(IC III) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

[Bennosuke]

Karl's feeding leaves the boy completely unconsciouss, his breathing labored, and his heart racing. The vampire had lived long enough to know that this thug would survive this, thought he'd likely feel awful for the next few days.

(OOC: Karl is up to 9 vitae)

Gabe looks down on the body Karl has dragged out, his eyes flashing with equal parts judgement and envy at his master.

Staring at the lip and defenseless youth that Karl has dragged out, all Anna can see if a foe that deserves to be punished, deserved to be ripped to shreds. Images flash through her mind, imaging how badly abused and misused her cousin has been. Anna can barely control her shaking hands, which don't tremble like a scared mortal's might, but seem to crawl and leap between her own control and the Beast's desire for revenge and violence.

And yet, with every trip back and forth Karl makes, every delay in their plans, dawn approaches.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna looked down at the gang member. She knew she should probably take this body and load it into her trunk immediately, take it away and trust Karl to call the police...

But she wanted to see her cousin for herself, even though she knew she risked screwing everything up, that didn't matter. These were scum of the earth gang members anyway, selling drugs to kids and killing indiscriminately.

Her sword moved almost of its own accord, the cold steel stopping to rest against the unconscious man's carotid; she could feel the pulse of his heart through the blade as she contemplated how easy it would be to flick her wrist and watch his blood gush onto the ground.

She glanced up at Gabe.

"Tell me what you're thinking now," she said.

[Daishain]

Karl does not move to interfere, but says slowly, "I know you want to kill this one, and I do not blame you in the slightest. I had hoped to get some information out of him before he dies, but as far as I'm concerned if you want his life then it is yours. Drain him dry here and now, make his death more interesting later, let me dispose of him after a painful interrogation, whatever you wish. All I ask is that you do not contaminate this crime scene. If his blood is spilled here, then we will not be able to fully hide our presence here."

[Bennosuke]

Seeing that Karl has spoken for him, Gabe does not open his mouth. He simply nods towards his master in a sort-of deferring bow, a cold look on his face.

[Daishain]

Seeing that Karl sighs, "Go ahead and speak up Gabe. If you are going to be our equal, then you don't need me answering questions for you."

[Bennosuke]

"I agree with you Karl," Gabe says flatly, his face hard and lined and haggard. "It's unnecessary, and callous, and possibly even inhuman," he continues, "but the bigger issue is just that whole Masquerade thing. People don't get chopped up by swords anymore, and it will bring more scrutiny on everything we do here tonight." Finished, Gabe crosses his arms over his chest, his gaze moving from Anna to Karl, trying to judge their response.

[Thundercracker]

Anna slowly sheathed the sword, forcing the Beast down. Patience.

She would kill or scatter all of them eventually...

Edit: “alright,” Anna said, “alright, but she’d better be alive tomorrow night.”

“Where are we interrogating him? I will drive there now, with Gabe to watch over him when the sun comes,” she said, holstering her pistol.

[Daishain]

Karl thinks for a moment, then says, "Lets go ahead and take him back to the coterie haven, that way Bernado can take over most of the watch and we can both simply stay there, Gabe here has already been up all night."

"But wait for me just a bit near that warehouse I mentioned. I'll start shooting at" He looks at his watch and gives a time five minutes from now, "And then I'll start running your way. Obfuscate will ensure I go unnoticed."

Karl puts on gloves, he might not leave fingerprints of his own, but what was left of his finger ridges might leave patterns in someone else's. He takes the gun from the unconscious thug and carefully gets the man's hands all over the weapon, just to be safe.

As the others leave, he heads back inside and spends his remaining time double checking the scene for any problems that might crop up when CSI canvassed the place. There probably were not functional cameras in a place MS13 handled their dirty business, but he looks for them regardless. He also checks for anything that might cause a ricochet threatening Katie, and adjusts where he will fire from accordingly to avoid any such risk.

As the allotted time approaches, he takes aim. After a moment's consideration he significantly loosens his firing stance and thinks of it being Fred chained up and bloodied. Poor firing discipline and a bit of anger would likely help sell the scene.

Karl reminds himself that this thug had condemned himself with his actions. In as many things as his own people had gotten wrong, he still considered this society as far too soft in many ways. Death was the appropriate punishment for this one and others like him. With that thought, he pulls the trigger, and keeps firing at a rapid pace, letting the barrel of the gun jerk around a lot more than he would normally allow. When the slide locks open and the gun is empty, Karl runs out the door, dropping the gun and leaving it behind.

