Chief of Police

Posted on Tue Aug 16th, 2022 @ 7:52pm by Liza Behn & Gideon Asher

Mission: Prequel - Or How We Met
Location: Nashville International Aiport

Liza rarely forgot to fidget.

She was aware, like all vampires were, that her kind tended to stand still as statues and this unnerved humans and lycans alike. So, they made a concerted effort to move- shift their weight from foot to foot, check their watches, tuck their hair behind their ears, that sort of thing. And Liza was extremely good at it. Witches could often spot her as a vampire, but they rarely cared to call her out on it.

Today was no exception. Except for one little boy of about four who was staring at her with big blue eyes. She finally gave him a cheerful smile. She saw his eyes dart to her lips and back to her eyes, so she quickly flashed some fang at him. He giggled and ducked behind his dad, who looked around to see what was going on. He spotted Liza and grinned, then turned to say something to the boy, who nodded. The man made fang marks on his face with his index finger and thumb, a questioning expression on his face. Liza obliged with another flash of fang and the dad ruffled the boys hair.

A young witch in the making.

She then turned to watch the arriving passengers enter the baggage claim area.

Gideon Ben Asher Ibn Zechariah, now known as Havildar Major Gideon Asher of the Blood Rangers, moved through the crowd unnoticed. He was old enough to remember when vampires were not living out in the open, when showing one's true self could mean being hunted down and killed by the Spanish Inquisition. He stalked until he found his target. He moved up behind her and...

"Hello, Miss Behn," he said. "I assume you are here to meet me?"

Liza, who had jumped halfway to heaven when he spoke behind her, whirled to face him. "Do you sneak up on everyone or just girls?" she asked almost accusingly.

Gideon took Liza's hand and kissed it.

"Havildar Major Gideon Ben Asher Ibn Zechariah," Gideon said. "Though I go by Gideon Asher these days. Please, call me Gideon. Apologies for startling you. I'm a bit over 1200 years old. One makes enemies. Better I surprise them than they surprise me. Since you don't seem to be reaching for a stake or an enchanted blade, may I correctly assume you are not here to kill me?"

"Now why would I do that?" asked Liza, legitimately confused. "No, I'm here with the keys to your condo. And a ride there, too. Oh, and," she added, rooting in her large handbag. "I wasn't sure your particular tastes and I know you probably just woke up, so I decided to play it safe and go with O negative." she produced an opaque bottle with a label indicating that it had been donated earlier that day. "Thought you'd appreciate that."

Gideon smiled and took the bottle. "Very much appreciated," he said. He opened the bottle and drank from it, savorying the taste. "Hmmm... very nice. Ah, there are my bags."

A woman in a private charter flight attendant's uniform wheeled a cart with Gideon's luggage over to where Liza and Gideon were standing. "Good evening, Miss Behn. If you'll lead us to the car, I'll bring this stuff there and load it in. I'm meeting Batja and Hesa at the hotel. We're going to spend the day in Nashville siteseeing before we head back. Oh, and Zaydeh says to tell you if you need him, he's on a plane five seconds after you call him."

Gideon grinned. "Thank him for me, Giza," he said. "And I'll try not to need him. He's getting a little long in the tooth for the physical stuff."

Giza chuckled. "Thanks, Boss," she said.

"Ready, Miss Behn?" Gideon asked. "And don't worry. Giza is a lot stronger than she looks."

"I believe you," Liza assured him. "Most Lycans are, after all." Behind her, she could hear the little boy telling his mom about the vampires he saw while she was fussing about getting him to bed because he was out much too late. The conversation made her smile. She would never have children of her own, but she could live vicariously through other mothers. "But, I would be remiss if I didn't offer to help," she added, holding out one hand in case Giza decided to accept the help.

"S'okay, ma'am," Giza said. "The cart will get them to the car and I can lift them in."

