Vampire: Boston

Emelia watched out of the limousine's tinted window, as they pulled in to the meeting place; an abandoned underground parking lot. There were already several others here, stood watching each other and their vehicle. Slowly and deliberately, she stepped out of the limo, holding the door for her master. He stepped out, a plain looking man, but one that radiated authority. He strode forward as Emelia closed the door, and waited patiently for the other Family heads to exit their vehicles.

Jonathan placed a hand on the back of his neck. Tilting his head and closing his eyes, he rubbed slightly as Emelia climbed out of the car that had just pulled in. He gave a small sigh as the other family heads left their respective vehicles and approached a circle. When it was almost complete, he stepped forward to meet them all. They wouldn't like this one bit but it was an unfortunate complication.

Emelia ran her eyes across the pale faces in front of her; the heavily tattooed Santa Sangre, the well-dressed Del Priore, and the simple, utilitarian dress of the Strigoi. Emelia remained silent, watching them for the slightest movements.

"My great friends. I come with the largest of apologies. Father Priore could not come tonight as it is the night of a tragedy in his close family. As such, he has sent me to stand in his place and speak with you here."

Jonathan gave a slight bow as he said it.

"The deal was all the family heads," The head of Santa Sangre said, rounding on Jonathan. "An' you're tellin' me Father Priore decided to send his lapdog to-"

"Gentlemen," Emelia's master said, raising a hand and stepping forward, "There's no need for hostility. We're here to discuss an alliance after all. Jonathan, please give Father Priore my deepest condolences. Losing family is never easy.

"Now then, onto the matter at hand. As you know, the Nosferatu are in a much more powerful position than we are, they could make life very difficult for all of us, should they feel the need to. My own influence is barely enough to keep that from happening, and it's only a matter of time before they decide we're a problem to be removed." He paused, allowing time for others to speak.

Jonathan remains silent, letting the other Heads speak first out of respect. He does send a cocky grin over to the head of Santa Sangre however after the man was forced to shut his mouth.

"Therefore, I suggest," He continued, eyes passing over all of them, "That we enter into a new age for our kind; united against our vile brothers, and again, united behind one banner, against all who stand against will.
On our current course, we'll be found out, forced to vanish into mythology and legend again. But not before we see the resurgence of Vampire hunts. We'll be dragged back down to extinction. All because the Nosferatu continue to wage these petty wars of influence, sowing death amongst our cattle for more power."

"And say we go along with this and the Nosferatu are destroyed. What then? Are we to remain a hegemony?"

Jonathan asked the question that was on the minds of everyone else.

"Perhaps," Emelia's master said, smiling pleasantly, "We may find that unity suits us, or we may each go our seperate ways. We have to achieve our victory before we decide on the specifics of what happens after."

Jonathan shakes his head. "This needs to be discussed beforehand. We all have our own specific cultures here. What you suggest could lead to the loss of such things, despite what we share in many ways."

"Then you simply have to hold on to that culture," He answered, "If we don't work together, we'll be exterminated, and none of our culture will survive."

"And who is supposed to be our leader in this hegemony?"

"I believe that I would be most suited to the task, as you expected," He answered, "But I am open to suggestions or nominations."

"I nominate me," Santa Sangre said stepping forward, drawing a pistol and pointing it at Emelia's master. "An' I think I just won the vote."

Emelia felt her sire's anger flare, he raised his arm, and the leader of Santa Sangre's head exploded; a faintly glowing bullet flying through.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were supposed to come here under peace terms? All the same, I don't think anyone else will challenge you for the role." He gave a small sigh again.

"That wasn't me," He stated calmly, walking over to his limousine where Emeline had already taken cover. "I suggest lowering your heads, it seems we've been discovered."

Jonathan backed off to his own car, the door already open for him by one of the vampires sat inside. He climbed in, telling them to get back to the house and the car engine revved up. Jonathan reached into the cooler, taking out a bottle from inside and pouring it into a glass whilst they waited for the other cars to leave.

"We'll conclude this at a later date," He said, with a final nod to the other family leaders. "Emelia, get into the limo."

