Propositions

[Josephine Sterling]

A few nights after having received her reply to the conversational request sh'd sent to the Prince, she arrived in the lower portion of the Nox, dressed once more in black and silver. Her footfalls alternated between the muffled scuff of carpet and the staccato beat of her soles off of hard floors as she approached the Prince's office. Eventually, the footfalls came to a halt before the desired doorway and Josephine stood there, the gears of her watch ticking, ticking, ticking by before she finally raised a hand and rapped flesh wrapped bone against the door...

[Asa]

After a few moments, the door swung open on well oiled hinges.

The hand holding it disappeared into a French cuff, and clean, neat lines of a tailored dress shirt that lacked a tie or jacket. Asa's natural eye level was several inches over the inky black hair, and lowered. It was the gaze of a predator focusing on prey, the sudden press of the weaker Beast challenging his own. Small, weak, a reflection of their appearances.

The flash of rage, at the intrusion, and the sudden memory of Mass suddenly invoked, like an ember suddenly doused with gasoline. A rage to consume her, to truly show her what sort of monsters they could truly be.

"Good evening...." The pause was a fraction longer than the usual space between words.

"... Josephine ."

The effort to respect her wishes rather than his own habits gave him pause even as he wrestled the conflagration back down to a white-hot ember. Controlled, but still burning bright.

Asa moved sideways, widening the door to open fully.

"I heard that you wanted to speak to me?"

He gestured towards a large semicircular couch that faced a pair of club chairs, all of which orbited an over-sized ottoman.

[Josephine Sterling]

"But not read about it, it seems," she replied, her lips attempting to form a smile that might be called friendly. In truth, her comment was not meant to be snide, merely humorous, and though there was a small spider of fear that brushed over her skin, Josephine was simply too tired of cowardice to feel regret. Indeed, though she was not beyond care, her hatred of stagnation beat alongside her heart, and thus she felt daring.

The masked essence of the Demon Prince certainly aided this.

"Alas, that is a triviality. It is the same. So yes, Alder Prince, I do wish to engage you for some measure of intercourse."

Again, an attempt at humor. The word, as Vivian would no doubt be tickled by, simply meant conversational interaction. It wasn't until the late 19th century that came to mean something more physical.

"I hope that it would not inconvenience you to share words? I am, of course, at your disposal."

A third joke. An acknowledgement of the very corporeal power which the Prince wielded over the Domain. Any of his subjects could be disposed of with no more than the utterance that it was desired to be so.

[Asa]

For a few moments, Asa just calmly studied the woman.

Is that a smile?

There was nothing in the thought that hinted at humor, or empathy, or even victory that someone might feel for coaxing pleasure from another. The slight widening of the mouth in the too-perfect features whose pallor was only accentuated by every in-place black hair was just too ghastly for it to be anything but simple curiosity.

There was always the other curiosity -- how long even the Blush of Life could animate this calacatta marble enough to maintain the Masquerade.

He would stand or sit, following her suit, but for the moment simply waited in the stillness and silence that only those already dead can manage. The pleasantries, he left to writhe and die after they'd left her lips rather than extending their life with his own -- much like the welcome and support he'd given her as both Family and Second Estate which she had driven a stake through.

"Now is convenient," he agreed, closing the door behind her.

The new NFL season hadn't started yet. Plenty of time to order new furniture and flooring.

[Josephine Sterling]

"Wonderful. Thank you, Alder Prince Clarke," she returned smoothly, stepping further into the lair. That was, after all, how she viewed this room. Not that she had any illusions that he slept here, yet as far as she knew this was the space where he seemed to rule the Domain from. Thus her entrance was either him welcoming her into the space where his power was strongest, or by welcoming her into such a place, he was granting her the acknowledgement that she was a part of the power. Likely, it was both.

Nevertheless, Josephine casually chose a seat upon the couch and sank onto it, deciding that it served no purpose to be daunted. There were too many times in one's life, Damned and not, when all one could do was submit to the fact that others had power over them. Of course, in her mind at least, by acknowledging that one was freed to pursue whatever measure of power was still possessed.

"So," she begun, crossing her legs and settling against the upholstery of the couch. "in recognition of the fact that convenience is fleeting, I do hope that you'll pardon my abandonment of the usual inquiries and instead press towards the heart of the matter. As I mentioned in the letter, I believe that a rift of a sorts has developed between us, though what I did not mention was that I believe that rift has developed as a result of my misunderstanding. Nevertheless, I do not know how things appear to you, Alder Prince. Doubtless, your vantage allows a clearer view of events than my own."

