Realistic or Modern Phanotte's Folly [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

“Avery Morgan runs a small group within our hunting grounds in the north side of Phanotte. We have allowed them use of our hunting grounds, but for too long without something in return. It is time to fix that.”​

The words of Princeps Fredericka rang in Evander’s head as the subway dinged at the stop he needed. Oh sure, the red-head could have driven one of his cars, or even taken a taxi, but the neighborhood he was going into didn’t have the best of reputations. He almost doubted his own attire as he stepped out into the station, pressed black slacks, and a white button-up with a black-and-gold vest. He’d left behind a true suit jacket, to be a touch more casual, but he knew he still looked too well off for this area.

He rather wished he’d brought one of his magnums with him, but that would be all but pointless around another vampire, and he didn’t need the drama with the mortals.

He didn’t exude the aura of terror as he pushed through the subway’s crowd to get to the stairs, even if he heavily considered it as he shot a glare at a man who bumped into his left shoulder a bit too hard. Not that he faltered, but it annoyed him.

All this touching and close quarters annoyed him.

‘Prove your worth, Evander.’ He reminded himself as he plugged in the name of the place he was set to meet Avery, a nightclub called The Red Room.

It wasn’t subtle at all, given it doubled as a place for vampires to find blood dolls if they were struggling. Evander hardly needed to step into that kind of place for a drink, and he didn’t really plan to. He heard the rumors that these dolls in particular were usually drugged. They catered to a…particular kind of vampire.

A kind he’d never be.

The club wasn’t too far from the station, so Evander opted to walk the rest of the way. There was no ID check at the door, so he was able to simply walk into the booming bass that filled the club, and skim the room. He had no idea how Avery actually looked – photography and cameras were such a nuisance, their images never captured – but he’d been given instruction, and so up to the bar he went, and waited on the bartender to notice him.

Even though he was out of place, nothing in his posture suggested it. He held himself with that regality instilled in all of the Praxis, and when the brunette finally turned to him, and her smile faltered, he still managed to give her one, “Pardon me, I am here for the Green Table.”

“Oh!” She nodded, and then pointed out into the mess of the club, as if her gesture made any sense, “Up the stairs, darlin’. Should find the one you’re looking for with black hair and gorgeous stilettos!”

Evander arched an eyebrow, but nodded, and pushed away from the bar to head to the stairs, which did indeed indicate a more VIP flavor…even if it, also, lacked a guard to keep the riff-raff out. When he reached the top, he saw who he suspected of being Avery by that brief description, eyes trailing down to find the tell-tale stilettos.

Well, at least they were in fashion.

He approached the table, “Would you be Avery Morgan?”

~***~

Phanotte.

Adria Vallens had never been to Phanotte before, and seclusion in Oregon meant she was not accustomed to traversing a city so large. She stumbled in from the sleeping car she bought on the train, and tried to find the signs of other vampires.

Luck smiled upon her. The hotel she went to – one that stood out like a sore thumb, with its bright lights, and luxurious trappings – had vampiric staff on the night shift. She was immediately escorted from the hotel to meet Fredericka, apparently the head of the Praxis who all but ran Phanotte.

“Mmm, one of the Ars Sanguinis?” Fredericka seemed rather bored as she examined the blonde vampiress from her seat, one leg crossed over the other, hand in her cheek. “We weren’t informed of any travel into our domain.”

“I apologize, Princeps,” Adria inclined her head, “no warning was sent, but I would like to become a citizen here.”

“Why are you leaving your old domain?” The boredom remained, but Adria knew this was a question she couldn’t flub.

“I have learned all I can from the Ars back home. I wish to expand my knowledge here.”

“And move on when you’ve sucked us dry of knowledge, too, hm?” Fredericka sighed, but straightened up, “I won’t make you a citizen,” she stood, “but I will put you in contact with the Ars Sanguinis, and you will be their burden. You will have to prove yourself worthy of citizenship in this domain. Once you have settled, that can be discussed with the Ars Sanguinis, or another, to petition your citizenship.”

Adria really shouldn’t have expected any different in a city run by the Praxis. It was among the longest lived covenants, after all, and they were very…traditional, in everything. They loved their rules, almost as much as they loved loopholes.

Worse than a devil, but Adria accepted it, “Thank you, I appreciate your generosity,” and the Praxis loved a good suck-up. She knew how to fake it, and so she was given the contact information for the Ars Sanguinis within Phanotte. Fredericka promised to send them a message to alert them to her arrival, before Adria called an uber to get to a meet-up point, which seemed rather centrally located, near the college, disguised as an art gallery that was currently not hosting in any artist.

That made sense.

Even human knowledge and development was interesting, after all.

She approached the gallery with her single bag of rolling luggage, and noted that the building did indeed bear the familiar symbols of the Ars Sanguinis, before she rung the doorbell and hoped Fredericka truly had informed them of the new arrival.

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery was not looking forward to this meeting. They knew something like this was coming, but they wanted to postpone it for as long as possible. They had put it off for far too long; people were starting to get irritable. They decided it would be best to book the meeting to avoid any conflict since that was the last thing that they needed. They just hoped that it wouldn't take eons to get this sorted out and that they could come to a civil conclusion.

If things were to go sideways, that'd set their plans back a fair bit. Interference from the nobles was not what they wanted; they already couldn't stand how much they were bothered by them in the first place.

They stood up from the mirror after applying their red lip tint and put the cap on the bottle, satisfied with how their makeup looked. They pulled a leather jacket on over themselves, not because they'd be cold, but for fashion purposes. The last thing they put on before they went out the door were their black stilettos.

The drive to the club was uneventful; they passed by the same buildings that they always did whenever they decided to indulge in a drink. This neighborhood wasn't the best; windows were shattered and had to have iron rods bolted over them, fights broke out outside bars, and drug deals gone bad were a common occurrence. It was because this town wasn't the best that they chose to stay. With so many other things going on, who would focus on them?

They pushed the doors to the club open and headed in, maneuvering through the crowds of people with ease. They'd been here many times before, so that wasn't an issue in the slightest. They would have stopped to chat with the bartender, but she happened to be busy. They nodded in their direction and flashed a smile instead, heading upstairs to their table. The bartender knew them well enough to let them upstairs, so there wasn't an issue there.

They got set up at a table, lit a cigarette, and waited.

Cigarettes happened to be one of their vices that stayed around after they were turned. They didn't cause any more harm to the body, seeing as they were already dead, so they still smoked now and again. It reminded them of what they once were, in a way. It had only been 20 years since they were turned, but it felt like so long ago. They'd made so much progress since then, and it was satisfying to them. If someone asked if they wanted to go back to being human, they'd always be quick to answer with a no for two reasons. One, they didn't have anything to go back to, and two, it would be pointless to go back after everything that they had done.

Sure enough, after some time, they were approached by a well-dressed man. Avery offered a smile that was all teeth and fangs at his question.

"Yes, that would be me," they answered, taking one final drag from the cigarette before putting it out on the ashtray. They sighed out the smoke, blowing it to the side. "I would assume you're the one that they mentioned?" They regarded him with the same respect as they would with anyone else; in their eyes, being a noble didn't buy you their respect. That was to be earned.

Lucas​

Lucas sat in the Ars Sanguinis hub, hanging out by the bar that they had in the corner of the room by his lonesome. He was still fairly new there, so he didn't know anyone other than his sire. Unfortunately, he couldn't just latch onto his sire and talk to him all day; he was far too busy for that, which meant he was on his own. He had a couple of almost pleasant interactions with people, but none of them lasted very long.

When approached, a lot of people came up to him to talk about his initiation. They told him what to expect, what not to expect, and what it was like. To say he was nervous was an understatement. Everyone had mixed information on the initiation; some told him that it was a good experience, and others said that it was miserable. He wondered if there was some process or if it was just an overhyped tour of the facilities and the surrounding areas.

