Roleplay City
Infusco => INFUSCO: Enter The Shadows => The Museum => Topic started by: Existentially Odd on September 10, 2011, 12:28:21 AM
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Kerr was beginning to get bored. With his lips pressed closed, he was strolling around the anthropological section of the Museum pushing air into his cheeks so that they blew up in bulbous rhythms, this playful gesture the antithesis of the the very dashing black tuxedo and crisp, white formal shirt he was wearing so suavely. His hands were in his pants pockets, beneath the lapels of his finely-cut jacket, his shiny black shoes reflecting the mood lighting of the museum as he stepped in a playful, straight-legged manner about the floor, filling in time until Jenna was ready.
It was Tuesday night and he\'d been so worried about behaving himself this time, about keeping their musical date civil and fraternal, that he\'d turned up almost half an hour before their pre-arranged meeting time. Jenna had her clothes to change into here at work but she was still finishing some things off at this early stage and, because he could tell he\'d flustered her by turning up early, he\'d backed out of her lab area and promised to amuse himself in the section just outside until she was done.
That was ten minutes ago, though, and he still had another twenty or so to fill in. And he\'d seen these exhibits a hundred times already, so now he was making his own fun, walking like a member of a drunken marching band and blowing up his cheeks like the trumpeter might. Trumpeteer? Yes, he imagined that was a better word for what he was being, with ghastly sounds coming out of his mouth. Of course, it being not long after six o\'clock, the museum was pretty well deserted by now, so he was confident he had the whole area to himself; that was, until he rounded a large glass case keeping a distance between the public and the model of the indigenous people forever frozen within it and found he wasn\'t.
Another was here, in this section, looking in his direction as he came around the corner. He came to a stop, his puffed-up cheeks deflating instantly and all thoughts of what Ben and Ichabod might be getting up to at that precise moment flying out of his head. He smiled winningly at the person standing before him, all shiny white teeth and twinkling brown eyes (for he was bemused to have been caught eyeing off how he looked in the reflection of the glass rather than at what was within said case)
"Evening," he bade, his voice bright and filled with the confidence only someone secure in his anonymity could muster (though he was busy thinking about his own silliness and not paying too much attention to what the other looked like, so he could\'ve known them after all). He then waited for a vague return of his greeting so that he could continue on his merry, bored way, pacing and puffing as he went.
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Seb had been strolling around the museum for about an hour, enjoying seeing the way the place had changed since he’d last been here. There were a couple of exhibits which were almost exactly the same, the there had been a few major refurbishments. Seb had been incredibly amused to find they had actually managed to procure a portrait of him and this time it actually looked at though the artist had seen him at some point. Most of them looked as though they had just painted someone who had nothing to do which him - which they probably had.
He’d been alone in the room for a while, but felt someone join him a while ago. Seb had caught a couple of glimpses of the dark haired vampire, but kept his distance, expecting him to move on pretty quickly. Ten minutes later though he was still there and didn’t look to be going anywhere else. So Seb decided to stop skulking and positioned himself where the suited guy would find him.
Seb wasn’t looking at any of the displays as Kerr rounded the case - it was obvious he was waiting for the other man and a smile spread over his face as he saw the dark vampire’s playful demeanour fade away into a more anonymous expression. He was wearing a pair of well fitting designer jeans and a grey t-shirt. A long black coat, made of a lightweight material completed the look and for the vampire was more for show that to proect him against the elements.
“Good evening,” Sebastian responded with a nod, moving towards the Irishman. “Is there some sort of event going on tonight I’m crashing inappropriately?” he asked, gesturing towards Kerr’s beautifully tailored tuxedo and knowing very well there were no events going on in the museum tonight. He definitely cut a fine figure in that tux though, Seb almost wished there was some sort event that he could whisk him away from.
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Glad for the opportunity to engage in a little conversation, Kerr tilted his head as the other approached, a chuckle now accompanying his cheeky grin. His right hand also snuck out of his pants pocket and adjusted the tie at his throat, but it faltered slightly as the impression of an aged vampire worked its way into his bones, encouraging his knees to buckle.
Humbly, the hand morphed into a fist that he held over his heart and he dropped to a knee, his gaze respectfully downcast and head bowed. "It is an honour to meet you, old one," he murmured reverently and the need to prostrate himself began to fade as he indulged it. It allowed him to regain his feet once his subservient gesture was acknowledged by Sebastian, and then he continued speaking normally, as if it had never happened. His hand stole back into his pants pocket as well.
"And no, I have a date elsewhere - going to see \'Mary Poppins\' at the performing arts centre in an hour... or so. My date\'s just finishing some work up out the back, so I\'m wandering about here, filling in time," he laughed again, gesturing vaguely towards the rear of the building, where the staircases and lifts to the administrative labs were. His gaze roved subtly over the ancient before it lifted back to his eyes. "What brings you here at this time?"
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Seb raised an eyebrow slightly as Kerr dropped to one knee, but then a warm smile crossed his face. It had been a long time since someone had behaved so reverently towards him and Seb allowed himself a moment to bask in it before he stepped forwards to lightly touch Kerr’s head.
“Rise, child,” he said softly, before stepping back to allowed Kerr to rise to his feet. As Kerr continued s though nothing had happened Seb did the same. It was nice to have been acknowledged as being the elder, the prostration didn’t need to go on to keep the Saint happy.
“I see,” Seb murmured, his gaze flickering in the direction Kerr gestured, where Jenna was finishing up. Well, something like that was definitely something which could be missed and done another time, but he was so dressed up and his date was just back there - it wouldn’t be like taking his attention away from a party where no one would miss him.
“I came here some time ago - and now I’m back I thought I would see what in the city has changed. The museum was next on my list and they have made some marked improvements - I assume your date will have had something to do with that?” he asked. With the vampire before him dressed as he was, he guessed his date wasn’t going to be a custodian.
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Kerr\'s smile was suddenly infused with pride and his thoughts were distracted from pondering how much information his spies might have gathered on this ancient (due to their potential power, close tabs were always paid to such beings and Kerr sensed this one was around as old as Lazarus; two thousand years\' experience was not something to be taken lightly).
"Well, yes. She\'s brought a number of excellent cultural exhibits to the museum in the time she\'s been working here - she travels and researches extensively to expose this city to the most obscure artifacts she can procure. I find she has an admirable ability to talk people reluctant to lend out their precious cultural items into doing things no-one else can get them to do - being charismatic can get you a long way in this world, still," he chuckled conspiratorially, knowing an ancient would have met such beings. He seemed one himself (although that could just be the superior age playing havoc with Kerr\'s sensibilities, too).
"How long have you been away from the city? I assume you have a home here?" he enquired politely.
