Time: Oct. 26, Saturday, evening, roughly concurrent with "In the Moonlight"
Ian Cameron, Brujah primogen of San Francisco, was tingling, he was so livid. The city was calm, and that was bad for business and boded unfortunately well for his chief nemesis, the Prince. Anything that was good for Julian Luna was bad for Cameron. That was a situation that must be remedied.
First, he needed information before he did anything. Brujah reported seeing Detective Frank Kouhanek chumming it up with the Gangrel primogen, Cash, at the Haven. What was THAT? Worse, there were new Kindred in town, he suspected, though no one had seemed to have seen them, yet... a couple of his more psychically sensitive clansmen sensed them. Someone suggested Tremere, which made Cameron's eyes burn a cold silver.
[How DARE Luna admit a new clan without holding a Conclave!! And, WIZARDS???] Surely the Prince was targeting Brujah, with bringing in one of their fiercest enemies! It was the main reason Cameron was stopping at the Haven himself this evening.
Waving his entourage off to settle at a couple tables inside the club, Cameron arrowed over to a booth where a potential ally was sipping on a glass of red wine. He'd already scoped out the place - only a trio of Gangrel, the usual Toreador clubbers, and a contingent of Ventrue had left just as they were entering. Perfect. "Lillie, my dear," Cameron oozed, smiling as he slid into the other side of the booth. "We must see more of each other."
Lillie Langtry, Toreador primogen and owner of the Haven, regarded the slick Brujah chief like one would regard a poisonous snake. "Oh, I don't agree. I think I see enough of you already," Lillie murmured with her sultry smile that suggested that she was oh, so available unless your name was Cameron.
Cameron smiled his snake smile back. "But we do need to talk, my dear." One of his Brujah set down a glass of red wine for him and retreated.
"Oh, do we?" Lillie took a sip from her own goblet and looked away. Her glance fell on a Toreador newcomer she was interested in... cultivating. His name was Argon, a performance artist from Seattle.
The Brujah primogen did not like being ignored. "It is said that Tremere are in the city."
That got her attention, which he knew it would, whether it was true or not. "Did you say... Tremere? How interesting..." [Oh, Julian, we must talk, love...]
"Luna allows them in the city and he never asked US what we thought of it. Doesn't that concern you, Lillie?" Cameron leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. Of course he didn't actually know for sure that Tremere were here, but it was a useful rumor anyway.
The gorgeous brunette shifted her position minutely. "Yes, actually. But I'm sure Julian has checked them out thoroughly. He distrusts them as much as any of us, perhaps more. They pose more of a threat to him than to your little fiefdom among the docks." She smiled wickedly at this last.
Cameron scowled. "Brujah business stretches far beyond the docks now, if you hadn't noticed... we have fingers in nearly all unions... but I digress." The snake smile was back. "Luna is a fool to let wizards loose in the city. The Masquerade is at risk."
[And when did you ever care about the Masquerade, Cam?] Lillie wondered idly. "Then go talk to him, get the full story, if you're so concerned." But she, too, was concerned. It was known that Tremere practiced magick that could conceal them from other Kindred, make them appear mortal to them. There could be Tremere wizards in the club right now, and she wouldn't know it.
"There hasn't been a Conclave in months," Cameron pointed out, his voice a little harsh, then, aware there were mortals nearby, he lowered his voice again. "Julian hasn't called the primogen together since Archon's death. And that wasn't a proper Conclave anyway. It's time. We need the information on the newcomers, for our own defense."
Again she shifted. Cameron could be dangerous if he felt he was being toyed with. Julian was indeed foolish to try to keep things from the Brujah. Or herself, for that matter. "I no longer live at Camera della Luna," she murmured, again glancing around. "But I have access to him. I will... inquire."
"You do that. Oh, and I was wondering about your friend, the detective... what's his name?" Cameron watched the Toreador closely. Her reactions could tell him a lot here.
Lillie, however, was adept at this game. She smiled sweetly. "Oh, and who would that be?"
Cameron smiled back, but the sweet was sour. "That would be Detective Frank Kouhanek," he replied mildly.
"I haven't even seen him in weeks, Cameron," Lillie commented. She took another sip from her goblet. [Julian, you really need to Embrace that one, save his life. Brujah will be coming...]
"Oh, I doubt that," Cameron responded, again the snake. "He's been in your club as recently as last night. Chumming with Gangrel. What is that about, I wonder?"
