InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I can haz snickerdoodle?"

tao_ (tao_) wrote,
@ 2010-09-15 16:55:00

Who: Riley and Tao
What: an unexpected visit
Where: Tao's office

Tao had not gotten a lot of sleep. Thankfully, he did not need a lot. He'd cleaned meticulously of course, then sat on the phone all night. His source did not like to have any suspicion on them that they even liked vampires let alone were indebted to one. So a late night phone call was pushing things. Unfortunately, he did not have a lot of time to placate her. After explaining the problem, and promising this was a final favor she had relented and headed out to the church in the morning. He had laid in bed, no not a coffin, and stared at the ceiling. Usually a good couple of hours in the room, even if it didn't last as long as he would like, were relaxing. He'd instead found he let his guard down more then he anticipated and the shifter had garnered more respect then he had previously expected to give. Worse yet, he wasn't all that sure the rule of keeping things in the room would stick, as they had finished out negotiations inside.

That was upsetting as well. He'd had no problem taking out tribute. He had purposefully given the new leader the information to see how he would deal with it. Seeing if he would reach for that small bit of power, or even more. It would be telling on his position as leader and give Tao some weak points to use. Still, he had planned on enjoying the negotiations. There was nothing like riling up a shifter. Even the idiot power hungry ones.

Deciding sleep wasn't coming he'd headed into work, checking over inventories, new information and new hires. The club was doing well, they had a steady stream of regulars as well as those coming for the thrill of seeing a vampire. He drew up the new treaty and even slipped in a clause regarding collars to see if it would be noticed. The phone call from his plant came early and she had information. Not that it was good, she promised to stay on it. He explained it wasn't necessary, but she felt obligated. If only to spare the pack and vampires more problems.

He accepted a glass of blood to drink, from a blood bank few knew he owned and sat back to rest. Riley should be calling soon so he could pass on the information. The phone call, Tao mused, would be short and to the point. The shifter did not seem to enjoy talking to him much. The thought made his mouth twitch and he almost chuckled to himself.

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amulius
2010-09-25 12:54 am UTC (link)

Riley felt that something between them had just changed. He thought that there was something he ought to say, but something else inside him wouldn't yet let him. The loss of the soft sound of Tao's breath seemed monumental, and all of the sudden the room was silent except for Riley's own breathing. It felt like death had swept into the room. Riley licked his upper lip and pushed just enough to put space between their bodies, though their arms and legs were still tangled. But the contact was purely physical now, and the dreamy look had gone out of Riley's eyes. He took a hold of one of Tao's wrists and brought it to his lips. He rolled back onto his front and pushed himself up, pressing kisses up the inside of Tao's arm.

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tao_
2010-09-25 01:09 am UTC (link)

Tao moved his arm and sat up a bit. Soon, he knew it would be business. Once they were finished with business, once they stopped the mutual threat of the human attacks, both would return to their lives as before. Sooner then he'd like. He reached for the back of Riley's neck and pulled him up to kiss him, his tongue slipping out along his teeth. To taste him, to remember the taste of his own blood on his tongue.

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amulius
2010-09-25 01:24 am UTC (link)

Riley pulled himself into a sitting position and slid his hands down Tao's sides to just above his hips. His fingers tightened as they began to kiss again and he crushed his mouth roughly up against Tao's. That breath had to have come from somewhere, but when he touched Tao's skin now, all he could feel was so cold that it almost hurt. He pulled back, sliding his hands away from Tao's body and resting them on his knees. He tipped his chin down and his eyes flicked over the vampire's stomach and then up to his face. He raised a hand and pushed the top sheet off of his back, shifting a little as his bare skin was exposed to the open air.

Riley could not allow himself to feel his true emotions, he could feel himself wavering, and so he needed the violence back. He licked the blood from his teeth and tensed his shoulders, bending as if prepared to fight, "If you want more, you'll have to take it." He said softly, and when he blinked, his eyes were large and amber again, the mask of a wolf.

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tao_
2010-09-25 01:46 am UTC (link)

Tao narrowed his eyes and pushed up on his elbows. Amber eyes and his tongue slipped out to brush at his upper lip. His hands dug into the sheet under him and he closed his eyes. His body sang to do just that, to take him again and again until he felt the sun settle beyond the horizon. Opening his eyes he pulled his legs back and slipped them to the side of the bed. As he stood he leaned forward and kissed Riley's forehead. "No little wolf. I've taken enough. I'll need to change for tonight's meeting. I'll be in my quarters and meet you in the office." He left the clothing where it laid and went for a robe in the wardrobe and tied it tight.

