Secondary Characters Speak Out: Quartz, Albert and Victor

It's cross-over time once more, with Quartz interviewing M.D. Neu's Victor (again) and Addison Albright's Albert (again)...check out their unique vampires stories The Calling and The Recruit and The Choice to meet them in their own universes!

As for Quartz, well, he's dead in Fairest, not happy about it, letting me know he's not dead, not only by hijacking this blog once a month, but by pushing me to write a story explaining what really happened to him called Of Cuckoo Clocks and Crystal Coffins. Ahem, let us return to this interview...

Quartz sits on the fourth wall a respectful distance from the two vampires, (particularly Victor) wearing a tunic with a high collar and a scarf wrapped several times around his neck. 

Quartz: “Gentlemen, thank’ee for meeting me.” (He’s avoiding Victor’s gaze.) “You’re vampires from two very different universes. You had a human life once, didn’t you? What was it like?”

A: “Thanks for inviting me back.” (Raises an eyebrow at Quartz and wonders what the little guy knows about Victor that maybe he should be aware of, too.) “Yes. In my world we live among, and in much the same way as humans do. We blend…that’s how we survive in the modern world. It’s been more than two thousand years since I actually was one, though. I have wonderful memories of my childhood and my loving parents. But memories of my time in the Roman army are not so good.” (Albert closes his eyes tightly and his face pinches. He sighs when he reopens his eyes.) “What I had to do to my best friend—otherwise I’d have received the same fate without actually saving him from his—will haunt me forever.” (Albert turns to Victor.) “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Last time I was invited to this wall I met Juliet, who I believe is from your world, is that right?”

V: Victor nods towards Albert. “An honor to meet you Albert. It is rare in my world for one to meet someone of your age. Of course, there is much about my world that I thought was true that has now been proven to be false.” He shrugs. “Ah, well.”” He grins. “Ah, Juliet, yes. She and I share the same world. It would be interesting to know what Juliet has said to you, but I guess, I shall be kept in the dark, as usual.”

Victor glances around seeing the little Fae on his wall, neck well covered and avoiding him. A smile tugs at Victor’s lips. “It’s delightful to be back.” He glanced to Quartz, “My human life was no different than that of any other mortal in the six century. I lived in what is now Spain. My family was neither rich nor poor and like many we were pleased when Raccared became Catholic.”  He chuckled. “My life didn’t becoming interesting until I was Called.” He narrowed his eyes on Quartz and bit at the air. 

Quartz: “Anything you miss now you’re a vampire?”

A: “Real food. It, ah…runs right through vampires in my world, which is an unpleasant experience. I’m used to not eating food now and am satisfied enjoying their smells. But I do miss my mother’s lentils with coriander. I never learned the recipe, not that it would matter now. And roasted wild boar. She used to wrap bacon around the roast. So good!”

V: “I’ve always wanted to try, and enjoy, pizza, it always looks interesting especially with all the toppings and different kinds of crusts….” He sighed. “It’s something even if washed down with a glass of blood, has no taste or flavor and I’ve felt it a waste.” 

Quartz: “You’re both immortal, right? Is there anything special you’ve gotten to experience because of your long life span you’re glad of?”

V: “The last century and half have been the most exciting, yes there were advancements before, but these last 150 years our world…well my world… has grown and changed a lot and I’m glad to have been witness to it.”

A: (Nods.) “I agree with Victor. The recent technological advances are amazing. And yes, vampires in my world can be killed, but we are immortal in the sense that we won’t continue to age beyond our human years and will never die of natural causes. We also heal rapidly. The older we are, the better we heal. As for the reason technological advances are of particular interest to me…well, I shouldn’t share details yet, but advances in space travel will likely be our salvation. With the world-wide trends toward DNA-centric identification, it’s only a matter of time before our existence will be forced into the open.”

Quartz: “Anything you’d rather have missed out on?”

A: “Every war humans have engaged in. In balance, I think the good things outweigh the bad. But perhaps that opinion’s coming from a place of privilege, because I was able to avoid an active role in those since becoming a vampire.”

V: Victor’s gaze lowered to the ground, his hands making their way into his pockets after several moments of quiet thought he raises his head and stares at Quartz. “That question. So, much. There is so much that has happened that…” he shook his head. “This list is long.”

Quartz: “Victor, you’re part of something called the Dark. What’s that exactly?”

V: Victor laughed. “I thought I knew, but as I said my world is changing, thanks in no small part to Chris and of course Kirtus. I’m so glad I kept him alive. I can’t say the same for some others.” He huffed and he felt himself want to shift with anger, but he maintained. “Regardless, the past, it would seem, is coming back into fashion, and I believe it will be for the best, if only I knew more about what was happening with the Light and what was causing all their strife.”

He shook his head. “More to your question, the Dark are vampires that tend to be less focused on others and instead focus all our energy on making our world more comfortable and better. We are independent and don’t believe in living our lives with restraints, of course we have rules that we follow, but we tend to be freer then the Light, in how we live.”  A grin pulled at lips. “Some would call us selfish, but I prefer to think of us as self-innovators.”  

Quartz: “Albert, do you have factions among vampires in your own universe, too?”