Lillie froze. [Hopefully it is done already... I must warn Julian...] "I wouldn't know, Cameron. I was elsewhere at the time and didn't see him."
The Brujah primogen drummed his fingers on the table. "Lillie, I can make your life miserable, buy out your clubs... but I would far rather do business with you." He leaned forward, capturing her wrist. "I need an edge over Julian. Give me Frank Kouhanek. Or, barring that, anything else that your pretty head can think up for me. Don't let Julian run this city on his little whims. The primogen have a right to know what the prince is doing and to have a say about it!" [Translation, Lillie - I want to know what the hell Julian Luna is doing hiring wizards...]
She ripped her wrist away from him. "I will find out about the wizards," she retorted, barely keeping the silver out of her eyes. "Come back tomorrow night and I will let you know what I find out." Draining her glass, Lillie looked away again, infuriated that Cameron actually had a reason for her to question Julian's actions.
"Good girl," Cameron sneered, then drained his goblet in one long swallow. "Mmmm, good stuff," he commented, then slid out of the booth. Standing, he neared and leaned down to her, his face inches from hers. "Checks and balances, my dear. You let Julian Luna run the city unimpaired and the power will go to his head - he could ruin us all, if there's no one to call him onto the carpet once in a while. Right now... that's me. And you know how you could benefit if you... help me. Good night, Lillie."
Lillie nodded curtly and turned her face away, controlling her anger. Cameron was right - with Archon gone to advise him, not that Archon was so perfect, but he did have an effect on the prince - no one was left to keep Julian from getting out of hand. Letting Tremere into the city could be a sign that it was starting to happen...
Taking a deep breath, Lillie glanced and saw that the Brujah had all cleared out with their primogen. Sighing with relief, she was about to get up when another man slid into the booth opposite her. Mortal, long dark blonde hair, long black tunic with a pin at the throat of a golden lion's head. Eyes a deep indigo violet... stunning. She stared, taking in this vision, frozen in surprise.
"Miss Langtry, excuse me," the man spoke, his deep voice bearing a trace of British. It was beautiful and sensual. "I thought it was time I made your acquaintance." He smiled shyly, charmingly.
Recovering quickly, Lillie replied, "If you were not so well favored, sir, I should throw you out of my club for daring to approach me so brazenly... but I will delay response for the moment." She gestured to one of her clansmen to get some more wine. "And I daresay you know you have such an effect on women..."
"On Toreador, yes," the man replied. "And I can be interested in women when I put my mind to it."
Her glance fell to the table, to his hands. He wore a ring. She could see the sigil on the crest, a square within a circle with a short pyramid to the side. Tremere. "You're mortal," Lillie whispered, hard put to reveal how shocked she was. Indeed, she could hear his heart beating, feel heat from his body.
"If you say so. My name is Thorne Severan." He glanced toward the way the Brujah had gone. "I have no quarrel with Cameron and I am not in this city to make his life miserable, just as I am not here to interfere with Julian Luna. On the contrary, I have pledged myself and my Clan to Julian."
Lillie looked the man over critically. That he was beautiful and possessed a sensuous nature was obvious. [He should have been Toreador,] she noted with a twinge of lust, then considered his words. "Just supposing you are telling the truth, why do you hide your nature from fellow Kindred?"
Thorne folded his hands before him calmly. "It is an advantage and a safety valve to shield ourselves from our enemies. That would be Brujah, not you, my dear." He sighed deeply. There seemed to be a shimmer in the air.
She straightened, astounded. Now Kindred sat opposite her. "One of your magicks."
He nodded gravely. "I would prefer to wait until a Conclave to meet Cameron face to face."
A Toreador brought two fresh goblets of wine and departed. Lillie tilted her head at the magus. "So you're the primogen. Julian gave you permission to sit at Conclave?"
"Conditionally, yes. But I did not want to wait until then to meet you. I would far rather forge an... understanding with the Toreador. After all, I have at least one goal in common with you." Thorne smiled warmly.
"And that would be?" But Lillie knew the answer already. [Goddess, I want him...]
"Pleasure, of course," Thorne answered smoothly, letting his gaze drift down toward the lovely cleft in her breasts, then return to her ice blue eyes. "You and I are creatures who understand these things..."
"Yes," Lillie said rather hastily, scrambling for composure. "Do you have some business to conduct, Mr. Severan..."
"Actually, it's Dr. Severan..."
