undergrounds | bday + catch-all for january!

JAN 08/OPEN

Arthur isn't the kind of person who makes a point of celebrating their own birthday. At 31 it's difficult to get too excited unless you're looking for an excuse to party, which Arthur most definitely is not. He treats himself to one of those expensive breakfast sandwiches and a gourmet coffee before he goes about business as usual for the rest of the day, though he has to hit pause on his work at Hillingdon a few times throughout the day as he accepts the routine phone calls from close friends and family congratulating him on making it another year, despite the fact that most of them don't even know what a high-risk life he leads.

In the evening he treats himself a little more, stopping into a few bars on the way home to buy himself a drink and check in with some friends and contacts alike, though he avoids any business-related discussion as he gets progressively intoxicated.

JANUARY/OPEN

The rest of the month finds Arthur doing a fair amount of recon on the state of Islington. He spends a fair amount of time in bars populated primarily by vampires, or by the kind of people who know what's happening in the Nest. He'd like to know how the election is going to go before it happens, but mostly he wants to know how each of the candidates could change the landscape in London. He's much more open to doing small jobs in exchange for information but he plays his cards close to the chest as always. If it's relevant he'll share with his fellow Hillingdon clanmates but for the time being he sees no need for action on their part.

Otherwise it's business as usual. His day job is slow this time of year, but it'll pick up soon, so he's using this time to stay on top of the goings-on in the Underground.

[This post also serves as an open post for Arthur for the month of January! If you have anything you want to do with him just hit me up and I can write up a starter! Otherwise you can use anything above to get something going!]

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"Maybe," he agrees, looking away thoughtfully. He takes a deep breath before he goes on, obviously taking this topic seriously. He's interested in what she has to say; she has a unique perspective on it, but so does he.

"I just think it's hard to self-police without a little outside help. In my experience, at least... when immortals spend too much time with other immortals, they can forget the value of mortal life. I think they need a little outside influence just to keep them honest."

"I don't disagree on that point." How could she? She's seen exactly that. She avoided joining another nest in part just for that reason; easier to see people as people when you weren't surrounded by other vampires who looked at them as cattle. Easier to stay honest if she wasn't drinking blood, and easier to do that if she wasn't affiliated with a nest. "But all the more reason to hope they'll settle back into the larger community instead of trying to play by their own rules."

Arthur nods thoughtfully for a moment before he speaks again. "I hope for that too," he says. Even if business is better when the vampires are out of control, he prefers the streets to be safe rather than the extra bounty money he might bring in.

"It all depends on how well they get along with the witches," Arthur goes on, a wry tone in his voice, "that's who actually runs things in this city."

"That part is harder to predict." And Natasha has a lot less space to spy on witches. She can keep her ears open around Redbright, and that she does, but that's not real access. Less so now that Daybreak is getting new leadership.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see on that score."

Arthur turns a little, stretching his arm out along the back of the couch behind Natasha.

"What, no inside track?" he says wryly, his mouth twisting into a smile. He doesn't really expect her to tell him anything, but a little bit of light needling never really hurt anyone.

"You really think they trust me?" Natasha tilts her head as she asks it, her tone turning the truth into a wry joke. The fact she's managed to garner as much trust and good will as she has is nothing short of a miracle.

She leans her head back then, watching his face as she rests it on his arm. The memory of when they got close before, when he hadn't known what she was and she'd tried to run off to avoid anyone getting hurt, comes to mind, but she pushes it away.

It comes to his mind as well, and his instinct is to tread carefully so she doesn't feel the need to run away again. He understands why she might, but he suspects that she's better at controlling herself than she thinks. That doesn't mean he's not going to be alert and cautious in his own way, but something about the potential for danger just makes this whole thing more enticing.

"I think you could be in the right place at the right time if you really wanted to be," Arthur says softly, tilting his head toward her. "But I also wouldn't expect you to tell me about anything you hear."

Something in his tone is genuine; he has these kinds of arrangements with all sorts. He knows how to maintain a friendship or... any other kind of relationship without the expectation that faction secrets are going to be passed around. He's good at compartmentalizing like that.

A little smile flits over her mouth. She wasn't planning to start trading secrets; she appreciates that means they can still be... friends? More like friends than anything else.

"Thank you," she says. "For making that clear."

Arthur shrugs a shoulder casually. "I like to keep business and pleasure separate," he says. "It makes my life a lot easier."

"Does that mean you're keeping me firmly in pleasure?" Natasha asks, but she doesn't really expect an answer. She doesn't really need one.

She shifts toward him, moving without any particular sense of urgency, her posture relaxed, but deliberate as she lifts herself from the couch and slips her leg across his lap to straddle him. Her arms twine over his shoulders, her face still close to his, noses almost touching.

"I can handle that."

Arthur's hands rest easily at her hips, moving with her so he's sitting straight back against the couch. He smiles as if responding in the affirmative to her question, giving her a casual once-over before he raises his eyebrows at her. She looks particularly good from this angle, and Arthur has a few compliments floating around in his head.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he murmurs, dragging his hands down her thighs and then back up to her waist. He sighs, and the temptation to close the gap between them is strong, but he holds back for another moment.

"I gather this means you've changed your mind about sleeping with a human?" he asks, smooth as always, teasing just a little bit.

Natasha huffs softly, almost a sigh. She's still unsure about that. It was awkward. But she needs to keep living her life, though, and cutting herself off from other people isn't going to help her stay straight.

She's done a good job controlling herself lately.

"Well, if it's a human who knows what he's getting into, how to take care of himself..." She dips her head, lowering her eyes briefly, an implicit admission of weakness before she adds, "Someone who understands if maybe I need a minute too cool off if things get too intense... I think that might be all right."

Arthur's surprised she doesn't just shrug it off, but now that she's spoken he's glad she brought it up. It's better to know ahead of time than to be confused in the heat of the moment, and it's good to know that she's self-aware enough to realize some hiccups could happen.

"I can handle that," he echoes back to her softly, sneaking his hands around to her lower back as he finally leans in to catch her lips in a kiss.

Denying it might not be entirely smooth going seems unfair and dishonest at this point. She must be growing, acting like an adult and admitting to the fact that there are concerns. It's possible, at least for tonight, that her concerns are overcautious.

There's no hesitation as she returns the kiss, her hips rolling subtly under his hands as she melts into him.

bday + catch-all for january!

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