"W-wait a min...minute! I...I r...rec-recognize this guy!" A southern accent, likely originating from one of the Carolina's managed to fumble out from the cold darkness surrounding him. As consciousness began to return to Xavier, the first thing he was aware of besides the stuttering from Carolina man was how badly his head hurt; a dull ache that started somewhere at the base of his skull and enveloped his entire cranium and throbbed and pulsed as if the pain itself was a living organism. He had vague memories of feeling like this as a mortal after many nights of partying way too hard; only this was worse than that, even. It was more like he was bashed over the head with a shovel or something. Then he noticed the cold; was he outdoors? He didn't know; he couldn't see even with his eyes open. Up seemed like down, and he felt like he was floating.
Eventually his cognitive functions started coming back; it was probably a relatively quick process, but it seemed like an eternity. His head ached the way it did because, he remembered, he actually was hit over the head with a shovel. The cops took him into the farmhouse, and he got no farther than the kitchen when he got it; either from Shotgun or the lead cop. The lights went out right then. Now, he was blindfolded and hanging upside down; his feet and hands firmly bound. The cold air had a musty feel, and he could smell wet hay or something like that. He surmised he was probably in a barn. The question now was who his captors were.
"Are you saying you know this Cammie bloke?" Australian accent said; the lead cop, probably. The contempt with which he used the word Cammie suggested he was Kindred; most likely either an Anarch or worse, Sabbat. Did he roll into a Sabbat hideout? Xavier hoped to whatever gods might hear him that he did not.
"Y-yeah, I n-know him!" Carolina man stammered out. "H-he's the one who let me g-g-go! When we w-w-ere in S-s-s-s-anta Monica!"
"Is that right?" the Aussie muttered quietly.
Xavier heard the thunderous clomping noise of motorcycle boots striding across a hardwood floor towards him; each clomp echoing inside his skull in counter-beat to the pulsing of his brain. It was a cacophony that was mad all the more painful because it was so offensive to his sense of artistic expression and appreciation. If I get out of this alive, I might have to kill this asshole just for that. Xavier thought briefly and quickly dismissed. VV would never approve of anything like that. He felt a set of finger gently tug at the back of the blindfold and squeezed his eyes shut; expecting a bright light to be blasted into his face. That light never came. Instead, Xavier was face to face with the lead cop, who was hunkered down and sitting on his heels right in front of him.
"G'day, Cammie" he said. "Now I imagine by now you're wonderin' just what the hell is going on. I'll tell you. See, Rosa saw you comin' outta Portland like a bat outta hell so we had plenty of time to make ready for you. She can do that, see things before they happen, I mean. Anyway, Mortimer set us – that's Lily, Rosa, Julius and me – up here in Roseburg as an outpost to make sure he had a filter for any Cammies or Sabbat tryin' to get into the Free State of Sacramento. So now you're being filtered. That's what's going on."
In a way, Xavier was relieved. These were not Sabbat; the language and terminology this one was using was clearly Anarch. The weird thing was these two barely registered as Kindred at all. Something was wrong with them; that or they had an incredibly high humanity rating. VV once told him about this thing that was like enlightenment or something she called Golconda; was that what this was about?
"M-m-Mortimer is a great g-guy. H-he's not like the rest of y-you when it comes to us th-thin bloods. H-he's e-even nicer than you were."
The lead cop bumped his head with his palm playfully and stood up. "Where are my manners, anyway?" he asked rhetorically. He took a step to one side so Xavier could see Carolina man, "Julius here says you did him a solid back in LA. Right now that might be enough to keep you alive."
Julius waved nervously, managing an awkward grin. Xavier recognized him almost immediately; the Mohawk, the stubble, the white t-shirt with an anarchy symbol. This was the Julius that he let live after finding him to be the Masquerade leak to David Hatter. Now he understood why these guys had such a faint Beast taint. These guys were thin-blooded; embraced so far removed from the First that the Blood in them was diluted to point where it wasn't what most would call Kindred anymore. While embarrassing that he got blind-sided by creatures so weak, it gave some relief that his trouble was nowhere near as dire as he thought. A simple blast from his Presence and he should be out of here and have his car back in no time...
...except his Presence wasn't working. There had to be someone or something else here with them. Xavier tried to scan the place with his Auspex only to find that wasn't working either.
"If you're tryin' to use your fancy vampire powers, don't bother, mate." The lead cop said. "It turns out some of thin-bloods as you types like to call us have a few tricks of our own. Like I said, Rosa sees the future; and then there's me. I can't learn or use any of your powers, but I do have this one thing; it seems that around me, other vampires can't use theirs' neither. I call the Null field. If I concentrate, I can even increase or decrease the range a little; from focused on one target to the size of a small building- like a house or a small barn like this one."
"I-it's just like Lily says," Julius chimed in. "Th-thin blood d-don't mean d-dumb. Right, E?"
