Crossing lines

[Jareth Archer]

He was restless. Even knowing the sun was waiting outside the door, Jareth Archer could not relax. He was tired and the call of slumber was pulling at him, but something was tapping at his nerves he could not explain. He had noticed the odd sensation before. It usually lasted a few moments then faded and he had considered it several times but could find no plausible explanation for it.
Perhaps it was his body still adapting to the changes since he was turned. He would ask Habren later when he saw her again. Whatever it was, the need to sleep was slowly winning over his feelings. He settled down in the corner of the hiding place he had chosen for the day and got comfortable. He had noticed the sensation ever since the night he was turned. It was gentle, almost cautious to begin with, but as time had gone on it had become more assertive.
No, that was not quite right. He yawned. He had felt this before Habren claimed him. He had noticed this feeling as he was studying the rift. Perhaps the adage was right after all. Maybe the darkness was looking back at him, only it had never stopped.
He was slipping into the state of rest, so he gave up trying to figure it out for now. The pulling feeling continued and in his semi-alert state he imagined he was watched by something. The pulling came again, but he offered no resistance and the sense of being watched grew. As if he was being studied somehow. He fell deeper into his sleep, leaving the feelings for when he awoke again.


He felt a jolt as if he was on a rapidly breaking train that tossed him into awareness again. Eyes slid open smoothly and Jareth saw the world sideways until he noticed he was lying down. He sat up slowly, noticing he was no longer where he had chose to hide, but lying in a well constructed pentacle. He saw the hardwood floor he was sitting on, but the sensations were somehow slightly out of focus. Gently he tapped his fingers on the floor and it felt not quite there. Where the hell was he? If this was his children's idea of a joke, he was not amused. His hand reached up to his head to push back his hair as in habit and he froze.
Where was all his hair? He began exploring the rest of him and found he was lacking some familiar details. His flesh was too smooth, too much pigment, no body hair and his tats were gone as were his charms he wore all the time. He saw his reflection in the highly polished floor and gasped. A short cut blonde muscle man from some bad beach movie was looking back at him. His hand found his neck and he froze as he felt it.
A heartbeat. He inhaled deeply and felt the air rush into living lungs again. He had not been turned so long to be that confused by the sensations of life once more holding him. "What the ****?" he began to speak but froze as an almost emotionless voice caught his ear.
"It's a hasty solution and I do apologize," a voice spoke from behind. Jareth turned and focused on the figure. He was shocked for it was a face from his odd moments of dreaming he sometimes had before he had been turned. The man was tall, very tall-from Archer's perspective he was a giant. He was dressed in black boots and pants with a green shirt more akin to the loose, billowy ones one might see in a pirate movie with a black vest with silver designs woven into it. A beard and long black hair with hints of grey graced the giant's head and a pair of opaque sunglasses kept the eyes hidden from view. One hand held an ornate walking stick while the other held a glass filled with brandy (judging by the color and smell)
"Not my best work, I'm afraid." the tall man continued. "But when I saw an opportunity to fool the balance I had to act quickly. The living body you are in is only temporary, I assure you. When we have finished, I will be able to send your Id back to your own body, but to pull your physical form thru the Nexus would have sent a few cosmic gears out of whack, and we cannot afford that if our final goal is to return you."
"The Nexus exists here too?" Jareth was shocked by the unfamiliar voice that exited his mouth.
"Come, come, child. This is basic magicks here. What is a nexus as far as your teachings have taught you?" Jareth growled as the tall man spoke to him like one of his own mentors did when he was just starting his studies.
"A nexus is an opening in the fabrics of time and space itself that causes two or more points of reality to intersect in a way not normally possible."
The tall man seems satisfied with the answer. "As you said, two or more. The predominant intersection is between your world and what you call the Shadow Realm, but there are more points tied into it that just your reality but the openings vary from size and strength. On my side, the opening is as large as a keyhole. A nice point for observing through, but hardly enough to pass anything major back and forth through except a spirit."
"Ah," Archer nodded his understanding. "So this is?" he looked at the strange limbs he now had.
"Simply a way for you to interact here while fooling the Balance. To keep a drain on the Nexus to hold you here would cause things to happen, but like this it shows nothing moving to and fro the Void, so the Balance is satisfied nothing is amiss. It is simply the still living body of someone I had a slight disagreement with. He is no longer using it and he and I will continue our discussions later" Archer watched the tall man pick up an ornate box that held a small sphere that pulsed in various colors and close the lid.
"The Balance. You mean the Cosmic Balance?"
"Some truths are universal no matter what point of reality you view them from," the tall man said. "Now show me you know something of what you claim you are and exit the circle properly."
Jareth looked down at the arrangement surrounding him. The pentacle seemed familiar enough, with some subtle differences, but he was able to unlock his containment and exit. The tall man handed him a dressing gown. "You walking around like that here would be like me painting a 'Free Lunch!' sign on your back."
"What?" Jareth pulled on the long robe and tied it shut.
"My children," he explained. "A stray human in the house is a new toy to them. Also, you will not hunger while you are here since you are in a mortal body, for blood anyways. Sort of a perk of the trade off and if, by some chance, you ended up the sunlight the body will not burn as your own would so enjoy the bits of freedom while you can." He gestured for Archer to follow him and exited the room. The pair walked along a long hallway that reminded Jareth of some high scale places he had seen before. "Rest assured, your body is where you left it in the regenerating sleep and when you return you will be fresh and ready for the night."