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“It is quite a skill. I haven’t seen a collection this extensive in some time. They’re lucky to have one with such skill,” Seb said, feeling the happy glow coming from the younger vampire at the praise of his woman and quite content to oblige with a little more. He had indeed met many who seemed to possess a gift with their tongue, to be able to persuade anyone to do anything. Sebastian himself could be persuasive at times - but occasionally he fell back on his God given gift of vampirism, to help the matters along with his mental skills.
He paused for a few seconds at Kerr\'s polite questioning, considering his answer and what he\'d said before whilst just making idle chit chat.
“Perhaps my previous phrasing was somewhat misleading. I do have a home here. And I wasn’t away as such, I went to ground about thirty years ago. A suddenly leap in time can make the changes in the world all the more obvious,” Seb explained to the youngster. Seb saw no reason to hide it when asked, he’d always preferred to speak out than to hide secrets, especially to another vampire who’d given him no reason to mistrust him yet.
“My name is Sebastian,” he added, inclining his head in the tiniest bow and giving a warm, inviting smile to the Irishman, expecting to be given a name in return and making no attempt to delve for it into the other’s mind.
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Kerr blinked before his eyes widened as the phrase \'went to ground\' sank in and he understood what was being said. He was the second vampire he\'d met who\'d done it, though had not had the luxury of questioning Halwyn on the subject (the first time they\'d met had been less than friendly and the second... hadn\'t been too far different, really) and it intrigued he and Ben very much.
"Really?" he breathed, then realised it sounded stupid coming after the ancient had introduced himself like that. He blushed (for he\'d fed well this evening, in preparation for a night spent in Jenna\'s company - it made it easier to resist the temptation that she was) at his ridiculously-timed interjection and fumbled a correction like a school boy might before his teacher.
"Oh, um, I mean my name is Kerr, I\'m pleased to meet you. You... you\'re saying you\'ve been asleep for thirty years and only just woken up?" he enquired, his expression and tone showing his awe and curiosity clearly.
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Seb gave an indulgent smile as Kerr’s amazement seemed to make it difficult for him to form a response. He waited patiently for the Irishman to gather his thoughts though, he was in no rush.
Kerr… now that name rang a bell. He’d spent the night with Lucy a few nights back, having her fill him in on all she knew about the city and how it worked now, and although she didn’t know as many details as Seb really wanted - after all, she was only human and getting on a bit now - she had heard a few names and Kerr was one of them. He’d rewarded her well, giving her more money, then a night she wouldn’t forget for many years. Despite her age - she was getting into her mid fifties now - she was still beautiful and had been more than enthusiastic.
Then he’d released her from her need to come to the house to make sure it was alright. He hadn’t meant to sleep as long as he had and felt a little like he’d stolen more than half of her life. She had a husband, and a child, but she’d never been anywhere for more than a few nights since he’d gone to ground. Lucy had been delighted with the three month around the world tickets he’d given her for herself and her husband and then she’d gone.
“About a week ago, yes. I had suffered a loss, and hiding myself away to forget it seemed like a better option than killing myself,” he said with a smile. He was quite happy to talk about it now, the pain had faded with time although it was still there
“You said your name is Kerr… Galvin?” he asked, folding his hands behind his back, tilting his head to one side slightly. He’d imagined the Luminary, the one in charge of this city, to be one with a little more age - but sense and knowledge didn’t necessarily come with age, he knew that well enough.
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Kerr winced and his expression became rueful as he looked at the ancient, fighting off new pulses of desire - to submit to him. Apparently, his weakness could come in waves, which was very annoying, since they were now discussing his lack of anonymity and achieved ruling position instead. There went his belief that he\'d escaped embarrassing himself with his original silly behaviours; apparently, he could never relax in public. Something he needed to remember, he supposed.
"Ah. I see you\'ve been cleverly educating yourself on the changes in the city since you woke up," he said, giving a wry chuckle. "Yes. I\'m Kerr Galvin, though you come upon me here tonight as a man intending to take a good friend out to a show and not as the Luminary, necessarily," he warned gently, wanting to make the distinction that he had a private life. He softened the message with a shrug that appealed for understanding from Sebastian, before he changed the subject (hopefully) off himself and back onto the fascinating ancient.
"Tell me... what\'s the process one goes through when one intends to go to sleep for thirty years? And how do you know when to wake up?" he enquired, instinctively mirroring Sebastian\'s head tilt as he relaxed and shifted his weight onto his left leg, his right foot thrust forward towards the object of his interest.
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“Only a few little bits and pieces,” Seb said, shaking his head slightly. There was more he wanted to know, but he understood the desire for anonymity and so didn’t request any further information at this time. He could always go to see the Luminary during his office hours.
He smiled as Kerr asked about his time asleep and turned slightly, gesturing for them to take a seat on one of the benches which was positions facing the display case beside them. It was nice having someone to talk to, someone who wasn’t just wanting him to drink from them or fuck. That was nice every now and again, but it was relaxing to have someone to just chat with and explain things to.
“I wanted to just bury myself, but I sorted out a few things first. I had my house - there was a woman I know, Lucy, I asked her to look after things… with a little mental encouragement she’s been keeping everything looked after, she was the one who updated me on everything when I woke up. She got me a mobile phone, but it‘s not like I have anyone‘s number,” Seb said with a chuckle, before giving a shrug and going on.
“I didn’t know when to wake up. I think I’d been sleeping for only a week the first time I woke, but I simply went back to sleep. And when I woke this time I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep. But I felt like I could stand to face the world again,” Seb said, resting his hands on his knees, which were twisted towards the younger vampire.
“I didn’t intend sleeping for so long,” he added, resisting the urge to go on to ask his own questions in return, happy to keep Kerr feeling comfortable for now.
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Kerr willingly sat beside Sebastian, his legs spread and his torso leaning forward towards the ancient, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped before him. He nodded as he was told the elder had simply wished to sleep and felt he could relate; perhaps his relationship with Ben would be very different now if he\'d simply slept away thirty years.
"So... it fixes a broken heart, then. I\'ll keep that in mind as an option," the Irishman joked, his brogue rolling gently around his mouth as he grinned cheekily up at the ancient. Something subservient within him was satisfied by his quasi-submissive position and looking up through his lashes - at a man who doubtlessly looked chronologically younger than him - seemed the natural thing to do.
"And by saying \'go to ground\' do you literally mean that? You buried yourself in the earth? You must have woken up starving were you?" he enquired, his eyes dancing with curiosity.
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“Not fix, that’s not the right word… more like… when I woke it seemed like a dream. I was numbed to it somewhat, but not completely. Time made it easier to bare,” Seb corrected gently. There was nothing that would heal the wound in his heart. He had no fledglings and no intention of making one until he had a sign it was right. There was no one to replace Irene for him.
His smile grew as Kerr questioned him no intently and he gave a nod, enjoying the youthful enthusiasm of the Luminary. Maybe it was better that someone in his role wasn’t aged and thought they knew everything.
