My Little Ventrue Pt. 03 Ch. 10

"I'll have to take your word on that, Madam Turio. The past fifty years left little in the way of exposure to media."

"... did you hide in a hole the whole duration of your secrecy, Burksen?"

"Mostly. I realized Devil's Corner was usually ignored by Kindred, and the tunnels beneath it. So I hung out there a lot, but even then, I mostly stuck to the shadows."

The elder nodded. "And that is where much of my concern lies. You were chosen by Lucas before such hardships, when you were a young kine, devoted and... moved, by the enthusiasm Lucas carried."

"... enthusiasm is an understatement, Elder. Lucas had the royal power of Ventrue and the suave wit of Daeva." He winced as he looked down and let the memories come back. Easier to keep them buried and not think about it, but Maria didn't seem to share that sentiment.

"He was also a tyrant."

Again he winced, and not subtly either. Maria caught it, tilted her head to the side with his obvious discomfort, and waited.

"Yes, he was," he said after a few far-too-long minutes of silence. "I... regret that I did not see it in him, when he chose me, embraced me. Perhaps I could have done something to change him. But..."

"But?"

"I was just an ideological child when he embraced me. And before I could learn the reality, the purge began. We had to disappear into the tunnels, far into the depths, into tunnels only he knew about. Before I could learn what sort of man he really was, he went into torpor, to sleep until... better times."

Through it all, Maria didn't stop playing. "He trusted you with his life, Burksen. I remember, before Antoinette began the purge, before your embrace, Lucas told me about you. A bright young pupil, and loyal, and eager to read the full Testament of Longinus."

"All too loyal. Yes, I was fascinated with the views found in the abridgment, and I devoured the full testament. I was... so eager, to join the Sanctified. So eager to serve God, to... please the Archbishop, and serve his goals."

"Gaining the loyalty of the young is a common tactic of dictators, tyrants, and war mongers." At last the elder stopped playing, tapped her chin a few times, and started playing once again. Started innocently enough, somber and slow, but soon her left hand was playing a complicated arrangement, while her right hand was a blur of notes, flighty, almost whimsical, before it descended into heavy steps spiraling downward without losing speed. And then back up again. Good god it was like watching a spider dance along the keys.

"How... how long did that take to learn to play?"

"Days, but then, I was practicing the piano since 1823, Damien Burksen. Chopin, and this piece, Fantaisie Impromptu, is... precious. The Archbishop first introduced me to the power of Frédéric Chopin. He..." She spoke without missing a single note, and there were a lot of notes. "It might interest you to know, that Archbishop is not a title Lucas earned."

"It wasn't?" Damien came in closer, and put a hand on the piano's body as he watched the ghost woman play, if it could be called playing. To play at that speed and without pause while she talked, the ghost woman may as well have merged with the piano and considered it a part of her. "I... I knew he called himself Archbishop, as did the other bishops. And even the Prince called him that."

"He became the most powerful bishop in the city within days of his arrival. And soon after, nearby smaller cities recognized his power. He took the title Archbishop to recognize his position, a title normally saved for a Sanctified Prince."

"... arrogant of him."

Maria smiled at him. "I enjoyed his bravado. I enjoyed his confidence, his wit and intelligence. He enjoyed mine."

Damien's hand fell from the piano, and he looked away. In all the chaos, past and present, it was easy to forget Maria and Lucas were romantic with each other. Easy to not realize this wasn't just about her getting to know him, but him meeting the love of the man, the tyrant, he'd planned to serve faithfully.

"It... is a shame," he said, "that... that everything... fell apart. That... the Prince and Daniel had to kill him." One word, one name, and the man responsible for Lucas's death would be a dead man. He could feel the J on his lips. Just say the kid's name, and the boy's death would be certain. He got into your skull, made you kill your fellow Kindred, made you cut off your sire's head.

No. He wasn't that much of an idiot. And he didn't lie to Jack either. He hoped.

"How familiar are you with the Testament of Longinus, Damien Burksen?"

"Quite familiar, Madam Turio. The Malediction, the Torments, the Rule of Golgotha, the Sanguinaria, and Book of Eschaton. I have read them all... hundreds of times. I still have the extended edition that Lucas owned, with thousands of interpretations of passages by various Archbishops." Not that any of their interpretations had ever truly helped him find meaning in the book. The passages themselves carried weight, but... tainted, colored by Lucas's words. He had work to do, to undo that damage.

