. 06

~~Beatrice~~

"I am amazing."

Triss blinked at her boss. "Uh, what?"

Jacob stood in her alcove's entrance, and leaned his shoulder against the stone as he grinned at her. Jeans and a black shirt, compared to her jeans and black t-shirt. Weren't they quite the pair of witches.

"I'm amazing."

"Because...?"

"Because I knew just who to pick to be my best witch."

She rolled her eyes. "You gotta be shitting me."

"Nope."

She grumbled as she looked around for Jen. Nowhere to be seen. The Ventrue did still have two ghouls to take care of, and while she didn't fuck them anymore, she did take them out for training and stuff. Probably doing that, then. Given a few years, or decades, ghouls could get pretty damn strong and do some impressive shit. Something to do with vampire vitae being in their blood.

"And I suppose you want me to explain how I did it?" she asked.

"Nah. Black Blood filled me in on the details. And while I would love to know how you learned that crúac ritual, the one to turn a body into a perfect vessel, I know you won't tell me. Yet." Wearing his usual grin, Jacob sat down in the small room of curved stone across from her, the typical bandage wrapped around his eyes. "Witches do love to keep their secrets. Just make sure to write it down before you die."

"Die?"

He shrugged. "We all die eventually. You'll do the Circle good to give us some hints about what you did. Make it cryptic, though. Only members of the Circle should be able to figure it out, and make it hard for even them, too."

"Hard for other witches to figure out? Why?"

"Gotta make 'em work for it! A good fifty years of deciphering some weird riddle or puzzle, maybe?"

She laughed and put her book down. It was some sort of encyclopedia about ghosts and stuff, the weird accounts seen through history, the different religions and what they thought about ghosts, and the different ways ghosts could supposedly interact with the physical world. It was the sort of shit Triss wouldn't have cared about before, but now that she was a witch, every word was oddly interesting. Like, really oddly. Like, she was actually enjoying learning about shit nerd style. Oh how she had changed.

"Yeah, I guess I can do that. Write it in a book soon, lock it away in a bank safe and tell them not to open it for a hundred years. It comes out, goes into a museum, some witches steal it away, yada yada."

"Exactly."

"Though if Antoinette's right, a hundred years from now we'll be worrying about spaceships and trying to navigate an absurd amount of tech that's bound to expose the whole vampire race."

Jacob's smile went through a few phases. Defiance, disbelief, then acceptance. He had a lot of smiles.

"That is a possible future."

"You don't think it's guaranteed humans will eventually go all Star Trek on us and shit?"

"You mean the full cooperation between all nations? Fuck no. But sure, lots of technology. It'll be Hell for vampires. But there are other options too."

"Such as?"

Jacob held out his hands like he was preaching to his congregation. "So many possibilities! Which one would you consider? Maybe post apoc? Or maybe something weirder."

"Weirder?"

"Weirder. I--ah never mind. It doesn't matter." He shrugged and flicked a dismissing hand. "Antoinette is convinced vampires won't be able to weather the coming storm of technology. Instead of just cameras everywhere, it'll be infrared cameras. Instead of paying for shit with credit cards at the cashier, it'll be gates we walk through that auto-read the credit cards embedded in the back of our necks, and it'll scan for life signs, too."

"Think our Disciplines will let us get past them?"

"At first. Eventually the technology will get good enough it'll spot a vampire doing anything. And after that, the technology will be updated to actively find vampires, so they can wipe us out."

"That... is a pretty fucking terrifying idea. Hard to imagine it happening any time soon though."

"Ah ben oui," Jacob said, pulling a French accent out of his ass, "zat is why we must prepare for ze future!" It wasn't a good accent.

"Ok, stop scaring me. Good thoughts, boss man. Talk to Sam since last night?"

"Just a quick message. She wants to hang with her daughter, 'til the ball tomorrow, and I'm happy to let her have that chance."

Beatrice smiled at the man. "You're such a softy."

"I am a cuddly teddy bear."

"Something tells me Sam will wear something fit for a sexy mom like her."

"Don't think she'll dress a little more reserved, with her daughter there?"

"She's Daeva, dude. She's happy and excited right now, and that means she'll want to show off." Because that's what all Daeva did, pretty much no matter their mood, but especially when they were happy. "And honestly, I think we've successfully destroyed most sense Sam's sense of shame. She'll wear something slutty, and I bet Mary will too."

