A Breakfast at Vanalie's [Private RP, Blakie13)

[Zazkiel]

The Mage Quarter was always quiet in the morning, as spellcasters tended to be night owls. They much preferred burning candle oil until nearly dawn than sitting in the sun reading their musty tomes. Vanalie never quite understood that impulse, when the best time to study was obviously in the morning.


Not the beginning of the day, not a chance. Just before the city woke up, however, when the only noises heard were the chirping of birds and the quiet hum of the magic that had seeped its way into the Quarter's very soil.


This was all ruined by the fact that Vanalie was a natural night owl with a caffeine addiction the size of a Tauren.


So instead of sitting on her porch enjoying the sunrise, she was clomping down the street after spending the whole night fighting to get home. She'd ran into that damned rogue again, the one with the dark hair and the snobbish accent.


Lillic. Lillic was a permanent pain in Vanalie's side and she'd be damned if she let that hussy ruin a perfect day off. She may not be in the best mood but Vanalie was going to go home, drink three cups of coffee, summon an Eye to watch her stuff, and enjoy sleeping for twelve hours.


Who knows, maybe then she'd go to Jocryn's house and wreak a little bit of havoc. Ruin Lillic's day for once.

 

[Blakie13]

The first rays of dawn were leaking through the window and cutting right across Avaric's eyes. He rolled around a bit, trying to escape the light and all he did was get tangled in the sheets. He grunted in annoyance, his pale blue eyes flickering open. He yawned, scratching his chest lazily and running his fingers through his messy hair, just long enough to have become a nest over the course of the night. He couldn't quite get his bearings, not at all familiar with the room he was in.


The furniture and decor of the room seemed dignified, if sparse and the air reeked of shadow magic. Was I sleep casting again... Eidric will fucking kill me... he thought to himself. Still drowsy, he turned a bit more, finding a wall of pillows, and Jocryn on the other side. His confusion lasted only a few more seconds before it all came back to him. They were in Vanalie's house.


"Shit, the point of not going home was so I could sleep through Eidric's bullshit..." he muttered, before picking up a pillow. He lightly threw it at Jocryn, and upon receiving the barest of twitches, he grabbed another pillow.


"Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up! If I have to suffer this whole up with the sun thing, so do you!" Avaric yelled, hitting the other man with a pillow until Jocryn grunted and sat up wild-eyed. Upon seeing the other man's expression, Avaric burst out laughing.

 

[Zazkiel]

To say Jocryn was confused was an understatement. He had only been awake for a few seconds and he was already being hit by something and shrieked at.


Oh shit, has he slept with a married woman again?


It wasn't until wild laughter reached his befuddled ears that he realised what was going on. "Avaric you absolute douche. It's like eight in the morning!" He winced as he tried to look out the window across Van's bedroom.


"Who the fuck wakes somebody up this early?"


--


Vanalie cracked open the door to her house and was instantly assaulted by several loud noises and a bizarre new aura. A brief pause identified one of the loud noises as Jocryn's usual wailing, but the laughter was new. Probably the source of the new aura.


She set her pack down lightly, shrugging off her cloak and letting her shoulder-pads clink down with it. Her hood was tugged off and her boots were thrown over with several other pairs behind a chair and bookshelf combo.


She hesitated for only the barest moment before summoning an Eye and sending it to watch the hallway for Jocryn and his friend. It wouldn't due to have them interrupt her when she was changing into a new robe, especially when their presence was blocking her from her nice, super comfy one she'd fished from Jocryn's priest-y gear a few months ago.

 

[Blakie13]

"I mean, our siblings wake the two of us up this early pretty frequently. We just went over this last night, Joc. That's why we're here, keep up," Avaric said, trying to smother his laughter.


Then the man paused, quickly looking towards the entryway of the room. He could have sworn he felt something fel moving, but the entire residence was coated in the stuff so he couldn't be sure.

