In a World of Vampires. (Open to all)

[Kraven Trollsbane]

I followed Chris and the girls out to the muscle car. it was a beauty. i scanned around looking for enemies but didn't see anyone threatening. "Chris would you prefer i followed you from above in case of trouble?"

[JerichoMyers]

Forest tree's raised high above, their branches in the silhouette from the full moons gazing light. From within the nearby forest, a howl struck the moon, echoing through an endless darkness that clouded over the forest. Running at excessive speeds, frantically panting in fatigue. Rushing quickly in pursuit, padded paws could be heard from a distance tarring away soil, leaving leaves fluttering. "Help me!" Gaspar yelled in panic. The short traveling man, clothed in item, trinkets, and heavy western clothing was nearly weeping. Hearing its breath panting, droll dripping, paws clawing ever closer, he couldn't help but fear for his life. Nearing the small town, Gaspar turned drawing his colt revolver firing repeatedly before taking aim, hoping for a lucky shot. Lunging forth, large sharpened fangs baring down with sheer ferocity landed on its target. Pouncing down with extreme power, pinning the little man, the large wolf creature clamped its jaws down, ripping and furiously tarring away Gaspar's shoulder blade without mercy. His gun slid away in the pounce, leaving him helpless and unarmed, at this creatures mercy.
Screaming aloud in agonizing pain, Gaspar building the strength to free himself, elbowing the creatures long snout. Loosening its grip briefly, it only took that quick moment to roll over, grasping his gun once more. Shooting the several bullets left in a frantic haze of pain and fear, the creature was retreating, most likely from becoming wounded. Watching it in retreat, he examined its characteristics to determine whether it was animal or..... some thing else. The size, muscularity, power and skeletal structure aimed towards some more.... mystical. Trying to dismiss the encounter for some more logical, Gaspar began reloading his gun.
Scrambling away, pointing his gun in an awful shudder while barely picking himself up, a pulsating pain surged through and out his entire right side. Blood trickling out thick brown leather clothing, he finally gave notice to the mortal wound inflicted upon him. Buckling in pain, it became clear he needed medical attention. In a panic, Gaspar began rushing off, leaving an incredibly noticeable trail of blood flowing behind. Gripping his shoulder with gun in hand, he quickly passed a small group of individuals standing beside a muscle car. Limping at this point, he grabbed the man cautiously scanning. "Please, help me." The wound that was obviously present appeared to be an enormous gaping wound, like some large creature was purposely ripping flesh off. The teeth marks were still parsley present, leaving curiosity of a werewolf attack.

[Kraven Trollsbane]

i severely wounded man came running towards us. i was about to take him down when i realized just how badly he was wounded, he wouldn't be a threat.  the man ran up to me and pleaded for my help. i wasn't sure what i could do Wind couldn't cauterize the wounds, and even if i got him to a hospital it was likely he would die. i gripped the mans arm keeping him from falling. "chris can you get something to stop the bleeding."

[Starlequin]

Leon's eyes snapped open when one of the phones in his desk began ringing. He swung his legs off the desk and rummaged through the upper drawers, digging beneath reams of papers and portfolios for the offending handset. His hand closed around the cell after the fifth ring, and he groaned at the sight of the caller ID. Leon activated the speakerphone and dropped the handset on his desk, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Hey, Maximo. What's up?" Leon tried. He really did. But the tone of apathy mingled with disgust that usually infected his voice whenever speaking with Maximo was simply too ingrained for him to suppress completely. Fortunately, the little Nosferatu was one of the most socially oblivious beings he'd ever met, and Leon's subtle displeasure sailed over his head like the space shuttle. Maximo's horribly screechy, nasal voice was actually improved by the crappy speakerphone's staticky distortion.

