Strings of Connection
Shadow City AU - Chapter Fourteen
A JSE Fanfic
Soooo I got the weeks of my schedule mixed up and wrote Shadow City instead of horror septics, and didn't realize until I went to write this description. And by the time I'm doing this, it's much too late to correct that, so guess we're swapping the order of Shadow City and horror septics for this month XD I'll try to correct that next month, but like... it's also not the end of the world to swap them tbh. We'll see how things shake out. As for this chapter right now, the group meets to discuss Anti, Chase, and the weird connection between the two of them. Everyone except for JJ, who's off on his own having a... I think "crisis" is the best word for it? Luckily, he has friends now to help with that. Enjoy, guys! :D
Chapter 1 | Previous Chapter | More AU | Read on AO3 @ CrystalNinjaPhoenix
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“So basically, it turns out that pack was using the abandoned store as a place to hang out during the full moon. Anti showed up and randomly started attacking them and smashing up the place. They panicked and ran, and that’s when they ran into us from Heartwoods.”
It was the evening after the full moon, and all of them had gathered in Jack and Chase’s house. Except for JJ, who was still in the hotel he’d spent the past couple nights in, but even then, Marvin was on a phone call with him, so he could hear their whole conversation even if he wasn’t talking to them. Chase hovered in midair and Jackie stood, pacing back and forth, while Jack, Schneep, and Marvin sat in the sofa and armchair. “A... werewolf pack ran from Anti?” Jack asked slowly.
“Is that, uh... a normal thing that happens?” Chase asked. “Are vampires, like... tougher than werewolves?”
Schneep snorted. “Do not say that in front of other vamps and wolves, you will start a ferocious argument.”
Jackie laughed. “Yeah. I know you’re new to this and curious, but others would think you’re insulting them.” He rubbed the back of his head and paused his pacing. “I think that like... in general, vamps and wolves are about equal in strength, but in different ways. But Anti was using his shadow walking to jump around and break stuff and generally intimidate the wolves. He even used that vampire compulsion thing to make some of them run.”
“I see...” Marvin nodded. “But still... they had him outnumbered.”
“Well, they told Lily that they didn’t know that,” Jackie explained. “Us wolves can see pretty well in the dark, but it’s hard to know how many guys there are when teleporting is involved!” He paused. “Besides... I think they were a new-ish pack anyway. But that’s just a guess of mine.”
“So... this Anti guy just randomly fought a pack of werewolves on the full moon,” Jack said slowly. “Reckless thing to do, even for a vampire. If they’d decided to jump him instead of flee, he would’ve had a tough time.”
“He did manage to actually injure a couple,” Jackie said. “That... probably also drove them out of there.”
“Still.” Jack folded his arms. “Dumb thing to do.”
“I don’t think Anti is the smartest person,” Marvin muttered. “Or... he’s not... the wisest. He just... does stuff.”
“Chase?” Schneep looked in his direction. “You are disappearing.”
Chase struggled to regain his concentration. Even so, he just knew that he was looking... patchy. He folded his arms, moving back and forth in place. “I... I’m just... so confused. About everything that has to do with this guy, but especially with...” He trailed off.
Jack looked at him sympathetically. “You said he was... hostile to you, when you showed up?” That was why they were all gathered here. Chase wanted to talk to everyone about this, and it was easiest for them all to come here than anything else. He’d already explained what happened when he went into the abandoned market, but had then asked Jackie for explanation about the other pack of werewolves.
“Yeah, he... he said ‘fuck you’ to me.” Chase laughed drily. “Which, like, maybe that’s just the type of person he is, since he also randomly attacked people like Marvin.”
Marvin nodded.
“But also, it was his... tone,” Chase continued. “It sounded like he... he knew who I was. He wasn’t just shouting at me cause I was trespassing on his... uh, his own trespassing. He was shouting at me because he knew me, and he didn’t like me. But I have no idea who he was! I’ve heard about him from all of you guys, obviously, but that was the first time I’d seen him.”
“Hmm...” Jackie bit his lip. “Was it?”
