Blood & Bears

[pinkroses]

"Come on, we'll get somewhere with a basement, we have a couple of weeks, we can strengthen it and put the locks on and then we're set, we don't need to stick me back in that prison," Caden said, bouncing along on his toes, trying to keep up with Dom as he pleaded and made excuses like a petulant teenager. Seriously, Dom made him feel that way sometimes (although he would freely admit that he'd given Dom reason to in the past).

"And we will do that if there is no other option. You should meet others like you, and if something happened to me whilst you were locked up... this is safer," Dom said, repeating himself for what felt like the hundredth time and rolling his eyes as he spoke. "And it's not a prison, or at least it wasn't."

"Yeah, but you're not in charge anymore, fuck knows what they've done whilst you've been away," Caden said, reaching out to touch Dom's arm, but the shifter shook him off, which made Caden stop in his tracks. Dom had been striding quickly, but now he paused, glancing around the streets before he turned to return to Caden. Most people wouldn't listen, or glean much from a word or two from people passing in the streets, but a pair in discussion stopped, getting in people's way, that could bring more attention.

"You were in charge when you said I had to stay with you, I could go now," Caden said, lifting his chin as he glared at the taller man, his heart pounding. Refusal to go in each month had been the reason why Dom had taken guardianship over him, and when it had just been them in the forest it hadn't been so bad. But now, back in the city, it felt like going back into a prison each month. And being locked up with others... it hurt. They would try to fight, with bars in the way. They would be fed, yes, but when there was fresh meat the monster within wanted that more than the dead animals they were given. Waking up the next morning in a stinking room filled with other cursed creatures. It was demoralising and there was no way out of that for the rest of your doomed life.

Dom gave a sighed and lifted his hand to rest on Caden's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"If everything is still in place we will check it out, we will work with them to make it as comfortable as possible. And if there's nothing, or it's horrible, we'll work something out," Dom promised, earning himself a snort of disbelief from Caden. After everything they'd been through, neither of them wanted to be the one to walk away from the other and they both knew how important it was to compromise with each other. It wasn't something either of them found easy though.

"Go. The bar you were talking about is nearby," Dom said, gesturing down the street. "I don't know how long I'll be with Kerr, so I'll see you at home tomorrow. Good luck," he added, referring to Caden's plan to attempt to get a job (and hopefully meet a few people). Caden stared at him for a moment longer, then shook his head.

"Whatever," the werewolf muttered, turning away and striding down the street, shoving his hands in his pockets as he went.

Dom watched him go, hooking his thumbs into the front pockets of his dark jeans as he stood quietly. As soon as Caden disappeared around the corner Dom cleared his throat and continued on his way. If felt weird walking through these streets again - he'd never been much of a city guy, but it felt familiar. He'd worked for the Oligarchy for a few years before becoming an Oligarch, then a District Leader (what the fuck was the point of all that?) so it was no effort finding his way to the Luminary building.

Dom's grey eyes cast around the impressive foyer, his nostrils flaring at the scent of blood coming from the cafe in the foyer. He'd heard rumours that Kerr had been busy since his rebirth, or at least his fledgling had, but this was something else. Did people really feel comfortable in places like this? Or was that not the point? Was it more of an intimidation tactic?

Dom approached the reception desk, feeling a little out of place in his jeans and a black t-shirt (Hell, this wasn't a business meeting, he wasn't dressing up in a suit) but he didn't let that discomfort show in his face or body language.

"My name is Domink Lowe. I'm here to see the Lum- ah, Kerr Galvin. I don't have an appointment," Dom said, resting an elbow on the cold marble of the countertop. Whilst things were familiar, it still felt strange to be back here. He'd never applied to be an Oligarch, never asked for that responsibility, so now being back here, without that weight of responsibility, it was nice. Although he did have responsibility for one werewolf still.