"Hey-hey, Leo! What's up, man, how ya been? Night been treating you well? Cool, cool, look dude I can't talk too long right now I'm on my way back to the Warrens but I figured I'd stop off and give you a call before sunrise, didn't want any pryin' ears listenin' in on this, you're on a clean phone, right? Sure, sure, yeah, right, anyway look I found something I figured you might want to have a look at, it's your kind of thing, right, I mean usually I'd take it to Nathan or something, I mean I know he's my primogen and all but I think it might be a little smarter to keep this out of the courts for a little while, you know what I mean? So anyway you've probably heard about the new fiends in town right, I mean we already know about that shit that went down between you and those Sabbat assholes downtown, nice work by the way, anyway about the fiends, they're cooking some new kind of drug, the Kine are going fuckin' nuts over it, it's like meth on heroin on PCP on crack, hyper-addictive and cheap as shit, word is its got some kind of new chemical additive but nobody I know has been able to nail it down yet but get this man, get this, been a lot of ODs lately the cops are linkin' to the new stuff, they're callin' it 'Haze', police reports indicate that the vics are almost all bums and club kids but look look look, here's the thing, one of my boys got a hold of a few autopsy reports and get this, all the vics showed evidence of serious alterations in neurochemistry and brain structure, get it? Huh? Do ya? Do ya get it? Same kinds of things that happen to Kine after they've ingested Kindred vitae, man, or at least it's really, really freakin' similar. Figured you should know, dude. Ohhp, I gotta go, nice talking with you, Leon, bye!"

Before Leon could get a word in edgewise, Maximo was already gone. The entire 'conversation' took less than a minute. Leon felt out of breath just listening to it, and wondered-not the fist time-if it was possible for one Kindred to have two bloodlines. He was nearly positive Maxi had a little Malkavian in him. The phone beeped off and he rolled the Nosferatu's words around in his mind, considering the new information.

'Haze'. The idea of using Kindred vitae in street drugs was nothing new, but it was extremely disturbing, not to mention the danger it posed to the Masquerade. Kine that ingested vitae directly experienced a sort of mental and emotional link to the donor(s) and thus became ghouls, but those that got hold of it indirectly often suffered severe psychological and emotional trauma. Their minds strained under the stresses of the unformed link, and they usually fell into a deep, mindless rage or depression. The presence of additional drugs only worsened the symptoms, leading to anything from catatonia to uncontrollable homicidal tendencies. It was exactly the kind of thing that could alert the Kine to the Kindreds' existence, and exactly the kind of thing the Tzimisce would try.

'Probably some young new fiend, out to make a name for himself. Max was right; I'll wind up getting sucked into this eventually. May as well start hitting it now.'

He looked back up to the maps on the wall, a familiar feeling of disappointment and self-disgust welling up in his gut. 'Sorry, Veldana. Looks like our hunt will have to wait a little longer once again...'

[Dunnuck]

"Sure. Watch from up above, keep us-" He was stopped mid-sentence by a man who was bleeding...badly. He leaned onto Chris and Chris moved away. "Not the suit, you bloody-" He looked upon the wound, stopping again in mid-sentence. Yagami, what do I look like, a medic?" He asked. There was a brief silence befire Chris scoffed. "Fine, I got it, I got it." Chris handed the human his precious shotgun and put the barrell facing in his direction. "Ok, fire." He told her. She looked at him as if he were crazy. "Come on, beautiful, hit me!" He shouted, the polite tone of his voice still present. "Kill two birds with one stone. We help him and you learn what it's like to shoot someone. Come on." He swayed. He shook his head then looked up at her. He hisse loudly, revealing his teeth and charging at her to scare her into shooting.

Demirem...

