A Small Break - Sage endures one of Uniform's engagements while judging the client. She knows both Tristan and Elijah will eventually regret this
Sage was leaning against the wall in the imprinting room, re-reading the night's plan, already knowing she was going to hate it given who the client was, as Topher readies Uniform’s next imprint.
Tristan De Martel was particular, forever the spoilt french noble, his obsession with his sire only made him more annoying to Sage, and if it wasn't for Elijah’s warning or request ‘not to interfere’ she would have ended it but as it was she had been forced to accept it and endure. At least Tristan’s engagements only happened a few times every few months when he happened to free himself to visit the city.
A door opening pulled her from her dwelling.
However it wasn’t the door of the elevator where she was expecting Uniform to enter wearing whatever Tristan had sent this time, but the other one, the one from the main area.
She raised her eyebrow as she met the eyes of Boyd Langton, Echo’s new handler, although new was questionable as it had been a few months already. She hadn’t had much time to socialise with him given how busy they had both been following the mess Alpha left, with Whiskey and Alpha gone, Echo and Uniform had ended up taking more engagement.
“Mrs Finnley,” he greeted, “I was told I could wait in here, given we’ll be working together for the first half of tonight.”
She blinked, apparently she had given too much attention to Tristan that she had missed it was a multiple doll event, although it wasn’t that much of a surprise considering the first half of the night was a high class party where most of those going wanted pretty things on their arms.
“Right, Engagement buddies.” Topher chirped before Sage could reply, pulling out a drive from his machine, “and here’s Marion all ready for his night.”
Marion, was an imprint completely designed by Tristan de Martel, far too similar to Elijah in personality for Sage’s preference, the real one she had watched grow and not the cold vampire he had become over the centuries, while also openly proud of his job as a whore and yet completely infatuated with Tristan.
Everyone else hired a doll to be real but Tristan was aware of what was real and so went the other way. He hired Uniform to attempt to degrade Elijah while indulging in his own obsession.
The elevator opened before she could say another thing and Uniform drifted out in the same airy way all dolls moved, his soft empty smile turning to a grin when he recognized her.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Uniform smiled at her after he moved closer and held his arm up to her to look at the long sleeve of his lace shirt. She nodded to indulge him while reaching out to feel it, light, soft, so as not to irritate the skin or leave any marks.
Much like the gold chains adorning his ears and neck, no doubt to match the collar he would gift Marion as soon as they arrived.
As much as she disliked the mess that Elijah and Tristan were playing, Tristan certainly took care of his toys or trophy, whichever Elijah was for the night even if he always found a way to dress them like the doll he was.
“Hey, Uni buddy, you ready for a treatment?” Topher called, patting the chair, Uniform looked away from her to beam at Topher.
“I like my treatments.” Uniform repeated, childlike as he set himself on the chair, hand still stroking the lace.
The machine lit up, sound filling the room as the chair moved tripping back and Uniform stiffened for a moment as the imprinting process happened within second, the lights died and the chair returned right.
“Well what do we have here?”The man on the chair smirked at them. “A gathering just for me?”
“Everything alright there, Marion?” Topher called, pride clear.
“How's my favourite technician?” Marion grinned, a growl in his voice that was all flirt as he pushed himself off the chair and stalked towards the technician “Been a good boy? I'm sure I can spare you some of my time once my lord's done with me.”
Marion purred the pet name and Sage grimaced despite herself, anyone else she wouldn’t care but this was the boy she remembered following Finn’s like a shadow.
“I- I’ve been real good,” Topher stammered backing away and sending her a desperate look “no need for you to bother.”
At least she didn’t need to worry about him taking advantage, genius to a dangerous level and yet as much a child and the blank state dolls were in others.
She cleared her throat to pull Marion’s attention from him, as soon as Marion looked away he jumped to the main computer and started work, likely arranging whoever Echo would be for the night.
“Miss Finnley,” Marion greeted with a smile, before he looked her up and down and frowned “you know you should change for the party, you’d have them eating out of your hand in a dress.” he told her.
“I'm good.” She replied, straightening the black jacket of her suit, normally she chose to stand out from the other handlers, but given many guests at the party tonight were clients of the dollhouse, or maybe in the future, she wanted them to know what she was. “Besides if I have grown lax, if I need a dress to do that.”
Marion laughed, open, honest and a way he rarely sounded outside his siblings
“So how do I look?” Marion asked as the laughter faded, “my lord knows what looks good on me, doesn’t he?”
Sage gave him the glance over as if she hadn't done it since Uniform stepped out of the elevator.
Blue and black iridescent eyeshadow.
Black lace shirt and blue silk trousers.
Black and blue, the colours of the bruises he wants to leave on your skin, she thought but the words remained behind her lips as she smiled tightly.
“Come on then,” she said avoiding answering “I'm sure he's waiting.”
“Of course he is.” Marion grinned, unbuttoning a few of the top buttons of his shirt.
An hour later she moved around the large room glass in hand looking like another guest in the dress Tristan had insisted she wore.
“Bit out of regulation.” Boyd commented giving her a glance over as she came to stop beside him, with so many people and likely clients of the House here it was expected for them to stay closer to their Actives.
“Spoilt brat made a demand.” She replied, picking another glass off a passing tray and downing it, she couldn't get drunk but the burn helped her annoyance.
Marion's smile hadn't failed since he had reunited with Tristan, and Tristan had as she suspected gifted Marion a collar of dark blue sapphires set in gold that sat high on his neck.
