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Post by Vincenzo Stregoni on Jun 18, 2012 15:33:49 GMT -5
[style=padding-top:5px;]  T his meeting was not about mutual benefits, this meeting was about gaining control.
It was eleven o’clock in the evening. There was little activity in this part of the city, partly due to this particular street lined up with luxury restaurants. It showed the other side of the city, while the city housed people living in extreme poverty, the city also had inhabitants that waved around thousands of dollars just for a simple appetizer. The restaurant Benning was one of those restaurants, a restaurant that gave the rich and influential inhabitants of the city a way to waste their money.
Benning was a luxurious and upscale restaurant, and for its competitors to claim that it was one of the best, then you’d better believe it. Reservations were set for dinners and meetings set a month from the reservation date, the food was so expensive that its clientele was extremely limited. However, even with that, the simple fact that every person on Benning’s guest list was willing to dish out the cash…well that ensured Benning’s continued existence.
The restaurant was usually closed at this time, only a dim light would be seen from its interior showing a janitor or two cleaning up, or one of the staff counting their profits in the thousands. But that was not happening, for today, they were hosting a very important person.
Vincenzo Leonardo Stregoni
The name was very familiar to management, other than the fact that to say the name would usually have the words “brilliant businessman,” “owner of the biggest hotel-resort complex in the city,” “billionaire,” it was because of this man that Benning could actually exist. However, while Vincenzo promised to help them in exchange for absolute loyalty, he also made it sure that no one would know of his ties to this luxurious restaurant. While management would be willing to give Vincenzo a whole night to use their whole restaurant because of their little agreement, to an outsider, the image of this luxurious restaurant (known to be very strict with its reservations) to give Vincenzo use of their facilities on a fly…well, that was a certainly an impressive image.
On entrance of the restaurant, a four door Ferrari slowed down and stopped in front of it. As the chauffer opened the door, it was Vincenzo himself who stepped out. The Don of the Stregoni mafia was wearing a black suit with a button down cream long-sleeved shirt underneath. He was also wearing a cobalt blue skinny tie and in his suit’s left breast pocket there was a cream colored triangle made from a meticulously folded handkerchief sticking out. He wore cobalt blue colored socks and an extremely good pair of good, black Italian shoes.
Vincenzo looked at the restaurant, the door stood ajar and he could see restaurant staff walking briskly, finishing whatever instructions Vincenzo made the meeting. With Vincenzo, whatever instructions were given, one could be sure that it was as specific as a numerical problem solved up to the fourth decimal place. Before Vincenzo stepped forward and enter the restaurant however, he took a moment to look at his reflection at the car’s window. He ran his hand through his dark hair, making sure that his natural curls were set in perfectly, he buttoned up his suit and tried to flatten out whatever creases it had, for a normal person, Vincenzo was resplendent but in his vain eyes, there were always a few problems here and there.
Besides, he was the host and he should look his best when presenting himself in front of his guest.
Especially if that said guest was the Queen of the vampires herself.
It was a surprise to him when he received word that Jusztina Draculesti’s vampires made contact with the Stregoni mafia. While Vincenzo accepted the invitation in skepticism, his mind was already scheming as to how to get the better half of whatever stick they were going to fight for tonight. And Vincenzo knew what his first step would be.
Ambiance.
For Vampires, a straight-to-the-point meeting would get him nowhere, they couldn’t let go of their emotions so much that even on business meetings it was like trying to court them. Well, in that aspect Vincenzo was sure he could deliver.
“Everything seems to be in order,” a voice said to his right. He cocked his head towards that direction. It was Valentino, his Lares. The Lares took a human shape for the meeting or for any official functions for that matter, Valentino the human was Vincenzo’s head of security and thus the Lares had an excuse to be with him constantly. The Lares was wearing an light gray suit, with a white button down long sleeved shirt, the first button was unbuttoned to produce a more casual ensemble, it just wasn’t right that the staff outdo the boss in terms of clothing. Perhaps that was reading too much into the clothes, but with Vincenzo he simply cannot help himself in stressing in imagery.
