A/N: Here's chapter thirty-eight! Got some more behind the scenes perspectives that haven't been around for a while…enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.
"Yo, Anastasia, you interested in another little favor for me, baby girl?" Fat Larry smirked.
Anastasia blinked and turned towards him, considering how much money her last 'job' for him got, "Sure, what is it?"
"Yo, my bui'ness partner, Venus Dare, she been havin' some strange folk meetin' her once a night, and I think it's time Poppa Larry intervenes."
"Venus Dare?" She cocked an eyebrow, "Oh…is she the chick who owns Confessions?"
"That's her. She been havin' some hard-ass times because a punk named Boris had been giving her straight-up mafia treatment about payments and all that commotion. But now some new stranger's been in town and I think it's gonna start all over again."
"Okay, who is this guy?"
"I don't know 'em myself, but…it's sort of a…judgin' from appearances…you picking up what I'm puttin' down? I read his book cover to cover and I already know what he's all about. Anyway, he's some scrawny…bui'nessman…or…somethin'…hell if I know. He's got short blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and he wear all black. Straight up black, motherfucker. Now, if that don't give away the fact that he's a drug dealer or nothin' I don't know what does. Hell, he could be Boris-the-Second for all I know."
She narrowed her eyes in thought, she definitely knew someone who fit that description.
"So I need you to whack him off. Just him. I want my partnership with Venus to be safe, ya know? Whack this fool, and I'll pay ya. Kill the damn pencil-pusher."
"Alright, sure." Anastasia nodded, looking over at Confessions. The man Fat Larry described was Victor Madison, the Tremere Magister. Whenever he was brought up at the Last Round, it typically wasn't a pleasant conversation. But what would he be doing with Venus? In fact, him being in a bar at all hardly seemed to make sense.
She smiled despite this. Not only was she going to satisfy Fat Larry and get paid, but she was going to rid the Anarchs of one of their most essential enemies too. He was Tremere though, so Anastasia knew she would need a couple tricks up her sleeve to even contend with the old Magister.
Genevieve was sitting at the counter in Slade, Dragomir, and Tess's apartment, batting an orange back and forth with her hands. Given that it's at least been a month or two since the three roommates have eaten, the orange was green and rotten. The second it touched one of her hands, she swatted it to the other, and back and forth it went, her green eyes following it with an astounded curiosity. When she heard the door open, she perked up, "Dragomir?"
He closed the door behind himself and sniffed around, "Anyone else here?"
She shook her head.
He walked in and hugged her, "Is…is that a tennis ball…?" He raised a brow as he looked at the orange.
She shook her head again, "It was a sourly fruit that has become even sourer with time…"
"Oh…" He said slowly, "Do you want me to…get rid of it…?"
"It's not necessary…" She squeezed him back, "You're still rocky stiff from your little chat with the jester…"
He chuckled, "I'm not going to lie, I was afraid he'd axe me…and I'd be little more than dirt for his little cleaning staff to dust from his shiny little floors."
"You shouldn't involve yourself in his games, Dragomir…the jester already has his happy little pack of helpers…if you join him you'll inflate his odious ego…"
He smiled and combed fingers through her hair, "Good…and so my plan goes accordingly…"
"Don't you catch his disease now…soon…the night sky will light up…and the iron crown will fall to someone else…"
"I hope it does." He gently held a finger under her chin so she'd look up at him, see the goofy grin on his face, "I'm going to drive him mad. Madder than the hatter. Madder than you and I and every one of our kind in the entire world. And I'm going to do it in his shadow, where he can never catch me. And so long as I am 'his'…I am under his protection. And so are you."
"Me?"
"Because…you don't have a shell…I'll be your shell…" She smiled and hugged him a little tighter, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He closed his eyes and decompressed, his hands both on her back as he kept her close, "You know…you invade my mind more than the voices do…"
"Forgive me."
He chuckled and pet her hair before he tipped her chin again and gently kissed her lips. She kissed him back, her eyes still closed as she gently rubbed his back. Sliding his fingers through her hair again, he gently broke away and adjusted his glasses, "We'll watch them all burn around us as we dance on their ashes."
"Don't ever dance too early."