Leon's phone buzzed annoyingly and the number was one he didn't recognize. "Do not ask questions. Listen. Absorb. Observe. Deduce." The deep, obviously cloaked voice spoke. "He keeps one person close to him each generation. At any given time, one person knows he exists. Advancements have been made from him. His evolution. Adaption. All are partially hidden and speculated in science of both Kine and Kindred. He is a lore himself; a constant presence in almost every society. He has resources, scattered through the Earth. He knows of 'Haze'. I'm told you recently discovered it yourself. The information isn't exactly easy to come by. Some information can only be garhered through certain channels. Fake names, inconsistencies among them. Find those. Inconsistent phone numbers, adresses. He is free from politic. But he pays attention to it. Enhanced awareness makes his days drag on. It also makes him hungry for knowledge. Libraries, websites...he is everywhere. Writing articles, blogs, reviews...just know what to look for. The deeper you dig into 'Haze' the closer you are to him."

The phone hung up, unable to be traced

[Starlequin]

Leon was just leaving his study when another of his phones rang and called him back to the desk. This one was much easier to find, and he caught it on its third ring. He picked up and was about to announce himself when an electronically shielded voice came over the line. Leon silently took in the words, but also listened for any trace of background noise, anything he could use to tell if the speaker was male, female, human, vampire, local, abroad, anything.

No juice.

When the voice hung up, Leon sat back in his chair and stared for a few moments at the handset, quietly contemplating. He knew in his gut who the caller had been referring to. Cruor Perussi.

But much of the call made little sense. If only one person knew of his existence each generation, and presumably that person aided Perussi in keeping himself hidden, then who was the caller? How did they know anything about him? And how was Haze connected? There must have been dozens of attempts at creating narcotics from vampire blood during the last forty years; why should this new product be so special, if indeed Kindred vitae was even an ingredient? And how did the caller know about Maximo's call? That was the most disturbing element of the whole encounter; it meant either that the Nosferatu, the greatest spies and information brokers on earth, were being watched, or...hell, Leon didn't know what else it could mean. But he knew damn well it wasn't good.

The rest of the caller's information jibed with what he had already gathered or inferred for himself. Several of the reports and histories conflicted, but one thing they all agreed on was Perussi's age, even if a consensus could never be reached on the exact number. The general picture indicated a being well over 1,500 years old, perhaps more. Not quite old enough to qualify as an Antediluvian, but certainly a power to be reckoned with. Obviously Perussi was uninvolved with Kindred politics; such a creature could never have escaped detection so long while maintaining more the most cursory level of involvement in Jyhad.

A being that old would indeed have to contend with a nearly inconceivable level of boredom; Leon had long ago anticipated Perussi as being a devourer of art and knowledge. No creature could live for so long without developing an intense desire to educate, and eventually express, itself. Watching museums and universities around the world was, of course, impossible, and there wasn't even a clear picture of what to look for, anyway. For a few months near the beginning of his search, Leon toyed with the notion that Perussi might well have even been any or several of history's moderately notable figures, chasing down autobiographies and public records of countless poets, composers, painters, civil and military leaders, advisers to kings and sultans and giants of industry that lived just outside the cusp of genuine notoriety. But he soon gave up that avenue of research; there were simply too many variables, and it was unlikely that such a being would risk discovery in so blatant a manner.

Still, nothing was perfect. Even millenia-old vampires were not immune to moments of stupidity, ignorance or plain rotten luck. Was that what the caller had meant by 'inconsistencies'? Leon tossed the handset back into the drawer and stood from his chair, shaking his head. If so, that was nothing he didn't already know. But again, there was simply too much information to sift through, too many paths of inquiry to run down. On his own, anyway. He grabbed another phone and left the study, cycling through the cell's short phone book for the number he needed as he locked the door behind him. He found it near the bottom and dialed, leaning against the door for a few moments as the other end picked up.

"Hey, Garth? It's Leon. How's the nights? The others good? Good. Listen, man, I'm calling in one of my markers, the one from the Miami job. Yeah, man. It's important. I need a favor..."

