My Little Ventrue Ch. 03

"Master Terry. Tell me child, what is your first name?"

"... J-Jack, your Excellency."

"Master Jack Terry. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." She gave him a small nod, and continued on her way.

When she moved, everyone stepped aside for her with lowered heads and roaming eyes. She was Jessica Rabbit with white hair and a black dress. Even just how she walked in those heels was mesmerizing, complete with a hip sway that demanded everyone's gaze. The dress left her back wholly exposed, and her height only served to emphasize the long, enticing curve of her spine down to the small of her back. Her lengthy attire, sliding along the clean floor behind her, was split at the hip and left one of her legs exposed, and Jack's eyes opened a little wider each time she took a step with her right leg to bare the long, milky, toned limb.

He would have been drooling if he could salivate. He didn't even look around, just at her. The rest of the ball had gone on about its business, and Antoinette was talking with Garry and Viktor up on the balcony. When feeling returned to his limbs, Jack turned to look to Julias, and his sire gave him a small shrug.

"She likes to know everyone's name."

"Everyone's? I... that... what." He took a moment to look around at the other paiges, and they too were watching after the Prince, as confused as he. "Why?"

"Because she's good at what she does." Julias walked up to Jack, and motioned for him to follow. "She and her Sheriff are the only Ordo Dracul we know of in the city, and yet she is Prince. Never underestimate her, Jack. She is cunning, intelligent, and dangerous." Soon, the two of them found a caterer, and like a couple of snobs, were drinking blood from expensive wine glasses.

"Indeed. The Prince is both a beautiful and deadly ally."

Jack and Julias turned at the sound of another. A woman, dressed in a conservative white dress of minimal frills. She was only as tall as Jack, and even thinner than he. Her features were soft, skin almost obsidian, and her long black hair was kept smooth to her back.

"Ah, Miss Pol. May I introduce Master Terry, my childe."

"Charmed." She gave a small curtsy, and Jack replied with a small bow. His insides weren't freaking out with fear, but were instead comparing itself against this new creature. She couldn't have been very old.

"Miss Pol is Mekhet, and recently ended her paige-hood and became a neonate with the Invictus. You met her sire at the reception of Xnomina. The Madam Jenning."

Gloria Jenning. She'd called him small, but maybe it was a flirtation? Miss Pol was certainly small.

"That is correct, Most Admirable Mister Mire. I am pleased to know my name is not forgotten. The Invictus grow large."

"You are most welcome. Master Terry and I were discussing the faces of those he does not yet know. It is his first time at the ball," Julias said.

"Then I am sure his mind must be reeling with the names and faces and customs." She stepped toward Jack, and he stood his ground. There was a glint of something in her eyes, awareness perhaps, or intrigue. "I bid you farewell, Master Terry."

And like that she was gone. Jack scratched at his buzzed hair, and looked back to Julias with confusion on his face.

"Um... what was that?"

"She was introducing herself. Now you know who she is, she knows who you are, she knows you know who she is, and who her sire is, and her current progression in the ranks, and she knows I remember her." Julias made some puppeteer motions with his hands. "All from thirty seconds of her time."

"... damn. This will take some getting used to."

"You have all the time in the world now." Julias gave him a pat on the back. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some more, less threatening people. Then we're out of here. I got a date."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~Beatrice~~

Was she nervous? When was the last time that happened?

Beatrice stood in front of her mirror in her home, far from her feeding den at the cemetery. It was an abandoned old apartment building, and other Carthians went there to sleep, deep in the Prince-sanctioned district of the Carthians, where they were safe. Likely safe, anyway. It was old, dusty, falling apart, and rats outnumbered them a thousand to one. The only thing they were safe from was Invictus invasion, not from the building falling on their heads.

But it was quiet. And some nice Mekhet had even stolen them power and, fucking hilariously, internet. There was a laptop next to her, complete with running music. She was a metal fan, naturally.

Nude in front of her mirror, and adjusting her hair in preparation for her date. Could she even call it a date? She'd saved the fucking Invictus's life, he owed her one, and this was what she was wasting that favor on. Well, fuck Garry, he'd said the Carthians needed to bide their time and wait, and she was going stir crazy. Julias would prove an interesting distraction.

