Breaking the Ice

[Black Philip]

Jake listened as Damien talked, something electric existing between them. Jake felt... small somehow, although not in a threatening way like he normally did. He considered that Damien might be right about how he should proceed. He thought of Zeus and how he'd negotiated about the west. It fit this description. He thought of Charon, and his fence sitting, and determined that was another form of it. Perhaps, this was wisdom. The other strange fact, was that Jake hated being told what to do, by anyone. Not even Lisa-Joe got away with it. Damien hadn't said, "I suggest." He'd said "You will." Those were very different. If Jake thought for a moment that Damien didn't have his best interests at heart, he would've strongly rebuffed him. However, he suspected that Damien really did have his best interests at heart. There was something about the intensity that resonated with the young prince, and he nodded.

"Okay, we do it your way then."

He looked caught between massively uncomfortable, and strangely enthused.

[Saiketsu]

The corners of Damien's mouth twitched upwards and he patted Jake's shoulders. "You're learning. I will show you how to enter a shark tank scared and come out fed. Tomorrow." He removed his hands from Jake's shoulders and picked up his empty glass, moving through the room towards the kitchen.

"It was good of you to go to Lan Bao. Very smart," Damien reflected with a nod from the kitchen as he refilled his glass at the fountain. "You've taken away some demon votes from the election and made a potential ally. As the current District Leader of Central, no one should be able to say anything about how you divide up your district. Especially now with no Luminary. We'll see, though. I fear that every move you make will be haunted by Zeus.

"I have intentions of visiting the leaders on your behalf to see what their discrepancies with you are, to see how they can be fixed. It's sure to be eventful. Besides Zeus, when was the last time you've met with one of them?" Once his glass was full he took a large swallow and looked at Jake.

[Black Philip]

Jake didn't fear the other leaders, only himself. If Damien was addressing his fear, it needed to be understood that Jake wasn't a guppy afraid of being eaten. He was a shark afraid he'd eat them all. Perhaps that was arrogance, but it's how he saw the situation. He smiled as Damien complimented his approach of Lan Bao and threw in a quick, "Don't act surprised I made a good choice," He was teasing. He saw Damien had a good handle on the political scene, but there was something to be said for knowing the enemy, and Jake knew all of the District Leaders better than Damien. That knowledge of how they worked gave him an edge in knowing their motives.

"Damien, in the 21st century nobody remembers anything more than a week ago. If we let what happened in the west die, than it will die. If we keep it alive it will live. Zeus doesn't seem interested in a long, bitter exchange. I think if I win election and elevate Lan Bao, then that will be the story coming out of the Central District."

Damien's other request had irked the Anarch prince. It sounded like an apology tour, and Jake had no interest in that. Also, it was the first time he felt like Damien was stepping beyond the roll of campaign manager, effectively saying he was going to be taking over diplomatic relations as well. It woke him up from his puppy dog stupor. Damien would see a certain shrewdness behind his eyes, and Jake suddenly looked much older, and more like the Jake Damien had met at Charon's party.

"No apology tour," he said with a degree of finality. "The others will see it as weakness, and will also wonder why I didn't come myself. Trust me, I'm sure Zoheret would love to give you a list of my flaws. Zeus isn't likely to meet with you at all. Charon will likely say I'm duplicitous and impulsive. I have never met Saraekiel so he has no opinion to offer, and I have concerns about his hold on the north. Sabrina, well. You may interview her, if she has the time, and ask for her opinion on how I lead and the mark I've left on the city. She's a friend, but also an honest person. I also respect her opinion of me."

Jake  suddenly felt they'd talked enough business. He looked shifty where he sat. "Let's go back to the others for now. We will resume work discussions tomorrow, if that's alright with you of course."

[Saiketsu]

He swished the blood around on his palate, savoring the metallic twange and rearranging his words. He didn't believe in any way that Zeus was going to leave what happened in the West alone - Damien wouldn't. Jake had made a grievous error entering another district - albeit unclaimed at the time - and claiming it for himself without a plausible explanation to the other district leaders. It was a risky move that had ultimately not worked in Jake's benefit. Now Damien came to face-to-face with the effects of that decision as Jake stood in his kitchen. Jake was young, Damien reminded himself before he responded. The fact that the century had turned once again meant very little to the creatures whom had seen it happen a half-dozen (or more) times before.

