[Vampire: The Requiem] The Devil Went Down to Galway

[Warplock]

Spoiler

Alrighty, I'll just take the one then, maybe I'll pick some up later, it's not pressing or anything.


As I get up to depart I take a last look at the girl. I wonder, does she hate us? If someone slipped her a couple of stakes and a half dozen petrol bombs would she burn the places to ashes, and us as well? Maybe not, but I'll bet we create our own enemies with things like this.


I leave the back room and head back into Anocht. I check my watch, wondering how much time I have to kill until the meeting at the Ordo gaff.

 

[Ragoza]

• Connor
• Raphael
• Dermot

• 
  
  
  A spark goes off in her eyes. Her whole frame animates as she grabs her handbag and rummages inside for pen and paper.
  
  
  "Fucking fascinating. London you say? Do you have any email addresses? Any idea where their mythology originates?"
  
  
  The words flow together in excitement.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  The freakshow takes his sweet time parking. Ferdia's every movement is calm, measured. He knows he's the big dog here. When he finally cuts the engine he undoes his seatbelt but doesn't unlock the doors.
  
  
  "I resisted too, ya know."
  
  
  The voice is gravelly, distorted by the motorcycle helmet. No expression can be seen through the visor.
  
  
  "It's rough at first, specially when you look like me. But the Mother's a good sort, and she has high hopes for you. This here's a good opportunity, I'd try not to screw it up."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Looks like you have about an hour. Time always gets fuzzy when you feed. Looks like Stephen left, you don't see anyone else you recognize. Just two ghoul attendants quietly hovering.
  
  
  

 

[hraefn]

Spoiler

Dara eyes the walls, and wonders to herself what those symbols might be, while noticing a creeping sense of annoyance- either at her own lack of knowledge or at the symbols themselves. She resolved to find out what they were at some point, and quickly brushed off those thoughts, as she tuned in to the sound of people in the next room. She strains to eavesdrop on the conversation, in an attempt to decide whether or not it was worth walking in on.


[dice]22665[/dice]


[dice]22666[/dice]

 

[HairyDM]

Raphael





My jaw clenches. "I'd think that draining good folks dry would be mutually exclusive with being 'a good sort'." I bark a bitter laugh. "But what do I know, I'm just her cautionary tale. Let's just get this done, so I can get back to being paraded about."


I attempt to leave the car without waiting for a reply, and bump my nose off the window as the locked door remains stubbornly closed. I consider tearing the damn thing off it's hinges, just to get away from... God, from all of this. But then I'd never see Maeve again. Sickened to my core at my waekness I settle back in my seat and wait for Ferida to lead the way.

 

[Warplock]

Spoiler

An hour? I lost that much time? Well fuck it, I'll swing by the Chapter house and kill some time reading, or go over my notes, make sure my part of the lab in in proper order. I need to ask The Renfield about getting access to some of the stronger microscopes at the university, he has some ghouls there right?


Stephen, hope he finds what he's looking for. I wonder if he'd join the Ordo, could give a young one like him a bit of structure, something to focus on as he adjusts.


I nod at the two ghouls. I wonder if I could make a ghoul, do I have it in me to do something like that? I'm not sure, all that mind control shit; I'm not a fan. Can we drink ghoul blood? It's kind of half us and half human, I think. I must get a sample. I wonder if these two would... nah.


I walk out and nod at the guard, half lost in my own trains of thought.

 

[The Fuzz]

Connor


The Skeff





Connor had been lifting his pint to his lips, then lowered it again as Clíona erupted with questions.


"Hmmm. Yes, London, I can tell you a little bit about their guerilla theology, and while I could give you an email address, I won't. Not yet. They're dangerous people, Clíona. I would not be surprised to hear that they have actual, literal fucking murderers in their ranks."


He sets his pint down on the bar, and leans towards her. He runs his voice a little lower, a little more rumbly.


"Will you let me tell you a story, witch?"

 

[Ragoza]

• Dara
• Raphael
• Dermot
• Connor

• 
  
  
  You hear a woman's voice through the door. It's muffled by the dirt and heavy wood, but you catch snatches of conversation.
  
  
  "The fledgling won't let us down. Ferdia knows what to do if he disobeys."
  
  
  You think it's Maeve, the woman who brought you here in the first place. Who is she talking to though?
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "Feed on animals, feed on the homeless, go the whole hog and hunt criminals if it soothes your conscience. The holier-than-thou priest act won't make you any friends, and you're gonna need friends around here."
  
  
  He flicks the lock and your door swings open, chill night air rolling in. He pulls the machete out of the sheathe in front of you before getting out himself, hefting the heavy blade. You know this alley well, the old safehouse is just behind that garage door. Please god let them have all left.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  The bouncer nods at you as you leave. It's darker now, time flies when you're sucking blood. The streets are still fairly quiet, but there's a buzz from the pubs. Chill in the air, almost makes you feel alive.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Her eyebrow raises and she leans in close, glass hovering near her lips.
  
