Warehouse of Woe

[Alice Hart]

Alice made her way to the warehouse, not the blood soaked one that saw the death of not only the Brood, and someone who'd once been a Domain Official before madness overthrew her, but to the one that Ale secured for Damian Business, but had more often then not seen the Keystones practicing their combative techniques.

Fitting that Alice would meet Alessandra Antinori, Reeve and fellow Keystone here.

Alice didn't know if she was slick enough to sidestep the concerns Ale was sure to bring up about that blood soaked scene. Hopefully Ale understood. Understood that Alice wasn't an animal, she hadn't attacked anyone but the Brood, even wracked with frenzy. Alice had tried. Tried so fucking hard to resist the siren's call of the Blood spattering the ground, but it...it was just too much for the starved Haunt.

She...she lost control. But she wasn't an animal.

(She wasn't! she wasn't!)

...she didn't have to be put down like one. Right?

Ale's voice echos.

(we're not above the Law)

Alice sighed, resisted the urge to run, and waited for her friend.coteriemate.reeve fate.

[Alessandra]

In all honesty, the Savage really didn’t want to see anyone. At least not until she had fully healed.

But things happened and things need to be discussed. What the outcome would be? She had no clue.

So she drove herself over, her mind going over the different ways to approach this. Does she simply say nothing and see if Alice would bring it up? Or go in there demanding answers?

Getting out of the car, she pulls the hood up on her hoodie. Not all her wounds were healed, so she needed to make sure she was covered. Just in case a Kine happened by or something.

She sees Alice as she enters, knowing the Haunt will have felt her Beast, and stops a safe distance away. How hungry was Alice? Could she frenzy again? Those thoughts ran through her mind as she eyed her Coterie Mate, her friend.

“Hey Alice.” She simply greets.

[Alice Hart]

The sound of a car approaches, the specific engine of Ale's Torino, then to make doubly sure that Alice knew just who was on aproch she feels the full weight of Alessandra's Beast. The Wraith thrashes, and thrashes again. Alice digs her fingers into the sides of her legs, just to keep them from reaching for the Italian. Alice didn't know what the Wraith wanted more, to flee from the women...or the blood she carried.

"Hey, Ale." Alice relaxes her fingers, and pushes herself off the wall. "So..." She trails off. How should she start? How would this go? "So..." she repeated lamely with a strings pulled shrug. "Did you...?" She trails off again. She was scared. Because she knew how this was going to go. There was a reason why she and the Wraith wanted to run. Flee. And never look back. But she wasn't the same Alice who would do that without a second thought, she was more then what she used to be and she fucked up. "Call the Prince?" Would he meet them here? Declare her rabid and watch the Reeve put her down?

[Alessandra]

The Savage watches the Haunt move, pushing herself off the wall. Eyes judging the distance between them in case Alice lost it again, wanting enough space to grow her claws and defend herself.

She hadn’t seen Alice this hesitant since that night, that night she confessed to killing Bea. But even then, there was a strength within her still. But now? She didn’t know.

The silence stretched for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts. Her heart, what was left of it, and her mind at odds. This was Alice, her Coterie Mate and a friend, the Seneschal of the Domain. But this was the same Kindred who had been punished for her crime, and who had frenzied. Asa’s words echo loudly in her head, reminding her that she gave her word that she would put Alice down if she frenzied. But could she?

Silently she curses at herself. She should be able to separate her feelings and her job, things should not be complicated.

There was a shake of her head, she needed to focus on the here and now. The future would unfold as it was supposed to.

“No Alice, I haven’t.” she says quietly, “I wanted to talk to you first.” She had to know this was difficult for the Italian. "A lot happened that night, but what happened to you?" she wasn't mocking her, she was just looking for answers, for anything to grasp onto.

[Alice Hart]

Alice was blunt, and honest. There should be no reason why a Kindred like her survived and thrived in the vipers pit that was Kindred society.

Alice chewed on her lip, not enough to brake the skin. If she did, she might turn into one of those horror stories. A vampire continually trying to feed on themselves...no. She wouldn't do that. Never.

Teeth leave her lip.

If she still had eyes she would be looking up at Ale from under her lashes, but she only had horrifying empty sockets. Though that still doesn't prevent her from making the motions - though aborted as they turned out to be.

Aminutemomentforever Ale speaks. Alice lets out a breath she didn't know she'd taken.

"Okay. Okay." Alice nods, rapidly. Jerking more then it had in months. "I didn't call him either. I...wanted to talk to you first too."

She was blunt and honest. That is why she normally ran. She didn't have it in her to lie all the damn time. Even if she was good at it.

"I...lost control. There was too much blood in the air. I couldn't rein in the Wra-Beast."

Alice folds, unfold and refold her hands, twisting and twining her fingers together.

"But I didn't attack any of you. Only the Brood." though that was more by circumstance then by design.

[Alessandra]

She couldn’t deny the fact that Alice was right, about the blood in the air. “We weren’t prepared for such an attack.” If she had known, she wouldn’t have let Alice join them.

The twisting of her hands was noted, Alice was nervous. Not that she could blame her, her Requim was in the air right now.

Eyes close as Alice points out she didn’t attack them, only the Brood. Like it made it better or easier.

“I know you didn’t, but that still doesn’t excuse what happened.” Ale was no stranger to frenzy, she had almost frenzied quite a few times. Gasoline and flares would do that to a Kindred. But could she have prevented the frenzy? If she had the ability that Victoria had, could she stopped it? But there really wasn’t a chance to, there were too many of them and survival was more important.

“I’m struggling here Alice.” The pain obvious in her voice. “The fact that you lost control again puts me in a tough place. I have the Prince’s orders, and for once in my life, I’m struggling with them.” Alice was an asset to the Domain, but a threat as well.

