Quinlan was quite pleased as she settled herself into being more relaxed. It helped him to relax as well, without the pounding right in his ear he would better be able to block out the noise of the others around him as he fiddled with a napkin on the table. He wasn't shocked in the slightest to find that the woman hadn't known about the whole ordeal until a few days ago. Any longer would mean too much time and they could have found a way out of it. Her parents arranged a marriage to a vampire. Not even he would do that.

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A small grin crept up his face as she asked him the question. Partly because of how she asked it. She tip toed around the subject as if she had offended him in some way as she had mentioned moments before. To that he had only rolled his eyes and snorted, he really didn't care about the manner she had approached him. They'd been forced together last moment.

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"I can eat, but there's no real need to. I can't live off of it so it's useless. Mother once said that food doesn't even taste the same to vampires as it does humans," he shrugged. And that was why he was glad they were sat apart from the main group of people. They could talk quietly and not worry about eavesdropping and no one would wonder about why he was picking at his plate of what he could only assume was decent food. Quin wrinkled his nose, "I like Sweets. And pleasant to be acquainted with you as well, Irene. You may call me Quin if you wish, but Quinlan is just fine too. So, what is it that's on these plates?" He asked, trying to keep a straight face as he poked at the meat on the plate.

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It didn't look appetizing to him. Then again, his palette normally consisted of whoever was the unlucky person to catch his eye that day. Like right now, the Duke with the red hair shooting glares at him had a very high chance of getting on the wrong end of his fangs very soon. Very Soon. In fact Quin squinted at the man to make a point, "Irene, do you know the redheaded Duke or lord or whatever? He has quite the staring problem." He muttered the last few words in an agitated manner, moving to now drink some of the wine in his glass.

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Soon after, he didn't know what else to say and somewhere off to the side he could see a few people dancing along to the music the small band was playing. Quinlan grinned, "Irene, we have awhile before cake. If you're done with your meal, would you honor me with a dance?"

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He felt particularly bold today. Like he himself was the one making the world turn but he was mad about it and release came in many ways. Breathing, dancing, breathing, art. Quin had two options: dance or rage feeding. And rage feeding never ended well for anyone at all.

A smile was starting to grow on her expression, only becoming more at ease as time passed. “Sweets are quite lovely. Far more appealing than most of what food is out there.” She grabbed the bread roll off her plate and tore off a chunk, trying to get her appetite to kick in. As he questioned the meat she looked over at her own plate, trying to gauge what it was as well. “Ham, I think. Not exactly my first choice of a meal either.” She continued picking at the roll, failing to find any real interest in eating, especially not with all the curious looks that seemed to be pointed their way. ‘Course most would be more concerned with their wine soon enough.

For whatever reason she wasn’t particularly surprised at the answer she received to her question. Vampires were somewhat human were they not? The differences were definitely larger in number than the similarities, so her logic didn’t exactly make much sense the longer she thought about it, but she wasn’t keen on thinking about it too long. The more she thought about it the more likely she’d be to freak herself out, and her nerves had already worn her out enough.

Irene looked up to look where Quin was looking, rolling her eyes upon spotting the redhead. “Likely one of the potential suitors my parents had been thinking about shipping me off to. Chances are he’s probably just in a sour mood that he wasn’t the one graced with my hand in marriage.” She snorted, leaning forward to see if there was anything else of interest on her plate now that the roll was gone. Her gaze flicked back up to the duke, amused by his persistence in glaring at Quinlan. She could remember him quite vaguely, not enough to actually remember his name, just that he’d been quite unappealing even in that one short encounter she could recall. Unappealing enough that she’d probably have chosen being wed to the vampire over the duke if she’d been given the choice.

