FicWad

Chapter 7

The Waldorf-Astoria would be the last place anyone would figure to find werewolves, yet, this was the place that the princess placed them, and she did not do anything half-baked. They got to their room and started to go over what they had taken and found, but they soon realized that the lion’s share of information were taken by the others. Nonetheless, from what they did have, they indeed confirmed that Vlad was trying to build a new house here in the States, using any of the other houses that had not been killed and had been hiding, and any new undead they had created since. They were far smaller than any normal house because they had not had much time to reform, but the bare structure of the house had formed. The glyph they were using was something similar to the Tepes royal crest, but done bare bones and simple enough to resemble the kinds of glyphs that the other houses had used. That way, they could gather those looking for shelter easier. Vlad was not sure how many were aware that he even existed, but he was going to give them something they could recognize as familiar in order to gain them. The pair there knew well that knowledge of both Vlad’s existence and reality was dampened greatly thanks to a certain Irish author, and then what the entertainment industry had done to make as much fantasy out of his legend. Truth is, that had much to do with Vlad’s own doing, helping to conceal his operations. He was not fond of how his tragedy had been immortalized, yet, at the same time, because of the ignorance of humans, he used it to his advantage. Now, if he had his way, they would soon learn to dread the name of Tepes.

As they went over it, Romulus began to ponder, and he said, “If Vlad has been up to this, then I wonder just how many in the Earth Clan may still be loyal to him?”
“Very few, if none at all, if Wolfgang has anything to do with it,” answered Remus, not looking up as he sifted through the paperwork.
“Is that actual fact, or what you hope?”
Remus looked up at this point and said, “Wolfgang assures me that Vlad has ticked off Earth Clan so much that none of them would dare form a separate alliance with him. That would be bad though. Yet, I think that, if that happened, it would only be one or two, a handful at the most. However, I could see him trying to form a new clan with some of us, and then turning them against the Earth Clan.”
“Hopefully, enough Beowulfs have a good head on their shoulders about this thing.”
There was not much left that was useful to them, so they decided to turn it in for the evening and call the princess the next night to let her know what they had thus far found. One thing that did disturb them was, how did that white-blonde haired woman able to track them. Worse, were they still being watched? How wide spread was their network? As they settled down to sleep, they did not notice the two large brown bats hanging in the window, watching their every move.

Meanwhile, many interesting things were going on at Clan Tower. At the building, Jean-Claude said, “Take him up to the throne room. I’ll get the royalty together.”
Chiyuki grabbed Keelin, and Keelin snapped out of the phase she was in, passing out. Chiyuki followed after Ryuu. Once everyone was gathered, they took the special elevator up to the throne room. Because of the presence of Ryuu, a special throne was set up higher than the kids’ thrones just for him. Ryuu stared and said, “I’m not sitting in that. After a life-time of Teresa treating me like a king, I try to be more modest…”
His voice trailed off, not certain if he truly deserved such treatment. However, Jean-Claude was going to spell it out for him as he said, “Call it a mark of respect, Ryuu. We just wanted to recognize your position. We call Sophia the empress, but you actually hold more rank than she.”
“I don’t want any tittles, and sitting on that will make me feel like an idiot,” answered Ryuu.
“Are you thus abdicating to the empress?” asked Jean-Claude, as he looked at him from the side of his head, a curious and confused look on his face, one eyebrow cocked.
Ryuu sighed, and massaged the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, wondering why things were getting so stuff and formal while he mumbled, “Geez!”
Jean-Claude wanted clarification to his behavior and said to Ryuu, “Well, above all people, you knew the prophecy of when the Pistis Sophia was to be born, and there she is.”
Ryuu got a grin on his face and walked over to Sophia, knowing how to resolve this mess. However, Sophia knew who this was, and as a sign of respect to him, she stood to her feet and knelt before him. “Stand up silly girl I have to do this right,” Ryuu said, rolling his eyes.
She stood up, with full respect to him, but knowing his reputation, she was ready to strike if need be. Ryuu then knelt to one knee, saying solemnly, “I hereby relinquish my power as whatever I was before, and pledge my allegiance to Empress Sophia.”
Thunderous silence filled the room, no one sure what to say to this sight. The lord of the vampires was throwing aside all his power and becoming a mere follower. What they didn’t stop to think about was how the mark of the Vagabond was still on him, and it was indeed his nature to wander. Yet, Ryuu was in for the surprise. Sophia smiled her gentile, child-like smile, put her hands under his chin at both cheeks, and she kissed his forehead as she said, “Receive the breath of soul for your sacrifice to me,” and he felt an empowerment that he never knew possible. She then said, “You are now free—completely free! The mark is gone.”
Ryuu watched, solemnly, quietly waiting, feeling lighter at heart, but not entirely. There was going to more to that than what met the eye. While all that was going on, Kannon looked over Jean-Claude and wondered what had happened. She piped up and asked, “Uncle Jean-Claude, what happened to you?”
“Bah, some undead with an overinflated ego,” he said, “No biggie: it’s just an occupational hazard.”
“Please, uncle, take care of yourself,” answered Kannon, “We love you so much! I hate to think what we’d do without you.”
He just smiled and said, “You’ll find someone else to lead, and you will keep going. Though we all live for a long time, this is not to say that any of us are immortal. If it happens, you all have to be ready for it.”
As there was a silence in the acknowledgement of this, there were other things taking place during their talking.

