If Grace could have breathed, her lungs would have been pumping air in and out very quickly in that moment. If her heart could truly beat, it would have been racing. As it stood, she was merely standing with panic slowly loosening its grip on her mind as the rail-thin Tremere Primogen knelt down and examined the ash pile.
"Just as I suspected..." Lilah Brook muttered as she moved what looked like a stylus or some other sort of rod about, as if she were stirring the ashes. She did not even bother to look back at the tense Toreador.
"Saved your life." Brook corrected. "You're welcome, by the way. I'm not even requesting a boon for that one."
"What the hell is happening?" Grace asked.
"I believe there's a show called 'The Walking Dead' that pretty adequately explains this." The voice of Ben came from the curtain as the Gangrel passed through it, joining the other two Kindred.
"Mr. Grayson." Lilah said, standing and glancing at him somewhat warily.
"What in the Hell is going on?" Ben asked. "I just watched Phantom of the Opera turn into the Off Broadway Sawyer Family Review."
"It appears that someone is raising the dead." Lilah said, slipping the stylus into her pocket. "I've counteracted the enchantment, but I've been unable to find the cause."
"What do you mean?" Ben asked.
"I believe in academic vernacular, it was moved." Brook elaborated. "The effect has been cordoned off from here, though...it may likely be used somewhere else."
"Anyone put in a call to the Prince? She might want to know about this." Ben said.
"I have." Isaac Carroway made himself known, coming up from behind the curtain. The Toreador primogen glanced at his compatriot. "Good to see you again, Lilah."
"Save it, Isaac." Lilah raised a hand. "Thanks for going over my head on this one."
"Why? Is there a particular reason for you to be afraid of the Prince in this instance?" Isaac asked, suddenly looking at his fingers as though checking his nails for dirt.
"I don't know what you're implying, Primogen. . ." Lilah stared blankly at him.
"From the looks of it, one of your little apprentices must have gotten off the leash and played with a toy they weren't ready for, hmm?" Isaac asked, still looking to his nails.
"Get your eyes checked." Lilah rolled hers. Isaac gave nothing more than a moderately amused chuckle.
"This isn't helping anyone." Ben said. "We need to track down whoever did this. They're a Masquerade breach waiting to happen."
"For once, Mr. Grayson, we agree." Lilah said. "However, as this is my area of expertise, I'll be taking care of it. Along with some help, it seems." By this point, Anthony had made himself known in the back stage area. As had Hope, Sybil, and...
"Angel?" Ben's heart couldn't drop but, if it could have, it would have been doing so right now.
"Ben, what's...what's going on?" Angel was shaking like a leaf on a tree, her eyes wide. He could only imagine her heart must have been beating like a drum at this very moment. "Those...those people in the audience...they're...they're all dead...and...what's...what's a Primogen? Masquerade?"
"Oh, fuck..." Grace muttered.
"Sybil, didn't yo-?" Ben started on the Malkavian.
"She wasn't trying to hurt herself, it wasn't like I was going to stop her!" Sybil insisted.
"You were supposed to keep her in the box!" Ben protested.
"Ben, what's going on?" Angel asked.
"Pity, really, but it comes with the territory." Lilah said, looking to Angelica as she raised a hand. "This won't hurt a bit..."
"No!" Ben growled, stepping between the two.
"Mr. Grayson...the Masquerade must be maintained." Lilah said.
"Lay a hand on her. I dare you." Ben stared at her, his gaze wasn't the cold, unfeeling stone stoicism he often seemed to have. A fire was burning there...a shade of the man he had once been and, the Tremere Primogen knew too well, could easily be again. She lowered her hand.
"Then what do you suggest?" Lilah asked.
"Suggest what? What is going on?" Angel asked, clutching onto Ben's arm as her panic seemed to increase. "Ben, don't let them hurt me!"
"I have an idea." Sybil said. When Lilah indicated that she could step forward, Sybil made eye contact with the redheaded Kine. "Angel...hi. It's me, Detective Langtry. Do you remember me?"
