Not Just A Pretty Face

[Trillian]

There was a big space beside Ben's campaign tent, enough to park a car in. Half an hour after it got dark, a Warden walked in front of a burbling turquoise 1967 Chevy Impala, getting the crowds to part while the muscle car slowly drove in. It attracted attention and those who looked into the car would either see that the driver was a young blonde man or that the passenger was a muscular fellow in his thirties. There were many who would recognise the ex-Luminary Kerr Galvin because of his many successful years at the helm of the Oligarchy. Many others would recognise Ben Samson from either the campaign posters or ads around the place, or from the opening of the Academy for Supernaturals earlier in the year.

Ben had practiced driving slowly into the carnival grounds behind a walking person just once before - Kerr had been the marker then, but it was very different with a crowd of people on both sides of the car staring in. He was trying to smile at them but he was too nervous about where he was going so he stared out the windscreen instead. Owen walked him to the parking area beside Ben's tent and moved the temporary bollards that were to stop people from dawdling in that space. Ben pulled into it and switched the car off, hearing the excited chatter of the crowd around him once the engine died.

He was dressed with a light blue suit jacket over a white shirt, black tie, black trouser pants and black socks and shoes. Kerr was dressed similarly except he had a black suit jacket for the full effect and a light blue tie to match Ben's jacket. He and Kerr stepped out of the car together and were greeted with a roar of cheers and applause, whistles and people calling his name, plus flashes going off as camera phones took pictures.

It was super, super weird.

He knew they were all happy because he was hosting a free carnival and giving away millions of dollars of food and merchandise (which was even all Kerr's idea), yet he was still overwhelmed by the peculiar celebrity status it gave him. He didn't think they would all necessarily translate into votes for him, but it was nice to think that maybe those good feelings about him would remain for some time. He'd been spat on the street for the first few weeks after the Oligarchy had fallen, which was why he'd mostly retreated. Now Jake was the pariah because he'd invaded the West before backing out with an apology. Surprisingly, he'd come out of that pretty unscathed with everyone but the demon population.

Unfortunate. Ben would have to keep reminding them, but subtly.

He waved and smiled and was stuck in place until Kerr took his hand and led him into the tent that was his. Owen had moved to the tent door and opened the flap for Kerr and Ben to walk in before letting it fall closed behind them. Ben's gaze found Cain before he went in. His pet was handing out campaign brochures. They locked eyes and Ben smiled at him, still dazed by the reaction of the crowd.

Inside the tent were a few large rugs with some plastic chairs positioned on them. They faced another couple of plastic chairs, and there was a podium to one side. A place to speak to groups. A place to speak one on one. A couple of pamphlet displays and cardboard boxes with more pamphlets were out of the way against the tent wall behind the chairs, off to one side of the tent doorway so nobody would trip on them.

"That was crazy," Ben said to Kerr, his smile wide but the emotions he shared with Kerr were a mixture of excitement and anxiousness.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr was smiling indulgently at Ben, his eyes shining with pride and approval. "It really was!" he agreed, laughter burbling out of him unfettered. The excitement in the air was contagious, electrifying everything.

Kerr took both of Ben's hands in his, squaring up to him and looking into his eyes. He wasn't going to be a great deal of help once the flap was lifted and the people were welcomed in but he could do one thing for his fledgeling. He scanned him mentally, doing his best to siphon out Ben's anxiety, leaving the excitement behind. Ben was always cool under pressure, he had every confidence that he'd excel at focussing for himself but a little boost never hurt.

"Are you ready for them to come in?" he smiled, glancing at Owen, standing guard at the tent entrance. The whole side would be peeled back to allow easy access - congestion at a narrow flap would just cause frustration and turn people away. That was the last thing they wanted.

Owen was also grinning from his position by the entry. He felt like a personal bodyguard to a movie star; the thin line between Ben Samson and his fans. He hoped they were all fans, anyway. He'd be hanging around, just in case - even as the thought occurred to him, someone pushed through the tent flap and barged in. Owen tensed, his heart leaping as he anticipated trouble but then he saw who it was and relaxed with a laugh. "Hey Captain," he greeted.

Xiamara barely spared a glance for Owen, she was busy scanning the tent. Her face lightened when she spied Ben and Kerr at the centre of it. "Evening, Owen," she remarked without looking at him. "Good to see you again." It sounded like a dig.

She walked up to the couple of the hour, her gaze on Ben. "Nice entrance. No casualties, always a good start. Need anything?" she asked brusquely, looking the shorter man over, silently appreciating his pretty plumage. Her radio crackled to life with two wardens confirming a lost child had been reunited with its parents. Her shoulders relaxed a little.

Kerr giggled at her commentary and let go of Ben's hands so he was free to talk. It had begun.

[Trillian]

"Yes." Ben gave Owen a thumbs up before his gaze was diverted to Captain Hadar. He watched her stride up and was intimidated by her manner and authority, as he usually was. He admired her and still felt ashamed for his outburst in her office. Strangely, it felt like she'd treated him with more respect after that.

"Thank you," he said about the entrance. It was about as showy as he could stand. "Um, no, I'm just going to take it as it comes. I'll wander around the carnival between the two meet and greets," Ben said, but the Captain already knew this. "Glad you found the kid."

He hadn't even considered lost children. Good thing Kerr had hired an events manager to help him and they'd suggested a first aid tent, a lost and found tent and an information kiosk that was mostly a help desk and a place to make announcements from because it had a PA system atop its roof.

"It's really busy," Ben said with wonder. He'd initially been worried that nobody would turn up, but the attractant of free stuff was obviously strong.

"Okay, I'm ready," he said, which was moot because the tent wall was being rolled in to let the crowd come anyway, He didn't really feel ready but figured he never would. He was thrumming with nervous energy instead of debilitating anxiety thanks to Kerr's tweaking. Before the tent wall had finished opening up, he turned hurriedly to Kerr for a quick kiss on the lips.

People wooed and he pulled away, feeling squirrelly and embarrassed.

[Ehcorn]

Some fooled themselves otherwise, but as far as Dana had observed, the only classes that existed in the city were royalty and peasants. She'd never been allowed to forget which she was. Even as she stood near the tent entrance, one hand wrapped around the strap of her bulging canvas messenger bag and the other jammed into her coat pocket, empty space formed around her as if she were oil dribbled into a bowl of water.

A surreptitious glance confirmed her suspicions: the prettiest and most expensively dressed of the bunch clamoring to meet the man of the hour had their faces scrunched up like they smelled something foul. Her lips quirked in brief amusement. They'd caught the scent of the lowest of peasants. They knew she was a werewolf. If she'd played her part as they expected, she would've scurried away to the back of the crowd, but she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and stood where she goddamn well pleased.

Before anyone could gather themselves to correct her, the entire front section of tent was pulled, revealing its contents to those who stood closest – Dana amongst them.

There was a brief moment when everyone paused to acknowledge the intimate moment between Mr. Samson and Mr. Galvin, where most cooed and swooned over the power couple at the center of it all. Dana, on the other hand, whipped out a small spiral notebook and pencil to scribble a note to herself. She continued scribbling, eyes darting to and fro, as she noted people, their expressions, the words exchanged, and the energy that buzzed throughout the tent.

Hands were shaken, smiles were passed, and Dana's eyebrows went up when she realized no one was turned away. Everyone received a handshake. Everyone a smile. She closed her notebook, slid her pencil through its wired spiral, but stopped short of putting it away. Instead, she kept it in her non-dominant hand so she could step forward and present the press badge that hung from a nondescript lanyard, starting with a swarthy woman who eyed her hawkishly and ending with Mr. Samson himself.

