ataraxionlogs | assembling their philosophies

There were memories that Bela had locked away in her mind, buried them deep. Memories she was reluctant to bring up if she didn't have to. Sometimes, she couldn't control the fleeting thoughts that she had but for the most part, Bela had them right where she wanted them.

She was in the kitchen making herself something to eat when the first memory hit. The images were sharp, vivid and she could feel a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body. Feelings of lust and passion, edged with danger. Bela drops the butter knife she held in her hand, swallowing thickly and trying to make sense of what she experienced.

The next one came straight after the first: it was full of blood and fire and pain and triumph. Whomever owned these memories they were a survivor. Determined. Headstrong. Someone who liked being in control. Traits that Bela shared. It ends as soon as it begins, giving her more clues. A voice seemed familiar but it was the clothes and the environment that told her so much more.

And maybe that frightened her.

Perhaps it took Cesare a little longer to decipher Bela's memories than she him. To his credit, the worlds of others tended towards modern and after a while they all seemed to blur into one. It had been the voices from the phones, saying her name in his ear that had helped him to realise quite whose memories he shared: Bela Talbot, the woman from when he had first arrived, all polite manners and cordial refusals to shower with him. In all honesty, he still had not yet understood why she seemed so perturbed by the concept, though it was far from his priorities. His goal at this very moment was to seek her out instead.

Soon enough, he was waiting outside the door to her room, leaning against the wall. Her memories had been interesting to say the least. It seemed Bela's amenable etiquette had hidden a woman more familiar with social games than he had realised, that and she had some exceptional skills. When she finally arrived, he nodded his head slightly and stood up.

"I would not have guessed you to be a thief, my lady."

Cesare was the last person she expected to see standing outside her door and yet there he was, in all his splendour. All Bela could think about were his memories- the dark, twisted ones and the ones filled with heat and passion; she had glimpsed into the deepest recesses of his mind and now there was no turning back from what she saw.

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises."

Her tone is breezy despite the situation because it was easier to fall into. With any luck, he may have only seen the memories in which she stole and nothing else, Bela could deal with that without much trouble.

"I would not disagree," he said with a small smile, standing up properly and reaching forward, offering his hand to her in order to complete their link.

"It seems that no matter how much time passes, man will always be in need of someone with an adept propensity for theft, even if what they take my change: money, artefacts, memories and thoughts..." He knew it wasn't Bela's fault that they had been linked and that if it was, she hadn't caused do it deliberately, but that didn't stop him from calmly teasing her, slightly more nervous than he would let on about what memories Bela herself had received.

"So I have discovered that your scandalous secret that you are or were a thief. What have you learned of me?"

The smile is returned as she took his offered hand, knowing that it was important for the link to be completed so that things could move on without a hitch (hopefully).

"Well, if man can't do it himself then hiring someone else isn't an entirely bad idea. But the thought part is definitely new." It was fairly clear that neither of them wanted their memories to be shared with one another and having Cesare tease her wasn't the worst thing that could happen.

"Scandalous? Oh, there are far worse things that I could do."

She's not getting into them, focusing on his question instead as she lead him into her room; if they were going to do this then comfort was key.

"I have learned that you are ambitious and prepared to do what is necessary in order to achieve your goals." Through deception, lies, treachery and murder. Not exactly unexpected from someone like Cesare Borgia. "Women also seem to fall at your feet."

[ irene knows something of borgias. she knows sweet lucrezia, with her golden hair, isn't so much the child she pretends to be. and she knows that her brother is a cardinal who wages wars. and she knows neither of them are to be trifled with.

in a way, it's almost nice to have that knowledge irreversibly confirmed. though irene's planning on being so very careful with that, to watch her step, lest she find herself tripping. she's died once. she's no desire to do it again, to give anyone aboard this ship a reason to want her silenced.

she comes to his door anyway, without hesitation. she wants the pull in her chest to stop, wants the itch of unfamiliar emotion to cease. so she comes to his doorway, and she knocks. ]

[When Cesare hears the knock on his door, he already knows who it is. He had thought Irene to be the type to play the social game well, but he was unaware of quite the extent of it. It's an interesting surprise and he would be amused and intrigued if he weren't concerned regarding what Irene had learned herself of him. He is far from ashamed of his feats and achievements regarding battle and he holds no value in hiding his ruthlessness and spells of aggression that he is prone to, but he is aware that Irene knows both him and his sister. There are certain things regarding the state of their relationship that he would rather her not know.

