NationStates Jolt Archive

Carnival lives up to its name. It is Event Central of the World. "Any one can give a party, a True Carnivalian makes everything an Event!” And never a night goes by without something special happening. The wealthy are always welcome, and the less so as well - because service workers are always needed…and the poor are always with us…

A River runs through it. And acts as the divide between Have and have Not.

The north side, North Shore, with its rolling forested hills that tumble artistically down to the sea is the bastion of wealth and privilege. Those hills, with their spectacular ocean views, sparkle at night as if handfuls of gems were strewn across velvet of midnight green. The elegant casinos, restraunts and hotels are among the finest found anywhere, with every imaginable amenity. The residences are walled, security gated and true estates, many covering acreage in the double digits, even those that prefer to dwell in high rise condo’s are surrounded by landscaped parks. A handful of deep-water, private marinas provide luxurious accommodations for the super yachts that come a cruising and there is an airport, equipped to handle even wide bodied 767’s but no commercial land there.
LEO’s <Law Enforcement Officers>, and private security that resemble miniature armies abound, but the Law knows better than to interfere with a resident going about their pleasures. Little save open, public murder will get a resident of the North into trouble. And Dueling, which is legal, is not considered murder.

Across the river lies the South End, flatter, lower lying lands with many green watered bayous winding through the urban and suburban landscape. One finds the docks, both cargo and cruise lines, the Carnival International Airport, and the just recently opened Carnival Star Port where Pan Am lifts off weekly taking the wealthy enough to vacations on the space station or on the moon. There are many gambling establishments < many even family oriented>, amusement parks, night clubs, restraunts for every taste and pocketbook. And then there is the world’s largest shopping mall- the World Mall- where tourists and even the locals regularly get lost. Six floors above ground, five below, a ice skating rink, a convention center, four hotels, an amusement park with zoo, a water park, two wedding chapels, a funeral parlor, a bordello, and it’s own police station, along with 20 restraunts, 16 bars, funeral home, a high rise condominium, two office towers, a post office, and it’s own zip code.

The middle class on down dwell here, many in quite a bit of luxury and security, though the slums to near slums are more prevalent. The schools, on the whole, are good, there’s even a popular, if not renown University, and all the various countries that provide Carnival its military protection have bases. The young don’t seem to mind being crowded four to a tiny one bedroom apartment, they’re seldom home, as there is always something to do, something to see, some place ‘in’ to be seen.

The beaches on the south end of the South side have excellent surfing, and barely an hours drive inland, north and east you have mountains that provide excellent skiing in the winter and picturesque hiking and camping in the summer. Racetracks, for horses, dogs, cars and bikes. Sports stadiums for every sport imaginable, venues for every sort of entertainment, including the more …intimate sorts.

Carnival is also the home to a prolific movie industry. In the many studios magic is made, as are careers, the back lots home to everything from Any-where-ville to Twilight Zone, Artic waste to Tropical Hell. The techies can make you anything from a life like Alien to a Vampire.

And speaking of Vampires…

Even vampires need vacations now and then, and Carnival - with its heartily embraced decadence and twenty seven hour a day lifestyle - is the perfect place. The fact that it was created by, controlled by, and protected by vampires is just an added benefit. Carnival has always had a large population of vampires, as many as two for each fifty thousand non-transient population. And the Prince has a Very lenient policy on how many can vacation at any one time.

So where are they all?...

"We found and interviewed..." Make that interogated no matter how polite the turn of phrase Jason used. "They have completely no idea of what happened, or even that anything has happened. My Lady, we are almost at the airport, and the penthouse has been readied. "

The first report ended, the screen going dark for a moment as next call was relayed through. The massive executive chair remained resolutely turned, it's high leather covered back completely hiding it's occupant.

Kai began his report with out waiting, knowing that it would be listened to with utmost intensity. "All entries are dated five days ago, all automatic functions are up and running, no cracks in the security net. The cybersystem is uncompromised but there are no images of any sort of attack, or accident. Within the two hour span bracketing noon local time every vampire in the environs of Carnival, save for the three Jason tracked down, vanished." He concluded, his voice neutral.

"Thank you. The flight staff says we will be landing in..." The voice lacked its normal warmth. " ten minutes." And the call was concluded.

The chair pivoted allowing the magnificently feminine, but definitely never overblown, figure ensconsed within to look out the jet liners window. The nightime glitter of Carnival spread out below brought a snarl to her lush lips. "That dump ought to be in mourning! Every light smashed" her voice a whispered snarl.

Over a thousand vampires gone as if they had never been. All vanished when they should have been in the motionless, dreamless, sleep of the undead, safe in their sanctuaries, behind multiple layers of the finest security that unlimited money, and even more unbridled power could provide.

"Now do'n you fret Miz Jazz honey. I know you and "the boys" will figure out what happened and get things set straight. At least they called you in quick this time before it could go straight down to 'going to the matresses'.

Jazz couldn't keep her wrath in the face of Esther's not- as- hokey <as it was her real one> accent and mixed expressions. In the end she really had as little use for most other vampires as she had for humans. 'And actually humans are often far more entertaining than most vampires' she though with a mental snort.

The two of "the boys" who had not gone in ahead - one male and one female - made fearsome faces at the stout, conservatively dressed lady who busied herself making sure various laptops were closed and tucked into carry cases. Though Esther knew what they were doing behind her back. Her face face creased in a smile, as dark eyes twinkled in her milk chocolate hued complexion. They broke in to laughter as she turned to shake an admonitory finger at them.

Even Jazz broke into a small smile.

The Camarilla didn't want the Sabbat to get their vile by the Camarilla's lights little claws on the perfect playground of Carnival. The Sabbat didn't want the blame for something they claimed they had had no hand in. <And no one wanted the Kuei-jin of the East to get any where near Paradise on Earth> They had managed to keep the Event under wraps. And, for once, had done the Intelligent Thing from the first - they had joined forces and brought her in.

Jazz refused to play vampire politics, staying aloof from all entanglements. However her reputation was such that they couldn't afford not to beg her interest though. Roses de thorned, problems unknotted, questions answered and mysteries solved. Generally for a price that blanched faces that hadn't seen the light of day in a millenium, yet they paid anyway.

Once the wide bodied 747 touched down, Lethe went down and aft to where the security forces she commanded had passed the flight sleeping, playing cards, or watching their favorite movies.

Briefly she reviewed their initial deployment, once the plane taxiing into the awaiting hangar, with her sub commanders. They would be first off the plane, taking over the inner security zone, while those who had accompanied Jason and Kai would take the outer perimeter. Carnival's Mayor and Chief of Police would be waiting. They had only been notified an hour ago, not time enough for them to plan any sort of unpleasant welcome, or so Lethe hoped. She had argued against advising the officials of their arrival until the plane had landed, but Jazz had not wanted to wait upon their arrival. She prefered to have them wait on her.

They had compromised, and the city officials had been advised of an incorrect touch down time. Kai had slipped into the airports supposedly ultra secure computers and altered the flight plan. No one had fallen afoul of his watchdogs, apparently accepting his alterations as original entries.

The security already on the ground reported that both men were waiting in the assigned hanger and had been for nearly twenty minutes. Once the plane had taxied to the correct hangar the Mayor and the Chief of Police were informed of that change as well and escorted over.

The muffled drum of hard winter rain mixed with sleet fell away as the plane rolled into the protection of the vast hangar. Portable stairs were brought up and the aft doors swung open. The security personell were already moving, radio checks complete, and their weapons harnesses filled with a variety of lethal ordinance. In minutes, like the expert professionals they were, they had traded positions with those already securing the hanger.

The city oficials were escorted over and left to stand at the base of the forward stairs. The two men were well dressed and groomed, or so they had been before being brought from one hanger to another. Now their hair was soddden and the welcoming bouquets limp in their hands. They had no notion of what brought this vampire to Carnival. They had attempted to reach the Prince, but their urgent calls had gone unanswered.

The new arrival had recognition codes that placed her higher than the Prince.

That was a terrifying notion.

The Chief of Police glanced over at Mayor and started to comment. The Honorable Elias di'Rugier just shook his head minutely and shivered under his thick winter coat. The massive tunnel like hangar was cold despite the doors that formed both ends being closed. However his tremors were far more the result of abject fear than the cold.

The door that served the forward cabin opened, light from the interior of the plane spilling down the stairs. The door at the near end of the hanagar slid open as well allowing a small convoy of vehicles to enter. The two men turned to look at the cars then pivoted back around as an older gentleman spoke from the top of the stairs.

"You may come up now." Marche Fontaine had been the first Retainer Jazz had made. His family had served hers for generations, and having no wish to die, he continued to serve her after her Embrace. He was her closest advisor and her oldest friend.

The two men were rattled to the point that they did not bother to try for any semblance of dignity as they scurried up the stairs. Marche stepped aside to admit them into the lower cabin as keen eyes matched their faces to ones in their dossiers . With careful courtesy he led them to the stairs. "You may leave the flowers with the attendant." He granted them that small mercy as they passed the stewardess.

The stairs spiraled up to what in the commercial version of a 747 would be the lounge, but here had been turned into an elegant reception room.

"The Honorable Baronette Elias di'Rugier, and Sir Leonidas Papadapalous of Carnival." Marche made the introduction with no more than minimal politeness. The snow leopard laying at Jazz's feet looked up briefly then resumed a desultory grooming of his formidible claws.

Jazz looked up from the folio she was peruseing and laid it in her lap laying her lightly clapsed hands on its leather binding. She acknowledged the pairs arrival with a minimal, regal nod. With a small gesture she signalled Drake, the one of "her boys" still on the plane, to display her credentials to the Mayor.

In actuality the credentials were far more than any letter of introduction on paper. No, these were the electronic Keys to the Kingdom, authorization and access codes to everything the vampires of Carnival controled. Whey faced, the Mayor unlocked the titanium secure case handcuffed to his right wrist and brought forth Carnival's matching half.

Drake took the slender case from the Mayor's hand and mated the pair. The keys flashed green the electronic handshake authenticated. Once that was done he handed the city's half back to the Mayor, and returned to Jazz'z side. He slid her half deep into an inner pocket of his impecably taylored suit.

"You may go now. If I have any instructions for you or the city you will be contacted. Good night gentlemen." Jazz spoke for the first time.

Grateful to still be alive, the pair of politicos fled.

"She wasn't that scarey."

"Oh? And tell my why you have to change the Depends you have on?" Elias snapped in reply as he fumbled with the keypad lock on the non descript car he had chosen for the drive. It looked rather out of place in the lot of the private airport that served the North Shore's elite. The Rolls, Bentleys, Morgans, and other custom coachworks seemed to lean away from the family sedan that had wandered into their rareified midst. However the Mayor had thought his own executive vehicle with its assigned police chauffer might be too conspicuous. He should have driven it. It was armored.

Leonidas had no return for that dank truth as he slid into the passenger seat. "She didn't look like..."

"Not all of them do." The Mayor of Carnival replied as he finally managed to still the faint tremors that had made it nearly inpossible to get the drivers door open.

He knew more than Leonidas did, he had more contact. It had been decided long ago that the Masquerade would be lifted enough so that the human Powers That Be of Carnival would know what their true masters were, and were capable of. They took the power and wealth offered them, and in turn gave uncompromising obedience. They could not speak of what they knew save to the others of Carnival's human inner circle. Not to a wife, a mistress, a friend, or any inquisitor. Their deaths would be... unpleasant and irreversable. The few that had tried disobedience or revolt down though the years were memorialized as warning to any who might get thoughts beyond his station. The memorials, on the whole, were most effective.

"Yeah but I would mind praying for a short time in her arms" Leonidas had a vast weakness for beautiful women.

Elias turned and set the titanium case on the floor board behind his seat, relieved to have it off of his wrist. His elbow as he turned back caught the volum controls of the entertainment system

"Pray for day light, pray for morning. Pray for an end..."

With a muffled curse he slapped the sound back down and looked at his old friend with angry eyes. "That is what you should be praying for, what we all should be praying for if we had any sense!" His voice was an angry hiss.

Leonidas raised his hands placatingly and said nothing more. The maned security booth raised the gate with out hesitation, once they saw two such familiar faces. The drive down to the main road was but a few dozen feet.

Elias never saw the figure in the shadows of the roadside as he paused the car where the drive joined the tree lined boulevard. Intent on getting back to his office at Carnival's City Hall and from there home, what happened next caught him completely by surprize.

The RPG's trigger was pulled, the rocket ignited, and the warhead detonated as it impacted the sedan's grill. The car was lifted completely off the ground and landed hard, fire blooming from all compartments. Elias and Leonidas, both wreathed in flames were blown free as was the titanium case.

As the trigger was pulled one of Lethe's men was on the radio making a report as he and two team mates sprinted in that direction.

"Lycans! I say again Lycans" The distinctive heat signature registered clearly in his night visor.

The darkness holds many creatures, both good and evil. However, by its nature, it is mostly evil.

The bar, being undergorund, was naturally dark. However, the red lighting did nothing to help with eyesight, it simply added mood. To the man walking towards the back room, it was a minor inconveinence. Drinkers ignored the man, he looked to much like an authority figure to be associated with. His dark suit reflected little light, enough just to get him noticed by a bartender who offered him nothing. The man, Davos Santari, was just checking out.

He pushed open a heavy wooden door, and stepped into the back room of the bar. The man sitting at the desk was dressed like a voodoo witch doctor or majic man. He eyed Davos intently, and nodded. "You may enter," he said, speaking with a mixed French-Jamaican accent.

Davos stepped forward over a white chalk line. The myth of invitation, that a vampire need be invited into a building to enter, was just that, a myth. However, the man behind the desk had far more power on his side than a lowly punk who read vampire novels and fancied himself a hunter. Some called them charms, others runes, and few holy spells, but regardless, Davos, nor any vampire or creature of darkness, could cross the white chalk line without permission.

"What do you want, undead?" the man asked, looking up from an ancient looking text.

"I'm checking out, as promised," Davos replied, standing motionless. "I got my buisness done, and now I'm leaving."

"You made a hell of a mess mawn, something it wont be easy to clean up. One of those you killed was a priest. He's not gonna like it."

"I don't care what he like, I'm not one of his. I'm my own."

"You like to think that don't you? Your just as bad as those kids who think they belong to Satan. You know nothing of the dark."

Davos, who had turned to walk, spun again, facing the dark ebony man, hissing, fangs out. "What do you know of the shadows child? You are a gate keeper, nothing more! Speak not to me of the Fallen Sons of Satan, the true damned, we Kindred!"

The man stood forcefully, the small bit of light reflecting of his dark skin, wings of dark grey feather sprouting from his back to span almost the full length of the room, his feet levitating near half a foot off the ground. He held his arms down, elbows bent slightly and palms out towards Davos, light eminating from his hands. Davos responded fast, the shadows in the room forming in front of him, only to be pierced by the light. He slammed into his wrists, holding him up, stretching him out.

"Lowly fool! You may be third generation vampire, ten centureis past, and master of shadow but you are no match for me! Your powers are but pinpricks compared to the weapons yeild by God! I tell all your kind, you are not rouge of the Sons of Satan, no turned devil warriors or daemon. You are made by the sin of man cursed by God!" The ebony man fell to his feet, still standing tall, his wings still spread. Davos' wrists burned, scared from the light. "I may be a simple gate keeper, but I keep my gate well. I will not allow some arrogent Kindred upset the ballance of Imitora, I will destroy if I feel need be. Be gone from here, do not return."

Davos, dropped to his knees from the pain, forced himself to stand. He hissed again, eyeing the man. "I fought for your beloved God and he turned his back on me. I killed in the name of Lucifer and found no relief for my blood lust curse. I am Kindred, the true Prince of Darkness." He held up his middle finger towards the ebony gate keeper, and smirked. "Give this to your boss," he spoke, looking up towards the ceiling, "and his freind," this time to the floor.

He turned, and walked from the room, his wrists already healing from the burns.

It was hours later when Davos landed at Carnival. He had not booked a private flight, although it could have been arranged, and instead took and early evening flight that would gaurentee him no exposure to sunlight from take off to landing. He packed nothing, he was here on advice from another Kindred who had hired him out previously. He had fed before leaving, so hunger was not an issue. Figuring out what the hell was going on, was.

He walked out towards the car rental area, and gave his name to the desk clerk.

"I need a car. A hard top with a decent mot..."

"Actually, Mr. Santari, we have a car reserved for you already. Musta forgotten that on the flight, it was a pretty long one." The clerk, a young blonde, popped her bubble gum and handed him the keys. She gave him the forms to fill out, and then thanked him. Davos was tempted to lure her with him, and turn her into a ghoul. He could use the help, and the constant source, but decided against it. He thanked her, and walked out.

The distance across the parking lot was covered quickly, the entire time Davos playing his earlier encounter out. The Angel had never had a problem with Davos comming in to Imitora, but was damned happy to see him leave. He shrugged, and found his car. It was a black Caddilac CTS-V, with limmo tinted windows. Davos smiled in approval, and seated himself in the car.

He turned the engine over, the supercharged V8 purring nicely, and piloted it out of the lot. He noticed a cell phone sitting on the passenger's seat, and pocketed it, thinking it might come in handy later. His first job was to find the Prince, or whoever was in charge, and let them know the new Justicar was in town.

Jazz's gloved hand held the Lycan's jaw with bone crushing force, the creature was too close to death to notice any additional injury. Her mental probe lanced hard into it's faltering mind, rifling easily though it's deepest thoughts and memories. As the heart beat out a last few irrythmic pulses she let the head drop to the damp concrete with an dull thud.

"This one knew not much more than the others. No information on our arrival, just that the Chief of Police boasted to his mistress of having to leave. To escort the Mayor and over see the removal of an item of 'utmost value' from the cities vaults." She looked at where the barely breathing bodies of the Mayor and Chief of Police lay. No one was tending to them, they had been triaged as unsalvagable, with massive burns over ninety percent of their bodies.

"They are to recieve the best of care, but it won't be enough." She passed harsh judgement on them both. The Mayor was a fool for having brought a weak man into so important a psoition. Replacing them would be just an additional facet of her actions here.

And her security forces had a man fatally injured in the attack. Jazz stood and strode to where the contingent's medic was squatting back on his heels. He shook his head and looked up at her as she neared. Lethe stood near by, hiding her concern well, but she hand chose each operative and considered them 'hers'.

Lethe knew what Jazz was contemplateing and moved to stand beside her. Her voice a nearly soundless whisper meant for Jazz's ears alone. "He got the case before the Lycans could, and I've had my eye on him for some time."

Jazz held up a hand, forestalling anymore from the younger vampire. "It is your decission, just do not allow his needs to outweigh mine."

Lethe nodded sharply and stepped quickly to the fallen troops side, waving the medic away. She went to one knee and opened her left wrist, letting a skein of blood flow between slack lips.

Jazz had not truly needed to remind her of where her first loyality lay, but she had every right to remind Lethe of her obligations to a newly embraced childe.

The Embrace was not an instantaneous occurance, taking sometimes as much as two full weeks to complete. And then newly risen vampire would still be very dependant on Lethe for some time.

Jazz had intended to arrive quietly but now that was wrecked. By a double hand full of half armed Lycans with a half assed plan to steal 'something of value' to Carnival. Carnival belonged to the vampires, and they had on the whole kept the Lycans from gaining any foot hold. Jazz remembered quite clearly that the last formal report by Carnival's now missing Prince stated that there were NO Lycans in Carnival. Obviously he had been wrong, or they had arrived since then.

Despite the attack she didn't think that was what had occured. The Chief of Police's mistress had called her brother...who happened to be one of the dead Lycan's that her forces were currently disposing of under the direction of Kai.

"Jason, contact..." She thought for a moment, sorting though several possibilities. "the Camarilla. Have them send Davos."

The phone vibrated first, Davos not noticing the shaking over the sound of the V8 powering the Caddy down the highway. He had punched the city center into the GPS system, and it was guiding him down the highway. When the phone finally started chirping, he picked it up, flipping it open.

"Davos."

"Ah, Mr. Santari, I'm glad to see you found your vehicle, I hope it suits your tastes?"

"Yeah, it works for me. Whose this?"

"You can just call me The Agent. I'll be your, handler, I believe the proper term is. We're still not quite used to this idea of a free lance Justicar. We're hoping to keep this situation quiet and underhand. The new, Prince," harshness could be heard in his words, "has noted a strange anomoly in Carnival. It involves a sudden decrease in the vampire population in the city. While, in accordance to the Masquerade, we like to keep numbers low, numbers this low in a city started by the Kindred are down right dangerous. We'd like you to aide the investigation."

"Aide?" Davos questioned. Justicars lead. The solved problems, sometimes through thinking, sometimes through killing. He did mostly the later of the two. It tied up loose ends.

"Yes, Mr. Santari. Aide. Your payment will be discussed and you will be informed shortly."

Davos chuckled at his lack of negotiating his own pay. "Fine," he said, sighing if he would have been able to.

"Excellent. We are downloading the location of the new elysium to your GPS system now. You'll be meeting with Jazz. Have a nice night, Mr. Santari." The phone went dead, and Davos clicked the cell shut. He needed a new title other than mister. Something along the lines of 'Master Sanatari' or some other title befitting a Justicar.

The GPS blinked, and he expertly flicked the car towards the new exit, expertly guiding the sports sedan towards a little red dot on a blue screen. He pulled up to a private airport, and sighed. He hated airports, he found them a nessecery evil. Ship transport was just not fast enough, and going intercontinental by train was improbable at best, impossible more often than not.

He rolled past an empty security station, and exited the car. He walked around to the trunk to gain access to the tire changing kit. He was going to grab the four way, not wanting to walk into a lion's den unarmed. Poping the trunk he found a small, metalic case. Opening it, he saw that the Camarilla really did think of everything. Inside was a Springfield XD45, hip holster, magazine holder, and two full magazines of .45 ACP Cor-bon rounds. HE would have to make contact with his supplier in order to get some better rounds, but these would do for now.

He saw lights and activity at a hanger at the end of the runway, and slid back into the Caddy, checking to make sure the holster of the XD was secure. He piloted the car down the runway, stopping at the hanger, and stepping out. He walked forward, authoritatively, hands at his sides. "I'm looking for Jazz," he said, with confidence.

"Might I see some I.D. sir" Respectfully polite and cautious, the security troop that stepped into Davos's path recognised him as a vampire, that Davos could tell intstantly. He could aslo see that these were experienced in interacting with vampires- and knowledgeable about their abilities. He managed to look at Davos without quite meeting his eyes.

His partner never let his line of sight be compromised and never came close enough to enter the contact zone. Quietly he relayed the contact through the microphone built in to his uniforms collar.

"We didn't miss any one" Jason frowned as he took in the information that a vampire had arrived at the front of the hangar. He had just spend a frustrateing twenty minutes playing phone tag with their contact with in the Camarilla. Phone tag that had had little result. They had finally advised him that Davos was out of contact.

Kai's dark eyes met Jazz's and he nodded as he stood. He would take escort duty. He often did, as it gave him the best opportunity to get a reading of her visitors. He had been her bodyguard since she found him. A demon bound in human form, and invulnerable to nearly everything, he was her last line of defense.

Davos was in a sort of bind. Vampires rarely carried any true form of ID. Sure, he had a number of fakes, but all were just that, fakes, with fake names and fake numbers. That, and few DMVs were open 24 hours so he could just go in after sunset. He rarely had to show any ID for purchases, as most were done upfront and with cash. And what purchases would require an ID if legitimate, he just had done privately, or more accurately, illegitimately.

Davos nodded, and realised there was one way. "Of course you can. If I may?" he said, removing his coat, folding it, and placing it neatly on the top of the car. Then the shirt came untucked, and unbuttoned, and it too was folded, and placed ontop of the suit coat. He turned, arms up, allowing the men to see the full tattoo on his back. It covered his back fully, even wrapping around his abs in some places. It was a crest (http://mx.geocities.com/vampiromask/escudos/lasombra.gif), done in dark ink, and obviously time had been spent on the tattoo. The crest of the Clan Lasombra, however, instead of the usual black ink, it was done in a deep purple, signifying it as the Lasombra Antitribu. Further, a black crown on his left bicep confirmed his blooline.

He turned to face the two guards, sizing them up in case he had to make a move, noting the best position to manipulate the shadows. "Does that work for ID? Tell Jazz her Justicar is here."

A figure materialized seemingly out of the shadows themselves. The two security troops stepped back with a respectful nod to Davos. Kai stood only five ten, and in his finely tailored Italian styled suit did not look dangerous at all.

"I tell Jazz that and she'll have both of us as a midnight snack." The voice was warm with humor despite the straight faced delivery, as he held out his hand. "I'm Kai, and I believe you are Davos Santari. Yes?"

The face and the tattoos both matched what Kai knew of Davos, and the touch, as they shook hands, would confirm identity for him. No deep probe, just a touch, a surface scan that did not invade privacy.

Davos eyed the man quietly, studying him and his mannerisms.

[color=red]I tell Jazz that and she'll have both of us as a midnight snack. I'm Kai, and I believe you are Davos Santari. Yes?[color]

He looked at the man's extended hand, and gripped it. Not tight, but firmly. He didn't want to start a lower arm strength pissing match or mini hand crunch. The grip lasted a few seconds, and the Davos broke. "In the flesh," was his brief response, not accompanied with a smile. "I'm here on request from the Camarilla. Some sort of problem you all have. A major disappearing act of sorts."

He eyed Kai, and then turned, grabbing his clothes of the roof of the Caddy. "I'm assuming your here to take me inside. Mind if I get dressed first?"

"I'm assuming your here to take me inside. Mind if I get dressed first?"

Kai had taken Davos's hand as offered, returning the Lasombra Antitribu's firmness with equal, definitely not making a contest of it. That was for beings uncertain of their abilities, and neither Davos or Kai fell into that catagory.

"Please, be my guest." Kai nodded. "And no it is not our problem, it is the Camarilla's problem. Jazz is merely solving it...at their most earnest request. We have been seeking you due to an unanticipated Lycan problem."

He looked at the rental tags on the Caddilac CTS-V, and an eyebrow quirked. "I think you and Jazz will have much to discuss." He met Davos's eyes with a gaze entirely too bland. "I wonder just who the trap is being set for."

Louis Wolfe disembarked from the direct, though late, flight from the airport that was nearest his home to the city of Carnival. He’d been hearing stories of it for a number of years, and finally decided to visit. What had clinched it was the tales that there was to be a musical competition in which he was to be a judge for the contest that was scheduled in a couple weeks, and he might find a prospective childer, thought he was skeptical of the odds.

He had travelled by commercial flight, rather than by private plane in what he knew would be a futile attempt. It always was. The public smile that he endured for the sake of his music snapped into play just before the flashbulb of the first of the tabloidist’s cameras went off.

The press tended to have a field day with his personal life, or at least that which they saw of it. A singer who was moderately prolific in his choice of lovers, who’d been responsible for a number of riots, who avoided the day, who was spotless in criminal charges or repute of vice and dressed in ancient styles. It all added to an irrisistable lure for the cameras.

