Asher Rose (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
abeautifulnightmare) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
noirenewyork2014-01-11 01:55 pm
abeautifulnightmare) wrote in noirenewyork2014-01-11 01:55 pm
"I was disappearing in plain sight."
Who: Asher Rose, Saxon Stirling, Emmeline Laurent and Lilah Ryckaert
What: Out of the Kindred closet
Where: Lilah's office
When: Late Friday night
That week, Asheresque had just debuted a tantalising hint of the new line that would be launched at New York's Fashion Week despite the fact the infamous Asher Rose was supposed to be dead. It was a mystery the fashion world couldn't solve. Some thought he was dead, others thought he had just removed himself directly from any public appearance due to any number of theories including illness, heartbreak, or genuinely going crazy from celebrity exposure. Asher had a team of PR constantly throwing up smoke signals and even they didn't know why they did the job they did. He had managed to weave so many webs and labyrinths of his life, many leading people to dead-ends (pardon the pun), that no one really knew what he was about anymore or if he still existed. But brand new and ingenius designs had made their way down the catwalk that night, and now Lilah had somewhat demanded of him a marketing debrief in her office so he could be 'included in strategies' of how his company was 'developing in the current fashion environment'. It was all a lot of marketing PR bullshit, but Asher knew that Lilah was one person he couldn't continue to hide from before she got suspicious. She held the reigns of his company's continued success in his absence, so he needed to know he could trust her with his business... which meant the inevitable meeting of her face-to-face after making himself scarce and only communicating via modern technologies.
He was dressed immaculately, as always, and only agreed to the meeting if it could be in the late hours of the night so he could be sure to be sustained post feeding to keep a cool head about him. It was the best chance he had of looking 'normal' too. Without feeding, he was more pale then usual, and his eyes had this way of looking dead and cold. That wouldn't do, but the feed he did manage to indulge in wasn't near as satisfying as he hoped. As more and more time ticked over, he more and more hungered for just one and anything less served as an aggravation to him. These were the facets of his Kindred side he didn't understand, but he was still a survivor and more determined than ever to go this alone, resisting help from his Sire and Eric. He was pissed off at them and had no plans of giving them an easy ride.
He reached the large ornate doors of Lilah's office with a couple of her assistants and a security guard in tow. He stopped at the doors and turned around to pierce them all with a look that had them baulking and backing away from him. "You are not welcome. Leave," he stated and even though they looked like they wanted to protest, they backed away towards the elevators at the end of the richly carpeted hall. He didn't even knock on her office door. He just pushed them opened and entered her office unannounced. He was the one paying her bills, he didn't need to announce himself. But as soon as he stepped inside, finding that Lilah wasn't alone, his Kindred senses flared dramatically and he knew immediately that three other Kindred presences were in that room. His eyes locked on Lilah, and then moved to the other woman perched on the edge of her desk, only to come rest on the guy draped in one of the leather sofas by the window.
Saxon Stirling.
All Kindred.
All now getting the immediate newflash that their 'visitor' was also very much Kindred, and only one of them had been aware of that. Emmeline smirked at him, unable to help herself. Sure, Emmeline knew who he was, why he was what he was, but Lilah had no idea Emmeline knew Asher because she had played her part perfectly. But Asher had no interest in being played at all, and even though Saxon and Lilah were technically his friends (Saxon from way back in elementary school), neither knew he was Kindred before now, and vice versa. With Asher's Kindred senses, he immediately connected that all along, Saxon and Lilah had to have been Kindred but he wouldn't have known as a mortal. His blue eyes flashed, and the smile he gave them both was dangerous, just the slightest hint of his fangs on show now as he immediately clocked a potential threat. He gave a slow, purposeful shake of his head as he sauntered into the room, eyes never leaving them. "Well, well, it seems someone has been keeping secrets now, doesn't it?" he said in a dangerously low purr. This wasn't the Asher they all knew, not by a long shot.
As soon as Asher stepped in the door, Saxon's own Kindred senses were on high alert to another Kindred with an unfamiliar signature. He was actually pushing up from his seat by the window, ready to protect Lilah against any threat because that's how his instincts would always automatically react. They might not actually be honest-to-god mated, but she was his Sire and he would always lay his life on the line to protect her. No questions asked. There wouldn't even be time to question anything, he would do it instinctively like any animal. Because that's what they ultimately were when you got down the raw fact of things. They were just too classy to call themselves that. That was all until he realised it was Asher, and... holy fucking hell, what the fuck?! Saxon was only there because he was bored and when he was bored and had no sexy little meal to seduce, screw and feed from, he inflicted his presence on Lilah. She was used to it, and they just functioned like that as the years passed. Sure, they could piss each other off at times, but it was rare. Generally, they were always on the same page and always there to give each other a 'helping hand', so to speak, when nothing else was around to satisfy their standards. But this? This was a curve ball Saxon could never, ever have anticipated.
