I’ll go third, I suppose. Vincent you’ll be fourth, Erza you’re fifth. Daniel will go last.
She couldn’t take the chance that the final three might disagree on order, so she took lead.
"Yeah fer sure Daniel last, he's got the bite from that other guy. What gives with that anyway, he was there but not there? He explain any of how that went down to you Daniel?"
Vincent nods "If anyone has a problem with being later I can go last. I've had SERE training so I at least know what to expect and if they're wanting to be a+$#$#%s, then I might stand a better chance than others." he said quietly.
"Last is fine. Should be, anyway." Daniel shrugs. "Teriel told me he was watching through Lothar. He was impressed by something I said and pulled me outside to spare me from being slaughtered. None of them chose me, apparently. Plenty of other things, too." A quizzical look crosses his face. "Do none of you remember the bite? It was pretty vivid when it happened to me."
"A vague memory of pain but that's it".
Hardestadt returns to the cell looking you over as if you were insects.
Well, well. Behold the grand conspiracy, and then behold what they left behind. I am against allowing you to live to plot against your betters again. The punishment for your crimes against the Traditions of Caine is death by sunlight. If you truly answer my questions, perhaps it will be a quick and painless death. It is the only offer I am prepared to make and I suggest you accept.
Hardestadt walks across outside the cell accessing you each in turn and then coming back to Jessica he says Perhaps you should have stood like true souls to the sun before I returned for you. I would have been more impressed. Tell me, whom is first.
You’d be shocked at how little I want to impress you. she motions to Justin. He volunteered to go first.
"Let's get this over with. We were drug into all of this against our wills, grand conspiracy and all - whatever the f$@# that is." Justin says shrugging and walking toward the cell door.
He is a gorgeous, medium boned-man with a mellifluous voice, "Good evening ah... Justin is it?
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Rafael de Corazon of Clan Toreador"
As he enters the second thing you notice is that he does have a reflection and you still do not.
He gazes at himself in the mirror for quite a while before he turns to you once more. "Lovely eh? Have you ever seen a being as radiant as I. Look at you, your, well, oh my word. You can't can you? How sad or perhaps not, after all you're not much to look at, are you?
Hardestadt as you know, wishes you dead. I on the other hand would have already destroyed you and been done with it, wishing for something is a fruitless endeavor, one must act or not act. That's part of the problem with having alliances, you cannot simply do the right thing when the right thing to do is clearly before your eyes.
It is nothing personal you see. You are the walking embodiment of the breaking of one of our most important Traditions, one must not begat another without permission from one's Elder.
Your existence is a clear violation of that rule thus you should have been destroyed outright.
Still... you were not. I suppose I will have to interrogate you. Be truthful and I will not have to compel you to answer me.
Ah, your stare, such hatred! What a terrible predicament you find yourself in, life is not fair I know.
Now enough dawdling, the questions...
What is your full name and from where do you hail?
Why are your allies intent on making up stories about being from "the future"?
What do you know of the Conspiracy of Isaac?
What made your Masters turn upon you and release you to distract us?
How did you come into the employ of the Conspirators?
Where have the Conspirators gone to ground?
What other resources do the Conspirators have at their disposal?
What secrets did you keep for your Masters? Perhaps sharing now will grant you the mercy of a quick death, else it will be excruciating, I can assure you".
Justin looks around the room, trying to figure out why he doesn't have a reflection - if these were indeed mirrors. Well, I suppose the legends say vampires have no reflection... he thinks to himself.
Taking note of his interrogator's reflection, he thinks, F@~+. So much for that theory...
With very little to lose, Justin stands quietly while Raphael monologues like some sort of lame villain in one of those shitty Roger Moore Bond movies.
As Corazon finally gets to the point, Justin reflexively takes a breath, even though he no longer needs to do such a thing and begins to answer the questions.
"My name is Justin Michael Travers. Hometown: San Francisco, California - United States of America. Yeah, I know you haven't heard of it...wait until 1776 when we tell England to f@## off. Hell, the entire continent won't be common knowledge for another 50 years or so, even if the Norse people have already been there for over 400 years by now." Justin says matter-of-factly.
