Come into my world Who: Liev and Liliya Where: Liliya's office When: Later day, pre-sunset
He had been meaning to do this since attending the debate. Old news had been raked up, he had very nearly shifted in his seat, he laughed at Calvert and then promptly forgot what it was that had caused any measure of discomfort. That wasn’t to say anything about the actions of the previous Alpha actually made him uncomfortable; they didn’t. Irritated, yes, but anything past that was mostly accompanied with an eye-roll. Lycans were not meant to live in a world where politics was beginning to govern the actions of vampires. The separate families had always had their own politics and feuds - the most recent developments were pointless and farcical. Thoughts that Liev pushed right to the back of his head lest his arrogance allow them to be voiced. Oh, he knew Liliya Kennedy was young. He also knew she was of the Cyri os si Vyri, thus not someone he was inclined to antagonise. Especially not when recent events would suggest that the Cyri was already agitated enough.
Armed with a hip-flask of Fae A-positive, he was feeling the burn of making himself rise earlier than usual. For the love of God, the sun hadn’t even set. And he hated travelling in the rain. Why was he doing this again? Oh, right. He needed to be seen to care. Or show a modicum of responsibility. Neither were very high on Liev’s agenda, unless you included texting other pack members with thinly veiled death threats. After being directed to the appropriate office, he flashed a smile at whoever that woman was before letting the expression fall from his face as he angled himself around the doorway. “Mrs Kennedy.” See, he could be nice to the little ones as well. He was offering his hand and everything. “I am Liev Fuchs.”
To say that Liliya was having yet another awful day would have been, to her way of thinking, a grand understatement. Why did the vampires of this area have to be such trouble? If you wanted to feed, then feed in private and if there had to be a corpse then burn it. Bury it. Wrap it up in a tarp and throw it into the river with rocks weighing it down for all she cared - just get rid of the damned thing before the press got hold of it! Was it really that hard? Her Family seemed to be capable of it. The Azrael seemed to be. God knew the Styx were. Gabriels? Please, Liliya did not trust them as far as she could throw one, and they fell into the same general category as the Lycan. Only ones worse were the Blades and she would actually get down on her knees and pray to the god she did not believe in that none of them set foot where they might bring her more headaches. Oh that’s right, she thought with a trace of bitterness, stabbing the pen she had been holding into her desk hard enough for it to stick and nearly splinter the surface. They’re already here. Because you could not rely on prayers, hopes or your elders. Or anyone for that matter. Sometimes not even the members of your own - hey, not thinking about that today. cut it out.
And now she was being interrupted without so much as a warning from Ashley. Her eyes flashed before her face settled back into the polite smile that she always offered fellow vampires. Even if this one carried a lingering scent of dog. Lycan. Lovely. Is this my punishment for marrying a human or for becoming this. A mental note was made to remind Ashley why she preferred warning before someone was let into her office. Especially on the days when the news was filled with that drivel. Raising slightly she accepted his hand, not wincing despite being fully aware of the fact that he had at least as many years on her as Elizaveta, motioning at a chair as she took hers again. “What is it that I can do for you, Mr. Fuchs?”
Liev chose to remain impassive. Someone has their knickers in a twist. And for once he hadn’t actually caused that reaction outright. Still, as he sat, he couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at the pen sticking out of the desk. Stationary wedged in the furniture. That was, perhaps, a little too telling when it came to one’s state of mind, but he said nothing. There was a time and a place for passing jibes, and now was neither. “I am here as a representative, shall we say, of my family.” Let her interpret that how she saw fit, it meant very little to him. “After the debate, we--” I “--realised there is at least one issue that must be addressed. Smoothed over, if you will.” The smile he gave was nothing more than a flash of teeth. In truth, he was trying not to laugh. He was here to clarify something he knew the bare minimum about - something he actually knew nothing about because nobody had seen fit to tell him anything besides what everybody else knew. With one, almost inconsequential exception, but nevertheless. There was also the fact he could not for the unlife of him even remember the girl’s name. “Namely, the unfortunate incident regarding the death of the young girl.” Just that actually. Though if he thought of anything else, he’d be sure to tack it on the end.