Her crocodile smile emerged. Julias was interesting. Dude had full-on popped a boner underneath her. Now that had been unexpected. The great and mighty Julias, right hand of Viktor Honors, ladies man and walking sex in a suit, was turned on by her, monster chick in the cemetery. He'd said he hadn't been with a vampire in decades, so maybe he was sick of... well, vampires. Scheming, manipulating, selfish, conniving leeches, completely predictable and yet you could never tell what they were thinking or planning. She fucking hated that shit.

She adjusted the piercings in her nipples. Her breasts weren't large, but they certainly weren't small. They were tight against her muscular form though. She had the body of a fighter, complete with ripped six-pack of abs, defined serratus muscles, wicked V-cut hips, and some thickness to her arms. She'd been a fitness instructor when she was alive, beautiful and a master gymnast, flexible, lean, strong. Gorgeous.

"... and then some fucking bastard Nosferatu with a sick fetish for me turned me against my will, then gets executed by the Prince for siring without permission. So poor ole Beatrice gets left without a sire to fend for herself in a broken system overflowing with predators. Sob sob, weep weep." She eased her claws down her mirror, and her long tongue sneaked out to lick at her huge extra teeth. It really was a sad story, but that was twenty years ago. She'd moved on. She was a monster and human interaction was not going to happen; even the vampires avoided Nosferatu as monstrous as she.

"So, then there's Julias." She flicked at the dangling bit of metal chain from her navel piercing and rubbed at the tattoo of the skull where her pubic hair should have been. She always did prefer the shaved look when alive — the tattoos and piercings came after. "What the fuck is up with him?" Her claws clicked at the assortment of piercings dangling from her ears, then the one hooked into her right nostril, before tracing the tattoo of a snake that danced along her abs until it bit into her right nipple. Her first few years into the world of darkness had been quite the roller coaster.

"This another trick? More Kindred shit? This all some ploy to get information about the Carthians from me?" She threw on a white tank top, black jeans, and army boots. "We'll fucking see."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julias was waiting for her at the cemetery. Fucker was dressed in a casual suit, no tie but with a nice jacket and some loose cuffs. Her teeth clicked side to side. Ventrue really knew how to wear a suit.

"Beatrice," Julias said. He gave her a small wave.

"... did you just wave at me?"

"Yes. Was... I not supposed to?"

"Arg." Ten seconds into this exchange and she was already thrown off her game. Julias was smarter than her, older, and if she wasn't careful he'd get into her head and who fucking knows what with his Ventrue fucking Jedi powers. "Look. We're doing this because I want to. No manipulative shit, no schemes, no bids for power." She walked up to him and put her claws against his chest. "If I figure out you're trying anything, now or later, I'll rip out your entrails and leave you for the sun."

"Of course." Julias didn't back down, he didn't even flinch, he just smiled at her. What the fuck was his problem?

"Think I'm joking?"

"No! No, I don't, I—"

"Good. So, you owe me one, and this has nothing to do with Garry or Viktor or whatever fucking games our bosses are playing. I need some R&R and you're going to provide. Take me to dinner."

"Dinner? I'm not sure what—"

"Take me someplace nice... ish, someplace you frequent. Someplace where we can sit down and enjoy a nice meal between us with no violence or screaming."

"Oh. Yes, I can do that. Where would you like to go? And... will you be wearing that?" His question made him grimace, as if it would bring down her hellfire.

He was partly correct, and she wrapped her claws around his throat and pulled him down to meet her at eye level. He squirmed but otherwise did nothing but smile awkwardly. She could swear he was enjoying this.

"You think what I wear matters? I'll be next to you, but hiding with a discipline, dumbass. No one will notice me. You'll get us a nice meal with that devil charm of yours, and then we'll eat."

"I see... I think Bloodlust will work well. Once seated, no one will notice your differences in the dark. Just, please don't kill anyone there."

"Bloodlust is in Invictus territory."

"You'll be hidden, right? And with me anyway. No one will question."

She let go of him, and clicked her teeth side to side. She'd seen the outside of Bloodlust many times, but she'd never dared go in, not even while hidden. A place swarming with that much life and that many bodies so close to each other, it would have struck too close to painful memories.

But this time she'd have her man here to take her. Different circumstance, right?

"Alright, let's go," she said, and slipped her claws into her jeans pockets. It took only moments to step out of the catacombs, and the empty cemetery provided no distractions from stepping onto the road.