"Giza and her family and I have a long association," Gideon said. "One built on trust and mutual respect. If I thought I was taking advantage, I'd be horrified, and if Giza felt as if she was being taken advantage of, she'd speak up. So, lead the way Miss Behn."

Convention being met, Liza smiled brightly and motioned them to follow her.

(“I think that man with her is a vampire, too!”)

Liza grinned as they headed towards the exit. “Also, I thought you’d like to know- there are hounds in the area,” she told both of them. “Just two. A mated pair, if I read them correctly. I sold them a house about a month back. I believe they’ve moved in by now.”

"I suppose that's to be expected," Gideon said. "In fact, I'd expect there to be more. All the better there's only two. Hopefully I'll be able to convince them to stay out of Blood Ranger affairs. They might be helpful in dealing with the local police. I understand my predecesor had difficulties with municipal, county, and state law enforcement. I'll have to meet them sometime soon. I'd hate our first meeting to be when some Darling launches a murder spree."

Liza wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I wish we could just be rid of them,” she said. “The Darlings. They make things so difficult for the rest of us.”

Gideon sighed. "It's not entirely their fault," he said. "Some of them suffered from what we now know as mental illness. Some of them were quite severely ill, some just mildly so. Some were crippled or chronically ill and bitter and filled with hate and impotent rage. Then the unscrupulous among us turned those poor souls into vampires to curry favor with powerful humans. Suddenly these physically and/or mentally damaged individuals were more physically able than they'd ever been and had the power to make the world pay for the wrongs they believed it had visited upon them. Think of them as the sins of our collective past coming back to haunt us, not to mention more than a few sins closer to the present." Gideon smile wanly. "Life is never as simple as we'd like it to be."

"Don't get me wrong," put in Liza. "I feel for them. But feeling for them, even understanding their plight as well as one who has never been through it can understand it, doesn't stop me wishing we could be rid of them. Perhaps my real wish is that they would just behave themselves. Especially the ones who were in their right minds."

"The operative word is 'were'," Gideon said. "There's a certain amount of insanity required to be a vampire. We consume blood, usually human blood. The older vampires, like me, the ones who were brought across before we came out of the coffin, we had to hunt humans for blood. Those of us who couldn't handle killing humans, lived off the blood of game animals or livestock. But some of us ended up in the gutters living off of the blood of vermin. Most of us from back then can remember at least one period in our lives when we hid in the dirt and muck during the day and fed off things we'd rather forget about entirely during the night. I'm not even just talking about Darlings. I mean most vampires, if they're old enough, have had that experience. That does something to a person. Something you can't understand if you've never had to hide in a sewer, sleeping in human waste, draining sewer rat after sewer rat after sewer rat just to maintain the meanest of existences. I used to think those who came out the other side of those experiences damaged were weak. But with age comes wisdom and perspective. I hunt Darlings and, when necessary, put them down. But I no longer feel contempt for them. More like pity." Gideon smiled. "At least I strive to. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. On rare occasions I move past pity to actual compassion. But on to more pleasant topics. You're... what? 200 or so? Pretend I didn't have my agents to a deep dive into your past before I got here. Or pretend that I have but that I was closing a major case just prior to moving here, and I haven't had a chance to read the report. That shouldn't be too difficult, because that's exactly what happened. You see? This will be one of the easiest games of make believe you've ever been invited to play." Gideon grinned and a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes.

Liza gave him a sort of sly, knowing, exasperated grin. “Nearly 200,” she replied. “198, to be exact. I had the dumb luck to be unusually tall for a woman and as such, was a spinster. Until a dashing Russian vampire happened upon me and I had the stupidity to fall for him. He promised me many things, none of which he delivered, all of I would join him. And so I let him turn me. Well, it turns out he was an outlaw. The council caught up with him, though. I still have no idea what he’s supposed to have done, but they took me under their care. I can decide if I’m grateful to them or hate them for it. But, they made me who I am today, so I suppose I can’t complain.”

