Old Habits

Handel W. Care

Behind the cabin's portholes the rain was still falling tumultuously. It had been fairly constant for almost an entire week now. I was beginning to think it quite apt that I was sleeping in the yacht - the city seemed practically underwater a lot of the time.

My hair was its usual tousled mess, of course. I scratched the uncouth mass of my beard for a moment and considered having a scruffy night, then remembered that I had organised to meet Badger at that club. Sighing, I pumped some water into the basin and began my toilet. Being embraced without any warning when at a low patch in one's life has all sorts of annoying disadvantages. At least I knew of a barber who stayed open late.

With the taxi paid off I quickly jumped up the few steps to stand beneath Club Noir's tastefully unadorned awning. Upon the fabric sounded out the light percussion of the constant patter from the skies . The place was run by one of the notable Toreador of the city, a fellow who went by the name of Lucius at this point in time. Being the piece of class that it therefore had to be, it had almost instantly become counted as Elysium, and was one of the less noisy club-restaurants into the bargain. Thanks to its fairly recent appearance many of the older vampires had yet to fit it into their staid little lives. This was just fine with me.

After briefly looking me up and down the doorman did that thing that doormen do so well and let me enter into the opulent interior. Removing my trenchcoat I placed it over my arm and waved off the pretty young thing who tried to collect it. One never knows if the door of entrance will be that used for egress, and besides, the item of clothing has a number of points which make it quite special to me. Not least among these are the two pins adorning the left lapel, one from a woman who, alas, no longer moves in the same circles as I, and the other from a man who occasionally stirs homicidal rages within me. It's a funny old world.

Quickly enough to show that I had been expected, the maitre 'd helped dismiss the coat girl and personally showed me to a table overlooking the dance floor. Almost before I had had a chance to enquire, a glass of dark beverage was placed before me, along with a cocktail and wine list. The menu was left beside it, perhaps for show's sake, perhaps not. I had no idea how much Lucius had told his people about me, or how much he knew of my ability to pass for human. To be honest, I didn't particularly care.

Here my thoughts gave me pause. I realised that my usage of the typical vampiric vernacular had recently strayed more than a little from the usual Camarilla patterns that I had tended towards in the past twenty five years. It was hardly surprising, as old habits were reasserting themselves in all sorts of little ways. Thankfully an underlying theme of manners and control rode through most of my past. It was unlikely I would leap from my table and cause havoc amongst the mortals dancing below. In fact, it seemed quite pleasant to simply watch the partially dressed forms of the young women, scent their blood heat and sip at my drink while I waited for my dinner companion. I just hoped that Gerard's french accent didn't come upon me unforeseen. Heaven knew what Badger would think.

Some small time passed in this shallow manner and then I felt the regard of another upon me. At the bar was a man of middle twenty years who had apparently been scanning the room. Dressed tidily but quite conservatively he seemed a little out of place on his bar stool, and appeared to draw slightly towards the gentleman on his left, a forty something in more usual garb for such a place, as I met his eyes. I smiled as I felt his fear, not meaning to increase his anxiety, and took a closer look at him. A mage, it appeared - most likely of the Hermetic Order that shared roots with the Tremere. He seemed harmless enough, although he was now conferring animatedly with his older companion, who turned slowly around to face me.

Clean shaven as well, a strong chin and wrinkles of both concentration and laughter showing plainly in his visage, this man observed both the room and myself also. Obviously more at home in such an environment, he also gave off the self aware importance of a man who had made something of his life. Although a mage, I could not discern what style he used without being what I considered unnecessarily intrusive for the time and place. When he locked eyes with me I again smiled and also nodded, raising my glass slightly to him. It was not entirely surprising that he recovered his glass of spirits from the bar and made his way across to my table.

"Good evening. May I .." An American accent. Not entirely surprising. From somewhere on the East Coast, I believed.

With a gesture I invited him to sit and smiled in a friendly manner as he tried to size me up from the nearer vantage. "I'm actually meeting a friend here, but by all means you're welcome to sit and chat until he arrives."

We dealt in some light verbal sparring. No names were passed. I was amused as it became obvious fairly early on that he thought me one of his own kind. Word games with certain Fae friends came to mind.

"And you are," I said, about to assume him a Chantry member of the other at the bar... when my eyes fell upon some strangely shaped spectacles, "a Son of Ether, yes?"

He smiled and nodded in response, though still puzzled as to my 'Tradition' as he called it. Vague comments as to both blood magics and similarities to his hermetic friend seemed only to confuse him further. After denying being a Verbena I began to talk him around to making the correct conclusions. It appeared that he thought Lucius a wizard also, and that he'd been spending some 'quality time' with one of the Toreador's group.

