Jerusha was utterly charmed by the strange, extremely large moth - the hawk-moth - who pointed his wee little antennae at her it seemed, though surely she must be imagining such a thing. Moths held an undying fascination for her, and always had. When she was a little girl, Jerusha had imagined them to be the brave knights among the insect world, fearlessly charging into the light no matter the consequences to themselves, dashing themselves against the whole world no matter the cost, simply to be enveloped in that luminous glory...
It was a silly child's notion of course, though it brought a smile to her face nonetheless. Perhaps Nestor and his coachman were actually bright lights then, the both of them, that moths should have such an affinity for their persons? Another silly notion of course, though she may have confided that whimsical thought to Nestor but for the fact he had begun a promised story.
She fell silent as he spoke, reverently quiet as always before a fine storyteller, no matter if his tale were comic or tragic. Jerusha fought the urge mightily, the urge to lay a comforting hand on Nestor's arm or to wrap her own about his shoulders as he spoke of his long-dead and noble hound. Not everyone - "merely" mortal or a denizen of the Veiled World - would care for the touch of a vampire, often [rightly] considering such a move suspect at best.
"It never once occurred to me, Master Grimsley, that you would not have a childhood of your own." Jerusha could not help but wonder at the import of Nestor's story, at the two dead animals she could still see in her mind's eye, their life's blood joining the parted streams of clear silver to mingle forever in a forest pool, but she was content to let the mystery lie a little longer. She would take her careful, measured time then, to sew together the pieces he might share and form the tapestry of this strange man, the pale-haired gentleman whose devilish smirk contrasted so profoundly with a wistful thoughtfulness.
"But perhaps if you would give poor Nameless here, the name of your brave hound? " she whispered instead of the touch she might have first offered. Still, the dulcet timbre of her voice rang as full of promise as the vesper bell. "I have found that naming a thing often brings it forth, if you understand my meaning. You can see he is brave, and bold, even in this pitiful condition."
But before she could properly finish the thought, Jerusha's gaze was pulled swiftly from Nestor, laughing softly at his jest as the carriage for Lord Wright arrived in a most spectacular and noisy fashion - no matter the taciturn demeanor of its driver. "Thank you, Master Grimsely," Jerusha replied sincerely before leaving man and dog behind her for the moment, and retrieving a thoroughly startled young lord from his assigned position across the thoroughfare.
The moment Lady Wilde laid her hand against his arm, smiling so prettily up at him, those sapphire eyes mesmerizing, as endlessly fascinating as any gemstone found in the hands of men, Lord Wright was lost. Jerusha wrapped her arm in his easily, laying her head against his shoulder as they walked to the open carriage door. Oh yes, but of course she understood his disappointment, one she felt every inch as keenly as he. But there was simply no help for it this evening, what with a dear old friend found fallen on hard times? And certainly, she would make all this up to him tomorrow evening - entirely alone in her gardens, the two of them for a late dinner by candlelight, music and wine and the most intoxicating company he had ever known...
She wove a coverlet of magic with her voice, the words that tripped so lightly off her tongue like a warm, comforting blanket of illusion that ensured none of the Veiled World shining so brightly around him now, remained in his conscious thoughts. Nothing but the oddly convenient coach with the incredibly tall driver, and the spectacular radiance of the woman beside him.
But for a precious few, it was not for mortal men to see the spectacular underbelly of their own world. The Veiled World might not long survive the hard, jealous scrutiny of mortal men.
Charles pulled Jerusha close before he stepped into the carriage, embracing her tightly until she groaned so softly, shuddering with the sudden need. Unbidden, her gloved fingers interlaced behind head, running tenderly through his hair as she buried her face in the hollow of his neck and shoulder. The pain of the hunger Charles woke with his spontaneous ardor was like no other the vampiress had ever known in her mortal life, the gnawing in her belly become a living thing screaming its need with razor-edged claws. Her tongue flicked greedily over those growing fangs, parched and begging for relief from this horrible thirst...
If she had a breath, Jerusha might have tried to catch it at that instant, the supreme effort of will she exerted at that moment costing her dearly. The vampiress pushed away from Charles, perhaps a little too quickly, her head hung to the ground for a long moment. She would not lift her gaze again until she was sure she would not greet him with the smile of the predator she truly was.
Only a second or two had passed before she looked up to the young man, a mask of amusement dancing in her eyes that he was helpless to see through. "You would not scandalize me before these people, would you Charles?" she whispered, taking a step backward, offering him a hand to take in farewell. "Tomorrow, sweet man. Tomorrow, where we will have our privacy and our leisure. Go on, off with you then... "
Not until the carriage was well underway, did Jerusha feel strong enough to turn back to Nestor and Nameless. Well, perhaps not Nameless for long she could only hope, and she smiled fondly at the poor dog, and to the far-more-than-mortal man beside him.
The vampiress felt paper thin, merely a veneer of herself as she entwined her arm with Nestor's. "Well then, Master Grimsley, " she said evenly, with a strength and cheer she did not truly feel at the moment. But if she named a thing, perhaps it would yet come to her, and that thought alone bolstered her. "Do tell - this place we are yet to visit together? I admit, I am intrigued!"