"Mmm, yes, we'll be careful." He squeezed her hands, "I worry about Slade…Greenhorn…" He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Where is he going to go in this game…? Where will he go…? He's always been there for me…" He met her eyes with his, "After my sin, his life's been put on the line just as much as mine…" And yours…
"I see a clouded future ahead of him. He will get lost."
He looked saddened, then he squeezed her again, "I'll do everything I can for both of you…"
She squeezed him, "What I don't know, is if he'll find his way back on the right track again…"
He shook his head, "If he doesn't…there will be hell to pay for all sides…"
She nodded, "There will be a great flood, when his pawn's guise is ripped off."
He nodded with a gravelly sigh, "Yes, that makes sense…" He sat next to her and started playing with the glasses on the table, "Your insight is so much sharper than mine…I'm not sure that the voices will ever be so clear to me…they come much less frequently…I suppose I have my father's strain of mild-tempered madness…"
"…you can still create a web of allies with our food and our associates…I envy that…"
He smiled softly, "I'll have you many allies, don't you worry."
"You're all I want."
He had a good laugh, then he gently cupped her face with his hands and kissed her again. She gave a little giggle and kissed him back.
"Why the hell are you fighting back? Just take it like a man! Take it like the rest of 'em!" His voice was horse, he had the presence of a lion, his tangled mass of black hair that stretched past his back, his thick and shimmering canines, his tiny feral eyes. Without his tattered gray tank top, he was dense and muscular, compact but not tiny. He could lumber over an opponent like this, but certainly not every that he faced. His forearms were covered with fur as black as his hair, his hands looked more like the mitts of a bear than a person.
The scrawny teenager he faced gave a caterwaul as one of the mitts was reared back and raked over his face, taking an eye with it. He scampered back and covered the eye, "Let me go you son of a bitch!" He squealed, "You're just a sick demon!"
"A sick demon is right." He said in his gravelly voice as he stepped forward and picked him up by the neck, "What's my name…?" He growled.
The teenager grunted as he failed to respond and got a fist in the gut. Blood trickled down his lips as he felt his body get smashed into a fleshy wall, "…Ferrum…"
"That's right…" He gave a sinister grin as he leaned in and licked the blood from the lanky kid's face, "You got any words you want me to pass on to your daddy before I tear him apart next?"
The teen teared up as he gave another whining screech, trying to claw Ferrum in the face before Ferrum tore his intestines out. It was almost seconds before he fell limp in Ferrum's arms. He gave a low sigh and picked up the husk of person, draining about half of him before he threw the corpse in a piles of others outside the room, "'Ey!" He screamed, "Bring in the next one already!"
One of the Sabbat standing outside scratched the back of his head, "What's he all about now…? Why's he having us bring 'em food?"
"No damn clue, why can't he get his own food…?"
A Sabbat thug dragged a struggling man downstairs, then threw him into the room Ferrum was in. "Cause he had some run in with this hot Anarch chick." He said, "Tell ya, she's got a rack like two planets!"
One of them laughed as the other asked, "What, another Gangrel?"
"Yeah, with good Protean, he's trying to get to her level." He licked the blood from his hands.
"And we gotta stand here and carry the bodies to Andrei cause…?"
One of them hoisted up the body as they started walking, "Cause Andrei's got a big plan."
The two Sabbat grabbed the bodies Ferrum decimated and took them to a deeper room in the tattered building, "Andrei!" One of them called, "New delivery for ya!"
Andrei was standing on one of the rafters, pulling some intestines in his hands taut until they formed the perfect chandelier. He leaped down, snickering, "I will not ask for what reason my esteemed Ferrum has decided to fill my ancestral estate with so many canvases, merely will I compliment his fervor in trying to become a true killing machine for the Sabbat!"
"He's on another one 'a those power kicks." One of the Sabbat said.
"Yeah, like when he got his Fortitude strong as steel!" The other one said.
"Too bad he's dumb as a sack a' rocks. You tell the bastard to kill the guy northeast and he gets himself so confused, he just kills everyone! This is the third time we've had to have someone bust his scrawny ass out of the chair."
The other one laughed, "Lucky he made it that far!"
