Bending, Not Breaking (Areron) - Jennica's House

After her phone call, the Toreador sat back on her very comfortable sofa, looking out over the lights of the city. And waited.

Areron arrived in a little black dress, wide brimmed hat, and silk gloves. She knocked on the door of the address she was given.

Surprise! No intervention!

Just the Toreador, a bit more purposeful than she had been when Areron had seen her at the clan meeting, answering the door. She held it open for the other woman to enter, a smile on her face.

"Thank you so much for coming, Miss Areron. I was worried you might not."

"Of course I would. Why wouldn't I?" She said with a pleasant smile, nodding in thanks as she entered the apartment.

She was closing the door behind the tiny Toreador with a light laugh.

"I've heard there's some friction between you and Cassiel, and with her being my childe..."

She let it trail off, gesturing toward the living room with one hand.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a drink or anything of that sort?"

"My issues with Cassiel have been settled as far as I am concerned. I hold nothing against her now." She said pleasantly, then took a seat.

"No, no, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Please, tell me what is on your mind."

She nodded, then sat down across from Areron.

"The Toreador Clan as a whole has been on my mind. There are some... rather huge rifts and gaps that run through, and as a Clan, the Toreador seem to be the best at letting petty things come between them. This has been true since time began for us, really. However, I have seen some places where the Toreador act under the feeling that Clan is more important than these petty differences. So while they may squabble in private, in public, they show a strong front."

She paused, tilting her head.

"I wondered, Miss Areron, if you have ever seen the Toreador act as a cohesive unit before?"

"Yes I have, it is why I sought to heal the rift between Cassiel and I. I have been talking to Estabon and Frederico about this very thing."

She smiled.

"Good! I'm glad to hear it! I'm told that there are several rifts between the Toreador for various reasons. I admit that I am the cause of one -- between myself and Cassiel. I'm seeking to rectify that, in fact."

She tilted her head.

"One of the ways that I'm doing this is that, a while back, Cassiel presented one of her bits of artwork, but with a very poor turnout. I'm going to have her present such again, with my own name as her sponsor for such. I would like, if I could, to see you there as well."

"I offered her the same when she told me about it. It would be better from you obviously. Of course I'll come! I haven't seen her work yet."

She beamed a grin.

"Excellent, excellent. Anyone you can drag along as well would be appreciated. I would truly like for this to be a rather large event."

She paused.

"Can I ask you what the issue is with Frederico, Estaban and our newest, red-haired member of the Clan? That seems a huge rift and I'd like to start healing it, if I may."

"I've already tried healing that. I believe the problem isn't the red head, but it actually lies in Estabon's reactionary nature. If Estabon becomes the artist and Primogen Frederico wants him to be, then he won't see Grisrlda as 'ruining' his child. A distraction."

"It all comes down to uniting the clan."

She nodded.

"I had intended to speak with Frederico, see if there is anything that may be done. Cassiel tells me that Estaban has a sister; she is going to look into that a bit more, as her relationship with Estaban is closer than my own, to see if there is any insight that this mysterious sister may be able to shed on the situation at large."

Frowning, she looked the other Toreador over.

"What way do you believe I would be most useful in inspiring Estaban to be what it is that his Sire wishes him to be?"

"Ideas tend to inflame him. He just isn't very proactive. Really I'd like any help you have to offer in that department as well. I do not know the man well. I've already spoken to Griselda about helping and she says she will."

"He has all the wit, charm, and political know how, he just lacks...fire. I've offered to be his whip and he had accepted, but no formal announcement has yet been made, so I'd appreciate discretion. I'm hoping I can help push him along and take away some of the more tedious burdens. My hope is his passion for the job will grow." She shrugged. It was worth a shot in her mind.

"Once this gets sorted, provided we are successful, I was hoping Cassiel might replace me as whip. What do you think?"

She tilted her head.

"Cassiel is young, but then, Whip isn't really as public of a position as Primogen. She may do very well. She does, however, need to work on that Brujah-like temper of hers. Yes, she might do well, in time."

She frowned, thoughtfully.

"I believe that, to make the proactive ideas begin to grow, we will need to speak with his current lover. She may say that she assists and I have little doubt that she tries. But we should be very clear in what we want from her to make certain that she can ignite that fire within Estaban?"

Yes, it was a question. She had no idea what Griselda was about, even.

"I have already asked her to help push him and have given her some current examples of things that need to get done. The party for the harpy to give her personal status from the clan, and dealing with the listless keeper situation. I don't know if Griselda has acted on any of it yet though..."

"Griselda and I go way back, but she's different when it comes to Estabon. I can't predict her as well." She frowned apologetically. "But by all means, we can speak to her together or you seperatly if you like. It might impress the importance on her."

She shook her head.

"I think together is best. To show her that it's more than just you, her friend, who needs the assistance. If she sees that others in the Toreador Clan need help, it might drive the point home a bit more."

Areron nodded. "Alright, then we shall. It'll be good for her to become involved in some clan politics anyway. If Frederico sees her helping to unite the clan, then it might solve the rift right there."

She smiled.

"I also intend to use some of my considerable charm to distract Frederico from his troubles."

"Good. I like Frederico very much. It breaks my heart to see him so worried about the clan."

She smiled.

"Then you and I should see that he worries much less about the Clan. Do you think that spending more time with our newest member might help Frederico as well? My thought is that if he does, he might start to see that she is trying very hard to assist the Clan as a whole."

"That isn't a bad idea at all. Though he did tell me, it's not Griselda he has issue with, but Estabon's obsession with her. He finds her to be a distraction which is holding him back from being a good primogen. Otherwise he thinks she's a lovely creature."

She nodded.

"Then if he sees her spending time with others -- and in this case, he cannot deny that she is spending time with others -- he may stop letting her be the excuse for his anger toward Estaban. He will not have her to blame anymore."

"True." Areron nodded, liking the logic of it. "It would get down to the real problem, his dissapointment with his child. Which is funny, considering what he doesn't like about Estabon, he freely admits he does himself. He says he's too flaky and easily distracted to be Primogen himself." She giggled.

She laughed, shaking her head.

"Isn't it just like a male, and a Toreador male, to expect from others what they cannot expect from themselves? Ah, I love men. That said, I'll distract him for a time, have your red-haired friend distract him for a while, also. Perhaps we won't need to hit him with a clue-by-four in the process."

She chewed her lip, looking thoughtful.

"Might I inquire as to what it is that is your art? I'm afraid that with the meeting being as heated as it was, I have not had the time to sit down and speak to you properly, given your reputation."