Erik listened carefully to the human's words, continuing to scrub his hair, almost absentmindedly now. His eyes flashed once again at Alexi's mention of his job, but otherwise he kept himself calm. Whatever Alexi had done in the past, or was doing now, Erik had to operate under the belief that it truly was in an effort to end slavery. Otherwise, they would never get anywhere in this relationship. He could continue to hate, or he could try and work with the man and figure things out, if nothing else.

“I don't... I don't hate you anymore. Trust me, if I hated you, I would happily let you know. I just don't know what to think. You are... you are not the person I imagined, Alexi. You are not even the person that you seemed to be when I was first captured. As far as the rest of your explanation... you've told me this before. It's just, I still don't emotionally understand it. I've never lived a life without these emotions, without my fears. I don't know what it's like to do so. And so, I've learned to cope with them out of necessity. To see them making you physically ill bothers me,” Erik replied, finally taking his hands off of Alexi's hair so that the human could rinse himself off. 

Alexi stays with his head back for several seconds, wondering if there is an easier way to explain it. A part of him thinks the vampire will never understand, however that idea doesn't really bother him. [i]'He does not need to understand it'[/i] he muses, but still tries one last time. “A flower born to the hot wet tropics wilts and dies if torn from it's home and placed in the cool dry tundra.” With that said he reaches up and holds his nose before letting himself fall back into the water. Careful to aim around Erik he kicks off the wall and drifts under water into the center of the small pool before coming up. Reaching up he begins working the soap out of his hair.

Erik could not help but at least begin to understand with that imagery, and he jumped back into the pool himself.

“Except, I think the flower is turning more into a weed that's destroying the tundra,” he muttered.

The human gives Erik a sad smile as he shifts to look at the man. “That would be what you feel is happening to you I am afraid. The flower, which is my unwavering confidence, is what has been thrown into the tundra of your negative feelings. Your emotions are harsh and forthright, while in the rainforest the only weather I have had is more rain, which helped me grow. Having your cold harsh emotions around me is like all of the nutrients suddenly ripped from me making me wilt.” He smiles more confidently, “However I am a hardy flower and will last as long as I need to.” He chuckles lightly, swimming towards the edge now that his hair is clean. “On to the next one.” he murmurs, climbing out slowly just in case he gets hit again.

“Well, I screwed that metaphor up royally, didn't I?” Erik muttered, climbing out into the other tub. “That being said, your confidence isn't destroying me. It's frustrating, in a way, because it makes me terribly envious of you for it. But I am still able to keep it separate from my own head. You know, you have to be wasting tons of water with these things. But, never mind that. You told me the strongest thing you had ever felt was mortal terror. What made a wealthy, pampered, spoiled brat like you so afraid?” Erik finally asked, the tone of his voice rather lighthearted as he followed Alexi into the next pool.

His smile takes on a mischievous hint as Erik explains what his feelings are doing to the vampire. Of course he doesn't say anything aloud but as he slips into the water of the third bath he does decide to answer the water wasting comment. “Actually I waste very little water. My estate is self sufficient. A long time ago one of my ancestors decided water from the main plant is too dangerous, seeing as it could be poisoned before piping in here, so we have our own water purification in the basement that is constantly working to keep the house water fresh and clean. I do however waste a lot of electricity, but oh well. The city squeezes at least that money out of me.” 

He chuckles softly, letting the near boiling water do its magic before reaching towards the body wash and loofahs. He does not even skip a beat as Erik poses the question he knew was coming. “When my father's madness reached it's peak, he tried to kill me in the middle of the night.” Leaning back with the soap and loofah in his right hand his left comes up and points at a rather harsh scar that looks to run right over his heart. There are other smaller scars, mostly made by slaves he's taken in who were on the wild side, but this mark is the most well pronounced. Still smiling he turns around to show the much smaller exit scar where the tip of the blade had protruded out of his back. Despite the subject, Alexi doesn't seem to be bothered as he squeezes out the soap on to the loofah and begins scrubbing.

