Valentine's Day Scrapbook: Dimitri & Caradoc

"And there's a taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold Is it something so good just can't function no more?" - "Love Will Tear Us Apart", Joy Division

"You're telling me this is news to you?" Caradoc tried not to laugh, letting his finger trail along the rim of the glass he was holding. He couldn't imagine that the greater demon was just into sex, seemed a bit flat of someone that was supposed to be the ruler of a circle. "People have always been into sex. It's obvious, it sells, and it's expected. I don't need a job though. Thanks anyway. I don't work."

"It would seem the mortals like to peruse all sorts of perversion in an ambient space, believe it or not." They understand the appeal, if you were shopping for something for sex, shouldn't the place itself be sexy? Somewhere you might want to slip into the back and put some of those toys to work? "Whole place is full of sex toys from the average bullet vibe to furniture. It would seem this generation is getting very comfortable with the whole 'whips and chains' thing." There was a song out there by that Rihanna that boasted they excited her and how great was that?

"Do you not feel very stable?" Caradoc knew the answer to that; he knew the whispers that rattled the coven. Kaan had been part of the Asphodel, but he'd repented. He'd come out of that for Raffaele, for those he loved, and here they were. That's where it'd gotten him - death and a cool statue. The demon had been listening, roaming the coven home like he could. Being a ferret had its perks. "This place doesn't feel the same, does it?" Normally, he had his run abouts, lazing the day away in Raffaele's room, or perhaps sunning in a nice spot. Now, everyone walked around with RBF's and a little bit of blood, Caradoc didn't mind, but he also had someone else to look out for.

"Makes sense; Verna was a good sovereign; some stability is probably what the coven needs more than anything right now." He wondered if this would make Efigenia put a target on the sovereign's back, or how that would work. Kaan was part of the Asphodel, but he'd reformed, Raffaele didn't want to think that Verna had known about it but it was hard to know what to believe. The family he'd been so fond of for so long was fractured in a way that Raffaele couldn't reconcile. From where he came from, it was hard for him to trust people, but if it had been needed, there wasn't a single soul in the Narcissus that Raffaele wouldn't have bled for. Now he was in a house full of strangers, people he couldn't trust, and witches who seemed likelier to stab him in the back than do anything to help him. At least he had Caradoc, singular faith in a demon; how foreboding.

Caradoc sighed now, though he took a sip from his drink anyway, listening as the other prattled on. "You have a business?" A job? Caradoc nearly gagged, but he held it together with a cough, "Okay, okay, I'll bite. What is this....business?" The demon wasn't sure he could have another job outside of the one that he had at the moment. Protecting Raff and all of that. He couldn't let his little witch wander without him; the world was still dangerous.

"I want one here. Somewhere for just us." The sigh that escapes them is outright wistful as they try to picture it. Some of the houses there in Rome were still lavish, retained older architecture. All this modernism that everyone seemed so fond of now, the minimalism, where was the fun in that? "I have a business." Brows raising, they look to Caradoc in conspiration. "You should work there with me, the mortals here are either very repressed or incredibly liberated, there is little grey area."

Caradoc knew a lot about lust. It didn't necessarily always mean sexual desire, but in this case, the demon was too happy to oblige with the title he'd received so long ago. The Lustful; they'd whispered. Caradoc had done many things that were shameful, and other things that he was proud of. Talking his way out of crucifixion, leading the tribes of Britain against the Romans, lying to Dimitri so he could take his place topside. Just little lustful things. "Luckily for you I don't plan on leaving." Raffaele was here, Dimitri was here, maybe they could figure out something. It wasn't like the demon was whoring out and around anyway; he loved a good pair of fangs. "You should know I have a hard time letting things go."

"I'm finding myself a little too interested to just say no to them." And it's with a sigh that's practically wistful that he reaches out and cups the side of the demon's face before bringing their lips together. Dimitri had thought this was just something fun, he was not above a fling here and there. After Dracula he'd sworn off men but he'd still found his way into a relationship or two and they hadn't all ended terribly. Hell, most of them were just other vampires, also centuries old and seemingly aware that there was no point in really settling down, they were immortal. But there'd been heartbreak too and this was...Caradoc was a bit of a flight risk but he kisses him anyways, fingers curling around his jaw as their mouths move together.

There wasn't one anymore, wasn't that the whole point? Caradoc wouldn't have to see Asmodeus again, at least that was a plus. He picked up his drink, complete with an umbrella. The familiar was more than willing to ensure that nothing happened to Raffaele again, but he couldn't do that if the witch was still feeling down and depressed. People died, they had to move on. Kaan was erased, slightly harsher, but still – they had a good thing going. "How do you feel with the new HBIC?" If there was one thing the demon could do, it was talk. He'd talk Raffaele's ear off until the witch insisted he left him alone. Then he'd shift, and annoy him in ferret form. Worked every time.

