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Location: Ava's airbnb rental
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Time: Morning
Location: Ava's airbnb rental
Interaction with: ???
AND
Vivian took a second to register the voice on the other end of the phone. It was different than what she expected. The man on the line sounded rather enthusiastic - chipper, even - not exactly what she had in mind for an ‘old’ rich guy. He spoke rather formally nevertheless, so Vivian figured it was just that his voice didn’t match his age.
“Yes, this is Vivian,” she confirmed, following her statement with a light chuckle. She felt that Alexander’s effortless words of praise were a bit of an overestimation of her abilities. “Glad you find my skills satisfactory. I’m a bar player though. Not a professional, but you swing the cue just the same.”
Vivian paused, realizing that underselling herself in this situation wasn’t doing her many favours. She could only hope her skills were an accurate match for his seemingly lofty expectations, so that he didn’t lower the pay. Not that it mattered much if he did — Vivian was sure it would be a generous amount for her circumstances either way.
“So, Alexander, when and where would you like to start?” Vivian tried to keep a nonchalant tone with her next phrase, to avoid making her sleuth-y intentions too obvious. “I can… commute to your residence if you’d like. If you have the equipment, of course.”
"Hmm..." Alexander pondered the option of starting the lessons here in New Paeonia. He figured Vivian would remain safe in his company, but would his people remain safe after she was exposed to the community. Operation Humanity was known to use tricks and schemes to mount attack on his clan and Alexander needed to be sure that this woman was not another Trojan horse. "As much as I would love for you to see what I have set up here in my home, I think it might be best to meet you at more public venue." He kept his tone polite as if his decision was meant to make Vivian feel more comfortable with their first meeting.
"You mentioned being a bar player. We could meet at one. I would like to see you perform on your more usual playing field. Less pressure, safe... oh, and drinks on me."
Well, shit. Vivian figured it wouldn’t be that easy to get into their exclusive little community. Though, it seemed like he was offering to meet in public for the sake of courtesy, which lessened Vivian’s disappointment with having her plans of detective work thwarted.
“Booze and pool, a favourite combo of mine. I'll gladly accept that offer.” Vivian replied enthusiastically as her lips stretched into a toothy grin. The deal just got sweeter. “I work at Alexei’s in town. They have pool tables there. If you want to start today, my shift begins at 3PM so I can do anytime before that.”
"Noon it is then." Alexander was quick to set the arrangement, despite his opinion on Alexei's. The establishment was known by all supernatural faction leaders in the area as a ceasefire zone. The magic there dulled abilities and traits of vampires, werewolves, and witches, so it was only natural for the vampire puritan to not favor the place. "A pleasure speaking to my soon to be instructor."
“Solid. I’ll see you at noon, bye.”
Vivian tapped on the red phone icon on her phone to end the call, realizing in that moment that a precise amount for payment was never discussed. Her hand raised itself to her forehead instinctively out of exasperation as she stared at the screen. She had been so focused on her goal of getting into New Paeonia - and to a lesser degree, by the seemingly generous compensation - that it had totally slipped her mind to ask something so basic. Ah, whatever. I’ll ask him before we start the lesson.
The piece of paper in Vivian’s hands crinkled slightly as she lifted it closer to her face to examine it. The page itself was an old receipt, with ten digits scribbled on its wrinkled surface in messy writing. A lead. Vivian’s grip on the piece of paper tightened. Her search for information about New Paeonia wasn’t bearing much fruit, and now she might have just found a way in. Even though the posh gated community wasn’t too far away from Ember Grove, it was strange how little the locals had to say about it.
Vivian spent her time off yesterday at Alexei’s, playing billiards. She didn’t mind being at work in her off time — to be honest, there wasn’t really anywhere else she wanted to go, since her social life hadn’t really developed much since moving into town a few months prior. Her coworkers were her main friend group at the moment, and they got along well. Alissa, in particular, was quick to help Vivian adjust to her new environment and job. It made her disappearance weigh that much more heavily on Vivian’s heart, and she felt responsible for making sure she was safe. Progress on the case was slow, however. The police didn’t seem to think Alissa was missing at all, but Vivian never held high hopes for the efficacy of local cops anyway.
Vivian was in the middle of practising trick shots when a guy approached her to play a round, introducing himself as Devin, an Ember Grove local. Their conversation began with small talk as they took turns around the table. Devin’s skills were decent, but he was quick to notice Vivian’s. She already had the intention of asking the local about New Paeonia, but to her surprise, he was the one to mention the community first. Apparently, some old rich guy who lived there was paying a lot for a skilled player to show him the ropes. At first, it seemed too good to be true. Vivian’s search was at a standstill, but suddenly, a guy literally walks into her life offering a load of cash and a literal free pass into a gated area? Suspicious, definitely, but Vivian was still curious about the offer. He wrote down the contact details for the job on a crumpled receipt.