Erik was floored, and for a few moments, he just stood there, openly staring at Alexi with his mouth hanging open. The fear he had seen before made a lot more sense now. He'd seen a lot of danger, a lot of bloodshed, but the idea of anyone's own father trying to kill him was still horrific.

“What happened then? After he tried to kill you?” he asked quietly, treading water up to the other man.

It actually takes a little bit of effort not to laugh at the slack jawed stunned look on Erik's face when the human glances up at him. However in order to avoid just that he returns his focus to his scrubbing. [i]'I suppose with who I am and how I act, such a thing would never have crossed his mind. After all, I get what I want, and at age 19, getting dead is not something I longed for'[/i] His eyelids are at half mast as an almost fond look crosses his face at the question. “Mois and I have always had a habit of sleeping in the same bed for one reason or another since we were little. He does not like thunderstorms and that night he had crawled in with me some time after the storm started.”

Glancing up at Erik he adds, “Mois is older than I, however he has his more childish aspects despite his job. It is quite cute really.” looking back down at his body he begins scrubbing at his leg as he continues. “Anyways, after I was impaled he turned the weapon on father. No hesitation. It is the last thing I remember before passing out.” Alexi does his best to keep himself focused on the present, recalling how fantastic he brother looked in that moment, defending him. . .

Erik looked away, nodding slightly. He was unsure of what to say to that. He had other questions for Alexi, but he needed to let that sink in. He could feel just the slightest of painful ripples over it, beyond his own empathy, and he wondered if that was from the potion's influence. It was a few minutes before he spoke again.

“Did you and your brother inherit his madness?” he asked tentatively.

Alexi lets the silence settle about them, knowing that Erik will need time to go over the things he's just heard. [i]'It may not consciously bother me any more, however with just a touch of his passion in me I went so far as to lose my breakfast, so I can only imagine. . .Though it did not happen to him so. . .Anyways. . .'[/i] He is in the middle of cleaning between his toes when the next question comes. He focus does not waver. “Mois is blessedly free of the incurable imbalance that brings on the madness, however I have been confirmed to have it.” He smiles gently at Erik. “But as I said, no need to worry. You will be free of whatever happens in my mind. I promise you that.”

“Thanks for the reassurance, but I wasn't asking out of fear for my own mind. That's clearly screwed up all on its own. I was actually asking out of concern for you. Is there a cure now?” 

Alexi's smile warms into a rather adorable glow when Erik says he's more worried about the human that the affect it will have on him. However as he washes off the last of the soap and climbs out, heading for the soak pool, which looks more like a swimming pool than a bath tub, he says gently, “No. The location of the cause is too far into the brain, and that is just the chemical side of things. I really am glad for your concern though. Thank you Erik. . .” Slipping into the soak tub Alexi rest on the ledge for a handful of seconds before striking out to paddle around the pool like a child.

“You have to admit, though. If you have to be crazy, it's better to be rich and crazy,” he pointed out jokingly. “I refuse to believe there's not a cure. All the magic, science, and technology available to you, enough money to build all of this, and you can't find a cure? Bullshit,” Erik pointed out as he gestured around to all of the pools. He followed Alexi into the final rinsing pool. Despite the man's tragic story, it still felt slightly ridiculous that the billionaire needed four pools to bathe in.

Alexi smiles and rolls on to his back. “I suppose. . .” he murmurs to the part about being rich and crazy. To the next comment he looks over at the vampire with a smirk. “Scientists have been working on the cure for vampirism for centuries, backed by most of the richest people in history, and still, a turned person is incurable. You would think with all that money, time, and resources they would have found a cure, no?” Alexi dives down them pops back up closer to Erik. “For all we know of it now, this madness is a natural evolution in my family's genes, and like vampirism, incurable. And it is not as if they have had very long to work on it. No one wanted to admit my father was ill, or grandfather before that. I am the first who would be willing, however I have no time to worry about it right now. So I would rather dissolve into madness knowing I did one great thing with my life, rather than watch the world go to hell in a hand basket just so I could maybe avoid an unpleasant life down the road.” He chuckles. “In short, I am too busy to entertain the possibility of a cure. I spent five years on it, but now. . .I have more important matters to attend to.”

