Regroup (RP)

Continues from Retreat!

- Emma -

Henry is not pleased by your instructions to not involve the police any more, he is also disturbed by your surprise that he 'worried', and the thought that 'he could have ignored it' when you were ... abducted? He is not sure about what happened, he has a lot to think about.

Kat is happy to stay as long as you like in the paid-for room, this does not seem like the first time she has done exactly that, though, presumably, under less bizarre circumstances.

David —if you text him with updates and enquiries— assures you that 'they are doing fine at home'.
• How long do you stay? Right up until checkout Sunday? Monday? The staff are seemingly-thrilled to have you.

What do you do?

- Benji -

You can find no sign of Emma in the tunnels, from tracking her scent it appears she is not here anymore, but you can't tell how. Maybe her 'exit' is related to the piece of wall that interested her earlier? It possibly looks like the dog has passed though that area from time to time, but you can not tell how.

These tunnels are twisty and turny and confusing, and you are hurt, and possibly distracted.
• Can you keep your bearings? Do you go looking for the dog, for Chaudry, for poor dead Persephone? Do you manage to find your way back to the sacrifice chamber and avoid detection? Do you, instead, find your way deeper into the tunnels and to other possible allies?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

For all the trauma your body underwent, you have healed up fantastically well. Your old injuries —the bruises, the scars, the vampire bite— are almost completely invisible, and the new tiny, white scars —all that is left of a brutal mauling— might even fade or be overlooked.

You have spent a lot of time naked recently.
• How long does it take you to realise that there are people in your condo? That your sister is hosting a party?

What do you do?

Benji is extremely relieved when it seems like Emma’s trail disappears somehow. There are no signs of blood or violence. The trail just… vanishes. She must have got out!

The last few traces of Emma he can find are very near that strange section of wall she was looking at earlier. It looks like this is where the dog comes and goes too… He wonders how Emma knew how to get through it. There must be some trick to it — a password or a secret button maybe… He spends some time trying to figure it out, but if there is a trick, it’s too clever for him.

Still, this is the closest thing to a way out he has right now. He should make sure he can find it again before he gets himself lost in the tunnels. He rummages through his pockets and pulls out an old block of rosin which he uses to mark the wall. It doesn’t leave much of a visible mark, but it does leave behind a familiar woodsy pine scent. As he heads deeper into the tunnels, hoping both to hide from Chaudry and the hellhound and to look for some other way out, he marks the wall with the rosin at intervals so that he can follow the familiar smell back to that weird section of wall if he needs to.

He wanders deeper and deeper and deeper into the tunnels, clutching his ribs with one hand and his sword with the other. Once he thinks he must be a safe distance from Chaudry and the hellhound, he begins to hum to himself a little to distract himself from the pain and the nagging hunger. Being hurt always makes the cravings worse, each stab of pain reminding him that he would feel better if he fed. But there’s nothing to feed on down here… On the bright side, he doesn’t have to worry about hurting anyone for the time being, although he does worry about what he might do if it takes him a very long time to find his way out of here. If he spends days or weeks down here, will he be able to keep himself from attacking the first person he sees when he gets out?

Or if he gets out, rather. He is trying not to think about it, to keep himself from panicking, but what if he gets trapped down here forever? Will he starve? It takes vampires a very long time to starve to death and it’s not at all pleasant. He hums a little louder, trying to drown out his thoughts.

After a time, a bit of rustling in his coat reminds him that the rats are still with him. Talking to them is a better distraction than the humming. He talks to them about what happened— about his fears and his guilt over Persephone’s death — and it makes him feel a little better. He takes the time to pick out names for them too. The lead rat is Tchaikovsky, the biggest one is Brahms, and the little one with the twitchy nose is Paganini.

- Emma -

Kat orders lunch from room-service, just in time to be finished and ready to leave at checkout, clearly she has done this before. Checkout is at noon, Sunday, but the gym and spa are both available for a few hours past that time, and Kat intends to shovel as much onto the bill as she can.

The staff seem genuinely saddened to see you leave, and arrange a taxi home for you. Henry also offered to fetch you and take you home, but you got the distinct impression he was hesitant, and loath to talk just yet.

---

When you arrive home on Sunday afternoon (the time is up to you), Sarah is not sleeping, which is an improvement. You hear her soft voice from the bedroom... again, but you still know there is nothing to be worried about.

You feel good, after a weekend of pampering, but you still have some lingering symptoms of what is probably just a cold or flu. David has has been pampered a bit too, he is sicker than you are, and you find Sarah sitting next to his bed, feeding him soup, there is a basin of water by her elbow and a damp cloth, too, she has been playing nursemaid in your absence.

What do you do?

- Benji -

The rats in your pockets have eaten all the food you were carrying (failed raven snacks), and look at you expectantly when you start to talk to them and give them names. They seem to like the names, and respond to them quickly, they are very intelligent for rats. They also seem quite willing, eager even, to take orders from you —even if these are mostly things like "don't chew on that" or "come up here where I can see you", and the like.

The rats don't seem to have any sense of time, they are seemingly hungry again shortly after eating, and your injuries drive your own Hunger to the forefront of your mind, making it hard to track time. You don't know how long you have been down here, wandering the dark tunnels, humming and talking to yourself... like the stories of 'crazy vampires in the sewers'.

• Do you notice the voices before they notice yours?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"What? Like 'naked in the park'?" Circe asks, showing a disturbing amount of prescience... though it is probably just coincidence. The comment about being 'dead' is missed.

"When did you get back?" Your sister asks, concerned that she had disturbed your sleep, or that her unauthorised party was found out.

It is night outside, so, unless it is a different night, you have not been gone that long?

• It is not still Friday night. Is it Saturday or Sunday night? Were you gone one or two days?

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Which is precisely why I didn't tell you." David points out, his voice sounding soft, and it looking painful for him to talk. "I did not want to interfere with your plans. Sarah was here to look after me." Does Sarah look a little smug at this?

"The weekend clearly agreed with you." David says. "You look positively radiant!" It is not uncommon for people to interpret the flush of fever as 'hearty good health and fitness', but he sounds genuine, as he always does when he complements you.

Sarah leans in and whispers something to David. "No, no. I can't eat any more. Thank you." David replies, patting her hand on his shoulder. Sarah wipes David's chin with one cloth and his forehead with another.

What do you do?

Benji cuts himself off at the sound of voices up ahead. The voices fall silent. They probably heard him too.

He looks around for somewhere to hide, but the last fork in the tunnel was a while back and whoever was speaking already knows he’s here. Anyway, maybe they’re friendly and can help him find his way out!

"Hello?" he tentatively calls out, cautiously venturing toward the source of the voices.

- Emma -

Sarah flounces out the room, her back held stiff, clearly offended by your tone, or maybe just disappointed. Uncharacteristically, she leaves the dirty, empty soup bowl for you to deal with.

If David wants to say something in her defence, he holds his tongue. His throat is sore and speaking is difficult and he is tired and should rest, but he wants to talk to you about your weekend.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Circe is talking to a large, hairy man, slightly bulging out of a 'Team Jacob' moon-and-wolf tee-shirt. "It should be here, somewhere." Circe says looking around for her phone. "Aren't you, like, old? Don't you have a land-line?" Her phone is kinda personal, and she doesn't really want you looking at it, but only in a habitual-mom-avoidance way. The kitchen, where the land-line is, is kinda full of people.

What do you do?

- Benji -

The voices remain silent, not answering your hello.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"It's getting dark." David points out, possibly in Sarah's defence. That is all he says, not going on to say that you shouldn't or that you are wrong to feel the way you do, and also not pointing out that Sarah was useful this weekend, you would not have been able to go away if she were not there to look after him, after all.

When you arrive in the living-room, Sarah is already packing her belongings in a small plastic bag. Possibly you don't need to say anything?

• Has she included the clothes you purchased for her, or is she leaving them behind?

What do you do?

That’s not a good sign…

Benji tightens his grip on his sword and continues forward.

- Emma -

For a moment it looks like Sarah wants to say something, maybe a complaint, maybe a thank you, but your tone cuts her off. The order about 'your' writers' circle hits hard, and she does not understand the sudden hostility.

She has few belongings, and is out the door in just barely over your 5 minute deadline. She has kept her face turned away, but if you manage to catch a glimpse, you may note that she is crying silently.

What do you do?

- Benji -

There is a rusty, iron door (locked). It looks very 'prison cell' like. Inside are three people, they were the ones talking, but now they huddle in a far corner, staring at the door even though they can see nothing in the dark.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"You did say 'call'." Circe objects, not rising to the bait of a sparing match around the joke about 'old people and phones'. "And I don't do that!" She wonders off to fetch her phone from the counter.

