It had taken Adrien a few days to make it to Reajh, and he wasn't honestly liking the weather. He liked it warm, but here, even in summer the air held a bit of chill to it. The girl though, this Samantha. If she was anything like he heard, she would be worth it. On his way to Reajh he had even stopped to buy a palace off of a nobleman who was going under, an accomplishment that Adrien was proud of. He was starting to really rack up the property which meant he could pretty much travel anywhere he wished and have a place to stay.
He had to admit that the girls parents mansion was nice, the achuteture was rather stunning. He smiled as he entered. He was lead to a comfortable sitting room with a large fireplace. He was sitting in a crimson red chair with a high decorative back. He looked around the room, enjoying the plesant faces of people in portraits.
Adrien straightened his high collar, and crossed his legs, leaning back in the seat. He was mentally proparing himself for what he was about to do. He was about to make a girl and her parents fall in love with him. He knew he could do it, he had done it before. Still part of him, the human part felt guilty, he knew that once her parents gave there graces and he had the girl to himself he wouldn't be the same man. Especially if she ever denied him anything he asked.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them, turning his head to the door. He heard footsteps coming down the hall and hoped they were for him.
Samantha was, less than pleased. Two weeks ago her mother had told that they were going to their summer manor up in Cannloath for some much needed vacation. Sam was overjoyed as it meant the absence of Suitors for the entirety of their stay up north. Her mother had a different idea. The entire trip to Connloath was to find new Suitors, Sam had knowingly made herself unavailable to most of the Suitors in serendipity, the others heard the horror stories and decided to stay away. The Liem family may be rich, but there were somethings worth more than money, and to the snot-nosed suitors of Serendipity it seemed to be keeping whatever morally unsound sense of pride they had intact.
Sam had heard things about the Suitor from her mother. He owned a Palace. Well a palace to her was just a fancy word for a castle, and castles were dark and cold and the people who owned them tended to be as well. Sam walked quietly behind her mother, her preemptive hatred for the man she had yet to meet only growing as they walked on.
Walking into the sitting room, Sam stood tall while her mother bowed to the man. Sam would not look at him, but if her were looking at her he would have a nice profile view of he face with a scowl written in her brow.
"Welcome to Liem Mannor, Master Kione." Her mother said in a respectful tone. Sam hated how she called all the Suitors Master, like she were some slave girl. That only inflated their already bloated ego. "This is my Daughter, Samantha."
Adrien offered a warm pleasant smile, returning the bow that the older women offered. He looked between the presumed mother and Samantha, making sure to keep his gaze above the collar bone. The girl had a rather pleasant face, though he felt a smile would suit it better.
"Please, call me, Adrien," He spoke, his voice a rich baritone. He offered his hand to the girl's mother and kissed her hand before turning to Sam. He offered the girl a bright smile, he could see the frustration and displeasure on the girl's face.
"You know, M'lady, a smile would do you lovely face more justice," He spoke before bowing to the girl, offering his hand to her just like he had her mother. Still he doubted that the girl would take his hand. He could tell she didn't like the idea of suitors, he could read it in her body langauge. He hoped that he could win her over, actually he was pretty sure he could. Every women liked a gentleman, and he was rather good at acting like one.
Samantha shook her head. "If you are trying to get a positive reaction out of me then you'd best have something better then petty complime-" That was when she saw his eyes. They were practically ageless, wise beyond his evident age. He was someone who could probably match her in wits, but something lurked behind his smile, something sinister, something that set her body on edge while the knowledge hungry Savant sought to know more. Her mother was quite surprised when the snide comment had come to an abrupt halt.
"Oh? Do I dare say that I see a spark?" Though her mother's comment only drew Sam away from the man's eyes, the scowl returning to her brow. Sam's mother deflated. "Well," She sighed, "I hope you are Hungry Adrien, we had our chef make something special." With that she lead them to the dinning hall.
In Normal circumstances, the father would be the parent interacting with the Suitor, but Sam's father was not the reason that the Liem Family was well known. Knowing him, he was probably drinking at the tavern. Rohka Liem, Sam's mother, was the head of the Liem household.
Adrien smirked, he had seen her face, her look. The game began and he had caught her attention, she would end up doing more of the chasing than he would. She sought out knowledge and she could tell that he held knowledge, the knowledge she wanted.
He looked back at Samantha's mother and placed his hand on his stomach. "I'm starving, I would be satisfied with anything eatable honestly, that and a pleasant conversation with Miss Samantha, is she would offer me that pleasure," He spoke following the pair to the dining hall. Adrien kept his eyes up but couldn't help using his peripheral vision to get a good but quick view of the girls curvy figure.
All of what he had heard was true, the girls body was to die for, he would have to work hard at this, he would have to hook her in. He started to consider what about himself he would reveal, what parts of his history he would be truthful about and what parts he would fabricate. He knew for sure he wouldn't reveal that he was an incubus, no girl had ever took that line very well, even the ones that he had truly fallen for.
The first course was a salad. With lots of wild onions, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Salad was always the first course at Liem manor, as such it was one of Samantha's favorite meals, add a little bit of cooked chicken and you had her favorite meal. Though Sam made sure there was no chicken present in this meal. She would not allow anything that a suitor could use to form a bond with her.
Sam clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. "Gods be praised for this mighty meal, to nourish use and move us forward in their will." Sam prayed at every meal. It was more to spite her mother though it did help to offer her a reason for her gift.
