A short while later at a Hotel
"This place looks expensive. I'm not sure they're going to rent a room to someone who looks like a beggar." Kashi noted with doubt.
"It's perfect. It's locally owned, not a chain, less of a chance to end up in someone's records. Normally, the service is more accommodating to keep them competitive with the big chains. I'll go in and get the room. Just give me the cash." Sayuri said getting off the Redwing.
"My mom works for a hotel and it's independently owned, so I guess that's true. Mr. Goya is always nice and seems to keep the place up from what I can tell, but, from what I know about hotel policy, they won't take my license and credit card if I don't go in with you." Kashi objected.
Sayuri smiled. "Just what kind of experience do you have with hotel policy?" She asked with a lilt in her voice. She then shook her head. "They'll take mine it's not like they'll charge anything. Unless we trash the room." Sayuri said giving Kashi a comically exaggerated doubtful stare.
"Please, I'm exhausted. What am I gonna to do?" He asked fishing the roll of cash out of his pocket.
"I don't know. We haven't' met werewolves yet. I guess they could come charging in; or maybe leprechauns." Sayuri joked as she took the money.
"Jesus said fairies are real, so I guess that would include leprechauns. I asked him if vampires were what got him into hunting. Apparently not. His youngest sister was eaten by goblins." Kashi rambled tiredly.
"Wha...? What?! No way..." Sayuri exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeah, apparently fairies aren't at all cute." Kashi responded.
"Wow...okay stay here. I'll be back." Sayuri said, going inside.
To Kashi the wait seemed to take forever, but it didn't take more than ten minutes before Sayuri came out and gave Kashi an odd look.
"What is it? They didn't have a room?" Kashi asked tiredly. He was already planning his trip to a Motel Six he'd seen on the ride there.
"They didn't have what I wanted, which was two adjacent rooms. I paid for a room with two beds. Kashi can you behave yourself?" Sayuri asked.
Kashi's mind rolled with the idea of missed opportunities. This night ending in a hotel after having kissed Sayuri would have been more than he could have ever dreamed. Only, somehow, it was a reality and yet it was nothing like what he'd had in mind.
"Sayuri, I'm too tired to do anything and despite my reputation, I've NEVER gone anywhere or done anything with a girl I wasn't invited to do. I swear you're safe. Besides that, you offered me hope we'd see each other again. I'd never risk that for a single night's passion. You're..." Kashi trailed off looking confused and thoughtful. "You're far too special for that." Kashi admitted.
Sayuri leaned in and kissed Kashi again on the lips. Despite being tired, dirty and in a parking lot it was almost as magical as the first time.
"I'm glad. I knew I could trust you, so, I already booked the room. Come on around over there. I talked to the attendant. She's going to open a back way up for you. I told her we got lost and you were chased by a dog. She's going to open a back door near our room." Sayuri pointed off at the location in question.
Kashi pulled around and found the attendant with the door open. "Ouch! You do look bad! You weren't bit, were you?" The attendant asked.
"No. Nothing like that. Just some scrapes from going over a fence. Thanks for asking, though." Kashi said, reaching for his non existant pocket before realizing he didn't have one.
"Here you go thank you for your help. We really thought we were going to have to stay somewhere cheap and awful." Sayuri said giving the woman a twenty.
The attendant gave them a 'no problem' smile and headed off while they entered the room. Kashi looked around impressed by how nice it was. He carefully started to go through the bags he had obtained at Wal-Mart.
"If any other place had been open, I'd have got nicer clothes. This isn't a Wal-Mart budget place." Kashi noted.
"When you're in a hurry and it's after hours it's everyone's place. Besides this place isn't that ritzy. It's not as nice as my Dad's hotel." Sayuri noted.
"Your dad owns a hotel? I thought he was some sort of real estate investor." Kashi asked.
"He is. Just before the housing market crash he and his business partners bought and renovated a Hotel. After they were done the market crashed and the others wanted out so my father bought them out for just what they had in the property. He couldn't make back what he'd put in selling it, so he decided to run it. That way the employees wouldn't be unemployed. It makes money and he could turn a profit selling it now but, he's decided to keep running it 'til he can make a larger profit. Still it ties up more of his investment capital then he'd like. I think he kind of likes it, secretly, or he wouldn't have kept it so long." Sayuri explained while Kashi unpacked the few bags he'd purchased.
"Oh, well, neat. Okay. I'm going to get a shower. You sure this stuff will get that makeup off?" Kashi asked holding up a tube of makeup remover.
"Yes, it's follow the directions and no I'm not going to help you. I don't think it would be smart going into the bathroom with you half naked" Sayuri said with a sly smile.
"Hey! You've been with me half naked all night. And now's the time to get shy about it?" Kashi joked.
