CHPT 492: Red Royalty

As Claude thought, the meeting wasn't entirely about himself. A meeting where he learned that Rupont Fiara, the Vampire, had known members of The Nine for a decade— played a part in Lupine of Romulus relations, ate Druids and stopped Claude from exposing Samuel to his father— or at least tried. But somehow Claude wasn't the central focus.

It was her.

"Maris."

Ruponts odd accented voice echoed— bouncing around the walls of his shifting skull like a tossed ball. Every hit gave him a new paranoid guess as to why he'd want to know her. Why he stared so deeply and knowingly the moment she fought for her birthplace of New Gloria. The place he questioned her even coming from. Could she be…. From somewhere else? Could she be…..

"She's not a Vampire."

Rupont looked at him for a moment. Claude didn't meet his gaze no matter how badly his inner dominant directives wanted him to.

Finally he sighed and leaned back in his chair with a big stretch. The moment he was fully extended he once again exploded into purple, red and black smoke. Within that smoke, shapes and new surfaces settled until suddenly the smoke was guided and coalesced into a thundering cloud of bats.

The shimmering blue glow of the ocean Tangent room beneath them shined on the bat cloud, showing the glimmer red diamond-like sparkles in the smoke. In the eyes of the hungry bats.

It was horrifying. And equally as fast.

The swarm flew across the room, crashing into the far wall and immediately shifting back into Ruponts human form as he peered out the dark window.

"Eavesdropping is unkind. As I will be if you don't find somewhere else to be fast. You'll know what you desire when I tell the Sergeant, until then, go dig a grave…. Sleep in it."

The room suddenly felt colder as wings flapped away in the distance….. and Claude's feet felt wet. Like they stood in a sticky viscous fluid smelling iron—

Claude's was ready to jump, thinking he was suddenly standing in an ocean of corpses. But when he looked at the ground, nothing. As weird as it was, his mind went to the more immediate issue.

"I didn't hear them. Fuck— I can't hear them."

"[Relax. You have more than your ears. Focus, mate.]"

Rupont turned from the window. Black veins protruded from his face. The whites of his eyes had gone black as midnight, leaving his red iris' booming in contrast. Slowly it faded like a bloodstain in reverse. He was human appearing again. And Claude was reminded.

"Rupont. Maris isn't a Vampire. I don't know what you think— but I watched you. I listened to you speak. You asked where she's from…. If she's sure. You questioned her swordsmanship. You watched her fights. Maybe you're wondering if she's born from someone you know. Can't be a Vampire, the undead don't procreate that way. Whatever it is, she's not a Vampire."

Ruponts finely groomed eyebrow rose. He blinked once and nodded, "You're right. Maris is not a Vampire. She's more than that. Much much more…. Potentially. Have you ever heard of the Red Queens?"

"The fuck does that mean?" Claude pressed.

Rupont seem to play around with a million ideas as he checked his nails, "Well. No intelligent business-bloodsucker reveals his whole deck in one play. Oh wow….. I just combined stocks, cannibalism and gambling all into one sentence."

"What?"

Rupont refocused, "There's a worlds worth of information to be shared amongst us Claude. We don't have to be enemies. In fact, I wouldn't dream of it. I heard stories of The Plethora. The secret hybrid cabal of legend. But ultimately, I wasn't one of the famed Vampires hidden within its ranks. And you are not Romulus, Claude. But we don't have to be at odds."

"You're stalking Maris." Claude put it bluntly, "And you might have ruined my mentors second life."

"I stopped you from letting the human world find a weakness in the Lupines." Rupont casually replied.

"You did that for your own benefit."

Rupont shrugged, "A man's got to drink."

"You're not a man."

"And you're not stupid, Claude. I've seen you fight. You're strong. But you don't know what a balanced diet does for a child of the night." Rupont held up his hand. It moved so fast it was vibrating— rupturing existence in the way sounds of wind fell on Claude's ears in a disfigured and wobbly state. Even the appearance of things beside and behind his hand was being altered as the familiar vampire blood-smoke rose from his fingers.

Suddenly he stopped. And Claude had a killer headache.

"You were officially banned from the next tournament event, correct?" Rupont started, "That means you have more freetime than others…. More chances for men and women that just lost literal pounds of silver and gold to come and handle you. I'm sure you could defend yourself. You could also occupy yourself elswhere. Learn something about your history and possible alliances. You could learn what I wonder of Maris."

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a card, throwing it across the room.

Somehow faint winds generated from before filled the room still. The card went haywire, Claude's Prey Drive did the same.

He lunged in the darkness, spinning on his heels as the card cut to the left. In a single bound he flipped over a table and snagged it out of the air from above, landing on a pulled out chair on the other side.

"Never run from the Lupines….. they like it too much." Rupont whispered it as if repeating a remembered phrase.

Claude looked down at the card.

"We have a ball— to celebrate and Network with the other Covens brought here by the Slayers Tournament. Come. Bring your pack. They can be your plus two's." Rupont said casually.

"I can't guarantee their safety…"

"Safety is never guaranteed. That's the beauty of existence. It's forever thrilling. Now pick your thrill, Claude. Sit in your forest, waiting on who and whatever to strike in an attempt at monetary revenge? Or come to a ball. Learn of the world you are part of. Learn what may come of Maris. You care for her. I'm sure you'll make the reasonable decision. You have till the end of interview week." Rupont said before heading for the back door.

He stopped, "Oh do you have a suit by any chance? Does your friend own any dress?"

"What do you think?" Claude asked.

"Don't worry I have extras. You like the color gold?"