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"I suppose it must be a light week for gossip," Astarion commented, though he was sure that had circumstances been different, he would have been gossiping along with the rest of Baldur's Gate too. In hushed whispers given that Cazador had not liked to hear him speak, but still. Curiosity was a funny thing that was difficult to restrain once it had taken root, "Give it a few more days, and I'm sure they'll settle back into talking about which patriar's purse has the tightest strings."

He tilted his head to the side slightly, and gave a dismissive but effortlessly theatrical gesture with his hands, "I'd say that depends entirely on your tastes in entertainment."

Baldur's Gate did have something for everyone. And so, it was difficult to say what was more notable than any other thing.

"For books and magic, perhaps a visit to Sorcerous Sundries. For local fashion, there's- ah- Carm's Garms or Figaro Facemaker's. Bloomridge Park is nice this time of year."

His head tilted to the other side then, "Given that you're not local, perhaps a visit to a temple. I've been told that can be quite the learning experience."

A pause as he brought a hand up to his face, resting his thumb beneath his chin and a finger beneath his lower lip, pondering for a moment, "The Elfsong is also a decent place to visit. Just don't go into the room at the back unless you have a fondness for bad jokes."

Seeing as this world didn't have a holonet, gossip was one way that news got around, along with criers selling newsletters.

As Astarion spoke, Thrawn studied his body language. Part of it was genuine, but there was also the air of someone putting on a performance. Someone who used his charm to get others to let their guard down, make them think he was harmless.

"Yes, I passed the park on my way over, and it's quite lovely." And it had statues and flower gardens. "I will be sure to visit the temples while I am here as well." If nothing else, the camera crew had recorded some footage of said temples and Thrawn had seen that they had statues that he could look at.

"Tell me, Astarion, what do you think of the visitors?"

"I think of them as an opportunity. We've always known that we weren't alone- so many planes of existence with visitors happy to move between them when it suits them- but to know now that there is life beyond the stars where we wouldn't even have thought that there could be?"

He smiled, and like before there was a certain calculating air to it. Not quite dangerous, but definitely the smile of someone who had plans.

"That goes both ways of course, but no reason why it can't be a mutually beneficial relationship. I'm sure our quaint little corner of the world has plenty to offer. As do the people."

He was sure they were being seen as barely civilized, but one didn't survive in Faerûn easily without becoming adaptable. If their visitors were here to stay, then the people- and more importantly he- would adapt to take advantage as much as they might get taken advantage of.

"Yes, I'm sure that they do." He was quite sure that Astarion saw through him, and knew that he wasn't even of Faerûn, let alone Baldur's Gate. The man before him was quite cunning, but also devious, and thus Thrawn would have to watch him closely. He still didn't know why Astarion didn't show up on the camera, though at the moment Thrawn theorized that he had some primitive cloaking device on him. Possibly powered by magic.

"Once you have your purchase, perhaps we may continue our conversation over at the Elfsong? Or another tavern?" Someplace where they could tuck into a corner or even get a back room to speak in.

"My, aren't you forward, asking a man out only moments after meeting him? I like it."

It was an opportunity, after all. Had it not been he would be a lot less enthused. Plenty of people approached him with nothing to offer in return, after all. And it was easy enough to see that this wasn't about sex. Not yet, at any rate. It did leave him wondering what it was about but he was sure he would figure that out sooner rather than later.

"The Elfsong is perfectly adequate. Just so long as we don't end up in the comedy club section due to the aforementioned lousy jokes. My ears just could not take it."

"You are also one of the few who has been willing to converse with me, which I appreciate." Thrawn got the impression that others were wary of the Drow, and thus many citizens saw the blue skin and kept their distance. The two humans with him also made him less approachable, seeing as Death Troopers tended to have something uncanny about them.

"I will keep that in mind." Thrawn didn't always 'get' comedy anyway, and was slow to pick up on humor sometimes. "Shall we, then?"

Making sure Astarion and the others were with him, Thrawn made his way to the Elfsong. The building wasn't hard to find, since it stood out among many of the shops. Once inside, Thrawn ordered a bottle of wine and made his way into one of the side rooms where patrons could drink in private.

"Pik, Waffle, stand guard outside. Let me know if I am needed."

"Yes, Grand Admiral."

Foolish to leave himself alone with Astarion, perhaps, but it would help lure the elf into a false sense of security. Plus, Thrawn had a way to signal his Death Troopers if he needed them.

With the door closed, Thrawn sat at the table and poured himself a glass of wine, not yet taking off his disguise. "I imagine you have questions."

