El Jefe is an upscale bar, with equally upscale clients. It's the sort of place cooperate executives like to frequent when pretending that they're slumming, for no one who can afford sixteen dollar martinis is actually slumming. It's quality, intimate, and most importantly, it is vampire friendly.
And so, this is the atmosphere that he ushers Rose into, his hand on her back as he guides her forward thoughtfully to one of the booths near the back. "Here. If you'd like something, I could get it for you. It's the least I can do." To the casual observer, it looks like nothing more, nothing less then a young man trying to impress his date with the location. He's certainly dressed the part, found in a perfectly tailored suit and a gleaming silver watch on his wrist, as well as around his neck. Yeah, totally all for looks.
Except it's not, not really. One can never be too careful.
—
Two can play that game! After all, if she's going to die she very well ought to look good doing it. That and Rose doesn't have a reason to glamour these days. The young woman has a little too much fun looking the part, so to speak. Her hair is worn up and styled and she is wearing a spaghetti-strap little black dress. Even the insane can look good, too!
"Something?" The question comes as Rose takes a seat. She decides to focus on Ivan instead of attempting to look for this Sheriff guy. "What would I want here?" Ivan may forget that this isn't exactly her cup of tea. Still she smiles, doing her best to make it seem like she's comfortable. It is kind of fun, too!
—
A dark shadow flutters across the skyline opposite the bar, pausing briefly on each rooftop to ensure a general lack of interested observers. With senses flung out to the utmost, William Grant surveys the scene with a practised eye. He has watched the pair walk in, watched others for brief moments, before being satisfied that they are unwatched by anything worth worrying about.
The shadow flutters again, this time stopping in a dark doorway, which eventually spawns a figure taking measured, quiet steps, arms and shoulders barely moving with his walk. He enters the bar without bothering to acknowledge staff or patrons, the slightest nod of his head evident when a bartender glances his way. He is a rare visitor to this particular bar, though not entirely unknown. Vampire-friendly means their pie is not without the touch of Will's finger. Still, he begins to move towards the pair, those measured steps carrying him as though his feet barely touch the floor. He has not bothered to dress up, his usual dark tee and jeans serves him well enough. Who's going to argue?
—
"Yeah, something. Some liquid courage, perhaps? Water, a bag of peanuts, anything?" There is a pause during which Ivan watches Rose ease into her seat, a wry smile appearing on his face. "I've total access to the mayor's tab here. It wouldn't be any bother at all." He glances around, as if searching for the third person in this little party, before finally moving to sit opposite to Rose. Only to stop, and then slip in beside her instead. This isn't a position he's used to. "You alright? You look good cleaned up, by the way. A long way from when I found you." He gives the compliment with the express interest of distracting the woman from the nerves she is undoubtedly feeling. For the moment, he's completely oblivious of Will's almost ominous presence, due to his ninja-like silence.
—
Oh, she has no clue what or who is coming.
"Liquid courage." A deep sigh is given before Rose nods, a small smile growing. "Yes, I'd like some of that." Then again, she doesn't really know what she's asking for. Rose looks down at herself and blushes deeply. "Thank you." Moments pass before she finds him sitting next to her and that fact doesn't help the blush at all. "I'm I'm fine." The young woman looks around again before she allows her eyes to fall back to Ivan. "I used to be popular once, they say. It shouldn't surprise me that I can clean up well." It still does.
—
Approaching their backs, Will neglects to announce his presence until he is upon them, where a single, simple word nips out. "Ivan," says he by way of greeting, as he turns, sliding into the opposite seat in a single, languid motion. The clear blue eyes of the Sheriff of Dallas regard the pair with an impassive indifference, as forearms come to rest on the table, fingers intertwining and the tips of thumbs touched together. He does not blink. Barely five seconds behind him comes a tender with a bottle of synthetic, ready and warmed for just such occasions.
—
Ivan offers Rose a genuine smile, devoid of that dryness that otherwise tints his expressions usually. "Used to be, huh? I can believe that, Rose. You look really nice. And you are really nice to boot. Anyway, alright. I'll order you a martini, dry. Do you think you'd like that?" Ivan is already in the process of raising his hand, looking to beckon someone over to them when his name is emitted. And, for once, the sound of his own name almost brings a different sort of shiver to his spine. "Jesus!" He cries, practically jumping in his seat as he turns to examine Will. "I - man. I didn't see you there, I'm sorry. Hello, Mr. Grant."
