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Vincent had asked Maria to meet him at a quite place in the park, telling her she needed to meet someone and so he did arrive,
"They said they would be here shortly," he said, "My partner wants to meet you. " He smiles
Women like Maria don't walk the park at night without at least a couple of Tonys around to make sure nothing goes sideways. And so they're out there in the dark, somewhere.
Knowing what this is going to be about, Maria takes a seat on a bench a good distance from Vinnie. Not a cold distance. An 'I need this to do this for you' distance.
Then she lights a smoke and takes a drag. "Can't wait." It is, at least, true.
A raven flies overhead. Normally one would not notice such a bird, especially at night, but it gives a croaking sound as it passes overhead. It turns midair, and sprouts of white feathers can be seen on its back. It flies off a bit, away from the direction of the Tony's...but it definetly saw them. A moment later, walking out of the woods was Avery, dressed nicely. A black overcoat on top of a black button up shirt. Black jeans below into black boots...they had a favorite color.
They approach the area and are clearly holding back from Vinny's eyes, but for Maria they still look....graceful, supernaturally so. Its hard to pin down what it is, but their movements just scream beyond human.
"I didn't know you brought guards, Maria." They weren't mad, just a little disgruntled.
Vincent smiled, "Avery," he beamed, "Allow me to introduce you you to my new business partner, Maria Angelica." He says, esteem for the woman in his voices, "Maria, allow me to introduce you to Avery Frisk, my partner. " He smiles brightly, call it naive but something about the two meeting, all three of them. . .he can't tell why but he's happy, weird
"If I moved the way you move, Avery, I wouldn't need them." Maria is quick to make their presence not about Avery at all.
And once they're called out she raises her voice a bit, "Why don't you boys grab a cwaffy or summin." Yes, her accent gets like that at times.
Tony and Tony head off. For cwaffy coffee.
That done, Maria taps some ash from her smoke, rises up to her full height of 5'5", and walks on over to Avery asking first, "You mind if I smoke? Nerves."
"They say these things will kill ya, so." She makes that a macabre joke somehow.
Avery smiles faintly at Vincent, and then turns to Maria, a bit wary at the raised voice...luckily not yelling.
"Thank you. More people make me anxious. But yes...I don't need guards."
A look at the cigarette. "Smell does not bother me as much as light or sound, you may smoke."
"Thanks, Avery. You're sweet. Means a lot." Maria watches Vinnie assume his place beside Avery, and another drag curls into her lungs and out through her nose.
She looks down for a moment and flicks some ash away again. When she looks up again, it's at Avery. "Listen. I fucked your man twice. I knew about you when I did it because he told me about you and said you'd be cool with it."
It's honest, if nothing else. "Would you believe me if I said it matters to me how you feel about that?"
Avery frowns, and glances at Vinny. Confusion was on their face
"I had not heard it was twice..." a look to Maria. "Thank you for telling me...Vinny...I thought it was just for Feeding?" The capital F was very much heard.
Vincent. . . was now between a very hard crossroads in his mind, on the one hand blood was drunk both times, and on the other. . .he can't lie to Avery, "Ok. . ." he begins, "I didn't want to have this talk when you two first met, while I did drink from her during the second time," he drops to the ground and sits, thinking hard on his words, "Avery I can't lie to you, I would be lying if I said. . .if I said I wasn't drawn to her on some level," he admits, beating himself up a bit mentally at that, "I. . .I remember when I met Teagen, Sigrun, and Vorpal," he then mentally recalls meeting Visigny and Artje who both mentioned their third partner, "I. . .I want what they had and I fucked up the steps I'll admit, I just thought, you have Vorpal and. . ." he can't find the words, spiraling mentally for a bit thinking he's made the fuck up to end it
Maria is an Italian woman who grew up wanting for almost nothing. So the look she turns on Vincent for having her simple truth come stumbling over all his white little lies could peel the paint off a Battleship.
She screws up her face with such a look. But she just forces it the fuck down with all the rest of it.
She has a porcelain doll calm to her when she's finally got herself really regulated. A deep breath in. A slow one out.
"Vinne ain't never had no family worth knowing. You want white picket fences and babies and shit I fucking don't." She looks over at Vinnie, smoking a long drag to keep from touching him.
So she looks back to Avery instead. "I ain't a threat to you. But I could be fun for you. If you wanted that. If that's something you... like?" The question comes with a little adjustment of the chain around her slender throat.
