Chapter 5 - NexusThe windchimes at the entrance clinked as the door was slammed open with excessive force, the silvery tinkle drawing at most a couple of raised eyebrows and furtive glances, but the majority of the patrons otherwise ignored it.
Eyes the color of fine wine absorbed the scene laid out before them, studying the motley crew lounging around low tables, an odd assortment of the well-heeled and a tougher crowd. It had a subtle undercurrent of calm here, this place. Quiet conversation appeared to be the standard, with a couple of discreet and civilized looking poker games taking place in the shadowy booths on the far side.
The last fact might not have been obvious to the average observer from the vantage point at the entrance, but this was no ordinary person. Or really, a
person at all.
Reina clucked her tongue impatiently as she shoved past the bouncer at the entrance. Well, attempted to. The man was about as yielding as a stone wall. Granted, Reina wasn't using all of her strength, which would have been more than enough for any stone wall, but she couldn't very well flaunt her vampiric nature out in
public.
It was the first rule that had been stuck in her head when she had first awoken to her new state of existence. She could grudgingly see the point of such a rule, especially after her own run in with those over-enthusiastic vampire hunters, but it could be so bloody inconvenient at times. Growling, she checked herself and scowled up at the much,
much taller bouncer in her way.
"Got any ID, kid?" A nervous tic throbbed heavily on Reina's face, her off center eyes crossing even more violently at the blocky man who was currently eying her suspiciously. Reina scowled at him, grudgingly taking her old driving license and holding it out at him. The man squinted at the faded picture and then up at her.
"What?" Reina grumbled discontentedly, not really wanting to pick a fight no matter what her instincts said. This place was supposed to be a neutral spot for people on both sides of the law, and if Reina's senses were leading her right, for things beyond the regular world as well. Such as herself, she thought ironically.
"You sure you're 28?" The bouncer didn't look very convinced. Reina sighed.
"Look buddy, it's rude to ask a girl's age. And to your question, yes, that
is my age. I just look young!" Reina jabbed a finger insistently at his rock hard chest, hard enough to leave a bruise. The man gave her another quick look, then nodded slowly, his eyes gaining a modicum of understanding as he stood aside. Reina swiped her card back and stalked in, looking around as if to dare anyone to comment on what just happened. No one even bothered to glance in her direction, much less acknowledge her presence. Reina just shrugged and moved on.
Odd place, but the last guy I terrorized said that the info came from here... Slouching over to the bar, she flopped down in the nearest available seat, next to an emo-goth poet wannabe dressed mostly in black. On her left, two seats away, a heavily tattooed man glanced in her direction as she shifted around on the stool, the runic prints on his skin standing out starkly even in the dim light. When she returned the gaze, he turned away almost in slow motion, but the rest of him was already shifting sinuously off his seat and moving at least 5 more places away from her.
Smirking triumphantly, Reina turned back to look up at the ominously tall bartender standing ramrod straight behind the counter. Slender, wrinkled hands polished a glass with a cloth, and grey, almost colorless, eyes regarded her with a neutral expression. Reina couldn't quite shake the feeling that the man belonged more inside a mansion as a butler than as a bartender in a place like this. Particularly a very specific mansion with even more specific duties. He certainly
looked like it.
"May I get you something?" The voice was polite and unassuming, just on this side of bored but respectful enough not to show it. There was no mistaking the caution in that weary old voice, even though it was mostly masked as a natural reticence. Reina grunted, sensing his mild unease as he put down one glass and picked up another to clean.
"Er..." Reina was about to refuse, given her stomach with regards to human food, but somehow felt bad about turning the kindly old man down. She hadn't felt quite so obliging, not ever since she was turned. Besides, she reasoned, it wouldn't hurt to order a drink just to justify her presence here instead of her usual threatening-for-information method. Perhaps a little subtlety was in order for this place, she decided.
"Well I want a drink..." Reina started, unsure of what to choose at first. Alfred, as she had christened him in her head, nodded sagely.
"Might I suggest a Bloody Mary? We have a special variant for you that you might enjoy." Reina raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't object. Taking her silence as agreement, the bartender moved smoothly away to prepare her drink.
