Laurence
Legacy Name: Laurence.

Once Upon a Time...

One would not readily recognize the gala as a gathering for the undead. Globes of light on the beige walls of the King of Grandomina's ballroom gave the illusion of high noon at midnight. Pale gentlemen in embroidered coats escorted ladies in confectionary dresses to the dance floor. Predator eyes flashed, sending subtle signals to potential suitors who sipped goblets of red wine. Was it wine? The heady aroma was certainly intoxicating, mingled with perfume and cologne that came in bottles shaped from real crystal.

Laurence took in the brocade carpet with intricate golden patterns and the doors inlaid with frosted glass. Overkill; that was the word. He was hardly one to scoff at luxury. The pattern of golden fleur-de-lis on his navy jacket had been hand-sewn by a seamstress who had once worked as a high-end model in Paris. There was nothing cheap about that garment. There is a difference between enjoying one's wealth and flaunting it.

He met Luke's eye as he sauntered past the card table. The chips were once again stacked in the goateed vampire's favor. Lucilla leaned over to whisper in his ear as he dealt the next round, her crimson nails tracing a pattern on his arm. Luke gave her a scathing look, refusing to pick up his cards until she moved back. He always took his games much too seriously. Lucilla pouted and played with a lock of blonde hair, tossing her cards back after barely a glance. Clearly, she didn't like the hand she'd been dealt. Laurence began to weave through the crowd as if making for the dance floor. He breathed a sigh of relief when Lucilla did not follow.

There was just a whiff of scent to let him know the one he sought had braved the bitterly cold night to be there. Warm and slightly musky, her natural odor was glorious next to all the putrid stink of dead plants condensed into bottles. The smell was very faint, as if the girl who wore it had just recently been twirled past on the arm of another. Laurence took a deep breath, trying to trace the origin. The gentle pressure of teeth on his neck made him swear. He had not been so stealthy after all.

"You didn't think to arrive without saying hello, did you Laurence?" Lucilla was not the least bit shy though they had broken up six months before. She traced the pattern of blue flame artfully stenciled beneath one eye, shooting a warning glance to a raven-haired beauty in red. "I was just telling my friend Belinda all about you."

The only way to describe Belinda's hair was caramel cotton candy. She looked unreal even for a creature out of legend.

"She's new to the life." Lucilla's voice was a stage whisper, not at all intended for his ears alone. "She hasn't really experienced the perks. I wouldn't normally be so generous, but once I let slip what a good kisser you are, I could hardly let her waste a night with some Transylvanian bore."

Belinda looked uneasy. It wasn't just in this life that she lacked experience. Laurence had to stop and think. What was that human? Bile rising in the throat? In several hundred years this was the closest he'd come to feeling ill. He brushed past the ladies, feeling Lucilla's waves of gloating contempt.

The scent was a physical blow, forcing him back a step as he came to one of the grand mirrors on the edge of the floor. Eveline was adjusting her makeup, trying to lessen the blush of her cheeks. There was no disguising her allure. The girl could go out to the stables and roll about without taking the edge off that potent scent. Eveline turned as she realized someone was watching, flowing red hair settling gracefully over one shoulder as she tucked the blush container away in the bag at her side.

"That myth about your kind having no reflection is so busted."

"I didn't really expect to see you here."

"You're the one who invited me, remember?"

He wasn't likely to forget. She had stood on the stone bridge, gazing down at the moon reflecting on the surface of the river. He'd fed well and the dance of her hands as she threw something into the water had lured him. He was not used to being the one in a trance.

"I warned you of the dangers."

She took in his spotless outfit and perfect hair, raising a brow. "You don't look so dangerous to me."

"Would you care to test that theory?" Laurence's voice took on the ring of seduction. Eveline's green eyes widened, though not in fear. He took her by the hand, leaning in as he studied her perfect throat. Their lips were mere inches apart when a new voice ruined the moment.

"I'm quite sure she would not." Cardinal Syliban was the youngest member of the church to attain his status. His golden cross was displayed prominently on the red robe so out of place in this festive gathering. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he took Eveline's free hand. "We had an agreement, Eveline. You were not to be out of my sight this evening. What would your father say?"

The roses in Eveline's cheeks faded until she almost looked like a member of the crowd. She could not resist glancing back as the Cardinal led her away.

Many pairs of eyes followed their progress to the door. Lucilla was chuckling behind an upraised hand and Luke smirked in Laurence's direction. He could read the collective I-told-you-so thoughts that hovered behind a hundred pairs of judgmental eyes.

By the time he managed to slip away, Eveline's scent was a feeble string not even his heightened senses could track and inevitable dawn was much too close for comfort.

"I will find you, my darling." Laurence's words were spoken in barely a whisper. Many miles away, Eveline shivered and turned over in her sleep.

Credits:

Profile Design, Background, and Coding by:Ringo

Laurence Chibi by Tianshii on DeviantArt

Story by Pureflower

Concept based off of Could We Burn, Darling? by FVK