What's one More? (Open to any VDM family)

[Alaric von der Marck]

The Elder was half paying attention to the conversation, and half paying attention to Hannah. It was something he did without knowing he was doing it. He stared. Every movement, every shift of expression, was a way of reading a person’s mind. It did not reveal what they were thinking, but it at least gave an idea. The telepath was equipped with other ways of knowing a person, however. If not by reading their thoughts word for word, he could sift memories that had drifted to the surface.

They were all moving through the house and into the back yard. A fire was mentioned. Wine. A chance to sit around and chat. And although Alaric was slowly following behind, agreeing to the suggestion, the voices were almost muffled. Hannah was watching him in a curious and seemingly wary way, and Alaric scuffed to a stop. For a moment, he looked as if he were blinking, but it was a slow blink. The backs of his eyelids acted like a theatre; he could see Judah through Hannah’s eyes, could hear Judah’s voice. Alaric heard his own name. … is a good man, and I believe he has our best interests at heart… my super-duper-timesalot-Great Grandfather, he is blood of our blood...

Alaric’s eyes opened, now seeing Hannah in a new light. This skittish human was someone Judah must trust. Had to. Alaric was reluctant to believe that Judah would share the family’s secrets with a stranger whom he did not know. He did not have the entire story.

And yet, when he followed the blanketed Leonie to the kitchen and noticed the pains to which she went to keep his true identity hidden, he wondered whether it would not be easier to allow the others the freedom of knowing what he did. The gathering would be far more relaxed; he had questions about Hannah’s history with his family, assuming there must be one. It would be easier to ask said questions if Louvel and Leonie were not being as cagey as they already were.

Head canted to the side, he focused on both Leonie and Louvel, opening the neural channels that allowed his voice access to their minds.

“Hannah weiß, wer und was ich bin,” he said with unmoving lips as he reached for the glass that he knew Leonie had poured for him. He could smell the blood from where he stood. He winked at Hannah as he passed by, heading out to the Loggia after Louvel. It was something Alaric had grown used to, re-discovering this place that he and his human family had built. The Loggia was something his son, Johanns, had imagined. They had helped to build it; his sons had done most of the work during the day, with hired help. Alaric had helped at night time, with only his sons for company. They had bonded. And now there would be further bonding in this open space.

He folded himself down in one of the outdoor chairs – modern chairs, to be sure – and took a large gulp of his blood. The elder was seemingly at ease, even if his mind was whirring at a million miles per hour.

TRANSLATION: * Hannah knows who and what I am.

[Louvel von der Marck]

Louvel happened to be one of those that didn’t believe in making a modest fire. If it was going to be done and he was doing it then it was going to be done right. As the others took their time moving outdoors he tended to his chosen task. He stepped back and sent the open flame to the accelerant. With a burst of flammable life a full fledged fire erupted. The flames jumped upward rising to an impressive height. Stepping back to avoid the roll of intense heat he had to admit that perhaps it was a bit too much. The thick half log of von der Marck wood held firmly in his hand was tossed back to the organized stack complete with crib ends. He hoped that it died down a bit before anyone arrived. He dusted his hands free of the traces of splinters that could otherwise remain then adjusted the chairs a little farther back from the fire. Weather resistant wicker was not fire friendly.

All in place he checked to see that the coast was still clear. The heat was close to inspiring his body to sweat. He glanced around for a hose that had been known to be left nearby. While he searched for what evidently was not there the rise of the flames had him uncertain. There was no doubt that it would sustain itself for hours with the amount of wood he arranged in the center. Go him. He was baking in the heat circulating around the loggia. In a matter of seconds he felt the need to unbutton his flannel shirt and abandon it to the back of one of the seats that he decided he would claim. His white v-neck undershirt would have to be sufficient.

It was then that he mistook the telepathy he was unfamiliar with for the sound of Alaric’s voice. He glanced around quickly finding no one there. Hannah knew Alaric was a vampire? Where would he come up with such an odd thought? He smelled his hands checking for traces of the accelerant he used. Was it going to his head? How the hell would Hannah know such a thing? How would Alaric know she knew if she did? Perhaps he was being paranoid. He stood still ignoring the exposure of the intense heat gathering over the surface of his skin. His eyes widened with the idea that perhaps Alaric could know a lot more than any of them have told him. Sounds of steps caught his attention just in time.

