RP LOG with gr8muppetyodin | A twist in the tale

[obscuritenoire]

[Follows THIS and THIS]

As soon as he was able, Blaise had given his orders that Rory be brought here to his manor, if he agreed, of course. There was still a chance the Scot would decline and Blaise wouldn't push the issue. He would just make sure there was a close Ventrue confidante in Scotland available to ensure Rory was well taken care of as he required under a Kindred influence like he was. But apparently Rory hadn't declined, and even more to the point, Buffy had been with him when he had woken. The doctors kept Rory another night when he expressed a wish to just want to sleep, so they let him. When he had been unconscious, it wouldn't have been a restful slumber. Not after being drained. Now he had to recuperate and regain his strength, ironically just like Blaise.

But now Blaise was awake and on his feet, which was a start. He was adorned in a midnight blue silk bathrobe tied loosely at his hip as he stood by and watched a nurse he had employed check over Rory in the king sized bed of the guest room he had offered him. Once again, the Scot just slept on, barely having said a lot when he was brought here. He needed assistance, which is why Blaise had the nurse brought here. She was Kindred, but worked in a mortal hospital. She was one of the best of her kind and more than happy to take the job Blaise offered her. Rory's blood pressure was still a little low, but he was healing well otherwise. Sleep would be a good thing. Blaise cleared his throat and glanced at his personal assitant standing beside him a few paces from the bed. "Jaquelynne. Bring me Mademoiselle Summers. I must speak to her in regards to Monsieur Buchanan."

Blaise's eyes remained on the sleeping Scot, watching the nurse with him. It was taking a lot of his self control to let anyone touch Rory and he could sense Buffy's presence on him. As soon as Rory arrived, he had known that Riley was correct in his admission to Buffy's presence. This protection and possessive reaction in Blaise would last out a short while yet, at least until Rory regained strength and the draining influence wore off.

The ice cream buffet had been a bad move in hindsight. Once she'd said goodnight to Emmeline on the steps, Buffy had searched out the kitchen on the off chance there was ice cream. And there had been ice cream. At least ten different Ben & Jerry's flavours, all of which Buffy had had at least two scoops of. At the time it had been a delicious over-indulgence, but now she just felt ill. She clutched at her stomach as she followed Jaquelynne and tried not to throw up all over Blaise's beautiful home. She wore the diamonds like Emmeline had suggested, even if they were a little at odds with the cardigan she was wrapped up in and the simple sweatpants. Anything else and she'd feel like she was putting pressure on her stomach.

Buffy licked at her lips as she looked between Rory and Blaise, more than a little curious about why she'd been summoned. She gave Blaise a smile as she moved a little closer and touched his arm lightly. "Glad to see you're up and around. How are you feeling? How's Rory?"

"Why did you touch him?" Blaise asked her calmly, his eyes narrowed slightly. All he wanted was to get a clearer picture of the situation. He had specifically requested Buffy not be left near Rory and also that she didn't touch him. He glanced at her before he was looking back at a sleeping Rory, still intent on watching while the nurse was in the vicinity. She was still another Kindred presence and his possessiveness was more than piqued right now.

Buffy didn't shrink back as she stood a little straighter and tried not to feel guilty for having touched Rory. "He needed help getting dressed. Just like you needed help when you weren't feel so good. He was struggling, and he didn't want military guys trying to dress him. He wanted out of the green gown."

"I reflexively feel you as a threat right now. This has made my job so much harder. I did not wish you separate from him as punishment. It was for my own comfort," Blaise explained to her quietly, keeping his voice lowered so he didn't disturb Rory. "Without anyone's scent on him, I am not on constant alert that someone wishes to hurt him again. I understand that you were trying to help him, but please, do not touch him again. It is taking all my self control to allow a nurse near him."

Buffy's expression did change this time, to one of concern. "Oh god, I'm sorry. I didn't even... Well, I didn't think. Big surprise, huh? Plus Rory didn't get the non-touching thing either. Definitely keeping my hands to myself from now on. But... I mean, how long is he off-limits? Not that I'm itching to just pounce on him, but even accidental touches are gonna effect you, right? I'm so sorry you're on high alert right now. I'm really not a threat to Rory. Or you."