(to be continued)

[Jareth Archer]

"Where am I exactly?"
"My home," the tall man answered without pause. He turned an open a door and issued in his guest into a large study. Archer looked around almost dumbstruck by the items he saw on the various shelves. The man sat behind a large desk and pointed to a waiting chair for his guest to sit in. Jareth sat down and studied his host for a few moments.
"Why am I here?"
"I would think the reasons are obvious," the tall man answered. "I must say, for one of the magicks, you seem to be asking redundant questions. What would you do if you saw a chance to commune with one of the undead from another reality and it was in your power to make it so?"
"I'd ask them first," Archer replied, causing the tall man to laugh.
"Ah yes, poor manners on my part. Blame it on the conditions I live in here. In my time I have become too used to getting what I want with a snap of my fingers. I have been watching your world for awhile and I find the entire concept curious. You are all playing a game with some adversary who would not last a day here, yet you play another game with your food. Games within games. It is obvious your world is in a point of propagation as far as our kind is concerned, so I can understand the masque you all play at."
"It's not like that here?"
"Not in this place," he smiled before lighting a cigar and leaning back into his chair. "Here we are the Lords and Ladies of legends. Humanity fears us and if we did not show restraint we would bleed this city dry in a night. Here we are free to be what our nature's demand of us and I have seen these streets literally run red with blood when we decide to go to war against each other."
"We are all still trying to get our acts together," Jareth replied. He could not imagine where he comes from looking anything like this man was describing.
"Propagation. Building your numbers and strengths. It takes time and not all will play nice with each other despite the fact they share a bloodline. You can bank on that fact."
"I have seen hints of that already," Archer admitted. He looked at his host again, wondering why he insisted on wearing the dark glasses even in this dim lighting. "Okay, educated question here. Of all those you could have seen there and choose to bring here, why me?"
"Ah," the tall man smiled. "Now that’s a question." He reached to a card holder on his desk and selected one. He handed it to Archer and the necromancer blinked in surprise as he read it. "How could I resist?"

He inspected the ornate business card and saw the words-

Archer and Attercrombie
Antiques and Curiosities
Jareth Archer
Co Owner

"Huh?"
"What the hell are you doing with my secret name?"
"Secret name? It's my real name! The one my momma gave me when I fell out the chute!"
"It also happens to be the name I use when I am forced in interact with humanity on a more civilized scale of things," the tall man clarified. "So imagine my surprise to find a vampire with a flair for the dead arts walking around with my secret name. I could not pass it up."
"So what is your real name?"
"Ah, another good question, but one I will decline to answer for now."
"Why?"
"Cause it would mean nothing to you. In your world, my kind never existed and probably never will. Our worlds are similar, but the differences vary greatly."
"How different?"
"Not in the historical sense as most would think. I have gathered enough on that just by random observations, but you and your kind are indeed different. In my world, there was no 'holocaust' in the 1800's. Here, we continued, grew stronger and in numbers and a large majority of us found ourselves in this city. We have endured while in your world there is a sudden 'rebirth' of the breed. Quite a mixture. Some who apparently perished in the event along with ones who know the modern world well. Two halves of the same puzzle in action. You have barely begun to understand the situation you are now in and the simplest thing such as a cell phone probably baffles them who were part of the original group."
"There is one who seems to have some answers," Jareth offered.
"Ah yes, your resident, wannabee super villain. If he is the worst you and yours have to worry about, then I think it is safe to assume you all will endure."
"He excels at pissing everyone off."
"A thug who sneaks in the night and stabs other vampires and you consider that a problem?" the tall man shook his head. "If so, you would not last a night here. We had villains that deserved better titles than super villain. Men and women who tore this city to its foundations and built empires of pain and devastation. Only to be finally replaced with others still more deviant. People who formed the most elaborate plans and had the moxie to pull them off with style. And you are afraid of a man with a knife?"
Jareth slammed his fist on top of the desk. "I'm not afraid! And a lot of the others aren't either, but the ******** comes and goes like the wind! If we had a clue and could catch him…"
"Then what? Destroy him? Exile him to the Shadows? Only to have him return? The same thing happens here and nothing stops. In fact, if I were you I would consider this pest a blessing in disguise."