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amulius
2010-09-25 01:57 am UTC (link)

Riley didn't let the tension go out of his shoulders until Tao's back was to it. He felt something in his chest like hurt, but pushed it away in favor of anger. He glared at the small of Tao's back, swallowed, and then shifted to roll off of the bed. When he landed on the floor, he was on all fours and all of those fours were small and yellow, with short nails that clacked on the floor. Better to shift, to keep himself quiet and bottled and then take his frustration out on a poor, defenseless tree later. He trotted from beside the bed to the edge of the tub and then turned around, his head raised high to look at Tao. He let out a whuf of air and padded to the vampire's side.

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tao_
2010-09-25 02:04 am UTC (link)

Tao looked up as he heard the sound of animal and no longer man walking around. His face seemed a bit older and he nodded, "Your clothes should still be in the office but you are welcome to borrow something if you need to. A shower if you would like." He gave a smile and headed to the door, opening it to let him through before closing it behind them. He'd have to clean it again later.

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amulius
2010-09-25 02:23 am UTC (link)

Riley looked up at Tao with baleful eyes and then turned his head away and trotted through the open doorway. The residence looked a little different from the shorter dog's eye view, but Riley was used to making such adjustments on the fly. He found the office easily, discovering his clothes still in a rumpled pile on the floor. He bowed his head and pushed them into a smaller pile beside Tao's desk, and then took them up in his jaws. He made a circle, only pausing briefly to take a sniff of the bag of body parts he had so carelessly left on the floor, and then exited the office.

The human male seemed unsurprised by the yellow dog that padded past him with a pile of clothing in its mouth, instead he directed the dog to the room where he could take a shower in an ambivalent sort of manner.

Riley dropped his clothes on the bathroom floor, closed the door behind him and turned the shower on. He leaned in to the sink and gripped its sides tightly, staring at himself in the mirror. He felt a mixture of excitement, anger, and nausea, staring at his reflection until the mirror fogged with steam. He turned and entered the shower, letting the hot water sear his skin. He had turned it up hot enough to hurt, but he didn't care. After a while it became almost dulling to his senses. He began to scrub at his skin, his hair, in almost a manic fashion, scrubbing and scrubbing with his palms, his fingers, his nails. When his movements became so erratic that he felt a sharp sting as the water hit a newly opened cut on his leg, he stopped, and leaned his back against the wall, just watching as the water and the steam poured over his body. Finally, he reached out and twisted the knob violently to the other side and let out a yelp as the cold water hit him like a brick wall.

He pulled a towel off of a rack and dried himself a little, and then shook himself, spraying water over the walls of the room. He dressed once his skin was dried sufficiently, doing the buttons up the front of his plaid shirt. He had left his shoes in the office, there was no point in wearing them when he knew that when he walked out in the forest he needed to have that connection. He stepped out of the bathroom, feeling fresh and clean and aching just a little bit. He raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck as he walked back up the hallway and returned to the office.

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tao_
2010-09-25 02:34 am UTC (link)

Tao headed for the stairs. Stopping only to find Jeanne and inform her to leave the office alone until he could at least get rid of the body parts and the smell left behind. He let her know of the meeting with her sister and left it open for her to join if she'd like, then headed up to his rooms.

His rooms. With his bed, his bath, his sitting room, his television, his bar. An extravagance that now seemed to be laughing at him. He'd never, not once, shared his room. Even if he did have a guest spend the night, it was elsewhere. He headed to the shower and quickly washed. He used unscented soaps when going out in public, and didn't care what temperature the water was at.

Once he'd finished drying he ran a comb through his hair and tied it back. The portrait he had painted of his sister and brother stared out on the dresser, and he gave a growl before flipping them over. He dressed in dark slacks, a dark collarless dress shirt and grabbed a suit coat before heading out. Might as well look the part just in case she was followed.

He paused only a moment at the door, calming and centering his mind, letting his face go back to an impassive, emotionless mask and headed back out.

Riley had beaten him to the office and his nose twitched at the scent of blood. "Were there any problems?" He asked before moving to take his seat behind the desk.

