The Don’s View from “A Vampire Valentine’s”

Notes by Logan; Illustration by Game Master Virtuoso

Location: Armandasanti Family Grave Site

Time: One in the morning

Date: Sometime in the Future

- - -

The screaming continued for another few minutes. The face, his mother’s face, the way it managed to peel back the layers of the monster and reveal the man beneath was a skill he never knew how to defend from. Perhaps it was the misery of knowledge knowing she died looking upon him. Perhaps it was that she was manic with fear that drove his heart so wild with loss. Perhaps it was, simply so, that she was right.

Her son was dead. The Monster remained.

Clearing eyes and cheeks of visible emotion, he composed himself and sat in the silence of the room. No amount of crying would undo what had been done. Consigned to death by his own hand, held under the sway of power eternal had cost him the love of his mother. Had cost her life. A steep price he hoped to never pay.

“You know,” He coughed, clearing his throat. Fighting back the emotions that came with the moment. “I wish I could have spent more time grieving but...my new family couldn’t know about that. I made sure you were buried with Pops just like you wanted. Then, Scarlett told me she had some big news to share, you remember that?”

Oh, Vito remembered clearly. One of the muscles of his gang had found his sister, their Don’s sister, to be the prize they desired. At first he thought about simply killing Luca off. Maybe say he went on vacation and just ran away with some other girl. Alas, his Sister was insistent on keeping him around. He found out later, of course, that it was because of a child.

“I’ll never forget that, or forgive that. Luca coulda asked for permission first. I was literally his Boss but...whatever made you happy. I found it too hard to say no to you. You were the only family I had left, you know? That’s why I was so happy when you held the wedding at night. The band, the fireworks, the lights, the music, everything was amazing. And the way you smiled that night…”

A brief moment, perhaps the most human of moments, came to him. A smile danced upon his features remembering the smile she bore that night. Nothing even came close to that feeling and it helped fill the void in his chest from his mother’s passing.

Of course, good things could not last and he had some serious work he needed to get done over that time. Security, Ghouling, buying up Cops, making his cars protected and buying a heavy duty armored SUV just in case. He was in the business of moving all kinds of weight now. From drugs to girls and business was exploding in value. Regardless, he presented the necessary energy and got a great many things done to prepare him for Kindred Life.

“The years went by quickly in those first few nights. I was busier than I’ve ever been but I had some major goals to accomplish. The working, the training, the upgrading and the like. My home had turned in to a fortress and my people had become soldiers. It was broken up only when Family Meetings, as I called them, were happening. This one, this meeting, would set me on a path.”

He could recall it now, clearly, sitting in a room with others of his Clan. They spoke of business, of their progressions forward and their roles in that. The leaders of the meeting all seemed to be interested in growing the Clan. Even Vito was called in to action as to what he might be doing and revealed that he had invested in technology itself.

What came after that was new for him, something...foul, for sure yet the taste was that of delight. They called it ‘Ashcakes’. Something new to him at the time but it wasn’t without it’s joy. It was like spongecake but made of a failed member of society. Perhaps in that moment they could have found themselves of some kind of use. Perhaps that was too cruel of a thought.

“I was told, at this meeting, that I would need to find out a solution to a problem with a rival family on the Docks. The same ones Pops helped get goin’. I needed two thing to get this job done. I needed someone who speaks Russian and I needed a spy. It was both lucky and fortunate, that I happen to know a place where families gather and I had the potential to meet someone there.”

The way to Alexandria was peaceable for the most part. Getting in to Elysium was never really a hard thing for him to do. His clan was allowed to freely come and go as they wished as their support was paramount for maintaining everything. Yet here, on Valentine’s Day, there was some new news dropped in his lap.

“You see, when I got there, the Prince was talkin’ about some wild family members that were causing problems. Another family’s leader stepped up and the two began to work out some kind of deal, really. But the Prince said there was one missing. One errant child was runnin’ around with a pair of scissors kinda thing, you know? Said that if brought in, the bounty was a favor. I’d be usin’ that information later for sure. For now, I needed to keep appearances.”

Tonight was the night the Polloch place, a boat house, was meant to be open. They said Sandra Polloch was a shark, Vito never saw that. If anything, they got along really well. They understood that it was simply business and keeping an iron reputation was absolutely necessary. Where was the fault in that?

“I spent sometime, after a family member of mine had cut open the ribbon to their new place, talking with a uh...well, a law keeper. An officer if you will but more like the Police Chief. You remember those guys right? Well this guy was like the Police Chief of Animal Control. I asked a bit about the business and he gave me a card. I liked the guy, he seemed like a straight shooter and I respected that energy. Now, what I don’t like...is disrespect. And the next guy I met that night was a walking disrespect.”

The image of Henry came to his eyes, embarrassed and standing by their lonesome after getting rocked by the Hounds.

“I can’t tell you what they looked like, but I can tell you what they said. Said their name was Henry, came from another family. Was a blood relative of someone else who I knew. I could smell that lie almost as well as I could smell the sewer reeking off of him. Lyin’ to me is a bad idea but I figured, hey, maybe I can use this right? So my tests began…”

“The first thing I needed to know was if they could speak Russian. That was solved quick. A couple of Russians were already there and speakin’ in that tongue. Henry could sus it out no problems. An given what kind of family he was from, I figured that could be good for the spyin’ business too. So I invited them to do business at the estate and left.”

The ride there was spent in a calm anger. Lying to his face when he was genuinely attempting to help out? Mn, was not the smartest idea. He was new, surely, but he was no fool and he wouldn’t let this slide without some compensation. But there was no reason to let the game give out this early on. Henry could be useful in furthering his own reputation. Eye on the prize.

While he waited for Henry to show up, he prepped the details of the mission. Investigate the building, see what was in the trucks, and see what could be overheard or read. Simple but it would require the utmost in calmness and professionalism.

A damned bug, of all things, was what alerted Vito to Henry being around. It flew in circles around the man’s head and drew all kinds of questions that could only be answered by someone with the ability to control animals. He called out to his security team and had the gates and doors opened.

“Now...seein’ Henry in the light was different than in Elysium. I could see and smell everything. Every inch of that damn liar was sickening. But I have more class than that. I didn’t blink or budge an inch. Howard though...sadly, did make a bit of a show. I got us some drinks and cigars and we went to talk about business.”

“Now, here’s the thing. I’ve been doin’ this for a while. Criminals and Gangsters were kind of my business in life, you know? So when someone offers their help to you for a little bit of money and some aloof friendship, you know somethin’ is up. But, for now, we play the game and watch our words. We shook hands and made our way to begin this adventure to the docks…”