“Bene (Good),” Vincenzo replied as he stepped in.
Being a luxury restaurant, the Benning had a very zen mindset yet it also had some Victorian styled architecture integrated into it. Within, the restaurant was even more impressive. There was a single room where all the tables were placed and it had a high Victorian ceiling where impressive chandeliers hung. Huge columns were placed periodically around the room and between these columns there were high windows with drapes to offer privacy.
Vincenzo found their table immediately, not only were all the tables unoccupied but Vincenzo made it clear that all tables would have white table cloth, all except his and Jusztina’s which had a dark red one instead. Yes, when dealing with a vampire, ambiance and imagery would be extremely useful.
Yet Vincenzo did not sit yet, he looked around at the people scurrying around, making final arrangements. A potential compromise of security here, a chandelier not dimmed enough to match the rest, a floral centerpiece that needed work on, a bottle bring brought into the kitchen. In the chaos of all the things, Vincenzo was the only one standing still.
After a while, everything seemed to be in order and Vincenzo ordered all his men to be in their respective positions. Whereas before, all of the seats were unoccupied, now almost all the seats had an occupant, it wasn’t long before his men were being served an appetizer and after a while, the room actually looked like it normal operations were happening.
Vincenzo took his seat and as a fresh bowl of salad was placed in front of him he pursed his lips slightly. When was his immortal guest going to arrive? He sensed the magic of the first barrier being disturbed, but that barrier was quite a distance away from the restaurant. Time may be uncertain but he was sure about one thing.
This meeting was not about mutual benefits, this meeting was about gaining control.
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Post by Jusztina Draculesti on Jun 18, 2012 17:19:03 GMT -5
"Vreau ca toată lumea în poziţia lor, gata pentru atunci când este necesar," (I want everyone in their position, ready for when necessary.) the leggy blonde spoke as she stepped out of a large and heavily guarded archway in the Scarlet District, glancing over at Lord Pain and the Harpist as she did. The Romanian words were thick yet smooth as she spoke them and she pushed a few waves from her feline azure orbs. She wore a delicious little number; of course she did. The deepest of all red wrapped around her curvaceous frame in delicate silk that clung to her. The color was so dark, it was bordering on black. The gown was sleeveless with a heart shaped neckline and a dipping back covered in black lace. There was a slit running from well above mid thigh and down to the ground, exposing a glorious leg with impossibly high, black, strappy Louboutins at the end. No jewelry was on her save for some large gold and ruby studs in each ear and a large pendant ring on her left hand, the pendant in crystal but the blood swirling around inside it something of a novelty. It was Javier's blood - a bit of a fix should she need blood which she highly doubted. She had three very scrumptious men only an hour ago and they lay in corpses, completely and thoroughly used, on her guest room floor. She never killed or drank from anyone (minus Javier but only because they had drank from each other enough to have one hell of an unbreakable bond) in her bed chambers. She considered the place sacred. Currently, she was early, her hair falling with a wave-like elegance from the 1920's and 1930's down her back. An onyx mink shawl was around her shoulders, so old it didn't even have a tag on it since she'd had it for decades in perfect condition (as she did all her furs considering how people seem so dead against it nowadays...how ridiculous!) and it was supposed to keep her warm from the supposed nip of the cool night air though really, she just liked wearing it. It felt magnificent against her bare skin. Her eye makeup with done subtly, with only thick mascara and then she had on some soft, nude colored lipstick that made her full pout look a bit more fuller and kept anyone's attention on her icy orbs. Overall, she looked delectable and absolutely scrumptious in the most sinful of ways.
