Without responding to Ravyn’s last comment, Raynor continued, “Our next order of business will be your mortal identity here. Where you’ll be living and working.”
Ravyn scoffed, still glaring at Alexander out of the side of her eyes, “I think I’d like to talk a little more about our last order of business. The idea of me working with a Ravnos, for starters?” she asked with continued disbelief.
“A bound Ravnos,” Raynor stated, glaring at the interruption. “All other details can be discussed between the two of you as needed.”
She shook her head back over at her new Prince, “Assuming you can trust that he actually even is bound to you. I mean, their entire clan are known as the deceivers for a very good reason!” she argued further, causing Raynor’s glare to deepen at what he saw as her continued obstinacy. Her words also caused Connor to look over at Alexander with further distrust as well.
“A bit judgmental for someone from the clan known as the degenerates,” Raynor returned wryly.
“We’re also known as the artistes,” Ravyn muttered, her eyes still not leaving the object of their conversation, despite the irony of a Ventrue accusing anyone else, ever, of being judgmental.
“Not really relevant that one, I think,” Raynor stated, just barely veiling his mocking tone. He then moved on before she had a chance to voice any further protests, “Besides, Ravyn, your entire goal in coming to my city was to use your charms to deceive your way into a position that’s beneficial for all of our own people who are enduring the atrocities of that man, was it not? It seems to me that a Ravnos would be the most perfect comrade you could hope for in such a delicate endeavor. Hence why I’ve assigned him to work with you. But if you can’t see the value of such a partnership, then perhaps you should go back to your... art, or whatnot,” he finished bitingly.
Ravyn let out another sound of frustration, as Alexander refused to return the cold gaze she was still centering on him. “Even if we can trust that he actually is bound to you, that doesn’t exactly guarantee that he won’t be a danger to me.”
“My disinterest in starting my own war with Hollister should be plenty of a guarantee,” he said firmly.
She shook her head as she tried to recall any other knowledge she had gleaned about the Ravnos back when Taylor had terrorized she and hers. “And what about that vice of theirs?”
Her question did cause Alexander to finally cast the slightest glance back her way at last, seemingly surprised by her having asked that. Raynor sighed in frustration, “Vice?”
“You have to know about that, right? They all have some kind of criminal compulsion that they can’t resist indulging in whenever possible? The two I had known of before, one was a murderer and one was a rapist, yes, a Cainite rapist. So, pardon me for not having any happier feelings about working with this man,” she stated plainly, causing Alexander’s eyes to fall to the floor again.
Raynor allowed another sigh, “Well, Alexander is neither,” he promised, as though that assurance should have been enough. Though Ravyn only returned a cool look, obviously unsatisfied with the answer. Raynor then allowed himself to clarify further, surprisingly enough, “As for his ‘vice,’ that will bring us back to the mortal identity I’ve procured for you.”
“How so?” Ravyn asked, her tone still cool, her eyes still watching Alexander, just as Connor’s were.
“You will be running a bar and casino here in the city. I’ve come into possession of the deed for the one that seems most popular with our lovely human soldiers these days. And Alexander will be there with you, allowing him to help you maintain your cover, while also indulging in that ‘vice’ of his, as you call it,” Raynor told her with a tone of authority making it clear that his patience for the topic was wearing thin.
“Your vice is gambling?” Ravyn asked Alexander with a skeptical look.
Alexander finally spoke up then, “Not nearly as scandalous as murder or rape, I’m sure, but I do often make the games just a little unfair, if that helps you continue to paint me as a villain,” he stated with a slight smirk, which only received another glare from her.
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By Christmas of 1941, Ravyn’s bar and casino was doing ten times the business as any other such establishment in the city. And ninety percent of that customer base was made up by the young men in Hitler’s army. One might intuit that her success was due to the fact that she had literal centuries worth of experience running such places. Although the patrons might have their own reasons for always choosing to do their socializing there.
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After all, there was no other place in the city that could boast the advantage of having an incredibly beautiful, charming, and single war widow serving them drinks and sweet words each night. Or perhaps there was just something about the drinks themselves that just kept the soldiers coming back for more.
