September 22

Einar: So I have a project that I would like to do. I wish to construct a giant marble sculpture with a finger going like this … pointing it to Washington DC and saying Fuck You Tiny Tull. Because I do not like him. I’m going to kill him.

Raoul: Yeah … that sounds like a fun …

Einar: It sounds like a sure and rational response from a bad ass vampire.

Raoul: Yeah, giant finger

Einar: You don’t have to agree with me when I’m saying stupid shit.

Raoul: *laughs* It sounds like a fun project. I wonder how fast I could do that. Probably an hour or two

Einar: Also there was an Empire of Louisiana who thinks he’s also Prima Invicta his last name is Rostov so I assume he’s another Russian.

Raoul: Ah … So you said they were going to sign another Viceroy to the Great Lakes region?

Einar: I assume they have.

Raoul: And we don’t know who it is?

Einar: I summarize there was another Viceroy appointed to oversee, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri

Ellen: Wasn’t that … uh

Einar: Valdy boy and then he died accidentally.

Raoul: Somehow … yeah. He tripped

Einar: Enrique did it.

Raoul: Right, we know that.

Einar: That’s what I always tell people. Enrique did it.

Raoul: Of course he did

Einar: And they told me, they told some else actually, that they would not reveal the information of who was in the Prima Invicta because they would be afraid they would be assassinated. And I pointed out, that was not, if you are in a mutual defense organization and you can’t have reveal who your members are, that defeats the purpose and therefore that lie was a stupid lie.

Raoul: Right…

Einar: And now I know there is another Prince Godaric and he lives in Little Rock and that I’m never going to Little Rock.

Raoul: I’m sure you’re crying about that one

Einar: I am. In an entire world of travel and in an eternity to see it, Arkansas, Indiana, or New York, well mostly the east coast, so I’ll just be going west for a while.

Raoul: Okay

Einar: My life is a tragedy without end

*Gunshot sounds from the entrance to the temple. Randall cries out in surprise. After a bit Randall and Brian walk into the main room together.*

Randall: … and I’m very happy for you. But there are limits, know your limits.
Brian: Fair enough
Randall: The ones that wind you in a padded room are beyond your limits and not generally wise. I feel like we all have learned something valuable here today.

*Sound of paper rustling as Randall reads a message thrown at him by Brian.*

Ellen: What’s on the back?

Brian: That’s a message for him.

Randall: Ah, nothing interesting

Brian: But you’re right. This was a teachable experience for both of us.

Randall: King’s to you … [[quoting Edmond from The Count of Monte Cristo]] So … where were we?

Einar: We were berating me for saying he could shoot us instead of just me.

Randall: To be fair, come on! You can’t give someone else, the right to shoot someone else.

Einar: I didn’t give him the …

Randall: That’s just not fair.

Einar: I declare I am still the Sheriff and I can give people random rights for no reason

Ellen: All right, maybe not right, maybe invitation is the better word.

Randall: You can’t invite someone

Raoul: To shoot someone else!

Ellen: Exactly

Brian: As his Deputy I felt fully inclined to follow my Sheriff’s …

Einar: Suggestion

Brian: Empowering, to be more to the point

Randall: I do not …

Einar: I owe you a boon for violating your personal serenity. Does that make you feel better?

Randall: It does.

Einar: Okay, like a minor?

Isabella: Jesus Christ, how many people …

Randall: It was only a bullet

Isabella: How many people owe you boons?

Randall: Far more than I think they themselves are aware

Brian: Actually to be fair, I didn’t actually aim for your head, if that makes you feel better

Randall: I do appreciate that

Raoul: How thoughtful

Brian: You are so very pretty …

Raoul: I don’t get this town

Einar: Yes, he was lovely

Ellen: Well … I have to say, I like what you haven’t done with the place

Randall: Oh yeah, I just haven’t picked up since yesterday.

Ellen: Oh that’s perfectly fine. There’s a great adventure to this.

Randall: I mean, I was gonna get it all ready for guests and shit but um

Ellen: I think it’s …

Randall: I don’t know, I thought it could be an activity

Isabella: Did you just get drunk and …

Randall: Like this could be the entertainment for the evening maybe …

Einar: It’s possible

Brian: Is this where I? I don’t actually remember much of what happened after that. Did I end up in here?

Isabella: No … you did not do that to here. You wrecked my club.

Randall: And that was a month ago too

Isabella: That was a month ago. Faulty memories …

Randall: Ah … you had a rough month haven’t you?

Brian: Right …

Isabella: How much do you remember? I don’t want to know.

Brian: Not a whole heck of a lot.

Raoul: Do you remember when you went blind, because that was funny

Brian: I do remember that

Einar: Also, on an unrelated note, a grizzly bear appeared in your neighborhood and that would be a thing. That should probably be taken care of.

Randall: I …

Raoul: You know grizzly bears, they are everywhere

Brian: Really? More things to clean up?

Isabella: Did you let a grizzly bear through the door?

Einar: Yes

Randall: Actually, O'Driscoll, I owe you something because you have gone through way more torture then I had ever planned and way more that would ever be held in case just to teach a lesson.

Raoul: Well, maybe …

Randall: I feel like I owe you something at this point.

Brian: Funny you should say that. If you take it upon yourself to be my teacher …

Randall: Oh no! No … well okay, we’ll talk about it later. Yes. Hypothetical, yes.

Brian: If hypothetically you were to take it upon yourself to be my teacher, you being a high level Crone, would only be in a position to do that if I were, say an Acolyte.

Einar: No …

Brian: In addition, recognized by the Crone

Randall: I thought you were happy in the Invictus.

Brian: I am happy in the Invictus but would I not be recognized if you are going to be teaching me lessons all of the time.

Randall: You are more than welcome in the chorus, of course. The chorus will always have the faithful.

[[The chorus is not an actual title in the covenant, but rather a descriptor for a certain type of member. The chorus is the collective “new converts” to Acolyte ideology, and a probationary member of the Circle.]]

