Cicero hadn't managed to shake his sire off for a number of nights since they'd found one another and taken over a house together. He certainly wasn't going to lead the blonde ancient to Ami, where she ran the risk of being hurt due to some misplaced jealousy or unreasonable hatred due to her gender. For two weeks he and Lazarus had circled one another like combatants, but fucked one another like the long lost lovers they were. It wasn't so much the sex Cicero enjoyed as proving he could still dominate the blonde. Since he'd won his physical battle against the other, he found Lazarus a great deal more compliant. It was different to the outcome when he'd mentally controlled to get his way. Strangely, he felt like his sire respected him more besting him the archaic way.
He'd managed to dump Lazarus at Risk while also finding Tucker. It had worked out beautifully, for Lazarus hadn't been interested in sharing what Cicero was interested in when a lovely young mortal offered himself up on a platter. He'd been a little inebriated, full of the courage alcohol tended to give, and Lazarus had literally had his pants charmed off him. After some below-the-table play in front of Cicero and Tucker, Lazarus then took his newest playmate upstairs and Cicero grabbed Tucker and headed for the exit.
Once they were away from Lazarus, Cicero returned to his mental speech within Tucker's head, but the fact he'd used his voice couldn't be undone. He explained that his sire Lazarus had a ring that blocked all mental communication, forcing Cicero to talk (and his accent was transforming from thick and sometimes-germanic, sometimes-french into a mingling of American drawl, a bit of British and an unidentifiable pronunciation of all words that ended with the 'st' sound).
He'd stopped a cab for them and instructed the driver to deliver them to the Detour hotel with the meter off. On the drive there, Cicero explained to Tucker that he wished to keep him in a place more convenient and easier to find him in than Risk. With this explanation he sent along mental images and the physical impulses he had for the mortal, ensuring that there would be no doubt as to why Cicero was wanting to have him set up at a hotel. He wanted to keep Tucker for himself. He scanned the youth's mind enough to know that being kept was acceptable - even desirable - to him, but that he was also envisioning some palacial setup that he wasn't going to get. He would find that for himself once they arrived.
The pair of them got out of the cab, which drove off without further hesitation. He led Tucker to the apartment he'd already set up for himself and went inside after switching on the overhead light. The space had better furniture in it than it had originally. Cicero hadn't liked the bed or the mattress upon it, nor the sofa. He'd replaced those with items he'd mesmerised the shop assistants for. The mattress was plush and expensive, as well as the iron bed it rested on - though as modern as the mattress was, the bed itself was old fashioned and ornate. The sofa was a plush affair, fabric covered stripes instead of the more popular single-coloured leather. None of the furniture chosen meshed with the rest of the room, which was neutral. A metre square canvas was propped against the wall; Tucker could see it was a beach scene by day, pouring out from the woman's face through her liquid eyes. Cicero went to it and picked it up as well as the thing behind it before ushering Tucker back outside. He handed the youth a thermos to hold (it was full of cold coffee) and locked up before also handing him the key.
They went to another apartment, Cicero with the canvas facing out and Tucker pocketing the key to his new apartment - a place he didn't have to pay rent for, it had been told to him. A place he could make requests for, it had been offered him. Cicero would get the mortal what he wished to make the apartment more cosy. He knew Ami was home because he could feel her mind, and he touched it lightly to alert her to his presence (but didn't add that someone was with him). He wanted her to open the door so she could see his painting of her and be presented with it.
