The Black Baron
Hollywood and Highland - the craziest part of town, right next to the Chinese Theater. Thousands of tourists out on the street on that Friday night, as expected. The gathering makes the place an absolute riot of sensations, colors, sounds, scents... The sweet perfume of fresh blood hits like a bomb despite that stimuli-party though. Just waiting under the skin, all theirs for the taking. If the Beast had its way.
Victor and Nelli navigate their way through the people elegantly, in no rush. Unlike Jasper, that ever since his former life would’ve never been caught willingly roaming such areas of Los Angeles, those two loved this kind of place and its natural spotlight. Most people don't have any idea who they are, though some take a few double glances. There are a lot of famous names walking around Hollywood, after all; locals are used to spotting them. And nobody's really ever sure if you are who you look like, or if maybe you're one of those people who dress up and make a few dollars with impersonations.
So some stare, but thankfully no one interrupts them as they make their way with Annabelle through the crowd. Or when, as they reach the mall, Victor holds the door open and makes an extravagant, dramatic bow to Nelli and Annabelle.
“Ladies first.” he beckons. Nelli stopped and feigned a bow back at him, smiling through chuckles before walking by him slowly. Annabelle though, seemed utterly disturbed with the display.
Jasper chuckled to her visible cringe, but took the cue to walk still fully unseen through the open way while she stared at Victor. Victor patiently waited, motioning Annabelle to go inside with a knowing look. She sighed exasperatedly, before finally going along with their little stunt.
“Why, thank you Sir.” she mocked in a terrible impersonation of a british accent.
Some people around them chuckled, amused, others even went along with it when walking past them. But that was about it. As much as he hated them, Jasper had to admit the way that pretty much anything was passable with these Hollywood people, especially in the Highland, was pretty handy for their line of work and kind.
He followed them, unseen, through the subtle code-maze that leads to the Baron's office; the way is pretty much routine, at this point. They go to the very top level of the Hollywood and Highland Center, around the escalator, past that weird statue of the winged thing - Jasper had no clue exactly what that looming over Hollywood was supposed to be - then call the right elevator, ring the bell twice - and twice only - then skip the first car and wait for the second.
Then, even though they called it to go up twice, it takes them down. Straight to Abrams.
“This is fine. Fine.” Annabelle mumbles to herself as the elevator starts to move, clutching to the pendant around her neck.
“So, we’re probably already being monitored.” Victor mutters to her as the elevator goes down, nodding to the camera above them in the corner. Annabelle frowns when she notices it, then nods. “We’re just going to introduce you to the boss. Be cool, and this will be the first day of the rest of your un-life.”
Annabelle cringed, frowning at him.
“How long have you been waiting to say that line?” she groaned.
“And don’t forget to bow.” Nelli insists, serious.
From the looks in her eyes though Jasper is pretty sure even the newby can see through the Toreador’s joke. Well, that and he doubts she’d actually go through with it even if she did buy so, considering her attitude. Despite seeming to be just a few years younger than himself when he was turned, the girl seems to have the mood swings and maturity of a raging teenager.
Victor rolls his eyes to her.
“Just-- Respect. Respect. ”
Jasper lets himself be visible once the doors are closed, though his hood remains safely still in place.
“He’ll take any you can think of. Every joke, every pun - will be used by that man over there.” he sighed at Annabelle, pointing at the not-at-all-sorry Ventrue beside them. “Just… get used to it.”
“Ah…” She threw Victor a look. “ Dad jokes.”
Nelli bit back a chuckle.
“I mean,” Jasper couldn’t hold back an amused smile. Immature or not, he had to give her props for her sharp sense of humor even in such a situation. “You’re dating his son... ”
“NOT in here !” Victor glared at the two of them, growling the words between his teeth as he nodded at the camera again. Still, Jasper snickered. Oh, he was so not seeing the end of this anytime soon.
“Secrets, secrets..” Annabelle scowled in mumbles.
The elevator finally stopped. Ahead of them the long, vacant corridor leading down Abram’s office becomes visible, two of his ghouls dressed in dark tracksuits stand midway as they step out of the metal box. They nod at them, respectfully, then wave them to follow along after turning around and taking the lead. The security guards guide them all the way to the end of the hallway and open the doors, waiting as the Baron himself comes into view from behind his fancy mahogany desk.
