World of Darkness World of Darkness: Attrition - A Firm Talking To

[Adrian Moss]

Francesca looked at him across the table. She looked at me the way a hungry cat looked at a mouse. It was meant to put him on edge without appearing to be offensive. I guess that’s politics. That’s okay. The news I meant to give her was a very rough Christmas gift indeed.

“Francesca,” I breathed, “I’m glad you could take out the time to see me on such short notice. If you can just answer one question in the negative, I think I can let you get on to a more productive night.”

“Negative?” she said with a Cheshire grin. “I take it you have some information that … may,” she purred, “have some impact on me. Get on with it Shadow,” she snorted through that all too perfect nose.

“Have you been going to the Playboy mansion for the past few months?” I started out with the hook.”

In the time it took her to mull over her answer, I knew she was the Trespasser. I knew she was going over the connotations and figuring how to put me back on my heels with her own, probing question.

“What do you know about the little ragamuffin that’s been crossing my path? A feral little thing; she has the taint of a Nosferatu about her – uncivilized.”

“I know her and know about her,” I countered, holding my ground then giving back some more. “You’re crossing into her territory and she wants you to stop.”

That set her back a moment. She figured, no doubt, that I had come across some information and was trying to make myself useful to her. She hadn’t figured me to be a messenger boy.

“Her territory,” she said quietly. “Her territory,” she repeated with more heat. “Who does she think she is? It’s the Playboy Mansion for the love of God. She’s clearly insane.”

“Oh,” I let on, getting into my stride, “I think she’s pretty insane too, but that doesn’t make her any less lethal. Maybe it makes her more so, because she’s not concerned with the consequences of her actions, just the actions herself.”

I smiled.

“And it gets worse.”

She gave me the look that said she really didn’t believe me, but was willing to let me keep talking while she thought.

“She is running with a local pack of werewolves – at least three of them. Werewolves.”

I let that sink in a second. Werewolves were like bogeymen amongst the LA crowd. They were thought to be brutish, nasty, and full of teeth and fangs.

It took her a second.

“What do you know about werewolves?”

She was leaning in and talking intently now. Her pretensions were going out the window. Since I had some thing that did impact her immediate survival, the haughty air was sent packing.

“My business.” I liked that. Short and succinct.

That set her back another moment.

“Not good enough. Now the group needs to know and that means telling me now.”

Now it was my turn to smile.

“Not if it directly threatens my well being. Me telling stuff about them is a guaranteed way for me to end up dust.”

I hoped I didn’t lay the last bit on too thick. I didn’t think Declan would ace me for talking to an older Vamp about what little I knew, but I bet Amber would. For that matter, Sarah just might too. Holding my ground, and my tongue, made sense right now.

“I …” I knew she wanted to say she didn’t believe me, but then I was also playing into her fears.

“That’s okay though. I’ve seen this Gangrel kill and she’s fast and lethal. She’s not likely to need any of her allies when dealing with you. Hell, she only gave me a warning as a courtesy … on the off chance it was one of my allies before just killing you.”

She looked at me. I could tell she simply didn’t want to believe. Her care-free fun was at stake and the bite that took the edge of the boredom of our existence could be found at the extravagant parties the super-rich and connected through. This was her prize and she didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t want a war with my friends.

Francesca shook her head slowly.

“No. No, I’m not going to allow this. We will take it to the entire coterie and let them decide.”

I could see she was thinking she could sway the decision making her way.

“This … affront is not something we should let slide. Something needs to be done. Maybe removing this Gangrel will warn off these werewolves and keep them off our door step.”

“An affront to you is not an affront to us,” I replied with a calmness I really didn’t feel. “If anything, they would see this as leading to a war were no one profits but you. I don’t think they will like that very much … and if I can see that, so can they.”

I reached out and put my hand upon hers.

“See, too much of this relies on me. This Gangrel goes missing and the Weres are going to ask questions. Who do you think they will ask? What do think I’ll end up telling them? Then what?”

“Ever seen how much damage a half-dozen werewolves can do to a place? As I see it the risks of your vendetta outweigh the rewards.”

Now she glares at me. If she is afraid, and I know she is then how are the others in our coterie going to feel. Not that it is really a vote – Jorge makes the call – but he will weigh each of our opinions on the subject before deciding and I’m letting her know how that non-vote vote is going to go.

“This is why I am bringing this up to you now. The coterie doesn’t have to know. This is just me having a talk with you about something … something unpleasant. No one else will even need to know to ask.”

That would be no one else besides me and Sarah that is.

She looks at me with a whole new expression. I could be wrong, but it could be a kernel of respect. I’m not really familiar with that look. I can also guess that she’s not made up her mind on what to do. Still, she has one last gambit to play tonight.

“Any way your … friend will let me prey on her domain?”

“Not after the games you’ve been playing with her and the way she’s crazy-like. Well, I must admit I asked and she told me that you would have to come calling crawling on your knees and beg her forgiveness.”

I can’t help but smile at the imagery. This doesn’t endear me to Francesca.

“Yeah, I told her there was a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening, but I had to ask.”

“If she’s that crazy, she’ll fuck up eventually and I’ll be there.”

There was real venom in her voice. I had no doubt she was as good as her word. The smile fled my face. I didn’t want to see any harm come to Sarah, as weird as she was.

“Keep tabs on her, Shadow, and let me know how she fares. You are to let me know what difficulties she encounters and what other enemies she makes.”

She reverses her hand and takes hold of mine, giving it a squeeze.

“You can do that for me, right Adrian?”

If I was alive, I would gulp. This is within the purview of what she could expect from a covenant-mate and it bordered on betrayal to those I had some trust in. Just peachy, this was.

I couldn’t say anything, so I nodded. She seemed pleased with herself – her ability to put me on the spot – and gave me a more familiar smile, that of the predator. Francesca stood up and gave my hand a friendly squeeze.

“Thank you for this, Adrian. This is all going to work out fine.”

I watched her leave, not because I was a man and she was one hell of a woman, but because she still scared me and you keep an eye on the things you fear. It took me a moment to realize that I had won and a smile crept back. She now knew that I could go to the rest if she persisted and knew they wouldn’t support her. Jorge didn’t want this kind of fight. It exhausted covenant resources to deal with one barely troublesome Gangrel and could result in much worse.

So I did her this favor, which she would probably acknowledge in her own way. I acted on behalf of my coterie to avoid a conflict = another plus. I had gathered some intelligence and put it to the best use. I had done my job.

Well almost.

I got up and went to the bar here in the Labyrinth. I saw a vampire that had a tongue and a ready audience. It would help Sarah out to spread the word of her territory. This guy and a few others and the word would start matriculating across the city in a Mekhet manner. I still wasn’t done for the night, but at least I had started out well.