"Y-Yes, of course." Angel said. "F-From the incident at the shelter?"
"That's right. The shelter." Sybil said, nodding to her. A pump of the vitae through her veins and she had cast a hook into Angel's mind. "That's a memory you have. Just like the one of tonight, remember?"
"Y-Yes..." Angel nodded, her panic seeming to fade as she seemed to drone on, matching Sybil's tone and cadence. A subtle, but pretty strong use of Dominate.
"Right. Now...what were you doing before you came here?" Sybil asked.
"I was...having...date night. With Ben. We were...watching movies." Angel said, her voice seemingly more distant the longer this went on.
"Very good. Good." Sybil said. "You were having a date night with Ben. Watching movies. You must have fallen asleep."
"I...must have fallen asleep." Angel said in agreement.
"When you wake up, this will all just be a bad dream. You won't remember any of it." Sybil instructed.
"This will all just be a bad dream. I won't remember any of it." Angel droned.
"Now...sleep." Sybil made another use of dominate. Nanoseconds later, Angelica fell into a comatose state, her breathing steady as she slumped against Ben. The Gangrel held her, not looking particularly happy about this at all. "Ben, it was either that or-"
"I know, damn it!" Ben hissed, supporting Angelica. "I'm taking her home."
"Please do." Lilah said, her eyes flicking toward Anthony. "Apprentice Wallace. You'll be coming with me."
"Yes, Primogen." Anthony said without hesitation.
"Good boy." Lilah replied. Then, a country music song played from within Sybil's pocket, catching everyone off-guard.
"Ah, sorry, sorry...Harriet's bad about screening my calls." Sybil said, pulling her phone out and glancing at the caller ID. "I...gotta take this..." She stepped out back onto the stage and was gone not long after they heard her say "Hello?". By the time the three remaining even looked up, both the Tremere were gone.
"Well, that was a blowout." Grace pouted, arms crossed over her chest. "My big debut ruined by magical bullshit."
"You'll get another chance, my little rose. I'll see to that." Isaac said. "Shame what happened to Johnathan, though... the man had exquisite range." He gestured for Grace to come along. "Let me take you home, Grace my dear."
"Mind if I bum a lift as well, boss?" Hope asked. "This night's a bust and I don't think me being here is gonna help matters."
"I'll add it to your tab." Isaac gestured for the Brujah to follow them.
"Ben?" It was a short time later, after a cab ride, that Angelica was now back in her apartment and on the couch she and Ben had been sharing before this whole debacle had begun.
"Yeah?" Ben asked, still laying sitting there with her. as she laid against him. He'd taken pains to set things up exactly as they'd been before they'd left at least to the best of his recollection. Ben hoped that Angelica's memory of it was even worse than his own.
Memory...now that was going to be an unpleasant thought for a while.
"Mmm...sorry, I guess I fell asleep." She said. "I had...a strange dream..." This was it. The moment that would see if Sybil's handiwork had done any good. If that barrier between his world and Angelica's was still up and as strong as ever. ". . .well, it's gone now. It was...odd, though. I do remember that." She shrugged slightly. "Oh well..."
"Dreams can be strange, yes." Ben said, relieved that it had worked...and yet also still displeased. "You fell asleep right in the middle of Jason Lives."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you wanna give it another go?" Angel asked, sitting up.
"Nah, it's getting late. I really ought to be getting back home." Ben said, gently extricating himself as Angel got up, moving to stand.
"Sorry I made date night such a bust." Angel frowned.
"You definitely did not do that, Miss Knox." Ben smiled to her. "I'm sorry that I did." Angel laughed. Let her think it was just about the movie. It was better that way. Right?
"Well, hopefully we can do it again next time." Angelica said. "There will be a next time, right?"
"Count on it." Ben said. A moment later, Angel's lips were pressed to his own in a soft, quick kiss. He returned it after a split second of surprise.
