by P. S. Power
Zack laughed at her, even though she was kind of certain she really was about to feel pretty crummy. Then, she didn’t really have to, which Tarsus reminded her of, gently. She focused, and kept doing it, trying to make herself pay more attention to the data coming in, than how she felt.
The meal was nice, she decided. Phillip explained his adventure, which really was one, taking him to more than a desert. He’d also seen the ocean and a volcano, if only off in the distance.
“I’m getting pretty good about finding the weak places though, I think.”
She ate quickly, not wanting to spend all night with Phillip, seeing to things that might well be taking place several times a week after that. As soon as she’d cleaned up, washing her face and hands, in the back, she started to walk toward the front, to find Kait waving at her from that direction.
“I was thinking we’d all stay here? Mom sent me over. Apparently, there’s a whole conference call thing going on right now. With five other locations. There’s talk of setting up a meeting soon. Now, this is your friend? Phillip, was it?”
Avery nodded, taking his hand.
“Boyfriend. We can use one of the reading rooms here?”
“That’s what they’re for. Come on…”
Even given the day before, Phil seemed nervous as they went into the room. Avery had to figure it was about her being there, as part of things, more than she had been. Then it had been sewing and touching his back. Now, it was clear, more would be expected of her. The thing there was that it didn’t take a lot on her part, in the end. She kissed him, while Kaitlyn did the work portion of things. His concentration ended up on feeling good and her, even though the effort was being borrowed.
The Alede woman still won out, taking in the energy that was dumped into the world from the act however, so it was probably worth it to her in the end. After getting cleaned up a bit, and dressed again, Avery got a hug from the glasses wearing woman.
“So, we’re on for Friday? My grandma is getting me in with her for the script session. Have you been brushing up on acting?” There was a hopeful look for some reason.
“Nope. Not at all. I’ll do that now. After I walk my boyfriend home. Thanks, by the way.” She waved at him, so that the meaning would be clear. Kaitlyn just nodded.
“My pleasure. Literally, just so you know that. Anyway, next time you can do the fun things. I’ll coach you through it. It isn’t hard or anything. I know that you aren’t really into it, but you seem fine that way. I mean, not scared or anything.”
That was true. The whole thing had been interesting even, at points. A bit like watching other people dancing. The problem was that, even if she learned how to do the dance herself, it was still always going to be like that. A chore or skill, but not something that flamed passion in her soul. Which she didn’t really care about.
Her behind was squeezed by Kait, which, on the way out, had Phil doing it as well. He grinned though, sighing.
“I kind of understand, I think. About how you are. I just don’t know what it means for us. I mean, we can’t always do things with other people.” He seemed very serious, about a thing that she didn’t see as that important at all. That it was to him, and could be used to influence him was the important part for her.
“We can, actually. Still, we won’t have to. I’ll learn to do things, like everyone else does. Probably not as well as Kaitlyn or Roberta, but enough so that if they aren’t around you won’t be left in pain or discomfort.” She wasn’t really certain how that worked, but Tarsus assured her that while not comfortable for a Human boy, being frustrated wasn’t actually a harsh pain, either.
Normally it could be taken care of by themselves, but she’d forbidden him from doing that. Making her his only way of finding relief. A thing which had to be earned.
“Now, I’ll follow you home. If you go out the far side of the parking lot, there’s a good rift that way.” She pointed, walking with him, holding hands.
In all it took twenty minutes, three back-trackings and five rifts to get to a place that she would have made in half the time with no mistakes, but in all she was pleased with the effort. He even managed to carry her through the last one, before kissing her goodnight. He had a bit of a walk still, but only a few blocks.
Then she took herself home, which wasn’t hard to do at all for her.
Eve was there, actually sitting in the living room with someone, which was a surprise. That, as it turned out was Troy. The Vampire lit up when he saw her.
“I knew if I waited long enough you’d show up! We can just go to your room?” The tone was playful, charming and at least half hopeful.
Avery tilted her head at him, still holding her mind more or less still.
“I haven’t asked Barbara if that’s all right. Plus, I have no interest in that kind of thing or particular skill at it. Other than those things, um… Sure?”
Eve tossed a pillow at the nice-looking Vampire then, gently.
“That’s a real point, Vamp-boy. Not that Barb won’t share, but that you need to remember to set things up first. After all, while neither of these girls is all that bitchy about things like that, what if Barbara had to fight Avery? It could start a war, if nothing else. Even if they just yelled at each other things could end up going sideways on us.”
That got a shrug from the man, and a small move to stroke his thin mustache.
“Well, that’s changed a lot. We had a talk… We’re still an item, but Barb knows that I’m more or less her equal, now, so I can pretty much do what I want.” There was a sudden and complete lack of emotion from the Vampire. A blankness that probably meant something.
The words had a pink flavor to them, which was of life and energy, but not magic really. Eve glanced at the man and slowly blinked, her pale eyelids closing and opening almost as if sending a signal. If that was the case, then Avery was seeing it, but missing the meaning. Nothing even slapped her mind from the old memories in her head. That probably meant it was either something very new, or Eve was doing something that had meaning to her, not to the world as a whole.