"We weren't checked into a hotel then." Sayuri replied jovially.
"Yeah, and a nice one too. I hope there's money left for eats." Kashi said as he was closing the door.
"Plenty! Kashi did you actually look at the roll of money? You did notice they gave you five thousand dollars! I doubt even you will eat that much." Sayuri said.
There was a commotion that sounded like a crash followed by Kashi's angry voice. "Damn it!"
"What is it? Are you alright?" Sayuri asked, concerned.
"Nothing...I...I just didn't mean to take that much from those things. I was so eager to get away from them I didn't look." Kashi admitted.
Sayuri changed into her sleepwear and bussied herself with the television while Kashi cleaned up. When he came back out he was wearing a t-shirt and men's sleep pants. Sayuri looked at him, clad in those thin pants, another fact her cousin Reiko had shared with her leapt into her mind unbidden. Sayuri did her best to banish the thought. She really didn't want to think of why Kashi was nicknamed 'Big Bat Kimura.'
"Something wrong, Sayuri?" Kashi asked.
"No...no, not really. Just sort of wishing our first stay together had happened later. I'm a good Catholic girl at heart. At least I try to be." Sayuri admitted.
"Reiko told me once you were saving yourself for marriage. That takes a lot of strength. I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that, even if I'd have had a background to try." Kashi confided.
"Well, I'm not sure I want to wait until I'm married. I at least would wait 'til I was sure I'd found a man I want to marry. I like you, but I don't think we're there yet." Sayuri admitted.
"You do know me and your cousin Reiko..." Kashi started.
"She told me back when it happened. In far more detail than I wanted." Sayuri admitted.
"Well I'm not ashamed of having a sexual history. Not really proud of it either. It just is what it is. I don't hide it, and I do enjoy the perks but, it did make a lot of girls see me as just a fling. You know, nothing they could get serious about. If I had known that, I might have reigned myself in a little. When I started, though, I was too young and stupid to know that." Kashi admitted.
"How….um...how old... when did..." Sayuri attempted to ask.
"I was fourteen. Too young, looking back. It sort of happened by accident." Kashi replied.
"Accident?" Sayuri wondered.
"Yeah, sit over here and I'll tell you if you want." He blushed slightly. "Although I'll understand if you don't. It's not exactly a story you tell your girlfriend and I promise, no funny business. I swear." Kashi said leaning back on the headboard of his bed.
"It's okay. I did ask after all." Sayuri said as she slid into sitting position next to Kashi, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders as he started his story.
"So, anyway, I've always played a lot of sports. You name it, I played it. Soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming, and one of my favorites, surfing. I even did the strength training thing and played football." For emphasis, Kashi raised his free arm and flexed his bicep. The large muscle swelled up dramatically, straining the confines of the cuff of his t-shirt. "I changed up a few times what I played through high school before I had to stop and concentrate because I had to focus on getting a scholarship, so I went with what I enjoyed most which was soccer." Kashi explained.
"Was it what you were best at because you liked it, or did you like it because you were best at it?" Sayuri asked sleepily.
"The first one, I think. One of the few things I remember me and my old man doing that I liked was watch soccer. That and martial arts films, but you don't' get many offers for martial arts scholarships. But, back to the story. That summer I was playing baseball. I slid into home plate. I slid hard. It ripped my pants and snaped the strap on my cup, which caused my junk to flop out the now open side of my pants when I stood up. After that, everyone started calling me big bat. Not to brag too much, you know, it's just what happened." Kashi remembered.
"I'd heard that story from Reiko." Sayuri drowsily affirmed.
"Well she wasn't there, but I'm sure she heard about it around school. What later tellings don't say is ripping the pants leg when I slid into base caused me to tear up my leg pretty badly. I skinned most of the outside of my left leg, left arm and palm of my right hand. me sliding into home won the game, but I had really bad scrapes and bruises all along the side. Mom was working and she rushed out to check on me. She got me home, but had to get back to work. So, I was left at home, alone, laying on the couch with a bag of ice on my outer thigh. Willow was at some summer study program at the library. So, while I was alone, I tried to distract myself from the pain by doing what a young man would do when he's alone and unable to wear pants..." Kashi admitted with an embarrassed lilt in his voice.
"Oh...? OH!" Sayuri realized, blushing and smiling at Kashi's obvious embarrassment.
"Not long after, my friend Samantha came over. You met her at the party tonight. Sam and I had been friends since kindergarden. I didn't think of her as a girl, really just a friend. So there I was, trying to conceal what I'd been doing. She looked at my leg and told me she was sorry. She then caught sight of the umm...'inspirational materials' I'd been using. She asked me how I could be doing what it was obvious I'd been doing if I hurt so much. I admitted to her it made me feel better but I couldn't finish because I was having trouble with my arm and hand, so she might as well stay. She...well...she offered to help." Kashi explained.
