Charlaine Harris owns these characters and the universe they live in...well maybe not the entire universe.
A/N I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. It's always great when chapters feel like they're writing themselves. I was laid off from my full time job a week ago, so I actually have more time to write, in between looking for another job and dealing with some stupid medical garbage. So right now, this is the only major fun thing going on! LOL! Ah well, life always has a way of working itself doesn't it?
enjoy!
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Field Report by Special Agent Albert Brune
Transcription of interview subject the vampire known as Eric Northman , alias Eric The Northman, or Eric the Viking
Interview subject has been listed as a vampire reference by the candidate William Thomas Compton. A general observation report is listed first, with the complete report on the last page. For any questions, please reach me at the FBI's New Orlean's field.
The following interview was conducted at the subject's place of business since he refused to come to the Shreveport Police Department's administrative offices. I was accompanied by my partner, Special Agent Denise Nardelli, and two of the Shreveport Police Department's vampire officers. This was to avoid the possibility of the subject influencing either myself or my partner in any way to alter the outcome of the interview. I took the approved list of questions forwarded to me by the FBI's behavioral lab in Quantico.
The subject's business is a vampire bar called Fangtasia, located at the end of a large strip mall that possesses several big box stores and a couple smaller businesses. It was the middle of the week, just after 8pm and was not busy when we entered. The primary elements that make it stand out inside are various vampire movie pictures on the walls, and a gift shop. Most of the clientele are younger people dressed in the style often referred to as Goth or as pretend vampires. There were a few tourists in the gift shop. Our vampire police escorts informed us later that there had been 5 actual vampires in the establishment, counting our interview subject.
We were shown into a back office and seated. Once we informed the subject that the interview was being recorded, we began. I conducted the interview myself. The subject spoke plainly, but several times refused to answer questions that he deemed too personal for himself or legally questionable regarding the candidate. He did not volunteer information, but instead stuck to the specifics of each question I presented.
"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me Mr. Northman "
"You're welcome"
"Do you understand why I am here today?"
"Why don't you explain it to me."
"William Compton has listed you as a reference for his application to the vampire astronaut corp. You are aware of this?"
"yes"
"He has stated that he has known you most of his life since he was Turned and that you two have worked together in the past. Is this correct?"
"Yes"
"Please realize that this interview is to get a better idea of who the candidate is and whether he's suited for the astronaut corp. It's not meant to be judgmental nor is it going to lead to any form of criminal investigation."
"Very well"
"Alright, let's start at the beginning. Can you give me an approximate date of when you first met Mr. Compton?"
"Not really, but it was late 19th century. "
"Can you tell me anything about it?"
"No, because I honestly don't remember. We met in passing. I had no reason to take note. Plus, he was still with his Maker at the time."
"Can you tell me anything about her?"
"She was a bitch."
"Ah….alright…could you expound on that? "
"She was a miserable bitch and we're all the better for her being finally dead."
"Could you give me specific examples of why this is?"
"She couldn't be trusted. She was ruthless even towards allies. She'd turn on you in the wink of an eye and she was emotionally obsessive and unstable. And she treated Bill Compton badly."
"How so?"
" I won't go into specifics, but primarily because she was obsessed with him and wouldn't allow him to leave her."
"But Mr. Compton wanted to leave?"
"Yes. I'm sure your FBI has studied us vampires to some extent and discovered that Turned vampires don't stay with their Makers very long."
"Yes, we have actually noticed that. It appears they don't stay much longer than 5 years or so. Is that about right?"
"Yes, it is."
"May I ask why that is?"
"It would be similar to a young man growing up in his mother's house, never marrying, and continuing to live with his mother as he got older. This society frowns upon such an arrangement, yes?"
"Yes, it's viewed as being unhealthy unless there's a specific reason the man needs to be there. Are you saying that vampires who stay with their Makers too long are viewed as unhealthy?"
"No, I'm saying that the arrangement is viewed as unusual and abnormal. Except in rare occasions, it results in both vampires being unhappy."