Regardless, it had him both curious and anxious. He took a long drink from his glass and told himself to relax. Whatever it was, he'd come out fine; his sire even told him that it was nothing to worry about. If his sire had faith in him, then there was nothing to worry about, right?

His relationship with his sire was a complex one, one that even he wasn't sure how to feel about. His sire gave him the gift of vampirism, so he should owe everything to him, right? He did, for the most part. There was a part of him that followed his sire and gave him the utmost respect, but there was also a part of him deep down that resented what his sire had done. After all, he had taken his life; when he was turned, he still had so much to live for. He had his family, his friends, and his job. He remembered how he had overheard some higher-ups in the company talking about giving him a raise. That all seemed so silly now.

He took another drink, clearing his thoughts. He reminded himself that it wasn't best to dwell on things like that.

"You should be grateful," he reprimanded himself. "He gave you strength, speed, and immortality. He treats you like one of his kin; besides, it isn't like you can go back now."

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander slid into the other chair at the table as Avery confirmed their identity, sighing out smoke, seeming just as thrilled about this meeting as Evander was. Which wasn’t much at all. No surprise, no matter what the Praxis had in mind, it was going to mean change for Avery, and no one liked change.

Especially not vampires.

“Yes, I am,” he answered, “Evander Jamison,” there was no hold-over of the accent he used to have, but no one would claim he was from this area of the world, either. As he’d traveled through multiple different areas, and lived through many generations, his voice had become something strangely untraceable, influenced by time and location heavily into a homeless tongue.

“As you know, I am here on behalf of Princeps Fredericka of the Praxis to arrange a deal. You have been hunting in our territory,” not that any of the Praxis actually lived in these slums, but that wasn’t the point, “hunting grounds are divided between citizens of this area for the purpose of maintaining our secrecy among humankind and to avoid the attention of hunters. You’ve refused, for many years now, to respect this organization, but now you’ve involved others in it.”

Avery did not act alone. They had a group now, and that meant more vampires hunting in this area.

“I come on behalf of the Praxis to arrange a deal, wherein these become your hunting grounds, and you will not need to worry about the Praxis dealing in the area.”

~***~

The door was opened by an initiate, a few questions asked, before Adria was brought into the inner sanctum of the building, where others of the Ars Sanguinis were. A few glanced their way, and a few did a double-take as they realized new blood was in the area. The scent of blood itself was heavy in the area, a bar set up.

Her glance gave her away. “You can have a drink,” Lars said, “I’m going to speak to the Council about your residency here, Scholar,” apparently it wasn’t as easy as just walking into a group, but Adria didn’t expect that.

This was still a better welcome than she expected, and so she silently nodded and went to the bar to get a glass of blood, grateful when it was poured warm instead of that nauseating cold some liked.

There were plenty of areas to occupy that wouldn’t have bothered anyone, but she took note of someone else who seemed out of place, nursing their own cup, and so rather than stay on her own, she opted to move over to where they sat, and take a seat as well, “Hey,” she greeted, “sorry to intrude. I’m Adria. I’m…trying to get a feel for how the Ars works in this town. Any tips?”

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery crossed their legs, folded their arms, and just let him talk. They appeared to be unbothered, languidly nodding along to whatever he was saying. They occasionally looked down at their freshly manicured nails to give themselves something to do. Like most, they didn't care for change, but this was the only way to get the nobles off their back. Ever since they were a child, they always had a distaste for authority, so if this meant they wouldn't have to deal with the nobles, they were in.

They noted the lack of a distinctive accent and found it to be interesting, although they'd never admit it. This guy had been around for a while, which was to be expected from a member of the Praxis.

"Yes, yes, such a pleasure to meet you," they drawled, waving their hand through the air. They placed their hands down on the table and interlaced their fingers, sitting up to lean over the table. Their lips curled up into a grin. "This all sounds well and good, but what if I refuse? I'm open to negotiations, of course, but I'm curious to see what Princeps Fredericka would do if I were to decline this generous offer."

They paused for a moment.

"Also, do you normally talk like this? You sound so damn pretentious, just gonna put that out there."

A vampire such as themselves wouldn't dare treat a noble in such a way, but they didn't particularly care. Although they knew they were outnumbered greatly, they didn't figure they'd be attacked for a couple of digs at the Praxis. They weren't going to do anything to hide how they felt; they were never good at that.

Lucas​

Lucas looked up from his glass, meeting her gaze. "Mm? Oh, it's fine," he shrugged, looking back down at the crimson liquid in his cup. "I'm not sure if I'm exactly the best person to ask for tips; I've only been here for about a week, and I haven't even gone through the whole initiation process yet." He swirled the glass around, watching as the liquid clung to the sides. "I've heard a lot of mixed opinions on it. Some say it was awful, and others say it's great, so I don't know what to expect if I'm being honest."

He had been there for a week, but he hadn't interacted with anyone, which he wasn't surprised about. He was the new guy and technically wasn't even in yet since he hadn't gone through the initiation. He wasn't treated coldly, most of his interactions with the other members were pleasant, for the most part, anyway. A lot of them came up to him, asking if he'd been initiated yet, and he'd have to reply with a no.

It was evident that they took their initiations seriously, everyone was on his back about it, asking when he was going to become an official member. Truthfully, he wasn't sure when. He needed an older vampire who wasn't his sire to walk him through the process, and no one had volunteered to show him the ropes yet.

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander knew perfectly well what refusal meant. He thought it was obvious to Avery, but evidently, they didn't understand refusal would lead to a purge for the “greater good” of protecting their secrecy among humanity. Before he could suggest as much, however, he was asked about his voice.

“I do,” he said, “as I imagine you usually sound like an illiterate hoodlum,” he wouldn't bother to be kind if Avery had no intent of doing the same.

He just moved right along.

“Refusal will be met with a purge. We cannot have a small group endangering the entirety of our species by not obeying the rules related to feeding grounds,” he said it as if listing off rules of a public swimming pool, without much emotion, without much care. Simple facts. “The rules aren't arbitrary nor were the divisions made to slight any group, they were based on many factors such as area population, transient movement, and covenant size.” Being without a covenant did make life harder for Avery and their group, but there were still areas for those sorts.

Not as good as this area, which was easy to feed in because of the drunks and transients, of course. That was likely the issue, but not one they could turn a blind eye to.

“The choice, of course, remains yours.”

~***~

It seemed the vampire before her was new. Adria would hazard a guess it wasn't just to the covenant but to vampirism in general. His mannerisms gave him away, as did his evident discomfort.

“You might be just the one to talk to, then,” Adria said, countering, “everyone else knows the pretty little lies to say. You don't,” it was also an obvious statement that he'd be used in a way the others might not appreciate.

He had fair warning to clam up.

“Did you pick this covenant, or is this decision being forced upon you by your sire?” She couldn't help but ask, before divulging, “it was forced upon me years ago,” stating her age, even if it seemed young to her now, didn't seem the best method so she withheld exacts, “I ended up becoming a Scholar in the realm of blood study, but…I don't think anyone should be forced when they aren't sure.”

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Yep. That was just about what Avery expected, but they asked just for the sake of perhaps annoying him some. Their eyebrows knitted together at the phrase "illiterate hoodlum," but they decided against making another remark.

"I thought so, but it's very important to confirm when talking about something as important as this," they replied coolly, slumping back in their seat. "I don't particularly feel like losing everything I've worked so hard for, so I feel as though I don't have a choice but to accept this offer. The last thing that I want is your group knocking down my door," they said with a chuckle.