After a few minutes of music, she stopped playing and got up. He took a step back; didn't mean to or try to, but he couldn't help it. Having a near three-hundred-year-old vampire who looked like a ghost walking within a few feet of you was not something he was used to. She frowned at his mistake, and he forced himself to step back in toward her.

"And you feel comfortable teaching the word of Longinus?"

"... does any bishop feel comfortable teaching it?"

Maria smirked at him. "True enough, Burksen." Trying to interpret the journey of Longinus was difficult. Trying to interpret the rules more difficult. Trying to interpret the prophecies into valuable wisdom nigh impossible. "If you become a bishop, and the Prince allows it, your job will be twofold. You will have to teach the Testament of Longinus to those who will listen, and that will be far more difficult without Tony's old lair and its... unnatural influence. But even more importantly Burksen, you will be a keeper and chronicler of history. What Garry has not yet managed to destroy, what I managed to salvage, you will maintain."

Oh. He'd expected this meeting to be about his ability to teach the Testament of Longinus, not about becoming a chronicler. That was actually kind of uplifting.

"I have more faith in my abilities to manage books and—"

"It's 2017, Burksen." A frown followed, but not a harsh one. She almost seemed amused. "You won't be living inside books by candlelight anymore. You will have to get used to managing a combination of the old and the new." She stopped by some laptops sitting on a table, plugged in.

Electricity in such a Gothic setting; offensive, or at least that's how Lucas would have felt about it. Old fashioned to a fault. Damien never held Lucas's distaste for technology, but at the same time, the explosion of commercial computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, much of it had slipped by him.

God he wished he could be back in his tower, watching the city with his telescope.

"I think I can handle that," he said. Maybe he could ask Natasha for help.

Natasha. He still had to visit her, without Jack in the way. Still had to apologize. That was going to be painful.

"Good. The digital era has brought with it a means for our kind to save our records in ways it could not before. But the digital world abandoned the soul of things, so you will have to hold the objects of the past in high regard as well. Preserve the soul with ways of old, and preserve the knowledge with ways of new." She gestured to the paintings, the drapes, the various artifacts that sat around on many of the tables. Old knives, old books, crosses, swords and staves, chalices, shrines of gold, and carvings of skulls made of metal.

"Am... am I to understand that... you'll be my goto in this pursuit, Madam Turio?"

"With all the bishops dead, Lucas dead, and the remnants of the Lancea et Sanctum in tatters here in Dolareido, do you have a better idea?"

"... no, I don't."

"Do you have an issue with me as your... partner, in this endeavor, Burksen?"

"No ma'am."

"Good." She moved on, scarred fingers tracing along the tables she walked past before her journey took her toward the massive drapes that hung from the walls, and the enormous pictures weaved into them. "Have you encountered any of the Begotten or Uratha in the city, Burksen?"

Interesting direction to take the conversation. What was she driving at?

"I have not, Madam Turio."

"Come now Burksen, understand that since we've been aware of your existence, all the covenants are keeping an eye on you in some fashion or another. The Invictus know you've talked with Fiona Young."

Damn.

"I... thought it best to leave Fiona out of this. She's young, and naive."

"Hmmm. Maybe. That may change and change drastically once she talks with Azamel, as she no doubt will."

"I wonder how that conversation will go," he said.

"As do I."

"You... you wish I accompany Fiona, when she goes to meet Azamel."

"Smart man." Maria walked to the other side of the table, and smirked at him as she started to rummage through some more electronics on the table, tablets and such. "You're not Invictus, so this is not an order. This is a partnership. I provide you with resources, both of the Second Estate's property and the First Estate's funds, while you provide me with information. Since... since Natasha Vola's departure, I have lost a rather talented set of eyes and ears."

The delightful links between Maria and Damian continued to show themselves. Their love for a psychopath, and their connection to Natasha.

"I'm afraid I can't replace Natasha as a right hand of the Invictus."

"No, you can't. But some information goes a long way, Burksen. Keep an eye and ear open for me, and I will support your role as bishop. To the Prince, as well." After digging through a small shelf of what sounded like an array of tablets, she pulled out a smartphone and tossed it his way. "Here's your new phone number. Do we have a deal?"

