[Vampire: The Requiem] The Neonate - 8: "Foiled Again"

Game: Mind's Eye Theater - Vampire: The Requiem

Chronicle: Mind's Eye Society - Shadowed Peaks (Colorado Springs)

Venue: A Sinister Legacy (Colorado Springs VtR)

Character: Christopher "\/00|>00" Langer & Mary Jane
Written by Jerad Sayler & Raen Schadden

3 December 2009

Met with Maddox and Mary Jane at a scheduled time and place, a small house close to the dive bar know as the Black Sheep.

He sat at a table in front of me, I felt like I was visiting the Don.  He is a huge and feral man, the stench of animal and wilderness is all about his massive hairy and bald-headed form.  His fist looks like it’s the size of my head and he wears leather vambraces around his wrists.  Once Mary Jane explains my situation and what she would have her Sanctified do about it. He stands and speaks with that deep voice and Irish accent.

He tells me that I am to have their protection and understanding.  I can have a Haven around the area of Knob Hill (I don’t intend to take him up on that one just yet), and that I can feed in their territory.  The exchange is that I have to keep my nose clean and bring no shame to the Lance.  And if something should happen that requires violent altercation that I would fight for the Sanctum.  I agree, and when I asked about Havens he suggested I just sleep in the ground.  He offered an exchange, he would teach me his list of tricks that allowed him to shapeshift and sleep in the soil IF I agreed to teach him any of my Mehket tricks if he requested it.  It seemed prudent as I seem to be a bit of a loner to get the treasured discipline that made the Gangrel such great survivors…

He then violated my personal space, his ogre form towering over me.  He had done this before, to see if I would act as predator or prey, I didn’t back away last time and I wouldn’t do it this time.  He told me should I decide to join the lance that there would be no turning back; it was for the duration of my Requiem.

Mary Jane kept looking at me expectantly, he noticed.  I knew what she wanted by kept tight-lipped.  

“Why is M’ary givin’ you the ‘airy eye  Langer?”He asks.  

I say “I don’t know Mary, why are you giving me the hairy eye?”  

She told me I needed to come clean about my Sire.  At this Maddox cocked an almost bird of prey look at me, this beast rising in him, assessing me again.

I came clean, told him about Calyph, my Sire and nomad, and how he tricked me into drinking his blood.  I told him he might come after me and may even use my mortal family to do it.  I wouldn’t be strong enough to resist him should I run into him.  My wounds from our last encounter were finally healed but the emotion wounds and dependency were a long way from being over.  He nodded in understanding, It sounds like he had dealt with similar problems before.  I was welcome among them, the ones I had met: Maddox, Mary Jane, Jack Sands, and Wyrm.  Snow fell and the weather turned cold, tomorrow was court…

 

4 December 2009 - Court

Once again at the Broadmoor Hotel after having a good bopping session for some precious blood, I am satisfied and ready for anything.   Soon after I arrived at the Broadmoor I found Mary Jane and the rest of the sanctified.  There was a new one, just coming into town.  I forget her name now but she is of the Iblic creed and might be staying in the city for a while.  Iblics are Sanctified of the more Islamic variety.  She actually took an easy and fast liking to me, a first besides Mary Jane.   

Bishop Maddox pulled us into an empty from so both of us could get oriented on current Sanctified events, I didn’t understand most of it.  Apparently one of our number, Dag, had got into some kind of dark deal with the Dragons.  He performed a ritual that involved Diablerie… there is a lot of fallout I guess.  Also, a dozen or so people were murdered downtown in some sort of altercation with Belial’s brood, bodies ripped to pieces with sword and bare hands… I couldn’t get who was actually there straight.  It means chaos tonight instead of a normal lcourt…  everyone is darting in and out of the hotel.  I offer to the Lance not just my blades in a fight but also my ability to gather information, the Bishop is pleased.  When they leave I am allowed to speak with the Reverend privately.

I vented again and she listened for the majority.  Holiday season was here, Christmas lights, carols, the season of Hope holds no hope for me…  It’s the anniversary of my Embrace on December 27^th.  The night I lay down in the snow to die and was instead embraced by Calyph.  Apparently I'm what is known as a "post-mortem embrace."  Apparently those are rare.   

I've grown to resent mankind for so many reasons but the holidays really break me.  I want to punish them like the Dark Prophet teaches, for having what I don’t, for being oblivious, and being little fuckers in general.  Mary told me that deep down we all know, that the reason we are now Damned was because we rejected God.  I feel he turned his back first, but I can’t argue that I tried to take my own life.  I have little hope in anything, and I cover my hands and face to hide what I am from myself.  She tells me that is why I wear gloves and hoodies.  She encouraged me that perhaps I need to explore every part of what I am before I can make peace with it… to stop running from what I really am.  I just want to have the same burning passion that I warm myself with when I am near the Sanctified.  They are rescuing me when no one else is bothering with this neonate.