As much as Avery liked to debate and mess around, this matter was still serious. Their group was relatively small in size, but that didn't mean that every person in that group wasn't dear to their heart. In their group, it was sort of like a family; you look out for each other, and no one is left behind. Their group just became their new family; they weren't their birth family, but they were still connected by blood, in a way.

"Is there anything else I should know about this arrangement?"

Lucas​

Lucas lifted his glass and took a drink, swallowing it slowly. He still wasn't used to the taste after a year of being a vampire.

He stared at his glass and bit his tongue, hesitating before saying, "I guess you could say my sire forced this on me, but it isn't all bad, I guess." He was careful about what he said, as if he were nervous. He paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next.

"I've only been a vampire for about a year; I'm not at all used to it if I'm being honest," he laughed quietly, his eyes only leaving his glass to scan the room.

While he and his sire often got along, it still made him nervous when talking about his past. He was still conflicted about how to feel about his vampirism, but he couldn't show that to his sire or anyone else. He was torn between whether he should view it as a gift or if he should view it as more of a curse.

 

[Lucyfer]

The insult met a mark of some sort, though Avery didn’t snap one back this time. Evander would take that for a good sign, as they seemed to mull over what he had to say on the situation. It was no surprise that Avery didn’t want to lose it all. Perhaps the only surprise was how easily they bowed to a threat.

Given, it was a very real threat, but Evander had dealt with plenty who bitched and moaned more than this.

When Avery asked if there was more to know, Evander couldn’t help but snort. ‘Oh, only the actual job.’ He managed to keep that comment to himself, even if he couldn’t help the amusement that curled his lips in a half-smile. “Yes, you should know what the actual initiating job is, otherwise this is all rather pointless,” Evander said, “though it’s a simple matter. There are a few hunters in this area that refuse to deal with the Praxis. We haven’t the time to deal with them, but they’re obviously going to make life difficult for all of us.”

Evander took a folded up note out of a pocket and set it on the table, “They aren’t staying at this motel, but they seem to be investigating it.” Evander had no idea why. The hotel wasn’t even running. Why were they wasting their time sniffing around it?

Well, who knew with hunters.

“You’ll likely be able to set a trap and deal with them there.”

~***~

A year as a vampire, and still so…well…uncertain.

Adria hadn’t had such luxuries as a slow introduction. “Was that by choice, or was that forced upon you, as well?” Adria asked. The latter was more likely if he was uncertain how to feel about vampirism.

She added, “Is this the town you’re from?” only to note, “It’s usually easier to accept it, if you leave the past behind completely.” Not that he’d have much of a choice if he was still bound to his sire’s side, but perhaps his sire had taken him from elsewhere.

One could hope.

It could get awkward running into people you knew when you were…well, living.

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery sighed and opened their package of cigarettes, taking out a fresh one. They lit it and took a long drag, blowing it at him rather than blowing it to the side. "Haven't had the time to deal with," they echo with a chuckle. They flick some ashes into the ashtray. "So, what I'm hearing is that you want me to take care of something your group has been too lazy to do. I mean, you have a lot of power at your disposal, don't you? I don't see why you couldn't have dealt with this yourselves, being the mighty Praxis and all," they mused, voice laden with sarcasm.

They reached over the table, taking the note. "Regardless, I'll do it," they said, holding their cigarette in their mouth so they could unfold it. They started looking over it, humming softly. "Shitty handwriting, but I see what you're gettin' at." They folded it back up once they were done, setting it down. "Why would they be investigating it if it's shut down? Do you have any ideas as to why that could be, or are you completely clueless?"

Lucas
​

Lucas hesitated again but continued, finally looking up from his glass. "This was forced on me as well," he stated. "No, I'm not from here. I came in on a work trip with some colleagues and just- never left. My sire wants me to stay here, so I will." He smiled, tapping his fingers on the side of his glass.

In reality, he really didn't want to stay. He'd tried to leave multiple times, but none of which got far or ended well. His sire had been furious with him, so furious it made him fear for his newly gained immortality. He found out very quickly that his sire could be cruel and unforgiving if you dared to cross him. After his most recent attempt, he decided to give it up for the sake of his safety.

"I'm getting used to it, my sire tells me that it's a gift and it takes time to adjust to things," he added. "He can be nice, I've just learned to not piss him off, really. The last thing that you want is to get on his bad side," he laughed, trying to make light of the situation. He put on a front, trying to appear nonchalant and unbothered.

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander did not hide his disdain as the smoke was blown towards him, nor as his group was called lazy. He knew very well the Praxis was handling plenty of other things, laziness didn’t begin to describe them. Whatever this issue was with the hunters, it was a problem, but not one that they needed to step in on. Otherwise, they would.

He had no doubts about it.

This was something to be left to the dogs, like Avery and their group.

He managed to hold his tongue, biting down on his cheek to do so as Avery opened up the note, made yet another remark that was completely unnecessary, before asking questions. Evander was annoyed with his own lack of knowledge, but he shook his head, letting out a frustrated sound, “No, I haven’t the faintest clue. Humans do strange things when it comes to ill-kept and abandoned places, investigating old asylums for ghosts and other nonsense. I can’t fathom what they hope to find in the motel.”

He couldn’t imagine there was anything to find, though of course, he had no idea that it was owned by a truly ancient vampire. “If you want to investigate the hotel after them, by all means,” Evander half-joked, “be my guest.”

He truly wasn’t hiding anything.

He didn’t think the Praxis was, either.

~***~

The sire was at least smart enough to separate Lucas from his peers, and perhaps one could call him smart in picking someone so…timid. Lucas was willing to do what his sire wanted. If his sire wanted him the Ars Sanguinis, then there he would stay.

Likely by force.

Lucas had clearly been beaten down. Adria knew it too well. ‘You’re not here to save ever fledgling vampire. They have to save themselves.’ Not that she had. She’d used a fucking demon to save herself, and she still owed them.

She could use favors, but…well, what did a neonate have to offer? ‘You don’t know. His sire might know. Or maybe his sire has no idea.’ Untapped potential.

So, she dropped her own front, just a bit. Just enough to deadpan, “My sire was an abusive asshole. He’s dead now.” It was a flicker of an offer, an unstated confession, gone and replaced, “You need help with the initiation, or going elsewhere. I need help becoming a citizen of this domain. I imagine you’ve become that by virtue of your sire. It’s not going to be so easy for me. I need to know what problems the domain has so I can try to fix one,” that was the traditional way, “If you can help with that, I’ll help you with whichever path you want.”

There. Now her conscious could be quelled, and it was still in line with her goals. When it was done, she could wipe her hands of this stranger.

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery's lips turned up in a grin when a look of displeasure crossed his face. They couldn't risk their group by fighting over the arrangement, so they opted to simply annoy him instead. It was always so easy to annoy the nobles because they viewed themselves as better than everyone else.

"Is this note all of the information you have?" they questioned, tapping it. "This is hardly anything; it's just an address and a loose thread. If you don't even know why they're there, what's the point in setting a trap? They'll eventually get bored and leave, no doubt." They leaned back in their seat and stared over at him, cocking their head to the side. "It seems pointless to send me over there to set a trap when even you, a member of the esteemed Praxis, doesn't even know why the hell they're there. If they were doing something potentially dangerous, sure, I could see why you'd want to send me, but for all we know, they could be having tea time, holding hands, and singing kumbayah."

In this part of town, there were a lot of abandoned hotels; in fact, Avery passed 2 of them on the way to the club. Both of them were in different states of decay, with windows blown out and doors hanging open. It was a shame; the town had really gone even further downhill since they arrived, which was saying something because it was already in rough shape 20 years ago.

Fewer and fewer people stayed in this part of town, and most ended up leaving for the sake of their safety and the safety of their belongings.

