(Author's note) This is all entirely the fault of a wonderful Deviantartist who specialises in Repo! fanart. A little while after I'd made some notes on the clans that Repo characters seemed to fit into, she posted a blog pondering the same thing. It was surprising enough to find that somebody else had been thinking about this, but even more amusing to see that we'd come up with remarkably similar lists.
So by way of indulging this deliciously nerdy flight of fancy and in some tiny way a thank you to said artist for all of her marvellous work I figured I'd have a shot at penning some fic on the subject. Mag and Pavi seemed the obvious starting point, given how much I enjoy writing about them. I considered a few more scenes with the other characters, but between my general loathing of everything I create and deep, resounding shame at being such an irredeemable geek, doubt whether I will get anywhere with them.
TL; DR, VtM/Repo oneshot crossover, bit of violence and blood (shocking, I know) might come across as a bit risqué (although it's really not intended to be that naughty) dialogue heavy, plot light, I don't own any of the characters or vampirey...stuff alluded to in here. It's all either White Wolf or Zdunich/Smith/Bousman. (end Author's note)
...
"Pavi, may I speak with you? Do you have a moment? I have been thinking about your...offer and really need to talk to you." Mag waited anxiously at the threshold of Pavi's suite until he eagerly beckoned her in. He took one of her hands in his and kissed it.
"The pleasure is, as always, mine, bella Magdalene. Make yourself at home. Gin and tonic?" he gestured languidly towards his amply stocked drinks cabinet.
"Please, that would be lovely." Mag had barely finished her sentence but a Gentern had already sprung from the shadows and was pouring a generous measure of the spirit. Mag accepted her drink eagerly. Although she was prepared for what the night may bring and looked as composed as usual, she couldn't completely negate the uncharacteristic woodenness of her actions, or the tremble in her hands.
"I think that I want to accept what you've proposed and become more like you. It's not a decision that I've reached quickly, or lightly and I still have a lot of questions. But I also know that your father is growing more and more impatient for me to be embraced. Being contractually bound to him is one thing, but faking the blood bond of a ghoul makes my stomach turn enough as it is. I cannot face having him sire me. I couldn't do it, I'd jump into a tanning booth at the earliest opportunity and just end it."
Pavi had tried at first to listen impartially to what he was being told but made no attempt to keep a delighted smile from creeping across his lips. "So you've decided that you want me to embrace you first? You are aware of how much that would rile him, yes?"
Mag threw back the last of her drink and let out a brief chuckle "Don't pretend that you're not relishing the thought of doing that to him. You're not as bad as your siblings, granted, but we both know that you love getting to him. I'm not really sure of how I feel about being used as a pawn in your campaign of one-upmanship, but I'm running out of options. I don't believe that he would harm me for this, I'm too good for business. I know from experience that even your father's rage calms down eventually and presentationally there is too big a risk of public outcry if he punished me and word were to get out."
Pavi laughed eagerly "the joys of being a beloved celebrity, hmm? What did you want to know before you make your decision? I cant promise to be able to answer everything, but I will be as honest and open as my knowledge and experience allow."
Mag took a deep breath before launching straight into her interrogation "Well, firstly, how many of them, of you, are there in the city? I know from your father that he's a 'Prince' of sorts, that he is some kind of figurehead, but he didn't tell me a huge amount of detail about how your society works. I have met several of his associates, I've performed at functions hosted by some of them, and he made no attempt to conceal the nature of what they are, but I've very little concept of how deep this goes, or how widely you're spread."
Pavi peaked his fingers in front of his chest and cocked his head from side to side for a moment as he considered his response. "I don't know exactly how many of us there are in this city altogether, but I believe it's between one hundred and one hundred and fifty. There are some who move around a lot so aren't permanent residents and others who rarely appear in public, even at exclusively kindred gatherings. I don't know all of them personally, but I have met a lot of them, probably more than half, and am aware of plenty of the others. Some of them have been around for far longer than my father. He's something of a 'plastic prince', everybody knows that he's not really calling any of the kindred society shots, but he carries a high public profile with a huge amount of influence over the people and the politics of human society here. It's a mutually convenient arrangement, he gains recognition on both sides and the interests of the elders continue to be represented and served. His really dirty little secret is that he's not all that powerful a kindred. All of us have a generation, and the potency of the blood shared during the embrace becomes a little more dilute each time. My father's is more diluted than he would ever choose to admit."
"So your father didn't turn you into what you are?"
