City of IF

[Lilith]

He doesn't have to strive for it.... he has it already in everything but name... but something just isn't right here.... why are these other courts sooooo solicitous of someone whom they fear getting a seat of power?

I think the three sisters are having their chains pulled by Mai Lein and Mai Lein wants Maxis out of the picture. Then with Travis on her good side, she can basically have even more control over another court, can she not? Even the tiniest bit of influence...

Travis should PRETEND to play the sisters' game. Claim a seat but put another in his place when it comes down to it. Travis plays the evasion game well.. it should be no trouble for him.

[Kalanna Rai]

*pokes snout in, sets up poll, pulls snout out*

Vote.

[DeadManWalking]

YAY first vote

[Kalanna Rai]

Votes? Last call.

[Christalnightshade]

oops poll tie. I don't really mean to do ties on your stories Rai. Why not drag in a few readers... :cool:

I'm sure one of my friends might like it. She liked a scene of a story (book) about a girl that went to sleep on a bench outside then suddenly this punk-beggar began to fight about the bench, saying its his. She really likes funny ones, but she likes uber characters aswell. I'll ask her if she would want to read your story.

[Lilith]

Tie broken Rai. Get to workage :P

[Kalanna Rai]

At long last after soliciting a tie-breaker I am able to write this chapter for you. Enjoy!
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Chapter Thirteen: The Young and the Ruthless

Travis pose was almost classic, right arm wrapping around his torso, fist under his left elbow while his head bowed, closed mouth resting on his left fist. His eyes were intently staring at nothing, fixed on some point inside his own mind until his lids slid over them. The three vampiresses watched him intently, three unreadable expressions, three very different postures as they awaited his answer.

Finally Travis raised his head, staring at Lily in the manner of a condemned man with a bad case of gallows humor. The light that danced in his hazel eyes was defiant, the ghost of a sardonic smile on his elegant features. "Accept your offer and spend the rest of my immortality wondering when someone will rip my throat out...or decline and spend the rest of my eternity in hiding, waiting to be discovered and destroyed. Tough choice."

"It's not like that at all Travis-" Lily's smoothly rehearsed speech was cut off as Travis raised one artistic hand and shook his head.

"Yes it is Lily. But don't worry...I'd much rather be smiling when they cut my throat than become little more than an animal. I will accept the Council's 'gracious' offer." Before anyone could even react to his words he was standing a heartbeat away from Lily, a small knife pressed against the pale white skin of her neck. "But I want you to take a message back to the Old Bastards Club for me. Tell them that if they think I'm grateful, if they think I feel a sense of obligation to them, they're a little far off the mark. The first threat I see, I'll be sending back the enforcers fangs on a silver tray."

Violet burst out into laughter, wiping a tear from her eye before grinning at both Lily and Travis. "What did I tell you? You may have convinced him but you won't use him. All your grand schemes down the drain my dear sister, all your grand plans ashes."

Greg could feel the tension building in the air and he edged away from the counter, getting ready to duck before someone snapped. Gunner hovered protectively behind Travis, the buckles on his guitar case loose and ready for action while Violet made a great show of stepping across an imaginary line to stand next to the big viking. For a moment Ivy looked between the two groups before walking over and hopping up to sit on the counter top not far from where Greg stood, clearly removing herself from the situation. Wherever Vick was he wasn't in the room, wisely keeping himself scarce. And that left Lily all alone on her 'side'.

Just when Greg thought that all hell was going to break loose the bell above the shop door chimed and everyone turned their head in time to see Jim come sailing through the air, barely managing to twist and land on his feet instead of his back. There was a sudden flurry of movement, over in the blink of Greg's eyes, leaving him scratching his head at the odd drama that was taking place in front of him.

Jim was standing next to Gunner and Violet, Lily had a hand over her mouth to contain the polite laughter that was twinkling in her icy eyes. And Travis was kneeling on the floor, one hand around the throat of a scrawny youth with ash brown hair, the other hand holding the small dagger pulled back in a fist with the sharp blade protruding from between the knuckles of his middle and ring finger. Yet everyone, save the youth on the floor was smiling. "Hello again Kid, long time no see."

"Bastard. Get off me Travis. Every time I see you you get faster...damn." His voice squeaked a little as he spoke, breaking slightly over the word and making 'Kid' grimace while the others snickered. "It's not funny...I'd like to see you go through puberty forever...lets see how you like it."

Greg finally understood as Travis stood, putting away the blade and helping the youth, who couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen, off the floor. This was the third person Vick had mentioned, the one called Kid Death. He didn't look like much, a slim and muscular youth, slightly feminine, with his flyaway ash brown hair dressed in a punk emo style that was all the rage but didn't seem to suit him. While he might look young he carried himself like a much older person, enough to make a person look twice, maybe three times.

He pulled the hood up on his skeleton hoodie, stuffing his hands into the kangaroo pocket and instantly looking like a thug, glaring with golden eyes from the shadowed depths. "So what did I miss besides the power lunch from hell...oh by the way Gunner, congrats on the shift of alliance. I think you'll do a whole lot better with Travis than Maxis...even if Travis is a bastard."

It was a laughable sight to watch the big man and the young punk pound fists, yet it made sense as Kid took up his position on Travis opposite side, across from Violet. Lily gave him a cool glance before dismissing him, returning her cold gaze to Travis. "It matters not. You will soon be brought to heel within the workings of the Council Bloody Rose. All come to the table with dreams of defying alliance, breaking the mold. All are brought to their knees. It is simply the way of things, no offence."