Back in the dark room Ferrum locked himself in, he seethed as he slashed his claws through the flesh of a dead body. Why aren't my claws as long as hers? Why aren't my teeth as sharp? What the hell does she have that I don't!? She's an Anarch bitch! She got her life fucking handed to her and she slapped it into the trash! I'll beat her…I'll beat her to the ground…I'll beat all those goddamn Sabbat wannabes… His claws tore through another handful of flesh before they grew an inch, and his teeth no longer felt like his own, they felt bigger. The fur spread up his upper arms to his shoulders, his brow swelled. He gave a rumbling laugh as he looked at his claws, then laughed even louder, "I'll make you sleep with one eye open, little girl…"
This was all Victor's fault. All of it.
He started his night by stopping by at Confessions, although he didn't drink any diseased blood this time, he still must've looked fatigued, because Venus offered him a place to rest in her office again.
He accepted, only thinking he would sit for about ten minutes, but unlike last time, this time, he fell asleep, and that's where his troubles began.
When his eyes fluttered open, he looked around, he wasn't on the couch anymore, and when he tried to move, he fell back. Handcuffs? He swallowed hard and looked back. He was handcuffed to one of the table legs. "What…what is the meaning of this?" He asked.
Anastasia stepped out of the shadows, smiling, "Good thing your little girlfriend is a dominatrix, isn't it?"
"Girlfriend…" His eyes widened, "You're…one of the Anarchs, aren't you? Anastasia, is it?"
"That's right. What, am I important enough to be on your little radar, Tremere scumbag?"
"How did you get up here?" He scowled.
"I snuck up while it was crowded, and your little girlfriend was busy. What can I say, my clan can smell better than most…"
"Stop calling her that…" He spat, trying to lash a hand out, but the table overturned and he fell over.
Anastasia laughed, as a green mist coated her, "It's over, Victor…you need to use your hands to use your Disciplines…with them all tied up, you can't use Thaumaturgy or Dominate, so it looks like two of your biggest strengths are gone."
"Wretched whore…" He said through clenched teeth.
The door opened and closed, Venus walked in with a keyring around her wrist, taking her heels off and facing away from them, completely oblivious, "Ugh, one of those damn brats got their heads stuck in the toilet again…" She sighed, "I remember when I used to be in that toilet…" She turned around and combed her fingers through her hair, "Just laugh until they leave-" She cut herself off as she saw the pair in the room, "You…" She trailed off and raised a brow, "Found my things, I guess."
Anastasia didn't look the least bit concerned that Venus walked in on their discussion, "You know, I'm glad I get to get rid of a Camarilla scumbag tonight. I've been going through a lot of shit lately, this is gonna feel so good."
Victor's eyes turned red, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."
"Aw, that's cute…firing up Auspex. Your hands are tied Victor, there's nothing you can do to me. I mean…" She snickered, "Who the hell knows, maybe you can use Auspex to look at me to death." She ran at him, gaining bestial features as she clawed him into the wall.
Victor coughed up blood as the table shattered into pieces and he was cut open. His hands were still bound, he tried to pull them free, "Every pair of shackles has a key to it."
"Out the window." Anastasia winked.
"Damn you, vile woman…" He seethed, "Why are you doing this? How did you find me?"
"Well, this all started cause of you." She said, "Apparently you're in some kinda love triangle with Venus and Fat Larry and he wanted me to kill you. And since you're a Cammy, this fits me like a glove, wouldn't you say?"
"…Fat Larry?" He looked as though she deleted his brain, "Who in blazes is that? That…can't be a real person. Is that one of your Anarch nicknames?"
Venus chuckled nervously, "So he's hired a hitman, huh…?" She crossed her arms and stood in the corner, "Look, if I talk to him about this, will you…" She held a hand up like a person, wiggling her fingers to make it look like a person running away. "I'll pay you twice the amount he did, maybe more since you're so cute."
Anastasia considered it for a moment or two, "This is personal." She started gutting Victor like he were her prey, even using her mouth in addition to her claws on occasion.
Victor screamed, "You…you can't kill me…" He closed an eye, "Nines will…Nines will outlive me…"
"Ha, nice try to beg." Anastasia laughed as she clawed for where his heart was, "You're gonna die a pathetic Cammy bastard…you knew your days were numbered, didn't you? That's why you were trying to get some ass." She snickered, "Sorry, but you died a virgin once, and you're gonna die again."
Victor flinched, "I'd rather be a virgin…then…then what you are…you spread your legs for anyone who passes by, filthy slut…" He reared his head back to head butt her, but that hurt himself more than it hurt her.