"I'm Edward." The shirted gorilla says amiably. "You have a lovely place... and an equally lovely sister. Even though she lacks the needed respect." He seems happy, and little tipsy.

What do you do?

"Hello?" Benji says, again, approaching the bars. "Who are you? What are you all doing down here? Do you need help?"

- Emma -

"They said there is a waiting-list. Everybody is getting sick with all the rain. I can come in next Monday if I am not feeling better." David dismisses your hospital query.

His voice is still soft, it's difficult for him to speak so he could not call you back, but now that you are close he speaks in Sarah's defence. "She only said: 'I don't want to interrupt. Do you want more soup or can I leave?' You know she does not like to speak up, and you were telling me about the weekend. I hope you weren't too hard on her."

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Um... like... 'for her not so old elders'?" Edward says nervously, he was just agreeing with you out of politeness. "so ... I'm going to go..." He trails off, not specifying where he is going to, possibly to his friends, as he seems well liked by the group and easily inserts himself into another conversation on the other side of he room.

"What did you say to dear Edward?" Circe says, returning and handing you her phone. "What happened to your phone anyway? Why do you need to call Emma, didn't you just spend the weekend with her?" She can clearly see that something is off with your demeanour.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"Oh! Thank god! You're not one of ... them?" One of the two men says, peering into the dark at you. "Let us out before they come back. They are monsters. You don't understand!" He is getting increasingly frantic as he speaks. These people are obviously prisoners, if your eyesight in the dark is good enough you might notice bite marks on their bodies. Vampire bites.

What do you do?

"Ah." Benji takes a step back from the bars upon seeing the bite marks. He’s in no state to pick a fight with another vampire by setting free their dinner. "I’m sorry," he says. "I don’t have keys… Which way do these ‘monsters’ usually come from?" He guesses he’s probably stumbled into the lair of Alasdair and the other ‘feral’ vampires who live underground. Maybe they can show him the way out.

- Emma -

"I love you." David says, softly as you leave.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Edward said that? About me? That does not sound like him! Whatever could he mean?" Circe has also missed that you were the one to say 'Do you believe this girl? No respect for her elder.' [ref], and she will probably give Edward an earful in a moment.

"Emma was with another man?" Circe says, clearly distraught by this news. "Poor David. You're not going to tell him, are you?"

At this time Emma has just replied to your email, if you have a notification of that from where you are you can check it, else you have Circe's unlocked phone and can call.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"From out of the dark." The man says unhelpfully. "They bring the keys. Will you go look for them? Will you tell someone we are down here? My name is Leopold Sorenson, this is Tiwonge Okonkwo and Liliána Mooshian." He says, possibly so you can get the word out, but also so as to humanise them all for you to make it harder to forget about them.

You can probably suspect that Alasdair and his crew come the way you are going, you saw no sign that they pass the way you have already been, deeper down in the labyrinth below.

What do you do?

"…I’ll see what I can do," Benji promises vaguely. He turns away from the imprisoned humans and continues down the tunnel in the direction he was going. He understands that Alasdair needs to eat and that he would probably have a hard time finding voluntary victims, like Benji prefers, but it does feel a bit cruel to keep the humans in a cage for an extended period of time. Maybe he can persuade Alasdair to kill them and be done with it.

- Benji -

• Are you being careful? Stealthy? Do you stumble upon Alasdair's guards, or do you spot them before they spot you?

And what do you do?

- Persephone -

"I did ask." Circe objects, your lack of phone may have been the issue.

• Where do you think you dropped your phone? In the park? Or in the 'dungeon'?

"And don't think we aren't going to talk about that nakedness, later." Circe says seriously, she is worried about you and your behaviour, she was always more astute about 'people' stuff and can tell that something is going on.

What do you do?

- Emma -

This particular 'anti-crazy' measure is just another thing that Sarah has spoiled for you. She has already done most of the cleaning and there is not a lot of laundry to fold, just the one set of David's work clothes, and then several sets of his pajamas, and sheets, more than there should have been if he had not been messing on them. She must have been quite intimately 'taking care of him'.

• Do you mention to Persephone that the police are already involved? That they know, from Henry's report, that two women went missing and only one has been found?

What do you do?

Benji travels down the tunnel only a little way before stopping and leaning against a wall for support. His chest aches terribly. He’s exhausted… Hungry… He has no idea how long he’s been walking for. Forcing himself to keep going just a bit further, he shouts as loud as he can, "ALASDAIR! CAN YOU HEAR ME? IT’S BENJI!"

- Benji -

There is a scrabbling of activity up the tunnel, as though your call roused someone from a slumber. "Halt! Who goes there?" The tunnel guards call... redundantly since you just identified yourself.

What do you do?

- Emma -

The trash has been recently emptied and contains no indication either way.

What do you do?

"I’m Benji," Benji repeats himself, wincing at the pain in his ribs as he follows the sound of the guard’s voice. "I’m looking for Alasdair. I’m hurt and lost and I could really use his help. Are you a friend of his?"

- Benji -

There is some inaudible talk between the guards, then: "What you doing down there?" They demand. "Where did you come from?" They don't answer your questions and they sound worried, maybe about the sorts of things that might come up from the deep.

What do you do?

"I don’t know exactly... I was teleported, I think? By a portal? A friend of mine fell in and I jumped after her and then we all got separated. I’ve been walking for a really long time."

- Benji -

There is some more talk among the guards, they don't sound overly confident in their understanding of your story, but they agree to let you in to see the boss.

"Are you armed?" One asks, stepping forward to where you can see him. He is your typical sewer-dwelling vampire, ragged clothes, unkempt hair, and nails more like talons. "You will need to give me your weapons."

He holds out his hands for your sword, unless you try to obfuscate and sneak the weapon in without them knowning.

• Do you want/try to keep your pet rats a secret?

What do you do?

Benji willingly hands over his sword. He doesn’t like carrying it around much anyway. It’s heavy and cumbersome and he’s sure it wouldn’t do him much good against a whole den of feral vampires.

The presence of the guards is somewhat puzzling to him. He hadn’t expected the sewer vampires to possess the wits to establish any kind of formal hierarchy at all, but perhaps he’d misjudged Alasdair. Maybe, when his humanity deserted him, it left behind more than a feral beast? A mad king of sorts, perhaps?

In any case, these guards seem surprisingly well-adjusted, despite their ragged appearance. He wonders why they’ve chosen to serve Alasdair down here, rather than one of the more powerful vampire lords up on the surface where prey is far more plentiful. Maybe he sired them himself? It could be that those imprisoned humans were intended not just as food, but also as potential new vassals for Alasdair…

- Benji -

The guards, though they be sewer-dwellers, are a little creeped out by the rat riding on your shoulder. "Did you ... bring food?" One of them asks, sounding like it might be insulting to say yes.

They lead you up a passage, it is starting to look more like London/underground... or like it looked a hundred years ago. These may be old, unmaintained tunnels. You pass a piece of wall with slightly different colouring, this would not have been enough to attract attention —even if the light were (good)— but will shortly become obvious it is some sort of detector. The guard before you —with your weapon— passes through without incident, not paying any attention; but as you try to walk through, an alarm sounds, and a red ring glows inside the wall of the tunnel.

It takes both guards a moment to collect their thoughts and work out what is happening, but, as soon as they do, they turn to face you, one drawing your own sword, the other fangs-out-bloody, hissing.

"Demons!?" They demand, menacing you, but not yet attacking.

What do you do?

"Of course not. He’s a friend," Benji says, sheltering Tchaikovsky with his hand protectively.

He freezes, startled, when the alarm goes off, not sure what it means or what he’s supposed to do, then jumps back in fright and confusion when the guards turn to threaten him all of a sudden. "What!? What are you talking about? What was that?"

- Benji -

"That's above my pay-grade, sunshine." The old-school mobster insult might carry a bit more weight for vampires. "Stay where you are. Someone will be along shortly to decide what to do with you."

Your rat friends look nervous, like they want to run and hide, but they look to you —hopefully— for guidance.

A long way off, you hear running footsteps, though it is hard to be sure over the continued noise of the alarm.

What do you do?

While he waits, Benji scratches Tchaikovsky’s head reassuringly and then lifts the rat off his shoulder and tucks him safely out of sight, under his coat. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen next but he doesn’t want any of the rats getting hurt if it comes to violence.

- Benji -

After a short while, reinforcements arrive, with clubs and knives and swords and guns, which all look old but serviceable.

A misshapen figure steps forward, addressing the guards and demanding a report. He seems to be lame down one side of his body and face, his back hunched and dragging him over to that side as well. His speech is hard to understand past the slurring, so you are mainly reliant on the guards' replies to help you understand. He seems to be the resident ... demonologist?

With a wave of the one good hand, the demonologist shuts off the alarm, and he seems to hone in on your friends. "What does it have in its pocketsesh?" He demands.