"You know what, though? I'll break up their little tea party for you," they said with a chuckle. "Hopefully, we'll never have to see each other again after this."

Lucas​

Lucas pursed his lips, tapping his fingers on the side of his glass as he thought.

The thought of being free of his sire crossed his mind— he could go home again if he wanted to. He still had family and his job, they'd surely take him back. Of course, explaining why he'd basically disappeared for a year to his family would be interesting, but doable. His sire didn't let him have any contact with his family, he said that they were a risk and a distraction to him.

His sire wouldn't be an easy man to take down; Lucas had seen just how strong he could be on multiple occasions. Most notably, the occasions where he'd tried to escape. He tried not to think about the times when he attempted to escape if he could help it; recalling the times when he was thrown around like a bag of flour wasn't pleasant. The strength of his sire had terrified him on many occasions, and he was man enough to admit it.

"Yes, my sire helped me get in," he said, finishing off his glass. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, but helping me isn't going to be easy." Once more, his eyes moved away from her to scan the room in its entirety. "My sire doesn't want me to leave the town. I've tried reasoning with him, but it never works," he explained, leaving out the part about all of the times he'd been dragged and held back by his sire.

Now that he thought about it, his relationship with his sire was really fucked. He already knew that, of course, but that didn't make it any less true.

"Can you really help me if I help you?" he asked, finally looking at her directly. This was one of the only times he'd made direct eye contact throughout the entire conversation.

He found himself doubting if she could really help him or not.

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander did his best to keep his expression neutral, but Avery really had a way of annoying him. They poked and prodded at nonsense, questioning the location as if he understood why hunters did much of anything. Still, he waited until the spiel was over.

And a few seconds extra to make sure, and drag out the awkward, silent pressure.

“The location was indicated to give you an option, as an area they frequent. How you deal with them is your choice. So long as it doesn't reveal our kind to the greater human populace, you can shoot the hunters in a convenience store, for all we care,” Evander said, his tone brittle. “We have pictures of the hunters to better track them elsewhere, and I can send those to your phone or to an email, whichever you prefer.”

They could leave this topic of the hotel behind them, even if it did now gnaw at the back of his mind with questions of what they were doing.

~***~


The vampire fell without so much as a use of charm. That was the problem with desperation. He didn't even have proof of what Adria had done, but at the mere suggestion of help, he offered himself willingly. Of course, what she was asking likely wasn't difficult to accomplish. Anyone could become a citizen.

Getting rid of a sire was something else entirely, and the thought of potent blood stirred a horrible craving that she swallowed down with the human blood in her cup.

Nothing satisfied anymore quite like the blood of her kin.

But Adria didn't need satisfaction, only nutrition.

“Your sire is likely correct if you're trying to go home,” Adria guessed, “but that's none of my concern,” she didn't need to know, because she didn't need to be blamed with what he did afterwards. “I can help with your sire.”

She wouldn't say how. After all, this was hardly a secure location for such a topic. “What's your name?” She may as well get that so she'd know who to ask for later on.

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery only smiled more at his brittle tone; they knew they were annoying him, and they enjoyed it.

"You could send em' to my phone, that would be lovely," they hummed sweetly, tapping their cigarette on the ashtray. They didn't seem to care that some of the ashes landed on his clothes, even though they knew they were of good quality. They took out their phone and opened it with their fingerprint, sliding it over to him. Their own contact was open on the screen. "That's the number."

They leaned back in their seat, tapping their fingers on the table. "Rest assured, I'll get it taken care of," they said. "You can sit back in your cushy office and have a cup of tea while I do because I'm sure you just can't wait to run back home."

Lucas​

In truth, Lucas was very desperate. He knew that his relationship with his sire was terrible, abusive, even, but there was no way for him to escape from him on his own. It had only been a year, but it had been miserable. His sire, Silas, was incredibly manipulative. One minute, he's cruel and unforgiving, then the next minute, he's trying to help him master his abilities and praising him. It was all so confusing and it led to a lot of conflicted feelings.

It was hard to hate him because of their bond, but god did he want to. His bond wasn't as strong now, thankfully. His last drink was when he tried to escape last, his sire used it as a punishment for trying to run away.

He wasn't quite sure how he'd help her become a citizen of Ars Sanguinis, but he figured she'd elaborate on that more when it came time down to it.

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He turned his gaze back down to the countertop. "I still have family back home, and I'd love to see them, yeah," he admitted. He paused for a moment. "At this point, I don't care where I go as long as it isn't here," he finished, his voice barely above a whisper. He combed his fingers through his hair and exhaled deeply, collecting himself.

He cleared his throat, looking back over at her. "Lucas, my name is Lucas," he finally answered. "What's yours?"

He couldn't help but be curious as to what her name could be; he started rambling on without even knowing it.

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander did his best to ignore the ashes, and add the number – begrudgingly – to his contacts. He was quick in texting the images over to Avery, “You would be correct. You have a week to complete the task, or at least return with a progress report that makes sense for the timeline,” considering they were expected dead in a week, quite the progress would have to be reported if they weren’t.

With the images sent, Evander noted, “There are five of them. I’ve included their names with their images,” apparently, the Praxis knew their identities, but not what they were doing bothering a hotel, which Evander would admit was…strange.

He was trying not to think of it.

So, he rose to his feet, “If that’s all, I’ll await your report with my warmed drink soon,” Evander definitely hoped that was all Avery wanted, for now, anyways. He supposed it was quite possible there were other questions they had.

~***~

Adria understood the need to run only too well, considering that’s precisely what she did when her own sire was out of the picture. She hummed, but made no comment further on his need to see his family. He’d learn, in the worst way, why that was a terrible idea.

Her parents were long dead. No longer a temptation. Closure was forever lost to her.

He’d have it in a terrible way.

“Adria,” she answered that simple query, “Why don’t you introduce me to your sire? He may find it to be a useful meeting if he knows the name Almos Valerian,” which was possible, he was well known in the circles for a unique talent he’d never taught anyone, after all. “That was my sire. He figured out the mind so well, no one with any talents to read thoughts, could glean his.”

It was a talent that cropped up among vampires, and some lucky hunters with a touch towards the psychic. It was a prized talent – until it didn’t work.

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery laid their cigarette down in the ashtray and took their phone back. They briefly looked through the images, then nodded. "Consider it done," they said, leaning back in their seat. "It shouldn't take me too long."

They slid their phone down into the inner pocket of their jacket and looked over at him. They cocked their head to the side as he stood, and their smile widened. "I do have a question for you, if you wouldn't mind, of course. With a high reputation such as yours, I don't think it would look so good to leave a meeting before everything is out of the way, no?" They motioned for him to take a seat again. "Just one tiny, itty-bitty, minuscule question for you, really quickly before we finish this up, kay?"

The fact that the Praxis had all of this information on the hunters but had no clue as to why they were poking around a hotel didn't sit right with Avery. The Praxis were one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, group of vampires around; it seemed out of character for them not to know.

Lucas​

Lucas wanted to say, "You have a nice name," but he didn't.

He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a deep sigh. "If you'd like to meet him, I could take you," he said. "He and I still aren't on the best of terms after.." he paused once more, then shook his head. "Nevermind that, it isn't important, we'll just say he and I aren't exactly getting along. It should be fine though, I don't think he'll have any issues with talking to you." He kept the reasoning vague; he still didn't know Adria, so he didn't want to give her his entire sap story.

Said falling out was, in fact, the time he tried to escape the previous year. It was a bad day for Lucas, one that he remembered like it was just yesterday. It was engrained in his memory because that was the day when he feared his newfound immortality the most. He tried to hijack a car and succeeded at that part, but he wasn't able to make it far out of town before Silas got to him. When he found him, he was furious— far more furious than Lucas had ever seen him before. He threatened him, saying that if he tried to escape again, he'd meet a fate far worse than death.