Still invisible to the world, the thin Mekhet moves at a fast loping pace down the street, heading straight for the rendezvous.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Okay, don’t forget to call the cops,” Anna said, dragging the unconscious form of the gang member to her car. She made for the haven, using the dawn to distract the Beast... she still needed to move the gang member when she got there.

[Bennosuke]

The shots from Karl's borrowed pistol ring out in the garage, drowning out the radio's music. Each shot strikes the boy, twisting his helpless body this way and that. He is thrown out of his chair, collapsing in a heap on his front such that Karl's last few shots strike him in the back of the chest and spine. The air is filled with the acrid stench of gunpowder and the faint sweet aroma of aerosolized blood.

(OOC: Karl commits an impassioned murder and must take a 2 dice breaking point. He can add his Touchstone bonus)

Karl's gunshots wake Katie, who in frantic panic at the sounds of gunfire and the scene of vicious carnage immediately panics. She begins to shriek and scream, kicking and struggling to her feet and fighting the bonds that hold her to the pole.

(OOC: Sorry everyone for the delay in reply)

[Thundercracker]

Anna hummed a mindless tune loudly as she shoved the gang member into her car, attempting to drown out the sounds from inside the building. She all but jumped into the car and slammed the door, starting the engine and accelerating away, hoping she was making the right choice by leaving her cousin in Karl’s hands.

[Bennosuke]

The boy was completely out, all dead weight and sweat slick skin as Anna shoved him into her car. He was collapsed in the back seat and breathing heavily. Whatever Karl had done had really put the kid out, and Anna could make an educated guess he had probably fed on the young MS-13 member.

(OOC: Is Gabe coming with Anna? Waiting on Karl to reply as well)

[Daishain]

Trusting obfuscate to hide his presence from Katie, Karl doesn't say a word to her. She'll be confused and frightened for a good while, but there wasn't much he could do about that without compromising the story he was trying to sell.

As he heads out, loping his way towards where Gabe was waiting, he keeps an eye out for any attention drawn to the scene, if he was lucky he wouldn't have to call the police himself.

If he doesn't see much, he'll make the call on a burner phone. Either way, as soon as he gets to the car he'll jump in and they'll head off towards the Haven.

[Bennosuke]

When Karl comes out, and after he has finally dropped his Obfuscation, the Ghoul says in hurried but flat speech, "Finally. Let's get out of here. I called the cops already. So far no one's stirred, but I don't want to wait around here till someone comes to check things out. Let's go." He leads Karl back to the car, closing the door hastily behind him once he's in.

Later, Karl and Gabe pull up to the Sea Cliff Haven, where Anna had only pulled in a few moments earlier. The exterior has been completely remade. The first floor store front windows have been replaced with more secure modern paneling, and the entire exterior has been designed to be more sun proof. There are no lights on in the haven, though it was likely was already asleep in the attic at this hour, and hopefully Bernardo was well rested by this point.

Dawn was probably no more then ten to fifteen minutes away, and Anna and Karl could feel the heavy lethargy brought on by the approaching sun. The blood was moving slower in their bodies, struggling to keep them animated, even as the air seemed to be growing preternaturally hot. It was like they were standing in an oven that was had been set to 600 degrees and was quickly getting up to temperature. The fine hairs on their arms and necks were up on end, and if they were mortal Anna and Karl would both be covered in sweat by now.

As they moved him from the back of Anna's car, the youth was beginning to wake. He was looking around blearily at Anna, Karl and Gabe, asking things like, "What's going on," and, "Who are you guys? Let me go." He was struggling a little, but was still weak from the theft of his blood.

(OOC: Hope you guys are okay with me skipping the part where Anna waited for Karl to pull up at the warehouse, only to then go to the haven. It didn't seem like there was any plan for interaction then)

[Thundercracker]

Anna, practiced from her former job as a police officer, cuffed the youth and frisked him, taking his phone if he still had it and turning it off. She also turned off Katie’s phone, no need to have her cousin somehow track it down.

She ignored the gang member, and, with limited time, covered his mouth with duct tape. Once inside, she cuffed him around a support beam, someplace out of sight and sturdy enough he wouldn’t be able to break free.

“You stay here for a while now,” Anna said, patting him on the head “we’ll have some questions for you later.”