He shrugged lightly. "None taken. And no offense Lily but I believe you know the way to the door...feel free to use that knowledge."

The Prima bristled, back going ramrod straight as she gave a curt nod, brushing past the crowd like an angry cat. She paused and gave Ivy a slight glance. Ivy replied with an even slighter shake of her head and Lily continued to storm gracefully out of the door, the chimes ringing cheerfully as she vanished.

After waiting what seemed like forever, Greg finally relaxed. "Ding dong, the witch is dead..." he muttered under his breath, grinning as Ivy laughed at him. Picking up his rag, he went back to polishing the counter leaving the vampires to discuss undead politics. Since learning that the 'children of the night' were real, they'd lost a lot of their appeal for Greg.

Sure he'd admit it, there was a point in time where curling up in bed with a good vampire novel was an attractive way to spend an evening. Now...well he couldn't even hear the word vampire without thinking of the few he knew. Of his boss, Vick, who treated him no differently than a human boss would treat an employee, albeit Vick was a friendly boss. Or worse of Travis. He polished the bar a little faster, trying to remember how many coats of polish he'd already applied rather than look up and find himself caught by that disapproving gaze. Travis didn't like being the object of anybody's affection as Greg had learned.
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It took everyone some time to get settled in, kicking back in basement under the shop. For a while there was a lot of catching up, what had everyone been doing since they'd last seen each other. Kid almost choked on his own spit when he heard that Travis was soon to join the ranks of the elite, to become a member of the Council.

"But what will they call you? I mean, no offense Travis, but you just don't rate the title of Prince. You're not even three hundred years old! I don't care how damn fast you are, they've got tricks up their sleeves that have worked since...shit since Rome I bet."

Travis shook his head at Kid's assessment of the situation. "Rome was a long time ago Kid. I don't think there are many, if any, left around from then. What about you Gunner, you've got a longer memory."

The big Viking looked up from where he was happily humming as he sharpened his axe and scratched his head a moment. "Longer memory sure...but I don't keep as many of those memories as you do. But no, I can't remember a vampire that might have seen Rome. Mai Lien and Maxis are both very, very old...perhaps old enough to have seen the fall of the Empire. But I very much doubt either of them was around during it's height."

Violet and Ivy both shook their heads, spreading empty hands and Jim didn't even bother to respond. Instead a strange silence settled over the vampires as they brooded on the realization that, while some of them were exceedingly old, none of them were truly ancient. It was a stark reminder of the sheer brutality of their existence. A horrible, terrible form of population control. A master vampire could make as many new vampires as they wanted...but he could keep only as many as they could protect.

"So Travis...now that you're a big shot...what are you going to do with all that power?" Vick's question shattered the silence like a baseball through a plate glass window and a few chuckles rippled through the room as Travis rolled his eyes.

"Well I can tell you what I'm not going to do with it...and that's start an open feud with Maxis." Turning his fedora over in his hands a few times, the roan haired vampire sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't think that's up to me."

"Da Boss. When Maxis finds out that he's out and you're in...his reaction will not be favorable."
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So we have two old rivals who's fortunes have changed. One is rising to power while the other is falling from grace. How will Maxis react, what will his first move be?
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Heh, let those devious minds work. Lets see some action!

[DeadManWalking]

Well...

Going through Maxis's generally unsubtle moves so far, i'd say go for a full on war.

However, two other options are also attractive, at least to my mind.

1. Get some supporters into Travis's camp. It's always a horrible thing to find that your allies aren't quite as devoted as you think they are.

2. If Maxis is going to spread the word that vampires are real, why not tap into that hidden human urge to have a good and a bad side of every bloodsuckingly evil race?

Set himself up as the kind and good kinda vampire, and say the others are hellspawn.

What with the current Twilight craze, he should get plenty of human support.

Plus, that'd aid him in the war.

Even if a vampire can beat a whole bunch of humans, there are limits.

[Lilith]

The number one thing that ALL vampire legends and tales.. I don't care which book you've read or what movies you've watched.... the number one thing is that the vampires ALL agree that the mortal world is not to know that they exist. It is in every story and as such, Maxis is commiting the worst crime in vampire history.

So, he's going to have to turn the tables around in his favor. Lily's flounced off now that Travis has snubbed her. Pull her back in the coeterie. Voliet and Ivy?? They're acting as of right now. Lily's not the mastermind here; Maxis is. Lily's disgraceful exit was actually an act.

Maxis's plans so far have been very blunt and risky.. making him seem rather stupid or else nutty... so suddenly make it smooth, very smooth and hidden, the hidden workings of his plan. A total 180 of what he was doing might give Maxis the advantage.

[BlackAmaranth]

Whew, finally caught up. I've always been a sucker for vampire stories, it's just hard to write one nowadays without it seeming cliche. But I think you pulled it off quite nicely :D There were a few grammar things (most of which I've forgotten by now), but other than that I'm really enjoying it. As for the DP, I have a question: are we sure Lily and/or the other ladies can be trusted? Maybe it's just me, but there's something kinda funny about what she's saying...

[BlackAmaranth]

Oops, I didn't see that last chapter. Ah...forget about that last part then :oops:

[Kalanna Rai]

Welcome Ama! Sit down and enjoy!

[Kalanna Rai]

Okay, the poll is up and I'd like to make it a quick one so get those votes in guys!