The restaurant that Astarion took her too was much too fancy for Luastra. The carriage stopped, and a valet opened the door for them. Astarion hopped out gracefully before turning to help her out as well. She held her breath as she kept her footing sound and stable, hoping that she looked half as graceful as he did. Slipping her arm in his, he guided her through the doors and spoke with the host. Luastra barely paid attention as she glanced around at the patrons. They were eating and chatting, hardly noticing the killer in the room.
She hadn't had a chance to sate her urge, but she had believed that it was going to be okay. Now, with all the unsuspecting people, she wasn't so sure. Luastra felt the calling in her blood as she gripped Astarion's arm tighter. Soon, they were moving again, towards a table near a large window, more isolated than the others.
Astarion pulled out her chair, allowing her to sit first. She glanced at it for a moment, a little confused, before she sat. He took his seat across from her and finally noticed her discomfort. Astarion glanced around before reaching across the table for her hand, which she gave to him.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" he whispered. Luastra swallowed as she nodded.
"Just a little out of my element I suppose," she reassured with a forced smile. He grimaced, but he dropped the subject. Yet, he continued to hold her hand, and she used it as her anchor. Her urge was her secret for now, and she vowed to keep it as long as she could.
Astarion went over the menu with her as she hummed along with him, acting interested. She tried not to listen to the heartbeats around her and the throbbing in her own skull. She certainly could not make a scene here. Everything she and her cult had worked for would crumble around her, and she would lose her standing as Chosen. Orin would be over the moon. Another reason to reel in her urge.
"What do you think?" Astarion asked, startling her out of her thoughts.
"Whatever you think," Luastra smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. He frowned as she placed the menu down.
"You are very far back in your head, darling. What are you thinking about?"
"There's just a lot of choices."
"You're lying to me," Astarion informed with a sigh. Luastra slumped as she stared at her lap. "What's going on?"
"It's not polite conversation," Luastra whispered, glancing up at him. He wasn't sure what to say to that. "I can control myself. I promise."
"Luastra, what's going on?" Astarion asked quietly. She clenched her jaw as she gripped his hand. She raised her eyes and bore her gaze into his.
"My blood calls for blood. My… bloodline needs violence," Luastra pleaded under her breath. "I can control it, but it will be difficult. I was going to take care of it this morning, but Gortash interrupted my… hunt."
"Why didn't you mention it earlier?"
"It's not exactly pleasant conversation," Luastra laughed as tears threatened to fall again. "And I didn't want to chase you away."
"Chase me away?"
Luastra bit the inside of her cheek, her honesty chasing away the urge as she focused on the hard conversation she was about to have. She kept her eyes on Astarion, who kept a firm hold on her hand. She took a shaky breath before she calmed herself.
"You are the first good thing I've had in my life in years, and I mean that. Everything else has died or been killed. I wanted to shield you from that and have some sort of normal life, but I was deluded to think that I could live normally," she informed, shaking her head. Astarion ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "Most people would have gone to the Flaming Fist already, you know. I would be behind bars, gnawing at the iron as I waited for the gallows."
"I think you'll find I'm not most people," Astarion teased with a smirk. He had and seen done much worse than she had, he was sure. And that he would keep from her a while yet. "And I often keep things from the Flaming Fist, which is why I am so popular at my job."
"You don't even know the things I've done."
"No, I don't, and I don't need to. As long as you don't intend to do me harm, then you can't chase me away. Unless you walk away willingly," Astarion reassured as Luastra's eyes shown. To her, this was the kindest thing anyone had ever said to her. However, Astarion had never been so proud of his own manipulations. He had her wrapped around his finger, just as he had planned. "Let's have a quick dinner, and then you can go on your little hunt. The less I know, the better."
"I hope I didn't ruin the date," Luastra sighed, her urge started to gnaw at her veins again.
"Nonsense, we'll have many more dates as well. Let's see if something good and bloody sates your blood," Astarion suggested with a smile, picking up the menu again. Luastra smiled and nodded, her eyes going a little wide with craze. "Any preference for wine?"
