undergrounds | The Fool On The Hill

Entry tags:

The Fool On The Hill

A. Cooper needed to get out more. This was quite apparent to him as word reached him of Millicent’s latest plans. Letting her vamps run wild seemed like a bad, bad idea to him. He knew a thing or two about losing control and knew none of it ever came to any good. There was no fool like an old fool. Not that Cooper would ever say such words aloud where they could get back to Miss High ‘n Mighty. He liked living, thank you very much. There was nothing to do but go for a ride. He dusted off one of his motorcycles and took off into the night.

After a few blocks, any worries he had seemed to be far away. The only one he currently had was avoiding the suicidal public, who seemed determined to walk in the middle of the road. He yelled out in annoyance at the latest person to get in his way. “Hey! Get your head outta your arse and move it!” When would he learn to keep his mouth shut? Probably never.

B. Leaving the bike behind, he hit the local pubs. It occurred to Cooper that he was a bit peckish. Seeing as how he was out of contact with his usual blood donor, he was going to need someone else to bite into. It didn’t take long for his eyes to land on someone who looked like they might be up for being used as a blood bag. He sidled on up to them and crossed his fingers there were no overzealous hunters working in this part of town.

C. Wildcard! Have an idea? Let me know here or at

light_shade

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"After going on a fae blood bender 'n then cursed into a furry bear-dog, I decided sticking my nose into other people's business wasn't the wisest decision." There was also the tendency he had of running away when things got too much for him to handle. This time, he'd only isolated himself instead of taking off for a different country.

Cooper raised his eyebrows, lifted up the shot, and gave Ringer a look. Oh well, it was her loss. He downed the next shot, a pink flush starting to spread out over his pale cheeks. He chuckled at the mention of Hillingdon's leader being a Guardinan. "Nice. Looks like they got your balls in a vice. Well, your clan's balls, not your own."

The mention of fae made him sit up a little straighter and start taking her words a little more seriously. He knew what they were capable of. It was no joking matter. "Please tell me you didn't promise t'serve one for, like, one hundred years in exchange for whatever it did to you."

Ringer's lips quirked with the hint of a smile at his explanation. Whether the sip of her drink was to hide that or simply because her throat was parched was intentionally unclear. It was a nice reminder why she had gotten along alright with the vampire in the first place.

"Not my own balls," she agreed with her usual dry humor. She was already considering supporting another faction, switching to an alliance with other shady parties that might actually allow her to make things a little better for humans. Ringer found herself oddly tempted to tell Cooper about it, like catching up with an old friend, one removed from every other situation.

At his probing questions about the fae, her expression tightened. "I didn't promise anyone anything. My words may have been misinterpreted." A beat. "Only two other people know."

A silent request not to make the information common knowledge. Ringer knew that having the abilities made her a bigger threat. Where before she was dismissed as a lowly human, now she had the potential to actually fight or interfere. She wasn't sure if that made things more or less dangerous.

"Wonder how long that'll last. Most factions seem like they'll only let their leaders have so much independence before they're done with it." He made him think of how power-mad Millicent seemed to have gotten over the past few months. She was making a lot of mistakes, most of which Cooper didn't approve of. Not that he'd say anything out loud. It was better to be alive then to have her wrath turned on him.

"Sounds t'me like you got off lucky. Most people end up with a curse they can't escape if a fae misinterprets their words. Man asks to be rich 'n his son dies so he can get his life insurance. Things like that." He'd keep her confidence. Cooper wasn't the type to go around gossiping and blabbing to people just for the hell of it. "Least it seems t'have turned out alright for you. Turned you into a superhero."

"Hillingdon's too splintered to replace him. It would risk the animosity of the Council too, which includes Redbright, Daybreak, and Islington by extension. Why would an outcast risk it?" It was one of the rare moments of actual candor from Ringer in what felt like months. Faolan was too easily wounded, James too manipulative, Annie too certain in her alliances. Ringer couldn't help but feel like everyone needed filtering, even if she was bad at handling them or being social in the way most people were.

At the latter, she shook her head. She wasn't sure she could explain how important her humanity was to her and how that had been taken away from her, her body violated and twisted against her in a way. Especially to a vampire. But there was another concern, one she hadn't shared with anyone before, that she felt he might understand. "I think I owe them a favor."

"So you're just content with being told what to do by a leader who might be compromised? Maybe this just comes from me being an old rebel, but that doesn't sit right with me." Going all the way back to even before his death, Cooper had always had a problem with authority that had too much power in his eyes. Of course, he'd died rebelling against the British, so that hadn't exactly worked out well for him.