 

[Zazkiel]

Jocryn turned around and dropped back into the bed, attempting to smother himself with the pillow. Light, even his headache had a headache, why was this man such a sadist. It felt like all the effort in the world to to lift his head enough to spit out, "If we just went over this you should remember that waking up early is the entire bloody reason we're here."


He went back to smothering himself with the pillow and added a muffled, "You bastard."


--


Vanalie emerged from her bathroom in a cheerful yellow robe that she vaguely remembered retrieving from a smuggler or a stalker at some point. It went well with her skin tone, though, so it's dubious origin was quite pointedly forgotten as she started to work on a breakfast, ever so thoughtfully adding an extra egg for each of her guests.


And if the new person got the egg closest to the edge of the closet, where the runes keeping it cool were slightly faulty well, what can she say? It's not like she knows the guy.


In the double vision the Eye gave her, nobody was coming out into the hallway but there was a lot of commotion in her room. The warlock sniggered to herself a she thought of all the hell she could give Marci about Jocryn and his new "bedroom friend." (The deception in her words were entirely necessary, she wasn't at all jealous that she didn't have any friends of her own.)

 

[Blakie13]

"You raise an excellent point, my good man. A great point really. The fault in that logic, however, is that I, although insanely handsome and endearing, am an absolute prick when given the chance. You should really consider getting a mage or other spellcaster to give you some wards to keep on hand when sleeping, you never know when danger will strike," Avaric said with exaggerated pomp and ceremony, like a town guard captain making a speech about market safety.


Avaric used the other man's distracted attempts at hiding under a pillow to get up and find his pants and shoes, slipping on a simple sun shaped pendant as he did so. "Oh, also, I think we have a guest in the hallways. Could be wrong. What time was Van getting back from her trip, again?"

 

[Zazkiel]

Jocryn turned his head to rest on the pillow and watched Avaric, settling into the bed. "Go check to see if it's one of those creepy Eye things. I can't see them but can't warlocks?" He'd stayed up late last night, long after Avaric had gone to sleep, just trying to reconcile the sarcastic bookeeper that he was friends with and the image of the dark, sadistic warlock.


Vanalie had been easy, she looked sweet at first but she tore Jocryn to pieces and spit him out the instant he tried to pull one over on her. Avaric was strange to think about, having fel magic. He didn't even have the weird sulfur-y smell that Vanalie got after she'd been helping him by summoning demons. Maybe she just didn't bathe enough?


--


After the eggs were done Vanalie threw them on three plates (again, grabbing one plate just slightly less fancy than the other two) and grabbed thick slices of bread, wishing for a second that fel flame didn't make food taste so weird. The mineral aftertaste (and faintly green tint) was just offputting enough that she placed them in the pan instead, using normal flames to keep it hot. Sure she could start a fire and cook them that way but that was no fun.

 

[Blakie13]

Avaric nodded absently, finishing the ties on his boots and patting his tunic down. "Sure sure. Light, always hate using those Eyes, gives me headaches, that bloody double vision. You need a little fel in your system to see them. Although from what I hear, orcs and blood elves can only sense them slightly more. Need to be a full on practitioner," Avaric rambled, making sure his outfit was in order. He took a comb from his small satchel and ran it through his hair quickly.


"Now don't be a lazy ass for too long, dear Joc. You have to get up sometime," the man said over his shoulder, stepping out into the hallway. Sure enough, he could see green Eye peering in from the other side. He waved at the creature. "Morning Vanalie," he said, knowing she could probably read his lips through the Eye if she couldn't hear him from where she was. He caught a waft of something savoury, rather than fel just then.


He chuckled to himself nervously before trying to figure out where the kitchen was. He didn't know Vanalie enough to know if she'd be okay with him sleeping over.

 

[Zazkiel]

Vanalie caught sight of an exceedingly attractive man in her double vision, in-tune enough with that particular demon to ever hear a distorted greeting. The Eye followed him until he came close enough to catch her voice, and she gave a soft, "In here! Food's not ready yet, but it will be soon."