Yes, they were all expecting Asher. Well, sort of. Lilah had sworn he would show, but both Saxon and Emmeline had been skeptical that he would keep the appointment, as was his style of late. What Asher Rose didn't want to do, Asher Rose didn't do. That was fact, not theory. Saxon had been expecting his old school friend to cancel the meeting. Ever since Asher's terrible accident, where he had let everyone important to him believe he was dead, he had Stirlinged. In fact, Saxon hadn't seen him since. He hadn't honestly spent any direct time with Asher in, well, years now. Lilah had via email and telephone, but that was it. In fact, Saxon had come to believe that maybe Asher really was dead and that someone else was running his empire for him under the guise of him just being an elusive hermit. Which was partly why he expected Asher to be a no-show. But as soon as Asher was dramatically and abruptly there in their presence, it all became extremely clear and all the mystery, confusion, and smokescreens became as clear as day... not that day was anything they had any interest in, hence the night time meeting, which now also made a world of sense.
Then Asher was all Kindred-ing out right before their eyes. He was different. Fuck, he was hot as all hell and Saxon sort of wanted to bang him epically. He had never felt that about Asher before. But he made an immaculate Kindred. Toreador to the core, no doubt about that. Holy shit, when and how had this fucking happened? Surely Asher wouldn't have elected for this? Either way, he wasn't a happy camper. The warning flash of silver in his eyes, the fangs, the stance, the dangerous voice that didn't sound like Asher at all. It was all telling them to keep their fucking distance, and for now, without knowing why or how Asher had come to be Kindred, let alone by whom, it was best for them to do just that. "Asher, dude..." Saxon attempted. At the end of the day, deep inside, the old Asher would still be there somewhere, his old school friend. At least, so Saxon hoped.
Emmeline, on the other hand, had the distinct luxury of familiarity with Asher in his Kindred form. She knew his story, she knew why he harboured so much anger and passion to nurture that anger. He had been taken against his will, and that was always a terrifyingly rude way to be injected into their world without warning. There was also the fact his very soul was yearning for his only love, and that he couldn't have him. That fuelled even more dangerous emotion in Asher and he was absolutely volatile in the blink of an eye. That was why Logan and Eric were having so much difficulty with him. He was headstrong, but also born a powerful Kindred because of his bloodline. He had instinctively adapted to being a Kindred and learned what he needed to do to survive, how to use his natural skills of his Clan to his advantage. Before he had been Embraced, he was talented and clever, with his own empire built from being smart and observant. All that only heightened as a Kindred. But there was also the fact Asher had Kindred royalty in his blood. He and Emmeline's Sires were both Embraced by the Scottish Prince herself, they shared blood and a Clan, so she was absolutely going to use that to her own advantage here. Sure, she had cunningly mislead Lilah to throw her off Asher's scent and let her believe she had never met Asher, but that was because she was an old and wise Kindred who knew to keep her wits about her. Had she let on that she knew Asher, she would have had to elaborate on the how, and it hadn't been the time to start revealing Asher's secrets. Or they would get more than some flashy eyes and a hint of fangs from the fashion designer. He could snap into a frenzy so easy in his state, and none of them wanted that. Least of all Asher.
She smoothly rose up from the desk and moved over to where Asher was standing. Still, his eyes never left Lilah and Saxon. That indicated his baseline trust of Emmeline, though he did stiffen when she got to his side. She gently touched his cheek and then brushed her lips against his in greeting. "Mon amour. Si belle...," she murmured softly to him, her fingers tenderly stroking his cheek to try and calm him down. "Ne t'inquiète pas. Ils sont vos amis." It couldn't hurt to try and calm him by reminding him these people were his friends. Kindred often forgot to appreciate the ties from their past when they became Embraced and Asher had been doing his damnest to sever any of those he had so people wouldn't discover what he had become. To protect them? Who knew? He didn't talk about what he was feeling, he just exploded angrily if anyone tried to get the information out of him. But for now, he was outed, and he was in a room full of three other Kindred who now had the difficult task of proving to him he could trust them as one of his own. That was never easy, but it would be ten-fold more difficult with a lost Kindred taken against his will who was still fighting the more basic of Kindred traits. In fact, even as recent as the other day, he had been threatening to take his own life with a phosphorus bullet and finish the job he intended to do. Emmeline highly suspected that the only way they could get him to settle would be to get his love back to him. The risky part about that was how the poor soul might take the news of what Asher was, and if Asher wanted to be as close to him as a lover was to another lover, he couldn't hide his true form. Especially not if lust, passion, and soul were at play. All of those worked just as powerfully as anger and fury. That was why love was such a dangerous concept, especially in the Kindred world.
