“How is that situation going?”Brother Al asked.
“Well, I thought things were going well last week.I think the reality of sharing a person might be too much for the both of them.”
“Have you considered a date night?”
“They keep manipulating each other’s schedules,” I said.
“I meant all three of you.”
“I don’t know that that would be a good thing,” I said.
“You’ll never know if you don’t try,” Brother Al said.“I understand the human need for connection.And I cannot say I have an overt amount of experience juggling relationships.Vampire relationships, however, are… exceedingly complex.We live a long time, you know, so generally speaking, we have a significantly reduced dating field.Sharing is part of the culture.There are those of us who find our attention turned to humans.This is, of course, something beset with its own variety of issues.You have borne witness to one way in which this difficulty can manifest.Those who are my age tend to keep to others like us.It only takes outliving one’s soulmate once or twice before one becomes… wounded, on some fundamental level.Some of us have not recovered.”
“So, are you a celibate priest now?”I asked, teasing.
Brother Al laughed.
“In the old country, I had my fair share of relationships.There was a trio of sisters, undead the lot of them.We had some fun times, though I rather say, three women with one man, even if they are all undead, it wears one out.I’ll tell you, I was a few centuries younger and a tad bit more spry, so it was easier.I expect I would not find myself in the same situation today.I find that.My concerns are more with my flock nowadays, rather than myself.I lost someone quite dear to me some number of years back.A human—of course, the mind being what it is, I have glimpses now and again of her face, but the ins and outs fade over time.I have not had time yet to heal.”
“She didn’t let you turn her?”I asked.
“I would not ask of her such a thing, and she would neither ask that of me.”
I nodded.
“Well, if I see any cute lady-vamps in need of a handsome, cultured man—”
“You flatter me,” Brother Al said.
“You are extremely handsome,” I said.“Your features are Romanesque.Sometimes it’s like looking at a carved ivory statue.”
“Please, you snake charmer.Do you not have two other vampires to torment?”
“You blush so easily, though,” I said.
“Not another word, lest I be tempted,” Brother Al said.“Alas, your schedule seems full to bursting as-is.”
“I heard you lost a shipment,” I said, switching gears.I admit, the flirting was more to distract him—but the effect it had on him was endearing.“What was it?”
The sudden change threw him, but he rallied quickly enough.
“You’ll find out anyway if you haven’t,” he said.“They were prospective members of my flock.”
“Immigrants,” I said.“They were coming by boat?I thought vampires couldn’t—”
“Yet another popular fallacy,” he said.“Open water is one of the safest ways for our kind to travel.You can stay under the protection of the cargo deck, locked away in your shipping container.No inspections, no quality control, and you get to escape from the torments of the sun.Many an intrepid air-bound immigrant has found his casket opened on a bright tarmac, leaving nothing but ash and a confused bevy of security agents whom no one would believe.”
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure,” Brother Al said.“The ship has disappeared.The weather conditions that night were unusually foggy.They travelled the same route, so far as I’m aware, from Ontario on down through the Great Lakes.Usually, they disembark at the docks at night.I have heard no word from the Captain.In most other situations, I would alert the authorities—perhaps the Coast Guard—but given the nature of the cargo…”
“You’d look like a smuggler,” I said.
“And can you imagine?The human news would be all a-twitter: ‘Missing cargo ship filled with corpses found.’The Regional Council would strip us of our sovereignty in a heartbeat.”
“I need to do a story,” I said.“I needed a boat anyway.I know you were planning on sending some of the boys out to investigate.”
“I am not sure that was the wisest plan,” he said, voice uncertain.
