of character of me. And besides," she says sitting down once again, her eyes glittering with excitement. "You were so generous with your time and patient with my questions, how could I say no?"

"You said that you had read some of my books," she says, flagging down a waitress to come take their orders, once Blake is settled in. "I already had a centuries old magi fawn over them, I'm curious as to what you think."

Blake Riviere has posed:
The hand is taken, the smile widened and the young woman makes to take a seat, offering a little nod and a laugh. Her eyes move over Lydia, perhaps drinking in the fact that the glowing girl was so comfortable while knowing what she was. She hadn't even turned up wearing a scarf or something when meeting a vampire for dinner!

"I found them quite enjoyable both, although I'm sure you can appreciate that I found the series with the detective quite enthralling."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods enthusiastically, "Yes. The Cat Columbus novels have been my favorite to work on. I felt that I really found my 'voice' when writing them." She's interrupted by the waitress when she comes by, and she kindly orders another Manhattan and one of their famous Monte Cristos, but with corned been instead of the ham. "The next in the series is from Lilith's point of view," she says, Lilith being the vampire lead in her books. "The interview I had with you inspired me."

"It's going to dive into some of her background," she explains excitedly, "getting into some of the mysterious hints that I've been putting in the other books. You'll finally get to know what happened in New Orleans."

Blake Riviere has posed:
"I can't wait," Blake grins, placing her own order and taking a moment to consider before making her choice. "Perhaps I'll have to convince you to allow me a sneak peak at some point...but I have only just caught up with series myself." A wink, she leans forward, lazily resting her elbow on the table as a faint red glow flashes in her eyes for a moment.

"Maybe I could ask you nicely....or find something equally convincing..."

Of course the glow is only momentary and she punctuates her words with a light wink.

"It is fun though, to see what someone can come up with from the myths and experiences out there in the night."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia lets out a laugh at the flash of the eyes. "Or something..." she repeats. "Though in all seriousness since this book /is/ partially inspired by you, you'll be getting an advanced copy. It's only fair."

The comment about experiences, Lydia lets out a breath and leans back in her chair. "Tell me about it," she says. "I started dabbling into kabbalic magic to get a feel for what kinds of things I should be putting in my books. I wanted my magic to be more interesting than pentagrams and crystals, and calling to the moon and that kind of thing. Hermetic magic." She shakes her head, "It's like Pandora's box, though. Once you've taken the lid off that thing there's no way it's ever going back on."

Blake Riviere has posed:
"One of these days you will have to meet my daughter Ariah," Blake muses, leaning back in her own chair. "As I said, she is a magician, a sorceress...and she understands magics far broader than my own innate abilities. Perhaps she would offer an alternative insight to my story too. Although her own is hardly boring."

A small sip of her drink, the vampiress does giggle quietly. "One would say delving into vampires and their nature is equally dangerous. Likely to end in death or with your....well, intergration."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's eyebrows shoot up into her hairline. "You have a daughter?" she asks, surprised. "I didn't know you could get pregnant. Most legends the only way vampires can have progeny is to just make other vampires." She leans forwards, taking a sip of her Manhattan. She's itching to pull out her journal and take more notes but this is a much more informal meal and somehow resists the temptation. "Does that make Ariah a dhampir? Does it work that way with your particular, er, brand of vampire?"

A sly grin teases the edge of her lips. "I'm not without my defenses. I have my magics and this," she says waving a hand in the ever present aura of ectoplasmic mists, "is far more than just a pretty lightshow. And besides. I can think of worse fates than being 'integrated'"

Blake Riviere has posed:
"Ah...non..." Blake offers, laughing softly and waving a hand. "The woman I spoke of last time. The girl from the war that I made, the first and only vampire I have ever made." A little laugh, however, she does shrug at the question of if she could get pregnant, tilting her head to the side. "I am...unsure. I would imagine it would take deliberate will, and abstaining from shapeshifting for such a thing to even be possible..."

Lydia's comments bring a snerk from the accented vampiress who offers a hand out towards Lydia. "I have no doubt you are capable Lydia but...you haven't truely experienced anything I have told you about, even the bite of a vampire. If they are powerful enough, you might find it...challenging."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"You can shapeshift?" Lydia asks, amazed that this wasn't something that she had ever thought of asking a vampire. Of /course/ some vampires could shapeshift. Wolves, mist, bats, that kind of thing. She hunches forward eagerly, "Tell me more."

