wpSveUeD

1Camilla finally arrived.
2
3It was time for the fated meeting to happen, and she couldn't possibly have been more concerned. More worried. More outright stretched thin. Her leg bounced rapidly as she sat at the head of her lavish mahogany table- with the blinds on the broad single pane window wide open to give a full, lustrous view of downtown Prospect at night from the 7th story of the most desireable real estate around. Nikita, as of yet, was nowhere to be seen... But Camilla's right leg bounced. Rapidly. Nervously. And the Cainite chewed on her nails in a show of nerves she had, quite literally, NEVER shown before.
4
5"Do I look alright, Zara..? Should I have changed before I settled down like a mob don? Is my hair in order?"
6
7The sound of the door unlocking can be heard a few moments before Latona steps into the apartment. She pauses and blinks as she notices she isn't the first to arrive... which may raise questions for Camilla since the brunette presumably does still live here. Her eyes linger on the blonde for several monents, and then bounce between her and Zoe. "Umm..."
8
9        She stares at the blonde for a few moments. Different look, different clothing, but... Well, it was the right time and place, and she does have a Tzimisce with her. "Camilla...?" she asks uncertainly.
10
11        Zara is standing behind her lover. Or rather, Zoe is - The blonde holding onto Camilla's shoulder with one hand, her other occasionally glancing out the window with mild concern etched upon her fine features. "You look beautiful, Camilla, as ever. And remember, in Prospect, I'm Zoe. Zara is a dead woman." A forced smile. Trying to work on her bedside manner, as she tries to soothe her. "This is just a meeting, my heart, and Latona will understand that seeking your own destiny was something that you had to do. You have grown so much in the last month."
12        And then the door is unlocking, and there's time for no more soothing. Another forced smile for Latona as well. It's notable that Zoe is completely unarmed, which has made her completely uncomfortable in Prospect. A gentle squeeze for Camilla's shoulder, but for now, the soon-to-be-Bishop is silent.
13Camilla looked up from her lover's eyes, blinking absently in Latona's direction as her lips curled into a gentle smile. "Latona... Cheri." She commented calmly, moving to rise from her place to extend her arms quite widely.
14
15"I've been longing to see you. Shall we share a moment of reunion before we talk about... Well, everything? That WAS the term of this agreement after all... Ah- where is Nikita, by the by?"
16Latona bounces her sapphire eyes once more between Zara and Camilla, before giving a slight nod in understanding of whom she's talking to. "Camilla. So, I'm guessing that you did something stupid enough that you can't show your face?" she questions presumptuously. "At least you made it back in once piece. Next time, maybe let me know before you disappear for a month? You had me worried."
17
18        She approaches the blonde, seeming slightly wary of the third occupant of the room. "I told her midnight. Although honestly, I'm surprised she didn't show up super early. Hopefully she didn't get picked up by the cops or anything." She gives a shrug.
19
20        Zara is content to stay silent, turning to look out the window instead, with her hands behind her. Pushing her chest out a little as she gazes down at the city below... Monsters, demons, predators and prey. What wicked games they have come to play.
21
22Camilla gave a roll of her eyes as Latona implied the danger, before she stepped forward to catch her in a surprisingly tight embrace... It was much, MUCH stronger than her grip had felt in the past. Though he rbody, by all counts, was precisely the same.
23
24She had been busy.
25
26"All I did, cheri, was make a choice. But for now I think that we ought to sit... I ah... Expect that you will need to for the story I have to share. Si?"
27
28Oh. Spanish.
29
30"It will take a not-so-light doseage of tolerance on your part... But I trust that I can trust in you."
31
32Latona looks momentarily surprised by the apparent strength behind the hug, but after a moment reciprocates it. An eyebrow is raised at the Spanish quip, not to mention the tone presented thus far.
33
34        "You know, you're doing a really terrible job of quelling my concerns so far, right?" she replies, concern only growing. "But, fine... And you know that you can trust me, Camilla. Or at least, I'd hope you would have realized that by now."
35
36        Zara continues her watch, her eyes glowing a dim red as she watches for any signs of harm that might be coming their way. A faint ripple passes through her skin as she considers things, but... Right now, this is Camilla and Latona's moment, and she needs to wait for the right moment to interject.
37
38"I have. Which is why I've chosen to come to tell you this face to face." Camilla began calmly, leaning back in her place to cross one leg over the other, and her arms beneath her chest. She drew in a deep breath, and then...
39
40"I have hidden from who I am for over a decade. And in so doing- I have lost the meaning of who I was. Before Bernard embraced me, I was a paragon of what it meant to be a woman. TO be a woman with 'power.' And that... That terrified the men of the era. When I entered a room, lips sealed. When I spoke, the world around me shook with my will. I was proud. I was strong. I was a piece of history that, now, will never be recalled. But... Zoe. She completed what it was that Farai intended to instill in me, by breaking me free from Bernard's bonds. She guided me to the proper path... THe path that will help me reclaim the pride and dignity I once held to its fullest extent- so that I might be able to provide for my own in the way I once provided for a veritable empire of business and finance. I am poised, Latona, to obtain everything that I sought. And so... On the Eve of the grand decision, I decided that I no longer held any need for the name 'Champagne.' That was false. Champagne LeBlanc was a coward made up of greater percentage of my lesser parts, rather than the greater. She was compassionate, si, as I am. She was strong, si, in a way that I no longer wish to be."
41
42"Champagne LeBlanc was good at hiding. Good at avoiding. Good at stalling. But I... Will do that no longer. I will push. I will force. I will demand. I will protect my beloved ones- until all threats are slain." She tilted her head, regarding Latona quite curiously as she concluded...
43
44"So I went with Zoe. To Tijuana."
45Latona settles in her seat, and listens to Camilla's words. At first, her uncertainty over the upcoming point simply begins as unease. After all, this seemed like it was being presented like a parent telling their child they were divorcing their dad, or a lover explaining that they still loved you, but found someone they love more. Still, nothing she was willing to jump to conclusions about made any sense.
