( no such luck. fired back almost immediately, all gunpowder and fury: )
You should look more closely at your own, then. I thought you were meant to be a prince of all vampires. Keep your people on a tighter leash next time.
( unless it was you. it's what aleksander would do — look her in the eye and promise her safety, promise her shelter, promise her revenge. all while never warning her that he was the greatest danger to her, her minotaur locked inside of the labryinth, chasing her endlessly.
alina keeps that card in her pocket, unwilling to play her hand, unwilling to make her suspicion so immediately obvious. )
Wouldn't you shield them, even if you knew what they had done? You would lose any good faith you've cultivated in this place.
( how does he say this when he's never said it before this moment? it feels too little.
but all he can give her is honesty. )
I'm not playing politician here. I'm living my life.
And thus, I am not choosing one kind of person over another. I am being selfish. I like you more than most. You are bold and strong and honest and let me away with nothing.
I am choosing you.
That aside, in my own world there are laws of decorum. I would not tolerate this behavior of a vampire in my court. I will not defend a vampire here who has behaved like this.
( pretty words, alina thinks. a politician's talent for soaking them in honey. alina, fool that she is, wants to believe it so badly that her stomach cramps — as if she's never tasted how a sweet promise can turn to ash in your mouth, before. )
I've asked a couple I know. But I don't know them all. And I mean that to say I believe there are some vampires who have not revealed themselves to me.
I believe the ones I've asked, but again the number is small. The ones I know least are the ones I'd suspect most, and I would not be able to say I trust the answer even if I did ask.
And how many of them know what I am? What I can do? Would you still tell me you believe them if it was Dani they had strung up like an animal? It could have just as easily been him in my place. Maybe it will be, next time.
You do not have to use Dani to frighten me, Alina. I don't take your suffering less seriously because you are not my lover.
The two I can trust I know would not be bothered by you if they do know what you can do. I cannot say how I know as much, as those are secrets I cannot expose. But I am not ruling out fear of your abilities as a potential cause for others.
( a brief pause and his stomach churns as his mind twists to where she must be mentally. )
I would let you burn me to prove I would never do this to you.
( bold, if he's a liar. bolder still, if he isn't. alina sits with the offer for a moment longer, a miserable bubble of breath trapped in her chest. what little reserves of energy she's tapped into feel — exhausted, depleted, trying to view this chess board from every angle. trying to determine what game alexei might be playing with her, or if she's only imagining him to be an opponent at all.
then, with finality: )
Then we'll prove it. Come to my rooms. I'll tell Alia to let you in.
( her first immediate thought is that dani will be furious with her. dani, the only living creature in this world who matches her, arrakis' two twin suns made of the same power. her second immediate thought is that she shouldn't care, despite it; even then, her eyes run hot, pressing back a sting. )
I understand. I'll wait for you.
( she blows out a breath, steadies herself. even now, she can't say it would be the same for her and her own. alia, who has little idea of what alina is planning just yet. paul, who would take matters into his own hands to extract the truth, were she to explain it. )
If I asked you to name the others of your kind, would you? Not those you trust, but those who haven't earned it.
( he's taken a minute to have his conversation with Dani. it's hard to convince Dani, but he does eventually.
that's when he checks back and sees the message. )
I would, but I fear they may be ones you already know. I only know them because of that recent party, where many others saw them as well.
If you do not know them, I can recount the ones I witnessed there. But I promise, I am not hiding one I do not trust that I also know exists. I simply think some do not trust my own openness, and I do not fault them that.
Those are the most I can name. And Armand, Lestat, and Astarion are ones I cannot vouch for.
I have told no souls of what you can do, save for Dani. And I only told him after we discussed it. This includes any of those I trust, I have also not told.
I promise this on my life, Alina. The very life I'm bringing to your doorstep now if you doubt it at all.
( Lexi isn't that much longer before he finds Alina's room. he had finished his conversation with Dani and was on his way to her room when the next texts had come.
he hates this. not what he's doing. he wouldn't have offered if he didn't mean it. he hates that it needs to be done. that this house has done this to them. that someone did this to her.
time for him to fucking man up and be a respectable person for once. maybe some regrets about not getting his shit together earlier, but better late than never or some shit like that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
@lexi
Only know that when I find who did this to you, they will suffer thrice over what they did to you.
no subject
You should look more closely at your own, then.
