May 15th
Tropicana Ave, Parking Lot, 12:32 AM
Hayden had always wondered what death felt like. What awaited beyond it. Was it heaven or hell? Was it purgatory? Or was it a passageway of the soul to its next incarnation?
He did not know, for he did not die.
Everything was a blur as his eyes opened. All he could make out was the silhouette of a woman standing in front of him. He didn’t need to adjust his vision to instantly recognize her as Maya.
“What happened?” Hayden muttered as he forced himself up, only managing to sit on his ass. A minor pain lingered in the side of his head, and he instinctively rubbed it.
“Some Sabbat asshole knocked you out with the barrel of his gun. Must’ve had a lot of force to be able to do that.” Maya replied, helping him stand up. “He was getting ready to put some bullets in you, but that’s when I showed up. Snatched the gun and put him out of his misery.” She declared, almost as if she was bragging.
In the distance, sirens could be heard howling, as police, EMS and firefighters had already arrived at the scene, where the once astounding building now burned, all the knowledge inside destroyed. The Tremere were sure as hell going to seek revenge for this transgression.
“We better clear out of here. I managed to get you out of the building and out here, but you’re fine on your own now. You’d best head home, get cleaned up and mind your business for tonight. I’ll take some time to look at these.” Maya said, reaching behind her. Tucked in her pants were a book and some papers.
“What the hell is that? What did you take from that office?” Hayden asked, a concerned frown on his face. It wasn’t enough that the Tremere of Vegas had lost most, if not all of their knowledge that night, but she stole whatever might’ve survived.
“The Regent’s reports, and his personal rituals. Might have something helpful in these. Something to help me persuade him.”
“You really still care about your deal right now? Jesus, Maya.” Hayden said, letting out a deep breath. “I’m gonna go. You do whatever you want, just… I played my part, this just happened. I helped you. I’d rather you leave me alone for some time. Thanks for saving my life in there.”
With these said, he began walking away. The female said nothing as she watched him leave, just letting out a sigh.
In about 15 minutes, Hayden already found himself back in his apartment. Locking it, he sighed as he made his way towards the bathroom. He stopped outside to look at his clothes. The stagnant smell of smoke stung his nose, and the burns on them nearly made him want to cry. Such a waste of good fabric, such a waste of beauty. He ripped them off of him, throwing them right into the bin. Left undressed, he stood there for a moment, contemplating everything that had happened. The bomb going off, him saving the wicked old man instead of the innocent assistant, then watching her head get cut off like in some messed up snuff film. Then, there was the strange man he had witnessed, and nearly getting killed. Yes, his unlife was one constant, unbearably boring existence. He wanted more things to happen, but not that kind of things, and not that many at once. He was overwhelmed.
The Beast inside Hayden squirmed like a maggot under a boot, roused by his turmoil. It wanted to come out, tearing at the fabric of his mind. For a moment, he wanted to just let it take over and forget everything, but quickly realized just how bad of an idea that was. In that brief moment of weakness, he slammed his fist against the bathroom door, leaving a hole in it.
“Crap…” He cursed under his breath after recollecting himself, running a hand through his hair. After taking a deep breath, Hayden headed inside the bathroom, getting under the shower. The hot water flowed down his body and into the drain, filling him with its warmth. Showering made him feel alive, somehow. Most often, he did it just for the sake of doing it – now, he had an actual reason.
He had plenty of hours to pass until Sunrise, and after what had just happened, he wasn’t going to leave his apartment again. So, he made himself comfortable on the couch, wrapping himself in a blanket, and turned on the TV. As the screen lit up, it revealed a news channel, where a live report on the incident was already being done. As expected, the whole ordeal was labeled as a terrorist attack, done on a random target, in this case, the Tremere Chantry, or as the unaware mortals called it, RWP - Red Western Publications. Yes, the Chantry of Vegas took on the image of a journalism company, and to make it believable, they did actually produce newspapers and online articles, mostly about events in the area and other stuff they’d be able to easily come up with and write – it wasn’t at all enjoyable for them to waste their time with mortal garbage, but it was necessary in order to uphold the Masquerade.