46
47        The brunette blinks, and gives a small nods. "Okay... You don't want to use a fake name anymore. I get it. I think it's a terrible idea, but I get it." A consideration of what's likely meant by the last part strikes her, but instead of pursuing it she continues along a more cautious line of thought. "So... You're wanting to try to barricade here and yell 'fuck you' at the Cammies, or...?"
48
49        Zoe clears her throat, as she feels the need to clarify. "I asked Camilla to join me in Tijuana. There is... A greatness in her that's wasted in Prospect." The Vampiress pauses, and then turns away from the window, to watch Latona.
50
51"I..."
52
53Her words caught in her throat as her lips parted, the corners turning up into an amused smirk. "I would like that very much, if it wasn't guaranteed to get us killed. No... I've done something for which you will likely scorn me. Something for which, I presume, you will think me wicked. Evil. Divisive. Hateful. Traitorous... But I assure you that I... Am none, of those things. I've found a family, Latona. One that I wish to implore you to consider. You can still come with me... Wheresoever I go. You, Nikita, Farai, and- God forbid- Artura. It's naive of me to believe that we can ever be what we were after this, but..." She let out a long, vestigial sigh.
54
55"I am one of the Tijuana Sabbat. And before you presume... I can assure you that the rumors spread by our Camarilla sires are little more than supreme hearsay. Villification." She cast a glance towards Zoe, nodding gratefully.
56
57"...In Tijuana, we could be safe. I, wish my reputation. And you, with yours. Not only could we be afe. But we may grow strong. We may grow strong and strike truer than ever we have before... I... Latona." She'd pause, curling her fingertips into her skirt beneath the table.
58
59"I need you. There with me. You and Farai have been an integral part of me for years... And I truly, truly wish for that to continue."
60
61Latona slowly blinks several times as denial is stripped from her, and she processes Camilla's words. There's a pause, followed by, "Camilla, what the fuck...?" It's likely a lot calmer than what the blonde expected. "Camilla, what the FUCK?!" There we go.
62
63        "Really, you just fucking run off to Tijuana without talking to anyone, without letting any of us know where you are, without word from you for weeks, and fucking join the /Sabbat/?!"
64
65        She jumps up out of her seat, throws her arms up, and walks away from Camilla, stopping and staring away from her for several seconds as everything else implied here sets in. "Fuck you, Camilla. Really, fuck you." She pauses in silence for another moment, before turning around and staring at the two, her furious, hurt and betrayed stare piercing the blonde. It holds for a moment, before shifting momentarily to Zara and back.
66
67
68        Zoe clears her throat again. "Latona. My name is Zara Valeriya Reid, Bishop of the Cobre Desert. Sabbat." She steps towards Latona. Hands open, showing that she carries no weapons. "When you came to Prospect, I sought to help you, and did my utmost to that effect. When I saw Camilla caged, I asked to free her. And since then, she has been wracked with guilt that she left you here. Alone, and afraid." A sigh.
69        "You know Camilla. You know she wouldn't have made this decision out of idiocy, or insanity. So please... Sit. And if at the end of this conversation, you want to take your revenge on me, you may. If you want to leave, and tell everyone what you know, you may. And if you want to come back with us, and become more than what was taken from you... You may." Her hand takes the seat so recently left, and turns it to face Latona. "I only ask that if you come to hate this, come to hate me... You do so with full understanding."
70
71Camilla was silent. Stunned, as she allowed Zara to fill the silence that she could not. Those words that came from Latona's lips stung far more than the weapons of the imbued masses- and set her head to shaking as she rose from her seat, looking Latona in the eye as Zara said her piece. "...Of all those in the world that I could have done wrong by choosing what is best for myself- My only regret is that it is you. You... Are a strange thing to me, Latona. Kin in a truer turn of phrase than most any other can claim of a kindred. Kin, moreso I dare say, then those who I now call 'family.'" She'd pause there, closing her eyes as she continued.
72
73"We have been as lovers, once. We have been as sisters, recovering from our suffering. But in the end, I confess that I fancied myself to be something of your Mother. The sire you deserved- rather than the one you received. All of the choices I have made... Everything that our coterie had done in the past. The running. The hiding. The lies. The deceptions. They are all to protect 'our' secrets. I... Built all of that, for 'us.' I made a mockery of Vegard, for 'us.' And even then, when you called me mad, did they catch on to our deception? Did they, then, know that we were a diablerist and a renegade? No... They knew me as Ventrue, and nothing more. She who would contest Vegard's reign. That is who I was, and even still, that is who I shall be. But... Please. I 'implore' you. Consider Zara's words. Consider MY words. And if there was ever a time that I could sincerely fall to my knees and beg for you to trust in me... Now. Now is that time. But if you wish to deny me. If you wish to tell me 'no' even in spite of it all... Then at least give me one thing." She'd pause there, stepping around the table and spreading her arms just slightly to her sides.
74
75"What penance would you inflict upon me..? Because my choice will not change. My will will remain firm. And... If need be, I will watch you leave. I will watch you leave, and we shall never speak again. But..." Another pause as, strangely... Crimson pooled in her eyes.
76
77"You are so much stronger than I... And if that is your will... If that is your wish, Latona Lavelle. Then so be it."
78
79Latona shoots Zoe a gaze when she rises and speaks, and then turns it on Camilla. And then back and forth another time. She crosses her arms, her gaze visibly deadening as she crosses her arms in front of her. "Thanks, but I'm far more comfortable standing," she replies to Zoe's request. "And at this point I'm not really sure I do know Camilla anymore. Tell me, were you with the Sabbat all along, or do they just make you a bishop for signing up?" She scrunches her nose, her distrust almost palpable, as she looks once more to Camilla.
80
81        And quite the look she gives her. She seems unmoved by the display of crimson tears. Perhaps even further enraged, although it's more likely something said is the reason she begins to dig her nails into her crossed arms. She opens her mouth with a look of rage after the offer for physical retribution, but then closes it along with her eyes, head tilting downward.
