[VtR][Mature] Born into Darkness: Preludes and Nocturnes

[OnlytheStrong]

Diego nods at Gorilla. "Seems like I'm getting the basics down. Something about that seemed....... terrifying. Even to me." He pauses for a moment, smiling widely. "Anything else ya wanna teach me?"

 

[Graf]

Snicker rounds the corner. He was apparently posted out front. The three vampires amble back to the van together.

Still wants to learn, Gorilla nods back at Diego.
Well, why don't we try Dread? It's pretty simple.

Mask's better.
Man mask takes months.
Does not.
Took you months.
Did not.

Snicker and 'rilla bicker back and forth as they drive toward Vanderchild's.

He hasn't met enough vampires to learn Mask. You think he should learn mask you teach him. Why you ask my opinion if you don't want to hear it?

Gorilla crosses his arms and looks sullenly out the front window.

Ok. Snicker turns to Diego. There are two powers, one right, requires a bit of effort and for you to get in an unpleasant disposition. The other one, right is really useful.
He looks at Gorilla. The simian Nosferatu continues to look straight ahead.
It's really useful, because other vampires won't know you're a vampire. Like when you met us, right, no beast freaking our right? That's the mask. Mask of Tranquility.

But you got to get your beast to settle down, you know. It comes natural to some kindred, but generally you got to have met some vampires, you don't got to want your beast to be quite. Your beast wanna get quiet. You know?

Dread is being spooky, people around you start to get creeped out, but subtle-like. It's not for fighting, and it's not Majesty, but it's what we've got. You use it to scare somebody you wanna actually talk to you.

Which do you want to try for?

 

[OnlytheStrong]

"Let's try dread. I'm enjoying this terrfying stuff. I ain't trying to get into a kindred fight anytime soon. Just need things to get me from day to day." Diego shakes his head. The mere thought of going against someone like Gorilla seemed almost stupifying to him. It made about as much sense as trying to catch and hold onto a helicopter blade.

 

[Graf]

The van pulls into the neighborhood where Vanderchild's stately manse is located.

Snicker pulls over. Glances at Gorilla. OK. Dread it is. You gotta spend a bit of blood to get the negativity flowing. With Monstrous Countenance you're more letting the beast out in a burst you know. Like you meet eyes with somebody and !BANG!," he slaps his hands together "the Beast reaches out and gives 'em a smack."

"Dread, right, your beast is kinda crawling around, you gotta let it pace. You feed it a bit of blood to make it hungry and then it paces around you know? Quite like so only yer soul can hear it."

With that Snicker turns around. When Diego thinks back later he'll realize that the moment before he started driving again was when Snicker used Dread. At the time though he didn't notice anything.

When they started driving again Diego finds himself wondering about his parole officer.
What if they pick us up on the road or something? Cops see I'm just out of the tank and they pinch me. They keep me overnight and I'll could wind up a pile of dust come morning.

I'm not supposed to be out of the mansion, right now am I? What if someone finds out?

Are we being followed?Diego feels a urge to turn around. Mounting panic.

Snicker starts chuckling.
He looks over at Gorilla, Boo!
Gorilla shifts in his seat but doesn't say anything.
Gotcha didn't I?

Gorilla turns round to look at Diego.
Dread affects everyone.
Snicker starts whistling a jaunty tune.

Suddenly Diego feels better. Why was he thinking about his parole officer anyway?

It ain't Awe, but it's what we got. And it'll give you and edge when you're dealing with people. Just remember, you got to concentrate stay focused,. Get the hang of it and you can do basic stuff, talk, walk, drive slowly, but you can't do anything exciting.
Beast gets worked up. Dread stops working.

Snicker pulls up a the curb and stops.
Give it a shot?
Remember you got to feed the beast to get it started.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Diego looks around uncomfortably. This stuff was crazy. "What happens if I give it too much blood?" He wasn't quite sure about tempting the beast within him. He had felt it before when he fed. "Here goes........." he half comments to himself. He breathes in slowly and concentrates on the beast. He brought up a mental image of a terrible monster, a mental manifestation of his beast. His next image in his head was troubling. He was there, cutting his own wrist so that it could drink his blood.

 

[Graf]

[sblock=OOC]Sorry for the slow response. Your post was great!

I writers blocked a little bit working a response up.[/sblock]

Diego looks around uncomfortably. This stuff was crazy. "What happens if I give it too much blood?" He wasn't quite sure about tempting the beast within him. He had felt it before when he fed. "Here goes........." he half comments to himself.
He breathes in slowly and concentrates on the beast.

Time seems to slow down a bit.
Try not to...
do...
that...

He brought up a mental image of a terrible monster, a mental manifestation of his beast.

The creature has a familiar unpleasantly human face. Diego is sure he's seen it somewhere before....

His next image in his head was troubling. He was there, cutting his own wrist so that it could drink his blood.

Diego looks down at his wrist, in the dim light he can see the flesh on his wrist has opened and blood is slowly steaming out of it. A trail of light red fog.
The thief hears the sound of lapping, like some sort of beast drinking from a pool.

He looks up Snicker is checking something in the rear view mirror, pushing it around to scan the street behind the van. He sees Diego as he pivots the mirror.

Busted. And he gives Diego an inhumanly wide smile. He looks vaguely like the Grinch from the kid's book.
Looks like we got ourselves a natural with Nightmare.

He looks over at Gorilla.
Diego can't see Gorilla's expression but whatever Snicker saw makes the little Nosferatu chuckle and grin even wider.

Man, you scared of everything tonight.
Gorilla slowly extends his middle finger in Snicker's direction; the smile gets even bigger, it looks like he could open his mouth and the top of his head would come off.

Diego is reminded of two old lifers he knew in prison. Guys who'd spent thirty years in the same cell together.

The young Nosferatu looks down at his wrist. The cut is gone.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

"That was interesting to say the least." Diego sits quietly for a moment, trying to press into his mind exactly how he did that. When he thinks he has it down he looks at the others and asks, "Anything else?