“Yes, literally. I didn’t get out of bed for a week, but I couldn’t sleep through the night. I had to get away from the sun and knowing whether it was up or down, so I buried myself as deep as I could go. Lucky there’s quite a bit of wilderness around here which wasn’t built upon whilst I was sleeping or I could be trapped under concrete forever,” he added thoughtfully, although the idea had occurred to him before he’d done it. He just hadn’t cared then.
“And fortunately I have quite a bit of self control when it comes to feeding. I wasn’t about to risk what’s left of my soul by draining the first human I saw,” he said with a playful twinkle in his eyes, his voice lowering slightly although he knew there was no one around to overhear them. Still, voices could carry.
“After smelling dirt for so long, everything seemed so fresh, looked so bright. I imagine it was like being sired again.” His siring had been so long ago though, and he’d been almost dead when Irene had found him. He could hardly remember it now and he regretted that. Some things were so clear, and others faded in time.
"What I mean is, I had things to distract me until I could feed properly," he said with a shrug.
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Jenna had rushed through her tasks, putting most of the things that she could put off until next time she was at work into a neat pile. She\'d quickly made the calls she needed to make - very short phone calls that were mostly status checks and follow ups - and popped her head out of a door in order to see if Kerr was nearby, to tell him that she was going to get ready now, but he\'d disappeared out of sight.
Sighing, she ducked back into her office to gather her dress and handbag that contained her cosmetics and jewellery. Walking out of her office and through a short section of the museum in order to get to the staff toilets, she heard Kerr\'s voice - though low it carried through the tiled and marbled walls and floor of the museum - and followed it with growing curiosity in order to see who he was talking to. Peering around an large entrance with a polite smile, she caught a glimpse of him sitting on a bench with another man, a young and good-looking man dressed smartly (but not as smartly as Kerr, understandably). Kerr\'s back was to her so she didn\'t bother making herself known, instead backtracking so she could continue on her way to the washroom, to change clothes.
Her mind was more on the young man with Kerr than on Kerr himself, strangely. Because he\'d been facing Kerr, he\'d been looking her way (and partly the reason why she\'d ducked back so quickly), so she\'d seen his face. She normally didn\'t react overtly to men at first sight, so was somewhat bewildered by the way she felt all a flutter by his looks. It seemed shallow and school-girl silly, yet she remained feeling that way.
Half of her hoped the strange man would be gone by the time she was ready to join Kerr for their outing, because she wouldn\'t have to worry about her reaction to him, while the other half of her didn\'t and wouldn\'t go away even though she tried to squash it.
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"We might have met a lot earlier - and under less auspicious circumstances - if you had," Kerr interjected with a chuckle, when Sebastian remarked that he\'d not drained the first human he\'d seen - the bit about risking his soul was interesting to Kerr. An archaic viewpoint but all the more admirable for it.
He nodded when the ancient clarified that he\'d had things to distract him. "I can imagine the smell of dirt lingers," Kerr smiled, pondering what it would be like to willingly bury himself beneath the earth. He frowned as he did. "Did you use a coffin? Or just... burrow in?" The thought of all that soil working its way into the folds of his clothing made Kerr want to shudder right now!
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“Would you have had to punish me?” Seb asked with a cheeky grin. With the way Kerr was acting, and the kneel at first, he imagined it would have been difficult for the Luminary to do his work had that been the case. But everyone was different, and people behaved differently under alternate circumstances. Perhaps if their first meeting had been witnessed by anyone else, especially by those who looked up to Kerr as their leader, the younger vampire would have behaved very differently.
“I didn’t want a coffin, although Lucy tried to make me. She was convinced I would catch my death of cold… I’m not sure she ever grasped the intricacies of our kind. So yes, I burrowed in,” Seb said, his gaze flickering past Kerr as a suddenly movement caught his eye. As Jenna disappeared his blue eyes focused once again on Kerr, smiling softly.
“Talent and beauty, I imagine the young woman who just disappeared around the corner was your date for this evening? I’m quite jealous, I must admit. It must be nice to have a warm body to come home to each day. Or have you not been together that long?” Seb asked. He hadn’t sensed her as being a vampire and from the distance with the short amount of time he hadn’t caught anything else, so assumed she must be human. And with the way Kerr had been waiting so patiently for her for so long he assumed their relationship was beyond simple dating.
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Kerr\'s chuckle at Sebastian\'s female helper not understanding their species died off as he belatedly turned around to look in the direction the ancient was looking, only to see nothing. He frowned as he turned back, supposing Jenna might have passed by because the staff toilets were off that way somewhere (he thought), but it was odd she hadn\'t said anything. Possibly because she\'d seen he was talking to Sebastian? It would be easiest to scan the old one\'s mind for who he\'d seen out in the hall, to confirm his theory, but he wouldn\'t dare.
He blushed once the question - and the implicit request for details - registered, silently cursing his earlier ingestion of blood for causing his cheeks to heat. "Uh... well, it\'s a little more complicated than that," he demurred, fighting the sudden urge to get up and pace. "There\'s nothing to be jealous of anymore, we\'re... past lovers, good friends, now," he smiled, keeping it as simple as he could. "I go home to Ben each day, he\'s my lover and fledgling. Jenna and I just get together once a week or so to attend something extravagantly cultural together; she gets a partner and I get the pleasure of a very special friend\'s company for a few hours."
Again, the Irishman smiled, feeling that he was hiding the depth of his lingering feelings for Jenna quite well. "I suppose, if she\'s going to get ready, she\'ll be back soon and I can introduce you, if you like?" he mused, wondering what the ancient would think of his beautiful fire demon companion.
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Good lord, nothing like a love triangle to keep things interesting. The way he’d been speaking about Jenna earlier didn’t really imply they were just good friends.
“I would be delighted to meet her, yes. Just to confirm we’re talking about the same person…” he added, sending a mental image of the woman he’d seen to Kerr, since it was obvious the Irishman had missed her when she’d gone past and really it could have been anyone.
“Your Ben must be very understanding, for you to be out on a date - your word, not mine - with a past lover,” Seb said bluntly. “Or is he out doing something similar?” maybe that would be how they kept thngs interesting and stopped from getting bored - siring someone you loved must be a hard choice to make. You would be bound forever and that didn’t seem to mean as much to people nowadays.
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Again, Kerr felt heat flare in his cheeks as he considered how best to answer the ancient before him. Did one so aged and accomplished really care about his petty and convoluted private life? Should he share detail or just... hint at the basics? Respect urged to him to answer with complete honesty and that implied detail for him; conscience was pushing strongly in the favour of discretion and minimal information given.
"Well... he\'s actually visiting my, uh other fledgling tonight, spending some time bonding. He... doesn\'t mind me having outings with Jenna, though we\'re of the understanding that it\'s strictly, er, hands-off," he replied awkwardly, smiling sheepishly at the ancient. "We\'re still feeling our way through... possible variations in the relationship, shall we say? We\'d rather see as much of eternity together as possible but... it\'s a complicated thing. How long was the longest relationship you\'ve managed to enjoy? Do you have fledglings?"