"Alicia? Yes, I knew her... mother." Indeed, she is a sister to Eloise.

At this he looked at me sharply, since the vampiress in question appears perhaps eight years younger than me at best, but failed to comment.

It was when his mobile 'phone began thrumming in his pocket and I brought the fact that he had a caller to his attention that he began to lose his temper. By this stage he was fairly certain that I wasn't a mage, I was sure.

"Okay. How the hell did you know that? I had the bell off." Brows knitted and hands unconsciously clenched, he demanded an answer with the very fabric of his being. Instead, I decided to push a little harder.

"Oh, one learns a few things over the years," I replied airily.

A little too hard a shove, it seemed. He rose with a scowl and made as if to take his leave. I did likewise and extended my hand.

"I'm terribly sorry, I have been quite rude. Do forgive me. My name is Handel. Be seated again, please."

Mollified a little, he shook hands and introduced himself as Sam Yeager, seating himself slowly but expectantly.

"I am what you might call a supernatural aberration," I began, and proceeded to break the Masquerade for the fellow. His eyes widened quite significantly when the connotations of Lucius and Alicia being of the same breed struck home. It was certainly worth giving up on my former game.

"You'll be wanting to have a few words with that young lady, I imagine," I said with a solicitous smile. Across the way I could see a certain gentleman of military cut heading in our direction from the entrance area. I rose.

"Well, it seems my friend has arrived. It might be best if you aren't here when he gets to the table."

With one look at my face he quickly said his goodbyes and returned to his friend at the bar.

"Playing with your food again I see," commented Badger as he seated himself, shaking the water out of his hair. Grasping the attention of a waiter, he had a bourbon and a fresh Rum on the way over in a short time. We began to talk about my recent activities and soon became engrossed in conversation.

"Well, if you can't help me, I could always see if Mickey could introduce me," I was saying.

"Oh, give it a rest," replied Badger. "I'll have a think about it, okay? You can't say fairer than that." He paused and orientated on a disturbance in the direction of the bar. "Trouble."

Lucius was in the grasp of two large and bulky fellows with long dark ponytails and similar faces. They looked like brothers, or at least relatives. Beneath the surface however, their auras roiled with strange patterns and dead areas. One held a mobile 'phone in an accusing manner, while the other appeared to be putting pressure upon the Toreador's left shoulder. Seeming non-plussed, Lucius engaged them in converse while three of the waiters and the maitre 'd approached quietly.

I half saw Badger turn a particularly unpleasant smile upon me. His 'mayhem' grin, as I call it. After briefly reminding him whose place this was and who shouldn't be hurt, I loosened my unseen sabre in its scabbard. An answering grin came to my own lips.

When the time was right Lucius moved out of the two men's grasps in a burst of Celerity. To most eyes there he would have seemed to suddenly appear behind the men. Raising Obfuscate, Badger and I moved across the dance floor towards the action and saw the four servitors fall upon the transgressors. A burst of powerful automatic weapon fire cleared them away easily. At least two wouldn't be getting up again. I noted that the armaments used seemed a part of the two ponytails' bodies.

"Cyborgs," I muttered to Badger.

"H.I.T. Marks," he answered decisively.

We fell upon them, seemingly out of thin air. One took Badger's claws in the side of his face and proceeded to make a considerable hole in my friend's side with what I would class a small chain gun, laser light springing from a mechanical eye over a surprised, still human mouth.

Seeing the weapon on my foe in time, I managed to sever the arm and assembly with my sword before further destruction ensued. Beside me I could hear the terrible noise of Badger in combat frenzy, ripping away at his foe like a manic rotary hoe.

The analogy amused me even then, but my grin fell as I saw a glowing tube start to target me. Blazing green light poured in my direction and I amazed myself by reacting to it in time. Drum's battle growl rose from my throat as I engaged my own superhuman speed for the first time in what seemed centuries. A crashing, melting noise erupted behind me as the bar, mirror, glasses and, most important of all, bottles were destroyed. The mixed smell of spilt liquor came to me. Red sight engulfed.

We helped clean up the mess a little afterwards. Lucius had managed with the witnesses using his Presence, and after Badger helped bring me back, I added to his efforts with my own mind control. Again at our table, humans all gone, I thanked my friend for his efforts and asked him to please stop smiling in such an annoying manner.

"You've got a fair bit to relearn." Was all he would say.

Shrugging in parody of a manner of his that never ceases to irritate me, I merely nodded.

Since he still had to think, we went our separate ways, which was fine with me. There were plenty of things to ponder for myself. I returned to my cabin and lay in my hammock till dawn's light made me slip into that dormancy akin to sleep.

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