(Barrens) Nighttime Sharpens, Heightens

[Conner Wells]

Conner had thought the Barrens would be quiet. Elysium had been suffocating with the sheer number of Bestial presences vying for subtle dominance or escape, the stimuli threatening to overwhelm his better sense of judgement. But Conner hadn't counted on the hunger...the aching, gnawing, thundering hunger that clawed away at his focus. It was almost as if he could hear a voice in his inner ear screaming FEED ME!!!

He'd tried meditation and prayer, and that worked for the first few nights. But you can only live off of squirrels and coyotes for so long before you being to crave more social prey. He missed the concrete jungle of Sacramento, and the beating hearts that nourished his Bestial appetites and his Human ones. The denizens of the Barrens just weren't up for a cuddle.

So Conner turns to his Sire's preferred method of 'blowing off steam': wailing away on an inanimate object.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-08-02 14:30:01	[03] Conner Wells rolls 5 to Take Out Frustration (Str + Weaponry + Equipment: Tonfa) (10 Again)	4, 9, 3, 3, 4	1 success

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-08-02 14:30:01	[02] Conner Wells rolls 5 to Take Out Frustration (Str + Weaponry + Equipment: Tonfa) (10 Again)	9, 7, 7, 7, 9	2 successes

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-08-02 14:30:01	[01] Conner Wells rolls 5 to Take Out Frustration (Str + Weaponry + Equipment: Tonfa) (10 Again)	1, 7, 2, 1, 1	failure

Conner was currently pummeling a small tree with a tonfa; a lightweight weapon meant for melee defense and punishing foes who let themselves get too close. The tree shuddered under his flurried strikes, and even as his last blow skidded off the trunk's surface, he could begin to feel the edge taken off just a little.

[Maeve]

Maeve makes her way into the lands that are the Barrens. She doesn't miss the place one bit and she knows that Conner, once he gets out, won't miss it either. It is, of course, her fault that he's in there in the first place, but we won't go there. The blue-haired kindred is carrying a tote with her, inside, a simple quilted blanket that is just a little tattered. She has also brought a few books including some plays, a string of poetry, and a little bit of pulp, just to confuse. Or maybe it was just to give him something different to ease the pain of the long nights.


The Shadow watches from afar, curious as she watches him wailing away on this poor tree. After a long moment, she quietly approaches. She should be in a somewhat defensive position, but she isn't. She knows he can't hurt her, not really. After all, she is stronger, and quicker for that matter. And, of course, she has other ways of dealing with those who try to harm her. She takes a good look over him and notes just how feral he looks, how beat up and scarred he looks. To a degree, it's kind of hot.


"Did you get yourself all beat up just for me? Rugged looks kind of good on you."


And then she drops the snarkiness for a moment, "It's bad isn't it?"

[Conner Wells]

The voice catches him by surprise. But should it have? Secretly he'd been hoping to have some time to have closure with his fellow Shadow. I just hoped it would be someplace indoors, with a couch and a ceiling and four walls. He lets out a shaky, low, almost felid sigh. His voice is notably deeper for a few syllables as he addresses his intruder/friend. "Thank the bobcat. I've still got his ear somewhere, I think." Or did he throw it away? Damn! Waste of a good souvenir "But yeah, I think it's starting to grow on me." He walks over to where a reinforced trench-coat hangs on a stray branch and tucks his tonfa into a belt-sheath. Then, finally, he turns to face Maeve.

The Bestial pressure in his chest intensifies. Frustration, anger, disgust, a just a hint of longing that held the rest at bay for the moment. He looks her up and down, remembering all to well how those curves had felt pressed up against him; how those lips had crashed into his and held on for dear life. He'd asked her to hold on back then, he'd respected her position of weakness. Would she do the same. "Yeah, it's bad. The whole Nebuchadnezzar thing sucks." Maybe that was the point. He looks at the bag, and there's a bit of hunger in his eyes. "I don't suppose you have a Vitae Reliquary or three in there?"

[Maeve]

The pale, blue-haired woman sighs, "I wish. I don't want to get you sentenced further. Somehow they always find out." She gives him a look of something. Not exactly pity, but perhaps the kind of look someone gives a friend when they've fucked up and they can't do anything about it. "I'm sorry you're going through this. At least, it should go back quicker than you'd think. You kind of black out for bits towards the end and I would hate to say that helps, but it does."

She sets down the tote and begins unpacking it slowly, squatting as she does to avoid any dress malfunctions with her mid-thigh length black dress. In general, she looks like your typical goth girl tonight. A black dress with a leather jacket atop and thigh high socks paired with black boots. "Want to find a nice spot? I was thinking we could chill out, chat, maybe read some poetry and be all gothy like we'd talked about once? Sometimes it's just nice to have company when it gets hard." She offers a sweet smile.

It was weird, being around Conner right now made her feel like she used to with her ex. She was a hard bitch with everyone else but Asher. He never made her feel weak, nor did he hold her back. She was a strong woman who happened to have a partner. He's been gone a long time though now. She hoped she wasn't just trying to replace him.

