November 27, 1800. 11:43 p.m.
Closed out factory in Geneva
Seldes watched silently as Sharma went through a series of motions which rivaled the Royal Ballet in grace and agility. Hard to believe this was actually a form of battle training.
Finally, she sank into a kneeling position and was still. Seldes didn't even breathe. Of course, he hadn't for a while, but this time he paid attention to it.
When she at least stood up and set her scimitar down on the nearest table, he felt he could safely assume she was done.
"I know we're only supposed to be talking about fighting and stuff..." he began. The Assamite glanced over at him. Oh wow, he had been acknowledged. "But I have to ask..." he continued. "Why did you come after me last night? Didn't I prove myself unworthy or something by going into a situation I couldn't handle?"
If Sharma had been anyone other than herself, she would have rolled her eyes. But seeing as how she wasn't anyone but herself, her face remained expressionless.
"Defending one's allies, even the wayward ones, is an obligation of honor." she finally answered.
"Oh." Seldes deflated slightly. He had hoped his team unity talk had gotton to her SOMEhow....well, maybe it had and she just wasn't admitting it.
"Well, anyway, moving on." he hopped up onto a sewing table. "The Society. I assume you're willing to discuss them now?" when they had returned the previous night, Sharma had spent the rest of time until daybreak polishing her scimitar AGAIN and being totally deaf to Seldes' pleas that they compare notes on the Society. He was beginning to think the scimtar thing was some sort of ritual....
"........Very well." Sharma finally conceded.
"Okay!" Seldes exclaimed triumphantly. "Well, first of all, we know they've found a new base of operations in the city. I think finding it should be our primary focus right now, since we can't do anything to them until we know where they are." Sharma said nothing, so he continued. "I'm thinking we should search the city on foot in the early evening. That way, we can mingle with the humans still on the streets and perhaps come across one of the members. I remember some of their faces, particularly the two I saw last night and-"
"The girl." Sharma interrupted.
"Yes, I was just getting to her. She'll probably be the easiest to find and follow. She's far too young to know any True Faith Discipline to the point of profeciency..."
"Don't be so certain."
"I know, but you have to admit she'd be less of a threat than an adult." Sharma made no objection. "We could simply follow her-"
"Bring her here." Sharma interrupted for the third time.
"What?"
"Bring her here. A child will break more easily under questioning than an adult."
Seldes' eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute. You mean... are you suggesting we TORTURE her?!"
This time, Sharma looked straight at him, clearly surprised. "Of course. Was that not your intention?"
"NO!" the Nosfertu exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. "We are not torturing anybody! Least of all a little girl!"
The Assamite's brow knit in annoyance. "How do you plan to extract information then? They will not volunteer it freely."
"Oh for the love of....I may not be any good in a battle, but I'm proud to say I don't have to resort to torture to gain information! I only meant we should follow her back to their base in the hope that she would be less able to detect our presence. From there we can get the information required to defeat them ourselves. For goodness' sake, Sharma! Don't you think one of their members being tortured and possibly killed might do something like attract their attention and put them on their guard?!"
"They are already on their guard!" Sharma spat, showing the first sign of any emotion Seldes had ever seen in her.
"Well they don't need to be even MORE on their guard!"
"Are you so weak-stomached that you cannot abide the sight of blood?" Sharma snapped in something resembling a taunting tone.
"No, I'm too much of a bleeding heart!" Seldes freely admitted. "And here's one thing you can learn about me, Sharma! I do not torture, I do not kill without necessity, and I do not pick on kids, no matter what organisations they're involved in!"
The Assamite grunted and lifted her sword off the table. She took a few practice slashes in the air, apparantly to calm herself, and placed it back down.
"Anyway...." Seldes muttered. "Let's explore another line, shall we?" Once again, no voiced objection.
"This may be gettting a little ahead of ourselves, but do you have any idea how we're going to go about attacking these people?"
"Yes."
There was a pause.
"So are you going to tell me what it is?"
Sharma turned to face him once more. "They are a large group. We are a small one. There is only one way for a small group to destroy a larger one."
"And that is?"
"Don't you know? To surround them."
Seldes frowned. "But remember, these people drove a whole community of Kindred out of this city. I'm not sure such a simple method...."
"Do you actually think the humans took up stakes and torches and chased the kafir out of the city? That's impossible."
"We would like to think that, but the vampires ARE gone."
"Have you such an inadequate grasp of politics?"
"What does politics have to do with this?!"
"Politics are the destroyers of nations. The kine came here and, most likely, pitted each clan against the others through covert political operations. That done, no clan could attack the Society because they were too busy fighting all the other clans and probably even parts of their own clans. Most likely they never even knew the Society was behind it until the Cainites of this city became so fragmented that the kine picked them off, one at a time, leaving each clan to blame another for every death. The Kindred did most of the work for their own destruction."
Seldes stared at her. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Why hadn't he seen it before? It was the only logical explanation.
"The one weapon we have against them here is that we are united." Sharma continued. "All we have to do is surround them in one place, and they will fall easily to what you call a simple method."
"So what do you suggest?"
"We know they meet in houses. Houses burn easily."
Seldes flinched.
"It is simple. With ourselves as a new threat, no doubt the kine will call a meeting of all their members as soon as another large disruption is made. All of them in one house."
Seldes nodded slowly. Her intention was clear. He didn't like it. But it truly seemed to be the only way. "So far, they've only seen Michaela, Courtney, and Sugar."
"It is better that they think there are only three."
"Right. Their guard won't be as high." Seldes jumped off the table. "Well, then, we'll be needing the others, won't we?"
Sharma nodded. "We will find their location tomorrow night. Then we will bring the others."
