Chicago Twilight: Oddities

[Jason Dreggs]

Jason wore a short jacket with a hood that was covering his face as he walked swiftly down the street. He eyed almost every person he passed with a paranoid glance. If he was a little more paranoid he could almost be mistaken for a Malk. Yet there was a hunter after him and he was sure the Cami was behind why John Barton was hunting him.

Still he had to do his job for the anarchs and that was making sure there rights where not being violated. Also making sure that they where safe and that was the reason he was out tonight. He had heard rumor that a mage or changling was back in town. The rumors all varied cause no one was sure what exactly this Fiona Devlin was. Most of the rumors gave her credit for killing Balthazar. Yet there where a few that mentioned she was a scourge and had killed off a few anarchs in her day. Either way she was someone Jason had to investigate and decide if she was friend or foe. So he had his an anarch Toreador named Hector set up a bogus art meeting with this woman.

He now stood outside the shop looking over his shoulders several times before he thought about how he would approach this changeling mage thing or what ever she was. He then pushed the buzzer at the door as he pulled his hood tighter around the sides of his face.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona unlocked the door ::

"Mr. Dreggs, I presume?"

:: She was dressed in skinny jeans, dress boots, a silk shirt and a dove grey jacket ::

[Jason Dreggs]

"That would be me but please call me Jason, Miss Devlin. Or is it Mrs. Devlin, Hector wasn't to clear on that part?"

He looked Fiona over really quick, it wasn't what he expected for an anti Christ killer. Then again if she was a mage or a changing big things could be stored in small packages. But with her attractive factor he figured mage no changeling or lupin could look that good. Yet he quickly got rid of that thought as an image of Charlene popped into his head.

"May I come in?"

[Fiona Devlin]

"Sure."

:: Locking the door after he entered, she held out her hand in greeting ::

"Call me Fiona." she said pleasantly.

[Jason Dreggs]

Jason shook her hand as he pulled his hood down off his face. Revealing his young face to fiona. Jason appeared to be in his early twenties. He began to gaze around the store. Then his sight returned back to Fiona's as he gave her a slight smile showing her his fangs. They where small not elongated to show he was not a threat.

"Nice place you got here. I'm not into leading people on so I will get right to the point. I'm not here to look at art I had Hector lie to you so we could have a meet and greet. I need to know a few things Fiona, I'm kind like the threat assessment team for the anarchs. I do apologies for having Hector lie to you though but that was for my own safety."

[Fiona Devlin]

"Fair enough. Truth be told, you saved me the trouble of looking for you."

[Jason Dreggs]

"Oh you would had a hard time finding me. Hell the cami have been looking for me and there pet hunter too with no luck. Heck I have only been in Chicago a few months and already everyone hates me."

Jason chuckled a bit as he said that.

"There afraid I'm going to start a war just cause I was part of one in Alexandria. I'm sixth Generation Brujah kind of rarity now days from what I here. Yet rumors are rumors and there isn’t much you can do about them. From the Rumors I here about you, you are the anti-Christ slayer. Some say you are a changeling and tore poor Balthazar head right off. Other say you are mage and made fireball that burned like the sun and incinerated him. Yet there are those who insist that you are a Hunter and you used only a sword. So what are you anyway?"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: A slight smile tugged at her ::

"Balthazar, and so many others, had it coming."

:: she leaned against the counter ::

"I'm an antiques dealer." ;)

[Jason Dreggs]

"They more then likely did deserve it. Not that I have the right to say anything about them. I wasn't even apart of this world when it started I was still in the blind when it was going on."

Jason was just a mere mortal when the war had started. It was started right about the time Jason took his own path away from the one his father had set before him.

"Well then your a killer antiques dealer. Yet you might not be willing to tell me what you are but you do have a slight English accent. So that alone tells me, like me you are not American. You ever been to Broadway?"

[Fiona Devlin]

"Of course I have."

