Mai writes:
Mai managed to distract Alicia at the point where it looked like she and Jenny were going to raise their claws at each other, thank God. Mai and Alicia spoke candidly in a back room (well, Mai spoke candidly and Alicia made the one major slip of mention Jonathan Starr's name which totally blew her cover if anyone was listening, which it turns out they were...).
Mai hates Toreadors. Hates them and hates being one and hates playing their little games and did I say the other day I didn't hate them? Because I was lying. I do.
Mai sees the Mistress of Harpies walking away and it's clear that Alicia saw it too so now Mai's ass is more grass than before. Winston warns Mai to be careful as Mai leaves court. A little late for that.
We re-convene at pages of the ages to discuss what to do about Randolf but we can discuss very little before the Deputies are called to deal with a situation at the Ren Center. The rest of us non-Deputies tag along for fun. Security cameras reveal a Randolf looking creature which black skin and glowy eyes is raising hell all over Detroit.
We split up, allowing JT to go do whatever it is he does, Jenny and Aiden to work on getting Randolf, and Manfred and Mai to work on catching the fiend. This does not work so well on Manfred and Mai's end. Mai does a lot of out of body touring of Detroit and wouldn't you know there is not a single vampire in the vicinity of the Ren Center or the Guardian Building. Sure.
Manfred mentioned that he could cross to the spirit realm to physically go find Randolf if needed, but that the rote required him to kill a human. We originally decided to wait on that, but now something really bad is happening to Randolf and this burning sensation starts up. It's maddening... and after too many times feeling like she's been hit by a truck and too many times coming out of her body to see Manfred reading a book and realizing this chase is futile, Mai decides maybe the key to stopping the other Randolf is getting the real Randolf back.
Mai decides to allow Manfred to do the rote. Since JT is best at disposing of the evidence, manfred asks him to bring a friend.
The rote is performed and Manfred dissappears leaving Mai with a very bewildered and angry JT. Oops. JT makes Mai help bury the body. But of course, mai would not have done this had she not been certain it would work.
Which it will.
Right?
Jen writes:
Alicia sends me a mental verbal warning that she "will" find out what has happened to J Star. I'm half tempted to "tell" her what DID happen when Mai interposes, and takes her Primogen off to a back room, probably to get her cooled down. So, I beat a dignfied, yet hurried retreat.
The Deputies are back, so we all head to the bookstore to brainstorm. Eventually Mai joins us, and then the Deputies are called away. Me and Mai tag along for the "fun". Interesting that the two members of our group most profient in Auspex have not been named Deputies yet.
We head to the Ren Center, and after some investigation find that a "dark" version of Randolph has been causing some seriouse problems. We are also "feeling" Randolph hurting himself, and realize that something must be done about this situation soon.
I decide now is a good time.
Aiden tags along with me. Why, I'm not sure. Maybe she realizes that while the others might bicker and debate stuff to death, over and over again, I tend to just take action, for better or worse. Once we are safely on our way to Irvings place, I outline my meager plan.
The Tapestry had hung in Irvings manner for some time, so, I reason that some of thats items magical properties might still reside where it had hung all those years. Kind of like what a magnet can do to a paperclip. Aiden kind of rolls her eyes at this, (not sure, it WAS rather dark), but she kicks in the red eyes for us, and off we go.
We find Irvings place restored, but strangly empty. I try several different methods to open a portal to Randolph, to no effect. Aiden even joins in the act, though I doubt she even knows what she is doing. Heck, I'm "leading" this effort, and I have no clear idea as to what I'm doing!
Yet, I have this strange, feeling, as if Aiden is some kind of sister to me. I know we are related in real life, but yet, there is this strange feeling of sisterhood that seems to be developing between us, like I'm the older sister teaching the younger one some of the tricks she will need to know. Very weird, a bit frightening, yet conforting at the same time.
Well, our efforts produce some effect, because after much time has passed, we begin to hear Randolph. Yet, are our efforts for nothing? As sick, tired, sore and weary as he must be, he refuses to do much to aid in his own escape. In fact, when I tell him all of us can feel his pain, he starts intentionally hurting himself so we can all feel his pain.
What has happened to him? With everything that has happened in my own reallity, what has caused this change in Randolph? Hell, he used to be my damm shadow, hiding behind me when ever trouble loomed. Now, he refuses to even really talk to me. Has my change, in its own way, helped spark a change in Randolph?
As Randolph "fades away", we next hear Manfred. He is where ever Randolph is, trying to bring him out. We tell him where we thing Randolph went, and Manfred heads off to get him.
Me and Aiden wait, when Manfred appears near us with Randolph... uhm, no, just his arm. He then explains that while he had found Randolph, Randolph fought him off, wanting to remain trapped! In frustration, I first switch out of my body to see if there is something behind the bloody mess that me and Aiden had made on the wall. Well, there "was" something there. With my tentical, I start pounding with a near wild furry, as Manfred explains that he has not enough magical knowledge to make another portal to Randolph.
I break thru, and now me and Aiden can see what is going on. We can barely see Randolph, as he is surrounded by some very evil looking... Shades is what Manfred says they are. I widen the hole in the wall a bit more, exert my self by growning my tentical to Randolph, grab hold of him, and yank as hard as I know how to.
Randolph is pulled thru the wall. As I rapidly try to repair the wall, he lies motionless, apparently staked by Manfred during their struggle. We can no longer see the "Shades".
After we clean up our mess a bit, we realize that the trek back to the surface would take some time, its not like we can contact Mai or JT from where we are at, so we decide to rely on our good luck and stay here in Irvings place. We settle in by the door, with me leaning against it, and begin to settle in for the coming day.
I ponder what has happened. What has happened to Randolph during my year plus abscence? It almost seems he is trying to follow, in his own way, the path I have followed. Does he not understand that I would NEVER have chosen this path of my own free will? I wish I had never heard of all I now know, that I never had a choice in this matter, yet, now that I am what I am, I know I shall never go back? There is to much at stake now for me to make such a selfish choice, even though it is something I will always long for. I could just enter his mind and find out, yet... Even Jen, it seems, has some of Jenny's own stange code of what is right and wrong. I could never do that to him. I only hope is that we can, as a group, get him to talk. However, from at the very least Manfreds reaction to tonight, I wonder if we can all give him that choice any more?
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