Club Confession, it loomed ahead, a loud, gothic structure, formerly a cathedral it had been renovated into a popular punk/goth styled club though it had maintained the high iron and wall fences, thick, metal entrance gates, patio courtyard and of course the stylish red paned arched windows. The gates were partially open as usual granting entrance into the opening courtyard. I paused at the gates for a moment to see if the lion headed door knockers were up for a chat but despite some patting and poking from me they choose to stay silent, obviously in a bad mood then.
I stepped into the courtyard and found it busy with smokers and people who had had more than a little too much to drink. Their blood called out to me and I almost salivated, I was so thirsty and there had been no easy prey on the way here. Downtown was just too dangerous for anyone but the polluted hobos and bag ladies to be caught out by themselves. My vision tinged slightly in red and I knew I was in danger of frenzying again. I shrugged it off and forced myself to go into the club, drunken patrons were usually easy to chat up and subtly feed on.
Inside there was no one in the check-in booth as usual, the club was short staffed and the owner, Venus, seemed to prioritise by paying women to dance in cages in their underwear rather than man the booth for coats or charge people for entry. She was so short staffed that she was in fact one of the bar women as well, in fact as far as I had noticed there was only her and two other women who served drinks. Yet despite the lack of staff the club always managed to be busy, I imagined it was because Venus used her powers over desire to lure people in, if I looked up at the gothic chandeliers carefully enough I could usually spot one of her cherub helpers shooting arrows down at unwitting dancers. What a clever scheme!
I glanced at the people lingering by the bar, some on the stools, others standing, leaning on the wooden surface for support. Blood first then I would find out who had been blabbing too much to the Kine. There was a suitable looking man in his thirties somewhere that I shuffled up to. He had spiked black hair, a nose ring, a ripped, fishnet vest and baggy, black trousers. I looked at him and saw an office boy with slicked black hair, glasses and a suit, someone ignored, someone desperate to stand out and yet also to fit in, even if it was with the strangest of bunches. Poor man, this was not his scene and it never would be.
"Hello there, beautiful evening," I purred up at him.
"What?" He gave me a curious look and blinked hard as he tried to decide what I was up to.
"I like your nose ring," I murmured, "very stylish, makes your nose look prominent." Hmmm so my skills of seduction did lack a bit but I was working on it. I could smell his blood, hot, tangy and salty, and I could hear it pumping through his veins, yes there was a juicy looking one, just visible at his throat. I felt my fangs prick against my lip slightly, I was so thirsty, I needed the blood, I craved it, delicious, life giving, nourishing blood.
"Well I just got it," he remarked with a degree of pride in his voice. A lie of course, I had seen as I had walked towards him that it was a clip on.
"Yes, it's quite lovely, piercings do turn me on you know."
"Really?" His cheeks flushed and he drew back a little yet I knew he was eager, his heartbeats had quickened at my words, he wanted some female attention, he needed it really but he was unused to it and it scared him.
"Really," I said huskily as I leaned in and up to him.
His eyes glazed over as he leaned forward for a kiss, I tilted his head slightly and sank my fangs in gently. He gave a little shudder, not entirely under then, but no protest as I started to suck slowly at his wonderful blood.
Sarah was back, with Samantha in a club dancing with someone, a man, tall, red headed? Or was he blonde? He held her gaze, and soothed some of those mad thoughts that had been plaguing her lately. A promise, an invite? Back to his house later for something she would not regret, something more than she could imagine, her deepest, darkest desires come true. Yes, Sarah wanted that, she wanted him.
Samantha was shaking her shoulder, pulling her out of her trance and back from her dance partner. Samantha looked annoyed; she was complaining about someone or something and gesturing back to a man, tall and muscular with a very thin crop of whitish blonde hair, amber shades and a wide grin.
I arched back, stretched open my mouth and hissed slightly as my eyes widened. Music, booming guitars, lots of electric, hearts pounding all around me, so much chatter, so much blood racing through veins. Yes, yes warm, bounteous blood, everywhere, I released my victim and he fell limp to the floor. I closed my mouth and suppressed a tremble, I wanted more, I needed more but I could not have it, suspicions would arise. Already there were mutterings about the guy who had just fallen to the floor.
I looked down at him with mild curiosity, he was still alive but not by much, he would probably slip into a coma soon and die from blood loss but at least I had not taken him right to the death. I turned from him and grinned at Venus who was looking at me curiously for an explanation.
"Got a confession darling?" she queried tentatively with an arched eyebrow.