Emelia complied, getting into the back of the limousine. As soon as her sire was inside and the door was closed, the driver sped off.
"Who do you think betrayed us, Emelia?" He asked her, pouring two glasses. He handed one over as she responded.
"It wasn't Sangre," She stated, "Obviously. It may have been the Strigoi, or Priore, but we'd have to prove it."

Once the other cars begin to leave, Jonathan's own car does too. He sips the wine in the glass as he relaxes back into the chair. With a little motion, he swills the liquid. "Hm. Father won't be happy with this."

"The likely suspect is Priore," He said, "As he was suspiciously vacant tonight. Or, perhaps someone in their family has defected. Impossible to tell."

The rest of the journey was spent in a comfortable silence, sipping at their drinks. It was unlikely that they'd start shooting at them once they reached the busier areas of the city.

The car pulled into the house of the Priore within a short time. Jonathan left the half drank glass on the side in the limousine and climbed out, walking inside past the two door guards and down the long oak hallway. He opened the door at the far end, entered and shut it behind him. Then he stood waiting.

"So. What was it about?" The soft voice came from the desk.

"Nox Domini wants an alliance between all the clans. Something about extermination of the Nosferatu. Of course he suggested that he should lead. Oh and Santa Sangre is currently Headless."

"Did they say what would happen once the rats are taken out?"

"I asked that. He spewed me some bullshit about how we might like being together."

Emelia stepped out of the car once they were safely inside one of their family's buildings, holding the door for her master. He stepped out, and walked to the elevator up to his penthouse.
"Emelia, take the night off. I hear the president's daughter is celebrating her birthday tonight." He said, as the doors closed.

She understood his meaning well enough. She got into her own car and drove back outside, headed towards their 'little kingdom'.

Juuzo leaned into the wall behind him, slowly dragging on a cigarette as his hand shook violently. He slow but surely forced himself to calm down, his life on the streets was behind him. He thought back to the night that Father took him in. He relaxed, grateful that Father had clothed him, fed him, and brought him into the family. He smiled to himself remember it was Father's birthday soon and that he had a very special gift for him in mind.

Finishing off his Cigarette, Juuzo listened to the sound of engines starting and waited as he listened to the cars leave the parking lot one by one. After waiting another 15 minutes he picked himself up from the wall and strolled into the lot, carefully avoiding the dull yellow glow from the overhead lights. As he moved he took note of how many sets of tire tracks and the pool of blood and bits on the floor of the lot.

Continuing his stroll he reached a beat up pick-up truck on the other side of the lot. Sliding his hand into his pocket he pulled out the key and slid it into the lock, proceeding to open the door and enter the vehicle in one smooth motion. Once inside he reached to the CB radio mounted above his head and spoke into the microphone, "Jez, you read?"

Erika drove slowly, blending in with what little traffic there was. Nightclubs and bars became more and more frequent as she neared her destination; a club owned in her name. She parked her car around the corner and walked over to the door. The bouncer let her in with a nod, ignoring the protests of the people waiting in line. Ignoring everyone inside, especially the mortals who tried to talk to her, Erika went straight into the basement, where the family business was taken care of.

A voice crackled to life through the old CB, "I read," replied a very posh accent. "Has your hunt been unsuccessful?"

Juuzo sighs, melting into the seat. "Very, I wasn't expecting much but I've managed to not find a single soul", he mumbled tiredly into the microphone.

"You know we have a surplus here for you to enjoy. It'll also prevent you from annoying the heads more than you normally do", Jez replied pointedly. Juuzo grunted in half agreement before starting the truck. "While we're on the topic, they're having a meeting soon. You should get here."

"Is dad going to be there?" Juuzo replied excitedly.

"You don't have to call him that when he's not around." Jez sighed realising the futility of the argument. "Just get back here.

The figure in the chair gave a deep breath of though and lent forward into the light. Jonathan watched the pale grey eyes as they drifted out of focus, not breaking the silence. Eventually the man spoke again.

"So what do you think we should do?"

"I don't. That's not my choice."

Father Priore gave one of his wry smiles at the answer and nodded.

"We'll see what this alliance has to offer, at least until the Nos are extinguished."

"I'll send the message."

Jonathan gave a low bow and turned, exiting the room swiftly.