Rod: Huh?

C: There was a party wasn't there. Tell me about that.

Rod: OK, well Magnolia wrote a book.\ It's just been published, but I haven't read it yet. I like her books. She had a book signing at Nightlights and a party afterwards.

C: Did you go to the party alone?

Rod: No. The invitation was addressed to "Rod Wright and Guests". Magnolia expects me to bring someone, but you know, she always seems a little sad when I do. Karissa wasn't much interested in the book signing, but she wanted to go to the party. It was sort of a big event in the vampire community. She normally gets her own invitations to these things, but Magnolia isn't too hot on her, so this time zilch.
Ahmed went with us too. I don't know if he was there for fun or to watch over me. Maybe it was a little of both. I sure hope he had fun. It's a good thing he was there. I think some stuff went down.

C: What sort of stuff?

Rod: I don't know really. Ya know Ahmed is damn good at his job. He takes care of all sorts of stuff that happens. He doesn't always tell me about it, 'cause he thinks part of the job is to make it seem like the small problems never happen.

C: Back to the book signing. Did anything happen there?

Rod: Um, not really. While Karissa was off flirting I went and got a copy of Magnolia's book signed. She didn't just sign my book, but she wrote me a secret note about how my clan, I mean Cecilia's clan, had the support of the Toreadors. Oh, and she gave me a really great kiss too. You have no idea how it is to kiss Magnolia...
(long pause)
When I'm making love to Magnolia or even just kissing her it is like she is saying something to me that I don't understand yet, like in a special language, and she's sort of sad I don't get it. All I can tell is the message is supposed to feel really good and I have to hear it again and again. Does that make any sense?

C: That is fine, Roger. Now on to the party. You said it was a vampire gathering - A Masquerade Ball?

Rod: Yeah, I've heard them call 'em that. It means it's a big secret and the mortals there don't know anything before or after. They are just sort of there, but it's the vampires that matter.

C: Did you meet anyone?

Rod: I sure did. There was Shelie, and her friends Dawn, Austin, and Sarah. They were all Toreadors and they knew me. I like Toreadors. We get along well even when they talk about stuff like Neitzche, or DaVinci, or some kind of great poet or thinker or something. You see, I understand them. They like something because it is beautiful even if it's a idea or... um what's that called? like an abstract thought or something. So I danced with all of them, even Austin, 'cause he's no flake. He might like paintings and flowers and interior decorating, but he likes women too, not guys, so no worries about him. He sort of filled me in on the scoop on Shelie. How she was curious about me, which means she wanted to try some stuff out on me in the sack.
Magnolia was around and so was Karissa. That's normally trouble. They both try to seduce me at once. They usually try to upstage each other, but not tonight. Karissa had her own stuff going and Magnolia, well I think she approved of me and Shelie. That's possible. They are friends and all. Magnolia knows I love her.

C: Was anyone else there you knew?

Rod: Oh yeah, I met some other people. There was this traveler, she didn't say where she was from, her name was Ruthie. She had this tag-along, maybe a guard, I don't know.
I saw the Prince there too. He didn't look like he was having fun. Cecilia was there. She looked like she was having a rough night. Poor Cecilia. She's not happy too often. I really want my little angel to be happy. What can I do?

C: You know I can't answer that question for you. What I can tell you is that Cecilia needs someone to understand her. Maybe if you talked to her for a long time that would help.

Rod: Thank you. I'll try to do that.

C: You're welcome, Roger. Now what happened after the party?

Rod: Well, Karissa left with this Gangrel. She gave me a cold stare when she left. Was that for ignoring her at the party? Was it supposed to hurt me? I mean she always, well usually, leaves with someone else. If she wanted me she could just come take me away from Shelie. So why stare at me? I need the power to hear thoughts so I can hear what the women I love are saying to me. They won't just talk to me.
I left with Shelie. We all went back to the club. Shelie and I were trying out some new stuff upstairs when something weird happened. I heard Karissa's voice call out my name. It was real, but only I heard it. Somebody tell me how that happened. I didn't know what's going on, but I'm worried. In the evening, the next day I called around for Karissa, but nobody's seen her for a while. I told Ahmed and he knew what to do. He said he'd put the word out on the street.
Oh another thing. Magnolia came by to give me the good news that they voted that we could stay. That's pretty good news I'd say, but she still wasn't all that happy. Why can't people be happy?

C: The world is a complicated place. There is always something to despair. That may be a fundamental element of the vampire experience.

Rod: What a load of crap.
(long silence)
Hello? Hello?