"Rats. He said they were his friends." The guard explains, mentioning how you let them ride on your shoulder and then hid them when the alarm went off.

From behind, you hear more running feet. It seems the 'pincer movement' was a bit mistimed and you might still have one last chance of getting away, back the way you came, but that would put you back in the dark tunnels, lost, alone, and hungry. Maybe these guys can be reasoned with?

What do you do?

Benji raises his hands innocently as he finds himself face to face with a bristling wall of weaponry. He glances over his shoulder, thinking about running, but he doesn’t think he’d get very far with his broken ribs and, anyway, where would he go? The demonologist who steps out from the crowd looks familiar, but it takes Benji a few seconds to remember his name…

"Eadwig!" he says, as soon as the name comes to him, glad to see a familiar face, if not an especially friendly one. "It’s me — Benji, remember? I didn’t mean to cause such a fuss. I was lost in the tunnels and I was hoping Alasdair might be able to help me find my way to the surface. You said this has something to do with my rats?"

- Benji -

"Benji? Benji? What's a Benji when its at home?" Eadwig mutters, peering at you with little recognition. "Why does it think it can bring demons into our home?" He definitely seems to be implying that they think your rats are demons, or something of the sort. "Lock it up." Eadwig orders the guards, if he heard your request to see Alasdair he shows no sign, but he seems a little disconnected from any actual 'conversation' going on.

The, now large, group of guards prompt you to start moving back the way you came, it is possible they intend to lock you up with the people you met earlier? Hungry as you are, this could be bad news for them.

What do you do?

Realising that arguing with Eadwig is useless, Benji allows himself to be shepherded along a little ways until he realises that they probably intend to lock him up with their humans. Uh oh. He stops in his tracks suddenly. "I don’t think this is a very good idea," he tells the nearest guard. "I’m hungry and hurt. If you lock me in with those humans… well, it won’t be very nice for the humans, I fear, and, more importantly for you, you won’t have humans much longer."

- Benji -

"You don't think we thought of that?" The guard says, slightly changing direction in a way that highly suggests they had not thought about that and are now reacting to put you in a cell of your own.

You hear the quiet whimpering of the prisoners well before they hear your group approaching and fall silent. After the guards lock you up and leave, the prisoners call out to you: "Hey! What's your name? Are you new here? Do you know if anyone will come looking for you?"

The nearness of the human's, and your injuries, and the unknown amount of time you have spend down here, are all making your Hunger rage at you to rip the doors off and go to town. The doors, however, are strong, reinforced steel, they are prison cells fit for a vampire... or a demon.

What do you do?

Benji quickly regrets his decision. The smell of humans so near, yet completely out of reach, is unbearable.

What on earth did he warn the guard for????? He could have been in there with them, drinking his fill, but now he’s stuck here, starving. And it’s not like it would have mattered! They’re doomed anyway! If anything, it would have been kinder to put them all out of their misery.

A whimper escapes his throat, like a starving dog begging for food, and he sinks to the floor of the cell, wracked by hunger.

It’s difficult to think through the Hunger when it’s this strong, compelling him to snarl and snap and claw at the door of the cell, no matter how useless he knows it to be, but he forces himself to sit still, curled up on the floor in the far corner of the cell, his head buried in his hands.

He wishes he could sleep— how long was he walking for? Days?— but he couldn’t possibly with the Hunger raging so fiercely inside of him.

He wonders how long they intend to keep him down here? Forever? He realizes he needs to think up an escape plan, but… well, he’s never been especially good at thinking up plans, even when the Hunger isn’t driving him up the wall.

After a little while, one of the rats pops its little head out from inside his coat and looks at him expectantly. He blinks at it, wondering if Eadwig was right about the rats being demons. Either way, he should probably send the rats away before he gets too hungry. They don’t smell like food but, if he’s down here too long, he might find himself compelled to try it anyway, just to try to soothe the Hunger for a moment…

He pulls the rats out of his coat and places them all in a row on the floor of the cell in front of him. "Do you… do you think you could go find help?" he asks them, hopefully. They had seemed interested in following his orders earlier. Perhaps they can help him now. "Without getting caught by those vampires or their alarm?"

- Benji -

The rat trio seem thrilled at the prospect of helping, and honoured that you would ask them. Paganini immediately runs off —the bars presenting no impediment to their coming and going— but then slinks back 'tail between their legs' (or would be, if that were possible for a rat) to disgusted looks from Tchaikovsky.

They look to you for more guidance, not really having a concept of 'find help', nor knowing how to get out past what looked like an alarm system specifically for detecting demons. If you can give them a more concrete order, maybe they can achieve that?

What do you do?

"No, no, that’s alright. Thank you, Paganini," Benji consoles the rat. "Perhaps I should have been more specific…" He furrows his brow, trying to come up with a plan. The alarm is a major obstacle for the rats. If they’re going to help him they need to find a way around it… "Okay, first things first, I think I need you all to look for an alternate path to the surface. That is, a way out without passing through that alarm thing. This is a maze and you all are rats, so that should be right up your alley, yes? Once you’ve found a way out, I want you to come back here."

- Persephone -

"Yes?" Henry answers his phone a bit brusquely, he sounds harassed and concerned. "Who's this?"

What do you do?

- Benji -

The rats ... or demons, or whatever they are... listen intently, they definitely seem to 'understand' your words and instructions. When you are done they nod and then scamper off...

They have been gone a long time, and you are getting hungrier and hungrier with each passing hour. At least there are no alarms. Eventually you hear the sound of approaching feet and doors being opened and closed, you have visitors, it seems.

"Benji." Alasdair says warmly, slipping in and sitting down on the floor with you as though it were a couch in his lounge. "So good of you to visit. How long has it been?" He sounds very sociable, especially for someone holding you prisoner, his questions also sounds like more than just a greeting, like he needs reminding that you met up just the other week at Arundel Castle. Being down in the constant-dark has made it hard for you to tell time, how much more must it affect those for whom it is perpetual.

The cell door was not locked behind Alasdair when he came in, but you can sense the other vampires waiting outside in the corridor.

What do you do?

Benji perks up, excited, as Alasdair enters the cell, certain that this means his friend has come to clear up the misunderstanding and let him go. "Oh! Alasdair! It hasn’t been long at all. A week or so, maybe? Anyway, I’m so glad to see you! There’s been some sort of awful misunderstanding. I was lost in the tunnels and then I ran into some of your guards and I thought they might bring me to you and then you could help me to find the way out but then some sort of alarm went off and Eadwig came and then they locked me in here and I’ve been so hungry and I think my ribs are broken and— oh, it’s been absolutely terrible, Alasdair! Thank goodness you’re here!"

- Benji -

"Oh. So you didn't come to talk...?" Alasdair looks crestfallen that you did not come visit him and stumbled upon his lair by accident. "Eadwig tells me..." He pauses and you can see him thinking, trying to translate what Eadwig 'told' is always a bit of a mind-bender. "... that you tried to sneak demons into my house. What's that all about, then?"

Alasdair knows you are friendly with Jacob, and you don't think he approves of this sort of thing. Your friendliness is unusual, but Alasdair seems particularly vested against this form.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Oh, yes. Of course. Persephone." Henry says when you identify yourself. "So you are alright? I was worried. At least..." He does not finish his thought, but, if you knew more details of how the evening went down, you might suspect he was want to say: "At least Emma had the decency to let me know she was ... still alive.".

"Yeah, why not." He says when you invite him out for a drink. He sounds casual, but there has been plenty of time for him to look at a class registry, or even just think about it, and learn that you lied about being at school with him.

Henry gets the name of the place and will show up in about 5 minutes, it seems, wherever he was, he was close-by to both your place and Emma's.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Oh, yes? Why's that?" Henry asks in a neutral tone which probably covers 'for which part' more than indicating a denial that apologies are owed.

Despite what happened, he still showed up tonight. Something brought him here, he was nosing around the Ivy Club in search of power, you may have an in if there is anything you can offer him as compensation for losing out on that opportunity, you will just have to figure out how, and how it benefits you.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"So it's true, what I saw." Henry mutters to himself as you talk about 'what you can do'. He has been trying to deny the transformation he witnessed "it was dark. I was far away. I didn't see clearly." and so on, but, coupled with Emma's outright statements, this denial is become harder and harder.

When you admit your feelings and vulnerability about 'the awful things that happened' he reaches out a hand and rests it on yours consolingly, not interrupting your flow.

"Don't be too hard on Emma." He says morosely. "She can be a bit ... I don't know ... self-centered, but many of the things she said about me were probably true (or at least in part). I can understand that she has a grudge against me, I was a ass, I treated her like garbage when we went out. But we were both young, and I have tried to make it up to her. But she makes it so hard. But I am not giving up on her." He sounds genuine, you can believe his intentions.