His luggage was picked up, including a mini steamer trunk that was a vintage antique he had since before he was sired, he began whistling a haunting rendition of An die Freude, his ghostly voice adding the Germanic lyrics to the melody. He wondered if there were any Daughters in the city, as it was exceptionally unlikely there would be another Son. Those humans would feel an elation entering their souls, and even many other vampires would feel the music touch them. The music was his prefered method of distracting the paparazzi long enough for him to escape for a period.

As he finished the melody he arrived at the limo the producers of the show had promised. With the press and camera crews temporarily distracted he made good his escape and bade the driver to take him to the hotel. While taking a bite of a marble chocolate, the food that he enjoyed beyond even blood willingly given, he wondered if the Prince or member of the Primogen would seek him out, or if he would be obliged to seek them out.

"Come on Dana, we're going to lose him if we don't get rolling" Sam called as he reved the engine on the battered rice rocket.

"Okay, okay, I just have to get this camera" Dana finished tucking the camera in its armoured carry case and slung it across her chest. Lithely she jumped up behind Sam and held on as he accellerated wildly after the stretch limo.

She was going to get a personal interview, or some juicy photos of the elusive Louis Wolfe or die trying.

"He's just too good to be true! No star today is such a 'paragon' no one!" She'd huffed to Sam when it ws announced that he would be one of the three judges of Idol's of Carnival the three times as glitzy, not to mention expensively produced version of the popular American Idol.

"So which is he this time? An undercover agent for the New World Order or a Alien?" Sam had snarked as he finished off a twinkie.

He's a Diva, like those in the Fifth Element. IT's the only way to explain it. To look human he has to spend most of the day getting in to a body suit, like they wore in MiB." Dana had said confidently. "Come on, Drive me tonight and I'll buy you dinner at the all you can eat pizza place."

"They kicked me outta there last time" Sam had whined but in the end agreed.

Now they were racing down the rain slick street, the cold wind cutting cruel through coats too inadequate for the weather. Dana didn't mind. She just whooped and held on tight to Sam.

Once it was obvious where the limmo was heading - to the massive edifice of Carnivals fourth most prestigeous hotel on the North Shore - not even a tv producer with all but unlimited fundage could get rooms at the top three - Sam pulled ahead of the limmo and got Dana to the porche-cochere before the stretch could even get turned into the winding driveway.

Sam was smart enough to drive on past, not stopping till they were some distance back along the loop. If they'd tried stopping with in the doorman's view he would have had the omnipresent security run them off, and possibly worse.

"Sam just wait down the road, I'll call you to come and get me" Dana instructed as she pulled a snuggly wrapped change of clothes from her other bag. "I'll look like I belong more wearing this out fit." She crouched to undo the Doc Martens she wore and cursed the cold as she pulled on a pair of high heels.

Once she was headed for a side entrance Sam gunned the cycle and rolled off. He knew just where to wait. He also knew that Dana would probably go so far as trying to break in to the suite undoubtledly reserved for Mr. Wolfe if she could learn which one it was. She would probably find out, she had her ways.

I wonder just who the trap is being set for.


"As long as I get my money, I'm far from concerned," Davos replied, pulling his shirt on. He folowed Kai as he dressed, glancing around the hanger. He made note of exits, of good attack and defense points, of guards, and the like. He pulled his jacket on, feeling confined in his current dress. He would prefer somethign a bit more tactical, or perhaps the Justicar outfit he wore on occasion. He also would have prefered that the weapon on his hip were not as small, and carrying something better than a high velocity full metal jacket round. However, prefrences were things sorted out before hand, not on the spot, and contacts could be made to remedy situations.

And no it is not our problem, it is the Camarilla's problem. Jazz is merely solving it...at their most earnest request. We have been seeking you due to an unanticipated Lycan problem.

Davos had waited till they were in transit to respond to this comment. He had found that most of the time, a comment, regardless of its presentation, was warenting in a response, even if it were just a slight nod.

"With the upmost respect, I honestly don't care whose problem it is. I was sent here to solve a situation, and I intend to solve it, end of story. Lycan problem, vampire problem, kine problem, or fae problem, its all the same to me. Want me to put a bullet in someone's head, I'll do it. Want me to make someone disapear, I can do that to. Just as long as the problem gets solved, we are all gravy."

Wolfe exited the limousine with a sigh of relief. It didn't appear that the press had followed, or anticipated his hotel location. It wasn't that the accredited press bothered him for they were honourable, by their particular codes, but the fringe media was the bastion for the scoundrel.

Walking into the hotel, he was greeted by the duty manager, a short mousy man.
“It is an honour to meet you Mr. Wolfe, and I hope your stay will be pleasant.”
”Thank you.” Louis replied in his measured, and melodious voice that nonetheless carried a faint accent that seemed to imply that modern English wasn’t his mother tongue. “I’m sure my stay will be pleasant.”
“May I request a photo for my daughter, it would really make her day.”
“Of course.” He replied as he pulled out a six by eight photograph and glanced at the manager for her name. After the manager gave his daughter’s name and he’d signed the photo, he thought back to the incident that had put him in the public eye.

He’d never intended to become a public figure, or at least not one in the sense that he had. He’d been singing in the rain outside his home when a young woman, drenched to the bone, had stumbled to the door and requested shelter. Since he’d never really paid attention to the pop circuit, as the disappearance of would have lead to problems, he failed to recognize one of the leading singers. She’d been impressed with his talent and had, through some chicanery, gotten him thrust into the spotlight.

Louis smiled a more genuine smile as he reminisced and with a ‘Have a nice night’ he headed to his room, forgetting his usual request to have the receptionist give any reporters the run-around, thought remembering to ask that the room service people to deliver a large bar of marble chocolate to his room.

Want me to make someone disapear, I can do that to. Just as long as the problem gets solved, we are all gravy.

"I like a man who thinks like that" The warmth of laughing approval disappeared under close held anger. Jazz stood at the top of the 747's stairs. "The disappearance of every single vampire in Carnival save for three who were so far out in left field is my problem ...now why are you calling yourself 'my Justicar'. I didn't order one, I don't need one, or want one."

She had changed from the high powered business executive suit she had worn earlier and was in something far more comfortable. As Davos might say...tactcial. Dark and covered with various impliments of destruction, not that her own powers needed augumentation. Her hair had been pulled back leaving her sculptured cheekbones and large expressive eyes very prominent. Her glance was fulminating.

'He is Davos Santari' Kai confirmed soundlessly, as he stepped aside so that Davos could go first up the stairs. Before he could however, Jazz trotted down to meet the Lasombra Antitribu.

"You like hot cars?" Jazz looked up at Davos, blinked and commented half to herself. "Damn you do look just like a Brueghel's Cristos!"

'Jazz, what are you planning?' Kai's mental voice was suddenly sharp with concern.

'I'm going to get any problems of senority, status, and who's in charge solved once and for all. Mr. Santari has a very take charge reputation. We all know I play well Only when I'm in charge.' Her mental tone brooked no arguement.

Kai nodded stiffly, unhappy but not willing to push the issue. He tossed her the keys to the car he'd arrived in, a rare '72 Lamborgini Muria done in black violett. The long low icon of supercar status glowed softly in the the hangar's lights.

Striding toward it, Jazz looked back at Davos and grinned wickedly. "Coming?"

Bellhops had taken Louis's baggage up to the spacious suite as he spoke with the manager. Effeciently that floors maid began unpacking his wardrobe while others of the staff set out the complimentary noshe tray and checked the array of miniature bottles of various alcoholic beverages at the wet bar. The curtains were pulled open so the grandeur of the ocean and the hotel's pristine private beach could clearly be seen. The bed was turned down; and and a piece of the finest chocolate publicly available, flown in from Mary's in Brussels, was placed on a lace doily in the center of the main pillow of the king size bed.

The chief bellman himself escorted Mr. Wolfe up to his suite, bowing him in as the last of the staff exited.

"Sir, the chocolate will up directly, and if there is anything you need the concierge will be glad to provide."

Closing the door quietly behind him the chief bellman never noticed the door to the other elevator chiming open and after a seconds hesitation Dana stepping out.

She had had to hide her panting as she nearly trotted into the lobby, but she had arrived in time to see on which floor they were placing Louis Wolfe. The managaer was so distracted that she never noticed Dana taking the other elevator.

Dana looked up and down the hall after she exited the elevator, at a loss for once. She didn't think that knocking on doors was the best idea, but the doors of the hotel were thick enough that she knew that she wouldn't be able to hear anything through them.

Wolfe thanked the bellhops and made a mental note to thank the floor maid for unpacking his clothes who, for a modern woman, was appearently skilled in proper handling of vintage clothing. His thanks was, beside being sincere, was also quite generous. Louis had found generosity helped alley eccentricities to some exent.

Looking out the large windows, he found the radio and inserted a copy of Don Giovanni. As a human he'd managed to hear the premier of the opera and had thus held a special fondness for the work, and by extension those of Mozart.

As he lay out on the bed, the door swung slightly open as he'd failed to close it properly. With the chocolate melting in his mouth, classical music playing, the only thing that would likely make it truely perfect would be an attractive woman.

Dana was nearly screaming with frustration as she looked down the hall one more time. She knew there had to be security camera's but she could see them. Standing there looking indecisive much longer would set off some ones nose for trouble, she just knew it. Then she was the small camera, and nearly laughed aloud, relief surging through her. The camera's lens was jammed against a decorative sconse. It was blind, it couldn't see her!

She nearly jumped out of her skin as the other elevator chimed and the doors slid silently open. Out stepped a hotel staffer who gwaked at Dana for a moment. Her eyes narrowed. Dana's out fit might be considered 'nice enough' over on the South Side, but here it was strictly third rate.

"EXcuse me, miss...Awk!" Her sharp voice died in a squwak as without thought Dana brought her clenched fist into the womans midsection. The staffer doubled over, dropping the the gift box she carried to the thick carpet.

Dana hit her again, bringing her heavy camera case down on her head. She wasn't worried about the camera's within. The case was metal under ballistic nylon, all of the camera's and lenses were in dense foam padding.

The staffer dropped with no further sound, and Dana was left standing there her mouth hanging open, comepetely aghast at what had possessed her. She'd never hit any one like that in her life. Yes she'd thrown many a punch at the practise bag, but not a person.

Shivering slightly she scooped up the box the woman had dropped. A handsomly calligraphed card was been tucked under a wide gold ribbon. It was a pound box of choclates, of a brand she had never heard of. But it was for Mr. Louis Wolfe, may you enjoy these as much as we enjoy having you as our guest. Sincerely, Mr. Marion Barbours "But the damn thing doesn't say which suite!" She nearly cried.

The unconscious staffer moaned slightly drawing Dana's attention back to her. Carefully Dana set the box on a near by side table, then stood looking at her victim for another few seconds. "What am I going to do?" She felt the shakes returning. Assault was a very serious crime in Carnival, and dealth with harshly, especially here on the North Shore.

Crouching down she tried to rouse the woman, shaking her shoulder. Her panick subsided as anger grew. "All I waanted was some pictures damn it!" She muttered as the staffer did not regain consciousness. However a a hotel pass card, black plastic with a discrete gold logo and a magnetic strip fell out of her hand.

Dana's eyes widened, and with a small cry scooped it up. Yes! Suite C was noted clearly on the reverse. Dana scooped up the box of chocolates and moved quickly down to the door that led to the named suite.

She held the card to the scanner, so it would identify her as 'staff' and pressed the talk button on the annunciator.

From the discretely placed intercom speakers, came a chime, a soft announcement that one of the hotel staff was requesting enrtance and a slightly breathless woman's voice.

"Mr. Wolfe, my apologies for disturbing you, but I'm here with some chocolates from Mister Barbours. Might I come in?"

"Jerry, Jerry!" Voice shrill with terror, a youthfull tenor. "They're dead, blood suckers came out of no where. And soldiers, soldiers all over the place."

Hands shaking his shoulders, then as the hysterical sobs contuned, a back handed blow across his sharp featured face. That stopped him cold with pain and greater shock.

"Now how do you know there were vamps there?" A harsh voice attached to the shadowy bulk that had back handed the surviving observer's face.

"Vamps!" Came another voice from the various men scattrered about the dimly lit dingy room.

"This was supposed to be the Mob! Not vamps!" Added a second his voice too going shrill.

"Shut Up" The harsh voice roared, commanding the others to silence, and he turned back to the 'brother' he had been questioning. "Now, How do you know they were fang fucks?"

"One moved, even faster that JoJo! And they killed all of the team."

The leader snorted. They had been assured by their contact that the Chief of Police and the Mayor were meeting with the Mob, to give them something 'very special'. If he'd thought that the Mob had hired vamps he would haver sent a bigger team. A team with special weapons. He'd screwed the pooch on this one, and now he needed better intel. He turned back to calming down the observer.

It took a couple of hours but the kid had been a smart watcher, despite his terror filled flight at the end of the battle he'd withnessed. And they could now be certain that it was indeed vampires, not the Mob that the city officials had been out to see.

They still didn't know what the Mayor had taken out there, the Lycan team hadn't managed to even get their claws on the case. He cursed his cousin who had been so impatient to fire off the RPG, but he was dead and safe from physical retrubution.

He knew he needed to recruite more, and also send for reinforcements from larger packs. it's cost a lot to do that, but it would be worth it. Three heavily armed strike teams with all the toys they favored wouldn't break his budget. He could always strong arm a few more drug dealers.

He was glad that an old friend was already on the way. He just wished Reaver would have taken a flight, though he knew the canny old Lycan really didn't care for air travel.

As Zerlina's aria 'Batti, Batti O Bell Masetto' wound to a close, Louis heard the intercom sound. He smiled as he sat up. Neither Belguim nor Swiss chocolate held a candle to good marble chocolate, at least in his opinion.

Pressing the reply button, "I'll be right there." He let go of the button and headed to the door to meet the woman. He opened the door as the music of the second act began, "Hello?"

Dana (http://www.atddm.com/dana.jpg) found herself pushing boldly past Louis, the box held out almost like a shield. She knew she was reasonably attractive, if no knock out. The deep red hue of her dress with a flirty neckline, but not too dareingly short skirt did compliment her figure and complection. She was also counting on Mr. Wolfe's much praised civility.

"Mister Barbours sent these up sir." She held the chocolates out to him, hoping he would not notice the camera case slung over one shoulder.

The short walk to Carnival had been... bracing. The rich taste of the woman's blood still enticed his senses, made sweeter still by her fear and pain as she expired against him. Draining the victim was not merely feeding, it was not merely the byproduct of the basic urge for nutrition, it was ritualistic, religious even. A reaffirmation of his place within the world, that of the predator among the herd, the god among men. The life of the cattle was his, to do with as he saw fit, and he had seen fit to extinguish it. His mind slightly cloudy from the effects of his large meal, he had relished the cold night air.

Still, with the meal done, it was time for some after-dinner entertainment. The lycan was nearby, he could feel it. He could smell its rank, canine odour on the nocturnal breeze, and as always he felt a sense of release as he realised that it was time to dispose of the foul creature.

He walked along the pavement through the bustling crowds of partygoers and similar debauchers, occasionally glancing at the posters advertising new venues. The nightclubs and bars were always ripe feeding grounds, especially those catering to fetish or fringe activities, the combination of alchohol and false familiarity with his vampiric activites made his job that much easier. That, and the sudden terror on the victim's face as they realised that he wasn't pretending and that he really was going to go all the way. Blood always tasted that much sweeter for fear and adrenaline, and he loved to allow the victim a moment of realisation before he snuffed them out.

Still, the lycan was more important. He wouldn't need to feed again for another few nights, although in this teeming city he could treat himself nightly. He continued his course, blending in with the crowd perfectly. And then, across the neon-lit street, he saw his mark. The lycan was young and powerfully built, wearing a tight-fitting red t-shirt and black jeans. A bead necklace hung around its thick neck. He sized up the beast as he crossed the street towards it. For all its bulk he could probably best it in close combat. It may have brute strength, but using his speed he could likely deliver a fatal blow before it could strike. Still, that tactic would have its risks. Far better to play to his real strengths.

Closing in on the lycan he began to plan how best to keep its death hidden from prying eyes. Although he could fight off humans, the bloodbath would likely draw unwelcome attention from the powers that be, whether that be the vampire prince or a local lycan mob. He was now only around ten metres from its broad back. Extending his mind outwards towards it, he began to reach into its own. Fighting down his disgust at connecting himself to a lesser being in this way, he gave a gentle nudge. Apparently he had connected with something in its feeble mind, as it turned down the next secluded alley.

It makes it too easy.

The vampire too turned down the alley, noting with suprise and pleasure that it was a dead end. The only way out would be though him. Time to get the beast's attention.

"Some guard dog you'd make. I thought you were supposed to be alert."

The lycan spun around, surprise registering on its face. The vampire continued.

"Really, now. You've let yourself be trapped, like a beast in a cage. Almost too easy a target to be worth bothering with. Such a kill would be honourless. Still, you don't get far on honour unless you're prepared to sacrifice it from time to time."

"You! You're the one who's been following me! The one who left the body in my car!"

The vampire made a quick judgement. The lycan would not be able to spring from that distance, so he could taunt it a little more. He bowed in a mocking facsimile of his scraping back in the Royal Court, nearly five hundred years ago.

"The very same. Still, the hunt is over. I have to say I've enjoyed every moment."

The lycan charged, hoping to surprise the vampire with a quick rush. A low growl formed in its throat as it pounded down the alley ready to crush this mocking vampire's skull. The vampire grinned suddenly, and the bead necklace around the lycan's throat suddenly jerked backwards, almost lifting it off its feet. It staggered backwards gasping. The vampire laughed.

"Collared, huh? The irony is just killing me. Bad doggy."

The lycan snarled impotently, unable to charge in case of a second telekinetic attack.

"You can't kill me, bloodsucker. My pack will tear you to pieces when they find out."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, shall we? Anyway, back to work. You'll die in agony, and when your pack get back from scratching their fleas and sniffing each others arses and come looking for your worthless body, I'll be long gone."

The vampire smiled again, showing the tips of his fangs, and his eyes narrowed as he concentrated. The lycan felt nothing at first, then began to scream as the nature of the power became apparent.

"Sanguis est ignem et aquam."

The lycan screamed again as its blood heated within its veins, scorching internal tissue. Every nerve lit up with pain as tissues were scorched by gathering heat, organs began to fail, shrivelling from the boiling vitae. The creature's eyes rolled back as its brain boiled inside its skull. Its back arched, then it fell to the floor, curling into the foetal position and screaming, waiting for the pain to stop.

It didn't. Blood vessels ruptured as water evaporated into expanding steam. The gaseous vitae erupted from every orifice as the creature died, and the vampire stepped forward to his defeated foe. He inhaled, feeling the evaporated blood fill his nostrils. He closed his eyes, held his breath for a moment, then exhaled again. Fire burned in his eyes as he opened them, and he hissed through his teeth. Time to find out more about this city. He moved off, back onto the street, leaving the lycan's body steaming gently.

Louis was slightly surprised by the bold, almost agressive, entrance but nonetheless stepped back to allow her entrance. His reputation for civility was quite justly earned, though in this case a large part of the respect was for the chocolate. He noticed that she was fairly attractive as he looked her over, thought not in a lewd manner, even thought he'd quite enjoy a chance to feed from or simply spend the night with her.

"Please convey my thanks to Mister Barbours, and I'd also like to extend my thanks to you for the speedy delivery." He said as made to relieve her of the chocolates, and with the added intention of seeing if her finger held a ring. 'Poaching' was something he refused to do.

"Oh you are most welcome, and I shall certainly let Mr. Barbours know of your appreciation." Dana flirted, her lips curving in a smile that brought out her dimples. She let him take the box, but her eyes went round as her camera case sung into view and she noted the streaks of fresh blood along one corner. Dana had been so focused on the shock of her attack on the staffer she had not thought to check her bag for evidence of her actions.

She froze for half a second, hopeing it's movement wouldn't draw the vocalist's eyes to it. 'What will I say..oh! I know!' She'd simply say she was actually off duty and on her way out for an evening of fun. That the whole thing didn't really add up didn't occur to her. Dana hadn't expected his presence, his voice to be so...comfortable. She wanted to hear more of it.

No, in this part of Carnival, even this close to the more frentic areas of this neighborhood, a sceam or even many drew little response. Save for a pair of faintly glowing red eyes that watched carefully until the attacker, the slayer, had left. Then a small wrinkled figure (http://www.atddm.com/spinx1.jpg) stood and stretched, it's back making a long familiar arc against the late rising moon.

Nearly invisible wings of thin but strong bone with taunt skin stretched tight between them spread and the Moon Cat half flew, half soared down to poke cautiously at the still steaming Lycan corpse. A winking of the eyes and no small amount of concentration and the soiled bead necklace came clear. A distasteful moue and the watcher had it in his teeth.
A run of a few bounding steps and it was launching itself aloft to take the shortest route home to it's partner.

Jaelith would be glad to know that her reports were finally being acted on. The Sisters of Selene hated Lycans with a passion rivaled only by vampires and they often shared information between the groups. And as the only representative of the Sisters in the city her reports had also gone to the local Prince. His replies of 'acknowledged, being dealt with, leave it to us' had left a bad taste in her mouth.

Wolfe's nose twitched as he caught the scent of blood, but dismissed it as a slight hunger pane. He thought back and remembered the last time he'd eaten properly had been a couple days ago, and when he went over three days, he became cranky, over four days he'd run into problems.

Louis raised an eyebrow at her somewhat incoherent comments, but smiled and replied, "Before I request a chance to join you, may I enquire as to your name?"

The vampire Thomas Holt chuckled as he walked, recalling how the lycan had screamed for mercy as its blood boiled within its veins. For all their snarling and posturing they could be broken so easily. No wonder that it was the vampires who had so much greater power. Still, the mention of its pack was disturbing. His suspicions had been confirmed by the lycan's threat: the lycan had a foothold within Carnival, and he had killed enough of their kind to be a marked man. Not to mention the lack of vampires. Carnival was supposed to have a positively enormous ratio of vampires to cattle, and yet he had picked up no trace of any of his elevated kin. Although he was used to solitude, the lack of vampires in a city practically run by them sent alarm bells ringing. He would have to be exceedingly watchful for the duration of his stay here. Above the street his familiar flitted from elevated position to elevated position, keeping watch for any threat to its master.

Still, with his hunt ended to his satisfaction and his hunger still kept at bay, he would need to find somewhere to pass the day. All the thaumaturgy in the world would not protect him from the sun's killing rays, and after almost a week of roughing it he wanted to find somewhere luxurious.

The North Shore was famous for its hotels, so it seemed like the obvious destination for a vampire with a craving for comfort and a penchant for domination. As he walked along the street he saw a likely-looking building. A haunt of movie stars and singers, and rumoured to be the fourth most luxurious hotel in the area. He wiped the mud from his boots and walked in, almost insolent in his confidence. The sight of all the bourgeoisie in the lobby brings a smile to his face: seeing each of them attempting to prove their superiority over their peers. To him the cattle are all equal, for his is a god's-eye view, seeing peasant and prince merely as insignificant specks on the land below.

He strides over to the reception desk and rings the bell. He is immediately confronted with an obscenely disagreeable young man. His suit is too free of blemishes, his hair too neatly combed back, his manner too accomodating. An obvious target for the vampire.

"I want a room for a few days. A single, but one of the good ones on the upper floor, preferably with a view of the bay."

"Very good, sir. Will that be all?"

"Of course not."

He makes sure to snap the words, seeing the shock and inward anger in the man's eyes as he realises that this customer won't be leaving a tip. Then he continues.

"First of all I want a bottle of your very best champagne delivered to my room, along with a crystal champagne flute. And it has to have gold trim, none of your cheap silver shit."

The young man visibly pales. The vampire waits for a second to see if he can keep his composure.

"Will that be all, Sir?"

Apparently he can. What a pity.

"Yes, I think so. If I need anything else I'll know who to call."

He is interested to see that the receptionist pales even further. He studies the man's face for a second, then holds his hand out for the key.

"Will Sir be paying by cash or by credit card?"

"Oh, I don't think you'll require any payment. Just give me the keys."

The stunned but effectively dominated receptionist hands him the keys, and the vampire walks off, whistling. His baggage is light and all stuffed into his rucksack, so he needs no help in getting to his room. On the way up he suddenly recognises the unmistakeable presence of a fellow vampire in the building. This could be worth investigating later.

"Before I request a chance to join you, may I enquire as to your name?"

'A chance to join me?' Dana's mind stuttered to a stop for a second.but I said nothing aloud about ...I just thought..OMG he read my mind! he IS an alien. Out...he wants to go out with me.... Dana's thought whirled nearly incoherently. Name..name...oh..

Her eyes widened and her smile sparkled. "My names Dana and I'd love to show you Carnival Mr. Wolfe." She found herself perilously close to batting her eyelashes at him. "Of course we could just sit on the balcony and admire the ocean view if you'd find that less tiring after your long flight."

She couldn't believe what she was saying but some how it didn't seem to matter.

The desk clerk found himself shaking his head, feeling as if a fly were buzzing about, unseen but annoying. He'd dealt with ruder customers before, but not many. Generally when they reached the level of wealth required to partonise his hotel, they had taken on enough polish to resemble civilized sharks not real ones.

Unaware of what he was doing, he noted down the room assignment and marked it as a comp. They didn't have many non suite rooms, only two on each of the eleven floors below the penthouse level. There had been only one available, on the eleventh floor. Room A, 11th floor.

His annoyance was just enough that he neglected, without realising it, to contact the concierge and advise him of the new guest. The chief bellman had over seen some of the interaction and just smirked. He wasn't going to step up and take a dose of that rudeness, besides the new arrival had only brought a backpack for luggage.

The elevator chimed and slid open, arriving to take the new arrival up to the requested floor. It rises upward, with luxurious smoothness.

Sliding open on the eleventh floor one can see a wide hallway tastefully decorated...and a female body, just a step or two from the elevator. A trickle of blood flows fron a nasty looking scalp laceration. There is no one else visable in the hall way.

"Then might I request a chance to join you Dana?" He asked as he noticed she seemed quite please that he'd asked. It wasn't telepathy, but the experience of many years which enabled him to pick up on a little of what might have been going through her mind. "I would enjoy seeing Carnival, as I very rarely am wearied by long flights.

"I would enjoy seeing Carnival, as I very rarely am wearied by long flights.

Dana couldn't keep delight from showing openly on her face. She'd love to pass the night with him. 'What red blooded woman wouldn't' She thought, still dazzled by being in Louis's presence. Then some shred of sanity reminded her that the hotel staffer that she had assaluted still lay sprawled in the hallway. Her eyes took on a glazed look far closer to that of 'deer in the headlights' than 'female appreciating potential...' and she gulped heavily.

All but stammering "Louis, you don't mind me bing forward enough to call you Louis do you? I think it might be better if we just enjoyed the view from your balcony? Have you taken in the fine ocean view, we're almost famous for it."

She stepped further into the sitting room of the suite, heading for the balcony, and away from the door that led to the perils of the hallway.

Louis noticed her expression shift somewhat, but didn't pay much attention. He was use to women acting strangely around him at times, and thus was use to it. Also the faintest stirrings of hunger were distracting him slightly more than usual.