Almost guiltily, his attention flicker over to Rose. "Rose, this is Mr. Grant. He's the…yeah. Oh! I'd like an apple martini, please." Ivan adds once the tender comes around with the Sheriff's blood.
—
Well isn't that nice? They have company. Rose thinks little more of he who sits across from her. In fact, the mentally ill woman even smiles at Will. It doesn't seem odd to her that someone is joining their table unannounced. Isn't that what people do in these places?
Okay, okay. So maybe he isn't Captain Angry Pants any longer. It still seems like a fitting name at times. Rose doesn't say anything to his compliments, not exactly knowing what to say at all. Instead she merely nods at the suggestion of a martini. This ought to be interesting.
Faith Tyler has a mind very similar to swiss cheese. Even so, it only takes the mention of Will's name to cause her to shudder. Despite the fear that is undoubtedly building inside of her, she just nods to Will. "Nice to meet you, Mister Grant." Hello, uncomfortable.
—
"Good evening," says Will, ignoring the tender utterly as the synthetic is placed in front of him. "I would say it is a pleasure, however I am here merely for business. Did you enjoy your evening with Erica?" he wonders, idly, with something like the twitch of a smile coming to his lips.
Leaning forwards a little in his chair, Will looks to Rose. His accent marked by a faint hint of the South, otherwise neat and clipped, he begins to talk to her. "Please, tell me of your decision to step away from Green Oaks. You have injuries or marks upon your person?"
The tender nods, and is about his business. Good boy.
—
It is strictly business, yes. And yet, Ivan cannot help that pang of awkwardness that flies through him at the seemingly innocent question (was it actually innocent? I think NOT). Mention of his manwhoring is generally something he likes to keep under wraps to those of the female persuasion, even if it isn't a date. "Mhmm? Ah, yeah." Uncomfortably, he runs his hand through his dark locks. "She's an interesting woman, I trust she's doing well? Anyway…" Luckily, he doesn't need to do much to nudge the conversation elsewhere. Before long, William has already steered the topic of conversation to the matter at hand, and Ivan sits back, adopting only the the role of a supporter for the dark-haired crazy. "Go on, Rose. It's alright."
—
"Who's Erica?" That is totally a legitimate question! It isn't as if Rose is crazy enough to think that this is a date or anything like that, even if it does sort of feel like it. Maybe this will be something they can talk about! Like his girlfriend or something. She must be nice.
It takes all of the effort that Rose has not to try to move away when Will leans forward. Her death certainly is coming soon. The bruises about her wrists, arms and even neck are shown to him. The marks on her neck, both bruises and bite marks, have been somewhat hidden by makeup. There goes her attempt at looking nice. "I wanted to leave, Mister Grant," she explains, as if her marks show it all. "It wasn't my idea but I wanted to." This is honestly the first time she's spoken about what happened that night.
A nervous glance is given to Ivan before Rose goes into super shy mode. Were it possible she would disappear into herself.
—
"Your wrist, please," says Will, gently, even kindly, as he slowly draws one hand forwards, leaving it palm up for her to place the offending limb in. However, most of his obvious study is upon the bite marks. "I will need to look a little more closely, you understand." Though he does not answer Ivan directly, he does provide a possibly welcome distraction by continuing to speak.
"Erica is my assistant, who serves as both my diary and my spare memory," says he, for Ivan's benefit more than anything. "She drove Ivan home after he visited with me. Such a lovely, accomodating girl, isn't she?"
—
"A mutual friend, Rose." Ivan offers for her benefit when she asks about proclaimed 'accomodating girl'. "She's good people." This is not where his focus is at, though. At the moment, he is frowning to Rose, eyeing her bruises and marks as she reveals each and every one silently. Before Will makes the demand for the hand, the bartender returns with the ordered appletini, and Ivan dismisses the man with a polite thank you before offering it over to Rose. "Here. Why don't you take a sip of that, first. It shouldn't be too strong."
