My Little Ventrue Pt. 09 Ch. 11

"It's not? Far as I can tell, it's a spirit of death and the dead."

"Yes, but death is no more common in Dolareido than other cities. Less than, I must say."

"And the blood wraiths?"

Sighing, Antoinette shook her head. "Blood is a frequent point of intrigue in Dolareido. But for those blood-and-flesh-obsessed wraiths to emerge from that intrigue is also unnatural. Or so I assume. The Uratha would know more."

"Black Blood's connected to them. It might have had a hand in creating them. Might explain their weird natures, if Black Blood itself is also an oddity. I'll ask Avery."

"They are not willing to share their information with me."

He nodded again. "I'll ask nicely."

She blinked at the man, at his steady, solid expression, and she laughed. If he was joking, he was a master comedian for his perfectly unmoving face. Perhaps there was more to Sándor than a simple man scarred by guilt.

"Natasha has deemed you trustworthy, and while I do not share her views, I must admit circumstances suggest I should trust you."

He frowned slightly at that, deliberating, before he looked past her to the enormous window that exposed her city's beautiful skyline.

"If Black Blood is a problem, then why did it help me, when Jeremiah cast that ritual on Azamel? We were all blinded and bound by the spell, but Black Blood... helped me get through it."

"I do not know, Sándor. Perhaps so Jacob would not potentially lose Othello and Beatrice in the fray? There are far too many unknowns, which is why we need more information. It pleases me that you are helping Natasha, and I hope you will continue to do so." She leaned forward and set her elbows on the table, adopting her usual business deal stance. "I doubt money has much value to you, Begotten, but I believe you align with my plans for this city. Continue to aid Natasha, and I will see to it that your stay in this city, however long that may be, is a rich indulgence."

That earned a small smile from him, the sort a knowing soul would make when offered a contract for his soul from Satan herself. He was suspicious of luxury.

"Thanks."

"There is something else you wish to ask?"

"Yes. I wanted to ask about Beatrice, and Julias."

Of course he did, to seal in his scars with acid. She was tempted to give him the simple explanation, as Sándor himself acted the simpleton. But the man was centuries old, and far wiser and more intelligent than he wanted others to know.

"A stalker sired Triss against her will. Jerem Montallia. I imagine you have known vampires with similar pasts," she said. He nodded. "I executed the fool, of course, but the damage was done. Beatrice changed quickly, donning the tattoos and piercings, and embracing the Carthian lifestyle. A rebel. But that changed when she met two men."

"Two? Oh, Julias, and Jacob."

"It is easy for most to think Julias has had the most effect on her. He taught her to love others and herself, if you subscribe to clichés. But it is Jacob that showed her she could pursue her own desires and agendas outside of romance."

He nodded again, eyes stern as he stared at the window. Building the Dolareido puzzle in his mind, no doubt, each drop of information she gave a new puzzle piece to be placed.

"Her relationship with Julias," she continued, "was painfully poetic. Julias, much like Jack and I, wanted the best for everyone, and for everyone to cooperate. An idealistic, albeit a realists as well, with the will to make difficult decisions when necessary. He was also quite depressed, and it was not until he met the rather harsh Beatrice that her spark kindled his love for his second life."

"Not Jack?"

"Jack was to Julias what a child is to a parent. Julias found purpose in preparing Jack for his second life, but not happiness. Not for himself, at least. Beatrice and Julias created happiness for each other."

"And now he's gone..."

"Oui. And Beatrice, as you can imagine, has thrown herself headlong into the affairs of witches."

Sándor nodded, frown betraying him. He knew, or perhaps had even seen what the Nosferatu was doing in the shadows.

"I see."

"Sándor... it would be a waste to tell you you should not feel responsible for the damage the hunters have caused. But if you truly wish to help those it has, do not go to them seeking to replace that which they lost. There is little you could do to offend them more."