"No I don't mind, in fact I find it kind of refreshing. I also haven't properly appreciated the ocean view, so would you be willing to point out the points of interest that are visible?" He asked as he followed her.

"Regardless of whether you want me here or not, I'm here on order from the Camarilla."

Never once had an Anti Tribu so fully absorbed the Camarilla mindset and hierchy as Davos had. Most of the anti tribes simply settled in where ever they wished, but he had fully become part of the Camarilla. He was more Camarilla then most Ventru.

Davos eyed the Lamborghini. The sleek Italian classic made no impression on him, he always had prefered function over form, and the laundry lists of problems that the old Lambos had always kept him away from them. He also prefered something a touch heavier, that had more power behind it in the form of wieght. You never knew when you would need to put a car into a wall. He watched the keys sail through the air, thinking about snatching them out of the air. He decided against it, he wouldn't be the one to chaufer Jazz around in her own car. That, and like most of the older Lamborghinis, he didn't even know if the car would start.

He walked over to the passenger's side door, and slid his fingers under the handle, clicking it open. He noticed that what he had read was right, the doors were designed to look like the horns of a bull when opened, and chuckled slightly. He looked up at Jazz, and then towards the driver's side. He could get in, but he decided to wait. He had time.

Jazz slid gracefully in behind the wheel and turned the powerful v12 engine over. She had not the faintest doubt that it would start. Ki kept his toys in perfect working condition. She barely gave Davos a chance to settle himself in before the Muria was screaming out of the hangar.

She didn't bother too look over at him as she negotiated the roads leading away from the private airport. The scenery was breathtaking, even at night, but she paid no attention to it either. Silence settled like a blanket, and she let it weigh heavy for a long time before speaking.

"Then you can take yourself right back out. Right now Carnival does NOT belong to the Camarilla, or the Sabbat, or any one other than me. If you are going to be here you answer to me, no one else. Deal with it or leave." There was no trace of anger, or any sort of warmth in her voice, just a deadly matter of factness.

"No I don't mind, in fact I find it kind of refreshing. I also haven't properly appreciated the ocean view, so would you be willing to point out the points of interest that are visible?

Dana slid the door to the balcony open, letting in a swirl of cool night breeze, laden with the clean tang of ocean.

"I'd love to" She couldn't stop smiling as she slid her arm through his and led him over to the railing over to the railing. She leaned against it lightly and pointed to a shadowy pile of rocks highlighted by the loaming as waves crshed against them. "That is the infamous Lovers Leap where scorned lovers leap to their deaths from the immense heights." She declaimed with a grandiouse sweep, making the extravagant lie the beginnings of a fairy tale.

Louis drank in the smell of the ocean and felt another light rumble in his stomach.

With an almost matching smile to Dana's, he let her guide him to the railing and likewise leaned on it to look over the city and water. Following her arm, which he happened to find an almost perfect form, to the area she pointed out he commented, "Sounds like a tragic tale, could you tell me more, it might lead to a good song."

He knew many Kindred would Presence a human to get his, or her, way though he found that generally contemptable, and only used it in emergencies or when the only other option was to kill.

Davos thought for a moment. "Very well." He didn't mention that he stayed not becuase of a desire to get the job done, and solve any mystery, but only for the money he would receive for a job well done. Despite what they had taken from him, he still held faith in the Camarilla. Besides, if he stayed, then there was the distinct possibility that the Camarilla would let Jazz have her fun, and then come in, and take back what was rightfully theirs. He watched the world speed by, ignoring the visuals, focusing only at the matter that would be at hand.

After another moment of silence, he spoke. "I need to get in touch with my contacts. I wasn't given very much in the way of weaponry, and while I don't mind getting up close and personal, I prefere to have some amount of, breathing room, so to speak. I'm going to need something more secure than a cellphone, and a place where goods can be delivered, how would you say, discretely."

I'm going to need something more secure than a cellphone, and a place where goods can be delivered, how would you say, discretely."

Jazz pulled off into a scenic overlook and killed the engine. She expected more of a fight out of him, but was glad she hadn't gotten it. Though he could just be accomodating her, she'd give him trust and a free rein.

"Davos you can have what ever you feel you need. Just ask and it's yours. Every report the Camarilla recieved from the Prince stated unequivacabley 'no Lycan activity, no Lycan presence'...yet now Carnival needs a new Mayor and Cheif of Police, because of Lycans. So something is not as proclaimed. Either the Prince was a blind idiot, or he was deliberately lieing to the Camarilla." She wanted to say she didn't care either way, but she did - the Lycans were devilishly adept at comeing up with ways to destroy vampires. And she had to consider the distruction of over a thousand of the Kindred as possibly due to new Lycan efforts. "Neither myself or my team are dedicated Lyanists. Your reputation in dealing with them is second to none. And I'll pay you, don't be concerned about that."

She looked at him for the first time. "Deal fair with me and I'll deal fair with you."

The vampire steps into the elevator and glances at the key. Floor Eleven, Room A. He presses the button for the eleventh floor and feels the floor move slightly as the elevator begins its ascent. The elevator ride is relatively long, although with a double blessing of silence and solitude. Apparently in a hotel this upmarket they no longer feel that annoying, repetitive music does anything for the human mind other than encouraging uncontrollable bloodlust. As if a vampire needed any more of that.

A bell chimes once as the elevator doors slide open, and he steps out onto plush carpet. Seeing the room letters on the doors he picks out his room and begins to walk towards it. As he moves his foot connects with something on the floor, and he looks down to find the unconcious body of a woman. He nudges her with his foot, out of curiosity rather than compassion, and notices a large bruise on her head. Still, she appears to be breathing. Shrugging his shoulders, he steps over her and heads for his room.

Room 11A

The door opens at the swipe of the electronic 'key' and reveals a large well appointed room with a massive antique canopy bed dominating the furnishings. The other furnishings -bedside tables, desk, dresser, tall boy, pair of queen anne style chairs around small table - are of similar style and equal the elegance of the bed. The bathroom is excetpionally large and is lvishly appointed with a seperate tub and shower The heavy, indigo silk curtains are pulled back, letting in a view of the night sky and the sweep of the ocean.

And the faint, almost sensed rather than scented, neck ruffleing smell of vampire was more pronounced in the hall than in the wide high ceilinged lobby of the ground floor.

****************************************

Suite 11C

Dana found herself laughing delightedly. "Oh if the truth ever was brought back up it be such a scandal! He tried to jump to his death but being exceptionally drunk- as he apparently almost always was -all he did was break a leg, then nearly drown when he was unable to crawl away from the incoming tide." She had to pause a moment and catch her breath from the chuckles. "And his 'beloved' was potted as well, too drunk to try and climb back down. She broke her arm and shivered up there all night. It was the dead of winter, and she was in a thin silk dress."

Then she sobered. "That is just the current 'urban tale'. If you take a plane, balloon, or helicopter, and see the rocks from above - and it has to be from directly above, not from the hills- it looks like a man and a woman curled together, sleeping in each others arms. And the name in the old, old native tongue is 'the lovers'." She gave him a solemn glance, moving closer to him as she did so.

"That sounds somewhat macabre." He replied as he listened to her tale. "Did it end well?"

"A rather sugggestive name, I wonder how many people propose over those rocks." He noticed she'd moved closer and asked in a slightly teasing tone, yet also one that conveyed that he was interested, "Have you been guiding my questions?"

"Have you been guiding my questions?"

Dana looked up from under her eyelashes. "Why of course I have" finding herself rather breathless. "And yes it ended in an appropriately Carnivalian fashion. They sued each other, the city, and the hotel. Each lost all three, won the national lotto two weeks later, without knowing the other had as well until they showed up to collect and spent half of it on the most...expensive wedding the city has seen in some time."

At Dana's replied, he smiled. "That sounds like the makings of a decent romantic comedy rather than a song," He commented as he looked at Dana again and wondered what she'd have thought of him had he been joe regular rather than an eccentric star.

"It probably would, but no one in Carnival is doing romantic comedies these days. It's either deadly serious relationship flicks, or blow everything up action sprees." Dana shrugged. "Musicals are my favorite, but no one is doing them either, so I have to wait until films from else where opens here."

Louis seemed to be a very nice person, not at all what she had imagined he might be like. And he certainly wasn't an alien in a robot body suit.

"You like musicals as well?" He asked as he enjoyed musicals a great deal, thought he wasn't sure if that was because of his blood, or he just liked them because he liked them.

"Perhaps there might be a musical on T.V." He suggested.

"Perhaps there might be a musical on T.V."

Dana gave a quick glance at the bangle watch adorning her left wrist. "Oh yes absolutely! And there is! It's nearly midnight and My Fair Lady is coming on then. It's one of my favorites." She looked back into the living room of the suite. "You have a one hundred and ten inch plasma screen TV hidden behind the doors of the entertainment center...or a seventy five inch one in the bedroom."

She's leave the choice up to him.

"Well, I've always found it more enjoyable to watch T.V. when I can stretch out on a bed." He replied, "So unless you have any objections shall we head there to watch the musical?"

Only after he'd asked did he realized it was also a 'line', but he did prefere it, and thus let it stand.

She looked at him for the first time. "Deal fair with me and I'll deal fair with you.

Davos nodded. "Deal," he said, quietly. He removed one of the pistols from its holster, and ejected the magazine. He popped out one of the rounds, and held it up for Jazz. "Jacketed Hollow Points. Won't do anything to anyone. I need better ammo, stuff that will really put a lycan down. I can get up close and personal if I feel need be, but with lycans its always good to have some breathing room."

He clicked the round back into the magazine, then clicked it back into the gun. "I also need full details of whats going on, and what the leads we have so far are."

"I also need full details of whats going on, and what the leads we have so far are."

"Just give me the information on the fire power you want. You want it, you'll get it." She liked his no nonsense attitude, even if he had bought into the Camarilla bs hook line and sinker.

Jazz gave Davos a crooked smile. "I'll tell you what I know, and where it differs from what I was told. Six days ago..."

She gave him a thorough run down, with details on every bit of data that Jason and Ki had obtained on site, and every thing they'd run down though the web and local security. Every detail, no matter how small.

Every vampire - and their Retainers in the region -save for three - one Catiff, one Nosferatu, and one Malkavian, so far out on the fringes of vampire society that they only appeared on the original census, and had no idea of anything happening - were destroyed, wiped from their various secure resting place. Save for any that may have arrived since then.

"Every place that had security camera in place shows Nothing, no sign of attack, fire, nothing. They just vanished. All of them, between eleven a.m. and 1 p.m. Every place that had check points show no one entering or leaving during that period either."

She admitted that not all of the resting spots had good security- some had absolutely none at all - but the physical evidence backed it up. No fire, no explosions, no signs of violence.

"According to the Inner Circle, the Prince was scheduled for a video confrence the day after the disappearance, and never kept it. They were most incensed at that derilection and sought contact though other sources. They came back with 'not to be found' and so I got called in."

She wasn't going to mention that she had a friend here that had vanished along with the rest. "The Sabbat swears that they had nothing to do with this and are covering half my fee. Given other sources I have" and her grin was evil- She hadn't been gentle in her interrogations. "I have to believe them."

"So we have over a thousand Kindred, most of them Camarilla, gone, the regular reports that say no Lycans, nothing amiss, everything wonderful..."

She shuddered lightly and looked away for a moment. "I don't know why you get up each evening, Davos of a thousand years, but I consider mine very good reasons. So I don't like the thought of some new weapon that just makes us vanish. When I get this knot undone, I'll give Carnival back, just like I promised." She gave him a wicked look "Hell I was told I get to appoint the new prince. I'll crown you and happily up and leave. Let you have the joy of playing politics with a bunch of wanna be's kings of the hill."

"So unless you have any objections shall we head there to watch the musical?"

Dana had no objections at all, and followed him into the suite's bedroom. Kicking off her shoes and letting her camera case drop she regared the massive canopy bed with its silk hangings and sheets with near awe.

"That is the most luxurious bed I've...oh it's heavenly!" She exclaimed as she climbed on and discovered the luxury of the worlds most expensive matress. "How could one bear to climb out of it?"

He'd already removed his shoes when Dana arrived bearing chocolate and joined her on the bed. Sinking into the mattress as he felt the covers he agreed, "It'll probably take a crowbar to pry me out of bed tomorrow."

Taking the remote, he was about to turn the T.V. on when he realized he didn't know the channel. "Do you know the channel the movie is playing on?"

"Do you know the channel the movie is playing on?"

"I'll hide the crowbar, and yes the movie is on channel 31. They do only musicals." She smiled at him and moved closer to him, hoping that she'd end up snuggled under one arm.

"That'd be nice." He commented as he smiled at her impish comment. Flicking on the T.V. he noticed they'd cut it none to close as the movie was just starting up. When she snuggled up, he put his arm around her shoulder as he enjoyed the closeness.

Davos nodded. It had been more than he had been told, his only piece of info being that all the old vampires were gone, and that they needed to know why.

I don't know why you get up each evening, Davos of a thousand years, but I consider mine very good reasons

"Well, the pay is good."

He watched the world go by the Lamborghini, running a mental list through his head. "I'm gonna need some specialized rounds. They are starting to be a bit more open on the market, silver tipped hollow points that hold small amounts of sliver nitrate. Injects straight into the blood stream of a lycan, kills it pretty fast. That, and high content sliver fragmentation rounds. I'll need it in something with a bit of magazine content too, so nine milimeter or forty ess and double u. Also a shot gun would be nice, pump action 12 gauge that can take a three inch magnum load. And of course, a rifle or sub gun. Other than that, I can handle my equipment."

He made mental notes of locations as they speed through the city, observing it from a distance, getting a feel for its size.

"So where are we heading now?"

Jazz reached into the miniscule glovebox and pulled out a cellphone, and haned it to Davos. "Dial four. Lethe will answer, she handles our security and weapons. Tell her what you want and she'll have it for you by the time we're at the penthouse."

"So where are we heading now?"

"I had a friend who lived here." Jazz almost never accorded any one the status of friend, out side her small circle of 'the boys' and her Retainers. "I want to see for myself."

Almost before she finished talking the phone rang.

Dana enjoyed the movie, but even more she enjoyed being curled up with Louis. Though..."Are you cold? Would you like a blanket around you?" She asked concernedly.

"A bit." He replied as he was finding it slightly cooler than he enjoyed though Dana was a highly enjoyable source of warmth, "You seem slightly cool as well, so would you like to join me?"

With a delighted grin Dana joined Louis under the thick comforter, laying her head on his shoulder. After a minute she tilted her head to look up at him.

"Breathe Louis, breathe, or I'll begin to think you've never had a lady cuddle up to you."

He chuckled as he mentally slapped himself for forgetting to breathe. He tried to breathe normally whenever he was awake, to better conceal the vampirism, but occasionally lapsed. "Surely you have left men breathless before?" He asked in a slightly teasing voice.

"Only if they're dead" She twitched her nose at him as her grin widened. She knew she didn't send people screaming but she also knew she wasn't much more than average. Or at least not next to the glamorous people she spent her time photographing.

He noticed her smile widen, but her nose captivated him. For some reason he knew he'd never be able to explain, he leaned over and planted a light kiss on it.

Leaning back he blushed, a rather impressive feat for a vampire, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." He hoped he hadn't embarressed or startled her as he really did like her, especially as he found her far more attractive than the average starlet he had to endure.

"Oh gads! The nose strikes again" Dana wailed melodramatically. Then she saw his blush and sighed inwardly. Her friends often teased her calling her Samantha after the lead in an old comedy show about a witch and her nerdy husband. Dana hadn't minded the kiss at all. She like that he felt comfortable and wasn't pushy about getting close. Though she wouldn't mind getting closer.

She popped up and returned the favor, a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. She didn't blush thought, but did it again. "I always give better than I get." She said teasingly.

The phone chirped in Davos' hand as he opened it, and he clicked "accept". He put the phone up to his ear, not really sure who or what was calling, but decided to let Jazz drive. "Hello?" he asked, not introducing himself.

"Davos? Right? This is Kai," the voice came back.

The conversation was brief. Kai informed Davos that a call had been intercepted, to the old prince's answering machine. It was a woman, thanking for the elimination of the lycan situation. However, the message was cut short by what sounded like a fight, and of course, Jazz and Davos were the closest.

"You want an address."

"I don't know this area. Here," he said, handing the phone to Jazz. "Its Kai."

Gabriel smiled at her antics. He found people, and especially women, bland if they lacked a sense of humour. "That you do." He replied as the movie reached it's intermission commercial.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" He asked, before a thought crossed his mind, "Did you finish your shift, as I'm not sure if the manager would be exactly happy with me absconding with one of his prettiest workers.

Jazz had been forced to slow the Lamborghini, Carnival's twenty seven hour a day traffic was just too thick on the surfaces streets of the South End. She diverted some of her attention to take the cell from Davos. Kai gave her concise directions after a quick reiteration of what their electronic survelience had intercepted. Flipping the phone closed Jazz spun the car east at the next corner.

Five minutes later she stopped the car in front of an older but well kept midrise apartment tower. "Sixth floor apartment four." She advised as she threw open the door and slid out lithely. Tilting her head back she ran a quick eye over the building. "Those penthouse apartments have balconies. Want a lift?" She raised a challenging eyebrow at Davos, her lips curling in a small cats smile.

Davos slid out of the Lamborghini, glancing at the Bull Horn's doors. He looked up, counting off six stories, and then eyeing the level. A few lights were on, a few off. He wasn't sure which was four, but he counted four in from the right and left, and then again from the center, singling out four seperate apartments. He felt the weight of the Hekler and Koch on his waist, and then let the idea of using the sword come into play. He decided the better option was to use neither straight off, move in quietly.

Those penthouse apartments have balconies. Want a lift?

Davos shook his head. "Leaves to many openings to come from the bottom floors. I'd rather sweep up, but we don't have a team, or the time to go room to room on every floor. Lets move up on foot. If nothing else, it would be less suspicious to any lycans observing the area."

He unholstered the H&K, clicked off the safety, and reholstered it. "Ladies first," he motioned.

"You're the expert" Jazz nodded and strode towards the double glass doors of the ground floor lobby. She kept the thought that any Lycan still there and intent on survival would just take the long drop down from the afore mentioned balcony rather than face a pair of armed, but very disarming, vampires such as ourselves to herself. A muted chirp came from the classic car as the doors closed and locked themselves in response to the click she gave the remote on the key chain. She slid it deep into a pocket of the jacket of supple, butter soft leather.

Visable through the glass of the double doors the lobby was well lit and as nicely kept as the exterior. An alert looking uniformed officer sat calmly behind a wide sweep of desk. Visable only as a reflection off the glass that protected a wide abstract painting a nearly state of the art monitoring system was at his finger tips.

Before the doors slid open at her approach Jazz slowed a step so that Davos could fall in beside her. "Whats wrong with that cozy picture?" She 'threw' her voice, a skill she had learned long ago, so that it sounded just at Davos's ears.

"Did you finish your shift, as I'm not sure if the manager would be exactly happy with me absconding with one of his prettiest workers.

Dana sighed and hung her head for a moment. She wasn't perfect by a long stretch, but on the whole she tried to be honest. Slowly she got out of the bed. She'd found herself liking Louis, he'd become real, not just a stuck up, over paid photo op of oppertunity. Or an alien in a human suit.

She found her shoes and began putting them on, not looking at him. "Louis, I lied. I don't work for the hotel." Looking about Dana found her camera case and scooped it up as she headed out into the living room of the suite.

"You don't?" He asked, somewhat surprised, "Then might I inquire who you do work for and why you sought to deceive me?"

He disliked lies but generally accepted that in certain cases it was necessary, in his case, keeping his vampirism hushed up. "If that was the sole thing you lied about, then I would welcome you to remain as I do enjoy your presence and company."

"I work for myself. I'm a free lance photographer, and figured that if I could get some spontaneous shots of you. They'd sell good right now." She didn't look at Louis. "You're just too nice." Dana said under her breath as she headed for the door. Papparazzi, though she didn't consider herself one, not really, were generally despised by the famous and want- to-be.

"Would you like to take some?" He asked, surprising himself. He generally avoided photographers as much as possible, as it was quite possible for one of them to get a picture exposing him as a vampire to those who watched for them.

"As to being too nice, call it a product of my upbringing if you will, but I am me and will not change to fit the world." He commented

Slowly Dana turned around, a look of surprize on her face. "I would but not here, not now." Her voice became more animated as she began to visualize the setting she'd like to photograph Louis in. "You'd really look great in a studio protrait." She looked at him carefully letting her imagination place him to best advantage. "In an old fashioned formal outfit, the style worn during the Edwardian era. Against dark dramatic broccades, rich tones to make you stand out."

She wouldn't though, she didn't have a studio, and she had no reputation as a portraitist.

He looked at her in surprise, "You have an excellent eye for fashion, as that is the style I've found best suited to me. Do you have an idea for when you'd like to take the pictures?" He commented

"Would you like to remain?" He asked as well, as he quite enjoyed her company, both her mind and body. If she chose not to he would be sad to see her go as she was one of the most lively and companionable person he'd met in a while.

Davos eyed the gaurd from behind the glass, noticing the reflection of a number of computer screens and moniters, watched by the single gaurd. He glanced around quickly, looking for any good shadows to hide snipers, shooters, other guards, or those nifty little sliding doors the led to full armories. Davos spotted non, and began the slow walk forward when Jazz spoke.

Whats wrong with that cozy picture?

He examined it again, and thought back to the phone call. There had been mention of a fight or struggle, one that had been noticably loud. The gaurd looked on edge, watching the screens alertly. Davos had been to many an apartment complex like this, full of the afluent types, and despite that, most security gaurds spent their on duty time reading magazines or watching TV, not security cammeras.

"Its the gaurd," he whispered. "To on edge for the position. And if there was a fight, or something equally loud, it looks like that system would pick it up. And I'm sure there is some sort of alarm system, should have alerted the locals. Bad java."

"No LEO's about" The local minions of the law were called Lions or LEO's, and there should have been a swarm of them if there had been trouble reported. This may have been the South End, but this was one of the nicest neighborhoods therein. "Wait. Notice he looks alert but he hasn't blinked or moved once since I started observing him. And those monitors. The reflection doesn't show them displaying anything...I think 'he's not home' and someone fried the system"

'he's not home' the slang for a victim that had been dominated.

The doors slid open letting forth a gust of warm air from the lobby. The guard's head turned toward them slightly but no eye contact was made nor did he speak as Jazz and Davos stepped into the well appointed lobby.

Do you have an idea for when you'd like to take the pictures?"

"Oh Louis, thats even more kind of you, but I can't." She didn't want to admit that she had not the proper cameras or equipment for such a protrait, nor a studio.

Would you like to remain?"

She ws glad to change the subject, but him asking her to stay was not something she had anticipated. She looked at him doubtfully. "Are you sure you want me to stay? I lied to you.."

"As you wish, but the offer stands." He replied as he got up. "I wouldn't have asked you to remain if I didn't, and yes you did lie, but you also admitted it something I know is difficult to do. If you do not wish to, I understand, but I wish you would." He added as he'd heard the doubtfulness in her voice.

Solemn brown eyes searched Louis's for a long moment, then Dana nodded slowly. The camera bag slipped from her hand to land with a nearly soundless thump on the ankle deep carpet.

"I'd like to stay."

"Thank you." He replied, as he walked over to her, "Would you like something to eat?" He asked

He knew that he'd like to sleep with her, but would enjoy just sleeping with her. He idlely wondered what had happened to the original staff member, but dismissed it as Dana's presence was quite distracting, though for two quite different reasons.

"Would you like something to eat?" He asked

Dana's eyes were wide as she stepped closer. "Ah..No, Thank you. I'm not hungry..." Her eyes flashed and her voice went very soft. "for food." Her hands came up and tangled lightly in Louis's hair, drawing his lips down to hers.

Davos nodded. "Makes sense to me." He walked forward, not quite casually, but wiht a slow, yet purposeful stride. He stepped into the lobby, the gaurd glancing up at the pair, but never making eye contact. Davos nodded a brief nod, and then continued forward, Jazz close at hand. He eyed the gaurd sideways, wishing he had some sort of fake identification that would pass him off as a cop or other form of authority.

He walked up to the desk, not in a mannor that would suggest anger or authority, but one more of inquisitiveness and curiosity. "Hey, I'm just checking out the complex, thinking about moving in out here. Mind if I go upstairs and take a look around?"

Dana's hands where met without resistance as she drew Louis down for a kiss. He put just the right amount of energy into the kiss as he let Dana lead. Letting the woman lead by reading the subtle, and occasionally not so subtle, signals quite often resulted in the most pleasureable experiance for both.

Jazz stayed by Davos's side, letting her 'presence' fade a bit, the better to observe the guards reactions to Davos.

"Hey, I'm just checking out the complex, thinking about moving in out here. Mind if I go upstairs and take a look around?"

The guard did not lok up as Davos stopped in front of the wide desk, his eyes having gone back to their pattern of sweeping over the bank of monitors. But faster than a human should - he definitely was not taking the time to 'observe' the static filled screens of the monitors.

"Every thing is fine here, we have no problems on going." The guard replied after several seconds of silence, his voice halting almost mechanical.

Jazz nodded almost imperceptably. He was had definitely been Dominated, and to her it looked more than just a little imcompently done. Eyeblurringly swift she reached over and grabbed his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers as she 'rolled' his mind. It was easy for her to do, some one had already crudely raped it. He would die soon, his body systems were already shutting down.

"As your questions quick Davos, he's so much carrion."

Davos eyed the man as Jazz grabbed the man, and nodded. She was good. Damned good. Davos smiled inwardly, this partnership might just work out. He slid quickly, close to the man's face staring deep into it. It wasn't his sort of interogation, but this jus tmight work as well.

Ask your questions quick Davos, he's so much carrion.

Davos looked him over on more time. "Tell me, now, what happened. I didn't ask about anything going on, I just said I wanted to look around. So, no bull shit. Tell me, what the fuck is going on around here."

Davos hissed the last words. The shadows behind him began to curl off the walls towards his hands. The lights flickered slightly, and Davos glanced towards the windows of the front building. The shadows, darkness themself, swirled about the room, moving towards the windows and doors, blocking prying eyes from seeing in, and creating a physicall barrier against to door, preventing it from sliding open.

"And tell me fast."

Jazz gave Davos a pleased look as he manipulated the shadows themselves to give them privacy. There were very few that could do that trick, she hadn't known he could. But then again she had figured that he, like herself, liked keeping a few abilities in reserve.

"And tell me fast."

The words practically flooded from the dying man's mouth. Whomever had mind raped him hadn't been very skilled, or much concerned about the survival of his victim. And that angered Jazz, she hated waste.

"Four men, ugly faces, twisted, in CP&L uniforms. Came in said they were responding to a report of electrical failure, had a work order. No one called it in, I would have been the one, but I can't move, can't get to the button...There's nothing wrong here, all is fine, no problems." The last few words were said more slowly, in a semi halting fashion, as if he were reading from a script that he had to translate. His failing mind had reverted to the implanted script.

"How unoriginal of them." Jazz sneered under her breath.