Her mother just scoffed, "I'm not sure why she does that. We are not a religious family. Gods did not give us our fortune. Hard work did." Sam just shook her head and began to eat.
Adrien smiled, "there isn't anything wrong with praying, who says there aren't gods. I'm sure if there were and they looked down on you with favor that it would give you a better chance to gain a fortune than someone that they frowned down on," He spoke offering both ladies a pleasant smile.
He liked the salad though he would have liked it more with less onions, he was never a big fan of onions. Plus it would have been even better with a bit of meat. He let out a soft smile and continued to eat. It was a nice dining hall, warmer than he would have expected. The thought reminded him of the palace he had just bought.
He had ordered several chances to it that would make it more his taste. For one he had ordered different and more tapestries to be hung. For one it would make it warmer, second he didn't like the previous owners taste. He had also ordered several other cosmetic chances to be made, and ordered almost all completely new furniture. He wondered if Samantha would like what he had done with the place, or what her style was when it came to interior decorating.
Adrien looked up, looking at Samantha with a bright smile. "So Miss Samantha, tell me, what are your taste in decorating?"
Sam finished her bite of salad before answering. "It really depends on what is being decorated and who it belongs to. The grand monarch castles should be the epitome of extravagance, nothing should outshine the beauty of a monarch's home. Then you have places like my home, Liem manor. The Liem name is associated as a Marquess so our homes would be, as expected, something to look upon and marvel. But you and your castle," she paused and looked to Adrien, "I'm sorry but what is you social status and if you don't mind my asking but where is your Mont?"
Adrien offered Sam a broad smile, leaning back in his chair. She was a pushy one, very blunt. The more he thought about it the more he liked, nothing like a woman who liked to be pushy and stand up instead of just backing down and being a pushover.
"M'Lady I am an Earl, so a step down from your status, but I'm wealthier and have more political pull then most Marquess," He spoke, his words were kind, but had a slight edge about them, it was clear he wouldn't let her push him around. He was a gentleman, not a push over or doormat.
Adrien popped a cherry tomato into his mouth, enjoying the taste before he continued. "I just bought a palace in Uthlyn, my first home in Connloath I must admit, but I figured that if I was to court a women of the land I should atleast own a home in her home land," He spoke setting his fork down. "But I have homes of all sizes through out the lands," he added as he looked between the two women.
Sam smiled. But it was not a soft smile. It was a vicious smile. She had him in check mate. "So. You are a wealthy and well followed earl? And you look so young. But to have enough wealth to purchase a palace as well as other homes across the land. To have such an astounding wealth must mean your family has had a nobility status for a long time. So tell me, why is today the first time I've heard of the name Kione? Then you can go one to explain how an earl that I've never heard of would buy a mont of all things as to have a home in what you assumed to be my homeland. Every baron duke earl and marquess know the name of the Liem family and know that we hail from Adela but rose to nobility in serendipity. So not only is your story factually unsound but it leads me to believe that you ate little more than someone who got an expensive suit and tried to marry into a powerful family. I have know idea how you fooled my mother but as you can clearly see, I am not my mother. So you can either explain yourself, your intentions, apologize, then leave or you can get the hell out of my house right now." Her voice remain calm and even, control that was damn near scary to just about anyone. Even Rohka was cowering abit.
Adrien offered a smile just as wicked and vicious as Sam's, it was clear that he wasn't intimidated in the least. It appeared that he might even be having fun.
"Or that means that the Liem name isn't as well known as you assume, but if you would like we could take a little trip and I will show you all of my properties throughout the land. We can go inside and explore if you would like. I didn't have time to figure out where you haled from because I was too busy traveling from Essyrn after receiving a letter from your mother," He spoke leaning back in his chair, his voice almost playful. He looked her in the eyes, as if he was looking into her soul.
"Plus, wouldn't this be your mother's home? Unless you plan her dying in the next few moments," He added at the end with a wry grin and a slight chuckle. Adrien seemed completely relaxed and at ease. Like there wasn't a stressed bone in his body. He reached up and ran his fingers through his thick dark hair. The girl had some spark in her, he liked it.
He was lying about his social status, that much she could tell, she new the first and last name of every person whom has ever held the rank of Earl in the last one hundred fifty years. He was not one of those names. "I apologize for my outburst Earl Kione but one can never be too sure." though it was evident that his statement proved nothing to her.
The waitstaff came and removed the salad bowls from the first course and brought in the next one, it was bread dough that had been flattened out with tomato sauce spread over it and over that shredded cheeses, meats, olives and peppers, then baked at a high heat in a bread oven. It was a meal that Samantha had designed and the family cook created. Her mother noticed this. "Oh this is the meal Samantha created with the help of the chef, it tastes divine." Samantha shot her a glare.
Adrien chuckled to himself, he knew the girl hadn't memorized the names of the earls past two-hundred back. He had been given the title Duke when he was two-hundred and thirty-six, which was nearly three hundred years before. Of course if she had she wouldn't believe him, until she saw a picture. He could hear the doubt in her voice, she thought her logic was completely infallible. He smiled, knowing she needed to go study more.
Adrien looked down at the food, the aroma was amazing if he did say so his self. "Well this looks and smells absolutely amazing," He stated with a smile looking up at Samantha. He was half tempted to ask why she was so bitter. It wasn't like she had had a terrible life. Adrien instead took a few bites, and found that it tasted just as amazing as it smelled.
