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

[Graf]

"I feel quite fortunate. Thankyou,"

LB smiles magnanimously.

As Archer leaves the room LB gives him one final remark.

"Oh and if Celeste contacts youh, or youh get any of them "creepy-crawly" feelings about where she is, or what she's doing you be sure to tell Blackie here. If I find out you have and you haven't ah'll do to you what ah plan on doing to her."
Archer sees sees a serious and reproving look on LB's face when he glances back from the doorway.

After the door closes behind him Archer is left in the dark of the corridor beyond. With unaugmented hearing he can pick out the murmur of continued conversation in the room.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Archer (if he has realised he can sharpen senses of his own volition) sharpens his hearing in order to continue listening in on the conversation. He stands out of the way in such as to appear to be patiently waiting for someone to give him directions or tell him to return to the room he was previously occupying.

 

[Graf]

Archer's Prelude

Outside LB's Office

Archer deftly raises his senses; 'tuning in' to the conversation beyond the door.

"S___ if Ah know." LB is saying "Scarman says she's a traitor so I've got's to do something... severe. What'd youh think ah should do?"
"Give her to Scarman" Blackcoat's voice is flat
"What do you think he'll do?"
"Hunt her?"
"Huh. Remind me not to get on his bad side."
"He already hates you."
"Hell Blackie! Ah know that. Youh don't have to remind me. Man ah liked you better when youh had a sense o' humor."

"First ouah mummy friend, an' then this hunta, an' now Celeste goes nuts. This ain't a coincidence. It ain't. Something's up."

"OK. Put the word out. Tell everyone. They got 24 hours to turn over any unannounced neonates to youh. Or any new ghouls, or any anything. I mean... any f______ thing. Otherwise, Ah put them, and their sire and their ghouls and their childer, Ah mean everyone they know, Ah put them in a hole and they watch the sun rise. And nobody comes out out of that hole. Ah mean ever. After a month I'll..." LB's voice takes on a resonant tone, like he's making a speech

"... concrete! The whole thing. They'll all sit down in a hole together and then a month later ah'll concrete the whole thing and a thousand years from now people'll digging them and be wondering what they did to piss somebody of as bad as the done pissed me off!"

And ah mean every f______ one. Vampiah, every ghoul," LB seems struggle to find words "Ah mean every f______ one. Ah want them f______ ghoul f______ flowers that f______ ponce makes to f______ know.

Archer barely manages to pick out the tell-tail squeak of combat boots on the floor over the sound of LB's ranting. He's moved down the hallway before Blackcoat bursts through the door off the office and rushes down the hallway.

And them f______ spiders of his too!" LB's bellow echoes down the hall.

Archer slips into his room as the diminutive woman stomps past. With his senses turned up he realizes that he doesn't hear the distinctive sound of the elevator being summoned. In fact, he doesn't hear anything at all. Blackcoat seems to have simply disappeared.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Ghouls? Spiders? There was a lot Archer didn't know. He poked his head out of the door to his room, curious as to where the Sheriff had gone if it wasn't the elevator.

Afterwards he sat in his room and pondered his next move. Celeste sounded like she was in some deep sht. Archer wanted to help out a woman who couldn't stand the sight of him, thus risking the wrath of a powerful man under a lot of stress who in all the apparent chaos of the present gave Archer a chance, and spared his life, when by the sound of him it would have been a lot simpler to throw Archer into a hole and concrete it over.

Some of it made sense, not his own actions but at least it was something. Archer was under the impression he was alive because he might have had value to LB. According to LB, Celeste's present actions were very much out of character. Archer theorized that he perhaps held the answer to Celeste's behaviour, giving him reason to not already be dead. If only Archer could figure out the answer himself, but he didn't know nearly enough about himself or his new existence to say anything for certain. He shook his head and gave a slightly gurgled groan of frustration. What he wanted to do didn't make sense to himself.

Patience. Patience was the key. He knew nothing and too much was happening. He would let himself learn the pieces of the game as they fell into place, then he could make his own move once he understood all the factors at play.

 

[Bloodweaver1]

Cole Braddock

“Well I’ll be a son of a motherless goat. Fitzroy and Lamb.” He says with a smile as his eyes drift from the sign down to the shop’s windows. The old smuggler stands out in front of the shop as his mind drifts back to a more familiar time. It is not long before he returns to the present and with his smile still on his face he enters the establishment.

 

[Graf]

As Cole makes to go into the building the driver of the car honks loudly behind him. Cole decides not to push his luck with LB just yet and returns to the vehicle.

[sblock=Blood]
Sorry about forcing the close. Please see this post.[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

Nocturn -- Diego meets his clan

Night Two -- Diego​

As you move he talks. Blackcoat's away now so it's good to get things sorted out. There's actually a way to tell if you're a Nosferatu, at least in principal. Nobody's idea of a good time really but we need to get this whole thing sorted out.
Nice's tone is conversational.

Nice guides you through the ruined mansion, through the foyer, up a grand flight of decrepit stairs to the second floor, and down a creaking unlit hallway to a small meeting room. Oscar is waiting for you at a bend in the corridor and gamely follows behind grinning.

Once you get to the small meeting room, Nice says "OK. We're in the clear."

Almost instantly two men appear, one small and lean, the other big. Dressed in leather and jeans, they look like roadies for the Sex Pistols. If the Sex Pistols employed members of the carnival freakshow as roadies.
The lean one has huge ears, small fat eyes needle-like teeth and an immense black mohawk. He's maybe 1.5m (less than 5 feet tall) (1.7m with the mohawk).
The big one is simian in appearance, huge arms hang down to his knees, he has an immense pig-like nose studded with piercings. Most of his clothing is trashy and similarly covered in studs.
Their physical deformities suggest they're vampires, but your beast is oddly quiescent.

Snicker, Nice gestures to the lean one, and Gorilla.
Snicker nods at Diego but don't speak.
Gorilla remains squatting on the ground resting a massive arm on a knee.

OK... I guess that's it. Nice says.

Not quite says a voice behind you. The voice is warm and extremely deep.

Entering the room from behind you is a distinguished looking black gentleman in an extremely nice charcoal suit.

Sucker! Nice seems slightly startled by the new arrival.

Nice, Snicker, Gorilla, Oscar, the man strolls into the room greeting people by turns, and you would be our new fledgling, Diego. The black man proffers a hand to Diego.

Close up the thief can see that his ebony skin is completely covered in some sort of growth. Irregular flanges of skin jut up from all angles, twisting about. His head, as bald as nices, seems to be a study in irregular shapes.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

"Nice names ya'll have. I will just assume you earned them all." Diego grasps the offered hand without a moments hesitation. He figured he was a vampire, wasn't he supposed to regenerate and heal? "Don't mean to sound rude to ya'll, but can someone please explain what is going on. And exactly how much trouble is Vanderchild in?"

 

[Graf]

Sucker's grip is firm. We're here, my boy, to ascertain whether you're Nosferatu or not. Answers to your questions depend, I'm afraid, very much on the answer of that question.

Sucker glances around the room. I hope no one minds if I assert the prerogative of age?

There is much shaking of heads.

Then I'm afraid I'll have to taste your blood. Sucker produces a small silver dish and a steel knife apparently from thin air. Just a drop will do. You'll have to focus to cause the blood to flow.

He offers Diego the bowl and knife.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Diego takes the knife and smoothly cuts a diagonal line across his wrist. He stares shocked as nothing much comes out at all. Closing his eyes, he concentrates like Sucker told him to, gradually he can feel the blood start to flow.