TEDDY BYRNE

For what must have been close to an hour, Gabe had been pushing his way through the crowd, occasionally bumping into familiar or unfamiliar faces. He didn't mean to stray from his mission, he was just easily distracted. And the urge to find Teddy always remained. That's why he stayed, despite his body starting to feel heavy from the day's trip, and his brain feeling overwhelmed by lack of sleep and an overload of input from the party. Not to mention that Rubicund wasn't exactly his favourite place to be.

"...oh, is it now?" His detective, Teddy thought as he smiled to himself. The pride he felt for his boyfriend's accomplishment was difficult to measure. He knew exactly how hard Gabriel had worked for this. The long hours, the sleepless nights spent memorizing case files, the sacrifices...everything it had taken to finally earn that title. So, what reason was there not to be, really?

Daphne pressed her lips together, wanting to say more but knowing that doing so would be unwise. Teddy was a man of few words, but each of those words counted. If it happened to causally come up in her next conversation with Elijah, that would be a total coincidence. "Probably much different than this one." She smiled, leaning over to stick her head out the window. "This is much taller than the one I went on as a kid. Much brighter too. Thankfully not as dangerous as the Mickey death wheel in Disneyland." Had Teddy ever been to Disneyland? The idea of him with mouse ears on was ridiculous. "It's amazing!"

"..the Mickey death wheel?" Teddy echoed with a frown, "Since when does that mouse have capacity for murder?" As far as he could recall, the cartoon had always seemed quite happy. Harmless, really. But she must have meant something else. Right. Teddy cleared his throat, diverting his gaze to the view ahead for a moment. "I-i'll..tell the people who set this up that you liked it. I'm..sure they'll apreciate it."

By your side | Gabe & Teddy

Someone had mentioned it to him in passing. Words about a familiar face, with pale, frekled skin and beautiful red hair navigating the crowded floor of the Rubicund in search of him. At first, Teddy had taken it for a cruel mistaking. An illusion, perhaps someone who resembled him, but Aretha knew better than to lie. Not to Teddy. Not when it came to Gabriel. And if it were true...why? God, why was he here? That was not part of the plan. Had something happened? Was he okay? Up in one of the balconies, the Rosu's gaze scanned the ocean of bodies with steady focus until his eye caught on something entirely out of place.

She assumed that he was talking about the collar that he took from her rather than himself. For all the time that she'd known him, Teddy had been nothing but a gentleman to her. He was one of the reasons she felt safe around vampires. He might not see it in himself, but to her, he was kind and considerate and heroic. The witch bit her lip, failing at stifling a laugh at his impression of Elijah. "That certainly sounds like him. Sorry if he gave you a hard time. I'll have a talk with him." Elijah's worry came from a genuinely good place, and she adored him for being the one to worry about her although there were others far more deserving of his concern than she.

"..don't. It's fine." After what had been done to Daphne, Elijah's concern was not misplaced. What bothered Teddy the most is that it had happened here, under his supposed watch..but he'd long taken care of the issue, so... "I don't remember, but probably. I remember the circus fair we had a couple of years back. They had one there." His cool, sturdy fingers squeezed her hand gently before he, too, took a seat inside the gondola. It was a little unsteady, and loud, but Teddy had no trouble getting comfortable, turning his eyes toward the witch the minute it started moving. "..good?"

She couldn't mention the G-word. It would have been a sweet romantic moment to have Teddy and Gabe together on the Ferris wheel, but she wasn't going to be the one to remind him of his lost love. Instead Daphne vowed to make the most of this opportunity. "Didn't think you wanted to be stuck with me and no escape for half an hour is all." She shrugged, trying to play it off. Still she was utterly giddy for the opportunity. She was going to see the world from above. She could already imagine the lights from the party below glowing like millions of stars. "Elijah always has a lot to say. I think that is why he became a professor. He is excellent at lectures." Besides what the coven head didn't know wouldn't hurt Teddy or Daphne. With a grin, she took his arm, staring up at the soft glow of neon.