“Uh, yeah?” Chase looked at him. “I wouldn’t forget a guy like him.”
“Well... you know, uh...” Jackie circled around the coffee table as he thought. “You do actually have a pretty big, pretty weird gap in your memory.”
“...your death,” Jack said quietly.
Chase felt cold. It was strange, he hadn’t really felt changes in temperature since becoming a ghost. But this wasn’t an actual shift in the air, just a shift in his feelings. “I... I know that,” he said quietly. “Do you... think... I met him that night? Do you think... he...?”
“I am not so sure about him doing the deed,” Schneep said quickly. “Your cause of death was the gunshot, yes? Anti has been using his teeth and his powers on people.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s weird that he’d use a gun,” Jack agreed. “He doesn’t seem the type.”
“Not to mention, that leave the lingering spirit spell unexplained,” Marvin added. “Vampires can’t cast spells like that.”
“Maybe... he... knows something, though?” Jackie suggested. “Like, maybe he saw you that night, Chase. And like... stuff happened... or... something.” He glanced at everyone else. “Look, man, I’m trying.”
“Thanks, Jackie,” Chase said with a faint smile. “I... I think it has to be something like that.” He closed his eyes, trying to cast his mind back. He didn’t really want to. That night—or rather, the events surrounding that night, the ones that he did remember—was still painful for him. But... he couldn’t avoid it forever, could he? Especially if he wanted to figure out this mystery. “I think... the last time I checked the clock, it was... 10:21? At night, of course. I-I think. I was... pretty drunk at the time, but I think I remember that clear enough. I was still awake for a bit longer after that, but... I think I fell asleep? I dunno for sure. My memories just sort of... turn into confusing, like... smears of color and sound. You know, the way they do when you get super drunk.”
“...I have never gotten that drunk before,” Schneep muttered.
“Well you’re the responsible one,” Jackie said jokingly.
“And you’ve also been a vampire for a while,” Marvin added. “It’s harder for you guys to drink. Your tolerance standards are different. Maybe you’ve just forgotten the feeling of being wasted.” He nodded at Chase. “I get you, Chase. I got that drunk once.”
“Thanks, Marvin.” Chase nodded back.
“So... probably sometime between 10:21 that night and 9:15 that morning... something happened,” Jack summed up.
“9:15?” Chase asked. “Is that when I passed away?”
“Well, that’s when the mailman saw your body through the window,” Jack said.
“That’s... blunt, Jack,” Marvin said slowly.
“No no, it’s fine,” Chase said. He wasn’t alarmed by this news. And that fact was more alarming to him than the news itself was. “But... like, I had to have been dead for a while before that, right? You’re a forensic guy, Jack, do they have, like, the time of death on an autopsy report somewhere?”
“Hah. Fair enough. I didn’t do the report for that myself, so I don’t know for sure what time the death happened,” Jack explained. “But I think it was... between midnight and three am? I remember hearing that. Something about the bloodstain.”
“So our actual timeframe is 10:21 to about three am,” Schneep said.
“And we know it happened here for sure,” Marvin added. “Not just because of the bloodstain, but because you’re linked to this place.”
“Right! Ghosts will always be linked to their place of death!” Jackie nodded. “You can’t change that, right, Jack?”
“Nope,” Jack confirmed. “Even if you somehow trap a ghost somewhere or they possess something or someone, they’ll always feel drawn back to the place of death.” He paused. “Unless that lingering spirit ritual can change that.”
“I... don’t think so,” Marvin said slowly. “We can’t know for sure, since I haven’t been able to find the details, but it seems... unlikely. Magic rituals do one type of thing. That seems like a different type of thing. If that makes sense. And also, uh... the bloodstain’s still here.”
“Right, yeah, the blood splatter.” Jack nodded. “I did do that report.”
“Nothing more intimate than looking at a homie’s blood splatter,” Chase said.
The guys all laughed at that.
“Okay okay okay.” Marvin pressed his hands together. “So. It seems like we need to find out if anything weird happened in the city during that time period. Chase doesn’t remember, and I don’t know if any of us spotted anything weird.” The others shook their heads. “Which meaaaansss... we gotta find more leads from other sources. Schneep, do you remember how I called you a few days ago?”
