Time: Wednesday, Oct 30 - early evening.
"Want to get out of here for a while?" Cash asks his pacing fledgling. "You look like you are about to explode." The elder Gangrel can't sense any discomfort or hunger in his strengthening link with his childe, so this must just be boredom. "We can go walk in the gardens for a while or go out to the woods in back."
Frank runs a hand over his face. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'm not used to being cooped up like this."
"I know what you mean, but just let me check on something first." Cash goes to the phone and dials one of the in-house numbers. "Hey Stone... No, going great, didn't Julian tell you?.. Oh, ok. How are things with the boys? Any visitors on the grounds? We're going for a walk, but Frank's still a bit shaky... Good, we'll be out back then... Hey, did the costumes for tomorrow get delivered? Well, hell, tell her to get her *own* damn hat... Bye, man." Cash hangs up. chuckling at the report of Smokey's reaction to her costume's cloche hat, compared to the guy's fedoras. He turns to Frank, "Everything's cool. Let's go."
The two Gangrels clatter down the stair, past the four bikes in the garage. [Getting crowded in here, it's okay for a while, but Frank's Sturgis really takes up the space, need to move my old bike over to one of the other garages,] Cash makes a mental note.
As the men walk though the courtyard passage to the back of the main house, Cash catches a familiar scent. [My witch, where are you? Somewhere near, I can smell your perfume.]
Morgaine smiles at the voice in her head, having missed her newest lover these past few days. [Here, my gypsy, in the kitchen with the caterers. Damned Toreadors. Everything has to be *just* so.] A small laugh trickles through their link. [How is your fledgling? Adorable, that one. You *must* introduce us soon.]
[He's here with me, bored and restless; we are going for a walk in the gardens or maybe into the woods. It sounds like you could use a break for a minute. Let Lillie handle stuff in there for a bit and come out.] The Ventrue catches a mental glimpse of Frank pacing and Cash's understanding (finally) of why Archon tried so hard to break the *elder* Gangrel of the habit.
Frank quirks an eyebrow at the suddenly abstracted look and silly grin on his sire's face. "You're *talking* to somebody, aren't you?" he accuses.
"Yep, Morgaine. I'm trying to convince her to playing hooky and leave the darn party to its own devices for a moment."
"Morgaine?"
"That's right, you might have seen her around, but I don't think you've met her properly. She's Julian's elder sibling, Archon's oldest childe. Errrrrrr," Cash breaks off and comes close to blushing, "my *other* Ventrue lover." A quick memory of the triad of lovers slips past Cash's shields to Frank before the Gangrel gets control of himself.
Frank gulps at the unexpected revelation. "More information than I needed, wolf..."
"She and Julian are really close; he says they were Archon's 'right and left hand'. She's a master at negotiation and doing business deals. Archon's lineage isn't very complicated. I need to introduce you to Michael too, he's Julian's middle sib, just a couple of years older in the dark. He's like the stereotypical Ventrue, cool and collected, all boardroom. He handles the family's businesses and finances and is Sonny's second. Morgaine's got three childer, none of whom I've met. Michael's two boys you'll get to know, they stand guard with my Gangrels and some of the other younger Ventrue. You knew all of Julian's childer, Sonny's the only one left," Cash sighs a little at that thought.
Frank's pang of grief at the mention of Alexandra causes Cash to throw an arm around his waist as the two Gangrel wander through the gardens. Flowers still abound in the mild California climate. "I expect Julian to make another childe one of these days, I think he's got his eye on someone. Their choice, though." Cash muses thoughtfully.
"Jim Ellison?" Frank hazards, leaning into Cash, grateful for the rough sympathy in his touch.
"Yeah, doesn't he strike you as Ventrue?" Cash asks, teasingly.
Frank shares a memory of the suit-clad Ellison standing out among the more casually dressed SF detectives on his first day in the Officer Exchange program. "Oh yeah, definitely."
Morgaine eavesdrops on her lover's mental sharings with his fledgling, smirking with wicked delight at the unleashed image of him, her and Julian. [Hmmm, nice memory. He's not quite ready for that one, though.] But the argument in front of her between Kelly and Daniel, two of the Toreador caterers, draws her back to reality. "No, we have to have the salmon. Some people just don't do red meat."
