Jon Ackerman (victorianvirtue) wrote in populouspostea, @ 2012-07-08 13:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | aubrey beauclerc, johnathan ackerman, rating: r, status: complete, t26: the mansion |
Who: Johnathan Ackerman & Aubrey Beauclerc
Where: Streets ยป Aubrey's Mansion
When: Saturday, June 7th, 2501 @ 9:49pm
Rating: R
Status: Complete
The hour was bordering on late when Johnathan wandered back to the mansion from a routine patrol of the Sector. He was exhausted, hungry, lonely, but mostly the gifted human ached from head to toe after tussling with a group of Crazies. Walking through the front door, it was not uncommon for the former vigilante to cross the threshold covered in blood or needing assistance to his room because he'd overdone it. That evening was no exception.
He and several others from the Sector were patrolling the streets when they came across a family that had been caught out after dark. They had spent too long visiting friends in a neighboring home and thought they could make it back, but it was too dark for the family to rush home without calling attention to themselves. It was when Johnathan and the rest of the guards with him discovered the family and getting them into the pick-up truck when a dozen Revenants descended on the small group like a pack of rabid, ravenous wolves.
The family, fortunately, were safely on board the truck when Johnathan screamed at the driver to get them to safety even though the gifted human had yet to get into the vehicle himself. Most of the crazy, raving bloodsuckers had been taken care of by the automatic weapons the guards had acquired so when the truck sped off without Johnathan and the single guard that remained behind, there were only half of the original group of crazy vampires.
Unfortunately, Johnathan's companion was quickly overrun by half the remaining Revenants. The native Englishman could hear the man's screams as he tried to save him, but the sounds the man was making suddenly cut off. It signaled to Johnathan that one of the fiends had taken out the poor bastard's throat. At that point, his former combatant was beyond saving. He'd either be too torn up and eaten to pieces or if the pack had already fed that evening, he'd be left behind and would eventually turn if Johnathan didn't do something. It seemed, however, that this was the first group the pack had encountered because the other half that remained went straight for him.
The weapon Johnathan wielded was a katana, picked up during his wandering in the early days of the Collapse after having lost the prized swordcane in the chaos. He'd mourned the loss of the weapon when he could, having had it within his grasp for nearly six or more centuries. The weapon had been a gift from his wife at the time; A woman he had truly loved and was the only one besides James who knew of his activities as a vigilante. He'd never told another soul.
As the first Revenant reached him, the creature met with an untimely end as Johnathan brought the sharp edge of the sword down on it's head. The blade buried itself nearly level with the fiend's nose before Johnathan twisted and pulled the katana to the right, effectively taking out a rather huge chunk of the bloodsucker's head. While the technique worked beautifully, the creature dropping like a rock, his two friends were able to bull rush him and knocked Johnathan to the ground. The motion had a enough momentum behind it that he was dragged slightly and Johnathan gritted his teeth against the painful feeling of skin being rubbed raw as it came across the uneven, gritty pavement.
Johnathan's own scream cut through the air as one went immediately for his throat, hitting something vital as fingers none-too-gently scrabbled for purchase on his face and shoulders. The other was making an attempt for a vein in his leg, painfully ripping up both pants and skin as Johnathan tried desperately to reach the knife he kept on his hip while attempting to kick the other ravenous vampire off his lower half. A pained whimper shamefully came from him as the Crazy on his neck gnawed and when fingers finally popped the knife free of it's sheath, Johnathan stabbed the creature in the back in the perfect spot. The thing screeched and threw itself off the vigilante, leaving Johnathan ample time to throw a punch across the creature's jaw and put all his strength into shoving the Revenant off him. Next, the arm with the knife was raised and brought down in a chopping motion to the savage fiend tearing up his leg. The weapon was buried all the way to the hilt into the fiend's skull, killing it.