[Existentially Odd]

The young man behind the reception counter gave Dominik a look that was somehow sympathetic and condescending at the same time. He clearly didn't approve of walk-ins but he picked up the phone and dialled the penthouse anyway. When that call wasn't picked up after a minute or so, he tried Kerr's office instead. Kerr hadn't bothered organising a personal assistant, so he answered the phone himself.

"Kerr speaking."

"Mister Galvin, I have Dominik Lowe down here in reception requesting an audience with you. He doesn't have an appointment." The receptionist sounded mildly scandalised.

"Oh, Dominik?!" Kerr exclaimed, wondering where the ex-Oligarch had been and what had prompted the visit. "Send him up. To my office. I'll meet him," he clarified needlessly and hung up.

The clerk smiled at Dominik as he reseated his handset. "He's available to see you. Just take one of the lifts to the thirteenth floor and he'll be there to greet you. Have a lovely evening," he smiled, indicating where Dominik should go before he returned to his computer to log the unexpected visit, as was protocol. Digital got very agitated if the visitor's log didn't match the CCTV footage in the building.

Kerr looked down at the profiles for some new Sweet recruits he'd been reviewing and then at the photo of Ben smiling at him from his desk before he glanced at the rest of his office. His working space was right beside Ben's and had much the same expansive layout, with a large mahogany desk closest to the entry - fronted by two visitor's chairs - and a sitting area at the far end. Kerr's space was dominated by the dark, heavy furniture that had featured in his original Luminary office. He'd inherited it from Halen but loved it enough to preserve it.

The four large floor-to-ceiling bookcases guarding the side walls beyond his desk seemed to glimmer with a red-brown life of their own.  Their progress along the walls was halted by the glass wall that formed the border of the room and the outside of the building. The cases were filled with some strategically-placed sets of books and a slew of intricate statuette-style artworks, a couple of encased daggers, a miniature globe, four ornate lamps, pictures of he and Ben, he and Ichabod and the three of them together and some delicate antique clocks.

The lamps on the bookcases connected electrically to the two floor lamps sitting either end of the three seater couch a few metres away. It was positioned on a thick Turkish rug that covered the entire sitting area. The couch was bordered by an armchair at each end and all of the seats were situated so that they faced the view of the city, rather than the office itself. The elliptical mahogany coffee table in between held his statue of Themis, as it always had. Kerr sat on the couch often, contemplating things while Ben worked tirelessly next door. He decided he'd lead Dominik to the sitting area to chat. It had been too long since he'd seen him and it was a comfortable, informal space for them to relax in.

Kerr strolled out of the office when he heard the mechanical whir of the approaching lift, planning to greet Dominik with a smile and a handshake before bringing him into his inner sanctum.

[pinkroses]

Dominik raised an eyebrow at the receptionist's expression, finding it amusing, but it could easily have become frustrating if the human had decided to be difficult about the fact that he didn't have an appointment, since he seemed quite put out by it. He kept his grey eyes fixed on the young man as he called, waiting patiently but not distracting himself by turning his gaze elsewhere. His expressionless gaze turned into a polite smile when he was finally granted access upstairs and Dom followed the guidance provided, heading straight to the lifts and heading upstairs.

The lifts were fast and it was only a few moments before Dom was stepping out into the hallway. He met Kerr's greeting by accepting the handshake firmly and smiling, although it was a slightly quizzical one. After all, it wasn't every day you went to a meeting with someone you thought was dead. Although he guessed that was something Kerr had come across quite a lot recently.

The shifter followed Kerr into his office - which was pretty impressive. Dom preferred life outside of the city, in nature, but he could appreciate the finer things. His own office as an Oligarch had been inherited from the previous one so he hadn't bothered changing any of the decor - it had been functional but also had some needless knick-knacks to clutter it up (or decorate it, whatever).

Dom took a moment to admire the view of the city's twinkling lights before following Kerr's guidance to the seating area. Dom took a seat on one end of the couch, folding one leg over the other and sitting back against the comfortable cushions.

