Vampire - Dimitri and Annabel

((As requested: what went on behind the curtain at the party.))

I take a look around - Patrick's mingling with the crowd, sweet-talking. All eyes are on him; no one notices me slip to the back of the room. The two ghouls are still guarding the closed curtain, stationary and not speaking a word. "Stay here," I instruct, "and don't let anyone past, you got it?" Both of them nod, almost in unison. I sweep back the drapes, stepping into the makeshift tent.??

Annabel is feeding again, though lazily. The young man (I forget his name) half-awake yet seemingly unaware of the vampire clamping her mouth around his wrist. A trickle of blood leaks onto the chaise-longue. Otherwise his neck and arm are covered in bites, dark and congealed. The fresh blood is inviting, but I already fed on someone earlier. Besides, I don't want to get fucked on morphine. If you'll excuse the pun...
So I sit down next to Annabel, and she acknowledges me with a slight moan of satisfaction as she pulls away from the guy's wrist.??

"Annabel. You alright?" I inquire, wondering how messed up she still is. When I touch her thigh and she doesn't react, I get my answer.??
She looks up at me, eyes misty. "...Dimitri. Yes. I feel much better now..."
"Do you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.??
"Yes, yes... I feel just - perfect. You have..." she gestures to the boy, now passed out again, "good taste." She finds her joke quite amusing, and giggles.
"I know. You're glad you came to the party, then?"??
Annabel nods. "Yes."
"I'm glad, too." My fingertips stroking delicately, the cool flesh of her leg. This time, she notices.
"And what does that mean?" She asks the question flirtily, coyly.??
"Oh, nothing. You just look very beautiful tonight." I bite my tongue a little. Not that Annabel's not beautiful, she's just a vindictive bitch. Though it's hilarious that she doesn't seem to recall how much she hates my guts. If I can push her this far...
Surprisingly, she just smiles. "Thank you..."
My lips poised over hers. "If I didn't know better..." I wait for the slap to my face. It doesn't come.

Annabel's tongue curls forward, "Oh, I don't think you do..." Another giggle. Well. This is pretty hilarious...??
I take a chance, and our mouths meet. She doesn't hiss, fight, or scream. Just purrs, and it's the sickest joke I've ever made, but I kiss her like we're mortal. Like she's one of the girls I pick up to feed on, or like the girlfriends I had before I was turned. She doesn't realise that I'm laughing for all the wrong reasons. She joins in.??
Her hands pull off my jacket, then tease at my shirt buttons. She tugs at them, and I freak out. "This is McQueen," I snap, and she laughs again. I take the liberty of unfastening the buttons, so I'm shirtless, and she rakes her fingernails over my chest. I can't believe how wasted she is. Jesus Christ.??
I hear feet outside the curtains, not close, but still. The ghouls are still stood in place. I'm aware that people might miss me; if this is going to go down, it has to be fast. "You want it this way?" I ask her, unhooking my trousers. Hell, I'm asking.
Annabel's hands are under the hem of her dress. Her underwear is purple lace, and drops to the floor around her heels. She kisses me hard. "Why not?" Fair enough. Is this too easy? Probably.

It lasts fifteen minutes. It's forced and cold, but I get some kind of twisted pleasure out of watching her practiced expressions of lust. They're sketched on her face like shadows, she can't feel anything. The harsh contrast between her regular, ice-queen demeanour and feigned passions. She's soft as putty underneath me, and I smirk thinking of her high-and-mighty falsehoods. Weak as a kitten, and it's fucking priceless.
Afterwards, she stretches out on the chaise-longue, eyes closed, the drug still in play. I feel as though I wasn't even here. I dress, and wonder if she's going to pull up her underwear. When she decides to move, that's what she does.
I don't know what to say. Normally I have Karl to usher chicks out of my room. I can't send her out like this.??
"I should get back to the party," I explain. "If that's OK."
"Mmm," she replies, flicking her tongue over her lips. Tugging on the sleeve of the guy she was feeding on. "He'll keep me company." She's still laughing. I leave her to it.

