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Chapter Text

Fans of the game have a joke that every time someone mentions Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines, someone else has to download it. Olivia Moore had fallen for it three times over the past ten years, on three different computers. There was something about the game that grabs you, even after you'd ferretted through every subplot, dealt with the early 2000s graphics and glitchy system. Something about the characters, the universe that sucked you in. For a lot of people, it was the introduction to the wider world from the role playing game, and Olivia was no exception. When the sequel was announced, she found herself downloading the original game, yet again.

This character would be Toreador, named Amelia, she decided, sprawled out on her bed with her laptop. The character sheet was maxed for seduction, points in presence... once you'd been through the game a few times, you knew how to build a character, get all the extra points. It didn't take too long for Olivia to get her through the Santa Monica plotline and head downtown. She navigated Amelia through the Elizabeth Dane unseen, then stretched and yawned. Tired. Should have picked a nosferatu, sneaking through the sewers to change things up. Or a Malkavian with the oddball responses.

Played this enough I'm just going through the motions. May as well get the quest for Grout, before I quit...

She clicked through the dialogue with LaCroix quickly, eyelids drooping, and dozed off.

"The moon is out, everyone's in dreamland, and you've tuned in to The Deb of Night...."

Olivia slapped a hand out, trying to grab the laptop. Fell asleep playing... stupid. It took a moment of fishing her hand around before she realized the laptop wasn't there, and something was wrong. The sheets were gone, the mattress under her face smelled of stale cigarettes and sweat. Rolling over and blinking her eyes, she looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling with a mosaic of waterstains and cracked plaster.

All sleepiness fell away instantly as Olivia jumped to her feet in a panic. She was asleep on a bare mattress in an unfamiliar room. Alone, at least. She sucked in a breath.

I'm not hurt. I'm not drugged... but what happened?

"Deb, I need to warn the people that the Chupacabras are working with the lizard people now."
"I thought it was the hyper intelligent dolphins, Gomez, or am I getting them mixed up?"

The voices were coming from a older, black cd player in the corner, and Olivia rushed over to turn it off, backing into the corner and scanning the room for danger. It didn't take much time to look, the place was small. The mattress was tucked in one corner, an open suitcase beside it. A small filthy kitchen missing cabinet doors. A small bathroom.

I know this place.

It was the apartment from the beginning of the game. Wait, no.... almost the same layout, but lacked the corner windows. The ones there overlooked a plain brick building. No furniture, either, no refrigerator.

I'm dreaming.

Olivia rubbed her eyes and scanned the room again, then headed over to the door and cautiously opened it. Outside, she stared at a familiar hallway. She was, in fact, next door to the apartment haven featured in the game. Apartment 506, which was always inaccessable in the game, except now she stood in the doorway.

Weird dream.

She ran a hand down the cheap wallpaper, and bits flaked off under her touch. The place smelled of mold, the sour of old bong water, and rotting garbage. Oddly real. But...

It was so real.

Olivia headed down the stairs with a smile. They creaked under her feet, the carpet threadbare enough to show the wood. She pushed the door open to the outside, the alleyway where she had begun half a dozen games. After years of seeing this as poorly rendered graphics, she marvelled at the real litter that blew in the breeze, the very steam filtering up through the manhole that lead to the sewer. At the end of the alley, she passed by the homeless man huddled there, smelling of body odor and booze.

The street spread out in front of her, Santa Monica. Across the street was the health clinic, the lettering flickering slightly, a hooker leaning against the light post.

I could go to the Asylum!

It was her favorite club in the game, and she couldn't wait to see it in this new reality. She was almost giddy heading down the alley, past the faltering light behind the health clinic. It smelled of piss and garbage back here, but she could see the street beyond.

"Hey, sweetie, wh-where you headed in a hurry?" The drunk had been slouched against the dumpster and stepped out in front of her, blocking her way.

"Nowhere," she said, pulling into herself and trying to side step him.

"Now... hey, don't be.... don't be like that." The drunk reached out and grabbed ahold of her shirt, pulling her backwards.

"Let go!" Olivia glanced towards the street, where a few people milled around near the payphones, close enough to hear her. "Help!"

They glanced her way, but no one made a move to step in and help her. Instead, she pulled back against the drunk, as he murmured something slurred. "Let me go!" She yanked on her shirt hard, pulling out of his grasp, and broke into a run down to the lighted street beyond.

There's got to be a cop around here somewhere!

From the Asylum, the bass beat pounded, and a small crowd was sitting on the stairs, smoking, and milling about. She headed towards them, just as the doors opened.

The volume of the music flowed out like a wash, and stepping out was the wet dream herself, Jeanette. Dressed in a short skirt and pigtails, she made a bit of a show as she stretched herself out in the night air. Nearly everyone loitering outside stopped to take notice. But then, the Malkavian froze, head cocked to the side, as though listening to something. Then her head turned to stare at Olivia, eyes wide, flickering with thoughts.

Madness network... she knows I'm not from here...
Jeanette still was staring, unmoving, when the world suddenly tilted down. "Bitch!" The drunk shouted, as he slammed into her with all his strength.

Olivia tumbled forward, the drunk on top of her, her knee coming down hard on the sidewalk, and one elbow hitting the brick stairs of the Asylum. "Fuckin'... bitch" he slurred, grabbing a fist full of her hair and grinding her face into the pavement.

Someone was pulling him off of her, upset voices, and Olivia tried to pull herself up. She drug one hand over her face, and pulled it back. Blood.

Oh no.

She looked up to see Jeanette staring down at her. Her face was still pretty, but there was something else, a feral sort of sense that sent a thrill of fear down Olivia's spine. She froze like a rabbit in the headlights, but Jeanette seemed to shake herself into sense with a laugh and turned down the street.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" She turned her head to see a cop there, dark hair, sunglasses despite being night. Behind him, another had the drunk in handcuffs.

"Yeah... I mean, no... I'm bleeding."

She looked at me like food. She almost lost control. I could have died...

"Lucky for you we're right around the corner from the medical clinic..."

"Oh, no. I don't think it's that bad. Besides, they aren't a really good place, you know?"

The cop scowled. "Can we at least walk you home?"

Home?

She stood, her knee shrieking in pain as she unfolded it. Her leggings were ripped, as was the elbow of her shirt, both bleeding. This was real. Horribly, painfully real.

"Yeah, you can walk me home."

She followed behind him back to the apartments over the pawn shop, arms wrapped around herself, glancing into every corner for potential danger. Once they got to the door, she rushed inside, slamming the door in his face, and headed into apartment 506. She slammed the door shut, locked it and pushed the end table in front of the door.

This was real.

Olivia spent the rest of the night in the bathroom, curled in a corner, hoping to wake up from the dream.

Chapter Text

The first day, Olivia hadn't budged from the room. She'd pinch herself, try to fall asleep, anything to get out of the dream of being in Bloodlines version of Santa Monica. It didn't work.

Soon after the sun rose, she washed the gravel out of the wounds in the bathroom. Her forehead wasn't bad, just a little cut that had bled quite a bit because of the location. Her leg was a different story, the skin totally scuffed off of her knee and a painful black bruise forming on where her leg had twisted it under her as she fell

Dreams can't hurt you. Not like this.

Her clothes were torn, covered in blood. Totally wasted. After pacing the room a bit, she looked into the suitcase. Inside was a set of clothes, obviously not new but clean and smelling like detergent. She pulled them out and put them on, a set of flare jeans and a tight fitting tshirt and a gray jacket. They fit well, the denim even stretched out nicely. Running a hand through her hair, she glanced in the mirror, then stopped.

In these clothes, she recognized herself. Obviously, Olivia was looking at her own face, but in these clothes she looked exactly like one of the character sprites who wandered around the game. One replicated dozens of times due to the older graphics of the time.

I'm an NPC.

It bothered her more than a bit. In the game, she'd walked by someone who looked just like this, heard the one line of dialogue from them a hundred times. Never even noticed the pedestrians except to check and see if they were hidden enough to grab a quick snack. No wonder she could get injured. In this world, she didn't even matter.

She sucked in a breath and before crying herself to sleep on the filthy mattress, waking up just before the sun rose.

My stomach's growling.

She paced the room, searched the cupboards for a pack of chips, anything, but there was nothing to be found. Finally, around noon, she poked a head out into the hall. From further down, music was playing, but no one seemed to be around. She stepped out, stuffing a hand into her pocket, and her fingers touched a wadded up piece of paper, and she pulled it out. It was two dollar bills that had obviously been through the wash in the depth of the pocket.

Two bucks will buy me something, at least.

Heading back down the stairs, she tried to think of where to get food, but the only place she'd noticed in game was the diner. A few blocks out and she might find a corner store, but somehow going past the limits of the game seemed terrifying. At least the few streets here were familiar.

She shielded her eyes coming out of the doorway. The sun baked down onto the alleyway. In the light of day, things seemed more worn down, crumbling brick facades, litter and graffiti. The game had always been in the permanent night, which had given it an edgy grittiness. Now, it was just sad.

Keeping to the streets, Olivia kept her head down and her hands stuffed into her pockets, avoiding eye contact with everyone until she got to the diner. She passed by Foxy Boxes, where the boss battle with a Keiu Jin would happen. She didn't look across the street where the Asylum club lay empty for the day.

Everywhere is dangerous.

When she got inside, she shuffled to the counter, not even looking up, and sat on a sticky, plastic stool. The menu was laminated, but coated in grease, and she scanned down it, trying to figure out her best deal.

"What can I get you honey?"

Olivia looked up. The woman standing in front of her was pudgy, and older, reading glasses dangling from a necklace. In the game, she hadn't seemed as tired as she did now, but she was still smiling slightly.

"What can I get for two dollars?" Olivia asked.

"Breakfast special? Two eggs, a sausage link and a slice of toast."

"I'll get that then," she fished the bills back out of her pocket and smoothed them on the counter. The waitress watched this with a frown before jotting down the order and handing it over to the cook.

Olivia sighed and looked around finally. In the light of day the diner wasn't too intimidating. Sure, the linoleum was worn thin and the windows had a bit of grime on them, but it didn't feel like a horror setting. The few people there looked beyond rough, but they weren't monsters, not vampires.

"Here you go, one breakfast special." The waitress said, plunking a plate down in front of Olivia, along with a cup of coffee and a cup of orange juice.

"Oh, if drinks are extra, I don't have..."

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't a fresh pot anyway, and you look like you could use a good meal." The waitress winked before she looked away.

It was only then that Olivia noticed the extra slice of toast, the little wrapped jelly packet. She dug in, the first meal in twenty four hours tasting wonderful. As she mopped up the last of the egg yolk with a corner of the toast, the waitress came back.

"Hey, I can tell you're not from around here. Most people here are junkies and low lives."

"No, I'm not. I just kind of found myself here."

"How'd you get that cut on your head? You in trouble? Boyfriend?"

"Oh... I..." Olivia shifted uncomfortably, but the waitress seemed to take this as confirmation.

"Look, you need something else to eat, you come back here and help me out. I could always use for the tables to be bussed and the dishes done. My back isn't what it used to be. I'll make sure that you have something to eat, ok?" She smiled and patted Olivia's hand "My name's Doris."

"I'm Olivia... thank you, I'll think about it."

She looked around a little bit more on the way back to the apartment, strange how familiar it all was, but so alien.

It's unnerving.

She didn't stop until she was back inside the apartment, but as she went to open the door, she eyed the newspaper on the neighbor's doorstep and snatched it up. Once back inside, she locked the door and pushed the end table against it, then settled down on the mattress, spreading the paper out in front of her.

February 3, 2004

Geez. She wondered what would happen if she contacted her family. Is there a duplicate of her out there, still in middle school? They wouldn't believe it was her, and she's not the same person as she was.

Did she really exist?

That bothered her more than it should have as she flipped through the pages of the newspaper. It was a strange read. This world was worse than her own, more violent, more depressing. The scandals of politicians seemed turned up to eleven, the crimes described were darker. Looking at it with the knowledge of the reality of the game's world, full of monsters, she could see the tell tale traces in the news. A deadly sink hole had the fingerprints of a coverup. The politician's speech seemed obviously controlled. The missing person's ad took up half a page, the obituaries were littering with strange deaths.

I wish I'd paid more attention to the books. Werewolves, vampires, murder cults, faeries, mages, zombies...

Olivia frowned, trying to remember where she had read was the most dangerous, but it seemed like everywhere was a downright deadly place to be a human. Especially one with no money, no identification, a vagrant. She could disappear without anyone noticing, and that was not somewhere you wanted to be in a world where mortals were often little more than playthings.

She frowned and turned the page on the newspaper again. There, a little blurb at the bottom of one of the society pages caught her eye.

Ancient Artifact Will Be Joining Permanent Collection at Natural History Museum

A massive stone sarcophagus, recently unearthed by noted archeologist Dr. Ingvar Johansen recently made waves through the historical community. The Museum of Natural History is proud to announce that had it has acquired the sarcophagus for its permanent collection. The artifact will be arriving at the end of the month, and will be studied by museum staff, with assistance from the California Institute of Technology. Select donors will be allowed access prior to permanent exhibition...

Olivia sat back, processing this information. Odd thing, that. It meant the events of the game hadn't even happened yet. And she might not have money or identification, but she did know the course of the game fairly well. Right now, she knew the supernatural threats of the surrounding few blocks well, the serial killer at the end of the street. If she laid low, avoided them, she could survive here in Santa Monica fairly well. It would give her time to figure out her next steps, whatever that may be.

She flipped another page of the newspaper, chuckling at an ad for LaCroix industries.

I may be an NPC, but I'm going to be a smart NPC.

Chapter Text

The doorway to Tripp's Pawnshop underneath the apartments was barred by a locking grate you had to be buzzed through. The man behind the fenced in counter, a dark haired man with a leather vest on, barely glanced at her before pushing the button.

"Hey, uh, is Tripp in?"

"Nah. He's working nights."

"Oh, I won't be around then. So, uhm. I'm in apartment 506 upstairs?" Olivia left the question hang. She wasn't even sure what she was doing right now, just thinking that maybe understanding her lodging situation would have answers.

"Cha. Yah?" The clerk glanced up with pink squinting eyes. His voice was more vocal fry than actual words.

"Uhm. I was curious about my... rent?"

"Yah. You're paid until the end of next month. Why?"

"Oh, that's... I paid for it?"

"Uh, yah."

"Oh, that's... nice. Thank you."

Olivia stepped back out, officially having more questions than answers about how she ended up here. Still, she wasn't homeless for two months, which was something.

How many weeks did the events of the game take?

Of course the game seemed to take place in one permanent night, but she was staring up at the sun, so her own time seemed to move more normally. There was back and forth, traveling, people to be met, side-quests... It had to naturally take place over the better part of several months, if only that. Hopefully, she could figure something out in the meantime.

But now? It was early afternoon, and she had finished both the crossword puzzle and the jumble in the newspaper. The boredom was making her hungry, and Doris's offer seemed good. She headed down the street and to the diner.

"Well, look who's back," Doris said as she entered.

"I'm going to take you up on working, but I need to be home before the sun sets."

If Doris thought that was unusual, she didn't say anything. "Dishes in the back from lunch, there's a fresh set of gloves back there, help yourself. We used to call them dish pan hands, you're too young for that."

It took her about an hour to scrub down the dishes from lunch and set them to dry. Then, while Doris headed to the bathroom, she started to wipe down the counters with a damp cloth. When she turned, Doris was behind her making an appreciative cluck.

"Harry, get this girl whatever she wants. Just saved my back. My sciatica acts up whenever I wipe those down."

"You work long hours." Olivia responded as she took a seat at the counter.

"Have to. I gotta keep this place going. I'm here from breakfast til dinner."

Olivia nodded, feeling genuinely bad for the elderly woman, and picked herself out a cheeseburger and fries off the menu. No reason to eat light when you're an expendible sprite.

"You don't work overnights?"

"No, Jason works nights."

Olivia frowned. That wasn't like in the game, where Doris was a fixture hunched over the cash register. But she soon tucked into the burger and let it slip from her mind. As she dipped the last fry into ketchup, she glanced up at the clock.

"Oh... I gotta go. Sorry Doris... I want to be back before the sun is down."

Stayed out too late.

The sunset was creating red streaks across the sky. An employee was sweeping up outside the Asylum, and she knew that somewhere deep inside, the twin kindred were about to wake up. Too dangerous. She slipped past and into the apartment, only feeling safe when the door was securely locked and barricaded.

From the window of the apartment, she could see a single slice of sky, turning purple. Any other time, it would be pretty, and she'd love to go down to the beach to watch it over the sea.

The beach, where there's thin bloods and a meth house?

No, better to stay here. She curled up on the mattress, wishing she had a blanket, and fell asleep.

The next day, she headed out when the sun seemed high enough. She got to the diner just after the breakfast rush and cleaned the dishes. There were no customers, so she ran a mop over the floors out front. The floor was so dirty she had to change the mop water three times just through the dining area.

"Haven't been able to clean under the booths in a while. My knees, you know? Sit down, have a cup of coffee. You're making me tired watching you."

Doris took a seat next to her at the counter. The coffee was thick as oil, and Olivia had to dump a half dozen creamers into it to lighten it up. Doris drank hers black.

"Anything else been neglected?"

"Oh, I'm sure. The health inspector always has a list, but it's easier to give him fifty dollars to go away than clean it. I'm not up to it. Jason's supposed to work on it when we're dead at night, but getting that boy to work is its own job."

"I'll see what I can do. I used to binge watch Kitchen Nightmares and pretend I was Gordon Ramsey."

"Kitchen Nightmares?" Doris said confused.

"It's a show that... Oh... Oh my god. That hasn't aired yet, has it? It's 2004... I...." Olivia's hands shook as she took a deep swig of her coffee while Doris stared at her confused.

"It's 2004, yeah honey. You okay?"

"I'm fine. I... I'm gonna go see how bad the fridge is before the lunch rush."

It was bad. Bad enough that after throwing away a terrifying box of breaded chicken that had all but become a new life form, Olivia realized she'd need far more time than she had before the lunch rush came in. This was going to be a job for tomorrow.

I went to a fantasy world and worked at a greasy spoon. Kind of depressing. At least it's keeping my mind off of things.

She dashed out when the dinner crowd started coming in, eyes scanning the sky glad to see the sun still up.

I can do this.

The next day, when she came in, Doris smiled and reached under the counter. "Here, so you don't get those clothes dirty."

It was a slightly faded tshirt with Santa Monica Diner written across the back and a pair of cotton pants. The elastic was crunchy on the inside of the waistband, but she pulled it tight with the drawstring.

"If you want, I can wash those clothes you had on?" Doris said "You've been wearing them a few days."

Olivia smiled, and handed over the pile with a thank you, and started in on the breakfast dishes. When she finished, with a sigh, she opened the fridge.

The next hour wasn't something she ever wanted to do again. There was sludge that used to be vegetables. There was mystery drippings down the back. There were an entire containers that seemed to be nothing but varieties of mold. Lifting the rubber mat, she stared at the dark orange stains and struggled to keep down her breakfast. It all went straight out to the dumpster, then she had to take a minute in the bathroom to compose herself.

When she came out and sat at the counter, Doris set a small pile of bills and change in front of her.

"What's this?"

"Your part of the tips from breakfast. You deserve it for the work you're doing, kid."

I could save up. Have enough money to travel and do something...

"Thanks, thanks Doris."

"You don't have family or anything I can get ahold of for you?

"I don't think I have anyone. I'm kind of afraid to check. I'm on my own." She picked up the money "This helps. Let's get ready for lunch."

By the time she headed back that night, she had twenty dollars to her name and a clean outfit. Doris had even given her a sheet for the mattress. It wasn't much, but it felt better.

"Dammit Mike, I told you, this was the last time!"

"It is the last time, baby. I promise you."

The voices down the hall were raised and Olivia paused to listen.

"I'm not gonna bail you out again, you gotta get a real job."

"I will Marian, I promise baby. I do."

"I had to put my car up. How am I gonna get to work? You gotta stop being around those guys."

"I will, baby, I promise, this is the last time. Come here baby...."

Olivia rolled her eyes. Poor Marian.

I don't need to know the game to know that's going to turn out poorly.

Chapter Text

When Olivia got in the next morning, Doris looked ready to fall over with exhaustion

"You okay?"

"Jason didn't show last night again. Had to work all night. That boy is fired, if he does show up again. I'm going to have to close the place down overnight. It's gonna be the death of this place, we're barely keeping the lights on....."

"Doris. Go home. I got this. I can run the place."

The older woman hesitated, so Olivia set a hand on her shoulder.

"I got this, seriously. You need the sleep, and I can run the breakfast and lunch shifts until you get a new employee. We'll keep the doors open."

"Oh... all right. Harry's gonna have to count the tips though, okay? You get half." Doris pulled herself up with creaking joints and shuffled towards the door. "Oh, a purse got left here. I put it under the counter. Such a sweet girl, I hope she comes back for it."

Olivia stared at the purse for a moment. Lily's. One of the major side quests in Santa Monica was tracking her down.

Weird. I had almost forgotten this was a game.

She tied on an apron and grabbed a dish towel, but thankfully the busy lunch crowd soon meant she didn't think too hard about it. Tips were okay, and handling the customers meant she didn't get much cleaning done. The last few days there'd been a bunch of cops as customers, but none of them seemed to be around for lunch, just the tweakers and the homeless looking for a cup of coffee.

All in a day's work.

Doris came back right after the dinner crowd arrived, and Olivia grabbed a grilled cheese to go and headed back to the apartment as the sun set. She flopped on the edge of the mattress, pulled her shoes off of her aching feet and started to unwrap the sandwich.

Creak, thump.

Something made a loud noise next door. Olivia froze. That was coming from room 508, the player apartment in the game. No one was in there...

But then more thumps, the sound of footsteps through the paper-thin walls. Then the tv turned on, the news blasting. The door cracked open, and she could hear the person head into the hall.

Breathlessly, Olivia crawled over to the door, trying to make no noise, and pressed her eye to the crack of the door. Across from her, a woman walked into view, grabbing the newspaper from the doorstep across the hall and flipping through it for a moment before tossing it back down and casually opening the apartment door and gazing around.

She's gorgeous.

There was something so effortless about the way she moved, it was feline, liquid. The little movement of straightening the page of the newspaper had more grace in it than a dancer. She wore a late 90s style club outfit, a belly baring shirt and leopard print pants in shades of purple. But there was something else, something enrapturing about her. As she stepped out of view, Olivia almost flung open the door to follow her before the momentary spell broke.

The player character.

Specifically, the Toreador character model, in the flesh. A vampire, next door. Olivia took a step back. She knew this was going to happen, but somehow the reality was shocking.

With a shaky hand, she reached out to throw the lock, hugging herself. Then, she raced to the window. Below, the Toreador handed a bill to the homeless man outside and walked down the alley with a confident swagger.

It's real. It's all so real, just like the game...

And so ironic that she had just played a Toreador character. Which... Olivia's mind froze. What if it was her character? She paced the room.

I have to find out.

Hesitantly, Olivia unlocked the door and stepped out. Chances were the Toreador wouldn't be home for a while, but she'd still have to be quick. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the next room.

The apartment was the same as it was every time Olivia had started a new game. Decrepit, but with a better view of Santa Monica. The tv still blared the evening news, a pizza was rotting on the counter. The source of the thumps was apparent here, huge pieces of plywood lay on the walls, where they had evidently been torn down from where they were hung covering the windows. But most importantly, a laptop was open on the desk.

Olivia pressed a key to turn off the screen saver, and the green, blocky text came up. "LaCroix Industries, Secure Intranet. 5 emails, 0 unread" She blinked and looked at the bottom. "Amelia@home"

Amelia.

It was her character. She was in the last game she played. No wonder the Toreador had walked out of here with so much swagger, she was being run by a player who knew exactly where to go and what to do. Amelia, who was walking out of here with every confidence and nothing to fear, ready to take on the city.

That bitch!

Chapter Text

Three days later, Olivia grumbled as she hung an out of order sign on the bathroom door. For the pennies in tips she was getting, she wasn't going to deal with the overflowing toilet. Besides, she was in a foul mood and exhausted

Her new next door neighbor kept the tv on and slammed the doors at all times of the night. Meanwhile, Olivia kept herself barricaded in the room, terrified of the literal monsters.

She picked up a fresh pot of coffee and walked over to where the cops were sitting in a booth.

"You shouldda seen it. Whole place downstairs was horror show, blood and medical equipment. Turns out the whole prosthetic thing was a kink."

"You figure it was him did the killing at the dock?"

"Nah, from what the bounty hunter said, he lured them in. Still don't know how he managed to take him out with the injuries..."

She scowled as she poured their refills. That was the other thing. The gossip, the newspaper, all had the second hand stories of Amelia's escapades as she blazed her way through Santa Monica doing all the familiar sidequests. And in the meantime, all Olivia had done was wage a failing war against the cockroaches under the sink.

I just gotta see this whole NPC thing through with my head down. Get together enough money to go somewhere safe...

Although she still didn't know exactly where that would be, or how. She slammed the coffee pot back in place a bit more forcefully than neccessary.

"Hey girlie, that's caffeine abuse."

She looked up to see a guy sitting at the counter, dark haired, a jacket on featuring a painted smiling Dracula. He grinned at her.

You've got to be kidding me.

"You stressed? Oh man. I know. Lots of nuts stuff going on around here. My name's Knox."

"Olivia. Yeah, there is a lot going on."

"I bet you hear all the gossip, huh? Like those cops? Geez. They must see some stuff."

"They were talking about the dead guy over at prosthetic place."

"What? Whoa, that's like crazy!" He grinned again, and she had to admit he was good looking in a laid back way, with emerald green eyes. "There's crazy stuff everywhere, it's like... wow!"

"You have no idea." She laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling.

Am I seriously flirting with a nosferatu's ghoul?

"Like, what's the craziest thing you've heard from a customer? Like, the crazy fake arm guy's gotta be the weirdest, right?"

Olivia hesitated. There was lots she had overheard, but she kind of wanted to impress him with some really good gossip, and that meant relying on game information. She grinned and leaned in conspiratorially, dropping her voice

"The Ocean House Hotel is super haunted by an actual axe murderer who killed his family."

For a moment, she noticed Knox's eyes flick, but then he leaned back in surprise "Oh man, you're kidding, right? Who told you that?"

"I know stuff."

"Right, like, oh geez. You hear anything else?"

She was thinking for a moment, almost having too much information to give him when the drunk on the far side of the bar started banging his empty glass on the table. Giving Knox an apologetic glance, she headed over. When she came back, he was gone, a twenty under the plate.

Biggest tip I've gotten all day.

That night, as she heard the plywood being pulled off the windows next door, Olivia had a newspaper spread over the floor, tapping a pen on a blank pad of paper.

What order did I do the sidequests in last time?

She had held off on Knox's quest until she had more experience points, she thought. It was odd, thinking about stats and points when she was working through something in the real world, but her memory seemed to hold out to the sequence of events.

There in the paper was mention of the situation at Gimble's Prosthetic two nights prior. A break in at Foxy Boxes had only happened the previous night though. Lilly's purse had been missing from the diner. There couldn't be too much more time in Santa Monica for Amelia. And once she got to downtown, she'd get the lodgings there, and Olivia would at least be out a noisy neighbor.

Across the hall, Amelia was playing the message on Marian's answering machine. Olivia flopped down on the mattress and sighed, waiting for her to leave so she could go to sleep.

Two days later, the new hire for the overnight shift came in to do a little training. Olivia was tired of hearing the cops talk about the paintings slashed at the gallery, so she stepped out to sweep off the front steps, enjoying the sunshine.

"Scuse me? I was wondering, I mean, could I ask a favor?"