Isaac Abrams' office is a pretty accurate reflection of himself. The place looks like a movie set from the 40s; everything from furniture to decour is unbelievably historically posh. It has overstuffed leather couches and easy chairs, big potted ferns and palms, a lot of brass, a lot of glass, a lot of lighting designed to make people look their very best, a lot of mirrors...
As soon as he spots them, Abrams stands up and walks around the desk, nodding and smiling cordially. “Nelli, great to see you again.” he greets as the Toreador flips off her large glasses.
“Darling, it’s always a pleasure.” she smirks with a slight bowed nod.
“How are you?”
“I am fantastic, How are you?”
“Top of the pops. Top of the pops. Victor, looking sh-” the baron starts, but then frowns with an odd, judgemental look down Victor’s suit. He motions to it, unsure. “Um, hm."
“Hm.” Victor sighs and shrugs, disappointed but not surprised.
They continue their hummed code-talk about their attire, whatever those hums and looks might mean, before Abrams sighs and slips his hands down his pocket.
“Eh -- it’s fine. How’re you keeping?”
“As well as can be, sir.” Victor sighs back.
Abrams then turns finally to Jasper with stern professionalism.
“Jasper.” He nods. The nosferatu chuckles out an acid growl to his disguised appreciation, which the baron - as usual - ignores. “Nice to see you too.”
“Nice to see you.” Jasper lies back at him cordially.
And that’s when his eyes fall over Annabelle, an eyebrow arched. He studies her, intrigued, before smiling. Ahead of them Jasper can see Nelli and Victor stiffening ever so slightly; they’d be holding back their breaths, if any of them actually breathed.
“And who do we have here?”
“A new visitor to your domain, sir.” Victor explains.
He motions for Annabelle to step forward. She does, albeit hesitant and still scowling defensively at Abrams. Nelli discreetly elbows her arm as she passes by her, whispering ‘bow’ , but the girl ignores her. Abrams simply waits.
“I am Annabelle and I would like some answers.” she demands, almost growling.
Jasper holds back the impulse to facepalm; He is not sure even why he is so surprised, considering her whole performance and bickering in the car. This girl was definitely gonna get herself killed before sunrise at this pace...
When Victor and Nelli groan and sigh beside her though, Annabelle sighs.
“...sir.” she adds, clearly unwillingly.
“Would you indeed? Hm.” Abrams mutters, his expression unreadable as he looks her up and down thoughtfully. His eyes then snap towards Victor. “Where did you find her?”
“She was on the campus of griffith college. She uh, has not breached the Masquerade… But she hasn’t been taught our ways either.” Victor stepped forward. “We brought her here to introduce you properly, and find out how you’d like us to proceed with her… Education.”
“She doesn’t know who her Sire is.”
“She doesn’ know anything. ” Nelli corrected Jasper with a long sigh.
The baron scratched his chin thoughtfully as they spoke, arms now crossed in front of his old fashioned light brown suit. His eyes were fixed on Annabelle, who still stared at her defensively, shoulders stiff in a confident bravado despite her obvious uneasiness. Her hands were closed down in fists, and, for the first time in that evening, she seemed to have stopped breathing. An unconscious impulse Jasper remembered he also had, back when he had been firstly turned.
“Is that true, Annabelle?” Abrams asked her, calmly. “You don’t know the one who made you?”
“No?” She gulped, looking at Victor and Nelli.
Abrams leaned back over his desk, half-sitting against it.
“Annabelle, when did this happen to you?”
She looked away with a thoughtful frown.
“What day is it, friday?” she asks at Jasper.
He shrugged.
“Yes, it’s friday.” Victor nods.
“Uh… Nine days ago?”
“I see… You’ve been busy.” Abrams nods, thoughtfully. “Let’s trade. I’ll answer your questions, if you answer one for me.”
Annabelle’s posture softens a little.
“Okay.”
“What did they tell you about me?”
The baron nods towards Victor, Nelli and Jasper then waits. They all watch as Annabelle continues trying silently to check with them, clearly caught off guard by the question, before looking back at him.
“Uh. That I was supposed to bow to you?” she eyes Nelli.
“I see.” The baron chuckles, amused.