The oldest existing von der Mark arrived with a glass in hand. It was no question that Alaric was enjoying a generous portion of what could easily make anyone weak in the knees for losing. Louvel watched the elder as he casually took his seat and hoped that the excessive heat was not going to be as overwhelming to him. Could luck have it that the flames would somehow calm before the ladies arrived? He stepped to the chair that his shirt was left on and sank into the seated position that left him leaning forward. He wasn’t about to bet on what was going to happen next.

“Das Feuer beginnt stark wie die von der Marck Temperament. Es wird sich beruhigen.” He nods in the direction of the mammoth fire and announces the obvious in hopes of assuring his patriarch it is under control. The fire extinguisher next to the stack of wood would serve it's purpose if all else failed.

Translation:

* The fire starts out strong like the von der Marck temper. It will calm down.

[Judah Marck]

The outing had been a successful one, a much needed bit of father and son time after what had been a tumultuous few months, heck, years. Jude and August had spent the day adventuring in the city, starting in the park and ending up at an arcade before the sun started to set. They'd had an early dinner at a nice little restaurant and chatted about anything that came to mind, which had mostly been nice and calming, Augie taking a lot of their talking time up with explaining plots of books he was reading or schoolyard gossip. Questions about Alaric, about the family and what direction they were going sobered the mood. It always amazed Judah how perceptive children could be, whenever you thought they were just along for the ride they’d shock you with a show of early onset wisdom. The realisation that his son was growing up, that he’d turned seven and suddenly was starting to really shape the kind of person he wanted to be startled Jude. What happened to his baby? He was a little man now, who looked startlingly like his father other than his eye colour. They were mostly blue, but had sections of goldy brown in the right eye which made it look almost hazel at times. Sectoral heterochromia, it was a unique condition and it could be traced back to an ancestor of Anna’s, one it turned out was married to Alaric. As if his life couldn’t become more complicated, having found out the distant familial connections after he was well and truly committed to his affection for his future wife had made him want to tug at his hair in frustration. It was a huge family, spanning across many generations and continents. It was his job to track them, it was how he knew who he and August resembled, from portraits and journals.

When they arrived at the Manor he was confused and surprised to spot a familiar car. “Hannah?” He queried under his breath, frowning at the vehicle as if it had offended him somehow. Had he forgotten about a catch up or was she just popping by? Was she here to see Louvel? Jude shrugged, smoothing the creases away from his brow with a rub of fingertips across it. August was looking at him with a quizzical expression, glancing between the car and his father. “Looks like we have a visitor kiddo, come on.” He reached down to gather up his son, tossing him over his shoulder to a chorus of giggles and flailing limbs. Jude only set him down when they got closer to the doorway, the man using his key to open the large door and push it open for his son. August pushed around him and without warning shot up the whole like a flash to where the voices were coming from towards the back of the house. Judah groaned, dropping his keys into the bowl and hanging up his bag before following after his son. “Augustine von der Marck, if you slip over in the hallway and hurt yourself then i’m going to let Alaric eat your legs off. Got it?” The thread was side with a cheery tone and August came to an abrupt stop, giggling as he waited for Jude to catch up just outside the open back door.

The pair were laughing when they found the others, well, when they found Leonie and Hannah seeing as Alaric had already moved ahead to choose a seat. Jude’s laughter faded and he stood stock still and stared in fleeting alarm at them both, lips parted in obvious surprise as he tried to adjust to the image of the two women in the same space. It felt strange, these two women who were in many ways so different and yet he could imagine them being friends, standing next to each other. August shifted impatiently under the hand on his shoulder, grinning excitedly at the prospect of a new person in the Manor. “Hi…” Jude breathed out finally, rearranging his features into his normal welcoming smile, one that rather matched the little boy in front of him minus the wildly widened eyes the youngest von der Marck wore. “Uh, Hannah, what a surprise! It’s good to see you, I haven’t forgotten about plans have I? Things have been really busy and… Where is Lou? Did something weird happen again?” Jude leaned around August to press a brief kiss of greeting to Hannah's cheek, a casual sort of greeting even in his obviously mildly flustered state. He looked to Leonie then, stepping forward and nudging August ahead of him. Before either got a chance to reply the boy was inserting himself into the conversation, beaming up at Hannah. “You went camping with Daddy and Uncle Lou, right?” Jude made a disapproving noise, gently squeezing his child’s shoulder. “Augie, hell first and THEN we get into the invasive questions, gee kiddo… “ He winked down at his giggling son, wearing a genuine smile of fondness that stayed firmly planted as his gaze turned to his friend. “Hannah, this is my son. August, meet Hannah.” He lifted his hand to ruffle August’s dark hair affectionately, his eyes darting to Leonie briefly to see her reaction to all this and made some vain attempt to communicate a silent query into what he had missed. August waved at Hannah, speaking a more reserved "Hi!"