"Haven't run into any other adventuring types then, I assume."

Thrawn did look like a drow from a distance, sure. But that would never deter any adventuring types. Or the adventurous types. Though Astarion imagined that those were just scared off by the man's very serious-looking guards. Similar to how he could run people off by smiling a bit too widely.

His wrapped chalice in hand, he followed along to the Elfsong- giving a familiar though not quite friendly wave to the man tending the bar to assert himself as a regular. And he was, in a way. Not a regular in the normal sense, of course. But Thrawn had no way of knowing that- and now they both had a sense that the other was protected. Thrawn by his guards, Astarion by the fact that his face was known here.

He was happy to make himself comfortable too- pouring himself a glass of wine and taking a sip. It was a good vintage. The sort he was getting used to enjoying again, as compared to the swill he'd gotten used to on the road.

"Oh, I can think of a few. Why me for example. I know it's not just because I'm chattier than most."

He wasn't that stupid. Something had obviously caught Thrawn's attention. And he was keen on figuring out what or why- with the hope of being able to use it to his advantage.

"Why you, indeed." Thrawn set his glass down and finally put his hood back, revealing blue-black hair. He then took off his tinted glasses and set them aside, revealing glowing red eyes.

"My media crew were in this area recently, and they ran into something rather odd during filming." He took out his datapad and pulled up the video. "They know for certain that you were among a small crowd that they filmed." He turned the datapad around to show Astarion. In the video, there was indeed a small group, but there was a conspicuous gap where another person should be standing.

"I do not believe it was a problem with the equipment. I think it is something about you in particular."

Edited 2023-10-10 05:13 (UTC)

If Astarion was surprised by his appearance, he didn't show it. He'd certainly stared stranger beings straight in the face and as alien visitors went, Thrawn was downright easy on the eyes. Not a tentacle in sight either which Astarion was taking as a plus these days.

His brows went up slightly at being shown the strange slate and he shifted in his seat to lean forward.

"My, that does add an unfortunate couple of extra pounds onto poor Gale, doesn't it? Or perhaps it's simply the novelty of seeing him in a way I'm not used to."

Moving pictures. Filming. Strange indeed.

"You've not seen anyone cast invisibility or an illusory spell yet, I take it?"

Thrawn took note of the way Astarion looked at the video, seeing his curiosity and surprise. Like he was seeing this kind of thing for the first time. He likely was, given the level of technology on this world.

"You were not invisible when this video was taken. Not to the naked eye, at least."

That was another thing about this world, was the presence of magic. Perhaps it was an extension of the Force, or perhaps it was an energy completely unrelated, that collected entirely around this one world. Thrawn had studied artwork of Dathomir, and knew that the Nightsisters had called their power 'magic', but it was still quite different from what this world called magic.

"So that begs the question. What means do you use to hide yourself from all but organic eyes, and what use is such a spell or device to one such as yourself?"

Security cameras didn't exist here, so it couldn't be to pull off robberies without leaving recorded evidence. Perhaps it hid Astarion from artificial constructs, like the animated suits of armor he'd seen. Or there were creatures with artificial eyes and Astarion could sneak past them.

"Which does leave my comment about illusory spells open, does it not?"

While Astarion's expression remained open and playful in much the same way that he had been the entire time, his voice held a hint of something else. Not quite annoyance, not quite a threat. Just a subtle undertone of disliking that a stranger was trying to pry.

Given that Thrawn was confused and curious about it, Astarion was fairly certain they didn't have vampires or vampire spawn where he was from, but that didn't mean that he wanted to go about openly stating what he was. His little group of misfits were one thing- he trusted them. Somewhat.

Trusting anyone else about his condition? Not something he wanted to do.

What would someone who didn't know about vampires do, he wondered. Perhaps something worse than simply ramming a stake through his ribs. Astarion was no stranger to those who saw weaker or different as some experiment to be poked and prodded. Sometimes he was that man himself.

But the issue, as always, was only if it happened to him.

"Perhaps." Thrawn turned off the datapad and laid it face down on the table for now.

Still, Astarion obviously didn't know what a camera was, so he couldn't have prepared his spell ahead of time to avoid showing up on video. Which meant that it was something that was always activated or something Astarion did unconsciously.

"I have seen some magic during my time here, such as the conjuring of fire or ice. Such powers are unlike anything I have ever seen."

"Really?" Astarion asked, with the puzzlement coming through clearly in his voice. Magic was a truly delicious bit of power, after all. Not something he had ever been able to use against Cazador given that Cazador had had the ability to compel him to do whatever he wanted him to do, but.