He decided to heed his warning for the sake of his safety. He didn't want to die again, he'd already did that once.

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander absolutely minded any additional questions, and he glowered from the height of standing down upon Avery. He considered sitting, but instead, he put his hand on the table, fingers spread, and leaned into his arm.

“I’ll stand, thank you,” he didn’t want them to think he was going to get comfortable and enjoy a longer conversation than necessary. They had a job to do, after all, and time was ticking. The sun would hinder the hunt, after all.

Not for the hunters, but for Avery.

“Ask your question,” he said, “I will answer it if I can, or if I am in a position to do so,” she might want to ask for additional compensation, or something like that. He wasn’t in a position to grant any additional boons than the one on the table, and he thought that was good enough – but people always did try to barter.

The Praxis didn’t get to it’s position without some generosity.

~***~

Adria did wonder what happened, but it wasn’t hard to guess at if Lucas was so desperate to be free. Perhaps the only oddity was that he was allowed to roam free. Then again, with modern technology, perhaps it wasn’t as free as she thought. She was still trying to grasp quite a bit of it. Almos allowed her enough to work with, but it clearly wasn’t all there was.

“I wouldn’t really like to, but,” Adria slipped out of her chair, “I need to, don’t I?” to know who she was dealing with, and to see what she could find out about him. Not to mention, he was likely the one in a better position to help move her up than his childe, Lucas. Lucas would help, but…well, she could tell he didn’t have much influence at all.

But she could help him with that.

At least, until their respective ends of their bargains were satisfied. “Anything else I ought to know about Silas before meeting him? Besides not to upset him, of course,” not that she planned that. The one blessing of her vampiric charm was that she could usually keep that from happening.

She’d likely need it with Silas.

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery didn't seem intimidated, and if they did, they hid it well.

"Fine, fine," they said. They began tapping their nails on the table once more and let out a deep, dramatic sigh. "I just need you to tell me this and answer the question and answer it truthfully— do you seriously not know why they are there or are you electing not to tell me? It doesn't seem right to me that the Praxis is one of the most powerful groups out there, but they can't figure out why a group of simpletons are poking around a run-down hotel."

"If you don't know, that isn't a good look on your part, if I'm going to be honest with you," they added with a chuckle. "One of my first and, hopefully, my last dealings with the Praxis and they don't even give me the proper information that I need despite the fact that they're more than capable of getting said information than I am."

They didn't expect an answer, they were assuming that the information was being kept from them, not that Evander (or the Praxis, for that matter) didn't know. It wouldn't make sense for them not to know, right?

It was all very strange and it wasn't sitting right with them.

Lucas​

Lucas stood as well and folded his arms over his chest, letting out a thoughtful hum. "I'm not really sure there's anything else you should know," he murmured. He debated telling her about Silas' sire, Nicoleta, but he decided against it. He didn't know if that was relevant to this or not, so he bit his tongue before he overshared. He probably had overshared already.

"He's an older vampire like a lot of the other guys here," he said instead. "Is there anything else you'd like to know specifically?"

Depending on the question, Lucas would have to be careful with how he answered. Silas was very particular with the information he wanted the public to know, that much was made clear to him when he joined the Ars. Truthfully, he shouldn't have said all that he did. If Silas found out, he was sure that he'd be in for a whole new world of pain, but he was so far past desperate. He was frantically trying to find some way out.

A shiver went up his spine at the thought of Silas finding out about all that he'd divulged. If he did find out, Lucas was sure he'd be bound to him again and for much longer.

Lucas didn't know much about vamprisim, but something he had picked up on was blood bonding. It made him feel less like he was losing his mind when he found out about it. Before reading about it, he didn't know why he had such conflicting feelings when it came to Silas. He wanted to hate him, but he couldn't for a long while. That was until the bond started to wear off, at which point he began to feel more like himself and have his own thoughts and feelings once more.

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander could only roll his eyes at this question again, and adjust his posture so he was leaning more heavily on his arm. “I have no reason to lie to you,” he stated, fairly blunt, “I do not know what the hunters are doing, but I assume it has something to do with that ghost hunting TV show craze that’s been going on.”

He didn’t know.

He didn’t care.

He didn’t want to believe there was something more to it, though with the way Avery kept asking, he did start to wonder. He did start to think maybe there was more to it, and the humans weren’t complete imbeciles. Whether or not the Praxis knew more was debatable. “Why do you think you need this information? You do not need to hunt the humans on those grounds. You can find them elsewhere. It was only to give you a place we know they happen to frequent.”

That was, indeed, the sum of the information that Evander had on that location.

“If you’re so desperate for more, you could make an appointment with Fredericka.” Though that would be a bad idea, unless she was in one of her rare moods where she wanted to humor inanity.

~***~

Adria tilted her head, “What is your definition of older?” she didn’t offer up her own age, but she had an idea their views on it differed. Almos had known the Roman Republic. Being sired by someone over two thousand years old gave quite a bit of perspective, to say the least. Besting them – even with demonic help – also gave quite the confidence boost.

She did have other questions, though, so she continued.

“Is he a scholar of any particular Ars Sanguinis school of thought?” That usually spoke a lot to what they were like, what they gravitated towards. Adria had plans to master them all, in due time, and try to find what the others were missing in getting beyond this damnable curse.

She was hardly the first to think that.

She certainly wouldn’t be the last, but she intended to be successful. It was why overcoming one of vampirism’s greatest banes, the need to feed, had been such a priority. It wasn’t mastered, but it was…improved. Substantially.

 

[crypt]

Avery​

Avery simply stared at him, moving their hand up to rest their chin in their palm. "I don't think you'd tell me even if you did, but I'll take your word on this," they said. They held eye contact with him, further amused by his annoyed state.

"You'd think they'd lose interest if it was some ghost-hunting craze," they stated, tilting their head to the side. "Something has to be going on there for them to keep going back, don't you think? I'm very well aware that I don't have to take them out on those grounds, but it's strange to me that they keep going back." They finally put their cigarette out on the ashtray and stood, adjusting their coat. "Perhaps I'll have to take a look into it myself, maybe there's some all-powerful weapon that they're unearthing as we speak," they joked with a laugh.

The mention of meeting another member of the Praxis caused them to snicker. "I'm not that desperate to know, I'd rather keep my interactions with the Praxis at a minimum," they said matter-of-factly. "Your group's specific kind of smartassery isn't what I like to deal with, it's tiring."

The last thing Avery wanted was to meet with another member of the Praxis, they could only imagine what the others were like. Judging from how Evander was, they figured they were all pretty similar and all put on the whole holier-than-thou act.

"With that all out of the way, I think we're done here. I'll take a look into things on my own time, I'm running out of moonlight."

Lucas​

"I think he's in his hundreds? That's pretty old to me, although I know there are vampires here that are much older," he chuckled lightly. "He's never told me explicitly how old he was."

Silas wasn't close enough to Lucas to tell him that information, but Lucas really didn't care too much about that.

"Oh, right, school of thought," he hummed thoughtfully, taking a few seconds to find the right words. He was struggling to wrap his head around all of the new vampiric terms, but he did his best. "He's in the School of Virtus like his sire is, apparently she's some big shot over there." Upon realizing that he'd mentioned Nicoleta, he bit his tongue but continued in the hopes she wouldn't question him further. "I don't really know much else when it comes to this, he doesn't tell me much."

He really hoped she didn't ask him to elaborate further on Nicoleta, he'd already divulged so much to her. It wasn't like it was a secret that Nicoleta was Silas' sire, but Silas certainly wouldn't take kindly to him spilling his guts on everything he did know in the hopes that he'd be granted some sort of escape.