She dumped the bread on the plates and searched through her cabinet for something to drink, eventually coming up with a large pitcher of water, some alcohol and-


"Is this Kaja-cola?"


--


Jocryn allowed himself to lounge around for a few more minutes before biting the bullet and rolling off the edge of the bed, hitting the floor with a thud. He grumbled for a few minutes about wood flooring and heaved himself up into a vaguely vertical position, shoving his robe over his head and deciding to leave his boots in the bedroom. It took another few minutes for him to wake up enough to deal with the horror that was Vanalie and Avaric in the same room.


It was like all of his worst nightmares in one room. He was going to have so much fun.

 

[Blakie13]

"Looks like it," Avaric stated, walking into the room. "Bit of a strange choice for breakfast, mind you." The man stretched lazily, looking around the room. "Sorry for intruding, Vanalie. Jocryn insisted, I swear. Needy bastard, really," Avaric said with a chuckle.


He casually leaned against the wall, not willing to seat himself before everyone was ready. His mother raised him somewhat right after all. The man tilted his head curiously at the sound of a bump, before Vanalie began to reply.

 

[Zazkiel]

"Kaja-cola's a strange choice unless you're short and green, my friend." She stared at the bottle for a few seconds before shaking her head and putting it back in the cabinet, taking the water pitcher and a bottle of wine to the table. "That shit's nasty, and probably toxic to non-goblins. Doesn't it have glowing rocks in it?"


"And yeah, that's kind of Jocryn's thing. He brings home strays, I cook them food, they're either rude or very thankful." She spared a quick moment to wink at the man hovering oh-so-nervously in the corner of the room. "And then I send them on their way."


She made her way back over to the side of the kitchen with the cabinet and looked through for glasses. "Sit down, by the way. You're making me nervous, loitering in the corner like that. What's your name? Are you related to Jocryn?" A glance over her shoulder and Vanalie was mostly sure any relation was distant at best.


"Hmmm, not related. Oh gods are you sleeping with him?" A disgusted curl of her lips. "Let me tell you, you can do better than that. He's loud and obnoxious and his sister can fry you with her glare alone. A useful gift, mind you, but not so fun when it's being level at you."


--


Jocryn stopped by the bathroom on his way to the kitchen, braiding back his hair when he realized he'd left his clasps in the bedroom. His hair got wild when left unchecked, and if he heard one more "lion" jab from Vanalie he was going to hex her, or force her to Confess at the breakfast table. As funny as that would be, the retaliation would be swift and merciless.


As he stepped through the door he listened to Vanalie bounce around her kitchenette; casually besmirching his reputation in one sentence and reassuring Avaric with the next. It was nice to know that no matter how his other relationships changed, Vanalie could still be counted on to be as annoying and helpful as ever.

 

[Blakie13]

Avaric blinked at the woman, mildly offended. "Aw, Vanalie, it's me Avaric. We get drinks sometimes at the Lamb. How could you so cruelly forget this lovely face?" He asked, sitting down. He cast a concerned glance at the cabinet. "That Kaja-Cola sounds... Disturbing. How do the goblins survive drinking it..." He mumbled, mostly to himself.


The man thought back to the insinuation Vanalie had made and snorted. "Hell no, me and Joc are friends. Besides, if I was sleeping with him, I'd have a bit more tact than doing it in your home," he said in an amused tone. "Clearly I'd take it to his sister's bed, and let Joc and my paladin of a brother deal with the consequences."

 

[Zazkiel]

Vanalie grabbed her glass set and sat down across from Avaric, looking at him thoughtfully. "So you've met Marcalene? Isn't she just lovely?" She held out a hand in Jocryn's direction, motioning him forward.


"Don't you start with the hovering, now. Sit down, I made breakfast."


--


"You'd take it to Marci's bed?" Jocryn sat next to Avaric, grabbing the remaining plates and shoving the other nice one in his direction. "No thanks, man. I like living. At least Vanalie would give us a chance to escape first."