Julias followed up behind her in a short jog until they stood side-by-side.

"You look lovely tonight."

Oh no he fucking didn't.

"Spare your bullshit."

"What? It's not bullshit."

"Really?" She turned to him, and opened her mouth to its fullest. When she wanted to, she could open that crocodile smile until it was ninety degrees apart, and he'd be able see down her throat and how long her tongue was.

He didn't even blink.

"You know Maria, Viktor's partner, is a Nosferatu right? Are you trying to scare me?"

"Maria doesn't have an extra fifty teeth."

The man shrugged.

"Come on. I thought you wanted to go out and enjoy yourself? Is it so hard to believe I don't find you hideous? Here I thought that's how we got into this situation."

"... fine." He had her there. She'd asked him to do this because it seemed like he'd been sexually attracted to her. Fucked up reason to ask for such a stupid favor, but fuck reason.

The walk was otherwise uneventful. Julias tried to make small talk, but she ignored it. She wasn't interested in his ridiculous attempts at normalizing this absurd affair, but he did not relent. She had to threaten him before he shut up.

The Invictus half of South Side district was always alive, lights everywhere, and people wearing nice clothes walked down the nice sidewalks and into nice buildings. She avoided this place. Not only was it Invictus territory, but she used to live here and in this life. Twenty years was not long enough to forget.

"Ah, we're here." He motioned to the Bloodlust, and stepped up to the bouncer at the door. A nod and handshake and they were in. Invictus, and Ventrue in particular, were connections incarnate. Julias could probably shake a hand, call in a favor, and walk them into any club or business in the city. How fucking nice for him.

The inside almost blinded her senses. She had to put up a hand and partly cover her eyes at the weird array of smells and sights. There was a white light that pulsed with the beat-heavy music, but between it was the constant dull red lighting that must have been just enough for humans to see. People danced with each other in a dancing center, and booth seats lined the walls.

"So this is how the rich nightlife plays out," she said with her shoulders almost touching Julias's arm. "Fancy clothes, fancy personalities, but when it gets dark they grind like bunnies." She motioned to the dance floor where they were, indeed, grinding like bunnies.

"Yes. People come here to relax, get laid, or just meet. Admittedly, people here are a little more open-minded than other places. That's why I come here." He pointed to one of the two staircases that lined the walls, leading to a second balcony floor. "Come. It's quieter up there, darker."

"Lovely." With a groan, she followed her knight up the staircases. The balcony floor was indeed less populated, and the white pulse light didn't shine very much up there. There were booths with people in them, and as much as they were hidden in the dark from each other, she could see them just fine with Kindred eyes. A lot of them were kissing, some were chatting, some were fucking.

"Just lovely."

"I could have taken you to an opera, but I believe you said you wanted to eat?" He turned and grinned at her.

"Yeah. Yeah fine." She did like metal operas, maybe she'd try a normal opera. Later.

"Here's an empty spot." He grabbed a booth near the back, and stood by it with a palm open toward the seat. The Ventrue was waiting for her to sit first.

She rolled her eyes and sat down. Even if she wasn't using her Nosferatu abilities to hide, she doubted anyone would notice her back here. Part of her felt offended, but another felt relieved. She could stop taxing her vitae so much to hide.

Julias sat down next to her, and shifted on his hip to look at her with a smile.

"... what?"

"What what?" he said.

"Why are you smiling at me?"

"Oh, was I smiling?"

"Yes you were fucking smiling you bastard." She sneaked a hand underneath the table and grabbed at his leg hard enough to pierce his skin with her claws. He winced and shifted around, but otherwise stayed quiet. "Stop making fun of me." She dug in a little deeper. Were he still alive, his blood would have been dripping down his leg.

"I... I'm not. Really, I'm not." He cracked another smile, though she could see it mixed with pain. Good.

"You're making me angry. Just get us something to eat, Superman."

"... ok."

She hurt him. Physically, of course, but she saw that look of sadness on his face. Now she felt guilty. Guilty and angry. Was it so weird that he was trying to be nice to her? She did save his life after all. That was Kindred business though, or so she thought, but then....

"Fine! Fine, talk," she said, and his smile returned immediately. He was like a weird hybrid between a valiant knight and a manipulative trickster. She couldn't quite place him or his motives, and it was driving her insane. "Talk about... you said you hadn't been with a vampire in fifty years. I see you hook up with kine all the time, why not Kindred?"