"Of course you can complain," Gideon said. "I complain frequently, though usually in private. Back in the late 8th Century, I was a happily married man. Since the Jewish people didn't abolish polygamy until 1000CE, I had three wives and many children. Jews at that time on the Iberian Peninsula were merchants. We were accepted by the Muslim rulers of the future kingdoms of Spain and Portugal back then, most of them, anyway. They made us pay a special tax, but we had rights and we had, to a certain extent, respect. Since Jewish merchants traveled easily between the various kingdoms on the peninsula back then, the Arabs and even some Christians used us as diplomats and, sometimes, spies. We were on the road when we were attacked by marauders. They killed our guards and, since we were forbidden by the laws of the land to learn martial skills, what defense I put up was feeble at best. As I lay dying, a beautiful woman offered me life and the opportunity for vengeance. I took her up on her offer... and lost who I was. For over 1200 years I've made the best of the life she gave me, but sometimes I wonder at the cost." Gideon chuckled. "Listen to me. Every bit the brooding vampire of taudry Young Adult novels!"

"I think we all fall into that from time to time," admitted Liza as they approached her car and she pressed the button to unlock it. "I try to be cheerful and upbeat and bubbly, but sometimes, the years weigh on me and I find myself feeling melancholy. I can't imagine how it is over a millennia."

"Well," Gideon said. "I've survived this long without getting staked in the heart and having my head chopped off and stuffed with garlic, and I'm neither a homicidal maniac or even a meglomaniac, so there's that. How long have you been in Nashville?"

“Twenty-four years,” she replied, opening the back hatch to allow Giza to load the luggage. “Shortly after the vampire council released me from their care. I was interested in real estate and since there was a large vampire population here, I thought, why not? Got my realtor’s license and started catering to the preternatural community. I also had the opportunity to invest in an internet start up. I don’t know what possessed me to do so, but I bought 100 shares. In Google.” She grinned. “Turns out to be a good decision. I keep doing realty, though, because I enjoy it. And also where else would all the vampires find houses?

"Zillow?" Gideon replied with a grin and winked at Liza. Ever watchful, Gideon of course noticed that there were Blood Rangers discretely surveilling them as they made their way to the car. They were good, but young and some of them were cocky. He made eye contact with one that got careless. He grinned at them and gave a slight nod. The young Ranger looked sheepish and nodded back. Message sent and recieved. They were to continue to provide security until he was settled in. Surrogates, human and lycan contractors, and the odd witch or hound, would provide security once he was there. Ivan had already made the arrangements. "All joking aside, I'm very grateful you had the time to take me on as a client."

"The houses sold on Zillow still use agents," Liza pointed out. "And I could hardly pass up the chance to sell a condo to the new Havildar-Major. Always pays to be on good terms with the police."

Gideon chuckled. "The Council trained you well," he said. "Or did you just memorize How to Win Friends and Influence People by Andrew Carnegie?"

Liza grinned. "Both," she said with a wink. She noticed Giza had finished loading the luggage. "Do you need a ride anywhere?" she asked. "I believe we have time before sunup."

"No thanks, Miss Behn," Giza replied. "I'll catch one of the shuttles over to the hotel. Nice to meet you, ma'am." She turned to Gideon. "Best of luck, Boss."

"You as well, Giza," Gideon said. "Be well."

Giza nodded and walked over to the shuttles and boarded one.

"Well," Gideon said. "Shall we, Miss Behn?"

“We shall,” she replied, gesturing for him to get in. She got into the driver’s seat and pulled her seat belt on. While she was not likely to be damaged if thrown from the vehicle, she could damage some poor human just trying to get home with her shopping, so she insisted on seat belts on her car. “It’s a bit of a ride,” she told him, staring the car. “Do you like Beethoven?”

"I do," Gideon said, getting into the car. "I have a rather eclectic taste in music." Gideon grinned. "Hopefully that didn't sound as pompous to you as it did to me."