Venus, not how I had pictured the goddess, no blonde locks and no nudity, she had frowned when I had asked about that and denied owning a giant seashell, I knew she was lying of course and that she simply wasn't willing to share such a treasure. Pity because I knew it would be fun to surf the seas of Santa Monica on a seashell. Venus was the epitome of sexy goth chick, she had the dyed black hair, the eyeliner, the dog collar, the nose piercing (hers was real) and the black clothes including a mini skirt and a very revealing t-shirt cut almost completely open at the chest giving everyone more than a glimpse of her ample attributes.
"He had too much to drink," I said sombrely.
"Really?" Venus sighed. "Some men just can't handle it. "So any nasty, dirty stories to share?"
"Not me." I grinned innocently. "Here to hear some actually."
"Oh?"
"Anyone shared some dark tales with the love goddess?" I pried.
"Lots of people honey," she retorted with her own plump smirk. "They trust the beat princess when they've had a couple of shots."
I leaned closer. "How about some horror stories?"
"Oh there have been more than a few of them," she said teasingly. "Anything more specific?"
"Well..." Now how did one delicately ask about someone discussing vampires without violating the Masquerade themselves? Hmm... "I'm bored, I need someone to tell me bedtime stories," I said truthfully, "it's a special interest." In fact it was, though I preferred tales of dwarves, elves and fairies, my favourite kind of non-fiction.
"Oh really?" Venus laughed. "Well I always thought you might be a bit weird in that department. So, tell Venus what are your dark sexual fantasies then and maybe I can find your ideal prince."
"Well I've already got a prince," I told her candidly, "but I'm sure another companion will be alright. Vampire tales are the best ones."
Venus laughed again. "Like to get bitten in bed then? Well that's not so strange, not these days anyway. Well now I know more than a few men who like to get rough but specifically, there have been a few murmurings you might like." She gestured with one ringed hand behind me and to the left. "That girl there has been making some loud bragging about er...ahem her undead master? Some sort of kinky relationship I'm sure and then just the other night there was a fellow who really needed a drink, claimed he'd met some nasty supernatural down in the old hospital. But hey this is L.A, weird shit happens."
"Too true," I murmured. Something in the old hospital? Yes I knew about that one, called herself Pisha, twice damned flesh eater and blood drinker, I called her a cannibal, she said she only stuck to humans not her own, I had them complimented her on her funky make-up before leaving. So Pisha had let someone get away? Hmm potential Masquerade risk that but was he the rumour causer?
"Thanks goddess," I commented before turning from Venus and walking over to the woman she had pointed out. "Oh Buddha it's you," I groaned when I realised I recognised this one. Patty, long time winger, part-time ghoul, also a fashion critic.
"Do I know you?" She glared at me with her beady black eyes. "Oh wait it's you," she whined in her nasally voice, "changed your clothes for something even less appropriate then? Do you just shop in Halloween stores?"
"Still complaining about Clark Kent?" I queried pointedly.
"That's Kent Alan Ryan," she snapped, "and I'm just a little concerned that's all, nothing you would understand. You wouldn't even know him anyway; he is so like above you."
"Could be below me," I suggested, "down in the dirt somewhere."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded in her horribly annoying voice. Patty was a Ghoul who'd lost her blood fix, chiefly a Toreador who had grown bored with her and abandoned her. I had never met the guy but Skelter knew him and had told me all about Patty, thought all the vampires loved her, that she was the Miss Popular with them that she had never been at school when frankly she was just an annoying knob whose infatuation had even irritated a Toreador. Quite a triumph really since Toreadors loved nothing more than attention and admiration.
Needless to say I took a great deal of pleasure out of pretending to know where this Kent Alan Ryan guy was and winding Patty up about it. "You tell me, I've heard you've been asking around. You know humans observe so little, it's the dust bunnies and white rabbits you have to ask, they hear everything," I told her sincerely.
She scowled at me. "Think that's funny? For your information I have been asking about him, yeah, because that's what you do when you're concerned about someone who's missing." Patty looked pale, her eyes were sunken, her nails tinged with red, her brow and fingers wrinkled, she resembled so many drug addicts in town. As I knew an addiction could drive you to desperate measures, to exposure and revelations that should be kept quiet.
She was an annoying bitch and I should relish a chance to kill her and I was still thirsty, yes so very thirsty, but if I got rid of her then who would I play with? I had so few playmates in Downtown, Sebastian was too busy, Nines too serious, Damsel too young for me to expose her to my kind of fun, Strauss was even more serious than Nines and probably still pissed off about the glasses theft thing, Venus wasn't interested and Pisha was a little too icky, even for me. I was bored though, Downtown had too much crap going on for fun, the plague bearers kept most people indoors, I had already toilet papered The Last Round, the theatre was a bitch to get into and the Empire Hotel and Skyeline Apartments were dull. I had to get back to Hollywood, which meant fun or not, Patty had to die. I would eliminate her, tell Nines the blabbermouth was gone and then he would tell Isaac that his undeadness sucked without me and I would get to go back, hurray!
