Blood. It was the one that that drove all kindred. At the end of the line it did not matter what power a person held, what business they had or what side of the line a person stood on. In the end all that would always remain was hunger. No matter how much of the heated crimson liquid ran over your tongue, down your throat and into you the deepest parts of you stomach you would always want more. It was a blessing and curse at the same time, and no two kindred agreed. The debate would continue while the hunger grew. There would always be issues to fight over, and those who were not able to change their ways and adapt to the changing times were met with final death.

It was the lines that would run through her head almost daily at this point. Some far away kindred in the system would repeat the lines over and over to those entering the system for the first time. Their network growing by the night. The intelligence of the network was outstanding, but the madness of trying to decipher it would drive many insane. Those who were able to block out the constant ramblings, conspiracy theories and plan lunatic ravings seemed to fair better in the end. But cutting off completely could meet an after lifetime of instability.

One such enigmatic group that involved themselves in all walks of life were known as the Malkavians. A clan known to be great advisors if one could decern from the bullshit that many of the clan would speak. Those who were able to tap into the system and pull out the important pieces were better suited for daily life. Most of the time those who were able to do this had fits of madness. Those who ignored it completely eventually when mad as the system did not appreciate being ignored. It gave information, and it expected information in return.

A person once said that the mortal mind collapses when becoming malkavian, but in reality, it only makes things clearer for the user. Everyone else can be the issue. If a normal person is unable to understand a malkavian, who's fault is it really? Although not all malkavians spoke funny all the time. One such example currently was running her fingers through her thick curly hair as attempted to tame the wild red locks of hair. In truth, she normally ended up with the hair tied back, but today she wanted to have it down. Change was good, even if that meant taking a few extra minutes to make that change happen.

The woman was already showered and dressed. Black skinny jeans with silver buttons instead of a zipper, a black tank top which was tucked into the jeans and a pair of basic black boots that went up to her knee. Her make up was done simply. Power, black eyeliner halfway down her waterline, winged black eyeliner, mascara, and a cool fair skin toned shimmering eye shadow that would compliment her ice blue eyes without being over the top. On her lips she simply used chapstick. Lipstick would get messy, and she planned to hopefully feed that night. It has been a few nights, but the city was strange lately. The system was very active these few nights. Her thoughts calmed as though the radio switched to a song by P!nk and she was able to focus on that. The system seemed to calm as well at that moment. She started to hum along to it as she sprayed some hair oil into her hands to run through her hair to tame the frizz.

"…party started on a Saturday night" She sang to herself as she completed the final touches of her look for the evening. Her hair would completely dry as she was out. Using a hairdryer only made the frizz worse. Luckily, modern products were far better than those from the forties.

"…I'm comin' up so you better get this party started" She continued to sing to herself, even adding in a little dance move here and there to the beat. The music that was coming out these days was very catchy. She walked out of her bathroom into her living room. Well, she shared the space with a roommate who was also conveniently her best friend. He had already left for the night though. There was business apparently in the city, and the new prince called a gathering. The malkavian knew this even before she completely woke up for the night. Other Malkavians in the city were buzzing about it before dusk. She walked over to the counter where he had left a note. Judging by the handwriting she knew her roommate was annoyed by the ordeal.

Skye,

That asshole in his ivory tower decided to call a summon tonight at the theater. Don't know what its about, but feel free to meet up at the last round.

I have to take care of some shit before going.

See you soon.

Nines

Nines Rodriguez was probably the only person in the city who helped to keep her sane. No, he was the only person in the city that kept her sane. They had been friends since childhood and had been forced to learn to survive together during the great depression. Fate was a twisted whore when they chose to make them both undead. Neither being their choice, but in the end, they knew they could rely on each other, and in this world that was priceless.

She picked the note up and threw it into the trash, her ears buzzing as the network went into a small frenzy. Someone had just left the system, final death. The sensation made her pause for a second as her hearing returned to normal. She grabbed her leather moto jacket, pulling it over her arms and left the apartment being sure to lock the door on the way out. Their apartment was a small 2 bedroom and the building was not the cleanest or safest, but it was affordable. If anything, the anarchs did not have a reliable income. Money had to come from more creative places, including the pockets of victims.

She left and started to walk down the long alleyway. Too many times she had been held at gunpoint in this alley, but normally the gangbanger was not much of a threat. This was not one of those evenings as she was able to leave and make the left-hand turn needed to walk a few blocks to the last round. Too bad, they also made for an easy meal. She passed a woman on the way who was waiting for a cab.

…whore…

She avoided eye contact as the system declared what they thought of the woman. The simple word told Skye where the woman was probably going, where she was coming from, or even her current thoughts. Not everything came true, but reading people was easy. Skye would argue she could do it better than a toreador any day when she was not having an episode of course.

The few lights that lit up the door of the last round illuminated the in the distance. Her mouth curled slightly as her hand reached for the doorknob of the bar. As she entered the smells of cigarettes, booze, sweat, mold, and overall grime filled her senses. It was disgusting to those who were not used to it, but to Skye, the last round was a second home. You could always tell when an anarch from Hollywood came for a visit. This place was too grimy for their liking. Her ice-blue eyes scanned the bar as she entered. There were regulars at the bar and an older couple at one of the tables in the corner. They were also regulars but preferred to keep their distance. The dive bar had a steady flow of income but most nights it was barely enough to keep the lights on. She did not have to handle the finances though. They left that to Skelter. The man was a genius at making money appear. If he were a ventrue he probably would have been a successful CEO, but unfortunately, he was not born into that world.