“Dana Fields, sir, with Werewolf Monthly. I've some questions for you if I may?”

[Trillian]

Ben saw a blur of faces, smelt a wide range of scents of different types of species, from fae to demons to other vampires, humans, and the unrecogniseable. The demons were the most pungent and also the most interesting because of it, in a way. It was like their world-plane stayed on them. He wondered if, as a vampire, if he smelt to them like old blood and earth. He would have to ask someone sometime when it wasn't going to be wildly inappropriate.

He got talked at a lot. He'd thought people would ask him what he intended to do but instead he got a lot of opinions about what he should do and it was usually a ridiculous request - like preventing all crime - or so trivial that he couldn't possibly determine how to measure something like it - such as creating a fixed time period for neighbours borrowing items from one another. He managed to agree with a few people - that the different District Leaders laws were confusing and that there should be a forum of some kind for the public to meet with all of them at once. The biggest amount of people he talked to weren't really interested in talking politics so much as meeting him and thanking him for the carnival or just staring at him. He tended to get rid of them by saying 'thanks for coming' and moving on.

When he finally got to Dana, he looked from her to her press badge and the writing implements in her other hand, recognised the tabloid because he'd giggled over the name several years ago, and addressed her.

"Nice to meet you, Ms Fields. I'm happy to. Did you want to ask them now or after my meet and greet is over?" he asked, finally shifting into gear. He would've shaken her outstretched hand except she was showing him her badge in it. A reporter made sense to him. Random public asking random questions was extremely baffling and throwing him off.

[Ehcorn]

Dana had already waited over thirty minutes for him to show up in his mechanical carriage. The idea of waiting any longer when she had at least a half a dozen other interviews lined up made her antsy. She was mainly after anecdotes that she could put in her upcoming article profiling the hopeful Central District candidate, but how many other times would she have access to so many different demographics in the same place?

“Now is fine,” she said, dropping her badge. After it fell to rest on the sliver of light gray t-shirt left exposed by her unzipped and well-worn leather coat, she flipped open her messenger bag and exchanged her spiral notebook for a slim black recorder, fiddled with some of its settings, then held it between them.

Naturally, as she readied herself to question him, her gaze met and held Ben's well beyond her first cursory glance. She blinked and settled back onto the heels of her dingy boots. While their eyes were both blue, his were something else entirely. Luminous. Sparkling. Like someone had ground up the wings of a butterfly and sprinkled it all into his irises. They were beautiful, really, just like the rest of his face. He wasn't alone, though. All the people in the room she suspected were vampires based upon their pallor and way they held themselves were unquestioningly beautiful.

Not for the first time, she wondered if they had all been born that way, or if they'd been given some sort of supernatural Maybelline.

Someone cleared their throat near Dana, forcing her to remember herself and what she was there for. She managed to stop gawking long enough to close her mouth, breathe, and focus on the task at hand.

“Right, so.” She turned her recorder on. “My first question has to do with werewolves--” she paused long enough to flash a smile and chuckle, “-- like you might've guessed. The Brazilian Quarter was already known to have more than its fair share of violence, drugs, and homicides. Rumors of a werewolf gang setting up shop there has coincided with an uptick in crime. If you were elected, what would you do to make it safe again?”

[Trillian]

The reporter's stare was intense. He could see that she was thinking thoughts while she looked at him unlike some who seemed dead behind the eyes. He had time to wonder if maybe all the preparation he'd done for 'spontaneous interviews' was in vain; that he could never hope to think of what he might be asked and then look stupid floundering for an answer.

The work that Kerr had put in him to remove his anxiety was unravelled the moment she took out a recording device. His discomfort felt obvious to him. He hoped she wasn't super perceptive to know how unsettled he was. Being a supernatural herself and also a reporter meant there was a good chance that she would know he was feeling awkward about it. Or maybe she just assumed everyone felt awkward about it.

Ben nodded when she mentioned werewolves. Considering the magazine she worked for and the smell that her species carried with them, he'd already identified what she was. He took a moment to pull in breath, told himself not to say 'um' and then opened his mouth to answer.

"Um-" Fuck. "There's two parts to that question. Crime prevention and crime control. As a private citizen, I've already tried to assist in crime prevention by offering the werewolf community free secure rooms during the height of the lunar cycle. It's disappointing that the Luminary is the only official place in city central for werewolves to get themselves off the streets and keep themselves and others safe. There's no other location in my district I know of that have advertised. Maybe now that we're in the middle of an election, something will be done. Um, the other side is crime control. I'm currently in the middle of negotiations to donate a high-cost resource to help the Wardens when they patrol the Quarter. I've also had a chat with the new mayor of the city to install a special task-force team who are in the know. It means a select group of city police can back up our Wardens while keeping supernatural activity on the down-low. This is something I can only do as a District Leader. I'm also hoping to assemble a council of advisors to support my time as a District Leader, and I would definitely want a werewolf on there to better advise me on werewolf requirements."

Ben realised he'd attracted a small group of lookers-on who were listening to his answers to Dana's questions.

[Ehcorn]

While Dana didn't possess the same heightened senses she did while she was transformed (fat lot of good it did her even then, since she didn't have control of herself the duration of the full moon), she was quick to pick up on Ben's unease. It was in his voice and the very word that first exited his mouth, but it wasn't unusual. This was his first real outing after announcing his desire to run for District Leader, and even seasoned politicians stumbled through the start of an interview on occasion.

She tried her best to maintain an open, encouraging expression in hopes he'd find it easier to talk as he went on. Most people did. They'd forget the voice recorder, the crowds. It was just him and her, discussing the clusterfuck that was the Brazilian Quarter.

As she suspected, a trickling stream turned into a deluge of words, revealing a plan that she involuntarily nodded in agreement to until she caught herself. One of her undergrad professors had beaten it into them from day one, "Don't nod. Don't shake your head. Don't taint the interview."

She didn’t imagine he’d pictured any of his students in her current position. She was a werewolf -- a cursed problem that needed to be solved -- asking questions of a man who might elevate himself to make things better or much, much worse for her kind. Ben had made her optimistic that it was the former, but the only way to determine for both herself and her readers if it was the latter was to ask more questions.

 “Aside from Mr. McCloud, who agreed to your challenge, all the District Leaders seem to consider their positions permanent, and they've got the lifespans and means to make it happen. Not only that, but every other District Leader was either self-appointed or voted in by their fellow District Leaders. The people had no real say in it.” She held her hand out, palm up, and gestured to the small crowd that gathered around them. ”Yet here we are, not long before the first District election that's ever been open to the public. Which leads me to my next question... How do you feel about term limits? Regular, democratically held elections not only in the Central District, but all the rest, too?"

[Trillian]

As he listened to the leadup of her next question, Ben was very aware that a minefield was about to be thrown his way. His opinion differed greatly from the current District Leaders and he didn't want them reading about his true opinion in the papers because they might decide the devil they knew was better than the storm Ben was willing to bring.

There was also the matter of power. He had no power over what other District Leaders did and the last thing he was going to do was interfere and mess up yet another political structure until he knew better. If he went in gung-ho with ideas about democracy and voting in every district, they were never going to listen to him. He was going to have to wrangle this over the space of years. Being impatient would only fuck it up.

"How do I feel about term limits?" Ben said, repeating the question back for a minor stall before he replied. "I know I'm not going to want the responsibility of Central District for eternity, that's for sure. I don't think anybody wants to be doing one job for the rest of their lives. As for the other part of your question, the other District Leaders have only been in the role for a couple of years so far."

