Ava Katherine Carlisle (littlestangel) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-06-29 22:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-06, ava |
Who: Alejandro and Ava
When: Shortly before dawn
Where: Ava's condo
Alejandro sat in the apartment complex hallway, on the floor against the wall beside the door, feeling very out of place and uncomfortable and annoyed. But this was where the elder said that creepy little girl-vampire Ava lived, so this was where he was waiting. He just hoped she showed up soon, because sitting here was getting old, fast.
He'd had a good night-- or maybe a really, really bad night-- and he was comfortably full, maybe a little overly full, and there was still a bit of dried blood in his dark, curly hair that he hadn't noticed yet to clean out. At least he'd changed his clothes. Hell, he needed new clothes, now... the old ones had gone straight into the "to be burned" pile.
Ava had been in Los Angeles, doing readings with the cast of her newest film. Shooting was scheduled to start soon; Ava wasn't needed more than intermittently on set at first, so she'd made arrangements to stay in Scarlet Oak and fly out only when necessary. She could, after all, get there before any commercial flight. She'd made it back to Michigan around two in the morning, but had been distracted by news of the vampire and zombie film - starring real vampires. She'd been so irritated that she'd gone out immediately for a bite to eat, draining the victim and dumping the corpse in the river as she flew overhead.
It was with her temper only mildly appeased that she returned home just before dawn - a temper which immediately spiked when she saw someone sitting beside her apartment door. She should've gone in through the goddamn window. As she approached, she realized that she recognized the person who'd somehow found her address. "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed as she approached, snatching her keys out of her pocket. Her wings were still out, Ava preferring to be naked and in the shower when she did it as to minimize stained clothing and carpet, and the shimmery, pale gold feathers that gave her already cherubic features an even more angelic cast were in direct contrast to the menace in her eyes.
Considering she looked that pissed, and he knew what she was, Alejandro wasn't thinking angelic right now. He scrambled to his feet, half-nervous and half-irritated. He really didn't want to be here, asking her for help, but the older vampires sure weren't going to. And she had all but offered, before, anyway.
"Looking for you, what does it look like," he hissed right back. Since there was no other reason he'd be here, after all. As if broke guys like him belonged in a building this fancy.
"Have you never heard of a telephone?" Ava asked him, glaring. Arriving this close to dawn all but put her under direct obligation to offer him shelter for the day, and Ava was a woman who very dearly valued her privacy. "How did you find my address? I don't exactly hand it around like candy." She sniffed slightly, frowning. "And you have blood in your hair. For God's sake, are you trying to have me evicted? It isn't all supernaturals in this building, you know. Humans take offense to that." Not that she cared, if it wasn't her condo that was in question.
Alejandro gritted his teeth before he answered. "The local Hashmallin," he answered grudgingly. "That-- hunter gave me her number when he found out I was a runaway from my sire." That hunter had also told him that the Hashmallin had told him how to find Alejandro. They kept closer tabs on their Fallen than Alejandro liked to think about.
"She had your address, and she didn't give me a phone number. All right? So here I am. You're the one who was going on and on about accepting the family's help, so here I am." He spread his hands helplessly but with an unhappy, fanged sneer. No point in hiding his fangs from her.
Ava restrained a snarl at his answer, resolving to make it clear to the Family that she preferred future uninvited contact by telephone or email. "Come inside, then," she said, only slightly gracelessly, unlocking the front door and stepping inside to hold the door open - only a little impatiently. "I'm not doing this standing about in the hallway where any nosy bastard could watch." She bared her teeth right back at him, fangs both delicate and dangerous-looking in her young face. "And I would caution you to offer more respect; you're in my home and it would be a shame to have to throw you out a window. Glass repair is expensive these days."
Respect wasn't something Alejandro was good at. Especially not when every instinct he had and some he didn't have said he should be tearing her to pieces. But he shoved his hands into his pockets, forced his mouth shut, and slumped inside quickly, letting her close the door behind him. Maybe he could just make this a quick in-and-out kind of thing.
