Gathering Post - London Calling

[londoncallingmods]

The world at large seemed heavier this week, bad news from across the pond drifting over like a bad storm and raining down on the city. Still, stiff upper lip and all that. If London had stopped every time things had seemed bleak, it would have fallen long ago.

And so life went on, as it must. 

The skies were a bit grey and the streets slightly damp, but the Christmas lights were coming on early this year, and Harrods already had the streets lit up with wonder and sparkle. Cafes and bars followed suit, and twinkling lights were everywhere you looked, casting a much needed bit of whimsy and wonder over the stark looking faces that passed by. It was hard to stay grim when children and adults alike seemed so entranced by it all.

There were plenty of events going on as well. From the Lord Mayor's Show or the Dulwich Christmas Bazaar, to the usual concerts, festivities, and even bowling. 

London may have looked a bit foggy and miserable, but there was pleanty of joy to be found for those who went looking.

(Gathering post! Just a nice mellow post to combat those post election blues, and balance out the drama from Halloween. As always, this post will be open for at least a week, so tag in and check back often to tag others. <3)

Comments

[harrowgate]

The question lingered there for a moment as Felix cocked his head ever so slightly, brows faintly lifted, as though he expected something further. His blood still sang with the glory of his own magic, and at the moment, he felt utterly invincible. Like diamonds, beautiful and sharp and impervious to all threats. Yet that same primal power recognized Valentine's strength, and the potential danger coiled within him.

Felix had always liked a bit rough.

"To protect you, of course," the wizard breathed at last, revealing the vast simplicity of the secret. "To protect all of us. These seals have cradled London for centuries."

[hollow_moon]

"What sort of seals? Seals generally imply keeping something closed," Valentine pointed out, practically prowling as he neared Felix, casually invading his personal space.

"Have you got something locked in a pretty little box somewhere?" he asked in a hushed tone, voice like velvet draped over jagged rocks.

[harrowgate]

Felix stood quite still and poised, following Valentine with his gaze as best he could. He rather enjoyed the feeling of being stalked, if only because he knew he was not prey. Not any longer.

"A lovely trinket, larger than a man," Felix lilted in response, like a poem only the two of them could know. "Locked in a treasure chest the size of a castle. You'd never need to hunt another artefact again, if you ever could find a way take it for yourself. Of course... you can't. No one can."

[hollow_moon]

"Oh, you sound so sure of that. You haven't even let me try yet, love," Val grinned, his smile as sharp as his gaze.

[harrowgate]

Felix's laugh was low and silky, deeply amused. The Virtu, massive and faceted and azure as the morning sky hung, surrounded by nearly every Cabaline in existence, in the Mirador, a place barely perceptible to the non-magical. While he did not think Valentine could find his way inside, he had been wrong before.

"I'm afraid I'm sworn and duty-bound to protect it, darling," he sighed, with a light wave of one hand. "I like you. You're pretty. I'd rather you didn't try to come between me and my order." His eyes glinted. "I'd rather you come between me and your bed."

[hollow_moon]

"Oh, but I've done that already, petal... I'd much rather a challenge," Val purred, his voice a deep rumble of a sound that seemed to gently vibrate the air around them.

Tilting his head, he observed Felix with obvious interest. He seemed hungry, but which of his appitites he currently wished to feed was hard to read

[harrowgate]

Felix's right brow arched sharply at the insinuation that going to bed with him was something Val need only experience once. He watched Valentine move, watched him stalk, with his amber eye focused and flashing, his blue eye cool and measuring. They seemed to circle one another on the edge of a blade.

"Do you want to chase me, darling?" Felix challenged him, voice low.

[hollow_moon]

"Why? Do you want to be caught?" Val asked. "That might be fun, but perhaps unwise. I'm far too accustom to stilling my prey with a sharp bite ad a rough shake these days."

[harrowgate]

"Intriguing," Felix confessed, as the tender skin of his throat prickled at the very thought, "but potentially fatal, I suppose. If you prefer a hunt, I could put you on the scent of the Virtu, but... that might prove fatal to you. What shall we do about this impasse, darling?"

[hollow_moon]

Some of that feral lust seemed to fade a touch, and Valentine licked his lips with a single flick of his tongue before speaking.

"The way all civil sorts would, I imagine. ...With tea."

[harrowgate]

Now that was monumentally disappointing, but Felix supposed a man's ardor might be cooled when you mentioned the possibility of impending death. ... not for the first time, Felix considered that his own kinks and passions might be somewhat dangerous.

"I can have tea with anyone I choose," Felix pointed out, stepping up presumptuously close to Valentine with a sharp little smile. "This had best be one bloody fascinating cup of tea."

[hollow_moon]

"No one's demanding your company, petal. Come or don't come," Valentine shrugged, looking Felix over again, then turning away and setting off in the direction of his museum.

[harrowgate]

Felix very seriously considered a display of temper there in the park. It would feel exceedingly cathartic after a morning on his best behavior. Then, however, he caught full sight of Valentine's delightfully shapely backside, and thought better of it.

A few quick, long strides brought him up to Val's side, though a well-placed sigh let the other fellow know just what he thought of the arrangement. "Where have you been lately, darling?" Felix asked, conceding to a change of subject.

[hollow_moon]

Val glanced over, considering him a moment before speaking.

"Germany," he answered. "I was getting in touch with nature, as some might say.

[harrowgate]

Felix gave him a thoughtful brow lift in return. "Did you find whatever you were looking for amid the trees and, I can only assume, the unclothed frolicking?"

[hollow_moon]

"I think so," Val replied. "Only time will tell though. I'm not even sure what it was I went looking for."

[harrowgate]

"Black forest cake?" Felix suggested, saucily. "Sausages? Cuckoo clocks? ... no, that's Switzerland, isn't it." He glanced aside at Valentine, though his peripheral vision didn't offer him much. "Did you come home with any interesting trinkets?"

[hollow_moon]

"No," Val assured him. "Just some new tastes."

There was a glint in his eye then, something not quite human.

[harrowgate]

Felix wasn't entirely certain he wanted to get any further details about that. He liked the meat currently on his own bones. After a long pause, he suggested brightly, "So, tea?"

[hollow_moon]

"I have a set you might find interesting back at the museum," Valentine replied, still walking. "Something that might make tea a bit more exciting to you."

[harrowgate]

Felix cocked his head, and smiled slowly. "How do you know my weaknesses so well," he nearly chided Val, thought he looked pleased. "No hints?"

[hollow_moon]

Val shrugged one shoulder, then hummed.

"What do you know of plant based alchemy and herbal magick?" he asked.

[harrowgate]

"More than your average Londoner, though I wouldn't call it a specialty of mine," Felix answered thoughtfully. "Plants, like wood, are... fickle in their properties. I'm not fond, but I have done my homework in that realm."

[hollow_moon]

"A friend of mine sent me an assortment of teas, blended by her, each meant to be their own little potion in a pouch, just waiting to be brewed. ...I thought we might try one," Val said.

[harrowgate]

"Interesting," Felix murmured, intrigued. "Why, yes, I think I would be delighted to experiment with you, Valentine darling."