 

[Blakie13]

The blonde man ignored Jocryn's comment for a moment, choosing to respond to Vanalie instead as he prepared to dig in. "So incredibly lovely, that Marcalene, I can hardly stand to be around her for the sheer brightness of her loveliness," Avaric said, face somber, but a twinkle to his eyes.


He took a few bites of food, mumbling about how good the eggs were, before turning to Jocryn, having made the man wait with multiple hand gestures for about two minutes. "Sorry, had to sample some of this amazing cuisine first. Now, dear Jocryn, do you honestly think Vanalie would show more mercy? Your sister would lecture us and then kill us. Van here would just poison us or something, with not a single inkling of what's about to befall us," Avaric stage whispered, pointedly looking at the food. Now looking directly to the woman in question, "Vanalie, you are an amazing cook, and you have my sincerest gratitude."

 

[Zazkiel]

Jocryn snorted into his food and held a fork in Vanalie's direction. "You've had drinks with her before right? Man, just in the time we've been sitting here you should have learned the most important thing about Van." He took that moment to shovel another bite of egg into his mouth, grinning triumphantly when Vanalie lasted only a second before giving an impatient, "Finish your sentence, idiot."


"She never stops fucking talking. Never. There's no way she'd lose the change to lecture. And during her lecture, we run."

 

[Blakie13]

Avaric shrugged while chewing. "Now while true-and also rude Joc, how dare you- there are slow acting poisons. I'm just saying, if one of us suddenly keels over, don't be utterly surprised," he said after swallowing. He took a few more bites before continuing, "I rather dislike running, I think it would be nicer to accept Fate and let the poison or Van's demons take me. Although, Vanalie, please no succubi, they try so very hard to no avail."


Avaric paused, mulling something over. "Also, thinking about your sister's lectures, at what point do you think it's safe to go home? Our holier-than-thou siblings have to end up at the Cathedral Square district eventually..."

 

[Zazkiel]

Vanalie smiled brightly as Avaric's words reminded her of something, and she leaned over to grab her pack from where it was leaning against the counter. "Speaking of poisons, Jocie, I brought you a present!" And with that, she withdrew a disgusting potion from her bag.


The actual flask was fine, mostly glass with metal forming a filigree and stopping the bottle from shattering. Inside the glass, however, green and grey swirled in a sickly concoction that emitted low levels of fel energy. The flask was left to the air for only a moment before Jocryn leaned over the table and snatched it, tucking in into one of his oversized pockets and out of sight.


"Thank you, Vanalie. I'm sure this'll be a huge help."

 

[Blakie13]

Avaric looked between the other two occupants of the room, his head flipping back and forth fast enough for his hair to fly from his head and his necklace to jingle. A confused expression graced his features, as he paused, his head tilted slightly. "Do I even wanna know, or...?"

 

[Zazkiel]

Jocryn leaned back in his seat and patted Avaric's shoulder, still ecstatic from his new potion. "It's just a project I have going on right now, it's nothing big. Vanalie was already in the neighborhood and doing some deals so I had her swing by a seller of rare and creepy ingredients. Bats' eyes and witch fingers and demons' blood. Shit like that."


--


Vanalie nodded along with Jocryn's reassurances, pushing a sheet of paper in his direction while he couldn't protest. "Here's the bill, by the way. I said I'd pay half, but the delay that came with your ingredients allowed my SI:7 stalker to catch up to me."


Her face went tight and she recalled the Eye from the hallway, placing him in the corner to watch the doorway. It never hurt to be paranoid, especially when you had spies on your tail. Luckily, Jocryn's presence would dissuade Lillic from showing her face.


"And I'm sorry Avaric, I know this must be confusing. Normally we'd do business while alone, but Jocryn is leaving for a trip to Light's Hope soon and I needed to get that to him before it reacted with something in my potion's cabinet."

 

[Blakie13]

The blonde shrugged, still looking confused. "It's fine I guess. I am intruding on your home after all, and everyone has business they don't want to air out for others to see. I do hope your sister doesn't find that, though, whatever it was, Joc." Avaric loaded his empty plate and glass into his hands, stepping over to the counter by the wash basin.