He's not trying to get her all drunk and easy, for once. He just genuinely understands her fear of the vampire and how much stress the situation must be putting on her, and so in an attempt to combat this, the man is trying every trick he can think of, short of casting an illusion to make William look like a giant fuzzy bear. Really, he's a good guy. He cares.
—
Liquid courage. Rose scrunches her face slightly before she takes a sip from the martini. It isn't the worst thing that she's ever tasted but it isn't as sweet as she instantly expected. Another sip is taken to get a good feel for it before Rose decides that she should focus on the task at hand.
"She sounds like a very nice woman." This actually helps take her mind off of the fact that she's exposing her insecurities, if only for a moment. Oh, look. There's a martini. Faith drinks more as she considers this other woman. "Maybe I can meet her some day."
It starts now. Rose stares at Ivan, as if he can help her. Eventually, after nibbling on her lower lip, Rose slips her arm onto the table. It still seems rather sensitive considering the heavy restraints that she was in. If he touches her, he's not going to have a pleasant experience. Random bits of memory are completely gone from her mind. It's just dead air, so to speak. Other memories flood in, but unfortunately for Will they have been influenced by glamour and by heavy medication. Faces come and go, at times distorted. There are clear memories of Nurse Ratchett telling Rose how much her family hates her and how this is all her fault. Michael and Hiro are both in her mind often. There are no clear memories of Rose being bitten, but there are moments of Hiro carrying her out of Green Oaks.
—
Finger and thumb of Will's right hand take the wrist, a gentle if rather cool touch. The clear blue eyes flash out of sight, up into Will's head, but only for a moment. His lips part slightly, and the flash of fangs flick out and back in, coupled with a sharp, indrawn breath. The rest of his body does not move, though the pressure on the wrist sharpens briefly, a spasmodic clamp. "You poor creature," he whispers through clenched teeth, lifting his look to Rose and back down as fingers flash away, a sudden movement beyond human sight's ability to follow.
The vampire's gaze is hard; an evil, predatory gleam of fight or flight burning deep within him. Slowly, measuredly, partaking in obvious iron self-control, he lifts the bottle of synthetic. Then drains it, the gleam of extended fangs obvious to anyone looking.
—
Ivan is watching the exchange very closely - very clinically. His hand clamps down upon Rose's shoulder lightly, a gesture of support, just so she can remember the fact that he is very much still there and very much on her side of things. Of course, he remains oblivious to the actual reasoning behind the touch. He remains oblivious to the actual experience, and the knowledge gleaned from it. But, he is very aware of what looks to happen to the Sheriff. Very aware of what happens to the man's appearance.
His eyes fly over in Rose's direction with a mild sort of panic before he acts, closing his own eyes and concentrating in order to cast a bit of his own brand of illusions and semi-glamour. A magical mask is cast over Rose, so that when she actually looks at Will, she wont see the fangs or that distinctly feral gleam in his eyes. Instead, he'll be cool and dispassionate like before. "Mr. Grant," he hisses, once his magic is down with, firm in tone. "I'd like to ask you how long said examination is going to last, if you don't mind? I promised Miss Tyler that I'd have her home before long." And that she wouldn't die.
—
For some reason she doesn't really believe him when he calls her a poor creature. It isn't anything against him, but she's just been called similar by so many people as of late. She does wince at that sharp pressure against her already injured wrist and attempts to pull it back reflexively. Immediately Rose lowers her head, feeling far more violated than she will ever express. "I did something wrong, didn't I?" She knew it! Why don't people ever believe her? She'll wrap her arms about herself the first opportunity that she gets. If he weren't Captain Angry Pants she'd probably lean into Ivan for support.
Ivan's question causes Rose to look up, to look at Will for answers. She doesn't see his fang, or anything else that Ivan is masking. It does help to ease her, somewhat, but she already feels like she's made a fool of herself. So the martini is reached for again as she remains silent. Drinking always gives a reason for someone not to talk.
—
The bottle in Will's hand is slowly, certainly placed upon the table, as the vampire regains a measure of composure, hands flexing into claws and flat again, placed against the table. "Thou hast done nothing incorrect, Rose," says he, gently, the archaic tone faltering away from the Southern hint into something altogether ancient.
