Moroi Throne Room [OPENING POST]

[Christopher Saunders]

He let out a few bits out laughter, and side-stepped after the first round of fidgeting to prevent a second. Chris cleared his throat, deciding to take things one step at a time. “Lack of visitation was Tullio’s doing. You remember that crone that was my Father’s so-called friend, yes?” Bitter dislike for the man’s stated name dripped heavy in his voice. He quieted as he continued, “Yes, some damage that I would oblige to show and explain at another time.”

He grinned, voice returning to the normal volume. “Schooling was mostly completed with my Parents, the rest by various tutors and personal experience. Food is at my disposal whenever I wish.” He had to ponder for a moment to recall the next thing the Judge had spurt out in his barrage of questions. “Combat training with the Guards, so well enough.”

At the mention of getting the ladies his skin deepened to a red flush, as he caught Serena entering the room. Her auburn locks swished loose as she quickly exited, seeing he was busy. She walked right into the other room and immediately spotted Azura, making a small sound in the back of her throat before she hurriedly began to cut into another room.

“As far as that pony, my stock has been upped. Shea was imported from Arabia, and Tsar from Mongolia.” He smiled, obviously quite fond of his animals. “And my newest companion would be Zoë, the parrot.”

[Doctor]

"You always did love animals!" Anshel said, clearly finding it all unbearably adorable as he doted. He took a moment to catch his breath and relish in the peace Christopher's well-being offered him.

"Yes, well, this wasn't a social visit and we can't really make it one what with this fucking murderer on the loose." Azura had arrived before him. No doubt the Boy Lord was well versed on the issues at hand. "My clan has uncovered nothing that would lead us to believe you're a target. So far, this seems to be an isolated incident. Has anyone threatened you? Any suspicious behavior going around? Maybe you've had a breach in security or missing members?" Anshel looked into his face for any indication that threat had reached the Moroi, but found nothing but an assured confidence. Christopher was safe, it seemed, and he'd grown up to be a capable man.

"Well, then should anything of concern come up, my clan is at your disposal. Our treaty still stands and we haven't forgotten your parents." He gave the boy's shoulder a firm rap. "Your blood is my blood."

Anshel looked around for Azura, eager to get the vampire's input on the Citadel's security as well as discuss what his clan's intelligence produced regarding Konstantin. Even without an idea of how to protect themselves from Mr. Belikov's abilities, a team would need to be sent out to South America soon. Not finding his friend in the lobby, he excused himself and poked his head into the available rooms nearest them. Finding Azura, he tugged on his sleeve.

"What are you doing in here?" Anshel asked, but his tone was light as a feather. Two amazing happenings in one day, his smile lit the room. "Come on then. We have matters to discuss, you and I. I'm sure you and Christopher got on famously. You're both in such similar circumstances..." His voice trailed off, swallowed by his smile as he basked in sublime feelings.

[AzuraGallu]

Azura looked away from his guard, having sensed Anshel walk in, but trying to not make a spectacle of himself like he'd done before. He was simply too eager to see his friend. A mistake like that would never happen again, he'd promised himself. However, he fund his icy resolve of moments before begin to melt at the sight of the Hunter's smile. Even if he wasn't necessarily happy, that didn't mean Anshel had to follow suit and be angsty with him.
"I was planning on leaving." he said with a pause, voice unusually subdued for the snarky vampire. "I need to get home and make sure we all have enough food to last the duration of...whatever this is." He shook his head at the man's attempt at coercion, bemused smile just barely lifting his lips in a smile, though it was short lived. "My father still isn't at peace. Or at least shown himself to me."
The King's facade just barely held together, face taking on a pained expression, remembering the small and far too simple service for the absolutely great man his father had been. Still, and much to his surprise, he held it together, scraping up the bits of his honor and dignity back into place, though he had the notion that some crazy glue was needed.
Crazy, provided generously and in gross amounts by Melora...the glue would just come with time.
"I'll need to get back on the phone with Melora and see what else she's uncovered with this Ito guy. If you'll excuse me," he said with a curt nod, moving away to take out his phone once more.