Hayden wasn’t in the mood of listening to news about an incident he had just taken part in – living through it was enough for him. Without a second thought, he began surfing through the channels, stopping on each one for a few moments to see what was on it. Every single one was so boring that he felt like throwing the TV out the window. A phone or computer would’ve been nice, but he had to abide by the Camarilla rules. One of these rules is no electronics – at least the ones that can be hacked and contain information. A TV wouldn’t matter in this case, but a phone would be a dead giveaway of a vampire. Who exactly would hack them? Anyone who supported the Second Inquisition. Human hunters desperate to slay every supernatural creature in existence. Word of cities that have been completely purged of Kindred had spread across the whole word, leaving vampires on alert, avoiding being discovered at all costs. With all the money being made in Vegas, for example, it would be a shame if the vampires were disposed of, even for the high-ranking mortals, some of which were aware of vampires.
Suddenly, a knock could be heard on the apartment door, startling Hayden to the point where the TV almost turned into background noise, his attention turning to the door. Cautiously standing up and walking to it, he peeked through the peephole – in the dimly lit hallway, he could see no one other than the Sheriff, standing in front of his door. A tall, well-built man, with a bald head and nearly golden eyes, dark, yet pale skin, William Tanner was the Sheriff of Vegas, the right hand of Prince Jasper. He was a Brujah, which made his role of Sheriff quite unusual – most of that clan were part of the Anarchs due to their rebellious nature.
If the Sheriff had taken the time to personally come to Hayden’s apartment, then it was serious, and the young vampire knew he had to let him in. Besides, he had most likely heard Hayden walking to the door anyway.
Opening the door, Hayden was immediately pushed aside, the Brujah making his way inside, and shutting the door.
“Forgive my brashness, but this is urgent. Hayden Renner, correct?” The visitor asked, crossing his arms as he stopped in the middle of the room, turning towards Hayden.
“Yeah, that’s me. What’s the matter?”
“You were at the Tremere Chantry tonight, right? The Prince’s source says Maya Okusanya has taken you with her there, to try and strike a deal with the Regent.”
“Uh, yes, that’s right… Is there an issue?”
“You and that Tzimisce fled the scene quite quickly, and didn’t report to anyone about it.” Hayden gulped. “The Prince would like to know some details of what you saw.”
“Well… That can be done, granted I talk to him personally. You never know who to trust.” Hayden mumbled, leaning against the wall. In just a few moments, he flinched away from it, however, as next to the Sheriff, a figure began materializing, eventually becoming clear – it was the Prince. Tall, short, well-kept blonde hair, pale skin and cold blue eyes, his imposing presence made Hayden’s body tense.
“Hello, Mr. Renner.” The Prince spoke on a stern tone. “Forgive my sudden apparition. I would’ve showed up here in person, but due to tonight’s events, I prefer to remain within the safety of my Elysium. Right now, I am doing an astral projection, for my own safety.”
Astral projection… A high-level technique of Auspex, which Hayden was far from achieving. The Prince was quite old, an Elder, which explained his power. Hayden was merely a Neonate.
“Prince Black.” Hayden bowed. “I’m graced by your presence here. I-“
“There’s no need for courtesy, Toreador. I don’t fancy boot-lickers. Let us get to the point. It has come to my attention that you were at the attack tonight. Tell me everything you saw.”
Hayden nodded, once again leaning against the wall, crossing his arms.
“Me and Maya were in the Regent’s office, talking. Then, bombs went off. One was right above us, and it nearly killed the Regent. I saved his life.”
“An admirable act.” The Prince cut in. “Go on.”
“There were flames everywhere… Gunshots, throughout the whole building. We headed down the emergency stairs. Maya got… sidetracked.” He mumbled, not wishing to disclose what she had actually done. “I went down alone, but had to hide inside a hallway, to avoid some Sabbat attackers. As I went in, at the end of the hallway, I saw… someone. A man.”
The Prince cocked an eyebrow, placing his hands behind his back. “That’s it? A man? Anything special about him?”
“He seemed… important. He had to have been a Lasombra, he was using Oblivion. Vanished right into the shadows. We know well they’re basically the heads of the Sabbat. As soon as he was gone, I got the feeling that I wasn’t supposed to have seen him. He must have not expected to be spotted by anyone.”