"If we were going to make up a story, don't you think we would come up with something a bit less bat-shit crazy? Fact is, its true. I don't like it any more than you do. I miss my creature comforts like TV, regular showers, and air conditioning." he continues, almost comfortably - he didn't have anything to lose at this point.
Conspiracy of Isaac? Masters? Look, I don't know a damned thing about any of it. In fact, I was still breathing - with the full need to do so - until about 20 minutes before you and your friends showed up." Justin says in the same matter-of-fact tone.
"Look, if I could tell you much more about any of those weird f~!+ers than a few of their names, I'd be happy to. I actually liked being out in the sun, not that that seems like a viable option anymore."
"I get it. You don't believe me, on any of us for that matter - not that I blame you, but seriously you're a vampire, how unreasonable does time travel sound."
More resigned, Justin continues, "Now you're gonna do some really unpleasant shit to me, and I really wish you wouldn't, but my answers aren't going to change because they're the only answers I have for you or any of your friends. Sorry."
Justin
In an almost hopeful (perhaps pleading) tone, Justin adds, "For what it's worth, it looks like the old gypsy woman believes me...at least that's what I think I saw...can't really be too sure what I'm seeing these days."
"Hmmm, you seem to be a Lasombra though you speak gibberish like a Malkavian.
Come on now, no need to hide your Master's secrets... after all, we're friends".
Rafael scowls at the mention of the gypsy woman but proceeds regardless asking the exact same questions all over again! This time, Justin feels a bit more predisposed to answer less matter of fact and more conversationally.
She seems...not kind exactly...but understanding.
"EXACTLY!
This Giovanni character, he hired us for various jobs at his Manse, I was to be a builder, that's what I do back home. Well, actually I worked with explosives so I was more in the deconstruction business.
Then we find a girl walked through the kitchen naked as we're about to enter the party so we free her and get the saps accompanying her to feed and clothe her and of course unchain her.
This is when I knew Giovanni was a bastard but I figured we could negotiate to acquire her and free her. We did not wanna rock the boat as we assumed that to get back ta' the future that Manse was where we needed to be.
Then his weirdo friends start askin' us all kindsa weird shit and I mean weird.
This chick uh I forget her name has me howlin' at the moon and I decline her request to run on the roof.
Then the Wizard, Casmir, he does some spell I guess and I feel like frickin' on fire. Well I didn't let it show I tell you what.
Then we sit down to dinner and it all goes sideways. and according to that guy, Tir i el, is that his name? He tells us we were made Vampires. Then it all comes back to us, shit, he's right.
He tells us the Founders, I guess that's you guys, the good guys? Or at least not a bunch of weird freaks, literally storm the castle.
You find us and take us prisoner I guess figurin' we're in league with these bastards.
I can't tell it any more plain than we were victims, pure and simple. I bet if you all didn't attack we'd be corpses right now. Well, I guess we're still corpses but we're upright so Vampires...?
That's all I know.
But you, you're a Wizard or Witch too right? Look, all I want to do is get back home, can you magic me into the future? Shit, I'll show you the secret of dynamite, I don;t care if it changes the future, I just want to get back home. Maybe then I can find a cure for this... for my... what happened to me".
While the tone of Justin's answers is less matter-of-fact and certainly less sarcastic, the essence of his answers is still the same.
"I suppose we are friends, but it doesn't change the fact that I really don't know anything about what the other vampires know or where they went."
"Like I said before, I'm Justin Michael Travers and from San Francisco, California - U.S.A. I recognize that doesn't mean a whole lot to you, as the country does not exist until 1776." Justin says.
"As ridiculously fantastic as I know it sounds, the story we've been telling you is the truth, or at least as far as I know. None of us were vampires until about twenty minutes before your arrival and none of us know the first thing about this Conspiracy of Isaac or the conspirators themselves. We've only been in this time for a few weeks and prior to that, we were all in an El Paso, Texas bar in the year 2018."
Now, ya know, I reckon that yer friends want to kill us just on account of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that gets lots of folks killed ta be sure, I hope it doesn't get us killed twice. An this Herdestadt doesn't know nothin' about us neither.
Look, I've been in military service and I'm not against swearing fealty to a just cause though sometimes what starts out just isn't real just if ya' know what I'm gettin' at.
