OOM - Russell Edgington's Mansion, Night

[onceaviking]

He gets the driver to pull over a little way away from the King's residence that he may approach on foot. It gives him time to assess the area. And to calm down.

He can feel Pam. Even with the distance between them. Ignoring her is one of the hardest things he had ever done, but he needs to keep his cool if he wants to succeed with this.
The old ones rarely appreciates emotion.
Detachment, a certain amount of cruelty, that is what he is going for.

By all accounts, the King - a vampire named Russell Edgington - is both old fashioned, and a snob. His house certainly fits the bill. Huge and white and gated, with trimmed lawns and tastefully hidden lamps. There also seems to be an abundance of black clad security people crawling about the place. All young, male, and attractive.
Another thing Russell Edgington is known for.

So he's exchanged the leather jacket for something a little more formal and tailored. Something that both shows breeding and shows off his shoulders.
He is nicely dressed, freshly scrubbed, with his hair combed back.

If he plays his hand right, he is certain that the King will let him hunt for Bill Compton in Mississippi.


He reaches the gate and suddenly finds himself surrounded by a security posse. All looking very grim and determined.

"Eric Northman, Sheriff of Louisina's Area Five. I come in peace to see the King?" he says, showing his empty hands. They're smart enough not to be persuaded by that. You gotta hand Russell Edgington that.

He lets them grab hold of his arms. Suppressing the urge to show them just whom they are dealing with.

They lead him to the door and he says, "This is completely unnecessary. I told you I come in peace," as it opens. Sounding almost a little amused by the antics of the staff.

Comments

[dobadthings]

Just like that, all smugness is wiped from Bill's face. Because despite the situation at hand, it still comes down to the one thing that only ever mattered between them. The only thing that will always keep them at odds.

And now, he's forced to say the words that Eric has been wanting to hear:

"Sookie is no longer mine."

He can still feel the painful echoes of her crying over the phone when he told her that it was over.

[onceaviking]

Eric locks eyes with him.
"Oh," he says.

A very small word full of meaning. Because he is besting Bill Compton. Again.
Surely he must be growing tired of that.
Eric isn't though.

Not at all.
His small smirk says as much.

Russel leans over to Talbot. He is wearing that silk scarf Russell likes. It always makes him in a good mood, when Talbott makes an effort. Making an effort is a dying art it seems.

"A King in front of them, a Queen behind them, and they're talking about a human girl," he says, his lips curling. With both amusement and a little disdain.
Honestly.

[dobadthings]

Bill may no longer have the right to protect Sookie from Eric, but he still trusts her with every ounce of his being that she will never willfully succumb to him. That is his only consolation.

Talbot, meanwhile, has been observing this little exchange with just as much amusement as Russell. When Russell leans in close with his commentary, his skin smelling of an almond-scented aftershave lotion, he grins with a slight roll of his eyes.

"Men."

[onceaviking]

But mocking Bill is not the only thing on Eric's mind.
He's been caught lying, yes, but Edgington does not seem to consider this hugely problematic. As Eric is still sitting here.

Granted, his friendly smile obviously hides more than fangs, but it is still something to work with.

So he turns his attention from Bill and leans in, just a little, just enough to be and to address Edgington and Talbott at the same time.

"Your Majesty I confess," he says, sounding both earnest and troubled.
He doesn't even have to act all that much to hit the last note right.

"I sold the blood at my queen's command and accused Bill to protect her."
The confession itself. They already know but dying it out loud is both an act of submission and of honour. He'll bet that Edgington likes that sort of thing.

"So, what do I do now?" he asks. Not only giving himself over to Edgington with his crime held as a sacrifice before him, but with his trust as well.

It's the kind of thing that might work on himself. If he was in the right mood. And the vampire in question was interesting enough. And while Eric is nowhere near as old as the King, he knows that he is interesting.

He continues without pause. "Unless I give the Magister Compton, he'll murder my progeny."
And again, he hardly has to act.

[dobadthings]

Talbot is immediately drawn in as Eric pleads his case.

As far as he knew, as privy as he was to Russell's plans, there was never the intention to punish Eric in the first place. At least, not directly. Russell was more interested in the affairs of that bitch Sophie-Ann. And Bill just happened to cough up some pertinent information. Such a little turncoat he is. A boring turncoat.

Eric seems much more fascinating.

When Eric mentions the fate of his progeny, Talbot utters a little gasp. Such cruelty by the Magister is not unheard of, but even this is quite extreme. He turns to Russell.

"Darling, so sad," he murmurs softly, a note of sympathy in his voice.

[onceaviking]

"The Magister is a nasty little Anachronistic toad, a ridiculous remnant of the Middle Ages," Russell says, as he rises. Suddenly agitated.

Eric seems to have struck a nerve. In his favor,

"The only power he has over us is the power we give him."
Eric watches him, but decided that he doesn't need to offer any input. The subject seems to be one Edgington can easily dissect all in his own.

"There may be a way to solve all our problems," Russell then says, thoughtfully, before adding, "Sleep here."

It's not really an invitation.
Eric is well aware of that.

He darts a quick look across the table at Talbott.

[dobadthings]

Talbot smiles warmly at Eric, as if to reassure him that yes, Russell can get worked up about certain things.

"You're more than welcome."

And he raises his glass of blood to him.

[onceaviking]

Eric looks back up at Edgington.

"How can I refuse?" he asks, with a small smile. And Edgington looks down at him with an answering smile.

They both know it is an offer, he can't refuse. But keeping up appearances are sometimes better.

And while he would vastly have preferred being able to do something about Pam's situation, right now, he must admit that there are certain advantages to his situation.

He lifts the glass to his lips, answering Talbott's small toast.
And then he turns his head and toasts Bill the same way. Smiling at him.

It can only be educational for a vampire like Bill Compton to see how his elders and betters deal with unforeseen happenings.

[dobadthings]

Bill was sure that Russell would turn Eric over to the Authority as an accomplice to Sophie-Ann. Russell had wanted information, and that was his best hand -- short of telling him what he knew about Sookie.

And now once again, Eric seems to have gotten himself off the hook.

He knows that look he's giving him. And it never fails to get under his skin.

Talbot, on the other hand, is looking forward to entertaining their new guest. Bill had barely expressed any interest in the beauty and richness of his surroundings, a home that Talbot took centuries of great care to cultivate. Nor did he express any interest in him. Such a prude.

Perhaps Eric is the type to show more appreciation for the finer things in life. He already has the feeling that he is.