Bloodied Thorn
| Bloodied Thorn | |
|---|---|
| Players |
Casimir and B escort a VIP Invictus Kindred and prove their valor. |
Warm rain pours down tonight, the patter of the droplets hissing against the tarmac of the private runway deep within O'Hare Airport where very soon, an old and moneyed vampire will arrive in a private cargo liner. Sodium lamps cast their orange glow, the light swirling with the precipitation that runs down its surface. Casimir brings himself and B, though if Enrico had insisted he would have also brought additional security in the form of Elysium guards or some such. The two arrive in a limo, rented for just this occasion and pull up to the tarmac assuming all the proper clearances are given. "Well B, this should be easy enough. We just have to be super nice and make sure that the Alder Speaker Andrea Cattaneo is safe. I know you are not much for security work but even an untrained person may be of some help. Remind me to give you some basic combat training one of these days." The long haired gentleman reaches down and pats the sword strapped to his side. Normally he wields a rapier but for the special request he brought something a little more robust in the form a katana. B is here, indeed, dressed in jeans and a nice pale pink blouse. The brunette nods to Cas. "Okay. Dude, that shouldn't be too hard, yeah? I mean, hopefully you won't need to use a sword or nothing on account of I'm not real sure I can be of help then, you know?" She smiles brightly, holding an umbrella over their heads, and looks to the runway again. "Are they here yet?" Yes. There's a bit of a bored slash petulant whine in that. As if on cue, the dull roar of jet engines begins to grow increasingly louder behind vampire and ghoul. They will turn around to find a private cargo jet painted shiny white fly overhead and begin its landing. The sound is deafening for about fifteen seconds, then once again becomes a dull roar as the plane makes its landing. About ten minutes later, a docking ramp lowers and a new-model, candy-apple red Alfa Romeo Giulia emerges, driving down the runway to meet Casimir and B. The back passenger-side window rolls down, revealing a pale-faced, dark-haired man with a thin mustache and grey eyes. "I understand you are to be my escort this evening?" he asks, unsmiling. "Sir von Zierotin and servant?" Casimir watches the plane casually, he does not seem to be in a hurry like B. During the wait there is much quiet as he stares out into the night, perhaps lost in thought. Then finally a fancy car rolls up and Casimir frowns, glancing back to the limo. "Indeed I am Sir Casimir von Zierotin and this is my servant B. I take it you are the driver? Had I known there was a car coming with..., well I would have just taken an uber. Shall we join you or follow?" Now his eyes narrow and he peers into the vehicle, attempting to spot Andrea Cattaneo. "Perhaps I should at least say hello either way? " With that said he makes his way to the red car, his stylish Italian loafers clacking on the wet runway. B steps forward and bows her head in greeting once the car rolls to a stop in front of them. Her eyes go very wide and the expression on her face says she has a million things (likely nonsensical queries) the little brunette wants to say. She doesn't though. She bites her lower lip and smiles prettily -- hard to do with your lip stuck between your teeth. As Cas moves off, she follows along, quickly on his heels, glancing towards the man in the back of the car. "A pleasure to meet you, sir. Is there anything I can get for you?" The man who spoke to Casimir first gets out of the car, raising an umbrella of his own to shield himself from the rain. He is a slight man, and not even the padded shoulders in his Italian suit change that impression. He gives Casimir a once-over and says in a posh British accent, "I am Adolfo, personal attendant to the Alder Speaker Andrea Cattaneo. Give me a moment and we will transfer to your limousine." To B he says, "Water, once we're on our way, thank you." Adolfo then turns to walk over to the rear driver's side door and opens it, holding the umbrella over a man about as small as he is in size, though perhaps not in stature, wearing a perfectly-tailored red suit and tie with Invictus pin with gold outline and lapis lazuli fill. His face is severe and dark, the orange lights of the runway casting most of it in deep shadows. He walks to the door of the limousine just in time for Adolfo to open it up, and he slips inside. Adolfo closes the door and says, "Come, let us not keep the Alder Speaker waiting." Casimir looks as if he was about to say something when Adolfo opens the door but it appears the Alder is not keen on waiting at all. His mouth still half open promptly shuts, just as the door to the limo closes. "Ah very well, I suppose we should not. " He had borrowed a driver at least, driving not being his thing and possibly not B's. Then Cas is heading over to the limo and opening the doors so that he may sit as is customary, with the one he is escorting. "Good evening Alder Speaker Cattaneo. I am Sir, Casimir Von Zierotin Unconquered Rose and Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Thorned Wreath and Scion of House Zierotin. This is my servant B." There is a pause, as if to fill in the space by B's absence of