(no subject)

[herr_bookman]

"But musing what an easy thing it were to mix our opiates in a larger cup," Autor says, patting the counter in preparation to hop over it. "And drink, and not perceive"—and here he hops—"sleep deepening lead his truer kinsman up, like undistinguished Night, darkening the skirts of Eve.*"

After a few minutes of setting up his prior preparations, the boy reaches for the specials board. "Good night, Bar."

Bitter Chocolate Aria
Hot chocolate & one croissant

Submission Sonata
Virgin strawberry & wasabi daiquiri

Ode to Blood
Giga ant eggs, sour apple juice, seltzer water, flavored ice

Fiery Trigon
Grenadine, lemon juice, apple juice, passion fruit juice, & cinnamon

Silent Overture
Free coffee if you can prove that you’re knighted

Note: Virgin bar.


[This post is open forever.]

*Ode to Sleep, Richard Chenevix Trench

Comments

[herr_bookman]

Autor adjusts his glasses and looks away. Words have fled his swollen tongue, and his chest hurts.

"Which would make me sad," the boy eventually says. "Not for his sake, but for yours."

[sunbaked_baker]

She could say something about necessary evils, but it'd ring even more false than usual.

(You'd think killing vampires would feel like community service, like doing good, but it doesn't.)

Her fierce look softens slightly at the sight of his awkward care. "I'd live with it." A long moment later, to cover her lack of comfort, she adds:

"I don't know of any reason why he'd not be able to get into the library; other vampires have struck in the library before. It's where Jane Austen was attacked, some years ago."

[herr_bookman]

Autor's jaw sets at her statement, but rather than arguing, he lets it drop. Some other day, perhaps.

At her comment about the library, though, the boy pales. "Ah. Well. That's good to know," he says, swallowing, "because I sleep there, out in the open."

[sunbaked_baker]

"This, among a number of other things you've done recently, is not a smart thing to do, Autor," she says, feeling tired. "You need an actually defensible place to sleep, not a public area."

When you're not the guaranteed top of the food-chain, you think about things like this.

[herr_bookman]

Autor sighs. He knows that look. And he has thought about that, especially since the encounter with Eric, which is why he asked.

He offers her a shrug and a smile. "Yes, but I do have the key to it for a reason," he says, and shows off the chain from around his neck before tucking it back in behind his cravat. "I don't suppose we could ward a magic carpet?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Most things like it in my world are warded against things like flying into stuff at high speeds, crashing without warning, and catching fire, but I'm not a wardsmith," she replies.

"The point about the library is that it's a public space, even if you have a key to it. Vampires can only come into a private or residential place if invited, but that doesn't cover public spaces, even if the door is locked."

[herr_bookman]

Autor is well aware of that, but until now he'd successfully ignored it. In fact, he's now well aware of a lot of the dangers of vampires, due to the research he's done after Eric's successful attempt to make him marginally uncomfortable.

"I had a room before, but I only spent four to five hours per day in it," he says, furrowing his brow. "But after I received my sylladex and earned my carpet, my life was portable, just as I like it. So why not surround myself with books? Living in a library has always been sort of a... well, a dream I've had."

And Autor doesn't dream.

The boy purses his lips, a little annoyed. "What a terrible inconvenience this is."

I wonder if I can make a bargain with them? No, Rae would kill me.