"Not at all," answered Liza, making sure her phone was properly paired with her car stereo. "Technology is so amazing, isn't it?" she commented, opening up the music app and selecting her driving play list. "But, no, it didn't sound pompous at all. I think most people have eclectic tastes in music. I do, too. I just like classical music for driving. It relaxes me."

Gideon put on his seatbelt and settled into his seat. "I haven't been here since the American Civil War. I fought for the North. I'd been traveling overseas, but following events here. Once it was clear was war was inevitable, I returned to America for the first time in quite a while to try and put an end to slavery here once and for all. I like to think we accomplished something. On the other hand, there is a long road still to travel, both here and in Europe. I do my best to remain hopeful. It is not always easy." Gideon grinned. "Sorry. I muse over the past probably more than I should. So, it seems from this car that you do pretty well for yourself."

"I do all right," agreed Liza. "The google stock helps. If you keep reinvesting, it just multiplies. I mean, I had help, obviously. Financial planners are wonderful people."

"Yes, they are," Gideon replied. "What are the hotspots in the city for us?"

"Mostly the city center," answered Liza, carefully maneuvering through the parking garage. "Most of the clubs are owned by Vampires and Lycans. There's even a late-night coffee shop. The barista and owner is a 500-plus-year-old Egyptian vampire. According to the patrons, she's a genius. Anyway, point being, that's where most of the activity is," she added. "The Lord of the Coven is a nice guy. His name," she snorted in laughter, "if you can believe it, is Bob. Apparently, someone called him it back in the 70s to try to insult him and he loved it so much, he adopted the name. Anyway, he encourages business ownership. Says it keeps us out of trouble. He comes off as arrogant at first, but he's really not. The younglings like to patrol the edges of the city and keep an eye out for unfriendly Lycans and vampires. It keeps them busy and makes them feel important, so we let them do it."

"Hmmm...." Gideon said. "That sort of thing is best left to the Blood Rangers. If something does happen, if anyone the try to enforce the law upon gets injured, crippled, or killed, these vigilantes you are describing have no protection under the law. In fact, under our agreement with the humans, I would be legally, ethically, and morally bound to track the offending parties down and bring them to justice... or perhaps just eliminate them. Otherwise, the humans can call upon the hounds to deal with the issue. Since the Blood Rangers are also duty bound to protect our people from outside threats, this would be war, and a bloody one at that. If they want to become law enforcers, they can join the Blood Rangers... if they can make the cut. And I'm betting most of them won't. They want to revel in the use of fists and fangs, but the best Rangers understand their best days are the ones where they lay hands on no one, where they resolve all conflict with words. It's not always possible and sure, we are masters of combat, but it is not the first tool we reach for." Gideon paused a moment, then continued. "My apologies if that seemed harsh. I was young once, too. I was filled with a lust for vengeance. And I took it. But, over time, I learned violence was not the only choice, and in fact was frequently not the best one. Fortunately for me, I was turned in a more violent, almost lawless time. There were wars to be fought, criminals to be hunted down and brought to justice. And justice back then frequently meant execution. And, of course, by nature vampires are predators. It's in our blood and bones and whatever souls we still possess. But the world has, to a certain extent, evolved. And to a certain extent, it hasn't. There are plenty of nations and even revolutionaries looking for vampire and lycan soldiers. Some are even engaged in almost noble wars... if there is such a thing as noble wars." Gideon smiled wanly. "I must seem like a dreadfully boring old man to you. Over the hill and set in my ways. Disdainful of youth. I'm not, not really. I understand there are some life lessons the young must learn by living, that all youth hold their elders in disdain to a certain extent, and I understand that I must constantly guard against the stagnation of ideas that can come with a long life. But I also understand that the old must listen to the words of the young with an open mind, while also providing guidance and even discipline when necessary." Gideon sighed. "I do my best to be open to the new, while keeping the traditions of the old, at least those I feel to be applicable in the world of today." Gideon grinned. "Don't worry, I won't be a complete killjoy. I won't completely shut down the young bloods. But I will be taking control of them. They will have to become 'Special Constables' if they want to conduct these patrols. They will be screened to weed out those that have no business doing this and the ones that pass the screening will receive training. This way, they can serve as force multipliers for us and we'll have enough control over them as to mitigate any damage they can do to us. I've done this successfully in other postings, many times in fact, though they had different titles in other periods. Hopefully that makes me seem like less of a fascist control freak."