"She what...?" Sayuri asked.
"She offered to do it for me. I think she was curious about how a guy is, you know, put together. In real life. Not just in books and pictures. So I told her to go ahead." Kashi explained.
"Oh God, and then the two of you kept going I take it?" Sayuri said.
"Yeah we were young, curious and didn't really know what we were doing. I mean, not really. We knew it felt good, of course. Sam had to do the work that first time. The rest of the summer we kept doing it any time we didn't think we'd get caught. Which we did, of course, being young and stupid the third time we did it. I got the mother of all lectures from mom. She did, however, tell me where and how to buy condoms. Mom's kind of a realist, I guess. She said a high libido ran in both sides of my family. Looking back, it wasn't bad sharing that moment with Sam. She was a friend and all but it would have been a lot better if it had been someone I knew was more than a friend. Someone I really wanted to keep in my life forever." Kashi finished. He waited for a response. When none came he leaned to take a more careful look at Sayuri's face.
He was afraid she was angry with him. It was then he then realized she'd fallen asleep. Kashi sighed. In the stillness of the room, he could hear Sayuri's soft breathing. He was exhausted, but he smiled at the sound. Kashi leaned over and turned out the light and turned off the television. It had been a very long day.
University of California, Irvine
Brad pointed to the screen. He was obviously proud of himself. "Right there, little man! That's the location where we'll find the subject based on all available variables; observed speed, heading, rate of etheric erasure and ethero-magnetic distortion from the wards already on her interacting with the wards laid on her location.
"Are you sure? I mean this is my ass we're talking about. If you're wrong..." Greg challenged.
"Absolutely! The subject will be at most five meters off from this point." Brad bragged.
"Actually, your center is off about a yard and a half, but I'll let it slide." Came a familiar voice from the back of the room near the door to the labs.
Both looked at each other then slowly turned toward the door to see the very man they were afraid they would see. There stood the Cowboy, Jesse. He was taking off his hat as he always did indoors. He thumped a cigarette butt out into the rain that had begun to fall outside. He turned back to eye both of them.
"Um...hey, Jesse! I guess you found out about the situation. I was going to tell you, but I wanted to know more before I called to bothe..." Greg stopped mid sentence. He no longer saw Jesse in front of him. He then instantly felt a cold ring of metal on the back of his neck.
"Kid you are as dumb as you look. Now, I want you to pay very close attention to my words. I'm going to ask you a question and your answer is going to determine if I'm going to have to kill you. If the girl was dead were you going to 'fess up to me or were you going to run?" Jesse asked with grave seriousness.
"I was going to confess. Hope for the best." Greg replied in a shrill voice.
The cold ring of metal lifted from the back of his neck. Greg's hands started to shake. He began to try to regain his composure and salvage some dignity but it was a losing battle. He had never seen the Cowboy work such vulgar magic before. He knew he would not have have wasted such power just to scare him.
"You were going to do it. I mean really do it, weren't you?!." Greg babbled in amazement.
"Never draw on someone you don't think you're going to half to kill, kid. These aren't toys." Jesse said putting his pistol away.
"And, if you ran where would you go, Greg? I don't suppose you'd thought that far, but the only answer would have forced any of us to have to kill you." Brad chipped in.
"Shut it! I'm not too happy with you, either. You were pretty sure the girl was okay, but with the stakes we're playing at; pretty sure isn't what we want to go on. We want to be completely sure." Jesse barked.
"Where would I have gone?" Greg asked confused.
"Jesus H. Christ!" Jesse said turning around to glare at Greg.
"Newbie, this is a mission of importance to the Council of Traditions. If you blew this and ran, there is only one group that would have taken you." Brad said in disbelief.
"You thought I'd have gone Technocracy?! Become a conformist?! I have more self respect then that!" Greg assured.
"Whatever opinion you have of yourself it's too much. You are a world class screw up, kid. If we weren't down to the last nine to twelve weeks of this, I'd have you replaced." Jesse said in derision.
"What I want to know is how you, Jesse, know this is off by even a few feet?" Brad inquired.
"Because I already knew and scouted the wards that were left when Professor Sparks took off for the Big Easy. There's only two. One is in the shadow of downtown where that hunter, Spectre, owns a bar. It's now under new management of course. The other is a house on the outskirts of San Diego. It's a backup residence of one Lucille Poindexter, hunter and octogenarian." Jesse explained.
"And you'd already checked the bar?" Brad guessed.
