My Little Ventrue Pt. 03 Ch. 06

A ten minute ride later, and the two of them were back on the street. The weather wasn't as crazy hot anymore, and the kine were wearing normal layers, jackets and pants and shoes. Easier on the Kindred nose.

"So," Amanda said, "you and the Prince."

"Yeah?"

"I... I mean... I don't want to pry, but... the two of you were so beautiful together at the ball she hosted. It was so cute!"

Oh good god.

"What do you want to know?"

"Nothing! Noth... ok, well, I am a little curious about the romance. It is a romance, right? I mean, I've asked around, and the Prince has never done anything like this, not since Tony so long ago."

Tony. Jack had never said a word to the man, not really, and killed him. If only Amanda knew. Well, he wasn't stupid enough to tell her, but that didn't mean hearing his name didn't bring up the images of the man disintegrating in the fire. Flashbacks of the pain of Jack having his face and chest cut in half by Viktor.

Now that he let his mind wander over it, he'd had a very, very eventful time as a fledgling Kindred. Other fledglings had easier times as they became neonates, young members of their respective covenants. Him, he was buried in violence and pain. A bit pathetic of him to wallow in that misery, but he couldn't deny the truth. Every so often, images of Mrs. Pavala found his thoughts, like salt in his wounds.

But then he thought of Antoinette, and smiled. Amanda wanting to talk about her was probably her way of cheering him up then. Smart.

"Yes, we're in love."

"Oh my god!" She squealed, but brought her hands up to her lips once she realized what she'd done, eyes wide. "That's... that's... oh that's so beautiful. She's ancient! Ancient, and you're so young, and... and..."

"And she's so much taller than me." He rolled his eyes and gave Amanda a small shove of the shoulder. "She doesn't mind, and I certainly don't mind. We're quite physically compatible."

"I wasn't thinking about that!"

Jack stopped, and raised a brow with disbelieving eyes blatant. "You weren't?"

"... ok, I was. She's so tall! And you're... you're not." She giggled some more, and stepped in closer. "I feel horrible asking about this stuff."

"Well I'm not going to tell you what the sex is like or anything." He smirked, but then chuckled as he raised a hand to scratch his chin. Would a girl really ask about the sex? Weren't girls supposed to be a bit less crass than men? Less vulgar?

"Come on, please?"

Guess not.

"We have sex a lot, ok? I'll give you that much, but that's it!"

She giggled and jumped a little in spot a few times. "So adorable."

He didn't really think of it as adorable, but maybe it was to an observer. Still.

"And you? Anyone in your life?" he said.

"No, not yet. Sire says I should do what most Kindred do when they're young, and enjoy the perks. Sleep around, basically. Not sure I agree."

Jack scratched his hair, and thought about Antoinette's story in Bloodlust, about kine crawling into a Kindred's lap for sex. A hollow indulgence. He knew it, Antoinette knew it, but... but for a lot of Kindred, him included, it was rough going at the start. Very rough going. Mourning family was just the tip of the iceberg for what a lot of Kindred went through after the embrace. Some sex and blood could help.

"I wouldn't judge a Kindred for enjoying it," he said. "Hard time for many, you know? And now you're a part of a society that gives absolutely no shits about who you sleep with, or how often, or how many. And it's a great way to get a meal. I think Jenning has a point. Enjoy it." He smiled at her when she widened her eyes. "Our second lives are pretty damn brutal. Can't see the sun, can't have children, and we're part of the Danse Macabre, which would give any politician a terminal ulcer. So, if you don't have anyone, I say indulge."

"You're just saying that cause you're a guy!"

"Am not." He raised his hands to the shoulder, palms out. "Don't get me wrong, guys are pretty quick to jump on the sex bandwagon, but you telling me Jessy doesn't sound like she has the time of her life?" Cause the damn woman spared no details about her sexual exploits.

"Jessy is just a man in a woman's body."

They both laughed, until Jack had to stop and lean against a lamppost to get back his balance. But there was some truth to that. Amanda was more like a... well a girl. A different approach was required.

