AN: Anyone else remember how psychotic and evil M-21 and M-24 seemed when they were first introduced? Honestly, they might have been even worse than a certain blond pure-blood (Rael, people, not Draco Malfoy).
Despite what many of their adversaries would have you believe, M's 21 and 24 were anything but stupid.
Petty, yes.
Spiteful? Most certainly.
However, they, unlike many members of their species, were aware that the world we live in is one of consequences. This enabled them to, for the most part, swallow their pride and work their disgusting job as servants to a vastly inferior human.
Things hadn't always been like this. Once, vampires and werewolves had ruled this world, with humans living out their small and frightful lives along its periphery. Then, along came the industrial revolution and, suddenly, strength and power weren't enough anymore.
In a world where machines could very nearly think and the secrets of life itself were unraveled in laboratories, what real advantage did it give you to have an extra helping of speed or some secondary mind-control powers? In today's world, that would get you a menial job, at best. For anything real, you needed a 'college education', it seemed.
That was a good portion of the reason why the two of them antagonized Frankenstein on such a regular basis: he was, himself, human, yet he served a vampire, Cadis Etrama Di Raizel.
Today, however, they didn't have to put up with Crombel or his ridiculous demands, as it was their day off. M-21 and his brother, M-24, were instead off antagonizing one of their friends, a powerful 'young' vampire of the name Rael, who spent most of his time either at the vampiric court, or lounging around the house, feeding off his blood-slaves. The two brothers were trying to get him to stop keeping those things around, but since Rael rotated out his human prisoners every six months, anyway, they were less zealous about the issue than they might have been. Today, as always, Rael wanted a sympathetic ear to listen while he carried on about his love-life.
"...and then Seira got a restraining order against me," the blond vampire finished. "Now, the only time I'm only allowed to be within fifty feet of her is at court functions."
M-24 laughed unkindly. "What did you expect, kiddo? You come on as more than a bit strong, when you care about something."
"All I said was that she was beautiful and intriguing, and that we should get married," Rael defended. "How was I to know she'd take it the wrong way?"
M-24 shrugged. "Well, if I were you, I wouldn't have said it immediately after she screamed at you to 'go away'."
"Rael, you need to learn how to deal with people," commented M-21.
"I deal with you two, don't I?" asked Rael.
"That's different," said '21. "We're your friends. We don't care if you're a jerkwad. Things are different with girls."
"You should go to school," said '24. "If you could keep from killing the other students and the profs, it'd be a step towards being able to function outside the court-bubble."
"What's wrong with the vampiric court?" Rael wanted to know.
"Kid, that place is nothing like real life. Anywhere else, you wouldn't be respected half as much for your heritage, pure-blood or no," said '24.
"Inside the court, you're an alpha," supplied '21. "Outside, you're a lone wolf. You just don't realize it because you never go anywhere but Lukedonia. But Seira? She's been traversing the globe for Regis' coming-of-age ceremony, and she knows that there's more to life than you're willing to experience."
"Oh, like your lives are so great," said Rael. "What? You want I should grovel at the feet of humanity? Perhaps take up a servant's position like you two've done? No thanks..."
"Come on, Rael," said '21, "it's not as bad as all that. Sure, we may not have power or money or infamy, a house or good clothes or free blood or no enemies. Still... what we have is glorious."
"What do you have then?"
"Well, we've got kin and pride," Said M-21
"And Fridays off," Said M-24.
"And health and dental."
"And Fridays off."
"And autonomy,"
"And Fridays off."
"And water,"
"Water?" Rael wanted to know.
"Utilities and such," said M-21. "We live in servants' quarters. They're likely not up to your majesty's standards, but they've got something you don't: running water."
"Who needs water when you've got blood?"
"Sane people, Rael: sane people and those who feel the need to bathe."
"Utilities mean living on the grid. I know you've been doing it for years, but I don't see how you can stand living off slaughterhouse blood, '24. It's disgusting."
"It's only disgusting for the first fifty years," said '24. "After that, you just don't care anymore."
"It's not like the humans will cut you any slack for it. You've got the face of an axe-murderer and the body of a thug."
M-21 thought that was funny. "He looks just like a killer," he chortled, "but he's too well fed."
M-24 laughed also.
"I'm serious, though," Rael frowned. "People won't think any better of you for your life choices. Whereas, someone who looks like me can blend among them without so much as lifting a finger. They don't know that I regularly drink the blood of their people, and they couldn't stop me if they wanted to."
M-21 sighed. "It's not a matter of what you can get away with, or even what you'll be recognized for," he said. "It's a reflection of the value of action more than anything else. Choice may be the compass of moral change, but action is the travel itself."
"I don't get it."
"Don't worry about it, kid. '21's just in a philosophic mood today."
The werewolf straightened up. "Well," he said. "What else is there to do? It's not like Rael can go stalk his girlfriend anymore."
"Actually—" began '24.
"It's not like Rael should stalk his girlfriend anymore," M-21 corrected. He thought for a moment, before his eyes sparked with an idea. "Want to go challenge the northeast pack for territory expansion?" he suggested. "They've been creeping in these past few months, and I'm getting sick of it."
"A fight?" asked '24. "Heck, yeah! Haven't even managed to get a rematch out of that jerk next door since he killed '21. Seems his master's got him a short leash. Haven't been in a good fight in days."
"Days without violence," said Rael. "Poor '24."
The three of them left the house after that, the only evidence of their activities the sparse howls which echoed occasionally through the night.
AN: M-21: "Rocks and Trees", M-24: "Billy the Themepark Shark."