"I've already been to the house and seen the girl through a slat in the fence. She was setting up folding tables in the backyard." Jesse admitted.
"And you didn't tell us?" Greg asked amazed.
"Well you didn't tell me she was missing, now did you kid? Watch the tone too. You're still on really thin ice with me right now. This is more than an investment of almost a decade. If our calculations are right, by New Year's, at the latest, this girl will ascend. At that point the first part of the prophecy will be fulfilled. We already have a very high degree of chance that there will be interference from Hunters and Vampires, both whom have been exposed to the child. They both have their own abilities to sense the supernatural. They might have already guessed what she is going to be. They won't know of the prophecy, so that shouldn't be an issue. However, if one of those groups goes and attracts Technocratic interference they might try to scoop her up as part of a simple recuitment drive. I can't begin to tell you how badly that would muck things up for us. We'd have to give away our watch which would reveal she's more than a coming ascension, revealing she's important, and thus something they don't want us to have." Jesse lectured in an abnormally long explanation for the normally taciturn Cowboy.
"Problem is you're such a newbie you didn't get out of your apprenticeship 'til after the Zigg'rrauglurr were defeated and our limited cease fire with the techno's started. You have no idea how hot the War of Belief can get." Brad added.
"Neither of you was around when the Adepts were part of the Technocracy or you'd both have a better clue as to the sheer competence of the Order. I've been a mage more than a hundred and fifty years. I remember those times. The mission might have gone way off course but the devotion and drive are still strong. I helped run telegraph wires and telephone lines over an entire continent linking one ocean to the other with telecommunications. The Traditions never did things on that scale. The cease fire has been good for us but in a couple of years it is up for renewal. I doubt the Technocracy will be renewing it as it's been better for us then for them. It's time to get serious. What happened tonight was an unforgivable screw up." Jesse judged.
"Next time I'll be sure to call you." Greg said dejectedly.
"Kid, if there is a next time you're going to find yourself in a very shallow grave out in the California desert. Make no mistake about that. So, for your sake, there had better not be a next time." Jesse said in deadly seriousness. With that said he picked up the tablet computer and handed it to Brad.
"I'm going back to watch directly as the wards make that thing useless. When it lights up again you're on shift, so get some shut eye. Eight hours after that…" He turned to Greg. "...this idiot is back on the ball. So, you'd better do your best to man up before then, kid." Jesse said walking out.
Brad shrugged at Greg. He set the tablet's alarms back on and headed off to find a bed. He left the hipster to sit and think about how close he came to death.
Lucy's House, the next Evening
Kashi pulled the redwing up into the yard beside the driveway. The Marauder was gone , and cars no longer took up most of the street. However, there were still a pair of cars in the driveway so he parked Lucy's bike next to the side of the house and went for the gate. Sayuri leapt off the back of the bike and followed after him. To their surprise, no one was in the backyard. They slipped into the kitchen and heard talking in the living room where they found Lucy and James.
"Hey Kashi! You feeling any better?" James asked.
"Yeah, I guess. Where is everyone? We're still going to do this, aren't we?" Kashi asked.
"Yeah, kid, we are. Everyone else is preparing in other locations. The sun will be down soon and the vampires will come out." Lucy said, ignoring Kashi's scowl at the mention of the vampires. "The other hunters are off with Tex and her tank preparing for the assault. James stayed behind to lead you out to meet them." Lucy explained.
"I also slept late because I was practicing my shooting with Bree. It made a lot of difference." James bragged.
"Yeah, apparently he can hit the general area of a target now." Lucy said.
"Hey! It's better than missing them altogether!" James said defensively.
"Well, that it is, kid. That it is. Just so you know, it will get harder to see improvement from there so don't get discouraged. You've gone from ludicrously bad to a novice. So it's a step in the right direction. Just don't ever overestimate where you stand. Friendly fire is a hell of a thing to have on your conscience, even when you don't kill someone." Lucy lectured.
"Where's the squirt?" Kashi asked.
"Upstairs. Her and Bree are still napping. Bree can sleep in since she's going with the vampires. Willow is staying here with Lucy, safe from the action." James said pointing toward the stairs.
"I'm up! Hold on before you head out! I need to talk to Kashi. I'll be down in a second." Bree's voice called out from above.
"Oh! Kashi, I want you to use my brother's tac suit. It won't fit me, but it will fit you. I know you're basically bullet proof and all or at least you can be if you use your powers, but you CAN be hurt so it can only help!" James offered.
"You sure? I mean it might not fit you, but I don't know... You kind of need it more than me, don't ya? You're not bullet proof at all." Kashi said his voice unsure..
"Nah. It's made for someone several inches taller and much broader through the torso. It wouldn't work as well on me. It would it would flap around loose and catch on stuff so better you use it." James offered again, handing him the suit.
