Drawings and Chaos Drawings and ChaosIC: Sarah watched with curiosity as Christian got up and started searching for something in the books. "Becky what did you do to him?" repeated Sarah trying to figure out what had just happened to Christian.
~"Nothing i swear! i just wanted to cheer him up" replied Becky in a little voice. Becky then followed Christian to the Chair where he was working on his drawing and sat on the table and watched with wide eyes of anticipation.~
Sarah just stood there watching Becky confused as to what all had just transpired in the last half hour since she arrived at the bookstore, as she looked to her side she saw Anique looking dazed but comming out of it and then to Will who partially reminded her of a Garfield stuck to the car window. Sydney was comming out of the back shouting something about finding a name when Christian starts babbling about why he is here.
~ARRGGGGG!!!! what is all of this about and why do i always end up on the wrong side of things at the wrong time? Sarah wonders loudly within her thoughts. "He's cute!" Becky says happily to Sarah. "Come see what he is drawing it's really neat much better than anything you've drawn" says Becky with a coy tone.~
Sarah shoots Becky a glare and walks over and stands over his shoulder to see what he is drawing and hearing only bits and pieces of what he is saying. As he draws faces appear that are all too familar to Sarah and the est of the group here. The faces of Monica Freewater, Ellison and Remmington come into being with a back figure that looks familar but not clear enough to know whether she was seeing it right or not. Her eyes dart to Becky whose eyes are fixed on Christian and she calls out to Sydney, "Sydney come here you need to see this!"
IC: Anique listened to Christian talk about his visions. Interesting, she thought, that he had the visions before he became a vampire...just like her. SHe would go into her trances and ramble on in tongues, and foreign languages she had never learned. That is why her family shunned her. Why she lived on the street. In commoner society in the mid 1800s, people had thought her possessed by demons. When Javier had found her, wandering aimlessly, screaming about fire raining down from the heavens, about the dead rising from thier graves...well, she guessed he had seen a piece of his own madness in her.
Becoming a vampire really stabilized her...Although her prophecies had evolved and changed. Her vision of the endtimes changed...Gehenna, they called it, not armageddon, or the appocalypse. Instead of fire from heaven, the skies rained blood. Christian looked at them almost like he didn't expect them to believe him, about his visions and all. He was drawing furiously, charcoal stains all over his fingers, and smeared a little on his face where he had brushed his hair out of the way. Sarah walked over to him and looked over his shoulder.
Her face melted into a look of utter surprise..."hey, Sydney, you should come have a look at this" she said. Sydney walked over. So did Anique. Christian looked up at them, his eyes expectant. Prehaps he was hoping that someone could shed some light on his visions. She reached out and wiped some charcoal off of his cheek...he had been conscentrating intensely on that drawing, she thought. She looked down at the page. THe figures on it were drawn with a graceful precision, making the identities of the figures unquestionable.
Their realism was striking. She noticed the black figure standing behind Freewater, Ellison,and Remington. Somehow, that figure struck her very strongly. "Sydney", she said "Is this who I think it is?"
Water dripping. The continual noise in this place was water dripping. Very soothing, or so he thought. He settled back, brushing some junk off of his soft black suit. He blew an unnesscary breath out of his mouth and watched. He watched, unblinking. All of them, even the hyperactive one in the bug. He shook his head, settling his face into a slight smile.
He paused for a second, wondering if he should contact him, or let them come to him. No, a contact would make him seem...anxious. And he was not anxious. He refolded his fingers, and sat rigidly still, listening to the water drip. They would find him. When the time was right, he would be there. He would make sure of that.
He watched as the artist took out a pad and began to sketch. Astute, that one. A good likeness of Freewater as well. He smiled, almost as good as the graffitti artist in the 60's who had deigned to paint her in a . . . compromising position . . . in nothing but a leather thong and a dog collar . . . over the back end of city hall. He didn't stick around this city for very long. Not that anyone would blame him. Getting a toreador primogen on your ass just wasn't a good idea. He blew out another unnesscary breath, and a soft laugh. It had been a good picture.
He spread out his hands, letting the bones crack into a more comfortable postition, and settled himself back into his chair, and watched the Malkavians try to seperate the visions from the reality...or was it all the same for them?
