North American Vampire Council & Past Calling (Hypernaturals 12 & 13)

Homicide Later

As the evening progressed, and Helen worked the room even as she remained close in, near to our table, I watched Vera with special interest. Several times, Helen pulled Vera over to her, and they chatted up people. Liaison and CouncilCritter with their sex appeal set on 'kill'.

I saw 'mentor and student' there.

I saw Vera more than willing to learn from the master.

The Succubus and the perfectly carved Cameo. Two versions of feminine power that together are captivating whoever they talk to.

I never really thought of Vera as a political person. I realized that when she had to be, she worked the sisterhood of the Sirens, behind the scenes, to get us the help we needed in multiple situations. Then I realized that the entire time I have known her, I have known what is essentially a Siren juvenile. When I was a human and dating her, she was always a female Siren, adrift because she did not know who she was.

I watched the former Siren, now insatiable Vampire and the ancient, but actually still young for a Vampire, woman, and realized that Vera did not only start the second act of her life by injecting herself with the Vampire serum. She was driving a stake into the ground about her determination to be a new version of herself in so many other ways.

Seeing Helen's acceptance of that change, and of Vera into the family in the overt symbol of the necklace but also in the actions: taking her under her wing, made me realize I have work to do on me. The eternal project. I still hate this life. I did not get to choose it the way Vera did. It's not horrible in the sense of being as life-ending as it felt like and I can damn well change this fucking world from the inside. Hell: I am standing here half-naked doing it now.

That's the lesson from Helen: She has always worked from the inside. Now she is mentoring her new VampireSirenSuccubus protege. Helen was always mad at Vera, ostensibly about me. Now I think that perhaps there is another layer to that. Helen was mad because she saw wasted potential? Maybe some odd version of her own younger self? Not completely. Helen was born royalty and Vera was born Siren and raised human. Yet they both do have that restless thing. The endless energy to drive forward. The bed full of lovers. Vera's are mostly men and Helen's had a lot more women spill out of the sheets down the centuries, but even now: Helen has that drive. One is never enough for her. And there is that Jessica is to Helen as Angel is to Vera.

Interesting.

Not everyone is in their element. Morgan continued to be uncomfortable in her outfit, and Angel saw that and tended to interpose herself from time to time. So Angel.

Jessica stayed on full wattage and burned to a crisp anyone she wanted to. It is hard to imagine a time when she was considered unattractive. No one here felt that way for sure. I think Gaia could make a straight woman take a walk on the other side of the gender preference street. Oh. Wait. She did. Morgan.

I had a suspicion bubble up. Jessica got a 'wild hair', and turned a political night from Hell into a political tour de force, cementing both Helen and my reputations in the community and on Council. I am not sure this is a wild hair any more. I think this is our heart doing the thing she does and healing us.

Watching Helen in full Helen-mode, it went way beyond healing what happened and all my darkness and drama behind it. It pulled Vera in as well. Jessica is healed too. Her moment of self-doubt turned into electrifying everyone around her.

She even got Morgan to wear that outfit. That might be the greatest miracle of all, except that I felt bad for Morgan and wished she had just come as herself.

On the other hand, then she would have missed out on the fun things, and Jessica probably nailed it when she told Morgan to talk a walk on her wild side.