"You look good for a dead man," Dom said, a teasing glint in his eyes and a small smile on his lips as he drummed his fingers against his knee in a thoughtful manner. It hadn't taken long for him to discover Kerr was alive again once he was back in the city, and that someone else had taken over his role of District Leader. He had no idea who this person was really, so it seemed most sensible to go to someone who should have an interest in knowing about things like that. Or so Dom assumed.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr chuckled appreciatively at Dominik’s opening comment, having settled himself in the armchair beside him. He’d turned it before he sat, putting his back to the view so that he could look at his guest more easily, his left elbow resting comfortably on the arm and his fingers supporting his jaw. He wasn’t dressed too differently to Dominick, wearing black jeans and a blue business shirt (no tie, top buttons open) with black leather lace-ups on his feet. His other hand was in his lap.

“I could argue that, since I haven’t had a beating heart for over four hundred years, I’ve always looked good for a dead man,” he grinned impishly, “but I take your point. I went to another dimension, not realising time moved much more slowly there. Now I’m back.”

It was kind of weird how much he was explaining his whereabouts lately. And meeting with former Oligarchs. Just two nights before, he’d brunched with Jake and spoken of his absence then, too. He was flattered that people were interested enough to ask - and, in Jake’s case, confess to missing him - and grateful that they’d given him a grace period of re-acclimation before they’d approached him. It had been a tough few months, in retrospect, but he was happy again, now.

“How about you? What’ve you been up to? How’s... Carrie?” he smiled, recalling the name of the mate of his former Oligarch for Lycanthropes after a brief memory search. With it, came the image of her round, pregnant belly and Kerr realised with a flash of chagrin that he should’ve asked about the baby, too, considering it would be about two years old now.

[pinkroses]

"Good point," Domink said with a shrug and a smile as Kerr pointed out he'd techincally already been dead. He listened to Kerr's explanation with a small nod, happy with the description given and not needing to ask any more. Dom didn't know anything about different dimensions, but there was a lot of stuff which went on in this city which he didn't understand and didn't feel the need to study into. They didn't involve him and he didn't need to know more. Kerr was alive, that was what mattered.

"Well I'm glad all the things people thought had happened weren't true," he said, gesturing with a hand towards Kerr. He had never been very close to Kerr, or any of the other Oligarchs, but he'd thought Kerr was a good leader. Fair. Logical. Emotional when needed but not letting it control him. So many of the others only acted in their own best interests. That was not how leaders should behave.

Dom flinched slightly at the mention of Carrie and flexed his hand, remembering the feel of her slim neck in his grasp, how one swift movement had just...

"She... she's passed away. You know she was a werewolf. There was... an incident," Dom explained, somewhat vaguely, his grey eyes fixed on his hand before he lifted his gaze back upwards to meet Kerr's. "Our cub, Sadie, she was involved too. She's..." He's eyes slid away from Kerr to look over his shoulder at the lights of the city.

His voice was steady, but the pauses as he tried to figure out how best to phrase it made it obvious the affect it had on him. Kerr would be able to hear his heart rate had picked up at the mention of Carrie and if he was open to his emotions, he'd feel that mental turmoil, but Dom took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

"She was a handful, I don't suppose you've ever handled a baby bear?" Dom said, a smile returning to his lips at the memory of his cub and he focused on the vampire again. "We'd been living a few hours outside of the city. After everything happened, I didn't want to stay there so I came back."

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr was mortified to learn of Carrie's death. Sadie's too, by the sound, though Dominik wasn't very clear about what happened. The way he kept looking at his hand was unnerving and horrified Kerr on an undefined level. It sounded as if he was implying Carrie being a werewolf had caused the problem? Had she done something to their beautiful, rambunctious cub? It didn't bear thinking on.

The emotions pouring off him were raw, matching the timbre of his voice and the racing of his heart. This was a topic Kerr should never have broached and he was ashamed to have done so. He needed to change the subject and fast.