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It was easy to see how uncomfortable his line of questioning was making the younger vampire so decided he should probably stop it, but Kerr seemed to be on a roll. Seb wanted to know still though, so he made no attempt to stop Kerr explaining his situation.
“My sire. Seventeen hundred years. We weren’t together all that time, but we would see each other every decade at least. She was… she tired of her life and ended it. She was two and a half thousand years old, I suppose that is quite a while to roam the earth,” Seb explained, giving Kerr a smile. It hurt to talk about her, Seb had thought it wouldn’t be so bad, but it still stung. Like there was a hollowness inside.
“And no, I have no fledglings. What we have been given is a gift. I wouldn’t feel comfortable choosing someone to bestow that upon without knowing it was meant to be,” Seb added, glancing down into his lap. “I suppose it’s like having children. Some people just aren’t meant to.”
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Kerr was excited to hear about Sebastian\'s extensive relationship with his sire - until that comment about seeing each other every decade came along, and that deflated his eagerness somewhat. He supposed his and Ben\'s and Ichabod\'s relationships might come to that - his and Ichabod\'s, particularly - but for the time being, he couldn\'t imagine living without Ben beside him every night and day.
He\'d fought so hard for this damn relationship, he wasn\'t about to whimsically toss it away and put their parting down to fate or anything as trite. He wanted to hear that love could conquer vampiric variances in emotion and outlook, but he was beginning to think he never would. Well, he and Ben would just have to be the exceptions to the rule.
"I can understand that," he agreed with Sebastian wryly. "Though I wouldn\'t necessarily agree that this is a gift to be bestowed on anyone. Ben would certainly agree with you; he actively campaigned for it! Ichabod also came to vampirism with an ultimatum," he mused, frowning as he realised how little choice his emotions had given him in this matter. That probably made him weak in Sebastian\'s eyes... and in his own, really. "Personally, I never asked for it, it was forced upon me and I\'ve never viewed it as much beyond a curse. It\'s a convenient way to keep people close to you for a very, very long time, though," he added with a light shrug.
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Seb turned his blue eyes back to Kerr, unable to keep a little sadness from them as Kerr explained his views.
“It’s a shame you see it that way. And I can see how you do, but… our mental abilities, speed, strength, all the time in the world to do whatever we want to. I was going to be killed for my beliefs and God saved me through Irene on more than one occasion. And I have been scoffed at many times for believing it, but I see this as a reward.” He reached out to lightly touch Kerr’s cheek, smiling warmly at the thought that this man had managed to find someone, more than one someone, that he wanted to keep with him and share this life with.
“You will have all the time you want with those you love. And know that they wanted to share it with you. You may have been forced into becoming this, but they weren’t. They chose you.” His hand dropped away as he searched Kerr’s face.
“Kerr Galvin. There must be something special in you. They all see it.” Not just his fledglings, he’d become Luminary, and from what he’d heard he had a lot of support behind him. Supernatural creatures of all kinds wouldn’t back just anyone.
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Awe washed through Kerr as he was touched by the ancient and he quailed internally, feeling weak and aflutter. The best he could do was an adoring smile until the hand dropped away from him, and then he was able to think a little more clearly. Only a little, for the flattering words embarrassed him astronomically, bringing the blush back yet again.
"Noooo," he drawled, his gaze dropping and his feet shifting coyly as he squirmed beneath this attention. "You humble me with flattery but I\'m just a man - one that you don\'t even know particularly well! And I don\'t know that they chose me so much as they acquiesced," he chuckled, trying to downplay the powerful words and defer Sebastian\'s attention away from him noticing how chuffed he was because of them.
"If there\'s anything special about me, it\'d be that I\'m stubborn and I like to do a thorough job. Many supernaturals have no interest in or respect for the council, though; I didn\'t establish it, it\'s something that was thrust upon me," he confessed, still feeling guilt for accepting praise of any kind. A thought occurred that gave him the confidence to make steady eye contact at last and he looked curiously at Sebastian. "What are your feelings on the matter, since you\'ve obviously heard about the Oligarchy?"
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Seb gave a shrug as Kerr tried to brush off the praise whilst also looking extremely pleased with it. If he didn’t want to accept it easily then that was fine - maybe Seb didn’t know him well, but it was clear that the people who did thought a lot of him.
“Well being stubborn and doing a thorough job can be very admirable qualities. Sticking to your guns and all that. And you didn’t just disband it given the chance. You took the role,” Seb countered, before giving a nod at Kerr’s question.
Yes, Lucy had given him the bare basics of the system when he’d awoke - it had all come to pass when he’d been sleeping and he’d felt a spark of guilt as she told hikm how terrified she’d been during the apocalypse, hoping he would wake up and come protect her and her family. She’d been fine though, nothing had happened to her and her family were none the wiser.
“Better a council than a dictator. As long as the rule is not too harsh. Supernaturals are drawn here for one reason or another, they can’t help it. But it would be a shame if they came to live in a prison. But having their own kind a member on the council… that is how it works isn’t it? Different races ruling their own kind… that’s a wise move.”
Seb twisted towards Kerr a little more, raising his knee up on the bench between then and looping his hands around it.
“Hypothetically, what would have happened if I had killed a human upon waking? And would anything happen to those who killed a human at that Risk place? That’s owned by another group, isn’t it?” Seb asked with curiosity.
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"Well... in your circumstances, we\'d likely have understood that desperation made you do something unavoidable in that one instance," Kerr mused, unable to help mirroring Sebastian\'s turn towards him with a slight body shift of his own. His own hands remained clasped on top of his left thigh, though.
"You would\'ve been ordered to make reparation to the mortal\'s family somehow, I imagine. The decision would be made by one of my vampire oligarchs, they\'re certainly sympathetic enough to the thirst to allow some leniency, I imagine. We\'ve all made mistakes," he admitted with a wince.
Truthfully, he wasn\'t entirely confident that, should Sebastian have met the very upstanding Vomas, he wouldn\'t have had his freedom taken from him for a time as well, but he didn\'t think that worthy of mentioning right now.
"As for your Risk scenario... yes, that\'s owned by a very private consortium of extremely old vampires, known as The Sacramentum. They\'d most likely deal with the death on their property as they saw fit - which, from something I heard last week, would involve a ban from the premises for bringing the club into disrepute and a boon paid to the owners. If the Oligarchy got involved as well - depending if mind wipes or police managed to become involved - the same retribution deal for the mortal\'s relatives would come into it and possibly some jail time at our Chambers."
He paused then, considering the information he\'d just given and wanting to be sure he\'d covered it all. Given that the situation was hypothetical, Kerr could really only hypothesise, but he was confident the information he\'d given was accurate. The Oligarchy was focussed on protecting all species and maintaining a cloak of secrecy from mortals. The Sacramentum was interested in protecting itself from scrutiny by outside forces and was happy to solve its own problems. Yep.
