Hotel Auberge

"Well, not particularly humble, but it will do," responds Ulfang with a pleased smile despite his words, placing his entire very fat coin pouch in the receptionist's hand.

"Use whatever is needed to pay for the room. Keep the rest. Possessing too many crowns is never a good thing," he continues, before wrapping his arm about Azure and leading her into the room, shutting the door behind them. If one didn't know better, they'd think Azure were in for an incredibly rough night.

Once inside, Ulfang immediately removes his cloak and hangs it up, pulling his silken shirt off immediately afterwards, exposing his extremely well-scarred chest and back. It would seem to be covered in massive claw marks, made by some clearly unnatural beast. Just like the rest of him, his upper body shows the wear and tear of 80 years of necromancy, though it is still as powerful as if he were in his prime.

He takes a seat upon the bed and undoes his leather boots, speaking to Azure as he does.
"I hate the feeling of silk clothing," he says, "it feels so...fragile. Anyway, what would you like to do tomorrow? I plan on staying in this city for a while, and I will quickly run out of ideas as it is."

Ulfang blinks in surprise. "Ah, of course, I had almost forgotten. Well, silk is...soft. Delicate. It...well, to me it feels too soft. As if it will fall apart at any moment. Of course, that is not the case, since silk is fairly resilient, but still," responds Ulfang. He lays back on the bed as he listens to her speak.

When she's done, he asks, "Is that flute a memory from your time when you were alive? If so, when you are resurrected, I can have a replica crafted for you. I do believe I would enjoy hearing you play. I, too, enjoy the arts, if you can believe that."
He turns over to look at her in the eyes, and gives a slight grin. "None of that, of course, answers my question: what would you like to do tomorrow? Think of this as a...vacation, for the both of us. A vacation from your duties and a vacation from the Dreadhalls for me. It can get ever so dull without any lively company! I do believe you will...brighten it up a bit."

"You need not apologise so much, you know," responds Ulfang, "I do realise that this sort of transition must be difficult. Ah, perhaps it would help if I told you I could relate, in a way."
He crosses his own hands over his knee and sits upright as he prepares to tell the story.
"So our family, the Von Haren bloodline, is cursed. Every single one of our children born will inevitably develop nigh-uncontrollable powers of darkness and death during their tenth winter or thereabouts. Blood magic is not very accurate when it comes to time. Anyway, originally this was meant to be a punishment against our family. Deep in the annals of our family lies the story of Borin III Von Haren of Greenvale, a business-minded sort who swindled medical supplies from an old Pellar -- one who banishes evil spirits using certain rituals -- living deep in the woods. The Pellar, however, far from a pushover, was a practitioner of blood magic, one of the most insidious kinds. In some places, it is even forbidden to speak of it. If Borin had known this, no doubt he would never have done what he did, but...when you invoke the ire of a blood mage, there is no turning back."

Ulfang pauses for a moment as he stands, moving over to where the glasses are kept to pour himself a glass of Medanese Gold. He continues as he pulls the cork off the bottle and begins to pour.
"To make a very long story much shorter, the blood mage cursed Borin, placing a stain upon our lineage. We would never find peace, he said, plagued by an inevitable manifestation of dangerous and blatantly dark magics," he says, finishing the pour and sitting back down next to Azure. He takes a sip before continuing, "we would be persecuted. We would be hunted down by other Varan and our entire line exterminated. It did not turn out the way the blood mage intended, but it did change the way my house was perceived, and the way we operate, for all time."

"So all of our children are born this way. Let me tell you, the transition from being a normal child into one with the ability to absorb the very essence of another, to make the dead rise from the grave before one's very eyes...it is not easy. Many Von Haren children don't survive the event, accidentally creating an abomination that kills them on the spot, or hunted down for unintentionally taking the wrong soul. My mother and father were excellent teachers, but still. It changed so much. My very perception of the world was different. Things were no longer either good or bad. I was not a bad person, yet I did things that one would consider bad. It was...a dilemma. I could go deeper into this, but suffice to say, such a dramatic change in one's perceptions, in the very way the world feels ...it is not foreign to me," says Ulfang, falling silent with a light sigh.

After several minutes, he speaks up again, much less solemn than before. 
"We will go to the Theatre, then, and then we will pick up something to eat. Gauldinian good is...well, unfortunately you will not be able to taste it until I bring you back. Ah, there is so much in life that you must be shown! I would be honoured to be your guide to life, so to speak, if you would have me in such a capacity."

"The fact that you cannot provide an answer to such a question should be expected. Thus, nothing to be particularly sorry about," responds Ulfang with a small shrug.
"And besides, the more we speak, the more I can see that we are kindred spirits...or perhaps it has simply been too long since I had an acquaintance to speak to. I suppose time will tell. Regardless, I do not need you to apologise at every minor mistake, or apologise for being positively unable to do something."

