[Sodium_noir] Listen to the Night

[eugene mcfadden]

>Titus, Mercia, a bunch of others
>Lasombra, Tzimisce, differing clans
>Pack haven
>
>Titus looked out on the city, his city.
>
>Well, a city he shared.
>
>' And ambition, how does ambition tie into this path?  It was never
>something I had untill recently, and now I have i, I do enjoy it.'
>
>"Ambition, just as with everything else, can be your enemy if it grows out 
>of step with your duties to the Sect. But If you walk with honour and do 
>not allow your ambition to rule you there is no fault. It has been said by 
>some Knights that the path is not there to tell you what to do, only how 
>you ought to do it."
>
>Mercia appeared to be looking out on the city too. taking his cue from the 
>Templer.
>
>"The ambitious man might find it difficult to ackowldge others as his equal 
>however. I would warn againsy that perhaps if it were my place to do so. 
>Which it isn't. As a driving force it will be difficult to master, and 
>difficult to find satisfaction in. Machiavelli, of whom the Ventrue and 
>thier lap dogs are so enamoured, once said that 'Ambition is so powerful a 
>passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never 
>satisfied.' I am sure he would have said the same of the Vampire's breast 
>if he had but known, we share that at least with the creatures we once 
>were."
>
>He shrugs, looking down at his gloved hands.
>
>"On the other hand, I doubt that is true of ambition born of something pure 
>or worthy. If your ambition is not vaingloriuos in its scope then achieving 
>what you desire should bring you closer to satisfaction. If someone such as 
>you, whom others look up to and adulate, were to say... rise to the highest 
>rung and to become a leader of the Sect, I do not feel he would be lost to 
>his own despotic flaws. If he sought power or accolade in order to further 
>the cause, to steer his brothers and sisters on the path Caine set for us, 
>his ambitions could well become his strength."
>
>Mercia turned fromt he sprawl of the city, looking at the gathered Sabbat 
>on the rooftop as they went about thier exercises and training. Cold steely 
>eyes watched them as they sparred and battled each other, testing each 
>other to prove they were better while sharing in the quest for betterment.
>
>"The Packs respect those who are worthy of the power they take Titus. The 
>practice of Monomancy exists because it is the will of the Sabbat. It is 
>the clearest and most certain assuarbce thatthose who lead us are the ones 
>capable of doing so. If you have what it takes to see your ambitions 
>through to the end, you will only have the support of the packs. To the 
>victor the spoils as they say. The Braves are crying out for a hero! A man 
>of action to lead them against the tools of the Antedeluvians while there 
>is still time to wrest this blood blaoted world from thier insidious 
>grasp."
>
>Without turning his body, Mercia's eyes came to rest on Titus. Looking him 
>in the eye with a questioning expression.
>
>"Does your ambition stretch that far Khan?"

Titus fixed Mercia with the full brunt of his dead eyed stare, let himself 
just open up to the guru.

' My ambition and my anger are tied together, Ductus.  I'm ambitious 'cause 
I'm pissed at the world and I'm pissed because I'm abitious and there's so 
much I want to change.

' Does my ambition stretch far?  Will I be happy when I've taken Gotham for 
us like I've taken China Town for us?  No.  Will I be happy when I've got 
the Camarilla on the ropes up and down the coast?  No.

' Will I be happy when there's no more Camarilla, when there's just us?  HA!

' When I've crushed the Inconnu?  When I've beaten the blood form the 
antediluvians?  When everything's ordered? Not enough, not high enough.

' Maybe when I'm sitting on God's own throne and I've got that fucker right 
where I want him, down on his knees begging for mercy... when I fucking well 
get him... well, then maybe I'll rest, maybe go into some counselling about 
my anger issues....

' All things are stepping stones, this city, this coast, this particular 
facet of this Jyhad.  As a sect we don't aim high enough.  Too many of us 
are content to just piss our unlives up the fucking wall, playing at being 
wolves when really we're sheep.

' I want to change that, Mercia, I want us to stop playing nice and start 
playing for fucking keeps.   We need something to get behind.  We need... we 
need a few good wolves.  You with me on this, Mercia?  You want to be one of 
my few good wolves?  Not for ourselves... not even for the fuckin sect... 
but for the very fucking world, 'cause I'm fucking damned if I'm going to 
let some geriatric old timers start waking up and taking it all away from 
us.

' But we don't start with fucking good will policies and loud speches and 
calls to arms.  We decide.  We decide here and now and then we go out there 
and we fuck up those who need to be fucked up, and we leave the rest to get 
on with things.  You with me on all these things?  Here and now, no 
bullshit, you behind me with what needs to be done?'

TAG