Bloody Bouquet

Chapter 1

Rhododendron & Roses

posted on April 28, 2021

Rhododendron: Danger, beware

Roses: Dark Red: Mourning

Célimène couldn't move as her mind was once again inundated with memories. A man-no, a boy looking dirty and crazed is brought into the Elysium to be judged and the word,"Lunatic," was repeatedly said but there were voices saying different clan names from Ventrue to Tremere like a chorus in the background. As she was unceremoniously knocked clean out of the vision, she registered that she was in the arms of Amos, her aide.

"You mean your ghoul."

"SERVANT"

"How quaint, just call them what they are, slaves."

Ignoring the voices, she stood up and smiled at him,"Thank you, Amos."

"It is no problem, my lady. Where would you like to go today?"

Ah, he knew her so well. Then again, she had been on her way to the door and she only ever did that when she truly wished to leave. "Elysium," she recalled the courtroom,"The Royal Courts of Justice, I think we'll be of need there."

She waited, ruminating on what she'd seen, wondering if the neonate-For he could be no one but a neonate with the mixture of confusion and his blood soaked clothes-was truly a part of her clan. After all, normally her clan would host Embrace parties. Indeed, no one had even used The Call to gather anywhere within the year. Who would- Actually, the Kindred political scene of London was a powder keg, so who wouldn't is the right question. Right as she began to be alarmed by thoughts of Tremere and Valerius' supporters the carriage arrived and she quickly made her way in, dragging Amos along with her,"Coachman, make haste!"

Hair in disarray at the speed she had grabbed him earlier, Amos looked a bit out of sorts,"What's wrong?"

"When we get to Elysium, follow me quickly. Do not stop for anything, for I think we'll be in a spot of trouble if we don't arrive soon." Seeing his still questioning face, she continued,"I believe someone will try to frame my clan soon. Maybe even try to get me convicted with Final Death this night."

"What, why?!"

"That is, I am a gifted seer," she ignored the twinge she got at the well worn lie,"Amos, and you must have been told about the troubles that come with that."

Understanding dawned in his eyes as he realized the gravity of the situation,"They're getting rid of you because you know something?"

Thinking about her clan in general, she turned her eyes away,"Well, it might not be me, but I believe it is as I'm the only Malkavian strong enough to cause a wave in the political scene that arrived recently and no one got permission to Embrace anyone from Prince Mithras."

"So this is getting rid of you before they even commit a crime? What kind of unreasonable-"

She levelled a look his way,"We're Kindred, Amos, I thought you'd understood what this meant when you accepted the job to be my aide from my sire."

Agitation practically radiated from him and he reached out to hold her hand," I do, I did," he tried to lighten the mood by continuing with,"but I'd thought he meant politics, not regular assassination."

She raised her eyebrow,"Yes, Kindred politics"

He shut his mouth and seemed to be having an epiphany about exactly what kind of society he joined when he took his current spot as my ghoul.

"But perhaps I'm wrong, we won't know until we get there."

As they entered, she realized they came early and quickly looked around to find Juliet Parr, the Malkavian sheriff of Northern London. Her feminist grandniece who oft wore men's clothing as if to tell them that sexism was not her problem. She tried to walk fast but not too fast that she'd alarm anyone and she got to her right as they dragged the neonate in.

"My Prince," began the sheriff of Southern London, Arthur Halesworth," I bring to you a neonate illegally Embraced late yesterday night South of the Thames."

"He looks like a Malkavian."

"Certainly not a Ventrue or Toreador. Look at him, no class or beauty at all."

"He has a wild look in his eyes, perhaps saying he's Malkavian is right."

"He looks human enough, so not Nosferatu."

Before any more whispers could break out, Prince Mithras silenced them all by stepping forward and speaking,"Where is your sire, childe?"

"S-sire? I, my Dad is-"

"He clearly knows nothing."

"Who bit him?"

"Was it that French Malkavian?"

Using the words as the opening she needed, she answered them,"I'm not French, I travelled from France, thank you very much and that childe can't be mine, he's not Malkavian at all."

The boy's face stiffened at her words and Célimène knew she was right. That's right, I'm onto you and your stupid plans! She quickly fixed her expression to look innocently bewildered," Oh! Was I not supposed to say that?"

"How can you tell?"Juliet was the first to ask as everyone's eyes swung Célimène's way.

She turned her expression sheriff's way,"You can feel it." When Juliet's face showed puzzlement, she continued,"Or hear it if you really want to." At the lack of understanding she saw, Célimène wondered exactly how much did her sire limit what she learned for her to be clueless about something so integral to their clan. "Look at me," she talked through the Cobweb, "See?"

Juliet's eyes widened and she nearly tripped if not for Célimène catching her," You're one of the Voices."

Célimène giggled,"Trippy, isn't it? I was the same when my sire taught me how too."

"What was that?" Interrupted Willum Timothy, better known as Doctor Timothy, the Malkavian Primogen, as he looked very alarmed to have heard her as one of his hallucinations.

Blinking "innocently", she stared at Doctor Timothy, wondering how he could not know about this when the man had been torturing his own sire for information since he got ahold of him, " You should be aware of what it is by now." Staring at his incomprehension, she sighed," Haven't you ever felt The Call?" At the blank look levelled her way, she used The Call,"Don't you feel that?" When his face didn't change she realized he must be one of the lucky ones, the ones who have a low level of skill in accessing the Cobweb. If even Juliet was clueless then she must be the same as well, meaning that both Juliet and Timothy must be the same then and of a higher generation as well. She hummed as she considered that perhaps regardless of how bad this night would be she had gained something valuable nevertheless, knowledge.