"Think of it like this," he said. "As a woman, you're being judged harshly from the moment you're born based on how you look, who you talk to, how you act to people, who you date, who you sleep with, and every form of social peer pressure imaginable from all parties. You have to wear a mask of makeup every day just to look normal in society's eyes. You wear shoes that literally ruin your spine and feet, modern-day foot binding. God forbid you have any body hair. Women will crucify you for wearing the same dress twice. Many men arrange you into scores for how attractive you are, for whether they want to sleep with you, and that's a rigged game cause the moment you do sleep with them, you're conquered territory and they move onto another target. Women will socially castrate you, and men will forever measure you by the size of your bust. It's something on your mind all day, every day as a woman, whether you realize it or not. Subconsciously, you make decisions based on the maze of bullshit you've been navigating since you were old enough to turn on the TV and saw Wonder Woman wearing boob armor and high heels. Double standards, and women get the shittier end of the deal.

"So now, you're Kindred. That life is gone, you're not human anymore. Those old problems, those hangups, those barriers, it's all gone. No Kindred cares, or at least, not to nearly the same degree or in the same way. You want to wear a slutty"—he raised his fingers to quote slutty—"clothes, six-inch stilettos, plunging cleavage, whatever, Kindred understand it's just part of the game, play it however you want. Nothing to stop you from letting out all the desires that are perfectly normal, and healthy." He grinned and folded his arms across his chest. "Cause one thing I've noticed in my time as Kindred, is that the women are just as horny as the men, Amanda. And without the old life nonsense making you feel guilty for every single fucking thing you do? Yeah, women Kindred get into the sex as much as the men. And all the power to them. Do what you want. You grew up in a world where women aren't supposed to have sexual agency, where women aren't supposed to enjoy sex. And now, you can have all the sexual agency you want, and enjoy it all you want."

She stared at him, tilted her head, and then looked around at the people walking by. Jack kept his words quiet enough so it was only her hearing him, but she still had a look of guilt on her face, of shock.

"You make it sound like it's empowering for women to sleep around."

"Not what I meant. All I meant was, you grew up in a world where men were encouraged to pursue their sexual interests, and women were discouraged. Now you're not." He started walking again, and looked over his shoulder to Amanda until she caught up with him. "So when I say do whatever you want, I really mean it, you know? Hangups about sex are just that, hangups, social rules made by ignorant fucks from ancient, moronic, antiquated views. Have all the sex you want, or never touch another person for as long as your second life lasts. Just do whatever makes you happy, and for most Kindred, women included, that typically includes sex. Don't adhere to a hypocritical ruleset that no longer applies."

"... and you?"

"Me? I'm damn happy with the Prince, Amanda. We have a great relationship and I wouldn't do anything to betray that trust. But if I was single? Yeah, I'd give into some of my baser desires, cause it's one of the few good things about this second life."

She nodded, and her smile returned as the shocked eyes faded. "I don't think I have the same appetite as Jessy, but... but yeah, I admit, it'd be nice to just do what I want for a change."

"Agreed." God damn agreed. "I—" A sudden vibration hit him, and he went rigid for a moment, before reaching into his pocket for his phone. As a human he'd gotten used to it, but as a Kindred, he'd have to get used to a cat-like response to the random texts.

Text said: Get the fuck over to my place. Wait outside for me. Bring weapons.

"What is it?"

"Ah, it's Jessy. Wants us to meet her outside her place. Armed."

"But we're still working on the investigation."

He shrugged, called in an Xnomina drive, and put the phone away.

"Could be about something else. Know anyone she's looking to shoot?"

"Besides everyone?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standard Invictus loadout was a Glock G19, a couple magazines in a shoulder holster, and a sword. The Glock G19 was a very light pistol, reliable, and Glocks were as common as cocaine in Dolareido; nothing to give the holder away as a Kindred. The sword wasn't really a sword, but a long, thin blade that was somewhere between sword and knife. It was custom, made by Invictus for Invictus, with no identifying marks of any kind. The ultimate in function over fashion.

Invictus cared about emblems and insignias and badges and flags when they socialized. They cared only for brutal efficiency when on the job.

He'd just recently achieved the status required to use the loadout at will, and he had to admit, it was a nice feeling. Julias was giving him no special treatment; he had to work his way up Invictus ranks same as everyone else, manipulating kine dealings, growing Xnomina's corporation in less-than-legal ways, etc. Wearing the loadout was like wearing a badge.

Wow he was drinking the Invictus koolaid. He wasn't so stupid to not realize it; but, even knowing he was just a cog in the Invictus machine, he was proud. If it were still Viktor at the top, he'd have been worried, but with Julias there instead, he felt he could get away with a little mindless loyalty.

