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Roger had sent Avery a message after they met with her partner, and so Avery got worried. Avery had...as usual, broken in. It wasn't all that hard for them.
They had one of Vincent's sweaters on, it smelled like them, and kept Avery calm. Avery was currently watching a show on Vincent's TV, waiting for the fledgling to get home.
Vincent heard the tv from the hallway, 'Please be Avy' he thought not wanting to deal with Alice yelling at him, opening the door he smiled to find Avery their, "Hey babe," he says throwing his coat off, "How was your day?"
Avery turned off the TV as soon as they heard the door. She debated it when they heard Vinny's footsteps but...waited the moment longer.
"Hey love...it was nice. I talked to Vorpal today."
There was a slight blush at that, and a tiredness. Avery glances at her phone.
"I...need to talk to you. Well...3 talks actually...when you have a moment."
"Oh. ..how did that go?" he asked in relation to Vorpal but raised an eyebrow at three talks, "shit um, sure I have a moment." he walks over and sits, putting his arm over her and rubbing her shoulder, "What's wrong babe," he kisses her cheek, "You ok?"
Avery blushes. "Really well...I...learned a lot. And she was nice."
Avery tugs at his sleeve to join her on the couch.
"I...theres one nice talk...and two hard talks...what is easiest for you love?" She was clearly practicing these talks before. She doesn't answer about being ok.
"Which one do you want out of the way first?" he asks, noticing her not answer
Avery hesitates. "The one about Roger. He texted me."
"He what?" Vinny says in surprise, "About?"
Avery doesn't look mad. Worried maybe, but not mad.
"You called yourself a vampire in public, and walked out of the bathroom with blood on your face still."
Avery takes a breath. This was a hard conversation but it needed to be had.
"Do you know how dangerous that is?"
"First of all," he begins, "I said vamp, vamp, that could mean goth, insomniac, someone whose just that damn seductive," he says with a motion of his hands over himself as to say 'look at this', "And, you know what I use to have when I was human, seasonal nosebleeds, all the time in winter and spring." he says a tad annoyed at Roger, "Like, their are a thousand logical things."
Avery flinches at the pushback, hating this talk already.
"Yes...but the thousand logical things make it that much easier for...Huntsmen or Privateers or jusy others who hate us. They look for those connections...if they suspected someone near you...and heard vamp...they would pick you too. Then they would find us together, and suspect me...do you see why its a struggle?"
Avery whimpers slightly, hand gripping the couch. "We have to be...extra careful because of those things. Every...little mistake can lead to huge ones...and that means more of our people get hurt. Its...paranoid...scary...but thats our life Vincent. Its your life too now."
"Hey, hey," he says, making a mental note of 'huntsmen' and 'privateers', "Ok, ok, I get it, I'll be more careful, I'll never use the V word in public again." he says putting his hands on her shoulders, "I'm listening, Avy, I am. . .just a tad annoyed your friends tell you everything I do, that's all."
Avery nods, thankful that one was over. She just wasn't yet sure which of the hard conversations was worse.
"I...understand. Roger is Winter...he is just worried like I am. I....used to be Winter so the lessons stick. But yes...not the V word in public. Especially around...people that don't know about this stuff. It's...its scary is all."
Avery opens their arm for a cuddle.
"Ok," he says holding them, "I guess that's one hard talk down, one more to go." he begins, "What's bothering my Angel?" he says kissing her a few times on the neck, "Tell me how I can make things better."
Avery blushes at the pet name and the kisses, pulling him in for more cuddles. Like a weighted blanket but cuter!
"Um...it...yeah." Avery takes a deep breath. Thinking back to the talk with Vorpal. Before THINGS.
"It's about... your deal with Her." The Witch was left unnamed.
"Oh," he says, deflating a little, "Yeah. . .that." he says, giving a sad little sigh, "You want to know the details I guess."
Avery nods, but doesn't look as upset as Vinny would expect.
"I want to know...all the terms. And...how learning magic works for Vampires. If that last one is okay...I want to understand."
he sighs, trying to think, knowing she'd hate it. "I asked her to teach me the ability to shapeshift," he begins, "I said I would do anything for her, a job, info dug, theft, any crime she needed, free," he said, "She took anything as well anything so she said, her exact words, 'I want to use you as my personal blood bag.' he let's that statement sit for a minute
"To learn the ability. . .I had to drink a sip of her blood," he says, "Before you get any nightmare fuel images, it was off the arm and it was in public, not the neck, not sexual, not intimate," he emphasizes, "It was a business transaction." he says, "I met her in the woods where she. . .yeah" he says, "Other than that I made her swore to keep it between us, to leave you alone and. . ." he sighs, "To protect her investment. . .I asked for her fucking protection from other elders." he sighs in defeat, "We don't care for each other like you guys, most of us anyway, for us it's give and take, no one get's something for nothing. . .she offered to find me a haven, a secure location to live. . . I thought I could try to use her as she was using me." he says, "That is our deal."
Avery listens intently, her face scrunched in the emotions that Vinny would expect at certain parts. When she answers, its calm. Nice to him but seething at Titania under the surface.
"Never say 'anything' to those sort of deals...it only ends badly. Thank you for telling me Vinny." A close hug.
"So...since she is drinking your blood...does the problem still work with you giving someone your blood? Make them love you? Or is she too old for that?"
