Chapter 174 - My Body Is (not) Ready

Before I could ask JJ what that meant, I heard it too—a sound of footsteps approaching the door of my guest room. The owner of the feet stopped next to it and, after a second of hesitation, knocked.

"Come in," I said.

It was Anon. He looked much better than yesterday, I noticed with pride. Thanks to mine and Ghost's efforts, his body was almost back to normal. Some purples were still left on his face, purely cosmetic stuff that we all together decided not to bother with so late into the night, but besides that, he was completely healthy. Even the broken arm.

He looked somewhat anxious, though, and kept playing with the hem of his T-shirt.

"Hi, Diana… Jean-Jacques," Anon stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His eyes flickered between the two of us, then settled on Jean-Jacques. "I didn't have time to thank you properly for… for saving me back then. And you, Diana, for helping to heal me."

"It was no problem, Denis," JJ smiled at him in his casually friendly manner. "Is this why you came to us now?"

The answer was clearly no. I watched Anon as he made five steps towards the nearest chair, then two steps back, then changed his mind again, flopped down on it, and planted his elbows on his knees. "I caught some of your conversation with Aunt. And, well, I just wanted to say… I, ah, I do want to be a vampire. In fact," Anon looked up at us, "I wanted to since I was a body. But I never thought… I never thought she'd want it for me, too. I always thought I wasn't good enough for it, and she must've agreed…" He shook his head.

"Ah, Denis," JJ paused, clicked his tongue. Then, with another click, walked up to him. "I wish I had something to say about your possible worth as a vampire, something to lift your spirits, but," he sent a bitter smile at my direction, "ma chèrie could confirm that I'm not the best judge of character in this regard. This is between you and Avarice, first. Still, personally, I think you would do well enough, especially with Avarice around to guide you. From a distance, of course, since you won't be able to see her again without wanting to attack her."

I hummed in agreement. "I could imagine worse types to give vampire superpowers to."

"It's not only powers, though," JJ noted. "There are plenty of drawbacks, especially for newly turned fledglings. You will need a lot of your sire's attention at first. The change itself can be very… traumatic, especially if you aren't prepared for it. The power of your senses, the thirst. The sun will be your enemy, and the sleep will never be like it was before. You won't be able to hunt on your own, to walk around, until you learn how to use glamour and hypnosis, and for some, this takes years. Though, this is more of an exception. I, myself, learnt much faster… but I was an exception as well."

"I know all this. I'm ready for it."

"Well, then." JJ gave Anon a long, measured look. "Your body isn't, though. Unless you plan on staying like this forever, I recommend you to gain more muscle and lose some fat. If I'm truly to be your sire, the least I expect from you is some effort and preparation."

I watched how an insulted expression on Anon's face changed into one of subdued hope. He blinked, then looked down at his, a little pudgy, stomach. "I, uh—"

"I'm sure Avarice can arrange for you to hide in a place with a gym," I said with a grin on my face. "Maybe even somewhere sunny, so you had an opportunity a tan while you still could. I imagine this will take you half a year if you work hard."

Half a year was plenty of time. I had a feeling I knew what JJ was doing here, besides simply preparing Anon for being stuck in a single state of being for eternity and giving him a chance to shift gears. He was giving himself a time to prepare, too. I caught it in that bitter smile he sent me, but I hoped that my brighter one took away at least some of his doubts.

Christina was a mistake, on many counts, but Anon, well. First, as far as I could tell, he wasn't gay. Second, he didn't have a personal connection with JJ. In the end, Anon would always be more attached to Avarice. Then he would be her problem, and I doubted she would let Anon do anything stupid.

Anon swallowed. "Half a year? I… uh… Alright!" He stood up. "And then you will turn me into a vampire?"

I watched as something in the depths of JJ's cat-like eyes softened. "I will. Until then, spend your time together with your aunt, Denis. It just won't be the same when you won't be able to talk with her face to face."

Anon's eager face sobered. He nodded. "I will. Thank you… thank you both a lot, Jean-Jacques, Diana. I doubt I even will be able to repay you."

"You don't have to repay ME," I raised my brows. "I really didn't do much."

"You helped to heal me."

"Oh yeah, but I will ask for that from Avarice." I smirked. "We still have some monetary transactions between us."

"Right, I remember. Did she agree to renegotiate with you, by the way?"

"She did, but I guess it's not very relevant now." I shrugged. "Maybe when this all is over I will ask Ghost to help me fix that damn sofa so Avarice could have it… Or buy it…"

"Oh. I wonder when this all will be over." Anon sighed.

"We all are," JJ said.

Anon nodded. "Have a good day, the two of you. Oh, Diana, and there's breakfast served in the main hall, if you are hungry. I've seen your friends there, too."

I brightened immediately. "Great! Now, where is the main hall?"

"I can show you, ma chèrie."