Welcome to Gaia! ::

The male smiled warmly and shrugged nonchalantly.

"In any case you are welcome here, noble reasoning or not. Believe it or not, I've not had the company of a female. Perhaps when you know my story, you'll find out." he winked

Thinking about how utterly strange that sounded, he stuttered a bit and looked down.

"Uh," he chuckled nervously "Sorry..."

The male lifted his head skyward and reminisced for a moment. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"I was never educated in a "traditional" vampiric sense. The only other vampire I knew was my king, he who turned me. I stayed by his side indefinitely until his death. My time was spent training in etiquette, magic, philosophy, psychology, we only dabbled lightly in combat before his death. There was no time for "romance" or carnality."

He look down, wistfully for a moment before cheering up and sitting upon the stump.

He looked at her curiously.

"My lady, I am 743 years of age. As stated before, I've never met any other vampires except my king so I know not if I am young. Considering I spent the bulk of my years sleeping, perhaps my ability to...seduce isn't quite as polished as it should be."

He grinned though as he was in light spirits. He liked this female, she was one of few he'd ever spoken to for longer than a few minutes. The only other times were the handmaidens of King Valeriu's kingdom.

"Ah, and I remember those days well! Archery in the courtyards, fixing thatch roofs for the monasteries, helping the children get food. My king was a fair and good man. He loved his people dearly and I suppose that was one of the reasons I disbanded the kingdom shortly after his passing. I could never live up to his rule," he leaned in towards the woman and plucked some twigs out of her hair before smoothing it over with his soft, pale hands.
"All better," he said, smiling at her.

He nodded. She wouldn't need to worry about him. He had the moralities of a human but was physically a vampire.

"If I were to ever meet one of my own kind, I wonder if I'd actually get along with them." he thought to himself.

He pulled a crude pan out of his satchel. It was dented, scratched and even bloody. It had seen it's share of action as well. He threw some mushrooms and leeks he found in the forest and poured some water in it to sautee. He used the last of his venison and put it in the pan. Pots were too heavy to travel with so he made soup in individual portions. It was more fun that way, he could add his own flair to his food as cooking was something he learned to enjoy when he was stressed.

He found an old canteen and filled it with more water from the streams nearby and place it in the ashes of the fire to warm. He loved coffee too, it was strange. Vampires weren't supposed to eat but he did anyway. Food lost some of it's taste but eating food was more a habit of enjoyment than survival.

He looked up and smiled at her, noting her curiosity.

"I spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping the cooks before I became a scribe. Hell, even after. I recollect one woman, Ailasia DeMonet, such a kind woman. Upon my initial arrival to the castle I was still very much an orphan and did not yet have ready access to foodstuffs whenever I wished it." he paused to swish the food in the pan and test the tenderness with his knife

"Anyway, she struck a deal with me in which I was to help her prepare feast in exchange for the leftovers. So she taught me how to cook meats, vegetables, stews, soups, breads, whatever she had needed that particular day. I suppose the old saying about teaching a man to fish is true, I've lived off the land ever since I awoke. he thought for a moment before continuing, absently stirring the stew in the pan.

"It's amuses me to think I never realized that the king himself had never consumed the food prepared, He would sit at the table, put on good airs, and seemed to drain his goblets with an unearthly speed. No one ever questioned why he didn't eat, he was the king. Although, I remember a few times I was to bring the bones and leftover blood to him. I assumed he too enjoyed cooking but,.." Bartheyamus' voice trailed off.

"Uh--" he stammered "Food's done."

He pulled out a bowl for the female and a cup. He scooped some of the stew in her bowl and added some spices for flavor before handing it to her along with some coffee.

"Eat, enjoy!" Bartheyamus stated a little too cheerily as he began eating out of the pan.

"Let's see, venison, mushrooms, leeks, some other edible plants from around here."

He took a bite.

"The interesting thing to note, however, is the spices. They're a secret I carry with me. It adds a hefty amount of spice to the dish but I always seem more focused and energetic after eating it. You'll have to let me know if that rings true for you."

He took a sip of coffee and cleared his throat.

"Say, that reminds me. Where are you staying for the night?"

"You're welcome to stay here for the night should you so choose." he said. His offer was genuine and in good intentions.