"Anything you think works for me, honestly. I'm not one to know about wine pairings," Luastra reminded with a sigh, leaning on her other hand. Astarion straightened before calling over a waiter, ordering for them both. She kept quiet, smiling idly as she played the part as the doting lover. The waiter thanked them both before retreating, leaving them alone again.
"So, I would like to talk about some of the logistics of our courtship, if you can stay present," Astarion informed. Luastra nodded, doing her best to keep her attention on him. "How long do you want to court before we announce the wedding? And how long of an engagement were you thinking?"
"Oh, well, I'm not sure, what's customary?"
"For elves? It could really go any length. I've heard of elves courting for decades while others court for a few years. For nobility, it's usually on the shorter side."
"What time frame do you think my mother would expect?"
"From what I know about Menzoberranzan matriarch customs, the courtships are very short. Most are arranged marriages, similar to our situation, I suppose," Astarion surmised with a shrug. "So, I guess she would expect you to propose within the year."
"So, in the next few months, then."
"Most likely. And then we would have a short engagement of another few months, a year at most, if we follow drow nobility traditions."
"Would you want a drow style engagement? Or more of an elf style? We both will live a long time yet."
"I see no reason to wait. You already live in my house, and you seem very comfortable. Why delay the end result?"
"So, we'll have a drow engagement."
"Although, I would like to propose, if it's all the same to you. You already have a wedding gift plan for me, I would like to give you an engagement gift," Astarion offered. Luastra beamed as she nodded.
"It would be rude to turn down such a gift," she replied.
The rest of the dinner passed quickly enough as Luastra kept her urge at bay as Astarion distracted her with plans and kind words. He was her savior, as well as the entire establishment's. Without him, she would have blacked out and caused such carnage. He held her hand through most of the dinner, keeping her grounded.
Usually, Astarion would have kept her around for dessert for the full experience, but he didn't want to press his luck. The next date, he would help his betrothed plan better and they could stay out later. However, Astarion quickly paid and called the carriage, keeping her arm firmly tucked in his. Luastra gripped his forearm with her free hand, hoping that she wasn't cutting off his circulation. She pushed thoughts of his perfect corpse aside, knowing that killing him was the last thing that she ever wanted to do.
The ride home was uneventful as they returned. Luastra sat next to Astarion, her arm still looped around his as they watched out the windows, making sure they were on the fastest route back to their home. Occasionally, Astarion would whisper encouraging things in her ear as she kept her urge at bay. She would hold back until they at least reached home. Once she changed, she could leave and deal with her urge.
Once the carriage stopped, Astarion jumped out and threw the door open so Luastra could run into the house. From the outside, it looked like the young couple simply couldn't wait to get inside to get up to trouble. Astarion hurried after Luastra as she dashed upstairs to change her clothes. She didn't want to ruin her purple dress with blood and guts. He stood in his study, unsure of what to do with the rest of the evening. He had hoped to spend it well into the night with his soon to be betrothed, but he could wait. Especially with something like this.
Soon, Luastra came back down the stairs to look for Astarion, who she found in the study still. She ran up to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled before he pulled her in for a fast kiss on her lips before relinquishing her.
"Be quick, love. I'll be here when you're done," Astarion grinned before Luastra nodded. She dashed out the door and into the night.
Her heart soared as the urge thrummed in her skull. She felt the urge itch and throb, but something else was keeping it at bay as well. She was meant to meet Gortash at the Devil's Fee in the Lower City that night. With a groan, she slipped unseen into the sewers and made her way from her home to the lower levels. Once the plan with Gortash had ended, that usually meant that the urge would need to be sated immediately.
~U~
Luastra approached the building as she saw Gortash speaking with a smaller creature at the front steps. She faltered in irritation as she recognized the other person. It was her butler from her younger years before she had gone to live with her mother for a time. She didn't know where her butler went after that, but she had guessed that her Father had dispatched him. She thought wrong.
"Sceleritas," Luastra growled, catching both of their attention. The smaller person bowed deeply as Gortash folded his arms and looked away. "What are you doing here?"