"And you're saying that Bill and his Maker …a Lorena Ball…were in such a relationship?"
"Yes"
"its odd then, that this Lorena wouldn't allow Mr. Compton to leave if they were so unhappy."
"Like I said, she was obsessed with him. Haven't you ever seen people stay in relationships that were destructive?"
"All too often I'm afraid. So, do you know how long they were together?"
"You haven't asked Bill this question?"
"I'm asking you."
"They were together…oh…about 50 years or so. By the time the Great Depression hit, he had shook her loose."
"Was he happier after that?"
"He seemed to be. I never asked."
"Then how did you know?"
"He's reserved, even for a vampire, but there's a definite difference between him being miserable or being content. I've been observing people for a very long time. He was relatively young. I could tell."
"I see. We were advised that Lorena has met her final death. Can you confirm this information?"
"To the best of my knowledge, she has met her final death, yes."
"Did you see her die or her remains?"
"I can't answer that. "
"I see. Very well, has ever expressed any regret regarding Lorena meeting her final death?"
"No"
"Would you say he's happy about it?"
"No, he's relieved that she's gone."
"Would you say he hated her?"
"Not exactly"
"Given what you've told me, it sounds like he would have reasons to hate her."
"He does, but hating one's Maker is like hating one's human parents. Even if your parents were poor…they're still your parents. Understand?"
"Yes, I think I do. So, in your opinion he's relieved she's gone."
"It's not just my opinion. He's told me so. He's relieved he never has to deal with her again. He never has to worry about her showing up and interfering in his life. "
"Mr. Northman, in your opinion, if Lorena were still alive …so to speak…would she have interfered with him applying for the astronaut corp?"
"Bill never would have bothered applying."
"I see. Would you say that due to this abnormal relationship with his Maker, that Mr. Compton has been impacted emotionally?"
"What do you mean?"
" I mean, has his social behavior or his ability to interact with others been affected."
"There's no way to know that since I would have had to have known him when he was human and …really..there's no way to know. He keeps to himself mostly. He likes working on his own, but he's never displayed any displeasure when he has to work with others."
"So, you wouldn't say that he dislikes being around people?"
"Not at all, I'm just saying he seems to prefer a quiet life."
"Do you know if he's ever lived in a ….I believe it's called a nest?"
"Not for any significant period of time. Vampires might stay in nests as guests, but that's not the same thing."
"I see, thank you….okay…ah..I'd appreciate it if you could explain the nature of your relationship with Mr. Compton."
"What do you need to know?"
"How would you describe your relationship? "
"Do you mean are we friends or lovers?" (sound of laughter)
"Are you?"
"No, we're not lovers." (sound of laughter)
"But you're friends?"
"Not really, not by vampire standards."
"What do you mean?"
"Humans use the word friend very lightly."
"So, vampires do not…"
"No, we don't. Bill would be more along the lines of an acquaintance or a work colleague. We get along when we need to, but we don't spend any of our casual free time together. "
"I see. Do you trust him?"
" I trust him as much as any other vampire I do business with."
"That's a little vague."
"Then what are you really asking me? Be specific or don't ask. I am very old. I have watched the centuries come and go. Generations of humans born, live and die. I haven't gotten to this point by being careless with my emotions or by trusting someone because they're polite to my face."
" I apologize Mr. Northman if I have offended you. That was not my intention."
"I'm not offended. I'm irritated. Your human life is very short, why waste time beating around the bush? Get to the point. What is it exactly you want to know?"
"The focus here is whether Mr. Compton can be trusted to fulfill mission objectives, be honest with his crewmates so they feel they can trust him, and that he can be trusted to not become unstable once he's in space with them. A lot hinges on this. If he turns out to not be who we believe him to be and something happens, it would destroy decades of work and hundreds of millions of dollars would go down the drain. One of the greatest endeavors the human race has ever attempted to be in jeopardy. Indeed, the entire human race could be affected. "
"See, now was that so hard?" (sound of laughter)
"I'm glad you think this is funny."