Lydia fearlessly takes Blakes hand. "Quite possibly," she says, letting her mists flow over the hand and up the vampiress' arm, it's icy touch would bring a chill to a normal human's bones. "But I doubt I'd be easy."

Blake Riviere has posed:
"Forgive me if I do not wish to demonstrate here, but others would notice if I suddenly became someone else...or a creature, or a swarm of bats... I am a traditionalist after all."

She laughs softly as her hand is taken, offering a little squeeze and then turning the hand over to look at Lydia's wrist. "The right bite could leave you far more than weak at the knees. There's a reason plenty of people offered themselves up...believe me."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia laughs, and nods, "Understandable. But I have to ask... a swarm of bats.... how does that work? Is it a kind of distributed consciousness? Do you have to control each bat individually? I can't imagine that you do."

She lets her wrist be exposed "Mmhmm," she says, enchanted. "But you'd have to bite me first." The mists continue to play up and down Blake's arm, bathing it in a green glow. "Mysique could call me foolish," She says with a playful grin, "but other than her, you might be the only other one I would let bite me without a struggle."

Blake Riviere has posed:
"Much as you expect," Blake nods, as far as the bats go. "It is a will over multiple bodies at once. Less precise, which is why you don't see more complex tasks...but dramatic, no?"

Mystique? That has Blake tilting her head, raising an eyebrow at the mention of the name. "Another vampire? Or simply someone you share that sort of relationship with?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Mystique," Lydia says, dropping the name again. "Leader of the Brotherhood, and my current girlfriend." She chuckles, "She's got dibs on biting me, but I am my own woman. I'm sure an arrangement can be made."

Blake Riviere has posed:
"Interesting," Blake muses, perhaps not knowing the mutant herself but definately knowing the organization. "It seems you're living a romance worthy of fiction yourself..."

"But yes, the bite itself can be intoxicating, and combined with a mesmerization? Well..."

She trails off, coming to a shrug.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia laughs, "You can say that." she says. "My life /has/ had a turn for the stranger recently. There's some stuff going on that..." she shakes her head. "Well. You wouldn't believe. Or maybe you would, since you're one of the stranger parts of it."

"One day I wish to experience this," Lydia admits. "As long as it's kept to the bite."

Blake Riviere has posed:
A raise of her brow at that, the vampiress actually lifts a hand to her chest in mock insult. A shift in her seat, her gaze meets the other woman's own.

"If I'm not one to force feeding on another, I am hardly going to do more. You must remember Lydia, everything that is the worst in vampires I experienced as a 'bride' myself. I have not forgotten."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
A chuckle escapes Lydia. "I didn't think you would," she explains. "I just didn't want there to be any assumptions on either of our ends."

In a more serious tone she shakes her head. "I can't imagine the kind of hell you went through as a 'bride.' To be robbed of free will like that..."

Blake Riviere has posed:
A smirk, Blake straightens up now, her hand coming down to rest in her lap. "You are enticing Lydia, but I would not assume. There are plenty of places I enjoy biting, some more intimate than others, but even the wrist suffices for a more 'innocent' options."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia leans back in her chair and takes a sip of her Manhattan. "The three places that are typically used in my books are the neck, of course, which could be intimate depending on the circumstance. The wrist, as you said, and the inner thigh which is /very/ intimate." She cocks her head curiously, "Where else have you bitten?"

Blake Riviere has posed:
"Those are the main choices," Blake nods before lifting a hand, gesturing to herself and her neckline. "There are thoracic blood vessels that run at from here to to here," she explains, sweeping a finger over her bust on onside. "But that is less practical, blood is easy enough to draw on anyone as you can imagine, but there is a degree of comfort and volume that must be considered. You do not see vampire biting temporal veins after all."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods, "That only makes sense. Biting one's forehead would be awkward and frustratingly slow, I would think." She sips at her Manhattan and thinks, "I'm sorry. I'm always asking questions about you. I think it's only fair that if you had questions about me I'd be more than happy to answer them."

Blake Riviere has posed:
Blake shrugs, lowering her hand to the table once more and then smirking. "I don't mind, if only for the fact that I am glad to alight such curiousity and imagination."

