InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Breathe Pond."

Jason Schuyler (pomme_de_sang) wrote in whoville,
@ 2009-07-07 15:24:00

Entry tags:

bornaslave, pomme_de_sang

Lucian
Jason was used to the various scents in New New York by now. The cats still sometimes made his nose itch because it was just the WRONG cat scent, so far as he was concerned, but he didn't notice it any more.

So when he came across a new scent, it made him pause, trying to figure out what it was that caught his attention. He thought it might be a were. Maybe.

Glancing up at the sky, Jason started following the scent, doing his best to come up from downwind of the new person. That way, if it seemed more than he could handle, he might be able to get a headstart and run before there was trouble. At the end of the day, though, he couldn't control the wind, which shifted just as he caught sight of the new arrival. So he pulled himself up to his rather unimpressive full height and started forward. No reason to hide now.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

	pomme_de_sang 2009-07-08 12:20 pm UTC (link)
	Jason nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of a weird balancing act because they know about us but still don't particularly like us. Some are more dangerous than others, but weres have some protection under the law. Same with vampires in my world, though there are only two countries currently where they're considered people." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 12:28 pm UTC (link)
	"That... sounds positively insane," Lucian noted, but he didn't sound disapproving in the slightest. It was everything he believed in, after all, and he had often been called insane for it, if not worse. "How do they not hunt you down? You and the vampyres?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pomme_de_sang
2009-07-08 12:43 pm UTC (link)

"Rule of law, mostly. Killing a vampire without a writ is considered murder and only a few people are even licensed to carry out writs. Same with weres, really."

He sat back, looking at the sky. "Which isn't to say that it's perfect. There are still some states that have vermin laws in place that make it legal to kill someone if you can prove they're a were of some sort. And even in places without those laws, it's hard to be out as a were. You can lose your job and be ostracized by your neighborhood. That sort of thing."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bornaslave
2009-07-08 12:47 pm UTC (link)

"Humans have never needed new reasons to ostracise people," Lucian reflected, perhaps too harshly, but he'd lived a long life and learned a few lessons. "Nor have any other species I've met." Lycans and vampyres alike. He pushed the thoughts away; as always, everything came back to Sonja, and as always, thinking of her brought pain and loneliness. "You mentioned other were species?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pomme_de_sang
2009-07-08 12:52 pm UTC (link)

Jason nodded, quite fine with being the one doing all the talking for the moment. "Yeah. Some have a larger number of members than others, but just in St. Louis, we have werewolves, wereleopards, wererats, weresnakes, werefoxes, werebears -- that one's just kind of fun to say -- and werehyenas. There are a few other types outside of the city, like weretigers and swanmanes. I'm not sure swanmanes count, traditionally, since it's an inherited form of shapeshifting, but they're out there."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 12:59 pm UTC (link)
	"Swan... manes," Lucian repeated, absolutely believing Jason and absolutely boggled by the notion. "Right. Your world is... Well it sounds like quite something." Wererats? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	pomme_de_sang 2009-07-08 01:02 pm UTC (link)
	"The one I've met is actually kind of pretty. His hair's slowly turning into feathers." The worst part was that he was absolutely serious about it, too. To the rest of it, he shrugged. "It's home, if nothing else. And working for Jean-Claude means I have a lot more leeway with being out." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 01:06 pm UTC (link)
	"Jean-Claude is the vampyre," Lucian checked, pronouncing the name like someone who could speak French. And Jason was working for him. Based on Lucian's experience, he had to ask, even though it might offend the werewolf. "Are you his slave?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pomme_de_sang
2009-07-08 01:27 pm UTC (link)

Jason frowned, looking disgusted for a moment before he sighed. "Well, at least you asked and didn't just assume." He'd been getting a lot of that, after all. "No, I'm not a slave. Servant, if you need a word. I'm paid for what I do and if I wanted to, I could go and there would be no problems between us. Or I could leave his service and still keep my public job working for him, also without issue."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bornaslave
2009-07-08 01:32 pm UTC (link)

Far too much information Lucian could not interpret without asking more questions, but at least it was clear that Jason was no slave.

Or that this Jean-Claude had made sure Jason thought he was free, Lucian's paranoid streak whispered to him, but he was not one to pass judgment on that. He did not know any of the parties in question, nor their world.