Olivia turned and gaped when she realized who was talking. The young redhead was unmistakable in a yellow shirt and flared jeans. Heather Poe, the character whose life the player saves by ghouling. She quickly wipes the surprise off of her face and steadies herself.

"What do you need?"

"I need to hang up a missing person poster. I mean, she's not really missing. It's just that I want to find her. I have to find her. It's, she's important." Heather stammered a bit, and bit her lip.

In her hand were a pile of photocopied adverts, and Olivia reached forward and grabbed one. Amelia's face was drawn on the front of each, a phone number underneath.

"That's a really good drawing."

"Thanks, I'm an art student. Or, at least I was. Now I just want to find her. I'm like, not a stalker or anything. It's just I gotta find her, someone has to know..." Heather's eyes were beginning to tear up.

Dammit, I can't stand when people cry.

"Look... I might. I know where she is."

Heather's face lit up at this, and for a split second Olivia thought she might kiss her. "Where? Is she okay? Did she mention me?"

I don't want her at my apartment. Have to delay her until Amelia moves...

"She's okay. Look, she's going to be out of town, busy for a bit. But if you wait a week I know just where she will be. Downtown, there's a place called Venture Towers, there's a company called LaCroix there. Just wait for her there and she'll come by, okay? I promise."

She had barely finished speaking when Heather threw her arms around her in a hug "Oh my god, thank you, I don't know how I'll wait a whole week!"

"Whoa, it's okay. I guess... it's okay. You're welcome."

Olivia shook her head and turned to head back into the diner when she caught a glimpse of Knox standing to one side of the diner, finishing off a cigarette. He waved at her with a grin, then headed down the street.

Apparently, today just has a lot of ghouls in it.

As she started up a new pot of coffee, she sighed. Heather basically would become completely obsessed with Amelia, totally a blood bound slave, just existing in her apartment.

If I hadn't told her, she'd have just found Amelia anyway.

But... that wasn't true, was it? In the game, Heather shows up outside Venture Towers. But how did she know where to find the main character? Olivia racked her brain. Was it ever spelled out in game? She didn't think it was. Just that someone had told her where to find the main character.

I'm the someone.

Olivia blinked. Maybe she wasn't just a non playable character in a game. Maybe she was influencing things. After all, she had been the one who made sure the diner was open overnight. Things wouldn't exist this way unless she had set them in motion.

She sat down at the counter. What was the next thing that would happen in game? After the paintings were slashed, Amelia would go talk to Therese. And then, there would be a shoot out in the diner.

Olivia left early that afternoon, a quickly scrawled letter to Doris "There will be trouble at the diner tonight. Go home. Be safe."

In the apartment, Olivia listened as Amelia got up for the night, huddled on the mattress. The Toreador would be going to the Asylum before the night was out. Then she'd head to meet Bertram Tung, and blow up the warehouse.

But I'll get downtown before you, Amelia. I'm not going to be an NPC anymore.

Chapter Text

The lengthy bus ride from Santa Monica cost $10 and was nearly empty this time of the day. Up front, a woman clutched a plastic bag and muttered to herself. In the back, a guy was drooped over, smelling of urine and Olivia wasn't sure if he was asleep or dead. She sat in the middle.

She wasn't sure what she was doing. Sure, this seemed like a great idea when she told Doris she was taking off. The older woman was a mess about the shootout in the diner, and hadn't argued too much.

I'm spending most of my money to just go downtown and I don't even have a plan.

She rested her head against the window and realized the view outside was becoming familiar. There, the abandoned hospital where she knew Pisha was hiding out, looking more run down and covered in trash in the light of day. The bus slowed down on the next block, coming to a stop in front of the library, and Olivia got up.

In the daylight, the streets were fairly busy, and it was almost a shock compared to the somewhat empty version she was used to from the game. Teens sat smoking on the fence of the library, a homeless guy was asleep on the bench, and cars zipped by down the street. Olivia turned and looked up at the black statues flanking the entrance to the towering Venture Building, home of the price, LaCroix.

No, that would be crazy.

She had to influence this situation somehow, just to prove to herself that she could, but walking straight into a vampire's haven wasn't ever safe. Shoving her hands down into the pockets of her hoodie, she started walking. Rounding the corner of the library she walked down the sidewalk under the reaching hands of the gargoyles.

In the game, it only took a moment or two to walk down this street, but here it seemed massive. More buildings, somehow, even though everything was familiar.

Somewhere up ahead, someone tossed a beer bottle out of a car, and she looked up to see the nightclub The Confession in the distance, still over a block away. There'd be a quest there to take out a Russian mobster, certainly not something that Olivia could influence.

What quests would be downtown?

She pondered this, then turned and backtracked into the library. A large information desk was inside, staffed by an overwhelmed looking older man.

"Hi, do you have a local map?"

He dug under the counter for a moment, and handed her one while already getting up to chase off some teenagers from the lobby. She settled down into a chair and scanned for familiar places.

Skyline apartments. Have to chase down that guy there, but I'm not about to talk to Pisha. Historic Hallowbrook Hotel. That's all overrun by Sabbat. Nocturne Theater, that's where Amelia's sire would have been killed, not much there...

"Excuse me?" Olivia looked up to see the valley girl accent came from a young woman standing over her, holding a clipboard. "I'm from Cal Tech? We're helping with public health information? Do you, like, want a free pamphlet?"

"Oh, sure." She reached out and took it, a glossy thick thing with "Help Prevent the Spread of Disease" and the logo of the CDC on the cover. "Is this about the epidemic?"

"Yeah? There's, like, more reported cases everyday? People have even died? We're tying to educate people to stop it? But, you know, no one knows how it spreads yet?"

Olivia flipped the pamphlet open to see instructions to wash your hands, cover your cough, not share drinks, and pasted to the back was a wrapped condom.

I know how it spreads.

"Thank you. This was really helpful."

A moment later, she had a blank piece of paper from the front desk and quickly wrote down a letter

"Dear Mr. Strauss,

I know the Tremere are looking for the source of the plague. There are a few kindred plague bearers from a cult called the Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle. One is a woman named Jezebel who is in the Empire Arms hotel and has been spreading it to prostitutes. Also, there is a guy named Brother Kanker who is in the sewers. But the source is in a crackhouse with a star and skull graffiti outside. The cult's leader is called Bishop Vick.

I hope this helps."

Best not to sign it.

Instead she just folded it inside the pamphlet. Which left the question of how to deliver it? The Tremere Chantry didn't seem like the sort of place to send mail.

So, instead, she got up and headed back down the street. The walk took unexpectedly long, and she kept having to double check she was headed in the right direction. Downtown in the real world was less condensed. But she knew the way well enough, and kept to the far side of the road from the Sabbat-overrun Hallowbrook Hotel.

It should be around here somewhere.

In game, the chantry was fairly easy to find, a magical vortex swirling at the top. But maybe that was only visible to kindred eyes. She paused at an intersection, ignoring the looks from a group of guys across the street, and scanned down the road.

If she didn't know what she was looking for, she wouldn't have seen it. The building blended, same as it does in the game, but more importantly, it was like her eyes wanted to sweep past it to the buildings beyond. Staring at it was difficult, like holding two magnets together wrong way round. The windows were freakishly dark, the entire building feeling slightly wrong somehow.

She shivered and crossed the street, but as she hit the opposite sidewalk, it was like her feet didn't want to go any further. Her eyes stopped focusing as she stepped forward.

I just have to deliver this.

Pressure built in her head with the next step. Her temples throbbed.

Just deliver the letter.

She almost skirted sideways with the step up towards the door. The air was thick, pushing her back.

I can't do this.

The letter fell from her hand, onto the doormat, and she spun around. Each step away lessened the pressure until she was across the street, covered in sweat, exhausted.

Blood magic.

Uninvited humans evidently weren't supposed to get that close to the chantry. She leaned against a light post, feeling drained for a long moment. Then, she forced herself to look up at the chantry again.

It was even more difficult this time, as though every bit of her was fighting looking at the building. But she was surprised to see the door crack open and a bookish looking man step out, pick up the letter and sweep back into the entrance. Her eyes dropped again, and she felt ready to pass out.

At least the message was recieved.

The bus ride back to the apartment was another ten dollars, the same man still slouched unmoving in the back. Olivia fought the urge to doze off the whole ride, completely without energy. When she got back, she was asleep as soon as she hit the mattress, Amelia's loud evening routine not even waking her up.

What did rouse her was a few hours later when she heard an explosion that rattled the windows. She cracked an eye open and smiled. Amelia had, finally, blown up the Sabbat warehouse.

Chapter Text

The explosion at the warehouse was all anyone talked about the next day at the diner. The cops were puzzled by some of what they saw. The teens all knew someone who had been running with the gang there. More than a few locals had woken up to bits of the warehouse blown out onto the street in front of their house or windows busted in. Sure, there were still bullet holes from the shoot out in the diner, but the massive explosion had taken over.

Olivia dropped a sandwich in front of an older woman and glanced over as the door chimed. It was Knox, sauntering up to the counter, a newspaper under one arm.

"Hey girlie. You hear the big boom last night?"

"Yeah, it woke me up. Everyone's been talking about it."

"Really? Like, oh man, what are they saying? Anyone know who did it?"

I do. So do you.

"No one here has said anything. What's the newspaper say?"

He spread it out on the counter "Not much. Funny pages are pretty good though."

Olivia laughed and scanned the headlines "Papers never said much, no wonder they're going to go bankrupt soon..."

"Newspaper? Nah. Oh hey, you know how you said something about that hotel? They're starting work, fixing it."

"That must make Therese happy."

"Therese?" Knox was looking at her directly now, head cocked to the side.

"Yeah, woman who owns the club across the street owns it, doesn't she?"

"Yeah. You overheard that, huh?"

"Yeah, something like that..."

She moved the newspaper to set down his hamburger. then noticed the main headline, about the murders on the Elizabeth Dane. The report was short, little was known, police were investigating. The Ankharan Sarcophagus was being transported for more research...

She didn't realize how long she was reading until she looked up and saw Knox looking at her closely. "You like those mummy coffins and stuff?"

"Nah, it's just weird, you know."

"Yeah. Weird."

She suddenly felt uncomfortable, so she quickly set the ketchup in front of him, trying to avoid him as she turned to the kitchen, but he seemed keen to pull her back into conversation. "So you had off yesterday?"

"Took a day to get some stuff done. Errands, you know."

"Yeah, damn, I have so many errands to run, I get you. You're new in town, like, right?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Where you staying, girl?"

Olivia's eyes narrow "Around."

"Ah man! You don't trust me? Not like I'm some creeper or something."

No, you're just the information gathering ghoul for the local Nosferatu.

"I don't tell customers where I live."

Knox leaned back with a winning smile, "I get you, I get it." Olivia took the opportunity to help other customers. She was glad when Knox cashed out, leaving a decent tip behind. He just seemed to be digging a little, it made her uncomfortable.

Doris was a bit late getting in that afternoon. She started counting out the day's tips as Olivia tossed her apron on the hook in the back. The sun was a bit lower in the sky than she'd like as she left, which was ironically the only reason she noticed she was being followed.

The light had made the windows of the diner a near perfect mirror, and it was in that reflection that she saw Knox step out behind her. He wasn't hiding behind anything, he just had stepped out of nowhere. Now, he was keeping pace a few feet back from her.

A cold chill went down her spine, it had been so unnatural. She paused at the intersection, turning around, sure she would see him there. But the sidewalk was empty.

Shit.

He was following her. He must have some sort of low level obfuscate, invisible when he was still with supernatural ghoul abilities. Of course he was. She just let on she was interested in multiple things of kindred interest. She'd been an idiot. Now, if he found out that she lived next door to Amelia...

I can't let him follow me home.

Instead of heading to the apartment, she hung a hard right, heading past a smoke shop. She'd never been this way before, passing under an overpass with piles of sleeping bags and grocery bags, a few homeless people huddled in the middle. On the other side, there were a line of buildings with barred windows. She paused at the intersection, looking as a bus went by. His reflection was still behind her. She crossed the road, and stooped to tie her shoelaces. No one behind her.

I have no idea where I'm going.

Can't let him know that though. She walked with confidence, as though this was the path she took every day, not pausing to look around her. Occasionally, she'd hear the faintest step behind her, but she didn't react. Ten minutes later, she spied a gas station with a little convience store attached that was open. She beelined in.

Olivia made a point of wandering the few aisles, looping back on herself, hoping to see him if he had followed her in. Finally, she piled up a few things at the bulletproof divider at the counter, and as she paid, pointed to the back "Can I have a key to the bathroom?"

As soon as she was out of sight of the front of the store, she instead turned and pushed out the back door, quickly turning into a down the alley and looping back another block away. No sound of footsteps behind her. She paused and caught her breath.

I'm so lost.

She picked a direction that seemed like it would lead back to the area she knew well. The sun had set. Olivia hugged herself. She'd outmaneuvered a ghoul for now, but somewhere there would be vampires and creepies coming out, as well as all the normal threats of being out on the street all alone.

It was a relief when she spied a sign for the Asylum, and followed the arrow back. She retraced her steps under the overpass and she stopped short.

A taxi cab was sitting in the spot so familiar, a dark haired man behind the wheel. The cab driver was a bit of a enigma in the game. A lot of players thought he was supposed to be Caine, the first vampire.

Even if he's not, I don't want to mess with him.

Olivia skirted the other side of the street as far from the cab as she could, keeping a close eye on it as she turned down the alley shortcut back to the apartment. As a result, she nearly collided with Amelia, who was striding the other way.

Olivia gasped and stepped back, but the Toreador ignored her. It was like she would have trampled straight over her if she hadn't moved, never giving the human a second glance.

Arrogant vampire.

Olivia balled up her fists and turned to watch her go. Amelia got to the cab and flipped her hair, face lighting up with a smile "Downtown."

And hopefully, she won't come back.

Chapter Text

Olivia stepped out of the shower and glared at the wall to her neighbor's apartment. She hadn't heard Amelia come back before dawn, which hopefully meant that she was settled into her new place downtown. Living next to a vampire was nerve wracking when you were nothing more than a tasty potential snack.

Maybe she was still there, windows boarded up against the morning sun, laying like a corpse. But if she's downtown already, it meant the plot of the game had moved forward. Olivia was still conflicted about her next steps, but without knowing for sure

I have to look.

It wasn't exactly safe, walking into a vampire's room, even if they were asleep. Olivia took a deep breath before opening the door to the shoddy apartment.

Light still streamed through the windows as no one had bothered to put up the plywood covers on them. The apartment was empty.

Good.

Amelia wouldn't have a reason to come back here until the end of the events of the game. Olivia sighed a breath of relief, then absentmindedly picked around the apartment. It was so strange, being here in this room. Not only because it was so familiar to her, but knowing that an actual, supernatural, damned and dead vampire had been sleeping here for the past two weeks. Not only that, but one Olivia had named and designed, not knowing she would later be fearing and hating them.

Thank god I didn't play a Malkavian. This would only be crazier.

Nothing in the room was a surprise to her: a leftover note or two tucked in the desk from earlier, a poster, a laptop. She paused at the latter. It could be nice having one when she went to get out of here. A way to work and communicate, or to pawn if money got tight.

But it was a bit risky keeping it in her apartment... She picked it up and deposited it into the duffel bag from her apartment, then took the whole thing with her to the diner. It was busy for that time of the morning, and Doris seemed overwhelmed.

"Keep an eye on the money bags in the corner. I don't trust him. He's got one of those fancy cellphones on him."
"In ten years, everyone will have a cell phone, Doris," Olivia replied.

Doris scoffed "Yeah, and hoverboards too, huh?"

Olivia smiled but glanced over at the corner. The guy did seem out of place. Flashy expensive clothes and gold jewelry, he was drumming his finger and jerking his head up every time the door opened. He was glaring at his gold watch as Olivia walked up.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Just a refill."

"You waiting on someone?"

The guy looked her over for a minute, then turned on a flirtatious smile and leaned back "Yeah I am sweetie. Friend of mine named Mercurio. He stood me up last week, keeping an eye out for him."

"Mercurio?" Olivia replied, incredulous. Mercurio was a ghoul in the game, one of the first NPCs the character meets, after he is attacked by drug dealers.

"Yeah, you know him, huh?"

"No. Sort of, in passing. He was- uhm- unwell. He got hurt last week. That's probably why he didn't meet you."

"Unwell, huh? You do know him. Never thought brunettes were his type."

Olivia turned red and sputtered and the guy laughed. She retreated a few steps back behind the bar.

Asshole

It was probably best she hadn't said anything in reply. Mercurio was a fixer with all sorts of shady connections. Whoever this guy was, he probably was trouble.

Doris was right.

Olivia retreated to the kitchen and glanced at the burgers Harry was grilling up, nearly finished. Beside her, Doris yawned.

"I guess I'm off then. By the way, tell your guy that he can't hang out here all the time."

"My guy?"

"You know, green eyes, dark hair, Dracula jacket. He was here all morning, asking about you. Must have left just before you showed up." Doris grabbed her purse and headed for the door, leaving Olivia glancing around the room in a panic.

Is Knox here, is he spying on me?

She must have made too much of an impression that he thought she deserved to be monitored. She absentmindedly grabbed a rag and started wiping down the tables and the benches, trying to make sure he wasn't lurking somewhere invisibly. As she took the plate out to the waiting burgers to the little old men in the front booth, she made a point to skirt the walls. After a few minutes, she was relatively sure the small diner didn't have anyone unseen hiding about.

It took her a while to relax, still dealing with the leers of the guy in the corner every time he tapped his glass to get a refill.

I'm not being careful enough.

In the corner, the guy was on his cell phone, too quiet for her to hear. As soon as he hung up, he stood, and she stepped up to intercede him. The grin he gave her was nauseating.

"Hey, what I said about Mercurio being hurt? Don't tell him that, okay?"

"Why's that sweetie? It some big secret?"

The answer was yes, it was. Mercurio tried to keep the story of his failure from the vampire LaCroix, and would beg the player not to betray him. In fact, if you ratted on him, he would be killed and disappear from the game. If he thought that information might leak thanks to a greasy spoon diner, well...

He'd kill me to keep LaCroix from finding out.

"Yeah, it kinda is. Look. I appreciate it... Just don't tell him..."

He laughed in a condescending sort of way "Yeah, yeah I hear you. But you know Mercurio is a hard man to keep secrets from. Hey, you ever want to get out of this diner, you give me a call, right?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, then pulled a bill out and stuffed both in her apron pocket with a wink.

Olivia scowled after him, and headed behind the counter and crumpled the business card into the trash. The money though, she seperated, then stopped with a quick intake of breath. It was a hundred dollar bill. Almost a week's worth of tips from here.

Skeevy.

But he was gone already, no giving it back. Olivia took a breath and deposited the dirty glass with the dish washing. What had he meant by saying that Mercurio was hard to keep secrets from?

Unless he has some powers, like Knox does...

Dominate. LaCroix used it a lot in the game, and it would mean that Mercurio was a very dangerous sort of person to have information about.

Olivia suddenly felt very exposed by the windows all around the diner, and stepped into the back.

I shouldn't have gotten involved.

She was on edge all through her shift, not helped by the fact that she drank a ton of the sludge they called coffee. Thankfully Doris was in a little early.

"Hey, you mind if I bounce right away? I'm not feeling good."

"You want some chicken noodle soup to go?"

"Nah, same pot's been on the burner since I started here, it will only make things worse."

Doris responded with a dry sort of laugh that turned into a smoker's cough and waved her out.

The sun being high in the sky didn't seem so comforting anymore, considering all her concerns were from daylight operating ghouls, but it was still nice to walk home. She juggled the duffel opening the door, then paused. In the past two weeks, she hadn't really noticed the mailboxes, but sure enough, there was her last name, Moore.

I wonder if I've gotten any mail?

She pulled the box open, flipping through a few advertisements and pieces of junk mail addressed to "resident" when she stopped.

At the bottom of the pile was an odd sort of thick paper envelope, like parchment. There was no address, just "Ms. Moore" scrolled on the outside, the back sealed with a dab of wax.

A cold chill went down her spine, but her hands hadn't started to work to open when she heard a thump coming from upstairs, followed by a curse in a New York accent.

Without thinking, Olivia slammed open the door and ran.

Chapter Text

Olivia sat on the bus, trying to calm down her breathing. She'd run the whole way to the bus station on adrenaline, and just leapt onto the next one leaving.

I overreacted.

She was so sure the voice she had heard from upstairs was Mercurio's. But it could have been anyone, she'd only heard a curse. Hell, Mariel could have just been playing Goodfellas and it would have sounded the same. Even if it had been him, maybe he'd been there to check on Amelia's place, and it had nothing to do with Olivia at all.

The letter though.

She still had it in her hand, crushed against the strap of the duffel bag. Smoothing it out over her knee she noticed that the wax seal had an impression. After a moment, she recognized it. Not from the video game, but from the actual role playing books. A square, a circle, a triangle. Tremere.

Olivia breathed in deeply again, dropping her head in her hands.

"Hey, if you're gonna hurl get off the bus," a stoner said from across the aisle, and Olivia flipped him off in response. Then, she opened the letter with shaking hands.

Ms Moore,

It is with surprise that I acknowledge the receipt of your letter which you hand delivered. Its contents were both factual and useful, and served me well. For this, you have my gratitude.

There remains the question of how you came into this knowledge. You will present yourself this Friday evening at 9pm to give an accounting. As you already visited my home, I assume no directions are needed. Safe passage is being granted.

Respectfully, M.S.

She read it, then read it again. Strauss had tracked her down, knew her name. Of course they did. They had rituals and powers that they could know who wrote a letter, find the owner of an item.

I'm so stupid!

She'd waltzed up to the chantry and basically presented herself as a masquerade breach. Olivia groaned and dropped her head down on her hands.

But... it doesn't make sense.

Masquerade breaches were dealt with quickly in any telling of the kindred world. The Tremere regent could have killed her in a million ways, or could have sent someone to question her, or could have had someone fetch her back to the chantry. He should have done that. Instead he had just sent a rather polite letter. But... why?

He obviously didn't think she worth the effort.  Or, maybe the information she gave was helpful enough that he was being lenient as a sort of boon.

Or maybe because I'm an NPC, I'm not a threat.

Either way, she was almost certainly being watched by the Tremere. She glanced around the bus again, trying to figure out who might look suspicious, trying to remember who had gotten on at what stop. No use.

Friday night was tomorrow. She had 24 hours to figure out how to handle things.

The bus was pulling into the Metro Center, and Olivia got off with most of the passengers, then stared up at the boards, struggling to figure out where to go. The sun had just set. She didn't want to stay downtown until she had figured out her next step, she wanted to be as far away from the Tremere as she could be...

Hollywood.

It was anarch territory and home of a secret that Strauss didn't want to get out. She'd be out of the Tremere's immediate reach there.

She bought another ticket and rode, dozing a bit in her seat as she did, until she recognized two familiar landmarks: the Asp Hole and the Vesuvius Club. When the bus stopped, she got off, hugging her duffel closer. Nighttime, she had to keep her wits about her.

Across from her was a row of dingy looking porn stores and pawn shops with bars on their windows and razor wire peaking out behind. Scantily clan women were leaning against the alleyways outside, smoking. A car drove by slowly and a group of young men stood close, watching it, the grip of a gun visible in one of their waistbands. The two clubs behind her were owned by vampires, she knew. Beyond the businesses across the street there would be a cemetery with a zombie infestation barely controlled by a horny ghoul with a rifle. As she stood here, the Tzimisce would be snatching people from the streets and turning them into hideous flesh monsters to terrorize the sewers.

I'm such an idiot. This is such a dangerous place to be. I should leave.

She turned and immediately looked at the bus schedule. Next bus wasn't for an hour. She felt exposed standing on the corner though, waiting, so after a moment she turned and started to wander the streets.

Fifteen minutes later, she passed by a restaurant and realized it was the one that the prince was trying to buy. That meant that up ahead a block or two would be the jewelry store owned by the baron of Hollywood, and the theater where the gargoyle hid out. She kicked at a damp map on the ground labelled homes of the stars and yawned. The drop of the adrenaline from her earlier run had left her dragging. Exhaustion was not exactly what she needed, surrounded by so many paranormal issues. Rubbing her neck, she turned on her heel and headed back the way she came.

The Red Spot was a convenience store located two blocks down, well lit. The coolers housed a wall of energy drink options, all featuring popping colors and aggressive logos.

She picked two that seemed the least disgusting, and turned nearly bumping into the guy behind her.

"Whoa, dude."

"Sorry," she said, catching her balance, and taking a few steps. Then, in a panic, she stopped. It was the stoner from the bus in Santa Monica. She glared, stiffening "Are you following me?"

"What, no, like, here for some chocobombs..."

"No, you're following me! They sent you, didn't they? To watch me. The... them..."

From behind her she saw the clerk at the counter look up with a bored sort of interest.

"Yo, chill out."

"No. Don't... don't follow me, get out!" Olivia wiped her forehead. She must sound insane.

The stoner shrugged and turned meandering out of the store as though it hadn't bothered him.

Feeling near tears, she dropped the cans on the front counter and fished out a bill.

"You might want to like, cut back? On the caffeine." the clerk said, ringing her up.

"No, I gotta stay awake for a while and figure out what I need to do."

"Oh. Uh...what's eatin' you?"

"No one, yet. Look. If you knew some guy was... let's say, uhm trying to get you fired. What would you do?"

"I'd get a new job." He chuckled, his breath smelling like stale weed.

"Okay, but if you really really wanted to keep this job. Like, this job is your whole life."

The clerk thought about this perhaps longer and harder than he should have needed, chewing his tongue. "I'd... I'd like go to his boss and like, mess with his job."

Olivia cracked open one of the cans and took a drink, wincing at the flavor. "That's. Actually, that's not a bad idea. Nip this whole thing in the bud, right? Cut to the chase... Thanks."

"Yah. Oh yeah, thanks for shopping at Red Spot, home of the MonstroChug..." he rolled his eyes as he turned away.

He thinks I'm just another crazy.

She shook her head and left, ignoring a cat call from someone in the parking lot. Instead, she headed across the street, where a vinyl banner read "Ground Zero Internet Cafe". Making her way to the employees, she dropped down five bucks for an hour of internet time and glanced around. The computers were all the beige blocks of the early 2000s, and the place smelled like sweat and dust.

Places like this will be out of business in a few years.

Of course, she knew it was staying in business now was because the basement was a massive porn studio, including snuff films... she shuddered. Best not to think about that. Instead, she sat at a computer and logged in.

The moment the computer started, the time travel aspect of Olivia's experience fully hit her for the first time. Windows 3.1 was launching, with its blocky looking interface. She winced as she opened up Netscape, and couldn't help but to look around online for a moment. Facebook? Not there. Twitter? Not there. No youtube, no reddit, no yelp, no gmail, not even myspace.

She leaned back in her chair, feeling more out of place than ever, before realizing with a shock she'd used up 45 minutes of her time searching for things that just didn't exist yet. With a grumble, she dropped five more dollars at the clerk, trying not to think about his probable role in human trafficking.

When she got back to her seat, she navigated to hotmail, the oldest email service she could think of, and created an account with a fake name. Then, she pulled out Amelia's laptop from the duffel and logged into it. A few moments later, she had what she needed. The personal email address for the prince of Los Angeles.

To: [email protected]

Subject: Ankaran Sarcophagus

Body: I know what's in the sarcophagus, and can tell you, in return for protection. Please respond.

She hit send before thinking, then blinked at the screen in a bit of shock at what she had done.

No going back now.

Chapter Text

Olivia minimized SimCity, and hit the button to reload the hotmail page on Netscape for the hundredth time. No replies yet. She sighed, and rubbed her arms, glancing around the room.