Lilah had very quickly closed the space between herself and Saxon, moving at precisely the same moment as her Childer did. What caught her off guard even more was that she sensed no level of disturbance or confusion coming from Emmeline... as if she knew exactly who the unknown Kindred was. And then it hit Lilah, almost instantaneously, that Emmeline had known all along. She had known who Asher was, what he was like, and yes... that he was one of their Kind. It was the only explanation, and if there'd been any question before, it was erased totally when Emmeline crossed over to Asher and greeted him as an old friend. Lilah couldn't help the feeling that she'd been played though, from the appearance of things, Emmeline had been very much genuinely protecting Asher. There was no guile in the way that the model addressed the beautiful young Childer... only a real concern for him, and an attempt to keep him calm and collected. What Lilah noticed, though, after the shock of realizing Asher was Kindred, and the secondary aftershock that Emmeline had known all along, was that Asher was even more stunning than he'd been before. Those who didn't know or understand their world could have no way of really knowing why, if they saw him, he was even more beautiful than the jaw-dropping brand of gorgeous he'd been before, but Kindred new. He was Toreador... every inch of him... every response. Toreador to the very bone, and a damn good one at that, to be so new in his own skin.
She watched quietly as Emmeline tried to offer comfort to Asher in the form of a gentle reminder that these two people had been his friends since before all of this. Lilah was still tense, but relaxed just a little. "Asher, darling, it really is a pleasure to see you again," she said happily. "And thank God you're not gone. The rumors were quite distressing, but when I saw your designs, I knew without a doubt that it was you who'd done them. No one else has quite your style or attention to detail." She paused, taking just a single step closer to Asher. "Thank you for coming to meet with us on such short notice." She had no idea now what all of this meant. It was Emmeline who'd very much pressed for a meeting with Asher, but in such a way that had made it seem almost casual. And now here they were, and Lilah spoke to Asher in a calm tone that gave away none of the shock she had felt when she saw him, while remaining close to Saxon, wondering what exactly her Childer was thinking in the presence of his school friend.
Design was all Asher had left to focus on or he wouldn't have lasted in the early days of his Embrace. This time, yes, his designs still had the same signature intricacy they all had but there was a darker edge this time with a lot more dramatic colouring and exploration with using toning to mask certain elements of the designs that could be revealed for shock factor on the catwalk. His Toreador had very much come out in his latest collection, as had his feelings of being Kindred. It was like a novelist who wrote their feelings or an artist who painted them. Asher's were in his designs and he had received a lot of feedback on the drama of the latest pieces, people questioning why it had been such a contrast to the fantasy and whimsical thread he had the season prior to his Embrace. To date, he hadn't commented on the designs and it was just flaring up even more rumours and suspicion about him but no one could deny the work was his. Many people had tried to emulate his signature but no one had ever managed. Now he had just raised the bar higher and he knew his elusiveness was a source of frustration for marketing and publicity... where Lilah very expertise laid. There was no doubt about it, with Asher, she earned her wage.
On Lilah's desk, there were glossy prints of photographs from Asher's latest collection. She was no doubt selecting which proofs should be used in the marketing campaign. He looked at Emmeline beside him and then gently kissed both her cheeks in greeting. "È bello vederti, mon cherie. Sei bellissima," he said in his own fluent French. It was a standard greeting, telling her it was nice to see her and she looked beautiful. They shared blood, it was a matter of respect. That didn't mean he appreciated being outed like this and if he completely lost it, there would be no going back. He was more than aware that the fact he was Kindred would be a shock to Lilah and Saxon. He could sense the shock off both of them, even if they were keeping it together. They wouldn't have a clue whether he was a threat or a danger either. He could be. It was impossible to tell how powerful a Kindred was just on sight.
Saxon's mouth was hanging so far open, you could probably fit a bowling ball in there, and Lilah was trying to play the business card like nothing was amiss here. After a moment of just looking at them, Asher just started to laugh. Because it was a laughable situation. He wasn't amused by any means, it was just utterly ridiculous. He stepped away from Emmeline, shaking his head and giving a small flick of his fingers. "I could kill you all, and you want to pretend nothing has changed here? Oh fucking hell, you're all a bunch of jokes," he insulted them before the laughter stopped and he was glaring at them all, his silver eyes telling them he wasn't playing here at all. "Don't. fuck. with. me," he added, biting the words out, giving them fair warning that it was best they walked a fine line with him. He really didn't appreciate being put on the spot like this, and it was going to be on his terms if anything was revealed.
Hell fucking yes, Saxon was shocked. He was beyond shocked and he had no interest in hiding it. He also didn't want Asher to think he was going to do anything to harm him. Asher was one of his oldest friends, and sure, it was a different ball game now Asher had somehow managed to go get Embraced (holy fuck, he was the last person he would have expected to want that), that didn't change anything. In fact, what Saxon was feeling right now was some extreme sense of immediate protectiveness towards Asher. There was just something not right here. Asher's voice was dangerous, he was exhibiting his Kindred form which meant he was either turned on or feeling threatened. It was the latter, without a doubt. He had been firmly ousted here when he probably had this concealed for some time, but suddenly everything made so much sense. All the secrecy and suspicion. The reason Asher had 'disappeared' and gone into hiding was because he had been Embraced. He shook his head, sitting forward but not moving to approach Asher. He clearly didn't want that. "No, dude, we're not going to fuck with you. I swear, we're not. This is just a fucking shock. We didn't know. How would we? What happened? We thought you got hit by a car. Why did you... why did you want this?"
