Sheriff's Estate - Will's Suite
The sun has yet to fall from the sky and shower the city in darkness, yet this is the time that Chloe gains access to the estate and creeps down to the depths of the basement. Quietly she enters the King's suite, and crawls up onto the bed. He may be dead to the world, but this evening she is going to be there when he awakens, in order to discuss the odd run-in with his friend.
A glance at her wristwatch tells her that the sun will be disappearing in mere moments, and she curls up against the statue-still figure in the bed. Waiting for him to wake and realize that she's there — both the caring girlfriend, and willing food.
Slowly, but surely, the disappearing sun allows Will to become aware of existence and reality again. He remains utterly motionless, though quests out with his mind through contact to check the person against him; to check safety before readiness to explode into action is necessary.
After he meets familiar resistance, he quietly murmurs a greeting. "Chloe," says he, in an usual neutral tone.
"Will," she says, feigning neutrality of her own. Rolling toward him, she smiles brightly. "I was hoping to talk with you before you disappear on your nightly business." Chloe's brow furrows just a little, then she gives him a strange look. "I've run into someone who claims to be your brother-at-arms, or in-arms, or something, and he didn't strike me as being overly fond of humans." There is a hint of concern in her voice, and she asks, "Does it remain safe for me here, or should you be coming to see me at the apartment?"
Will's eyes open, then close again as his first-rising hunger kicks in. Nostrils scent at the air, and a sense of general hunger passes through the pair's mental link. She is a tempting morsel, after all! "Blond, tall and brutal?" he queries, mildly.
"That would be he," Chloe says, tilting her head slightly to give him access to her neck should he desire to feed. "He seemed quite angry that I knew so much about you, and that I helped you when Kegan kidnapped you."
"Marius," Will says, eyes opening once more to lock on to Chloe's neck, to the pulse, "has been angry for in the region of six centuries. He does not comprehend the possibilities inherent in mortal and immortal interaction. He would also see it as advertising weakness to my foes, despite the outcome of the endeavour." Completely without ability to shift attention from the offered blood, he shifts in place, leaning forwards, towards it. Savouring the temptation.
That sounds exactly like the man she has met, and so she nods once, causing her vein to pop a little more. "That's what he said, but I tried to explain the situation and he called me klines, or something. I looked it up, it means child." Chloe will never deny that in their eyes that's exactly what she is, but she's still put out by it. "I think the only reason he didn't kill me is because I told him I belonged to you."
"To him," says Will, gentle and placating, "to an immortal warrior, centuries old and veteran of countless bloody wars, you are a child. It is his nature." Eyes still unable to move, his fangs start to creep out, glistening and gleaming in the dull light. "Fortunate, perhaps, that you did tell him. It would serve us both well were you to remain polite and respectful in his presence. One moment." His head moves, teeth piercing the neck in their customary way, his hands gentle against her body as he begins to feed. Unable to hold off any more, it would seem.
There is the slight pierce of pain as the teeth pierce through her skin, though Chloe is well schooled now not to cry out. She does not move or speak until he is done with the feeding, and once he is she extracts herself neatly. She does not run from the bed or anything foolish, she merely turns herself so that she can cuddle against him once more. Then she whispers, "I fear I have already made a slightly bad impression upon him just for being me. I was very polite though, and I did order him two glasses of the real O-positive that Mary keeps in her office. He didn't look like he was enjoying the synthetic all that much."
"He will come around once he begins to know you," says Will, before slowly licking the remaining blood from his lips. His eyes close, now at least partially sated, and the faint hint of a smile touches at his lips. "Even if the two of you do not get along, he is utterly loyal to his liege and to his position, so there will be no problem. He will protect you as he protects me, once I have explained. Do not expect him to be polite or kind, however, since he is a brutal and hard man."