While not exactly respectful, it wasn't outright disrespectful, and so Ava didn't press the issue. He'd learn eventually, or someone higher up the food chain than she was would rip out his throat. It didn't bother her overmuch one way or the other. Leading the way into her living room, she seated herself on the divan that matched her favorite armchair, wings hanging over the back. She couldn't use a regular chair until she'd put her wings away, of course. "Now," she said, hands folded primly as she watched him steadily. "Why do you need my help, Alejandro?"
He stayed standing, not wanting to make this take any longer than it had to, and certainly not wanting to look like he was comfortable here. "Is there... is there a way for vampires to not feel so-- cold?" he asked awkwardly. "I remember the one who-- made me like this-- say something about it, but-- I wasn't paying a lot of attention at the time." The last came out in a mumble, and he looked away. He hadn't paid a lot of attention to anything Maria Starr had said, all he'd paid attention to was the chance to get away.
Ava's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything. Like perhaps calling him an idiot for coming all the way to her to ask a question any vampire could have answered. But there was perhaps some part of her that was still soft that stilled her tongue - and because he'd had a point, she had urged him to seek assistance from his house. She just hadn't realized he'd choose her. "Fire elementals," she answered after a moment of consideration. "You did not spend much time with your sire, did you? As little as possible, I'd wager." Considering his hatred of vampires, it was a more than logical conclusion. "How much of what you are now do you know?"
"I left as soon as I had a chance," Alejandro admitted, glowering out the window. "I know the stupid hierarchy and the names. I know what I can do. I know what I have to do so I don't starve, and so I don't get found out. That's about it." He finally glanced over at her. "So.... Fire elementals?"
"Oh, for..." Ava sighed. "You're such a child, honestly. Alejandro," she said, meeting his eyes directly, "if you wanted to kill yourself, there are faster ways than remaining ignorant of all but the basic aspects of your kind." She stood and moved to the kitchen as she spoke, the pass-through ensuring she would be able to continue conversation. "You've got to stop straddling the line between what you were and what you are," she continued, pulling a bag from her refrigerator, which she then punctured and poured into two mugs, sticking both in the microwave to heat. It wasn't the way she typically preferred to heat her blood, preferring either live donation or a slower heat on the stove, but it would do for the taste she was providing. "You're not doing yourself any good trying to live with one foot in the light. All you're going to do is get burned." The microwave beeped and she removed both mugs, returning to the living room. Handing one mug to him, she kept the other for herself and took a sip, feeling warmth begin to slide through her. "Fire elementals. You won't feel human, but you'll feel warmer than our kind usually do."
"What I was, was someone who killed people like you," Alejandro half-growled. Then he corrected in a mutter, "Like us." He'd only been this way for two months, now; he still wasn't used to it, and he definitely still hated it. Though he'd never admit it, not to her, he'd been both angry at and terrified of his maker, and he'd fled in fear since he'd had no hope of overpowering and killing her. He stared unhappily into the mug he'd accepted, half of him wanting to toss it away in disgust, though he didn't. He didn't drink yet, either, though. "Every little bit helps, I suppose, even if it's not... the same."
"And now you're on the other side of the stake," Ava replied calmly. "Quite ironic, I suppose, but we adapt to our circumstances as they come." She softened slightly, but not much. "I ran away from my sire, too," she told him. "More than once. But the most important thing you can learn is that you cannot be resistant to change, not with as long an existence as you're likely to have. Things change so quickly even in a human lifetime - add what is essentially eternity to that and you'll very quickly find yourself at a disadvantage if you try to hold on to the past." She nodded once at his mug. "I suggest you drink before it gets cold. You'd hate it, and it's never as good when it's twice-reheated."
Alejandro winced at the witticism, "other side of the stake". That was less ironic and more cutting, to him, someone who really didn't like being where he was and had admittedly had mixed feelings about where he used to be. "Try telling me that again when it's been a couple years instead of a couple months," he muttered, wondering privately if even then he'd still hate this or if he could ever actually not hate this, and after giving his mug one more distrustful look, took a tentative sip.
And oh, god, it was wonderful. The warmth really was immediate, he felt it going down, and he stared at the mug again, this time with less disgust and more surprise. It wasn't much, no, but... it was there, and obvious, and he needed more of this. He took another sip, this one more like a gulp.