Avery pauses at the haven part. "She's...helping keep you safe? Thats...good. That's good, yes? Protection from...others like her is good too. I just...don't like that its her..."
"I've learned my lesson, trust me." he says darkly. . .but thinks, "I. . .your right, she does have a risk when she drinks from me I think. . .if we can get it to-" he stops, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said such a thing, I plan faster than I realize how people would be effected. . .but yeah, she said she would 'protect her investment', I guess she's my patron now."
Avery grimaces at the patron comment.
"I still hate her. I want to go along next time...she better not hurt you." The threat was left unaired.
"You. . .Angel," he says cupping her face, "Are you positive you want to, to see that?"
Avery shakes, but nods affirmatively. "Yes...she can do it under my supervision...and if she hurts you we are leaving..." Avery's shaking gets worse, shes full of anxiety. "Is that ok?"
he hugs her, rubbing her back soothingly to calm her, "As long as your with me, as long as we are together, nothing can stop us and we can overcome anything, we'll face her together." he says
Avery leans to get the best back scratch angle, and the shaking slows.
"I...yes...together, yes. She's a bully...you stand together against bullies..."
"Exactly," he whispers into her ear, moving his head to kiss her neck again before moving to her lips.. "So, he says pulling back, "What's the nice talk?"
Avery leans into the kiss, sad eyes when he leaves, but nods. Her face grows a bit red and it slowly gets worse and worse.
"Um...well it started as drawing...Ylva let me use a drawing tablet...and borrow it for a bit. She...can help me buy one when I'm ready..."
This clearly is just stalling from embarrassment.
=
he notices the red face and smiles, "Ylva huh, I met her once at Vertigo, she's kinda hot," he teases, "You bag another one, Avy maybe your just as much a devil as me." he smiles
Avery shakes their head quickly.
"No, no...she...she scares me a bit. And...is a bit too forward...I don't think so."
Avery looks up at Vinny. "She gave me advice...on things...and one of those things was to talk to you...about...that. About things I like more."
he blinks but smiles, "Too forward, maybe I should meet her," he teases again, "What kind of things, you like alot of things, puzzles, art, flying, me," he says leaning in and breathing on her neck, making his way to her hear and whispers, "Say it, be forward."
Avery blushes. "If...if you want to meet her...I'm okay with it. Just...tell me first."
Avery takes a hesitant breath. "I do like you...a lot...but things you do. Like...like touching me. There's...things I need to avoid, please." Avery seems worried.
he looks at her with a smile, no more flirty or seductive, just a friendly smile, "Angel, the whole point of sex is making you feel good," he says, "We didn't discuss because it was the passion of the moment, our first time and I'm sorry," he bows his head a bit, "My goal is to make you happy so I need to know what doesn't make you happy."
Avery relaxes, this was the easy conversion!
"I... need to not be held down. I need to move... or I feel trapped. And... names...careful with names... just... its hard to explain."
Avery sits up to kiss him, then snuggles into his chest. "And...I was wrong the other day. We are equals...ok? No... being better than the other. I am... better at stabbing... but you are better at words. We are equals...ok?"
Avery looks up to him. "Is there... anything for you?"
he blinks and thinks, "Um. . .what I don't like," he considers, "I don't care what some people think 'consential non-con' is creepy, I don't like the idea of it and I think it's problematic," he says, "I don't want anything in my butt but I don't think that would come up." he blinks, "Or maybe it would I don't know," he says, "I'm into some pain play, like scratches, knives maybe, but the hard core stuff is a no-go for me. . .once again something I don't think you'd consider. . ." he stops, "Other than that, nothing on the top of my head," he returns to a flirty grin, "How about the opposite, what makes you feel good?"
Avery nods. "I...can do that. And...butt things can be nice...but I understand."
Avery pauses for a second. "Knives...okay...if you want."
Then its their turn to think.
"Soft touches before hand...not just...there...but all over. I like knowing you love me. I um...I like the Kiss...but also the small bites...the ones thst leave marks. And...the Kiss is dangerous for me...I'm a fighter. So...only for fun...not for food...ok?"
he nods, "Ok. . ." he thinks of what he would like, "Um. . .I like it when, well, I like to know I'm doing good, verbal confirmation. . .praise," he says, "yeah know, just tell me when I'm doing good, I like when you call me Devil. . .and daddy," he blushes, "I like it when you scratch my back and careess me. . .", "Maybe, ya know one day give me a. ..job," he mutters embarrassed
Avery nods. "I.. can do all of that. My devil." She pulls him back down for a cuddle.
"I had hard talks... do you have any?"
"None that I can think. . .wait," he says, "I. . .I need help with work," he says, "So, their something going on in my community, something scaring folks, some of our people got killed by other vampires, they call themselves seven I think, well I got a lead on them," he says excited, "But I'm super sus of it, little to no security and I could use your help watching my back if I break in.", "If I do this, my bosses will be impressed, I know it."
Avery's energy changes suddenly. Attentive, ready for battle. It's a frightening change to see a willingness to kill in her eyes. She's a murderer and a combatant after all.
"I want to help. I... need to tell someone I'm doing this... probably Sigrun... or Asbolus...or Vorpal... so they know where I am."
Avery nods. "If it helps you...I want to do it with you. I'll watch your back... ok?"
he grins, "The Angel and the Devil, the never stood a fucking chance." he says with a slightly evil grin, looking her dead in the eye, as long as he had his angel, no one could stand in their way, power of love and all that jazz.
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