"If it would be okay, could I have your cook send my cook this recipe?" He asked Samantha's mother with a broad smile before turning back to Samantha. "So M'Lady, tell me about yourself?"
Rohka nodded. "I don't see why not."
Samantha, once again, finished her bite before speaking. "When I was little, it was evident that I was smart, exceptionally so. By the time I was eight, I had memorized my family's library, all twelve hundred and forty two books, and could recite them with near perfect accuracy. At the age of twelve I knew everything that my tutor could teach, better than he did in some cases, he described me as a Savant after that. Then at fourteen, suddenly my mind was less interesting to people, though I'm sure you can see why. Then Suitors started coming two years ago, when I was fifteen. Why don't you tell us about yourself?"
Adrien sat back in his chair, smiling for a moment while deciding how much he wanted to tell her. "Well I spend the majority of my time traveling to my different estates to deal with business, living the bachelor's life I suppose. When I'm not busy with business I enjoy reading, horseback riding, and a tad bit of fencing. Both of my parents are dead, I don't have any brothers or sisters," Adrien spoke with a sigh, not knowing what exactly what she would want to know.
"That is most unfortunate, you have our condolences. But you and Samantha have a lot in common, when she isn't reading, she is in the stable with her horse, a stallion that one is, Sam tamed him herself." Rohka stated much to Sam's displeasure.
"Aye, it is very unfortunate that your parents are no longer among the living." The Waitstaff took that dish away and came in with the next course, a collection of wines, Samantha selected a sweet red wine. "Pick your poison Adrien." Though it was of course not poison, just very strong wine, one of the products of the Liem family.
"Thank you for your condolences, but it happened so long ago that I have moved on," He replied with a soft smile. He looked towards Samantha, "Would you object to accompanying me on a ride later today?" He asked trying to let a little of his persuasion to leak into his voice.
"I'll have what Miss Samantha is having," He spoke to the waitstaff. Once he was handed the glass he turned back to Samantha. "There is no better way to learn what someone likes then to experience it yourself."
Samantha's face fell, "Normally I would love to go riding, but something is wrong with my horse, he has not eaten since we got here three days ago and I have yet to figure out why and he won't let anyone but me near him." she sipped her wine, she was telling the truth about her horse, it hadn't eaten in the last three days, but the horse was conditioned to eating little to nothing unless they were traveling but he would eat if she told him to. She would go and feed him after Adrien left.
Adrien's eyes softened at the mention of her sick horse. He honestly believed her until he looked at her face and the sound of her voice. She would have more emotion if her horse was actually sick. He took a sip of his wine and found that he liked it.
"You should let me look, I seem to have a way with animals. But since he is sick we could go for a walk, if that would be okay," He spoke, his voice sounding calm, hiding the fact that he was growing rather impatient. It wasn't that this girl was being hard to get. This girl was being absolutely impossible and unpleasant.
"If he will let you near him then by all means you can look. But I'm not sure he will, he isn't particularly fond of men." Samantha didn't answer about the walk yet, she was thinking. She knew next to nothing about him but didn't feel like she could trust them, her mother would send their personal guard after they left and she has the knife strapped to her arm under her sleeve should the need arise. She finished her glass of wine, holding the last of it in her mouth before swallowing, "I don't see why not, there is a waterfall about two miles from here, we can go there."
"Well there is no harm in trying, is there?" He asked finishing off the glass. He had to admit that the wine was spectacular, and he wouldn't have minded a second glass but judged against it. Adrien was pleased the Samantha decided that she would go on the walk with him, he would have to kick in the charm to get her to at least lower some of her walls a bit. Maybe if she let herself get to know him she might even start to like him a bit, or atleast find him standible.
Samantha stood from her chair. "Mother we will be going to the waterfall, we will be back sometime around nightfall, which is in about four hours." She stood and walked out of the room, motioning for Adrien to follow. Once outside she started walking on the trail to the waterfall. "Well at least I know you aren't spineless, most suitors leave after I call their status into question as well as other things, I won't marry a man without a backbone, so you're better then most. Still uncertain though, I know that you were not named nobility anytime recently and your eyes seem to tell a different age then you look, so what exactly are you?"
Adrien followed Samantha, chuckling as she spoke about him having a backbone. She was right he wasn't one to back down. "Look back a little over three hundred years, you will find my name, and you could probably find a portrait of me as well if you looked," He started with a chuckle. "I am a being that transcends time, as long as I don't get murdered I will never die or even age," He began, his voice revealing a bit of loneliness, more emotion than he had planned on showing. "A man who has only lived twenty years doesn't have a chance against your wit and blunt nature anyway," Adrien joked.
Samantha chuckled slightly. "You've got that right. The upside of being a Savant is my mother trusts me to make the majority of my own choice, Otherwise I'd be married by now. The downside is the plethora of knowledge can be overwhelming at times. I turn eighteen in a month and I know more then the college at Arca can teach. And I remember all of it, everything I've ever read or anything I've seen. You pick any date in history and I can tell you what day of the week it was. I can do arithmetic in my head faster then someone trained to use an abacus. It's scares some people. Being a savant can be scary, someone could say something and my mind references it and then references that and suddenly I'm off on a tangent, lost to the world until I reach its end. I've more or less gotten control of it." She paused, realizing she was ranting. "I'm sorry. That happens sometimes."
