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Title: "A Matter of Perspective"
Author: Darkover
Characters: Larten Crepsley and Madame Truska
Rating: K+, for one swear word.
Disclaimer: As far as I know, all the characters in the Cirque du Freak/Darren Shan saga are owned by their author, Darren Shan. The movie "The Vampire's Assistant" is owned by Universal Pictures. All I know for certain is that I do not own them. I am not making any money off of this, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so please do not sue.
Spoilers: The first half of the movie.
Summary: A missing scene: Madame Truska and Crepsley have a talk about Darren.
Author's Note: My interpretation of these characters is based on how they are portrayed in the movie version, which IMHO is different from how they are portrayed in the novels, so please take that into consideration. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy reading this. Please review! Thank you!
"He acts as if I exist only to make his life miserable," Crepsley groused. "Does the boy think I'm some kind of ogre?"
Madame Truska raised her perfect eyebrows. "He thinks you're a vampire. He doesn't yet understand what that means."
"If he would stop struggling and just accept the reality of his situation, he could learn," the red-haired man growled.
"Or is it that you want him to stop struggling against you?" Truska countered. "That is what is really bothering you, isn't it? Larten, if you want this boy to listen to you, then first try to see things from his point of view. Whatever feelings he has toward you are probably not very positive ones. You haven't allowed him much freedom, you know."
"Nonsense," he said automatically.
"Nonsense? Larten, you took Darren from his home and family. You destroyed his cell phone, confined him to the camp—"
"That was for his own protection," her lover interrupted. "All of it was."
"Do you think he knows that? You haven't exactly been forthcoming with explanations. Even worse, you made as if to hit him. I saw you—I was watching from my tent." She made a tsking sound. "Not nice."
"It saved a lot of arguing," Crepsley snapped. "I don't have the luxury of explaining my every decision—or, God help us, of reasoning with him. He must learn to obey."
"Sometimes a carrot works better than a stick, my love," Truska said gently. When Crepsley did not answer, she canted her head sideways, studying him for a moment. "You really do care what happens to this boy, don't you? It isn't just a matter of thwarting Mr. Tiny."
"What difference does it make?" Crepsley drank from his glass. "He's too stubborn to drink human blood, and until he does, he won't have the strength to fight. Not that he's exactly an enthusiastic student when I try to teach him. Damned kid's going to get himself killed."