Nines was upstairs, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. It had been a long night. Some sabbat shovel-heads had tried to bust in through the back, scaring some of the local kine. Probably trying to get revenge for the one he had dusted earlier... Just as he was contemplating calling it an early night, he heard Skelter's voice drift up the stairs.
"Well, if it ain't the talk of the town; poster child for Camarilla benevolence. What errand does the prince have you runnin' today, girl?" The Anarch's voice was dripping with disdain, a tone that would have sent any normal kindreds temper soaring.
Rodriguez stifled a smirk, knowing immediately who the man was talking to, and glanced at Damsel who sat in the corner near the stairs, reading some book or another. She apparently didn't care who was downstairs.
He could hear the pout in her voice when she responded, her words a twisted riddle as usual. "The jester plays his little games, and sends this little pawn before him."
The Anarch leader couldn't help but let out a little snort of amusement at the 'prince' being called a jester by a loony malkavian fledgling, and Damsel looked up, an eyebrow raised at his expression. He just shook his head and waved her back to her book. He could hear Jack chuckling, the elder brujah obviously also following the conversation below from his place in the opposite corner from Damsel.
Skelter's voice ran up the stairs, sounding angry and baffled at the same time. "Jester? What? What the hell did you say? Hold on... you're Malkavian, right? Whoa, you're doubly screwed... crazy as hell, and the prince's bitch. Little pawn, you said? Yeah, you got that right. Maybe you're not as crazy as you look."
Her voice floated up, a smile in her voice. "Greetings, Helter Skelter!"
Nines could practically feel Skelter shudder. Everyone got freaked out by malkavians. It was just how it went.
"Huh? How... Damn Malkavians. That shit is creepy. Anyway, yeah, my name is Skelter. I do my part to keep California a Free State for the Anarchs."
Rodriguez stopped paying attention as Skelter started ranting on against the Camarilla. He had heard it all before. Many times.
Suddenly, there was an almost imperceptible change in the air, as if the temperature had dropped by several degrees, and the Anarch leader found his attention again drawn to the conversation at the base of the stairs. A moment of listening and Nines found they were talking about blood, ancient curses, and of course, Caine. The fledgling murmured, "Do you speak of the Dark Father?"
Skelter's voice was low, as if he didn't want to be overheard, when he replied, "Caine, man. Father of all vampires. Killed his brother Abel and was cursed by God to walk eternity feeding on the blood of his children. Some heavy shit, man..."
There was a sharp intake of breath, and a long pause. Suddenly, her voice crept back up the stairs, "The Father, he walks among us. A step behind a smile..."
Nines stared at the stairs, one eyebrow raised. That certainly didn't sound good. In a sudden shift of gears, the malkavians voice again floated up from below, again all honey and sunlight. "I seek he of the numbered name."
Skelter must have pointed the fledgling towards the stairs, as the sound of booted feet could be heard moving up. Suddenly, she floated into view, wearing a clean, lacey white sundress, her feet covered in black leather combat boots. Her waist-length black hair was pulled back from her pale face in a long, thick braid. Where she was getting the pristine white outfits, the Anarch had no idea. Nines was surprised to note that another followed after, a nervous looking Hispanic woman in a yellow coat. The malkavian paused at the top of the stairs, her two-toned eyes drifting around the upper room. They rested on Jack briefly, then skittered over to Nines. As the pair made their way slowly across the floor, the woman following the malkavian closed her eyes tight, her hand snapping out to grab the fledgling's arm. The malkavian turned to her companion, her head tilted to one side.
All three Anarchs in the room found their eyes fixed on the two women as the malkavian started to sway, her head weaving slowly and her eyes shut. The woman in yellow, a thin-blood from the smell of her, whispered, "Mirina...? Why is he smiling? The Father? Is it - Is it the Father behind him?"
Without a pause, the strange fledgling responded, "I see the Dark Father, and the one who stands in front of him." In his corner, Jack shifted his weight, his eyes narrowing slightly on the pair.
"You chased it for the one at the top of the city... on the sea..." The thin-blood's voice started to waver, little gasps interspersing her speech. "Oh, underground... ha... you found it, in the crypt." Suddenly, her voice was fearful, and she shuddered. "Oh, it's open... hoh, it's open... oh god, oh god... run!"
The malkavian gave an odd little giggle, her eyes slowly drifting open as she stilled. "Yes. The tomb will light up the night sky!" She paused, then pulled her arm out of her companions grip, watching the trembling thin-blood and saying, "Something plagues the Dam Sail... but we will find the little green man for you first."