82
83        "...I don't think I ever told you everything Camilla. I mean, about things before, well, 'everything'," she begins in a dissociatively empty tone. "But there's one lesson that I've been taught again, and again, and again. Something I've done my best to pretend wasn't the case up to this point." She opens her eyes and casts a glare with a fury only one so betrayed may hold. "You can't trust family. Ever. No matter what they say or do. No matter who they are. No matter what you do for them or go through with them. They're always the ones who will betray you the worst."
84
85        She grits her teeth, pausing for a moment before continuing. "So, no. I really don't have /any/ interest in being a part of your new fucking family, Camilla." And another pause, but this time with a certain dread over what she's to say. Or rather, ask. "...What did you tell them?"
86
87There was the question.
88
89If there was dread in Latona's eyes, then so too was there dread in Camilla's. Her tears came freely now, as she pressed her palm flat on the tabletop. She did not look in Latona's eyes any longer. She did not fight. She did not insist. Instead, she caved. Just as the answer came...
90
91"I told them nothing they would not have learned, should I have been questioned... And the way I have told them. The way that..." She bit down. Bit down 'hard' on her lower lip.
92
93"...They would never hurt you, Latona. They would NEVER hurt you, because I love you as my own. So it is, and so shall it be... Even should this end as, now, I fear it must. Know that all I did... All I have done... It was for us." She'd pause, then lower her gaze to the floor.
94
95"Cast your final judgement. I will hear- and honor it in full."
96
97"I understand that you're upset." Zara responds softly to Latona, directing her gaze back at Camilla a moment later. "And I understand that you are worried. But you asked me for time to make your decision, and this is time that Latona will have as well." Her hands come to meet infront of her, as she stands beside the chair. "This isn't abandonment, or an 'upgrade,' Latona. And it may come as a shock to you, but this isn't something that's unfamiliar to me."
98
99         "Camilla told me about you. She was frightened for you. And I know how it feels to be where you think you are right now - Alone, scared, hurt. Sometimes the people we love, the people who love us, do things we can't understand at the time, things that hurt us. They do these things with love, and sometimes we are just too close to the situation to understand." Her voice is soft, understanding, as she answers on Camilla's behalf. "Camilla told me about you, because she wanted to give you what she'd found - How to get back what was taken from you. A life without constant fear. Friends who will empower you. Freedom. She was worried about you - And you may not like what she did, but her intentious were pure."
100
101         The blonde turns again, to look out of the window with another sigh. "Because the fears she has left are for you, Latona. She didn't come back here to hurt you, no matter how you're feeling." It's much like trying to bail water out of a boat, moments like this. "This is not 'join or die.' Neither is this 'leverage.' Your secrets are safe. This is an option, and it isn't time bound - Because right now, you're hurt. Anything you do right now will hurt. But when it fades, you can see more clearly - And if you want to talk to Camilla, or I, we will listen. If it's to talk, to cry, to scream. And with time... I hope you understand. And I hope you join us."
102
103Latona's gaze fills with hatred and the pain of utter betrayal, but she manages to keep herself from waivering, even for a moment. She peers wordlessly for several painfully long monents, before delivering her sought judgement.
104
105        "It was all for 'us'...?" she begins, voice seething. "Fuck you. At least be fucking honest with yourself, Camilla. This was entirely for you. Everything you fucking did was for you. You know what, now that I look back at it, the truth is...? /Everything/ you did was fucking for yourself. I'm done pretending otherwise. So, fuck you."
106
107        She spits out a bitter snicker as she continues. "Just drop the fucking act. I don't think I've ever been as betrayed by anyone as much as I have been by you. And that's saying something." She turns away from the woman. "Always have to outdo everyone else, don't you Camilla. Get the fuck out of my life. Thanks to you, it won't be long."
108
109        She almost begins walking away, but Zara's words cause her to stop, and to snap around to glare at her. An infuriated laugh escapes her lips as she utters, "Abandonment? This is fucking /betrayal/. I don't really give a shit what she's done or where she's gone, beyond backstabbing me. After all the shit I've gone through with her. After the shit I've put up with and kept secret for her."
110
111        She looks between the both. "I couldn't give any fewer shits about your friends, or your seafety, or whatever the fuck. My sake's the last thing you fucking came here for, so cut out all that shit about 'love'. You two have /nothing/ I fucking want. If I wanted power and safety, I would have stayed with the fucking Camarilla." Her eyes lock back onto Camilla's. "If you thought any of this shit would appeal to me... Apparently you know me far less than either of us thought."
112
113Camilla looked, then, to have been stabbed.
114
115Straight to the unbeating heart... A fact which, as Latona spoke, became all the more obvious as the color drained from Camilla's face- and the blood ceased flowing from her eyes. As she rose to her feet, and rested her palm on the table. She bore the look of a fractured woman... On the edge of frenzy- as foretold by the subtle weight of her Beast as it reared its ugly head. Btu she suppressed it... She maintained it, and took a step forward. When she spoke, it was with words laced with poison... With bitter contempt, bordering on vitriol.
116
117"Et tu, Latona?~" She chimed, "Are you satisfied now? Have you had your fill? Said your piece? Made your point? Made the point that you, and your attitude... That it cares nothing for its own self preservation? That you are nothing more than a shell of a woman who could have been great? Powerful? Independent?" She turns her head to the side, and spits. She is quivering... Subdued fury taking her as she stepped forwards- maintaining eye contact with the ferocity of a woman scorned.
118
119"I've done this all for me, si? I've thrown everything away, for me. Si? I've solidifed a safe haven for you, but I've done it for myself. Si? Is that convenient for you, Latona? To view me as the traitorous witch? To view this as though YOU are the one with the knife in your spine? Latona... Fuck me?" She laughed... A vile thing, as several tears streamed down her face as leftovers.
