[Giuliana] The Box (Nov. 3, 2009)
The Mekhet sighs, letting out a long-held and unneeded breath as she turns down the long drive leading towards Victor's new estate, letting her shoulders drop and forcing the tension out of them. Ever since she was attacked by the Crimson Cavalry outside the Atlanta airport in March, she sat on edge every time she had to make the trip from the airport to her liege's property.
As Giuliana is going through the house towards Victor's study, she's stopped by one of the staff who hands her a small black box bearing a scarab etched into it. She takes the box, glancing over it very casually as she pauses and turns it in her hands, she gets a sensation of hopeful challenge.
"You said you could handle this, let's see if you're just posturing...."
She blinks, almost able to hear the whisper in her mind, as if the person were standing in front of her. Her senses sharpen immediately as she glances around, but she's alone in the hallway. Looking down at the box in her hand again, she raises a brow and continues towards the study.
Victor looks up from his desk as Giuliana taps on the door, greeting her and asking how Athens was.
Giuliana smiles enigmatically, "It was... informative."
He nods, "I saw the Harpy report."
Her lips twist into a half smile, slightly amused, but it doesn't reach her eyes, and Victor continues, "Once you get settled, we'll talk. I want to go over some things before you leave again for Boulder."
"Si," Giuliana nods, "I'll be back down shortly."
She turns, heading for the elevator, the small black box in her hands, fingertips tracing the etched scarab absently as she waits for the doors to open to the floor where her private suite is located. Once in her own rooms, she steps out of her heels, setting the box on the low Italian marble table in the middle of an arrangement of chairs. Picking up the stilettos with one hand, she reaches up with the other to release the clip holding her hair up, letting it fall as she enters her private bedroom and places her shoes neatly back onto the shelf where they belong.
She shrugs out of her jacket, laying it aside as her fingers go to the buttons of her blouse and her eyes go to the box, viewable through the open door. Crossing the room again, she sits on the edge of a plush chair, reaching out to pick up the box again. Her fingers move across the scarab, releasing the lock on the box and opening it.
Inside is what seems to be little more than a torn shred of purple fabric embroidered with gold thread. It seems as though it is the sort of fabric that would have been used in old Rome as a sash. Folded over it is a note on old parchment in a perfect calligraphy hand.
The Man who placed shackles upon Shadows is but ash. We spoke, once, of a Path in Darkness diverging before you. If you still believe it your way, the steps are yours to take.
She frowns, uncertain of who the sender is. Likely another Mekhet. And there are only a small handful of them that she can remember having such a conversation with, but most of them know her well enough to be more direct with her about their messages. She picks up the scrap of fabric to examine it, and....
... her senses are immediately overwhelmed by the sensation of bloodlust and vengeance. Samuel, BodyCount, Venatrix and Godric are attacking Julius Senex, the man she met with Alder McKay only a few months ago during their investigation into the Strigori. Venatrix cleaves him in half as Godric rips out his throat and Samuel grasps the fallen Ventrue's robes and sash from the ashes they all created. The emotional sensation suddenly becomes one of Freedom.
Giuliana gasps, dropping the scrap of cloth into her lap and snatching her hand back, eyes wide as her senses return to her immediate surroundings. She didn't know what she expected to find, but that wasn't it, and a small shiver runs through her at the memory of the sheer violence she just witnessed. She'd have to contact Godaric to talk to him about what preceeded the event, and, well, now that she thought about it, that explained Godaric's own reaction to Senex when they'd gone to meet him. She needs details.
Samuel. Of course. She'd forgotten about her conversation with him that night. There had been a lot going on, and with Sergei being one of the combatants in the fight, she'd needed to give him vitae to heal, so she'd gone to feed and accidentally ended up getting inebriated in the process. She looks down at the note again, and the scrap of fabric, this time careful not to open her senses too much as she picks it up to look at it again. She needs to make a decision, and soon, on what path she's going to take.
A knock at the door pulls her from her thoughts, and she quickly slides the box and its contents into the drawer of a side table as she goes to answer it.
As Giuliana is going through the house towards Victor's study, she's stopped by one of the staff who hands her a small black box bearing a scarab etched into it. She takes the box, glancing over it very casually as she pauses and turns it in her hands, she gets a sensation of hopeful challenge.
"You said you could handle this, let's see if you're just posturing...."
She blinks, almost able to hear the whisper in her mind, as if the person were standing in front of her. Her senses sharpen immediately as she glances around, but she's alone in the hallway. Looking down at the box in her hand again, she raises a brow and continues towards the study.
Victor looks up from his desk as Giuliana taps on the door, greeting her and asking how Athens was.
Giuliana smiles enigmatically, "It was... informative."
He nods, "I saw the Harpy report."
Her lips twist into a half smile, slightly amused, but it doesn't reach her eyes, and Victor continues, "Once you get settled, we'll talk. I want to go over some things before you leave again for Boulder."
"Si," Giuliana nods, "I'll be back down shortly."
She turns, heading for the elevator, the small black box in her hands, fingertips tracing the etched scarab absently as she waits for the doors to open to the floor where her private suite is located. Once in her own rooms, she steps out of her heels, setting the box on the low Italian marble table in the middle of an arrangement of chairs. Picking up the stilettos with one hand, she reaches up with the other to release the clip holding her hair up, letting it fall as she enters her private bedroom and places her shoes neatly back onto the shelf where they belong.
She shrugs out of her jacket, laying it aside as her fingers go to the buttons of her blouse and her eyes go to the box, viewable through the open door. Crossing the room again, she sits on the edge of a plush chair, reaching out to pick up the box again. Her fingers move across the scarab, releasing the lock on the box and opening it.
Inside is what seems to be little more than a torn shred of purple fabric embroidered with gold thread. It seems as though it is the sort of fabric that would have been used in old Rome as a sash. Folded over it is a note on old parchment in a perfect calligraphy hand.
The Man who placed shackles upon Shadows is but ash. We spoke, once, of a Path in Darkness diverging before you. If you still believe it your way, the steps are yours to take.
She frowns, uncertain of who the sender is. Likely another Mekhet. And there are only a small handful of them that she can remember having such a conversation with, but most of them know her well enough to be more direct with her about their messages. She picks up the scrap of fabric to examine it, and....
... her senses are immediately overwhelmed by the sensation of bloodlust and vengeance. Samuel, BodyCount, Venatrix and Godric are attacking Julius Senex, the man she met with Alder McKay only a few months ago during their investigation into the Strigori. Venatrix cleaves him in half as Godric rips out his throat and Samuel grasps the fallen Ventrue's robes and sash from the ashes they all created. The emotional sensation suddenly becomes one of Freedom.
Giuliana gasps, dropping the scrap of cloth into her lap and snatching her hand back, eyes wide as her senses return to her immediate surroundings. She didn't know what she expected to find, but that wasn't it, and a small shiver runs through her at the memory of the sheer violence she just witnessed. She'd have to contact Godaric to talk to him about what preceeded the event, and, well, now that she thought about it, that explained Godaric's own reaction to Senex when they'd gone to meet him. She needs details.
Samuel. Of course. She'd forgotten about her conversation with him that night. There had been a lot going on, and with Sergei being one of the combatants in the fight, she'd needed to give him vitae to heal, so she'd gone to feed and accidentally ended up getting inebriated in the process. She looks down at the note again, and the scrap of fabric, this time careful not to open her senses too much as she picks it up to look at it again. She needs to make a decision, and soon, on what path she's going to take.
A knock at the door pulls her from her thoughts, and she quickly slides the box and its contents into the drawer of a side table as she goes to answer it.