If freedom had taught him anything it was that magic's power at his fingertips felt as good as holding a blade or drawing the string of a bow back. It wasn't quite the same feeling as ramming a blade into someone hard enough to send the blood splattering over his arm and chest, but it was close. Satisfying in its own way.

"You have flying ships and strange slates that can capture moments in time, but no magic? Seems rather an odd priority to me."

Astarion was no wizard or sorcerer. But he was fond of the arcane. Used it to his advantage where he could. Seemed strange to him that these strangers from the sky didn't avail themselves of the same power.

"There is an energy similar to magic known as the Force, but its use seems more limited than what I have seen of Faerûn's magic."

From what he'd observed of General Skywalker and studied from pre-Empire artwork, the Force mainly allowed telekinesis, heightened senses and reflexes, some amount of precognition, and in some cases, Force lightning. What the Nightsisters used it for was more mysterious, though Thrawn thought he saw hints of necromancy in their artwork.

"I can also assure you that what is said in this room will be kept between the two of us."

"Have you ever been told that it's polite to wine and dine a man first, before asking him his deepest darkest secrets?"

He tilted his glass of wine toward Thrawn to further punctuate that point, before flawlessly swirling the liquid around and then taking a sip. It was an elegant motion. Well-practiced. Very close to being natural.

"And just this one glass of wine doesn't count."

"If you insist," Thrawn took another sip of wine, giving a subtle smile over the rim of his glass. He stood up and went to the door, opening it a crack. "Pik, would you kindly bring two servings of the house special for my guest and I?"

"At once, Grand Admiral." The sound of someone walking off, and Thrawn closed the door before returning to the table.

Thrawn didn't see what was so personal about Astarion's ability. In fact, in his mind, such a thing would be very useful for their spies or other agents. The ability to come and go without tripping an alarm or showing up on cameras was a very useful ability to have.

Pik returned a few minutes later with two plates of the house special: vegetable stew with a side of bread and cheese.

Edited 2023-10-10 07:55 (UTC)

Oh, Thrawn was one of those types. Astarion should have known. Should have seen it. After all, he was more than just a little acquainted with Gale who- while a tad less extreme about it- was much the same way.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

He pondered briefly about casting an invisibility spell and walking out. He was interested in the off-worlders, the power they could possibly bestow. Authority. But being a vampire openly? Had it been that easy his siblings and the rest of Cazador's spawn would still be in Baldur's Gate and not terrorizing the Underdark.

But it was okay. He could choke this unpleasantness down.

Wouldn't be the first time. Wouldn't be the last.

At least this time it was because he wanted to. Because he was considering what it could mean in the long-term, if their visitors decided to make their stay a tad more permanent. Even so he seemed to turn a touch paler as the stew was set down in front of him. To someone else he was sure it was delicious.

To him it felt an awful lot like having a bowl of rot set down in front of him.

Even so, he dutifully picked up his spoon, stirred the contents and lifted to bring to his lips. It tasted foul. Felt fouler. Like ash. Like grit. Like sludge scraped from the filthiest corners of the sewers below. Sticking to his teeth, coating his tongue.

"Why is it that you want to know? I imagine your people must be far more advanced than mine."

"You gave me an opening and I took it." Thrawn stated.

As he ate some cheese on a piece of bread, he watched Astarion carefully. Even if he tried to hide it, Thrawn could see the disgust as he ate. Thrawn tasted a spoonful of his own stew and found that it tasted fine. Perhaps Astarion simply didn't like something in the stew but was eating it just to be polite.

"We have technology that your world does not, yes, but that does not mean I lack curiosity about this world. For example, it is all but unheard for for a world without space travel to have such a diverse range of sapient races."

Thrawn held up his datapad again, scrolling through still pictures of various elves, gnomes, dragonborns, and tieflings.

"That you did. Can't fault you for that one."

He'd walked into that like an idiot. Like he was a boy again. Or one of his victims. Thrawn seemed like less of a spider than he himself had been though- there was curiosity there, but no malice that Astarion could see. Heartbeat alien, but consistent. He wasn't nervous. Wasn't lying.

Astarion tore a piece of bread to dunk into his stew, still with the appearance of a man who was simply eating a meal. There was no furrow of his brows. No wrinkling of his nose. Even as it felt like putting poison in his mouth and chewing. The way he drank from his cup of wine was greedier- washing the feeling and the taste away.

"Is it truly? I can hardly believe a world less diverse than ours exists."