"The day I lose the ability to laugh is the day I meet the sun, don't take it personally, although I was laughing at you and not your question. To answer your question: as long as I have known Bill he has shown himself to be hard working, diligent, and focused with regards to work. If he takes on a job, he will do it to the best of his ability. As to honesty…well..he'll be as honest with his crewmates as they are with him. But then, that's true of anyone don't you think?"
"There, now was that so hard?"
"You're funny. They were smart to send you." (sound of laughter)
"What about his stability?"
"I have no idea what would happen in space. How could I predict that? But I will say that he is a steady vampire. I have seen him stand firm when other vampires were losing their nerve."
"Can you give me examples of what you're talking about?"
"No, I will not."
"Alright then…well..it sounds like you respect him."
"He shows me respect , I give it in return. We're no different than humans that way. We have to live with each other for a very long time, so our survival depends on getting along."
"It's odd to me then that you two aren't friends."
"Well, he doesn't like me."
"Why?"
"He says I'm an arrogant, ruthless, money grubbing Viking." (sound of laughter)
"Are you?"
"Yes" (sound of laughter)
"Strange then, that he put you down as a reference, don't you think?"
"Liking someone and respecting them is two different things."
"So, he may not like you, but he respects you."
"Yes, it's the primary reason we get along. I deal with him fairly with regards to business and I don't abuse our relationship."
"And what has he done for you?"
"He has done work for me in the past and stood by me during difficult transitions in the vampire community."
"Can you be more specific about that?"
"No, I will not."
"Let's change gears here a little. What do you think about Mr. Compton's involvement in the space program? Do you support it? Do you think he'll do well?"
"When he told me he was applying for the astronaut program, I told him he was insane. We argued about it for hours."
"Given your relationship, you would have been in a position to stop him?"
"I could have made things difficult for him, yes."
"What changed your mind?"
"He reminded me that there are no dragons on Mars."
"I'm sorry, I'm not following you."
"When I was still human, the general consensus was that the world was flat and if you sailed far enough, you would go off the edge, or being eaten by dragons or some other nonsense. I'm sure to you, it seems very foolish now, but people sincerely believed this. When men boarded ships and headed for the horizon, they had a very realistic belief that they might never see their homes again."
"And yet, they got on the ships anyway."
"Yes, and many of them never came back."
"Forgive me, but I'm seeing here in my file that you were once a Viking? Is this correct?"
"Yes, in my human life I lived amongst the people who are now referred to by historians as Vikings."
"Vikings were early explorers and were amongst the first settlers of North America, so I guess I'm surprised by how you're viewing Mr. Compton's ambitions here."
"Vikings didn't explore for the hell of it. We went looking for land, precious metals, a better life. I googled Mars the other day and it appears to be a massive ball of dusty red dirt. They've already had those little robots walk around and take pictures, so what's the point in going there?"
"Exploring for the sake of discovery doesn't interest you?"
"Not unless there's money in it."
"Speaking of money, I'm seeing here that Mr. Compton has you listed as a proxy for his business affairs while he's off planet. Is this correct?"
"Yes"
"Once a vampire astronaut candidate is announced to the public, he'll become famous. Did that occur to you?"
"It might have." (sound of laughter)
"So, I guess there is money to be made in discovery."
"Oh yes"
"Back to my original question, what do you think about Mr. Compton being an astronaut and his qualifications compared to the other candidates. I take it you are aware who they are?"
"Yes, everyone in the vampire community is aware of it. I know three of the candidates fairly well, the other two not at all."
"And? How do you think Mr. Compton compares?"
"Very well. I think if they're determined to have a vampire go into space, they'll be lucky to have him. He'll do his best. He'll represent the program well and he won't let you down."
"So, you think he's the best candidate?"
"yes, I do"
"You know, for two vampires who claim to not like each other, you seem to have a lot of nice things to say about each other."