He cleared his throat and slid his hands down into the pockets of his jeans, eager to move on. "If that'll be all for the questions, he's upstairs in his office."

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander hated the fact he was going to have to tell Fredericka that Avery was interested in the hotel now. If there was something going on, she’d need to know. She’d need to stop it, after all. However, he still doubted it and his face only kept that mildly annoyed expression on. There was definitely not an all powerful weapon underneath a hotel.

That’d be a stupid place to leave a weapon. Those things belonged in highly secure vaults!

“I understand. Just remember they’re expected dead within a week. I’ll be checking in if we don’t have any updates by then,” he indicated, “so don’t take too much time.” He’d move by Avery, and would indeed leave the club, to return to his own haunts.

In a far better part of the city.

It wasn’t until he was taking his suit jacket off that he called Fredericka. “Avery took the job,” he noted, “however, they plan to start investigating the hotel themselves. They think it’s suspicious, which is just nonsense.”

Fredericka chuckled on the line, “Oh, do they? Well. That’s. Problematic.”

Evander’s gaze furrowed in the dark of his hotel room. “What do you mean problematic?”

“Dear, dear,” she sighed, “it’s not for phone lines, I’m afraid. I’ll have to chat with another, but I may have to put you on this mission for oversight and start a new project in that area. And here I thought we’d get another five years out of it….”

Evander felt his throat tighten in anger, “Are you saying there’s actually—tch. Fine. Tell me when we’re meeting,” he cut his anger off, aware he should not explode at the Princeps. Somehow, he could feel her glare through the phone.

“I will,” the humor was gone. “It will be tomorrow. Details to follow.” And then a click ended the call.

~***~

Virtus. It was not a school that interested Adria much, though it did. Being stronger, while not looking it, had its appeal. She knew vampirism offered some additional strength and speed, but one still had to work at it. She wasn’t stronger than a human who was dedicated to working out. Not yet. She could be.

Virtus could push her further than that.

Lucas was still terribly afraid, though. It was obvious in his expressions that he was clearly worried about what he was saying, so Adria kept her own expression neutral. This didn’t seem like secret information, but she didn’t know Silas.

She would soon. “Lead the way, Lucas. I will make sure that Silas considers this meeting to be advantageous to him,” a lie, of course, but this was a plan of patience. When Lucas would turn away to lead, she would urge the blood in her veins to move. It was not something even she fully understood, as her posture straightened, but a sort of supernatural aura seemed to emanate from her in the moment she called on the power of her blood.

Eyes drifted to her, suddenly aware of her. Suddenly curious. A regal charm wrapped around her. She had termed it ‘Majesty’, with no other name, as it didn’t quite manipulate emotions as an empathic power did – but it did influence, charm, and terrify.

Right then, it was only a light charge.

She wasn’t actually trying to charm or terrify Silas, but she wanted to make sure there was an Impression before there were any words.

 

[crypt]

Avery
​

Avery left soon after he did, wasting no time in getting in their car and heading back home.

The ride was the same as it was on the way up, unnecessarily long despite the fact that they were going over the speed limit. They didn't have to worry about cops in this town, it seemed like there were less and less of them as the days went by. Only the truly dedicated cops were left, the ones who were determined to completely wipe out the crime in town, however, their efforts weren't doing much. They were understaffed and outmanned, there was a lot of crime and too few police officers to actually do anything about it.

After some time, they made it to their main base of operations, pulling into the gravel parking lot.

The base of operations was their old vineyard, which still functioned as a way for them to make a profit. They decided to take it back after their parents passed so it wouldn't be lost forever. To them, that was all that they had left of their parents because they couldn't obtain any of their other belongings. After all, they cut ties with their family after they became a vampire. They did this in order to protect their family, they didn't figure it would have gone over well seeing as they were heavily Christian and, y'know, the whole thirsting for blood thing.

A woman with pale skin, brown eyes, and straight brown hair ran over to the car as soon as Avery pulled in. She looked out of sorts like she'd been working, her tanktop was tousled, she was covered in dirt from head to toe, and her hair was tied up in a messy bun. She beamed at Avery as they put the car in park and got out. Avery knew this woman to be Samantha Cade, but they called her Sam for the sake of simplicity.

"Hey V," Sam greeted with a toothy grin. She went in for a hug but decided against it due to her current state. She cleared her throat and crossed her arms instead. "How was the meeting?"

Avery only chuckled, beginning to walk to the main house. "It was something, that's for sure." Sam was quick to follow.

"The guy I had to deal with was an ass, he called me an illiterate hoodlum!" They paused, turning to look at her. "I suppose I did provoke him by annoying him," they said, their tone briefly reflective of their actions. They then shrugged and continued walking. "Eh, he's a member of the Praxis, they're just a buncha assholes that think they're better, a little inconvenience or annoyance won't kill them."

"Fair, fair," Sam hummed. "Although, I don't think he was wrong for calling you illiterate, have you seen the texts you send me?" she joked, snickering at Avery's shocked expression.

Avery playfully punched her in the shoulder. "Who's side are you on Samantha?" they questioned, pushing the door to the house open and walking inside.

"Yours of course, but, you have to admit that your texts are horrendous," Sam countered, entering after they did.

Avery walked over to the meeting room, which really the living room, and sat down in the armchair. They crossed one leg over the other and glanced over at Sam. "Would you mind calling the others over here? The Praxis gave us a little assignment to complete, so that's the first order of business at the moment."

"Consider it done," Sam replied, then quickly left to gather everyone.

Lucas
​

"Yeah, yeah, I can lead you up," Lucas replied. He cleared his throat and moved over to the stairs, beginning to walk up them.

He willed himself to relax, there was no guarantee that Silas would find out about what he said. Besides, even if he did, what did he have to worry about? He hadn't said anything bad about Silas, but that didn't quell his anxieties. He took a deep breath in and sighed it out, reminding himself once more that it was no big deal, he really hadn't said anything terrible about him. If he did say anything outright rude or disrespectful towards him, he didn't think that'd go well.

The Ars Sanguinis hub was very ornate and detailed from the ceiling to the very ground. The floors were a fine marble and the walls were a matching white. Everything was so clean, perhaps unnaturally so to some. Even the stairs that they walked on were of good quality. The banister railing was made of a beautiful yet sturdy wenge wood and the stairs matched the marble floors. Lights dangled from the ceilings, giving the building a nice warm orange glow. Lucas may have found it gorgeous under different circumstances.

Once they were up the stairs, the sheer scale of this building was clear; there were a lot of rooms. These rooms were for the vampires to gather and talk, maybe play a game of pool together over a glass of blood, and relive their human days to their unbeating heart's content. Laughter and music rang out from these rooms which created a nice ambience inside of the building. There were also rooms for laundry and food storage, basically rooms that had anything a vampire might need.

Heading up another flight of stairs is where the rooms for the higher-ranking vampires in the Ars are located. The only thing that broke the silence was the occasional muffled laugh from downstairs, but other than that, the silence was deafening.

Lucas turned down a hallway and led her down it, stopping in front of a door that had a golden nametag on it. The tag read Silas J. Chambers.

"This is his office," he said, turning to her. "You ready?"

 

[Lucyfer]

The meeting came that evening, and Evander found himself stepping not into Fredericka’s suite in the Black Diamond hotel, but one of the Elders of the Praxis. Not that Fredericka wasn’t also considered an elder, but there was a substantial difference between being maybe a millennia or less, and being…Ancient.

There was not much that inspired fear in Evander, but when he stepped into the penthouse room of Tukhol, he felt it cut him to the core. Evander only stepped a few feet in before his back bent in an automatic bow, unsure what to even call Tukhol right then. Fredericka ran the Praxis…because Tukhol didn’t want to.

