Danielle silently entered the familiar scene of the Sinister Puppet. She was wearing a black dress that really contrasted her pale skin. She was also wearing high heels, which were giving her problems since she wasn't accustomed to walking in them. Danielle was finally meeting with the master of the Tarepha, and she felt it was necessary to get dressed up. She almost tripped several times on the way to the warehouse turned into a kind of goth bar. Danielle was thankful that she got used to them as she walked more in them, even though her feet were starting to kill her, hopefully the pain would be worth it.

She glanced at the bodyguards that were at the foot of the stairs to the upper offices where Euthalia was, and made her way up after being checked by the bodyguards. She had to take her shoes off so she wouldn't trip and look like an idiot. She walked down the corridor smiling as she listened to the screams of those who were foolish enough to be seduced by the other vampires of the coven. She licked her lips, but kept on walking to Euthalia's office. She hadn't fed before entering the Sinister Puppet, and she was starting to regret it, because of the many mortals that seemed to whisper for her to extinguish their feeble little lives. She preferred those who had the most hope, a habit she got from Sergei Konstantinov.

As per usual, Euthalia seemed to have a sixth sense about when things were going to happen. It was nothing more than simple intuition on her part. It was not one of her abilities, nor had she been born with it. It was something on the air, something heavy and anxious, that made her array her room in its usual manner, and make ready to meet yet another one of her coven members. Such times were causes for her to don the mask of innocence and see how her coven members reacted. It was a simple game of hers, but one she enjoyed very much. Her dress today was off-white – a cream sort of color that made her look even more the part of large doll by making her flawless skin seem even whiter. Because of this, her blue-green eyes seemed brighter somehow, and almost too large for her face. Brown-red curls were tied out of her face with a pale pink bow.

The room was as lovely and immaculate as ever, holding a four poster bed to one side, covered in lacy duvets, pillows, and stuffed animals. In one corner was an immaculate collection of dolls, all with blank smiles, watching anyone who dared to enter the room. There was also a table covered in a lace table cloth, with a very fine tea set out upon it, and several dolls seated at the few chairs. In the last, was Euthalia, sipping at her blood from a fine tea cup, like usual. The only thing that ruined this picture perfect image of childish innocence – besides the blood itself – was the man who was currently chained to the back of the room. He had gouges all over his body, and seemed inches away from losing consciousness. If you were to observe closely, however, you would note that he wasn’t mortal.

This didn’t seem to bother Euthalia though, and she had a pristine little smile on her face. Whoever came to see her wouldn’t know what to think – and that was the plan. Euthalia hated preconceptions with a passion, and sought to shatter them whenever possible.

So far, it had worked rather well.

Danielle walked up to the door and knocked on it before entering the room. She took in all of the sights of the room quickly, and was surprised to see such a young looking vampiress. She didn't show it at all, and she enjoyed seeing the immortal chained in the back of the room. She bowed deeply showing her respect to the elder vampiress, who was drinking something from a teacup. She knew it wasn't tea and kept herself from shuddering, she couldn't stand dead blood. Drinking it would be the death of her.

"Good evening." She smiled broadly at Euthalia. "I'm Danielle Seras thank you very much for seeing me." She liked how Euthalia looked, and she enjoyed how Euthalia tried to catch her offguard. "This is quite a beautiful room, I'd make mine this way, but it wouldn't really fit with the theme of my apartment. Danielle stood and waited for Euthalia to give her permission to sit down. She might've had some strange habits, but she never managed to shake the habits her human life seared into her mind. She smiled as her thoughts slipped to the people she killed throughout her life. She imagined that if the Amman didn't clean up after her she'd be pretty popular with the tabloids, but this wasn't the time to daydream.

If Danielle was surprised to see such a young looking vampire, Euthalia was the teeniest bit surprised to see a Tarepha member so young, but wasn’t completely put off by it. In her opinion, the younger they were, the more they could be molded to her purpose. This one could be taught to be completely loyal to the Tarepha, if she did it in the right way. A sense of determination came over her, as strong as any emotion she usually felt, and she beckoned the girl into the room with one sweep of her hand, inviting her to be seated in the same gesture. It was an oddly aristocratic gesture for one who looked so young, and Euthalia wondered if she was even going to bother with the child act on this one. Would it really matter to her? Did she really wish to throw the girl off? It was obvious that the girl seemed to treat her like a child, so perhaps in this instance, the opposite of her normal routine would be suitable.