120
121"No. Fuck /you./ Run from me. Run from the Sabbat. Embrace the propaganda you were turned and taught with. Embrace the hatred, and make an enemy of me. Join the Camarilla. Be Vegard's lapdog, and see how they take the knowledge that you /lied/ to them. That you /stole/ from them. Maybe this will be good for you, hmm? Maybe you'll become exactly what you hate. Maybe you'll drink the Kool-aid, and want nothing more than to suck Tremere cock." By now, she was too close... Far too close. And her fist, it seemed, was clenched far too tightly.
122
123"Run from me because I gave you the best option. See what happens when you play your own cowardly game. You'll come back to me soon enough. You'll beg for an apology- and perhaps- I'll give it to you. But now?" She sneered...
124
125"I guess that you've made your own self fulfilling prophecy." She jerked her head derisively...
126
127"Get out of my apartment."
128
129"I thought you wanted freedom. Not safety." Zara reflects, allowing the anger of the moment to wash over, and through her. She doesn't have any major investment here, aside from Camilla's feelings. "Betrayal? What do you think Camilla stands to gain from this? Do you think I give out gold stars for each friend you recommend?" She folds her arms over her chest, arching an eyebrow at Latona. "Your world is about to become cold. I hope that the shreds you burn in anger to stay warm, aren't the ones you'll need to climb back out of it." Finally! A threat! Albeit a weird, veiled one.
130        And then it's Camilla's turn to say something - And Zara's prophecy comes true. in an instant. A hand upon Camilla's shoulder, gripping it tighter than one might expect, "Camilla, that's enough." She advises, looking at the ghoul-cum-Tremere who was the centre of all of this. "Latona. Do you have anything else you wish to get off your chest?" Despite how calm she seems, her flesh offers that telltale, supple ripple.
131
132Latona peers into Camilla's eyes as she gets close, and throws a bitter laugh at her words. "Really, Camilla? I could have joined the Sabbat to become /independent/? You're really one to accuse me of drinking the Kool-aid. You can't even see that anymore, can you?" A small hint of sadness seeps into her gaze amid the anger. "You're not the woman I knew anymore."
133
134        There's a moment of silence to follow the realization, before she pushes it back down to let the anger take back over. "So yeah, fuck you Camilla. What might happen to me if I went back to the Tremere is the same that'd happen if I join the Sabbat. So, you know what? I'll go it alone before I become a dog of either. Because you know what? /I/ can actually stick with it. Have fun being an 'independent' shovelhead."
135	She turns and begins walking towards the bedroom, presumably to get her things, before stopping. "'I'll come crawling back', huh?" she considers, glancing back at Camilla. "That's what I imagined my sire said. You fancied yourself his replacement?" she questions, peering at her in heated contemplation for a moment. "I never saw it that way. Until now. Guess you're right Camilla. This is Chicago all over again. At least for me."
136
137And surprisingly... In lieu of all of it.
138
139Camilla barely blanched.
140
141"I see." She began, "I see now what you intend to make of this. So therefore, I will give you what it is you seek." She looked over her shoulder... Towards Zara, upon whom her expression sank into calm. "You are right, mon coeur... I forget myself. I give in to the goading- and I burn what was left of this bridge. Like your sire... I cannot claim to have known the man, Latona. But I can certainly say that while you wish to claim it as such..." She hummed, tilting her head as she turned back to the Tremere.
142
143"I do not fancy myself his replacement. Not in the least. No... I fancy myself as something more than that. I fancy myself bigger than Him. Better, than Him. So what you're losing... Cheri. Ma precieux. Mon amour. Is much, much more integral to you. You will suffer for this- but it will not be by my hand. No... Your lack of trust. She will bite you. Time and time again, she will bite you. Strike you. Rip you into pieces. You will garner no allies. You will garner no friends. You will garner none who will be willing to die for any cause you spit." She shook her head in pity...
144
145"You've slit your own wrists. It is only a matter of time before you bleed yourself dry. FIrst, me... Then, no doubt, Farai. The man who freed me. The man who encouragd me to have the brevity to make choices for myself. In fact, I imagine that he would find himself to be quite proud of what I have done. But..." She sighed...
146
147"You were just using me. As you will simply use every other flame which you stop to warm yourself by." She stepped back, and gave a salutory statement in Sabbat sign.
148
149"Goodbye."
150
151Zara shakes her head. "Enough. Neither of you know enough about this situation to be talking the way you are. Are you both so determined to undermine eachother?" Pulling Camilla back behind her as she creates some physical distance between the two of them. "Do you both hate eachother so much just beneath the surface that you can't even talk like adults?" A muttered expletive in spanish that Camilla can probably here. Something about a donkey dick, "You /both/ need to stop /here/."
152
153Latona continues peering into Camilla's eyes? "My lack of trust?" she utters. "You can only be betrayed by someone you trust, Camilla. If anything, that was my mistake. I won't make it again. Not with you." She peers for but a moment longer, and turns away, walking towards the bedroom.
154
155        "If you think Farai's going to buy into your bullshit, you really have lost it. He'd try to slap sense into you, if it wasn't already too late for that," she calls out as she disappears into the room, reappearing only a few moments later with a bag of apparent clothing. Looks like she packed pre-emptively.
156
157        The brunette shoots Zara an eyeroll, although the anger has far from died down. "'Talk like adults'? I'd say I was jealous of being so stripped you couldn't understand betrayal, but you might take that as an invintation. But you are right about something."
158
159        She stops to glare at Camilla. "It's time for this to stop. Goodbye Camilla. I really hope I never see or hear from you again, but it's not going to be that easy, is it?" She begins heading for the door, apparently uninterested in an answer.
160And Camilla, it seemed, had no moves to make in stopping Her. She had no will. She had no drive.
161
162"Goodbye, Latona." She confirmed, turning towards the table and pressing her palms down... Gradually. Slowly... Before finally- the wood of the grand banquet table gave out beneath her preternatural strength. She righted herself afterwards- a crimson tear having dropped upon her fingertip.
163
164"Nothing's ever easy. But we both know that." THat finger was held up before her eyes, and she observed it... Almost curiously.
165
166"Adios, mi ancla. Te amo."