titles. "It is my honor and privledge to escort you to your estate and to ensure your saftey with my life. I shall not bother you needlessly on our way, but please do ask of me what you will." The knight shuts the door then and taps the glass seperating the drive from passengers, signalling him to proceed. B follows Cas around like a good little underling, holding the umbrella above his head. She nods to Adolfo and will indeed get him a water once they're inside. She waits for everyone else to enter before she does, closing the umbrella and climbing into the back with them. Once inside, she buckles up and lets Casimir do the talking. Instead, she fetches that water for Adolfo and speaks to him in a lower voice. "I hope your flight went smoothly. I've never been on a plane before, but I think that's the right phrase, yeah?" The severe expression of the Milanese Lord does not budge. "Sir Knight," he says, his accent a predictable shade of north Italian, "Well met. I am pleased that my noble brother has provided me a Kindred of quality for protection." 'For once', he seems to say without saying. "Prudent of you to bring your servant as well. One should always have help close to hand. So tell me, have you been in my noble brother's service long?" The limousine takes off, the driver behind the frosted glass moving them on with speed towards the east, towards Andrea's Lakeside accommodations. Rain hisses beneath the tire treads, the engine nearly whisper-quiet. Adolfo responds in his own sotto voce, "Never flown before? Yes, that's the right phrasing. Safe as milk, though the feeling of the first time you truly leave the ground is not one many forget." The Elder Lord shoots Adolfo a glance, and the man stiffens, then pulls a flask and small leather box from his jacket pocket. The box contains a crystal glass capable of holding maybe three ounces of liquid, and a small razor blade. He opens the flask and pours a sticky green liquid into the glass about a third of the way full, then runs the razor down his wrist in a shallow cut, squeezing his fist to let blood flow into it until it fills the rest of the way. This he hands over to Alder Cattaneo without complaint, then pulls his handkerchief to stanch the flow of blood. Casimir is essentially without much emotion as he converses with the Alder. He keeps his smiles faint and frowns, well he doesn't frown at all. "Ah yes, they are most helpful at times even if they lack our capabilities. " Now his eyes dart to look out the window and remain aware, despite focusing on the conversation at hand. "I have been in his service just a few months now." Casimir's voice is likewise tinged with an accent, Czech and probably a slightly older vernacular than they use now. The knight watches Adolfo with some hint of curiosity but doesn't comment on the green stuff or the flask. In fact he continues talking as if it hadn't happened. "I came to town looking to have a taste of the continent, one of my Elder's is in eclipse and the other is awake for some time. I best make the most use of this time away from my homeland, such freedom is rarely granted." He quickly and quietly turns to B and adds. "Please remain alert and keep your eyes out for any possible issues. Roadblocks, tails and the like." B, insanely curious, opens her mouth to ask but a quick glance to the Elder has her snapping her mouth back shut, possibly recalling her manners. "Milk is only safe if you're not lactose intollerant," she says instead, finally, turning her gaze towards the world beyond the glass. For a moment her gaze rests on Casimir's reflection in the glass. She dipsher chin to it in a nod of sorts before leaning closer to the glass to look behind them, watching for trouble of any sort. "If there is anything you need during your stay that has't already been thought of, and like .. already arranged, please let us know. Oh. Here." She takes out a blank business card with her initial and phone number on it. This is handed to Adolfo. "I'll get whatever it is that you need." Cattaneo makes himself comfortable, taking a sip of the blood and green stuff cocktail, smacking it with his tongue against the roof of his mouth as if it were a fine wine on a sommelier's palate. "Quite so, and some have the most delicious vitae," he says, draining the glass before handing it back to Adolfo without even looking at him. His expression never changes once, resembling a wax museum figure more than a real human. The driver takes a left and begins to go north, passing by the Chippewa Woods on their right. Out here, the shadows grow darker, the lights less frequent. For his part, Adolfo accepts the business card, reaching into his breast pocket for a business card holder to stow it. "My thanks," he says. "We should want to-" The sound of something heavy skitters across the pavement in front of the car, and half a second later all four tires shred and explode, first the front, then the back, each with a deafening bang. Riding on skids, the limousine begins to spin as it hydroplanes straight into the woods. Now the passengers may really feel their legs leave the ground as the limo crashes and rolls deeper into the wood. Casimir quickly reaches to hold on as the vehicle careens off the road and winds up in a group of trees or otherwise. There is a moment where he isn't quite certain