"I'm so sorry for your losses," Kerr said sincerely, his brow furrowed with sympathy. "If there's anything I can do to help your transition back to the city easier, just say the word," he insisted, reaching over to touch Dominik's forearm.

[pinkroses]

Dom nodded at Kerr's words of sympathy and gave a small smile at the offer. It was painful to think about and he hadn't told anyone about it, so saying it outloud for the first time... it made it more real. He and Caden hadn't discussed it since they came back; that car journey had felt like it had taken days.

"Thank you. It's all still very recent, but it's good to be in a different environment to start with anyway," Dom said, lightly touching Kerr's hand on his arm appreciatively before letting it fall back to his knee.

"In fact, I was hoping for a little guidance," the shifter went on, pleased Kerr had given him an opening, as terrible as the lead in had been. "I'm not sure if you remember, I had a werewolf in my care, Caden. When I left I made sure there were shifters who knew how to run the monthly check-ins, but things seem to have changed slightly. I don't know half the people in control now. Are the check-ins here still running? Or can you give me some information on my replacement before I go see him? What's his name? Sara... Sarak... something like that?" he asked with a small frown.

Dom knew he hadn't been much of a leader himself, but he'd never wanted it. He had tried to find out what the new leader had done, but there hadn't really been anything apart from a couple of notices.

[Existentially Odd]

"Saraekiel," Kerr supplied grimly. "I must admit, I'm not up on werewolf protocols but I have a feeling the north is being run rather like a feral, carefree wilderness, every super for themselves. Saraekiel's a Dark Angel. I'm not even sure how or why he wanted to run the north, beyond the prestige it offers. I don't recall seeing anything in his district laws about werewolf check-ins, though the same could be said for many districts - this one included.

"We still offer sanctuary to werewolves at the Luminary, as we always did, though Jake McCloud - the District Leader - hasn't organised anything. Charon runs the east and he's decreed they should check in at the Academy Ben built - there are some really nice, new facilities there. Sabrina hosts them at the Parlor on behalf of the south and Chtahzus'aak holds them in The Block in the west. Neither of the Dark Angels running a district seem to care, nor does Jake in Central."

Kerr's tone and expression didn't lighten as he bestowed this bad news on Dominik. What a welcome back to the city. It didn't care the same way about all species like it used to.

"I've heard that werewolves were recruited to be Saraekiel's guards but that didn't make much sense to me. Three nights a month they're unstoppable, the rest of the time they're just normal people... what? Patrolling? I'm not even sure what there is to protect in the north, beyond trees. Perhaps they're there to keep bloodshed or territory feuds to a minimum? I really don't know. All I know of Saraekiel is that he's quixotic and meddlesome. He doesn't like to give straight answers and he's always smiling, like he's hearing jokes only he is privy to. He's an impressive sight but I question his substance. I'll be very interested in what you have to say about him, if you're planning to meet with him," Kerr hinted, staring steadily at Dominik.

[pinkroses]

"Saraekiel," Dom repeated slowly, struggling to get his tongue around it but determined to. He pulled out a small notebook from his jeans pocket and wrote it down phonetically. Having been homeschooled and with a lot less time available than humans due to his faster aging, his hand-writing was messy but legible.

His notes continued, writing down the other District Leaders names and where their check-ins were. He knew their names, but since some bits had changed he wanted to make sure he had the details right.

"Thanks for that information," Dom said, giving Kerr a smile as he finished his scrawl. "Are they precious about who attends? I mean, if we chose Charon for Caden, would we need to live in the East? We're in a hotel at the moment, so we can narrow our house search," he explained. Caden would want to see each to give an opinion on which he wanted to attend each month. Hopefully one would be suitable - Dom didn't really want to risk something happening to Caden under his watch as it had with Carrie.

He wasn't impressed with the description Kerr gave of how the North was being handled and he wrinkled up his nose in distaste at hearing the Dark Angel was using them as guards.