The regulars gave the redhead a small nod in recognition. They never exchanged talk, as there was no need to. They knew she would not answer them, and every once in awhile, someone would try their luck to get her into bed. It did not end well for the human, so the bartender Ed would just tell them to cut the shit. She would just go to the stairs in the back, climb them until she reached the top. Before she was able to start climbing though, the bartender stopped her.

"Skye." The large man flatly. He was middle-aged, bald, and wore a stained tank top tonight. He could be an ass, but for the most part… well no he was just an ass. He was also a ghoul though and Skye figured he just blamed vampires for his own addiction. Ghouls were such funny creatures like that. He also had a steady income, steady fix, and was the business owner on paper.

…Looking for a fix fat man?...

"Yes?" She said turning towards him as he came into the doorway just before the stairs.

"Your people have not paid their tab this month." He said flatly, handing her a piece of paper with the records. There was a large sum at the bottom which made Skye want to roll her eyes. She could not make the connection with her body and instead stared blankly at the piece of paper. It was the ghouls drinking when they came into the last round to meet with Skelter, Damsel, Nines, or Jack. They were told to make their own payments, but many took advantage.

"Who owes what?" Skye asked him shortly. She found overtime that if she kept her sentences short humans could understand her. This practice paid off over time as she was able to speak in longer sentences without sounding like a lunatic. That was when she was not having an episode.

"Skye, you know I don't know their names. Just take care of it." The man told her. Going back behind the bar to grab a drink for a paying customer. They had this conversation every few months and it was the same. In truth, he did not need to know the names of the ghouls since many of them were not meant to know each other. This helped with the overall cover. If two ghouls did not know each other, then they could not completely rely on the information. She nodded to him and started to climb the stairs. Her boots tapped on the wooden stairs on the way on.

Once making it to the top she saw a group was seated around a table. There was Skelter, Damsel, Jack and of course Nines. At other tables, there were several other members of the downtown anarchs. The group was made up of gangrels, toreadors, caitiff, and mostly brujah. They were talking about the summons that night in the theater. Nines looked over his shoulder to see Skye and nodded towards her, indicating the chair next to him for her to sit in.

"Hi Skye." Skelter greeted her.

"Hey." Came simply from Damsel

"Hey there Kiddo." Came from Jack. He was leaning against a nearby wall, overlooking the group. Other anarchs muttered their greetings for the night as the redhead walked further into the room.

"Evening everyone," Skye said as he came over to the table and took the seat next to Nines, placing the bill on the table as well. Sliding it towards Skelter. He looked down and rolled his eyes. He typically took care of the ghouls and kept track of them as well. Skye had nothing to do with them normally since malk ghouls were unstable. "Ed gave that to me on the way in." She said to Skelter. He would take care of it.

"Prick. He knows he should ask me." Skelter said as he folded the bill and put it into his pocket. The group continued with the conversation they were having before she arrived. Damsel was angry with the prospect of walking into a trap. She was right of course. There was no way of knowing for sure. Even her insite was not very forthcoming. The system was quite now as well.

"I'll look before we go inside," Skye suggested. She was the only person in the small group that could use supernatural sight and use that same sight to read the minds of those near her. It was dangerous to use on other Kindred since those with the same power knew it was being used on them, but with four brujah bodyguards, they stood a better chance. They would only be going as a small group. This was the safest idea.

"It's still too risky." Damsel said, crossing her arms over her chest. "We are walking into a Cami trap. Just seeing the invite told me that. I don't need your auspex to tell me the same thing. No offense."

Skye felt an arm go around her shoulders. The slight squeeze on her shoulder told her it was Nines as he leaned back to get more comfortable. He was listening to everyone's opinions on the matter but had one outcome.

"We have to go. Otherwise, we will appear weak. I will feel better knowing where the traps are going to be." Skye looked over to the man to see a small smirk on his face as he made his decision. It was a look that was almost signature for him when he felt he had a good plan. This one was not one of those plans, more like kicking a hornet's nest.

"Damn it Nines. Why do you always have to make sense?!" Damsel snapped and rolled her eyes as she stood up, walking away from the table. She was swearing under her breath, not even pretending to like the idea. Skye would not expect anything else from the woman though. Damsel was a very tough bitch, and there were countless situations where the female brujah was able to make the tough calls over the male members of the group. She also was able to keep an eye on the city as a whole. The CDC was in town, and this put Damsel more on edge since she was sure it was kindred related.

"Before we leave, I'll go figure out that bill before Ed loses his mind," Skelter said as he got up as well with a forced sigh. Jack walked away without a word with Skelter, probably to go smoke if Skye had to guess. Old habits die hard, even when the user is already dead.

"What do you really think?" Nines asked her then, turning to meet her eyes. He was asking her advice, or rather if she knew anything from the system. Most of the time she could only give him fragments, rarely it was a full story. Lacroix was one of the examples of a full story. They knew the camarilla was returning months before a prince was named. They were able to prepare and knowing probably saved them in the end. The Camarilla attempted to force there way into the city, and so far the reign did not extend far past fragmented parts of the city. They still held most of the downtown, parts of Santa Monica, and all of Hollywood.