Attention shifts to Ivan, the vampire's fangs retracted now, though the dangerous gleam in his eyes stays, and his lips twist into a feral sneer. "Do not presume to question me, mortal child. The third condition. Green Oaks shall be thoroughly investigated within the span of a moon, Nurse Ratchett held to measure for her crimes, or with the immortal spirit of our Lord as my witness, I shall distribute the inner contents of the staff amongst the flora of the grounds. The needs of this girl shall be met by you and your marionette. Do you understand me?" His tone does not seem available for argument.
—
Ivan shakes his head in Rose's direction, offering her a lopsided smile to reassure the woman. "No you didn't Rose." He pipes up warmly, and as a result, he ends up extending that tough to her shoulder to a more intimate one on her arm. But he's so busy trying to reassure the woman that he is taken even more aback by the vehemence of the vampires tone. Startled, the man turns, wide-eyed, to stare at the Ancient, swallowing quite audibly as anxiety begins to fill him. But, still - he is practiced in this. Pushing through the fear, he proceeds to harbor that modicum of professionality that characterizes the man. "Yes. Yes, sir, they will be." That's all he can say, all he can offer in this situation, other then the sidelong glance he gives Rose. Possibly wondering if she understood any of that.
—
Ironically, she doesn't notice the change in his tone. She barely even notices what is said. All she can hear is that she didn't do anything wrong. Those words nearly bring the unstable woman to tears. Rose's head feels light yet heavy. To her it is a response to this situation. To anyone else it is a mixture of alcohol and medication. The martini glass is placed back on the table and now she focuses on not slouching in her seat.
The comforting touch to her arm does help but then Ivan's reacting as he is. Rose stares at the man beside her, wondering what is wrong with him. "What?" The word is meek, barely there at all, and only spoken at one of the times that he's looking at her. No, Rose doesn't understand what is going on at all. Slowly she looks to Will, still feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable. "I'm glad that I didn't upset you. I was worried."
—
Will continues to stare levelly at Ivan, speaking quietly now. "Good. Do not fail." Threat implicit in his words. His attention flows across, composed properly now and offering a kind smile to Rose. "You need fear me not, nor fear upsetting me. Ivan will look after you. Have a pleasant evening. You will not pay for anything." A slow nod is given, then the vampire slowly stands, unfolding to the mighty height of five foot eight. He begins to walk away, summoning a tender with a sharp, loud click of his fingers, ready to give the order for where to charge the pair's drinks.
—
Ivan shakes his head once more in Rose's direction, lifting the illusion from her to reveal Will in his actual appearance, since he seems to have calmed and relaxed considerably at this point, to near amiable levels for the girl. He'll explain things to the poor girl later - right now, he's not entirely finished with his business. "Sir," he calls out, standing up as well once the Sheriff does so. "Sir, I'd like to petition for your help in protecting her - her and her family. She has a twin - a twin sister, and it seems that vampires are…attracted to her. I…I wont pretend to know how things work, exactly, under your authority. But, I want to - I want to keep her safe." He pauses here, his decisiveness failing him. "Or…nevermind, sir. I'll discuss the matter with you later."
Cue a sigh, and finally, he turns to look at the woman in the bench, brows furrowed in an overwhelmingly thoughtful fashion.
—
Blink. What in the world is going on? "Thank you, Mister Grant." Rose isn't being overly formal: she always refers to the people she meets in the same way. "Thank you. It was nice to meet you." When all else fails, be polite. Still she can't help but be confused as he gets up and walks away. That meeting wasn't so bad at all!
Rose holds her wrist where Will had touched her as she watches him leave. Ivan then catches her full attention. He's leaving her, too? Oh, bother. Rose looks down at her wrist since she's all alone, suddenly wondering what she's done wrong to scare both of them off. Ivan is talking about her, and she knows it, but she's purposely trying to block it out. She very likely doesn't want to know what is being said.
—
Will turns his head as he hears Ivan speak, his smile switching more to the predator, but now the business predator. "That will cost," he mouths with a nod, before starting to walk away. Only once out of the door does he become a black shadow again, flitting at high speed through the night.