She'd spent another ten dollars on computer time, and it was now almost two in the morning. The internet cafe was practically empty, just a few guys sitting on the corner playing some game, and the clerk in the back. Every time she looked up, it reminded her that under her feet this place was making torture porn. Knowing that made handing over money more and more creepy.

An hour ago, she'd drank the second energy drink. It hadn't made her feel awake, just wired, paranoid. The yellow buzzing lights overhead and stale smell here was just crawling up her spine.

With a sigh, she reloaded again. No answer. Three minutes left on her credit.

I can't stay here.

She'd go broke soon enough just paying for internet time, if she wasn't kidnapped into a film first. What she needed was a shower and some sleep. But there was no heading back to Santa Monica at this hour. Grabbing her duffel, she walked out the door, breathing in the night air.

I wonder how many vampires are around?

She shivered, and then looked to the left. A giant 'Hotel' sign was a block away. The Lucky Star. So much happened in the game there, from serial killers to monsters, to werewolves... but hopefully none of that had occured yet. Plus, rooms were probably very cheap.

The lobby was cheap, but had a surprisingly welcoming fire. The clerk was huddled over a stack of typed pages, muttering, crossing things out, making revisions and muttering again. It took her a few minutes to get his attention. Room 3. Only $40 for the night, with hourly and half hour options.

Ew.

As far as she remembered, no one died in this room in game. As she flicked on the lights, something scurried away under the dresser, and the disgusting bedding made her mattress in Santa Monica look like heaven. She set down the duffel, regretting her decision.

Maybe I can sleep in the chair?

If nothing else, a shower would be nice. She hung her jacket and pants on the closet rod to keep them well off the dingy floor. Her diner clothes were still in the duffel, smelling of fryer grease. Maybe she could wash them in the sink and hang them to dry. Until then, she'd have to wear the same outfit. The shower was disgusting, but the water, thankfully, seemed to be treated with so much chlorine it smelled straight out of a swimming pool, and ran hot. She stood there, soaking up the heat, lost in thought.

What the hell am I doing?

Her goal had been to get through this dark reality by not being noticed by the supernatural threats. Instead, she'd gone and tipped off two of the most powerful vampires in town that she existed and had information. This wasn't a game, she was just going to get herself killed, or worse.

I'll leave town in the morning. Get as far away as I can.

It was the only option that seemed logical. None of this would end well, but hopefully she was expendable enough that they wouldn't really wonder about her after she was gone. There was enough going on in this city to distract them. She towelled off and frowned at her reflection.

I'm done with this game.

She stepped out to grab the rest of her clothes and stopped short. Her duffle bag was open on the bed, her few belongings strewn about except for her laptop, which was open on the desk. Sucking in a breath, she stepped back into the bathroom and quickly finished getting dressed. Someone had been in her room while she took a shower.

Or... someone is in my room...

She stepped out, looking around the small space vainly trying to see if there were any invisible people. Maybe it had just been a break in... no. Her last thirty dollars was still sitting on the coverlet.

Suddenly wide awake, she started shoving everything back into the bag, when suddenly the phone rang. She stared at it, letting it ring two, three times before finally, picking it up.

"Hello?!?

The person on the other end chuckled "I was hoping you had a moment to chat."

She knew that voice, liquid and dark. Gary Golden, the Nosferatu primogen. Her vision blurred in a panic. "Mr. Golden. Please don't hurt me."

There was a moment of silence before another chuckle, "Mr. Golden, hm? And they say manners are dead in your generation. Recognized my voice from the pictures?"

"No... no. I just know of you."

"And you have correspondence with the prince, and an invite to tea from the Tremere. Your dance card is so full already, but I'm going to have to fit into your schedule."

"Look, I don't want any trouble. I just... How did you find me?" her mind reeled, and her voice was unsteady.

"Scared? Wake up?  You think you could be surrounded by that many cameras and not have us see who is sending love letters over the internet?"

"Don't kill me, I have information."

"About the sarcophagus? Timing is everything, shame you sent that while the prince was in a meeting."

"Not just that. He was in a meeting?" She flashed through the events of the game, "He was in a meeting with the primogen, about Grout, wasn't he?"

There was a rather lengthy silence on the phone, and shivers started to creep down Olivia's back. When he finally spoke, his voice was deeper, threatening and commanding. "I think we should continue this conversation face to face."

"I don't want to..." her words were cut off as a hand wrapped her chest and a strong smelling cloth was pressed to her face. For a moment, she struggled, but the person holding her was as strong as a gorilla, and the world was starting to fade. She had a momentary glance of distorted yellow claws from the tips of gray fingers, then everything went black.

Chapter Text

The theater seemed to be empty, but Olivia leaned back in her chair as the screen lit silver and flickered for a moment. It took an instant for the movie to focus, but as soon as she did, she recognized the woman standing outside the door to a house.

It was the horror film you recovered from Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines, the one created by the Sabbat to draw out their enemies. Only it seemed someone had filmed it for real. On screen, the camera followed the woman into the house, giving a sickening shot of the inside of the room. It was too well done, the walls seemingly made of flesh, mottled with bruises and almost breathing with life. They even seemed to sweat, with pus filled lumps oozing here and there. Olivia swallowed down repulsion, glad she couldn't smell the scene.

The woman's head jerked to the side suddenly, and the camera darted to follow her gaze. Even though Olivia expected the monstrous Tsmisce creation that was lurking around the corner, she wasn't prepared for seeing it. This wasn't the blocky sprite from the game. Realistically rendered, the creature's entire lower body was torn away, its arms snapped back to make crude legs, the tendons strained under deteriorated, graying skin. Both hands were flexed unnaturally out to support its body, fingers stretched out to twice their normal length, talons that seemed to be made of shredded bones jutting from the ends of each.

It let out a ragged sort of breath, seeming to fight against its own lack of lungs. The face was pained, but more than that, hungry.

"Run!" Olivia was on the edge of her seat, yelling at the screen. The woman did, down the hall, skidding to a stop with a hand out to steady her around the corner. But a second, smaller one was hiding in the doorway there. The woman let out a shriek and fled, past furniture that seemed to be made of twisted bones.

She dodged into a bedroom, shutting the door behind her and turning to finally look at the camera. In the theater, Olivia sucked in a breath as she recognized her own face on the screen, heard her own voice begged for help through the speakers, and saw the shocked look as on screen the monsters already hiding in the room sprang to attack, hungry. The film stopped suddenly, flicking to a blank screen with strobes of blackness. That was when she heard the breaths behind her, strained from throats that didn't have bodies attached. She screamed as the screen finally went black.

Then she was swimming through the blackness, her limbs tingling with pins and needles as she woke. There were voices somewhere.

"I'm just saying hunters would have a reason to erase themselves..."

"Not saying she was erased, saying she doesn't exist in the whole system, newbie." There was a nasal sort of derisive snort from the second voice "Besides, you said she didn't have any weapons. No hunter's gonna go trying to meet LaCr-ooy without a full arsenal."

Things tilted in her head, then righted, spots of light starting to bloom in her vision like tv static and for a moment things swam dark again before righting.

"... take more cholorform than that to put out a ghoul this long. Besides, Bertram's boy's been watching her for a while."

She was on a lumpy, if soft, bed, her body laying in a slightly twisted and unnatural pose. Stretching out one shoulder, it felt better and she let out a grunt. The voices paused.

"Go get Gary, she's waking up."

There were footsteps then a heavy metal door slamming. She tried to turn her head, but it was like her body didn't want to cooperate. Something passed close to her, and suddenly she was overwhelmed with the strong scent of ammonia.

Olivia's eyes opened as she gasped, and a brick and plaster ceiling overhead. It spun, then stopped and she looked to her side. She was sure there had just been a person there, but they were gone now. Beside her, on the pillow was an ancient little green bottle with a peeling browned label that read "Crown Smelling Salts".

Pulling herself up on one elbow, she looked around. Other than the mattress she was on, the only other things in the room were a chair in the corner and an electric lantern sitting beside it. Still, she couldn't help but feel she was being watched.

Invisible Nosferatu... great.

"I'm not a hunter," she said out loud to the nothingness. Her voice was hoarse and she coughed. "Not a ghoul, either..."

Nothing responded, so she slumped back on the bed, waiting for her head to finish clearing. Her nose felt burned between the chloroform and the smelling salts, but she was slightly glad for that. She could detect a slight hint of something musty and unpleasant.

I'm in the sewers... of course it stinks.

She moaned to herself and sat up just as the door reopened. The figure who stepped inside was tall, and held the door for a long moment, as though letting someone else in after him. As he stepped into the light, Olivia sucked in air.

Of course, she'd seen Gary Golden in the game, and he looked much the same here. He wore a rather dated tuxedo, cut away to tails, a vest that fit a bit oddly, and a cumberbund. But the face... she wasn't ready for the face. Everything about him, the grayed skin, the teeth that stuck out in odd angles, the arched cheekbones that made his face look hollow.... All of it just screamed something unnatural. Deep inside her, there was a primal sort of fear, this was a predator. This was preternatural. She had to check herself from wanting to run.

Gary definitely noticed the reaction, judging by his smile. He took a seat casually, legs crossed, looking her over with that grin.

"She was just saying she ain't a hunter or a ghoul." The nasally voice came from behind her, and she turned around and looked, but the space by the bed seemed empty.

"Of course she did," he said dismissively, looking a bit beyond her. "Can't let out who you're signed to that easily."

"But I'm not. I swear."

"You've no history, but you seem to know quite a bit about the major players in town. You're running scared with nothing to your name. Now, having an ingenue with no past or future may make a good plot for a spec writer, but here I don't buy it."

"I don't know how to explain it myself. I've... I've sort of seen this all before a bunch of times, everything that's around us. And I know what's going on and different ways things could play out, I know a lot of what's going on in people's backgrounds..."

"Bullshit." The voice came from somewhere in the corner opposite Gary, and Olivia swung her head to see no one there. She realized with a chill she had no idea how many vampires were sharing the room with her.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in our philosophy." Gary quoted, with a glance towards the corner. He leaned back, steepling his claw like fingers. "Tell me some of what you know then. Thrill me."

"Uhm...." Olivia's mind raced, and she settled on something relatively unimportant. "The clerk at the hotel I was at. He's working on a script about vampires that's based on you guys. There's a thin blood in Santa Monica who is telling him details, named, uhm... Julian? Julius? He has a stutter and hangs out by the beach."

Gary shot a glance in the corner behind Olivia, "Look into it," and she heard an affirmative grunt. Then Gary turned his yellow eyes back to her "Hardly the sort of rip roaring information that you seemed to promise. I do hate when players fail to deliver."

"Wait, uhm. Something to do with you? Well, you have a guy named Barabus. He's going to Chinatown to spy, but the keiu jin are going to kidnap him for experiments if they get a hold of him."

From behind Gary's shoulder, a figure suddenly appeared, and with a drop in her stomach Olivia realized that she had known on some level he was there the whole time. It was Barabus, wearing a tshirt and jeans that would have looked otherwise normal except for his pointed ears and yellow eyes. "How the hell did you know I was going..."

Gary raised a hand and he stopped mid sentence, flexing his hands as though somewhere between confusion and anger. But Gary smiled. "That's more like it. You said you knew about the primogen's meeting with the prince?"

"I don't know exactly what was said," she winced "but I know you were asking about Grout, the Malkavian primogen. He's gone missing, LaCroix sent Amelia to check on him. But hes actually dead."

"Dead?"

Olivia swallowed, "I don't know if I should tell you this..."

Gary leaned forward, a threatening sort of growl in his throat "You have no bargaining chips here, other than to tell me everything."

"Right... The whole thing is a set up. LaCroix made a deal with the keui jin to have them pretend to be Nines Rodriguez. He wants to frame him for Grout's murder, using Amelia. That way he can get rid of the Anarchs."

She heard a bit of a gasp from behind her, and even Gary blinked looking horrified. He was uncharacteristically shocked into silence

"No way," Barabus said, shaking his head. "Even LaCroix wouldn't sink that low. She's lying."

"Or," Gary said, thoughtful "She believes what she's saying." He chuckled "that would be something, wouldn't it?"

"What do you mean?" the nasally voice behind her said.

Gary looked her over carefully. "I think that we will have to make sure that Miss Moore makes her appointment with the Tremere tomorrow. Escorted, of course. She doesn't leave our sight."

Chapter Text

After Gary and Barabus left, holding the door open for a creepily long time, she found someone had left a few things on the bed. An old copy of Maxim magazine with a note on the front that the article on page eight wasn't bad. Olivia wasn't too surprised to see that Imalia was one of the girls featured in a photoshoot. There was a deck of cards. Replacement batteries for the lantern. A bag of Doritos and a bottle of Mountain Dew.

Out of obligation, she tried the door. Locked.

For a brief period of time, she'd occasionally hear footsteps, shuffles or whispers coming from the hall outside, but those stopped soon too.

Must be sunrise.

She checked the door again. Metal. Didn't even have a lock on this part, almost like it was barred from the outside.

Nosferatu prison. Great.

After a bit of nervous pacing, checking the nooks and crannies of the room, she ate the snack and flipped through the magazine, tried to remember how to play solitaire. But then she dozed off more out of boredom than anything. The shadows from the earlier nightmare clung to the edges of her sleep. Not nearly as clear as before, but she had a fitful sleep full of strange shapes lurking in the darkness, being lost in familiar places, being chased by unknown figures who seemed to come from every direction.

The sound of the door opening woke her up, and she turned to see a hunched figure step into the light. He was bald, wearing an outfit more suitable to a fetish club than a sewer. Olivia quickly sat up, wiping her face and trying to wake up quickly.

He turned, "Oh, you're awake," he let out a phlegmy snort. "Name's Mitnick..."

"Yeah, I know..." Olivia said blearily. That seemed to take him by surprise and he stood looking confused for a minute.

"Right, yeah... you got a different database you're pulling from. Here, I got you this. No meeting the warlocks on an empty stomach." He set a bag down on the chair that was between them, then backed off a step as though he was afraid to get too close to her. "In-n-Out. Double double. I usually wake up early, so I'm taking you up to Gary."

"Oh, thanks..." Olivia leaned forward and took the bag, glancing inside. Her sense of smell had returned, and she could smell the sewers around her. The room temperature burger didn't exactly look inviting, but she took a bite anyway.

Mitnick studied her from the corner. "We spent all night trying to find any trace of you online. How'd you purge yourself?"

"In a way I'm from the future. It was 2019 for me until a month ago."

"No kidding?" He seemed to ponder that, his pointy ears actually twitching in thought, reminding her of a rabbit.

"Yeah... it's been a weird time..." Olivia looked at the burger missing two bites and folded the paper around it "Not real hungry."

"Okay, well, we are taking the back way up. Bit of a walk." He snorted and wiped his hands on his pants "Don't try anything, or poof! I'm mega gone and you'll never find your way out without me." He picked up the lantern, turned and held the door open for her.

What's the other option to the 'back way'?

The room was, as far as she could tell, the only door in a hallway that Mitnick started down, his shoulders hunched. The only light was from the lantern that he carried, casting shadows on the crumbling brick walls around them. She followed a step or two behind, staying in the circle of light and feeling eyes on her back. After a bit, the hall split into an intersection and Mitnick chose the right, then not long afterwards they came to a t and he went left. Then, they passed through a doorway, and Mitnick turned to drop a heavy metal gate behind them.

"Gotta crawl here... Sorry." He glances down at her shoes and then at a pipe which was coated with something foul looking that gleamed wet in the light "You get used to it after a while, just the realities of meatspace down here."

"Yeah... I guess...." Olivia shivered, she didn't want to go into the sewage pipe, but when he crawled in, it took the light with him. Suddenly she was standing in the pitch dark, her own breathing echoing off of the walls, the air smelling disgustingly thick and close. Panic started to wash over her immediately, and she was following after him before her rational mind caught up.

The tunnel was long and branched a few times, and stayed close to him, quickly losing track of which way they had gone. Her hands stuck in the muck and she fought the urge to have the burger come back up. It was a relief when finally the pipe ended and they stood. On the other end, the room seemed huge, covered in equipment, layered as though it was designed to handle levels of overflowed water.

"See, not bad." Mitnick said, holding up the light and leading the way down a metal staircase. "Not much further now and..." He stopped, looking around and dropping his voice to a whisper. "You hear that?"

"What?" But after a second, she heard it. It was a raspy sound, from behind them, like a desperate breath. Then, the sound of something huge moving against the wall.

She turned, and could only see the shadow cast against the far wall, but she knew what it was. A spiderlike form, topped with vaguely human shaped heads and a mass of arms. Under the overwhelming scent of the sewer, she could sense it now, the smell of blood and infection.

No no no....

It moved closer, stepping onto the metal platform that held the staircase in place. The metal screamed in protest and rivets popped from concrete under its massive weight. She barely had time to stifle a scream before the whole structure fell onto the ground below.

Olivia landed in a heap beside Mitnick, the lantern falling out of reach and rolling down the incline onto the levels below. Above them, the figure quickly paced to the side, following its path. She felt Mitnick start to scramble to his feet, and reached out to grab him with both arms.

"Be still!" she hissed quietly into his ear. "it's a Tzimisce thing. It's basically blind, it can't see us if we are still."

"Wha..." he said, then went stick still. The thing above them dropped down another level to their right with a surprisingly graceful thump, then started heading towards the rolling lantern. As it grew closer, they could see the shadows of the scars where the parts of people were mottled together into one form. It was monstrously huge, easily four times their height. A second head dangled between its legs, its blind eyes pointed towards them.

"There's an opening over there. Ladder." Mitnick whispered so silently she could barely hear him when it got far enough away. "I can't move and stay unseen. We're gonna have to sneak."

She breathed out in agreement. The light was too far away to help them, and mostly blind they quietly felt their way to the wall. They skirted along it, Mitnick gripping her hand so hard it almost hurt.

It was slow going, practically crawling as they go, Olivia holding her breath the whole way, one hand along the wall to keep her balance in the dark.

"Damn." Mitnick murmured as they stopped. In the shadows, Olivia could barely see a huge piece of the metal platform leaning against the wall. "It's behind here. I'll move it, we run in there fast."

The whole structure seemed too heavy for one person to move, even if they were a vampire, but Olivia didn't have a moment to protest before he hauled the metal up with a grunt.

Further down, the thing stopped, letting out a shriek in response. Suddenly it was heading towards them, misshapen hands slapping against the brick as it ran.

"Go, go!" Mitnick said, shoving the metal to the side and pulling her into the opening behind himself. The ladder was in a narrow opening, and he started climbing with surprising speed. Olivia scrambled to keep up, blindly grabbing at the rungs. Below her she heard the thing growing closer, snarling in rage and hunger, until it seemed to crash against the wall. It moved vainly against the brick, unable to fit through the opening.

Above, she heard the sound of metal clanging, and suddenly the tunnel was full of a weak light. She looked up to see Mitnick pushing a manhole cover out of the way, climbing out onto street level. He reached down to haul her up the last bit and she found herself in an alley, by a dumpster.

"Holy crap. I can't believe the Jurassic Park logic worked there..."

"Yeah, I hate those things. Always just end up sneaking past them."

He looked at her confused for a moment, then sighed. "You really do know things, huh. Thanks. If you hadn't told me, I would have been giblets down there. I owe you one."

"Yeah... yeah..." Olivia hugged her knees, trying to come back to her senses.

"I wasn't supposed to bring you up there, we're meeting Gary a block or two from here." Mitnick says, surveying the alleyway. "We should be able to walk it though."

Olivia nodded, pulling herself up on shaking legs. "Alright... I feel like I'm gonna puke."

"We'll go slow. Hey.... piece of advice, kid? I don't know how much you know, from the future and whatnot. But, don't tell everything to Gary at once. If you just give him little bits, he'll keep you around as long as he thinks you're useful."

"That's... not comforting, Mitnick."

"Hey, that's Hollywood."

Chapter Text

Olivia sat in the back of the vintage limo, trying to keep her sludge covered knees from brushing against the expensive looking leather upholstery.

“Gare, you’ve never seen anything like it, it was like someone had played Voltron with a bunch of corpses. If Olivia didn’t know its weak spot, it would have been game over.”

Mitnick was sitting opposite her, telling the Nosferatu Primogen Gary Golden about their misadventure in the sewer. The limo was speeding towards the downtown area. Half the seats in the back seemed to be empty, although Olivia questioned whether or not they really were.

Gary leaned back in his seat, eyes half closed, clawlike fingers steepled. “Interesting that she did... dues ex machina....”

Mitnick flashed Olivia what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile, but on his warped gray face was disturbing.

"Let everyone know to come down to the Warrens, using the direct paths. We are going to stay in the sidewings until that threat is handled. No one goes out into the sewers for now." He leaned forward and flicked Olivia's leg with one finger. "Let's test that knowledge, shall we? What do you know about Strauss?"

Olivia swallowed, thinking back to Mitnick's advice, and thought for a moment before answering. "He doesn't respect LaCroix..."

"No shit, Sherlock." The voice came from the empty seat to her right, followed by a humorless snort. Olivia didn't bother looking.

"Now now, I expect more than that," Gary said..

"I... well... he made a gargoyle? It's hiding out at the Asian theater in Hollywood."

"He created that? Thats... intriguing." Gary's eyes half closed again, a little smile on the edge of his lips. After a quiet moment, Mitnick dug under his seat to pull out a laptop case, opening it on his lap, his elbows close and his shoulders hunched.

The limousine finally pulled down the familiar road in the downtown area where Olivia knew the Tremere chantry was. Only, there was one major difference from the last time she was here. The crack house across the street where the Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle had been headquartered was little more than a burnt out shell, police and fire tape still surrounding the sidewalk.

The Tremere destroyed it.

Olivia gaped at wreckage as the limo pulled around the corner into the alleyway behind the chantry.

Gary glanced at his watch "Nine forty five. Fashionably late." He pushed the car door open, nearly bumping the chauffeur who had rushed to fetch it for him, and watched as Olivia got out. Then, seemingly to the air behind her, he said "Not much use here, my girl. Strauss can see right through that."

There was a sigh, and Imalia, a former centerfold turned hideous nosferatu appeared beside him as Gary knocked on the door. The limo pulled away, taking Mitnick and whoever else with it.

The woman who opened the door was dark haired, wearing round purple glasses, and Olivia couldn't help but to gasp.

She is the spitting image of the default Tremere player character!

Gary gave her a little frown in response, then turned to the woman "We're escorting Miss Moore here to her appointment with the regent."

The Tremere woman looked between them for a moment, as though debating saying something, then just nodded and lead them inside.

Olivia had seen the inside of the building in the video game before; Victorian flocked wallpaper and deep mahogany wood trim. In person though, there was a feeling of intense pressure, prickling down her spine. All of the doors were closed and the corridors wound, but the Tremere lead the way confidently. Olivia looked down at the rather plush carpet and was horribly aware of the muck from the sewers that seemed to be coating her clothes and shoes, the smell tainting the hall. In front of her, Gary seemed so pulled together in his tuxedo. She wiped her hands on her hips nervously.

The Tremere lead her to a door fitted with a stained glass window, and stood to the side, letting them through, shaking her head. Inside, Maximilian Strauss the Tremere primogen and regent sat on a leather upholstered chair, watching them enter. His face was impassive, hard to read behind small red tinted glasses.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're become involved, Gary."

"I hardly would let a young lady visit you without a chaperone, Strauss. Who knows what trouble you could get into?" Gary passed over to the fireplace, running a finger over the mantle and glancing at the dust on his fingertips. "Besides, she has some gossip I'd be willing to share for a price."

From the edge of the carpet, Olivia shifted on her feet anxiously. Imalia was standing rather close behind her, enough for her to sense her unnerving lack of breathing. That would have been threatening by itself, even if she didn't know she was sharing a room with someone who could literally set her blood on fire.

"What information do you propose to trade?" Strauss said, leaning back in his chair, his whole attention on Gary.

"That depends. First we need to know if the information she is giving me is true, or tainted. You have the repertoire to handle that. If she's on the level, we can see what tidbits I want to share." Strauss narrowed his eyes at Gary, who smiled back, all fangs. "Don't trust me Strauss? Oh no, you should know I always ante up eventually."

Strauss sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose "She seemed to have rather specific information in her letter to me. What else does she claim to know?"

"She's said she knows stuff from behind the scenes. Like, the future, and other possible futures." Imalia said behind her

"Foreknowledge isn't an uncommon trait.  We have an abundance of seers in our own ranks." Strauss turned in his chair towards her suddenly and Olivia resisted the urge to take a step back into Imalia. The Tremere's gaze was intense, like he could see her down to her very bones. He narrowed his eyes after a moment "She isn't clouded by madness. Nor is she a ghoul, and she doesn't seem to have traces of magic use."

"That narrows down a few possibilities." Gary said, looking towards her. The combined attention was nerve wracking, and she shivered.

"I told you, I just know stuff." Olivia tripped over her words, her voice shaking. "From my life, I was in the future. It was twenty nineteen and I sort of... saw all of this." She trailed off.

How do you explain to someone that they are a character in a game?

They'd probably be almost offended. Here they were, powerful beings in a dangerous world. She couldn't explain that they had been little more than graphics on a screen to her. With a snap, she closed her mouth.

Gary turned to Strauss, seemingly ignoring her. "Before I trust what she says, I gotta know if shes a plant. Maybe someone has gotten to her head. Filled her with enough facts to make her intriguing to us, and enough falsehoods to make her dangerous.  Then they made her forgot where she learned it and set her loose to wreck havoc in our fair city with some choice accusations."

"The situation here is tenuous enough that it would take little to light a fuse. Do you have a culprit you suspect?"

"Someone who would want to put more suspicion on the prince... and some on you. Now, a little birdie has told me that the fiends and your little pyramid have hardly gotten along. And she managed to know quite a few details about the thing in the sewer.

"'Thing in the sewer'?  You mean? Szlachta? Vohzd?" Strauss rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The Tszmisce are active."

 "Mmm... I knew you were a bright one."

"No Tszmisce has gotten into my head!" Olivia said, horrified. "That's not why I know things, I promise. There's... there's Sabbat, sure, they're over at that hotel. And there's a guy... Andrei, he looks like a manta ray, but..." she trailed off again, all eyes in the room on her.

"It may take a moment to investigate thoroughly." Strauss said, passing his eyes back to Gary, almost ignoring her words.

"We'll have to postpone tea with the Queen of Sheba, but I think Imalia and I can stay for a bit longer."

Strauss murmured in agreement and stood taking a step towards her. In that moment all the anxiety that had been building for Olivia snapped and she practically jumped back into Imalia.

"Calm down girlie!" Imalia's nasally voice said, as surprisingly strong arms gripped her shoulders, holding her in place.

"This won't hurt a bit, Miss Moore. Look at me."

Of course it won't hurt.

Olivia knew the effects of the power of dominate, the way that the victim's will could be lost with eye contact. It was terrifying. But what was her other choice? Fight them? She sighed and looked at him.

Strauss smiled. "Think back. Tell me. Has any of our kind given you a command?"

"No." Her response was automatic, saying it was almost a relaxing thing, natural.

"Tell me if any other being manipulated your mind."

"No. Never."

"Tell me has anyone ever eliminated some of your memory?"

"No."

"Think back to the first time you saw a kindred." He leaned in a bit further towards her, and she felt her mind spiral back to the moment she saw Jeanette on the steps of the Asylum, falling, the look of predatory hunger on the Malkavian's face. Somehow she knew that he was seeing all of this, played out like a movie.

Strauss turned, looking deep in thought. "For now that may be all I can do. She doesn't show any traces of manipulation, although I wouldn't be able to detect it if it was performed by a more powerful kindred. However, I don't know of any in town. I'll have my apprentices research some appropriate ritual to investigate further."