"Yeah okay. I'll go put it on, I guess. Kashi said unfolding the suit and looking at the straps uneasily.
"I'll help you. It's not as hard as it looks." Bree offered coming into the room. She motioned for Kashi to follow her. He nodded and ventured into the bathroom. Bree helped Kashi out of his clothes and into the suit
"Not that I haven't seen it all before but I'm glad you don't have to take the under garments off." Bree commented as she helped him fasten the straps of the suit. She was remembering the times she'd brought Kashi home, naked, from some of his sexual escapades after being run off by irate fathers or in one case, an infuriated grandmother.
"Yeah, yeah. Very funny. Anyway, what did you want to tell me?" Kashi asked as she helped him.
"I wanted to talk to you about the vampires…" Bree began.
"Why are you going with them, anyway?" Kashi asked cutting her off. "These are the same people that tried to gun me down." He said stubbornly.
"No, they're not, at least not these people." Bree answered diplomatically. She knew Kashi was wrong but she was trying to broach her chosen topic with caution. He had just been viciously attacked, after all. "But, what I want to tell you is don't push them. Did you not notice that they are sucking up to us hard…?"
"No, I didn't notice. None of them even spoke to me. I didn't even get an apology." Kashi pointed out with venom in his voice as he narrowed his eyes. "The only thing they did was try to have their underling buy me off!"
"Do you know why? It's because they're afraid. They're afraid of us. If you push them into a corner they'll attack like mad dogs. Just tell them to leave you alone and they will. Besides, I doubt they thought to apologize for what a completely separate group of vampires did; a group, I might add, that they're just as keen as the hunters to destroy." Bree explained.
Kashi blinked. He looked nonplussed. "Scared? They're scared of me? Why should they be scared of me? I'm afraid of them! They're the ones that could ruin my life, mom's life and potentially hurt everyone who I love." Kashi lamented.
"Just don't show that you're afraid of them. Act confidently, but assure them that you have no intentions of coming after them. If you leave them alone your problems with vampires should vanish. They wish you'd go away the same as you wish they'd go away. As for me, I can't do that. They know something about who killed my father. That's something I can't pass up." Bree revealed.
"They murdered your dad! I liked him!" Kashi exclaimed.
"No, not them but they know who did or think they do. If they are involved I will take care of it, Kashi. He was my father. You were five and barely remember him." Bree said sternly.
"I guess it's your business, but I wouldn't trust them. I might not know much about vampires but I know scum when I see them. These guys are all street trash scum or oily users. You know, the sort that become pushers and pimps." Kashi said.
"Well you're right not to trust them. I don't trust them either, but I have to do what I have to do. Come on lets get back out there. You'll need to head out with James." Bree finished opening the door.
The pair walked back into the living room. James noded approvingly. "Yeah, that suit fits you well." He commented.
"You look like an action figure. G.I. Joe or something like that." Sayuri said.
"Never played with action figures much." Kashi admitted.
"Let's go, Kashi. We'll have to meet up with Tex enroute. That tank will be slow going getting there." James said.
Kashi noded to James. "Be there in a minute."
Kashi turned and took hold of Sayuri's hands. "Be careful here. Don't trust those vampires. No matter what they say." He leaned in closer. "And keep an eye on any hunters that stay too." Kashi added in a whisper.
"You're the one who needs to be careful. You are the one going into the firefight. Good luck out there. Come back safe." Sayuri leaned in and gave Kashi another kiss.
With that, everyone headed out. Bree got into her car, while Kashi jumped into the car James had commandeered and they sped away.
Sayuri turned to look at Lucy. Now that they were alone she fidgeted uncomfortably.
"So what do we do now?" Sayuri asked.
"For now we wait. The vampires are sending a few of their own over to help protect the house. This place is warded so they're going to route their communications hub through here as well. Also, I think they're going to make sure we're not planning to double cross them." Lucy said.
"Do the hunters possess healing powers?" Sayuri asked seemingly out of the blue.
"A few. Simone has some healing powers, but most Hunter healing powers are about sealing holes and stopping trauma. She'll be going with the others to do field healing." Lucy explained.
"You know the Manifested have healing powers. My cousin doesn't have any, though. It seems the powers they gain are linked to the sort of mundane skills they develop. She never shared my desire to heal others. Their powers heal anything they've tried. So far only a few rare toxins have proved beyond them. If more of them were around or had those powers most diseases and ailments wouldn't be dangerous anymore." Sayuri rambled nervously.
"Even with so few of them they've revolutionized medicine by inventing new drugs and treatments." The older woman looked at Sayuri. " I doubt this conversation is random. Sweetie, did you see one of my bottles?" Lucy asked gently.