"Even if he had wanted to, I don't think he would have been able to do so himself. He wanted to make sure that whoever was to be responsible for taking forward his legacy was as strong as possible, he wanted to secure our futures. He never really gave us an option, although I don't think any of us would have turned it down even if we had had the choice. He's a well connected man and by the time we were adults he was able to cherry pick and persuade some of the far older kindred in the city to turn us. Or at least he did for Amber and Luigi, they were embraced by a couple of dad's closest cronies. I on the other hand had made some friends of my own, so he didn't quite get his own way with the clan he wanted to choose for me."
"Ah yes, the clans! How will I be assigned to one, and what will that mean for me? Will it affect who I am expected to spend time with?"
Pavi laughed "Clans are more inherited than assigned, but I think you already know that lineage doesn't have that much influence over the company we keep. There are occasionally clan-exclusive salons held, but attendance is usually poor and unenthusiastic. Nobody places much value on clan groups for their own sake these days. Much as the nationality of your parents had very little bearing on the friendships and alliances you have formed in your life, so your bloodline will not be a major factor in determining the company you'll keep if you choose to join us. I'll not bore you to death with details of the different factions within the city, you will pick all of that up in time. Given that you are already acquainted with several of us, along with how much my father values and favours you and not to mention the number of kindred who are fans of your voice, I don't anticipate you having any difficulty integrating into our society.
Any disciplines you might inherit the ability to develop would come through me. I believe my blood will be well suited to you. It is a blend that runs through my veins, I am a hybrid, embraced simultaneously by two sires. Not exactly what my father had planned." He gave a conspiratorial smirk "But rare and wonderful, two strains that at once complement and temper each other. The first on its own would bring lunacy but the humanity bestowed by the other soothes it, brings understanding and lucidity to what might otherwise subvert my mind completely. It is artistry too, in not just the creation but also the appreciation of beauty in all of its forms. I find it a blessed and charming combination, the inspiration of madness and humane sophistication make surprisingly apt bedfellows."
"Madness?" Mag looked horrified. "Pavi, am I going to lose my mind? I don't think that I can agree to that, that's...that's too much of a price to pay, far too much, if that's going to happen to me I'd rather take my chances with your father." Pavi grasped one of her hands in his, using his other to stroke her cheek.
"A mind so strong and open as yours is a more than worthy adversary for any challenge which your embrace may present. I am not sure how best to explain how it struck me when I was first changed, but I can promise you that it is nothing that you need to fear. I felt as if every song I'd ever heard, every painting, every sculpture, the architecture of every building in the city was completely new to me. There was splendour and nuance in everything that I could never have imagined before. And in you, Mag, the first time I heard you sing after I was embraced, it thrilled me in a way I had never come close to before. The sensation of it was almost too much, I felt the emotion and subtlety of every word, it rang through me and resonated, like the first time I ever heard you, but the intensity was so very much greater. I want to give that to you, I want you to feel it in every note you sing and to know that it was a gift from me. It seems criminal to me that you should ever have to age, for time to one day diminish you and eventually take you away completely. The world would be far less beautiful were you ever to die."
Mag blushed, suddenly bashful, and quickly resumed her questioning. "What will you do? Will you just bite me?"
"That is one of the more common methods, but not one that I favour. To me it is too feral, too much a concession to the uglier side of our nature. Although it isn't always practical, I prefer to make a small incision or puncture with a scalpel or syringe, it makes for a cleaner wound and the healing afterwards is far quicker and simpler, almost instantaneous. Our mouths rarely leave a scar, unless we choose for them to do so."
"And after you do...I will die before I am transformed. How does it feel?"
Pavi sighed as a blissful smile spread across his lips "Ah, that is something I cannot do justice to with words. It is a pleasure unrivalled, unattainable to the living. It is simply incomparable to any experience you have ever known. I can take you there, we can go through it together, but there is no turning back from this path if it's one that you choose to follow. I ache to bring you with me, for you to join me in this damned yet glorious existence, but I cannot take you unwillingly."
"What happens afterwards? Will I change straight away, immediately after you embrace me or will it take time? How will I know it's done?"
"When you wake up, which will be almost instant, you will be hungry, ravenous, in a way that will outstrip any starvation you may have felt before. It can be frightening at first, but always remember that you are in control of it. It can be tempting to give in but you must not, there is no need to let it take over. Our sustenance is plentiful and our dignity valuable. There will be a Gentern waiting when you wake for the first time, you can drink your fill from her and see how little it takes to slake your thirst, see that there is no need to harm the vessels from which we feed."
