Author's Note: Alright, now I know I promised to reveal what Valeska is in this chapter, but I went well over the amount I usually write for most chapters. I have a lot of information that's going to be revealed in the next chapter though, so please don't be mad that I've chosen to extend this one! Anyway, a lot happens in this so I hope that you enjoy it!
Special Thanks: Thank you so much to AluSoRandom for not only faving and following my story, Secrets of Blood, but for doing the same to me as an author! I would also like to acknowledge my reviewers, all of which who have helped me greatly, and who are RavynKlaine, Haruhana, Ambrii, Naruto Loves FemKyuubi, and AluSoRandom.
Responses: To RavynKlaine: I think you're closer to the answer than you think, so keep speculating! To answer your one question, Val will be visiting Strauss in this chapter. Also, thank you for your kind words on my writing style! I have worked on my own novels in the past, but without feedback I got bored and gave up. I've been thinking about returning to them, but I'm not sure.
To Haruhana: I always pictured LaCroix as being very cold and calculating, but not evil per say as that always depends on your perceptions of what is right and wrong. Vampires themselves often skirt the lines of not only humanity but morality I'm sure on what is a daily basis, but fear not. The Prince will grow to be a bit more compassionate in time. =)
To Ambrii: Yes I've seen author's do that in the past, which I can understand to some degree, but in the end I want to improve my work, not drive away my readers lol. The next chapter will explain in more detail about Valeska's blood, but we've already spoken in private a bit more about what she is so you've probably got it all figured out anyway. Happy to hear you enjoyed the last chapter's warm and fuzziness, but I assure you that the blood given to her was Katrina's. She was just attached because there was literally else no one around to go to, not to mention her already present feelings.
To Sasha: My version of LaCroix will eventually divulge his previous heartbreaks, but you're mostly right. From what has been shared so far, the Prince has seemingly never experienced love from either of his parents (except when he was very young), and his sire killed his first ghoul before anything could develop between them. The only love he has felt that we know of so far is from his sister, a reason I'm sure is why he can't let her go.
To AluSoRandom: Oh no! I looked everywhere in my reviews to see if you had posted before, but the only person I could find with a similar name was AluVkisser. Was this you before posting with a different account? As for the near death experience, that is very close to how it felt for me, but as for others I cannot say. Some people have claimed they've seen god or other religious figures, but for me it was what was described in the previous chapter as I had coded (no heartbeat) in the ER. I can tell you more if you'd like through a PM as it is quite personal to discuss. Anyway, in regards to the rest of your review, I don't blame you for wanting to hit LaCroix because I HATE the Nosferatu Warrens more than anything too! From here on out I shall refrain from announcing in the beginning anything romantic, as I hadn't thought that it might ruin romantic moments. Thanks for the tip! =)
Chapter 36 And the Truth Shall Set You Free
Besides a few flashes here and there that didn't quite make sense, Valeska Latimer experienced no other dreams for the remainder of the day. In a way it was more than a little disappointing, as she had been hoping to see her father again. However, when one has their mind preoccupied with the future occurrence of a certain blonde Prince visiting them again, they find themselves much too excited to bother with something as distracting as sleep. All day this was exactly what the ghoul had been dealing with too, as right as her eyes would open she would immediately find them anxiously drifting to her curtains to determine whether or not the sun had set. Each time had seen light peeking through from the high noon's sun, and each time she found herself sighing with frustration as she flipped back onto her stomach.
It seemed so stupid to her to be sacrificing her much needed shut eye too, but the butterflies fluttering in her stomach with anticipation had her wondering how LaCroix would wake her up. She had requested that he be gentle when approaching her, but what could be considered as gentle to her could have meant something entirely different to a Ventrue vampire. For her that meant that she was hoping he might employ a passionate kiss to bring her forth from her slumber, but that kind of thing belonged in childish fairytales. LaCroix may have been a Prince, but he was nothing like the generic prince charming individuals in the stories her grandmother used to tell at her bedside. Sure he had the looks, wealth, and charm, but honestly his behavior often seemed too villainous to be placed in the same category as the hero. That wasn't to say her boss was going to turn into a fire breathing dragon or kidnap a princess any time soon (not that she wouldn't mind being kidnapped by him), but he certainly had the temper, manipulative streak, ambitious nature, and ego of a villain.
This villain title would have been one that she would naturally continue to associate him with, that is, if it hadn't been for the previous evening. His kind actions and choice of words in particular were still fresh in her mind, and the surprise of said events had almost been enough to distract her from the fact that she had frenzied. This little detail was something else that had been keeping her from sleeping soundly, because frankly, the idea that she had completely lost control and almost killed someone terrified her. Sure she had attacked other people, killed them even, but that had always been in self-defense, because she had been contracted to do so, or in the case of her latest murder of the Malkavian ghoul, John, a mercy killing.
