Five Weeks (open)

"Typical Tremere" he chuckled

"So how does a mage survive an embrace and not become some miserable, empty shell of himself?"

She smiled at that.

"They don't."

"Well that's awkward."

She smiled and sighed.

"It is. I was never a Mage - I didn't make it that far, but I would have been, actually - but even I felt like some part of me had died when I was Embraced."

"Aww... I'm sorry"

She laughed softly.

"Why?" She tilted her head. "I'm not."

"I'll try not to be empathetic then. It's not something I'm known for anyway"

She smiled.

"There's a lot of good things about being a Mage - the power level is tremendous. But there's a lot of bad, too. Like the fact that you're still mortal and can still get hurt incredibly easy. I've worked hard to make sure that it takes an act of God to harm me in any way, so that's one good thing. I never had to feel the shattering of an Avatar and that's good, too. I've lived many lifetimes, had many experiences - many good, many bad. There's not much I haven't done, Victor, and I'm not sorry about that. I'm not sorry about having lived as long as I have, the power I've gained and lost, the roads I've chosen to walk. It could have been very different - it almost was very different. I was headed down a path of evil and was set straight - by the same Mages that should have killed me. That's the other reason I'm not sorry. Mages and Tremere - they have a hatred of each other that goes deep - deeper than any hatred you have ever felt in your life. And I was - and still am - in a position to help mend some of that hatred. Not all of it, but some. Mages believed in me long before I came to Florida and now I'm married to one. Yes, that's only a handful, but it matters. Especially when the word gets passed."

Victor smiled softly

"I think my work here is done tonight."

She tilted her head.

"Oh?"

"You were morose and crying and maybe a little angry when I walked in. You are now laughing, proud, and demonstrating a healthy ego and sense of self worth."

She smiled faintly.

"I can feel, Victor. It's just very empty and hollow right now."

"Yes, but I think it's slightly fuller now."

"You've been through hell, sometimes you need an outside force to remind you that you are an angel and things will get better."

She stiffened just a bit.

"Don't call me that. I'm not an angel."

She actually said that as if she'd said it thousands of times.

"Sorry. Metaphors not to use with Griselda number two hundred and forty one. Either way, you'll pull through."

"Of course, I will be. I just sometimes want to wallow."

"Wallowing is good sometimes. Now I'm going to call the charming contortionist, and then your father."

Victor sighed.

"If nobody else will take his Accounting, I will, but I'm going to ask you to consider that payment for the surgery. It's quite the undertaking on my part. Bonus points for having to let him learn sorcery as I do it"

She shook her head.

"I didn't ask you to take his Accounting, so no, I'll not be paying you to do so." She smiled innocently. "You can feel free to charge him for it, if you like. He's a Kindred now, he can have and owe his own boons."

Oooooh, snarky Sheriff was snarky.

Victor smiled. "You never miss a beat. I'm going to talk to him anyway because he's a friend. Although I worry about the blood bond right now with whatever other state of mind he's in."

She snorted, which seemed like derision.

"I saw him after. He's fine."

"His with me. I don't want an unnatural affect if he's had any sort of personality change post embrace."

"He won't care, Victor. That's what I'm telling you. It's like being in the room with baby Vlad."

"Ah. Well, I like Vlad. Nice guy, reasonable, rational. Irritates Chase Covington..."

She shook her head.

"Without Vlad's charm."

"Eh, that will come in time I'm sure. Anyhow, I'm going to leave you to your wallowing and cookies. Apparently some are a 'snickerdoodle'? whatever that is."