"You call me a slave to duty.... Then would ask me to follow you as a friend with the same blind trust. That would be replacing one duty with another.... If you would ask me to come with you as a friend you will have to trust in my abilty to make my own choices.... Friendship and loyalty works both ways.... If I offer you mine and protect your secrets you in turn must accept me for what I am and protect my own secrets, those that I do not share even with House and Clan..."

Morathi smiled, a hint of amusement on her lips...

"I am an Astor.... This is not something I can simply turn my back upon, it governs how I percieve the world, how I think. Even if I no longer held the title I would be the same being.... As an Astor I have had to assume and play many roles sometimes out of contact with the chain of command to preserve cover.... Those roles have resulted in my official status in the House and Clan to be that of a disgraced failure or even a potential threat..... If I leave with you now even my fellow Astors may be unaware if I am assuming a deep cover or going rogue.... Now there is a worthy undercover challenge to test my skills... To mask my loyalties not only to House and Clan but also to my own order...."

"Astors are expected to carry out their missions independantly if need be. We have full authority to take whatever action we deem necessary, although we may be called to answer for those actions later.... You have my word that if I come with you I report to nobody but myself and rely on my own compass to guide my choices.... I cannot promise I will always agree where you lead me but I will let you know if you cross a line I cannot follow...... As a friend I will express my concerns or act upon them. And as a friend I will be prepared to listen to your reasons and your own concerns about my own actions..... If you cannot trust your friends judgement perhaps you would indeed be better serviced by an unthinking drone....."

She offered her hand, a new relationship required an introduction...

"I'm a spy by trade... My current mortal name is Lucilla Troy.... My true name has been lost to history.... My father used to call me Morathi, a name that my Sire found amusing to call me by when I was reborn into unlife and remained with me when I was sent to the Bath Chantry for my apprenticeship... I was once a Regentia of a Chantry I helped build and was ultimately reponsible for destroying for what I felt was the right reasons even if others in House and Clan Tremere disagreed... I have developed my magical skills towards the arts of controling elemental forces and the weather and arts useful for my role as a spy... Thanks to a certain Toreador I learned to have fun and how to use my presence to good effect.... I have entered into a symbiosis with the wraith of an ancient chinese magus that I share my body and mind with. I provide it with the experiences possible with a physical form and it in return makes its knowledge, protections and magics available to me.... One of the benefits is that I can walk in daylight without fear yet I am still subject to the needs to feed and to rest like any other kindred... This ability to walk in the both the realms of night and day however limited may be use to you if you would choose to accept me as a companion and friend...."

She looked to Julius, she meant what she said, she would not report what she may see as his friend, but she reserved her right to make her own judgements of the path he may lead her. It was up to him if he would accept her style of newly asserted independance from her House and Clan, having offered to cast off one shackle of duty, she did not wish to replace it with another....

___________________

((Sorry if I took so long to reply or if this is a little ill thought out, been busy then got locked out of internet access by AOL for some reason on my usual computer...))

The coterie enjoyed a strange reunion at the airport. Eveshka, Gabriel in tow, still nonchalant, whilst her companion cast furtive glances, seeing Tremere and Toreador spies and assassins in every face. Julius and Morathi, bringing a large wooden box, over which Morathi hovered, protectively, with Julius quite unconcerned at her presence. [i:d99d0aabcf]"I'm sorry we didn't have time for the funfair, love."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Apologised Julius as he threw his arms about Eve. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Gabriel, good to see you again."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Julius frowned as he noted the lack of an arm. [i:d99d0aabcf]"How did..."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Eveshka interrupted. [i:d99d0aabcf]"What is she doing here?"[/i:d99d0aabcf] She queried, looking in the direction of Morathi. [i:d99d0aabcf]"She's..."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Now Julius interrupted, placing a gentle hand upon Eveshka's lips. [i:d99d0aabcf]"No, Evey. I left that Tremere spy behind in the Inner Sanctum of the Haus de Hexe. This is my new friend, Lucilla."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Eveshka raised an eyebrow, then walked to Morathi and embraced her. Morathi returned the embrace, shyly at first, then with warmth. Julius smiled. [i:d99d0aabcf]"It seems we all have much catching up to do. Let's get airborne."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Clearance obtained, Julius piloted the Darrant Industries gulfstream into the air and set the autopilot to take them into a holding pattern over the atlantic, before rejoining the party in the passenger cabin. The trio were strangely silent, as if waiting for a cue, before beginning their inevitable conversations and post mortems of recent events. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Lucilla, would you happen to know if my aeroplane has been bugged?"[/i:d99d0aabcf] Asked Julius. Morathi shook her head. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Not that I know of, Julius, but it is better to be sure."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Julius nodded and the two mages wove a brief spell. A few fizzes and pops were heard as various electronic listening devices suddenly burnt out. [i:d99d0aabcf]"I guess I should put some wards on the aircraft in future."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Commented Julius wryly, before turning to Morathi [i:d99d0aabcf]"So, shall we introduce the fifth member of our group?"[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Morathi smiled enigmatically and with Julius' help, unpacked the large crate they had brought to the airport, setting up a tall mirror in a corner of the cabin. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Eveshka, Gabriel, may I present Goratrix, formerly of House Tremere. Goratrix, this is Gabriel of Clan Ventrue and Eveshka of Clan Toreador, who I believe you have already met."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

The image of Goratrix formed in the mirror and bowed. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Gabriel. Eveshka, please accept my apologies for that business in Rome. It was... necessary at the time, though current circumstances lead me to regret that necessity."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Gabriel's jaw dropped, though he quickly regained his composure. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Please drop me off at the next available airport, Mr. Darrant. That you and Eveshka have left the Camarilla is hard enough, but I will not consort with the Sabbat."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Julius sighed and Eveshka shook her head. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Goratrix is no longer of the Sabbat, Gabriel. I'm not sure he ever was, not really."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

