undergrounds | it's pretty dirty business- August 9th [closed]

Nancy had let Cesare down. It was a shame, really. He had rather liked her.

Perhaps it was partially his own fault: he had been too amiable with her, he had been kind, he had accidentally allowed her to think that certain behavior was appropriate when it wasn't. He would put an end to that, for certain.

He's at his desk, writing out important letters when she walks in (you can take the man away from the Renaissance but you can't take the Renaissance away from the man). He looks up briefly from his papers to see who it is, his gaze cold, before returning to his work.

"Yes, Ms. Fagin?"

Good luck getting anything other than calm, distant professionalism, Nancy.

Nancy's smile falters almost immediately. Alright, so he was still upset. Fair enough. But that wasn't going to stop her from speaking her mind.

"I was hoping to speak with you about the other night." She takes a seat across from him unbidden, crossing her legs at the knee. She angles herself towards Cesare, her hair pulled back away from her pale neck. She knows what she's doing physically, even if her words are sure to be lacking."And I wanted to apologize for what happened." Not that she was exactly sure why she was apologizing.

"Cooper's the jealous sort, and he didn't come looking to start any fights." He'd wanted to protect her. To stick up for the woman he loved when she was being insulted, never mind if it was true or not. You couldn't get mad at something for that sort of thing, she'd tried.

Though, the date being called a professional courtesy remained a sore spot. "He was trying to stick up for me, and I'm terribly sorry." She hung her head slightly, meek.

In his eyes, Nancy has entirely missed the point. It's not that Cooper had acted so poorly (Cesare will sort him out later), but the fact that Nancy was in that situation in the first place. She had paraded herself in his establishment in an exceedingly unprofessional way. If she wants to act as if she doesn't value her job or take pride in her professionalism, he is happy to treat her as such.

He's about to speak when there's a knock on the door and in walks a brunette teetering on platform heels. She apologizes for being late and promptly sits herself neatly on Cesare's lap. He smiles at the girl and absent-mindedly traces his thumb up her neck before looking back at Nancy.

"I appreciate that. Is that all?"

Nancy can try to make herself as appealing to Cesare as she wants, but if she's happy to show that their professional dynamic isn't important, then he's happy to do the same. There have always been other girls. He's just tried not to parade them in front of her. Now there's no space for such courtesies.

At least she wasn't a blonde.

Nancy sets her jaw as she watches the interaction between the two of them. Whomever this girl was- she'd never seen her, actually. That really was all, actually, but she'd been hoping for a discussion of sorts. They could apologize, and go back to the way things were.

"Well, I was going to offer a show of good-will, but I see you've already been taken care of." There's a little bit of indigence in her voice. She knew she wasn't the only girl he was with- but she deserved an excuse, at least.

Of course, it was probably her fault for not calling ahead and making sure he wasn't busy.

Cesare smiles, more out of politeness than genuine warmth. It's the expression of oh, that's sweet and a nice thought, but you're misunderstanding.

"Ms. Fagin, Nancy, I don't need any offerings. But thank you."

For Cesare at least, there is little opportunity for the two of them to go back to how they were. This is past Cesare being petty and attempting to punish her for her misdeeds. Whether deliberate or not, Nancy has changed how she's perceived, at least by Cesare if not every other client at that party. It's one thing to be off duty. It's another to visit your workplace and insult your patrons while you're there.

"I could tell." She swallows, her lips pressed into a thin line.

She has no clue, yet, how much her actions have rippled outward, how her business will be effected. But she will, and then perhaps she'll learn and apologize properly. But for now.

"I believe you owe me an apology as well, Cesare." He'd called her a whore, insulted her to her face. She was pretty certain she was owed one.

For a second, Cesare is genuinely baffled. His eyebrows lift in surprise as he tries to comprehend exactly what she's just said to him. Does she truly believe that? Does she honestly think he should even consider apologizing when she was the one with such atrocious behavior?

He turns to the girl on his lap and tells her to leave. She does so, giving Nancy a look as she saunters past. Cesare waits for the door to close before he speaks again. He tries to stay calm with her, but he's losing it a little.

"You come uninvited to my event, support your beau in insulting me and accusing me of the most heinous acts, then come into my office, wasting my time and demand that I apologize?"

Her jaw actually drops.

"What?" Was that what he really thought? "What he said to you was awful, I don't support that at all! He was the one that invited me, as an Earl. So you can't say I wasn't invited. Unless you're simply upset that I wasn't there as your guest."

