Vampire: Dark Ages - Scene 5: We Are Revolution

[Sabine]

I hug Seska again. "Silly! They're only doggies. I'm way stronger than they are. They couldn't protect us from anything."

I turn around and flump on Szolt. I scratch him on the head. "They should stay here where it's safe."

[Goatkiller666]

Jozsi only stares as Taduz parts his flesh and removes the bone. The experience is so surreal, and yet it doesn't hurt. Without the sting of anguish, he almost doesn't believe it's happened.

"...there are options available to us other than killing him where use of that arm may be justified."

"Yes! I can be useful! Especially with my arm."

"Oh merciful Christ, what have you done to my arm?"

Roderigo steps forward. "We don't have time for this. Danukas and Bojan can deal with this refuse. We must go now."

[Seska Karantanija]

"Alone they may not be as strong, but I wager as a pack they could fell a mighty beast before it knew what beset it."

She frowns a little, "They won't be safe here though. With this many dogs, the townsfolk will send the guard after them as a nuisance. They will be run off, and maybe even hurt!"

Trying to be reassuring, "The inn we are going to is outside of the town. Although they cannot come all the way with us, they can frolic near enough you can visit them, and they will be far enough away they won't be bothered. That would be good, yes?"

[Olaf_Magnusson]

Nodding briskly, "You're right, we need not waste any further time with this nithing. He sought to kill us. His life is forfeit, before the All-Seeing All-Father."

Crush his head.

[Alína Nyárí]

[screams in surprised horror at the suddenness of Olaf's action]

Muttering to herself, "Rishon, tishtadel l'azor, v'az, al tazek," over and over, the Jewess moves to the body and attempts to take his pulse, checking to see if any life force remains within.

[Goatkiller666]

Olaf stepped forward and brought one hand to either side of the seated man's head. With all his supernatural strength, he brought his hands together, ignoring the resistance of the man's skull. With an audible crunch, the solid round form of his head collapses, though interestingly (for those not vomiting) the skin and eyes are still intact. There's surprisingly little blood, and only the shape of the head belies any problem. It looks more like a bag of rocks, spread out at the bottom, flattened on the top; than it does any kind of human form.

[Alína Nyárí]

Allowing the wrist to fall, the healer reaches for a nearby bowl. Withdrawing her personal dagger, actually her personal chalef she used to ritually slaughter animals brought down with her bow when out in the forest gathering herbs and other medicinal plant life, from within her dress; she lifts the misshapen head and with one practiced move severs the trachea, oesophagus, carotid arteries and jugular veins.

You were not a kosher animal, Jozsi, she thinks to herself. But I must feed and the idea of drinking from a living unwilling human is...distasteful to me right now. Perhaps in time I will adjust to this state, but in the meantime I will feed from newly killed and scavenge according to kashrut as I can.

Positioning the former brigand's head so his blood drains fully in to the bowl before rigor mortis sets in, the Jewess then lays the man gently aside while she calmly drinks what she can from his blood she gathered. Offering what is left to the others, she asks the most experienced among them, "Roderigo. Do you know of any means of storing blood so it remains viable as a food source once outside the body?"

[Goatkiller666]

"Claudio always used to extoll the virtues of living mortals as an excellent method of transporting blood from one place to another. Then again, he was not much troubled by the idea of spilling someone's lifesblood all over the floor. 'There will be more blood where we're going!' he would say."

[Sabine]

[Protean 1. Protean 2.]

I get up from Szolt and run into the Inn. I climb through a window, because it's closer. My claws let me climb easily, but they leave gouges in the wood. "Somebody screamed?" My eyes are now glowing red from the window, my fangs are extended. My claws are too.

[Alína Nyárí]

"Then you know of no means to preserve what was gathered," Alína accepts wearily. "Drink up then and regain any spent strength," she tells the others. "Let not spilled nourishment go to waste!"

Looking at the ghouls waiting for them, she asks their aid. "Danukas, Pierre. I expect Roderigo will sneer at this request. But perhaps Bojan will help as well. This...man deserves at least a modicum of respect for the passing of his life force. Will you help me set him properly in to the ground? I am not comfortable with the idea of us leaving a trail behind us of murder..."

Hearing Sabine enter, Alína turns with an embarrassed smile on her face. "It was me, little puppy. I was unprepared for the demise of this man that attacked us. But he has made up for my scare with his life's blood. Come and partake from this bowl where I gathered it, should you thirst."

