Vampire: The Masquerade

Gladys crossed her arms, disappointed that nobody had laughed at her joke. Clearly her dress was already dirty! Well, Leon had chuckled a bit, politely, but Gladys could tell it wasn't sincere. Wilder hadn't laughed either, but Gladys already knew he didn't have much of a sense of humor. Apparently neither did these two. She'd have to teach them, when she had the chance, what humor was.

She didn't say anything about it though. Instead, she said "Kayla Cracik... To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to the affairs of the Camarilla or the other kindred in quite some time, beyond these mandatory meetings Marangos drags us all to. Leon pays more attention than I and he doesn't know who this treasonous Brujah is either. I—" she stopped, suddenly, a look of shock taking her countenance.

"Clarence! Why I—! You shouldn't say such things about our kindred! I don't care if it doesn't surprise you, Brujah can be just as loyal to the Camarilla as the rest of us." She looked up at the curious faces of the others. "I'm terribly sorry about that."

Morris was watching the little one speak. He had an odd expression on his face and he found himself actually trying to hear what the Teddy had to say.
"Brujah have a severe streak about them. And actually, you are correct. They are usually more loyal to the Camarilla." he said to her. "But...if there is something of great value to gain---" Morris broke off. He found himself deep in thought. Thinking of what on earth a Brujah could gain from working with the hateful Sabbat. Perhaps they held someone dear to this Brujah in order to gain her obedience. Or perhaps she could no longer control her frenzy which was quite common amongst the clan and the Sabbat exploited that. Either way, something seemed fishy.

"Fishy indeed! Do you not remember when the Fiends kept that Rabble lot prisoner and twisted them so beyond recognition that they didn't even resemble vampires anymore? Do you not remember what happened to that king?"
That voice again....
"No I do not!!"

The others were now staring. Morris felt rather embarrassed all the sudden. "Urm...I mean...No...I do not know what could be gained!"

"I'm sure that whatever her reasoning is makes enough sense to her. The Prince mentioned she is old enough to be an Elder, so I imagine finding and destroying her will not be an easy task." Vance lost attention of the conversation and fixated on one of his paintings on the wall beside him. "Kayla's calling drew her from the safety of the Camarilla and into the clumsy Sabbat. But, we have many days, she will... soon... these colors compliment each other so well, so naturally..."

Gladys looked at the painting Lexington had fixated on. It was interesting enough, Gladys thought, but Vance was outright entranced by it. "I don't think her reasons or motivations are particularly relevant," Gladys said. "All that really matters is that the Prince has called for her blood to be spilled."

She leaned against the wall. "And you're right, she won't be easy to kill. Let's face it—" Gladys firmly tapped Lexington's shins with her toes to gather his attention. "I'm small, you're still young, and he's..." Gladys risked a quick glance at Mr. Morris, then silently mouthed the word "...mad!" to Vance. "Anthony told me where I could find him and I was planning on talking to him next anyway, perhaps we could all go. With him I think we could just about stand a sporting chance."

Gladys didn't mention, although she was sure they already knew, that the hardest part would probably be finding the traitor. She also didn't mention that she was counting on that. Leave the dirty business to somebody else.

"Perhaps we should meet with Indie and his companion. But I cannot help but notice we just don't have much to go on..."
Morris's mind was wandering again. He always afraid of that. Often, when his mind began wandering, the next thing he knew Harold would shake him silly and hold up a piece of paper in front of him with various words and scribbles. Not here...not now... He struggled to come to his senses.
"The Prince, Reggie! Why not ask him? After all he knows all about this nonsense. But then again...theres the cabbie..."
Morris repressed a twitch. He knew it would nigh impossible to meet with the Prince on such terms. And he did not want to extend any real camaraderie with that lad calling himself Carl. Perhaps when he returned home he could allow his mind to wander....

Morris also knew there only one sure fire way to kill a powerful Elder and he shuttered to think on it. Such an act was highly frowned upon and only done by the Black Hand and those accursed Assamites. No...it shan't come to that. No...