“You really think you can do it, don't you... save all of us, I mean,” Erik began. It was not a question. “I've been working at this for over two centuries. What makes you think you can do it? Just because you own all of the control devices...” Erik stopped for a second, the wheels turning in his head and coming back to an earlier thought. [I]'If I wanted to end slavery, and I inherited a business that sold all of them... I would, somehow, design them so that they would break. I would put in a kill switch. But that would be... an insane undertaking. He would have to make sure he was the only seller, keep all of the other companies out of business. Then he would have to replace any old devices with his new models, to make sure anything used had the shutdown code. Then he'd have to hide the shutdown mechanism itself from the engineers and manufacturers. No one man could do all of that.'[/i] “There's no way. It's impossible.”

Floating in front of Erik, looking up at him with those clear, confident eyes, a half smile comes to his lips as he watches the man work. Like he can with almost anyone he meets, a part of him can almost see the tumblers falling into place behind the vampire's gaze. [i]'He may have just figured something out. . .'[/i] To the final declaration his smile widens only a fraction. “I will free all the slaves Erik.” There is not even the faintest traces of doubt in his eyes as his gaze remains locked on the rebel leader.

“The kind of planning it would take... even to someone born with your privilege. Your company has many policies for free or cheap upgrades for its devices. It used to make me sick. It looked like you were hurting your own bottom line just to keep the magicals downtrodden. But if you installed a kill switch... that would make perfect sense. You'd have to make sure everyone had it. Still, though. How would you hide that from your designers?” he asked, thinking more to himself than Alexi. Finally he looked up. “You have some kind of kill switch in them, don't you? All of them. Every slave will be free once their chains cease to function. Except the chemically controlled ones. Which is why you need me to help distribute the antidote, so that those who are the worst off can have their freedom as well.”

Alexi almost looks like he's ignoring Erik as he begins running down his thoughts on just what Alexi has done as he drifts back and forth in front of the vampire, playing with the water. [i]'He really is smart. Once you know me however it should not be that difficult to figure out how I planed this big grand thing of mine'[/i] It takes a moment to realize he's being addressed, however a glance up at Erik clues him in. Tilting his head tot he side he thinks about his answer for a moment. [i]'I can not tell him too much. I am sure he will tell Joseph, and he knows me better. He may figure out something I would rather he not find out until much later. . .'[/i]

“Once the vast majority of slaves are free, it will be up to the resistance to free those I could not with a single action.” He looks down at the water, his vision clouding over a bit. “All the devices will fail, and many humans will die. My factories will burn to the ground, the stores containing my devices will follow suit. Every, last, one. The alarm will give those working there ten minutes to vacate, but I am sure not all will escape. . .The magicals will. They will be freed twenty minutes before the count down begins. . .The surviving humans will have to escape then.”

“You set everything up to burn too? How the hell could you manage that? You would have to hide all of this stuff from countless designers, programmers, engineers, and the like. There's no way. And anyway, where is this kill switch of yours? How does it work?” Erik asked, stepping slightly closer to the human through the water. Despite his doubts, he was looking at Alexi with new eyes. A genuine respect and awe was shining through in his gaze. [i]'It could still be a lie,[/i] he reminded himself. [i]But he had what he wanted. I would have taken the potion in a few more days anyway. He had nothing to gain by lying to me and trying to gain my trust. He didn't need it at that point.[/i]

Stretching out in the water Alexi hums contentedly. “The warding magic on the shops and factories have an underwriting in invisible script that will be activated at the end of the count down. There are multiple back up systems so that even in the first ignite fails, there are at least four more ready to go. Only a very unique signal will activate them. One of my slaves well versed in magic taught me about underwriting, invented it really, and since I inspect all the warding bands myself I confirm yearly that they are all still in place. The people who install the wards have no idea that the invisible script is there, since the bands are made right here on the grounds and they are shipped out.”