Thrawn still got the impression of a man putting on a performance. Like he was only doing something in the hope that he wouldn't raise suspicion, or would get something that he wanted.

"Usually diversity such as this only comes about when races from other worlds are introduced. Had I not known better, I would have assumed that tieflings came from another world entirely." Divergent evolution was a thing, but even sapient races who came from the same world had similar traits, like fur or gills.

"It is my understanding that before my arrival, there was only one race considered truly alien." Again, he pulled up an image, this one of a drawing from a book. "The beings you call Mind-Flayers."

Draining his glass entirely, Astarion refilled it with quick and practiced motions, filling his glass until the liquid very nearly overflowed. Even though he'd drank half the glass in one go, the taste of the stew lingered on his tongue. It was sour, like milk set out in the heat of the sun for a tenday and with a similarly curdled texture. His ability to pretend was next to none and there had been times in the past where he'd had to choke down a meal too, but there was no getting around that wine made it go down easier.

"The githyanki are as- ah- alien as the illithids I'd say."

Until he'd met Lae'zel, they- much like the mind flayers- had been abstract concepts. Creatures he knew by name but couldn't quite put a finger on. The kennels had hardly been a place of learning, and whenever he was out, it was always for a particular purpose. His most recent adventure had taught him more than he ever thought possible- more than he might have cared for.

And yet here he was. Across the table from another species, another person, who brought with him a touch of somewhere else. Though this time around it was by choice. Because there were things he wanted. Even if he'd need to put in quite a bit of work, apparently.

"I see," Thrawn knew about the githyanki, but had some trouble finding examples or replications of their artwork, and there were very few of them around Baldur's Gate, thus his information on them was limited.

"I seem to recall that you had other questions. Please, ask them."

Letting Astarion sate his own curiosity would help Thrawn in the long run, and provide more trust between the two.

Edited 2023-10-11 01:56 (UTC)

"Quite a few, actually."

Astarion could think of several reporters who would love to have this chance. A few of his companions would have enjoyed it too, he thought. Gale in particular given that he was the curious sort. Astarion's motives weren't nearly as pure and his curiosity was rooted in his selfishness and opportunism.

"I suppose the most pressing would be-" He paused, tilting his head, and with the hand not holding his spoon he gave a slight gesture, "Why are you here? I understand opportunity better than most and while the people have much to offer, it's just- you're not taking anyone. Or anything."

A pause, a slight sigh to go along with a half-smile, "Not yet, anyway. You've just been going around so far- capturing these moments in time? Or is it also capturing something else? Souls? Energy? The winning smiles of the fair people of Baldur's Gate?"

That would explain why he was so interested in Astarion not showing up on that slate of his. If it needed to be able to see him to take something from him. Another spoonful of his stew then, followed by another drink of wine.

All fair questions, and it was almost charming how Astarion seemed to think cameras were some arcane devices for devious purposes.

"I'm here because my Empire recently discovered your world. For now, our mission is thus: take videos of your society and edit them into a product that will show the citizens of the Empire how benevolent we are for not letting them live as you do."

Thrawn's tone still betrayed no outward emotion, but there was a hint of disdain in his words. He'd seen for himself that while this world wasn't at the same technological level as Coruscant, they were hardly primitive. They had magic, they had their own mechanical contraptions, and some had even found ways to combine magic with science. Thrawn's people didn't have certain technologies that the Empire had either, but that didn't make the Chiss primitive.

"Fear not, for cameras do not steal anything but moments in time."

"Ah. We're an example of how your people don't have to live in filth as we do then."

Disappointing.

Not outside of what he could have assumed with a little more context, but disappointing. There was something in Thrawn's words that made Astarion think he didn't agree with how this Empire of his saw the people of Faerûn, but even if he didn't, Astarion knew better than most what happened when the people with the power had their own interpretation of the world.

Whatever sympathies Thrawn might have, they may as well be lying dead by the side of the road as whatever superiors he had went their own way.

"I suppose I'm not terribly surprised. The ones who have always look down on those who do not- it's almost comforting to hear that that's true everywhere."

He'd once said that himself. Those with power could do whatever the hell they wanted. Everyone else had to live with the consequences. It wasn't true of everyone, he had learned that much. But it seemed that in the grand scheme of things that fact was universal.

At least that meant that it was something that could be manipulated if he just got close enough to do so. A way to take advantage given the opportunity.

"For now, though. Does this mean that we might serve another purpose eventually?"

A half smile again, "If you are going to start snatching people off the streets, I'd appreciate the warning now. I hear the Underdark is quite lovely once you get used to the dampness and the danger."

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