[C][M] Decorations

If there is one thing he had learned in his life, it is to follow a strong woman's orders. Not out of respect, but out of fear. It took a certain type of person to be that way when so much was against them.

"I promise we can put on quite a show. It has a fantastic climax and you'll remember it for days," he said airily.

He stood up out of Corban's lap and leaned casually against the table.

"So, payment."

"I've no time for shows. I prefer experiences."

Why would she want to be a voyeur when she could experience life and pleasure herself?

"Come, we'll discuss payment in the front."

She gestured for Dick and Corban to join her and turned to leave the back room.

Trusting Corban to follow, he made his way over to the front. In the same manner as earlier, he leaned on the front desk.

"So, what ridiculous price are you going to charge me? Oh, before you do," he turned and pointed to the golden collar encrusted with emeralds, "I want that too."

Corban did follow. After ten years of it, following Dick was second nature, really.

He stood behind his Vampire as Dick leaned against the counter.

Angela's brows rose at the mention of a ridiculous price. Well, now he had said that, he was going to get an even more ridiculous price.

Triple? No, not anymore. Quadruple.

She named a price and leaned forwards slightly with an upwards turn of her lips.

Dick hummed in thought.

He halved the price she said with a raise of his brow, still knowing it was probably more then what most pay.

If it was a normal establishment he would have tried to sneak Corban's six foot three frame out the door and leg it. This wasn't a normal establishment and it probably had wards and all types of different spells to stop theft.

Adrian narrowed his eyes from his corner of the room.

Angela snorted and repeated her price.

She wasn't going to let a smooth-talking Vampire get the better of her. Not when he'd been on his way to lying with his meal in her back room.

Angela was perhaps more stubborn than Dick was. Adrian, and anyone else that had tried to haggle with her, could attest to that.

"Okay, we will drop the necklace."

It was probably worth more than a third of the price. If it didn't, then they have probably installed some sort of trick to make it look authentic and pretty. It wasn't worth his money then.

He could find Corban something similar and equally as pretty. They had the whole of today and tomorrow together to explore the port.

Angela tutted softly.

"Won't even treat your meal? I've met better Vampires in the slums." She side-eyed Dick as she began bustling around with some earrings behind the counter that she hadn't set out to display yet.

She left the insult hanging, not naming a new price.

Dick was more insulted by how bad the insult was. It wasn't creative. He heard the same tactic used before.

"Have you? I'm sure they all have bags full of coins just waiting to be spent at your quaint shop. You should have no problem shifting any of this."

He drummed his finger on the table, waiting.

"No, sadly those people rarely have the funds to pay for our wares."

Her eyes pierced Dicks and she leaned forwards again. "But you? You look like a man that bleeds gold like a stuck pig. I want you for every penny you'll give me."

She was nothing if not blunt.

She named her price again.

Dick paused, in consideration. Then grinned, amused by her bluntness.

"Unfortunately for you sweetheart, that isn't happening. Besides, I don't have the money you are asking for."

He halved the price.

"Now, that I don't believe," she responded, also in English. Her accent was thick with a Scottish brogue. If he thought he would catch her out like that, then he was sorely mistaken.

"Pretty boy like you? Donned in the finest lace, wearing such pretty jewels, carting around a slave that you're treating with jewellery?"

One of Angela's brows arched high.

She added ten percent onto her price.

The amused smile was still on his face. He liked her pluck. Charmed by it.

Shame he had a taste strictly for men.

"Nice to see you noted that I spent my coin elsewhere. Not too sure what you think, but my purse does get smaller each time I purchase something."

Dick went back down to his original price he is willing to pay.

"Your purse, perhaps. Your coffers?" She shook her head. "They're still brimming. Overflowing."

She planted her hands on the display top and leaned forwards. The two of them were nose to nose. Her eyes blazed.

"I ken you're trying to find a chink in me armour. Donae think ye'll find it." She named her high price again.

Dick stared at her for a long moment before turning to Corban. He gave him a grin that hopefully conveyed what he was thinking; we are going to fuck so hard when we get back.

He levelled his gaze back to her, considering.

The price he gave her was halfway between what she wanted and what he wanted.

A little smile came to Corban's lips in response. He was looking forward to it.

