Stop! Party Time! (Miyu's Party)

"Your rationale predates the Enlightenment which formed my views yet are largely compatible. I find much evil and self harm happens when people deny who they are and Let themselves be bound to concepts that they know conflict with themselves. Maybe she will learn a lesson tonight then. "

She shook her head and took another sip of her whiskey.

"She will not." She tilted her head, watching the two lovely redheads on the dance floor with a smile. "You must understand that me poking the bear is, in many ways, attempting to teach her a lesson, though it is much more passive than I would like. She is not a fan of mine and as such, I cannot fill her head with self-confidence as I wish I could. So I poke the bear, possibly make things a little more difficult, in an attempt to force her to stand up for herself. To force her to look at the situation as the rest of us do - she is doing nothing wrong by dancing with that young woman. And if need be, she can yell that to her man, so that she can believe it herself."

She laughed softly. "Truth be told, she will likely outlive him in any case. And when she realizes that she is a vampire, she is not some mortal teenage girl whose daddy will ground her for giving herself to a man - or woman - she will be much better off. Many of us attempt to retain our mortal views on things and that is good and right - but in some things, human morality does not apply to us anymore. This is one of those things. Romantic, sexual encounters should be viewed as opportunities to gain power, allies or to feed. Not as some deep and meaningful act that occurs between only two people. Humans especially, are much more malleable when they are in the throes of passion than they are at any other time."

Victor nodded. "Unless she embraces him or arranges for it. He's got potential for several clans"

She shook her head.

"She will never consider it. She will never consider Embracing him herself because she will see that as 'ruining' him. And she's right; for him to be Embraced Tremere would kill every ounce of self he currently has. They will build him back up to be something more, something greater, but a good part of what she loves about him will die." She took another sip of whiskey and smiled. "And she will never consider arranging for it with anyone else. For one, she cannot bear to share him with anyone. The blood, the bond, will mean that someone else will replace her in his heart and she can't bear that. It's the true reason that she and Estaban failed as a couple, despite her claims that it was his unfaithfulness. That was a large part; the fact that he loved someone else more is what she truly couldn't bear."

Victor reached behind the bar and offered to top Victoria off before pouring himself one.

"I don't know. A trusted person outside her clan could embrace him and I believe he could adjust... although I imagine the relationship might struggle simply because of the reality of his new state. "

He looked thoughtful "unless he was prepared and trained... still as you say it is messy. She is in a difficult position here. "

She nodded gratefully at his offer of a refill on her drink, then smiled.

"I do not envy her, that much is for certain. But then, I learned long ago that attachments to humans are a very poor thing to let yourself get into." She took a sip from her glass, then pointed with one finger at Oriella. "She is the one who interests me the most, though. Oriella is an incredibly well-rounded individual, for all that she's a Tremere and a prostitute."

"She has a remarkable outlook on unlife, and a very resilient attitude. She also has compassion which seems to buoy her. "

She actually laughed at that.

"Not exactly. Yes, she has a remarkable outlook on everything and a compassion which buoys her. But you must always remember that she is, first and foremost, an actress." Another sip from her glass and another smile. "Prostitution, while one of the world's oldest professions, is about so much more than what is on the surface. There is more to it than simply taking off your clothes and having that physical encounter in exchange for money."

She leaned back against the bar with a slight smirk. "More than anything, there is a psychological aspect to prostitution, especially those who get paid well for their services. You must be able to read your clients, be able to act and respond in such a way that will make them want you, desire you and in many ways, love you. That's what will keep them coming back again and again. There must be an emotional connection between the prostitute and the one employing services, or very quickly, you will find yourself out of money and walking the streets trying desperately to find where your next meal will come from or a bed to sleep in." She tilted her head slightly and studied the two dancing women. "This is just speculation, but I suspect that much of the interaction between Oriella and Griselda is by Oriella's design. She can read the deep-rooted sense of need within Griselda and can play to it, to make Griselda feel loved, wanted, needed. And she plays to that, if only to make Griselda feel good for a few moments."

Victor sipped his drink "It is an art of emotional manipulation and the ability to read a person and steer those emotions. A skilled prostitute is an extremely powerful person. "

He looked over at the two and turned back to Victoria. "So she learns this lesson, learns the problems of falling in love with mortals, how then to bring her through without damaging who she is?"

