Marking jews and vampires [OPEN]

[Varja (DELETED 12937)]

One who curses and runs away has lost a debate. This was what Varja believed, yet it made her sad every time. That people would rather start to become rude, even violent or give up the conversation altogether than to rethink their own point. After all, if someone was not able to counter an argument, that should incline them to think about whether the argument might be correct. Because if nobody was ready to change their opinion, the whole debate was meaningless either way.

She agreed with what was said afterwards though. The law should be just to everyone, regardless of differences. After all, the law was the social contract everyone abided by to create a functioning society. Once the law was unjust to some, they would automatically get shunned by society after a while. People would simply accept things as they were, since they knew nothing else. There was much to be said about this topic as well, but for now, she kept quiet. Changing the topic too often would stray them from the original intent of the debate. For the moment, she waited for any new developments to the debate.

[Zodiac]

She made regular visual sweeps of the room as she listened. A habit she always had since childhood. Getting sucker punched or tagged as a potential criminal was never a good thing to happen. She was here to cause zero problems and the last thing she wanted was a scene to break out with her as the center attraction.

She looked around, paused, then looked again at one particular person in the security group.

’Oh great. This guy again.’

It was inevitable their paths might cross again. She was still a tad upset on how this officer acted in the bookshop of the fledgling vamp. She could not blame him, she supposed. A cop was on duty 24/7 and who knew what was being programmed into their heads about the vampire ‘menace’. The ironic part was, her overall impression suggested this could be a man who would sit down and listen to the other side of the story and, at least, consider it

before putting a round between her eyes.

Best not to risk it.

But unnerving that poor fledgling like that? She wanted to disembowel him on the spot. Oh dear, so much for non aggressive vampires. The difference was, she had just considered it. There were far too many with fangs who would have done it without a second thought, and that was part of the issue being discussed now.

It was a good thing Lydia was not here. In all the junk the girl carried in her oversized shoulder bag, she did not have a tea bag for her to sniff. That brought a small smile to her lips. The man had an almost hypnotic quality to his blood that even tested Zodiac’s resolve and Lydia, not a very old or experienced vamp, had a few issues keeping a lid on herself.

’Mr Juice Box.’ she thought in humor as her eyes returned to the speakers. Had he seen her and did he recognize her was two different things. If his attention kept coming back to her, she would leave when a leg stretch break was called.

She leaned back in her chair and ‘took a sample’ of the world around her. Reading auras was a skill she had when she was human. Her grandmother taught her how and it was handy in certain situations to help read the vibe of a room full of mixed people like this.

As her mental eyes flowed over the crowd, she frowned. The usual display of colors and moods could be seen on a percentage of the crowd, but others were disturbing. They were living, yet their colors seemed to go more in the direction a vampire might show. Dark, brooding, touches of red. Dark streaks suggesting anger or bad intent. It seemed not everyone here was interested in the discussion in the same way. Slowly, she made sure all her things were secure in her bag. A gentle tug at her hood to be sure it was obscuring most of her face before slipping on tinted glasses. If this turned ugly, it would be prudent to be ready to act. Something was simmering in parts of the group around her now. What it was she could not say but it had the tang of something sinister to her senses.

[Segreti]

The other one with the microphone didn't speak. After-all there wasn't much left for her to say it seemed, if she didn't go to anything else. Eventually someone would go to retrieve the Microphone and take it back. Now without anyone else to talk to with his own microphone, Segreti was back on the stage, thoughtfully pacing. Shaking his head, "The world can be cruel. We don't need to make it anymore cruel then it needs to be. And doing this to-"

It would seem that Zodiac's perception of the crowd would be quite accurate. As in moments guns began to be pulled out, one man somehow even managed to sneak in a sword in their long coat, to be fair it was a very large man and a relatively small sword. Waving the weapons about threatening people, "We're just here for the bloodsucking swine and the fraud on the stage, give us those you know and everything's gonna be ok!" One of them shouted.

Segreti looked at them with a look of many mixed emotions. Fear, disappointment, anger, they were causing him problems. "You're endangering the crowd, proving another point about the people who are so against vampires. You're rabid." he warned.

The man didn't seem to care, "Says you, the man standing up for creatures that feed on us. We're just defending ourselves from a disease.", from the markings on his now extended hand, and his neck as his collar was pulled down, it was obvious he was a paladin. Segreti stepped towards him, and the paladin held out his pistol, his face smiling slightly.

"You're gonna come with us." His voice could barely be heard over the crowd of people freaking out and demands of the paladins or hunters, and the security that they did have trying to help curb the situation. Segreti didn't respond.

