[Sodium_noir] Dear Jane (Saturday Night) - Tag Titus

[Alyson Young]

Rachel and Panic
Vampire and Mage
The Chaste Dragon

 > In the Chaste Dragon, Panic slept fitfully while his little companion 
tried to avoid
 > being squashed. Wrapped in his sweat soaked sheets that stuck to his naked
 > body like a shroud, he kicked and tossed at imaginary foes. Tink eventually
 > retreated to a pillow on the floor and struggled to find sleep for herself.

 > His Dreams were plagued with the cities troubles, with the poison 
leaking into
 > the bay from the Melcom fuel line in the river. From the Broken wheel of the
 > Camarilla inner council. From the slowly healing wound of Chinatown.
 > From the slowly cindering blue touch paper in the Sabbat manse. From the
 > insanity festering and growing in Christopher Bennett's mansion and the 
return
 > of the Blood Mages to the suburbs. Even the fall of the Snake Bitches 
gangs in
 > Darktown and the Setites uncoiling left images and perceptions in his 
minds eye.

 > But that was nothing new for Panic. He had grown used to the troubled 
heart of the
 > city speaking to him as he slept. even begun to take comfort from its 
turmoil. But
 > now his haven, his inner sanctum had been disturbed. The Chaste Dragon was
 > full of creatures he didn't want there. Vampires, other mages, Demons 
and mortals
 > not part of the plan. The Threshold was uncomfortable with so many new 
energies
 > within its embrace and when the Threshold was disturbed, so was its master.

Rachel awoke to find Panic gone from the bed they had shared.  She couldn't 
exactly blame him - Mages, like mortals, were creatures of the 
day.  Naturally he would be up and moving by now.  Naturally he wouldn't 
spend the whole day with a corpse just to be there when the spark of unlife 
returned to her.

Rising, Rachel tried again to remember the details of the previous night's 
debaucheries... but only remembered that Panic was skilled and 
magickal.  Specifics eluded her... except that he had said he wanted her 
here, if not every night, at least often... and that that was a price for 
his assistance with the problems of the Chinese streetwalker tong.

Rachel stretched like a cat - literally, on all fours, arms first and then 
legs.  Looking around the lovenest, something finally tickled her 
awareness.  This didn't seem right.  There wasn't just no Panic.  There was 
no sign of Panic that she could see.  No tinge of him that she could smell 
in the air.

Nervously, Rachel looked for clothes.  There were no clothes scattered 
around the bed.  There was only her duffel bag - the one she had brought 
here, the first night after joining Titus' pack.  It was packed with 
everything it had before - the same clothes, the same gun, the same 
half-empty bottle of scotch.  There was a cel phone (that was new) and a 
set of keys that said "Aprilia" on them (definitely new!)

As she turned the keyring in her hand, a folded Origami dragon fell out of 
it.  Released from the pressure caused by its wedged position in the 
keyring, the dragon unfolded and Rachel saw writing within.  She smoothed 
it out and read.

"Rachel,
This isn't right.  I need my space to be my own.  I'm sure you 
understand.  Take your minion and hit the road... look at the bike as a 
parting gift.

"I'll call if I need you.  Panic"

Rachel's scream was heard throughout the Chaste Dragon.  It woke up 
Two-Tone, even though it was a little before his natural time.  Some 
customers paused in their activities, and one who had only come as far as 
the lobby left in a rush.

Bursting into Two-Tone's room, Rachel picked up his clothes and threw them 
at him with one hand.  Her tongue was busily licking the other hand, in 
long but fast strokes... like a nervous cat.  "Time to go," she said 
between licks, "before I do something that will damage things for Titus."

Noting Two-Tone's barely-conscious mumble of a response, she stopped, and 
changed her mind.  "I'm heading for his place, I've got my own ride.  Meet 
me there."  Again noting the lack of a response, she grabbed a piece of 
notepaper and wrote the message down.  Jingling the keys, she hurried from 
the room, not even noticing that her note folded itself into an Origami 
dragon on the nightstand after she put it down.

Reaching an underground parking lot, Rachel found a bike that said 
"Aprilia".  It was a black-cherry racing bike, as long as she was tall, and 
a thing of beauty by any standard... later tonight she would appreciate 
it.  Later tonight she would notice that the license plate said "R AND 
P".  But for now, she jumped on, gunned the accelerator, and sped out the 
door into the night.

The scream of the bike's rear tire was heard throughout the Chaste 
Dragon.  It woke up Two-Tone, who stayed awake this time.  Other than that, 
there was no special reaction.

Rachel called Titus from the road, once he felt capable of 
conversation.  "Titus.  Rachel.  I'm up and out.  Where do you need me?"

[tag Titus]