"Every case is weighed and judged by its own merits, with the idea of fair treatment paramount. The Oligarchy\'s main concern is protection and secrecy. Have you ever encountered other councils such as these, old one?" he asked with a reverent smile. "I\'m wondering if ley lines have ever caused such behaviour in other places in the world."
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Seb listened quietly, letting Kerr explore the different scenarios and giving him time to mull over his responses. Their ways of dealing with these issues seemed more fair than a few of the situations he’d run into. He’d never been in trouble with them himself, but witness to a few of the harsher punishments.
“The last city I visited with a set up similar to this was in Germany,” Seb replied when Kerr finally paused and gave his own question.
“They did not care so much about fair treatment and judging each case separately. If you killed a human, you would be killed. I saw one vampire be ripped apart by the guards. Another chained up where daylight would find her. There was no retribution for the human’s family though. It would just be an unsolved murder for them and the police were in the pockets of our kind so no further investigations would be made,” Seb explained.
He wondered vaguely if any of that had improved. It was probably a hundred years ago or so that he’d been there and found it all too bloodthirsty for his liking. The smallest slip could have you killed and the vampire population had been shrinking as they were punished or those who feared the place fled despite the pull.
“But there have been councils like yours for millennia. Since before I came to this life for sure. Not many I am aware of had so many different species under one council though. There would be different councils for each type an certainly not one head of all of them. I’m surprised it works so well here, that demons and shifters and the like allow a vampire to head their council.”
-
"Ahh, but I\'m really only a head in name, rather than deed. Each species is governed by one of their own - for the most part - and my role is generally more of an overseer than the ultimate decision maker. I have a powerful team of demons that work closely with me too, so even that is a bit of a team effort, I have to say," Kerr smiled humbly, genuinely feeling that he couldn\'t take all the credit for the Oligarchy\'s smooth running.
"You know," he glanced around once more before he leaned a little closer to the ancient, his entire manner conspiratorial, "I believe that the man who was once the head of the Oligarchy was a dragon. I never had it confirmed, though I think the cowardly ancient vampire that killed him knows more than he\'s let on. Lazarus was the murderer - supposedly the. He took control of the council for a while, but he was no leader," Kerr confided bitterly, thinking with great sadness on the fact that Halen had died at such scum\'s whimsy.
-
As Kerr leant forwards slightly as though he had a secret to tell Seb obliged, leaning closer to the younger vampire. His eyes widened a little as Kerr told him his suspicions, wondering where these suspicions had come from and fascinated by them. He’d never seen any proof that dragons had ever existed, but then again he’d never gone looking for evidence either. And he’d seen a lot in his life that he’d never thought might exist.
“Lazarus… well if anyone could kill a dragon I would have said he could,” Seb said with a small nod. It was over a thousand years since he’d seen the blonde and although he doubted the ancient would remember him Sebastian could remember the meeting - well, some of it. More the mood of it. It had not been anything like he had expected, but had been an experience. A disappointing one. He doubted to Lazarus he had been anything more than just another Christian longing to hear the story of his resurrection. Vain, cunning, vicious.To call the blonde cowardly though?
“Why do you call him cowardly?” he asked, straightening up a little as he watched Kerr. It definitely sounded as though there was no love lost between the Irishman and Lazarus and Sebastian hadn’t been around Lazarus long enough to have been able to truly judge his character. It was always interesting to hear other people’s opinions.
“Surely someone would know something about this… dragon, other than his murderer. How would you hide something like that? Some sort of magic,” he added thoughtfully, trying to figure out how they might discover more about this.
-
Kerr at least had the grace to look ashamed when Sebastian questioned his description of Lazarus and the events he had absolutely no proof had expired, blushing for a whole new reason. "Well... I suppose cowardly may be an, uh, inappropriate description," he responded awkwardly, his entire demeanour sheepish as he also sat up a little straighter.
"It just struck me that way; one minute Halen was in charge of the Oligarchy, the next thing Lazarus was - and he was smug about it. I don\'t trust Lazarus as far as I can spit and I just feel that the whole act of killing the head of an organisation - rather than staging a coup based on who the superior leader is - was cowardly. But he would never have won, had he stepped from the shadows and thrown his hat into the ring, so he had to be sly about it. I guess the demons that worked under Halen - who eventually switched their allegiance to me - would know more but I\'ve never asked," he shrugged, feeling silly that he\'d even shared his suppositions so quickly, now.
Something in him had obviously been trying to impress the ancient, but he doubted very much that he\'d done so with his smoke and mirrors. When levelling accusations such as these, proof was necessary; he was doing little more than trading unfounded gossip, no matter how much he felt he was right. He had nothing solid and should have simply kept his mouth shut. He cleared his throat, feeling every bit a fool, and searching hastily for something to change the topic. What he came up with didn\'t exactly do that, but at least it was a sideways step. "So... you know Lazarus, then?"
-
“Well, perhaps you should ask them. It seems like the simplest way to find out more information,” Seb said with a shrug. “And killing someone to take their place, that’s how things used to be done. People didn’t see it as cowardly, it was a matter of the strongest taking their rightful place. And if cunning does the job instead of physical strength, it still works,” Seb said softly. He knew things were different nowadays, but survival of the fittest still applied. That didn’t mean the ancient agreed with it, but he wouldn’t argue against it.
“I wouldn’t say know. I met him once, a very long time ago. I think I was expecting more than I found. It was somewhat disappointing. And judging from the way you speak of him, it doesn’t sound as though you are all that impressed with him despite his age. Do you have other reasons not to trust him, other than his underhand way of gaining power?” Seb asked.
Kerr had looked so abashed at having to change his description of Lazarus, Seb felt a little bad for questioning it. But if Kerr had good reason to dislike the blonde then Seb wanted all the facts. Even little bits of information, how people felt about each other, they all helped build up the picture of what had been happening whilst he slept.
-
Kerr stared at Sebastian for almost half a minute before he answered this time, trying to get his thoughts and feelings on the Lazarus matter sorted. He didn\'t want to misrepresent the very powerful ancient, but he did have some very serious issues with the man. Mostly they revolved around Ben and the way Lazarus had raped his fledgling\'s perception of immortality... yet those memories were his alone, now that Ben had lost them to the deceased Jakra, and it was likely trivial to still keep hanging onto them.
He was trivial, though, because he did.
"I do," he dragged the word out slowly, thinking on the answer even as he gave it. "Mostly, my poor experiences relate to my two fledglings. Ichabod was his pet first and one night Lazarus went off with someone else, so I took Ichabod home. Lazarus, in a fit of spite, drank him to near-death, went to the Oligarchy and made him my official pet then dumped the bewildered boy on my doorstep. Not long after, he took Ben - still mortal and uncertain about our relationship - under his wing and showed him what it was like to drink, kill and fuck. His way of surviving eternity," Kerr described with false brightness.