[Dunnuck]

Demirem was outfitted in his gasmask, his face completely obscured. His dark hair hung to the sides of his face as he looked down at the old articles of information. Tracking Cruor Perussi's lifetime was a long, grueling task. How old was he, exactly? The easiest part was tracking him back to the emergence of his last famous name, Cruor Perussi. Being able to track him before this was the biggest challenge of all. There was one thing for certain: Perussi was significantly older than he lets on to his Trusted. He was such a capable liar; he lies to everyone about his age, saying he is 400, then he lies to his Trusted under the false pretense that he told them everything. At least thats what Demirem suspected. But there was no solid proof. There was only a hunch, a small inconsistency, something that didn't match up at the right time.

Demerim had been one of Perussi's Trusted. Perussi kills his trusted by biting them, but somehow Demerim had lived. It was a ritual Perussi did. Demerim had become increasingly obsessive over Perussi, being wrapped and lost in the history, digging up old documents and cross checking. He had tracked Perussi back thousands of years so far, or so he thought. The biggest kicker was Perussi's ability and personality. He should be much more powerful, and people should be able to feel it. Someone thousands of years old shouldn't be able to maintain a social aspect of life. Their personality shouldn't be as Perussi's is. It should be calm, serene, quiet. Bored with people, bored with life. All this and more needed to be looked into. It took time.

And he had time.

[Ink Slinger]

"But I ca---" Kayliegh's words were strangled as Chris flew at her.  Kayleigh's first reaction was to close her eyes.  She pulled the trigger on the gun and as the shot rang out she stumbled back.  She had no idea the kind of kick the shot gun would have.  She managed to keep her feet, but barely.  She opened her eyes shocked that she had hit the man.  Her heart pounded in her chest and she shook a bit from surprise and shock. 

[Dunnuck]

Chris flew back in a flurry of blood, a few  chunks of flesh discarding themselves from him. He hit the ground, cracking his skull. Blood spurt out in small bursts from his chest where he had been hit. His body violently twitched as his muscles relaxed into an apparent death. 

"How's it feel?" He asked from the ground. A black liquid emerged from the wounds and Chris quickly put a hand down to it, swipping up a little bit in his first two fingers. His body began to repair, the entire process taking a minute or two. He stood up at full height, brushing off his suit before realizing that he hadn't thought to take it off.

He sighed, walking over to the injured man and smearing the black substance over the wound. As did Chirs, the wound began to reconstruct. Chris took off his blazer, his tie, then his dress shirt.

His broad shoulders set on a haadsome, athletic frame. A toned chest complimented a set of four visible,,
attractive muscles on his abdomen, showing years of maintaining his health and appearance. His surprisingly tan colored skin wrapped itself around the plenty of well-defined muscles on his body, which leaned more towards slender than bulky with bulging muscles. The 'V' shaped indention teasingly disappeared into the front of his pants. With an angered look, he discarded the articles of clothing into the trunk. The muscles in his back were cut as well, every movement made visible through his skin.

Turning to look to everyone, he sighed. He then approached Kay, easing the shotgun from her hands. His skin and body were perfect, no indication of him being shot present. "You did good." He said to her.

[Ink Slinger]

"How did it feel?!?" She edged on hysterical.  "I shot you! and you just...you just..." She shook her head, her eyes wide while is body repaired itself.  Her breath caught as he removed his clothing revealing a body just made to be worshiped.  Before she could do anything foolish, like let on she enjoyed it, she looked away, up and down the street.

"Won't someone be coming after hearing the shot?" She asked.

[Dunnuck]

"Probably." He said wit a strug. "But this late, no one would be awake to hear it, let alone report it. They would probably wonder i it was a gunshot, then decide it wasn't. But at any rate, we should get going." He climbed into the driver seat of the car. "Injured guy, hop in the back. I can drop you off wherever. You two can fight over who gets to sit next to me." He told Kay and Megan jokingly. "Yagami, may I make a suggestion? Watch the ground around the car. Tell me if you see anything...odd." He turned the keys in the ignition, which were already there when they got in. The car let ouu a beautiful noise. "Mmm." He went. "Good choice." As everyone funneled into the ca, he adressed Kay. "How did it feel? Well I think you all describe it as pain. I cal; the feeling annoying. I'm used to it by now."