[Conner Wells]

Maeve's apology hits Conner like a freight train, his usual stoicism melting into surprise and...relief? This wasn't like Maeve's callous first apology, she meant it. In a way, that almost scared him more than the Prince or Twist.

He sees her unpacking the bag; books. Was this their Shakespeare in the graveyard they'd talked about so long ago? "Yeah, thanks." That was all he could've said in the moment. Any more thought on her gracious gesture and he might've just kissed her right there. Conner gestures towards a patch of rocks to the side that could function as decent seats. "How about over here?" He walks her over and sits down. He's quiet for several moments, lost for words as Beast and Man wrestle internally over what next course of action to take every few seconds. It was a dance he'd become all too familiar with during his tenure there. "What did you want to talk about?" The Shadow was a social animal, even when weighed down with hunger and guilt. And he was sure they had a lot of the same things on their minds.

[Maeve]

Maeve pulls out the quilt from her bag, "Here, we can make it at least a little more comfortable," she says, laying it on a slightly smoother patch of ground. "I used to do this as a teenager, just going out into the woods, setting down a blanket, and doing that witchy be one with nature kind of thing." She sits down and takes a moment to look up at the mostly covered sky. It was the closest thing they'd get to a blue sky now. Just the stars when it wasn't cloudy overhead.

"Really, I just thought you could use company, but..." She purses her lips, "How are you after last court?" her voice is quiet and there is something in her azure eyes that implies she's unsettled. "It wasn't pleasant, obviously, to say the least. Are you okay?"

The thing is, she wasn't okay. She had nightmares about it over and over again, except it was her in the receiving end. It was mildly traumatizing to watch. This is the heinous, monstrous society they live in. Humans certainly do the same, but to the average one... this isn't how life is supposed to be.

[Conner Wells]

Conner flinches a bit at Maeve's mention of 'witchy', but otherwise doesn't object to the idea of more comfortable seating. He sits on the soft fabric, thankful that his unfeeling flesh had something more than rocks and grass. He joins her in looking up at the sky, stars blinking in through the clouds in a way you couldn't see from the city. "Pretty sure the technical term is 'druid'." A chuckle sneaks in through the unease. He was genuinely happy Maeve was here. Even if he wasn't sure of how the two related to each other just yet.

Maeve mentions last Court, and Conner stiffens. The hungry Beast shrinks with him, unwilling to relive the barbarity of Mr Kowalsic's punishment. He looks over at Maeve and sees those blue, fiery eyes full of concern. He sighs. Quinn wasn't here; Quinn might not even understand part of where he was coming from. Or maybe she would, and he didn't want her to be the one to listen to him. The hunger jumbled up his emotions, making it difficult to gauge who he was upset with or for what reason.

"I've seen things like us do terrible things. To Humans...to each other..." ​He thinks back to the first few seconds with his Sire, seeing her explode in the midst of his human assailants like a starving fox among chickens. "Mr Kowalsic deserved banishment for what he did. He broke an actual law, a law that actually protects us. But the rest... Here his voice is broken by a feral snarl "the rest was to pacify that BITCH." Old wounds since closed began to peel open with hunger and rage. "Otherwise, what was the point? Did the Prince really love Twist enough to go to such lengths to make up to her? How are we supposed to compete with that?" His thoughts given voice burned the air around him. He was right, Quinn would be furious with his language. "What is the cutoff? What lines can be crossed before we rip each other apart? What's the point of pretending to be friends when everybody just wants to see you flayed open? I'm expected to lead a whole goddamned Covenant, and now I'm on the shit-list of every Vampire that could stonewall my every move. And that's just from..."

Conner's hands had curled up into the quilt, kneading it almost to the point of tearing. "But I couldn't deny it. God help me, it all kind of made sense." He shudders. ​"Prince Antiori didn't break the rules, Mr Kowalsic did...I did." He looks back at Maeve. "I want to be strong. I want to be powerful. But I'm so far out of my league." His gaze hardens. "And I don't want to play by their playbook."

[Maeve]

She listens silently, giving him the space to get it out. He needed to talk it out, she could tell that much, and frankly, so did she, but she's the one that asked. She watches him, the anger, the hunger, the rage, the sensitivity. There is a twitch of her lip when he calls the Twist a bitch. Or the Prince. Perhaps both really applied in the situation.


"They're monsters, real monsters. The Prince doesn't care about anyone but her own and frankly, that stands true for almost every kindred in this city - including Quinn." And Quinn would do anything to climb up a social ladder. I guarantee that would include flaying someone.


"Everyone keeps saying we're all the same and I just can't disagree more over and over again. We're never going to be like they are and God, I never want to be. Fuck, if strong means being one of them, I'd rather die. I'd rather die happy, knowing I'm not a piece of garbage human than become the monster they expect me to be.


"Jennifer says these laws are what keep us from tearing each other apart. Sure. Some of them might, but I've seen cities of younger Kindred and while they're more wild, they aren't like this. This city is full of Invictus too, which only makes it worse... Every law is taken to the nth degree" She shakes her head and sighs frustrated with it all.