A: “Yes. We have factions broken up by geography rather than by philosophy. We have a single world council that oversees all, and coordinates information and innovations between factions. Each faction leader and each council member are considered equals at the top of the vampire hierarchy with equal weight in matters that come to a vote. There is no one leader. Our primary mission is to keep vampires safe, and living comfortable, fulfilled lives. We thoroughly enjoy the entertainment industry’s various takes on what they consider to be the vampire mythos, but our day-to-day lives are nothing like that.”

Quartz: You both drink blood. (really not looking at Victor) Got any victim preferences? (under his breath) Scribbler, did you have to have me ask this question?!

Me: (muttering in a distracted way) “For the blood is the life…”

Quartz: (in a half growl) “Writers. Especially with a headful of fandom…anyway, how much of a part does blood play in your life, or unlife?” 

A: “Life” (Albert narrows his eyes at Quartz.) “We consider ourselves to be alive. Our hearts beat. Yes, our blood is black rather than red, but that simply makes us differently alive.” (Takes a deep breath and brushes off the slight. The little guy didn’t know any better, and what with all the misinformation in movies, it’s only to be expected.) “Blood is necessary to our survival. But, fortunately, it doesn’t need to be fresh. In the old days we didn’t have any choice, but today, we’ve infiltrated blood banks and, more importantly, own many biohazard disposal services. We have access to blood that ages out and is marked for destruction. Although many blood types are frequently in short supply, the types that are not universal donors and aren’t the most common, age out. Blood that is rejected after testing due to infections is also perfectly acceptable for us.”

V: “Oh little Quartz, don’t fear me, I don’t dine on Fae, I have wondered what your blood may taste like, but for the most part I prefer human, plan simple, human. I have no real preference I follow my nose.” He taps his nose for emphasis. “For many of us it is the scent of blood that drives our taste. If one smells good, then their blood smells good.” Victor steps forward, “And you my little friend smell delicious.” He laughs.

“That said, I will echo what Albert has stated, technology has improved our diet and ease of access. We too have stakes in the blood industries including biohazard disposal. A fellow dark, Luka, from Russia has quite the blood trafficking industry. It is one of the few things he and I see eye-to-eye on.”

Quartz: “Is there anyone you’ve ever met you really wished to turn? A famous person or simply a potential companion?”

A: “Only once.” (Grins.) “And I did turn him.”

V: “Two many.” Victor shakes his head, “I shall leave my answer at that.

Quartz: “Is there anyone you feel immortality is wasted upon?”

A: “There are plenty whom it would be wasted on, but they don’t make it past our screening process. The bad apples that were among us before we became organized have been…shall we say…weeded out.”

V: “They are not immortal like us, however, I believe they will live on and that is the Kardashian’s they, sadly, will survive in our collective consciousness for far too long.” His eyes grow narrow and his fangs bite at his lips. “Then there are some, some of my very own, who have far outlived their welcome on my world.” He clears his throat. “Forgive me. That was inappropriate, however, I will say I am pleased to see some I know get the rewards they have long sense deserved.” 

Quartz: “Any long term plans for the future?”

A: “There’s that space project I hinted at earlier. We’ve infiltrated enough agencies that our immortality can be handled with regularly updating appearances and identities. For now. But the world is changing, and the day will come when we can no longer get away with that.”

V: “Many, but that is not for me to say.” He points to the sky. “My creator would not forgive me if I shared spoilers, however, I have given a great many clues away to what is to come. As I’ve said, my world is changing. We will not expose ourselves to humans of course, that would be suicide, but things will change, for good or for bad. Maybe both.” 

Quartz: “All right, as individuals who’ve watched the world change over the centuries, how has it surprised you? What do you expect to see in the future?”

A: “Nothing much surprises me anymore.” (Shrugs.) “And we make it our business to stay on top of trends, so we can predict which way policies around the world are moving. As I’ve mentioned, we predict an earth with populations that are more and more keyed into personal identification that’s DNA centric. We—vampires—don’t plan to stay around to actually see that happen.”

V: “My world, the world I occupy, is always changing and growing. We may see a rise in your kind, Quartz, but I doubt it, still it may happen. Humans will continue to be unaware of us, much like in Alberts world I assume, we have taken steps to ensure our secrecy even with the continued changes in technology. I suspect those like Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and others will push my world forward into areas of science and technology yet to be discovered…” He glanced around. “I do wonder what may happen if life from other world finds us, how would we, as vampires, react to such a thing. Or, we will do when humans become too clever and we become to sloppy.” 

Quartz: Thank’ee, both of you. (inching back a little more from Victor, muttering) Bloody scribbler. Why does she keep doing this to me…

V: “Always a pleasure, my little friend, perhaps one day, you will come to my world for a visit, there is much I think you would like to see.” He turns to Albert. “A pleasure to meet one as old as you. Your world sounds equally as interesting as mine.”

A: “Thank you for the invite, Quartz…and...” (Glances at the curious wall.) “uh…Scribbler? And Victor, I appreciate your kind words. It’s likewise a pleasure to meet you and learn more about your intriguing world.”

A red curtain appears and a voice comes from behind it. 

Nimmie Not: “So that’s what you’re up to, Quartz. Talking to these handsome immortals behind my back. I’m going to have to think of something to show you just how…distressing…I find this. 

Quartz: Gah!