[Katrina]

Megan eyed him a moment and suggested she sit up front since if her haven still stood, she'd be getting out there.  She gave him and address which would take them just outside town.

[Dunnuck]

Chris followed her instructions to the destination. He looked in the rear-view mirror at the one who was injured. "I know what injured you." He said with a scowl. They pulled up at the destination.

[Ink Slinger]

Kayleigh looked about, it was an area of town she didn't town.  Between whiskey and shock she'd come to the decision just to roll with it.  She looked over shoulder at the injured guy and back to Chris and just shook her head.  "And to think I just wanted to have a few drinks and unwind." She murmured with a soft snort.

[Kraven Trollsbane]

i followed the car from above watching for enemies and odd disturbances of the ground. so far so good. i was rather surprised at what Chris had done for the wounded man. it made me think. with the power Chris had been showing i was begining to think he was much older than he said.

[Katrina]

Megan was pleased to see the old rundown looking farmhouse still standing. A smile crossed her lips as she got out of the car.  She walked across the dewy grass to the dark farmhouse and around to the back to where the gas powered generator was.  She started it and lights came on inside.

She walked back to the front and dug a set of keys out of her pocket and began to unlock several locks.  She called back to the others.

"ya'll coming or what?"

The inside was a fully furnished home and was solid in its walls and foundation despite what the outside said.

[Kraven Trollsbane]

we made it to the safe house with no trouble. i landed beside the car just as Kayleigh got out. i think i nearly scared her back into the car. "well isnt this a quaint little place" i commented.

Megan invited us inside and i decided that i didn't have anything else to do so i followed her in. "nice place you got here." i said as i looked it over "you know im kind of hungry, you got any regular food here?" i asked kind of lamely after my stomach growled.

[Katrina]

She gazed over to him.  "Well, I've not been here in a good year.  There may be some canned food in the kitchen thats still in date.  You're welcome to look.

There's a couple bedrooms upstairs.  One is...well, sun proof, the other isn't so if any vampires wish to stay, we'll be rooming for the day."

[Ink Slinger]

Kayleigh grumbled something about people dropping out of the sky as she approached the house.  As adrenaline bled off she began to notice again that her feet ached, her bra was uncomfortable and her muscles were getting tight.  "Has anybody been in here in the last year?" She asked Megan.  "Better question, is the water still likely to be turned on?"

[Dunnuck]

"I will take the sun room." Chris said, raising a hand. He layed the shotgun over his shoulder and sighed. "Any clothes that will fit me, Darling?" Chris asked Megan. "As much as I love traveling partially nude, I'm beginning to get cold."

[Katrina]

She gazed to Kayleigh.  "No, only my sire and I have keys to the place and last I know he's in LA.  Sorry there's no water but there's a creek out back."  She looked over to Chris.  "You sure about the sun room? And there may be some jeans and a tank top upstairs you can wear.  Certainly no fancy suits."

[Ink Slinger]

"I don't want to splash my face enough to go wandering about and find a creek." She shook her head.  "Someone might decide they're still having fun playing scare the human." She shot Kazuma and Chris a glare.

[Katrina]

Megan chuckled a bit.  "But scaring the mortal can be so much fun," she teased.

[Kraven Trollsbane]

i rummaged through the cabinets looking for something to eat. way in the back i found a can of spagettios. i didnt bother heating it up i just sliced off the top and dug in with a spoon i found in a drawer. i shrugged when Kayleigh accused me of messing with her. "well you'll get used to weird stuff if you stick around for a bit."

[Dunnuck]

"If I were too do so, it'd be more for a peek than a stare." He said, being far to truthful. He thought a slap would come his way any moment. "You can stare at my chest, it's only fair if I stare at yours." He commented with a foolish, joking smile, trying to maintain his suave attitude, though laughter almost broke through.