He wondered if she would push for his opinion on the other districts since he'd avoided the question by stating a fact. He'd kept the same posture as when he'd answered her first question; relaxed and mostly still, but his response this time around was a lot less passionately spoken.

[Ehcorn]

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, briefly revealing the beginnings of crow’s feet and frown lines. He was being evasive. Ben might’ve been new to the political scene, but he knew his way out of a question well enough. There was now no doubt in her mind that he’d been coached in some fashion, even if it was only to be told which topics to avoid giving a committal response to. It was unfortunate that it was the one thing she’d wanted to know most about both candidates: Would or wouldn’t they continue to give voice to the people in the Central District if they won?

No system was perfect, but so far they’d had the Oligarchy (where they’d apparently felt no shame whatsoever in naming themselves that), and now a divided city with a bunch of megalomaniacs in charge. Most ruled with iron fists, and if a law of theirs was broken, punishment was at their discretion. If she were to accidentally shift on the full moon without being contained in the North District, she’d see a different punishment than if she’d accidentally shifted in the South. One place she’d get a slap on the wrist, another she’d be put to death. There was no rhyme nor reason to it and no one had any say except those who’d forced their way to the very top. Whether they did anything about complaints was again left entirely to their discretion.

So what recourse did normal people have?

Dana inhaled deeply through her nose and let it all out in a controlled sigh, at the same time unclenching the fist she’d made of her free hand. Popcorn. She could smell popcorn. The buttery notes combined with the sweet scent of — was that funnel cake? Yes, yes it was. Now that she thought about it, she could remember passing a food stand with a giant vat of hot, crackling oil just waiting for thick batter to be spiraled into it. Right next to it had been a vegan stand advertising hummus and pita, just past a stall that offered face painting and balloon animals for the youngest of attendees. They'd showed up, too. She didn’t have to listen for long to hear their happy shrieks. Children. Families had brought their children because they trusted the advertising that promised no blood-drinking would occur on carnival grounds.

He’d taken everyone into consideration, tried to make the carnival safe and enjoyable for them all. Was she to believe he’d be willing to forsake them if he won the election? That it’d all been an elaborate charade? Their first and last election? Her initial attempt to discover if she was looking at yet another District Dictator had gone abso-fucking-lutely nowhere, but she wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Alright," she said. "I’ll be more specific. If you win and the people of Central District decide they want to hold another election for District Leader, what would you do?”

[Trillian]

She did chase the question and made it about him. He was free to answer her question as he liked now without having to deal with the ire of other District Leaders for speaking on their behalf.

Someone laughed out loud nearby and the chatter in the tent was quite loud so he moved a little closer to Dana while also angling himself where her microphone would point away from the noise.

"I want the Central District to be a voting district. On my website that went live today, I've announced that I'll be implementing fixed terms for the Central District Leader. The length of term hasn't been decided yet but I want to have enough time to implement changes that might take a few years to get rolling. I capped it at twelve years already, but it might be less than that. This city's supernatural population has not yet seen a stable government," he stressed, because this was the biggest issue he could see so far, "and I want to give them that while also giving the opportunity to change who's in charge. So yeah, if I get in as District Leader, one of the first things I'll do is give people a chance to vote me out."

He laughed a little at his own phrasing like it was a spontaneous joke, though he'd practised it enough times that it would come out smoothly.

[Ehcorn]

Dana smiled. There it was. An answer. The answer she'd wanted to hear, no less. He'd not only allow democracy in the Central District, but he'd also encourage it to flourish if he won. Ben had a better chance of it now that everyone had a vote, but why would the incumbent have agreed if he thought he might lose?

All her sources said Jake McCloud hadn't been forced to agree to the election by the other District Leaders. And it made sense. Surely they knew how quickly the seed of democracy could grow - especially in today's connected world. Everyone with a smartphone had constant access to cameras and voice recorders, not just nosy reporters. If anything, she could see the other District Leaders trying to shut everything down before it got started. It's what she would've done if she were a self-serving authoritarian set on oppressing the masses. Did that mean McCloud had gone against them? Or had it been Samson?

There were more questions than there were answers, but that was job security.

"Can you pinpoint the moment it became clear you should run for District Leader? If so, what was it?” Dana shifted to watch his expression. Whatever his answer, she could blend the two and shove the result somewhere in her article. If it was quote-worthy enough, it might even make it into her headline.

[Trillian]

"I can tell you exactly when, yes," Ben replied, his friendly smile fading into something a great deal more serious. He stood a little straighter, drawing up his courage to speak of a night that had begun so badly and yet finished on a tendril of hope.

"For a short while I was on a diplomatic exchange program between Charon, the East District Leader and Jake McCloud, current Central District Leader. The night I left Jake's care I was raped by Jake's then Harpy, Lazarus. Arrested an hour later on charges I still don't understand by Lisa-Joe Hampton, his current Harpy. Then the charges randomly disappeared and I was released to the Ward who brought me to Kerr. I don't remember a lot about that night because I was in shock, but I do remember thinking it was a monumental fuckup."

His profanity lapsed a lot of people around him into silence but Ben was staring at Dana, knowing she probably wouldn't print that word but she could allude to it. "An experience like that should never have happened. That was the night a wishful fantasy cemented into a goal for me. It was the night I was determined to try and make a change. I'm tired of powerful supernaturals doing what they want with no consequences. I'm tired of being ignored or dismissed as inconsequential because I can't force my will upon others. Leaders should be answerable to the people they lead. If they're not, then it's not a true democracy. Why should humans have it and we don't? We deserve it!"

His speech grew more impassioned when there were murmurs of approval at certain points. As Ben started talking to the small crowd in the tent more than Dana, he lost his reserve and spoke from his heart. He'd been worried about this initially, concerned that speaking off the cuff would lead to statements being made without thought and consideration. At this point he'd decided 'so what', because he could sense that the people here in the tent with him were swayed by his words.

After they cheered and broke into applause, he wondered how many of them lived in Central and could vote.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr was never far away. When he heard his name from Ben's lips, he moved directly into his sphere, the accompanying vulnerability he was sensing from his fledgeling calling to him moreso than just his name being said.

He'd been gravitating around his beloved all session, finding himself occasionally drawn into conversations regarding the Oligarchy or people wanting to know how he'd come back from the dead (one woman had been genuinely surprised to find out actual resurrection wasn't involved, much to his chagrin). His gaze rarely left Ben, though, shifting compulsively off anyone Kerr was speaking to, scanning the crowd around Ben instead. Every now and then he'd float past, touching Ben's shoulder or running a hand down his arm or across his back, meeting his gaze with an encouraging smile while moving onward.

Curiously, he'd noticed that Ben got more notice whenever he got close to him. He tested the theory repeatedly, amused by the way attention snapped more acutely Ben's way just because Kerr got close to him - until he put a little more thought into it, anyway.

Kerr eventually concluded that it was the general public sensing Ben's potential for weakness, which he didn't like. Oh, it could have simply been voyeuristic curiosity but Kerr suspected a darker side to it; the desire to see Ben exposed, to a degree, to see him as a person. Nothing humanised someone more than their partner getting close, instigating personal interactions - whether they be in the form of looks, a touch or merely a more genuine smile. Kerr getting close allowed them a forbidden glimpse of Ben's private life in amongst his public, fuelling their interest. A double-edged blade, indeed.

It didn't deter Kerr from materialising on Ben's left when he sensed his fortifying presence would comfort Ben, though. He arrived in time to hear the entirety of Ben's rousing call to arms and grinned proudly as he watched his love's face light up with sincerity. When his rally quieted, Kerr turned to look at the woman Ben had been talking to, smiling at her as well. "There really is strength in unity," he asserted, politely echoing the applause as he glanced back to Ben then scanned the crowd again.