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amulius
2010-09-25 02:39 am UTC (link)

"No." Riley replied, his tone short. They were both back in their allotted roles, it seemed. Both wearing their old masks. He shifted in the seat that he had taken and leaned back, crossing his arms lightly over his chest. He followed Tao with his eyes, large and amber but yet somehow they were completely blank. "So, what are we meeting this human woman for, again? Because she can't be seen coming over here?"

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tao_
2010-09-25 02:45 am UTC (link)

Tao gave a short nod, he did a small double take when he saw his eyes but covered and checked his cell for any missed calls while he spoke. "No one can be seen coming here. However, she is using the story of her sister's abduction and my subsequent, acquirement, of her from another territory and Master. As a cover it should work, however, if she gets too close to them during this meeting and they find her suspicious she would be in danger and during the day there is nothing I can do about it. Since I doubt I can talk her out of it, I am hoping for a plan so she can prove herself and we can get information we need to prove the church is behind this. The sooner we get the church dealt with, the sooner we can take off the curfews and imposed safety measures."

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amulius
2010-09-25 02:55 am UTC (link)

Riley listened intently as Tao spoke. The vampire made him feel strange, but that was no reason to slack in this venture. He needed to make sure that his pack was kept safe, even if resolving this situation would make it more difficult to se- no, not thinking along those lines, not now, not while this was happening. Later, later, he could take it out later on the tree - or a deer, he needed to rip open a deer - that would make him feel better. He remained silent for a moment after Tao had finished speaking, and then he leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees.

"What if-" He murmured, his eyes lighting up, "She killed a vampire?" The right side of his mouth twitched into a smile, "Think of it- I could play the vampire, and she could 'kill' me- I disappear, I shift into something tiny, bam- she's got credit!"

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tao_
2010-09-25 03:02 am UTC (link)

Tao's head snapped up, eyes gone dark. "No. Too much could go wrong and if they have even an inkling of a set up it would only put you both in danger." He snapped off. Pocketing the cell he shook his head. "Besides which they would only want a kill when they could plan it. I doubt they have ever sent someone out untried and alone. They work in groups. It would only take a bit of leg work for them to verify that Jeanne is with me, we can feed information to them through that connection. Set up our own trap to get the information we need."

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amulius
2010-09-25 03:08 am UTC (link)

"It could work!" Riley insisted, "Every shifter and vamp that they've killed so far has been weak and inexperienced! You can do all your planning, but ultimately she'll need to prove herself, and I won't have it be on a hunt for one of my pups!" He bared his teeth, "You could even come, it would be the two of us, you and your hulking vampire lackey-" He said self-deprecatingly, "They won't be able to kill us, they won't be able to touch us, and she can get in the lucky shot that kills me. I'm not saying it would be easy, but it would work!"

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tao_
2010-09-25 03:16 am UTC (link)

"And if something should go wrong, who would take care of your pack in your stead? You get injured you will be weak and your kind do not take kindly to a weak leader." He bit off. His eyes tracked the room, thinking. No, the church wasn't interested in just one species or the other, they were after both. Raising a hand he wiped at his mouth and nodded to himself. "But if your concern is simply that she will hurt one of your young, then I will swear that your people need not be involved in any way." He stood up and pulled on his coat.

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amulius
2010-09-25 03:21 am UTC (link)

"You're not listening to me." Riley snapped back, clenching the arms of the chair with both hands. He rose slowly to his feet, his expression indignant. "I'm not just concerned about the Pack, I want these humans to learn their lesson. If you're just going to use me for security I see no reason why I should come to these fucking meetings." He let out a growl, "I didn't become pack leader because I'm stupid and rash. My plan could work, if you didn't underestimate me so much."

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tao_
2010-09-25 03:25 am UTC (link)

Adjusting his sleeves Tao kept his gaze anywhere but the shifter's face. "Agreed. I will not waste your time on the meeting then. If you would like I will send a report when I have finished." He knew Riley wasn't stupid, or rash, but he could be hot tempered and that would work to his advantage, in this instance at least. He headed for the door, "You can see yourself out?"

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amulius
2010-09-25 03:37 am UTC (link)

Riley felt like he had just been punched. "Yes." He replied, and thrust himself up and out of the chair. He bared his teeth at Tao as he passed by him through the doorway. He tossed his head as he walked down the hall, becoming more and more agitated until, finally, he leapt, shifting into the great golden wolf, and turned around, barreling towards Tao. He looked up at the vampire, a light growl in his throat.