Oh, right, the pen was still in the desk. Liliya’s face remained impassive as she reached out to yank it right back out of the desk. That had been a display of a lost temper that was supposed to be seen by her and her only. And now she was going to need to have Ashley put a call in for someone to fix that hole and the crack it had left. How wonderful, the pack of dogs sends it little lead to have words with me. Liliya was not inclined to give the benefit of doubt to anyone, much less someone who smelled that awkward mix of vampire and canine. That was simply unnatural. “Claire Korey,” Liliya added in. “She has a name, she was a member of this community and her death created more headaches for more people than anyone needed to have. Myself included.” Maureen had not been pleased and the revelation that there was a Lycan presence in the area had not been well received. “The best way to smooth it over would be take whichever Lycan attacked her and punish them. We’ve always been a fan of fang removal.” She tilted her head slightly to one side, tapping the now-ruined pen against the desk. “Why do I doubt that will happen?”
Making a mental note to remember that name - he’d known there was a C or a K in there somewhere - Liev just nodded. Of course she had a name. Even humans named their cattle. What of it? “Fang removal,” he repeated, his usual smile slipping into place at the idea of it. It was, quite frankly, hysterical that that should be anything but a form of torture. Punishments were meant to make a point, not leave it so you had to drink your dinner through a straw. “Because Canis Lycaon has never been that forgiving, Mrs Kennedy.” Folding his hands in his lap, he rolled his shoulders. It wasn’t intended as an obvious display of making himself more comfortable, but that was what he was doing and it had worked. “That little... debacle happened before my time,” he stated with a shrug. “The same can be said for the other pack members of Scarlet Oak.” Fingers interlaced, his hands gestured together, trying to conduct a reasonable conversation while the mind behind them struggled to find the point. This was a facade. A redirection. True, the Lycans had actually been remarkably well-behaved given their reputation, but then they had had little choice in the matter. Better that fingers be pointed in a different direction. Especially with the full moon looming. “The Alpha previously held responsible has long vacated the town and I am aware of no other Lycans in the area prior to my arrival. Whether the matter was dealt with before he left or he was the one responsible is redundant. One way or another, he will be unavailable.” He didn’t particularly want to think much deeper into the matter than that. ‘Unavailable’ was quite enough.
The way that Liliya thought, a defanged vampire was pretty much a useless one. They could still feed and continue on living, but it was pretty much a sham. Their fangs were gone. A vampire without fangs was worse than a neutered puppy. “So you say.” How was Liliya to know he was telling the truth? And if he’s not then what exactly am I supposed to do about it? He’s not a member of my family and there’s nothing I could do to him if I tried. He’s that much older than me. It was true that Liliya had dealt with problems before, but only when ordered to and only when it was sure that the one she was dealing with was actually the problem. For all she knew there was not a single thing wrong with Liev and he was telling the truth. Innately she did not believe anything that vampires from other families or houses claimed to be true, not when they had given evidence in the past of bad behavior. “And if the previous... Alpha, you said? How quaint, I’ve only ever heard the were-wolves use that term. But as I was saying; if that Alpha is gone then why do you feel the need to come here? I’ve turned out no mobs with pitchforks crying for the heads of your little pack.” Had it been a better day then Liliya would have been nicer about it. As it stood it was not a good day and she was not even slightly inclined towards her best behavior. Nor was she trying to be rude, just... straight-forward.
Yes, so I say. “So I was told.” It took all of Liev’s will-power not to smirk outright. She had not an ounce of proof that he was telling the truth and had no real way of getting it short of employing a psychic. Even if she thought he was lying, what was she going to do? Tell him off? Really. He almost sympathised with her. “I am sure you have not already forgotten it is a common turn of phrase for humans also.” A cheap shot, perhaps, and it could have been done a little better, but the lunar cycle held her sway over his temper and his fuse was growing shorter. Honestly, Liev did not care how old she was past knowing that if she attacked him, he was placing all bets on himself winning. Everybody started somewhere. “You’ve considered it, though.” Said as a joke, in the knowledge it was probably true. That or some other variant that was likely rather more brutal. Or simply efficient. He’d put money on the latter - she didn’t seem the type to go with frills unless she was indulging. “Because as much as I dislike politics and saw no need for the disclosure of our existence to the livestock, I have a certain level of responsibility and will not risk any of mine paying the price for the actions of one fool of a Lycan who could not keep their blood off the forensic evidence. A headache I am sure we could have all done without.” He probably should have sought out something angelic before attempting this conversation, but he wasn’t convinced it would have made a difference. Liev, as a rule, did not justify himself. Least of all to the children of the Cyri who let themselves get so irate they crushed their crayons into the desk.
