Tenuous Affinity (Private)

[Cayce]

"It is quite clear you know nothing of my religion, otherwise you would not continue to speak," she retorted over her shoulder, turning and walking to the door. Her dead flesh descended upon the door handle, but she did not turn it, instead pausing and turning to the Mekhet once more. He was ignorant, painfully so, but she could not just leave. Not yet. It was her duty, much as it pained her, to spread the word. Tiresome - but necessary. So she lent her voice a placidity she did not feel, and had, so far, not expressed, and attempted to explain once again.

"The moment you died, Mr. Travis, the moment your blood left your corpse, your soul was forever Damned to hell and the poison of evil crept into your soul, and from then on your existence became that of an instrument of the Lord. Your actions, whether you acknowledge them or not, serve his purpose. But only to an extent. Though we are Holy in Purpose, we are Unholy in nature, and we stray often. Thus is why God turned the most foul man ever to walk the earth into a Kindred, and passed unto him the burden of a defined Purpose. Without that reminder of our Purpose we would be just as mankind was without the words of Christ, and we would squander what we have, and in doing so, squander Humanity's potential for everlasting bliss. So yes, Mr. Travis, you are indeed charged with purpose from On High, but by choosing not to follow the message left for you, you scorn that purpose. That is why you cannot become a Deacon. You do not even comprehend the most basic concepts of what the Sanctified stand for. However, if you wish to join the Covenant as a provisional member of the Laity, I would rejoice, and embrace you with open arms," she explained, removing her hand from the door and stepping towards him, arms held out, peaceful and receiving.

"But," she continued, arms suddenly falling to her sides, her voice becoming like that of the soft wind before the tempest, "if you continue to fix your eyes upon a position of leadership while you know nothing, I will make Hell seem kind in comparison to the fate I will plan for you." Every syllable fell, pregnant, now, with malevolence. "For unlike yourself, I relish in Evil, and I enjoy seeing torment left in my wake. So the choice is yours, Mr. Travis. You can accept the palm of friendship, and agree to abandon your hope of membership before you are worthy, or you can provoke the crushing fist of scorn. Which will you choose?" she challenged, attempting to find his eyes and pierce them with her own. She had lent him the information. Now she was offering him incentive to accept it, and consider it. Normally she did not favor such tactics, but her ire had risen to its height this evening.

Unbeknownst to her, Travis' attempt to rile her had worked marvelously.

  3 successes to intimidate the Travis

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-10-30 02:44:53		Josephine rolls 4 to fear my wrath (pres2+intim2) (10 Again)		3, 4, 10, 10, 10, 5, 3		3 successes

[Michael Travis]

  4 Suxx to resist

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-10-30 14:45:03		Michael Travis rolls 7 to Resolve+Composure to ressit intimidation. (10 Again)		2, 3, 10, 9, 5, 8, 7, 8		4 successes

Michael doubts she could follow through with her colorful threats. I am a childe of Abgal. She has no idea who she is dealing with. Still, her new offer was on the table. It could work. Michael has no real interest in becoming a Deacon beyond repaying his debt. Hopefully, Thomas would be equally thrilled to learn that Michael 'accepted' their beliefs. It is all Michael can do to hold back his delight. Checkmate.

Michael frowns, slightly, then nods. "So be it. I will be true to my word. Thomas will have to cope with the dissapointment of not seeing me become a Deacon. There are a great many questions I have had since my embrace." He makes a look of one humble eagerness. "Teach me, please. I spend most of my nights uncovering hidden truths and secrets... it would be unbecoming for me to be thought of as 'ignorant'." That was certainly no lie; Michael was eager to learn anything she was willing to share with him.

"I will undergo whatever rituals or oaths that are necessary." A pause. He tilts his head slightly, as a thought hits him. Convenient truths are sometimes more useful than lies. "I never chose to become a part of the Invictus. It was chosen for me. I want to join your covenant."

[Josephine Sterling]

"Then allow me to embrace you, just as you are hoping to embrace our beliefs," Josephine replied, stepping away from the door. The words sounded more like a matter of course, rather a heartfelt request, but she did extend her arms as though waiting for him to step forward. A gesture was necessary, she believed, to symbolize her abandonment of her threats.

"We will have to speak with the Father about your decision, and he and I must converse on how best to begin your education. I have an idea of how we might begin, but before we do, I am curious as to whether you aspire to one day join the faithful as one who has eschewed the temporal or whether you wish to keep your political trappings even as you embrace a higher purpose."

[Michael Travis]

Discomfort at the idea aside, Michael does not want to do any further damage to the situation - so he approaches her to allow this 'embrace'. Just before he enters what he would consider her personal space, he hesitates, stalling by answering her question. "I'm not entirely sure, myself. Whatever is revealed to me will likely help me answer that." This will not be easy for him. He doesn't allow anything like a frown onto his face, but the hesitation itself probably spoke volumes. So much for being in control of the situation. Though he would sooner approach a lit match than the open arms of a stranger, he closes the remaining gap and approaches her open arms.

[Cayce]

Due to their similar heights, Josephine's chin came just a hair above Travis' shoulder as she folded her arms around him in a display of peaceful intent. Except, for a Vampire, that wasn't strictly true. Her fangs slid down behind her lips, as though in illustration of her thoughts. For the Kine, an embrace meant comfort and love. For the Damned, it meant an opportunity to exploit trust. To feed. So, some might wonder, with that thought in mind, did she desire to feed upon the being in her arms? No, most certainly not. She'd rather lick dried cow blood mixed with vitae and paint again, but the fact remained. At this moment, they were both vulnerable. They offered each other no comfort. Merely restraint. Merely faith in the other. Such was important to show given how direly she'd spoken just moments before.

Her faith in Travis was not strong, however, and soon she pulled back from him, her fangs retreating into their sheathes, unseen beneath her painted mouth. "It might not have been the most pleasant conversation Mr. Travis, but I am nevertheless glad that we have had it. As I mentioned before, I will have to speak with dear Galilei, but we shall contact you soon. Leave here tonight knowing that another path lies open before you, even if it is not the one you had imagined."

[Michael Travis]

As her arms wrap themselves around him, his Beast reminds him of that primal danger the prey feels when confronted by a predator. He is able to control himself to just below the point of panic. Fortunately for him, most of the biological responses associated with fear have long since stopped working, or he might have been shaking. I too am a hunter. He repeats this little mantra in his head, steeling himself against the distinct possibility that this other Kindred - who probably has reasons to want to kill him - would take advantage of the situation. When she does not, and the deed is done, it is all Michael can do to suppress the urge to 'shake' the unpleasantness off of him.

"Thank you. I look forward to it." He offers a smile that does not reach his eyes at his offered half-truth.

OOC

I've got nothing else to add. We can close here, if you like.

[Cayce]

"Fabulous. I shall take my leave, then," the Lady said, inclining her head ever so slightly to Travis before turning once more to the door and passing through it and then out of the Nox.

Excellent scene!