She headed up towards her room but paused to give some instructions first to Bernardo (assuming he’s there).

“He’s dangerous. Don’t uncuff him for anything,” she said, “he kidnapped and roughed up my cousin, so he’d better be right where I left him tomorrow evening.”

[Daishain]

Karl practically drags himself through the door. He says to no one in particular, "Someone get a gag on the bastard. Knock him out again if you have to, it should be pretty easy in his state. Gabe, you know what to do."

If there is nothing else, the old man shambles off to find a safe spot to collapse in.

[Bennosuke]

"****," Gabe grumbles, "I'm pretty much as tired as you." This is clearly not in protest, and Gabe begins readying a gag.

Bernardo is not initially in the room, but the commotion as the three drag the now rousing boy into the room brings him down the stairs. By the time Bernardo arrives, the gangster is kicking and screaming; shouting what sound like death threats in Spanish. Anna handcuffs him to one of the four support beams on the empty first floor, and Gabe helps to dampen the boy's screams with a roll of duct tape.

The sight of the captured Hispanic boy is clearly a confusing if not upsetting sight to the young Ghoul. "What are you doing?" Bernardo screams, rushing down the stairs once he has taken everything in. "Who is he? You can't do this to him! Why?" Bernardo was not actively stopping Anna, Karl and Gabe, but he was clearly upset. The boy's fists were balled and his eyes were wide, a mix of anger and desperate pleading on his face.

Presumably, somewhere upstairs was Aisling, already in a torpid state of slumber.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"He killed his 'hombre', his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon," Anna said, looking at the gang member, "the cops are looking for him right now. We're keeping him here because as soon as he sets foot out of this place, he's going away for life for murder one, that's _if_ Spooky doesn't find him first."

She turned to Bernardo and all but dragged him upstairs by the arm.

"Not here," she whispered as they exited. Once out of the basement she closed the door.

"This is a member of a Mexican cartel that sells crack to kids, among a whole bunch of other nasty things," Anna said quietly, not in any kind of mood to argue with Bernardo, "he and his boys kidnapped my cousin. My mortal cousin, a college student, and were planning on killing her, but not before passing her around a few times. Or maybe they weren't going to kill her and they were just going to traffick her to Mexico to force her into prostitution. Now I'm going to find out everything he knows about his organization because who knows how many other girls they've done the same thing to. Make sure he doesn't get away and don't believe his lies; if he gets free, he will kill you without a second thought."

[Daishain]

Karl pauses on his way to collapse and nods emphatically at Anna's words to Bernardo, "That one has committed murder and worse, would have cheerfully subjected Katie to a fate worse than death, and is perfectly willing to do the same to you. Whatever else happens, remember that he does not deserve your pity, not an ounce of it."

[Bennosuke]

Gabe was already heading out the door, going home to rest up and recover; not bothering to worry about the confrontation going on inside.

Bernardo followed Karl and Anna into the stairwell, still clearly not satisfied with their explanations. His shoulders were tense and he was moving with a bunched up energy, as if he was getting ready for a fight. As the door to the stairwell slammed behind him, Bernardo began racing up the stairs and yelled, "So what? You just want me to keep him here? I'm just supposed to watch over your prisoner for you? Is this how it's going to be?" Perhaps it was the inertia of the coming dawn, but Bernardo was on the two vampires in just a second, his hand grabbing the shoulder of whomever was the second up the stairs to stop them from going any further. "This isn't fair, and it isn't right! Why didn't you just take him to the police if this guy is so bad? What the hell am I supposed to do? What if he needs to go to the bathroom, and what if he needs food and water? You want me to just keep him chained up downstairs all day???" Bernardo was livid, his eyes were wide, his face lined with concern, and worse, fear.

[Daishain]

Karl is leaning on the wall now, he wants to brush the kid aside, but it's fairly clear that he's not likely to follow instructions as things are. "He is here because this was the only way to rescue Katie without letting anyone know that we were involved in rescuing Katie. Both the cops and the gang have to assume that this one messed up and ran off, allowing the cops to find their little shop of horrors and Anna's cousin."

"I am sorry, it is not reasonable of us to dump this on you without warning. But Gabriel has already been up for 24 hours, and the two of us are about to literally drop dead. There is no one else we can trust with this important task. Gabe should be back to help after he gets some rest, don't let this one out of the bindings for anything at all until then. Not for water, not for the bathroom, not for anything. If you need justification, remember that he treated his prisoner far worse than we are treating him."