[Christopher Saunders]

Chris nodded at the mention of the type of visit. “But I will be arranging for us to have a social visit at some point. Forty seven years is such a long time to try to catch up.”

Then came the questions about security. He bit his lip, thinking. “Well,” He rested his hand on the back of his neck. “There was-” And after a few words and a rap on his shoulder, Anshel didn’t appear to be paying attention. Then he strode off to find the Gallu.

The tight squaring of his shoulders slackened. This may have been the only chance to speak of Tullio’s accomplices, and it appeared to have been a flame before, but was now reduced to ash. Christopher let a sigh escape him, and joined the pair in the room, putting back on the reasonably confident face. Serena entered the room to take a seat against the wall next to him moments later in an ornate wooden chair of a sort.

Chris’s ears perked at the mention of a Melora.

[Doctor]

Anshel's breathe gave out into a half chuckle, half giggle at Azura's last line. What an odd thing to say! He turned around to find Azura fishing in his pockets for a cellphone and was about to jibe the vampire for being too stuffy to spare twenty minutes for him when he began to comprehend exactly what was uttered.

His cheek-aching smile only fell slightly as his brows furrowed, Anshel's expression amused and perplexed. But sure enough, his face morphed in perceptible degrees. The journey from jovial to resigned horror was a series of distinct facial falls that would have been comical to someone who reveled in his unhappiness. Melora. His lips settled into an 'o' and his eyes sat relaxed and unfocused, the expression punctuated by a silence that stretched the whole room.

"I..."

Anshel worked his jaw around, temporarily forgetting how to form the words he wanted to say.

"Melora... is...."

His body was literally refusing to let him speak the words and make it reality.

"Melora'snotinCourt," forcing it out was the only way. He squinted a bit at the effort it took. But there it was. Out in the open. And with the truth acknowledged, he was now allowed to go ape-shit on everything. His hands shook like they were in conniptions, desperately needing to be around someone's hips or throat.

[AzuraGallu]

Azura stilled, lowering his hand with the phone, returning the device to his pocket.
"Anshel," he began, voice calm and noting the rapid decline of his friend's halcyon-like mood. Turning to face the demon, his hands free and at his sides, eyes trained to Anshel's quivering body. "You told her to stay in Banglaire, didn't you?"
It was more of a statement than a question, and silently Azura berated himself for not coming to that conclusion earlier. It'd only been a few weeks since Melora and Anshel left, in terrible straights with one another. All too likely it was that her punishment hadn't yet been lifted.
Concern for the both of them flooded him, making his body feel as if it was awash with a slurry of ice and his feet nearly felt a barrier of resistance when he walked a few steps forward, closing the distance between them to a mere few feet. His brows were furrowed, mouth set into a thin-lipped line of a frown as he tried to reason out what he should do to make this better; feeling as if it was his responsibility to smooth out the velveteen wrinkles in Anshel's mood.
"I'll send someone to retrieve her," he decided aloud, hoping it would help, but knowing Anshel, nothing would ease his ire better than throttling the little hunter himself.

[Christopher Saunders]

Christopher’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Azura mentioned the Huntress, and even more so when Anshel started trembling. Serena entered the room quietly, tapping his shoulder with a perfectly manicured finger, the nail painted a dark navy. He turned to face her.

“What-” He began quietly, confusion evident in his brow and tone.
“Melora wasn’t supposed to leave, I’m guessing.” Serena unscrambled Anshel’s jargon.
“Aww. But isn’t that what they’re supposed to do? Missions and such?”
Serena shrugged. “I guess she wasn’t supposed to.”

The conversation had remained hushed, and the two stood together, quietly deliberating and trying to sort out what was wrong exactly themselves. Serena excused herself, and Chris turned back to the two men, still remaining neutral and silent.

[Doctor]

A torrent of clanging profanities crashed along the walls of Anshel's skull as the rage he felt in response to the girl's repeated insubordination disapproved of being contained.

Thank Satan for Christopher, because with alliances reaffirmed he could leave for court and be one step closer to finding out just what the fuck her plan was, that is, if she had one besides her usual ass-backwards one of running into the wilderness with her gun and hoping for the best.

