May-11-2001 1:06 PM Message 56 of 245

Subject: Two Days Earlier, and Many Miles Away. [Guillaume]

From: Anborn

Reply to: Vampiress_Dahlia [ Message 48 ]

Guillaume FitzHenry carried only a small valise as he stepped down the ship's gangway. He had already arranged for transfer of the bulk of his possessions directly to the train station to accompany him on the rest of his journey. Meanwhile, Guillaume discovered that they had relocated the taxistand since his last visit to this port. A clerk for the shipping line directed him to its new location, and a doorman hailed a cab for him. Of course, over the past eight hundred years, Guillaume had visited almost every corner of the globe. Nonetheless, due to the ever-present "progress" of that which called itself "civilization," he found that even well-known locales seemed unfamiliar whenever he returned.

Guillaume signed. That was, after all, the whole point of this sojourn.

Word had spread among the Kindred of a new Gathering Place. Guillaume had decided — as he had on only rare occasions in the past — to forsake his habit of isolation and again sample the company of his own kind. The rapid changes he had seen in the world over the past century left him unsettled, and he sought stability among those whose experiences he shared.

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May-14-2001 7:45 AM Message 61 of 245

Subject: The Night Before: Coming Closer... [Guillaume]

From: Anborn

Reply to: Anborn [ Message 56 ]

Guillaume FitzHenry could almost palpably sense the growing proximity of the Kindred's new Gathering Place. Despite the approaching dawn, the dark grew deeper with each passing mile of track. Deep in his chest, Guillaume felt the increasing confidence, exhilaration and, yes, anxiety that accompanied any association with his own kind. His people interacted with the uneasy familiarity of a wolf pack on a hunt, ready and able to cooperate to gain any necessary objective, but easily turned to violent betrayal if stress grew too great, or prey too scarce. The train entered the station on schedule, twenty minutes before sunrise. Guillaume sniffed the air as he stepped onto the platform. Yes, several Kindred had passed this way recently. He saw old, abandoned newspaper on a nearby bench and picked it up. A headline had caught his eye, and — despite the darkness — he quickly read the accompanying text. He chuckled knowingly at its story of unexplained violence at an isolated pub. He nodded with certainty at the description of the injuries: all lacerations and puncture wounds, with no fractures nor serious contusions mentioned. He grunted with surprise when he reached the end of the article and found no report of any fatalities.

Guillaume squinted against the brightening yellow glow on the eastern horizon and permitted himself a forlorn sigh. The state of this country's rail system had one advantage. Train stations in the hearts of big cities had plenty of abandoned tunnels, while those at the outskirts of smaller towns — such as this one — always had several old and empty warehouses nearby. Guillaume spotted a likely candidate across the switching yard. Having prearranged for his baggage to be placed in storage elsewhere, he moved through shadows toward the decrepit building, resigned to spend one more uncomfortable day hiding from the Sun, before a final night's journey would bring him to Crimson Kiss, the aptly named new manor of the notorious Lady Dahlia.

***