Cooper signaled the bartender again, ordering a beer this time. His healing factor meant it took quite a bit more than it would for a human of his size to end up getting buzzed. He spoke as he waited for it to arrive. "That's something that could come back to bite you in the arse. But there's no sense worryin' about it till it actually happens. Could be it'll take 'em twenty years to remember there's a girl that owes them something."

"No, I'm not." Ringer wasn't anti-authority by any means. Her priority was finding the best authority she could to ensure first her own survival and then the survival of humanity in general. Cooper could easily infer from the sentiment that she had something planned, but she had no desire to clarify or elaborate.

To the latter, she gave a small nod. The risk ate away at her, but Cooper was right. If she couldn't do anything to change it, there was no use in worrying about it, only planning for it. Ringer made a mental note to start training harder and more often. "I hope you're right."

Another chip, another sip of her drink. "What are you going to do? Being unhappy as you are with your own faction."

"You're a smart kid. Sounds t'me like you've already got something up your sleeve." How he'd gotten that out of Ringer's few words was anyone's guess. Cooper had spent a lot of time among humanity, and sometimes, what they told him was just as important as what they didn't.

He grimaced at the mention of Islington. It weighed on the vampire, being unhappy with the current going-on in his nest. "Stick with them. Just 'cause I don't like what's going doesn't mean I up 'n leave when the going gets tough. Maybe I can change things from the inside. I dunno." He'd been a lot better at running things in his last nest. Second-in-command was a position that allowed for a lot of power for him to wield. Then again, that had been a much smaller nest and had been some time ago too.

"You'll be the first to know," she replied lightly, as much teasing as sincere. It wasn't like she would actually make an effort to make him aware of it, but there was no reason to hide it from him either, if her plans worked out. And she had a feeling she'd be seeing more of him again, now that he was back.

At the latter, she nodded idly. It was a nice thought, the idea of loyalty being rewarded by some great karma, as if simply sticking around would reap some positive benefit. Ringer had tried to change Hillingdon every way she knew how, short of trying to take over herself. Which she definitely did not want to do. She could see Cooper doing better on that front though. "I'll help if I can."

"I'd better be. I'm a nosy fella that way." An aspect of his personality that he could sometimes have lived without. It was all good and well for him to keeping poking into things that were none of his business all the way up to the point where it bit him right in the butt. Still, there was little chance of harm coming to him if Ringer kept him in the loop.

"Not much you can do right now. Maybe later, if things start to change." Strange to think that he now considered a hunter to be among one of his allies and friends. Well, the world he lived in was a strange place. No doubt the time would come when he was glad to have Ringer on his side. With the way things were going among the vampires, it was bound to come to a head sooner rather than later.

Her lips twitched with a hint of amusement, at the idea of her confiding in the vampire. Even as she was actually confiding in him, to some extent.

At the latter, she gave a small nod and took more of her drink. If she joined East End, helping Cooper might be hard. But James had said he'd work with who he needed to get what he needed. Maybe her alliance with Cooper could be beneficial to both sides. It would have to be. "I'm sure you'll tell me."

Another thought occurred to her and she paused, turning to look at him. "Do you know Eames? He's a Lord, with the Unseelie."

"I will." The vampire was not the quiet type to anyone that knew him even a little bit. But he knew how to keep things close to the chest when it came to political aspects. The minute he was to let anything slip about who he favored or which way he thought the wind was blowing, that's when everything would change and blow up in his face. No, it was far better to be non-committal and strike when the time was right, surprising everyone.

Cooper grimaced at the mention of Eames. Unbeknownst to the vampire, he had indeed already met the Unseelie fae. Not that he had figured it out yet. Being unable to tell one supernatural type from another was one of Cooper's failings. "No 'n I don't intend to if I can help it. I've sworn off gettin' involved with fae if I can help it."

"They seem to be a source of trouble," she replied idly, thinking of her limited interactions with Finnick and Eames and all the unnecessary drama to come from both. Even if, begrudgingly, Eames still intrigued her more than she'd admit to. With a hint of teasing, she added, "Not unlikes vampires."

Ringer enjoyed their banter. Cooper made it easy to forget that the person she was talking to could snap her neck in a heartbeat, even if she never entirely forgot what he was.

"This is true. However, unlike fae, we don't turn people into animals when we get mad at them." Cooper was going to be holding a grudge against the particular group of faeries who had turned him into a fuzzy bear-dog for at least the next one hundred years. "Also, we're much more handsome." He grinned impishly. There was a reason the vampires' well-known vanity was a cliché.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Fool On The Hill

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

back from hiatus, feel free to handwave if you prefer

Re: back from hiatus, feel free to handwave if you prefer