Deja Vu (Attention Panos - Private)

It had been a long time since he had first come to this place. He'd been slightly younger, cockier, and more full of self absorbed shit than he currently was today. That was before he had met Ellis. As he had moved about the globe he had run into Tacharan members who had steered him towards the clan and when he had arrived in Nachton, he had no idea what had been in store for him.

And that was before the clan violently dethroned the leader.

With even a less idea of what was in store for him than before, Panos made his way to Simon's office. They had Delilah and that put him at their mercy. It was an all to apparent vulnerability and Panos wasn't the least bit happy about that. To add fuel to the fire of unease that was stirring in his chest was the fact that Panos hardly knew Simon and his way of...handling situations.

Standing just before the door Panos closed his eyes and took a moment to compose himself. With a small shake of his head he regained his composture and stepped to the door. With a knock he eased the door open waiting for permission to enter.

The knock took a little bit longer than Simon expected, but then he knew Panos was standing on the other side, preparing himself for this encounter. The beat of his heart was loud in Simon's ears, but the young man's unease wasn't without cause.

Panos had stepped on forbidden ground and brought a human with him. Now that human was deep within the Domicile under the clan's care and it put Panos in a rather precarious position. The human's life would be the clan's bargaining chip to do what it pleased with young Panos Mehalitsenos. There were many opportunities to be had, Simon knew this, but that was how Ellis would have viewed it. At least before the raid that changed everything. The clan was Simon's now, to do with it as he pleased, and the power was addictive, he had to admit that, and now he would get the chance to see if it changed him as a man. He hoped it hadn't.

'Come in,' Simon said as he maintained his perched position on the edge of his desk. With his arms crossed he watched the young man enter cautiously and the door slide quietly behind him.

'Panos.' Simon lifted his chin and looked at the man in the eye. 'What can I do for you?'


((ooc - hope it was ok to move Panos in 'cautiously' - if that's not ok, let me know and I'll change it)

The door slid shut without so much as a whisper, effectively sealing him inside with the leader of the clan.


"Simon." Panos nodded in recognition of the greeting.

"I'm sure your well aware of the situation I am in currently. I thank you and your staff for taking care of the human I brought in. They say she's alive and for that I am greatful."

Simon naturally looked just as he had remembered him. Not that many years had passed by that outward appearances would have shifted in anyway. Most of their scars healed quickly and were gone within hours. Physical onces at least.

"I know aid does not come freely, nor did I expect it to. I believe we have that to discuss. Also I have been told to come to you in regards to my unoccupied quaters."

There was no reason to beat around the bush with pleasantries. Simon would see them for what they were anyways. Now all that was left was to recieve what Simon had in mind for him.

Ah, the prodigal son returns. Simon smiled inwardly as he looked at Panos with cold, hazel eyes. With a sigh Simon dropped his arms, resting his hands on the edge of the desk and nodded.

'Your quarters are still here, just as you left them, and you're more than welcomed to return, Panos.' Simon tapped the middle finger of his right hand on the table top as he let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. 'But you know the embrace of the clan costs just as much as the cold shoulder it showed you. And you know that, don't you, Panos?'

Simon would not be as cold as Ellis would be with Panos' request, but he couldn't help but dangle the clan's protection in front of him. If not her lack of empathy, Simon did appreciate Ellis' ability to threaten without actually making a threat, and the same went with favors.

Because all favors, genuine or malicious, came with a price.

The sneaking suspicion that the future held more, unhappy surprizes, crawled over his skin.

Ah yes, this was what he had been waiting for. The unsettling feeling that now only rested inside of him would soon move itself in permanently. The feeling of being known and it's ugly bastard brother despotism.

It all felt filthy.



"That I do Simon, that I do."

Not that it was the direct result of his leaving the clan, but alot of ridiculous shit had gone down in his time away from Tacharan. How much of it could have been prevented? He wasn't going to think of it right now and he wasn't going to write Chryseis's death off as a non clan affiliated casualty.

"I don't supose that we will be getting into that cost right now will we?"

It wouldn't be as simple as a few Hail Mary's and writting a three page paper one why you won't ever quit the clan again, but a person could dream.