Anshel gripped his hands together behind his back, which didn't stop the shaking, but at least made it clear he was in fact not having a seizure.

"I appreciate your offer, Azura. But I'm sure we can handle this on our own." The words came, but he struggled to regulate his volume. A good leader projected calm, not homicidal rage. He hugged the man in farewell, a proper embrace this time. Business once again would tear them apart. Releasing Azura, Anshel met Christopher with the same goodbye.

"I'll have to take my leave, boy. Sadly, one of my own needs attending to." And by attending to, he of course meant a good maiming.

[AzuraGallu]

Anshel's hug felt stiff and awkward, despite the fact that he'd actually hugged him this time. It was distressing to see his friend like this, especially over Melora. Honestly, she wasn't worth getting an apoplexy over.
He was torn, and not for the first time in his life over the clan or his friends. This had happened once before, and he'd chosen his clan, sacrificing something that, in its absence, had nearly driven him to the brink of popularized insanity. His eyes shifted, nearly mimicking the way his thoughts were bouncing back and forth in his head, weighing his options. It would be easy to send his Guards back with instructions to his aunt to recheck the stores and keep in contact with him. If he'd decided to leave, he wouldn't be more than a phone call away, and it wasn't as if he didn't have the money to procure some form of transportation back home if the need arose.
He turned to the man he was speaking with earlier, who deferred easily to his hushed instructions before Azura turned to Anshel's retreating back.
"Hang on a second. I'll come with you then. If both of us are there to ream her, she might listen twice as well. That, or as you're giving her orders, and the words are leaking out her other ear, I can catch them and force them back in. Teamwork," he finished, setting his eyes determinedly on his friend.
It was clear Anshel was more than a little upset, and he'd feared what Melora's stunt might do to him emotionally if he wasn't there to mitigate it somehow. He'd never forgive her if his favorite demon on the planet suddenly went cuckoo.
The four guards he'd entered with were gathered around behind him, some confused at his orders, but all willing to carry them out. It wasn't as if their king would be too far out of reach, though none of them liked leaving him in the hands of the Banglaire again. How many times had his life been endangered as a result of their poor care?

[Christopher Saunders]

Chris’s mood dampened severely. “Alright.” He said quietly, refusing to hang his head for the moment. His tone turned nearly depressed, saddened at the very least. After all the turmoil with Ornock, and even more when he’d discovered the receipts and letter in Tullio’s car, he’d thought this might have been a chance to finally enjoy some company. A deep longing for more information about Anshel, and what had gone on these past years had begun nipping at him on the insides. He clapped a hand on Anshel’s shoulder, putting on a fake smile, though it didn’t meet his eyes.

And it would appear that Azura would be going with him as well. No more talking with the Gallu, no more anything for the time being. It would almost appear from an outside perspective that they had planned on meeting here, his thoughts dared to wander.

Serena stepped back in a moment later, and deposited Zoë on his shoulder. She’d been with him long enough to recognize the turbulent of emotions that he was carefully keeping hidden. It was like a bottle: no matter how badly you were to shake up what as on the inside, the outside would still appear the same.

Zoë made a few small clicking noises in his ear, and Christopher reached up, scratching the back of her neck. The silvery eyes shut, and she tilted her head, leaning into the gentle touch.

[Doctor]

Anshel gave his personal contact information to Christopher's assistant, along with a once over that compelled him to clap Christopher on the back once more with congratulations on nabbing such a beauty. With an oath to check up on him soon, Anshel left the Moroi Lord with Azura in his company.

Anshel hadn't protested at Azura's insistent offer, but felt compelled to speak now that the two were safely away from prying eyes and ears, the partition sealing their cabin off from rest of the world.

"Honestly, I don't think I can do this without you." It sounded like a compliment, but it wasn't. He was overpowered by a disappointment in himself that had grown increasingly familiar during their time apart. Anshel was duty bound to be cautious, to protect the safety of his people. He had to look at every angle, he had to be prepared. But with all that work producing nothing, Melora's ill-formed siege of the desert was doing more than his digging and politicking, even if she would pay for it with her life. There was so much more to his discontent aside from the Russian.

