Darkness over the chantry

[AedanTravius[old]]

Back at the chantry, a feeling of tension and fear filled the air. It had been a year since Frederich had betrayed Aedan to prince Winters and taken control of the chantry. He had lied about it of course. He had told them that Winters had done this all on his own, and put him in charge with the threat that if he and the chantry didn't swear allegiance to him alone he would wipe them out. But thats not what happened. He had made a backdoor deal with Winters and set Aedan up. Despite his ambitious and hatred of Aedan, some of the blood bond still lingered, but Aedan had made the mistake of letting it weaken enough for his ambitious to be stronger. And his ambitions were strong.

After his coup, Allen, Leslie, and Luca had all left without so much as a goodbye. Frederich had tried desperately making new recruits and demanding they continue their research, but they had failed miserably. The only one left with enough occult background was Nadia, and she didn't seem to be as good as helping others as Aedan, through Frederich suspected she was doing it on purpose. Many times had he struck her, demanding she be up front with him, each time she looked at him with hatred, and would simply continue her work.

He had used his powers to try to get what he could never get in life. A women. He tried to take Jen for himself, almost killing Steven, but Frederich wouldn't budge. He awakened the whole of his Gryphons and homunculus to defend his division. This of course enraged Frederich. He tried to punish them, but they had made themselves self sustaining. Backing them up with Lilith and Stephanie of the Spirit and Tech divisions, leaving him with a divided house. Frederich was head of the chantry in name alone.

He had placed Robert over the forces division, then taken Ana for his own, but he could tell she had no love for him. She loved William. It was this love that had William staked on a table in Frederich's bedroom. If she ever left him, she knew he would kill William.

But Frederich would not be satisfied to leave it like this. He had his own plan and had started snatching random humans and embracing them, he was up to a dozen. Teaching them magnetisms use as a weapon. He planned to wage war against those that stood against him. He would own this house, even if he had to wash the walls in their blood...

[AedanTravius[old]]

Aedan woke up startled. He had to get back to his chantry. He couldn't just run in there, not yet, but he knew where to start. The church they took their ghouls from.
He rose from his bed, leaving the room, and walking down the hall and saw Aynn, "It was a pleasure to have met you, I'm sure we'll speak again. Actually, I know this great place to get something to eat, hungry?"

[Aynn Marks]

Aynn awoke, stretched, and got dressed. She didn't have any of her clothes here, so she put on what she had been wearing last night after getting out of work (albeit, they had been cleaned for her), and got ready for the day....err....night, as it was. She walked out of the room, and almost immediately ran into Aedan, who she had met just the night before. He offered food, why not?
"Wait, we can't eat though? At least, I can't....." She thought about the banana incident, and shivered. Mulling it over, she replied once more, "I.....guess so? Give me one moment." She went back into her room and left a note for Archon, letting him know that she had left for a while with Aedan. She didn't know what went into being a Step-Sire, but she was sure he would worry if she didn't turn up eventually.

Coming back, she nodded to Aedan, ready to head out.

[AedanTravius[old]]

He smiled at Aynn as she came back down the hall, "Shall we?"
Walking her out to his car he opened the door for her, "So far as I can figure your new, " he said closing the door for her, and walking around, "Feeding can be traumatic, especially if your one that cares for humans, and I tend to." he continued as he got in starting the car. "So I'm going to take you to a place my Bloodline has cultivated for the task. Basically they allow us to feed from them, and their excited about it, in return we ghoul some of them, give them powers from time to time, and when we can, answer their prayers. Oh, yea, its a church." He said as he begun to drive, leaving the driveway, onto the street, towards his beloved chantry.
"When I founded my chantry I underestimated the logistics of feeding all of my children, so with the help of Luca, a ravnos, we performed some 'miracles' for them, and thus we have a church with the strongest faith in the city. By the way, what clan are you?"

[Aynn Marks]

Aynn shrugged her shoulders as she slowly got into the car, it didn't take long to figure out what he had meant by feeding, and as he spoke, she quickly grew a little horrified of what it was that they had done to trick these people into allowing them to feed on them. "I......well......I may be new to your group, but I've been this way for a number of years. I have a group of patients at the hospital that I feed on; they are on permanent stay due to some physical health conditions that keep them kinda bedridden. Nothing plague-ey, but it keeps me running."

Thinking about that question, she wondered why clans had mattered so much. Her old sire had always told her to hide herself, and to never reveal more then was required in a situation, but these people just seemed so.........nice. "I'm also of Ravnos, though granted, I'm sure not nearly as experienced as they were, your friend there." She was worried now, wondering what it was that he was bringing her to.

[AedanTravius[old]]

His smile grew warm. "Lucas, the Ravnos, was considered Travius to us. You should be proud to be among them." He noticed her look turn to a suppressed horror. "Its true they are tricked, but that wasn't the purpose. We do it because I never approved of a parasite relationship for my chantry. I think if we're going to feed on them, then at the very least their should be some benefit to them. When we first went there, we caught the Reverend being less then...ethical. He basically existed to con them out of their money. Now he believes, and so do they. Perhaps their right. Perhaps our intervention was their prayers being answered, perhaps not. I do know this. My chantry came under attack by a demon. If there are demons, their must be Angels. Our chantry, at least when I was running it, where those angels. So don't pity them, and feel no guilt. They ultimately got what they wanted most. Their prayers being listened to actively, and answered when appropriate." he said this in an attempt to ease her, knowing they were getting close, though none of it was a lie.

