[Ariyah – Lady Washington – The Stores – BoL – Fame 2 – A]
“Why would I want to do that? It’d only cause more trouble and arouse suspicion. I like my morgue, my sire’s morgue… he left it to me to maintain and care for, I won’t go back on my promise to him by doing such things.”
Ariyah could hear the bite in Yuri’s voice when he said he wouldn’t kill and she let the matter drop. She was more interested in his thoughts on kindness and what Kindred wanted. But Ariyah needed a drink before she could tackle that topic. She wondered whether Yuri realised that he was speaking to her without stumbling over his words.
Out loud, she agreed to Yuri’s suggestion of him snagging a table while she went to the bar.
She was hoping for more of the same vintage as what she’d tasted at the Toreador party. But when she asked the bartender, they only shook their head. Sighing, Ariyah ordered a glass of red wine – she could always regurgitate it later.
Taking the proffered glass – finally, a proper wine glass, not some plastic cup – Ariyah scans the room to see if Yuri has managed to find a table.
When she gets to Yuri’s table, Ariyah takes her coat off to drape it over the back of the chair and sits down. She takes a look at the box that Yuri had been holding to the entire night and asks, “I didn’t notice it earlier, but what is that?”