Adam’s Name in Chicago, from 18 July

How strongly do I want Susan (so glad I re-named the character in the last story) to come on to Adam? Unlike with Julia, where Adam’s extra realness triggered a very human you’re-different-than-me fear response, Susan’s entranced by him despite her best efforts. She hasn’t had any real blood in over a month, instead living off of synthesized bottled stuff, marketed to her and her brethren. And yet, her struggles with her thirst immediately take a back seat to her fascination with Adam and his bike. Does she have the steadfastness to resist him AND her thirst?

I don’t think she does, and I think that she’s got plenty to rationalize with. Chicago is controlled by vampires, who hide in plain view throughout the city. In this Chicago, organized crime became the human face of the blood-drinkers, and so you have people, acting like mobsters, but in legitimate positions of citizen control in addition to actual organized crime. This makes the city even more dangerous to do-gooders.

What the hell was that task force thinking, going up against this? Is ignorance of the puppetmasters a possibility; are the vampires incredibly good at keeping low?

Then there’s Walter and his demon, who have disrupted the city’s status quo. The hornet’s nest is on high alert, making the city yet MORE dangerous. Definitely a pattern here.

Being a relatively new puppetmaster herself, Susan is aware of all of this except for Watler and his demon. She knows something has everybody spooked, but has been kept from the details. Her sister went crazy at about the same time, so she suspects a connection, but had resigned herself to playing the long game. Now Adam has fallen in her lap, and his aura is alight with strangeness.  He’s as good a chance as she’s had, and she can’t pass up the opportunity.

So, to protect Adam, she’ll offer up, then insist on him coming home with her. This feels contrived and obligatory, but is there anywhere else in the city that he’ll be both safe and unable to be poached by her “second family”? No, she’s too new to be able to assure his safety anywhere else.

So, he’ll go to her place, and sexual tension will ensue. Good times!