Welcome to Charming, where swirling petticoats, the language of flowers, and old-fashioned duels are only the beginning of what is lying underneath…
After a magical attempt on her life in 1877, Queen Victoria launched a crusade against magic that, while tidied up by the Ministry of Magic, saw the Wizarding community exiled to Hogsmeade, previously little more than a crossroad near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the years that have passed since, Hogsmeade has suffered plagues, fires, and Victorian hypocrisy but is still standing firm.
Thethe year is now 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.
Complete five threads of five posts or more where your character experiences bad luck, such as stepping in a chamberpot, losing the rings for a wedding, etc...
Did You Know?
One of the cheapest homeless shelters in Victorian London charged four pennies to sleep in a coffin. Which was... still better than sleeping upright against a rope? — Jordan / Lynn
If he was being completely honest, the situation didn't look good, but Sylvano was not in the habit of being completely honest about anything. No reason to start now.
— Sylvano Capobiancoinyou & me & the war of the endtimes
Gilbert watched Mr. Jeong’s processing of his question with glimmering green eyes, eager and observant. He could only imagine what was going through the pretty human’s mind as his heart race kept a steady tick above calm. He was doing a good job of staying moderately regulated, always a good thing around Gilbert who had been known to be unpredictable at times. The answer that finally reigned amongst the ones he could see being tossed around was curious.
What was he on the hunt for?
“Besides the obvious, leibe?” Gil couldn’t help but laugh. Sex. Blood. Entertainment. It was all the same to Gilbert. Better yet when he could combine the three. But there was no particular story there.And there hadn’t been for a long time. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no romantic truth hidden behind my pretty face,” Gilbert continued, perhaps more honestly than he might have under other circumstances. “I go where I want, when I want, for no particular reason other than— I want to. I’ve lived for a long time and there’s nothing new anymore; nothing worth getting excited over. I don’t delude myself that there ever will be, so I spend my days seeking whatever entertainment might be had.” Art. Business. It was all just a way to wile away the time he had on this Earth. Boring, perhaps, but that had always been Gilbert’s curse. Being bored, quite literally, to death.
It was ironic; Ahn-Bo craved freedom for himself and his brothers, while the vampire appeared as if he had too much of it. Is that what it was truly like if you were able to do anything and everything you wanted? You would simply run out of things to want? It sounded miserable honestly, not that his current situation was a better alternative.
“You’re even more tragic than I,” he commented with a quirk of his lips. “Should we trade? I have more freedom than I know what to do with, and you yearn to escape the control of a monster?” It may have been a bit bold to poke fun at something that the vampire may have considered too personal-but Ahn-Bo was several drinks in, frustrated, and too charming for his own good.
The teasing reaction was definitely a surprise. Gilbert had not expected Jeong to be so… relaxed, or jovial, really about anything— but most certainly not their situations. Though he had a point in all fairness. The two of them were at opposite ends of the extreme; one with nothing and the other with everything, both equally unfortunate. The suggestion that followed, however impossible, only made Gilbert smirk. “I doubt your monster would have the means to make much of me,” he said intentionally. And it was true. Gilbert was not a patient, accommodating person and he had a nasty temper. There had never been anyone who could control him. The last person that had even tried to manipulate, lightly, and had more means than the average, had met an unfortunate and decisive end. But that was not something he was going to dwell on.
Leaning forward to press his elbows to his knees, Gilbert wondered what means Jeong’s monster had to keep him under leash. It had to be something rather important or magically impossible. The question danced in his expression but the vampire held back. He might need that information himself one day and there was no use frightening Jeong with the possibility of Gilbert’s knowing it. “What do you want from life, liebe?” He asked instead. “If you had your freedom and the means to do and go anywhere. Eternally, even. What would you do with yourself?” It was a fair curiosity. Gilbert suspected his answer would be much the same as every other person though: he’d drink, he’d love, he’d exist in a state of pure indulgence. But indulgence wore thin on one’s nerves after the first hundred years. He doubted even pretty little Jeong would survive to say any differently.
Ahn-Bo's ears pricked in interest at the vampire's retort. Did he mean Yeom wouldn't be able to control him because he was a centuries old vampire? He was clearly wealthier than Yeom could ever hope to be. It couldn't have been an implication of magic, since beings like him didn't have access to such things. What would it be like, exchanging the gift of magic with that of immortality? (Although he didn't know that he'd think of immortality as a gift necessarily, it sounded as if it became a rather dull existence.)
"Anything and everything, I suppose," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I haven't experienced all of my options just yet to be decisive enough for that." It hadn't been something he'd really thought about before, either—that would have required him thinking ahead, hoping for an improbable future that would never come, no matter how badly he wanted it to. Ahn-Bo finished the remaining liquid in his cup before he made to stand. "I know the first thing I would do—whatever it took so that my brother's have their freedom too."