Kicking the dead Revenant off and with adrenaline coursing through him, giving him the edge he needed, he scrambled for the katana that he'd dropped when the two Crazies rushed him. Johnathan rolled onto his back just in time for the other one to pounce on him. Luckily for him, it would be the last thing the creature did as it had pounced onto Johnathan's sword. He twisted the weapon, creating more damage to the heart and the fiend died on it. Using the foot of his uninjured leg, he shoved the corpse off the blade and stood, watching for a moment as the rest fed on the guard that had remained behind to help him.
The trio of bloodsuckers were so keen on their meal that they hadn't noticed the rest of their pack had suffered and died at Johnathan's hands. In the next moment, they didn't know what hit them. By the time he was finished, the guard was long since dead. Bending over the man, Johnathan prodded him, checking to see if he was truly dead if he'd turned quickly. It looked as if the crazy vampires had well and truly killed the man, but as Johnathan rifled through the man's pockets for anything of use, he was startled when the guard's eyes snapped open and bolted up.
A surprised gasp came from him as he tripped backward onto his ass and Johnathan instinctively, and without hesitation, separated the man's head from his shoulders when the former guard came at him. With the situation well and truly ended, Johnathan fell backward onto the pavement, blue orbs staring up into the starry night sky as he panted from the exertion of the fight and took a moment to collect himself beneath the corpse of his now dead companion. It was strange to see such beauty on a massive scale after such carnage.
Eventually, Johnathan shoved the body off him, got to his feet, and limped toward the dead Revenant with the knife buried in it's skull. Pulling the weapon free, Johnathan wiped it clean with a shaky hand and started limping away from the small massacre. He made sure that there wasn't another pack near by that might've picked up on the fight or possibly follow him back to the mansion. When he finally got back, he was standing at the foot of the bed in his room, staring down at it before he just...fell forward onto it with a heavy thud. He hadn't made a move to undress or otherwise attend to his injuries even though they'd fully healed on his circuitous journey back. To be perfectly frank, in that moment, Johnathan wanted nothing more than to have the comforting arms of James around him while he drifted off to sleep. Sadly, sleep didn't seem like it was going to be an option anytime soon as Johnathan could hear someone approaching the door he hadn't bother to shut.
Aubrey had been made aware of the incident in his territory the moment that the group returned after taking the family back to their home. One of his guards had knocked on Aubrey's office door, pulled him from his work and told him the story with an amount of shame in his voice that Aubrey knew came from simple fear of not knowing how the territory leader was going to react. Aubrey sat with perfect attentiveness on his guard and no reactions shown on his face partly because he was always very careful what reactions he made public and also because part of him delighted in watching his guard squirm under his gaze. When all was said, there was a pause between them, the vampire mulling over his thoughts for that moment until he finally leaned forward and put elbows on the top of his desk. Blonde hair fell forward to curtain his feminine features and long fingers steepled in front of him, "So..." He asked slowly, picking the right words in the calmest voice he could find, "Why did you not return to the place to see if Mr. Ackerman was in need of further aid?"
Fortunately for his guard but unfortunately for Aubrey who was becoming very amused at how shameful the man looked after his question it was at that moment that Johnathan himself walked into the mansion. There was a large row of television sets along the wall next to Aubrey's desk, security systems set up so that the vampire could not only see out if he wanted but he could monitor almost any room in his home. There was a panel of switches on his desk that could manipulate which cameras were functioning but the vampire usually kept two on outer cameras, front and back of the house, one inside the front entrance, one on the main gathering room and one just outside his office door so he could see who was coming to call. Seeing the gifted human enter the front door was certainly a relief to the shaken guard but Aubrey once again made no reaction except to rise fluidly from his desk.
He dismissed the guard without expecting an answer to his question and, after the man left, Aubrey made quick work of tidying the papers he had been working on before leaving his office to pay Mr. Ackerman a visit. Even if he hadn't assumed that the gifted one would have gone directly to his room it would have been easy for the vampire to find him, he'd left a trail of blood in the occasional physical spot but more so just the scent of it through the hallways. Luckily, carpeting had been replaced with marble years before and so none of this evidence would stick around beyond a quick cleaning.