Keelin was trying to get off Chiyuki's shoulder, and hissed at her mother, “I hate being carried like this!”
Chiyuki smiled vindictively and said, “Then consider it part of your punishment!”
Mickey then spoke up and said, “Your grace, I hear that you have been disobedient to your parents. Is that true?”
Keelin didn't make eye-contact and glanced to the floor. Sheila spoke in her gentle demeanor and said, “Little one, we know you are going through a lot, and it is scary to awake when you did. All four of us had that happen. But disobeying won’t help you. Yet, if you wanted to talk to us about it—those who went through what you now go through—you can stay, and we’ll ask everyone to leave once we are done, and we can talk.”
Keelin sighed and stayed put, better not to argue with people who out-aged you in more ways than one. “With your permission, I would like to go look this over with the rest of Die Kaiserenhand,” said Jean-Claude.
They were given leave, and that left the four, Ren, Chiyuki, and a very depressed Keelin. Chiyuki set Keelin down, turning a mother’s glare on her, saying as she folded her arms under hear breast, leaning her weight on one hip, “Now...explain to me why you came, how you found us, and what in the world came into your mind and drove you to the brink of insanity to come and follow us!”
Sophia then spoke and said, “What should be more worried about is you, Keelin, going out and trying to operate abilities that, though they can protect you, you don’t fully understand their strength, or know fully how to control that.”
Keelin listened, but she looked at her with genuine wonder as to what Sophia had meant. Keelin asked, “What hidden powers?”
Kannon giggled and said, “You're Golconda, honey! You can do all the things that we can do. You’re now one of the five most powerful vampires on the face of the earth! Isn’t that right, Boogie-san?”
Boogie-kun nodded his head very fast and said, “Yup, Yup and Yepper!”
“You can do things now that your mother can only dream of, but you cannot yet control,” said Mickey, “We want to help you with that.”
Keelin glanced up at her mother, and after seeing her fight, the thought of her ever being better than her mother seemed impossible. “However, even though you are what you are,” said Sophia, “You still have to obey your parents. Where they lack in ability, they make up for in time and wisdom—wisdom from which you could greatly benefit.”
Kannon then said, “In other words, you got the tools, but they have the talent! Right, Boogie-dude, (man, I think you are so neat!)”
Keelin nodded, and Chiyuki coughed as she frowned as Keelin said, “I could have handled it.”
Chiyuki gave her the eye to that, but Sheila then said to Chiyuki, “Then teach her all you know—your savvy, your slyness, your cunning, your inner mental strength; but most of all, teach her how to love!”
Chiyuki rolled her eyes, but Keelin looked fearful. She backed away slightly, with the faintest blush on her face as she said, “I don't want to know.”
Kannon came off her throne and came down to her with a big smile, (looking so much like Karin,) saying, “There’s nothing to fear! Boogie-san can help you! I know he can!”
Chiyuki sighed and said all aggravated, “You’re so stubborn!”
Sophia then said, “Please, you're frightening the poor girl.”
Keelin was indeed frightened, backing away. Sophia set down her scepter and crown, to try to look less intimidating, and came over gently. She said, “Please tell me, what frightens you? Please, open your mind to me.”
Keelin stared at her for a few minutes, blinked a couple of times, and then growled viciously at her. “Please, don't force me to subdue you!” snapped Sophia, now staring at her all serious.
Keelin’s eyes were completely vamped out, and her fangs exposed, as she growled at Sophia, acting like a caged wild animal. Sophia sighed and reached out her hands. She then pinched off the veins that led to the brain, in the same fashion that a sleeper hold works. It was only enough to make her pass out. Keelin glared at her the entire time, and then collapsed as Chiyuki was there to catch her. “She is going to have a bad headache when she awakens,” said Sophia, “Boogie-san, I charge you with the well-being of Keelin, and help keep her out of trouble.”
“I will do my best!” he said, grinning, hard for him to keep a serious face.
“Please, elder one: put her to bed,” said Sophia, “and raise her well; teach her how to love.”
Chiyuki looked slightly confused, but nodded in agreement none the less. Ren said, as they went, “So, do we see what Jean-Claude found, or do we finish our ‘business’?”
“I’m more for the latter of those two,” Chiyuki said, feigning innocence.
Once again, he swept her off her feet. Chiyuki giggled like a school girl and kissed his neck. Ren just laughed devilishly and said, “Girl, you are insatiable!”
Chiyuki smiled as she whispered into his ear, “And you know you like it!”

