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Aislin smirked and rolled her eyes as she neared the entrance to the mansion’s indoor pool. Mozart, she had that drilled into her head early on but what piece? It was a requiem, she was sure of that but all that was coming to mind was it was a part of Rafe’s playlist she secretly called ‘music to feel like a nineteenth century villain who won the game’. Rafe often played classical when he was swimming and she could usually guess his mood based on what was playing. If he had that playlist going, then he was in an excellent mood and some major play of his had gone well. She’d likely never know what it was but it kept the master vampire happy and the Family secure so she put up with the secrets.

She entered the room and quietly moved down the length of the pool, enjoying the view that Rafe gave in only shorts as he cut through the water with ease. He had been muscular and utterly ripped when he was Turned and the enhanced strength and lack of breathing required made him a powerful and beautiful swimmer. The exercise wasn’t needed as his body would never change shape again but Aislin knew from asking decades ago that Rafe enjoyed the activity but it was also a time for him to both unwind and think. If time allowed, he started most nights with a swim.

When she reached the table that held his towel, Aislin took a seat and waited for Rafe to emerge. They could converse mentally as he swam but it wasn’t an emergency and she could wait. There was no question that he knew she was there and he would finish when he wanted. In the meantime, Aislin tucked her legs under her and enjoyed the music and view—especially the view a several minutes later when Beethoven faded and another almost angelic piece began and Rafe gracefully climbed up the steps, water dripping deliciously from his body. Oh, he had definitely timed that with the music, Aislin was sure of it.

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ooc: The real playlist I came across recently that inspired Rafe's current playlist https://youtu.be/XCBwOgTYFAI

Rafe did know when Aislin entered the room but didn’t change his pace or plans as he continued the long strokes across the pool. He’d been working hard on a project for the Council for the past several weeks and it had all paid off the night before and brought him home just before dawn. The swim was needed to relax and focus again on his own dealings, especially those of a more local nature. He suspected that played a part in Aislin appearing as she had been overseeing Indulge while he was travelling and preoccupied elsewhere.

“De Profundis by Antonio Salieri,” Rafe commented, picking up Aislin’s thoughts easily enough, though he didn’t add she was correct in her assumption he timed his ascent from the water to the music. He had to take his fun where he could and while she was loyal to him through blood and love, a little power move here and there never hurt. Just like the way he tapped his phone and pushed it toward Aislin so she could see that he had renamed that particular playlist to her name some time ago.

He grabbed the towel and began drying himself in silence. Aislin was likely doing her best to not freak out over how easily she could be read by him while also committing the composer and title to memory. It was her own fault for having such a deep love of music. Rafe had no choice but to educate her on the classics from before her time to broaden her view but it would also come in handy when he hosted the higher end parties with older guests in attendance.

Rafe sat in the other chair at the table, the towel now flung around his neck to catch any drips from his hair. He reached for the glass of wine that had also been left for him and sipped it, savouring it. “Tell me of Indulge.”

Aislin waited through all of the dramatics but she did appreciate them for what they were as they both caught her eye in appreciation but reminded her of her place and how powerful Rafe was. She never wanted to be on his bad side and while she had come close here and there due to her struggles with some powers of her own, so far she had stayed in his good graces and had his trust. She wasn’t sure what she would do if that was ever lost and she was lowered in rank within the Family or traded out of the Family all together.

“Indulge is doing well. Perhaps too well. I’ll save the numbers breakdown for the report on your desk at the club but the Upstairs is picking up popularity and I think we need to bring in more feeders. A few were a mess last night. They’re being used too frequently—even Malachite looked exhausted and out of it by the time I sent him home.” Malachite was one of their stronger feeders and took well to donating his blood and playing with their vampire clients all night long. So it concerned her to see him looking like he was sick and so she had given him some of her own blood to help steady him and encourage some healing before he left. A couple of girls looked ready to drop as well and she knew for a fact they were working the floor more than they should be with one of the boys out with the flu.

