{V:tM - IC} New York by Night

[Vychtorya]

Jemal cast Vych a sidelong look, as he motioned with his hand towards the man, who seemed to take that as his cue to speak. "Sir, Madam. Messrs Montague and Ashton regret that their business will take longer to conclude than had been hoped. Mr Ashton would also have me relate a message to the lady that one of his evening's guests has a habit for punctuality and he would prefer nothing be left to chance. He asks that you, Sir, escort the lady to the other venue on his behalf and would consider it a personal favor should you do so." He bowed his head slightly at the message's conclusion, as he awaited their reply, but kept his eyes fixed on Jemal's.

Vych acknowledges the man with a slight nod. At his comment that Carrick had a message for her, Vych’s ears perked up listening most intently to the well-clothed gentleman.
”Please let Carrick, umm…Mr. Ashton, know I will take care of everything. All will be in place upon his guest’s arrival. Please also let him know I will be taking the car. Jemal, may I assume your uncle will take care of transportation upon their leave of here tonight?”

Hoping to relieve stress and ease her tummy, Vych says laughing reaching for Jemal’s hand while letting her hair down and shaking it out of it’s bun with her other,
”Come on Jemal. We’ve got the convertible! If we leave now, we can have some fun on the way before business tightens me up again. Plus it’ll give me extra time to change into something more appropriate for tonight’s venue.”

 

[Catulle]

Crown Plaza Hotel, Montague Family Suite
Wednesday 11th December, 2002

"I'd be pleased to look after Mr Ashton's companion, Mr Cooper. Do let him know." The retainer bowed and after a couple of quick backsteps, turned and dpearted. Alone once more, Jemal looked to Vychtorya, rather more warily than he had previously.

"Wow. You really have a kick to you, don't you Vych?" He brought his mouth up into a more wistful smile than was normal, "Remind me not to do whatever Cate did..." He fell into step with Vychtorya, listening and, she was sure, considering what had just passed.

"I guess we're better leaving them to it." His forehead remained creased (with concentration, or concern?) as they walked, soundless on the carpet. "Nathan has everything in hand, I think. He's kind of better at coping with Sabrina than I am. You know, I think he thinks I'm too soft with her." He shook his head and straightened up. "It'll be fine. I could do with some time out of the house in any event."

 

[Krizzel]

Frederick Douglas Memorial Cemetery, Staten Island
Wednesday 11th December, 2002

Hmm, the Land of Freedom. Kriang chuckled silently though his expression remained serious and intent. Inky eyes scanned the line of police cars in front of the cemetery warily, while cool fingers closed on something under his long, worn coat. Perhaps I should have left this, Mbita. The ants are swarming here.

Sticking to the shadows, he concentrated on the scene in front of him, hoping to see what was going on, or catch a stray voice. What are you so excited about, little ants? The Scourge says wait - but where is he? Is this something I can handle myself?

Slowly Kriang, slowly...

 

[Vychtorya]

.

 

[KitanaVorr]

Crown Plaza Hotel, Montague Family Suite - Music Room
Wednesday 11th December, 2002

Caitlyn smiled to herself, lost in her thoughts of Sabrina and the lesson to come. It had been too long since she last saw the child. Not since that party. She didn’t remember feeling so connected with her, so enamored of such an angelic face with its pure song. Every moment spent with Sabrina was precious and Cate found herself impatient and longing for it, to have the child’s song all to herself. Cate could hear Sabrina’s excitement about the upcoming lesson in her song, and so Cate, too, wanted the lesson to begin just as badly.

Suddenly Vychtorya’s voice echoed through the room, wrenching Cate from her thoughts of the lesson and the child into the present. Her dark eyes widened slightly as the woman began a tirade but her words fled by uselessly. It was her face that caught the young singer, the cruelty unleashed, the beast hidden behind what had previously been a polite facade. A cruelty that provided that trickle of fear to worm its way into the song and poison her body with paleness and nausea.

The song that was Vychtorya’s face echoing through her mind, rolling over the older woman’s features as that face became something more familar, something more softer, rounder, delicate, until even the eyes formed someone she recognized and knew so well.

The very same song.

Mother

And that was all the thought she could think of, all the memory she could see, the harsh discord of music that was her mother, that was Vychtorya in that very moment. The pain of the disharmony was almost unbearable and terrible to her but she couldn’t stop listening despite her suffering, despite her terror of the beast.

