adriengriffon

It's been floating around, I was curious...you get the picture.

1 question...
1 chance...
1 honest answer...

That's all you get. Ask me one question. Any one question, anything, no matter how crazy it is. An honest answer. No catch.

All comments will be screened so your question stays private between you and me, and only you will get to see my answer to your question. But I dare you to repost this and see what people ask you.

So I'm not REALLY screening these things. I don't really care to figure out how exactly that works. SO, consider posts locked between me and the person asking the question.

The halls of Frost Industries were far quieter now than they had been while La Magra was in residence, and not only because the god himself was gone. Adrien missed, by mere chance, the massacre that killed so many of the vampires of the city. And when he returned to Los Angeles, it was to find a small group of vampires hiding together with several captive humans, taking turns drawing blood from them with a needle to keep them alive as long as possible. When questioned, they spoke of a sickness that began before Adrien left and of a massacre in the heart of the city.

At first, it had been mere habit that led to him giving orders to those terrified survivors. Ever out for himself and always on the lookout for a way to profit from others, he ensured these handfuls of survivors continued to live to give himself time to decide whether they would be more useful to him dead or alive. It wasn't until one night, when he was supervising a group of human contractors cleaning up the Afterdark that it came to him, as his hand drifted into a jacket pocket and he found the old-fashioned necklace that smelled vaguely of Pepper. Of course.

Now, Adrien had a purpose for them all. His first calls had been to several mob acquaintances. One, to a man in Las Vegas that ran the local blood bank. Enough units of blood to feed Frost's remaining vampires were written off as aid to plague-stricken Los Angeles. They would be flown in regularly since the local blood could not be trusted. When asked by the Chicago Boss, he pointed out how much Frost Industries owned in Los Angeles. A tidy sum of money, waiting for someone to hold the reins. The Boss was pleased.

His next few calls were to various people needed to bring the company back to full strength. Many of them were contractors that Frost Industries had hired in the past for work. The clubs were to be put back together and restocked. The people or vampires who balked at taking orders from Adrien learned quickly not to bring their concerns to Adrien himself, or to even think about them in his presence.

The first group to do so were treated to a sweet smile from the white-haired vampire, a reminder that Deacon Frost and Pepper were still missing, and one of their number gutted in front of them. The second man to question him openly disappeared, and except for rumors of screams coming from the old holding cells, was not heard from again, until a few weeks later when a security tape was left playing in an employee lounge. Other vampires wisely decided that, at least to his face, Adrien was in charge. Still, he had a way of looking at them and deciding which ones were reliable and which weren't, and the unreliable ones were slowly weeded out. One got a bad batch of blood, the last that was still on hand from the blood farms, and died a horrible death while Adrien looked on curiously.

Another had been spreading rumors about their new boss. Rumors about his sanity, about his feeding habits, even about Deacon Frost and Pepper's continued absence, which could only mean they'd been betrayed! For this vampire, Adrien saved his most graphic and most effective demonstration. For a group used to swift, violent, and obvious retribution for misdeeds, Adrien's far more subtle warnings had gone unheeded by some. Not anymore. He invited them all to the roof of the Afterdark, where the one who had been spreading the rumors was tied up. The vampire had been flayed alive. When he opened his mouth, it was obvious that his tongue and fangs had been cut out. As the horrified spectators looked on, a bloody Adrien grinned and cut away a strip of skin that had begun to heal and grow back.

“I trust that I have your attention now. Until Mr. Frost shows up, I am in charge. I will tolerate no questions and no doubts. I want all of my orders obeyed to the letter, or your suffering will be far greater than this piece of shit's. And I may not let you die.” Then he turned and motioned for them all to go back inside. The other vampires watched in horror as a security camera caught those first deadly rays of the morning...and the violent, screaming fireball that erupted on the roof of the Afterdark.

For the rest of the vampires, then, life went somewhat back to normal as Adrien oversaw the rebuilding of the empire. His mood was mercurial, and it took little more than a thought or even boredom to earn his wrath, but Adrien did manage to get Deacon Frost's company back in shape, even bigger than it had been. Adrien ruthlessly acquired clubs and bars that had belonged to victims of the “plague”. And finally, when most of the clubs were nearly ready to reopen, he arranged for an inspector to come from Las Vegas to check the security systems.

