After the altercation with Pearly

[onceaviking]

He feels heavy and sluggish.
He looked down as he sat down on the bed and lifting his face feels like more of a chore than it ought, but he manages, looking at Pam.

His cheekbone seems to have righted itself, but it is still fully visible.
His flesh is torn, red and charred. His skin is white as paper.

He blinks slowly a couple of times.

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[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam takes the empty glass, hovering near with a hand on her hip. She looks to Eric again with a subtly raised eyebrow as if to ask, Is there?

He seems to have the Emcee trained. Or at least he has his trust. And he's completely harmless. She's never come across anyone like him.

(Well, Ginger is completely harmless, but half her brain cells have been glamoured away, so she doesn't really compare.)

[onceaviking]

Eric likes to think that he knows what Emcee is like.
And what he likes.
And sometimes it pays off to give them just a little bit of what they want. Not all of it, not all the time. Just every once in a while. Just a little bit.

So instead if answering, he leans in, saying, "There's a drop there," and kisses away the last bit of blood that may or may not have been left on Emcee's bottom lip.

It's a very soft kiss. Barely a kiss really.
Without fangs.

[i_am_your_host]

His breath hitches in surprise and his eyelids flutter closed for the few brief seconds when Eric's lips touch his. He immediately flushes warm, and his head swims dizzily with all the reasons why he should never kiss Eric.

Exhaling a short chuckle, coy and almost bashful, he glances away from Eric's mouth, avoiding his eyes. Even though he knows it means absolutely nothing, his blush isn't going away.

He turns and reaches for his shirt.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Well, that was interesting.

She can smell Emcee's blood rise as sweet as anything.

Such is the effect that Eric has on some people. She can't help a little smirk.

Saying nothing, she goes into the bathroom to return the empty glass, and also to take her time fixing her hair and lipstick.

[onceaviking]

"I am glad you were around," Eric says. Quietly.


"I hope I can call on you as a witness if I need to? Some might be reluctant to believe in a hurt they can no longer see."

[i_am_your_host]

Eric is supposed to treat him coldly and dismiss him, but okay.

"And I am glad I could help," he murmurs, looking down as he fastens a couple of buttons on his shirt.

But he then glances up at him at his request, brow furrowed slightly.

"Of course. Anytime."

It's said with firmness and sincerity. He's aware that vampires aren't always perceived in fair terms here, so if he can counteract whatever bias may arise against Eric in particular, he's willing to do so.

[onceaviking]

Sometimes, you have to do or say things to keep up whatever illusion you are crafting.

Which is of course the reason that Eric says, "Thank you." The only reason,
He doesn't owe humans anything. Certainly not his gratitude.

But Emcee could have stayed away. And he could have lied just now.
But he isn't lying. Eric can tell.

And the have been other things. Times. Incidents.
He doesn't dwell on them. But perhaps, perhaps, there is a little more to it than just maintaining a fantasy.

[i_am_your_host]

He nods.

"You are welcome."

He won't dwell on whether or not Eric means it. Sometimes the words are enough, as one familiar with keeping up an illusion knows.

Standing up slowly, he finds that the room doesn't spin as much as he expects it to, so that's good.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam emerges from the bathroom. She'd done her best to not overhear anything that was said in the other room, but a few words might have slipped through. Nothing too important, though.

She glances from Eric to Emcee, her expression now morphed into something a little more pleasant.

"Leaving so soon?" she says, her tone still dry.

[onceaviking]

Eric gets up from the bed. Smoothly.

"Since we skipped the proper introductions," he says.

"Pamela, this is Emcee. He is, surprisingly, the MC at a Berlin nightclub. Emcee, this is Pamela de Swynford De Beaufort, my Progeny."

[i_am_your_host]

One thing that Emcee has always done well (and indeed, it's his job) is to adapt to the company of all sorts of people. Of course, not everyone is going to like him. That doesn't mean he isn't going to try.

So far, Pam has actually been rather benign toward him. Perhaps because of Eric, and she's behaving herself, for his sake. She isn't an underling as Father Harman had referred to her; there is absolutely nothing servile about her. To call her such to her face would result in your own face getting ripped off, either by her or Eric, whoever gets to you first.

But even though she's left most of the talking to Eric, Emcee knows that she's been paying close attention the entire time. To him, how he interacts with Eric, how Eric treats him. A predator sitting unobtrusively in the grass just to the side, only seemingly harmless in her indifference.