He does not have anything to offer on the topic of Emma getting out of your sticky situation and then just having a relaxing weekend, but, depending on how much extra detail you might have let slip, he also does not see what she could have actually done to help you. He confirms that he called the cops, but that they stood down when Emma showed up and assured everyone that everything was OK. Based on Emma's say-so, the hotel assumed you were also alright and did not cooperate with the cops' flimsy requests for your details (the hotel presumably still have your luggage).

"What are we going to do about The Ivy Club?" He asks, steering the conversation in that direction without your prompting, he may be leery of an all out assault, or obvious breaking of the law, but he is in for any retribution against the club and against Chaudry in particular once he knows the man who was at lunch is significant.

"Who are your people?" He asks, definitely interested in your scheme to wrest power and wealth from that source.

What do you do?

"Friends of mine," Benji explains. "I didn't mean any harm by it. I didn't even know they were demons until that alarm went off."

- Persephone -

After it became clear you two were going to have a civilised conversation —he was unsure for the initial part of the meeting— Henry enquires about what you are drinking and orders a fancy version for himself. "Maple smoked old fashioned." He says to the server —slipping him a tip to get service at the table. His drink arrives with some fanfare, they bring a plank of wood to the booth, set it on fire, then place the glass over the top of the fire, smothering it and capturing the smoke, at the same time they mix and ice the drink, then quickly flip the smoke-filled glass and decant the cocktail into it, displacing the smoke.

Henry shrugs off your accusation of his nobility.

"What did he do to you?" He asks when you hesitate, the horror evident in his voice. "Did he...?" Of course his mind would go there.

When you say that his associates 'serve' Chaudry, Henry seems skeptical. "That was not the impression I got, that one time I met him." He says. "Though, I seem to have missed a lot of clues, it would seem."

The talk of 'weapons and demons' makes Henry uncomfortable. He likes to think of himself as a 'manly man', but he has never used a weapon against another person before —just a little duck-hunting and such— and is uneasy with what you may be suggesting.

He seems unimpressed, and possibly even disappointed with your credit card, he has a fair bit of money, and you make it sound a lot like you are a 'kept woman'. That is not what he is looking for. Possibly he still thinks he can get a better deal if he gets a chance to negotiate with your patron (lower case 'p').

When you invite him back to your place —not mentioning your sister's party— he is sorely tempted. But he takes a sip of his smokey drink to steady his nerves before saying: "Maybe that is not such a good idea?" He does not sound at all convinced and it would not take much for you to change his mind... but he is probably right, it would be unfair to Emma to sleep with her ex, in fact that may even have been part of the reason she was a little snippy with you after the bonding experience you both had at the spa earlier? Even when she is not around, Emma is cock-blocking you and dominating the conversational landscape.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"How could you not know?" Alasdair says, sounding dubious about your claim. "Show me these demon-friends and we will see." He seems to feel he would be able to identify demons at a glance... but you don't have them with you right now.

What do you do?

"Well, they look a lot like rats to me," says Benji, with a shrug. "Anyway, they’re not here anymore. It was clear that you didn’t want them in your home so I told them to find another way out instead."

- Benji -

Alasdair wants to believe you, but it is clear he is sceptical about your story. You haven't exactly told him the whole truth about what you told your 'friends' and about your escape plans. He will need some convincing.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"'Eternal life'?" Henry muses. "You know, I'm not totally sure I want to live forever." He is restraining himself to avoid singing Queen. "But he can't get away with ... what he did. Let's take his power. And 'Sin's and the rest as well." He is obviously a bit but-hurt by the use they put him to.

Henry is a little distracted by your absentmindedly caressing your breast, but he pulls his eyes away and focuses on your words. "A party with your baby sister?" He says, reminding you that his a fair bit older than you and Emma. "I am not sure I would fit in there." He demurs. He does not know that said party has people like ... what was it? Jacob? Edward? ... whatever ... who are even older still.

What do you do?

"Anyway, just because I came here by accident doesn’t mean I can’t stay and talk a little while! Perhaps we could continue this conversation somewhere more comfortable now that my demon friends are gone?" Benji suggests, hoping that Alasdair’s desire for company might outweigh his suspicion.

- Benji -

"Well, that's alright then." Alasdair declares —to the chagrin of those waiting in the corridor.

"You say you are hungry enough that you broke your ribs? I know it sometimes feels that way." Alasdair does not know about your fight, and has always been a little dismissive of surface vampires' worries about food, 'when you are surrounded by blood-bags, you can never really go hungry' he feels.

"Why don't we retire to my chambers, see what we can do about your situation." Alasdair imperiously waves the guards away as he leads you out of the cell and back up the corridor. This time the demon alarm is silent, you can't tell if it extends all the way down to the floor, but presumably it does so your friends are unlikely to have snuck through here.

• What are Alasdair's chambers like? Are they much like we would expect from a sewer-dweller? Or are there significant surprise elements?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Really? I would like to meet you sister." Henry says, half out of politeness, half out of curiosity.

When you speak about not wanting to sleep alone, he calls over a waiter again, deciding to forego the temptation of visiting your place tonight... while he is still sober.

What do you do?

"No, I broke them earlier," Benji clarifies as he follows Alasdair through the tunnels. The bare rock walls have been replaced with brick and concrete. He can hear rushing water up ahead. "I got in a fight with a couple of demons-- not the same demons I had with me, mind you-- and one of them hit me."

The tunnel opens up into a wider chamber with a torrent of water roaring through it. Rainwater gushes out of a number of smaller tunnels (like the one Benji and Alasdair are standing in), and cascades down into the larger channel. There is a rusted metal ladder hanging on the wall beside the mouth of Benji and Alasdair’s tunnel which Alasdair quickly scrambles up, agile as a spider. Benji follows, a little more cautious.

At the top of the ladder is an old catwalk, probably used by maintenance workers at some point. Alasdair has apparently made himself at home up here. In the middle of the catwalk, there is a little table and a number of mismatched chairs. There is an empty goblet on the table and a game of scrabble, already begun.

- Benji -

"Good lad." Alasdair says when you talk of fighting demons. "Showed them what for, did you."

As you approach the table someone has just placed a paper on the pile already upon it and scuttled away. Alasdair picks up the sheaf and glances through it, setting most of the notes aside but dipping an old fountain pen in a ink-pot and scribbling something on one of them and holding it out without looking, someone different to the one who made the deliver appears and plucks it from his hand, glances at it and then darts out one of the many tunnels heading away from this central location.

Alasdair sits and motions you to do likewise. The sight of the goblet reminds him of etiquette and he seems to finally comprehend your words. "You are injured? That was not just hyperbole?" He says. "You must feed. I can send for someone...?"

What do you do?

"Yes," Benji answers immediately, eagerly, before his conscience has a chance to chime in. "Please."

- Benji -

Alasdair motions with his hand and one of the waiters (those who wait) slips over to his elbow. "Bring food for my guest." Alasdair decrees, emphasising the 'guest' part. The waiter fades away to do so, they are gone for a while.

"What news from up above?" Alasdair asks in casual conversation —but also, clearly, hungry for such news, cut off from the world has he is. "Do you want to play?" He asks, indicating the in-progress scrabble game, but also possibly including other options.

After a long while —the prison cells are a ways beneath Alasdairs headquarters— the waiter returns with a whimpering human, one of the ones you spoke to earlier, by the sound of it. The light is dim down here, and they peer around in horror at the scene.

Alasdair allows your conversation and/or game to be interrupted for snack-time, watching blandly. Do you intend to eat right here in the middle of everything, or do you retire to a private nook?

The 'food' is definitely not 'willing', they have probably been bitten before and might know what is coming.
• Do they try to put up a fight? It won't help them at all, fear does not make for rational decisions.
• Do you have an inkling about which prisoner you are being offered?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"This is one of the few places that carries maple wood planks." Henry explains. "I got a taste for this while in Canada, but don't drink it too often, the overall effect diminishes if you don't mix it up with other things."

He does not resist getting another drink... or two... or three...

What do you do?

"It’s still raining," Benji tells Alasdair, picking up some scrabble tiles and arranging them on one of the little tile racks. "And I think you were right about the fae. I found traces of their magic elsewhere and, if they’re meddling in one thing, then why not the weather too? Oh, also Elliot is missing and there’s been a bit of a kerfuffle about that. I don’t think anyone’s officially claimed his territory just yet, although—" Benji abruptly cuts himself off, distracted, as the sounds and smells of prey draw nearer.

He feels a twinge of guilt as the ‘waiter’ drags the poor whimpering creature up the ladder, but the humans down here are all doomed anyway. Does it really make a difference if he kills them or Alasdair does?

