VTM - a New Leaf!

[WindStruck]

Aurora's dreams consisted of topsy-turnsy landscapes and odd geometry. More so than normal. But for the most part she thought she was on a train what with the constant rattling, vibrating, and shifting of the truck. No matter how much the movements jostled her, she would not awake from her deep sleep, thinking it was all just a part of her new reality.

But eventually the sun did set, and she awoke normally and with a start. It was a little nerve-wracking sitting there in the complete dark as things slid around, even though she had a good idea of what was also in the truck and could identify what was moving just by the sound. But her purse was missing... After some minutes of searching around and stopping and starting on part of the truck, she thought she found it. Fumbling around, she found her phone. With a touch it began to shed some dim illumination, though Aurora still squinted.

Hmm. 6:50. According to plan, they ought to arrive at their destination before 7 pm...

But it actually took 15 minutes more until the truck finally stopped for good, and she could feel that the engine no longer vibrated. Doors opened and closed. She could faintly make out steps of what she only assumed were still her friends... *click* *rattle* and the back door slid open.

Yep, there were Chase and Jeanne. It took quite a leap of trust to just let them drive her around like that. To think that a lot of other people with less integrity could probably just leave her trapped in there.. or even open up the door right into the sun.. but they wouldn't do that. They were her best (and practically only) friends.

"Wow, that was..." Aurora said, trying to think of the word. Interesting? Anxiety-attack-inducing? No, it wasn't that bad. "Are we there yet?" she asked, carefully maneuvering over a table.

"Yep! Shop's right around the corner," Jeanne said with a little enthusiasm.

"How are you feeling?" Chase asked.

Aurora hopped down from the truck, and Chase extended a hand to help her down easier. Her own hands were quite chilly, but he was used to that by now. "Uh... a little claustrophobic.. but don't worry. I slept well," she said, smiling.

"Ugh, I'm tired. I've been moving stuff all week. First my stuff, then the shop..."

"Yeah, I'm pretty beat too. Let's just check the place out before we crash for the night. Are the moving guys still coming tomorrow?"

Aurora nodded. "They should be. Wait, who's got the keys?"

---

After a little mishap was averted, no, nobody forgot the keys. They were just a little misplaced. The three enter the shop and look around, testing out a few things. The place was pretty nice actually. It seemed they got a choice pick here... the shop also doubled as a residence. In the back there was what appeared to be a small kitchen, still with a stove and a refrigerator. A staircase led up to an even smaller bathroom and two bedrooms, connected by a cramped hallway. It would do well.

So after discussing what things went where and a bit of brainstorming for the layout of the new shop, the three parted ways. Chase and Jeanne were going to spend the night together at her place, since it was mostly unpacked. At least they wouldn't be ripped off by hotels. Chase was still in the process of moving to his own place, what with a transfer of his job from New York to Philadelphia. He had a week off starting today, but would have to move his own stuff, and unfortunately without Jeanne's or Aurora's help. There was just about no way she could help because the sun made things awfully inconvenient, especially for a two hour drive. That, and Aurora didn't drive...

The thing Aurora didn't want to tell them was that all this could be for nothing. She could meet with the prince tonight, and.. he could just tell her off. And then what would they do? Aurora wasn't going to drag them around forever with her and ruin their lives. She'd just have to... figure it out. Go somewhere else and let them try to eke out their new lives here. Heck, they'd probably make a cute couple.

But hopefully Aurora's impeccable sense of responsibility and preparation beforehand would make all this thought nothing but baseless worry. She had already sent a letter to Prince Rodney explaining her predicament. Today at 9pm she was to meet him. Aurora called a cab and directed the driver where to go. Let's see.. right now it was only 7:30. It looked like she'd be early for her meeting.

[Toilet Cobra]

The cab driver doesn't bother asking why Aurora is headed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art well after closing, he just puts his car in drive and starts the meter. Aurora has a little time to reflect, and although she is a bit nervous, she feels that her constant companions, whom only she can hear, are relatively quiet tonight. Perhaps they are reflecting on her new situation as well.

The museum is supposedly very fine, but the building is just a large, nondescript stone edifice. Aurora tips her driver and he drives off without a word, leaving her on the steps unsure of how to proceed.

Early or not, Aurora's arrival was anticipated. A large man steps out of a decorative pillar's shadow, and beckons to Aurora. The sight of him sets off a storm of nattering in her head, but she approaches him unafraid. A scarred and ugly pile of muscles, the man is dressed in leather, denim, and chains.hideous, who wears this stuff? But he bows with practiced politeness and speaks softly, deferentially. "Madame, his Grace awaits you inside. Please allow me to escort you to him." Aurora, thinking this is likely a Ghoul in service to the Prince, inclines her brow and the big man quickly unlocks the museum's front door and holds open it for her.

The entry is dark, but she can see lights down the wide halls. Their footsteps echoing, the big man leads her quickly past a slew of contemporary art piecesutter drivelI think it's nice and to the Prince's side.

Like the valet, the Prince is large- easily 6'4" and quite muscular, he towers over Aurora's petite frame. But where the man who opened the door for her is quite ugly and scarred, the Prince is handsome. His fiery red hair is held back in a thick braid, and his finely chiseled face betrays intelligence and inner calm. Aurora finds him examining a piece by Frida Kahlo, in an exhibit of art dating to the Mexican cultural revolution of the 1950's. He stands casually, a leather jacket draped over one arm and his other hand stroking the thick whiskers of his chin as he thinks.

Without turning, he addresses the Ghoul. "Thank you, Maxwell," he says in a soft, baritone voice. "Please wait outside." The Ghoul bows and withdraws quietly.

"Tell me, my Lady," the Prince asks, "what do you think of this piece?"

Feel free to make an Intelligence or Perception roll of your choice to impress the prince with your artistic knowledge if you wish, or just say the first thing that pops into your head. The piece in question. (http://www.fridakahlo.it/files_eventi/18/scheda/61_kahlo_self_portrait_borderline.jpg)

[WindStruck]

The prince was a rather suave and debonair looking fellow, and while Aurora might not have matched him in sophistication, perhaps she might have still matched in attractiveness. She appeared cute and elegant in her own way, perhaps dressed up somewhat like a doll. She wore a gossamer gown with many ruffles beneath a long, pastel-blue blouse that wasn't of much thicker fabric. On top of that was a white lace cardigan, completely open and a size or two too big for normal wear, and some pretty sandals with little white cherry blossoms adorned her feet.

Aurora knew of the painting, and she pondered what to say... but the prince merely asked what she thought of it. And so she said, "There's a lot going on in it... but I don't know if I'm supposed to be feeling nostalgia or a guilt trip..."

Aurora peered at the prince, then back at the painting some more. She swore that now a completely new voice decided to push out the others and talk to her in Spanish. Spanish! progreso ... gusta... oprimir ...?

[Toilet Cobra]

The Prince gives a non-committal Hmm. His eyes linger on the painting for a time, then he shakes his head. "Perhaps you must be native to this continent and its conflicts. To me it is a jumbled, chaotic mess. What is this enormous woman meant to symbolize? I can't imagine." fea idiota

He finally turns to meet your gaze. Lulled just a little by the Prince's calm, cultured tone, Aurora is slightly taken aback by the power of his eyes. His face is utterly at peace, but his eyes seem to promise terrible violence to both friend and foe.warrior kindred slayer diablerist certainly Aurora has a hard time not averting her eyes from the Prince's, and it's easy to imagine many others feel the same way.

"I am aware of your past, Seeress," he says. "And my curiosity outweighs my caution. That is why I have invited you to my city, despite the instability you foresaw... or perhaps, caused, in New York." we had no choice! "Now that you are here, you don't seem to be quite the terrible doomcryer I was warned to turn away. But then again..."

He spreads his arms and bows in a gesture of humility, briefly breaking that terribly arresting eye contact. run!be still! "Forgive me for not introducing you to the city properly, Ms. Lowell. I don't intend to offend you, or your esteemed Sire. But I also don't wish to see a repeat of what befell Prince Calebros in his court; if you have a terrible pronouncement to make, do so here, in private."

[WindStruck]

Aurora answers the question about the painting, while they were still on the subject. "Well I believe it's a self portrait. That's the artist standing in the middle, and she's on the border between Mexico and the United States..."

At that point Aurora merely shrugged. She wasn't a huge fan of art either, though she didn't hate it. Heck, she wouldn't even mind a private little tour of the museum if offered. Browsing art wasn't her ideal way to spend her free time, though she had to admit, sometimes the things she experienced were quite profound. Other pieces were merely 'interesting' at best. But a larger portion than she'd like were either way above her head or simply boring.

When the prince turned to meet her eyes, she couldn't help feeling a rush of anxiety. Those voices.. honestly, she didn't know what to make of them. Because a lot of times they were right. But usually not 100% right. Part of what drove her mad. The man's gaze was powerful, however... either way, he was especially dangerous. But then again, what prince wasn't?

Aurora couldn't help but tense up when he insinuated that she caused the disaster.

After the prince bowed and talked of terrible omens, Aurora looked at him longer and blinked. Maybe she was just trying to keep her focus or clear her vision. Either way it was deliberate since vampires didn't need to do it. Or did she see something?

Oh dear, she did. What did she see?

"...you know. They always say tempt not the fates. But as a matter of fact..."

Oh dear. How to say this without ruining her life?

"I'd suggest that if a madman accosted you and blamed you for something you didn't do, you might want to humor him and help him as much as you can. Who knows? Maybe doing a good deed for the night would get you some positive karma?"

[Toilet Cobra]

Your words cause the Prince to pause. "Either you know something you're not telling," he muses. "or you just made up complete gibberish. Either way I suppose I prefer it to the dramatic pronouncement I was expecting." liar, he's angry with us damn this curse!

The Prince turns and begins walking, indicating you should follow. He walks fairly slowly, but even so it's not easy to keep up with his long legs.

"You strike me as a relatively benign sort, Ms. Lowell, so I'm hoping you can explain to me what brings you to Philadelphia, specifically. What do you hope to accomplish here? My city is locked in perpetual war. Speaking frankly, it's no place for those who can't defend themselves."

"In fact, I have had to make some unusual, some would say scandalous pronouncements in light of our ongoing conflict. For example, I lifted the ban on the Amaranth-- it is no longer a crime to drink our Sabbat friends' lifeblood. This change helped motivate some Elders to join battle for the first time, which was the intention. But it also allows anyone who wishes to commit Diablerie to hide in plain sight. In fact, I believe there are members of my Court who might even attack our allies in their hunger for Cainite blood. If they sensed weakness, they could strike, and then hide the evidence of their crime by claming they'd been doing battle with the Sabbat."

He gives you a sidelong glance with that chilling gaze of his. "I hope I'm making myself clear, Ms. Lowell. One never knows when one is safe in Philadelphia. So again I ask: what do you hope to accomplish here?"

[WindStruck]

Damn it. Maybe Aurora shouldn't have said anything at all. But then again, at least she was pretty vague about what she saw and with her advice. The curse still seemed to permeate even these, but to an equally diluted extent. Hopefully, even if Rodney did not believe her right now, he might be more inclined to take her advice.

As they walked and the prince talked more, it seemed pretty clear what the prince was saying. She was weak, and she would be in danger here. Aurora couldn't deny either of these facts and just kept her eyes low to the ground, not really paying attention to any of the art they walked by.

So what did she hope to accomplish? The spotlight was on her now.

"I... I would not say I am looking to 'accomplish' anything here, Prince..." Aurora began demurely. She sighed. A human habit she still retained when particularly bothered about something. "I came here because... well, quite frankly, out of all the letters I sent, your response was the most prompt and seemed receptive to my coming here. If I got a response at all... And then I was browsing around for a location to settle down in Philadelphia, and I saw a classified ad. It was a very nice place in the Old City. ...it would suit my needs and tastes well."

A bit of an awkward pause later and she continued, "I did not realize it would be so dangerous here. It was only two hours from New York at most..." Fool! It's hopeless... What had Aurora done? Did she actually manage to put herself in a city that was more dangerous than New York already was?

"Are you saying someone would just commit Diablerie on me, and then claim I was attacking them as one of the Sabbat?? That's ludicrous. Even by Malkavian standards."

[Toilet Cobra]

"Such incidents may already be happening, I'm afraid," he replies. "There used to be quite a few independent Cainites living in this city, even as the fighting got worse in the last decade or so. Yet lately, many of them seem to have disappeared. Perhaps they decided to try their luck somewhere else. Perhaps they didn't get the chance."

You are nearing the front entrance, having walked a long, winding lap around the museum's first floor. "We're locked in a continual struggle between Camarilla and Sabbat, with Lupines being the willing catspaws of both sides. To top it off, I have seen evidence of mortal Hunters in my city, and my agents have even identified a lone Magi. Frankly, diablerie is but one danger of many."

"I don't mean to frighten, and certainly not to threaten," the Prince says, trying to sound reassuring. "Consider it friendly advice to a newcomer: nobody survives in Philadelphia without a support network. Make some friends, or better yet, make someone powerful depend on your talents."

As you approach the door, Maxwell is waiting outside. He opens the door and holds it for you. As you step outside, Maxwell locks the door behind you, then presses the key into your palm. The key tingles strangely in your grasp, as if a low current runs through it. That feeling... Magic! Blood magic!

"As a gift to an intriguing new arrival, I have granted you leave to use this particular piece of Elysium until you secure your own haven's defenses. There are potent wards guarding this place; a non-human who does not possess that key or one like it cannot enter the premises without suffering terrible wounds. It should keep you safe, for now."

The Prince bows to you as another servant brings a long, black car up to the entrance. "I apologize for rambling on. Before I take my leave, do you have anything you wish to ask me?"

[WindStruck]

Aurora looks at the key. "What, you mean I can just stay and rest in the museum during the day? ...where... where would I sleep?" she asked, somewhat nervously. Maybe it was a dumb question. But it was a big place and she didn't know anything about it. Obviously it would be open during the day, open to tourists, and she couldn't just rest anywhere. For one thing, if someone found her, they'd think they stumbled across a dead body. And things would only get worse from there.

Once that is cleared up, she asks, "When you mentioned making friends, or perhaps.. lending my services to powerful people... well, I hope it is not a bother to ask, but do you have any suggestions? I don't know of the many power players in this city.. aside from you of course."

"And on that note... were you interested? But I think I could already tell... when I vaguely told you of what I saw. You were probably disappointed, maybe even upset about it." Of course Aurora didn't know for sure. She had some trouble reading the Prince with his commanding gaze. Still, from past experience and what the voices said, that was her gut.

Aurora shot a glance at the ghoul. Maybe they shouldn't even be talking about this, but it did seem it was vague and broad enough to not really mean anything of consequence to him. "Those feelings are entirely normal. For you see, while I do see glimmers of the future... I think that gift comes with a terrible curse. Are you familiar with the Greek mythology of Cassandra?"

[Toilet Cobra]

"Cassandra. Spurned Apollo's advances and was cursed with prophecies that none would believe," the Prince mused. "You are in a similar predicament? How remarkable. And here I had assumed you were having a little fun at my expense. I may owe you an apology."

He leans against the idling car for a moment and considers your question. "I don't know anyone in need of prophecies, cursed or otherwise, but Kindred in vulnerable positions rarely advertise that fact. I would have recommended you start with your Primogen, but since her death last year and her Childers' subsequent flight from the city, I'm afraid you are the only Childe of Malkav to reside in Philadelphia." He pauses a moment, then continues. "Actually, I may know of someone. One of the Independents, a woman who calls herself Simone, lives on the other side of the city. She has a great interest in all things mystical, particularly omens, and although she is part of no Clan or Sect, she is a formidable Elder in her own right. If you can make contact with her, I think she may certainly have use for your talents. Maxwell can give you details."

The Prince turns to get into the car. "Farewell, Aurora," he says. "It was an interesting encounter."

As he climbs in, Maxwell holds the door open for him, then shuts it smartly after him. Before he gets in himself, however, he walks back to you and holds out a business card.
"Master Adenauer retained my services on your behalf, miss," he explains. "If you find yourself needing information, or an introduction here in the city, I hope I can be of use to you."

Please mark a dot of Contacts to represent your new friend. Maxwell is the Prince's loyal retainer, and knows practically every Cainite in the city. If you wish to ask a question or set up a meeting, he can be very useful, but be advised that his loyalty is to the Camarilla and to Prince Rodney specifically. If you ask him something suspicious, he'll almost certainly alert the Prince just as a matter of habit.

[WindStruck]

I removed Small Details and Spirits from the specialties. Now each thing only has one.

Simone... the other side of town, hmm? Surely the prince must mean to the east, somewhat close to where Aurora set up her shop in the Old City. After all, that area was an apt place to be, and they just might have similar tastes.

Aurora accepts the card from Maxwell, giving it a brief glance and says, "Thank you," with a nod. "I was interested in meeting Simone, but I don't want to keep you. When would be a good time to call?"

[Toilet Cobra]

"I am at your disposal, miss, day or night," Maxwell replies. "I'd be happy to contact Lady Simone on your behalf immediately, if you should like me to. Would you prefer to meet her here or at your shop? Or someplace else entirely?"

Be sure to set boundaries on what information you give Maxwell. For example, he knows you own a shop, and he knows you have a phone, but he doesn't know your precise address or your phone number. Whatever info you give him is not only given to the Prince, but to any others out there for whom Maxwell is performing a similar service.

Think of him like a gossipy secretary: very helpful but nobody you'd want to trust with a secret.

[WindStruck]

Aurora's mind raced. If anything, because she didn't want to stand there stupidly, awkwardly, and indecisively. And she also didn't want to take up any more of the ghoul's (and by extension, the prince's) time.

Her shop probably ... no. It was just a vacant building right now! And besides, Aurora didn't even have the keys to get inside it at the moment. Jeanne did.

Meeting here? Well, at least she had a magic key to get into the museum. But would Simone want to come all the way over here to meet a complete stranger?

Impulsively, Aurora stammered, "Uh. How about, um.." at least ugly acts polite It seemed maybe her anxiety was getting the better of her when it came to dealing with one retainer. "My phone number. If you would please, at your earliest convenience, contact Siphone. Give her my phone number."

Aurora dug through her purse ineffectively, searching for something. "I don't have a... ugh." brain? business card stupid She thought she at least had a pen and a little sticky pad in there. I mean, it's not like she kept candy or makeup in it since she was dead. There's one! There's the other!

She clicked the pen into action and scribbled her phone number down onto it. Looking at the numbers again, quite annoyed, she wrote them again, this time much neater.

"Here's my phone number. You can call her first, tell her anything you know about me, ask if she would call me on my number. If she's too untrusting to want to call me directly, we can just meet here, I guess. And if she doesn't even want to come here.. well, call and tell me so I can do something else with my time."

