Forever Page (closed for asetikish)

[lassard_inthedark]

"Yes Mr. Page, it can be completely discrete... Yes. Yes, I do this kind of thing all the time... No. It's just one shot. You can make up an excuse like you have a headache or something, I'll come in, see you in your office, give you the injection and none will be the wiser... Yes... At your service Mr. Page."

Gavin Hamilton rolled his eyes as he hung up and got into his car - a dark gray M5 with a license plate that read, "CONCIERGE". Gavin was a physician - a concierge doctor. In professional terms that meant that he provided fee-for-service medical care to those patients who could afford it, guaranteeing a high level of access to himself, including home visits whenever the patient wanted. In lay terms, it meant he was someone's doctor-bitch as long as they paid him and paid him well.

And Gavin Hamilton was paid very, very well.

He only had a handful of families that he provided medical care for. But these families were the creme-de-la-creme, the wealthiest, most powerful families on the West coast. Which mean they were the wealthiest, most powerful families in the United States. And that meant they were some of the wealthiest, most powerful families in the world.

He provided anything they needed: treatment for coughs, colds, sexually transmitted infections, steroid injections, other performance enhancing drugs - whatever they wanted, he could provide. He had an office, but he rarely used it. Most of the time he spent driving about to his different clients' homes or places of business. And it wasn't just the medical services Gavin provided. Gavin was the black hole of people's secrets. These rich and powerful men and women had many, many secrets. And the activities that they engaged in that resulted in their needing to keep secrets, sometimes resulted in their needing to seek medical advice. So, during the course of treatment, Gavin would learn about who was sleeping with who, impending massive business ventures, and all other kinds of extravagances and adventures. And everyone knew that whatever they told Gavin, stayed in the blackhole that Gavin Hamilton's mind was. Sometimes Gavin felt like people paid him so well for this more than anything else. When one is so powerful, there are few that can be trusted. But the need to tell one's secrets is universal. And Gavin, under the auspices of the medical oath he took to maintain confidentiality (and the ungodly sums of money he received), kept those secrets shut tight. Anyone could spill their guts to him - literally or metaphorically - and he would manage it.

Today he was going to the Page's. Mr. Page had had one of his indiscretions again, and needed some private help. Gavin arrived at the gate to their estate, and was promptly let through by the guard. "Dr. Hamilton," the guard tilted his hat towards Gavin as he drove by.

"Gerald," Gavin nodded, and he proceeded to the south parking garage beneath their home.

Gavin was let in with the usual warmth by Frederick, the Page's butler, and lead to the main hall/living room where he found both Mr. and Mrs. Page sitting in their own respective corners, quietly reading.

"Ah, Gavin. Thank you for coming." Mr. Page got up and greeted Gavin.

"My pleasure, sir."

"Shall we?" Mr. Page lead Gavin to his office where Gavin administered the medication. They exchanged a few pleasantries as he did. Gavin couldn't help but feel however that there was something different in the way Mr. Page looked at him as he was preparing his arm for the shot. As if he was being studied intently. But Gavin disregarded it - these elites tended to be a bit odd from time to time.

When the deed was done Mr. Page showed Gavin out of the office, but as he was about to bid farewell and head back to the south garage, Mr. Page spoke up.

"Gavin, please, do you have a moment? Mrs. Page and I had a... business proposition of sorts for you."

Gavin's ears perked up. A business proposition could only be a good thing from the Page's. Smiling, Gavin took a seat across from them on a couch, a small coffee table separating him from the couple.

"A business proposition? Well, I must say I'm honored." One had to brown-nose these kind of people perpetually. It was like soul food for them.

 

[asetikish]

Ereshkigal looked at the bones of her once-English teacher. Three were-creatures sat on their haunches. All three with a bored look on their faces.

"Had enough."

One of the were-creatures transformed back into his original form. "You're right, First. It's not as fun to chase humans anymore."

"Good. Make sure to go to a Third to further your lessons." Ereshkigal turned away her feet crunching quietly on the forest floor. Her dark hair billowing behind her as she made her way back to the mansion through the manicured backyard.

When she got close to the mansion, one of the butlers came to greet her. "First," he bowed. "second has found you one to learn technology from."

Her eyebrows lifted. She had been dreading learning technology, knowing that her "father" had decided to lead the technology part of leading the world. As for her, she was more into strategy and world politics. Now, the elders put her into something she talked herself out of during the industrial revolution.

She entered the study where her father and his doctor were.

"Ah! Erin, sit." Mr. Page said. " You have to understand, Gavin, we only ask this of you because we trust you and no one else."

Erin sat across the doctor on the leather couch, looking at him with disinterest. Of course, she didn't have to know the highly technical things about technology so it made sense that anyone could literally be brought in to teach her. And Gavin...well, she didn't want to waste a loyal servant, but they will make do with what they had.

She looked at him in condescension. Of course, she was better than him in every way and this man was just another grass that will soon die.

"It's the first time for you to meet my daughter, yes? Gavin Hamilton this is my daughter, Erin." The reversal of introduction was intentional. Erin--or Ereshkigal--was a First. Even higher than he was. Soon enough he would have to give way to her even with his status as her "father."

"I'd like to request that you teach my daughter all about today's technology. Enough for a business anyway." Mr. Page said. "You see, she had been in Ulumichi ever since she was young. Secluded in the mountains of China. She has since been, learning what it's like to be American, if you know what I mean." he chucked. "If you agree, you will attend to all her whims as well. Of course we'll increase your compensation and the household's assets are at your disposal.but you cannot leave her side. So, what do you say?"