Adrien shrugged, "I find I like you talking about things like this. I'd rather you talk about this then trying to verbally neuter me," Adrien spoke laughing. He was being honest, he much prefered this side of Samantha then her analytical harsh side. Her offered her a slight smile, before taking a deep breath. "So is your bourse really sick or were you making something up?" He asked raising an eyebrow as he asked.
Samantha chuckled again, to laugh out loud would be unladylike and her mother ironed that out of her. "I save verbal castration until I decide you have a spine. And no, I wasn't lying when I said my horse had not eaten since we got here. But he has been conditioned to eat next to nothing when we aren't traveling, he has taken to eating every three or four days but will eat if I tell him to. He was wild when we encountered each other and I was able to tame him. Wild horses don't eat often because food can be scarce at times. It just made sense to keep that up. Now I have a question for you. If you are a being that transcends time, why are you looking to court someone who is most definitely not immortal? I know that there are immortals in this world in fact I know a few and I also know I will die someday. Wouldn't that only subject yourself to emotional pain."
"That my dear lady is where the saying that it is better to have loved than to have never loved at all would fall into place. Plus I have never met a fellow immortal that I would be able to fall in love with. Most immortals are in love with the fact that they won't die of natural causes. They get bored and then start to start trouble with mortals for the simple fun of it. That isn't me you see," He answered as he continued to walk alongside Samantha at a comfortable pace.
Samantha pondered over what he said for a moment. "Oh so you are a hopeless romantic. But I don't think I could go for a man so much older then myself," she teased. Though truthfully, she was starting to enjoy him being here, not that she would admit that, he was rather a gentleman and pushed back when she pushed. She liked that. They were still a ways from the waterfall but her mother would have sent the guard after them by now. Samantha was not allowed to go anywhere without her personal guard, Sieg Hart, following not far behind. Sieg Hart was her closest friend, he came to be her personal protector not long after she was born, he was eight years older than her and she trusted him more then her father.
"Are you trying to say that I look old?" He asked with a chuckle. "I think I carry my age with grace, or at least I did last time I checked," He continued to joke with a smile. He was glad that Samantha was finally letting her guard down, finally talking and not just judging and snapping. Soon though Adrien could tell they were being followed, he could sense the man thanks to his demon abilities.
"So I'm assuming that the man following us is your guard and our chaperone?" He asked looking over to Samantha, judging her reaction to his words.
Amazed at Adrien's ability to sense Sieg Hart, Sam felt it was best to tell. "Yes it is probably my personal guard. His name is Sieg Hart and his father is Nathanial Hart. The Hart family has been protecting the Liem family for generations, the story behind it is very lengthy but the gist of it is my family got theirs out of fighting in a war which a prophet said would be the end of the Hart family. They have been protecting us since. Sieg was actually in the dinning hall while we ate, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't notice him as sometimes I forget he is there until I look at him." Sam looked behind her and sure enough, there was a man in a flowing white coat with red designs over it and wild red hair. That was all she could make out at that distance but it was all see needed to recognize him.
Adrien nodded as he listened. He had figured the man was her guard for two reasons. First off, she was of relatively high ranking, and second suitors were never left alone with the girl they were suiting for obvious reasons.
"I travel too much for any need for a guard, plus I am relatively skilled with a blade. I should be with some many years of practice with it," He stated with a chuckle. "I've built up a tolerance for most poisons, so it is virtually impossible to poison me. So I have no need for a butler to taste my food," He stated with a sigh. He looked over at the girl walking beside him and offered a soft smile before turning to look ahead.
"So tell me M'lady, what are you looking for in a suitor?"
Samantha Giggled softly, "Like I would tell you that. Twas a clever try though, might have fooled someone of a lower mental caliber then myself." With that she picked up the pace, she was eager to get to the waterfall for she had an idea that she could use to test him, no suitor had ever made it this far before but she had planned what she would do if they did. though the plot took place at the Arca bathhouse she could still go through with it, it would just be a little colder.
"I was just asking so I would know if I would live up to your standards, I would hate to waste your time," Adrien teased with a smile. His long legs easily kept up with her quickened pace with ease. As they walked in relative silence he began to think. His mind wondering all the way from his properties and responsibilities to why he was there in the first place. He had to keep this up, he had to keep his human side at the surface.
Samantha chuckled. "If my only problem with suitors was them wasting my time, then I've got a long and lonely life ahead of me." She was about to rebuttal that her statement sounded worse then she meant for it to when a long and low rumbling crossed the sky, thunder coming in from the south. Sam's body went rigid and her mind went off an a tangent, processing the information of the thunder and it's direction and what it meant.
Sieg came up from behind them. "She's gone off on a tangent, this world is lost to her until she reaches its end." He went over to Sam and manipulated her body to get her to sit with her back against a tree, "When she comes back, she will have something profound to tell us, something that may help us someday. But I wanted to take this time to tell you, you are different, you're unlike any man she has ever met. Even I cannot get her to laugh near constantly like you have. SO I will let you in on a little secret, Samantha likes someone she can trust. That means if you haven't been forthcoming with something really important, tell her. Even if it is something horrendously bad, she will think less of you if she finds out herself. Also, don't let her catch you looking at her body unless she wants you to, she is not fond of men's attraction to it."
Samantha's mind was moving from one thing to the next, the thunder that triggered the tangent came from the south, it was high heat. And it was low rolling thunder, low pressure. The high heat, low pressure system would hit the cold Connloathian air and a vicious storm would ensue. She came back to reality with a start. "We need to get back to the manor, a Squall is coming."
