Things just can’t remain good old boring around here. Then again – that’s what made me stay here in the first place. So who am I to complain. Part of the hates it all. The other part loves it. Talk about conflict of interests.

Again I was happily greeting people, minding my own business – when out of a sudden Miss Pearse enters the room and says something about a stranger she met outside. Somebody who’d find it less than favorable to just enter the domain room. So I tell Thomas to accompany me – unnoticed. Miss Pearse comes along. And what is it we find there? A toreador antitribu. What the fuck. And armed like hell. Naturally I told Pearse to keep her pie hole shut about this, though I’d be surprised if she manages to do so. As long as she’s not digging around that’s fine with me. If that’s what it takes to keep her clan from digging I’m all for that. With some luck though she will actually shut up about this matter.

For starters I thought that this would be an easy decision. Sabbati walks in, my two colleagues realizes she’s Sabbat – then she gets killed. Easy as 1, 2, 3. But no. She had to state that she’d live according to the traditions, pledging her fealty more or less. Obviously that means we can’t dust her. True enough, the prince has a thing for outcasts and I guess this Esther woman pretty much fits the profile. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. I for one simply wouldn’t have told her. Or played it down to a minor Sabbat attack. After all she is a liability now. Then again: It’s three senators. Turns out I can be outvoted. For now I’ll bear with it. But if she makes as much as one minor mistake I will have her head for that. However, she probably knows that. So if she’s got any smarts she won’t screw up.

This whole thing AGAIN kept me from talking to Williams. I need someone to train me to become faster than I am. And who better to use than one of the Brujah. He’ll feel flattered enough. Plus, he’s diligent enough to realize strengthening me means to strengthen the domain. He’s likely to do it for a low price then. Yay me.

His new sister? She writes things down. All of them. Seems to me she’s got a serious problem with her head. Which is about what I figured out from the intel I gathered about her. I’m tempted to feel sorry for her. But she’s dead, just like everybody else around her. And somebody brought her into this existance for a good reason. So no reason to feel sorry for either of us.

Von Khattenstein tried to be of help in finding out about Hope as well. Up to now she hasn’t uncovered anything I didn’t know of myself. However, Ventrue need to feel important. So let her dig a little more. See what she finds out. Help her feel needed.

Meanwhile or good Father Shepherd grows ever more impatient. If everything would be done the way he’d want we’d have about half the domain staked by now. Of course that’s out of the question. I’m curious to see whether he can temper his temper. Sorry for that one.

Alex gave me a gift last night. A piece of rock – with some crystals in it. She asked me whether I see her as rock or crystal. When people ask this they don’t want to hear you tell them that you think they’re a cold piece of stone. So crystal it was. A fine thing. Her? Impulsive, maybe. But once you tell her there’s no hard feelings against her for her behavior… Well. If you scratch the back of a wolf in that sweet spot they’re willing to bear just about anything you’ll do to them. Such a good thing to know. Hell, if you do it just right they’ll even let you cut off their claws and they’ll bend their knee straight after that.

The prince still isn’t back. There isn’t much we know about her these days. Of course we’re worried. But whatever they are going to do to her, she’s likely to survive. If they just wanted to kill her she’d be dead by now. No need to wait with an execution. On the other hand there’s still a couple of unpleasant things I can think of they could do to her that would also affect this domain severely. But worrying about that is pointless right now. Yet we worry. All of us do.

Raphael had no news for me in that regard as well. Which is a shame. I did distract him with our reading session though, so I guess he had too much to handle this week. Plus, the police kept him pretty busy, I guess. What, with Karsten’s garage being burned down or whatever. He tells me the person responsible is Petricz. Who also found herself willing to threaten Jason about a favor Coraline owed her. Plus saying she’d stake Alena some time soon if she didn’t behave better. Well, boohoo. You do that, young lady. Conjure up a storm, if you must. Careful though. These cats do have claws…

Of course what happened to Simon upset our good Doctor so much that, in a great act of courage, he didn’t find it in himself to attend the last gathering. Says he doesn’t feel secure. As if this is the first time something like this happened. Scared little child, now that the protection of his master falters. Try to stand on your own feet, kid. You’ll be surprised just how far they can take you.