Anastasia laughed, "Nice try, did you forget I had Fortitude up?"
Victor shivered, in both pain and fear, his eyes darted over to Venus. Every other time she offered him some sort of help or commodity, he stiffly brushed it off, this time was clearly different, "Venus…" His voice shook, "Help me…"
"I'm already one step ahead of you." She said as she hung up the phone she was on, "Coppers on the way." She stepped forward and kicked a table over, a pistol strapped to the underside. She picked it up and aimed it at Anastasia's face, "Step back beasty girl and nobody gets hurt."
Anastasia smiled and faced Venus next, "The cops? I still have about five minutes left, that's enough time to kill this string-bean. And that gun isn't really gonna hurt me sweetheart."
"Shoot her…" Victor whispered, "Shoot her…distract her for a moment…then reach in my back pocket…" He stood up.
"Oh, hell no!" Anastasia held a hand out, a swarm of magical ravens flew at Venus, they weren't really powerful and their only job seemed to be to distract her.
Venus scowled and swatted at them, firing her gun a few times at Anastasia.
Anastasia flinched, the strange green mist was able to bounce off a good half the bullets, she then ran at Victor to dig into his flesh and finish the job.
Victor groaned in pain, starting to run away from her, he stepped back towards Venus, knowing that he had seconds, if he was lucky, before Anastasia would maul them both, "In my back pocket…there's a knife…it can sever my shackles…"
She put an arm around his waist, holding him up and keeping him away from Anastasia. He could feel her pulse against his skin, it was surprisingly calm considering how much was going on, especially for a fairly clueless kine. She reached into his pocket and grabbed the knife, reaching forward to slice the shackles.
In one divisive strike, his hands were free. He tried as best as he could to ignore the fact that Jeanette indirectly saved his life. He lashed a hand out, "This is where it ends, you piteous wretch! I will kill you in a steaming agony of disintegrated flesh and blood! You and your Anarchs will all be nothing but remains when I'm through with you!"
Anastasia swallowed hard, the sirens in the background didn't help matters, she jumped out the nearest window.
Victor sighed and lowered his hand, as his eyes turned back to their normal blue hue, "I will deal with her later…"
She put the gun in her back pocket, "Should I tell them off then?" She pointed out the window.
"Yes…you should tell the authorities that the matter is settled…"
She nodded and prodded her head out the window, "Oi!" She shouted to the police that assembled below, "Everything's handled!" She heard some shouting from the ground, "Yeah, yeah, she scurried off! Thanks, love! Take care!" She stood back and looked over the window, "Mmm…shame Boris isn't here to fix that for me…" She looked at the furniture, "Or all of that…"
"Yes…I'm not really much of a handyman…" Victor looked at his hands, as if he were contemplating a great weight of society.
She took the gun from her pocket and safely fashioned it back to the table, before she closed her closet, "Sorry 'bout that." She said as she locked the door and tidied up the furniture, "It gets terribly boring around here, I'm sure you know how it is." She smirked, "Or, perhaps not. You seem to have quite the confession to make…not that it's required. Yet."
"Venus…you…you saw all of that…"
"I did." She said, "Care to explain?" She sat on the couch. "I guess you don't have to, but…I'm going to be doing a lot of Googling if you don't."
"In my society…when humans see us in our…primal…state…we are to kill them…"
"…ah…" She said slowly, "Could I at least send a few emails first? Just to my…parents…"
"I don't want to kill you."
"…would fucking me first help? Consider it something on my bucket list." She winked.
His eyes widened, he looked to the side, "Venus…you saved my life, and for that I am grateful. I…I have to kill you. But I don't want to…humans aren't supposed to be going around with knowledge of our existence…"
She paused, "What exactly are you, again? Werewolf…?" She guessed.
He sighed, his eyes darted around nervously, "We're vampires." He said, "Kindred, is what we refer to each other as…"
"Ooh…" She said with a smile, "Is it as fun as all the movies make it to be?" There was a look on her face like she already knew the answer was no.
"No…most of a vampires time is spend thrust into politics, I'm afraid. You see, there are many different…factions…representing different ideologies." He paused, "You know too much…if I cannot kill you…perhaps I could make you a Kindred…"
"Well, that's what I was getting around to." She said, "I wouldn't mind too much, I have no plans of aging."
