"I'm really glad you're here, Joyce," Liam said, smiling fondly in her direction. "I never expected to help found a village but I'm glad you're part of it."

"I'll leave our friend for another night. I've got some things I need to do first."

"Seems to me you've been doing work for us since we got here," Joyce replied. "Go do what you need to do. Have a safe evening."

Liam stood up and strode away from the firelight down the dirt road. He wasn’t driving any further tonight. Once he was out of sight of the village he took to the skies. The transformation could be disconcerting to watch.

First on his agenda was Taben’s ridge and the remains of the Blue Tree cairn. Some things he needed to see for himself.

The Caern was a short distance from the ruined arboretum on the edge of the nature preserve. The building had been gutted by fire a decade ago, and it was strange and disconcerting that nature had not reclaimed the ruins. A VFPD cruiser was parked in the cracked and broken lot, though there was no sign of any officers.

The Caern itself was easy to spot from the air, mostly because all the trees in the vicinity had died. They had poisoned the soil for a kilometre around the site. It stank of motor oil and metallic salts. A solitary mook cop stood at the centre of the Caern, doing what had to be the shittiest guard detail the department had to offer.

Liam circled over head once, watching for additional sentries on the wing and on the ground. Unless he saw another however he alighted behind the mook and swiftly transformed. Liam had remembered to bring the red band with him and when he spoke he had every confidence he would be obeyed.

“Bare your neck to me,” he demanded.

(If the officer is compliant, Liam will take 2BP. Liam figures this is about the safest person to prey upon as it’s unlikely Red Watch has any other eyes out here)

The police officer complied without reply or hesitation. His eyes glided right off Liam. It was like he was never there.

It was enough to take the edge off of his hunger. To sate him completely would have killed the man. Liam backed away and took to the skies without another word, though this time it was only a short flight - a little over a kilometre down the ridge line. Liam descended beneath the canopy and found a fallen log to seat himself upon. Drawing the very last cigarette from his pack he set it against his lips and thought of Book.

Almost immediately, a voice came from behind. "Filthy habit," Book commented dryly. He stepped into view. "Evening, Liam. How's your first week back going?"

"Oh, you know..." Liam said with a smile. Because Book did know. He knew everything.

"Not quite the relaxing babysitting job I thought I'd signed on for."

He held his cigarette up to inspection, the sole pinpoint of light beneath the stars. "Its my last one," he said. "At least until the next one."

Liam let out the rest of his breath and with it a great plume of smoke.

"Have you been enjoying the fireworks?"

"My dear Liam, you know how I abhor violence," Book said, oozing with false piety. "That said, I can't think of a group more deserving of violence than the Tremere. Especially those Tremere. I try to think of it as an investment in violence prevention. It's just good luck for your friends that you arrived at exactly the right time to make a major difference. I shudder to think how it would have gone if they'd been two men short and without a major diversion." He chucked Liam's arm, with just a hint of condescension. "Bully for you."

"The Fates conspire," Liam said with a wry grin. He took another puff on his cigarette.

"Unfortunately we didn't make an entirely clean getaway. Robyn has her hands tied up with Pockets now."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:27, Wed 29 July 2020.

"How fortunate for Pockets that Robyn entered her life," Book said. "You've got to look at this situation as a 'glass half full' scenario. Robyn is quite competent. Brilliant, really. If anyone can help your friend, it's her."

“I have every confidence in Robyn’s abilities,” Liam replied. “I know she’ll get there eventually. But if you have any notion how to keep Pockets comfortable in the interim, I’m all ears.”

"Drugs work on Kindred when filtered through an intermediary," Book replied. "But I'm sure you knew that already. You're a resourceful boy, I'm sure you'll find an opening. But if it were me, I'd go straight to the source, as it were."

Straight to the source, Liam mused. “The Tremere, you mean? That would be Miss you have in mind, I suppose.” Admittedly Liam had had the thought already. “Have you spoken with her recently?”

"Did I mean her?" Book said slyly. "No, she's still sore about me having half of the Third Tribe killed. You know how kids get when they're holding a grudge."

“Downright explosive, I imagine,” Liam remarked. “I can’t very well stroll up to the chantry and knock on the door though. I don’t suppose you know where she is tonight?”

"Why can't you?" Book said, and shrugged. "Because right now she's at the Alhambra, and I guarantee you you'll get an icier reception over there. I don't think she can reach the pedals on Jean's old Rolls, so I imagine she has a driver. I don't think she'll be staying too long. Maybe another hour. I don't know how you plan to get into a moving car without arousing attention, but then again I don't have your aptitudes."

"Jean's old car, you say?" Liam asked. "I think I remember it."

Armed with that information Liam had a sporting chance of finding Miss tonight. Getting in to see her without rousing suspicion was another matter. He'd have to think it over, and rather quickly. An hour at most wasn't much time at all.

"I may have to rearrange my plans this evening." He fished out the bullet Robyn had given him and peered at it in the moonlight. "I'd been planning on paying a visit to Deluca, but I suppose he'll keep for another night or two should it come to that."

"I don't know why you don't just wait til she's home and knock on the front door, but you do you," Book replied.

He perked up when he saw the bullet. "Ah, Augusto," Book said wistfully. "Some of my finest work. Finally getting some use out of Robyn's gift, I see. Tell him I say hello."

Liam nodded, turning the bullet over between his fingers. “I will,” he said, somewhat distractedly. “It is the bullets then and not the gun?” he asked. “Or would these bullets cause havoc in any other firearm?”
This message was last edited by the player at 23:54, Thu 30 July 2020.

"It's the bullets, and the wielder," Book said. "So don't get any fancy ideas. That said, you give him two of those and he'll happily put one of them wherever you want it. He might talk you up to three, but he's really in no position to bargain. He will desperately want that one in particular. He's been out of them for a while now."

“Now that is a helpful piece of information,” Liam said, pocketing the bullet with a smile. “Last question for you tonight, Reverend.”

“When I so much as glance at the Book, it doesn’t just call to me - it practically drags me inside. But when Pockets flipped through its pages, it may as well have been a Cyrillic phonebook. She wasn’t phased in the least. It was like the tome was dead for her.”

“Why is that?”

"She's a special case," Book said. "She can spot Vamanando's presence with a glance. It's why she became so involved so quickly after her arrival here. She just sees the world differently than you, and even me. But mostly, it's because she just never bothered to learn the language."

“I suppose that makes sense,” Liam replied. He stood up and crushed his cigarette into the ground beneath the toe of his boot. “Maybe another hour, you say,” he said, glancing down at his wristwatch. “And I can just knock at the door.” Liam sounded somewhat incredulous at this point but Book was usually right on the money about these things.

“Thank you for humouring me this evening. I always appreciate the fresh perspective.”