Olivia let out a breath, not hearing whatever Gary's retort was. If she hadn't known what was happening, it would have felt so natural, like a conversation. But with her knowledge of the vampiric abilities, she felt like she had been invaded. She blinked a few times, trying to make sure her mind was her own, when she noticed something. Poking out from Strauss's burgundy jacket was a small blue string wrapped around his collar.

That means something.

She remembered it, not from the video game, but from the table top game it was based on... something.... yes...

Strauss's head snapped round towards her suddenly. "What are you thinking."

"Pavis of Foul Presence," blurted out of her mouth before she could think. Strauss stared back at her in a bit of disbelief, then his eyes narrowed. A trace of fear started to grow in her, before Gary brushed by the Tremere.

"Well, I suppose now that I know she's a tabloid without libel, I'll be seeing what I can lean. Thanks for the help Strauss. I'll pay up soon." He gripped one hand on her upper arm and started to pull her towards the door.

"Gary. You will return her when I have an appropriate ritual organized."

"I'll make sure her social calendar has room, Max," he said, grinning and pulling her into the hallway, Imalia shutting it behind them. They headed down the halls and to the back door, where moments later the limo pulled back up to pick them up.

Inside, Gary leaned back with a chuckle, rubbing his hands together. Mitnick glanced up at him, then at Olivia, looking a bit concerned, then turned the laptop towards his sire. Gary read whatever was on the screen, then chuckled again, louder.

"Is that so? Well, Miss Olivia Moore, you have an intriguing few evenings ahead of you."

Chapter Text

In the back alley way, Imalia finished tying the sash over Olivia's eyes before Mitnick reached over to start spinning her around like a kid about to pin the tail on the donkey.

"Remember, take her straight down to the warrens, stay out of the sewers. Keep an eye on her. I'll be joining the crew as soon as I take care of some business," she heard Gary's voice to one side, before the limo started up again.

Mitnick spun her again for good measure "Don't have to tell me twice," then linked his arm with Olivia's and started walking away from the departing vehicle.

"Sewers would be quicker."

"You don't want to go down there Imalia, it's like something out of Cronenberg's spank bank, only with a temper."

Under the blindfold, Olivia rolled her eyes, before cursing as she tripped over a lip in the cement.

"Watch out, geez Mitty, you're not gonna warn her? You got three steps down coming up here." Imalia's tone took on a gentler tone. "One, two... three.... Okay, we're going right here. Damn, this would be easier if you could see."

"Gary doesn't want her knowing how to get into the warrens."

"I know but... damn, okay, we're going to have to go down a ladder here, be careful."

We aren't taking either of the ways in I know... I shouldn't mention that though.

Olivia nodded and carefully went hand over hand down the rungs. It was a lengthy walk through a damp feeling room and through the blind maze before she heard a door open. Somewhere to her right she could hear the clang and jangle of a pinball machine, competing with echoing jazz music and hoarse laughter. Imalia untied the blindfold and she blinked as her eyes adjusted.

The hallway was dug out of the ground, odds and ends littering the walls like something a cross between an art project and a city dump. Fairy lights were strung up along the ceiling, and from further down a flickering neon light. As they went, a sort of flow of silence swept over things, and she felt like she was being watched.

As they passed through a doorway, Imalia turned around and yelled "Gary sent her here. And she is off limits!" There was a sarcastic shout of "boo" from somewhere in response, and Imalia rolled her eyes "Assholes." Then, turning to Mitnick she added "She can hang out in your place until Gary gets back."

"Aw, you don't want her to go back to your place for a girl's night? You can play with makeup and gossip about boys..." he was cut off as Imalia gave him a punch in the arm, but Mitnick laughed.

Stepping away, Imalia glanced over at Olivia somewhat critically "We should get her something to wear though. Can't be healthy to have a breather walking around with petri dish clothes like that."

"Eh, you know Gary just didn't want her to know how to get around down here. Heh. And he always likes to bring the stink to everyone's havens."

Imalia rolled her eyes and walked away and Mitnick smiled at Olivia, his teeth crooked and yellow. "Come on, I got some games you can play while I work on the schr... the network."

"Schrecknet" Olivia said, a bit annoyed and Mitnick reacted in surprise, then grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. You know.  Impressive." He waved her down the hall casually.

"You do remember you guys kidnapped me, right? We aren't just hanging out."

Mitnick flinched as he got to the door of his room. "Don't think of it as kidnapping. Think of it as, uh... 'subterrean socializing under duress', heh." When Olivia didn't smile, he flinched again. "Seriously, I owe you from down in the sewers. This isn't that bad... right?  I uh, got a Playstation... Morrowind's in right now, ever played it?"

"Nah, I played a little Oblivion, and spent a lot of time on Skyrim."

"... Skyrim?" Mitnick said, confused.

Two hours later, it turned out that the most casual gamer could become an expert with knowledge fifteen years into the future. Mitnick was typing frantically at the computer, a simple chat program with green blocky text on the screen, relaying information to other gamer nosferatu. Olivia looked over his shoulder, answering the questions that popped up on the screen.

"Tell JackSprat13 that I don't care what rumor's he's heard, Duke Nukem forever won't come out for years, and when it's done it's awful.... Hm..."

Olivia was wearing a pair of scrub pants from the Cedars Sinai hospital and a faded tshirt that said MIT and had cigarette burns around the bottom. Imalia had brought them for her before sprawling out looking annoyed on the bunk bed and flipping through a magazine with Jennifer Anistan on the cover.

"Seriously, I don't know the specs on the Xbox One... yeah, that's its name, I'm not making this shit up..."

Olivia was cut off by the sound of her stomach growling.

"What the hell was that?" Imalia asked from the bed.

"Sorry, hungry."

"Oh... Hold on..." Mitnick got up and rummaged around for a moment in a pile of junk in the corner "A ghoul left his lunch box here a month or so ago..."

"I don't want a month old lunch."

"Maybe there's a Twinkie in it, they say they'll last through the apocalypse..."

"Now, my boy, I think we can do better than that." The voice came from the doorway as Gary stepped out, seeming from nowhere. He winked at Olivia "Dinner's about to be served on the mezzanine, if you'll join me for some conversation." and looped his arm through hers with a flourish, leading her away.

Chapter Text

Gary's room was at the end of the hall, past an ornate door. Inside, the walls were lined with movie posters and bookshelves, and a mahogany dining room table dominated the middle. In the video game, it had been surrounded by skeletons in formal clothes and dead rats, but Olivia was relieved to see them missing. Instead, there was just a single formal place setting, a large brown paper bag, and a bottle of wine already opened to breathe.

Gary rather theatrically pulled the seat out for her, scooching her in towards the table, and Olivia shuddered as he brushed against her arm with cold dry fingers in the process.

"So, foresight and inner knowledge. I hardly know where to start with questions. I'd ask who you're wearing, but... seems more surplus than couture. Hmmm..." He rounded the table stopping by the paper bag and studied her for a moment. "A small riddle to begin. With a head full of insight, why didn't you run when my boy Barabus came to fetch you from the hotel?"

"I'm... I'm not in this. Or at least I wasn't before, in what I know. And I don't know everything..."

"A more personal Cassandra. How tragic." He began to tear open the top of the paper bag "I picked up a few old favorites for you. Thankfully, Musso and Frank's is still in business, although they've come a long way since I dined there with Cary Grant and Gregory Peck, wondering which of us would make it big. Ah well, no use reminiscing. I'm still big, it's the pictures that got small." Pulling out a few take out boxes, he started to plate them onto the china. "Crab Louie for an appetizer. Grilled lamb kidneys. And of course we had to get their fettuccine with Alfredo sauce. It was Mary Pickford's favorite, you know..."

He set the plate with the salad in front of her and Olivia picked up her fork, pushing the crab meat dubiously before taking a forkful. Gary poured her wine glass full and took the seat opposite her.

"Let me see, what do I all have for you.... Ah. At the chantry. You said something that seemed to startle our dear Strauss. 'Foul Presence...' ?"

"Pavis of Foul Presence. It's a Tremere ritual, there's a piece of blue silk that they wear and it makes it so that no one can use presence on them."

"Presence?"

"Like... Toreadors have it. And uhm, Ventrue? It influences your emotions."

"I'm familiar, although I haven't heard of it referred to in such, shall we say, clinical terms. Interesting. Do you know of any other Tremere rituals?"

Looks like I should have spent more time playing roleplaying games. College counselors never advise that sort of thing.

"One or two, but not like, everything."

He poured the wine into the glass, passing it to her as he smiled. "Tell me about them."
"No offense, but if I tell you everything I know you won't have a reason to keep me around."

"Nonsense. You know more than you realize, its just a matter of someone knowing how utilize that knowledge to its best effect. There's a potential for a mutually beneficial relationship... If you play ball."

Olivia swallowed and pushed the salad away, and Gary stood to replace it with the entrees. "There's uhm... There's one where they can track someone down if they have something belonging to them. And there's a few ways they can find something out if they have someone's blood... There's probably more, I'm forgetting. I never played... I mean, studied Tremere." Olivia nervously took a sip of the wine, then picked at the kidneys. She took a bite more out of politeness than anything, then washing it down with another gulp from the glass, which wiped the nervous dryness out of the back of her throat.

"Pity. I'd be interested in any that you recall in the future. Let's see, the Sabbat presence. I'd like to know more about it."

"Uhm... it's a guy named Andrei. I said that already though, didn't I? He's set up in some house up on... on King's Street, no King's Way.... Turned the house into a horror set..." Olivia's dream of being the victim in that house bubbled up to the surface and she shuddered. "They made a snuff film there, and it's being distributed by some porn company out of the computer cafe. And they have taken over, or uh, will be taking over the Hollowbrook Hotel downtown. He's overrun the sewers though, to drive you out." She pushed another kidney across her plate before defaulting to more wine. Shouldn't get drunk when dealing with a primogen, but she needed to take the edge of her nerves.

"Not surprising. We're often the first victims. Not enjoying the lamb? So sad. You know Chaplin always said it was his favorite entree from there, although he was even a little before my time. Here... try the pasta instead." He set up a fresh plate for her, and refilled the wine glass.

"Aren't you going to ask about the sarcophagus?"

"Should I? There's two parties interested in acquiring it. Gossip says it houses an ancient."
"It doesn't."

"A more likely theory connects it to the sudden seafaring tendencies of a certain high profile anarch figure..."

"Wait... you knew that Jack set this whole thing up?"

"Suspected, although I do appreciate the confirmation. The sarcophagus is one little fascination thrown into this city to just spin it off its rails. Not unlike Strauss's theory about your presence, I might mention. The pasta is good, isn't it? They supposedly haven't touched the recipe in all these years. From what I remember, it was perfection."

Olivia paused mid mouthful and nodded. Gary was honestly being fairly kind with the meal and the questions weren't the inquisition she had dreaded. She found herself starting to calm down a little and her appetite had come back ravenously as a result. Her last full meal hadn't been since she left the diner. That felt so long ago.

She took another drink from the glass and thought for a moment. "I didn't think of myself that way."

"Of course you are. Look at your little conversation with Mitnick. Knowing bits of news, ways that the tides will turn socially, politically over the next fifteen years. You'll give me the house advantage in more than a few dealings over time. This is the start of a beautiful friendship."

Olivia ate in silence for a long moment, processing that while Gary played with a spoon, turning it over between his fingers. Then, with a gulp of liquid courage, she finally asked something that's been running through her mind. "What about Amelia?"

Gary blinked in surprise "Amelia? The vapid little neonate? Why on earth would she matter?"

"Just... what have you heard about her?"

Gary leaned forward, looking curious. "Why? Aren't you the one with the foreknowledge?"

"Not of her. I sort of.. I guess I changed her path a little. She was my neighbor in Santa Monica, you know?"

"I did. And from what I've heard after an initially impressive showing blowing up the warehouse, she's sort of drifted into quiet, staying holed up in her apartment and making appearances at clubs."

"Oh..."

What does it mean when the protagonist isn't protagoning anymore?

She finished the pasta, and Gary upended the last of the bottle in her glass "Dessert? Cheesecake. And chocolates, which came recommended by my chauffeur.."

Olivia nodded yes and finished off the wine before digging into the cheesecake and popping a truffle in her mouth. Both tasted amazing, and she honestly could have eaten another slice. Gary watched her for a moment.

"The prince wishes to see you, by the way. A follow up to that email you sent. We'll be going tomorrow night. I prefer to do these social calls on my own schedule. You, of course, know his role in our society?"

"He's like.. the elected mayor. No one really likes him though."

Gary chuckles "You'll keep that to yourself. Avoid looking him in the eyes, be polite. You know what a ghoul is as well, and how they are made?"

"Yeah, it's a person fed vampire blood. I've met Heather, and Knox."

"Good, so this won't come as a complete surprise," he said, flicking his finger so that it rang off of the crystal of her wine glass.

Olivia froze, her vision starting to blur slightly as white hot adrenaline rushed through her. The wine glass was empty, she realized. She had even swallowed the dregs out of the bottom without thinking only moments earlier. It had been good. Not just good, but amazing, enough that she had finished off the entire bottle of the thick red wine almost without thinking.

"That was..."

"Mixed with a local Shiraz to disguise the color."

"That was blood?" Olivia pushed back from the table, leaping to her feet in horror.

"Come now, you had to see that coming. No? And here I thought it was a bit telegraphed," he chuckled, and pulled the last plate closer wiping the last of the cheesecake up with a finger.

In an instant, plans flashed through Olivia's mind. Fight him. He is a vampire. Stronger, faster. Run. Where? Back into the warrens, surrounded by dozens of invisible vampires? I can't win here.

Gary smiled almost apologetically "Don't take it so personally, my dear. As I said the prince wishes to see you, and I want to have a chance to come out of the situation alive. A human would never leave the room. Too much of a liability. Think of it as an opportunity, after all there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so" He wiped his hands on a napkin and stood. "I'll clean this up. You can stay with Mitnick while he keeps an eye on you. Get some beauty sleep. You'll want your wits about you when we go to visit LaCroix."

Olivia stood, conflicted for a moment longer, before letting her shoulders droop, defeated, and turning out the door. The noises further down the hallways of the warrens had come back, laughter and music as she headed back to the other room.

On one hand, she felt good, awake, clear, almost euphoric. How had she missed it. How had this happened?

"You got, uh... twenty questions just about Final Fantasy..." Mitnick said as she opened the door.

"Gary ghouled me!"

"Oh yeah?" Mitnick didn't look up from the laptop, and that, more than anything, hit Olivia hard. She slumped against the door, and tears started to well up before she was downright sobbing, which finally got his attention. "Hey... hey it's ok..."

"It's not! I was kidnapped and he roofied me with blood, and..."

"No, look, that means he wants to keep you around, right? That's good. I mean, I love this life, you just gotta get a handle on it. Why don't you go to sleep you'll feel better after some sleep, bottom bunk is mine, but..." he stuttered a bit, sniffling as though unsure how to proceed.

"Yeah... sleep... That's what Gary said too." Olivia paused before climbing to the top bunk, Mitnick looking at her with a hint of pity.

She lay on the rather stiff mattress, with a flat pillow propping up her head, staring at the dirt ceiling while Mitnick settled back at the computer.

Maybe it isn't bad. Gary isn't a horrible guy, Mitnick thinks he's okay. Besides, he kind of was protecting me from anything happening with the prince. I feel great right now. Other than tricking me, it's not bad at all...

Olivia sighed and closed her eyes, letting herself relax and start to drift before jerking herself awake.

No! That''s not right. I shouldn't be thinking that way! His blood is in me and its affecting my thoughts. I shouldn't want this!

She glanced down at Mitnick, who was still typing away at the computer.

I have to get out of here.

Chapter Text

Olivia laid on the top bunk, still, waiting. If she was going to try to escape, she'd have to be smart about this. Below, Mitnick muttered at the computer screen, typing and letting out triumphant snorts. He only pushed his chair back when there was a light rap at the door. Olivia turned her head slightly, trying to see who he was talking to, or to hear the hushed conversation, but all she caught was Mitnick saying "yeah, yeah..." as he turned away, closing the door and turning a deadbolt.

He moved around the room a bit, and Olivia stayed still, faking sleep, until she finally felt the bed shift as he climbed in the bottom bunk. The only light was from the screensaver, which played shadows on the ceiling, and she waited.

Part of her expected the sounds of sleep, snoring, shifting... something. But there was nothing. Finally, she gathered the bravery to peek over the side of the bunk down at him. He lay still in the shadows of the bunk.

Olivia took a deep breath and started to climb down the ladder, trying to avoid the creak of the wood as she went. Mitnick didn't move. He didn't move at all, in fact. From the ground, she could see the curve of his face, oddly proportioned like a Halloween mask, his hand still holding tension.

Dead. He looked dead.

Because, of course, he was. A monster, dead now that the daylight had come. Olivia shuddered in mild horror, remembering how she had started to see him as friendly just a few hours ago. It almost seemed horrible to turn her back on him to approach the door.

As she reached up to turn the deadbolt, she heard something from the other side. A wet sort of asthmatic wheeze and the sound of something brushing against the wood on the other side. Olivia froze, in panic. Of course someone would be guarding the only door, a ghoul maybe. For a split second she debated kicking the door open, fighting her way out, but wiped the idea from her mind. Instead, she sat on the floor, facing the bed to watch where Mitnick lay, and waited.

She had no idea how long she was there, hoping to figure another way out, when she heard the breather seem to struggle to their feet, the wet gasps slowly moving away down the hall.

Saved by a bathroom break.

As quickly as she could with silence, she clicked open the deadbolt, stepping into the hallway and closing the door silently behind her. The warrens might open up into a maze, but she knew the basics of how to get out, following the steps she'd taken a dozen times towards Gary's room, trying to make no noise, her heart pounding in her ears... no, those were footsteps approaching.

Olivia spun around, there was nothing to hide behind in the hallway. She stifled a little sound of horror, then huddled into the shadows, and closed her eyes like a little kid hiding from the boogieman.

Don't see me. Please don't see me.

The footsteps grew closer, then seemed to pass right in front of her without pause. She opened her eyes to the empty hallway.

They didn't see me. Somehow, they didn't see me....

She didn't give herself time to think it over, instead continuing on through Gary's ornate door before coming up short. It took a moment for her rational mind to take back over, before she realized she was looking for him, glancing around the empty room, disappointed he wasn't there.

Blood controlling me... ignore it. Ignore the movie posters with Gary's human face on them, so handsome. Don't wonder what books he kept on the shelves, or which were his favorite trinkets around the room. Don't let my eyes linger on the chair where you sat while he tricked me into drinking blood. Just push through to the other door and LEAVE.

Olivia only realized she was holding her breath when she stood in the dirt hallway outside, and she let it out in a loud huff, her head buzzing.

Just focus on the task ahead. Crawl here, to the ladder.

She was just standing, wiping the dirt off of the scrub pants when she heard a door slam behind her, then that wet wheeze following it.

Shit.

Up the ladder quickly then, to the top which barely had a lip big enough to stand on, dug out of the wall of a mausoleum. Bracing one foot on one side, and one on the other, she strained against the marble wall trying to open it. Below her, she heard a wheezing gasp and looked down to see a dark form down at the bottom.

Shit shit shit.

She pushed against the wall again, then purposefully knocked down some of the bones that littered the top, hearing the person below let out a muffled curse and seem to lose their footing. With the third shove, the wall creaked open enough that she could slip through.

Suddenly, she was inside the stone walls of the crematorium, stained glass windows pouring with sunlight and color. The wheezer was getting closer breaths labored, and she dashed down the halls, searching for the door, pushing through it in a full sprint.

For a second, she looked around, hoping to find something to brace the door with, but there was nothing outside. Instead, she turned around. The real life Hollywood Forever Cemetery was huge, far larger than the set in the game, but just as poorly kept. A shallow lake, full of algae and sludge. Crumbling tombstones. A poorly mowed path, all under the blazing sun and palm trees.

Where's the gate?

No time to think, she just headed up a hill, hoping that the wheezer couldn't keep up with the climb. But a moment later, the door slammed again behind her, and she heard sloppy footfalls coming up the path. Olivia pushed herself to go faster, turning a corner and skidding on the pebbles a bit. How close was her pursuer? She allowed herself one glance back, not seeing them, and while her attention was divided, someone grabbed her arm.

"Whoa there sugarpuss, watch where you're going..." a taller man started, then looked behind her in confusion "You being chased? Whitman's chasing you? Damn... come on." Suddenly he was pulling her by the arm with a yank that nearly dislocated it, and she was being dragged across the hill in an incomprehensible speed. In a blink, she was in a nearly empty shack, the man peering through a peep hole in the wooden door and motioning for her to be quiet.

Olivia tried to catch her breath while the man watched for a few minutes out the door. "I think the coast's clear." He finally said, turning. "What the hell was that about?"

"He was chasing me." she said breathlessly.

"Yeah, I noticed. Normally I don't have to worry about anyone getting out in the daytime. Who are you."

"My name's Olivia, Romero."

"You know me? I don't think I've met you, and I know most of the ghouls around these parts." His eyes narrowed "If you're here looking for child support, I really haven't met you."

"What? No. No no no.... I just know... I know of you." Olivia sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Can you really tell I'm a ghoul?"

Romero was staring at her dubiously. "Yeah... You a malk's? Figures, the crazy ones are always hot."

"No... no, Gary. And it's... It's a recent thing."

"That why they were chasing you? Heh. Don't worry. Whitman's an ass, deserves it if Gary's mad at him. So why you running away?" He slumped down on the couch in a casual pose, glancing Olivia over as he did.

Olivia took a seat in the single chair, trying to center herself from the chase. "I had to escape, I'm not going to stay there and be a... ghoul."

Romero's look was confused. "But... why not?"

"It's awful! Gary tricked me into this and..."

"And you feel real good now, right?" Romero leaned forward.

Olivia swallowed hard, and didn't respond. She didn't want to admit how amazing she felt at the moment.

Romero grinned knowingly, despite that "Not too much to regret there, you dig? Plus, look at this specimen of man in front of you. How old you think I am? Huh?" He waved a hand over himself, as though he was a display on Price Is Right. "Sixty six freaking years old. Don't look a day over 25, right? Once you're a ghoul for a few years you're the perfect blend of experience and stamina, if you catch my drift." He leaned back smugly for a moment, then a moment of doubt came over his face. "Course, Nos ghouls can get pretty ugly. You might want to sow your oats before your nose falls off or something."

"I don't plan on going back."

"You say that now, but give it a week or two, and all you will be able to think about is how to get your next nip of blood. Trust me, you don't want to wait for the jonesing to get bad." He kicked his feet up on a crate that seemed to serve as an end table. "Best bet is hang out here for a while, we'll keep ourselves occupied for a few hours, or you know, watch tv or something, and you head back to Gary when the sun sets."

"No. Gary will to take me to the prince, and that's just not happening."

Romero's shoulders seemed to tense up slightly, "Gary wants to take a brand new ghoul to see LaCroix?"

"Yeah... I mean... Forget I said anything."

His full attention was now on her "Why?"

"It's a long story... Look, I should go."

"Nuh uh kid... Now you got my curiosity."

Olivia stood, but Romero was standing in front of her in a flash that made her gasp in surprise.

"Why are you going to see LaCroix?"

"Because... he wants to ask me some questions about... stuff."

"Huh." Romero was still standing rather close to her and she noticed for the first time that he had at some point pulled a rifle in one hand, finger off the trigger, but still a threat. "How bout we head up to the jewelry store and you answer questions to the Baron instead tonight?"

Chapter Text

Olivia was furious.

She sat in the back room of the jewelry store on a mop bucket. Romero had made it clear she had to keep her hands visible, and he flicked his head back and forth at lightning speed, monitoring her and the door. Waiting for the sun to set, silent.

A million scenarios played out in Olivia's head as they waited. The sun would set and Gary would storm in to save her. But no, the idea of that rifle in Romero's hands in that scenario was terrifying. Gary would come in, furious at her.... More likely. She'd run away, betrayed him. If she'd have just stayed put, she wouldn't be here.

When the streaks through the stained glass dissipated, instead she just heard an interior door open, the creak of quiet footsteps and a rather haughty voice. "Romero?"

"Boss." Romero's voice had a softness to it, like you'd expect someone to use with their crush. "Found this ghoul creeping around the cemetery. She's got some info LaCroix wants, figure you'd need to talk to her."

Isaac's head came around the edge of the doorway, regarding her for a long moment with a slight frown on his chiseled face. "Bring her into the office, my other appointment tonight isn't that important."

Romero reached for Olivia's elbow to guide her, but she snatched it out of his grasp and followed the baron, angry. She knew the office where they ended up, an ornate door and a mahogany desk that Isaac took a seat behind, glancing at them. "Get back to your post Romero, before we have another breakout."

"Yes, but... I was thinking. I know it's a few days early, but I'm already here..." his voice was uncharacteristically uncertain, almost pleading, and Isaac rolled his eyes, then pulled off his jacket and started to undo the buttons on his French cuffs.

He's going to feed him blood? Here? Now?

Olivia looked purposefully away, it felt intrusive to be in the room, embarrassing, like walking in on a couple in bed. A blush crept up her cheeks, but neither of the other two seemed to notice. Then, she heard the wet sound of the baron biting into his own wrist, and an almost pornographic stifled groan from Romero.

She swallowed hard. Yes, she'd been tricked into being turned into a ghoul, but when she smelled the blood, she knew what it would taste like. Knew what it would feel like. And that craving for a moment of bliss, escape from the strain of her life was almost unbearable. For a split second she pictured herself falling to her knees by Isaac, begging him, promising whatever help she could give for a taste... But Gary...

Olivia pressed her fingers against her temples and squeezed her eyes shut. These aren't my thoughts. Ignore them. Fight them. Pull yourself together.

When she opened her eyes again, Romero was breezing past, giving her a smug grin and a wink before he headed out the stained glass door. Behind the desk, the baron was pulling his coat back on. "Judging by the clothes, I'm guessing Brujah, or Nosferatu?"

"What?"

"Your dormitor. Who are they?"

"Oh... Gary."

"Gary?" There was a moment of distaste in his voice. "Hm. Must be interesting information then. What's going on?"

Olivia didn't answer, studying the framed art on the far wall. Be careful what you say, don't tell too much.

In her periphery, she saw him stand and take a step closer. "Don't tell me you're going to be difficult..."

She spared a quick glance towards the door, debating whether she could make a run for it, but to her surprise, it opened. A large man in sunglasses was opening for a rather familiar figure draped in purple. "Amelia..."

The Toreador player character glanced at her, then towards Isaac. "You must be Mr. Abrams. Did I come at a bad time?"

"Not at all, merely handling some staffing issues." Isaac put on a winning smile and gestured towards a couch in a corner. As soon as she turned the smile flicked off and he glanced at the man, then at Olivia with a nod of his chin. The message was clear, and the man walked over to her, grabbing her arm in a cold iron grip.

The baron turned his attention onto Amelia then, with a smile, settling down next to her on the couch and suddenly, Olivia felt all the frustrations she had felt towards the man vanish. He was compelling, magnetic. She felt giddy, drunk, just being in the room with him. How had she not noticed it before?

It was a feeling that seemed to stretch to Amelia too, who leaned forward on the couch, batting her eyes a bit seductively. "Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Abrams."

Vapid idiot.I can't believe I created you.

"It was very courteous of you to respond. I had hoped you'd make it to Hollywood on your own, but figured an invitation was in order so that we could better get acquainted."

Amelia pouted and pushed back her hair. "I'd thought about coming here eventually, but I've just wanted to keep to myself lately. It's funny, right when I was first embraced, it was just doing one thing after another, but lately, it's like everyone is just asking me to run errands. It's boring."