IC: Sydney unwillingly looked up into the staring eyes of the rest of the Malkavians. ~Why are you all looking at me?~ He pulled off his Hawaiian hat, pushed his hands through his shaggy hair, replaced the hat and looked around before looking at the pad Anique was offering him.
"It's...well, it looks like the prince and her cronies." He replied. "As for the person behind them...ummmm." His eyes widened. "It looks like the seneschal...and I don't go near him."
"But has anyone ever talked to him?" Christian queried
"No." It came in unison from Sydney, Sarah, Anique and Becky. Sarah gave Christian a wide-eyed look, like a kid who's trying to tell thier parents that the boogieman is hiding under thier bed.
Silence permeated the room for several seconds.
"Well, if Christian says he had a vision of fighting, then I say fight!" Anique offered. Sarah looked back and forth from Sydney to Christian, waiting for an affirmation from them.
Sydney kept still. ~Visions. Why do they all talk about visions, as if they are something wonderful and awe inspiring? Hmmph. Either they're all bad or they're completely false. I wish I wasn't the only sane one here. But we shouldn't seperate. Either all together or all dead.~
Christian nodded slowly at Anique. "I have been warned, and I believe I should heed my warning."
Sydney reluctantly nodded, and Sarah followed suit. Sydney let his shoulders sink, and spoke up, "Allright, if we are going to resist we are going to need some kind of plan. In fact, I don't even know what we are resisting against, I just know that somebody hates us and I think I have three faces to aim at. But beyond that, I must confess I'm somewhat lost, and-" He turned to the loud thumping that was coming from behind him, and sighed. Will's hands made a thick smear down the window of the VW bug. ~I had better get him out before he breaks the windows.~ Sydney sighed, and opened the door.
"Oh..I had almostforgottotellyouall! I had somethingtotellyouall and I DIDN'T! I don't know why I didn'tthinkofit before! Sydney, I must tell you something important!" Will started to latch onto Sydney's shoulders.
"WILL!" Sydney grabbed him before he could shake anyone. "WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO TELL US???!" Will stared back meekly, eyes wide.
"Ummm...Sydney...the prince has requested a meeting. She is going to announce something important, and she wants all the clans there. Including us. It's tomorrow night at midnight, and the prince's palace. I needed to tell you that." He said in a small voice. He started to shake, sinking to his knees, red tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner . . . but I had to tell you about Murray, and I just don't want to die." He stared up at them all, bloody tears running down his face. "I don't want to die, Syd, I don't want to die!!" Will held out his hand towards Sarah, grasping for anything he could...anything safe...anything.
Sydney looked over at Christian, and shrugged. "Do you have any ideas about this?"
IC: Sarah pulls Will to the side for a moment to hopefully get him to release her hand and calm down. "Will we need to keep a level head about this otherwise we WILL be dead." Sarah states in a steady voice her eyes focused on his dancing ones that are full of panic. Sarah with her smallish figure holds Will tightly off to the side staring into his eyes trying to force him to listen to her. "If we don't stick together then they will be able to get at us understand?" Sarh askes the still shaking Will.
"I ddddon't... wwwwwaant... ttto... die," comes out finally from his quivering mouth in barely a whisper. He continues to shake like dog left out in the cold too long and stare with red tear stricken eyes into Sarah's
"We won't if we can stick togetehr and not lose our heads like a bunch of chickens" Sarah remarks back to Will finally bringing his shaking to a stop. ~Chickens again? since when have i thought so much about chickens?~ Looking into Wills eyes she sees a little peace in them and brings him over to Sydney, Anique and Christian where they are talking about the meeting to come and what they ahould do.