[Asa]

Upon entering, one might reconsider if this were truly a place where Asa spent much time. Although elegantly appointed, a careful eye would note it was fairly spartan compared to the other two rooms he could commonly be found in -- his office upstairs, and the Green Room.

Asa waited for her to sit, then lowered his large frame into the club chair -- facing her, rather than sharing the couch. He leaned forward into a relaxed posture, resting his forearms on his knees. There were words enough to pick apart; to possibly turn over, to taunt her with. Feigning ignorance or misunderstanding until the inevitable moment when it became undeniable that he was simply entertaining himself by jerking her around.

"I am surprised," he began. A slight rise of a brow and tilt of the chin lent an air of candor to the words. "That as deliberate an intellectual as you seem, that you would lash out so quickly. In this, perhaps you see more clearly than I do, for I cannot fathom any gain I might seek for what you took to be intended offense. Or, any gain which could not be much more quickly and easily achieved."

Dark eyes regarded Josephine. Priscus she might be, but of course he couldn't help but wonder how close she was to truly deserving the accolade -- how close she was to mastering their Blood.

"If this is a discreet inquiry as to whether I will champion a new Priscus, or set my Covenant against yours, then the answer to both are 'No, I will not'."

[Josephine Sterling]

"It is no wonder that you are surprised, Alder Prince. In truth, I am, as well," Josephine confessed, her features composing themselves into a grave mask. "However, I am an individual that has been Damned, and thus, in a sense, it is not so surprising that I have shown such inferior moments of judgement. Fortunately, I have had time to realize the erroneous assumptions which encouraged such lashing, as you put it. I feared that there was a game you were playing. A sort of Puppet Play, where the Reeve, Monomacy, and the Mass were all pieces you were moving to teach me my place. And of course, you are correct, there would be no point to such a game, aside from entertainment."

A delicate shrug, an unnatural motion from such a still figure, briefly lifted the black velvet of her jacket.

"Regardless, I am pleased to hear that you do not wish to replace me, or to drive the Sanctified from the city. Odd, perhaps, that of all the phantoms that I feared, those were not present. Or perhaps not, considering how arrogant those phantoms truly are. Nevertheless, I am sure you are growing bored hearing me speak of myself. So allow me to ask you, what are your thoughts? How might you wish to see things change?"

[Asa]

"You are a part of a Puppet Play."

Asa offered the hint of his own shrug.

"You are also incredibly arrogant to think that it would be arranged to teach you your place." The side of his mouth quirked in amusement as he straightened, then leaned back. "But it would asinine to support you as a paragon of Lords and think that you would not be."

Her other fears begged the question, but that was a tangent -- a luxury.

"My thoughts revolve around a simple problem, to which I have not found a simple solution. If we both agree that you made a mistake, then I am still left with having you let you be less than respectful to me, in public. It might be tempting to think that this is a matter of pride, but it is a matter of policy. Whatever the truth may be, it damages the perception of my praxis. So I have to consider whether to punish you, and how."

Leather and creaked as he settled his weight against it, and crossed a leg.

"It annoys me more that you have put me in this position than what you actually did. That being said, would you now understand that any such punishment would be for you, and you alone, and not in any way directed toward the Lancea et Sanctum?"

[Cayce]

"My question, Alder Prince, is whether others would understand that the punishment was intended purely me and not for the Lancea et Sanctum. Unfortunately, it seems that the fool Carthian's have chosen to posture and pose upon the Spear, and I have no doubt they would whisper about such a punishment directed toward who they perceive to be an ally. Not that such whispering would be truly threatening to your praxis, of course, but as you say, it wouldn't do to strengthen your policy. But, if I may, I might suggest a solution."

The Lady waited a moment, not to give the illusion that she was waiting for permission, but merely to allow her to once more gather her thoughts. It was a twisted argument she would be attempting to use, yet she had no doubts that the Prince would be able to easily follow it. Thus, it was best to begin slowly, so that there was no illusion about her goal.

"If I were no longer Sanctified, then nothing would get in the way of your punishment, nor its reception. Wouldn't you agree?"

[Asa]

Carthians.

Live long enough, and the word said volumes. Consuming themselves, but always rising from their own ashes. A Covenant that had caught his eye, more than once, because of the opportunity it presented... to any Lord.

"Forgive me. I know that you were... being humorous, earlier." A hand gestured towards the door.

"I cannot tell if you are doing so again, now."