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tao_
2010-09-25 03:47 am UTC (link)

Tao would have let out a relieved sigh, but had stopped even thinking of breathing. Heading down the hall he annex to be very careful driving, just in case Riley did something stupid like try to follow him. The shift did not surprise him, though the quick ripe of power hit him hard. As the wolf turned on him, Tao glanced past him to his head of house and raised a hand just enough to warn him against stopping Riley. He himself didn't move and looked back at the angry amber eyes of the wolf coming at him, eyes went soft, resigned.

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amulius
2010-09-25 03:55 am UTC (link)

Riley glared up and into the vampire's eyes, and then jerked his head around and slunk down the length of the hall once again, trampling over the tattered remains of his clothing. This time he did make good on his intentions and bounded past the humans to barrel out of the front door. He leaped off the front steps and disappeared in darkness of the woods. Once he was in the shadows, he stopped, and his coat shifted from brilliant gold to coal black. His eyes remained that same yellow as he slunk through the shadows, just watching the front door of the building. He knew that he couldn't prevent Tao from knowing that he was going to be followed, but he couldn't stand to be beside the vampire's side any longer.

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tao_
2010-09-25 04:04 am UTC (link)

Tao waited for the attack, if nothing else, to end up on the ground. It didn't come. Instead Stephen came over to rattle off his own worries about the shifter and remind him about feeding. Toa let the man ramble, requested the small tranq gun and headed out to the car. Behind the wheel he closed his eyes and felt for the shifter's power. It was becoming more familar to him. Not feeling it nearby he headed out, taking the western road in order to loop around a few times before reaching the corner down town.

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amulius
2010-09-25 02:33 pm UTC (link)

Riley followed along behind the car at a safe distance, sticking to the woods as long as he could until he realized that Tao was heading for the city. He growled a little and quickly shifted into the yellow Labrador. He trotted along the sidewalk, focused on the sound of one particular car among thousands. When he heard it stop, he ducked into an alley and shifted quickly into a small, black squirrel. He emerged into the sidewalk once again and quickly found the corner where Tao had stopped. He leaped up onto a brick wall and then from there to the top of a lamp post. From there, he could only wait and watch with tiny yellow eyes.

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tao_
2010-09-25 04:37 pm UTC (link)

Stepping from the car, he did a quick sweep of the are, frowning slightly at something just out of his reach. He should have eaten before he left. He walked to the opening of the alley but waited there until Marie came forward into the little light from the lamp post. She did look like her sister, other then the fact that she'd cut her hair severely short and her face had a hard look rather then a skittish one.

"Sir, where, is the other person?" She glanced around.

Tao shook his head, "He isn't coming, he was a shifter." He saw her glare and put a hand on her shoulder. "They aren't all the same, however he is quite, rash at times. So I will speak with him after. He had a good plan though. One I think we can use to get you in farther. Is the car safe to speak in?"

"Probably, I'm not entirely sure I wasn't followed. So. . . "

Tao smiled and grabbed her arm pulling her to the car. "Right then."

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amulius
2010-09-25 04:44 pm UTC (link)

Riley frowned from his perch, what was Tao playing at? Striking down his idea when he presented it, but telling the human female that they would be doing it now? His long black tail twitched and he scratched at his nose with one tiny black paw. He hopped down from the lamp post and skirted along the side of the road, his paws splashing in a mixture of water, gasoline, and assorted filth. He really couldn't hope to follow along the car in this form, and so he shifted quickly to an even smaller creature, a mouse, and hopped on top of the tailpipe.

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tao_
2010-09-25 04:54 pm UTC (link)

Opening the door he shoved Marie in and slid in after her to the driver's seat. "There, not a problem. Now, most likely they are looking for proof you are on their side correct? Would an attack or kill help in that? If I could orchestrate such a thing safely?"

Marie frowned but nodded, "I think the big selling point is that I have a tie to you. They know that you're in charge and figure I'll want you dead to rescue Jeanne."

Tao pulled the small gun from his pocket. "That's as I thought. Here, once we are sure you are being watched, use it, drive off, and head tot he safe house near the club. There's plenty set up there for me to 'disappear'."

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	amulius 2010-09-25 05:02 pm UTC (link)
	Riley let out a squeak. That idiot! He was doing it himself! He wanted to growl, but it was impossible with his tiny vocal chords. He hopped down from the tailpipe and skirted around and under the car. When he emerged from under the car again, he was the yellow lab. He propped himself up on his hind legs and struck his front paws against Tao's door. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)