Never Be The Same [Noah]

[Noah]

Five years. Many years ago, five years had been the difference between his position at the bottom rung of the ladder to that of a rising star. Five years had marked the difference between boy and man. Five years had doubled his family.

He nodded to himself. It would have to do. Not quite the ancient mentor he had hoped for, but the woman still clearly held onto some of her humanity. She empathized for his family, was confident, and determined. Noah doubted he would find so many positive qualities in another for quite some time.

"The question is, do you think you have what it takes to make it worth my while?”

He almost laughed. It had been so long since he had been on this side of that question that he could not help but find it amusing. Age had finally caught up with him, he mused, and now things had come full circle. He remembered asking a variation of that same question over the years to men and women twice his age - and their rather unpleasant reactions to it.

Noah's ego had no such issues. It was a natural question. A test.

"Ms. Signe," he smiled. "I guarantee you that my family and I will excel at anything put before us. If the question is one of loyalty, you should know that half of my children are adopted and that my wife is nearly as young as my oldest childe. Our loyalty is given to those who show it in kind. So long as you are not planning to stab any of us, I see no issue."

[Caligrace]

The more she learned of the man, the less she understood. A wife that was nearly the same age as his oldest? Of course, she didn’t know the ages of his children, and love was love. That didn’t stop her from imagining him living to be seventy, bald, and trying to hold on to a woman half his age. The thought had her chuckling, and she quickly cleared her throat to stifle the sound as the club’s light caught her eyes, the neon beams lighting her odd amber gaze.

“Loyalty is important, but forgive me if I don’t take your word for it. It’s something you’ll have to show me, among many, many other things.” Her mind sealed, however, she hummed a quiet, thoughtful note and pushed her glass aside. She had no idea how to proceed. She’d need to drain him, to stop his heart, but not kill him. Did she have that kind of control? Could she handle it? Her fingers began to fidget with the armlet she wore, dipping beneath the worn leather as she closed her eyes. One for the many, she thought, her eyes opening once more to search for her thralls.

A snap of her fingers, and Roman appeared at her side while Fate weaved her way through the drunken crowd, taking more time, though still unable to resist the call. Ensuring that Noah couldn’t hear what she said, she whispered a few commands to the pair, before finally focusing on the man's life she was about to end - and change - for eternity.

“Follow me.” With those two words, she headed for the back of the club, her mind racing. She was about to make a change. She could only hope it was right.