:: She played with a pen as she spoke ::

"Tell me about this Hunter your hiding from."

[Jason Dreggs]

"He claims to be some sort of holy man. He thinks God is guiding him on his journey through life. Yet he is a bit twisted on his view of right and wrong. He will join forces with those he calls the enemy if the price is right. Then backstab them when the time is right."

Jason didn't like taking about the man named John Barton. The guy was so many kinds of scum it was hard to describe him. Jason had never met the man but he did devise a plot to have the man imprisoned in Alexandria which is why he was out to get Jason.

"I devised a plot to have him imprisoned for murder. It wasn't one of my finer moments but it had to be done. Yet it was made easier when a man stepped forth claiming to be Johns partner in the hunt. He was will to get his friend imprisoned because well he felt John had lost his edge. I believe the young hunters name was Salamu or something like that. It really doesn't matter I guess Salamu is dead. The plan worked though sam lead John to some drug dealers he claimed where vampires just as John shot one down the police showed up. He couldn't escape or lie his way out. However he shot Sam for setting him up and so John got double murder. You ever seen the long road home on Broadway?"

[Fiona Devlin]

"John Barton???"

:: Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Jason. There was obvious annoyance in her voice ::

[Jason Dreggs]

"That is the last name he uses from time to time yes. He is a Canadian orphan at least that’s what his prison files stated. His real last name or at least the one the Canadian Government gave him was Doetry. Kind of a funny play on the name John Doe since they never figured out who his parents where."

He wasn't going to lie he did look at Johns criminal file and man did that guy have some problems.

"He was a orphan run away it seemed the Canadian government was looking for him to. Something to do with the disappearance of a girl named Jennifer Amstead about the same time he ran away from the orphanage. Anyway he wrote a book while he was in prison. The book could have blow the whole cami masquerade to hell if they wouldn't have figured out a way to keep the publisher from only publishing a hand full of the books. I personally think it was more to get the cami's attention then anything and it worked at that goal."

[Fiona Devlin]

:: She swallowed a tiny growl before speaking again ::

"What's your story? I understand you were at the Last Resort the night it was burned."

[Jason Dreggs]

"I should have died there at that bar with my friends. I'm sure the fire was meant for me."

Rage began to fuel up inside Jason as he remembered the night the Bar burned. He wanted John's head because of that incident yet John had the upper hand all he could do after that point was hide. Hide from what he knew was coming next something Chicago hadn't seen since 1993.

"I don't know who did it all I do know is they left John's mark. His symbol of chaos that he brings where ever he goes. As for my story I have given you so much already I need to know little about you before I can trust you with anything else about me and what is going to happen?"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona put the pen down waited for the questions ::

[Jason Dreggs]

"Since you won't tell what you are. Tell at least how you an antiques dealer did kill Balthazar?"

He was still curious as to how such a seemingly frail human if she was indeed human Kill the Anti-Christ.

"Was it Fireball, ripping him to shreds, a sword, or something else?"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona's mind drifted back to the war. She and Brigid had taken Lodin's haven by storm, with the assistance of Capone in exchange for his survival. Guns and grenades laid waste to Lodin's ghouls, and Fiona had caught up to Balthazar during the carnage ::

"He killed the hostages. Kinfolk and mortals. There wasn't any way to save them." she growled. "I shot the Bastard into bloody little pieces for that."

[Michele Hawkins]

It's not like Fi didn't know I was eavesdropping. That lovely little buzz we Immortals get when we're around each other can't be stopped. I'm just a bit surprised at how venomous her voice is talking about Balthazar. I wonder if he had anything to do with what happened to my mom?

"Hey, you okay, Fi?" I walk down the rest of the staircase and give Jason a nod. Don't want him to think I'm ignoring him and all as I place a hand on my girl's shoulder. Sometimes when she remembers intense memories, she gets a bit crazed, as if she were reliving the moment ya know?

