Warring Logics (Book 1 of The Institute of Fantasiological Studies)

You can spend months preparing for something, but still totally blank when faced with it.

I am being rude and unprofessional and staring directly at his fangs peeking out of his smile. His smile actually grows, causing those crinkly wrinkles under his eyes and he looks quite dashing.

My eyes wander back to his liquid gold eyes. They are full of mirth.

“First time meeting a vampire, Mäuschen?”

Oh no he didn’t. Did he just---? I have to control the snort coming out of my nose, taking a deep breath instead.

“Yes, sorry, Mr. von Graf” I look away from his magnificent face. Just my luck running into the most handsome vampire in town. Somethings are simply not fair. I feel a blush rushing to my cheeks and my anger rising with it. Why do I have to be so darn awkward? Focus girl! “Thank you so much for agreeing to the meeting”

“Please have a seat, Miss Hemstock” I hear the smile in his voice and look up to see him still wearing the same smug expression.

I already hate him for it.

He sits at one of the tables and I take the seat opposite him, placing my notebook on the table.

“So, uh… as I described to your assistant, I am a Ph.D. student at Goethe University.” I look over at him and he is sitting straight with one leg cross on top of the other in his chair looking unearthly regal. The suit is molded to his body and his suit jacket, unbuttoned of course, and yet he is somehow unmarred by wrinkles. I can’t help but look down at my own outfit of slacks and a white button-down shirt- I knew I should have ironed it this morning.

“Dieter must have mentioned that I don’t allow research to be conducted on my coven”

I purse my lips. Indeed his secretary had mentioned that fact, he also said that von Graf was ridiculously old-fashioned and paranoid and needed to get with the 21st century, but I’m not sure saying all that will help my case.

“Can I ask why? Is there something specific that makes you uncomfortable?” I read like 10 different books on using interviews for research to prepare for this moment, all of them said you had to be friendly with the gatekeeper and get them on your side, and none of them explained how to do that. If ‘smile and be polite’ is your only advice, I don’t think they should let you charge 100 Euros for a book.

Von Graf grimaces, “there is an unfortunate history there”

“Protections for interviewees have come a long way since…” Don’t mention the war, don’t mention the war “...in the last 70 years or so”

“Hmmm” he hums turning his head away from me as though he is deep in thought.

As he thinks, I open my notebook and take out an informed consent form placing it on the table between us, “this paper details how your data would be used and protected as well as your rights as an interviewee. Any I interviewed would sign and get a copy”

He turns back to look at me, judging me with his golden eyes “What are you studying again?”

“Politics among vampires”

“Why on earth would you want to study that? I can tell you now they all vote CDU.”

I studying it because that’s what there is funding for. Sure, I’m supposed to pretend I am in love with my topic, and I do love political science, but vampires? No, I’d rather leave them alone and talk to regular people.

“Not politics in terms of a political party, um… how should I put this? More like belief systems with vampire covens. Do individual members envision the vampire coven as a movement and what would the collective political aims of that movement be? Does that make sense?”

He squints at me, “It would be whatever I want it to be; I am the Primus of this coven”

“Right, right” great now I have offended him! “But sometimes individual members of a group can interpret the collective aims differently”

“Hmmm” he hums again as he grabs the informed consent form off the table “and you would just be interviewing coven members?”

“Well actually….” I see him raise an immaculate eyebrow at me, “I would like to attend and observe some of your meetings or events- it could even be your public events, it doesn’t matter” I rush out.

“Do you know what happens at those events?” His immaculately shaped eyebrow raises even further- I need to ask who does his brows because his are the very definition of the perfect brow.

I blush when I understand his implication and stutter out “I, uh, I do and I will be fine. I’ll just stand in the back and observe. I won’t be in the way at all”

“That doesn’t seem like correct participant observation technique” He frowns at me.

“How do you-?”

“I’ve been around for a very long time Miss. Hemstock”

“Of course” I squeak. I really don’t want to participate in their events. Honestly, if I could find funding for other research I would definitely, definitely do that instead.

“Let’s make a deal, Miss Hemstock” He throws down the form on the table, “we are both stepping out of our comfort zone here. I will give you access to my coven if, in return, you participate in events just like any other human would”

He wants to make me into food. Into one of his blood-bunnies! I want to reach up my hands and shield my neck from his gaze. But I need his agreement; I need this in order to complete my Ph.D., otherwise, I’ll lose my funding and end up doing God knows what. Probably tutoring middle school students in American government. I shiver.

“Do we have a deal Miss. Hemstock?”