003 and 004 | Posted Anonymously

[applewatcher]

[Two anonymous posts are made on the network after the first loop.]

[First:]

I have reached out to some of you. I said I would not contact you again until you made your decision, but circumstances have necessitated that I send this message. Your response is not required.

You were given a test to complete. We will accept results demonstrated during this uncertain time. However, we are limited in our ability to officiate results, due to their impermanence and our restricted travel.

So send us proof. If you require assistance in retaining anonymity, we will provide it. You will be protected. And we will welcome you.

[Second:]

Potential clients take note: the Black Sacrament will still be heard, and we will endeavor to answer them as our shared situation permits. Any contracts made during this uncertain time will be held until we can be certain local targets will remain dead, and imPorts will suffer as desired.

In the meantime, be aware: the materials you need to complete the Sacrament are more readily available now.

We will be making some of them available. We will initiate private contact if you are interested in acquiring them.

Questions, as always, are welcome. We are here to answer them.

Comments

text

[calloused]

[ well... derek saw the first advertisement, so he knows all about the effigy. he may as well be the one to ask if they're harvesting dudes to hand out their bones to potential clients. someone's bound to, if not him. ]

Where are you getting these "readily available" materials, exactly?

Anonymous text

[applewatcher]

Methods must remain confidential, sadly.

[calloused]

[ that's about what he expected. irritating. he wishes he could roll his eyes over texts, but he thinks emojis are dumb. ]

Okay, well.
If you're jumping imPorts in alleys and cutting out their hearts to hand out like halloween candy, try to avoid the scary guy in leather.
I've torn out throats with my teeth. I could take you.

[applewatcher]

We applaud your past works, then.

Especially if you are human, that is very difficult to accomplish. Or are you something else?

[calloused]

[ haha, that showed this nerd, whoever they are. put 'em right in their place. derek: 1, weird death cultists: 0. he's so tough and cool.

the question makes him nervous, though. there's a tense moment, on his end, before he replies. ]

Are you asking because you're curious, or because your little cult has an issue with people who aren't human? "We aren't committing enough murders to keep the roof over our heads, so we better start staking some vampires to earn a little money on the side!", that kind of thing.

[applewatcher]

[Meanwhile, at the Weird Death Cultist Outreach Center, their representative is rather mortified by the question.]

Oh, curiosity alone. We welcome vampires to our family, and this particular member is thankful to those among us that I have been privileged to know as elder siblings.

[There was that one time that they had to kill a lot of them because they were going to eat their mortal siblings, but he doesn't begrudge them for it!]

--> private

[calloused]

[ "our family" actually sounds appealing to Derek, a little flutter of something close to longing flaring up in the back of his chest. this guy is oddly charming, too? when derek realizes he just thought the Weird Death Cultist sounds like a pretty cool dude, he figures he should probably bail. he doesn't, though - only switches the feed to private, so that any outsiders might think he suddenly signed off. ]

You've had non-humans in your crew, then.

[ this might be the lead he's been looking for - a tie to people like him. ... this is absolutely a weird place to find that lead, but. hey. ]

Who else have you "welcomed to your family", other than vampires?

[applewatcher]

[What an interesting development! He's always happy to talk about these things, when secrecy permits.]

Many. Our homeland is populated by intelligent races of men and beast and mer--elves, as they are called here--and we welcome them all. But I suspect you are most interested in those more shunned by general society. Those afflicted with vampirism and lycanthropy are of course welcome, as are all forms of sapient undead.

In short, we have no restrictions on who may join our family, provided that they are willing to treat their new siblings with respect.

[calloused]

Lycanthropy.

[ he sends that without thinking, an immediate regret. cool, that made things obvious. another moment's pause, as he deliberates on what to do next. he's pretty sure this question will go unanswered, b u t. ]

Are there any with you here? Lycanthropes.

[applewatcher]

Sadly, no. I wish they would come to join us, but we are not so blessed.

[and let him just bail you out here.]

We understand the secrecy the condition often requires. We will tell no one.

[calloused]

[ i wish they would come to join us - they're out there, then, somewhere beyond the porter. they could show up, in time. this might be his best bet to find his own. he's a predator, not a killer, but he's been paranoid and power hungry and lonely for long enough in America now to at least consider asking if they're hiring. if he would be welcome, among one of the few people in his life to refer to what he is with words like "condition" instead of "monster" and "abomination". ]

I didn't really expect sensitivity from the people who I can only assume are carving up natives to pass out ribcages like party favors.

You're not going to make me pay to keep your mouth shut, are you? Slice my hand open in appeasement under the shadow of the new moon or something?

[applewatcher]

I find that's a common assumption. It's quite distressing, actually.

[Especially the insults directed towards his parents, those are especially vile.]

Oh, absolutely not. Any hunting you engage in isn't a concern of ours. Unless you join us, we have no reason to have a say in your behavior.

[calloused]

People aren't big on murderers. Shockingly enough.

I'm not interested in joining you. I'm not a killer. Not when I can help it.
But,
For argument's sake - assuming you needed numbers, and assuming I had enough of a reason to join you - what kind of rules would I be made to follow, exactly?
I don't like being tied down.

[applewatcher]

Sadly.

For the most part, the Five Tenets are very basic. Never dishonor the Night Mother, never betray the Dark Brotherhood or its secrets, never steal from or kill a Dark Brother or Dark Sister.

The Tenet I've found is seen as the most onerous is the demand to never disobey an order from one's superiors. In practice, it's rarely enforced unless in service to the other four. [Not even in the face of poor Vicente's garlic allergy. It must have been tempting to use his authority to ban the things, though.]

We are a family, and we are aware of the differing needs and preferences of our siblings. We are absolutely not a gang or a monarchy. Those who treat it as either are not welcome.

[calloused]

[ he's still drawn to that word. "family". the kindness he's being shown, the honesty. so easily manipulated, even unintentionally, a paranoia and a need spurred on by all the death and the resets. there's another long delay before he replies. ]

Pack rules are similar. Your bonds with your packmates are stronger than family. Their safety is your own. Hunt together, eat together. Stay together, if you can. Never betray each other, never hurt each other.

The Night Mother - you mentioned her last time. The one people call to when they want your help. Tell me about her.

[applewatcher]

I've heard similar from our werewolf brothers and sisters. I will admit, they are uncommon in the region I grew up in, but I've visited them before. They had a very lovely sanctuary.

The Night Mother was the first among us. She understood the voice of our god Sithis, like none other before or since. She became his bride, and now they both reside in the Void as our Mother and Father. Her voice guides us through our lives, and she welcomes us in death.