The Don’s View from “Conditions May Apply”

Notes by Logan; Illustration by Game Master Virtuoso

Location: Armandasanti Family Grave Site

Time: Nearly One in the Morning

Date: Sometime in the Future

- - -

“Now, what came next is a bit of a blur. Not because I don’t remember nothin’ but for the case of, rather, what I’m allowed to say. Certain things I just...I can never speak of, you know? There are people who could see that I talked about it and would dust me given the chance. So somethings have to be left out. Anyway…”

A picture of the night raced through his mind. How could he explain this feeling when he found the world again for the first time? The parade of sensations that threatened to overwhelm his mortal psyche with their sheer brilliance. It was no easy task but, if nothing else, he had the time to try. He owed them that much.

“I couldn’t tell you what I was at that time, I can’t even begin to explain the words fitting of the experience. I was both cold and burning hot, I was drenched in sweat yet completely dry. The earth beneath me felt soft yet cradled my every step with such a stoic strength I thought I might tumble over. My eyes could see the bursting fireworks above in tones and highlights I never knew. An yet, all of it reminded me of home.”

There was a delight, a shine to his features as his eyes reflected the memory of the beginning. His new life and how desperately his mind tried to make sense of it. He imagined that this is what soldiers felt on the front lines. They called it ‘shell shock’. When all the senses were so overwhelmed that they couldn’t process anything other than their own over stimulation.

He imagined, in this moment of dark rebirth and dazzling choir, that was how the soldiers felt. That gave him some peace of mind now but it certainly did not help in the moment.

“When we made to the car I was grateful that the noises were deafened some. I could finally fuckin’ think. All I’ve been given thus far was mysterious truths and half-way guidance. When I emerged to what I am now, however, I understood the reasoning. Nothing could compare to the feeling I was having in this very moment. Barnaby attempted to explain a bit about the next phase but in truth it wouldn’t have done any good.”

Vito could still remember it, the speech he was given during the car ride. To find that new power inside, to let it guide him as though it were second nature. He’d find out much later that pretending to be human was the practiced nature. Underneath it all, He and every Kindred, were absolute monsters. Some more than others.

“I was told to find my taste in the crowd when we arrived. The cops parted ways and moved the sea of blood in bodies to the side so we, the Kings, could emerge without hassle. I had my mission, however. I could feel it. The pulsing of every heart. The lungs bleeding air and their lips forming words. I needed to get away, I couldn’t focus, I couldn’t think at all. So I moved away from the Independence celebration and the Mall of America. I went to the outer ring of the masses that tinged of booze and hope.”

He couldn’t explain this next part. Primarily because it wasn’t something he thought of. He simply felt the energy of the moment and let it guide him.

“You ever been hungry for something you didn’t know you wanted? An I mean more than just like...food. It was more than that. It was so much more than that. It was a hunger that was deeper in me than I’ve ever known and there was a scent in the air. It called to me so violently I found it hard to resist just following my primal path to where ever it was leading me. Luck was on my side. The food made itself known.”

“I can’t say whom it was that I found because there was no reason to know their name. It however, did attempt to fight back. I could feel my mind reach out and pull against his will with force. That new muscle in my chest tensed so passionately. It moved the blood around in a delightful manner and I felt it reach the synapses of my brain. It spoke with my voice and it was the voice of power.”

Breaking his gaze away from his family, he turned his back to them and reveled in his supernatural self, allowing fangs to emerge with glowing eyes. The voice of power he’d come to know later as ‘The Beast’ was something of it. A dark reflection of his own twisted nature. Some believe the Beast is their true self. Some believe it’s the curse made manifest. Who could truly know?

“The rest,” As he pulls in his teeth and turns to face his family once more, “I cannot tell you. I do not know who is listening and may use this knowledge later to their benefit. I can safeguard my mind but not the words I speak. I can, however, tell you roughly. I know I said I was going to come clean but everything I’ve said so far has been old news. Somethings, however, are timeless and could be dangerous.”

“I found myself, for the next couple of weeks doing the most to learn everything about this new life. The ins and outs of the new society I found myself in and the weight that rested now firmly on my shoulders. Barnaby was a stoic teacher and answered every question I had though he expected me to respond with rapt attention and a thirst for knowledge. He found in me a willing pupil and I eagerly took to my new position. I was, after all, a leader. This training was in a different field but the subject matter was similar.”

A pang of guilt spread through his chest, he wasn’t lying but it still felt dishonest given the idea of this whole meeting. Still, Clan secrets had to remain such. Even in the presence of the dead. Especially then.

“After...all of that, I was to meet with, what we call, The Prince. One in Georgetown and One in Alexandria. See, they rule these things called Domains. It’s like uh...land, right? A Mayor of the area but with, well, abilities no other Mayor that you knew of could have. The first stop was Georgetown. The Prince there we called Mad King George. He was...from a different family than my own, you know? Anyway, I left to meet him first.”

“The affair was interesting if nothing else. I was practiced, I knew what to say and how to say it. I passed myself off as no issue and was allowed to exist in the domain. Prince George lamented something of torture before some forms of art were brought in. Barnaby told me to just let it be but the other family members in the room were stunned entirely. Needless to say, we made our exit rather promptly following that.”

The image burned in to his head still disturbed him to this day. The way they all looked so lifeless and stuck on these human bodies mangled in such a way was almost cult like. That feeling of dread never left him and would keep him weary of Toreador and their obsessions for years to come.

“The next night, I met with Mr. Bingham. A representative of the family I was apart of wanted to meet with me and so Barnaby and I went to do such. Now, he was a interestin’ type of guy. Wanted to know if I knew my Family Tree but other wise was very kind and spoke in a manner that made me want to help the family out more. Mr. Bingham rode with me in the helicopter and flew over to the Alexandria Domain so I could meet with the Prince there in some old factory.”

“Now, this Prince was from a different family. They could do things most other families could not and they were the only ones that could. The woman there, Prince Elaine, was rather plain in her speech and kept an even tone otherwise but I knew better than to believe that. My family told me to be careful at all times around them but to be polite. I refused a...drink and promised I’d be of no issue. I was granted permission to exist and returned to the family home shortly after...”

The next portion of what came to his memory was something that would rend his soul to pieces. The day he returned home, he expected it to be something of a happy reunion. He told his family he would be visiting the old country of Italy/Rome. Yet, when he came home he found his Mother was not so welcoming. In fact, she seemed horribly sick when looking upon him. 

“You know, Ma...I’ll never forget that look. How you looked when you knocked on my door. The way your eyes went manic when you saw me again. It gave me perspective on what was going on. Up until that point, I’d become so much more than just Vito. I felt like the King on top of the world. Yet, your terror and your fear was enough to bring me squarely back down to Earth. Watching you there, call out for Pops, saying that I died...It broke something inside...” 

“When you died, truly, I died with you.”

A red tear escaped from the corner of his eye, sprinting down the side of his cheeks with a freedom and reckless abandon. His voice shook, quaking with emotions of rage and pain, he spoke as a broken man.

“I thought about saving you, I-I-I truly did with the new powers I had at the time but...I was a c-coward. I ran from the solution because I could not stand to see you look at me like that every day. I’m sorry, Ma. I’m so s-sorry.”

The audible sound of passionate sobbing could heard coming from the central chamber of the family site. A howl of pain threatened to rip the stone asunder with the vibrations of such distraught. That day, no matter how far away it was from the present, tore his soul from his body.