Noticing the basket in Leonie's arms Jude swooped forwards to take it, relieving her of it with a tilt of his head that had lips finding her cheekbone in an affectionate sweep. “Drinks, hm? I’ve got some cheeses and biscuits too, we might even have grapes if anyone is interested?” He started towards the loggia, finding a spot for the basket and giving Alaric and Louvel a polite wave of greeting. “Hallo!” He called cheerily, the tone slightly more forced than intended, the touch of unexplained nerves he felt showing. The fire was roaring and Louvel had taken off his outer shirt, Jude smirking in him with brows raised and had to bite back and sarcastic remark about the man's habit of getting his gear off at the drop of a hat. August trailed along after them, watching the fire with a considerate expression and hovering at a small distance while he waited to see where the adults settled.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

Hannah just listened and nodded at the things Leonie said as they walked to the log house? The word sounded something close to it, so Hannah just went with it. Wherever this loggia was, had to look something like a cabin. Maybe. She was completely lost, but did her best to just roll with the punches. She suppressed the look of surprise when Leonie said Alaric owned the home they were in. Was he here the last time she was here? Had Leonie and Mirella been here too? It was a little difficult to keep track of the three that Hannah knew of, but now there was Alaric and Leonie too. Though, she sort of knew about the man, in the sense of a name, but never really thought of him since Hannah had never seen or met him.

“Oh. Right. Of course.” Hannah nodded her head in understanding, more than fine with the fact there would have to be some translating going on for Alaric. Though, she wondered how he managed to get by this long without speaking English. That was the second largest language in Canada?

Her eyes wandered over to Alaric then, simply because Hannah had been thinking about him. Or more like wondering about his entire predicament. She hadn't been meaning to look at him for as long as she had been, but he had noticed it and even...winked? Embarrassed that she had been 'busted' for looking at him, her cheeks flushed a light pink before Hannah turned away, even though Alaric was already heading out of the kitchen to where she assumed this 'loggia' would be.

Hannah was about to follow after him when there was a sound of light, quick steps not far from where she and Leonie stood. Then a familiar voice echoed in the house, and the color that had been on Hannah's cheeks drained when Jude finished speaking. Hannah suddenly was in no hurry to go to this 'loggia,' place and remained where she was, which was near a counter that her hands were on now. As if using the counter for something to prop against or hold up on. While it was probably said in jest, Hannah realized she didn't actually know what a vampire did or did not eat. Or drink. Was it the stuff all vampires supposedly drank in the movies?

Jude appeared and looked a little...confused maybe. He obviously didn't get her text, which explained why she never got a reply from him. Did she actually send it now that she thought about it? Once in a while a message didn't send, even though Hannah swore she hit the 'send' button. One of her hands left the counter, her arm stiff, as was the hand as she waved a small 'hi' with it. Though her body remained tense, the corner's of her lips curled up a little as Jude started racking his brain as to why she was here. “No. No plans or anything weird.” Hannah said after the kiss to her cheek, but was interrupted by a much younger male, that she assumed to be the mysterious August she had heard about, but had also never met. Just how many more were there? Jude gave a quick round of introductions, the woman looking down at August, and then even bending down so she could be more at his eye level. “Yes. It was me. And hello, August. Very nice to meet you.” Hannah said with a broad smile, focusing her attention on him for the moment, which had her once usual tense posture loosening.

Jude was gone not long after that, along with August and Hannah took a few reluctant and hesitant steps after the both of them. “I-I just popped by to drop something off. I gave it to Leonie...” Hannah said as she stopped short of a chair that wasn't that far from the fire. “But, I'm obviously intruding on family time...and I have some things to do anyways...” Hannah's eyes moved over to Alaric who had taken a seat, but then darted away. “So, the thing I dropped off. If you or Louvel can't use it, just pass it on to someone who can.” Hannah's eyes bounced to Louvel when she said his name and then landed on Jude. “I should have called first. Sorry.”