Another wince. After a few moments of silence, Sándor lifted his head, met her eyes with his steady gaze again, and nodded. "Thanks for the information. I'll... see what I can do, about... everything."

This man. This silly man. A stranger to their city, brought as a slave and tool by psychopaths, and yet he now felt bound by guilt to help them. The only reason he agreed to replace Azamel as protector for the younger Begotten, no doubt. How often did nightmares of his dead family haunt this poor man's dreams, driving him to sacrifice himself for those he hurt? Proof, perhaps, that creatures of the nightmare had nightmares of their own.

"Be careful, Sándor. I tell you much of this information in good faith. Perhaps too much. But, as I said, Natasha trusts you." And she had avoided saying anything too damning during the conversation, of course. "I advise you to leave Black Blood and Jacob be."

"I will."

"As for Beatrice, I can see that you feel a need to reach out to her. And to that I say, be especially careful."

The tiniest smile graced the man's face. "She's stronger than you think."

Antoinette leaned back in her chair, a touch of relief running through her. "Oh? I--no, I will not pry. If you think you can be of help to her, then by all means, do as you see fit. Jennifer certainly sees value in you."

Sándor hid his smile, but she could see hints of it fighting to show through. "Thank you." He nodded deep, almost a bow, and left.

She watched after him, and combed her hair idly as she pondered. What effect would this man have on her city? Surely better than Azamel, and the destruction she caused decades ago.

Eric and Sándor, Uratha and Begotten, both helping her Kindred student. A powerful turn of events.

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~~Beatrice~~

Romance was in the air, she could smell it. That had something to do with Jen relentlessly groping her, getting her hands under Triss's tank top while Triss was busy looking through the binoculars. But more so because Clara looked happy.

Triss, Jen, and Samantha stood on a rooftop in South Side, closer to the entertainment district, spending a little time updating their impression of the ongoings in the city and its war, and also for some girl time. Girl time did not imply sex, just the opposite usually, but for some reason Jen felt handsy today. Triss didn't mind. Sam, on the other hand, kept peeking and then feeling guilty about it and looking away. Which probably had something to do with why Jen couldn't keep her hands off Triss.

"How's she doing?" Jen asked, chin on Triss's shoulder.

"Better than I figured."

Clara was doing the outdoor restaurant thing, the fancy shit. She wasn't dressed for it. Then again neither was Harcourt, but at least he was wearing some dark pants and a white button shirt, a few undone; everyone undid their buttons in Dolareido's heat.

Brace was a pretty damn hot guy, a tall black dude with quite a bit of muscle on him. Short curly hair, and random tattoos, most hidden by the shirt but some peeked out, and some were weird ritual magic shit. And of course he had a few scars on his hands, and a pretty awesome one on his face. Dude looked perfect for the tall, dark, handsome, brooding and scary hunter role.

But a single conversation with Brace Harcourt was enough to let anyone know the dude was a goofball.

And then there was Clara, average height, and damn fit, athlete's body; still looked small compared to Harcourt though. She had tan skin and long dark hair done in box braids, and the face made Triss think she came from close to the equator. Really hot.

Clara looked down and poked at her meal -- blue rare steak -- as she talked. Introspective? Sadness? Probably a serious conversation then, maybe about the vampires, or even Jack.

Far as Triss knew, Clara still had a thing for Jack, too. She hadn't talked to the girl in a while, but maybe now was a good time to change that? The Circle and the wolves weren't exactly on the best terms, but Clara had put in the work when Jack needed her, leaving her pack behind to do it. Maybe talk to her later tonight, get an update? Maybe--

Triss groaned and looked over her shoulder at Jen. The damn woman was happy to be a nuisance, hugging from behind and playing with Triss's nipple piercings without a single hint of remorse. The damn slut.

"Jen, you are insatiable!" Sam reached over and poked the horny slut in the shoulder, for good measure.

Jen shrugged, but didn't stop, cupping and massaging while kissing Triss's neck. Triss wasn't Blushing Life, so it wouldn't lead to anything, but honestly she really didn't mind. Jen was a Daeva trapped in a Ventrue's body, and that was fine.