His recommendations were ignored, however. The file was tossed to his desk and Adrien said, “Thank you for your work, but Silver Security Services still holds a contract with Frost Industries. I will contact Ms. Silver and let her know the company's needs.”

“Of course, sir.” He was waved away, and left the building hurriedly, glad to be away from the white-haired vampire.

Adrien turned to the laptop on his desk and put the CD that had been provided by the inspector into the drive. For some things, Adrien loathed this technology, but for this, he allowed himself a small shiver of wicked glee. There would be no searching for Pepper. This message would find her, letting her know his needs...the company's needs. And she would respond.

To: Silvere01@SSSind.org
From: AMolyneux@FrostIndustries.com
Subject: Security Needs as of January 28, 2010
Attachment: report_all_sites.zip

Ms. Silver,

As acting CEO of Frost Industries, I have had the unenviable task of rebuilding what was left after that horrible plague. I believe Frost Industries still has a contract with your company. As such, I would appreciate it if you could take a look at the enclosed report and arrange for the problem areas to be fixed as soon as possible. I understand the...circumstances...that have led to your sudden departure from Los Angeles, but I trust they will not affect your work.

You will find that none of your security systems have been tampered with. I will trust them to your expert care, Pepper, ma chere.

Adrien Molyneux
Acting CEO – Frost Industries

Because lately, things have been QUITE DULL in RP-land, with nearly ALL of my interactions consisting of prompts and fan fics, I would like a little feedback from others. Is there anything I need to improve with Adrien? Something that could be changed to make things work better? Writing that needs improvement? Anything at all?

I tried taking more, but after the "Who's happier, you or your pet?" test, I was laughing too hard to pay attention. Apparently the only reason I am only 80% cynical is because I AM a vampire and thus have no reason not to believe in the supernatural.

You Are a Thunderstorm

You are a bit temperamental and unpredictable. You have a lot of pent up energy. You don't strike often, but when you do it can be deadly. You can be extremely destructive. People find you to be amazing and awesome. You can be a bit scary at times, but that just adds to your appeal. You tend to get other people excited whenever you're riled up. You aren't usually the only storm in town.

This quiz amused me. Obviously, the darker side of human nature is hardly known to it?


What African Animal Are You?

1. How do you feel today? - Oui, it asked "How do you feel?" and offered...what choices exactly? This looks like something a moron nostalgic for the 60s would ask.
      * Energetic - Well, it didn't start off too bad. Energetic could be taken so many ways.
      * Inspired - Yawn. You and Michelangelo, mon ami Quiz-maker.
     * Thoughtful - Thoughtful...define this please. Taken in context with the rest of your choices. No, non, definitely not. Keep your peace on Earth to yourself, please.
      * Kind - *Bursts out laughing*
      * Peaceful - *Is still laughing from the previous choice and thus misses this one. It's for the best, really.*
2. What's your priority? - Myself? Is that so hard to put as an answer? Apparently so.
      * Your goals - Sort of. Almost there. But again, taken in context with the rest of the quiz? Non.
      * Your morals - ...What morals?
      * Making a difference in the world - Peace on Earth and good will towards men. *yawn*
      * Your religion or spirituality - No
      * Your friends and family - Because I am such a great family man, oui?
3. If you went to Africa, it would be: - I wouldn't. Hunting is terrible, people are still bloody superstitious, and half the countries there are at war. Hardly a relaxing getaway.
      * On a humanitarian mission - Is going there to kill people humanitarian? Probably not.
      * For the adventure of it - Oh yes. Something tells me you frown on big game hunts, Quiz-maker.
      * To travel everywhere and see everything - Sightseeing is overrated.
      * To find yourself - I was lost?
      * To connect with humanity's past - Pffft *Collapses into giggles*
4. You are proud of your ability to be: - Dangerous. These answers are almost there. But not close enough, I'm afraid.
      * Sneaky - By-product. To be engaged in carefully and controlled well, lest everything collapse like a house of cards.
      * Unique - Can't say I ever had such low self-esteem that I had to applaud my own differences. *yawn*
      * Affectionate - *laughs* 
      * Powerful - Getting there! Very close. Not quite, though.
      * Realistic - Duh?
5. Where would you most like to visit in Africa? - The airport? On my way someplace else?
      * Kenya - Okay, so maybe hunting big game might be fun.
      * Ghana - No
      * Egypt - That's what the History Channel is for, oui?
      * Morocco - Where?
      * South Africa - Non. Definitely not.