"Do you ever try telling a dog not to bark?" Blaise asked her softly. He had his arms crossed over his chest and let out a human-like sigh when the nurse stepped out of Rory's vicinity to take some notes. "I cannot control my reactions. It has been some time since I drained someone to that capacity. It will ease when he regains strength. All I ask is you keep your distance. He is in good hands. Annalise has been a nurse for over one hundred years. I do believe Juliette will not be happy with my choice considering she is a pretty fille, but desperate times, as they say."

"Is Juliette going to be happy with any of your choices?" Buffy couldn't help asking. After a moment she backed up a little further to put more space between her and Rory. "And, you know... Just for future reference maybe you shouldn't ask me to see you in front of Rory if you don't want me around him. I don't exactly want to give you any more reasons to see me as a threat, or as someone that shouldn't be here at all. Have you had a chance to talk to him? He really does sound like you."

Blaise raised his eyebrows slightly. "It is irrelevant if she is or not at this juncture. I need to know what he said when he woke up, otherwise I would not have requested your presence," he replied. "He needs more rest before we converse. I have only spoken to him briefly, and we were not alone. I was told you spent quite some time with him in deep conversation."

Buffy pointed at the door behind them. "They did watch us! Oh my god... They saw me touch my boobs! And he flipped them off. Um, he said that he was wondering when Riley would finally leave. He thought he was a bit uptight. He took a little while to come to, but he was pretty normal. I mean, you with a Scottish accent, but that's normal compared to Brujah Rory. When he realised he was in a hospital of some kind he was just really horrified they'd put him in green. And I'd made a joke about the army guys assuming all Celts were the same, and Rory obviously got all patriotic."

A small smirk played on Blaise's lips. "They were instructed to watch him twenty-four-seven. They have seen a lot worse than that, I can assure you. You would be surprised the things people do once they realise a camera is on them. It is an amusing past time. He has not turned into me. The Ventrue traits within him have merely been amplified. Loyalty to one's home land is part of that. I believe you are seeing portions of him coming to light now as how he was in the past before he lost his family."

"I don't know if that's totally true. Still not sure Egyptian Cotton sheets and spa baths were Rory before. There was also a lot of conversation about your underwear feeling good on him, and your ass and how he'd go gay for you... But that he was feeling a connection to you that was completely platonic. He could sense that you'd been in the room." Buffy reached up to touch the diamonds as she looked at Rory thoughtfully. "He doesn't want to see Juliette."

"Perhaps not for him, but I believe he would have wanted nothing but the best for his family and would have worked his fingers to the bone to gain it," Blaise guessed, watching the way Rory was lying stiffly in his sleep. He had found a position that seemed to work, but he didn't look comfortable. Maybe now he wasn't trying to tear people's throat out, he would remain idle so the ribs would heal. "What he is feeling is natural. In essence, he would have no desire to be with me romantically. It is because I was not in his presence that the feelings were stronger. Sounds strange perhaps, but it is the truth. And I expected as much. She has hurt him. Now he is of sound mind, he will be able to work through that better."

Buffy gave a slight shake of her head. "I don't know if he wants to work through it. She might have hurt him too much. He's just angry that he got cut off without a word. That she would do that to him because of you. Not that you asked her to, but you know what I mean. So, when you're not around he gets a stronger sense of you? I think I understand it. It comes down to needing to know where you are, or something, right? If you're here with him, he doesn't have to wonder."

Blaise gave a slight shake. "I did not mean work the relationship out. I mean work the situation out for him, in a way he can cope with it. Perhaps Juliette has no chances left. Time will tell. At the end of the day, Juliette still has her own mind. I am her mate, but I do not control her." He nodded. "Indeed. It is like an addict. You have a hit of the substance, and the craving eases. It is a two-way street. It is why I requested people not touch him, so I was not hit with an onslaught of senses when I did see him again."

