What Spills from My Lips....

 The moon is a bare sliver of light hanging in the sky, the night air crisp, but not as cool as it has been, not that Giuliana particularly cares. She prefers the waning moon, though temperature bears little weight on her nightly actions unless she plans to encounter mortals. One must dress properly for the temperature to blend in, after all.

She glances sideways at Cecilia, walking quietly next to her, ( feet bare on the stone... )

Pale hands come up, encased in leather gauntlets gilded in gold.  One hand held out to either side, as if cupping something, fingers spread, muscles tense, and the Sorceress grits her teeth, focus forcing a small vortex of air to form in one hand, whirling on its axis.

In the other hand, silvery light forms, growing slowly in intensity, the sound of it almost like sword sliding against sword, and the hulking creatures surrounding her hesitate for the briefest of seconds, suddenly unsure of what they're up against.

She doesn't move except to crouch slightly, face toward the damp earth under her feet, loose strands of hair concealing her eyes in the darkness of the woods, and the creatures move closer, snarling and raising wicked claws in the air, about to strike.

Suddenly, she drops to one knee, palms flipping to slam against the ground, and the vortex of wind explodes from her, snatching the creatures from their feet and whirling them about her like ragdolls. White hot light shoots up from her body, and suddenly, dozens of silvery blades hang in the air above her, frozen for an instant before they shoot with deadly accuracy into her would-be attackers and making quick work of them.

Angered by the easy felling of their brothers, more of the creatures, half wolf and half human, move in, and she repeats the process, but not before a particularly large one slashes her across the shoulder.  She cries out, hands pushing into the soft earth with force, and the creatures go flying through the air, the sound of slicing metal following quickly after.

Once again, she enacts the rite, willing it to slay them once and for all, and then the woods become silent.  The wind dies quickly, and all that is left is dead bodies and a few leaves floating to the ground.

 "Let's walk."

The Mekhet steps out into the darkness as her childe approaches the manse, walking towards and past him, aware of his silent turn and falling into step a couple feet behind her.  She smiles slightly, slowing her steps until she walks beside him in silence into the treeline, her skin quickly cooling in the crisp December air, and forces vitae into the surface to warm it just in case they encounter mortals on their walk.  

His expression is dark, brooding, and he makes no effort to conceal his monstrous appearance.  That is what he is, she thinks to herself, a monster.  I made him that way, even if it isn't my vitae that turned him.  She sighs softly, and wills them both to be hidden, catching his glance when she does so, though he doesn't fight it.

Finally, ( she speaks... )

Long, elegant nails painted a deep garnet red glisten in the street lights flashing through the window of the dark car, as they rest primly upon the lap of the petite Italian in the back seat. The pale figure next to her finally breaks his gaze from the outside to fix upon her face, the faintest of frowns marring his expression. Her own features are like stone, carefully composed and neutral, and it crosses his mind that she could double as the statue of a goddess.

The fact that she'd displayed near Nazi-like ruthlessness and logic just moments earlier only served to ( intensify... )

( I just need to get out... )

 The rain had gotten serious by the time the three Mekhet reach the shore in the boat Giuliana's ghoul, Edward, is steering, trying desperately to keep the choppy waves from crashing it into the docks as he cuts the engine and tosses ropes over so that Samuel can assist in securing it before the two women stepped off, drenched and cautious in the heavy downpour.

The four make their way to the parking lot, to the silver sportscar parked there, and Giuliana quickly unlocks it with the press of a button, pulling towels out of the back to throw on the leather seats before they all escape to the dry interior.  

Keys in the ignition, the engine roars to quiet life as thunder rumbles outside the metal and glass enclosure.  The dash lights up, displaying location and the various stats of the vehicle, and Giuliana takes one last glance at the stormy Bay before pulling out of the parking spot and maneuvering the car towards the street, a slight shiver coursing through her at their narrow escape.  She didn't even want to think on the sheer number of ghosts and spirits they'd encountered, and the lacerations, while already healed, still stung her cool flesh.

As she pulls out of the parking lot onto the street, motion in her rearview mirror caught her eye.  Vision sharpening quickly, she recognizes a Kindred in full Celerity running towards them on foot.  Lydia Montgomery!  But no, that can't be right, she isn't even in Florida, and she hasn't that skill in speed!