[Toilet Cobra]

Maxwell bows, and he climbs into the front seat of the car. As they drive off, Aurora absently taps the key she was given against her hand, relishing the strange feeling of active magic. must study this! ask Chase to unpack our library immediately

With nothing to do for the time being, she turns and heads back inside the museum. She is curious what other sort of art is on display, and that exhibit of mid-century Mexican artwork deserved a more thorough examination. She's also on the lookout for places to hide during the day, and sees a few possibilities in the museum's storage spaces. She finds a door leading to a locked basement; her key grants her entry here, as well. Packed with boxes, she can tell that nobody seems to come down here. Although she does not relish another day of resting among cardboard containers, it would likely serve her well.

Her examination is cut short by a phone call: Maxwell. She returns to the first floor for a better signal.

"Miss? I have contacted Lady Simone. She invites you to pay a call on her in two nights, and asks that I give you both her phone number and her Haven's address."

He rattles off a street address, and Aurora copies it on a flier lying on the museum's reception desk. Aurora was correct: Simone's Haven is not very far at all from the location of her new shop.

It seems Simone wants to ensure that their meeting is on her terms, which may just be reasonable precaution... can she be trusted, though? The Prince did call her a 'powerful Elder,' to be alone in such a creature's sanctuary may be a dangerous proposition... and Aurora's voices are strangely quiet on the matter.

While you're here at the museum, you spent a good deal of time looking for adequate Haven spaces; the best you were able to locate was a disused basement room. You only had a moment to give it a glance before Maxwell called you, however. If you'd like to return and give it a more thorough examination, please do so and make a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 7). You may also employ any sort of Auspex you choose on the area.

[WindStruck]

Aurora had to run back up the stairs to answer the phone. Maybe it was a bad idea to go into the basement while expecting a call. It might not have come through at all!

"Thank you again, Maxwell. Goodnight," she courteously says before hanging up. Seems Aurora had a date, but two nights from now.

Still, she was in the middle of exploring that basement when she got the call. she headed down again, this time, giving everything a quick look-over again. And assuming the environment is calm, she temporarily heightens her senses even more just to try and get a feel for this place, inside and out. Where would be the best place to hide, even on the off-chance that someone came down here?


[roll0]

4 successes (counting one already being negated) at difficulty 5 due to 2 dots in auspex.

[Toilet Cobra]

I count three successes but that will do either way.


With the aid of her sharpened senses, Aurora can sense the subtle presence of a supernatural creature in the basement. The traces are faded, and it seems the creature is long gone. Kindred unclean Following the sensation, she tracks it to a darkened corner of the room.

Moving aside a trio of empty filing cabinets, she finds the source of the sensation: a bolt-hole set directly in the cement floor. Pulling open the little hatch, she can see a pitch-black, coffin-sized chamber, just big enough for someone to wriggle into with difficulty. eugh! There is a small lever on the inside of the hatch to lock it closed from the inside.

Although Aurora's mortal sensibilities are chilled at the idea of locking oneself into such a tight, claustrophobic space, her practical side sizes it up as a near-perfect place to hide during the day. The only problem is that at least one other unknown vampire knows of its existence. But located in a distant, darkened corner of a locked, disused basement, a bolt-hole like this could go unnoticed for decades.

[WindStruck]

Aurora had some difficulty moving the cabinets. Their scrape against the stone floors made her cringe. The first instance was quite surprising for her, and it took her a moment to compose herself. Now, she got to examine what it was her senses led her to, hiding in this corner...

Ick. This place sure was dark and dirty, and it gave her the creeps. But it just might have to do... at least for tonight. Aurora was looking forward to her stuff being unpacked. Windows blocked off and yet still curtains. Maybe she'd figure out a way to have them open during the night. A comfy bed, sheets, pillows. Hardly necessary now in her state, but it still felt nice. But that would be tomorrow. Just one more day of... this.

Still, she wondered who once rested here? Perhaps she didn't want to know. And thankfully, it would only be this one day. Whoever, whatever it was that stayed in here, they would never meet. Hopefully.

Maybe if she was going to rest here for the night, she could make it more comfortable? She tried looking around the basement some more. Maybe for some old sheets or blankets. It might do well to line the bottom with them? She'd hate to get her clothes dirty just laying there.

I think it would be Alertness+Perception this time.

[roll0]

She can try opening and digging through some boxes a little, but I don't know. Either way, if there's no sheets, there's no sheets.

edit: if investigation is the skill to use, take off the last die. It's a 10.. :smallfrown:

[Toilet Cobra]

Aurora's in luck, sort of. There's an abandoned duffel bag near the door, covered in dust and a generous assortment of cobwebs. Inside, she finds a few personal effects and a thin jacket-- sized for a large man, it comes down halfway to her knees. It's relatively clean, all things considered, and would keep at least some of her outfit from getting dirty.

It seems like Aurora's getting ready to bed down for the day, but the night is still quite young; given how early she was to her meeting with the Prince, it's not even midnight yet. Do you want to skip ahead, or would you like to do something else with your night? You can always call your friends if you need a ride someplace.

Speaking of your friends, how recently has Aurora fed? She might be a bit peckish after her trip.

[WindStruck]

Not going to bed yet! But getting this place ready just in case. Also, I put Aurora pretty full if you don't mind. Between her herd (which, she didn't really want to drink from Chase or Jeanne during the move, but there was still Rebecca in new york) and a little "hunting session" I figure she was able to "top off" before making the move. Would probably be a smart idea too since she was moving to a completely new city.

As for why I said your character woke up kind of hungry. Well I looked at your sheet and saw that's where your blood levels were at, so I just went with it. Yay more possible plot complications!

This jacket didn't seem too bad. It's not something she would be caught dead in, but it would do very nicely to make that hole a bit more comfortable. But there was no way she was just going to lay down in there right now. She neatly folded it and put it on top of one of the filing cabinets. Then she went back up the stairs, emerging into the museum proper again.

Hm, now what? Checking her phone, it wasn't even 10 PM yet. Her friends might still be up, but she knew they were tired. What to do? Well, Aurora wasn't just going to go back and hibernate in that hole for the rest of the night. Sure, she didn't really need blood at all. But there was more to life (or unlife) than survival. The very much human part of her wanted to discover and explore.

And so, she left the museum, locking the door behind her, and started to walk around the neighborhood, drawn toward anything that looked important or what caught her fancy. Though she did try and stray away from other places that looked less safe, and she kept her distance from those that looked.. thuggish. She planned to be back by 1 AM.

I'm not looking for trouble, but I do want Aurora to go out and try to "enjoy" the night some. Learn a bit more about her surroundings, find some interesting shops, maybe meet some people. What have you. But as you can imagine, she doesn't like loud places like clubs...

And if there are any animals, I do think the 3 dots in Animal Ken and a dot in Animalism might help make it so they don't flee in terror at her presence.

[Toilet Cobra]

With no specific destination in mind, and an abundance of restless energy, Aurora went for a walk around the neighborhood. She followed the river south and east, travelling deeper through Rittenhouse. She passed a pair of smaller, more niche art museums as she crossed through the park, and she noted a lot of interesting shops and restaurants; although most of these were starting to close down for the night, she made note of a few apparel stores to ask Jeanne to check out.

Rittenhouse seemed like a fairly trendy part of town; there were a lot of young people out and about. Aurora was startled out of her reverie when a woman who barely seemed out of her teens walked up and complimented her taste in clothing. Given the young lady's own... unique tastes and obvious preference for electric pink, Aurora wasn't sure how to take her comment, but she thanked the girl for the compliment regardless.

For a time she followed a gaggle of trendy young people as they walked, listening with amusement as her inner voices gave a scathing running commentary on their outfits. Honestly, who dressed these people? She had to wonder what the appeal of her own shop would be among kids like these. Lost in these thoughts, she stopped when she realized that the group had led her to the entrance of an outlet movie theater. ooh fun! Ugh, I preferred Frida Kahlo...

She considered going in and catching the last show of the evening. She checked her phone and saw it was now a quarter after eleven. It would make her a little late in returning to the museum, and movies sometimes provoked a reaction in her if they were too intense or the theater too crowded. But she had to admit she was curious. There were several shows running, most already a few minutes into the previews: a romantic comedy, some sort of superhero movie, another that looked like a Harry Potter ripoff. And of course there was a slasher flick playing. It was this last that the teens seemed have chosen as they ordered their tickets, which surprised Aurora not one bit.

Aurora is feeling fairly stable at the moment, and although her voices are likely to spoil any movie with their nonstop commentary, she could while away some time here. If you decide to pop into one of these shows, you can make a Perception + Awareness roll (Difficulty 7 for the darkness) to make sure the coast is clear. Using Auspex Rank 1 is not recommended, as the bright screen and noisy surround sound can quickly become overwhelming for heightened senses, but you could always use Rank 2 if you wanted to scan some auras.

[WindStruck]

Oh what the hell. Now Aurora definitely felt like watching a movie (what else was there to do anyway?) but which one?

What could only be a romantic comedy chick flick: 100 Dresses for Him.

Colonel Freedom: Rise of Chimaera.

Prodigious Primo and the Temple of Wonders.

And finally the horror movie it seemed all the teens went to see: Drill 3.

Decisions, decisions..... Now to be honest, Aurora did kind of want to go hang around the teens more. And a horror movie probably would have been entertaining. But these Drill movies... ugh. Aurora couldn't stand them. Mystery, suspense, jump scares, scary monsters and visuals, she could handle that. But what she couldn't handle was all the terribly graphic, absolutely gut-wrenching gore and torture scenes. She wondered how anyone could watch that.

So it was between little Primo and Colonel Freedom. Hmm. Sure, Primo was probably geared to like 12-year-olds. Aurora didn't care too much, so long as it was vaguely entertaining. As for the Colonel, the actor was pretty hunky. But she shouldn't just see the movie just for that.

Aurora sauntered up to the ticket booth, still looking at the sign, still trying to decide. She thought she'd have picked by now, but she couldn't! And now the guy had already asked her what she wanted and was waiting expectantly.

I want to see Primo! That's stupid. Colonel Freedom is way cooler. Primo! Colonel! Primo! Lets look at art instead Drill 3!

"No! ...uh. Sorry. I'll go see Colonel Freedom please..." she said sheepishly and a little embarrassed.

He gave her a look but just rang up the total. She paid, got her ticket, and went inside...

You never side with me...

[Toilet Cobra]

Aurora sat down in an isolated spot in the theater. There weren't many people here at this hour (the movie had been out long enough for the fans to calm down), so she had plenty of space to herself. The opening credits were just starting as Aurora found her seat.

Colonel Freedom turned out to be a predictable but serviceable movie. Aurora found herself smiling at the cheesy dialogue, the over-the-top stunts, and the hunky lead actor. Her voices murmured almost continuously, but she was able to ignore them and lose herself in the film.

As the movie enters its climax (the Colonel is fighting a seemingly endless army of fascist robots on his way to the main villains), Aurora begins to feel a strange but familiar sensation coming on. It's almost like being hypnotized, but she is more alert, not less; her body is relaxing and her physical senses are being lulled, but her spiritual senses are coming powerfullly to the fore. Colonel Freedom and his hokey action scenes are being drowned out as a pattern hidden behind the screen becomes more and more visible.

This sensation is of course no mystery to Aurora. She is feeling a powerful vision coming on; all the symptoms are there. But unlike some visions that come on like a seizure, regardless of her wishes, this one is more like a sneeze-- involuntary but not impossible to fight off. Although she may be curious what the vision might entail, this would be a bad place to make a scene, with all these mortals nearby.

Aurora has the option of ignoring this vision if she wishes-- it is pressing on her mind insistently, but she needs to willingly provoke the trance if she wants to experience the vision. She may choose to ignore the vision with no roll required and no penalty.

If she wants to bring on the vision, however, it would be the simplest thing. Per the Oracular Ability description, she needs to make a Perception + Awareness roll (the difficulty is only 5, meaning she doesn't even require a roll to succeed). Then, once the vision is complete, she needs to make an Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 7) to see how well she can interpret it.

While she undergoes the vision, she may do or say things without realizing it, like a sleepwalker. If the vision is particularly powerful, she may end up making quite a scene, and be unable to stop until the vision concludes.

[WindStruck]

Hmm. A vision brought on by this movie, of all things. How interesting...

Well, either Aurora tried to concentrate on ignoring it, which would ruin the movie for her... or she could also get up and leave - also ruining the movie. Or she could just see what this vision was all about and get it over with (also ruining the movie). It's not like she got into any real trouble unless she tried to share her visions with others anyway.

As for the other people in the theater, they would be paying attention to the screen anyway. Or they should be. The worst they'd think if anyone casually took a glance over at Aurora and saw her wide-eyed and terrified was that she was really into the movie. Maybe impressed by the Michael Bay explosions? But even then, it would take a really scary, horrifying vision to get that kind of reaction from her.

In any event Aurora let the vision come. She shifted a bit in the comfy seat, letting her body melt into the cushions (not literally!). She spread her arms and legs more comfortably, took a long unnecessary breath, and her eyes glazed over a bit as she stared at the silver screen, awaiting what wonders or horrors it held.

[Toilet Cobra]

As Aurora slides deeper into the trance-like state, the shapes on the screen begin to warp and transform. The partially-exploded mechanical body of an evil robot seems to slow to a stop, and Aurora feels herself almost disappear inside the cloud of shrapnel it leaves on the screen.

She finds herself flying over a strange, grisly landscape of twisted metal; rusty iron struts and and oily pistons carpet the land as far as she can see. And she can see far, indeed: she realizes that she is a bird, flying among many others. Little song birds of every breed flock about with her, moving as an erratic cloud of music and color.

She descends with her flock and begins plucking bits of wire, shards of tin, and discarded screws. Together they ascend to the tallest metal spires and start building shiny little nests together.

As she returns to gather more material, she sees that other animals live among the metallic debris: rabbits and cats and snakes, all hidden among the scrap. They ignore her and she pays them no mind, seeking out bits for her nest. Then she spots the perfect lining for her nest: a shaggy patch of fibers, hidden from view below jagged spikes of steel. Pleased to have found such a prize before the other birds, she descends and begins to pluck at the fibers with her beak.

The whole mountain of rusting garbage shudders and bulges towards her, startling her into flight. Huge clumps of metal go tumbling as she realizes that she has tugged on the pelt of a gargantuan, three-headed wolf. It rises to its feet, each of its six eyes blazing with madness, and it belches smoke and flame as it turns its titanic mouths towards her. She flies away in terror, but the beast does not pursue. Instead, it rears back on its hind legs, towering up into the sky, and unleashes a horrific, earth-shaking howl.

All the birds cry out in alarm, but it is already too late. Each member of the flock is now marked with a hideous burning brand, and Aurora realizes with growing panic that so is she. The spires where the birds had built their nests crumble into rust and ash, and the animals that crept below now turn feral, attacking any bird who comes close enough to reach. Other birds catch flame, or begin to decay and collapse into dust. One by one they fall, until only Aurora is left. The enormous wolfhound is gone, having left for parts unknown, satisfied that its revenge was complete. And Aurora can feel terrible heat beginning to lick at her wings, the brand on her yellow-feathered chest growing brighter and hotter with each moment...

Aurora, the one sitting in the theater, blinks and sucks in a quick, startled breath. She looks around and realizes that only a minute or two has passed since the vision started. Nobody is paying attention to the quiet girl sitting alone; their eyes are glued to the screen, where Colonel Freedom has just agreed to face the nefarious Red Menace in one-on-one combat for the fate of the free world, winner take all.

[WindStruck]

That was a weird vision! Then again, what visions usually weren't? She was lost in thought trying to think about it. Well, now the movie was going to be ruined either way. She'd rather try and remember and reflect on this vision than lose it all to paying attention to the cheesy movie, so at this point she got up and left the dark theater, to loiter in the empty halls for a bit.

This vision.. what could it all mean? Well she was a bird... those other birds must have either been her friends or these other vampires she had to associate with. And they were building nests. Well of course what bird wouldn't want to? Their nests were their homes, their havens, their... business infrastructure? All in all a peaceful endeavor. Were the animals kine?

But what Aurora did think she knew for certain was this: at some point in the future, she might just be innocently trying to improve her home and shop. Maybe it would be making contacts? Maybe it would be digging into some occult knowledge to improve her library? But if she wasn't careful... she just might endanger everyone.

She didn't know what that three-headed wolf was supposed to represent. The media? A powerful enemy? The beast?

Now having thought on the vision, she sighed and went back to see the rest of the movie, just taking some random seat on the side so as to not cross in front of anyone again. The thoughts of the vision still swirled on in the background of her mind, but she may as well try to enjoy the rest of the movie now that the vision has come and gone.

[Toilet Cobra]

Her thoughts are occupied by a three-way conversation concerning the vision she just saw, so the film's climax (Red Menace is defeated, all the evil robots stand down, the day is saved, then a quick shot of a new villain to set up the sequel) doesn't do much for her. Aurora files out with the rest of the movie goers, still lost in thought.

She had hoped for a long, quiet career in Philadelphia, but it seemed that the more she learned the more menace she felt. It was only her first night in the city, for pete's sake! She had no desire to antagonize anyone, let alone whomever or whatever the beast in her vision represented.

But clarity had not come with the vision; she didn't know how to avoid what she had foreseen, except by being cautions. To that end, she decided it would probably be best to cut her excursion short and head back to the Museum; it was already 1:00 AM and it would be a long walk.

[WindStruck]

Aurora indeed decided to walk back to the museum directly. She didn't want to be out too late anyway. At some point the number of legitimate partygoers and nightowls dwindled, and well... there were more "monsters" out there than she'd like to admit.

She walked at a somewhat brisk pace, but not an obviously hurried or panicked one.

(Does anything happen before she gets back inside the museum?)

[Toilet Cobra]

Lost in thought, Aurora made quick progress on her walk back to the museum. The park that lead to the museum steps was all but deserted, and she arrived without encountering anyone else.

The museum was as she'd left it. The door, securely locked, yielded to the key she'd been loaned by the Prince, and she quickly stepped inside before locking the door behind her.

[WindStruck]

Now Aurora was safely inside the museum. Or she presumed it was safe... she hadn't explored much of it. And there was at least one more upper floor. She sighed once again. It was kind of lonely, but she was pretty apprehensive about being out later than this. Tonight would just have to be different, as she'd already told herself. But what to do? There was a lot of time to kill. And this was an art museum...

So Aurora took her time to explore the rest of the museum, looking at each of the exhibits that caught her fancy. At least the voices were somewhat like company and gave their commentary as well. But she honestly wasn't sure if they were like separate entities that knew something she didn't, or just a strange part of her mind that was completely insane.

Since she had already explored the lower half looking for a place to sleep during the day, she looked at the upper half of the museum this time, also keeping an eye out for any other place that might be good to rest too.

(Aren't there any guards here? Security systems?)

[Toilet Cobra]

After she'd seen all the artwork she'd cared to, a thought occurred to Aurora: what if there was a security guard somewhere, watching her? There were cameras all over the place, and surely she was on tape... she'd spent what seemed like hours wandering all over the building! So she ended her leisurely stroll among the exhibits and headed behind the ropes to the 'employees only' section of the first floor.

She found some offices, most of which were locked up for the night. The only open door she spotted, however, was marked 'Security,' and she tip-toed to the door and peeked inside.