Einar: There’s an important …

Isabella: He wouldn’t be a member of the Crone and a member of the Invictus.

Brian: Ah

Randall: That’s just silly.

Raoul: Yeah, but that Invictus must be respected and he kinda blew that one out of the water

Isabella: You wouldn’t have any status among the Crone and you wouldn’t have any status among the Invictus

Randall: You’re right.

Isabella: If you wish too … if you wish to abandon you status among the Invictus

Brian: Ah, of course not.

Raoul: Baron Driscoll

Randall: But, by all means, you are more than welcome in the chorus.

Einar: Hey look, I am a High Lord of the Acolytes.

Raoul: You go

Einar: We have titles, we can make them up … I am now anyway

Brian: High Lord, why stop there? Why not, High Lord King Shit Viceroy …

Randall: I really do feel that I owe you something …

Raoul: Viceroy is a bad word

Randall: Cause I went way beyond the torture that I intended to inflict and you went through it without learning anything from it. Which is not okay

Ellen: Yeah …

Randall: Punishment that you don’t learn anything from is the only kind of punishment that makes no damn sense.

Brian: To be fair, I learned much. There was much to be learned

Randall: Okay … okay, you feel we’re good?

Brian: mmhmm We’ve had an adequate discussion, a transition of ideas

Randall: Sweet, someone is fixing the table

Brian: You transitioned an idea to me and I transitioned one at higher velocities back to you

Randall: Everybody learned something

Einar: It’s true, you’re supposed to be an outsider who disrespects authority. It’s part of being a Hero

Raoul: Oh God

Einar: So O’ Driscoll came back

Randall: Yeah, we were worried. He was probably in the drunk tank for the last month so

Einar: Exactly

Isabella: Except he wasn’t in the drunk tank …

Jim: You’re leaving your gun on the table?

Raoul: People come through the door and shoot people. I’m leaving it here.

Isabella: He was only in the drunk tank for a night

Randall: We were concerned.

Einar: He could have certainly got lost. When people get lost it frustrates me.

Isabella: It’s important to know where he disappeared from and or he doesn’t have memory of where he’s been from.

Randall: That would be troubling

Einar: If he left he would have to come back to be here

Randall: And we would know if he returned. So he didn’t leave.

Einar: Exactly. That’s my policy

Randall: He’s completely free to do whatever he wants. He’s a member of the Chicago free state.

Einar: Exactly. As long as you obey the traditions

Isabella: Are we calling it that now?

Randall: We’ve been calling it that from day one.

Raoul: We’ve been calling it that for awhile

Einar: I found the greatest coat. Everyone was here for the jewel conversation

Isabella: The jewel conversation?

Einar: The company that turns ashes …

Jim: Oh, oh yes. That is …

Einar: I want to make a crown to the Prince of common sense

Jim: I wanted to actually talk to you about that …

Einar laughs

Jim: No not the crown …

Randall: I feel that I have to say as nonsensical as that it, it becomes somewhat defeating of the point

Einar: It is the point. The point is to gloat

Randall: No, I’m just saying to do something nonsensical in the name of common sense, seems a little silly

Isabella: The problem is whose paying to make the jewels made?

Einar: Everyone

Randall: I don’t know, the Invictus

Isabella: Oh thanks …

Randall: What! What!

Raoul: Yeah!

Isabella: There’s only …

Einar: There are a way things are done. The Crone break all the legs, the Invictus pay for everything. It’s symbiosis.

Isabella: Okay, I’ve got to get something better out of this other than just paying for everything you guys break.

Randall: Do do do you know what you get, do you know what you get? When they storm the barricades, you get us standing between them and you.

Isabella: Okay, I’ll allow it

Randall: Yeah there there, you see

Jim: The thick red line as it were

Randall: The thick red line, thick red bloody, wet red line

Raoul: Now that just makes me hungry

Randall: I forgot that conversation.

Isabella: Do I need to bring food?

Jim: No, we’re okay

Raoul: This isn’t your temple so no…

Isabella: No but I got it out in the hall

Einar: Did you know the Prima Invicta wiped out Lexington?

Raoul: Oh yeah, I remember that

Randall: Wiped out, seriously?

Einar: They will not answer their emails anymore

Randall: Lexington?

Einar: The seneschal or the prince

Ellen: That’s disconcerting

Raoul: Gone? Wiped right off the map?

Randall: That could have been doing something

Raoul: Wow …

Einar: Like, I was sympathetic to their problem …

Randall: Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have great respect for Lexington but I didn’t really know them

Einar: William Della Cava was admired in our covenant

Jim: I’m sorry, William Della Cava?

Randall: Who?

Einar: One of the fathers …

Randall: Oh! I didn’t know …

Einar: One of the fathers who judged

Randall: I didn’t know he was in Lexington

Jim: Neither did I

Einar: He was the prince who surrendered the authority to the uh

Randall: I mean, I knew the name I just never meant him I didn’t really know …

Einar: Yeah, he was the Prince of Lexington

Randall: Wow! That’s … jeez …

Jim: Is he all right?

Einar: I don’t know

Randall: He’s not responding to emails apparently

Einar: I didn’t actually try to email him, I tried to email

Randall: Seneschal

Einar: I copied you on that list

Randall: Mark my words, they are coming here next

Isabella: Are you interested in that girl I talked to you about a month ago?

Raoul: Right …

Randall: I hope they are coming here next.

Einar: I told them that they could come to Chicago …

Isabella: Are you interested in meeting her?

Raoul: Uh, yeah sure, I mean any new experience I’m all for

Jim: I’m going to use the present tense here, in the hope … I mean, I know him, he’s a brilliant man

Randall: I hope so too. I never meant him.

Isabella: If nothing is going on tonight, we could just go over to the club

Raoul: Oh sure, yeah

Isabella: I think she performs tonight

Ellen: William Della Cava

Jim: I admire him greatly

Einar: Big dumb hoard, I can’t spell his name, said he was going to burn his tower to the ground or something

Randall: I lost track of it

Isabella: Are we going to be playing nice tonight?