She crosses her arms, no longer trying to look enticing.

"You called me a whore, Cesare. When you said it yourself, everyone already knew who and what I was. There was no need to stay it in those terms."

The suggestion of him wanting her as his guest instead makes him laugh. It's a shaky, anger-ridden laugh, mixed with a sigh. The kind of sound that suggests he can't quite believe Nancy has that and it's really bothering him.

So as soon as she starts explaining what upset her, he is far from sympathetic.

"What would you have rather I said, Nancy? Harlot? Strumpet? The girl who's been fucked by most of the people in this room? Or would you have rathered the girl so cheap she'll give herself away as "a show of good will"?

Nancy purses her lips, pushing herself up to standing. She's got a few more inches of height, wearing the high heeled boots she is, though Cesare still cuts an imposing figure. And he can throw a truck.

"At least people seem to want my company." Bad enough to pay for it. "What did I do, Cesare, that's so bloody awful to you? I went on a date!" She gestures at the air between them.

When Nancy stands, Cesare instinctively leans back in his chair, a subconscious act of opposition. If she wants to know, he'll tell her. He places his hand on the arm of the chair, getting comfortable.

"You shouldn't have been there but instead you paraded yourself, embarrassing yourself and my hotel in the process. What kind of message do you think you were giving off to every person at that party? You all have to pay, but this guy, this one dreadful, mess of a man, is better than all of you. This guy I'll happily tell everyone I fuck for free. You can fuck who you want, Nancy. But keep it private. You should know better than that."

"I-" her mouth has gone dry as she looks at Cesare. She hadn't thought about it that way at all, and it showed on her face. Slowly, she sat back down in the chair.

"You know that wasn't my intention." She didn't want to embarrass anyone. Cooper had been proud of her. The way he looked at her that night had been absolutely astounding, the way he went soft around his eyes and mouth.

"He's not a mess." Because she couldn't just let him insult her boyfriend like that. "He's a good person. I came because I wanted to have a good night with him, because he asked me." She just hadn't thought it through.

"You should have thought more about the consequences," he says, pulling no punches. He's not the type to be soft on people in the hopes of protecting them. He would rather be honest and have a person learn instead. He is not the type to coddle.

Now it's Cesare's turn to stand up and he moves over to his window, looking out of it and on to the London streets.

"I would be careful with Cooper, Nancy." Cesare has seen enough bad men in his time to know that good intentions do not alone make a person good. "We both know he has a temper..."

"I won't do something like that again." She is very nearly pleading with him as she looks up at him. When he stands, she shrinks beneath his gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you or the hotel." She values his patronage. and having the Angelo as a place to come.

His advice about Cooper gives her pause. "He won't hurt me, if that's what you're afraid of." She thought he would have, once. But now, she knew him better. He wouldn't raise a hand against her.

"No one ever thinks that someone they care about can hurt them." He knows that painfully well. "I am sure even Cooper himself thinks he's no threat to you, but he lacks control." Cesare himself lacks such control on occasion, but nowhere near Cooper's extent. Cesare is the type to let ambition slowly control him and make him do things that he would never have thought to do otherwise, betray family members, murder those he thought untouchable and lose those he loved. His type of lack of control is more insidious. Cooper's is far more apparent and volatile.

"Does he drink from you?" Cesare is totally fine with asking personal or difficult questions, particularly when he's normally paying the person.

Nancy pauses, unsure how to answer the question. He'd just been telling her to fuck who she wanted, but do it privately. Now he was asking if Cooper fed from her. Why was he asking, why was he caring? If he thought she was just some cheap whore...

She kind of wanted to just look at him because really of course he did.

"Yes," she says. That was what started their relationship. Though, they'd met when he nearly killed her. She won't mention that to Cesare right now. "He can't control my mind." She had the charm on her necklace, making sure that remained a true statement.

Cesare laughs, low in the back of his throat and rolls his eyes. Sometimes he's astounded by truly how humans can be. Or maybe it was just Nancy, young, wide-eyed, trusting Nancy. He turns towards her and takes a couple steps forward.

"You honestly believe that would stop him from hurting you? You truly believe that when he's that close to you, he can't merely pull it from your neck? I am sorry to say this, Nancy, but any feeling of safety you have around vampires is mostly them just being courteous." There's almost nothing, in his view, stopping the majority of them from draining her out on a whim or if their urges became too great. Cooper is no exception and the fact that she would allow someone so capricious to feed on her does concern him, for her sake.