As Vivian stared, the numbers on the receipt started to look more and more like dollar signs. Noticing her own greed, Vivian laughed, and placed the piece of paper down back on her nightstand. Instead, she grabbed a half-empty box of cigarettes and walked over to the window in her room. The panes were stained in a dingy hue, and made a low screech as she lifted it open. Paint was chipping from the wooden windowsill, which Vivian leaned against as she lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it. It wouldn’t take more than a glance at Vivian’s room to understand why she might be in need of some extra funds. Her shitty apartment was tolerable at best. The floorboards creaked with every step, and the sparse collection of furniture in the room was second-hand. Vivian made an effort to DIY some stuff, but a roughly sanded and stained shelf in the room was evidence enough that crafts weren’t her forte. Teaching the geezer how to play billiards was starting to sound more tempting. The money was a bonus of course. Her priority was finding Alissa.
After taking a final puff, Vivian extinguished the cigarette in an ashtray that sat by the window. She had made her decision, and dialed the number from the paper earlier into her phone. It rang a few times before she heard someone pick up on the other end.
“Hey, heard someone was looking for pool or billiard lessons?”
Was she hearing this right? It was her first time hunting? Ava found the statement so unbelievable at first that she brushed it off as a joke. A chuckle rang through her cold glass as she lifted it to her lips, taking another sip of the Manhattan in her hands. Ava could tell Helene was a century old or so - sheltered or not, having not hunted in a hundred years was implausible. Even if she entertained the notion, the image of the vindictive Catherine Sinclaire as an overprotective helicopter parent made Ava laugh again. It soon became clear, however, that Helene was serious, when Ava noticed determination and sincerity in her gaze. Still, Ava found it hard to trust her apparent candor.
Ava put down her glass slowly, pondering on what to say. Awkwardness momentarily took hold of the atmosphere, now that silence replaced her mistaken laughter. She never had to explain to a vampire how to hunt before - most do it instinctively out of hunger. Admittedly, Ava respected the amount of self-control Helene possessed, and that she seemed to care about leaving her victims alive. Even so, giving someone instructions on how to hurt someone less felt like she was arming Helene with a gun, so that she may pull the trigger.
“Excuse my laughter earlier… I had thought you meant it as a jest. My bad.” Ava spoke naturally, but the realization that she had just apologized to a vampire aroused a jarring feeling in her chest. “Anyway, it seems like you have a fair degree of self control. It won’t be too difficult for you.”
Ava paused for a second, carefully considering her words so they sounded less… aggressive. Despite this, it felt like she was admitting her own lack of humanity by enabling Helene to hunt. “Humans have… four or five litres of blood in their bodies I believe. They can lose a litre or so and still walk around.” She intentionally refrained from giving a direct order or instruction, but felt that her statement implied enough. Nevertheless, it provoked a slight feeling of disgust, leaving Ava uncomfortable in her own body.
“Well, I don’t intend to interrupt your meal much longer. If I ever do see you again, let me know how it goes.” She swiftly made her way through the crowds again, and escaped into the darkness of the night air.
Ava tended to the glass of rum and coke as Helene spoke, taking sips in between her words. The sweetness of the soda was quickly cut by the slight burn and spiced aroma of the alcohol passing through her throat. Though food became less enjoyable over time, Ava was grateful alcohol still had the same effect as it did when she was human. In addition to all the wine she had consumed from the art exhibit, she began feeling a quiet numbness settling into her extremities and mind.
As Helene spoke, Ava was intrigued by the way she smiled in several nuanced tones, from a small, saddened smile to an excited and bright grin - it all seemed too lively. It was so different from the grisly looks of many vampires, who had become desensitized to the act of murder. Ava didn’t doubt that her features carried the same grim characteristic - but for a moment, in the midst of her conversation with the chipper girl, she almost forgot that the girl was nevertheless, a vampire. It sent a shiver down her spine to realize that Helene was nearly successful in taking Ava’s guard down. Though it seemed silly to fear such an innocent looking girl, a part of Ava began to worry that Helene’s amicable demeanour would be capable of softening the hate Ava had for vampire-kind. As she continued to observe the strange girl’s expressions, Ava decided that a fitting description for the human-like vampire was summed up in the word, uncanny.
Putting aside Ava's discomfort towards her, she also got the impression of how guileless Helene was from her reply to the question about her surname. Though she stopped herself from saying ‘mother’ the first time, it seemed that her solution was to append ‘close friend’ to the statement. Despite the effort Helene made to avoid admitting this, it seemed likely that she was Catherine's elusive 'Phantom Princess', and Ava had the good fortune of being one of the first to meet her. When dealing in business with the Sinclaire Foundation, it was hard not to come across rumours about the sheltered girl, and Ava had heard her fair share. It quickly dawned on her that this could’ve been the origin of Helene’s naive disposition - a pureblood princess hidden from the world, with riches and comfort all provided for her. Nevertheless, Ava decided to play along with her ruse for the time being, though she was rather curious about why she was out of hiding in the first place.
