<a class="link link--external" href="http://www.londonfashionawards.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/seanforzara1-225x300.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Johnathan</a>'s desk was a mess, layers of papers in varying degrees of legibility covered nearly every inch of wood that had once been visible. On a long table behind him lay various odds and ends, from clips of hair and leaves to vials of odd-colored liquids and sands. If someone walked in without knowing what Johnathan was a student of, they'd probably think he was a madman. Ironically, such a guess, however ignorant, would probably be fairly accurate. As Johnathan "Breaker" Nail shuffled through the sheets of paper on his desk, he considered how well he had settled into this particular location. While working for his previous employer, he stumbled upon what looked like a recipe potion meant to drain willpower. Obviously, a discovery like this, especially from one who claimed (however incorrectly) no supernatural blood, spread quickly among upper-class vampires of the same circle. Within a week, a substantial amount of money was moved from one manor to another, and Mr. Nail moved in the opposite direction. Such is how he came to be in the Mace residence, where his salary and resources were much increased. Johnathan looked at his watch. Speaking of resources, his latest order hadn't arrived yet.<br/><br/>"What do I have to do to-" He stopped mid-yell as his bumbling assistant, an indentured human servant named Willie, crashed through the doors of his study with three vials of blood.<br/><br/>"Willie? Why are there three?" Even as he spoke, Johnathan gathered them up and began to examine them.<br/><br/>"Well, sir, I, um, didn't know whom, er, what, rather, constituted a, um, 'Maiden.'" Willie tripped over words more than doors, Johnathan noted, before casting his eye upon him.<br/><br/>"Willie, were the subjects you collected from alive?"<br/><br/>"Yes, sir."<br/><br/>"Did it occur to you to ask them if they'd ever been married before?<br/><br/>"No, sir. Didn't, um, realize that, um-"<br/><br/>"Shut up, Willie. I'd ask you to go fetch me some tea, but I doubt you'd even get that right. Hmph." Johnathan filed the vials in a holder on his desk; he'd have to test them later. He returned to his work, leaving his assistant in silent uncertainty. The coward didn't even know what step he could take... which gave Johnathan an idea.<br/><br/>"Here, I need to test this out." Johnathan rose, and swiftly retrieved a beaker of yellowish-brown liquid, which he thrust towards Willie, "Drink it, and tell me how it makes you feel."<br/><br/>"Er, I don't-" A flash of Johnathan's cold eyes convinced the foolish man to do as he was told, and he enthusiastically emptied the beaker down his throat. Johnathan stared at him a moment, then produced a small steel pipe, closed at one end, with a hinged lid for the other.<br/><br/>"How does it feel, Willie?" The Breaker leaned in closer, his analytical eyes studying the details of Willie's face.<br/><br/>"C... Cold..." Willie was shaking, and the color was draining from his face.<br/><br/>"Good. It's a life-tap poison. Pulls the life from your cell. Withers your heart. You should die in a few seconds." Johnathan leaned in, and held the pipe under the now convulsing-servant's mouth. The pitiful man tried to speak, but instead of words, a greyish mist exited his mouth, and entered the steel container. When it stopped flowing, Johnathan snapped the lid shut and put it in his coat pocket. "Dying breath of coward. Relatively easy ingredient to collect, and about the only useful thing you seem able to contribute to the Potion of Dead Agency." He was talking to a corpse, now, of course, but he didn't really mind. He rang a bell to summon a slave and returned to his work. When the slave appeared, Johnathan motioned to the body. "Get him out of here, he's of no use to me." The slave nodded and turned, but Johnathan stopped him with a flick of his wrist, "And get me another assistant. A competent one... No, wait, I'll find one myself. Tell the master of the house I'll be out."<br/><br/>With that, Johnathan gathered up a few trinkets and, shaking his head at the dead man, exited his study to gather himself someone more qualified. Perhaps he'd get a woman, this time.<br/><br/>(((I know it looks long, but that's just dialog formatting, I swear. I can condense it if you want, though it'd make it a bit more difficult to follow.)))