Adrien was stunned as her body went rigid, he didn't know what to do and was glad that her guard seemed to. He looked at her for a moment. He wondered what was going on inside her head. He knew that it had to be pretty intense if she completely froze.
Adrien listened the her guard. He considered his words and wondered how Samantha would act if he was to be completely open. Would she run from him, tell him to leave because of how he was born. Adrien wasn't fond of rejection and he didn't react well to it. He took a deep breath, a little relieved when she came too. He quickly looked up at the sky and decided that she was probably right.
"Okay," Adrien said, his voice calm and soothing. He didn't want to spill his guts to the girl with the guard there so he decided he would wait until the guard was out of ear shot. He decided he would tell her, she deserved to know didn't she?
Heavy raindrops started to fall as Samantha came to her feet, which Sieg picked her up bridal style. "If Sam is right it will only go from bad to worse quickly so try to keep up Adrien." With that he took off running, the years of training showing as he made a great pace even while carrying Sam. Before too long they were at the manor, albeit a little wet.
"Sieg can you go get one of the sweet wines from the kitchen at take it to the study?" Sam asked her guard.
"Yes M'lady." and he was off.
Sam walked to the nearest bathroom and grabbed two towels, tossing one to Adrien then using the other to dry her hair. "Sorry you didn't get to see the waterfall, perhaps another day when the storm has passed. Also, you are not leaving while this storm is above us, it is going to be powerful, you can use one of the guest beds." It was a simple gesture of kindness, one she had never shown to a suitor before.
Adrien's long legs moved swiftly, but he refused to let himself get ahead of Sieg and Samantha. His strong lean form had no easy, his body was built to be irresistible after all. He was happy to be back in the manor though, it was warm and dry.
He took the towel that Samantha had handed him and ran it through his thick black hair. "Thank you M'lady," he said looking up, his hair a dark mess. He looked down, his face becoming a bit somber.
"I have something to tell you, I think it is only fair that I be completely open and honest with you, though I hope what I'm about to tell you won't change your opinion of me, or make you want to shun me away," He spoke his voice soft, timid almost. He felt vulnerable, and he didn't like it.
Having wrapped her hair in the towel, Samantha crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows ever so slightly. It didn't do much to help make anything that Adrien was about to say any easier, which is exactly what she wanted. "Go on." Was the only thing she gave in response, no assurances, no comfort.
"Well," he started, taking a deep breath. "I am a demon, an incubus to be more exact. Not something I can control, was just how I was born. I just thought it would be good to share now before we continue to get to know each other, so it wouldn't be a potentially hurtful or shocking thing to find out later," he spoke, his voice low, soft.
He felt nearly naked as he exposed his darkest secret with the girl, still he refused to show weakness. The girl might be smart, but he had power.
Sam didn't let anything show on her face, inside, she was both scared and proud. Scared that she was in the presence of a demon, it was exhilarating and made her pulse quicken, he hadn't done anything to threaten her and so far she had no logical reason to fear him other then the fact he named himself demon. And she was proud, proud that he was forthcoming with something that was obviously hard for him to tell. She turned. "Come with me." She then turned and headed for the grand staircase.
Once on the upper level she led him to the study, where she spent most of her time. waiting at one of the tables was the bottle of sweet wine. Sam broke the wax seal and poured two glasses. Finally, she spoke. "Courage and selflessness are one in the same, man soldiers will experience selflessness and the throw themselves at the blade in service to their country. And many servants to the people will know of courage when they stand up for those who are meek and can't stand up for themselves. Admitting that you are an Incubus, is both selfless and brave, you must have been fighting wanting to tell for a while, and you must have felt very vulnerable afterwards." she turned to Adrien and raised her glass. "To Adrien Kione, a very brave man indeed."
Adrien took his glass and raised it to her toast. "Your not running and screaming, an improvement over reactions in the past," He spoke with a small smirk before bringing the glass to his lips. He took a long drink, letting the sweet wine sit on his tongue for a moment before swallowing it down. Her seem of ease about his presence was if nothing, a breath of fresh air.
Adrien lowered the glass and offered Samantha a short smile. "So M'lady, tell me more about yourself if you do not mind. I find you most interesting," He spoke, his voice sincere. He reached up to the high starched collar of his shirt, adjusting it before reaching up and running his hand through his damp dark hair. Though he loved talking to Samantha, he would be relieved to change into something that wasn't wet.
Sam swallowed her mouthful of wine before she spoke. "I have little reason to fear, anything that is capable of great evil is also capable of great good. You have not threatened me and you volunteered that information. Something tells me that you want to do good." she grabbed the bottle of wine and walked over to the fireplace in the study, a small fire providing warmth to the room. Sam tossed another log on and sat in front of it, motioning for Adrien to join her. It was a hope that the fire would dry out their clothes. "What would you like to know?"
Adrien walked to join her by the fireplace, sitting down slowly. He enjoyed the warmth the fire offered, and knew the warmth would increase for a while with a new log. He leaned back slightly and thought for a moment.
"What information are you willing to share?" He asked with a slight grin. He didn't want to push too far yet he still wanted to learn as much as he could. "Favorite color, book, season, place?" He asked knowing the the questions wouldn't offend her.