"...or this purely a pleasure call?" She glanced around quickly, but only a couple of her own were looking, and they had eyes only for the Tremere.
"Both," Thorne replied, taking her hand in his. He proceeded to examine its texture, running a finger along the pulse point in her wrist.
Deftly Lillie retrieved her hand back, barely keeping in a gasp. "Business first, please. You have a proposal?"
The Tremere primogen folded his hands again, still smiling enigmatically. "You know very well that Cameron does not wish our prince well."
"And you do?" [Now we're getting somewhere, Tremere.]
The magus's eyes narrowed. "You have no idea how devoted I am to keeping Julian Luna in power."
"Why?" Lillie asked bluntly. "What's in it for you?"
He tossed the barb right back. "Security. Peace. The Camarilla, united and strong. Any other questions?"
"So, you're a peacemonger? Is that what you use your blood rituals for?" Lillie was finding she really liked this new addition to the Conclave, but she wasn't above making him work for the peace an alliance with the Toreador could bring him.
"Is that so terrible?" Thorne could be as relentless as Lillie Langtry. "Kindred do not thrive on conflict. They thrive in combining the strengths of the clans for common goals."
"How lofty," Lillie tossed off, though internally she was impressed. [Is he for real? A Kindred peace activist? Well, there have been stranger types among us...]
"How practical," Thorne was still countering her every word, calmly erudite. "In peace business flourishes and the Masquerade keeps us safe."
"You're a dreamer, Dr. Severan," Lillie commented, taking a sip from the as yet untouched new goblet of wine.
"San Francisco needs a dreamer," Thorne replied, grinning. "You're welcome."
"We haven't discussed business yet," she observed mildly. For all her sensuous nature, Lillie Langtry was an astute and demanding businesswoman.
"I discuss business... in private," the Tremere said.
Lillie noted then that he hadn't touched his wine. "What business could a Tremere hedonist like you possibly want to conduct? Prostitution rings? I only deal in legal ventures..."
Thorne stiffened, glancing away. Quickly he noted the whereabouts of a couple of the clansmen who'd accompanied him: Davic and Del, sitting by themselves. To his relief, they were alert.
[Sire?] Davic inquired silently. [Is all well?]
[Stay alert. Let me know if Brujah return.] Thorne replied to his childe through their mental link.
"I'm sorry, that was rude," Lillie was saying, seeing the Tremere's discomfiture. "I would prefer to discuss business here... then perhaps discuss pleasure in private..." [Smart move, Lillie...]
Thorne relaxed, then pointedly sipped on his wine. "What can I give you, Lillie? There are some... things I would like to ask of you, reciprocated, of course."
[Besides giving me a fuck I won't soon forget?] Lillie was wondering. [You might be worth it... but I must be practical here, as well.] "You mentioned you are devoted to keeping Julian as prince. Why?"
"Julian Luna's control on the city is what the Camarilla here needs," Thorne replied, looking into the depths of his glass.
"You seem pretty sure of that..."
"And you're not?" Thorne glanced up at her over the top of the glass.
[This isn't going well,] Lillie thought. [If I could just see him with Julian, see how they interact, maybe I could see for myself what's actually going on here. Why does this stranger protest so much devotion to a prince he can't have known for long? Or do they have a history?] "No, I agree with you," Lillie said slowly, still trying to puzzle this out. "But Julian cannot be allowed to do whatever he pleases..."
"I hear Brujah murmurings in there," Thorne commented. "Tremere hate Brujah like Gangrel do. Brujah crave chaos. We love order, as the Ventrue do. And the Toreador? What do you really want?"
Lillie sighed. "Freedom to create, of course," she murmured, then reached over to the Tremere and ran a finger along the back of his near hand. "Sometimes chaos stirs the creative juices... but peace would win us the freedom to use them." When he turned his hand over, she traced the lines in his hand, thinking of her beautiful but unruly Zane, whom she'd had to destroy because he was Embracing unwilling young women. "Laws are so bothersome, but they must be," she added, sighing again.
Thorne wondered if Julian and Lillie had been lovers. The signs pointed to it, as he sensed some deep regret in her still. "So," he went on, "you're saying you want peace between the clans."
She met his eyes, marveling again in the beautiful color. "Yes. And I guess I do prefer to keep Julian prince. We know him. He's... a good man, Thorne." She smiled. "I can see the question in your eyes, Tremere. Yes, Julian and I have been lovers. Once in a while, we still are, but for the most part, we've found other loves. He and Cash are very devoted to one another." Lillie finished tracing lines, so she fitted her hand into his comfortably.