"Oh my," Jacob said in a very sleazy way.

"Dude. Gross. She's your girlfriend's daughter. You... You haven't actually slept with a mom and daughter at the same time before, have you?"

Raising a brow, the man looked up in an exaggerated attempt to remember. "Honestly? I couldn't tell you."

"Dude!"

"What!?" He laughed as he shrugged. "I told you, I used to have orgies with entire groups of people under the full moon. Entire villages!"

She frowned. "Villages. You sure you're not exaggerating?"

"Couldn't tell you."

She threw up her hands. "Ok, well, in the modern era, it's pretty gross to expect sexual activities to be shared among family members. Assuming Mary becomes a vampire, maybe in a thousand fucking years when Mary and Sam don't see each other as mom and daughter anymore, maybe! And only maybe then!"

"Aw."

"Christ I hope Sam knows how much of a pervert you are."

"I'm pretty normal by Dolareido standards."

"That's not saying much."

Laughing again, Jacob reached out, grabbed her book, and popped it open as he leaned back.

"What're you gonna wear to the ball, young witch of mine?"

"Not sure yet. Jen's got something lined up, and I'm sure it'll be as revealing as she can get away with. And well, considering how much skin was on display at the last ball, ghouls getting sucked off or fingered where everyone could fucking see, I could probably go naked and no one would care."

Her boss's laugh was warm. She expected a snicker or some stupid, childish laugh, but nope, the man's voice softened, and so did his expression.

"Sometimes I think my old friend wants to capture the feeling of her youth, discovering all the ways her body can enjoy sexuality without worry of disease or pregnancy, or having to recoup."

"Well shit, I don't know what the Prince's motivations are, but being a vampire is pretty damn sexually freeing... you know, for the other blood clans." Nosferatu didn't have it so easy. Triss and Jacob were lucky, compared to a lot of them.

Jacob sighed and nodded. "Poor Bob."

"Bob? Oh, right, Nos in the tunnels. Dude looks like he walked out of an old vampire movie."

"Don't forget Liliana, with a dozen too many eyes."

Triss shivered. "We got off easy in comparison. Especially compared to Maria."

"Yeap."

The two of them sighed, and their eyes slowly drifted down. Jacob was probably just doing it to empathize with her; not like he cared about his deformities anymore. But Triss still did. She was over them, mostly, but sometimes it still sucked that she had to make sure no kine ever saw her face. Vampires often socialized with their prey before enjoying the meal. She couldn't. She wasn't much of a socializer, but she wouldn't mind taking a stab at it every now and then.

"Either way, we should be damn happy about how things are going," Triss said. "So I'll wear whatever Jen has lined up for me. Our second lives are good, and I just did something no one else has managed. I wanna celebrate and show off how fucking awesome my ass is."

"Ha. I'm sure Sándor will like that."

She blinked at her boss. "Uh, what?"

"Dude is clearly an ass man."

The alcove echoed with the slap sound of Triss's hand hitting her forehead.

"I--"

Jacob laughed and shook his head. "Don't be an idiot. He likes you, Triss."

Shit.

"You think?"

"Yeap. I've seen him looking at you. Dude is obviously tied down by all the nasty shit attached to him, and to you, but somehow you've managed to pierce the dude's stone exterior."

"I... I mean, I have talked to him... a few times."

"More like a dozen times."

"Dude, you following me?"

Jacob put up his hands in surrender. "Nah. You're just very readable."

"Fuck."

"I gotta ask though, Triss. It's clear you seem interested in Sándor, and--"

"I barely know the guy."

"Is that right? Cause Jen tells me you got him drunk once, and the man talked about his dead family with you. Doesn't get much more personal than that."

"Fuck." Damn you, Jen.

"And for the life of me, I don't see what you see in the man. He's basically just Daniel with a pulse."

"He's..." Much as she wanted to disagree with him, there was some truth in that. A little. "I like him. He listens. You can understand why a woman would like that in a man."

He snickered. "I'll listen to a woman when she has something smart to say."

"You mother fu..." She rolled her eyes and laughed. This asshole. "How the fuck does Sam put up with you?"

"Not sure. I think she's after my money."

Damn it, she laughed again. "Well, I like Sándor. Daniel is a ruthless, cold monolith, you know? And maybe Athalia likes that, cause sure, Daniel is stable and direct and probably everything Athalia wants, or needs, in a man. Sándor is... not that. He's just quiet. And there's a gentleness in him that pokes out sometimes." Especially when the man had a guitar in his hand. Or a drink.

