“No sunlight?”
“No.” Julias grimaced with the word.
“Oh god… so that’s… that’s why I can’t ever see my family again? My friends?” Jack fell to the couch with his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. He kept looking around, desperate for something to focus his mind on.
“Partially, but also… that pain in your gut. That’s the blood lust, Jack.”
“Blood. I have to drink blood. Fucking god I’m Dracula.”
“Don’t say that around the Prince if you want to keep your head… which losing will also kill you, by the way. But beyond that, you’re not going to die. Bullet to the head won’t even do it.”
“Oh, that’s actually pretty-wait, Prince?”
“Yes, Prince, a… you’ll see. I wanted to turn you because you’re my friend… but also because I need an ally, Jack.” Julias came over to sit down next to Jack, bloody suit and all. The couch was likely ruined, but Jack figured Julias had enough money to ignore it. Or that the situation made it not worthy of note.
“So we’re not just two blood suckers enjoying eternity, are we?” Jack said.
“No. There are others. I figure there’s over three hundred Kindred here in Dolareido. And there’s a structure to it.”
Holy shit. Three hundred other vampires in the city, with their own structure? Were they all like Julias, with mobster painted on their forehead?
“How come I’ve never heard of this… any of this.”
“Rule number one, is to preserve the Masquerade. If you tell people about vampires, the sheriff will leave you out for sunrise. You have to do everything you can to make sure people don’t realize what you are. As my new childe, you’re my responsibility, and I will help you as much as you need.”
“Masquerade. Masquerade, got it. I… think I got it. Rules… so there’s more than one rule.” Jack turned his head from within his palms to catch Julias in the corner of his eye.
“I know that this all got dumped on you without warning, but it’s not all bad.” Julias got up and started to take off his jacket. “You’re immortal.”
“I… I guess.”
“I have to shower, then I’ll show you the clothes I’ve prepared for you.” He winced. “Then we’re going to meet Viktor.”
“Viktor?”
“My sire.”
***********
~~Julias~~
Julias looked over at his little protege. While Julias had picked his usual favorite clothing, a navy lounge suit, two button, single-breasted with no tie, he felt the little Ventrue would be better off with something a tad bit more professional. First impressions were important. He hooked Jack up with a gray business suit, double-breasted, complete with a white dress shirt and a nice tie.
He had a lot of suits already lined up for Jack. Only the best for his new childe.
The streets were cold. People were walking by in trench coats and furs, but his eyes glossed over them even as their eyes drew to him. Besides being in a suit despite the cold, he was tall, broad-shouldered, and looked almost like a hit man. He knew it too. The kine walking by sometimes stared for a little too long, and he met their gaze with a small, intimidating smile. They looked away.
“Viktor is one of the three elders who lead the Invictus. He is one of the founding members of Dolareido, and has been here for a long, long time. Maria and Michael not as long,” Julias said.
“Maria?”
“Yes, a Nosferatu. That brings up a good point.” He glanced around as they rounded a corner. The streets weren’t entirely empty, but good enough to talk about things quietly. “The clans. I should warn you about them. Differences run in the blood and some of them can be a little… unsettling.”
“Oh?” Jack’s interest was piqued. The little guy always did have an interest in things most people avoided. It’s how they met, after all.
“Daeva are fast and strong, and can seduce you with a glance. They are obsessive, materialistic, and concerned only with gratification. They’re almost always beautiful, and they know it.”
“So, like a succubus?”
“Yes, actually. Very accurate parallel. Be especially careful with them, as our Prince is a Daeva.”
“You mentioned Prince earlier. What’s that?”
“Nutshell? She owns the city’s night. She says what we can and can’t do.”
“Scary. She?”
“Prince is a gender neutral title for the Kindred.”
“Oh.”
“Indeed.” Julias gave Jack a quick punch in the arm, and Jack bounced back like always with feigned shocked. “I know you, Jack. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. You have to learn that quick, because Kindred are paranoid predators and they’ll tear you apart and leave you for the sun if they think you’re up to something.”
“… very scary.”
“Next. The Mekhet. They are shadows. They see everything and can hide anywhere. Fast too. Good at collecting information.”
“Assassins? They sound like ninjas.”
“Next. The Gangrel. Barbarians in jeans. They are very strong, and very tough. They can be very… beast-like.” Julias sighed with his word; he couldn’t keep the harsh tone out of them. His distaste for the Gangrel must have seemed obvious. “And then the Nosferatu. They are… monsters.”
Jack turned to give Julias a confused look. Always with the interest in the dangerous things, this kid had. He’d have to work hard to keep his childe from getting himself killed.
“They look like monsters, and they can use that fear against you.” Julias pointed to his temple. “They’ll fuck your head from the shadows, and are strong as well. You’ve seen The Phantom of the Opera? Think of Erik.”
“Oh, that’s… that’s classic tragic. I have to avoid them?”
“Honestly? They’re probably the ones you should worry about the least. They’re wolves. The others are wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Julias brought a hand up to his chin and scratched at the gruff. “But they look different, so I felt I should warn you.”
“So Gangrel, Nosferatu, Daeva, and Mekhet. And…”
“And us, the Ventrue. We are leaders, rulers, kings and queens. We control, and we cannot be stopped. It’s in the blood.” He threw Jack a smile, and caught a glimpse of surprise in his childe. Jack had never thought of himself as a leader, Julias knew, but there was a potential in his friend. He could see it, even if Jack and no one else could, and that made him a powerful ally indeed.
“You’ll find all five in the Invictus. We are the largest of the covenants here.”
“Covenants?”