She was surprised, and yet not surprised, to see that there were indeed a pair of security guards here. Two middle-aged men in grey uniforms were seated with their back to her, their attention on a bank of monitors. They were dutifully scanning between views from different cameras throughout the museum. Surely they should have spotted her by now?

It was a strange scene. Surely these men, alone on a long and dull nightshift, should be chitchatting? Or listening to the radio? But they were sitting rigid at their consoles, their attention never lapsing, not relaxing for even a moment.

[WindStruck]

Thankfully Aurora was rather dead, or else she would have to conserve some effort to hold her breath. But seriously. What the hell?

Were these guys even human... or.. uh.. well of course they were, right?

She studies them first with her keen senses to analyze their movements and breathing. Did everything seem alright with them? Were they actually alert? Or was it more like paralyzed or barely comatose?

Secondly, assuming nothing further out of the ordinary happens, Aurora will try tapping more into her mystical senses to read the two guards' auras.

[Toilet Cobra]

Watching silently, Aurora becomes more and more certain that something is wrong with these two men. Her keen senses tell her that they are alive, at least. But their breathing is shallow and almost perfectly synchronized. They don't turn their heads in the slightest, or shift their weight in their chairs, or anything. Trying to deduce what exactly is going on, she decides to take a deeper look. She closes her eyes for a moment, and wills her mystical senses to awaken-- when her eyelids raise themselves again, she sees a wash of bright colors that were not visible before.

The auras of the two guards tell quite a tale. Their auras appear to have been changed by an outside force-- a small island of anxiety and boredom, normal thoughts in other words, is surrounded by a great swirling wash of pale blue color. Something is pushing down their emotions, and covering them with an artificial complacency.

The more she observes, the more Aurora realizes that these men are essentially catatonic. She can't tell whether this is a permanent effect or a temporary one, but right now neither of the guards would notice if she walked up and poked them in the forehead.

Aurora has encountered a peculiar mystical phenomenon. If she wants to try and fathom the mystical inner workings, she can make an Intelligence + Occult roll, difficulty 7. Unfortunately she does not currently have the benefits of her Occult Library merit, due to it all being packed away in boxes.

[WindStruck]

It seemed the guards' minds were being controlled by some kind of... calming effect. Perhaps caused by another vampire? The guards' comatose state was probably a good thing for her because they definitely would have seen her. But in the case of other intruders being in the museum, it would be bad... Perhaps she could try looking into it more later, but for now Aurora felt she would not disturb them (even though doing so likely wouldn't do much now).

Why did she even wander into the employees only section? In any case, it didn't seem like there was too much to do except kill more time. She was pretty bored of this museum though.

[WindStruck]

Deciding to hold that thought on the guards for the next night or two, Aurora tried to make a mental note of it as best she could, and discreetly left.

3 AM now.

You know, museums sure where interesting places to visit every now and then. Now Aurora was sick of it. Still, it would be some hours until dawn. She didn't want to leave the museum though. It was too late and who knows what was out there in this new, unknown city? For a while, she sat at the front doors, gazing at the stars, pondering the meaning of life... or her unlife. Everything really. What she wanted.

Then she fiddled with her phone for a bit. At her wits end with boredom, she checked around the front desks for anything interesting to read. And finally as the minutes dwindled and the sun drew near, she retreated back down to the cellar, locking the door behind her. She made sure the cabinets were all in a good place to still conceal the trap door, and she carefully laid the jacket down in the hole, all using the light of her phone to illuminate the dark cellar.

Man this was so damn depressing and made her nervous. Imagine, a vampire being afraid of the dark. But this was pitch blackness... and this hole was rather claustrophobic. Aurora couldn't bring herself to lay down in it. She just sat up, struggling to maintain some form of rational thought, thinking about something, anything other than sitting here in a squalid hole in the dark.

But eventually, the sun came out, and as its warm rays cascaded over the city, the lush park, and the museum, her eyelids drooped, and her body grew weary. Now was the time, if it was any. Hoping to only tolerate her conditions for only a minute, Aurora finally reached up to pull the lid down, and lock it tight. It's a damn good thing she didn't have to breathe... And soon, the death-like sleep took her, but her soul dreamed.

[Toilet Cobra]

Deep below the footsteps of late-season visitors on the museum's first floor, Aurora stirred in her sleep. She was dreaming a dream she had often had before, which she called the "Committee." She was meeting with the Committee once again, and man, they weren't happy.

She saw herself, wearing a professional young woman's outfit, altered with her own signature style- this was what she always wore in the dream, and although she could remember every stitch and seam upon waking she never had the nerve to actually create it in real life. In her dream, she was standing at a podium in some grand, anonymous hall- it made her think of the UN's General Assembly. There were hundreds of places for dignitaries to sit and watch her, and although she never knew how many people would show up in the dream, today it seemed that nearly every seat was filled. The Committee was in full force.

Some of these actors, she knew well. There was Chase in the front row, smiling, wearing a sharp military dress uniform that was unfortunately several sizes too large for him. Seated two chairs away, she saw a new addition: Prince Rodney, looking grim, wearing a cloak of rasping, rusting chains and nothing else. Towards the back she saw her Sire, Felix, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up. She could tell, even at this distance, because he was wearing enormous red shoes as part of a complete vintage clown outfit, including a red rubber nose and rainbow wig. He saw her looking in his direction and gave a jaunty wave.

Aurora tapped the microphone at the podium and cleared her throat, and the murmur of the crowd began to subside a little. It seemed the topic of tonight's talk was the move to Philadelphia, and she tried to deliver an upbeat speech on the need to leave New York and the relative benefits of Philly over another town. The delegation had heard all this before, but they listened respectfully until she had finished. But as soon as she opened the floor to further comment, a roar of shouts washed over her.

I am in control here, she reminded herself. I have the floor.

She called on a man waving his arms frantically. She didn't recognize his face, but his outfit was easy to place: he was dressed as one of the Three Musketeers, complete with a feathered hat and a rapier at his hip.

"We left for safety!" the Musketeer shouted. "But this place is worse than New York City! We must flee at once, for the good of all!" More shouts, more murmurs.

Aurora called on Prince Rodney next. He stood slowly and a respectful hush fell, allowing his clanking chains to rattle into relative quiet. "I do not deny that my city is dangerous. Those who cannot defend themselves have no place here. You were warned."

Chase stood abruptly to protest, but the Prince gave him a withering look of condescension and sat back down, his point made. Chase was grinding his teeth, and Aurora called on him quickly.

"We are not in danger here," he growled, "because we have each other. WE will look out for Aurora, even if nobody else can be trusted." He looked directly at Aurora, and nodded. "You can rely on us. For anything."

This brought a chorus of agreement, but also a few boos and jeers. Felix raised his hand (he was wearing oversized gloves, like Mickey Mouse) and Aurora called on him.

"The mademoiselle is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, with or without any assistance," he declared, with finality. "Mortal, Kindred, or otherwise." He winked down at her. "She has my full confidence. If anything, Philadelphia should fear her."

A near-total silence fell as the delegates processed this new information. Felix commanded a lot of respect here, just as he did in Aurora's waking thoughts; this Committee was, after all, just a manifestation of the many voices that originated inside her own head.

"The Committee's input is noted and appreciated," she declared. "As always, I will take your advice under consideration. I now call this meeting to a close."

* * * * * * * *

The sun fell, and Aurora's eyes opened. Usually that dream left her rattled, but she was actually feeling okay. This tiny bolthole, however, was more than unnerving enough on its own, and she quickly scrambled to find the lock and let herself out.

[WindStruck]

With a start, Aurora awoke in a bit of a panic, until she remembered where she had laid down to rest for the day. She found the handle, trying to open the hatch, but having trouble getting it unlocked this time. Finally she manages, however, and she sits up and turns her phone on again for some light with great relief. She took the jacket out of the hole, closed it, and put the article back inside the dufflebag just to put everything back how it was.

She navigated her way up the stairs and out of the cellar again, but she remembered that the sun was still barely out normally when she woke up. She'd have to mill around inside the museum a bit before it would be fully safe to go out. In any case, a brand new night was ahead of her, and she looked forward to seeing how the shop looked now with most things in there. She should be able to set her room up to block out sunlight too.

She took out her phone to text Jeanne. 'Hey just woke up. How is the shop coming along?'

[Toilet Cobra]

Jeane's reply was almost instant; she was very familiar with Aurora's sleep patterns, and knew that she would be awake moments after the sun disappeared over the horizon.

'hey!! shop looks GOOOD lol where are u?? U want me 2 send chase with car?'

It sounded like she and Chase had made significant progress on the shop's setup. She smiled; she was eager to return to her craft after a few stressful nights, and she was excited to see her new room. She had barely set foot inside the shop, but Jeanne (who had brokered the deal on her behalf) assured her that it would meet her needs and so far what she'd seen was promising.

Chase had planned to return the rental truck to NYC and bring his own vehicle down, so that gave Aurora some more travel options. He should be awake and ready to assist, if she wanted to call on him.

[WindStruck]

Aurora couldn't help but smile to chat with her friend. She texted back, 'Oh sorry! I crashed at the museum of art. Dont ask lol. But yeah! I mean if he doesnt mind... I cant go out just yet anyway. U know where its at?'

Aurora tended to have better spelling than normal in her texts, and often got close to the character limits.

[Toilet Cobra]

Jeanne replies in the affirmative and tells Aurora that Chase should be arriving soon. In fact, it's only a few minutes before she sees Chase's Honda pulling up outside. He must've had the engine running!

He steps out to greet Aurora as she descends the museum's steps. "M'lady, your chariot awaits," he jokes, giving an exaggerated bow as he opens the passenger-side door for her. "To the shop?"

[WindStruck]

Aurora laughs, almost a giggle. Before she replies or gets in, she gives him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Well, yeah! I really want to see how it came out! And got to make sure my room is ready for tomorrow..." she said. She still imagined there'd be a lot to do anyway. While all the big furniture should be in place, there would still be lots of boxes to unpack, the decor, finishing touches... odds are they forgot or missed something too. This kind of stuff is bound to happen.

She climbed into the passenger seat, closed the door if Chase already didn't do it for her, and put on her seat belt. When he gets in she smiles and says, "So how was the drive to New York and back? I would have thought you'd be sick of driving by now."

[Toilet Cobra]

Chase chuckles. "Yeah, but I was more sick of moving boxes. By the time we finished unloading everything, sitting in traffic actually sounded really relaxing." You can see his fatigue; Chase has adapted to a schedule where he spends about half the day awake, usually doing some sort of favor for you, and stays up until about four AM so he can be around when you're up and about. But he must've gotten up earlier than usual to get more work done, and it shows in his face.

Soon you're pulling up to the shop. There's a small parking lot, just enough for eight cars or so, and Chase pulls into the spot closest to the door. You can see the first floor is well-lit in the gloom, and Jeanne is moving about inside.

You and Chase walk up the steps to the door, which is locked ('Sorry, we're CLOSED' reads the sign). Not realizing the irony, Chase stops you and hands you a pair of keys.

"There's only two copies of the main key," he says, handing you the larger of the two. "Jeanne has the other. That'll open the front and back door, and then this little one is to the upstairs. There's only one of those, so you'll definitely have your privacy, but don't lose that key or we'll have to change the lock."

Keys in hand, you open the door and head inside for a look. The spacious first floor is crowded with unopened boxes, stacked in the places you indicated their contents should be displayed. But you can tell that the main infrastructure is in place: shelves, tables, countertop, all the heavy pieces are already arranged. Really all that remains is to unpack the boxes, which shouldn't take more than a few hours, and clean up a little.

As you take it all in, you can see Jeanne is just finishing hanging your Christmas lights. She also looks pretty sleepy; she's not as nocturnal as Chase and she's had just as busy a day. But she smiles cheerfully all the same. "Well?" she asks. "What do you think?"

[WindStruck]

There was a reason Aurora didn't drive. The constant vibration of the car was always something she was acutely aware of, almost like ringing in ones ear or a bad itch that won't go away. The little lights under the dash were also minor distractions, as were all the other cars, lights, and reflective surfaces out at night. She could even easily hear Chase breathing. And on top of that, when the oncoming traffic had their headlights on, it all but blinded her until they passed. Throw in the voices, and visions, and it was just a recipe for inevitable disaster.

But riding as a passenger, she didn't have to pay too much attention to the road and control the vehicle, at least. All she had to do was pay attention to Chase, and she'd be content enough. "You really look beat..." she commented.

Aurora asked how his job was coming along. He had gotten transferred over here, but it still wasn't what anyone would call a "career". He had graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, but he had had trouble finding a job in that field, and so here he was instead...

Upon getting inside the shop, Aurora looked about casually with a first glance and nodded. "I think it's turning out. It should look really good when we aren't tripping on all these boxes!" she said with a grin.

Looking at the Jeanne with the Christmas lights, Aurora helped reach up to hold them in place while Jeanne fastened them onto a screw in the wall with a white twist tie that matched the color of the wires. Then Aurora went to go plug them in. Aaaand half the lights were out.

"Ugh. Why do these things always break?" she complained. She sighed. Well, it was no matter. Since they dealt with these things all year round, they had one of those repair tools just for Christmas lights... somewhere in these boxes.

Aurora shrugged helplessly. "Oh well. We'll have to fix it later I guess. You know, you guys look really tired. You want to just call it a day?" ...yeah, a day. They were still actually completely human, after all. "I can start pulling my weight around and put a lot of it away."

[Toilet Cobra]

"Well I'm still rarin' to go, I got like nine hours of sleep," Chase chuckles. "I'll stay and help you unpack some stuff."

"Count me out," Jeanne responds. She stretches and gives a ladylike yawn before she heads towards the door. She gives Aurora's shoulder a friendly squeeze as she walks past. "I'll be useless if I don't head to bed soon. Shoot me a text or an email and we'll talk about when to plan our grand opening, ok?"

Jeanne leaves, and Chase gets to opening boxes. "We put most of your library upstairs already," he comments. "Didn't want to mess with it, though, so it's all still in boxes. If you wanna start with your room, I can handle things here. Same sort arrangement as we had in NYC, right? I think I remember where it all goes."

Make a Charisma + Empathy check, difficulty 5, if you'd like.

[WindStruck]

So it seemed that Jeanne wasn't actually going straight to bed. Maybe she would go out clubbing for a bit, or did she have a date? Aurora didn't really know, and she didn't care. At least as far as the fact was that she was leaving. Still, she felt a little... concerned. Perhaps very mildly put off Jeanne wasn't being upfront. Because if she wanted some free time, there was no problem. Why even lie about it? She certainly deserved it.

Aurora just shrugged, and she waved goodbye to Jeanne with a smug smile. "Well have a good night!" she said, perhaps subtly implying herself that she thought something might have been up.

Then she nodded to Chase. "Alright, that sounds good. I'll come back down to see how it's turning out."

So she then picked her way across the room past the boxes and furniture. The store probably wouldn't be open by tomorrow, or even tomorrow evening, but it was fine. There wasn't any real rush. Aurora climbed the stairs and checked out the room that was the "library". It was only a modestly-sized room with just one window. Shelves were already in here and lined the walls, along with a small desk. Unfortunately it was way too much of a pain to bring the original shelves in here, so some metal ones liquidated from an old school library had to do. At least you could take them apart and put them back together. Though they looked a bit awkward in the room...

Aurora looked at how the boxes were labeled and opened them. There was a particular organization to them which she preferred and helped when she was trying to find information on something, though with these new shelves, it would take a little adjusting to make it work again, she thought...

After only about an hour, she had managed to unpack just 8 boxes and flatten them. Going at this rate, it would probably take the whole night, but in the mean time, she also organized the remaining boxes and had an idea of what went exactly where. So it would only take probably 1 more hour. Maybe 2.

She went downstairs to check how Chase was doing.

[Toilet Cobra]

Although she could nit-pick his placement of products on the shelves, Chase was efficient, there was no denying it. In the time it'd taken her to open a handful of boxes and unload their contents, the young man had stocked nearly half the shelves in the shop. He'd also taken much of their surplus merchandise to the back, so the floor was far less cluttered than it had been when Aurora arrived. In fact it was starting to look like a shop was taking shape here! bout time sometimes I think we should acquire a Ghoul or two

Aurora frowns at the thought her voices bring up, and does her best to ignore them. After a period of relative quiet they unfortunately seemed to be roaring back. She smiles at Chase as he notices her on the stairs, and he dusts his hands off and turns towards her.

"Making progress up there?" Chase asks, the tiniest hint of a sarcastic smirk on his lips. He knew how Aurora could easily get distracted by a task like unpacking her library. Smarmy little... "I think I can wrap most of this stocking up tonight, and we can get Jeanne to finish in the morning. Tomorrow is probably pushing it, but we can definitely be open by the weekend!" He smiles broadly. "I have to say I'm pretty excited. I think the shop could really bloom here. The neighborhood is much better; there's less crime and more foot traffic than our old spot. And the population is just more spiritually open, at least according to the market research. I think business is really gonna take off." always the optimist someone needs to be

[WindStruck]

"Ugh, shut up," Aurora said to no one in particular, twitching her head to the side a bit. Sometimes that worked, and sometimes it just egged the voices on. Normally she'd have to completely ignore them when other people were around, but at least it was just Chase here. In any case, he should have probably realized she wasn't talking to him, but to the darn things in her head that made her a bit crazy. At least it was a relatively harmless kind of crazy...

She smiled at him. "Uh, yeah! It's coming along..." She did space out a little to be honest. But to be fair, many of those books she hadn't touched for over a couple years. Then she added, "You did good finding this place. There probably couldn't have been a better spot."

Then out of the blue she asked, "Did you eat already?" Well, actually she normally asked that at some point early in the night. And usually the answer was yes. But tonight was obviously quite different...

[Toilet Cobra]

"Actually, I had a late lunch today, but I'm starved," Chase replies. "I suppose I can wrap up what I'm doing here. Feel like going out? There's a couple of places I'd like to look at." Then he pauses, considering, and his eyes flick almost involuntarily down to Aurora's lips. "Or... are you feeling hungry? We could always eat in..."

[WindStruck]

"Oh. Uh.. not that hungry, no... m-maybe later tonight..."

Admittedly, Aurora felt quite uncomfortable asking Chase or Jeanne for blood. And she wasn't even trying to subtly hint anything right now, and Chase was offering. Well, like she said. Maybe later.

She wasn't very hungry, but she could definitely hold more blood. The better-fed she was, the less she would feel the presence of the beast, and the more vitae she might have in reserve for an emergency. For Aurora, the more content the beast was, the better. Like a sleeping lion in its den you dare not bother. She was terrified of the day it might wake up.

"Sure.. why don't we go out for a bit? Take a look around the neighborhood, and maybe find a nice place to grab some food before they close.."

[Toilet Cobra]

If Chase is disappointed he doesn't show it. Taking Aurora by the arm, he leads them outside, turns off the lights and locks the door.

"There's this really trendy ramen place just a few blocks away from here," he says, checking his phone for the address before you set off walking. "I think you'll like it. Or at least not hate it," he laughs.