"Yes, it's odd isn't it?" (sound of laughter)
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Bill sat still and stared at his former sheriff with disbelief. "What?" he asked.
"You heard me," Eric repeated. He took a larger swallow from the garish mug.
"How did you know it was my birthday?" Bill asked.
"Don't be stupid. It's public information. There's fan holo sites about you. Books have been written about you. Your whole life story is available at the click of a button," Eric said.
Hopefully not his WHOLE life story, especially since there were sections of it that Bill would rather forget. "Well, I guess….I don't understand. Since when do vampires celebrate birthdays and since when do you care about them?"
"Since now. Given your stature on earth and in the vampire community and since I was never able to celebrate mine…."
"You don't even know when you were born," Bill interrupted.
"Exactly, it'll be great fun for me to share in celebrating yours," Eric declared, finishing off the mug with a flourish.
Bill sat and stewed for a minute, then automatically asked,"Would you like some more?"
"No thank you, I'm feeling much better now. And I don't drink very much blood anymore, either real or synthetic." Eric extended the mug out to Bill. He clearly didn't want to stand up again. So he wasn't feeling as good as he was claiming.
Bill took the mug from him and slid it back into the little processor to be steamed again. He sat back down and studied Eric, who was trying to smooth his hair out and looking around the room with curiosity. "I don't believe you," he announced.
"About what?" Eric asked.
"About anything! We haven't sat in the same room…hell..been on the same planet for nearly 800 years and you're trying to tell me that you came millions of miles to wish me a happy birthday? I'm not buying it. Tell me the truth. Why are you here?" Bill insisted.
"Do you have a brush I can use?" Eric asked. Maybe it was from early vampire conditioning, Bill wasn't sure. But he automatically got up to get Eric the brush. By the time he had entered his tiny private bathroom, he was peeved with himself for doing so. He handed the brush to Eric, then sat back down in his chair. "Thank you," Eric murmured, displaying no signs of answering Bill's question. Instead, he took his Com pad out and tapped the little screen.
"Eric?"
"Yes?"
"I asked you a question. Please answer it." Bill said with as much control as he could muster. He was no longer a young vampire under other powerful vampire's thumbs. Next to the station manager, he was the most powerful person on this planet and he was used to being treated accordingly. The irritation and emotional sandpaper he was experiencing right now galled him. In the space of an hour, Eric had managed to make him feel like a fledgling baby vampire. He wasn't going to stand for it. "Eric!"Bill growled more forcefully.
He could have Eric removed from Mars (with no refund), if needed. His brain checked through the process they'd have to go through to accomplish that, especially if Eric put up a fight. What would the charges be? He needs to leave because he wouldn't answer my question?
"Don't you want to see your presents?" Eric asked, casually putting the Com pad in his pocket and brushing his long hair in a leisurely manner.
"What?"
"PRESENTS, you know…birthday presents…it's traditional," Eric said pronounced slowly, like Bill was a little dim.
This did nothing for Bill's mood. "Eric, what I would appreciate is an explanation of what you are doing here. Otherwise, I'm going to have to ask you to leave and go back to your quarters," Bill said smugly.
Eric's startled gaze meant Bill had gotten to him a little. Good. Then his jaw set like granite and his blue eyes narrowed into slits. "I tell you what. Once you've given my presents a chance, rather than being an ungrateful little shit. If you would display a tiny bit of gratitude and some of that old fashioned Southern grace you're supposed to be famous for…then….I'll explain everything," he snapped. "Is that acceptable to you?" he added.
Bill felt his jaw hanging open a smidge from Eric's verbal dress down. Eric shook his hair out, having finished brushing it. It gleamed golden and soft under the low lights of his quarters. It reminded him of someone else's, but he wouldn't think about her right now. Bill debated with himself. It was unlikely Eric posed a danger to the station or to him personally. If Eric wanted to do something violent, he would have sent others or planned it using humans or Weres. Eric's primary motivation had always been wealth and possessing enough power to keep others off his back. He was a very social vampire, but in his own way, he was like Bill…he wanted to be left alone.