He stood still, waiting to see what was going to happen. Trying to retain a sign of calm and control. If he was too rushed, he could get killed. If he was too slow to act, someone else could. But if he waited for a moment, acting passively rather than not acting at all, perhaps he could get a better hold on the situation. He wasn't trained to fight paladins, or anyone really. He did have powers but they weren't best used here. He was a businessman, and in a way a researcher. He was not a fighter. But he was very good at keeping his cool around them.

[Zodiac]

”Well Hell’s teeth!’

She knew something was off, but she did not expect things to be this off the rails. As the audience began to panic around her, she pulled her knees to her chest to allow anyone trying to run a clear path past her as she considered what to do. The mantra ‘Don’t get ID ed!’ echoing in her head now. What could she do without revealing she was exactly what these clowns were looking for. She could slip out with those leaving now, but that would not help the guy on the stage. Maybe this was one, big elaborate set up, but she didn’t get that vibe.

Paladins. Normally she avoided them like the plague. Not because she was afraid of them, but because they were so single minded and incapable of being reasoned with. Fanatics. Reminding her of legends of witch hunters and facts like Nazis. Their victims were always wrong no matter how much evidence was put in front of them. ‘Act first, think the next day types’ as her grandfather called them. She had met a few who were not like that at all, but the ratio been reasonable and not so was totally lopsided. In ways, they reminded her of the vamps who chose to forget they were ever human to begin with. Laws no longer applied to them as they saw it and they could do whatever they wanted.

Idiots with power. Always a disaster waiting to happen.

Were people being detained at the door? She glanced over her shoulder and saw nothing was stopping people leaving. Probably being photographed for future reference– at least that is what she would do if she was hunting. Mr ‘Juice Box’ and friends were trying to get things back under control but with people running, some standing their ground and these minions of the ‘Lort’ (she did think Madea was hysterical) all mixed together a result would happen after someone got hurt needlessly-or worse.

’Ancestors protect me,’ Her thoughts whispered in prayer as she put her hands on the arms of her chair and focused. ’Protect us all.’ and in a second of debate, she sent a soft message to the mind of the one on stage. It would be vague enough and he’d have no clue who had said anything.

’You might want to hold onto something. Just saying.’

It started slowly. A faint rumbling noise that grew stronger. Items in the hall began to shake and vibrate as the quake picked up strength. Now more people were running for the exits which was a good thing. Clear the innocents out and let the cops deal with the butchers. She smirked as several police and paladins were knocked off their feet as the shockwave reached it’s peak. A few tiles fell from the ceiling as well and the podium tipped over. A loud squawk of feedback in the sound systems.

She was happy to see she still could make a decent earthquake.

She stood up and began to follow the fleeing crowd towards the door when a figure stepped in front of her and blocked her way. One look told her everything. The tats, the look of revulsion on the woman’s face as she pulled something that resembled a giant meat cleaver from under her jacket.

“And where are you going, baby vamp?” the paladin sneered.

How did they know? Despite the situation in front of her, the mystic was always intrigued by the fact paladins could make a vampire with just a glance. Her outfit hid who she was but did nothing against this idiot knowing what she was.

’That’s right, moron. Judge me by my size.’ she thought as she stood her ground. At barely 5 foot tall and less than 120 pounds, she did not resemble the unholy terror she could be when properly provoked. This wasn’t the first time someone made such an error (human, vampire, and everything else out there) and would not be the last. ’Why the hell did I even come to this?’

[Varja (DELETED 12937)]

The sudden escalation of the situation took Varja by surprise. She had expected for the situation to get worse over the course of the discussion, but she never thought people might actually attack anyone. At first, Varja simply stood there, hesitant to leave, yet hesitant to act. She knew she would not be able to help the speaker on stage, even if she tried. These people were armed and probably knew how to fight. Yet still, she couldn't just leave while someone was in danger.

Then came the earthquake. It almost knocked her off her feet, she was just barely able to grab a chair and keep her balance. This was too much of a coincidence to be a natural earthquake. Yet the man on stage had said he was a sorcerer, so it might be his doing. For all she knew about sorcerers, which she had to admit was basically nothing, they might be able to cause earthquakes. Whatever the case, with armed people and someone capable of creating earthquakes, she would not be able to do anything at all when staying here.

She headed for the exit. On her way she heard something in passing. A person saying something directed at a vampire.

Turning around, she saw one person blocking the way of another, smaller person. Several questions raced through her mind at once. Should she help? Did that person need help? Was she even able to help? She at least had to try.