[i:d99d0aabcf]"It was a means to an end."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Interjected Goratrix. [i:d99d0aabcf]"The same end which I currently persue. Those so called Tremere anti-tribu were not of the house I created in New Mexico, nor do I subscribe to some of the more distasteful practices of the Sabbat. I have no quarrel with you, nor with your Camarilla. If anyone should object to my presence, it is the Boyarina here. Try to keep the same open mind that she does and you may find it instructive."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

[i:d99d0aabcf]"It's Comtesse now, Goratrix."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Eveshka corrected, mildly. Goratrix nodded and bowed. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Comtesse."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

[i:d99d0aabcf]"Many things have changed, Gabriel."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Said Morathi quietly. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Wait, watch and learn."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Gabriel nodded slowly. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Forgive my outburst, I will hold my objections in abeyance for now."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Julius smiled. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Thankyou. Now we need somewhere to hole up for a short time, whilst we decide what our next move must be. Any ideas?"[/i:d99d0aabcf]

[i:d99d0aabcf]"There is a certain castle in Provence."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Began Goratrix. [i:d99d0aabcf]"The Nazi's used it for occult research during the Second World War. Of course, the RAF bombed it somewhat, but enough still stands for our purposes. It has a long history, longer than the Nazi's realised, though they gleaned it's original use quite correctly. The locals shun it, they think it because of it's watime past, but in fact, it is the aura of the place they dislike."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

[i:d99d0aabcf]"Provence?"[/i:d99d0aabcf] Said Julius and Morathi simultaneously, the same thought crossing their minds.

[i:d99d0aabcf]"Yes."[/i:d99d0aabcf] Replied Goratrix. [i:d99d0aabcf]"I once visited a certain Tremere Councillor there, when we were all still mortal. The ancient Covenant in which Grimgroth gained much of his learning. Mistridge."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Julius nodded and went forward to reset the autopilot. Returning to the group, he announced [i:d99d0aabcf]"We have a little time before we arrive in Provence. We should use the time to catch up on events. Perhaps I should begin with how I came to find Goratrix."[/i:d99d0aabcf]

Julius explained his entrance into the Haus de Hexe, his meeting with Goratrix, the ensuing argument with Etruis and the appearance of Morathi, omitting only the secrets with which she had entrusted him. [i:d99d0aabcf]"Who's next?"[/i:d99d0aabcf] He asked.

The Koenigsegg hurtled along the Italian street like some momentous, ichthyoid, feline predator. It’s sleek lines were just one reason it moved so smoothly. The vast V8, 650 BHP engine was the other.

The driver could barely contain his glee as he roared his vehicle of choice towards the dockyard. His passenger looked less than pleased. You might even say, his passenger looked apprehensive.

Jack Ketch could do nothing but admire his master’s tastes. Over his centuries of service to the old cutthroat, he’d watched with apparent approval as the old Pirate, Tattersail grew ever more accustomed to “modern living”. The current incarnation of the [i:246b215a0e]San Marie[/i:246b215a0e] was no exception.

The object lay half sunken by a pier. The Rome skyline rising over it like an enormous protective hand.

The [i:246b215a0e]San Marie[/i:246b215a0e] was as unlike it’s predecessor as the car was to it’s passenger. Jack turned off the growling engine as his companion stepped out, looking visibly shaken by the experience.

[i:246b215a0e]“Not a car person, eh Porter?”[/i:246b215a0e]

The figure stood, somewhat shakily, before grunting a reply.

[i:246b215a0e]“If I’d wanted to be catapulted along a street, I would’ve picked a fight with a Mage.”[/i:246b215a0e]

Jack grinned before waving to a fellow crewman.

The submarine looked rested. It’s elongated hull gave it the look of a predatory fish. Tattersail saw the importance of stealth in these more “suspicious” times. The ship was equipped with electronic and vampiric countermeasures. The Skull and Cross-Bones that decorated it’s hull detracted, humorously from it’s lethal design. Jack pointed at the ship, before turning again to Porter. The ancient Gangrel, several hundred years older than his master, scratched his head and spoke again.

[i:246b215a0e]“Tattersail said they’d be here. So where are they?”[/i:246b215a0e]

To the seemingly ageless Nosferatu ghoul, the Gangrel spoke gruffly. It was if he was uncomfortable speaking in his tongue. Or perhaps, unused to. He tried to shirk off the responsibility of hs master’s absence. But the look of blatant irritation the old feral glared with, made his be-suited neck shiver.

He waved to the watching crewman, mouthing his worries to the befuddled onlooker.

[i:246b215a0e]“I’ll go find out what’s going on.”

“Yeah, you do that.”[/i:246b215a0e] Porter growled, his tattered rag billowing in the sea breeze.

So there he stood. Feeling ever so slightly put out. Feeling, yet again, like a spare wheel. And increasingly, it was becoming apparent, feeling like a tired old mutt.

Had he been on top form, he would’ve raised his hackles at the sight of three gleaming Mitsubishi Shoguns racing towards the dock. The [i:246b215a0e]San Marie[/i:246b215a0e] seemed the obvious destination. Were he feeling frivolous, he might even have leaned towards toying with them as the vehicles emptied. Twelve men stepping out in total, each brandishing some form of firearm.

But he was feeling neither. Even when the men’s apparent leader started shouting obscenities and threats to the unseen captain of the San Marie, Porter continued to ignore them. He wondered what image of the ship they saw. Submarine, or freighter? It didn’t really matter he supposed. All that mattered now was the fact that they’d noticed him. And the car, recognised as that of Tattersail’s 2nd, Ketch.

[i:246b215a0e]“You! Stay where you are! We want a word!”[/i:246b215a0e]

He sighed inwardly and smirked outwardly.

[i:246b215a0e]“Me? You don’t want words with me fellas...It’s unhealthy, trust me.”[/i:246b215a0e]

The leader wasn’t impressed. They moved forward in unison, weapons raised.

[i:246b215a0e]Where was Ketch? Shouldn’t the crew be dealing with this?[/i:246b215a0e] He muttered breathlessly.