"Nothing yet." She said simply, hearing the ringing and buzzing in her ears. She could feel his anxiety radiating from him over the situation. His composite though hid it very well as it normally did. She took his hand from her shoulder then and placed a gentle kiss on his knuckles.

"We will be okay." She said with a small smile. The same smile was returned by Nines as she stood up from the chair. Those words still on her lips as she started to walk away. Leaving Nines to his thoughts. They were simple words that had been repeated between the pair for over seven decades. Somehow, they always brought comfort since hell… they were still there.

Skye headed downstairs, past Skelter who was arguing with Ed about the bill to head outside. She opened the door, feeling the cool Los Angeles air on her already cool skin. Outside Damsel and Jack were talking to each other. Jack was smoking while Damsel radiated with anger. Skye walked up to them as Jack held out the cigarette for her to take. Skye put the cigarette between her lips and forced breath in. The end of the cigarette lit up as the smoke entered her expanding lungs. She handed it back to Jack as she blew out from her nose. The smoke tunneling down as she exhaled. It was work to uphold the masquerade, and even little things like smoking helped to keep the facade.

At first, when she started to hang around the anarchs they could barely tolerate her. They were used to their own kinds being Brujah and Gangrels mostly. Other clans were unpredictable. Nines though stuck up for her, and over time her advice became invaluable. Time was all she needed, hell it was all they had now. These turf wars were just a part of it. Primal in nature, but important when claiming territory. As a malkavian it was hard to claim territory without being in a group since the instability could be used against them.

"This is just stupid, you know that?" Damsel said to Skye after a few minutes.

"Yes." Skye agreed as she waited for her turn for the cigarette again. When it came, she repeated the same movements as prior.

"Then why the fuck are we going?" Damsel snapped at Skye this time. Gritting her teeth in anger. When Skye did not answer right away the Brujah woman simply sighed. "I'm sorry okay. The Camerilla just has me on edge lately."

At this Jack laughed. "Kid, I think you know this is only the beginning." He took the cigarette back from Skye and took a drag before dropping it to the ground and stomping it out with his boot. Jack was an interesting character, he was very old Skye knew, and at one-point Skye accidentally referred to him as pirate Jack during an episode. Since then Jack found the malkavian to be odd but very useful and took care of her just like many of the anarchs did. It could have been his age, but Jack also had a different level of patience for Skye during her episodes. Skye could defend herself to some extent, but that was not where her strengths were. The trio turned as the door opened and shut behind Nines and Skelter.

Within a few minutes, they had piled into Jack's car. Jack drove with Nines in the passenger seat. Damsel, Skelter, and Skye were in the back seat with Skye in the center. She looked straight ahead as they drove in relative silence. Jack had some station playing on the radio, but the volume was turned down so low the beat was barely audible. She could hear the buzzing in her ears again as her vision seemed to blacken over. The system was taking hold of her mind as an important event was nearing.

…blue blood nobody… blue blood somebody…

…liar prince… pretty tale spinner…

…cannot kill…

…idiot naive blue blood…

…do not open…

The voices were very loud in her head, and almost deafening. She closed her eyes against the voices as they invaded her head to force their way in. The noise started to pass as quickly as it started, and she came back to reality. Realizing that she had brought both of her hands up to cover her ears in an effort to block out the sounds. It was pointless though and simply there to make her feel better. She opened her eyes to see a hand on her knee. Rubbing lightly as she came back from the voices. It belonged to Nines in the front seat. He had not turned around knowing this to be a normal and routine auditory vision of sorts. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Not needing the oxygen, but it was relaxing none the less.

"Liar prince, another blue blood and cannot kill," Skye told the members in the car before leaning back. The hand on her knee paused as Nines took in the words. Rolling them around in his head.

"You can't make more sense?" Damsel said to Skye as she crossed her arms over her chest. Skye merely shook her head. She had already forgotten the words and visions as they came. There was no way to bring them back to question them further. The system did not work that way. A few minutes rolled by in silence before they pulled up to the theater. They all got out of the car. Skye caught Nines's eyes who simply nodded at her.

In truth, the fact that Skye was a malkavian was a bit of a secret. At most of the meetings, she attended Skye was able to be passed off as another Brujah. She never needed to speak much so it was easy enough. It was dangerous to have a malkavian, especially one so strong with insight. The other reason she was more protected was due to the name of her sire. For that story though, it was better to start from the beginning.

Skye Byrnes was born in 1924 with the given name Skyler Anne Byrnes, just four years before the great depression. Her parents passed away in a car crash when Skye was merely eight. She went into the system for a short time before winding up on the streets. It was where the smart kids wound up since they would work for food. It was then she met Nines who had a similar situation but was four years her senior. They learned to work together with a changing group of kids. Lying, stealing, and overall surviving. They would take small jobs here and there in order to earn some money. World War 2 started when Skye was only sixteen.

At eighteen she decided to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots or WASP. This group sought out young women without families to help fly around the country since most of the men were at war. It was a way to earn an income, even if that meant she could possibly die in a plane crash during testing or routine supply drops. For a few months, it worked out. She was able to send money back to Nines and the group to help feed them as they continued with odd jobs. She learned of their ongoing successes though the occasional letters when they would make it to her.

