Chapter 90 - Differences

The silence hang over the room. There was no breathing, no heartbeat, except for mine. I could feel it, fast and hard, in my chest. The subtlest tremors that ran through my body. I wondered if Avarice could feel them too, somehow, hear them with her vampire hearing, smell my anxiety with her vampire smelling… Damn, I had to ask JJ if vampires had vampire smelling.

I couldn't read her thoughts from Avarice's face—it was an impassable mask. I could only wait, and wait, and wait until I saw her move. Oh so slowly she lifted a hand to shake mine. Her palm was cool and dry, making mine feel even sweatier in comparison, and I felt relieved when Avarice didn't make the handshake any longer than a single touch.

"Agreed," Avarice said. "Now we must negotiate the details."

As if it was his cue, Alexey entered the room with a tray of tea and, to my quiet glee, biscuits and pastries. Now that was what I called hospitality. He placed the items in front of me and I mouthed him my thanks before Alexey turned to his mistress. Mistress with the big 'M', even.

"Do you need anything else, Mistress?"

"Hmm… no. You can go for now," she said and looked at me. "We can discuss details later. Just drink for now, Diana. This tea is too expensive to waste it."

Expensive teas. I wasn't such a gourmet to tell the difference—I always brewed tea from packages, anyway—but I wouldn't refuse free sweets. "Thank you. This was generous of you. Do you keep it here for guests, or is it actually Alexey's?"

I wondered if Avarice will stay around. She didn't drink tea, after all. Alexey wouldn't—he already left the room—and it wasn't in the rules of hospitality to leave a guest on their own in your home, but… Well, Avarice didn't seem like she cared for hospitality when it didn't suit her. Did it suit her now?

"Alexey prefers black teas," Avarice said. I could be wrong, but I thought her expression softened a little. She shifted in her seat, leaning on the back of her chair. "So yes, this one is for guests."

I took a careful sip from my cup. It was hot and slightly bitter, but not too much like it happened when I brewed it in water that was too hot. I liked its smell, too. "It's very nice," I said, exhausting the last of the connoisseur in me, and grappled for something else to say. Should I talk about the weather? "Did you like tea in… the past?"

Avarice's face didn't even flinch, but I immediately cursed myself. "Sorry, this was an insensitive question to ask. I…" Before I could start spewing excuses, I shut myself up with a biscuit and a sip of tea to wash it down.

To my relief, Avarice wasn't angry. She stayed silent for a longer moment, though. "No, I always preferred coffee, and even as I'm now, I can still enjoy its smell."

I didn't know what to say to this, so I kept eating. The biscuits were absolutely delicious, and even the tense atmosphere didn't stop me from relishing in the taste. If anything, it only moved me to eat more. Nervous eater, that's me. Only steel self-control saved me from being overweight until now. Right now, I could only force myself to eat slower and savour every bite. It helped that my dessert plate wasn't this big to begin with.

To my surprise, Avarice suddenly chuckled. "You enjoy my food so much, Diana, just looking at you makes me nostalgic. Do you want more?"

I swallowed my bite and forced myself to keep calm and not blush from embarrassment. "These are devastatingly tasty biscuits, Avarice, but I wouldn't want to impose." More importantly, I didn't trust Avarice to not make me pay if I asked her for more… though she probably wasn't that petty. Still, on some level I felt like I was dealing with a legendary fairy there, of a kind where any accidental gift or request meant eternal enslavement.

Avarice nodded sagely. "As you wish. Now let it be my turn to ask questions. How did you meet Dragonslayer? My sire told me he had disappeared from everyone's eyes a century ago. Some even thought him dead, though, from what I was told, it wasn't uncommon for Dragonslayer to change places out of the blue…"

I eyed Avarice, wondering how much she knew about all the business between JJ and Christina. Not everything, apparently, if he didn't tell her about the seal I freed him from. It was his secret, though, so I gathered my words in a way that avoided mentioning it. "I was there in the right place and in the right time. Jean-Jacques needed someone to help him settle in the city, so I helped him. He helps me back, too."

"Many witches would say that you were in the wrong place and in the wrong time… especially now, when Christina hunts for you two." Avarice lifted a perfectly manicured hard to tap with long cyan nails on the tabletop. Then she let out a small huff. "Are you so pleased with your partnership with him you wouldn't even hesitate to refuse my offer?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" I asked, leading the conversation to the next question, the one I really cared for. "What did you hear about Jean-Jacques that makes you think I wouldn't?"

Avarice showed me a fang and stopped her tapping. "Well, let's see. He is a quite notorious figure. He belongs to the few of my kind who never settle on a same territory for long—a vagabond. It's supposed to be a sign of weakness, but then, no one can dispute that he has strength, not after he killed Dragon in a one-on-one fight. My sire believes Dragonslayer IS weak, and his victories came from simple luck, one that would eventually run out. I think that it's something Dragonslayer would be glad if people believed in. But more than that, I think he is just one person. Strong, but not infallible.. While I have many others at my disposal."