She pushes an exasperated sigh from her lungs. [Yes, I *do* need a break. I only *wish* Lillie were here; she's coming over in an hour or so to talk with the decorators.] She turns to her brother Michael. "Go over the final costs with them; I'm going to take a walk, clear my head."
Then she turns back to the delectable Toreador. "Let's follow the basics of what I've laid out. You must provide what I require." Then she smiles. "But how you do it is up to you. Surely two talented Toreador can create a masterful presentation." With that challenge, the caterers' faces light up.
Satisfied that she has resolved the crisis for the moment, Morgaine kisses Michael's cheek and heads out through the kitchen's back door. To her lover she thinks, [I'll meet you at the garden's edge, just before the woods.]
Cash chuckles at the Ventrue's diplomacy. [My witch, you could charm the fish onto the plates all by yourself.] "She's gonna come out to meet you, okay?"
Frank responds with a glare and a characteristic grimace. "Got any other surprises lined up for me, any other lovers hiding in the woodwork?" [Geez, maybe *everyone's* been with Cash but me!]
"Just Smokey -- she rode with me for a while when I came back to town before Stevie's death, and Sasha, of course. But you know both of them. And neither one was what you could call a *steady* lover, just -- you know -- on the side a little before I met Morgaine." Cash slants a speculative look at his fledgling. "One thing you gotta learn about the Kindred is that the mortal rules don't apply any more. You can love where you will, my man, within reason. Take you and Lillie, for instance. I know you were tempted as a mortal, no reason now not to take her up on her offer. Find out how *she* tastes."
Frank's eyes go minutely silver at the suggestion though desire wars with real fear when it comes to the siren Toreador, Lillie Langtry. [Not sure I'm ready for that one yet!] He gulps instead of answering his sire.
Morgaine tucks her hands into the pockets of her black jeans and ambles through the gardens. Her white cotton shirt is tucked in and unbuttoned to the point of revealing the lacy edges of a white camisole. Sunglasses perched on her head tuck her long hair neatly behind her ears. She's dressed for dirty work today, and for meeting with humans, and fidgets slightly at the confines of the modern clothes. Despite the fact that she looks fantastic, she'd much rather be costumed in velvet and taffeta.
She talks to herself as she walks, mentally going over the list of party preparations. "Okay, costumes here. I need to get with Julian tonight about that." She smirks, a wicked knowing grin at what she has planned for her brother. "Oh, he'll love it. And then there's Lillie. She just can't decide. I know Cash is set with his." In a matter of minutes, she has crossed the distance between house and woods, coming to the edge of the garden, when she catches sight of her gypsy and his childe. "Hmmm, even nicer than I imagined." She unconsciously licks her lips at the sight of the well-built Frank Kouhanek.
Cash turns at her approach, smiling. "Dearling, you look fantastic, but frazzled and frustrated. What's going on?"
Frank also turns to watch the approaching woman, slim, about the same height as Cash, long dark hair in a cloud around her face, with startling blue eyes and pale skin. She is full of energy, but controlled.
She holds out a regal hand to Cash, who kisses her palm, turning it up to his lips in a courtly gesture, licking a cool tongue teasingly over her lifeline. "You taste like spices. I thought you were having this thing catered. Are you cooking too? No wonder you're going nuts."
"And you, my love, taste of new blood," Morgaine whispers, pulling the Gangrel primogen close enough to lick his cheek. She wraps an arm around him, letting her fingers twine through his hand still caressing her palm. [And you reek of sexual energy.] She smirks lovingly through their link. "No, not cooking. Just tasting. Even if I live a millennium, I'll never get used to the Toreador obsession with artistic perfection ... in everything." She spins them around so they're facing Frank, still keeping a respectable distance. "So, this is the new addition to the family. Introduce us, my love." Her smile is deep, genuine, not in the least menacing.
Cash chuckles at her teasing, keeping her comments to himself, and replying privately. [You never told me what a rush it is to Embrace someone. No wonder the prince limits it so, we'd be overrun with fledglings. And no, I haven't become his lover, but it's just a matter of time.] "Frank, come and meet Morgaine." He doesn't drop her hand, but reaches out his free hand to his childe, letting a touch of his pride in the new Gangrel and his joy at this meeting through to both the other Kindred.