[Leonie von der Marck]

Wait... what?!

The thought rang sharp in Leonie’s head and she hoped Alaric heard it. Some of their practice had already included silent commands from him that were suggested to her innermost subconscious, meant to appeal to the still-dormant abilities she hoped would awaken soon. Such things that were helping her absorb telepathic messages easier than that very first night, when his otherworldly scream had nearly shattered her head with pain, when that very first link to him had been forged. Idly, she wondered when he would offer another link, one she had thought on long now. And as the nights progressed, with frustrations growing at the state of her own affairs, she thought it was something she might happily and readily accept sooner, rather than later. What, after all, was the point in waiting any longer? It was becoming painfully clear as the days wore on that the things she’d thought she wanted were probably not for the likes of the Lioness.

Either way, all that mattered at that very moment was the fact the Judah had spilled the giant ******* secret without telling anyone else. Her brows drew together; there would be much to be said about that later for sure, no matter how much she wanted to drop a rant on him right then. No matter his reasons, the Lioness had assumed they would discuss, as a whole, who they would tell what, long before anything was said to an outsider, at that.

And then Louvel had left with barely a word, Alaric had taken his glass and walked off without so much as a by-your-leave, August blew in like a little tornado, and after an idle and thoughtless peck on the cheek from Judah and relieving her of the basket she’d been more than ready to bring outside - after greeting Hannah first, she noted, with an underlying current between them that was almost too easy to pick up - Leonie wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself as she wandered out to the loggia, leaving the pair of them to their own devices. Though not before pouring herself a hefty glass of wine, if only to give her something to do, carry, and stem the sudden rise of... something... from within. Apparently they were in the habit of spilling their guts to any old potential romantic partner at that point about anything and everything there was to tell. Leonie smirked to herself. If that were the case, then boy did she have a few things to blurt out.

Before she moved outside, though, she shook her head at the blonde, overhearing, at the last moment as she sort of followed the dark-haired male and his mini-me, that she was worried about intruding. “You’re welcome here, Hannah. A friend of Louvel and Judah doesn’t need to call ahead. Come on out. Louvel went to build the fire because you’re here... there were no plans before your arrival.” She poured a glass of wine for the woman, too, as she took a long, deep breath, grounding herself for a moment. It wasn’t Hannah’s fault and so she wouldn’t take her anger out on the woman. She supposed, in some way accepting of the fact Judah had told her anything, that there might even be a good reason for his diarrhea of the mouth, though Leonie was hard pressed to determine just what that might be. Either way, Hannah deserved none of her building vitriol and so she would tuck it down deep until she and the three males in question were alone once more.

Once outside, she could see the fire was roaring, and she certainly wouldn’t be keeping the blanket around her with the strong wave of heat already licking at her skin. The late summer night was too warm to sacrifice her comfort. With an apologetic look at Alaric, the woman spoke a silent apology in her head as she dropped the crimson blanket, hoping he was listening as he had permission to do, and settled into the seat beside the Patriarch with a soft huff. She wasn’t even certain to whom she should direct her annoyance at that point, but she schooled her features into a calm, cool mask. Even managed a pleasant, though entirely false smile, though the tempest within was already bubbling beneath the surface. She took a very long sip of wine, waiting for everyone to sit and join them, and planned on keeping her mouth firmly shut for the rest of the evening, her hazel gaze trained upon the dancing flames.

[Louvel von der Marck]

Louvel sat with legs stretched and limbs well warmed by the fire ahead. Barely afforded a view of anything more than the incandescent flames that formed a wall between he and the entry of the loggia. It was his doing so he adapted to the results. Peering through the intermittent gaps the keeper watched Alaric and found that the family head was soon with company seated at his side. The visual of the lioness and the family elder was one that had him reflecting once again to the summoning. So much to absorb and yet there the patriarch was relaxing, glass in hand, as if he had been there in that very spot comfortably through the centuries changing slowly with the passing of each year.

Sounds of scattered steps piqued his curiosity as Hannah arrived. Judah and August were not far behind. So perhaps the text was a good move on his part. Admiring the two behind Hannah he stood briefly. He gave a nod to all as if they were arriving to a lengthy formal dining table and not an outdoor burning of property wood in a stone circle. There was much to look forward to in this gathering including the source for the less than pleased expression of the woman at their patriarch's side.