"That's idiotic. They have no control over themselves when they're changed so if there was a threat, all they would do was rip it apart, not deal with it properly," he said, the disgust obvious in his voice. He didn't have anything against werewolves - they were cursed with a horrendous curse, but they didn't need to put themselves and others in more danger than necessary.

He opened his mouth at Kerr's final comment, then shut it again thoughtfully. There were no werewolf facilities in use in the North. There were werewolves roaming and putting people in danger. And the man Kerr described sounded like the kind of person Dom preferred to stay away from. Games, competition, secrets and riddles, these were no indication of a good leader. Everything Kerr had said made him want to stay away from the North.

But Dom did feel a swell of responsibility - his leaving had been the reason why Saraekiel had been able to take over and turn it into a shambles.

"I shouldn't have trusted those I left to just be able to do their jobs," Dom said, giving a small sigh and sliding his hips forward a little on the cushions to recline on the sofa a bit more.

"And the city should never have been split into Districts. People clawing for power but ignoring those in need. I don't imagine there's a fair split of species being represented? I don't know... Sabrina?" he said, glancing down at his notes for a prompt before looking back to Kerr. His fingers drummed again on his knee, a short pattern which halted before it could get annoying.

"I'll go see him, if he'll meet with me. I don't suppose he'll be pleased to see his predecessor," he said with a toothy grin. He didn't want to meet him, not if he wasn't going to get a straight discussion or answers, but it might be entertaining on some level.

[Existentially Odd]

"I imagine all holding facilities are most interested in the residents of their district but I don't believe any of them would ever refuse someone shelter just because they're from another district - especially considering what would happen in their district if they turned a werewolf in need away," Kerr answered Dominik's question and then frowned. "When you say you're staying in a hotel, I do hope it's this hotel - considering we cater specifically to supernaturals and you wouldn't need to pay because I'd be honoured to put you up," he said pointedly, his stern expression indicating that if Dominik hadn't chosen to stay at The Luminary, he should do so as soon as possible.

Kerr nodded in agreement with Dominik's assessment of the conditions in the north, the dissolution of the Oligarchy and the appearance of the districts. It had been something he'd been considering more and lately himself, particularly with the election looming nearer and the state of the city being so prominent in his thoughts. He could relate very well with Dom's feelings of exasperation over the people he'd left in charge of his district failing him. Kerr had done it on a grander scale, in fact.

"I agree with you but it is what it is. I hope I'm wrong about the state of the north, that it's much better organised and I've got it all wrong. I'm basing my opinion on hearsay and posted notices about the place, after all. I'll get you Saraekiel's addresses - he has headquarters in the north but he lives in the east," Kerr smirked, wondering if Dominik would find that as amusing as he did. "And Sabrina's a witch. She didn't have much to do with the Oligarchy I don't believe but I owe her a great deal. She saved Ben's life a few years ago so I'm eternally indebted to her. She's good people."

As he talked, he got up to go over to his desk and look at his laptop. With a few clicks, he had Saraekiel's residence details thanks to the Oligarchy records; the other was public knowledge. He wrote ShadowHaven Estate's and Grigori Incorporated's street addresses on a post-it note in clear but flourishing script and then walked it back to the sitting area, holding it towards Dom as he sat down in the armchair again.

[pinkroses]

Dom nodded in appreciation at Kerr's offer of a place in the building they were in.

"Well when we came back I thought you were dead and didn't know what was going on here, so we just stopped at the first place we came to," Dom said with a shrug, "But we will take you up on that, thank you," he added with a warm smile.

"I'll try to go in with an open mind, hopefully he'll have a good explanation for some of those things, such as his living quarters," Dom said, shaking his head slightly. How was someone supposed to care properly about what happened in their district if they didn't even live there?

He watched Kerr, sitting up a little straighter as the vampire went to get the addresses. He was relieved that Kerr's opinion of the other new Leader, Sabrina, was more positive than the rest of their conversation had been going.