“I see. Please, stop tomorrow by my Elysium at any time so we can identify him; I presume you know where it is?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. This is valuable information. Help us identify him, and you’ll be rewarded. Good evening, Mr. Renner.” As the last words were spoken, the Prince’s image began fading, disappearing from thin air. The Sheriff, now left alone with Hayden, headed for the door. “You heard the Prince. You’re expected tomorrow. You’d better not ignore that request – it would be unbecoming.” After he was gone, Hayden hummed.
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“What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
May 15th
“Nevada South” Casino, 11:04 PM
The Prince’s Elysium was a sight to behold. Situated in the penthouse of the “Nevada South” Casino, it was adorned with the finest of furniture and decorations. Well lit and spacious, the Elysium had everything a rich vampire would want: expensive paintings and sculptures, which, naturally, had entranced Hayden as he walked in; a bar filled to the brim with preserved blood – even better than Maya’s reserve.
“Mr. Renner, welcome. I am glad you’ve decided to come so early.” The Prince spoke. He was sitting on a couch placed by a window in what looked like a small lounge. Another couch stood parallel from him, with a coffee table in between. Hayden mechanically made his way towards the couch, his attention still turned towards the beautiful paintings.
The Sheriff, who was standing next to the Prince’s couch, groaned in annoyance at the Toreador, who stumbled as he sat down on the couch.
“So, let us begin identifying this man you mentioned.” Jasper said, but Hayden didn’t seem to notice, his head still turned toward a specific painting, of two men who were reaching out for each other’s hands. The Prince gave it a quick looked, then turned back to Hayden.
“Enough of this bullshit!” The Brujah yelled, his hand tightening into a fist, which had somehow managed to snap Hayden out of his trance. William was about to step forward, but the Prince was quick to stop him.
“Settle down. You know he can’t help it. Give him a moment.” The Prince spoke sternly. The Sheriff immediately backed down, bowing his head, and Hayden was surprised by the Prince’s display of empathy.
“I apologize… It’s hard to be surrounded by such beautiful art and not be dazzled, as a Toreador, at least.”
Jasper proceeded to snap his fingers, to which William pulled out an envelope, placing it on the table in front of Hayden. “Inside are drawn portraits of all the Lasombra vampires the Nosferatu have identified within the city so far. Look through them and see if you recognize the man.”
Hayden nodded, opening the envelope and pulling out all of the pictures inside. He began looking through them, trying his best to recall what the man looked like. They were all drawn by some Nosferatu, probably, since not only they wouldn’t get the Lasombra to pose for a picture, but their bane would also have a chance of making them hard to identify.
Picture after picture, and Hayden couldn’t seem to find the man. Only a few of them were left, until he came across one. The one. His eyes visibly widened as he looked at it, placing the few other pictures left in his hand down on the table. “That’s him. That’s the man I saw.” He spoke, handing the picture to the Prince, who looked at it intently, the Sheriff looming over his shoulder in order to see as well.
“Hiramatsu Asahi. He’s made plenty of public appearances, presenting himself as a neutral vampire. He’s good with words, and even better with Oblivion.” The Prince said, a certain concern apparent in his voice. “It makes sense that he’d support the Sabbat. His Sire was executed by my orders about 180 years ago, due to violating the Masquerade on multiple occasions. It makes sense that he’d bear hatred for me, and by extension, the Camarilla.”
Hayden leaned back in his seat. A hundred and eighty years is a long time, and if his sire had died then, it means Asahi himself was older than that. Old vampire means more powerful.
“I shall notify my agents within the city of our new discovery. As for you, Mr. Renner, I thank you for your cooperation. You will be rewarded in due time. I might also have work for you soon enough. I trust that you’ll be glad to take on any tasks I deliver, as you have in the past. When I need you, I will contact you.” The Prince spoke boldly, not leaving much room for a counterargument. Hayden had no interest in working for the Camarilla once again, but did he really have a choice? Rejecting the Prince would’ve been one of his biggest mistakes.
“Of course.” Hayden blankly added. With a gesture of his hand, the Prince had him escorted out by the Sheriff. The elevator ride felt rather long, mostly because Hayden got lost in his thoughts. He potentially ratted on a dangerous vampire criminal. If he were to find out who had spotted him, he’d surely go after them. Although it wasn’t apparent yet, Hayden was certain that danger awaited him.