Katrina had never done anything wrong to harm the ghoul, and when Valeska had first been brought into the world of vampires, the helpful Toreador secretary was the first decent person she had met before Mercurio. Knowing that she had torn open her neck and tried to drain her dry was unnerving, though not just because Katrina was an innocent person, but because part of her actually enjoyed giving into her desires. The power she had been granted was beyond incredible, and reaping the rewards aka vampire blood, was worth the small lump she had gotten to the side of her skull when she had been thrown across the room. Additionally, having a mind free of any worries or hesitations in harming another was astonishingly advantageous so long as she didn't let her guilt overcome her. Now if she could only learn to control such chilling impulses, then frenzying could have some serious benefits like being able to hold down a vampire with little to no effort. That in of itself was more than a little surprising, because she had always figured that ghouls were weaker than the famed creatures of the night. However, her recollection of the previous evening clearly showed her differently so perhaps her assumption of ghouls simply did not hold true for when they frenzied. Either way she knew that no matter how much power she may have gained, it was not something that could be easily controlled as from what Mercurio had told her, frenzying was more like a super natural flight or fight response that took on an extreme approach. So really then, any rational person would know that it was probably best to avoid entering that state at all costs to avoid being discovered by human authorities or to prevent the death of those they cared for.
Eventually after her mind ceased to contemplate the Prince, frenzying, and other random bits of information, she drifted off to sleep. She stayed that way for several hours too, until an abrupt knocking tore her from her blissful snooze. However, instead of sitting up, she pretended to remain asleep so that her boss would have no choice but to enter. Was it a manipulative thing to do? Maybe, but what woman at some point in their lives hadn't feigned unconsciousness to lure in their crush? Yet these actions wound up not mattering anyway, as when the door creaked open she heard the sound of high heels clicking on the tile. They definitely didn't belong to any man, so unless the Prince had taken to cross dressing which she highly doubted, then it wasn't him. The next sound to reach the ghoul's ears was of someone who sounded feminine clearing their throat.
"Miss Latimer…?" a female voice asked, one that obviously belonged to a cautious Katrina. Rolling over, Valeska eyed the nervous secretary with disappointment since her anticipated Ventrue guest had been replaced with that of a Toreador. She supposed she couldn't have been too surprised though, since her rather forward approach of wanting to help him before had probably scared him off. Oh well, that was most men for her.
"Yes?" the ghoul returned as she let her eyes adjust to the light seeping into the room from the hallway. It wasn't that bright, but it was just enough for her to be reminded of Katrina's physical beauty and stylish choice in clothing; as was the norm for most Toreadors she supposed.
"Prince LaCroix has requested that I check up on your condition. How do you feel?" the Toreador inquired courteously. Even though she was being polite, Valeska could tell by the secretary's anxious body language that she truly did not want to be there.
"I'm alright. A little groggy from just waking up, but otherwise fine," Valeska replied as she sat up and tried to ignore the fearful tension coming from the woman standing in her doorway. "I uh, have to admit that I was expecting Sebastian to wake me up himself."
"Why ever would you think such a thing?" Katrina questioned with confusion steadily creeping over her face.
"Because he told me he would…" she responded slowly, before mentally reminding herself that the Prince was a busy man. He had no time to waste on waking up his ghoul when he had a city to run and a reputation to maintain. Still, the damage was done at this point because Valeska could practically see the gears turning in Katrina's mind.
"Well routine tasks like this are usually appointed to me," the secretary explained, her comment causing the ghoul to raise an eyebrow with curiosity.
"Routine? Does he usually have several different women spending the night or something?" the ghoul enquired, trying to hide her mild jealousy. The Prince didn't seem like the type to have several mistresses, but even though this was only a slight possibility, it upset her more than she thought it would. Before the secretary could answer Valeska's query, she slid out of bed and noticed that Katrina had taken a step backwards.
"O-of course not," was all she managed to stammer out. Now although there were probably plenty of people out there that would revel in the power they had over another due to the fear they inspired, such a feeling was not something that put a smile on Valeska's face. Instead, she found herself full of guilt, as though it wasn't necessarily her fault she attacked the woman, she still felt bad about doing so.
"Listen, about last night…I'm really, really sorry. I have no idea what came over me when I attacked you," Valeska apologized as she paused a moment to scratch at her upper arm in an embarrassed fashion. "I'm told I frenzied, but I'm still getting used to this whole ghoul thing. It still doesn't excuse my actions or anything, but I just wanted to let you know that I really regret what I did, and to make a promise that I'm not going to hurt you. Can you forgive me?" With the combination of her apology and the weak smile she gave the Toreador, Katrina's shoulders seemed to relax ever so slightly.
"Thank you, Miss Latimer, I really appreciate hearing that from you," the secretary acknowledged, "I accept your apology, and I forgive you, since every vampire or ghoul at some point in their life has lost control. Personally I'm more worried about you, seeing as how this was your first time frenzying as well as being frenzied on…"
"Yeah, hell of a night…" the ghoul agreed quietly, averting her eyes in the process and deciding to remain silent about how good it actually felt when she had frenzied herself. "I doubt either of us is anxious to relive that moment, so let's change topics for now."