Tell me who you are and what yer workin' against. I mean I suppose ya' don't have to as I'm the prisoner and yer the interrogator but I'd feel a hell'uva lot better if I knew who I was swearin' to and what that person whose loyalty I've sworn wants me ta' do.
By the way, I appreciate ya' not burnin' me up with fire hands ta' get me ta' talk, ya' could'a done that an ya' didn't so you've at least gained my respect.... uh sorry, I still don't know yer name ma'am.
I am Joel, Joel Skinner".
There may be one here who can help your malady...
Still, let's dig a bit deeper shall we?"
Joel:
[spoiler]I'm so sorry! I'm Mistress Fanchon. I should have introduced myself earlier. It's nice to meet you, Joel. We're a...group of vampires who oppose a different, younger group. A group that...well...is a bit more callous and dismissive of mortals. Cruel. They set you up, left you to die. If you bind yourselves to us, it would be very different than how you were treated before. You wouldn't be used as weapons or obstacles or objects. You could serve our cause in other ways, ways that suit your own goals and needs.
She pauses. I believe you mentioned something about a secret of...dynamite? I'm not sure what that is. Can you tell me more?
"Ah ok Mistress Fanchon.
Understood. Understood.
I'll see if the rest of my allies can be persuaded to pledge fealty to you and your "Founders" cause. I can only hope the rest of yer kin're as diplomatic as you are in their approach else we'll have a split decision on this one.
Explosives. Yes ma'am it'll be a secret weapon against these upstarts I tell you what. Once we're free 'n in service so to speak I'll tell ya' tha' ingredients I'll need ta' make it, then we'll blast 'em out from under whatever rock they're hidin' under!"
She places an ornate goblet on the table, then opens her wrist over the cup, filling it with her blood. When you were reborn a vampire, your sire drank of your blood and you drank of theirs. But the sire/childe relationship is supposed to be like parent and child. You were to be fostered, cared for. Taught and guided and introduced to this glorious new society of which you are a part. Not cursed and left to die to cover your sire's cowardice. If you drink of my blood, I can be your new sire. I can be the one to teach you to control your gifts, to mitigate your curse.
She slides the chalice to you. Drink of my blood and enter under my protection. We can do great things together.
Well, beggers can't be choosers and yer offering mentorship so it's hard to pass this up".
He grabs the chalice but then pauses, "Just one condition here from my side. If I'm yer man, you gotta save my life, or whatever I got left if yer pals pronounce a death sentence. Deal?"
Vincent is removed from the holding cell and escorted to another chamber. The room is poorly lit and only contains two simple chairs and a plain table. You are instructed to sit and wait patiently.
After waiting for what seems to be a half hour at minimum, a petite woman with narrow blue eyes, nearly white blonde hair, and sharp features enters. She is dressed in men's clothes of a rakish cut, but is still very obviously a woman.
The blonde woman circles you for a few moments, seemingly sizing you up before finally speaking.
"We are going to have a little conversation, alright?" she asks rhetorically. "I can understand the desire to rebel, but why this particular Conspriracy? What did you hope to gain? Perhaps more importantly, why were you and your companions so expendable that the Conspirators left you for dead?"
The being is stooped and wizened, standing less than five feet tall, with huge suppurating warts covering his entire body.
He regards Ezra with a raised eyebrow, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
I get the sense the more zealot of my companions see you as a threat based upon their perceived affiliations with our foes. I see you as a different threat, so you understand my concern consider this: imagine that you were first born and at that moment were over 6' tall and weighed 250 pounds and were placed in a home for urchins. Even as a child, unattended you would cause no little mayhem with your fellow younglings through no fault of your own due to your sheer size and power.
You and your companions are the equivalent of that over-sized newborn. Too large and powerful to get along in the world without significant guidance.
I am not sure it is worth my time to allow you and yours to exist considering the burden of ensuring that you do not harm the other children around you, by this I mean mortals.
Our kind does not lightly make the decision to bring a human across to the realm of the living dead. This action by these Conspirators shows indeed how reckless they are in their actions how they endanger us all. For you see, the mortals are aware of us and actively hunt us. Those who do could hear of you and seek you out thus endangering us.
