[VtR][Mature] Born into Darkness: Arc 1

[Graf]

The Basement of Blackcoat's Mansion

Biggs struggles to free himself without making too much noise. The heavy chains wrapping him are easy enough to get off, and he manages with a minimum of clanking. He will soon be free.

He keeps a wary eye out, but there is no sign of the invisible Oscar.

 

[industrygothica]

"You," he looks at Beth, "Were embraced, as in, made a vampire by who? When? And how old are you?"

"Constance, I think." Her voice quiets, defeated. The gravity of the situation is quickly sinking in. "A few weeks ago; I'm only 19." Beth tries to keep up the facade, but she's falling apart on the inside. "Look, I really don't remember anything... almost. It's..." She struggles to find the words--something to make sense of it all as the man works the phone.

"Gah!" Her frustration gets the better of her, and she spins on her heels to gather her thoughts while the man uses the phone. "I don't think you're very nice anymore," she says aloud to herself.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

You," he points at Diego "Were embraced by a Vander...uh ford? No," the Deputy manages to remember the name Diego originally yelled, "Vanderchild. Three months ago? Right??"

"Something like that. So Vanderchild is in trouble eh? Serves that crazy ol' coot right." Diege moves over to the young woman's side, putting an comforting arm around her, "Don't worry too much about it, it will come back when it's ready. As for this guy............ he seems okay. Hasn't killed us yet huh?"

 

[Graf]

Beth and Diego

Outside Blackcoat's Mansion

"Constance?"

"Constance?" Nice repeats to himself. He tugs a bit at his scarf. There's something odd about the way the scarf covers his face from his throat to the bridge of his nose.
Or something odd about what's under the scarf.

"Nineteen. OK. That's great. That's perfect. He'll be OK with nineteen." He looks like he's going to ask something, but then stops himself. "Nineteen. Great."
Nice unfolds the phone starts dialing.

"I don't think you're very nice anymore," she says aloud to herself.

Nice favors Beth with another sour look, but continues to enthusiastically punch buttons on the phone.

"Something like that. So Vanderchild is in trouble eh? Serves that crazy ol' coot right."

Nice looks like he might say something. But the phone is up to his ear and ringing now.

"Yes sir. It's me. Nice. No sir. I'm the deputy. No, it's "Nice" now. Yes sir. No. No. Much better sir. No I really agree."

Both Beth and Diego think Nice looks calm and relaxed on the phone.

"Yes. I wanted to let you know about more Neonates arriving at the mansion."

"No. No sir. No. I understand that your busy. Yes sir. SIR! It's not the hunter sir."

There is a pause.

"No sir. Yes. No the second coffin arrived. They're secure. I mean more sir. Other neonates sir. No. Not him. I mean new people sir. Two sir."

There is another long pause. Nice attentively holds the phone to his ear.

"Uh. She said Beth and..." He looks over at Diego.
And then pulls the phone quickly away from his ear. The phone is emitting a steady stream of curses. Beth and Diego can make out the word "sire" in the mix.

Holding the receiver carefully in front of his face Nice clearly says "Constance".

The phone goes silent. Nice watches it for a minute.
Then he carefully uses the tip of his index finger to push the phone closed.

 

[Graf]

Interlude: Archer and Cole

[sblock=@LB's]LB's Private Floor

Archer and Cole awoke this evening to find that a polite note from Raghunandan suggesting that they "Stay in this evening"
The doors of their rooms seem to be securely fastened by some sort of 4-way bolt system; locking them in. Following the instructions has not proved difficult.

A few hours after dusk they are disturbed by a loud booming sound.
[sblock=Archer]
If Archer turns up his senses he can hear the sound of LB bellowing curses as he moves down the hall. He can also make out Raghunandan saying "Yes. We'll need one car for the hospital."[/sblock]

LB kicks in Cole's door. "RIP!"
LB kicks in Archer's door. "GUMS!"

LB's face is a sickly purple, a twisting mask of barely controlled rage. "Get your a__es to Blackies'! Now! And I mean f______ now!" LB continues to move down the corridor. Every few feet he pauses to kick or punch a wall or doorway.
Raghunandan, looking very much like a low rent butler, trails behind him carrying a phone (with a very long cord) in one hand and a leather duster tucked over the other. "And another car." he says into the receiver "Two gentlemen will be traveling to Miss Blackcoat's."