It was not until Skye volunteered to run supplies over to France when the job would change everything for the woman. They normally would not trust a woman with a job like this, but this was one of those cases where they had no choice. There were no men available for days, and the supplies included food and weapons. She would not only transport supplies but also soldiers, making the trip that much more precious. While flying over France a German fighter plane was able to find them. Her plane had no weapons on it, and therefore she was left defenseless. There was no reason to spend the money on a fighter plane for a woman… right? It added to the reasons why Skye hated bureaucratic bull shit. Her life and the life of those soldiers were dollar signs in the end.

Her plane was struck down during the mission, and they crash-landed. The resulting crash, following by the sudden sounds of war, death, blood, fire, smell of burning flesh, and guilt of survival lead Skye into a whirlwind of mental illness. After a long recovery in a military hospital, Skye had been able to return to the united states after being forced to spend time in the trenches acting as a nurse, cooking, or being involved in other less dignified acts when a solider wanted a woman enough. During her leave, she met up with Nines and the group where immediately he knew something was wrong and wanted her to desert.

Skye did just this and was away for a full month before she was tracked down to report for her new crimes of crashing and killing numerous soldiers in the crash. The bureaucrats needed an easy person to put the blame. Nines and their group attempted to defend the redhead, but she was taken. Weapons were drawn on most of the group and she saw her friends and family being gunned down. It was another thing to add to the ongoing list of traumatic sights that would forever plague her mind. During the court proceedings, she snapped and was admitted to an insane asylum due to hysteria by the state.

Her time in the asylum was not easy. In that time period, there were mental health reforms, but the asylum she was placed in was more old school. Patients were treated like animals, and there were many times where Skye was strapped down for an extended length of time. The worst part was that she slowly started to gain control of her fits and started to almost treat herself. It was there Dr. Alistair Grout diagnosed her with various bull shit names for what would come to be known as umbrella term post-traumatic stress disorder. The same doctor lovingly tried to drink blood from her one night while she was strapped to the bed. He had done this several times prior, but this time Skye had a fit in the middle and was able to break free from her bindings. It was then she was able to both bite his own neck and drink enough blood while holding him long enough to force the dark kiss upon herself. Due to the reforms, and the unexpected and unknown siring Grout shut the asylum down not long after that event, leaving Skye to fend for herself.

She had to learn on her own what she was since returning her to the attacker was no option. LA at the time was an anarch free state and therefore she was not going to meet death at the hands of the Camarilla for Grout not having their permission or some bullshit. Instead as a fledgling, she returned to her home where she had watched her friends and family be gunned down. It was located under a bridge, and she found the area completely cleared out with several unmarked graves. The system, though still foreign to her started to lead her towards a warehouse. They told her that was where she would find her home. Her home after a quick interrogation by several anarchs she came face to face with Nines again who had already been kindred for several years. It turned out that's what saved him when the group was gunned down.

He became not only her best friend again, but also a surrogate sire. On nights when his patience would wear thin with the madness, Skye had to learn to control it for his own sanity. She learned that once again he was left much in the same boat, sireless. How many times was fate going to bring the pair together? It was then they decided not to separate for an expended time again. No, they were not a couple. They were more. But that kind of trust did not happen overnight, and it was something that took decades to build up.

She looked away from Nines after he nodded. Activating the supernatural sight that might give them an edge. Her ice-blue eyes darted back and forth as she looked at the building. There she saw the darkened purple auras of several vampires and the fading blue of a new fledgling. The new fledgling was just a few hours old as he still had a human-like aura. The deep purples were slowly taking hold though. She blinked a few times, adjusting her sight before searching the area more. There were Sabbat in the area as well, but mostly humans. They were probably just running supplies and therefore were no threat for the time being. It was then in the alley across from the building she saw the larger outline of the sheriff approaching and heading in the back entrance.

She opened her auspex more to allow for telepathy as she went into Nines's mind. Giving him the information she gathered within a few seconds. Being careful to only tell him that information. It could be terrifying to allow a malkavian into your mind, but they at least knew when to use the madness as a weapon and when to block it from a friend. She was always so careful with his brain, it went back to the supernatural level of trust the pair shared.

"Mostly Kindred inside. No one dangerous other than the sheriff." Nines told the group. "Everyone is in the auditorium, no armies in the alleys. We will keep watch throughout." The last part was an order for Skye without drawing attention to her directly. They headed into the theater and took some seats near the back. Jack choose to stand near back to watch. Skye sat with Nines to her left and Skelter to Nine's left. Damsel sat in front of them, putting her feet up on the empty seat in front of her. Skye looked around the theater.

The seats were covered in a plush red fabric that was cushioned in a way that made the seats very comfortable. There were gold accents on top of the sculpted plaster. The woods were all a deep mahogany. She had to wonder if humans used the theater at any point or are it was just set aside for Kindred to use for pointless events. She would not be surprised if the Camarilla used it as a source of income. Most placed were used as such. It was how the rich became richer.

There were also several kindred members from all around LA. Some of them had turned traitor in order to gain some false Camarilla influence and power. Such included Therese Voerman who was now the baroness of Santa Monica and Maximillian Strauss who lived downtown but kept to himself. He was the Tremere primogen and normally they were very private. Only a small handful was involved with the anarchs, but Skye would not be able to pick them out from a crowd.