"If you cannot handle this, then our only alternative is to kill him here and now. We do not have time for anything else. Can we count on you?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

It’s a good thing Karl was the one Bernardo grabbed because Anna’s mood was on a razor’s edge and she might have killed the ghoul where he stood for the disrespect.

As it was, she made sure her phone, the gang member’s phone, and Katie’s phone were all switched off while Karl handled Bernardo.

She looked up at Karl’s last sentence.

“I nearly slashed his throat earlier, but Karl stopped me,” Anna said, tapping the hilt of her Jain, “say the word Bernardo, I’ll go finish him off right now.”

[Bennosuke]

Bernardo's previously flushed face turns a deathly white, and his eyes go wide with sudden discomfort.

(OOC: Sorry for the delay. Could I get some sort of social roll here to convince Bernardo to fall in line? It seems like we are somewhere between Intimidation and Persuasion...)

[Bennosuke]

There is a long moment as Bernardo stairs back at Anna and Karl, both of whom have turned their attention to the Ghoul and begun to close in on him. The boy begins to quiver with discomfort, his hands shaking, his pallid face lined with distress. But Bernardo's resolution seems to dissolve and suddenly fighting back tears he says, "Fine! Fine, I'll do it," before breaking into a string of obvious curses in Spanish. His shoulders slumped and all fight out of his body, Bernardo turns around and begins to lumber back down the stairs. "You know I was held captive myself, don't you," he calls back over his shoulder, though his head remains bowed. "Damn you... and damn me too!" he says weakly as he reaches the bottom of the stairs and disappears through the stairwell's first floor exit.

It was too late to follow the Ghoul or try to convince him further. Dawn was obviously approaching, if it had not already begun. The air seemed to be on fire, and stabbed at Anna and Karl's eyes and throats. The two Kindred were now desperately fighting to stave off the torpor of sleep. But before we move on, I'd like to know how Karl and Anna feel about the night's closing events.

[Thundercracker]

There is a long moment as Bernardo stairs back at Anna and Karl, both of whom have turned their attention to the Ghoul and begun to close in on him. The boy begins to quiver with discomfort, his hands shaking, his pallid face lined with distress. But Bernardo's resolution seems to dissolve and suddenly fighting back tears he says, "Fine! Fine, I'll do it," before breaking into a string of obvious curses in Spanish. His shoulders slumped and all fight out of his body, Bernardo turns around and begins to lumber back down the stairs. "You know I was held captive myself, don't you," he calls back over his shoulder, though his head remains bowed. "Damn you... and damn me too!" he says weakly as he reaches the bottom of the stairs and disappears through the stairwell's first floor exit.

It was too late to follow the Ghoul or try to convince him further. Dawn was obviously approaching, if it had not already begun. The air seemed to be on fire, and stabbed at Anna and Karl's eyes and throats. The two Kindred were now desperately fighting to stave off the torpor of sleep. But before we move on, I'd like to know how Karl and Anna feel about the night's closing events.

Anna collapsed into bed in the darkened room, worried about her cousin. She almost wished she'd gone and collected her herself, consequences be damned, but she knew Karl was more collected than she was at the moment, and decided to trust in his judgement. She still had to smooth things over with Celestine and have a talking to with Katie, assuming the police even showed up and she managed to make it out of there....

[Daishain]

Karl slips into whatever space he can find. Tonight's events were irritating to say the least. The impending dawn had greatly limited his options. If he'd just had a little more time, getting Anna's cousin out could have been a simple and quiet affair. Instead, he'd had to kill that man, and would soon be killing another. Both deserved it to be certain, but still.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Jeez, three way tie! I guess this should be interesting...)

The fog of the day's torpor fades, the slumber of death giving way to a hazy consciousness. For Anna and for Karl, this awakening is punctuated by the fury of the Beast, the memory of the previous night's events and the decisions that were made. Perhaps the desire to make someone suffer, that kindling red hot anger, was only the Beast's; but as the nights go on, it is sometimes hard to tell.

There is a knock at both of your doors, Aisling's voice as you start to rise from your slumber in your private windowless and unfurnished room. "Karl? Anna? Did you guys make it home last night?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna

Anna reflexively called out yes, even before she’d fully shaken off the sleep of torpor. She fingered the hole in her shirt; the stab wound had closed overnight, but her clothing was ruined. She quickly changed into a fresh set and emerged into the haven.