[i:246b215a0e]Obviously not.[/i:246b215a0e] He grunted as the leader spoke again.

[i:246b215a0e]“We know you work for that flea-bitten pirate! Where is he?”[/i:246b215a0e]

It amused Porter to hear someone else being referred to as flea-bitten.

[i:246b215a0e]“Pirate? Nope, don’t know any pirates. Wish I did though, always fancied an eye-patch.”[/i:246b215a0e] He smiled at the reference, tutting as the leader shot his humour down.

[i:246b215a0e]“Don’t play games with us man! Tattersail’s double-crossed us for the last time! Now talk...or die!”[/i:246b215a0e]

At that his self depreciation stopped. His maudlin ceased as quickly as the spasms entered his fingertips. Claws waited sub-dermally for his summoning.

[i:246b215a0e]“I said I don’t...”[/i:246b215a0e] The sentence was cut short as the air was filled with gunfire. He wheeled around the burning payloads, the few rounds that struck him barely indenting their signatures in his skin. It still hurt though.

[i:246b215a0e]“Damnit! Will you knock it off! I don’t want a fight! I’ve had a long trip and...”[/i:246b215a0e] The explosion behind him stopped him mid sentence as a propelled grenade detonated a few yards away.

He spun towards the Koenigsegg. Leaping in through the curious doorframe, sitting with an impatient plop in the leather seats. He glanced at the dashboard. He glanced at the stick Jack seemed to manoeuvre, then at the pedals the Ghoul stamped on. It was then horrid realisation set in.

[i:246b215a0e]I can’t drive![/i:246b215a0e]

He punched at the wheel, bending it with the impact before ducking.

The windscreen shattered. The front slumped as tires exploded. The ra-tatat-tat of bullets striking the hood, made him curse aloud.

[i:246b215a0e]“God damnit! 900yrs old and you never learned to drive!”

“Never saw the need to.”[/i:246b215a0e] He heard himself reply as the wing-mirrors disintegrated.

His self-belittling stopped again, this time interrupted by the curious egg that bounced onto the passenger seat. His agitated mind failed to recognise the object until a second later. A grenade!

He half fell, half leapt from the car as the air behind him grew instantly molten. Shards of steel and glass peppering his buttocks as he rolled clear.

[i:246b215a0e]“Right! I’ve had enough! Shooting at me. Blowing up cars. That’s all well and good! But noone puts shrapnel in my ass!”[/i:246b215a0e]

The gunmen froze as the now naked and obviously fuming figure stepped through the smoke. Gasping with surprise they reloaded with earnest.

[i:246b215a0e]“He’s Kindred! Drop him!”[/i:246b215a0e] The leader bellowed.

Porter allowed the spasms to run full-course this time. His claws, modified and improved upon over the years were cruel and barbaric tools. Serrated edges, barbed knuckles. Designed to maximise damage. It was nothing less than a slaughter. Enraged the old wolf grabbed at his attackers. Claws slicing through bone, disarming. Crippling. And even disembowelling, when he got close enough. He saved the best for last. Punching into the leader’s chest, and with a savage twist, ripping out his heart. Biting into it as he watched with dying eyes.

The howl echoed across the dockyard as Porter dropped the body unceremoniously.

[i:246b215a0e]“Bravo! Bravo!”[/i:246b215a0e] The voice he knew instantly.

[i:7aa118b829]"Bravo bravo!"[/i:7aa118b829] Victorrio said with a degree of restraint. He stepped foward, offering a light clap as he did so. Amidst the guts and grime, Porter wiped a blood clumped mop of hair from his eyes. [i:7aa118b829]"Your fighting prowess reveals your age."[/i:7aa118b829]

[i:7aa118b829]"Where's Gabriel?"[/i:7aa118b829] rasped the Gangrel, retracting his claws until he stood with only the blood soaked hands of a human once more. Victorrio smirked slightly at the indignant tone of the youth, but such breaches in etiquette were to be expected from a Gangrel he supposed.

[i:7aa118b829]"Unfortunately, so do your manners."[/i:7aa118b829] he cocked his head to the side and briefly nodded to a ghoul that Porter had not noticed. Whether his failure to notice was due to his waning bloodlust or the undetected workings of Gabriel's Grand-Sire, he could not know, nor did he particularly care at the moment.

As the ghoul scurried foward, a heavy blanket in tow, Porter surveyed the carnage. The dockyards was a murial of death and violence. Portions of limbs, innards, and a varitable of blood drenched all that was not blanketed in bits of bone and hair.

[i:7aa118b829]"Gabriel sends his apologies. He had wanted to meet you here, but pressing business called him back to Vienna."[/i:7aa118b829] Victorrio took the towel from the ghoul and approached the naked, steaming figure. [i:7aa118b829]"Hopefully I can be a suitable substitute. You do have a penchant for destroying clothing don't you?"[/i:7aa118b829]

++++++++++++++++++

Less than an hour later they were seated comfortably in the modest cabin of Tattersail, aboard his beloved submarine. Relics of past were of moderate interest to Porter, but did little to attract Victorrio's attention. Apparently authentic newspaper clippings of pirate raids from the late 17th century was hardly more than old news to him.

Tattersail emerged from the somewhat miniscule hatch that served as the room's sole entrance and exit. In his gnarled hands he held a tray holding three cups, gentle wafts of steam rising from them. Only Porter's delicate senses could detect the subtle aroma of Earl Grey over the stench of fuel and axil grease.

[i:7aa118b829]"Even a pirate can find time to be a gentleman."[/i:7aa118b829] he rasped, grinning a particularly knotted grin. He set the cups down and produced a vial of vitae from his tattered captain's uniform. He poured a portion into Porter's and his own, but was stopped by a polite hand when reaching Victorrio's.

[i:7aa118b829]"Thank you, I've brought my own."[/i:7aa118b829] the Ventrue said quietly, holding an ornately decorated flask that obviously contained his blood preferance. Tattersail nodded and took a seat.

