Mayerling smiles, glancing down, his long lashes contrasting against his pale skin. Sharon speaks of the date, of them, of what they stand to be—tonight, this place they stand, the act they engage in... it's all the first step toward more. The second if you count the emotional gambit he took earlier as the first one.

"I will always consider the emotional gambits of openness when chance presents itself worth it, Sharon," Mayerling says, "Even with the risk it ends terribly."

His smile grows at the mention of Charlotte. The two women remind Mayerling of each other. He is sure that should their positions have been swapped, people would still regret their choices around them. In all the world he came from, how many humans could say they did not fear vampires?

Mayerling squeezes Sharon's hand. "I am sure she would like you and be glad to help," he says, "yes to... with you and me." Others may be unreasonably possessive, but Charlotte understood his lifespan and wanted him to be happy.