Reaching for her drink, the vampiress absently tilts her head to the side. "I am glad you have come out to dine with me tonight."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia raises her glass in a silent toast. "Thank you. It's a pleasure to have met you," she says, then takes a sip. Then the waitress comes by with their food. "Ah, excellent," Lydia says, spreading jam on top of her Monte Cristo, before cutting into it with her knife. She pops the cut piece into her mouth and lets out a groan of pleasure. "You really should try this. They're so good."

Blake Riviere has posed:
A nod, a smile, Blake leans forward expectantly then, lifting a finger to gesture in beckoning. "Well then, if you wish to share.."

Clearly, she was awaiting Lydia to offer her a piece, but if refused? Well, she'd simply smirk and return to her own drink.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia is glad to share. She cuts off another piece of her sandwich, making sure it has jam on it, and hands the fork over to her companion. "There you go."

Blake Riviere has posed:
Fork taken and sample...well, sampled, Blake give a little sigh of her own before offering the utensil back, a little giggle following lightly at her own reaction.

"As I said to you last time, eating food for me is about experience rather than nourishment...and it is things like that which make the experience worthwhile..."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods, "Understandable," she says. "How much pleasure do you get out of taking blood? I would imagine that it all depends on who you're supping from and the nature of the transaction."

Blake Riviere has posed:
Blake Riviere laughs softly at that, nodding her head. "That much is true, but in general it is much more than simply the satisfaction of eating. Other 'biological impulses' trigger a certain responce, and feeding is the core drive at the heart of any vampiric creature. Still though, it does depend on several factors."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Mmm," Lydia grunts thoughtfully. "Such as? I mean, I assume that the hungrier you are the more of a biological drive it becomes, like with anything else. If you're starving you usually don't care how well crafted your meal is, You just need the calories."

Blake Riviere has posed:
"Apt comparison. If you're hungry enough, eating anything is somewhat satisfying, no?" Blake shrugs, taking the first bite of her own food and finishing it before speaking once more. "Blood can be the same, both in quality and taste. Mutants, aliens, they have made the mix even more varied. I was once green for an entire evening due to one particular donor. That was...new."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's eyebrows raise in curiosity. "Green?" she asks, with a soft laugh. "You'll have to tell me more! Were they a mutant? I can't imagine all aliens to be compatible for sustenance, though."

Blake Riviere has posed:
"I think they were," Blake nods, another bite of her meal taken as she gives a non-verbal noise of thought.

"As for aliens? It is hard to know. I cannot say I have tried very many...at least to my knowledge. I imagine there are those that would be fine, and those that would be toxic to me."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Just as I would imagine alien food would be, I suspect," Lydia muses. "Still. I can't help but notice all the parallels there are in eating between humans and vampires. It's quite interesting."

Blake Riviere has posed:
Blake simply shrugs at that, another bite of her small meal taken and then a touch of her napkin to her lips. "It is not so strange when you think of it. Be it magic or science, at least some part of most of us has been human at some point after all."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Some people would argue that mutants were never human to begin with," Lydia grumbles to herself. The more time she spends with the Brotherhood, the more she sees that attitude be present in the people she interacts with. Louder, she says, "But I get where you're coming from."

She contemplatively takes a bite of her sandwich, "Have you ever wondered on the origin of vampires?" she asks. "How far back they go, how all the different branches were created, or if they have all the same origin?"

Blake Riviere has posed:
"Perhaps there is more similarity between what I am and a mutant than I have thought about before. A little human, and so much more..."

She trails off, Lydia's comment earning a nod. "I have, but those are answers I do not have..."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I didn't expect you to have them," Lydia says with a gentle smile. "I suspect those answers are lost to the annals of time, much like 'Who was the first mutant?'"

She takes a bit of time to finish off her sandwich, and washes it down with the rest of her Manhattan. "That was delicious. Thank you for having dinner with me. We should do it again, sometime."

Blake Riviere has posed:
A smile, Blake pushes her empty plate aside, drains the last of her drink and nods. A quick fishing into her purse for some bills to leave at the table and she makes to stand, stretching her arms over her head.

"It was wonderful, and I eagerly await the next book. But if you'll excuse me? It is time for me to go find some dessert..."