[ SCARY MOD ] (scarymod) wrote in thisdarknight, @ 2016-07-03 15:52:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !locale: french quarter, adam fenn, antoine savoy [npc] |
god love all your sentimental virtue
Who: Antoine Savoy [NPC] & Adam Fenn.
What: Antoine offers some explanations to Adam following his Embrace.
Where: The Bourbon Orleans.
When: A day or two after this thread.
Warnings: None.
Progress: Gdoc, complete.
Antoine sat at an antique writing desk, going over paperwork. He was seated in his office, situated to one side from his private suite at the top of his hotel. Though the room was of a more petite size, he made good use of the space; a wide window was open to the night air, letting in the fragrance of jasmine planted in a windowbox. Bookshelves lined one wall perpendicular to the desk, and a loveseat ran across the other side of the room.
Ornate rugs covered the hardwood of the floor. All of this luxury seemed to match the man who had selected it all; among all this, he was dressed casually in a well-fitted grey suit over a white button up shirt, the two buttons near his throat left undone. For all intents and purposes, he merely looked like a businessman burning the midnight oil, a touch of gray at his temples, and nothing more.
He didn't glance up from the building maintenace papers he was reading carefully when a knock sounded at the door. Instead, he merely told whomever was on the other side -- and he was quite aware of who that was -- to enter in the same tone he used in most instances. He looked up once Adam pushed the door open, poking his head inside.
A friendly smile spread across Antoine's face. "Adam. Please, take a seat."
Adam slipped into the room and shut the door gently behind him. He shuffled softly across to the offered seat, chewing his lip as he looked around the lavish surroundings. The taste of blood still lingered in his mouth; not for the first time, he wondered if it would ever go away. He distracted himself from this by focusing on small details: the spines of the books on the shelves, the texture of the walls, the scent of the warm night air.
He sat, rubbing his palms over his jean-clad thighs. He looked up to Antoine, expectant, unsure of what to say.
The elder man seemed unsurprised at Adam's silence. He had returned the paper in his hand to its brethren on the table before him.
"Have your friends left?" Having made calls and inquiries beforehand, he knew very well that they had, but there were other types of information that could not be gleaned through spycraft.
Adam latched onto the question like a lifeline. It was a place to start, if nothing else. "Yeah. They had a good time, but you know. Things to get back to. I made some excuses. They think I have a job interview." His smile was weak, a twist at the corner of his mouth. "I... " He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Why me?"
Antoine nodded, glad to pierce directly to the meat of the issue. He leaned back in his chair, hands folded in his lap.
"Equal parts fate and dumb luck," he answered, his voice dryly honest. "I need someone to help me, and...you were the best candidate for the position. You chose to visit New Orleans at a very...delicate time for Kindred. There's a power struggle, a void that seeks to be filled, and I realized it was time for me to take a childe of my own if I am to not only retain what I have built, but see it flourish."
"And you think I can help you do that." Adam shook his head. "I sorry, but I just don't get it. I'm nobody. I don't know anyone here, or anything but what you've told me about… Kindred." He stumbled over the word, still unused to its feel in his mouth. A week earlier vampires were glittering creatures in teen movies or moping nihilists in period pieces. His was a frame of reference Adam found hard to shake. He shifted in his seat. "If this is such a difficult time, shouldn't you have someone…" He made a vague gesture. "Knowledgeable? Resourceful? Useful?"
Antoine's serious expression was broken by a melancholy smile. "You are useful in your own way, Adam. When I told you that you reminded me of myself, I was not lying. And that is precisely why you were the perfect choice: someone untainted by everything that has happened here, unknowing and innocent."
He leaned forward in his chair, elbows settling on the desk. "I will teach you and guide you, and in return, you will be able to go further than you thought possible. Decades, perhaps eons, of time are now yours for the taking, and with that, thousands of possibilities.
"I know that, for now, it would seem that I have placed a selfish burden on you," he said. "Believe me when I say I turned this subject over in my mind for a very long time. It was not a decision that I made lightly; bringing someone into this world is never something that should be done on a whim. But the very things that you think yourself unfit for this role are what I believe will help you to excel."
Adam's face was shadowed with uncertainty. The nebulous discomfort he had felt since the moment he had felt that hand on his shoulder, those teeth in his throat, seemed a sensation that would never dissipate. His fingers worried at the outer seam of his jeans.
"I hope you're right," he said. "I want to help where I can. But I feel like I'm walking through a minefield. I can't plan decades ahead when I'm trying to just get through the night. Even just… feeding... feels weird. What if I hurt someone? What happens if I get caught?" He laughed, a hollow sound. "What do I tell my family?"
"I don't expect you to take to this life overnight, Adam," Antoine said. "That will take time. You must be patient.
"For now, tell your family what you told your friends. A job opportunity. They would not deprive you the chance to advance your career and your person. In a way, it's not a lie. It's simply not the whole truth."