"Good idea," Katrina commented with a nod. "The Prince told me that he required your presence anyway, so best not to keep him waiting."
"Did he say why?" Valeska inquired, wanting to know what to expect ahead of time.
"I'm sorry, but no. He hasn't said much to anyone this evening, but then again that's probably because of his preoccupation with the Elizabeth Dane," the Toreador vampire explained as the ghoul shot her a puzzled look. "You mean you haven't heard of it?" Valeska shook her head no. "Oh, well I don't know the specifics myself, but the Elizabeth Dane is a cargo ship that was found lost at sea. Supposedly it's carrying a sarcophagus, but there have been whispers in the community that it might be Kindred in origin."
"A vampire sarcophagus huh? I wonder if it has a mummy inside of it…" the ghoul wondered aloud without thinking, "Man what I wouldn't give to be there when they pry that sucker open…" Valeska glanced upwards to see Katrina frowning in disapproval. "Oh, uhm…sorry, I'm kind of an ancient history lover who finds that possibility insanely interesting."
"That's fine; I'm kind of excited about it too," the secretary confessed, "What I can't figure out though is why so many of the higher ranking individuals on the West Coast are anxious about its arrival."
"Why would century old vampires be scared of an ancient box?" she asked in partial disbelief.
"Oh I don't know. They're probably afraid that there's an antediluvian inside or something else equally idiotic," Katrina scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "Everyone knows those ridiculous stories are false, but it won't stop the Sabbat from going to war over it anyway. I suppose a potential war is might be why it has the Prince worried at least." Valeska said nothing as she felt even more confused, and apparently her facial expression accurately mirrored these feelings for Katrina gave her a smile of obvious sympathy. "Listen don't worry about any of this right now. If the Prince thinks it's necessary to tell you about the political implications of the sarcophagus, then he will. In the meantime, I would ask Mercurio for a vampire history lesson after you speak with LaCroix."
"Thanks for the recommendation, I'll be sure to do that," Valeska acknowledged as she went to leave the room. "Uh, actually, do you have any clothes I can change into? These ones are kind of…filthy."
"Agreed, but have no fear. The attire collection I purchased for you is still here," Katrina revealed as she opened the closet door, "I was ordered to return it, but the Prince changed his mind at the last minute…" The Toreador tilted her head thoughtfully as she eyed LaCroix's ghoul for a moment. Valeska tried to appear as innocent as possible, but truthfully she was just as much in the dark as Katrina was as to why the Prince would keep such an expensive collection around to seemingly only gather dust. Eventually the secretary simply shrugged. "Ah, but that is his business. Get dressed as quickly as you can, and meet LaCroix in his office."
Before Valeska could respond or even nod, Katrina had left her presence. In a way, it almost seemed like she was irritated or even flat out jealous with the attention her Ventrue boss had decidedly bestowed upon his ghoul, but could Valeska really blame her? She, herself was relatively new to the Camarilla, yet despite being chewed out and black mailed every so often (something the Toreador probably was probably ignorant of), she was being allowed to get away with throwing sass at her boss while still being heavily rewarded for jobs well done. She very much so doubted that every one of the Prince's employees were given these same benefits, so it was no wonder then why this might cause feelings of envy.
As the ghoul changed into a dark knee length skirt and a silky, low cut collared top that was purple in color, she wondered if the Prince and his secretary had ever had some kind of sexual relationship in the past. Judging from what she had seen so far from both parties, it seemed highly unlikely, yet it was obvious that at least one of them desired more from the other person. Valeska herself also wanted more than what her boss was probably capable of giving at this point, so she completely understood how Katrina might have felt. At least the Toreador had more tact than the ghoul, but she unfortunately had the weakness of wearing her heart on her sleeve unlike many of the vampires the ghoul had encountered so far (excluding Velvet). That was probably because she was a Toreador, but it made Valeska wonder if the Prince hadn't yet noticed these subtle feelings of affection his secretary had for him. Perhaps he was just oblivious to the female psyche, or more likely he was completely aware of this and was using those emotions to his advantage in order to inspire loyalty.
A thought suddenly occurred to the ghoul that this was exactly what he was probably doing to her, but as she slid on a pair of low heels, she pushed it from her mind. She had more important things to worry about than being manipulated, especially since he could probably snap his fingers and she would follow out his commands like a well-trained animal. This was mostly because he held her grandmother's life in his hands, but with this ability there was no reason for him to feign compassion. Therefore these thoughts were pointlessly distracting right now, as only a few rooms away waiting was a man she knew was not entirely patient.