[Ah, the Lily has no steady lover,] Thorne decided, smiling, his eyes cast down, looking at their joined hands. "Do you fear Cameron?"
Her lips pursed at the unwelcome reminder, though she kept her hand in his. "That one. He postures well, so well he deserves an Oscar for Best Performance in Intimidation. He's charismatic. For that, he's a good leader for the Brujah. Good for them, bad for us." When he looked up, she met his eyes again. "Thorne, why do I feel like trusting you?" Lillie smiled.
Thorne grinned, leaning closer. "Because I'm sincere, and you find that novel. I'm really quite a simple person. I've had enough of clan wars. Though I still hate Brujah."
"You're honest," Lillie laughed. "How refreshing. Can I rely on Tremere magicks for protection if I openly back Julian and defy Cameron's maneuverings?"
Now it was Thorne's turn to laugh. "I DO love a direct woman!" He brought her hand up to his lips, then turned it over and dropped a kiss in her palm. "But I don't think you know what you're asking, my dear. So I think we'll just call this first visit of mine ended. You have a great deal to think about." He put her hand down and patted it.
A smile still gracing her lips, Lillie stared at Thorne, her mouth agape. "I don't understand... I think I just made a business proposal..."
"Which you need to think about first," Thorne said firmly, suddenly all business. "You accept my protection far too easily for the primogen of a clan, Lillie. I would not have expected Toreador to be so..."
"Easy?" Lillie said with irony, though she'd kept her polite smile for the sake of observers. Even the Gangrel had looked over once or twice. "We are easy, Thorne, it's in our blood. But you're right, I do need to tread carefully." An impish light came into her ice blue eyes suddenly, and she reached for his hand again. "We'll talk about this again after sex, Thorne, how does that sound?"
He grinned easily. [That wasn't hard.] "Sounds good to me - you don't fear our magick, do you?" He held her hand while they rose together from the booth.
"Why should I?" Lillie started up the stairs to her private rooms, looking over her shoulder at him, a smiling siren in black satin. "You have no need to use it on us to lure us into bed with you. We want you already." And she laughed, for not a few Toreador glances following them up the stairs also held lust in their eyes.
"I just might have to oblige," Thorne murmured, following her.
Across the room, Davic and Del exchanged amused glances. "I so love watching the Master at his work," Del whispered, linking his arm through the other's as they got up to take their leave.
Within Lillie's private upstairs chamber, the two Kindred let fly their clothes, laughing together, then Thorne pulled her over to the bed and them onto it, Lillie on top. Sensually the brunette wriggled to fit her luscious body against hers, then claimed his mouth with hers.
[It's like riding a bike,] Thorne reminded himself ironically, relaxing with the ripe female form pressing into his. It'd been a long time since he'd been with anyone not male. [You never really forget, Thorne, man.]
After an enthusiastic bout of tonsil hockey, Lillie brought up her head, still laughing. "So, Tremere, what do you want from this Toreador?"
"We're not talking business, I hope," Thorne chuckled, his hands kneading her breasts as they hung before him.
"Not business, silly, sex!" Lillie wriggled her hips provocatively, which rubbed a certain part of her anatomy against his groin, pulling a groan out of him.
"Ah, well, then..." The rub of pussy on his cock was doing damage to his thought processes. "You ride me, then I get to fuck your ass."
Lillie threw her head back and laughed with delight. "You should have been Toreador!"
"Funny, I was just thinking how much I loved the Toreador Clan," Thorne murmured with a seductive grin, then lunged up to capture a nipple in his mouth.
Outside the Haven, the two Tremere, still mortal-seeming due to the spell, Veil of Ardis, were mingling quietly among the people on the street. It was a busy Saturday night and there was a good mix of folk from the passing mortal clubbers to the collective of Gangrels around their bikes outside the club to a knot of Brujah clustered on a corner about a half a block down. The Gangrels did not appear to have seen the Brujah, who were closer to the Tremere. On an instinct, Davic steered Del to walk with him that way.
"Brujah," Del murmured to his clansman when they were close enough to detect them, "should we alert Thorne?"
"They're just hanging," Davic murmured back, then, glancing quickly there and away, he pulled Del against him. "Kiss me, brother."
Del smirked and complied, but when he withdrew, the other whispered quickly, "Don't look at them, Del. I recognize one of them from Cameron's little troupe."