"Will, I rarely expect vampires to be polite or kind." It is far from an insult, it is merely that Chloe is aware that each vampire is an individual much like each human is. She grins a little, waiting for the slight light-headed feeling to pass before she gets up. "He seemed to find it amusingly insulting when I said I would give my life for yours." Which was odd, because she is a very loyal woman if anything. "I should also tell you that there was a bit of power struggle with the local werewolf pack. I have no idea how it's turned out, just that when I last spoke to my mother she was concerned about it." That she actually is speaking to her mother again is a big thing for her.
Will relaxes, as is his wont, by becoming utterly unmoving, except for the trail of fingers across Chloe's back. "You should ask him why it offends," says he, voice dropping now to a vaguely contented murmur. "I was aware of some trouble; if Eli should fail to maintain control I would appreciate the knowledge of it, since I doubt anyone else within their pack will bother to inform me."
The fingers trailing on her back cause an unconscious shiver and a slight shift closer to him. "I'm pretty sure that he's offended because I'm a human, and my life means very little in the scheme of things. If I'm grievously wounded, I'll die." Placing her lips upon his collarbone, she gives him a gentle little kiss, barely making contact with him at all. "I'll see what I can find out. I'd have to talk to Mischa, but…" There's the mess with the love ribbon thing. "… I'll be careful when I do."
"The wounding issue shall not be a problem for very much longer," Will tells her, with an easy pleasantness that speaks fondly of that thought. "When you are one of us, your relationship with him will be different; he is second in command within this city, after the Sheriff." There is a brief pauses, as Will considers something. "Just ascertain if the leadership has remained the same. That is all that matters; no names need to come into it."
"He is sec— " And just like that, Chloe has become very pale. "I see, then I will ensure that should I run into him again, I'll treat him with more than my general modicum of respect." The color returns slowly, but return it does. "When I am one of you, I wish to remain by your side for as long as I am able. I wish to be your queen in everything but name, since I know that the political aspect of it means that unless I take over another state that would be an impossibility."
It pays to be a telepath, and listen in constantly to the minds of the humans that work here that are privy to such information. "If it hasn't, I doubt I will be considered a friend of the Pack any longer. I'll approach it cautiously and then call Erica in the morning and give her the information."
"Queen." The word comes out flat, distinctly lacking in emotion, and suddenly so. He goes to the mental touch, to try and soften the blow of his explanation. « At some point it is possible or even likely I will be attached to another. You will be my child, not my queen. » And everything that comes with it. He merely nods for the latter, an acknowledgement.
"Politically, yes, I know." Chloe frowns a little though, and adds, "If you are meaning to toss me aside the moment you bring me over, you will find a very irate vampire on your hands." With that, she draws away from him and sets about covering her neck with the nice decorative scarf she keeps in her purse.
"The bond between Maker and made is different," Will tells her, quietly. "You will be with me, standing at my side as loyal subject, close friend, and child. It will be a time of strength for us all."
"It will be a time of strength for you," Chloe says, securing the scarf around her neck and setting it neatly with a little dangle. "And in time you will stop speaking with me, and stop being with me, and lose your interest, which you're likely apt to do anyhow if I remain human." Fixing her eyes upon him, all the previous mirth that she carried in them is gone. "But that is what you've been trying to tell me anyhow."
"Time is something we will have in excess," Will tells her, levelly. "But you are correct, though it is usual for the child to initiate a lack of contact, as they outgrow their Maker's boundaries." With the hint of a smile turning up a corner of his lips, he sits bolt upright in a flash of movement. "It will be a potent force indeed, between you, Isobel and Marius."
"Perhaps," Chloe replies, absolutely non-committally. Turning her back to him, she pinches her cheeks to give them a little more color and quietly zips up her purse. "Things will be different, and feelings will change. You will grow bored first." Because knowing how she feels, it's doubtful that she would cut contact.
Another flash of movement, and Will is against her back, barely touching. "You should not grow angry over this fact, Chloe. We will discuss it only when it becomes issue." Arms begin to move, slowly, to ring around Chloe's waist; giving her chance to pull away if she wishes. "I do not see me growing bored of you in the foreseeable future," he murmurs, gently.
