Vampires and Visitors [Closed Thread]

[MP]

The Oscuri coven didn't believe in the crypt-like Victorian décor that many of the younger covens seemed to go for. It was meant for administrative matters, pending applications for unlife, and support outreach for the coven's newborns. The lobby reminded Aaron of a dentist's office - plain furniture, a sign-in desk, and a sensible spread of home magazines on the side tables. He still wondered whether the coven had intended there to be a B in the name somewhere, but he decided it would be more polite not to ask. 

That was all you really needed to get along with vampires. Aaron looked up from his chair as Vasily, a trim middle-aged man in appearance, stepped out from the back room. The elder greeted Aaron with a sharp smile, and the agent promptly stood to shake his hand. Vampires had a stigma about them: humanity's ancient, immortal enemy. Monsters in human skin. In his experience, they weren't so bad. He made polite small talk with Vasily, asking after the elder's latest project car, listening to him enthuse about the new transmission. Aaron nodded appreciatively, trying his best not to look as lost as he felt on the topic as they moved to one of the back lounges.

Vampires were less volatile than werewolves, more readable than ghouls or goblins or other creatures of the night - all they really asked for was respect. You learned a coven's particular rules of etiquette, treated them like any normal person, and you got along. Some might be haughty or condescending, but the same was true of plenty of humans. Vasily, thankfully was neither. 

"And your Sara?" He asked, polite but earnest as he offered Aaron a cup of tea. "She's doing well? Recovering?"

Tea wasn't really Aaron's thing. But he took it anyway, sipping carefully. Vasily was a gracious host, but he sometimes forgot to check the temperature of non-blood beverages. 

"She is. Thank you," he said. 

There was a small silence as he shelved the emotions that always came with the Soundless. It would be better to focus on the topics of today's check-in, or at least move on to other small talk. As efficient as the agent was, he liked Vasily, and he didn't begrudge the vampire some time to catch up on events above ground. Vasily, just as familiar with Aaron's ways, smiled apologetically.

"Ah, that's good. Very good. You both can move onto happier things."

That was an odd way to put it. Aaron shot the vampire a quizzical glance. Seeing Vasily's sly smile, he paused, feeling a flush threaten at the tips of his ears. 

"Um. It's a bit early. After the whole thing." He turned his attention back to his tea, which was suddenly the most interesting thing in the room. "We'll see."

Though Vasily defied vampiric stereotypes in many ways, he had a typical love for gossip and social drama. Aaron's nonexistent wedding was a topic the old vampire had been favoring for weeks.

[qhostqrowls]

The door behind the two swung open, and the vampire that entered ducked his head to avoid hitting the frame. When he straightened, he smiled, flashing perfectly white fangs, and focused on Vasily, extending a hand towards the elder.

“Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Vasily. I’m Warren Alvarez - Oscars partner.”

Oscar, one of the younger members of the coven, had all but chewed off Vasily’s ear with mentions of his boyfriend’s interest in joining. He was as handsome as he had described, in the unnervingly perfect way some vampires were. Tan skin, a well-muscled frame, and perfectly symmetrical features. There was not a hair out of place on his head, nor a thread loose on his expensive suit. He carried himself with the typical swagger of a young supernatural, but whoever his maker had been, they had evidently taught him well of what manners were expected of him. As soon as his hand left Vasilys, he turned to Aaron, extending his hand again and looking intently into the agents eyes.

His smile widened a fraction, crimson eyes never leaving Aaron’s face.

“I was told they were sending an agent, but they neglected to tell me your name. Thank you for making time for this. I’m sure your schedule is busy as it is.”

[NightshadeVII]

Arriving together with Warren was another man, shorter and seemingly human, if his lack of fangs and crimson eyes were anything to go by. The way he stood beside the young vampire, completely relaxed, comfortable in Warren’s presence, spoke of their familiarity.

“Eike Heddel. I’m a friend of Warren’s”, the man introduced himself with an easy smile and a pleasant, lilting accent, “it’s an honour to meet you both.”

Unlike the newly arrived vampire, the blonde had a more casual, yet somehow still stylish look about him. Clad in a simple, high-quality black t-shirt and jeans, he wore little jewelry, save for a slim gold necklace and a bracelet of twisted leather. His blonde hair was artfully tousled, framing his features and making it was clear he cared about maintaining his apperance, though not to an obnoxious degree. But then again, when around vampires in all their inhuman beauty, one had their work cut out.
Eyes the same grey-blue as a stormy sky shone with curiousity as he looked around the room and the people in it. When he turned towards Aaron, there was a small flash of relief in his eyes, as he seemed to appreciate the presence of another human.

Though it appeared to be his first time in vampire circles, the blonde clearly wanted to make a good impression and opted to take a page out of his companion’s book, extending his hand as greetings were exchanged.
“I’m very sorry I for showing up unannounced like this”, Eike chuckled sheepishly, “but Warren wanted some company today, so who was I to say no? I assure you I won’t get in your way.”

