Private Tales Rivers of life... Veins of blood

[Gideon Varnay]

"I said perhaps..."

Gideon couldn't hide how much he was enjoying this. This Eleena was "tit for tat", speaking in riddles and tangents as it suited her and misleading him with everything she said just to one up him in wit.
It was her way of fighting, she had to fight for her life somehow, even if defending herself with a solid alibi would have been more effective. She was trying to let them know that was not prey here... Even if she very much was, in Gideon's eyes.

"Too true, mistress Eleena. I suppose I should await your actual defense before I begin cross-examining you."

"Well, I do understand what it means to the vampire nation. Killings like that would darken the evil eyes already placed on us as a nation especially at a critical time as this." Jacob paused for a moment, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.
"... Which brings me to this question." He continued. "What are your plans with regards to the humans attacking. I must say, I admire their bravery. Taking on forces as old and dark as us."

A good question, one he's already explored exhaustively since his awakening.
The Kinniger Duchy has been the main offensive force against vampire kind. The various Templar orders have always been a thorn in their side but have recently been emboldened by this recent purge orchestrated by Sir Eberwolf Kinniger.
But the true antagonist was the self-proclaimed vampire king who was foolish enough to start a war with said Dukedom, and thus bringing back continental awareness to the existence of vampires and placing their continued survival at risk.

"I plan to negotiate with the nations of the mortals.
The Kinniger Duchy are the ones spearheading the current purge of our kind, once we have gained the favor of the nations they will protect us from the activists.
Unfortunately the mortals are not at fault here, a certain vampire king got ahold of a certain chalice sacred to our kind and decided to pick a fight with the Duchy. Also, unfortunately, that king has already been destroyed by the Duchy and now they are proceeding to hunt down his surviving followers and the rest of us in the process."

Another thrall approached Gideon at his mental command and he proceeded to sip from her wrist. He positioned her so that Eleena could drink from her as well.
"I was not able to punish the king myself and that is a valuable display now lost to us. If we had been the ones to end the war with the mortals then we could have shown them our diversity of values as a race.

As the situation stands currently, we will have to all but completely reveal ourselves and throw ourselves at the mercy of the mortals in order to gain their favor. Show them how we have proven our ability to govern ourselves and reveal how we have aided and worked with, through and for them from the shadows for many centuries.
The Undernation is perfect for this, for acting as the public face for vampire kind. We are widespread enough to exemplify a unified majority presentation, and we are disciplined, displaying both governance and benevolence in our constitution."
He licked at the wounds on the thralls arm before biting in a new spot, bringing forth a fresh supply of blood.

"Tell me about it!" Jacob said with a smile of satisfaction. "You'll probably hate me for this, but at a certain time in my exaggerated long life, I was fixated on vampire blood. It just had this appeal to me. I was known for about 2 or 3 centuries as the vampire who hunted other vampires. But of course to be more accurate, am not exactly a vampire."

He removed his fangs from the thralls arm, "Ah, vampires are a hit and miss for me. It depends on the strain of vampire and whether they produce their own blood or not. Some only have blood taken from feeding and none of their own, it's like drinking second hand blood which isn't bad, but lacks the spark that is drinking from a true immortal."
Gideon indicated the various piles of fine ash around his feet, he also seemed to have no compunction about drinking blood from vampires sacrificed to him.
He once again touched Eleena, this time on her neck.
"I wonder what sort of blood mistress Eleena would give... I dare say I'm almost curious enough to try to take a sip..."
He looked back at Jacob.
"You, on the other hand; I noticed your unique scent as soon as you entered, yes it's apparent that you are not exactly a vampire... But I wonder, are you more than a vampire? Or simply a half-breed? A vampire with... Something else?"

That aside he turned his attention to Eleena once more.
"I've decided to give you a stay of execution, until such a time as you reveal or I can determine your true intentions. As such, you'll be under my custody as my ward and a ward of the Undernation until such a time as I've already stated."

 

[Jacob Ford]

"I plan to negotiate with the nations of the mortals.
The Kinniger Duchy are the ones spearheading the current purge of our kind, once we have gained the favor of the nations they will protect us from the activists.