"... deal."

"I have no doubt you will also run into the Uratha at some point. Take care with Avery, Damien Burksen. She may not have Simon leading her this time, but last time... Be careful, she is all too willing get physical. Stay out of the Devil's Corner tunnels, for now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That went much better than he thought possible. First encounter with Maria Turio, and she seemed to like him, maybe even trust him a little.

Being called Burksen twenty times in a conversation was not fun though. Invictus and their obsession with last names grated on him, but it was a small price to pay for her support. If it could be called that. Contractual obligation? He was going to be Maria's new eyes and ears. God, if only she knew about Jack.

He started the walk back to his normal hideout; knew the shortest route, and he slipped into the old subway tunnels as easily as kine breathed. The metal door still a ways down the tunnel, he stopped as he heard the knock knock of knuckles against it, and the clop of boots against the tunnel's concrete base.

"Fiona?"

"Damian! Been looking for ye. Wanted some help in the tunnels down 'ere, under Devil's Corner."

Of course, where Maria didn't want him going. "You sure, Fiona? The Uratha have given orders to Kindred to stay out of there."

"Aye well, I'm nae Uratha, and you're a sneaky, fast fucker, aye?" She hopped over to him, beamed up at him, and put her hands together in front of her, complete with squishing her breasts together with her biceps. Very blatant I-need-your-help-and-aren't-I-hot tactic. Made him chuckle.

"I'm serious Fiona."

"Me too. There werewolves might be hunting me; I'm needing to clear my name."

"Clear your name?"

"Aye! The werewolves are hunting for something in a place I frequent. And with the spiderwebs and the disappearances—one of which is nae my doing! There's something going on Damien, and I'm wanting to investigate."

"I... I don't think it's a good idea, Fiona. Better to just stay out of sight for a while, and—"

"I have to ken what's going on, Damien. How come werewolves hunting me? I haven't done anything that'd make them want to hurt me, I think?"

"For all we know, the—"

"Na na no!" She started turning around in spot, stomping her feet and waving her arms. "We have to go to the tunnels beneath Devil's Corner! The answer is there, it has to be!"

"... don't you contain some very ancient monster entity inside you?" You're acting like a child. Best to not say that out loud to the ancient monster acting like a child.

"Aye, I do, so ye better nae say na to me. And... and that might have something to do with what the wolves want with me. If it's me! So I'm going down to the tunnels to see what's going."

"You haven't been down there as of late?"

"Nae since we saw Jack, since he said Kindred were investigating those tunnels. Then when I heard about the Uratha hunting something, I... something's going on. We're gonnae find out what. And besides, ye owe me for not killing ye when ye invaded my lair!"

Shit. This was a dumb idea. Very very dumb idea.

But the girl was giving him obviously manipulative, pouty lips and breast squishing and swishing her shoulders from side to side; it was too adorable. And she really was liable to get herself killed if he didn't help her. Girl was strong in her dream world, but in the real world, her tricks were nothing he couldn't handle. And if he could, the Uratha could.

Damn it, it was too easy to like her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shouldn't be doing this. Shouldn't be doing this. Shouldn't be doing this. Your new boss specifically told you to not do this. And yet he was doing it.

Not your boss. Partner. Hard to think of it as a partnership considering how the conversation with Maria had gone down; elders never engaged in conversations with younger Kindred unless they could control it. He was the submissive in that conversation, because had to be. Didn't like it, but it was kind of nice talking to a Kindred old enough to be in charge, to be powerful enough to handle their affairs without the Prince bullying them.

Focus. You're in tunnels the whole damn city is up in arms about, pay attention.

Fiona was walking, or marching like a toy in the Nutcracker play. Every so often she smiled at him, kicked her feet out as she walked, bounced a few times, and got ahead a few steps. There were far less lights in this part of the tunnels, but it was enough to see by. Which was enough for Fiona to feel comfortable goofing around, apparently. Girl could see in total blackness if his first encounter with her was any indication.

"You're awfully comfortable," he whispered.

"Aye. Spend a lot of time in the dark." She shrugged at him, hooked her hands in her jean pockets, and started walking backward. Not easy to do with every step a potential for tripping on the tracks, but she managed. "I came to Dolareido cause my online friends said my home town was dull, boring. And they were right, compared to Dolareido anyway."