"It's probably a good thing Clara's moving on," Triss said. "Or at least trying."

"I can't believe she had a thing for my son." Sam, dressed in a gray suit not unlike Jen's, cupped her cheeks as she looked down from the building rooftop. "How'd my boy get so popular with the girls?"

"Jack has proved his mettle," Jen said, finally done with the neck kissing, "time and time again. And Julias groomed him well. He looks quite spectacular naked."

Sam gasped, a classic mom gasp. "You've seen Jack naked?"

Triss laughed and shook her head. "No but none of our clothes survive very long in the fights we get into. I've seen enough of the kid to know Julias must have put him through the fucking ringer to get him into the shape he is."

Jen gave Triss's abs a gentle slap. "Like Triss here."

"No one groomed me. I was just a vain bitch who liked it when people looked my way." Which backfired of course. Fuck that Jerem asshole.

"In any case," Sam said, "I'm happy Clara's moving on. I don't want my boy in a love triangle."

"Triangle?" Jen laughed and returned Sam's shoulder poke. "Kindred interests can get a lot more intricate than that. Or are you suggesting Othello and Madison aren't both interested in you?"

"W-What? No no, that's just... sex..." Poor Samantha. She squirmed in spot and looked back down at the street below, obviously recalling all the things Jacob, the Daeva bimbo, and Madison had been doing to her lately.

Triss nodded. "Yeah, it's just sex. And honestly, I say you're in the clear to go nuts and keep doing whatever you want in the Circle, no drama to worry about with us. We're all pretty buddy buddy with each other. But there's been more than a few ghouls or thralls who've been jealous of someone falling in love with their master. Leads to some crazy weird love triangles and stuff." Jacob had some fucking horror stories about that sorta shit, the sorta stories you told around a campfire at night. Supposedly. Triss's experience with campfires so far was one, in a dream-not-dream.

"You mean, like with J-Jack!? He--"

"Will be fine," Jen said, finally letting go of Triss's tits, and instead taking the binoculars. "The man is careful, and with the Prince as his love, circumstances will surely be... interesting, but safe. I doubt the Prince's ghouls hold Jack in ill regard. And Veronica doesn't seem the sort to stab Jack in the heart and kill him while he's vulnerable."

Oh god, why'd Jen word it like that? Sam groaned as she looked down, and clutched her face with both hands.

"Seriously Sam," Triss said, "it's fine. Jack's fine. Other Kindred are fine. The stories Jacob's told me weren't from Dolareido. Your sire's got a good thing going in this city."

"I guess..." The poor Daeva sighed as she leaned forward and looked down, holding onto a nearby metal bar that stuck up from the rooftop for balance.

After a while, she clutched her necklace and frowned. She wasn't thinking about thralls and ghouls anymore, she was thinking about her daughter again.

Triss and Jen shared a look. Tell her? Yeah, tell her.

"I found a new ritual," Triss said. "Should let me finish the vessel."

Sam's eyes shot open. "Really? You told me you had to keep working on the vessel, and it could take months."

"I... had a surprise visit."

"Visit?"

"From, uh, the Crone, I guess."

Samantha gasped. The girl was just too damn cute, gasping and putting a hand to her mouth with wide eyes. Somehow, she embodied cliches. Jack was right, the woman may have been strong as hell, but it'd be a lie to say she wasn't the perfect example of the dumb mom who gets addicted to shitty phone games while watching and reading too many god awful romance stories that were nothing more than thinly veiled non-con fantasies. It was too cute.

"But I thought... I thought that was just, mythology and stuff."

Triss nodded as she stepped back. Jen kept watching the city with the binoculars, sweeping her vision and probably looking for more Invictus and Carthian activity. Tempting, very tempting to grab her tits from behind and see how she liked trying to focus with someone groping her. But, nah, Jen would like it.

