thepicketfencecliche | regency au } { of vampires and warnings

Derek: [it’s another afternoon while Elena and Caroline are working on setting up the ball, and Derek finds himself with more time on his hands than he needs. He decides to take a walk through the market, his eyes looking for a gift for his lady. Flowers and books were the common gift to her, but he was looking for something a bit more ornate. A piece of jewelry for her to wear. As he went from stall to stall, he talked with the good people to get to know them and the town on a more personal level.]

Damon: [Wandering through town with his brother, when he spots Derek he elbows Stefan in the ribs, hard.]

Stefan: [He winces, before glancing over to where Damon indicated.] Damon, no.

Damon: No, what? I’m just going to say hello. [And with that he will stride his way over, hands clasped behind his back as he goes.] Sir Hale.

Stefan: [Just sighs and follows behind him.]

Derek: [and he looks up to see Damon and another behind him. A quick scent in the air tells Derek what he needs to know – their scents are similar. Family. And that the younger one had the same infection that Damon possessed.] Lord Salvatore. Good day.

Damon: [smiles thinly as he stops in front of him.] Taking your time to explore our lovely little town?

Derek: Yes, I felt that it would be nice to be able to see the craftsmanship of the local merchants. They are quite skilled in their work. Pride in their work shows pride in themselves and their home. [looks past Damon, dropping his guarded look a bit to give Stefan a small smile in greeting] I don’t believe we have met yet, Sir.

Damon: [glances back over his shoulder.] Ah, forgive me. Sir Hale, may I present my brother, Stefan Salvatore. Stefan, Sir Derek Hale.

Stefan: [small smile in return] I’m sorry if my brother has given you any trouble.

Derek: Nothing I can’t handle. There are knights with less manners than him at tourney.

Stefan: [He raises an eyebrow.] I highly doubt that.

Damon: Right. Well. Enough about me. We wanted to get to know our new werewolf friend a little bit better.

Derek: Feel free to ask away. I’m just as curious about my new vampire friends. [he’s so not intimidated at all]

Damon: [Stefan’s eyebrows go up, and Damon rolls his eyes.] Been talking to Shelia Bennett have you? She’s always been a suspicious little witch.

Derek: Perhaps. Though your scent mostly gave you away. You can’t really hide the smell of blood and death easily as other scents.

Stefan: [He makes a face.] Insulting Shelia will not get you very far either, Damon.

Damon: I can handle the wicked witch. What I want to know is Sir Hale’s intentions for the lovely Lady Gilbert.

Derek: Well, that is between the Lady and myself, Lord Salvatore, but if you must know, I do intend to make her my lady wife, if the lady feels the same for me as I do her.

Stefan: [There’s a slight look that crosses Stefan’s face at that, but he nods in acknowledgement.] Congratulations, my lord.

Derek: [he sees that look, his head tilting a bit] I thank you, but if there something in that news that upsets you, m’lord?

Stefan: [And after a moment, his face is as schooled as ever.] No, not at all. I am happy for you both.

Damon: [Just does one of those knowing smirks. He’s not going to help here.]

Derek: [nope, he knows there is more, but he is also one to respect people wanting to keep their feelings to themselves, so he doesn’t press further.] Well, I do appreciate that, m’lord. [he looked back at the merchant table that he had been browsing] Perhaps then you could help me – I wish to find her a token of my affection, and while I know many things of Lady Gilbert, I’m unsure of what some of these symbols mean beyond that they are native to this region.

Damon: Oh, I’m sure that Stefan will be happy to help. He and Lady Elena know each other very well, don’t you, Stefan.

Stefan: [SIGH, Damon. SIGH.] Of course. What did you have in mind?

Derek: [well, that confirms what Derek had been thinking. He will also give Damon an eyeroll and look at Stefan] I was thinking a necklace. Something that she can wear that perhaps I can put a flower or a scroll with some words of affection that she can wear when I depart for home.

Stefan: [considers quietly for a moment.] Her birth stone is alexandrite, should that help. [He pauses again, before glancing back to his brother as he moves forward in the stalls, gesturing for Derek to follow him.] In fact, there’s something she might like over here.

Derek: [he follows easily] I really do appreciate your time with this, m’lord. I’m sure there are more important things you were planning on doing this afternoon.

Stefan: Trying to make sure that my lord brother does not do irrevocable damage to the family name is more of a calling. I find that this is a welcome distraction. [and a few carts over he’ll stop and point.] There. It’s an herb called vervain. Last I checked, it was one of your lady’s favorite scents.

Derek: [he thinks] I’ve heard her ladies speak of it, but wasn’t sure what it was. [he reaches to pick up the small purple flowers in a bunch, leaning in to smell them] It’s a very gentle, clean smell.

Stefan: [He nods, with a wry smirk.] Terrible for cooking, but it’s quite enjoyable otherwise.

Derek: [he smirks back, nodding] I will strive to remember that. [a pause] If I may say, you are a lot better company than your lord brother.

Stefan: [he glances over before shrugging.] Damon and I have been vampires for a long time. It can … take a toll on your people skills.