"That's right, Julius." E agreed. "The way it is right now, Cammie, what happens to you next is pretty much up to Mortimer."
A Hispanic woman came into the barn. "The Baron is near." She said, and then stepped in a little bit deeper.
"Can I say something?" Xavier ventured to ask. "I mean, before Baron Mortimer gets here?"
E, Rosa, and Julius exchanged glances with other; as if trying to decide who gets to make that call. Maybe they did things like this by consensus, but Xavier had an idea that even in this little group there was one who was at least nominally in charge. He would have guessed E, but then Julius made a comment that suggested otherwise.
"I promise it's nothing bad or disparaging; if you need to go ask... Lily, wasn't it? Is she the one who makes decisions like that?"
E held his finger up to Xavier, indicating he best not speak right then. Finally Rosa nodded yes, and then Julius did also.
"Go ahead and speak your piece." E said.
"Thank you." Xavier said. "Mostly I wanted to say this to Julius over there. I remember you very well. It was about ten years ago; you started spilling the beans to some writer about how our society works and all of our secrets and traditions that were designed to keep us safe. That writer was going to use those secrets to write a movie script. Your carelessness could have endangered us all. Our Laws say I should have put you to death on the spot."
E took a step closer to him, cracking his knuckles.
"But you implored me to 'find my heart'. The thing is you were right and maybe didn't even know it. I learned something important that night; I learned that what is legal and what is right is not always the same thing. When they differ, it is always ultimately better to go with what is right. The long term benefits far outweigh the short term difficulties that way. I just wanted to thank you for that lesson, as unintentional as it might have been."
"Now that is not the kind of reasoning one would expect from the Ivory Tower." A new voice, slow and cool and smooth like something out of a dream spoke from nowhere. Julius jumped a little, startled as if the voice was right beside him. A figured materialized beside him; a man of average build, impossibly pale, and with these pale blue eyes which seemed to almost glow in the dark. Those eyes were both fascinating and unsettling. In dress, this man could only be described as dapper; his suit was as smooth as his voice, and his hair was long and black and perfectly kept neat as can be in a ponytail. He stepped forward until he was beside E. At the entrance to the barn, a girl, pretty in a plain sort of way, stood by.
"Good job, E; you have done well." The dapper man said. His voice had the kind of calm you might experience in the eye of a storm. "The State of Sacramento appreciates your service, all of you." Before E could reply, the dapper man turned his attention to Xavier.
"Allow me to introduce myself." He said to him. "My name, in case you haven't realized it just yet, is Mortimer. I am the Baron of Sacramento, and this otherwise unclaimed town serves as my outpost. Who, may I ask, are you, and what brings you out of Portland and into my Territory?"
This Mortimer guy brought creepy to a whole new level. The use of obfuscate told Xavier two things; first that if was telling the truth, his Null field was focused just on him, and second, that Mortimer was most likely either a Malkavian or a Nosferatu. For now, the Toreador was thinking Malkavian, but then some Nossies were able to alter their appearance like the Assamites could. Whatever the case, Xavier was certain of one thing; this was not someone he wanted to screw around with.
"Good evening, Baron Mortimer" Xavier replied, hoping that formality would be an effective tool here. "My name is Xavier Vega. I can assure you I mean no harm to you or your territory. I was dealing with some business near Seattle, and now am only making my way back home the quickest route I can."
Mortimer cocked his to one side. "I see" he said quietly, turning his attention now to Julius. "Cut him down, Julius, but leave his hands and feet bound."
Julius, knife in hand, came forward and did as he was told. Xavier fell to the barn floor with a dull thump.
"Now tell me, Xavier Vega," Mortimer said. "Where is home?"
"Los Angeles" Xavier answered. He decided then to play his LA status card; it might not mean anything here in Oregon- especially to an Anarch Baron, but it might be enough to discourage any malicious action for fear of retaliation. It was a bluff; and a dangerous one, but one worth taking. "I am the Primogen of Clan Toreador there."
Whether for good or ill, that statement seemed to spark a new level of interest in the Baron. "I could tell you were a Rose, but Primogen of the recently usurped Los Angeles!" He exclaimed. "It strikes me bizarre that a Primogen would have such rarified ideas within the Tower. Explain, if you can, how it is you reconcile your personal ideology with that of Cammie regimes."
"I can't, and that's the problem we face these nights. Clans Toreador and Brujah have been trying to renovate the Tower, and have come to see the futility of these efforts; hence the business near Seattle."
"Tell me more, Xavier Vega." Mortimer said, clearly fascinated. "Tell me more."
"What more is there to tell?"
"Do as he says, Cammie." E warned him. "That solid you did for Julius only goes so far."
"No need to get hostile, E." Mortimer interjected, not taking his eyes off Xavier. "It's perfectly understandable why he may want to keep mum on any details. What he needs to understand is I wish to hear some specifics. For example, what sort of business in Washington would be of use to him in California, especially since both Domains are basically part of the Hastings Dynasty?"
