Bryce
“You aren’t actually going to tell Aoyama it was Les’s fault, are you?” Thea asked as we crested the stairs, and I chuckled.
“No, I’m not going to bring it up, but if Aoyama does, then I’ll probably frame it as us losing track of time and just apologize. Besides, she was the one who made us wait in the first place.”
“Good. I like Les, and I don’t want her to get eaten by a vampire.”
“I doubt Zen would let that happen.” We came to a stop a few meters from where a pair of demons were guarding a door. “Remember, while we don’t want to look weak, a huge mana expenditure could attract Zesh’s attention. So, don’t escalate things, but also don’t back down if they start posturing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll be careful.”
“That’s all I’m asking.” I leaned down to steal a kiss, then deactivated the spell hiding the aura from my mantle and made my way past the guards into the room. It was exactly as I remembered, with an expensive leather couch following the circumference of the room and a small table in the center. Zen was wearing a pale purple shirt and dark pants, while Aoyama was in a white silk dress. Both had nearly full glasses sitting on the table in front of them, but didn't seem to be interested in drinking.
“Captain Virra, how kind of you to join us. Please, have a seat,” the vampire greeted, then continued after we sat down. “I was disappointed when I learned of your death, then relieved when you returned. Now, it seems as if the whole thing was some sort of ruse. The purpose of which I cannot fathom. Please tell me you requested this meeting to explain yourself.”
“In a sense. I was hoping to make good on my promises, and to apologize on behalf of my crew. Unfortunately, my death wasn’t a ruse, and I didn’t have the opportunity to brief Ithnaa on Paradise politics before she took over for me. I accept full responsibility for what happened, and would like to work with you moving forward. So long as it remains mutually beneficial, of course.”
“I wouldn't be opposed, assuming we can reach an understanding,” Aoyama mused, but was still frowning. “First, though, I’d like you to clarify something for me. I've been told that a candidate is disqualified when they're killed. If that's true, then how is it that you still have a mantle's attention?”
I smiled, somewhat amused that this was what had been bugging her. “That’s mostly correct. Dying causes you to become disqualified, but only from obtaining the mantle that was considering you at the time. Not from future ones.”
“To be perfectly clear, you’re now claiming to have attracted the attention of a second, entirely unrelated mantle in the time since you were resurrected?” She scowled at me, clearly not buying it.
“I understand the skepticism, but again, you’re only mostly correct. It’s my understanding that multiple mantles were on the verge of considering me before I officially became a candidate. So, while I did become disqualified from one of them when I died, it turned out to be a relatively simple matter to attract the attention of the other after I was resurrected.”
“Are you saying that you planned this?” Zen asked, and I nearly laughed out loud.
“No, I didn’t plan on dying. Hells, I didn’t even plan on being resurrected. In fact, I did everything in my power to prevent it. And if you’re asking whether or not I planned for the second mantle, then again, the answer is absolutely not. It was just as much a surprise to me as it was to anybody else. The only reason I even have an explanation for it is because the head of my household explained her theory to me.”
“The head of your household?” Aoyama looked concerned for the first time since I met her.
“That’s right. We’re both members of Lilith’s household,” Thea declared with a sinister grin. “She inducted Bryce right before I stabbed Orrid in the stomach with a soul-destroying sword.”
“You expect me to believe that you killed Prince Orrid?” Aoyama scoffed, and I shook my head.
“No, Orrid survived and Thea very nearly didn't. In fact, saving her life was what finally attracted the attention of my first mantle, but we’re getting off topic. I’m sure you have connections in the hells, I’d suggest you use them to investigate our claims for yourself if you have any doubts. In the meantime, could we please move back to the problem at hand?”
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“The problem at hand being that you owe me a sizable amount of money?” Zen asked with a frown.
“Which she’ll no doubt pay after you’ve sent her the invoice. However, I believe the issue Captain Virra is speaking of is the recompense she promised after she attacked one of my wards.”
“The recompense I promised to consider,” I corrected. “I recognize that we were clearly in the wrong, but I’m not going to commit to an open-ended promise. Nor will I agree to something I deem to be unreasonable.”