More neutral members included Velvet Velor and Ash Rivers. They lived in Hollywood under the protection of Isaac Abrams but conducted their own business. There were also several primogen presents including Vanessa Hillside who was the Ventrue primogen and Warren Mills who was the toreador primogen. At events like this Skye found herself on edge. She had only run into her sire a handful of times, but she would rather avoid him. He seemed to lost in his experiments to come out to an event like this.

Issac came over to them after a few minutes and went down the line, shaking everyone's hand and giving a greeting. He appeared to be middle-aged and therefore appeared older than most of the kindred around him. Nines and Skye were both older than Isaac though, even if it was just a few years.

…visit the swan grave…

"I trust you all are doing well?" Isaac asked then, his eyes landing on Skye a little longer than everyone else. He also thought this was a trap after all. Although he also had the supernatural sight. Perhaps he just wanted a second opinion from another kindred. Or maybe his own sight was not as strong as Skye. It was something he would never admit to them.

...Flesh mixed flesh…

"Same shit, different night," Nines said with a smile as he sunk into his seat a little more. "Tonight seems good so far. We will see what Lacroix has to say." Nines answered which seemed to be the right amount of tactic needed to make Isaac feel more at ease. Isaac and the other anarchs exchanged a few more words before he left to take his seat on the other side of the auditorium.

She did another check around the room and sent the information to Nines who seemed to relax. He crossed his legs over the other and leaned back. Putting his arm over the back of Skye's chair. Skelter and Damsel took the hint and started to relax as well. It gave the appearance of letting their guard down. The Prince came out a short time later. Offering greetings to the audience while keeping one hand in his pocket. It was meant to be casual, but instead, it made him appear guarded.

…false prince…

…liar…LiAr… LIAR…

"…prior engagements you may have had this evening," Lacroix said. Skye realized that she had not been paying attention due to getting lost slightly in the system. They were buzzing at she sent the information from this meeting into it. Allowing the network to grow just that extra bit. Someone far away had questions, they would have to wait for their answers.

"We are here before the laws that…" The prince rambled on. Skye got distracted by overhearing a whisper from Skelter to Nines. She was not able to make out what he said though. She glanced over to Damsel who simply returned the look. Not offering any emotion in her blank features.

"I am within my right to grant the kindred of this city the privilege of siring"

…too much talk…

Well, they were not wrong about that. The prince did like to hear himself speak. He went on more about how everyone should adhere to the Camarilla law and how their blood demanded it. This set off a buzzing in her head, as even those Malkavians who were a part of the camarilla disagreed with the absolute lack of respect. Although that was not a prince's place to have respect another voice said. The system argued with itself before calming down. The chatter distracted her again from her room check which she started to do. This time she did not share the results with Nines due to the nonstop voices arguing of the system. She was unsure if she could give him the information without also opening his mind to them. If it came to sharing information or protecting him, she choose the ladder.

"…Forgive me." The prince asked as he ordered the death of a kindred in front of their eyes. She felt Nines stiffen at the scene. His hand gripping her shoulder to show the sign that he was uncomfortable with the unnecessary execution. The sheriff raising his sword and in a swift motion, the head of the female ventrue rolled over the stage before the body turned to ash.

…do not kill…

…useful blue blood…

…Christopher Stone… sarcophagus…

Skye leaned over to Nines and whispered "Nines, he can't die." He turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised. Of course, he did not agree with the executions, but it would have to be a calculated decision. He already appeared angry at the show of strength and killing a defenseless fledgling was only adding to that. It was like killing a child which they had both witnessed when soldiers opened fire on their group all those years ago. The flashback hit her, but she had to push it back. It was not the time for an episode. She was so hungry…

Lacroix went on, "Most childer are doomed to walk the earth never knowing their place, their responsibility, and most importantly the laws they must obey."

Nines was staring at Skye now, his brows furrowed. He wanted to know what his malkavian friend saw in that instance, but there was no time as Lacroix continued, "Therefore I have decided-"

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Nines roared while standing up. Skelter and Damsel stood up to hold the Brujah back. Skye in the meantime searched the room. The show of strength would anger the camarilla and be the perfect reason to take them out. Still no change though. There were no hidden kindred. Skye thought this was strange. It was almost too perfect of a setup.

Lacroix and Nines eyed each other with a tension that could be cut with a knife. Other members of the court started to stand as well as murmurs raced through the crowd. The fledgling, the poor fledgling appeared to be a deer in headlights. He had no idea what was going on or what world he had just been forced into. Nines refused to back down from the blond ventrue.

Lacroix had an answer though, "If Mr. Rodriguez would let me finish, I have decided to let this Kindred live."

Skye would see the fledgling take a deep breath from relief. A very human response, it was always cute how new kindred reacted to their unlife. Lacroix went on to continue this compassion he suddenly found by going over how he was going to help the fledgling venture.

"I thank you all for attending these proceedings, and I hope their significance is not lost. Good Evening." Lacroix finished. Nines turned to Skye who has started to stand up before they began walking out. Jack had disappeared which was not abnormal. They would just walk back to the last round since Jack had the keys.

"That entire thing was a waste of time. And how dare Lacroix think that we are going to believe his little act of compassion," Damsel said, using finger quotes to get her point across, "He can not believe we are that stupid." Damsel continued.