"What are they up to?"
Davic caressed his friend's cheek, wanting to keep up the appearance of affectionate lovers. "I saw cans of gasoline. Maybe they're going to set fire to something."
"The club?" Del looked frightened. "The Master!"
But the other magus was hauling him farther away, shushing him. "We can handle this. It's a simple Level 2 spell of Protection."
Del nodded, then made a small hand gesture only his clansman would know. A sign for the Ritual "Flame Me Not", a kind of fireproofing. Quietly, the magus slipped into a nearby alley, purportedly for a quick sexual encounter, but the cover was so they could cast their spell.
On the corner, a Brujah named Hiller Igen had gathered a group of six clansmen. "Cam's going to flame you good," one of them snorted. "He thinks you're one of his tight little circle, someone in Cyrus's bloodline to bring the clan closer together." He spat on the ground. "What are we doing here, Hill?"
Most of the man's shirtfront was suddenly in Hiller's fist. "I want Cam to think I'm in his tight little circle - you going to tell him otherwise?"
Hands went up hastily. "No, man, I'm with you. We've got blood in common. I don't like it either that this Manzanita piece of shit done moved in and took over, for all his slick polish and bravado against Luna. He's pushing too much, too fast."
Loud rumbles behind him agreed. "Then we're solid," Hiller muttered, looking around at his little band of rebels. "We're just going to make a little ruckus here. All those Gangrels out front? They'll get the blame because they're the only ones anyone will see. No other Kindred around anywhere to see us. Then we play it Cyrus's way, the slow, easy, get-'em-when-they're-not-expecting way. We'll keep stuff like this happening, blame it on whomever, keep the clans uneasy. Then... wham!" He chuckled darkly, clapping one of his brothers on the back. "Cameron will think I'm in love with him, I'll stick so close. He'll be totally blind-sided!"
The group shuffled off to the alley running down the far side of the club toward the back.
"They haven't seen or sensed us," Davic whispered to his clansman as the Brujah left. "I wish we could have listened in on them, but we had to set the spell. Now all they'll get when they light the gas is a lot of smoke, no fire." He smiled and kissed Del again. "Come on, let's get back to the club."
Upstairs in Lillie's private chambers, the lovely Toreador was enthusiastically riding the Tremere primogen's cock. Thorne's thumbs were riding her clit at the same time, encouraging her approaching climax. Lillie plunged down onto him again and again, groaning loudly, her body slapping against his hard enough to push grunts from him.
At last with a long moan Lillie came, collapsing against his chest, her inner muscles clenching him with the force of her orgasm. Thorne slipped out of her, grinning, and eased her over onto her back. Taking his fist, he pressed his knuckles against her throbbing clit, getting a whole new wave of orgasms from her, to both their delight.
"Now, my turn," Thorne murmured. He held her against him for a moment while she finished shuddering, kissing her slowly, then Lillie was pulling from his mouth, her own smile alluring and seductive.
"Yes, your turn," she cooed at him as she turned over, then waggled her luscious behind at him. "Gods, I want you in me again..."
"Oh, by all means," Thorne replied, giving her a slap on the ass, which drew out a surprised squeal of delight from her. "Let's use some of this..." Chuckling, he reached under her for a plentiful sampling of her still dripping juices, which he reapplied to his cock as well as used to work her anus open.
"Damn, Thorne, I haven't had a good enough ass-fucking since Zane," Lillie moaned, pushing back against his fingers. She laughed with only a trace of bitterness at the memory. "He wanted to fuck EVERYTHING!"
"I'm in favor of that," Thorne murmured, placing himself at her entrance. "Here I come..." He eased the head of his cock into her tightness, pushing gradually past the sphincter.
Below him, Lillie clutched at the bed linens, bunching then in her fists as she worked at accepting his cock in her ass. "Oh, FUCK!"
The Tremere laughed. "I'm trying to, my dear!" He held her by the hips as he continued his slow pressure inwards. The only response was a growl, which he interpreted as "keep going, stupid" and he kept on as she adjusted to him.
[Damn,] Thorne thought with glee, [Nothing like a hot little Toreador tush!] He began to move within her.
"Oh, YES!" Lillie threw back her hair and pushed back onto Thorne's cock as he pumped into her ass. Soon they were fucking in wild abandon, the Toreador snarling as she pitched back onto him, the Tremere grunting as he pounded forward into her.
