July 8, 1999
Dear Jane,
I have made it to the Aragon Chantry. It is both more and less than what I feared. The travel was very uncomfortable. John sent along a couple of his retainers to make sure I would be safe. I appreciated it. San Francisco Airport is huge! I am so glad I came in on a private plane and everything had been dealt with before I got there. I did not want to go through that disaster area.
I was met at the plane by one of my new Chantry mates. His name is Zacharie Lavoux. A very polite, soft spoken man. He has an accent. Of course, he has the American accent but I can hear a bit of a Southern accent as well. He greeted me cordially, got my bags. As he drove us back, he occasionally pointed out an interesting landmark here or there. I sensed that he did not like driving very much.
I must say, much too much of the Bay Area is covered in concrete and steel. It made me long for the secluded Chantry on its' acres of forested land. Things became less crowded the further away from San Francisco we went. About an hour later, we pulled up to a dock. At first, he was going to take us this strange fan boat but as I admitted I had never been on one, he took pity on me, allowing us to travel on a normal speed boat.
As we were traveling to the new Chantry, Zacharie's owl joined us. I took this as auspicious sign. Its' name is Savant. French for "wise." It made me smile. Savant understands French and allowed me to pet it. It was so soft. I was concentrating so much on the owl that I did not notice that we were almost at the Chantry.
Jane, I had been expecting an island. What I saw was a metal monstrosity of an oil derrick. I was in absolute shock and horror. I had left the Innis Chantry for -this-? Zacharie noticed my reaction and assured me that it was much nicer on the inside. I, of course, was politely agreeable with him about it, but inside, I was filled with dread.
Fortunately for me, the inside was beautifully made up. I can see that a lot of work has been done to make it a comfortable place to live, study and work from. My quarters are quite large and I have my own work/lab area. -That- is utter luxury. I will be sending for the rest of my things and furniture over the next couple of weeks.
I did get to meet the Regent as Zacharie showed me around. Regent Booker is a strangely silent man with an odd habit of looking like he is staring into you. He was brusque and efficient. Much like Regent McManus. All he told me was, "Welcome to Aragon. Your quarters and workspace are yours to decorate as you wish, within reason. The only people allowed on or near the Chantry are those of Clan Tremere. Period. The first hour of every evening will be spent in a training session led by me. You will attend these without fail." Then, he looked me up and down. "Wear something you can get dirty in." After that, he just walked away in that eerily silent manner of his.
Zacharie tells me that this is normal. He says that Regent Booker is a good man and strong leader. I suspect I will learn much from him during my time here. Oh, yes. It appears that this is the whole of the Chantry. Just myself, Zacharie and Regent Booker. I admit it is strange to be in such a small Chantry. There are so many things I must get used to.
I am looking forward to this. I think. I suppose it does not matter if I am ready for it or not. I am here and I will do my best for Clan and House.
Love,
Kayley
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