you were the answer to my dreams

That treasury was something to be safely guarded, the sheer amount of it's worth and the invaluable articles held within it's depths was enough to assure the vampire of this simple fact. He was hesitant, truly, to hear of Dorian's consideration to bring in an outside individual, one whose trustworthiness was altogether questionable at best. It was that simple notion of greed that still gripped at mortal souls that caused the vampire to voice a word of caution, even though this was not his gold to protect. He tried, truly, not to dwaddle in the affairs of his lover, after all, the King was a capable man, of that Sebastian had no doubts. It would be even further impolite to suggest anything different. He knew well of the line he danced upon. Finances were one of those many topics their day and age deemed off limits to such discussions as they had now. Gingerly, he took the offered credit card from his lover, sliding it back into that black leather wallet where it belonged and back into his pocket. His crystalline eyes fluttered towards Dorian's features as the man admitted his own concerns at the hiring of a present day treasurer, though to inquire after his own further assistance was entirely unexpected.

Sebastian hardly saw a reason to decline, however. Though he had been taught well to keep his significant other from his own finances, for Dorian alone he was so often willing to break those social boundaries and so much more. For Dorian, that word 'no' seemed to be entirely absent from his vocabulary. Rather, the vampire nodded in simple acceptance of this proposal, entirely willing to support his lover as the King attempted to navigate those waters of their modern life. Still, finances were a situation in which even Sebastian required some measure of assistance, that simple fact alone caused the vampire to become silent in those moments after as Dorian led the way from those golden halls, his thoughts filled with his own contemplations. "Perhaps..." He spoke suddenly as they reached the top of those spiral stairs, "I might inquire of any assistance he might have, or if he might be able to recommend anyone here in Italy for us." A small simper graced his features as those bright blue eyes turned towards his lover. In truth, the Englishman so often enjoyed assisting in Dorian's adjustment to that present time, in simply, being of use. Then again, love had always made the man particularly subservient.

Still, Sebastian was wholly attentive to those rooms his lover showed to him, from the reception areas to that magnificently large dining room, all of it had captured his attention with a ready curiosity. It was, however, the presence of that glorious ballroom that saw the vampire truly linger. It was distressing, in a way, that such a room might have gone through such disuse when it was entirely breathtaking even beneath the layer of dust that had accumulated. Those large windows so welcomed the soft light of that moon, setting the room with a soft glow as it bounced off the marbled floor and the glass of those chandeliers. In spite of that beauty, however, his brightly hued irises turned towards the wallpaper and the gold of the candelabras that so adorned that paper. It was with a pointed look that saw Sebastian's eyes turn back towards the King, so expressing his distaste for the fire hazard those candles surely would have posed and yet, he supposed, it hardly mattered truly now. His own lips sweetly pressed against those of his lover's as Dorian stepped closer towards him and yet, that idle comment produced little more than a soft sigh from his lips. "Someone has to, when you attempt to practically set the walls on fire."

The vampire hardly lingered upon this observation for very long though, instead willing enough to admit the elegance of that empty space that surrounded him. His gaze fluttered back towards the King, inquiring how long it had been since his lover had danced within this space. His eyebrows rose ever so slightly at his lover's admittance that it had been centuries since he had actually used that ballroom for it's intended purpose. He could scarcely imagine the man at that young age of twenty one, much less what these halls had once been like so very long ago. Still, that warm simper across his lover's features had a way of producing a grin of his own as he watched with raised brow the fashion in which the Monarch stepped away, falling into that regal stance he had been taught to regard the world with. That notion of English charm and, indeed, his own 'moves' was certain laughable, enough so, it would seem, to cause a warm chuckle to leave his lips. "Moves, hm?" He inquired, eying his lover as Dorian stood in the center of that dance floor. "Very well." After all, who was Sebastian to so deny the King of Italy? If he wished to be reminded of the vampire's capability in this regard, then Sebastian was more then able to rise to the occasion.

That gift of his flared to life, the first of few he so intended to utilize to make this single moment altogether magical for his beloved. After all, Dorian deserved something special for this night, when he had faced his fears to fulfill his responsibilities to those people who had remained at his side for what surely must have felt like countless years. It enveloped his lover, that power that so worked upon attraction even as he offered the King a bow, straightening before reaching out his hand in the fashion that the gentleman of his age had been taught to do when inquiring for a lady's hand to dance. His own hand reached out, palm upwards whilst remaining wholly patient for the man ahead of him, "Would you honor me with this dance, your Royal Majesty?" He inquired, altogether knowing the Monarch would scarcely deny him. He was unsurprised when Dorian's hand fitted into his own, the vampire wholly willing to take the lead in that moment as he pulled the man closer towards him. He fit his hand beneath Dorian's arm so that this palm was resting on the King's back just beneath his shoulder blade, that single gesture nearly forced his lover's hand against his own forearm before his other hand reached out to take Dorian's own. "I have not shown you the other dance that was often performed during our time. It was called the two-step."

It was without any further ado that Sebastian led his lover in that dance he knew well - quick, quick, slow, slow, quick, quick slow, slow. A soft hum began upon his lips, much like it had the last time the pair had danced. After all, what was dancing without music? It was apart of the beauty of those ballrooms. That sound of Straus, however, hardly remained a simple hum, however, instead that music filled the room with a slow and steadily increasing intensity till it reached the musical magnitude of orchestra. Sebastian had been practicing his musical affinity, both with and without his lover's accompaniment. Although he was still working on controlling those emotions he was able to craft when playing, this was at least within his control...sort of. A warm simper danced upon the man's features , and yet, he was hardly done. Rather it was a different ability he called to in those final moments, one just as new and yet, one that had come quite as a shock when he had discovered it. For now, however, that power of reflections was used for a singular purpose, to so send that moonlight dancing upon the glass of the chandeliers above, reflecting and refracting till they almost shone in like the sparkling stars above. It was in that moment alone that Sebastian's blue eyes turned fully upon the King as he twirled the man across the marbled dance floor and yet, there was not a word that passed through his lips, not a single one seeming wholly right enough to explain those affections he felt, or to offer the King the pride he fostered for so facing those fears, much less the reassurances he wished to give that everything would work out regardless of the challenges they would undoubtedly face. And so, instead, the vampire merely leaned forward, closing that distance to let his lips brush gingerly against Dorian's own as if that simple kiss might be capable of conveying everything.

Sebastian Ellington