(to be continued)

[Jareth Archer]

"How so?" Archer was curious now.
"Well, it occurs to me that as long as this pest is keeping all of you in a state of joint aggravation, your efforts are focused on two things. Getting rid of him and surviving. But right now he is keeping all of you focused. What do you think will happen if, by some stroke of luck, you all manage to eliminate him or reduce him to a non-factor in the scheme of things there? I can tell you the answer to that. You will all start to prey on each other."

"Oh please," Jareth shook his head. "About the only ones even remotely organized enough for something like that are the Hellhounds."
"Hellhounds? Large shaggy dogs with manes of fire?" the tall man seemed interested now.
"No, it's just the name they have picked for themselves. Vampire bounty hunters helping make sure the rest of us behave."
"Oh," his host seemed disappointed. "I think your problem is you are not seeing the larger, future picture here, my friend. You are…thinking in the now, as it were."
"Oh, so it gets worse?"
"It could. It very well could unless you all are careful," his host nodded slowly before standing up. "Follow me if you would, Mister Archer."
"Where are we going now?" Jareth asked as he stood up as well.
"To the roof. To help you gain a tad of perspective."

***

Archer walked slowly thru the rooftop garden. It certainly was not what he expected at all, considering the savage nature of his host. The tall man stood with his back to him and looked out into the darkness below. He paused by the small koi pond and watched the fish for a few moments before speaking. "So beautiful,"
"In the heart of chaos, one must make a measure of order to maintain some balance," the tall man replied. "Be it something massive or a simple garden hidden from the eyes of others. Come," he motioned for his guest to join him. He pointed away from the building. "See our works, ye mighty, and despair,"
Jareth looked out over the sprawling city that seemed to melt back into the oppressive darkness. It wasn't much different than his own town, or was it? The buildings were all mismatched. Modern constructs sat side by side with older styles of buildings. Down on the street he saw the occasional car drive past, only to be followed by horses or a carriage.
"Bizarre, isn't it?" The man asked. "A hodge-podge of everything that has ever walked these streets. History before your eyes. But tell me, look harder-seek the details and tell me what you discover."
He looked again, taking in every detail he could consider. "They are empty, most of them," some of the buildings surrounding the tall man's home sat empty like ghost houses.
"Yes, they are. No one knows how long this place was here, only that it was here waiting for those of my generation to come and stake claims in it. Perhaps this has happened before. Perhaps other empires once ruled these streets and faded away with time, leaving this place waiting for us and when we fade it will sit waiting for others to begin the process again."
"History repeating itself?"
"Perhaps. No one here is sure. But this place does not simply de-populate itself on a whim. Neither did we destroy each other to the point they could not return. We always return from being slayed."
"So, what depopulated this place so badly?" Archer was curious beyond anything now.
"Simple, politics. Run of the mill ******* politics." The tall man sighed. "Have a seat," he walked to a small table and chairs that sat on one of the patches of grass and sat down. "Politics is a dangerous concept. It puts power into the hands of those at times who were never meant to have such a thing. They have neither the intelligence to use it wisely or the temperance to accept an opposing view and act like a rational being about it. There was a time here when power was made by force of arms and personality. It is a constant, nothing can change that. Then there were the sub levels of power such as espionage, money, sex, and other tools the powerful use to their advantages."
"But some here say too much power flowed to one specific group of vampires and they had, in effect, curtailed and literally stopped the growth and natural evolutions of the power structures in this city. Never mind the fact that those who actually had gathered the power had done so in the proper manner and actually worked for it. In our history if someone rose too high, in time others would find the way to bring them down and make a new opening for another to rise. You have seen this in your own mortal history I am sure."
"The rise and fall of civilizations," Jareth added.
"Exactly, but would Rome have fallen if the Visigoths and the others who helped eventually bring them down have done so by simply pointing at Rome and screamed 'not fair'? Is insane to consider such a concept, but that is what happened here. Those who had the power continue to do so while those who would challenge it simply whine about the injustice of it all."
"Innies and outies," Jareth spoke up.
"Excuse me?" the tall man asked.