  
  "Sing me a tale, young bard."

 

[Grey]

Theophilius E. Creed





"You have me at a disadvantage, Mr...?"


Creed doesn't offer a hand to shake. Terrible practice, for Kindred. All it takes is one clever sod with enough strength to rip your arm off, and you've made a horrible mistake.

 

[The Fuzz]

Connor


Staying Close In The Skeff





Connor keeps his eyes on hers.


This isn't a seduction. Nor is it a horror story.


Did I say that out loud? Fuck it.





"Blood and soil and murky water, Cliona. How much of the history of this nasty little island is written in blood and soil and murky water? You've seen the bog bodies, the ones they pull out of the peat. The ones who lose their eyes, but keep their teeth. Their skin remains, their muscles gnarl. They find them, killed with a single blow to the back of the head, dying men given to the bogs with all they had on them for grave goods. It's because they knew. They knew that nothing permanently dies there. The bogs themselves are a reliquary, the last claw of forests refusing to die, hanging on as corrosive corpses."


Connor pauses for a breath that he doesn't need.


"They knew. They had those lessons written for them. The poor stupid Celts-who-never-existed, and the lost Picts, and the Saxons far from home. They all called themselves different blood, but the land doesn't care, it's all the same to these thirsty islands. Poor dead fools with swords in hand who had no choice but to come back, claw their way out of the ground with peat in their mouths, carrying that same thirst."


The Beast howls in Connor's heart. He'll taste her. The shining eyes and intrigued mind of the woman in front of him. The Beast doesn't understand or care for the idea of 'No. Not this one.'


"They believed in the dead, Clíona. They believed in the dead who came back, born of the original womb. These filthy little islands, soaked in the blood of dozens of cultures, all claiming to own the land, when the mother has all along been laughing at her wayward children, and choosing among them. Haven't you ever wondered why this place is so sodden with the blood of stupid young men, so eager to throw themselves in front of the sword or the gun?"


He cants his head a little.


"Now, we didn't say the words 'human sacrifice', and you never heard me say 'undead'. But we danced around them, didn't we?"

 

[Warplock]

Spoiler

'G'night man', I mutter to the bouncer automatically, but pleasantly. I take a look up and down the street; eyes flicking over the pubs and people, 'breathing' in the atmosphere and the chill night air. I could go for a wander but I'd rather show up for this meeting early; besides, I'm still set on getting some reading or something done before the meeting. Plus, I don't want to miss anything.


I decide to compromise and take a slightly longer way round to the Chapter house, nothing major, just adding a couple of minutes to the walk. If nothing else so I can share the street with some normal living, breathing people.

 

[Ragoza]

I'm very sorry for the delay replying, I'll be replying daily for the forseeable future.

• Theophilious
• Connor
• Dermot

• 
  
  
  "Silas, Mister Creed, a pleasure to meet you. An associate of Mister Renfield."
  
  
  He doesn't extend a hand either. The pearly white smirk never fades.
  
  
  "I must confess, it was rather amusing to see how much you worked Mister Renfield up in there. Might I suggest you leave him a few minutes to cool down?"
  
  
  Something about his eyes is putting you off. Or maybe it's the area around his eyes.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  You have her. Hook, line and sinker. The Beast roars in your reptilian hindbrain to reel her in, to assert your dominance over the fucking prey. You can almost hear her heartbeat speed up as you talk, her breath involuntarily quicken. She's hanging on your every word and you can pounce any time you want. It takes her a moment to register that you've finished talking, and the spell releases it's grip. It doesn't end, she's still in the lion's den, but she regains some composure.
  
  
  "Someday you'll tell me exactly what happened to you in London, or I swear to any god listening I'll hex your entire line."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  It's nice out tonight. Few people around but not too crowded, bit of life in the air. It's still a Monday night in March, so there isn't a huge amount to entertain yourself with, but the walk to the chapter house is pleasant. Yet another ghoul greets you at the door.

 

[Warplock]

Spoiler

I give them a polite nod, greeting him or her by name, and let myself through. Ghouls, man, the thing about them is when you're this low down the pecking order it's hard to know where you stand. I could probably take a couple on raw strength but in terms of 'position' it feels more nebulous. As well as that, I don't think it's in my nature to be as much of a dick to them as some other kindred might be. Maybe that fades away as one ages.


But should it?

 

[The Fuzz]

Connor





He smiles.


"The joke, Clíona, is that you think I might have a line. But yeah. I'll tell you some day."


Connor lurches forward a little off his bar stool and pulls her into another hug.


"I have a thing to take care of just over on the far side of town. Can I meet you tomorrow evening?"