She took another sip from her glass of whiskey.

"There is no good way. I suspect that he will tire of her long before any action will be necessary. There's no good way to spare her that, either. The only sure way to make certain that she comes through it on the right side of better is to make sure she realizes that she's a vampire." She shook her head. "Affairs of the heart are always tricky with Kindred. Moreso when the Kindred in question is still very innocent in the ways of love. She may be old, she may be wise in many ways, but I can count on one hand the number of lovers that she's had. This boy, whether he intends to or not, will hurt her. And it will be another blow to her ego, just as the others have been. And one night, when she has decided that she can no longer handle such emotional blows, she will greet the sun and we will raise a glass to honor a young woman who never truly found the one thing she has always looked for."

Victor scowled. "That ending is unacceptable. "

She smiled and took another sip from her glass.

"Unacceptable, but inevitable, Victor. You must learn to let go, like we have all had to learn. I understand that you wish to help her. Many do. But she cannot be shielded forever. If you truly wish to help her, I would suggest talking to this boy, see what it is that he wishes. And take your lead from him. Whatever is done must be his choice, as she cannot make that choice."

Victor nodded and toyed with his glass.

"And if he wanted the embrace or to be a ghoul someday?"

She smiled and sipped her whiskey.

"Then it will be his choice and the two of them would need to work that out together."

"I've talked a little to him, he's rather private. I think even possessive. Thing is without bringing him into this world having that discussion is rather difficult. "

Her brow rose.

"She knows better than to be with a possessive man."

"He may have misunderstood me when I spoke to him before. "

She tilted her head and took another sip of her whiskey.

"Give me some context, please?"

'I went to talk to him under the guise of looking to invest some money as a friend of Griselda's. We talked about him, her and their relationship. He seemed to think I took an untoward interest in the matter. I may have been clumsy or he may have been cautious or both. "

She looked into her glass of whiskey, pondering.

"When a person is in love with a beautiful woman," she said with a slight smile, "everything is suspicious. It may have been that he values his privacy. Then again, it could simply be that he is concerned because he cannot fathom someone not wanting her or wanting to be with her. The truth of it is, though, that some part of you does want her, in some way. As a friend, a lover, something. She deserves much better than what she has had in the past, that is for certain. I am Tzimisce and I wouldn't treat my dog the way she was treated by Joseph Mercarius."

She shrugged one shoulder. "Or, I could have a chat with him, if you like. I'm sure that it won't go very well, as I'm certain that Griselda has warned him what a wicked, evil bitch that I am. But still, she is my little sister and I am obliged to assist, if I can." Stupid family ties.

"Probably a little of all that. We discussed Chase as well. Perhaps we could meet him together? I would find value in watching your methods"

"Ah," she said, realization dawning on her face. "Unwise, my friend. The current lover does not like to be reminded of the former lover. Makes them feel as though they are in competition, or worry that the girl will run back to the former lover and leave this nice, wonderful relationship behind."

She laughed softly and took another sip of her whiskey. "In some cases, they simply do not like to be reminded that the person that they have deep feelings for was treated like a piece of garbage to be thrown away. I would bet," she swirled her alcohol, "that knowledge of just how poorly she has been treated in the past would cause him no small amount of rage."

She drained the glass, holding it out for more whiskey with a smile. "Please. And, of course I will go with you. Anything to help my little sister realize her potential and bring her happiness."

Victor nodded and topped off both drinks.

"That makes the most sense, I did not consider that. At the time, miyu and I were concerned about Chase. "

"It will be easy to meet him, he has,some of my money after all. "

Her lips twitched.

"Or you could simply Summon him, dear. And while I can understand the concern about Chase - that boy has more brawn than brains - it is a very effective way to alienate yourself from someone, bringing up the former lover of the person that he is in love with."

She shrugged one shoulder and sipped at her whiskey again. "While he may very well dislike me and take everything I say with a grain of salt, he will at least be polite. I believe that boy was raised with manners, which is a very rare thing to find nowadays." She grinned. "Bring him to me and then let me work my magic, darling."

"I dislike summoning people without good cause. You know we pride ourselves on using power without a reason... but I suppose I could. "