[Ehcorn]

Ben’s answer had been quote-worthy alright. He’d crammed it so chock full of soundbites she’d have to spend the next day analyzing them to figure out which ones to use. She’d even gotten one from Ben’s partner, the ex-Luminary. There were certainly worse problems for a journalist to have — like missing a prime opportunity to pursue another point of interest due to time constraints. She regretted not taking Ben up on his offer to hold the interview after his meet and greet, but there weren't any other reporters rushing to take her spot.

A few more questions wouldn't hurt, would it?

When the applause abated, Dana cleared her throat to speak, “I have something I wanted to show you." She dug into her messenger satchel and withdrew a glossy magazine with Jake McCloud on the front. One of the last presidential campaigns Dana had covered used the same style of portrait for their candidate; it featured red, white, and blue and a boldly written word meant to inspire. Progress, in this case, was being advertised. 

"This came out recently," she said, proffering the magazine to Ben. On it, he might detect an earthy scent like dried hay, and beneath that, oak and vanilla: tobacco and whiskey, respectively. "Mr. McCloud mentions several times in his interview that you plan to run things no differently than the Oligarchy. That you want to be the new Luminary." She glanced at Kerr, then turned her full attention back to Ben. "What's your response?"

[Trillian]

Ben's gaze dropped down to the magazine. For a short moment he didn't react as the question was asked of him but when Dana asked how he responded, Ben reached out and took the magazine from her hands and rolled it up before handing it to one of the people hovering nearby. He recognised her from seeing her in the corridors at the Luminary - she was one of the staff members Kerr had hired. He didn't tell her what to do with it. She just took it and scurried away. Hopefully, Dana hadn't wanted to keep it.

"Not quite the same, but since he's started calling names, if I'm a Luminary then he's a Despot." Ben smirked. Nothing made him happier than a dig at Jake.

[Ehcorn]

Dana made a muted sound of protest as she held her hand out in an attempt to stop the woman who had her magazine, but she kept walking. The woman disappeared and so did the five dollars it'd cost to buy the latest edition of the Dark Times. That'd teach her not to hand Ben anything she planned on using in the future. Now she'd have to find another one in order to cite it. Damn him. She wasn't a CEO for some fangbanger app, nor did she have millions of dollars to toss around willy nilly. Replacing that magazine was going to cost her gas in her tank.

But Ben was talking. She needed to give him her attention. Polite attention. Dana replaced her frown with a smile and made sure her recorder was in the vicinity of Ben's mouth.

"In the article," she continued once the vampire had finished with his retort, "he also mentions that he believes Chinatown should be independent and that Lan Bao should represent it as District Leader. That's not something we've heard from you. What's your opinion on Chinatown? Should it remain a part of the Central District?"

[Trillian]

Ben had known for a while that Jake was after assigning Chinatown as its own District. He'd never promised that to Lan Bao when he'd spoken with her and she'd struck him as a proud person. He thought he might offer her a different way to perceive Jake's offer to her. A more insulting way.

"Of course Chinatown should remain a part of Central District. I believe in representation, not segregation. I have spoken with a representative of the Kuei Jin within Chinatown and committed myself to a seat at the Table of Advisors for their people. My offer was accepted."

He had a feeling Jake's offer was accepted too. Lan Bao was canny.

[Ehcorn]

Despite all her hours of research, Dana had never been able to find out much about Chinatown, the Kuei Jin that inhabited it, or Lan Bao herself. All she'd discovered was that the vampires living there were different in a way that made other vampires nervous. Something to do with being able to turn into dragons? Or breathe fire? Fly? Regardless, she had never been keen on spending any more time there than she had to. Especially after dark.

Talk of Chinatown sovereignty had forced her to contact some of the residents for their opinions, but she never went in person. Even though many insisted she’d be welcome there, she’d conducted all their interviews over email or on the phone. So far, she hadn't gotten much out of them. Would that change once they heard Ben's less-than-flattering take on the situation? That Jake wanted to keep them isolated from everyone?

She tapped her thumb on the power button of her recorder, considering what question she’d follow up with, when something whipped painfully against the backs of her legs.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there... still giving your interview,” said an orange-winged imp with a spade-tipped tail coiled behind him. His sing-songy tone, the mischievous glint in his eyes, and the press badge hanging from his neck said otherwise.

“I’m almost finished,” she said, fighting the urge to lean down and rub her stinging calves.

“How wonderful. I worried there wouldn’t be any questions left for me to ask.”

Dana rolled her eyes. The imp smirked.

“Right,” she said to Ben. “Looks like I need to wrap things up. Do you have anything to add before I go?”

[Trillian]

Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin metal box. He flicked it open and took out a business card. When he handed it to her, she would see it had a lovely linen finish with just his name typed on it in small caps and his mobile and email underneath.

"Thanks so much for your questions, it was a pleasure. That's my direct number if you want to chase me up for a lengthier or follow-up interview. I'd also love to know when the issue is out."

He flicked the card case shut and repocketed it, feeling slick. He was immensely pleased the interview with Dana had gone so well, considering how nervous he'd felt at the start of it because of the tape recorder. She hadn't put him off with his answers by visibly reacting and he liked that about her. While he had no idea what kind of spin or angle she was going to give this interview, at the moment he felt positive about it.

[Seragil]

He slid the phone back into the pocket of his black skinny jeans and looked around, people were starting to gawk but whether it was his wings stretching above and around him, or his three companions, two of which were a male and female with snake eyes and serpents for hair or the leather clad woman with raven feathers woven into her long tresses, that drew their attention was uncertain.

He wasn’t interested in the gawkers and so totally ignored them, instead he focused on the large tent before him, its sides opened wide in invitation. He had dressed for fun tonight and so was clad in black skinny jeans (Saint Laurent) and a rare vintage 1994 Pink Floyd-The Wall, T-shirt and a pair of comfortable black designer shoes. His hair as always fell in glossy waves around his shoulders.

He could see Ben in the tent talking to a woman as he approached, a crowd forming around them both, listening to their conversation. Butterflies took flight in his stomach and his heartbeat picked up speed at the sight of him, the reaction causing him to silently curse at himself. This was foolish, stupid even. What the fuck was he doing here? He closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to get himself under control.
“So are we saying hello or are we just going to stand here all night and be stared at?” The question had him opening his eyes in an instant and turning his face towards his copper skinned, snake haired companion with a raised eyebrow.

“You said we were here to network and to meet people. Let’s meet people already.” Her words were brusque, but a smile played across her lips and one of her snakes stretched out and rubbed his cheek, caressing him but there was a touch of impatience in her serpent kissed eyes as well. The gorgons had stayed out of site since their arrival, Phedre had kept herself busy running Club Zero and her brother Phoenix had stayed by her side, mingling and getting to know their business partners, the wolf pack of the north, but they were sick of hiding in the shadows and so he had promised them a fun night out and a chance to meet some interesting people.

“Patience is a virtue you know” he said in response as he entwined his arm with hers and Shae NicFahgaen's, the clan leader of the Morrigu bird shifters.

“Yeah well I’m hungry and bored. Can we hurry up the chit chat? I really want to kick your ass at Bumper cars” Shae said as she tugged and smoothed down her clothing with her other hand. She was dressed in leather pants, t- shirt and a open black leather jacket, reminiscent of the Sandy gone Bad look from Grease.

They all looked like trouble making riff raffs from the wrong side of the tracks. It hadn’t been planned, they had simply gone for casual comfort. Tonight was about fun and pleasure, not politics, well, not much politics anyway.