Deciding he could wait a little, he would acquiesce for now. He sighed aloud. "Alright, I'll wait. But I'm not kidding Eric. Later, I will be expecting an explanation."
A dazzling smile was his reply.
Bill sighed again. "So, where is this present? In your quarters? The stewards should have had your luggage stowed by now."
"Not present, PRESENTS, plural," Eric replied cheerfully. "You're going to love them. I'm having them brought here right now." He glanced around the room. "We can have ourselves a little party. Yes, I think this room is big enough." He handed the brush out to Bill, who accepted it automatically.
Eric was bulldozing his way through Bill's personal plans, so what was new? A nice, relaxing day with quiet reflection was flying out the door. And now he had people coming into Bill's private quarters bringing who knows what. Bill rarely invited anyone into his quarters, even station personnel and humans he fed from. Living on a station, the most precious thing of all was privacy and he guarded it jealously.
"Perhaps I'd better fold the bed up into the closet. I can get some more chairs if I don't have enough seating," Bill offered. He had his desk chair, his favorite chair by the window and a little settee sort of thing against the wall. With the bed down, the room felt cramped. When it was back up, the room should be comfortable enough to entertain a few people.
"No, I'm enjoying sitting here. They're very relaxed sorts…this will be fine," Eric answered. He plumped a couple pillows against the headboard and leaned back into them. He stretched his long legs down the bed. At least he took his shoes off first.
Now Bill's bed would smell like strangers and…..Eric. His day was complete. He made a mental note to tell Caroline to order freshly laundered bed linens as soon as they all left. With a sudden panic, something occurred to him. "You haven't told anyone about this have you?" he asked.
"Who do you mean? "
"Anyone on the station," Bill added. If Julie got a whiff of this…..
"No, no one on the station knows a thing," Eric explained, looking puzzled. "Why? Are you telling me NO ONE knows it's your birthday?
"Yes, and that's the way I'd like to keep it," Bill said firmly.
"You're so strange," Eric mused aloud.
"Please respect my wishes on this," Bill said, trying not to sound desperate. "I'm going along with your plans. I'd appreciate you cooperating with me."
The big shoulders shrugged. "As you wish…..birthday boy…." Eric grinned. "Should we do a birthday spanking? That could pass the time while we wait. They should be here shortly."
"Considering my age, I don't think that would be practical," Bill observed, secretly hoping Eric hadn't turned into some demented, old vampire and would actually try something like that.
"Very well"
"They sat awkwardly for a moment." Bill realized they hadn't discussed any of the normal things people discuss when they landed on Mars. "How was your trip?" he asked.
"Not bad. The zero gravity took some getting used to, which is surprising. A vampire who flies should be able to adapt to something like that fairly easily, don't you think?"
Bill was now even more sure that Eric had a specific purpose in coming to Mars. Space tourism, while it would never be a cheap form of entertainment travel, was now common enough that middle class people could afford it. And surely if Eric could afford a ticket to Mars, he could have taken an earth orbit tour if he wanted or stayed at the Ultimate View Hotel on the moon.
"Did you read the vampire travel information for Mars?" Bill asked.
"Yes…well…mostly"
"I'm only asking because I wanted to make sure you know that you can't levitate here," Bill explained.
Judging from Eric's expression, he'd missed that part of the information packet. Bill had written the packet himself since he knew the kind of information a vampire would need to know before traveling to Mars. The last thing they needed was a vampire tourist tumbling off the edge of a cliff, thinking they could just float out to take a picture. "We can't levitate? At all?"
"Correct"
"Why?"
"No one is sure. Since no one knows how vampires are able to levitate on earth to begin with, they haven't been able to figure out why they can't here. It could be tied into the fact that Mars has no global magnetic field. That's why you were so disoriented. The effect will lessen considerably over the next 24 hours. After a couple days you'll be able to walk fairly normally."