Their drive stopped at the Xnomina building while they geared up, and then dropped them off in front of Jessy's apartment building. Jessy was waiting for them. With sunglasses. At night.

Jack could see Amanda struggle to hide her smile.

While Jack and Amanda wore suits, Jessy wore black pants and a black t-shirt underneath a black trench coat, with a slick belt and some straps from her hidden holsters visible along her thighs and waist. The shirt was see-through enough you could see the black bra underneath. She could not have looked any more ridiculous. But, the woman had enough confidence to carry the ridiculous nineties getup, and probably enough weaponry underneath the coat to justify that too.

"Bout time you kids showed up."

"Sorry, Madam Herrington." Jack offered a small bow, Amanda did as well, before they stood up and stepped in closer. "What's this about? I thought Miss Pol and I were to continue our investigation of the disappearances in Devil's Corner?"

"Related." Jessy adjusted her coat, scanned the street, before she moved toward their drive. "I'll explain more when we're there."

Kept in the dark. Well, Jessy was the only remaining Right Hand; that deserved some trust. Much as she was a loose cannon and everyone knew it, she got the job done. So he followed after her with Amanda in tow, doing his best to hide the grimace on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The car took them to Devil's Corner, and the three hopped out with more eyes scanning the streets. Slightly less people; the disappearances were scaring the city. Hell, after what happened last time in the sewers, they were scaring him too. He remembered the sensation in his gut when he saw the redhead, of panic and fear and all those things he felt when he looked at Jacob or Viktor. Different, but the same. Amanda felt it too.

And Jessy was taking them back there again.

"Natasha's gone missing." Jessy strolled down the street like she owned the place, and every gaze thrown at her by curious kine was like fire on her gasoline. She strutted, maybe even showed off a little; people looking at her must have thought she was a fashion model or something. Pretty, true, but so out of place.

"Natasha's missing? How do you know?"

"We have a system. She texts me every second dusk, I text her every second night. No exceptions."

"No exceptions?" Amanda said. Girl had a habit of saying just a little too much, and aggravating her superiors.

"Speak English? I said no fucking exceptions." Jessy said. "We're fucking Invictus, we're prepared. Her phone dead? She uses the back-up. That dead? She gets me on her laptop. That dead? She fucking visits. I waited two god damn hours this evening and got nothing, so I went and visited her place. Nothing. So we're going to investigate where she's gone, and from what my eyes tell me, last she was seen was near here, going underground."

Invictus eyes. Ghouls, subservient kine, or young Kindred could all be Invictus eyes, a network of information being shared to those who need it.

"She used to have a tracker in her phone, but since joining the dragons, she had to get rid of it. Think you can pick up her trail?" Jessy said, looking to Amanda.

"I... maybe? Tracking the disappearing girl was doable, since I had a starting point. But Natasha? She doesn't exactly—"

"I can find her."

The three turned to the new voice.

"Vivienne?" Jack said.

Jessy motioned for the girl to come closer. "I called her up, but she was finishing a contract and had to meet us here."

Vivienne was a somewhat short woman, with a small frame and black hair down to her shoulders, and pale skin. She looked a lot like Natasha, only taller. The two were quiet, antisocial types, but as far as Jack knew, the two didn't socialize with each other at all anymore. Seemed to be a theme, sires and childes breaking apart at some point.

He really needed to visit Julias sometime.

"How can you find her?" Amanda said.

She shrugged, and rubbed one of her shoulders while avoiding eye contact. "I'm her childe. We're good trackers, in her bloodline."

Mekhet had a talent for it, sure, but Natasha was a special case. Jack didn't think Vivienne had the same eyes as her sire, but then the woman could simply have been hiding the fact; not unprecedented among his company. Did Vivienne know the sheriff was her grand sire?

"Bullshit." Jessy laughed and shook her head. "She just knows some of the sewer and tunnel dwellers. Natasha liked to make friends with em, and Vivi used to be by her side all the time, didn't you?"

"... yeah." Vivienne, dressed in a suit like Amanda, stepped down the stairs of the abandoned subway tunnel.

Jack winced. Jessy didn't like that Amanda and Vivienne had left the Invictus and then come back. Liable to get snippy, yell at them, maybe push them around if she got really angry. All within her rights as a senior member of the Invictus.