The Toreador sputters against her own hand, chuckling. Victor smiles too, looking away innocently as Abrams arches an eyebrow at the duo. Annabelle watches the exchange with a cringed frown in her face, unphased. She had indeed foreseen the joke. Not THAT naive, then. Jasper concludes, pleased. Maybe she still had a chance, after all.
“Haha… I wasn’t supposed to, huh?” she laughs stiffly, now glaring at Nelli. “Uhm. Anyway, but yeah. They, uh, said that you’re ‘the big boss’ and… That’s pretty much it. I had a lot of questions, and I got back a lot of… Not much. So.”
“Everybody have a seat, make yourselves comfortable.” Abrams interrupted her with a smile, motioning for the sofas on each side of his desk cordially. “You too, Annabelle.”
“Uh, right. Thanks.”
They all sat around the Baron, who waited still leaning against his desk. Nelli and Victor sat by each other’s side, while Jasper chose the couch in front of them. Annabelle, to his surprise, followed him to it and plopped herself beside him.
“Let’s start from the beginning.” The baron smiled, then put a hand to his chest. “My name is Isaac Abrams, I am the Baron of Hollywood.”
When Annabelle frowned uncomfortably at the word baron Victor glared at her and mouthed the word RESPECT at her , but Abrams simply chuckled.
“I know how it sounds, but that’s the title we use. I also seem to have become the Baron of the Valley as well recently, which I'm really not all that enthused about, it's just extra work… But we'll figure that out later.” Abrams then gestured to Victor, Nelli and Jasper. “You’ve met my associates. These Kindred have rendered very effective services to me in the past, several times. So, in return for their help I’ve given them control over Griffith College.”
“Control?” Annabelle frowned again.
“Mm, it's their ‘domain’. They're supposed to keep it free of trouble!” The baron glared fiercely at them despite his controlled tone, the icy disapproval clear in his eyes. Annabelle froze as the change in demeanor happened, but said nothing. “So you answered my question truthfully, what do you want to know?"
“Okay, uh, I guess…” Annabelle gapes, unsure. “just anything?”
Abrams nods.
“Why- Why did I- Who did this to me?”
“I don't know, but I intend to find out. What was done to you was wrong. And whoever did it must be found and punished.” he assured her, his eyes briefly lost in his thoughts. “Even among the movement, the Anarchs, that sort of thing… Isn't done."
Annabelle gulped down and nodded, quietly. “O- Okay.”
She finally seemed to be realizing the kind of position she was in. Then again, Jasper had thought the same just a few moments ago, when she calmed down from her little breakdown… So what did he know, really. It was surprising for him her little naivete had kept Abram’s pride from bashing her into her Final Death already.
“Well, at least not in my barony. Not now. Not with the Inquisition breathing down our necks.” Abrams rectified when he realized the look in her eyes, cordially. “There was a time when we Embraced rather freely, almost casually… But not any more. It's too dangerous. So I don't know, but I'm going to help you find out."
Annabelle though, seemed even more confused now than she had been before. Jasper could see she was holding back another tense, nervous fit of laughter from the way she was half-frowning, but still somewhat wide-eyed, biting her lip.
“Great. Okay.” She took in a deep breath, sighing exasperatedly. “Uh, I don't know what Anarchs or Inquisition is, but I guess I could probably get like a glossary or something later from these people.” She almost rolled her eyes, but thought better. Some anxious chuckles escaped her, but she closed her eyes and tried to disguise them under a few deep breaths. “Uh. Um. Ha. Hah. Okay.”
Abrams waited a brief moment, before snorting at her effort.
“We don’t have… A textbook or a primer, but we do educate.” He assured her. “We’ll get to that in a few minutes.”
“Great. Okay.” she nodded.
“What else do you wanna know?”
“Uh...” They all waited expectantly as she cringed through whatever thoughts she was trying to select, looking down at the center table with a comical frown.
Jasper remembered that look, it was the first look she had when they got in the car and she was cringing too hard to ask them what she wanted. Oh, no. Jasper sighed, bracing for the stupid. And, surely enough…
“How accurate are ‘Interview with a Vampire’ and ‘Queen of the Damned’?”