"You are his servant and you work for him publicly?" That was what he had the most trouble with.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	pomme_de_sang 2009-07-08 01:39 pm UTC (link)
	Jason blinked at him owlishly. "Yeah. I work at one of the clubs that he owns." The rest of it might be a bit difficult to explain. "I take it things aren't so good in your world?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 01:43 pm UTC (link)
	Lucian leaned his head back against the tree, taking a deep, thoughtful breath. "I don't know if they are much worse. We were on the brink of change, I hope, when I came here." Unless Viktor managed to overcome Mickael and Selene, but Lucian had to believe he hadn't. That none could. That the couple would shine brightly as they led the way to a new era. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	pomme_de_sang 2009-07-08 01:47 pm UTC (link)
	Jason frowned, tilting his head. "Tell me more about it?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bornaslave
2009-07-08 01:52 pm UTC (link)

Lucian frowned as he straightened his head to look at Jason. "For centuries, war has raged on between Lycans and Vampyres. We used to be their slaves, and we rebelled. Since then, peace has never had a chance. Recently, however, great discoveries were made, and a Vampyre-Lycan hybrid was created. I am hoping this will serve as a signal for change." Not just of his revenge over Viktor, but of a better future for both species.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	pomme_de_sang 2009-07-08 01:55 pm UTC (link)
	Jason raised an eyebrow. "Really different worlds," he said after a moment. "There's no way to create a hybrid in my world. Vampires can't be infected with the shapeshifter strains and women shifters can't take a baby to term." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 02:01 pm UTC (link)
	"It's not..." Lucian started, waving that possibility away with a hand, heart tight with loss, still, after so many centuries. The loss of a child he was not even sure could have been born. "It was not that easy. The strains normally kill their host when they are forced into the same body. That one man was special." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	pomme_de_sang 2009-07-08 02:06 pm UTC (link)
	"Huh." Jason looked up at the tree himself. "Luckily it doesn't work like that for us. Weres can't be vampires, nor vice versa." Well, they could, but Jason didn't know about that. "It's part of the reason a lot of vampires prefer weres to feed from. It's less dangerous for the donor and requires less blood as well." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 02:18 pm UTC (link)
	"You willingly feed them," Lucian drew the easy conclusion. "It's a bad idea, where I come from. Any Lycan would die from a Vampyre bite." Unless the blood of Corvinus flowed in their veins, of course. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pomme_de_sang
2009-07-08 02:29 pm UTC (link)

Jason's brow furrowed at that. "I willingly feed Jean-Claude," he amended. "Others only if it's an emergency. I'm pomme de sang." He didn't say it like someone who knew how to speak French, but close. He'd been saying it for years, after all. "It means I willingly donate blood, deal with things during the day time. I play bodyguard at times. In exchange, I have a place to sleep and the protection afforded because of his position as Master of the City."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 02:33 pm UTC (link)
	"Jean-Claude is master of a coven?" That was the closest equivalent he could think of to Master of the City. It did not sound anywhere near as powerful as being a Vampyre Elder. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pomme_de_sang
2009-07-08 02:53 pm UTC (link)

He frowned, the furrows deepening. "Not entirely certain what you mean by 'coven'. He is the one in control of the vampires in St. Louis, though. They owe him allegiance and it's his duty to deal with those vampires who violate the laws." He paused. "Well, technically it's the human law that is supposed to deal with them, but Jean-Claude's a good four hundred years old. He has a very feudal viewpoint on it."

He paused. "I should warn you about this before nightfall. In my world, some vampires have the power to call an animal to them. Useful in times of conflict, sure, and in finding a safe way to feed. Asher can't, but Jean-Claude can. And his animal to call is the wolf. He'll probably want to meet you because of that, but I know when he wakes so there's unlikely to be a reason for him to do so."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bornaslave
2009-07-08 03:04 pm UTC (link)

This last piece of information sent a cold shiver down Lucian's spine. The apprehension sent all of what Jason might call his alpha traits to the fore, instinct after having once been enslaved and centuries of authority over Lycans taking over.

"No one calls me to their side," he stated, and it sounded like truth when he said it, no matter that it was much like the reaction of a petulant child refusing to do something. He realised it, which annoyed him, and he stood up abruptly, faster than a human could, taking a few steps and toying with the idea of letting the wolf come to the fore. "Do you think it's probable that he could call me? I am not of your world."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pomme_de_sang
2009-07-08 03:16 pm UTC (link)

It was a fight not to duck his head and submit when Lucian's alpha traits came to the fore. The only thing that kept him from doing it, actually, was the fact that it didn't FEEL like an alpha's power and he wasn't certain he wanted to allow Lucian dominance over him. Especially if Jean-Claude might be in danger because of it.

"I don't know," he offered, pushing himself to his feet. He could have done it about as quickly as Lucian. He didn't, though. "Alphas tend to be able to shrug it off if they want to. Powerful alphas can keep their entire packs from feeling it. Jean-Claude has close ties to my pack back home, so it's never been a problem. But he also wouldn't force you to, even if he could. That's not the kind of person he is."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bornaslave 2009-07-08 03:27 pm UTC (link)
	"Alphas?" Lucian asked, turning back to Jason. "Like in animal packs?" He would see what kind of person Jean-Claude was on his own. He had known more vampyres that deserved his hate than his love, but those had been from his world. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	pomme_de_sang 2009-07-08 03:33 pm UTC (link)
	That was easier, at least. "Yeah. In a lot of ways, it's protection. People we can be with where we don't have to hide so much. A group we can hunt with. Protection for those members who aren't strong enough to defend themselves." He shrugged. "It can get a bit ugly at times, honestly." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)