The only way I can this through would be for you and yours to take a Blood Oath to us. This way we may direct your behavior and ensure you cause little to no mayhem. Of course we would then set you against the Conspirators to do to them what they intended to have you attempt to do to us, destroy us. Those of you who survive would be welcome after the complete Blood Oath is fulfilled of course. Those who perish... well, Hardestadt and Rafael want to kill you anyway so at least my solution gives you a fighting chance.
Make that offer when next you meet with the full Inner Circle. It is the only way you shall survive.
I am done with you, a good evening to you Fledgling".
Justin:
An exceedingly tall, rosy-cheeked woman with glittering dreamy eyes arrives at the holding cell. "Daniel is it?" she says, gesturing toward the Salubri neonate.
"Come along. Let's have a little chat, shall we?" she says leading you to a comfortably outfitted room.
"Have a seat and tell Camilla all about the nasty little plot the Conspirators had in mind - surely they did not intend to hurt my beloved. Be truthful and we can be friends."
Camilla sits quietly for a few moments awaiting your answer. When you do not answer soon enough for her tastes, her glittering eyes grow dark and the pleasant smile on her face is replaced with a demonic snarl. "Answer the f$##ing questions, you miserable worm! Answer or I will tear your soul from your worthless body!"
Justin and Shadow
The cell door opens, and you see Hardestadt again step into the room. He looks the group over with a look of disgust in his eyes, as if appraising a group of vermin. His expression betrays the slightest hint of a sneer.
Finally his gaze fixes on Jessica. His eyes narrow. "The woman," Hardestadt says before turning on his heel and leaving the room.
Jessica is brought to a small, bare room. It is poorly-lit and contains nothing but a single wooden chair and a glowering Hardestadt. You are ushered into the room and the door is closed behind you. Hardestadt makes eye contact with you, gestures to the chair, and utters a single word: "Sit."
Once Jessica is seated, he paces slowly around her. "Were it my decision," he begins. "this waste of my time wouldn't even be necessary. Your very existence is an affront to the Camarilla, to our traditions, and your affiliation with that pack of traitors does you no favors. Indeed, we would do well to stake you and leave you for the sun."
"It would seem, however, that you may well have information we can use." He stops in front of you. "So allow me to make this very clear to you. You will tell me everything you know. This is not a threat, it is a statement of fact. I will get what I need. How painful that process is for you is entirely up to you." Hardestadt leans forward, look of amusement playing across his features. "My suggestion? Impress me."
He straightens up. "Now, tell me who you are. What is your connection to the Conspiracy? What do you know of their plans?"
I believe we are done.
Despite your cooperation you are a danger to the Silence of the Blood and must be eliminated, it is nothing personal I just value my own existence over yours.
Perhaps the full Council will sway me differently. Regardless, I appreciate your cooperation and for what it is worth I am sorry that you have been put into this position but then life and death are not very fair are they? Rest assured that we will punish the Conspirators for their transgressions, including this one".
Rafael walks out of the room signaling to the guards to return Justin to his cell.
Daniel hesitates to answer as he gathers his thoughts and tries to get a read on the woman questioning him. She seems kind enough to him, so perhaps he can still get out of this unscathed. "See, I --"
Then comes the interruption, the screaming, the darkening of Camilla's countenance. Daniel reacts defensively. He leans forward, shouting defiantly back at her. "You'd better start tearing then, lady, because I don't know a damn thing!"
Shit, that was probably not the right thing to say. Don't antagonize crazy people, you know that! He moves quickly to do damage control. "I don't even know who the Conspirators are, and I didn't even know there were Conspirators or a Conspiracy in the first place. Do you mean all those people in the banquet hall?" As he focuses intently on Camilla, Daniel can feel the nodule on his forehead twitch ever so slightly. He reaches up to feel it, but finds it unchanged. He continues bitterly. "If so, then I don't know anything. None of them 'chose' me. They were going to eat me. Whatever they had planned, they didn't deem me worthy of inclusion."
With Daniel's outburst, the woman's eyes glow red and she bares her fangs, ready to do just what she said she would do.
When Daniel calms and begins trying to reason with the woman, she calms too. "Ahh that is right. You are the childe of the Salubri warrior."
You hear in your mind a voice say "If your sire was not one the conspirators, why was he there?"
"That all sounds horrible." the woman says, her expression back to serene and dreamy as it was when she retrieved you. "Tell Aunty Camilla all about it. Don't spare any details."