It definitely wasn't a bad one, that was for sure.
"To next time." Angel said.
"Next time." Ben intoned, nodding his agreement. After that, he left and started on the way back to his haven. It was after a block or so that he felt eyes upon him. When he looked, there was no one to be found. Ben kept moving, taking a few false turns and backtracking a bit. Whoever was pursuing him, however, was keen to his game. Ben found no trace of them, whoever they might have been. After an hour or so of this...the presence seemed to fade off.
Ben shook it off and continued on his way. Clearly, the night was beginning to get to him.
"And you're sure they're legit?"
"Yes, Detective. Each coin found at each of the murder scenes." Sybil flipped the baggie holding the coin over again and again in her hands as though memorizing every detail. It was old, Greek, and actual silver to boot.
"And you said the carbon dating puts them at around, what? 33 BC?"
"Give or take a century or two." The medical examiner told her. "I don't know where in the hell you get over two thousand year old coins especially in this number...six people and each one with a pair on their eyes."
"And they only need the one." Sybil mused.
"Excuse me?" The examiner asked.
"Charon's price for ferrying a soul across the River Styx was a single coin that was usually played on the eyes or in the mouth." Sybil said. "It's a common misconception that you need two." Seeing the look on her colleague's face, she added quickly, "If you believe in that sort of thing, anyway."
"I see..." Sybil was too busy inspecting the coin.
"Hey, you mind if I borrow this? For analysis?" She asked.
"What can you possibly d-" The medical examiner started, but then Sybil slipped the bag into the pocket of her coat. "Hey! You can't take that!"
"Take what?" Sybil asked, a subtle use of Dominate clouding the mind of the woman she'd been speaking to.
". . .I...um...uh...oh, Detective Langtry. I didn't see you there. What can I do for you?" She asked.
"Oh, don't mind me." Sybil said. "I just have to see a man about a coin..."
I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go...
The ride back to the club, The Moon and Star, had been a thankfully uneventful one. Now, the two Toreador and the Brujah were walking back in to find themselves in a karaoke night for the kine. Grace found the particular song a bit gauche, but the instrumentals were good...and the singer wasn't too bad.
Walkin' with a dead man over my shoulder...
"That's...not on the karaoke machine..." Isaac said, raising a brow as they walked further in, finding the stage. The crowd seemed very much swayed by the singer - awed by the charismatic-looking fellow with spiky, black hair. He wore a white suit with a blood red tie and a matching pocket square in his breast pocket. He held onto the microphone that Grace so often held, and he crooned.
Don't run away, it's only me...
"He has a really good voice." Grace said, glancing approvingly toward the man. "Who is he?"
"I have no idea." Isaac said.
"Uh...hey, do you-" Hope started.
Waiting for an invitation to arrive...
Goin' to a party where no one's still alive...
"Oingo Bongo?" Isaac sneered at bit. "And a jazz remix, no less? How trashy..."
"Uh-" Hope started again.
"Not now. Go...bounce something." Isaac waved her away.
I was struck by lightning, walkin' down the street...
I was hit by something last night...in my sleep...
"You notice how nobody's moving, right?" Hope asked, rather loudly. Grace looked and indeed the Brujah was right - none of the members of the audience were moving. No swaying along with the music. No reaching for their drink or reaching for their phone to check the time. They weren't awed...they were completely unmoving.
"What the-?" Isaac moved over, touching one of those sitting at the bar. The man's body slumped over, lifeless. "Oh, god..."
"He's dead?!" Grace asked.
It's a dead man's party. Who could ask for more?
Everybody's comin', leave your body at the door.
"Hey, is that guy holding a green, glowing thing?" Hope asked, recognizing the glow from the stage back at the theater. The man in the white suit seemed to smile.
Leave your body and soul at the door...
The lifeless patrons of the Moon and Star suddenly began to twitch, as though something was replacing the fervor of life within their dead, empty veins...
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