Kalen
[How awake are we?]
Dice: 7 d10 TN7 (1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10) ( success x 1 )
Kalen
[And how distracted by Resonance are we?]
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 10, 10) ( success x 5 )
Kalen
Kalen
is preparing for meeting with a vampire in a fashion that is...very
Kalen. It involves still more wine, more poems by Neruda, and numerous
books on the 1920s. It may be that this vampire had nothing to do with
the 1920s, but it is not unreasonable to suspect it was alive then.
Knowing more about history never hurt anyone.
So Kalen mostly
has an assortment of books and a half-full bottle of wine and a
three-quarters-full glass of wine and is lazing about with all of these
things on the sofa in the library. It is, perhaps, for the best that he
isn't meeting vampires or attending events that require energetic
dancing tonight. Wine and books...much less demanding. He looks like
he could use less demanding. Ian's seen that often enough before,
really.
Ian
He called first, before driving
over. Mostly to make sure that Kalen wasn't out. But also... so that his
arrival might not be a surprise. Sometimes Ian did that - showed up out
of the blue, all casual and slyly flirtatious. But there was a purpose
to this visit, so he asked first. All he said over the phone was that he
wanted to check in. To talk - about a few things, really. And that
wasn't a lie. They hadn't had a real conversation in a while.
He
showed up some time after dinner on Thursday evening. The weather was
just hovering at freezing, with tiny specks of snow blowing about on the
breeze. A few of them landed in his hair as he made his way
inside.
The obvious assumption was that Kalen would be found
in the library, and as it turned out, that assumption was correct. Ian
pulled off his coat when he got there, eying the bottle of wine and the
books with a faintly knowing smile. "Somehow this just seems like the
perfect pose for you. I should take a picture."
He didn't
though. Instead he walked over and sat down on the end of the sofa,
laying an arm over the back cushion with his torso angled toward Kalen.
"What are you reading?"
Kalen
Kalen
smiles, and while effect is a lot more dazzling when he looks more
awake, he means it. "Hey." He runs a hand through his hair and glances
over all the books on the table. Then the one is his lap. "Right now,
fashion for the great Jazz age. In general, about the great Jazz age.
Also, Neruda." Because those things are so totally obviously
connected?
He sets the book down on the table and resettles,
so that his body is angled a little bit toward Ian, and rests the side
of his head on the back of the couch. "How are you? Should I get you a
wineglass?"
Ian
Ian shook his head at the offer. "Not tonight."
He
seemed to be doing alright though. Certainly he looked healthy. More
rested than Kalen was. His attention was calm and alert. If Kalen paid
much mind to the state of Ian's form, he might notice the way the line
of muscle on Ian's arm seemed incrementally larger than it had a few
weeks ago. Maybe he'd been hitting the gym more - maybe it was just the
inevitable result of all his training.
Kalen made mention of
Neruda and the great jazz age, which... were not necessarily
related. But then, it was Kalen. His mind did not always flow in neat
lines.
"I'm... doing well. For the most part. Haven't seen
that guy from the coffee shop, though I don't know if that's a good
thing or a bad thing."
Kalen
"That was
certainly interesting." Kalen stays still, and for that he does seem
exhausted, he seems calm. "But then, Denver is rarely boring." His
eyes are a little curious, though not really wary. Ian may not call and
come by often, but the last time was good. Maybe this time will be
too.
Maybe he should read Neruda and drink wine more often. Then again....
Ian
"I don't like the way he approached us. Something about it was just... off."
Like
he knew them. Like they were a part of some privileged fraternity. Ian
exhaled softly, shifting his weight on the couch. There was an edge to
his behavior that felt like he was building up to something that perhaps
he didn't quite know how to broach.
In the end, he went with honesty. Because it was Kalen, and perhaps he felt he owed him that.
"Sera thinks I should be worried about you. Should I?"
Kalen
Kalen's
eyes roll. "Maybe. But...compared to some of the places we've been,
not really so much. I think she's just concerned I'm about to become
vampire food. And, admittedly, this may not be the safest course of
action I have ever planned. But as someone who has had clubbing turn
into abductions into mindscapes and alleyway brawls with vampires and
getting coffee turn into armed robbery, I am just going to put out there
that meeting a vampire in a public place is hardly likely to even turn
out to be the most dangerous thing I do all year.