Right as she finished Malkavians began moving into the Elysium, a riot of ruined, colorful and eccentric apparel as her clan was wont to wear, somehow color coordinated in shades of eye-aching red. After all, they were known as Lunatics for a reason. She smiled happily,"Hello everyone! Anyone recognize," she waved her hand at the neonate in front of them,"him?"

"The shadow that joined the flower when the sun was low?" Began a hulking giant of a Malkavian in a squeaky voice.

Another spoke up then, his hair as disheveled as his attire,"The failed copy?"

"Failed copy? How can you tell?" Sheriff Arthur cut in.

He looked at him like he was stupid," Isn't it obvious?"

Before anyone could say anything more as she was aware everyone else had more or less the same thoughts, she cut in, "Thank you all for participating."

A shine overtook the disheveled vampire's eyes, "Of course cousin, you are the eldest in London, after all."

His words made her huff. A grandnephew so much younger than her using her for a prank of all things! A well timed one as it forced everyone to consider their beliefs right after she had already let slip that she knew more than the local Malkavian authorities, destroying their preconceived notions of her being a young high generation kindred. Nevertheless, letting out her age like that for such a mild prank was uncalled for.

Before she decided how to react, he flicked his eyes over the very confused neonate in front of them,"How are you going to settle this though?"

She let it go and hummed, "Ah, of course, this calls for a prank."

"A prank?" Suddenly, the majority of the Malkavians in the room turned in unison and smiled,"What kind?"

"Oh, the fun kind." Célimène felt a wide smile grace her face and tried to push it down as she knew how demented it looked. Moving faster than many could even see, she tapped the boy once on his forehead, focusing to make him think she was his friend,"Hello!"

The boy's face relaxed and he smiled cheerily,"Hi! It's been a while."

"Yes, it has, why are you dressed this way?"

"Oh, a man bit me like a rabid dog and he told me to say I was a Malkavian or I'd die, whatever that is. When I woke up I already looked like this."

"Oh dear, that sounds horrific!" She stopped reinforcing the thought that she was his friend and didn't even bother hiding her smile as giggles broke out in the room from her clanmates at the boy's horrified face,"Well, well, what do we have here? Aren't you cute, playing dress up because your sire told you to." She pinched his cheeks while her eyes lit up in mirth,"Trying to trick a Malkavian into thinking you're one of us. We can all tell darling, but if you'd really want to be one of us, I can welcome you into the life of a lunatic." The thought of playing another prank crossed her mind, one that would have him as a gibbering ball of crazy on the floor, but she held back, knowing the current political climate of London and the Camarilla in general wouldn't allow for the use of Dementation in a Camarilla domain,"Ah, but it isn't up to us what will become of you," she turned to regard the one in charge of the city instead,"We shall leave him in your tender mercies, Prince Mithras." She stepped back with a small curtsy even as she watched the rest of the proceedings.

As these things usually go, the neonate was dragged out to meet his Final Death by sunlight for lying to a prince and being an illegally Embraced individual, emphasis on the last crime. Truly, the nights are fraught with danger for their kind, even more so for those unlucky individuals Embraced by such cruel sires. Then again, that didn't mean the older you got the safer you were though, evidenced by how she nearly met her maker if she hadn't been there that night to speak for herself.

By the time she turned around to leave, Doctor Timothy had rushed over,"HOW-" He cut himself off when he realized he was shouting at a vampire of an unknown lower generation. Seeming to gird his loins, he continued in a softer tone,"How can you know so much?!"

Looking at his hysterical face and erratic movements, she decided not to be mischievous, seeing as she seemed to have flipped his crazy button for some reason,"I listen, Willum Timothy. Our elders may be even crazier than you or I will ever know, but that doesn't mean their knowledge is completely gone." Seeing him calm down, she sent a smirk and a nod his way before taking her leave.

In the carriage once again, Amos' probing eyes bothered her so much she made eye contact,"What is it?"

"Why did you teach them about the Cobweb, Calls and Gatherings? Wouldn't this hint to all those present that your generation is far lower than they first thought?"

She looked consideringly out of the window.

"The larvae of the anthill need nurses."

"IGNORAMUS"

"They will use you and then throw you away."

She put on a serious mien,"Teaching them strengthens the clan as a whole, what other reason than that could there be?"

He gave her a look,"My lady, I know you."

She burst into giggles at this point,"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." She took a breath to calm down before continuing,"Missing a Primogen when a Call is sent out would suck. Besides, it's rare enough to get to prank one of my clan so easily."

Not bothering to even hide it, he snorted, "That last one was your reason all along, wasn't it?"

Célimène flashed a smirk his way,"Well, we're done with the one event to happen today and once again nothing interesting is happening, so why don't we have some fun?" Before she could tell the coachman to go anywhere she froze as she was assailed by memories yet again. She Saw will-o'-wisps, dead bodies, the shadow of children and a winged shadow with eyes upon eyes. Upon opening her eyes she found that she was being princess carried by Amos into the Fortescue townhouse in London.

Noticing her dazedly becoming more aware by the minute, Amos picked up the pace. He'd been warned by his lady's sire to always be beside her when he was being trained to be what he had thought at the time was an aide and had thought it was just a worried father's paranoia. It was only after being ghouled and meeting her that he realized how reasonable her sire had been by getting her a ghoul to watch over her at all times. He dreaded to think how she would have survived without someone watching over her in London what with how randomly the visions came. Thoughts of his lady being hit by carriages weekly or being kidnapped while not fully aware had his heartbeat accelerating before he heard her silvery voice.

"Thank you, Amos."

Snapping to awareness, he smiled her way,"It is my pleasure, my lady." Aware that she would prefer to ruminate on the meaning of her latest vision, he began to set out her painting materials and an inkwell on her desk before taking his leave.