Despite it being a five storey, sprawling house cut into a cliffside and stacked, layer upon layer like a skewed wedding cake, Kerr was surprisingly easy to find. He was on the lowest floor; the living floor, in the living room with the panoramic view. The bifold doors were drawn back so that the breeze constantly ruffled the tips of his hair and filled the circular space with the smell of the moon on moonlit water.
He was sprawled in the couch wearing a knitted charcoal jumper and a pair of jeans, his bare feet arranged so that the left was tucked beneath him, the right was stretchedout towards the coffee table. He was frowning at his toes prodding mindlessly at the wooden furniture, his left arm tucked beneath him cradling the reason for the frown; he was on the phone. Cases were stacking up and they anted to know when a Vampire Oligarch would surface. Kerr was impatient enough to have demanded to know why Declan wasn\'t there to do his share, but Declan hadn\'t been seen for a number of nights.
"For fuck\'s sake, this is ridiculous! I can\'t have any time off?" he demanded and fell quiet as an answer - nay, a lecture - came at him from the wizened old demon at the other end.
Including the couple of nights spent in the desert with the ritual, he\'d only been absent five nights - this was only the third back in the city and he hardly felt settled. The first night had been a write-off. After travelling back on the plane (most of which Ben spent with the pilot in the cockpit because Jack was somewhat overbearing and he\'d looked like he needed an escape. It had freed Kerr to organise things with Jack, though, so it hadn\'t been an unwelcome choice), he\'d driven Jack and Samuel to the apartment and then brought Ben to the beachouse.
By then, the sun hadn\'t been long away, so there\'d only been the most cursory of introductions before they were settling down in Kerr\'s bed - the only one in the house, unless the coffin was counted. Although he\'d awoken cuddling Ben, he\'d slept well and had had plenty of time to move away before his fledgling awoke. That night had involved some blood bag sustenance, followed by a more expansive tour that encompassed the grounds as well as the house.
Halfway through the tour, Ben\'s car, the furniture and all the clothing from the apartment had arrived, so there\'d been some time taken to position the bed and dresser in the chosen bedroom Ben had nominated on the third floor. Kerr lamented that it was two floors below him... but was also strangely glad of it. Another delivery had arrived within the hour, of very similar items of furniture, but these were brand new and taken to the room next door to Kerr\'s. He was confident that Jack would want to be as close to him as possible, when he arrived, but the Irishman was still keen to maintain a semblance of separation from the mortal - even if he forced it to become little more than an illusion.
Jack was still sorting things out with Hannah and Samuel as far as Kerr knew, though the vampire expected him to arrive at some point tonight. He knew exactly how to get a cab out to the beach house and Kerr doubted it would take more than two nights to sort out one\'s worshippers... he could be wrong, of course, and he wasn\'t chasing Jack in the meantime. He would turn up when he did - hopefully with all his own clothes and some food, for Kerr hadn\'t shopped beyond purchasing him a beautiful bed, dresser of drawers and an old fashioned sit-down dressing table. He had his own bathroom attached to his bedroom and Kerr had had just enough manchester to cover the three bedrooms and ensuites thus far, but he would prefer more be purchased.
Kerr glanced up when Ben entered the room and though he didn\'t sit up from his reclining position on the mini mountain of cushions he was inhabiting, he stiffened. Ben didn\'t know yet that he was employed by the Oligarchy and the sire wasn\'t keen for his fledgling to find out this way. "I need two more nights, in all likelihood," he told the person on the other end of the phone tersely, trying to stop his gaze from following Ben\'s progress and stare instead at the black fireplace across the room. "Well make it work," he snapped and lifted himself up on his elbow enough to look down at the cordless handset he was holding. He hung up, despite the noise of agitated arguments rising out of the speaker from the other party, then hit the button again so that the line would be open and he couldn\'t be called again.
He mustered a smile and looked innocently at Ben. "Sleep well?" he enquired pleasantly, partly wondering if his fledgling had been able to smell the scent of the two of them (somehow) in a bed that hadn\'t held them as a couple for many months, part of him hoping he wouldn\'t be asked about the phone call. The good thing about his mistakes with Ben early on was that he\'d learned to pick his information and questions very selectively; he didn\'t think it likely Ben would ask something potentially overwhelming.