She stepped into the long, dark limousine, not really needing anything for this meeting. She knew what she had to do and she knew it wasn't going to sit well with very many people. To her, this meeting wasn't about betrayal...it was about survival. It wasn't about who would come out with a better bargain because, in her mind, it was a fair trade. She had offered Vsevolod her services in exchange for certain things and had promised not to kill him...herself though she couldn't make the command to do so either. She couldn't hope the werewolves, those barbarians, would go after Vsevolod and win. No, by all means, the only persons he could think of to get rid of the man was Vincenzo Stregoni and even then, she had her doubts. She would go after him personally had she not made that little deal but it was proving to be a bit of an amusing game. She was dangling her own life in front of her eyes and should she say or do something wrong, her life would disappear and be bound to the River Styx. She would become nothing and her coven? She knew chaos would ensue no matter who she appointed as her successor - though as of late, since Javier had seemed a bit animate in his protest to replacing her, her eyes were set on The Harpist - the obvious choice aside from Lord Pain. Harpist was much more suitable and she liked that she appeared to be so young. It was most definitely something she enjoyed and found great entertainment in.
Javier pulled the limo out of the circular driveway and Jusztina took a ginger sip of the blood in the glass, making her skin glow with the added nourishment. She was looking down at a few documents, only three other town cars following her. The rest of the vampires had gone by their own means, scattered throughout the surrounding area of the Benning, ready should their queen need of their assistance which she doubted. She could handle her own. Nothing wrong with having some added protection for show. She was informed that they crossed one of the barriers, glad for Javier's unique little ability, and she nodded before her attention was brought back down to the documents in her dainty looking hands with the onyx colored, perfectly manicured fingernails.
She wasn't paying attention when she was told they had arrived. She frowned as she looked down at her hands, opening a compartment in the car and producing the small, black lace gloves she adored. Her frown disappeared as she slipped them on, feeling her outfit was much more complete as her door was opened and she took her driver's hand. One long leg after the other was produced out of the darkness of the interior of the limo and her heels clicked along the pavement. She was adjusting her shawl as she spoke, "Vreau ca toată lumea să rămână în afara şi nu atingeţi un fir de păr pe oricare dintre capetele acestor oameni, înţeles? Nu cu excepţia cazului în I sau unul din ofiţerii dumneavoastră comandanţi da, pentru a face acest lucru şi în apărare. Ne-am înţeles?" (I want everyone to remain outside and do not touch a hair on any of the heads of these humans, understood? Not unless I or one of your commanding officers gives the order to do so and in defense. Are we clear?) she didn't bother looking at her driver. He simply nodded, relaying the information back to the commanding officers within the area. Immediately, she sensed the restaurant was full and even then, she knew exactly what it was full of. He really needed to learn better tricks. She'd been alive for almost six hundred years. She knew them all inside and out.
Someone opened the door for her and she looked at them expectantly before they seemed to avert their eyes and give the slightest bow of their head. An amused grin fell on her lips, causing her pearly white teeth to become visible in the process. Straight, perfect, normal. Her dress slightly trailed behind her as she looked over at the host expectantly, "Draculesti," she said her surname simply, though it dripped like liquid rubies, feeling as soft to the skin as silk. She knew she didn't have to say her name, the host would know who she was and they did the same bow before leading her to the only table with the red table clothe. How fitting and charming! She was glad she wore her dress now - it matched wonderously!
In her peripheral, she noted her surroundings with ease, her eyes moving rapidly, too rapid for human eyes to pick up, to drink in every nook and cranny, spot the weaknesses in the defense, and notice the eyes of some of the men shifting to gaze at her under their long lashes. She could hear their blood singing to her, their bodies just begging to be torn to shreds so she could bask in their crimson glory. But she had more than enough control of her blood lust. She had nothing to worry about. Upon reaching the table, she smiled brightly, "Mr. Stregoni, a pleasure," agin that same tone was taken, her old world accent still think in her throat as she went over and gave him a kiss, partially on his lips and partially on his cheek, in greeting. It was normal for vampires to be so touchy and invading such personal space and she knew the Italian customs. It wasn't very much different from two Italians greeting one another.