Now Miss Rottenmeier… There we have someone worthy of her clan. Just the right kind of creepy. Unbroken, despite the Gangrel attacks a fortnight ago. Always involved. Always listening. I bet she knows much more than she lets on. Perhaps with Karsten gone she can even bring her clan back in line. That’d be nice.

Down to the infamous trio then.

Jean has me worried. He had some sort of collapse last night. I haven’t figured out what that was all about yet. At the same time he is so worried about me that it affects his decisions. And I can’t have him treat me like a baby brother all the time. Weakens my position. Weakens his own. I know he means well. The way down to hell, however, … Guess I shouldn’t be too hard on him anyway. The things he does for love…

So Thomas and him got the better of me. Fine. Instead of storing that woman away at my place then she’ll live a couple of weeks at Jean’s place. Jason will teach her whatever he can to make her survive in this kind of society. That also means he’ll have to take on investigating about her. Making decisions about what happens to her blood, whether she has to drink somebody else’s. That sort of thing. She is antitribu. Given his past putting him in her presence puts an undue strain on him. And I warned the other two about this. All the time I can spare I will help him in this. I’d hate to see him compromised by any of this. The better he does though the more likely he is to get the job he so much desires. Lord knows that as soon as we have our prince back I’m going to push for this. He deserves it.

Thomas. He sends next to useless senate mails. The messages he sends to the swords are cryptic at best. Most of the time just as pointless as the official ones he sends out. And then he eaves drops on clan interna of my blood. Not only that, but also he allows himself to get caught in the process. I would take him down right now, if not for Jason’s words. As much as I hate giving in, he is right. Thomas has a few things to do for us before he can disappear. Yet if any of this should go south I will make sure that he bleeds for it, not Jason. Brothers, you say? Then behave like one, fucking idiot. Also it’s not wise to call bullshit on me when I’m trying to portray unity in front of the whole domain. If you call on my lies then the only thing you accomplish is weakening your position yet again. Aren’t I supposed to prevent that? Would you fucking let me do my job, please? And if you can’t do that, ride off into the sunset, please. Banners flying as you crumble to dust. Damn you, man! Damn your fucking unjustified self-assurance.

Die Mittagssonne brannte unerbittlich auf die Steppe. Aus der Ferne konnte man das Treiben in der kleinen Zeltstadt hören. Hier draußen jedoch gab es nur zwei Pferde, zwei Reiter – und das, was man in anderen Breitengraden wohl einen Adjutanten genannt hätte.
Besorgt sah der Butler zu seinem Herrn hoch zu Ross auf. “Sir. Just how are you going to beat one of the natives in their own expertise?”
Der Junge hörte nicht wirklich zu. Er war für den Moment zu fasziniert von dem Pferd: Ein Mustang, offensichtlich. Deutliche Ähnlichkeit zu einem Palomino. Die Fellfarbe daher also wie nasser Sand. Schweif und Mähne ein hellerer Ton. Perfekt für die Wüste. Gut genug für die Steppe, wie er hoffte.
“Sir?” Der Butler räusperte sich auffällig für die Aufmerksamkeit des Dienstherrn.
“Hm? Oh.” Nathaniel sah ruhig zu dem anderen Reiter der sich ebenfalls auf seinem Pferd für den Ritt bereitmachte. “The point isn’t to win, Greg. The point is not to be afraid. No matter where he takes that ride.”
“You could fall and break your neck, sir. He knows that most of the obstacles in your way will come too late for you to notice.”
Nathaniel lächelte den Mann an. “A broken neck is preferable to them compared to being a coward. He who can not ride is no man at all. Besides…” Er klopfte dem Pferd lobend den Hals, obwohl der Hengst noch gar nichts getan hatte außer rumzustehen. “I don’t have to see a damn thing. He’s pretty set on not breaking his legs. All I have to do is stay on his back.”