It's just after 9 PM, so there are several restaurants still open. Many of them are crowded and a bit too noisy for Aurora, though; this neighborhood certainly seems to have its share of late drinkers. Chase heads straight past them, and after several blocks he points out the neon front of a new and relatively quiet looking Japanese restaurant.

Actually, 'quiet' is a huge understatement. The interior of the restaurant is filled with narrow, private booths, as if the owners only want people to dine alone or, at most, with a single companion. Aurora can see the backs of many people seated at these unique booths, but the only sounds are breathing, slurping, and snippets of the quietest possible conversation.

"I thought you might like the hush," Chase whispers. He turns his phone to 'silent.' "No interaction allowed. All unnecessary talk is strictly forbidden. You don't even see the waitstaff; you fill out a menu with what you want and they bring it to you from behind a curtain."

Seeing a couple empty chairs towards the back of the restaurant, you both head to one of the booths. Once you're seated, you can only see Chase beside you and three narrow walls. Like some kind of prison cell Although the booth is somewhat unsettling, having Chase nearby calms Aurora's nerves. And he's right, actually; it is nice to be among people who are being as studiously quiet as they possibly can. It's like being in a library, except for the smell of food in the air.

Chase silently orders his soup; taking the boy's hand beneath the table, Aurora lets her attention wander. Her hearing is excellent, even un-enhanced by her powers, and as she peeks past the edge of their cubicle she can match the sounds of eating and breathing to each pair of shoulders.

A dark-skinned young man catches Aurora's eye. He's probably a few years older than Chase, though he can't be a day over thirty. He's well dressed, sporting a fashionable silver jacket and large rings on his fingers. His black hair is immaculately braided... or at least it was. He seems to be running his fingers back over his hair in a nervous gesture, and he's slowly working up a light frizz on his head. And to Aurora's keen, fashionista's eye, he seems somewhat uncomfortable in his clothes, like someone else has dressed him (and done a good job of it, but still).

The dark-skinned man is looking down at an untouched bowl of soup; he periodically picks up his chopsticks, hesitates, lifts a single noodle... and a look of disgust blooms on his face and he drops it back in the broth. He repeats this action several times with an onion, a piece of pork, and more noodles, never finding something to his liking.

None of this odd behavior is what holds Aurora's attention, though. It's the way he keeps looking towards the back of the restaurant, where she and Chase are seated. And can it be a coincidence that he's positioned himself near the entrance, able to monitor all the patrons coming and going? If he were so inclined, it would be a trivial task to watch for someone coming in, or getting up to leave...

[WindStruck]

Aurora walks with Chase, taking her arm in his. At least the walk was as peaceful and enjoyable as one could hope for in a trendy little area of town. Nice and safe. Many interesting places to look at as they walked by. She had to try to phase out all the noises from the loud places they walked by, but Aurora could definitely manage.

She didn't know what to think of the ramen place at first. It was very, very quiet yes. It made one part of Aurora quite content and relaxed, as her senses weren't flooded. And yet at the same time, it still didn't seem right. Now maybe her supernatural senses, or her intuition would be running wild... you just couldn't win, could you?

"Quiet, yes. But kind of creepy," Aurora whispers. "I mean who.. what kind of person..." she stopped, thinking of herself. Maybe that kind of person. She shook her head with a grin. "And no unnecessary talk? Who is the judge of that? Would we get in trouble just for talking like this?" Aurora was sure to keep her voice extra low. She had to lean in closer to Chase so he could hear her the second time.

Aurora didn't know what to make of the guy... Judging from the way he reacted to the food, he either really hated this kind of food.. or he just might be a vampire. Was he some kind of a lookout? Was he watching them? She made sure the curtain was as closed as possible. It was probably best if she didn't try to stare too. The more she looked, the sooner or later he'd notice.

Though Chase could probably notice something was bothering her. "There's some guy near the front," Aurora began to explain. "Dark skin, tight braids, silver suit. Doesn't seem like he belongs here at all. He might be trouble... hopefully not trouble for us..."

I call upon the danger sense!!

Actually, that's supposed to be a secret roll, I guess. But Auspex can be used with it, so perhaps I can try for half a moment to try to refine what is up with this guy.

[Toilet Cobra]

Aurora can glean plenty of details, just through normal observation. The way the man is sitting, the way his eyes move, the way he plays with his chopsticks. They tell quite a story. nervy little man

But Aurora wants to go deeper, and with the aid of Auspex, she can notice things that would slip by even her powerful, albeit mundane, senses. The quiet restaurant comes alive with the sounds of breathing, cloth rustling, chairs moving and squeaking almost imperceptibly. But the man is silent.

No breathing.

There's more. Despite his nervousness, and his overdressed state, he's not perspiring either. There are no veins throbbing in his temple. And she catches a whiff, just the faintest hint, of the smell of blood about the man.

Chase has been speaking this whole time, but despite his proximity Aurora tuned him out almost completely. "Hmm?" she asks, turning to him once more.

"I said, would you like me to walk out? See if he follows? I can go make a call and come right back in."

[WindStruck]

Aurora deactivates the Auspex. She understands a lot more now.

"Sorry," she says, and she scooches closer to Chase. Her voice is even lower now. A hushed, ghostly whisper of anything that normally resembled speech. "Who would you call? Why do you want to walk out? He's definitely a vampire. You don't want to be out alone."

[Toilet Cobra]

Chase looks taken aback. "Not a lot of options," he admits. "I was thinking maybe Jeanne could pick you up, and I might get him to follow me out of here. Then hopefully I could lead him south, away from the shop." He holds his phone thoughtfully. "I mean, I don't want to be alone out there, but if this guy is trouble I'd rather it be me than you, y'know?"

As the two of you converse, you notice that a lot of people are wrapping up their meals and leaving one by one. Looks like it's closing time in another fifteen minutes or so.

[WindStruck]

"And when it comes to them, I'd rather it be with me," she said stubbornly. "A lot of them... they don't view normal people as people anymore. Er, haven't we been over this already?" Yes, we have. Maybe the dumb human needs it repeated for good measure.

They'd already discussed their situation at length. Most vampires could tear a human apart without trying. Even Aurora could become extremely dangerous if channeling her blood or in a frenzy. And that's not to mention other supernatural powers they may have. A guy like Chase had no chance against a vampire. Maybe if he got the drop on them with a flamethrower.....

The best way Aurora could possibly protect him would be to claim "ownership" of him. Because at the very least, a lot of vampires tended to at least respect that. Like a bunch of damn cougars pissing in the sand to mark their territory. Ugh. Either way, they needed to stick together.

"Look, you know it's way too dangerous and foolhardy. What are you going to do if he does go after you? Just... let's just ignore him for now. Maybe he's not even here for us, you know?" She suppressed a sigh, trying to still maintain as much quiet as possible. "We'll try to enjoy our time together. You have your meal. We walk out together, we face it together."

She rested her head against his shoulder. And she hoped the vampire wasn't trouble. Even if he was there for them, maybe he had some kind of ... business? Business that didn't involve killing, maiming, dismembering, and the like?

[Toilet Cobra]

Chase calmed down, though his appetite was clearly diminished. It hurt his pride to admit, but Aurora was absolutely right; his only defense against a vampire attack would be to hope that he was too inconsequential to bother harming. a poor boy's pride has no place in our world, sadly He pushed his noodles around idly as the clock ticked.

At about two minutes to closing time, the suspicious man pushed his ramen away abruptly, bolted out of his chair and headed for the front door. With a last glance in her direction, he walked right outside. what a horribly unsubtle creature he is

Well, she'd have to do something soon. Had he left, or was he just waiting outside? She and Chase couldn't stay in here all night... should she confront him directly? Try to sneak away out the back, perhaps?

[WindStruck]

Aurora noticed Chase just wasn't eating anymore. And the guy had all but ran out the front door by now. She sighed.

"I'm sorry Chase... I guess... I guess it's time to face the music, huh?" She took his hand, trying to at least will some measure of softness and warmth into her own hands.

"We may as well go out the front. At the very least, my kind aren't supposed to make any kind of scene in public. So... we'll probably be fine. Just don't be aggressive, ok?"

It was definitely about time to close up. The few remaining patrons were scrambling to finish their meals before getting kicked out. Aurora led Chase out, holding his hand not too very far behind another person exiting the ramen shop. She kept her eyes out for the strange vampire guy...

alertness just to spot him normally: [roll0]

if not immediately present, awareness: [roll1]

[Toilet Cobra]

Aurora took her man by the arm and lead him outside. She could feel Chase's pulse racing, and he walked like someone marching resolutely to his own execution.

Aurora sighed internally. She had done her best to keep Chase (and Jeanne, for that matter) away from interactions with other Kindred, purely for their own protection. But occasionally a situation like this would crop up and then her friends mortals would be left with little idea of how to act or what was expected of them. She hoped that Chase would just be calm and follow her lead.

Emerging into the coolness of the night, Aurora spotted their observer almost immediately. He was leaning casually against the trunk of a bright orange sports car parked a few yards down the road, and he was looking directly at the two of them. He seemed to have collected himself and was watching them calmly, but Aurora could still sense a strong undercurrent of adrenaline in him.

Seeing that they'd spotted him, he walked forward casually, hands in his pockets. pistol, left hip His eyes are locked solely on Aurora; Chase might as well be empty air.

"Miz Lowell?" he asks. "I'm Keyes, and may I jusy say, it's an honor." Clearly an 'honor' he didn't want "Now, there's somebody very eager to make your acquaintance tonight, who unfortunately couldn't be here hisself." He jerks a thumb at the sports car. "So I'm your ride. Shall we?"

[WindStruck]

Aurora squeezed Chase's hand reassuringly, though she supposed it didn't help calm him down much. The voices alerted her about a gun, and her eyes immediately went down to the man's pockets for a brief moment. It was hard to tell. Was there a gun? Or perhaps just something else?

[roll0]

Keyes. Keyes was his name. And he was being relatively friendly. Ish. See, nothing to worry about. Aurora brushed her thumb across the inside of Chase's wrist.

But now the question was of what to do...

After a few seconds' pause she replied, "Uh.. right. It's too bad we couldn't meet here personally..." But she wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. It just kind of came out. And she still didn't know who they were talking about.

Looking over to Chase, who seemed to be staring at Keyes stonily, she said, "Go on home. Everything will be fine..." She released his hand and began to follow the other vampire to his car.

[Toilet Cobra]

Aurora can feel Chase's agitation grow as she lets go of his hand, while Keyes seems visibly relieved. He opens the front passenger door for her, and she gives Chase what she hopes is a reassuring look while she gets in. The poor boy looks so lost. It's times like this that Aurora feels a hint of the emptiness that will one day be her whole existence... when Chase is just a memory and she hasn't aged a day.

Assuming of course she makes it that long. Keyes climbs in on the driver's side and quickly hits the ignition. He quickly adjusts the mirror and whips out onto the busy street without warning. Worrying aside, Aurora quickly decides that this has to be the least comfortable car she has ever ridden in. And it doesn't help that Mr. Keyes seems to be in a massive hurry.

He drives south and east, and the neighborhood (which was nice) gets a lot nicer, really quickly. When Keyes pulls into the parking garage below a deluxe condominium, Aurora recognizes their destination as somewhere in Rittenhouse, probably the ritziest neighborhood in town. Looking at the well-to-do mortals enjoying their evening on the packed street, Aurora feels slightly under-dressed. Keyes, with his silver jacket and his gaudy rings, fits right in.

And like Keyes' clothes, and for that matter his car, Rittenhouse seems to be heavy on flash but deficient in comfort. Clearly the mortals here think of it as being a small-town haven inside the heart of the big city, but Aurora can see it for what it is: a gentrified fortress meant to buffer the wealthy from the sight of their inferiors. There are no homeless people to be seen, nor any of the businesses that the lower-class frequent. But if you want to pay $12 for an organic avocado at a "mom & pop" chain grocery, or buy a ticket to watch a "spontaneous street performance" by a Grammy-nominated jazz combo, you were in the right place.

Whomever they were going to see, "he" was certainly well-heeled. Keyes guides her to the parking garage's elevator, takes her up three flights to the lobby, then disembarks to take her to a private elevator and go the rest of the way. As they cross through the lobby, uniformed guards welcome "Mr. Keyes" back, though Aurora can easily tell that they're scanning both herself and Keyes ferociously for any sign of trouble.

The private elevator only has half a dozen floors listed, and Keyes presses the button for the penthouse. The doors shut smoothly, and he leans against the wall, subconsciously choosing the corner as far as possible from Aurora.

"Nervous?" he asks, and Aurora almost laughs. You certainly are, she thinks.

[WindStruck]

It really might not have seemed like Aurora was doing anything wise by going along with a random stranger. But if you knew anything about Kindred society, you'd realize that you simply could not afford to ignore a summons request. Especially from someone you didn't know, who apparently knew where you were. And obviously Chase wasn't in on whatever this thing was. Kindred were extremely weary of Kine. So, unfortunately, he was out for now. She had to face whatever this was on her own...

And whatever it was, it was quite a big mystery to her. Aurora would have asked who it was they were going to see, if the man had not pulled out so quickly and floored it. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! one voice said, reveling in the reckless driving. Another was even more panicked than Aurora. Oh my god! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!

So after holding onto something for dear unlife, all she managed to murmur was, "C-could you slow down a little? Please?"

But eventually they made it to the most expensive part of town, apparently. Underdressed? Well it was definitely true that whatever Aurora wore was a lot cheaper and almost all homemade. Not to mention very light and thin. But she still took comfort knowing that her style was truly hers. And unlike the stiff silver jacket and flashy sports car, it was quite comfortable.

The guards could tell just by looking at her, that she wasn't going to be any trouble. Except perhaps, for whatever may have been in her small bag. One of those pathetically tiny revolvers? If the guards were in the know, however, perhaps they'd realize appearances could be deceiving especially when it came to vampires.. but in any case, the two made it to glitzy private elevator unmolested.

Aurora smiled softly at his question and let out a light, nervous chuckle. "Mmhmm. This place is really high class. And I was hoping when... the mortal left, you would have told me who wanted to see me by now. So why are you nervous?"

Though Aurora just shrugged helplessly at this point. Even if it was the Pope or the boss of the Sabbat themselves, she'd probably be going on this little excursion regardless. Though perhaps her mind would be more at ease or at least have some time to prepare...

[Toilet Cobra]

Keyes stiffens at Aurora’s directness. A tense moment passes between them, and studying his face Aurora has a sudden and powerful realization: Keyes isn’t just nervous, he’s as panicked as a trapped animal. As if he was riding in the elevator with a bonfire, not a tiny Malkavian.

He’s terrified of me, Aurora thinks. And he only went to fetch me tonight because he’s even more scared of someone… something else.

Fighting down his fear, Keyes visibly forces himself to meet Aurora’s gaze. He puts on a nonchalant face that is almost laughably strained. “The **** I got to be nervous about?” he scoffs, then falls silent.

When the elevator finally comes to a stop, Keyes darts out the door, beckoning half-heartedly for Aurora to follow. “Wait here,” he says, indicating the penthouse foyer. It’s an artfully decorated little room, and Aurora allows her eyes to wander a bit over African sculptures and abstract paintings while Keyes disappears into the shadows of another room.

Please make a Perception + Alertness roll. And if you’d like to study the art around you for information, please roll Intelligence + Academics.

[WindStruck]

The fact that Aurora made Keyes even more nervous was unsettling to Aurora. She didn't mean to do this... Was it now because he felt like he was reading her emotions when she shouldn't have? She didn't know what to do. Maybe she shouldn't do much or talk about anything except extremely inconsequential stuff. But that would get pretty boring and trite fast.

So when they got to the top, she did as asked and just stood in the foyer waiting, idly looking around at the various artworks...

alertness: [roll0]
academics: [roll1]

[Toilet Cobra]

4 successes on Alertness, 1 on Art History.
The art on display doesn't do much for Aurora. It's tribal, and sort of mismatched; there's an African-looking statue and some sort of Native American mask. The paintings don't seem like much to her, probably no names and knock-offs. The colors all match, but beyond that it seems like a jumble of random junk. It might be authentic junk for all she knows, but even so it's not aesthetically pleasing, and she ignores the various art objects surrounding her.

No, the things that grab Aurora's attention are much less tangible. Her eyes flick from a scuff-mark a dragged shoe on the floor to the recently-repainted walls; her eyes note that the foyer is fairly walled off, with stout doors where normally you'd see open archways; her ears detect almost nothing from the outside, not from the busy street below or from the neighboring units.heard more from the elevator And the air is too chemically scented, with bleach and things that cover up bleach-smell.

There's been violence here, she realizes. Probably a death, or even more than one. This realization settles in her stomach like a lead weight. All Kindred are dangerous of course, and it's obvious she's been summoned by someone of means, which usually denote expertise in the Jyhad-- and thus the power to match their wealth. But her host seems to be not only influential but bloodthirsty, and someone brought to this apartment before her had likely suffered greatly for that. She did her best to steel herself; she would have to tread very carefully in this place of death. Yea, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow... Can we survive if we have to jump out the window?

Keyes reappeared after a few quiet moments, the sound of his footfalls seeming somehow dampened by the walls. He seems distracted, and reaches out to take Aurora's arm before realizing what he's doing and jerking his hand backward with a start. "Follow me," he says simply, and hurries back the way he came.

Aurora follows cautiously. Keyes leads her to a large, opulent sitting room, complete with a full bar, enormous wall-to-wall windows, and a lounge as big as a two-car garage. Imagine the shop we could've bought with this much money... The decorations are more of the tribal art she saw previously, though taken to extremes: there is an enormous painting on the wall, almost a mural, depicting a battle between Native Americans and white soldiers. In the corner stands some sort of vividly-colored African mask almost six feet tall. And the hardwood floor is adorned with a buffalo skin rug, its furry leather painted with red markings that Aurora can't identify.

Keyes isn't alone here; there are two others that Aurora can see. A tall, beautiful girl, only a year or two older in appearance than Aurora herself, is behind the bar, leaning over a drink and some sort of magazine (and coincidentally displaying some truly impressive assets at the same time). She has the dark hair, powerful features and dusky skin tone of the Mediterranean, though with a distinctive pale cast that speaks of a Cainite's nature. Her hair is expertly styled upward; her makeup is light and tasteful. Like Keyes, she is well-dressed in expensive fashion, though much more comfortably. She gives Aurora a long, appraising look, then returns to her reading.

Dominating the scene though, an enormous bear of a man is sprawled out on the leather couch, arms wide and resting along the back. Every part of him is thick, rough muscles and hairy, scarred skin. He has dark eyes and black, wavy hair, and his skin is either a very light brown or a very tan white. He smiles with genuine mirth at Aurora's entry, and she's struck by his face: what could have once been a passably handsome profile is buried beneath scars, a large and crooked nose, and a jutting chin covered with coarse black stubble.