"I don't 'hook up' with kine."

"Ha! Yes you do, you slut. I may never have sneaked in here but I've sneaked into other clubs. I've seen at least two dozen different women either go home with you, or straight up fuck you in the club while you drink them."

Ho ho. The mighty Ventrue was squirming with embarrassment. Point for her.

"That's... I like to see them happy."

"You fucking what?"

"I like to see them happy. I make sure they all know it's not a relationship, but to see a human simply... give in to pleasure and relax and enjoy themselves. To be happy for just a few minutes. I like that." He shrugged at her. "You ever seen a vampire be happy like that? Ever see a Kindred stop manipulating, scheming, planning, for just five minutes to enjoy a Kiss, or just a regular kiss?"

She stopped, and stared at him. That sounded familiar.

"Kine don't think outside of a week, maybe a couple years at most. I can't have a conversation with a Kindred without them planning out fifty years in advance. Viktor, easily a hundred."

"... yeah, that really does fucking suck." She flicked at her earring chain and scratched at the table. The Carthians were not nearly so long-sighted and boring as the Invinctus, and she found even them trying to talk with.

"Julias!" A squeal of a voice came from the stairs, and a woman skipped over in her ridiculous heels. She was barely five feet tall and was wearing an open-back dress with a short skirt, dark red. Fake tits too. Typical bimbo blond. Julias was smiling right back at her though.

"Hey Kristen. Get the job?"

"No!" She humphed like a child and hooked her arms under her bosom. "They gave it to some dumbass. Glass ceiling, am I right?"

"Completely right," Julias said. Did he really know about this random woman's life? Did he actually fucking care?

Beatrice's eyes opened wide when he gestured to her.

"This is my date, Scarlet."

"... h-hi." Beatrice sank into her booth, and made sure her hair framed over her cheeks, where her extra teeth were. Talking with a kine like they were friends was not what she had planned.

"A date? Julias you make me sad. I thought you said you weren't interested in dating."

"Well, Scarlet is a special case." Julias winked at her. She was going to kill him later. "We met a couple weeks ago, and she roped me in."

"Lucky girl." The bimbo stared right at Beatrice, and gave her a big smile of absolute obliviousness. "And here I was hoping for another one of those special kisses."

Beatrice twitched. Julias was Kissing the same people multiple times? He was letting them run around knowing that?

"Well, actually, Scarlet here is really shy, but she gives the same kiss."

"Really now," the bimbo said. She walked around the table, and slid into the booth to cozy up next to Beatrice. "The same? How? Julias won't tell me, and... it's really amazing. Like, totally. So you're shy? Hi my name is Kristen, and I'm just a young girl in the city working for a micromanagement division, and—" She went on, but Beatrice had to tune her out and give Julias a long, hateful stare. She really, really was going to kill him.

"So... you can kiss?" She slid closer, and Beatrice found herself sliding away until her hips were against Julias's. Naturally, the bastard didn't move, and the bimbo only slid closer until she was sandwiched between the two of them. "Can you... you know, kiss me, like Julias does? I've never had a woman do it, only Julias, and... you seem really sexy."

Because you can barely see my face in this darkness you dumbass bitch.

"Kristen Fitzern, how dare you come onto my date."

"Oh come on! It's just a little fun. Please?"

Beatrice was trapped. Not really trapped, she could have easily slipped out of there, made the bitch suffer some kind of nightmare hallucination, something. But she was hungry. Really hungry. She looked over her shoulder to Julias again, but the fucker was just smiling and motioning to the bimbo.

"... ok. But... turn around."

"Yay! Turn around? Hehe, exciting." Kristen did as requested and turned herself around so her back was facing Beatrice, and then she backed up even more until she was resting her back against Beatrice's shoulder. Beatrice had to turn to face her a bit, and let the bimbo rest her back into her torso.

Kristen relaxed. Beatrice did not. The Nosferatu sat there, and stared down at the sight before her. This stupid, idiotic bloodbag without a clue in the world... was just resting against her, and waiting for it. There were no mind tricks here, no struggles, no use of her hiding or nightmares, just a kine who wanted to get drunk from the Kiss, ignorant of what it was.