There were so many other details he could have added, the memory of them still vivid and burning in his mind and his breast, but he refrained, his bitterness instead leaking out of him in bitter smiles and glittering eyes.
"When Ben eventually came back to me, Lazarus had become Luminary and wanted me to work for him as an Oligarch. I had no interest in the position. He threatened Ben\'s life if I didn\'t comply. He\'s immune to mind control thanks to a ring he stole from Halen, so I knew I would have no choice but to comply; four hundred years is no match for two thousand. There\'s more to the story but I won\'t bore you with the extra details right now. Just know that I have many reasons for despising the man personally."
Kerr\'s eyes crinkled briefly with a forced smirk that faded as quickly as it rose. He cleared his throat, thinking he should not dwell on negativity but the subject of Lazarus was difficult to extricate himself from. "He did help all the supernaturals come out of hiding and take over the city for a while about seven years ago, though. He\'s a visionary, I\'ll give him that much." The joke fell flat after all the bad feelings he\'d just oozed, but he was curious to know just how much Sebastian had been told by his mortal contact - who might not have had her memory wiped, due to her duty to the ancient.
-
Seb was still as a statue as Kerr spoke, drinking it in with relish. He’d always loved hearing people’s woes, and after so long with just his own dreams it was delightful to have a truly interesting drama being painted for him. He could see thinking on it brought up emotions which were most often unwanted with the younger vampire though. Seb reached out to lightly rest his hand on Kerr’s knee in what was meant to be a comforting touch.
“I’ve been insensitive. Prying where I most likely shouldn’t, but thank you for indulging me,” he said with a nod of thanks before taking his hand back to rest on his own knee. there were definitely some very personal reasons behind this hatred, but Sebastian wasn\'t about to urge Kerr to let go of that. With someone as dangerous as Lazarus it would be wise for Kerr to keep it in mind.
“It seems as though I missed some exciting times, for supernaturals at least. Lucy was terrified then, as I’m sure many humans were. And again, I’m sure I’m lacking many of the details, all my girl knew was that it was dangerous to be on the streets one night and then… calm returned and he family knew nothing about what had been going on. I assume that was when your dragon took control, stretching his wings as it were. There would probably have been no city for me to wake up to had he not, do you think?” he said thoughtfully.
Perhaps it would have petered out by itself, supernaturals would have grown bored and gone back to their own ways. But with that freedom, why should they have done so? And more would have come. The city would have been razed to the ground.
“And of course, I’m sure you must worry it could happen again. With Lazarus still out there and I’m sure others who remember those times fondly.”
-
The ancient\'s touch relaxed him and again, the urge to wither before him and present a subservient puddle of acquiescence rose within Kerr. He settled for an adoring smile and a droop in his posture, gazing worshipfully at Sebastian for a while before he answered.
"Possibly so," he agreed when Sebastian asked if Kerr thought there\'d have been no city to wake up in, should the Apocalypse have continued. "The supernaturals certainly enjoyed the coming-out party - and word travelled far and wide, for it brought my family and I here from Ireland, so that we could relish the freedom."
He paused as Sebastian continued speaking, addressing his very prominent fears with great insight... or perhaps he was reading Kerr\'s mind? One as old as this one would be highly skilled at it and be able to do it without him knowing, he was sure - though it wasn\'t like Kerr was withholding enough information to warrant it. The notion made him quite uneasy, of course, for Sebastian could gain all sorts of private information from him in such a manner; he started scanning actively for the other vampire\'s possible intrusion, just in case.
"Especially considering the vampire Lazarus partnered with to create the whole thing is also back in town and I know they\'re very likely to be hanging out together. People are watching them... it\'s about all I can do," he shrugged, his expression resigned. Really, going to see Lazarus and then Halwyn had likely hurt his cause, for he\'d made the one painfully aware of the other, but he\'d probably do the same thing again, given the choice.
-
Seb hadn’t been trying to scan Kerr’s mind, he’d just considered what he might have done had he been in Lazarus’ position. He’d be angry, and want back all that he had lost. So as he wasn’t prying he didn’t notice Kerr’s scanning, although a brief glimpse would have told him.
A frown flickered across the ancient’s face as Kerr went on, and ended in a very defeatist manner. That was really all he could do? Seb wasn’t about to suggest Kerr do something as drastic as kill Lazarus, or his partner, he’d been on the wrong end of an idea like that and would never condone it, but there were other options.
“That’s all you can do? Can’t you keep them apart? Send one of them away? Or both of them?” Seb asked, tilting his head to one side. If it was about defending his city, there was bound to be something more Kerr could do.
-
Kerr\'s eyes twinkled and he laughed somewhat wistfully at the notion of being able to keep Halwyn and Lazarus apart. If only!
"Well, sure... if the Oligarchy was a dictatorship but - unfortunate as it may be, in some respects - it\'s a democracy and every supernatural has rights. They\'ve done nothing wrong - yet. It would be a violation of their civil liberties for me to force them into anything - or even out of the city. But don\'t worry, if they set a foot wrong, it\'ll give me great pleasure to punish them," he grinned at Sebastian, possibly looking a little too eager at the thought of punishing Lazarus, but it couldn\'t be helped.
-
Jenna had readied herself in record time. She undressed quickly and put her dress on, slipping it on so that the golden shimmery dress fell gracefully to her ankles, and the strap went over her head for the halter top part. It wasn\'t the dress that would take time, but the rest of her.
Usually one to fuss about her hair and makeup until it was picture perfect (even if Kerr was waiting for her), the first attempt at pinning her hair up and curling a few tendrils about her face and ears was acceptable to her. Her makeup took the most time, but as Seb and Kerr began speaking about the Apocalypse and Oligarchy, she\'d already finished touching up her foundation and reapplying her lipstick, and was now paying careful attention to her mascara. She\'d decided to skip applying eye-shadow, feeling on the spur of the moment that it would be too much, and she wanted to present herself a bit more naturally.
Spraying her perfume near her cleavage, she finished off everything with a thin chain with three star diamonds and matching bracelet, slipped into nude high heels, and hurried out of the bathroom carrying her clutch in one hand, and everything else in the other. She would have to drop off her work clothes back at her office, along with the bits and pieces she wouldn\'t be taking with her to see the show. Jenna had to stop herself from checking in on Kerr and his friend, instead not detouring past their doorway and heading for her office straight and true. Dumping her belongings on the desk in a way that was very unlike her, she hurried out and locked up her office with her key, then made it disappear into her clutch before heading where Kerr was waiting.
She could still hear voices as she approached, as they were still conversing. Kerr had probably heard her walking past back from the bathroom, though she hadn\'t actually moved to their doorway - an advantage of his enhanced hearing. She paused for a second before rounding the doorway and making her entrance, feeling oddly self conscious when both men looked her way.