"It's so good to see you here, Master. Your Father told me to come here and make sure that you are doing as you're told. I told him that he didn't need to worry, but he is your ever doting Father after all," her butler cooed with a sigh. Luastra forced a smile on her face as she tried to be at least pleasant while they were in public.
"Of course, we wouldn't want to stray from our course, would we? I always thought Father killed you decades ago," she mentioned.
"Oh, he did, Master, but it seems he has a use for me once again," the butler informed. Luastra frowned deeply before turning to the lord.
"So, we're here. Now what?" she snapped. Gortash turned to her, immediately irritated with her tone of voice. He sighed before shaking his head.
"First off, no interruptions. Save your questions for the end," he instructed before he laid out his plan. "We are going to speak with a diabolist in here to break into the Mephistar. However, we are going to start a test run tonight. There is a devil by the name of Raphael that I know of that is related to Mephistopheles, and we are going to break into his house. If the diabolist can do Raphael's, then she can get us into the Mephistar. And before you ask, there's a crown in the Mephistar that can give us the power to rule the world once we make some modifications."
"What are we taking from Raphael, then?" Luastra asked after a moment to make sure that Gortash had finished.
"Nothing he would miss, really. A bottle of wine, perhaps. Maybe nothing at all. This is a test run to see if Helsik can do as she says," Gortash reminded. Luastra nodded once before turning to Sceleritas.
"I'm not paying your way," she informed with a growl. The butler simply bowed politely before Gortash pinched the bridge of his nose.
"The way has been paid already. The Temple of Bane will fund these trips since we have an income," the lord explained. Luastra glared at him, confused by his tone. What use was money in death? Sure, tyrants needed money more than water or air, but she hadn't needed a coin in the coffer all these years. Her mother insisted otherwise, but Luastra always made do without.
"In exchange for what? Bane does not believe in charity," she reminded.
"No, he does not. He expects us to be successful and to have a fruitful alliance. Your butler is here as a part of that agreement," Gortash continued before gesturing towards the steps. Luastra grimaced before following him toward the Devil's Fee.
It was an old building filled with hellish oddities and artifacts. Luastra glanced around, impressed with the collection that was presented. Whoever had put it together had a great deal of time, money, and interest specifically in the Hells. Gortash walked up to the merchant's desk as Luastra wandered the oddities, Sceleritas at her heels.
"Luastra," Gortash called, grabbing her attention. She turned to him, seeing him wave at her. Calmly, she sauntered over to him as her butler skipped behind. "Helsik has everything set up in her office above and has given us the instructions."
"Instructions?" Luastra repeated, confused.
"We're creating a summoning circle of sorts, but Helsik wants plausible deniability. Raphael isn't very kind to interlopers," he explained. Luastra frowned as he produced a bag of seemingly random trinkets.
"Fantastic. Do we know he's not home at the moment?"
"I have it on good authority that he's currently signing a contract somewhere along the Sword Coast. We should have a good twenty minutes to get in and then out."
"Twenty minutes? Please tell me we're going to have a longer window for the Mephistar."
"You fret a lot for a Bhaalspawn."
"I just don't like sticking my neck where a devil could easily cut it off. My blood belongs to my Father, and I would prefer to give it back," Luastra replied sternly, as if reciting something she had learned long ago. Gortash raised an eyebrow before he chuckled.
"Worry not, my dear. We'll be in and out of the Mephistar before the devil knows we're there once the time comes. I'll make sure we have at least an hour when we need to retrieve the crown, you have my word," Gortash promised, placing his right hand over his heart. Luastra nodded once before he guided her up the stairs.
Just as he had explained, there was a large star within a circle etched into the floor. Gortash handed Luastra the book with the component placements and incantations before going to set the items down on the floor. The drow expertly instructed him where to place each item and soon, the lines in the floor burst into flame. She said the words on the page, and a portal formed in the middle of the room.
"Looks like we have a portal. We just have to see where that portal leads," Gortash sighed, placing his hands on his hips. Luastra crossed her arms, tucking the book under her shoulder.
"Lovely," she muttered, watching the swirling mass in the floor.