[Jason Dreggs]

"Guns in....."

Jason jumped back as he saw another woman enter from the stairs and nod in his direction. He went on the defensive as he was now out numbered. He normally wasn't a paranoid man but these days he was like a scared little child at times.

"Who the hell is this? Is this a trap?"

He calculated his chances and his best route for escape. He didn't like the unexpected. Now he was starting to wonder if maybe Hector had been paid off by the Mark.

"That filthy bastard put you up to this did he, well if your going to try and kill me lets do this I don't like to wait for the inevitable."

[Fiona Devlin]

"I'm fine ..." she replied, looking bewildered at Jason.

"... you'll only get killed if you decide to go stupid."

[Jason Dreggs]

"Then who is this and why is she here?"

He backed up a few steps still planning an escape. He would rather not kill them not knowing what Fiona was. He didn't want that on his conscience. Despite all the blood that allot of other kindred claimed was on Jason’s hand in his twelve years as a vampire he had not killed a single soul. He would rather Keep his record as squeaky clean as he possibly could.

"You work for Barton don't you? the both of you?"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona burst into laughter ::

"Oh for the love of Mab ..."

:: She rolled her eyes ::

"She's my bodyguard, and she's here to guard my body. As for Barton, you insult me. The man is a bloody imbecile."

[Jason Dreggs]

"Oh so you need a body guard? You can take on Balthazar practically by yourself and you need body guard?"

Now he knew she was lying to him. Maybe about everything or maybe just about a few things. Still a liar was never to be trusted. From that alone his opinion of Fiona was starting to drop. He was pretty sure now she was on no ones side. She stood on the fence waiting for one side or the other to give her an offer she couldn't refuse. She was allot more like that imbecile she claimed to hate then she would like to admit.

"An Imbecile? Despite how much I hate the man and his crusade for an imbecile he has pulled off some amazing tricks."

[Fiona Devlin]

"I don't take anything for granted. Or anyone. Barton is going to get himself killed."

[Jason Dreggs]

"I don't he is one lucky guy if you ask me. I mean I have only heard stories but he has managed to anger every werewolf clan in California pretty much."

I mean the story Jason had heard could have been exaggeration but John is known by more then a few supernatural beasts. His record for surviving this long for being a hunter was surprise enough. The man had been at the game for nearly fifteen years. The life expectancy of hunter is generally between 1 to 3 years at best.

"Not to mention the cami don't trust him but would rather have him on there side instead of against them. If I was a faithful man I might actually believe has god on his side. Yet as it stands he is a scum bag that used the cami to destroy more then enough anarch lives in Alexandria. He is going to do the same here and there isn't much anyone can do. Before you know it Fiona that war that happened in 1993 will start all over again. You will be forced to choose a side or die in the wake."

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Her eyes narrowed then ::

"You don't know me, Brujah. Don't presume to tell me what I must do. I am far older than you imagine."

:: She was staring right through him now, with a thousand year gaze ::

"You are an outsider in this city, and if you don't wish to perish in the coming storm, then it's you who must choose!!!"

[Jason Dreggs]

"I have my side already. I stick with Brujah and the anarchs. As for how old you are and how old you think I imagine you to be that’s not relevant."

He really didn't care how old she was she could be as old as time itself for all it matter to him. He was starting to think this myth of the of Balthazar killer was just nothing more then another lie. Perhaps it was to cover for his really killer either way he was dead and that was probably a good thing.

"I don't fear death I accepted, I didn't choose this life to escape it. I came here to find out who and what you are and where you stand. I know who and what you are now as well as where you stand. To bad someone who is herald as a hero to the anarchs is nothing more then an antiques dealer."

[Fiona Devlin]

"Aye," she sneered, unlocking the door. "and since you aren't here for business, I bid you good night."