Saraekiel rolled his eyes and smiled as he led his entourage towards Ben and the crowd of people that were falling silent around him and turning their attention to them.

[Trillian]

After she took his card he watched her shift away, melting into the crowd with a beady eye for something-or-other. He wondered what she was looking for.

Ben shook a few more hands but there was a lull as people moved out of the tent, as though the 'show' of his interview was over. As people moved away Ben looked at and threw a smile at Kerr, who was fishing out the magazine Ben had taken from the werewolf reporter and was giving it back to her. His partner didn't notice the grin, invested in giving Dana back her magazine, so Ben turned towards the entrance of the tent and saw him.

Him.

He'd thought he was angry at Saraekiel for leaving the mark on him. His temper flared every time he looked at it. He resented how it made Kerr avoid that area of his chest. He'd thought he was over the dark angel, that the lust would be muted by the fact he'd consummated his attraction, thereby removing the mystery of it. He'd thought that Saraekiel would no longer hold his attention the way he once had.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Immediately his mind threw the memory of their intimacy his way, making his skin tingle and his groin throb. Ben stood up straighter and shifted his weight, hiding that immediate sexual plunge from his brain to his dick. Still thinking with that part of him, if his physical reaction was anything to go by. His light smile grew wider immediately and he felt happier and bouyant at the sight of him because he'd come to the carnival... and he'd come to Ben's tent.

Hyperaware of Kerr at his back, Ben stepped forward to meet Saraekiel, extending a hand to shake. If it was going to be lifted to lips, he would pull it away because they were in public. He was mildly disturbed at his own reaction to Saraekiel. There was none of the indignation he'd expected to feel upon seeing him again, because of the mark. It was their secret. Almost.

"District Leader Saraekiel," Ben said smoothly, his unwavering gaze fixed on Saraekiel's eyes. "So glad you could make it."

Ben was barely aware there were others standing at Saraekiel's side.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr noticed Saraekiel's arrival because of Ben's reaction to him. Too late, he shut himself off from his fledge and stiffened, turning away from Dana to stare at the spectacle the dark angel and his entourage presented. Gorgons?

He watched them with an impassive expression on his face, any conversation he'd been having with the werewolf reporter fading into silence. He knew his countenance was blank because he'd practised it in a mirror, determined to give nothing of his true feelings away and ruin Ben's night.

Fear and hatred gnawed at him like termites at wood. He wondered if he should sit down.

[Ehcorn]

The moment Saraekiel and his groupies walked into the tent, there was a change in the atmosphere — a tingling electric charge that settled heavily in the air like it would’ve just before a storm. Goose-pimples rose on her arms and she shuddered before she could stop herself, causing her to tighten her mouth into a thin line and clench her jaws. Her expression remained much the same as she watched Ben approach the dark angel, all grins and ready to clasp their hands together.

Did he have any fucking clue who he was dealing with? Forget the optics of living in the Luminary with his partner alongside the Ward. What about the optics of being chummy with a man that subjugated an entire species under the guise of freedom? Ben had to know better. He had to know he’d be damned by association.

She sighed out hard through her nose when she realized she’d lost her composure and replaced her expression with a more neutral one. At least, she tried. It was next to impossible to chase the hardness from her gaze as she scanned the room, finally looking once more upon the man who’d flagged her down before she left with the magazine she’d thought she’d lost. Kerr had been animated and friendly with her before the dark angel had arrived. Now he was frozen, his façade even more carefully controlled than hers was.

Interesting.

She sidled up next to him and shifted the strap of her messenger satchel, redistributing its weight to relieve the pain in her shoulder and back from carrying too much shit around.

“He seems happy to see him,” she observed quietly, voice barely above a whisper; it didn’t need to be any louder for a vampire standing two feet away to hear.

[Seragil]

He hadn’t been aware of how tense and nervous he was until Ben smiled at him, nor had he realized how much he had been yearning to see it, and him, until he looked into those mercurial blue eyes once more.

He had thought, no, hoped, his fascination for the vampire had ended the morning Ben had left his office. The rapid beating of his heart and the quickening of his body said that it was well and truly otherwise. What was that feeling anyway? Joy? Happiness? Ridiculous. Such things came with the sight of one’s enemies laying broken and defeated at your feet or when your ultimate plans and true goals come to fruition. It was not found in a smile or the light in another’s eyes. That shit was for fairy tales and horny human teenagers.

He squished what he was feeling into a tight ball as he approached Ben, his outward demeanor showing nothing but strength and confidence. His answering smile and smoldering eyes told a different tale however as he shook Ben’s offered hand, his clasp lingering, and slightly longer then social norms dictated it needed it to be before he released it.

“It’s just Saraekiel tonight Mr Samson, I left the District Leader at home.” He indicated his companions behind him with a slight nod of his head before leaning in towards Ben’s ear in a conspiratory manner, amusement alight in his eyes. “Apparently he’s boring”

He took a slight step back and flicked his gaze around the tent, assessing everything before refocusing his eyes on Ben. “You’re running an amazing campaign by the way.”

[Trillian]

Ben watched Saraekiel with eyes far hungrier than he realised, a smile much more seductive than he wanted. When Saraekiel looked around, Ben remembered himself and looked downward at his shoes before lifting his gaze, not quite alighting on the dark angel whose wings begged to be admired and touched. Ben's hand was still tingling where he'd been held by Saraekiel's within the shake and his fingers wanted to run through those dark feathers again, to remember their strange texture.

Instead he looked out at the plastic chairs and the few people sitting on them for a rest and chatting with one another. He looked at the half dozen people gathered around who'd turned to stare at him and Saraekiel with obvious interest.

"Thank you, Saraekiel. I look forward to working together once I'm elected," he said. His words inspired a couple of people to say 'oooh' at his arrogant phrasing. Yes, it came off as cocky, but Ben couldn't think of how to humblebrag such a thing and he would want a confident leader over one that was meek and couldn't hold their own.

He was trying not to look at Saraekiel, keeping him only in the corner of his eye, but he could feel the dark angel's gaze on him and so, in spite of himself, he looked back and something took flight in his stomach again.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr turned to look at Dana warily, his head swivelling with such excruciating care he could imagine it creaking. He scanned her face, his heart plummeting and the fear cramping his gut. She'd noticed Ben and Saraekiel's attraction for each other. Kerr's gaze lifted from her and scanned the tent. All eyes were on Ben and Saraekiel and it was clear that Dana wasn't the only one with suspicions.

Oh, Ben. What the fuck have you done?

A wave of sadness washed through him, the pain that followed sharp and deadly. The general public wasn't privy to their relationship decisions, which was fine - preferable, even. Except for now. Now, they could all see Ben drooling over a filthy motherfucking district leader like a bitch in heat with Kerr standing idly nearby. Ben looked like a fickle

slut

player. Saraekiel looked like an arrogant rock star. Kerr looked like a pathetic, cuck-olded fool. None of them looked like they could keep their fucking house in order. If Dana published anything about this, she'd turn the public against him, could turn the tide of public approval and completely undermine any momentum they'd gained with the carnival.

Jesus motherfucking fuck. Ben was on the way to being his own downfall. Kerr's mind raced and panic shifted behind his eyes as he tried to figure out what to say to her. What could he say? WHAT COULD HE SAY? SHITFUCKSHITSHITFUCK!

"Potential colleagues," he murmured, forcing a smile as he shrugged stiffly. His gaze was fixed on her, flicking between her eyes and mouth, watching for any sort of facial tic that would give away her feelings about what he'd said. He couldn't bring himself to claim they were friends. What they were was horrifying enough. The mark flashed through his mind's eye but it stabbed him much lower.