IC: Anique looked down at Christian's drawing. The seneschal was frightening her. Christian's drawing of him was so realistic....Those eyes of his, which burned right into the back of your head as he stared at you! No wonder none of them had ever SPOKEN to the seneschal....not to mention all the rumors they had heard...the stuff that he supposedly DID...she shuddered at the thought. But, come to think of it, WHY was the Seneschal in the picture in the first place? The others were there for obvious reasons...Ellison and REmington were just in here, heckeling them a few minutes ago...and they did the bidding of Freewater...but what did the Seneschal have to do with this (besides being ANOTHER of Freewaters' cronies?) Anique ruminated on this...she couldn't see the Seneschal being able to tolerate the company of Ellison and Remington..his presence in the picture was, well, ...WEIRD. Everyone was talking about fighting. Christian said that his vision had told him to fight. But fight WHO? The PRINCE? One did not do that sort of thing directly and expect to live.....unless they did it in a very SMART way...unless they had FRIENDS in high places. Sydney let Will out of the car. He was ranting about a meeting tommorrow...with all of the clans, at the Prince's palace. Anique fingered the sharp steel of her knife blade. She didn't care if it was an Ellisyium...she was going ARMED, one way or another. If Ellison and REmington could burst in here and heckel them, then she would bring a knife to the Ellisyium. She wasn't the only one who did that, either, she was willing to bet. With a Prince like Freewater, you don't take chances.
She remembered the chances Javier had taken. The trust he had in the protection of his 'friends'...what had that ended in? Final death, that was what. And she wasn't about to let THAT happen again. She remembered kneeling on the ground, over his ashes....her crimson tears falling into them, mingling with them on the ground. Her body shaking like she was in an earthquake. Feel the tremors of the ground, she thought. Put your hand to the Earth's open wound. Feel the firey rath of ages, as the sky cries bloody tears...There was that boy...kindred...she had seen him about 3 years back, somewhere in Southern California. No idea who he was,... had been...She remembered him lying there in a heap in a side-street alley...his head bashed in, blood pouring from his fangless mouth, pooling in front of him, as he drained away with it...his aura becomming more and more pale...He HAD been a vampire, she thought. She could tell. He just hadn't had any fangs. He had looked up at her with those big, scared eyes of his...those PLEADING eyes....but she had known it was too late. She watched the light fade from those eyes. Sat there and watched him become ashes. He was the end of the world, and he didn't even know it...the clanless ones, the weak ones...If it was coming, why should they fight? What difference did it make if they died like dogs, as that boy had, or fought like heroes only to die again soon, at the end of all things? When the whole world would drown in blood...It didn't matter if you needed to breathe or not. THe current would still sweep you away. But....she would fight. Fight to the last damn drop of Vitae...she didn't care how SHE died. Didn't care if it were now, or in the last great fight of fights. It was the others that mattered. They deserved to choose...Not everyone knew the fate of the world, she mused. So, then, she would fight for the dignity of her friends. THey would be spared a death without respect...no one would go like Javier, if she could help it.
The knife felt good in her hands. She sat still, watching that picture, hearing the other ones talk. All of a sudden, she looked up. Snapping suddenly out of her trance-like state, she said "ALright, everyone...I have TWO questions...First of all, Christian....Why did you put the Seneschal in the picture...? What does he have to do with this? Secondly, Will, tell me how, CALMLY, how you know FOR SURE Murphy is dead?"
IC: "Do I have any ideas? Sure, I have lots of ideas, but probably none of them helpful." Looking at his own picture again, he examines in detail what he had previously just drawn in a sort of mindless state. Again, the vision comes back to him in detail, seeing the face of the man behind the throne. ~Did he look like that in the dream? I could have sworn he was.. well, not ugly as sin.~
"Sydney, isn't the seneschal a Nosferatu? I mean, in my vision, which like I said can sometimes be totally wrong, this man you say is the seneschal was handsome, regal. But what I drew.. well, how do you explain that? I mean, how do you see a handsome distinguished man one place, but then recreate him as a monster? I don't get it. This just gets weirder and weirder."
Sydney just shrugs his shoulders. "Ya got me. I don't know what goes on in your head, and something tells me I don't want to." Christian thinks he notices a bit of.. what? superiority? ~Yeh, like you're not as crazy as the rest of us. Or are you? Weird, at least. Eccentric for sure. Oh well, maybe I'm reading too much into things. My head is a bit frazzled right now.~
"Ok then, since he hangs out with the Prince, and we have to go see the Prince, then why don't we see about talking to this guy? Maybe he's the one who has been putting these things in my head." Sarah, looking up momentarily from calming down Will, sort of nods in agreement, but has a look of moderate disgust on her face, as if talking to a Nosferatu leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Anique looks about ready to do anything at this point, playing with her stiletto knife as if it could not go back to its hiding place without drawing blood first.