[Aynn Marks]

Aynn thought that over, and replied in turn, "But does the unethical work of one person provoke the unethical modification of the ideals of an entire group of people that are simply there to believe? I understand you're doing something 'good' by giving them something to believe in, but is it right that you're doing it in such a way?" She had been around people all the time that called themselves good samaritans. People that gave back to the community in such an underhanded way that it almost seemed logical that what they were doing was okay, or good, and would be applauded for it. She shook her head, and continued, "I certainly won't knock you for doing what you're doing. Hell, I feed on people who can barely walk, and love me for putting them in that temporary state of relief, but I dunno about this....."

The car finally pulled up to the church; it was certainly beautiful, and the plentiful cars in the parking lot showed that no matter what time of week it had been, there were always people around to pray. Or feed on, whichever side of the confessional you sat, it seemed.

[AedanTravius[old]]

He pulled up and parked the car in the Church parking lot. "Good?! We're vampires, love, their is no good. Their is merely the lesser of two evils. I have the ability to dominate humans to my will. That with blood bonding and they would beg me to do so with nothing in return. I won't lie, I do have moral questions about manipulating a church, but nonetheless, its the best damage control I can provide. And at least they aren't helpless and bedridden, they have the ability to walk away." He said with a chiding smile, "That was wrong of me. Forgive me." He said apologetically, as he opened the car door. Walking towards the church, it was obvious many improvements had been made. The congregation had grown considerably since the chantry had adopted it, and the extensions reflected that. As they walked through into the church, excited gasps could be heard, "You've returned!! The others said you were no more!" Said the reverend, rejoicingly, "He who spoke is a fallen of our kind. Righteous retribution shall befall him. Speak with me, dear reverend." He said, as he walked to the back room of the church, Aynn and the Reverend following him, closing the door behind them. The Reverend went behind his desk and pulled out a bottle of blood. He'd forgotten they had started them doing that. Each bottle was a combination of a small gift of blood from each member. He opened the bottle, "does she require a glass?" "Yes, please. Tell me, who has been coming in my absence. Tell me everything. "

"One of dark countenance. His presence has been scaring the congregation. Some began to believe we were about to be punished for our wickedness. Some have even gone missing. I fear we need your protection more then ever. There have been others that have come, two women, they have kept the faith of our congregation alive." As the pastor spoke, rage started showing in Aedan's eyes, followed by hatred, until he heard of the two women, His eyes grew big, and a smile came across his face. He was sure it was the women he loved. "They're alive!" he sighed out of habit. "Know this, I will by my own hand promise you retribution for the sins committed against your congregation."
The reverend smiled and looked down. "I know. I always have. Your not angels. But I believe god sent you here, he is creator of all things. We have been blessed since you chose us. Please, save us from the dark one." Aedan looked surprised, then smiled. "I've often wondered if we are tools of god or the devil. But I hear them praying for salvation, and here I stand, not days ago being just shy of the final death, ready to answer it." he paused in contemplation. "Gods will be done. " He said, then he took a long drink, emptying the glass. "Tell your congregation that two nights from now I will strike down the one who brings fear to their hearts. Let them know that fear can no longer rule them." The reverend looked relieved. "I knew you wouldn't forsake us."
Aedan looked up, wondering if God really had been listening. Even he wasn't sure anymore, if he ever had been.

[Aynn Marks]

Aynn followed the Reverend and Aedan to the back room and sat down, listening. She was so lost in the conversation, she had just stayed quiet. She was offered the drink, which she humbly accepted, but she did not take a sip from it. She had remembered what Archon had said at the punishment meeting not long ago, and to drink someone's blood was serious. She had no idea what was in the blood, and wanted nothing to do with it.

The conversation started to wind down, and she looked to Aedan, who was beginning to look more and more angry as the Reverend had spoke. The situation seemed pretty dire for the church; almost as if someone had known about their dark secret....though Aedan was manipulating them, she couldn't help but feel bad for the situation this put him in; to risk his life for them.

"I'll help too. I cant sit and let something like this idly go by. It is not right for one person to risk themselves for Him above while another sits and lets them do it. Sloth, and all that."

Immediately, she regretted her decision. She was new here, and her help was most likely to be found as an insult; was their holy savior not worthy enough that a girl has to help him? Uh oh....

[AedanTravius[old]]

Aedan smiled. She was such a sweet girl. "Your an angel love, and your hearts in the right place, but the man he speaks of I'm responsible for." He looked down in a moment of guilt. "I'm his sire." Aedan stood up, and hugged the Reverend. "when we found you their was nothing good in you, now you stay in the face of danger to protect and pray with your congregation. You certainly have grown. Tell him nothing of my arrival. I'll end this 2 nights from now." turning away towards the door he called back to her, "Aynn, lets go. We have one more place to visit. Though this one I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable with." He said with a faint smile, noticing she hadn't drank the blood.

As always he opened the door for her, closing it after she got in, walked around, reaching in his pocket for the keys. Thinking, 'how had this happened...he was bonded to me like everyone else. Was his hatred for me really so strong?". He said none of this out loud as he started the car, "we're going to Keira's club. You need to eat, and apparently you don't like your blood pre-bottled," he said with a wink, "though, for the record, you do know that was human blood in your glass, don't you?" smiling at the young girl before him. He honestly wasn't much older then her, but the past couple of years had worn deep in his soul and made him feel a good deal older.