Peace sells, but whose buying? OPEN (Chapter 9 part 2)
Posted: 12 May 2021, 14:28
Spring was finally emerging from the stubborn edges of Winter and the days and nights were starting to show more life. A type of lull in the storm of existence in the town had settled in and people were once more moving about. There was still troops, checkpoints and zombies to contend with but something in the air had changed as if the area had paused for a moment to take a deep breath. Just for a moment. It would not last long. Nothing is eternal.
Especially politics.
With the pandemic (the “Human one” as she called Covid.) coming to heel (reluctantly) the town was beginning to take on a look of it’s former self. The Teahouse, as well as other dining options in the area, was starting to offer outdoor services. People could dine and drink outside in the fresh air again. There were limits of course, but the looks on the faces of those who took pause said it all. It was nice to have a bit of normal back in their lives.
The evening was still a bit chilled for most customers but a few were stopping. She sat off to the left at a small table reading the newspaper. Those of the living who recognized her as the owner of the establishment stopped and said hello and thanking her for what she had done. She smiled and waved in reply. There was nothing to betray what she really was in this setting. The chill of her hand when some shook it could be blamed on the evening temperatures.
Her laptop sat open and a small pile of various newspapers from the area laid off to the side. Ever since she heard the news, she was hip deep in gathering all the facts of the matter.
Bancroft had been sent packing. Considering all he had caused in his time, the news felt like one had won a nice chunk of the Lottery. She imagined this development made the vampire that had been pulling his strings pissed to the max. Too bad. Could she say anything nice about the thrall? He threw nice Christmas parties to be sure, but…
When she first heard the results, she was certain it was a mistake. When was the last time something potentially good had happened in this town? She honestly could not recall. The situation for night feeders had been a slow spiral of a toilet flushing as it took a major load of crap elsewhere. Each swirl got even worse and the crap came even closer. Loosing Mayor Bancroft helped stop that swirl for the moment, but…
What was to stop another thrall gaining access to this point of power? How would one screen candidates for such a thing? Most of her kind thought it was a good idea at first, but a thrall answers to only one master. All that mattered on how the town was ran was in the hands of one vampire. Everyone and their mommas could say something was a bad idea, but if the master said do it…
On the screen of her laptop she had started a list. Point One: No thralls.
She could dwell on the disaster named Bancroft all night, but her attention now was on the two souls who had begin to campaign for the open spot.
Robert Covington.
A fellow Texan. Sadly it was the only bit about him she could smile at. The man seemed hard core anti vampire, so she wondered how the night children had personally affected his life. Considering his age he had been here since the beginning so there was a good chance of that being the case. His plan for the town made what was already in place seem like Disneyland. The law only applies to a select few, but not all. Being vampire meant guilty no matter who started things. Nothing like a dose of the Wild West to sort things out. She’d been worried of a repeat of Nazi Germany? This fellow would bring it to life in spades.
A new cure? She almost fell off her chair on that one. All a vampire had to do was surrender themselves into the hands of these maniacs to get it. She was angered as well. She had made several attempts when the original ‘Cure’ had been in play, but never received an answer. When the ones who had control of it vanished, so did any hope of being human again. Now this Covington person was going to dangle that promise like bait? She would believe that when she met some before and after examples of the process. She had only seen one survivor of the original cure and, to be honest, he seemed a tad befuddled from the experience.
Jamie Tremblay
If Covington was a hard core Nazi, than Tremblay was a American Democrat. Peace, love and tranquility for all. She had a hard lesson to learn with an approach like that. Not everybody was going to be happy no matter what she put forward. Some of her ideas had merit, but the mystic could not begin to see how they would work. A council was a great idea until it had to work together. Put 2 vampires and 2 Paladins in the same room and see how much they can agree upon let alone anything else involved in the mix. Comedy night at City Hall.
The zones idea could work. She knew first hand there were people more than willing to be bitten. Especially in the more obscure nightclubs. Like a scene from ‘Tru Blood’ come to life. Justice for all? The girl wondered how a life sentence would play out for a vampire. Does the same amount of time apply to both? She doubted it. She also doubted any night feeder would accept confinement at that length of time. Also, that law could not always work. A vamp kills a human? Life. Now if a human kills a innocent vamp (how do those 2 words even work together?) and 2 weeks later, tops, the vamp returns, what is the human’s ‘life sentence’?
She folded her papers and sat back in the chair. She made the appearance of taking a sip from her teacup and lit a smoke. A couple in the crowd stared but also saw the sign that declared her spot was a designated smoking area. It helped her relax and think. It was going to be a wild spring and summer as these two chopped away at each other. Overall the hampering that had plagued her kind was relaxing for the moment. Now, if everyone could just behave themselves until the vote there might be some major improvements.