It was for this reason that Euthalia set down her cup gracefully, before peering at the girl with a long, deep look, not made for a child’s face. There was, underneath the pleasantries, a cold and calculating look that almost made one think that she was trying to see Danielle’s soul. Almost immediately, it was gone.

“Not at all,” she said, forcing herself to give a smile wrought with childish innocence. Her accent was crisp and British, making her voice seem older somehow. “You are my coven member, and my members are welcome to see me whenever they have concerned.” Those large pretty eyes of hers trailed to the vampire upon her wall for a moment, before flicking back to the woman of the moment. “As for the room – it is a means to and end in most cases.” A small shrug, but the calculating look was back. “Will you not be seated? The blood is almost fresh – if you count the blood of a vampire as such.”

The man on the wall made a gurgling sound.

Danielle smiled at Euthalia, she returned wasn't surprised that Euthalia seemed to turn from being an innocent child to a calculating adult. She sat down across from Euthalia and crossed her legs. "No thank you Euthalia, I don't drink that kind of blood." Danielle was starting to want some blood, but she'd get some fresh blood from one of the mortals after the meeting.

Danielle shrugged and stared into Euthalia's large eyes. "I've come here because I simply want to meet you." She kept smiling, but the act of treating Euthalia like a child was gone. "I've heard about you from some of the other members, but I wanted to see you in person." She crossed her arms right below her chest and looked around the room a little bit. She really liked Euthalia's room. Maybe she'd renovate her apartment a little bit, but that was for later. "May I ask about your past Euthalia?"

If it had been a test, Danielle would have failed. As it was, maybe she had failed even so. Euthalia had a minimal sense of regret at her refusal, not because it meant that she didn’t have anyone to drink with, but because it meant that this particular vampire in front of her might be too squeamish to indulge in the more outlandish tastes of Euthalia herself. “As you will,” was her only reply, taking a dainty sip from her cup, small pinky finger extended. There was a certain chill in her eyes now that may or may not have been there before. The man on the wall, had he been able to talk, would probably have told Danielle that she was an idiot for refusing anything that the coven leader offered her.

As it was, the man wasn’t saying much of anything.

A small, pert smile stretched across Euthalia’s face. “Oh?” she said, feigning polite surprise. “I’m flattered, to be sure.” A pause, and a raised eyebrow. “Pray tell, what do they say about me when I am not in the room? I would find it ever so interesting to know.” The last sentence was said with a certain childish excitement. She was like a pendulum, swinging back and forth between two points, never in precisely the same spot from one nanosecond to another. Of course, if Danielle answered wrongly to her question, there was the chance that Euthalia would subtly demand names and set out to… punish the culprits. Or, perhaps more horrifically, the entire coven could be subjected to her wrath. It wasn’t because Euthalia’s pride would be injured – it was the principle of the matter. You do not speak ill of your leader.

Danielle smiled at Euthalia, and wondered if she should risk trying to read Euthalia's mind. She didn't think it would be wise at all, so she didn't. She uncrossed her legs and leaned against the table. "I prefer live blood, especially that have the most to look forward to. Makes it much more fun when I take whatever they're looking forward to." She trembled with pleasure thinking of chewing through the fragile neck of a baby and seeing its mother watch in horror. "Dead blood is very bad for me you see. It doesn't quite sit well with me, though I always enjoy torturing poor bastards." She looked at the immortal who was strapped to the back wall.

"Well those who I've spoken to said that you're very much like you are right now. Well this is my own opinion, I think you enjoy throwing people off with your act." The smile was gone from her face. "I do respect you, but if I'm to take you seriously then I'm gonna have to ask you to drop this facade of innocence, we both know we're far from innocent." She wondered how Euthalia would respond to her comment.