Saxon himself knew why he had wanted it. He had become completely connected with Lilah and they were inseparable. He had learned all about her world before he even contemplated requesting to be invited into it. Of course, the notion of living forever was appealing, but there was also the fact that it had become obvious to Saxon that those he was interacting with when Lilah revealed herself to him were predominantly Kindred. He just wanted it, and couldn't even extensively explain why. He was one of the lucky ones who requested to be Embraced and never looked back. It was his world now, but if Asher had done the same, why was he so clearly agitated and resistive? It was almost like... no. No way. He couldn't have been taken against his will. Not Asher. That couldn't be. Asher was one of the most amazing people Saxon had ever met. He was beautiful and had a huge heart, loved so deeply, was dripping in talent. Why would anyone do that to him. Unless it was an accident...? "Asher, your accident. You were hit by a car, right?" he asked uncertainly, hesitantly. The last thing he wanted was to find a frenzied and pissed off relatively new Kindred Childer all fangs up in his face. If that happened, he could be ripped to shreds.
Emmeline analysed Lilah and her companion for a moment. Her own arm candy was back at their apartment resting after a busy day with her being fitted at the Asheresque headquarters for the upcoming launch. He would generally accompany her to most things, but he got bored when it was too much business and preferred to take some time to himself, probably indulging in a random meal he picked up from somewhere. Emmeline didn't mind. He had whatever freedom he wished, they just preferred to stay close a majority of the time. She was his Sire, but he was in no means owned by her. She didn't function like that. One day, he would find someone he fell in love with and even then, they would still be the closest of friends and each other's companions. It was just how things sometimes functioned in their world that could often be lonely and lacking trust. Which was exactly why she knew Asher was so distressed, which was exhibiting in anger and standoffishness. He was desperately alone and didn't know who he could trust. They were trying to help him with that, but they had all had little luck so far. Brodie had even spent some time with the fashion designer the day before, and whilst they all knew they wouldn't be privy to what occurred curing that little tête-à-tête, Blaise had subtly suggested that whatever Asher needed, he should be given for now.
"Asher, mon amour, these are your friends. Your colleagues. You need to build yourself an alliance or you will forever be battling with the world at large. Take a look, belle... you can learn to trust them, non?" she murmured close to his ear, but she could feel when she brushed close to him that his hand and exposed skin was cool to touch. One again, he hadn't fed and she wanted to grab him and give him a shake to get some sense into him, but that would do no good. His Kindred instincts were being drowned by his human instincts that were still very much inside him. He had to learn himself, no one could tell him what to do. All Kindred had to learn, but Asher had been viciously thrust into their world when he had been trying to escape his own. His senses and emotions were scrambled. They all had to tread carefully with him, as he was warning them. She knew his words weren't just a threat, but also a warning to them that he was volatile and could hurt them, which he didn't want to do. One of Asher's biggest struggles as a Kindred was needing to hurt to survive. He would starve before doing it, a bad lesson he was still trying to learn.
After a moment, she sliced her pinkie nail over her wrist and the deep red liquid seeped from the wound, which she held up close to his mouth. "Feed, my darling. You must. You know you must."
There was no doubt that what Asher was saying was very much true. Lilah may not have been able to just size him up on sight, but just the way he carried himself left absolutely no doubt that, Childer or no, he was a very powerful Kindred. She remembered from conversations that she'd had with Saxon along the way that the two of them had been school classmates and friends, but that the contact had lessened when Asher went to New York, and had become almost non-existent until the time of his death. While Lilah had held onto hope that Asher was still alive, even as Kindred, it had never occurred to her to expect that Asher might be Kindred. Not that she wasn't cluey at all so much as the fact that she never would've foreseen Asher desiring to be Embraced. But here he was, in all his stunning Kindred glory looking for all the world like he was an old hand at it. Except for the fact that there was a certain edge to him than was a little beyond that of the standard Kindred, even Kindred Childer. As if he weren't quite comfortable in his skin. Luckily for Lilah, when she had Embraced Saxon, he had been well aware of what it meant, and the consequences that came with it, and had reawakened entirely aware of what he was, though he had to find his feet with it.
But as Lilah watched the way Asher and Emmeline interacted, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was no ordinary Embrace. Something strange had happened here, and she wasn't sure what, but there was no question about it. She remained quiet for a moment as Emmeline offered her blood to the young fashion designer, though her eyes never left his face. And when she finally spoke, she took on the calming tone that Emmeline was using, but still with the hint of a businesslike edge. "Asher," she said, her eyes meeting his and holding them calmly. "I assure you that none of us here want to fuck with you in any way. I was unaware of the fact that you had come to be a part of our world, but we are still your friends. And we are here if you need us in any way. But in the meantime, I needed you here for the sake of your line, and I'm sure that you would not want to see that suffer just because of a few... Setbacks, shall we say?" She paused, still feeling the aggression off Asher, and her eyes moved to Saxon, then back to Asher. "None of us have intentions of hurting you, darling. Nor do we have intentions of pissing you off and being hurt by you. We'd very much prefer to have a civil conversation as the friends we've always been."