Davos nodded when the man began repeating script. He glanced towards the elevators, a definate no go. Could be rigged, if they even worked. It would have to be stairs, and he knew he and Jazz could beat the elevator on foot. His eyes came back to the man. He continued to repeat his first words, that everything was alright.

He looked at Jazz. "He gonna stay like this, or will he remeber us later on? Need to clean up one mess before we get the next," he said, speaking about moving upstairs. "Or can we just leave him here?"

"Or can we just leave him here?"

Jazz shook her head. "He's dieing as I speak. Who ever did this is crude and wasteful. It'll look like an aneurysm blew out."

She looked at the bank of elevators, her thoughts paralleling his unknowingly, and shook her head. "I doubt that they sabotaged them, but we should be more cautious, yes?"

Dana found herself becoming lost in the kiss, sinking into the pure pleasure of the moment. But eventually the kiss came to it's natural conclusion and she found herself sighing softly.

"I think we ought to go curl up on the wonderful bed " She whispered to Louis "and discover where that leads us."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." He replied softly, slightly out of breath, even for a breathless vampire.

Davos nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Looks like we're taking the stairs up." He pulled out the Heckler and Kock, and pulled the slide back, checking one last time to see a round chambered. He holstered it. Davos wondered why he even checked, he knew the weak forty caliber hollow points wouldn't even dent a lycan, that it would take more. Of course, that, he could handle when it came time.

He began the walk towards the stairs, the shadows blcoking the door starting to peel away from the walls and glass, moving to follow him. He turned, waving his hand. "Stay," he said, as if commanding a dog or animal of sorts. The shadow darkness, at his command, hovered back around the glass. He would have to feed more tonight, take more than usual to make up for the energy he was spending now. But that would have to wait.

Davos took off his jacket, it would allow him to move more freely, and he tossed it onto the securiy gaurd's desk. As he moved up to the staircase, he stepped up, looked around quickly, and then back towards Jazz. "Shal we?"

"Shal we?"

Jazz simply nodded and headed toward the stairs.

They went upwards for over five floors, silent as smoke, neither speaking. The stairs were well lit and maintained. They encountered no one and the stair well was silent, the thick firewalls deadening any noise from else where in the building. At the last floor, the sixth, the stairs ended with a landing, a single solid core, metal clad door being the only entry on to the floor. The door opened inward towards the stairs, and auto locked behind whomever entered.

Jazz looked enquireingly at Davos.

That sounds like an excellent idea."

Dana smiled softly and led him over to the bed. She didn't normally find herself this bold, or interested in a man she had just met. However she found herself so comfortable with him that she found herself flinging aside all her normal cautions.

Once at the bed,with a little cats grin she turned Louis around so that his back was to her. With a single move she pulled her dress off and sent it flying in a whirl of soft cloth over the back of a near by lounging chair. Settleing herself on the silken sheets in an alluring pose she called to Louis. "You can turn around now."

Louis wondered what she was doing when Dana had him turn around, thought he had a pretty good idea. When she told him to turn back around, he let out a whistle akin to his namesake. He felt a surge emenating from his lower half at the sight of Dana in such a provactive pose.

"Would you like a little strip-tease?" He asked with a, for a man, sultry look.

Louis's wolf whistle and reaction had Dana blushing happily.

"Would you like a little strip-tease?"

His offer had her giggling madly, while trying to reassure him that she definitely Would love to see him strip. It took nearly drawing blood she bit on her lower lip so hard. "Oh yes Louis. That would be wonderful." She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

Davos eyed the solid steel door. It was like an inhuamn invite, asking him to come in and see some new and unexplained horror that he had never seen before. Of course, he had seen alot, and something unseen to him would have to be really new. It would take imagination to suprise him, and alot of it.

He distrusted door that only opened one way, but that was nothing to stop him. Instead, he popped his neck, a signature trait indicating he was thinking, and paused. "It only opens in," he said, even though he knew very well that Jazz could see that. He also knew that alone, he and Jazz both had the strength to rip the door straight off its hinges, or if they needed to make a quick escape just jump from a ballcony. However, he wasn't thinking about making a quick escape.

He eyed the door again, and then the staircase. He felt the weight of the cell phone, on loan from teh Camarilla, in his pocket, and devised his plan. "Hows this sound. I go inside, check it out. If I bang on the door and sound like I'm getting generaly fucked up, then come on in. Else wise, watch the stairs, make sure no one comes up behind us. I'd feel better with a team, but I don't think we really have the option to wait a while."

Dana's blush and her definate yes, caused Louis to smile. While not having the talents of a professional, he was hands down above an amature as walked over to the stereo, slid in a cd with appropriate music and spinning around with a roguish grin, commenced the tease.

I'd feel better with a team, but I don't think we really have the option to wait a while."

"We can do it that way Davos, but I can take care of myself. Look, one of those four has to be a psi or a vampire. I've never heard of any Lycan that can do a mind rape...and if a Vamp has taken to working with Lycans." Her eyes were dark with concern, and her skin wanted to crawl. The notion that any vampire could work with Lycans twisted like a sickness in her chest.

"That fire door is going to be airtight. I don't think that going mist is going to get us in." Okay, so part of me wants to see him at work, my arguements against him going alone are sound she admitted to herself.

"And as thick as the walls seem to be I bet if they are busy searching the apartment or are still fighting they won't hear us if we are careful about taking the door out."

Dana's eyes went wide and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Forgetting all about lounging provocatively she sat up crosslegged and watched with utter fascination.

Louis's eyes lit up as he saw Dana's reaction. The enrapturment of his audience was the goal of any preformer's art, and while music was his prefered means, the body just as potent a canvas. He happened to know the length of the song he'd selected and had timed the dance to the song as he continued, making sure it didn't get beyond his skill but also keeping it inovative and ever-changing. With a final flourish, and the ending beat, he completed the strip-tease, and looked at Dana for her final reaction.

Dana couldn't say anything, her mouth was as dry as the Sahara. And she was afraid to move as she was certain she didn't have a bone left in her body. They had all melted...she was melting and that was good, as long as Louis was there to help her melt some more. Thinking was not an option at this point either. She tried to frame some sophisticated comment to let him know how powerfully he had affected her, and failed miserably. Dana didn't realize it but her face showed exactly how she felt.

She swallowed several times, then managed a small becconing gesture. "Louis" her voice a ragged whisper.

Wolfe saw that his dance had had the right effect, or perhaps a wee bit too much of the right effect he realized as he hadn't set out to stun her that much. Noticing the look on her face he wondered, thought intended to make sure it wasn't, if the rest of the night might prove anti-climactic Catching her beckoning him, he crossed to join her on the bed. Wrapping his arms around her, he planted a sensual kiss on the nape of her neck and whispered her name into her ear.

Part of Davos agreed. Whatever was behind that door would, if it were more than lycan, seriously mess with the situation. He could handle lycans all day long, easily taking on some of the best. Age, power, and of course expirence helped with that level. Even vampire on vampire wouldn't be beyond his skills, if the kindred was young enough. However, the thought of mixing vampire with lycan put him on edge, and just the general idea that something psionic was back there would, should he be human, cause the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

He looked down at the stair case, and then back at the steel door. If he had breath, he would have sighed, but all he could do was smirk. The smirk of defeat. He could have stayed here, argued all day of why she should watch the stairs, and he go alone, but she was right. He hadn't thought of the possibilities of what was on the other side. It could have been nothing, whomever back there already gone. Or it could have been a group of lycans that he would easily dispatch. Or it could be God himself prepared to wreak havoc on Davos, and other kindred. He was getting careless in his actions, especially as of yet. The mistakes made on this trip were far more numerous in simply a few hours than made on entire missions. The car at the airport, trusting Jazz explicitly, even attempting the good old fashioned one man in, one out routine on the apartment.

Of course, that was what being a justicar was about, calculated risk. Hunting lycans was not done without its share of luck, either. Of course, being associated with the Camarilla when one is an Anti Tribu had the largest risk of all. He internally grimaced. His blood line was Lasombra through and through, but it had been through personal choice, not blood, that had him under the strong arm of the Camarilla. The thought suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. Could he even trust the Camarilla? He had been a trouble maker in the past few years, destorying numerous Conclaves and Covens based on hatred of politics alone, using his skill as a lycan hunter and justicar as the only string to keep him from being cut down.

Well fuck me, he thought to himself, making no obvious outward signs of his new found discomfort. The entire thought process, however, had taken no more than two short seconds before Davos again broke the silence.

"Good call, didn't think of it that way."

He looked at the door, and smirked. "So, we either do it the fun way and blow the hell out of it, run in screaming, and shoot whatever moves. Or we what? Pop the hinge pins, move the door, and stealth our way in?"

He new the answer, go quietly. He began to move towards the door. "Lets do this quick."

"Lets do this quick."

Jazz nodded and went into a crouch beside the lower hinge, watching him intently. They had to work in unison to be the quietest and quickest. Her left hand's fingers went to the pin, her right hand ready to grab the interleaved part of the hinge when it started to be pulled free- the weight of such a heavy door would assisst her.

"Ready when you are." She didn't mind letting Davos have the upper hinge. He was taller than she and it was logical for them to divide the effort thusly.

Davos moved up, grabbing the upper pins. However, before he gave her the ok to go, he realized teh door was still attached by the automatic closing mechonism. He reached up, unclicked a screw, and pulled away the hydrolic arm, allowing hte door to come fully away from its frame.

"Alright, lets do this. One," he grabbed the upper pin, holding the piece that would fall away, "two," he braced himself against the door, keeping it from falling in as soon as he opened it, "three!" he whispered loudly, pulling the pin away. He began to pull on the door, slowly to allow Jazz to work with him instead of getting run over by the heave metal obstacle.

"three!"

As Davos's harsh whisper sounded she lifted the linch pin out with her left and her right flashed in to grab the flange. She duck walked backwards in coordination with Davos, taking part of the doors weight. Once the door's latch tongue slid free of the frame the pair was able to rest the door against the landings wall.

With a grin Jazz flowed to her feet, dusting her hands off as she rose. No one sounded an alarm, and no shots had been fired as the door had been moved which was in her estimation a very good sign.

Directly across was the elecator alcove, neither door standing open. To the right and left a short wide hall way ended in small sitting alsoves with wide bay windows, obviously for the use of the residents when they had to meet people they didn't want in their residences.

Each corridor had two doors, one in either wall, with neither of the doors being directly across from one another. The ones to the right were discretely labeled 1 & 2 and the ones on the left were marked as 3 & 4. The wide hall was carpeted in deep pile carpet and several quality prints hung from the walls. The hall was empty and dimly lit, obviously in 'night' mode. There were no sounds of any sort of disturbance.

Each door was inset in a small alcove and from their position neither Davos or Jazz could tell if the doors were open, or ajar, as no extra light spilled forth from those shallow alcoves.

Davos stepped out of the staircase, examining the dark hallway. There was no one waiting for them, no unspeakable monstrosity, nothing. He studied the hall, looking in either direction, waiting for someone to jump out. No one did. He stepped forward, towards the one and two doors, and then stopped. The whole situation was wrong, something was amiss. The whole sceen was to perfect.

"Ok," he said queitly, "no sign of a fight, which room is the one we want?" he asked, counting the doors again. The pistol came out of the holister, he held the barrel low. He was tempted to call on the shadows for help, but didn't want to waste is energy until a real fight broke out.

Jazz liked the apparently undisturbed quiet not at all. Silently, long killing claws manifested themselves as she pitched every sense to highest alertness.

no sign of a fight, which room is the one we want?"

"Four" Her voice was as soft as his. The faintest hint of a scent came to her nose. "Blood" Her voice got even softer "fresh, and from...the left. " A tiny hand flick towards the number three and four doors.

"Louis" Her voice a whisper as Dana returned his kiss passionately, and drew him into the bed. She stretched out along his length, molding herself to him, gently nuzzling the fine hairs on his neck. Soft hands roamed up and down his body, tracing the contours of bone and muscle.

Louis let himself be pulled down to the bed and would have grinned save for the fact that his lips were otherwise occupied. His hand followed her example as he strove to turn this into an exceptionally memorable occasion for both them.

Davos eyed the doors, the scent slowling comming to him as well. He pushed is hand out into the darkness beside him, the very shadows of the hall bending towards his fist. The hallway did not get any brighter with the movement of the shadows, it just seemed to shift. The hallway all but vibrated, the darkness moving throughout the hallway. A final shockwave seemed to pulse through the hall, and then die.

Davos handn't adjusted his stance, nor had he spoken at all. In the few seconds that had just occured, he had simply holstered the pistol, fully aware that it was worthless, a joke from the Camarilla, and done something few kindred had the ability to do. In his right hand was a long, thin, dual edged blade, the dark metal glistening in the soft light of the hall. The weapon had been created from the shadows available to him. He could create many shapes or sizes, all adjustable to the situation needed.

He stepped towards the door, the one marked four, stopping at Jazz's side. "So, ladies first, or age before beauty?"

The manifestation of the shadow sword raised both of Jazz's eyebrows. This one was just full of surprizes.

"So, ladies first, or age before beauty?"

Well, he wasn't the only one who had a trick or two up his sleeve. The door sported the standard 'fisheye', even if it was 'hidden' with in a decorative carving. Jazz risked a quick look though it, and reaching out snagged Davos's off hand.

"Together" And she teleported them into the entry hall of apartment 4.

Sometime during the night the thick, thermal lined curtains got pulled shut, and the equally thick broccade swags that formed a tent around the free standing bed were loosened. The vast nearly double kingsize bed became a luxurious cocoon about the couple as they spent the late night hours exploring options.

As predawn began to show the faintest of ghostly fingers to the world outside Dana could no longer keep her eyes open and with a wordless, apologetic murmurr she dozed off. Cuddled snugly against Louis her sleep was deep and untroubled.

The world went black momentarily and then they were in the room. Davos looked around, shaking his head out. That was a trip he thought, blinking a few times.

They were in the room, Davos going into combat mode. He brought up the short katana like sword, lowering his body forward. He looked around. There was a picture, and a set of louvered doors. The picture was broken, but the glass didn't crunch. That was a saving grace. Davos looked to the louvered doors, and his nose cringed up. The smell was horrible. Not the blood, nor the scent of sweat or death or cordite. It was the smell comming from inside the room. The scent of betrayal.

The reak odor of two lycans permiated Davos's nose, the werewolves still in the rooms. There was another smell, a kindred. Davos growled quietly. "They're through that door," he said quietly to Jazz. He moved forward slowly, eyeing the door. He could hear voices speaking in low tones. Bullet holes ripped into the walls, and a number of blood splotches over the walls.

This just might be fun.

Louis was in a much better condition do to a bit of feeding during thier nocturnal activities, but even so, the sun's rising signaled that it was time for all good vampires to get some sleep. Wrapping his arm around Dana, he drifted off to the sleep of the rightous, or at least one that was just this side of bliss.

"They're through that door,"

The stink of cordite was nearly over whelming but with their predator's preternaturally sharp senses, both Davos and Jazz could 'read' what and who was in the apartment.

Jazz nodded sharply, and made a hand flick to the left - the short wide entry area T'ed into a hallway that led left and right. There was Lycan smell, the rougher scent of one already transformed coming in from the left hand of that hallway. And faint sounds that were too much like bones being cracked by powerful jaws for her to have any mistake in what was happening in that area of the apartment.

She could smell the Lycans - but it was the more human scent variation that let her know they had either stayed in human form or had returned to it- to the right, the odor trails were clear, as was that of one of the Kindred. The Kindred was Tremere, that she could tell but not one she had met before.

The other odors were just not important at the moment, she had known that there would be blood and death in abundance withing this too quiet building. The Sister of Selene had not died easy though. There was no blood in the entry hall that was hers, it was Lycan blood. Though it was little enough that Jazz could tell that the Sister's gun had been of small calibur, and not the best aimed.

She reached out with her thoughts to Davos. There is one some where in the area off to the left. I'll take it. I know you can take the three in there She hated to not see him in action, but leaving their backs undefended was not a good idea. And she could certainly handle one Lycan. While she worried somewhat becasue of the Tremere, she had confidence in Davos.

They couldn't discuss much longer, or their own scents would filter though the apartment and alert their enemies

As Davos's growl and whisper had perhaps done already, for she could hear the faint sounds of a chair being shoved back forcefully.

It is now the next evening for Louis and Dana Only...

Carnivale is far enough north that it snows in late winter and night falls this time of the year as early as 6 pm. The sun hadn't risen untill nearly 8:30 am. Large soft snowflakes drifted silently down and a bit of rain had falled during the day, giving the night scape a jack front glow as thin layers of ice turned the world slightly magical.

Dana had slept the day away deliciously exhausted by the long hours of interplay she and Louis had shared. She awoke gently, and noted with a small smile that her body was not sore or stiff at all. Despite the fact that it had been well over five years since she had a lover. Mark and I certainly didn't have as much pleasure as Louis and I did...well I think Luois enjoyed himself...I hope he did...I know I DID! She lay savoring the memories in the dark warmth that the enwraping heavy drapes created around the sprawling bed.

the plane touched down Salavar moved uneasy in his chair it had been a long flight and the council had made it quite clear that he was to blend in wait bide his time wait for the lackys of the camarilla to congreagate then strike heavy and deep set with leather jacket jeans boots cowboy hat and under which he wore a black sleeveless top around his neck hung a necklace of bone's human bones or humanoid in appearance too any by stander he'd look like a maniac his eyes always staring ahead never diviating when the plane had finished taxing he got up took his things from the overhead locker and calmly lumbered out of the plane

Louis awoke with his normal yawn and stretch. He looked over and noticed that Dana had beaten him awake. "Good evening." He said as he pulled himself up so he was sitting.

He felt more relaxed and rested than usual, which was bio-feed-back that he'd enjoyed himself exceptionally last night.

lighting a cigerette salazar took a long drag and exhaled the air around him stank of the undead

'attracted like flies to shit!' he thought

the only lycan he felt uncomfortable although he could tear these pussys apart like toilet paper he couldnt shake the feeling that the council had landed him in a whole loada crap he led down on the bed and tried to close his eyes but decided against sleep he sat there plotting his next move his next course of action with this in mind he took another cigerette and lit it exhaling deeply as the smoke cascaded outta his lungs

"Good Evening"

"Mmmmm, is it evening? I know I must have slept forever but I can't tell how late it is" Dana grinned at him as she scootched up in to her own sitting position. "These drapes really block out the light, and make it so warm and snug."

Then she looked worried. "Perhaps I'd better go though, I'd guess your assigned handlers for the Ulitmate Idol will be showing up any moment." She made her voice light, trying to hide the fact that she had not the slightest wish to leave. It was more than the exceptional late night, Louis was a wonderful, interesting man who liked musicals as much as she did. And that was a rare thing indeed as far as Dana was concerned.

But she knew that he'd be very busy with the reason he'd come to Carnival, the event of the media season, Carnival The Ultimate Idol. He was going to be the senior judge and she knew that as such much of his time would be not his own by any means.

Salazar leafed through the various magazines on the bed and picked up somthin that made him smile 'ultimate idol' what was this shit some sort of talent contest maybe staged by these undead fags

'hmmmm' then he laughed a deep hearty gutteral laugh time to find a decent watering hole in this shithouse he got up and walked out of the room door locked it and whistled a merry tune as he walked down the corridor the street outside was a bustle of activity the scent of man and female pungant but still overlaid with that stench of somethin long dead

'must be hundreds of the bastards' he thought to himself as he walked away down the street as he rounded the corner he found a small cart selling what looked like bootleg beer smiling he wondered over it reminded him of home a small dusty town in arizona he walked up ordered two bottles and set himself down on the curb opened his cigs tin and took another out and lit it whilst biting the cap off of the beer bottle reinforced teeth allowed him to do such things handy as well for crunching heads but that was when the 'rage' took him

throwing the last bottle into the gutter he put his mind back on what was at hand the 'ultimate idol' contest no doubt used as a mask to gather and feed he took a drag on the cigerette then pondered where such an event would be held he could follow his nose but that would proberly lead to a hell of a lot of trouble several vampires with silver rounds would be a horrid thing he knew this after bein capped with a few in vienna and if things were to be believed these bastards had new rounds stuff that delivered the shit directly to the bloodstream

on the other hand they could be totally in the dark not knowing that a single lycan was on the island carrying out covert ops sizing up their numbers if this was to be believed then maybe just maybe the whole fuckin schibam was here the whole council some decent higher up's good kills good challenges

'right Salazar time to get ya game face on' he thought

he turned and thanked the shop owner tossing him a coin for his service then asked him if he knew anythin about the 'ultimate idol'

OOC: Treznaicha you have a tg headed your way. Please read before posting any further.

"I think it's somewhere around six, six thirty maybe." He mentioned, "And it is really comfortable and snug." He agreed as he looked over at her and noticed she'd become slightly worried looking.

"I'd like if you stayed. If you're concerned about the show, I happen to have a ticket if you'd like to watch it live. Or perhaps we can meet up later?" He asked as he likewise liked Dana quite a bit, and while buisness would keep him quite busy, he didn't want Dana to be a 'one night stand'.

Or perhaps we can meet up later?

"Six thirty? Oh I had no idea it's that late. They'll be coming for you any moment, and you haven't even had anything to eat yet!" She said concernedly. "A ticket, oh Louis, those have been sold out for six months. I've heard that scalpers are asking five thousand dollars for even the balcony back row. This is the hottest item around right now. I couldn't take it." She wanted too, but knew that if she stayed she'd need far more glamourous clothing than she owned. And Carnivale's high and mighty wouldn't welcome one such as she in their midst.

"Thank you greatly for the offer...Maybe we could meet for coffee or something later, when you aren't busy?" She was sure he'd forget about her in the hustle of the competetion, all the media events and parties scheduled.

"I'll be fine. I rarely eat more than a few squares of chocolate before a preformance, and this is no difference." He reploed with a smile as he knew the delicious chocolate awaited him in the other room.

"Would you mind giving me your phone number so I can call you when I get some time between the shows?" He asked as he stretched and began getting out of bed, knowing she was right and they'd be arriving relatively soon.

Dana smiled as she slid out of the most luxurious bed she'd ever been in and knew he'd never call. However once she'd dressed, she pulled a only slightly battered business card out of her camera case and handed it to him.

"Here Louis, both my business and my home number."

The front door to the suite shook with three forcefull raps.

"Oh I bet thats them Louis. Have fun... and thank you, for everything."

She gave him a brilliant smile and hurried to the unobtrousive side door she'd noticed the night before. She had heard that the best hotels had such discrete ways for their patrons to leave by. She'd make use of it now, so he wouldn't be embarrassed by her leaving infront of other people.

Off she went away from the nicest man she'd ever met. Well, at least she'd have the memories.

"Thank you." He replied as he slid the card in his pants pocket as he continued to get dressed. He put his shirt on as Dana smiled and headed to a side door. "I hope you have a nice time till I call you."

He then headed to the door and opened it to meet that people the producers had sent to meet him as he snagged the box of chocolates.

Half a dozen people charged into the suite.

"Mr. Wolfe you really need to let us arrive sooner tomorrow!" a rail thin woman in an expensive but dowdy dress spoke first, obviously she was the senior of those attending him. Quickly she ordered her subordinates to begin getting Louis ready.

"Mich, see to his hair and make up. Candy, get his wardrobe up here at once. Tommy check his stuff see if he has appropriate shoes, if not, deal with it."

She turned back to Luois "And Mr. Wolfe really, chocolate?"

Louis was use to being fussed over, even thought he didn't exactly like it as he let the attendents do thier thing.

"What can I say?" He replied with a slightly roguish smile at the head attendent, "I have a thing for marble chocolate."

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”

“Amen,” came the small chorus.

“And now my brothers, the Mass is ended. Let us go forth in peace, to love and to serve the Lord.”

“Praise be to God.” As the final words rang out, George stepped out of the pew, genuflected to the Tabernacle, and made is way out of the chapel quietly with his brothers. In the entryway, he grabbed his trench coat, and swung it on as he walked to the offices of the Grand Master. When he arrived, he was quickly shown into the presence of the Grand Master of the Order, Knight of the Garland Patrick Michael Andrew Howell. The Grand Master acknowledged George’s presence and gave him permission to be seated.

“George, I trust you just came from Mass, as you normally attend the early services. The Order has need of you again. Recently, a report reached us from informants in Fredontin, located near the city of Carnival. I believe you have knowledge of the place?”

“Both. Carnival is a city infested with Vampires at the very top levels, it is basically their playpen. As for Fredontin, yes, I have visited. However, from what I understand, it remains a relatively respected haven for the hallowed. I also know that members of all three Order have local chapters, in addition to a single house used to monitor Carnival. Why?”

“Recent reports have been streaming in from Fredontin. Apparently, there was a recent drop-off in the vampire population at Carnival. Since then, one of the Kindred’s has arrived to investigate, and has brought in an acquaintance of yours. I trust you remember Davos?”

“How could I not? I have rarely seen a swordsman with his hand and footwork, though he still relies on only one katana. What is needed of my service to our most Holy Lord?”

The Grand Master of the Templars stood up and faced him stoutly. “Go to Fredontin and find a way into Carnival. Investigate what has happened, and report back as soon as a detailed analysis can be made. If this event represents a breach into the power structures of the Kindred of Cain’s blood, send us word to mobilize, and send follow-up as to the nature and severity of this breach. We must make absolute use of this opportunity. That is all. May you go in the Grace of God.”

With that, the meeting was over. George returned to his room, and collected his possessions. In his bag went the necessities: Clothing, identification, his Bible, a supply of ethanol, a Zippo lighter with a cross on it, his hygiene kit, and his favored weapons: two katanas of high quality Silver/steel alloy forged from the blades of Excalibur and St. George’s sword, identical Glock18a’s with modified ammo, spare clips, a white linen cloth washed in Holy Water and dried in sunlight, plus a small supply of explosives. The weapons were packed into a special case that fit into his bag bottom perfectly; airport security systems would only register his clothing and a partition for the wheel housing and retractable handle. Last of all, George picked up his cane. Inside was a sword approximately three feet long measured from the small guard. The blade itself was forged from the same metal as his katanas, but with less of the ancient stell and a larger portion of Titanium. The housing was also of Titanium, it would appear as a solid piece of metal under the scanners. George donned the Kevlar body armor made for him by the Order; it was not technically his, but nobody else fit into it. The gloves were placed with a laptop into a professional computer briefcase, which also contained a large amount of money on loan from the Order.

Shouldering his bag, picking up the briefcase, and snatching up the cane, George walked down to the entryway, where a novice was waiting to drive him to the airport. As he walked, George thought about his namesake, often called the Dragon-Slayer, and referred to as the patron of his profession. While not a true Dragon-Slayer, George the tribune had been a saintly man, accepting torture and Crucifixion rather than giving up the Faith.

Airport security was not a problem. The flight was pleasant, and upon arrival, george was greeted by another novice with a car to drive him to the local chapter house. There, he was shown to the presence of the Knight Protector, and after a quick discussion, George was taken to the train station, where he managed to get a ride into Carnival. There, he was able to find a modest yet contemporary hotel on the South Side. “Well, I’m here."

