Thomas just assumed that Cesare was being formal, which was probably for the best. If he'd known that Cesare's choice of words came from an impulse that was in any way derived from a desire to refer to him as something like 'Lord Raith', he'd have been slightly disturbed by it. After all, that was what his sire went by, and the relationship between them was complicated at best.

Still, even thinking it was just formality, Thomas saw little need for it. "You can call me Thomas. Most people do. And whether I like change or not depends entirely on what those changes are. I'm not a fan of dealing with retaliation."

Which if they went too crazy was exactly what they'd have.

"But who knows, maybe you're right."

Maybe the new leader being so young and reckless would give them a chance to get a better leader in place to take over. At least, young by most vampires' standards, as it still seemed strange to Thomas that someone over a hundred years old would be considered young. Still, the fact that there were meant that many vampires might be quick to fall behind someone better.