TBC...
What: Out of the Kindred closet
Where: Lilah's office
When: Late Friday night
That week, Asheresque had just debuted a tantalising hint of the new line that would be launched at New York's Fashion Week despite the fact the infamous Asher Rose was supposed to be dead. It was a mystery the fashion world couldn't solve. Some thought he was dead, others thought he had just removed himself directly from any public appearance due to any number of theories including illness, heartbreak, or genuinely going crazy from celebrity exposure. Asher had a team of PR constantly throwing up smoke signals and even they didn't know why they did the job they did. He had managed to weave so many webs and labyrinths of his life, many leading people to dead-ends (pardon the pun), that no one really knew what he was about anymore or if he still existed. But brand new and ingenius designs had made their way down the catwalk that night, and now Lilah had somewhat demanded of him a marketing debrief in her office so he could be 'included in strategies' of how his company was 'developing in the current fashion environment'. It was all a lot of marketing PR bullshit, but Asher knew that Lilah was one person he couldn't continue to hide from before she got suspicious. She held the reigns of his company's continued success in his absence, so he needed to know he could trust her with his business... which meant the inevitable meeting of her face-to-face after making himself scarce and only communicating via modern technologies.
He was dressed immaculately, as always, and only agreed to the meeting if it could be in the late hours of the night so he could be sure to be sustained post feeding to keep a cool head about him. It was the best chance he had of looking 'normal' too. Without feeding, he was more pale then usual, and his eyes had this way of looking dead and cold. That wouldn't do, but the feed he did manage to indulge in wasn't near as satisfying as he hoped. As more and more time ticked over, he more and more hungered for just one and anything less served as an aggravation to him. These were the facets of his Kindred side he didn't understand, but he was still a survivor and more determined than ever to go this alone, resisting help from his Sire and Eric. He was pissed off at them and had no plans of giving them an easy ride.
He reached the large ornate doors of Lilah's office with a couple of her assistants and a security guard in tow. He stopped at the doors and turned around to pierce them all with a look that had them baulking and backing away from him. "You are not welcome. Leave," he stated and even though they looked like they wanted to protest, they backed away towards the elevators at the end of the richly carpeted hall. He didn't even knock on her office door. He just pushed them opened and entered her office unannounced. He was the one paying her bills, he didn't need to announce himself. But as soon as he stepped inside, finding that Lilah wasn't alone, his Kindred senses flared dramatically and he knew immediately that three other Kindred presences were in that room. His eyes locked on Lilah, and then moved to the other woman perched on the edge of her desk, only to come rest on the guy draped in one of the leather sofas by the window.
Saxon Stirling.
All Kindred.
All now getting the immediate newflash that their 'visitor' was also very much Kindred, and only one of them had been aware of that. Emmeline smirked at him, unable to help herself. Sure, Emmeline knew who he was, why he was what he was, but Lilah had no idea Emmeline knew Asher because she had played her part perfectly. But Asher had no interest in being played at all, and even though Saxon and Lilah were technically his friends (Saxon from way back in elementary school), neither knew he was Kindred before now, and vice versa. With Asher's Kindred senses, he immediately connected that all along, Saxon and Lilah had to have been Kindred but he wouldn't have known as a mortal. His blue eyes flashed, and the smile he gave them both was dangerous, just the slightest hint of his fangs on show now as he immediately clocked a potential threat. He gave a slow, purposeful shake of his head as he sauntered into the room, eyes never leaving them. "Well, well, it seems someone has been keeping secrets now, doesn't it?" he said in a dangerously low purr. This wasn't the Asher they all knew, not by a long shot.
As soon as Asher stepped in the door, Saxon's own Kindred senses were on high alert to another Kindred with an unfamiliar signature. He was actually pushing up from his seat by the window, ready to protect Lilah against any threat because that's how his instincts would always automatically react. They might not actually be honest-to-god mated, but she was his Sire and he would always lay his life on the line to protect her. No questions asked. There wouldn't even be time to question anything, he would do it instinctively like any animal. Because that's what they ultimately were when you got down the raw fact of things. They were just too classy to call themselves that. That was all until he realised it was Asher, and... holy fucking hell, what the fuck?! Saxon was only there because he was bored and when he was bored and had no sexy little meal to seduce, screw and feed from, he inflicted his presence on Lilah. She was used to it, and they just functioned like that as the years passed. Sure, they could piss each other off at times, but it was rare. Generally, they were always on the same page and always there to give each other a 'helping hand', so to speak, when nothing else was around to satisfy their standards. But this? This was a curve ball Saxon could never, ever have anticipated.