"Will she be OK? I mean, I won't hurt her or anything, will I? How will I know what to do, how to feed? Oh God, what if I get carried away?"
"As the newborn at the breast of its mother, instinct will guide you. I will be here to make sure that no harm comes to either of you. Most of us never kill. My brother is a terrible example of the kindred in this city, though it should be noted that most of his crimes are unrelated to our...condition. You need only take a small amount of blood when you feed. There's no reason to take more than would be lost through a medical blood donation. Our sustenance comes from people, people with lives, souls, families, aspirations. They should never be viewed or treated as cattle, simply there to serve our needs. It is only through keeping our nature discreet that we can ensure our continued survival and our humanity allows us to maintain that discretion. Those from whom we feed are rarely victims and most of the time are willing, if unwitting, participants. And that's only if you need to feed on members of the public. There are hundreds of Genterns on the premises, twenty four hours a day. I rarely go beyond this building to feed and when I do it's more for pleasure than necessity. I swear to you that you will never be hungry in this city.
Now you need to ask yourself, Mag, is this the life you would choose for what may be an eternity and do you trust me to be the one to lead you into it? Once started, this can't be undone."
They looked at each other for a long, silent minute. Then, by way of answer, Mag drew closer and hugged Pavi. Behind his back she pulled one of her fingernails in a swift motion across her forearm. She winced at the sharp stinging and Pavi smirked approvingly at the feeling of her flinch whilst pressed so close to him. Mag drew back slightly and examined her arm. The damage was entirely superficial, broken skin that would heal without a scar, but it was enough to draw blood. Tiny specks, barely the size of pinpricks, slowly emerging into a fine line against the otherwise unblemished skin. She allowed the glistening dots to bloom a little larger then ran her index finger along the scratch, gathering the scarlet liquid on its tip. She did not need to look at him to know how intently Pavi was staring. She noticed his fingers digging into his trouser leg as he shifted impatiently on his feet and she revelled in the knowledge that he was struggling to restrain himself. She waved the bloody fingertip teasingly underneath his nose for long enough to see him shiver in anticipation before placing it to his lips. Pavi caught it firmly between his teeth as his tongue lapped eagerly at the meagre drop of vitae. His hands moved to her waist as he let go of her finger and nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply. He purred next to her ear.
"Get on the bed. Now. We can't do this standing up."
He was predatory in a way Mag had never seen him before. She had what he wanted, what he needed, and the animal in him was committed to pursuing it. Though she knew how competent he was at controlling the beast inside of him, for the first time she wasn't absolutely certain that his humanity would be able to override it if she were to change her mind midway. Both of them had passed the point of no return.
Settling onto his bed she watched as Pavi unwrapped a sterile hypodermic needle. Mag recoiled briefly as she saw how thick it was. "It's very sharp, and this will be quick, I promise you." He caressed her cheek gently with his free hand " But for a moment, this is going to hurt. Be strong, Mag, as what comes after will quickly erase all memory of any pain."
Mag felt cold steel against her skin. Pavi's movements were smooth and quick but still agonising as he drove the low-gauge needle deep into her neck. Tears spilled down Mag's cheeks and she let out choked sobs through gritted teeth, every muscle clenched tightly against the savage penetration as she struggled to keep still until the syringe was completely withdrawn. Relieved at the swift end to this intrusion, Mag finally exhaled the breath she had been holding. She felt the tickle of the first few drops of blood running down towards the nape of her neck, replaced quickly by the soft yet assertive stroke of Pavi's tongue as he caught them before they could stain the sheets beneath them. He lapped up the errant droplets and traced their path back to the site of the wound. His teeth dug slightly into her flesh but only enough to give him a firm grip around the flowing injury.
As he began to feed, Mag's perception shrank to exclude everything but herself. Every nerve was tingling individually with stimulation, every fibre in her body singing out an ecstasy that surged through her without warning or buildup. Though initially similar to the trembling delight of sexual climax, there was no gentle ebbing away of pleasure after a crescendo. Indeed, there was no crescendo at all, but a continuing charge of orgasmic sensation throughout her entire being that took her breath away. She had lost all sense of time or location, even of Pavi's actions. Instead she knew only the rapture that he brought to her even as he drained the final traces of blood from her veins, the last thing she would ever feel as a living human.