[i:7aa118b829]"Of course, in all the excitement I must've forgotten."[/i:7aa118b829] he cackled. Porter gingerly sipped at his tea, being used to finding distaste in the customs of so called 'civilized' people.

[i:7aa118b829]"Friends of yours?"[/i:7aa118b829] he offered as he set his cup down. He sat on an old stool that Tattersail had had brought up from the mess. Wrapped in his blanket, more out of Victorrio's wishes than his own modesty, he still cut quite a figure with his blood soaked face and mane.

[i:7aa118b829]"Former business partners actually. I'm sorry you had to be present on a day when our dealings came to such a primitive conclusion."[/i:7aa118b829] Tattersail said solemnly, finding some measure of comfort in the murky depths of the concoction that he stirred in his cup. The effective and almost instinctive method in which he crew had blocked off the area and begun the cleanup without so much as an order from the Nosferatu captain suggested that such an act was not so uncommon an occurance, but for now Porter witheld his suspicions.

[i:7aa118b829]"Not at all Tattersail. He took care of an inconvenience for you and confirmed my belief that he can be of great aid to Gabriel's current predicament."[/i:7aa118b829] Victorrio said, downing the last bit of his tea and setting it aside.

[i:7aa118b829]"Gabriel's in trouble?"[/i:7aa118b829] Porter shot out, immediately regretting the outburst. He preferred to stay almost disturbingly neutral and outside for the most part, but if anyone could be considered a friend, it was Gabriel. Even after he had abandoned his post as Gabriel's security officer, the Ventrue had continued to care for his old pack, a sign of true admiration for the old Gangrel.

[i:7aa118b829]"I'll fill you in on the train Porter."[/i:7aa118b829] Victorrio said flatly.

[i:7aa118b829]"Train?"[/i:7aa118b829] the old Gangrel echoed.

The Darrant Industries jet banked sharply as it headed north towards Warsaw. Eveshka watched the lights of Vienna recede from her seat by the window. "Who's next?" asked Julius.

She looked over. "I guess that would be me," she said. "I just received a call from Montcalm back in Touraine. It seems that there was a bit of a coup d'etat. Sort of." Morathi looked at her with an odd expression on her face. "You are no longer Prince, then?" she asked.

"No," said Eveshka. "Touraine is no longer a Camarilla province. They've elected to follow me." She looked sort of smug, as if she knew this would happen all along. Julius raised his eyebrows and expelled a thin stream of air from pursed lips. He was actually impressed by his lover's popularity among her "subjects." "So what then, Comtesse," asked Julius. "Why, nothing," Eve replied. "Things will continue as they were before in Touraine."

"You've no plans on adding to your newly started empire?" asked Gabriel. Eveshka merely shook her head. "Why in the name of Arikel would I want an empire? I'm not Ventrue."

"You are also not completely Toreador, my dear "Firebird"," said the voice of Goratrix. Everyone looked over at the apparition in the mirror. "What does that mean?" asked Eveshka. Goratrix looked away and backed into the shiny recesses of the mirror and disappeared from view. Even Julius was at a loss as to what that meant. Nobody was to receive an answer however.

The plane landed in Warsaw several hours later. It was parked inside a secure hanger where the four vampires rested throughout the daylight hours. Eveshka and Julius retired to a small stateroom in the back of the cabin leaving Morathi and Gabriel alone in the passenger compartment.
"Where are we heading Julius?" asked Eve.

[i:e8ea1247af]"I'm not offended."[/i:e8ea1247af] Gabriel broke the uneasy silence that had settled within the cabin with the departure of Julius and Eveshka. Normally he would've remained silent, intent on hearing their conversations as they were only seperated by a thin flight door. But when combined with the whine of the jet's slowing engines, the flight door proved enough to inhibit eavesdropping.

[i:e8ea1247af]"Are you speaking to me?"[/i:e8ea1247af] Morathi asked, a cold look indicated that no matter the answer she received, it would not change her indifference.

[i:e8ea1247af]"I am."[/i:e8ea1247af] he said flatly, now turning from the window that held an oppressively dull view of the innards of a standard hanger. He shot a glance at Goratrix's disembodied image, still in a certain degree of awe.

[i:e8ea1247af]"I'm sorry, I fail to see what I've done to offend you."[/i:e8ea1247af] Even Morathi's feathers could be ruffled from time to time, it was not a past time Gabriel wished to pursue actively.

[i:e8ea1247af]"I was referring to the false introduction...Ms...Troy was it?"[/i:e8ea1247af] he chuckled a bit. It could only be expected. She had had no clue of who he was or what his true intentions were.

[i:e8ea1247af]"Tell me Gabriel,"[/i:e8ea1247af] she said, obviously preparing for a bite of her own, [i:e8ea1247af]"do Ventrue always speak their minds so randomly?"[/i:e8ea1247af]

[i:e8ea1247af]"Not without purpose. Sometimes idle chit chat can have applications that are not entirely obvious."[/i:e8ea1247af] he straightened out his silk tie and sat back in the lounge style furniture that was crammed into the fusalage of the plane.

[i:e8ea1247af]"So perhaps you wouldn't mind enlightening me on the purpose of this 'chit chat'?"[/i:e8ea1247af] she said, a smile now crossing her face.

[i:e8ea1247af]"Entertainment I suppose."[/i:e8ea1247af]

((just havin' some random convo :)

Julius walked down the steps to the hangar floor, Eveshka in tow. Morathi and Gabriel were deep in conversation about something, but kept a vague eye on proceedings from the cabin windows.

At the bottom of the steps a figure waited. A silver haired lady, dressed in a prim, black outfit of a Victorian style, almost as though she had stepped out of a Dickens novel. Though the light was dim within the darkened confines of the hangar building, her features could be made out, striking and somewhat angular, as though sculpted in some way.

[i:254a5d645b]"What is the commission?"[/i:254a5d645b] She asked in formal tones.

[i:254a5d645b]"I need you to retrieve certain items. The items must be retrieved intact and unopened."[/i:254a5d645b] Replied Julius handing over a folded piece of paper.