Raoul: Well, he’s not drunk so that’s plus one

Xiao Feng: Yes mister ( ) said, ‘Ask him questions, are we better then you by doing this?’

Brian: When have I ever not played nice? Even when I was drunk?

Isabella: Okay sweetie, what happened to you that you don’t remember most of the present time?

Einar: Exactly … that was the past month I thought

Brian: That would be one of those philosophical questions if I remembered what happened to me that I don’t remember the past month, I would know what happened to me.

Randall: We were very concerned. Some of us still are.

Einar: Blah, blah, blah, diplomats

Brian: Your concern is greatly appreciated

Isabella: Okay, um

Randall: But you’re okay though?

Brian: As far as I know, yeah

Randall: Okay

Isabella: You’ve got to be … I actually have a couple of questions about something you were yelling

Einar: I think it’s on. The time for peace, for talking has finally passed

Randall: Well …

Isabella: We are not going to go pissing in anyone else’s Cheerio’s anywhere in Chicago

Einar: No

Randall: Chicago is for Chicago is not for Lexington. Chicago is for Chicago

Einar: No, no, no, I understand that part but it appears the Prima Invicta has become more aggressive

Randall: In which case we will …

Xiao Feng: It was only a matter of time

Randall: If they decide to press that we are prepared

Einar: It means the talking phase is over and now the killing phase is coming.

Ellen: If they want to thin out their herd with all these other conquests, then they can come here and we can finish the job

Raoul: Right … as long as they don’t come here

Randall: Why hello, pull up a chair. I mean they are everywhere

Jim: Uh, yeah sure but it’s …

Raoul: Pick one

Einar: You know a shark man. One of our family who turns into a shark but only does it halfway?

Xiao Feng: This is ridiculous

Einar: I know, right!

Randall laughs

Einar: These are the people who infect the masquerade against all comers

Jim: First and foremost

Einar: They will turn into sharkmen and run around the street …

Jim: Let me tip my hat again, to the statement, Chicago is for Chicago is for Chicago and not Lexington. Ultimately they made their decision and Kindred get the government they deserve. We have ours, they have theirs and prior to the one they have now, they were part of the Midwest Imperium, another terrible idea, that one fostered by a man who has not been back to Chicago in quite some time.

Randall: Thank you!

Einar: Who was wanted for death! Apparently, the Sheriff declared it

Jim: That being said

Randall: What?

Einar: Protoculus

Ellen: Oh yes, yes

Einar: He was wanted for crimes, wanted for questioning and crimes against the city.

Xiao Feng: Oh

Einar: And then we’ll kill him

Xiao Feng: Then why question?

Einar: It was a lie I told in public to make it sound better

Xiao Feng: Oh. Why lie?

Einar: At this point because it’s funny

Randall: People expect it of us

Einar: Actually I find that making transparent lies, are very funny, because my lies are very transparent and better then the Prima Invictas

Jim: There’s an element of theater to the whole affair

Einar: Right, the talking phase, but it’s almost over

Jim: The second point to be made there is while I hold Mr. Della Cava in the highest regard, you said that he relinquished his position of authority, within the city?

Einar: The story that I was told, was that William Della Cava …

Xiao Feng: He send email, he said: ‘I am no longer Prince. I wish to devote time to study and faith. So he gives Praxis to someone else. ‘

Jim: And this seems absolutely reasonable given that the Circle of the Crone is first and foremost is a religious organization, not a secular one. Yes?

Xiao Feng: Yes

Jim: So then. Whoever was in charge, uh, still held to this Midwest Imperium which became part of the Prima Invicta and therefore are under their jurisdiction, yes?

Xiao Feng: When Della Cava quit being Prince, he say, I will have nothing to do, Lexington is leaving the Prima Invicta. There were two emails he sent. One …

Jim: Did he …

Xiao Feng: One email he send, Lexington is no longer part of Prima Invicta. But he say, he have nothing against Midwest Imperium

Jim: So did he, in his authority as Prince, attempt to withdraw from the Prima Invicta?

Xiao Feng: I believe so, yes, he did

Randall: Just for clarification on my part, that implies at one point Lexington was part of the Prima Invicta.

Xiao Feng: Yes

Randall: Okay, carry on. Sorry

Jim: So what I’m seeing here is that, it seems difficult that he could pull away from one body which is inherently part of another. It’s a bit like saying, I don’t like my pinky on my left hand, I would prefer it to be part of my right

Raoul: You already have a pinky on your right

Xiao Feng: Yes, but part of, part of the issue I think that they are making is that um when he leave, no one say ‘you can’t do that.’

Jim: All I’m saying is, this smacks of bit of Mister, uh, oh good lord what was his name, Greek from Elgin

Einar: Mesamos

Jim: Mesamos. Thank you. It smacks a bit of that. And certainly while I’m not drawing comparisons between Mr. Della Cava and Mr. Mesamos, there are certain parallels between his successor.

Einar: The issue is …

Randall: The situation is completely different though

Jim: Well it’s seen by them as a succession of part of their whole.

Randall: Yeah …

Einar: The concern is that …

Randall: They made promises from day one that they were cool with that. If you want to go your own way, you’ll cool to go.

Xiao Feng: Since he said, ‘I go now and then a week or two week later, say, I am not Prince, now, he is Prince, then this is not uh Prima Invicta concern.’ But they say that, ‘Despite the fact that there was time between these two things, that, the person, that Della Cava give Praxis to, steal it not from Della Cava but from McGreggor. Which is, uh, stupid.

Jim: No that does seem a bit off. Now let me ask this, is Protoculus no longer a part of the Imperium that he is part of forging?