Her chair was pulled out for her and she gracefully took a seat, crossing one smooth leg over the other as a waiter seemed to come by. She didn't eat. Of course she didn't. She didn't need to, "I will love to have some of you, darling," she said to the young man when he asked for her order. He seemed to turn as crimson as the table clothe as she flashed him a toothy grin, obviously proud of her cheeky comment, "No, I do not want anything," she laughed softly at his face and he seemed to disappeared, possibly mortified at making the silly mistake of asking for her order. Really? They needed better staff. Then again, she didn't really go out to dinner...ever. Her laugh sounded angelic, like that of a sweet and innocent seventeen year old mortal who had her entire life ahead of her. It was probably the most mortal thing about Jusztina and what most thought to be the most unnerving because it sounded so bright and cheerful. The coven was used to such laughter escaping her. She liked being amused after all.
She turned her impenetrable gaze to Vincenzo, the delicious piece of man before her. If he wasn't married - no, if he wasn't faithful as she'd been told - ...dear Lord the things she would do to that man. She was picky with who she wanted - very shallow in the methods of the bedroom. Her men and women had to be immensely attractive, like the three hunksicles that she'd abused so thoroughly earlier that night upon waking up, "I love what you have done to this place to spruce it up," she spoke delicately, slipping off her shawl and casting a death glare at the man who'd been on standby to take it. She obviously didn't want him touching it...she considered it a work of art. She draped it carefully on the arm of the ornate chair she sat in, her dainty fingers sitting meticulously on her lap folded over one another, "and wonderful choice of color and lighting. I approve," she smiled again, brightly yet with the undertones of seduction lying deep within the confines of her belly. This would be a fairly delicious meeting.
Delicious indeed.
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Post by Vincenzo Stregoni on Jun 21, 2012 13:11:56 GMT -5
[style=padding-top:5px;] I n the roomful of Stregoni, as soon as the vampire queen was inside the room, it was only Vincenzo who stood up. The reason for that was not because of his men being disrespectful, in fact, it was Vincenzo who ordered them to not acknowledge the presence of the vampire queen, only he. In that way, she could only focus on him.
But to completely ignore the vampire queen would be quite the achievement.
Her movements were sure and deliberate, she entered the roomful of Stregoni with an air of confidence, the fact that she entered alone was a testament of her bravery already. Perhaps arrogant? Didn’t she know that she was stepping into a room where everyone had an athame that could produce flames instantly? Well, technically, they weren’t flames but sometimes the imagery was just enough to produce the same effect. Well whatever her intentions were, Vincenzo was quite curious to find out.
Who could have drove the vampire queen to seek his aid? What did she want from him? Was she this desperate that she approach him, one of her most formidable enemies? Or perhaps this was a ruse, a way for her to entangle him in her web of lies and intrigue. Whatever her reasons though, he was not going to be caught in it.
He took a glance towards the rest of the room. The reactions were mixed. There were faces that looked paler than usual, fear evident in their eyes. There were looks that suggested awe and admiration, perhaps these were the ones who had not yet seen the vampire queen in all her glory. Vincenzo himself couldn’t help but notice the alluring beauty of his guest. Her glowing skin, her soft golden hair, the blue eyes and how the delicate fabric of her clothing clung to her skin. With that, Vincenzo noticed other looks, looks suggesting more base instincts. Yet Vincenzo could not blame them, for it was in the vampires' powers to appear so totally appealing to their pray, placing themselves in such a position of mystery that humans couldn’t help but stare until it was too late.
She was finally in front of him. "Mr. Stregoni, a pleasure," she said in her melodic tone. She leaned in and kissed him, partially in the lips, partially in the cheek. A common way to greet someone in Italy and he was glad that she did. Initially he just planned on taking her hand and gently kissing it but the more he thought about it, the more her greeting was logical, vampires simply thirst for physical contact. Vincenzo took the cue and kissed her at her other cheek, partially at the lips, partially in the cheek.
After the exchange of kisses, the two sat down. Vincenzo took his seat while someone attended to her. at the table, Vincenzo’s plate was gone and the only thing between them was a small, yet exquisite, floral arrangement. Vincenzo was glad he had already eaten, it was against his code of being a host to eat while your guest did not. Vincenzo’s eyes squinted slightly in annoyance when the attendant asked the vampire queen if she wanted anything.
