Chad was conflicted. More so than usual, at least. Isolde had been Chad’s friend since he’d made it into town, and now it seemed like she was the enemy. A powerful, well-connected enemy at that. Or friend. Regardless of what Alva may have done, he knew he couldn’t hold it against Isolde. She was the absolute best person he’d ever met. And while Alva may have committed a monstrous crime, Isolde shouldn’t be the one to pay for that crime. But Chad knew that she likely would have to pay for it. Because that was the sad truth of the world that Chad and Isolde lived in. Life, and unlife, it seemed, wasn’t fair.

Chad watched David’s wounds heal, as he whipes the blood off of the stake and replaces it on his belt. Once the wounds have healed, he says, “I’m afraid James doesn’t like you that much. Something about incompetence. He might kill you without having any suspicions at all. Which means you’re in quite a bit of danger. Life-threatening danger, even. You could stay and take your chances, leave LA and start again somewhere else, or throw in with me. My protection would probably protect you, but it doesn’t come cheap. You’d have to give up the prostitutes, the drugs, all of it. You’d be on the straight and narrow, but you’d be safe. Its your choice.”

The Police had been promoting an anti-drug campagne in California for two decades, to varying effects. In some rural areas they’d actually made noticeable headway, limiting the operations to small-time dealers and local ‘home-grown’ operations, though it could be easily argued that the small populations of the respected areas. But, then, the Police were never charged with the authority that Chad assumed. For the second time in as many months, he was going to save this city. Though he conceeds that his methods might be questionable, he pursues his course with manic efficiency. The opportunity for corruption is ever-present, but he has yet to take advantage of the power in his hands. Yet.

Once again, Chad found himself on LA’s dark streets. They weren’t precisely crowded, but they were definitely not empty. Prostitutes and drug dealers stood on every other corner he passed. The interim was sometimes occupied by a homeless person, or a small gang leaning against this object or that building, trying to look intimidating. As he walked, his brows slowly started to furrow. He’d forgotten how… rotten this city really was. Sure, it had more than its fair share of undead monsters walking around, but the Human side was just as corrupt, it seemed. This dealer answered to Habu, that woman worked for a Habu pimp. And the gang members were all small pieces of Habu’s business. The longer Chad walked, the more his jaw set into that familiar position that indicated he’d made his mind up to do something stupid. Stupid but necessary, he hoped.

Chad walked through the streets reflecting on his new-found freedom. Before this week, he’d spent his previous undead existence feeding on humans. Every night, he’d feed from them, much like he had while he was in LA. But now… he could finally put that part of the road behind him. He could roam more broadly now, if he were so inclined. He was free from one shackle, though there were many others. He smiled as he walked through the streets toward Elysium, humming Canon in D. ‘After all,’ he thought to himself, ‘if I can learn to curb this part of the curse, I wonder what’s next…"

Chad sat on Alicia’s cellar floor as he looked at her with a smile on his face. He thought back to the days before he’d met her, recalling the restless feeling that had kept him going, kept him moving forward for a decade. He could feel the insistence even now, but it was more habit now, than need. He’d first come to this city two months ago in a time of tragedy. Now… he was more familiar with the city, but he couldn’t tell if it was better for his involvement or not. He hoped it was, honestly. At least, he knew, the Ki… Humans would be safer. The cult’s plans were dashed and there were five dozen fewer vampires to prey on them nightly. That had to account for something.

Isolde left Chad’s room to prepare for the daysleep, leaving Chad alone with his thoughts. Isolde was very… informative when it came to other’s thought processes. She could put herself in their positions and see the world from their eyes. It was something Chad couldn’t really do all that well. He was too… pragmatic for that. Or maybe he was just too self-absorbed. Either way, he could never really let go of his own sense of morality or his own skewed common sense to completely immerse himself in another’s life. But he admired Isolde for her abilities. She really was a good woman. He never saw judgement in her eyes, only the same feelings Chad felt echoed onto her own face. He liked that as well. He judged himself fairly harshly, and her lack of judgement was… quite refreshing. As the daysleep began to take him, he had the sudden realization that maybe he should start paying Isolde for her consultations…

Chad sat on the floor in ‘his room’. It was a calming place, really, with its thick walls and absence of air current. Chad thought it felt a little bit like a tomb might. Of course, someone lived here, so Chad didn’t think his new Haven qualified as a tomb. As he sat there, thinking over the events of the last few nights, he wondered if any of these things would have happened if it weren’t for Chad’s lack of control. Would his friends have made it through the night? Would Alicia and him have eventually found the crevasse between their worldviews? He pondered these things over and over for several hours, each time growing more disconnected from the heat of the issue. He found himself seeing Alicia’s point of view, though he didn’t accept it, really. It wasn’t all that different from the Sabbat, after all. Everything else was just another rock on the mountain. And Chad was really getting the hang of mountain climbing.

Chad walked away from the crypt, his eyes still damp with blood. He made his way across the street, and down an alley. He was invisible to the world, but that didn’t make him feel any less vulnerable. He stalked down the dark path acutely aware of how alone he was. Stephanie had Connor, now. Alois had Rin. Riley and Chase both loved his blood, but not Chad the man. Alicia, though… She just might. Chad hoped she did because he really liked Alicia. She wasn’t the heartless, self-sufficient killer she thought she needed to be. She was… just a woman. And Chad was just a man. The only difference was Darwin’s presence in Chad’s head. Chad had seen what a truly heartless killer was like, and he wanted no part of it. That was a small divide, but in the long run, Chad felt that it didn’t matter. Alicia was Alicia, and when push comes to shove, she would still just be a woman. And Chad would still be a man. Chad didn’t know about the rest of the Kindred, but that sounded like a pretty good way to be.

Chad leaned against the table, beaming his approval at everyone in the room. Alois was safe, the Tremere most likely had their Primogen chosen, he’d gotten to kiss Alicia… the plan went off without a hitch, it seemed. Chad knew it couldn’t last long, there would be something else, some fire would spring up and ruin their hard won break. But for the time being, they were free. Free to laugh and joke and enjoy the freedom of peacetime.