A wry smile tugged at the corner of Teddy’s mouth at her first comment. "..you're great company, Daph. You should be more worried about yourself." He was the no feelings guy. The one who'd politely refused any attempts at personal talk, concerning the one subject, at least. Besides, she was the charming one. Not him. "As for Elijah, that makes sense. 'I teach art history, plenty of drama there to draw inspiration from.'" Byrne chuckled, making the best Elijah impression he could manage. "His words, not mine. But yeah, I do have respect for him. He..showed me that he cares a lot about you." Shame about his sons, huh?

"One last attempt to hold onto that humanity of yours, hm? Drinking from a glass when you are among a seas of willing bodies?" Leon glanced around the room as he spoke, judging and almost pitying the vampire's choice. Regardless of reason, it felt so against nature for the vampire, that he couldn't help but comment on it. "Or is that some aspect of the agreement made with Artemis? Yes, I heard we granted them a seat. Sounds a lot like we caved, Teddy... Like we lost, don't you agree?"

Christ. Of course Leon would notice something like that and use it against him. "Nah, I just don't like feeding in the company of those I don't fully trust." It was meant as banter, of course. He did trust Leon. At least with the business side of things. Teddy took a slow sip, letting the blood coat his tongue before leaning back. He would have apologised to the volunteers: he just didn't feel like it..or much, for that matter. The Artemis subject was already enough to deal with. Lost. Had they now? "I've yet to receive an apology for what they did to the building and our people...so much for peace." Byrne let his blue eyes roll back as he scoffed, "..yeah. It kinda does."

"Really?" She looked at him with a childlike wonder at the fact that not only was he willing to help her get onto the Ferris wheel but also that he wanted to go with her. She had assumed that Teddy was above such things as the Ferris wheel, but she was certainly glad to be proven wrong. "I would love to, but only if it wouldn't be an inconvenience. I know that you are head of security. I don't want to get in the way of your duties." Although she realized that she already had given that he was giving her his sol attention away from the crowded areas.

"..yes, why not?" Why did she look so surprised? Teddy blinked, wondering if this was too out of character for him or whether Daphne was simply excited not to miss out on the ferris wheel after all. He shook his head, deciding for the latter in his head, and extended an arm for her. "You wouldn't be an inconvenience, Daphne. It's ..what, half hour? We've got eyes everywhere and not a thing goes on in these private rooms that I shouldn't know about already." That last thing was a lie, but well..he could imagine what was going on. Offering a small nod toward the towering structure, Byrne waited for her to take the lead. "..you, on the other hand, will have to tell Elijah about this. If it's anything like the last time I came to pick you up, I get the impression he'll have lots to say." he smirked.

Every time she saw Teddy, it seemed as if he had the world on his shoulders. It was the rare smiles when he was with Gabe that gave her hope that things would get better for him, but now Gabe was gone and with him, it seemed he took some of Teddy's happiness. Thus Daphne held the man tight, hoping that she might relieve some of his burden despite the duties he had this night. "It's a great party. I've never seen people light up this way- both figuratively and metaphorically. Your clan did something amazing." She shot him a shy smile before looking at the neon wheel illuminating the night. "It's beautiful. Unfortunately the line is way too long. Did you get a chance to go on it yet?"

Teddy offered an appreciative nod, taking the compliments as though he was speaking on behalf of the clan. In truth, he'd had little to do with the organization of it all. His responsibility lay elsewhere, after all. Security. Hopefully that would hold. Clearing his throat as they parted from the hug, the brit followed her gaze to the ferris wheel and arched an eyebrow. "..me? No." Byrne paused there, thinking for a moment. "Would you like to try it with me? No queues." Being Vicente's progeny came with plenty of perks, after all.

No matter how many times he told her, Daphne still chose to believe in the good in people. Teddy was a vampire. He could easily have tossed her aside or drained her the first night that they met. The vampire on New Year's had to be an anomaly. As naive as it was, Daphne refused to believe that the majority of vampires didn't retain their humanity. She felt him stiffen, ready to pull away if he needed it, but then the most unexpected thing happened. He returned the embrace. She chuckled, nodding her head against his chest. "Okay, no more talking for now." She'd give him all the time he needed. She'd always be there for him.