The lady nodded as she unfolded and viewed the writing. [i:254a5d645b]"I shall contact you presently, to discuss both price and delivery arrangements, Mr Darrant."[/i:254a5d645b]

[i:254a5d645b]"That will be acceptable."[/i:254a5d645b] Agreed Julius.

[i:254a5d645b]"Then I shall bid you good evening, Mr Darrant. Comtesse."[/i:254a5d645b] Finalised the lady, before disappearing into the shadows.

[i:254a5d645b]"Might I ask?"[/i:254a5d645b] Asked Eveshka, an eyebrow raised.

[i:254a5d645b]"She calls herself 'The Scorpion', love. Something for Goratrix."[/i:254a5d645b] Replied the smartly dressed wizard.

[i:254a5d645b]"Julius, your capacity for the answering of a question in such a manner as to create ten times as many is one of your more grating habits."[/i:254a5d645b] Drawled Eve in a scarcastic monotone.

[i:254a5d645b]"I don't know much about her myself. She's efficient, gets the job done and stays bought. I need her to retrieve some stuff for Goratrix. Well, for me, really, I guess as he won't have much use for them stuck in a mirror. Books, magic stuff. I'll tell you this though, I've never seen her wear the same face twice."[/i:254a5d645b]

[i:254a5d645b]"Kindred, I could tell from her aura."[/i:254a5d645b] Acknowledged Eve. [i:254a5d645b]"Her face, as though crafted."[/i:254a5d645b] Julius nodded to confirm her suspicions. [i:254a5d645b]"Are you sure you can trust her."[/i:254a5d645b]

[i:254a5d645b]"What's sure in the world these days?"[/i:254a5d645b] He asked. [i:254a5d645b]"As sure as I can be. She's not let me down yet."[/i:254a5d645b]

[i:254a5d645b]"Good enough."[/i:254a5d645b] Assented Eve. [i:254a5d645b]"Provence then?"[/i:254a5d645b]

[i:254a5d645b]"Yes, love. Provence."[/i:254a5d645b]

The steam train hurtled along the Simplon-Orient Express line. A few miles ahead the dark maw of the Simplon tunnel began to open wider as the steam engine drew nearer. As the momentous engine rattled along, the earth itself seemed to spread itself like a black-cored whore, sucking the train in obscenely. The train’s elegant, and classical interior became more brightly illuminated, as it descended deeper into the bowels of rock and soil.

[i:8bfbe4ad67]“Well Porter? How do you like your quarters? Exquisite, no?”[/i:8bfbe4ad67]

Porter sat uncomfortably. Were he human he would have been sweating with the restraint around his neck. He’d long found the bonds more belittling than chains or handcuffs. Little irritated him more than the feel of starched fabric clinging to his neck, and a bow tie holding it firmly.

[i:8bfbe4ad67]“They’ll do.”[/i:8bfbe4ad67] He paused briefly before continuing, his trademark mane shaved to within an inch of his scalp. It itched...terribly. [i:8bfbe4ad67]“I can’t see why we had to travel in such ludicrous finery though. What exactly does the Orient Express have to do with Gabriel?”[/i:8bfbe4ad67]

Victorrio smiled, though the expression looked foreign on his century-weathered face. He toyed with a crystal, fluted glass before replying unusually cordial in his tone.

[i:8bfbe4ad67]“Truthfully? Nothing. But if one can choose to travel in luxury, shouldn’t one?”[/i:8bfbe4ad67]

The true-Ancient offered a toast to his companions. Tattersail, disguised as an eccentric, eye-patch-wearing dilettante, nodded in affirmation of the toast. Porter merely grumbled, refusing to even acknowledge the glass.

[i:8bfbe4ad67]“My grand-childe has, it seems, run in with some trouble. His association with the Toreador hag, Eveshka and the aberration, Julius Darrant, has drawn him into a game he cannot survive.”[/i:8bfbe4ad67] Porter’s hackles rose at the way the ancient “noble” spoke of his former ally, Eve. But the apparent unease Victorrio displayed regarding Gabriel’s welfare, set his hackles higher.

[i:8bfbe4ad67]“Where is he? And what “game”?”[/i:8bfbe4ad67] The concern, so evident in the old wolf’s face, made Victorrio warm towards him. The feral was fond, apparently, of his grand-childe. Perhaps like a disgruntled, ill-tempered, old uncle, he mused.

[i:8bfbe4ad67]“He’s safe, for now. But there are darker parties interested in his welfare than any his colleagues may arouse.”[/i:8bfbe4ad67]

[i:fa2f5ac08b]" I do hope you don't tar all Toreador's with the same brush Victorrio, that just wouldn't do at all"[/i:fa2f5ac08b]

Porter had caught her scent a few minutes ago before she had even entered their carriage and had been somewhat confused and had even berated himself on been such an old dog, telling himself that she wouldn't be here, but it seemed he had been very wrong.

[i:fa2f5ac08b]" Kathy, My dear, please come in and be seated, I did worry that you may not have made the train on time, but as I see you did , and what a delight for the eyes you are indeed my dear"[/i:fa2f5ac08b]

Kathy smiled as she smoothed down the deep blue cashmere suit that she wore, the impecable tailoring on it made it seem that it fitted her figure like a glove.

[i:fa2f5ac08b]" I wouldn't have missed such a glorious trip for no-one and how could I have refused your invitation, I after all long to see him too"[/i:fa2f5ac08b]

Victorrio smiled as without prompting she kissed the ring on his finger, then pecked him on his cheek.

Kathy's eyes glinted mischievously and he looked at her enquiringly and watched as she turned to Porter.

[i:fa2f5ac08b]" Well don't we look different, you actually have clothes on, and your hair, where has it gone? you do look very undoglike if I may say so...and what's this?"[/i:fa2f5ac08b]

She leaned in and made a display of smelling the air before she pecked his cheek.

[i:fa2f5ac08b]" you even smell good too"[/i:fa2f5ac08b] her giggle filled the cabin and Vicotorrio stifled a laugh, there was no wonder gabriel loved her so,she could make even a grim moment seem brighter.