Yes, they were all expecting Asher. Well, sort of. Lilah had sworn he would show, but both Saxon and Emmeline had been skeptical that he would keep the appointment, as was his style of late. What Asher Rose didn't want to do, Asher Rose didn't do. That was fact, not theory. Saxon had been expecting his old school friend to cancel the meeting. Ever since Asher's terrible accident, where he had let everyone important to him believe he was dead, he had Stirlinged. In fact, Saxon hadn't seen him since. He hadn't honestly spent any direct time with Asher in, well, years now. Lilah had via email and telephone, but that was it. In fact, Saxon had come to believe that maybe Asher really was dead and that someone else was running his empire for him under the guise of him just being an elusive hermit. Which was partly why he expected Asher to be a no-show. But as soon as Asher was dramatically and abruptly there in their presence, it all became extremely clear and all the mystery, confusion, and smokescreens became as clear as day... not that day was anything they had any interest in, hence the night time meeting, which now also made a world of sense.
Then Asher was all Kindred-ing out right before their eyes. He was different. Fuck, he was hot as all hell and Saxon sort of wanted to bang him epically. He had never felt that about Asher before. But he made an immaculate Kindred. Toreador to the core, no doubt about that. Holy shit, when and how had this fucking happened? Surely Asher wouldn't have elected for this? Either way, he wasn't a happy camper. The warning flash of silver in his eyes, the fangs, the stance, the dangerous voice that didn't sound like Asher at all. It was all telling them to keep their fucking distance, and for now, without knowing why or how Asher had come to be Kindred, let alone by whom, it was best for them to do just that. "Asher, dude..." Saxon attempted. At the end of the day, deep inside, the old Asher would still be there somewhere, his old school friend. At least, so Saxon hoped.
Emmeline, on the other hand, had the distinct luxury of familiarity with Asher in his Kindred form. She knew his story, she knew why he harboured so much anger and passion to nurture that anger. He had been taken against his will, and that was always a terrifyingly rude way to be injected into their world without warning. There was also the fact his very soul was yearning for his only love, and that he couldn't have him. That fuelled even more dangerous emotion in Asher and he was absolutely volatile in the blink of an eye. That was why Logan and Eric were having so much difficulty with him. He was headstrong, but also born a powerful Kindred because of his bloodline. He had instinctively adapted to being a Kindred and learned what he needed to do to survive, how to use his natural skills of his Clan to his advantage. Before he had been Embraced, he was talented and clever, with his own empire built from being smart and observant. All that only heightened as a Kindred. But there was also the fact Asher had Kindred royalty in his blood. He and Emmeline's Sires were both Embraced by the Scottish Prince herself, they shared blood and a Clan, so she was absolutely going to use that to her own advantage here. Sure, she had cunningly mislead Lilah to throw her off Asher's scent and let her believe she had never met Asher, but that was because she was an old and wise Kindred who knew to keep her wits about her. Had she let on that she knew Asher, she would have had to elaborate on the how, and it hadn't been the time to start revealing Asher's secrets. Or they would get more than some flashy eyes and a hint of fangs from the fashion designer. He could snap into a frenzy so easy in his state, and none of them wanted that. Least of all Asher.
She smoothly rose up from the desk and moved over to where Asher was standing. Still, his eyes never left Lilah and Saxon. That indicated his baseline trust of Emmeline, though he did stiffen when she got to his side. She gently touched his cheek and then brushed her lips against his in greeting. "Mon amour. Si belle...," she murmured softly to him, her fingers tenderly stroking his cheek to try and calm him down. "Ne t'inquiète pas. Ils sont vos amis." It couldn't hurt to try and calm him by reminding him these people were his friends. Kindred often forgot to appreciate the ties from their past when they became Embraced and Asher had been doing his damnest to sever any of those he had so people wouldn't discover what he had become. To protect them? Who knew? He didn't talk about what he was feeling, he just exploded angrily if anyone tried to get the information out of him. But for now, he was outed, and he was in a room full of three other Kindred who now had the difficult task of proving to him he could trust them as one of his own. That was never easy, but it would be ten-fold more difficult with a lost Kindred taken against his will who was still fighting the more basic of Kindred traits. In fact, even as recent as the other day, he had been threatening to take his own life with a phosphorus bullet and finish the job he intended to do. Emmeline highly suspected that the only way they could get him to settle would be to get his love back to him. The risky part about that was how the poor soul might take the news of what Asher was, and if Asher wanted to be as close to him as a lover was to another lover, he couldn't hide his true form. Especially not if lust, passion, and soul were at play. All of those worked just as powerfully as anger and fury. That was why love was such a dangerous concept, especially in the Kindred world.
Lilah had very quickly closed the space between herself and Saxon, moving at precisely the same moment as her Childer did. What caught her off guard even more was that she sensed no level of disturbance or confusion coming from Emmeline... as if she knew exactly who the unknown Kindred was. And then it hit Lilah, almost instantaneously, that Emmeline had known all along. She had known who Asher was, what he was like, and yes... that he was one of their Kind. It was the only explanation, and if there'd been any question before, it was erased totally when Emmeline crossed over to Asher and greeted him as an old friend. Lilah couldn't help the feeling that she'd been played though, from the appearance of things, Emmeline had been very much genuinely protecting Asher. There was no guile in the way that the model addressed the beautiful young Childer... only a real concern for him, and an attempt to keep him calm and collected. What Lilah noticed, though, after the shock of realizing Asher was Kindred, and the secondary aftershock that Emmeline had known all along, was that Asher was even more stunning than he'd been before. Those who didn't know or understand their world could have no way of really knowing why, if they saw him, he was even more beautiful than the jaw-dropping brand of gorgeous he'd been before, but Kindred new. He was Toreador... every inch of him... every response. Toreador to the very bone, and a damn good one at that, to be so new in his own skin.