He came to Johnathan's door, seeing it partially open and didn't bother knocking as he knew for a fact that the man would be aware of his presence already. Aubrey never underestimated Johnathan's abilities to be aware of his surroundings even in his worst state, but the clicking of heels on marble was a good enough indication even without that. "Are you in need of assistance?" He asked first, remembering his manners.
The question caught the immortal off guard. Johnathan had fully been expecting some sort of innuendo, barb, or jest at his expense. Since meeting Aubrey, the vampire had done nearly everything she could to get into his pants so he constantly had to be on his toes around her. It was rare that she ever asked him anything other than matters regarding her Territory. Perhaps the question was an effort to put him at ease, but it did anything than that. It made Johnathan all the more wary.
However, the man was not the only one who remembered his manners. Courtisies, politeness, and ettiquette always reigned supreme, disciplines from an era long past stayed with him as he lifted his face from the pillow that it had been planted in. Johnathan rolled onto his back so that he could sit up and answer the inquiry, checking himself to find that all his injuries were long since healed. His attired, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely.
Johnathan was covered in blood from his neck to knees, a good view of skin peeking through the thigh of his trousers from the vampire that had tried for a vein there. The high neck, long sleeved shirt he wore beneath the kevlar he wore hung in tatters around his left shoulder and when he checked the wound there his hand came away sticky with blood. It was tacky, the last bit of it drying and since the vest was already covered in the red much, Johnathan wiped his hand clean against it as he sighed. Another pair of clothes ruined.
"No, but thank you for the kindness in asking, Miss Beauclerc." The healing of his injuries left him sore and he stiffly leaned forward in an attempt to begin unlacing his boots and he tossed a polite, half-hearted smile in the attractive vampire's direction. Fingers started untangling the knot as he murmured, "I believe I can manage on my own."
Perhaps at another time under different circumstances Aubrey may have attempted to take advantage of this man undressing but tonight he was simply not in the mood. Instead the vampire stood in the doorway, arms crossed over the loose fitting shirt that hid just how flat his chest really was and he frowned at the gifted human. "And what of Mr. Schuman?" He asked, bringing up the name of the guard who had died that night. Aubrey may have seemed far more aloof than he should on most occasions but he truly did care for his territory and those under his protection. To have a man die...well, explanations were expected.
Another question that caught Johnathan off guard. Aubrey was apparently full of them this night, wasn't she? The polite smile of his slowly faded and for a few minutes, the vampires Second said nothing as he finished untying the laces of his boot and pulling it from his foot. It dropped to the floor with a thunk and, finally, blue eyes filled with sorrow lifted to meet Aubrey's, "Mr. Schuman met an untimely end with my katana."
Thinking back at the man's abrupt end, Johnathan wondered if there was anything he could've done to save Schuman. Guilt began wiggling its way into his thoughts and Johnathan swung his legs over the side of his bed that faced away from the door, forcing the vigilantes gaze away from the vampire. Fingers dug into the slightly bloody sheets while others lifted to run a shakey hand through the mess of curls on his head. What the shaking could have been from was anyone's guess; Blood loss or emotion, it didn't matter. The guard was dead and Johnathan had been the one to kill the man. It pained him to know that another comrade--a friend--was dead.
Will it ever end? Johnathan thought, questioning whether or not the endless sea of death would cease. Gulping, he stood and started unstrapping the vest from his torso, not caring if Aubrey was there or not.
There was never any question over whether or not Johnathan was sorry for the death of one of their own. Aubrey knew that the gifted human was a good man and that he cared for everyone in the territory often more so than Aubrey did. The question was, of course, whether this had been a mistake that could have been avoided and if so, if it was a mistake that needed punishing.
