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As with all things within her domain, Roan was aware of Nines' movements, at least in part. He was rarely seen, and when he was, it was for something practical like laundry being produced for washing, or to garner another book to peruse.
As yet, she hadn't any idea how she was going to resolve his particular situation, and as he hadn't sought her at all since their last conversation... she'd stuck with stalling tactics regarding work and given him his space.

There was, after all, only so much one could do, and at least he hadn't run. Regardless, eventually one of them was going to have to break the uneasy tension that was building, and Roan didn't think it would be Nines.
Disheartened as she was that best efforts had made precisely 0 difference to the situation, a different tack was all that remained.
To that end... after downing her absinthe, she sent a page to the panel in Nine's room, inviting him to join her at the training room at his lesuire.

"Good evening Nines, how have you been? That's nice. Has the catering been to your liking? Excellent. Did you enjoy the gardens? I'm so pleased. What's that, the bed in your room is the best you've slept in in years? I shall pass your compliments on to my house staff."

She spoke without sarcasm, waving him to enter the room while she was pulling on a pair of black gloves, with embedded discs over the knuckles.

"You can't hide in your room forever, and it'd be nice to know my hospitality is worth it or not, even if you tell me you hate every single thing in your room. The world isn't going to go away just cos you closed your door.

On the other hand, I'm glad you've at least been studying. How is THAT going?"

No annoyance in her voice, just a steady calm statement of facts. Much as Nines hated his situation, she wasn't at all comfortable with trying to help, and being effectively blocked out with him staying in her home. Still, it beat having him anywhere else for Ice to get his claws back into.

And speaking of Deciet...

"Computer, load Alpha Sequence. Open sensor ports, register User 1, RDS synch 70%."
"Acknowledged. Loading Alpha Sequence."

Small ports at the joins of panelling inside the room rolled back, revealing sensors behind them. A slight hum inside the walls, followed by a gentle throb through the floor indicated something was happening.
Reaching down behind her, Roan pulled up a streamlined helmet similar to a motorcycle helmet and slid it on, before bringing her gloved fists up to a defensive stance.

"Alpha Sequence 50% loaded... Physical construct interaction query."
"Confirm. Access drone 3, overlay pattern S1."
"Affirmative. Finalising load sequence..."

A panel in the wall opened, and from it a vaguely humanoid figure emerged, robotic in its initial movements as it unfolded and matched the stance of the Lady.

"Stay against the wall, Nines, there's a good chap. Don't want you getting hurt. You can tell me all about what you've learned while I work off some stress."

As she finished speaking, the entire TR shimmered and changed. Instead of the bare walls, Roan and Nines were now stood in an icy valley, snow falling around them. The robotic humanoid was moving more fluidly now, and apparently changing, from the ground up. The 'overlay' Roan had ordered soon made itself clear enough - hooves, followed by furred back-slung legs loaded, all the way up to the horns on top of the head. Ice.

"Alpha Sequence loaded. Combat beginning in 5... 4..."
"Come and get it you b***h...."
"Invalid voice command. Combat beginning in 2... 1... start sequence."

"An audience, Roan? How enticing...."

Oh yes, it spoke. It was hard to tell the difference between it an the real thing, especially when Roan moved straight into the attack, launching herself at the figure immediately. She was, however, expecting Nines to talk to her while she did so, every blow she landed rewarded with a curt 'Correct' by the computer.

"I'm not getting at you Nines, you'd be a LOT more bruised if I was upset."

She spoke easily, not having to worry about getting out of breath while fighting the drone. Indeed, she seemed to be moving with almost horrible ease against the Ice figure, punctuating the end of her sentence with a spinning roundhouse that sent the faun flying backwards across the open area until it's back smashed noisily into a spur of ice poking out of the surroundings.

"Logic dictates the practical is hard because you don't WANT to be able to do it... and because of the very reaction you've having now. You think Ice is worth you feeling like you do now? He'd like that."
"Giving away my secrets, myshonok?"
"Commencing phase 2 combat."

The faun skidded across the ice as if on skates, dodging the next two blows Roan threw, the computer's quiet voice pronouncing 'incorrect' both times, before the faun bunched both its hands together faster than eyes could follow and slammed them into Roan's gut, sending her crumpling to the floor in turn. A quick roll however saw her back on her feet, and circling the drone.

"So what have you read in the books that WAS of use? I assume you've delved into Kindred history by this point? TALK to me, Nines. You've been shut away for over a week."

"Ahh, politics. Necessary, I suppose, though hardly thrilling. Especially if you consider WHY the two sects came into being, and the fact that the people at the 'top' will ignore sect entirely over old personal allegiances at any given moment.
Hell, most true elders find the sects something of a game as is. Jyhad with a Jyhad. Vampire inception."

She spoke as she ducked a barrage of thrown needles from the Ice drone, sliding in across the ice to kick the faun's legs out from under him. The ensuing drop kick was dodged by the faun as easily as she'd dodged worse from him earlier, sending both combatants back to circling each other.

"No good OR bad guys in our world, just lots and lots of predators and cannibals. The Camarilla is the lesser of two evils, at best, and then only because its juniors are more restrained than those in the Sabbat. The higher ups are as bad as each other."
"You wound me madam..."

A side stepped hook punch was a good start, but Ice wasn't quite so quick at dodging the instant backfist Roan moved into as he dodged, nor was he quick enough to rally and avoid the lash of her tail as she spun, the metal tips on the spade scoring a slicing blow across his chest.
"Correct... correct... commencing phase 3 combat."

"What were your views? And did you read back enough to get an understanding of the Inquisition that helped cause it all?"

"So you can ignore the issues bugging you and hide behind the door inside your head, instead of the one on the second floor?"