At his offer she returned his grin, not particularly fond of sitting there for hours dwelling on her thoughts and likely driving herself though another torrent of stress. Dancing was one of the few things that was at all similar to what she was used to. Perhaps she could pretend this was a ball, she did quite enjoy those. “I’d love that.” She drew herself up from her seat, refusing to pay any attention to any looks she received. Though everyone seemed so busy in conversation or their drinks to pay any attention to the newlyweds. They weren’t really the focus of the event to most of them, afterall it

She accompanied him towards the band, watching as the few dancing couples twirled around. “I trust you can dance?” She inquired, though as he had been the one to ask her to dance she assumed he could. Perhaps she should have been more concerned with whether she could dance, it felt like it had been quite a long day and she wasn’t especially fond of her shoes. With her luck she wouldn’t be able to keep dancing as long as she’d want, though it was easy to get drawn into the rhythm and forget whatever may be paining her. Though most of that depended on her partner.

Quinlan nodded absently. "Of course I can dance, I wouldn't offer if I would simply make a fool out of myself! Pffsh," he stood and offered his arm for her to take. As they entered the dance, he positioned himself to lead. And as he said, the Vampire could dance well, but he was not superior at all. It wasn't something he'd admit, after all who just says they're not the best at something? He was just glad he'd be able to get out of this without stepping on her toes like the poor guy row dancers down was doing. He just had to focus on the music and the steps would take care of themselves.

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The male looked over his shoulder and sighed as he saw beyond his path was the glaring Duke. "My goodness, that man is persistent. I wonder if he knows hesspilt some white on his shirt. Tsk tsk." Quin shook his head, pursing his lips as he swooped to the sound of violins. Normally at an event like this he would sit out and enjoy the music as he was more of a musician himself. It felt nice to dance for once although his partner did seem to enjoy the dancing but a lot more than he did.

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As they circled around once more he caught a glance of his mother. She was linked at the arms with his father and smiling. Apparently he had chosen the correct option for the time being. Quin, of course, beamed in his mother's direction before they turned again and there was a new audience to watch them through their silent ritual. But it was nice having them approve of something he did other than embracing his nature.

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"So, I would like to give you a fair warning before we whisk you home tonight. First off all, I have no idea where you'll be staying, " He said quietly as a new song started at a much slower tempo "Secondly, we are not as sweet as we apear. None of the family will try to harm you, but you must not let your guard down. Just because they don't physically harm you doesn't mean that they aren't sharp in other areas. You were very much married into a family of snakes with more than one type of venom," he said, smiling as he said these words close to her ear. From the outside it would look like he was saying sweet little nothings in her ear when in reality he was warning her. And just when her heart rate had calmed to the normal for one dancing.

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"On the brightside, we have a wonderful garden and library. There are multiple things that can keep you busy during the day and most of the staff are human as well so you'll have them to converse with if the vampires are too much for you," he said, turning them around to face the newest direction just for them to repeat the diamond shape and continue the dance. He didn't think the vampiric staff would be a problem though. Most didn't have daylight rings and so they were mostly nocturnal, but the humans were timid. After all, they've seen some things that would make any one have severe trust issues. At least he gave Irene some warning. Beautiful faces often had deep secrets to hide and his family was especially good at hiding said secrets and pretending like they were the perfect family despite their nature. Quinlan liked Irene so far. One of the humans he found to be tolerable. He didn't want to her to be scared if she got hissed at or if some plates got thrown at dinner.

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Then again, she could possibly be acting at this very moment and really be someone with confidence and a backbone and it was merely the fact that her parents were here that was keeping her from showing her true colors. That would be interesting. Very much so. It would make her far more enjoyable to have around. But he couldn't help but feel like she was a lesson in the sense of "humans can be friends, not food" since his appetite had been rather monstrous as of late.

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"But at least you can order a hot chocolate at any time, day or night, " he shrugged with a grin. Just adding a cherry on top of a disaster Sunday.

Irene easily fell in step with his movements, keeping pace rather effortlessly. It turned out to be a better distraction than she’d hoped, her thoughts focused solely on where to place her feet and keeping herself moving in sync with her partner. Even as Quin made his comment about the duke her attention didn’t waver much, only letting her gaze flit over the duke for the second he was in her range of vision. “I doubt he’ll be much of a problem, less he wants to make an embarrassment of himself. Wouldn’t be good for him if anyone he seeks out to form any sort of arrangement with him can’t take him seriously for making a fool of himself at a wedding.” She clucked her tongue, not bothering anymore thought on the duke.

