InsaneJournal

Who: Ava and the local Hashmallin (NPC)
When: Around 2 am the morning of 6/19
Where: The Hashmallin's place in Chicago


Despite what she'd told Gareth, Ava didn't plan on giving the vampire and his human friend twenty-four hours - not when it put her at risk of punishment if the Family found out, or if they already knew. She was, however, fairly confident that the authorities above her would be content to let her handle things in her own way for now. With that in mind, she headed for Chicago after following the human home and memorizing his address.

The Hashmallin had a lovely residence in the city, and it took less than an hour for Ava to reach it by wing, using the speed boost that came to all Gabriel House vampires. She landed outside the front door and took a moment to smooth her hair and clothes, wings folded neatly against her back. Satisfied she was presentable, she stepped forward and knocked.

It was one of Hashmallin Seth's servants, younger Fallen who he'd corralled into service through one favor or another, who came to the door when she knocked. The fellow was in his 40s, at least, and he made a face when he found Ava on the other side. He'd had politeness drilled into him by now-- or, rather, beaten into him-- though, so he smoothed it out with effort. "Miss Carlisle. Come in. Seth's in the back." Which meant he was in the garden, as Ava would have known by now. "I can take you...." Or, the unspoken words hoped, she could show herself in.

If he hadn't made a face, Ava would likely have been content to show herself in. But as the Fallen apparently had some issue with her, he wasn't going to get off that easily. She granted him a sweet smile that gave no indication of sarcasm or how much she was enjoying putting a cramp in his night. "Please do," she said as she stepped in, looking positively... well, angelic. "How very kind of you to offer."

The sigh the Fallen made was small and almost unnoticeable-- almost, but not quite. "Right this way, miss Carlisle." He shut the door behind her and turned away to lead her through the house, towards the sliding glass doors in the back, through witch the garden was clearly visible, along with the Hashmallin.

The local Hashmallin, a stately gentleman named Seth, was one of those who nearly always had his wings out when he was home. His were a very dark brown, matching the color of his skin, and made of bare flesh, like bat's wings. He was a big man, with tattoos and scars all up and down his arms-- which were always bared by sleeveless shirts and robes, as if to show them off-- and looked like he'd have been happier to stay in the Ophanim class. He currently sat in a wicker lawn chair, wings half-spread so he didn't sit on a tine, with a slew of paperwork spread out before him on a matching wicker table.

When the sliding doors opened, he looked up, blinked, and put on a smile. "Good evening, Ava."

Because she was feeling rather mischievous, Ava's sweet smile turned even more little-girl-charming, and she pranced forward a few steps to slide her tiny hand into the Fallen's grip. Then it tightened with an iron strength to prevent escape as she skipped along beside him. It would take a skilled man to have any dignity around Ava when she turned her talents to making it otherwise, and she didn't think he was quite up to the challenge.

She let him go just as the doors opened, releasing his hand with a little pat and a wide, innocent-eyed look. "You're such a darling," she said, sugar positively dripping from her tone. She straightened herself out a little when she was greeted by the Hashmallin, retaining only a touch of the innocent little-girl charm she could employ with such effective results. "Seth," she said warmly, hints of mischief still glinting in her eyes. "It is a lovely evening. You are well?"

By the time they'd reached the sliding doors, the poor Fallen was tense with his teeth clenched and a tightness to his face that said he was trying hard not to scowl. Seth, seeing his expression, gave Ava a dry look. "I am well enough for someone who has nothing but paperwork to do." He glanced again at the stiff back of his retreating Fallen servant, and added, "Are you tormenting my staff again?"

"Tormenting is such a strong word," Ava said with a lighthearted little giggle and a tiny curtsy. "Teasing, perhaps. It wouldn't be half as fun if he didn't make it so easy. But he'll learn. Or be perpetually irritated for the rest of his existence, I suppose." With as many years as they potentially had before them, he'd need to be able to find his amusements somewhere, or else might as well dry up and die.

"Paperwork," she murmured as she took a few skipping steps forward - though she didn't help herself to a seat. It would be rude for her to be left standing, but he was a superior and as such was accorded respect Ava didn't often show to others. "It would seem my timing is fortuitous, then, as I come bearing a minor distraction." She paired her words with a particularly winning smile, turning her wide-eyed, long-lashed gaze on him steadily.

