Lessons in Leadership (Vampire: The Masquerade)

Violet liked to work in semi-darkness. it gave her office an air of mystique and also gave her the added bonus of not having to clean it that often. She sat ensconced at her desk looking over the papers that her business manager had brought her to sign.

Violet was never one to sign papers without knowing exactly what each one was and so she sat here on most weekday nights and kept an eye on her business empire. The Intercom buzzed.
" Yes, Holly?"
"You have a visitor."
"Petitioning hours are past Holly. It had better be an emergency."
"It's not an emergency mistress. It's Sebastian."
"Ah."
"He swears that you sent for him mistress. I told him that you didn't like to be disturbed..." Real fear there in her voice. Good, she's learning.
" It's quite all right Holly...Sebastian is correct. Send him up."

Violet steepled her delicate fingers and prepared herself. Jousting with Sebastian was never the same way twice. And while he was crude and inelegant, he was not stupid.
The door to her office opened and the music from the club above oozed into her sanctum.
Sebastian stood there deliberately not shutting the door because he knew it irked her.

Sebastian was just over six feet tall and was built very well. He had an amazingly vain head of long straight black hair that cascaded down his back. He was slumming tonight apparently because he had used vicissitude to cover himself with tattoos and was wearing his favorite leather pants, his engineer boots, and a collection of gold jewelry that Violet supposed he thought was a good substitute for a shirt. Violet thought he resembled nothing so much as a rooster. He stood in the doorway and silently provoked her to make the first move.
" Come in and shut the damned door behind you."
" I live to serve... my mistress." He shut the door with mock delicacy and flopped onto the black leather couch with a cat's artful abandon. He stretches out his sinewy body with deliberate languor. Once, thought Violet, I would have given much to slake my lusts in that tawny flesh of his...It is good that I am beyond such things now.

"You summoned me?"
"Yes, I have news. You remember Ricard Velasquez?"
a slight tightening at Sebastian's eyes. " Yes...what of him."
"He's dead."
"Well, then I shall have to sing Te Deum at his mass. You'll pardon me if I'm not overly crushed. Who slew him so that I might thank them."
"The reports are sketchy, I've heard both that he was killed by Lupines and Setites."
"Are you sure the Bastardo hasn't merely faked it."
"Very. I called Barbara Dowd."
"Your Malkavian seer."
"Precisely. Ricard is definitely dead. Miss Edna has also confirmed this from her grapevine."
" So what do you want from me Violeta? Eh? You never do anything without at least six reasons for it. it's obvious that you didn't invite me up here for polite chit-chat."

Violet's eyes flicked up and caught Sebastian's and held them for a long moment before a slow smile crept across her face at his discomfiture. Sebastian knew from hard experience that she could and would dominate him and that she could also stare at him without blinking for hours at a time...which was almost as bad.
" I am in a position to appoint a new bishop."
"Surely the packs have fielded a candidate of their own. That is our way."
"They have...several in fact. But not one of them has the necessary strength to hold the position...either from the Setites or from Tyrell Joffrey. He is pushing me again. He has always coveted that territory, swears that it belongs to his Archbishopric by historical right. And now pushes for it under the idea that If I can't control the Setites, I shouldn't be in the area. I can't afford to appear weak. Not now...not ever."
"So what do you need from me?"
" I need you take the bishopric of Harlem. I need you to be my strong red hand...as you have always been."
"The locals won't support me. I'll have to fight them every step of the way."
" I'll support you...And besides, if it were too easy, you wouldn't enjoy it."

Now Sebastian's smile mirrored hers. "True my love....But why now."
Violet got up and came over to the couch. "For many reasons, You've earned it, You are ready for a more active leadership role. I need key people in good places what with this increase in both Setite and Camarilla activity and quite frankly... there is no one better suited."

" This will mean that I'll have to challenge you openly on occasion. If I don't my clan will consider me weak."
" I understand and will factor it into my plans."
" I will be away...you will only see me at Ritae."
" I know."
" I will miss you." he said, deliberately not looking at her.
" And I will miss you as well," she said simply as she slipped her tiny hands behind his neck and moved in close. " We've been together for a long time."