"Mr. Schuman was one of my top guards." He didn't need to tell Johnathan that, but he did it anyway. "His shifts will need coverage until a replacement is found." This wasn't exactly a demand for Johnathan to fill that role directly. Frankly, Johnathan could delegate that to one or more other people and Aubrey wouldn't care as long as it was done. The vampire was only trying to make sure that Mr. Ackerman knew that gravity of the situation. When it really came down to it, it was the patrolling of the streets that Aubrey found reckless and unnecessary. Lives were more often lost in those cases than if they stayed out of the way, obviously.
Johnathan was well aware just where Mr. Schuman stood within the guard. The two had fought side by side since the beginning, after all. They trained together, dined together, stood watch together. Johnathan considered the man a brother and a friend and now he was dead by his own hand. The immortal disliked the vampires insinuation that he'd made a mistake in ending the guard.
He spun on a heel to face Aubrey and a muscle jumped along his jawline when his mouth clenched together. Johnathan's arm jerk toward the direction he'd come from, where his comrade had died, and barked at Aubrey while glaring at her, "Mr. Schuman died helping save those people this evening and he did his duty by watching my back!" He paused, getting a hold of himself and proceeded in a manner more befitting a gentleman, "He was dead before I could do anything to save him and he--" Johnathan abruptly fell silence a bit, the brief flare of anger he'd felt leaving him and finished in a much more subdued and quiet tone, "I was searching the body when he-- I just-- reacted when he lunged for me."
If it had been anyone else except Johnathan speaking to him in such a way they may not have gotten away with it, but because it was Aubrey's second and because it really was so rare for the vigilante's anger to snap he got away with it with only a slight narrowing of eyes from the vampire. "Killing him was the kindest thing you could have done for him and no one is faulting you for it." He said, his voice holding an edge that perhaps took away on the intended comfort of the comment, but the thought was there anyhow. "My only concern now is assuring the safety of my territory and assuring that nothing like this will happen again."
Aubrey was careful not to show this in his features but, despite the serious conversation, he was enjoying seeing the gifted human undress. He was a mess of tattered clothes and dried blood, but there was a consistent attractiveness there nonetheless. It really was a shame that Johnathan was so dedicated to his partner on the other side. Perhaps otherwise Aubrey's flirtations would have gotten him further.
"I'm putting you in charge of these issues." He continued after a moment. "I will expect to hear from you by this time tomorrow."
As the vampire spoke, Johnathan wrestled with the shirt encasing his torso and the sound of tearing fabric cut through part of Aubrey's words as the last shred of material around his neck was torn loose followed by the majority of the arm that flopped over and around his elbow. His movements were jerky with anger as he flung the useless piece of material away from him and a nicely toned arm was fully revealed.
When the vigilante met Aubrey's eyes once again, whatever fire was in them faded and died away. Johnathan knew the vampire was right--reluctant as he was to admit it--he'd done Schuman a service by killing him outright. Shame then descended on him for his behavior just then and his foolishness; He was acting like a fool and a child. What would James think of this? The vigilante thought sullenly and it was quickly accompanied by a more distressing thought, What does it matter? He's not here . . . Johnathan mentally silenced that voice, fearing its meaning. He needed to believe that he could return to England, that there would be an end to this or that James would find a way here. Johnathan had to believe that or . . . The vigilante didn't want to think about the 'or.'"
His gaze had dropped while he was thinking these things and he finally met Aubrey's eyes again and nodded, "Of course, Miss Beauclerc. I'll see to a replacement first thing in the morning." Johnathan then hesitated, blood rising to his cheeks at what he was about to say. It wasn't really in him to apologize to the vampire and actually mean it yet the words were out of his mouth before he fully realized it, "Aubrey, I . . . please forgive my behavior just now. I'm just--tired, hungry, sore, lonely--" Johnathan stopped short, flustered by the admission and he was not entirely sure why he felt he needed to say that so he stuttered and repeated himself, "I'm t-tired. I apologize for raising my voice and my insubordination."