"Shocking, I know." While Raffaele would always appreciate Caradoc's efforts to cheer him up, he'd manage in his own way. Tamlen had been pressing a lot too but what the witch really needed was distractions. More distractions, as many distractions as he could swallow, and with that thought he ordered another round for them. "Probably about as fine as to be expected." Raffaele said as he considered the other's love life. "Fifty years is a long time, I'll probably be dead by then so you'll be back in hell anyways." Fifty years as someone's boyfriend was still a new record, Caradoc could be proud of that if him and Dimitri made it so far.

Douglas Booth cover shoot for 1983 Magazine.

"You, not into a rave where you get to have your tits out?" Caradoc put the back of his hand to Raffaele's head, checking his temp, "You sure you're alright? Do I need to put a slutty outfit on to remind you to have fun?" The demon gave a crooked smile, but the lustful was easily influenced in these sort of situations. "Oh, you know, he's being a little cocky." Dimitri knew that Caradoc was into the whole biting and sex thing, and to make matters worse, he was still holding things over his head. "Do you think I could actually make a relationship work? You know, the whole...loyalty thing. I mean, he's a vampire. I can't even count on him dying if I get bored in fifty years."

"You can get me as many gifts as you want." it wasn't that secretive, every sex toy, leather strap, and tasteful nude was almost always from his familiar. Caradoc knew him very well. The holidays were Raffaele's favourite time of year, at least, they used to be. Now he sat on the balcony doing his best to not have the budding rbf that he'd been developing. As everyone danced, celebrated, fucked, drank, and revelled in the festivities, Raffaele didn't have it in him. He looked for a while at Efigenia and Alvaro, his coven looked like they were having fun, he hated that. "This party is lame," it really wasn't like him to complain about a rave, but he just wasn't into it. "how are things going with that vampire? He came by the mortuary to check on me by the way, I told him I'd tell you so he could get his brownie points."

"For each bloodline, yes, and they throw great parties. No one does it like the pale undead who enjoy sucking and biting." Caradoc tilted his head now, thinking of Elysium, "Don't you have a place like that already? Rome is great, but....a palace? I guess you have to now that you're all...evicted."

"Most of the time they come around I'm bored anyways." It's a half truth, a dismissive one. A boring topic they don't want to get into. There would be so much time to talk of Lucifer and Beelzebub, dear Abaddon and Mammon and Satanas even. The real question, the thing they'd been sitting around wondering, was how Leviathan was doing with that gaggle of witches. "I hear the vampires have palaces. I think we deserve such a place." Just their circle, it'd be VIP, except they'd let Amico in, he'd proven himself.

"Right." The vampire was closer now, and Caradoc sighed as all sorts of naughty thoughts ran through his head. He was happy for Dimitri to take a bit, thought about it often, but there was a lot hanging on this for Caradoc. The demon was a filthy liar, and someone who betrayed people easily. Dimitri would be a fool to let that happen twice – even if he didn't know about it the first time. He wasn't going to grow a conscience, now. "I'd never say no to someone like that." He sighed as the vampire was closer, and the demon stepped in to end whatever was left of a distance. "C'mon then. Don't keep me waiting."

"No, not at all. I actually have this thing later with this guy who I can't decide if he likes me or not quite yet." As if contemplating the mystery further, he strides towards the demon the few steps between them, his hands folded behind his back. "Very pretty, tastes great even, seems to have a problem with horror literature, but I think they are very passionate." It's all very nonchalant and Dimitri's never going to ask anyone for a title, he's too old for all of that. But he is curious where they stand at even a base level moreso for his own peace of mind than anything. He'll let the demon keep most of his mystery.

"Life of the party, babe." Caradoc went by many names, he wore many wigs, but for now, he would be the petty little lustful that he was. "Does your sibling run your life often?" He had a brother, one that died so he could take his place. It was all fitting, anyway. Caradoc was no hardened war leader for the tribes of Britain, but he was damn good with his mouth.

"Well that's what I have you for, I'm sure you know where all the fun is." He is partially teasing, he needs the other demons around to be his eyes and ears and perhaps ass when he's too sore to move. "I have a place here and also a business." They are quite proud of this fact even though the villa they reside in could definitely use a lot of renovating, but it'd all work out in time and until then, they'd busy themselves with hosting parties elsewhere, going on outings, that sort of thing. "I'll have my fun until Lucifer says I can't." Asmodeus shrugs and leans back against the plush couch, nonplussed.

@raffaelexfiore Location: Bash

Christmas was a nice time, the right time, to rock the night away. It's why he knew Raffaele was having a difficult one – a long phone call from Jianyu about how the young witch never called, never wrote, and no, a text message is not the same as a letter. The demon was sure that gifts would be arriving soon, all the things that Jian and Kaan had picked out together for their psuedo son – Christmas sucked as an orphan. Luckily, Caradoc didn't have to deal with anyone but Raff. "Are you sure there's a limit on secret santa this year in the coven?"

