The Ripper

William Jack Holloway

William remained entirely aware of how improper it was for the Duke to put his hands on the King, and yet it was out of nothing but a duty to protect him that he did so. After all, how would it look if he let the Italian King get lost within the crowd at the burlesque? The youthfully looking Duke chose to ignore, of course, that it was just as erroneous to bring the King into that building with all the salacious things that he would witness. Sometimes, he justified to himself, boys were just meant to be boys. Curious, vulgar creatures boys were, and William was one of them. "I'm sure this is going to be a night you won't forget," Will said to him over the roar of the crowd, that devilish grin taking hold of his features as he tugged him to the front of the room and let him see the spectacle that was occurring before them. A thousand emotions seemed to dance across Dorian's features all at the same time, and William would be lying if he said he didn't take delight in each and every one of them. Shock was to be expected, of course. Women in such a state of undress were forbidden in his own time, and yet Dorian was even older still. But the brief look of lust that Dorian showed the girls was surprising for William, and only further assured him to his previous thoughts. Boys will, in fact, be boys.

It was too easy to navigate the stunned man into one of those booths and out of the main hubbub of the crowd. Dorian seemed determined to not let his gaze fall again on one of the girls, and it was with no lack of amusement that William assured him that the women would stay upon that stage. Though, he couldn't resist that urge to imply that he could, if Dorian so chose, coax them into a more private show for the King. This was the kind of thing that William would have never pressed his luck upon in his human days, and yet... was the modern world not designed precisely for pushing these sorts of boundaries? The look of... almost fear? that Dorian presented him with saw a chuckle leave William's lips, the Duke remaining so entirely amused as Dorian tried to hold together his composure. "Alright, if you insist," He laughed, shaking his head at the notion that they might fail to find appropriate suitors. "They're fae, like you, you know. I guarantee that finding husbands is not on their list of priorities. Most fae tend to not care about such human notions."

William was content to return to the initial reason that they had come into the building: the man's roommate. He watched as the realization seemed to occur upon Dorian's features that the woman he lived with may have been a part of such scandalous affairs. He fell silent as he allowed the man to look at each dancer to try to identify the woman he knew. Will's attention remained entirely on Dorian and his reactions. Or at least, it did until the fae waitress placed that amber liquid in front of him. "Thank you, love," The Englishman said to the waitress, pushing the other glass to the Fae King before he took a drink of his own. That the roommate wasn't any of these women was mildly surprising to the Duke, and yet he showed none of that on his features.

"I suppose you shall have a lot of questions for her when you see her again, hm?" He asked, taking another savory drink of the liquid before he was interrupted by the coughing of the Fae King. "Easy," He instructed, letting a smile appear upon his features. "Slowly, it's meant to be savored. It's whiskey. One of my favorites, to be honest. I've never understood the modern appeal of beer." The word slipped from his lips with a hint of disgust, though he quickly shook it off. "You're Italian, I suppose you're more accustomed to wines then?"

He fell silent as he savored his own beverage, watching the man continue to scan the crowd and look at each woman as though his roommate might appear. With each girl, the Duke was well aware that his companion was becoming more and more confused. "If you'd like, we can ask one of the waitresses if they know her. What did you say her name was again?" He asked, pausing only when he was asked so abruptly about his home. What was he doing here? He thought of Sebastian, and a smile appeared on his lips as he considered the vampire that he cared so deeply for. "I've always wandered a bit. Sacrosanct was merely one city among thousands. But I ran into a friend here. We... grew up human together, and I'm afraid we both thought the other was dead. We've been recently reunited, and I have been staying with him."

He smiled warmly. "And yourself? Italy is even further away."

But darling -- it's only human nature.