"Patty cake patty cake baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can! You can bake, right?" I looked hopefully at Patty; maybe a nice blood cake would change my mind.
"Er no, baking's not cool," she retorted haughtily.
I sighed, oh Patty, so annoying, no redeeming features, just a horrible voice and a bad fashion sense. Nothing looks good if it looks normal. "You know ," I dropped my voice low, "I might know where Supervamp is."
"What?" Patty looked at me curiously and her eyes widened a little. "What did you say?"
"It's hard to speak with all this music, come outside and I'll tell you," I said to her suggestively, using maybe just a little Persuasion in my voice. Hey whatever it took to put this suffering ghoul down, yes I was really just being a nice vet, doing the necessary job.
"Okay."
I turned and led the way out of Club Confession and round the corner, down the side of the building where no smokers lingered. I turned to Patty and smiled. "Be still," I said persuasively, "still and quiet and nice, and soon you'll see rainbows." I was envious of that, it would be nice to see a rainbow, if only to kidnap the leprechaun at the end of it.
Patty resisted a little with a frown but she was still even as I leaned into her and broke the skin on her neck, sinking my fangs deep towards that irritating voice box of hers. Ah lovely nectar again, so warm and seductive, it sent a surge of pleasure through me like nothing else, it was honey, it was wine, it was everything pleasant and addictive.
Sarah was there again, Sarah the college student, lost in thoughts over an essay, trying to write about...History? English? Art? Paintings on her walls, weird, twisted, horrific images, the madness creeping closer. She could not focus, could not think, it was too quiet, it was too noisy, the voices were getting louder. She needed to go out, she needed a distraction, up, on the phone, calling Samantha, Samantha was always good for a night out.
Hurrying down the streets, someone or something was watching Sarah, something hungry or were they thirsty? Sarah hurried on, green eyes were watching her, eyes always watching her, had been for weeks now. A voice whispering dark thoughts in the night.
Patty slumped in my arms with one final groan, mustn't kill her, must just let her die herself, lose humanity but humanity was already lost, I was inhuman, I was thirsty, more blood, more! Fangs back in, may as well finish it, couldn't waste the last few drops, yes, licking and sucking hard, pulling it all out, beautiful blood. Losing myself, going monstrous, feral like the Gangrels, well they were lucky, how much fun to turn into another animal, how I envied them, their other personalities could escape, mine were confined to just my form.
Patty was dead. I let her go; the body might make business hard for Venus but she could just bat her eyes and blow out some hearts and all would be right again, handy to have goddess powers I imagined. I was bloated now, close to vomiting back up the blood, I had taken too much, it hurt my stomach, bubbled in it uncomfortably. I staggered out from Club Confession's property; perhaps I should pay Pisha a visit and see who had escaped from her if only to give me something to do. Yes why not? Maybe I would be thanked for tying up all these loose ends? Unlikely, Sebastian rarely showed gratitude, haughty prince, still I did adore him anyway, those seductive grey eyes, soft, blonde hair, that aura of power, thin though it was, he was delusional like me and maybe that was what I liked best.
I skipped down the mostly empty streets, nodding to the thugs, hobos and bizarre biohazard guys as I did. The night was late, I would have to curl up somewhere and sleep soon, the Skyeline Apartments or Empire Hotel would do fine, maybe the Empire for something a little more luxurious. I reached the old hospital, creepy place, waste of space really, shame for patients that it had demised especially with a plague going on. I slipped through the large tear in the pathetic chain fence, headed up to the door and nudged it open. Not the best place to hang out, no company except the dead and sadly no stethoscopes or long, white coats to play doctor games with. Last time I had come here I had bumped into some spooked film crew, they had been hoping to shoot a fake ghost segment in the hospital and Pisha had made it a little too real for them. I had tried to get in as an extra but alas my scenes got cut when Pisha smashed up the cameras. Pity, I had thought my Subterfuge skills had been a nice touch too, a ghost effect as it were. I had tried to get a starring role in Hollywood but according to Isaac scenes of random Hysteria were not what a romance tragedy needed, in my opinion it was exactly what was needed.
I stumbled through the dilapidated hospital letting the whispers guide me over the debris of smashed wheelchairs, bent plastic chairs and torn shards of the cheap wooden and plaster walls, whilst ducking to avoid numerous cobwebs. Pisha certainly was the spider queen, luring people to her twisted webs, I preferred hunting rather than luring. I had to duck and crawl under gaps beneath the floorboards to reach her as several doors were blocked with debris but I did not mind, it brought me closer to the dwarves and I was hopeful of finding some of their diamonds down here in the dirt or maybe a dragon skull.