One quick trip to the bathroom later to pin up her unmanageable hair back into a bun, and the ghoul had left her room in order to find her way to LaCroix's office. Surprisingly enough, her memory served her well in finding it, so after knocking upon his door and hearing that she could enter, she did just that. Stepping inside and closing the door behind her, Valeska looked around to see that the large room looked exactly the way it always did. The fire place was crackling, the grandfather clock was ticking, and the loyal Sheriff stood behind his master as he waited for any order he might be given. The only difference she could really note was that LaCroix's usually tidy desk was littered with stacks and stacks of paper. Prince LA himself was leaning back in his leather armchair as his eyes scanned a single sheet of paper. Eventually he looked over this document to spot his patiently waiting ghoul and she was pleased when she noticed his eyes quickly wandered over her body for a split second. This was probably a surprised reaction to her new attire, but it made her happy nonetheless.
"Ah good, you are awake. How are you feeling?" he requested as he sat up, placed the document back on his desk, and folded his hands upon it. On his face was an indifferent expression, but the subtle concern in his voice delighted her further as it signaled that he wasn't going to simply throw away the gentle moment they had shared before.
"I'm doing quite well, thanks for asking," Valeska acknowledged with a small smile.
"Excellent, you do look quite nice," the Prince complimented before the revelation of what he had said hit him, "Which is to say that your appearance suggests that you are doing much better." His unintentional compliment alone had been enough to widen the ghoul's smile, but his awkward attempt to quickly fix his statement had caused a bit of laughter to bubble up from within her. Fortunately she had been able to stop herself by forcing out a cough and covering her wide grin in the process, but only an idiot would have missed the fact that she was barely containing herself.
"I appreciate the sentiment, sir, and if I can get away with saying it, you're looking handsome yourself this evening," Valeska returned as LaCroix blinked a few times. It wasn't like she was lying, as even when he had been covered in blood with a mangled mess of hair atop his head he had been gorgeous; mildly disconcerting, but still gorgeous. Now that he was all cleaned up, his sharp navy blue suit with silver cufflinks and perfectly combed out hair just amplified the affect he usually had on her. However, her compliment seemed to fall on deaf ears, because all that was exchanged between the two was silence. "Uh, anyway…Katrina said that you required my presence?" She wanted to ask him why he hadn't been the one to wake her up, but such selfish demands were hardly worth bringing up. Once again, she had to remind herself that he was a man with a full schedule, and the current scene with him buried behind a desk of papers was clear evidence of this.
"Yes, actually. I am still finalizing the details for your next task, but I wished to provide you with something," the Ventrue vampire announced as he pushed away from his desk and closed the distance between the two. It may have sounded silly, but just the act of watching him walk toward her was making her stomach do summersaults. When he finally reached her though, he stuck his hand into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a cell phone that she recalled was nearly as identical as his. The device definitely did not look cheap, but she was left with little choice to argue against taking it because he quickly thrust into her hand.
"Uh…thank you, sir, but why are you giving me this?" she enquired slowly.
"After not being able to reach you when I required it, I found it necessary to take precautions in preventing a repeat offense," Prince LA answered before drilling his eyes into hers, "Speaking of which, is there anything you wish to tell me in regards to why you actually failed to answer your phone last night?" Valeska froze, because almost right away she could tell this was a test. The cunning son of a bitch had somehow already learned about her romantic run in with the notorious Anarch leader, and now she had either the option of lying like crazy or coming clean. The former would only have her digging a deeper hole, but the latter might result in some terrifying consequences. Perhaps then if she were careful, she might employ a combination of the two, as even though she knew her paranoia was playing a part in her frantic thoughts, it was best she get this off her chest now before it was too late. Taking a deep breath, she let her shoulders sag in defeat; an action she hoped might make her look like she regretted her actions all while looking slightly pitiful.
"I do, sir, and it was stupid of me to think that I could get away with lying," the ghoul admitted as she noticed her boss's eyebrows shoot up in mild surprise. More than likely he had expected her to lie through her teeth, but she knew that starting out with honesty might work in her favor until she carefully made her way into being deceitful. "The reason I hadn't answered my phone really was because I was drinking away my problems in a bar; I didn't lie about that. However, I did leave out a detail that I didn't think was important at the time."
"I shall decide what is important in this matter, Miss Latimer, continue," LaCroix ordered as his current body language gave no hints as to how he felt about her current choice in words. So far it didn't seem like he was angry, but by now she knew him well enough to know he was simply waiting for the right chance to pounce. At least her heart was already beating wildly enough that when she finally turned to deception, her high pulse rate might be mistaken for simple anxiety from being put on the spot. This was another thing she could use to her advantage, and all she could think about was how grateful she was that her boss had previously informed her of how he usually sorted out liars.
