I let the door shut behind me, my headache slowly ebbing away. Luckily, no one was in the hallway. It occurred to me that I wasn't sure what I would say if someone saw us. In Seattle, it was common for people to look like they were dressed up for something. But Astarion struck me as someone so dramatic that he'd insist that he wasn't fooling anyone.
Astarion was already squatting where I had fallen on him at the end of the hallway. He was touching the ground and sniffing the air. I'm not sure what he'd smell in an apartment complex. I was half expecting to see something shimmer or some magical juice left behind, but from what I could tell, there wasn't anything to discover.
I figured he might have seen something I couldn't. Astarion rose as I walked up to the crime scene, hands on his hips, disappointment etched in his contemplating expression. His height meant I had to look up at him if I was close enough, something I hadn't entirely noticed before.
"Drat. There must be something here." He looked around, but nothing caught his eye.
"Does teleporting in your world usually leave a trail?" I asked, listening for anyone about to open their door or come out of the elevator.
"Hm. I suppose not. But normally, I'm not sent to faraway realms. Unless you count dying, I suppose. But then, well, I'd be dead." Suddenly, he looked at me. I froze, wondering if he'd remembered he was hungry.
"What happened before you threw yourself on me?" He asked directly, only half-joking.
"First of all, I didn't throw myself on you. Second, nothing. I was leaving the elevator, there was an earthquake, then I fell on you." I explained defensively.
"Is that it?" Disbelief stung his words.
"Yes. There was like, a whooshing sound, but that's all I remember. Not even a bright light or anything."
Astarion placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"What about you? What were you doing before you threw yourself on me?" I questioned.
"Very funny. Gale and I were trying to escape a rather uncanny and dangerous situation. Typically, we just run. But there was no logical way to flee without splitting up. He used some sort of spell that was supposed to get us both back to camp." Astarion made a face.
"Shit." He shut his eyes and made an unpleasant groaning sound.
"What? Leave the burner on?" I joked. Astarion ignored me and opened his eyes, grave realization behind them.
"At the time, I thought he was just shouting nonsense. But he must have tried casting something while I was using a scroll, and-" The pale elf ("Pelf?") made a groaning sound and sighed, looking upwards in the ultimate stance of annoyance.
"Ooh, scrolls." I commented. That sounded interesting.
"Gods be damned. If he survived that, I'm going to kill him when I return. If I ever do, that is." Astarion glared into space. I figured he was trying to work out some insane alchemist formula for what happened. But he was upset, and I wasn't sure I wanted to stick around.
"Now that you've figured it all out, I'm going back to my apartment." Starting to turn around, I wondered how quickly I could get in there before he could suck me dry like a slug on summer concrete.
"You're just going to leave me out here?" Astarion asked with a scoff, half irritated, half in disbelief.
A single string of guilt tugged on me, but luckily I weighed more than a single string could handle. "What else am I going to do? You can't stay here."
Astarion threw his hands up. "Fine then. I'll just waltz out of here and be on my own then. You'll never be blessed with my company again, Blue."
"Fine. Press the down arrow on that wall, then the letter 'G' button when you're inside. The door will open and the button will flash once it gets to the bottom floor. Good luck." I opened my door and went inside before he could protest.
I was greeted by Sarge, who was patiently waiting outside the door, drooling. He seemed sad that Astarion wasn't with me.
"Too bad. I'm not hosting a bloodthirsty vampire. Besides, he's free. He should be enjoying Seattle."
Astarion glared at the sound of Blue's door shutting as if the door could change its mind if he stared hard enough. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt significantly less safe than before. In Faerun, he knew how to navigate, intimidate, and survive. But here, everything was so…developed? Grey? The words to describe this place escaped his silver tongue.
The last night was sending him reeling - some sort of unyielding chaotic magic in his attempts to use a scroll to flee while Gale used a portal spell. It must have broken the rifts of time and space. Astarion shrugged to himself. It wasn't surprising, given he's been dropped in places quite literally called the Astral Plain, and Cursed Lands. This was just another one of those.
At least, that's what the vampire told himself as he brushed himself off.
Earlier, as he watched from the windows above, he knew one thing: this world had more people, large moving, mechanical-looking machines, and tall buildings that looked as if they'd topple over. Surely no civilized society would build such tall structures that would fall over at the slightest bit of nasty weather? With all the rain and wind he was seeing, likely not.
He wished he'd taken a bath at Blue's apartment. The shock of a new place and her intoxication made him resist taking advantage of the utilities. Something about her practicality amid intoxication made him believe she was genuinely being nice, and practicing blind trust, something he never did. Perhaps this world was less cruel.
That, and he still did not quite understand the bathtub mechanisms. While he'd used a bath, several times, the water never came from the wall (?), and it didn't have all the stuff around it. Various potions and bottles were near it, and Astarion wasn't keen on getting any of it on him, lest it melt his skin or turn him into a bear or something vile.
And he hadn't slept. The bed was too fancy looking, and soft. The pale elf was used to harder surfaces and a lot less space to sleep. The room smelled nice, and clean, and he was wary of it.
Though he liked Blue to an extent, he wasn't sure if he'd wake up alive. Knowing all too well of his past adventures, he shivered to think what his foes would do, or the extent they'd go through to fool and confuse him into a scenario where he'd feel as helpless as he did now.
And yet, this world felt nothing like Faerun. As soon as he appeared here, he was straining to understand all the scents and sounds he was hearing. The air was richer yet filled with strong scents from people, animals, unknown substances, and little wilderness smells. Sounds of other people walking around, creatures meowing or barking, and…horns(?) from outside flooded his ear canals in replacement of rest.
Despite his fatigue, it felt exciting and overwhelming to be here. As soon as Blue fell asleep, he had stood near the door, pondering if he should leave. He could hear people walking by, none of them stopping to try and break down the door and take him captive somewhere.