Despite the seriousness of the conversation and the unusually bland mood that Aubrey was finding herself in, she couldn't help but imagine licking the blood from Johnathan's torso. If only the vigilante knew what sort of pleasures Aubrey was capable of giving him...although, she had a feeling the stubbornly in love man would still deny her regardless. These thoughts were, however, forgotten at the completely unexpected turn in Johnathan.
Aubrey couldn't help but stare at him for a moment at his apology. It was appreciated of course, but the territory leader couldn't recall a time when Johnathan had apologized to her ever. Her shock only lasted so long as the vampire quickly composed herself and a wry smile appeared on her face.
"Well..." She said slowly, "Like I said, if you ever need any assistance." It was another flirtatious barb, of course, choosing to focus on the 'lonely' slip rather than the rest of the apology but this time it wasn't meant in complete seriousness. She only wanted to show that things were fine between them. Back to the way they always were.
Johnathan, of course, was typically unaware of just how his appearance affected the vampire. Call it just being Johnathan or human naivete, at any rate, the vigilante had no idea in that moment just what exactly Aubrey wanted to do with him as he then dispensed with the remaining boot he wore before his gaze was captured, mostly surprisingly by the very brief look of shock on the woman's face.
Aubrey then just stared at him and Johnathan was reminded that he was alone in a room with a vampire that was 40 years his senior and his katana was not within easy reach. No matter how long he lived, no matter how much he practiced and trained, Johnathan's mortal strength and speed would never be a fair match against the attractive vampire's superior strength, agility, and speed. The vigilante fidgeted beneath Aubrey's gaze, his cheeks growing darker with color as he thought perhaps his apology had been in error. There were times where it was difficult to tell what Aubrey was thinking and was likely to drive a man mad trying to figure it out.
The mounting tension was then suddenly broken at the vampire's teasing. Although Johnathan's cheeks turned darker still at the implications of the flirtatious barb and, flustered once again, he tried to rectify what he now considered part of a mistake, "I d-did not mean to imply--I only meant that I--" Johnathan abruptly halted anything else he had to say to save himself from further embarrassment and his flustered state quickly gave way to irritation. Irritation, however, turned to amusement as the vigilante realized what had happened and a hint of a smile curved his mouth.
Only Aubrey seemed to elicit such a response in Johnathan, who could keep his cool around nearly any vampire save the one standing across from him. The vigilante shook his head and murmured, "You, Miss Beauclerc, are incorrigible."
Aubrey couldn't help but smile, a glimpse of fang peeking out from perfectly glossed lips. She hated to admit it, but Johnathan did always seem to have a positive effect on her despite the constant rejections or whatever terrible thing was happening in the world beyond that. She'd probably be hard-pressed to say it, but she respected the gifted human and that in itself was very rare for the vampire.
"You are not the first to say." She responded, amusement flickering in her blue-gray eyes. Arms finally dropped from their crossed position and the vampire turned to go, satisfied that the conversation was over and that her frustration had successfully been vented. "I look forward to our meeting in the morning." She tossed briefly over her shoulder, tone completely back to business.
The vigilante's heart did a nervous skipping of beats at the hint of fang he saw when Aubrey smiled. Johnathan, even after all these years, had yet to completely get used to the sight of fangs on a person. Especially one as attractive as Aubrey. It just did not seem wholly normal to the vigilante and there were times, such as now, that the sight of the sharpened canines made him nervous.
Despite his nerves, however, Aubrey's charm had a calming effect and Johnathan chuckled at the teasing remark and shook his head once again, "Nor do I doubt that I will not be the last to say so." As the vampire turned to go, Johnathan studied her in the brief silence that descended, noting that whatever was said during their conversation, her point had been made. In all, it seemed that Aubrey was leaving in a better, if somewhat business-like, mood.
"Rest well, Miss Beauclerc," he said politely at her departure and turned away, pulling the damaged shirt over his head. Johnathan briefly examined and sighed; It was completely ruined beyond repair through no fault of his own. He tossed the garment down beside the sleeve he'd torn up and decided a shower was in order before Johnathan went to bed.