George stood for a moment on the balcony, then went into his room. He hit the TV, and flipped through channels until he found the local events station. Nothing on the list picqued his interest, so he decided to use his laptop. Here he had luck. It appeared that Music Sensation Louis Wolfe was in town and supposed to guest judge on “Ultimate Idol” later tonight. If any vampire decided to feed tonight, it would surely show up there. George thought about it for a moment: on one hand, he had an opportunity, but on the other, penetration would be extremely difficult, and in this situation, his cover was the single greatest advantage he had. Decisions, decisions. He opened up another window and pulled up the maps of the city. No luck. Neither the sewers, nor subways would help him in getting in. It would have to be a direct penetration. He pondered his options. Obviously, nobody would let him in with his katanas and Glocks, even if he tried to pose as a security guard (a thought which quickly passed), and no security guard would ever have need of a cane. Tickets were too expensive, and he needed a way in. He sighed.

He returned to the maps. Suddenly, an idea hit him. He tapped into the up-to-date paparazzi reports on Mr. Wolfe. He honestly couldn’t tell why the damn singer had so much fame; the music was absolute bull-shit material. Not to mention a nagging in the stomach that came to him every time that he listened. He couldn’t find much, until finally he located Mr. Wolfe’s hotel. This then narrowed down the options Mr. Wolfe would have available later. Tracing his finger only along major avenues, he located three routes from the hotel where the musician was staying to the studio. Because of the city’s layout, the building had distinct entrance areas, and Mr. Wolfe would only be able to access two if he followed even basic security when en route. Noting the the two sides where spectators would have to filter in and VIP’s would be shepherded through, this left three entryways on the last side unaccounted for. Most likely the supply entrances. There was his entrance. Now it was a simple matter of getting in.

George put on the Kevlar body armor. Deciding with a balance of stealth and fire-power, he chose to wear his katanas, but inverted the holding on the harness so that the blades hung lower and fit across his body. The Glocks were holstered just above the rear of his hip, and extra ammo was strapped to his legs. Over his outfit and then weaponry went his trench coat, and finally, his boots and gloves. He tested out his range of motion, and found that he could move unimpeded. Getting to his weaponry would be challenging if he wasn’t able to rearrange his equipment harness after gaining entrance. He chose his I.D., grabbed a roll of bills, and headed downstairs, first to the restaurant across the street, and then down to “Ultimate Idol.”

"I have a thing for marble chocolate."

"It's terrible for one's face, figure, and teeth." Ms. Anders repled.

The aides made short work of making Luois look 'absolutely fabulous'. They were joined by two bodyguard when the limmo arrived, as the lobby and grounds of the hotel were becoming rather over run with fans.

"Please Mr. Wolfe, we really must be going!" Ms. Anders sought to hurry her charge down to the waiting limmo.

Dana had hung around outside, rather than call one of her friends for a ride or call a taxi. There had been a fan or two already ensconsed when she had crept out the little known about side dow through which she had enterd the night before.

"Only in excess." He replied, disregarding the fact that excess for him was outragously excessive for a human.

Once he'd been made up, he let himself to taken to the limo, but not before dawdling near the exit in a hope to catch sight of Dana.

Ms Anders's hurrying 'forced' him out the door and into the limo, precluding a chance for further attempts to see if Dana was still around. As it was he was determain to make time so he could have another date with her, even if it lead snubbing another celeb.

Dana couldn't help herself, she found herself moving forward, to the front of the crowd, at the edge of the drive to watch Louis's limmo pull away. No one will think anything of 'just another fan' waving at the star! She justified to herself, as she found herlsef waving just as wildly as the others were. She only wished she had lacy underwear to throw like some of the others were pelting the long white limmo with.

Just as he was about to be herded into the car, Louis caught sight of Dana and raised his hand before being ceremoniously shoved into the limo.

The pelting of underwear raised an extra smile to his lips, but only after in the limo. If history served this would be a good show. In a obscure way, he could predict how well an event would go down by the pelting on lacy.

Dana found herself wearing a silly grin as the limmo pulled away and purred down the long tree lined drive. She wanted to find a info kiosh and check her bank ballence. Maybe I can aford just one really nice dress. And she cringed a little, for a dress that would be considered ' really nice' here on the North Shore, would be over five times as costly as one of similar status on the Southside. The North Shore truly was the home base of the obscenely wealthy, and even 'off the rack' outfits were priced accordingly.

With the departuer of the 'Senior' of the judging pannel - the last of the cast to leave the hotel, all but the die hard fans left. It was easy for Dana to flag down a cab and give him her home address.

**********************************

The drive in the posh limmo was whisper quiet, with Louis sitting in solitary slpender in the back. Champagne, and his favority brand of marbel chocolate awaited him, along with a folder containing the evening itenerary.

He would meet the other two judges in their green room, while the emcee made the preliminary announcements, then they would be escorted to the judges box, with the appropriate ruffles and flourished, greeted, each given a set amoun to time to blather on for the viewing public, then the contestants would be introduced, and the initial performances given. The emcee would wrap up two hours later and the judges would be escorted to the First Night party.

The would be returened by Limmo to the hotel around four in the morning.

The never sleeping city of Carnival hummed around George as he moved along the streets of the Southside. People bustled about most without a seeming care in the wold. Gaudy neon signs and animated video billboards hawed establishments, good and services. Carnival was indeed a city of Everything and it's citizens and visitors liked it that way.

Lower class Liscened Prostitutes of both sexes, their small biometric ID's clipped discretely to provactive 'leave not much to the imiganiation' outfits strolled casually about looking for the nights buyers, while the 'upscale' variations waited in comfort for wealithier patrons. The impoverished, and homelsss, always underfoot did their best to be invisible to the LEO's ( Law Enforcement Officers) but seen by those that might be gullible enough to give them a hand out. To be seen by the LEO's mean instant cart off, none in any position wanted any blemishes on Carivales facade, and many of those swept up were never sen again. Organ harvesting wsa a thriving and profitable trade, as was slavery.

Well maintained public transportation - all electeric vehicles, as all cabs, small delivery vans, trucks and personal vehicles were. Unless one was wealthy enough to pay the incredibly high gasoline powered vehicle tax Carnivale didn't want your pollution.

Night clubs, Sex clubs, Dance Clubs, Fight clubs - if it were a trend, a lifestyle choice, a personal addiction, a social addiction- there were more than a few clubs catering to it. On the North Shore they were refined, discrete, on the Southside they were loud, gaudy, competetive, willing to give free drink and food, and send spys into competetors to make sure nothing 'novel' cropped up with out being known of immediately.

Gangs roamed quietly looking for victims, but cautiously, for the LEO's were harder on them than on the homeless. Laws gave it's enforcers the right to shoot to kiil under very liberal cricumstances, and the LEO's seldom hesitated to strike preemptively, and with superior fire power. Thye knew their far higher than merely average salaries depended on keeping Carnivales patrons safe.

They were assissted on an adhoc basis by the many Personal Protection Agents that found easy money here as well. Bodyguards were always in hig demand, on both sides of the river, and the sight of discretely armed and armored men and women didn't raise any of the local's eyebrows, or even official ones - if sais PPA was registered with the proper authority - and that office was open 24 hours a day, well staffed, no waiting, fee's reasonable, background check cursory...

George got out of the taxi three blocks from where he was haeded. He payed the driver, then set off. From here on in, there would be no fuckups. He hunched his back, stooped his shoulders, and bent his knees and waist. Doing so allowed him to take half a foot off his large frame, and minimalized the quiet dignity that he always carried. He had just over an hour to get to the studio. The judgs would, if not already doing so, be heading for the studio at this time as well. Sundown had come and gone, and so George knew that any Vampires in Carnival would be up at this point. Very well, that meant they too were heading to the same location as he, though few, if any, would even allow themselves to travel to an event such as this on foot.

As George was crossing an alley between two high rises, he stopped. Something was off. He tried to see if it was close enough to smell, but that was a futile effort. He could hear and see nothing, but the sensation would not leave him. Then, recalling his lessons, he stopped, breathed deeply, and cast his conscionse into his inner mind. He sifted through the memories, the knowledge, the dreams, and his unconcsionse mindset until he found the place in his mind that was open, the place where his own soul was connected, and served as a gate keeper. Here, he found the message that was being sent to his brain. He sensed them then: One to his right, others to his left and farther away. He tried to identify the right one first, and a hailstorm of images assaulted him: nights spent underneath the American Desert, family and friends and a life spent on a reservation, and finally a howl to the moon as fur covered the skin. Well Fuck me, a Lycan.

George cast to his left then, and this time the assault was nearly five times worse. Images again flooded him, this time of the Balkans, lands to the West of the Urals, and up through Scandinavia. Foreign tongues and Gypsy dances under the moon, and then, again, images of transformation and the song to the Lunar Body. Then suddenly, he felt emotion build up, anger, and then contact. He withdrew from the window, and closed the gate to his mind.

This was bad. To George's right was one werewolf, close enough to sense him, but careless enough to allow him in so deep. On the other side was a pack of Lycans, farther away, and thus less likely to smell him out, but they had detected his presence in their minds none-the-less. Well, the Native American didn't sense him yet, so he could remain hidden from that one, and his scent would be hard to trace even without the city around him. On the other hand was a group of at least five werewolves, and they did know he was present. His options were narrowed quite quickly, but then he remembered something: an image of "Ultimate Idol" on a magazine. That thought was foreign, as George had found out about the season kick-off from the Internet. They were going to the same place as he, and may or may not have concluded upon George's choice of action. Lycans couldn't return with their own probes, and Vampires were distinct to George. Very well then; a race this would be, with George as the only contestant knowing what he was up against!

"Do not look upon this glass
lest your soul from this world pass.
The legend burned upon it's case:
'You dare not see the mirror's face'..
Oh, down, down, down,..."

Kai looked up from the plasma screen of the oversized monitor, his stong slender hands slowing as he became aware of what he was singing half to himself. Something had rode forth on the night winds, something any demon would recognise, even if it wasn't that of their specific Adversary... True Faith, and he'd been with Jazz and in the west long enough to recognise the specific taint.

He stood, pushing the chair back and walked quickly over to the wide sliding doors that led to one of the condominimums many balconies. He had left them open, appreciating the cold of the winters night, the faint tang of the ocean, and keeping at least a subconscious watch on what the eddies of wind brought to him.

But it wasn't a physical knowing, any more than the warning he threw to the Lady he was bound to Jazz, be wary, some one has just streched themselves forth, leaving their mark on the winds. True Faith.

Kai? What? Here? Came her return, and a resigned acceptance. She'd, they'd deal with it later. At the moment she was involved in a soundless flow from the entry hall to the bedroom wing of the apartment. She moved faster than the human eye could follow, but Lycan's weren't human.

This one was too busy having a late night snack to be on guard, as he should have been, for Jazz reached the door way and was through before he knew of any danger. While her surprize was not complete, he had retained enough wits to dine while facing the door, it was suffecient to allow her to close and attack first.

Louis read the itnerary and sighed. It seemed like a pretty standard event, but he'd have to see about getting his time to 'blather' shortened a wee bit. Taking a sip of the champagne and a bite of chocolate, he smiled when the door opened.

Getting out, he let himself to taken to the dressing/lounge room for the emcee and staff so he'd have a chance to meet the 'simon' of the show, as well as the host and the other judge. He hoped that 'simon' wouldn't be too disagreeable, as it wouldn't do to be tempted to punch out a fellow judge.

He intended to see if he could sneak out of the party early so he'd have a chance to get in touch with Dana, but knowing how celeb parties usually ran, he didn't count on it.

George maintained his caution as he traveled the last city block. He didn’t have the Vampiric power of invading another’s mind, but he was able to sense danger, and identify the threat when it arose. It was passive, controllable only when there was a threat to his existence present. The Almighty Father had blessed him with talents and abilities that had preserved his life, and while George was not the skilled mechanics expert that his comrades in arms were, his talents, combined with his personalized style of practice and training, had made him enough of a match to go against the things that went bump in the night. When George approached the road, he found that a narrow ditch separated the last of the buildings and a fence on the edge of the road. He could see traffic barricades on either side of him to a distance, so there was little to worry from traffic. Taking off his coat, he threw up and on the fence to cover the barbed wire. Climbing the fence expertly, he vaulted just a little from the top to land straddling his coat, then pushed himself over to land silently. He carefully removed his cloak, and quickly put it back on cover the exposed weaponry on his back.

George used the overpass to get across the avenue, but stopped at the stairs leading down. Getting in would be difficult. Suddenly, his answer appeared. Three semi-trucks were headed for the gate to the giant studio. They were going to pass under the overpass to get to the gate. George calculated the drop, decided it was too high, and so he lowered himself into a more desirable position. When the third truck passed under the pedestrian bridge, a shadow dropped from its position amongst the bottom girders. George quickly moved forward from the top of the rectangular cargo-bay and swung into the crevice between the cabin and hold. The trucks stopped just inside the gate, and George heard a man tell the truckers to head past the first two loading and park at the third. When George counted the second loading bay (the second group of semis) he got off his ride and moved in between the trailers. Again, opportunity presented itself, and George managed to get into the loading area through an open truck entrance. George found the farthest door, opened it, and stepped into another small room. Here he finally took the time to reset his harness, moving the guns to the sides, just above the spare ammo, and his swords higher, within easy grip. He put his coat back on, and took stock of his surroundings. He was in.

The group of five Lycans moved faster once they realized that something strange had just happened. They were young, and new to Carnivale and had gotten some what lost, though they knew generally where they were. They had been sent out to gather new blood, create reinforcements. They'd lost most of their people in the failed raid on the privae airport on the North Short earlier, and their superiors were busy taking care of another threat to their plans.

The small group of five was happy not to be there as it were. Working with a vampire just turned their stomachs. None of them were very impressive looking in human form, but they for all their inexperience were skilled at getting into places, much like cockroaches were, scuttling in unseen.

With in minutes they were were they had been advised to do their hunting. The vast crowds outside of the studio where the Ultimat Idol was being done. They knew that they'd find a few credulous youths that would follow them off into the darkness for 'something special.'

The Ultimate Idols Simon had had their identity kept secret and Luois could understand why the minute he walked into the Judges green room and there stood Mavis Dearchild. The bane of many an asipring actress's life and the virtual vampire sucking the talent out of many an up and coming young actors life. She was voracious, insatiable, and absolutley loatehed by every insider of note.

The public, spoon fed a careful diet by her many publicist saw only the glamorous charity loving image.

"Louis! darhliiing! How wonderful to see you tonight. You look sooooo pale though! Didn't they do your make up yet?" She cackled at him as she polished off a cut crystal tumbler - no delicate hand blown flute for her - of champagne. The other hand held a long black cigarette holder with a twisted back cherroot, unlit but stinking all the same.

Hudded in a corner, as far from Mavis as he could get was an old friend, Ellington Dorsey, yes a far relation to the famous Dorsey who disappeared in the madness of WWII. He was a renown singer and actor in his own right, but had been out of circulation for a time after a car wreck. This was his first realy foray back into active public life. It looked like Mavis had already scored off of him. He looked at Louis, nodded in a strained fashion and turened back to looking over a folder.

The host was a prominent local actor, who was well known for his long running role in the most populat soap Carnivale produced. Aston Marlin came over and held out his hand with a winning smile. "Mr. Wolfe I am so pleased to meet you! have you had any noshes yet? "

George had been prowling the halls for nearly fifteen minutes without any incident. Then it hit him. The five Lycans he had sensed earlier. Their minds were guarded now. So be it. George at least felt them, and once his ability was active, he began to filter out the siganls coming to him, seperating their identities. They were behind him, and not close enough for him to do the job properly. He would be ready, and had scouted out a number of routes in case he had to double back, or circle around to nail them from behind. There was still no sign of the Native American Werewolf he had felt earlier. Strange. Very Strange.

The three Lycans waiting in the room picked up a new set of smells. Vampires, and two of them. One of the scents was growing stronger, definitely moving towards them. They wondered just how far off the undead bloodsucker was. They didn't have to wait for very long.

Louis mentally, and for a half-second physically, frowned as he saw who'd be the cantankerous judge. Of all the prissy ones, it had to be her. There were few things he disliked more than Mavis but one of them was her taste in stimulants He nodded at Ellington, pleased that he was back in functionality.

Looking at Mavis, he smiled, here was one of the few times he'd let himself partially cut loose when it wasn't necessary for survival. "Yes they did, but I didn't realized hooker chic was the new thing in women's make up." He replied in a mildly reproof.

"Hello, and I'm not exactly sure what a noshe is, but no I don't think I have. You are the host of the show?" He asked as he tried to place the man's name.

The apartment the doomed Lycans and their vampiric associate were in- whos resident, a Sister of Selene, they had mudrered - was many miles distant from the vast complex that the studio, where Ultimate Idol was being produced, occupied.

Southside sprawled out as much as the NorthShore did, and the population was nearly ten times larger. The SouthSide had it's fair share of parks and green belts, and the docks along the water front made it's port one of the largest in the world. So the various groups were on the whole were not in close proximity with one another save for the Lycans and George being both on the studio grounds. The river that ran through Carnivale was over a mile wide at many points as it rolled through the city, and even the southside had a nearly equal green belt along the rivers bansk. The North Sides ws nearly three miles wide. Those of the North Side wanted no problems with occassional flooding, and the fact that the they were on hills that rolled down to the sea added to the protection.

The crowds outside the studio were as large as the small pack of 'recruiting' Lycan had hoped and they snagged their first unsuspecting victim-about-to-become-newest-recruit with ease. The leader led him out into the privacy of greater darkness with the promise of some 'really killer weed', where the other four jumped him and infected him. Leaving one to stand half assed guard over the nearly unconscious fledging Lycan the rest moved away to do more scouting.

Far on the North Side, in the penthouse condo that took up the entire floor Kai leaned agains the balcony railing for a moment more then made a decission. His electronic searching would continue wthout his presence. With a small nod he stepped over the railing and into space as he wrapped cloaking night about himself. Arrowing towards the Southside he began backtracking the presence who had come to his attention.

"Yes they did, but I didn't realized hooker chic was the new thing in women's make up."

"At least I don't look like a an extra in a low budget remake of the Thriller video. Fire that make up artist if you don't want to be mistaken for Lon Chaney ." She commanded then turned back to harassing her aide.

"Hello, and I'm not exactly sure what a noshe is, but no I don't think I have. You are the host of the show?"

"Noshe, finger foods, a little something to keep the stomach from doing that 'slow roll' when waiting for the camera light to go on." The actor shook hands with Louis and beamed as he signaled a hovering wait person over. "I'm Aston Marlin , Mr. Wolfe, and yes I have the honor to be the host."

The tray brought over included such delicacies as caviar on bite sized slices of dark russian rye, pate dollops on tiny crosiiants, and more. There were also Louis's known favorite-squares of marble chocolate. Single bite cups of dark chocolate each filled with a perfect rasberry, Aston took one and sighed happily. "Dark Chocolate and tart fruit, just what the doctor ordered." He was a jolly faced man with a chunky build, both of which the ladies found most attractive.

"Five minutes and your escorts will be here to take you to your places" A harried assisstant announced from the door way.

Louis just chuckled at her quip. "Well then no, I haven't." He replied to the emcee.

"It's nice to meet you Aston." He commented as he took some of his prefered chocolates, as well as trying one of the raspberry ones.

Louis looked at his fellow judges and the host as he stretched, he really hoped nothing went wrong, like vampires or lycans crashing the event, or some psycho hunter deciding to be paranoid and mowing people down because they looked 'funny'.

George felt a new threat, with the other five. Make that one of the five. "Shit, they're feeding." George tried to pinpoint the location, but could only tell that all were out on one side, one standing over this new blood, and the other four moving back for more. George stepped into a side room, and found it to be a cosmetics storage. Useless to him, but then something caught his eye. He grabbed two items: a bottle of white powder, and a single piece of charcoal probably used for eye-liner. All he needed. He headed for an exit. As he crept out, his danger senses flared. They were close. Then he heard them. This part would be fun.

As they rounded the corner, a man of near Titanic proportions bumped into them. "Sorry, didn't see you. Say, you don't have any crack on you, do you?" The Lycans lit up at this.

"Of course, if you'll just come this way."

"You gentlemen are most gracious." As the Lycans turned, the cloaked man brought his hands up. Two burst of fire rang into the night, and two former Lycans, now merely corpses with their heads blown open, the Mercury doing rapidly destroying what was left of the brain stem, fell. While originally developed in Vietnam for the Americans, Mercury was much more suited to George. Known in the ancient world as Quicksilver, Mercury was nearly as deadly, and twice as useful, for killing Lycans, as it retained it's liquid state when entering bodies. The other two turned as their companions fell, and closed fast.

George was faster. These were noobs, and bad ones at that. The Glocks were dropped, swords came out, and his body rolled forward as they leaped at him, transforming extraordinarily rapidly. George stood up behind them, turned, decapitated the one to his left, and on the some stroke, came down sideways on the one to his right. He left the bodies. If the cops came, the Vampires would be blamed until George could find new cover. Now for the last. George grabbed his guns, but decided to keep the swords out. He needed to do some interrogation.

The last was standing around lazily. George came up to him, swords behind his back, and swaying like a drunk. When the Lycan came close, he asked "Need anything man?"

"Information." The swords came out. One slashed the left forearm, the other went through the shoulder. The ground banked up behind the werewolf a little ways. Perfect. George ran the screaming Lycan into the ground, leaving him in a slumped sitting position, impaled to the ground through the shoulder. "Now, I think we both know who has power here. I need some information. First, what are you doing in Carnival, why were you here, and what has been going on.

The Lycan swore in Polish. George made a face of thought, then said "It would be more polite if you were to answer in a language intelligible to human ears, such as Latin or English, or Celtic if you can manage it." The Lycan just looked at him. George didn't have time to waste. "I know that the sword is causing you pain, something akin to a burning torch, but cold instead of hot, inside of you. These bullets have liquid Mercury. They do the same thing, Mercury being Quicksilver and all. Observe." George fired a single bullet into the the Lycan's thigh. The werewolf screamed. "Here's how it works. You tell me what I want to know, and I just might release you. Or, we could do this the hard way. Your friends chose the hard way, they are no longer in existence." He held up his gun, and his other sword. "Well?"

The Lycan spit into his palm, and raised his hand. George spit into his own, and shook. The bargain was sealed. The Lycan then began a perfect recount of what he knew, why he was here, and what had hppened earlier near the airport, plus that a small pack of his brothers were at an apartment of a Sister of Selene. However, in accordance with the bargain, he told it as he wished, namely, in Polish. "Thank you," said George, with the perfect language and accent of one that had been born in Warsaw. "You have been most helpful to me, and I now see the point in learning the language of my Grandpa Mienkewietch. Now, for my half of the deal." The Lycan was furious at hearing Polish from this hunter. But he remorsed, knowing he would soon be set free. "Lord," began George, " accept this lost soul into your fold, he who was bewitched by evil and corrupted by unclean filth. Ease the passage of his soul, that he too may one day return to you in Paradise." George took careful aim, and two shots sent the werewolf into the afterlife. "thus do I release his soul, that he may return to you, with all the saints, Amen."

George holstered his gun, retrieved the sword, and sheathed his blades. His warning senses had flared again. He walked over to the turning Lycan. Early. Good. George removed a small bottle of Holy Water, added powdered Wolfsbane and Rosewood, and poured the potion into the man's mouth. He dressed the wound, and picked up the still unconcsiouce body. Taking it with him, he hailed an express cab. Two passed by, but the third waited for him. George put the man in the seat, then got in next to the sitting figure.

"Been drinking?" asked the cabby.

"Something like that," said George, going through the man's wallet. A university I.D. showed the person as a student. "Hospital. My buddy was in a fight." George was able to take the college kid to a local emergency room. The lycanthropy would not infect this one, so George, with a (fake) local Driver's License, turned him over to the doctors. The cabby then drove George to his street, was paid well for his speed and confidence, before George walked down to his hotel, and climbed the eight-odd flights of stairs to his floor. When George entered his room, he set to work. The powder, a white, Calcium Carbonate based chalk, was drawn in a line across the narrow hall leading from the door. A drop of George's blood sealed the barrier, no evil thing would enter without permission. Turning to the table and chair to one side, George took out his cane and the charcoal he had grabbed. He began the process, which took him nearly forty-five minutes to complete. Afterwards, George sent an e-mail to his preceptory, detailing what he had discovered about a new Lycan presence in Carnival, and that it may have been somehow intertwined with the recent drop-off in the Vampire population of Carnival. By the time he could sit back, it had been nearly an hour and a half since he killed the last of the five Lycans.

Knock knock. "Come in said the grandmaster. The grandmaster's paige, Humphrey, walked into the room. "What do you have, Humphrey?"

"Sir, approximately five minutes ago, Knight Bachelor George Arthur Bruce sent a message to this house with a message marked to indicate status report about his current assignment. The last marking indicated that it was imperative to read with all deliberate speed. In doing so, I came to the conclusion that it would be best if your valience were to read it in its entirey. I have printed out a copy for you pleasure, and sent the entire file to a secure folder not connected to the online servers."

"Thank you Humphrey, you may go." The grandmaster sat down and began to read. The report was a detailed analysis of the situation in Carnival, sent as per the instructions given to George. The report detailed a significant drop in the Vampire population, stating that, effectively, there were no native Vampires of Carnival in Carnival. George then reported what he had found from the werewolf interrogation: first, the Lycans were apparently active in carnival, unheard of since its founding; second, the Lycans may or may not have created the situation in the first place, but were none-the-less fully aware of it; third, that an unknown Vampire of the clan Tremere was apparently working with the Lycans; fourth, that the Vampires had quickly united and sent in a specialist of unknown identity to investigate the situation; sixth, that the Lycans had ambushed the mayor and chief of police of Carnival outside the airport, after an apparent meeting with the Vampires; finally, that the Lycans had raided and overtaken the apartment of a Sister of Selene with the help of the allied Tremere Vampire. The grandmaster sat back. George was now already in the midst of large power struggle between the Vampires and Lycans that had just erupted in Carnival. George had managed to keep his head, and was at least aware of how dangerous Carnival was about to become. At any moment, the city was going to erupt.

Despite this, George had made some key discoveries. Even if the Lycans weren't behind it, they were maximizing on the power vacuum left by the abscence of the the Vampires. What was the cause was still a mystery, but had certain implications. The Orders needed to mobilize. the grandmaster picked up the black phone on his desk, then pressed the white button, cntered between the red and blue buttons. The dial tones came. First one, then another picked up.

"What is it?" the second responder asked.

"First, we need to be alone." Below the three buttons was a single green button. Each of the other speakers had a similar phone, with the same buttons, but different arrangements. All had the single green button. When it was pressed by all three, the line was purged, securing it for the duration of the conversation.

"Now, Patrick, why have you decided to call us both?" asked the first man

"I find myself in similar mindset with Carl. Have you been attacked?"

