Vampire: Dark Ages (Vienna) - Chapter 2: Abbey of St. Alfred

[Andrius the White]

Andrius chuckles, "Believe them all, of course. They could not possibly be as bad as the truth. Oh, I'm sure I meant to say 'as good as'."

[Goatkiller666]

Luminita smiles, slightly nervous, "Of course." She turns to Lucretia, "Lady, I look forward to an easy alliance with you and the Doktor."

Lucretia also notices shapes moving in the sky. Nothing nearby, but large things are briefly blocking the stars, a ways outside the walls of the Abbey. Probably the gargoyles the Tremere are known to keep with them, flying patrols around the area.

[Lucretia]

To herself, "She believes them all."

She smiles faintly at Luminita. "A well tended field shall reap a bountiful harvest."

She looks to the distant sky. "She does ponder the merits of help created against called forth."

[Andrius the White]

Andrius bows to Luminita, then says "But, it is only proper for me to withdraw and allow my host to attend to your business. Once you have negotiated your welcome, it would no longer be an imposition on the good Doktor for me to treat with you while in his domain." Then he bows to the Doktor, "My host, I am at your service, as always."

[Goatkiller666]

The Doktor frowns, almost a glare, "Yes. I suppose I must attend to things first." He turns to Luminita, "So then, why should I trust you with my secrets?"

Charles scoffs slightly, quickly turning aside and glancing up at the sky to hide his smirk.

[Andrius the White]

Andrius draws away, tugging Charles' sleeve as he does. As he comes close to Lucretia, he mutters, "Would you continue our conversation, or must you also stay and joust with her?"

[Goatkiller666]

Luminita is taken aback by the Doktor's abrupt question. "Why... erm... uh... I should say, learned Doktor, that you should not yet trust me with your secrets. I have done nothing to earn that trust, nor can you assume trustworthiness based on my clan or good references."

[I'll continue this conversation once I know if Lucretia is staying for it, or going with Andrius.]

[Lucretia]

She gives a slight curtsy to the Pale Shadow and the Reaper's Friend. "She need remain as any negotiation impacts upon her."

[Goatkiller666]

The Doktor nods. "This is wisdom. Then I have decided not to trust you, honored guest. But I will allow you earn my trust, if you are willing."

The Doktor holds up a hand, suddenly startled by something. He closes his eyes for a moment, lost in thought, then he calls to Charles, who is almost to the interior doors. "You are probably too late, but you might want to get to the East Gate of the city. There are deaths there... they are brighter."

Returning to Luminita, "What are you willing to do to earn my trust? Share your secrets? Become vulnerable to me? Or perhaps you will take the slow approach, and fail to betray me on a series of small trusts I grant, until I feel like giving greater trusts?"

"Good Doktor, it is customary to earn trust slowly, but... I have always considered it a matter of allowing, by proximity, for you to learn my motivations and to realize that I am no threat, at which point it will be only common sense for you to trust me, since you can know what drives my actions."

"Bah. I don't care about your motivations. I don't want to know what drives your actions. You will earn my trust by learning this one lesson." He looks to the sky for a moment. A few seonds later, there is a loud crash outside the walls. "I do not need to trust you, because you cannot harm me. And I may harm you whenever I wish."

"Go, see to your fallen pet, if it still exists. I tire of negotiations, and my research calls to me." With that, he turns and walks back into the building, the three mortal servants following quickly behind him. "Return in a fortnight, and we will share tales of things that we know. If I find you particularly informative, or particularly inquisitive, we might meet again after that."

Luminita stares at the Doktor's retreating back, barelly noticing Charles racing past on his horse, heading for town. She finally says to Lucretia, "Did that go well? Or badly?"

[Lucretia]

"She fared better than a falling stone. A clever moot at their moot shall show if it is moot."

[Goatkiller666]

Luminita nods. Thinking better of it, she performs a proper bow (not a curtsy) and then makes her way to the gate and out into the night.

[Andrius the White]

Andrius comes back out from the dining hall door. He'd only barely entered it. "Oh, I think I quite like the Doktor's approach to things. It's so refreshing. I must make an effort to keep his friendship, if only so that I may come and visit with him again."

[Lucretia]

She waves good-bye to Luminita casually.

She nods in agreement with Andrius.

[Goatkiller666]

When Andrius and Lucretia enter back into the building, the Doktor is there. He's not quite hiding just around the corner from the entryway, but he clearly doesn't wish to be seen from outside.

"Well, young one. I sense that you have questions for me, from your wolf hunt. Perhaps a good puzzle will help me to feel less degraded by that experience."

[Lucretia]

"She expects more a trifling matter to the Doktor."

"At the colony she met a helpful, albeit quite expired, woman. One rather annoyed with the rudeness of those unable to reply to her spirited talk. She was thinking of how to best relocate Constance to a place more convenient."

[Goatkiller666]

"Hrm. Yes, this will do to occupy my thoughts for a brief while. Follow me."

He leads Lucretia to his library, and takes down a book. He flips through it for a moment, then puts it away. "No, that's not it." He takes down another book, and this time carries it to table.

"You will wish to find the ghost's fetter. She will follow that wherever you take it. If you know what it is. Or whom. But I assume you do not. So, to find the fetter, you will need one of her fingerbones. It will lead you to the fetter, which will lead her to you."

He points at the open page of the book, which is titled "The Ritual of the Unearthed Fetter".

[Lucretia]

Her dark orbs widen. She titters girlishly.

"New words. New ideas. She rejoices."

She reads it over and over. Forwards and backwards and upside down. She learns.

[Goatkiller666]

[I have nothing more to say for the story for the rest of the evening. If you want to do anything before daybreak, let me know. Otherwise, we'll pick up back at your haven the next evening.]

[Lucretia]

She reads.

[Goatkiller666]

It is the evening of April 11th, 1205. Day 23 of the lunar cycle, and so there is a half moon (waning) in the sky tonight. Except that the sky has become overcast late in the day, and now the moon and the stars cannot be seen. Without some source of light, it will be very difficult to see while outside (mystical powers not withstanding). Other than the overcast, the weather isn't expect to get worse for another few days.

Lucretia wakes. She is still at the Abbey, still sitting at the desk with the Doktor's book open before her. There is nobody else in the room with her.