"Oh, sure. Of course. Well, speaking of someone who managed to thankfully get a second chance... and a third, I have to admit I'm kinda rooting for maybe them working it out. But, I still see Rory's side of it. It was a pretty abrupt change of heart from Juliette." Buffy glanced between the two men again. It was still strange to think of such a link existing between them. Rory hadn't wanted to be controlled by anyone, and while Blaise wasn't technically controlling Rory, he could. "What about that control over him you said you'd have? The influence... How long does that last for?"

"As long as he needs it to. His own internal instincts will take over when he is ready. I will cease to feel a need to protect him so intensely. There may always remain a connection, however. At the very least, he will be left with a new outlook to Kindred. This is why we rarely resort to something like this. For one, it is hard to pull back just prior to Embrace, most would not succeed in it. And for two, the experience can change the person who has been drained." Blaise shifted his eyes from Rory to look at Buffy, his forehead creased slightly in confusion. "Have you been in the presence of a child? An infant? Recently?"

Buffy ran her fingers over the collar of her cardigan before she tried to subtly sniff herself to see if there were traces of baby powder, or to figure out what the hell Blaise was smelling on her to ask a random question like that. Eventually she gave a slow shake of her head as her green eyes fixed on his face. "No. Well, Xander, but he's more of a big kid than an infant. Why? So, the fact that it's hard to pull back, is that why there's accidental Embracings? Or ones against someone's will? How does the experience change them?"

Blaise hugged himself a little tighter, realising there was something about her making him feel restless again. It was the same feeling he had a few days ago, just now it was stronger, and it frustrated him that he couldn't put his finger on what it was. "No reason..." he murmured and cleared his throat softly. "Embracing against one's will is usually more deliberate than accidental. Accidental is usually only when one gets in to deep or too emotionally. I believe that was the case with what happened with Airlie's Sire. Passion can fuel a lot. There is no isolated result. Everyone is different. Like any ordeal changes someone."

She frowned as she gave herself another sniff, still lost as to what had him thinking 'baby' when he was around her. "Has it happened to you that way before? You always seemed like you'd have it pretty together when it came to keeping that fine line between Embracing and just draining. I know there's been a couple slips recently, but there's been reasons behind them. Is there something in you that lets you know you're close to that point?"

"I have never Embraced someone against their will. Despite how it looked, I was not even close to draining that American woman that night. It was enough to kill her, but if I had drained her, I would be far more incapacitated than I was. It is not something within me, it is within them. If I am touching them, I can feel when their heart is about to stop beating. I can feel it weakening the more I take. I know when to stop," Blaise explained. "Once you have someone in your submission, their heartbeat under your fingertips is even stronger than feeling for a pulse. Rory was already weakened from the initial drain. His blood pressure was low. It did not take long to reach the necessary point."

"How do you really know when you want to Embrace someone? It's not just as simple as someone asking. With Emmeline it took you a long while to give your consent, and even then Juliette was the one that Embraced her. And I understand that it came down to Emmeline clearly being Toreador. But for you to Embrace them... What does it take?" Buffy asked as she wrapped her arms around her middle again. "Feeding isn't just about the blood, is it? A lot goes into it."

"That is something I have been trying to tell you all along," Blaise reminded her. "Same as you would not just pick up dog faeces and shove it in your mouth because you were merely hungry. You would not eat what you did not favour, and you prefer to eat something that does not make you ill. It is exactly the same thing. But for us, we are not eating food. We are taking from a person, with a soul. Of course a lot goes into it. They must desire it. It must not just be a fleeting curiosity about walking in our shoes. It is a want that is so deep and strong that they cannot fathom remaining in the mortal world. Or they require saving from something, but again, that is only in the extreme circumstances."

Buffy gave him a wry smile. "I warned you I might be slow at getting some things. By the way, I know it's been a while since you were mortal, but no one sticks dog faeces in their mouth without having a major mental defect. I favour ice cream, but that really hasn't done me any good this morning. I feel like I'm going to explode. At least you can't really overeat like I did. Can you? Who was the last person you Embraced?"

Blaise raised an eyebrow at her. "My point exactly. So why would you expect me to just stick unfavourable blood in my mouth merely because I am hungry?" he reasoned. "Over eating is not an issue because we are not doing it to satiate the same thing as humans are. We do not need food to function, we do not produce waste, have bodily functions. We cannot over eat. It was the son of a business colleague. He had brain damage from a motorcycle accident. He had Kindred friends, and his father wished it. Today his son is one of my best employees. You may see him around from time to time. He and Emmeline... have an agreement, so to speak."