If it were not for those emotions, Frank would have been embarrassed, but the naked joy on his sire's face disarms him a bit. This woman is, after all, Julian's sister, she knew Alexandra, she's Lillie's friend and Cash's lover. [Alexandra...] "How does Julian manage to snare so many beautiful women?" He manages his usual smirk with a little grace. "Morgaine, I'm very glad to meet you."
[He's so charming, Cash.] "Thank you for the compliment." Morgaine extends her hand in greeting. "But it's the other way around. I snared Julian." She returns the smirk with an equally graceful one.
"Er, that must have been one hell of an adventure," Frank replies, grinning. He takes her hand and shakes it, rather more man-to-man, not one for the court stuff except when it comes to appearances around the Prince.
"Morgaine's Julian's *eldest* sib. Frank you can't go by apparent age. We count from the Embrace, not the mortal years before it." Cash grins to Frank at the 'lecturing' tone.
"Right, I knew that," Frank teases his sire back, glancing over.
"It was a great adventure. I'll tell you the story sometime." Having a firm grasp on his hand, Morgaine gently pulls Frank toward her, pressing her face against his cheek, nuzzling her nose against his ear, breathing in deeply of the slightly familiar scent. She's careful not to make the gesture erotic or overdrawn. "Already you have Cash's imprint," she whispers. "Different, yet familiar. Welcome to the family, Frank."
Frank instinctively inhales to get her scent, wondering for a moment if she's part Gangrel, but of course knowing better. He can scent something of Julian... and with a pang... Alexandra. Just a family scent that he recognizes - Archon's line. "Thank you, Morgaine," he murmurs.
Watching the two, Cash is slightly stunned. [Of course,] he thinks to himself, [they both feel the other is familiar, family indeed. The best family is the one you choose.]
Morgaine pulls back into Cash's embrace, letting her hand trail reluctantly from Frank's fingers. [Very nice, Cash. Very nice indeed. Now I see why Julian likes him so much.] She teases wickedly through their link, the only visible sign of her thoughts a thin smile caressing her lips. "I look forward to getting to know you, Frank."
[You like the Gangrel blood, don't you, witch. I've said before that you would have made one of us.] Cash teases lightly. [You might have to share him with Lillie though, she tasted him in the Haven before you came home.]
Though this Ventrue woman is very comfortable to be around, something in Frank twists at seeing her easy intimacy with his sire. He nods quickly, then has to look away. To himself he ponders, [Damn, and I haven't even been with him yet...]
[I'm content with you and Julian ... for now. Or I might find something new to play with at the party.] The smirk shows through, and Morgaine is old and wise enough to notice Frank's discomfort, so she quickly refocuses their attentions. "I take it you're both ready for the Ball, costumes set and all?"
"Yeah," Cash grins, "Gangster vampires, zoot suits and fedoras. Man, Stone says Smokey's peeved, says our hats are cooler than hers." Cash chuckles. "Thanks for helping out with the costumes, my witch, you're a lifesaver. Had to do something other than leathers." [Dear one, thanks for understanding,]
[And me, I'm just having to face mortals for the first time is all,] Frank reminds his sire, a hint of his internal aching bleeding into their link - aching in his Becoming... aching for Cash. [But if you need to go be with her... it's okay.]
[No, wolfling, she just wanted to meet you, and I thought having another of Julian's lineage that you knew at the party might help. There's a LOT of Kindred you haven't met yet and not all of them are allies.] "Morgaine, my dear one, I didn't mean to pull you away for so long. Just wanted to thank you for the costumes and let you meet Frank finally."
[He needs you, my gypsy. He still is but a fledgling, new to the dark. And I have all the time in the world to wait for you to come back to my bed.] Morgaine smiles. "I do thank you for the excuse to get out of the house for a few minutes. And I am genuinely glad to meet you, Frank. I'd hate to be doing introductions in the midst of the Ball." She leans in to give Frank a reassuring hug. "Just consider me another familiar face in the crowd."
"I can do that, easily," Frank responds, relaxing a bit into a smile again, glad for the hug. He brushes his lips against her soft cheek, drawn by the fascinating familiarity... "family". [And across clans, too, huh,] Frank thinks. "I'm glad to meet you, too."
A quick squeeze of fingers as Cash releases her hand and a wordless rush of loving gratitude for her understanding flows from the elder Gangrel to the Ventrue.