Vance's attention returned and once again he heard Gladys. "I'm small, you're still young, and he's..." Gladys mouthed the word "mad" to him. He smiled at her comment, both in agreement and in realization of the irony in her statement.

"You're right, we have no leads and she is no doubt powerful. If it turns out she is under the protection of the Sabbat then this won't be an easy task. Mr. Morris, do you know where we could find this 'Indie' person? Between the three of us I believe that speaking to him would produce the most favorable results and get us closer to Kayla." Vance tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Though, I doubt we'll find her so easily. This will likely take a few days or even a few weeks."

"I believe Indie, or Mr. Belmont, can be found in the Capitol Hill district. That is, after all, where I originally found him." Morris told Vance. He also felt that he should go and collect Harold. A sense of dread was beginning to fester. That uncomfortable feeling as if they were all being watched.

Suddenly, there was an odd vibration in his pocket. This caused Morris to jump nearly a mile and Vance and the little one both stared. "Oh sod! I nearly forgot about this little device!" He pulled out a small phone. "Harold thought it prudent to give me one of these newfangled devices...Bugger all if I can work it." Morris looked at the phone and the text read: "At Indie chap's pub. Madame has had her dinner."
Morris sighed with relief. It was Harold leaving a message.
"Well then, that settles that. I shall be leaving for the pub. You are all welcome to come along if you like...." he trailed off a bit. What would the others make of Carl the cabbie?

"Indie, where's Kandice!" Anthony sighed in irritation as yet another patron demanded the whereabouts of his childe/worker.

Kandice was very popular in the bar. He rebellious attitude seemed to attract customers instead of driving them away. He wasn't sure how that worked, but hey, he wasn't complaining. Plus her fortune telling was a huge hit among the patrons. She was always right (of course-she was a clairvoyant before she turned) and the only "charge" was to buy a drink, and considering this was a bar, it might as well be for free.

"She took the day off," he explained with a smile.

"That means they had another fight!" A different patron roared with laughter. Anthony chuckled nervously. It was scary how true that was.

After their little discussion in the car, Kandice had coldly told him she wouldn't be working today and went off to wander around town much to his distress. Not because he was worried about Kandice, he knew she could take care of herself, but about any dip♥♥♥♥ who was stupid enough to mess with her. Last time she was out, she had gotten "attacked" by some guy who wished to have sex with her. She beat the bloody pulp out of him. Thank heavens it was in self-defense, or he would have to worry not only about the Elders being on his case, but the human police.

He wondered what the hell she was up to now.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Kandice at the moment was not wandering around town. She really didn't want to run into any of her vampire brethren who were out on that stupid Blood Hunt. She knew that her viewpoints weren't exactly popular, and she wasn't too keen on getting murdered any time soon. She wanted to at least live until she was 100. She was only 24, even though she would forever stay at 22.

So, she was in her apartment watching late night TV, flipping through the channels with a bored look on her face.

I need to invest in a video game system.

"If by 'Indie' you mean Anthony Belmont," Gladys said, "he told me that he could be found in an establishment called The Splash. I believe James knows how to get there."

Gladys looked up at Wilder for confirmation. He nodded and then said, "yes, milady. I haven't been there but the GPS can certainly find the way." He referred to, of course, the GPS system in the car. Technology had come a long way since Gladys' time and she hadn't kept up with it very well. She knew what GPS did, though not so much how it worked.

"Then it's settled," Gladys said. "James will be driving Leon and I to The Splash. I imagine you both have your own means of transportation but James' car has room enough for us all if you would like to come along."

She started to head outside, before adding "You'll have to sit in the back, of course."

"It would be much appreciated, thank you." Before he followed Gladys out to her car, he called out to Chloe. "Chloe, lock down for the evening. Reopen the gallery in the morning."