For about a full minute, no one spoke. No one looked at Avery, so she just sat as well. Seeing what would happen. It didn’t seem violent, really. From what she knew of Vampire rules, what Troy had said was probably nearly correct. Thinking about that got a list of things to hover in front of her mind, which came close to explaining things. She thought.
Barbara was actually slightly less powerful than Troy. She was a line walker, and that was a real thing, but the woman was being held back from doing too much of that, since she was, as it turned out, very slow about it all. Going from one place to another took her years, experientially. Mainly in the void, but Barb wasn’t getting better at that part of things. Every trip was a giant chore for her, with constant effort to open up the location she wished to enter.
That both made her reluctant to use her gift, as well as unable to move quickly. Avery was a bit slow that way, compared to say, Zack. He could take ten people per minute without seeming pressed at all. Working fast, she’d gotten up to four during a normal work day. A good part of that was, of course, that Zack valued his own efficiency over the comfort of other people. She tried to be polite each time, speaking and taking beings gently and carefully. The point was that she could, at need, probably double that and just toss people around.
The Line Walker would beat that if he wanted, but for normal things, or minor emergencies, Avery was decent as far as node travel went. Troy was slower than that, but still solid. Eve as well. They could both have worked the book shop without any complaint. Barb however really would have had trouble that way.
Which was why she was normally the last of the Vampires to go and do anything. The game was to claim that she needed to hold her post, as Assistant Ambassador, which Avery had figured as being true enough, most of the time. You were supposed to stay where you belonged. The thing there was that it was much easier to find some random Vampire, or even a Human being, who could s
tand by and answer the phone well.
Troy had been trained to start as a master Vampire as well, which meant he didn’t have a lot of bad habits. He was a competent fighter, and willing to do it without much hesitation. In many ways he was stronger than Barbara, already.
For her part, she was an Assistant Ambassador. So, position wise she won. It meant they were nearly matched as far as who was more important.
That point, there, was the real problem. It was why the others were sitting there, not knowing how to handle things. Because it was a new issue for their people. Vampires didn’t have equal relationships. Their rules weren’t built for that kind of thing to even be considered. They were, by nature and inclination, too violent and aggressive to allow anyone to be in charge of them, so one of them would always have to be able to dominate the other physically. Troy could, possibly, do that with the older, more important woman.
For her part, she was protected from that slightly by her position. If they fought and Troy won, Barbara would almost certainly be pulled from her place as the Assistant to Edom, in disgrace. Troy was too young to take over from her that way, so there would be a power vacuum, as well. Vampires that were less than a year dead didn’t take on those with that much age and win.
There was just nothing in the rules that would allow them to share power either. Their very inner beings were going to rip at them, until it came to violence.
It was interesting, Avery decided, since she was seeing a list of things, meaning that whoever had this information in their memory had been very different from a lot of people. Except that she’d focused so hard that it was actually her doing that part. The words hung there, like the text in a book, or a school assignment.
The answer was clear of course. She almost mentioned it, when Tarsus moved in and pushed at her mentally.
Telling her to be silent.
There was a bit of force behind the words, so she did it. Even if it were uncomfortable and slightly rude. After a moment however, Troy spoke, his words dark.
“Crap. I have to break up with her, don’t I? I actually love her, but this isn’t going to end well, for either of us. That probably means leaving. I can’t ask her to do that. What do I do?” He seemed upset, instead of truly baffled or lost.
Eve didn’t make any sound at all, including moving or breathing, so Avery got looked at, as if she were supposed to hold an actual answer to that kind of thing. Eve’s memories had an idea, but it didn’t make any sense at all to Avery. There just wasn’t enough time to review it all.
Still, it seemed to be the right time to bring it up, if he were really looking for a new plan in life. Bey was his maker, and while called the killer of the council, he was really more like their enforcement arm. Eve was as well. Troy was powerful, but probably not in that league, as far as fighting went. Going up against what those others faced regularly would be a death sentence for him.
She shrugged and said the words anyway.
“Law enforcement?” It was a question, since she wasn’t aware that Vampires had police. Not outside of the Ambassadors and their minions.
The words got Eve to smile. It was a grim thing, but a breath was taken, in order to speak.
“There is that! I hadn’t really been thinking of you for it in particular, since it would mean leaving here, but I’ve been talking to my dad, Roy, about that for a bit. He wants to put up a program, as a trial, on his force back home.” She looked at Avery and explained, since the topic had never come up between them before. “He’s the Chief of Police back there. Anyway, he was thinking of trying out a Vampire for that kind of thing. You’d be perfect for it. Honestly, no one else could get a day walking master Vampire with actual control over his temper and line walking abilities for that kind of thing, but if you’re looking for someplace to just chill for a while…”
They started talking about that option, which wasn’t something they needed Avery for, she understood. Instead of pushing into their world, even if she might be welcome, she waved at them both and moved to her bedroom. There were several things for her to get to, after all. Yes, food had to come first, so she went and made some quickly, but then she practiced sewing, meditating on increasing her creativity as well as, after about two hours, going over how to act, using the memories she had inside of her.