167
168"Of course I understand betrayal." Zara seems amused at the accusation. "My own sire betrayed me. Or so I felt. It turns out she was trying to protect me, and I didn't undestand why, because I didn't want to. I just wanted to be /hurt/ and /right/, and instead I wounded myself and I lived in fear. It's not as good as it sounds, being /proud/."
169        That's right. The P word. "You didn't come here to listen, Latona. You came here to fight, because you knew you were going to get hurt. And in doing so, you made it much worse for youself." keeping herself between Latona and Camilla. "Because you didn't want to listen. Camilla didn't express herself well, but it wouldn't have mattered if she did. I hope the wound heals before something else has a chance to make it worse, Latona. Because I've stormed out that door before, and whether I liked it or not... It wasn't the same when I realised how muh I shouldn't have left."
170
171Latona is just now departing, with a large bag full of her things, apparently mostly clothing by the looks of it, on her shoulder. She looks the furthest she could possibly be from happy. Heartbroken, furious, or perhaps deadened. But certainly not happy. She opens the door wordlessly, intent on leaving. Unless, of course, she were to encounter something or someone to suddenly cause her plans to change.
172A blonde woman in her mid-twenties stands between Latona and Camilla. Although she looks mostly peaceful, through her undone blouse (Style, not sex) and the exposed skin of her neck, telltale tremors reveal that she's got a few emotions in her as well. She doesn't appear to be trying to stop Latona though.
173Lyra stands with her palm outstretched over the fractured table- bloody tears(tm) stilled upon her face as her own deadened expression focused on the wreckage.
174
175Some words had certainly been had.
176CAMILLA*
177Farai might just prove to be just the thing to bring an abrupt change to Latona's plan of exodus. . . at least the bit that involved using the main door, anyway. Namely due to the fact that as she opened it she'd find a large, dusky skin hand clasped onto the other side of the doorhandle, that hand leading up, up, and up just a bit more to a shoulder that hefted a large duffel bag and then beyond to the sight of a slightly smirking face set with a brow quirked at a curious angle. 
178
179         For the moment Farai simply stared at the scene before him, eyes flicking from the three women in the room to the apparent damage to it as well. And what does he say it all? Why, the most cliche thing possible, of course. 
180
181         "Honey, I'm home."
182"...Farai. Amour." Camilla spoke, with a voice less heavily accented with her trademark French flavor.
183
184"As you can see... This conversation has gone swimmingly. And dare I say, you've arrived just in time."
185
186Latona stares up at Farai for several long seconds, communicating the severity and malice of the situation with her eyes. She goes on to vaguely communicate it as well, uttering in her most pissed off tone, "She fucking did it, Farai. She really fucking did it." She steps out of the way for him to come in, apparently deciding to stay briefly to witness the large man hearing the news directly from the source himself.
187
188        Tall, dark and handsome. Meeting the enigmatic Farai at last, Zoe makes the respectful move of unfolding her arms and taking a few steps back to be closer to Camilla, while her eyes remain on Latona - Curious to see how she'll handle this new development. It's hardly a suprise that it's hostile. But still, this is Camilla's show. Even if she's running it straight into the toilet.
189         Humming, thoughtful and resonant. That proved to be Farai's only immediate reaction what all he saw and what little he heard. The combination of the two, however, at least made him aware to some degree of the atmosphere he was walking into. . . -as if the shattered table didn't manage that. 
190
191         Despite the tension however Farai still chose to stride into the apartment with a casual gait, making his way over to the sofa in order to unburden himself of the bag slung across his shoulder. The muffled sound of metal rustling against metal prominent as it settled on the cushion after being dropped. Then, turning and leaning his rear against the back of the couch he looked at all that were present once again. "I do seem to have a knack for that, don't I?~" He commented idly to Camilla. "Arriving just in time to deal with unpleasant situations. I'm sure I'd be a remarkably stressed man if I knew what was going on. So do burden me, what -have- I missed?" His tone didn't match his words at all. The former light and airy while the latter held a very obvious tinge of disdain. Thankfully two of those present likely knew how to read the man by now.
192"As surely you would." Camilla began, turning away from the table as she took a step towards the man- leaving Zara where she stood as she regarded the debonair behemoth with soft smile. "I told you that you would enjoy seeing me... Did I not? I bring joy and friendship, everywhere I go!"
193
194The Ventrue let out a gentle laugh... Almost derisively, in fact. There was nothing funny about this to her.
195
196"But you and I... You've been with me since the worst. You understand my mind better, I believe, than most can claim. You inferred what I had done... I am certain of this, indeed. And yet I am not quite certain of your opinion of the matter." Her head tilts, as she runs her left handover her face... Of course, it just smears her vitae. But she simply licks it from her fingertips before she finally continues.
197
198"Ever since you freed me, it has been an endeavor. To be free as I could be... To do as I pleased, and damn the consequences. I had thought, then, that what I needed was to pursue Barony. To be the anarch to end all anarchs... And you must confess- that I was exceptional at playing that role. Was I not?" She paused, but not quite long enough to allow for intervention.
199
200"I have done nothing more than what I must. I have made a decision for my future- my ambitions- and my freedom... And in-so-doing, won the means to guarantee safety and benefit to those who I hold dear. But before I get to that... I wish to hear." She'd pause then, her smile growing thin.
201
202"With the information you have been given, what sin do you think I have committed- mon amour?"
203Latona remains standing beside the door as Farai proceeds to the couch, but doesn't depart. Perhaps surprisingly, she doesn't add comment to the conversation, at least not yet. Then again, given the glare she casts upon Camilla as the conversation moves forward, perhaps it's obvious that she doesn't say what's on her mind quite yet.
204Zara steps over to the side then. Since she's not needed yet, she finds a nearby wall to strike up a lean against.