What better way to quell one’s fear than basking in the pleasure of hobbies, which in Hayden’s case was, obviously, painting. Another art exhibition was taking place that night, quite close to the casino, and naturally, he didn’t plan on missing it, especially at such a stressful time. All he needed was to see a few good paintings, and he’d already feel much better, at least temporarily.
The spot wasn’t very crowded – tonight was more about smaller, unseen talents, so not that many people were interested in attending, which Hayden found a shame. He had always believed that some of the best things are undiscovered. Greeted with champagne, he politely declined, quickly making his way toward the first painting to fall in his sight – a lovely abstract painting, filled with greens and blues. The name tag read “The Inner Lights”. Most likely a play on the Northern Lights, but meant to refer to one’s soul, to their inspiration and kindness. A bittersweet smile made its way onto Hayden’s lips, reminded once more of what he had lost – he had once had that light too, snuffed out the moment he became a vampire.
Beautiful as it was, watching the piece of art suddenly became painful for Hayden, and he had to pull himself away from it. About to move to the next one, he came to an abrupt stop when he found his path blocked by someone standing in front of him: Nicholas. Hayden’s eyes widened at the sight; his mind failed to produce any words, but the tense atmosphere made it feel as if the other was waiting for him to speak.
“Well, look who it is. It’s been a few days.” Nicholas finally spoke out, crossing his arms.
“Nicholas. Didn’t think I’d run into you here.”
“Well, I did. What happened that night? When I woke up, you were gone, then I don’t see you for days… Are you okay?”
“I, well- uh…. Not really, I just… I thought about what happened. I like you, but I don’t think it would work – us.” Hayden stuttered, trying to find the strength to speak. As soon as he said the words, Nicholas’ heart skipped a beat, and Hayden could hear it.
“What? Why? We didn’t even give it a chance. You felt good that night, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did, but sex and love are different things. A relationship takes patience, and understanding, and… I’m just not the right guy for that. You deserve someone better than me.”
Silence settled between the two, filled in by the soft jazz music playing inside the building and the indistinct chattering of the other people. Hayden hoped Nicholas would say something. Part of him hoped the human would attempt to convince him to try, to take a risk – the other part wanted him to walk away.
“So that was all it was? A one-night stand?” Nicholas began, raising his tone. Hayden bit his cheek, as he could feel a few gazes turning their way. “It meant nothing to you?”
“Of course it did! I just said that I like you!” Hayden retaliated, bringing his tone to match the other’s. “I just don’t want to hurt you… I’m not the kind of person you can just love. I come with… baggage.” His voice lowered at the last part, and his gaze turned away from Nicholas.
“Hayden. We all have our baggage. I’m not perfect either. That’s what makes us human.” Hayden felt like bursting into laughter, a mix of amusement caused by the other’s obliviousness, and desperation. “I won’t let you go just cause you’re troubled. I want to help you through it.”
“That’s just it. You can’t. There’s no solution to my problems.”
“Okay, then. I’ll make it easier to deal with them then.” Nicholas said. With a bit of hesitation, he approached Hayden, reaching for his hands. The vampire was caught off guard, but quickly rushed his blood, animating his body – warmth filled him just as the other was about to grab his hands.
“We can go back to my place again – this time, to talk.” He offered, looking up at Hayden with a warm smile, so warm it could melt ice – it certainly melted Hayden’s cold, dead heart.
“Alright-“
“Perfect, let’s go!”
“Right now?” Hayden asked, stumbling as Nicholas began dragging him towards the exit. “But I just got here!”
“Don’t worry, few pieces are actually good here.”
Outside, the two began walking alongside each other, chatting about different things – a mood change Hayden quite needed after what had happened inside. Not far from the exposition, a man was sitting on a bench, his hands tucked into his pockets. As the two approached, he stood up, turning to face them; Hayden immediately recognized him as the Regent.
“Hello. Hayden, is it? I wish to have a word with you-“ he began, eyeing Nicholas as he sensed his human blood “– in private.” Hayden raised an eyebrow in curiosity, then turned to look at Nicholas. “It’s okay, I’ll catch up with you in a second.” He nodded, beginning to walk ahead, stopping to sit down on another bench further down the street.