Samantha leaned back, crossing her legs under the bottom of her dress. "Favorite color, Velvet. Favorite book, I've read a few thousand are you really going to ask me to choose? Favorite season, Winter, I love the chill in the air. Favorite place, anywhere I can freely express myself, that's what is most important to me. And what about you? Surely you have had some adventures of your own."
Adrien looked at her and laughed, "I've lived over three hundred years, I have quite a few adventures." He looked up at the fire. "Well, my favorite color is midnight blue, and if I can't ask you to choose a favorite book I don't think it is fair that you ask me, I have read enough books in my time. My favorite season would have to be spring, and I move around enough to really have a favorite place. I haven't really stayed anywhere long enough to get attached to it. Though I feel that that palace I have bought will become a place I like to keep coming back to."
"Fair enough." Sam looked into the fire, eyes transfix as the log started to catch ablaze. "Tell me Adrien, what does it mean to be an Incubus, I'm afraid that there aren't many books on demons that I have access to, and I can't really go out and talk to soldiers that much."
"It means I am a demon with more specialized abilities. I can seduce more easily, I have the natural looks that draws people in, I can induce lust, make men or women alike want me physically. Means I can enter dreams and do what I want," He said trying to explain. It was true he could do all of those things, he also had fine tuned senses, better than most normal demons.
Samantha Chuckled softly, "Well aren't you powerful? Though the entering dreams sounds pretty interesting. Tell me, what good do you think you could do with your powers?" It was an honest question, one that she felt she had to ask, the ability to do good does no good without the creativity to come about it.
Adrien took a deep breath in as he thought. "Well I can help people deal with traumas and such. Plus sex addicts, I can help them," He laughed, a dark tone entering his voice for a moment. He turned to look towards her. "Your abilities don't require so much creativity I'm sure though."
Samantha sighed, "No, my ability just gives me ideas. After a tangent, I have an idea, usually a profitable or a helpful one. The wine we are drinking now, came from a tangent when I was eight, in two years the Liem family became well known for their wine. It's part of the reason we hold a nobility status in the three powers of Serendipity, Connloath and Adela. We originally were Barons, but my wine idea made us a Marquess family."
"See, your ability is good. You helped to better your family, how is that not good?" Adrien asked glancing in her direction. Adrien wished that he had a family to better. Then the tragic story of his family came to memory, it made his claws clench and his muscles tense.
"At least you have a family that you can help to better."
"every blessing has a price, I figured you would understand this. My idea turned my father, a once respectable man, into a drunkard, an insufferable drunkard at that. I doubt he even realized you were coming today. This morning, like every morning, he woke up and went to the tavern, if and when he comes back, he is usually plastered. If I could, I would take back my wine idea just to get him back. But that isn't possible." Thunder tore across the sky, this storm was going to be a long one, her father would have at least the sense to stay at the tavern, or at least the tavern keeper would have the sense to keep him there.
"You have a mother, that is more than I have had for a long time. I've been alone for a very long time. Even when my parents were alive, they weren't much of parents. They were vile beings, even my father, a human, was no better than my demon mother," Adrien said with a deep sigh, pushing anything those words brought up to the surface, back down.
Adrien looked up towards the ceiling. The storm was raging outside, he could hear it in the winds and in the bones of the manor.
"Okay, you've got me there. I've got a mother that cares about be, albeit she is trying to force my hand into marriage, but she does care enough to let me choose my own husband, many of the friends I used to have when I was little, all of whom were nobleman's daughters, are already married and a few have children of their own. One of my best friends from childhood died giving birth. That's part of the reason that I don't want to get married is because I don't want to bear a child, not yet at least." She paused. Listening to the rain. "I'm sorry, I really don't mean to ramble, it just happens."
"You can get married and not have children, you just need a husband who is understanding and wouldn't want to try to force it on you," He said with a shrug like it wasn't a big deal. Adrien had been quite the man whore for a long time and he had managed to not get anyone of them pregnant. A fact that he was quite proud of. He looked over at her and smiled," getting married can't be that bad."
"Would you be understanding and not try to force it upon me?" Samantha sighed, "I don't know, maybe I'm just being to harsh, my experience with caring and compassionate men that I know I can trust without a shadow of a doubt is few and far between. Most men see me only for my body and it's infuriating." Sam took a deep breath, calming herself down.
"Of course, I'm in no hurry to have children, I have the next couple of centuries for that," He spoke with a laugh. He offered her a bright smile, and looked towards the fire. "I pity those that do not see your amazing intellect. While beauty is nice, it fades, it is nothing to completely fixate on," Adrien spoke softly, hoping she took his words in the way that he meant them instead of construing them into something completely different.
Weather Adrien really meant what he said or not, did not matter to Samantha. What mattered to her, was that it was probably one of the sweetest things a man had ever told her. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're different from any man I've ever met, I'm sorry for being so hateful when you first got here. But I'm glad you didn't leave." That was probably more affection she has shown to anyone in the past four years.
Adrien wrapped his arm around her very gently, he didn't want to make her think he was making a move. "We all put up walls to protect ourselves from enjury, whether they be physical or emotion. So don't be sorry, you were just trying to protect yourself the best way you knew how. I am glad that I didn't leave either," he spoke, his words soothing.
For the first time in her conscious memory, as vast as it is, her mind was not going in several directions at once. She was calm and her mind was blank, a peace which was unknown to her. Basking in the heat of the fire, leaning against a man who was most of what she originally sought after. It all seemed so serene. Samantha had always imagined that she would become the head of the Liem family before she got married. But now, for ever so short a time, she could see a future very different from that. Before she slowly drift off to sleep in Adrien's hold.