She dived to one side, hand springing off the ice back to her feet and ducking on instinct as Ice raised a line of ice spikes out of the ice where she had been standing, then whipped his tail at the spot she landed in, with it whistling over her head.

"I understand you didn't ask to be Kindred, but you DO still have a set of balls, don't you? You think I like this guy any more than you do? Hell, I have a better reason to hate him than ever YOU do, but running from him isn't going to fix anything. Only time I've capitulated without arguing to that b*****d is on behalf of others. Worst he can do to me is hurt me, and I'll be damned if I don't keep practising for the day when I get to pay every wound back ten fold."

Diving forwards, she rugby tackled the faun to the ice, slamming her fist into his face, before standing to glare at Nines, tossing her hair out of her face as the faun clutched at his smashed cheekbone, hissing with anger.

"You know how to shut the simulation down, you want to hide, then be my guest, but don't expect me to help you do it. Hell, pull on a pair of gloves and join in, it's extremely catha......ugh...."
"You were saying?"

The long, wicked spike of Ice's tail stuck out from her chest as she glanced down, wincing with pain, then sighed. It had struck through her heart, yet she didn't seem to be stuck in torpor.

"Incorrect. Terminal wound detected. Ending simulation."
"Damnit..."

The simulation flickered, then shut down. The drone was stood behind Roan, a red 'laser' from the tip of one appendage pointing over her heart on her back, while one of the sensors in the wall matched it on the other side. Roan herself had no actual wounds - the joys of a simulation.
Removing the helmet, she dropped it to the floor and shook her hair out, before finding and lighting a cigarette.

"Satisfied now? So talk."

"...says the kid sitting in one of the most expensive technological suites in the world, within a mansion boasting over 87 rooms, on more acres of land than is wholesome and without a single bill to pay there...."

She was almost laughing as she said it, holding up a hand to forestall any sniping comebacks he would have.

"I know you dont WANT to be here... the point I'm trying to make is, caitiff is only a stigma to those who look at it that way. In some circles, being DeSeer is a stigma. To me... you're a dumb kid whose so wet behind the ears its a wonder you haven't drowned, that sadly grew up in an era when it was acceptable and POSSIBLE to be down on your luck and complain about it.

I'm not getting at you. But somehow, you have GOT to man up, accept what you physically ARE so you can do SOMETHING with yourself. You are not human. Not anymore. Stop trying to force your own body and mind apart pretending to be so. I know you have routes you're looking into, and though I don't think it will work, I'm not going to tell you to stop. But you need to compartmentalise your mind, and let your vampire self have some space to exist too.
Keep tearing yourself up this way, and one day your fears or your issues, your nature itself, is going to explode so hard everyone around you is gonna be at risk.

Caitiff just means you're clueless. Join the club. You ain't any different to anyone else, but if clan matters to you that much... if its an identity you need... say so. We can work something out."

Tapping ash from her cigarette, she sat down and just watched Nines react to her words. he was definitely going to be the hardest of her new tenants to help. Still, what had she seen in her dream?
Firstly... act in his best interests....
Second...

"Nines? You bring any firearms with you when you moved in?"

"Through sheer bloody mindedness... something you have in spades... caitiff have been known to master whatever the ******** skills they CHOOSE to, easier than defined clansmen learning stuff known to be the purview of other clans.

Caitiff is a blessing as WELL as a curse. just like everything else in life. So a few deadbeat caitiff go missing. Sure, at least half of em don't deserve it. But enough survive, if they have the will to, and friends in the right places.

You're not in Vegas, or DC or New York, or Lisbon, or Sydney or any of the other huge cities where people will give a s**t what your blood says you are. You're in my home, and part of Gaia's nightlife. You wont get whacked just for the sake of it.

You WILL stay in the deep s**t though if you don't get yourself out of this rut. I spoke to Deceit. He wont entertain any talk regarding you until I can prove to him we have a working relationship.
You want those pretty little bracelets off... start harnessing that stubborn streak. Find a reason to fight."

.: You could solve the clan issues... :.
.: I could. :.
.: But? :.
.: I don't think it would be in his best interests. He's... fragile. :.
.: Shouldn't it be his choice? :.
.: .... :.

She paused in finishing her smoke, and Nines would no doubt notice she seemed... distracted. Then she focused thoughtfully on Nines, and sighed.

"If clan is an issue... if you want to progress faster, and with more knowledge and purpose... I CAN solve the clan issue. I'm not saying I'm GOING to, I wouldn't force you... I wouldn't force any... well, I'd never MEANINGLY force anyo... welll...

Look, what I mean is... if it makes YOUR life easier, I can make you Brujah over caitiff whenever you like. It's your choice."

To say she was tongue tied was an understatement, and she hardly lent credence to what she was trying to say by stating it so convoluted, but the point was there. Nines had the option of Embrace, but it wasn't compulsory, not by a long shot.

"You forget where you are. Besides which, lets just say my bloodline in particular has its... quirks.

I'm quite old, Nines, and if I left just a little of your own blood in you, enough to stop you ashing, mine would then overwrite it after the Embrace take 2.
You're caitiff, and that DOES mean my bloodline trumps your by a long shot. You'd go from being weak blooded to a potential powerhouse in short order. I'm... a lot closer to Caine than you are.

Regardless of process, be assured it will work, if you decide on it."

Her focus now was entirely on him as she ground out her cigarette butt under foot. She hadn't zoned out on him on purpose, and had at least heard most of what he said. Living with a voice in your head meant having to learn to listen in two places at once, even if you only reacted to ONE conversation at a time.
That, and she understood what Nines meant, but not how to fix it. Save for one thing...

"Don't ever worry about what'll happen to me based on what you do. I'm a big girl, I can sort out any problem that comes my way, and woe betide anyone who messes with me. Including the faun."