Petra mulled over the conversation she’d just had with her sire as she headed out to hunt. She was happy he’d finally found someone to care for, of course. It was a bonus that the man was willing to become a vampire, she felt. Brandon was right though – where would he fit? Jett could be a conundrum, but overall, she felt he were a relatively simple guy. Still, that didn’t help to detail where to put him. She set these thoughts aside for now, her Beast pushing her to hunt. She had a reasonable amount of control over it, but it was right – she needed to feed. She’d woken up that evening not at full to begin with – she didn’t feed unless she’d gone a week or more without feeding, since she didn’t need to feed every night. Having had to spend extra blood to avoid Michael’s attacks on her, as well as to heal, had left her lower than she liked.
She was in a bad enough mood, that she didn’t care if she killed. For her prey, she turned to one of the middle class areas of the city. She was not ignorant of the news, past or present, and was deliberately choosing her target. The man had been accused of crimes she considered depraved, namely that of acts against children. When she arrived at his house, she did not knock lightly. Instead, she kicked the door in. By all appearances, no one was home. She could hear that there was activity in the basement. With a blur of speed, she raced into the basement unseen. There were several children down there, some even kept in crates meant for dogs. With a swift motion, she threw some nearby blankets over the cages and attacked the men present.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the man behind the camera and ate her fill of him first, then went after the two or three cronies that hadn’t managed to escape the basement. She ate her fill of all of them, and let them fall to the floor, though was mindful to close the wound she had made. Next, she went after the one who had been able to make it up the stairs. She heard him gasping and shaking with fear from behind a door that led to a small bathroom. She walked past, grabbing a chair from the kitchen, and some zip ties she found in the kitchen. She set them up near the door to the basement, then yanked the door off its hinges when she opened it, grabbed him and smiled only the way a true vampire can.
She sat him down hard in the chair, using what there was of the zip ties to secure him to it, and duct tape when she ran out. She yanked the basement door open, but only hard enough to leave it hanging off its hinges, then kicked the chair, person and all, down the steps. She listened for it to stop, and listened a little while lounger. Judging by the differing patterns in breathing, most of them should still be alive. Making her way back to the kitchen, she picked up a cordless phone that sat there, and dialed 911, then carried it and set it just shy of the basement door, though said nothing. Someone would show up eventually, and the children would get help. Those who had abused them would get justice…and if they didn’t, she’d find them again.
Sated, she headed back home, even humming along to something on the radio when she took time to brush her teeth and tongue before driving. It had made her feel better too, to do some kind of act of decency, even if she had gone about it in a monstrous way. She turned her thoughts to the thirteen clans. Fleetingly, she thought of bloodlines, but there weren’t many around that she was aware of, and anyway, it would be easier to get a hold of one of the thirteen.
Entering the penthouse, she listened for music. As she didn’t hear any, she felt it was alright to head toward Jett’s room. She paused to listen at the door before knocking softly, waiting a moment, and entering. He had headphones on, listening to music. Heading over, she tapped him on the shoulder, and he looked up with a smile, and took off the headphones.
“Oh, hey Petra. What’s up?”
“Wanted to talk, that’s what’s up.” she said with a smile.
“Anything in particular?”
“Yes.” she said as she took a seat. “You.”
“Me? I swear, I’ve been good.”
She laughed. “Good to know. No…it’s about you willing to become a vampire.”
“Oh that.” he said. “Who told you?”
“Brandon. He’s conflicted, at the moment.”
“Oh.” he said, his expression going from being in a relatively good mood to trending downward.
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing. He just isn’t sure he should turn you himself. I offered to do it, and he wondered aloud if you would be a proper fit for the clan.”
“Am I?”
“I don’t know. You’re a hard one to place. I offered to talk to you about it on his behalf. So…care to do a rundown?”
“Of clans? Sure.”
“On the drive back home from hunting, I was thinking it over. No bloodlines – they’re few and far between. It’s easier to get someone from one of the major clans to turn and teach you than them.”
“Okay, sounds fair. Let’s give it a rundown then.”
She began listing, ticking each off on a finger as she went. “We have the Assamites. Largely, they are assassins. Vince knows more than I do about them, so you may wish to talk to him, I don’t know. We have the Brujah, of course. There always seem to be plenty of them around, and while they aren’t necessarily a bad sort, they’re quick to anger, and have their reputation for a reason.”
“Not keen on the first. Second may or may not suit, but go on.”
“Followers of Set are generally looked down upon as evil, but Charles could enlighten you more on them. Gangrel – well, Vince is one, so obviously he could tell you more. Based on Vince and the few others I’ve met, they can range from laid back to rather territorial. Then, there’s Giovanni, who are -”
“Out of the question. I have no interest in being a Necromancer. Or a Nos.” he added, after a pause.
