The Night Never Answers

Character fiction from a troupe Vampire: The Masquerade LARP...

The Night Never Answers

by Simon W. 

February 2025

Nyx stared at the chat log fragment like an amateur entomologist studies a particularly interesting butterfly. This was what they had been looking for. It wasn't actually good news. But it was news and right now that is what was important. 

“RedDeadProtocol: we got out. too many watching. can’t trust anyone anymore, they’ll track us down. safe houses have been compromised. don’t go to Philly. Philly’s dead. there’s some in san antonio. just stragglers. more are dead than we thought. cover your tracks. fear Vanessa and anyone with the mark of old revolution. old dogs compromised.”

Nyx was practically the newest dog in the revolution. And they had no idea how they were supposed to hold together something that they barely believed in. If the Anarch Movement was on life support, then whoever should be trying to revive it should be someone who burned for the cause. But instead they'd elected a disaffected academic who didn't give a shit about sectarian politics to the role of Advocate. Nyx shook their head. What was wrong with people, really? 

July 2023

Nyx leaned against the wall uncomfortable in a room full of strangers. The tall woman fully decked out in  motorcycle club regalia beside them didn't make things any better. They wondered if the was any way to give her the slip and leave this place.

"Fix your face, new kid," said the woman. Her voice wasn't exactly unkind but it was absolutely no nonsense. "Every thought you have shows up on it."

"You know what I'm thinking, Constable?"

"Yes, you're wondering if you could possibly give me the slip and run. And I promise you that you can't." 

Nyx grunted noncommittally but stayed put. The image of a sword slicing off Arne's head and him turning to ash at their feet still loomed large in their brain. No one here had a sword, that they could see, but still it seemed so stupid of these people to just.... keep Nyx alive like this. 

The one who'd introduced himself as Sampson earlier came back over from across the room. With him was possibly the most stunning woman Nyx had ever seen. Dressed in red, with long brown hair, and a beautiful smile, which Nyx noticed didn't reach her eyes, she had an air of command that was unsettlingly powerful. "Nyx, lovely name that, I hear you're our newest recruit." She laughed but it was so polished and perfect that it sent ice down Nyx's spine. "My name is Vanessa and I'm the Advocate around here."

"Hello... Advocate. I'm not exactly sure what the folks who dropped me here have told you but I'm not exactly a recruit, more like a..."

"Let me stop you there, Nyx," said Vanessa. "You've been personally vetted by the Phoenix Society. From what I understand you have no real ties of loyalty to the Camarilla and I'm told you're intelligent. What is the logic in betraying the Anarch Movement, when we mean you no harm and can offer you more freedom than that decrepit ivory tower ever could?" Vanessa gave Nyx a level glance. "You don't have any real ties to the Camarilla, do you?" 

"That Ventrue witch murdered the only tie I had to anything really, politically or otherwise, in front of me." 

"Wonderful," Vanessa flashed her insincere perfect smile again. "Well, I'm sure that Sampson and Lorena can sort you out nicely. Sampson, be a dear and let our Phoenix Society allies know that we've accepted the package." And with that, Vanessa turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Nyx stepped forward, surprising Lorena enough so that she didn't immediately stop them. "Why are you doing this? I'm not one of you. I'm not one of anything! But still, what makes you think you can trust me to not just immediately go back to the Cam and tell them where you all are? Why do all of you Anarchs have so much God damned faith in me?!"

Vanessa turned around slowly. "Oh my dear, I am an excellent judge of character. Which is, among other things, why I don't expect that you and I will ever speak again socially. You are driven by logic and rational thinking. And the course of action you just described would be emotional and impulsive. That simply isn't you. Welcome to the Anarch Movement, Nyx. Goodbye." 

Nyx watched Vanessa walk away, utterly bewildered. "That went surprisingly well," said Lorena who was once again beside them. Come on, new kid, it's time for you to learn. I hear you're good at that."

February 2025

Nyx groaned. Apparently Vanessa really was a good judge of character. Because she had been correct, they had never spoken socially again. Which is why Nyx had never been able to see what should have been obvious. But they'd been grieving during that one conversation of significant length so they had missed all of the signs. 

They stood up at walked over to the window in the room they'd turned into their library. San Jose's skyline reminded them of Boston, actually. Less brick, certainly, in this earthquake prone region, but still it seemed more solid and serious than Los Angeles ever had. This was a place that Nyx could make home, at least for a little while.

But what were they going to do about the Anarchs? They needed a champion. They needed a true believer. And Nyx... Nyx was just a three year old vampire who'd managed to successfully betray every single person or group who'd ever believed in them. It wasn't a great track record, all things considered.

"I wish you were still here, Arne. I think I wouldn't be such a mess if you were."

The night didn't answer. It never did.