Vance did not wait nor listen for a response; she would follow as commanded. He was more preoccupied with whether or not he should wear the mask to The Splash. The Masquerade was over, but he did pick this outfit out with the mask in mind. It completed the outfit. Multiple times he took the mask off and placed it back on his head before ultimately deciding to wear it. He just couldn't allow himself to parade about town and not have his dress complete.

"Hopefully Indie made it back to the bar by now," he remarked.

Before Morris could snap back into reality after trying to return Harold's message on the phone device, everyone seemed to have left. "Balls..." he cursed as he left the art gallery. Luckily they hadn't driven off yet. Morris was glad to be spared the company of the cabbie this time.

He slid into the backseat of the car. He noticed Vance had placed his mask back on. "Now now, old boy, do you have so many adoring fans that you must hide your face now?" Morris asked with a smirk. Toreador...he could never quite understand them.
"Not much to understand, Reggie! Even Caine could sit on their faces and they would only remark on how pretty his arse is!"
Morris was on the verge of hysterical laughter. His hands were shaking when he finally typed out the words: "On my way." in response to Harold's message.
"Hehehahah, I think that does it." he slipped the nefarious little device back in his pocket, and waited for the car to move.

Gladys got into the passenger seat of Wilder's car. Wilder worked on getting the destination entered into the GPS device while Lexington and then Morris got into the back seat of the car. When Morris got in, and promptly began chattering to himself, Gladys sighed. "I was hoping so too," she said to King Clarence.

Soon they were on the road. It didn't take long, following the instructions of the GPS navigator, to find The Splash. It seemed to be fairly busy for this time of night and Wilder had to park across the street. Gladys hopped out, popped open her parasol, and walked to the other side of the road without bothering to make sure there weren't any cars about to go by. Wilder and the other two vampires followed at their own pace.

Belmont was behind the bar, serving customers, and looked up as Gladys threw open the door. She strode through without much thought to the people behind her but Wilder was more considerate, holding the door open for Vance and Mr. Morris. "Anthony," Gladys said, nodding her head once in greeting.

"Hello Gladys," Anthony said with a wide smile, hoping she would forgive him for calling her by her first name. But it would be odd if an older male was deferring to a child. He also noticed that Vance and Wilder had come into his bar. He was suddenly glad that Kandice had taken the night off. That would have been disastrous.

Maybe she foresaw their visit? Or maybe she was incredibly lucky. He was never quite sure; she never did tell him how she had her visions. All he knew is that it pissed her off whenever he played music. Something about "they were mocking her" or whatever.

"Who is this lovely little girl Indie?" One of the customers slurred as he looked down at the new faces.

"She's the daughter of a friend of the family," Anthony lied quickly as he poured yet another drink. Turning his head towards the back room, he called for his part time worked Alica to come to the front. Her had called her in when Kandice went AWOL. He walked over to the other vampires as Alicia came out with a sigh, complaining about how her 15 minute break wasn't over yet. He ignored her.

"So glad you could stop by. Welcome to The Splash. Why don't we catch up in the back room?" He said, gesturing towards the back of the store.

The back room was the break room where Kandice did her predictions (and her feeding). What went on in there couldn't be heard from the bar, and since Alicia was the only other worker tonight, he didn't have to worry about her bothering them with the vast amount of customers that needed tending to.

"Yes, why don't we." Gladys ignored the drunks and alcoholics in the bar as she followed Anthony to the back room, Wilder close behind her. Once she was there she found a chair to sit down in, daintily crossing one leg over the other, and set her now-folded parasol down across her lap. Wilder chose to remain standing, next to the chair Gladys was seated in.

"So, Anthony, what are your thoughts on the blood hunt?" Gladys asked, before he had a chance to say anything.

Knew it.

Anthony scratched his chin thoughtfully; he was trying to gather his thoughts. Finally, he spoke up.

"Well," he answered slowly, cautiously. "I don't like the fact we are called to kill another, even if it is a traitorous swine. We are trying to repress the beast, yes? I think a Blood Hunt will only indulge it. But none the less the Prince called it, and we must heed this order."

