[r] a villain knows his heroes

she leads them through a few narrow streets, the human population thinning as they went. they're almost there, and a few of the stragglers from v's herds nod to her as they pass by. to give themselves up willingly -- sophia will never understand these humans.

the man behind her made it clear that the emperor is his goal, but sophia doesn't relax for a second. nobody in her position stayed there by being complacent. she can't help but wonder what sort of man he was -- knowing was only in her best interest when she could be ushering a corpse-to-be or her future emperor.

"...you're rather confident" or hopelessly naive, but sophia is gracious enough to omit that part.

sophia forgets that not everyone responds so readily to her conversational cues. they move through v's territory quickly, and there's not enough time to inquire at length. well, it's a common belief that a man's mettle is easily tested through a fight to the death. if he draws it out a little, then maybe the emperor will be satisfied enough to let her off without insisting on popping a few caps.

when they approach the courtyard, the other coven members stiffen at the sight of a newcomer, a new challenge.

"this one is for the emperor" if anything, they only seem to be more excited than before. the bloodlust stirs, but sophia is never caught up in their rhythum. why else would the emperor keep her around?

"a present for me?" sophia nods stiffly when her patron steps out of a small crowd. "you really shouldn't have"

"i apologize for the short notice" sophia lowers her gaze, but she recognizes his approval when she hears it. "is justice here?"

the emperor is already removing his jacket.

"...now? without justice?" a few of the other vampires look at her the way that schoolchildren look at the student who asks if they had homework. right before the bell.

she tempers the instinct that hisses urgently in her ear, run. run before you're caught up in another web of conflict and games that were never intended for you to win. sophia isn't old enough to understand all the implications of her job, but somewhere along the way, she started trusting that her emperor did. his results were more telling than any of his bluffs; despite their growing power, the political fallout had been managable.

"no introductions?" the emperor runs a hand through his half-dyed afro. that is to say, he looked like miror b from pokemon with half his hair white and half of it red. like a pokeball. probably dresses like miror b too. i'm totally trolling you in revenge at this point, but ari approved. it's a wonder how nathaniel even kept a straight face, since i sure as hell didn't went i stumbled upon miror b's lair. but hey, different looks for different folks. "kind of cocky, aren't you?"

he reaches down to his shadow and pulls a whip from its depths. "just the way i like them"

one moment, he's as relaxed as a lord can be. the next second, the whip is already extending towards its target at a speed that rivals her blade.

well, this is awkward.

blood thumps in her ears as the silence converges on her. there is no jubilance in the air -- nobody pities the last emperor, not when everyone always knew that the sword of damocles would always swing above his head. he knew it better than anyone. that kill was a little too quick, a little too clean to be real, yet the smell of blood is something that none of them could mistake.

the shock eventually passes, and all eyes are on her. she still has her duty, doesn't she? the atmosphere doesn't make it any easier when sophia says in a clear voice, "i recognize this match as valid."

despite sophia's lack of enthusiasm, her dry words bring a new surge of energy in the crowd. some of the coven vampires are already kneeling at his power. some are keen enough to realize how utterly boned they are if this one didn't turn out to be sane. his predecessor might not have been easy on the eyes, but he had the disposition of a leader.

sophia walks as calmly as she can towards the exit, as if she had somewhere to go. the coven members are used to that. in truth, there was nothing more to be done now that the one who gave her those orders is now deceased, but the members of v are used to death's absence in the pursuit of responsibility.

if she can slip away -- well, maybe sophia can safely assess the new emperor from a distance. trade favors with ordo dracul if she has to in order to live. she is no longer anyone's disciple. she is sophia rosenburg, born 1986, died 2004.

she doesn’t buy into his polite words and mannerisms. obviously not, considering that he just showed up one night and tore apart the monarch who had built an empire under his gold-studded heel.

"...i am no officer. only a disciple" she gives pause to her statement. "was a disciple. my authority died with him"

sophia might be rather green to vampire politics, but she was familiar enough to know that it’s not a smart idea to keep the closest aides of the man that he just slaughtered. especially when there was even the smallest chance that they could incite factional conflict. v wasn’t really that sort of coven, but what does this man know about v?

"feel free to speak to whichever successor you choose"