Fool! He made his intentions clear to management, they were meeting with vampires and it was blatantly obvious that vampires only consume blood, so wouldn’t a viable conclusion be that the since the vampires only consume blood, they do not consume anything else?
Yet the vampire queen simply flashed her perfect set of teeth and smiled. Vincenzo smiling and laughing along as she seemed to take the waiters mistake in stride. The waiter looked at Vincenzo and Vincenzo gave him a curt nod. The waiter bowed as he turned back to the kitchen. The curt nod Vincenzo made meant something else; the waiter would be getting refreshments befitting a vampire.
Juszina turned her gaze towards Vincenzo. He met her eyes and he couldn’t help but feel as if a tiger was looking at him. For a much more common man, their will would buckle at just looking at her but Vincenzo was hardly the common man.
She smiled and complemented him and his arrangements. She showed her perfectly white teeth. “I am aware of your preferences,” he said to her as he sat back at the chair and gestured to the whole restaurant, indicating that everything she could see was tailor fit to make her more comfortable. His Italian accent was incredibly audible. Perhaps one of the things that he seemed to take pleasure from in being with vampires is in their appreciation for absolutely everything, yet Vincenzo was still extremely weary of them. She smiled, showing her teeth, yet Vincenzo knew better that behind those full and luscious lips were teeth ready to rip out her enemies and a forked tongue just ready to spread lies and rumors to gain her advantage. Well Vincenzo couldn’t frown on that too much for he too used lies and deceit to get what he wanted.
In Vincenzo’s peripheral, Vincenzo saw someone approach the two of them. It was the waiter and he was carrying a tray with a card, two cups made from Venetian glass and two pitchers
“Please Jusztina, we have refreshments for you,” he said as the waiter was finally ready to serve them. The waiter then placed one cup in front of them. He took one pitcher and poured its contents in Vincenzo’s glass. It was coffee. It wasn't long before the strong sent of Italian coffee wafted in the area. For those who thought drinking coffee at this our was absurd, for Vincenzo it was quite normal, given that some nights extend to the wee hours of the morning. Once done the waiter proceeded to the other pitcher in the tray and poured its content in Jusztina’s cup. The liquid was much more viscous. It was deep red and flowed slowly. It was blood.
“Have a cup of Joe,” said Vincenzo as he flashed a megawatt smile. He had heard of the expression cup of Joe for a while and while it meant coffee for the Americans now it meant –
The waiter took the little card from the tray, placing down in front of Juszina. It was a license which used to belong to a certain, Joe M. Williams. The operative word being used. It was a gamble on Vincenzo’s part if the vampire queen knew of this expression but given the immense age she possessed. How could she not run across the expression?
Either way, the effort would be appreciated. His men went through enough trouble finding this Joe M. Williams and he ordered not just an ordinary Joe, he needed a Joe with good looks. He knew that the vampire queen was choosy with who she consumed, nothing but the most beautiful and handsome of the bunch.
He smiled as he raised his glass to Jusztina, a toast that this meeting would go on smoothly, glad he himself possessed a handsome face and a good body and that in itself was an advantage he could use later.
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Post by Jusztina Draculesti on Jun 21, 2012 21:52:08 GMT -5
Oh how everyone was lucky she was in a surprisingly good mood! As of late, her mood swings had become more frequent with extreme highs and plummeting lows that would switch with just the wrong, or right, words slipping out of someone's mouth. To her vampires, it was perfectly normal. They were all high strung all the time so it didn't effect them seeing Jusztina, on occasion, wanting to let go of having to keep such a carefully controlled visage and just act on instinct. She smiled wickedly at Vincenzo when he said he was aware of her preferences. Despite being in such a modern time, she still loved thing to be very traditional and old fashioned. She, on most occasions, longed for the world where there were more animals, forests, nature than there were people - a world long since over developed, paved, and built upon until weeds couldn't even grow through the cracks.