The entire room bent down in dissapointed, exasperated laughter. Victor and Nelli bent against each other, chuckling in anxiousness and amusement, and even the Barom himself was smiling. Almost endeared. Jasper rolled his eyes, groaning into his hands.
“We did a lot of research and there was a lot of confusing information and,” Annabelle continued on her rampant questions, oblivious to everyone’s humor. As she said this though, Jasper froze. He cringed down at the girl’s slip, and stiffened even more when Abrams’ smile visibly dropped into a questioning frown. “Like, I did wake up like half in the sun and it really hurt, but--”
“Annabelle,” Abrams interrupted her sternly. The tone in his voice broke the room’s mood instantly. “Who is ‘we’?”
Jasper closed his eyes. On the other side of the room, Victor let out a deep, strained sigh… And, for the first time in that damn evening, Annabelle was pale. Speechless. When the Nosferatu’s eyes opened, Abrams had his head cocked to a side with a serious, fixed stare on a very blank-faced Annabelle.
“ ‘We’ did a lot of research.” He repeated, his eyebrow arched. “Who is ‘we’?”
“Ah. Uh, I was- Just watching movies with friends and stuff.” she stuttered quietly, shrugging. “But they don’t know anything, I- I didn’t--”
Jasper could feel her enhancing her persuasion paranormally, the same way Nelli and Victor so often did… His eyes watched Abrams quietly, but he didn’t react to the pathetic, ammateur attempt at fooling an Elder like him. Oh, this stupid kid is so gone… Jasper sighed, holding back his exasperation.
“Mm.” The baron simply frowned as he un-crossed his arms and got off the table, his expression unreadable. “Well, we can come back to that later. Now, if you’d excuse-me, I need to make a phone call.”
He started making his way to an adjacent door by the left side of the room, nodding as he passed by them. Victor and Nelli were piercing holes down Annabelle with their eyes as the baron made his way, but schooled themselves when the baron opened the door, one hand down his pocket.
“In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves and explain a few things about our condition to your new friend. After all...” he smiled at first, then his expression melted into a demanding and clearly pissed off scowl. “You are going to be in charge of her education for the foreseeable future.”
Victor’s and Nelli’s eyes widened impossibly.
“What- Wha- Eh- Ah--”
“Wha--”
“Excuse me,” The baron smiled at their shock, satisfied. “I'll be back after I've made my phone call."
And then finally walked out the room, shutting the door behind himself.
Jasper bent back against the sofa, a loud, guttural wave of laughter spewing out of him to the unbelievable turn of events. Great . Just great . As if working with two vain attention-seekers was not troublesome enough, he had now to worry about being an edgy fledgling’s babysitter, who had likely just gotten herself far more trouble than she can stomach just because of her stupid attitude. This night kept getting better and better by the minute.
“We?!” Victor growls at Annabelle, indignant and looking oddly pale.
Nelli beside him is just as wide-eyed and outraged.
“Okay, first of all -- NO!” She hisses, barely containing herself from yelling. “Why would you-- Res- RESPECT! ”
“Respect!” Victor remarks at the same time.
“I don’t owe him OR you guys anything! ”Annabelle scoffs and finally lets out her temper all over again, eyeing the duo up and down with an impatient scowl, meeting their glares with no hesitation. “I don’t know you! All this happened to me, and no one is giving me answers, and--”
“I am going to kill her.” Nelli fumes down to Victor while Annabelle is still talking.
“And, you all seem to be part of this… Crazy monarchy that I do NOT want to be any part of--”
Victor groans as his hand falls down his face.
Nelli hisses down again, sharp nails digging down her palm.
“I am going to kill her .”
“I-- What do--” Annabelle sighs in frustration once she realizes neither of them is actually listening to her, then turns and grips Jasper’s arm. “You seem, like, reasonable. What am I supposed to do? Why do you follow their orders?!”
He frowns, peeking at her.
“Why do I follow who?” Jasper chuckles in disbelief, pointing back at the door Abrams vanished into. “ His orders?”
“Yes!” She scoffs.