205
206Farai listened quietly to Camilla's artful recounting of both her actions and motivations. Both what he was aware of and what he wasn't. Alongside the man tilted his head from left to right, amber jeweled hues regarding the woman before him with particular interest and curiousity. The way someone would a new acquaintance, as opposed to an old confidante. When it came time for him to pass judgement, however, he did so with a familiar look to his gaze and a slight grin on his face. "Sin?" He queried in a quiet rumble 
207
208         "Why, it's the same sins you've always loved indulging in.~ The sins of pride and greed. Two of the most beautiful sins there are." Thankfully, he wasn't going to remain as vague as he was being. "You crave power, you crave being in a position that no one can strip you down from. Nearly anything is worth these things. Nearly.~ Surely though you deserve them, no? Wherever they happen to come from. . . Someone of your grace should have these things, yes? It is only right." He sounded absolutely sincere in what he said, yet still there was that strange dissonance of the contents and the delivery of speech. 
209
210         "It's the same way it was when we first met. Power is what's most important. Power is what I want, and of course what I'd like to see for you. . . Tell me, though. What is it you've done to ensure this power?"
211
212"I have done what is right." Camilla responded with an easy smile, though her tears... It seemed, betrayed that for a moment, she had considered it wrong. "Power is key. Power is life. And I have attained it in spades." The Ventanti gently reached out... Taking Farai's right hand in her own two, and suqeezing gently. But even that gentle squeeze was telling enough... That the strength in Camilla's body left who she once was a mere shadow of this.
213
214"I have fought. I have shed my blood beside family- and I have paid my dues. I have fought for love. For kin. For ambition. For rebellion. And most of all, to safeguard those who I hold dear to me. But this path... I know, is not for all. It is not unto the weak and un-trusting to follow. But you, Farai... Latona has not heard me. She is deaf. Blinded by Camarilla propaganda and unwilling to accept it." She locked eyes with Him, and nodded affirmatively.
215
216"I have joined with the Sword of Caine. I am to mix my blood in the cup, soon, and become True. As Zara's priestess. And some day, as much more. We will strike, in time, at the heart of the Camarilla. Depose them. Bring them to dust. And it will all happen beneath my fangs... Just as it did with Bernard." Her lips curled wider, and wider still...
217
218"This is everything that I have ever dreamed. And I wish, Farai... I wish beyond measure. That you, Segundo de mis anclas, will join me. As part of the Sword. As part of a true, undivided, family."
219
220Latona wears a deeping frown as she listens to the ongoing conversation, her brow furrowing with frustration and anger. After allowing Camilla her dramatic speech, she glances over at Farai and offers her own information on the matter. "She sold us out. She told the Sabbat /everything/." Her face twitches, before her eyes turn upon Camilla.
221
222        "You really think that surrendering your free will makes you strong or powerful? You're nothing more than a dog of the Sabbat now, Camilla. What you want, who you love, is nothing more than what they decide now." She turns her eyes away. "You always have been delusional, but I never thought it would go this far."
223Touch was quite the remarkable sense. It spoke volumes for how simple it was, especially so to those more. . . inclined to it. And indeed what Farai gained from having his hand clasped by Camilla's was an understanding of, at the very least how much she'd changed internally alongside what was obvious on the external levels. 
224
225         And he couldn't help but to smile at the sight of it. A pride of his own brimming up past that mask of amused ambivalence. . . yet there was something else in his eyes as well, something darker. Something that appeared in an instant and passed with a blink as he looked up, not immediately responding to the question at hand and instead still vying for more information. First he looked to the one person in the room he didn't know. "I can only assume that you're quite an important factor in this marvelous boon of strength and power that lovely Camilla has gained for herself? Am I correct?" He queried, then looking over towards Latona. Hearing what Latona had to say. . . to her he had only one query of one word. "Everything?"
226
227There's a flash of anger. Being called Zara here doesn't make her happy, but she feels the need to clarify, which she does, when Latona makes the challenge. "The Sabbat stand for the freedom of Kindred, and in defiance of the long night." The ductus-cum-bishop steps forward, "And the fact that you think I would enslave /any/ of my kin is disgusting - Much less Camilla. We don't deny what we are, where we have come from or what we are going to. We use who and what we are to become stronger, together, and create bonds that transcend our individual weaknesses."
228         But then Farai has spoken to her, and she nods. "I fell in love with Camilla. And then I asked her to join me, so she could realise her true potential. My name is Zara Reid. Present ductus of Semper Tyrannis, and named Bishop of the Cobre Desert, once we have re-established our presence there." Definitely Sabbat terms there.
229        "Camilla asked me if we would help you. I agreed we should. This is a place that supresses exceptional people, and makes them meek - Lambs to the slaughter whenever the Camarilla see fit." A shake of her head.
230
231"As she says, I have surrendered nothing. The bond I share with Zara- and I apologize for that, mon coeur- was forged entirely of my own will. The bond was not enacted... Until it came time to prove our trust to one another. We shared in equal parts, and eventually, I chose for myself." She looked around to Latona, then back to Farai...
232
233"They know of my diablerie. And they know of what Latona is... Would I have hid it from them, I would surely have been punished. The longer it sat, the longer it festered that one of the three closest to my heart was Tremere... The more that it would harm all of us when it finally came to light. I did what was necessary, BECAUSE it was necessary. Not out of some twisted need to betray you, mi anclas." She shook her head, lowering her eyes from him for a moment's pause.
234
235"I have always ever done what I must. But none of what I have done was done in malice- and even still, though harsh words have been exchanged, there is no contempt in my heart. And my family... Should this be the end of my contact with you both. They will not badger you. We will leave you, so long as your intention is clear. But..." She'd pause then, letting out a long sigh.
236
237"...Join us, Farai. Be at my side, and let me be at yours. And if, in time, Latona deigns to join us- then she will be welcomed just the same."
238
239"You've always done whatever you fancied at the moment, everyone else be damned," Latona spits back. "I'm sure you felt terrible for a moment when you betrayed us- betrayed /me/ as much as you possibly could to curry favor in hopes of a bit more favor. Open your fucking eyes and look at yourself, Camilla."
240
241        She crosses her arms, peering at her. "You have no idea what you fucking even really want, do you? After all, all it took was some vague promises of 'power' and love to get you to abandon everything for a brainwashed family."