He rose from his chair, moving to the side of the desk and leaning on it. One hand stood on the tips of its fingers as though to steady himself. "As for the rest -- feeding, understanding what you are, the differences between you and the kine -- it will come with experience. If these things frighten you, embrace that fear; it is what will keep you alive."
He paused, considering Adam for a moment. None of his thoughts were clear on his face, despite the edges of a sorrow that seemed to etch itself into his eyes and mouth. "It is something I hope that you can help me with, to be perfectly honest. This life can drain you, turn you far away from what we all started as -- to keep your humanity is something all Kindred struggle with. I have felt mine slipping away, and I do not wish to become what others have."
A deep furrow creased Adam's brow. So much of what his elder said set him at greater ease, but there was one thing that nagged at him. He sat in silence, absorbing what he had been told, hoping the fear would pass. It did not. He feared the asking, but he feared not knowing what he faced, and what he was meant to guard his sire against, all the more.
"What… what have others become?"
"Not so much a transformation as they are a shadow of their former selves. They are so removed from kine and revert so far into the Beast that they are the monsters kine would describe us as in their stories." He moved to settle against the front of the desk, arms crossed loosely over his middle. Adam frowned, worry writing itself into the shallow creases at the corners of his eyes.
"You, simply by your presence, and your perspective, will help me stay close to what is important. There are others here who would make something else of New Orleans and those who live in it, things that are purely for their self interest."
Slowly, Adam nodded. His frown dissipated. "All right," he said. "I can get behind that." Anxiety still waited close by, ready to pounce at the first unwanted answer. For now, though, Adam kept it at bay. "So what do you expect me to do? I feel kind of aimless right now. I feel like something real to do… something tangible, I don't know… would keep my mind off some of this. Maybe help me feel like I'm doing some good."
Antoine nodded. "I think to start you should familiarize yourself with the French Quarter. This is, for lack of a better term, my kingdom, and your home for the foreseeable future. Do not stray beyond Canal Street or Esplanade Ave, or you'll be venturing into the territories of others, and I would have you remain in one piece for as long as possible.
"And as uncomfortable as it is, practice feeding. With more experience, I think you'll find that the act can be rather pleasurable."
Stolen blood brought a flush to Adam's cheeks. The memory of his own first Kiss was still damningly clear in his mind; in his own feedings since he had experienced some measure of those same sensations, though they had been quickly and easily subsumed by his overwhelming uncertainty. He was not averse to learning how to feel otherwise, but moving past that lack of confidence was proving harder than he had expected.
"Okay. Canal and Esplanade. I'll take a look around." He tipped his chin toward the bookshelves behind Antoine. "So, any of those have anything that might be helpful to me? I like reading a little before turning in for the night. Uh, morning." He smiled sheepishly. "Got anything I could borrow?"
"Of course." Antoine pushed off of the desk and moved toward the bookcase. "I have several volumes on a variety of subjects that would certainly help to shed a little light." He motioned for Adam to come toward the bookcase, and started pulling down a few of the texts. The younger man moved to join him, peering over his shoulder to the shelves beyond. "For calming kine and meditation on stopping yourself from taking too much, you'll find Carlos Skinner to be invaluable. And some reading on disciplines would also be a good topic to venture into -- Lucretia Rosenberg is a good starting point."
He stacked the books in his hands, turning to look at Adam. "I must ask you to keep these in your rooms and not take them when you go out -- most kine will believe them fiction, but in the wrong hands, some would use them against us."
Nodding, Adam held out his hands, taking the books from Antoine as gingerly as if they were spun glass. Some of them looked old enough to be so delicate. He ran his thumbs along the spine of one, feeling old cloth and smooth, embossed letters.
"I'll bring them back as soon as I'm done," Adam said. "I may have questions when I do. Is that all right, or is there someone else I should talk to?" He chuckled. "I'd hate to wear out my welcome."
Antoine's smile was bright, and he clasped a hand to Adam's shoulder. "I would prefer it if you came to me with any questions. Never feel that you are interrupting me; you'll find that I'm quite busy, and rarely an hour passes that I can have to myself, but I will always make time to answer your questions or hear about any problems you have. You're my childe, Adam, and that is a responsibility I take seriously." His hand dropped to his side.
Adam's expression and posture visibly relaxed. "Thank you," he said, sincerely.
"Is there anything else? Would you like someone sent to your room, or perhaps another bag of vitae?"
Again he blushed, though more faintly this time. The thought of taking the easy way out was immediately appealing, but for numerous reasons Adam knew it would be the wrong choice. "No, thanks. I should probably get out and try doing this on my own. But if it doesn't go well, I'll come see you."
Antoine nodded. "If you can't find me here, dial 0 on your phone and tell the operator to connect you to my personal phone. You may get a ghoul, but it should reach me eventually except in only the most dire of circumstances."
The notion of a ghoul still struck Adam as strange; even having met one, it was yet another bizarre new reality to which he had to grow accustomed. But he only nodded, pulling the stack of books close to his chest, and thanked his sire once more. Then he excused himself, slipping out into the hall, toward the hunt that waited beyond.