Monday, 3 November 1800. 1:00 a.m.
Sitting room.
Sharma appeared at the doorway and just stayed there. 'Well, fine,' Carleigh thought. 'She can hear us from there. And that makes everyone.'
She stood up and cleared her throat. "May I have your attention, everyone! Hey! Listen to me!"
"Do we have a choice?" Carid grunted from her corner by the bookshelves. Carleigh, as usual, pretended not to hear her. At least everyone was paying some form of attention now.
"I have called you here this evening because I have just received word about the way our missions are to be conducted."
"How?" Sobek demanded from the other side of the room. "There weren't any messengers here today. How could you have received word of anything?"
Carleigh spoke through her teeth. "The council sent a letter along with the movers, if you must know, Sobek." it was actually true, too. "And as I was saying. The contents of that letter contain the specific instructions as to the assignment and completion of military missions.
"Military? We're not an army." Courtney piped up. "You said we'd be traveling in PAIRS. Two people is hardly an army."
"If I MAY continue!" Carleigh practically screamed. "The procedure is as follows." she picked up her notebook, which was already laid open to the correct page. "The council-assigned ghouls will be sent to us by the end of the week. We will receive our instructions directly from the council by way of these ghouls. Meaning the council will contact the ghouls here and the ghouls will contact us wherever we are.
"Assignments are, as Ms. Hamilton implies, to be carried out by two members for the most part. If the assignment is a large or extremely important one, multiple pairs will be assigned to it. But the majority of operations should be sufficiently completed by only two.
"Direct force is to be avoided. This is a covert operation, and targets will be destroyed while remaining ignorant of our presence. The key to the success of this group is that our targets remain unaware of our existence and attribute our actions to the clans or sects. If they do not know their enemy, they will not be able to fortify themselves against us effectively. Fort example, if they put up defenses against a Giovanni, we will send a Gangrel. Understand? The information on the defenses will be gathered by ourselves and sent back to the ghouls here. There will be times when one pair gathers information so that another pair can infiltrate and destroy. Notice I do not say attack. There will be no frontal attacks, and I have been instructed to emphasize that very clearly. Physical combat is to be avoided unless absolutely necessary. And if it is necessary, kill all who may have seen you."
"Now we're talking." Sobek grinned.
"The elimination of those who could identify us is central to our survival. That is all." Carleigh snapped the notebook shut. "Any questions?" she regretted those words the minute they were out of her mouth. She remembered all too well what had happened the last time she asked that.....
"Yeah, I have a question!" Sugar Kelly stepped away from that painting she seemed so fond of and stood right in front of Carleigh. "Who the hell do you think you are? That's my question. Not only do you call us all in here to tell us things we could have figured out for ourselves, if you'd seen fit to show the rest of us that letter. And somehow, I don't think a letter from the joint council was personally addressed to you. Not only do you do that, but you don't even call us in here yourself! Oh, no, that would just be too much to ask. No, instead you send poor Seldes to drag himself all over this damnable mansion and the backyard to find everyone and tell them to come in here and listen to you talk at us. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I even heard you thank him for doing such a big favor for you. You think you can just give some order and we'll all just snap to it like good little slaves? Be ready and willing to drop what we're doing and come for one of these little meetings at your whim? This ain't the Camarilla here, honey. We don't all answer to the high and mighty Ventrue princes. We're not your ghouls. Seldes will do you a favor because he's the sweetest person I've ever met; I don't know about the rest of you. But don't even start thinking your entitled to his kindness. Or ANY of our obedience."
Sugar didn't even bother to wait for Carleigh's reaction to her little speech. She just spun on her heel and left the room. She had apparently made some impact, though, because Sharma actually stepped out of her way when she reached the door.
Everyone else sort of filtered out after Sugar, not looking at Carleigh, who was still standing like a statue in front of her chair. Amy considered using this opportunity to score some loyalty points, but at the last second she decided against it and followed the others out the door, shutting it behind her. Carleigh would probably appreciate the chance to be alone.
Carleigh stood there, not even blinking until the footsteps of the others faded away. Once they were gone, she crumpled into her chair, covered her face with both hands, and cried.