Simon's eyes glittered with the possibilities.

It was obvious that Panos would give anything, even himself, to save the human he practically laid at the clan's feet. What does that say for a man, any man, to sacrifice his freedom for love? Or was it love? Simon considered the odds of it being anything but that - the woman had to be something more to him than just a passing fancy or meal time snack. Ellis would see that and pounce. Simon wondered aloud in his mind, 'just what would Ellis do?'

/What would I do about what?/

Her voice echoed in his mind as if she were standing next to him, whispering into his ear.

/Oh, just wondering about Panos./

/Right, right. Well what does he want? Has he said?/

Her voice was melodious, tinkling like silver chimes in the wind. /He brought a human with him, a woman, and apparently he's asking to come home./

/Really? Interesting./ Simon could hear the calculating tone in her voice. It made him wince. / The possibilities are endless, Simon, but what could he give you.../

/You mean the clan./

/Yes, yes...the clan. What could he give the clan that we...I mean you...couldn't get or already have?/

Simon looked at Panos, the anxiousness in his stance and the worry in his face. Ellis would eat him alive, but then...he wasn't Ellis.

'Let's play Radio Shack.' Simon straightened, pushing himself off the desk. He stood at his full height, 6'4, and looked down at Panos. 'I have questions and you have answers. Your truthfulness is the cost, Panos. That's all.' Simon raised his eyebrows.

'Deal?'

Panos felt like he had been just dropped into the twilight zone. Was Simon serious? There was only one way to find out and Panos decided he'd play. If information on gods knows what was what Simon wanted then he'd give it to him.

"You got it. Although, I'm not sure i know anything that you would want to know." He shrugged unknowingly. "Fire away, figuratively speaking of course." "

He felt that needed to be stated as the last time he encountered Simon in this room, Simon had indeed fired away at him with a gun and not words. This time Panos wasn't prepaired to defend back.

Panos wondered what it could be that Simon didn't already know. Even more so how would he have the knowledge he was seeking?

Simon recalled that during the incident that resulted in Panos' expulsion from the clan involved an Anantya member, Chryseis Angelique. Quickly Simon asked Ellis:

/So what was the deal with Chryseis? What was an Anantya member doing with Panos here in the Domicile?/

/Your guess is as good as mine - I never followed up on it./

Well, it was a start. 'The last time you were here, Panos, you had an Anantya member with you. Chryseis Angelique. Who is she to you?'

Simon's question about so long ago caused an eyebrow to raise in surprise. When he had first come to Nachton it had been because of a picture he'd seen in a New York newspaper of the Arch Museum of Nachton and it's curator. The woman had looked alot like his father and the name, at least the first, had been the same as the countless stories he had heard. Naturally his instincts told him to come, find her out, and then kidnap her and force a bond between them. That's how family kept in touch wasn't it?

Something like that.

"Chryseis? She was related to me. A paternal aunt who we had been told as children died of the plague."

Was related. He was using the past tense already and it stung. Anger threatened to boil up and demanded a correction of injustice. Chryseis still was his aunt, dead or not, there should be no past tense.


"What of her?"

Simon's eyebrows furrowed. 'Was related?' He pointed over Panos' shoulder, toward the Domicile. 'Did her death have something to do with the human you brought in?'

Simon wasn't stupid - a slip of tense wasn't just problems with grammar.

Simon caught on quickly, the perceptive fucker. Panos was not all that excited about rehashing Chryseis death just yet but he knew the subject wasn't going to just pass.

"Yes and no. I was living at the humans house and we were attacked. Chryseis suspected something was wrong and came to see what was going on. When Chryseis got there she got staked by my attacker when she slipped up behind her. The human had already been brought down before that."

It felt impersonal calling Delilah 'the human' but it was what little he could do to feebly protect her. Sure she'd just wake up and tell everyone her name, but for now he ommited that information. Besides he hadn't been asked for it directly. It seemed of little importance to offer it up.