“Yes, I remember,” Schneep said. “I have talked to Clara about some of this, and I think Jack has also promised to make some inquiries.”
“...which I haven’t actually done,” Jack admitted, looking embarrassed. “Sorry.”
“Huh what? What’re we talking about?” Jackie asked.
“I wanted to find out more stuff that could help with Chase’s weird necromancy bullshit,” Marvin explained. “Oh, and...” He looked down at his phone, left on the table. “I... I wanted to see if I could learn anything to help you, JJ, and your situation.” He paused, until he heard a thump come through the phone call: JJ acknowledging that he was listening. Marvin looked up at the others again. “And I asked Schneep if his friend Clara could help. She works on the Night Council, she’s one of the vamp reps.”
“You know someone on the Night Council?!” Chase stared at Schneep in shock. This whole time, the idea of the Night Council seemed like this... far-off thing. He knew they existed, but they didn’t really affect him that much. Hearing this made them seem a lot more real.
“Yes, Clara and I play Dungeons and Dragons together,” Schneep said casually.
“You play Dungeons and Dragons?!” Chase repeated, louder. Somehow, this was even more shocking to him than the Night Council thing.
Schneep grinned. “What? One must have some hobbies when you live for a long time. I hear there are some vampires who are still playing homemade campaigns from when the game was first created, updating it with each new released ruleset.”
“I... okay, sure,” Chase said, shaking his head. “Anyway. Schneep’s friend Clara. Uh... did she... say anything?”
“She has been asking around,” Schneep said. “This whole thing is a sort of... friend-of-a-friend situation. It works very slowly. Oh! But she did say that if you, Chase, ever want to or need to come to see the Council for anything, she can leave the door open for you. The same offer was extended to JJ, but... she acknowledges that there might be some vampiric command in the way. Anti does not seem like he’d... let JJ get too close to any Councils.”
Another thump from the other end of the phone line. JJ clearly agreed.
“We should totally go see if the Council could give us anything!” Jackie said excitedly. “Like, they gotta keep track of incidents that happen, right? Maybe we can ask them if anything went down the night of Chase’s death!”
“Yeah, uh... that’s probably a good idea,” Chase said. “We should... we should do that.” He paused. “How does that... work?”
“Something like that? You probably need to go to the actual Council building, at least,” Schneep said. “It is within Scuabyrg city hall.”
“We can make a day of it,” Jack offered. “Or, uh, a night. Whenever you guys are free.”
The others all nodded, agreeing that this seemed like a good step to take. And Chas agreed too, it definitely felt like something they should do at some point. But... there was also something else. “Um... guys?” Chase made a throat-clearing sound. “There’s another thing I want to do. Something that might help me figure out what happened that night... and it... might help JJ, too.”
“What’s that?” Jack asked.
Chase hesitated for a moment. “I... want to learn more about Anti.”
“Oh don’t we all?” Jackie said jokingly.
“I mean, yeah, probably,” Chase said. “He’s a... fucking menace, I guess, and JJ’s all wrapped up with him and that sucks. So yeah, I think we all want to know about him.”
“I would not mind if I never knew anything more about him ever,” Schneep stated. “Having him mug me was enough. I do not need to get closer to him.”
“Well my point is,” Chase said, slightly exasperated, “I want to learn more about him cause I think that’ll help clear up this whole death thing of mine. He has to know something about it. About me somehow. He acted way too familiar with me... he hated me way too much for that to be our first time meeting. And yeah, maybe he’s a weird fucking... parasocial hate-watcher of my streams or something. That’s possible. But I don’t think he’s the type to watch fucking let’s plays. And I’ve definitely never met him in life! So he has to know about my death! He has to... be involved somehow. R...right?” He looked at the others, his conviction wavering after he said all that out loud. “I-I don’t know, maybe he’s... just a guy who hates everyone... but...”