Downstairs in the club, bodies of mortals, Gangrel, Tremere, Toreador gyrated to the raucous heavy metal music. Outside, rebel Brujah were setting their plan in motion. Upstairs, two of the Kindred community's clan primogen were fucking their immortal brains out.
It wasn't a full moon.
"SHHHHHIITTTTTT!" screamed Toreador and Tremere as they came together.
"It's a BITCH to love!" screamed the band's multiply pierced lead singer at the conclusion of the song.
"Let's get the FUCK out of here!" Hiller hissed at his clansmen as the fire was set, a lit torch tossed into the Haven's garbage cans whose contents had been soaked in the gasoline.
The Brujah had gotten exactly twelve yards away when they had to go back. "Shit," one said, waving at the billowing smoke, "this should have exploded like a volcano!"
Hiller Igen pushed at the smoking rubble, then shivered all over. This was not right. This was so not right, he grabbed his nearest clansman, dragging him away. "We gotta get out of here!" he yelled. Without a backwards glance at the smoke, the Brujah disappeared into the night.
Just then a couple Gangrel from outside the club had entered the alley, having smelled the smoke. "What the...?" one of them muttered. They shied from going further, wary of fire yet curious.
The Gangrel second, Stone, came up behind them, tall gangly, and blond. "Someone saw Brujah running down the street the other way," he said, peering down the alley, still black with smoke, though it seemed lessened. Then he froze, sniffing the air. Beside him, Smokey, who had gypsy blood, put a hand out to the building. "Magic..." she whispered reverently.
"Tremere set the fire?" one of the other Gangrel women squeaked in shock.
"No," Stone replied quickly. "They kept it from starting." He exchanged understanding nods with Smokey, seeing that her gypsy/Gangrel senses told her much. "There's no fire. They cast a spell to stop one. Brujah set the fire."
A quick gesture from the second, and the Gangrel left the alley, moving as one toward the doorway to the club.
Inside, Stone spotted his clansmen and a couple Toreador he knew. He waved at the former and went immediately to the latter, whispering to them quickly about what had happened. One of them nodded and headed for the stairs, while the others circulated, telling the story. The Tremere in the club maintained their disguise, but used their Kindred senses to hear what had happened in the alley.
A knock on the door to Lillie's private chamber brought a click to her tongue. "Can't get any privacy for very long," she muttered, slipping on her dress hastily, running her fingers through her unruly hair. She still felt the languidity of very good sex in her limbs, and when she opened the door, she was almost smiling.
"What is it, Gareth?" Lillie sighed. To tease her clansman a little, she opened the door further.
The young Toreador couldn't help glancing past her. A trickle of lust danced up his spine when he saw the gorgeous naked man - Tremere! - arrayed on her bed, watching. "Ah, um..."
"Yes, Gareth, my dear?" Lillie smirked.
Then, gulping, the Toreador pulled himself together and quickly relayed the story that was circulating downstairs. As he spoke, Lillie's expression got hard, then harder. Thorne, listening, pulled on pants and came over.
"Thanks, Gareth," Lillie murmured finally, her lovely features marred by a frown. She closed the door.
"Brujah would not have seen the Tremere at all, Lillie," Thorne told her, finishing dressing.
She reached for a hairbrush on a dresser and started to tame her tresses. "This is either Cameron sending me a message," she snapped, "or... I don't know what! Either way, Julian must be told." She laid her brush down and faced him as he came back to her. "I will do it."
Thorne leaned in and kissed her lightly. "Beautiful Lillie... thank you."
Lillie smiled, linking her arm in his. "No, thank you, Thorne. A most pleasant note in what is turning out to be a not so pleasant evening."
They moved toward the door, ready to face the Kindred without. "You know, Thorne, every Toreador in San Francisco is now going to want Tremere... it's going to become fashionable, I predict!"
Thorne laughed with her, his arm around her waist. "Oh, and we must follow fashion!"
She grew serious suddenly. "Thorne, I will support you at the Conclave Julian is sure to call after... this." Lillie tilted her head in the direction of downstairs. "But Cameron is going to think the opposite. I have no trouble with doing an end around him for the trouble he's brought here tonight."
"Be careful, Lillie."
Lillie smiled her response then together they descended the staircase.
After calling Julian with the news a short while later, Lillie put in another call to the Brujah primogen. "Oh, Cam," she purred into the phone, "you know, I've been thinking..."
The End