"Kerr, thank you for waiting so patiently," she said graciously, drawing closer to him. She gave him a bright smile before turning her gaze to Seb, expecting Kerr\'s good manners to prove themselves once again and introduce her to the handsome stranger that made her feel fluttery in her tummy. The feeling came combined with a sinking sensation however, when she realized (now that she was closer) that he was a vampire also.
-
As Jenna walked into their section of the museum, Kerr stood, automatically returning the smile she gave him and looking her over appreciatively. "It was no trouble at all. You look beautiful," he murmured quietly as he encircled her waist with an arm and leaned in to press a kiss to her jaw.
He marvelled, as he straightened away from her and turned his attention towards his companion once more, how his innards were being overworked tonight. If he wasn\'t quailing before an ancient, he was being subjected to the fluctuations of his hormones and fighting off the lust Jenna very naturally aroused within him.
"Jenna, let me introduce you to Sebastian. Sebastian, this is Jenna, the museum\'s finest asset," he boasted, gently drawing her closer to where the ancient was sitting, expecting they\'d be able to explain themselves to one another better than he would. He watched Sebastian closely, wondering if he would sense Jenna\'s supernatural nature straight away. Her fire demon heritage hadn\'t been immediately apparent to him at first, though she\'d never smelled completely human.
-
Sebastian stood up as Kerr did, a polite smile on his own face as he held back, letting the ‘hands-off’ couple greet each other quite intimately. His smile grew warmer as Kerr drew her closer, introducing her beautifully.
“I have no doubt as to the truth of that,” Seb replied, his gaze flickering for a second towards Kerr before returning to the woman before him. She was stunning, and that dress was helping in all the right ways. She looked as though she might have taken hours to get ready, but Seb and Kerr both knew that wasn’t true and the fact she’d put it together so quickly made it even more special in Seb’s eyes.
“Jenna, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he said, holding out a hand for hers and if she accepted he would bow down before her to brush his lips across the back of it before releasing her gently. Now that she was close enough for him to easily catch her scent she knew she wasn’t just human, but it would take a little longer for him to be able to place what the extra scent was, beyond her enticing perfume.
“I hear you are going to the theatre tonight. Is this your first time to this show?” he asked, a part of him wanting to tell them not to go. With Kerr’s reactions to him he was sure the Luminary wouldn’t take much convincing to stay and keep him company, but he didn’t want to interrupt their evening, tempting as it was. Although if Kerr and Jenna were just friends as it was claimed, surely Kerr could have no objections to Seb perhaps seeing her again on a different occasion.
-
At the introduction, Jenna made a small noise upon her breath, to imply Kerr was taking it a bit far, but when Sebastian made a comment of agreement, she gave him a pinched smile before keeping her gaze on Kerr at her side, holding her protectively. What she didn\'t realise, and couldn\'t control, was the reaction her body was having while in the presence of these two men. Vampiric or not, she was tingling all over from the touch of one and the sight of the other.
Once Sebastian spoke her name, she made eye contact with him once more and offered her hand to him as he expected. Once her hand was grasped and kissed, for a split second she considered pulling it away but let it fall back to herself after his lips brushed the skin. The memory of the kiss upon her hand felt like it was scorching her, and she had to suppress the mad urge to suck upon it. How would such a thing look!?
She felt suddenly giggly, and had to swallow them back but a few small sounds escaped. She hoped that both men would think it a normal reaction to having one\'s hand kissed, but Jenna knew it wasn\'t normal at all - not for her, anyway. It wasn\'t like her hand hadn\'t been kissed before. Sebastian had done it charmingly though, while the others had been either sleazy or a bit stiff.
She felt like she was staring at Sebastian for far too long. It was difficult to know what was normal behaviour when her heart was rocketing in her chest and her groin felt like it was throbbing with need. What the hell was happening to her? Swivelling a little so that she was turned more towards Kerr, and looking up at him, she answered Sebastian\'s question.
"It\'s my first time to the show, but I\'m sure Kerr\'s seen it before in different variantions. Even though the story is relatively young, Kerr\'s had enough time to see it interpreted in many different ways by a whole assortment of talented actors and singers, no doubt." She stopped talking quite suddenly, feeling as though her behaviour was ridiculous. She glanced at Sebastian, wondering if he thought her a foolish creature.
-
Kerr was hyper-sensitively aware of Jenna at the best of times; when her pheromones kicked into overdrive as she was placed between the two vampires, his body reacted at just as instinctive a level. All his talk of Ben was easily dismissed with the way his nostrils flared and his pupils dilated when he looked at her, his grip tightening marginally upon her warm flesh. It was odd, though, for he wasn\'t touching her in any untoward sort of way so... was it the kiss on her hand she was reacting to?
Having an intimate knowledge of the woman he had an arm wrapped around made him arrogant. He believed it highly unlikely, for he\'d made such a move numerous times when they had been lovers (though he\'d made a habit of holding her hand to his mouth rather than releasing it, and generally continuing the kisses from there). It made no sense that the woman he\'d taken such a long time to woo would react like a giggly schoolgirl now. It wasn\'t the style of one who only slept with men she was in love with.
Yet... there she went and spoke, her actions contradicting that generous thought. Why was she answering the other vampire but staring directly at him with her bright, loving smile on display? He frowned mildly at her, noting that shy little look directed towards Sebastian at the end and feeling a sudden, unfounded stab of jealousy. She really seemed to have become flustered by Sebastian\'s presence! He\'d have thought it was him and their past relationship, if it weren\'t for that little look... though part of him was still insisting he was imagining things, for he was taller than her and could easily have misinterpreted a simple look from this angle.
"Actually... I haven\'t seen it at all yet, which is why I\'m so looking forward to it," he allowed, glancing from Jenna to Sebastian. His look felt calculated, for he was wondering if Jenna could sense what an aged being the ancient was. That might go some way to explaining her... nervous?... reaction. Yes, that made some sense, actually, for he\'d bowed to it himself (never mind the fact that not every vampire felt this way towards an ancient, let alone a fire demon). "We should probably get going, sadly. One of us needs to eat before the show," he joked indulgently, widening his eyes at Sebastian for effect.
As he spoke, he withdrew his arm from Jenna\'s waist, preparing to shake Sebastian\'s hand before they departed.
-
Sebastian couldn’t help but grin at Jenna’s giggly reaction. With the way she’d been at first, protesting against the praise from Kerr, he had worried that she would be a little uptight, but when she smiled properly she was even more enticing.
He tore his gaze away from her as Kerr spoke, and almost invited himself along to dinner and the play, but he could tell by Kerr’s whole demeanour that he would most definitely not be welcome. Funny how things could change so suddenly. It was obvious Kerr hadn’t given up his possessiveness of the human just yet.