Angela wasn't having any of the bartering. She named her higher price again. "Or you can return the boys' jewels." No nonsense.

Take it or return the goods they were paying for. Simple.

Her eyes turned over Dick's shoulder to her husband. She was half-expecting something unpleasant to happen, and Adrian was the one to take care of that drama.

A little smile came to Corban's lips in response. He was looking forward to it.

Angela wasn't having any of the bartering. She named her higher price again. "Or you can return the boys' jewels." No nonsense.

Take it or return the goods they were paying for. Simple.

Her eyes turned over Dick's shoulder to her husband. She was half-expecting something unpleasant to happen, and Adrian was the one to take care of that drama.

Adrian gave a slight nod to his wife. He had been on edge since they strode in.

The wealthier supernatural folk always had an air around them as if they deserved the world. They were always the most problematic.

Dick looked at Angela, then behind himself at her handsome husband, then to his human. Who, as far as he was aware, didn't have an ounce of magical capability in him.

He was in their territory and he didn't want anything happening to his human.

"Fine, I'll pay the price," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Besides, she had charmed him. It was easier to hand over his money to those that he liked.

"Excellent." Angela's stormy personality shifted and she beamed at the Vampire before her.

"Adrian, fetch us the necklace. The emerald collar," she ordered as she straightened out the skirts on her dress.

She was a much nicer person to deal with when she wasn't being haggled with. Dick would be quick to realise this.

The sudden cheery attitude wasn't too much of a surprise to Dick.

Adrian gave Angela a fond smile, equally as pleased that they were squeezing the vampire for every penny that he is worth. It was all his wife's doing.

He carefully took the to the golden collar - that had truthfully been difficult to shift - out of the case and wrapped it in a soft cloth. He brought it over to his wife.

Dick pulled out a bag of coin from the inside of his jacket - proving that he did, in fact, walk around with the money he claimed he didn't have. He was either stupid or cocky.

Angela's hand rested affectionately on Adrian's arm for a moment when he joined them.

"Before we finish, is there anything else you'd like? Anything else that caught your fancy?" Why not try and bleed them for a little more? It wasn't too often they got such wonderfully rich people here. She wanted a chance at him.

Her smile was pleasant as she leaned slightly against her husband.

She was tempting him to bleed him dry, but he knew that. But he still glanced around to see. He didn't know the next time he was going to be in an establishment like him.

He hummed and landed his gaze back to Angela.

"Anything more sensational?"

"There are many trinkets that match the necklace," she tempted, a coy smile on her face.

"Adrian, fetch the trunk from out the back," she ordered as she moved around the counter to meet Dick.

"Come, there are some this way. Adrian will procure the rest."

She led Dick to the front of the store, where the case filled with the necklace and other wares was. She gestured to what was left in the box. Earrings, rings, daintier necklaces and bracelets. All in the same delicate gold and shimmering emeralds.

"All would complement the necklace and your meals wonderful complexion well." She took a moment to leer at Corban, who had followed behind Dick and was looking down into the display case.

She was fine with her leering - it was a compliment to his taste made him prideful that Corban was his. All she could do was look.

"It is all rather beautiful."

He lifted a rather delicate dangling earing to the side of Corban's face. The juxtaposition of his firm features and stoic personality looked surprisingly nice.

He dropped it back down in place and looked in interest when Adrian placed down the box he was supposed to fetch.

"These are less delicate," Angela continued, making her way over to Adrian.

She patted her husband's cheek affectionately then opened the clasp on the trunk. She opened the lid for Dick to see.

"But equally as complementary to your meal."

The contents of the trunk were cuffs, made of gold and decorated with jewels; emeralds, sapphires, rubies. So many different types.

Some of the cuffs were linked together with fine chains. "Charmed by myself. These won't break easily," she assured, then lifted a baton from the trunk. Chains attached to one end of the baton clinked. These were thicker than the chains attached to the cuffs.

"This piece is my favourite." She tipped the baton, so the emeralds along the length of it glittered, and the delicate pattern-work in the gold shined. The unattached end was decorated with a tigers head, the eyes two brilliant emeralds.

"It's a show piece, mostly, but one I favour."