Teddy frowned, letting the silence stretch between them for a few seconds longer than he should have. It wasn't a conscious choice, but rather a way to gain his composure back...so long as he did not get distracted by the million things going on around them. He was sure Rosu could take care of things, but he couldn't help staying alert. "Are you enjoying the party, at least?" Gently, Teddy eased himself out of the embrace, a heavy sigh slipping past his lips as he straightened his waistcoat. He wanted to thank her, for being one of the only people to ever consider helping vampires, but all he managed was a look, a brief, piercing glance that spoke volumes. "We've even got a ferris wheel."

"My bullshit?" Leon smirked. "I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted, but I'll do us both a favor and consider it the former since you paid me a visit personally." He nodded to the seat beside him, adding, "Sit. Keep me out of trouble personally, if you're that concerned, Teddy Byrne."

The smile did not completely vanish, curving at the young vampire's lips as he let the weight of Leon's words hang. He could have taken the bait, said something to the contrary, but instead, Teddy chose to step in. "Very well." Pushing off from the doorframe, he unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat right across, glaring at one of the donors to fill an empty glass for him. "Thank you, Marie. You may go on your break now."

Daphne flinched hearing the crunch of the LED collar under someone's boot. She'd thought she had been doing the right thing, but with so many people scolding her apparently not. It was sweet that Teddy of all people was making certain that she was okay. "That was just an accident. I know that not all vampires are like him." She shrugged it off. "And I'm doing fine. You shouldn't worry so."

"But enough of them are, so... don't go convincing yourself otherwise, alright? If you keep looking at the world with those soft eyes of yours, it’ll get you killed." That was all Teddy had time to say, the final warning barely leaving his lips before his entire body went rigid: a conditioned response to a sudden, unexpected touch, if you will. Only it didn't use to be like that. Soon enough, Teddy let out a long, quiet breath that ruffled the stray hairs near her ear, his hand finally coming up to rest firmly, protectively, against the small of her back. "..um, right now? I'd say it's closer to a 'Daphne, just shut up' moment. I don't like talkin' about .." he paused, biting his lip before correcting himself. "I don't like talking. There's nothing to talk about." Besides. This was a party, wasn't it?

It proved ever difficult to stick to the shadows when Daphne's dress glowed neon beneath the lights. She hadn't thought through not being subtle when she was selecting her outfit. The Go-Go boots felt childish and silly compared to the couture Teddy wore. Still she tried her best to blend in with the crowd as he lead her to the shadows.

The vampire clenched his jaw, as if holding back, if only for a moment before reaching out to undo the bloody clasp himself. "Of course it is. Everthing is..great." he muttered, letting the collar slide into his hand before tossing it over his shoulder. Hopefully, he thought, someone would crush it under their foot soon enough. Turning back to her, he then gave a pointed nod toward the glass, encouraging her to try the vermouth. "Can't you see we've got plenty of donors already? We don't need to add you to the list. Not after your last experience."

The question of why a stranger was grabbing her died on her lips when she turned to see Teddy. She hadn't seen him since the incident with Gabe. He didn't look himself. She hoped that he was eating and resting as he should- whatever rest a vampire needed at least. She worried about him. She should have checked in on him before.

Teddy exhaled yet again. Not because he was angry or anything, but because he had not yet figured out how to respond. He hadn't even considered where he was taking her, but anywhere far from unwanted attention would suffice. Unwanted in his eyes, of course.

Leon glanced up from where he sat in the private room, several other vampires and a few familiars relaxing and minding their own business as the syndicate head noticed a new presence join them.

Teddy knew exactly what was happening in each one of those rooms. Well, it was not difficult to imagine. Not with his own experience. Five thousand dollars bought a lot of privacy, a lot of blood, and a lot of sin. He didn't disapprove of it...he was a vampire, after all, but he also knew Leon Blachedone.

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As committed as he was to making sure the event ran smoothly, it was no secret that Teddy Byrne's head had been elsewhere for the better part of the year. He was there physically, his eyes scanning the crowd for any rash behavior, but his mind was distracted; tucked away in the memories he and Gabriel had made the last time he visited.