"It was a concept from a book I read once. A friend had given it to me, it was called Is there Life after High School and it discussed the wars between the in crowds and the others in a high school environment. The 'innies' could not understand what the problems was because they were already part of the In crowd while the 'outies' obsessed about not being part of the In crowd and would have probably killed their own mothers to be part of the crowd. Everything except doing what they would have to do to be In. What you are describing reminds me of that."
The tall man pulled a small notebook from his vest pocket and jotted down the title of the book. "I need to see if that one is mirrored in my world and check it out if it is," he smirked. "But you are right. Children arguing with other children. And childishness is what slowly brought this place to its current conditions. More of us fade away and the new ones that come see not the legends and deeds of their ancestors and follow the paths of lunacy the current status quo hold."
"Glad I am not a part of anything like that."
"Ah, but it could happen in your world in due time," Archer's host grew serious now. "You and yours have barely begun your journeys and are too busy with the basics to consider such things. But the time will come once you all have stabilized that the mechanics of politics will begin to emerge. We are vampire, and every one-big and small-wants to be 'The Man' or 'The Woman' in their own way. And what better way to hold others in check than by imposing the concepts of order and law upon the others and having the support and muscle to make these things work. Do not mistake me here, I am not suggesting total anarchy is the answer either-far from it. But a true government works to better its people, not subjugate them."
"Jefferson said that," Archer smiled. "A government that fears its people is liberty while a people that fears its government is beyond hope of liberty. Something like that."
"There will be mistakes along the way, for nothing is perfect. Not even me," the tall man smirked. "But a concept like this in its infancy can become corrupt quite easily. And once the families stabilize and secure there places in the world the real manipulations will begin. Power blocks formed, torn apart and reformed in seeking the perfect balance to hold true power over all. It is a natural thing to do, but the problem comes when that perfect balance is finally achieved. Nothing grows or progresses past that point and then civilization will enter a state of decay. In time things will collapse and nothing but wind swept streets and memories of past glory will sit unread on bookshelves. Your resident wannabee is keeping things from beginning with his constant annoyance of you all. Enjoy him in a sense, for when you all find the way to keep him in check is when your real problems will begin."
"That’s….that's deep," Archer admitted.
"Sire-mine?" a voice spoke from behind Jareth. He turned in his chair and almost fell out of it in total shock.
"Excuse me," the tall man said as he stood up and approached the woman who stood waiting. Archer watched as he greeted the woman with genuine affection. She rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek and then looked at Archer with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
"I thought you were going to destroy this fool who had caused you problems, but yet here you are chatting away with him like an old friend?" she looked at the tall man with a hint of darkness in her gaze.
"OH! I see what you mean. No, my darkness, the lights are on, but someone else is home in there. Our pain in the *** is currently waiting for my attentions in a sphere at the moment. Do you remember the opening into the Nexus I have been studying?"
"Oh yes. The other world with vampires as well?" she quickly put together the clues. "You mentioned a soul sphere. Are you telling me you managed to pull someone from that world into ours? Their spirit at least?"
"Bingo," he smiled. "He is one of us." The tall man smiled and revealed rows of fangs hiding inside of his mouth. The sight reminded Archer more of an animal rather than a vampire.
"Good eve to you, sir," she nodded towards Jareth then looked back up at her sire. "And does he have a name?"
"Are you ready for this? Jareth Archer."
The woman's eyes widened a bit before she began to laugh. Jareth was too busy looking her over to focus on it. The style of dress was different. The dark sweater top, tight jeans and knee boots was not something he had seen her in before at least. The body language was all wrong as well. This one was not an Allurist (tho, he supposed anyone could use charm if needed and she did have a quality to her) but more of a fighter. Warrior was the term his mind selected.
But the flowing black hair, the eyes, that face, she was a dead ringer for his sire-Habren.
"Forgive my manners," the tall man spoke. "Allow me to introduce my daughter. Jada."

(to be continued)

(OOC: there is such a book. Is there Life after High School by Ralph Keyes. If you hated (as I did) or loved High School, you may find this book a great read. Truth wrapped in humor, Keyes manages to nail down some points very well. I needed this book before I ever got into HS actually. The whole trip might have made more sense then.)