The baron nodded as though he understood. "That's the Camarilla, everyone will march you around like toy soldiers as they play their little games. Petty power plays, all of it, especially from that fop LaCroix. None of them are to be trusted."

Olivia shook her head with a quiet snicker, still feeling a little high. That wasn't it. She's gotten lazy since I'm not playing her anymore.

Amelia seemed convinced by the baron's argument though, leaning in further until she was barely touching Isaac's leg "I think I'd much prefer things without them. I hate being told what to do. But tell me more about you. You're in charge just of the city of Hollywood, or the industry? You know, I always saw myself in films..."

Isaac's smile was more than a little patronizing as he responded with a murmured non answer. This time, Olivia couldn't hold in a giggle, and suddenly both vampires were looking across the room to her.

"Don't I recognize her?" Amelia asked.

"I doubt it, just a ghoul found in my domain..."

"No, you lived in Santa Monica, didn't you? I've seen you around." Amelia rose and took a few steps towards her. It should have been frightening, but that sort of giddy drunkenness was still making Olivia's head swim, and she nodded with a giggle.

"Same apartment building, even!"

"A kindred had you spying on me?" Amelia replied, looking angry.

"No, I wasn't a ghoul yet, no one to tell me to spy. And what's there to say, that you leave your tv on all the time?" Olivia laughed to herself, ignoring the voice in her head screaming this wasn't the right emotions.

Isaac looked intrigued by this exchange and walked over to her. "So you're answering questions now?"

There was a thrill down Olivia's spine that he was paying attention to her and she tore through her mind trying to think of anything that might make him happy. "I'll tell you anything. I know lots of things... the future...  Like, about the Tzimisce things you got running amuck in your sewers...."

"Tzimisce?" Abrams looked shocked, and that just made Olivia thrilled.

I can tell him lots that he doesn't know.

"Uh huh... they're uh, they're making snuff porn and stuff to mess with you because they want... they wanna take over." Her head was spinning a little and it made thinking difficult. "Monsters... up in a house on King's Way."

Isaac frowned, then looked at the kindred in sunglasses who still held her, "a fiend might explain a lot of what's been going on." He paced back, studying the floor for a moment, lost in thought. Amelia was still unmoving, glaring at Olivia.

She's jealous I took attention away from her.

That thought was making her grin when Isaac paused. "Is that what you were being taken to inform LaCroix?"

"No... he wants to know what's in the Ankaran sarcophagus."

"Really? I've heard rumors, we all have."

Olivia giggled playfully. "It's not Caine, or an ancient who's come back to murder everyone, if that's what you heard. LaCroix... he thinks he can diab... eat the person inside to get power." She snorted, totally giving into the tipsy sort of feeling overwhelming her. "There's sure a lot of power in there for whoever opens it!"

The baron glanced at her disdainfully "I doubt even LaCroix would sink to such unspeakable levels."

As he turned back to his desk, she felt the feeling of euphoria start to slip away from her bit by bit.

I've run my mouth again... and made a fool out of myself.

"Still, we should investigate. Amelia, this actually is an opportunity for your tribute."

"Tribute?" Amelia said, sounding confused.

"It's customary, if not a bit old fashioned. Guests to my barony have some task to show their respect and understanding of my position."

If Amelia was a Tremere, the anger in her eyes would have set the baron's blood on fire. "You're sending me to run errands?"

"Don't think of it that way, this is merely to protect the interests of the city. This house she spoke of should be investigated. And you won't be alone," Isaac nodded to the man with sunglasses "Get a few of the boys together to head up there. It could always be nothing. False information from the sewer rats, but if it is a fiend... be prepared."

Amelia seemed to be about to reply, but Isaac had turned and headed towards an interior door. "Let me know how it turns out. I'll send someone to watch the ghoul..." and he was gone.

Chapter Text

The ghoul sent to watch her looked had sort of generic good looks that made her think she had seen him somewhere before, but couldn't place his face. For the first half hour he had stared Olivia down with intensity, but then seemed to realize she wasn't budging. Eventually, he raided the rather extensive video collection from Isaac's closet.

Olivia, the whole time didn't care. She was mortified.

Even when I plan to keep my mouth shut, I end up giving up everything with a little supernatural persuasion.

And this time was even more embarrassing. It wasn't a slip of the tongue, it was a giddy, juvenile rambling with her emotions manipulated. She'd not only let information loose, she'd made a fool out of herself.

So she stayed put as he watched through the Godfather, even when he hopped up to use the bathroom. He ordered a pizza through Godfather II, and offered her a slice that she took. He got complacent, dozing off in Godfather II, as she didn't seem keen to go anywhere.

That, at least was the plan, which was why she was surprised to find herself standing suddenly, pushing the door open before he even opened his eyes, and heading with urgency down the street..

What the hell am I doing?

Down under a bridge she headed, ignoring the shouts from a passing car, not caring if she was followed. It wasn't until she saw the Bentley parked near a lampost that she knew, somehow, that was her destination. She opened the door, and swallowed hard. Strauss sat in the back, looking at her with cold eyes, next to Gary. Without thinking, she got in, and then seemed to get control over her own limbs again. But... better to just be still now.

I really messed up this time.

The ride was silent. Icily silent, with the occasional glance between the two vampires that seemed to convey a whole series of messages that she wasn't privy to. They stopped in the alley behind the chantry and Gary suddenly gripped her hand with an absurd moment of strength. It should have been terrifying, but she felt her heart flutter at the touch before her stomach turned in realization of why.

Better not to fight.

She followed quiet and without resistance. Strauss lead the way with a ramrod straight spine down the winding halls of the chantry, stopping in front of a door. Behind her, like a breath, she felt like the halls shifted, changed, at least in appearance

Not like the Nosferatu. Impossible to escape.

In one corner of the room, a pale man sat at an electric typewriter, hands already poised over keys. After pushing her to one chair, Gary stood in the corner, eyes fixed more on Strauss, who rounded in front of her, getting down to eye level.

"You will tell me everything you said to them."

Olivia was barely able to swallow before she was rambling on, spitting out what she realized was a word for word script of what she had said to Romero, Amelia, and Isaac, while the man in the corner loudly copied it down in crisp keystrokes. Saying it back was even more embarrassing, and she felt her cheeks flush as she realized how stupid she had been.

I couldn't stop talking if I wanted to though.

Afterwards, Strauss leaned back. "It could have been worse. The Tzmisce is a mutual enemy, at least." He pondered the wall over Gary's head for a moment. "I expected better from you in dealing with a liability."

Gary's response was almost a growl without words and Olivia sank into her seat as Strauss focused his attention back on her.

"You had mentioned before that LaCroix is in league with the Kuei Jin. Do you have proof?"

Olivia paused, "I just.... I know."

Strauss's eyes narrowed behind his red glasses. "Give me proof."

Her mind started racing, thinking of all the little facets that showed the betrayal in the game, the confession of Ming Xiao, the final confrontation with LaCroix... but none of it was proof she could give. An anxious sort of pain started in her limbs, and she realized she was stuttering, trying to think of anything, the feeling rising as she tried to follow the command.

Give proof! Give proof! Proof! Or my brain might explode!

Strauss's hand suddenly raised and the tension dissipated. "Unfortunate. There is much more work to be done with you, but we have waning hours. We have a room prepared."

Gary finally stood abruptly "This wasn't a permanent loan."

"She will not leave until I am finished. Besides, the warrens do seem a bit easier to traverse than I had supposed, Gary... May I offer our hospitality for the day? There's not much time before daylight, and the sewers are, apparently, inaccessible."

Gary's face was a stone mask, and he let a long moment of silence hang before cracking into a smile. "Sounds like a fun soiree. Shame I forgot my nightcap, but we can make do."

Judging by Strauss's reaction, he hadn't expected Gary to accept, and he made some small noise before waving to the man with the typewriter, who stacked the papers crisply, then rose and motioned to Gary.

Strauss himself lead Olivia out by a shoulder, into the already altered hall, and to a room just across. It wasn't the rather comfortable apartment upstairs, just a cot and table. It made her uncomfortable somehow, but she let herself be lead inside.

"The door is warded. If you touch it, it will kill you." Strauss said bluntly, closing it behind him. All sounds cut off with the door, and she was suddenly very alone, just with the sound of her own heart pumping in her chest. Pumping ghoul blood, in an enchanted building full of vampires in a foul mood.

I've really messed up.

Chapter Text

Could the Tremere affect time?

She couldn't think of anything from the game, but it certainly seemed that way. The room had no windows, and there wasn't a whisper of sound that came from outside. Odd that she missed the wheezing sound of the ghoul guarding her in the warrens. At least there, she felt she had a chance.

It felt like days she paced the floor, laid sleepless on the cot, images running through her head of the last two months.

Why didn't I just lay low?

If she had just stayed at the diner, stayed silent, none of this would have happened. Things would have been bad, but at least it would be bad but free from vampiric interference. The events of the game would have played out and...

Would they have?

Amelia had stopped participating in the plots after Olivia was no longer in control of the player character. Everything by now was totally off the rails from the possibilities that Olivia knew.

Maybe, even if I had done nothing but served burgers and bussed tables, things would still be broken.

But that didn't fix her personal problem here or now.

She had started to think that they had forgotten her, boxed her up and put her in storage forever, when finally the door opened without a knock. The pale man from the previous day was waiting outside.

"The Regent will see you. Take care not to touch the door on the way out."

She did, staring at the door like maybe she could see the protective magic in the woodgrain, but it seemed normal. Strauss's study, previously just across the hall was now a walk away, and momentarily she thought about asking how anyone could find their way around.

Like the moving staircases in Harry Potter... although it's probably not good to mention those books to the Tremere.

Strauss stood by the fireplace in the study and the pale man took his place at the typewriter. Gary sit in the corner and for a split second, Olivia resisted the urge to go over and to apologize for all of this. He looked so... stern.

"Sit, please." Strauss motioned to a wooden chair sitting solitary centered in the rug, the light from the fire throwing shadows and light over it.

If it was meant to be intimidating, it is working.

Olivia let out a deep breath and sat, and Strauss took a step towards her, pulling something off of the mantle that was wrapped in a white cloth, and holding it out to her. She hesitated a moment, then reached for it, nearly dropping it as she saw what it was. It was the front half of a skull, bleach white, parts eroded and ancient, the teeth missing.

"You will hold that." Strauss said, as she fumbled with it. "While you have it in your possession, do not lie. The consequences would be dire."

"Such a nice bag of tricks." Gary murmured from the corner, sounding jealous, and Strauss glanced over at him with a slight grin, before pacing around the chair.

"Now, I want to know everything, from your perspective. Start at the beginning."

Olivia stared into the vacant eye holes of the skull and pondered that for a long moment.

I'm in too deep. I have nothing left to lose. I have nothing to gain.

"Two months ago, I was in a slightly different future. There was a game there, that I played. It was called Vampire the Masquerade..."

They let her talk for the longest while, as she explained the video game, the books it was based on. She told about her repeated playthroughs, Amelia and the impossible moment she woke up in this world made real. The whole time, the vampires in the room were silent, other than the sound of typing. When she finally raised her eyes from the skull, she saw why. Strauss's face had more activity than she had seen from any kindred's expression so far, his eyebrows pulled up in shock and surprise, mouth hanging slightly ajar. She stuttered, coming to silence.

"You wanna unreel that plot for me again?" Gary said after a moment, sounding a bit shocked himself.

"I'm not lying. All of it. I know it sounds crazy but..."

"She is telling the truth, the ritual sees to that." Strauss rounded to the couch and sat, closing his eyes and steepling his fingers for a long moment, the wood cracking in the fireplace and making his red lenses glow. "Or perhaps more accurately, she's revealing her truth. She may not be mad, but she obviously has gained consciousness of a wealth of information, on vampire kind, on this city. Foresight not only to the situation at hand but on possible futures. Perhaps... almost certainly... her mind couldn't handle accessing this suddenly. She's conceptualized it in a way that her mind can understand, you see? A game, one with pieces and various outcomes. The facade is a fabrication of her making, with the framework true."

"That's not..." Olivia started, but Gary stepped into her line of sight, gesturing her to silence.

"Of course," Strauss continued, "the exact mechanism of how she gained this information will have to be studied, but for now we must decide how to utilize it best."

Gary frowned and sat across from Strauss, neither seeming to pay her any mind again.

"LaCroix..."

"The prince." Strauss glanced across the room to the typist, who had stopped transcribing. Olivia followed his gaze and saw that he was staring back at her with wide eyes. Strauss motioned and the man stood with a bow to leave, leaving the stack of typed papers behind. "Merely one concern."

"The word on the street says that the Baron's goons didn't come back from visiting the Tzmisce."

"Do you feel they are the more immediate threat than the Keiu Jinn?"

"If the prince is as chummy with them as my girl here says, they aren't as ready to attack. And I'm not just saying that because it's my backyard teeming with lusus naturae."

"We will need the support of the primogen council to mount a defense. And the prince."

"He still wants to see her, practically biting at the bit to find out what she knows about the damn box."

"Then we'll allow that. Better to have the distraction removed, but we will have to limit the information he has access to."

"Nondisclosure is always better for publicity."

"With some preparation I can ensure that things go smoothly." Strauss stood and gave Gary the slightest of smiles. "Excuse me while I take my leave, this should only take a moment."

He smoothly headed over to the door and left, and suddenly Olivia realized she was alone with Gary, who was studying her top to bottom. "A game."

"I swear it, Gary..."

"You know there's another one of you out there? Took a while for the network to track you down, fifteen years younger, living in the middle of nowhere, no ties to kindred. No way for that to be chicanery from a bit of madness." He shook his head "Have more than you show, speak less than you know. Let Strauss have his theories. It's all equally impossible."

A second one of me, how... it's too much.

Olivia closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted from the lack of sleep and the release of telling them everything.

There's nothing left.

She was only around until she wasn't useful anymore, and she had just purged herself of her most valuable information. It wasn't even like she had a valuable skill, like Romero.

Romero.

Her mind drifted, back to the jewelry store. The sound of the Baron biting his wrist, the smell. Gary was studying the fire only feet from her. If she could do something, anything, to prove herself, to prove how valuable she was still, maybe he would bite into his wrist, let her feel that blank moment of bliss.

But what?

What did she have left? Nothing. Basic facts about some of the kindred in town, little snippets of information that suddenly seemed useless without the web of the now ruined plot of the game. Nothing as good, as valuable as the blood he'd had to offer.

I'll beg.

No, this is pathetic. This isn't me, this...

The door at the far end opened, and Gary and Olivia both startled slightly. It was Strauss, but you could feel him before he was in sight, like a physical pressure in the room. He smiled apologetically. "My apologies for the delay. Now..." He stopped in front of Olivia, staring deep into her eyes in a way that made her breath catch. "Let's discuss what you will say to the prince."

Chapter Text

My head hurt.

They were riding in the Bentley, heading downtown towards the massive skyscraper where the prince would be waiting. It wasn't surprising. Strauss had said... something.

What?

Her head buzzed, and she leaned it against the cool of the window, and looked at the empty hospital as they passed by.

"There's a Naja... Nagaraja there. In the basement. She's looking for... stuff."

Gary's eyebrows raised in amusement. "Stuff?"

"Historical. Magical stuff... She wants to trade. But she ate a crew of tv people. Ate ate them."

"They'll do that, yes." Gary chuckled and glanced at Strauss. "This one in your wheelhouse?"

"Intriguing, but hardly priority."

"Still, keep those tidbits coming, shall we?" Gary leaned back.

Right. Tell them what I know. But don't... not other stuff... things that aren't...

The buzz in her head increased and she rubbed her temples, trying to wipe the feeling away. She had rushed to say that the moment it popped into her head. That wasn't normal, was it? But when she tried to think of why, it was like pushing up against something in her own mind, a wall made of warm velvet and static that pushed her away.

Strauss had told her something though. Something that made her thinking scrambled.

This isn't good.

For a moment, she thought about running. But no, they'd get her easily. Besides, there was nowhere to go from here, not even to...

"There's a guy on the corner named Fat Larry," she said without thinking, the words just coming forth. "He knows something about a deal with the Tong, who are working for the Keiu Jinn." She slapped a hand over her mouth in surprise.

"The Tong... perhaps there's information attached?"

"Can't send any of my boys until the sewers are cleared."

Olivia zoned out of their conversation. Why couldn't she remember what Strauss had said? Everything about this city, about the vampires had that same weird feeling when she so much as considered it. It was... wrong.

This so isn't good.

The primogen apparently came and went through a side entrance, and part of Olivia was rather upset she wouldn't get to see Officer Chunk. Instead, they headed directly towards the elevator, heading up and up. Just before the doors opened, Gary gave her a glance full of warning, like a parent telling a child to behave. The elevator didn't let off immediately into the prince's room, instead they had to go down a hallway that was lush dark marble towards the oversized doors. As they swung open the relatively bright room with its lighter colors and washes of gold leaf were overwhelming, like a sunrise.

LaCroix stood at the window, his back turned, arms at a military parade rest, but she got the feeling that he was watching their reflection as they walked in. She craned around and saw the ridiculously huge lumbering beast of the sheriff, standing near the door as though blocking their retreat. It was all so overwhelming she stumbled a bit over her feet, but the two primogen continued as though this was the most normal thing.

LaCroix didn't turn around until they got close, his eyes barely clipping over her before turning to the Tremere. "Strauss. I wasn't aware you would be joining us tonight."

"I offered Gary some aide. He felt, and I agreed, that more verification was necessary before bringing this to your attention."

"And this took nearly a week since I requested this human be brought before me?"

Gary leaned one hip against the prince's desk and plucked a piece of lint off of his vest "Good things come to those who wait boss. Besides, ghoul now, not human. Blame the fettuccine."

"Ghoul?" He took a step forward and Olivia took a step backwards without thinking, catching a glimpse of the sheriff across the room, staring through them with a hard piercing gaze. "I merely asked for the author of an email to be found. What happened that you haven't told me, Gary?"

"Plenty, but let's keep to the subject. My girl here has a little gift, you see."

LaCroix raised an eyebrow, but Strauss stepped in to speak, setting a hand on Olivia's shoulder, and making the odd feeling in her mind start to get worse.

"It seems that she has some supernatural foresight, including knowledge of some kindred affairs."

They weren't lying.

Olivia frowned. She'd expected him to come up with some story, but no, this was just edited truth, why... and there it was. The fuzz in her brain suddenly harsh and sharp as she looked at LaCroix, pits and holes in her mind that almost hurt at the word kindred. Things that were missing suddenly, that couldn't come out in front of the prince.

Strauss.

"Obviously I ghouled her. Protection of the masquerade and all that jazz." Gary said sardonically. "And we've have been working to see if she's the genuine article."

"I see. And your conclusions, Strauss?"

"It's some form of clairvoyance I'm not familiar with. Somewhat oddly dispersed on topics, but fairly accurate, if limited to the next decade or so. The fact that any of it focuses on kindred affairs is surprising."

"I've backed up most of what she's said though... What did you write to the prince about again, Olivia?" Gary said, suddenly, poking Olivia in the side.

"The sarcophagus." That automatic voice came out of her, the fuzz in her mind pressing in on either side.

"Yes, the sarcophagus. Seemingly the topic of conversation for every kindred and kine in town." LaCroix replied. His voice was flippant, almost overtly so, like he was trying to sell his lack of interest. In another situation, it would be funny.

"Funny, Strauss and I moved onto other topics." Gary replied and Strauss shot him a warning glance.

"So, you're saying that this clairvoyance... what? Allowed her to know my position in kindred society and sense that knowledge of the sarcophagus would be pertinent to me?" LaCroix sounded incredulous.

Olivia's brain pounded.

It was these topics. They were dangerous. They made her... not right.

"Perhaps not so specifically, but she obviously made the connection enough to contact you. Fortunate that the nosferatu were able to respond quickly and to seek out my aide."

LaCroix tipped his head back, glancing from Strauss to study Olivia down the tip of his nose for a long moment. "And even you think her insight has some value?"

"As I said, it's limited but not incorrect."

"Well then." LaCroix tilted his head forward and Olivia swallowed, sensing what was coming. "Do you know who is in the sarcophagus?"

"Not who, what." That automatic sort of voice took over, playing out before she could think.

"What?" LaCroix looked surprised for a brief blink, then his eyes narrowed. "Tell me what is in the sarcophagus."

"Explosives."

"Ex.... Explosives?" His eyes popped wide in confusion.

"Yes." Olivia took a deep breath. This was okay to say for some reason.... "Jack. Smiling Jack. He put explosives in the sarcophagus, then spread all sorts of rumors around. He wanted you all to fight. Whoever opens it, they'll get blown to smithereens. It's a prank."

For a second the image of LaCroix being the one opening the box popped into her head, but it was painfully swallowed by the black fuzz.

LaCroix stood, seemingly lost for a moment, shooting his cuffs and straightening his tie almost as a nervous twitch. "Any verification of this?"

"Fits with some of Jack's movements lately" Gary responded.

LaCroix was silent for another moment, processing this, thoughts flickering behind his eyes. "I want Jack brought for questioning. We need to find out if this 'prank' has any other risk to the masquerade. There will be repercussions. The sarcophagus is at the museum..."

"It was." Gary responded, and both Strauss and LaCroix looked at him in surprise. "Traded it for a bit of juicy gossip to the Giovanni. Heard they picked up the luggage last night."

"Then there's no risk of the explosion affecting kine." Strauss responded blandly.

LaCroix's straightened his tie again, glancing into the near distance. "The sarcophagus is their prerogative then. We can chose to ignore it."

Something cracked in Olivia's mind. That wasn't right. LaCroix was supposed to be fixated on the sarcophagus. He was...

What?

As she tried to think, the static in her mind grew, and she closed her eyes against the pain. Talking about the sarcophagus itself was fine, that was an okay topic. But anything else was too much. If he had asked her about another kindred, who knows what would have happened?

"Ultimately, I'm afraid that it was serving as a distraction from more important affairs." Strauss replied, stepping in front of her as though she'd been dismissed from the situation. "The Sabbat seem to be planning a full attack on the city."

"They've invaded the sewers already."

"The sewers which are in a domain lacking any Camarilla loyalty? I'm sure you have some leverage to seek the aide of the anarchs."

"They tried."

LaCroix was silent again, eyebrows tilted. Olivia was thinking too, counting the subtle checks on his tie. She could think about that without the blackness in her mind invading. She could glance out the window and wonder the name of the skyscraper beyond.

As long as I don't think about anything kindred related, this isn't affecting me.

She blew air out her nose, forcing her mind to blank on anything other than vampires. The cigarette burn on her borrowed tshirt. The stock report neatly stapled on the corner of the desk. Just focus.

Focus.

"Convene a meeting of the council, and we will discuss plans."

"Clear the sewers first, until then my boys aren't going out or in."

"You'll have to convince your fellow primogen of that, not me." LaCroix responded with a smirk. "And where are you staying then? At the chantry? I'm glad the traditions of hospitality stand even in these trying times."

Gary's nostrils flared, but he stayed silent.

LaCroix grinned maliciously, then seemed to remember Olivia was there, catching her eye.

Oh no.

"Tell me what you know from this clairvoyance."

Her mind started to scream, metal on metal, as the commands programmed into her mind headed towards each other, but... No.

Deflect. Something as far from kindred affairs as possible.

"Angry Birds."

LaCroix's eyes blinked at a bizarrely slow speed. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's an app game that comes out in a few years. Didn't cost much to make but gets hugely popular in the early teens, lots of merchandise, a movie. I read the franchise sold for billions."

The fuzz in her brain subsided a bit. Whatever Strauss had left there, she was too far off topic for it to have any effect on her words now, and she took a deep breath in relief.

LaCroix's lips curled in an amused grin "You're giving me business tips?"

"Yes. And you should take them. God, I mean, the iPhone hasn't even come out yet, has it? The whole world is going to change over the next decade because of things like that. I've seen it. I know what's coming. There's apps that almost upend the entire taxi industry in the US, can you believe that? Social media... Twitter still isn't a thing now, but in fifteen years it moves the entire stock market." The fuzz had receded her mind, and she was able to glance away in her clarity enough to see a rather shocked looking Strauss watching her. "Even if my actions change the future, I have a better guess on social trends, business."

LaCroix reached up to smooth his tie, started to respond with that grin, then frowned and turned away briskly, looking out the window. After a moment, he turned around again, an emotionless face turned towards Strauss. "This foresight is far more specific than you'd lead me to believe, Strauss."

"Perhaps, in some areas." Strauss replied stiffly. Olivia stole a glance towards Gary, who to her surprise seemed rather amused.

"I see. Yes, I see. I can understand why you'd want to secure a retainer with those qualities. Yes." LaCroix almost muttered to himself.

In Olivia's mind, the battle was all but gone, the soothing feeling of fulfilling LaCroix's command happening at the same moments she was avoiding Strauss's. It was like a weight lifted of off her.

LaCroix had paced back to the window, musing. "After the Sabbat presence is dealt with, I'd be interested in having her answer questions with one of my investment bankers."

"Afraid she's signed to this studio already."

LaCroix paused in his pacing, "Have you bound her? Perhaps... I will make sure that the primogen council's priority is purging the sewers, Gary."

"I'll think about it. Anyway, we need to get her home to tuck her into bed." Gary waved rather dramatically for Strauss to walk out ahead of him. For a moment, Olivia had the twin gazes of the prince and the sheriff as she followed them out the door.

"Self preservation is a hell of a thing." Gary whispered to her as the elevator doors closed. "You done well for yourself there."

"Unexpected." Strauss replied, curtly. "I had expected him to question her specifically on kindred tasks..."

"I had to change the subject or I'd have an aneurysm." Olivia rubbed her head and Gary chuckled.

"Well, you got his attention. You'll have to live with that."

It was quiet for a moment, before Strauss mused "I've often wondered he chooses the Anglican pronunciation for his name."

"Always figured even a Ventrue was a little embarrassed to be French." Gary responded with a grin.

"In the future, LaCroix is a brand of seltzer water." Olivia responded before thinking, the automatic speech popping in with the push of fuzz in her mind. "It kind of tastes bad, but lots of people drink it."

Half a moment passed before Strauss started chuckling, and Gary joined him in bigger coughing laughs, barely composing themselves before the doors opened. They headed back through the side of the lobby, out to the waiting car.

Strauss still had a smile on his face as he touched the door handle, but it faded to a placid mask as he glanced inside, paused with a look to Gary, before opening the door and greeting the woman who sat curled inside.

"Miss Velour?"

Chapter Text

"Miss Velour?"

Inside the car, the woman was curled into an oversize plush coat and unfurled herself at the mention of her name. "Maxmillian." She glanced behind him at Gary and a momentary look of disgust passed over her face, but she didn't otherwise acknowledge his presence.

"May I ask why you are in my car?"

"I recognized it and knew you wouldn't mind giving me a ride, you've always been so kind. I'm afraid I couldn't walk." She stretched out one pointed foot and gestured to the ankle strap which dangled broken on the rhinestone shoe.

"Terrible excuse." Gary muttered, but Strauss gestured for him to be quiet.

"Of course, Miss Velour, we can drop you off before any other errands." Strauss held the door open for Gary, who got in with a mutter of disapproval, pulling to the side away from her as far as possible.

"Were you in to see... him?" Velvet asked, with a wrinkle of her nose, glancing up towards Venture Towers.

"It is my greatest regret that the anarchs were able to taint your perception of the Camarilla so soon after your embrace, Miss Velour. The structure of our ways could only benefit you and your particular charms would be a strength to us all." Strauss looked over sharply to the chauffer, who was staring at Velvet with moon struck eyes in the rearview mirror. He cleared his throat and the chauffer suddenly snapped out of it, starting the car.