Through the haze created by damaged concrete and plaster the "two gentlemen" can see the source of the original boom, . It appears someone launched LB's massive hardwood desk through the double doors of his office. What remains of it is embedded in the wall of the hallway.

LB summons the elevator by repeatedly driving his foot through the button panel. "You know what she says to me? Tha first f______ thing she says?" LB snarls.
Raghunandan sets down the phone and waits patiently.

"She says ah don't usually speak to two hundred-year-olds but ah'll make a f______ exception since youh are the f______ Prince! To me!"

Raghunandan proffers LB his duster. LB puts it on. The Indian man seizes the moment "You did mention something to me about elevators the other day."

"Ah'm f______ calm." LB struggles to develop some sort of control over himself.

"Of course. It's just that you asked me to..."

"Fine! Reggie!"

The elevator arrives and both men get it. LB, still purple, continues in a more conversational one. "I'm gonna tear her arms off. And her legs...." the prince's voice is cut off by the closing of the elevator doors.
[sblock=Archer]
Archer splices his way though the sounds of the elevator motor, the quiet slide of the rails, to makes out a little bit more of the rant "no. Ah'm gonna feed them to her.... NO! She's gonna perform those f______ experiments she does on her..."
the prince's his voice dwindles out of even Archer's enhanced hearing.[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[industrygothica]

The phone goes silent. Nice watches it for a minute.
Then he carefully uses the tip of his index finger to push the phone closed.

Beth rolls her eyes in response to the violence coming from the other end of the phone. "Just when I thought I got away from all that," she says in disgust.

 

[Graf]

The Basement of Blackcoat's Mansion

Biggs manages to work off the last set of chains and carefully rest them on the ground. He's got the same pants he had on when he was fighting that yellow-faced-ghoul, but no shirt.

He's not cold though.

As he steps out of his coffin and into the center of the small room he can see out the only exit (a rough hewn cement aperture). The room beyond is larger and dominated by a massive bank vault door (partially ajar). There are several other exits including a stairway that leads up.

If Oscar is waiting to "pop" him there is no sign.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Diego nods at Beth's comment. Even though he looks calm, that ass chewin' would have to make a person tense. "That would be the Prince huh?"

 

[Graf]

Nice nods. "That's right."

 

[Festy_Dog]

Archer stood listening in front of the heavily locked door, unsure if he was going to need to rebandage his neck tonight since he wasn't going anywhere. Eventually he decided to, just to prevent staining his shirt. As he finished he heard the booming sound. He was put on edge, for a moment thinking it was a breeching charge before he realized the sound was wrong. He was nonetheless still suspicious, and increased the sensitivity of his hearing as he approached his door.

Another loud noise, closer this time and a little different from before. Rip? Noun or verb? He took a few steps over to the mirror when the sound repeated itself. Loudly. Behind him. He cringed as the sound assaulted his hyper-sensitive ears. A whoosh of air sailed past his back as a chunk of the door collided with the opposite wall.

"GUMS!"

LB's handiwork. It seemed to Archer that he had just been renamed 'Gums' by a man who made a heavily reinforced door look like an oversized toy made of balsawood and tin foil. Gums it would be, yes sirree.

"Get your a__es to Blackies'! Now! And I mean f______ now!"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir," was all Archer managed to stammer out before the purple Prince stomped off. On the plus side, now Archer had a job to do. He always enjoyed work.

For a moment he glanced at the door, and pondered what would have happened if he was still standing there. Not wanting to lose himself in possibilities of what could have been he tentatively made his way out into the hallway. If Archer was 'Gums' (he was resolute in determining the origin of such a nickname) then obviously he was working with one 'Rip'. To that effect he looked for another kicked in door. He wondered if a nickname was right of passage in regards to LB's acceptance.

"Hey Rip, I hope you know where this Blackcoat lives 'cos I sure as hell don't," he glanced down the hallway at the elevator, "And I think we're taking the stairs down a level if we want to use the elevator."