With a few quick steps, she was behind the woman with the cleaver and kicked her in the back of the knee. It didn't go quite as planned, Varja had hoped the woman would fall. But at least the woman staggered to keep her balance for a second. Hopefully that would be enough for the other person to run or fight.

[Segreti]

Segreti was only going to get so far with these people. It was hard to actually negotiate someone of this level of radical. They were resistant to being swayed as much as they were resistant to reason. Like a zombie almost. But at least zombies were too weak to pose a threat to him, these people were walking around with weapons and powers. They were truly fascinating, but they were also a great deal of trouble.

However, instead of his discussion with the man continuing, he head a voice, into his head. One that others couldn't. Warning him to hold onto something. He grabbed hold of the podium pressing it against the ground. In a moment the entire ground seemed to shake causing the paladin to fall off his feet that weren't expecting the sudden shift. Segreti himself barely held tight and found himself putting himself on the ground just because the podium wasn't going to stay steady since it was only a temporary one.

An earthquake? If it was it wasn't a natural one. He had to stop himself from smiling for more than a second as he understood the situation. Either the person who had warned him, or someone they knew, had just somehow created or simulated an earthquake. In spite of all the chaos that was occurring he had to be really impressed. He hadn't run into that kind of power before and it was truly fascinating that it could even exist. If only he knew who it was that did it.

However such thoughts were not to be used here, people were panicking, but they were leaving. This attempt at discussion might have been a failure. But he was learning. He did notice that one of the people was stopped as they tried to run out, but was stopped by a woman with a cleaver. Who was given a kick in the back of a knee by yet another woman making her stumble. His attention was diverted however as the man who had been trying to get him off the stage started trying to collect himself, "Oh, guess it's time for me to scram.". Unfortunately, the paladin was between him and the door. "Ah screw you." he muttered before leaping off the stage and landing in front of the man. He had no supernatural combat skills, but he could do a few things that were useful, and one of those, was what he did next. It took a good bit of anima, but he had plenty of that.

There was a roaring sound as he cast Sirocco blast on the man. A focused blast of heat that burned him causing the paladin to cry out in pain dropping the gun and giving Segreti another chance to race out the door with the rest of the crowd, hoping that whoever had initiated the earthquake would make it out with them. There was only so much he could do, and he couldn't try that tactic on every paladin here. It certainly didn't even incapacitate the guy he did use it on, he was probably still very much kicking. Just in a lot more pain.

[Zodiac]

Life, in general, never ceased to surprise her. Too many times to count had she been sure things would go one way, and something she never even considered made them go the other.

The woman had guts, she’d give her that. Not too many would want to attract the attention of a fighter like this. Her delivery of the kick was a bit off, but it was the opening she needed to solve this little problem without going full tilt vampire.

The mystic curled up her fist and sent a solid punch, backed by vampire strength, just below the breastbone. Catching the paladin unprepared it had the desired effect. The air left her lungs from the sudden shock of the blow and did not help her balancing act much at all.

’Pull the second one,’ She reminded herself as she re curled her fist and quickly sent a second punch into the paladin’s throat. It always surprised her how despite the fact the longer she was vampire, it was more the skills she learned when alive that made the difference. To survive in the world she grew up in, one had to know how to fight and never hesitate to fight dirty.

Now the paladin was in a pickle. No air in the lungs and the first attempt to refill her lungs was met with resistance due to the sudden shock to the throat. Zodiac watched as the woman fought, and lost the battle to keep her balance and land on the floor. ’Timber!’ she laughed to herself. The woman would live. At once, the girl’s foot lashed out and sent the cleaver thing sliding under the chairs on the opposite side. She then hopped over the woman as she fought to get herself together and gave her would be rescuer a smile. Zodiac pointed at the exit and gave the woman a gentle shove of encouragement to leave before she headed to the exit herself.

An odd sound caught her ear that caused her to turn. Did the speaker just flash fry that paladin’s face? It wasn’t a ‘burning touch’ like she was capable of doing. She had not picked up a vamp vibe from the guy, so this was something new. ’So, he is what he claims he is. A sorcerer.’ Her experiences with them had been limited. The most direct one involved someone that knew what she was and deciding she was a bad sort and used a skill. She had not met many who were victims of this and not heard of others suffering its effect recently. Perhaps it had fallen out of favor or was she confusing one human class with another? All she knew was she was at home tending her plants and suddenly an invisible blade severed her left leg off the rest of her. One moment watering, the next laying on the floor watching her leg turning into dust. She was not amused and never found the one who did it-lucky for them.