—
For a moment, Ivan's expression turns weary. Another cost to analyze, another factor to be plugged into his grande scheme of things. Ah, but being a self-proclaimed mastermind is hard, isn't it? Eventually, however, he ends up nodding his head and watching William exit the establishment before turning back to Rose. He rubs the back of his neck as he walks back to him, offering a smile in her direction once again. "Hey there," he murmurs, voice surprisingly low.
He slides into the seat beside her once again in the booth, letting out an even sigh. "Sorry about that. I had to discuss some future matters. Anyway - that wasn't so bad, was it? How're you feeling, Rose? Alright?" It seriously seems as though that's all he ends up saying around her: 'are you alright'.
—
It does get old, honestly. Are you alright? Are you okay? How are you doing? It makes her feel like a victim. She's told Michael just how she feels about such things but now is not the time to bring it up. They both look so great tonight, after all. Rose slowly looks up to Ivan as he returns, her wrist still very much in her hand. "I should have brought some makeup." So much for looking nice.
Rose takes a deep breath before speaking, almost as if it gives her courage. "I got you into trouble, didn't I?" She does not fully understand what is going on but even she can sense something is going on. "I'm so sorry, Mister Fontane." An oh so fake smile is given to him but at least she's making the attempt.
—
Ivan purses his lips tightly, pensive as he looks on the woman as she fusses with her wrist. Suddenly, he's struck with inspiration. "Hey. Lemme see your wrists," he murmurs holding his hands out in order to receive hers. But when she continues speaking, his attention rises from her wrists to her face. "What? No, no you didn't, Rose. I promise you you didn't. In fact, you were perfect. And really brave, all things considering." With this compliment given, that slightly wry curl of his lips has returned. "What's this Mr. Fontane business, anyway? That's my dad - please, just call me Ivan. It feels weird…" Beat. "Having a friend call me by my last name."
—
Oh, ho. Of course he's a friend now. It would be a shame if Will caught wind of Ivan upsetting rose.
Tonight has been extremely weird. Rose just looks at Ivan as she tries to process everything. Last time she gave someone her wrist it ended up hurting. Still, being that Rose is overly trusting of everyone in the end, she offers it when it is requested. "Good. I don't want others to hurt because of me. I can take it, you know, but not if anyone else is upset." Hey, when was the last time that she actually complained about what is happening to her? She only cries when she's alone.
Her cheeks turn red again, causing her to look down. "Friend." It almost sounds as if she's in disbelief. "If you say so, Ivan." Slowly she looks back up. "You're not going to fight with my other friends, are you? They don't get along well." Michael and Hiro.
—
Ivan takes the hands in his, large fingers moving with an almost surprising softness over her flesh. With his expression thoughtful, he stares at the bruise marks blemishing her wrists. "Y'can't tell anyone," he grumps, voice low and almost conspiratory. "But I'm magic. Watch…" There's no harm in telling a crazy person. No one will believe her anyway. Besides…it'll be a welcome distraction for the woman, he bets. And so, with unnecessary flourish of his hands and unnecessary touching, she will be able to see the bruises on her wrists seemingly disappear. "Would I tell you that if I weren't your friend?"
After a moment, sharp green eyes lift to meet with hers. "Fight with your other friends? Why should I? If they don't fight with me…if they're actually your friends, then I don't care very much. It's good to have friends, provided they aren't hurting you."
—
This is going to hurt. The wince is premature, and honestly she finds that it isn't needed at all. The young woman looks on with curiosity as he touches her wrist. A sane woman might consider this flirtation but she's just considering it time spent with someone. A friend. "Magic?" Rose's eyes widen almost as if she were a child. Her delight only grows as she sees her marks disappear before her very eyes. "You -are- magical!" This is said with wonder but she keeps the volume soft. "Is that how you know Mister Grant?"
Now this is where it gets awkward. "They don't seem to get along very well. I think I made them fight." Rose looks around the bar, afraid that another vampire is around. "I don't think they've hurt me, but…" Here it comes! "One of them bit me."