“Guten Abend Bruder.” Eyes found the small head that was always a delight to find in his father’s tow. “August!” Louvel winked and figured the way he was sticking close to his father meant that a big bear hug would have to wait until later. A new face was present so perhaps the young man was figuring out the occasion he walked into. He shrugged lightly and took to sitting down once again resuming his relaxed position legs crossed at the ankles. “What do you know of the history of the estate and family, Hannah? I would like to avoid boring you with what you have been told about this centuries old manor.” The flames were becoming cooperative. Finally he could view all with les interruption. “Of course Judah is the family history expert. Any of that is left in his hands.”

The snap of wood giving to the fire seeping through its fiber filled the air as the sound of his voice dropped. a curious gaze floated across the space between he and his family and Hannah. Time effectively tossed together the joining for that moment. He believed everythng happened for a reason and this event was no different. What would come of it had him invested in the current expressions of each under his gaze. The more the merrier, right? His brow raised at the thought.

Translation:

* Guten Abend Bruder.- Good evening Brother.

[Alaric von der Marck]

Alaric should have been wary of the fire, but he was not. Even though the nights were warming up, the heat was still a pleasure against the elder’s cold skin. One of Alaric’s favourite discoveries of this century was the tiled room within which scalding hot water spurted from a pipe – it was glorious. At first the water was too cold, and then it was too hot. Eventually he found the right temperature, and could spend hours revelling in the heat of it. It sunk into his skin to make him feel almost human again. It was also good to learn that Louvel thought that the family had a temper. Moving forward, these were the things that Alaric had to grow accustomed to. These were the things that would help him to lead them, if a leader was what they were looking for.

Where Alaric was expecting to be joined next by the girls, it was instead Judah with his son. A surprise, but not an unpleasant one. August was hovering behind his father and when he peered out and caught Alaric’s eye, Alaric offered a smile and a small wave. He might have made a face at the child, but perhaps it wouldn’t do to scare him. Although he had not talked with Judah at length about the child, eventually he would ask why he was reluctant to leave August alone with him. It had been months since he had returned, and beyond the first night he had bitten none of the human members of the family; he had not bitten any humans period. Blood packs and animals were his meals of choice, and he would like to reassure Judah that he had nothing to fear.

Hannah came next, speaking to Judah. She still seemed hesitant and did not take a seat, and when Leonie trailed along behind her, her tone was reassuring. If Alaric was guessing, he would assume that the girl was wondering whether she should stay. Alaric was not bothered either way.

The family chatted around him, questions asked that Alaric did not understand. Leonie was seated next to him, the blanket removed. She was as quiet as Alaric chose to be. He glanced sideways only once, before averting his eyes. His mind was open to them all, the line free for them to use should they wish to speak to him in the way that he had spoken to them – a trick he had yet to teach the others, beyond Leonie.

” Ich bin nicht daran gewöhnt, Frauen so underdressed. Es hat nicht das richtige Gefühl,” he said directly to her mind. He could not understand the rest of the conversation, and so he would have this private one instead – even while paying attention to the movements and emotions of those around him.

TRANSLATION: * I am not accustomed to women so underdressed. It does not feel proper.

[Judah Marck]

Jude shook his head firmly at Hannah's awkward discussion of leaving, that this was clearly family time. "You are welcome, it's nice to have a fresh face here. We all enjoy each other's company, but we are in it so often I think we could do with some new perspective. Please, sit and relax." He gestured towards a seat, the man excusing himself as Louvel began to speak, catching his name and favourite activity mentioned. Jude let out a quiet laugh, jogging back into the house and quickly grabbing out a wooden cheese board, a few cheeses from the fridge and a bunch of grapes chucked on it, a few knives and a box of biscuits. Taking the load back outside he deposited it on a side table and finally dropped himself into a seat. August had watched him go but not followed, instead turning to watch the group gathering and as his father returned seemed to gain the confidence to go over to Louvel. Without a word he hopped up onto the man's lap, leaning against his uncle and pulling a smoothed stone from his pocket, offering it. "Found this, I think it's a lucky rock, for you!" It was the kind of stone that felt good to hold, to run your fingers over if you were nervous, or anxious which August had been doing for the past few minutes.