"I didn't mean to pry it just caught my eye when I was useing your bathroom." She confessed.
"Don't worry about it. I didn't think to move them before sending you in there. I don't publicise it but it's only a matter of months at best before the others find out anyhow. I have cancer. I used to smoke so it's likely the source of it. They're pretty sure it's spread outside the lungs. With the new drugs and treatments, if i'm lucky, I have just over two years. If i'm not...well I'd rather keep thinking positive" Lucy admitted.
"I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do." Sayuri said.
"Well it's sad but don't dwell on it. Everyone dies sometime or another. Eighty two isn't young you know. I just always figured it was a monster that had my number, not something I did to myself." Lucy said as she got up and walked into the kitchen.
Sayuri pondered Lucy's words and the sadness hidden behind them. She wanted to see that southern California was safe and stable. Lucy didn't want to die knowing the area was at risk of falling apart when she left it. In many ways she was the last glue holding the pacts and commitments that this mysterious group called the Seven had put together.
Sayuri went into the kitchen as she did she felt someone was behind her. She turned to see Willow.
"Hey Sayuri! Did Kashi keep his hands to himself or did you have to pepper spray him?" She asked in a cheerful tone.
"He was perfectly well behaved, and don't sneak up on me like that!" Sayuri reprimanded.
"I didn't do it on purpose. I'm just light. Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's see what there is to eat! Oh...I bet you ate with the bottomless pit earlier." Willow said with a chipper tone as she jaunted into the kitchen.
Sayuri shook her head as she followed her in the kitchen. She found Lucy was already heating up some soup for Willow. Sayuri realized Lucy's senses were sharp, not just from being a hunter but from being used to the house. No doubt she heard something Sayuri had missed. Perhaps the water cutting on and off upstairs.
"Do you want something Sayuri?" Lucy inquired
"Yes, but not food. I'll get myself a soda here and then, if you don't mind, I'd like to know more about the group that keeps getting mentioned; the Seven everyone keeps referring too." Sayuri asked.
"Well alright, kid. Sit down there and I'll tell you a bit about thing. Back then things were different; this was late 2004 and all sorts of craziness was going on. The FBI had called off the manhunt for the projectors. I'm sure you remember that little bit of history. The projectors who were left started up little mom and pop projection firms, most of whom failed. There was talk of lawsuits by Orpheus stockholders against the US government for how they handled the Orpheus headquarters bombing. They were talking about suing the new start ups for stealing their techniques. Most of the mages were involved in some oddball confrontation among factions or something. The werewolves were mostly combating something on the spirit plane, or so they claim. We hunters were putting out fires left and right from everyone else who was convinced the world was ending. Half of us believed it too, just from how much things seemed to be going to hell." Lucy explained.
"Several odd things happened to the vampires but the one thing that got the local's attention was war. The local vampires had their own faction. They called it the 'Anarch Free State.' They sought to rule themselves without the influence of the two main factions of vampire politics. The first, the Camarilla, which is run by old, powerful vampires and is interested in protecting the vampire world from discovery and being hunted. Then there is the Sabbat. The Sabbat is, ostensibly, mostly made up of rebels who reject the Camarilla's meddling but at the top it's run by elders who give them the illusion of freedom. In truth they keep up very much the same masquerade only they do it by leaning on mortal institutions to cover their excesses out of fear instead of manipulation or bribery."
"Is that what they were fighting about last night?" Sayuri asked.
"Partially, yes. It all ties into their politics. Anyway, the Anarch Free State was a loose, disorganized band but they had cobbled together enough defense to keep both sides out. They were taken by complete surprise when they were attacked by a third force known as the Kuei-jin."
"Kuei-jin. That sounds like a Japanese word, but...wrong." Willow interjected.
"The Kuei-jin are from the East. They are not vampires. They're more like ghosts. They possess human bodies to walk around they can eat flesh like a zombie for power or drink blood like a vampire or just suck the life energy out of you like some ghosts can. When they attacked they tore the Anarch Free State apart many of their leaders were killed. The Sabbat immediately attacked. The Camarilla launched a mission to take over under the guise of saving California from invaders.
"When the dust cleared the Camarilla had a Prince in LA who barely kept the local population from rebellion. The Sabbat completely controlled San Diego. The Kuei-jin had a foothold in Chinatown and kept an eye on all comers eager to start up their stalled offensive.
This is the situation the Seven came to power in. They were all living in this area, but I suppose the thing that brought them together was Keith. so I'll start with him" Lucy said as she poured two bowls of soup; one for herself and one for Willow.