He’d tried to drive the scent from his nostrils. Silently exhaling in a vain effort to expunge all trace of her. But it seemed the perfume was more than mnemonic. He hadn’t expected her to be here. In truth, he’d prayed she wouldn’t. But his prayers, it seemed, had fallen on deaf ears. That in itself wasn’t unusual among his kind. But he had hoped he’d have better luck.

The obvious satisfaction the Toreador [i:3740903fdf]Geisha[/i:3740903fdf], Katherine Belvadere, drew from her mocking of him, was doubled as he released; or rather his beast did, a growl that rumbled under the fine gold trimmed table.

Her kissing him was the final straw.

[i:3740903fdf]“Enough! The idiotic, pompous attire I can bear. The lunatic, overwrought luxury I can stomach. But if she mocks me one more time I will end her unlife just as cleanly as I scrape shit from my paws!”[/i:3740903fdf] Porter was, as always, in a mood.

The slap, had it struck gold, would have loosened his fangs. But as quickly as Kathy swung her gloved hand, Victorrio had seized it, his aeon-old, calloused fingers closed firmly.

[i:3740903fdf]“Stop this!”[/i:3740903fdf] Victorrio looked momentarily incensed, before practiced self-control returned his impassive face.

[i:3740903fdf]“I brought you both here to help your common ally. [b:3740903fdf]Not[/b:3740903fdf] to bicker like schoolchildren. Porter...?”[/i:3740903fdf] He turned his cool, salving gaze upon the visibly hairier Gangrel.

[i:3740903fdf]“Ms. Belvadere did not mean to offend you. Did you Katherine?”[/i:3740903fdf] He looked briefly at her. She seemed to squirm in his gaze. The squirming made Porter grin. [i:3740903fdf]“Of course not Victorrio.”[/i:3740903fdf]

[i:3740903fdf]“And as for you, Porter. You will not use such a hateful tone in my presence again. Understood?”[/i:3740903fdf]

Porter nodded as weakly as Kathy had. Both Kindreds’ beasts roiled, wanting to disobey. But the quiet vibration of power that resonated from the Ventrue’s eyes, repressed anything so foolish.

[i:3740903fdf]“Now where were we? Ah yes. Ms. Belvadere. I trust your journey was a pleasant one? Good. Now as I’m sure you’ll understand. My concern is purely for the safety of my grand-childe. he is far more important than you or he, realise.”[/i:3740903fdf]

[i:d8be95c501]“he is far more important than you or he, realise...”[/i:d8be95c501]

The words had stayed with him as he walked to his cabin. The train was standing motionless at last. Outside, little scenery had been visible. But the steward assigned to the coterie had informed them that the train was making a brief stop for repairs at Hlavini station in Prague.

The way Victorrio had affirmed the steward’s statement, made the now disrobed feral, feel at last at ease. The Ventrue it seemed, had made many arrangements. He had left the others to their mindless, humanistic babble. Preferring instead to rest in the confines of his compartment. There he let his hair down. In a fashion.

His tie, Italian silk shirt, Armani cut suit and the ridiculously expensive leather shoes, sat abandoned by his bedside as he relaxed suppressed muscles. Releasing a faint steam as his body wound down.

How could Gabriel be more important? What did he know? Or what did he carry? The questions knotted Porter’s brow, making him grumble. He lay on the soft, buoyant bedspread, his hair rapidly returning to it’s unseemly length as slumber took hold. Outside the sun began to rise. Passengers took advantage of the prolonged stop to take in the sights of Prague. Porter dreamt savage thoughts. Like the answers he thought however, the rabbit always stayed [i:d8be95c501]just[/i:d8be95c501] out of reach.

[i:82cf6e2a90] December 30th, 2002 [/i:82cf6e2a90]

The New Year rapidly approached as Eveshka walked along the quay at Marseille. The Darrant Industries jet landed the day before and Julius was in rapt discussion with Goratrix and Morathi. They talked about all sorts of things dealing with the Tremere and magic and all other manners of godawful boring things. Sooooo, Eveshka left. She walked along the quay and came to a rest near a low wall topped with a wrought iron bar. The water of the Rhone slid quietly by. This reminded her of New Orleans several years before. The French architecture, the moonlight, the river bubbling past as it had for god knows how many millenia.

Here, as at New Orleans, she found her revery was broken by foot falls and the sense of unmistakeable power. The footfalls stopped as soon as she turned around to look. A tall well built and handsome man with light skinned negroid features stopped not far from her and had a look at the river as well. He was Cainite. From the presence eminating from him, he was very powerful.

"Not many of our kind come down this way lately," he said in a southern French accent.

"No?" asked Eveshka. "It's a shame. The South of France has always been one of my favourite places."

"It is much more hospitable than Paris... or even... Touraine," he said.

"Touraine?" asked Eveshka. "Oh, I don't know. I'm rather attached to the place."

Eveshka began to feel very at ease with this man. The way he talked and moved had a sophistication unrivaled in at least the past 300 years. The hours passed as they spoke and walked along the quay. She began to feel a pleasant tingling sensation between her thighs. The wind blew a wisp of her hair in front of her face. The man brushed it back behind her left ear. The touch of him gave her chills and almost made her swoon. Already she could feel a bit of an ache in her pelvis and could tell that she was getting moist. He made her feel more alive than any being ever had. At least more than any man ever had. Maybe even Khemintiri would have had a tough time competing with him.

"What is your name?" Eveshka finally asked.

The man stopped and looked at her with a smile. "Call me.... Ishmael," he said after a pause.

Eveshka smiled. "I am," she began, only to be cut off.

"Lady Eveshka Shuvolov, Comtesse de Touraine," he said with a smile. "But I am pleased to make your acquaintance all the same."
He bowed and kissed her hand. "Oh jeez," she thought. "This is going to complicate things."