[Jason Dreggs]

Celerity was on and he was opening the door and gone before he could even here the goodbye. She had nothing to offer the anarchs wich was sad but no real loss. It would disappoint a few of the ranks but all in all Jason felt it best they didn't herald a liar as hero anymore. Balthazar was dead and that alone is all his people needed to rejoice about they didn't need to hold someone as there saint and savior. As far as Fiona was concerned she would get only the respect she deserved from the anarchs from this point forth. That respect was well as much as any self respecting human business woman would get from a customer.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona locked the door in disgust and turned, running her hands through her hair before looking at Michele ::

"I don't know which one is worse."

[Michele Hawkins]

I just stood there dumdfounded as the two of the talked so fast I couldn't get one word in. What the hell?! I so love it when you are talked about as if you weren't there or referenced to without getting a teeny tiny little say so in it.

Argh!!!

"Mind telling me what just happened?!"

[Fiona Devlin]

"Sorry, Macushla."

:: Fiona looked deeply apologetic and took Michele's hands ::

"It seems Jason Dreggs is here to make a name for himself among the Anarchs, and brought some unwanted baggage with him in the process."

[Michele Hawkins]

"Eh?" Sometimes, Fiona really needs to speak English. "I still don't get the 'Anarch' thing?"

[Fiona Devlin]

"Alright." she said, taking a seat on the countertop. "Welcome to Vampire Society 101."

:: She cleared her throat and collected her thoughts ::

[Michele Hawkins]

"Well, it's about bloody time!" :mneh

I am such a brat and take a seat. This explanation is far from overdue.

[Fiona Devlin]

"Now, as much as an outsider like myself has come to know, There are three main sects of Kindred. The Camarilla, the Sabbat, and the Anarchs. The Camarilla was officially founded by seven clans in 1493, or thereabouts. The Brujah, the Gangrel, the Malkavians, the Nosferatu, the Toreador, the Tremere, and the Ventrue. The idea was to protect their kind from the horrors of the Inquisition. That much holds true, but it's also a Society that preserves only the best interests of old world vampyre. The young ones resent their traditions."

[Michele Hawkins]

"Ah, the old change with the times kinda thing huh?" Okay, least I can wrap my mind around this Vampire craziness so far. But, we only started. "Those the Anarchs?"

[Fiona Devlin]

"Aye. They feel crushed under the heels of their Sires, with little to no hope of fair treatment. Their struggle is for equality, and reformation of the traditions."

[Michele Hawkins]

"So they're teenagers." I laugh, mainly because of myself. I am one myself and know how it goes.

[Fiona Devlin]

"Aye, that's a good way of looking at it." she chuckled.

[Michele Hawkins]

"So what's up with these Sabbat guys?" I frown, not liking the name too much. Images of Satan worshiping kinda come floating into my head.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Her smile faded then ::

"The Sabbat reject the Masquerade, believing all humanity should be subjugated beneath the vampires. Much the way farm animals are kept."

[Michele Hawkins]

Well I was way off, kinda. "So, they think they're superior or something? Like Vampires are the master race?"

[Fiona Devlin]

"Aye, and I've sworn to hunt them down wherever I find them."

[Michele Hawkins]

"Well, they probably take life without any mercy. Not caring who they hurt in the process." I tilt my head to the side, studying Fiona. She had that look again. That murderous look when someone crosses her. "What did they to you?"

[Fiona Devlin]

"They delight in torture as well as murder. I've experienced this firsthand."

:: She trembled involuntarily with that confession ::

[Michele Hawkins]

"Aw, Fi...' I hopped beside her and gave her one of my famous forehead nuzzlies. I can't change what happened, but I can be cute about it.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona leaned against her and smiled ::

[Michele Hawkins]

"I will help you destroy them." Hell we got eternity together. I'd be happy to help my lover get revenge ... Bastards!

[Fiona Devlin]

"I'm glad to have you by my side."

:: She kissed Michele on the cheek and slid off the countertop ::

"Let's go home."

:: She walked out towards the back exit ::