It was a very good thing indeed that Danielle decided against it. While Euthalia had absolutely no talent in telepathy, or any other mind-altering abilities, she could detect when her thoughts were being invaded, and was very displeased when she found it happening. She would have been required to rip out Danielle’s jugular had she even suspected anything of the sort, and would have had absolutely no qualms with it. There was only one person in Euthalia’s life that she cared for in any way, shape or fashion, and he was the one person she knew would never betray her. If nothing else, he’d seen what she’d done to the others who’d done so in the past and would most likely never want to take the hot seat himself for anything less than a game. Despite being a member of her coven though, Euthalia felt absolutely no loyalty this girl. If she so much as blinked the wrong way, and Euthalia was in a bad mood, it could spell death. Luckily, she was in a fairly good mood.

So far.

“Suit yourself,” said Euthalia, “though I’d hardly consider this dead blood. It’s fresh from the veins of one who made me very, very angry.” A quick glance to the man at the wall, before back at Danielle, her face all smiles.

To her credit as an accomplished actress, the Tarepha Leader’s smile didn’t falter even slightly. She did set down her cup though, and there was something dark behind her eyes that reminded you that she wasn’t a child – not even close – but rather something completely unnatural playing dress up. “If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it,” she said in a sweet tone, like a child talking about puppies.

“As it is…” She slid off her chair, her hands behind her back, as she walked around the table and stopped just in front of Danielle, her movements fluid in a way that a child’s body shouldn’t have been able to manage. “I am a great deal older than you. I have been playing this game of cat and mouse for longer than you’ve been alive. You ask me to drop the façade and act like and adult?” Her small hand grabbed Danielle’s chin with an iron grasp, and for but a moment, her face shifted into something that could never be mistaken for human. “You better be prepared for the consequences. In this duo, I am the adult, and the leader – and it is you who is the child. You may find that you do not like the monster that hides under this particular bed.”

She stared at Danielle for a long moment, before leveling a sharp and abrupt glare at the man hanging on the wall. A gash almost a foot long appeared on the man’s chest as if it had been painted on by an invisible paintbrush, and what blood was left in his body flowed heavy down his body. His scream echoed through the room.

With all the poise of a queen, Euthalia walked back to her seat, took a sip from her cup, and smiled as if nothing had happened. “Was there something in particular you wanted to talk about?”

Danielle wasn't surprised when the darkness appeared in Euthalia's eyes, though she was surprised as to how dark it seemed. Even though Danielle drank from babies and had fun mutilating other mortals, she wasn't that dark. "Well I like to speak my mind sometimes."

She watched carefully as Euthalia made her way around the table. She had to hold herself back from striking out at Euthalia as the girl grasped her chin. She showed a little fear as she looked at the thing that appeared before her. "I'm sorry if I have offended you Euthalia." She said as she watched the gash suddenly appear on the man's chest just from Euthalia glaring at him. Danielle basked in the sound of the man's scream, and enjoyed every second of his torment. She wasn't surprised that Euthalia was that powerful, and she didn't want to be on the vampiress's bad side. Danielle was quite impressed by Euthalia's skills in acting. The vampiress didn't even show the slightest bit of the monster that showed up a moment ago.

Danielle listened to Euthalia's question and calmly stayed in her seat. "Well I know the laws, but I don't quite understand why we have to bend to the will of the Amman." She remembered hated having to bend to the will of those she doesn't have respect for. "I know that we shouldn't reveal ourselves to the mortal world, but why do we have to live in such secrecy?"

While still not angry per se, Euthalia was quickly becoming far from pleased with her newest member. If you members didn’t deem it wise to treat you with the utmost respect, something was going terribly wrong. Something that could, maybe, only be fixed with a little more discipline on her part. Could it be that her game was making these vampires think that she was really as week as she pretended to be? Well, despite the fact that that was half her plan, that simply wouldn’t do. She needed to invoke fear in these people, if not respect, and fear was something that Euthalia was good at. For now, however, she’d see how things played out.

“Do you know what the covens are really about, Danielle?” Picking up the ornate tea pot, she poured herself more blood with all the grace of a woman from the Victorian Era. “Politics. Every move you make, every word you speak is all a game of politics. If you don’t know the rules, and you don’t know how to play, someone will eventually see that, and you will be terminated.” She stirred her blood with a spoon, tapped it on the side of her glass, and set it down on her saucer. “You cannot take back what has been done. You have to think.” The faintest expression of disgust crossed her face. “Perhaps if you’d been born in some place where they exercised some true court-like behavior, you would understand.” The statement was waved away. “I have some experience, I’ll admit, so I will give you a tip: everything you say is a puzzle to be decoded. I can take it purposefully the wrong way, despite what you meant, and be entirely right in punishing you. I’ve set out to make the Tarepha a court – united, strong, with the same interests – but I can’t do that if I’ve got little children running around my feet, undermining my authority, now can I?” Her tone was oddly maternal, but her words were vastly ironic.