Why wondered why even ask his opinion. They didn't have a choice. Only fools like Kandice would go out of their way to disobey the Prince and follow their own beliefs.

"Yes, yes." Gladys nodded in dismissive agreement. She didn't necessarily have any qualms with hunting down certain people and killing them but she liked her decisions to be her own, not forced upon her by some oppressive regime. "I suppose you were planning on taking your childer with you. How does she feel about it, by the way?"

She thought better of the question and interrupted herself. "No, sorry, let me get to the point first. Suffice it to say we," Gladys put her hand on King Clarence's head, "don't feel quite confident in the rabble we've collected so far," she held out her palm to reference Vance and Mr. Morris, "and would be pleased if you, assuming you do not already have other plans, would join us in the hunt," she pointed at Anthony Belmont.

"Mr. Morris, my mask completes my outfit! To remove it would require me to change into something that I did not pick out specifically for the masquerade. I shall wear it until the next night."

________________




"Not that I disagree with the Prince's calling of a Blood Hunt, in fact I think it's a grand decision that should benefit us all once the accused is brought to justice. Regardless, as per tradition we are all required to take part in whatever way we can. And who knows, perhaps the Prince shall reward us with a higher status. Maybe even a room in his mansion!"

Vance sighed with content. A room in that house would be... phenomenal. He could even get to the blasted gardener and talk about renovations to the front entrance! Not to mention if he were in the group that brought the traitorous Brujah to the Prince, the guild of the Toreador would lift him up further. Fame and reverence would be his!

The young Toreador's eyes glimmered with excitement. "Oh, it is for these small pleasures of the unlife that I've come to cherish."

Anthony nearly had a heart attack (can vampires even have a heart attack) when Gladys asked what Kandice's thoughts about the Blood Hunt was. There was no way he was telling anybody her thoughts.

And joining the others for the Blood Hunt? It no doubt would cement these relationships, but at the same time his plan was to simply half hardheartedly look around (he was looking, just not hard) and just wait for somebody else to find the Brujah.

But there was no way to just say "no."

So, he sucked in his breath and gave his answer with a fake smile and a heavy heart.

"I would be glad to join you all. I'm not sure how much help I can be though."

"Wonderful. All that really matters is that you put forth a reasonable effort, yes?" Gladys gave him a brief, sly look, understanding his reluctance. "I'm sure you can do that much at least."

Gladys stopped for a moment to listen to something Leon was saying. "Yes, yes, you're right. Well, as Leon said, it's beginning to get rather late. We'll wait until tomorrow night to get started. Where shall we meet?"

Morris walked into the pub and saw Harold standing nearby. "Oh I'm rather relieved you are here, Harold. You don't even know..."
Harold was sipping on a Crown Royal highball. "Not to worry. A very interesting and kindly cab driver brought me here," he said with an easy smile.
Damn...Carl's at it again. What is he playing at?
"Reggie....trust me on this one....YOU DONT WANT TO KNOW!"
"Actually. I rather do..." Morris answered aloud. Harold knew about the occasional voice in his master's head and so never asked questions. "I'll fill you in later on what is going on," he said to Harold. "Enjoy your drink."

Morris had entered the back room of The Splash with the others and listened to what they had to say. He found that he had no real idea about where to start on this blood hunt. (And a small part of him didn't care, but his inexplicable hatred for the Sabbat interjected.) "Perhaps we should begin by gathering some information. I am not entirely familiar with this city just yet but I can try my best." He couldn't help but feel the little one's expression being less than confident in Morris. Mr. Belmont had agreed to the little escapade and that did provide another set of eyes and ears open on the subject.

"Yes, yes, you're right. Well, as Leon said, it's beginning to get rather late. We'll wait until tomorrow night to get started. Where shall we meet?" The little Gladys said.

"Perhaps at Vance's gallery?" Morris suggested. He was feeling a bit tired and his mind was on the verge of wandering again and he was losing inhibition of restraining it from doing so. He waited for Vance's reply.