"Keith McDowell was a doctor of medicine. He also was in the military. He returned to the states after an IED nearly cost him his arm. He was given an early discharge and went back to school to get another degree. He wanted to be a biochemist so he could do more research into medicine now that his surgery skills had been compromised." Lucy explained.
"A medical doctor, huh? Was this Doctor Spectre an MD or PHD?" Sayuri asked.
"He was a PHD. Several of the Seven were, but more about them later. To begin, Keith fell in love with a woman he'd met at school. When he graduated he talked to her about moving in together with an eye to get married if it worked out. As it turns out, she was a vampire. That night she revealed what she was and fed from him. " Lucy said
"She didn't love him and wanted to kill him? Sayuri asked.
"No, far from it. Most of the time vampires don't kill when they feed, but she was very emotional. Her control wasn't there and she slipped up. If not, he'd have likely have become a ghoul. He'd have drank some of her blood, stopped ageing and entered into the fringe of the vampire world. However, she accidentally drained him to the verge of death. Her only choices were let him die or bring him over. She she chose to bring him over. ." Lucy explained,
"Vampire blood stops you from aging?" Willow asked.
"Yes, among other powers, but it is also is addictive, even more so than heroin. It also affects your mind. Those who are weak willed become completely enslaved by desire to please the vampire they drink from. Even if you have a strong will, you'll feel a powerful pull of sympathy. There are some hunters, mostly those who lack the Imbuement, who drink it to gain supernatural powers. Those that do often kill the vampire they take it from to avoid the pull. Some even become as monstrous as any beast out there, hunting even decent vampires that haven't done anything just for their blood." Lucy expounded.
"Kashi and I met a ghoul I think. His name was Mercurio." Sayuri added.
"Yes, there were quite a few here yesterday. The Sabbat doesn't use ghouls as much as the Anarchs or the Camarilla. Mercurio and experienced ghouls like him can fight the young vampires the Sabbat mass produce and win." Lucy explained.
"Greater experience and brains over raw power." Willow surmised.
"Yes, but again, girls, back to the story please. The Prince held to Camarilla law and under that law he had the power to say who could or couldn't make a vampire. When you feed off the blood of others population control is important. Keith's fiancee, Odessa, was popular, smart and good at speaking out against the Prince without looking like she was rabble rousing. As such he was spying on her, waiting for her to make a mistake. His spies caught her just after she brought Keith over. They stormed in within minutes of his turning and in a few hours they had her on the stage for public execution.
"Keith was devastated. He met Doc Spectre that first confusing night. The Doc had a letter of introduction to meet the L.A. prince from the prince of New York for whom he had done some favors. He was an oddity: a hunter vampires could work with. His first meeting with L.A.'s prince left a bad taste in his mouth. The Prince, La Croix, was frankly powerhungery. He was more worried about his personal power than public safety. The doc also had a friend with him. His name was Alex. He was a werewolf looking for a purpose to his power. Werewolves, as a whole, think they are supposed to rule mankind and force them to go down what they think of as the right path. Some sort of living in harmony with nature bull. You know, hippies with claws. Alex rejected that. He nominally sided with a small faction of his kind that felt they were supposed to guide and protect, not rule and terrorize.
"Keith started just trying to survive. But as La Croix got bolder in his thirst for power Keith started putting together a coalition to take down the Prince.
"The Doc and Alex joined in too. The Doc brought in a projector friend of his named Maria Grove. Keith brought in two other vampires; Max Strauss's protege Zeke Mason and flesh shaper plastic surgeon with an unpronounceable name everyone called Linka for short.
"Looking for more magical aid the Doc made contact with Professor Sparks by the end of things both the sabbat and Kuei-jin attacked. they caused a lot of destruction. the Seven struck back at them in defense of the city. When the dust cleared, they had killed the leader of the Kuei-jin, the head of the Sabbat force tasked with over taking LA and Finally La Croix himself."
"So without meaning too they took out most of to all the power players and sort of took over?" Willow asked
"Well sort of; they shook up the vampire world at least partially. There still was a Camarilla presence and Nines still led the anarchs, as much as you can lead that rabel. No one among the group of allies wanted to let chaos reign so they began putting together a plan on how the vampires could form a compromise government. During all of this, we hunters got a group together to go attack the Sabbat and teach them not to try to burn down L.A. and blow up buildings. They were stronger and better organized than we thought. The Doc's victory made us think a few hunters alone could do what they did. We didn't understand the synergy they brought to the game not just because they were different supernaturals but because along the way they became comrades in arms, perhaps even friends." Lucy said her eyes staring off into the distance It was obvious she was lost in thought, thinking how different yesterday's meeting had been.