Raising an eyebrow at her, Euthalia put down her cup and placed her elbows on the table, folding her hands together. “There is a difference between bending to their will, and ensuring we survive for another day. I assure you, we do not bend to their will – especially not I. I slaughtered a family the other day. Quite the most gruesome sight that’s been seen in this city in a long time. I didn’t cover my tracks, yet we didn’t hear about it. Why? Because it was up to the Amman to make everything hush hush.” She paused, a malicious grin coming to her young face. “Let’s put it this way: We are the kings. We go about with our indiscretions, and the Amman are our servants, hastily stumbling after in an attempt to clean it up.

“But secrecy? All secrecy we have is mostly due to the Amman, and the rest is so that we don’t become the hunted instead of the hunters. You are to young to have seen the witch burnings, or the mad hunts for loup-garous in France, but when the mortals fear something, they behave like dogs. They have the advantage over us in one way – they can escape into the sunshine. We have no such retreat, especially not now in this world of eternal light. One on one, we dominate, but our numbers are small in comparison to the human plague sweeping this earth.”

She didn’t see it like admitting a weakness, merely admitting a certain flaw in their existence.

Danielle nodded listening to the older vampiress. It would've seemed odd to see a young girl talking down to an older woman, but then again Euthalia was correct in saying Danielle was far too young to understand. She thought about the stories of the witch hunts. She lowered her gaze to the table, she almost looked like a little girl who just got scolded by her parents. "I never really thought about it that way Euthalia." She didn't look her superior in the eye, and tried to think of something to say. "I've heard stories of the witch trials of Salem, but I guess it's nothing compared to personal experience."

She hated thinking of the mortals as even slightly superior to her own kind, even if it was in numbers. It would be so easy to increase their numbers exponentially, but then the whole food supply would be down the shitter, and that would be a very bad situation.

She managed to build up the courage to look up at Euthalia, and held her gaze. "I'm sorry if I haven't shown the respect that you deserve." She hated feeling like a little girl apologizing to her parents.

Euthalia laughed a bitter, cynical laugh. “The silly little Salem witch trials were simply one of many. The entire persecution of the unknown had been going on for as long as people had feared what they didn’t understand. You see it still in the world, but not in quite the same way.” One small finger toyed with her hair. “You should perhaps start to think in such a way. That is the only reason I have made no further attempts to dissuade the Amman from cleaning up after us. I have seen war, and I have seen executions, and while I have lived through them all, I do not wish to have either upon my doorstep.”

The memories of her homeland were vague memories of being picked up by a mother without a face, and deposited outside the city walls. Unfortunately, even this failed to move the old heart within the young breast.

“No,” she said, somewhat softy. “Stories never compare to actually being there.”

Whatever ghost had descended upon the room suddenly vanished, and it was once again business. “You don’t need to apologize Danielle, although I thank you for doing so.” Was it a heartfelt thank you? Not particularly, but it sounded like it was. “If you have doubts now though, you must seek to be more respectful in the future, so that you have no cause to doubt yourself.”

Oh yes. Turn it around on her. Make it seem like she was giving compassionate advice, when she was only ensuring her own respect. Very well played, Euthalia.

Danielle smiled at Euthalia, as she wrapped her mind around what Euthalia said. She wondered whether or not Euthalia was being compassionate or simply trying to play her. Well she'd play along for a little longer. "I try to be at least a little courteous when I'm in the presence of my superiors." She knew that Euthalia was a very good actress, and Danielle wondered if she was honest. Danielle thought for a second, and knew she actually didn't give a shit whether Euthalia was being honest. She knew a little about how people like Euthalia worked, but didn't really think about it. "You still haven't answered my question about your past."