“Of course, how rude of me, delaying you terribly. Thank you, Kerr for indulging my questions so delightfully. I hope we run into each other again, and the same goes for you Jenna. It’s a shame we don’t have more time now,” he said softly, his blue eyes moving steadily between the two and accepting the handshake when Kerr came to offer it.
-
Jenna was surprised when Kerr made an excuse to leave, especially when he used her to make it. She very almost interrupted, declaring that they had a lot of time, for they\'d not arranged for her to leave work so early. They had an extra forty minutes or so, thanks to his early arrival and her getting ready so quickly. To contradict Kerr, however, would\'ve been rude and shown him up in front of Sebastian, and she was socially aware enough to not do such a thing. She soured on Kerr a little, however, for forcing her into accepting his words. Sebastian was a gentleman, much as Kerr was, which both surprised her and didn\'t. She could tell by his manner and tone that he was likely much older than he looked, but she had no idea of how old he truly was and such knowledge would\'ve floored her.
When Sebastian mentioned that he wouldn\'t mind bumping into either of them again, she had to bite her tongue from announcing to him that he knew where she worked therefore could do so easily. Really, she was entertaining mad ideas. It wasn\'t like Sebastian didn\'t already know such a thing, and it wasn\'t like she wanted him to visit her when Kerr wasn\'t around, did she?
"Nice to have met you," she said with a dulcet smile, quite pleased that this at least sounded normal, albeit a little more softly than she would\'ve spoken. She knew it didn\'t matter to a vampire, who would\'ve heard her easily. She wouldn\'t have to go through the whole \'excuse me?\' dance that those with mortal hearing went through.
-
"Yes," Kerr agreed with Sebastian, feeling slightly guilty at his comment that it was a shame they didn\'t have more time now, because Kerr knew they did. He didn\'t feel the need to explain that, however; that little spark of jealousy had him turning with a pleasant smile, gathering Jenna back within the circle of his arm and walking her out towards the staff exit, where he\'d parked his car.
Once they were out of earshot of Sebastian, Kerr spoke to Jenna. "He\'s a nice man," he commented mildly, wondering how enthusiastically she\'d agree. He deliberately left his statement banal to see how much she\'d expand.
-
"Oh, do you know him well?" she asked just as mildly, regaining her composure now that she was out of the sphere of Sebastian\'s influence. Her heart continued to beat quickly, only beginning to slow down, and everything seemed to be going slowly and sound artificial in her mind, thanks to the injection of adrenalin her body had offered her. She didn\'t look at Kerr, watching where she was going instead.
-
"No," Kerr answered lightly, his voice rising to an airy octave as he remained determinedly casual. Part of him was certain that Jenna was more interested in Sebastian than she was letting on - the slowing down of her body now that she was left with just him was testament to that - but most of him wasn\'t sure he wanted confirmation.
It was silly, really, and selfish, too - he recognised it on a conscious and very logical level. He had Ben and Ichabod in love with him, how fragile was his ego that he wanted to retain Jenna\'s emotions, too? It made complete sense for her to move on, since they were no longer together... but their weekly outings - even after a two year break - felt so natural that he was comfortable with the thought that she hadn\'t. He was certainly still smitten by her and loved her, why shouldn\' she continue feeling almost the same, as he did?
Still, he couldn\'t resist digging, his mouth spitting out words that his brain hadn\'t had a chance to screen and approve before they were out there and spoken aloud. "I only just met him while I was waiting for you - thankfully you missed my instinctive bowing to him. It\'s just my first impression that he\'s nice. He\'s certainly enthusiastic about the world and the city, which doesn\'t always happen in beings who\'ve been around two thousand years."
He deliberately dropped Sebastian\'s age at the end for effect, to see if he could draw her out with that little tidbit, eyeing her off in his peripheral vision. He wasn\'t sure of the ancient\'s true age, of course, just that he felt extremely old. Very much like Lazarus, in fact, whom everyone could label as two thousand and eleven, given his creation story.
Sebastian felt to be that old to Kerr, though he didn\'t think any older. It was a difficult thing to judge, however, for beyond the age of a thousand, most vampires felt the same to him - to be revered and worshipped, regardless of their personality, simply because they were so aged.
-
She was curious when Kerr spoke of bowing to Sebastian and looked over at her date, unable to even imagine him performing this act, when the fact of Sebastian\'s age poured out of Kerr\'s mouth and her eyes widened to their extremes. She was still tingly all over, and being held safely by Kerr was only prolonging that, but the tingles intensified further at this news.
"Two thousand..." she began repeating, but her mind continued onto other things, touching other subjects rapidly. "Imagine what he must\'ve experienced, or what he owns! I imagine if he\'s kept some mementos through the ages that he must have some amazing possessions, if he\'s anything like yourself, Kerr," she said, lightly touching him as the vampire she was with entered her consciousness, though briefly. "The stories he could tell, my goodness. How good is a vampire memory?" she asked Kerr, but didn\'t wait for an answer. "I wonder if he has only the haziest recollection of events, or they\'re sharp and clear in his mind. What a shame it would be if he\'d forgotten anything historical!" she looked eagerly at Kerr, expecting him to join in with her excited conversation. He usually did, when she spoke of her latest acquisitions for the museum, so why would this be any different?
-
"Indeed," Kerr answered shortly, using the one word as a blanket agreement to all her giddy suppositions. Yes, they were predictably based on her love of history, of artefacts, but there was more there and he had his answer now. It would take him a while to come to terms with the loss of her adoration (despite recognising his own selfishness in the matter), so he couldn\'t be immediately happy to realise that all her physical reactions, all her excitement was no longer directed at him.
Jenna was interested in Sebastian and he was certain it was for more than just his momentos.
"Perhaps when he visits you again, you can ask him, he remarked blandly, having no doubt from Sebastian\'s questioning, complimenting and gazing at Jenna that the vampire would return her interest eagerly. Quite suddenly, he couldn\'t bear thinking on it just then, though. "Now, where do you want to eat tonight? Will the entertainment complex rstaurant e acceptable or should we find you somewhere else?" he queried, forcing a smile as he changed the subject and looked down at her. She was right there, but all he could see was her slipping away.
-
How blind she\'d been. She was horrified that Kerr had seen her so plainly, that he recognised her ridiculous attraction to Sebastian. Of course he was disappointed in her, she was a hypocrite. She\'d given him a hard time while he\'d been attempting to court her, and was now throwing herself at this elderly vampire who she knew nothing about spare his age. She\'d thought the mention of Sebastian\'s visit to her was merely a dig and nothing more. Deservedly so.
"Symphony," she reminded him of the restaurant name, "will be fine. It\'s been a while since I dined there with such grand company," she said, snuggling herself closer to Kerr and looking up at him with the most charming smile she could muster.
She was determined to put Sebastian out of her mind for the rest of the evening, and she almost managed it.