Vampire

Vampire:??The Endless Waltz

Episode 4: Live by the Sword???????Part 3

Now aware that Natalia Kerkoft had her ghouls break into the office at the museum to steal the briefcase (and whatever was within it), Dimitri and Thessaly were ordered by Patrick Falken to go and meet with the Invictus Lady so that might discover the identity of the ghoul so that they can better understand Natalia???s interest in the Chairman and the Astra Zeneca laboratories. Patrick instructed the two to go to the manor house of Fletcher Moss in Didsbury, a region of??Manchester??that falls into the domain of Natalia Kerkoft, the so called Duchy of Kerkoft. Patrick instructed them to go to the court of Kerkoft with a gift, under the guise that they are seeking the acceptance from the Court of Kerkoft for Patrick Falken???s election campaign. The gift that Patrick has been holding onto for just the right moment is a small music box dating from the time of Louis the 13^th.

Meanwhile, still in the form of a small black cat, Kane made his way into the Buddhist temple. First he leapt up to the fir escape, clambering up to find a way inside via an open window. Once in and timing his movement, Kane was able to make his way back down within the building. At times he had to wait for a person to go by and open a door, but eventually he reached the temple. Incense and chanting emanating from the temple, monks sat cross legged before images and statues contemplating. Kane slinked in, his cat form keeping close to the walls and sniffing the air. The Beast, so close to the surface, made Kane growl. There was a vampire close by.

Kane made his way towards the back of the temple. The smell of burning herbs and spices were unable to mask the faint smell of death that his feline nose could detect. He found a door, it was closed, but after a number of jumps his cat paws were able to twist the door handle and he discovered a staircase leading downwards. The smell was now slightly stronger. Kane headed down into the dark.

At the bottom of the stairs Kane found a corridor that led into the dark. His cat eyes were able to discern his surroundings from what little light there was. He made his way down into the bowls of the building, passing rooms filled with crates of cheap imports. But there was one room that was different. He crept into the room, the door being ajar, and he found a small chamber where a strange figure stood over a cauldron. The room was cast in a red glow and the figure, slender, skeletal and dark skinned, loomed over the cauldron. Blood was bubbling and all about were hung scrolls of some oriental dialect. Behind the figure was the sword and fan that had been taken that night. Kane looked upwards and on the ceiling could see three figures moving, strange dead beings that appeared stitched together, clinging to the ceiling.

Dimitri and??Thessaly, in Dimitri???s Porsche 911, approached the fenced estate of Fletcher Moss. At the gates they pressed the buzzer and were admitted in. The Porsche crunched up the gravel road to the Georgian manor house. A number of cars were parked outside and at the front of the house a valet parked the car for Dimitri. The ghoul butler of the house asked for their names and blood lineage and then proceeded to lead them into the main entrance hall of the house. There in the hall a number of Kindred were gathered chatting, including some recognisable faces, Lady Tabbitha Gao, Robert Woking and of course Annabel Barbican.

Before??Thessaly, Annabel asked if Dimitri was here to finally confess what happened to Jacob Lewis and finally join the Invictus and prove his worth. Dimitri denied any knowledge of what she was talking about. Then Annabel turned on??Thessaly.??Thessaly??had been given more striking and impressive clothes by Dimitri to wear for this meeting. Annabel just looked the Nosferatu up and down and sneered, unimpressed by this change in presentation. But then, to their surprise it was Lady Gao who came to their rescue. As the harpy in the city with the highest status she immediately humiliated Annabel, pressing the fact that until she had the honour of hold the title of Lady of the Dynastic House of Kerkoft that she should remember her place and treat guests appropriately or else the very honour of the Invictus would be sullied. Annabel hissed at the Dimitri and walked off but not before Dimitri had the chance to pat her on the ass, leading to Robert having to restrain her and dominate her mind to prevent a very costly breach of courtly etiquette.