“No, I... I think there’s something to that,” Marvin said quietly. “We all think he’s got to know something, right?” The other three nodded.
“It’s always good to have multiple leads to check out,” Jack agreed. “On one hand, we can talk to the Night Council and see if there’s anything they can do to help. On the other, we... investigate Anti, I guess.” He laughed slightly. “The only thing about that is... how? He’s pretty new in town. And despite all the trouble he causes, he’s actually surprisingly good at not drawing attention to himself.”
Jackie cleared his throat. “Perhaps... JJ?”
Marvin looked down at his phone again. “JJ? You’ve heard all this, right?”
After a few seconds, there was another thump sound from the other end of the phone line.
“Right.” Marvin nodded. “Maybe... maybe you could... When you’re up for it, maybe you could... meet up with us? And... tell us about Anti?”
“We know it will be difficult,” Schneep said gently. “No doubt he is forcing you to keep quiet about many things. But... if you can, JJ... it would help a lot. A-and perhaps... perhaps, we can both help Chase and you at the same time. At the very least, if Anti gets caught for a crime like this, he will... they will take him away.”
A heavy silence filled the air.
“Um... are you still there?” Chase asked awkwardly.
Another thump.
“Are you... okay with talking about Anti sometime?” Jackie asked. “Uh, once for yes, twice for no.”
Another, single thump. Yes.
“Do you... want to work out details now?” Marvin asked.
Two slow thumps. No.
“Right, yeah, this is probably... a lot to process,” Jack laughed darkly. “Uh... want to talk later?”
Single thump. Yes.
“Can you text me when you’re ready?” Marvin asked.
A long moment. Then two thumps.
“Uh...” Marvin looked confused for a moment. “Do you want... me... to text... you? Instead?”
A single thump, right away.
“Okay.” Marvin nodded to himself. “I’ll text you tomorrow. Got it?”
One last thump. Got it.
“We should probably call this meeting here,” Jackie said slowly. “I’m, uh... tired. Full moon always wears me out for the next day. I wanna go home.”
“No, yeah, thanks for coming out,” Chase said. “We can, uh, stop here. Schneep, can you... uh, call and stuff? About the Council stuff?”
“I will keep talking to Clara,” Schneep confirmed. He glanced at Marvin’s phone. “Jameson? Are you... keeping track with the conversation? Since we are going to call the meeting here, you can hang up when you want.”
“Well not right away, let us say bye first!” Jackie laughed. “Bye, JJ!”
“Byyye.” Jack waved, despite how JJ couldn’t see him on he other end of the call.
“Uh... text us when you’re ready and stuff,” Chase said. “I know how to work phones now, kinda, so I can call you! But... not text, uh... well, things will work out.”
“And like I said, I’ll text you tomorrow,” Marvin said. “Bye.”
After a moment, there’s a whistle from the other side of the call, and the call dropped as JJ hung up on his end.
“I hope he will be okay,” Schneep whispered.
“I’m sure he will,” Jackie said. “He seems like a strong guy.” He glanced at Chase. “And as for you, we’ll figure out the mystery of you and Anti! You’ll see!”
“Hah, thanks, Jackie.” Chase smiled softly. “Anyway... you probably gotta catch a bus or something, right?”
“Yes, we will need to catch one,” Schneep said.
“I can teleport back to my shop.” Marvin grinned smugly.
Jackie rolled his eyes. “Well look who’s so eager to show off now that he knows he can do that.”
“Yes, yes I am.” Marvin’s smile grew even smugger.
After a couple minutes of goodbyes and gathering things, the other three headed out and left Chase and Jack alone in the house. The two of them watched a few show episodes together before Jack headed to bed, since he’d need to get up fairly early for work tomorrow. Chase was left to fade into his near-sleep state, though he found that a bit difficult. He kept thinking about a couple different things. Anti, and how he related to him and his death. And... JJ, too. Yesterday, Marvin said he was ‘having a time’ of it. He hoped he was alright. Though JJ had been with Anti for a while, it couldn’t be easy to hear about the things he was going out and doing. Maybe... maybe he just needed some time.