[MP]

Aaron, ever conscious of vampiric etiquette, stood politely to one side while Vasily greeted his newcomers. Only then did he step forward to shake their hands, introducing himself with a polite nod and a politer smile. It was good these supernaturals were excited to work with the department. Not all supernatural communities had been so willing after recent events.

"I won't keep you long," he said, as much to Vasily as to the newcomers. "You said you had some -"

The look Vasily gave him was a subtle thing. A bright smile - a little too bright, turned a little too quickly on him as he spoke. Aaron understood mid-sentence that the current topic was somehow unwelcome. He course corrected.

"-issues. With your donor numbers."

Aside from a slight stumble on the topic change, Aaron kept a straight face and a level tone. It was mostly truthful. Vasily had planned to proceed to their standard check-in to-dos - blood rationing included - after they'd discussed the priority issue. Whatever the issue had been, the elder was apparently unwilling to discuss it in front of the coven at large. Aaron understood the discretion. When it came to logistics, the Oscuri could be choosy with the new blood they trained for the role.

"Less with numbers, more with appetites." Vasily was quick to seize the new topic. "You know how it is with newborns. You need extra blood to feed the self restraint. We were all the same at the beginning."

The elder flashed a wry smile at Warren as he spoke. Then back to Aaron.

"Perhaps for the new blood, we could arrange for an agent to come with another presentation? Maybe with the brochures your office gave out four years ago?"

"I'll have to check our inventory," The agent said, making a mental note. "But I can definitely schedule a visit."

"Very good!" Vasily put a hand behind his back, usher Aaron toward the door with the other. He turned a warm smile on the waiting supers: "Excuse the rush, gentleman. We can finish our meeting after our check-in is done."

[qhostqrowls]

Warrens blood-red gaze flicked between Vasily and Aaron, his smile never wavering. It turned a touch sheepish at Vasilys comment, and he looked away to glance around the room as the two conversed. His stance was relaxed, and his gaze softened in apparent affection when it settled on Eike.

He murmured something under his breath to the blonde, his voice a low purr.

“…might need babysitting. You know what they can be like. I’ve got this covered.”

Vasilys keener hearing might pick up on the last few sentences, but Warren fell silent as the elder turned his attention back to them.

“Please, take your time. There’s no rush. Lovely to meet you, agent Telmore.“

He inclined his head in a nod, his tone sincere.

[NightshadeVII]

Playing the role of emotional support human came naturally to Eike- he nodded at the right times, but remained politely quiet while the supers and WDSA agent were discussing things he reasonably would know nothing about.
All the while, he listened attentively and curiously, taking in as much as he could around him. He had never visited a vampire coven before, for obvious reasons, and managed to fake a human sense of awe to an impressive degree.
The agent and elder were a curious duo- sadly not in the interesting way- and he tucked away their names, keeping note of their slips and hesitations.
When his gaze settled on Warren, his lips curled in a playful manner, communicating mutual affection, and he gave the vampire’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

“Of course you do, yndling” the nøkk hummed quietly, “I’ll make it up to you, I promise”

As soon as the elder vampire and agent was gone, the blonde stretched languidly and got to work.
Per Eike’s role in his court, he entertained and he got results- which required a very specialized skillset, perfected over the centuries. For now, he was here to assist Warren, throw a wrench in some WDSA plans and whatever else struck their fancy. And by now he was terribly bored, so who knew what might catch his interest.
Perhaps he might even learn something about what he was here in this dreadful underground town for. It didn’t seem likely, but fortune tended to favor the blonde nøkk.

Eike slipped casually behind the desk of the guest office, as if he had every right to be there, and started flicking through papers, helping himself to anything that could be useful; copies of documents with names, planned events, contacts and associated WDSA agents. It was nothing devastating to leave lying around, but still interesting enough.
And surely, if these things were oh so important and not meant to be read by just anyone, one would assume they wouldn’t have been left lying around like this?
Or perhaps the elder and agent had planned to discuss matters here before he and Warren had shown up?

No matter, he took what he could get, and with Warren on babysitting duty- as the vampire himself had so aptly put it- the nøkk basically had all the time in the world. The young super truly was living up to his pet name.

“Tell me, Warren”, Eike spoke, sounding almost bored while he worked, flicking through files, “you wouldn’t happen to know any good places to spend your time in this city, would you?”
Eike flashed the young vampire a charming grin, the stormy blue of his eyes swirling for a second before settling again.
“With all this hard work, I’ve barely had time to explore and enjoy myself.”