Eveshka walked back to the haven where Julius, Morathi, Gabriel, and she stayed. Gabriel was not there at the moment. He was probably out poking around in Marseille on his own. Julius and Morathi were not there either, but the mirror was. She walked over to it and Goratrix' face came into view. It looked like he was reading something but stopped when she walked up.

"Have the lambs stopped screaming yet, Clarisse?" he asked with a bit of a smirk.

"Lambs?" she asked. "Am I Clarisse Starling to your Dr. Lector now?"

Goratrix laughed. "I thought it somewhat appropriate given the situation."

"The situation?" Eveshka asked with a raised eyebrow.

"But of course," he said. "Surely you have noticed the uh, arrangment, as it were. The manner in which information is being disseminated."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, getting annoyed with the riddles.

"You are Toreador. Or mostly at any rate. And they are Tremere. Even our young friend the Ventrue has proven quite useful," he said.

Eve just narrowed her eyes a bit.

"But then again, I suppose it cannot be helped. Given your limitations."

"Why are you trying to bate me?" asked Eveshka.

"Bate you? Whatever are you talking about dear, dear Clarisse?"

"You are just a piece of furniture now," Eveshka said and pulled the velvet cover over the mirror. Goratrix attempted to speak but Eveshka was already out of earshot. She wrote a note for Julius.

[i:55b3e58660] Julius, I cannot stay in the same place with that Thing you rescued from Vienna. I will be staying at the Chateau Regnard Hotel. Please come and see me as soon as possible.

Love,

Eveshka [/i:55b3e58660]

She sealed the little piece of paper with her Romonov signet and left. Her mind was all a whirl with what Goratrix was saying to her. If she was not completely Toreador, what was she?

[i:750a688925]"What are you planning on doing with that hammer?"[/i:750a688925] Queried Goratrix, with a degree of nervousness, his normal calm demeanor lost with a purturbed quake in his voice.

[i:750a688925]"I thought I'd get me seven years bad luck."[/i:750a688925] Growled Julius, barely in control of his fiery temper. [i:750a688925]"What did you say to her?"[/i:750a688925] He spat in clipped staccato tones.

[i:750a688925]"I merely..."[/i:750a688925] Began the wraith.

[i:750a688925]"Don't fucking start with me, you ancient fucked up excuse for a wizard."[/i:750a688925] Shouted Julius, gesticulating at the mirror with the hammer to emphasize his point.

[i:750a688925]"Look, Julius, my dear little Flambeau, there's no need to..."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Fuck it."[/i:750a688925] Thought Julius and swung the hammer. [i:750a688925]"WAIT!"[/i:750a688925] Screamed Goratrix. Julius pulled the blow in the nick of time and stood, waiting, tapping the head of the hammer against the palm of his hand.

[i:750a688925]"Did you learn nothing, nothing at all from my words?"[/i:750a688925] Pleaded Goratrix. [i:750a688925]"Did that gull I saw launch for the skies take no lessons from the visions I provided?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"That was you? You caused my twilight?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"No. I did not cause it but I did guide it. You think you are so fucking clever, Darrant. Well you know shit. The first true twilight in centuries, oh yes, I'm sure you'd have coped admirably, with no preparation from anyone, no other wizards to teach you what to expect. You'd have come out gibbering worse than fucking Criamon himself."[/i:750a688925]

Julius looked away, then back to Goratrix, then away again. [i:750a688925]"You have about as long as it takes me to think of some suitable spell to provide you with an eternity of suffering to start talking."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Oh right, I'm stuck in this mirror, you think I'm not suffering?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"You ain't seen nothing yet."[/i:750a688925] Retorted Julius. [i:750a688925]"Talk."[/i:750a688925]

Goratrix sighed. [i:750a688925]"What shall I talk about?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"You can start by explaining the meaning of this!"[/i:750a688925] Shouted Julius, screwing up the note from Eve and throwing it at the mirror.

[i:750a688925]"Oh that."[/i:750a688925] Said Goratrix

[i:750a688925]"Yes, that. What did you say to her?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"I told her the truth, nothing more."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Speak in riddles one more time."[/i:750a688925] Said Julius, hefting the hammer. [i:750a688925]"I dare you, I fucking double dare you."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Julius, when you've been around as long as I have, you'll find it equally hard to break the habit of a lifetime, especially when your lifetime has been as long as mine. Shit man, I was hundreds of years old even before that ritual which damned me and in time you. Plain speech does not come easily, however I will try."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Try hard, Goratrix."[/i:750a688925] Said Julius in even tones, the hint of threat upon his words.

[i:750a688925]"Eveshka is not what she appears, nor what she thinks she is. I told her so. She didn't like it, she left."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"And the rest, Goratrix. She's got a temper, but she's not unreasonable. Fuck. Saving you was her idea, you piece of shit."[/i:750a688925]

For the first time, Goratrix looked genuinely surprised. [i:750a688925]"It was?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"In a roundabout way. Without her perspective, you'd still be in Vienna."[/i:750a688925]

Goratrix tipped his head back and put his hands to his forehead, running them down his face in a gesture of both fatigue and resignation.

[i:750a688925]"None of you are wholly what you claim. You are some kind of magical focus."[/i:750a688925] Goratrix smiled [i:750a688925]"Young pup."[/i:750a688925] Julius paled [i:750a688925]"Oh yes, I know about that. I know a lot of things, like your age, whelp. Quite how you manage to create the illusion of being an Elder is beyond me."[/i:750a688925] Julius hefted the hammer again, but Goratrix simply waved him away. [i:750a688925]"Morathi carries that wraith inside her crystal heart, becoming a daywalker by it's power and maintaining access to much ancient knowledge even I do not possess. Gabriel's secrets I shall not share, for he has yet to share of his own volition, but you are all more than you seem. Eveshka included. The difference, in her case is that she"[/i:750a688925] Goratrix raised his voice to give emphasis [i:750a688925][b:750a688925]"does not know!"[/b:750a688925][/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Explain yourself."[/i:750a688925] Demanded Julius.

