Vampire: The Masquerade
Stolen
2.05
Who Can You Trust?
Beck
Robin
Vince
Beverley meets Beck as arranged.
Beck can see Robin hiding, and see him tense, ready to spring, giving him a warning look.
He asks her to steal the Book of Nod fragment from Astor, if he already has it and is looking or more buyers. Noting the urgency, she recalculates her fee for a strike tonight.
Robin forces himself to wait for her to go before joining Beck.
Vince strolls up to join them.
Beck narrows his eyes. “What are you doing her? I don’t want worming your way into this, unless you can actually help.”
“I can always find a way to help.”
“Sure you can, you slimy bastard.”
“Well, emotions seem high, perhaps a nice meal would help? I saw a couple of gentlemen at the pub shaking hands with their left hands?”
“I do not sully myself with the blood of inebriates.”
“I’m sure they were just having something light.”
“Perhaps you could do something for me instead?”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
“One of my bride is also helping our sire’s fundraiser. I don’t want to sabotage her, but I would like...”
“Revenge?”
“No, just to outshine her... a little.”
“I’ll see what I can do. But I’m just a little fish here, I’d never dream of crossing you.”
“Good.” Beck smiles thinly. “But there’s no need to be afraid of me. Well, besides the obvious.”
The three go their separate ways. Beck making sure the others aren’t following him this time.
Beck looms out of the shadows after a service in another church.
--
Vince helps a low-level gangster clean up a mess in exchange for a taste of his blood.
This done, he goes to see Novak, the Ventrue investor. He asks about Jillian, suggesting Beck wants to be in better standing with his sire - mentions his own sire’s absence in passing.
--
Robin looks over one of Astor’s fronts as Beverley breaks in. He lets her do the hard work. Noting she has a getaway driver, and a lookout. The lookout isn’t breathing.
Once she’s safely inside, he enters, looking around. She ransacks the place to make it less obvious what she’s here to take.
She opens a safe... and pauses as blood drips down from the seam... and starts to move towards her.
She reaches in quickly to take a leather scroll case and some other files, and backs away as the blood slowly follows.
Robin sees it start to separate, some coming towards him, as Beverley flees.
The lookout goes one way, Beverley gets in the car and goes another.
Robin manages to get into the boot unseen.
He hears her on the phone, arranging the drop.
Then Beck calls him.
It’s on silent, so he texts back that he can’t talk right now.
--
Having arranged for the collection, Beck goes to speak with Mother Melise.
He asks her about Alice. “I know it’s above my station, but all of this has added to my concern.”
She confirms that she is out of the city centre, but has refused to go further. And she says that Astor is working against Rhodes, but not for her.
“I have read versions of the prophecy so many times. Now it is here, and we must act. Every choice opens a different path. I only know what Rhodes plans, and it’s... monstrous.”
“What is it?”
“He wants what she has. Life, still with a mark of our power. And he will kill for that.”
Beck nods, having never seen the Mother shaken. “Is there anyone who can help us?”
“Maybe. But what Rhodes offers... most of us would be tempted.”
“Who can we trust?”
“Not many.”
--
Beverley reaches the drop point, an apartment building.
And finds Vince waiting for her.
Robin called him in, and he makes himself obvious as Robin breaks out of the car boot.
“Fuck are you?” she asks, shifting her grip on the scroll case.
He raises a hand, and makes it appear that a line of blood is blocking her way.
She growls.
He meets her eye and tries to compel her to stop.
She hesitates, steels herself, and aims a lightning kick at his face.
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