Circle and Solstice

[DaevaDude]

Circe leaves the farmhouse and approaches the assembled Acolytes. Her style of dress is markedly different. She is almost entirely covered by a black, hooded robe with red trim along the sleeves and the edge of the hood. The robe is belted, and from the belt hangs the obsidian blade she'd worn to court. In her right hand she carries a staff of dark wood, the lower end tipped with a dark iron spearhead and a fringe of crow feathers, the other topped with a mummified human hand, the dead fingers of which are wrapped around a disc of obsidian, which is itself set with garnets and silver forming the common symbol of the Circle of the Crone. Streamers of crow feathers are wrapped around the dead hand's wrist. On her shoes she wears Grecian-styled, laced sandals.

Circe is accompanied once more by the wolf and by the strange, hopping creature, and this time by one other animal companion. Looped over the back of her her neck and partially coiled around the arm holding aloft the staff-spear is a long, thick-bodied serpent with a traingular head, its scaled skin decorated in a diamond pattern. The serpent is quite long - probably approaching 6 feet in length were it stretched out. Its tail ends in a rattle. The snake seems to direct its yellow-eyed gaze wherever Circe looks, darting out its red-black, forked tongue to sample the air.

Although Circe was dressed attractively and possessed a certain force of personality when at Court earlier, she now strikes each of the Kindred present as substantially more impressive. Her presence seems almost a palpable force, and it is easy for all present to believe she has a special connection to the divine.

[Jayant Nagaraj]

Jayant drops to one knee in respect to his Hierophant. He lowers his head from the divine and the Mother, his duty as a servant still palpable in his unbeating heart.

He would not have it any other way.

[DaevaDude]

Narration:

Circe looks at the others present, then turns her gaze to Jayant. She places a hand on Jayant's shoulder. It's hard to tell the intent of the gesture - it's too firm to suggest an intent to comfort, and not bold enough to indicate possessiveness - but Jayant feels a sense of calm at the touch.

After a moment, she says "You may rise, faithful one," She speaks in perfectly accented Sanskrit.

[Forn Clakes]

He does so, hands clasped to his back, eyes staring forward but not upon her.

[DaevaDude]

Circe acknowledges Hector's nod with a small nod of her own, looks at the others, then points with the hand-end of her staff-spear. "We will be heading this way, to meet nearby the place I've chosen for services to be conducted. I would like to get to know each of you, what each brings to the Circle and what goals you have. Then we will discuss some Circle business before holding a brief service."

She snarls something, and the wolf trots ahead of her in the indicated direction. "Jayant, if you would take the lead," she indicates, again gesturing with her weapon.

[Sean]

Sean answers Hector. "My Sire was an Acolyte, and the Circle of the Crone seems to embrace the 'Horned Gods'" He snickers "I've always liked that term. Anyway I like the mystique and ritual along with how primal and crazy the Circle can be. I dunno, I've only been dead a couple decades, but I really dig this covenant."

It's kind of a lame answer, but he grins like it was the best fucking answer in the world.

He and Lori head off with everyone else in the pointed direction.

[Jayant Nagaraj]

Nodding to the Hierophant, Jayant takes the lead, each step seeming like a lead weight as conflcit rages inside his mind as he follows the wolf.

He did not know why after years of loyal service he suddenly felt a stranger amongst his faith but his mind kept creeping back to his first ever conversation with Bella.

"Are you a slave or Asp?" she asked of him. At the time, he laughed. He's not laughing no longer. Still, for now, he follows the wolf. Its the only direction he knows.

[DaevaDude]

After walking perhaps a half-mile through scrub and rocky ground, the vampires come to a small clearing, the area around it wooded. Several trees have been felled here, within a year or two by the looks of it, and much of the scrub brush taken out, leaving felled trees and stumps. Circe gestures for the others to be seated on the stumps or felled trees, but she herself remains standing near the other end of the clearing. The wolf prowls around in the shadows of the trees behind her, while not straying too far away. The two twisted creatures climb up trees to crouch on high limbs, looking around.

"I would like each of you to talk a bit about yourselves," Circe says. "Tell us what brought you to the Circle, your perspective on the faith, how the faith is part of your Requiem, and what you can give to the Circle."

She turns to Jayant. "Since you have been in this domain longest and are a noted and established member of the Kindred community, I respectfully request you speak first, in recognition of your seniority and accomplishments."

[Jayant Nagaraj]

Now, that was a surprise; seniority. Still, he stepped forward and spoke, his Nepalese accent coming through.

"I am Jayant Nagaraj of Clan Mekhet. It is because of the blood of my kin that I am a part of the Circle. I am a bodyguard first and foremost. I serve the Mother and protect those which she asks. Before being Embraced, I practiced Hinduism and that still bleeds into my beliefs as an Acolyte."

Realizing it was the most he had spoken in one sentence, Jayant suddenly goes quiet and averts his eyes to the ground.

"My apologies."