Their eyes met and locked a second time and then conscious control fled. There was a few fumbling moment as his fingers struggled with her buttons but by this time even her normally cold blood had heated. One knee in between his two legs and one foot on the ground he sank his fangs into the spot she liked just under her left breast and she arched her back in pleasure and pain. It took all of her discipline not to scratch him...then, oh so slowly, she arched herself forward as a warm heat arose in her. moved slightly to one side and sank her own fangs into his shoulder. their circuit complete, the building hunger tore through them both as they struggled for every last succulent moment of ecstasy. Bites and clawing were exchanged and even the couch took damage. Finally, a red heat blinded Violet and she shuddered into the vampiric orgasm. He did the same.

Some time passed. From the beginning, there had always been a time of quiet afterward. Violet once reflected that this was because after sharing one another so completely, it was hard to immediately go back to lying and manipulating one another.

Oh well, she thought, The needs must when the Devil drives."There is a condition."
Sebastian's face tightened and Violet almost felt a moment of remorse for him and the moment spoiled...almost.
" You have but to name it...Archbishop."
He wouldn't look at her. and busied himself with licking his wounds and reshaping his torn flesh. Again, she almost relented.She was beginning to hate her own bonds to him and his to her. They made her weak. They had grown closer than a Vinculum should allow. It wasn't natural.

Abruptly she stood and crossed back around to the desk."Since you will not be here and since I have grown used to having a Lasombra around for things involving... aggression...I want you to sire a childer and send him to me for my use."
"Nothing could be simpler...Archbishop" he rumbled.
"Oh, and one more thing... I want him to be smarter than you."
Sebastian became very still. "What?"
" I don't want to have to put down paper in case he decides to shit on the rug. I want him to be smart. smarter than you... So I don't have to waste any time house training him. Like I had to do with you."

"YOU DARE!" Sebastian had leaped to his feet and had already balled his hand into fists. but he had already forgotten not to look in her eyes.


"Silence." she said, and his mouth stopped producing sound.
" This serves two purposes you macho fool. It will give me the necessary tool that I need, and It will allow you to have a spy within my group that I don't have to spend time ferreting out. I'm simply not interested in massaging your ego, I've already done that once tonight... Find one for me. and he had better be smart. Now get from my sight, you disgust me."

Sebastian's eyes spoke volumes of a reckoning to come and Violet met them unflinchingly. Each gaze promised horrible death though each knew that the bonds of vinculum would not allow it. Sebastian slammed the door and Violet was once again alone with her thoughts.
Well. That went exactly as I'd planned.


*  *  *
Wallace had been on guard duty when the boss showed up. He looked pissed.

"Wallace I need to speak to you. upstairs. Now." he had simply said and he had found it hard to keep up with the man, even though Wallace was half a head taller than the boss. They entered his office and without any preamble, Wallace found himself nearly pinned to the wall by the gaze of the shorter man.
"Wallace I understand you've been reading on guard duty."
Shit! " Not really mister Libertini."
"Are you calling me a liar Wallace?"
"Nnn...No sir."
" Then you have been reading on duty."
"Yes sir." he admitted, " but guard duty is mostly about listening anyway...Sir."

A hand reached out faster than he could see and hit him upside his head with a toaster...at least that's what it seemed like. His glasses flew. " AN EXCUSE! DID I HEAR AN EXCUSE!" large fuzzy black squares started dancing in Wallace Johnson's vision.

" I suppose you think you're smarter than me don't you."
" Nnn..no sir."
"Well you aren't," he said as he lifted the man off the floor one handed and bared his fangs. "And you never will be."