[Jareth Archer]

"Is something wrong, Mister Archer?" Jada asked. "I am sure my sire told you the humor in your name as we know things. I meant nothing mean by my laughter, I assure you."
"No, it's fine. You…you just remind me of someone else is all." Jada raised an eyebrow and looked at her sire.
"Perhaps your idea of parallels within parallels has merit, sire." She said.
"Indeed. If that is so, we might find all sorts of parallels to work from and compare. In fact I was telling our guest how they stand now at a point we did years ago. Curious. One could be tempted to remake an entire world on what one considered the proper path if one could extrude the right amount of influence…"
"Sire?" Jada called her sire back to their conversation gently. She glanced at Archer then. "He gets like that sometimes,"
"Gets like what?" the tall man asked.
"Nothing." She pulled an envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. "The information you wanted?"
"Oh yes. Thank you, my sweet. Archer, will you excuse me for a moment. Jada, keep our guest company while I check this over, please."
"Of course," she took a seat across from Archer as the tall man walked a few feet away and began to inspect the contents of the letter. "So what do you think of this reality so far?"
"Quite different than mine," he admitted. "Can I ask you something? Does he do that often?"
"What do you mean?"
"Go drifting off like that. Is age catching up with him or something?" he asked. Archer regretted his comment a second later as he saw the anger rise up in the woman's eyes. "Hey! I am just a visitor here. I meant nothing bad, but you have to admit that looks a little odd from an outside viewpoint."
Jada relaxed, but not totally. "I suppose it does. Sometimes my sire will follow an idea to the point of obsession like that, but it is not senility, I assure you. When he finally comes back to the now, he most often brings back an idea or some point no one has considered before. Of course there is times he comes back with utter nonsense, but the good things far outweigh the bad. It is just how his kind thinks, Mister Archer, nothing more."
"His kind? He's vampire, right?"
"Yes,"
"Just another guy who got bitten and made immortal, right?"
Jada laughed softly.
"Mind letting me in on the joke?"
"There is the error of your thinking, Mister Archer. My sire was not, as you said, just another guy. In that respect he is far different than you or I am, was, or will be."
"Huh?"
"Excellent!" The tall man returned to the table. "Good news!"
"I am glad you found it so," Jada smiled.
"I will answer them a bit later this evening. Now I beg your indulgence, my sweet. I need to finish my conversation with my guest before the Nexus shifts again. You may remain if you wish, of course."
"I would like that, I think,"

***

The evening wore on slowly as the trio discussed magicks. Both the tall man and Archer discovered some spells were almost identical in both realms, while others went by different names or had different processes to achieve different goals. It was obvious the woman had suck understandings as well as she asked her own questions on the subjects, but they finally hit upon a common ground and Jareth did not feel so out of sorts.
"Corpsify. I like the sound of that," the tall man admitted.
"Humanise?" Jada laughed. "Sounds like a prank you would play on another vampire."
"Well, throwing water and garlic at other vamps sounds pretty odd to me too."
"Your lot honestly attacks each other with knives?"
"Oh please, my sweet. How many in this city used to express their love and affection for each other by stabbing?"
"Strange ideas of affection."
"Hey now, a knife last longer than a flower and you can get multiple uses out of it." The tall man laughed.