"You got yourself an SI:7 agent, Van? Nasty thing to get rid of, I'm sure. I'm sure you'll get the best of them though. Why's Joc heading off to Light's Hope?" He asked, as if Jocryn wasn't in the same room. Avaric began cleaning his dishes, tucking his pendant into his shirt and rolling his sleeves so nothing got wet. "Also, hope you don't mind, my mother would have had a heart attack if I didn't help clean after a meal someone gave me," he said, fighting a yawn. He had forgotten it was still rather early in the day.

 

[Zazkiel]

"Oh, our Jocie is going out to do priest things, healing the sick and blessing the stupid. The usual." Vanalie stood up and leaned against the countertop with Jocryn and her own dishes, just inside Avaric's personal space. "And yeah, the bitch just won't get off my trail. I think I picked her up in Westfall maybe a year ago?"


--


Jocryn made a token protest when Vanalie took his plate before he finished eating, but he was ready to go back to sleep. He thought about asking Vanalie if he could stay longer but he knew she'd only say know if he interrupted her conversation. Avaric was a new shiny thing to her, and he was lucky she'd thought of her friend long enough to hand him the fel blood mixture.


So instead he leaned back in his chair and began weaving a few simple protection charms for the day, putting his feet on the table in an act of pettiness.

 

[Blakie13]

Avaric snorted. "Joc, really. is Van speaking true? Helping the stupid and the sick? I worry about your priorities..." the man scooted slightly, to give Vanalie more room, although he made sure to grin conspiratorially, to make it known he didn't care about his personal space. "Would you get a look at this, Van? Helping the sick, really... Quite the opposite of what I do usually," he mumbled the last part, just under Jocryn's hearing he hoped.


He took the dishes from Vanalie to wash while they chatted. "You know, I don't envy you one bit. I'd hate to have SI:7 on my tail for things. You messing with her plenty though, right? What, she find you on fel magic shit, or some other crimes I won't ask about because it's not my business?"


He threw a glance at Jocryn behind him, grinning at the other man's annoyed expression.

 

[Zazkiel]

Jocryn made a petulant noise, "I am a priest of the Cathedral of Light, thank you very much! Helping the sick and the poor is my job description!" Lowering his voice to an irritated mumble (but still loud enough that the other two could hear him), he began to quote Avaric's first comment in a high pitched imitation.


--


Vanalie snickered at Jocryn went off, always enjoying his breaks from the kind-hearted aura he generally wore. "I'm was an orphan in Westfall before the fall of VanCleef, I think you can guess part of the reason she's after me. The rest is standard fel-magic and petty crimes."

 

[Blakie13]

Avaric rolled his eyes at Jocryn's antics, slight surprise leaking into his expression as he realised it was Jocryn of all people acting like this. Interesting. "Ah, I catch your drift, Vanalie. Say no more. As for the fel-magic, still surprised I'm getting away with things," he said casually. "I mean for Light's sake I managed to cause a street quarantine last month. But hey, I'll take them after you rather than them after me any day, no offence." He finished up the dishes, drying his hands off quickly before turning back to face the woman directly.


"The great Vanalie, wanted for petty crimes? Doesn't sound nearly as fun as your other acts of debauchery. What, did you scam a shopkeep out of a few extra silver?" He teased, leaning against the counter.

 

[Zazkiel]

"Stealing books, kicking gnomes, jumping off of roofs and into the canals in a desperate bid to escape my tail...nothing like quarantining a street." Vanalie finished, impressed. "How'd you do it? Curse or plague?"


--


Jocryn finished his charms and reached into his pocket, eventually coming up with a couple small hair clasps he used when he just wanted to tie back enough hair to keep it out of his face. Humming softly, he began to weave protections over the clasps, enough that'd last a few days. As much as shadow magic thrilled him, something about holy protections spells resonated with him.