Night six
It's a cool
and quiet evening. There is a nice breeze blowing, and the
sounds of Eva mending her clothes in the front room. You are
sitting on the front poorch on a rocking chair watching the bayou and
the empty village. The stars are coming out. There are no
lights in the village and the splash of the milkyway makes a
brilliant display in the sky. The light of the stars is so
bright you could almost read by it.
You're sitting there rocking slowly and holding your spear. You
check for the tenth time to make sure they really gave you one with a
silver tip. It is reassuring. Should you have to go
against a vampire, the damage should stick.
One of the curious things about Cajun houses is that the stairs to
the second floor are on the front porch. Ouside the house as it
were. At this moment a young boy comes walking down the
stairs. He waves at you in an absentminded passing way, and
runs to the bayou's edge. In the star lit darkness you can see
other children coming down from the attics of the other houses.
You don't remember when you got to your feet, but you are, and your
spear is ready in both hands.
The
children seem to be playing some kind of game together.
Giggling and laughing. Calling out to each other. Eva is
suddenly standing next to you. She seems pale. Softly, in
an almost sub audible voice she says "Greg? Greg, is that
you?" It sounds like, on some level, she doesn't really
want to be heard. She makes a move to run to the children and
you have to grab her to stop. She doesn't seem to see you.
You are holding her hard above the right
elbow with your left hand. "Stop it Eva." You
kind of shake her. "Eva, look at me! Stop it!".
She looks like she's in a fog and seems to notice you for the first
time ever. Her eyes bore straight into yours. "Eva,
don't go. It's a trick. He must have been bitten."
"But.." she looks like she is
going to go anyway. You shake her again. "Eva!
Get a hold of yourself. You know what happened to them.
He's not the Greg you knew anymore." She closes here
eyes. You shake her again. "Eva!" She
opens her eyes but looks down at the wooden planks of the porch.
"I know." She sounds defeated.
A man comes walking around the corner of the house. He looks
gracefull and strong. Old and refined. He is dressed all
in white, with a white hat and a cane. He reminds you of Mark
Twain. The classic southern gentleman. "A good-ly
evening to ya sirrr" The southern drawl is thick. He
nods with his head ever so slightly. "You look lovely as
always Eva." He is four hexes from the porch. He
nods slightly to her as well. His eyes seem to look through
you. "Y'all must be Father Thias' replacement."
His eyes actually seem to focus on you for a second then go back to
looking through you. "I must say I am charmed to make your
acquaintance. Don't be ashamed if you don't feel the same.
I com-plete-ly understand, Sirrr." He seems to shift his
weight from one foot to the other as though weighing the situation.
"Before we do this, I must make you
an offer. I need a theologian who can use that book you so
carefully put on the fireplace mantle. Father Thais was, shall
we say, un-co-operative." He smiles faintly. "The
fault may lie with me, as I turned him, against his will."
Now he frowns. "That and he refused to feed."
He smiles again. "But you, sirrr, I will offer this
choice." He pauses to look back at the children who are
drinking from something and passing it around. "Join us."
His voice gets hard. "Join us, or we will leave this
place. We will leave this place, and you, behind."
He picks up his cane and jams it down. "What say you
sirrr. I offer you the ability to resurrect yourself.
Even from the grave. The chance to lead and teach a new
generation. Even the glory of a new baptism." He
seems to be holding his breath. "What say you?"
Do you say, "We will join you."
-or-
Do
you charge attack him at DX+2, because you have been targeting his
heart for the past two turns.