While the “business” was taking place, Jean-Claude was opening the files that he had found. As that was taking place, Keelin was in a tree next to the building, running her hands through Boogie-kun’s hair thoughtlessly. Soon, Kannon was outside, wearing ordinary clothes, looking just like Karin at that age, but with longer hair. She said, “Hey, let’s go across the street into Central Park—it's always fun this time of night!”
Keelin said nothing, but was standing by Kannon. “Okay,” she said, as soft as she could manage.
“Wow, you seem so sad,” said Kannon, “What's wrong? Wanna talk about it?”
“Not particularly,” she said, glancing over at her.
As they got to the park, they heard the sounds of busking for the late night people, and Kannon said, “Daddy calls it the city that never sleeps. I wonder how true that is.”
Keelin listened, with a strong distaste for the music playing. “I know,” said Kannon, “What do YOU like to do? Tell me what you call fun, and we can see if we can do that!”
That one caught Keeling off guard. No one had ever asked her that before, nor had she ever considered such things. “What I do for fun?” responded Keelin in a curiosity flavored wonder. She had to think about that one. Kannon giggled, and said, “I mean, you DO like to have fun, right? Who doesn’t?”
“Uh...what I do for fun tends to be one person activities,” she said, “Anything in particular you want to do?”
She then got a gleam in her eye, and said, “You know, it is that time of the month, and in truth I think you need to learn how to hunt and erase minds. Oh, I have the perfect act!”
Keelin looked confused, but rolled with it. “Alright, what is your act?” she asked.
“Watch,” she said, “Now, being what I am, even though you have a preference, everyone is my target! You just watch and hide here.”
She tousled Boogie-Kun's hair and she waited until a young woman came by alone. Kannon went out with crocodile tears saying, “I’m...I’m lost! I can’t find my mommy!”
The young woman reached out for the crying girl and said, patting her on her back, “Oh are you okay? Don’t worry we will find your mother.”
“Please,” she said, “I think she was that way,” and it led to a darker section of the park.
She followed willingly, really wanting to help this lost girl, completely clueless of that into which she walked. What Kannon did not yet know was that this woman had suffered many miscarriages in her life, and dearly loved children, wanting to have her own. As a result, she was depressed, and jumped at this chance to aid this girl. Once they were in a brushy area, Kannon looked in, expecting the woman to bend over and do the same. The woman did so, looking for whatever it was. Kannon was on her neck in an instant and gently guided her into the brush. The woman followed, as if in a hazy dream, no resistance. Once she was done, she called Keelin over saying, “Now, this is the most important part!”
The woman stood there, still in an almost seemingly drunken stance. “Now we wipe her memory of this,” said Kannon, in a very spunky but instructional manner, “Just hold your hand out, and concentrate your thoughts and connect with her mind, like this.”
“I know how to wipe minds,” she said, nodding.
Kannon made sure she erased the memory of their meeting, and then said, “What’s neat about me and my cousins is that we don't have a preference, but whatever emotion is a problem, we siphon that off!”
With that, she used her abilities to gently lower her to the ground. “What was here problem?” Keelin asked.
“I think she was depressed,” said Kannon, “Something about not having children, and not being able to have any.”
Keelin nodded, and turned to go wander off. Kannon went to follow her, and said, “Well, at least keep me company. Gosh! I never like seeing anyone sad, especially family. I just wish there was something I could do to bring your smile back.”
“I never had a true smile,” she said coolly.
Kannon just shook her head, realizing that, if she got too personal, she might just run away. However, she had to know. She then asked, “You make it sound like Uncle Jean-Claude has not done enough for us. What do you want that we cannot give you?”
Keelin glanced back at her, something close to her mother’s chainsaw massacre glare. “Oh, that does it!” said Kannon, all flustered, “I tried to be nice, but now I'm going to have to tell uncle!” and she stomped off.
Keelin watched with an amused look in her eyes.