"But let's be honest, Conner. What rule did you really break? I egged you on and you expressed a want for me. You did nothing that I probably didn't deserve to get thrown back at me. And then Quinn - that bitch, threw you up on a leash. Then she blasted you for it. Blasted us for something so miniscule. The only rule we really broke was pissing off the Prince. And let's be honest, that could be anything and they'll find a rule of the Domain or Elysium to apply it to."


She sets a hand on his and god, all she wants to do is just melt into a puddle with him in silence for a little bit, "You're right though. I felt it too in my gut. Mr. Kowalsic deserved to be punished, but he didn't deserve that. It..." she has to look away, "I keep seeing it. Over and over again." her voice is hushed then. "And then the way the she just walked out, giving Twist full control of whatever she wanted?" In truth, she's never felt more terrified.

"I hated feeling as powerless as I did. We just had to watch, be reminded that that could be us. I'm surprised Ed even walked out with his life. I was scared." Somehow it just feels okay to tell him these things. He won't judge her for them. She can actually be honest for once with someone, something she hasn't had that in a long time.

[Conner Wells]

Conner's unbeating heart sinks into his toes. He could see where Maeve was coming from...or was it the bitter hunger clawing away at his reasoning? Quinn was, at her core, a ruthless tactician trained by some of the most diabolical minds the Invictus could Sire. She'd been literally bred to be a political weapon for a war coterie. But she ran away...she joined the Dragons...she took me in. She can't be like that.

Could she?

But Maeve was right: at the end of the night they were expected, by Clan, Covenant, and Court, to be monsters. Because they sure as Hell weren't Human anymore.

But the wheels in the Shadow's mind, addled as they were, began turning. And Conner wonders if, by Providence, this whole ordeal had happened so that Maeve and Conner could have this conversation. Conner looks at Maeve with a calm firmness; she deserved to know. "Quinn isn't our enemy Maeve; she's family. She didn't leash me in that instance in Elysium, we have a Blood Tie." He says this as if Maeve wouldn't know what he was talking about; as if she didn't already have the power to bind him just as easily, or that he knew she did. "My sire, Rowan, is Quinn's grandsire. That Blood Tie has existed for as long as we've both been Kindred. She just used it in that moment to blunt the Prince's anger." Like the shrewd manipulator she is. "And I don't think she's exactly like the rest of them..." He leans in, voice lowered almost impossibly low for human vocals. "And I think I can prove it."

Conner feels Maeve's hand on his, and their eyes meet. Yes, that was exactly the sensation he'd felt when the Prince had left Court: powerlessness. It sickened him to his core, and he hated it. Beast and Man alike despised being out of control. He'd already lost so much because of forces outside his ken. He lets go of the quilt and puts her hand over Maeve's. "I think a lot of us were scared." ​Hell, Milton looked like he was about to wet himself, and that man looked like he couldn't express his way out of a cardboard box. "Twist was Heinrich's Priscus; she'd have been able to punish him anyway. Jennifer, though...I'm not sure that would fly. Not without some kind of all-out-duel." Which reminded him of an earlier surprise in their talk. "You've spoken with Priscus Hazleton? What about?" ​It seemed like practically everyone was getting ahead of him politically.

[Maeve]

"Blood ties are a leash, Conner. It's what my sire used to control me, it's what your sire and his sire used to control them when it was necessary. I might be able to artificially create them, but I don't unless the need is dire. I wouldn't even bond you to me if you asked, not without knowing I can sever it." She wondered if that would be something she'd be able to do. Sever one of her own ties. There has to be a way to do it.

There is just something about the way Conner talks about proving Quinn isn't like the rest of them that doesn't sit right with her. What kind of feelings does saying her name evoke in him? She watches his eyes closely, trying to figure it out.

Read Conner: Subject Quinn - 3 Successes

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-08-02 22:42:24	Maeve rolls 5 to Read Conner Wits + Empathy (10 Again)	9, 1, 9, 9, 7	3 successes

She reluctantly pulls back her hand, still resting on the quilt not far from his. Not far if he wanted to take it again. For some reason, the touch just felt nice. Maybe that was crazy to her. Was she that lonely now? Fuck. Go ahead, Maeve. Be a weak female protagonist that goes stupid for a man.

"God, I would hope so, but you never know. She could have gotten away with anything at that point. The Prince basically blessed it. But... I guess, that's beside the point."

"We had a conversation about how I can stop splitting hairs. I need someone who I can talk to about it who isn't Quinn. I can't trust Quinn. She spilt my secrets and gave me every bit of hell I both did and didn't deserve. Now I've got to worry what J.C. knows because I can tell you right now, he'll probably just eat me if he gets the chance." No, that's just your freaked out perception. Is it? "While I was there, I also met and spoke to Bellemy who is," she pauses looking for the right word, "an interesting character to say the least. I think I like her. She'd be a good ally I think. Though I hate thinking of it like that. I want to be able to call people friends again."