As the refreshment was placed in front of her, she heard his expression. Have a cup of Joe. Of course she'd heard it before, many times. Her younger children within the coven, the more modernized ones, tended to keep her from falling too far behind on the ever changing English language; especially the slang terms. Slang was something that constantly used to get the better of her considering she'd lived through eras where English was spoken correctly; the King's English as she commonly referred to it as. The smell of coffee hit her senses but the scent of blood hit her even stronger. Her blood lust years were long gone behind her and if they hadn't been,, she would have gone mad in a room full of blood bags just sitting around waiting to be picked like ripe apples from a tree. She smiled as her eyes darted down to the card with the man's name on it and then she chuckled, taking her glass with dainty fingers and holding it up as a form of cheers to the evening.
She took the smallest of sips, feline orbs remaining firmly locked on his own. As the blood hit the back of her throat in a delicious swirl, she cocked her head to the side as if in thought, "Male, approximately twenty five years in age. A nice head of bronze curls, sharp gray eyes, double chin, plastic smile," she seemed to be able to picture him perfectly in her head, his last memories beaming through her like a vivid movie, "Never touched illegal substances but would have the occasional wine for dinner. He passed just shy of three days ago by a jealous girlfriend suffocating him in his sleep. Excellent choice!" she seemed amused by this, "Especially the revenge part. His girlfriend reminds me of someone I used to know," she was looking down at the glass thoughtfully, the tip of a finger gently running around the rim as her eyes followed it.
Of course she'd like the revenge part. She'd done the exact same thing to her husband but instead of suffocating him in his sleep, she'd bled him dry while they been in the middle of having sex. It was the only time he was ever vulnerable, too caught up in full filling his natural desire to thoroughly use up her body as a form of his own pleasure. She'd been his toy for long enough - and it had become his turn for him to become her own. Too bad she broke him on the first use. She remained silent for a few moments, looking at the glass before her eyes darted up quickly to meet Vincenzo, "Do mind dismissing your men, Mr. Stregoni?" she looked directly at him, eyes unwavering in her request, "I would prefer if we continued this meeting in absolute privacy. My own coven is outside and will not touch a hair on their heads unless I give them permission to do so," and of course, should any of her own vampires choose to ignore her command or disobey her in anyway, they knew the consequences. No trial. Automatic death - and not in the most pleasant way possible. She didn't take disobedience or betrayal very lightly. Her own past would be enough of a testimony as to why.
"What I request from you and plan on offering are very delicate in nature. I, personally, cannot afford any witnesses," despite seeming polite in her request, there was an edginess to the undertones, a venomous chord that meant if he didn't comply, she had no problem ripping off the head of the person next to her or sending her vampires swooping in and draining them dry. Yes, they feared fire but when desperate, Jusztina utilized her own fear and she knew how to stand up to it. She'd been through enough hunters chasing her and her coven, had dealt with such people time and time again. She understood perfectly well why Vincenzo had his men there. It was the same reason she had her children outside waiting patiently in the night. But privacy was absolutely necessary if this meeting was going to continue. She wanted no one to hear what she had to say. Once Vincenzo knew what she was about to tell him, he'd understand. He wasn't a stupid man.
But even with the harshness that had suddenly appeared in the belly of her voice, hidden carefully through sweetness and a seemingly polite nature, there was the tiniest hints of desperation. She actually needed this meeting to work out. She wasn't a fan of using backup plans and her current backup was not as clever as this one. They both had a common enemy and together, they could defeat said common enemy. The only difference was that one could physically harm him while the other could not. The offer would benefit them both, a win win should they make their agreement. Of course, blood would be involved in order to seal the deal and she would give him something valuable, something of her own personal possessions, as a deal breaker. Should she betray him, haivng such a possession could prove to be potentially fatal. She wasn't joking in her own desperation to get Vsevolod off her back. Protecting her coven, her children, their lives, was all she cared about at this point. Though possessing the Arc was a goal she'd wanted ever since arriving at this damned city, she was a patient woman and had the rest of eternity to gain control of it - or take it from whomever should.
She had a plan but the plan wouldn't be put into motion until he agreed. Allies were necessary in this city...even if it was with the most unexpected of enemies.
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