[Seragil]

He had to admire the arrogance and bravado of Ben’s statement and going by Ben’s continuously growing popularity with the people, he had every right to be so. Jake certainly didn’t seem to be making many friends amongst the people at any rate.

“It is something we can all look forward to, I think. I mean, everyone working together in unity is not a goal to be sneered at,”

That was as much neutral political fluff as he could manage, especially when Ben was looking at him like he was. He so wanted to reach out and caress that delicately sculptured face, to feel his skin beneath his fingertips. To stop himself giving into his desire he placed his hands by his side and hooked his thumbs into his jeans pockets to keep them there, his wings ruffling slightly behind him with the movement.

The strength of his fascination and attraction to Ben was unnerving, this…pull towards another soul was beyond his current experience. In all the time since he had performed the ritual to become what he was today, he had never felt such a thing for another person or creature, not even for Shae who was the only living person who knew him before he gained his black wings.

A part of him was telling him to turn around and leave and to never look back. Benjamen Samson was a threat and a danger but that notion was quickly smothered by something larger and was fueled by those unearthly blue eyes looking at him

It was Shae’s soft cough and impatient shuffling of her booted feet that reminded him that he was here for other reasons. He rolled his eyes slight as he smiled at Ben and turned his body slightly, his wings fading from view as he presented his companions.

“My friends are getting impatient and I been promising to introduce them to other people of note outside of the North. Naturally I thought of yourself and Mr Galvin. This is Shae NicFahgaen, Clan Leader of the Morrigu bird shifters.” He said indicating the leather clad woman with raven feathers woven into her hair. “And Phaedra and Phoenix Nicolaides, recently arrived from Greece, youngest children of Cassandra, Queen of the Cyclades Gorgons”

[Ehcorn]

Dana had interviewed countless vampires — fledglings to ancients — but she still struggled sometimes to determine if they were being vampire weird or regular weird. When a person didn’t have to breathe, blink, or otherwise behave as a human would, the usual tells were hard to find. But Kerr? Something about him, particularly around the eyes, was still very much human.

He watched her just as carefully as she watched him. It felt similar to a standoff she’d had in her camper van with one of those little jumping spiders that had more eyes than it had any right to. It’d stared at her, she’d stared at it, and they’d waited for someone to make the first move.

“Hm,” she said, a single eyebrow lifting marginally. She would’ve waited longer and given Kerr a chance to crack and say more, but the display at the center of the tent warranted her attention.

All the smiles and looks that passed between Ben and Saraekiel hinted at a more complicated story. Their meeting and proclamations about working together and unity had to be for the public’s benefit and to Dana, that reeked of backroom conversations and agreements. Colleagues were one thing. Alliances were another. Which was it?

Without looking down, she dug into her satchel and felt for her spiral notebook and pencil. A supposed first meeting was taking place, and she wanted their names. It was too bad she had no idea how to spell most of them. With her lips pooched out in concentration, she scrawled out her best guesses and a few keywords to search for later. Shae, bird shifters, Phaedra, Phoenix, Cassandra, and Queen Gorgon she underlined, then slowly lowered her pencil to stare at the two beings with writhing hair like… snakes. Oh God, those were real. Those were really real. They had snakes on their heads and Saraekiel had said they were a gorgon queen's children.

Wait.

Medusa was a gorgon, wasn’t she? Hadn't she turned a bunch of poor fuckers into stone just because she looked at them?

Dana’s gaze snapped to Kerr. “Are they potential colleagues, too?” she hissed, jerking her head their direction so she didn’t have to look at them again.

[Trillian]

Before Ben made his introductions, he glanced back at Kerr and extended an arm, holding out his hand for Kerr to join him. There was a terrible moment when he thought Kerr wouldn't come over, where the few people in the tent noticed Ben's outstretched hand and went quiet within the delay of Kerr moving to take it.

"This is Kerr Galvin, my partner in life, blood and everything," Ben said, linking fingers with Kerr. He pointedly didn't make eye contact again with Saraekiel, though his hyperawareness had now shifted to the dark angel and he felt like he might wither under that gaze. He concentrated on the people he'd only just been introduced to.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms NicFahgaen," he said politely, his mind turning over the words 'Morrigu bird shifters' because he'd never heard of them before.

When his gaze shifted to the pair, at the back of his mind Ben knew most people would be alarmed at the whole 'gorgon' thing but he smiled pleasantly and his gaze travelled upward to the nest of snakes writhing in their hair. For a second he watched them move with unapologetic interest before he made eye contact with the gorgons next (feeling safe because turning people into stone was either a myth like vampires not seeing their reflections in mirrors or at the very least they would have to 'switch on' that power) and offered his hand for the shaking with each of them. He was the poster-boy of acceptance and tolerance after all. The researcher in him wanted to ply them with questions, to satisfy his fascination, but the most he could do was say hello and hint that he would like to know more.

"Welcome to the States, Ms Nicolaides and Mr Nicolaides," he said, repeating the order Saraekiel had used and thinking maybe that meant Phaedra was first-born. "It's an honour to meet you. I have to admit I've not met gorgons before. Are there more appropriate titles I should be calling you all by?" He looked from each of the women to the Gorgon man, unable to hide his amazement. His words were spoken formally, diplomatically, but the look he gave them was guileless.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr's gaze had been drawn back to Saraekiel when he spoke next, sweeping the crowd compulsively as it went. Oddly, everyone wasn't staring at him and Ben nearly as much as they had been - the dark angel's companions were now the focus. Of the crowd, anyway. He looked back at Dana when she queried the shifter and gorgons being potential colleagues and her expression gave Kerr pause.

He couldn't tell if she was angry about the colleagues part or cynical about the gorgons and the shifter roaming freely amongst the public. It was a bold move with the potential for chaos, though - exactly what Saraekiel was all about. Kerr wasn't surprised but he was intrigued by Dana's reaction, sensing her anxiety could work in his favour, potentially. He wasn't sure how, exactly, it was an instinct more than anything.

"Not as far as I'm aware," he smiled more genuinely, following the tip of her head in the strange coterie's direction once more with his gaze. That was when he noticed Ben's outstretched hand. There was a microsecond of hesitation - during which his gaze flicked to Saraekiel and everything in him balked at getting closer to that - but then he reacted. "Excuse me," he told Dana apologetically, reaching out a hand to touch beneath her arm before he followed his instincts and linked his hand with Ben's, a mildly interested expression on his face that broadened into a proper smile when he was introduced as Ben's partner in everything and then settled back to impassive watching.

Funny, he was close to Saraekiel again and hating that Ben was, too, but it was much easier to bear when Ben was hanging onto him and acknowledging his role in his life. He relaxed his grip slightly as he listened to Ben talk, his tension blocked from their blood bond but obvious in his hold. Guilt mingled in with all of the other emotions pouring through him as he listened.

[Seragil]

Phoenix rattled and fidgeted with the car keys in his left pocket as he entered the tent. There weren’t as many people inside as he had feared, but there was enough. He felt their eyes on him and although he kept a calm façade his snakes writhed and hissed around him in agitation. He hadn’t wanted to out himself like this, to become a mass public spectacle, but his sister had put her foot down, and she was right. It’s not like he kept what he was under wraps at the club and word would have been spreading around town about their existence in the city, but still, walking around the carnival and then coming to meet these people like this made him feel like an exotic zoo animal on parade for the entertainment of the masses.