"Carl, Stanley, it is far different than that. I trust you are both familiar with the city of carnival, correct? Five days ago, one of our informants reported a sudden decrease in the Vampire activity of that city. Yesterday, I sent George Bruce out to investigate and verify the situation. He has. While we don't know what exactly happened, or why, we have a very good idea, and I think this represents an oppurtunity for us. I wish to mobilize a strike force to take advantage of this situation should it present itself as an opening in the Vampire power heirarchy. I am asking if you wish to send some of your knights as part of this team."

"Patrick, the Teutones stand with you," said Carl. "I'll send two of my teams. Do you have communication with George?"

"I too am willing to send two teams. Would you prefer demolitions or medic specialists? I am afraid that you will only get one, the Hospitallers are engaged elsewhere."

"Medics, please, Stanley. Also, make sure one man is of leadership capability. I need the same from you, Carl."

"I assume George will be given overall authority in this assignment," said Stanley, "but until he can disengage himself, or the units can reach him, we shall need a person to command them, as well as act as deputy for George. I have a knight that has worked with George. His name is Christopher. Is he acceptable?"

"He will do," said Patrick.

"I am afraid that I have not met him. Could you enlighten me as to who he is?" said Carl.

"He's a Hospitaller in every sense," said Patrick, "skilled in medicine, reason, and a good leader. He can hold his own, though works better in a group. Also, he is a Van Helsing, with resiliences akin to George's abilities."

"I believe he will do," said Carl, "but I still must know about your communciaction with George."

"I received a report ten minutes ago, detailing what I have just told you. There is considerably more in his report, and I shall send it to each of you as soon as I can guarantee its security in reaching you. Good evening, Gentlemen." The grandmaster put the phone down. Good, he had his strike force. Hopefully George would be able to get out before the fecal material would hit the rotating oscillator.

By the time George was back in his hotel room most of the Ultimate Idol contestants had had their chance at the first intimations of stardom. Mavis had been perfectly beastly, and more than one contestant was weeping back in the crowded room set aside for them. The after performance interviewer was making much of their ‘lack of discipline’, or ‘over the top emotionalism’. The studio audience was loving every moment of it. Louis, when he had been introduced at the opening ceremony was cheered for so long they had to hold up the entry of the last judge and wait for the crowd to calm down..

Outside the crowd of those who had not been able to get tickets remained, watching on the giant screens that the producers had quickly brought out. None heard the sounds of combat or the Lycan’s screams over their own noise and the volume the sound had been set at. Some, but not many noticed the converging of the studio’s security forces off in the unlit areas of the property. Security discouraged as much interest as they could. Then there was the quiet but rapid arrival of the LEO’s, in considerable number. The studios own news crew could not be prevented from showing up, but rival broadcasters were, even the air space above the property temporarily off limits to the numerous news choppers.

Dana had stopped by home, studied the sorry state of her finances, and sighed, she’d certainly not be able to afford a new outfit. But she could maybe get a few good shots of the fans outside the studio. “And maybe a glimpse of Louis” She acknowledged aloud. And off she’d gone borrowing a neighbor’s scooter. She knew she’d never find a parking spot for a car of any size. The crowd’s wild reactions had given her several shots, but it was the movement of the security guards that had caught her eye as she reconnoitered a way to get back to the private studio entrance that Louis would be coming out of. She could move fairly stealthily and so managed to remain unnoticed in the chaos the discovery of a new one for the wall of weird! Dana exulted as she waited for just the right moment to get pictures. She was glad that she’d brought the big night lens for her camera. It weighted a ton, and cost a fortune, but it would give her very clear pictures for a good distance and in such poor lighting. Now she had something really worth serious money she grinned to herself.

She never noticed that she herself was being clandestinely observed.

***********************************************
Elsewhere, not that far away, but in a place totally secure against intrusion of most any sort the last of the missing vampires succumbed to the draining of her blood. As she crumbled into dust, the minions finished the ritual and turned blank eyes to their master.

With a nod he, the one is often called "the angel of lawlessness" and "the king of this world", took the flagon, glwoing bringly with the power contained with in. Frowing he inspected it closely. “This is not enough!” His voice a low growl that raised the small hairs of all who heard it. “ Two thousand of the revenants, and it is still not enough.!”

“Oh Master of the Sons of Darkness” His chief minion began, falling to his knees, trembling with fear. “River of Destruction, River of Death we have heard that more of the revenants have come to investigate, two of which are immensely powerful.” He hoped the information would placate his dread master.

The Lord of Pride considered this, as well as the ripple he’d felt earlier. If the Adversary thought one lone Knight woiuld make any difference to his plans, then the Armies of Heaven had a lesson coming. One which would shatter their very gates.

“Capture them, and the knight as well. Perhaps that will be sufecient. If it is not…” He let the words trail away.

******************************************************
The rap on the door of the hotel room occupied by George Bruce was firm, but not overly loud.

It had not taken Kai (http://www.atddm.com/kai.jpg) much effort save that of time spent studying the trail the human had left. Leaving the mess of Lycan bodies had displeased Kai, but there was little he could do by the time he had arrived. The human authorities had been called in. He moved deep into the shadows and pulled out his cell phone. He gave the information to Jason, knowing that his teammate would take care of the situation. Then he lifted off, once again on the trail of the one bearing True Faith. Now he stood quietly just off to the side of the door. He well knew that most rounds could penetrate the flimsy door easily, and he really didn't care to get shot, even if it wouldn't truly injure him.

George knew what was at the door. He opened it, and stood back, behind the line. "If you have no grudge against me, otherworlder, this barrier will not stop you. Oherwise, you art mine enemy, even for the smallest of grievances, be it for harm against thine kin, masters, or servants. Step if you can, otherwise, state your case."

"I believe that you have grievance with my mistress. She does not yet know that I have come to meet with you." said Kai.

George looked at Kai closely. "Your name, Otherworlder, for I can detect the primordal force within you, and you are obviously not one sent from Hell."

"Kai."

"George. Very well, I will grant you permission to enter my homestead, but only if you swear to abide by the laws of hospitality while my guest, and that you will not tell any vampire, Lycan, or otherworlder about what transpires here, nor reveal to any my name or appearance. If you agree to that, the chalk line is nothing more than a child's doodle to you." George stood back and waited to see what the Otherworlder would do.

Louis played to the crowd, but motioned for them to calm down so the show could get on the road, for all it's motionlessness. Taking his seat and with the other judge taking the third. As the host continued his hosting

His goal for this was to be critical, and fair and found his thoughts kept drifting to Dana as he reminded himself once again to phone Dana.

"I think there might be someone outside," the lycan lackey gruffed, opening the door.

Davos had moved quick and silently, keeping low, his weapon up. He was abot to reach for the door when it swung open, a human figure looking away, but its body towards him. Within seconds, the man was on the ground, his head rolling away, the clean slice wound pooling blood at his neck. Davos kicked the dead lycan out of his path, looking at the one behind the computer desk. The edge of the blade was stained red with dark blook, yet Davos's form was not touched with the life giving liquid stained his shirt.

He eyed the man standing from the computer desk, who's own eyes bored back at Davos, hissing loudly at the intruder. Davos's eyes narrowed, observing the movments of the other man in the room.

"He wasn't that much, I seriously hope your better. I'm getting tired of sneaking around and pussy footing around up here." Davos pulled the sword back next to him in a ready stance, bringing his leg back, bracing himself. "So, you wanna make the first move or what?"

If you agree to that, the chalk line is nothing more than a child's doodle to you."

Kai looked at George gravely, and slowly shook his head. "I swear on my Honor that I mean you no harm, but my Lady, Jazz must needs to know of your presence. I can keep your name and appearance unmentioned unless there is true need." He stepped in just far enough, moving slowly, to let the door close behind him, but stay on 'his' side of the chalked line. He leant back against the door and let himself slide down, bonelessly, into a yoga lotus postion.

"I wanted to advise you that you are not under suspicion for the disappearances of Carnivals resident and visiting vampires."

The Lycan behind the desk cleared it in a single bound going from flat footed to diving towards Daovs in full Lycan form in less than the proverbial heart beat. Massive claws reaching out for the elder vampire to rend, fangs open wide to ravage.. Inadvertantly he blocked the one who was the true danger in the room. The Tremere.

The fact that Davos and the Lycan would be entangled in just moments didn't stop the Tremere from prepareing to launch a sphere of fire at the pair.

Dana wanted to stay and wait for the csu to show up and bring in their portable lights. Her phots would be much clearer. However her chances of getting caught were too great and she had no desire to risk a trip down to the city lock up or worse a disappearance. So she faded back towards the reveling fans watching the last of the program on the big screens. She wandered quickly around to the studio's exit doors but there was increased security there too. And they firmly escorted her back to the front area.

Sighing she checked her quipiment and headed for the scooter. I might as well go home. She groused to herslef as she stowed her gear and hopped on board. It was very cold and she took a minute to wrap her heavy duster style coat firmly about her.

I wanted to advise you that you are not under suspicion for the disapearance of Carnival's resident and visiting Vampires

"Be that as it may, it is not why I am here. We recieved reports of the situation, hence myt presence to investigate it. As to your oath, I find it acceptable, but know that if there is 'true need,' I think we are both very close to being fucked. You may enter, but remember that the laws of hospitality are in effect when you do, and if you do not assist me, those laws will force you at least into a position of neutrality. As to my presence, I would imagine that for you to find me, you have already alerted your mistress, this Jazz, that I am here, and that is enough to fulfill your conditions." George stood back, and Kai crossed the line. George walked over to where his sword was resting point up on the bedside, sharpened charcoal still on its point. He glanced to the ceiling, and Kai's eyes followed his.

"Solomaon's Heptacle? Pardon, but that wouldn't affect me, as I'm a Kami."

"Yes, but I have the Shinto runes drawn," said George, pointing to three Japanese marks spaced evenly about a large ring in the ceiling. The shape was interesting. Two large concentric cricles formed the aforementioned ring, and then there was a senven point star made from seven connecting lines, in which another, small circle was inscribed. Runes were written about the outer ring, and each point of the star had a large rune drawn inside of it. "However," said George, "I have required from you the Laws of Hospitality, and and as such I can not show a lack of honor by refusing the same courtesies to you." George took his cane sword, pulled off the Charcoal lump and placed it on the dresser next to the chalk bottle, then sheathed the blade. He took a towel from where the ice-bucket was sitting, dipped it into the half-melted bucket, and then tied it onto the tip of his cane. Standing on a chair, he used to towel and cane to scrub off the three Shinto runes, careful not to erase any of the others.

"Now, you are free to move about without hindrance of that device. I am sure you understand that one only survives for long at what I do by being prepared. It is nothing personal. If you will permit me?" he said, going over and grabbing the chalk. He walked to his window, poured out another line, and added another drop of his blood from his finger. "I had expected harm to come to me tonight, and I would rather not have it disturb the innocent. We shall not be disturbed. I can tell that you have important business with me. Please, make yourself comfortable," said George, gesturing indiscrminantly to either the chair or the bed.

As to my presence, I would imagine that for you to find me, you have already alerted your mistress, this Jazz, that I am here, and that is enough to fulfill your conditions."

"Actually all I have told her is one bearing True Faith has shown themself." He stood with equal grace and moved over to the chair.

"It's unpleasant that you made a mess earlier and failed to clean it up, but in a way it will keep the humans distracted. And that is all to the good. The primary reason that I am here is to let you know that you may be in danger as well. What ever caused the disappearance of two thousand of the Kindred is nothing to be discounted. And I have to wonder if there is more reason for their disappearance than just the fact that they are Vampires."

He looked steadily at George. 'You are a danger to my lady, but one she can take care of herself against. The new factor may not be some one we can easily handle."

He then gave information that hadn't been sent to the Camarilla, yet. "The Kindred weren't the only ones that vanished in that two hour stretch. Every mage journeyman level or above in Carnival disappeared as well."

Every mage journeyman level or above in Carnival disappeared as well

George moved to the bed, and sat down cross legged on the bed, folding his legs the way his Vietnamese intrusctor of Di Mahk had done. "It sounds as though I should be trying to find this threat to you and helping it out. If it can get rid of vampires as easily as you say, not to mention mages, then it appears to be either a renegade angel, or some advanced Church activity. In either instance, I have no knowledge as to the cause of the Vampire disappearance, nor am I here for that purpose. It sounds, however, as though this was an isolated incident. Between us, I can tell you that I am here to discern whether or not the Orders have at their hands an oppurtunity to aggravate an already potent wound. To that end, the isolation means my mission is done, and I should be leaving shortly. However, you and I both know that appearances can be deceiving, and this actor in our little play does not sound at all benevolent. As to your oath, if that is all that you have told this Jazz, then I have already acquiesced to your informing her of my nature. To that end, I will tell you that I am a Knight attached to the collective Churches' Orders of Knights. Now, this new threat that you describe to me, however, sounds as though it is not truly new at all, and if I understand you correctly, it poses a significant threat, probably even to me and the One whom I serve. I did not know that it only took a two hour stretch. For that to occur, it would most likely be something powerful, ancient, probably more so than any being created in Time. Would I be correct in concluding that you are here for my assistance in this matter?"

(OOC: T asked me to post for her as she is not available most of the day, and it looks like I muffed it. My apologies )

Kai looked at George with level eyes. "No, My Lady and I may mean you no harm, but you are an Enemy. One who would try and slay her simply for what she is. Nor should you think you and yours can just step into what you percieve as a vacancy here. There is not one. Jazz is here and she is all the power that needs to be here."

He did not want this human getting the wrong idea. Carnival was not up for grabs, particularly by the sanctamonious, hypoctites of the Roman Catholic Church.

"And to the exact nature of our hidden opponent, I know not as of yet, but yes I do think it is old, inimical to life, and hungry." He stood up and headed towards the door.

"We may need each other, but that has not yet been determined. Jazz would be the one to negotiate any alliances."

"Wait. First, understand that I did not come here to step in. I am merely here to assess, and at this point, it is completed. We do not exist to take the place of those no longer here. As to my status as an Enemy, it is not through mine fault. The corruption of Thine lady's spirit was not mine doing, but hath she made repentance? Hath she attempted to rid herself of the unlcean state to which she is now subject? The laws of God are violate in her. The passing of time hath no effect on her nor her Kindred. Death, which God hath sent to allow us to return to Him, holds no sway over her. I have no fear of death, for in it I know that I will return to He that created me, and there I shalt be adjudicated for mine actions. But I go only whence the Lord doeth sayeth so, neither before nor after. All things must come to an end, for this is recognized by every belief of Mankind, every religion, every philosophy. A being such as Jazz violates the laws of the Universe. Do not hold me to blame for my quarrel with her. I am a tool for the Lord, and it is He to whom she is an abomination. If thou doeth have quarrel, then quarrel with He whom is offended by thine Lady's bleak existence.

"As to this threat. If you should detect any signs that he poses significant threat to mine God, then know that I would stand to defend him Him at any cost, in any way. Should you decide that this threat, of which we seem to know naught of, is truly powerful enought to sweep us from the field of battle, then contact me, and if the Lord should say to stand with you, I shall. Take this," said George, handing a number to Kai. "That is to a disposable cell phone. I purchased it with cash. Reach me there. Also, if you are still in Carnival, and an audience is desired between myself and your lady, then contact me as to where to find you. I would rather it not be the airport hangar where your wide-bodied 747 is currently parked."

Kai smiled briefly at George's extolling of his beliefs. Jazz's existance was not bleak, but far richer than George could credence. And as for George's god, well, that deity was not Jazz's, but he doubted that George would accept that with any grace. The followers of that god were rather adamant about that deity being the only one in existance. A rather narrow sighted view point he thought, but then again 'western' views often had him at a loss, even after his many years among them.

I would rather it not be the airport hangar where your wide-bodied 747 is currently parked."

"Oh no, it's too easy to let you become a martyr with a belt of c-4. Dragons can defend themselves, planes are much more vulnerable. It will be neutral ground most certainly ,George 'who might decide to try to slay a dragon'." He memorized the number with a glance and laid the card on the chair. He headed to the door with cat like grace and left without further farewell.

Davos kicked his support leg, back, side stepping the airborne lycan. He brought the sword up, the razor edge slicing the belly of the were, blood splashing out onto the floor. The wolf rolled, howling, half in pain, half in anger. It lept at Davos from a crouch, claws of death extended, looking for fresh flesh. However, a quick side step pulled Davos out of the beast's path, the sword comming up again, this time vertically, stabing straight into the lycan's chest, dropping the beast. Another quick slice removed it's head from the body.

It was at this point that the burst of flame slammed into his chest, knocking him back across the room, salmming him into a wall. He dropped with a loud thud, feeling as if the wind was knocked out of him. The burning feeling of being hit by fire ached over his whole body, his shirt and jacket all but gone from the flash of flame. He pushed himself up to his feat, eyeing the other Kindred in the room.

"Ah, a Trem. Lets see if you can play nice too," he said. He had no concern in his voice, allthough the idea of Kindred and Lycans working together did not as much sicken him as it worried him, the over reaching implications leading to a disasterous possibilities. Ones that meant many a Kindred would never wake from her deep sleep.

Davos reached out, grabbing the sword lying on the ground next to him, and twirrled it around him once or twice, bringing it up to a ready position. "So, shal we dance?"

"Will we never be rid of you? Outsider scum, think you can walk among the true bloodlines?" The Tremere hissed, sounding like a walking cliche, but his eyes were narrowed and something akin to desperation etched his thin twisted features. His hands moved in complex patterns and his eyes defocused as he began another working.

The Lycan's body had been caught in the fringes of the sorcerous Kindred's fireball and the stink of burning corpse filled the room.

Suddenly the pattern of hand movements broke and a previously hidden vial, it's thin walls barely seeable in the semi gloom of the room, flashed towards Davos, hitting him off center, along one arm. The Tremere while not of Davos's age or generation was a canny survivor of many interKindred combats.

"Jackass" thought George. He didn't let on, but he could read the expressions of many in his presence, even if they were skilled at keeping their emotions hidden. It came as an after effect of his ability to sense and identify that which was around him, particularly that of danger or those of supernatural material. So what, the Kami thought George was wrong, bull-headed, and militant. George knew that there were many of divine origin, but he also knew that there was only one true God. It was not a matter of Faith, for he had questioned it thousands of times as he performed the dirty butchery that was his work. It just was, his inner soul was at peace with it, and there was no way for him to change it. His karma, as the Easterners called it. He didn't care what the otherworlder thought, though, based on the sense of contempt that had eminated from him, figured that Kai had George pinned as a stereotypical, bigoted, Dark Age Catholic Knight. As to George recounting his reason for hunting the Vampires, well, Kai had accused him of having no purpose to his cause, and that was an insult, especially since George had fulfilled every obligation of a host under the laws of Hospitality. Enemies do not discuss their quarrels, but Kai brought it up, and George would not have any leave his presence without Goerge's honor intact. He had meant every word of it. He had studied much of Eastern philosophy, and agreed with much of it, but nowhere had he ever found a belief that promoted eternal life for those born mortal. Kai was an otherworlder, as such different laws applied to him. George accepted that with good grace. But to think that there existed a philosophy that would allow good to come of eternal predators and parasites. History had shown what the result was. George did not need to hear any arguments. Like his one belief, he knew in his soul that the curse of Vampirism was just that, a curse. Should Kai decide to bring up the issue of their quarrel again when a guest with George, then George would politely, but irrevocably, remind him of the fact that they were not to accuse each other of stupidity or ignorance. George hated Vampires, but he also had a sense of honor, one that included enemies just as much as friends.

George lay back to sleep. He would leave in a few hours, just after dawn. As George closed his eyes, He came...

Davos recoiled in pain, the vial smashing against his skin. "Fuck!" he swore loudly, dropping the sword. The vial, full of a true acid, Holy Water, smashed open on Davo's arm, burning and scaring the flesh. Davos used his torn sleaves to wipe off as much as he could, but not before what was there left its mark. He looked up at the Tremere, and growled, jumping to his feet.

The sword and been tossed aside from the pain, and was to far off to be grabbed without opening to another attack. Davos's eyes narrowed, he dropped his shoulder, bringing his arms up in a boxing like stance. He knew that in a stand up fight, the Tremere would go down fast, Davos had near a full thousand years of fight training on his side, as well as the strength and power. However, he had to fight the Tremere on his own ground, with magic and vampiric powers.

With a brief thought, the darkness of the room lept out from the sides, physically slamming into the Tremere tossing him into the computer desk, descending on him to deliver more pain and punishment.

The Tremere was not ready for living shadows to assault him and he lost invaluable seconds gapeing at their descent on him. He managed a scream as they began delivering pain to him, then his claws came out and he began fighting for his life. Forcing ther shadows away momentarily he managed to gain his feet and fling himself at Davos.

He chanted low 'under his breath' as he crossed the interviening space and fire wreathed his claws.

Davos moved in while the Tremere was down, keeping just enough distance to react to any movement or attack. When it came up, he dove in, staying low, trying to get under his hands. He couldn't let the Kindred get off another fire ball, so he moved fast.

Davos closed the range, and delivered a devistating upper cut to the wizard Kindred's jaw, the sickening noise of teeth cracking against more teeth filling the room. A strong left hook followed, Davos stepping back to avoid the slashing claws of the Tremere. The little hints of fire around the fingers, forming more tightly, would cause extra damage, and Davos knew to keep his distance. Fool me once, as the saying goes.

He thought back to the other room, wondering how Jazz was fairing, concentrating for a millisecond too long on something other than the fight, a common problem he had had, even before embrace, and he dropped from a well placed blow to the gut from the Tremere. He grunted as he hit the ground, and rolled away from his attacker, looking for a quick advantage.

The blow to Davos's abdomen not only dropped him, but the fire laced claws bit deep, the flames adding to the damage. However the Tremere was in trouble as well, the flames had vanished after the blow landed and he could not being any further incantations. His lower jaw flapped unhinged, held in place only by skin. With Davos on the floor, he spun about frantically heading for the window. He was thinking now only of escape.

The apartment was of older construction with exceptionally solid walls and excellent sound proofing, or Davos would have heard the noisy fight not that far away. Or one should say half noisy as Jazz fought with silent ferocity. It was the Lycan doing the bellowing, and the duller thumps of his body hitting various walls just added a bass note.

Her first slashes had laid the Lycans face open to the bone as it raised its gore covered head from the corpse it had been feeding on. The terrible jaws had snapped at her but missed. It claws had not, but most of the damage went into the tactical gear she wore, destroying it rather than her.

It had given her another opening as it's claws tangled in the kevlar. Jazz didn't hesitate to take it and her own claws tore into it's torso, coming up from under the ribs to ravage the lungs and heart.

Snapping jaws had backed her off as with a wild slash the Lycan had torn its way free of the entanglement. A back hand that she almost ducked had her trhown across the room, but she managed to curl into a ball, and spring to her feet as the energy disipated. The Lycan had followed her tough and she took raking claws to one shoulder. However she accepted it and used it's attack to provide momentum for the over the shoulder toss she whipped it through as she spun on one heel.

The monster cartwheeled across the room, breaking the blood soaked bed as it bounded off of it, and landing atop a tripple dresser. The mirror shatterd into a million peices but neither noticed, for they were engaged once again as Jazz flung herself after the dazed Lycan.

It roared seeking to stun her with the sheer sonic fury of a enraged Lycan but she'd faced his kind before, if not recently. Her own fangs found it's throat, as it tosssed it's head back to howl again, and closed with terrible finality.

A strong wrench and the trachea as well as the major veins were ripped free.

Davos felt the stingy aches of a burn, the pain of flesh being seperated, the feeling of being shot, but not dying. He could tell the Tremere was out of tricks, and bolting for escape. Davos, on the other, still had a bit left in him, and the shadow's of the room, moving literaly at the speed of light, covered the window, a physical barrier, not just darkness, stopping the Tremere dead in his tracks.

Davos grunted, pain firing through his chest and abdomen, and he forced himself to stand. The Holy Water, the fire, and the punch had all taken a bit out of him, and the wounds were healing slower than usual. Fire and Holy Water did that. However, he still had the right amount of fight in him to make this hurt. And hurt it would.

"What, what are you going to do to me?" the Tremere asked, no longer sure of himself, feeling the weakness in his body, the lack of power in his body creating a fear in his tone. His words were rough and sloppy, his borken jaw yeilding no clarity.

"Oh, I'm going to have fun with you."

The room seemed to vibrate, the light seemed to shake, and Davos's eyes almost glowed with evil. It was one thing to move a small amount of darkness, manipulating just a tiny bit of light, but to bend the entirty of the room to his will was a sight to behold. The shadows began to swirl around him, darkness at his command, and those that could feel the presence of true evil did.

The darkness descended on the Tremere, picking at him, pinching and tearing, ripping of individual fingers, pulling off a toe here and there, ripping chunks of his flesh off, breaking limbs. The Tremere let out a primal, horrified scream, a scream of pure death, a scream let forth only when one knew the end was immenent. His voice was cut off, violently, by the darkness moving into his mouth, 'wrapping' around his toung and vocal cords, ripping them out, spurting blood all over the floor. Death filled the room, and finally Davos delivered the blow.

He walked forward, his face inches from the Tremere, held in place by bonds of darkness wrapped around his wrists, holding him up, and dug his fangs into the throat. He took one long pull of the blood, not enough to fill him, but enough to get a taste. With his fangs still dug in, he ripped back, hard, tearing out the other Kindred's throat, splashing blood over himself, the floor, and the wall.

On his last bit of will, the Tremere made one attempt to kick out or fight at Davos, but the world was growing dark and empty. Davos retrieved the sword, and in one, swift, clean cut, he sliced across the Tremere's waist, removing his upper torso from the lower. Then, a return motion removed the Kindred's head. The three portions of body fell to the ground, what little blood left pooling in deep puddles on the floor.

"Traitor," Davos murmured, walking a pained walk back towards the door, the sword disapearing from his hand, and the shadows returning to normal.

The primal scream jerked Jazz from the nearly dead Lycan's throat, her face going still. She knew a Vampire's death scream when she heard it and she couldn't believe that it was Davos's - therefore it had to be the Tremeres. However as the combat fury faded she could pick up other, less intrusive information-, the stench of flesh afire and the sharper almost painful odor of vampiric flesh disolving under thet touch of Holy Water.

Dragging the Lycan with her she moved quicky back to the entry hall. "Davos!" She let the carion drop unnoticed and was at his side as he appeared in the wreckage of the library's door way.

Davos struggled into the room, the power leaving his body quickly. His chest was slashed in a number of places, with blood streaming from the open wounds. His flesh was seered in other portions, and his arm still smoked and burned from the Holy Water. Blood oozed from his lip and nose, and more scratches covered the rest of his body.

"Don't worry," he managed to say, pain in his voice. "Most of it's his."

He collapsed down to his knees, trying to force himself to stand, but mostly remianing down. "Well, he was abit tougher," he forced out. "Got a dinner plans?"

"Got a dinner plan?"

She watched Davos try and rise then fall back, lapsing into unconsciousness. "I think I do now" She commented as she knelt at his side.

Jazz went into a crosslegged 'tailor's seat and pulled him into her lap as much as possible. "Well it's been a while since any ones bitten me, I just hope you don't tear my arm off." She said softly as she peeled off the rest of the tattered sleeve and braced him against her. Her wrist she placed before his lips;his nostrils twitched and his fangs extended. She pressed her wrist firmly against those razor sharp fangs, her blood welling freely. Then his instincts took over and he began to feed in earnest.