"I am not angry." She is, and a flash of it filters through the blood bond. Chloe doesn't move, doesn't flinch, and doesn't draw away. "I am disappointed that I didn't think of it sooner. But so help me, Valentinus, if I have to find a way to take over New Mexico to get what I want, it will be done." Her voice is harsh and determined.
"One of the things that draws me to you," says Will, "is your ringing flashes of emotion." Letting her know she's not getting away with it. "What is it, exactly, that you want?" he wonders.
"You," Chloe says simply. "I will practice keeping the ringing flashes of emotion from filtering through then. I know they must disturb your unerring neutrality. Beyond which, my flashes of emotion may cause you to seem weak to your constituents and vassals."
"Neutrality," Will echoes, flatly, as though somewhat lacking in experience at this sort of conversation; which frankly, he is. "You use the word as an insult?"
"I do. That which your kind covets is bland, unhuman, and very difficult to discern what you are thinking." Chloe pauses, untying the scarf and retying it. Whether he is still behind her or not, she has to do something. "I can understand why you all do it. It's a defense mechanism. One that allows you to mask your thoughts in the face of your foes, but honey, I'm not a foe. I can feel your range emotions even when you're out doing business. Especially when something gets you worked up in a rage."
"It is not just defense," Will says, levelly. "It is tradition, it is polite, it is custom, and above all, when one grows older, it becomes beyond that. The loss of emotion and the hardening of the soul are hallmarks of an older vampire."
There is a brief pause. "You feel when I am angry?"
"It is foolish to lose yourself so completely that you become a bland thing. You are an older vampire, and yet I have seen emotion in your eyes still at times. For you, Will, I honestly think it is more of a mask." Chloe saw how he looked at her when she told him how she felt. There was no neutrality in that moment.
"I can, and it affects my moods quite a bit. Though I can also tell when you are overjoyed about something. You were the other evening. Was that when your friend, the new Whip, arrived?" Her head tilts a little, and she finally gives up on the scarf, crumbling it into a ball and tossing it on the floor.
"It is both," Will admits, quietly. He forces a faint wry and dry touch to his tone, though mental barriers are locked tight. "Habit, for when enemies do appear. It is unlikely to change, I shall warn you."
Hands lift to Chloe's shoulders, and Will nudges gently; an attempt to turn her around to face him. "I will attempt to cease such broadcasts if it interferes with your own mood. Indeed, the happiness was likely Marius' arrival. He is a very old friend."
Spun to face him, Chloe keeps her eyes upon the wall behind him. "It's less of a broadcast and more a part of who I am now. I think it's from sharing blood so often coupled with the telepathic bond. I don't mind it so much, but don't lie to me and tell me you are void of emotion when I can so easily feel it at times." Beat. "Just like I could feel you were in trouble before I found out about it at Valentine's day. You can likely feel my emotions even at a greater distance as well." Though maybe it really is just because she's a telepath.
Clear eyes look towards Chloe's, penetrating and level. "You are merely growing accustomed to the dulled nature of my emotion; there is no lie inherent in anything I have said." One of those dulled emotions flicks over the mental link: a faint irritation at accusation of untruth. "I feel you from a long distance, it is true. However, it does not affect me in the way it affects you. I shall do my utmost to avoid affecting you in such a manner."
"You can be as irritated as you want to be, but I know I'm not wrong. You try so hard to mask your humanity, but you share pieces of it with me, even in the emotions that you're going to now try your best to block." Chloe is uncertain if they can be blocked, she's been trying for weeks to block her feelings from him, and to little effect. She's sure he can still feel them. Her moments of fear, of elation. "You are right, perhaps. I am growing to accustomed to the dulled nature of immortals. I should get out and live a little more before I die then."
