Astarion rushed home, eager to read the letter he had left on the desk in his study. He definitely wasn't rushing home to see what Luastra had planned for the evening. He just needed to know if Nosilna had given her blessing for their plan so he could anticipate their next steps. He expected that both Cazador and the councilwoman would want a lavish wedding, not that he minded. He enjoyed large parties, and to have one in his honor would be a pleasant change.

As he opened the door, he was greeted with a familiar smell wafting from the kitchen. Luastra had made a few different dishes, but he could smell the fresh blood from the meat she was preparing. He quietly entered the kitchen, seeing Luastra pull out the rack of lamb from the oven. He could see that it was almost raw, just the barest amount of searing to prevent food poisoning. The counter was bloodied as well, which surprised him. The bits of wool in the blood gave her away. She had butchered the sheep in the kitchen to prepare for tonight.

"Dinner's almost done," Luastra mentioned with a smile. Astarion returned the smile, noticing that it was more natural than it was when they first met. It didn't look forced or menacing.

"Wonderful, it smells amazing," Astarion commented. Her smile widened before she returned to her task. "I'll be in my study. Call me for dinner?"

"I'll let you know," she replied.

He left her in the kitchen as he went to retrieve the letter. As he reached for the envelope, he paused. He had carelessly left out his notes about the tome. If she had left the letter on the desk, there was a good chance that Luastra had seen them. If she had, that could jeopardize everything that he had planned.

Astarion took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He gathered the notes and tucked them away in the desk. If she asked him about it, he would say it was something he was looking into for a coworker or something. Nothing led back to Cazador at least, so she was safe from that at least.

Carefully, he opened the letter addressed to him and read over it. Just as he expected, Nosilna had written to give her blessing to the courtship and mentioned that she was excited to see her only daughter find something that could lead to her happiness. Astarion clenched his jaw, remembering Cazador's words. No matter what the outcome of this experiment was going to be, it was going to end with Luastra's death. She would become a loose end, and Cazador hated loose ends. He held the letter in his hands, trying not to crumple it with his fist.

He couldn't afford to get close to Luastra, not when he knew her fate. Besides, one fewer Bhaalist was probably better for the city, and it would mean less competition for Cazador. He placed the letter in his drawer in the desk. If he could focus on his search for the tome, then he could close this chapter in his life. Maybe he could drown himself in wedding planning with Nosilna as Luastra did her own thing.

Astarion heard his name from the hallway as he slowly raised his head. She sounded so sweet and unassuming. She had a crazed look about her with wide eyes and large smile, but she had softened around the edges. He swallowed down the guilt, remembering that sacrifices needed to be made to keep Cazador happy. Shaking off his melancholy, he walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Luastra placed the silverware on the table around the plates. She had learned about manners during her research, and table manners had intrigued her the most. She usually just ate as quickly as she could without caring about others judging her. Now she learned that people took great interest in these specific mannerisms. Now that she wanted to be her own person, she wanted to prove that she could live with him in high society. Soon, she was sure that Orin could replace her, and her father would hardly notice that she was gone. It would take a while with careful planning, but Luastra was determined to do it.

The first step would be to track down this Enver Gortash. From what she had gathered, he was an up-and-coming lord within the council. Right now, he was simply an aid and consultant, but her father had mentioned that he was on the rise. Once he was dead, her father would trust her to be away from home for longer.

As she turned to grab the main dish from the kitchen, she saw Astarion standing in the doorway. He smiled at her, but it looked strange. She wondered what was wrong before he stepped towards her.

"The table setting seems rather fancy. Did I forget an occasion?" he teased. Luastra shook her head, fighting a smile.

"A celebration, I suppose. I'm assuming the letter from my mum said that she agreed to the courtship," Luastra reminded as she walked around him. "Go ahead and open the wine on the table, I'll grab the lamb."

Astarion watched as she left before he did as she asked. It was a rich red, slightly sweet and hearty. He poured both a generous glass. Astarion wondered if he should try to get her drunk to see if she would spill some secrets. If she liked the wine, he could just keep refilling the wine, encouraging her to drink more.

"Dinner is served," Luastra greeted as she held the large platter. The rack of lamb was elegantly put together with a bloody sauce drenching the meat. Astarion noted that she had gotten better at the presentation of her cooking.

"Bravo," he grinned. She grinned genuinely before placing the platter on the table between the two place settings.

"Thank you. I really wanted to make something you'd like," she smiled. Astarion faltered for a moment.