Derek: So I can see. I’ve heard about how long life can sometimes make it harder for you to live it. We have the potential to live well beyond the human lifespan as well, but often choose not to.

Stefan: I believe that usually depends on your mates.

Derek: That and how deep we choose to mate with them, or how stubborn we are when they are lost.

Stefan: It is an interesting bond from what little I know of it. Helena didn’t go into much detail, though she had yet to form her own.

Derek: It is, but wolves do mate for life. It’s a rare wolf that can survive the loss once they are fully mated, and some wolves won’t go all the way in times of conflict to prevent their mate from following them if they are killed in battle.

Stefan: [nods] It makes sense.

Derek: But we haven’t had to worry about war for a while now, and with my uncle marrying Lady Argent this past summer, our peace treaty with them is now permanent.

Stefan: Good. I hope it stays that way. War is an ugly thing.

Derek: And I prefer to have friends in both my manor, as well as the homeland of my lady. [he held out his hand to Stefan] What do you say, Lord Salvatore? I can see you care for Lady Gilbert, and I have no intention to take her away from her life and friends here.

Stefan: [pauses for a minute as he considers.] Making friends with vampires is a dangerous business, Sir Hale. As much as your intentions are honorable, I am not the friend to make.

Derek: If I may be blunt, Lord Salvatore, we are more than our biology. You are a man, just as I, and that is the person I’m extending my hand towards.

Stefan: I am well aware of that. But you also don’t want to be found making acquaintances with the Ripper of Montery. I’m sure that can be found in your family’s history.

Derek: [he sighed and lowered his hand] Did you also know one of my ancestors back then?

Stefan: Helena. We both knew her. Though that was before I … lost control. She was closer to Damon than me, though.

Derek: And how long ago was that? [he motioned to the merchant for him to purchase the flowers]

Stefan: [He pauses for a moment.] Sixty? Seventy years ago, now.

Derek: [does the math, running back his relations before he chuckles] That would have been my great grandmother. The other Helena Hale would be too far back, but it was the one she was named for.

Stefan: She was … [a small smile crosses his face.] … Not like other women at court.

Derek: [chuckles] Yeah, that sounds about right. She was a very independent spirit.

Stefan: Indeed she was. [He takes a step back as the merchant returns with the vervain.] She is dearly missed.

Derek: You can thank the Argents for that. Though the only one who still holds that value of hating our kind is Daniel Argent. You do best to steer clear of him.

Stefan: I’ll be sure to let Damon know. [He won’t. And Daniel will probably be dead soon after. Whoops.]

Derek: [nope, not sorry. He’s going to look at the next merchant and see a necklace that fits his purposes and purchase that as well] So can I ask, why is it that your brother dislikes me so much?

Stefan: Aside from the fact that Damon dislikes most people? My brother has an … infatuation with the Lady Gilbert. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he has feelings for her but it is certainly an obsession. It would be incredibly inconvenient if she were to be taken from Mystic Falls, where he has easy access to her.

Derek: But I heard that he was courting Lady Caroline?

Stefan: [His face darkens slightly at that, before shaking his head slowly.] Things are not always as they seem.

Derek: [stiffens a bit] If he hurts Lady Caroline, my lady will never forgive him for that. He will lose whatever favor he already has.

Stefan: My brother doesn’t believe he needs to win her favor. I believe he intends to simply take it. [which is why he is giving you vervain, Derek. Just to be on the safe side.]

Derek: And he is not happy for competition. [he takes a deep breath] Lord Salvatore, while you may not wish to have my association with you, please take a word of advice – I do intend to marry Lady Elena, and I am very protective of her already. If you don’t wish for your brother to see what I will do to protect those I love, you may be best to convince him that his affections are best redirected.

Stefan: Believe me. I have tried. I will continue to try, but … I cannot make any promises. Which is why I request that you be careful about how you engage him, for he will not hesitate to remove an obstacle in his path.

Derek: I understand. And I hope you understand, my lord, that I hold Lady Gilbert’s life higher than any others in the city. Including my own.

Stefan: I do not doubt that. Which is why I am warning you about my brother, for if you are as close as you say, losing you would hurt her just as acutely as any blow to her person.

Derek: And it is still my intention to make sure Lady Elena will always be able to have her home and relations here, unless someone else makes it necessary to remove her for her own safety.

Stefan: It won’t be. You have my word on that. I just cannot promise my brother will not follow you home.

Derek: I can’t promise his safety on my lands if he puts himself in a position of being a threat to the safety of my people.

Stefan: Then I believe we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Helena did leave him some property. I know that he has not retrieved it yet.

Derek: He would have to make claim with my uncle Peter. Most property that passed to my parents went to him when my mother died. My sister holds the main manor and the lands, so if not my uncle, my sister and her lord husband run the manor and he would need to make his claim through them.

Stefan: I will keep that in mind.

Derek: I should be returning to the Lockwood Manor before I am missed. [he took his packages and tucked them into his hip pouch] I will be seeing you at the ball then?

Stefan: [He nods once.] You will. Enjoy your time in Mystic Falls. [And with that he will go off to rejoin his brother.]