Xiao Feng: I do not know

Jim: Well, I simply ask because if there is still a Midwest Imperium to be had then, ultimately it falls to …

Xiao Feng: Talbot or McGreggor who run this. I don’t know

Einar: Talbot use to run this and now McGreggor says she does

Randall: McGreggor runs the Midwest Imperium

Jim: If she runs the Midwest Imperium and Lexington is part of the Midwest Imperium

Einar: She is also full of horse shit

Jim: Then that is a matter for them

Xiao Feng: But because she is Prima Invicta she use their muscle

Jim: And that is where the problem comes in. Now certainly there is no love lost for Viceroy McGreggor, I find her to be an abomination of the highest order. Largely for her actions in Indiana above and beyond whatever she’s done in Lexington.

Randall: No one denies any of this.

Einar: We were planning on killing her even before the Prima if she came back to Chicago even before this Prima Invicta nonsense came out. Randall: For the record, I’m not part of that we.

Einar: I was. You were there.

Randall: That royal we

Jim: Up unto the point wherein she called in the misericordia, I believe she was within her right.

Randall: Oh right she just tried to kill you.

Einar: Yeah … Yeah no, I uh

Jim: That is another thing

Einar: Me, Parker and Black Cat were going to do it.

Randall: A lot of people tried to kill you, yeah. Anyway, go ahead

Jim: No but that was my point. Until the point when she invokes misericordia, I believe it’s simply ...

Randall: Can someone tell me what that is?

Shane: A special end of the …

Jim: Secret police essentially. It’s their STARS, their SS …

Einar: The Prima Invicta use to be, not the Invictus, but their secret police is the Invictus secret police

Randall: Oh, yeah yeah, got it

Einar: The misericordia were the Invictus secret police, the concern for me is that Cole, the one from Boston, was saying the Prima Invicta reserve the right to support the Praxis of member Princes.

Randall: Okay

Einar: Which can be interpreted to be, Valdy boy

Xiao Feng: But he does not have a Praxis

Einar: No because we killed him.

Xiao Feng: Yes

Einar: Which is retrospect was a terrific idea and I’m sorry I’ve argued against it

Randall: Also he was not a Prince, he was a Viceroy.

Ellen: Yes

Einar: That’s true. Technically before he joined the Prima Invicta we ran a Praxis seizure on him.

Randall: But anyway! The point is that, um

Einar: I’m sorry I just …

Randall: The Prima Invicta has completely gone back on everything they said about how a city is free to go its own way and do its own thing.

Einar: Well, that’s great. That was Alex Finn’s point. Was that they are now saying that they have the right, no they murdered the Prince of Hamilton too.

Randall: Hamilton …

Einar: Kentucky

Xiao Feng: Yes

Randall: No I know about that, right, right

Xiao Feng: No, it was in Canada

Einar: It was in Canada. It was where bitch, Lance,

Randall: Right the Ordo were all up in arms about that

Einar: Lance … what was her name. The Cardinal, she was Mekhet, … Marie Sinclair!

Randall: Ah yes!

Einar: Another person I should have murdered while they were in the city. Such a large list … I’m sorry I just …

Randall: No, no Hamilton, um, the Ordo were all upset about that.

Einar: Yeah, they murdered the crap out of the Prince there and they said it was a Praxis seizure and therefore it was okay.

Randall: Ow

Einar: So apparently it is okay for the Prima Invicta to seize Praxis from other people to install a person who joins the Prima Invicta but it’s not okay for people who don’t want to be in the Prima Invicta to run a Praxis seizure and not be in the Prima Invicta.

Ellen: Why are we surprised that they’re hypocrites.

Randall: Oh, no one is surprised

Einar: God no no no. No, I’m explaining to people, in fact to several city officers, who claim Prisci and whatnot, why this is a problem from my point of view, because it will inevitably be used to justify trying to kill us or something.

Xiao Feng: But there is no actual authority to justify anything too. So …

Einar: They are … in the end they are just Vics?

Randall: Um

Xiao Feng: Yes

Einar: Yes. They will attempt to justify with words what they won’t with matter

Randall: They will attempt to justify …

Xiao Feng: But in the end it does not matter

Randall: They will justify themselves to the public opinion

Xiao Feng: But it does not matter

Randall: No, but they can lie all they want and get places for it

Einar: More importantly, it is a sign that the lull in activity we’ve seen is a myth. And they will eventually intend to press the issue once they figured out how they want to do it. Is my point.

Randall: There you go. They’ll be here. They’ll coming

Ellen: I didn’t think there was any assumption that they wouldn’t.

Einar: I just wanted to clarify and makes sure there was no ambiguity on this point

Xiao Feng: Smarter Kindred would wait decade or two before doing anything

Ellen: Exactly

Einar: If they were smart

Ellen: Is that

Einar: Okay, there were four of them who could not

Randall: If they were smart, they wouldn’t have done any of this in the first place

Einar: There were four of them and they could not tell the same lie.

Randall: They would realize what a bad idea this was.

Xiao Feng: That’s true

Einar: At the same time, even though they exchanged emails with one another. They could not all agree on a lie.

Ellen: So, PIE

Randall: You just got that?

Einar: There were four of them and one of them was the Imperial Harpy and they couldn’t tell the same lie.

Ellen: It’s a good phrase, PIE

Einar: They’re retarded

Ellen: So when they come will we have to …

Einar: If they couldn’t all agree on the same lie wouldn’t that mean they’re retarded

Randall: Yes, them PIE

Ellen: Hmmm

Randall: Sorry, go ahead

Einar: My logic is simply that they’re retarded

Randall: Uh, the facts do seem to point in that direction. Science tells us this.

Einar: Prince of Topeka said,

Randall: Topeka?

Einar: Yeah, he’s apparently is a drug dealer from Constantinople

Ellen: Oh

Einar: You know, I’ve never seen people

Raoul: Wow …

Randall: We all did things once.

Einar: He said that they sound like a bunch of idiots wearing crash helmets off the short bus

Raoul: There is no Constantinople any more

Ellen: Istanbul

Einar: Which sounds about right

Randall: Nice, very nice

Einar: I will issue a statement that I want all these people for questioning. Let us keep issuing that statement until someone says something about it.