The young vampire twitched on her stool, eyes darting around again. No one was really looking at her, but she couldn't help but feel hyperaware of her surroundings. This place set her on edge, despite the relaxed ambience, and her threat level felt unreasonably high for a place like this. This was supposed to be
neutral ground, so she was technically safe here, even if she were just a little...unusual.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid... Trying her best to look cool, Reina glanced around in a more reserved way, only to be startled as the person on her right moved, her arms tensing in readiness for a fight at the sudden unexpected gesture. However, Emo Poet was only picking up his...or was it her...mug and drinking quietly from it.
With a puff of unneeded breath, Reina forced herself to relax, gritting her teeth and accidentally flashing a fang for all of two seconds before she regained her composure. She had momentarily forgotten that the goth wannabe next to her still existed. Given how silent and unmoving that gender-unspecific person was, Reina could have been forgiven for that little slip.
Taking a quick breath just to maintain her human pose, Reina briefly caught a whiff of what seemed like blood, and her irises contracted slightly at the scent. It wasn't exactly fresh though, the blood-scent, but it was definitely her kind of food. About to sniff around for the source, Reina was surprised again when a tall glass was set in front of her with a heavy sounding thud.
"Enjoy." The bartender smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and moved to serve the customer adjacent to the vampire. Reina, however, was barely aware of whatever Emo Poet was ordering, her attention wholly focused on the rich red liquid in the glass before her.
This smells...strange... Cautiously, she took the glass and held it close to her face, sniffing the liquid discreetly. Dark eyes flashed red for a single instant, the unmistakable scent of old blood blended into the drink triggering the brief flare of her true side. Without hesitation now, she placed the glass to her lips and drank, feeling the rich texture of blood and brandy caress her tongue and tingle down her throat.
"That's the Bloody Baron, compliments from another guest. I gather it is to your taste, Blood-Born?" The last words were whispered, and Reina looked up sharply at the knowing glint in the bartender's eye. Next to them, the goth wannabe turned a page in the little book clasped in his (or her, Reina stlll couldn't tell, what with the hair cut short and the shaded profile) hands, to all intents and purposes oblivious to the larger world beyond that tiny sphere.
"Very." Reina managed a somewhat dignified reply despite her surprise. Clearly, this kindly looking butler turned bartender was not unused to serving vampires. The mode of address was a little strange to her, but Reina assumed that it was a formal, if archaic, title. It wasn't like she had the opportunity to get into contact with vampire society, if there was one. Reina didn't know the first place to look, since those who walked the shadows could be pretty elusive at times.
"I'm glad, then." 'Alfred' nodded. "How else may I serve you?"
Reina couldn't decide between being flattered at the VIP treatment, or being instantly suspicious. She settled on somewhere in between, eyes narrowing cautiously as she nursed the drink between her palms.
"Yes...well..." The youthful vampire started slowly, framing the question in her mind. Some deep instinct warned her to tread carefully, cautioning that help could not simply be bullied out of this delicate-seeming old man. Again she cursed her absent master for conveniently forgetting to teach her about the proper customs and traditions of the darker world she had been reborn into. If only they had had more time together...!
"I need some information. I've been...advised...that I would be able to receive an answer here." A small smirk curved the side of Reina's lips, as she remembered the means with which she had obtained said 'advice'. Violence might not always be the answer, but it did feel good...especially when you were on the right side of it.
After all, was not giving better than receiving?
"I will do my best." The bartender replied diffidently, picking up another glass to compulsively clean it. Reina wondered if the man had OCD. After a moment of staring, he cleared his throat to get her attention, and the vampire blinked, having been distracted by shiny things (namely, lights playing off that pretty glass) in the meantime.
"I'm looking for someone. A DJ. Goes by the name Seirei." Reina shot off a little curtly, still somewhat embarrassed by her own inattention. The bartender put that already gleamingly clean glass down and picked up another, but not before pulling on his cuffs and shaking out his wrists, eyes glinting in the dim light.
"Ah yes, Seirei-sama." He rubbed hard at a non-existent spot on the glass. "And what would you want with her, Blood-Born?"
"None of your business." Reina replied abruptly, feeling her senses tingle slightly with annoyance. She gripped the glass she held, taking another quick gulp to calm her nerves. The blood helped. It always did. Sort of.
'Alfred' nodded. "Certainly it is none of mine," he agreed calmly. "However, Seirei-sama is a busy person, and will not entertain unannounced guests. She is, how shall I put it, selective." He smiled, a touch of irony on that wrinkled face. "I will need to forward your request should you desire a meeting. That is all I can do."