Adrien looked over at her, and let a slight smile spread across his face. He waited until she was in a deep sleep, he could feel it. Adrien very slowly stood and pulled her up into his arms very gently. He held her with relative ease. He walked to the door and slowly walked through, making sure not to let her bump against the door frame.
He found a maid to lead them to Samantha's room, where he gently laid her into her bed and covered her up before leaving. He hoped that she slept well.
The first sound Samantha registered was the heavy rain drumming across the roof of the manor, the storm was persistent. The next thing that went through her head was the fact that she was in her room, she had fallen asleep in the study, with Adrien. Where was he? Sieg Hart was in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall, though logic told Sam that Sieg has to sleep, he never seems to show that he does.
"Adrien put you to bed after you dozed off, I assume he is waiting in the dining hall as breakfast will be ready soon." Was the Guard greeting.
"Alright thank you Sieg."
Samantha rose from the bed and went to change out of the dress from yesterday. Into a black tight V-neck shirt which was tucked into a flowing red and gold gown, the colors of the Liem family, before going off to the dining hall. Walking into the room she looked around, he wasn't there. Where was he?
Adrien had spent most of his morning with a maid, trying to find clothes that would fit his long lean but muscular build. Most of the shirts he tried on didn't fir his broad shoulders, and if it wasn't that, it swallowed him whole, appearing more like a night gown. Finally he found a pair of breeches and a loose fitting white cotton shirt.
He walked into the dinning room, his long legs in full stride. "Sorry if I'm a bit late, wardrobe malfunction, this should teach me to bring extra clothes with me," He spoke with a broad smile.
Samantha chuckled softly, part of her relieved that he was still here, the other part realizing that he had little reason to leave. "You fit a stranger's clothes well. My mother will most likely not be joining us. she is rather reclusive until dinner." With that she went to sit down, hoping that Adrien would take the seat next to her.
"Well that is okay, I came here for your company, not hers," Adrien spoke, pulling out the chair for Samantha. He pushed the chair in a bit before moving to the seat beside her. He sat down with a smile, "And thank you, though I had to try on a bit of clothing before I ran into this little outfit," She said with a little giggle. "Apparently not too many tall men in Connloath."
"No I would have to say that their aren't many tall men in Connloath." Vanessa said plainly, "But by the gods are you tall, nearly a head taller then I am." For a moment, the though crossed through he head on how tall and kids between the two of them would be, she quickly shook it from her head, that kind of thinking could lead to tangents. The Waitstaff came out with the meal, poached eggs over easy, stir-fried potatoes, and bacon.
Adrien took a few bites of his food and leaned heavily back in his seat. "Yeah, I want the recipe for everything here for my cook at the palace I just bought. The previous owner had different tastes than I, or was always too drunk to care either way," He spoke laughing.
He looked at her for a moment, before I smile spread across his face. "Has anyone told you how amazingly beautiful your eyes are, I don't see how people could look at any other part of your body, your eyes steal my attention away from everything else."
Samantha too a few choice bites of the food, delicious as always. "You could get the recipes, or alternatively you could try to convince me to come and live with you, I know all the recipes by heart and cook them rather well." When she realized what she said her hand popped over her mouth and she started laughing. "I took up cooking last summer, this past winter I learned all our chef could teach, that was also when we made the dish that you had last night, I still don't have a name for it though."
Adrien turned to look at her and smiled, "So I have a chance to convince you to come with me? Well that is nice to know, I will make sure that I keep that in mind." He took a few more bites, enjoying the taste. He leaned back once again in his seat, thinking about the home he had just bought. "So do you really think I should decorate my house in a mundane way simply because I have a lower rank? Or was that you trying to run me off?"
"A little of both I'm afraid, but of course you could always go outside the norm, which people will react one of two ways to. Scorn you or hold you in high respect. It really depends on where it is and who lives there." Samantha went back to eating, one of the unfortunates of having social status is matters such as this, surely Adrien would know that.
"Well it is in Uthlyn, so I'm thinking about commissioning a few artists to help freshening up the place," He spoke with a slight sigh. "Plus I want to make sure it is fit for a Marquess. You see there is this beautiful Marquess that I am very interested in. I want to make sure that the place would be up to her standards and liking," Adrien continued before taking another bite of food.
Samantha smiled fondly, "How queer of you to be here instead of going after this Marquess. But hey, here is an idea, I myself am a Marquess so perhaps I could help you, tell you what interest me in hopes that she feels the same? Tis a very logical conclusion to come to but I'm not sure I could do much good, after all my upbringing was spent in the library or with the tutor, but I shall try." the smile on her face grew as she spoke.
A broad smile slowly spread across Adrien's face until he was smiling brilliantly. "Well m'lady, I think your opinion will do perfectly. I think your opinion will match hers perfectly now that I think about it," Adrien stated before looking down at the table in front of him. He could feel his demon side, calling to use the girl, screaming to use his abilities to get a bit closer to the bedroom. This was foreign to him. He had fallen in love before, but it had always been after a physical relationship. He had never had tried courting a lady and falling in love before enjoying her body first.
