Chapter Text
A hundred years go by and one would think that things would become easier. You had plenty of time to learn and grow as a person, and for Zacharias, he had. There was one aspect of life that century had not prepared him for very well however, and that was affairs of the heart. He would never outwardly admit so, but it was a truth he had accepted long ago. One he thought wasn’t much of a dilemma, until now.
His curiosity was peaked when he entered his office to find the delicately wrapped box on his desk with that handwritten note from his childe, but there had been no time to look for himself what was inside. Now that he was sitting in the car as one of his ghouls drove him to the airport, Zacharias decided that he would go ahead and open the box.
First he read the note, a rather simple “Merry Christmas, Zacharias” written in extraordinarily neat cursive. His childe didn’t write in cursive all too often, claiming that it took too long when there was too much to note down. He would argue it should be the other way around, but so long as everything was correct there was little need to bother with those miniscule details. But here those miniscule details were the cover of a story that was told as he unwrapped the box to take note of what he found inside.
The box itself was small and black, about the size of a box jewelry would be packaged in. As he lifted the lid, he understood why. Inside the box on a bed of black velvet sat a silver pocket watch. As he picked up the watch to examine it carefully he noticed many small, intricate details. The craftsmanship was impeccable, and cast into the case of the watch on the outward facing side was the Ventrue scepter. Hearing a metallic noise from inside the box, Zacharias lifted the velvet to find a delicately wrapped watch chain ending in the Camarilla ankh.
He knew right away that this was kindred made, though he could not immediately determine which kindred may have aided his childe in crafting this. There were a few suspects he could name from simply first thought, but he disregarded it. He had the feeling this was uniquely made for him, which brought to mind the question of how long his childe had been planning this, and how badly did she owe a kindred for their aid. Though she was still under his accounting, if she thought she could manage a debt on her own he would not step in unless asked by either party.
Other thoughts surfaced in Zacharias’ mind as he attached the chain to the watch and clasped the chain to his coat pocket, putting the watch safely inside. It was a nice gift, he might even be tempted to say an excellent one. Surely his childe had wanted to see him open it though, surely Tammy had wanted that assurance that it was well received. Why then was it that she didn’t give it to him herself and instead left it for him to find? Was it that she was understanding of his tight schedule this evening and knew he could not spare the time? Zacharias shook his head to nobody in particular. Childer were never that considerate of others’ time, and try as she may his own was the same way. She didn’t always mean to but Tammy had a knack for troubling him at the most inconvenient of times. That wouldn’t just stop after seven years.
An answer came to him as he began to idly stare out the window, and with it came a frown. Could it be that his childe… was embarrassed? She tended to be a woman of many words, with much passion behind that voice when it mattered, and yet all she could manage to say was “Merry Christmas”? It just wasn’t adding up to him. His fledgling had to be too embarrassed to give the gift herself, it was the only logical answer. The answer settled in his mind, yet another question nagged at him. But why?
Going over everything in his head, Zacharias pinpointed all the small aspects of Tammy he thought were strange. The way she always thanked him for giving even the most minute assistance when it was simply his duty as her sire. Her ever present use of the blush of life, where she would attempt to hide the redness of her face at times. Her difficulty maintaining eye contact with him, often looking away after a few moments. Those evenings he would wake up to find her in the kitchen, making coffee or a meal for him even though both knew it wouldn’t nourish or stay down for very long. Tammy had a tendency of doing that, small things that wouldn’t truly matter in the long run but were still kind gestures.
As the answer finally was apparent in his mind, Zacharias clenched his teeth in frustration. Could it be that his childe had romantic feelings for him? She was still blood bound to him, though he was certain if he was correct the feelings were stronger than the bond she reasonably should have. A positive bond meant that she should like him, but not act in such a way towards him, though he had to applaud her restraint. Deciding upon the only possible answer, he began to wonder how long this had gone on for. As far back as her embrace she had been bashful and hard working, though the most noticeable examples could date back to only the past few years. It was possible that he had been so preoccupied with work and his plan that he didn’t notice his childe’s feelings for years.
What was he to do about this, he wondered. It would be no simple task to put a stop to it while maintaining her loyalty, at least without her openly expressing her feelings which she did not seem ready to do. Love was dangerous for a kindred, something others could exploit if they knew too much. It was also a powerful tool, one he could take advantage of to keep his childe in line without any further use of the blood bond. He wouldn’t do anything about the new revelation, nor would she find out that he knew. Nothing would be said or done until his childe decided to tell him herself. Whatever he decided to do about it, he would decide at that time. Until then, he had work to do and just as it was for his childe, there were to be no distractions.