"After that fiasco, the Doc laid down the law to the hunters. He said he and the Seven would only sanction attacks on supernaturals that caused active harm. Keith had come up with a compromise government the vampires could tolerate, a council of elders taking the place of the prince's advisers and elections from among the kindred population to head up the city. Keith promised the hunters harsh punishment for vampires that broke some basic rules that protected humans. If the hunters caught a vampire breaking those laws they were to bring evidence to the vampire court for justice. If they were found guilty, a vampire could be declared rouge and anyone in the know about the supernatural world could take him down and earn a bounty. When other things threatened the city the vampires would help the hunters fight whatever it was off." Lucy explained.
"Sounds very...old west" Sayuri added.
"It was. That's why it worked well. Our situation was similar this was the wild frontier out here, in the supernatural world at least, a bit too wild at times. Things worked well for about two years. However, near the end, the Doc got tired of trying to wrangle the hunters. The Seven, as a group, figured out a lot of ways to make money. Things came to a head when he wanted the hunters to start taking pay and getting better organized. He wanted regular patrols through areas needing protection and monitoring. He wanted us to become a police force or, to use your analogy, like old west marshals." Lucy explained.
"I take it many didn't like that." Willow chimed in.
"Hardly. Even I wasn't crazy about it. Now I can see where it had potential. Anyway, as for some of the others, Alex, the werewolf, attracted local fera due to his somewhat...'progressive' policies and not just the wolves you hear about. I mean like werebears and all other kinds of shapechangers. Apparently things were dangerous for them in other places. It's some sort of were-being politics I don't understand. As for the mages, Professor Sparks couldn't get any local magi to help their group. If you think vampires are finicky and stubborn, go talk to a wizard." Lucy said as she took a sip of her drink. "The vampires were problematic but manageable. No one liked their politics outside of the vampires themselves. They are old, manipulative, and used to being on top of things. Still, despite being somewhat manageable, they made themselves a pain in the ass to deal with."
"So even in accidental conquest the rewards weren't really worth the price in keeping up what they'd won, or that's what like. Heavy is the head the wears the crown and all that." Willow said thoughtfully munching on her last cracker and spoonful of soup.
"It was. Then Linka had the idea to move. She presented them with a plan. Hurricane Katrina didn't just drive all the human inhabitants out of New Orleans, it drove away the supernatural. The city was still a mess if they left here and moved in there before anyone else did they could help repair the city and build a unified supernatural community free of most of the cobwebs they were mired in here" Lucy explained.
"So how successful were they?" Sayuri asked.
"Successful beyond their wildest dreams, child. Their civilian personas are well known as pillars of the community. Everything they wanted here they have there. A mixed court of were-beasts rules the shapeshifters. Alex serves as their champion. The Doc has organized the hunters into patrols that keep watch on the city. Maria Grove and professor Sparks founded Integrated Technologies one of the few psionic technology companies that hasn't been overshadowed by the Manifested. As for government contacts, they practically own the place. The police? A special task force of the State troopers is actually all ghouls in their service. The media? They can pull enough strings to get national stories canned. City hall? Kid's stuff, they are personal friends of the governor." She paused for emphasis to let these facts sink in before continuing.
"For your regular Joe it's the safest city in the world from supernatural threats. For everyone supernatural they get a taste of what normal humans feel. They feel what it is to have an actual governing authority over you. One that doesn't fear you. One that doesn't care how rare or special your talents are, it only cares if you're going to keep the peace. If not, God help you 'cause no one else will." Lucy finished.
"Too bad they didn't do that here, then we wouldn't have had trouble." Willow lamented.
Sayuri's face perked up at Willow's remark, as if an epiphany had just occurred to her. "Oh! Maybe that's why Kashi got his powers! Because they aren't' here and the city needed someone else to protect it!" Sayuri offered.
Willow looked at Sayuri doubtfully. "You think Kashi was sent to us as some sort of Superman like savior figure?"
"Willow, someone gave that boy those powers. Someone that no doubt knows better than us. I think it's likely to be the same someone who gave us hunters the imbuements that let us fight back. He seems made to fight the same fight we are." Lucy postulated.
"Kashi meant to save the world?! Mr. 'Watch Me Eat An Entire Bucket Of Chicken In Ten Minutes?!' No! No! No! The universe isn't so ill designed. Kashi got lucky somehow. That's all. He's not a hero he's...he's a goober and a screw up." Willow claimed.
"He is not! His heart's in the right place! He is out there risking his life to protect everyone you included Willow! Now lay off him! I don't want to hear anything negative while he's risking his life!" Sayuri said fiercely.
Willow noded, taken aback by the outburst. Sayuri sat back and wondered if Kashi would be okay. She pondered for a moment before she got up to help Lucy straighten up the kitchen. She dearly hoped he would be alright and wished him luck in a silent prayer.