I looked about hopefully as I crawled but there were only useless medicine bottles and discarded needles, perfect place for the junkies. I climbed out of the final hole, dusted my uniform down and pushed open a bloodstained door to find Pisha standing before an operating table littered with blood, skulls, bones and limbs. Ah she did have such an interesting appetite.
"Hello Pisha who is not Pisha," I greeted merrily.
She looked at me warily with her flashing eyes. "Welcome kin, and what do you come seeking down here?" Her lips and bare chest were stained in blood just adding to her creepy appearance, I had to love it, Pisha had this night terror thing down to an art. I wanted to copy her but I knew someone would definitely scold me for wandering about town with bloodstains on me, everyone's a spoilsport.
"I heard a fly got away," I said teasingly.
She arched one of her thin eyebrows at that and shrugged. "Terror is the fear of death and he certainly feared his," she admitted in her usual candid manner. "He will come back though, one way or another."
"Certain?" Whispers of a man, middle-aged, dark haired, friends, screaming on the cameras, thought it was just special effects. I smiled. "Oh Pisha you had them tricked," I commented enviously.
"It was not my intention, merely circumstance, they came here and saw too much, they had to die and so does he."
"And yet you don't seem that bothered," I pointed out.
"If there is exposure I will leave," she said simply, "but I think he will return, curiosity and disbelief will drive him to find the truth, and guilt, he left his friends down here after all, is it impossible to think they might yet survive?"
"You're always so cryptic," I praised her, "you should be one of my kind, we're good with the riddles. Who plays power in a white tower when really the puppeteer has no strings?"
She stared at me, coldly and curiously for a moment. "Careful what you say young one," she said calmly, "I do not think certain Camarilla would like that kind of riddle."
I frowned. "None of them have any sense of humour. Anyway," I scratched my head thoughtfully and pushed back my cap, I had come here for a reason, hadn't I? Oh yes. "The number man said someone was talking too much of Kindred instead of Kine, could it be your victim?"
"Well he only escaped this evening," Pisha retorted coolly.
"And showed up at the goddess' joint sometime after talking of demons and spiders," I replied brightly, "but yes, couldn't have spread to he of the sixes, sevens, eights, nines and tens, so soon."
"It is unlikely," Pisha agreed. "He came early in the evening with his crew, fled maybe three hours ago, obviously went to the bar for safety and company. No, this number man of yours would not know anything of it yet. Besides, what he speaks of can yet be contested, he is a film director, his stories can be dismissed as a plea for publicity."
"Hmm a rumour to be spread then," I murmured. "I suppose it must have been the ghoul who was blabbing, she did whine so."
"Indeed."
"Well ciao Pisha who is not Pisha, I shall go, Helios is coming on his chariot." I peered at her carefully; the whispers circled her like snakes, ghosts of the past and present.
"Go little Malkavian, you will not get my real name, not unless you want me to destroy you," she said serenely.
"Bye, bye!" I waved and hurried back out, keeping my eyes ever watchful for dragon bones. I considered keeping them peeled but truthfully their skins weren't ready to come off just yet.
On and on through the hospital, up the stairs, past the fuzzy monitor, out the door and back into the cool night with a sky slowly lightening. Time for rest, time for shelter and peace, off to the Empire Arms, deceitful name, I had looked all over inside for these arms and there had been not a one in sight and when I had asked at reception they had tried to throw me out. Obviously keeping them for themselves, how selfish. It was tall, grand, modern and posh, a skyscraper but a lot fancier than the Skyeline Apartments, yet it was not Isaac's lovely jewelled den.
I pranced in, and used some Seduction to gain myself a free room from the receptionist, silly, weak willed man that he was. It was a beautiful place of marble floors, rich cream carpets patterned with gold swirls, blue patches and flowers with jewelled amber and green centres, wooden panelling and columns along smooth, veined, cream walls and large potted plants spaced tastefully about. There was music in the air from the dining room and the mindless chatter of guests and staff. I ignored it all, too tired to play with anyone, and headed up to a suite of striped, mint green walls, cool, green carpet, matching heavy drapes and most importantly of all, a double bed complete with four pillows, four cushions, a quilt and a blanket. Shame I had no one to have a pillow fight with.
I drew the drapes and curled up with a sad sniffle, it was terribly lonely now that my voices had gone to sleep. As I drifted off I sensed someone high upstairs, someone dreaming of draining and draining dreamers, a poisonous queen of sorts.