Skye grew distracted as they passed a bar. In the alley, there was a young man urinating on the wall. Not the classiest dinner, but he would have to do.

She was very hungry now… the use of the sight had not helped either.

"I'll catch up." She said to the group as she headed down the alleyway. Using her sight had used a lot of energy, and not eating for a few days did not help either. The Trio nodded as they continued their way. Skye walked down the alleyway. The man has stopped urinating and instead started to walk further into the alley. He turned, hearing footsteps and smiled when he saw the curly-haired redhead behind him.

"Umm, do you know how to get to 8th street?" Skye asked the man as she stepped closer. The man smirked as he stepped closer.

"I can tell you, but you have to do something for me first." He told her as his hand went to his groin. As if his words were not obvious enough. Skye wanted to roll her eyes, but she did not. Only giving him those doe eyes that mortal men seemed to love.

…heroine sliding through his veins…

Skye could not help but sigh at that. Drug users just ruined it, she preferred to have not had the taste in her prey. Too much room for complications and it added a flavor that left for a bad aftertaste. Unexpectedly the man grabbed her by her jacket and pushed her against the wall. Her head hit the bricks behind her and before she could recover his lips came down on hers hard. Enough to leave a bruise if she could still bruise. He tasted of alcohol and decay. The ladder due to poor oral hygiene. Boy did she know how to pick them.

She turned her head as his lips found her ear, then neck. She needed to speed this up. She could hear his heart pumping underneath the layers of cartilage, muscles, bones, and skin. His veins pumped the intoxicating liquid through his system in a way that she knew would be warm on her lips. His hand reached under her shirt and under her bra, pinching her nipple. He was too far drunk to even register that her skin must have been freezing. A moan escaped her lips at the sensation. The simple pleasure of his thumb caressing her nipple. His head started to kiss her collar bone.

There she saw it, his jugular, moving slightly with each heartbeat. Constricting with the pressure of blood pushing through it at high speeds.

…45 seconds for the blood to circulate…

She reached down, planting a kiss on his neck before sinking her teeth into his neck. Missing his carotid artery intentionally. She did not want a bloody mess after all. Instead, she would aim for the lesser external jugular vein which was slower and easier to manage. The man gasped under her as her grip tightened. She sucked the wound on his neck as the warm liquid danced over her tongue, down her throat, and into her belly. Warming her from the inside. She could feel his pulse slow slightly and knew to stop. She pulled away, licking the wound to help stop the bleeding and not leave any indication of her presence.

The man stumbled backward, Skye tried her best to lead him to the ground, but he ended up hitting it hard since she could get a good grip on him. Good thing he was already sleeping by the time he hit the ground. She looked over him for a few seconds. He was young, maybe mid-twenties. She reached into his back pocket to pull his wallet out, opening it to pull any money out. It would also give him an explanation of being knocked out, and it was only eighty dollars she would be taking. Besides, she could feel the heroine in the man's veins start to work wonders. She could feel her head spin slightly. Too bad, if she caught him before paying the drug dealer, he would have had more money.

Skye stood up after putting the wallet back and started to head down the alley. She stopped towards the end to see Nines leaning against the wall. His hands were in his pockets and as she approached, he seemed annoyed with the malkavian. He had a certain look in his eye they made goosebumps want to form on Skye's cold skin, if they could that was. He pushed off the wall and walked up to her. Reaching a hand up and pushing a bit of hair behind her hair before grabbing a handful of hair and pulling her into him for a kiss. Skye felt her hands go up to rest on her chest as her body molded against his. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, devouring her in a demanding kiss that was filled with frustration, anger, and lust. His other hand went to her waist to pull her closer. He pulled away after a few seconds of the hungry driven kiss. He did not pull away too far as his lips hovered above her own.

"What did I tell you about letting other men make you moan that way?" He said, she could practically feel the smirk on his lips.

"Don't?" Skye said innocently. This got a chuckle out of Nines as he pulled her in for another kiss.

"We need to stop before I take you in this alley." Nines said as he pulled away, taking her hand, and kissing her knuckles. "I'm glad you were right easier. We are okay." Skye could not help but to smile at this.

They walked out of the alley and down the street. Skye pulled her phone out to glance at the time. It was just after 3 AM. That time in the night to finish up some last-minute business. They walked in relative silence as they made it to the apartments just down the street from the last round.

"I'm going to finish some shit up before dawn." Nines said as he placed his hands into his pockets.

"Should I wait up?" Skye asked him as she rubbed her eyes. In the past, she had argued with him about going with him but knew that she did not need to know all of his business. The system could not know everything. It could get back to the camarilla malkavians after all.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon." He said with a small smile. Skye nodded as she started to head into the apartment building and up the four flights of stairs to their two-bedroom apartment. Unlocking the door and taking off her jacket. She kicked off her boots before heading into the bathroom to remove her makeup. Then she took her jeans off to change into a pair of grey sweatpants. She stepped back out into the living room to sit on the couch. Turning on the television.

The room was bare. There was a lamp on the side table to her right which was on. The windows were covered in thick curtains that were also boarded up over them for the extra protection. It was dark inside the apartment all the time, and this made it a very safe place for them since only a select handful of people even knew about the place. In the kitchen, there was a fridge which helps a couple of blood packs just in case. Neither of them liked bagged blood, but it was there if needed. It was better than going hungry. Other than the blood packs the kitchen was completely empty. On the other side table on the other side of the couch sat a small record player with a few records stacked next to it. Just some favorites from the early days.