⚘
Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.
If his little mutter towards the former had caught Jeong’s attention, Gilbert pretended not to notice. He wasn’t presently in the business of making himself partial towards any monsters or daemons that controlled others unless it was of particular benefit to him. Though he was endlessly curious. Jeong left him with more questions on that account than answers; questions Gilbert would evidently need to dig around elsewhere to find answers for.
The question he’d posed however was met with a rather lackluster response, not that he’d expected any differently. At least Jeong was diplomatic and not hasty like some. It was fair enough not to expect himself to have all the answers, though Gilbert suspected he had at least one rolling around up there. The next minute he was standing though and mentioning something about brothers.
At first, Gilbert’s instinct to snarl and question Jeong on just where he thought he was going made the vampire sit up sharply. But, knowing better than to act on that first impulse all the time since he’d matured some over the centuries… Gilbert gave his neck a small stretch and relaxed. He wasn’t ready to be done with their little exchange but he’d decided he liked Jeong, unfortunately. So that meant, at least for now, letting his new pet walk free. No expectations. No restrictions. Else he’d scamper off and next time wouldn’t be nearly as fun. As for that bit about brothers— “You’re generous," he purred. "These brothers of yours must mean quite a lot.” An invitation, maybe, to add more. Gilbert wasn’t going to dismiss Jeong so easily, even if he was willing to let the pretty human walk out intact.
Instinctively, Ahn-Bo froze, as if the predator had spotted its prey. Gilbert had shifted in his seat so quickly, he'd been a near blur. It had been subtle, but it was enough to be alarming. The hand not holding the mug was fully prepared to retrieve the wand from his vest pocket, should he need to defend himself. Though he suspected Gilbert had faster reflexes, so the outcome of such a move would not be in his favor. At that point, he'd have to rely purely on his fists.
The vampire settled—or appeared to; Ahn-Bo wasn't about to lower his defenses—though he wasn't entirely certain he was allowed to leave. A glance at the stoic house elf by the door didn't offer any additional insight. His wrinkled face was just as bland as it always had been, as if this were an everyday occurrence for him. It probably was, if this was Gilbert's typical behavior. "Of course," He replied matter-of-factly, as if he wasn't on the brink of being eaten by a vampire (and not in the fun way.) "Do you—or did you, I guess—have siblings? Family?"Unfortunately, the only path to the door meant that he would have to pass by the predator's perch.
Growing up in Joseon, all children were taught that if a tiger attacked you, you should play dead. No running, screaming, or reacting in any way. Eventually, it would get bored and leave you alone. He'd never come upon a tiger in the mountains in his human memory (Noona Eun-Ho excluded), though he supposed now was the time to try it. He made no further move toward the door. For now.
Jeong’s heart fluttered in his chest like a bird in a cage at Gilbert’s sudden movement. The temptation of it was tugging against the vampire’s considerable show of restraint thus far, but Gilbert wasn’t willing to devoid the world - his world - of that pretty face just yet. He sucked in a deep breath, full of amber and spice and the promise of nectar in those veins, and let it go— as easily as all that.
He offered Jeong an apologetic little grin, half feigned, as he finished his glass and leaned forward to place it on the table. “I don’t remember much about my pesky human life,” he admitted, perhaps as a show of good will. “So your guess is as good as mine.” Gilbert gave a humorless little laugh, his face growing a bit harder suddenly. “But I did have blood bothers, once.” Too bad it seemed like his relationship with his siblings was much different than Jeong and his. Or was it?
Gilbert stood abruptly, but at a normal human pace this time. “I’m sure you have places to be, however, Mr. Jeong, and I’ve taken up too much of your time already.” He made a small gesture towards the door, as if offering for his guest to go first, before halting him suddenly. “But do keep me in mind,” he said more quietly. “I should like to keep up our little… acquaintance.”
Well, that answer had been distinctly terrifying. Ahn-Bo could slightly relate as far as ignoring (or perhaps forgetting, though he didn't think he could ever truly do that) his original family. The ones who had thrown him out after he'd... done what he did. They'd gone from a family of five to a family of three in a matter of days. The family he had now was found family, but that didn't make him any less attached. Perhaps more so, as they'd weathered the terrors together for so long. Picking up each other's pieces when one of them fell apart. The trauma had united them in a way nothing else could have.
"There's no chance I'd forget," he agreed, forcing a grin as he (also) forced himself to step towards the door (again). It didn't make him feel any better that Gilbert was now standing (even if he was a good deal shorter than Ahn-Bo at this height.) Nor had it helped that he felt as if the vampire was playing with him. Frightening him on purpose—giving him leave to go and then withdrawing it just as suddenly."We'll see each other again soon, I'm sure." And with that, the house elf swept the door open for him, and he went straight home.
![[Image: d2gEZzQ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/d2gEZzQ.png)