The white-clothed malkavian turned, her gaze settling on Nines as she pulled the thin-blood after her. Rodriguez opened his mouth, running on autopilot after the unnerving show put on by the two women, but the malk cut him off. "The White King! I picked this thin little Rose from a patch of sandy brambles. She wants a better plot of dirt, and needs the end of the rainbow to get there."
Nines blinked at her, then shifted his gaze to the thin-blood. "Any chance you can talk straight, or is that too much to hope for?" The Hispanic kindred twisted her hands together, and the malkavian also turned her gaze on the thin-blooded vampire. "My... my name is Rosa. She... found me under the pier, she said you could help me. I need to get out of the city. It's not safe here for those like me."
The Anarch appraised the thin-blood for a moment, his eyes flicking over to the patiently waiting malkavian who stood at her side with her hands clasped before her as if in prayer.
"Yeah... We can do that. Go talk to Skelter, downstairs. He'll get you what you need."
The malkavian clapped her hands together, a pleased smile brightening her face. She turned to the one called Rosa, clasping on of her hands between her pale fingers as she swayed very slightly. "You found the end of the rainbow! Go now, and listen to the man in the picture box, he'll tell you what happens once you've gone." Rosa offered a tentative smile, murmuring, "Thank you, friend. I would not have gotten out in time without you."
Mirina closed her eyes briefly, going still. Opening her eyes slowly, she smiled again and whispered, "Good luck, Rosa."
With that, the thin-blood nodded and moved back down the stairs, the sound of a murmured conversation just barely audible as she talked to Skelter.
After she had gone, Nines turned his attention back to the malkavian, absently noting that Damsel had gone back to her book, but Jack was still watching the fledgling.
"So. Your name is Mirina, is it?" The girl lifted her gaze back to Nines, nodding. "That's what the voices tell me."
...
Mirina stared up at the imposing Anarch leader, the voices that had plagued her in the few weeks since her ill-fated date with destiny dropping down to hushed, infrequent whispers as long as she looked at his eyes. Startlingly blue, she thought. He was talking, something about kindred politics. But she knew all that already, the voices, hated, trusted, despised but always right, had already told her everything he was saying. More or less. He paused, frowning, and Mirina nodded, murmuring, "Nearly silent in the sky, I wonder how you hush them so."
He just raised an eyebrow, and she sighed inwardly. Ever since her embrace, she had trouble making people understand her. She knew she was saying exactly what she meant, what the voices told her, what she could see... But the poetry that flowed from her lips seemed to confuse, rather then enlighten. Oh well, maybe one day she could make them understand. The elder vampire shrugged, then showed her a few hand to hand moves. Those will come in handy, whispered a voice, just to her left. The young malkavian smiled at him when he was done his instruction, and he blinked, his blue eyes searching her face for something. The voices were silent as to what he was looking for, instead murmuring on and on about the red-headed Anarch somewhere behind her, speaking of sickness and plague. She didn't want to move, pleased with the subdued tone of the voices, but she knew she couldn't stand there forever.
...
Nines watched with a slight, puzzled frown on his face as the slender malkavian turned, her eyes fixing immediately on Damsel who looked up in surprise as the fledgling approached.
"Ahh! It is the Dam Sail of Distress! Something is plaguing you." Nines didn't even bother wondering how she knew his second-in-command's name, or how she knew about the plaguebearer already, his attention being drawn to Jack, who had wandered over. The grizzled vampire grinned at Nines, his voice low and his eyes flickering over to the white-clad malk and an increasingly disturbed looking Damsel. "Interesting kid, eh Nines?"
Without waiting for a response, the sometimes-anarch asked, "What do you make of that 'dark father' business with the thin-blood?" Rodriguez shook his head, his eyes also drawn to the strange new kindred in their midst. "I dunno. Doesn't sound good, whatever it is. Don't know how accurate her... insight is though. Could be nothing..."
Jack regarded Nines briefly, then grinned, "Well, we can always hope she's full of crap, eh?" He trailed off, narrowing his eyes at the young kindred as she drifted away from Damsel towards the two gossiping elder vampires, leaving the red-head staring after her with a bemused sort of look on her face. "I dunno though. Seems pretty spot on with most of what I've heard so far."
Nines nodded, then shot the bearded kindred a wry grin. "Looks like it's your turn to decipher some riddles. Good luck, I think I'm going to call it a night." Jack snickered as Nines moved away, watching the malkavian approach with a dreamy expression on her face. "Yeah, well, I did tell her to drop by if she made it out of Santa Monica..."
Nines paused, glancing over his shoulder, "You met her before?" Jack nodded.
"Yeah. Just after the 'trial'. I'll tell you about it later if you're curious." Rodriguez nodded, then left the two to their reunion, a quiet, vaguely amused feminine voice murmuring, "Smiling Jack!"