"As riveting as this conversation about your originals is, I think I want another drink. Are you going to join me?" It was Christmas, he was feeling extra festive. Mariah Carey had been on all day in the Narcissus Coven home, he wasn't going to stop now. "Or do you have somewhere else to be with your not hot original?"

Chuckling and looking out at the city below, Dimitri doesn't quite know how to feel about all of the politics of the originals. "Hottest sure, but I've always thought Juno sounded nice." The palace of Juno was gorgeous and if he had to pick another bloodline to be a part of, that would be it. "I feel Pluto and Xerxes might wind up having some sort of altercation, but it'd be pointless." Over something only Pluto cared about maybe, the senator seemed pretty content to loosen up a bit as of late which was more hilarious than anything.

Caradoc watched the other’s facial features carefully. Years of watching a teenager grow into a young man, sometimes he was sure that he knew Raffaele better than he’d known himself. Caradoc had never had children, that wasn’t his role, but he’d had brothers — and he’d watched them all die once. It made the demon frown, and he put his hand on Raff’s, “We go forward together. Somehow. I know what he meant to you.” A father figure? Hard to come by. Either way, he was still sus about Raffaele’s words, a bit of a far cry perhaps from what the witch had gone through. He didn’t press, content on simply being with the witch as he pulled out another bad movie, “Want to watch something?”

Raffaele had never lied to Caradoc about anything, the two didn't have secrets between them, so this one would have to be the first. "I remember before pretty well, I was at home in the library when everything went dark; they kept me in a cage for... A month, I guess. That's what people said afterwards anyways." He hadn't seen anyone during that time, just the creatures that prowled about in defense of his cell. To think there'd been a time that he would have joined them if Kaan had asked, but considering how everything had shaken out it was no surprise that his father had done everything he could to keep Raffaele out of it.

A statue stood in place of the man and while everyone else seemed content to overlook what Kaan had done, Raffaele never would. "I just remember him dying, being up in that chamber with Jian, the doors swinging open, and Kaan fading away." Raffaele wrung his hands together as he spoke, "Guess it's probably better that way." The two of them had been through an ordeal, but while the senate had forgiven so many crimes, Raffaele didn't think that he could. "I don't think I know where to go from here."

Caradoc sighed now, rubbing his temples as his mild attempt to put the vampire off clearly didn’t work. If only he didn’t suck dick so well, then maybe the demon wouldn’t have gotten himself into such a situation. For now, though, he met Dimitri’s earnest gaze, hating it for the time being because it meant it was more difficult to be rude and abrasive. “Probably suffer of boredom. Now that all your originals made an appearance, what are your thoughts? Come on, let’s hear it. Honest review of the four. Mars is the hottest, I won’t be taking any questions.”

"You suffered a great loss." Dimitri shrugs like it's no big deal and he's not incredibly amused by the way the demon had phrased it. It is a strange and yet interesting thing though, the picture Caradoc paints. That had been the case, he'd come on strongly at the library and then at Pluto's homecoming and while he'd been perplexed by the whole thing, he wasn't anything but intrigued. "I'm sticking around, things are much more interesting here than back home." And Hakan had just lost someone, he himself didn't know Ezekiel that well, but what he knew of the Count's progeny, he'd quite liked him. "I think I am now accustomed to a certain amount of your shenanigans, what would I do without it?"

Being forced to hang out with an archfiend has to be a new level of low, but perhaps with the circle dissolving, they had nothing better to do. The circle was less than ideal, Caradoc had clawed his way out, but he hadn’t won - not until the very last second. Everyone loved an underdog. Either way, he could fake being nice to Asmodeus, though he was certain they were all naive to believe that they were revered by the demons of their circle. “Are you gonna make it weird when you get there? Odds are is yes, so maybe that’s why you haven’t been invited.” He looked at the other for a minute, unsure how he got picked to be employee of the month, “Are you looking for fun? I mean, hate to say it, but your whole gig is…gone. Now what?”

Person: @xcaradocx Location: Flirt There's hardly a VIP area but they can fix that by clearing out the corner booth and sprawling out with bottle service. He should really put some money into this place or something like that. If they didn't respect Amico, they might have tried to simply take the place for themselves. But it's nice, the music is pleasing and so are the dancers. He's less interested in them, the oogling patrons are much more amusing, but he's not there for them. Caradoc had served time in their circle and so obviously he was going to be Asmodeus's guide to all the happenings in Rome. "What do you all do for fun around here? Is this it?" He nods towards the floor, the dancers, the patrons. The place is demon owned and demon frequented but that isn't enough for him. "I hear that Sun Court has orgies and I've heard the vampire's have orgies, but I haven't been invited to a single one so how good could they actually be." It's not a question, it is fact.