"Kindred with benefits?" Buffy suggested with a small smile. "So even with brain damage the guy was fixed up when he was Embraced? Is there any damage that wouldn't get repaired? What about the tongue thing? Does that just work for the bite marks on humans?"

Blaise smirked. "More like if Emmeline wants sex and feeding to live up to her standards, he is more than willing to admit he's up to them," he elaborated in amusement. "You mix a Ventrue with a Toreador and it's a force to be reckoned with. He is an amazing young man. I trust him with her. I am surprised they have not taken each other as a mate yet. Emmeline will just not admit she needs one, however." He shook his head. "Blood disease is about the only thing one cannot be saved from in an Embrace. You die and return. The brain dies too. Hence overcoming the damage. Kindred saliva, so to speak, can heal any wound that is not life-threatening. More powerful Kindred can heal life-threatening wounds in themselves, however. Some can shapeshift and heal in that capacity."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned that. She thinks she doesn't need it like you do, plus she hasn't found anyone to match her just yet to be worthy of love. Maybe they won't take each other as mates just yet? I know you and Juliette are a force to be reckoned with. As much as I want to be the one to give you love, to be loved by you - I still know not to get in the middle of that. You're a package deal. What about Rory's wounds? Can it heal broken ribs? Not that you can lick that part of him... Are you a shapeshifter?"

"She does not need it. She is very independent. But sometimes even the most strongest and independent of people need to know they have someone there for them. We live for a very long time. We lose a lot of people that become important to us. The loss never stops. If you can have just one person that you know is in it with you for the long run, it is easier to face," Blaise murmured as he watched Rory asleep now the nurse had politely departed the room once she made sure he was comfortable. "Bleeding wounds are the extent of it for others. And oui, I am a shapeshifter."

Buffy looked up at Blaise, her eyes wide again. "What can you change into? Not a bat, right? No offence. I don't know how you do it. I really don't. I know I haven't even touched half of what you've gone through with finding love and losing it, but I just... I'm in awe of how you keep going through it."

Blaise raised an eyebrow with another hint of amusement. "Of what purpose would turning into a bat actually be? Flap around in someone's face to intimidate them? Bat's just look scary, and it is a rather bland stereotype. But if I ever feel the urge to hang from the rafters to slumber, you will be the first to know. We have no choice but to keep going through it. This is our normal. It just happens to be a normal that is stereotyped and extremely intimidating. Making most believe we should be eradicated." He didn't hesitate in taking a small step away from her and without warning, shifted into his alternate form, a large white wolf with silver eyes.

Buffy had been about to comment on his hanging from the rafters before she was rendered speechless by the wolf suddenly standing in front of her. He was beautiful, and though the silver eyes were more than a little intimidating, she couldn't really look away. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers through Blaise's fur but she just kept her arms wrapped around herself as her lips curved into an awe-inspired smile. "Whoa."

The wolf circled her before he came to stop at her feet and Blaise shifted back to his normal self, now standing directly in front of her with only a few inches between them. "Bats are really not my style," he told her quietly and then locked her gaze, his eyes still silver, despite his return to human form. "You are with child."

Buffy was still staring into those silver eyes of his before she gave a snort of disbelief. "That's a joke, right? I can't be pregnant. I'm not the pregnant type. I always use protection... I'm so rigid like--" she broke off to look over at Rory, a crease in her brow. They'd used protection, hadn't they? She knew she'd been drunk, but there had to have been condoms and she was on the pill! Then she thought about Riley and the colour drained from her face. "Uh-oh."

Blaise took a few steps away from her and folded his arms back across his chest. It all made sense now. As soon as he changed form, he sensed it. Of course his animalistic senses would be a lot stronger than his weakened human form. He was engulfed with a heavy wave of confusion and fear, of all things. One thing he hated to feel was fear. He couldn't even speak at first as he just stared at Rory. One thing was certain and starkly obvious right now was that he certainly wasn't the father.

Word Count | 3,792