Motioning absently for her to sit in the other wicker chair across from the table, Seth eyed said paperwork with displeasure. "A distraction would be welcome." He set one slightly messy stack on top of another, so that it obscured what he was working on and turned his full attention on Ava, folding his big hands in his lap and drawing his wings in a little. "What have you to tell me?"

"A new Fallen," Ava said, taking the seat as it was offered. Her wings flared out for a moment, providing balance as she boosted herself into the chair, legs dangling a solid distance above the floor. She hated that. She also hated the way he hid what he was working on, but it was a lesser annoyance, one brought on by her stifled curiosity rather than a century of loathing her immortal body. "I haven't yet spoken with him directly; I ran into his human companion outside Heme earlier this evening." Her lips twitched as she stifled a tiny laugh. "He was looking for someone to answer questions about winged vampires. Particularly, how one might retract the wings if one found them... stuck." She still didn't know how one managed to call out the wings on pure accident and then not be able to put them away, but it nevertheless was an amusing conundrum to ponder. "They know nothing of the Family; it seems the sire was killed shortly thereafter."

Seth made a disgusted face, guessing what "the sire died shortly after" probably meant. "Please tell me they didn't kill his own sire before he could give them any instruction...." It hadn't yet occurred to him that said sire simply abandoned them and had to be tracked down to be killed.

"His sire turned him out of spite and apparently left him on his own," Ava informed Seth, looking irritated in her own right and simultaneously sympathetic to the Hashmallin. She didn't have to say it; there were relatively few things that could piss off a vampire, and really only one type of attitude that would lead one to the conclusion that vampirism was punishment more than gift.

"He didn't say, obviously, but my guess is hunters. So now, predictably, they're moping around like it's the end of the world, crying about how he didn't want to be a vampire, then nearly biting my head off when I suggest killing him. Honestly, what is it about humans that keep them complaining about things that make them unhappy but refusing to do anything about it?" They didn't see her complaining about looking like an eternal six year old - of course she hated it, but complaining wouldn't magically enable her to grow up. So she worked around it - and frequently used it to her advantage.

"Complaining is a very human trait," Seth shrugged, mind obviously working, if slowly. He didn't really have the kind of mind for being a bureaucrat, but training and experience helped make up for it. "You get used to it, and learn to ignore it until they realize you don't care and keep it to themselves. Leaving his offspring alone to fend for himself with no instruction is frowned upon, and I have a feeling this sire deserved it. The situation must be rectified, however." He gave Ava a pointed look which, as she had guessed, meant it was her job, since she found them.

Ava favored him with a particularly charming smile. "It would be my pleasure to assist our new Fallen," she told Seth, pleased he hadn't come right out and demanded she do so. She got to look positively philanthropic, even though they both knew it would likely have come back to her, and she didn't even have to ask if she could have the baby vampire as a plaything. "He's young, only barely older than a month unless I miss my guess, and very resistant to the lifestyle if his human companion is to be believed without exaggeration. I took the liberty of giving him my card and offering aid, though they're obviously going to be very hesitant to call. Which is why I followed the human home." She hesitated, looking up at Seth from beneath thick lashes. "Might I suggest sending Ezra out as a gesture of goodwill?" They likely couldn't afford him, from what she'd seen, and she'd planned on doing so once the matter had been given into her hands, but it was only polite to engage in at least the formality of a discussion - and to keep Seth apprised of her plans. "I'd be happy to call and make them an appointment, of course."

"It's customary to send the local hunter around to new Fallen in his area," Seth nodded, looking amused by her attempt at looking girly at him. "I would have sent him, anyway, and I'm sure Ezra can work out some kind of payment plan with them even if they do decide to use his services." Which, quite honestly, Seth doubted. Hunters, if they truly were hunters, could generally handle getting their own meals, and weren't as picky about blood types.

He looked a bit more serious, then, as he added, "Hunters who killed one of their own sires is one thing, a revenge-killing which we will see no reason to punish. The sire brought the problem upon himself. However, hunters who have more reason to hate vampires because one of them became one is another matter, entirely. Do you think there is any potential danger from them? Are they likely to turn that hatred outward again any time soon?"