what happened, a short daze that lasts only seconds. Then he leans over and rest a hand on B's shoulder, meeting her eyes and quickly inspecting the wound. "You will live, remember you have the blood." His eyes dart to check on Alder Canttaneo's status but suspects the older kindred will be just fine, even if he suffered a scratch or two. "Stay alive." he instructs, to no one in particular and then exits the vehicle, sword suddenly flashing into his hand. There is not much for him to do now other than be out of the vehicle and to take some measure of cover, in case they are using firearms. The valiant knight will plan his strategy once he has eyes on his enemies. Casimir doesn't really have time to worry about the car , the small fire that is hopefully far away from him and even B or the Alder Speaker. Right now he is focused on the three figures who have decided to cut their lives short. The two with weapons are ones he knows how to deal with quickly, but that one with a crossbow might be the biggest problem. The knight ducks behind a tree for a semblance of cover, plotting to sprint up to the crossbowman and then take him out before the others know what is happening. "B you need to get out of the vehicle!" B sees nothing but rain. 'Rain, rain, go away..' she hums under her breath and then suddenly the world goes crazy. Thankful she buckled herself in, she stays put in her seat while the word spins. During all this, red laces her vision, drawing out an pained uhh. The car stops and people are out and it's hard to breathe and in an almost groggy motion, B looks down. The twisted metal protruding from her chest pins her to her seat just as securely as her belt but far more painful. Cas shouts something about leaving the car but she can't. She reaches up to pull out the metal, nearly fainting when it comes free. Tossing it aside, the buckle is next, leaving her collapsed on the side of the car. She's not free yet. Now to get out of the limo. That's the next step. She looks around first to make sure everyone else is free before she follows them out, albiet much slower. The axeman and swordsman were waiting for this, that much is clear. Both fall on Casimir, their blades crashing through his flesh and spilling his stolen blood across the trees and undergrowth. Being Kindred, blows that would have already cut a mortal down merely give the Invictus Knight momentary pause. Meanwhile, B is free of the car, but Cattaneo is not. When she gets a good look in, she will see a branch poking through his chest, right through his heart, slick with his gore. Adolfo is not so lucky: his neck is twisted like a corkscrew, his head lolling, eyes bulging from his rapidly purpling face and swollen tongue. Casimir isn't having the best of days, this was supposed to be a sweet deal. Just escort, nothing happens and earn brownie points with the big cheese. No, not going how he planned at all. The knight takes several blows from the assailants but quickly puts his back against the tree and fights them, the steel of his well honed katana ringing out in the damp, dark, woods. "Who sent you or was this your idea? I mean, not many are apt to commit suicide by going against a Knight of the Thorned Wreath. " Really he probably seems a lot like Errol Flynn fighting men in some old timey movie, occasionally shouting 'en garde' or 'have at you'. Still his weapon strikes precisely, sliding into the axe wielding thugs torso and coming out, stained with red. B crawls over to the VIP. "No, oh no, oh no ..." She's totally ignoring all the fighting going on around here in favor of the injured dead guy. She looks at him and the branch. Biting her lower lip, she summons her will, summons her strength from deep within, and rolls him over. She pulls the branch free and doesn't even have the chance to offer her blood before he takes it. Head swimming, she makes a small pained moan, turning her gaze towards Casimir to watch him as he fights, smiling to herself. The Knight's katana cleaves through the axeman's belly, opening his guts to the open air. A crossbow bolt sings out, and only Casimir's Vitae-soaked reflexes save him from being pinned in place. The next swing of the axe falters, and now the swordsman is on the back foot. The fact that Casimir can still address the mysterious assailants seems to unnerve them. A split second later, the Alder Lord Speaker Andrea Cattaneo leaps from the vehicle, eyes shining glossy bright with the distant light of the moon, vengeful and hungry. His hands warp and extend, fingertips elongating into short, sharp claws. The Alder Lord wastes no time. Lusting for blood, he lunges for the axeman, claw-tipped hands seizing him by the neck and left arm. His blood is up, and not even the objections of a Knight sworn to his defense might stop him now! Casimir was just about to finish Axe Guy off when Andrea suddenly shows up and leaps on the guy. Unperturbed the Daeva swivels to the other side, his sword already angling out to the man before he is even fully in view. The katana slices the wretch across his belly, sending gouts of blood and heaps of slimy entrails falling to the ground. Oh it might not kill him outright but that blow certainly put the hurt on him. "You two are both very very rude attacking my comrades without so much as a warning, and you..." He glances to