He stands, and Aurora can see he's at least 6'2". His build stands in contrast to the Prince's; both men are tall and muscular, but where Rodney has a sculpted physique like an underwear model, this man just has piles of brutish muscle, the thick body of a lumberjack. Unlike his companions, the big man is dressed casually, almost sloppily; a cheap shirt that is untucked and unbuttoned halfway down his hairy chest, and simple white slacks below it. His only accessory is a plain watch on his enormous wrist. No rings, no necklace, nothing in his ears; he even stands barefoot.

"We-e-ell, lookie here," he says. His voice is low and smokey, and there's an undercurrent of genuine mirth that is somehow less comforting than a dead monotone. "The way you had my man shakin', I thought you were gonna be ten feet tall. But you're just a bitty thing. Just as well, they say good things come in small packages."

"That explains why you're as big as an elephant," the girl says sweetly, giving the man a tight smile. Her voice is heavily accented, but the mockery is easy enough to hear.

Keyes clears his throat. "May I present Ms. Aurora Lowell," he says. He holds a hand out towards the man. "This is Brother Sono, and over there by the bar is Vashti." Sono nods while Vashti gives a little wave.

Nothing required, but feel free to make any rolls you wish here to gather more information. You can always Auspex their auras if you like, though it's obvious that all three of these individuals are vampires.

[WindStruck]

Well I tried but I can't really think of any rolls to make that would be worthwhile...

"Uh, I'm sorry? I didn't mean to scare anyone. I'm not even sure what there is to be afraid of. But I guess whatever it is is why you wanted to see me..." She began apologetically.

Aurora stood there awkwardly. "Well, it's nice to meet you. I guess.." But if she was going to be brutally honest, she'd say the guy looked pretty slobbish. She looked to Vashti and nodded. She already knew Keyes. Then she turned back to the huge man. "Brother Sono? What organization do you belong to?"

[Toilet Cobra]

"'Brother' is just an old name from an old life, baby sister," Sono replies with a crooked smile. "I'm no more a Brother than you are a Lowell, but we hang on to funny things, don't we?"

Keyes retreats to the bar, where he begins pouring himself a drink, while Vashti strides over. She hands you a cocktail glass, identical to the one she holds. It contains a dark, almost black liquid that smells of spirits and heady vitae in mixture. It smells more potent than that of a human, though that may be a trick of the alcohol.

"Here you are, dear," Vashti says sweetly. She turns to Sono. "She asked you a question. Don't avoid it."

"Don't rush me, woman, I'm getting to it," he says. He takes a step back and sits heavily on the couch. Pointing with one huge finger, he invites Aurora to sit in the chair opposite him, across a low coffee table. Vashti takes a seat on the couch, as far as possible from Sono. "We're not so much an 'organization'. More of a movement. We've got no leaders, no org chart, no mission statement, just free vampires working towards a common goal. We've come from all over, despite consid'rable danger and expense, to try and free this city from the stranglehold of its Elders before they let it choke to death."

His eyes take on a glint of fervor, and Vashti interjects. "We're not Camarilla or Sabbat, in other words," she says. "Two sides of the same blighted coin. Nor are we associated with the Anarch Free State-- a good idea, in many ways, though too stupid and sluggish to be much more than an idea. We're more focused on results than growing our numbers, or building a brand."

"The Philadelphia project is still in phase one, but already we've gained some serious steam," Sono boasts. "So tell me, Miss Lowell: have you ever given any thought to living Independent?"

[WindStruck]

"Uh, thanks..." Aurora said, looking down at the glass curiously. What in the **** is this? It's TASTY, that's what it is.

Aurora sat in the chair as invited, still holding onto the glass awkwardly and listened to their explanation...

No leaders, no mission statement. Ok, but they have a common goal. Isn't that the same bloody thing? Precisely.

Aurora still was following along, until they claimed the Camarilla and Sabbat were the same. Her brows visibly scrunched in confusion. And they weren't the anarchs? Supposedly they claimed to have no leader as well. Results? What exactly were they talking about?

To say the least, what they said certainly challenged what she currently believed and something seemed off about it.

[roll0]

But then they followed up with a question. "...independent?? Er.. meaning what, exactly??" Aurora was so confused because wasn't she already pretty much independent? Currently she had no ties to the Sabbat or Anarchs. And to say she was a member of the Camarilla was quite a stretch, at the least. She adhered to many of their rules and laws for reasons, among other things, because she'd certainly be dead if she hadn't. But it was mostly common sense anyway, in her eyes. If you ran around showing off that you were a vampire... odds are not only would you be dead, but just about every other vampire in existence as well.

[Toilet Cobra]

No obvious subterfuge at play, at least not spoken openly. Your successes will be applied to anything further that they say.

"Independent, as in, no more masters," Sono says, pounding a beefy fist into his palm for emphasis. "No more domains. We're castin' down the thrones, little sis, all of 'em. And Philadelphia won't be the first."

Vashti gives him a warning look, but Sono is oblivious to it. "You may as well know it all: we're here to end the war, and not with some three-way truce. Philadelphia is going to be the capital of a true free state for vampires. Rodney and Canis both are gonna have to go, along with their lackeys. And the wolves have to be brought to heel, but that's well in hand already..."

Vashti leans over and smacks a hand on Sono's bulky shoulder, bringing him to a stop. "And now that every bean has been spilt," she says icily, "we come to the reason we summoned you today."

"We lost a good man, las' city we was in," Keyes says. His voice startles Aurora, who didn't realize he was standing so close behind her chair. "Sad. But that's the cost of doing business, namsayin'? So this Coterie is a bit short-handed, and tonight, we're recruitin'."

"And who better than a genuine Prince-slayer?" Sono grins. "That hoodoo you pulled on ol' Cale-bro, that was a work of cold-blooded art. Sent chills up the spine of every vampire from coast to coast." oh Christ

Ahhh. So that was this was all about. Those damn rumors! Why did nobody understand that Aurora hadn't killed anybody?? She'd only seen what Prince Calebros was already going to do on his own! And now she was surrounded by three... regicides? whatever-they-call-themselves, who thought she had the power to kill a prince!

A knot had settled in Aurora's stomach. There was a real chance that the Camarilla rumor-mill had sealed her fate here.

"Needless to say, we were impressed," Vashti says. "Very impressed. All the more so since you got away clean."

"So how about it, missy?" Sono asks. "We wanna see a repeat performance. Feel like joinin' the Council of Doom and pulling some fangs?"

[WindStruck]

Aurora sets the glass on the coffee table and abruptly stands. "What?? Whoa, whoa! That's not true at all!"

She looks around wide-eyed and panicky at everyone. "I didn't kill the prince! I didn't do a damn thing to him!! I just-all I- ..." And now her social anxiety was kicking in too. Normally it's not too bad with just three people, but three killer vampires who think she's also a killer? Her hands were trembling.

Hahahahahahahahaha! You killed the priiiince~, you killed the priiiiince~, you killed the priiiiiince!~

The voices in Aurora's head taunted her like grade-school children, and she doubled over clutching her head. And that laugh. It was the same tone as after she had finally killed her parents... "Shut up!! Leave me alone!!" she yelled, sobbing.

She barely remembered she was still around three other people and managed to look up at the others, who now probably clearly thought she was insane, as the Malkavian she really was. "Please... L-listen... it's not true... whatever you heard, it's not true!"

[Toilet Cobra]

The cacophony in her head made it difficult to hear, but she could see their faces and watched as disbelief flashed across them. She caught snatches of their words

“... Lowell… ou.. right?”
“..appening?”
“Some… of trance”
“... a vision?”
“Mal..vian…”

but the meaning was elusive. She could see their growing concern but she was finding it impossible to express herself, to allay their nerves. A pair of hands grab her and give her a firm shake, helping not even a little.

All the while, Aurora babbled and sobbed. She quickly forgot the three vampires in the room with her and soon was conversing solely with the voices themselves. She begged them to understand, to take pity on her. But they were relentless.

Meanwhile, a conversation was also happening outside her head. "I heard she went into some kinda fit in New York," Sono said doubtfully. He held Aurora by the shoulders, keeping the thrashing girl at arm's length. "Something similar here?"

"Then we should stop her, before she says something about one of us!" Keyes insisted. He had preemptively broken one of the bar stools, holding a jagged wooden leg in one hand. He looked nervously from the others to Aurora's back, and seemed desperate to plunge the weapon home.

"Stop being ridiculous, both of you!" Vashti shouts. She pushes Sono's arms out of the way and leads Aurora gently back to her chair. "She's having an episode, that's all. She's a Malkavian, as you said. These things happen."

"But did she mean what she was sayin'?" Keyes asks, still nervously twisting the makeshift stake. "She didn't kill the Prince?"

"I'm wondering that myself," Sono murmurs.

"She's telling the truth, or at least she believes she is," Vashti says. "There's no subterfuge here. If she says she didn't kill the Prince, then either she really didn't-"

"Or she doesn't remember, making her useless either way," Sono groans. "Dammit. Keyes, kill her."

"No, you fool!" Vashti shouts. Aurora, coming a bit to herself finally, looks up in disbelief through tear streaked eyes. "That's your answer to everything, you cowardly brute!"

"Woman, she's seen our faces, she's heard our plans. We can't let her just walk outta here."

"Yes, we can," Vashti insists. "In case you've forgotten, she is Camarilla, and will be missed. And it's too soon to make waves." She lifts Aurora's chin and looks deeply into her eyes. "There is another way. Aurora... listen carefully...

The black vampire drove her to a penthouse apartment in MOORESTOWN where she met a trio of SABBAT PUNKS named KINSEY SONNY and VERONICA. They talked for a bit, gave her a drink, then asked her if she would PREDICT THEIR FUTURES. She declined to do as they asked and grew quite upset. SONNY and KINSEY wanted to kill her, but VERONICA insisted that she BE RELEASED UNHARMED. So they tossed her out and called her a cab.

"There," Vashti breathes, as Aurora slumps down in the chair, this time in a true trance. "See how simple that was? She should remember nothing. Keyes, take her outside and call her a cab. This meeting never happened."

Vashti is attempting to alter Aurora's memories of the evening using her Dominate power, The Forgetful Mind. She rolls her Wits + Subterfuge against a difficulty equal to Aurora's current Willpower of 4.

[roll0]

She scores sufficient successes to convince Aurora that her altered memory was the true one. She shouldn't remember the truth unless something obviously happens to prove it false, and even then it will be difficult to fully dispel.

Aurora blinks, her head feeling a bit muzzy. The driver repeats himself. "Where to, miss?"

[WindStruck]

"Huh..?"

Aurora looked around, quite befuddled. She was in a cab... she thought. Yes, there was the meter, and this driver was looking at her expectantly. When did she get here?

"Ugh, sorry... I..." she stammered, trying to stall for some time. Where to? How could she know where to go if she didn't know where she was coming from?? She shook her head, trying to remember the details, but it was all a haze. She remembered being picked up by this dark-skinned vampire named Kinsey. Kinsey?? That sounded like a girl's name. No doubt if she said that out loud it would have pissed him off.

She also met a hulking, ugly vampire named Sonny and another called Veronica. They were Sabbat.. and... right. She must have nearly got out of that situation by the skin of her teeth. If it were not for Veronica's help. For one in the Sabbat, she really was kind.

But now.. now that whole thing was a flop. Where to now? Ah, back home. Er, the shop. Well, soon it would be home. Aurora told the cab driver to go to the Old City and gave him the street and number. He started driving, and Aurora tried to remember the details of what just happened earlier. Then she remembered something else very important.

She got her phone out and decided to call Chase. Not just text. He must be really worried.

[Toilet Cobra]

Chase's relief is audible when Aurora calls; he picks up right at the end of the first ring. "Oh thank Christ," he exclaims. "Are you alright? What happened?"

His relief is a reflection of Aurora's own. Those Sabbat thugs had turned on her so quickly... if not for Veronica's insistence, she might've ended up staked. It's good to hear Chase's voice after an experience like that, though she can't help but wish (as Chase himself surely does) that he could have helped her somehow.

[WindStruck]

Aurora also quickly responds, and as cheerfully as she can anyway. "Hey Chase! Well. I'm fine. I really just wanted to call you and tell you that. I'll be coming back to the shop soon; I'm in a cab on the way there now."

She sighed, giving the cab driver a paranoid glance and continued, "Well, I can't really tell you what happened now. Maybe later when I get there. But I'm sorry you couldn't come... anyway, I think everything will be alright now..."

[Toilet Cobra]

"Alright... alright," he says. "I'm just glad you're safe. I'll see you soon." There's a moment's pause.

"Oh yeah!" he suddenly exclaims. "You'll never guess who called tonight. Rebecca wanted to know when we're going to open; she says she wants to be our first customer."
Aurora smiles at the mention of her friend. Rebecca can be a bit much from time to time, but right now seeing her would be a dash of normalcy on an otherwise weird and upsetting night.

"I told her we hadn't set our opening date yet, but that it would be soon. Another thing for us to talk about when you get here. See you soon."

Aurora and Chase exchange their goodbyes as the cab speeds towards the shop. Rebecca... she'd always held the girl at arm's length, because of her tendency to want to monopolize Aurora's attention (and because it made Chase a little bit jealous to have her hanging around). But it would be nice to see her, and maybe she owed Rebecca a call anyway.

[WindStruck]

Aurora thought on what Chase said and Rebecca calling. Hmm... well she certainly had her charms at times, but could get kind of clingy. Aurora knew she had a case of kiss addiction. It was a little unsettling, actually. Sometimes Aurora wondered if she hung out with her and Jeanne so much because she actually liked them, or she just wanted to get her fix.

But regardless, she couldn't just turn her back no her and ignore her. That would be pretty childish. And I mean, they were still friends after all anyway, right? She decided to give her a call while on the way, not paying attention which way the cab was driving.

"Hey Rebecca! What's happening? I heard you called Chase! ...are you in Philly?" Aurora greeted.

[Toilet Cobra]

As soon as she picks up, Rebecca lets out a squeal of excitement that causes Aurora to pull the phone back from her ear. "Hey girl!" Rebecca practically shouts. "I miss you like crazy! UGH this place sucks now. I called Chase just for somebody to talk to, and of course he was all "uh um uh Aurora isn't here, blah blah blah." Well nooooo duh!"

Aurora inquires, and Rebecca sadly replies in the negative. "I wish I was in Philly, but I couldn't drag myself away tonight. Sucks! But I was thinking of calling in sick tomorrow and coming down to visit! When is the store opening, anyhow? Before she left Jeanne said she had a new yoga book I should try, but before I could pick it up you guys were packing everything away!"

Aurora rolls her eyes. Rebecca already has plenty of yoga books that she never bothers to crack open. It's clear she's angling for permission to visit, probably because Chase was noncommittal with her. Thesemortals people were so transparent sometimes!

Occasionally Aurora wanted to just say "I'm not your mother! Do what you want already!" But of all of them, Rebecca did seem the most nervous that Aurora would get sick of her-- she wasn't tied to the store, and she certainly wasn't as close to Aurora as Chase was. Sometimes she needed to be reassured a bit, and what with the move to Philly, this was probably one of those times.

[WindStruck]

Aurora laughed and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Haha, don't you already have, like, a million yoga books already?" Well, it was a rhetorical question but still, she felt it was worth asking.

"Well, we're still unpacking, but we might be open in two days. You're more than welcome to drop by! Just.. maybe you shouldn't waste a sick day..? " Haha, maybe Aurora did kind of act like her mother. But not really. She didn't really feel old enough for that.


"This place is pretty cool though. We have enough room for an actual clothing section! With the sewing machine out and everything! Well, more like a corner... but still." At the very least, she and Rebecca had nearly identical fashion tastes. It's what attracted them together in the first place. And now? Aurora was making her own things.

[Toilet Cobra]

"Oh man, I cannot WAIT to see it!" Rebecca enthuses. "And don't worry, I have like a million sick days to use! They can live without me for a day or two. Anyway, I'll see you soon, ok? Misssss youuuu!"

The cab pulls up to the shop, and Aurora climbs out. The lights are on and she can see Chase walking around inside. She pays the cabbie and heads in.

It's clear that Chase has been putting his nervous energy to use; all the remaining boxes have been emptied, and he's in the process of breaking them down flat so they'll be easy to recycle. The shelves are all but crammed with goods, although they're placed somewhat haphazardly. But a little TLC and the shop will basically be ready to open!

Chase rushes over to Aurora but keeps himself at arm's length. The evening's events have clearly weighed heavily on his mind, and he's acting a bit odd. "Welcome back," he says. "Everything good?"

[WindStruck]

Aurora quickly closes the distance between herself and Chase too, but notices he's keeping his distance...

She just nods somberly to his question. "I'm really sorry Chase," she says, slowly approaching to hug him. She looks up at him nervously. "..are you ok?"

[Toilet Cobra]

Chase returns Aurora's embrace whole-heartedly. "Nah, I'm the one who's sorry," he says. "I just kinda wish we could forget about the world outside of this shop. Makes me feel... useless, I guess. Out of my depth."

"It was weirdly nice hearing from Rebecca," he says, changing topics. "She's got me thinking, though, we may want to look into a new hire for the shop. We can feel it out, but we should be looking at some seriously increased foot traffic over the New York location. Jeanne might need an assistant."

"So are we good for our opening on Friday? Gives us two days to put finishing touches on all this and put out a couple ads."

[WindStruck]

"Don't be sorry," Aurora said. But she left it at that. It seemed maybe he really didn't want to talk about it? If he wanted to forget about all of that... it would be best not to bring it up or explain anything.

"Hm, I called Rebecca after talking to you. She was pretty excited about coming over here. But as an employee? Uh, I don't know... I mean, I don't really trust her, like I trust Jeanne..." she just shrugged.

"Maybe I'll bring it up to her. See if she feels up to babysitting," Aurora said with a light laugh.

"Anyway, I think Friday is still good! We'll have plenty of time!" speaking of time, Aurora double-checked the time. It might be best to try focusing on getting the bedroom setup and sunlight proof. But the real trick was making it so the windows were still semi-usable at night...

[Toilet Cobra]

"Great," Chase smiles. "I'm really looking forward to it! And as far as hiring help, I can put together some interviews if you like. We just need a part timer, so if we're flexible on the schedule we can probably get plenty of good applicants from the college.

Oh, and Jeanne had some blackout curtains installed in your room. I don't know if they're secure enough for what you need, but they definitely block out the light. It was pitch black in there today."

Ascending the stairs, Aurora examines the curtains that Chase was talking about. They are made of a thick, multi-layered cloth that rests on a curved curtain rod. The center overlaps, while the edges sit flush against the wall. It certainly seems solid; when they're pulled closed, nothing can be seen of the streetlights outside. But even so, she considers ways to secure her room further.

She shivers at the recollection of the cramped night she just spent underground, beneath the museum. Sleeping in a stone bolthole smaller than a coffin was not a pleasant experience, but it was certainly a very secure location. Maybe being above the shop is a little risky? What if there was a fire or something, and she had to flee during the day? She'd have to work on some kind of contingency.

Thoughts for another time, perhaps. She was pleased to see that while she'd been gone, Chase had come in and organized much of the library that Aurora had unpacked earlier. He had sorted them almost exactly as they'd been setup in their previous home.