*  *  *
Sebastian was trying without success to repair a broken leg on his desk when Diablo reported in.
"Greetings Jefe."
" Diablo. I was just about to send for you. What's the good news."
" Well, we found out who the punk was who was skimming off of the ecstasy trade. We have him downstairs for you if you want him."
" Who was it."
"Skizzy Washington."
" Hmmm." Giving up on the desk leg he sat back. " I have some things for you to do."
"Lay it on me, Jefe."
" I have recently manipulated the Archbishop into giving me the bishopric of Harlem. So we will be vacating this house in the next few nights"
"Alright, boss man!"
" I want you to go to the Bronx and talk peace to Tyrell Joffrey for me. The usual. Unity of the Sabbat...blah blah blah, Stand against our common enemies...blah blah blah..."
"What?"
"It's very important."
" Jefe, I don't think he's gonna go for it."
" Of course he's not gonna go for it. The whole point of your trip is to make contact with a Gilbert Montrevaine."
"Isn't he Setite?"
" He's a Serpent of the Light. There is a difference. Tell him that I want him to recommend a good advisor for dealing with the Setite problem in Harlem."
" Have you gone crazy Jefe?"
"No. We'll get someone from the Serpents of the Light to help with the problem and we'll not have to waste time looking for a spy that Tyrell will plant in our house anyway."
Diablo thought about it for a moment and then the lights came on. " That's genius, Jefe."
" Yes...yes it is."
Diablo turned to go.
" Oh... one more thing. I've embraced Wallace Johnson this evening and I really don't have time for the creation rites. So we are are going to treat him like a probationary member. I want the shit kicked out of him at every opportunity and any screw up on his part is to be rewarded with pain. He will not be able to do anything right...Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Jefe." Poor cabron, I wonder what he did to piss the boss off.
"He's locked in the basement and will be howling for blood soon. after he's fed, beat him to sleep....He and Skizzy were friends weren't they?"
" Um...yeah I think so."
" Well then, Waste not, want not."

*  *  *
His name in the pack was Pigshit. He was beaten, tortured, and generally humiliated until he had learned enough to take action against his pack mates to get them to leave him alone. His vinculum kept him from killing them or hurting them over much but he learned that there were ways to enforce your will. His sire taught him much without realizing it and his packmates were a source of information as well. He learned. quickly and well and never made the same mistake twice. He became hard and cold inside and suffered as few other vampires have been made to suffer.

*  *  *
" I have a present for you. His name is Wallace."
"Come ahead."

Violet surveyed the large black man as if looking over a statue that was somehow profound. She spent a very long time looking in his eyes. even though he tried to avoid her gaze. He'd already learned about that. After a long moment, she turned to His master and said, "Thank you, Sebastian, that will be all."

The master grinned a grin that said "I'll be seeing you around, punk." and left without another word.

Wallace was very nervous in the presence of the Archbishop. Mr. Libertini had been illustrative in his description of what the diminutive woman could do to him. Wallace hoped that he could keep from screwing up.
The woman sat back in her chair and regarded him again, slowly, steadily. and then after a long moment said "Perfect."
Wallace's confusion must have shown on his face.
" You really are smarter than he is...Yes...Yes...I think you are, I can see it in your eyes."
" I'm sorry?"
" No...I think I'm the one who must apologize to you."
Wallace was still baffled.
" I have a need for a chief of personal security. Up until a month ago, Sebastian was it.
I decided that he should be moved into a leadership role that would essentially make him a target. although he probably doesn't realize it yet. And in asking for one of his Childer I made the comment that I wanted someone smarter than himself for the job. I fear he took it ill. And I can see that he took it out on you...I apologize....And I shall rectify it this moment." She turned to her intercom, "Donald."
" Yes, Mistress."
" Donald, I have in my office a Wallace Johnson, He is my new chief of Personal security. Find him a set of quarters down here close to mine and when he is settled in give him the tour. When he is ready, I want you to begin tutoring him in Thaumaturgy."
Wallace could hardly believe his ears. blood roared in his system as he tried to sort it all out.
"Yes, Mistress."

" Why?" he croaked, voice thick with emotion.
Violet rose slowly and crossed around to the front of her desk and look up into the face of man.
" It is my fault that Sebastian caused you pain. He did so because I sought to hurt him the way that he has hurt me so many times in the past...with his words. But I want you to understand that although you are mine to command...that you are also a very valued member of my organization. You have to feel that way. I need you to know that you are my good right hand. I need your strength...and I need your mind. but most importantly I need your heart." the small woman with the dark eyes had placed her tiny hand on his chest and for the first time in recent memory, Wallace allowed himself a glimmer of hope.
" I will do all I can Mistress. I will try not to let you down."
" That's all I ask...go upstairs and find Donald. Feed. Drink in the sounds. I imagine that Sebastian has given you little chance to sample the true freedom to be a Vampire."
" That is true."
"I thought as much. Go partake of the feast of immortality. we'll talk again tomorrow night...at length." she said, smiling a promise.
"Thank you, mistress."
He left soundlessly.Violet was once again alone with her thoughts.

Well. That went exactly as I'd planned.