"Both of the
vampires in question have been on the us not being eaten side of the
conflicts involved. I will shield my mind from their influence. I will
not go back to their places with them. I will, in fact, be cautious.
I've already scouted out the location for the meeting tomorrow. Grace
has already threatened to kill me if I let them kill me and/or do not
bring her back udon, and I believe her. You should certainly not be any
more worried than you are on any other day."
Ian
There
was a lot of information there to parse through. Some of it made little
sense without context. But Ian heard enough to make him go still, eyes
fixed on Kalen for a prolonged stretch of silence.
"You're meeting with a vampire. Why?"
Kalen
"Because
there are a considerable number of them in this city, who seem to be
engaged in some manner of conflict. I've watched two of them protect us
from other vampires. One of whom then proceeded to spare us when we
tried to kill the fuck out of it in an alley. It called a cessation of
violence and walked away, but it was definitely winning when it did so.
"So,
it's two vampires, actually. One of whom likes my eyes and, according
to Serafine's math, would like to have sex with me and invited me
dancing. One of whom Grace tracked for awhile, and then we spoke to
last night when she hacked his phone."
He sighs. "In addition
to the logistical problems of surviving a war with all of the vampires,
because as many as I have already seen pose a threat I'm not sure we
can really wage war against successfully and I know that there are
others, I'm rather hoping our strangely merciful vampire acquaintances
will help me understand what I need to understand to dismantle the human
trafficking ring being run out of the Black Orchid. Which all of the
aggressive vampires are connected to.
"I prefer to pick fights
that I can win, and those only among those I actually need to have.
I'm not in love with vampires roaming the streets of Denver, but so far
as I can tell, some of them are causing less harm than a number of
people in the city who are yet breathing. So after I've eradicated all
the supernatural creatures causing more significant harm, then the
people causing more significant harm, I can revisit whether the
eradication of any creature is warranted merely on the basis of its
existence."
Ian
Perhaps Kalen expected anger
in Ian's response. What he actually got was something else, but the
nuances in Ian's expression were, as usual, difficult to read. He did
listen though. Or... tried to. The conversation probably did not benefit
from Kalen's less-than-sober state. Then again, Kalen might not have
talked at all if his head had been clear.
"I don't think it's a
bad idea to get information before you decide how to act. It's what I
would do. But look, Kalen. You need to stop fucking acting like this
isn't dangerous. You just told me you're going on... what, some kind of
date? With something that could kill you. And you're sitting here drinking wine and reading Neruda poems, and your head is doing that thing where it's just..."
Ian made a gesture with his hand, as though to indicate flight or whimsy.
"It doesn't give the impression that you're in the right place for what you're planning to do." There was a pause and then...
"Is that the only reason you're doing this?"
Kalen
"I'm
reading Neruda poems because one of the vampires gave me a book of
Neruda poems. And yes, he said that I had nice eyes and he asked me out
dancing. Yes, he is rather charming. Even so, I generally list having
a pulse on my list of requirements for my dates. Is it possible that I
will go dancing and that it will not be abhorrent, yes. Have I
forgotten what he is, no."
Kalen sighs. "I think I'm in the
perfect place for what I'm planning to do. I know what my motives are.
I'm not spilling any unnecessary blood because it was the traditional
thing to do. I am, for the first time in a very long time, not coming
at this because I am terrified and I want to kill everything that might
take away one more thing that I love. I am doing this because stopping a
human trafficking ring is going to end at least some measure of the
suffering in this world, will bring us one tiny step closer to a just
world.
"And it is dangerous. I just don't think that it
compares to, for example, the time I nearly got devoured by horrible
tentacles made of shadow or got in a fight with a Nephandus in the
spirit realm. Occurrences which have merited significantly less concern
from anyone. I'm really rather baffled as to why, of all the things
anyone has found to be of such concern, this is one of them. I'm not
telling you that you shouldn't be concerned at all, merely that as risks
go, these are really not in a category I would find particularly
alarming, considering the frequency with which my average days turn into
unexpected supernatural peril. I don't think it is likely to be so
much worse than any of that, and I have actually been able to prepare."
Ian
"Fuck Kalen, it's not like you've ever actually told me about any of that."
But
still, harsh words or not, this was nowhere near the most upset Kalen
had ever seen Ian. If anything, he looked... a little overly composed.