He flicked his gaze over the blond vampire Saraekiel started talking to, he was cute, a little too pretty and youthful looking for his taste but cute nonetheless and you could cut diamonds on his cheekbones. So, this was Benjamen Samson, the club was abuzz about him and this election, the demons were certainly rooting for him, apparently, they hated the other guy. He smiled wry as he studied the election favourite some more, hated might be too nice a word, the demons despised the other guy.

As the people around them started to focus on what they were saying and less on him and his sister he felt himself relax and he started studying those around him. As his sister and his name was mentioned he noticed a woman scribbling madly on a notepad. He was about to lean in and ask Shae if she knew who she was when the man next to her stood up and joined Benjamin Samson.

Kerr Galvin…the name tickled his memory; he had heard it before he was sure. He would ask Shae later; her birds were everywhere supposedly.

Shae ignored Ben’s and Saraekiel’s chitchat and studied those around them, plebs for the most part. Ben was doing a good job with them, entertain and feed them and they would worship the ground you walked on. His proposed political reforms were also interesting, they certainly had a lot of people sticking their heads up and paying attention at any rate. She flicked her eyes towards Saraekiel and wondered if he would support or oppose them if Benjamin managed to steal Jake’s crown. For a Dark Angel he wasn’t too bad, he was honest to those within his circle, his loyalty was true and steadfast; once earned, and he protected and defended those he cared about, though it also couldn’t be denied that the people he chose to take under his wings were always of a benefit to him and tended to add to his power pool, herself included, but under all his darkness there was still a kernel of light and she found herself wondering and not for the first time, will all this District Leader stuff kill it, or feed it?

She was tired of standing around and so rolled her shoulders and neck impatiently. Saraekiel was taking too long; she was hungry and getting bored. The smell of freshly cooked popcorn was wafting into the tent, carried by the gentle yet cool night breeze, causing her stomach to grumble softly with its desire to consume copious amounts of it. Saraekiel was waffling on so she coughed into her hand and shuffled her booted feet loudly enough to gain his attention and to tell him to hurry things up, she wanted to go play on the bumper cars already.

At Ben's call for his partner however she turned her attention in the direction Kerr was sitting in and noticed the woman and her note pad. A reporter? And not one she recognized or knew. She narrowed her eyes slightly, memorizing her face before returning her attention to the vampires before her.

At Ben's greeting she smiled and offered him her hand, but for a kiss rather then a shake and a playful wink to go with it. “No Mr Samson, the pleasure I assure you is all mine." She said in response to his greeting. " I must say, you certainly know how to get the city talking.”  When he turned his attention to the gorgon's she turned towards Kerr

“Mr Galvin.” She said as she stepped towards him after being introduced, her hand extended for a handshake, a warm and genuine smile curving the corner of her lips upwards. “It is an honour to finally meet you and to have you back with us. The city missed you during your absence” She gently wrapped her other hand around their combined ones so that she was holding his hand within both of hers and took another closer towards him. “I was impressed with what you were beginning to achieve with the Oligarchy” she said softly, “It would have been interesting to see what you might have turned it into.” She offered a regretful smile and a small shrug of her shoulders before releasing his hand.

Saraekiel had heard her words to Kerr and it took all he had not to roll his eyes. It was one of the...many...things he and Shae disagreed on. Kerr may have tried to change things but his time there was too short to achieve or change anything. his predecessors had used the Luminary and the Oligarchs to rule the different supernatural groups in the city with an iron fist and to suppress, torture and kill anyone who disagreed with them, defied them or tried to stand up to them. Fuck the Oligarchy, it was nothing but a set up and tool for tyrants.

As Shae turned her attention to Ben he smiled warmly at Kerr and offered him his hand to shake. " A pleasure to see you again Mr Galvin, as always." he narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked the vampire over. "You've cut your hair since last we spoke. It looks good on you. Very now." he was going to say more but he noticed Phaedre was stepping forward to meet the ex luminary and Ben and so made to step aside. "We should get together again sometime soon and have a chat." He said with another smile before moving aside before Phaedre shoved him out of the way.

Phaedre  ignored the stares, originally she was going to take it in her stride and turn it to her advantage. her brother thought they should keep their nature to themselves, but she planned to live here, stay here, make her nest her and expand their clan. She would be the first American gorgon Queen and she didn't want anyone to be able to accuse them of being dishonest for hiding their nature. let them see them and know them for what they were. Descendants of Gods.

However, her attention was now focused on the amulet dangling off the necklace around her neck, it had started thrumming against her chest as soon as they had entered the tent and had turned green the closer they got to Ben, but the pupil of the eye looked towards the side of the room where a few people were sitting instead of on the vampire Saraekiel had brought them to meet. When Kerr had stood up to come and join them, the eye moved with him.

She put the eye's interest in Kerr aside as she stepped towards Ben and offered him her hand, dismissing her snakes and returning her hair to their chocolate and copper kissed curls and her eyes to their human state and colour.

“A pleasure to meet you Mr Samson and you are kind to ask, but no, my brother and I don't hold any special title. We may have been born the status of being royal but the only people amongst our kind who have titles are the Queen and her eldest daughter the Heir .” She smiled with good humour as she indicated her brother and herself. " It prevents the rest of the royal brood from becoming uppity."

[Trillian]

Ben smiled, shaking or kissing hands depending on how they were thrust out at him. The attention of the group had shifted to Kerr and Ben felt increasingly uncomfortable standing there. Saraekiel's presence felt like a force and he was trapped between the dark angel and Kerr, meeting Saraekiel's network of friends and starting to understand how he'd taken the north if he had powerful friends like these.

As the conversation continued around him, he looked at Kerr as much as possible but after a while, with Kerr's focus fixed on the gorgons he sidled his gaze to the dark angel. When their eyes met Ben smirked and lowered his gaze hurriedly.

He really needed to get out of here.

[Existentially Odd]

The conversation ebbed and flowed around him and Kerr was happy to let it, doing his best to look interested and try to relax.  He wasn't sure how to quell the flighty, sick feeling being

caught between

near Ben and Saraekiel caused, so it churned endlessly in his gut, his mind forcibly suppressing images of the two of them fucking only adding to his turmoil.

He was distracted sharply when his free hand was taken and ensconced by Shae and she spoke so kindly him. He blinked. He didn't know her from a bar of soap but her words struck him as genuine. "Thank you. I appreciate your candour," he murmured, nodding his head towards her and managing a smile. He released her hand in something of a daze, stunned to have received positive feedback from someone associated with the dark angel.

And then Saraekiel approached him. With his hand out. Kerr stared at it.

What might have constituted five seconds of hesitation to those looking on felt like an eternity to Kerr. He didn't want to touch him. The mark on Ben's chest flashed to mind and everything in him balked. It was only sex, Ben had told him so, but he knew the desire was still present, for both of them. And Saraekiel was corruption personified, which terrified him. The potential for Ben to be drawn in with sex but swept away by a darkness that they both knew was already inside him was overwhelming. Paralysing.

But they were being watched. Whether it was true or not, Kerr felt like every gaze in the tent was turned in their direction - particularly Dana's. She'd already astutely noticed something between the Central candidate and the North's District Leader and tried to sidle information out of Kerr. If he made a scene by not shaking Saraekiel's hand, it would also be noted. He couldn't do that to Ben.  God, he loved him. He couldn't sabotage him.

With a brief closing of his eyes (and an involuntary tightening of his hold on Ben's hand with his other), Kerr reached out and took Saraekiel's hand. It was incredibly warm and the tiny part of his mind that was entirely panicked by the situation insisted that the dark angel's flesh was hot enough to sear him. He squeezed his hand and moved it awkwardly up then down before he pulled away, being sure not to wipe his own hand on his suit. His palm was still tingling.