The moment the human is within striking distance, Benji has him pinned to the ground. A distant part of his mind — the thinking, feeling part of him that was once human himself— recognises Leopold— the human he spoke to earlier— before his fangs close around the man’s throat. He feels a stab of pain in his broken fang and ignores it, biting down harder, drinking deeply.

He’s usually very careful when he bites someone. Even when he’d bitten Bev the other night, when he’d been frantic and desperate to feed, he’d made sure to be gentle. Controlled. Now — exhausted, hurt, starving — he simply surrenders to the Hunger.

- Benji -

"It's what they do." Alasdair says again, not really having grasped that they were 'away', so not being surprised that you are seeing signs of Faerie activity. "Eliot's territory...?" He speculates, even though it is hardly feasible for him to think about taking over up there, but this line is disrupted as you pounce on your victim. "Oh..." Alasdair says in a rather prim-and-proper way, but he does not intervene, he knows about the hunger.

This poor soul is weak, and does not satiate your Hunger, not even taking the edge off before Leopold dies, screaming then gurgling. You look around for more. Alasdair does not seem too disturbed by the mess made of his headquarters, this is the price of having guests, after all. He is about to motion for someone to come clean it up when an alarm sounds... a very familiar alarm.

Everyone down here reacts in a calm, but quick manner. Alasdair —usually a little ... shall we say 'disconnected' from the events around him— does not change his lackadaisical manners, but does immediately start to gather information and issue orders, pointing upwards and mobilising troops.

As soon as he has a moment to spare for his guest he turns to you, ignoring the blood. "Demon attack." He explains, matter-of-factly. "I really should attend to this." He is clearly torn between his responsibility defending his realm and his duties as a host. "Care to join us in the fight?" He offers, thinking this a cleave compromise.

You gained little-to-nothing from the light feeding you just had, and are still as injured as when you started, fighting demons seems like a very bad idea. But then, Alasdair might not be engaging in actual fighting, himself, surely?

The troop movement seems to be heading upwards, so not from the direction you came from... it might occur to you that you ordered your rats (apparently 'demons') to find a way out, to the surface, and then to... return to you... and you are here, on this side of the demon-detectors... if they followed your exact orders... well they might be trying to get to you, and they might be the cause of the ruckus... and might be in danger.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Henry is more than a little tipsy by now. "I thought they did not sound Chinese." He says indelicately about your names, clearly not having recognised the classical connection. "If she's as pretty as you, I would be delighted." He says, trying to sound complementary, but coming off a little boorish due to the drink... fortunately his audience is likewise-affected, so it may seem charming.

Henry does not make a big deal about the bill, paying in one go, or allowing you to go dutch, as you like, he is 'a modern man', after all. If he drove here he is in no state to take his car, you can either find a cab or make a run for it and probably not be too damp when you get home, it is not far.

It is getting late, but the party is still underway, you hear thumping music when the elevator doors open, and people are dancing, someone has set up lights and a smoke-machine.

What do you do?

- Emma -

You dream of running through dark, demon-infested tunnels, the smell of sulphur and brimstone filling you nose! There is movement near you! Someone is leaning over you in the dark and things are moving beneath you! There is a strange, wet, coughing sound! ...

You awake in a cold sweat. Your dream made real, right here in your flat.

What do you do?

Somewhat embarrassed by his bad table manners, Benji wipes the blood from his face with the back of his hand and stands up, a bit unsteady on his feet. He doesn’t feel better at all. His chest still aches with every movement and the Hunger still has its claws in him, all the fiercer for having been tantalised by what little blood poor Leopold was able to provide.

He tries to focus on what Alasdair is saying. "Demons? Uhm… yes, alright. I’ll come along."

- Persephone -

Henry is swept along, out of control. His dancing is not particularly good, but you can't tell if that is due to an inherent lack of skill or due to his confusion. Emma never mentioned it, and it is tricky ask her now.

It's not long before Circe sees you, breaks away from the group chatting with Edward, and maneuvers her way over to you. Despite all the bottles and glasses, Circe, and —if you are inclined to notice— most of the guests, are only mildly tipsy, you and your partner are, by far, the most drunk people in the apartment.

Circe looks annoyed. Possibly because you returned to crash her party, but more likely because she was worried about you, it is late and you have been acting... erratically. Much as she objects to being mothered, she is even less eager to have to act the responsible one.

"Hello." She says to you and Henry. "Are you going to introduce me to your date." She says, smelling the residual alcohol-and-smoke-smells coming from you two and possibly worried you 'picked someone up at a bar'.

What do you do?

- Emma -

It is more than just sweat you smell, and David has been , slightly deliriously, trying to discretely get the bedding off the bed —with you still in it. It seems he has had a little accident, of the incontinence-variety, and messed on his pajamas and sheets.

"Go back to sleep." David says hoarsely. "I will get Sarah to take care of it." He either did not grasp that when you said 'right now' you meant to toss your guest out on her ear in the middle of the night, or has forgotten in his enfeebled state.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"Quite right." Alasdair agrees, the duty to help a man defend his castle is an ancient one. "We don't know who they are, yet." He reports. "But is seems like only one, small, assault force. Should be a bit of bit of fun, what-what?" He does not seem too enthused by the 'fun', more like demon fighting is a common chore.

You make your way upwards, ever closer to the surface. The tunnels almost look familiar, and you think you might even be able to find you way out from here if you had to.

"No sightings of the enemy, yet." A lieutenant reports when the boss arrives. "At least three demons breached the perimeter a while ago, but we have them contained and were about to move in to seek and destroy."

If it is your friends, you might want to do something before they are 'sought and destroyed'... but what can you do without revealing your complicity to Alasdair?

What do you do?

Benji’s head feels a little clearer now that he’s away from the blood and the body. He frowns, thinking. He could try to get to the rats before anyone else does, but then what? And what if he doesn’t get to them in time? Perhaps he should just be honest…

"…Are we certain it’s not just my rats again?" he suggests, tentatively. "They may have come back to find me."

- Benji -

"They'd better not be." Alasdair says darkly, possibly having forgotten that we was, technically, holding you prisoner the last time they saw you.

One of the lieutenants —you think she is one of the vampires that came with Eadwig— gives you a glare and mutters to Alasdair: "See. We told you he could not be trusted. He is in league with the enemy."

The mobilisation action does not slow, but the word is put out to be on the lookout for 'rat sized' foes. So far all your honesty has done is to take away what little advantage your buddies may have had.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Circe looks like she is about to ask you a question about Emma, like she had been holding off due to not wanting to speak in front of a stranger, but now that you have confirmed your date —that you picked on after seeing Emma— knows Emma, she almost asks about the state of that marriage...

But you have to go and spoil it by poking at her about an older man... possibly old enough to be her father... and she looks at you, annoyed, formulating cutting responses in her head before you deny her that pleasure by dragging Henry off to your room.

Henry is a man, so, being dragged into bed by a pretty, drunk woman, he has certain expectations... Despite the tales Emma tells, he is also a gentleman, so, if those expectations are not met he will, eventually leave, unsatisfied and disappointed.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"OK, love." David says, giving you weak smile. He takes a couple of pills from the container on his bedside table and swallows them with difficulty, then he stumbles off to the bathroom, leaving his pajama bottoms in a puddle on the floor. You hear the shower start to run.

What do you do?

"Alasdair!" Benji protests, aghast. A rare flash of anger crosses his face. "Alasdair, if you value our friendship at all, you will not let anyone hurt those rats, understand? Just let me talk to them and I’ll send them back up to the surface and then we can go back down and continue our conversation."

- Emma -

There is evidence on the mattress that this is not the first such incident. It would seem poor Sarah diligently dealt with an unpleasant and messy situation while you were away at a fancy hotel ... with another man and then with your new girlfriends. Fortunately she has been diligent about the washing as well, else you wouldn't have spare sheets and pajamas, the rest of the flat is also cleaner and tidier than usual, Sarah definitely had a thing about cleaning... which was nice.

By the time you have finished cleaning and rotating the mattress —this being the last side you can rotate to— and resheeted the bed you start to think that David has been in the shower for an awfully long time. If you go to check on him, he is slumped on the tile floor (old but recently and thoroughly cleaned), warm water falling on him. "Sorry." He says, with a goofy smile, trying to downplay it. "Had a bit of a dizzy spell, there. Needed to sit down." You will have to help him stand.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"Oh, Benji, my boy." Alasdair says with paternal pity in his voice. "The demons are our enemy, you can't treat with them." You know that most vampires are not exactly on friendly terms with demons, but not to a more significant level than the vampire's clashes with everyone else, vampires barely even get along with each other. This particular enmity is an aspect of import to Alasdair —and possibly the other underground vampires who don't deal with other people much.