"There isn't anything that would bring him to that point," she says, watching him move towards her. She remains seated, keeping her eyes on him. He'd had the opportunity before, to drain her dry. But she'd outsmarted him, using their friendship against him.

But then there was someone like Kenzi. Kenzi who had attacked her, and only a few months old would have completely drained her if it hadn't been for Natasha, their friendship be damned.

Cooper was old enough, though. "I'm more to him than just a meal. He wouldn't do that." She'd been lucky, in her dealings with vampires, for the most part. But with Raymond in charge, she wasn't sure how much longer that would hold up.

"You don't know that. He doesn't event know that. You're giving vampires far more credit than they deserve." A vampire's thirst for blood is something incredible, almost euphoric when sated. Losing control can happen with incredible ease, even for the most practiced.

"Do you know how many people I have killed? Do you know how many people he has killed? Have you asked him? Why don't you just date a nice human boy who you can have lazy mornings and have picnics in the park with?" It's half joking but there's some truth in it too. Things would be far easier if Nancy simply didn't date the supernatural. At least her personal life would be easier, if not her professional.

"No." She says it quickly, because there are things you don't ask vampires. One of them is how old they actually are. The other is if they've killed people, and if so, how many. She doesn't doubt that both Cooper and Cesare have killed in the past. She doesn't doubt that they'll both do it again. Not with the way politics have been playing out in their city.

He may be joking, but Nancy gives him a look. "We've already had our lazy mornings and picnics in the park." Seriously, one of their first dates was a sunlit picnic. Helped, when she'd given him his daylight ring. Watching him soak up the sun for the first time in over two hundred years had been awing. Another reason why she loved him.

"Besides, I don't know any nice human boys." Where the hell did you meet them? She knew two humans right now- Kyle, but he wasn't someone she could date, and Arthur. And she would totally date Arthur. "And even if I did, what are the chances of them understanding any of this?" She gestures.

Not to mention, human boys her own age were the worst.

Cesare scoffs slightly and rolls his eyes.

"Cooper can't even understand and cope with what you do. How would a human boy be any different in that regard? The only difference would be that your relationship might be good for you instead of whatever septic relationship you've managed to form."

Cesare's aware of how ridiculous it is that he's the one trying to give relationship advice. He himself hasn't properly dated anyone in hundreds of years, but he knows what a good relationship is, and Nancy's doesn't look like it.

And he's not pretending that his liaisons with Nancy are exactly healthy either. But at least he gives good advice.

Nancy crosses her arms again, and gives Cesare a look. How rude, to insult her relationship when it was perfectly healthy. Why everyone kept worrying about her relationship, what's what she wanted to know. So what if she was a prostitute witch and he was a 200-year-old vampire stuck in the body of a seventeen-year-old? Weirder things had worked out.

"Cooper understands and copes perfectly well, thank you very much." Her words are clipped. "And our relationship is hardly toxic. You spoke with the two of us together exactly once. What are you even on about?"

Please, if you're going to give her advice, at least have some evidence, too.

Ok. So we're back to this again. Cesare has the right mind to remind Nancy exactly who she's talking to, but for now he'll humor her. She's hurt. She's upset, and it's in these moments that he realises how young Nancy actually is.

"He tried to fight me for referring to your line of work. You're right. He's coping with it all beautifully." Not only was it astonishingly belligerent, it was also a deathwish. Foolish on both counts. Cesare doesn't exactly have the most faith in Cooper at this point.

Okay, yeah, good point.

She presses her lips together and gives him a very pointed look. "Because you called me a whore. We try to keep that part of my life out of our relationship." Which was really, really hard when she was, indeed, a prostitute. So they didn't talk about it, and everyone was better off for it.

...Right?

"Did I lie?" He looks at her point blank, an unimpressed look on his face. He's the type to be blunt and honest, not the type to tiptoe around issues to spare people's feelings.

"I wouldn't take it so personally. Everyone's a whore for something." What is it for Cesare? Money certainly isn't a problem for him. But acknowledgement? Fame? Power? Whatever happens to him in this world, Cesare wants to make a mark on it, and he'll do whatever he can to manage it. If that means selling himself out on occasion then so be it.

"I take offense at the term." Anything but that word, seriously.

She wrinkles her nose. "He knows that word bothers me, and he can't exactly stand by and let someone insult me to my face." He'd said as much. "But I apologize for him all the same. He didn't come to start a fight, and he's sorry it happened. I am, as well." Now accept her apology, please and they can get on with this.