The vampire looks at her once more, a level and direct stare used for penetrating the very soul of those he levels it upon. "So be it," he murmurs, softly. The release of mental barriers floods through the link, as Will's ancient and immortal soul is bared, for the fleeting moment he allows it. The face of every person he has killed flashes through the link, the fears and rage that boil at the depths of his nature; the killer instinct suppressed only through long, hard work. The constant thirst, the deadly predator that yearns to be free and joyously destroying life. Over-reaching it all, an unshakable belief in his destiny; to do the utmost good of God's work, to mitigate and fire-fight and keep his people safe, keep them on the path of righteousness. Then control snaps back into place, an iron wall slamming down to leave the faint vestiges of concern. "You should live as much as you can in these few months," he says, as though nothing has just occured. « Such is the nature of immortality. »
There are times when Chloe is able to block everything she hears, like simply turning the dial on a radio station and setting it to white noise. Unfortunately, thanks to the wonderful blood bond, this is not something that she is going to be able to block out. Each image causes a wince, though she remains standing where she is and unmoving. Only when the emotions are snapped into place does she allow herself to crumble to the floor. It is not that she is frail, but that trying to bestow a mental barrier upon such a bombardance of imagery is killing her mental capacity. "That is hardly what I meant and you know it," she growls at him angrily.
The vampire lets her crumple, watching her with a distinct lack of expression. "Then please do not infer that I attempt to hide from you; that is my nature, and you will understand now why it must be suppressed." He offers forwards a hand for her. "For what it is worth, I apologise for the pain it must have caused you."
The hand goes ignored for now, and Chloe just glares at him. "You are not simply some murderous bastard, Will. I would possibly believe that of your friend, but not you. I have seen the gentleness in you. The care you took when I was injured. The affection you have for myself and certain other individuals. Do not ever try to push me away like that again, or that's exactly what you'll do." She waits a beat, then gets up without taking his hand. "You have no idea what your true nature is anymore. You should never forget that you are a hero, Valentinus des Barres, and not the villain. Death is always a necessary aspect of war, unfortunately."
"In that I no longer know my essence of being, you are correct," says Will, slowly withdrawing the hand. "This is the dangerous aspect of my being." Slowly, he turns to begin walking towards the door. "I am no hero. Do you have plans for the evening?"
"You are a hero, you idiot." Chloe gathers her scarf from the floor, shoving it into her purse. "No, I don't. I tend not to make plans in the evening in case you have need of me." Yet it looks like she's ready to storm out of the estate once again if he pushes her any more tonight.
"Good," says Will, as he breezes into a change of direction. "We shall go for an evening's entertainment somewhere; you are yet to decide where." Now heading towards the wardrobe areas, silent footsteps moving him with ease. "Shall I be dressing up, or down?"
"Wait, what?" Chloe, who has been focusing on her ire just stares at him quizzically. "Dancing then. In Fort Worth. I haven't been dancing in Fort Worth in…" Well since high school at the very least. When she snuck out once to head out there. "Dress casually. Texan."
"Am I attempting to appear local?" Will wonders, as he starts to flick through available clothing. Oddly enough, a texan outfit is easily done. "It may take a little while for me to pick up the style."
"You can appear whatever way you want," Chloe says with a grin. Oh, she's still angry, and the Texan outfit is to make him pay for making her feel this way. "I will go home and change and meet you back here in say, twenty minutes? That will allow you time to enjoy a bottle of synthetic or two as well."
"Indeed," says Will, allowing a mental tease that suggests, « Unless I can find something incredibly important that must be done within the next twenty minutes. »
"You had better not," Chloe says as she reaches the door. "You will have a woman's wrath to deal with if you do. Tonight, my dear King, you are mine, and I am going to thoroughly distract you."
A brow lifts, as Will brings forth an amused little smile. "Of course, Chloe. Whatever you say." Then he drifts towards the door once more, this time wafting a hand to shoo her away.
