Thomas Raith

'allo? Zis is Toe-moss. I'm not 'ere right now. You know ze drill.

Thomas is a White Court Vampire, or incubus. Unlike your normal vampires (if you can call Red and Black Court vampires normal), White Court don’t feed on blood, they feed on emotions, specifically, in the case of House Raith, lust. Not only is Thomas extremely good looking, he has a glamour surrounding him which makes him sexually attractive. This can affect both men and women. This is something he cannot turn off. If you meet him, you will notice him, and there is a reasonably high chance you will be attracted to him. However, unlike the rest of his family, he tries to control it as best he can. He tries to be monogamous (he is in love with one woman, Justine).

Thomas feeds during intimate contact with (in his case) women. Basically he merges his life force with that of whoever he is with, and pulls a little bit of the victim’s away when he is finished. However, he cannot touch anyone who has been touched by true love. True love occurs when you are selflessly in love with someone, and they love you in return, and you have had sex with them. It is to do with the mingling of energies between the couple – White Court vampires cannot touch this. It doesn’t matter how long ago this was, as long as you don’t have sex with anyone else, that energy is still the strongest touch on you. As an example, if Bob were mortal, even though he has been apart from Winifred for 800 or so years, he would still be protected. True love causes physical pain to White Court vampires, causing blistering at the very least. They also cannot touch items such as gifts that have been passed between true lovers – for instance, his cousin Madrigal was poisoned by the thorn of a rose passed between lovers.

The village has provided him with his own version of The Coiffure Cup, his salon, as he has in the books. He will feed primarily from npc’s, though if you are there, and have your hair done by him, he will take a ‘nip’. Please note, if you are touched by true love, he will not be able to touch you at all. There will be npc's working at the salon as well in case of this. As a result, the salon is pretty much always open (officially, 10-7pm, Mon-Sat). Please talk to me if you aren’t sure.

One more thing. He is almost fanatically loyal to his family. If you hurt, in no particular order, Harry Dresden, Maggie Dresden (and if she arrives), Lara Raith, he will hurt you back. Hard.

Please note: This verse is intended to explore the darker sides of the Raith siblings. It comes with appropriate warnings and ratings. Expect anything up to and including NC-17. This is not a verse for children or the squeamish. If you are offended by anything written, you have a perfectly functional back button, please use it.

Co-written with viagraonlegs

Chronology

Early days - Thomas

Beginnings
Preparations

Lara

Childhood memories
The greatest loss is what dies inside

Do you have any siblings? What relationship do you have with them?

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Thomas Raith
Dresden Files
Word Count: 439

1. The customers who think they can ‘change’ my orientation. I mean, come on. You think I enjoy pretending to be gay?

2. The supernatural world in general. Yeah, I’m part of it, but it still annoys the crap outta me.

3. Anyone who picks a fight with my family.

4. Lara. When she gets all ‘I told you so’.

5. Harry. Most of the time, but generally when he drags me along as support. Or rings for a lift at 3am.

6. Cold callers. Seriously, how many times do they have to be told that no, I really don’t want to sign up for life insurance?

7. Burger King. Give me McDonalds any day.

8. Warm beer. Specifically, if Mac’s ale is warm. I know, he’ll kill me, but hey.

9. Have to skulk around the Wardens – if I’m found out, Harry’s dead.

10. The creatures that insist on bashing in my new cars. Ever tried explaining ‘giant fly like creatures attacked my car’ to an insurance company?


Thomas Raith
Dresden Files
Word Count: 169

Unseasonably cold.

Thomas couldn’t help but notice the late snow. Not that it was completely out of character for Chicago in April, but it was unusual. And it felt wrong.

He stood by his new car – well, if you could call the Hummer a car. It was bought with his brother’s propensity towards trouble in mind. Bought and paid for out of the money he’d earned at the salon, not touching anything Raith related. Ostentatious, yes, but it fitted in with the whole ‘Toe-moss’ persona. He stood, one hand on the door, and sniffed the air.

Something was coming. He could feel it in the air. Something – supernatural.

Thomas shuddered. Ever since he’d joined with the Erlking on the Great Hunt he’d had a heightened sense of awareness for all things strange. He’d felt it at Arctic Tor, and this weather was giving him the same creepy sensation.

The Winter Court was involved, somehow. If it were Summer it would have a wholly different feel, but this...? This felt like Winter.

On cue his cell phone rang. Trouble on the horizon, who else would it be?

“Harry,” he said as he answered, not even needing to look at the caller display.

“Thomas.” He heard the familiar voice of his brother, muffled somehow. “I need a favour.”

Of course.


Thomas Raith
Dresden Files
Word Count: 218

Those first few days after Thomas moved out of House Raith were the worst. For the first couple of days, it was fine. The Hunger was something he could ignore – after all, when he’d been separated from Justine for whatever reason, he tended not to feed until he had to, both he and the demon preferring to wait, to feed on the emotions she had in abundance.

It was on the fourth day that Thomas realized that what he’d given up could be a problem.

He was out late at night, getting some more painkillers for Harry, with what little money he had left after paying of Kincaid. The pharmacist was blonde, tiny, green eyes, and altogether too cute. He’d turned up the lust factor almost automatically, and she was dragging him into the back room before he realized what he was doing.

His demon snarled at him, reminding him that he hadn’t fed since before it had done all the repair work after his father had broken his neck. It wanted sustenance, now.

Thomas let it, recovering what it needed.

It was only when he went back a week later for more painkillers, and the same pharmacist threw herself at him even before he’d barely entered the store, as she started to pull off her clothing, not caring who saw them that the full extent of what had happened hit him.

He couldn’t allow anyone to get addicted to him.

Sure, he could do what Madrigal had, allow someone rich to become addicted, keep him in the lifestyle he was used to. But it wasn’t him, and given the faith Harry and Justine had shown in him, he couldn’t do it.

He’d work out something, feeding lightly, not enough to hurt them, even though it went against everything he truly was, went against nature. And with Harry’s apartment, that was going to make things interesting.

But he would. Because he had to.


Thomas Raith
Dresden Files
Word Count: 323

God, how long have you got? When I was putting myself through cosmetology school, I had so many crappy jobs that I’m not sure I could pick out just one.

There was the meat packing. That sucked. Seriously. Bunch of women, or really ugly men in a slaughterhouse. Just... don’t. I don’t know who was more relieved when I got fired from that – me, or the boss, who’s wife had just cornered me in one of the huge refrigerators. I think looking back, it was probably me.

Then there was the department store. It was actually where I got the idea for the persona of ‘Toe-moss’ from. Working in gentlemen’s clothing, you kind of had to be gay, so it was ideal training ground for that, though without the screamingly bad accent. Though the women who came in there with their boyfriends often ended up aggressively telling me they could ‘turn me straight’. After a month, I had to go.

There were times I seriously thought about what Arturo said, about coming to work for him in the erotic film industry. Even though he’d ‘retired’ he still had contacts there, and could have gotten me in, but I think if I had, that would have been my worst job.

No, in the end, working nights for a security firm in a warehouse no one ever visited? My best choice, though most people’s worst job. Amazing what one man hates, the next finds perfect.


Thomas Raith
Dresden Files
Word Count: 243

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Thomas Raith
The Dresden Files
Word Count: 240

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Thomas Raith
Dresden Files
Word Count: 248