Cesare doesn't for one second believe that Cooper feels bad for his behaviour. Cooper is an idiot but he's an idiot who sticks to his guns, Cesare will give him that. So when Nancy mentions that Cooper's sorry it happened, Cesare rolls his eyes. Does Cooper even know she's here right now?

"Then call him for me." Cesare likes Nancy, but he doesn't like lying. In his eyes, she's lying straight to his face, and Cesare intends on calling her bluff on it.

"Call Cooper and we'll talk to him together."

Nancy stops. "What?" She asks, blinking. "No- he's sleeping." It was early enough that that was a very real possibility. Truthfully, Cooper would be furious if he knew she was here. So she was going to avoid telling him at all costs.

"I'd rather not bother him, he was up late last night, and his sleeping schedule is messed up, since he got his ring." Neither of them had normal sleeping schedules, for very clear reasons.

Cesare doesn't let Nancy's excuses phase him. They're clearly hollow, so he just politely moves around them. He won't call her up on avoiding calling Cooper just yet. Instead he'll let it simmer and let her fret further.

"What time does he wake up? We can wait, can't we? I'm sure we could figure out something to pass the time. Have you eaten yet? I can have something sent over." His tone is polite. Not quite friendly, but nonetheless cordial. He's not giving her any wiggle room here.

"I always try to eat before work," she says, waving the idea of food away. If you're going to give a few pints of blood, you needed to eat. Even with the use of blood replenishers. Not to mention, the energy was certainly going to be wanted.

She's just not going to address calling him.

Sorry, Nancy. Cesare doesn't give up quite so easily.

"Ok, then. How much time do you think we have until he wakes up?"

Truly, she shouldn't have started making excuses. She should have told him as soon as he suggested they call Cooper. Now Cesare is fully content making her sweat as much as possible. This is what happens when you lie to people.

Nancy's natural response is to make excuses, no matter what. She's a born and raised liar, and telling the truth, no matter how benign, is hard.

"Oh, I don't know," she drawls. "It's always hard to tell. For all I know, we could be here all night." She had places to go, money to make. "I can have him call you."

"I have all night." After all, as a vampire, time isn't exactly against him. He sits down at his desk and pulls out his checkbook. At least he'll pay her for her time.

"How long does someone sleep for? If he fell asleep an hour ago, how much time do we need? Eight? Nine hours?" Sorry, Nancy. There is seriously no way of escaping from this.

Nancy purses her lips. Well, there goes that plan.

"I've got an appointment in two hours," she reasons, giving it one last go.

Cesare shrugs. No big deal.

"I'll pay double." He deliberately avoids elaborating or giving her any other options. He doesn't want to give her any vague opportunity to twist out of this situation and find another excuse. He's close to catching her. He doesn't want to let her get away.

Nancy laughs. "He's extremely important. I can't just cancel on him. In the spirit of confidentiality, I'm sure you don't mind me not mentioning his name. After all, as you've said, I've slept with half the vampires in the city." So back. off., Cesare.

And there's another line that Cesare doesn't believe either. Quite frankly, whoever this fictional person is, they're not as important as him. She can be sleeping with the damn queen, for all he cares. When it comes down to it, he feels that he's the most important out there for her business. If he blacklisted her, things would become incredibly difficult for her indeed.

So he just looks at Nancy for a second, stonefaced, then reiterates his point.

"Let's call Cooper, Nancy."

She's caught, completely. There's nothing she can say to him at this point to get around it.

There's a beat, the air in his office feeling particularly stale.

She looks to the side, lowering her gaze, a faint blush painting her features that she hadn't carefully painted on just an hour before. "He doesn't know I'm here," she mutters into her lap.

That's what Cesare had been waiting to hear. He nods and closes his checkbook, busying himself with his work again.

"Thank you. Don't lie to me again. You can go now."

He's put her under enough stress for now. Now that he's got what he's wanted, he's happy to let her go. Does he forgive her for her previous behavior, at the night of his gala? Not exactly. But that can be saved for another time.

Nancy stands, keeping her head down.

"I'm sorry," she tells him again. Because she is, but really only because she got caught. What else did you expect with a girl like her?

"Thank you, Cesare." Should she curtsey? Honestly, she feels like she should. Instead, she backs out of the room, feeling far smaller than she had when she first arrived.

it's pretty dirty business- August 9th [closed]

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