That which Caitlyn had feared about the other woman had proven true, but all she could do was stare in silence, much like she did many a time in her child hood when her mother raged.

 

[Shalimar]

sabrina

Crown Plaza Hotel, Montague Family Suite - Music Room
Wednesday 11th December, 2002

Sabrina's eyes go very wide as miss Vychtorya starts to yell at her friend. It wasn't right, it wasn't nice, they were suppoused to like each other, suppoused to like her. It was the way things were suppoused to work out. Everyone was suppoused to like her. This wasn't right at all, she thought to herself sadly, and not just a little scared of Miss Vychs yelling.

The child shrunk back from the look on Miss Vychtorya's face it was just horrible. She was quite glad it wasn't directed at her, but her eyes teared at how mean Vych was being. She scrunches up her tiny pixie like face in determination. She wouldn't let them be mean to each other, not if she could help it. She stomped her way between the pair and made her discontent known by tugging on Vychtorya's clothes to get the red-heads attention.

"I won't let you be mean to Miss Cate." She says determinedly to the older vampire. "She didn't do anything to you. So be nice, Please? For me?" she asks, her eyes wide and glinting worriedly.

 

[Festy_Dog]

"A trick of the light, or a glimpse of the future?" came the voice from the seat next to Max. "All those searching souls, and so many of us all trying to hide in a shrinking number of shadows. That is why we have to do what we do."

Max nods.

"So we're dealing with mortals?" he asks, a slight amount of worry in his voice, its not for him and David though, "Lets hope for their sake force isn't required."

Max looks out the window again and frowns.

I hate the idea of killing mortals. Their lives are too short for us to bring about abrupt endings, they miss out on so much already. David does have a point though, there's too many of them, making less places for us to hide. Should the population become far too much where would we hide? It's like a really drawn out situation that happens with animals, when a species' numbers grow too much a huge culling happens in some form or another, usually through lack of food. Thats likely to be what happens amoung humans. If that happens then we may have trouble with food, as such occurances shake up the whole food chain. There'd have to be a ceiling to the population to prevent tragedy I guess. Urk, what a cold and inhuman line of thought that is... pity it makes sense.

 

[Catulle]

Amboy Road, Staten Island
Wednesday 11th December, 2002

Pulling off the bridge and onto the road, reasonably clear for the time of night, David cruised the broad thoroughfare with a casual though attentive ease as he tapping a number into the mobile telephone hooked to the car's dashboard.

"Tonight, perhaps both kinds. That's why the sheriff's team will be along, too." To Max's second remark, the scourge simply shrugged. "What I do is operate on the other side. Keeping our numbers down... I'm surprised Morgan wasn't clearer on what a scourge does."

Extending a finger from the gearstick, he pressed the 'call' button on the handset, letting the ring tone cut through the air inside the sedan.

 

[Catulle]

Frederick Douglas Memorial Cemetery, Staten Island
Wednesday 11th December, 2002

Hidden in the shadows, Kriang's superior senses strained to catch the slightest hint of the activity, one officer's distinctive accent catching his ear easier than the others;

"...kind of goddamn vandalism I just don't get. And the stiffs - some of 'em looked, like, chewed..."

His attention was briefly snatched away, senses refocused, on the vibration of his cellphone deep in the recesses of the overcoat.

 

[Catulle]

The Staten Island Ferry, over dark waters
Wednesday 11th December, 2002

The half-hour ferry trip, despite the sheriff's grim proclaimation, was a simple matter. Qadir remained focused throughout, stoically shrugging off the bitter chill of the river's wind while he stood out on deck. Occasionally, he would glance about himself, clearly straining his pretennatural instincts for the slightest hint at trouble.

"You would recognise the scene of one of the mass embraces, though?" Those dark eyes took in Gabriel's reaction with guarded judgement. "You would know if the Sabbat were responsible? And you, Nikolai, will be required to look beyond sight if need be. I expect the mortals are on the scene by now, and I will need to divert their investigation. The scourge will take you into the cemetery itself."

The dirty boat began docking at the Staten Island terminal, metal clattering on metal, setting the deck ashudder with the strain. "We'll get a cab from the rank." The Sheriff indicated the line of taxis ashore.