She caught a glimpse of a woman who seemed to be Quinlan’s mother, finding the resemblance quite striking. From the beaming smile Quinlan sent her way she assumed their relationship was good, but knew easily enough that it could be an act. Much like how her two parents stood to the side, seemingly happy to be in each other's presence and to see their daughter married off. Her father was of course overjoyed about it, just not for his daughter, instead for the possibilities it brought. She wasn’t sure how her mother felt, she’d hardly said much about it besides words of encouragement or soothing.

As Quin began his warnings she kept a smile steady on her face, though worry was beginning to settle. Yet even then, it couldn’t be all too different from what she dealt with around the other daughters of the other affluent families. “I am no stranger to snakes. As long as they use words as their weapons rather than whatever other utilities your family may possess, I trust I can manage well enough.” Despite her attempt to soothe herself she was still rather off-put about it. What if they did attempt to harm her physically? She wouldn’t be able to do anything if they did, she certainly wouldn’t be able to defend herself or even fight back. Her father had made sure she couldn’t try and learn to handle a weapon or learn how to protect herself. Given her current circumstances hopefully he saw the error in his choice.

“For once I am glad I enjoy reading.” It was somewhat of a challenge for her to focus on the better half of his information, though what little distraction she could offer herself was a relief. Stay calm. Before, her nerves would have been expected. Who wasn’t nervous making their way to the altar? But now, if she started to let her nerves get the best of her, there were a number of ways it could go wrong. Her smile had remained consistent on her face, and as they continued to move about the floor she was able to fall back into the rhythm of movement before he’d dropped his warnings. Least he didn’t seem like the most awful individual, though she’d hardly known him for very long. Anything could change between now and when they were no longer in the presence of so many people.

She hummed her approval at the mention of hot chocolate, appreciating the lighter topic. “All my problems are solved,” she joked, keeping her attention on where to place her feet rather than on any other topic. It was going to be a long day wasn’t it? Not that it wasn’t already, though she had little hope it would get any better.

Back to more serious matters she continued, making certain to continue to keep her voice quiet. “Other than any mandatory events, you will probably not even know I’m there. You could probably just go on doing whatever it is you usually do and hardly notice me except when my presence is needed.” Even though she was starting to see the vampire less poorly than she had before actually conversing with him, some part of her really did hope she’d just be ignored. In her eyes, it was far better to be forgotten than to be the center of attention, especially when her new “family” could probably kill her without even putting in any effort. She did want to trust that they wouldn’t harm her physically like Quin had stated, though she didn’t nearly have enough reason to trust him to believe what he said.

Quinlan spent a good amount of time trying to forget about Duke Stainsalot over there. Even after Irene assured him that the duke was nothing to worry about. He simply didn't appreciate attention unless it was coming from an awed and doting perspective. This was simply asking to end up in the gutter. It was people like him that made Quin feel a lot less bad about being a monster.

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He could admire how the human woman kept a straight face as he spoke about what she may have to face in the near future. And she wasn't too unbearable. That alone made the Vampire Crack a grin. "My, my," he muttered as started to notice how she became ever so slightly distressed about the staff and perhaps family. "Irene, I can assure you none would dare lay a hand on you. Forgive the term, but you're mine. Those who harm my belongings normally don't survive the night. I'm well aware that this wedding has been unexpected, but that doesn't mean I'd feed you to the wolves." He said, looking just beyond her shoulder to the crowd behind them. He wouldn't say he'd never harm an innocent, but at the same time he wasn't going to admit that he was really the only wolf she'd need to worry about.

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"Yes. Books and hot chocolate, twenty-four hours a day. Seven days a week. Even on holidays, " he said with a quick wink. Quin would have to make sure he reminded the staff she had his permission to use his library. His family kept their books in their own chambers. Quinlan preferred too much space during his reading spells. He might even have to stock up on more books to her liking. Once he figured out what that was. Too much to keep people happy these days.