 

[lassard_inthedark]

Teach her about today's technology... attend to all her whims... never leave her side...

It was just as the third and last phrase pushed its way through Gavin's ears that he was able to return to his senses. Erin was stunning. A slender woman in her early twenties, with long, luscious brown hair and beautiful, large brown eyes, a slightly tan skin tone... she was simply stunning.

And yet, and perhaps not surprisingly, she emanated an arrogance about her. The latter was just a footnote buried in the back of Gavin's mind, however; he was used to dealing with beautiful people who thought inordinately high of themselves.

But those words... Teach her about today's technology... attend to all her whims... never leave her side...

Gavin processed them carefully, and looked from Erin to her father, Mr. Page, thoughtful, if a bit confused.

"Mr. Gavin, I... I can certainly teach your daughter about, um, whatever technology you'd like me to. I'm imagining you mean computers mostly. And certainly I'll do my best to attend to her. I presume you mean medically?" Gavin paused, uncertain. It all didn't quite add up. And so he continued. "And, I'm sorry, what exactly do you mean by 'never leave her side'. Are you asking me to stay in your residence for the time required?"

Or, alternatively, did he want her to stay with him? He imagined it couldn't take more than a week or two to teach her a thing or two about computers.

Gavin had decided that even if they had meant that he was stay with them or she him, he'd do it. He knew that they would pay him handsomely, and to be paid for spending hours on end with a woman of her beauty - even if she was a bit stuck up - was perfectly fine by him.

 

[asetikish]

Erin sighed. "By attend to me, he means you will do what I want you to do. I doubt I'll be sick enough to merit that kind of attention from you." The man was careful to be obedient. A common boring trait of commoners faced by the rich and powerful. Another bothersome thing she needed to put up with before she can feed him to the younglings. 2000 years old they may be, but they were still a little to excitable.

"Yes, you will stay in the mansion in the absence of my father. And if I decide to go to Maldives for a vacation, you will come with me. Nothing difficult about that, right Gavin?"

Erin yawned, waiting. Getting a grip on how people talked today was not an easy task. After being used to rather classic English, she had to get used to new terms. New ways of saying things. She didn't like it. She would rather the older English. It was more refined. More dignified.

This era? It was a bastard of the language.

"so, what do you say?" Yes, it was not a nice language to.listen to.

If Gavin was sharp enough, that Erin took over the conversation wouldn't be lost to him. And Erin couldn't care less.

 

[lassard_inthedark]

Gavin was a bit thrown off by the pretty thing sitting across from him - she had just totally commandeered the conversation away from her father and neither of them had batted an eyelid.

He had seen enough wealthy families to know that often their internal family dynamics tended to be skewed, so he let it slide.

And yet, the request was a rather intensive one. They literally meant that he could never leave her side. And that would mean that he wouldn’t be able to continue to provide medical services to the other families.

Gavin didn’t respond much to Erin’s further elucidation of the new job, he just nodded with an, “I see.”

He then turned to Mr. Page to express his concern about what taking such a role would mean for the rest of his practice, and the two of them came to a compensation agreement that would more than make up for the losses Gavin would take during the time he couldn’t see other patients. Further, Mr. Page agreed to spread the word about Gavin after his task with Erin was done, so he could recover any clients he had lost, or gain new ones.

“Well, I think Mr. Gavin, Erin, we have a deal.” Gavin shook hands with Mr. Page. Even as he did, however, a little voice in his head yelled, “Sell out! Now you’re just going to be this girl’s computer teacher and general bitch… for what… just money?”

And the answer Gavin gave back to himself was: Yes. A shit load of money.

“Excellent,” beamed Mr. Page. “I’ll be leaving shortly for a trip with the Mrs - part business part pleasure if you get my drift,” Mr. Page winked at Gavin and then laughed, looking between him and Mrs. Page.

Awkward.

“Okay. Well,” Gavin turned to Erin. “When would you like to start? You must have a laptop or something we can sit down with?” There was probably no point in setting a schedule, given that Gavin had agreed to attend to Erin in all matters.

In reality, Gavin didn’t really believe that when Mr. Page and Erin said, “all matters”, that they really meant “all matters”. He figured it meant that he would have to go above and beyond the call of duty here and there, with perhaps a trip to the Maldives thrown in.

 

[asetikish]

Erin watched her "parents" leave. In a few months they would be in an "accident" and she would be taking the reins. Then, the real work will begin. For the moment, she was stuck with some stupid object she had to learn because it was necessary in this life.

She watched as her parents left the study then turned back to Gavin. She stared as he proposed to start immediately. She wondered where the eagerness came from. After all, he didn't reallyhavr anything to worry about as long as he was in their employ. Besides, she didn't feel like starting.

She stood and walked over to the door. "I don't want to study right now. Let's go out and eat."

In truth, she wanted to know why Larande chose this guy. He seemed boring, and she told him to get an interesting tutor for her. If this guy was as interesting as her current events teacher, she would kill him herself, like she did the former. And he was going to have to punish her father for a second failure. At least the English teacher was excitable.

She led him to the car and told the driver to go to one of those street food places she came to really appreciate. As the car rolled past the gate, she turned to him. "eager to get rid.of me?"