Aurora ran a hand appreciatively over the spine of one of her favorite volumes. When she was feeling unsure of herself, or when her condition had her all in a mess, nothing evened her out quite like reading one of her favorite tomes.

With her books once more in place, Aurora may now make use of her mystical library!

[WindStruck]

"Hm.. some college part-time applicant, huh? But I suppose sooner or later they're going to start asking about me though..." Sooner. Then later, they FIND OUT about you. Aurora sighed and shrugged helplessly.

"At least I've been lucky with you guys. And with the Camarilla either unaware or turning a blind eye to your knowledge. Or maybe not such a blind eye." If these mortals cross you, they will be rat bait! She couldn't help but turn away and scowl briefly at that comment.

At least the room was a change of subject. "Blackout curtains, hm? Let's have a look!" Aurora was still rather skeptical of the curtains. The street lights outside were dim as it is. Of course you wouldn't be able to see them. However, Chase's word that it was pitch black earlier even in the daytime were what ultimately convinced her. "Well, if you couldn't see the tiniest bit of light at all during the day, I think it will be safe..."

Safety was another matter entirely. What if there was a fire? What if there was a robbery? What if a meteor came crashing down and punched a hole in the roof? Ultimately, a super-secret, cramped hole in the ground would be safer. But Aurora would have none of that. Arguably, a super-secret tiny passageway into a nice bedroom would be far more ideal... but Aurora wasn't a billionaire to afford such a thing.

Still some other sort of contingency might help. Hmm... maybe with a burqa, and a light-proof van or something parked nearby to scramble into.. that was probably survivable. Maybe she'd even get out relatively unscathed by sunlight! Ick. Well, Aurora didn't really want to think about this now.

These tomes Chase had helped her finish unpack had a wealth of information. Some, perhaps too cryptic or archaic to understand. Maybe an even tinier fraction false or misleading. But for the most part, it had done her well to better understand the supernatural forces at work. One of her favorite books, which was colloquially called 'The Fey Book' was all about faeries. Their likeness, their nature, their habits, how to find them, how to please them, and how to really tick them off. History, politics, and culture as much as could be glossed over in a single volume and be understood by mortal-kind. And even how to track them, trap them, and easily kill them. Ugh.

Aurora really didn't want to do those last bits. And thus far, she had tried to attract some in New York, but results were rather inconclusive. For example, leaving freshly baked goods outside for them would usually attract them. But could one say for sure if it was a stray cat or a racoon that ate them instead? The faeries know when they are being watched, and they don't really like vampires in the slightest.

A bit too absorbed thinking about her book, Aurora snapped out of her reverie, with Chase having departed to continue putting things away downstairs. She decided to check up on the bedroom once more and get it ready. Unpacking things here and there. Sheets, comforter, and pillows on the bed. A few lamps plugged in here and there to illuminate the room. Clothes in the dresser and wardrobe....

It would still be a long night.

[WindStruck]

Most of the 'essentials' for the room were unpacked and in their proper place now. Then Aurora spent nearly a half hour more combing through the library and rearranging everything exactly as she would have liked. Then another thought crept to her mind and she went to the bedroom and gave the window more scrutiny. She checked it out from many angles at first, then parted the curtains and looked out the window at the empty streets below.

For such a touristy area, there weren't any people out. But then again it was pretty late. With a bit of finagling, she unlocked the window and opened it, listening and smelling the fresh night air. Off to the right in the distance she could hear the unmistakable sound of a club and the bass to its music. Normal people wouldn't be able to hear this just yet. She stuck her head out for a bit and looked about the street more. Still empty, though if she concentrated she thought she could even hear voices and laughter at that club, and see individual light bulbs.

Aurora closed and locked the window again and made sure to draw the curtains completely closed. They fit snugly on all portions of the wall to block out all light from that window. There was a bit more they could probably do to secure that window. Maybe get impact class, hold the bottom ends of the curtain down with weights, and maybe even a 'security bar' in front of the window as if they were trying to reinforce a door... Hm. Probably overkill with impact glass. Aurora would have to bring that up to Chase later, but for now, she felt that the room was adequately safe.

There wasn't much else to do here.. except.. Chase's stuff. They talked for a long time about this arrangement. And now they were finally going to do it. Still she didn't want to touch his belongings and move them for him. That would only result in confusion and frustration. So, she all but tiptoed back downstairs to spy on Chase for a bit, till he finally spotted her with a playful little smile on her face.

"It's starting to get late. Are you tired?" Though the question could be answered at face value, with the look on Aurora's face, Chase knew she was hinting at something else. He literally dropped what he was doing and approached with a goofy smile. She took his hand, and they both went upstairs, all lighthearted and giddy.

When they got to the bedroom, Chase nearly threw himself at Aurora, pinning her to the wall at first. Soon they lied in bed with their clothes strewn all over the room... and he still hadn't unpacked his other belongings yet. In the heat of passion, Aurora became as soft and warm, alive-like as she'll ever be, and eventually Kissed him, extracting just a bit of blood but extending that one Kiss for well over a minute. They laid in each other's arms with her head resting over Chase's chest, as they both drifted off to sleep.

Aurora takes just 1 blood point.

[Toilet Cobra]

Chase would normally be up a few hours before sunrise, but between the busy day and the eventful night, he was exhausted. Add to that Aurora's exhilarating yet physically draining Kiss, and the poor young man slept the whole day through.

So tonight he was up only a few minutes before Aurora herself. Pulling on his clothes in bed, he leans over and plants an affectionate kiss on the cool skin of her neck when he notices her stirring. It's one of the more pleasant ways to arise in the evening; with a relatively dreamless sleep and Chase's comforting presence next to her, Aurora feels like a million bucks, at least for now.

Relishing the feeling, she pulls Chase into a quick embrace before looking for her own clothes. Unlike Chase, who only has the clothes he was wearing yesterday to slip into, she has her full wardrobe here and takes her time. They chat of inconsequential things and make one another laugh, and she feels the weight of the previous night's unnerving meeting has truly lifted from them both.

Finally they descend the staircase together. Aurora is struck at how nice the shop looks; Jeanne must have finished decorating it during the day. The shelves are neat, orderly, and labelled. There are tasteful rugs on the floor, and gauzy curtains have been hung on the windows. All the decorative lights are in place, casting their festive glow on chosen portions of the shop. Aurora's sewing corner is in place, and although the clothing racks are currently standing empty she can easily picture them full of her wares. Glancing out the front window, Aurora can see the artfully painted sign out front: "Mores & Mystique." Jeanne must have had that installed today, as well!

Speaking of Jeanne, the woman herself was still present. Aurora almost didn't notice her, as she was meditating in lotus position on a mat near the window. Wearing her yoga clothes, she didn't react to Aurora's presence at all, until Chase (walking behind her) blurted "Woah! This place looks seriously nice."

"Why thank you," Jeanne smiles, her eyes fluttering open. She rises smoothly, stretches her arms over her head, and bows towards the sunset, the last rays of which still glow faintly over the horizon. Then she turns, beaming. "I came in early to get everything done off your checklist, Chase. And good thing I did, because somebody forgot to close up last night. I came in and all the lights were on, and the door swung right open!" She arches an eyebrow at Chase, and he blushes. He mumbles something about being "distracted" and getting "sidetracked." Jeanne smirks knowingly but says no more.

Walking over to the counter, she grabs a few slips of paper and turns to Chase. "Well, no harm done," she says lightly. "I managed to take care of most everything you wanted me to." She starts counting on her fingers as she recites the list. "There's cash in the register, the alarm is hooked up, the sign is out there. I got the wifi sorted out, and I made a copy of our business permits and our lease for the safe back there. Plus I spruced things up and put price tags and labels on everything."

"You've been busy," Chase says, clearly impressed. He looks between the receipts that she's handed him, tabulating what she spent on the shop's decor. "That was supposed to take, like, two days at least."

"Yeah, well, I had some free time," Jeanne shrugs with a little smile. "And anyway, I'm eager to get back to business. We still on for tomorrow for the grand opening?" She turns to Aurora and takes her hand. "I'm soooo excited to get up and running here! Are you ready to start scheduling readings again? I can still run the shop side if you're not ready, but I have some signage to hang once you are. Just to let folks know you're available!"

[WindStruck]

It most certainly was a wonderful feeling for Aurora to arise this way. This was way better than the boxes or the cramped bolt hole. It was surprisingly more peaceful than when she slept by herself.

Aurora hugged Chase again, wearing only a pair of skimpy, frilly lace bra and panties, and noticed the distinct disparity in apparel. It kind of made her want to blush at first, though the fact was they'd already been rather intimate with each other. Many times before too.

So she joked about how he was in such a hurry to get dressed in his same old clothes, and Chase blushed back. He ultimately decided to take a shower in the upstairs bathroom (the only one actually) while Aurora picked through the moving boxes containing his clothes and set out a bunch of things on the bed. Meanwhile she already had what she would wear for the day in mind...

Chase came out, and she teased him some more in her undies before taking a quick shower herself. She didn't bother washing her hair... It was too much of an ordeal and not that necessary. She'd just brush it a bunch later. Maybe even this shower wasn't.. but then again, there was that dusty ride in the truck, and well, her night in the museum was probably a bit worse than that. She still probably wasn't really dirty, but either way, she wanted to be immaculate when she met Simone.

And she would meet this new vampire and hopeful new friend with her best or maybe even craziest foot forward:

http://urglamour.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mori-Kei.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/5e/35/74/5e3574d4c4b4fed65e87c0cbe68b5209.jpg

The outfit definitely seemed for summer and summer only, but Aurora was going full on forest disney princess. Or whatever the heck she was thinking at the time. It was more revealing, yet somehow was insanely cute and looked even more innocent than normal for her.

Finally she went downstairs with Chase, quite shocked at the shape the store was in already. And the list of things Jeanne rattled off was even more impressive.

"Oh my God, Jeanne! You're the best!" is the first thing Aurora blurted out, and she ran up and gave her an excited girly hug. She'd definitely have to do something special for her after all this.

"I could definitely start doing some readings. Maybe tomorrow even. Or tonight! But I doubt any word would get around fast enough..." Her eyes wandered to the barren sewing corner of the store. "Damn! I forgot I've pretty much got no clothes to sell! Unless... hmm.."

Aurora briefly thought about rummaging through her own clothes and seeing if she might part with some of her self-made stuff. Of course, she couldn't just sell tagged stuff manufactured by other companies there with a straight face.. And she really liked many of the things she made herself a lot...

"Well, I might sell some of my old stuff. But I really need to make some things to put on that rack. Are we sure we got all the boxes??"

Aurora couldn't remember if they actually had clothes from before. Chase had mentioned something about a watered down clearance sale to ensure everything would fit in one truck, and she had been doing some last minute readings while the others were packing stuff, and quite frankly she was just too stressed and preoccupied to have payed attention to her own little 'clothing line' at the time before they moved...

[Toilet Cobra]

"There are still a few boxes of stuff in the back, but yeah, this is pretty much it," Jeanne says. "Most of that is just surplus inventory, anyway." Aurora will have to get sewing, it seems like. She could have sworn she had more things to sell... but then it's so hard to give up any of the things she's made for herself. Her closet is pretty full upstairs... but when you love each item equally, how are you supposed to pick one to let go?

As Aurora is resolving to get her clothing section filled out, come Hell or high water, Jeanne continues on her other topic. "At the old store, it seemed like most customers signed up for readings on the spur of the moment. I'm sure that once foot traffic is steady, you'll get plenty of appointments. I'll put up the signs and let people know you're ready to begin tomorrow night, ok? Just let me know if there's any time that doesn't work for you and I'll schedule around it."

"That reminds me, I have some ads to get out there," Chase says, pulling up his phone. "Since we're a go for tomorrow, I better get the word out."

"What sort of ads?" Jeanne asks. "In the paper? Or like radio?"

Chase gives her a pitying look. "Jeanne, darling, please join us in the twenty-first century when you're ready," he teases. She rolls her eyes in good humor. "I'm talking Yelp, a Reddit spot, craigslist blitz, google analytics, the whole shebang. If you search for "Philadelphia" and "New Age" tomorrow, I guarantee we're going to be the top hit. Now pardon me, ladies, while I do my thing." With a hint of exaggerated swagger, he steps behind the counter and grabs his laptop from beneath the register. Soon he's typing away, a satisfied look of intense concentration on his face.

Shaking her head, Jeanne turns back to Aurora. "Thinks he's the Don Draper of the internet age," she smirks. "But I gotta admit, your boy does know his stuff. I won't be surprised if we're jumping tomorrow. Which means I need to get some sleep!"

Jeanne pulls aurora into a quick hug. "I have to run, m'dear. Truth is, I'm about wiped out, and I still want a little Jeanne-time before I call it a night. But I'm so happy for the opening tomorrow! I know we're gonna knock 'em dead." With a wave to Chase, she heads for the door.

[WindStruck]

"Hmm... we probably wouldn't want to do schedules too far ahead. But even then, I don't know if I could guarantee anything... You know. All the... strange visitors I tend to attract." Aurora was referring to, in particular, vampires who may or may not be affiliated with certain groups, who just might tear the place apart and everyone in it if they don't get their way.

She just shrugs and leaves it at that, until Chase perks up with his internet-savvy bravado. Aurora can't help but giggle at his sheer confidence. "Hey, not just 'new age'," Aurora added. "Be sure to add 'psychic'! Or.. um... what else could you call it.. a 'medium'...? Well, let's not get too cheesy."

Aurora turns to Jeanne and asks, "Don who??" giving her a quizzical look. Was that supposed to be some actor? Aurora had never heard of it before.

But in any case, Jeanne was going. "Bye, have a good night!" she called, flailing a hand in a goodbye wave. Useful slave is a good slave. She shouldn't get so much free time.

Aurora's body tensed slightly at the comments and her skin crawled. Oh **** they were back. Again.

Happy slaves are productive. We are masters in every way! Who cares!
You're both wrong. They are just food. When's breakfast? I want some cookies.
Go back to your childhood. We don't eat that anymore.

Dear lord, how many of them are there??

Aurora tried to filter them out as they bickered amongst themselves. Trying to take her mind off it she went to the kitchen to check what they had stocked. Ironically food seemed to be what the voices were debating about now.

You simply can't bake cookies without a leavening agent. They'll come out hard and flat.
So we can't make any? Enough about cookies!

Aurora might have started trying to argue with the voices, but they seemed to be doing a good job arguing with themselves.... As she thought, all the cabinets and shelves were poorly stocked. Chase was a single guy and didn't cook much by himself. And well, Aurora was a vampire and didn't eat... still, it would be a good idea to have some stuff here so they could make food here.

Hm, and a special treat for Jeanne. Aurora couldn't help but smile and said to herself, "Hmm, cookies aren't a bad idea!" Nononono, not you, too!!

Aurora purposefully strode out of the kitchen area back to the store proper where Chase continued typing away on his laptop. "I'm going shopping!" she announced in a chipper, overly dramatic tone, pointing to the roof. Chase stopped and peered up at her with a funny look.

"Um.. well, you don't really have much food here... and, um, I thought I'd bake some cookies for Jeanne later tonight..? You could have some too!"

[Toilet Cobra]

A few emotions flash across Chase's face at Aurora's sudden declaration, but in the end he just nods and checks his watch. "It's almost nine," he says, "and Jeanne only eats that locally-sourced, fair-trade, gluten-free sh stuff. You'll have to hurry if you want to get to a store that'll sell what you need to bake for her... want me to drive you to a Whole Foods?"

[WindStruck]

Crap, almost nine already?? Then again, she and Chase were probably fooling around a bit too much after they woke up...

"Oh.. well, I guess if that's the only time we can get this.. or maybe I could do it tomorrow. Hmm... Ugh, and I'm interrupting your work. It's not a big deal, is it? Do you need anything?"

Well, in Aurora's opinion he probably needed a lot of things. Maybe not. But she supposed it might be a good opportunity for him to buy food, if anything. Unless they just wait till tomorrow.

[Toilet Cobra]

"Oh no, we got time tonight!" Chase assures her. He points at the laptop's screen. "I've had all this stuff ready for a while, it was just a matter of pushing the button and setting it in motion. I'm almost done here, and besides I should be doing some shopping of my own. So it's no trouble."

[WindStruck]

Aurora nods and goes to find her purse, which she almost absentmindedly forgot to bring. Would be kind of hard to buy things with no money. And then realizing the time again, she decided to give Simone a call, as she was instructed, while Chase was finishing up with his computer work.

Digging the old museum flier out to read the number. Hmm. Really need to write this information down in an address book or something...

The phone began to ring. Aurora only was hoping to set up their appointment for later tonight.

[Toilet Cobra]

The phone makes it to the fourth ring before anyone picks up. The sounds of traffic can be heard in the background; an echo-y horn honks in the distance. The voice that answers is that of a gruff-sounding woman, not old but gravely and unfeminine. Her tone seems a bit annoyed, though her words are polite enough.

"This is Simone," she says simply. "To whom am I speaking?"

[WindStruck]

Well, this didn't seem like it was off to a good start.

"Oh! Miss Simone! This is Aurora. Maxwell called you two nights ago about me? ..should I call you back later? You seem busy."

so I'm still operating under the assumption that Aurora was instructed to call Simone tonight first in order to set up the appointment time.

So she has not called to bother her before. :smalltongue:

[Toilet Cobra]

"Oh... OH! Aurora!" Simone exclaims. "I'd almost forgotten!"almost nothing, she definitely forgot

"Yes, Mr. Maxwell did tell me we should meet. And if a fraction of what he told me about you is true, then I completely agree! Does tonight still work for you? I'm swamped most of the rest of the week but I might be able to move things around."

[WindStruck]

Aurora smiles while speaking on the phone, somewhat relieved that Simone seemed nicer once she actually knew who she was talking to (kind of).

"Tonight will work just fine! I mean, it's kind of what I assumed, but didn't want to get ahead of myself. I thought I was supposed to call you first. So shall we meet at your place? Mine? Before midnight, hopefully?"

[Toilet Cobra]

"Let's make it my place," she replies quickly. "Say, ten or ten-thirty? Do you have my address?"

She rattles off an address some distance to the East. "Cross the bridge and turn right at the first exit," she says. "Look for the red light. I'll keep an eye out for you."

Her mood seems to have elevated considerably over the course of your brief conversation, and she seems almost bubbly with excitement.

"I prefer you come alone," she adds, "but I was told you have a manservant? Will they be coming, too?"

[WindStruck]

Right, this is the same address Maxwell gave Aurora, she believed...

"Manservant.. well if you prefer he does not come along with me, that is.. acceptable. He has, uh, some work to do anyway, and I doubt being in another kindred's domain is his niche..."

It probably seemed Aurora was letting on to something else. Perhaps more than a 'manservant'? But how could one say for sure, examining a stranger over the phone?

[Toilet Cobra]

Whether or not Aurora has let something slip about Chase, she's not certain. But if she has, it seems to sail right over Simone's head, and the woman plows on.

"Great! I prefer a one-on-one, anyhow," she says. "And I never know how to entertain mortals, anyhow. I'll see you soon, okay? Looking forward to it."