Her eyes, once again, catch him off guard though. Annoyance aside, the way she stares at him directly, with no quals or hesitation - actually, even more at ease than she seems when looking at Victor And Nelli - is weird to him. As if he is just any other person, a notion he honestly had forgotten how it was like - especially coming from a stranger. Though Jasper supposes that should be expected of someone stupid enough not to realize the extent of danger she is currently in, even after all she’d seen. Even an idiot could see that this was no place to hold down to a righteous code and challenge anyone head on... Or to be that careless with her own loved ones. Charming and naive as she might be, her raging, emotional rebel reactions were getting old.
“I follow his orders because if I don't I get left in that sun that hurts so much. That's why I follow his orders.” Jasper hissed through a sarcastic grin, glaring down at her slanted puppy eyes with no regard for her frowning, increasingly worried expression. She needed to understand the position she was in, or she’d get all of them killed. “I work with them, ” he pointed at Nelli and Victor. “Because if I don't I get introduced to the dawn. I do A LOT of things just so I cam keep living.”
Annabelle held his stare for a long, somber moment.
“Why do you... Accept that?” she asked, her tone barely over a whisper.
Jasper shrugged. He was done with being nice.
“You don't have to accept it.”
“Would you like to do the alternative?” Nelli arched an eyebrow and nodded to the closed windows behind Abrams’ desk, her voice peaking with impatience and outrage as she glared coldly at the young woman. “We can show you right now.”
Her silence was heavy now; and, for once, didn’t seem just shocked or reckless. Under their reprimands and sarcasms, he was finally being careful. Thinking. Feeling wary of bolting into any reply. Though the three of them were far too unnerved by her delay on it to compliment her on it now.
“Speaking to you as someone that has been feeding, I think you understand the need for self-preservation that flows through all of us.” Victor checked the door before sighing and getting into their conversation, making sure to keep his own voice a few notches lower than needed. “So if you want to preserve yourself, get it together. This is really not a joke.”
Annabelle’s eyes followed each of them as they spoke, reluctant. Then, more silence set in while reality downed in through her expression. The same way it had done so back in the car… And hopefully now permanently.
“Okay. All right.” she mumbled.
“It's a game that we all play so that we get to keep doing this.” Jasper softened his tone as he gestured to himself and to her. When her stare remained on him somewhat blank, he continued. “Talking. Living. Walking.”
“Seeing our loved ones .” Nelli hissed coldly. That one did seem to hit Annabelle properly hard, as her eyes reddened with contained blood tears. “...Even if from afar.”
“Well, some of us.” Jasper chuckled dryly.
“I told you. If they find out, if anyone were to know anything… That person's life WILL be forfeit. ” Victor repeated with pleading eyes and tone, bending forward as if proximity could make that girl’s stubborn head finally take the facts in. “Therefore, it is important that none of us ever tell anyone anything. ”
Before she can answer to any of them though, the Baron returns through the door he exited from a few moments ago, adjusting something in the inside of his well fit suit. “Sorry, I had to take that call."
“Business is business.” Victor smiled at him, unbothered.
“Where were we?” Abrams walked around him and Nelli then sat on the other side of his desk, back on the actual chair behind it this time. After a moment’s thought, he smiles at Annabelle. The fact she is now very quiet and clearly still shaken up seems to please him. “Oh, yes, the films. I love films. I was in the biz, you know. Still am in a way, but… More indirectly now.”
His eyes go back towards Victor at this point.
“Speaking of which, got a proposal for you later, a new property I think you might be interested in." He nods, and Victor’s eyes sparkle with renewed interest. “Needs investors, but we'll cover that."
“Absolutely.”
“You have arrived on the scene at a rather awkward time for Los Angeles. As I'm sure your new friends will be happy to tell you later, this city was once controlled by our faction: the Anarchs. A good name for us.” The baron sighs proudly to Annabelle. Her expression shifts to one of curiosity and interest as she listens. “The Movement goes back hundreds of years, to the 15th century.” Abrams muses, but then holds his hand up in warning. “And, no, I'm not that old."
“You don't look so.” Annabelle says quietly.
“Thank you.” The Baron smiles and nods. “Times are difficult and the Camarilla, another faction of vampires - a sect, if you will - has decided that it would like to take back what it lost, back in the 40s. I just got off the phone with Therese down in Santa Monica. There's some disturbance, I don't know. She said there was a cougar or something, running around at the docks. I'm going to loan her some people to check it out.”