"I like everything you make," he sweet-talked. Luastra rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Of course, but I noticed that you liked rare meat. And the lamb was fresh, so it should be plenty bloody for you," she explained. He watched her carefully as she sat down, serving him a few pieces before serving herself.

"You're quite attentive," he mentioned.

"You are the only person I see every day. You notice things about certain people in that situation. I'm sure you've noted some things about me that you've remembered," she reminded. She took a hearty bite and hummed, smiling at her own cooking.

"What else have you seen?" he wondered with his finest smile on his lips.

"Nothing interesting. You spend a lot of time at work, which makes sense. You have to work with people and solve problems. I have noticed that sometimes you bring work home," she answered as she glanced around, searching her memory. Astarion carefully filled her glass more with the wine before dining himself. She hummed, taking a sip of the wine. "You also seem to be rather secretive."

"Secretive?" he chuckled, covering his anxiety.

"I've lived in your home a little over a tenday now, and I still don't know more about you that I didn't know the first time I met you. I know you're a magistrate that works at High Hall. Your father is forcing you into a marriage, which brought our living situation to fruition. I suppose I did learn that you like rare meat the most. Other than that, I hardly know you," Luastra mentioned, leaning forward. She drank some more of the wine as Astarion watched her carefully.

"What would you like to know?" he asked, hoping that he would keep his panic and irritation out of his words. Luastra took a long drink for dramatic effect before smiling.

"What's your favorite color?"

Astarion's brain short circuited. His favorite color? Out of all his supposed secrets, she wanted to know what damn color he liked the best. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not sure if he had ever thought about that idea before. Could he even have a favorite? He focused a moment before staring at her.

"Yellow, like the sun during a sunrise," Astarion answered. It was the most honest thing he had said in nearly two hundred years. Luastra nodded as she smiled.

"I think mine is a deep red. Like a crimson or vermillion," she mentioned before winking at him. Astarion swallowed before smirking at her. "What about you? Any burning questions you've been dying to ask?"

"In the spirit of first date questions, what's your favorite food?"

"Hmm, that's a great question. I think bread with honey butter," she smiled, taking another sip. Astarion quickly refilled her glass with a smile.

"Such a simple food."

"And yet, it's the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. I had no idea something so simple could be so wonderful," she hummed before taking another bite. "Do you have to work again tomorrow?"

Astarion shrugged. It was a rest day, so he didn't have to go into the office. Before, he would have continued his research, but he had learned all he could from the books at his disposal. Now, he needed to know more about Luastra so he could retrieve the book.

"No, I have the day off."

"I think we should spend the day together," Luastra said bluntly, drinking even more wine. Astarion watched as she didn't seem to catch on to the fact that she had a bottomless glass.

"Are you asking me on a second date?"

"Would you consider this the first?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, a second date. It would be good for us to be seen in public together. Then we can solidify our relationship before we announce the wedding. That way people won't ask so many questions," Luastra reasoned as she started to sway in her seat.

"That makes sense. What did you have in mind?"

"Dunno. I came up with this, you should plan something," she shrugged before sighing. "I don't know what couples do in public. I usually just go to the market and the shops before coming home. I just assumed that couples went out for fun."

"You never got out much, did you?"

"Father was extremely strict on where I could and could not go. He didn't want the others to find me, it could've been dangerous. And mum is always very adamant that she travels with me everywhere. This is the longest I have gone without either of them crushing me under their thumb," she explained with a shrug. "And my parents didn't really express any love towards each other. They both see each other as a means to an end."

"Sounds like a difficult childhood."

"If you can call it that. Anyway, I don't want to talk about my parents anymore. They're dull and boring conversation."

"I do have a question, if you promise to be truthful," he smiled.

"Alright," she replied, wary of his change of attitude.

"What did you find in my study today?"

Luastra let out a long sigh, almost saddened that she had been caught. She wasn't very drunk, but he needed to know. Maybe it was enough to loosen her tongue.

"I didn't realize that you knew I went in there," she groaned, rubbing her eye. Astarion made a mental note that she had entered her study more than once in the last few days. "I saw you were looking for a book. I saw your notes."

"I see," he whispered, waiting for her to continue. She stared at him before sighing again.

"It was going to be a surprise," she whined before shaking her head. "No, you need to wait because I think it'll be better as a surprise."

"Surprise?" Astarion repeated, both confused and annoyed.

"I know that our relationship is a sham and just a means to an end, but I wanted to gift you something important for our wedding. Therefore, you need to wait for your surprise," she explained. Astarion stared at her as realization dawned on him. She had seen the notes for the tome, and she knew not only what it was but where it was too.