"Can't you just tell me where to find her?" Reina muttered grouchily, staring just a little sulkily at the bartender. Her eyes narrowed as she put a few things together. "So...you know about her being...this, 'Blood-Born' as well?" Pointless question, but Reina just had to make sure. It would explain a lot, and confirm her suspicions that yes, Seirei was indeed that vampire she sought.
His answer was abrupt, even chillingly formal. "Seirei-sama is FAR beyond mere Kindred, tyro. Not even the Nobles will cross such a one. Do not presume that your immortality in any way preserves you from the wrath of an Ancient."
The way he said it ticked her off, it did. Reina did not like being forbidden to do things. It just made it more of a challenge for her to accomplish them. Bad habit, perhaps, but that was just the way she was. She scowled up at him, finishing the last of her drink.
"So you're not gonna help?" At least, she reflected, she had pretty much confirmed that this Seirei was basically the strong vampire she was looking for. It didn't even occur to her that given how 'Alfred' appeared to be connected to the vampiric underworld, she could easily have asked for help on looking for a better mentor to approach.
But no, once Reina had gotten an idea into her head, she would stubbornly stick to it until the very end. Much could be said and commended upon her single-mindedness of purpose, where devotion to a single goal could indeed be a laudable achievement in a day and age of short attention spans (otherwise known as the IT Age).
Or one could just be mean and say that she was pig-headed. Truth, after all, ran relative to circumstance.
Regardless, she had already made up her mind, and she
would look for this mysterious Seirei, come heaven, hell, or a host of vampire hunters...ok, scratch that last bit. Vampire hunters sucked, not literally, but they were still annoying pain-in-the-asses. Reina still had a 'souvenir' from that last encounter. She swore she would tear that little bitch a few new holes to match with those creepy eyes of hers the next time she ran into her...
"I am merely warning you about rash action against forces I suspect you do not fully understand, child." His eyes were piercing as he met her gaze, completely unafraid despite knowing that she was a vampire. "I can still forward your request, but any meeting will only be on Seirei-sama's terms. Can you accept that?"
She knew she shouldn't have said it. She knew she should have been less impulsive, more careful, more
tactful. But to hell with it all, she was pissed
off.
"No I do NOT." Eyes flared a dangerous shade of red as she stood, fangs barely concealed as she hissed her reply.
"I don't care if she's God, or even a fanged version of Jesus
fucking Christ. No one, and I mean
no one tells Reina what to do!" The novice vampire growled, baring her fangs threateningly. "You can take your warning and shove it up your ass."
And with that, she walked out. Or stomped away. Same difference.
The windchimes did not tinkle this time. They clanged.
Silence. Then a wry voice cut through it, dry and amused.
"Spirited, isn't she?" A soft rustle of paper on paper, slender white hands stark against a black cover. Lips pressed into a thin smile. "Youth these days..."
"Does my lady pass judgment? I can make the necessary arrangements..." If he bowed his head any lower, he'd be kissing the counter. A throaty chuckle.
"That is not needful. The Covenant can keep their hands off my territory. I will take care of it should it become a problem." A smile. "Lord knows I need the diversion, it's a slow decade."
"As you wish, my lady. Is there anything else my humble self can do to aid you?"
"No, there is nothing else. Thank you, Raimond." A whisper of movement, then darkness.
He didn't even get the chance to grovel. Damn Ancients and their disappearing tricks. Unconsciously, he started cleaning off another glass, noting the book left behind.
Sunshine. At least someone had a sense of humor. Lord help him, he needed one just to survive the day. Shaking his head, he realized
his hand was the one that was shaking.
He sighed, putting down the glass and reaching for another. Damn vampires.
~*~*~
The future, no matter what Determinists have to say about it, is hardly if ever fixed, or even static. The flow of time, hardly discernable to mere humans who were no more than insignificant specks buffeted within its relentless currents, was ever changing, mutating with every single factor that made the slightest shift.
After all, is it not said that when a butterfly flaps its wings on one side of the world, a hurricane could result on the other end?
So it was with cause and effect in the aegis of time, with incalculable factors subject to change on the merest whim. Humans did, after all, have some form of free will. And they exercised it with a pathetically low awareness of the role they played in the greater scheme of things beyond their own puny existences.