Ulfang studies Azure as she reacts to his suggestion, smiling lightly at her muted, yet apparent excitement. "I am glad you feel that way, Azure. I will endeavour to live up to your expectations. I must warn you, however, that my profession can be distasteful at times. The Varan people as a whole can be an unruly folk, and even some of those who live under my stewardship disobey my sacred laws at times. They are dealt with harshly. I imagine you will see things that would make most men disgusted. I truly hope you will still see me in the same light, when it comes down to such a situation."

While Ulfang's lips remain pressed together in a neutral expression, his eye burns with anger at her former master's antics. As such he hardly registers her calling him by name instead of as a title, though the small part of his mind that is allocated to observing that fact is pleased with it.
"Such blatant disregard for the land and its people. And for what reason? The love of inflicting pain? Pah. I hope he got what he deserved," responds Ulfang, his tone tinged with no small measure of disgust.

Then, his face turns sympathetic. A new expression for Azure to observe, and one that doesn't come often to the necromancer.
"I am sorry you had to go through such a thing. I would never wish such an abhorrent fate upon anyone, much less someone such as yourself. In any case, it makes me very...pleased to hear your words. It is clear that you have a greater understanding of what must be done to ensure prosperity than most...my, Azure, I must admit that I am already growing very fond of you."

Azure might be able to see just the slightest touch of embarrassment on Ulfang's face as he admits his emotion, his cheeks flushing ever so slightly. Such an admittance was...unusual to him, to say the least. But it is difficult to look upon this lovely, sweet, tortured Elven soul and not be attracted...though whether it is simply the fact that she is non-judgemental, or something more, he cannot yet know. Like his new charge, he himself is rather inept at exploring the multitude of emotional stimuli that have bombarded him this day.

"I apologise, perhaps I have overstepped my bounds. We did just meet today, after all," says Ulfang, with a troubled look. This was not necromancy, or battle, or ruling a fief...this was much harder. Explaining one's feelings, when one is unsure of them themselves.
Truly the ultimate trial, he muses.

"Ah, excellent. Those who would torture their own people without any semblance of a reason deserve nothing but the worst fate," responds Ulfang with a dangerous-looking grin. When she asks her question, however, his lips turn down into a slight contemplative frown.

"Improper? Perhaps not. However, one such as myself, who rarely engages on introspection, might find it difficult to know whether or not the feeling of affection is a temporary feeling caused by other factors, or if it is true," responds Ulfang, examining his own thoughts with newfound interest. Perhaps she was right, and it would be best to simply...follow his heart, as they say. Or, perhaps caution is a more prudent course of action.

His thoughts are broken by her suggestion. It is rather late, and even one with the high measure of vitality such as himself does require a modicum of rest. "Alright," he says, finally, "if you are intent on defending me instead of...recharging, or whatever it is you do to keep your own vitality, I will not object. It would be nice to not have to sleep with one eye open, and I have seen firsthand how powerful you are. Thank you for your assistance, Azure."
With that, he lies back on the bed and closes his eyes. Within moments, he falls into a sleep deeper than he's felt in a long time, his exhausted body allowing itself to truly revitalise...

Ulfang awakens fairly early in the morning, about five hours after he'd fallen asleep, to the cooing of a Mourning Dove perched upon the windowsill. He smiles and stretches languidly, giving a light yawn. He'd not slept that well in ages. He sits up on his bed and rubs his eyes before searching the hotel for something resembling a bath tub. Perhaps Azure could have another use; if she could fill a tub with water, it would be a very useful utility.

He finds one tucked in a corner behind a curtain, a porcelain tub standing upon clawed eagle feet, roomy and luxurious looking.
"Perfect," he says with a grin. "Azure, my dear, could you assist me for a moment?"

"Well, first, I must bathe and wash off the dust and grime of the road. My dear, be grateful you do not have a sense of smell right now," responds Ulfang with a deep, bassy laugh. He removes his trousers and undergarments, revealing that his lower half is just as tone as his upper half, and that he is rather...large in other places, pleasingly proportional to his eight feet of muscle. He slides himself into the bath with a contented sigh.

"Thank you, Azure. This is perfect," he says, smiling gratefully over at her. Then, he thinks of something and snaps his fingers. "Ah, I almost forgot. Could you reach into my coat pocket and bring me the small flask you find there? I nearly forgot my scented oils. It would hardly do any good were I to bathe without them, would it?"

"No, thank you. Do whatever you like for the next half hour. You could even join me if you like, though I doubt you'd want to, seeing as you are unable to feel anything," responds Ulfang with a light smile in her direction. If nothing else, he is certainly not shy about her seeing him nude, or even being fairly close to him while he is.

He pours the scented oils into the bath water, and an aroma of roses and thyme is released into the air, swirling about him with the steam. It's quite the pleasant scent, although Azure likely won't be able to tell.