“We need more feeders.” Aislin hesitated before she continued. Rafe had his own personal stable of feeders at the mansion that could step in if absolutely needed but what would anger him more? The loss of revenue truly wasn’t that big of a deal concerning all their other ventures and holdings but a dented reputation was still a ruined one. But Rafe would likely find his personal feeders tainted if he let them be used freely. Instead of mentioning the idea at all, Aislin went with, “how is Malachite’s latest recruitment going? I haven't seen him bring anyone new in for a while now.”

Rafe gazed at the liquid in his glass as he weighed the unspoken words. He didn’t need to be in Aislin’s mind to know what she wanted to say. His own stable currently consisted of only three feeders and they were perfectly broken in to his desires. Lending them out to only be broken full stop did not appeal to him but neither did losing business. “Send three trackers to Toronto. Give them to Monday’s sunrise to bring back one suitable feeder each.” They would know the type of person best suited for the life as they would already be closely living it on the streets or in a struggling existence that would soon put them on the streets.

“As to Malachite,” Rafe took another drink and considered his little gemstone and where he was in his progress. “He’s focused on bringing in the friend he deals the stronger doses of V to. She’s important to him and I’m allowing him a bit longer to get her in here as I have faith in his stance she would be what we need.” There was a chance she would be little more than a blood whore like the others but Malachite’s loyalty to his found family and a desire to do right by them all had Rafe invested in this girl. However, it was dragging out and he needed Malachite’s focus on other tasks as well. He would soon step in and visit this Jade himself and compel her if needed. With the amount of V she seemed to take regularly, it would be easy to call on his blood and the bond forged between them to find her.

“And do not ask me when his time is coming. He is young yet and still has much to offer us as he currently is.” Rafe had promised the boy on their first meeting that if he worked hard, proved himself, and never caused even an ounce of distrust, he would be Turned. Rafe was many things but an oath-breaker he was not. Malachite would be Turned when the time was right and it currently was not.

Aislin nodded at the order, mentally reaching out to three of the men she knew would be suited for the task and asked them to wait for her in the back gardens with a promise she would join them when their sire was done with her. There was a time she thought their methods were no more than kidnapping or trafficking but Rafe always ensured the staff were well treated and could come and go freely when they weren’t working—so long as they were trusted enough to keep secrets. Sometimes compulsion was used to aid that but most were happy to be off the streets and took the news of vampires surprisingly well.

Another nod at the fate of Malachite. He was a good kid and Aislin was excited for the day he was officially a part of the Family and would one day play hard with Jasper and her. But she could wait. He was fun as a human and would miss some of the liveliness he brought to Indulge. Still, she suspected a lot of that would remain for decades after he was Turned as she didn’t think she’d changed that much or lost too much of the spunk she had in life.

Speaking of Jasper, her mind skipped away from the fun the three of them would have in the future to what her friend was currently up to. “One final bit of business before I tend to the trackers for you. Now that Jasper is fully caught up on the null mage, what will you do with either of them? Jasper seems to like him on some level and I worry he will accidentally mess up anything you have planned for Nocturne Jackson.”

Rafe finished the wine and set the glass on the table. The truth was, he still didn’t know how to proceed with the null. He was associated with the Guardians so a simple grabbing him wouldn’t do. He suspected the best way to get this Nocturne to work for him would be to get him indebted to him. Jasper could be useful for making that happen. “I will speak to Jasper and encourage him to befriend Nocturne and find ways to get the null to see how working with us is the best choice.” While he currently didn’t have a need for a null mage, it was nice to have one on hand just in case any surprises sprang up. But there were also too many major players in the city that could find and sway Nocturne as well and Rafe didn’t want to miss out on something he should have laid claim to months ago.

“Leave me now. I’ll make an appearance at Indulge after midnight. Make sure anyone that needs to see me is there after that.” Rafe waited for Aislin to leave before he shut his eyes to enjoy Vivaldi and to continue feeling like a villain who won the game a while longer.