When he opens the door, his tone is calm but guarded, waiting to see what she volunteers before outing his fears immediately.]

Lady Irene [He reaches forward and offers his hand so that he can lead her inside while satisfying their synonymous urge to complete the empathy link.] Or should I be calling you Miss Adler? That seems to be your preferred title back home.

[ he takes her hand and she twines her fingers through his, grip firm. she approves entirely of that, of how he wasted no time there. everything else is still uncertain, but this she can appreciate, a man who cuts to the chase. ]

I think we're well past titles at this point, aren't we, Cesare?

[ because at least the mimic of politeness is useful in this moment, where they pretend they haven't seen each other's most intimate secrets. ]

[Cesare laughs slightly and nods before leading her inside, towards his desk where his rapidly depleting store of wine lies. His empathy links have greatly increased his number of guests recently and it is rude not to offer some sort of drink to them.]

I suppose we are, Irene. You must tell me what many secrets of mine you have learned.

[There's humour in his tone, but his question nevertheless holds an underlying weight. He would know precisely what she knows as soon as possible. Irene's small-talk is intelligent and sometimes necessary but right now it is only an obstacle between him and the information that he needs.]

May I offer you a drink?

[ She comes to see Cesare when most of the others are asleep; sneaks through the halls in a gown of deep red silk, hair falling down her shoulders. she thinks of what she has seen, she thinks of everything else she and him might be hiding from one another. there isn't anger in her; there should be, by all rights. juan, she thinks, our brother is dead and she knows what they say of kinslayers. but she knows Cesare better than all and she knows there is a story there, there is a reason.

it is twisted and a terrible sin but Lucrezia isn't angry, she is curious; she wants to know. she knocks on his door. ]

Cesare. May I see you.

[Cesare is not scared of many things very often. He has a tendency to run on adrenaline, only realising how panicked he was until afterwards. At this moment, though, he is terrified.

When he had initially caught memories of himself in his mind's eye, he should have been fascinated, intrigued to find out quite what his sister remembered most about him and how she had matured on the Tranquility. He wants to know how she has grown into the young woman she is today and catch up for the lost time that pains him. But instead of taking his opportunity, he is far too concerned regarding what she has learned of him. Of them. Of what he has done to her. What at the time had seemed so beautiful suddenly felt as ugly as the sin it undoubtedly was. The combination of guilt and fear makes him nauseous.

Lucrezia making his way to his chambers in the night like this is far too familiar for comfort and when he opens the door, he tries to keep his expression calm, though he is clearly concerned.]

Of course, Sis.

[He opens the door to her and carefully allows her to step inside his room. He doesn't dare attempt to touch her, though he knows that is what he should do to complete their link. He can't stomach the prospect of him reaching out to her and witnessing her flinching away.]

[ the thing which ties Lucrezia to Cesare is deep and dark and unyielding. it is in their blood, flowing in their veins and it is what brings her here now to hear of her brother's death with a curiosity that should not be. she loves her brother, gentle and ruthless and swift and elegant.

she wonders how many lives he has claimed. she wonders if he will kill those who will endanger her ambitions.

she wonders if she will ever be able to do the same.

In the end, the Borgia children are fair and beautiful but dangerous. Lucrezia basks in the danger that is Cesare because she knows that this is a fire which will never burn her.

she moves to rest on his pillows, looks up at the ceiling for a moment before turning her head and offering him her hand. ]

I will hear of our brother.