Avery takes a deep breath, so many years in Arcadia weighing on them. If that was a pledge...it wasnt a pledge...but they feel a bit betrayed.
"Next time...you should text me Vincent...okay? Thats what we talked about before...so next time you are texting me...yes?"
Avery looks at Maria, slightly greatful. "Thank you for telling me, really...but...im still getting used to dating anyone. I'd want to know you more first."
Vincent's surprised he's not being yelled at but that's probably going to come later, probably. "I'm sorry, I'm an asshole, I know, I don't deserve you . .. I'll text next time I'm sorry,"
"Oh, so you started with a poly vampire and figured you'd dial up the complexity from there, huh? Yeah. Makes sense. Sounds right." Maria isn't judging any, just pointing out the facts on the ground here.
"No, Vinnie. You made a mistake. You deserve us both you stupid fuck. Stop making stupid fuck mistakes. You stupid fuck."
Maria gives an Avery a 'can you believe we fuck this man' look and lets out a sigh.
"Well, now I know I'm at least a meal in your dietary restrictions. Gonna be sour with me if I flirt with you, till you figure out if I'm a sometimes food?"
"He...is nice. And has helped me in lots of ways." Avery gives a weak smile, and then shakes their head. "I don't eat people...I know some like me who do, but I don't."
"I think she means if your ok with her flirting with you and if, in the future when you know her better, if your ok with getting along with her."
"Yep. Pretty much." Maria looks between the pair of them, but keeps her eyes mostly on Avery. Still with that calm, serene look to her. "I could give you three dozen reasons why you should, another three dozen reasons why I'd like to. Don't matter any if you're not open to finding out. Maybe I'm being too forward, or whatever, but I'm just trying to be as brutally fucking honest with you as you deserve from me, right now."
"But in my experience this thing only works if the idea of me and Vinny bein' together is something you can enjoy. Even if it ain't me you're enjoying. If the thought of him railing me in a pencil skirt doesn't make you at least raise an eyebrow, then I am not sure that I should be on his table. You get me?" Maria drops her cigarete and steps it out with her flat, then picks the butt back up and tucks it into her pack.
That done, it's back in her purse, and she's closing on Avery. Not quickly or anything. Just walking closer. She offers out both her hands.
"You're his beautiful bouncing baby. I ain't trying to get in the way of that, and if it's going to be a thing, I'll step right the fuck out of your way, kiddo. And you still get all my help, anyhow. On account of how kind I am."
Avery realizes at that moment and blushes hard.
"I um...oh...right." Theres a moment of looking at Vincent, then Maria, then back to Vincent.
"I...need some time to get used to it...but you make him happy, and I want him happy...so I am open to it. I need more time to figure out if I like you in the same way, if that makes sense?"
Vincent stands and watches quietly, anxious to see how their initial meeting handles after the rough start
Maria continues to calmly offer her hands out to Avery, palms up. Her placid gaze unwavering as she watches Avery the way water does. Her head tilts a little at the words she's given, and that tilt ends with a small nod.
"Of course, baby. Why don't you try taking my hands and see how that feels. And if you like that, we start with a hug. And if that goes well, we get out of this park and go some place with live music and an open bar."
Avery pauses, looking to Vincent, and then takes the hands. They stand awkwardly.
"I um.. don't like music. Bar... maybe... but don't like music."
Vincent smiles at them both, a warm honest smile, if someone else can help calm Avery down, relate and understand them, help keep them from losing Clarity as they put it. . .he really hit a goldmine with Maria,
"You don't like any music, or you don't like loud music? There are torchlight jazz clubs all around this city with quiet little rooms in the back with bottle service and no questions asked. But if you trust me, I got other options too." Maria shoots Vinnie a look, and gives a small why not shrug to him. She looks back to Avery.
"My penthouse has a full bar. It's staffed. Like. There's people there all the time, so it's not my secret fuckpalace." She pauses to ammends, "I mean it is also that, but just stay out of that one room, you know? Think of like a private club where they don't care if you shit on the rug."
Avery pauses. "Any music I've tried to enjoy has been to loud or too jarring...so I gave up. So I just say all music...quiet rooms sound nice."
Avery pauses. "To...put it in perspective, I can hear your heartbeat right now...we are close enough for it...so most speakers are awful."
She looks to Vinny, they haven't had that conversation yet. "My Devil told me about the Penthouse...and I'm...not sure. I've tried to stay out of the public eye."