"I wonder how much difference it would make, as set as you are now," Ava commented. She let it drop a moment later, however, because he'd finally taken a drink and she could see the enjoyment on his face, the change between the first sip and the next. That enjoyment, that was something she could work with. That was something that could be trained into him for other aspects of being a vampire, provided one introduced him to the experiences in controlled situations - situations where he would enjoy himself. Enough of those would make the occasional situation he might find distasteful more bearable, when compared to all the benefits of being what he was.
Ava wasn't sure when she'd decided to take him on as a project, but she had. Though not exactly high up in their chain of command, she was at least higher - much higher and much more experienced compared to him, and she could be a very good friend when she was of a mind to be. She sipped at her own mug, heeding her advice to consume it before it grew too cold, and enjoyed the warmth. She didn't chase it as he obviously did, but she didn't turn it down if offered, either. "I take it you've had very little experience with supernatural blood," she said casually, conversationally.
If any vampire was going to take him on as a project, she was probably the best one. She even had a bit of an in. If Alejandro had a soft spot for anything, it was children-- it honestly hurt his brain to try and reconcile the child with the vampire, so thus far he really hadn't, simply leaving her in an unconsidered singular category somewhere in the back of his mind. He looked back up at her, quite as if he'd forgotten she was there, and finally dropped down onto a chair with a soft thump. "Uh. No, not-- not really. Not like this." Compared to a few minutes ago, he actually felt warm. He didn't know if it'd be enough to fool Jovie, but at this point he didn't care. "If I ever did, it wasn't this, and I didn't know it."
"With most supernaturals," Ava said, "you'd know if you'd had any. With very few exceptions, effects can be noticed instantly. It usually lasts for a few hours, as well, so you'll want to be careful before choosing a donor. Some supernatural blood can have slightly... uncomfortable effects." She paused for a moment, then leaned forward slightly as if to emphasize her words. She was nothing if not conscious of the effect body language could have on the subconscious. "Alejandro," she began, meeting his eyes squarely as she cradled her mug between two hands, the container seeming the more oversized for the contrast, "I'd like offer you my assistance, be a mentor of sorts for a little while. I think having a teacher, if only for the basics, would do a lot towards helping you find some peace in your situation." She held up a hand as if to forestall any argument from him. "How much peace you find is entirely up to you and your willingness to be open to new experiences. But you're a potential danger to yourself and others with the bits and pieces you know now, and I'd like to help you avoid any uncomfortable pitfalls you may run into along the way." She wasn't an actress for nothing; sincerity practically radiated from her pores as she spoke.
The first thought that came to mind-- that he deserved any uncomfortable pitfalls he might come across, and then some-- went unspoken as he eyed her warily. Sincerity or not, she was a vampire, and a few minutes ago she'd been snapping at him. It was only that sincerity, and her childlike appearance, that even had him halfway consider the offer, rather than walk out the door right now-- taking the mug of blood with him, of course.
And he could hardly believe that. That he might consider anything a vampire had to offer him. "Why?" he asked after a long pause. "You got not interest in me. No reason to have interest in me. Vampires don't do things like that out of the goodness of their hearts."
"I have an interest in vampires keeping themselves in relatively good graces with the media," Ava said, shrugging. "I have an interest in keeping Scarlet Oak as quiet a place to live as possible. And despite your attempts to insult me at every turn, I seem to be developing an interest in keeping you alive, if not content." She sipped the last of her blood, setting the mug aside. "Vampires aren't all evil, soulless creatures, you know," she pointed out. "They run the gamut from sinner to saint, just like humans. Like wereanimals. Like everyone, regardless of species. You do me and yourself a disservice by attempting to pigeonhole us."
An interest in keeping him alive, if not content. That baffled him, and he stared at her a little, frowning. Then, stirring himself to at least have some more of that marvelous fire elemental blood, he took a few more sips while he thought, hard. "What would this... this teaching, or whatever you have in mind, even be like?" he asked slowly. He wasn't even going to address her problem with evil; he knew perfectly well he was evil, even if she didn't. The fact that he had blood in his hair, still, was another sign that pointed to it.