As curious as she was, she decided it would be best to learn more about this person before revealing herself. She headed out the exit. Instead of following the flow of people to the door, she turned left and ran for the bathroom. The idea of other paladins catching pictures of the people as they ran was not so far fetched. They were getting bold again thanks to the government demoting vampires to vermin status and they did love their little hunting parties.

Inside the ladies room, she quickly checked for cameras (?) and to be sure she was alone. Reflex actions considering what she was. Once sure she was alone, her hand reached into her pack and her fingers wrapped around a small tome she always carried with her. One moment she was there, and the next she appeared in her home. The gypsy flopped into her favorite chair and let out a sigh. If it was in relief, disgust, or both-only she could say.

[Varja (DELETED 12937)]

After having seen the other woman fight, Varja had the feeling her help had not actually been needed. But better helping when not necessary, than not helping when necessary.

With this situation settled, and the other woman pointing to the exit and heading for it, Varja hurried to do so as well. If she stayed any longer, she would only get herself and maybe others in danger. Rushing out, she followed the flow of people to the exit, determined to stay hidden among the group until she got a bit further away from the building. After all, she had attacked one of those people and openly spoken for the rights of vampires. They might have an eye out for her now.

[Segreti]

Segreti managed to make it out of the building with the rest of the crowd, though he didn't get the time to take another look back at the people who were struggling behind him. As a result, he also missed Zodiac running for the restroom rather than the exit. She would certainly find no cameras in there, for one Segreti had not yet installed many as he'd wanted already in the main area. And even if he had enough, there was far too high of a risk reward for placing them in the restrooms. Not too mention the outright preposterousness of such an action.
After he made his way outside he rushed to the side of the crowd, making sure he had one of his people making a call to the police while he watched everyone rushing out, though he kept to himself while doing so, trying to keep an eye out on things without drawing too much attention to himself.
Although he wasn't looking specifically for her he did notice Varja make it out, recognizing she was one of the ones in the scuffle inside and the one granted the microphone for awhile, before things got hairy. It kind of made him wonder why they'd singled out that one woman, and why this one had chosen to intervene. Well, on Varja's part it was probably just good will. But the singling out of the other was what made him curious. He'd have to remember that.
Varja seemed to be doing fine, making he way outside of most of them. Now what about him? What should he do? He couldn't stay here he was one of the ones most recognized. And he was pretty sure he could see eyes darting towards him as more people rushed out. But that didn't mean his interests for today were lost. He might not be able to do much about this crowd, but he wondered about the woman who had chosen to speak. He tried to keep an eye on Varja as she ran off with the rest, hoping he could track around later. For now though, he went in the other direction, drawing the attention of the paladins, "Have a good day." he taunted and then immediately began to run, undoubtedly they came after him. Which was what he wanted. Because as they were doing so he lead them behind a building into an alley where they thought they'd trapped him, and then proceeded to leap all the way over the building. One of those conveniences of being a sorcerer.

Of course from there he made sure to take care where he headed, even jumping over another building at one point, until he finally began to loop all the way around. Somewhat running his way, just because he wanted to catch up to see if he could make it in time to see the other speaker. It might seem like a lot of effort but Segreti built his life around what he was interested in, the fact he was able to make his businesses work as a side-effect was a bonus. That, and figuring out how to use anima to let him have far more energy than a normal human could. Along with other advantages. He had to admit, being a sorcerer was a bit of a big bonus.

[Varja (DELETED 12937)]

Once outside the building, Varja made sure to stick to the crowd. This was one of the moments where being short was helpful for once. Maybe it would help her not to be seen by the people who had attacked the event. After all, she did kick one of them, who would most likely not be happy about that.

For now, getting some distance between herself and the building seemed like a good idea. On the other hand, she was interested in finding the woman from earlier again. If what she heard was right, that woman was a vampire. Or at least the people who attacked them thought she was one. Either way, Varja wanted to talk to her.

Then she saw the man who had organised the discussion, Segreti. He seemed to be luring the attackers away from the crowd. She thought it was impressive how he chose to take all the danger on himself to keep the crowd safe. He was another person she was interested in talking to at some point. He seemed to be an interesting person and it seemed like sorcerers were able to do some remarkable things. But since she knew his name, she was more likely to find him again at a later point than the woman from earlier.

With the immediate danger gone for the time being, Varja stayed with the crowd which had gathered a bit along the street and kept an eye out for the woman from earlier.