"Or, I could make you a ghoul…" He crossed his arms in thought.
"A ghoul?" She asked, "Like a ghost?"
"Not exactly." He said, "A ghoul is half human, half Kindred." He said, "You're still 'alive', and are able to be exposed to sunlight, but you don't age and you're a bit stronger. You would run on vampire blood. However, the drawback is that a ghoul is bound to where their blood comes from. In a sort of…master and servant relationship…"
"Kinky. I'm all in."
"It's…it's not as easy as it sounds…I…I would need to find you a master…seeing as that…well, my clan…doesn't really…look at ghouls as fondly as some others…"
"Why can't you be my master?"
"Uh…well…" Because I would be excommunicated at best. "Vampires are divided into numerous different clans…dozens of them…my clan…the Tremere Clan…is very…secretive…and organized…they…they don't like spur of the moment members just…popping in and out…"
She patted the spot next to her, "Come here…"
He sat next to her, "You have to forgive me for all this…I…I'll send you loads of money, to pay for all the damages, alright? And…hopefully you can…peacefully go back to working on your club…"
She put an arm around his waist again and leaned in so her voice was up against his neck, "You're a very good boy, Victor…I'm sure they'd be more forgiving than you think…" She squeezed him a hair closer, "Just this once…? Please?" Her eyes met his, shining and bright like diamonds. "I'll be as good as I can."
"A Tremere ghoul…" He folded his hands, "They're the lowest on the spectrum. Under apprentices even. The same level as Gargoyles…you would have a big mountain to climb if this society were ever to accept you…and that's if I tell them about you. I…I think I'll ghoul you to the side, and meanwhile I'll develop a story about you…to get you approved by my Regent. Then I'll 'ghoul' you."
She couldn't help but laugh, "Sweetheart, I have no idea what any of that means."
He smiled, "I would love for you to be my ghoul. It may not seem like it, what with how melancholic I've been for the past moment or so…but…you seem like a resourceful woman. You didn't panic once when I was being attacked by that dirty Gangrel. You could be useful." His smile grew, "That…and you're endearing to me…"
"Is that so…?" She smiled warmly, "So how does this work, exactly?" Her voice was low and enticing.
"The ghouling?" He asked, "Well, if you're going to be my ghoul, you would have to drink my blood at regular monthly intervals."
"That's it?"
"That's it." He repeated with a smile, "If you wish, I could ghoul you tonight. Or at your earliest convenience."
"Well, I've gotten myself all excited, might as well." Her eyes glimmered with mischief.
His smile grew, and his eyes narrowed, "Not a word of this. Not to a soul. You are to keep this secret until I may clear the air with my Regent."
"You've picked the right person." She sat back, "I get hundreds of secrets a night and have yet to spill a single one."
He took his knife out and slit his wrist, "Well…you could either drink straight from the wrist…or if you'd rather use a shot glass of yours…"
She smirked, "What a shame, I was thinking of somewhere even better…but…I suppose we'll get there with time." She gently took his hand and tickled the palm before she licked his wrist like a cat drinking water, a teasing look in her eye.
"Alright, alright…" He shuddered, "That…that won't be enough to turn you…"
She chuckled softly and pulled his wrist in a bit closer, gently sucking on it. Her eyes closed and she gave a soft sigh.
He tried to close his eyes and relax. Since he had that one-sided fight with Anastasia, he wasn't exactly filled to brim with blood to begin with, but he would be able to manage. When she finished, he smiled, "Well, how was that? You are now my ghoul."
She licked her lips, then laughed, "Looks like you took some of my lipstick with you."
"What?" He nervously looked at his wrist, "Ha, ha, right…" He pulled his sleeve up, "I shall…clean that off…before I return to the Chantry…or that will attract questions…"
"Mmm hmm." She said, "I can't say I feel any different. Am I supposed to?"
"As time passes, there may be…a slight difference or two…but you may still roam in the sunlight and enjoy the pleasantries of humanity."
"Sounds lovely." She said as she stood up, "Do you really drink blood? Is it true?"
He nodded.
"Ooh…"
He swallowed hard and looked to the door, "So…I should…return to the Chantry…"
"You take care, love, we'll catch up with this when you're ready."
"Yes, of course." He gave a firm nod as he left.
A/N: Oh Victor…Venus is not used to working so hard, poor thing…Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review!