"Mythology stuff," Triss said, shrugging once she and Sam were in the center of the roof. "Jacob tell you much?"

"A little, but a lot of it was vague."

"Yeah, understandable. He's vague cause he has to be. Far as we can tell, if there are any mythic entities out there, shit like gods, we don't understand them, and they probably evolve over time. But, there is crazy shit out there, we know that much. All those old tales from thousands of years ago probably got grains of truth in them."

"Oh god. So... gods..."

"Ask your boss. The Prince pokes at that world, right?"

"Kinda, but it's more... science, more about writing things down and doing experiments and stuff. So, I mean, I know there's ephemera, ghost ghost spirit stuff. I know there's Twilight, where ghosts like... like Mary hide, and spirits too. I know there's that spirit place where all the crazy spirit stuff live, like, uh, spirits of buildings or animals or emotions."

"Yeap, that's a pretty good summary of the shit we know. But there's so, so, sooo much shit we don't know, you know? The nightmare monsters know more but they don't tell us shit. And crúac rituals seem to poke at that unknown stuff. Like... ever watch those documentaries where scientists take those tiny submarines down deep in the ocean?"

"Oh yeah! And it gets all super dark and they can only see maybe twenty feet with their lights and... and... it's so spooky, and dangerous." Fear visibly ran across Sam's face. Just like Jack, she wore her emotions on her sleeve. Unlike Jack, she hadn't made much progress in learning to control that reflex. "Oh god, that's scary!"

"It is fucking terrifying, no doubt about that. And one time, when Jacob and I were going... diving," no need to describe the tortures that entailed, "something spoke to me. An old woman, but a lot freakier and, uh... god-like. She helped me track down Elen so Jack and the gang could take down the hunters."

"Oh, wow. So... so it'd be like, you were drifting along in the endless, crushing darkness, and something... something freaky and huge and deadly found you?" Her eyes went wider and wider with each word. No need to get heavy with the description when Sam would do it on her own. Wild imagination on this woman.

"Yeah. That's a big part of being a witch, I guess. Probing at the dark side, going deep ocean diving and finding out Cthulhu's down there, sleeping."

"Cthulhu?"

"I--what, seriously? You don't know about Cthulhu?"

"Um, I think Jack's mentioned the name once or twice."

Oh god, a perfect opportunity to scare Sam. But, no, Dolareido life was scary enough, especially with the shit Triss and Sam were getting into.

"Anyway, so apparently this Crone creature has noticed me. Paid me a little visit in my dreams." Actually, yanked her out of her dreams, but again, that'd probably scare Sam more than needed. "She... gave me a tip, on how to make a vessel."

"Oh wow. That's... horrifying."

Triss laughed. "I know, right? Believe you me, I am scared shitless. But I picked this road, and I'm gonna walk it. I'm gonna use this ritual and finish Julias's new body. His... vessel, according to the Crone. And then we'll see about part two."

Samantha squirmed and clutched her necklace. "You think it'll work?"

"I think the Crone didn't steer me wrong before. But... but even the Crone thinks we won't be able to resurrect Julias." She wanted to be optimistic, but two fucking deities -- three if she included Black Blood -- already warned her it was basically impossible. Better to not get Samantha's hopes up. "I'm gonna do the ritual in a few days. Then we'll see."

Nodding, Samantha paced in place, clutching that necklace again like her life depended on it. Head pointed down, the poor woman hyperventilated as if it'd help her, and didn't stop. Triss let her. Sooner or later Samantha would come down from her anxiety, and Triss would be there to catch her.

Sure enough, a minute later, Samantha calmed down, and looked Triss in the eye.

"I... want to see the ritual when you do it, if you don't mind."

"You sure? It's not pretty, Sam. It's going to suck, a lot."

"I'm sure. If this is something we might do for Mary, then... then I should see."

Wincing, Triss nodded, rubbing her arm. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure. I want to see."

Poor woman was gonna be traumatized.