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“And like I said, I’ll text you tomorrow. ...Bye.”
Staring up at the ceiling, JJ managed to let out a faint whistle. He reached out with his hand and clumsily patted his phone until he found the button to end the call, pressing it with a firm click. The old phone beeped as the call ended. He let his arm fall limp to the side, continuing to stare upwards.
He’d been staying at this hotel for a couple nights now, and hadn’t really left the room the whole time, save for a few trips down to the lobby to purchase some drinks. Nothing alcoholic so far, but he’d been tempted to ask a couple times. This hotel, the Tiaga, was out on the edge of the city by the highway. It was about as far as he could get from... a certain person. About as far as this magic curse allowed him to get. The staff here were everydays, but he could tell some of them were in the know by the looks they gave him when they spotted his gray-tinted skin. Looks without any judgement or fear, thankfully. Did they know he was hiding? Or... was it running? Or was it simply avoiding? Any word you used, maybe they had a suspicion to it.
And, well... they weren’t wrong.
JJ turned his head, looking towards the window. It had thick curtains—many hotels did, but these were even thicker than usual—and he’d additionally pulled a sheet out from under the bed and done his best to hang it up as well. As a result, he couldn’t see through the window at all, but he could imagine the view of the city. Anti was out there, somewhere. Doing... something. Maybe something that would hurt JJ’s new friends.
He rolled over, turning his back to the window and looking at the cream-colored wall instead. There were a couple empty plastic bottles on the mattress next to him, so he reached out and pushed them off the other side. They clattered into the gap between the bed and the wall. It was a bit of a mess around the bed, to be honest. The rest of the room was pretty much untouched—he didn’t need to use the bathroom and didn’t want to use the minifridge or coffeemaker. But the bed... he’d been spending pretty much all his time here, and it showed. The blankets were shoved down to the bottom, the phone and clock on the nightstand had been pulled closer so he could see them with minimal head turning, and the pillows had been folded and creased repeatedly, punched into unnatural, non-rectangle shapes.
One of them was within easy arm’s reach. He grabbed it, pulled it close, and squeezed it tight to his chest. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes; he couldn’t help but dwell on thoughts of Anti. The man had done nothing but ruin his life since that fateful night he’d been attacked. And for what? For nothing, it felt like.
For what felt like the millionth time, the memory of the night flashed through his head. He’d just been walking home. That was it. Maybe it was his fault for going out to eat, maybe he’d spent too long in the restaurant when he could’ve left much sooner. Maybe he shouldn’t have walked beneath that broken streetlight on the way home. But then again, it got dark pretty quickly at that time of the year, he was going to be walking through darkness eventually. Maybe it was inevitable that he'd pass into a shadow that was too dark, only to have someone leap out from the shadow itself and grab him. The sensation of pain ripping through his neck was one he’d never forget. Though he might’ve made it worse with his panicking... maybe if he hadn’t struggled as much, he would still be able to talk, at least.
Maybe this whole thing was something he deserved, on some sort of grand cosmic level. Maybe he’d wronged someone in his life badly enough that being stuck with Anti was perfect retribution.
...no. No, that wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Nothing he’d done in his first twenty-eight years of living could’ve been bad enough to deserve ninety-four years of this.
Jameson did his best to pull away from these thoughts. Things like this would float into his mind every so often, but he had to keep reminding himself that they weren’t true. They were just... him looking for an explanation. Because god knows Anti wouldn’t tell him why he made Jameson into a vampire. The closest he’d gotten was saying something about “needing help” and “you look like you could be related to me, I could say we’re brothers.” And those things didn’t feel... sufficient. It felt like, for as long as he’d known Anti, there was still so much that he was keeping from him.
Besides, the others probably wouldn’t like to hear him say things like that. They were... nice. So nice, and kind, and... well, he wanted to say ‘more than he deserved’, but they probably wouldn’t like to hear that, either. Sometimes it felt too good to be true, that after so long, he was finally finding people to talk to again.