Andrea who probably isn't in the mood. "Ah we can talk later." The man's keen eyes quickly tilt towards where the crossbowman was last seen. "I'm hungry." The crossbowman manages to get off one final shot, the bolt shooting straight through Casimir's chest, a cone of gore erupting behind him. Then it's one, two, three swipes of his blade and his last assailant falls to the earth, the rain carrying away his blood. The last breaths of Casimir's two assailants gurgle out as his fangs sink into their gullets and drain them dry, taking his toll for the pain they inflicted upon him and his charges. The smell of burning oil grows stronger from the limo, the driver's body nearly sheared in two from the impact. All the while, the rain never ceases. Thunder rolls in the distance, and the patter of raindrops on leaves steadily washes away the memory of screams and grunts, of grinding steel, of the reek of blood all around. Back out on the road, the source of the limo crash is revealed, a track of police spike strips, designed to be rapidly deployed by hand from the roadside for the purpose of stopping vehicles dead in their tracks. Andrea lays low his own victim, who drops his axe, going limp and white under the fangs of the Lord. He tosses the body down like so much meat and raises his gaze to the moon, letting the water wash his gore-streaked face clean. He steps over to the wreck of the limousine and reaches in a hand to pull B free from the wreckage, setting her upright against a tree. "Sir Knight," he calls. "Your servant freed me from the sturdiest staking I've taken in decades. Come and see to the bearer of your blood. Your quality shines through her." Casimir has been so concerned with combat and his hunger, that always present gnawing knot of need in his core that he completely forgot about B. Once Andrea mentions it he quickly drops the last mortals head from his hands, the blood from his neck still smearing his lips. Only when he begins to walk over towards B does he resume his mask, the courteous knight who gently dabs at the corners of his lips with a red handkerchief. "B, B , are you quite alright?" Then he is slicing open his wrist with sharp fangs and offering them out to the girl, to replenish what blood and health she might need. "Drink slowly." A hand reaches up to cup her cheek, attempting to reassure his charge. B leans heavily against the tree, looking all the worse for the wear. "I couldn't save Adolfo," she says with a wince, guilt painting her face for surviving when the obviously more experienced ghoul did not. She coughs and winces for the pain that causes in her injured lung and chest and .. geeze, maybe her toe nails don't hurt but the rest of her does it seems. Still, she can hardly resist the vitae offered to her, even if she didn't need it so badly. With one hand pressed to her wound (that's what you do with wounds, right?) she accepts the offered wrist, trying her best not to gulp it down like she wants to. Andrea gets off of a phone call, putting his smartphone back up in his lapel pocket. "Invictus cleaners will be here in ten minutes, and Chicago Police in thirty," he says, approaching Casimir and B. "I fear I took liberties with your servant in the confusion immediately following my unstaking, but only enough to close the staking wound. For this, and for your selfless defense of my person, you shall be compensated /most/ richly." He holds out a pair of Chicago's Coins, and offers them to Casimir. "For trespasses committed. I'm sure my noble brother the Prince will wish to reward you as well." Casimir raises a brow at Andrea. "That is almost record time for Chicago police. They are often a day or so behind on the shootings." He smiles a the small jest but glances back to B, still concerned. He hadn't seen the way Andrea fed from his beloved but, it certainly explains her state. "I see." He seems almost sad but forces a smile and graciously reaches out to take the coins. "It's understandable. The circumstances were dire and you did not know that I was still alive to prevent these tresspassers from attempting to liberate you of your life. With this understanding I take these and relinquish all further claims of injustice against my thrall." It isn't as if this agreement is something he is happy about. Instead he turns back to B. "Had she died..." The knight shakes his head, no need to let anyone know that he has a weakness. "Very well, let us get cleaned up and ready. Do we have any idea who sent these assassins?" To that, the Lord has no answer, folding his arms and leaning his back against a nearby tree. "Many have tried me," he says. "But I have been far closer to death than this, thanks to your efforts and that of your servant, Sir von Zierotin. I imagine our driver knew, but... ah, look." He approaches the shattered limousine windshield and lifts the corpse by the head, indicating a crossbow bolt through the heart. "Our driver was silenced. I wonder if he knew. Perhaps I should ask." His tone indicates amusement, even if his face is a mask of stone. "Your earned your stripes tonight, Sir Knight, know that. Your advancement is assured. I shall personally advocate for you to the Commandery of the Thorned Wreath. But take care that you do not rest on your laurels. There is plenty more blood to spill before your service ends." | |