[Sodium_noir] Reunion in Phoenix

[Eric Magnuson]

Cash, Simon, Assorted others
Gangrel, Ghoul, Miscellaneous Vampires
Waiting Room in Phoenix, Prince's audience chamber
Three years ago
> 
> Thomas' eyes lit up a bit and he nodded to himself. 
> "I apologize for your treatment," Thomas said, "but
> the Prince wants to be sure you will be present for
> her judgment, I was allowed to see you, as the
> Primogen, but forbidden to give you Vitae."  Cash
> looked the man over again, carefully looking for any
> sign of deceit, but he was just too exhausted to
> think
> clearly, the man seemed to be acting in his
> interests,
> but he couldn't be sure.
> 
> Everything depended on the Prince of Phoenix.
> 
The door flew open again and the two vampires that has
participated in the assault on Cash entered the room. 
Thomas stood aside, wincing when they grabbed his
broken arm.  Cash refused to acknowledge any pain as
they dragged him into the next room.  Thomas followed
a few steps behind.

The room that Cash was now in was large, but
inadequately lit.  He could see figures moving the the
shadows around the edge of the room, but his attention
was arrested by the sight at the end of the room. 
There the light was better and he saw a woman seated
in a high chair, three chairs to each side, smaller
than hers, one stood empty.  After being
unceremoniously dumped in the center of the room, Cash
struggled into a kneeling position.

"Kneeling before me, how quaint," a woman's voice
sounded, triggering laughter from the edges of the
room.  Cash forced his head up, met her gaze.  "The
Gangrel have shown a remarkable lack of manners,
traipsing across my Domain like they owned it. 
Thomas," she turned her attention to the Gangrel
Primogen. "why do they not acknowledge my position?"

Thomas sighed almost inaudibly, if he hadn't moved to
a position beside Cash, he doubted he could have heard
it, apparently this topic has come up before.  "It is
our way, my Prince, to allow the Childer time alone to
learn of their condition - and its rules."

"Yes, yes, you've told me that before," she waved
absently, Cash looked at her carefully, she resembled
Maria in a way, both were of Spanish descent, he saw,
but there was a beauty that Maria didn't have. 
"Perhaps we should make an example of him, so that
Gangrel will be more ready to acknowledge me."  Cash
thought that they would more likely be drawn to
Phoenix and ignore her, but he was only a neonate,
they might just ignore his 'punishment.'

Thomas cleared his throat, "There are procedures, set
up between the Prince of Phoenix and the Clan
Gangrel..."  "Yes, I remember," the Prince sounded
bored, "Is there any here who lay claim to this childe
of clan Gangrel?"  

Into the silence of the room Cash heard the sound of
boots clicking on the floor behind him, "I do, and you
should be ashamed of yourself for his treatment,
Antonia."  The language was Spanish, and the voice was
one he had heard only once before, but it was burned
into his memory - it was Maria.

TBC

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