He allowed Jake the floor and room to speak, though he allowed his expression to minutely mimic his thoughts. Jake may have been his employer, but he had sought Damien's advice. It was interesting that Jake McCloud thought of getting to know one's colleagues as an 'apology tour'. The denial exposed something self-conscious in Jake and Damien read it as his inability to handle critique, despite knowing that he had made egregious mistakes. Pride. Upon Jake's request to step away from business, Damien lingered where he was, unwavering. He took another sip and put the glass down on the counter, his countenance calm and stance shoulder width, chest up and hands tented on the counter between them.

If he was unwilling to listen, then what was his purpose?

"That may be the story coming out of Central." He looked at Jake with a characteristic seriousness, indicating that his words should be considered. "Personally I am more concerned with the story coming from the West, where a major population of votes could be coming from. Do you even know who will be voting in this election?"

[Black Philip]

This was something Jake was good at, and felt comfortable with, the staring and sizing up of another. Damien looked grave about the whole thing, but Jake kind of liked that he got a challenge back. Most of his advisers knew it was impossible to change his mind. Damien had yet to learn this, and seemed intent on trying. Jake would let him try. What was the harm? At minimum he'd gain more of Damien's perspective. His eyes met the other's with an equal seriousness, and he seemed more commanding than even a few moments ago. Damien was meeting with the Black Prince. The title was dropped, but if Damien thought that meant that he was dead, then he'd assumed he had a lot more control over Jake then he actually did.

His question about voting was one Jake had been giving a great deal of thought. He saw no sense in the whole city voting. He wasn't running for Luminary - although he might've if he'd known it was an option. No, he was running to lead the Central District, and nobody was compelling him to participate. This was all by his own choice, and his own graces.

"I imagine it will be sorted out at the meeting," he explained. "I will be strongly advocating for the vote to remain in the Central District. Any other conclusion feels undemocratic, and if Mr. Samson's whole point is to democratize, it hardly makes sense to start by having an unfair election. Why should others vote for a leader who won't lead them, and get to have a say in laws they'll never have to follow?"

"Be careful how much stock you put in stories coming out of the west," Jake cautioned. "I took a few lives of criminals while I was there, but the fae, vampires, and yes demons, I helped by clearing out those gangs could be sympathetic to how the event was covered. The way it was made to sound by my enemies was that I slaughtered women and children and burned the city to the ground. Clearly we both know that's not true."

That was a moment where Jake needed Damien to agree. If he thought Jake was the monster Ben made him out to be then why work for him at all?

"As most things, it's a mixed bag," he continued. "And it's the public perception that matters. Some demons will never forgive me. Most don't care if it's me or Zeus in charge. They just want to feel safe."

It was a push back for sure, but Jake was taking what Damien had to say seriously. He hadn't stormed off, threw insults or acted childish. He just disagreed. He was practicing. Damien may not have had as much control over Jake as he liked, but he'd already had an affect, and was able to get Jake to do what he wanted far more than others. The best part was Jake didn't mind.

[Saiketsu]

Damien liked this newfound strength in Jake, though he wished it wasn't through stubbornness that the strength was expressed. His lips pressed into a firm line and Damien spoke more plainly, purposely pushing him. "It doesn't matter as much what the truth is, Jake. The point is that there is unrest and it is because of your actions, no matter what your intentions were." He stared at the younger vampire, steel eyes burning into him. "This is what you stand against and Ben Samson, Chtahzus'aak, Zoheret, and everyone else will use it to their advantage as long as they can. You stand against your past and your own reckless decisions in this election. Now you must prove that you know what you are doing amongst a group of immortals much older than you trying to remove you from your seat.

"You don't have to convince me of anything." He said simply, the fire simmering down now that the bite had made itself known. "You have to convince your constituents that, despite what they have heard from Zeus and Zoheret and the demons of the West, you are the better option, the one that will keep them safe and prosperous."

[Black Philip]

"Then I'll burn them alive," he finally snapped, eyes full of anger. Damien was wrong. He didn't know Jake. He didn't know what had happened in the west. Jake's actions had been good. His intentions had been good, but then he remembered a bedroom conversation with Lazarus. He'd wanted to help the west sure, but he admitted to himself now, what he'd denied to others since the west happened. He'd wanted it for himself too. He felt instantly guilty, and the rage gave way to sorrow. Damien was not wrong. The comments about age would be ignored for now. Hadn't Damien realized age meant nothing to Jake? However, every other aspect of what he said rang true, and the Black Prince faded away, leaving Jake behind.

"I-. I'm sorry Damien. I lost my temper. I would never do something like that. I was just... angry."

Jake had spent most of his life angry. It was a warm shield that kept away what he was feeling now.