He frowned with some confusion at the idea, and Jasper exchanged an equally curious look with Victor at the news too. Wild animals in the region were not something recurring, at all. As the Baron sighed though, exasperated, they both turned their attention back at Abrams.
“Things are a mess. Nobody's heard from MacNeil in forever. Rodriguez is just sitting downtown refusing to get involved, even as the jackbooted thugs of the Camaria breathe down our necks."
“Is there anyone you would like us to... motivate?” Victor offered.
“Well, I would like some answers.” Abrams weighs his options. “What I'm hearing is that Vannevar Thomas has left his seat in San Francisco and has set his sights on this city, including my Hollywood. And that he's brought his whole court with him. Word is that they've abandoned San Francisco."
“Have we retaken it?”
“They haven't abandoned it to us.” The baron shrugged. “No one seems to know what's going on.”
Nelli and Victor exchanged a long look.
“Anyway. In the meantime, we can't afford to have strays.” Abrams clapped and smiled cordially at Annabelle, looking at them with a clear warning. “But until we know who committed this act, I'd like you to stick around."
“That's very gracious of you.” She said.
“Yes, it is. I don't have to.” The baron made sure to transmit all the weight of those words in his tone, and definitely the fledgeling had felt it this time around. Thoughtful silence echoes between them for a few long, dreadful seconds, before Abrams gets his friendly and welcoming act back on. “ But I think that we'd all be intrigued to know just who you really belong to.”
Jasper could see her shoulders tensing up and coiling down against herself ever so slightly in his peripheral vision. Even more than how she physically was - especially in comparison to him, Annabelle now looked small . Frail. Not the loaded, reckless weapon she seemed to feel herself to be when they got into the office.
“So, my friends, meet your new pupil. You have the rare privilege of being her teachers, her educators, her saviors, because if she learns, everybody's happy, including me.” The Baron smiled with theatrical glee to make his point, then dropped the act into the demanding, imposing glare that earned him the title of Black Baron . “If she doesn't , I guarantee you nobody will be happy, in particular, me .”
They all nodded at him with no hesitation, and his stance relaxed a little.
“I'd like you to take her to see the witch, too."
Jasper’s eyes are the one to sparkle this time, curiosity pulling him despite the grim prospect the mission entailed. Nelli and Victor though both drew in a long, uneasy breath before nodding. Annabelle observed them, her wide-eyed frown making her look even tinier.
“Uh. By the intake of breath, I take it that that's not a good thing...?”
“No, it’s fine.” Jasper cooes to her.
“Clan Tremere.” The baron waves to her dismissively. “They'll explain."
“Okay...”
The Nosferatu promises with a nod when her eyes go back to him. She still seems unconvinced, but lets it go anyway.
“I've made arrangements - Griffith Observatory. Tonight."
“Now? To- To--” Victor stutters, surprised. “Ah, w-”
“Soon.” The baron shrugs, but his eyes squint to his babbling. “Do you object?"
Victor immediately shakes his head. “Never.”
“This should be outstanding." There was a wicked smirk in Abrams’ expression, his eyes squinting further before they relaxed and his eyebrows arched up as he asked again. Expecting, almost daring him to say so. “ Do you object?"
“No, no, I do not object, sir.” Victor assured him once more, his eyes humbly down. “Not at all. I just--”
“That would surprise me." The baron chuckled, relaxing once Victor’s submission brushed his ego. Jasper kept his eyes low, as did Nelli, though he could see that Annabelle observed the exchange with frowning, wary eyes. Especially her father-in-law. “Victor, Victor, don't worry. I've asked her just to find out a few things about our friend, Annabelle. After all, she has no reason to be curious about you , does she?"
Annabelle’s eyes finally went down when Abrams challenged Victor’s poker face with his firm glare, the uneasiness in her eyes selling her out if the Baron had been paying enough attention to it. But, as usual, Victor played his role skillfully.
“Not at all, sir.” he shrugged with a carefree smile. “I like to keep things calm and smooth.”
Nelli muffled down a derisive laugh. Victor elbowed her ribs meaningfully when Abrams cocked his head to the side and peeked at her.
“Calm and smooth. Calm and smooth .”
“Oh, mm. Yeah.” Nelli choked out, though her acting expression was hardly even trying to seem convincing. “Yup.”