She watched quietly as Emmeline tried to offer comfort to Asher in the form of a gentle reminder that these two people had been his friends since before all of this. Lilah was still tense, but relaxed just a little. "Asher, darling, it really is a pleasure to see you again," she said happily. "And thank God you're not gone. The rumors were quite distressing, but when I saw your designs, I knew without a doubt that it was you who'd done them. No one else has quite your style or attention to detail." She paused, taking just a single step closer to Asher. "Thank you for coming to meet with us on such short notice." She had no idea now what all of this meant. It was Emmeline who'd very much pressed for a meeting with Asher, but in such a way that had made it seem almost casual. And now here they were, and Lilah spoke to Asher in a calm tone that gave away none of the shock she had felt when she saw him, while remaining close to Saxon, wondering what exactly her Childer was thinking in the presence of his school friend.
Design was all Asher had left to focus on or he wouldn't have lasted in the early days of his Embrace. This time, yes, his designs still had the same signature intricacy they all had but there was a darker edge this time with a lot more dramatic colouring and exploration with using toning to mask certain elements of the designs that could be revealed for shock factor on the catwalk. His Toreador had very much come out in his latest collection, as had his feelings of being Kindred. It was like a novelist who wrote their feelings or an artist who painted them. Asher's were in his designs and he had received a lot of feedback on the drama of the latest pieces, people questioning why it had been such a contrast to the fantasy and whimsical thread he had the season prior to his Embrace. To date, he hadn't commented on the designs and it was just flaring up even more rumours and suspicion about him but no one could deny the work was his. Many people had tried to emulate his signature but no one had ever managed. Now he had just raised the bar higher and he knew his elusiveness was a source of frustration for marketing and publicity... where Lilah very expertise laid. There was no doubt about it, with Asher, she earned her wage.
On Lilah's desk, there were glossy prints of photographs from Asher's latest collection. She was no doubt selecting which proofs should be used in the marketing campaign. He looked at Emmeline beside him and then gently kissed both her cheeks in greeting. "È bello vederti, mon cherie. Sei bellissima," he said in his own fluent French. It was a standard greeting, telling her it was nice to see her and she looked beautiful. They shared blood, it was a matter of respect. That didn't mean he appreciated being outed like this and if he completely lost it, there would be no going back. He was more than aware that the fact he was Kindred would be a shock to Lilah and Saxon. He could sense the shock off both of them, even if they were keeping it together. They wouldn't have a clue whether he was a threat or a danger either. He could be. It was impossible to tell how powerful a Kindred was just on sight.
Saxon's mouth was hanging so far open, you could probably fit a bowling ball in there, and Lilah was trying to play the business card like nothing was amiss here. After a moment of just looking at them, Asher just started to laugh. Because it was a laughable situation. He wasn't amused by any means, it was just utterly ridiculous. He stepped away from Emmeline, shaking his head and giving a small flick of his fingers. "I could kill you all, and you want to pretend nothing has changed here? Oh fucking hell, you're all a bunch of jokes," he insulted them before the laughter stopped and he was glaring at them all, his silver eyes telling them he wasn't playing here at all. "Don't. fuck. with. me," he added, biting the words out, giving them fair warning that it was best they walked a fine line with him. He really didn't appreciate being put on the spot like this, and it was going to be on his terms if anything was revealed.
Hell fucking yes, Saxon was shocked. He was beyond shocked and he had no interest in hiding it. He also didn't want Asher to think he was going to do anything to harm him. Asher was one of his oldest friends, and sure, it was a different ball game now Asher had somehow managed to go get Embraced (holy fuck, he was the last person he would have expected to want that), that didn't change anything. In fact, what Saxon was feeling right now was some extreme sense of immediate protectiveness towards Asher. There was just something not right here. Asher's voice was dangerous, he was exhibiting his Kindred form which meant he was either turned on or feeling threatened. It was the latter, without a doubt. He had been firmly ousted here when he probably had this concealed for some time, but suddenly everything made so much sense. All the secrecy and suspicion. The reason Asher had 'disappeared' and gone into hiding was because he had been Embraced. He shook his head, sitting forward but not moving to approach Asher. He clearly didn't want that. "No, dude, we're not going to fuck with you. I swear, we're not. This is just a fucking shock. We didn't know. How would we? What happened? We thought you got hit by a car. Why did you... why did you want this?"