The television finished the room. They only got basic cable since it was free, and tonight the last night reruns were playing. It gave Skye something other than the system to focus on, tonight though that was not the plan. She sat down on the couch and started to stare past the television as the system started to take its hold over her mind.

…liar prince… blue blood fledgling…

It was just the start as the room started to fade from her vision. She was within a room, her body completely gone as several others joined the impromptu meeting within the system. Their bodies were free and simple auras of various colors.

"Does the liar know where his future leads?" One aura spoke

"Liar liar, pants on fire," Rang several malkavians followed by laughter.

"Liar does know what is in front of him." Another aura spoke.

"Seventh Generation Speak." Another aura commanded. This was the aura belonging to her Sire who had joined the system as well tonight. Whether or not he knew or cared for his childe had told Skye that their conversations resorted to these nights. It appeared Grout was trying to get information on the meeting he had missed.

"The liar will find out soon enough. The fledgling will need to learn our ways." Skye found herself saying.

"Leave him. He is a waste." She heard her Sire say to her.

The conversation went on for a few minutes more before one of the Aura's started to scream. Someone from the younger generations who were not able to control their insanity.

"IT'S A BOMB, IT'S A BOMB, IT'S A BOMB." The aura roared over and over. At this madness, the system broke apart. Skye blinked a few times as her vision returned. Those meetings were a waste most of the time. But something made her wonder, the malkavian having visions of explosions. The news kicked on next, reporting on slaughter at the Santa Monica pier. Her eyes glanced over her phone to check the time. It was nearly 4 AM now. Dawn would be starting in about an hour. It was times like this when she wished Nines would learn to carry his phone. Currently, it was changing on the kitchen counter next to the radio.

The news droned on and Skye found herself reaching for the remote to switch off the station with a click. She stood up and started to go through the pile of records before setting on Frank Sinatra. She made sure to turn the record player down very low before starting the record. The last thing she needed to do was disrupt her mortal neighbors. Within a few seconds, the jazz music started, filling the room with a quiet melody. A few songs went past over time as Skye laid down on the couch.

"…Luck be a lady tonight." She mouths along with the chorus as her eyes closed. Relaxing in the silent buzzing from the system as the west coast started to settle down for the night. After some time and a flip of the record, she heard keys in the door. The light from the hallway flooded the darkened room as Nines stepped in. Dropping his keys on the counter of the kitchen and locking the door behind him. Being sure to get the deadbolts as well now since they would not be leaving until the upcoming evening. He looked up to see Skye laying on the couch and Sinatra filling the room. A bit cliché, but the songs were nostalgic. It was too bad you could not buy records for some of the underground bands from the time. Those were the best ones. He came over to the cough, and after Skye moved slightly, he was able to sit down. Skye put her head in his lap, and they sat in silence for a few long minutes.

"Who is that fledgling?" Nines asked her suddenly.

"Stone is his last night," Skye told him as she searched her memories for the night. "The system seems to think he is useful. Grout disagrees though." She said with a shrug. Nines leaned against his hand as his other hand ran through her hair.

"Grout huh?" Nines questioned this. Trying to put the pieces together.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anymore," Skye told him, sitting up then to look at him. The song changed to the way you look tonight which Nines had to smile.

"I hate this song." He said with a laugh, listening to the lyrics. Skye knew why he did, but he would also tell her every time he heard it. "It played too much during the 60s. You could not escape it." He said, pulling Skye onto his lap. She put her legs on either side of his own to straddle him as her arms went around his neck. His own hands found her hips, gripping the bones that where there. Her lips fell to his own, claiming them just as he had done earlier that evening in the alley. She could taste his recent feeding on his lips that occurred within the last hour.

Vampires did not need sex the same way mortals did. Blood filled that gap. Intimate touching though provided comfort the same way and through kissing they were able to fill the gaps that things like a beating heart and shivers could experience. Kindred could have sex, yes. Their sex was much the same, although there was an added element that made it more complicated between a malkavian and non-malkavian. Nines pulled away, pressing his forehead to her own.

"How is your mind tonight?" He asked her. Rolling his thumbs into the band of her sweatpants. It was also why he normally waited for the city to go to sleep before trying anything. The system quiet closer to dawn.

"It is quiet now." She responded as his lips met herself again. He wrapped one hand around her waist and moved in a way that flipped them, so Skye was on her back on the couch with him over her.

"Good, because I need to show you who owns you after that human-made you moan earlier." He murmured against her skin. His free hand reached up to turn the record player off. Evidently, the song finally getting on his nerves. He returned to Skye, placing kisses down her jaw and neck. His other hand reached up her shirt where he was able to fully grasp her breast and give it a gentle squeeze. Skye arched her back into him as her hands went to push the already opened button-up shirt from his body, dropping it to the floor. He started to move the shirt up her body to gain better access to her body. As the black tank top made its way to the floor, he was able to look at her.