“Stand,” his deep voice was gentle as it spoke, and Evander straightened up, and approached as he was gestured forward. He found it curious that Tukhol actually looked aged. Of course, all that meant was that he was turned when he was older in life, but it was still strange for Evander to see wrinkles and gray hairs mixed into the black ones. “Fredericka tells me our anarchists intend to investigate the hotel?”

“They are considering it, yes.”

“We will see if a change does not take them off that trail,” Tukhol said, “you will accompany them until the job is complete, to oversee it and make sure they do not lie and simply scare the hunters off. We do want them dead,” Tukhol said, “you will watch for any additional investigation into the motel, before it is changed.”

Evander desperately wanted to ask what ‘changed’ meant. He wanted to ask many questions, and Tukhol let a silence stretch – but he couldn’t get the words out. His throat was tight out of a sense of self-preservation, until he found a safe question, “Is there something I should be watching for at the hotel?”

“If you see anything, it will be too late,” Tukhol said, shutting his dark eyes, before exhaling, “your curiosity is piqued. You think you deserve to know.”

“I—yes.” He chose not to deny it, uncertain if Tukhol was reading his mind, or if it was just that obvious on his face.

“I retain ownership of the hotel. Gas station. Whatever it needs to be, I own it,” Tukhol opened his eyes, “and what is there, is mine to know,” the dangerous gleam was back, “understand that if you discover it, I will not need to kill you. It will kill you.”

Evander darted a gaze to Fredericka.

“We’ll be changing it to office space. It’ll have high security for a while, before we let it decay again,” she waved her hand, “long enough for the anarchists to forget about it, if you can keep them out of trouble.”

“How long do you expect me to babysit them?”

“Only through the hunter mission. After that, I have assassins set to watch over them.” Fredericka answered, rising, “Amun has been looking for more to do as it is,” Amun was a psychopath, but Evander kept that to himself. Amun was also ancient, after all. Ancient and mad.

“Let Avery know the terms have changed and you will be participating. We’ll see to it you at least have proper quarters over there.”

“Fine,” Evander dug out his phone and sent a text to Avery:

The Praxis would like me to accompany you until the hunters are dealt with to make sure they are killed. Where may I meet up with you?

​

~***~

Beyond the initial drinking area, the Ars Sanguinis hub opened into a barrage of rooms. Apparently, it doubled as a place for some to live, or have office spaces. Adria placed her bets on ‘living’, but right then, she wouldn’t ask. She had a room back at the Black Diamond, so she didn’t need to stay here if she didn’t want to.

At least it seemed relatively happy.

They arrived at the room for Silas, and again, Lucas hesitated. Adria couldn’t help but arch a single eyebrow at the question of being ready, before taking it upon herself to knock on the door for Silas, retaining that aura of sovereignty around herself as she waited for Silas to come to the door and greet them.

She supposed Lucas could flee then if he wanted to, but she rather hoped he wouldn’t. She wouldn’t have as good a reason for being at Silas’s door, and not someone higher up, other than Lucas. She could say he dropped the name, she supposed, but that might not work out as well to Lucas’s favor.

Either way, nothing about her stance suggested any nervousness. Any anxiety.

She wasn’t at all bothered by the thought of meeting someone higher up in the Ars Sanguinis, after all.

 

[crypt]

Avery
​

After a few more moments, Sam returned with the whole group. The group wasn't too large, only being around 40 loyal members, but they were all loyal to each other and Avery. It was like a family of sorts, minus the awkward extended family visits. The living room was slightly crowded from the amount of people inside of it, but they made do.

"Okay so, this brief is going to be short and sweet because of the task at hand," Avery started, pulling up Evander's texts on their phone. They debated on changing his contact name to something ridiculous but didn't since there were much more pressing things to deal with. They handed their phone off to Sam, who took it and began looking through the information he had sent.

"Put simply, the Praxis has ordered us to kill off a group of hunters that are poking around some abandoned hotel," they said. "They keep returning to this hotel, but the Praxis isn't aware of why, which strikes me as odd, but I digress."

"Yeah, that is weird," Sam agreed, passing off the phone to the next person once she was done. "They literally have all of their personal information, but can't figure out why they're hangin' around some hotel?"

There were a lot of unanimous head nods and murmurs of agreement from the group, but Avery was quick to address their concerns.

"Yes, yes it is all very strange, which is exactly why I plan to figure out if there is some reason why they keep returning to the hotel," they explained. "The plan is to get in, take them out as quickly and as efficiently as possible, then explore the place to see what it is they were doing if anything at all. I do want to state they might just be poking around for no reason, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

One of the guys, Keith, stepped up to talk. He also looked as though he'd been working in the vineyard when they were called inside, his shirt and gym shorts had dirt all over them. He combed his hair back with his fingers in an attempt to tame it some before he spoke; his voice came out in a low murmur that bore a thick country accent. "So, are we gonna do this stealthy-like or by brute force?"

"Good question," Avery replied. "Stealth would be preferred, we're going into this assuming that they're armed. If worst comes to worst, we then result to brute force."

Keith nodded, then returned to his spot in the back of the crowd.

Once everyone was done looking at Avery's phone, it was passed back to them.

"We have a week to complete this or else there will be repercussions, but I have full confidence that we'll take care of this. With that being said, everyone can return to their tasks for the time being, I'll call on you again once I'm ready to head out," they concluded, to which everyone started to disperse.

Sam sat down on the couch, practically sinking into it. The couch was ancient and smelled as such, it had been around before Avery was born, which was saying something. She was unphased though. "That was good V," she said with a smile. "It's so strange seeing you so serious, you're like a completely different person when it comes to business."

Avery sat back down in their armchair, smiling back. "Why thank you, Sam."

Moments later, the sound of a notification elicited a groan from Avery, prompting them to look down at their phone. "Oh what now," they paused, noticing it was a message from Evander. They read it over, letting out a laugh. "This ought to be interesting, y'know the guy I mentioned?"

"Yeah?" Sam responded, raising a brow.

They showed the text to Sam. "Apparently, I'm gonna be stuck with him for a little longer because," They pitched their voice lower, imitating Evander and his accent, "The Praxis would like for him to accompany me until the hunters are dealt with."

Sam chuckled, pulling out their own phone so they could scroll through social media. Despite the vineyard's age, it had perfectly working WiFi. "Well, good luck with that," they hummed. "You should probably get that meeting sorted out then."

"Yeah, yeah, I will," they sighed, texting Evander back:

Are you being forced to come along or did you have a sudden change of heart? We can meet back at the club unless you'd prefer the park. The park is kinda trashed though, fair warning.

Lucas
​

"I'll take that as a yes," Lucas mumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

Sounds of shuffling could be heard from the other side of the door followed by the sounds of footsteps. The footsteps grew louder before suddenly stopping. The door was then promptly pulled open and in the doorway stood Silas. He was well-kempt from his head to his shoes; it was apparent that he took a lot of pride in his hair especially. He wore a black button-up, black slacks, and loafers.

Silas' eyes settled on Lucas for a moment before he looked over at Adria. He only looked at Lucas for a moment, but it was enough for Lucas to stiffen and tighten his grip on his arms.

"Lucas, who is this?" he questioned, looking over at him once more. He spoke with a British accent, although it wasn't very thick. It was light, perhaps his voice could have been soothing under different circumstances. He didn't come off as immediately hostile, if anything, mildly annoyed.

Lucas pulled his hands away from his arms to motion over to Adria. He didn't try to make eye contact and avoided it, choosing to look at Adria instead. "This is Adria, she'd like to speak to you if you could find time for her in your schedule."