242
243        Her sapphire eyes dart briefly to Zara to offer a brief rebuttal. "And don't pretend like we don't know that Vaulderie exists." Her gaze returns to the other woman to conclude, "Have fun with your fucking illusions of power, Camilla. Some of us actually know what we want, and have the will to stick with it instead of selling our souls the first time someone offers an easier way."
244
245There was much Farai heard that provoked consideration in him. He was certainly being faced with two people that knew how to spin their craft well. As particularly. . . cultish, as a bit of the spiel came across there was no denying that both Camilla and Zara struck points of interest that aligned with his own beliefs. Power, freedom, justification and propogation of the self. All were things he held quite close to his metaphorically atrophied heart. 
246
247         Which prompted quite a bit more consideration of that mention of 'everything' that had come from Latona. Yet that too was to be explained. and he took it in silence and consideration. 
248
249         "This is quite the remarkable opportunity you've found for yourself, mon amie. I would go so far as to call it a godsend if that did not run counter to our aspect.~ Though it has inspired quite a bit of animosity. . . as such things are wont to do. And I must say, I am particuluarly tempted. I can indeed already feel what might be provided to me. . . in however vague a regard. Looking at it pragmatically, it may well be the best decision considering what the other option entails. . ." 
250
251         Strangely. . . Farai smiled as he finished speaking, finally addressing the crux of the matter with an expression of strange understanding on his face. He almost looked as if his decision had already been made. Why, then, did he have another question? "That is what it all boils down to though, isn't it? Knowing what we want and moving towards it? I've always know what I want, and I am of the understanding that. . . your people, could certainly offer it to me. The question is, what price -would- I have to pay for it? Nothing so vague as a soul, I'd hope, I'm quite bereft of those and not romantic or emotional enough to take them into consideration. So consider me woefully underinformed in regard to the ways of you and yours. Tell me, simplest terms, what is asked of me for my induction into your 'family'?"
252
253"You know of the Vaulderie. Then you would know that not only does my entire pack drink from a cup containing all of our blood... I drink from it too." Zara tilts her head. "Wouldn't that cause me quite a lot o distress, to have people that I am bonded to doing something designed to hurt them. Wouldn't that mean I am their slave, as much as mine? No. It means that Ventrue, Tremere or Tzimisce, we feel a kinship that goes deeper than our divides. I would expect a Tremere to have a better knowledge of the powers of blood." The Tzimisce looks at Farai with some curiousity though.
254        "I like him, Camilla. Even with this conversation, he still wishes to learn. Joining the Sabbat is a one way street. What is asked of you is simpler. Stand with your kin against the long night. Be loyal to the sword. Be honest to yourself. We will give your our strength, and help you find your own. However, and I will say this upfront... There is no leaving. It's a path that once you walk down, you walk down it or life. So I will say what I said to Camilla, months ago. If you want to do this... Take your time to think about it."
255        "It is a different thing, staring out through the bars of a gilded cage," A meaningful glance at Latona, "And staring out of the open cage door. It will make your life different. You will learn much, see much, do much. You'll gain great power, great freedom. You can express yourself. But it will be a change - And you will have to trust, if Camilla said that it would be a change for the better, she is right."
256"And for the better it would be." Camilla confirmed, "The anarch struggle is nothing but auxiliary to the Camarilla. They are 'tolerated,' beneath the Treaty of Thorns. Any anarch who goes to the Camarilla is granted clemency- regardless of what they have done so long as it had brought no harm to the Camarilla or the Masquerade... Farce though it is." She finally released her grip on Farai's hand- turning her back to Him as she stepped away.
257
258"Your free will will remain. Once you partake of the Vaulderie, you will be compelled in the way one ought to be towards their family. You can disagree. You can fight, bicker, and yell. But through it all, will be the immutable bonds of kinship that gird us well against the night... And, Farai, it would be my honor to officiate your Vaulderie. To make you, truly, my Brother. And some day perhaps..." She leaned around, casting an errant stare to Latona.
259
260"You, my sister."
261
262She paused then, folding her hands before her as she sat at the chair at the head of the broken table.
263
264"Nothing of what I have done has been out of my control. The things I have seen. The sorrows I have tasted. The pain I suffer as a neonate. These are not things undertaken as 'shovelhead.' No... These, I suffer of my own will. Because I know that through these tribulations, I will become stronger. I will become horrifying. I will become what I must to stand against the Old Blood- and see it wither into naught." Her smile widened...
265
266"Essentially, you give up nothing. But it is as Zara said... There is no going back, once you undertake the Vaulderie. You are then considered family, and family is permanent. So take time, if you need. Converse with Latona. But please, speak nothing of how the Diablerist Camilla Antoinelle showed her face to you in Prospect's walls alongside the dead woman, Zara Reid."
267Latona looks upon Farai for a time as she hears his response, her expression becoming inscruitable as she listens to him. Perhaps it's surprising she doesn't take a more offended response to his apparent consideration of the offer, but he hasn't come to a conclusion yet. Perhaps she still did possess some trust, at least in him? Or perhaps she's simply too overloaded to express her anguish any longer.
268
269        However, Zara's words do draw a more expressive reaction from her, at least for a moment. A burst of laughter escapes her lips momentarily, although clearly her agnst hasn't died down. "I know of it all too well. Of course it's not an iron leash. It's one that most never even notice. You fight with your 'family' at times. There are disagreements... but you never would do anything to harm it. You love them and... blah, blah, blah." Her stare sharpens. "Trust me, I know /all/ too well what you're talking about. You two are just far too brainwashed too see it for what it is. Take it from someone who's actually had the strength to take off the rose-tinted glasses and take her free will back."
270
271        She looks to Camilla and flatly states, "I guess this really is Chicago all over again. Although this time, I'm already free. And I plan on keeping it that way."
