#or maybe I’ll enhance fizzle’s design some instead…

[mayonaisalspray]

Maybe I just need to make a new dragon character for my portfolio. Maybe that’s what I need

[artsynanotech]

The Hunt, Part 1

The past couple weeks had been good. If I were feeling adventurous I’d even say great. The drama surrounding my group’s entrance in to Kindred society had finally fizzled out. I spent my newfound downtime working on my art. I sculpted some new pieces and started putting them out in galleries for display. Some of them actually got popular. I might actually have something resembling an art career now.  And to top it all off, Ares and I had crossed into official boyfriend territory. Yes, life was good.

Of course that semblance of normalcy came to an ear-shattering halt with a phone call from Wretchid. Don’t get me wrong, I value his friendship, but trouble swims around him like a hungry school of piranhas.

This evening’s trouble came in the form of a hunt for a miracle worker. Apparently someone had been making the rounds of D.C.’s hospitals curing the incurable. Wretchid summoned us (minus Michella, who wasn’t picking up her phone) to a hospital near our domain to begin the search. I was skeptical at first. Yes, we live in a world of strange supernatural phenomena, but bringing people back from the brink of death seemed to push the matter a bit too far. You have to draw the line somewhere, right? But Wretchid was adamant about this miracle worker’s legitimacy. Apparently a girl with terminal cancer had recently found herself 100% healed, which was what caught his eye. He did not want to pass up the time to discover something amazing, and possible get some acclaim under our neonate belts in the process. So into the hospital we went. We each covered a different area of the building. Of course Wretchid sent me to the pediatric ward. He seriously needs to lay off the short jokes. Wretchid had armed us with some jury rigged walkie-talkies before we split up. They looked like clowns with slapdash cybernetic enhancements. It really was sloppy looking electrical work. Michella would have blown a gasket had she been there to see them! Caroline was not pleased with the aesthetic. I for one was not pleased with anything about the situation. I had hoped to find some time to spend with Ares. But my coterie comes first, even in the most far-fetched situations. Caroline was the first to spot our miracle worker. She attempted to give us directions as she gave chase, but they weren’t very good Wretchid and I ended up clotheslining each other over a tray full of hospital food. He got up and continued the chase. I went to find something else to wear, as there was no salvaging my clothes from that mess of rubbery pasta and tapioca pudding. “Something else” happened to be a spare set of scrubs I found lying about. But by the time I found them and got changed I’d already missed my chance to help catch the healer. I did find Caroline, though. She was in the basement. The healer had used some sort of strange magic to vacuum-seal her into the floor. It took me forever to help pull her loose, and we lost her shoes in the process. At least I wasn’t the only one having a bad night. By that time Wretchid had lost the miracle worker’s trail for good. He was, well… “disappointed” would be an understatement. But true to form he came up with another plan to make up for the night’s failure. He was going to sneak into the security office and steal the footage from our chase. Thankfully he only needed himself for this. Caroline and I had a chance to head back to our havens and replace our damaged and/or lost clothing items. I took a shower, started some laundry, and regrouped with everyone at the Italian place once all of that was taken care of.

Michella was able to join us at that point. Wretchid – in full security guard regalia – proudly displayed a hard drive with the entire hospital’s security tapes saved to it. Michella offered to let us use her computer to look at it, so we headed on over to her place. Wretchid and I went over the tapes while Caroline and Michella talked interior design (note to self: never let Caroline anywhere near my studio). It didn’t take long to isolate a frame of the miracle worker using his earth magic on Caroline. Michella enhanced the image and managed to see just what he used to do it: a strange glowing sigil on his hand. None of us had seen anything like it before. Michella said she’d show it to her sire. I hoped the Tremere would have something on it in their library. I suspect they did, but more on that later… Michella had some business of her own to take care of, so the rest of us went home for the evening. It was around midnight. For once our adventures ended early enough for me to enjoy the rest of the night. I didn’t plan on doing much aside from cycling my laundry. Plans, of course, ended up finding me. In a good way this time! Ares paid an unexpected visit. He had a gift for me. He was nervous about giving it to me, of course. Something about two weeks being two early in a relationship for presents.  I told him not to worry. He’d gotten me a new sculpting knife! I’d been having some issues with my old one and he noticed. Who cares if we’re only two weeks in? He’s paying attention. I didn’t know what to say. I hugged him instead. We both had time to kill so he stayed for a movie.  At some point during the film he tried to go in for a kiss. And by “tried” I mean held my hand while staring awkwardly at me for a good minute or so. He’s still so… stiff, I guess, when it comes to physical affection. I asked him if everything was okay. That totally threw him off and he started rambling about something else. I stopped him and clarified: If there was something I was doing to make him nervous, he needed to tell me so I could stop. I don’t want him walking on eggshells around me. Ares explained that it was his problem, not mine. His clan’s flaw is that their bite always hurts. It never gives pleasure like another clans’ bite would. One of the ways vampires are intimate, he said, is to feed on each other. But because of his clan flaw it’s not something he can ever experience.  He wants to do that with me, though, and has been keeping his distance so he doesn’t end up causing me harm. Because as he says, he “really, really, really likes me.” It was a lot to take in, and I don’t quite understand it all, but I’m going to try. I can’t imagine having to hurt someone every time I try to get dinner. I told him as much. I think that made him happy. He asked if he could kiss me. I said yes. For the first time since we started dating, we were properly kissing. It was glorious. At least until Isaac ruined it by calling just as things were starting to get steamy. I couldn’t just not answer my sire. Thankfully Ares understood. Isaac told me to get to Elysium asap. I mentioned having Ares over. Isaac did not seem happy with that, but we didn’t have time to discuss it over the phone. Ares and I bid each other good night, then I headed straight to Elysium like my sire told me to. I found my way to Isaac as soon as I arrived. The place was packed. Every Kindred in the city (well, the Camarilla ones at least) was there. Isaac didn’t know what for. As we waited to find out he elaborated on his concerns about Ares. He wasn’t upset about me being with someone, but rather concerned that my involvement with a Giovanni would put me in even more hot water with the Prince. I’ll admit it’s a valid concern. I assured Issac that I would be careful, and should things start going south, I would let the relationship go. I don’t expect they will, but I know the value of having priorities. I’ll have to talk to Ares about such things later. At this point Prince Maxwell finally greeted the crowd. He had the Tremere regent at his side. This is the part where I assume that Michella’s clan had something on thatmiracle worker and his mysterious sigil. The Prince declared a blood hunt on him. He claimed the miracle worker was a member of a clan that was supposed to be extinct: Clan Salubri. Isaac told me he didn’t know much about them other than that they’re supposed to be extremely dangerous. He forbid me from actually taking part in the hunt, and if Isaac “I will drag you to this gala whether you want me to or not” Baum is telling me to stay home I’m going to assume there is some actual level of danger involved. Apparently he’s been assigned scout duty with Sherriff Bethany. I trust her to keep him safe, but I worry. Maybe it’s just Isaac being his overdramatic self, but he told me to go to my grandsire if anything were to happen to him. I’ve never met my grandsire, nor has Isaac told me much about him. It all had a rather ominous feel to it. Or it did until he told me to “go back to my Italian boytoy.” That’s my sire, everyone. Master of mood whiplash and embarrassing the heck out of his childe. In all seriousness, Isaac had better not go to final death on me. He’s a helicopter parent of the most obnoxious sort, but he’s my helicopter parent. Losing him would… ... I can’t bring myself to finish that sentence. Just thinking about it scares me more than anything else in the world.