"Well I…kind of met someone there," Valeska divulged, as she let her eyes fall to the ground to display her guilt, "I'm ashamed to admit this, but I allowed my partially inebriated state to cloud my judgment by letting him take me back to my apartment. Luckily your phone call is what prevented things from escalating, and though I've been meaning to thank you for stopping me from making the biggest mistake of my life, I found the issue too personal to discuss." The ghoul kept her eyes on the ground, as she thought of the raunchiest thing she could in order to force herself to blush. Glancing back up at the Prince who held his chin thoughtfully in his hand, she smiled weakly at him. "I'm uh…really shy when it comes to these kinds of things."
"So it would seem…" her boss agreed as his light blue eyes that were free of anger watched her carefully. "Out of curiosity, do you remember anything in particular that stood out about this individual? Say for instance his name, behavior, or choice of words." Valeska tried her best to appear as if she were thinking very hard about his question, which turned out to be quite simple seeing as how she was thinking hard. Granted her thoughts focused more on choosing her words carefully, but the main theme remained. Right now she was split between telling the truth to make things seem more realistic, or to lie by making Nines out to be a complete fool so that she might satisfy her boss's overall image of the man. Again it seemed a combination of the two would probably work best, since after all, the best kind of lie was one that told the truth, but with a few details twisted to benefit the deceiver.
"Honestly? Even when I was two drinks under he still seemed like a dumb rebel hick from a distance, but when he got close he actually proved to be one hell of a smooth talker. I don't think he ever told me his name though," the ghoul recalled as she watched the Prince's face become stuck between either being pleased with her words or irritated with them. Eventually the satisfied expression won over, but that was probably because the first half of her sentence had been something he would have wanted to hear about his enemy.
This little tip on effectively employing dishonesty had come from reading a book a while back that focused on tricking the human mind with illusions and brain teasers. One section in particular had been of great interest to her, as it entailed a great deal of psychological research that stated that most people were more emotionally affected by the first half of another person's sentence, rather than the second half that usually faded away into the background of their consciousness. While the book had primarily been for the interest of entertaining the reader, the ghoul was always looking for ways to incorporate knowledge she learned into her everyday life. Judging by how well her little trick had seemingly worked on the Prince though, she decided then that it was a very good thing that she regularly did this.
"Hm, and are you certain that he did not disclose his identity to you or share any other kind of information you might have deemed unusual?" he asked, his question more genuine than it was mistrustful.
"I'm sorry, sir, but no. I barely remember anything about him as is," Valeska lied before pausing to remember the public outburst Nines had made. Surely something like that was bound to jog someone's memory if they had almost slept with that same person, but since she had little experience with being drunk herself, she wasn't sure if forgetting someone's face in only a few hours was common. "Sir, forgive me for asking, but why are you asking me all these questions? I know my actions were irresponsible and might have negatively affected your reputation, but you almost seem like you want to kill the guy." The Prince laughed softly, before his expression became serious.
"Oh believe me, Miss Latimer, if I could accomplish such a feat without initiating a war of some kind, I would," the Prince responded in a dark tone that matched his words, "The truth of the matter is, the man you almost shared a bed with last night was none other than Nines Rodriguez, the famed Anarch leader who objected to my trial last night." Valeska let out a little gasp in the hopes that her face full of shock looked authentic, though she doubted she did. When it came to trickery she could effortlessly drop lies for the most part, but controlling her facial expressions had never come easily to her, not to even mention her poor attempt at body language.
"Oh my god…I had no clue, I swear!" the ghoul promised, which wasn't that far from the truth when she thought about it. Originally discovering who she had almost slept with from her boss in their ride to the trial had been bad enough, so now all she had to do was to accurately replicate the emotions she had been trying to disguise back then. Placing her hands on both sides of her skull, she exhaled deeply. "I think I'm going to be sick…"
"Calm down, Miss Latimer, there is no need for such theatrics," the Ventrue vampire commanded as he waved his hand nonchalantly, "Your current position in vampire society makes you mostly blameless in this situation, for the fault lies with me for not assuring that Mercurio taught you properly. I shall speak with him later on his failures as a teacher, but in the meantime, the situation might actually prove useful. I may not be happy to hear you accidently almost had sexual relations with my enemy, but I cannot deny that your actions may have helped me." Was it just her, or was he trying hard not to lose his temper? He definitely seemed like he wanted to yell at her or insult her even, yet here he was refraining from such actions.
"That's great to hear, but please don't punish Mercurio for my short comings. I'm sure he told me all about Nines, and I probably just zoned out for a minute or two," she rushed anxiously, not wanting her closest friend in the Camarilla to be punished for her stupid mistake of walking straight into an Anarch bar. The Prince said nothing as he returned to his desk, his lack of presence causing an odd emptiness to bubble up from within her.
"Your loyalty to your instructor is admirable, but unless you have any further information to change your recollection of your encounter with Mr. Rodriguez…then there is nothing more to be said," Prince LA informed his ghoul as she remained silent. She knew his words were a trap to lure her into admitting something to incriminate her, but even if she had flat out told him every single truthful detail, it still wouldn't have saved Mercurio. She honestly had not realized she had been in Anarch territory, nor had she been aware that she had almost gotten down and dirty with their leader until her boss had mentioned his name much later in the same evening. She could lie and say that she had purposefully ignored Mercurio to spite him in some kind of attempt to save his hide, but she doubted he would go for it.