"Thanks," Dom said, accepting the Post-It and sticking it to his notebook, scanning the two addresses and vaguely placing the locations in his mind.

He had his answers now, but being back here, chatting with Kerr, it was a nice distraction. He'd not had many of those since it happened. And it was more pleasant than he was imagining his conversation with Saraekiel would be in Kerr's description was correct.

"How has it been, since you came back? With your fledglings and everything?" he asked, closing his notebook and slipping it away back into a pocket now the business part of the meeting was done with.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr's lips twisted thoughtfully and he flicked his eyebrows as he contemplated summarising his life since his return from the dead. Naturally, everything hadn't gone smoothly but it was definitely looking up lately. Dominik didn't need to hear unnecessary details, they'd never been that close, but he'd just been told the guy lost his mate and child. He owed him an honest answer, without waxing lyrical.

"It was difficult at first. They were in mourning. Ben and I didn't exactly click back into place immediately but it was like I'd never left with Ichabod. Just as Ben and I were getting our groove back, he was attacked by Lazarus. So was Jake McCloud. Pick up any of the recent supernatural news sources and you'll read about a trial. Lazarus got his hand cut off and was banished from the city. It took some time, but Ben's healing now and things are heating up for him politically - he's challenged Jake for the District Leader position in this district, Central. There'll be an election to decide who wins, in three months' time. All supernaturals in Central District get to vote. Hopefully you haven't moved away by then," Kerr joked.

He hoped giving Dom the city's highlights at the same time as he gave his own wasn't too overwhelming. He watched the shifter cautiously for signs of confusion.

[pinkroses]

Dom hadn't really expected Kerr to give as much information as he did, but he listened with interest. He didn't really know Kerr's fledglings, but knew of them. He gave a smirk as Kerr explained one of them was going for District Leader. Replace one vampire with another, but if Ben won at least Kerr might have a bit of say again.

"I guess I'll stick around for a bit, it's all go around here apparently," Dom said, before pressing his lips together gently. "I'm sorry your fledge was attached. It's a terrible feeling when you know that's happened and there's nothing you could do," he said softly.

"Running for election, I hope that's helping him get past the attack? With your help, of course?" he asked.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr's lips twisted as he contemplated how to answer that. Not as much as that foursome the other night did? Yeeeeahhh, that wouldn't be happening. In Dom's question, however, he sensed an opportunity to open up even more about his and Ben's plans and, potentially, to secure himself a recruit.

"Thank you," he murmured, in response to Dominik's sympathy about Ben's attack. "We're past the worst of it now, I feel. And Ben's a hundred percent committed to improving the city. Just between you and me - for the time being, anyway - what he'd really like to do, if he wins, is install a structure in Central much like the Oligarchy. With representatives for each of the species, at the very least. Think you'd like a form of your old job back, if it comes to pass?" he hinted, his grin conspiratorial.

Dominik was a good bit of litmus paper, Kerr thought. He wondered if his first instinct would be to think of himself and his family or whether he'd be interested to know what Kerr's role in it all would be. Someone opinionated and unafraid to voice his thoughts was a good representative of what might be said when they started talking openly about these plans, which had solidified just a few nights before.

[pinkroses]

Dom watched Kerr steadily as the vampire explained Ben's plans so briefly. It was an interesting plan, getting the city back to where it had been - but not really. If Ben won, he would only be Leader of Central City. It would help all the species in this area of the city, but not all over the city.

Still, it would be better than nothing if it did come to pass.

"Should you be offering up those jobs? Isn't that Ben's responsibility?" Dom asked with a wry smile.

"It does sound like a good idea, there are so many species, they need proper representation. But... I was Oligarch for the werewolves. They should have their own. I just fell into it as there was no one else," Dom reminded Kerr with a shrug. He had wanted to help, and still did, but surely there had to be a werewolf in the city who would be in a better position to represent them.