There was a strange tension in the air, looks that Leonie was giving him which he wanted to further explore but knew better than to do so out loud in front of a guest. He leveled a brief questioning gaze on the woman, followed by a hopeful smile, something almost pleading in it that whatever it was he be forgiven for putting that slightly sour twist to her beautiful features. Jude had a good view of Alaric and was pleased to see the man looking somewhat relaxed, letting the foreign words wash over him. He'd been trying to work with him on understanding English, just a few words here and there, some easier than others. Judah had set him up with translation software so he could type and contact them via phone or computer, he'd been using apps to play games with him and teach him new phrases. There was a hope that it was working, that the man might soon grasp hold of it and suddenly understand them when they were speaking in their native tongue rather than his. It would help for others, like Mirella, who did not speak the language though Judah had tried to convince her that it was worth learning.

"I haven't really talked much about this place, or our history. Only that it has been our family home for a long time, and the von der Marck's are more than just my family they are..." He paused, considering how to describe it without it being a long and complicated statement. "My purpose, my reason and my responsibility." He nodded, as if confirming that he meant what he was saying, leaning over to cut a slice of a dutch smoked cheese and laying it across a biscuit. He chewed contentedly, busying himself with pouring a glass of wine, figuring he might need it based on the cool reception he'd gotten from Leonie and placid one from Alaric. As he sipped the crimson liquid and let the others have a moment to speak he tried to open his mind, although he had no way of knowing how to alert Alaric to it or invite him in he figured it was worth a try. His mind translated, it was easier sometimes to communicate this way with the elder and he hoped the words he thought might reach him.

"Is there something wrong? Something I have missed? Leonie... She..." He paused, dropping that train of thought because with it always came a flood of memories, memories that he had to put up a wall in his mind to stop rushing forward for fear the stray thoughts might slip out and Alaric would hear them. He had no idea how much Alaric knew, and he assumed the man would heartily disapprove. Jude swallowed hard, trying again, "Should I not be here? Should our friend?" He referred to himself and Louvel, though it had been a rough start the two seemed amicable now after the camping trip. It was strange that he should feel like he was interrupting something, that he of all people might just be the odd one out in this situation and that it would be smoother sailing were he not involved. Since when was Judah von der Marck not at the centre of the families affairs? Since when did he feel he was not the one to turn to or seek out?

Perhaps since Alaric had returned to them, since that first night when it hit him that this was real, that he had reached his goal and now he had no idea what else to strive for.

The man was adjusting and Judah had known he would eventually take his place once more as the one to turn to, as the person who would keep this family together and growing. Hadn't that been what he wanted? To be able to live his life, to give up some of the pressure and weight of supporting this family. His family. He'd had time to consider it now, in a more realistic way and had begun to realise that without that responsibility he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do or who he wanted to be. This family HAD been his purpose for so long, his life had been dedicated to serving them as much as, if not more so, than his God and his community. Since he was sixteen years old he had devoted most of his waking hours to collecting, compiling and preserving their history, to helping plan and fight for their future. What would he be were he free of those duties? Sure, he still had a place, he was still needed and their were tasks to do but it was different now and Jude never really had been overly good at different. It was why he struggled so hard to decide, to choose what he did next when it came to his personal affairs. His eyes sought Leonie, the briefest flash of silent pain within that gaze, leeching the warmth from his brown eyes in a way that made them glassy. When he blinked it was gone, his jovial smile returning and head tilting towards the others as if it had never been there at all.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

Hannah looked down at the wine glass that had been offered to her, and took it before Leonie moved away to take a seat. Louvel came into view once again when the flames had simmered down just a little. When both Leonie and Jude indicated that she should stay, Hannah claimed the seat that was in front of her by moving around it. The woman sipped at the wine as she listened to Louvel's question and then listened to the foreign language. While she understood there was a need to translate, it seemed some things weren't meant to be translated back to her, for whatever reason. This caused Hannah to keep sipping at the wine, as she debated how to leave after the current glass of wine that was in her hand was finished. If there were things that weren't meant for her ears, then to Hannah, it meant that maybe, regardless to what everyone was saying in English and to her face wasn't the entire truth. Time would tell.