Silas let out a deep chuckle. "Well, that all depends, I may have time depending on the topic," He turned his gaze to Adria, folding his arms over his chest. He leaned on the doorframe, his lips turning up into a small smile. "Miss Adria, what would you like to speak to me about?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Evander was allowed to leave, thankfully. As much as he wanted to be among the top of the Praxis, he was painfully aware in that meeting that he was under immense scrutiny, and he wasn’t prepared for it. Seeing Turkhol was too unexpected.

That didn’t make him more pleased to have to deal with Avery instead.

He sighed aloud as he read the message from them.

Still, he responded:

Forced. Let’s just go to the club.​

He didn’t want to deal the lunacy of people that could haunt a park. At least the club required some levels of decency and clothes, even if not much. Evander would grab his guns this time, in case the hunting was to begin that night, before going to the subway. This time, he did have to use his fearsome aura, because he obviously had to avoid the metal detectors, and that meant staring down some people who considered making a scene over it.

They didn’t.

One look at Evander, and they lost all courage to confront him at all, letting him pass onto the train without incident, and get to the club with ease. He dropped that fearsome aura once he was actually on the train, of course.

Even if it might have kept some people from standing so close they touched him.

~***~

Silas looked the sort who would be more at home in the Praxis, but that wasn’t unusual. People of the Ars Sanguinis ran the gambit of madness; those who had more to cover up, usually tried to look better than everyone else. Adria knew that too well – Almos had been absolutely mad, but he garnered plenty of respect.

Now she was going to be riding on that.

“Lucas is the first I’ve met of the Ars Sanguinis here, and he rightly deferred to your expertise as his sire,” Adria began, “I am a Leukocyte, childe of Almos Valerian, and looking to establish my studies here. I understand you’re one of those with authority here, so I am here to offer my services so I may gain a place in this Praxis domain.”

It was obvious the Praxis ran this city, regardless of who else was allowed in. “I was hoping there would be time to discuss that, if not now, then in the near future. I’d certainly be willing to offer my help with any studies into the Hunger here.”

But not the Leukocyte.

At least…not to just anyone. The implicit offer was there, in seeking favor, if he was aware of the title. There was a chance he wasn’t; it wasn’t exactly a common term in the Ars Sanguinis. He might even just think it a bullshit title. That was the problem in these groups. There were those with genuine titles that were just so rare no one knew them, and then there were those who abused that, and actually did use bullshit titles to try and curry favor.

 

[crypt]

Avery


K, see you there.
​

Avery closed their phone with a sigh and tucked it into the pocket of their jacket. They stood up from their chair. "Well, I'd better get going."

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna keep your hot date waiting," Sam teased, flashing Avery a toothy grin.

They simply rolled their eyes, unable to contain their own smile. "Hot date?" They laughed, pushing the door open. "Very funny, Sam. I'll see you in a while, okay? You're in charge until I get back."

"Got it," Sam hummed in reply, giving a small salute with their hand.

With that, Avery pushed off from the doorframe and exited the building. They headed over to their car and got in, starting it up. They then backed out of the parking lot and began the drive back to the club. They weren't exactly thrilled that they had to meet with Evander again and so soon, but they didn't have any other choice.

They hoped that this situation would be worked out quickly, they didn't want to interact with him more than absolutely necessary.

The drive up to the club was as dull as it was the first time, despite the fact that they had a Best of Queen Spotify playlist playing. Usually, one can't go wrong with Queen, but unfortunately, it didn't help to brighten up the ride much. They were deep in thought, their mind still wondering what the hunters could be returning to the hotel for, if anything at all. They were well aware that it could be nothing, but that didn't stop them from mulling over the what-ifs.

Furthermore, they thought about how to best approach the situation so they could come out with as few casualties as possible. They mentally planned out which entrance would be most beneficial to use, just based on the pictures Evander had provided. They obviously couldn't walk in the front door, that'd take away the element of surprise, so perhaps if there was a ventilation system that came out on the roof, they could enter through there.

It would be an uncomfortable fit, especially with how many people would be coming along, but Avery figured they could manage. If not, they could always improvise, they were good at that, after all.

They arrived at the club once more and headed inside, weaving through the crowds of people and heading up the stairs. The club had gotten significantly more crowded, all seats at the bar were filled and the dance floor was packed. It smelled of sweat, cigarettes, and alcohol which they had grown accustomed to after going there from time to time for a quick drink and dance.

They sat down in the exact same spot and waited for Evander to arrive.

Lucas
​

A deep, thoughtful hum emitted from Silas' throat. "I see, I see," he said.

The name was familiar to him, his sire had mentioned him a couple of times in passing. Admittedly, he didn't know much about him, he never asked because he was busy with his other numerous endeavors. Almos had been mad, but he was intelligent and well-respected within the communities. It was unclear if the respect he garnered was from admiration of his intellect or out of fear. Silas didn't particularly care which one it was.

"I have heard of Almos, he was and remains quite infamous in the communities," he stated simply, rubbing his chin. "He was both respected and feared by many."

Silas stepped out of the way and pushed the door open fully, motioning for them to come in. "If you would like to talk business, then we must do so now because I am a very busy man. I do not have time to dawdle," his tone was slightly firm, although it wasn't entirely unkind. "I think that your help could be beneficial to many people, Adria. We are always looking for bright minds to further our understanding."

Lucas held back an eye roll at his last comment. He knew that Silas was only being so kind because there was a possibility that this could benefit him in some way. It didn't take him much time to figure out that Silas was extremely self-serving, he'd seen it many times firsthand while sitting in on his business meetings. The act he was putting on would fade away like it always did.

 

[Lucyfer]

The path was the same as before, only this time, the club was indeed more crowded. Evander resisted the temptation to flare that fearsome aura again to clear his path, and had to restrain himself not to shove a man to the ground after he roughly bumped into Evander and spilled some of his swill on Evander’s shirt and jacket.

“Watch where you’re going!” the man laughed, despite the words, apparently not sober enough to get his emotions to match his words.

Evander didn’t shove him, but he did capture the man’s jaw between his fingers before he allowed that flare of power, only this time, it was focused, and came on the heels of that authoritative power he was only just beginning to channel: “Leave.”

Expression drained from the man’s face, and when Evander let him go, he walked stoically towards the exit, despite his friends calling and cajoling him. Evander simply made his way towards the VIP lounge, debating if he wanted to close his jacket up further, or remove it.

In the end, he closed it up further as he reached the upper floor. The darker fabric didn’t appear as stained.

Thankfully, Avery was already there, and so Evander went over to the same table and set a hand down, “I’m here. Can we leave now?” they didn’t need to talk over details in this wretched place, did they?

~***~

Good.

Almos’s name was indeed good for something, even far from where he worked. Adria was pleased with that, but didn’t say as much. Her expression didn’t change to any surprise, it remained calm, polite, but with just a hint now of expectation.

Silas knew her bloodline, and knew what it could offer.

It seemed Silas was willing to invite both in, and she gestured for Lucas to go ahead as Silas continued the spiel of obvious bullshit about others needing her teachings. They did, of course – but that wasn’t what he cared about.

Even so, she didn’t intend to let her own aura drop, even if it would exhaust her for the night. She wanted to keep Silas playing nice as long as possible, “Thank you, I’m glad you can see the need,” she said as she stepped in, and located a seat. She took it, and smoothed her skirt a bit as she let Silas and Lucas settle themselves, before she’d lift her gaze up once again to the other man – and his office.

There could be clues in how he decorated it, that would help her to understand him better. “Tell me, where can I be of use to the Ars Sanguinis here…and what can the Ars in this town do to help secure my place within the city? I have already had a brief meeting with Fredericka and she did not seem inclined to hand out favors for a name.”