Jean-Claude was pouring over the paperwork when there was a knock at the door. When he saw that it was Kannon, with a stuck out outer lip, she explained the whole thing. Thus, he re-donned his hunting clothes to find the “little rotter!” Keelin was waiting for Jean-Claude. Knowing him, it wouldn’t take long to find her. Out of nowhere landed Jean-Claude in his entire hunting splendor. “Little girls like you shouldn't be out in Central Park at night without someone,” he said, with a glower in his eyes.
“I’m pretty sure I could take care of myself in the oh-so-dangerous streets on New York,” she said.
He then put his hands on his hips and said, “And that’s half your problem, brat!”
His voice was stern, and he was taking the approach that he had taken with Karin that one evening when he proverbially slapped some sense into her. He then said, “You think you can handle yourself? Do you realize how much grief you are giving your parents? You may not know this, but they BOTH love you dearly. Yes—love—any clue on what that is?”
“Not in the slightest,” she growled from between her teeth.
Like lightning, he had her in an alley and pinned against the wall to where they were eye to eye, and he said, very cross, “Real love gives of itself and NEVER asks anything in return. Do you not realize what your parents sacrificed to give you the benefits you have now? If you needed a heart, your mother would be willing to rip it out of her own ribcage if it meant you would live! If you needed eyes, your father would pluck out his own for you! I would allow myself to be beheaded if it meant you were safe! You better not take for granted these things, because, one of these days, you’re going to need these things, and they won't be there. Often, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and even then, it just might be too late!”
He put her down and said, “Straighten up and fly right! You owe your mother and father a HUGE apology with your bratty attitude, because I can see right through you! You...are...not...impressing...ANYONE! What you need to do is remove that lump of cold lead in your chest and replace it for a beating, caring heart!”
Keelin just watched, nothing in her face changing, besides the fact she was biting her lower lip. He started to walk away and said, “Don’t stay out too late—you have school tomorrow, and your mother will worry.”
He now wanted to pound some street gang, just to blow off steam. Keelin watched, waited, and kicked the side of the building, putting a hole in it. Boogie-kun glanced up at Keelin. “Did he just say you were showing off?” he asked, knowing the answer, and knowing that kicking a hole in the wall was not helping her case. He furrowed his brow at her, and Keelin glared at him. Keelin slumped against the wall, using it as support. Keelin just sat there, and ran a hand through her hair.

As Jean-Claude walked, he was trying to figure things out with her. He could not understand it. The child was as much of an enigma as her mother, and matters were worse, because she was also Golconda—the full understanding of which she was unaware. Either she, or a lot of people, was going to get hurt if it went south. He could just not figure out what would suddenly depress who should have been a bubbly, happy seven-year old girl. Awakening was always rough, but for her, for what SHE is, it should have been her day of jubilee. He had to get into her head, and he wondered if she wanted to get violent. If that was the case, it would have to be in a constructive manner. He was going to go back and find out what was going on. After some thought, Jean-Claude came back to her and said, “Okay, you want to vent? Come with me, and I’ll give that to you.”
“Who says I want to talk! Who says I want any of this!” Keelin shouted, glancing up at him, “Who says I want to be a special vampire royalty! Who says I want to be and different from the rest because I could kick them into the dirt!”
“Then, for crying out loud, what do you want!”
“I don't know anymore!” she yelled back, her heart pounding and chest heaving.
Jean-Claude slumped down and sat beside her and said, “Let me tell you a little story about the things I could not choose in life,” and he began to relay his entire life story up to that point. Keelin listened, with dew moisture piling up at the edges of her eyes. Jean-Claude then said, “So you see, ever since the day I was born, I had people making my choices for me. Believe me; it was not fun at all. I don’t like using this term, but it fits here: it really sucked! Yet, because of all that, I have wanted a world where someone like you would never have to face what I did. You have the breaks. You may have some things thrust on you like I did, but believe me, you have a nice home, a mommy and daddy that love you a lot, you have the four, Franklin, Great Grandmother Elda...okay, scratch that one, but you get what I mean. You have so much, and I think a few things thrown at you are nothing compared to what you could have lost.”
He picked her up and put her on his knee as he hugged her and gently rocked her back and forth, saying, “I know—you just want to be a normal little girl, with friends at school, and a regular mommy and daddy. Sometimes we can’t get what we want, but we always can get what we need, and mommy needs you just as much as she needs you. It may not be ‘normal,’ but you're doing far better than a lot of vampires your age. Please, always know you’re loved. No matter what you become, you…are…loved.”
Keelin grabbed his shirt, hugged it to her face, and cried, most likely staining his shirt, but none the less crying. He just sat their rocking her and letting her vent. He would let her get it out, and then take her wherever she wanted to go. Keelin finished crying…and then went through a fit of hysterics. He stopped and looked down at her, wondering what was going on. It was laughing, dry sobs, angry rants, and she was getting it all off her chest. He just started rocking her, letting it all happen, giving her time. A good thirty minutes later, and she was finished, wiping away the snot and left over tears with her sleeve. “Where would you like to go now?” asked Jean-Claude in an understanding voice.
“Home,” she said, hugging onto him tightly.
“Come on, angel,” he said, “I’m sure your mother is waiting for you.”
With that, they went back to the tower.