[Sabine]

I walk over to the bowl.

I sniff it. It smells good.

I take the bowl and drink some. [two blood]

"Can Szolt and I go get the other two? Hiding in the woods? We'll catch up to you again before you get to the other Inn."

[Taduz Illyannovich]

I step back after Olaf's abrupt squishing.

Spirits above, he is strong.

"That tidies up that loose end, so to speak"

She wants to mourn and bury...a murderous meal?

"He got his wish at least. I hope warm weather is to his liking..."

We can dispose of him, and take care of 2 lil beasts in the field also.

"Speaking of loose ends, didn't it mention 2 others laired in a cave nearby? Perhaps that would be the place to take" nudge the ankle with my foot "this left over carrion. Instead of wasting their time on burying it, make some sport of it, and go find and have words with his companions, and take this with you."

"Remember to stake their hearts. Lackey wanted it done to us, let him find his minions having fallen to the same fate.. Assuming he survives the upcoming nights."

"If that is distasteful to you, we can make him useful. It seems Sabine has an extended family now, and mayhap they'd be interested in tidying up this?"

Looking at Sabine

"Wouldn't Szolt love a nice thick bone, all nice and ready for chewing. Fresh meat no less, would be a shame for it to go to waste."

[Alína Nyárí]

"No."

Alína draws herself up and stares at Taduz.

"All life deserves respect, regardless of its downfall and intent. Kill and silence the others if we must. Feed them to Sabine's pack, although I disagree they should develop a liking for the taste of human flesh.

"Then bury the scraps left behind. Let Lothar wonder where his hired thugs ran off to.

"I will not sanction examples be left behind of those we must take care of. It reeks too close of pogrom."

[Taduz Illyannovich]

"No."

Alína draws herself up and stares at Taduz.

"All life deserves respect, regardless of its downfall and intent. Kill and silence the others if we must. Feed them to Sabine's pack, although I disagree they should develop a liking for the taste of human flesh.

"Then bury the scraps left behind. Let Lothar wonder where his hired thugs ran off to.

"I will not sanction examples be left behind of those we must take care of. It reeks too close of pogrom."

"We are in agreement there, they must be taken care of. Bodies, even buried raise questions. And, take it from one who's used to being persecuted, travelers are always the first sought out."

At the mention of Pogrom, I meet her gaze, eyes going cold, voice dropping.

"You mean the same respect they showed my father, after he was cut down by their christ's churchmen? Toying with him before ending his life? Or the sport they tried with my brothers, dozen armed men against 2 with daggers? Or the respect shown my mother, and Marishka my sister. What that" nodding to what used to be Judas "would have done to you pales to what they did to her."

"He admitted he was one of them, and as such, I'm showing him the same respect he showed my family."

"Your kind are not the only ones hunted, healer. Your folk have estates and holdings where you can be taken in by Jews. How many Rom estates are you aware of?"

I close my eyes, remembering the day, Marishka, Mother, Petru and the others were lost to me.

Opening them.

"We've already shown him more respect than he and his friends would have shown us."

I spit on the corpse and mutter at it "May your spirit never know rest, and may those who you've wronged torment you for eternity".

Walk out the door, and head outside.

Get ahold of yourself.

[Alína Nyárí]

Alína steadies her breathing, then follows Taduz outside.

"Our people both have been persecuted for centuries, Taduz," she says as she attempts to approach him serenely. "Harboring ill will and thoughts of revenge will only make this...unlife...more painful than it needs to be. You do your family respect by honoring their memory and traditions taught to you. You need not devote your immortality to reliving the pain of their demise endlessly.

"Reconsider thoughts of avenging them. His kind may have shown your family disrespect. He personally set out to rob and stake us. Prove the Rom are better than them all, and rise above the persecution to show all life respect.

"I do not know your own beliefs. Mine are based on the stern, yet loving, dualism of Hashem and Schechina. Does your belief differentiate between the attention of good and evil spirits? Would you not wish to draw the attention of the good by letting go of thoughts of pain and revenge?"

She moves closer, hoping to tell if her words are calming the Rom, or only aggravating him further (Auspex 2, please).

[Taduz Illyannovich]

Alína steadies her breathing, then follows Taduz outside.

"Our people both have been persecuted for centuries, Taduz," she says as she attempts to approach him serenely. "Harboring ill will and thoughts of revenge will only make this...unlife...more painful than it needs to be. You do your family respect by honoring their memory and traditions taught to you. You need not devote your immortality to reliving the pain of their demise endlessly.