Simon had been skeptical about Panos' reappearance. However, it would appear that something had attacked, not only him but his family, and it was terrible enough that a clanless vampire brought something dear to the clan that he had no loyalty. Simon blinked slowly and wondered if Panos really thought he was going to get away with the cliff note version of what sounded like an interesting story.

'This something managed to kill a very old vampire?' Simon crossed his arms again and couldn't help but snicker. 'Panos I know you didn't ask to come home, still...you're here and I welcome you back but you don't seriously think that I'm not going to want to know who your human is and what just tried to kill you all? I know your reservations, believe me, but there are bigger, newer things out there that are scarier than Ellis. Let me help you. I am all ears.'

Panos was leary about Simon's declarations of help. It came to him suddenly, a loose end that hadn't added up before, earlier in the evening. Shay. If he remembered correctly her maker Ginnie had worked in the ranks of the clan. Maybe her death had more answers than Shay knew. In that case, Simon was well aware that they as vampires were not alone in the world of mythical beasts.

Maybe he should start at the beginning.

"About two years ago, give or take, I ran into a woman in the woods. She was a prime target for a meal, alone in the woods and apparently helpless. Well I was wrong and I've spent the rest of my days playing tit for tat with this super human broad until she sprouted fur in front of me and turned into a wolf. Now it's been her comming after me continuously and this last time she hadn't intended for me to survive."

He dragged his hand through his hair, clearly at unease.

"My human...Delilah, watched over me in the day time, since there had been run ins between the two under the sun before, when the wolf girl who's name is Diane, bashed her head in. Chryseis didn't even have a chance, I was on the ground and as I turned she had just slipped up behind Diane who spun on her. Diane thought it was me, she left after that but not before threatening to come back for Delilah. I was bonded to Chryseis, she came because of me."

His thoughts were eratic and he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with his palms. With a sigh he settled his shoulders and looked back to Simon.

"I've only seen two of them. Well, what I suspect as a second one. She had a very large wolf with her one evening but I never saw it change. It looked the same as she had, red and furry, but bigger. Two others have seen them as well so I know I'm not seeing things."

Alexandra and Louis had been there that evening when Diane had first shifted in front of him and they had all seen the same thing. He definately wasn't on anything or delusional.

Simon listened to the young man's story. It seemed clear that Panos had met some of the city's new inhabitants and been privy to their destruction. He wondered if the young man knew the extent of the werewolves hold on the city. Simon knew it was time to call home the homeless.

'So you've met them, the werewolves. Consider yourself a lucky man, Panos.' Simon lowered his eyes for a moment and then looked directly into Panos'. 'I understand your need to keep Delilah secret, as well as safe. We can protect the both you and look into this - if that's what you want.' Simon took a step closer to Panos and put his left hand gently on his shoulder.

'You have my protection and my home is yours....however, the same rules still apply.' Finally Simon gave him a small smile and held out his right hand to Panos. 'Your place is here with us. Welcome home, Panos.'

To say this was far from what Panos had expected was an understatement. He anticipated the basic selling of his soul and the complete opposite had happened.

Simon was no Ellis, that was for sure. Maybe Shay's clan loyalty and optimism had more merit than he suspected. Taking Simon's extended hand, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He had protection for them now, and it eased his fears that it didn't come at the cost of his own skin.

"Thank you. I assure you, much has happened in my life that I now hold a different perspective on things. My outlook is much clearer."

He was part of a clan again and to a degree he felt a tiny piece of him snap into place. Now he'd have to work on Delilah and her ability to listen. He was sure once she saw the big picture she'd get in line.

'You and me both, Panos. You and me both.' With a firm handshake, Simon pat Panos' shoulder with his other hand. 'You're free to move about the Domicile - I know you want to see your friend. Let Kenley know if you need anything.'

Moving toward the door, Simon held his hand out, signaling it to open again.


((OOC I guess out, pending response. Let me know if there's anything else you need )

What started out as the worlds shittiest night had turned into a surprisingly decent end. Now he had a clan and clearance to go and check on Delilah. It would a quick trip just to see that she was still breathing before he went to sleep.

Simon left and Panos followed his leave out the door.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

(ooc : all is good! Panos out)