She hangs up, and Aurora glances at her phone. Strange woman, and not the most subtle, either. or SO subtle she appeared dim? But Simone seemed alright... mostly. I have a bad feeling

Please make a Perception + Awareness roll @ Difficulty 7.
**Aurora scores 2 successes**

There's a slight feeling of pins and needles in Aurora's palm... an a faint, lingering echo in the ear that was just pressed to her phone. These strange phenomena don't mean anything in and of themselves, but still Aurora has a strong sense of deja-vu... this feelingThe key!THE KEY!

That's right! The feeling in her hand fades, but when Aurora quickly retrieves the museum key that Prince Rodney had gifted to her, the pins and needles come rushing back. It's as if her phone had briefly carried the same charge of magic blood magic! Vile Thaumaturgy! that the key holds all the time.

Did Simone cast some kind of spell on her? ...was such a thing even possible over the telephone?

[WindStruck]

Aurora couldn't help but feel some kind of suspicion.. and she really had no clue what the hell just happened. Obviously something happened though...

She looked at her phone blankly for a bit and then the key before putting them both away. That was when Chase had just about wrapped up and came over to see what she was doing and if she was ready.

"I just called someone... hmm, I never told you did I? There was a woman I was planning on meeting tonight. It's a bit more of that vampire business... but at least this is a meeting I was already expecting to arrange, not some random uninvited Sabbats."

She gave Chase an uncertain look, however, as not only was doubt flowing through her mind about this upcoming meeting, but of course Chase never really felt comfortable with these matters either.

We could now go and get stuff from one of those natural food stores, if you'd like. And if absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happens, you don't have to write a whole lengthy post about the trip.

[Toilet Cobra]

Aurora's call to Simone was equal parts reassuring and disconcerting. Reassuring, because she didn't seem so bad-- Prince Rodney had warned Aurora that she was a 'formidable Elder', but she had come across friendly, even approachable (once the ice was broken, anyhow). But on the other hand, Aurora knew she had felt the presence of magic. What had Simone done? And more to the point, why had she done it?

All Elders played a deep game, simply as a matter of survival. And Independents, like Simone, had to play twice as hard to make it in a dangerous city like Philadelphia. Suddenly, Aurora was having second thoughts about this meeting-- what did this woman want with her? She'd agreed to see her so readily... was it simply because Rodney had asked as a favor? But why would Rodney have asked a favor on our behalf? He fears us! Fool, what the Prince fears, he slays! But perhaps he simply--

Aurora rubbed her temples, futilely willing the voices to stop their pointless argument. She didn't know enough about Simone, or Rodney for that matter, to make an informed judgement. She would just have to stay on her toes and try not to get ensnared in any Elder's web. Unless of course, she could gain something from it. She had come to Philadelphia for employment, after all, and having a powerful patron was a good way to ensure one's safety. Just as dear Felix had done for her in New York, the right Elder on her side could mean everything here.

Chase was talking-- they were in the car-- but poor Aurora was simply not available. She tried to follow his words, but eventually he gave up on conversation and let her be. They spent some time wandering through a health food store, picking out ingredients (baking vegan cookies was a tricky prospect, it seemed). An older woman with blonde dreadlocks complimented Aurora on her cute outfit, which brought a smile, but in truth she was a million miles away.

The time passed in a flash, and before she knew it, Chase was taking Aurora to her meeting. They drove over the bridge, looking for the 'first right.' This took them down a side street that straddled the river. This wasn't a neighborhood-- in fact, it seemed almost industrial. Warehouses with large parking lots and tall chain-link fences seemed to dominate both sides of the street. Chase drove for about a block before Aurora saw what she was looking for: a pair of dim red lights were shining on the gate of a particularly tall, barbed-wire-topped fence. The fence was sheeted with hard plastic, making it difficult to see inside, though Aurora could make out the top of another tall warehouse inside the lot. Other than the better-than-average security, it appeared no different from any other.

Chase pulled to a stop in front of the gate. "Is this the place?" he asked dubiously.

"I'm... not sure," Aurora replied. "She said she'd be waiting for me, so I don't know..."

Almost on cue, the gate began rumbling into motion. The opaque fence panel slid aside to reveal an empty parking lot, and on the opposite side a low brick building. Adjoining the warehouse's metal wall, it looked like it might be some sort of administrative building for a shipping business. Although there were no cars, Aurora could see lights on inside.

"Babe, I know I say this a lot. But I have kind of a bad feeling about this..." Chase murmurs. "We can just go home, if you want."

Aurora's next move is up to you. If you'd like to make a roll to look for anything specific, or make use of Auspex, feel free to do so.

[WindStruck]

"I've got a bad feeling too... and yet, here we are..." Aurora said, looking over to Chase morosely. She didn't want to have to put him through this.

"Listen, Chase... If something happens to me, just.. keep the shop going with your business savvy. Till you can find a good company to work for, or heck, even start up your own! And then maybe you could get a real girlfriend and..."

It tore Aurora apart even thinking of putting Chase through that kind of heartbreak, and she sobbed, "I'm sorry! I just.. I feel like I've got to do this! To just.. so if this works, it will be safer for us! But... now... I don't know... but I know I can't keep doing this to you."

So instead of any rolls, Aurora turns into a gibbering puddle in Chase's arms. :smalltongue:

She manages to compose herself briefly. "I think I've got an idea."

She texted to Maxwell, the prince's ghoul, one single message: "At Simone's front gate right now. We have talked and I have been invited in. If by chance I disappear... you know where to look first."

Not exactly like Aurora felt the Camarilla here might care especially much about her being killed. Maybe they'd take offense to that, maybe not, but an elder vampire killing other kindred might make some concern... and perhaps, maybe the prince won't direct the next rookie over into her domain. This was all assuming the two weren't in cahoots with each other anyway. Oh boy... but that would just be a crazy conspiracy theory. ...right?

[Toilet Cobra]

Chase’s eyes go wide. “Jesus, Aurora, what are you saying??” he asks, as she collapses, blubbering, into his arms. He tries in vain to comfort her, but nothing he says seems to get through. Finally, he turns back to the wheel and reaches for the gearshift.

“That’s it,” he says. “We’re getting out of here. I don’t care if-”

“NO!” Aurora shouts, hiccuping through tears. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Aurora, baby, it can’t be worth-”

“I said no,” she snaps, wiping her eyes. A hush descends in the car as she collects herself. “I’m doing this for our sake,” she says, “I can’t just go home and hope everything will work out!”

Chase is silent. What can he say to that? In the quiet, her phone beeps. It’s a reply text from Maxwell:

Do you need backup miss? Sherrif is available, pack can be rallied in 5- mins

[WindStruck]

Aurora manages to text back quickly Nonono im just telling you what im doing now in case something happens. I have to meet her alone.

"Listen. I just contacted the Camarilla. Just to let them know where I'm at. So... I think..." she says, closing her eyes and trying to calm down, but thinking perhaps Maxwell might be overreacting now, "I think.. as long as Simone knows that, she probably won't try anything..."

She looks over at Chase, "But still, I'm really sorry for doing this to you. For putting myself in such a situation, when I know you care so much.. but I promise.. this will be the last time." She sighs and says, "Well.. I guess, until we're absolutely forced yet again..."

Aurora shakes her head as a weak but wry smile forms on her face. She can't really muster the will to give him a peck on the cheek, but she looks at him longingly for a few seconds before opening the car door and stepping out.

Everything will be alright, she tried to tell herself.

But other voices in her head laughed taunting remarks. Haha, it's our funeral. Wait, we don't get funerals, do we?

She tried to ignore that voice and thought more, If this does work out, we should all be much safer.

The atmosphere was eerily quiet save for the motor of Chase's car, cool, derelict, and ominous. It was absolutely no place for a girl to be, and especially completely unarmed and dressed as Aurora was. Still, she advanced on, first giving the whole area a very long scan with her eyes, her ears, and nose as she came up to the gate...

[roll0]
(bonus Danger)

Then, assuming she did not spot sinister figures hiding in the shadows with knives or gunmen hiding in the windows, or the like, she closed her eyes and slowly stepped across the gate boundary with arms slightly apart, the night breeze flowing through her hair and clothes and caressing her skin. Her supernatural senses were fully opened and heightened as she took those few steps, divining for any danger or other presences.

[roll1]
(with Auspex 2 and bonus to Danger)

Ah, and I'm also forgetting about Danger Sense merit which.. still wondering how exactly it works. Did it already go off when she called Simone??

[Toilet Cobra]

Excellent perception rolls!

Danger Sense mostly applies when you don't suspect anything dangerous. It allows me to roll Perception + Awareness on your behalf when you don't otherwise believe you need to. As it happens the thing with the phone was NOT an example of Danger Sense, though it could have been; I made the judgement call that Aurora, thanks to her exceptional senses and mystical knowledge, is entitled to a roll to sense when she is encountering magical phenomena.
Aurora stood in the gate a moment, absorbing information from all her senses. The night air was cool and damp on her skin, redolent with the smells of the nearby river. Somewhere the wind was causing a beer can to skitter across pavement.

She doesn't sense anything nearby, living or otherwise. No guard dogs, no watchmen standing vigilant. There are security cameras, and the lights are on in the entrance to the low brick office, but there doesn't seem to be a single soul present.

But even so, something is amiss... Aurora's skin is prickling from head to toe. Her vampiric senses detect a strange heaviness in the air, beyond the dampness of the riverside. Though Aurora doesn't see anything suspicious in particular, the whole area fairly reeks of magic. But what kind? And to what end?

The gate begins to rumble closed again, and Aurora steps inside. She spares a last glance for Chase, her poor, sweet, forlorn boy, before the fence closes between them.

The lights overhanging the office quickly wink off and on; clearly someone is trying to signal her. Fighting back her nervousness, she makes her way forward, crossing the lot slowly. The feeling of prickles on her skin intensifies, and the oppressiveness of the air increases. By the time she reaches the building's entrance, she feels as though she's walking underwater, and every step takes an effort.

But as soon Aurora places her hand on the door's metal latch, there's a sharp zap of static on her palm, and abruptly the feeling of pressure lifts completely. She blinks in sudden surprise-- her goosebumps fade, and suddenly the parking lot doesn't seem ominous at all. Everything appears completely mundane.

Wondering at this strange turn of events, Aurora opens the door and steps inside. She finds she's standing in a well-lit waiting room, with a secretary's desk on the left and the right side of the room taken up by chairs surrounding a table scattered with aged magazines. A door on the opposite side of the room seems to lead to the warehouse floor; a logo on the glass declares this the office of a business called "American Shipping Concepts Unlimited."

The warehouse door opens smoothly, and a stocky young woman steps out. Aurora is used to being shorter than everyone she meets, and so is surprised to see that this woman is almost exactly her same height. She's considerably broader, though-- she has the build of an athlete. Although not unlovely, her firm, muscular physique certainly outweighs Aurora's, despite their similar stature. Her stylish, sharply cut blouse and slacks do nothing to soften her profile. A silver pendant hangs at her neck, and although its name escapes her, Aurora vaguely recalls that the talisman is a protective symbol of some sort-- and quite an old one, at that.

The woman has long blonde hair that hangs straight, framing a heart-shaped face and sparkling eyes of pale blue. Her smile is broad and uninhibited. Although youthful, her age is impossible to guess; she has the unique, ageless look of someone who was Embraced young but has since lived many, many years. She could be a mature 18 or a youthful 30's, but her attitude says she's closer to the former. Or at least she was when she was a human.

She strides directly over to Aurora. “Aurora? Why, just look at you!” she exclaims. “I’m Simone, we spoke earlier? My, aren’t you a cutie!” She looks Aurora up and down. “Your outfit is amazing. What label is that?”

[WindStruck]

"Mmhmm, that's me," Aurora says with nervousness all but gone for the time being. At the compliment to her outfit, she can't help but smile and say with a light laugh, "No label. Made it all myself! I'm sort of into tailoring... among other things..."

"And you, miss Simone. A pleasure to meet you." she says politely, extending a hand for a handshake.

I bet if they touch, she will feel even more blood magic. :smalltongue:

[Toilet Cobra]

Simone takes Aurora's hand eagerly, and when she does Aurora feels another small jolt of electricity-- less intense than the one she'd felt at the entrance, but otherwise the same. Simone doesn't seem to notice, though, and plows right along.

"Oh. My god." she breathes. Her hand goes lightly to Aurora's sleeve. "You made this?? And I thought I was talented. You look like a princess!" she gushes.

"Well, let's not stand in the entrance all night," she says brightly. "Come with me! I'm right through here."

At Simone's urging, Aurora follows her into the warehouse. She turns a sharp right, bypassing the rows upon rows of metal shelves that stretch all the way up to the ceiling. Crates of wood and metal line those shelves, large enough that only a forklift could move them, but oddly Aurora doesn't see any labels or identification. Or a forklift, for that matter.

Simone stops at a metal fire door, marked "River Drainage Access - Authorized Employees Only." She retrieves a keycard from her pocket, waves it at the door, and it unlatches with a thunk. When she pushes the door open, it reveals a narrow metal staircase that descends sharply into the earth. Harsh yellow lights glow overhead, and a large orange sign hangs on the wall at eye-level, warning that anyone entering the area should take all precautions to avoid a suffocation risk posed by noxious fumes. The sign features a skull superimposed over wavy lines hovering next to a large biohazard symbol.

"Don't mind that!" Simone assures her guest with a smile. "Just something to discourage curiosity." At the bottom of the stairs stands another door, even heavier than the first, and a keypad offers entry after Simone enters a six-digit code.

Finally, the two women enter Simone's lair. The walls and floor are of harsh concrete, but warm lighting and generous decorations soften the starkness of the large circular room. Thick carpets cover most of the floor, tall bookshelves and medieval portraits hide the walls. An antique oak desk sits against one wall, with a laptop sitting closed on it; the only other furniture are a pair of leather wingback chairs that sit in the center of the room, dominating the scene. Simone seems to have a preference for the old; most of her furniture is carved in elaborate fashion, everything is aged wood and sculpted stone, and if these rugs are less than a hundred years old, Aurora would eat one.

"I'm sorry I haven't had time to organize," she apologizes. She picks up a large leatherbound tome off the small table that rests between the leather chairs, marks her place, and quickly tucks it back onto a nearby shelf. "I've been so busy. But when Maxwell told me you'd like to meet, I had to make time! I have so much to ask you. How are you liking Philadelphia, for starters?"

[WindStruck]

Aurora follows Simone with caution, though at this point, why stop now? She can't help but think she's just been saying stuff she'd want to hear, but.. well, you never know if it's genuine or not.

She replies, "I suppose it's been alright, so far. The prince and you have been most hospitable. My shop is coming along.. though there are dangers. Apparently, more than were in New York... thankfully I don't think I've run into them yet..."

She gives a noncommital shrug. Probably the best, most honest answer she could give. It hasn't been bad, she thought, though she hasn't been here that long...

"Uh, Miss Simone, would you mind if I asked you a question or two?"

First Aurora asks about that aura or feeling she felt when approaching the building. Some kind of magical security.. thing?

And second... the phone call. Did she use some kind of blood magic across the phone??

[Toilet Cobra]

"Ah... well..." Simone has the good grace to look chagrined at Aurora's question. "Living Independent in this city, you develop a... a healthy paranoia, just as a matter of survival. When Maxwell called me up out of the blue and said I should meet with you, I didn't know what to think but I got a little nervous. I thought that maybe Rodney was displeased with me and was arranging my... removal."

She gives Aurora another winning smile. "I'm impressed you sensed my spell," she says. "Most vampires can sense something when they enter my perimeter defenses. But the spell I put on my phone is much smaller, much more subtle. I've used it dozens of times and I think you're the first to notice it."

She sits in one of the two leather chairs, and invites Aurora to take the other. "As for what it does, it's just a simple truth-telling charm. Not one hundred percent effective, but better than nothing. And without the support of a Sect, you just have to be really careful, y'know? I hope you're not upset with me."

[WindStruck]

Aurora laughs, growing a little nervous too. "Honestly, I was nervous about this meeting too. I mean, I didn't know you at all. An elder vampire and all, supposedly. And the prince had just told me about all these others that would commit diablerie..."

"But then after that phone call and the magic, that got me really paranoid, and then you weren't too far away from my shop, but it turned out this whole place was a creepy warehouse, and..."

She pauses with a breath, good thing this air wasn't really toxic. Or perhaps, that her body didn't need air. And she sat down on one of the couches, quite relieved.

"I thought there was a good chance I'd die just coming here..." You'll never see it coming... Before this is over, she will have you sacrificing your life willingly!

[Toilet Cobra]

Simone shakes her head, idly twirling a golden lock around her finger. "Well, I think we can agree we've both been a little silly," she sighs. "Why don't we start again, without any preconceptions? You seem a nice enough sort to me, and I think you'll come to find I'm pretty much harmless."

Changing topics, she gestures to her shelves full of books. "Are you a practitioner of the Art, Aurora?" she asks. "You spotted my spells easily enough, so clearly you must have a grasp on things mystical. Did you have any formal training? My sire taught me the basics of what I know, though the rest I had to figure out on my own when I inherited his library."

[WindStruck]

"..the art? Blood magic? No, I never learned anything about that," she said, shaking her head. "But... I am quite sensitive."

"Speaking of preconceptions, what is it exactly that you heard about me? A lot of people get the facts wrong..."

[Toilet Cobra]

"Oh, I've heard all manner of things... most of which sounded like pure baloney," Simone laughs. "For example, I heard that you were a master of blood magic, along with ten other Disciplines. From your age alone I knew that couldn't be true, even if you were some kind of prodigy."

"But one thing everyone agrees on is that you're an oracle of some sort, and that's a magic I've always been intrigued by," she says. "And I've tried it all-- astrology, oneiromancy, alectryomancy. A hundred flavors of cleromancy. I even dabbled in hieromancy, which is just... yechhh. But in all that time I've never so much as glimpsed a moment into the true future."

"It was something I'd hoped to discuss with you," she shrugs, "at some point, anyway. But to be honest it's nice to just have somebody to chat with. I know I'm Independent and you're Sect, but I get the feeling that we're both kind of loners, at least as far as other Kindred go."

[WindStruck]

"Wow, that's a lot of 'mancies'... it all sounds made up!" Aurora said, and she can't help but laugh.

"Ah, sorry, I mean no offense though," she said, still smiling. "At least it sounds like you've got a level head, because that's about all that's true. But to be honest, a lot of what I see can be pretty random or quite... metaphorical? Regardless, I've found that there is a nasty drawback.. in that, whenever I tell anyone about a vision, they don't believe me.. so... I've just learned by now not to tell anyone. Or just be really vague. That tends to reduce the backlash a lot, you know?"

Or maybe Simone had no clue what she was talking about anymore.

"Well. Anyway, so you've studied a lot of different kinds of magic, right? I'm pretty curious though. What is your story? You don't have to get too personal.."