"Which brings me to my point. You like the guy, but you're intent on bringing Julias back."

Triss snapped her head to the side. "Don't."

"I think I will." Jacob leaned forward and gestured to her before setting his hands on his knees. "Julias has been dead for what, almost a year now? And now you've put yourself in a weird spot. You're trying to resurrect your dead boyfriend, the man you love, but you're also moving on. That's pretty fucked up."

"My personal shit is--"

"Not fucked up for you, you fucking dumbass. Sándor. Dude is doing everything he can to make up for his contribution to what happened to Dolareido, to you. And for some reason, you've decided to flirt with the guy, while trying to undo the damage he caused."

"I haven't been--"

"So imagine things from his point of view. You're doing everything you can to bring Julias back from the dead, a guy Sándor helped kill, but you're flirting with him? How fucked up is that?"

"It's not like that!" She slammed both hands against the furs underneath her. "It's not like that. I'm..."

"You're learning to play the piano."

She stared at him and ground her teeth together, causing the large crocodile ones to shift and click.

"You have been spying on me!"

"I spy on everyone. Get over it. You've been learning to play the piano, 'cause you want to connect with the dude."

"I... He... He's not Daniel, ok? Give him an instrument and suddenly I'm having a conversation with a normal guy. Normal-ish. I like that. He's a friend."

"Well, poor guy is probably ripping himself apart in that quiet, stoic way he seems to love, every time you smile at him a little longer than you should. So why don't you back off and leave the man alone. Stop torturing the stupid fucker." He leaned forward again, and stared straight at her with his covered eyes. "Or, and this is probably the much healthier option, let Julias go. Dude is dead, and his soul is gone to wherever souls go. You want to pluck it out of some realm we've never reached, not even the Begotten have reached, not even Black Blood? Might as well be chasing one very fast goose. So how about you do yourself a favor, and do that poor bastard a favor, too. Forget about Julias. Forget about this resurrection business. Enjoy a happy life with Sándor. Get married. Get a house on the prairie. Have two point five kids."

Triss flexed her hands, careful of her claws, and stared at Jacob so hard she felt her whole body shivering. Vitae pumped through her. Her Beast, which normally and rightfully cowered in the presence of Jacob, very much wanted her to take a swing at the fucker and see if she could at least hit him. But god damn it, the image of her living on the prairie with Sándor, and a few kids, was just too fucking hilarious. She laughed again, and Jacob let her, his smile returning as she laughed and laughed until the room eventually grew quiet again.

She looked down, and slumped. "Fuck me, Jacob. I don't know what to do. I want Julias back, but... but you're right. I keep trying to convince myself I can do it, but I know a part of me doesn't believe that shit. The chances I can bring him back are slim to none. Fuck me, why didn't he stick around, like Mary?"

"You know why. He died happy, thinking of you, you dumbass."

Triss squeezed her claws into the fur she sat on, and sighed. "Fuck me. Fuck him. He left me."

Sighing, Jacob got up, and gave her shoulder a pat before he made for the exit.

"Things will change soon enough. I'll ask you again, when the time comes."

"What? Jacob, what?" She raised her head and watched Jacob, but he kept walking, and didn't look back.

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

"Like this," Sándor said, and he played a simple tune.

Beatrice grumbled, and tried. But just like with Damien, her fingers refused to hit the keys the way she told them to.

"Fuck. Fuck!" She slammed her hands on the keys, before glaring at Sándor.

Sándor chuckled, a quiet sound, and he again played the simple tune.

"You treat the keys like enemies."

"They are enemies!"

"The keys are your friend. You need to relax and treat them kindly." He set both hands down on the keys, and played a nice harmony with his left while playing a melody with his right. "I don't know what it's like for a vampire, but for the living, we need to play it slowly at first to create the muscle memory."

He talked so calmly and smoothly, he sounded like a music teacher, happy to teach an idiot kid like her. She loved and hated it.

"I mean, it's a bit different for vamps," she said, "but my teacher insists you still learn the same way. Just do it slow and often."

Mary laughed, and Triss threw a glare at her over her shoulder. She was sitting on the couch with her mom, scrolling through websites on the laptop on the table, and giggling up a storm as they watched funny videos, or swooned over videos of cats. Jennifer sat nearby on another couch, scrolling through her phone, likely updating herself on whatever was happening in Dolareido. Parties, plays, new movies, any place that'd make for interesting hunts.