[Alice Hart]

"We should have been." Alice whispers. "We new how many were in the cell, or around how many thanks to the phone. Their numbers could have increased or decreased. But we should have expected..." Alice trails off. There was no use in repeating what she'd just said.

Her hands still, then drop. Limp by her sides.

"I know." A slow jerking nod. "I know it doesn't."

It had happened. She lost control. She fucked up. She should have done more. Been more. Had better control over herself.

"I know." Another slow and jerking nod. "I know this isn't...good for you. You're my Coterie mate. My friend. But you're Reeve. You're the one who has to decide what to do. If you're going to follow the Prince's orders or...not."

Alice brings her hands up, fingers splayed.

"We could do something else." Alice pauses. "You don't have to, you can follow your orders or not, or...you've seen Game of Thrones right? The fight scenes - their trail by combat, in which the Gods grant their favor to whoever's in the right...." Alice trails off. Alice didn't want to die, but this might be the easiest why to keep her friend from feeling guilt over killing her - following her orders.

[Alessandra]

There was a heavy sigh, “We missed something along the way. Rather it was my connections, or something internal, I don’t know yet. But I intend to find out.” How the Brood had been able to find them still boggled her mind. Was it some weird blood magic?

She looks at Alice baffled, did she seriously just suggest trail by combat?! A blind Haunt against a Gangrel?

“Wait, you can’t possibility be serious right now. A trail by combat? You against me? I’m not doubting your fighting skills, but I know my own and it would be brutal.” Unless Alice had an ace up her sleeve. “And doesn’t that only work if both parties believe there is a god to judge who is right and who isn’t? Cause I’m probably one of the least religious people you’ll meet.” But that was beside the point. It wasn’t false gods that won fights, it was skill and power. Her tone softens, "I never want to use my Claws against another Kindred I consider a friend, especially one I also consider family." at that moment she hoped Alice wouldn't force her hand in the matter.

“Plus, if you were thinking of using, what is the word they use, a Champion? I think that’s it, to fight in your place, then you are escaping a judgement that was issued by His Grace.” She imagined the Haunt would want Robert to fight for her if that was the case. And that wasn’t going to happen.

“That aside, it doesn’t absolve me of my job. My punishment for choosing too risky a punishment for you is having to put you down.” A hand raised and rubbed her forehead, eyes closed.

“If I don’t follow his orders, I fail not only him, but the Domain as well. He trusted me in this position to see that his orders are carried out.” She put down one friend already, well, one Cousin who could have been a friend. Could she do it again?

There was a groan of frustration, “But damn it Alice this isn’t easy. I didn’t want it to come to this, it shouldn’t have to come to this.” Pain and anguish was mixed in her tone. This whole mess reminding her again of why she kept people at a distance.

She replays Asa’s words in her mind. Put her down. Did that equate to ashing her? Or simply staking her?

[Alice Hart]

"Fine!" Alice barks out, baring her teeth, but not her fangs. Not yet. "You think I'm weak. To fucking pathetic to fight my own battles. I'm not!" Alice's hands thrust out her fingers clenched into fists. "I'm not weak. I fight my own fucking battles! I don't need a champion!"

She's shaking like she's heaving breath.

"I am a champion." She finishes softly.

There's silence as Alice stands there shaking her head. An always strings pulled motion.

"Okay. Okay. You wont fight me because I believe. Have Faith, and you don't. Fine. Okay. But you need to know that I'm not, an animal that needs to be put down."

Alice brakes from where she stood. Stepping not to where she could feel the press of Ale's Beast, but out. Prowling, pacing. Back and forth and back and forth.

"Okay. You need to punish me for my loosing control." Alice stops and hopefully turns herself around to face the Italian once more. "So...chain me up. And hit me. Tear a strip from me, and I'll keep my mind. I'll prove I'm not an animal. That I'm not some dumb mutt that has to be shot out back."

Something had to give. Either Ale would go with her first suggestion and the Gods will decide. Or Alice will be chained, proving her metal.

Or...or she's not going to live to see tomorrow.

[Alessandra]

The Savages eyes widen in a mixture of surprise and amusement.

“Never said you were weak, that’s your words, not mine. I simply said it would be a brutal fight and one I didn’t think you could win. Doesn’t mean you’re weak, it just means I know I’m armed, armed with claws that could flay the skin off your bones. And I don’t want to use them against you.” She wasn’t mocking, and there was an edge to her own voice, but it was a fact that most Savages were nasty brutal fighters. It’s what they did. “I only mentioned the Champion thing cause that seems to be a theme in the series.” Everyone knew the short guy didn’t fight, he had Champions do it for him. It was a thing.

And then the anger seems to pass, and Ale softens her voice,

“Alice, I’ve never seen you as an animal, and I never will. We all have the Beast within us that drives us for our most important needs. I’ve put a restriction on one of your most important needs, not only to punish, but to try and help you learn to control your Beast, learn to overcome those urges. Not being able to control it creates not only a security concern, but a risk to the Masquerade. What if you hadn’t stopped? What if you had gone after Cross, myself, or worse yet, left the warehouse? We wouldn’t be having this conversation.” There was a hint of disappointment and sadness as she spoke.

Tired eyes watch the Doll pace.

“It’s not me you need to prove anything to.” Voice soft once again. But surely Alice knew that.
“If I chain you and attempt to push you into another frenzy, don’t I go against the Prince’s direct orders?” it wasn’t really a question, more a statement. “You were there, you remember his orders, his words. Your punishment had been the banishment to the Barrens.” She did not want to ash Alice. “Do you really believe that if I forgo my orders and he finds out, that either of us will see another night? Disobeying a direct order from the Prince has consequences and I’d be signing the warrant for my own Final Death.” She understood that Alice was scared right now, she could very well not walk out of this warehouse tonight.