[Toilet Cobra]

"I figured it would be something like that," Simone says, smiling ruefully. "After all, if your oracular abilities were perfect, I imagine you'd be running this town. Still, I'd be interested in discussing it. I know a lot about warding off curses, so maybe it's possible that I can help with that drawback? Something to look into, somenight."

"As for me, there's not that much to tell," Simone says. "I was embraced in the nineteen-twenties into a small Independent clan. My Sire wanted an assistant with his magic, so he taught me a lot. I basically spent all my nights reading and doing menial spell-work for him. Then when he passed a few years ago, I packed up and came to Philadelphia. I thought my talents might be in demand here, and I didn't have a lot of allies, so it seemed like a good place to find some friends."

That... is quite a truncated story for ninety-plus years of life as a Kindred. Aurora's caution begins to rise again. Simone makes no mention of whom her Sire actually was, where she lived before Philadelphia, or even which Independent clan she's a member of.

On the other hand, Aurora can understand caution. Perhaps Simone's past is compromising somehow? It would make sense for her not to spill her whole life story to somebody she just met. Maybe she's Tzimisce-antitribu or something equally shunned. ALL blood-witches should be shunned! No, exiled! Hunted!

"It's been tricky," she continues. "The Tremere are powerful here, and they're not super pleased at a non-Sect magician in their town. I sense them probing my havens all the time, and I know they badmouth me to the Prince at every opportunity. But even they can't deny my spells are powerful." She smirks. "I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces when the Toreador Primogen commissioned me to strengthen all the Elysium wards, they must have been spitting blood. And believe you me, I found plenty of stuff that needed improving."

[WindStruck]

"Personally, I'd think if my abilities were perfect, that could be even more terrifying. I mean, thinking about it, what if you could perfectly see the future? And then you saw something horrible, but couldn't change it? Ever seen the movie, Paycheck?" Aurora asked. It was a movie about a guy who built a machine that could predict the future and had his memory erased, but left enough clues so he could vindicate himself and ultimately destroy the machine. He said, 'If you show someone their future, they have no future. If you take away the mystery, you take away the hope.'

Aurora did find the lack of details noteworthy, so she probed a little. "So, the roaring 20's, eh? If you don't mind my asking, who was your sire? And your clan?" In all honesty, Aurora was merely interested. If it was some other shunned group, what could she do about that anyway? Well, except see herself out. Assuming she knew anything about this mystery clan in the first place... But either way, that usually said little of the individuals.

"Ah, so you warded the museum? That must be why the magic seemed so familiar..." Aurora said, taking out the key given to her to show to Simone briefly. "The prince was gracious enough to let me spend some nights in the Elysium until I got settled. Though honestly I only spent one night there. Hmm. I think I need to return this key. I'm settled in now, but I mean, it's nowhere near as secure as your place... Or that museum. But.. ick. I can't stand the thought of staying in a cramped dirty hole that's smaller than a coffin every night..."

I know, it messes with the mind to be involved in like 3 conversations at once. xD

I'm thinking the first two topics, we'll just let die out for now. And I'll continue on with the last topics stated from now on?

[Toilet Cobra]

"Well, the Tremere placed the wards originally. But it was some really sloppy work! The keys didn't always function, and the wards didn't always keep things out. Plus the spells were leaking energy everywhere, causing all kinds of problems. Looking at their design I felt like they must've been in a real rush... though to be fair, there's a lot of Elysium to cover. I went in after the fact and got things 'up to code,' if you get me. Took me ages on my own but I managed."

She brushes aside Aurora's previous question. "My Sire wasn't a well-known name," she says, "and although he was a real sweetheart, he wasn't really anybody of consequence. As for my clan, I guess I kind of ditched them? No support structure and a ton of baggage; I'd rather be seen as a Caitiff, frankly." She fidgets in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "I mean, as a Malkavian I'm sure you're used to people having all sorts of preconceived notions about you. It's a real headache."

"And speaking of headaches... I guess this is Camarilla business... but shouldn't you be a Primogen? I mean," she shrugs, "you may be the only Malkavian in town, but somebody has to speak up for your clan's interests, right?"

[WindStruck]

Well, Aurora certainly nodded to Simone's insight. There's a lot of preconceived notions about certain backgrounds. Perhaps it would be best not to bring anything up on the subject anymore.

To the talk of Camarilla business, Aurora suddenly looked worried. "Primogen??" she asked, knowing full well what that is, but confused from the reason that was suggested in itself. "I... really don't think I know what other Malkavs as a whole even want. And even if I did, I'm not that strong or knowledgeable on these.. politics."

She shook her head and said, "Honestly, I'm not very interested in all that business. I guess I just adhere to a lot of Camarilla customs because it's been the simplest, easiest way to keep alive and stay out of trouble... and the whole 'Masquerade' thing isn't a bad idea. I think a lot of people would go nuts if they found out we existed..."

[Toilet Cobra]

"It's good that you keep an open mind about your affiliations," Simone comments. "So many ancillae become diehard believers, they don't even consider there's any other way than the Camarilla way.

"That said, I am a firm believer in the masquerde. Not just because it keeps us safe, but can you imagine the world we'd live in if the Kindred were public figures? It wouldn't be as nice as they make it look on True Blood. Most of the vampires I've met, present company excluded, would run riot on the mortals if they weren't kept in check somehow." She shakes her head. "No, the Camarilla annoys me at times, and Rodney himself is like... Lord Killjoy Ballbuster the First. But it's better than nothing, and in my opinion MUCH better than the insanity of the Sabbat."

The conversation lulls a bit, as Aurora isn't adept at (or interested in) Simone's political inquiries. She asks a few personal questions ("Tell me about that cute Ghoul that drove you here!") but quickly tires of being cagey.

"Soooo..." she says, smirking a little. "I suppose eventually we have to get to the point, right? I don't think that Rodney set this meeting up just so we could share fashion tips. Maxwell wasn't forthcoming, but now I get the impression that the Prince wanted me to assist you in some way." She leans back, eyes twinkling as she watches Aurora over steepled fingers. "So, my dear, what precisely can I do for you?"

[WindStruck]

"Tell me about that cute Ghoul that drove you here!"

"Oh. Him? You saw him?? Er... uh.. well, full disclosure..." Aurora leans closer and looks as if she's about to speak but hesitates more than dramatically. Clearly she's quite uncomfortable with what she might say next. "He's.. um.. well, he's n-not a ghoul..." Another pause. "...he's my boyfriend."

If Aurora could blush, her cheeks would be bright, rosy red at this point. Then again, given her close ties to humanity, her former self before she became this.. was that a little color on her cheeks anyway?


"Soooo..." she says, smirking a little. "I suppose eventually we have to get to the point, right? I don't think that Rodney set this meeting up just so we could share fashion tips. Maxwell wasn't forthcoming, but now I get the impression that the Prince wanted me to assist you in some way." She leans back, eyes twinkling as she watches Aurora over steepled fingers. "So, my dear, what precisely can I do for you?"

Aurora was also silent this time, but in contemplation. She had thought about what she might say or propose to this Simone person, but obviously she hadn't thought nearly hard enough to carry an adequate discussion.

"Well... I don't think it's that the Prince means to ask something of you for my sake. When I spoke to him, he mentioned the.. importance of allies. And that I would be safer if I had a powerful person or persons who.. found me useful?"

At this point the exact words were hazy to Aurora, but she thought it was something along those lines. "So.. I guess I'm here to see if there's anything I can do for you. But in return, anything you could provide to help me stay safe would be appreciated. Well, almost anything," Aurora said. She didn't really want to live in some kind of bunker. She had a shop to run with friends!

[Toilet Cobra]

"Ah," Simone sighs, nodding ruefully. "I get it. Rodney plays a deep game, doesn't he? Knowing that I rely on him, he wants to bind us together, so that he can control us both while keeping the appearance of distance. But he doesn't demand we work together. He just offers to introduce us to one another, knowing that neither of us has the luxury of turning away a potential ally. You have to admire it, I guess."

"Well! What do I require?" she pauses. "First and foremost, an assistant would be nice. Independents aren't allowed to Embrace or even keep Ghouls here in Philadelphia, by decree of you-know-who. So I'm working completely on my own, and the work is piling up around my ears. Aside from that, I guess there's the vitae requirements. I burn through so much power in my work that I'm always hungry. I spend every other night hunting and that slows down my progress, too. If I had somebody else to rely on for vitae it would be an immense help.'

"And of course there's the matter of your unique skills," she continues. "Not to sound crude, but... I'd like to study you. For our mutual benefit, of course! But if I could see the future, even just a tiny glimpse, that'd be worth a very great deal to me. And if I can dampen that curse you're suffering under, then everybody wins!"

She glances at her shelves full of books. "That's what you can do for me," she says, "and I realize it's a tall order. But I think I can make it worth your while. You already know that protection is my forte. We could ward your havens, and to a lesser extent, I can ward you personally." She gives a wry smirk and doesn't quite meet Aurora's eyes. "Your boyfriend, too, if you like. And that's really just the beginning. If you're up for helping in my work, I'd have to teach you what I know." She gestures around her lavish yet cramped haven. "What do you think, Aurora? I know it's not Hogwarts, exactly. But I could teach you what I know, and with no false modesty, I know a whole hell of a lot. So you want to learn some magic?"

[WindStruck]

Huh.. a deep game? Aurora hadn't really thought about it like that. Was this really some ploy to 'bind them together'? That didn't seem to make much sense, honestly. Aurora reasonably expected they might accomplish nothing here and part ways. But two new friends helping each other... how could that be a disadvantage?

Speaking of the 'help', Aurora was a little uncomfortable with the options presented. For one, vitae... it seemed she had enough trouble sustaining herself.. at the expense of her friends. Did Simone expect her to like, lure people down here to feed off of them or something?? Or drain Chase even more?? She really didn't look comfortable with this.

And she wasn't all that keen on being 'studied' either. She supposed it would depend on the nature of the experiments, but still. Perhaps it was something best left alone.

That left the matter of being an 'assistant'. What exactly did that entail? "So, uh.. you need an assistant.. who also knows the kind of magic you know? What kind of 'work' is it that you do here anyway??"

[Toilet Cobra]

"I'm sort of a magical Jack-of-all-trades," Simone replies, "but mostly? I'm a defense contractor. Here in Philadelphia, nobody feels totally safe, so I do wards, illusions, and enchantments to protect Havens, businesses, gathering places... mortals of interest, that sort of thing. When regular security won't cut it, that's when they call me."

She winks conspiratorially. "And the cash is just... obscene. I started my shell business just to have something to do with the money. You wouldn't believe what your paranoid Elders are willing to pay for a little peace of mind."

She sees Aurora's discomfort but misinterprets it. "You wouldn't be involved in anything sinister," she says reassuringly. "I'm not, like, some kind of evil witch, whatever you've heard. People try to hire me to curse their enemies or whatever all the time, but I always turn them down. NO money is that good."

[WindStruck]

Aurora nods. "I see... well, I suppose I could give it a shot... erm, definitely nothing full-time or anything. I am trying to run a little shop, myself!" she says with a bit of light, if not nervous laughter.

Oh boy. She wasn't sure if she was up to this. How much would Simone be asking for, exactly? Well at least on the positive side, if all of .. whatever this was ended up working out, she'd rarely have to struggle figuring out to do with her time...

[Toilet Cobra]

Even though Aurora's agreement is tentative, even half-hearted, Simone squeals with delight and claps her hands. "That's wonderful!" she beams. "Oh this is going to be fun!" She hops out of her seat and, taking Aurora's hands, pulls her to her feet. Simone guides her over to the nearest book case.

"Wow, where to begin?" she murmurs to herself, looking at all the tomes on her shelves. "I suppose you may as well start the same place I did, after all it worked for me." She plucks out a relatively new volume; it's bound in rugged black leather and the front is stamped with the words De Vermis Mysteriis in gold leaf. Below the title lies the legend "On the Potency and Applications of the Worm's Blood." Someone, presumably Simone, has added dozens of thin bookmarks to the pages of the book, which poke up from the top like a colorful paper thicket.

"This one was originally written by a mortal, believe it or not," Simone says, quickly pressing the heavy book into Aurora's hands. "Ludwiig Prinn. The guy didn't really get us, he thought we were literal demons and like, mindlessly evil. So it's a bit grim? But just ignore his mysticism, stick to the practical stuff and you can learn tons. This is the same book I started with and it really jump-started my learning. I know it's a bit dense but try to have it wrapped up in a week or so and then we can really get to work."

Despite her misgivings Aurora follows dutifully as Simone hurries across the room to her desk and begins rifling through the drawers, talking the entire time. "You'll need a focii and a silver stylus and... where the hell is... aha!" Along with a few other oddments, she withdraws a pendant from her desk's bottom drawer. Aurora can see it's the same odd, spiky sigil (https://img0.etsystatic.com/106/0/6799064/il_fullxfull.855580730_m3me.jpg) that Simone herself wears. "This is the Monas Hieroglyphica, aka Prospero's Talisman," she says. "Heavy stuff. The symbol itself is a powerful protective charm, and then I've enchanted it to bejesus and back. This one is my backup, but I want you to have it. It should keep you safe." She presses it into Aurora's hand. Aurora, expecting a tingle or a shock to the palm, is surprised to feel nothing other than inert, cool metal, strangely dense but otherwise unremarkable.

Simone gives Aurora a wink and a playful nudge with her elbow. "Gotta take care of my apprentice, right?" she grins. "It's all kinds of helpful so I recommend wearing it all the time, but definitely make sure you have it on while you read De Vermis. Or any of my books, for that matter, just trust me."

[WindStruck]

"Hrm," Aurora said to herself, looking at the book and the necklace. Something seemed ominous about all this...

"Protective magic, you say? It's strange, I don't think I can feel anything in this. What exactly does it do? How does it protect you? And from what?"

[Toilet Cobra]

Simone ponders the best way to answer for a moment. "Well, as for how, the Monas is a kind of magical ground," she says. "Or a heat sink, if you like. Magic builds up and the Monas drains it away." She thoughtfully fondles the pendant that dangles at her throat. "As for the what... well... how to put this without totally creeping you out?" she says with a nervous chuckle. "The secrets of magic are dangerous by themselves, even when you're just reading out of a second-printing book like this one. You see, spells kind of want to be cast. So when you read about magic, half-cast spells and weird energies just sort of well up around you, and they need to be bled off properly before they go critical."

She waves her hands in a helpless gesture that conveys he can't quite put her words how she'd prefer to. "It's not as bad as it sounds, I swear! It's just, if you don't take protective measures, you could accidentally end up cursing yourself or something equally lame."

"Aaaand to top it off... there are things which take an interest in budding magicians," she continues. "Things which you're better off not getting acquainted with. You'll read all about them in De Vermis. So this protects you from prying eyes, and you can't put a price on privacy, y'know?" She gently places her hand on Aurora's, folding her fingers around the amulet in her palm. "Have some faith, Aurora," she smiles. "I've been doing this solo for a while now and I'm still in one piece! I promise I won't steer you wrong."

[WindStruck]

Hm. Those answers seemed plausible from the outset, though Aurora felt she had to think about it more. So the Monas would "ground out" magical energies like a "heat sink".

Okay... so where would the magical energies go, then? If she had to guess at this point, they just dissipate into the surrounding environment safely. Could that also explain why she felt no magic in it? Well maybe, but if this was true and it really did ground magic energy, how was Simone able to cast any other additional protections on it at all?

She looked down at the amulet, once again in her hands as Simone more firmly placed it in her possession.

"Well... I'll, uh, I will have a look at it..." she said, still as tentatively as ever.

"My, what time is it?" Aurora asked. "I should really get back so I can tell my boyfriend I'm ok and that you didn't kidnap me!"

She laughed, but it was absolutely true. She didn't want to worry Chase any longer... and it was probably best to let Maxwell know that she was ok - for absolute sure - before they sent a pack of ghouls over here to storm the place or something.

[Toilet Cobra]

"Oh, right, of course!" Simone says, rolling her eyes with a I'm-such-a-goof look. "I'm sorry to have kept you so long as it is. But it was so much fun meeting you, Aurora! I have the feeling we're going to do great things together. Let me show you out."

She leads Aurora back up the stairs and out the front gate, babbling the whole way about how excited she is to have made her acquaintance and the sort of wonderful things they can accomplish together. She seems sincere enough, though Aurora is reminded uncomfortably of Rebecca, and how her neediness shines through even when she's genuinely happy. Although Simone's motives seem straightforward, Aurora has to wonder if she has some other, private goal in mind, some unmet psychological need... Isn't it obvious? She's terribly lonely

Aurora blinked. Could it really be that simple? Suddenly a lot of pieces were falling into place. The personal questions she'd asked Aurora, the way she was always reaching for her hand... could it be she was just desperate for contact, for someone to talk to?

Aurora felt a wave of pity for the older vampire, living alone under a warehouse, surrounded by dusty books. No sire, no coterie, no clan. Not even a single ghoul to keep her company. Realizing that made Aurora feel even more gratitude for her own circle of friends.

Simone interrupted her thoughts as they approached the sliding door that led to the parking lot. "Well, let me know if you have any trouble with that book," she smiles. "It is dense but I think you'll find it fascinating. I know I did. Now keep in touch! My door's open, so don't be a stranger." Giving Aurora's hand one last squeeze, she opens the door for her and triggers the gate to rumble open.

Aurora walks briskly across the lot. A light drizzle has started, and the cool drops chill her skin. She huddles over Simone's book, not wanting to risk it getting wet in the rain.

Chase is still there, his car sitting idle. Aurora is startled to see that he isn't alone, however. There's an unfamiliar dark-skinned man parked on a motorcycle next to Chase's Honda. The man is dressed in leather riding gear, his collar turned up against the cold and a cigarette in his mouth. He's watching the lot as Aurora steps out the gate.

"Ma'am," he says, giving her a nod. "Glad to see you're well." Without pausing for an acknowledgement, he flicks his half-smoked cigarette into the gutter and kicks the motorcycle into gear. The engine roars, and he smoothly weaves away down the street.

Chase leans over and opens the door for her. He looks a lot better than he did when she last left him. "Heya," he says cheerfully. "Hop in, let's get out of here."

[WindStruck]

As the gate rumbled open, Aurora turned around a last time to wave goodbye to Simone. "Hey, so my shop is called Mores & Mystique, in Oldtown. You're welcome to come by any time you want! Just, you know.. keep in mind that it doesn't really tailor to Kindred... and neither are the staff..."

She waved with a sheepish smile and headed to Chase's car at an unleisurely pace. The motorcycle man of course was surprising. As he kicked his motorcycle into gear, she asked, "Are you with the sheriff??"

likely won't get a response, but she will assume yes

She sighed, somewhat with relief but also thinking of her own stupidity. And Chase opened the door. "Whew... thanks. That meeting... didn't really go as bad as I thought it might."

She quickly climbed in the car to avoid the drizzle and closed the door. "Seems there was nothing to be scared of. I'm.. I'm just sorry for all this worry though. It could have gone wrong.. and I really meant it when I said I didn't want to put you or me in any more danger."

A bit of a pause. "So... did you talk to that guy on the motorcycle at all?"