Thessaly, Dimitri and Gao sat on a sofa awaiting for their turn to be called to see Kerkoft. Gao, now acutely aware of??Thessaly???s ability of foresight, mentions that she is not the only seer present in the house of Kerkoft. There is another, a Rachel Witten, apparently a member of the Circle of the Crone.??Thessaly??said she did not know her, nor was she aware that there were Acolytes offering services to the Invictus. The butler then returned and we led further into the manor house.

Before the dark figure in the basement Kane kept rigidly still, watching it???s every move, listening to each syllable of the invocation. But then it stopped moving, the figure with its arms outstretched. It loomed forward and gracefully pointed towards where Kane was stood in the dark. It asked for him to come forward and reveal his true form. Kane obliged and shifted form and met the cold dead eyes of the vampire. It stood up, shorter than Kane, and presented itself as Tetsuro, of Clan Nosferatu and of the Burakumin bloodline. Tetsuro went on to explain that he was simply recovering the items that were rightfully his family???s, items stolen over a hundred years ago by Kerkoft. However their recovery has only occurred now after determining the most auspicious time to do so. Kane revealed that by some means Kerkoft had also known of this moment to break into the museum. Tetsuro asked Kane to tell his superiors that the items were now lost and in return Tetsuro would
allow Kane to leave, alive, so long as they were both committed to bringing Kerkoft down. To seal the pact the Burakumin extended a long talon into the cauldron of blood and using it inscribed a tattoo onto Kane???s arm.

At the manor house, in the dining room,??Thessaly??and Kane were presented to Lady Natalia Kerkoft. With Natalia were a number of ghouls and behind her was sat a woman wearing a pendant in the shape of a bull???s head. This was Rachel Witten. The butler presented the gift to Natalia who then went on to explain that she would support whomever won the Carthian election, but that she would look kindly upon Falken as he has given her a wonderful gift.

Leaving the dining room Dimitri and??Thessaly??remained at the house, taking the time to speak to those Invictus who care to talk to them. Dimitri then spotted the ghoul, and after a few minutes was able to find a moment to speak to him. His name was Gyle, and worked for one of Kerkoft???s construction companies, Dimitri???s powers of the blood loosening his tongue.

Vampire

Vampire:??the Requiem

Manchester: the Endless Waltz

Episode 3: Puppet Show ??? Part 2

??Following Dimitri???s meeting with Zahred Zilber at the Ascension Club, Dimitri headed out into the night to find another a club to go hunting. Meanwhile, following Thessaly???s revelation, Kane headed out into the streets of??Salford??to hunt. Stalking the shadows Kane was able to single out a hoodie, following the mortal to an alleyway where the boy was going to take a piss. Kane simply grabbed him from behind and slaked his thirst before returning back to his churchyard haven and merging with the soil to sleep for the day.

??The next evening, the 9^th??of November, a Saturday, Kane awoke and texted Dimitri. They needed to all meet. By 7pm all of the coterie had gathered in Kro Bar, just a few yards away from the museum. Verity had already met with the Chamberlain???s assistants and obtained the passes that would get them into the building site of the cinema. The security and building company had now been swapped over to a company run by one of the Prefect???s ghouls. It was agreed that the interior of the building would be investigated, searching for any possible entrances to the sewers or canals. However Dimitri had other plans and as they left the bar Dimitri left to attend to other matters.

??Arriving at the cinema Verity showed the pass to the bumbling old security guard and they entered the site via a side entrance. Inside they found the cinema abandoned, but not utterly dilapidated. There were signs of vermin, birds, and that homeless people had gotten in at some point. Looking about the cinema there was the lobby and three screens on the ground floor. On the upper floor there was a place which would have functioned as a bar, and another four bars and offices and store rooms.

Meanwhile Dimitri had gotten into contact with Zahred Zilber once more. This time he wanted a meeting at his flat.

Verity went into the basement of the cinema, looking about in the boiler rooms and Verity is able to find the wall which would be nearest to the canal, however it was impossible to be sure, even with her Auspex enhanced senses.