Jacob quirked an eyebrow in wonder as he took in Gideon's words.
"Negotiations with the humans? Wow ok must admit, I didn't expect to hear that line from you." Jacob remarked with a broad smile on his face.
"I thought you'd be releasing all hell on them."

" It's a good move, but I doubt these humans would want to help protect us. They don't understand us, they never really will. And humans are scared of what they don't understand. But I think it's worth a try, before resorting to carnage." A hint of mischief flashed through Jacob's eyes, as he tried to recall the last time he went out on an all out killing spree.

"I was not able to punish the king myself and that is a valuable display now lost to us. If we had been the ones to end the war with the mortals then we could have shown them our diversity of values as a race.

That was indeed unfortunate. If the vampire Nation could have been the ones to punish this so called king, then things would have gone more smoothly. Rather than resulting to war.
"May be not all hope is lost in that front." Realisation hit Jacob and his eyes went bright with enthusiasm.
"Let's hunt down this King's followers ourselves. While making sure the humans are aware of it. We will deliver Swift and painful punishment, enjoy a huge blood bath, and pacify the humans all in one swoop." Jacob's eyes flashed red for a brief moment as the thought of hunting vampires once again, danced in his mind.

As the situation stands currently, we will have to all but completely reveal ourselves and throw ourselves at the mercy of the mortals in order to gain their favor. Show them how we have proven our ability to govern ourselves and reveal how we have aided and worked with, through and for them from the shadows for many centuries.
The Undernation is perfect for this, for acting as the public face for vampire kind. We are widespread enough to exemplify a unified majority presentation, and we are disciplined, displaying both governance and benevolence in our constitution."

"And this too is not so much of a bad idea. It'll be important to show them the docile side of our race." At this time, Jacob was already on his feet, filled with energy as he paced up and down the room narrating possible approaches to the situation.

"You, on the other hand; I noticed your unique scent as soon as you entered, yes it's apparent that you are not exactly a vampire... But I wonder, are you more than a vampire? Or simply a half-breed? A vampire with... Something else?"

His pacing came to a dead halt however, when Gideon made mention of is peculiar scent.
Well it'd be important to let that cat out of the bag. But just not now at least. Jacob didn't trust Gideon... Yet.
"Well I am indeed more than a vampire. But my other half will remain a mystery to you for now, seeing as I don't trust you... Yet." Jacob said, with a straight face.

"So then, back to our previous topic. When do we begin." Jacob's face was plastered with an almost devilish grin....

 

[Edevonshire]

Eleena listened to the men speak of the now deceased vampire king who had murdered the humans. She wondered how many families like her own he had destroyed. Good riddence, she thought. She also found the information quite interesting. She was okay with this group of humans hunting vampires and she would try her hardest to thwart any plans these men had of creating this alliance.

After they killed the dead kings followers.

She drank from the thralls wrist when it was offered to her. She was finally getting her blood lust under control and she was able to drink without consuming every drop. As she drank, her left hand casually dropped to Gideon's thigh.

He once again touched Eleena, this time on her neck.
"I wonder what sort of blood mistress Eleena would give... I dare say I'm almost curious enough to try to take a sip..."

Gideon's fingers grazed her throat and she stiffened for only a moment. There had only been one person who had ever drank from her and it had been her sire. She would be lying if she said that the thought didn't excite her though. It was as pleasurable for her as it was for the thralls at this party.

"And I dare say I may let you if you keep me around..."

She was sure that would have no bearing on his decision but worth a try.

"Well I am indeed more than a vampire. But my other half will remain a mystery to you for now, seeing as I don't trust you... Yet." Jacob said, with a straight face.

Like Gideon, she had noticed that Jacob was more as soon as he walked into the room and now she was even more curious. She would find out. He had already been added to her kill list along with Gideon.

"I've decided to give you a stay of execution, until such a time as you reveal or I can determine your true intentions. As such, you'll be under my custody as my ward and a ward of the Undernation until such a time as I've already stated."