“I apologize,” said Liza with a slight grin. “Apparently I didn’t explain it properly. They keep a lookout, but alert the Blood Rangers of any suspicious activity. They know enough not to deal with it themselves. They understand the consequences as do all of us. But, if you wish to screen them, that is, of course, your prerogative.”

Gideon smiled. "Ah," he said. "I understand. I hope you can understand why I was concerned. The humans accept us, to a point. There are hate groups who would love to find what they would describe as a 'rampaging pack of rabid vampires' to point to as a compelling reason to exterminate us all. And don't get me started on the vampires who think we should subjugate the lycans of all species to be our Mamluks and Janissaries, exterminate the witches, and corral the humans and breed them like livestock to provide us with an eternal source of blood." Gideon closed his eyes and listened to the music. "Moving on to more pleasant things, I heard this music when it was fresh and new. And, truth be told, over time the more modern composers have only made it better. I saw him, once, you know. Beethoven. At a performance of his work. I wanted to meet him. Unfortunately I had other matters to attend to."

"I'm so jealous," admitted Liza. "He died before I was born. I did get to see the premiere of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, though. Can you believe he wrote that on the train from Boston to New York?" She scoffed. "But, he did. An hour, maybe two and not an instrument in sight and he wrote the whole thing. Unbelivable! He didn't have time to get the piano part on paper, so he played it himself- from memory!" She shook her head. "The man was a genius. It was completely at random that I got to go. I had accompanied Baron Richmond of the council to New York as his assistant and Paul Whiteman himself invited us to the concert. He's the guy who arranged it. It's what inspired me to take the piano back up. I hadn't played since I was human. I had a bit of trouble finding someone willing to teach a vampire, but we got there in the end."

"I'd love to hear you play sometime," Gideon said. "I've dabbled in music over the years, various instruments. One of my favorite styles is Jazz. I used to go and see Duke Ellington and Count Basie and many others in the early days of jazz. Got to see Gershwin's work performed early on, and the work of men like Jelly Roll Morton. Blues and Funk and Jazz Fusion, performers, too. Got to meet some of them, even got to play with some of them. Of course, those were private sessions, almost private lessons, for the which I paid handsomely. And I didn't hypnotize even one of them."

"I often fantasized about hypnotizing my teacher so I wouldn't have to do theory homework," Liza mused as she pulled onto the interstate. "Never seriously, of course. Just jokingly. She was far too nice for me to be anything other than silly about it. Also, she was a witch, so I don't think I'd have been able to anyway."

Gideon chuckled. "Depends on the witch," he said. "How powerful they are, and whether or on being hypnotized by a vampire is their kink." Gideon flashed a sly smile. "I've spent quite a few Beltanes with willing witches, though they'd never take me home to their mothers."

Liza snickered, nose crinkling wickedly. "I can imagine," she said. "Anyway. You saw Duke Ellington live? That must have been amazing. I've always loved his music. Which annoyed Baron Richmond, of course."

"Anything that results in annoying Richmond is a worthwhile endeavor," Gideon said. "But why would he care if you loved Duke Ellington's music? Or Louis Armstrong? Or Coltrane? Or Mingus? Or any of the others?"

“I don’t think it was actually the music that annoyed him, but the volume at which I liked to listen to it,” she confessed with a mischievous grin. “Which was as loud as my phonograph would go.”


"Hmmm," Gideon said. "Vampires and many Lycanthrops appreciate music differently than Humans and Witches. It's our hypersensitive hearing. We can hear things they can't. Unfortunately, if you don't have an appreciation for music, or a particular style of music, that dislike is also magnified." Gideon looked at his watch. "Is it much farther?"