"Reconsider thoughts of avenging them. His kind may have shown your family disrespect. He personally set out to rob and stake us. Prove the Rom are better than them all, and rise above the persecution to show all life respect.

"I do not know your own beliefs. Mine are based on the stern, yet loving, dualism of Hashem and Schechina. Does your belief differentiate between the attention of good and evil spirits? Would you not wish to draw the attention of the good by letting go of thoughts of pain and revenge?"

She moves closer, hoping to tell if her words are calming the Rom, or only aggravating him further (Auspex 2, please).

Don't kill her.

Without facing her, voice very sharp.

"My mother taught me our ways. Spirits have disposition, good and evil. Learned ones work with them. Strong ones can enforce their will. This is a gross oversimplification. I learned at my mothers knee these ways from young babe until her death in my almost adult years."

Turning around, eyes still cold

"In the past, I have appeased them, followed the teachings of my mother. Since we died, they answer me. Moreso than I ever thought they would."

She thinks we're still human. We're dead. Walking dead. Feeding on blood.

"My people have a saying, Nashti zhas vorta po drom o bango. It means 'You cannot walk straight when the road is bent'. Whatever roads we were on, are now bent, curved, and beyond our ken. The road has changed, we have changed, the rules have changed. The old rules do not apply to us anymore. I really don't think your laws have any way to comprehend what we have become. I'm doing what feels right to me. Until such a time as it doesn't work right, then I will adapt. We Rom have had to since time out of memory. We are pragmatic survivors."

Voice dead

"But understand me. I will have my revenge. If it means forcing my will on good spirits, malicious ones, or even demons themselves. The one who caused me this harm will pay. Dearly. As will those who harbor him."

Smirking face, voice flowing again, but the cold eyes still.

"Dear Alina, I have risen above them already. We can do fantastic things now, that what we were before couldn't dream about. And because of this, I intend to be ali, here. I intend to still be here, after their demise."

Really, I must find the proper word for it, alive doesn't apply, and moving just seems so inadequate to what we are now.

"After that? Who knows, slave's master's league seems to laughable, while the Cur's playmates have already turned me off to their conspiracy, if we even are invited to join. If they take over, either one, I intend to laugh my way to comfort as they stumble over themselves. I will sing Brigaki djilia of my family, and of their finally gotten vengeance. But, first, we have more pressing issues. Surviving the next nights being foremost."

I know some of her ways, but not her understanding of it, just as she doesn't understand my ways.

"If we do, we have eternity to decide, don't we?"

[Alína Nyárí]

*casting eyes downward*

"We have vastly different outlooks, you and I, Taduz. I go after he who did this to me because even this undeath will be snatched from me if I do not. For myself, I personally would let his own damnation catch up to him, if it was my choice.

"Be that as it may, for now we must work together. I witnessed you place your curse upon the cast off remains of Jozsi. Will you allow that to be enough, and allow me to do as I feel I must regarding his remains?"

Heading back inside to again ask for help with burying the brigand, the Jewess turns back once more towards the Rom in supplication. "I have no right to ask anything of you. But I will ask this of all of us who have had this done to us together...

"Try not to become yourself that which you now despise..."

[Sabine]

Taduz and Alina go outside. I stay inside. I mutter, "My doggies don't eat people. People don't taste good."

I look at the bowl of blood. "He tastes good, though."

I spend blood to raise my stamina. I drink the rest of the blood.

I walk out the door. I pass Taduz and Alina outside. "Bye. I'm going to play with those other two."

[Protean 4]Hawk form.

I fly back down the road to the stream. Then I fly upstream until I find the pool.

[Seska Karantanija]

Seska follows Sabine over to the window to see what the commotion is. Seeing the bandit's deformed head and subsequent butchering is a little much for her and she turns back to the carriage with the lounging dogs.

She follows Alina's and Taduz' conversation from the shadows near their ride. They both have valid points. Do we need to stick with old ways of belief? Is it okay if we become what we are railing against? One does not have to lead to the other, does it?

She continues to focus on them as Sabine walks outside. When she shifts and takes off, Seska steps out and yells after the hawk, "Sabine!" She thrusts her finger at the ground, "Heel!"

[Sabine]

I bank hard, turn around. I fly back to Seska. I land on the ground where she's pointing.

squawk!, I say.

squawk! squawk!