The group of them were in Sándor's apartment, but it wasn't much of one. Sándor had only moved in recently, and sure, the crazy expensive apartments in Dolareido were gorgeous and sleek and all black and metal and shiny, but he didn't have anything in it. A couple gray couches, and that was it. Except for one particular interest: music. He had several guitars on their stands, two acoustic, two electric, one of them a seven string. One bass guitar, too. There was a metronome on the table between the couches, and some sheet music for some Romanian piece none of them could read, staff or language. Plus, the electric piano Triss and Sándor sat at.

Apparently the man's interest in music was deeper than Triss originally thought when she first saw him play.

It wasn't the first time she'd been in the apartment, and she'd tried the piano on her last visit. Apparently the man could play a lot of instruments. It was why she was trying to learn -- secretly -- from Damien, because some stupid part of her thought it'd be cool to impress Sándor with something that was clearly one of his interests.

Jen came tonight because they were best friends and did everything together. Mary and Sam came because Sam had become their friend, somehow, and Mary followed Sam. And honestly, Mary was hilarious.

It wasn't a date. She would not think of it as a date.

"Triss, come on." Mary got up, and leaned over Triss's shoulder. With her right hand, she played the tune, Mary Had a Little Lamb, with a big jackass grin on the whole time.

"Oh fuck off." Triss shoved her away and glared at her with as much hate and rage as Hell could summon. "You don't get a pass just 'cause you have a pulse, now."

Giggling, Mary jumped back onto the couch beside her mom.

"Maybe it is a little easier," Sándor said, "for people with pulses to learn to play instruments."

"Tell that to Maria," Triss said, groaning as she slumped. "Girl can play... well, anything, far as Damien says."

"Been hanging with Damien?" Jen asked, lips curled into the tiniest grin.

"He's mentioned it before." Triss rolled her eyes, but she knew Jen caught her. Thankfully her best friend wasn't one of those jackass friends who liked to screw each other over for laughs, usually. Instead, she nodded and looked back to her phone, like Triss's explanation had been fine. No need to explain Damien's connection to the piano lessons.

"It could be because you're undead," Sándor said. "It might have something to do with your mind, and your Kindred body. If you never touched an instrument when you were young..."

"I didn't."

"Then maybe the stepping stones aren't there. You'll have to build them. It could take time."

"Ugh. I'm only early twenties, in vamp years. I don't think in terms of centuries yet."

Sándor laughed. Actually laughed, too. It wasn't nearly as happy as Mary's, or as full as Julias's would have been, but it was a laugh. It made her smile.

"That is, unfortunately, a painful truth about playing an instrument. It takes time." He set his fingers to the keys again, and played something stupid complex. Like, really fucking fast complex. His fingers were a blur, and at several points his right hand actually moved over his left hand as his fingers danced over the white and black keys.

"I know that song..." She stared at the keys as she racked her brain. "That's... Symphony X!"

The man nodded as he came to a stop. "I never learned to use a pitch wheel, so it won't sound the same." He gestured to the electric piano. "And regardless, this doesn't have one."

"Dude, still, that's thirty seconds of awesomeness. Fucking christ how long did it take you to learn that song?"

"I learned it after our conversation in the crypt. It took a week."

"A week..." It'd take her a fucking lifetime to play like that. Which she had, assuming she dodged enough sunrises.

She blinked at him as the first part of his response sank in. He'd learned this months ago, after that time in the crypt when he got drunk? They'd talked about metal music, and how they both loved it, but he hadn't mentioned his own skill back then. Any other guy would have happily mentioned they played an instrument. She would have, too.

"I've been playing for centuries," he said. "Once we get you past this hurdle, you'll be able to learn complicated songs in a short time too."

"Pretty big hurdle."

"Evidently."

She frowned at the man, and again earned a small chuckle and smile from him. Always small, hesitant things, like it was a struggle for him to find the emotions. She was sure the man had the emotions, especially if he was capable of having a wife and kid, and feeling all the guilt he did, but he just didn't show them. His body language was stubborn. And for some stupid fucking reason, she really liked trying to draw emotions out of him.

"Let's try a different tactic," he said. "Instead of playing a song, play this." He set all five digits of his right hand on the keys, and pressed five white keys down, left to right, thumb to pinky.