graverob and chill

@Zeronos

On one crisp November evening, as the sun was finally setting, Valentine Crowther pulled up in front of the cutest little brick house he'd ever seen, anticipating far darker things. His father's sleek car purred absently, and Val tapped his gloved fingers on the wheel, once again going over his own thoughts.

He'd triple checked all the tools in the back. Everything he'd been meant to bring along, and then extra just in case, was accounted for. He had his newest journal settled down on the clean floor space next to him. Within it, he'd sought out and copied down magical details that might be useful for this particular outing, as well as notes for what to test.

Satisfied for the time being, Val stepped out of the car, leaving the keys in and the engine going since he was coming straight back. It wasn't that cold yet, they had another month at least of less painful weather- but Val was heavily bundled up in his long dark coat and scarf, and had an excessive amount of warming charms on him. He sighed a bit at the loss of the car's heat, which he was definitely going to continue taking advantage of when driving.

As he strode up to Vincenzo's front door, he mused over the fact that he hadn't exactly presented himself as masculine to the other before, greatly enjoying their dalliances in pretty skirts. He didn't want to get any of his dresses too dirty, dealing with this kind of work, in a figurative and literal sense. When he was feminine, he preferred to go all out.

Grim leaning mood and suffering over the weather meant he kept his hair short, features sharper than ever without any softening makeup. Vincenzo did seem to have an ability to break that, always bringing out bubbles of amusement and playfulness in him, but nonetheless. This was how Val worked.

The young necromancer knocked precisely, crossed his arms, and waited for his friend to come out for a long night of very stylish grave robbing and stolen kisses.

Valentine's mouth twitched at the compliment, a ghost of a smile that was soon replaced by the other's lips on his. He hummed pleasantly, and was responsive to making it into something more rousing, if only for a moment. Val did end up grinning when Vincenzo pulled away again, feeling more awake than he had before. "What a charming greeting," he commented, just a bit teasing at the lack of shame, but not with any real judgement. This person made him feel younger, sneaking out for very illegal activities, screwing around.

It wasn't awkward to see each other in a slightly different state, another aesthetic- it was fun, if anything. Val was pleased by this, and very fond. He lightly touched Vincenzo's arm and walked him to the car. "My father's. Mine technically, I suppose- since there's very little doubt that man is long dead and rotting somewhere- but labeling it that way makes using it for all my selfish purposes very satisfying." Val was quite cheerful.

He opened the door on the passengers side for his friend, like a gentleman, then went to slide in himself, back to the warmth. He relaxed, making a soft sound, some of the usual stiffness in his form fading. He savored this for a moment more, then started them off down the road at a steady pace. "I hope you don't mind the heater being completely turned up. I can adjust it a bit, since I already have warming charms on my clothes, but I'd rather not if it isn't necessary," he sniffed.

"Anyway. I certainly haven't had the opportunity to do anything like this before either, but I'm sure the results will be fascinating. And terribly dangerous- but that's why the tunnels are such a useful location. I'm not the first Crowther to give in to their darker leanings, and to be smart about it."

He continued, after a small pause. "I hear a great deal can go wrong in summoning those creatures, especially in terms of their want to take over and have a proper anchor to this realm. Undead as a container… seems like a lucrative possible alternative." His smile was on the weirder side now. "In necromancy, one of the difficult, sought after things is true consciousness. Having your corpse be a person, the person they used to be, even. I've never had trouble with it in my life. Flesh eating is especially helpful to such ambitions, if you want them to really last and shine."

"There's something desirable in tying yourself to a form a little more part of this world, rather than something empty or completely new, wouldn't you say? Even if the end intent is to completely take over. These creatures are shaky when they come here, they need things to claw into, but that are weak- or willing enough- to give in to the foreign presence. Undead can be sentient, but they can also be watered down, at risk. It seems perfect."

"And I have a great deal of control over the death I toy with, so there's that. I can turn my creations off just as easily as I can bring them back, if they get annoying, and there's a definite compulsion to be more open to my suggestions." His expression was distant for a moment, thinking of his brother.

He ran a hand through his hair, mentally shaking that off. "I'm looking forward to this for solid research purposes, as well as our simply spending time together." His cold, dark red eyes gleamed brighter. "This collaboration will likely bring new and very interesting results."

Valentine glanced at Vince from the corner of his eye, considering something very cautiously. "I already have a few things haunting me. Nothing like this, at least not yet, but you'll be seeing a few sights in the tunnels. Pitiful things, though I suppose some may be of academic interest to you." He paused, skipping a few beats. It would've slipped into the category of awkward silence if he didn't have the distraction of driving. "…One even happens to live in my own home, and goes about trying to keep up this grand delusion of normalcy. My current longest and most extensive experiment." He smiled faintly. "And the most pitiful of them all. If he's my Frankenstein's monster, well, life has certainly presented us with quite the joke. Perhaps we can make something better tonight."

The tone changed as Vince's hand snuck onto Val's thigh, putting his mentality a little back into the present. He enjoyed this, the two of them, together. Bored, rich young prodigies could get up to so many horrible, wonderful time wasting activities together.

Val stared at the people crossing the street, a few teenagers, he thought, just leaving a party. The car was still only going a moderate speed, but they were getting rather close nonetheless. He sighed and looked at Vince pointedly, a skilled and mild enough driver to get away with this. "No, it wouldn't be hilarious, Vincenzo. That would be more trouble than it's worth, and I'd appreciate if you took this venture seriously, rather than behaving like some sort of cruel, irrational child and--"

Val jerked the wheel. He didn't run anyone over, but he got a few shrieks, stumbling and running, and he pressed his foot down on the gas to get them the hell away from being held accountable for that real fast. It was dark. He hadn't done more than scare them. It wouldn't matter. He laughed brightly and breathlessly, grip on the steering wheel tight and deliberate again after that little stunt.

He turned his face to give Vince a quick kiss and affectionate nuzzle, then shook his head, still lightly chuckling. "You're a terrible influence on me, my dear, I hope you know that. Apologies for the harsh words, it was simply a setup. Please, do have all the fun you want with this, I won't complain in the slightest."

For all his reputation, Vincenzo certainly was a sweetheart. Valentine was pleased that his ridiculous stunt had gone over well and gained the desired reaction, and continued to giggle while Vince peppered him with kisses. The rest of the drive was a smooth one. Val pulled the car up and parked, then breathed in the graveyard air. It had a different quality than that of other places, one his magic could certainly appreciate.

He loved this setting. Fog swirled around his feet, and the soil beneath was near black in color. Call him a cliche goth all you like, because the classics were classic for a reason. He pulled his own shovel from the back and opted to drag it along on the ground as he walked, making a faint scraping sound. While Val couldn't always see spirits like Vince could, he could certainly feel it when a presence was near, and that feeling was thick here, unable to be missed.

He curled and uncurled his fingers that weren't resting on the shovel. Ghosts were a marvel. They were either drawn to or terrified of him. He wondered, now, if that anything to do with what he was. Things were starting to fall into place. Val moved to Vince's side, hovering close and quiet like he was a ghost himself.

"Fresh, dear," he was quick to note when asked. "As fresh as possible, recently buried. We don't need to spend all night here trying to get through hard, previously untouched dirt for a simple body. It's easiest for me to work with the newly deceased in this case, and it'll mean more of an in-tact, desirable mind and source of information for your monster to claw into, paired with the weak protection of it."

He took Vince's hand in his own, pulling him along gently, smiling at him even in the dark. "Have you ever done this before? Here, even? I know you aren't a necromancer, but corpses have varied and delightful uses."