"We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise then, would we?" he teased. He could be a little more patient. He had waited this long. And an even better reason to plan a lavish wedding. Once he had that tome, Luastra's time on this plane was up. He would at least give her the reprieve she needed.

Luastra smiled at him as she reached for his hand. The wine went straight to her head. The lamb slaughtering had sated her Urge well enough, but it wasn't the same as taking a person's life. So, she had a flimsy grasp on her self-control, and the wine was exacerbating it. She would need to complete a murder before their date tomorrow, but she could sneak out easily enough. She could see that Astarion was surprised by her gentle motion for affection. Slowly, he grasped her hand, making her smile widen.

"I'm glad I met you Astarion," she whispered before taking another bite. "Would I take your name after the wedding? I know drow will take their wives' surnames, but I also know that the surface does things very differently."

"What would you prefer?" he asked. Astarion had no intention of taking a dead woman's name, but he would let her take his if she wanted.

"I think I would like to take your surname. A step towards the future of my own," Luastra replied as she looked up at him.

"Then the day after the wedding, I'll submit the paperwork myself," Astarion replied before taking a sip of his own drink.

"I suppose we should start planning the event," she commented.

"I can take of that easily. I have a little experience planning lavish parties."

"Lavish, eh? I guess that's fine. Honestly, I'm fine not being directly involved with the planning. I will make decisions that you need me to, but I want you to take the lead. I have no idea what to even start with," Luastra informed as he nodded.

"I'll take care of it," he replied, idly rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. He didn't even realize he was doing it before he took his hand away.

~U~

The rest of the evening passed by easily enough. Astarion tried to get more details on his surprise gift, but no matter how much Luastra drank, her secrets remained sealed. He helped her up the stairs as she eventually got drunk. Her clothes were some of her simpler clothes, so he didn't feel bad sending her to bed still clothed. Even if she had her fanciest dress on, he still wouldn't have undressed her. He would have regretted the inevitable wrinkles in the fabric though.

He helped her under the covers as she slurred her words. Astarion could make out a few words of gratitude and a few words he was sure he heard incorrectly. Surely, she didn't say that he would look lovely with his intestines wound his neck like a noose. He simply misheard her babbling, her Bhaalist upbringing just infiltrating his mind.

Afterwards, he returned to his study, fighting against his better judgment. He knew that he needed to send an update to Cazador about the tome, but that would be the same as signing Luastra's death sentence. With a groan, he sat down and instead drafted a letter including details of the fake relationship and Nosilna's blessing. Besides, he didn't have concrete proof that was what she was talking about. She didn't even mention the words Necromancy of Thay.

Once the letter was finished, Astarion leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands. He was exhausted, and the blood he had at dinner was not as filling as he had hoped. Instead, he had been too focused on the wine.

He glanced out the window and saw that the sun had set, leaving a faint glow on the horizon as the stars started to take over the sky. He still had some time to go out and hunt before he needed to be back to plan their date. In his heart, he wasn't sure if he could commit to something so public. He disliked public displays of affection, but Luastra had a point. They needed to show that their relationship was serious before they announced their wedding. Otherwise, they could be seen as scandalous and attract too much attention. While he wanted the wedding to be grand, he didn't want it to be seen as out of the ordinary in upper class society.

After a quick costume change, Astarion snuck out of the house in search of a stray dog or some unlucky livestock. Cazador had prohibited the drinking of thinking creatures, which made Astarion's hunts more difficult. There were several vagabonds and drunks in the street no one would miss, but his master's rules were clear.

He headed straight for the sewers which led to Rivington. Most livestock were found outside the city. No one would notice a missing cow or sheep occasionally, but people noticed when their only horse went missing.

Luckily, there was a sheep herd near the sewer exit and he quickly picked one off. He carefully drained it dry before tossing into the Chionthar once the blood was gone. He wiped his mouth before finding his way back to the sewer system. At least it wasn't rats he was feeding on. He could handle the sewers as long as they didn't contain his food source.

He climbed back into the house through his window, thankful he was able to return in time to plan for the day. He changed out of his hunting clothes before he ventured into the hallway. He paused by the door, listening for Luastra. He could hear her steady breathing and heartbeat, confirming that she was still sleeping. He smiled before he thought better of it. She was safe, which meant that his plan was safe. He had been worried the other night when he smelled so much blood, but he was worried because he would've been back at square one with the tome. He certainly wasn't worried about her well-being for her sake. He couldn't be.