by Edward Cupps and Dustin Evermore
[Scene setup: Celeste, mistakenly believing that Fianna had wanted her to keep certain information secret. Roma found out and
forced it from Celeste's mind, which was a terrifying and painful experience.
Fianna felts really bad about what happened to Celeste because of her. She'd wanted to
try to make it up to her. In addition, fear lurked at the edges of Fianna's mind over her future with
the Tremere and she still needed someone to talk to about it.
This scene occurs soon after Sabbat attempts to capture her. Powerful assassins had been
assigned the task, so Fianna went to the extreme effort of having Stazi use her powers as
a Tzimisce to alter her appearance.]
Fianna was gathering her guitar and various music, amplifier cords and things
together in preparation to go to a practice when Celeste arrived to ask her
if she was ready to go.
"Yeah, I've just about got it." She put down the guitar case and stepped
close to Celeste so she could put her arms around Celeste's waist and pull
her near. "Hey, can we go a little early and take some time out? I'd like to
be alone with you without the others around for just a little bit. I'm
feeling really stressed out and sometimes it helps just to talk it out of my
system, you know?"
"Sure Fianna. You know I'm always here for you."
"You are the best, love." She almost never used that term for Celeste. It
wasn't something she said casually or lightly. "And I'm so sorry about what
happened. That's my fault, and I don't care who does it, you don't deserve to be
treated that way. And she wouldn't have done it if I had just told you it
was okay say."
"Roma appologized later, in a way. She explained why you did what you did,
and, well, why I should have told her immediately. It's okay. It's just
that I have never seen Roma angry, but for a moment she was incensed. But,
now everything is back to normal, at least for now."
Fianna was glad Celeste held no ill feelings about it. "There's something
else I'm really worried about. Scared. I'm scared,
Celeste. I think that after our plans go through in the next few months,
Roma and Meerlindia and my plans, they are going to want to do something to
me. To my blood. I don't know if I can handle it. Already, I look in the
mirror and I don't know who it is that's looking back at me. It's more than
just stumbling over cracks in the sidewalk and falling on the stairs because
these legs are longer than what I was born with. I
didn't realize how much I think of myself as being a certain way. If they
change me, what will be left? I'm afraid that the marks on my body and blood
will change the way I look at myself and the world. I'm afraid it will
change my soul, the person I am. But I *like* being me. I've been just me
for a long, long time and I don't know how to be anything else."
"Fianna, I like you being you as well. I don't think, I can't think, that
Roma or Meerlindia would change you against your will to something you are
not. They kept their word to me and I've turned out okay. My magic is
being integrated into the Warlock's lexicon and I've already been contacted
by young apprentices yearning to learn the ways to the Aether and the
manipulation of Space-Time. If you haven't noticed, the Tremere are not the
uniform face that the other Kindred see. We have varied traditions,
viewpoints and goals. Roma has told me that you may be the mother of
something very new, able to direct it and someday found a Chantry of your
own. I may be given the same opportunity, but I am not quite as unique as
you are, magically speaking that is."
"I want to talk to someone about it, but I'm afraid they'll think that I'm
refusing to become Tremere. I'm afraid they won't let me say no if I wanted
to."
"Well, lets talk, love. Firstly, you can say no. I think you are reading
far too much into this. Other Kindred may be telling you things that simply
are not so. A Tremere, and belive it or not, you are one of us, a fact I am
especially proud of. Even Eisen says you are an incredably quick learner,
an excellent spellcaster with a quick hand and faster mind. We, and I'm
speaking as a Tremere here, not just as your best friend, want you to join us. You
will be stronger and we will be stronger. You will still be you, but
also the mother of a new bloodline, a new future. Speaking as your lover;
however, I will promise you this, whatever road you go down, I will be there
for you, as I am now. It took me a decade to get used to being a Tremere.
Now, I am proud of our Tradition and our growing diversity. Ironically, you
and I are examples of the new and the old ways rejuvinating the Tremere
together."
Fianna looked doubtful. "I know you mean well, but I'm not so certain. I think
that outside of Detroit, or at least in Chicago, I wouldn't be so welcome.
And everyone has their plans. The ones I care about right now are the ones
that directly involve me. That's the thing about Kindred I came to know all
too well in my day. With only a couple exceptions, every vampire is a
predator looking out for themselves and their own advancement. In Clan
Tremere it's a little better because no one can advance without helping the
Clan out first. But most are still thinking of themselves and their own
advancement. The trouble is that I don't know who they are."
Fianna sat down heavily on her amp and let slip Celeste's waist. She took the
woman's hand in hers and guided her to a seat beside her. "Maybe you're
right. I might be jumping at shadows. It's really hard to tell where the
line between reality and imagination is in all this." Especially when those
very shadows can come alive and grab you, she thought. "I was told I need
some rest; a vacation. Maybe they're right." She leaned over and kissed
Celeste on the cheek. "I guess we should get moving, huh?"