"Thank you," the Ventrue says softly, pleasantly surprised at the show of affection. And without another word, Morgaine releases the Gangrels and turns to go back to the house. After a few steps, she turns back to them. "Cash, for luck," she says just barely in the audible range, blowing him a kiss.
Cash turns back to his childe. [I'll collect the Kiss later,] Cash grins, touching his cheek.
[Or sooner, wolf,] Frank replies, relaxing at the touch. [She's lovely. Sure you don't want to...]
Wrapping an arm around Frank again, he murmurs, "Nope. Not right now. Not tonight."
The fledgling leans into his sire's embrace. "Sorry, man, damn, I wish time would move a little faster. I am *really* tired of feeling like this."
"I know, wolfling. About two days, you are more than halfway there, and it's downhill now, every time a little easier." Cash pulls Frank over to the edge of the garden where the plantings are 'naturalized' and a little wild. There is an arbor there with a rustic wood seat. [Need to feed, mine own?]
[Need *you*, wolf.] Frank can't resist running a finger along his sire's throat, though. [I feel on the edge again... help me?]
Cash smiles and nods, [Of course, wolfling.] The elder Gangrel settles down on the bench and leans back into the honeysuckle clad side of the arbour. [Ok, now, my heart isn't beating as hard as it was the last time, this is what Kissing a Kindred will feel like.]
Cash tugs his fledgling's hand as Frank seems reluctant. "Don't be shy, wolfling, there aren't any mortals on the grounds, I checked earlier."
Frank settles down on the bench beside him, shifted to face him better. "Damn, Cash, a part of me is still so unused to... this... and another part feels such..." He ducks his head suddenly. "I need more than blood, wolf."
"I know." Cash says gently, "at least you *want* more than blood. But trust me on this, childe of mine. Not yet." He reaches out, gentle hand petting over the auburn head. "Take it one step at a time, my brother wolf."
Sighing deeply, Frank nods. There isn't any other way to do this Becoming but go through it, and to listen to his sire's instructions. "Damn, of course you're right. I just... want.. so much. Too much wanting, not used to it."
"I know, man, you go overboard by nature, add the Kindred senses and the overwhelming passion in the blood Hunger and you've got a lot to cope with. One hour, one minute at a time, you'll look back on this someday when you make a childe of your own." Cash pulls Frank in closer, a caressing hand on the back of his neck, tilting his head invitingly. "Come, mine own, drink."
Just the close, intimate presence of his sire is soothing, but Frank will find more peace in the taste of the blood that made him... Cash's blood, first tasted when the Gangrel Embraced him. Was it only two days ago? Frank feels like each day was a decade.
He reaches and runs a couple fingers reverently over Cash's throat, finding the vein. There still remains a part of him that can't believe he's become Kindred, and is going to feed on his sire, while much of him revels in it, knowing he's come home. Breaking into a smile, Frank leans down to Cash's throat and bites easily.
Instinctively Cash arches a bit, into the first stab of pain, swiftly followed by intense pleasure, the ecstasy of the Kindred Kiss.
The blood of his sire, the blood that *made* him, indeed has the needed reaction within the Gangrel fledgling. Frank relaxes, feeling the flood of peace and warmth soothe his mind and heart. [Oh, so good...]
[Better, wolfling? You can have as much as you need from me, all you ever have to do is ask.]
Lifting his head, Frank licks his lips as he meets his sire's eyes, his expression relaxing. [Much better. But I don't want to have to come to depend on... this.]
"I won't let you get addicted, fledgling. My blood will always taste good to you, taste familiar, be healing. But we're a long way from you being enthralled to me, you're still Becoming." Cash lays a cool hand against Frank's cheek. "Don't worry, I won't hold you if you want to go, once you don't need a sire close."
[Just... just don't run me off too soon,] Frank replies with a small noise that might be a whimper as he tightens his arms around the elder. [Always want to be close, need or not,] Frank adds fervently.
[I won't push you out of the nest, either. Frank, once you are through the Becoming, and we are very close now, mine own, I still have lots of things to teach you. Even then, you are my first born, cherished childe of my blood.] Cash wraps his arms tight around his fledgling. "It's OK, wolfling, you'll always be in my head, never alone if you don't want to be."
The feel of his sire in his arms, the reassuring words, the lingering taste of Cash's blood... all serve to settle Frank back down, ease his mind. "Love you, wolf, want to be close always. Thank you."
"We will always be close, wolfling, always."
The End