[i:750a688925]"Truly, you have the heart's passion of a Flambeau, Julius and the soul's quest of a Criamon. You wear power upon you like most people wear clothes and yet you threw it away. You defeated Meerlinda in the Certamén circle and still you walked away. You would have made a poor Tremere, in the old days. Very well, I shall indulge your interrogation, for I see that if I am to achieve my aims, which cannot be fulfilled from this pane of glass, that I must bow to your demands. Speak plainly then, what would you ask of me?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"What is Eveshka? You said she was not entirely Toreador, so what is she?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Before I answer that, tell me this. What is she to you?"[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Once, we were sparring partners on a political arena, a place called York. Then we were allies, then friends, then lovers and now I love her. And all this time we've had so few moments. Do you understand that Goratrix? Do you understand how it is to be in love and have no time but to roll in the sheets between fights, quests, visions. Constantly to see each other in pain, or fighting to survive, some other damn thing which strives to ruin the life I and I hope she, would wish to live."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"No. In all honesty, I can say I have no experience of your plight. I would say I sympathise, but I have no frame of reference with which to provide any sympathy. I will tell you one thing, though you don't want to hear it."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"If you are going to tell me she will likely..."[/i:750a688925]

Goratrix cut Julius off. [i:750a688925]"No, Julius, I'm not talking about the dalliances we both know are an inevitable part of her make up. I believe she does love you, in so far as she is able. You must prepare yourself though, for you will lose her."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"Don't say that, Goratrix."[/i:750a688925] Replied Julius, in softer tones than any during the course of the conversation. [i:750a688925]"She means..."[/i:750a688925] Julius shook his head.

[i:750a688925]"I know what she means to you, young magus. One way or another, though, you will lose her. On that day, remember well the lessons of twilight and try not to lose yourself as well."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"So, ancient mentor, since that is the role in which thou doth cast thyself, instruct thy apprentice, lest he heave this hammer through thy glass prison and thus snuff out thy fragile existence. How did you manage to upset her so?"[/i:750a688925]

Goratrix nodded and told of the conversation with Eve.

[i:750a688925]"I see."[/i:750a688925] Said Julius after a moment. [i:750a688925]"You're not one for tact are you. Did it amuse you, trying to drive wedges between us, pointing out our differences? Did you think it funny, putting the frighteners on Evey? You know, underneath that facade of power, intelligence and political acument is a little frightened girl, who has yet to come to terms with her existence, her past, or the idea that anyone could truly love her, myself included."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"No, Julius, I don't know that, I've only seen the face she wants everyone to see. I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm not omniscient."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"You do know a lot of things though. Let's start with precisely what Eveshka is, if she is not wholly Toreador."[/i:750a688925]

Goratrix nodded. [i:750a688925]"Very well. I suggest you keep this to yourself, at least until you have discussed it with Eve. If indeed you choose to do so."[/i:750a688925]

[i:750a688925]"As you say. Now let's hear it."[/i:750a688925]

Goratix nodded and began to speak.

Cyrilynn hobbled back into the shadows using her cane heavily, the slip of paper crumpled in her wizened hand. When she reached the side door, she turned and looked back as the couple vanished through the door of the plane. She smiled to herself They did, indeed make quite the duo; she'd made note of the identical rings they sported on their hands in her initial scan of them. The stones suited them. She slipped the note into a concealed pocket and patted it.

As for the pair of faces that appeared quickly, and just as quickly disappeared from the windows, that she caught from the corner of her eyes when speaking with Mr. Darrant, she couldn't make out who they were. Didn't matter, she'd have the information soon enough.

She'd chosen to meet Julius Darrant face to face this time. Usually, she did business through her ghouls or by other means of communication but after having heard of his, and the Toreador's, defections from their clans, she had a great obsession to meet with him personally. It wasn't often she accorded a client the honor of her presence by leaving her estates.

Cyrilynn straightened and picked up her pace as she made for the next hanger over where her own plane waited. Pausing outside the second hangar's door amidst the night deepened shadows, she arranged her features to that of a much younger woman. Reaching inside her reticule, she produced a special comb and, taking the pins out of her upswept, prim bun, she ran the comb through her locks, changing the color to a temporary black, allowing it to fall naturally down her back. Nimble fingers pinched and pulled wrinkles into a peaches and cream complexion.

Reaching down she pulled a three foot tear-away length from her bombazine skirt, giving the garment a more modern, conservative look. The collar was tucked under for a rolled neckline style and the puffed shoulders were eliminated when the wadding was removed along with the shoulder pads. The hand carved bone buttons easily pulled away to give a seemless look to the front. All loose pieces were tucked tightly into the smallish bag. Rooting around in the same hand bag also produced two instant moderate heels and a tube of lipstick.

Considering the makeover to be adequate, Lady Cyrilynn opened the door and stepped inside to her Lear jet and was pleased to see Serai waiting at the base of the steps upward. "Is all ready for take off?" Cyrilynn quirked one eyebrow. "Yes, My Lady," Serai dipped her head in a small acknowledgement, then dared her own question, "I trust everything went well?" Cyrilynn stared into her ghoul's eyes for a second or two but Serai stared back impassively. She'd been well trained. With a curt nod, the elder vampire boarded and the door was closed and secured.

As the airplane taxied the runway, the lady drew the instructions from her pocket and scanned them more thoroughly this time. A smile bloomed nastily at the end of the perusal. Serai, seated opposite her mistress, shifted uneasily but her attentions heightened and her pulse speeded up. "Will you have a mission for me, My Lady?" Serai's eyes pleaded with her mistress.

"No, Serai, this one is mine!" There was a finality to the answer that brooked no arguement, "Mr. Darrant has given me a valuable piece of information, although he's unaware of it. I do believe that I owe him." She chuckled. "Hmmm......I really shouldn't charge him at all for this job, but then, it doesn't pay to let the customer think that he won't get his money's worth." She stared out the window of the plane, thoughts running like squirrels through the pathways of her mind. "Charge him 20% less than the usual." she instructed her handmaid.