"They attack from below, and we have to be constantly vigilant to protect the world from their foul intrusions." He explains. "They have a stronghold down there, protected by a great black dog." It seems he is willing to talk at length about his situation, the assault on your rats is on hold while they wait for their leader to give the order.

You are close enough that you might be able to shout to your three friends and be heard, sending them away, but Alasdair will be disappointed, not that this confirmation of your collusion will be much of a revelation. Perhaps you can distract him with something else?

What do you do?

- Emma -

It takes what feels like a long time for the ambulance to arrive. Two paramedics head up to your flat and examine David, taking a history and details. It turns out you don't know when last he had pills, David does not remember and Sarah was taking care of that, it may have been too soon after the last time for him to be taking more, but the paramedics assure you that such paracetamol use should not a serious concern in the short-term, that you did nothing wrong... there. They are bit scathing about you leaving him to stand in the shower alone, though, weak as he is.

"The hot water probably made him light-headed, he is already a bit dizzy. His temperature is not life-threatening." They explain. "The hospitals are full, and this looks like a cold. Sure, a bad one, but still, the city is wrecked with them this season, with all this rain." This is the story you heard before, they suggest you keep checking his temperature and if it climbs, you can have him admitted, they suggest 'linen savers' or a water-proof mattress cover on the meantime. If you insist, they will take you to the hospital, but they guarantee you you will told the same thing there: 'Rest and plenty of fluids, call us if it gets worse', and they heavily imply that you will be wasting everyone's time and putting others at risk.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"He didn't, ma'am, we checked." They say patiently about bumping his head. It is clear they deal with irrational spouses all the time.

"I didn't, hon. I am fine." David says, though possibly he using his tone that suggests he lovingly spells 'hon' with a 'u'.

"Our details are right there on our report." One says. "But, if you insist, we can take you. I assure you, though, your husband will be better off in a nice warm bed than sitting in a cold waiting room only to be sent home in a few hours."

What do you do?

"Well, these ones are coming from above, not below," Benji points out. "They have nothing to do with the dog or any of those other demons. Anyway, I’m not asking you to welcome them into your home. I only want to tell them to go back to the surface. What’s the harm in that?"

- Emma -

The ambulance drops you at A&E, there are usually wheelchairs by security, for those who need them, but there is a shortage this night, and since David can walk, others may need them more, it is up to you.

The waiting room is full of people, coughing and sneezing and wearing very few masks. If you two did not have whatever is going around already, you, and everyone in here, will have it by tomorrow.

Eventually, after hours of waiting, a doctor sees you. They look harried and are trying to be polite and patient with their nagging and impolite patients.

The doctor has questions you can't answer: "How long has this been going on?" "How frequent?" and David has to come to your defence: "My wife was away, we had a friend staying with us who helped me out. Yes, the hospital told us not to come in yet..."

The doctor takes his time explaining how 'The mucus membranes in the nose and throat are pretty much the same as those in the ... other pink openings. They get the same infections and tend to leak. The pressure of the sneezing and coughing also often leads to stress induced incontinence. It is nothing to worry about at this stage.' Possibly the fact that you are something pretty to look at, in a sea of red noses, is the only reason they are taking this time.

They repeat much the same advice as the paramedics gave —only slightly impatient that people don't trust the people who do this for a living— and want to send David home to bed.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"They tried from below." Alasdair points out. "Then they found a way around, and are trying, again, from above. You are not a soldier, you don't understand these things. Demons are relentless, and these ones may be trickier than most."

Nothing you have said so far makes an impression on Alasdair, he does not agree with being friends with demons, and he is correct in his assessment of what these ones did... even if their motivation is not clear to him, but then, he does not care about demons' motivations, they are the enemy and he fights them.

What do you do?

Frustrated and seeing that trying to reason with Alasdair is pointless, Benji turns his back on the older vampire and, in a slightly petulant act of stubborn defiance, shouts as loud as he can into the tunnel. "RATS, IF IT’S YOU AND IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, GO BACK TO MY FLAT AND WAIT FOR ME THERE!"

- Emma -

David is exhausted and shivering when you finally get him back to bed, but at least you are less worried, and that is what matters...

It is still early in the morning (*) when you phone Shelyna's phone, it is not her that answers, but you think you recognise the slightly-Greek-sounding accent of Federico Christobal.

"Hello?" He says, not adding the heavily implied, 'who is this?' nor the equally implied and possibly more important '...and how did get this number?'

• Just how early in the morning is it? It does not sound like you woke them.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

The sounds of the party are at least over by the time you awake, and it is light —if still grey— outside your condo window.

• Do you still suffer from hangovers in the morning?
• Is Henry still there when you wake? Or did he do a walk-of-shame already? If there: Did he already awaken?

What do you do?

- Benji -

There is the sound of muted machine-gun fire from the old, World War II sten guns, you don't know if your furry friends are alright, but the call from the front-lines is somewhat encouraging. "They are falling back sir!" You hear some footfalls of chasing vampires —normally considered 'quiet' but not when compared to the feet of rats.

Alasdair glares at you for your shout, but does not say anything at this time. He does look disappointed in your choices, though.

What do you do?

Benji flinches at the sound of gunfire and then, worried, hurries down the tunnel towards the sounds footsteps. He doesn’t much care what Alasdair thinks anymore. He just wants to make sure that his friends got out okay and then he wants to leave.

- Benji -

"Stay where you are, sir!" The remaining guards shout when you approach the front, they turn their guns to point at you but do not fire on their boss's guest... yet. The chasing vampires have run up the tunnel, and are out of sight by the time you make it there from your safe vantage point, it will take a herculean effort to catch up with them, and that is presuming you can get past the armed guards who are trusting you less and less.

Every step you have taken has alienated you more from Alasdair. Your continued allegiance to the demons who are his enemy is warring with his desire to be your friend and your turning out to be his enemy instead.

You are still in the middle of Alasdair's base of power.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Ah, Ms Harper." Federico says, possibly relaying that information to someone else for a decision. "And what is this concerning?" He asks, not immediately handing you over based purely on your asking.

You might not value these power-structures, but you have just called up the phone of one of the most powerful dozen individuals in the country (or at least in London) and asked to be put on the line with them, you shouldn't even have this number and it may only be curiosity that is keeping Federico from hanging up on you and blocking your number.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Henry wakes up a little groggy, he gives you a shy smile and reaches for the water, looking around for something else... probably pills, given how delicately he is holding his head. He did not drink nearly as much as you did, and out-masses you by a significant amount, but he is definitely hung-over and feeling it.

This hangover does not stop him from looking at you appreciatively —the memory from last night having left an impression— and showing clear signs of eagerness to have another go this morning... possibly after borrowing a toothbrush, and involving showers.

What do you do?

- Emma -

It is almost as though he can sense the effect of your hair-play actions over the phone and you hear his tone change ever so slightly. "Uh... Yes? Useful in what way?" He asks, not sure what you can offer, but not wanting to rebuff you and end the call just yet?

What can you actually offer? What use to you have to the higher ups, at this stage? Maybe you need to start at the bottom and work you way up? ... but that is going to be tricky without leaving your flat.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"I don't know." Henry says honestly. "I really like you, even though you ... you know..." Oh, No! Is he rejecting you because of the taint? "Lied to me at the start." No, it is just about your actions and choices not about 'what you are'. "And ..." Is he actually thinking about Emma at time like this? But his thoughts of other women ... and consequences... are wiped away by what comes next.

You can't remember much of last night, but Henry does not ask 'was it good for you', he has studied, read books on this and watched 'instructional videos' and thinks he knows how to get the job done, and is trying.

You leave him to dress in yesterday's clothes, and make coffee, thinking about how you still bring joy to people and not just hurt... when it occurs to you that it is Monday morning —you lost the whole weekend— and you have work to do... the work of seducing Viviana... at 10...

• Just how late is it when you realise?

What do you do?

Benji stops short as the guns turn on him and hisses at the guards in frustration. Hungry and in pain and angry with Alasdair and having not slept in days, he’s in as unpleasant a mood as he can ever remember being in. He wants to bite someone.

Instead, he whirls around to face Alasdair. The other vampire is still lurking a safe distance back. "Am I your prisoner or your friend, Alasdair?" he demands.

- Emma -

"Intriguing." Federico says with a chuckle hiding in his voice —possibly because his boss is there in the room with him, then he focuses on business. "And what have your little birds told you?"

Maybe if you actually had something to offer your position would be stronger, though it is possible they may be interested in what you know of the events below Hyde Park on Friday night?

What do you do?