[ she doesn't have to name him; she has no reason to ask of Gioffre, poor child (some has said that of her once, surely. poor child ) ]

[ It isn't as if Cesare is particularly difficult to find. She had already discovered his number, his comm device; finding his room after the fact is that much easier. Not to mention, Lauren is no stranger to finding people who've made themselves scarce, even if she's never turned down the help of directions. Not that he's in hiding, but he isn't exactly a pervasive influence on the network either, a fact she also finds pleasantly refreshing. Lauren happens to think the whole thing is something of an annoyance - how much easier do they need to make it for big brother? - but that had no bearing on this particular situation. None whatsoever.

Right now, Lauren just wants to force her way inside. The compulsion to get closer has only managed to get worse, considering the fact that there's still space in-between them, but keeping her feathers from ruffling is only one more of her skills. There's no reason to turn this into her impending breakdown. She can just as easily remain calm as she can lose her mind. Knocking quietly, Lauren waits a moment, a step away from the door. ]

I certainly hope you're still here. [ A tease until the end, waiting only a few seconds doesn't render her any more impatient than usual, but it does concentrate her intentions that much more. ]

[When Cesare answers the door, there is a look of amusement on his face. It seems that he has managed to link with someone who grows impatient quickly. He doesn't dare consider how she'll cope for several hours in a room with him, though he's sure he'll find out soon enough.]

Apologies. I had no idea we were in such a rush. Keen to pry into another person's thoughts?

[He looks her over carefully and smiles. While her voice had been adequate enough, he held no expectations regarding her appearance and is pleasantly surprised. For a ruthless, sadistic killer, she is particularly beautiful, though Cesare has to admit that he has far from a large pool of examples to work from.

He calmly reaches out to take her hand to complete the link as recommended, his thumb tracing over her wrist as he takes her inside.]

Wine?

I wouldn't call it prying so much as curiosity.

[ Impatient, perhaps, but just as direct as anything else, more than interested in making a point regarding her intentions. She has no reason to be distressed, or even wishy-washy, it's not as she's gotten this far by simply floundering her way through decisions.

Though it certainly does help that he's a blatantly attractive man, and one who has everything she tends to look for in equal measure to his charm; bloodthirsty and yet a gentleman, it's not as if she can complain. He's everything that she finds near perfect in a man, and she can't help but be pleased

He earns himself that many more points by taking her hand as she takes a step in past the threshold, her fingers curling over his own. ]

I'm not sure I could say no, even if I wanted to- it's not as if our ship has an influx of it.

[Cesare lets out a low laugh and moves towards his desk, pouring two glasses of wine from a decanter with his spare hand. He places one of the glasses firmly in her palm as he slides his grip neatly down her elbow so that she can drink without him feeding the wine to her. Such an intimate act can be saved for another time, he is sure.]

Are my thoughts worthy of your curiosity or are you more interested moving on to another's?

[He takes his own glass and raises it slightly, giving Lauren a small nod, his gaze on her steady.]

To curiosity.

I'm sure i'll have a chance to raid another man's mind on a separate occasion. Especially considering yours has, admittedly, been something of an enjoyment.

[ It's not something she'd say to just anyone; she's picky when it comes to true attraction (if she can even call it that) and to be honestly enticed by a man is something that hardly happens. Cesare has more than enough reasons to capture her attention, and she lets out a quiet breath as he offers her the glass, fingertips at the crook of her elbow.

She offers back her own small nod, a smile hinting at her lips. ]

And to taking without remorse. [ Her smile only grew a touch more - almost innocent in nature, if only for the clash it provided - before taking a slow sip. Nearly humming pleasantly, there was something appeasing about a glass of wine, as if it fit the moment all too well. ] Although curiosity undoubtedly has its merits.

assembling their philosophies

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let me know if this suits you!

Suits me beautifully!

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i hope this is okay!

Perfect!

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