A/N: Yes, I know, so short a time and yet here is another chapter. We're getting to ... places now. Fun places
"Tutor?" Vlad gave an undignified snort, but turned away from Dan. He glanced down. "You," he said, looking back up, a scowl clear on his face. "Get gone." Dan listened, speeding from the apartment. Vlad waited until he heard the door slam before he turned back to face this new vampire – Bertrand. "Sorry, but I did the exclusive shitty vampire boarding school thing," he said. "Not really in the mood for repeating any of those supposed best times, you hear me?" He gestured towards the door. "That's your cue to leave, tutor man."
Bertrand didn't leave. "I said that I was meant to be your tutor," he repeated. "Unfortunately, it transpired that certain members of the Vampire High Council chose to remove you from me tutelage before it could actually begin." Vlad rolled his eyes, and snorted. He had wondered how long it would be until Krone and Attila got the vaguest of mentions. "While you did receive a," Bertrand paused, a deliberate pause Vlad could easily tell, "decent education of sorts at the school you were placed in, it would not have been to my particular standards." And a hint of arrogance. Whoever Bertrand du Fortunesa was, Vlad mused, he certainly thought much of his own abilities. "I believe you were given the Praedictum Impaver?"
"That old book?" Vlad gave a graceful shrug of shoulder, jumping over the back of his sofa too laze on it almost artistically. "Yeah, I got it," he tilted his head back, smirking widely in Bertrand's direction. "Thing was blank, so I set it on fire." There was a pause as Bertrand digested this information. To the tutor's credit, his face never flickered. "Watched it all turn to dust," Vlad added, sniffing. "Didn't burn half as well as the books those teachers wanted us to use, but it was fun all the same."
"I had been watching over that book for nearly 400 years," Bertrand said. "It was said to foretell the way in which vampires would return to rule the world like we did in ancient times." Vlad shook his head. "But blank... interesting." He straightened slightly. "Nevertheless, it is my duty to at least make myself known to you, and assure you that I am your complete disposal." Vlad glanced back at Bertrand, eyes carefully taking in every detail over the man, studying him intently.
"How did you know where to find me?" Vlad asked, frowning slightly. "I've not even told the bastards that are meant to be my Council about this place," he added as an explanation. Then, with a sense of humour, "a guy's got to have some privacy, after all." A small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.
"The Princess Adze contacted me," Bertrand informed Vlad. He grew confused at the scowl that appeared over the man's face. "She appeared to be … concerned, when she contacted me." He added, as though this would make it all better somehow. Instead the scowl deepened, and Bertrand found himself confused.
"Concerned? Why would she be concerned?" Vlad muttered to himself. He pushed himself up out of the sofa, pacing around in front of it as he continued to mutter to himself. "We've got a good thing going; we ignore the hell out of each other until an official function," the frown on his face grew, becoming a look that can only be described as suspicious. "What's making her show all the concern now?" He paused in the middle of the room, frowning at the floor and biting his bottom lip. He turned back to Bertrand, studying him once more.
"Alright tutor man," Vlad said finally, resitting himself down on the sofa. "I don't know what game Adze's playing, but she's like Ingrid," he gave a shrug. "You ignore her games at your own peril." He looked back up at Bertrand. "One chance. Teach me what I need to know."
"Robin?" Jack's voice was sleepy, and to the little one's credit, it only wavered slightly around all the soldiers, "Robin, where's Vlad?" He rubbed at his eyes as he asked, sniffing loudly. Robin picked up the small child, balancing him on his hip in the way he had seen Vlad do many times before. It was easier for Vlad, Robin realised at the moment, he had all the extra vampire strength to help him out. "Barry said they took him away..." Jack's voice fell to a quiet whisper. Barry, on hearing his name, came over and stood at Robin's side.
"Pointed a gun a his head and took him away," Barry nodded, folding his arms over his chest and shooting an angry look at the nearest soldier. "He shoulda eaten them all. Just stuck his fangs in and – slurp - sucked out all the goodness."
"Barry," Robin chided lightly. The elder of the two boys looked up at him, daring him to contradict the simple facts as they were to the younger brothers of Vladimir Dracula. "Okay, yes, Vlad could have eaten them all," Robin agreed. "But he wouldn't. He's trying to be a good vampire, remember the talk he gave you?" Barry and Jack exchanged doleful glances, before turning the same looks on Robin. Wide eyed innocence, the looks read, we're sure we're not sure what you're talking about, the looks told Robin, but we'll pretend we remember to make you feel better. He sighed, and sat down. "Vlad isn't going to attack anyone who isn't a threat to him, remember?"
The nearest soldier stirred, giving a loud mocking laugh. Robin looked up, as did the boys, and raised an eyebrow in questioning. It was a particular talent of Vlad's that Robin had managed to pick up. It seemed to work, as at soldier glanced at his comrades, before lowering his gun to speak to the... Actually, what were they? Hostages? Prisoners? Guests? Robin wasn't entirely sure, and a part of his mind didn't want to assign any label to them, unless it be proven correct. "You tellin' me that he didn't fight back against all of us – who had weapons – cause we weren't a threat?" The soldier gave another laugh.
Robin gave a shrug. "Pretty much, yeah." The laughing continued. Robin sighed. "He ripped out a demon's throat with his teeth, not his fangs." He looked up at the soldier, who was beginning to pale with the memory. "You really think guns are going to prove a big problem to him?" He shook his head. "He let you capture him because he wanted to be capture," Robin explained, then looked down at the boys. "I just wish I knew why he wanted that."