It was going to be a lovely time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He'd walked these tunnels with his sire not too long ago, to go see Damien. It never really occurred to Jack that much of what vampires did was underground, until he had to walk through the oppressive shadows on a regular basis. And it never occurred to him that the tunnels were so expansive either, until he actually bothered to look at the blueprints while digging into the disappearing girl.

Holy shit the tunnels. A lot of the blueprints were considered confidential, old, and if they became public someone would have to answer for why the fuck Dolareido seemed to have so many abandoned tunnels. The sewer system too was more expansive than it needed to be, and it connected into old subway tunnels in weird places. All so Kindred could have their underground city for their sun allergy.

He was kind of happy about it. If shit hit the fan for whatever reason, he could disappear into the tunnels, like Damien did. Dude managed to hide from everyone for half a god damn century, so Jack could manage a few days at least.

"So, uh, who we going to talk to?" Amanda said.

"Miss Halla, Nosferatu, only got a couple years on her. I know she likes to hang out around here under Vander Street with that Bob fellow."

"Couldn't you have just messaged her we were coming? Or asked her to come in and tell us what you want to know?"

God damn it Amanda, shut up before Jessy puts her fist through your face.

The Gangrel looked over her shoulder, and growled. "I could have. Or I can ambush her, surprise her, make sure she's caught off guard so I know she won't lie to me."

Jack sighed, but shut up quick when Jessy threw him a glare. Night was getting rougher by the second.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where the fuck did she go, Lil?"

Yeap, rougher.

"I-I don't know! She was just passing through, and—"

Not enough good for Jessy. The Gangrel threw the young Nosferatu to the platform hard enough Jack heard the impact of ass bone on the concrete. Liliana Halla's hood fell back, revealing her many, many eyes, and each of them looked around in all directions. Looking for an escape most likely, but she knew she was Invictus, and escape from the moment simply meant dealing with it later. They all worked for Jessy, more or less.

"Yeah, and no doubt you and her shared a few words. So I'm thinking you do know where she's gone." Jessy reached down and picked up the woman by the robe collar, and whatever clothes were underneath it. Soon the woman was in the air, feet dangling a few inches above the floor. "And no doubt she asked you to not tell anyone, because she's not Invictus anymore and yada yada. Except now she's missing, and if you don't tell me, your fate is hers. She dies, you die, get me?"

Jack winced. So many eyes looking panicked and guilty at the same time. He looked over at Amanda and Vivienne, and found a not-too-dissimilar look from both of them, winces and worrying and discomfort bordering on panic. Jessy had that effect when she was upset and started pushing people around.

"Miss Halla." Vivienne stepped forward and stood beside Jessy, hands fidgeting together in front of her. "I know you're just protecting my sire, and doing what she asked. But I know she'd have come to you when passing through this area. You still owe her for that incident with Maria, don't you?"

Lil, holding onto Jessy's wrist and squirming like a fish on a hook, managed to look down at Vivi long enough to sigh and look away.

"Owe her a lot more than just for that."

"Well, she's gone missing," Vivi said. "She may not be Invictus anymore but she's still my sire. Still my friend, Jessy's friend. We... we're going to go look for her."

Halla looked to Vivi, then lowered her eyes again. She was torn, that much was clear; it dripped from her like the sweat she couldn't give off. Would she answer? Jack glanced around, read people's expressions as best he could, tried to put the skills Julias taught him into practice. Predict the situation, read body language, watch the eyes, feet, fingers.

Jessy was as easy to read as an angry guard dog. Vivienne was acting sad, with a touch of quiet and reserved, but every so often he caught a shifting glance from her, like she was reading people the same as Jack was. Probably true, but that didn't mean she wasn't sincere. Amanda was squirming like Halla, despite just watching. Probably didn't know why she was called, why Jack was called, if Jessy and Vivi could handle everything.

But if Natasha was missing, Jessy didn't know if she'd be able to handle everything. She was afraid too, Jack could see it in her fingers; they never held still. Afraid for Natasha though, not for her own well being, just like a good guard dog.

Jessy threw Halla a few more threats, and Halla squirmed with every one. She'd break, sooner or later, it was on her face, in her wavering jaw. Invictus defying Invictus wasn't good, but Jack didn't exactly like Jessy's approach to breaking Halla either. Girl was just trying to keep a promise to Natasha, not screw over her covenant.