"Maybe we should, but that's not until tomorrow night, and in the meantime, I think I might have a useful lead here." Sydney holds up a crumpled piece of paper with a name and address on it. Setting his hat squarely on his head and turning towards the door, Sydney turns to the rest and says "Everyone coming?" before turning the shop sign on the door to CLOSED.
IC: ~Aw piss. How do I get myself into these messes? As if it wasn't bad enough that I'm stranded in a new city, the only person I really know is my agent who is about as much help to me now as an Israeli carpet merchant. These new people, Anique, Sydney, and Sarah.. well, they seem ok so far. They're more together than Will, anyway, and that can only be a good thing. I swear, he's almost as bad as Teresa was in the end. She got so damn paranoid that she even went so far as to accuse the Prince of being in league with the Sabbat. That went over real well, but when she actually tried to diablerize him, whoo boy! I thought they were gonna kill her, but she got away somehow and as far as I know is still missing. I barely got out of it with my own life, too. Luckily for me they just banished me from the city. Malcolm probably had something to do with their leniency. I owe him a lot, but I can't ever hope to repay him. What can I do?
~I miss them. Teresa, Malcolm, Eddie, Christina. Still, it's not like I ever fit in anywhere. These damn visions.. they're the only reason Teresa even looked twice at me. Thought I could 'divine the future' for her, tell her who her enemies were and such. Like I have some kind of control over this. Hmpf. If I did, I sure as hell wouldn't be here. I'd probably be sitting in my living room with my wife and kids watching tv, smoking a pipe, being comfortably middle aged. Oh well, not like that's a comforting thought. I'd hate to see the woman that would marry me. But I wouldn't go back to New York now if they paid me. That city was out of control. At least here, I'm doing my own thing. Nobody tells me what to do and who to know and where to be. Maybe for once somebody will ask for MY opinion, MY advice. Not just 'Christian, what did you see? What is going to happen' like I was some kind of damn Fortune teller. I have a mind of my own. I can think, too. So fine! Go on and run away Teresa. You never did me any good, anyway. Never taught me much as it was. I'll probably do better on my own. And I'm gonna start right bloody here, with these new Malks. They have just as much to lose as me now, so maybe together we can get through this and make a home here.
Still, it's not like we're going up against the Right Honorable Reverend Horace Haskins. These Toreador, especially Freewater, have it in for us. Why, I have no idea. But who can say what on God's green earth motivates a Toreador. Even Malcolm had some pretty unusual quirks. No, this one is going to be tougher than anything you've ever faced, Christian old chap, and you're going to have to face it alone, for the most part. Just don't lose it like Teresa did. Keep your head on your shoulders, keep a piece of paper handy, and TRUST YOURSELF. I can do this, I know it. They need me as much as I need them, or at least that's what I'm going to tell myself. Ok, ok...get your head in the game Christian. Time to start living up to your nickname and be the Prophet that everyone wants you to be. Ok? Ok. As the man said, Just Do It. Or was it Just Be It? No, Just Live It, Live The Dream? Be All You Can Be? Get an edge on life in the army reserve.. haha.. no, ummm... oh nevermind!~
IC:"Everyone coming?" Sarah heard Sydney say as they left the shop. Sarah followed slowly thinking over what had transpired that evening and recently. Becky also followed along skipping around Christian like a little puppy talking incesantly about him.
~"He draws such neat things i wish i could draw like that..." and "i love the way is hair blows a little in the wind, its all mussed up" and "i wish he could draw me wouldn't that be neat sarah?...Sarah?"~ Sarah had been in her thoughts and just nodded quickly to becky in a greement.
~Why does trouble seem to follow me first the assylum and then the sabbat and now some crazy toreador wants us dead i don't get it. Plus i have my sister who is suddenly boy-crazy over the new guy. And this new with these visions and stuff drawing perfect likenesses of the prince and her cronies and having the image of the seneschal in there. i mean how do we know he's not one of them! Wait! Sarah get ahold of yourself... don't go nuts over this he hasn't REALLY shown anything to show he's against us and Sydney is trusting him so he's gotta be cool, right? Arggg....
Ok,ok everything is cool i just gott keep a level head just like i told-~
Just then Sarah stops, rather is stopped suddenly but colliding into a big, black man and looks up into his face. She uses her blood to see his aura and notices it to be pale like her's and stares for a moment. "sorry sir, just a little lost in my thoughts" she replies softly to him.