Closed out factory in Geneva
Seldes watched silently as Sharma went through a series of motions which rivaled the Royal Ballet in grace and agility. Hard to believe this was actually a form of battle training.
Finally, she sank into a kneeling position and was still. Seldes didn't even breathe. Of course, he hadn't for a while, but this time he paid attention to it.
When she at least stood up and set her scimitar down on the nearest table, he felt he could safely assume she was done.
"I know we're only supposed to be talking about fighting and stuff..." he began. The Assamite glanced over at him. Oh wow, he had been acknowledged. "But I have to ask..." he continued. "Why did you come after me last night? Didn't I prove myself unworthy or something by going into a situation I couldn't handle?"
If Sharma had been anyone other than herself, she would have rolled her eyes. But seeing as how she wasn't anyone but herself, her face remained expressionless.
"Defending one's allies, even the wayward ones, is an obligation of honor." she finally answered.
"Oh." Seldes deflated slightly. He had hoped his team unity talk had gotton to her SOMEhow....well, maybe it had and she just wasn't admitting it.
"Well, anyway, moving on." he hopped up onto a sewing table. "The Society. I assume you're willing to discuss them now?" when they had returned the previous night, Sharma had spent the rest of time until daybreak polishing her scimitar AGAIN and being totally deaf to Seldes' pleas that they compare notes on the Society. He was beginning to think the scimtar thing was some sort of ritual....
"........Very well." Sharma finally conceded.
"Okay!" Seldes exclaimed triumphantly. "Well, first of all, we know they've found a new base of operations in the city. I think finding it should be our primary focus right now, since we can't do anything to them until we know where they are." Sharma said nothing, so he continued. "I'm thinking we should search the city on foot in the early evening. That way, we can mingle with the humans still on the streets and perhaps come across one of the members. I remember some of their faces, particularly the two I saw last night and-"
"The girl." Sharma interrupted.
"Yes, I was just getting to her. She'll probably be the easiest to find and follow. She's far too young to know any True Faith Discipline to the point of profeciency..."
"Don't be so certain."
"I know, but you have to admit she'd be less of a threat than an adult." Sharma made no objection. "We could simply follow her-"
"Bring her here." Sharma interrupted for the third time.
"What?"
"Bring her here. A child will break more easily under questioning than an adult."
Seldes' eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute. You mean... are you suggesting we TORTURE her?!"
This time, Sharma looked straight at him, clearly surprised. "Of course. Was that not your intention?"
"NO!" the Nosfertu exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. "We are not torturing anybody! Least of all a little girl!"
The Assamite's brow knit in annoyance. "How do you plan to extract information then? They will not volunteer it freely."
"Oh for the love of....I may not be any good in a battle, but I'm proud to say I don't have to resort to torture to gain information! I only meant we should follow her back to their base in the hope that she would be less able to detect our presence. From there we can get the information required to defeat them ourselves. For goodness' sake, Sharma! Don't you think one of their members being tortured and possibly killed might do something like attract their attention and put them on their guard?!"
"They are already on their guard!" Sharma spat, showing the first sign of any emotion Seldes had ever seen in her.
"Well they don't need to be even MORE on their guard!"
"Are you so weak-stomached that you cannot abide the sight of blood?" Sharma snapped in something resembling a taunting tone.
"No, I'm too much of a bleeding heart!" Seldes freely admitted. "And here's one thing you can learn about me, Sharma! I do not torture, I do not kill without necessity, and I do not pick on kids, no matter what organisations they're involved in!"
The Assamite grunted and lifted her sword off the table. She took a few practice slashes in the air, apparantly to calm herself, and placed it back down.
"Anyway...." Seldes muttered. "Let's explore another line, shall we?" Once again, no voiced objection.
"This may be gettting a little ahead of ourselves, but do you have any idea how we're going to go about attacking these people?"
"Yes."
There was a pause.
"So are you going to tell me what it is?"
Sharma turned to face him once more. "They are a large group. We are a small one. There is only one way for a small group to destroy a larger one."
"And that is?"
"Don't you know? To surround them."
Seldes frowned. "But remember, these people drove a whole community of Kindred out of this city. I'm not sure such a simple method...."
"Do you actually think the humans took up stakes and torches and chased the kafir out of the city? That's impossible."
"We would like to think that, but the vampires ARE gone."
"Have you such an inadequate grasp of politics?"
"What does politics have to do with this?!"
"Politics are the destroyers of nations. The kine came here and, most likely, pitted each clan against the others through covert political operations. That done, no clan could attack the Society because they were too busy fighting all the other clans and probably even parts of their own clans. Most likely they never even knew the Society was behind it until the Cainites of this city became so fragmented that the kine picked them off, one at a time, leaving each clan to blame another for every death. The Kindred did most of the work for their own destruction."
Seldes stared at her. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Why hadn't he seen it before? It was the only logical explanation.
"The one weapon we have against them here is that we are united." Sharma continued. "All we have to do is surround them in one place, and they will fall easily to what you call a simple method."
"So what do you suggest?"
"We know they meet in houses. Houses burn easily."
Seldes flinched.
"It is simple. With ourselves as a new threat, no doubt the kine will call a meeting of all their members as soon as another large disruption is made. All of them in one house."
Seldes nodded slowly. Her intention was clear. He didn't like it. But it truly seemed to be the only way. "So far, they've only seen Michaela, Courtney, and Sugar."
"It is better that they think there are only three."
"Right. Their guard won't be as high." Seldes jumped off the table. "Well, then, we'll be needing the others, won't we?"
Sharma nodded. "We will find their location tomorrow night. Then we will bring the others."