- Benji -

"I don't know, Benji." Alasdair says sadly. "I would like to think we are friends..." this is a bit of stretch, at the best of times, but he did seem happy to see you at Arundel, and keen to socialise this time. "My advisors claim you are 'in league with the enemy'. That you 'tried to smuggled spies into my demesne'... twice. I find it hard to believe... but your actions suggest greater concern for the well-being of those demons masquerading as rats than for your own kind. Are you corrupted? Are you working for the Imp, against me?" There is a shake to his voice, as though he is trying to hold back tears of betrayal.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Understanding the demands of work, Henry almost sets the coffee mug aside, till he realises what a good excuse it is to come back to your place and see you again, instead he takes a sip —you didn't have time to ask him how he likes it, but his expression gives nothing away.

He deflates a little when you turn your 'invitation' into a 'business meeting' —especially since the 'business' is 'revenge' which he is more than a little uncomfortable with.

"Does it need to be...?" He starts, then realises how pathetic that will sound. "I should get to the office as well." He course-corrects. "I will have a few of the analysts look into the Ivy Club, and its members, maybe there is a financial route to ... to our aim.

"I will call you tonight?" He says as he heads for the door, he leans in ever so slightly, as though to give you a kiss goodbye... if you reciprocate.

What do you do?

Benji’s anger gutters out like a candle when he sees how upset Alasdair is. "I’d like to think you are my friend too, Alasdair, but I told you — those rats are my friends as well. I just want them to be safe. I would be similarly upset if you tried to kill any of my other friends or if they tried to kill you. It has nothing to do with who’s a demon and who’s a vampire. They’re just my friends. Will you please call off your soldiers?"

- Emma -

"My, my. I can see you have not been ... idle." Possibly he was about to 'paying attention to our warning that you could be putting you life at risk', but you know that since you were in a situation where you nearly lost your life —and your friend did lose hers... if only temporarily.

"Who is this 'vampire'? Who is this 'Lucy'?" He asks, this not being much to go on and not impressing him much. "'Chaudry' you say? Hmm... And related to the Hyde Park Hound?" He accidentally lets slip that they know about the hound and its location away from the tube. There is a slight pause, barely long enough for someone to look up some details, but you get the impression that your police case is now in front of them. "That is interesting, tell us more." Federico says, the 'me' becoming an 'us' which might suggest Shelyna is listening as well.

• What details do you share? What Details do you withhold?

What do you do?

- Benji -

"But they are demons, Benji." Alasdair tries to explain, as though to a child who is old enough that they should know better. "It has everything to do with that. They would kill me if they got the chance, they are demons." He repeats this 'they are demons' as thought that is all the reason they would need.

In the time of your conversation —and, really, before it started— the rats and the guards have literally run off, there is no way for Alasdair to 'call them off', they are probably halfway to the surface by now.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"That would be nice." Henry agrees with the 'sober date' offer, with this 'promise' in hand he places the coffee mug on a surface near the door, not needing that in hand as an excuse to contact you anymore. He sees you to your car while waiting for a taxi.

When you arrive at Black Sheep Coffee you spy Viviana sitting in an out of the way corner, waiting. Even though you are not really late, it looks like she has been waiting a while, there are two empty mugs on her table.

Your arrival does not exactly go unnoticed either. You don't know the barristers on duty today, but they seem to know you. "Persephone!" The girl at the till call in enthusiastic greeting. "What will you have?" This to the annoyance of the people in the queue who are being sidelined by your popularity.

What do you do?

Benji glances over his shoulder but the tunnel behind him is empty now and even the sounds of footsteps are dwindling. Even if he ran after them now, he doubts he could catch up, especially with the condition he’s in… He sighs, rubbing his face tiredly. "I’m sorry for getting upset with you, Alasdair… I haven’t slept in… I don’t know how long and I’m still Hungry and hurt and it’s all making it very difficult to think properly."

- Benji -

"Still?" Alasdair says, not sounding all that pleased that he failed to see to his guest's needs, but also not overly keen to risk losing another one of his valuable sources of blood.

"Yes, that is all understandable. And all is forgiven." He says, accepting your apology. "Let's put all this behind us and get you sorted out." He gestures back towards his central nest, instructing someone to bring you food if you take his offer.

What do you do?

Benji shakes his head. "I don’t want to impose. I already killed one of your humans and I’d really rather not kill another… I have some blood stashed away for emergencies. Let me go home and rest and feed and heal and I’ll come back and finish that game of scrabble with you another time when I’m feeling more myself. I could even bring my violin and play something for you as a thank you for your hospitality! Do you have a favourite composer?"

- Emma -

"Hmm... yes? And you think you can get this tracker data from Teddy?" Federico asks, sounding interested in your ability to act as a non-partisan go-between. "This 'Lucy' is probably one of Nicholas' healers, but it does not sound at all like to her have 'taken' Teddy. Are you sure about your facts?

"We can understand your hesitancy about taking them up on that offer to 'visit'." He says —this being in line with his warnings. "But, if you have an in, and can get that information..." He leaves this hanging, clearly not above letting you risk your hide if it benefits his cause.

When you pivot back to Chaudry he has more questions. "When you say 'feeding it'," he asks. "Do you mean, er... meat... or souls? That is quite an important distinction." You did not see the sacrifice and have no direct knowledge of what Persephone experienced outside what she told you in your shouting match, but you did see sheep, pig, and even cow carcasses that looked like dog-food.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"Of course." Alasdair says, looking sad that you want to leave, but also glad that you are not going to exhaust their supply with your topsider excesses. "You are not a prisoner." He hadn't actually answered that question yet.

"Scrabble can wait." He says, not immediately jumping at the prospect of your coming back, possibly for fear of your bringing demons into his house again.

When you ask about composers he pulls a face: "Anything but Bach." He says with distaste. "Maybe some Handle, or Bowie, or Smashing Pumpkins... or Avril Lavigne?" This last sounds a lot like a guilty pleasure he admits in an undertone.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"It sure would be great to get some hints as to what Nicholas' part in all this is." Federico says, not volunteering that Nicholas is unpredictable and dangerous —he already told you that of all vampires— but possibly letting slip that he is not a known —or knowable— factor. If only Benji were still around and you could talk to him, he might both know more and be more willing to share what he knows about this faction.

"Well, that is a good thing, at least." Federico says when you imply that there were only animal bodies and no actual 'human sacrifice'. "It would be bad if he found a way to bypass the guardian and gained access to..." He cuts off his sentence, almost as though someone signaled for him to shut up. "... whatever is beyond." He concludes in an unconvincing obfuscation.

"Best if Nicholas, and Lucy, don't know you are working with us." Federico says, quickly changing the subject back to safer territory.

• Do you share with them that someone was sacrificed? If so, what do you tell them about how she is still walking around afterwards?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"And always good to see you." The till-girl says, possibly suggesting that she has already seen much of you, but not confirming it. They look impressed by your order.

"Oh, hi..." Viviana says, she was trying to appear casual, like she was just there and happened to run into you, but is slightly discombobulated by your doing the same. "Um... uh... nothing much." She says about the weekend, possibly spent fixating over this mornings activities.

"You do anything interesting?" She ask.

• Does her question about your weekend trigger anything in you?

What do you do?

Benji musters a smile. "Handel and Lavigne. Got it. Until next we meet then." He begins to bow, then feels a twinge of pain in his broken ribs and thinks better of it. He waves goodbye to Alasdair instead and then turns around and begins walking in the direction he thinks the rats and Alasdair’s soldiers ran. Presumably they were headed back to the surface, after all…

- Emma -

"OK, thanks. Let us know." Federico says, not sounding like he is taking the Lucy/Teddy situation too seriously, but maybe they will change their tune if you can produce actual, actionable, intel.

However, there is a long silence after you drop the bombshell (not the 'blonde' kind) about the sacrifice. "This would be ... Persephone?" Federico asks, reading the name from somewhere. He is trying to sound casual, but with a hint of panic in his voice. "We are sorry for your loss. Let us know about that tracker..."

It sounds like he is about to hang up and dismiss your conversation, this last bit has them worried, and has spurred them into action. Maybe they intend to do something about Chaudry?

What do you do?

- Benji -

At least you don't find rat remains on your route out, but the signs of the chase also disappear after not too long, the rats having darted off into small side-tunnels and the vampires having headed round to try coral them. The chances of your finding them —if they are even still down here— is low, and you soon find yourself in tunnels you know, though they are not your own.

You smell the smell of humans... food... and your Hunger rears up again, the pain and hardship driving it on. You must feed! Now! There is someone, alone down that tunnel over there! Your Hunger guides you to them. If you don't feed from them you might be forced to feed in a more public place, unless you can hold onto your humanity long enough to make it all the way across town to where you might still have a source of blood.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Rather than calling out your name for you to fetch, the girl brings you your drink, places it on the table and gives you a shy smile over her shoulder as she walks away.