Jim: What do you intend to ask them?

Einar: I intend to kill them. I don’t understand why there is so much confusion about this? Why would I question them until ….

Ellen: Considering that’s the tactic that they had right after we killed Vlad, I’m not surprised.

Einar: Question them … Why would I care what they had to say? Why do I care … What?

Everyone laughs

Einar: Honest, I have other … In the end, all they are is power mongers they want power. It they’re dumb enough to put themselves in my power, then fuck them, it doesn’t matter what they want.

Ellen laughs

Einar: That seems fair. One of them said I should come out to wherever he was and challenge him or something. That was cute

Ellen: That’s … they’re so silly

Einar: I … It’s a Vic thing. They are power mongers, they … power is power, rules are a preference.

Shane: Do we have a stance against obtaining nuclear weapons?

Einar: Nope

Jim: Uh, I’d like to issue an objection but that’s a personal matter, I can’t speak for the city.

Einar: Can we hit New York?

Shane: I don’t really want to hit New …

Randall: I’d say we don’t want to do anything to the city to make it hard for us to live in it but otherwise

Jim: Then irradiating the food supply might …

Shane: I was just going to say we challenge him in a neutral location inhabited by no one and then just don’t show up. Just …

Randall: Nuke the site from orbit?

Shane: I don’t know

Ellen: There’s plenty of islands that have been irradiated before, so if we nuke them again, no one is going to miss anything.

Einar: See … that’s … I feel if we challenge them …

Randall: I feel like

Xiao Feng: I feel like they would never agree to a fair fight

Ellen: No, absolutely

Randall: I feel like attracting the attention of the Federal government may be an all around bad plan

Jim: I think we might be attracting more than the attention of the Federal government with a nuclear weapon.

Randall: Various international treaties would be violated. We … would attract quite a bit of attention

Einar: We do live in an important city that would be targeted in the event of a nuclear exchange between the US and Russia.

Randall: Well now …

Raoul: That would be a first

Einar: This is never going to come up

Shane: Or yield I guess

Randall: Let me tell you, the other day, in the same day, I watched both Lord of the Rings and Red Dawn. And I had less trouble believing in elves then believing in a world alternate enough where there could be that much Soviet superiority over the US. That is how widely skewed our defense spending is.

Einar: I don’t, I don’t care …

Randall: So, no I’m not terrible concerned with that aspect of it.

Einar: See, my point was really that they’re all liars and they’re going to come and kill us.

Randall: Yes

Einar: Which I wanted to re- emphasize in case

Randall: There is no need to nuke them. They will be here soon enough.

Shane: They would come to die

Einar: That is what I told the Prince of Topeka. I said that the reason that I bothered to talk was that they were coming to die. And I wanted as many of the Mother’s children to not come as possible because they would be doped into trying to kill us.

Ellen: It’s a silly idea but how about having on standby, mortals with flame throwers.

Einar: He stopped talking to me. Thinks I’m crazy

Randall: You know, in my great wealth of experience, I’ve always found that flame throwers cause more problems than they solve.

Einar: Not when attached to ghouls

Randall: Definitely they do, they really, really do. Hey!

Ieatyou: Hi

Ellen: Hello!

Jim: Um …

Raoul: Don’t, just don’t do it

Jim: Sorry

Ieatyou: Oh, he learns he is good boy

Randall laughs

Jim: I’ve played this game before

Randall: Okay, we were discussing why the use of nuclear weapons is a bad plan.

Ieatyou: What nuclear weapons?

Randall: Currently none, hypothetical nuclear weapons

Ieatyou: What nuclear weapons?

Randall: As a method to destroy the Prima Invicta

Xiao Feng: No, he say, what are they?

Randall: Oh … I misunderstood. Um, weapons of mass destruction

Raoul: Ever heard of Chernobyl

Randall: Weapons that would kill the Prima Invicta and millions of people if they happen to be nearby

Ellen: Billions of mortals would parish

Jim: Think of it as a creation

Raoul: But they do every year anyway

Jim: Of a tiny sun that exists for a few moments

Randall: Then twice as many millions would perish

Raoul: They would

Einar: Yes

Randall: The mortals, they have harnessed the power of the sun. Really that wasn’t against us but …

Ieatyou: That not good!

Randall: None of us understood it quite well enough …

Raoul: It was more like atoms but

Randall: For those of us who really understand what was going on, we realized the problem here

Ieatyou: Small sun. How it kill mortals if it small sun?

Raoul: It splits atoms

Randall: The sun is extremely hot

Ieatyou: Oh

Jim: Yes

Randall: When you get that close to it, it will fuck up your life

Jim: The close enough ones will turn to ash, the ones further out will burn terribly and the ones further out then that die of poison from

Raoul: Radiation poisoning

Randall: Until the night Gods douse the sun

Everyone shudders

Ieatyou: Why we not use on Prima Invicta?

Raoul: Its …

Randall: I think it would cause more damage than it would solve.

Ellen: Mortals

Raoul: It surely would

Ieatyou: But you get them all

Randall: True

Einar: True

Ellen: Mortals do watch the activity very closely and would assume certain countries would be declaring war on other countries and that may make things a lot more complicated. Even with the Prima Invicta

Randall: It could lead to international war

Ellen: We may not wish to start that

Shane: We could use a culling

Randall: To be fair, we could use a conventional explosive

Einar: We could

Randall: It would stay … it would accomplish the same goal and it would … while still extremely dangerous and potentially Masquerade breaking it would still … It wouldn’t violate international treaties

Einar: I have decided to build a giant statue going like this to face Washington D. C.

Randall: We have in fact, built such a statue in this city, metaphorically

Einar: I wish to be literal, and therefore more direct

Isabella: The problem is, just building a statue of just someone flipping

Xiao Feng: Why Washington?

Einar: Tiny Tull lives there

Raoul: People might wonder why there’s suddenly a statue like that

Einar: He’s admired among the Mekhet. He is an idiot!