Samantha finished the last of her food before speaking, "Well you should be sure to have a stocked library, multitudes of books of various genre, as well as many places where she could hang art as she will indelibly paint. A collection of instruments would be helpful as most people of nobility have taken up an instrument. And the best bed money can buy, Marquess are known to have expensive tastes, also a wide variety of food would be helpful, as she would attempt at cooking."
Adrien placed his hand on his chin as if deep in thought, "Well, it all seems doable. I myself am an avid reader so I take pride in my ever expanding library. The palace is rather large so there are plenty places for art and of course I play several instruments so that would be no problem. If she would cook for me, I would stock the kitchen with whatever food she so desired," He spoke softly, taking a deep breath.
Samantha laughed a little, "Well seems like you have everything figured out, looks lke you don't need me anymore." She gave him a sidelong glance before rising from the chair and heading towards the door, she was almost out of the room before she turned and looked at him funny. "Well? Are you coming?"
"Well, I disagree, I think you are the one thing that I am missing," Adrien said with a flirtatious smile. Once she turned around Adrien quickly stood, his long legs quickly closing the gap between them.
"Where are you taking m'lady?" He asked once he had closed the gap.
'You shall see." She led him into the maze of halls that is Liem manor. The manor was actually built to be confusing. One staircase will take you up two flights and into a long hall, at the end of the gall is a staircase that takes you down one flight to a hallway not accessable any other way. It is a place that takes total memorization. Then their are the little secrets. Samantha grabbed one off the torches off the wall pulling it down, revealing one of the manor's many secrets, a panel of the wall cam ajar and Samantha pulled it open. Leading to a secret garden under a sunroof. "Close the wall behind you."
Adrien was glad that he had had a guide through the maze of halls. He was told that his palace had quite a few secret doors, rooms, and passages and the Liem manor was making him rather excited for when he had all the passages of his new home memorized.
He closed the door quickly and looked around the garden, it was rather beautiful. "Well, wow," He stated before walking into the room a bit. "This place is, rather amazing."
Samantha smiled fondly, looking around the garden. "I love this room, simply because, until most recently, I was the only one who knew of it. It's a great place to be whenever my father returns from the tavern. I like to come in here and read, or play an instrument. The entire garden is protected with magic, a plant will from to its peak quickly then never wilt."
"Is your father that bad? That would push most women to go ahead and get married to the first tolerable suitor," Adrien asked looking towards her with sincere sympathy about her father. "Do you have a violin or cello up here?" He asked. Music always made people feel better.
"As I said yesterday he is an insufferable drunk." Sam looked away and grabbed hold of her elbows, she didn't want to talk about it. "Southwest corner of the room there is a trunk with a Violin and a viola in it. I haven't been here in a while so I doubt that they are tuned."
Adrien walked to the trunk with out another word. He opened it up and took the violin in hand. It took him a few minutes to tune the violin that had gone flat but smile when the strings sang there correct pitches. He picked up the bow next and ran the string over some rosin a few times before he walked a bit closer to Samantha. He took a deep breath before he started to play. A hauntingly beautiful tune started to sound as his practiced hands held the strings and pulled and pushed the bow. The music evoked emotion in a seemingly magical way.
Samantha closed her eyes and listened to the music, swaying slightly to it. She was composing in her head a piano piece to go along with it. When Adrien had finished Samantha looked over to him. "What a hauntingly sweet song. How long have you been playing?"
Adrien laughed as he moved the violin from his shoulder, "A hundred years or so I would say... When you live as long as myself you have a lot of free time to pick up random things here and there." He turned and looked at the flowers for a moment, "Though gardening was never one of those."
Samantha smiled a bit. "I'm not much of a gardener myself, but the charm on this garden is unique, all I have to do is plant something and it grows. No watering or fertilizing required of me. It's a very complex charm, I would like to learn more about it so I plant all sort of plants to see how fast it reaches maturity. Haven't really learned much about it though."
"That is a lot of magic for a country who bans the use of magic," Adrien spoke with a slight shrug. He personally didn't care, he himself was a magical being but he didn't care. He was very confident in his fighting abilities. He did after all have a couple hundred ear to refine them. Much longer than the humans of Connloath. Plus just in speed and reflexes most humans couldn't match him. It was really simple, just as humans were made to hunt animals, he was made to hunt humans.
"That's what I love about this place, while some may call it petty rebellion. I feel it's what is needed, the putting forth of beauty and art above all else, even if it is against the law. But to be honest, most types of magic scare me. It's one of the few things I can't do but then again most mages are very secretive of their magic. It's hard to find one who will teach." It was true. Most magic did scare Samantha, the unrelenting force of magic can be hard to control.
"So you are scared of me? I am a being of magic. Without magic I wouldn't be able to do what I do," Adrien spoke with a slight chuckle. He had never seen magic as scary, or course he had been using it all of his very long life. Magic by itself never hurt anybody. A mage could use magic to hurt someone, but it by its self did nothing.
"Maybe I am, maybe not. But I would never give you the satisfaction of knowing, incubus." She stated his a sly smile, though there was an edge to the words, there was no venom behind them, it was merely playfully, in her own way. "But perhaps if I could learn how to do magic, I might not fear it, as it is knowledge is the the first step to overcoming fear."
Adrien smiled, "Now why would I teach such treacherous things to such a beautiful women as yourself. Plus with such knowledge I would be giving you an upper hand on myself. And I always like the upper hand," He spoke with a wink.
Adrien was having fun, as they spoke in riddles and played the little game of words.