“Good evening,” she said to Aisling, “I meant to ask you, any luck finding out what’s going on with Gabrielle?”

[Daishain]

Karl quietly groans as the bones of his joint complain. Why couldn't the vitae fix that too?...

He hadn't bothered to undress last morning, and so simply steps out into the hall, "We need to check on Bernardo, I'm afraid we forced him to watch over a prisoner. Long story, but we didn't have much choice. He will need to be relieved and comforted."

[Bennosuke]

“Good evening,” she said to Aisling, “I meant to ask you, any luck finding out what’s going on with Gabrielle?”

Aisling purrs in reply from across Anna's door, "Nothing too exciting. She mostly stays inside her apartment. I have not seen any concerning behaviors, but we fed her recently... so she probably is not yet getting desperate, though I am sure she will eventually."

As Anna finishes changing, she notices her cellphone, the screen basically covered in a series of text and call notifications. There is an email from Katie which reads, "I am so so sorry Anna. I really am. Thank you." There are about four missed calls all from Celestine, and one from her husband Henry. The calls were all from within the last hour. Had Anna's phone been on silent, or did she really sleep that soundly now? There were also a series of texts from Celestine, the majority reading something along the lines of, "Call me as soon as you wake," though from a few of the texts Anna can sense a hint of anger on top of frustration and grief.


He hadn't bothered to undress last morning, and so simply steps out into the hall, "We need to check on Bernardo, I'm afraid we forced him to watch over a prisoner. Long story, but we didn't have much choice. He will need to be relieved and comforted."

Stepping out into the hallway, Karl sees that Aisling is dressed in a hodgepodge of clothing; a black tube top, an oversized wind breaker, and a pair of sweat pants that are a good size or two too small so that the pant leg breaks a few inches above her bare ankles.

A snarl plays onto the young Gangrel's face at Karl's words. "What do you mean Bernardo is watching a prisoner," she hisses, lips curling back to show fangs. Her eyes dart about the hallway, as if she might find Bernardo hiding with the prisoner somewhere in a corner and says, "Where is he? What is going on?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Karl, I know you're German, but there's this thing called tact..." Anna deadpanned.

She turned to Aisling.

"Long story short, my mortal cousin was kidnapped and would certainly have been killed or sold into slavery across the border," Anna said, "Karl helped me recover her just about dawn; and we captured one of ones who kidnapped and tortured her, he's in the basement now, or at least he should be."

"I am sorry for this Aisling, I would have asked you, but you were already sleeping, and the dawn was already breaking," Anna said, "please don't tell anyone I have mortal family in the city, someone would definitely threaten them to blackmail me."

[Daishain]

Karl shrugs at the reprimand, forcing the angry Beast to settle down. "The details can wait, right now we need to make sure everything is okay."

Key codes for the stairs, making its way to where had left the gang member and the ghoul. Hopefully Gabriel had the presence of mind to come back and take over, but he couldn't remember if he had instructed anything of the sort...

[Bennosuke]

Aisling listens as Anna and Karl explain, her territorial anger giving way to a vicious sort of curiosity, a smile playing across her girlish face. "Very well," she says with a wave of her hand, "we can smooth things over with Bernardo later. Let us go see what has become of our... captive." She lets Karl and Anna take the lead down the stairs.

The three vampires come into the dark first floor room; an industrially unornate and unfurnished space. The young gangster is exactly where Karl and Anna left him, chained to pillar in a position ironically similar to Katie's the night prior. Duct tape covers the boy's tattooed face so that he cannot speak. Bernardo sits on the floor nearby, slumped over in a fatigued and defeated posture, with Gabe standing over him, one hand on his pistol.

The senior Ghoul has for whatever reason gone and gotten a haircut, his normally unruly brown hair trimmed and combed, and he is wearing unusually clean and professional clothing. As the three undead approach, Gabe turns and smiles. "I see you three finally awoke." Bernardo startles at Gabe's words, clearly having fallen into a light slumber prior to everyone's arrival.

The room smells sharply of fresh urine, and the sweat of mortals.

[Daishain]

Karl sighs as everything appears to be in order. The odds of something going wrong had seemed low, but rushing a job before the dawn with death clawing at his mind was never the most prudent way to handle a sensitive task.

