|
In a booth looking down over the main floor of the Succubus Club, Lethia sits alone waiting for Mercstapa to arrive. When he arrives, he is escorted by a pair of women to the room. Once inside with the door closed, the noise of the crowd and music drops to nearly nothing. Lethia will gesture to a black chair to her side and offer refreshments.
Mearc has at least gestured in the direction of dressing for the club, pairing a black pair of cargo pants with a neon green mesh top (borrowed from Lux, most likely) and his usual messenger bag with the strap replaced with one that's orange and black checkerboard-patterned. He will only accept refreshments if there's a sealed water bottle available, politely declining otherwise.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Lethia."
"Of course, it's not every day someone like you calls up and asks for an appointment!" Lethia smooths out the front of her dress and smiles. "Now, what exactly did you want to see me about?"
"I wanted to be sure you and I have an understanding. I wasn't entirely certain what to make of the social interplay surrounding Anna-Marie last time we met, but it was...definitely a thing. So I thought a check-in might be prudent. Besides, this is a hair more private a place to actually talk than Atalo's shop. He's trying, I'll grant that, but it still feels too public-facing for me to completely unclench."
"Well, I can assure you that no one can hear anything in here from outside. I tested that myself." She grins cheekily. "What would you like to check in about? How I feel about Anna-Marie? What I plan on doing to her later? The complex and quite frankly incestuous state of politics in Vampiric society?"
"All of that, plus whether you might have shared my nature with her if she were someone who didn't try so hard to invoke the ire of everyone in the room. And some of the vocabulary I learned, but lack context for. 'Invictus', for example. 'Circle'. I admit to having curiosity as a personal vice." Mearc's smile comes easily, and he seems quite relaxed beside her.
Lethia looks amused and starts ticking off the questions on her fingers. "Well, lets see. I dislike her intensely, and therefore plan on maneuvering her to death. I'm not really in the habit of outing other supernaturals, it only took one angry pack of werewolves to make sure I never slipped up on that again. As for your vocabulary lesson, you'll have to promise on your name that you wont tell anyone that it was me who told you this."
"On my name, I promise not to reveal you as the source of my information." He nods solemnly.
Lethia nods in satisfaction. "The Circle and the Invictus are two of the five groups of Vampires that make up our society. The Circle, which I'm a part of, is based on blood magic and worship of gods that arent the Abrahamic god. Usually. Mostly we're a bunch of witches that dont want other vampires telling us how to live our lives. The Invictus are run like a business, incredibly traditional, and are the ones in charge of most cities back in the Old World."
He nods thoughtfully, clearly cataloguing the words in the library of his mind. "One of the other groups is...Ordo? Which I believe it was implied Daniel is new to."
"Ordo are Vampire scientists. Founded by Vlad himself. Their experiments range from bizarre to horrific. At least, other people say they're horrific. I'm not the best one to judge morality or ethics." She shrugs. "They're also the most secretive about what they do, so I dont know much more than that."
That seems to connect with something in his mind, his smile fading all at once. "Aha. And these are groups you choose to join, not the, uh, lineages?"
She nods. "Yup. Five covenants and five bloodlines at the moment. Used to be others, but they died out."
"I see. The only bloodline I've been able to learn anything about is the one Alex, Saagochque and Daniel belong to. The ones with the tendency to cause that discomfort in the back of my head. They aren't creepy in their own right--well, except perhaps the Sakima, she cultivates some of it deliberately--but they happen to creep people out?"
"They do. It's a curse in their blood. Some of them dont feel creepy, but are horrific to look at. Some of them are both." She sighs. "All the bloodlines are cursed in some way, but these nights I'd say theirs is one of the worst."
"I see. While it feels a bit forward to ask your curse--so I won't do that--what distinguishes your bloodline from theirs?"
"For one, our abilities. Two, the curse. The innate powers in my blood are geared toward manipulation of others but Alex's are geared towards causing fear strong enough to kill you. What a particular vampire can do is usually a solid way of determining their bloodline.
"I see." He nods again. "You're very forthcoming. I can't help but wonder if you're offering this all to build goodwill, so you can ask for something you want later."
Lethia smiles sweetly and saying in a sincere tone of voice, "Of course it is. It wont be a large thing, and I wont ask you to hurt your people or the people you care about, but I'll certainly ask for something. If the thought of owing me later disturbs you, there is something you can help me with right now."
"Let me know what it is, and I'll consider it." His smile returns. "Your candor is a point of merit, though the fact that you've admitted to a talent for manipulation is a bit concerning to me. For obvious reasons, I'm sure."
Lethia laughs. "Oh dont worry, my powers are incredibly overt. What I'm doing now is what I learned in the royal court. Winning hearts and minds so you'll help me honestly." She glides over to a desk where a foot high package wrapped in black cloth rests, and brings it back over. "Keeping in mind that you can say no, all you'd have to do is plant this in the Hedge, and tell me what happens to it."
"I'm afraid I won't be doing that. The Hedge is an area where I'm not exactly an expert, and I have no desire to introduce foreign influences to the local area. Curiosity is my vice, but caution is a virtue."
She nods and sets the package back down. "Fair enough. I can't say I'm surprised by your answer, the last five Changelings have all said no too."
"There's probably a reason for that." He chuckles. "I doubt you intend any potential harm, but given the unpredictable nature of the Hedge, small things can go awry quickly."
"One of them actually said yes one time, but then he died of the Plague before he planted it. Tragic really." She pats the package forlornly. "But I think it's time for me to ask you a question now." She turns and faces Mearc squarely. "Was Alex one of yours before she was turned?"
"Alex has never been a Changeling. Beyond that, it's really not my place to discuss."