Needless to say, Emcee has been paying attention as well. But as the prey.

It surprises him a little that Eric would want to formally introduce them. He doesn't know what to make of that gesture. But he'll adapt to the situation, because that's what he does.

He presses the palm of his hand to his midsection and bows shallowly, more an incline of his head than a bow, and raises his eyes to Pam.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fraulein De Beaufort. Your reputation precedes you as Herr Northman has already told me a little bit about you, but I daresay he somehow neglected to mention how beautiful you are."

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam stares at him for what seems like an eternally long time.





She turns to Eric.

"We're keeping him, right?"

[onceaviking]

"I was planning to," Eric replies.
Neutrally.

It isn't neutral of course. There's both the planning and the 'I' to consider.

[i_am_your_host]

He would remind them that he's still in the room, but he's too amused.

And plus, vampires. They can say whatever they want.

[lazy_but_loyal]

After a moment or two, Pam realizes what Eric is implying.

And she huffs a sigh and folds her arms.

Seriously, calling dibs on everything with a vagina is one thing, but this is ridiculous.

"Not even a taste?"

She looks Emcee up and down. She's even more curious about him now, even if she doesn't quite get him. Like some kind of exotic plaything that she can't figure out how it works.

[onceaviking]

Eric looks at Emcee. Then at Pam.

Part of him wants to say no. He doesn't really want to think too hard about why.

Letting it up to Emcee isn't fair. He's only human.

"Tell you what,"Eric says, "You talk Jenna into a foursome and its a deal."

[i_am_your_host]

What? Foursome? Where, when, and with whom?

He arches an eyebrow, blinking wide-eyed between the two.

He gets the feeling that his input is not required.

Actually, it wasn't required the entire evening.

[lazy_but_loyal]

"Oh, sure," Pam gripes, "get me to do the impossible."

The little scientist would probably blush herself into a cinder at the mere mention of a foursome.

"Besides, I don't want to fuck him, I just want to know what he tastes like."

[onceaviking]

"But I want to fuck Jemma," he replies.

Obviously.

[i_am_your_host]

Wait, Pam doesn't want to fuck him?

He's a little hurt by that!

Not that he can get a word in edgewise or anything.

Or that whatever he has to say would matter.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Now it's Pam's turn to feel a little defensive for no reason in particular.

She purses her lips and glares at Eric.

"We are not having this conversation."

And she abruptly stalks over to the bed, grabs Emcee's coat, and shoves it into his hands. This hospitality, of course, is just an excuse to get closer to him and smell him better.

[onceaviking]

"We're not?" Eric asks, following behind. Slowly.

"He's mine, Pam. I am willing to share, but he has to agree to it, and you will have to be cautious as he has already been fed on."

A pause.

"And I still want to fuck Jemma. And feed on her."


It's strictly a manner in which to establish rights of use. Claiming ownership. There. Are no emotions involved.

[i_am_your_host]

He's mine, Pam.

Emcee whips his head around and looks up at Eric, eyes wide.

When did that happen??

He clutches his coat, wondering if he should be turned on by that or not.

[lazy_but_loyal]

Pam is standing well within Emcee's personal space, her high heels giving her several inches over him. He smells like cigarettes and gin and leather, and deeper down...sex.

She might be reconsidering wanting to fuck him.

But Eric has outright claimed him. And she can't go against it.

He's right, too. Emcee has been thoroughly been fed on, and really, he's just a soft little thing. And she's not entirely sure that she can deliver on Jemma.

"Fine," she huffs.

And she steps away from Emcee. She crosses her arms, her expression neutral. Neutral for her, but to the casual observer, kind of sulky.

[onceaviking]

They don't touch in public. But Emcee hardly matters.
Eric steps close to Pam and runs a finger down her face, following the graceful line of her jaw.

Just once.

Looking down at her.

He's always provided for her. She knows that. And she understood that it wouldn't make sense feeding on Emcee tonight anyway.

"Later, perhaps," he says in Swedish to her. Some other night. Because of course he doesn't mind sharing with her. Sometimes, it's just important to reestablish the hierarchy.
So they won't be sharing tonight.
For that reason alone.


Obviously.

He turns and looks at Emcee.
"How are you feeling?"

He sounds like he's okay, but it's better to check. The situation with Jay thought him that if not much else,