"So, you have a destination in mind?" Gary snarked from his corner.

Velvet sighed whistfully, seeming to direct her answer to Strauss "Wouldn't it be nice if there wasn't a destination? If we could just head out, away from the city and watch the stars, forgetting about jyhad and the all the games? There has to be another world where none of that exists, where we can just be, beautiful and serene."

It was a beautiful question, and as she asked it, it was like sliding into a warm bath, all the tension leaving Olivia's shoulders. I should tell her, about my world, where there is no vampires... But as she opened her mouth, Gary's clawlike hand reached over to grip her knee painfully. She glanced up at him and saw his face was all tension and he shook his head with a warning.

"I'm afraid that doesn't answer the question."

"I was heading for the Last Round, but let's just drive a little, enjoy the night, and each other."

Strauss nodded to the driver and leaned back "You're rarely downtown, Miss Velour."

"You're less likely to be in Hollywood," she retorted with a little smile, "it would have to be something important for you to end up there." For the faintest of split seconds, Olivia swore she saw Velvet's eyes dart to her, but then she was just studying Strauss ignoring everyone else in the vehicle. "I'm just delivering a message for dear Isaac."

"Is he busy these nights?" Strauss replied.

Velvet paused before replying, and that warm feeling intensified, and Olivia sighed in spite of herself. She could see why people flocked to Vesuvius. Even without the dancing, she'd do anything to just listen to her.

"Things are always awful, dangerous and dark. I don't know how he does it, creating beauty on the screen while surrounded by such a hideous world," the latter was said with a slight glance at Gary, and Olivia followed her gaze.

Gary was pulled back into himself, like he was about to be punched. Confused, she glanced over to Strauss who had reached up to brush the blue silk around his neck, almost to assure himself it was there.

Presence. This is presence. She's trying to manipulate us all. Strauss was magically protected, of course, but Gary was resisting it with effort. Such a pity. If he didn't want to be here, he could hop out and then Olivia could curl up on the seat and lay her head on Velvet's lap so that she could run manicured fingers through her hair...

"So, he's not specifically sending you to talk about the Sabbat that he lost a battlion to?" Gary practically spat out, and Strauss glared at him

Velvet paused again, humming slightly to herself. "Isn't it awful, that the world is full of such horrors?" She leaned back, stretching herself out, and then she turned fully to Olivia. "I'm so sorry you were drug into this. You're the one who Isaac talked to aren't you? He mentioned you..."

Olivia leaned forward with a smile, so kind of her to notice the ghoul in the room. "Yes."

"I can't imagine, being thrown into this world, shackled to someone like him..."

Gary let out a low snarl "Someone like me? A Primogen? A former movie star? Better option than a streetwalker who was accidentally embraced in an alley pulling a two dollar trick."

Velvet braced herself back, her pretty face getting screwed up in anger, and she seemed about to say something, when instead she tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Stop here. I can walk." Before the car fully stopped she had stepped out, slamming her door and heading down the street seemingly unbothered by her broken shoe.

"That was uncalled for." Strauss snapped at Gary.

"Maybe. You aren't wondering what she's really here for? Watch the ghoul, Max, I'll be back." Even as the door opened, he vanished right in front of them.

Strauss sighed and glanced at the driver. "Back to the chantry. There's plans to be made."

Chapter Text

The room they left Olivia in was just a bit better than the one before. Still no windows, but it was equipped with a little kitchen, and, to her relief, a bathroom well stocked with toiletries.

I wonder if Strauss had someone go shopping, or if they can conjure this, like the Room of Requirements... wait, no Tremere are not Harry Potter...

She peeled off the loaner clothes and realized how filthy they had gotten, and she herself was practically saturated with stench from her adventures in the sewers. She poured through a mess of the soaps, lathering and rinsing her hair three times and scraping her skin hard with the loofah.

The plain gray dress they left her looked like a maid's outfit, but compared the the reeking pile of clothes she had just taken off it was wonderful.

I can't believe I was up in one of the most expensive skyscrapers smelling like this... and poor VV, stuck in the back of the car with me...

The fridge was full of pre packaged snacks, as though someone had raided a 7-11 when sent for food, and she pulled out a yogurt, then paused before taking a bottle of soda. Better to drink water direct from the tap.

I don't think I'll ever trust a drink again. Vampire roofies don't wear off easily.

The night was quickly catching up with her, and she curled up on the bed, dozing off quickly.

It was impossible to know when she woke up, strange dreams still clinging to the edges of her memories.

No windows. No clock. I wonder what time it is?

You'd think that there would be some ghoul power that would let you sense day from night, but she was just disoriented. She browsed the bookshelves, finding the most bland collection of texts imaginable. After another snack, she dozed off again, paced the floor. It had been a day, at least, maybe two. What was going on out in the world? This solitary confinement thing could drive you insane. She laid on the bed, having an internal debate about trying the door.

No one explicitly said the door was warded this time...

Thankfully, before she had time to risk it, the door opened, a smirking Gary bursting in.

"Up and at 'em, Olivia."

She burst upright, a moment later Strauss following, eyes on the nosferatu.

"Do you truly think this is a wise move?"

"No, but I think it's a fantastic distraction." Gary shot over his shoulder, before looking at Olivia with a twinkle in his eye. "You're going for a little interview. You're still muzzled by all those witchy rules, but you seem to work around it when it comes to the future. Make it worth their while, I want to make sure it's a good deal"

Olivia blinked confused, "who am I talking to?"

"Some of the prince's boys. Like I said, you got his attention. I promised him an interview about future investments with you."

Strauss sighed and turned to leave as Gary hooked his arm through Olivia's, leading her from the room. "I arranged an entourage for you, afraid I'm past shooting day for night so I can't join you."

Gary seemed confident winding his way through the hallways, finding the door without too much trouble. He paused just before he opened it, and turned her to look face to face.

He didn't have the dominate ability that she had encountered a few times, but he didn't need it. The look in his eyes sent chills down her spine. "You try to run again, and it will be the last time you have the ability. Do I make myself clear?"

Olivia swallowed and nodded, and Gary grinned before opening the door. She was still reeling when she took a step out and recognized the figure loitering by the door.

"Girlie!"

"Knox?" For a second, she thought that the ghoul was going to hug her as he approached, all smiles, then she felt cold around her wrist and looked down in confusion at the handcuff now on her arm attached to him. "What the hell?"

"You and I are supposed to be close today, and I heard you have a tendency of trying to skip. Don't take it personally or anything! Just not taking any risks?"

"So, what? You're my entourage?"

Knox coughed a bit, and glanced to the side, his voice quiet "I don't think we'll be alone, you know?"

Olivia followed his gaze and the street was empty. Even Gary seemed to have disappeared from the doorway. But she could see what he meant. Prickles up her spine meant that there were eyes, somewhere.

"I thought the Nosferatu were all stuck in the warrens?"

"Pretty much. Except for my master." Knox was tucking the sleeve of his coat around the cuffs to hide them, and held her hand in a friendly way. It felt weird, in a way, to touch warm skin instead of kindred cold flesh. Comforting somehow. "But it's not them. Sun's about to come up. Don't know who the ghouly ghouls are around here."

Olivia nodded and let Knox lead her down the street. They were walking, apparently. Gary's threat echoed in her mind.

Maybe this is a test.

"You got yourself in deep, huh? Gary himself. Dang. I mean, dang girl."

"It wasn't on purpose."

"No, but... I mean, wow. Have you really been to the warrens? What are they like?"

"Underground. Kind of weird, I guess. Stuff everywhere. Like a smelly art installation."

"But is it cool?"

"I... guess? In a way? I was a prisoner, so I wasn't really thinking that way."

"I bet it's cool." Knox sighed jealously and navigated them around a corner "Gary seems awesome."

"He tricked me."

"Could be worse. I mean, you hear stories that are bad from some ghouls. Real bad. But Gary? I only just met him, but he is alright. My master is awesome, but..."

On a weird level, Olivia was relaxing. The sun was peeking up just enough to make the sky warm, even if the streetlights were still on. Compared to everything else that had been going on, walking down the street with Knox was downright calm.

My new normal. Just two handcuffed ghouls, walking and chatting about their masters.

Around them, the city was starting to wake up, people were starting to step out of a few of the buildings headed to early morning shifts, homeless people were moving their belongings, there was the rumble and bang of a garbage truck somewhere out of view. It seemed so familiar, compared to the weird situations of the past week. No magic, no monsters. Just a plan old, dirty world shaking off the night. She wasn't part of that world any more. She'd been sucked into this group of intruders who broke the world's rules and knew too much. Just thinking about that made her brain hum. Too close to the borders that Strauss had programmed into her mind.

Olivia realized Knox had gone silent and was looking at her curiously as they walked.

"Sorry, thinking."

"Try not to do that too much. Gets you in trouble."

Olivia sighed and nodded. That seemed about true. She realized they were heading towards the Empire Arms hotel. "Neutral territory," Knox said by way of explanation. They were passing in front of the doorman, who was watching them with suspicious eyes. Knox didn't wait for him to get the door, pushing into the lobby, where the front clerk looked downright alarmed at their appearance.

"Excuse me? Uh, can I help you?"

"Yeah, uh, yeah my dude. We are supposed to have a conference room rented. Uh, room 42?" Knox quickly shrugged his jacket down further to hide the cuffs.

"I see, uhm. Your party isn't here yet. Can we bring you some coffee?"

Olivia momentarily considered yelling about how she was being kidnapped, but... not worth the resulting issue. Gary really would kill her this time. Instead she sighed "Sounds great."

As they headed into the room, Knox laughed. "That's the only bad part of being a ghoul. You sleep all sorts of weird hours. Get used to drinking coffee."

"There's a lot more bad about being a ghoul than that."

"Man, you are a debbie downer. Chose to be happy." They were silent as someone dropped off a carafe and a few cups on the table, keeping the handcuffed hands under the table. "You know what this meeting's all about?"

"They want me to tell them about business... stuff." Olivia poured herself a cup, it was weak and flavorless. "Is Starbucks a thing yet? I don't remember when Starbucks became a thing."

Knox looked at her, confused. "Uh, yeah..."

"Okay, uhm... I could talk to them about Bitcoin. I guess. I don't really know anything about it except that it's a... thing... I'm overthinking this."

There was a quiet cough from the seemingly empty corner of the room, and Olivia sat bolt upright, remembering they weren't alone. Knox just seemed amused.

They waited another few minutes before the door opened and two men stepped inside. The first was a younger guy in a fitted suit. The second was familiar, wearing a polyester purple suit with wide lapels that hadn't been in style for thirty years.

"Knox."

"Mercurio, buddy, weird to see you out of Santa Monica!"

The ghoul dipped his head at Knox, then Olivia, then at the vacant corners vaguely before turning back to Knox. "So, how'd you get wrapped up in this?"

"Oh man, you know. Master asks me to get stuff done, I do it. No clue what's going on."

"Don't give me that bullshit, you always know more than you let on." it was said with a friendly smile. "Ever since you got the blood, you've known as much as half the kindred around here."

Apparently, we are speaking freely...

Mercurio held out his hand to Olivia to shake "Name's Mercurio."

"I know." She said reflexively, shaking his hand. "I mean, I heard when you came in. I'm Olivia."

"Yeah, the man up top's real excited about you."

Olivia nodded, already starting to feel anxious about threading that needle again. Don't give out enough information, and she will lose her value. Give out too much and she won't have anything left.

"Anything specific you want to hear about?"

"Boss said something about cell phones, good a place as any to start." Mercurio nodded to the other man who had spread out a leather folder with legal paper tucked inside in a fussy sort of way, and was posed with pen and paper.

"Uh, well, I guess you guys still have Nokias..."

The next couple of hours was spent giving a somewhat disjointed retelling of fifteen years of smart phone development. She'd reference ad campaigns, apps and the dongle debate. If Knox was surprised at her telling the future he hid it well, leaning back in his seat with his eyes half closed, head bobbing to unheard music. The other ghoul was frustrated she didn't have specific stock market data, but Mercurio seemed amused more than anything, occasionally shaking his head in seeming disbelief.

"Can we take a little break?" she finally asked, clutching a now cold coffee cup.

"Sounds like a good idea. There's a little place around the corner, does a halfway decent cannoli, better coffee." Mercurio said, stretching, then looking them over "Damn, you're gonna keep her cuffed while we go?"

"Keep her from running."

"If you gotta chain a girl up to keep her around, you got issues, Knox." Mercurio replied with a teasing smile. He reminded her of an uncle in that moment, a little playful with his words. "Come on, don't tell me the sewer rats don't trust their ghouls."

"I'm probably an exception to the rule." Olivia replied, with a sigh.

"Eh, nowhere to go. We're all in the same boat here, right?" He nodded towards Knox, "Ghouls. Gotta learn to be trustworthy. We're their eyes and ears, has to be mutual respect."

"Still not opening the cuffs."

Mercurio sighed and shook his head, glancing at Olivia. "I tried, I really did. Never heard of someone treating a ghoul like this. How many times you got the blood, anyway?"

"Only once," Olivia replied, without thinking. She might not have realized the slip if Knox hadn't stiffened beside her. But Mercurio was already headed for the door, as though he hadn't noticed.

"We may be friendly, but we aren't friends." Knox hissed to her, his voice more serious than she had ever heard it before.

Messed up again. Olivia silently walked beside Knox down the hall and onto the street, the other ghoul apparently staying behind. I don't want to be tricked again.

She was cautious ordering, insisting on water, avoiding a slice of pizza because the red sauce made her nervous. Mercurio insisted on paying, peeling off the money from a thick wad of bills held together with a ruby studded clip.

They sat near the window, and Mercurio started to regale Knox with a story about intercepting a shipment of guns in the 70s. Olivia avoided talking by watching out onto the street as the people passed by, until one looked familiar.

"Isn't that Heather?"

"Who?" Mercurio asked, following her gaze. The woman in the yellow tank top was carrying two plastic grocery bags clutched to herself, avoiding passerbys.

"Heather. She's Amelia's ghoul. Or, she was, I guess."

"Oh dang, yeah. Didn't know she had a ghoul." Knox said, a bit sadly, watching her.

"What do you mean, 'was'?" Mercurio asked her.

"From what I hear, she was with the anarchs who went after the Sabbat, and they didn't make it."

"Dammit." Mercurio replied, slamming his cup down "poor kid." Then he pushed back his chair and started out the door.

"Where's he going?"

"Unattended ghouls are kind of... well, they're loose ends. Masquerade stuff." Knox said, seeming uncomfortable.

"He'd better not be hurting her."

"I don't think he's..."

But Olivia was up, practically yanking Knox out of his chair at their conjoined wrists and following close behind Mercurio.

"Heather!" she yelled, making the young woman turn with a look of alarm before recognizing her and seeming to relax and coming closer.

"Oh, hey! It's you. Hey, I never thanked you, Amelia was just where you said she'd be. How'd you know, anyway?"

"I... I mean, I'm so sorry, Heather."
"For what?"

"For your... uh... loss."

Mercurio had stopped a bit back, listening. Knox was still beside her, awkwardly trying to hide the cuffs.

"My loss? You mean my parents? That was so long ago, it doesn't matter anymore anyway..."

"No, no... I meant Amelia."

"Amelia? Why? Is she okay?" Heather's eyes immediately bulged with fear. "I was only gone for a few minutes, did something happen?"

Olivia was still confused when Knox spoke up "When was the last time you saw her?"

"Just earlier. I checked to make sure she was sleeping and then I left to get groc..." her panicked voice cut off suddenly. "If something happened..."

"No, no. I heard a rumor something had happened like, a week ago. I must have been wrong, it's okay Heather." Olivia reached out to put a hand on the girl's shoulder, not realizing she was dragging Knox's cuffed hand with it.

"Uh, no, nothing happened... What's going on?" Heather asked, her eyes on the cuffs.

Knox let out a stifled giggle. "Oh man, nothing. We're all friends of Amelia's."

"Glad to hear nothing happened to her." Mercurio replied, a bit more stiffly.

"Friends? Like, are you old friends or like, new friends?" Heather's eyes were still glued to the handcuffs even as Knox attempted to adjust them in his jacket.

"What do you mean? I guess they've known her for as long as you have."

Heather seemed to relax a bit "Oh, okay. Her new friends are... they're a little... well..."

"They're a little what?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

Mercurio had rounded closer, looking curiously at her. A moment before he spoke, Olivia could almost sense what was going to happen. " Tell me about these new friends."

"They're weird. She had me bring a bunch of stuff over, they were in an old abandoned building downtown, a hotel, and I just didn't want to go in." Heather's voice was flat and her speech rapid. "It freaked me out so much I stayed outside, but the guy who came out to get the stuff, he was just off. Like horror movie, halloween... he creeped me out, I ran away. Amelia was so mad, it wasn't like her."

A chill ran down Olivia's spine. "Was it the old Hallowbrook Hotel?"

Heather nodded "Yeah."

The meaning wasn't lost on anyone there. Amelia's new "friends" were the Sabbat.

This was not a cannon plot point. We are way off script here.

Chapter Text

Convincing Heather that she had a hell of a craving for cannoli wasn't the most elegant use of dominate, but in the moment it kept her from leaving the area. She was ordering her fourth as the other ghouls discussed their next steps.

I should stay out of this. But no, the mental image of the vohzd in the sewers popped into her mind. Nothing in this world seemed good, but the Sabbat were pure evil. She had to help stop this.

"Dammit. Always has to happen at noon, doesn't it?" Mercurio grumbled, keeping one eye on Heather. "We could take her in come nightfall, but then Amelia would know we'd made her..."

"We can have someone follow her?" Knox said somewhat doubtfully, glancing at nothing as though looking for assistance from any lurking obfuscated ghoul.

Mercurio nodded his head, lighting a cigarette "I don't get it. That kid Amelia seemed great. I liked her. You think maybe one of their types will turn their back on the organization, happens, there's some alright anarchs. But to go Sabbat? Don't sound like the gal I met."

No, because I was playing her then. The black buzz in Olivia's mind crept back in, the limits on her thoughts that Strauss had put in place. Can't think about this being a game. Can't...

"Yeah, like bam, help out the creepy crawlies. Man, do you think the stories, like the weird stories, think they are true?"

"Saw a few shovelheads back in the Big Apple. They weren't the kind to play fair. Don't want to think about the rest. If we don't bring the ghoul in she might not make it another night."

Odd wasn't it? In the game, Heather could get kidnapped by the Sabbat, now they were contemplating kidnapping her away.

"I don't think Amelia will let Heather get hurt," Olivia said. "I mean, I hope so..." Can you even know the motives of someone you used to control? But don't think about that, too close to bad topics and the mental blackout.

"We'll follow her then. Get one of your types on it." Mercurio said, gesturing offhand to Knox.

"Oh man... I don't think there's anyone here to help. I'll have to follow her, if we want her watched."

"If Amelia hasn't moved, she's still at Skyline Apartments" Olivia responded. "But I don't know if she'll be staying there, you can't get to her place through the vents though..." For a moment she had the picture of clicking to opening the vents, but it made her brain buzz. She pressed the heel of her hand to her head and winced. The other two ghouls looked at her confused for a moment.

I could help with this, but there's so much I can't say...

"Uncuff her, follow the ghoul and case out the Toreador." Mercurio said to Knox, who shook his head. "Oh come on, I can handle her. I'll get her back to old Gary in one piece."

Knox paused for a long moment, looking into Heather who was chowing down on yet more cannoli, then with a grumble fished out the key and unlocked her wrist.

I need to help with this, if I help I'll be valuable... What can I say something about...

"Aw, where's she going?" Knox said, craning his neck to look in the window. Olivia and Mercurio followed his gaze.

"Ladies room." And with that an idea struck Olivia, "let me go check on her." When Knox looked at her oddly, she sighed "You can't hide and open the door, and I'll be less suspicious."

There was a moment of reflection between the ghouls, before Mercurio nodded and stepped aside to let Olivia through the front. She passed through the tables towards the bathroom door, a mild bit of anxiety passing through her mind.

I don't know if I'll be able to lie.

If she couldn't, this was going to backfire spectacularly.

"Heather?"

"Ugh, yeah? Oh, it's you," her voice replied from the stall, sounding slightly pained. "I don't know what I was thinking, I'm lactose intolerant, but those cannoli looked SO good..."

"I... yeah..." Olivia said, feeling unsure about herself.

"So, you're actually friends with Amelia? Like, friends friends..."

"I was her neighbor." Olivia said. Hints of black fuzz kicked up, and she swallowed hard.

"Oh... that explains how you knew where she'd be," there was shuffling inside the bathroom stall, only making the situation more uncomfortable.

"Look, you saw they had me cuffed, right? I'm kind of a prisoner." Olivia started, bracing herself against the far wall. "I don't have too much time to talk but...." this was stupid "When I saw Amelia at Isaac's, I talked about the sarcophagus. I said it wasn't an ancient who will bring about the end of the world. It's true, it's not." The buzz increased in waves and she almost blurted out the true contents, but caught herself with effort. "Whoever opens it will get a ton of power. She can... she can take it from the Camarilla, the anarchs. The Sabbat, they do diablerie. You need to tell her that..."

The wave of black was almost overwhelming, and she clutched the wall for a long moment. She barely noticed the toilet flushing and Heather coming out.

"I'll tell her... whoa, are you alright?"

"I'm lactose intolerant too." Olivia said, steadying herself. "Tell Amelia that the sarcophagus is at the Giovanni. She can get it there before the Camarilla, if she hurries. She'll be really happy with you..."

Heather looked at her for a long moment, then nodded, and started to turn away. An image of her, dead at the hands of Sabbat in game popped into Olivia's head, making her gasp.

"Wait! Uhm, Heather, if you need somewhere safe to go..." Where? Nowhere was safe in this world, what did she have to offer... "In Hollywood, there's a strip club called Vesuvius. The owner is a toreador like Amelia. She's really sweet."

"Oh! I don't know why I'd need that but... thanks?" she stepped over to wash her hands, watching Olivia in the mirror. "I'll let Amelia know, ok?"

Olivia nodded and waited a few beats before following Heather out the door. Mercurio was on another cigarette, Knox no where to be seen. But, as Heather passed by, Mercurio nodded to nothing, and presumably the obfuscated ghoul followed her off.

"Everything ok? Damn. You look awful."

"You ever stand in the bathroom after someone lactose intolerant ate a half dozen cannoli?" Olivia responded. Mercurio snorted, and nodded them down the street, back towards the hotel.

I've set something in motion. The question is, who do I trust to tell about it?

Chapter Text

She walked beside Mercurio, thoughts flitting into her brain, then pressed back by those blocks that Strauss had left there. Visions of the Hollowbrook Hotel, LaCroix laughing as he saw the contents of the sarcophagus, all just blinked out. It hurt, but not in a way that was physical.

"You okay kid?" Mercurio asked as they stopped to cross the street. He looked genuinely concerned.

"No... yes..." She pointed vaguely towards her head, as though that would explain it. The idea of actually telling what was wrong was razor sharp impossible.

Mercurio's brows furrowed for a long moment, then he nodded almost to himself. "Didja got anything to add for that pencil pusher back at the hotel?"

"I don't know, it's so hard to think about what will be important in the big scheme of things about stuff that happens in the future. I wish I studied business." She rubbed her temples, trying to push her thoughts away into safe territory. "Bath bombs get really popular, uh, instagram... there's a weird month where because they started putting detergent in pods people start eating them..."

Mercurio chuckled "Doubt the main man's gonna be terribly interested in bath stuff. You gave some good info today. I wasn't exactly fully briefed on what he wanted to know. We can ask for, I dunno, a list of topics for next time. Make it easier on you. Let's take the afternoon off. You look like you've been holed up for a while."

"The warrens, then the chantry. Is it that obvious?"

"Warrens, eh? Wouldn't catch me dead down there, I've heard rumors. Not that I've been to Hollywood lately. You don't, uh, smell like you've been there recently though, if you don't mind my saying."

"Got cleaned up at the chantry.".

"Appreciate it. That get up looks like Tremere surplus."

"Afraid I still was stinky when I visited LaCroix."

"He didn't mention it, and it shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't show up messed up next time. Say, that your only outfit? You wanna pick up some other things?"

"I don't have money anymore."

"Eh, don't worry about it. Business expense. The boss'll reimburse me." He stepped out and flagged down a passing taxi in a split second, directing him to Fig on Seventh.

Olivia hesitated getting in "I really don't want to be indebted to someone for a bunch of clothes..."

"Indebted? Look, a couple-a pair of pants isn't gonna break their bank. If it makes you feel better, I can pay out of my pocket."

She sighed and got in the backseat. "I'll still owe you though."

"Yeah, its not a big deal. I make good money on my own, plus what the boss gives me for jobs."

"You think of this like a job?"

"Well yeah. Little work, some of the best health insurance you could ask for, huh?. Course it matters who you are paired with. I got my apartment, do my own business on the side. Guess it ain't like that with Gary, though?"

Olivia didn't answer, studying her shoes, until Mercurio gave her a friendly pat on the hand.

Shopping wasn't exactly a Pretty Woman moment, but then again, what do you buy to try to prepare for the life she was living? They don't exactly made business-casual-possible-sewer wardrobes a major priority in the fashion business. A tshirt. Two button down shirts. A pair of jeans which she had to remind herself were currently fashionable with their fit and flare cut. Nicer slacks. A plain black skirt. A pair of galoshes, for future warrens adventures. A backpack to stuff it all in.

She still felt guilty as Mercurio handed over cash to the department store clerk, but it was the first she'd picked out her clothes since this all began, and none of it was default NPC wear, which was a relief.

"Not gonna lie, was worried you might go all crazy with the shopping. Sun's not gonna be down for another couple-a hours. You in a rush to get back to the chantry?"

"Not particularly."

"Don't blame you. I respect the Tremere, but wouldn't want to be their house guest."

Olivia nodded in agreement, "I shouldn't have gotten involved with them at all. It was stupid."

"Not gonna get an argument from me. Say... you follow sports at all?"

"Not particularly, why?"

"Dang. I had a bookie I'd love to introduce you to. How do you do it, anyway? The future stuff."

Olivia briefly opened her mouth to reply, but the static in her brain overwhelmed her and she winced, the thoughts washing over her. Mercurio reached a hand out to steady her.

"They do that to you? The Tremere? Strauss? Don't answer if it's gonna hurt you." Even nodding would have been difficult, so Olivia took a deep breath in to steady herself without responding. Mercurio studied her for a moment "Look, I don't know all of what they can do, but the main man is good at working with people's minds. Might be able to fix that, work it out for you."

Olivia pulled away from him "Not going to play games."

"Not games just, say, a change of employment. You said it's only one time you got the blood right? You're not stuck with Gary. And look, he's willing to loan you out on trade-like. I've been working for the organization for fifty years now, they've never treated me that bad. Don't have to say anything, just something to think about."

Olivia didn't answer, fighting the swarms of black fuzz that were gathering around her thoughts. She must have been still a long time, because he eventually tapped her, looking concerned. "Hey, don't hurt yourself, okay? Why don't you get some sleep before the sun goes down, alright?"

He hailed a cab before she could respond and bundled her and the shopping bags into the back, directing the driver back to the Empire Arms.

"I'm just going to end up stuck napping at the chantry again."

"Nah, tomorrow I'm gonna take you to see the boss again."

Olivia turned to protest, but he shook his head and told her that he would get her a room and that she should just sleep for a while.

It wasn't until much later, after she awoke from a nap in the bed in the suite to a dark night sky outside the window that she wondered whether that was dominate or just a friendly suggestion.

Chapter Text

There was a knock at the hotel room door as Olivia was still stretching and wiping sleep out of her eyes. The clock on the bedside showed it was quarter to one in the morning.