"I understand, sir," Valeska surrendered quietly, "But he's been so kind and incredibly helpful in introducing this new world to me. I'm sure this is my fault somehow, so please…just go easy on him."
"I shall consider it," LaCroix offered as the ghoul exhaled with relief. She cared deeply for her ghoul mentor, as he had been like a father to her in more ways than one.
"Thank you," she acknowledged gratefully with a polite bow of her head.
"Of course, now there is just one query I have left for you, and it is imperative that you answer truthfully," her boss began as Valeska shifted awkwardly, "At any point, did Mr. Rodriguez drink your blood?"
"Sir, I didn't even realize he was a vampire until you told me so a minute ago. I mean, his skin was warm and everything," the ghoul lied again, being well aware that she had known Nines was a vampire before they even went back to their apartment. It was a little weird that her blood was the Prince's primary concern, but she supposed he didn't like sharing his food with others. That thought alone had her split between being flattered that she might be seen as precious to her boss, and uncomfortable that she was only good for being his dinner.
"Very well, return to your apartment and await my email," he ordered, his voice possessing a slight edge of relief to it, "I have a task for you that will require a great deal amount of deception, tact, and stealth, skills that I'm sure you'll have no problem utilizing." He narrowed his eyes for a moment that had Valeska sweating as to whether or not he had seen through her, but his expression returned to normal mere seconds later. "However as I previously mentioned the details are still being finalized, so stay near your laptop and keep your cellphone on you at all times."
"As you wish, sir," she accepted, trying to hide her feelings of frustration the best she could. Again she found herself being confused with his general character, as one minute he was awkwardly tripping over an accidently given compliment, the next he was interrogating her while searching for inconsistencies, before finally finishing his discussion with her by getting right back down to business and giving her a new set of commands. Okay, so their hugging moment hadn't been that big of a deal, but to her it was a major breakthrough point that she had figured might lead to something that could be considered special. Then again, their interaction so far had its usual furious screaming matches and vicious insults replaced with fairness and a few compliments. That alone was a huge improvement, and though she knew she couldn't rush someone like the Prince with learning to be compassionate, it didn't stop her impatient inner desires from wanting what they wanted.
"Oh and before you leave, might I suggest that you stick to the color purple for any future attire you choose to wear?" the Prince requested, something that was quite surprising in itself as he wasn't making a demand for once. "The color of royalty suits you well." His expression was dead serious, but the ghoul couldn't help but wonder if this had been a subtle attempt at flirting with her. After all, LaCroix himself held a title that was usually associated with that of royalty, so was his recommendation a teasing remark that she would be suited well with him? Perhaps purple was just his favorite color and he wanted to see her wearing more often, or better yet, he wanted to be surrounded by those who looked as much the part of royalty that he did. She honestly had no clue, and she knew that she was probably just reading way too far into his words like she always did. More than likely he was simply making his suggestion because he was concerned with the overall image of his company, as having elegant employees wearing colors that flattered them would be an effective way to make himself look appealing to the public, regardless of whether they were human, vampire, or whatever else was out there.
"If it pleases you, then I will make an effort to purchase purple clothing in the future, sir," she promised as watched his lips curl upwards in a small smile.
"Good. That will be all, Valeska," LaCroix dismissed. He had used her first name again, something she had noticed that he rarely did unless he was trying to be gentle, when he was concerned for her, or was immensely pleased with her actions.
"Good night…Sebastian," she returned, using his own first name in attempt to test the waters. Unexpectedly his small smile remained, but his eyes soon left hers as they returned their attention to his cluttered desk. Feeling quite satisfied with the situation at hand, Valeska left his office with a bit more bounce in her step. The butterflies were fluttering around like mad within her, and although she would have never admitted it anyone, she was as giddy as a young school girl. So what if she had been reading into his words a bit too much before? She had just used his first name, gotten away with it, and had even been granted a smile in return. In her eyes, that was damn good progress.
As she slowly made her way down Venture Tower, she realized just how well the evening had gone. She had made up with Katrina, effectively deceived the Prince (at least she hoped she did), escaped a situation that would have normally ended in a screaming match, took another step in developing some kind of friendly relationship with LaCroix, and despite her feelings of not wanting to accept expensive gifts, she had been given a brand spanking new cell phone. It had been one of the better nights she had experienced in nearly three weeks, and if it hadn't been for the possibility that Mercurio might be severely punished, then it would have been the very best one. That was something she was actually quite worried about, but there wasn't much she could to change the situation. The best she could do was to call her mentor to warn him when she got, since she didn't have his number programmed into her new cellphone.