272
273 And for those who know, the Anarch Revolt /started/ the Sabbat, those long centuries ago. Zara smiles faintly as Camilla seems to remember that the brunette she's failing to dress as right now is considered /quite/ dead. "And if you decide to come with us, at any point, you will be asked about yourself, your pain and your past, before those who would become your family. Your history does not harm you, but your lies will. And much like with Camilla, I am happy to take you in to my pack, until you have found where you wish to be."
274
275        "Three years." She answers Latona in respond to the claim of taking off the rose-tinted glasses. "I walked out of the door. And it took me /three years/ to realise what a complete fucking idiot I'd been. I spent three years thinking I had been brainwashed. Raging against it. And when I finally walked back through the door," A gesture, "Almost my entire family was dead. I did not /grieve/ for the Vaulderie." Her gaze has hardened, the amusement at this situation has now officially run dry. But what have the Tremere ever known about 'fact' aside from what they have written as it. Your /triumphant/ ascension from the bones of my ancestors. Your /heroic/ slaying of the best amoungst us while he slept. Your /brilliant/ plan to enslave and mutilate my kin to guard your castles. The /evil/ Sabbat. The righteous Camarilla. And little Latona, too grey to fit in either camp. But I'm sure when you're telling others about it, it'll be the Tremere Truth, won't it?"
276
277 "The only person betraying you right now is you, Latona. And if you took any pride from the hell you escaped, you'll see that."
278
279Farai leaned forward from the couch after he'd gotten that last bit of information and his hand had been returned to him. With his hands slipped into his pockets as they were after the fact he began to pace slowly around, casting idle glances at all that were present in the room as well as the effects that htey had had on the place. He seemed almost at ease with the tension in the room, though that lingering look of dark inent still continued to flicker about his expression. 
280
281         Could one blame him though? After all, one way or another, it seemed he was about to have to spit in the face of at least one person he'd acted in rather ill-intentioned manners for some time. 
282
283         He ended his little stroll near the window that he'd stare out of so often, overlooking the city in some cliched pose with his hands clasped lightly behind his back. "I have always found some interest in viewing the way others gain their power. The trials and tribulations they undergo to obtain it. The power of one versus the power of many. The power of martial prowess versus the power of charismatic appeal. Power over others versus power over one's self. There are quite a number of paths one can take, and indeed some dedication is required of each of them. . ." He finally turned around again as he paused, looking directly at Camilla. 
284
285         "You've always held such a way with your words. Subdued and enticing fervor in them. A fine seduction in speech. In that, though, I would not go so far as to say that there is no downside. indeed I see quite the prominent one. . . Though it is one I may consider applying to myself when the time comes, to see where my own strength lie, if nothing else. "I will consider it, the costs and the benefits. . . and I will contact you in two days time with my decision. Does this sound fair?~" He finished, smiling benignly as, oddly enough, he looked between all present.
286
287Lyra dipped her head down, far... Low... Letting Zara have her piece with Latona- it seemed that the woman held very little regard for wherever that was leading. She knew of the history... Having spent so many days immersed in books, it was only right that she should be so informed. When she rose again, it was to extend her hand towards Farai for a simple, traditional salutation and farewell. A kiss to the back of the hand, of course... Befitting a woman who presented as she.
288
289"I look forward to your answer, amour. Though either way that it does go, do bare in mind that you will ever be mi anclas... My anchors. My coterie." Her head tilted, and she withdrew her hand whether the gesture was accepted or denied.
290
291"And that bares weight. Call on me, if the need be. I will help in any capacity which I am able... As it is within my /freedom/ to do so." She'd pause, casting a furtive look towards Zara and Latona.
292
293"But... Mi amor y mi hijo. They have a matter to resolve, it seems?"
294<OOC> Lyra says, "OBVIOUSLY NOT LYRA"
295
296Latona cracks a wide, possibly irritated smirk at the reply she draws from Zara. "My lies? I haven't said a single one tonight, but your offence is telling. I struggled with it too... The invisible leash tugging at me to try to pull me back. Trying to make me question my decisions. Trying to make me see it from their side, to see what I did as a mistake. But then, I overcame it, and figured out why I really left."
297
298        Her eyes narrow on the Tzimisce. "I don't need them, nor do I need their 'family' nor any hiearchy pressing down on me. Just like I don't need yours, nor it's madness. I don't believe in the depraved shit your people do, nor the doomsday fantasies you use to justify them. I believe in /myself/. I like to think that's what being an Anarch means, but if not fuck them too. That's how I managed to resist going back before, and it's why I'm never going to join your fucking psychotic club."
299
300        She shifts her gaze to Camilla at the last sentence. "I'm not your coterie anymore. As far as I'm concerned, the Camilla I cared about is dead. You're not you anymore."
301
302        She closes her eyes for a few moments as she turns back towards the door, hefting the bag back over her shoulder. "I guess we'll talk later, if you intend to," she directs to Farai. "If you're going to stick around awhile longer, we can meet up later. I have something I need to take care of tonight." She opens the door, but pauses halfway to toss a glance back to Zara. "I really don't give a shit about the Tremere anymore. But for what it's worth, even with all the beef I have with them? They're still not as bad as you people." She slams the door behind her.
303
304That gesture, simple and perfectly encapsulating of who they both were, was accepted and reciprocated with fine poise. Farai keeping one hand behind his back while he used the other to lightly take hold of Camilla's own and lift it upwards as he lowered himself in tandem, brushing his lips against the back of her hand. "An honor I proudly bear.~" He responded simply to the title she'd bestowed upon him. 
305
306         The man rose to his full height again after all was said and done, turning to look towards the arguing Zara and Latona, "Yes, yes they do. A no doubt heartwrenching sight from your perspective, something akin to squabble amongst the inlaws. Certainly it brings me a degree of discomfort." If only anything about the way he acted reflected that. "I suspect it would be best to end this particular party here. Certainly I intend to remove myself from it, at least. I've had quite the trip, after all, and many things to consider." That said, he made his way back to the couch to collect his duffle bag, hefting it onto his shoulders and, if nothing further was said or done, prepared to exit the apartment alongside Latona, sparring a glance towards her as he did. "Oh, we will most assuredly be speaking later." He stated