"You awake?" Mercurio's voice came from the other side. "Can you get ready quick? We gotta head over to the tower in a few"

Olivia grumbled and shuffled to the bathroom, where it was nice to put on one of the outfits that she had picked out the previous day.

Choices. Choices are nice.

When she came out, Mercurio was in the other room of the suite, feet kicked up as he flipped through the channels. "Sleep well? Gonna want your wits about you. Cause I don't know what we are walking into there."

"That's not comforting."

"You'll be fine. Come on," he said heading out the door, hands in the pockets of his polyester pants.

It was a few blocks to the hotel, and the streets had changed with nightfall. The only people visible were homeless and hookers. Far off in the distance, gunshots fired off. Olivia shivered and walked closer to Mercurio. At first he seemed rather calm, but then she realized his eyes darted back and forth as they walked, rather aware of the world around him. Still, even he was caught off guard when the figure of Knox appeared suddenly beside them near the entrance to Venture Towers.

"What the hell, Mercurio?"

"What? We're just walking." Mercurio replied with a grin.

"I promised I'd have her back to Gary before sundown. Oh man, my master is gonna be pissed."

"That's between you and him then. Ain't no harm done, and Gary's upstairs."

"He is?" Knox strained to look up at the tower from where he stood, as though he might be able to see him from ground level, falling into step beside the other two.

"You follow Amelia's ghoul?"

"Yeah, yeah. Not telling you though."

"Dang." Mercurio touched the door handle, then turned. "Well, we're heading up. Invite only type affair, you catch my drift? Why don't you go and patch things up with Bertram."

Knox was still sputtering when the door closed.

"That was really mean." Olivia said, shaking her head.

"Was it? Nah. Bertrum'll forgive him. I've just been playing this game longer than he has." Mercurio gave the security guard Chunk a two fingered salute, and for a moment Olivia resisted the urge to chat with him. But as the idea hit her with visions of him in game, that black fuzz overcame her. Dammit.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as they took the elevator up, Mercurio glancing her way. "Might want to pull yourself together before we go in there."

Olivia nodded, and took a few deep breaths before the door to LaCroix's opened, then stopped and let out a hiss of air. Inside, the entire primogen council was sitting in red upholstered chairs in a semi circle, with LaCroix at the lead and his sheriff posted behind him. As she stepped forward, they all turned to look at them.

There's no good way to have seven vampires staring at you and not be nervous.

Worse, it's sort of a blow to her whole all-knowing reputation when she didn't even know the names of four of those present. Of those she did, neither Gary nor Strauss looked pleased right now, and the unknowns seemed a bit too intrigued for her comfort.

"Ah, there you are," LaCroix said with a half smile. Mercurio quickly walked towards his side, and Olivia took a half step before realizing this was another play, another manipulative set up. If she followed Mercurio, it would be a blow to Gary as she stood near LaCroix. Go over to Gary though, and she'll seal that loyalty. What was left? Hang out in the center of the semi circle, monkey-in-the-middle style? Instead she sort of just lingered towards the entrance, awkwardly in a way that seemed to make no one happy.

"Thank you Gary, for the access to the ghoul. I trust that you won't mind a longer interview?"

Gary glanced at her, then back at the prince, "Let's see where tonight places negotiations..."

LaCroix gave a half smile, glanced her way again, then turned his attention towards Mercurio, the rest of the vampires following suit and seeming to forget her. "We were waiting to hear this rumor directly from you, about the neonate."

"According to her ghoul, she's gone Sabbat."

There was a slight murmur among those gathered, and LaCroix seemed to let it hang for a half moment too long, then his voice took on a placating tone. "A pity, to be certain. I should have known to trust my first instinct with her. Traditions exist for a reason, as predicted the misbegotten fledgling went down the wrong path without her sire's supervision. Even given the number of opportunities that were given to her, by the other kindred in this city, by myself... In the end, one should have known."

"You wouldn't have let her live if it hadn't been for Rodriguez," one of the other primogen said. He was clean cut and handsome. Ventrue? Toreador?

LaCroix pursed his lips, looking almost wistful. "Perhaps not." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the primogen roll her eyes.

"What of Rodriguez then?" She looked a little more casual. Brujah, maybe Gangrel?

"What do you mean?" LaCroix replied.

"When the fledgling told us about Rodriguez being present at Grout's death, we all accepted it, but now her word is suspect. We have no other evidence to show it was him."

There was a murmur. LaCroix's face went placid, unreadable.

A blast of blackness filled Olivia's vision as she listened. There was something about this, about Grout and Nines and LaCroix, but it was painfully behind a wall.

"Her turn towards the Sabbat was recent..."

"Do we know that? She could have been working for them when the warehouse was destroyed." Pretty woman, very well dressed. Toreador? Ventrue? "She may have lied about Grout to further pit the anarchs against us, to weaken us to the Sabbat."

LaCroix's eyebrows were furrowing as the primogen spoke, and Gary and Strauss were uncharacteristically quiet, watching the play when the intercom on LaCroix's desk chirped. He ignored it.

"If not the anarchs, then who killed him?" asked the first primogen.

The intercom chirped again.

"The hunters? The Sabbat?"

LaCroix seemed to jump on this "Society of Leopold was at the house, they are most logical..." the intercom chirped a third time and he slammed the button "What?!?"

"Call for you." came the tinny voice from the machine

"I told you to hold all calls."

"You said you wanted to talk to him, Jack?"

LaCroix paused, waving to the other primogen to be quiet. "Put him through."

There was a beep and Smiling Jack popped onto the line mid chuckle.

"I believe I asked you to report here personally." LaCroix said, glaring at the intercom.

"Personally? Nah, this is as close to personal as you and I are gonna get. I feel all cozy with a half a dozen city blocks between us. I just wanted to see what got your panties in a twist that you have everyone asking about me."

LaCroix took a long moment to pause, his nostrils flaring slightly, but when he spoke it was with the practiced tone of a politician. "It has come to my attention that you orchestrated a rather dramatic scene on board the Elizabeth Dane, and filled the Ankaran Sarcophagus with explosives."

Jack paused before replying, but when he did, it was with a laugh. "How'd you find out? I done a lot of work to set up that surprise party..."

LaCroix cut him off "Do you think that something like that would escape the notice of the camarilla? Of the prince of this city?"

"Well, yeah, course I did."

The other primogen were reacting in various stages of surprise, leading Olivia to guess they hadn't known any of this, which tingled in the parts of her mind she couldn't access. LaCroix looked like he was steadying himself. "You attempted to entrap a kindred into opening it?"

"Eh, yeeup. It would have been their fault though. No one needs to be poking around some old mummy box 'cept for bad reasons."

LaCroix ran his hands through his hair, then recomposed himself. "If there is any further risk to the masquerade due to this, we need to be aware of them immediately. Once again the Camarilla will clean up the mess the anarchs left behind."

"Nah, it's self cleaning. Boom. A human can stick a bomb in a box just as good as one of us. That seriously why you wanted to see me?"

"There will be repercussions for your actions."

"Thought you'd have bigger fish to fry, what with all the Sabbat on the move."

"The Sabbat on the... what?"

"You really don't keep up on this stuff, huh? All the Sabbat critters left the sewers real sudden like just after sundown."

The primogen turned to Gary, who already was fishing out and powering on a brick like cell phone. "Barabus? Yes... hm... I see... no, it's fine now." Everyone was silent except for Jack, who chuckled through the speaker, then yelled something to someone in the background. Finally, Gary tucked the phone away. "He's telling the truth, my boys have been monitoring them. They've headed northwest."

"Why are they retreating?" one of the primogen pondered.

"Maybe not pulling back, but staging an attack outside the city," mused Strauss, finally joining the conversation. "There's a few smaller kindred owned properties that might be their target, the Giovanni stronghold..."

"Oh!" Olivia said, before she realized she had spoken, and the primogen seemed to all remember she was there, looking at her with uncomfortable stares that sent ice down her spine.

"Yes?" Gary asked.

"I... I may have let Heather, Amelia's ghoul think that the Ankaran sarcophagus was something the Sabbat really wanted..."

There was a pause of silence, then Jack on the intercom howled in laughter "Who's dat? I like her. You all are there with scalpels, but she's ahead of you with a sledge hammer... Send the Sabbat after the Giovanni... ha!" His voice cut off as LaCroix pressed a button on the intercom, looking a bit pained.

"Why... did you do that?" Gary said, leaning forward.

The fear and anxiety of this much vampiric attention combined with the buzz of the blocks in her brain, making things feel a fuzzy. "Sabbat... bad... exploding them.... good?"

LaCroix had stood up, his brow furrowed, his attention on Olivia. "Tell me what you know about the Sabbat."

She opened her mouth to reply, but the blocks came up in force, pain creased through her head, and the room tilted as darkness overtook her vision.

Chapter Text

Olivia's dreams swam with visions of monsters cobbled together with body parts and the smell of things rotting. She wanted to run, but she was suspended like a marionette, her body not under her control, moving in jerks to the whim of an unseen entity. Then the city of Los Angeles spread out under her and she was pushed back and forth like a magnet away from pockets of blackness until she fell from a height, flames crackling around her.

The crackling continued as she opened her eyes to the sterile halogen lights on the ceiling. It hurt. Her mind hurt. She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side.

Mercurio sat cross legged nearby, munching from a bag of potato chips that was the actual source of the crackle. They were in some sort of office space, in front of a receptionist's desk.

"What happened?"

"Oh, you're awake," he sat up straight, and brushed the crumbs off of his suit as Olivia rose up off of the commercial sofa. "Don't worry about what happened. Don't want to push your noggin too much."

"What?..." It flooded back to her in a moment, LaCroix trying to use dominate, the pain and blackness. She gripped her head and winced.

"Yeah. That. Boss ain't too happy, they'll have to figure it out later."

"LaCroix's mad at me?"

"Nah, he's mad someone messed with his resource... Not that I think that's all you are... But it kinda got pushed to tha side then."

"Why?"

"Damn. You're gonna break your brain asking questions, you know that?" he leaned forward and shook the bag offering her a chip. She took a handful, eating them slowly and trying to make her mind stop reeling.

"So what now?"

"You and I are gonna go back to the hotel, see what's on tv, and not worry about nothin for a while."

Olivia looked at him incredulously. "But Gary..."

"Busy. The rest of them are too. Nope!" he cut her off before she could respond "Look, I ain't gonna be the one who breaks you again. You don't need to be thinkin about all this."

Olivia grumbled and let him help her to her feet, "I just want to know what's going on."

"Look, us ghouls? We're the least important thing here, you get me? Even the most interesting of us is low man, if you catch my drift. I'm just happy to be here and not on the front lines."

"Front lines of what?"

"You don't know when to stop, do ya?" he shook his head and headed out into the hall. The plush carpet, faux marble, sconce lighting, and wood trim was the height of early 2000s corporate design. The sort of thing that bordered on looking straight out of a Cheesecake Factory and they'd be desperately redecorating in just a few years. "Alright, I'll tell you, but you freak out or pass out and I'm not carrying you, right?"

Olivia nodded as they got into the elevator.

"Right after you kissed the floor, they got a call. Sabbat is attacking the Giovanni, and they requested aid. Lot of politics in play with that. Sort of thing the top minds are gonna chew on the favor owed for years. Everyone rushed to respond. Personally, a bunch of body part monsters attacking rotting zombies? Ain't my scene. Ugh, just the smell.... Was glad I got babysitting duty... no offense."

"None taken." Olivia frowned, fighting between thinking this over and fighting the blocks in her mind as the elevator headed down.

As the elevator reached the lobby, they heard the security guard before they saw him.

"I'm tellin' yah, I'm not allowed to let anyone up to see Mr. LaCroix. You can leave the letter here though."

"I was tasked with delivering this directly to his hands only," a crisp voice responded. As Mercurio and she walked towards the exit, they could tell it came from a young man whose clothing was business casual, but still looked incredibly tailored and expensive.

"You don't trust me, then you just send one of them new fangled emails, huh? That'll get to him. Dunno what you want to say to him so much...."

The well dressed man bristled, looking offended by Chunk. "The letter is not from me, it was sent from my superior at the Golden Temple..."

The next words were wiped out as Olivia's mind reeled. The Golden Temple. Ming Xiao. Something... something there. The blackness sprung up, and instead of pushing away, she shoved her mind against it. What?!? What do I know? What's hidden...

It was too much, spikes through her mind, and she fell to her knees with a pained moan. Blinking away the darkness, she felt Mercurio's hand on her arm steadying her, as Chunk rushed over babbling something about a first aid kit. But the young man was staring at her, his eyes boring into her. The Golden Temple... Pain. She had to push past the pain to.... What?

She looked at Mercurio pleadingly. "I can't... Make this stop."

Mercurio looked conflicted for a moment, then pulled her back to her feet and bundled her back into the elevator away from the lobby.

Chapter Text

The elevator rose up, taking Olivia's knees out with it, her vision swirling. I pushed too hard. I just had to remember...

"Hang in there kid. Almost there." Mercurio said in a tone that made it obvious being comforting wasn't his strong point.

"Where?" she started to ask, but then the doors opened on the penthouse floor. Her mind was a few steps slow as she followed him down the hallway. We're going to LaCroix? The thought only came to her as he knocked and the door swung open.

The prince was leaning against his desk on the far side of the room, frowning over papers spread across his desk, a well dressed man at his elbow holding a clipboard. He looked up, seeming annoyed as they entered.

"Boss," Mercurio said in a quiet voice. "Sorry to interrupt..."

"Make it quick." LaCroix snapped back.

"It's just... whatever they did to her brain, it's acting up bad. Figure, you know, she ain't no good to you if she breaks something in her head. So I think, might be, you know.... sooner rather than later is better?"

LaCroix straightened, looking annoyed. It was something about him I was thinking about. He did something...

Her vision went fuzzy at the sides and she squeezed her eyes shut wincing. Mercurio steadied her, saying something far away in a worried voice she couldn't hear over the buzz in her ears.

"Just want it to stop."

"That's within my capabilities. But, concessions must be made in any agreement," LaCroix said in his crisp voice, coming closer. LaCroix. Deals.... The traces of a thought were almost overwhelming. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw LaCroix with his french cuffs pinned back, looking almost annoyed at blood dripping from his wrist into a cut crystal glass.

The press of the thoughts she was trying to push through was swept aside by the reality of the moment. Of course. I'm an asset. He's going to take me away from Gary. Even thinking of the nosferatu made her almost homesick, almost heartbroken.

It washed away as she focused in on the glass that LaCroix was passing, nonplussed, to Mercurio. The color of the thick red liquid, the faintest smell. It's blood. Yes, but in that moment it was all she wanted in the world, an addict's fixation rising up with desperation.

For a moment, there was only a small part of her mind that was her own, one that was shocked even as she took the glass that was handed to her, greedy, craving, and drank it in one swallow.

The sensation that washed over her was absolute bliss, relaxation, joy. "Whoa, manners," Mercurio chided, taking the glass from her and she realized she'd been licking the sides of it in desperation to get just a little more.

She sighed, letting that feeling wash over her, tingling down her limbs. But still, she realized, the dark pushed in her brain, the blocks in place still. "Nothing's changed."

"Of course not," LaCroix replied, his voice clipped and annoyed. "I'll have to combat the effects from Strauss. This couldn't have happened at a more unopportune moment, I hope you appreciate that Mercurio? This is taking valuable time away from my previous engagements. Now, you. Look at me."

If this doesn't work, it's going to hurt.

She shuddered as she looked at him willingly, and LaCroix was a bit closer than he had been before, his gaze seeming deep. Deeper even than Strauss's had been, as though he could sink right through her, a hint almost of anger in his eyes.

" You will disregard any command that has not come from me."

There was a moment, and suddenly something broke like a dam in her mind, thoughts that had been welling up suddenly breaking through. "Oh..." she wiped her face as LaCroix stepped back, looking smug.

"Keep her close until she is bound," he offhand said to Mercurio, stepping back to his desk. "My secretary should have some preliminary questions for her to work on over the day. Return at sundown."

Mercurio pulled her by her sleeve, LaCroix apparently completely ignoring them at this point.

That was so quick.

"See? Not so bad." Mercurio said with a pat on her back "patched you up nice, and now we're on the same team. Boss ain't bad to work for neither. Can't do worse than the man at the top."

"Yeah..." Olivia said, old information crashing into new as the barriers in her mind went away. "LaCroix doesn't seem bad." Wait. The thought that had been fighting to coalesce finally became clear LaCroix had a deal with the Keui Jinn. LaCroix had Grout killed.

But that wasn't the worst part. LaCroix was going to be overthrown and she had just thrown her lot in with him.

"Oh... no..."

Hours later, Mercurio chuckled at the tv as a fight broke out on Jerry Springer. Olivia frowned, clicking her pen in one hand. They were back in the Empire Arms, and she'd spent the morning off and on working on printed pages from the prince's secretary. Three prompts to a sheet, they questioned information about the future. Mostly, the whole exercise had seemed to only show that she hadn't paid nearly enough attention to the news over her life. There were detailed questions about any military involvement, international agreements, and foreign elections. Put to the test, she realized she couldn't even remember her own senator's name.

More than once, she'd gotten frustrated and walked away, only to think of some small thing to jot down.. It was the opposite of what she should be doing. Give away too much information at once and she'll be useless. But each little fact she jotted down made her relieved at helping LaCroix.

Someone's blood gets in your veins and they get in your head.

That's the other thing. LaCroix was not the man she wanted to be bound to, especially if he was going to fall. And when Strauss finds out that he reversed the effects in her mind, she would be dead anyway. Not before LaCroix rubs Gary's face into it that he took his asset away.

She groaned and leaned into her hand. Everytime I do something, it gets worse.

Chapter Text

"LaCroix.  I don't know how to sugar coat this, so I'll just tell you outright.  Gary and Strauss are aware you made a deal with the Kieu Jinn to kill Grout.  As soon as they have proof, they will go to the primogen and overthrow you."  

She paused, looking at her reflection in the mirror in the bathroom at the Empire Arms.  No, that won't do.   Pushing her hair back, she paused to make sure that Mercurio was still snoring and asleep.  Have to figure out how to approach this tonight.

"LaCroix... Mr. LaCroix... Sir, Monsieur LaCroix...."  none sounded right, and she took a deep breath.  "Before bringing me to see you the first time, Gary Golden and Maximillian Strauss mined my brain for a lot of the information I have about kindred.  Which I have... because this was a video game... where I saw you killed on numerous occasions in different scenarios..."

She leaned forward until her forehead butted against the mirror.  Worse.   There had to be some way out of this, a way to forewarn LaCroix so that he wouldn't be deposed and could protect her. Of course, that assumed that he wouldn't toss her aside as soon as she gave him some more insights and he had rubbed Gary's gray nose in the theft of his new ghoul.

"Mr. LaCroix.  I have something to offer you, if in return you'll let me walk away from Los Angeles alive..."  A lie.   She had nothing of that much value, and even if she did, he could just dominate the information out of her rather than making a deal

Damn damn damn.

The sun would be setting in a few hours, there had to be something she could do.  Being Gary's ghoul had been far less dangerous than this.

Gary.

He'd kill her for all of this, but dammit, she missed him.  Maybe she could apologize to him and get it over with... Olivia pinched her nose It's the effects of two vampire's vitae, not a love triangle from a cheap novel.  Pull yourself together.

"Hey, you done in there?  I gotta go," Mercurio suddenly said, knocking on the door.

"Yeah, just a minute."  Olivia splashed some water on her face.  She’d been up most of the day but was no closer to getting out of this than before.

She paced the front room of the suite, but then, when she heard the shower turn on, she opened the door to the hall.  Running was stupid.   At this point, there's no way it would turn out well for her, too many vampiric egos involved in possessing her.  She glared out the window at the sun instead, as though daring it to set.

When Mercurio came out of the bathroom, he was doused in a healthy amount of the sort of pungent cologne that hadn't been in style since Olivia's grandfather was in high school.  "We'll grab something to eat before the sun sets."

"I don't know that I want to go," Olivia murmured back.

"What?  Why the hell not?" he asks confused.

"I'm not sure... that its the safest thing..." she petered off.  It was hard to put into words.  Plus, if things went poorly for LaCroix, it would be bad for Mercurio.  Best to keep this to herself.

"You worry too much.  Things are going your way, trust me.  I got a nose for these things," he held the door open and they headed to the elevator.

Olivia pressed the button for the ground floor, then stared at the panel "You know the Russian mafia is set up upstairs here?"

"What?"

"They're up on the sixth floor.  Guy named Boris is in charge."

"Boris.... Boris Checkov?"

"That sounds about right," probably was a Checkov's gun joke in the name chosen for the name.  Less funny when he's a real person

"That guy's got more than a few debts outstanding..."

"You know him?"

"Know of him.  More than a few of my associates would pay to see his name in the obituary.  What you know about the guy?"

"He's been blackmailling the owner of the Confession nightclub, both for money and sex.  She's looking for someone to get rid of him in return for a cut of the profits."

Mercurio stepped off of the elevator and straightened his tie.  "Got some time before we see the boss.  Maybe we come with some good news, eh?  Let's go check out that club."

Dinner ended up being an very questionable hotdog from a cart on the corner.  But Olivia was so greatful to be headed away from the Venture Towers that she didn't think too hard on it, just tossing out the hardened ends of the roll on the ground.  The Confession in person was downright intimidating, the stone walls seeming to loom over the streets and the iron work gates of the former church seemed to shift with the lights shining through the stained glass windows.  The club had just opened, and Mercurio paid both of their covers.  Inside, the DJ was just starting to blast out music to a small crowd.

"Which one's the owner?" Mercurio yelled over thumping bass.

“Dark hair and low cut shirt.  Her name is Venus.” Olivia yelled back.

“Alright, let me see what I can do.  Sit in a booth and stay still.  Have something non alcoholic, don’t need you tipsy in front of the boss, right?”

Olivia settled into a seat, looking over the club, having again the deja vu she’d had time and time again since this whole thing began.  Virtual turned reality, the familiar layout and decor only not rendered in blocky graphics.  Strange that a place this converted gothic church wasn’t a hotspot for vampires.  Apparently in this new storyline she was forging, that was about to change as Mercurio took over as the co owner.

She sipped the drink that was brought to her with a frown.  Apparently in this club, the non alcoholic default was a glass of unflavored seltzer.  Mercurio was leaning across the bar grinning at Venus, then she waved them in back of the bar, leading the way upstairs.

Maybe this bought her a little time before she had to face LaCroix?

Probably not. Olivia glanced down from the cage dancers and locked her eyes on a woman who seemed out of place.  She was posed, almost, watching the crowd but standing in the traffic as though trying to be seen.  In profile she almost resembled Olivia, but was wearing a military style jacket, sort of early mainstream emo style just on the cusp of fashion in 2004

Patty.

Of course.  The ghoul was here looking for her lost master.  She was waiting for any vampire who might come by, would beg them for information.  But now she’s standing there twitchy, a nervous sort of energy behind her eyes that was vicious.

Olivia sipped her drink.  Of course Patty was twitchy.  She was an addict cut off from her supply, desperate.  The worst part was Olivia could completely understand it, just thinking about blood made something in her just anguished.  Someone could go nuts for want of it.

Yet, in a half dozen games, Olivia had killed off Patty in various horrible ways just for wanting to find her vampire.  Of course, most players would.  Patty was a masquerade risk, she was annoying.  And she was disposable, like all ghouls.

Olivia slammed her glass down with more force than necessary and scowled at Patty, all the manipulations and being used and treated like she’s expendable over the past two months catching up with her, and coalescing into burning hate focused at Patty.

Her vampire was probably dead, but she couldn’t walk away, wouldn’t walk away.  Just stayed around whining and begging while she fell further into withdrawl.  What did that mean for Olivia, who was in this even more deeply, in the shared custody of a nosferatu and a prince?

Before she could really think Olivia was up out of her seat, that tension in her shoulders as she walked up to Patty.

“Hey… hey its Patty, isn’t it?”

The ghoul took a long moment to look her over top to bottom with a disdainful eye, before she flipped her hair over her shoulder.  “Yeah?  Do I know you?”

“You’re the ghoul for Ryan… Kent…”

“Kent Alan Ryan” a bit of something manic came behind Patty’s eyes. “Yeah! I mean, yes, I am.  Do you know him? You don’t seem like the type to know him, but I guess someone has to clean his apartment….”

Disdain curdled into Olivia’s stomach along with something darkly sadistic.  “Yeah.  I know where he is too.  He’s visiting the head honcho in the Venture towers, top floor.”

Patty’s face relaxes slightly “Oh, that sounds just like him.  Always with the wealthiest people.  I should go meet him, he’s useless without me.”  She had barely finished talking when she was already walking away.

Olivia sat back down for a minute before guilt crept down her spine.  That was truly evil, sending her to irritate LaCroix. Probably sending her to her doom with the sheriff.  This wasn’t being a bit evil in a game, this is a real person.  Maybe it was just the dark effects of vampiric blood in her system?

The office door was still closed, Mercurio still talking to Venus.  Maybe Olivia would have enough time to chase Patty down and talk her out of it before he came out.

Or at least, that was the plan as she ran out into the night streets of Los Angeles.

Chapter Text

It had to be the effects of the vampire vitae.  It had to be.

The alternative was that Olivia had just cruelly sent another ghoul off to her death as, what? A prank?  A joke? To make herself feel better about her current situation?

Better to think it’s the effects of vitae.

It was only a few moments after Patty left that Olivia pushed through the crowd gathered outside the club, but Patty was already out of sight.  She must have run off like jacks after courser.  Olivia squinted down the street.  Nowhere.  She sighed and started off at a jog towards Venture Towers.  Maybe she could catch up…

Somewhere in the back of her mind she noticed there was a car parked down the street, and felt eyes on her as she dashed past and up to the doors of the skyscraper, but she ignored it, dashing into the glossy marble floor of the lobby.  Patty was standing at the desk. looming over the security officer Chunk who looked a little shell shocked.

“You gotta let me in…”

“Look, I got a list of who gets to go up to the exec-ertive office and if I say no, that elevator is going no where..”

“Say no Chunk!”  Both turned to look at Olivia with matching confused expressions.  “I mean, don’t let her up to the office.  Look, Patty, I was wrong.  Alan, uh, Ryan… he’s not up there.  I’m sorry.”

Patty narrowed her eyes and flicked her hair over her shoulder.  “I think I’ll check that myself after this dofus unlocks the elevator.”

“Hey, that’s officer to you…”

“Ugh, I can’t believe I even have to talk to this fat slob at all . When I was with Kent, he’d be on every VIP list, like no waiting to get up to see some va…”

“Patty!” Olivia cut her off, glancing at Chunk.  The security guard looked overwhelmed and shocked, a look only emphasized by the bits of jam that clung to his chin.  “Look, let’s talk outside, okay?”

Patty stomped a foot dramatically, her voice taking on a high pitched whine, “ But I wanna go up to see…”

“Come on, Patty,” Olivia said with irritation and to her surprise the other woman seemed to listen, following her out the door and onto the street.

“Look, what’s wrong with you?  You almost spilled the beans.  Do you want to get yourself killed?”

“I don’t have to listen to some loudmouthed ghoul in bargain basement clothes.  I just want to find Kent.”

“Bargain…?  I’m the ghoul of the prince and a primogen.” Olivia retorted, offended.

Since when do I care about primogen and princes?

“You said he was up there!” Patty’s voice was getting louder.

“He’s not, look, I know he’s not.  You gotta believe me.”

There was something like desperation in Patty’s eyes now, Olivia didn’t like it.  Conflicting feelings about the prince aside, this potential massive masquerade breach in front of his domain could only be bad.