Leaving Venture Tower completely, Valeska took a moment to gather her thoughts as to what she wanted to do next. The dream she had experienced earlier had been moved to the back of her mind, though now that she was free to do as she wanted, she had an intense desire to speak to the Tremere Regent. This wasn't just because her father had ordered to do so either, but because the note Maximillian had placed in her apartment had caused her normally high curiosity levels to soar beyond what was probably healthy for any one person. Her boss may have given her instructions to return to her apartment, and while she was just as interested to find out what her next task would be, learning about her father was decidedly more important. Besides, the Prince had her number if he really needed her now that he had given her a cellphone. Now if only she could remember the address Strauss had given her…
Closing her eyes she reached back to when she had read the note, but all she could remember was the general street in which his Chantry was located, not any specific address. The street in question wasn't too far from her boss's actual haven, and though she did not want to engage in the awkward task of asking around for someone who looked like a Matrix oriented magic wielder, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to search for the Tremere haven. Setting off in the direction that would lead her to her destination, Valeska encountered nothing out of the ordinary except being hassled by one of the bums looking for his next meal ticket. The ghoul naturally hadn't had any change on her, so after sending the persistent man away, she wound up past the condemned hospital and Hallowbrook Hotel, to be on the cross roads of several different buildings. One of which she could automatically rule out, for its doors and windows were boarded up, while its walls were painted with an odd red symbol in the shape of a star with a skull in the center of it. The ghoul knew that the Tremere were supposed to be by nature, quite secretive, so spray painting assumed gang symbols just didn't seem like them.
There were a few other structures in the area too, but since one of them was dedicated to being an apartment complex and the other was a business closed for the evening, that fortunately narrowed down her options to what she could have discovered without either of the above hints, the assumed Chantry. The structure, which was several stories high, had a sort of Victorian gothic flair to it, as the arched stone windows and twisted architecture was shaped to be both attractive as well as undeniably creepy. Nearly every single one of the lower windows had curtains or old shutters covering their respective rooms, yet glancing upwards revealed that the higher floors had an odd purple light shining through them. If she hadn't known any better, she might have assumed that someone was having a wicked rave party up there, but she did know better. More than likely the light came from someone casting spells or something else that sounded equally awesome, but a magic show was not why she was here. Her father and the missing information from her past was why she was here, so taking a deep breath she approached the front door and knocked firmly upon it.
As she waited, she couldn't help but feel a sense of uneasiness, like something horrible had once occurred at the Chantry's location. Experiencing such emotions was nothing strange to her, as often when she visited very old structures that had a lot of negative history, she would usually suffer the sensation that she might suffocate if she remained. The building in front of her looked somewhat old, but what she was experiencing now was probably emanating from the clan's dark history. Mercurio had only been able to tell her so much about the Tremere due to how well they hid their secrets, but the one thing that he had been clear on, was that they were highly mistrusted by the other clans because of both their past and their supposed twisted experiments. Being a guinea pig for some ancient mage was not something she personally would have liked to become a part of, so all she could hope for was that being caught in a trap would not be added to her evening agenda.
Slowly the door opened to reveal a young woman with coffee colored skin, long dark hair, and a long sleeved, black dress that reached her ankles. All that she needed was a pointy hat with a black cat in her arms, and the assumed Tremere vampire standing in front of the ghoul would have been the iconic image of an old fashioned Halloween witch. Additionally she had a creepy vibe to her, though maybe that was the way her honey colored eyes peered knowingly into the ghouls.
"Can I help you?" the Tremere asked, her voice smooth like silk.
"Does a Maximillian Strauss live here?" Valeska returned, trying to appear as confident as possible.
"Perhaps, why do you need him?" the witch like lady countered, her stare never wavering. It was almost like she was trying to read the ghoul's mind, something that had her anxiously trying to regulate her thoughts just in case this was true.
"Well he requested that I see him as soon as possible through a letter he delivered," the ghoul responded.
"And do you have this letter with you?" the female vampire questioned, her body language settling into the defensive as her eyes filled with skepticism.
"Uhm…no, I left it in my apartment…" Valeska answered, starting to feel a little uneasy. "Look, if you don't believe me then can you just go tell the Regent that I'm here? My name is Valeska and I -" The woman held up her hand to signal for the ghoul to be silent as her eyes fell to the ground. It looked like she was distracted by something, but she was only quiet for a moment.
"Are you sure?" the Tremere woman asked aloud to no one before slowly nodding her head. "If that is what you think is best, then I shall do so." Complete silence. "As you wish, Regent." Returning her attention to the confused Valeska who could find no sign of a communication device, the vampire spoke up. "Regent Strauss is in his study. If you'd like I can take you there now." She still didn't look like she trusted the ghoul, but somehow she had just been talking with her superior who ordered his underling to let her in.