After an hour of that, he tried to discern all the smells. But other than many other bloods from nearby humans, he couldn't pinpoint many. Vanilla, lavender, and some artificial scents lingered for sure. Blue smelled like liquor, of course, but her natural scent was something unique, like a blend of fruit and outdoor pine, mixed with grass.
Even her dog, Sarge, didn't smell like dogs from Faerun. He looked groomed, well-kept, and fed, whereas dogs in Faerun were more often mongrels, and, besides Scratch, rarely made obedient house pets.
Astarion exhaled, his brain trying to absorb everything, stay alert, and plan his next few hours. If this was an entirely new realm, which it certainly was, it did mean one thing: Cazador wasn't here. Cazador couldn't get to him.
But neither could his other companions. And there was surely no cure for the tadpole in his brain. But worrying about this wasn't worth it. When he arrived, the Tadpole was silent, as if cut off from something. While he was able to share his thoughts with Blue, it wasn't squirming around, giving him the occasional headaches, or speaking to him. Perhaps, in his galactic displacement, he had been cured?
No. No sense in getting his hopes up. Even when he was free from Cazador, he knew not to assume he was completely free. He couldn't. But he did know that he was about as far from him now as ever before. And it was time to embrace it.
Taking a breath, Astarion turned to the elevator panel.
Ding! Astarion jumped backward, his natural grace saving him from falling on his ass as the elevator doors slid open, and Astarion watched a man nod, and walk down the hallway. He didn't give Astarion a second glance as he went into an apartment across Blue's.
"Hmph. Alright. So just anyone can use this, I see." Bracing himself, he pressed the down arrow and stepped inside the elevator.
As he did, he was taken aback by the sleek metal walls and railing. This was much more sophisticated than any wooden or clanky frame of an elevator he'd been in. But it felt more claustrophobic. It felt like a box. Trying not to panic, he quickly pressed the button with the 'G', and pushed himself far into the back corner. He saw someone step out earlier, there was no way he'd get stuck in here, like the coffin-
*ding!* The elevator shuddered to a stop. Astarion checked the button, but the one he pressed wasn't blinking. Being in a box for an elevator, he wasn't sure how to tell what floor he was on. Thank god for Blue's parting words. If only she'd stayed with him for a few more moments.
The doors slid open, and two females walked in. Wafts of perfume punctured his nose, and he shrunk further back in the elevator, discreetly covering his nose. The two girls didn't notice.
But they did say, "Oooh, nice costume. Elves are always hot." They winked at Astarion, then gasped. "My god, your eye contacts are so good. Where did you get them?" Awaiting his answer, they gazed at him expectantly. Astarion could tell they didn't mind looking at his face.
They were dressed in what looked like flexible material, but it wasn't leather. They had colored hair and glitter on their eyelids. It reminded Astarion of people he'd seen at the circus, except they were dressed in weird fabrics he couldn't recognize. It wasn't armor, was it?
"Uh, I don't know what you mean. These are my natural eyes." He tried to appear friendly, the perfume assaulting his senses. How slow was this damn elevator?
One of the girls, who put a hoodie on smiled politely and responded, "Oh, right. Okay, well they look great. Ears too. Very professional looking." The girls smiled at Astarion one more time before hurrying out into the lobby.
Odd. No one ever complimented Astarion's ears or eyes. Perhaps this world wasn't so terrible. Maybe Blue was right - he could survive on charm and seduction alone.
The button, 'G' was flashing, so Astarion also stepped out, purposefully waiting until the girls had left. He heard them muttering about how attractive he was. Smirking to himself, he tried to appear normal, strolling through the lobby.
"Just another adventure. No blood-sucking vampire is walking among you, prowling like a lost idiot…" The vampire muttered to himself, his eyes darting around as he tried to take in his surroundings.
The lobby was very well-lit, and he nearly had to squint. It seemed everywhere here had much more powerful lights than in Faerun. And it didn't seem like fire either. Maybe they had millions of pixies, who conveniently didn't screech at you to be released.
Taking a deep breath, Astarion approached the swinging doors. He eyed the rain that was pouring down. Rain wouldn't hurt him. The wind seemed to have stopped temporarily. He stared at the cars passing by and noticed people weren't walking on the same road the cars were on.
There must be some rule to stay on the sides, where everyone was walking. Everyone seemed to be wearing that weird fabric that those girls were wearing. Maybe it was to protect them from the rain. Would the rain hurt him?
Only one way to find out. With a sigh, he pushed open the door, and everything hit him at once.
Cold rain. Refreshing, but a shock. Huge droplets soaking his hair.
Wheels. It was wheels, but looked black, and soft? Wheels against rain on the road. The noise. He could barely hear the birds over these mechanical devices. People were…in them? Music blasted from somewhere, a pleasant beat, but nothing like what he'd heard in Faerun. There were loud bumps, like rhythmic heartbeats from a huge beast.
He thought Blue said there were no monsters here?
And people. Everywhere. Walking, jogging, running around him. One brushed by him in a two-wheeled vehicle of some sort, and it made him jump. Reaching for his knife, he felt its cool blade, a source of comfort. He couldn't kill people here, there were too many around.
He wasn't sure where to go. If he followed the sidewalks, he was sure to end up somewhere useful, right? He couldn't see anything. The buildings obscured the sky or any faraway landmark, so everywhere looked the same to him.
Instantly soaked, Astarion inhaled, ignoring some of the putrid scents he caught in doing so. He was a vampire. Killing was easy. After enduring centuries of torture, he could handle being in a new world. He could do this. After all, someone had to kill Gale when this was all over.
He exhaled and began walking forwards down the sidewalk, away from the apartments.