"It's just lessons, Alejandro," Ava said with a tiny laugh, one that ended up surprisingly childlike - she knew just how disarming her appearance could be, and she used it to good effect. "You need knowledge, I can provide it. I promise, we won't be performing Satanic rituals on tiny puppies or small children." Her tastes ran towards grown men, anyway, and Satanism was an absolute crock practiced by those who wanted what she already had. "Relax."
Alejandro made a face at her, fairly effectively disarmed, at least for a moment, by that laugh. "I always sucked in school," he warned her. Though the fact that he never stayed in one very long might've had something to do with it. "Just so you're not surprised, and anything." Which sounded a lot like he was agreeing. Dammit. "So what do I do? Come over here and you teach me stuff? How often?" Because he did kind of have plans....
"I'm not grading you," Ava said dryly. "I believe you might find a bit more interest in this material, as it directly pertains to your life. More so than calculus, very much more." She shrugged, a little surprised she'd apparently convinced him so easily. "First we'll determine what knowledge you do have and just go from there. It will be very casual, I assure you. Perhaps we'll even take field trips," she teased slightly, winking. "But for now," she said, standing and glancing out the window with a sigh, "I think you'd perhaps better finish your drink; you are welcome to stay here for the day - it may be a little too late for you to comfortably travel."
Glancing at the window, himself, Alejandro made a face. "I'll make it," he said. "It's not far, and I've got a car and all. With nice, shaded windows." It didn't keep the sun out, but it helped. And he still didn't really trust her enough to sleep in the same apartment as she did. Just wasn't gonna happen. He did down the last of his glass, though, pausing to sigh as it went down with a burn almost like good alcohol. "I gotta get me more of this shit," he muttered, looking in disappointment at the bottom of the mug.
"Employ a blood hunter," Ava said lightly, expression casual for all that she was watching him for reaction. "He'll find you appropriate donors - for a fee, of course, but it's quite worth it to have your favorites on hand. I'd advise waiting a bit until you've had a chance to sample other varieties; you'll be able to place an order for several types at once instead of constantly calling the hunter to update your wishes." She stood, gathering her mug and holding out a hand to take his as well. "Perhaps that will be our next lesson. I'll let you know if you're to come hungry." She smiled. "Do you have a card? You may leave it on the table by the door. If not, you'll find a pen and pad in the drawer; please leave me your number or email address so I don't have to go hunting you down." Which wouldn't take long, but why go to the effort if it wasn't necessary? "You'll find my card in a holder on the table as well. I typically prefer email, though I am generally available by telephone."
The blood hunter comment got her an incredulous stare. So, in fact, did the rest of it. "You... realize I'm living in a run-down, one-bedroom, rented house, my car is almost as old as I am, and I'm dead broke, right? I can't afford a damn hunter, and I definitely don't have a card. Or an email address, now that you mention it." He did write his phone number down on the back of one of her cards, though. And... well, he might wind up putting himself in debt to get the damn hunter. At least this time. He needed enough to last him through Jovie. And maybe that other girl, too. V-something. Hell.
"Well, then," Ava said, "we'll just have to get creative, won't we? I'm sure a solution can be found." She expertly concealed the faint surge of irritation when he used one of her cards to leave his contact information, apparently disdaining the pad of paper she'd clearly mentioned in the drawer. Mentally she added lessons in comportment and etiquette to the supernatural and wondered if she should make up a lesson plan. Financial planning was necessary, of a certainty. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up making minimum wage with no savings or safety net for the rest of eternity. She nearly shuddered at the thought. "For now," she said, "return home. I will contact you shortly, and we will move forward from there."
That sounded so... ugh. Superior. Alejandro managed not to growl at her, though, but it was a near thing. He did glower a little, but to his own surprise, he managed a grudging, "Thank you." Then, lest she think he was thanking her for the attitude, he gestured to the empty mug. "For that. It's... it was great."
"You're quite welcome," Ava said, setting both mugs down on the table as she joined him at the door. She pulled it open, waiting with all the polite gentility that was very nearly a command in and of itself for him to make his exit. "Drive safely," she wished him.