Eleena looked at Gideon with a soft smile and nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement. Yes, this is exactly what she needed. This was perfect. She would keep him close, work her charms, and then kill him when the time was right. She was a patient woman.

 

[Gideon Varnay]

Jacob quirked an eyebrow in wonder as he took in Gideon's words.
"Negotiations with the humans? Wow ok must admit, I didn't expect to hear that line from you." Jacob remarked with a broad smile on his face.
"I thought you'd be releasing all hell on them."

He smirked at this. War with mortals was a pipedream at best, utter delusion at its worst. Out of all the vampiric strains that exist, only a handful are capable of surviving in sunlight. The mortal races were capable of ruling over both the day and the night, while vampires were consigned almost exclusively to the night. While a millennia ago it might have been true that vampires were masters of the night, and none could match them in the shadows, there were now mortals and other creatures that could match or even overcome a vampire in his natural element.

Vampires truly were backed up to the ropes in this day and age. Their survival necessarily had to come from other means... Essentially, vampire kind has been reduced to a form of cannibal nyctophiliac elves, their glory days in the past when people feared the night.

" It's a good move, but I doubt these humans would want to help protect us. They don't understand us, they never really will. And humans are scared of what they don't understand. But I think it's worth a try, before resorting to carnage." A hint of mischief flashed through Jacob's eyes, as he tried to recall the last time he went on an all out killing spree.

"I had already thought of that. You see, we will reveal ourselves as the truly irreplaceable members of their societies that we are. Their nobles, aristocrats, their merchants and businessmen, their teachers and neighbors, their friends and even lovers at times. We contribute so much to their society that they will essentially be crippling themselves if they were to purge every one of our kind.

Naturally, we will need to reveal ourselves to only a select few at first, the general population will openly call for our immediate destruction if we go public carelessly. We gradually change their opinions through a few, gain some positive public relations through philanthropic efforts and gestures, and eventually sway the public opinion."

That was indeed unfortunate. If the vampire Nation could have been the ones to punish this so called king, then things would have gone more smoothly. Rather than resulting to war.
"May be not all hope is lost in that front." Realisation hit Jacob and his eyes went bright with enthusiasm.
"Let's hunt down this King's followers ourselves. While making sure the humans are aware of it. We will deliver Swift and painful punishment, enjoy a huge blood bath, and pacify the humans all in one swoop." Jacob's eyes flashed red for a brief moment as the thought of hunting vampires once again, danced in his mind.

Gideon shook his head, "To do that, we will have to start with those who have clung to the Undernation for salvation, those who have looked to me in order to deliver them from destruction.
Many of whom are attending this party.
The destruction of a figurehead is symbolic, destroying the scattered followers will not have the necessary effect to sway public opinion... I am sorry to say, but unless another were to rise up and take the kings place, we have permanently lost that bargaining chip."

His pacing came to a dead halt however, when Gideon made mention of is peculiar scent.
Well it'd be important to let that cat out of the bag. But just not now at least. Jacob didn't trust Gideon... Yet.
"Well I am indeed more than a vampire. But my other half will remain a mystery to you for now, seeing as I don't trust you... Yet." Jacob said, with a straight face.

"Fair enough, I shall pry no further. It is wise to hold a certain amount of caution when dealing with the unknown."

"So then, back to our previous topic. When do we begin." Jacob's face was plastered with an almost devilish grin....

"Once I've had my fill. If there will be war from our efforts for peace, then I will face both at full strength."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------​

"And I dare say I may let you if you keep me around..."

She was reaching and he could tell. She was too intelligent to not recognize the danger she was in, but she admirably kept her cool and remained calm, plying her persuasive powers in efforts to improve her situation.

Just as anyone would.

His decision was already made in regard to her. She would remain by his side as his ward, and he will essentially be her new master for all intents and purposes as far as vampiric tradition went.