"No trouble I take it. I am sorry, once again, for making you two deal with this,"

Hmm, it might be best to distract Anna from perhaps taking her revenge right this instant and take the time to think through, but how to...? Ah, yes.

Karl turns to the others and speaks up, "Since it looks like there are no immediate problems to address, and while we are all here, I should mention that we have something to discuss other than the prisoner. It looks like Gabriel has not reconsidered the request he made last night."

"Gabriel has asked to join us as a kindred, and suffer the embrace. Given his long years of service to me, and his determination in spite of being made aware of the costs, I have no compelling reason to refuse. Everyone else with any right to weigh in on the decision is here. So, what do you say?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna turned to Gabe, incredulous.

“Are you stupid?” she asked, then turned to Karl, “you told him everything, and he still wants it??”

She turned back to Gabriel.

“You’re thirsty, _all_ the time, and you can never be _not_ thirsty; it never goes away,” Anna said, “but that’s not even the beginning of it. There’s this... Thing, living inside of you.”

“You told him about the Beast, right?” Anna asked, turning to Karl for a second rhetorical question before looking back at Gabe.

She placed her hand on her chest just over her heart.
“It makes you want to do things, that you wouldn’t normally want to do, horrible things, like killing and making people suffer or abandoning your friends and... it’s just terrible, and it’s always there, you can never get rid of it,” she said, “it’s called the Beast.”

She paused.

“That’s not all though, like yeah the Kiss is nice, but it means nothing else compares, you won’t even enjoy food, or sex, ever, you’ll never be happy, just temporarily satisfied,” she said, “you’re going to have to make excuses for why you’re never around during the day, and eventually fake your death and watch everyone you know mourn you.”

“And that’s not to mention trying to avoid getting yourself killed by some Elder or other on a whim because you looked at them wrong, it’s a **** **** existence, just trying every night to stay one step ahead of the Thirst, the Beast, and the Danse. You’ve got the best of both worlds right now, why would you want this?” Anna asked.

[Daishain]

Karl stays silent, he'd already said his piece on the matter.

[Bennosuke]

Karl sighs as everything appears to be in order. The odds of something going wrong had seemed low, but rushing a job before the dawn with death clawing at his mind was never the most prudent way to handle a sensitive task.

"No trouble I take it. I am sorry, once again, for making you two deal with this,"


Gabe runs his tongue over his teeth, grimacing for a second before replying. "Well he doesn't look too healthy. I'm not sure how long this kid can keep it together," he says. He nods to Karl and says, "I take it you drained him a bit," before indicating Bernardo, "I think this one neglected to feed or water the plant. I think between the feeding and the heat, he's pretty dehydrated. May have to ship him out to the hospital."

Bernardo scowls at Gabe and throwing his hands up says, "You wanted him to stay quiet! How was he supposed to drink anything with the tape still over his mouth."

The scrawny gangster stays slumped over against the pole. His eyes scan the group as they discuss, but the fight is gone from them.


Karl stays silent, he'd already said his piece on the matter.

Aisling watches with fascination as Anna lets Karl have it, a grin spreading on her face. When Anna finishes and Karl does not reply, the Gangrel slinks herself in between the two and places a hand on his chest. Her long nails are more like a cat's than a teenagers, and they seem to preturnaturally dig through the gaps in the fibers of his shirt. "Oh Karl," she purrs, "you are going to turn this one?" She indicates Gabe, who watches with dark countenance, again avoiding Anna's gaze. "How exciting! Have you ever done it before? I never learned how to give The Dark Gift!" There is almost a hunger in the way she says The Dark Gift, and her eyes flit for a moment to Bernardo.

[Daishain]

Karl puts a hand up at Aisling's enthusiasm, "No, it is not something I've done before, my sire taught me, but this is not something to do on a whim. This is a serious issue, with nasty consequences. Please never consider it with anyone unwilling or not fully aware of the cost. Bernardo, you're young, see a lot more of life before you even consider this 'gift'."

"It seems that, aside from Anna's concerns about that cost, neither of you have objections to him becoming a part of our coterie as a true kindred. This is admittedly something of a sensitive time for us, but that is almost always true to at least some degree. Anna, yes I have spoken with him on these issues, both last night and many times over the years we spent together, he knows better than anyone in this world of the struggles I've faced with the beast."