Saxon himself knew why he had wanted it. He had become completely connected with Lilah and they were inseparable. He had learned all about her world before he even contemplated requesting to be invited into it. Of course, the notion of living forever was appealing, but there was also the fact that it had become obvious to Saxon that those he was interacting with when Lilah revealed herself to him were predominantly Kindred. He just wanted it, and couldn't even extensively explain why. He was one of the lucky ones who requested to be Embraced and never looked back. It was his world now, but if Asher had done the same, why was he so clearly agitated and resistive? It was almost like... no. No way. He couldn't have been taken against his will. Not Asher. That couldn't be. Asher was one of the most amazing people Saxon had ever met. He was beautiful and had a huge heart, loved so deeply, was dripping in talent. Why would anyone do that to him. Unless it was an accident...? "Asher, your accident. You were hit by a car, right?" he asked uncertainly, hesitantly. The last thing he wanted was to find a frenzied and pissed off relatively new Kindred Childer all fangs up in his face. If that happened, he could be ripped to shreds.
Emmeline analysed Lilah and her companion for a moment. Her own arm candy was back at their apartment resting after a busy day with her being fitted at the Asheresque headquarters for the upcoming launch. He would generally accompany her to most things, but he got bored when it was too much business and preferred to take some time to himself, probably indulging in a random meal he picked up from somewhere. Emmeline didn't mind. He had whatever freedom he wished, they just preferred to stay close a majority of the time. She was his Sire, but he was in no means owned by her. She didn't function like that. One day, he would find someone he fell in love with and even then, they would still be the closest of friends and each other's companions. It was just how things sometimes functioned in their world that could often be lonely and lacking trust. Which was exactly why she knew Asher was so distressed, which was exhibiting in anger and standoffishness. He was desperately alone and didn't know who he could trust. They were trying to help him with that, but they had all had little luck so far. Brodie had even spent some time with the fashion designer the day before, and whilst they all knew they wouldn't be privy to what occurred curing that little tête-à-tête, Blaise had subtly suggested that whatever Asher needed, he should be given for now.
"Asher, mon amour, these are your friends. Your colleagues. You need to build yourself an alliance or you will forever be battling with the world at large. Take a look, belle... you can learn to trust them, non?" she murmured close to his ear, but she could feel when she brushed close to him that his hand and exposed skin was cool to touch. One again, he hadn't fed and she wanted to grab him and give him a shake to get some sense into him, but that would do no good. His Kindred instincts were being drowned by his human instincts that were still very much inside him. He had to learn himself, no one could tell him what to do. All Kindred had to learn, but Asher had been viciously thrust into their world when he had been trying to escape his own. His senses and emotions were scrambled. They all had to tread carefully with him, as he was warning them. She knew his words weren't just a threat, but also a warning to them that he was volatile and could hurt them, which he didn't want to do. One of Asher's biggest struggles as a Kindred was needing to hurt to survive. He would starve before doing it, a bad lesson he was still trying to learn.
After a moment, she sliced her pinkie nail over her wrist and the deep red liquid seeped from the wound, which she held up close to his mouth. "Feed, my darling. You must. You know you must."
There was no doubt that what Asher was saying was very much true. Lilah may not have been able to just size him up on sight, but just the way he carried himself left absolutely no doubt that, Childer or no, he was a very powerful Kindred. She remembered from conversations that she'd had with Saxon along the way that the two of them had been school classmates and friends, but that the contact had lessened when Asher went to New York, and had become almost non-existent until the time of his death. While Lilah had held onto hope that Asher was still alive, even as Kindred, it had never occurred to her to expect that Asher might be Kindred. Not that she wasn't cluey at all so much as the fact that she never would've foreseen Asher desiring to be Embraced. But here he was, in all his stunning Kindred glory looking for all the world like he was an old hand at it. Except for the fact that there was a certain edge to him than was a little beyond that of the standard Kindred, even Kindred Childer. As if he weren't quite comfortable in his skin. Luckily for Lilah, when she had Embraced Saxon, he had been well aware of what it meant, and the consequences that came with it, and had reawakened entirely aware of what he was, though he had to find his feet with it.
But as Lilah watched the way Asher and Emmeline interacted, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was no ordinary Embrace. Something strange had happened here, and she wasn't sure what, but there was no question about it. She remained quiet for a moment as Emmeline offered her blood to the young fashion designer, though her eyes never left his face. And when she finally spoke, she took on the calming tone that Emmeline was using, but still with the hint of a businesslike edge. "Asher," she said, her eyes meeting his and holding them calmly. "I assure you that none of us here want to fuck with you in any way. I was unaware of the fact that you had come to be a part of our world, but we are still your friends. And we are here if you need us in any way. But in the meantime, I needed you here for the sake of your line, and I'm sure that you would not want to see that suffer just because of a few... Setbacks, shall we say?" She paused, still feeling the aggression off Asher, and her eyes moved to Saxon, then back to Asher. "None of us have intentions of hurting you, darling. Nor do we have intentions of pissing you off and being hurt by you. We'd very much prefer to have a civil conversation as the friends we've always been."
TBC...