Eternal Night

(I) Chapter 36: A Lingering Hesitation

"I agree, but you know us – we can be resourceful if the occasion calls for it."

"And there's that de Chacier blood at work."

"How is Vivian doing, by the way? Have you heard from her at all?"

"Jacob keeps me regularly informed of her progress. The two have bonded in a bit over their experiences and she's finally starting to find her niche within the Geneva pack. She still isn't ready to discuss the details of her imprisonment, but she's a strong woman. Very resilient. It is clear she is eager to put all of that behind her."

"I'm happy to hear it."

"Jacob did mention that when they last conversed it was safe to assume that her experiences weren't nearly as bad as your own, so at least she was spared in that sense. It seems Augustine often lost interest in her and would only check in if something had gone awry upstairs, if you will."

"Her and my traumas should never even be compared, Uncle... but I am relieved that she had less associations with that monster."

"I understand that, and I'm not trying to make her suffering appear trivial by comparison; only trying to offer some consolation that things could have been far worse and we should be grateful that they were not."

"I can live with that, I suppose. How is Jacob?"

"Doing well. It was nice to spend a couple of days with him. We visited the family plot a day or two after his arrival and we had a good talk. He's doing much better now than before. I wish he and Rémy could have met before his departure, resolved their differences. Would have been good for the both of them."

"I know."

"Did you ever tell your brother that you had run into him?"

"I did and he was as expected."

"Still hasn't forgiven him, then?"

"No. Though he did say he was glad to hear that we all made it out okay, and one can only assume he meant Jacob as well, so that's a sign of improvement."

"And we'll take what we can get."

"Precisely."

"Speaking of your brother – how is that friend of his; this Vlad Leinhart I keep hearing so much about?" Armand then asked, and Frankie's posture straightened a little, eyes momentarily flashing toward the kitchen door. "Last I heard, you two were still squabbling like an old married couple."

"Is that what Rémy told you? Mon dieu! He has no idea..."

"No idea about what, my dear?"

"Uncle, I don't understand this man at all."

"Vlad or your brother?"

"Both, though in this instance, I mean Leinhart," Frankie answered, and Vlad perked up at the sound of his alias, better attuning his ears to the conversation. "I still don't quite know what to make of him."

"So you haven't uncovered all of his secrets yet? You're losing your touch, ma petite. What would Satanas say?"

Although the words had been spoken in jest, Frankie's expression narrowed in disapproval.

"He'd tell me to seduce what I want out of him, though I sincerely doubt that'd be good advice at this point."

"Why do you say that? By all accounts, he seems an excellent man – better than some of your other conquests."