VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE FANFICTION PART 2- NEW YORK

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Despite the fact that she went to bed earlier than usual, Liz woke up feeling like the world was on her shoulders. She had never felt this groggy since she became a kindred. She felt it was most likely due to the frenzy of activity she had been in for the past few weeks. Probably.

Shuffling in her large, pink nightgown, she switched on the light to the tiny room that served as a temporary haven. She cast a look at the small wall clock by her right, seeing that it was 8:35 pm. 8:35! She gasped inwardly. She had never woken up this late before. Was she that exhausted?

A seemingly impatient rapping on the door brought her back to reality. "Uh, come in." she said. Almost before she finished the sentence, the person opened the door; a stout man in a grey monkey suit. He spoke in a gruff voice. "Theo Bell wants to see you. He's at the conference room. He needs you ASAP."

Liz was slightly perplexed at that. "Theo? But why would he want to..."

He didn't even give her the courtesy of finishing the sentence before he shut the door behind him. Well somebody's awfully rude, she said to herself.

Sighing, she headed to the bathroom to freshen up. As she looked at the large mirror near the bathroom sink, however, the first thing that caught her attention was her face. It looked... pale. She had been looking paler than usual ever since she became a vampire, most likely due to the fact that blood no longer flowed directly beneath her skin, but tonight she just looked... pale, very pale. Almost Christof pale! She ran her claws across her cheek, noting how clammy it felt. After that she began to brush her teeth, paying particular attention to her fangs, but as she brushed, her mind was still on her appearance and she wondered; was she becoming less human?

By the time she got to the conference room, Theo Bell was already seated with three other fellows. She stood transfixed with nervousness by the entrance for several seconds before moving to take a seat at the back. Liz had decided to wear a deep-blue long-sleeved turtleneck with black trousers, because apparently being a vampire didn't mean one was immune to cold. It was November and winter was already showing its face. She apparently wasn't the only person who thought so. Theo Bell wore a cream coloured parka over his usual clothes and a similarly coloured winter cap.

"Good you're here Elizabeth." Theo began. "I have an important message from your sire, but first I'd like to introduce you to everyone here." He gestured to the three persons with him. "The name's Vidal." One of them, who wore a pink tie with his form-fitting formal attire and a very wide-brimmed hat, piped. "Vidal Jarbeaux at your service." He got up and made a short bow at that. The second fellow wasn't nearly as enthusiastic in his introduction. He wore a huge, brown and high-collared buff jacket and a large top hat, a combination that obscured most of his body. He introduced himself as Billy, with a very deep voice.

The third character, in comparison to the others, seemed completely harmless. He wore naught but a yellow t-shirt with "TREMERE FTW!" emblazoned boldly on the front and baggy knee-length shorts. Liz quietly wondered whether he could feel cold, and indeed he hadn't felt heat or cold since the days of the Holy Roman Empire. His relatively slight build and curly black hair gave him away-to anyone who could notice- as a relic from a younger time. He gave his name as Ernest, Tremere Archon.

"We're part of the clean-up operation." Theo continued afterwards. "It seems your sire's plan paid off. The backlash of the Sabbat's recklessness has begun. We're here to make sure none of it hits our guys." He rested his shoulders on the table. "And that's why I've been ordered to remove you from the front lines." The lack of any sort of response or reaction from her worried the Brujah Archon, so he continued. "You are not to participate in any active fighting until instructed otherwise. Is that clear, Elizabeth?"