“This exit coming up,” she said. “And then only a couple of blocks. And wait until you see it! Perfect for a vampire. The contractor left the windows in, but boarded them over on the inside. That way, there’s a means of escape in case of fire, but you don’t have to worry about the sun seeping in while you sleep. And also, you can still get fresh air at night.”

"Sounds great," Gideon said. "Looking forward to it. And I've heard that the locals are delicious. Something about Southern Charm enhancing their taste. To be clear," Gideon went on. "I don't kill humans for food as a rule of thumb. I only dine on the willing. It would be a sad state of affairs if the top Vampire cop in this area was in the habit of rampaging throughout the city, giving into blood lust. Besides, these days most of my meals, other than when I hunt animals, are from a bottle, though I do allow myself a taste straight from the source now and again, within the bounds of the accords, of course."

“Same,” agreed Liza. “I usually stick to bottled as fresh can be so expensive. But sometimes I splurge. I’m partial to A negative from overweight women. That extra cholesterol in the blood is so good. Unhealthy, I know, but for a once in awhile treat, it’s not gonna hurt me.”

"My tastes vary," Gideon said. "You'll have to come by one night and we can order in a few options to share. Perhaps watch a little Netflix or whatever service we can find something entertaining on. My treat. No point in gathering resources over a millenia only to horde it all."

"I never said no to free food when I was alive and I'm not about to start now," she replied. "I'm in. Have you seen An Outerspace Yankee in King Arthur's Court? If not, I propose we watch it. It looked like corny fun."

"It's a date," Gideon said. "Hmmm... is that the place up ahead?"

“The place with windows that aren’t windows?” replied Liza. “That’s the one. It comes with a parking spot in an underground lot, if you need it.” She miraculously found a parking spot out front and pulled in expertly. “I’ll help you in with your luggage,” she offered, cutting the engine and stepping out to open the back.

"Thank you," Gideon said. He'd have a car and a driver soon enough, and maybe a vehicle for personal use. He'd get settled in a bit, and then when his assistant arrived, they would finish everything for him. "Very good choice, by the way. Should be perfect."

"Yeah, I kinda have a knack for real estate," she replied, pulling some of his luggage from the trunk and easily carrying it to the front door. "Oh! The keys!" She quickly retrieved them from her purse with a fluid grace only a vampire could manage and presented them to Gideon. "You want to do the honors and I'll get the rest of the bags?" she offered.

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I let you get the rest of my bags by myself?" Gideon said. But he did take the keys. He went to the car and brought up the rest of his things. Then, with a flourish, he opened the door to the house and entered. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose and sighed it out his mouth. Vampires didn't really have to breathe, but Gideon enjoyed it sometimes. It reminded him of being alive... one of the good parts of being alive, anyway. "Well, this will do nicely! Thank you. Thank you very much indeed."

"I thought so," she said, obviously very pleased with herself, as she set the luggage she was carrying in the entryway. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call. I know about 98% of the vampires in the area, so if I can't help, I'll know who can." She smiled cheerfully.

"Anything?" Gideon said with a sly smile. "I'll keep that in mind. How about this Monday, Tuesday or Wednesdayfor that dinner date? Tuesday and Wednesday are usually quiet nights. Fewer targets of opportunity for vampires who can't keep their fangs in their mouths. Thursday the college kids with no classes on Friday go out drinking and of course they all come out Friday and Saturday, along with all of the nine to fivers who have the weekend off. Lots of opportunities to lose control and gorge one's self on someone out on the town making poor life decisions. I watch over the other days, but most Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday problems can be delegated to the senior Risaldars, unless we have a Darling on a rampage. What do you say?"

“I have to show a house on Monday- young vampire finally finding his way in the world- but Tuesday I’m free,” answered Liza. “I can come over exactly at Twilight.”

"Excellent," Gideon said. "See you then."