“Hey Patty…” a voice cut in from a car that had pulled out of the space down the street and now was idling beside them.  “You need a lift?”

“No… look, Kent’s up in the offices there?”

The unkempt head of Smiling Jack was peeking out of the driver’s window.  “Up there?  Nah.  Ain’t nothing up there but trouble.”  He winked at Olivia, “You wouldn’t know anything about making trouble, would ya?”

“No, not on purpose, at least.”

Jack laughed, showing off a gold tooth behind his fangs “Even better when it naturally follows you.  Tell you what, last few weeks have been downright entertaining, wouldn’t you say?”

“I…. I mean, I’m not bored.”

“That’s the spirit.  Patty, get in the damn car before you make more problems than you’re worth.”

Patty hesitated a moment, switching between staring up at the skyscraper and glancing at the backseat before slowly opening the door.  Jack’s eyes kept on her sharply until she was seated, then he glanced back out.

“If you want my advice, you should head out too, kid.  Nothing in there can come to good for ya.  Let that trouble follow you somewhere else in the city.”  He grinned at Olivia before shifting the car into gear and pulling out down the road.

He’s probably going to kill Patty .  The thought crept up her spine and she breathed hard.  But it wasn’t my fault, was it?  The vicious thought that had pushed her to lie to Patty was the vitae.  This was the decision of one anarch, apparently sick of Patty’s antics.

Olivia turned and glanced up the skyscraper.  Part of her wanted to go in, but it didn’t feel like it was her thoughts.  What do I want?

It’s her first time alone in a long time, and Jack’s words seemed pretty good.  Get out, other part of this city.  Push past all the blood influencing her and take charge.  Go where neither Gary nor LaCroix would want her to be.

She turned around.  Which way is the Last Round?

Chapter Text

Okay, let’s think this thing through logically.

The side street where the Last Round was was terrifying standing alone.  She’d passed by the remnants of a crime scene on the way here, gang activity probably.  Trash was dumped in the nooks of the street, the homeless encampment at the end of the street full of shadows thrown by the fire barrels.

If I go in there… worst case scenario, they just kill the ghoul of the prince on sight.  Best case scenario, they decide that pass the ghoul is a fun game and I’m partially blood bound to a third vampire.  Just what I need, more influences in my head.

Really, it was remarkable she had survived two months in this situation.  She sighed and leaned against the wall, staring at the bar.  The only way through this was tothink of a way to handle this that would totally, definitely, without a doubt make things better.  An Anarch bar would definitely confuse things.

It didn’t help the creeping memory that in the building behind her was the decapitated corpse of a victim of a rogue Gangrel serial killer.  This whole city was full of horrors.

Olivia had just resolved to go somewhere else, look for trouble elsewhere as Jack had said, when the door opened and a handsome latino man stepped out.

“Oh shit,” she only realized after a moment she had said it out loud, as he turned to look in her direction.  Nope, if she wasn’t going to get involved with the anarchs, she definitely didn’t want to meet Nines Rodriguez.  She turned and walked stiffly away, increasing her pace when she thought she heard footsteps behind her.

How stupid.   She wasn’t dressed for the area, she’d stand out, even if he didn’t know who she was.  Maybe he can see she’s a ghoul.  Her pace increased, then turned into a full run.  If she wasn’t suspicious before, she certainly was now.

Once she started running, she couldn’t stop her feet.  The weeks of being manipulated, surrounded by supernatural predators just caught up with her, some primal part of her mind that just said to run, hide.  Rodriguez is chasing me, the eyes of the Tremere are watching, LaCroix will be searching for me.  

Finally she came to an alley and turned it sharply, hunching down and casting a peek down the street.  Nines wasn’t there.  He probably was never even chasing her, if he had been he would have caught her easily.

She slid down until she was sitting.  No one can see me, no one can find me here.   This city was dangerous enough without inventing new terrors.  This stress, panic, would only make things worse for her.  I have to think clearly.

For the longest time, she didn’t move, huddled into herself and trying to calm her mind.  At first she didn’t notice the people passing by through the alley.  They certainly didn’t notice her at all, passing by and into the street.  It honestly was the smell that made her pay attention.  The whole alley seemed to weep with it.  Not the foul smell of the sewers, this was more sour, rotten, and woke up more of those primal feelings in her mind.  It was the smell of decay and death and as soon as that clicked in her mind she realized where she was.

This was the alley behind the Hollowbrook Hotel, the Sabbat headquarters.

I made it worse again.

Chapter Text

The really nice thing about doing something profoundly, boneheadedly stupid was that any decision you made from this point on would fundamentally be a positive move.  And really, any place in Los Angeles would be better than directly behind the headquarters of the Sabbat.

A man came out of a steel door carrying a large duffel bag containing something heavy enough to strain the canvas, and walked by her.  Olivia held her breath, but he didn’t seem to notice her, stepping within a foot of her before heading out of the alley.  Behind her, she could vaguely hear voices from behind the mold covered brick wall, and the sound of something heavy moving.

It’s one of the monsters.  Like in the sewer.   Olivia felt ready to throw up.

She gave it a moment, making sure no one else was about to walk out the door, before slowly standing, trying to casually walk out of the alley, not arouse suspicion.  Maybe she could just slip out, blend into the other passerbys, head to anywhere other than this.

At least the Camarilla or the Anarchs might murder me politely.

She made it to the end of the alley, a step onto the sidewalk when she heard someone shouting her name.

Oh no.

She turned her head where she saw Heather Poe, smiling, barrelling down on her.

Oh NO.

“Hey you!  What are you doing here?”

“Oh, passing by…”

  It would probably not be good to just break into a run.

“It’s good to see you, hey I told Amelia about what you said about the coffin thing?  She was real excited.”

“Oh.  Good. Great.  I have to go, I’m gonna be late for, uh, appointment.” Real smooth.

“Hold on just a second, I’m just dropping some stuff off with Amelia and I can walk with you.”

“No, that’s okay…”

But she was already heading into the alley and Olivia picked up her pace.

Crap.

She had made it to one of the chained main doors when suddenly Amelia was just in front of her in the blink of an eye,

“You.”

“Uhm, hi Amelia.”  In a ridiculously pointless move, Olivia tried to sidestep around the Toreador, but her arm was almost immediately grabbed.

“What’s your deal? Giving information to Heather?” she said harshly, her face a bit too close.

Across the street, there was a wolf whistle and someone yelled out “ey, cat fight!”

Amelia glared across the road with burning eyes, then pulled Olivia back towards the alley.

“No, no no.”  Anywhere but closer to the hotel.

“Come on.” Amelia yanked  her arm, and there was Heather standing in the alley, looking confused.

“I told Amelia that her neighbor was here…” she said hesitantly.

“Right.” Amelia cut her off curtly, and something in Olivia’s heart broke.  The way Heather was looking at her master was just doting love, and she wasn’t getting anything back.  “You told Heather about the sarcophagus, why?”

“She can tell you, I was a prisoner.  I… I wanted to help.”

Amelia stared her down with narrow eyes, and Olivia tried to keep her face neutral.  It was weird, she had almost braced herself for some sort of discipline to be used.  After this time being manipulated by a half dozen kindred, she downright expected it, but Amelia had just… asked.

“Help?”

“Yeah, I mean, I thought that you’d want what’s inside.”

“What is in it?”

“Power.” Can she tell if I’m lying?  That’s not a lie though, C4 is pretty powerful.  “I know there were rumors it’s an ancient, but it’s not.”

“From what the rumors say you have a knack for predicting the future and… whatever.”  She looked off towards the hotel, her lips pursed.

She looks different. It wasn’t obvious at first, and all Kindred had an oddness about their appearance, something that read wrong.  But now, Amelia looked odd, like the proportions of her face were off somehow.  It reminded Olivia of when there were filtered pictures shown next to tagged ones, and the former were too perfect.  Of course, they were years away from Instagram being invented…

“Hey, pay attention ghoul.” Amelia snapped, pulling Olivia back to reality.  “Come on, we’ll find out more.”

And then she had her wrist and pulled her towards a door, which someone inside was opening, and Olivia shrieked “No!”.  But it was too late, and Amelia pushed her into the gun wielding man in the doorway.

Chapter Text

The inside of the Hollowbrook Hotel was dimly lit, casting shadows down walls where wallpaper peeled off in strips.  From deep in the building, she could hear voices, far too many voices.  Olivia cast one last glance over her shoulder to the wide eyes of Heather as the door slammed in her face, leaving her outside.

I’m never escaping.

Blind panic spread over her as Amelia practically drug her into one of the rooms, the broken remnants of a hotel bed on the floor.

“Alright, what is up with you?”

“What?” Olivia’s brain was racing to the point that the words didn’t register.

“You’re around, but if you’re spying on me, you’re doing a lousy job.”  Amelia rapped her knuckles against the moldy wallpaper.  “And there’s something about you.  Can’t put my finger on it. What are you?”

“I’m nobody.”

“No… you should be, but you got a weird pull to you, whenever I see you I feel a different.  No one else seems to notice it…” Amelia trails off, looking Olivia as though she could decode it.

Of course.  I made your character sheet.  I guided you through the first moments of this game…

Amelia shook her head.  “I don’t like it. I should just get rid of you.”

“No!  I mean… Amelia.  Do you remember anything from before your embrace?”

Amelia’s gorgeous face showed surprise for a moment.  “Why?”

“I’m just curious. I think I understand something.”

“Not really.  But it’s not uncommon…”

“It’s different for you though, right?” Please let me be right. “You remember being in the hotel room with your sire, but nothing before that. You can’t even find traces of your own past.”

Amelia shifted uncomfortably. “How could you know that?”

It makes sense.  You were a throwaway character, no backstory, racing through the early quest.  This might be a video game world, but you were my creation, and a shittily made one.

Olivia didn’t answer, staring somewhere at the doorframe.  “I think I understand a little of what’s going on.”

“Explain it.”

“I can’t, not yet, I have to figure some more things out.  You said to the baron that you felt without goals.”

Amelia’s haughty mask slipped for a moment, “I’m a little… listless.  At first it was like doing well, but it’s just like it’s one endless night wandering the streets.”

“But when I suggested to Heather that you should go get the sarcophagus, you raided the Giovanni mansion to go fetch it.”

“You said there was power there,” Amelia looked annoyed.  “Were you lying?”

“No… there is.”  Olivia closed her eyes, a few puzzle pieces falling into place.

Amelia took a step back and glared down at Olivia.  “I’m not in the mood to play games.”

“I’m not either.  Where’s the sarcophagus now?”

“Down in the basement.  Andrei wants to throw it in the bay tomorrow.”

“Don’t.  You should open it.  It’s your quest… your destiny.”

Amelia blinked slowly, “Its locked.”

“There’s a key.  The Keiu-Jinn have it in their temple.”

“How do you know that?”

“So far, I haven’t been wrong, have I?  The Camarilla are all after me to try to get what I know.”

Amelia turned, pacing a few laps about the doorway, before looking at Olivia with something between annoyance and resignation.  “If this key isn’t there, I’m feeding you to a vozhd.”

“It’ll be there, and you’ll be able to get it.”

Olivia curled up on the ruined mattress as Amelia ordered a few of the mortals to guard her.

You’ll be able to get it, because you’ll accomplish the goals the player has for you...

Chapter Text

he guy who was guarding the door was tall in a thin sort of way and until he turned and Olivia saw his raggedy and sparse attempt at chin hairs and the baby fat on his face that she realised how young he was.  Probably only 16, standing in the doorway of a derelict hotel with an automatic weapon, keeping her from leaving.

The planks on the wall on the far side were rotten enough that light had begun shining through the chinks.  Daylight. Around the city half the major players in Olivia’s life were corpses right now.  Probably more than a few wondering where she was.  Hopefully Mercurio wasn’t in too much trouble for letting her run off. 

No time to think about that now.

There was too much to figure out about what was happening between her and Amelia. Try to make sense of it all.  The first bits of the game had played out exactly as it had on Olivia’s screen.  And it was odd that through that she had been in the next apartment over from Amelia, hearing her at night coming and going.  A paper thin wall between them.  The moment that Amelia moved was when things became reality instead of a game.

It can’t be a coincidence.

So if Amelia had lost her way without her player, no wonder she fell into the grips of the Sabbat. They’d have pulled in a marionette without strings.  Still odd how Amelia still would listen to Olivia though, almost like following orders.

But why was I pushing her to get the sarcophagus so much?

It had been a passing idea when she first said it, but over time the idea had just kept popping up for Olivia.  Now she’d sent Amelia out to get the key, open the damn thing here in the hotel…

The sarcophagus ends the game.

No, probably best not to put that much structure into this.  A bit too much like trying to put logic to a dream.  But still… it made sense.  The rest of the city had given up on the damn thing, but Olivia still wanted to see Amelia with it, because it was her goal from the get go.  And maybe… her way out of this whole situation.  If the game is played out, it’s all over, maybe she’ll just wake up in her own real bed, her own real life….

From down the hall there was a pained moan and someone lead a man by the doorway.  She only caught a glimpse, but it was enough.  His eyes had been gouged out, probably his tongue too, just a mobile bloodbag being toted down for the shovelheads to eat when the sun set.

The guard at the door turned to watch them go, and she could see the sweat on his face.  The guy smelled like fear, even over the rank stench of the building.

I wonder what he was promised to join up.  And I wonder what he’s seen since.

Must be blood keeping him here, because no amount of threats could overwhelm the need to run from the nightmare creatures that existed in the basement.  Hard not to pity him, really.  He jumped when another figure walked into the hall.  “Hey, they’re looking for volunteers for Chinatown.”

“What for?”

“Dunno, might be taking out the Tong…”

Olivia laughed from her corner in spite of herself and was met with two glares.  Might be armed to the teeth, but they were clueless what they were up against.  Maybe Amelia didn’t even know?  If she did, she was sending in an army blind.

Hell, maybe Amelia wouldn’t make it.

It was almost comforting to think about, even in this situation, and after a long period of silence, listening to distant voices and the creaking of the floors, Olivia dozed off.

‘Wake up!”  Someone poked Olivia in the shoulder, hard, and she startled awake.  Amelia stood over her, her shirt ripped and something unknown and sticky smeared on her pants, looking somewhere between annoyed and disgusted.  She dropped something heavy at Olivia’s feet and it took her a moment to realize it was the key to the sarcophagus.

“This better not have been a wild goose chase.  I lost most of the guys I took with me.”

“And you fought a squid thing, huh?”

“Not funny.  Do I need anything else.”

Nope, just turn in this quest.   Olivia almost could hear the sound of XP being granted as she shook her head.

“Hey chica. The archbishop wants to see you,” a gruff voice comes from the doorway. The figure it came from was slightly feral looking, teeth a bit too sharp, limbs a bit too long. “He’s not happy.”

Amelia straightened up, and the expression on her face was unmistakably fear. “I took initiative. For us. He can’t be mad about that.”

The gangrel at the door shrugged but grinned in a sadistic sort of way. “Wouldn’t keep him waiting.”  He stepped out of sight and Amelia watched after for a long moment.

“You do this against orders?” Olivia asked.

“I did what had to be done.” Amelia responded.  “If there’s power in that sarcophagus, we have to control it. I didn’t think I’d lose that many fighting the Keiu Jinn, especially not right before we attack the Camarilla…”  She looked to Olivia almost with a pleading glance, almost as if she expected guidance.

“If you open the sarcophagus before you see him, you can show him that you acted for good reason.” Olivia pointed out.

Amelia nods.  “Or to defend myself… I’ll do it.”  She hefted the stone key and stepped around the guard and into the hall without a glance back to Olivia.

Last quest of the game.  Open the box. Boom. Roll credits.

And maybe that would be it, this weird experience over.  A vivid but lengthy bad dream.

Or maybe… she just told someone to set off a bomb a few stories under her in the already crumbling building where she sat.

Chapter Text

I need to get out of here.

“Hey.  Hey you” Olivia said to the guard, standing up.  He glanced over to look and she wondered when the last time he slept was, or the last time he ate.  “We need to leave.”

“What?” he says, seeming confused and a bit dazed.

“We’re in danger here, we have to get out of here.”

“Sit down.” he says, motioning the gun vaguely.

Amelia would be headed downstairs, might take a minute in the mazelike ruins of the building.

“You need to listen to me.  We don’t have long, we need to run.”

“Nah.  Sit down.  You’re not going anywhere.” he puffed himself up to fill up the doorway.

She’d be headed straight to the sarcophagus, because Olivia had stupidly convinced her to open it before seeing Andrei.  No doubt she would be anxious, fearful of the interaction with the Tzmisce.

Adrenaline pooled down Olivia’s back, turning into frustration at this teenager who was in her way.  She glared at him, furiously.  “We need to leave!”

The man blinked and something inside him seemed to click.  He turned on his heel and started down the hall, Olivia following behind thankful for the sudden change.  The place was way more empty than earlier, and only one person was smoking down the hall, looking up lazily at the guard and Olivia before going back to his cigarette.

Olivia had almost become optimistic when she heard a gruff voice as the guard rounded the corner, “where the hell are you going?”

“Leaving” the guard replied, and Olivia held her breath, looking around for somewhere to hide before the speaker rounded the corner and spotted her.  There was nothing to duck behind, and Olivia backed up against the wall in fear.

“No you’re not,” the voice replied, and the speaker stepped around the corner, glowing eyes and hands like claws.  Olivia stifled a gasp but the guard didn’t seem phased, trying to sidestep the Gangrel in a surprisingly nonchalant way.

“I’m leaving,” the guard repeated, and the Gangrel sneered in anger, reaching out to grab him, seemingly so fixated he hadn’t noticed Olivia.

Amelia had to be in the room with the sarcophagus already, maybe only contemplating a moment before inserting the massive key....

The guard and the Gangrel blocked the easy pass to the door, but across the other way, the window was boarded poorly with two pieces of ancient plywood, the lights from the street visible through the crack. 

Maybe the nails aren’t sturdy, no time for other choices.

With no more thought, she dashed across the hall.  She rammed the plywood with one shoulder.  Once, it splintered, sturdier than it looked.  Twice, the one board pulled loose.  She shoved it out of the way and clambered through.  Behind her, there was a yell of anger and surprise “The hell did she come from?”  But she hit the pavement outside and started to run.

Someone was chasing her, bursting through the same window, but it didn’t matter.  She’d only gone half a block when the bomb detonated.  It was the sort of thing you felt inside more than out, the massive explosion seeming to come from her gut, taking her breath away and her hearing blanking out.  Her knees went out from under her as much from the shock as anything.  It took a moment to realise the debris blown around her and the lick of heat on her back.

As the ringing in her ears started to subside, she could hear a screaming howl, voices overlapped in pain, and she turned to see something stagger from the structure, it’s body all wrong, clothes smouldering with fire.  The wood facade crashed down behind it, and Olivia suddenly was aware she was way too close to the crumbling hotel.

She got up on unsteady feet, ignoring the pain and trying to run away.  Disoriented, she made it two blocks before collapsing, back aching from a dozen burns and scrapes.

It didn’t make this stop.  I’m still here.

This wasn’t where she wanted to be either, a block from where hideous creations and injured vampires were no doubt attempting to escape a collapsing and burning building.  But the idea of getting up again was impossible, between injury and fatigue.

It was well timed that there was a honk of a horn and she looked up to see Smiling Jack leaning out of his car.  “Are you gonna get in, or stay here and wait for what’s left of the Sabbat?”

A few moments later, Jack was breaking the speed limit as he cruised out of downtown, a bewildered Olivia beside him.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in the hills overlooking the city, Jack had stopped the car, and started rooting around in a rather full trunk, pushing aside a machete and a bundle wrapped in a stained sheet with a desiccated hand protruding, and with a little triumphant grunt pulled out two folding chairs.  He set them up and motioned Olivia to one with a smirking flourish.

“Smoke?”

“No thanks.  It’s a bad habit.”

“Yeah, from what I hear it’ll kill you.” Jack said with a chuckle, pulling one from a pack and lighting it.  From where they sat, the Hollowbrook Hotel stood out like a distant campfire, the smoke catching the lights of the city.

“The gossip tomorrow’s gonna be good.  First the Sabbat take on the Keiu Jinn, then they blow themselves sky high, plus...”

“What happened to Patty?” Amelia interrupted suddenly.

“Patty?  You’re seriously gonna ask about that now?  Should be a ton of other questions on your mind.  One of mine is what the hell you were doing running from the Hollowbrook.”

“I had convinced Amelia to bring the sarcophagus in and to open it.”

“Man, when you get a crazy idea, you see it through.  Me, I prefer to let things progress more organic-like.” he leaned back looking satisfied at the fire and took a long drag off of the cigarette.  “You know, when I threw that damn box out there, I never would have guessed this is how it would play out.”

“Less of a canon ending than a dancing werewolf…” Olivia muttered, the exhaustion giving her voice a little manic edge.  If Jack thought it was a strange comment, he didn’t mention it.

“You healed up yet?”

Olivia glanced down at her hands, and was a bit surprised to see that the brush burn on her palms was in fact scabbed over and healing. “That was fast.”

“Could be faster.  You gotta learn to burn the blood to fix up quicker.  Lesson one, there, kid.  Never any good to anyone injured.”

Silently, she wondered how she could consciously do that, but didn't say anything. Too close to trying to define game mechanics into the real world, too much blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.

“Never would have thought that newbie would go Sabbat,” he muttered after a bit, more to himself.  “Worst choice she could have made.”

“Worse than teaming up with the Camarilla?”

“Eh, most of them are brainwashed by the capes before they have a chance to think.  By the time it’s the their first night out, they’ve been told half the time that they’re just a pawn and half the time that they’re the greatest thing to happen to the night.  Hell, most of them have parties or ceremonies or bullshit like that when they go to embrace someone. Like a goddamn farce coronation when they just plan to mess with them.  The ones at the top like keeping them crabs in a bucket style,” he stubs out the cigarette with disdain.  “Now that Amelia?  She came in neutral.  Got a chance to look at the bullshit from all the sides, make her own choices.  If she’d have gone through all of that and chose to pair up with the princey poo, I’d have respected her choices, even if they were stupid.”

“You’d still have let her blow herself up with him.”

“I would have respectfully let her blow herself up.  There’s a difference,” he smirked, and motioned to the distant fire “This?  Ain’t no one gonna respect her ending like this.  Only one who got out with any clout was you.”

They lapsed into silence watching the fire for a long moment before Olivia asked “Why were you out by the hotel?”

“Wasn’t hanging around the Sabbat if that’s what you mean. I try to stay away from anything with more limbs than I got.  Nah, was checking out how things were going with the trial.”

“Trial?”

“Seems like the primogen weren’t too happy when they proved ole LaCroix was behind Grout’s murder… ah sit down,” she had hopped up without realizing it, and he pushed her back into the lawn chair.  “That’s just the blood talking. You gettin all worried about the prince, bet it would muddle things up for you if I said Gary’s leading the charge, huh?”

Damn it, he’s right.   The two blood bonds started to war in her brain.  Which was more, LaCroix being in danger or Gary taking the lead.  Olivia rubbed her head in annoyance.

“That’s why you don’t go and get yourself bound to no one.  Everyone’s pulling your strings no matter what, you don’t need to go and let someone declare themselves your puppet master, you feel me?” He patted her knee.  “At least they get less intense over time.  And break totally when you die, so you got that to look forward to.”

“Not exactly comforting.”

“Ah, come on, I’m known for my bedside manner!” he chuckled “Anyway, the Camarilla is all voting and delivering their oh so bureaucratic justice while clutching their pearls that a Ventrue would go so far astray.  Chances are they’ll make some kinda example outta him.  Nines is exonerated, the Sabbat’s crispy critters.  Not bad work for a couple of weeks, kid.”

“Wasn’t my goal.”

“Nah, like I said before, you’re natural trouble.  Don’t think you could avoid it if you tried.  It’s what makes you interesting.  Ah, dammit.”

“What?”

“They almost have the fire out.  Boo!” he threw the empty crumpled up cigarette case toward the dimming glow. “The one time I want a bonfire to go all night and the LA Fire Department is all Johnny on the Spot.  Ending the show early.”

“We should get going, I guess.”

“Going?  Nah, here’s good enough,” he says, standing up as the lawn chair creaked.

“Good enough?”

“Yeah, you’re too much fun to leave a ghoul. You’re gonna join our little club. What? Don’t expect me to throw you a party, we went over this...”

Chapter Text

Sixteen years later

The kindred Olivia stepped out of the noisy club that was the local Elysium and waved down a parked cab.  As soon as she was bundled into the back seat, she let out a sigh.  Even now, vampiric society made her a bit nervous. Initially, there had been rumors about her weird time as a ghoul, that she had been gifted with some sort of psychic powers. It still was pointed out as the way that a Brujah embraced in a questionable manner had successfully pinpointed certain economic buys, leaving her with a decent stock portfolio.  But as she relived the past decade and a half, the usefulness of that knowledge had dwindled, and the whispers stopped, leaving her relatively innocuous.  By now the only source of the whole truth was the file with the Tremere, who had had their own troubles since, and the mind of Gary Golden, who had used it to call in more than one favor over the years.

No, the strangest part of the whole experience for her was how little any of it had mattered.  A week after her embrace, things had already stood as they would have after the events of the game.  LaCroix deposed, the Sabbat nearly wiped out of the town, the Kieu Jinn destroyed.  The fact that she was another of Smiling Jack’s childer didn’t cause so much as a ripple in a town that was spending time and energy trying to stabilize itself.  It wasn’t long until there were so many new faces in town, new rivalries, and new politics, and all that happened back in 2004 was a footnote.  Vampires, it seemed, may have long memories, but short attention spans.

The cab pulled up near her apartment, and she slid out, keying in her security code at the door and stepping into the elevator, a hand on her bag.

A quick check won’t hurt.

She pulled her iPhone out of the pocket and powered it on, pulling up the familiar instagram account.  A few recent photos. A beach selfie. A family photo.  So strange seeing pictures of herself in places and situations where she had never been.

For years, she’d watched the other version of herself online, living through the life she’d already lived.  More than once, she’d been tempted to contact her, but that was just tempting danger for both of them.  Instead, she’d just waited for the countdown to see if something would happen when other Olivia hit the same point in her life as when she had entered the world of darkness.  Instead, nothing.  Other Olivia just went on living, oblivious to the realities of the supernatural, unaware there was another version of herself cyber stalking her.  Creepy to think that the instagram posts would show wrinkles eventually, injuries, signs of life that Olivia would never ever know.

She scrolled in to look at her face, trying to make sure she looked happy when a voice came at her elbow.  “Tsk… Social media on a smartphone.  Prince is gonna think you’re as bad as your daddy.”

Powering off her screen, Olivia glanced at Mitnick who had appeared at her elbow.  “Like you aren’t running servers in the basement.”

“What, me? Breaking the camarilla’s new rules?” he snorts sarcastically “Like anyone born before Babbage can really understand.  Not my fault if some pleb left a backdoor open, no need to punish the rest of us.”

Olivia chuckled.  “They’ll pry Netflix out of my cold dead hands, I know, I know.  You wanna come in?”

“Sure.  Wanted you to look at something.  Showed Imalia and it got her panties in a twist, but I’m not sure what to make of it.”

He stepped around her, pulling a laptop from his bag and setting it down on the counter while biting a nail.  Weird that she had gotten to the point that the blend of marble countertops, ikea furniture, and halloween style monster in her dining room was totally normal.  Her apartment had become the hub for regular board games, and Knox even ran a few short dungeons and dragons sessions.  

“Here, definitely kindred activity,” he said, spinning the screen to her.

“Tender?”  she said reading the header, then clicked on a few things while he watched.

“What do you think?”

She sighed and rubbed her temples.  “I just hope they don’t fuck this up.”