The lab or the clinic would definitely have the necessary requirements for Gale to do more in depth testing, if any of the equipment he’d seen on brief peeks inside both buildings were anything to go off of. Add would definitely like to get his hands on Gale in order to turn him into the latest lab rat, so that would certainly be of some use once this whole mess out here down by the river was resolved.

Astarion opened his mouth to give voice to such thoughts, only for it to snap shut again the moment Gale scattered off to rummage through his things. Annoyance bloomed clearly on his expression, betrayed by the tight curl of his lip and the narrowing of his eyes. Eyes that, moments later, widened once more as Gale brandished the knife.

Astarion took a quick back-step away from both Gale and the fire, pivoting to put a little more distance between the two of them as his left hand quickly moved up to clamp over his nose. This nightly stroll of his was the prelude to a proper hunt, after all, and he couldn’t exactly risk giving the scent of Gale’s putrid blood the chance to ruin his appetite. He could have, of course, merely opted to cease the pretense of breathing, but he was nothing if not theatrical.

“Must you do that without warning me first?” His tone came out rather petulant, even if slightly muffled by the added layer of his palm. Letting out a deep, suffering sigh of exasperation, he shook his head before continuing. “Well? Are you planning on joining me in my aforementioned dietary habits, or are you just as offensive on the palate as always?”