A small smile crossed her face as she looked up into the night. ”And maybe I will get that unicorn I always wanted as well”
[support_tremblay][/support_tremblay]
Especially politics.
With the pandemic (the “Human one” as she called Covid.) coming to heel (reluctantly) the town was beginning to take on a look of it’s former self. The Teahouse, as well as other dining options in the area, was starting to offer outdoor services. People could dine and drink outside in the fresh air again. There were limits of course, but the looks on the faces of those who took pause said it all. It was nice to have a bit of normal back in their lives.
The evening was still a bit chilled for most customers but a few were stopping. She sat off to the left at a small table reading the newspaper. Those of the living who recognized her as the owner of the establishment stopped and said hello and thanking her for what she had done. She smiled and waved in reply. There was nothing to betray what she really was in this setting. The chill of her hand when some shook it could be blamed on the evening temperatures.
Her laptop sat open and a small pile of various newspapers from the area laid off to the side. Ever since she heard the news, she was hip deep in gathering all the facts of the matter.
Bancroft had been sent packing. Considering all he had caused in his time, the news felt like one had won a nice chunk of the Lottery. She imagined this development made the vampire that had been pulling his strings pissed to the max. Too bad. Could she say anything nice about the thrall? He threw nice Christmas parties to be sure, but…
When she first heard the results, she was certain it was a mistake. When was the last time something potentially good had happened in this town? She honestly could not recall. The situation for night feeders had been a slow spiral of a toilet flushing as it took a major load of crap elsewhere. Each swirl got even worse and the crap came even closer. Loosing Mayor Bancroft helped stop that swirl for the moment, but…
What was to stop another thrall gaining access to this point of power? How would one screen candidates for such a thing? Most of her kind thought it was a good idea at first, but a thrall answers to only one master. All that mattered on how the town was ran was in the hands of one vampire. Everyone and their mommas could say something was a bad idea, but if the master said do it…
On the screen of her laptop she had started a list. Point One: No thralls.
She could dwell on the disaster named Bancroft all night, but her attention now was on the two souls who had begin to campaign for the open spot.
Robert Covington.
A fellow Texan. Sadly it was the only bit about him she could smile at. The man seemed hard core anti vampire, so she wondered how the night children had personally affected his life. Considering his age he had been here since the beginning so there was a good chance of that being the case. His plan for the town made what was already in place seem like Disneyland. The law only applies to a select few, but not all. Being vampire meant guilty no matter who started things. Nothing like a dose of the Wild West to sort things out. She’d been worried of a repeat of Nazi Germany? This fellow would bring it to life in spades.
A new cure? She almost fell off her chair on that one. All a vampire had to do was surrender themselves into the hands of these maniacs to get it. She was angered as well. She had made several attempts when the original ‘Cure’ had been in play, but never received an answer. When the ones who had control of it vanished, so did any hope of being human again. Now this Covington person was going to dangle that promise like bait? She would believe that when she met some before and after examples of the process. She had only seen one survivor of the original cure and, to be honest, he seemed a tad befuddled from the experience.
Jamie Tremblay
If Covington was a hard core Nazi, than Tremblay was a American Democrat. Peace, love and tranquility for all. She had a hard lesson to learn with an approach like that. Not everybody was going to be happy no matter what she put forward. Some of her ideas had merit, but the mystic could not begin to see how they would work. A council was a great idea until it had to work together. Put 2 vampires and 2 Paladins in the same room and see how much they can agree upon let alone anything else involved in the mix. Comedy night at City Hall.
The zones idea could work. She knew first hand there were people more than willing to be bitten. Especially in the more obscure nightclubs. Like a scene from ‘Tru Blood’ come to life. Justice for all? The girl wondered how a life sentence would play out for a vampire. Does the same amount of time apply to both? She doubted it. She also doubted any night feeder would accept confinement at that length of time. Also, that law could not always work. A vamp kills a human? Life. Now if a human kills a innocent vamp (how do those 2 words even work together?) and 2 weeks later, tops, the vamp returns, what is the human’s ‘life sentence’?
She folded her papers and sat back in the chair. She made the appearance of taking a sip from her teacup and lit a smoke. A couple in the crowd stared but also saw the sign that declared her spot was a designated smoking area. It helped her relax and think. It was going to be a wild spring and summer as these two chopped away at each other. Overall the hampering that had plagued her kind was relaxing for the moment. Now, if everyone could just behave themselves until the vote there might be some major improvements.
A small smile crossed her face as she looked up into the night. ”And maybe I will get that unicorn I always wanted as well”
[support_tremblay][/support_tremblay]