Author's note: There is none: just read, enjoy (or not) and tel me what's good and what's bad so I can be bad (glares around). Err... I mean... So I can improve it (sweats heavily).

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Don't ask again.

I was in a blind alley, concealed in the darkness, savoring the warm metallic fluid that restored my strength little by little. Who would have guessed the blonde woman's blood type was O, my favorite? Eventually, my bloodthirst came to an end; but I kept sucking for a while longer, knowing that her life wouldn't be at risk even if I completely satiated myself. I would need her blood in the days to come, and she wouldn't remember anything but a harmless kiss.

When I was done, I placed my hand over the wound I had opened on her neck and it disappeared instantaneously. Her eyes were shut tight and she was sleeping peacefully. She would wake up very soon, though. I gently (didn't need to harm her, after all) placed her on the ground so she would think she had just passed out and left.

I had a tight schedule to comply tonight: I had to get myself a gun (Tremere can't always rely on thaumaturgy: the more we use it, the faster we get tired and need more blood), silver to make bullets (just in case: werewolves are lethal for kindred), and a sword (I had noticed that we, kindred, along with many other creatures of the night, are more vulnerable against a fine swordsman than against a sharp shooter).

Before starting shopping, yet, I dropped myself into a the Last Round: it was one of the most popular Anarch gathering points. I entered and went over the stairs to the end, climbed them up and greeted Skelter, a tall and muscular black man. "Hey! How're ya doing?"

Skelter was as calm as always. "Fine, tell me: is it true? Are you gonna leave L.A?" I didn't sense any emotion from him.

"Well... That's exactly why I've come." I trailed, "are Jack or Nines here? I'd like to know their opinion about that." Skelter replied they hadn't show up yet, and it was most provable they wouldn't do so that night. I said my good-byes and left to start my preparations, since they couldn't wait any longer.

When I came back to the chantry it was nearly already dawn, but I had everything I would need: two double eagles (with enough ammo to take down a giant), a titanium katana (easy to use and very difficult to break) and a box full of silver bullets. I used motus to make everything float to my room and directed myself towards the one I could feel Max from.

I entered the room, bowed towards him and waited for Max to speak. "You've taken your time..." The regent wasn't angry: he was only stating facts. "Have you found everything you required?"

I nodded, and he answered with a warm smile. He was keeping something."Honestly, why have you offered assistance to Dumbledore? And why were you so interested in me accepting this mission?"

Max was... Shocked, to say the least. "And why would you assume I've got any interest in the matter?"

I expected this question, and such, I had the answer ready: "To begin with, this wasn't any Anarch-Camarilla agreement: it was between you and Dumbledore, with the Nosferatu primogen as a necessary complement for your plans -Nosferatu's network has every bit of information I'd need to be properly briefed, hasn't it? Jack and Nines were there only because I trust 'em, and I wouldn't be so cooperative if they were left out of the loop."

His expression was that of a proud father. It was the same face he would put when any Tremere on his chantry learned anything important, like one of the most thaumaturgic powerful charms. "For one so young and so unexperienced, you've got a very good perception towards subterfuge, fledgling."

I had to laugh at that. "Unexperienced? I've learned my lessons well, Max; the hard way." Now it was Max's turn to let a laughter escape his lips. "Seriously, you wouldn't be working so hard to make me go unless the clan's best interests were in stake."

I had struck home, and Max didn't try to do anything to hide that. Had he planned I'd do so? I could never take this feeling out of me whenever I spoke with elders, really frustrating. "They certainly are." He walked over to a shelve with multiple vases on it, took a handful of something on one of them and threw it to the air: ash.

It began to twist on midair and concentrated into a single object on the only desk in the room: a wand, my wand. "As you surely remember from your studies, we Tremere descend from a group of mages who used archaic magic to convert themselves into vampires." He took an amulet and placed it above the wand for ten seconds; muttering, at least, five protecting thaumaturgical spells. "However, during the process, they lost their magic powers and had to develop thaumaturgy, which is the magic we use nowadays.

I nodded. He was glad I didn't even try to interfere his speech. "But, ever since, the wizarding world has been developing new spells, charms and potions, very different to the wandless archaic magic our ancestors lost." He handed me my new wand, and I kept staring at it.

Suddenly, it hit me: "You want me to... Discover if we can get access to this new magic? To get the potions' recipes and every knowledge we can use to increase our power?" This was too much. Not a single Tremere had ever had access to 'normal' magic since the beginning of our times and, now he wanted me to do it.

"Understand that I'm not asking you anything out of your capabilities: even in the worst of cases, they will be more than glad to share any knowledge they have with you and I'm sure some of it may be used even by us." He was making sense, at lest to me. I felt myself relaxing a bit.

"How much will suncream and sun lenses protect me?" My most feared inconvenient. I needed his advise on that.

"Only from indirect sun radiation, or when it's clouded or not too strong." As I feared. "If anyone, by any mean, tries to make you go outdoors without those conditions, find a way out of it. Even if it takes you to bare your fangs and explain why you can't." Well, at least Max would understand if I did that, given the situation.

It was time to get down to politics. "Who's England's Prince?" In the Camarilla, a Prince is the kindred that holds a domain over a territory. All the primogens within that territory respond to him and act as some sort of counselors to him or her.

"Normand Nicklaus, you'll find everything relating on how to contact him and how are the political affairs in England going inside this disc." Max gave me a DVD, provably made by the Nosferatu, and let me return to my room so I could study it.

Author's note: Yeah I know, I know. Short chapter... Even so, how was it? Pleeeeease, tell meeeee.