Ellen: Who?

Einar: Tiny Tull is admired among your clan.

Randall: What! Not my clan

Ellen: Who’s admired among my clan?

Raoul: Mekhets

Xiao Feng: Other Tull

Einar: Tiny Tull, right

Randall: Not my clan, I assure you. Oh yours!

Ellen: I’m not familiar, unfortunately

Randall: To be fair, if he’s admired among the Mekhet he really shouldn’t be known

Einar: Except he took … no … everything’s turned around

Randall: That’s self defeating though, isn’t it?

Einar: He was the guy who said, ‘that he was happy that no one … he was looking forward to murdering the first person who disagreed with the Emperors coronation. ‘ Randall: How can you be an admired Mekhet? If they are all proud of you and they all know you, you’re doing it wrong

Jim: And this is why I maintain that Prince Essex of DeKalb is the most widely regarded Mekhet of them all

Brian: Wonderful

Raoul: You think he’s doing it wrong

Jim: No I think he’s doing it brilliantly

Einar: How many times has the topic of Prince Essex come up, ever, in a conversation?

Raoul: I imagine it’s a tiny number

Einar: And how many people know

Randall: Anyway

Einar: How many people want to kill him?

Randall: I know right, fucking seriously, fucking no one

Einar: Like, there are people who want to kill me.

Randall: To be fair, Essex is worshipping the Gods of common sense long before we got around to it

Einar: I mean I really like Essex, I actually do

Raoul: I was in DeKalb last week, he’s doing well

Randall: Actually met him a few times, I like him, good guy. I was there for a party or something

Einar: Yeah he was always explaining why you shouldn’t use violence and why it’s not logical or the proper solution.

Randall: He and I disagree on that. I’ve found there was logic enough in it, more often than not.

Isabella: If you didn’t get into it, you don’t know the details.

Randall: True.

Jim: I can justify much that does not necessarily always make the logical course of action.

Randall: True. Not always the same, sometimes though

Einar: Sometimes but he has been Prince when I was employing leg breakers and without there being murders for years.

Brian: I like that. Look here, check this out.

Einar: He has definitely not been murdered

Raoul: No there have not been murders, but you do know there, but we did do an attack on somebody

Einar: What

Raoul: I was in DeKalb last week. We had to take someone down. So it does happen occasionally. That’s all I’m saying.

Randall: Prince Essex killed someone?

Xiao Feng: How do you take someone down?

Raoul: You torpor him, yes. He was being a problem in the city.

Einar: Was he?

Brian: Actually I know a great rugby game

Randall: Okay, well I can see that, yeah. He torpors people occasionally

Raoul: Well, not personally, he was in Twilight, but yeah he asked us to do it.

Einar: He torpored Jude Elliot

Randall: Oh yeah, he torpored many people

Brian: But rugby is so interesting. I have to encourage a level of sport, don’t I?

Isabella: Ah, not rugby!

Ieatyou: No, not yet

Xiao Feng: He wasn’t there, Essex wasn’t there, when Ieatyou kill all those guards

Raoul: Ieatyou would do that

Einar: Ieatyou killed those guards?

Xiao Feng: Yes

Randall: What!

Ieatyou: I’s tenderizing the meat!

Randall: Ieatyou is a good person to be friends with

Isabella: Yeah … no

Randall: Do you have something against my covenant mate?

Isabella: I have nothing against your covenant mate but he’s always causing trouble

Xiao Feng: So we kill all the guards.

Randall: Who’s causing trouble? Him?

Brian: What?

Raoul: Yes

Randall: That doesn’t sound like the Irish man I know

Isabella: Oh my god, how much time did you …

Einar: Any rate

Randall: At least a month!

Raoul: Any rate

Einar: I just felt that some people were welching on the whole violent murder of us all. And I felt like reinforcing it by point out the same logic they are using to assault Lexington can be used to assault Chicago.

Randall: The point I stand by is, if they come here, when they come here, its self defense.

Einar: No right, I agree with you. I just tell me for other reasons then self defense sometimes

Ellen: And we do have the homefield advantage

Randall: And if they never came here, if they just fucking let it go, we’re not going to go hunt them down! We’re not going to go hop on horses and go from city to city.

Einar: I actually disagree

Raoul: Not horses, limousines

Randall: What

Shane: I was going to say, if you saw the one, that we are trapped in our city and can never leave, was one of their statements

Einar laughs: I can’t go to Little Rock

Randall: Let’s take a picture of us on the other side of the city limit sign and send it to them.

Raoul: I went to Detroit. It was fine.

Ieatyou: Ieatyou go to several cities already

Randall: Yeah, yeah.

Ieatyou: I do not get memo that says I have to stay here

Randall: No, no you don’t

Ellen: No you don’t
Raoul: I’ve to been to other cities. It’s no big deal

Einar: Chicago is band from Columbia, Missouri

Randall: Yes we have that.

Isabella: So I’ve got a plane if you guys want to go get a picture of us outside of Columbia tomorrow morning

Raoul: Planes are not a problem

Randall: Picture outside the city of Columbia? Let’s do that.

Raoul: We should get a shot, all blurry, it would be wonderful

Isabella: We should get a shot of us like 1980’s Japanese tourists. If you want, I could, um, call and get a copy

Einar: The problem, is the people there are Acolytes that have the same tricks we do.

Jim: I think the problem is, that we are talking about taking a picture of a bunch of Kindred and sending it to other Kindred

Randall: No, no we could just

Jim: We could just take a picture of a blob and send them that

Randall: Painting a portrait

Isabella: Hmm

Jim: That sounds like it would take time

Isabella: But even if, if you’re painting a portrait, we don’t actually have to be there, we just give

Raoul: Yeah, we just give them

Isabella: It’s a portrait … we could

Randall: Let’s all look really awesome in the portrait.

Raoul: Of course, we better be.

Einar: It should be like we really were there. We should at least cross the border …

Randall: Standing on horseback, flaming whips and big shields and huge penises. Fucking go.

