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In addition to his concerns regarding his own appointment, your maker often worries aloud about the future senator of New-Orleans. Over time, you gather that once a governor appoints a quaestor, a senator may subsequently be appointed for the "new" city. The process for this appointment is unclear to you, but that may be because it is unclear to your maker. This lack of transparency only exacerbates his anxiety over the potential identity of the new senator.

In addition to observing the ebb and flow of your maker's anxieties, you have the opportunity to learn something of the rules of vampire culture. He teaches you the laws of the Society, laws which govern the interactions of vampires the world over. These laws revolve around the Three Rules of Reserve, Respect, and Restraint: don't get caught (by the mortals), don't interfere with another vampire's territory, and don't kill another vampire.

Of course, the concerns of vampires are not exclusive to vampiric affairs. Villanueva also frets—along with much of the élite of New-Orleans society—over the unfolding revolutions in South America. Over the past decade, Simón Bolívar has led uprisings in a number of territories against the European powers—an unpleasant enough thought—but the fact that he has freed the slaves in each of those countries fills the gossips of New-Orleans with dread.

What if he decides to set his eyes on the United States? Considering the number of slaves throughout the young nation, he would have a ready-made source of soldiers should he decide to set sail.

The idea of a massive uprising inspired or even led by Bolívar only exacerbates the already-crushing paranoia of the whites—and your maker is not exempt from these fears.

As these first years of unlife tick by, you find yourself with a small amount of free time to improve yourself or your circumstances. What do you focus on?

I learn how to read and write.

I learn how to play the pianoforte.

I study the basics of accounting and finance.

I learn how to stalk my prey without being noticed.

I convince Villanueva to teach me how to extend my senses beyond those of a normal human.

I further develop my connections with smugglers, fences, and thugs.

I spend my time learning about the latest technological advancements.

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