His lips found their way to one of her breasts as Skye pulled his white shirt off. Making them even. He brought his teeth down to her nipple and pierced the skin lightly with the end of his enlarged canine. This made the woman gasp at the sharp sensation as a moan followed. She started to wiggle under him, but his hands found her natural waist and held her firmly into the couch as he did the same to her other nipple before moving to just below them to suck on the area in between her breasts. If she were mortal, he would leave a bruise by doing this. Right now, he would probably just draw a bit of blood from his fangs nipping her.

His hands went down to pull her sweatpants off completely and adding them to the existing pile on the floor. Skye's own hands went to his belt buckle as she started to undo it. His lips returned to her own. Skye started to claim his mouth as her arousal grew. Her own tongue finding its way into his mouth. Her hands worked to unzip his pants and release his enlarged cock. She hooked a leg around his hip and guided him into her entrance. It was a very practiced movement between them.

Nines pushed into her, completely burying himself to the hilt. She moaned against his mouth as the sensation of being filled completely took over. He started to thrust into her, slowly at first then the pace quickened. He moved his mouth to her ear where he continued to lay small kisses. He grasped both of her hips, his nails digging in as his supernatural strength and speed took over. He angled her hips in a way to strike her even deeper within her. Her moans increased as her back arched. Her own hands wrapped around his back; her nails gripped the flesh on his back as her other leg hooked around his hip.

Sex was always better after feeding. They were able to use disciplines in a controlled and small way they just enhanced the experience. She started to open the mental link between them so he could feel what she was unable to put into words. Wordless things were just easier to express this way.

"Skye, bite me." He groaned into her ear. She did, hitting the spot just above his collar bone. His blood filled her mouth and ran into her body as her body went into a euphoria. It put her over the edge with what would feel better than an organism. Her senses blocked and all she could hear were Nines's thoughts in her own mind through the mental link.

"fuck, your so beautiful when you do that." He said wordlessly. His own lips found the flesh on her neck, biting down. This was why it was dangerous to have relations with a malkavian. On a bad day, this may break Nines. But they took precautions and had for over… well since they were teenagers.

His own bliss came quickly, and he spent himself inside of her. They stayed like that as they came down from their highs, finishing with a simple kiss. Nines pulled out of her as he got up to stand. Zipping his pants back up. He left the belt undone since they would be coming off for bed anyway.

"Its Dawn. We should sleep." Skye suggested. Glancing at the time on her phone to confirm it.

"Yeah. Let's do that. Otherwise, we will have to do that again." Nines said with a smirk. His hands reached down to take Skye's, pulling her up and giving her a kiss on the knuckles.

…werewolf lunch…

She froze, hearing the words in her head. Her eyes widened at the realization. Nines looked up from her knuckles to look at her face. His own features contorting to see her expression. She tried to search the system, she needed to know more. Why did they tell her this? Why the fuck did they tell her this?

"Skye, what is it?" Nines asked. A hand going to rest on the side of her face. She did not answer right away, but Nines was patient. She could see the worry start to grow in his eyes though as she kept the silence going on.

"I don't know yet." She finally said to Nines.

"You look like you have seen a ghost." He said to her, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"They are quiet again." She said frustrated. Nines seemed to accept this. He knew there was no point in asking further questions. If Skye did not know, then either she did not understand the information or did not have enough worthy of saying anything.

Her becoming a Malkavian was one of Nines's biggest regrets. It should not have happened, especially the way it did. He should have turned her the moment she returned to the group, but instead, he waited. Not wanting this afterlife for her. That choice as he would later find out was not his to make. It was probably one of the many reasons he was as patient as he could bear. They headed into one of the bedrooms where they both got into bed. There was really no reason to have separate bedrooms at this point since they never used the other room.

Skye pulled the blankets up as Nines finished undressing. He climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up. She laid her head on his chest, hearing silence. No beating heart or chest rising and falling. It would be eerie, but this was normal for all kindred. His hand went to her back with he rubbed gently and soothingly. Her leg went up to rest lazily over his leg.

Nines was asleep within a few minutes. His nights were growing longer and longer since the Camarilla returned to town over the last six months. They were completely taking advantage of the situation between the Sabbat moving into LA and the Kuei-jin moving into Chinatown. The anarchs were weakened, and Nines was spending his nights putting the pieces back together. He was stressed, she knew this from simply knowing him. He also handled the stress very well and somehow made it look easy. Her hand reached up to rub his chest as he settled into bed.

She closed her eyes. Taking a soothing breath and exhaling it before stopping her breathing completely again. Her mind started to piece together the previous thoughts of the system. Why was Nines going to fight a werewolf? She knew this had to be coming in the future because this had not happened in the past as far as Skye knew. Was this how he was going to meet the final death? If it could a chill would run up her spine. Also, how she was going to tell him? Should she? Her mind started to drift off to sleep as her thoughts calmed. Allowing the world to completely tune out so her conscious mind could mend with the system for a few precious minutes before everything went dark and sleep completely took over her body.

Hi everyone! I have always wanted to write a story about Nines. I really don't have a plan for this story, and I kinda like that about it. I have started to play the game again and feel that we don't get enough time with the Brujah. I also am trying to write a Malkavian because I certainly hate myself. I did not want to do the lunatic that we often see but thought more of a Voerman where the sisters seem to have an outwards control over their insanity. Please let me know what you think of this first part! I can't promise they will all be this long, but I can try if you like it. If it is too long I can go shorter as well. I find 4k is a good normally. This chapter is just over 10k.