“Oh, no, I’ve never associated the term with humans, even when I was one. You’ll forgive me for only seeing it going along with wolves and their kind.” For animals, basically. To associate it with humans was to put them alongside the beasts. Even now Liliya would not do that because, despite being a vampire and therefore above humans, humans at least had a superiority to animals going. “And yes, I have. Or rather my superiors have considered and discussed it with me and it was decided that it was not the best course of action.” Liliya would never do anything like that without the approval of her superiors. They may have put her in charge of this area but she was simply not old enough to be in charge of so much without someone holding the reins, so to speak. “Yes, well, that was what happened and while you came after the fact I was here during and had to deal with a mess. I hope for everyone’s sake that you and your... pack will indeed be better behaved.” A tight smile and Liliya brought the nearby glass up to her lips, staining them the deeper red that showed what she was drinking. Common hospitality said she should offer to Liev, but... if this vein continued she doubted he would stay long. Maureen would not approve of her behavior.
Water off a duck’s back. An insult rendered useless because the second time around she had missed out the part that he felt was offensive and continued along the vein that she considered an insult. Liev had no problem with being associated with wolves. They were, for want of a better term, the symbol of Canis Lycaon and had been since the family had been founded. What the Lycans found insulting was the weres choosing to take the creature as their totem. Naturally, that association had to be put down. A flash of fangs, and he almost grinned outright at the fact that not only had he been right, but that the previous Lycan resident (or residents... it was unlikely he would ever actually know) had made that much of an impact. He caught himself, however, face freezing in a smile that fully admitting he found the idea entertaining. “So nice of them to think of us,” he answered, unfazed. Were this woman Odette, she would probably be throwing a full tantrum now. Or sulking in bed. Both images, when applied to the vampire in front of him, were utterly hilarious. His clasped hands gave a small shrug at her apparent hopes - she would have loved nothing more than an excuse to get rid of them all - before reaching into his pocket. “They will be.” With the cap off his hip flask, he raised it in a silent cheers and emptied it into his mouth. May you choke on your next mouthful, you uptight bitch. Swallowing, he paused. “Questions, comments?”
Was it not rather impossible to not think of a part of the vampire community that had gone and nearly upended the work she was doing? All Liliya wanted was for all of them to learn how to hide the bodies if they insisted on killing. Not that hard. They were known now and being none came with consequences and risks the older vampires likely did not appreciate since they had never needed to live with them before. Some adapted, some did not. Liliya only had to worry about the ones unable to adapt who were in her area and became a nuisance. “Good.” Fae-blood, she could smell it from here. Ah but of course, it was still light outside and if he was going to be out in that he needed the blood to keep from growing weak. Liliya had never been a big fan of that sort of blood. Unless it was mixed with angelic. “My main question is still why did you feel the need to come see me when clearly we’re not seeking you out? Is there something you need help with? A situation you cannot handle...?” Liev was not of her Family but he was a vampire who currently lived in the area she was supposed to look after. None of her elders would appreciate hearing that she had turned any vampire away without at least that offer.
“Not at all. I simply do not like loose ends.” An easy enough answer. There were not something Liev could abide in life and he would not begin to tolerate them now. Of course, he was of the opinion that the werewolf involved was also a loose end, but that was not information he was willing to impart here and now. Sliding the hip flask back into his pocket, he shrugged one shoulder. He was done here. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Kennedy.” An outright lie, if only because it still was not yet dark and meeting anybody during the daylight hours was a chore. Rising, he still offered his hand, though whether she accepted it was immaterial. “It has been... educational.” It was always good to know when one of the other families had been considering trying to wipe you out. He sincerely hoped that was not the reason it was imperative Scarlet Oak have an Alpha. Liev did not want to parlay with stuck up vampires who wanted to be mankind’s new best friend. “I trust I have not taken too much time out of your busy schedule.” It was even said with a straight face. He prided himself on his poker-face, but he would gladly keep her talking for much, much longer just to get under her skin. His pride was not affected by her insults, but that didn’t mean he was fully willing to let it slide, either.
A pleasure? As though Liliya could bring herself to believe that that was true for a moment. Liev had likely gotten no more enjoyment out of this than she had. Maybe a touch less because there had been a flicker of amusement as she allowed herself to remember how displeased her own elders had been at the knowledge of a potentially rogue Lycan. Who is now gone. A relief and a disappointment all at the same time. The young vampire gave her best smile, even allowing her fangs to show, and opened her planner. “And don’t worry about my busy schedule, I had a free hour or so and it was a refreshing change from the other problems I have to deal with. Enjoy your evening, Mr. Fuchs... and do be careful tomorrow.” It was an off-hand remark tossed in as her eyes went down to the various scribblings in her own handwriting and Ashley’s. “I heard there’s a werewolf hunter in town and you know these humans, they can’t tell the difference between you and them.”