Ellen: Can I …

Randall: Huge penises for all!

Raoul: Sorry Ellen, that’s the way it’s going to be

Ellen: I’m opting out of the huge penises

Randall: No!

Einar: Oh yeah, that would be

Randall: Huge penises

Einar: He doesn’t talk to me …

Isabella: We can actually enforce our …

Randall: All of us looking as awesome as possible
Isabella: We can enforce our images to survive on film for about an hour, a day

Einar: I use my words

Brian: Yeah, for an hour with wooji

Randall: So then, what if we photocopy that?

Ieatyou: What do you mean wooji?

Isabella: If you

Randall: Force the photograph to stay cool for an hour and then if we made a photocopy

Isabella: It would work!

Ieatyou: Oh that kind of wooji!

Jim: Well, there is the thought

Randall: Well, you’d lose some quality

Isabella: If you scan it

Jim: When you take an image of something, you capture a bit of its soul so it’s arguable that …

Randall: I’ve never found that to be true

Raoul: That’s a really old tale

Shane: You can’t take somebody’s soul

Jim: It’s an old tale and most people disbelieve it but I bring it up only because

Randall: That’s because your soul is so dark

Jim: As it does have relevance as to why we don’t show up in a picture.

Randall: Oh yeah, you’re right, yeah yeah

Jim: Images don’t like you and when we solidify our images it doesn’t stay solid.

Einar: We forgot

Raoul: It doesn’t stay solid even in a picture? I didn’t know that

Jim: That’s a carnal trick to the matter even if you want it to stay there in its entirety

Isabella: If you want it to be there for a day or two. Like if you want your image to be on a security camera as you’re walking through the mall, you can force it to be there for a day.

Raoul: But then it will get blurry?

Isabella: It will degrade and a week later it will …

Raoul: How is that possible? Because once you take an image it should stay the way it was taken. It’s magic? Okay, there’s the answer, it’s just magic, okay.

Isabella: It’s part of the supernatural state of our being.

Randall: I will happily and I will negotiate with them again. I will negotiate for them to leave us the fuck alone in perpetuity.

Jim: It is what is inherently wrong about us, if you will.

Randall: If we could do this peacefully, then I will do this.

Raoul: Oh Brian, what are you?

Jim: That’s why we don’t …

Randall: If we can’t reach common ground on that negotiation

Jim: Some of us, show up less normally than others

Einar: Because we are dead bodies, with souls held close by an angry Goddess?

Randall: That’s my theory because I totally negotiate in good faith, if we can get them to shut up and go away, then hey!

Jim: No, no, no. You can say, it’s a plan on the old, if it helps you sleep …

Randall: Was that you?

Raoul: That table, yes … I just saw him do that.

Brian: I’m just getting some art supplies

Einar: No, I did that.

Isabella: No you are not, you are not drawing everyone

Randall: No, no, it’s fine

Isabella: If you’re going to draw everyone giving the bird then what city …

Randall: If O'Driscoll wants to express himself artistically then let him!

Ellen: I opt out of the phallus, thank you

Isabella: The request is …

Randall: Let it be known, Miss Peters, does not want a penis

Isabella: I would rather not have junk either

Raoul: Wow

Brian: So you do not care for a penis

Isabella: No thank you

Randall: The ladies do not want a penis

Shane: You do not want a portrait of yourself

Raoul: Imagine not wanting a penis. How odd

Einar: He has a valid point.

Randall: Oh for …

Isabella: Oh for … Good God, he’s just joking around children. Do you really think the Daeva has any skill at art? Oh right, shit, some members of my clan might.

Randall: We think that

Raoul: Yeah we do think that, I think that, especially …

Isabella: Okay, do you think the cop has any skill at art?

Raoul: I don’t think the cop is an Invictus but …

Einar: I have some skill at art

Isabella: Hey, the cop is still an Invictus.

Raoul: That’s amazing

Isabella: He actually has more Invictus status then I do which is really funny …

Ellen: How …

Randall: We know how that happened

Isabella: He died! And they gave him status

Raoul: He never died! While, more than once

Randall: Okay, that’s not how it happened, but that’s how it stays

Isabella: It stays because I haven’t actually thrown enough

Randall: As you keep reminding us

Isabella: Well that and I

Randall: That’s how it stays

Isabella: I haven’t thrown enough

Randall: You don’t let us forget. That’s how it stays

Einar: Tsubaki is throwing a birthday party for someone and we’re not invited.

Randall: Who?

Einar: Vald’s sister

Randall: Oh

Raoul: Yes, while I was in DeKalb she came and handed out invitations

Randall: Oh!

Raoul: And we’re not invited so

Ellen: You’ll be …

Randall: What!

Raoul: I know!

Isabella: It’s not as if we couldn’t …

Randall: Whatever will we do?

Einar: We can’t go

Randall: We had a cake

Ellen: We already had a party and none of them were invited so it’s equal, so it’s fair

Randall: Whatever will we do? Not invited to the social event of the season

Einar: I just showing you how this long series of social sanctions have hurt my feelings.

Randall: (sad voice) We’re not invited

Raoul bursts out laughing

Einar: Because I can’t leave Chicago unless I want too.

Randall: Oh fuck this …

Isabella laughs

Randall: Seriously, fuck this

Isabella: Alright, so where are we going because I’ve got a plane …

Randall: We’re not going anywhere. Where would we want to go?

Isabella: At this point, I haven’t been to Paris in a couple of years

Raoul: Uh, I don’t want to go back to France

Isabella: Just think around the world of all the better places we can be.

Randall: The Chicago Free State, world tour.

Isabella: Why not?

Randall: Prima Invita, everything you feared is coming true. We’re going to spread our anarchist ideals through all of Europe!

Isabella laughing

Einar: Our abortion of a city

Randall: Every praxis in the southern part of Africa will know freedom!

