Raoul - Conversation with Papa Rose 11-30-11

 Pale, sallow fogs creep out of the treeline, crawling across the marshy grass and around the big stone that Raoul has chosen for his throne.  Sounds are distant, muffled, quiet; as if the fog was swallowing up the sound.  Something lived here, but what is could be Raoul wasn't certain.  The ground was oddly free of animal signs, just weak, dead grasses and overgrown strangely thriving weeds.  The eyes come only after a short while, the glistening stones set in impassible, wooden faces.  they stop at the woodline and simply wait.  A short while later Sallow, dressed as a farmer, steps out of the woods, walking slowly, carefully.

"Ohh, anudder veezit.  So soon.  Trouble?"

His voice is loud, ringing out over the swirling mists that obscure his certainly naked bare feet.  The thick, wet squelching sound that heralds each step remains muted and lifeless and distant.  He climbs the rise to the stone slowly, nods and smiles slightly in that quizzical way that most closely resembles a canine.

"I hear you deed gud.  No trouble.  So wot happen?"

"I caused no trouble and I'm not in trouble right now."  Raoul responded and stood up to greet his sire.  The atmosphere he was standing in was unnerving and made him feel off balance.  It put him slightly on his guard 

"I was called weak by the Sheriff, Eniar, when I wouldn't fight.  He is so consumed by his Beast, he knows nothing else but his claws and bloodlust.  Certainly he has no idea about self control."  For a moment Raoul smiled imaging what might happen next time Eniar saw fit to insult him.
 

Sallow laughs, a choking, explosive sound.  "Ha, Einar, he is fool.  Mad one.  A hunter.  Change out of spite an hate.  No love, no hope.  Tat one is no gud.  Careful roun heem, killa."

"Money seems to be how they communicate around here."  Raoul continued undeterred.  "I was paid $20,000 to keep quiet after my property was damaged.  I used the money to buy a truck and drive other cats out before they could be gassed.  That doctor, Lord, or whatever, Evengii, keeps trying to offer me deals with money and otherwise.  If he does me a small favour now, he'll ask me an unnamed favour from me at a later date.  How much of a fool he must think I am."   

Raoul felt the need to pace as relayed these things but somehow he didn't quite dare too.  "All these rules and customs they have.  I don't understand them at all.  Acknowledged?  As if I'm not Kindred until one guy says I am.  They sit around and talk nonsense about politics and then brag about burning down a church.  It's as if they try to be human but at the same time they revel in their inhumanity."    

Sallow follows along, frowning mostly, occasionally nodding his head slightly.  His eyes watch Raoul closely for a long time, studying, as if looking for something else or watching for some details he cannot immediately see.

"Gud.  Ver gud.  Trouble not wort much."  Sallow doesn't seem to mind the fog and the foulness, he seems at home here.  His skin nearly matches the sickly fog and he seems to fit in, as if the land had adapted itself to him rather than the other way around.

Nodding, sallow seems to concur about Evengii.  "Yea.  Colburn, Evengii, Doctor, professor, Lord, whatever he calls his self, he is no gud.  Mad.  Ver sick.  He is dead inside.  He keel everyting he touch.  Tinks he know sometin.  Einar, hes dangerous, Colburn, he'll juss get you dead.  Don deal wit heem.  Stay clear.  Like a wild dog wit te froth, nuthin anyone can do for 'im now but put 'em down.  You be careful."

He nods slowly and sighs.  "Oh tey plenty human.  Human is sick.  Humans is monster, juss like vampyrie.  Juss differen.  Ain no one gud in te worl, juss differen kines of bad.  Tey like te politic an te lies roun ere though.  Human an vampyrie alike.  You git use te it.  It is sad really, tey is bored, ain't got nuthin so tey juss play games te whole time.  Foolish.  Dangerous games toe.  Be real careful.  Toes politic git you keel juss as fass as any gator, be careful."

 

Raoul nodded in agreement as Papa Rose addressed him.  "Yet still they are fascinating to me.  I can be alive inside while they are all dead.  I will be careful, they are to observe only." 

For a moment Raoul looked around and then back to his sire.  "Is there anything you would have me do?  Besides behave and be careful?"  

Sallow chuckles softly and shakes his head in the negative.  "Enjoy your self if'n you can.  Is not so easy some time.  Try te fit in, fine a home if'n you can.  Fine frienz.  Dunno.  Work, research, learn.  I spen mose of my time juss tryin te stay away from it all.  Te fine ma truth.  We'll see.  Is not so easy, not so hard, sometimes make mistake.  He pauses thinks for a moment, his head tilting to the side.  "You do you an you will be alrigh.  Juss be straight, be careful, stay out of trouble.  Is all gud.  Yea?"

 

Raoul shrugged and smiled and then stretched.  "Oui tres bien.  If I'm not happy or if it doesn't go right, I'll go back to the forest.  I did save over thousand cats so that's my good deed for the year."

He nodded and than made to step away.  "Thank you Father,  I'll see you around and Mae as well."

 

A cold laugh.  "Maybe you will, maybe not.  Mae ver gud at hidin.  But we'll be ere if nowhere else.  Tis is not our city.  We juss live ere.  Heh.  Good ting, savin te cats.  Dunno why tey have so many problems.  Ver sad.  Oh well.  Worl moves on."  He smiles and slips back into the water.  "Be careful.  Keep an eye out fer yer sista.  Beware te Romans.  Take it slow.  Ain't no hurries.  Only ting we've got is time!"  He laughs.