undergrounds | 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.

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"Seventy-eight, huh?" He echoes the words, his face turning thoughtful once more. Cooper's thinking of days long since passed, the middle part of the nineteenth century when he was a young, vicious vampire. "You're doing better'n I was at the same age. I didn't really get my act together till I was over one-hundred."

Even then, he couldn't claim any credit. If he hadn't found Stefan, the man who had become the closest thing to a sire the young vampire had ever known, Cooper didn't know where he would have ended up. Probably dead or in a far worse state then what he had eventually become.

Natasha couldn't claim the credit either. At this point, she didn't know that there was anything to take the credit for. She's only been trying this a few months, and it hadn't entirely been here own idea. Maybe she would have gotten here eventually on her own—or maybe she'd give this up by winter. Either way seemed equally like.

"I'll take your word for it," she says, not about to make an argument out of it. "I'm not sure I'd call this having my act together."

"You didn't immediately jump on that guy back there the moment you smelt blood," Cooper remarks. " 'N you didn't immediately attack me like some self-righteous types would do. You're walkin' a narrow tightrope, but you're doing a good job of it." The problem, Cooper reflects as soon as he makes the analogy, with tightropes is that it is easy to lose one's balance.

"I'm not so young that I can't control myself at all." And her sire hadn't cared much for human life, not in retrospect, but he'd valued discipline.

"And I don't have much room to be self-righteous."

She feels the problem that's implied in his metaphor. It seems like it would be very easy to slip.

"Not one much for giving yerself credit now, are you?" Granted, he's just met Natasha, so for all he knows she kicks puppies and eats babies in her spare time. Well, only she can truly know what she is in the dark. Cooper can only make an educated guess.

"When you say it like that, it kind of puts me in a corner doesn't it?" she says lightly, joking—dismissing the question without actually answering it. "If I agree then I'm bragging. If I disagree then I'm proving you right."

"Let's just say you disagree then, 'cause I'm always right." He'll joke right along with her, a sign that the barrage of questions he's directed towards her is finished. Cooper has his measure of the young vampire. Fortunately, he likes her, which seems to be more and more a rarity these days.

"Well, if you're always right," Natasha says, shrugging it off. She's willing to surrender that, especially if it's just a joke. Not only would she rather not make enemies... she doesn't really dislike him.

More than that will have to come with time. He's older, more powerful and better connected. All things that keep her cautious.

The Fool On The Hill

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