Which is why hearing Anti had attacked Marvin sent him into a panic. Upon reading those messages, his stomach had immediately sunk to his feet with dread and guilt. The space it left behind was filled with a frantic, clawing fear. The fear had driven him to shadow walk straight out of the house he shared with Anti—with that monster—and run through the city until he eventually arrived at this hotel. And somehow, he’d checked in. He wasn’t really sure how he’d gotten through that, it was sort of a blur. And now he was here. He’d been here for a while. And he was probably going to stay here until Anti came to find him. He always did.
...could Anti have really done something to Chase? Jameson knew he was... violent, but... why would he do that? Anti’s new nihilistic outlook hadn’t started up until after Chase’s death. Before then, sure, he’d hurt people, attacked everydays and even other shadow citizens for money and blood. But not... in their houses. Like how Chase had apparently died in his own home. Wait, actually, he wouldn’t even be able to do that! Vampires needed permission to enter a home! So what the fuck?!
It didn’t matter, really. Something had happened between Anti and Chase, something Jameson was completely unaware of. Something had also happened between Anti and Marvin. And he hadn’t known about that for hours. What if Anti hurt the others? What if he hunted them down? What if it had been Jackie’s pack that he attacked that night?
The sinking feeling was back. JJ choked back a sob and buried his face in the pillow he was holding. He didn’t want this to end. He didn’t want to lose his friends to Anti. He didn’t want to leave them. Why? Why did he never get to keep the people who mattered to him?
...He wasn’t sure how much time passed with him just lying there. Silently condemning the unfairness of it all. Silently sinking into soft despair. But eventually, that silence was broken by a knock at the door.
Jameson raised his head. Was that housekeeping? Didn’t they see his Do Not Disturb sign was up? He rolled over to look at the clock on the nightstand. No... it was 3:30am. Housekeeping didn’t come around until 7 or 8am here. Maybe someone had the wrong room? Or maybe... maybe he’d already come for him.
Another quiet knock. “Jameson? Is this... your room?”
That was a familiar voice. But... it wasn’t one he expected. How... the hell did he find him here?
“You know I cannot enter,” Schneep said. “Not just because of the... thing about us.” He meant the vampire thing. Clearly, he was being careful in case this wasn’t JJ’s room, and whoever was inside had no knowledge of the shadow world. “But also... because I have no key.” He laughed a little.
Jameson slowly sat up. His head spun, and hunger suddenly clenched at his insides. He hadn’t eaten anything since arriving in his hotel room. But he hadn’t noticed until now just how much that was affecting him.
“Is this... the right room?” Schneep asked quietly. “I-I can go... I suppose it is possible the man at the desk gave me the wrong room number. Especially if you—er, Jameson—said not to tell others. Which you—he—might have.” He paused. “I-I can text you... or you can text me... I probably should have done that anyway, actually.”
Jameson scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up. He staggered over to the hotel room door and peered out through the peephole. Yes, that was Schneep outside. Or at least, it looked like him. Maybe it was actually someone pretending to be him. But... Anti didn’t know that Jameson knew Schneep, did he? He couldn’t recall ever mentioning it to him.
After a moment, Schneep started glancing around, shifting on his feet awkwardly, no doubt wondering if he should leave. He looked down and took his phone out of his pocket. And that’s when JJ opened the door, pulling it slowly.
“JJ!” Schneep looked up again, smiling in relief... a smile which quickly faded to concern, mixed with slight alarm. “Jameson... you look...” He trailed off.
Bad, probably. Different, definitely. He’d pulled off his usual vest and tie at some point, finding them uncomfortable to lie down in, and left them on the nightstand. So now he was just in a rumpled shirt and pants, and his hair was probably a mess from turning back and forth. He knew all this.
“I... brought something for you to drink,” Schneep said slowly. He held up a bag. It was one of those disguised bags from the blood bank that looked like they were from a bakery. “I thought you might... appreciate it.”
His insides twisted at the thought of blood. You can come in, he signed.
“Thank you.” Schneep smiled gently and stepped forward. Jameson dodged to the side just enough for him to get in, then closed the door behind him. He saw Schneep look around, his brows drawn together. “This is... one of their smaller rooms here.”