Maestro is a tall drop dead gorgeous african american male. He has long dreads he pulls back in a pony tail and has a neatly trimmed thin beard that outlines his strong jawline. He walks with finesse and has strong penetrating eyes that makes him seem keen and alert as if he were a cat! His voice is very deep and smooth as if he were possibly an actor or had a job in radio. He likes to wear leather,and long coats made of leather. He is called the Maestro because of his grace with a sword,preferably the rapier. Concept: Equalizer(if you saw the show, you know what it is.) Occupation: Shakesperean actor Clan: Caitiff Likes: Sexy knuckle sucking delicious women! Helping others,gambling,and beating up drug dealers. Hates: drug dealers! (Take MR.T. SHAFT,Equalizer,The Fugitive, and the incredible hulk and you have Maestro. His Real name is (from his era of birth) was Tyr which he changed to Tyrone to be more modern.)
IC-Tyrone(Maestro),just had finished snacking on a co-actor he had been working with for the past week. Her blood was just as bitter and stale as her work was.
The steam from the sewer lids and street drains silhoetted the large well built african american as he strolled down the street. The night was something he loved, and was enjoying it as he walked till he bumped into a little girl.
"Excuse me," said Maestro with his strong yet smooth voice like molten chocolate. The little girl looked up with big eyes and with her mouth open in disbelief of what was before her. 'Oh shit' was the first thought that ran across her mind and she began to stutter.
"Uh Sorry..." she replied acting as inncoent as sheepishly as possible to not rise any suspicion to the new vampire she accidently bumped into that she was in league with the Sabbat. Tyrone smiled to her.
"Don't mention it, It was probably my fault anyway."
IC: Anique listened to the conversation....Sarah wanted to go see the seneschal...but Sydney had other ideas. He flipped the 'Open" sign to 'closed', and held up a slip of paper.
"Are you coming?" he asked, and looked around the room, from one person to another...Anique saw that the paper had a name on it....Jennifer something. Interesting, she thought. She had never heard of this person. She hoped Sydney knew what he was doing. They all got up and left through the back door of the stockroom. Anique reluctantly put her knife back. She didn't want to walk around un-armed, but then again...one didn't just carry weapons in the open like that on the streets of Toronto. The night was hot, and slightly foggy. Sydney set out ahead of them all, dragging Will by the wrist. She and Christian were following. Sarah took up the rear. Anique thought Sarah looked a bit funny this evening. The seemed...distracted.
They rounded the corner of the building where Sydney had his shop. She presumed they were headed for his monstrosity of a car, because he seemed to be fumbling around in his pocket for keys. They walked down a narrow alleyway, and a cat jumped from one of the dumpsters. Anique stopped and looked back. Sarah was standing there, about 15 yards behind them. In her path stood a very large man of african descent, with wild dreadlocks and a black leather jacket. His aura told her that he was kindred. Sarah was dwarfed by his presence. She was looking up at him, her eyes expectant and scarred.
Anique tapped Christian's shoulder. "Turn around!" she whispered. "Sydney!" she hissed. Christian, Sydney and Will turned around, and saw Sarah standing there, in front of the man, trying to look meek.
IC: On the way olut of the door, Sydey stooped and picked up Christian's drawing, studying the figure in the background as it materialized for him. Wandering out the door, he shuffled up to Christian.
"Did you ever get a good look at the old prince? Not Dell, but the really old one...Morven?" Sydney asked.
"No, I've never seen him, just heard of him. Why?" Christian responded.
"I dunno, I was wondering, as I look at it, if it could be his likeness, but I never saw him either. I came here after he was toasted."
More than a few of the group flinched at the word 'toasted' and Sydney let his eyes flutter sheepishly untill thier stares forced him to apologize.
"Who is this lead you have, Sydney?" Anique asked, relieving Sydeny'd embarrasment.
"She was a Nosferatu from back home. She had too many human ties, and ended up moving before she broke the masquerade." Sydney shrugged. "I figured it's worth a shot..." He was going to say more, but his attention was attracted to a tall dark man whom Sarah was speaking to.