We spoke about a lot of things, the clans, and the powers they wield, I even told her I might be a carrier for H1N1, she said we would find a way to deal with that. It happens.

She might be the only one I can tell this next part too, it’s something I didn’t write in the journal because I thought I was losing my mind.  I think something is living in my attic.  I hear strange noises at odd hours, like when I first wake and go to sleep, something coming and going?  I’m scared to sleep up there now, thankful I can always dig a hole near Knob Hill, soon I won’t need to dig at all.  I enter my living room and sometimes lights are on when I am sure I turned them off, security system untouched.  I hear the odd noise in the walls and dark crevices of my small clean domain.  I thought I was going crazy, sometimes I see a shadow for a split second, I even placed tape across the attic access in my apartment, the tape fell off…  Instead of telling me it’s all in my head she told me she had heard of such things and though she gave no more detail she said we would find a solution for that as well.

We could have spoken for hours but court was due to start at 11:00 pm so I better not miss being introduced.  The Prince, John Berrings, is making his rounds in the main ballroom, he approaches and I make sure to bow this time.  I tell him about my deal with the Sanctified and he is quite satisfied with the solution for the time being.  

Maddox and Mary are nowhere to be seen and I have a bad feeling, they never did come back that night.  Court keeps being delayed, it never happens, foiled again…

I get into a bit of a tiff with Donovan Asim, he asks if I was involved with the incident downtown and I grow angry.  The Mehket clan, these of my blood I'm supposed to exchange information with me, yet they ask me questions and give up nothing themselves.  

He’s terribly burned tonight, his voice is weak, but he is still tight-lipped.  I said I appreciated the clans continued protection and he tells me that it was only until I had a covenant and I had.  Guess they are pissed I’m not interested in being a Dragon.

I even, out of sympathy for his wounds offer any help I can provide and he refuses.  Fuck ‘em… I also get into a discussion about modern technology with Dr. Sirius and that Grand Wyrm Ulrich, that went well… fuck em too, ancient dusty bastards.  One of the Dr.’s many childer has died and now there is some sort of family reunion for him, 15 licks coming to town within the week, the one he has tonight is fully covered with a Burka, I don’t really feel too sorry for him.  The monster in and under the bed can just stay away from me.

I spy a few new people, one young woman who I can’t help but want to slap around, the Predator’s Taint has led me to someone fresher than me!  A teenage Gangrel by the name of Kai, she’s trying to be polite and socially acceptable, it sickens me.  I sneak up to her and drop the cloak on the beast, she backs up and gets angry.  I suggest that us neonates need to stick together and help each other, I guess I creep her out because it turns into a misunderstanding and then an argument.  The new Islamic one and an Ancient Tailor named Rene join in until I dart off.  The Iblic, Kai, and I convene in a room in private as we work some things out.  Jack Sands, the harpy shows up and Kai makes a total fool of herself trying to look cool or something, there is promise in this little group, and I can tell that this court I have peaked Jacks interest.

I run into a stout bag lady nosferatu named Scratch.  Apparently word has gone around that I am good with computers, finally, someone is listening!  She wants me to funnel all her savings into Gold in an account in Switzerland, apparently in a few hundred years she feels the value of gold will be substantial and her $6,000 will be worth something; I think she might be an amateur as well.  After some discussion, we come to an agreement.  Since that Nosferatu with their precious Undercity are so good at getting information I agree to funnel the money if she gives me, on three occasions, situational awareness.  If she short changes me on information I take some of the money for myself.  She has confidence we won’t betray each other, I imagine crossing the Nosferatu clan is not something I want to do.

That was pretty much my night, more sit around and wait for something that never comes.  There was another new one there as well.  A Daeva by the name of Skitter, he crawls around on the ground all lanky and stretched, apparently he is friendly and kind, and a member of The Carnival bloodline.  I also met the only other Carthian in town, I didn’t get her name.  She’s a tiny thing running around in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, she IS Hawaiian I think.  It doesn’t really matter, she is clearly insane, always talking to herself and counting things… time to go.

Oh, I almost forgot! A man in a tailed tux was passing around a silver platter with notes on it going around to select Kindred.  He came purposefully up to me and gave me one!   It’s an invitation to some sort of Holiday Ball January 20^th, hosted by the Daeva Clan.  I find this comical but I relish the chance to see more of the predators I have so much in common with.  Apparently it’s a costume ball, and we are expected to come as fairy tale characters.. oh boy.

I hate sleeping during the day.  It feels like I’m back in that snow bank, it feels like dying.  It’s scary and I can’t imagine truly being dead for so long, drying up.