"Aren't you supposed to pay for that?" Viviana asks, and in your cutting the queue and the procedure you seem to have skipped that step. She gives the serving girl —and the swish of her hips— a slight glare, possibly judging you for the age-gap, or possible jealous? Men are easier, this jealousy would make a perfect extra incentive for a guy to pursue you harder, but you can't tell what Viviana is thinking.

"I didn't even know 'not dating men' was an option." She say, trying to make a joke of it, but also intrigued by the discovery that there are other options —aside from (in?)voluntary celibacy.

What do you do?

Benji freezes at the smell of prey, held in place, for the moment, by the old moth-eaten tatters of his humanity. He imagines a snarling rottweiler straining against a leash made of string. ...Is he the dog in that metaphor or is it the Hunger? Does it make a difference? It’s harder than usual to think of the Hunger as separate from himself – a feeling, a longing, that can be ignored or over-ruled. The longer he spends down here, the more he feels like he is the Hunger, and the more ‘Benji’ feels like a story he tells himself—a performance. ‘Benji’ wouldn’t hurt anyone, not if he didn’t have to, but he would. He already has. Moments ago, in Alasdairs lair, and many, many times before that.

- Emma -

"You really don't want to know." Federico says, a bit patronisingly. "Not if you want to be able to still sleep at night. Leave that to us, and focus on where you can make a difference?"

At least he hasn't hung up yet, even though he has important things to deal with.

What do you do?

The metaphorical string snaps.

The next thing Benji knows he has a tall, heavyset man in a hardhat and a fluorescent vest pinned against the wall of the tunnel. He sees a flash of terror in the man’s eyes and hears a scream from somewhere else— another worker? a witness?— as he sinks his fangs into the man’s neck.

- Emma -

"Take over the world, my dear." Federico says. "With demons, obviously. We don't need to go into more details about what might or might not be in there, but, needless to say, there is a reason it was guarded, and if he has bypassed that guardian, it may destabilise the city and we, none of us, want another war. This is not the place for an ... amateur to be poking around in, this is a place for delicate negotiations..."

There is probably more to this, and you get the idea he may not know exactly what is 'in there', but that he is convinced it is bad.

You keep getting the sense that there are 'rules' at play, unspoken rules that have been in place for centuries, and those who actually wield power are constantly curtailed by these rules. As an outsider you may be able to sidestep some of the protocols with a wide-eyed 'just a pretty face' excuse, and you get the feeling Federico is deliberately not telling you things to preserve this innocence... possibly in the hope you can help him with this problem... if only you knew what you could do.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Viviana gives you a sceptical look, she does not really remember your sister —her attention was pretty firmly elsewhere— and it seems there is more to it, but she does not argue.

"Wait! No!" She objects, almost swatting your phone from your hand. "Not to my phone!" She is clearly scared people will see it and judge her, think she is a lesbian or something... Indeed, when you finish your lecture —to an enraptured audience of one— she shifts a little uncomfortably at the 'Then I am likely a lesbian' conclusion.

"That's a very interesting theory." She says, clearly showing the effectiveness of the internalised patriarchal assumption. "What were those names again?" She asks, by way of conversation, but clearly planning to listen carefully and memorise them to look up later. She is wishing she had recorded the conversation, but why would she, and now she does not want to appear too eager, possibly still thinking she is flying under the radar.

What do you do?

- Benji -

This guy tasted good! So good! You are feeling a little better, but still Hungry! And his buddy is there, hooting and hollering and making a fuss.

Something about the first guy gives you the impression he might not be a problem, that you could, if you are lucky, ensnare him in your web and get away with this... if only his buddy would be cool.

You get the impression that this guy took this job for ... reasons. That what you found in the tunnels below this subway could be of interest to him, if he can avoid being eaten by a grue... or by Alasdair... of by the hellhound.

• How do you 'know' this about him?

What are you going to do about his buddy? His buddy who is reaching for a radio!

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Don't do anything on our account." Federico says, there is some hidden meaning in words, but it is hidden. "You are the one looking for Eliot, I am just saying let me know if I can help. His ... hmm... predictable hand on the tiller is probably preferable to vampire infighting or an unknown leader, but we can't get involved." This last part seems to be the sticking point he is trying hard not to have to tell you, if "the wizards interfere with the vampire's internal politics"... well that makes everyone antsy. You are a free agent, no one cares what you do, though everyone does seem to want you doing it for them.

Your offer of 'coffee' (with all that often implies in this day and age) does not fall on deaf ears. "That would be delightful." Federico says. "When things are not as hectic."

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Viviana looks at the paper carefully, memorising the detail, but does not pick it up. Just carrying it around would be a big step at her stage. She is still trying to be in denial, and your outright statement that your queer experience in college has anything to do with her 'meeting a friend at a coffee shop' is making her nervous. You pushed her rather hard last time as well, but still she came back for more.

"I... uh... I ..." She stammers, tugging at her neckline to help cool down at your offer...

What do you do?

Warmth and vitality suffuse Benji’s body as he drinks and drinks and drinks, soothing the pain in his chest and tempering the worst of the Hunger. He can’t remember the last time he felt this alive! Poor Leopold was weak, close to death already. This man is strong, healthy, full of life. He has plenty of blood to give and his blood is potent. Rich. Decadent. Like a full-bodied wine.

Benji is not practicing his usual restraint like he would when feeding on a friend either, but the man is still conscious, trying to put up a fight. He keeps flexing one of his arms that Benji has pinned to the wall, trying to break free and reach for something at his belt…

Curious, Benji glances down and sees that he has a machete tucked into his belt. Unusual for a rail worker. Was he expecting to encounter trouble? Maybe. Especially if he knows about the sorts of things that lurk down here. These workers must run into things they can’t explain more often than most, working underground like this. Most of them probably just forget about it and move on, but Benji suspects that this one might have dug a little deeper.

Reluctantly, Benji removes his fangs from the man’s neck and allows him to slump to the ground, barely conscious. If this man knows about vampires and demons and such, he probably understands the importance of keeping the supernatural world secret which means that Benji may not have to kill him after all! There is a short-sighted part of him that just wants to keep drinking, of course, but Benji has not survived for 200 years by being short-sighted. A new friend is so much better than a dead body! After all, you can only drink from a dead body once, but friends can keep you fed for years.

Speaking of friends…

Benji glances over his shoulder and is alarmed to see the other rail worker reaching for his radio. "Waitwaitwait! Don’t do that! Please? I’m not going to bite you, I promise. You’ve just got to leave the radio alone and we can talk this out, all right?"

- Emma -

If the wizards can't interfere with 'vampire internal politics' maybe they can't interfere with 'demon politics' as well? Wait... is Chaudry a wizard? The divisions there are not clear-cut. But it might occur to you that someone who can meddle in demon politics also has a bone to pick with this particular assemblage... Persephone... pity you are not talking to her anymore.

You know that Eliot's penthouse is prime real estate, and the 'rent is paid up' —presumably— but it is unlikely to just be standing empty. What is your plan to get in so you can take a look around?

What do you do?

With? What? Threats?

So far as this poor fella knows you just murdered his buddy, for no reason, and you have blood on your face. Threatening him might just reinforce his fear rather than calm him, don't we think?

Are you sufficiently 'in control' that you can reason with him and be reasoned with? You still have Serious Wounds and a Hunger that 'fridge blood' won't sate. Up to you, though.

- Persephone -

"What's ass sexual? Is that like... you know... in the back? Definitely not that...?" When you explain she looks sad. "No. Definitely not that either. Wouldn't that be easy."

She doesn't really seem to care about all the others who have made a go of it, your numbers are still small and the fact that they are being talked about just shows that they have to face problems.

She does, however, seem quite enraptured by listening to you talk. Even as 'matter-of-fact' as you are being, you get the feeling this may be more most 'sexual' action she has had in a while and she is definitely titillated and keen to continue. Your warm smile causes her to go all gooey, and she barely tries to hide it.

What do you do?

The other railway maintenance worker continues to fumble for his radio, not listening at all. Out of options (and not terribly displeased about that), Benji lunges, trying to tackle him to the ground and get his fangs around his throat.

- Persephone -

"Meet to discuss" engenders a visceral reaction from Viviana. "Oh." She says, disappointing. "Do you have ... somewhere you need to be?" She asks tentatively. "I have the whole day free." She is trying to sound casual about this detail, but unconformable as she is, she is also clearly not wanting the 'date' to end just yet.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Of course, Ms Harper." The ex-SAS security guard replies, obviously remembering you, and also, maybe, either not wanting to be one to have to tell you the 'bad news', or, just possibly, not actually knowing about the change of tenancy. He gives you a confident smile and openly watches you the whole time while he picks up the desk phone and calls up to the penthouse.

• Which of Elliot's lackeys would have the audacity to claim squatting rights to his place?