Kerr lifted his gaze to Saraekiel's eyes and frowned in confusion as he talked about Kerr changing his hair in the past few weeks. Odd. He shook his head wordlessly, frowning at the dark angel. His hair wasn't long enough to alter and certainly hadn't grown. It was evidence that Saraekiel had ignored him to the point that he'd barely noticed him - not even enough to take in basic details about his appearance. Fuck you, he thought to himself. "Uh, should we?" was what he said.

Thankfully, Saraekiel slithered away and the gorgons took centre stage. Kerr watched them, still finding it taxing to maintain his composure but clinging to Ben as his lifeline. At least the gorgons offered an intriguing distraction. He knew very little about them - beyond the general mythology, nothing - and wondered whether the Oligarchy's library would have more information. The way Phaedre's necklace turned towards him was unnerving but he supposed it was something to do with the dimensional access he carried inside his chest. It was the only special thing about him - beyond his partner, anyway.

[Seragil]

Saraekiuel was bemused by Kerr’s reaction to him, it was, intriguing. His brows furrowed slightly as he tried to think on how he might has insulted him or what he might have done to get him so offside and all he could come up with was Ben. Which was unlikely surely? They had been discreet with their tryst and neither Ben or he had been actively chasing each other. Maybe it was because of the sex? Which would be interesting considering Ben just announced to everyone present that Kerr was his everything. Unless of course Kerr was expecting complete and utter monogamy from his partner and himself. Surely not though, unless Kerr was an idealist and not a pragmatist, in which case, how very quaint for him.

As Kerr shook his hand however he let the whole thing go, it wasn’t worth dwelling on. Whatever Kerr's problem was, it was his problem.

As the introductions and conversations started to die off, he decided it was a good time to leave. This was Ben’s night and no doubt there were many others who wanted his attention.

“Well, it has been a pleasure seeing you again Mr Samson, Mr Galvin” He said with a smile that was as tiny as Ben’s and it was all for him as he offered his hand in a farewell shake. “If you need anything you know where to find me” He didn’t want things to become awkward or overly drawn out so he let go Ben’s hand and stepped away “And I wish you luck with your campaign, although I seriously doubt you need it.” He said before turning away and heading for the exit, the others; after saying their various farewells and thanking Ben for his time, followed him as they wished. He had no doubt Ben would win the campaign, he was too fresh, too new and already had a favourable history and rapport with the community because of the supe university and his various other good deeds.

Oh fuck the Jewish Carpenter! Was it Ben’s light he was attracted to? The very thought and the horror therein had him almost stumbling in his steps.

Phaedre smiled and shook Ben and Kerr's hands as she thanked them and bade them farewell. However she hadn't forgotten her amulet's interest in Kerr and wondered who she could talk to to find out what skeletons they both might have in the closet.

Phoenix smiled and shook their hands. " Thank you for taking the time to meet us. I appreciate it, considering how busy you must be" He flicked his gaze to see how far Saraekiel and his sister had moved away before glancing back to the vampires. "Hopefully I will see you both around sometime. Good night." He smiled again before nodding his head and following after the others.

"Phoenix is such a sweety" Shae said almost conspiratorially towards Ben and Kerr. " and I too must add my farewells. After all I have popcorn to murder and a Dark Angels ass to kick in dodgem cars. So until next time. And good luck with the campaign Mr Samson, your competitor is a total dick by the way." She finished with a saucy wink and smile before trotting off after the rest of the northern riff raff.

[Trillian]

Ben's smile broadened when Saraekiel told him he didn't need luck on his campaign even though he was wished it. He turned next to the gorgons, nodding to Phoenix's words as he shook hands again, laughing softly at Shae's declaration about Jake even as his gaze darted around to see who'd overheard. Thankfully Dana was quite a way away, except he knew she was a werewolf and it was possible she could hear a little better because of it. He wasn't sure because all of the books he'd read about enhanced senses in human form were hypothetical because no werewolf had subjected themselves to testing.

The quick entrance and exit of Saraekiel and his powerful friends enhanced Ben's sensation of being caught in the whirlwind of a public appearance. It would only be later - and with Kerr's help - that he would be able to recall the titles of the three new faces he'd met.

When the tent began to empty and only a small group of people were left (and all speaking with each other about unrelated topics) Ben was overwhelmed and suddenly feeling like a fraud. He whirled to face Kerr and pressed a hand to his chest.

"How much longer for the meet and greet?" he asked, hoping that time had passed quickly rather than slowly. His earlier confidence was gone. Right now he felt out of place even though his body language was painting him as impatient.

[Existentially Odd]

Seeing an opportunity too good to ignore, Xiamara followed Saraekiel out of the tent like a shadow, intent on having a word with him while his compatriots lingered over their farewells.

(Interlude in Networking)

When she returned, she was pleased to note that nothing untoward had occurred in her absence.

~*~

Kerr's lips compressed ever so slightly as Saraekiel told Ben he knew where to find him but at least he complimented Ben's campaign before he swanned away. The gorgons helped him force thoughts of Ben and the dark angel fucking out of his head with their farewells; the austere, mysterious female with the eye amulet and the more docile male with his pretty face, both of them adorned with delicious, itch-to-comb-your-fingers-through-them curls and the kind of skin Kerr wanted to taste. His smile was genuine when Phoenix shook his hand a second time, Kerr's curiosity well and truly piqued by the siblings.

"Hopefully," he enthused at the gorgon, his gaze drifting after him as he left before Shae captured his attention again. He laughed and nodded when she declared Phoenix a sweetie, listening to the rest of her commentary with raised eyebrows. It became a genuine laugh when she called Jake a dick, though he was aware of Ben's furtive glances beside him also. Well, in this, Ben had to be diplomatic but Kerr could be afforded a little leeway, he felt. If he laughed at the slander and it got back to Jake, he'd be able to smooth it over. He hoped, anyway. After Lisa-Joe's visit... he pushed that aside to think about later. It was still too soon.

Kerr stuck close to Ben in the wake of Saraekiel's visit. Mostly because it soothed him but also because it kept him away from Dana. He was wary of her insightfulness, concerned about what she might ask him if he found himself alone with her again. She was the kind of straight-talking-yet-question-bending person he knew he'd be vulnerable to - when she asked him questions about things he had strong feelings about, anyway. He liked her but he feared her, too. Self-preservation kept him orbiting Ben and doing his best to circle away from her as much as possible.

When Ben asked him how long this session had to go, Kerr smiled at him, covering the hand on his chest with one of his while the other sought his pocket watch to check the time. "Two minutes," Kerr smiled, clicking the watch closed and re-pocketing it. "I think we can safely say you survived it," he murmured, plucking the hand off his chest and turning it into a gentle hold as he stepped forward to kiss Ben's forehead. "Now you get a three hour break before you do it all again - for twice as long," he grinned, laughing at Ben's expression and moving to hug him.

~*~

Aware of the time elapsing, Owen had returned to the tent to see if anything needed doing. He'd been hanging out with Vincent in the KGA tent more than doing anything too challenging, anyway.

The captain eyed him as he walked back into the tent, looking around. "Impeccable timing," she observed with a smirk.

Owen grinned proudly and gave a jaunty bow. "Why thank you."

She shook her head at his cockiness. "Start closing up those walls again, would you? That should give these stragglers the hint."

"Aye, Captain," he agreed with a brisk salute, pleased when she narrowed her eyes at him - though he hurried towards the folded-back material of the marquee quite smartly, skirting around Ben and Kerr with his customary broad grin and a thumbs up at Ben.