Ava pursed her lips in thought for a moment, wings shifting slightly as she lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "It's too soon for me to answer with any confidence," she said finally, girlish charm dropped to show the keenly analytic mind that lurked behind the act. "Right now, the human - and the new Fallen, I'd imagine - are far too concerned with adjusting to the change, gnashing their teeth at the cruelty of the world, and bemoaning destiny to truly consider taking up the hunt. They're quite determined to avoid any and all vampires; likely they've been on the move since he was turned."

She thought a little while longer. "It's possible that may change in the future, when or if the Fallen becomes accustomed to his new abilities, despite the education I plan to give him in our rules. If, however, the House were to be careful in how it presented itself to him, he could possibly become a useful tool. In the right hands, of course." A smile flickered across her face, there and gone before it could be truly registered. "The Ophanim, perhaps."

"I would imagine they must keep moving, or we'd have found out about them by now," Seth agreed, seeming to bow to her reasoning even though he was the superior in rank. Her mind was still keener than his, and he knew it. He considered her words, then nodded. "A hunter could be a useful tool, but the will to serve must be there, as well, and that time may be a long way away. I know you have other duties to attend to, as well, so we will certainly be sending someone else into the area to help keep an eye on them, as much as possible, just to make sure they do not turn too violent on their own kind."

"Or the proper leverage, at the very least," Ava murmured. "I hope to be able to guide him into trusting the Family, but that of course hinges on the assumption that I can get him to trust me." Though she wasn't overly concerned; for now, at least, she had things the other vampire needed. The trick was to keep it that way - or at least long enough to be effective. She straightened slightly and nodded. "Of course," she agreed, in reference to the assistance. "I think there may be a very real flight risk with this pair, should we move too quickly. Additional eyes would be most welcome." She gave him her girlish smile again. "You are, as always, very wise." Playful without being disrespectful, tinged with genuine liking. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and slid it over to him. "Their address; I'll make certain to update the information as I come across it, of course."

Inclining his head and waving a hand in a mock-bow for the compliment, Seth smirked, then took the paper with more seriousness and examined the address with a nod. "Very good, thank you. I will have eyes on them by morning at the earliest, tomorrow evening at the latest. You won't see them, and it will be safer for all involved that you do not look for them." He considered a moment, tapping his cheek with the folded paper. "The hunter in the area is a witch, is he not? Speak with him and see if he has any tracking spells he can put on those two, just in case they do try to flee. His salary should cover any costs he has associated with such a spell."

"Blood witch, yes," Ava said, mildly surprised. "I hadn't thought of that, thank you. I'll be contacting him this morning, I think; he'll be able to make any preparations he needs and still be able to work within my ideal timeline." She nodded once, cementing plans in her mental agenda, and arched an eyebrow at Seth. "That is all on my part, I believe," she said. "Is there anything else you require, or shall I begin preparations and keep you updated?"

"Well, I suppose that would be all," Seth shrugged, though there was a suggestion of a smile on his face and a hint of fang, too, as one brow came up. "Unless I could persuade you to stay for a drink. Your plans don't need to be put in motion immediately, do they?"

"Not for several hours, no," Ava said, pausing just as she'd been about to slide from the chair. She settled back with a fanged smile of her own. "It has been rather thirsty work this evening," she added with a hint of playfulness.

"Then I'll bring something out." Seth started to get up, himself, to fetch them drinks, his wings flicking closed over his back. He didn't have his servants do everything for him, after all. "Any requests? I have a variety of types, though not much exotic besides angelic blood."

"Oh, whatever you're having will be delightful, I'm sure," Ava said airily, watching him. It was a mild disappointment that he wasn't going to call back the Fallen so she could tease him a bit more, but she certainly couldn't fault the man for wanting to do something for himself. It was why she limited her staff to a once-weekly cleaning service and a personal assistant.

"Coming right up," Seth chuckled, and headed inside to get them some glasses. Even if she was very small, Ava had a mind he could at least appreciate, and made decent conversation. And when you'd been dead a few hundred years, now, good conversation was what made life worth living.