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"Trust me, darling, I'll be the one you hardly ever see," he said with a soft sigh. Because he would carry on how he normally did before. Wining and dining and feeding. The predator in him fantasized about her walking in on him mid-feed. Just to catch the scent of fear. It was enough to make any vampire go wild.

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But he'd prevent that as long as he could. How long that would be is the question. Quin lost control so often that who knows when the next time he went feral would be. He paused with the music, "I think I've had my fill of dancing. Enjoy yourself, Irene." He said flatly, leaving her to join his sister standing on the edge. The pretty female was grinning as he approached her.

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"Pretty little thing. Try not to eat her, will you?" She taunted, twirling the flower in her hand back and forth.

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Quin wrinkled his nose. "You know I prefer my ladies with a tad bit more meat on their bones. And broader shoulders. My goodness, sister. You act as if you don't hardly know me." He scoffed.

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The petite vampire grinned, patting his shoulder as she shook her head. "No, I know you too well. You'll screw this up eventually. I give it.... a month before she catches you tearing into whoever caught your eye that evening." She said, tossing the flower and dusting her fingers off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to pretend I'm interested in old war stories." And with that, she walked away. Quin remained by the tangle of roses though, scanning the area. One month.

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So she had a little faith in him after all.

Irene found the comfort she felt at his words quite disturbing. Yet she still welcomed what little comfort she could find, despite feeling as if it came at the expense of what sense she had. What distrubed her most was being considered a belonging, particularly having someone say it outright. She was used to being viewed or treated like one by others so it wasn’t a new prospect, but it was a first for someone to say it. Her internal conflict over the subject ended with her deciding she should just be grateful. If it kept her safe, then there was no point in fighting it. She still felt she’d be lucky to survive the year.

As a smile flitted itself back across her lips she welcomed it, wanting to try and find some joy in this day. Being left to herself seemed almost like too much of a good thing, even if it was in a strange place she held no connection to. And with being married, she no longer had to deal with all the fuss her parents threw about finding a suitable match. It was near freedom, something she wasn’t quite as afraid of. As her worries shifted back into the far reaches of her mind, buried under hope and pleasant thoughts that could form, she found herself a little less frightened.

After she was left alone on the dancefloor she accepted dances with others, a part of her fearing that the moment she was alone she’d be consumed by her worries once again. For how long this went on she was uncertain, though she was made aware of the Duke constantly watching her. He had an unsettling gaze that got her nerves all jumbled up, and she excused herself from the dancefloor as soon as the song came to an end. She was pulled into greeting guests and casual conversation the moment she was free, an activity which was almost like a dance of its own, except it was often filled with too many hidden daggers for her to like it nearly as much.

Everyone wanted to talk about the wedding or what would happen afterwards. Questions she either responded to through lies or avoided completely. It took forever to redirect the conversation to anything else, which at that point it shifted towards what social events would happen in the future. Events she didn’t pay much attention to for once, with little pushing for her to attend any of them. Perhaps it was one of the few good things that seemed to come from this. With being married and all, at least she didn’t have to worry about entertaining suitors any longer.

She took note of the Duke once again when she went to look around the room, noting he had made his way in Quinlan’s direction. Hopefully not to cause a scene, though she had little hope something wouldn’t happen. As her attention was brought back to the conversation and the lighter topics it had turned to, she appreciated what distractions it offered. Might as well try and make the most of the evening.

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Hello! I am sorry for being gone for so long. It was supposed to be one month but it seems to have turned into 3. Not sure what to say about it either than life being busy and losing motivation, which I seem to have just got back some of it. I want to try and revive this rp if I can, hence the post, but I understand if it doesn't happen. It has been quite awhile afterall.

Quinlan hadn't paid much attention to the crowd as he wandered, occasionally picking up a glass of wine to sip on as he did so. While he was the groom he wasn't the center of attention. And thank whatever God there was for that. He could not stand being the topic in a situation like this. Everyone seemed more interested in his family, the food, his bride. Poor girl was dancing and making polite conversations. Dreadfully, painfully boring. The scene wasn't his scene. He felt more like a member of an audience at an opera or play. He simply watched as the show unraveled before him.

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Incomplete