I awoke with the dusk, thirsty, vigorous and a little less lonely as I had three voices for company although it was not the same without Isaac near and having a night of winding up Ash to look forward to. I moved out of my room sombrely, heading downstairs to the bar for a drink. I got the usual looks of envy, people secretly wanted my handcuffs I knew it, as I entered the busy barroom and looked for a worthy snack. I would caution myself this time, resist killing just have a light breakfast. My gaze fell on a skinny brunette in a low cut, tight, crimson, silk dress. Alone and looking moody, she sipped at a martini bitterly whilst casting her cold blue eyes sulkily over at a youthful man chatting up some other woman with much larger breasts. I moved in and when she gave me a less than pleasant look I summoned up my best Seduction powers.
"Red is a beautiful colour," I murmured, "so sensual."
"Yes." She gazed at me moodily, evidently not impressed.
"You wear it well."
"And?"
Sheesh could she not take a compliment? Must be the pixie on her olive that was spoiling her mood. "And I thought maybe you were different, an interesting woman, a woman who likes the finer things."
Her gazed turned curious as I thought it might, shame though because I had been contemplating giving her some hallucinations just to spice things up. "Go on."
"Lean close, I have a lot to say."
She leaned in and I went for the bite, she gave a groan of ecstasy as my fangs sank in, never once aware of the pain. Sarah flickered through two of my minds, foolish, annoying, repetitive Sarah, mad little Sarah, worried Sarah getting stalked by some unknown night creature. I pulled back; I had savoured enough for now, no more humanity losses. The woman was in a daze; I helped her out of her dull stupor with some mad giggling and slipped out as she doubled over in a fit of laughter whilst the other humourless guests watched on in puzzlement.
Time to see the number man and ensure that he would be getting down on bended knee to beg the Baron to take me back. Should probably visit Sebby too, tell him that Isaac and Nines liked to picnic together but alas no proof of gunpowder plots, ensure the Prince that if I returned to the film land I would put on my deerstalker cap and hunt down the missing Ventrue once and for all. I bypassed the usual hungry, drug eyed riffraff as I headed back a familiar bar on the outskirts of town.
Back to The Last Round, I found the usual shady bunch of hobos stumbling around it along with one slightly nervous cop who had a twitchy gun hand. I ignored them all and kicked open the door, entering with a loud, proud, "TA DA!"
"What the Hell?" Damsel exclaimed in outrage as all the patrons gawked over at my brilliant entrance. "Dumb Cammy bitch you could've broke that door!"
"Could've, should've, would've and will've one day," I remarked brightly as I walked up to her. "Where's the commie boss then?"
"The what?" Damsel growled out angrily.
"You're darling Lenin, he of the rebel spirit!"
"You make no fucking sense," she remarked bluntly.
I sighed and patted her sweet beret head. "So young and naive," I sympathised before whirling round and marching up the stairs.
"Bitch!" she yelled up at my backside.
I stopped upstairs and found Nines, Skelter and a tall, well-dressed stranger with grey eyes and a flop of well groomed dark hair. They all looked at me, Nines shook his head and Skelter glowered while their companion just looked surprised. "You owe me three ribbons and a Baron number master!" I exclaimed happily. "The one of too many words is slain!"
"Malk talk properly," Skelter growled, "if it's possible."
"Really kid? Well if that's true then I'll put in a word with Isaac for you," Nines commented calmly.
"It is true!" I snapped indignantly. "I put the bad kitty down!"
"And just who were they out of interest?" Skelter queried.
"The whiny ghoul of fashion," I answered seriously, "she of the patting."
"The patting?" the yet nameless one spoke. "You mean Patty?"
"Uh oh," Skelter murmured.
I grinned at the well-dressed bloodsucker and nodded. He came at me in a blur, too fast for me to dodge; all I could think was whether the moon was made of cheddar or mozzarella and, Toreador then.
"Kent don't!" Nines cried out a little too late to save me from some serious bruising.
To answer some queries, no this is not a direct retelling of the game however it does take a lot of aspects, characters and missions from the game and puts them within the framing of my own fanfic. Basically its about my OC Ariadne trying to solve the disappearances and murders in Hollywood, find the missing Ventrue and find out the mystery of her old life as Sarah all whilst travelling through the Bloodlines world, dealing with the characters there and doing the bidding of more than a few. Confusing I know but I wanted to write some of my versions of the missions in the game because well they're fun and this is a fanfic about the game.
Anyway hope that's clear some things up, most likely it's just confused you all more lol. Many thanks for the reviews and favs, keep them coming, they are all greatly appreciated!