Gortash walked over to her and held out his hand. Luastra stared at the hand before glancing between it and his face. It was an exercise in trust, she could see that much. Only, she had thought of Astarion when he held out his hand. Surprisingly, she had wished that he was here instead of the lord. Pushing the feeling down, she hesitantly grabbed the hand before they entered the portal at the same moment.
There was an intense wind tunnel effect that rushed past them before it calmed again. Luastra released the tyrant's hand as she opened her eyes. They were indeed in a different place, but she wasn't sure where it was. It was a large house, much larger than the one she lived in now, and it was much hotter as well. She took a few careful steps forward to see a dining room beyond the hallway with the largest painting she had ever seen.
"Welcome to Raphael's House of Hope," Gortash smiled, raising his arms as he walked ahead of her. She could see the devil in the painting, and she swallowed. Luastra had never wanted to go to the Hells, yet here she was. And she had agreed to go again at least once more.
"Alright, so Helsik is the real deal. I was expecting to arrive somewhere other than the grand entrance of the House, though. What if someone sees us?"
"Fair point, we will have to mention that to Helsik. While Raphael is more volatile than his father, I can't imagine that Mephistopheles would be happy to see us walk into his vaults," Gortash agreed. Sceleritas glanced around, turning his nose up at the gaudy décor.
"I think we should grab your bottle of wine and leave. We are much too vulnerable in the open like this," she insisted as he shook his head with a laugh.
"You are much more skiddish than I would have thought. Surely you could kill the devil if he showed up, right? You're a Bhaalspawn! You instill fear in all the realms."
"Yes, when I have more than two daggers and leather armor on. I'm much better at being an ambush predator, anyway. Being in the open is not my expertise," Luastra hissed, keeping closer to the walls. She could hear what she expected to be Raphael's servants wandering the halls just beyond the dining room. Gortash walked over to the fireplace and glanced around it.
Luastra groaned, realizing that the lord was in no hurry to leave the devil's home. Even Sceleritas didn't seem motivated to leave either. She crouched near the entrance hall, waiting for either of them to be ready to leave or to defend herself if it came to it. Fighting a devil would be difficult. Fighting a devil in his own home could be fatal, especially the way they were equipped. Luastra didn't think that Gortash even brought a weapon.
She sharpened her dagger as the urge started to call again in her blood. She was too far from home, and her father didn't know exactly where she was. Even with Sceleritas, it would prove difficult for him to keep the urge at bay, which meant that she was the last line of defense for Gortash. She bit into her tongue, hoping that her own blood would suffice for a few more minutes.
Luastra couldn't remember the last time the urge had been denied this long. She was usually so careful, but it had gotten out of her hands. Gortash better decide that they needed to go soon, or she was going to kill one of Raphael's servants. She wasn't sure what that would mean in the grand scheme of their plans, but it wouldn't be good. Quickly, she sheathed her dagger again before calling her butler.
"Get him to leave, or there will be problems," Luastra growled. She barely recognized her voice as she glared at the impish creature. Sceleritas merely bowed before bounding off. She turned to look at Gortash, who stared at her. She knew she looked like a mess because she felt like a mess. Her blood burned hot as she heard her heartbeat in her skull. The edges of her vision turned red as she felt the whites of her eyes fill with blood. She had maybe half an hour before the urge had full control, and she would black out.
Gortash essentially ran towards her and pulled her up. She ground her teeth together in an effort to not bite at him as he touched her. They made it through the portal again, landing in the Devil's Fee. The portal vanished as the components went up in smoke. Gortash, with Sceleritas's help, pulled Luastra down the stairs and out of the building. Momentarily forgetting himself, he smiled and laughed.
"See, what did I tell you? If Helsik can get us to the House of Hope, then she can get us into the Mephistar," Gortash informed gleefully.
"If you don't get me down to the sewer right now, I'll rip out your throat and bathe in your blood," Luastra sneered, her voice taking on a scratchier quality. Gortash met her gaze, seeing her madness starting to set in. Sceleritas started to fret as he hushed his master. Once they made it to the sewer, Gortash took a step back and bowed politely.
"Until next time," he replied as Luastra growled. The manhole cover fell back into place, leaving the lord in the quiet night once again.