“Regent, what a surprise. May I help you?” Hayden asked, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
“I needed to talk to you, about what happened.”
“What about it?”
“Well… You can tell miss Maya that I accept her deal. She can stop by tomorrow so we can deal with the details.” He began. Hayden’s mouth dropped, dumbfounded by the decision. “She can thank you for that. You saved my life back there, and I respect that. If you also need anything, you can ask me.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“You wouldn’t have been able to get to her in time, would you?” The Regent asked on a blank tone. His usually empty eyes now showed a certain sadness. Hayden didn’t know what he meant at first, but quickly realized – the assistant.
“No, I’m sorry. I… I had to choose.”
“And you chose me. I can’t say I’m not happy to be alive, but it’s a shame, for her. I just keep wondering how you made the decision. It couldn’t have been easy.”
It really wasn’t. If anyone deserved to die back there, it was the Regent, not that poor woman.
“Anyways. I won’t hold you any longer. You’re probably starving.” The man said, pointing a finger over his shoulder, towards where Nicholas was sitting.
“Oh, no. It’s not like that…” Hayden said, appalled by the idea of feeding on Nicholas. “Anyway, thanks for the notice. I’ll let Maya know.” He spoke quickly before the Regent could say anything else, then bowed his head and walked away.
Nicholas looked at him as he arrived.
“What was that about?”
“Just some business I’m helping a friend with. No need to worry about it.” Hayden assured him, smiling as he began walking forward, forcing the other to stand up.
“Alright then.”
The two eventually reached Nicholas’ apartment. Hayden thought it felt good to be there again, for whatever reason. Maybe because his passion for Nicholas might have finally come to fruition. As Hayden sat on the couch, he looked out the window, gazing towards the city. Sometimes, he wanted to get away from it. And he could have done it many times, when nothing was holding him in Vegas. But he didn’t know where to go. And now, he was caught up between the Sabbat and Camarilla, as well as involved with Nicholas. He didn’t know whether to hate it or like it.
“Do you want some coffee?” Nicholas offered, heading towards the kitchen.
“No, thanks.”
“Alright, well I’m making some for myself so if you change your mind there will be coffee left for you too.”
After a few moments, he returned with a cup of coffee in his hand, sitting down next to Hayden. After taking a sip and placing the cup on the coffee table, Nicholas leaned back in the seat, looking at the other.
“So. Have you, uh… Ever had a boyfriend before?”
“One. But it was a long time ago.”
“How long?”
Hayden opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t quite say anything. His first relationship had happened when he was human, which was over 14 years before, but he couldn’t tell Nicholas that. “Some years ago. When I was a stupid teenager.” Both laughed.
“Ah, we all were stupid teenagers at some point. What was it like?”
“Well, you know. We were both euphoric at first, in love with the idea of love. We were overly affectionate with each other.” Hayden recalled, grimacing as he recalled his rather cringe-worthy behavior. “But as time passed, we grew more comfortable, maybe too comfortable. He began bossing me around, controlling me. At that point, we had been together for three years. I had it with him when on his 18th birthday he slapped me across the face at his party because I messed up some food order.” Although it had happened over a decade before, Hayden could recall the events perfectly. “I like to think that he humiliated himself back then. No one likes an abuser, and I’m pretty sure he lost many friends after that. But it still felt so humiliating for me as well, to be treated like that. At least I didn’t get stuck with him. He tried threatening me into staying with him, but it didn’t work. I was done with his bullshit.”
Nicholas, which had previously had a relaxed attitude, was now sitting straight in his seat, a concerned look on his face. “I’m sorry to hear that. No one deserves that. But I’m happy you could get away from him. Many don’t get that chance.”
“Yeah… Uh, what about you? You ever had another relationship?” Hayden asked, trying to lighten up and move the discussion away from him.
“Also one, but there isn’t much to tell. We were both teenagers, we fell in love, but it just faded after a while. We were both mature enough to admit that, and we broke up on mutual terms. We remained friends after that, but I haven’t seen him since high school.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
The two of them talked for about another hour or two, after which Hayden went to the club to notify Maya that her deal was accepted. She celebrated with blood, but Hayden could only think about his discussion with Nicholas.
Progress had been made.