The discussions finally wore down after a few hours. Jada excused herself and went back into the depths of the house, leaving the two alone. The tall man pulled out a pocket watch and checked the time.
"The last train to Cobbville is leaving soon," he looked at his guest and smiled thinly. "Oh my, twizzle, twazzle, twaddle, twone, time for this one to go home."
"Gee, Mister Wizard," Jareth added, causing them both to laugh.
"Well, if we both had the same cartoons, there is hope for you all."
"I need to ask you something,"
"Yes?"
"All that talk about empires rising and falling and powers and politics. Were you ever part of all that, and if so-where are you now on the food chain so to speak?"
"Did I do all of that? Oh yes, I did. We all did. Until I realized what a crock it was once you cut thru all the nonsense. As for now, I just am."
"How does that work?"
"I am my own master and I serve no one save for my wife and children. I owe no allegiance to any in this place and I am, for the most part, left alone."
"How many children do you have?"
"26 at last count, plus several generations beyond that."
Jareth almost choked at the figure. "26? How do you keep it all straight?"
"Cheat sheets. It might help for you to know not all my children were wailing babes in the woods that needed to be taught their first steps. Some came with all the learning and goods already in place."
"I guess that would make it all easier,"
"Indeed it does. Now, we need to get you out of that body. We can do this the easy way or the fun way."
"Easy or fun," Jareth fell back a foot or two from his host.
"Oh, come now! Don't be a baby about all of this!" He made several passes in the air while whispering a spell. Jareth watched as a small opening appeared hanging in the air near them. "The on ramp to the path from home for you. Once you exit you will be pulled along back into the Nexus. I should be able to guide you back to your own body and after that anything you find amiss is your own problems."
"You SHOULD?"
"You know our art is not an exact science. There are always unforeseen errors to deal with along the way. By the third or fourth time I do this I should have all the errors covered." The tall man saw Jareth backing up a step. "What? You do not want to stay here, I assure you. You would not survive for long. Besides, I imagine you have a few back there who would actually miss you, so get over here."
Jareth moved closer and the tall man placed a hand gently on his shoulder. He looked him over and tapped his fingertip to Archer's forehead.
"Live free," he told the young necromancer. "Both here and in your heart. No villain or government can tame that. Only you can cage that in an effort to conform, obey the rules or be something you are not. As long as you and yours have that, you will be eternal."
"I understand," he nodded. Jareth looked at the small gateway and nodded. "Let's do this." He waited several moments for the tall man to do something. "I won't forget this. Focusing my mind to try and retain this."
"Perhaps you can, if you write fast enough when you awaken, alter ego,"
Jareth turned to see the tall man was no longer the tall man, but some bizarre amalgamation of reptile and human. The jaws spread wide revealing rows of teeth and claws flexed in readiness. "I saw in your mind how you steal sips of blood from the humans in your world. This is how we do it in the dark side."
The beast sprang forward and pinned Archer to the rooftop. Claws dug deeply into the body's shoulder and belly as the jaws snapped tight around the neck. Archer screamed as the fangs began to rip and grind deeply into his throat. He flailed at his attacker but his human fists were useless. No city alert could be heard as he felt the claws begin to rip deeper and pull at his insides.
"I so love doing things the fun way," the beast sighed just before Archer blacked out.

(to be concluded)

[Jareth Archer]

(Epilogue)

Eyes snapped open and Jareth jumped in shock. He quickly began to assess himself and discovered he was in his own body again. A glance at his watch told him only an hour had passed since sundown. He reached over and grabbed his back pack and yanked it open, spilling the contents on the shabby floor. His hands grabbed a blank notebook and a pen and he started covering the pages with shorthand notes. Already bits of his visions was sliding away to fog and nothingness, but he continued to try and catch the main parts of what he saw. He managed to fill 2 of the theme styled notebooks within an hour before laying on the floor in silence.
Gone, all of it, gone. Except for a few things that refused to leave his mind.
"Live free," he whispered to the floor. Slowly he got up and repacked his things into the backpack. After he checked on his children, he needed to take this to Habren. Vampires did not dream, as he understood things, but he could think of nothing else that would describe what he had just endured. Somehow, someone might make sense of this all. He paused and rubbed his undamaged throat a bit. The sensation of those teeth ripping out his throat would not fade so easily.
On shaking legs, Jareth Archer exited into the night.


***

"Now that was cruel even by your standards,"
Jada shook her head as her sire looked up from the remains of the host body and smiled at her with blood-dripping lips. "You probably put that poor soul into therapy with that stunt."
He stood up and looked at her. Jada reached out and pulled at the now ruined shirt he wore and sighed. The Jareth Archer of this world, known to some as Vermathrax, looked down as well and shrugged.
"You are going to the meeting like this?" she frowned.
"Why not? They know me and my habits."
Jada rolled her eyes and he laughed. "Oh of course I will clean up, and the trauma was intended. If he was the necromancer I thought he was, he will remember the important things and forget the rest thanks to his unusual exit from our world. It had to be that way or else he would be filling their heads with stories of this world and then some of them might try to find there way here and set up shop."
She wrinkled her nose at the idea. "It would be a slaughter if they came,"
"Yes. But then again, nothing like good massacre to get the blood flowing."
"You are going to be late," she poked him.
"Well, while I clean up quick, why don't you head down to the study. I have a bottle of your favorite chilling and waiting."
She smiled as she took his offered arm and went down the stairs into the depths of the Brownstone with him. "Sire-mine, you spoil us so,"
"I do try,"

(Finish)