Vincent nods understanding, "A penthouse could be useful in the sense you could exit and enter by air," he says, "and Maria here is good at keeping the public away from looking too close." he steps over and. . honestly part of him wants to hug both of them but for now he just puts a hand on each one's shoulder, "I think together, we can achieve great things," he turns to Maria, "To secure influence to carve a spot of secruity," he turns to Avery, "And to support each other in times of hardship, actual or emotional." he then looks to one and the other and mutters, "Alice. .. I'm in good hands." he finds himself saying
"I could bring in the band and have them set up in a room in the house on the far end of the place. No amps. They've had weirder requests than playing to an empty bedroom for a few hours. Don't tell yourself no to beautiful things. Tell the world fuck you for taking 'em and steal 'em the fuck back. Music is too beautiful a thing for a nice kid like you to toss in the can at. What. 22? 23? Fuck that."
"You deserve music. Music and Vinnie's dick. But mostly the music. Since he's giving you that other thing on the regular I bet. On account of how sweet and cute you are." She'll just keep saying these things while gently holding Avery's hands and smiling with calm serenity.
"I tell the cameras where to look. And if I don't want 'em looking at my pretty little secret, guess what. They fuckin' won't. Look in my eyes. You see any lyin' in there, baby?"
"I...do like the air. That could be nice...if that's ok? I um...did fly into a window once." A sheepish grin.
Avery gives a small smile to Maria. "I could try that. Them on the other side of the house. But I...don't know how old I am. My best guess is...around 30, but time works strangely for the Lost."
Avery blushes at the comment, and nods, eyeing Vinny. "I...thank you. I...guess I'm cute." They look directly into Maria's eyes. "No...I guess not. I want to stay out of the cameras."
fuck it, Vincent hugs both of them, "How the fuck did I deserve to met you two." he asks himself, a smile on his face
"I'll keep a finger on the pulse for you. If anything out of your people comes across any wires, I'll get word of it, and a few phone calls and some handshakes and a wink and a nod here and there, and it'll get done. You want a new name? I get you a new name. You want new papers? I get you new papers. You want a house in the suburbs? I get you keys. You are safe, Avery. Safe as fuckin' houses. With white picket fences. And two point five kids. And baking bread and betty crocker. And all that stuff. And if you ever don't feel safe, or somebody ever makes you not feel safe. You just say their fucking name. In this ear." Maria taps her left ear. Very seriously. Her left ear. "And then they're going to stop. And you're going to feel safe again. And if they say anything to you ever again it's gonna start, 'I am sorry, Mx. Avery.' And end, 'Please forgive me.' And they're gonna be on their knees when they do it. Bet."
She's still staring like a cobra, whisper quiet, even as she curls her head in against Vinnie's shoulder. She can't help it. She's been trying so hard, but he touched her. And he is her heroin.
"Now let's go home, baby. Please. Okay?"
M
Avery returns the hug, a slight bit nervous but also...comforted. Happy. So many emotions to feel in the moment. A tear runs down their face as they nod happily.
"I...yes...that all sounds nice. Well...maybe not all of it...but most of it. There are...things that want to hurt me and mine that...you have no control over...but on this side...I'd like that." Avery takes a second, confusion building. "How...does one have two point five kids?"
Vincent chuckles at that, "I think it means two with one on way Avy, but we don't have to worry about that," he squeezes them both a bit in the hug, "Let's go. . ." he can't believe he's about to say the next word, not a hovel, not a hole, "home."
Maria lets out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding, and slowly straightens up. Some tension falls out of her shoulders, and she adjusts her hips in that chanel she's painted into.
"Tony, bring around the limo, meet us on the Kelly side."
It's said into her phone, which must have some form of touch to talk. "Will do, Miss."
Once they make the short walk to the edge of the park, sure enough. There's a tasteful black limo parked under one of the parking lot's street lights, two guys standing outside of it. One at the front door, one at the rear. They look the part of driver and valet. The door is opened for the trio as they get near enough, and it's wordless.
She waits for the others to slide in to a car whose interior costs more than some people's first houses. There's a bar. Entertainment system. Programmable lighting and climate controls. Wrap around couch, the whole deal. A champagne well, if you want some.
"Tony, we'll be heading home. Turn down the car when you're done and you and the boys can have the night off on the first floor, alright?" The driver nods, and then the screen goes up between driver, valet, and passengers.
It's also, purely by coincidence, super quiet in this limo. Excellent soundproofing. And so long as no one touches the radio, it should stay that way.
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