It wasn't too large of a table, but Salem wanted to be closer to this entitled prince. How Stefan thought he could get away with being so rude and not risking a political disturbance was beyond Salem, but still. He got up, sitting himself by Stefan in as surreptitious a fashion as he could manage, whilst still being painfully obvious. He would nail Stefan's hands to the table if that's what it took to get him to sit near him and have a goddamn conversation. But of course, Salem wouldn't actually do that. He wanted to be decent to his prince, and that included no murder in cold blood. Not that Salem wasn't capable of that, of course.
"I noticed you've been admiring my books. Is there any particular subject that interests you?" Salem asked, perfectly cordial and pleasant.
(XD XD I swear he'll get nicer!!)
Stefan was usually better than this. Aloof, but still cordial and without risk of causing a scandal. But that was because he had always been under the roof of his parents, and any misstep on his part, he was greatly punished for it. But he was far out of his parent's reach here, and even Alabaster wasn't here to keep him in check. He did need to keep in mind that if this betrothal fell through, it was Stefan's fault, even if it wasn't. He should be kinder. It was just, he was out of his parent's watchful eyes, and yet, he could still feel them glaring at him. He was put off by it all and certainly out of his comfort.
Books, however, were a safe topic, and something he could talk about easily. Even with a vampire. The corners of his lips pulled up, even as Salem had moved closer to him. He took a sip of water before answering. "I'll read almost anything, though I do prefer fiction over nonfiction." Anything he could get his hands on and escape from the world he was currently in.
Salem smiled, although it was more to be polite than to actually show any sign of happiness. “Well, I have some wonderful Dwarvish folklore I’ve been translating over to Common and Vampiric that might intrigue you, although you may have already read them. They worshipped the Fair Folk in the era where Gods and Goddesses roamed the earth, but alas, there isn’t any more of that now.” he said. “It was well before I was born that Mordred of Lozstone sealed the Harmony Gate between the magical and nonmagical portions of the world, and segregated several of the less “desirable” species to be stuck with the hu- sorry, nonmagical species. Although I’m not sure if your kind knows all the details of that.” Salem said thoughtfully.
Stefan's focus moved between Salem and his glass of water, not wanting to admit his intrigue on the topic at hand. He didn't want to appear overly enthusiastic, even though the thought of new information had him giddy inside. He would read just about anything he could get his hands on. As long as it pulled him away from his reality, he would read anything. "I'd be interested to see what you have, and how it differs from my own history."
It was natural, of course, for different sides to record things differently. Humans were strange in the fact that they were overly accepting and yet not accepting enough at new things. Creatures and such were treated as taboo and yet they welcomed the magic and inventions they brought. It was all very curious and strange. And Stefan found it quite an annoyance. He liked to read from unbiased opinions. Or at least multiple perspectives. But did they have any of those? No, they did not.
Salem smiled again, but this time, it was somewhat engaged, almost happy. "Wonderful! I have a few pieces I'd absolutely recommend if you're a novice to the subject, magical history is somewhat lacking in human educations from what I understand." he said, not in an attempt to insult but just in a factual manner.
Salem noticed his human husband-to-be wasn't eating much, just taking sips of water in between lines of conversation. "You must be starving, feel free to try anything here." he flushed, feeling embarrassed for not noticing.
Stefan nodded. "Well, most humans have a different stance on magic than… your sort. As far as I'm aware, burnings still take place further inland." He made a face. Not everyone was willing to sell- betroth their child to a vampire lord. Many were very much against it, and anything that had to do with the magical sort. They viewed it as the work of the devil. Which if it granted vampires life, he supposed it might very well be. It was a good thing Stefan already believed he was going to hell.
He looked at the food suspiciously then back at Salem. "And you? What will you eat?" Hopefully not his neck. He liked his blood to remain inside of his body. He couldn't very well do so if there was a vampire attached to him now could he?
Salem soured when Stefan asked him what he was to eat. It was very clear the implications of that question, and to Salem, it was highly offensive. Certainly he was a violent warlord, at least at surface level, but he would never feed off of someone he was supposedly at peace with. At any rate, Salem mostly fed off of animals and lower creatures with no capacity for reason. It hurt both Salem and his victim less.
He cleared his throat, then spoke. “I assume I’ll be eating the same here as you will.” he gestured to the food on the table, then grabbed an odd looking bioluminescent fruit and took a bite out of it. It was partially because Salem liked the taste, partially to prove a point. Vampires only ate food to be polite to the creatures that needed it to survive, or for fun, blood was enough to sustain them for enough time to be more practical and anyways, traditional food was not nearly as nutritious to a vampire as blood.
Stefan watched him closely as Salem grabbed some fruit and took a bite out of it. He didn't know of any positives that came out of vampires eating mortal food. Unless it was just for pleasure. As far he was aware, vampires required blood to sustain. Curious then, that Salem was eating with him. He wondered why. It couldn't be to make Stefan more comfortable, could it? He doubted that. Keeping one eye on the vampire, Stefan filled his own plate.
He piled a small portion of meat and its respective side on his plate. Certainly not enough for a nutritious meal but it was what he had an appetite for. He didn't eat nearly enough these days. Meals meant he was forced to sit and eat with his parents. The faster the meal was over, the faster he could leave their presence. He learned a long time ago how to survive off of smaller portions and long days.