She nods. "I suppose that's true. It feels a bit insensitive to ask her directly at the moment though. Maybe I'll try to find out in 50 years."
"The question implies the possibility that a changeling could become a vampire. Do you think it's so?"
"Honestly, I have my doubts. I don't think the soul could handle that many transformations before it simply collapsed. And that's under the best conditions, which your souls are definitely not. Not to mention the fact that you've, well, for lack of a better term, been corrupted by arcane energies. I dont think the thing that propels us in our undeath would be compatible with your bodies."
"That makes a lot of sense--even as painful as that comment about souls tends to be to hear. It's...not inaccurate, though." He sighs, looking at the freckles on his arm through the mesh top.
"If it makes you feel better, at least you still have a soul. Mine is just rage, hunger, and desire that I have to constantly fight to function in a way that won't get me killed." She sighs as she sits back down. "Alex is lucky that your group can live longer. She'll have someone who knew her as she was for longer that way."
"True. I don't have anyone who remembers me as a human. It's not impossible, but unlikely I ever will." He shakes his head. "I worry about her. She used to light up every room, and is pretty self-aware about...not, anymore."
She nods sadly. "That happens. Turning into a vampire is never an easy thing, and what comes back is almost always broken. She needs time and familiar people who care about her if she wants the hope of healing."
"She'll have me for as long as that's possible. It's only right after how she was for me, when I was still freshly returned. You've been around a good while, I'd guess?"
"For such a long time that you probably wouldnt believe me if I told you." She says dryly.
"We were discussing plans for Guy's 500th birthday party recently. One of the other people at the table at the time was a genuine Victorian dandy. My capacity for belief is probably worn in by this point, regarding your age."
She stands up and goes over to the desk again, this time pulling out a sword. "This is a spatha, a Celtic sword that replaced the gladius in the Roman Legions around 400 CE. This one was my father's, who was part of the Visigothic royal court in Tolosa. If you're not up on your history, that means that this sword is over fifteen hundred years old, putting me in the same ballpark."
"You look quite well for your age." He seems more fascinated than doubtful. "Tolosa. That would be where, now? I'm not exactly the best with history and geography. Too young, I suppose."
"It's called Toulouse now, and it's in France. You'd probably have to be a Classics major to recognize the Roman name for it."
"Which I'm definitely not. I never made it to college. How do you remain engaged with human society, after so long?"
"That's incredibly easy. Humanity as a whole changes incredibly rapidly, it's actually easier to fall behind than it is to disengage. The decade long naps do help when I get too bored."
"I have definitely seen some of you falling behind. There's...a certain technological acceleration going on that's catching some people off guard. But, now that I know Alex is around, I'll leave a good deal of that to her." He smirks. "But, decade long naps? Those sound...actually very frightening to me."
"If you're not careful they can be dangerous, sure. But that applies to just about everything." She shrugs non-chalantly. "Besides, the only thing that ever really changes in a way that affects you is the face on the coins, how you dress, and sometimes the language."
"Human nature remains?" He looks up at the ceiling quietly. "I'm not sure if that's depressing or reassuring, in the end."
"Well sure. Humans still have war, they still fight for power and resources, and the little people are still good at heart."
"So, both." He nods a bit. "My 'period of occlusion', as I think I'm euphemizing it these days, only began in 1981. I'd be in my late fifties, if I'd done the linear route through time. So I must seem like a toddler in comparison to you."
"You are all very small, yes. But I recognize that I cant use my experience as the standard to judge against. So while you do look small, your experience is worth just as much as mine is."
"Ah." He chews that thought over for a moment. "That's nice to hear."
"Always happy to be of help." She says with a tooth filled grin.
"Anything you want to ask me, while you have me here? I'll be more likely to answer questions about myself than about us, but it sounds like you already know most of the major things."
She thinks for a moment. "No, no questions in particular. If you had been ruder I might have some, but you've been perfectly polite."
"There's no reason to be rude to you, Lethia. We're building trust and feeling out one another's boundaries, and you've only ever given me respect in kind."
"And yet, people like Anna-Marie exist in this world who are rude no matter what."
"She thinks of herself as above everyone else. Actually, that's another word I was hoping to ask about, 'ghouls'. How insulted should I be with the idea that I might be one?"
She makes a troubled expression. "That... Well, have you read Dracula, or do you know who Renfield is?"
"I haven't, no. Or most vampire novels, if I'm being honest."
"Ah. Hmm. How to put this. In vampire society a ghoul is usually seen as property owned by a vampire. They're addicted to vampire blood, and breaking the addiction usually means death. Normal humans are better off than they are, and the Sakima outlawed their creation in the city."
He gasps audibly, tensing all at once. "And...she assumed I'm one of those. Belonging to someone. I mean. I heard her assume I was Alex's, but...I didn't think she meant it. Quite so literally. That...that...bitch."
It is probably the first time Lethia's heard him curse aloud.
"That's just the kind of person she is. It's not right, but it is considered acceptable by vampire society at large. Now, there are some ghouls who are treated well, but they're few and far between."
"I doubt she would treat hers any better than her cane." He actually stands, pacing the room now with the energy of a caged large-cat. "Please do destroy her, Lethia. I'd rather not cause diplomatic incidents between the Freehold and you all by doing it myself."
"No worries, I was planning to even before you asked." She says with all the casualness of deciding what to eat.
He nods, picking up his messenger bag. "Thank you. I should move along, but this conversation has been, mostly, a delight. Be well, and good night."
"You too Mearcstapa. Give my best to Alex, and thank her for bringing Atalo up to speed on security."
He nods, and makes his way out.
|