"I see," Eric said grimly. "Odd, that the humans seem to adjust to the changes so easily."
"Humans aren't tied into earth's energy and cycles like we are," Bill said, shrugging his shoulders. "This disconnect gives them an advantage here."
"You seem to not be affected." Eric said, studying Bill.
"I am, but I've grown accustomed to it. And I can't levitate either. I've had to get used to that too."
"Humph"
"Would you like to try walking again?" Bill offered. "Since we're sitting here?" Eric looked doubtful. "Nothing is going to happen to you, but it's awkward at first. That way you can do it here, privately." Eric caught on to the fact that Bill meant to help him avoid any embarrassment in front of humans.
Eric nodded," Alright." He slid his feet down to the floor, which had the standard low fiber carpet. Bill stood up and put his hand out for Eric to grasp if he felt the need. Eric gritted his teeth, staring down at his feet. "It feels like I'm going to shoot through the ceiling."
Bill smiled, remembering his first time on Mars. "You won't. It just feels like it because the gravity here is one third of earths. Pick your feet up and put them down like you're trying to press them through the floor. You'll feel more stable. After a couple days, you'll have adjusted and it'll feel almost natural."
Eric shuffled his way around the little room. It was like watching a toddler taking his first steps…if he was 6'4". Once Bill was confident enough that Eric wasn't going to fall over, he sat back down in his chair and just watched without comment.
"Soooo," Eric drawled. "How does it feel, being the God of War?"
"What are you talking about?"
"That's what some of the more sensationalist type news outlets call you. They say you live like a God and rule Mars like the ancient gods ruled Greece and Rome." He said, continuing to shuffle around while staring at his feet.
Bill had to laugh at that description. "That's absurd. I live here and I work. My life is quite simple." Bill paused for a moment. "And I like it that way," he added.
"If you say so."
"I don't just say so, that's the truth."
"You have a position of authority here don't you?"
"Well, yes….I'm in charge of operations. But, I don't run the station. I have no interest in dealing with petty politics and administration."
"So, what do you do?"
"Operations involves making sure everything …meaning equipment, life support, the various structures are functioning correctly. We built the structures, the solar array, put together the wind turbines and dug out the water cistern storage and pump system." He explained proudly. There was always something to do, a problem to solve, cranky equipment to fix, which is why Bill never took days off.
"You don't do all this alone I assume?"
"Of course not, I have a team."
"What happens if you and your team don't do your job?"
"Everything breaks and everyone on this station dies."
Eric plopped himself back down on the bed, and leaned back into the pillows again. "Sounds like a god to me."
Just as Bill was about to retort that Eric was being ridiculous, there was a knock at the door. He trudged over to the door, hoping whoever these people were, they weren't poorly behaved. He tapped the door pad, and it slid open to reveal two young women in the hallway.
"Happy Birthday!" they called out in unison as the door opened.
"Please come in," Bill urged, glancing down the hallway, hoping none of his co workers were lurking and overheard.
They bounced into the room. One girl was tall and slender, with shimmering black hair, olive skin, and green eyes. "Hi, my name is Paloma, nice to meet you," she said.
"Felicitations," Bill replied. "And you are?" He turned to look at her friend. The friend had skin as clear as milk, with long ravishing red hair, and blue eyes that appeared to be as unaltered as Palomas. She was a bit shorter, and very curvy with full breasts. Both women wore some sort of wrap dress with slip on sandals. Bill had long since given up trying to keep up with fashion on earth. He'd seen tourists get off the ship wearing insane outfits. At least these women were wearing normal clothing. Neither was wearing jewelry which was unusual. But the biggest thing Bill noticed was their scent. They had obviously just utilized the steam showers available to the tourists and their skin was fragrant and sweet. It was like someone had just brought a huge bouquet of flowers into Bill's quarters.
"I'm Grace," the red head, her voice low and musical.
Maybe this little party wouldn't be so bad.
"I'm Bill Compton, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said. She smiled radiantly and held up a colorful bag tied with sparkling ribbon at the top.