The jewellery of some long gone age, of prized concubines and living trophies.
He was glued to the man's side looking at him with nothing but devotion, then again she had seen the outline of Marion’s imprint; he had been made unable to tear his attention from Tristan.
“He a regular?” Boyd asked, open curiosity that appeared more intense than the normal gossip between handlers.
“He's one of Elijah's oldest mistakes.” she admitted lightly, well aware Tristan would hear her, vampire hearing meant she had been stuck hearing their conversation- well less a conversation and more a list of what they wanted to do to each other once they could leave for a more private setting.
“Elijah?” Boyd questioned and for a second Sage narrowed her eyes when she noticed his confusion at the name was fake, for some reason this man, new to the company, knew Elijah’ real name. Something that should be sealed within his file, it wasn't like she knew who any of the other Actives were before they came to the house.
She tried to think of any time she had seen the man alone with Uniform, but none of them seemed any different from any of the other handlers, Uniform was friendly, something that made more than a few handlers uncomfortable but Sage couldn't bring herself to stop him.
“His name before all this.” She answered, deciding to play along, whatever the man was planning only mattered if it affected Elijah or herself and she would deal with it if it went that far.
“You knew him?” Boyd questioned looking back towards where Tristan presented Marion to his newest discussion partner, who just happened to be the man with Echo on his arm.
“I'm surprised you hadn't heard,” she smiled, “it was all the rumours talked about when I joined the house. His older brother is my husband.”
He flinched looking between her and Marion, he clearly had question about it but apparently found the more pressing ones were about their client.
“And they knew each other?” Boyd nodded towards the pair “Is this safe for him?”
She could imagine it from his point of view, obsessive ex, maybe abusive, possibly the reason Elijah joined the house and the amusing thing it wasn't completely wrong.
‘Obsessive Ex’ was certainly one way to describe Tristan De Martel but she knew Elijah could be just as bad.
After all he had learnt a lot for his first sired.
“Safe yes, smart no, but Tristan followed Elijah when he last changed houses so he's persistent”she shrugged “and Elijah could have decided to stop this and didn't.”
“From what I've been told Elijah had a day to check on his affairs before he returned and there was no way Tristan, after his first engagement, didn't find Elijah's contact details to gloat.” She told him, she saw doubt in his eyes but that was simply because he hadn't had the displeasure of getting to know Tristan, past the charming mask.
I think your just jealous you can’t do the same with your own sire, the man had smiled at her when he said it as she collected Elijah from the first engagement of his she had been hander for.
The imprint, a bubbly intern who's personally seemed far to similar to what little she knew of Aurora.
Sage wanted Finn as he was, not a empty toy to put whatever she wanted into.
The two pairs broke apart and Sage watched as Tristan and Marion started towards them, she pulled another glass of sparkling something from the table.
“She could be your sister.” Tristan mused, for a moment she almost choked on her drink picturing Rebekah, here, in the house, the mental image was sickening. She didn't even like the girl it was mutual,but she was enduring watching Elijah go though this knowing he chose it she wasn't sure she could if it was Finn's beloved little sister.
The one sibling, besides Henrik, Finn didn't have any troubled feelings for.
“Are you sure you should be drinking?” Boyd asked concerned, even as his attention was mostly of the pair containing Echo and her client walking from them.
Tristan wasn't wrong, she was forced to admit, Echo and Elijah were similar; brown eyes, soft brown that left alone curled slightly, athletic build. She was lucky no one with money had noticed and asked from them to fulfil a siblings fantasy, they had been free of them since Alpha ran.
“She was very pretty,” Tristan muttered into Marion's ear as the left the pair, “maybe I should see if she wants-”
“I can't get drunk,” she shrugged, trying to focus on Boyd “medical condition.”
Not a whole lie, she was pretty sure being dead was a medical issue.
“You wouldn't-” Marion protested, voice closer to a whine, full of hurt, it was far to similar to the voice Elijah had every time Finn had sent his brother home when he came to see her, before he had decided he didn't care for Finn and devote himself to his younger siblings.
“Then why?” Boyd questioned.
“The burn of it helps me deal with this.” she explained,
“What-” he started only to be cut off as Tristan and Marion came close enough for his human hearing to catch.
“Why not?” Tristan asked, it could have been harmless teasing if he wasn't very aware Marion was designed for him, instead it was taunt, “I'm free to have anyone I want remember-”
“Please.” Marion begged, pressing himself closer to Tristan.
“Good boy, why would I want anyone else when you beg so nicely?” Tristan whispered, hint of a growl, Sage glared as Tristan looked over Marion's shoulder to make eye contact and smirk at her. “My favourite Marionette.”
The stem of the glass in her hand made a noise as his cracked in between her fingers.
As the pair walked away, Boyd handed her her next glass, she was right concerned replaced with understanding with one sight of Tristan's true self.
“Have you thought about swapping actives, you could still watch over El-Uniform but wouldn't have to see everything.” Boyd offered, as if he hadn't noticed how the other handlers were attached to their own Actives, how he was over echo after a handful of months.
Anyone who hadn't that attachment to their active she wouldn't want to trust him with.
Besides Uniform already had a past, one handler sent to the attic before she arrived, it would made anyone less willing.
“No.” She smiled, aware of its sharpness, “Elijah is my responsibility, I'm the best to protect him.”
Only it wasn't the clients she had to protect him from, it was the brother that drove him to this. Although if she ever ran into the one who recruited Elijah she was going to kill them.