"Let's discuss the possibility of you meeting with the other leaders after the meeting. A lot will depend on it. Also, I have kept my district safe and prosperous," he said quietly. "I will use the campaign to remind them of this. You can help me do that, right?"

[Saiketsu]

He watched as Jake lost his composure, watching as it passed through anger, frustration, pride, and finally into defensiveness. He took note of the process with an expression like stone.

"You looked away and spoke too fast," he offered. There was a long pause before he went around the island and put his hands on Jake's shoulders again with a sigh. There was no need to remind him of why he couldn't say the things he was saying, and Damien knew that it came from some deep space that was fiercely protective of himself. "If you can't take this from me, how will you handle it when it comes from the people who want you thrown into the dirt, hmm?"

"I pushed you purposely to see what you could take. You did well," considering your reputation and raport Damien thought to himself quietly, keeping the thought behind his high walls instinctually. He pulled his hands off Jake's shoulders after a squeeze.

Damien retrieved another glass from the cabinet and filled it, handing it over to Jake. "Here. I think we've talked enough business tonight. We will begin the campaign officially tomorrow night, starting with your meeting prep." He clinked his glass against Jake's. "For now, take a moment and gather yourself." He listened for a moment to the movement upstairs. "There's a lot of laughing upstairs and we will both need to face that head-on soon." The thought of getting scolded by Rachel filled him with a minor sense of dread and made him take a gulp of red.

[Black Philip]

Jake wanted to go home, his taste for socializing long gone now that he lay before Damien an exposed nerve. He took the glass and drank faster than was his custom. The blood flushed his face, and gave him some needed equivalent of endorphins. What vulgar term had Lazarus used for it? Mother's milk. What had Jake ever seen in him? He knew he was getting drawn into himself, and let Damien's hand break him out. He listened, but was out of words for now. He nodded, and rose from his chair.

He closed his eyes, and for a moment his face almost twisted into a grimace before relaxing into the casual Jake who'd come to the door. It was rare one saw the physical manifestation of swallowing an emotion, but Damien had just had a front row seat to it.

"I'm good," the well trained actor told Damien. "Come on. Let's go laugh too."

[Saiketsu]

He let the younger vampire have his moment of shift wordlessly, pretending to not notice. There was a pang of guilt in him, not used to causing pain to others anymore, but Damien was thankful for the separation between them due to the ring that kept the mental communication between them silent. He reminded himself sternly that Jake didn't need to like him in order for Damien to do his job. Despite the coldness of this thought as he walked to the stairs near the garage, Damien wanted to offer Jake a minor thread of solidarity between their causes.

"When I was human, my uncle imparted to me all this knowledge. He was one of the leaders of the very first Crusade into Jerusalem." Damien smirked at Jake as he began climbing the stairs, his glass of blood in his left hand. "I know these things because I was trained to know these things, reinforcing them for hundreds of years. You're not as untrained as you probably think you are, or at least as much as you think I think you are. It all gets easier with time; you become less human the longer you live." There was a bitter smile on his face as he reached the top landing, looking back in Jake's direction, momentarily oblivious to the madness in the room on the second floor.

[Black Philip]

"I don't want to be less human," Jake said, something innocent but truthful about it.

He smiled at Damien, and enjoyed learning a little bit more about him. He felt he'd found a mentor, even if Damien didn't know it quite yet. Jake did, and that was enough. He'd have to convince Damien that despite his age, he had things to teach him as well. Damien felt old, very old in fact. It wasn't meant to be a negative, but Jake almost felt like he hadn't met this vampire in this year. When he'd been young, and Mithras's plaything, noble vampire knights had been like this. He'd loved to sit in the Camarilla court, and hear tales of men like Hardenstadt, Alexander of Paris, and Robin Leeland. Damien felt like one of them. He'd show Damien that the world had changed, and that the young Anarchs knew it better than the old masters. Jake felt like a bridge between the two worlds. He was old enough to have seen the world change, but not so old that he was stuck in his ways. He wanted to get to know Rachel better. She had already somehow cracked Damien's code, and Jake wondered if she'd let him borrow the code book.

He entered the room, and his eyes grew wide by what he saw next.

[The Cedar Witch]

They must've been gone for hours.  The pool game had long since been abandoned, empty cans stacked in a neat row on the edge, flanked by an open bottle of rum and a bright red plastic cup. 

Rachel sat crosslegged on the floor in front of Lisa-Joe, hiccuping through the tail end of a good cry-session.  Her head pulled occasionally to the side while the redhead braided her hair, nodding and cooing sympathetically while Rachel spoke.  They talked about so many things she didn't even know where one conversation ended and another began.  And the gut-spilling!  From her pathetic sob story (a summary, anyway), to not being able to leave the house when she felt like it, and right down to finally meeting Quinn again in the streets. 