“Good.” she said, taking a pause to think and remember who she had left to cover.
“No Tremere, either.”
She laughed. “Okay, okay…so noted. Anyone else you want to leave off?”
He shrugged. “Keep going.”
“There’s my clan, of course.”
“And what clan would that be again?” he teased.
“Lasombra. We are the leaders, keepers. We get things done, and we sure as hell do it better than the Ventrue.”
He grinned. “Guess I better not pick Ventrue, huh?”
“As much as he may loathe the idea, I think Brandon would still go with it, if it’s what you truly wanted.”
He waves his hand dismissively. “No. I was just teasing. Go on.”
“Malkavians. While broke, some are gifted series. But..”
“..they’re broken.” he shifted a little in his seat. “I’ve heard they’re all touched with madness. While I’ve nothing against them really…I don’t want to risk something might change me too much, you know?”
“No, I get it. So…there’s Ravnos. They stem from gypsies, as I understand it, and are usually problem causers. They are, however, masters of illusion. The Toreador are the artists, but have that tendency to get entranced. Finally, we have the Tzimisce…if you’re at all curious, speak to Endrik. While they’re known for their flesh crafting, they are also capable sorcerers.”
“Hmmm….who’s left, after what I’ve eliminated?”
“Brujah, Setites, Gangrel, Lasombra, Ravnos, Toreador and Tzimisce.”
“Weaknesses?”
She sighed. “I’ll try. Brujah are angry, Setites….hmm…not sure, Gangrel gain some animal traits when they frenzy, us Lasombra cannot see our reflections, Toreador have the entrancement, not sure about Ravnos either, and Tzimisce have to sleep in dirt.”
“Dirt?”
“Yea, but I think it has to be special somehow.”
Jett stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “No offense to Charles, but I’ll strike his clan for myself. Nor do I think I’m quite a good fit for your clan. Sorry, hun.”
“No offense.”
“Do you think Brandon would take offense?”
“I doubt it.”
“So Brujah, Gangrel, Ravnos, Toreador…and I think I’ll discount Tzimisce as well.” he said, thinking things over.
“What are your thoughts?”
“My thoughts?”
“Yes, dummy, your thoughts.”
Petra responded by throwing a pillow at him. “My thoughts are that you are difficult to place. You may find a good cause to fight for, being a Brujah, but you’d struggle with your emotions that much harder, I feel. I don’t know much about the Ravnos, so I don’t know how you’d fit in there. Toreador you’d fit fine with, more than likely, and that’s based solely on how much you’ve been putting yourself into your music.” she said,
“You forgot one.”
“Did I?”
“Yes, and you know it. Don’t be a smart ass.”
“Gangrel. Truthfully, if you chose that clan, I wouldn’t have a problem with it, nor would Brandon. Either of us would be most likely to ask Vince to do it since we trust him”
“But?”
“But, I don’t think Vince has ever wanted to make someone. He’d never admit it, but I think he has a hard time dealing with what he is. He wasn’t made like any other vampire. I’ve never met another like him, in fact.”
“What make him so special?”
“Dhampyr.”
“Half-breed? I thought that was myth.”
“Evidently not. Vince never had a choice, and when you think about it, it shows, because he’s never quite fully matured. Mentally, I mean.”
“You speak so highly of your lover.”
She glared at him for a moment. “I love him to death, but there are times where I swear, he stopped mentally growing when he hit puberty. Doesn’t mean I don’t love him any less. And don’t you dare tell him I told you that.”
“I won’t. Alright. If you think it would be a big deal, I won’t consider them a top option.”
“Okay. That leaves you then with Brujah, Ravnos, or Toreador.”
“Would need to know more about them, first.”
“Vince is well-traveled and might know something. I can’t be sure of that though.”
“You’ve helped me narrow it down at least.”
“I’ve tried. I wish there was someone else for you to talk to about all this though. But I don’t know if you really know anyone else.”
“Not many. I meet with Charles once in a while for addiction, and then there’s Mandy, of course. Beyond that I’ve sat and talked to Vince a few times. ”
“The maybe try him. He may act a child in some ways, but he’s seen and done a lot, and there is a certain wisdom in what he says. I can text him, if you want.”
“Sure. Just when he has time though, okay? I don’t want him to feel like it’s a priority.”
“Not a problem. I’ll leave you to your music.” she got up and left the room, heading to her own, texting Vince along the way.
Are you available at any point to talk to Jett about some clan stuff I don’t know? He’s open to becoming one of us, but we don’t know where he fits. Have narrowed it down to four from thirteen, and he could use input from more than just myself. Brujah, Gangrel, Ravnos and Toreador are what’s being considered presently. Here’s his number, so you don’t have to relay through me: (555) 617-1492