"I was in rendezvous with someone in the Movement in British Columbia- the Fraser Valley; Russell Norton. Do you know him?"
"Oh, yes, we do." Mortimer confirmed. "He's got an interesting idea; this 'Libertarian Republic' concept, I'll admit that. The problem I see with it is that it could easily become another oppressive regime just like those which we oppose. You put yourself on a dangerous, prickly path if you align yourself with the likes of Russell Norton."
"That's a chance I'm willing to take."
"If that is your choice, then so be it." Mortimer said. "One last thing I need from you before I decide what to do with you, Xavier Vega, Primogen of the Los Angeles Toreador. Answer me this; why should I believe you?"
"Because I'm telling you the truth" Xavier responded plainly. One thing he knew when it came to interrogations; interrogators generally distrust long, elaborate answers stuffed with a lot of so-called evidence. Even if you come with claims of tons of good references and can drop a lot of names, the best answers are usually simple ones.
Mortimer chuckled. With a gentleman's flourish, he turned away without another word. The others followed. Xavier noted he felt different once E got a certain distance away. Once they were all outside, the barn door closed, Xavier wondered if his Disciplines might be back in play.
There was only one way to find out. Using his heightened senses, he attempted to hear beyond the walls and door of the barn.
"I dunno if we should trust 'im." E was saying just outside the door.
"I agree with E." A girls' voice spoke; not the Hispanic woman's. Xavier surmised that was probably the one they were referring to as Lily. "He has the right answers, but then again most good can artists do, too."
He heard a soft murmur, but could not make out the words.
"I see two paths;" Rosa said. "One leads back to the tower, the other has many tangles. He has an axe...no...A hook! Which path will he take? I cannot see."
"I w-wanna let him go." Julius chimed in. Whatever gods there are, bless him. "Then w-we're even." It wasn't exactly the kind of reason Xavier was hoping for, but given the circumstance he was happy to take it.
More soft murmurs; most likely that was Mortimer. Then E came back in, armed with a shotgun, followed by Julius and the red haired girl that Xavier presumed was Lily. E trained the shotgun at Xavier, and then Julius came forward with a knife, and finally the girl with a bag of blood.
"Julius is going to cut your hands loose, mate." E said. "I warn you; if you try anything, I'm a damn good shot with this thing."
Xavier nodded. He had no intention of making any moves; he had an idea that E was doing his Null trick again anyway, and that meant his Celerity wouldn't work. E waved the shotgun slightly to cue Julius, who did indeed cut his hands loose. Then the girl handed him the blood, which Xavier bit into and drank up greedily. There wasn't a lot to the bag, but it was of good quality and did take the edge off his hunger just enough to settle the Beast for a time.
"So what happens now?" Xavier asked.
"Mortimer is going to check one of his LA connections to see what you're really about." The girl answered. "We already know that not all of you LA types are complete assholes; both E and I have one guy there we consider a friend."
"Is that so? Maybe I know him. I'm very well connected."
"He called himself Marko." E said. "Talked all crazy, he did; like everything was some kind of riddle. I seem to remember him making sense of Rosa's predictions with no problem. Razor sharp, that one, and blood worth bottlin'."
"Yeah, I know Marko!" Xavier confirmed in a cheery voice. "I work with him a lot, actually. He's also Primogen; of the Malkavian Clan."
"You're friends with Marko?" The girl inquired. "He helped E and me out in a big way! If wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead or still stuck in that blood bank with that creep and his chair and needles."
"That sounds like Vandal." Xavier said conversationally. "He's a real piece of work, that guy. Thing is, his service is sort of indispensible and he happens to belong to the Prince of the City." He shrugged as if to say 'what can you do?'
"Lily, be careful." E said cautiously. "Don't let 'im charm you with honey filled words."
Lily's phone rang. She stepped away from Xavier and answered as she walked away deeper into the barn.
"I-I th-think he's p-p-prob-probably okay, E." Julius sputtered out. "H-he l-let me g-g-go, a-and he's f-f-friends with Th-that guy you and Lily know. M-maybe one good turn deserves another."
E was silent a moment, his expression softening a little as he thought it over. "Maybe you're right, Julius. If nothing else, any sort of debt would be paid off then." He shifted his glance to where Lily was returning to the group. "What's the verdict, luv?" he called to her.
"Cut his feet loose and him in the wagon." Lily replied. "You and Rosa are going to take him to Sacramento. Julius and I are going to stay here."
As Julius cut loose his feet and helped him up so they could take him outside where a police wagon with California Highway Patrol decals was waiting for them, Xavier had mixed feelings about this. Sacramento was a lot closer to home, and that was good. The fact that the two he had clearly won over were staying behind and the two who maybe had some doubts were his escorts caused him some alarm.