 

[HairyDM]

Raphael





I turn his words over in my mind, like a dog pawing at a new and unfamiliar toy. Surprisingly I don't recoil from them, the idea of existing like this loosing its sting already. Unlocking the door is a rote motion for me now.


Maybe I can do some good like this. Scrape the scum from the boots of society.





I skip the fifth step from the top without realising it, an action ingrained through the habit of years. It takes me half a second to remember why.


"Stop," I hiss, spinning on my heel. Ferida's foot hovers over the step I skipped. I point at the wire a couple of millimeters under his heel.


"That'll put you up in flames, might want to avoid that."


Fuck, I probably shouldn't have saved his ass, but shit, he's the only one to show me even the slightest shred of empathy. Christ, I'm all in now.

 

[Ragoza]

Bastard site isn't emailing me notifications, sorry guys. I'll edit this with the actual reply tonight.

 

[Grey]

Theophilius E. Creed





Creed nods, and smirks. "Such a shame when neonates haven't learned to shuck off their temper." He tilts his head quizzically. "Might I ask your business in Galway, Silas? I'm a stranger here myself and perhaps we can assist each other."

 

[Ragoza]

• Dermot
• Raphael
• Connor
• Theophilious

• 
  
  
  Maybe it's just that you're relatively new to this, but something about the whole ghoul thing just doesn't feel right. The line between devoted servant and addicted slave seems to get very blurry very fast. The Ordo Ghouls are generally quite deferential to you, whereas the handful of others you've met seem to be subtly testing you. The Chapter House is unchanged since you've last visited, somewhere between a library, a lab and a mausoleum. You can hear two quiet voices on the landing upstairs.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  No expression behind the helmet. His body tenses for a moment then relaxes, carefully stepping over the wire.
  
  
  "You made the right call, new blood. Any other traps I should know about?"
  
  
  His grip on the machete has visibly relaxed.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  She nuzzles slightly, probably isn't even aware she's doing it.
  
  
  "Too embarrassed to be seen about town with an old lady, eh? I've no plans tomorrow, give me a text when you're free. And thank you, Connor. You're a good person."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "You'd think he'd know better at his age. I represent a group that occasionally does business with your Order, I meet with Mister Renfield regularly to check in. What manner of assistance are you offering, Mister Creed?"
  
  
  The smile doesn't fade, the eyes never break from yours. Most mortals would be wrestling with their fight or flight response by now.
  
  
  

 

[Grey]

Theophilius E. Creed


Unblinking, unsmiling, Creed shrugs mechanically.


"That depends entirely on circumstances."

 

[The Fuzz]

Connor





"Nah, you're premium arm candy. If anything, the folks I'm going to see aren't up to your standards."


Connor smiles and slips out, stepping onto Eyre Square.


Right. Let' go see the witch.

 

[Ragoza]

• Theophilious
• Connor

• 
  
  
  A mortal would have stopped smiling by now. He calmly reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black card, holding it out to you.
  
  
  "Well Mister Creed, if you ever find yourself in circumstances where you think you can help each other please give me a call. I must be on my way, enjoy your meeting."
  
  
  He flows down the stairs silently. The card is matte black, embossed with a phone number in silver. He must think that's classy."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  It's a nice night for it, chill in the air but not enough to keep you indoors. The Barrow, as Maeve insists on calling it, is just outside Galway city limits, in a field not far from the Galway clinic. The 409 bus will get you out there in no time.
  
  
  

 

[Grey]

Theophilius E. Creed


Pocketing the card, Creed casually enters Renfield's office and commences looming.


"Evening, Mr. Renfield."

 

[HairyDM]

Raphael





I shrug, "not that I can think of right now. But, fuck, I cant even trust my own thoughts right now. You remember the dreams? I've cleaned this place out ten times a day since She's started asking about it. Hell, I wasn't sure I hadn't until she sent us."


I look at him a second longer, searching for any reaction to my admission, before heading down the rest of the stairs.

 

[Ragoza]

• Theophilious
• Raphael

• 
  
  
  The office just screams a pitiful misunderstanding of late 19th century aesthetics. He must have seen a photograph at some point, bless him. He's sitting behind his desk pretending to read a leatherbound book, but he's clearly still fuming.
  
  
  "Creed. I trust you're having a pleasant evening."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "Hmph. We'll make something of you yet."
  
  
  Perception check, please

 

[HairyDM]

[dice]24173[/dice]

 

[Warplock]

Spoiler

Oh shit sorry I'm so late.

Good to keep in mind where I stand there, but ghouls man, I always feel uneasy about it.


Dermot wonders idly at the voices, he seems to recognise one (do I?), the other seems unfamiliar.


Alright, if I have time before the meeting I'll drop into my part of the lab and check up on some things, if not I'll just head on up and let the Renfield know I'm here. Actually, even I have time I'll let him know, unless his assistant does that.