It also helped that right next door there was a small medical clinic. The clinic offered any young men wanting to enlist the chance to wait on the results of their physicals while drinking and gambling right next door. Of course, it seemed that not a single one of the men who went to the clinic were actually cleared for military service by the handsome young auburn haired doctor running the place, which left an ever so slight shortage of soldiers for Hitler’s forces. But surely, that was just coincidence.
On that Christmas Eve night, the place was packed with young soldiers trying to find the liquid courage to return to their service following the holiday. One such young man was currently sitting at the bar, as Ravyn served him another drink. Alexander was dealing cards at the nearby blackjack table and making sure that the soldiers lost enough rounds to keep having a need for more liquid solace to soften the blow of their monetary losses.
“Come on, doll, where’s your Christmas spirit?” the man at the bar was slurring his words as Ravyn handed him another drink.
Ravyn glanced at Alexander with a shake of her head as she knew for a fact that it wasn’t actually slurred English the man was speaking in, but that was what her playfully smiling blackjack dealer was making her hear. It was all a production to him, down to even that minute of a detail. And though he hadn’t warranted her distrust of his entire clan yet, the fact that he did go so above and beyond to make every one of his illusions that believable; well, that did nothing to calm her fears of what he could do if he weren’t an ally. Never mind how uneasy of an alliance that was.
Turning her attention and a sweet smile back to the man at the bar, Ravyn spoke, “Believe me, Hans, I’d be the luckiest girl in the world,” she began, gently touching his hand as she spoke, “but I already lost my dear husband just less than a year back. And I don’t think my heart could take knowing that you could go out there and never come back to me too.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, “Perhaps after the war? It’s sure to end soon, right?” she stated, forcing hopefulness into her voice and her touch.
“Fine, fine, I’ll leave the army!” Hans promised her with conviction, slurred though it was. “I’ll come back tomorrow a free man, and then... then we can be together! God you’re beautiful,” he added as he nearly toppled from the bar stool before stumbling toward the front door to go and ‘become a free man.’
Of course, just as Hans reached the door, a few other soldiers moved to approach him, not having been appreciative of his loudly sharing an intention to go AWOL, somehow. As the other soldiers reached for Hans’ arms, he looked back toward Ravyn with a pleading look. Though she gave no reaction to that look as she simply moved to rinse out a glass that had been abandoned on the bar.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Alexander smirked as he moved back toward the bar to reach for his own slightly less alcoholic drink before dealing the next round.
Ravyn just shook her head and went about her business clearing away glasses and waiting on the next drink ordered. She still refused to speak to Alexander much at all, beyond what was necessary, despite any of his efforts to seem just as likable as ever. As pleasant as he did appear to be on the surface, she still refused to ever make the mistake of trusting any Ravnos enough to consider them a friend.
“That’s not going to go over well,” another young soldier spoke to her worriedly as he took a seat at the bar a moment later and nodded to the bottle Ravyn had just moved to place back on the shelf.
“Pardon?” Ravyn asked with that same sweet smile as she poured his drink.
“We’ve had so many soldiers going AWOL in the last few months that it’s becoming a real problem,” the man offered his explanation as he took the drink.
Ravyn attempted a look of regret at the words before responding, “I guess they’re all just really scared young men underneath. My husband tried to be brave but it didn’t keep him alive either. So I understand the fear, I suppose,” she offered. “So many terrible things could happen during war, after all,” she added in a pointed tone.
“Believe me, I know,” the man agreed. “Though they’re now taking any soldiers who go AWOL in front of a firing squad. That’s how bad it’s gotten lately.”
Ravyn looked down a moment before replying, “It seems like it’s terrifying to stay or to leave. It’s tragic, really,” she said with a continued air of sympathy.
“Agreed,” the man returned, “I’ve been hoping that maybe I’ll get my commanding officer to place me in a less dangerous position, but it’s likely a futile hope,” he added sadly.
“Maybe the officers are just too far removed from those of you who are out there in terrible danger. Maybe if they spent more time with those underneath them, it would help? We rarely get any officers in here, after all. Maybe you should invite yours, just so he can see who’s really being affected by this war?” she suggested pointedly.
The young man smiled as he took his drink, “You may be right. Maybe I will invite him here this week. What’s the worst he could do, say no?” he smiled as he nodded to her with another smile before returning to his drink.
“Sounds good,” Ravyn smiled as she took a sip of her own drink, wearing a slightly satisfied smile as she did.