“And if we can’t come to an agreement as to what’s reasonable?”
I shrugged. “Then it seems likely that our factions will go to war. Although, I don’t think you’ll let it come to that. Dimitri’s death worked in your favor, but that will only remain true so long as I don’t join forces with Nora and Penn. Which is something that my crew has inadvertently laid the groundwork for in my absence.”
“Are you threatening me, Captain Virra?” She raised an eyebrow at me, but didn’t actually seem offended, or even on edge.
“No, I merely prefer it when both parties know what’s at stake during a negotiation.” Which, of course, was only actually true when those stakes heavily favored me, but I doubted Aoyama needed me to point that out to her. Not with the amount of thought she seemed to be putting into coming up with a reply.
Several minutes later, she stopped tapping her finger on the arm of the couch to respond. “Fine, I’ll make this simple. Allow me to feed from you, then display the mark until the end of the week and I'll consider the matter dealt with.”
“No. Never,” Thea growled, and I could already feel the temperature in the room rising. Meanwhile, the vampire ignored her to smirk at me.
“That’s my demand. What do you say, Captain Virra? Unless the devil speaks for you, in which case I believe we’ve already reached an impasse.”
“No, she doesn’t.” I frowned at Aoyama, then continued with a glare. “But I value her opinion more than I do your respect. So, if she has a strong objection, then I’d like to hear it.”
“I’m not going to let her hurt you.”
“Thea, if we can’t come to an agreement here, it'll mean killing Aoyama, her crew, and her entire staff. Unless that's something you’re willing to do, then I suggest you offer an alternative.” I made sure to emphasize the word ‘staff’ to hopefully get across to Thea that it would probably include Les downstairs. Thankfully, she seemed to get it, because she finally conceded.
“Fine, but I was the one who attacked Anali, not Bryce. Bite me instead.”
“A captain is responsible for the actions of her crew,” Aoyama countered before leaning forward with a grin that put her fangs on full display. “Besides, I’ve clearly tailored this punishment perfectly for you. You need to know that your actions have consequences, and that all too often those consequences will hurt the ones closest to you.”
“Thea, do you have any objections besides me getting hurt?” I tried to bring her attention off of the captain and back to the main issue. She thought for a moment before finally nodding.
“Yes. Your nanites.”
“What about my nanites?”
“The end of the week is still four days away. There’s no way whatever mark she leaves is going to last that long with your nanites healing you.”
I looked to Aoyama for a solution, but it was actually Zen who provided one. “I have some signal oil I can lend you that should stop it from healing for at least that long.”
“You’re sure that won’t make it permanent?” Thea asked, and Zen nodded.
“It’ll block the nanites for about a day, so she’ll have to apply it every night until you’ve held up your end of the deal.”
“And if that doesn’t prove adequate, then I would be more than happy to reapply the mark every time it heals.”
“Any other concerns, Thea?” I asked one more time, and she furrowed her brows, trying to think of any way to stop this from happening, which was a sentiment I appreciated.
“This won’t turn her into a vampire, will it?”
“Not unless I drained her dry, and even that would only make her a spawn. Which I may be willing to do for a price.”
Thea growled at the vampire, and I placed a placating hand on her shoulder. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m already chasing my own version of immortality. I don’t need yours.”
Aoyama shrugged before leaning back into the couch. “Your loss, I suppose. Now, do you find my terms agreeable?”
“First, I have a few of my own.” She nodded for me to continue, so I did. “People are going to make assumptions, there’s no avoiding that, but under no circumstance are you to encourage them. Additionally, I’m doing this as a token of good faith. How you handle it will affect our future dealings, and make no mistake, we will have future dealings. Despite what the council seems to believe, I fully intend to stick around long after we kill Mother.”
“That’s good to hear. I stand to make quite a lot of money should you choose to remain in your position after the war. Was there anything else?”
“Just one more thing.” I leaned forward and set her with as intense of a glare as I could muster. “Thea is my partner. My equal in both business and in life. She made a mistake, and we’re paying for that, but you will show her the same respect you show me. If you can’t do that, then save us both the time and tell me now, because this isn’t negotiable.”