He runs his hand over the surface of the water. “The slave who made the designs thinks that the script is protection from having a factory taken over by the rebellion. In other words, if a factory is invaded and supposedly held hostage or something, the script could be activated to simply kill everyone inside.” He smiles softly. “Not a complete lie.” He looks back up at Erik. “Another slave is the one who invented the deactivation device. A brilliant mix of magic and machinery. There are a few different designs to cover all the types of devices, but they all will cause the device to no longer do it's job.” He chuckles. “I told her I wanted it so that if I saw someone misusing my devices or saw one on the fritz, I could deactivate it for repairs. It also makes them impossible to recreate because as soon as the device is tampered with, a spell makes it dissolve. Only she and I know what it does, and because I do not tolerate my employees destroying my product, they simply install them and that as they say is that.”

He points up at the ceiling. “The signal that will do all this will be transmitted world wide via my personal satellite system I established for my TV channel. It is only an infomercial for my control devices and other products, but it is popular enough for it not to be too suspicious that I made my own satellite system.” It is kind of a relief to tell Erik all of this, the faint change in the expression on the man's face very encouraging. A part of him thinks Erik may actually start to believe him.

“The work involved in this would take at least a decade,” Erik muttered, looking up at the human. “You're only thirty or so, if I remember correctly, you would have had to start working on this as a teenager, laying out the plan, getting the satellites up, designing and installing the kill switch... I … I am still not quite sure I believe it. The scope of that would be seemingly insurmountable!” There was a look of disbelieving awe on his face now. “Assuming for a moment I do believe you, when are you going to set it off? And how?”

He smiles warmly with a nod. “Good math. I am thirty-two, and I began planning at age nineteen when I took over the business. Well, actually, before I left the hospital.” The heat of the water begins making the human feel a little lightheaded so he drifts to the side to take a seat. Leaning his head back to looks at the glass dome ceiling in the middle of the room. “As for the detonator. . .That is my own little secret that I am sorry I must keep from you.” He chuckles softly and casts a glance at the other male. “Do not want you setting it off early or anything.” His chuckles die down as he relaxes against the side. "As for when. . .I would say it is only a matter of weeks. . .Not sure how many. . .Depends on certain factors. . .” That last part sounds almost like he is talking to himself.

Erik could not help but roll his eyes. “So, your dad tries to kill you and you decide to take down slavery. Well, that's certainly one method to deal with trauma. And you [i]still[/I] won't tell me why I'm here or what your detonator is! You want to end this crap, but you are keeping me as a prisoner here and won't even explain why. Do you understand why it makes it difficult to trust you?”

Alexi blinks slowly, looking at the vampire with a curious expression. “You make me think of a man who can not appreciate what he is being given because no matter how good it is, it is simply not enough. You want more, you want everything. You can not simply take what I have given you, which is more than I have given any other, and let that settle and appreciate for a moment it because of those few little things I choose to keep to myself for the safety of the mission.” His tone is light, more fascinated than anything else. “You can not have everything you want, so what you have has little to no merit. . .I am not saying that is what you are thinking, however it is the impression you are giving. . .”

“However, it does not really matter. I can, on some level, understand why you do not trust me. I do not need your trust. Even if you think this is just some big joke I am playing on you. It is your prerogative and I respect your right to think that way. And you really are the only selfish part of all of this. In the grand scheme even without you the slaves would be freed. The distribution afterwords of the antidote would be more difficult, but not impossible. You are the one thing I am guilty of being truly selfish with. . .Though in truth freeing the slaves is also a selfish desire of mine, but at least the benefit is immediately evident. . .” Letting out a light groan Alexi stretches and starts climbing out of the pool.