Hannah was about to answer Louvel's question, but Jude answered for her in a more than acceptable manner. So Hannah nodded, agreeing with Jude, while her eyes skimmed her way over to Leonie and Alaric. It wasn't as if the woman was going to say, 'oh, and I know Alaric isn't really some distant cousin.' Jude had shared something with her, and it wasn't for anyone else to know, in her opinion. Or maybe they did know. Hadn't Alaric winked at her?

"That's right. And from what I've learned just by knocking on the door today, Alaric is a distant cousin, as are all of you? And he owns this house and doesn't speak a lick of English." She said as the glass of wine was set at a side table, her eyes finding Jude again. Hoping he would understand that she wasn't about to talk about anything else, because who didn't have secrets? And being a big believer of the idea, 'not your secret to tell,' Hannah wasn't about to blurt out that she knew Alaric was not just some distant cousin, but a really old vampire. "So, you wouldn't be boring me with anything you choose to share, as it would be all new information, Louvel." Then her eyes fell on Louvel, a tight smile pressed on her lips before her eyes dropped over to the glass of wine at the table, before she collected it once again and decided the best course of action was to remain silent by drinking.

[Leonie von der Marck]

At Alaric’s telepathic message, a slow smirk sidled over Leonie’s features in spite of her anger and the tension of vulnerability permeating her every act and word. Between Louvel’s casual and seeming aloofness that still threw her when she wasn’t feeling herself, and the confusion over why Judah would do what he had done, the Lioness was not prepared or even able to do much more than sit there at Alaric’s side and provide what meager protection she could muster.. With a sidelong look at her Patriarch, she replied silently, hoping he was still listening, even with the other family members surely crowding his thoughts as well.

Wir werden über die zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt, Alaric zu haben, zu sprechen. Ich in der Regel mehr Anstrengungen unternehmen, um zu Ihrem Vorteil, aber ich wusste nicht, dass Sie an diesem Abend nach Hause waren. Dies wird als in diesen Tagen ‘vertuscht’.” She understood what he was trying to convey; though whether he liked it or not, times had changed and so had tastes and compared to some of what the Lioness sported on a regular basis, what she had on was positively tame. She looked squarely at him then. Sie brauchen nicht die Augen abzuwenden. Glauben Sie mir, wenn ich sage es sehr viel bei einem Familienmitglied ungeeignet gelten als mehr als einem unschuldigen Blick nimmt.

She sighed and stretched, making no effort to clamp down on any memories or block him from anything; in order for his efforts to work, she couldn’t hide any part of herself from him. And so she could not say with any surety what he did or did not know about her, her past, or the complicated relationships with both of the other males present at the fire. Yet, no matter what he thought, he remained the paternal figure she had lacked for many years: steady, open, and more than willing to help her build her gifts back up. It was a comfort to know he was returning to his former strength and formidability, and that they could hold this silent conversation with none being the wiser. That alone had her relaxing by inches at a time,

Until, that was, she caught Jude’s look. The pain in his eyes sent a chill down her spine; her own flawed confusion and upset clearly hadn’t been tucked as deep down as she thought and it had done him harm. Relenting at last, she kept hazel eyes trained upon him until she had his attention, then shook her head once and mouthed the word ‘Later’ in the hopes he would understand what she meant. And later it would be when she, and hopefully Louvel and Alaric, too, would discuss just what had been said and why. She needed to know, needed to be certain that her trust in him was not to be shaken.

But then Hannah spoke and the Lioness’ gaze snapped to her with a slight narrowing of her eyes; at the very least, lying though she was if Alaric was right, she had the sense to be discreet. For that, Leonie was strangely admiring. Even if Hannah had no loyalty toward Alaric, or vampires in general, or hell, even to von der Marck, she had some toward Jude. That said something, at the very least. So much so she could even overlook the falsehood in her words. She glanced at Alaric then and sat slightly forward, awaiting his consent to share what he’d told Leonie and Louvel because though she did not wish to make Judah’s guest uncomfortable, she did want to speak freely and clear the air sooner rather than later. But then she remembered he couldn't possibly know what had just been uttered by the other woman, and instead she sought to translate within her head for him as she had promised to do. All the while her curiosity piqued and she wondered just what, if anything, he might make of that.

* We are going to have to talk about that at some point, Alaric, though I try to make a better effort for your benefit. I did not know you were home this evening. But this is considered ‘covered up’ these days.

** You do not need to avert your eyes. Believe me when I say it takes a great deal more than an innocent look at a family member to be deemed improper.