“Well, I happen to have worked for your mother’s close friend, just a handful of times.” Ava felt her lips tug into a smirk. “She has a problem with rogue employees every now and then. I happen to have a hobby for dispatching vampires. Supply and demand, really.”
Ava finished off the rest of her drink, and promptly ordered a Manhattan right after.
Ava expected the hungry girl to snap aggressively in return for dismissing her meal in front of her, but showed instead a surprising degree of courtesy. It was a breath of fresh air in comparison to Ava’s encounter with vampires just moments ago, who appeared much more concerned with the power dynamics between them. What was most surprising however, was the girl’s thick French accent and the indifferent way she disclosed her own name. If she was truly related to the Sinclaires of the vampire world, she must know the weight it carries.
“What a surprise.” Ava found a genuine smile tugging at her lips in reaction to Helene’s demeanour and the nostalgia of her French accent. “You’re rather polite for a little monster.” Ava hadn’t put much thought into her choice of words - they came naturally - though she wondered how the snow-haired girl would react. She seemed so human and pure, but Ava’s prejudice towards vampires rejected the notion that her behaviour was nothing more than a facade. After all, how could a vampire be virtuous?
Ava leaned in closer to Helene, so she could speak at a lower volume. “If you're curious about the corpses, a few others decided to have a feast in the alley and left the remains in the dumpster there. It seemed like you wanted to contribute. Well, you would have, if you went ahead and took what remained of my leftovers.” She followed her teasing remarks with a light chuckle.“Au fait, je suis Ava. Ça fait longtemps que je n'ai pas parlé avec quelqu'un en français.” (Anyways, I’m Ava. It's been a long time since I spoke with someone in French.)
Despite the delight of speaking French with someone again, Ava’s words carried a hint of sorrow. She hadn’t visited her hometown since the 18th century. As much as she missed the sparkling ports of Marseille and grandeur of the palace, the past was something Ava sought to leave behind. Either way, she was sure France looked much different now than the images in her memory.
A pause lingered for a moment as Ava reminisced on the scenery of her birthplace. It was short-lived, since the curious matter of Helene’s name quickly became more important to Ava than daydreaming about the past. “You seem brave to be sharing the name of Sinclaire so openly. Are you related to Catherine?"
The young vampire seemed to react defensively to Ava’s taunt from earlier, which in turn also revealed a bit more about the boy. He mentioned belonging to a clan which he claimed had control over Ember Grove. Suddenly, it made sense why crimes have been swept under the rug in the quaint town, and why crimes were so numerous in the first place. If a vampire clan truly controlled the town, these things would be easily accomplished in order to create a comfortable hunting ground for their members. This had advantages for Ava too, though she disliked the possibility of running into more of them during her stay here. However, the redhead’s comment reproaching Ava for being alone left her a little aggravated. She found it insulting that the fledgling dared to speak to her with a tone of pity, and for a brief instance, entertained the notion of keeping him locked away for Ava to feed upon every now and then. She figured it was a better use of his vile existence to be food for her than to be a conduit of destruction in society.
Before Ava could retort or question him further about this clan of his, he motioned towards yet another bloodsucker who came out to play, attracted by the scent of her last victim’s blood, of course. Ava let out an audible sigh. For future reference, she made a mental note in her head that she shouldn’t leave her snacks laying around if she didn’t want others taking samples.
With Ava’s attention diverted, the redhead vampire cautiously left with his friend, likely to execute their plans of slaughtering hunters. The thought of giving the duo chase never occurred to her, since she had little belief that she would speak with them again. At least, she wouldn’t willingly make that choice herself. She focused her attention now on the meek looking girl who had approached Ava's prey, hunger visibly clung on her features.
Ava walked towards the girl, the prey, and his two friends, and positioned herself behind the girl by the bar so that she was sandwiched between her and the human men. She picked up a glass of rum and coke and leaned against the table. Though she was facing the bartender rather than the group, her pupils darted towards the human men with a subtle flash of red.
"Leave." Ava demanded.
"Dude, check out the chicks over there." One of them pointed towards the dance floor. Ava wasn't sure the compulsion worked on all three of them, but the others seemed to agree that whatever they laid their eyes upon was a worthy prize, and left in pursuit of it.
"Don't you know not to touch what isn't yours?" Ava spoke to the girl with a disapproving tone, but her expression softened shortly after. "There seems to be more of you than usual out to play tonight. Unfortunately for you, the dumpster outside has met its quota for corpses already."
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