Patience is a virtue

The wide central hallway's quiet was broken by the loud crash of one set of interior doors being flung open as the room's only other occupant stormed out of the library. Chandra's tall stilletto heels clicked sharply on the old polished pine planks as her long strides carried her away. The vampire's hands clenched and fists flailed helplessly at her side as she fumed. Auburn curls swung about her shoulders as her chin snapped up and her teeth clenched. Her feet skidded several inches as she stopped short before spinning around and marching back into the room.

Inside the library an elegantly dressed gentleman in perhaps his late 40's or 50's sat at a large carved mahogany desk carefully reviewing stacks of papers with a calm, relaxed demeanor. The heavy doors crashing, the echo of his childe leaving the room, nothing had taken his eyes off of his work as he methodically reviewed each report before signing and approving it. Outside the open french doors beside him an ancient oak tree rustled in a soft warm summer breeze. Every sound and movement registered to the ancient Anantya but he was not disturbed.

The doors crashed again but this time closed as his favorite, and probably far too spoiled, daughter thundered back in to glare at him again. Chandra huffed and shifted her weight, her long red nails drumming rapidly on the far side of his desk. Her icy blue eyes seemed to glow from within as she watched him carefully signing his name with the old fashioned fountain pen. Each scratch and scrape of the paper grated on her and she screeched a bit as she turned to flop very ungracefully into a tall leather wingback chair. The position had the bindings of her latex corset biting painfully into her sides but she ignored it for the moment as her leather encased legs swung over the arm to kick and swing.

Grey eyes slowly raised to look across the desk at her and his lips pursed. He'd coddled and indulged his protege at every turn so little fits like this when she was denied were not uncommon but they were tiresome and took up valuable time. Over three decades and not a single drop of patience had been learned by this one. he carefully returned the pen to its stand and leaned back in his chair with a loud creak.

Chandra stared upwards at the old plaster ceiling as she raged inside. Something was going to get broken, soon. Last night she'd tried being meek and agreeable. The night before that she'd brought something soft and succulently young for his dinner. Each night for months she had tried different tactics... without success. The loud noise of his chair caused her to turn her head to the side, her cheek laying against the cool old leather and its soft scent rose up to her. Despite the angrly maelstrom rolling in her that aroma still made her smile for the briefest moment then she remembered why she was there and her expression darkened again. Her fingers stilled and she held her breath. His quiet, vaguely European accented voice broke the silence as he watched her with a hooded gaze.

The answer is the same tonight as it was the night before, and the night before it... No. I will not allow it. He didn't even flinch as she lept up and screamed, her hands flinging things from his desk to shatter about the room. His Waterford paperweight exploded beside his head and shards of glass caught the light as they rained down. A far door opened soundlessly but Gustav waived away the hulking blonde twins that stood guard. He was not concerned with this one doing any lasting damage.

Chandra's chest heaved as she panted and anger flowed out of her like heat off of a fire. She leaned across to scream in her sire's face but instead grunted in pain as he reached up and grabbed a handful of her long red locks to smash her face into the leather blotting pad. She tasted blood as her lip split and her cheekbone cracked. His hand pressed downward painfully as he held her pinned in place, sprawled halfway across the large antique.

The far door opened again and this time a slightly shorter feminine figure stood framed in the darkened threshold. Gustav paused, his eyes turning to his wife and waiting before noding slightly for her to enter. A gentle rustle from her long skirts was all the sound she made crossing the room.

Chandra squirmed briefly but whimpered as he ground her downwards and she felt the cartlidge in her nose start to break. Suddenly a delicate hand came to rest on the small of her back and she stopped fighting. It was impossible not to know her Grandmere. It hurt a good deal but she managed to smile into the leather.

Speaking in an ancient Celtic dialect very few left walking the earth knew, and certainly no others in their household, Elise tilted her head to stare at the man she had bound herself to millenia ago. Do you honestly find issue with the willful horse that bucks with pride when you bridle it? Given so much freedom and her every wish granted you now have issue that she continues to be what you made her? Her tawny colored eyes held curiosity as well as censure for his actions. Gustav chose to answer the first and ignore the second, as always, as he answered in the same language.

You know very well that I do not mind her willfullness, or her demanding manor. I find it endearing as it feeds the darker parts of her nature that I admire. But it does grow tiresome occasionally. He leaned back in his chair some, his shoulders resting against the seat's back some, though his hold on the redhead remained firm.

Why do you continue to hold her here? She will never stop until you either return her twin here or release her to go there. Halves of one whole they must unite or suffer the distance. The elder woman nodded, her firm beliefs still in the old ways and superstitions could not be helped. A moment later she spoke again, adding quietly, And we know Celeste is the only one ever able to keep her in check.. so why seperate them? It has been over a year now.

A spark of irritation flared in him as Elise spoke. Her soft and lyrical voice was always so rational and right, yet compassion filled. He would never admit it but losing his two youngest pawns had irritated him a good deal. No one liked having their shiny new toys taken way. Plus the loss of their youth, just waiting to be molded into the perfect tool for his army, was a bitter concession. But Gustav was patient, incredibly so. But it had taken him a long time to learn it, he remembered that now as he looked down at the fiery copper locks tangled about his hand, a fitting crown to this spitfire daughter of his.

His gaze rose back to meet that of Elise's patiently waiting, oh so knowing one. Indeed, she knew him well as this was the first evening she had interrupted. He admitted to himself he had grown tired of Chandra's pouting and demanding and was now ready for it to cease. A cruel smile curled his lips as a thought came to him. Perhaps Chandra was overdue to experience the "real" world. Some place where she was not scraped and bowed to as the preening princess of the household. Yes, that could be just the humbling she needed to make her more appreciative of her Sire.

He dragged her upwards until Chandra's ear was close to hip lips and grasped her far arm with his free hand. He pulled and turned her like a ragdoll so that the pearly, pale flesh of her neck was exposed to him. Chandra gasped and couldn't help the shiver that went through her as Gustav's cruel chuckle vibrated through him and into her. Something about that tone sent an icy chill down her spine that only intensifed as he whispered into her ear.

Very well.. I will allow your trip. Cavalier shall arrange it and you will leave tomorrow evening. But my dearest daughter, be careful what you wish for. She had the span of two, perhaps three heartbeats to grin in triumph before her face contorted in a scream as he jerked her arm to dislocate her shoulder before roughtly plunging his fangs into her neck.

Chandra's eyes closed as the pain washed through her and she simply smiled.