—
Ivan licks his lips gingerly as his eyes lock with hers. For a brief moment bemusement flashes on his features. "I am. But you can't tell anyone, alright? It's a secret. Between me and you, only." And additional moment is spent, brushing the very tips of his fingers against her seemingly flawless skin before his hands are dropped to his side. "No. I know Mister Grant through our mutual political interests…but it's why I know I can handle him." But then, she begins talking of her friends, and he finds himself sobering up very quickly. His jaw is clenched, and through narrowed eyes he inspects her expression. "…Then they have hurt you, Rose. How do you know that they're your supposed friends? Why do you even bother, knowing what these vampires have done to you in the past?"
—
Oh, oh! A secret! This is very much worth coming out tonight. "I promise, Mister um, Ivan. I can keep a secret." She actually smirks at this. "Besides, no one ever believes me." At least she can admit to it on her own! Rose is still blushing, most likely because Ivan isn't cold to the touch. Most of the people she speaks with are. "And I'm glad you came out with me. I don't think I would want to do this alone."
Uh-oh. He's apparently not a fan of her friends, either. "I don't know if it hurt. I can't even remember it. I mean, what if I liked it?" There's not confidence behind Rose's words. She's merely curious. "But I know he wouldn't hurt me, right? I mean, he took me away from that evil place." And now, officially, Ivan is the only human to know what happened that night at Green Oaks. "He said he killed the one that hurt me."
—
Ivan is very not cold to the touch, in fact. The blushing, though registered, is not directly commented on. "Yeah, Rose? Really? Well, I'm glad I could help. You're welcome. Really, it was the least I could do, you were doing me a favor after all. Have you…well. I told you, right? I promised you I'd keep you safe, and I did, right?" Once this question is posed and he listens to her own comments on what had happened all that time ago, he grows slightly solemn. He lets out a sigh, leaning back in his seat before proceeding to drive his fingers through his curls once again.
"I don't want to offend you, so I hope you don't take this in an offensive manner…but if whoever did that to you knew anything about your condition when they…bit you, then they aren't looking out for your best interests. What they are doing is taking advantage of your mental inconsistencies." Looking at the woman, he softens slightly, curling his lips sheepishly. "But, I suppose, you would know better then I do. Just, be careful. You can't trust everyone." Beat. "Hey. D'you want another one of those? I think I'm going to order a drink before we leave. Unless you want me to take you home now…"
—
"Why is it?" The question isn't asked to be mean, or with any real emotion at all. The woman is just curious. "Why do so many people want to protect me? I mean, why me?" At this rate, she's going to get an ego and believe that she really does have something to offer others. She already supposedly is protected by three vampires now, even if one is ordering Ivan to do it.
Rose is not an irrational person. All the time. She listens to Ivan's words completely before she tries to even make an argument. "If I think that he meant to hurt me, then I'll be sad, and Just Michael said that he likes the fact that I'm so trusting." Hopefully he doesn't get the wrong idea about Just Michael! Rose knows that she could have phrased it all better but can't think of a way to stop it. "I don't want to be bitten, not if I don't like it."
The question of the drink makes her recall how she felt after the other one. "Sure." She can't be rude, after all. "Just don't feel responsible for me. I can make it home if you don't want to take me."
—
Ivan looks surprised by her question, although not unusually so. He actually looks thoughtful, amused by her perception. "Why? Because…" Pausing, he ends up letting out a short little laugh, leaning towards her slightly, as if preparing to impart a sacred, cardinal truth to the woman. "Because, men want someone to protect. It's…it's an ego thing, I think. And you're just…perfect for that. It's not that you can't help yourself…there's just something about you. Innocent and the like. Trusting - naive." And he shakes his head, deciding that that's about as much as he wants to get in on the subject.
"Then don't let them bite you, Rose. Anyway, alright. Hey! Hey, sir." He ends up waving his hands in the air to summon another bartender, and when one finally arrives, quickly negotiates another purchase of an appletini and what is known as 'the regular' for Ivan. It is only then that the man turns back to Rose, shaking his head wryly. "Heh. I do feel responsible for you, but it isn't a bad thing. I feel responsible for every women I take out. Don't worry - I promised you home safe, and I intend to see that through."