That was one of the hardest things to tell about Euthalia. When was she pretending? When was she being honest? When was she acting naïve? She did it purposefully, to throw people off their guard. You could never know if she’d laugh prettily at you, or rip off your head. Some said it was part of her appeal. Other said it was what made her frightening. Still others said that it was annoying… right before they were mysteriously killed. You didn’t speak behind Euthalia’s back, because she had a way of finding out – and that was never a good thing for the person who had done the speaking.

“That’s a good quality,” she said, smiling at the woman. “You can never go wrong if you show the proper respect where respect is due. There are always those that appreciate it.” The smile flickered, and almost went out entirely for a moment, before it was tacked back into place. There was, however, a warning note in the back of her eyes, that promised that if you walked too far on the ice, you’d fall in and be swallowed. “Ask of me what you wish, but I cannot promise that I’ll feel inclined to answer.”

The friendly tone was gone, replaced by a hollow, almost dead one.

Danielle wasn't scared very easily, but now she felt a cold dread move throughout her body. She would've laughed right then and there if it wasn't for the fact that she was scared shitless of Euthalia. Danielle preferred feeding upon humans that looked like Euthalia, and it was pretty ironic to her. She did her best to keep her body from trembling in fear, and put on a mask of calm. Her eyes showed a very little bit of fear as she gazed at the one who was across the table from her.

"I only wish to know more about you so I may prevent any misunderstandings in the future." Danielle knew that a misunderstanding could result in her death. She certainly feared death, and she'd do anything to make sure she lived a very long time. Danielle wondered where Euthalia was from, and what her life was like. "May I ask what you have planned for the Coven?" She wasn't always interested in politics, but thought she'd might as well get a little involved if she could.

Euthalia held the silly belief that fear equaled respect in most cases. Fear meant that those who were below you would be too afraid of punishment insolence might invoke to ever truly attempt something. On the other hand, it could be precisely this fear that would cause the little people to rise up and strike her down. She only hoped that she came off as interested in the well-being of the Tarepha as she genuinely felt. While one person here or there might seem insignificant, Euthalia knew differently. Even the most pathetic waste of space ever to crawl out from between his mother’s legs could prove beneficial in some way. It was her job as leader to find out what that way might be, no matter how tedious a job that seemed to be at times.

Folding her hands decorously, she cocked one head to the side in an oddly innocent manner. “There isn’t much to tell, really. I am old – over two thousand years old, and nearer to three thousand – but I do not remember my exact age. It is an insignificant triviality in any case. I was born in a country called Phrygia, in the capital of Gordium. I doubt you have heard of such a place, and it matters not. You have, however, probably heard the fables that came from the infuriating little pest that was our king – Midas was his name.” She paused for a moment, whether it was to let Danielle absorb that particular piece of information, or simply to collect her thoughts, was uncertain. “Then, the Cimmerians attacked, and I was left out in the countryside by my mother. A few hundred years later, Alexander – the man some give the title ‘the Great’ to – came and all but erased the remnants of our country, when he completed a feat that no other could.” A small shrug, like it meant nothing to her. Maybe it didn’t.

“As for what I have planned for the coven… That is an interesting subject. I want to make us strong, and in order to be strong we need discipline. My predecessor ran the Tarepha in utter chaos, but that is not my vision. I want order, and ranks, and everyone to have their proper place so that we can stand up in the night as the powerful force I know we have the potential to be.” There was an odd note in her voice, and something of a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

Danielle listened to Euthalia, and absorbed as much information as she could. So Midas wasn't just some silly myth, he was a real man. She knew Alexander was a real man, but she neverly really took interest in researching him. She was quite interested in Euthalia, and she wondered if fear was the best way to gain control of the coven. Even though she loved instilling fear in humans, it made them desperate. The same could be said about vampires, it would only be a matter of time before Euthalia lets down her guard, and overthrow her. Danielle wouldn't participate in it, because she believed in Euthalia's goal for the coven. She wished to have a more powerful coven, and Euthalia seemed to have the right idea.

Danielle smiled widely at Euthalia. "I like how you think Euthalia. This coven can become one of the most powerful covens. I'll stay by your side if you wish. Though there's one thing that I'm a little concerned about." She gazed deep into Euthalia's eyes. Any fear that was there before vanished. "Would you like to hear my opinion?" She waited for Euthalia's answer, she didn't want to get Euthalia pissed off at her too much.