The way someone might look if they were trying to navigate a situation
they felt unsure of.
Ian fucking hated worrying about people. Kalen probably remembered that. His instinct was usually to push the thing away.
"Are you sure this club is involved in human trafficking? Because if so... then we need to stop it."
There was a spike in his tone there. Subtle but... noticeable.
"Will you let me go with you? To this meeting?"
Kalen
Kalen sighs again. "No. I suppose I haven't, have I? That...mostly doesn't come up naturally in conversation."
"And
yes, I am. I can show you the e-mails Grace got through hacking the
company that owns the Black Orchid and some other clubs. The most
recent vampire to menage any of us, at least that I know of, is someone
that was called in specifically to clean up business here. And the
vampire who asked me out dancing rather firmly indicated he was not
allowed to take Arionna off to be a snack. And then practically
collapsed once he was gone. I'd rather like to avoid making him more
stressed by bringing guests to our meeting, but if you really want to
observe, it will be in a public enough place that should be possible.
"The
vampire that attacked Grace and Serafine in Washington Park fled to the
Orchid after that attack, and stayed there at least for the next day.
I don't know how involved it may or may not be, but considering...I
wouldn't assume complete innocence.
"The other vampire I am
meeting basically intervened to get us out of the Orchid. He's
committed not to killing when he feeds, but I know little enough else
about him. Other than that he walked away instead of killing us in
alley. That one I'm meeting in a restaurant, and that one I'm slightly
less worried about stressing. Grace is monitoring that encounter, but
someone there is person is also a good thing."
Ian
"Yeah,
I'd like to see them. Grace's warning mentioned the company having a
connection to youth shelters. We should look into that and see if
anyone's gone missing."
Ian glanced down the length of his
arm, flexing his fingers the way a cat might stretch its claws. It was a
focal point. Something to fix his attention on that wasn't whatever was
going on in his head. When he looked up, he met Kalen's eyes.
"I'll be careful. I won't get in your way. I just don't want you there alone."
Kalen
"Maybe
Alexander can ask officially, look into anything reported.
Unofficially...I don't know. I could blend in to a shelter crowd,
though not a youth shelter, but I might be occupied with vampires.
Alexander is...maybe not the best unofficial person. That leaves us
what...you? Kiara? Danny? Elijah? Grace? Not Grace, for this. Or
Danny, really."
Kalen reaches out and squeezes Ian's hand.
Only briefly, unless Ian tries to keep it, and then withdraws. Still,
it is not as though they are terribly far apart. "I'll be careful, too.
And I'll be glad you're there. However stubborn I may be about it.
Any of your dance troupe particularly keen on the Lindy Hop that you
could bring? Not that I expect you'll have any trouble finding a dance
partner."
He smiles a little, less for what he just said and
more for what he's about to say. "It looks ridiculous. But...I seem to
recall the experience itself is rather entertaining." He seems to
recall?
Ian
"I'll check into it. See what I
can find out. Don't know if it'll be much." He paused, considering.
"Maybe I'll go by the club. Bring Jae-shin with me."
The
expression on his face was pensive. Focused. Likely, he was busy trying
to piece together something like a plan in his head. But then Kalen
mentioned the Lindy Hop, and Ian's eyebrow went up.
"You're... going swing dancing. With a vampire?"
Well.
A specific off-shoot of swing dancing, to be more precise. Nonetheless,
the odd juxtaposition was enough to make Ian snort with amusement and
cover his face with his hand.
"I think I'll manage, yes."
Kalen
Kalen
laughs at that eyebrow, low and so tired it is barely a laugh. "Yes.
I am going swing dancing with a vampire. I did not see that coming
either." But then his eyes get more serious. "Be careful. I think
that at least some of them can sense us. I don't know how, but I'm
pretty sure the one at the Orchid did. It's one reason I've been so
wary of company. And...if we have mystical senses I don't see why they
shouldn-
"Oh! So...thus far, the Orchid vampires seem to
register. Cold and static and eerie. Wesley didn't. Alexander Looked
at something else and was able to see what he was, but just sensing them
isn't entirely reliable."
Ian
"I'll keep that in mind."
Ian's thoughts withdrew again, and he glanced at the floor. After a moment he refocused on Kalen.
"Tell me about this thing tomorrow. Then I think I might steal a glass of your wine after all."
