[center][b]Interlude Collab[/b][/center]
[center]Fahim + Laenaia[/center]
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Laenaia had come to the Ball in her newest dress and best face. Her dress, despite the silken material, seemed simple but both the coloration and pattern seemed to unnaturally accentuate her beauty, emphasising her wispy, slender figure and innocent face. She was sure that to some, she looked like a living doll with how her kindly blue eyes looked at other people and blond hair framing her face. After the introduction, the Blades were left to their own devices and Laenaia meant to attempt to introduce herself to the lists of people attending the Ball. That plan, however, was changed when she locked eyes with one of the Free Holds consorts before they both walked away. She was sure that she had never met him before yet somehow his face felt familiar but importantly, there was an uncharacteristic anger bubbling from inside her as she saw his face. 

Distracted with the thought, Laenaia turned on her heel and looked for the male with irritating face. She doubt she could focus until she could get an answer on why she felt like that upon seeing his face. Coming up to the person, Laenaia gave him a short curtsy while studying his face closer, "Greetings, my name is Laenaia, forgive my interruption, but may we talk for a moment?"

Fahim turned to face Laenaia, and tilted his head slightly in curiosity at the masqueraded woman before him. There was definitely something off, specifically about his eyes, that seemed almost emotionless as he stared at her. "What can I, a lowly bodyguard and slave, do for you, a Queen's Blade?"

Laenaia hummed before replying, "I apologize for sounding skeptical but...I feel that you're not as simple a person as that despite your claim...and that's probably why I'm...interested with you." she said, voice tinged with mild irritation. She couldn't help it, as much as she tried to act normal, the person in front of her both interest and irritate her unlike other people, even those she found irritating.

"Hm. Really now." Fahim said as a knowing smile graces his lips, slight wrinkles in his skin forming around his eyes as he looks her eye to eye, the same, lacklustre attempt at emotions seeming to emanate from them. "Then why don't you skip to the part where you claim to know things. That part is my [i]favourite[/i], vampire." How he knew was hard to guess, seeing as how he had the perfect poker face.

Laenaia paused, surprised to hear him figured out her nature quickly even as she tried to hide it. Had she really met him before or even before that? "I'm afraid that's not my right to say, not when parts of my own past is an unknown to me," she said sadly. "Although it could be that you were part of it, if you were, I would be thankful if you could tell me of my own past."

"No." Fahim says with a somewhat bored inflection in his voice. Quietly he starts rubbing the palm of his left hand with his right thumb. Eerily, his left hand seemed pale and largely, though not entirely, unresponsive to outside stimuli. "Your breathing is too perfect, timed, and you hide your face. You are also... Cold. There is no heat from you." He glances down towards his hands. "I should know what it looks like. I've practiced more than enough myself."

This time, Laenaia didn't hide her surprise and blinked several times at him as the implication of his words dawned in her mind. "Ah...I...see, that..give me a moment please.." Laenaia stumbled on her words. Even among the few other vampires of Diana's Brood she has met, none expressed an ability to disguise themselves better than hers. "That answers it...." she said after gathering her thoughts. "I shall take your points and strife to be better at them the next time we run into each other, senior."

"Senior? Am I truly that old?... I can't remember that far back, now you have me at the disadvantage." Fahim chuckles as he lowers his hands to his sides and looks her over. "That still does not answer my question."

Laenaia returned with a smile. "I suppose not...what answer do you wish to hear?"

"The honest one." He states plainly, now looking a little uncomfortable. "Is there something you want?"

"Nothing other than curiosity," She said before adding apologetically. "or trying to find out why you irked me. Maybe it was jealousy talking, a realization that you're simply better than I am before I realized it myself."

"Maybe. Still, if curiosity is all that you have, that is a desire, a feeling, not something you want of me, but a feeling that is a result of looking upon me." Fahim shakes his head. "This is a pointless conversation. You know not what you want, do you?"

"Is it really that bad of a thing?" Laenaia tilted her head and giggled. "I guess I didn't know what I want but I may figure out something...I'd say companionship although that probably a bit...unlikely?"

"Unlikely?" Fahim repeats softly, and with a hint of curiosity. "Why would you say that?"

"Our work obligations, I assume would hinder meetings, at the very least, we won't be in a situation to talk freely," Laenaia muttered.

"Perhaps." Fahim says with a small smile on his lips. "We could always be pen pals." A chuckle seems to escape him as he looks her over. "How long have you been a vampire?"

Laenaia opened her mouth before closing it, "I...did not think of that," she said. "That would work. As for that question, I'm not sure myself, at least fifteen years but that was as far back as I could remember, other than that, what I can recall from my memories are bits and pieces, not exactly something I can measure time with. What I can do doesn't help either."

"It has its advantage, so I'm not complaining about it," she finished before waving an arm at him. "How about you? How long have you been in...your position?"

"I do not know." Fahim says, bluntly and truthfully with a shrug. "I know I have lived many lives I cannot remember. See... I... When I use my... Abilities, I cannot defy the laws of biology. At least, not for long periods of time." He demonstrates by molding his hand slowly, into a larger one, with short claws instead of fingers. "My default state is one that attempts to mimic the nearest living animal. Once I am sufficiently injured or otherwise, I return to my regular state, and that means no brain. No brain means no memories. No memories means that everything I was, is gone. This lifetime, I am Fahim. Who knows what I was before." He changes his hand back to the form it was before. "I am able to retain memories and other key things in my non-human forms, but only briefly before I start to lose them. So in a way, I am... Only... Twelve years old."

"That's...grim," Laenaia stated, her brows knitted to a frown and sighed. "I suppose the only thing I could offer is for you to live long?"

"Hopefully this life time will last long, yes." Fahim states as he looks around the room, seeing Rashad he smiles a little. "I can do good here."

Laenaia smiled at Fahim, extending a hand to him, "Let's wish each other for luck then, until we meet again, or exchanged a letter. Hopefully by then, I can discern the signs better so I wouldn't find you based on how one irritate me."

"Hopefully." Fahim shakes her hand with a bit of uncertainty. "Cold, indeed." He mutters as he bows his head respectfully.

"Another I shall try to circumvent," Laenaia giggled. She then bowed her head similarly to Fahim. "I've taken enough of your time, I bid you farewell."

"Farewell, Laenaia." Fahim keeps his head bowed and turns away to other business.