[MP]

Aaron took dutiful stock of Vasily's comments and feedback, but privately, he didn't see the need for the check-in. The Oscuri had their blood supply handled, and their consumption was easily within limits. All the same, he set a schedule for a WDSA visit, emailed the office to double-check the stock of informational handouts, and noted down Vasily's suggestions for future vampiric outreach attempts. At length, Vasily led him back his private office - to pick up the key fob for the new training room, he said. Their footsteps echoed down the hall, unhurried and pausing whenever the elder stopped to gesticulate.

"Most of the old blood aren't interested in that kind of thing anymore," the vampire was saying. "Drinking and overseeing the young ones - that's all they care for. But the renovations will help the newborns practice their strength, work out the hunting instinct, the aggression."

Aaron's eyes flickered to him.

"Has there been an incident?"

"No, no. No hunts since the boardwalk."

The agent nodded, his shoulders relaxing. Many elders tended to deflect or excuse when their coven members flaunted hunting regulations. Vasily had taken the allegations seriously from the start, responding with a quickness and a stern hand that had earned the agent's respect. If he said there hadn't been illegal hunts, Aaron believed him.

"But the young ones, you know how they are. They're restless, wanting to test their strength." Vasily shook his head. "Humans always say instinct, or thirst. But it's not the blood that does it. It's the - the loss, you see? The life they had, the person they were - they're gone. They look for something to replace it. A new, ah - a new identity."

He turned an apologetic smile on Aaron, who only waved the apology down. The agent paused. Frowned a little. Glanced up at him.

"You're saying there's unrest?"

Maybe now they were coming to the real cause of the visit - the things Vasily wouldn't say in front of ordinary coven members.

"More than usual," Vasily admitted. "There was a staking attempt at Rose station. The young ones are angry, scared. The elders are talking. Some see our partnership with the department as, ah..."

Aaron nodded. He didn't need him to finish to know what he meant. Vampires hadn't been involved in the WDSA cover-up, hadn't been aware of it. But this latest incident was one of a rising trend. It was a problem too big for either man to solve - only mitigate.

"I'd like to work with the elders to figure out more effective patrol routes," he began.

Vasily held up a hand, and the agent paused.

"The real problem is the missing young ones." He waved down Aaron's thought before it could finish forming. "I don't think they've been harmed, no. But a few of the new bloods talked of leaving for other clans. I checked with our sister covens, had their transfers ready, of course. But they never joined. No paper trails, no chatter, no sightings out of state. They just - leave."

A silence fell as Aaron took in the implications. Vampire networks were better than many, and their penchant for good paperwork was second to none. If Vasily couldn't find them, he wasn't sure what to think.

[qhostqrowls]

Warren shifted to stand in front of the door, listening carefully for returning footsteps or any snatches of conversation. The Elder had redirected the agent smoothly, but it hadn’t escaped his notice. Vasily was a tricky one - didn’t have the arrogance that got other Elders killed by their perceived subordinates, or the longing for the old days that could sway him to their side.

That was alright. He liked a challenge.

He watched Eike flick through the papers, arms crossed over his broad chest. He flashed the fae a winning smile, musing.

“I’ll take you out sometime.” He said smoothly. “I know my way around a few of the clubs. You deserve to let loose now and again, hm?”

A gross understatement - Warren was a networker at heart, and already had his claws in a handful of the undergrounds establishments. The supernaturals here were passive, unambitious. But in every corner of every bar, he’d found someone dissatisfied. Someone weak he could make strong. Break them free of the leash they’d so willingly signed up for.

He gestured at the fae to return to his side with a lazy flick of his hand at the sound of footsteps, uncrossing his arms and smoothing his expression to one of faint nervousness. They were all so worried about reckless new-blood. Acting sheepish and grateful always had their hackles smoothed out within a week or two.

Vasily and this agent would be no different.

[NightshadeVII]

Curiosity sated and with a handful of useful names and places, Eike sauntered back towards Warren. Like most older supernaturals, he moved with grace and calm that made it seem like he had all the time in the world, as if it wouldn’t cause a scene if he was caught snooping around in documents that surely were important to the coven.

“I knew you’d be the right person to ask”, Eike returned the smile, “I think we all do, no? All work and no play makes things horribly dull.”
The nøkk took at moment to look Warren over, amused by how radically different he acted now that he didn’t have to pretend. The young vampire had lived up to the nøkk’s expectations so far. He wasn’t as boing and one-note as most of the members of cabal was, so filled with rage and naive dreams of rebellion. This vampire was confident and ambitious, as youths were, but skilled and knowledgeable. Useful, in other words.
It was almost a shame he wasn’t suited for court life.

Eike knew the underground clubs here were a stretch, with very little to catch his old friend’s interest, but he had to start somewhere. And besides, this town was so terribly boring, lacking, dreary, so who could blame him for having a little fun along the way?
Of course, he wasn’t expecting to search for long. It wouldn’t be hard to find another nøkk so far from home.