Erik had been called a lot of things in his long life, but “greedy” had never been one of them. And even though that was not directly what Alexi said, the obvious implication still stung him as he too got out of the pool and began to dry himself off. 

“I don't know what I think, Alexi. I have very little reason to doubt you, save the way you have me collared and imprisoned here, the way you acted when I first arrived, and these tidbits that you won't tell me. Logically, I know that you already had me. I would have taken the potion in a few days whether you had told me all of this or not. There would be no reason for you to lie and put up these theatrics. Ultimately, I don't know whether to believe you or not. I need time to think on it. 

And you know what? Regardless of what you think of me, I won't apologize for wanting all of the information. You are asking me to believe the unbelievable. If this is true, then you might just be the most amazing man I've ever met. In ten years, you will have done the one thing that I've worked for for two centuries. I'm not ignoring that. I just want to know and understand more. Is there really so much harm in my curiosity?” he asked, as he started to put his clothes back on.

Slipping into one of his many robes Alexi looks over his shoulder and spots Erik getting ready to put back on his clothes from the night before. Quickly snatching up another robe he slides over to Erik. Tossing the robe over his shoulder he reaches out with his right hand and settles it on the taller male's shoulder. Looking up into his eyes he carefully takes the dirty clothes away with his free hand. “I do not fault you for your curiosity, and in truth I would love to tell you everything right now. However I have worked too long and too hard, and only have one shot at this. I can not let anything mess it up.”

He glances down for a moment as he says the next part, tossing the filthy clothes towards the pile of his own clothes a few feet away. “Ten years may not be long for someone who practically has forever, but it is a long time for me.” He looks back up, an earnest smile on his lips. “You will know every detail I know before the end. I promise. I will tell you everything, just not right now.” Slipping his hand from the vampire's shoulder he takes up the robe in both hands, holding it up like Joseph does when helping him into his clothes. His slightly bashful look returns as he lifts up the cloth and tries to ignore the fact that he is only a couple feet away from the naked man.

“Do you honestly think I would mess something like this up?! But... I will try and respect your decision. Thank you for the information you have already given me, Alexi,” the vampire replied, slipping the silk robe on. It was one of Alexi's longer robes, and on Erik it only went down to his knees, but it was quite comfortable. He turned and looked back at the eccentric billionaire. “I am not a man of tact. And I have surely treated this more as a debriefing than a heartfelt conversation. You've told me a lot about your life, and I am grateful for that. Would you like to know anything else about me, in return? Though, I figure you probably already know most of it.”

Alexi is quite pleased that Erik submits to the fact that he has shared a lot and accepts it for now. Once the robe is on Alexi averts his gaze as the vampire ties it to his liking. [i]'He looks pretty in that. . .Now that he is no longer going to be chained, I can buy some other clothes for him. . .Maybe something to. . .'[/i] His mind goes off making Erik into an imaginary dress-up doll until the man asks him what he wants to know about him. “Umm. . . .Oh, do not worry, you did not do anything wrong. . .” he murmurs, leading the way back into the room. Once inside he opens his wardrobe and picks up one of the outfits that Joseph had ordered for Erik and throws it to him.

“We shall get you something else to wear now that you are no longer chained. I will have Joseph see to it when he gets back. . . .” He glances at the clock. “Wow, three already. Long bath. . .” He chuckles and begins picking out what he wants to wear. Knowing that he will likely have to debrief a new group of slaves he laments that he can not put on his pajamas yet. Suddenly it hits him. Leaning to the side so he can see Erik past the wardrobe door he asks, “What kind of foods do you like?”

“I don't know really. I eat whatever is being served at the compound. There isn't a lot of choice. I like seafood a lot, because that's the primary meat we have there. And...” Erik looked almost embarrassed to admit it. “I love chocolate. But it's a luxury we really don't have very often.” Turning away, he changed into his new outfit, a simple robe with clips at the top, and hung up his robe in the bathroom.