“Before we say good night. Annabelle, is there anything else you'd like to know?” The baron asks with a sigh, patient. Annabelle seems surprised, frowning and checking with the cotery if she really should, which the Baron smiles pleasingly to. “I don't generally answer a lot of questions like this, but I'm feeling particularly generous."
They all shrug to her, waiting. When she is sure the call is indeed hers to make, Annabelle gazes out into nothing for a short moment, before clearing her throat and looking back up to the Baron. She doesn’t seem sure, and there is a… rawness in her eyes. A vulnerability that suits her delicate frame and facial features more than the edgy, fiery power of her personality and clothes.
“How…” she whispers, her eyes growing red again. “How do I go back?”
Jasper looks away, giving her at least a small degree of privacy; and to hide the sting that her innocent, pleading question brings to his chest. A question he had forgotten by now, but that he himself had asked so many others long, long ago. When his first conscious nights happened.
The baron frowns though, not catching her meaning.
“What do you mean? Back to campus?"
“Heh.” she swallows, breathing in before continuing. “No.”
Ahead of them, Victor groans out an exasperated, pitiful laugh, throwing his face down his hands while Nelli unashamedly bends back against her Ventru partner in a scornful, surprised fit of laughter.
“Oh, she's so young. She's so young...” Victor whines through his chuckles, shaking his head.
“Let her speak. Nelli.” The baron quickly chasticized, glaring at the duo with defying severity. “ Let her speak. ”
Immediately, the couple does their best to hold back their carefree, scornful fit of laughter. Jasper scowls at them with a sigh, not surprised. Of course they’d never feel the weight of that worry anymore, looking like they did. Having all they had. Discreetly, the Nosferatu took the chance to peek back at Annabelle. She was stiff, eyes cast down and… oddly hopeless. Even tinier now, beyond her natural height… The small, vulnerable stance of a scared, lost child. She was holding herself back impressively, but was obviously on the verge of tears.
Once the duo was properly under control, the baron turned back to Annabelle.
“Go back?" he asked, his eyes oddly soft.
Annabelle needed a moment to gather enough composure to try and speak again, though her expression and whispered, embargoed tone revealed her effort far more than she seemed comfortable with. Still, she breathed in and repeated anyway.
“How do I go back to being human?”
“Hm. That is a question that many of us have asked over the decades. I'm very sorry to tell you that... You can't.” The somber composure the Baron maintains is respectful and considerate, and he gives the topic some more thought before continuing when Annabelle’s eyes continue hopeless fixed on him, expectant. “At least, there is no method that is proven. One hears things, rumors. There is something called Golconda. I don't know much about it, but some kindred believe that if you can reach that mythological state of being, there is a way back. You'll have to ask other kindred who are better educated in that particular philosophy."
Jasper holds back a dry chuckle, looking away. The devotees themselves, according to his books, never really achieved such a feature, and their bloodline was lost by now thanks to their diableric customs and their bad blood with some other clans. If only some sort of meditation or spiritual quest could really take any of them back. It was a hopeless quest, especially for anyone outside that clan’s particular disciplines and features… Jasper knew so a lot better than he'd ever like to admit - he had tried.
Even without seeing through Jasper’s foreknowledge about it though, Annabelle’s small nod made clear she didn’t exactly buy into the strange description herself. That, or she was in too much of an emotional numbness to actually process it.
“I've heard it said that some kindred who manage to slay their sires quickly enough can sometimes find a way back... Even more incentive for you to cooperate.” The baron smiled suggestively as he added up, but then his expression hardened into the usual indifference not a full moment after. “Okay, I'm not feeling generous anymore."
“Sir.” Victor greeted, turning to the door with a slight nod.
“Good luck.” The baron responded in equal measure. “And report in before sunrise. I want to know how it goes."
“Yes, sir.”
“Will do.” Jasper also nodded, excusing himself behind the other three.
“Thank you.”
Annabelle nodded respectfully at the Baron, before turning away.
“Good night." He smiled.
“Enjoy your evening.”
Nelli waved as the front doors closed behind them. Then, followed by the two ghouls till the elevator, the four of them walked silently through the Highland mall all the way back towards the garage, where the car waited for them as requested.