Raoul: God, do I not want to go to Africa

Jim: I would really …

Randall: We will ride bareback with the Mongolian hoards that we are

Jim: Oh … now we’re going to go waltzing into Johannesburg.

Isabella: I’m not going to Johannesburg sweetie, I’m not going back.

Einar: Why would you ever go to Johannesburg?

Jim: He said the Southern part of Africa. That is where Johannesburg is.

Einar: Have you ever been to Johannesburg?

Randall: We will liberate the people of Thailand!

Jim: No, but I’ve heard plenty

Einar: It’s terrible and it’s full of stupid people.

Randall: They will be free, free of your tyranny!

Isabella: I thought you’ve said you’ve been to Johannesburg. Johannesburg is actually quite …

Randall: We will unite under beautiful anarchist principals.

Isabella: Wait, no, it is vile and it tastes disgusting

Randall: Fear us!

Raoul: You really are evil

Randall: I wasn’t talking about the rest of the Mediterranean. That would be silly

Einar: I worked in the Med … for awhile and that’s great

Randall: But South America, we will each those insurgents, the true meaning of anarchy

Ellen: We will allow all the Argentines consume their wine and their democracy.

Einar: I’ve been noticed, by the way, by Lord Notary Cross

Randall: Seriously, let’s just all go to Brazil. Let’s just all go live in Brazil.

Einar: Who is he?

Raoul: Brazil? Hmm

Isabella: Isn’t Carnival, no Carnival is not for another couple of months.

Ellen: That’s around Easter time, is it not?

Randall: To be fair, we live in the Midwest and the Midwesterners have taken exception to that

Einar: That’s not true actually. Missouri and Iowa are good.

Randall: Not all of Missouri

Isabella: Didn’t St. Lewis throw its own temper tantrum about us?

Einar: No … I just don’t like their Prince because he’s a douche bag

Randall: Have we heard anything out of Kenosha?

Isabella: Does Kenosha even matter?

Randall: Are they on our side?

Einar: My ex-Prisci has fled, never to be seen or heard from again

Isabella: Okay, who is the Prince of St. Lewis?

Einar: St. Charles

Isabella: Oh really?? That bitch.

Einar: Peter St. Charles. Oh, no, no, he’s …

Isabella laughs

Raoul: Oh, he came out?

Isabella: Wow …

Ellen: It’s been an exciting time

Isabella: No, you don’t understand. That man is dumber than a whole lot

Einar: I discovered there is a wider Kindred society then I ever thought and I hate them all.

Isabella: He tried to get me to invest in quite a few ideas that, no …

Einar: Do you know folks in Kenosha?

Raoul: Invictus?

Xiao Feng: Yes

Randall: We just haven’t heard anything out of them.

Isabella: Actually I think it was more of a Daeva Invictus. He wanted to invest in locations that would be secure … basically vampire hotels.

Xiao Feng: I don’t know.

Einar: Miles was from Kenosha.

Randall: Well yeah but so where others …

Raoul: Vampire hotel?

Einar: Connelly was also

Raoul: Like a tourist bureau

Isabella: If you wanted to go and have a safe place

Randall: Fine, I get why you don’t like it there. But I can go over there just fine.

Isabella: Like if you wanted to go to another domain

Einar: I didn’t like her because she wussed out when it was before the mother confessor. That whole thing.

Isabella: A building moderated by Kindred

Einar: Then we tried to steal

Randall: That’s fine. Let’s not talk about that

Raoul: So I would trust …

Einar: We tried to steal Finn’s wallet

Randall: Let’s not talk about that.

Isabella: That would offer you a safe and secure place from mortals for the day to stay.

Einar: Oh yeah, that happened then she would not help us because she was spineless and useless.

Raoul: That I would not trust

Ellen: That can to easily become a trap

Xiao Feng: That is ridiculous

Randall: Well I liked her

Raoul: Too easily? It would be a trap

Isabella: No, it would be a trap. It is the easiest thing in the world

Einar: I guess the tradition of duels to the death means they don’t like me. That’s all I’m saying

Isabella: They could just line the walls with fuel …

Randall: Is that true?

Einar: Yes! I couldn’t make that up

Ellen: It would be a great assassination attempt

Xiao Feng: Just have the maid open the window

Isabella: Yes but the problem was it was suppose to be indoors and underground

Einar: Kellogg is no longer a Gangrel

Raoul: What?

Einar: Serial St. James

Raoul: How dare … How can he stop being a Gangrel, that’s like stopping

Einar: Because he lost or didn’t accept Dominion’s challenge because Gangrel have challenges now. And now he is no longer a Gangrel

Raoul: How can you stop being a Gangrel it’s like stop being an ethnicity?

Randall: You’re looking for a scientific explanation, you will find none.

Raoul: Well

Isabella: He got kicked out. Did he pull a Daeva?

Einar: I actually believe that he

Isabella: I’ve heard of people being kicked out of the Daeva

Xiao Feng: He did not accept some sort of Gangrel duel

Raoul: That does not make him not Gangrel. He is still a Gangrel

Isabella: Okay, the only time I’ve actually heard of that working was among the Daeva and if you don’t accept a challenge from a Daeva, the Daeva can throw a temper tantrum and kick you out of the clan.

Raoul: It doesn’t actually change your make-up. You are still, what you are.

Ellen: It kinda reminds me of the Senate race

Randall: I feel pretty strong. My clan’s awesome. Sorry

Einar: Yeah. Farley kept challenging people to duels too. And I keep not understanding … Someone can explain this to me. You have a duel, the idea is that you fight fair. Why would you ever fight fair if you could win? Someone can explain this to me.

Randall: Honor!

Einar: But then you would be dead and it would be useless to you.

Raoul: Not necessarily, it’s not a guarantee.

Randall: It depends on how much honor you need, in the next life. If you’re devote it will take you off to wherever that is.

Isabella: Pallava

Raoul: Do the Crone believe in reincarnation then?

Ellen: I think it depends on the Crone

Randall: Generalizations about the Crone are usually a bad idea