Interestingly enough, the best five or so actors in history were all Greater Demons. That part wasn’t hard for her to see, since they simply made themselves believe they were living the role at the moment, even if it wasn’t true. It wasn’t that helpful to her, but there were other beings in the mix, some of whom had some very good tips as far as what she needed to do went.
So she reviewed the basics, and kept working, making new clothing for practice. It was all for her, since that was who she had the correct sizes for. Most of it was practical, really. A shirt that was tailored to her body, holding tightly, but with hidden stretch panels so that she could move and even fight at need. That was a bit revealing, for her taste, and not a slightly oversized sweater at all, but part of what she needed to work on.
Showing up at Bente’s on Sunday in a comfortable tent wasn’t going to work, after all. A fish costume wasn’t going to go over that well either. That meant she needed to tone down what she’d been thinking of doing, if she didn’t want to be screamed at for hours. Or worse. The woman was fashionable. That didn’t mean she wasn’t a Greater Demon first.
There was sleep, at about two in the morning, until four, then more sewing, since she was going to need trousers for the day as well. Underwear, too. That was all about practice, since no one would be seeing those things. She didn’t make a bra, given that physically she didn’t really need one. Dragon women, apparently, didn’t sag.
Eve was still there, or rather there again, at nearly six, when Avery came out, dressed and ready for the day in her tan shirt and slightly darker trousers. Her shoes were meant for running, which, the memories from Bente assured her, would have her locked in a small room as punishment if her mentee were seen wearing them in public by her. There was just no choice at the moment. Avery didn’t have enough time to learn to make that kind of thing in time.
The Vampire smiled, waved at the dining room table that was normally used for meetings and indicated the box of donuts there was for her. Those were from The Sunshine Bakery. The colorful box announced that clearly. They smelled good. Led by her nose, she settled in front of the pink and purple thing, not asking if they were for her. The wave had indicated that. Plus, Vampires didn’t need food. It was hardly her being clever to work that one out.
Thinking that did get her to focus and try to collect data, like she’d been assigned to.
Her friend gestured lazily with one hand.
“Nice threads. Probably a little too much so for high school. Not that you shouldn’t wear them today. Anyway… Back to my own personal drama for a bit? That’s what you wanted to hear about while you ate, wasn’t it?” She looked hopeful, as if she really needed to talk to someone.
“Always.” She stopped then, not having much of a clue what Eve had going on, most days. They might live in the same house and be friends, but they had very separate lives, she realized. So talking was important. That, or Tarsus helpfully provided, a solid campaign of spying.
Even he allowed that the talking option was probably the easier of the two.
Her best friend regarded Avery closely for a moment, then smiled.
“Thanks. So… Ben sent a letter. I wasn’t really getting it, until last night, talking to Troy. You were there for part of that. The power difference between Ben and I… Well, I think I finally see it. I’d always be the one in charge. He wouldn’t even be allowed to leave, if I didn’t want it to happen. Not that I’d kill people just to keep them with me. But… Part of me, probably of any Vampire, kind of says that’s how it has to be. So he got out first thing, inside a few weeks. Seeing that for himself. I wasn’t getting it, not until I saw it happening with someone else.”
Avery nod
ded, since it sort of seemed right to her.
“Except that it’s worse for you and Ben, isn’t it? I mean, Troy is powerful and young, but he might manage to be more powerful later, if he tries hard and keeps working at things. The big difference right now is one of political position. Eventually he’ll have that kind of thing, if he keeps at it long enough. Ben… Nothing he does will make him your better. That would mean always being your slave, more or less. Even being with his Sire now… He can probably see that someday he might surpass her, if he tries hard enough. It might take a long time, but…”
Interestingly, Eve went wide eyed and nodded then.
“Exactly! So, you get me here, I’ve been processing this for the last six hours, after Troy took off. He has a night job at a dance club, part time. TTLA. Which… Well, I’m sure your school friends will eventually try to sneak into. It isn’t like Vancouver has six clubs like that or anything.”
Avery ate, deciding that the donuts in the box were a bit better than the one at her normal donut shop. Not enough to be worth changing from it, since she had her friend there, the donut man, but they were delicious. Probably because they were just a bit heavier on the sugar and fat, which to her was wonderful, at the moment.
Eve closed her eyes.
“On top of that we have some issues going on at work. That was really why Troy was here last night, for us to try and brainstorm about it. Some Human servants and a few younger kids, Vampires, have been kidnapped in the last week. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. I mean, extortion, or threat, but we’re Vampires. Doing that will just piss us all off.”
Half a cake donut with brightly colored sprinkles and white icing in her hand, Avery nodded.
“That sounds familiar. The Mages, Shifters and even some Greater Demons seem to have the same thing going on. Calley Hale is leading the investigation on that, so you should get with her on it. I mean, that’s what I’ve been telling everyone else, so it’s got to be real by now.” She smiled, then shrugged, since it was clear to her that Tarsus had been prompting her a lot more than he really should have been, just being memories. Greater Demon thoughts and ideas however, which probably explained what was going on there.
