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It was dark. Of course, it was. It was always dark in this place because even during the day the sky was blacked out with what looked like a thick layer of shadows. At this particular moment, however, it was nighttime, and sitting on the ground, on the outskirts of what appeared to be a heaping pile of ruin, was Grendel.

He was staring at the mass of rubble, occasionally lifting a finger to flick boulders from one side or the other, smashing them against each other with a deafening crack of sound, just to watch them burst into smaller pieces that littered the ground. It would only take a thought to clean it all up, but he was currently lost in those, not really sure what to do.

He had wanted a fresh start, to go with his freshly appointed status as God of all Vampires, and that had made him decide to tear his own temple to the ground. It had been practically a carbon copy of Caine's temple, after all....though it perhaps resembled it even more now, considering Grendel had torn that one down as well.

Apparently, he was good at destroying things, but not that good at building them back up again.

He heard the approach of Ravnos before anything else, the soft jingle of metal on metal a familiar sound that he had already gotten used to. He had been expecting him, or at least he had hoped he would turn up. The destruction of the temple was timed with that hope in mind.

One of the reasons he hadn't bothered trying to rebuild it yet, was that he had been hoping for an opinion.

As the Disciple neared, the God patted the ground next to him, inviting Ravnos to sit.

"Yes, but there's something very satisfying about just..." His deep voice rumbled, as he lifted another finger and flung another boulder, watching it smash into thousands of smaller pieces when it hit the ground. He then put his hands down on the ground and leaned back, and glanced over at the vampire.

"Besides, I thought you might like to help me. I want this to be a place for us," And possibly their future family, though he did not mention that part.

"And somewhere my followers can feel comfortable approaching me. The old temple was...menacing."

"Yes." He stated, giving the Disciple a sidelong glance of his own. "Sometimes. When you're in the area, perhaps." Of course, he knew that Ravnos was the nomadic sort. He wasn't stupid. And Grendel was sure to join him on his wanders, occasionally, when he had the time.

Still, this thought of a temple that was also a home wouldn't get out of his head. Ravnos had his wagon, and the God wanted something too, and he wanted the Disciple to be comfortable there.

"So, nothing like this." He gestured, and shadows moved around them, coalescing and forming over the rubble into a massive black structure, all sharp lines and spikes, and general bleakness.

Family gatherings. The thought alone was enough to send a shudder down Grendel's spine. Between the two of them, he thought they had quite a bit too much family, and there were sure to be a lot of issues should they ever all come together under one roof.

No, though he had been thinking of a more immediate family, between the two of them, specifically. He figured that was something that was bound to happen, eventually, and those were children he would likely have to have a hand in raising, unlike all of his others.

If he felt bad about having these thoughts, it didn't show on his currently impassive face.

"Oh, I have plans alright." He said, with heavy implication in his voice, glancing at that suddenly exposed line of neck and smirking. He chose not to even respond to the family gathering comment. For some reason he seemed to think if he ignored it, it would never be brought up again.

Silly God.

With Ravnos's laughter, Grendel smiled and waved the illusion away. Exactly the opposite? That was...difficult for him to even contemplate. He tried again, weaving a new illusion.

.....Perhaps his mind was just a very dark place.

"I'll share when I have a place to follow through with them." He stated, "In fact, I'll give you a full demonstration."

He was struggling here, and Ravnos was only helping in a very non-helpful way...save for advice that was basically the equivalent of 'don't do that, do something completely different, but not too different.'.

Not confusing at all.

Ravnos was also apparently stuck on this family thing, and Grendel closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. This was going to happen, wasn't it? The God wasn't going to have a say in it, was he?

"Sounds delightful." He said through gritted teeth, in a way that made it obvious that it did not sound delightful at all. "Should we invite my mother, too?" Yes. That was sarcasm. Heavy, heavy, sarcasm.

The next thing the Disciple said ended with a glare shot his way. Why did he have to be like this? Exasperated, Grendel waved that one away too, and conjured up what was basically just a house next.

It wasn't even remotely temple-like.

Deep breaths, Grendel.

He turned towards the Disciple, ignoring for a moment what he was actually trying to accomplish tonight. Besides, it wasn't going very well and that was only contributing to his annoyance. He knew enough of his own temper to know when he needed a break.

He also knew that, generally, Ravnos was a lot more level-headed and rational. Though all this talk about getting their families together collectively under one roof had the God questioning that.

"Do you think we should?" He asked, his tone becoming more serious. He searched the vampire's gaze with his own, trying to judge how much he actually wanted this, versus how much he was just trying to get a rise out of the God. He reached with one hand to find Ravnos's free one, sliding fingers between his. "Because it sounds like you do...but I think it would be absolute chaos."

He smiled a little at the last thing Ravnos said. "Surely not...I would never."

The smile grew.

".......Are you trying to get me to give up? Was that your plan all along?" He asked, a hint of a joke in his voice while staring wistfully at the place where his temple had once stood. Sighing, he let the last of his final illusion fade away. He just wasn't good at this.

Did he even really need a temple? Couldn't he just...be wherever he was needed? Wouldn't that be easier?

Shifting slightly, he wrapped an arm around Ravnos and stroked his fingers along the top of his leg.

"Did you have something else in mind?"

Idly, he decided to conjure up one more illusion. He thought, at least, that this one looked warm and more inviting than the others so far.

Ah yes, he was just being silly. That tracked. One of the most frustrating and yet somehow still absolutely endearing things about him was his silliness. It could be equal parts confounding and amusing to the God, depending on the situation of course….though, often it went over his head entirely.

“You just keep those in your sleeves?” He asked, amused, as he watched the Disciple begin to sketch. While he waited, he conjured up a drink for himself, the usual dark red liquid that was some kind of mix of blood and wine and probably a hint of ambrosia. Deciding his latest illusion, while slightly more appealing then the last three, was also not quite right, he watched it disintegrate, fading away in wisps.

He drank while he waited, one arm still wrapped around Ravnos, lost in thought, until he was called to attention.

He glanced at the sketches and had to admit, they were better than he was expecting. Both had some level of appeal, still impressive without being stark and lonely looking. He pointed to the first one, “This one is nice, though perhaps still a little ominous.” But was that a bad thing? He was the God of vampires. A certain aesthetic was to be expected.

He tried it out, turning back to the where his new temple would sit, he conjured up a more detailed version of what Ravnos had drawn, built out of a cliffside, complete with with warmth of light glowing through windows.

He turned back to the Disciple, and smiled, appreciating the validation he was offering. Setting down his cup, he slipped a hand behind Ravnos’s head and pulled him in for a kiss. Sometimes he just didn’t know what to say. This way he could still show his appreciation without saying a word.
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