Samuel, noting Giuliana's sudden change in focus, glances at her, and then out the back of the car as she steps on the gas, "Who is that?"  She can feel the immediate tension in him, like a snake, coiled and about to spring.

Cecilia frowns, looking at the two before following his gaze out the back.  Edward turns, too, in his seat, silent.  New to the life of a ghoul, he's already seen more this night than since the night Giuliana ghouled him, and his mind is already on overload, trying to process the actions of the three Kindred occultists.

The woman stops on the sidewalk, obviously angry as they quickly put distance between themselves and her, and Giuliana glances at Samuel, "It appears to be Lydia Montgomery, though it cannot be."

Suddenly he reaches out a hand to press her firmly back against her seat, "Watch out!"

She glances up in time to see a nondescript van racing up behind her, and braces the steering wheel as it rams her bumper.  Gritting her teeth as the car's superior handling system kicks in and assists her in maintaining control of the vehicle, she narrows her eyes.  Not my car, no one touches my car!

Samuel's form draws her attention as it suddenly shifts slightly, and starts to become more of a shadow, "Wait! Not now, there aren't enough of us. We need to escape."

He resolidifies, if a bit begrudgingly, just as another van comes from a side street, ramming the rear side of the car as they pass.  The car swerves sharply, almost landing in the ditch across the street before it straightens again.  Fury floods Giuliana as her fingers tighten on the steering wheel, and she quickly clamps it down, "Enough," and activates the systems on her car to allow for a speed boost, quickly leaving the two vans behind.

The others are silent, Cecilia's eyes wide in the back seat, Edward clinging to the handle above his door, almost as pale as the three Kindred with him.  They can all hear his accelerated breathing, his rapid heartbeat, smell the fear coming from his pores.

Samuel, his fangs bared, keeps a steady eye on the windows as they slow to a legal speed once more, taking a longer route to their destination, "Gia, we're leaving Tampa.  You're not staying here under these circumstances."

She opens her mouth to protest, catches the almost feral look in his eyes, and nods, saying nothing.  She can review their data just as easily from his place as from here, and at least then she won't have to worry about what she's going to drive while this car is being repaired.

She pulls out her phone, pressing a speed dial, "Hey, I've had a small accident, the car needs repair."  A pause, and then, "I'll be there in ten minutes."  She hangs up, turning a corner. 

As the warehouse door rises, Giuliana quickly pulls in and turns off the car.  She gets out quickly, catching the keys the owner of the shop tosses her, "Grazie.  I'll let you know where I leave it."

He nods, more interested in looking at the damage to her car, "A minor accident?  Cousin, this is not minor.  What happened?"  He runs a hand over the damaged bumper, across to the significant dent in the rear half of the passenger side, and looks down at her tire, "Your alignment's going to be off, too.  You might have frame damage."

She winces, "Someone, I am suspecting the Brood, attempted to run me off the road.  The person we visited in the Bay warned us about their attention, and one of them was impersonating Signorina Montgomery, I think."

He frowns, "You want me to armor this thing?  It'll take longer, but you might need it if you insist on running around like this all the time."

She arches a brow, not missing Samuel's sardonic glance in her direction, and nods, "Si, please.  I'll let you know when I get back in town."

If he had his way, I'd never come back to Tampa...

 I will be there, working the WW booth.  Go me!  And can I just say, their booth is going to be epic this year.  If you're there, come say hi!

 So, for those of you who don't check Facebook regularly, or aren't on my Friends list for some reason, this is a must read!

"How to fail at picking up chicks and be the ultimate douche"
Its a post I made on FB about a customer of mine last night who tried to pick me up and offered me pot.  It includes his cell phone number, for your spamming pleasure.  All I ask is that you don't tell him where you got it from or why.

 My car loan balance is now officially less than my ICC budget.  Five more payments to go, woohoo!

 Carl is now VST of Tampa Requiem.  And, as we all learned last night, he doesn't believe in 10 o'clock monsters.  Nope, he likes 8 o'clock monsters better.

Fun game.  I'm kinda scared....