"This is for you!" she said.
"Thank you. You're too kind."
"It's from Eric. He asked us to schlep it down here for him."
"Because he's too lazy to do it himself!" Paloma teased, as she went to the bed and playfully touseled Eric's carefully brushed hair.
"I just brushed my hair!" Eric protested, although he was smiling.
"Too bad, so sad!" Paloma laughed and she put both hands on his golden head and went to town.
"What's the matter Paloma? You didn't get to mess his hair up enough on the ship?" Grace laughed. She looked back at Bill. "Why don't you open it?"
Bill was in a tiny state of shock. The women weren't just beautiful, they were extraordinarily beautiful. And more unusual, displayed none of the usual signs of genetic and cosmetic alteration, which nowadays was unheard of. They weren't even wearing makeup. And he was realizing the delicious scent wasn't from any bathing products, but was a part of their natural scent. He would have been happy to sit all night sniffing them. He kept breathing.
"Where are my manners? Would you ladies like something to drink? Or are you hungry? I can have something delivered." Bill offered. Both ladies shook their heads.
"We just had a snack and something to drink. We're fine for now," Paloma answered, and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Eric's hair was a complete disaster now.
Eric looked up at Paloma, with an evil glint in his eye. "I'm going to punish you for that."
"I certainly hope so," she giggled.
Bill ignored this exchange and sat down in his chair. Pulling the ribbon off, he slid a royal blue silk covered box out of the bag. The box had a gold crown embossed on it with the letters below "Royalty Blended". Unable to believe it, Bill removed the lid and nestled in the satin was a dark blue bottle of Royalty Blended. It appeared to be one of the smaller half liter bottles, but that didn't matter to Bill. He sat quietly and stared.
Over the centuries, as people of royal lineage had died out and intermarried with commoners, the blood lines had become diluted. As such, Royalty had gotten even more expensive than it had been at the beginning. Not only that, but Eric would have had to pay for its weight when bringing it. The price of a tourist ticket was partially determined by how much weight they had (passenger plus luggage). There were even fitness trainers who specialized in space flight weight loss programs. Every Kilo lost amounted to huge savings for the passenger.
Bill heard Paloma quietly whisper to Eric, " I don't think he likes it."
"I think he's in shock," Grace observed. "Look, his mouth is hanging open."
Bill raised his head and looked at Eric. "I don't know what to say."
"You could say thank you," Eric smirked.
"Thank you," Bill blurted. He was still in shock. The retail value of the small blue bottle in his hand was equivalent to the entire inventory of several of the shops in the Mezzanine. He was completely overwhelmed.
"You like it?" Grace asked, her blue eyes studying him.
"Yes…yes I do…forgive me…I'm a little overwhelmed right now." Bill stammered. He was rewarded with a smile. Her smile was gorgeous too.
She looked over at Eric. "He's cuter than his holo pictures."
Paloma nodded."Yeah, you kind of played that down a little, don't you think?" she asked , giving Eric a playful punch in the shoulder.
"I didn't want you to be disappointed," Eric said. "You are pleased?"
Both women nodded. Bill was confused since the conversation was going over his head a bit.
Then, as quick as a wink, the wrap dresses were off and on the floor. The sandals were kicked across the room. Both women were naked underneath. They jumped into the bed next to Eric, who had moved as far to the edge as he could without falling off.
Eric gave them the pillows to lean against and the soft limbs intertwined as they giggled and got themselves situated. Grace's legs were askew and one milky hand had drifted down between her legs, playing with red curls. Bill could smell her arousal beginning from across the room. He looked blankly at Eric.
"I said you would like your presents," Eric declared. "I'm always right."
And for the third time this evening, Bill's mouth was hanging open.
TBC
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A/N okay , confession...I had intended for this story to stay a T rating...it looks like that may not happen. So, make sure you've got this on alert cuz when i post the next chapter, it's probably going to be on the M rated page and that page moves much faster. It's easy to miss postings.