Thus, fortune telling by a true Seer could be annoyingly vague. There was no such thing as a settled timeline, merely infinite possibilities. Without proper training, attempting to decipher the chaos of endless probabilities could potentially damage the mind beyond repair.
Even then, it was all just a game of probability. Events took place due to a combination of factors, and the removal or mutation of one or more of the factors could potentially alter the course of events. And given the element of uncertainty with the complication of free will, it can be said that future sight is hazy at best.
Kamei Yuriko, formerly Hikusei Yuriko prior to marriage, was well used to seeing all sorts of possible future paths. In her line of work, coming into contact with people from all walks of life, it exposed her to any number of possibilities. Promotions, betrayals, laughter, tears. Birth and death. All a part of life.
You just got used to it after a while.
However, once in a while, she still got visions that shook her to the very core of her soul. Like right now.
Delving into that endless void where past, present and future intersected in a wild tangle of antecedent and aftermath, Yuriko felt that familiar spiraling sensation as ego parted ways from the trinity of self to coast through the corridors of fate. It was easy to get lost here, wrenched out of your mind rather literally.
It was the unfamiliar sense of nausea in this vulnerable state that woke her to the reality of what she was truly witnessing.
Most ordinary humans, leading ordinary lives, generally had a set number of regular experiences that are most likely to occur. Even their trials and tragedies were not exempt from this rule. There were only so many things that could happen to a person in one lifetime, and in the many lifetimes of countless people all over the world, certainly some events were more common than others.
Yuriko had seen her fair share of 'death by violent agency', as she classified it in her own mind, but the sheer
brutality of some of the possible paths chilled her. No stranger to witnessing possible violent deaths in her patrons, she was nevertheless shaken by the carnage in every single scene.
She always tried to nudge them to safety, her conscience not being able to condone silence after witnessing a tragic end.In one of her cases, there had been a possibility for rape and murder, and her succeeding advice had been for the girl in question to 'avoid going outside tonight'. Yet another one had been caught at the wrong place and time, possible victim of a car accident; she ended up warning him to stick to public transport for the next few days.
Sometimes her advice was heeded, and disaster barely averted, since after all, the human factor for unpredictability could still alter the course of events. Other times, greater causes had overshadowed any possible remedial effects, sending events hurtling along at breakneck speed for the inevitable.
There was no helping such cases, naturally. Some things were just too
big to deal with, at her current position. She had learned to accept that.
Right now though, 'acceptance' was pretty much a difficult state to achieve. It was difficult to accept that one's own daughter had come into contact, and was in the process of intertwining their fates together, with an individual with a bloodsoaked past. And a high possibility for a short, brutal future.
Flashes of past, present and possible futures, in a complex snarl. Death ran down many routes, beginning and ending. A life born in violence, ending in violence.
Darkness. Flash.
Warm, red, comfort. Flash.
The seed of death. Flash.
From one to two, and back to one again.The Past was the foundation stone for Futurity. There was no escaping it. None at all.
One path, a torn throat!
bloodkillfight Another, mauled and broken!
fleshtearrip A hand, tattered and bleeding, raised in supplication, abandoned in defeat.
So many paths, so much blood. She recoiled, horrified, afeared. Such a cruel fate!
And then she saw it. The Nexus. The point where everything tipped in the balance. The hand of Fate itself.
The obscuring mists of time made it all so vague, yet so starkly
real. She saw so much, yet so much more remained beyond imagination.
Yuriko was a Seer, but she was also human and therefore vulnerable to emotion. She pushed further, wanting, no,
needing to see more. For the sake of her daughter, who had become so involved. For the sake of that poor child before her, who sat unawares of the storm ready to devour her.
Time was not amused. With a wrenching snap, she fell backwards, forcibly evicted from the Garden of Destiny. Her vision reeled, muscles straining across every inch of her flesh as her eyes widened even more, seeing and unseeing at the same time.
Locking with the startled gaze of her little Eri's new best friend, Yuriko could only gasp out one last warning before the pain overtook her, erasing that forbidden image she sought and taken.
"Beware your blood...the hand..." Her eyes rolled upwards into her eyelids, whites showing clearly as she slumped over.
"Mom!"
==================================
Yes I know I'm evil.
Topic: Gegenschein [Ch.18: Open] - 16/5 (Read 68374 times)