"What do you even say to someone after sooooo loooong."  She droned mournfully.  Clearly, she wasn't over the whole Quinn thing.  And Lisa-Joe was so easy to talk to.

When Damien appeared suddenly in the doorway, Rache looked sharply up at him, flushing deeper than she thought possible when Jake followed shortly behind.

Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit

Aside from being plesantly bubbly after some wine and that one time Pierre over-poured her drinks, Damien never really saw her like this.

She looked around wildly and pointed a finger "Pierre's fault," She wasn't even being subtle about how she rushed to explain herself.  "I was behaving the whoooooole time before he got ideas."  Giving her best efforts at puppy-dog eyes, Rachel leaned back against Lisa-Joe who was just finishing with the braid.  "Tell them I was behaving," she pleaded quietly, cradling the half-empty water bottle against her chest.

[Saiketsu]

When he saw Damien's eyes zero in on him angrily, Pierre threw his hands up in fearful defeat. "What!? It wasn't me!" He put his phone down, disregarding the text he was sending to Nadia about how drunk Rachel was - coupled with a thirty second long video. "I was trying to get them to play pool! I blame the bartender over there!" He nodded in Lisa-Joe's direction, watching the puppy eyes from a very intoxicated Rachel.

"She was making the drinks!" He pointed at Lisa-Joe.

---

He watched Rachel lay back onto Lisa-Joe, her face ruddy and eyes glossy. His lips were once again pressed into a very firm line and his eyebrows arched up towards the ceiling dangerously.

It was a moment of practice in self-control. One that he felt like he was about to lose.

Damien closed his eyes and began a chuckle that ended with him shaking his head. He sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning in the door frame staring down at Rachel as she cuddled with Lisa-Joe. She was the most precious thing in his life and she was very drunk. He had forgotten how much of a trouble-maker she could be, though this night had put that back into sharp relief. The antics that she usually got herself into were when they were alone, crawling onto his lap to distract him during an important phone call or hands roaming free over him in the car. "I walked away for a half-hour." He looked down at his watch; it was actually closer to an hour and a half.

He looked at the braid in her hair, the remnants of tears on her red face, and felt his heart clench happily. When was the last time she had been drunk, he wondered to himself. Surely, he had seen her drunk before - just never like this.

"Okay, Rache. I think you're done now," he said, observing the empties hanging around the room. The pool sticks were abandoned on the table and the eight ball was sitting in the plush carpeting under the table. "Come here," he suggested, a playful annoyance like a babysitter in his voice, holding his hands out to take hers. If he thought too much about it, he would be upset that this had happened on the first night that Jake had entered the house. What he must have been thinking!

[Black Philip]

Jake was not expecting this! He tried to look casual, but he was so embarrassed. Lisa-Joe had obviously been the culprit, and he gave her a disappointed stare. Lisa-Joe seemed to rise to the challenge, helping Rachel wave at Jake and say hi. He looked at his feet. Damn Damien's advice on this one! He would talk with Lisa-Joe once they got home. She had some explaining to do.

Meanwhile, Lisa-Joe had a wonderful time. Rachel was sweet, and had one hell of a story. Pierre was fun to be around, and the pair of them both had gotten Rachel trashed. She'd had a fun night, but Lisa-Joe figured she might regret it tomorrow. She looked at Jake innocently.

"It was all the Frenchman. You know how they love their wine." She turned and smiled warmly at him. She almost liked him.

[The Cedar Witch]

Rachel sighed dramatically, turning her head away from Damien and muttering something about not needing his help.  She was on her feet fine, even though the blood rushing around in her head was making her a little dizzy. 

"Take a shot for a miss," she explained, offering Jake an apologetic smile.  She was sure they were gone for at least two hours, maybe three.  Plenty of time to be irresponsible with.  Part of her didn't feel bad at all for the way the night had turned out.  It's not like she caused too much trouble--she hadn't even left the room!  Taking Damiens hand after a little more insistence, she leaned against him "Serves you right for keeping me cooped up," she murmured into his shoulder with a huff.  "Shit tolerance."

At the door, she turned back into the room and cleared her throat.  "It was lovely meeting you all and I shall miss you terribly," her words were surprisingly composed even if the statement somehow encompassed Pierre.  With that, she made her way into the bedroom and flopped unceremoniously down onto the mattress.