The bitch. She'd really done it. She chose him over me. How dare she? I stood there, staring at the phone in my hands. The message she'd left still played. I ignored it. It was just a bunch of excuses. Love? Ha! What the fuck did I care about her excuses? The point was, after everything I'd done, everything I'd sacrificed to make sure the world didn't go down in bloody flames and her precious Deacon Frost didn't get what was coming to him, they were off playing human lovers somewhere. She didn't say where. It didn't matter. I'd find her anyway.

I dialed a number. The phone rang. And rang. It went to voicemail. I hadn't expected her to answer. “Pepper, you sneaked away without saying goodbye.” I hung up. The next call was to the two guards I'd assigned to watch the lovers during the day. Had they allowed Pepper and Frost to think they escaped? Of course they did. The lovers went to the airport. They even had a name, a supervisor in charge, who would tell me where they went. With the right persuasion, of course. Ah, the work I loved. Should I put him under and make him tell me before or after I'd cut away the skin from his face?

Ah, hell, why should I let something so petty as his death spoil my fun? Best to get answers from him first.

I chuckled softly as I put away various knives. I'm coming for you, Pepper.

* * * * * * *

Midnight, two nights later. I stood outside their hotel. The humans around me avoided me, though they never knew why they moved. Obfuscate. So useful. I would have to get my sire to teach me more of it before I killed him. Another thing I had yet to finish. But first...

I entered their room. It wasn't hard. The human who let me in wouldn't even remember why she opened the door. I stopped for a moment and listened to them. Two hearts beating nearby in the suite. Two warm bodies, full of blood, breath slow in sleep. The smell of their sex was a sour stench masking the more perfect odor of their blood. Quietly, I looked around the room.

Typical lovers. Their clothes littered the floor. Quietly, I picked hers up and folded them neatly over a chair. There, on the bathroom counter, an array of makeup was laid, ready for her in the morning. The perfume reminded me so much of her. I pocketed it. I crept quietly past their bed. Even in sleep, he curled about her protectively. I bared fangs. Pepper, mon amour, will you even realize how many times I could have killed your lover this night while you slept so peacefully in his arms?

I caressed her cheek softly, the barest of touches, and it seemed she smiled in her sleep. I brushed hair from her face and laid a light kiss upon that soft cheek. So beautiful. Why did she have to betray me so? Even now, I wished I could hold her in my arms. I longed to hear her soft murmurs of pleasure. Pleasure I caused! I glared across at Deacon Frost and bared fangs.

So this. This is the mighty Deacon Frost, who once had the arrogance to threaten my life if I so much as touched his Pepper. Asleep in the arms of his lover, smelling of sweat, sex...and weakness. He was so human. So frail. And that threat made so long ago meant nothing to me now. How would he stop something that would own his very mind?

Her jewelry was laid neatly on a dresser. The necklace I gave her was there, the one Isabel had worn. It, too, was slipped into my pocket. That belonged to me, to remind me of her. Of her betrayal. She never did change, did she? There she lay, new face, same habits.

I pulled a candle from my jacket and sat it on the dresser. An envelope was laid next to it, with Pepper's name written neatly in my own old-fashioned script. Before I left, I lit the candle.

They didn't begin to wake until after I left. After the door was locked behind me by the helpful maid.

And in the envelope, should she care to open it? A lock of her hair, cut neatly with a razor-sharp knife while I stood there in the darkness admiring her beauty.