IC: Sarah just stood there shocked by his size and apperance, he reminded her of Othello from Shakespere. He spoke with such a rich voice that she felt frozen there even though his words were not cruel or offensive. All she could do was just stare up at him.
"Sarah?" Rang out into the thick night air, it was Sydney calling and Sarah came out of her statue like state and looked to the group around the large man. There they stood almost in the same awe as Sarah had except they seemed i little more concerned.
"Yes?... I'm comming, sorry sir" Sarah quickly replies and runs off to Anique and Christian and almost finds herself hiding behind them. The large man approaches the group slowly looking to each one of them as if he is analyzing who they are. Becky also stares at him with the group for once not looking at Christian.
~"He's really big..." Becky whispers to Sarah. "I hope he isn't one of those vampires that don't like you" she says to sarah coyly with a slight smile.~ Sarah turns her head towards Becky *nothing but air of course* and glares, "SHHHHH!"
IC: At first glance, the stranger seemed somewhat intimidating, with his height and mass of hair and that long black jacket. But Christian, upon closer inspection, thought he saw something almost... playful. Like this man had some kind of running joke in his soul that gave him a twinkle in the eye and also a slight advantage over everyone he met, just because he seemed to know something you didn't. But then, Christian was always reading things into people's expressions and statements. Maybe some of that paranoia seeped into his blood from Teresa. In any event, he decided on the spot that things just couldn't get any more screwed up, so what was one more person he didn't know?
Sarah stood just behind, shushing somebody who.. wasn't there? Christian looked to her as she quieted the air beside her, then looked back with apprehension, and a bit of fascination, at the tall, dark, and handsome stranger in their midst who was now brazenly approaching. ~Who is she shushing? There's nobody there. Come to think of it, that's not the first time she's done something like that. Maybe she has an imaginary friend. Hmmm, how novel. A bit immature for a vampire, but cute nevertheless.~
Turning his attention back to the stranger, Christian thought for just a moment that he recognized him. Being the artist that he thinks he is, Christian keeps up to date on the arts wherever he is. Being recently from New York, he's seen a lot, too. But for the moment, he can't quite figure out if he knows this chap or not. Maybe an artist like him? Perhaps a poet? From his thick, chocolatey voice, maybe a great orator? In any event, Christian lacks the necessary skills to judge aura to determine his mood or "supernatural status". But, having a keen eye, Christian does think he notices a tell-tale lack of breathing, so despite his initial attraction to the man, he is now put somewhat on guard. Digging his right hand into his jacket pocket, he puts his grip comfortably around the snubnose revolver, his left hand reaching up to get a grip on his backpack strap, in case he should have to flee. He certainly didn't want to lose his paper and pencils.
IC:Will let his eyes bug out of his head once more. He squinted at the newcomer, and then bugged them out one last time before gripping onto Anique and Sydney's arms. "Syd, Syd! Is that the scourge??"
"No Will. He's not." Sydney replied honestly.
"Yes, yesss he is!" Will whispered back.
"No, Will, he's not." Anique repeated, sounding more than vaguely menacing.
Will tensed for a moment, glancing from Tyrone to Sydney to Anique, back to Tyrone, and then around to Sarah and Christian for good measure before settling onto Tyrone. "Ohhh, God! He's come to kill us all!!!" Will wailed, pointing a shaking finger in the newcomers general direction. Sydney caught it, and wrapped Will's arm around his body in a neat armlock.
"Will, shut up!" Sydeny whispered imploringly clapping a hand over Will's mouth, desperatly hoping the stranger wouldn't take offense. "You'll have to excuse him, he has problems coping with stress." Sydney offered by way of explanation. Sydney let his gaze of frustration fall back to Anique, who returned it with vigor.
"I still can't get him to tell me how he knows Murray is dead. As far as I know, the harpies have concoted a whole elaborate plot simply to get under our skin and fed it to Will because they knew he'd blow it out of proportions" Anique muttered under her breath to Sydney. Sydney shrugged in return and watched the stranger for the next move.
'Scourge?" Masestro cocked an amused half smile to Will and Sydney."That's word I haven't used to describe me in a long time." His Amber eyes twinkled when he spoke."However why are you calling me a Scourge?" He asks directly to Will, crossing his strong arms across his chest."It's a wierd thing to call someone nowadays."