I thought you were meant to be a prince of all vampires. Keep your people on a tighter leash next time.
no subject
But I have not ruled out vampires. I'm not taking this lightly.
no subject
alina keeps that card in her pocket, unwilling to play her hand, unwilling to make her suspicion so immediately obvious. )
Wouldn't you shield them, even if you knew what they had done?
You would lose any good faith you've cultivated in this place.
no subject
but all he can give her is honesty. )
I'm not playing politician here. I'm living my life.
And thus, I am not choosing one kind of person over another. I am being selfish. I like you more than most. You are bold and strong and honest and let me away with nothing.
I am choosing you.
That aside, in my own world there are laws of decorum. I would not tolerate this behavior of a vampire in my court. I will not defend a vampire here who has behaved like this.
no subject
Did you ask them?
Do you believe them?
no subject
I believe the ones I've asked, but again the number is small. The ones I know least are the ones I'd suspect most, and I would not be able to say I trust the answer even if I did ask.
I am trying to weed out the truth, instead.
no subject
Would you still tell me you believe them if it was Dani they had strung up like an animal?
It could have just as easily been him in my place. Maybe it will be, next time.
no subject
The two I can trust I know would not be bothered by you if they do know what you can do. I cannot say how I know as much, as those are secrets I cannot expose. But I am not ruling out fear of your abilities as a potential cause for others.
( a brief pause and his stomach churns as his mind twists to where she must be mentally. )
I would let you burn me to prove I would never do this to you.
no subject
And I don't need to remind you that others have schemed behind your back before.
I won't forgive you if you've put your trust in the wrong hands.
( which is in itself a reminder — a twist of knife that's already lodged in a gut. )
Why offer? If I accept, you won't know if I plan to burn you or kill you.
Everyone else is making the ruthless choice. Why expect that I won't?
no subject
( not that he'd forgive himself. not when he's trying to open up. so he couldn't fault her own anger.
but for the rest. )
I couldn't guarantee you wouldn't. And I would hope that trust in you would be rewarded with similar trust.
But if you would choose to kill me to satisfy your fears by reducing the suspect pool by one... well I would understand that, too.
no subject
then, with finality: )
Then we'll prove it.
Come to my rooms. I'll tell Alia to let you in.
no subject
I'll be there shortly.
I will be telling Dani first. I would not like to frighten him if I suddenly were to disappear. But I will be certain to tell him this is my choice.
I am only letting you know this because I made a promise not to hide things from Dani. And I do not want to go back on that so soon.
no subject
I understand.
I'll wait for you.
( she blows out a breath, steadies herself. even now, she can't say it would be the same for her and her own. alia, who has little idea of what alina is planning just yet. paul, who would take matters into his own hands to extract the truth, were she to explain it. )
If I asked you to name the others of your kind, would you?
Not those you trust, but those who haven't earned it.
no subject
that's when he checks back and sees the message. )
I would, but I fear they may be ones you already know. I only know them because of that recent party, where many others saw them as well.
If you do not know them, I can recount the ones I witnessed there. But I promise, I am not hiding one I do not trust that I also know exists. I simply think some do not trust my own openness, and I do not fault them that.
no subject
I have doubts Louis would, either. Especially if the two of them are together, from what I've heard.
That leaves Astarion. Lestat.
Did you tell any of them of what I can do?
no subject
I have told no souls of what you can do, save for Dani. And I only told him after we discussed it. This includes any of those I trust, I have also not told.
I promise this on my life, Alina. The very life I'm bringing to your doorstep now if you doubt it at all.
no subject
I'll see you soon.
no subject
he hates this. not what he's doing. he wouldn't have offered if he didn't mean it. he hates that it needs to be done. that this house has done this to them. that someone did this to her.
time for him to fucking man up and be a respectable person for once. maybe some regrets about not getting his shit together earlier, but better late than never or some shit like that.
he knocks on her door and waits patiently. )