She wasn't sure why she chose to let him feed from her, she coiuld have easily put him at the throat of the fatally wounded Lycan. However she knew she wouldn't have drunk from the beast, and would not ask him to either. Jazz owed him the best possible. The wounds he had taken would have overwhelmed lesser Kindred, and even many close to them in power. She had forgotten how initmate such feeding felt, and found herself stroking his hair with her free hand as he drank deep. Jazz was glad she had fed full earlier that evening, and from Kai, his blood being especially potent.

She managed to fumble the cell phone she'd tucked in a pocket earlier out and dialed a preset number. "Kai, I need you, Jason, and a cleaning crew here asap." She let the phone fall closed as she finished. They'd trace her signal, and already had known where she had been headed. Help would be there soon.

After giving the three judges a short time to rest back in the green room, their aides assembled and escorted them briskly out the the waiting limmo. Extra security personell surrounded the limmo but nothing was said as to why such extra precautions had been taken.

The ride to where the after show party was being held was done in mostly silence, save for Mavis's 'under her breath' running commentary about the 'cheapness' the money men were showing.

"I should have had my own limmo...The champaigne just was not quality." And the litany went on. Aston, the host, and Ellington strove to pretend they didn't hear her but the looks in their eyes could be easily read.

Fortunately before violence could break out they arrived at one of NorthShores finest event venues The Gilded Palace. The entire building had been taken over and the party would number in the thousands, mostly Carnivals Who's Who and extremely wealthy visitors.

Louis was finding his self-control tested to the limit with Mavis. If he ever sired someone, he'd find a Mavis and see his potential convert could avoid killing the person.

Once they arrived at the after party, he began planning his 'escape' so he could see about spending more time with Dana.

"GEORGE!!" came the shouts. "George, heed me!"

George opened his eyes, only to find that they were not really open at all. It was another dream, and he was in the presence of the strange figure that had come to him in the past. "What is that you desire from me this time, Unknownst Sage?"

"I am not as unknown to you as you believe, George. In fact, I am quite well known to you, for I own your soul."

"Never, for only God owns my soul."

"And who do you think I am? For know that I am the Son of He Is Who Is, and now my Father has need of you, George."

"Take me not as a fool, for I well know that the Prince of Evil takes great delight in impersonating the Prince of Peace." replied George, anger hardening his words.

The figure, that of a man barely older than George, looked at him with intelligent, sad eyes. Then he smiled. "Your teachers have done well, George. But remember this, that God’s property can not reject their owner without knowing it.”

“Then if you are my Lord, I would know it within myself,” replied George.

“And soon you shall. For that is why I am here. Just as you are Mine George, and you are mine Father’s, so now do I take liberty with my property. We are soon to be threatened, for one of the Enemy has already started to move against us. It is against him that I ask you to go, against him that I need you to stand. The Kami will contact you soon enough. Until you can return return to him, it is time for you to finish the Dragon-Blood ceremony.”

“You must be joking. Everybody knows that the ceremony doesn’t exist. And how can I finish it if I haven’t even started it?”

“Ah, but you have. Recall the forging of your blades. Recall the injury you sustained. Recall…

****************************************

George’s mind flitted as he slept, going to various points in his memory. Then he found it, his memory of the forging of his blades. He remembered melting down the Roman sword and the Celtic blade. He remembered as he churned the two, allowing their powers to meet, interact, and fuse. He remembered adding the silver, and pouring a bucket of Holy Water which would temper the blades as he worked the hammer. He remembered pouring the steel into two blocks, and he remembered the forge, the rise and fall of the hammer, the overlaying of the blades in Eastern style. He remembered repeating the process for the cane, this time using Titanium to make up the majority of the metal. And then he remembered, when he first poured the molten metal, the seven drops that had splashed up and fell upon his forearms, the hot liquid burning into his skin, entering his blood stream. He remembered it all.

Davos felt the flow of life giving energy fill him, sucking down blood not be choice but instinct. However, instinct had brough man this far, it would definately help now. He drank long, taking deep, full pulls of the sweet liquid, unlike most who took quik sips of blood.

He drank his fill, the sweet blood filling him. He blinked his eyes open, and took one, final, long pull, sucking just past his fill. He felt the blood flow through and fill him, reenergize him. He pushed himself up to his feet, and shook himself out. "Thanks, I owe ya one for that."

Jazz had snatched her hand back from his hair as his eyes opened.

"Thanks, I owe ya one for that."

"No, you are part of my team right now, and I owed you, not the other way around." She stood herself and looked at the comatose Lycan with a frown "Some how I doubt that we would get any information of use out of it, even if it were in questionable condition."

The computer seemed to still be working, but that she'd leave to Kai and the others when they arrived.

"Kai and others will be here shortly, with a clean up crew. The Sister is dead, greedy guts here was making a snack of her. Damn I hate Lycans" She gave the prone form a kick tht lifted it up foor the floor, but it barely reacted.

"You feeling up to more investigation tonight? It's late though and your clothes are a mess."

She didn't give him time to answer the question however. Both of them would do what was needed.

Jazz wasn't about to mention that she was more than a little woozy herself. Davos had drunk deep and she'd had no few injuries from the Lycan she'd taken down. Her shirt was as ruined as his was and her going topless would cause more notice that he would.

She forced weak knees into action and headed back to the bedroom ignoring the grizzily remains. The closet was well filled with tasteful outfits and Jazz could see that the deceaseed Sister was just a little larger built than herself. She found a dark tunic top, and headed to the bathroom. Leaning against the counter, she scrubbed off what blood she could reach. The tub was over sized and there was not much more that Jazz wanted at the moment than a long soaking bath, but she doubted that Davos would understand. Sliding the tunic on, she went back out to Davos wet wash cloths in hand.

"Here, lets get you cleaned up so people don't freak if they see you." She'd barely handed the wash cloths to him when a small pain filled cry and a skittering of claws had her spinning about. Her vision blurred for a moment as a small winged creature launched itself at her chest. Her hands came up defensively but not in time to have stopped any attack. However the tiny creature was not intent on attack, but huddling against her, it's claws snagged in the thick velvet of the tunic. One fine boned wing hung half opened, obviously injured.

Jazz found herself on her butt on the floor, holding the moon cat close. "It's okay Davos, it's just a moon cat (http://www.atddm.com/spinx1.jpg)." She wasn't especially knowledgeable about the Sisters of Selene, but one of the most commonly known facts was that they all had one or more of the small, rare Flapcats as a companion.

Dana pushed the small scooter to top speed willing to trade being more cold to being out in the cold longer. But even the scooters top speed did not keep her observer from pacing her easily. Too cold to do more than pay attention to her own driving much less that which hid in the nights darkness she was still completely unaware that she had attracted a dangerous intrest.

A rare -to be seen on the Southside- Lamborgini in some sort of purple black caught her eye as she slowed to turn into the 'residents only' entry. She wondered who was being visited by some one reckless enough to leave such an expensive car on the curb like that. The neighborhood was one of the safer residential zones about, but that never prevented crimes of the moment. "And such a flashy thing is definitely passion inspiring." She mumbled to herself as the gate opened allowing her into the underground parking garage that served the residents.

"I'll bet Tony is making a bundle keeping an eye on it." She grinned. She could pump the security officer in the morning for the information of who'd come a calling. She was way to cold and grimy from the drive to think about doing more than getting into her apartment and warm.

Intermittent rain splatters had soaked her duster and chilled her to the bone. She wheeled the scooter to where the recharger cord would reach her assigned plug and trudged to the elevator. It arrived promptly enough and she was whisked to the fourth floor. There were eight flats on her flor and she had the least favorably placed one. Next to the internal fire well and all but directly across from the elevators. However on many nights it was a blessing as she could be inside her home in but a few steps. And the thick walls made sure that few sounds got through to disturb her.

Shucking the dripping duster in the on the tiled of the small foyer she turned up the heat a notch and went to check her answering machine. A message from Sam whining that she hadn't paid him for last night and he really wanted pizza had her snorting. She'd call him in the morning, take him for a drive by pizza-ing. Nothing from Luois she noted with a sigh. She hadn't expected him to call, but it had been a hope to hold on to for a bit.

Heading to the bedroom she stripped off her damp clothes then drew as hot a bath as she could stand. She sprinkled bath salts in with a liberal hand and slid into the steaming water, her smile dreamy as she thought back over her night with Louis.

Davos looked at the animal, somewhat confused. It was nothing like he had ever seen before, but then again, this night was full of suprises. He took the wash cloth, and looked into the bathroom.

"I'm gonna get cleaned up. You go ahead and bond with our new feline friend, and while your at it," he looked at the destruction in the room he left behind, "try to think why lycans would be working with a Tremere."

try to think why lycans would be working with a Tremere."

"If I can Bond with it, as supposedly a Sister can then I will know what it knows, and that might be useful" Jazz agreed, but her tone was dubious. She liked cats, indeed all felines, but she'd never tried Bonding with one.

"And as to why." She shuddered, more than slightoy nauseous at the very idea of a Vampire, any Vampire no matte how degraded, working with Lycans. "A member of the Camarilla. You see now why I don't trust the Camarilla. It just adds to the unanswered questions. Why did they send you in as a Justicar? Why does it sound to me like they told you I was the new Prince of Carnival? How did they know to send you before I called for you?"

THe not yet dead Lycan moaned almost inaudibly and flopped around slightly. Jazz swivveled on her butt and brought a heel down hard on the back of it's neck. The sound of shattering bone was shapr, and the creature stopped moving.

"These things just don't die! Let me see what I can scrape out of it's pathetic excuse for a mind. The crew should be here any minute." She added. Davos had drunk for quite a while.

She watched him head off to get cleaned up then turned her attention the the Lycan, and reached out mentally to rampage through it's mostly non existant defenses. It didn't know much and most was useless, but she garnered the Tremeres name, where the main Lycan base was, and the fact that three teams of "heavy hitters" were already enroute to Carnival.

She passed that information along to Davos when he came back out looking much more presentable, seconds before Kai came though the front door.

She waved Kai to the computer the three in the office had been trying to hack, and moved into the living room as the clean up crew began bagging the remains. Kai set the computer to reboot then joined Jazz and Davos in the living room. He noticed that Jazz was moving a bit cautiously and sat next to her on the sofa.

"Davos, there is supposed to be some sort of half assed recruiting team.." Jazz began but Kai interupted her.

"Actually those got taken care of by a newly arived Knight Templar."

"The True Faith?" Jazz raised an eye brow remembering their brief mental communication earlier.

"Yes. And no he ahd nothing to do with the great disappearance. He wasn't incountry then, and despite him being a vessel of True Faith, he doesn't have the power to have accomplished it." Kai dismissed George as a suspect.

"Holy man eh?" Davos snuffed, wiping the wet wash cloth over his face and arms, removing the last of the acid from his arm, as well as the quickly drying blood.

"Is he for real, or is he just a guy who read to many hunter stories, and thinks some ass random cross he picked up at a goth shop will really back us off? I've delt with both kinds in my time, and they can both be dangerous for the wrong reasons."

He stepped out of the side room, and looked over at what was left of the Tremere. He was still shirtless, but the majority of the blood was gone, as well as the Holy Water on his arm. The burns had started healing, but with the Holy Water, it would take much longer than usuall.

He didn't respond to the questions Jazz had made, leaving them to simmer in his mind. They were contimplations for a different time, but now, the key was finding out what was going on. "Any place around here I can get some clothes, or should I just walk around without the shirt?"

I've dealt with both kinds in my time, and they can both be dangerous for the wrong reasons."

Kai shook his head. "Its the 'real thing' and he's not half assed about it at all. He knows the inside scoop so to speak, and he's no tyro. He took down five Lycan's and quick, with no wounds to him. It looked like he got the drop on them, but thats still rather impressive."

Any place around here I can get some clothes, or should I just walk around without the shirt?"

Jazz quirked an eyebrow. She wouldn't mind it, but it might invite closer obervation than they wanted.

Kai grinned at Jazz's reaction then stood and went over to one of the duffles the cleaning crew had brought in. Finding a wrapped bundle, he tore it open and tossed a black tee shirt to Davos. "Casual but available."

Jazz turned her attention to the moon cat as then looked up at Kai. "Medical supplies, This wing needs to be splinted and cared for."

She turned back to Davos as she waited for the gauze and makeshift splints.

"I got the location of their headquarters. Care to hit there tonight, before those fire teams get here?"

By the time the after-party for the introduction of the show wound down, and Louis had managed to get back to his hotel, it was the wee hours of the morning. While the sun was not yet up, he was pretty sure Dana would be soundly down.

He decided to hope she'd gone to bed early, and he would force himself to stay awake for a while longer than he'd normally be up, something challenging but possible as long as he remained in darkness.

At around eight in the morning, with his eyelids all but proped up with toothpicks, he picked up the phone and Dana's card and dialed her number.

Dana buried her head under a pillow at the first ring of her bedside phone. She's been up until five getting the story about the dead werewolves written up and the pictures burned to a cd. She was careful to do nothing more than resize them. the story would be heard enough for people to believe without cries of tampering -though those would happen any way. Then she sent off an emial to the crisme scene editor of the Advocate. It was Carnival's answer to the Enquireer and other 'supermarket checkout line' rags, but they had a huge following and had paid her well in the past.

The only thing that got her eyes to open was the thougth that it might be Jim,the editor, calling for a quick negotation of her initial asking price for the peice. She dragged the handset to her and looked at the caller ID. It didn't hit her at first then her eyes went wide.

"Hello?" She hoped it wasn't really the hotel, perhaps having found out about her assault on the staffer. Oh please let it be Louis...but right, like he'd remember you She thought as she gathered her wits about her and tried to shake the fog from her tired mind.

"Hello, Dana?" Louis asked hopefully, but also somewhat tiredly, "I hope I didn't wake you."

He had promised to call and was nothing if not a man, or rather vampire, of his word. The promise was of course inconsequential when compared to his enjoyment of Dana's company.

"Louis?" Dana couldn't keep the astonishment that snapped her out of her grogginess "You did, but it doesn't matter. How did every thing go? Are you all right?"

She didn't want to get her hopes up but she couldn't help but want to see Louis again.

"I'm sorry about that." He replied when he heard he woke her up. "Everything went well, and I'm fine, but exhausted. Keeping up with the starlets chatter is tiring. How was your evening?"

George awoke with a start. He was asleep shorter than he had expected. Dawn was still a couple hours off. He got up, and turned on his laptop, opening a secure line of communication to the preceptory house.

DragonSlayer7: Requesting line to communicate
GoodSteward: Anybody in particular?
DragonSlayer7: The big Guy. Tell him that it is a matter of stake and steak.
GoodSteward: I'll relay it to him
GoodSteward: He wants to talk. I'mtransferring you.
-Please wait while you are transferred-
GKTemplar: What can I do for you, DragonSlayer?
DragonSlayer7: I need information.
GKTemplar: What do you want to know?
DragonSlayer7: What is the Ceremony?
GKTemplar: There are many ceremonies. Which one?
DragonSlayer7: I don't know, one that would involve molten metal, or Celtic metal, or the Dragon Blade, or metal and blood. Anything meet up?
GKTemplar: No. Nothing that I can think of.
DragonSlayer7: Postive?
GKTeemplar: Mostly
DragonSlayer7: What does that mean?
GKtemplar: There is a myth regarding the blood of dragons, and a ceremony that goes with it. But I can't explain here. Return to the preceptory. We have need of you here.

George closed the laptop. Blood, Dragons, and Ceremonies. The world that he knew grew deeper every day.

How was your evening?"

"Oh nothing to be sorry about Louis! I was up till fiveish, and busy actually. Did you hear about anything unusual at the studio?" She asked but before he could answer she continued.

"There were some interesting occurances at on the studios property, but I bet you won't hear about them in the regular news." She let the temptation dangle for a breath then continued. "I may have sold the story and the photos!" Between the thought of that and Louis actually having called she was boucning excitedly, and it could be heard in her voice.

She could hear the tiredness in his though and her voice softened. "You need to get some sleep Louis, but at least they won't be live tonight, right?"

Dana was sure the schedule was for the next two nights 'off'' to allow more anticipation to grow.

"Congratulations." He replied when he heard her say she'd sold a story and pictures. He yawned as he continued, "Would you be interested in going out tonight as they won't be filming the next episode for a while."

He knew he'd have to wrap the conversation up soon as otherwise he'd fall asleep in the middle of the conversation.

"Would you be interested in going out tonight as they won't be filming the next episode for a while."


"I heard that yawn, have you even gotten a nap yet, or were you up all night paryting?" Dana half teased, while she tried to think coherently about the fact that Louis wanted to see her again. She didn't have any thing really nice enough to wear to the places he was likely to want to go. But she didn't want to say no either.

Then inspiration struck. "How 'bout I bring over a bunch of musicals and we can 'watch till we drop', a musical marathon?" She hoped that didn't sound too pushy.

"No sleep as yet." He confessed as he stifled another yawn. "A musical marathon sounds like a great idea, with an order of pizza and something to drink?"

"Do you happen to have Grease?" He asked, naming one of the musicals he especially liked.

"Do you happen to have Grease?"

Dana found herself laughing . "Oh Yes, and a pink poodle skirt and a Pink Ladies black leather jacket too boot!' She wasn't going to let on that she'd once won an amature talent contest test singing 'Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee.' from the movie.

"Any thing else you really'd like to see?"

"Other than that, no. I know I'll like your tastes in musicals." He replied with a smile in his voice. "So how about we say eight?" He suggested

As he was talking, he envisioned Dana in the outfit and smiled at the image it presented as she didn't seem the pink type.

Davos tugged the shirt on, feeling it hug his frame.

I got the location of their headquarters. Care to hit there tonight, before those fire teams get here?

Davos thought it over. It would be nice to get the recon done, to see what the area looked like, but they, well he for the most part, was severly under armed. He looked over the group that had arrived, assessing the situation, then shook his head slowly. "No."

"We need to rearm, get loaded up, and I need to make some calls, get some supplies. Then we can hit them, and we can hit them hard too. I think we'd be better off waiting, reloading, and then go after 'em."

"So how about we say eight?"

"On the dot. Now get some sleep!" Dana blew him a kiss, wished him a sound sleep and hung up. She smiled as she drifted off to sleep. She needed to grab a few things for tonight.

Louis blew his own kiss to Dana, wished her a good day, and almost before he managed to get the phone back to the cradle, was fast asleep.

I think we'd be better off waiting, reloading, and then go after 'em."


Jazz frowned, but nodded reluctantly in agreement. She'd wanted Davos's judgement, he was the acknowledged expert on Lycans. She just hoped that it would be heading into three full teams of combat oriented Lycans. The one thing she hadn't been able to find in the dying Lycans mind ws exactly when the teams were due in.

However she could use the rest. Davos had drunk deep of her and the small Moon cat would require some of her blood to heal as well.

"My residence has suffecient sleeping accomodations, or do you wish to stay else where." She asked.

"And Mr. Santari, you might wan to look at our armaments and see if there is any thing there you might find useful." Kai give Davos a run down of what the team's armory stocked. It included the lastest weapons targeting Lycans. Silver filled Saftey Slugs, silver fragementing versions of Black Talons, Mercury loads, and more. "If you want a team to go in with you our security personel are well trained, if not specifically against Lycans."

"I'll stay where ever you can put me up, I'm flexable. Just to get some rest," Davos replied, glancing around the empty room. He had made quite the mess of things, and the clean up team that could withstand the gore had their work cut out for them. He walked into the main room, and then towards teh door. He hadn't survived this long without being a bit paranoid, and he half expected a team of lycans bent on their destruction to burst through the door.

"Sounds like a decently stocked set up, I'll take a look at the options when we get back. And we might need more than one team, it would be benificial to recon and hit all three teams at the same time, when their gaurd is down. We need someone to do daylight recon, watch out for them entering the country, so we can be ready for them, while letting them think that we don't know they are here."

George's plane would leave half an hour after the dawn, so George still had a couple of hours to kill. He erased the heptacle, then packed his luggage. He kept his laptop open to do a little research. Being a Knight Templar and Mason had its advantages. quickly, he was accessing a number of archives in their respective logs. He decided to expand his search, and searched the archives of the Catholic Church via his ordination as a deacon. He didn't read much of interest, the first set of ceremonies all dwelt on Ordo Draconium, or the Order of the Dragon, which Vlad III Tepes had belonged to. It wasn't until he was ready to pack up did he reference the Bathing of Sigfried. He didn't have much time, so he decided to stop there, and start with that once he was back at the preceptory house.

The clean up team had moved on to the bedroom, having given the library/office an initial clean. Jazz followed on Davos's heels, still holding the Moon Cat carefully.

while letting them think that we don't know they are here."

"I'll have spotters cover the airport, they wouldn't take ship here as they were expected too soon. And we can have others recce the head quarters" She agreed and nodded to Kai to have Lethe take care of it. "We have twenty four troops with us." She let Davos know as Kai checked the hallway and then stood aside.

"I left troops discretely in the lobby." Kai advised.

Jazz nodded and punched the elevator call button. In seconds it chimed open and then closed behind them, descending swiftly and uneventfully to the lobby below. The now dead security officer's body ws gone and the troop manning the console gave Jazz a half salute.

The super car had been untouched, and started at once. Moments later they were racing for the North Shore and the very secure penthouse.

The drive was quickly done and soon she was turning the keys over to one of Lethe's security personel. The whole building was a discretely but thoroughly secured fortress, secluded on heavily surveillenced grounds. The elevator whisked them to the penthouse.

Before they arrived however Jazz reaxhed over and hit the stop button. At Davos's look she gave him her own level stare in return. "Look Davos, I want things straight between us. I don't play binding games. You drank from me tonight and most would use it as the start of a blood binding. I don't do that unless both parties have explicitely stated thats what they want and agree to."

George quietly checked out of his room. There were good things about places that accepted cash. He paid for the night, shouldered his bag, then walked the quarter block that would take him to the bus stop. Carnival had round the clock bus service on the southern side, a by-product of the needing to transport workers efficiently and economically. He waited for fifteen minutes, got on the bus, paid the fare to get to the train station, and sat towards the back.

He got to the train station, exchanged the unused half of his ticket for the return trip to Fredontin. He was met at the station by the novice that had driven him to the station, and spent another half hour at the local chapter house, before being driven to the airport. Security was, as always, easy to get through, and very soon he was on a plane back to Scotland.

Davos nodded silently. Binding was a bit of an issue with most kindred, depending on how it was done. There were those that used it in domination, having a lesser kindred drink from them three times, binding that vampire to its new master through blood. Others used it has a trust factor, a sign that there would be no betrayal between the two kindred who drank from each other's blood.

It said more than worlds about the trust that Jazz was feeling. Most bindings on this level didn't happen for ages. This was happening after one night. It was more than a sign of trust, it was a sign to Davos that Jazz would not only trust him, but she expected trust in return. She had let Davos drink from her, an offer non to light.

The binding would be bennificial, it would offer a level of protection to both parties. It was an offer that Davos wouldn't give up. For one, it would fully intigrate him into the life of Carnival, and secondly, it would show Jazz that he trusted her, and prove to him that she trusted him. He nodded again. "Do you want to finish what we started?"

George was quickly able to return to the preceptory house after he disembarked. He was escorted into the office of the Grand Master, his bag still on his shoulder.

"Well," said the elder knight, looking at George, "what have you got?"

"Too much, and yet, not enough. First, it was not the werewolves behind the Vampire Disappearance, and secondly, it is nowhere near the oppurtunity we thought it would be. The Kindred simply disappeared, no armed conflict representing a power change that degenerated into chaos. No, it is far worse. I was visited by a Kami while there. Don't worry, he is bound to keep my identity and purpose secret, as I am his, until we reach, by mutual consent, an agreement to end our confidences. He had some very interesting information. First, the Kindred at Carnival all disappeared within a single, two-hour time period. Second, in that same time period, every mage of journeyman rank or above went missing as well, both known and unknown. Whatever it was that did this, it moved fast, and with a purpose that included vampires, but was not Kindred exclusive."

"Still," said the Grand Master, "can we use this oppurtunity? I have already assembled a team with the other Grand Masters. You will lead it.'

"With all do respect, sir, that isn't an option. I intend to return to Carnival sir, but only to identify this agent, its motives, and its plans for future actions. If it proves to be hostile to the Divine, then I intend to take all necessary actions to stop this threat."

"I don't wnat to know what you mean by that, George. I trust that you will remember to keep your faith in God alone?"

"Always," responded George. "Now, I need to know what this ceremony is that you thought about. I have already done some looking, but so far, I have found nothing other than an obscure reference to the 'Bathing of Sigfried,' whatever that is." The elder man's face fell when he heard this. "You know of what I speak?"

The knight stood up and faced the window, gathering his thoughts, before finally speaking to his young colleague and underling. "The 'Bathing of Sigfried' is a reference to the assumption of draconic power. It is, essentially, done by ingesting the blood of the dragon to heighten one's senses, and then subrmerse oneself in that same blood to strengthen the body to a point far beyond what we mortals have. The metal that entered your skin at the forging of your swords was from the balde of St. George. Officially, none of the Churches validate the claim that St. George did slay a dragon, but try not to make it a big point of refutation either. George did slay a dragon, and the blood poured over him so quickly that his sword eventaully absorbed it, while George went the route of Sigfried.

"Sigfired, you must rmember, slew Fafnir. It is Norse myth, but with much validation. After slaying the dragon, Sigfried drank a chaliceful of blood, then bathed in it where it collected into a small pool slightly smaller than a traditional residential bath. Scholars are unclear as to what Sigfried gained from it, but he emerged more than human. Later, he defeated two men, bandit kings that had killed his father some years before, to reclaim his crown, and it was there and then that the people realized just how powerful the young man and new king really was.

"George, in order for you to complete the ceremony, you must complete the Bathing of Sigfried. To do that, you must slay a dragon."

"Do you want to finish what we started?"


Jazz raised her eyes to meet his. Letting him see her answer there even as she spoke it.

"Yes"

She'd liked him from the moment she'd met him. And that was beyond rare for her, save that she always listened to that small, still voice in the back of her mind. And it said "Worthy." And for Jazz there were worlds of meaning in that Logos.

You must slay a dragon.

George was dombstruck. The complexities of the situation at Carnival was nothing compared to what he had just heard. A dragon. And he had to slay one. Chaos and intrigue were escapable, death fakable, disapearance possible. Dragon slaying was do or die, in the most literal sense possible. And it was a challenge that few could succeed at. The term itself was awe inspiring.

"Where do dragons live?" asked George, barely audible.

"There is a region, west of here, where we believe the ancient Celts came from. This Dragon Land of the Celtics has three nations within its borders. Of those three, one, ruled by the region's high King, King Arthur the Great, still has a rather robust, and some say, burdening dragon population. Go there. I fear that the dragons of that country are rather fierce, more so than Fafnir ever could have been. You will be welcomed there. Arthur himself is a Knight of the Garter, and if you succeed, then you will be eligible as well. Be wary George. I need not tell you that this is by and far more dangerous than the normal vampire hunting. I have seen you injured before. Now I truly fear for your life. Go."

