there's an art to life's distractions

Get them talking about what? What could you possible hope to learn that they would tell me and not you? Nothing that you couldn’t use for nefarious purposes, at some point. I’m not too fond of being tested, either. Loyalty isn’t going to spring up out of nowhere on either end. Your people still did kill my entire family. And so I opt to skip this assignment. Perhaps you’ll get my help with the next one. Then end the conversation; take back your offer. I won’t hold it against you when you need my help with something and you’ve suddenly changed your tune.

Ah, I thought I’d get to torture information out of your enemies or something in that category. Hard no. I’m not interested in being your spy. Carmen is a vampire, and one I quite like at first glance, she automatically gets my loyalty. And she vouched for her two witches. I’m not rushing to you to parrot back the things I learn about them. Maybe I’ll jump on the next freelance opportunity.

If I get occasional exceptions to the policy on leaving the property, then of course. I’ll gladly do some of your errands to kill the time.

It certainly takes longer. Then I suppose you sit at the top of the magical world alone for the moment? How very lonely. Looks like I’m not the only member of an endangered species. I can’t wait to see what recruitment methods you come up with. You’ve misunderstood entirely. No, I’ve always wanted to sire someone; it was never in the cards. Turning drains the stores of magic in a dreadful way. So in a way, I got something impossible. I wouldn’t have given her blood in the first place if I didn’t like her enough to want her to keep existing for a while longer. Yet....it’s not the same. It will never be the same as finding a kindred soul and giving them the gift of immortality. Like replacing Presley with the next wolf you stumbled upon, and one who didn’t particularly like you at that.

You didn’t get there on your own, it wasn’t earned. The bulk of it involved a ballerina in any case, and we both know how that one ended. Blair had a few hoops to jump through, but I assume she’s already been welcomed home into the pack in a sickly sweet reunion scene and all is well. The rest was just a bit of fun - I like to know what makes people tick, and to put on a good show. If no one has come to your door yet complaining of lasting psychological damage, there probably isn’t any. Ah. I see. Hard to let go of a legacy, isn’t it? I never understood people’s need for children when I was young, these narcissistic little copies of yourself to bring up and tell your stories in an overcrowded world. Then someone pointed out to me that if your name dies with you, you’re breaking a chain that starts with you and stretches back to the beginning of humanity. Puts a very different spin on things. How do you plan to rebuild your ranks?

No detailed list of crimes requested, then? None of it is as bad as you’re probably imagining. And I never laid a finger on your familiar, though I had a chance to break a few of hers. Excellent judgement on your part, by the way. One of the only quality wolves to be found. Healing is near instant - a few minutes at most. I welcomed immortality to follow the two of them around for eternity; I only realized the other implications later on down the line. I’m ancient and trying to learn patience. If I have to wait out a few years of boredom here to make sure Gideon doesn’t catch up with either of us, it is a small length of time in the scope of things. What of your desires? Do you plan to keep the top spot in your coven until the day you die, or do other goals compete for your attention?

They don’t work against other vampires. You can’t compel a vampire, and Silas’ empath magic never worked on any of us. There’s a weird pull to my own kind, I imagine the same sort you feel for witches. Probably to do with our souls being made of the same fabric. I don’t expect anything - in fact, I was giving you even more information than you first asked for. You seemed very interested in my crimes here, in your talks with other people. The healing potential in vampire blood, that’s the only other major thing. Thomas Wieland. I spent it on the normal time wasters: art, food, travel, humans. I was a farm boy that hated the farm and ran off to become educated, but instead wound up a stage actor enjoying life’s most hedonistic pleasures. Cristiana and Nico stumbled upon me there. I’ve travelled with them for the majority of my afterlife.

You’re being very genuine tonight, I don’t know what to do with that. I thought I would be watching a drunk werewolf by now. I'll leave you to leave you to mourn your friends.

Humans, holistic witches, bitten werewolves. Anyone without enough magic in their system to properly block it out, in essence. I only used it against two people here, if that helps. The dead human and Lucio. And I didn’t even murder him when I found out he was just a very good actor stalling for time, plotting the demise of my family. Going forward? Don’t speak that name again if you want to remain pseudo friendly. In a similar vein of thinking, I request to never know who gave the killing blow to the other three. Enhanced hearing, I’ll put it together eventually, but best not to have a list of names at the ready in either case. And no. He was a witch when he was turned. I was ordinary.

So a true marriage with no divorce option. That sounds terrifying. Never agree to bond with a morally questionable witch, my first instinct would be to kill off an unsatisfactory bonded wolf and find another. Not me. You seemed positively overflowing with simmering anger the last time we spoke, I didn’t think your protection was in the cards. Honestly, I went four hundred years without getting desiccated, and then somehow wound up staked twice in one week? My assumption was that in some grand overtaking of the manor, I’d wind up with a similar fate rather quickly. No one seems to understand that Cristiana and I are old and powerful, but we were never fighters. And I think attending fight training alongside her might.....put everyone on edge.

Reality is harsh. My dream was that you never surfaced from the cells and your sister finally realized that the tortured leader look was good on her. A woman of her word, that one. Well, you have managed to get my ego interested. I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific. Were you curious about my history, or about what I can do? Because I assumed you would come to realize sooner or later that my less savory talents could be used to your benefit. It isn’t all just kidnapping humans.

You seem to have an awfully clear head about it all. Your heartbeat didn’t falter for any of that. For something that seems so coveted and sacred, there are very few bonded wolves running about. Something doesn’t add up there. Vampires are magic too, you know. I’ve wrapped my head around the necessity of what needed to be done with the others. But you claim to worship magic. We have it, just in a different package. Keep that in mind if the girls ever need protecting.

I was counting down the moments. If we’re trying our hand at civility today, sure. Pour. What’s on your mind?

I suppose I’m confused about where you wolves fall in the hierarchy. Pesky vampire hearing picks up so much. Sometimes they talk about you like soldier servant hybrids, other times like teammates. Are you guys friends, is this one big happy family? Or do you work for them? Right - never met him, he keeps slipping my mind. I....am slowly learning more about the pack by osmosis so I can better understand Alex, yes. No one really knows what she’ll be. So far she seems to have picked up traits from both sides, and lord knows how those bits and pieces will interact. Stay tuned?

Literal witchcraft is all around you, and they haven’t even bothered to invent some sort of magically imbued alcohol that works on werewolves. These people aren’t your friends. Ugh. And then we’d be what - just two sober creatures sitting and making painful small talk, all in the name of ceremony? It isn’t as appealing if I don’t get to see you intoxicated. Your grip on control could slip every now and again, it might be good for you. Huh - unless I’m counting wrong, there were four dead at the hands of the vampires: your wolf friend, the two coven leaders, and that unfortunate whoopsie daisy with the ballerina. And your collective bunch got four vampire kills. The universe demands symmetry in the oddest of places.

Until someone more to your liking comes along, of course. Tequila does nothing for me, in taste or effect unless it’s mixed with blood. And I made a promise that I’d try something in the vein of virtue ethics for my time here - do no harm, make good choices, and see if that magically alters a centuries old personality. Which means not taking blood from the unwilling. I can still enjoy the view. What are all those muscle groups for if not to impress people? Certainly not pure protection if you’re drinking on the job.

Anyone? You have to learn to think before you speak. I’ll watch you drink. In vino veritas, and all. You can even wax poetic about your fallen warrior.