"Yes please," the ghoul accepted before the Tremere associate opened the door fully. Valeska took a few steps inside, but she had little to no time to view the foyer as she was quickly escorted to what could only be described as a maze of hallways. Her trip that had her worrying that she might get lost on the way out was short, but she had been able to notice that her surroundings consisted of wooden ceilings, several old fashioned wall lamps, intricate maroon carpets, dozens of closed doors, and walls that had wooden baseboards for its lower half while the upper half had wallpaper that matched the floors. "How do you guys not lose yourselves down here? It's like a maze!"
"We manage," was all the witch like lady revealed as the two stopped in front of an impressive double set of doors with stained glass. On both sides of the room were matching sofas that were dark green in color and appeared as though they were from the same time period that LaCroix's furniture came from. "The Regent is inside, do not keep him waiting."
With that she turned and left, leaving the ghoul standing all alone while her nerves slowly began to eat away at her. Not wanting to let her anxiety affect her any more than it was, she decided to get it over with by quickly opening both of the doors. What lay before her was a decent sized study that had room enough for two greyish blue sofas, an armchair that matched the couches, a huge fireplace surrounded by marble, a handful of end tables a large piece of artwork mounted right above the fireplace, a couple of fully stocked, towering bookshelves, and a wooden coffee table. Meanwhile, the walls were covered in dark blue wallpaper with white symbols imprinted on them, the floors were made of wood but were mostly covered with a rug, and the ceiling, well looking at that just hurt her eyes trying to figure out just what the hell she was staring out. Besides the two lamps behind her, the only light in the room came from the fire which ultimately gave the area an almost mystical feeling to it. Standing with his back faced to the ghoul, Maximillian was dressed in a less formal set of red 'wizard' robes as he stared into the fire place.
"I uh, got your message, Regent," Valeska announced as he turned around to view her. There was no surprise in his face, nor was there any question as to why she was there, for both of them were obviously on the same page.
"Ah, good evening, Valeska. It is a pleasure to see you again, but please, let us dispense with the formalities. You may call me Maximillian," the Regent urged in his deep sophisticated voice. "After all, this is not your master's realm." Taking a seat on one of his nearby sofas, he gestured for her to sit on the one in front of him, a scene that mirrored the one in her dream so closely that it gave her chills.
"Alright, Maximillian it is then," she agreed to as she seated herself on the comfortable couch and crossed her legs. For what seemed like half a minute or so, the Tremere Primogen rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he studied the ghoul before him. It was something that made Valeska feel increasingly uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but wonder what the hell was up with this clan's fascination of staring people down. "Not to be rude, but I'm assuming you didn't ask me to come here if all you were going to do was stare." Strauss raised an eyebrow.
"Remarkable. You know, when I examined your father he reacted in much the same manner that you have now," Strauss divulged with an almost nostalgic expression as the fire danced in his small spectacles.
"Yeah, you told me before that you somehow knew him. Will you answer my questions now that you couldn't before?" the ghoul requested as she leaned forward a bit, mostly in anticipation.
"Of course, but I must remind you that we sit behind closed walls that hide many secrets, young one. Anything that is discussed here, must remain here, and not just for the safety of my clan either, but for the safety of your own person," Maximillian warned in a stern tone.
"Are you threatening me?" a paranoid Valeska questioned, feeling more anxious than she already did. Coming here in the first place she knew would be like this, for the blood mage's levels of creepiness almost matched her idol, Gary Golden.
"I am not," the Tremere Primogen guaranteed, his face free of any of the typical signs of deception, "I merely meant to say that sharing any information outside this Chantry could result in others reacting poorly to your nature. Remain silent, and I promise to not only answer your questions, but I shall do my best to keep you under my protection. Does this seem a fair proposal?"
"It does," Valeska agreed quickly with a nod, "Now please, I need to learn everything about my father that you know." At this point in time she would have agreed to do almost anything outside of harming or degrading herself to acquire this knowledge, so staying quiet was a no brainer to her.
"Very well, where shall I begin then?" he inquired. Valeska remained silent for a moment, as she turned to stare into the marble fireplace that had dragons engraved on the sides of it. There were dozens, maybe even hundreds of questions she had for the warlock in front of her, but now that they were actually in reach had no idea where to start. Eventually she settled on something that had been killing her for a while now.
"Alright, how do you know my father?" the ghoul asked. She knew she probably looked silly sitting on the edge of her seat like she was, but that was mostly because she knew that one way or another, she would have all the answers she wanted by the time the night was out.
Author's Note: Yes, yes, I know, this was a horrible spot to leave off on a cliff hanger, but I needed to make room for the next chapter! *dodges flying bottles and other random objects* Okay I doubt anyone is actually going to get violent with me over that, but this time I promise for sure that Valeska's nature as well as her father's involvement & history for the story will be revealed. If you have anything you'd to share, whether it be pleasing words or death threats for my delayed exposure of secrets (that was a joke, no death threats please xD), then please feel free to drop a review! Thanks again to all my supporters, and I'll see you next time!