George went to his room. He dropped off his bag, then headed to the library. If he was going to go dragon hunting, then he would at least know what he would be up against. He began his searches, looking for tales of dragon slaying from medival history annals, along with the historical interpretations and reletavized commentaries that would explain it. It took nearly three hours before he had a definitive view on what he would be going after. He then went to the librarian to see if there was anything that he missed. The librarian said no. However, at that moment, Patrick showed up, with a book in his arm.

"George, this book was compiled by a group of Templar knights mid-14th Century. The paper went througha special curing process so that if it should occur that the knights would be incinerated while on their quest, the book would remain unscathed. Their job was to detail all the knowledge available on Dragons, and then discover everything that wasn't available. It is this book that made dragon hunting feasible. I am entrusting it to you. Guard it well, for there will be others after you."

George took the book. "Thank You." He grabbed what he had found, placed it inside the book's cover, then headed back to his room. There, he took his equipment, and repacked his bag, leaving everything but a few dirty garments, which were placed in a hamper. The Order was already prepared, and as usual, he was soon at the airport, ticket in hand, and on the plane. He would arrive just after night fall.

Davos nodded, and began rolling up his sleave. "Well, I've never done one of these, so I guess I'll just follow your lead on it."

He trusted Jazz, enough to think she wouldn't screw him over with the binding. "Lead the way."

Jazz looked up at Davos, a little cat’s grin twitching the corners of her lips. “And you think I have? To me it is too serious a matter to be done lightly.” She took his wrist, laying a light kiss upon the thin skin of the inner wrist, then struck with swift precision, razor fangs piercing cleanly. Like he, she scorned mincing sips, relishing the swift flow of blood. But all she took was one deep draught, tasting the essence of him, learning much of him as his blood mingled with hers, as he had learned of her in his drinking earlier.

A lick and the wound sealed and another faint kiss danced upon his inner wrist. Jazz looked up at him gravely, her eyes wells of gentle darkness. “Twice more before the moon spins through her cycles, Davos, unless you change your mind. And I will not hold it against you if you do change your mind. I understand how hard it is to trust.”

Then she flicked the switch back on and the cab finished its travels to the penthouse. “The two floors beneath are ours as well. Security is housed on the lower floor. Jason, Lethe, Esther and Marche- Jason and Lethe are Kindred, Esther and Marche have been my retainers for years. – are on the mid floor. You and I have the penthouse, though there is security present and either Marche or Esther will be in the penthouse at all times. There are three day and fire proofed rooms. You can have which ever room you chose, or you may sleep with me.” She offered quietly as the door slid open to the entry foyer of the penthouse.

Security had already been alerted that their employer was on the way up but they took no chances and were alert and properly placed to deal with a potential threat exiting the elevator cab. They gave Jazz and Davos respectful half bows, done properly, never taking their eyes from the pair.

“Sergeant Kyle, this is Lord Davos Santari. Make sure that every one knows he is to be treated as I am. Every bit of authority and respect.”

The sergeant nodded firmly and opened the door into the penthouse proper.

The flight was quicker than expected, and George's plane touched tarmac just after sunfall. He was careful about leaving in the middle of the hustle. Being the last or first to leave ran the risk of being alone in case an old nemesis decided to ambush him. He grabbed his luggage, and went outside to hail a cab, when a black sedan pulled up right in front of him. "Fuckung Jackass." George picked up his bag and went to move down the line, but as he did so, the car moved with him.

The passenger window rolled down, allowing George to look in. The driver leaned over, and asked "George Bruce?"

"Who is asking?"

"My name is Richard. I was sent to get you. I am a servant for the Order. The king wishes to see you. Get in."

"Prove it."

Richard held his hand up, showing his black glove. He pulled off the glove, revealing a cross of red emblazended on a shield of white. The Cross of St. George. Richard put his glove back on, and commented dryly "the king does not enjoy waiting."

"Typical." There were, in George's opinion, three types of people that did not enjoy waiting: Executuves of any sort, because they were considered important, Business leaders, because they wanted you to think that they were important, and whores, because time was money. Of the three, George, although not agreeing with their profession, felt that the whores had the best reason. He got in, and threw his bag into the back seat.

The drive was a little longer than George would have expected, and Richard did not speak at all, making the drive seem longer still. He arrived at a regal looking building, and was ushered in quietly, his bag being taken at the door. Richard drove off. George was shown to a small waiting room, where a man dressed nealty in a grey suit met him.

"My name is Frederick Yetlist, Major Domo of the palace. You are enetering a private meeting with his majesty, King Arthur Charles Andrew George Richard Edward Pendragon. Understand that King Arthur is somewhat impatient, and he would have an urgent need to speak with you if he requested this meeting. Answer him politely, and truthfully, for he does not tolerate liars and those of vulgar language, but will show honor and hospitality even to his enemies if they are honorable in their own actions. Enter, he knows who you are."

George went throught the small door into a rather diminished reception hall. "Tiny, but practical for those meetings that I would keep away from those that could do us harm." The voice was clear, and familiar. So too was the face.

"Richard?"

"The advantages to having more than one given name allows me to give an unkown name without lying in the least bit. Patrick hopes your flight went well."

"How do you know the Grand Master?"

"He and I are war buddies. We slew many a vampire together, and I inducted him into the Order of the Garter. Ever wonder about the scar below his eye?"

"A dragon did that?"

"In a sense," said Arthur, rising from the chair he was seated in and approaching George. "I did that at dueling practice one day. Careless, both of us. He told me about why you came. I also happen to know from a mutual friend that you did not tell him everything about why you came."

"Who, and what , and how, and wait, you're moving to fast for me."

"You have been visited in your dreams by a mysterious man that you can not identify, but you know that He holds power. He has also come to me, and explained the situation. Worry not, you have my silence. As for his name, Joshua is the English translation, I believe."

"Why are you tellimg me this?"

"Because He told me that I had to, and that I would understand when the time came."

Davos all but passed out. He had only been fed from once, far to long ago for him to remeber. The feelings of pure ecstacy swam through him, sharing memories both good and bad, pain and pleasure, happiness and heartbreak if a Kindred could feel such things, all in him. His memories too became hers, of hunting, being hunted, of the feelings for his past love, of the life he had lead.

He snapped to at the second kiss, the gentle press of lips against his wrist. He blinked a few times, shaking his head. "Well, that was interesting in a good way," he said, cracking his neck. The rest of the ride was quiet, Davos and Jazz enjoying a comfortable silence in teh car.

He didn't say much regarding the safe house, it was just that, a safe staging area. He returned the slight bows given by the small staff of Kindred and retainers, and followed Jazz up to the penthouse floor. He looked over the line of doors, and then at Jazz, moving into the main room.

He stepped in, and followed her. "I prefere not to stay alone in cities I'm not used to."

"I prefere not to stay alone in cities I'm not used to."

Jazz nodded understandingly and took his hand, leading Davos to a unremarkable section of wall, that to all appearances backed up to the kitchen area. She laid her palm on a what appeared to be a wall sconse, then placed his where she had laid hers." There now your palm print is keyed." She pressed lightly at what appeared to be a natural knot formation in the wood panneling, and a secret door swung open, silent on its counter weights.

The hallway was just wide enough to be comfortable and let to a spacious windowless suite, the thick door closing solidly behind them.. The room was furnished simply, an austereness that seemed at odds with Jazz's 'public ' personality, but every item with in was of the finest quality. Padded leather walls, a trio of Japanese calligraphiies, deep crimson wool carpet, a king size bed with matching dresser and night stands. The bathroom was equally austere but sumptious dark granite, bronze fittings, jacuzzi and seperate oversized shower. Double size walk in closets had doors both into the bedroom and into the spa room. The lighting was soft, indirect, with highlights accenting the trio of calligraphies.

The sheets on the bed were black silk, with a matching comforter trimmed in burnished gold and crimson.

"Please, Davos, make yourself comfortable. I am going to take a real shower before I retire." Jazz moved to one of the walk in closets, stripping off her clothes and discarding them in a wicker laundry basket. "You are welcome to join me." she called. Unselfconsciously nude she glided into the bathroom and turned the water on in the shower, letting it gather steam before stepping under it.

Davos watched as Jazz slid away, her perfect form catching more than just his eye as she slid towards the shower.

You are welcome to join me.

Davos heard the words, but it was the inviting sway of her hips, the soft bounce in her breasts, the gentle light that almost pulled him in. He managed to resist her charm and beauty only slightly, and instead, looked towards the bed. "Not tonight," he said, quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

Most Kindred, upon embrace, loose a good part of thier humanity. Sometimes it would fall away in full, and other times, it would slowly leave, piece by piece as the Kindred fell into the true world of darkness. There was one shread of humanity Davos had held onto, one bit of him that was still human: The ability to lust and love. It had allowed him to love, and be loved, by his last partner, and it had given him the strength to destroy elders, other justicars, and as some rumors insisted, primogenatures, although that had yet to be proved, and probablly never would be.

However, it had also caused him hesitation. Jazz was a beauty in the upmost sense. Any man Davos knew, had known, or would know, would jump at the chance. Even a good part of him was pushing him to follow, even if not to indulge in the physical pleasures, to at least fill the senses of touch, and sight, observing her beauty.

He pulled back, and walked towards the bed. What ever it was, what small part of him that was still human, still mortal, told him to wait. It had been to short a time, the grieving process still must go on. He tugged the sheet back, stripping to his boxers, and slid into the bed, pulled the covers up around his chest. He fell into a deep sleep, allowing the world of darkness to fade into a world of light. It would still be dark for him. He wouldn't dream.

"Not tonight,"

Jazz's preternaturally keen hearing took in his response, and she bowed her head slightly, though she knew that he could not see her. Her respect for him rose. She had known of him only through the formidible reputation he carried with strength and an inate nobility that had not cratered under the weight of the world in which they dwelt. Oh she well knew that there were few who would consider him noble, be they Kindred or human. But then again there were few who had lived the lives they had lived, even among the Kindred, and certainly none among the humans.

She let the scalding hot water pound down on her washing away the last traces of her combat with the Lycan.The memories his blood had carried to her occupied her being, as she studied them, consciously making them a part of her, seeking to understand Davos even more.

And he had retained more of his humanity than he consciously knew. Ruthlessness was no measure of humanity. Humans did such horror to their own kind as to bring pangs of envy to those of the Kndred who enjoyed such. And there was no taint of that evil in him.

And her thoughts on that led her to reflect on her own past. She had been born to become one of the Kindred, and her every fashioning had been towards that end. It had been the saving of her, in truth, imposed a discipline upon her that kept her appreciating humans, rejoicing in their moments of honor and glory, and seeking out to destroy those which willingly left such behind.

Forcibly she stopped that line of thinking, it was too dangerous to consciously mull over especially tonight when her barriers were down, and there were those about who could suss out her true purpose, her true mission. But she had one final protection. Who would believe a Vampire vigilanti protecting humans from the monsters that arose from their own ranks?

The hot waster rinsed her one last time and she stepped forth, wrapping a thick towel about her. Slowly she brushed her hair dry, and brushed her teeth.

"Do you still smell of vanilla and spring air,
Is my favorite lovers pillow still firm and fair"

Jazz softly as she gave herself a spritz of her favorite perfume, a scent that was light and just warmed with under notes of vanilla - and completely different from what most would assume she'd prefer. Though she did have a complete selection of fragrances, this was her favorite to wake up to.

The sight of Davos asleep held her for a long moment, eyes roving uninhibitedly over him, admireing the strength inherent in his lean form. Then she slid in beside him and gently tucked the covers back up around him.

In moments she too was fast alseep, if such an absence could be called sleep. She was gifted with a trait that many Kindred envied, she woke early, even before the sun had more than just begun its setting, and alert - a valuable trait for any.

"You're the one that I want..." Dana grinned as she skipped out of the elevator, and minced towards Louis's suite's door. The high heels demanded a careful pace, as she was aas about as used to them as Sandy Olsen had been. The double handfull of DVD's were tucked in to a black hand bag that she kicked gently to the side as she leaned against the door sill and rapped firmly on the door. She couldn't help giggle to herself.

She'd deliberately mentioned the pink poodle skirt...and not the other outfit she had. Or the fact that she'd done her hair up into big full waves, and had a pack of candy cigarrets..and that though had her snatching them out of her purse and slidng one between rouged lips.

Louis headed to the door, a slight smile already gracing his face as it was, he was almost certain, Dana at the door. His smile increase ten-fold when he saw what she was wearing.

"Now I wasn't expecting this." He commented as he leaned over and kiss Dana on her nose, remembering her comments about the nose striking again, he smiled again and added, "Come in, come in. Make yourself at home."

"Come in, come in. Make yourself at home."

Dana couldn't help the smile that spread over her face as she toed the black purse inside the door then shashayed in, letting the black leather jacket fall off her bare shoulders.

She could tell that Sandy's 'bad girl' outfit had made quite a hit with Louis. "I thought you'd like this one better" She said archly as she spun about and wrapped him in an jubliant kiss.

"I'd have liked what ever you wore, but you're right, I do prefere this one for some reason." He replied with a smile as they shared an extended kiss. Louis used his foot to shut the door as they finished the kiss.

"If I'd have known this was coming, I might have gotten better prepared." He commented as they seperated, him being slightly breathless, even without the need to breath. He happened to have an original, thought fitted, copy of Danny's outfit that was the complement of the one Dana was wearing."

"If I'd have known this was coming, I might have gotten better prepared."

"Hey, it's only eight, and I know where there's a street carnival, with cotton candy, a fun house, and all sorts of rides. It some sort of sixties retro scheme one of the city councillors dreamed up and is sponsoring. They even have a portable drive in movie theater set up. And it's no where near as cold as last night." Dana said excitedly, pleased to have come up with something that wouldn't break any ones pocket book.

"That sounds absolutely perfect." He replied, almost bouncing with excitement as he couldn't remember the last time he'd been to a carnival of any sort. "And then we can return for the musical marathon." He added as he leaned over and gave her another kiss.

Kai returned to the penthouse near mid morning, bringing the moon cat with him. Jazz had put the tiny supernal creature in his charge, for while his blood would not bond the mooncat, it would heal it, returning the damaged wing to full use. He also knew that Jazz was not quite sure what to do with it, she'd never had the luxury of a pet. And the attraction she felt towards it disconcerted her, he had noted earlier. Or is it Davos that is ...She fed him, healed him with her blood, something she never does outside the ... he took her head on in one of her foulest moods, and she didn't stay mad at him at all. I hope they get every thing straight between them. A powerful partnership that would be. The demon bound into a human form yawned, stroked the moon cat as it curled up into a small pile of velvety skin, and pulled the covers up around them both. Soon he too was deeply asleep.

Lethe had dispersed the troops per Jazz's and Davos's orders. Some watched the two airports, others reconitered the Lycans headquarters, stripping the computers of all data, but taking nothing else. The Kindred would want to see various finds 'in situ' so as to discern anything unusual. But a video tape was made as well, then the large warehouse and living quarters was put under careful surveillance.

There would be floor plans and a mock up by the time the boss awoke. The word had gotten round how Davos had taken on two greater Lycans and a elder Kindred

"And then we can return for the musical marathon."

"Thats sounds like a plan!" Dana carolled as she returned the kiss.

"You don't mind me looking like this though?" She piled the DVD's on to the coffee table and shrugged the black leather jacket back on.

"Tell me," said the King, leading George into a back hallway. "What do you know about Dragon Slaying."

"Little, but I do have some resources that should help me hunt one."

The king stopped and faced George, face stern. "Dragons," said Arthur, calmly, "are not hunted. Those that hunt them are despicable creatures. Dragons can nearly always be found in their caves, so it is not a hunt. Dragon slaying, on the other hand, is a noble and respected task. Those that go forth and issue challenge to dragons that mauraud our villages are honorable men and women. Yes, women, there are five that are currently Garter Knights. Trapping these ancient creatures with nets and beasts in large groups is a cowardly action. Come. This way." The king moved forwards a little, then pressed a single stone. It slid down, revealing a panel, and proferring a pin to the king. Arthur took the pin, pierced his palm, and when the blood was upon his palm, he placed it on the scanner. A hidden door swung inwards, revealing a corridor that descended into darkness. Arthur grabbed a torch just inside the doorway, held his hand to the flame, and the wound healed.

"Impressive. I need to sleep for that type of healing." As they walked, the hallway turned to stone bricks, and then sloped downwards.

"If you are succesful, it will come when you are awake. That pin is made from Dragon Bone. It is one of a few things that can harm me. You must understand that successfully slaying a dragon will bequeath upon you abilities, some of which you already seem to have. What they will develop into is impossible to tell, as dragon slaying gives each knight a different set of strengths. Now, we must ascertain what weapons you will use. Here is your bag, shall we see what you have brought?"

Arthur grabbed George's bag as they exited the hall into a low chamber lit only by torches. "The Knights of the Garter in my country meet here. Now, lets see what you brought." Arthur placed the bag on a table and opened it.

"Allow me." George moved forward, and unpacked his clothes, keeping them folded as he set them out. Finally, george removed his weapons case, and opened it.

"Those guns won't help you, bullets won't be big enough. Interesting. Kevlay body armor. Cane Sword? Practical, but not in this instance. And as for these blades, well, I hope that you don't intend to use these, as they will probably melt."

"Actually, I do. they are all that I have."

"George, Dragon Fire is powerful, and steel can't hold up well under extended fights."

George tokk one sword and handed it to the king. "The metal in that blade comes from the sword of St. George, the Dragon Slayer."

Arthur looked at the blade. "How did you get that sword? It is thought to be lost."

"I found George's tomb. East of Nicea, actually."

What else is in here? Roman shortswords did not have enough enough metal to forge a blade this size."

"Actually, three blades, though there is only a tiny portion in the cane. That is mostly Titanium, trace silver, and of the re-forged metal."

"This is Titanium?"

"Not much. That sowrd, and the other, are mostly made from St. George's sword and from Excalibur. A little of the cane is of such composition as well"

Arthur nearly drooped the blade. He looked at George. "You mean to tell me that you found Excalibur? Where?"

"I am not permitted to say where, other than Avalon. It was as the legends say, in the arm of a white clad lady held above a crystal clear lake."

"Your swords will stand up to Dragon Fire if you are right. If not, then you are lost. Very well. Let us examine what you should know about Dragon Slaying."

"Not at all, you look good like that." He replied as he grabbed a black, but light coat of his own, "Do you mind me looking like this?" He asked as he slid the coat on while bending to pick up a DVD that had slipped from the pile.

Do you mind me looking like this?"

"Louis you look good enough to eat. And I'm not just saying that because my tummy's growling." She teased him with a smile as she grabbed his hand and headed out of the suite.

The one that had been assigned to watch her slipped deeper into the shadows as the couple exited the hotel heading for the semi atached parking garage.

"Sorry the car isn't very fancy." Dana apologised. She'd borrowed it from her neighbor.

"Thank you." Louis replied, "So do you."

As they walked, he realized the double entendre he'd made due to his nature. When they arrived at the car, and she mention it being not fancy, he replied, in a tone that gave no mistake to his meaning, "I don't think I'll be looking at the car much."

The suns lower rim had just begin to sink beneath the horizon when Jazz awoke. A smile traced it'self across her lips as her eye lids fluttered open and awareness returned. Turning on her side she studied Davos's still form, then one hand reached out and lightly stroked his dark hair.

She wouldn't allow her self any more liberties though and turned away sitting up as she opened the drawer in the bedside table. A New York Times crossword puzzeld and a pen had been tucked away. Rolling on the her stomach she propped herself up on one elbow and began to indulge herself. She'd never taken to the latest craze, Sodoku, but crossword puzzles were a long standing addiction.

Davos blinked his eyes open as soon as the sun was fully down. He had slept on his side, and upon waking, he rolled over, pushing himself up in a half pushup. He shook the sleep out of his eyes, and looked around briefly, remebering his surroundings. "Evenin'," he said, looking over at Jazz. He glanced that the crossword puzzle, looking over all the clues quickly.

"Actually."

Jazz looked up at him confused, and Davso explained. "Twenty two across, seven letter word for 'in all reality'. Actually. Sleep well?"

Jazz threw back her head, a delighted carole of laughter spilling from her. "Why yes I did, thank you." She blushed faintly "You caught me so engrossed in this.." She penned in the Actually and tossed the now completed puzzle aside. "That I didn't realize you'd woken. Maybe I shouldn't feel so comfortable around you." She teased then bit her lip, her eyes going dark, as she realizing what she was doing.

She'd told herself last night that she wasn't going to rush things, that yes she desired him, but she would wait for him initiate intamacy at his choice and pace.

"How was you sleep?" She sought a safer subject, though she knew he could sense that she was responding to his nearness.

"I don't think I'll be looking at the car much."

Dana laughed delightedly, as she wheeled the car out of the parking garage. "Well I should hope not. I wore this tonight deliberately" She flicked a hand along the skin tight, definitely provocative clothes.

Traffic was no more hideous than normal and soon they were on the Southside and Dana was hunting for a place to park. "It's better to just park and take one of the busses down there...Unless you think that might bee to dangerous." She nibbled her lower lip nervously. "I wouldn't want a bunch of rowdy fans mobbing us."

The police were very much 'present ' in the Southside of Carnival, but she also knew that Louis had thousands of adoring fans who might want nothing more thant to denude him so they could claim to have a peice of his clothes.

Louis grinned as she laughted while they pulled out into traffic. As they were looking for a parking spot Dana mentioned the mobbery of fan-boys, or actually more usually fan-girls.

"I'd hate for your friend to lose his car." He commented, "And if you happen to have some make-up, I can usually alter my appearence enought to avoid any but the most fanatical fans, and I'm sure they'll be scouring the hotels for me, rather than the streets."

He then smiled and leaned over to kiss her, "If we actually do get mobbed, I'll make sure you're safe. I promise."

"Dragons," began the king, "Have few weak points. First is their skin, already tougher than most armor produced during the middle ages. Then comes the scales, which grows upon dragons as hair does upon apes. These are like a coat of the finest mail, interlocking and having very few, if any, spaces to pierce them. Certain spots, however, are weak.

"A dragon has to regulate its temperature. Despite its reptilian origin, dragons are warm blooded, due to their size, metabolism, and scales, which function as insulators. To radiate excess heat, they force out the heat through their neck arteries, which run just under the skin. Any well developed animal has a jugular, and dragons, like humans, are no exception. The hotter they get, the closer the bloodlines get to the skin, and the easier it is to pierce their necks. The only drawback is that in order to get that hot, you must be able to withstand intense heat and flame, which can get to about twice as bright as the sun. Stops Kindred from slaying dragons, but doesn't really help you that much either.

"The only other point that will guarantee a dragon's demise is the brain, most easily reached by going through the roof of the mouth. For obvious reasons, this is not considered a wise option. The joints of the wings are not anywhere near the heart, nor, for that matter, are the joints of the forlegs. Dragons are huge. Some can grow to over 50 feet in length, though this rarely happens, as most are killed off by younger dragons eager to plunder their hoards. That doesn't include wingspan, height, width, and weight."

"Sounds like I've got my work cut out for me." George replied with slight sarcasm.

"That will be the understatement of your life," said the king, serious as Death himself.

"If we actually do get mobbed, I'll make sure you're safe. I promise."

The car veered wildly as Louis kissed Dana, her attention was definitely on the kiss rather than the traffic. But fortunately she didn't hit or get hit.

""Oh Louis they wouldn't bother me, its them piling all over you that worries me...Oh Look!" A couple strolling along the side walk caught her eye.

"I don't have any make up with me, but we could get our faces painted - it's just tempra paint that washes off with soap and water, and no one could tell who we are."

She wasn't sure if he'd go for it but it was the only thing she could think of, and I might just be worrying too much. I ought to just relax She thought, but the strange little itch wasn't going away.

Louis was definately not expecting the kiss, and but returned it, distracted from the fact that Dana was paying attention to the road. Fortunately they managed to avoid any accidents.

He followed her gesture, seeing the couple Dana was indicating. "That sounds like a perfect solution. I've had my face painted before, it's always been interesting seeing myself with a decorated face."

"We could each get our face painted as a mirror of the others." He suggested, missing the fact that Dana seemed to be fidgeting slighty.

We could each get our face painted as a mirror of the others."

"That sounds wonderful, a great idea!" Dana found a parking lot and swerved into it. After paying the attendant she led him over to a small kiosk at the next corner.

"This is Vibe! One of the funest face painters in the area. You get to decide what goes on us. He's got pictures of all his past work and his unique ideas"

She waved a hand at the virtual wall of five by seves in thin plactic protectors. The designs ranged from the simple to the so complex as to be a photograph on a face, from the ribald to the sublime, the personal to the crest of it's so hot no one knows it yet.

Louis examined the large number of designs and images before pointing to one that was simple but was also complex and quite beautiful. "What do you think of that one?"

As he waited for her answer, he took in the other painted faces. The artist was quite talented and he could see how he got his reputation.

"Is there anything that I should know about the ethics of Dragon Slaying?" George asked the king

"Yes, that it is unethical to kill or do battle with a drgon of ethics. Dragons are like humans to some degree, some say even more so. They range from unbelievably destructive to noble guardians. Nobody relaizes it, but humanity can be the most despicable cratures on earth, and they very nearly are. The dragons that commit atrocities are only slightly lower on the ladder to heaven than bloodthirsty tyrants. As it stands, there is one dragon, Jormyst, that has been causing some recent damage. The death toll now stands at 500, and that is only in a month. He is powerful, but inexperienced. For your aims, his inexperience will in no way deteriorate his blood, in fact, it purifes it, giving you more potential. Also, he will be matched with you in skill, if such comparisons can be made. I have a map ready for you. You will have to travel to the mountain district. Few live there, only the rather indomnitable miners that bring us precious metals. Your Kevlar armor will offer you more protection than anything I can offer, but be wary, for it can catch fire. I have nothing else to add. I know of the book you carry. It will be of great service."

"What do you think of that one?"

"I think it's absolutely beautiful." Dana nodded

"ell, mon amis, ould ye care for Ze ee-zact coloours?" Vibe asked in a delighted voice. He flipped knowledgeably though a thick album and found the section where in he had prints of variations on the basic theme. Holding out for them to glance though his eyes widened slightly as he recognized Louis Wolf. However other than that he showed no reaction.

Louis gazed throught the colours, looking for a colour set that would do the best justice to Dana. "What do you think of this one?" He pointed to the best colouring he saw.

He didn't notice that Vibe had recognised him.

Dana didn't either she was far more intent on Luois.

"I think it's wonderful. Now sit down and let the master get to work.'

Vibe bowed elaborately and waved Louis into a domfortable reclining chair, and began pulling out his paints and clean brushes.

"Ah, le gauche" He waved a hand towards the left side Louisls face, tore opened a fresh premoistened wipe and quickly cleaned his face. Then he went to work with quick precissin and artistry.

Louis took a seat in the chair as Vibe indicated. He looked over at Dana with a smile before relaxing and letting the expert artist do his work.