Just needed one bed, JJ said. Nothing else, really.
“Well... sometimes it is nice to have something else.” Schneep set the bag on the dresser, which was pretty much the only other thing in the room besides the nightstand and the bed. He glanced back at Jameson. “...Ah...” He seemed unsure of what to say.
JJ walked over to the bag and peered inside, taking out one of two blood bags inside. He didn’t bother to open it up, just bit directly into the bag, his teeth breaking though the plastic with minimal resistance. In just a few seconds, it was empty. He was much hungrier than he expected. Putting the bag back into the larger bag, he said, I’ll be fine, you know.
“Marvin said that to us, yes,” Schneep said slowly. “But... I was getting a bad feeling. I figured you came to stay here. The staff knows about us. And didn’t you stay here once before?”
Jameson nodded slowly. I... really will be fine. I didn’t just say that to reassure you. He sat down on the end of the bed. I know myself pretty well by now, I know this will blow over. I just... needed space.
“I see...” Schneep said. He looked around the small room. “Not much space to come by in here, though.”
Jameson laughed, a wheezy, breathless sound. That’s fair enough.
Schneep chuckled a bit. “Glad to see that cheered you up.” But his small smile quickly faded. “Even if you will be ‘fine,’ that does not mean... we won’t be concerned about you, you know. It does not mean that I can’t want to help. And, well, it seems like... I-if you forgot to eat, that is not a good sign for your current state. That is all I will say.”
...that’s also fair enough. JJ sighed. Eventually, I would’ve had something, I’m sure.
“By then, I would not be surprised if the hunger drove you to have someone,” Schneep said.
Jameson winced at that. It was an accurate assessment, according to the few times this had happened in the past. He’d never drained anyone completely in his hunger, as far as he knew, but he wasn’t entirely innocent either.
“If I can prevent you from hurting someone, or from hurting yourself, I would like to do so,” Schneep said quietly. “I will not ask what the problem is. I can figure it is something about Anti, anyway. But if you do not want to talk about it, I won’t press for specifics. What I can do is bring you what you need, do anything to help. Just... let me know, yes?”
A moment passed in tense silence. Jameson nodded. And... in a moment of impulse, he signed something very quickly. I’m just so sick of him ruining everything.
Schneep tilted his head. “Anti?”
He just takes everything from me, Jameson said. First, it was my life. Then it was my will. And now it’s... you all. My first chance to talk to people besides him in ages. People who really understand. You’re all not the first friends I’ve ever made in the shadow world, but it’s been a long time since I... since I tried, I guess? So why is he fucking with you NOW? Does he hate me that much? Or does he not think about me at all? He stopped, looking up at Schneep again. Sorry... I know that’s a lot to dump on you.
“No, no, it... clearly, it has been on your mind,” Schneep said gently. He sighed, leaning back against the dresser, partially sitting on it next to the bag. “I... I even... understand these feelings.” He hesitated. “The vampire who made me... Elizabeth. That was her name. She...” He trailed off. “It was... complicated, between us. Perhaps in a similar way to you and Anti, though not... exactly the same. But... I found myself thinking the same thing many times. ‘Why are you ruining everything for me? Why are you doing it now?’” He laughed drily. “She is the reason I am here in the country, you know. We met back in Germany, and spent several years there, but eventually, she wanted to move back here. And though I was not magically connected to her, like you are to Anti... it still felt impossible to say no.”
Jameson’s expression softened. He felt those tears prick at his eyes again. I’m... sorry.
“Eh, I have not seen her in years,” Schneep said. “It turns out, this was a very bad city to go to when returning to England. They did not look kindly on some things she did. She was very...” He paused. “...old-fashioned, in her attitudes about everydays.”
I see... Jameson said. Which type of old-fashioned? “They’re just food,” or “we should rule them and do what we want?”
“The second.” Schneep nodded. “Anti strikes me as more of the first.”