Anshel ran a hand down his face, exhaustion and sadness making his eyes shiny.

"I'm not the man for this job. I'm lost, Azura. Rocks, a demonic possession, and no fucking bell. That's what my leadership has gotten us," he said with mild disgust. The judge leaned back and pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes. "I'm tired of feeling like I suck. I don't. But I really, really feel like I do."

[AzuraGallu]

It was almost painful to hear the words coming from Anshel's mouth. He'd never seen such sadness; such a void of hopelessness surrounding the man. What had made him feel better when he felt so tired of it all?
A very risqué thought entered his mind. No, that wouldn't do at all. Not right now. What else had made him feel better? He waited, and waited, and still nothing came to mind aside from screaming and crying, and the good smacking around of someone you really didn't like.
With a defeated sigh, feeling a few of the same emotions he'd seen on his friend's face as he sat across from him in the small space, he made a decision. Damn him or not for it, he knew that at least he'd enjoy the small and almost insignificant act he was about to commit.
The King slid from his seat to the floor, nudging Anshel's thighs apart with a forward shoulder so he was comfortably between them, bottom on the floor and knees tucked beside him. -Once again he was hoping at some point that he could get out of his goddamn suit. The abuse his crotch took in these was almost too much to bear, for the moment he'd deal with it, but made a mental note to himself of gleaning a decent outfit sometime soon. Preferably an outfit that let all parts of him breathe.- He leaned his cheek against the fleshy part of his inner thigh, closing his eyes and letting himself shed some of the stress and tension he'd accumulated over the past few weeks. This act would have been selfish if he weren't so certain that somehow Anshel wouldn't mind.
"We'll go find her, get our evidence, and make sure the bastard stays dead this time," he said quietly, voice almost a murmur as he became more comfortable cradled between his legs.

[Christopher Saunders]

Christopher let out a defeated sigh once the others were out of the room. Not even Zoë was making him happy. Calling a maid, he handed the bird off to be taken to the outdoor enclosure for a brief while.

Turning, he walked at a human pace toward the library, though Serena’s quiet footsteps behind him were giving him other ideas. His tongue ran over the sharp edges of his fangs, slicing the muscle and letting loose a small rivulet of blood, but a split second later the cut was healed.

“Stop it.” Serena elbowed his ribs, something that would’ve gotten anybody else imprisoned and in serious trouble.

“I’m not doing anything.” He moped.
She leaned over, whispering in his ear: “Oh yes you are, and you know it too.”
“What am I doing?” He shivered, turning his head slightly to view her.

[Doctor]

Anshel was startled by the feeling of someone settling themselves between his thighs. Surprised to find Azura there, he checked the windows, useless as they were all tinted. Was he getting a pity beej? Usually, he never turned one down, but he had to think about this. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Azura was just cat-ing out on him again, nuzzling in his lap to offer comfort. He chuckled low at what an odd pair they made. Anshel lowered a hand onto his head to stroke the man's locks and sat back, relaxing in the proximity of someone he trusted. He'd always been a touchy- feely type.

The self-deprecation wasn't over with, but it was considerably dampened and he looked down at the vampire with a playful grin, scratching his scalp in appreciation.

"You're a king. Don't you find this demeaning at all?"

[AzuraGallu]

Azura opened one eye, peering up at him from under his teased hair. "Not really. I don't hold myself above you. After all, we're both heads of our respective clans."
He sat back, now leaning the weight of his entire torso on Anshel's shin, draping a forearm over his friend's knee.
"We're going to Chile, so quit looking like a damn grump," he said with a pout. "I can even promise you the opportunity to pull my hair if you're nice and the mood strikes me." He was teasing. Well, maybe only half teasing, but Anshel needed some cheering up, and they had a long way ahead of them.
Their car was headed toward the airport and there Azura would get them tickets to flight hop across the globe to the nearest civilized location Melora might find herself in. From her last call, he could only guess where she was and dug out his phone to call in an old favor from an Akoto he'd met once. The only Akoto he'd ever met.