At Dimitri???s flat his ghoul, Karl, welcomes in Zahred Zilber and Annabel Barbican. Dimitri, fully aware of Annabel???s status and sire, the Invictus head, Lady Natalia Kerkoft, Dimitri explained to Annabel that he knew important information regarding the Final Death of her coterie and Covenant associate, the Nosferatu, Jacob Lewis. Annabel demanded to know whom had killed her friend. But Dimitri was not just going to hand over that bit of information. She of course needed to know how she could trust Dimitri. Dimitri reassured her that he was present for the event. Annabel, furious, raged at Dimitri, screaming that he should not have let the Traditions be violated. Zahred told Annabel to keep her nerve and calm down.

Dimitri, seeing he had the upper hand, would reveal who killed Jacob Lewis but only in exchange for something. Annabel, still enraged, was not thinking clearly enough to make a deal, especially on behalf of the Invictus and her sire. Annabel then realised that it was Dimitri and his coterie who were at Club Quicksilver when she had come across??Thessaly, and that it must have been one of the coterie that had thrown the bottle at her. She asked Dimitri what had happened to the hard drive and what was on it. Dimitri, smugly, said that the hard drive was with Falken. Annabel got up to leave, but turned on Dimitri.

???I will speak to my sire,??? she hissed, ???and you will have your deal. But mark my words Carthian this won???t be the end of it between you and me.??? She turned about and slammed the door as she left the apartment. Zahred shrugged his shoulders and made to leave the flat, ???I???ll see if I can calm her down. I???ll be in contact on her behalf I guess.???

Meanwhile back at the cinema there is a loud knocking on the firedoor and Kane, Verity and Thessaly go to find that awaiting for them is the Moorish, Constable Ihram, and with him the ruddy face and almost foppish, Prefect Simon Arken of the Carthians, and of the Daeva. Ihram introduced the Prefect, commenting that this was the coterie that was performing further sweeps of the building. The Prefect thanked the coterie for their efforts and then asked if they would show him the building so he could work out how much work needs to be done to prepare the venue for the caucus. He also wished to see which office would be of best use for him to use for private meetings during the caucus.

While in the bar area, the Prefect took the time to sit and chat with the coterie. He was appreciative of Kane???s desire to formally join the Carthians with Falken as his patron. He also acknowledge the work of the two Crone Acolytes and that they would be considered honorary members of the Carthians. It was at this point that Kane asked what would anybody have to gain from attacking the Carthians at this meeting. The Prefect explained that though the Chairman has Carthian interests at heart, his approach in recent years has become a little heavy handed. There are those that would like to see the Chairman become less of a tyrant and to simply perform the role of a Chairman, and not of a Prince. But there are those who wish to see the entire governmental model torn down. These Carthians are also a problem as what they desire would lead to a city where nothing would be done and the Masquerade would be in danger.
So attacking the Carthians could either give the Chairman reason to use his executive powers, something that the Prefect has been wanting to remove for years. This in turn would lead to outright rebellion by the more revolutionary Carthians. However, attacking the Carthians could also lead to mobilizing them as a whole, and unify them against a common cause. This would be the last thing the Invictus would want. So an attack, if it does occur, would need to target the right people.

Leaving the building the Prefect went to meet a man, whom he handed over a brown envelop to and in return received a folder. Verity was able to listen in on the conversation and heard the man, referred to as Mr Smith, had been watching someone for the Prefect and that he wanted the rest of the money before he got the remainder of the photos. The Prefect, satisfied said he would be in contact. But across the road, in amongst the throng of students and people who were on a night out on the town, Verity spotted a man photographing the meeting. Verity pursued the man, leading to a chase through the streets. She tackled him to the ground and as he wrestled her off she slammed a kick into his gut. She demanded to know who he worked for and why he was taking pictures. He said he worked for Robert Woking. Verity then let him goes, but took the memory card from the camera. Kane, taking the initiative, had gone to transform into his raven form and flew up high, spotted Verity and the man, and then once she had left, followed the photographer.

Elsewhere, Zahred Zilber passed on a message to Annabel Barbican from Dimitri, who said that they could come to an arrangement soon.

ST Note - Best Session to date!!!