In a way, yes, JJ said. I don’t think he... cares? About anything? It’s not just that he doesn’t like everydays, it’s that he doesn’t like... anyone. Even more so this past little while. He paused. He used to be more... driven. I haven’t grabbed anything for him in a while.
“...grabbed anything?” Schneep asked slowly.
I used to go on errands for him all the time, Jameson said. Ranging from magic markets to meeting shady figures. Repeatedly, sometimes. He used to collect stuff, and he’d get very frustrated when we had to flee cities and leave some of it behind.
“Collect... stuff?” Schneep tilted his head to the side. “Like what?”
Magical stuff, JJ said. I still don’t know the purpose behind most of it. In the early days, I thought he was making potions, but that was before I learned vampires can’t... do that? Which is still very strange to me. It seems like anyone should be able to mix stuff together.
“Marvin would be happy to explain the intricacies of potions to you,” Schneep chuckled. “In any case... that sounds very strange.”
Anti is very strange, JJ agreed, nodding. But stranger still, these days. He paused. I think you guys are right. He must have been involved with Chase’s death somehow. Something must have happened that night that caused him to become so... unfocused.
“I see...” Schneep said. “I can understand how such a change in him could be... frightening. Why it would cause you to...” He looked around the hotel room. “...hurry away.”
...thank you, Jameson signed, using small motions. After what Schneep told him about his maker, about Elizabeth... he believed that Schneep understood.
A few moments passed in silence. “Do you... want to...” Schneep started to say something, but then stopped.
What? JJ prompted.
“Nothing, nevermind,” Schneep said. “You probably don’t want to.”
Well don’t assume for me. JJ raised his eyebrow. Finish your question so I can know for sure.
“I... was going... to make an offer,” Schneep said slowly. “I think... if you want... you could sometimes sleep at my apartment. As long as you don’t go into my room. My sofa is probably not as comfortable as a hotel bed, but...” He looked around again. “Well. I have books, and a TV, and if you need blood I keep my fridge stocked.”
Jameson stared at him, slightly shocked. You would... offer that to me?
“I think... I think it is something I-I would have liked to be offered, if I was in your position,” Schneep said quietly. “I remember... arriving in this country, and finally interacting with other vampires besides Elizabeth, and... they were a great help to me. I want to be that help to you.”
Those tears appeared again. JJ wiped his eyes on his sleeve. It wasn’t proper, and it was probably going to mess up this shirt, but in this moment, he didn’t care. I think... I would like that a lot, he said. Is this... offer available... whenever?
“Whenever,” Schneep said. “Unless in case of emergency, like my floor caving in or some such. As long as I am able to be there, you are able to be there.”
JJ looked around at the small, cramped hotel room. Is this offer... available... now?
Schneep’s expression softened. “Of course.”
Then... give me a minute, JJ said, standing up. I need to get... presentable again.
“I will wait outside, then.” Schneep grabbed the bag and headed to the door. “I hope you are okay with taking a bus ride for a while.”
JJ nodded. I am. Thank you. Really, thank you so much.
Schneep smiled, then headed out the door.
Jameson grabbed his stuff, which pretty much only amounted to the vest, tie, and shoes he’d taken off, as well as his wallet and phone. He didn’t even remember grabbing those when he left the house. A house... he’d probably have to go back to. Besides all his stuff being there, he didn’t want Anti to go out looking for him and finding out where Schneep lived in the process. Because he was pretty sure Anti would come looking for him, even in this new, uncaring state he was in. He didn’t know why he was so sure. But it was probably something to do with knowing him for so long. Over ninety years together meant you learned a lot about someone in that time period.
...maybe these new friends of him would find the solution for the binding ritual. Maybe everything would end up fine.
Maybe it would go wrong.
But if he kept worrying about everything going wrong, then he wouldn’t be able to enjoy things as they were in the present. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t let Anti ruin that for him, too.
Once Jameson was ready, he ducked into the bathroom for a bit to check himself in the mirror—glad that a chain hotel like this didn’t have the silver-backed ones that wouldn’t show his reflection. He looked... alright. Presentable, and that was it. But... his friend wouldn’t care.
He smiled to himself, and left the room.