"Your friends live in Dolareido?"

"Aye. There's Zoe and Jen and Chloe. Right trio of sluts they are. But then Dolareido seems to bring that out in folk doesn't it? Everybody 'ere seems ferr comfy getting high and fucking in parked cars or clubs or the back of theaters."

Yes, yes they did, much as he disliked it. Not God's path for the kine; but then, if you considered the weight of a sin, fucking around always ranked pretty low on his list compared to theft or murder.

"The Prince and the others created this city to be a prime feeding ground for Kindred, among other things. So, vices like sex or drug abuse are ignored, and sometimes encouraged. The police are pretty tough on major crimes like murder, but people getting high on whatever drug, and fucking in each other in whatever place? The police ignore them. And they're easy marks for a hungry Kindred." And, he had to admit, he'd had his fair share of meals from such circumstances. Course he used the opportunity to try and guide them toward the church, a little scare here, a bible there.

"Beatrice tells me yer Lancea et Sanctum group dinnae like sex?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "The rules of God are for kine, not the Kindred. If I wanted to, I could indulge in every sin and not violate the beliefs of my order, as long as I encouraged the humans to look for faith in God."

"Strange beliefs."

"Yes, they are. And... after Lucas died, I question them more and more every day." Undoing brainwashing was a painful process. Ticks, habits, views ingrained into his very subconscious that he had to question. "I sometimes wonder if I understand my religion at all. Lucas's views about many things were beyond strict."

"Strict? So nae sex for ye?"

"Not with kine—humans, no."

"Ah, that's a shame." She got in closer and started walking normally again, but not without the occasional nudge of her shoulder against his arm. Flirtatious, this girl. At least in human form. "Beatrice told me humans really get off on being sucked. Like, cum their brains out if ye touch them during the Kiss."

"I... wouldn't know."

"Nae with humans na. How about with Kindred?"

"No."

"... at all?"

"... no."

"Haven't ye been a vampire for fifty years?" She raised a brow at him, like it was the most absurd thing in the world that he hadn't had sex. "And ye were alive a good while before that. Nae even a quick lay then?"

"... no. When I was human, it was a... weird time in my life. Then I was a fugitive and forced to hide for fifty years. Sex never came up."

"That is buggered. Are ye still gonnae follow those super strict beliefs?"

He sighed and pulled some of the hair out of his eyes. Still wearing the half-shaved head look, front to back, so half of his head had black hair down to his shoulder.

"I... think it is time for a change. If I'm going to be in charge of the Lancea et Sanctum in this city, I can't ignore how much the world has changed in fifty years, and how wrong Lucas was about many things. And the Prince has bred this city to be different from others; I can't deny her approach has led to less violence than other cities."

Fiona burst into laughter and punched him in the arm. "Ye won't be celibate anymore?"

"I was never voluntarily celibate, Fiona. It just... never came up."

Again, more laughter, and another punch in his arm. "In my home town, my neighborhood, folk are kind of prudish. Just a wee bit. But 'ere, I've been 'ere one year and I've seen folk fucking in public places or in the window, almost every week! The folk in this town are so loose! Shameless!"

"Yes, Lucas felt he had much work to do, and that work evaporated in the fifty years he slept." And Damien didn't feel like that was a bad thing anymore. Not necessarily good either. God, every day for him was frustrating without a simple guide, simple direction to follow. The pains of being forced to use his brain and think about things. Ugh.

"Well if ye'r looking to expand yer boundaries, I do suggest ye get laid. In fact, from what Triss says about the Kiss, you could go to a club's back room, and just swim in sex!"

"... you are a demon," he said. Half serious, half kidding, but Fiona didn't seem offended at all.

"I was a bit prudish, before Vrall and I become one. I can see memories drifting, hazy images, folk in groups, naked, touching and fucking and smoking herbs and drinking strange liquids. Folk that... worshiped me."

"Wait... what?"

"Aye! Strange isn't it? But I can definitely remember it. I can remember the jungle, the heat and sweat, the moans. I can remember folk locking legs in front of me and spilling juices. I can remember Vrall, eight legs and all, being bathed in sex."

Well, he could see how someone could be attracted to Vrall. She was a monster, but a lot of her monster figure was an accented form of human curves.