"Excellent, I look forward to it."
He leaned forward and placed a proprietary kiss on her brow, signifying their union.
She would then feel the presence of his mind in hers, not invading, but simply making itself known to her. He spoke in her thoughts with his own.
"Things will be much different for you from now on, little Eleena."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

He then stood up from the couch, leaving the thrall in Eleena's "care". Another thrall brought him his shirt and coat and he dressed himself.
His voice rang out from the chamber and resonated in the minds of the guests.
"The taste of blood is beginning to bore me this evening. Dawn is approaching and I wish to retire. I thank you all for attending and indulging with me this night, we shall convene again soon to enjoy another night of blood and indulgence."
With that announcement the thralls ceased their writhing and stood up, walking single file out of the chamber where they will be processed and sent home.

He nodded his head to Jacob.
"Lord Jacob, it has been a pleasure. I suspect that I shall see you again soon at future gatherings."

He turned to Eleena and held out his hand to her.
"My dear Eleena, come. We shall retire."

 

[Edevonshire]

"Excellent, I look forward to it."
He leaned forward and placed a proprietary kiss on her brow, signifying their union.
She would then feel the presence of his mind in hers, not invading, but simply making itself known to her. He spoke in her thoughts with his own.
"Things will be much different for you from now on, little Eleena."

Gideon's kiss made her tense but not as much as his voice in her head did. Her red eyes narrowed as she tracked his movements.

This had been a terrible idea. Was it too late to start her murdering off with Jacob? Yes, it was. Fuck.

He turned to Eleena and held out his hand to her.
"My dear Eleena, come. We shall retire."

After Gideon's dismissal speech and order, she stood and placed her hand in his. Eleena looked back at Jacob and nodded her head slowly, "it was lovely to meet you, Jacob..." The smirk that crossed her lips was nothing less than a vicious smile that said someday, you will be next.

 

[Jacob Ford]

"I had already thought of that. You see, we will reveal ourselves as the truly irreplaceable members of their societies that we are. Their nobles, aristocrats, their merchants and businessmen, their teachers and neighbors, their friends and even lovers at times. We contribute so much to their society that they will essentially be crippling themselves if they were to purge every one of our kind.

The humans were stubborn. It would take time and patience for vampires to wigle their way into the minds of humans. Well, they were already integrated into the society of humans. But it would take time to open their eyes to that fact and make them see the importance. Luckily though, vampires have all the time in the world, and they are very patient creatures.

Gideon shook his head, "To do that, we will have to start with those who have clung to the Undernation for salvation, those who have looked to me in order to deliver them from destruction.
Many of whom are attending this party.
The destruction of a figurehead is symbolic, destroying the scattered followers will not have the necessary effect to sway public opinion... I am sorry to say, but unless another were to rise up and take the kings place, we have permanently lost that bargaining chip."

Jacob was impressed by Gideon's readiness to the whole situation. He guessed that's why Gideon was a leader. Jacob would have never thought of such details. The bore him.
Which is probably why despite Jacob's incredible power and age, he held no leadership or important role in the vampire community. And in most situations, he'd stay way from major issues that involved the vampire populace as a whole.
But this time, he planned on getting really involved in this war.

"Once I've had my fill. If there will be war from our efforts for peace, then I will face both at full strength."

"Please I would like to be involved in this. I have nothing else to do, so bringing peace, or reeking havoc would be fun use of my time." Jacob said with seriousness and a hint of malice and humor.

He nodded his head to Jacob.
"Lord Jacob, it has been a pleasure. I suspect that I shall see you again soon at future gatherings."

After his announcement, Gideon spoke to Jacob.
"Sure enough you will be seeing more of me around Lord Gideon." Jacob replied. "Till we meet again." He added with a nod.

"it was lovely to meet you, Jacob..." The smirk that crossed her lips was nothing less than a vicious smile that said someday, you will be next.

Jacob turned to Eleena when she spoke. "The pleasure was mine my lady. I have a feeling we'll be meeting again soon."
Eleena was now Gideon's servant. And Jacob hadn't been totally oblivious to the little silent battle going in between them. Clearly, Eleena had of her adverse plans for Gideon, and with the smile she gave Jacob, she clearly had some plans for him too.
I'll be looking forward to what ever you have in store my dear... Jacobe thought, as he watched them leave the room....