"I also asked him to spend a day enjoying the life he would be leaving. If he has done so, and there's nothing else that needs to be discussed first, then we will find an appropriate time and place to do this. It certainly will not be here and now, in front of our foul guest. Whether or not Gabe would be comfortable with you there for the embrace, I would welcome your presence afterwards, for his first hunt."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“You did good Bernardo,” Anna said.

“Yeah sure,” Anna said to Karl regarding the hunt.

“The Embrace is between you and Karl, I’ll watch if you want, but I still want to know why you want this, Gabe,” Anna said, crossing her arms and addressing the ghoul directly.

[Bennosuke]

Again, I just want to apologize for dropping the ball on this. It's been a busy couple of weeks trying to build a new department and even when I have free time, it feels like my attention is in a million different places. Thank you for the patience!


Anna turned to Gabe, incredulous.

“Are you stupid?” she asked, then turned to Karl, “you told him everything, and he still wants it??”

She turned back to Gabriel.

“You’re thirsty, _all_ the time, and you can never be _not_ thirsty; it never goes away,” Anna said, “but that’s not even the beginning of it. There’s this... Thing, living inside of you.”

“You told him about the Beast, right?” Anna asked, turning to Karl for a second rhetorical question before looking back at Gabe.

She placed her hand on her chest just over her heart.
“It makes you want to do things, that you wouldn’t normally want to do, horrible things, like killing and making people suffer or abandoning your friends and... it’s just terrible, and it’s always there, you can never get rid of it,” she said, “it’s called the Beast.”

She paused.

“That’s not all though, like yeah the Kiss is nice, but it means nothing else compares, you won’t even enjoy food, or sex, ever, you’ll never be happy, just temporarily satisfied,” she said, “you’re going to have to make excuses for why you’re never around during the day, and eventually fake your death and watch everyone you know mourn you.”

“And that’s not to mention trying to avoid getting yourself killed by some Elder or other on a whim because you looked at them wrong, it’s a **** **** existence, just trying every night to stay one step ahead of the Thirst, the Beast, and the Danse. You’ve got the best of both worlds right now, why would you want this?” Anna asked.

Gabe watches with clenched teeth as Anna goes back and forth between his master and him. He flinches every time Anna turns her wrath on him, though he does his bets not to show his growing anxiety. When Anna finally finishes and gives him a chance to speak, Gabe's face darkens and his resolve returns. Through still gritted teeth he says, "Because no matter what, otherwise I will die." Gabe turns to Karl, and now addressing the entire room he continues, "The only thing keeping the cancer from eating out my lungs and my insides is your blood. And I'm scared one day it won't be enough, or you won't be there. And the only thing I can do is to stay your slave." He adds apologetically, "Not that I don't enjoy working with you Karl, but at the end of the day, no matter what our business cards say, I am still your servant."

Finishing, Gabe gives Bernardo an apologetic shrug, but the younger Ghoul averts his eyes, suddenly finding it very important to focus on something on the floor.


Karl puts a hand up at Aisling's enthusiasm, "No, it is not something I've done before, my sire taught me, but this is not something to do on a whim. This is a serious issue, with nasty consequences. Please never consider it with anyone unwilling or not fully aware of the cost. Bernardo, you're young, see a lot more of life before you even consider this 'gift'."


Bernardo keeps his eyes on the ground, his lip quivering ever so slightly. He struggles to maintain his composure and gives the smallest nod of acknowledgement to Karl.


"It seems that, aside from Anna's concerns about that cost, neither of you have objections to him becoming a part of our coterie as a true kindred. This is admittedly something of a sensitive time for us, but that is almost always true to at least some degree. Anna, yes I have spoken with him on these issues, both last night and many times over the years we spent together, he knows better than anyone in this world of the struggles I've faced with the beast."

"I also asked him to spend a day enjoying the life he would be leaving. If he has done so, and there's nothing else that needs to be discussed first, then we will find an appropriate time and place to do this. It certainly will not be here and now, in front of our foul guest. Whether or not Gabe would be comfortable with you there for the embrace, I would welcome your presence afterwards, for his first hunt."

Aisling shrugs and smiles, "It is a very interesting predicament. What does that make him? Will Gabe become one of our Coterie then?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Oh, I didn’t know you had cancer,” Anna said, pausing and looking thoughtful for a second, “still, you’re going to need more than will to survive to actually make it. I guess we can work on that.”

She glanced to Aisling.

“He’ll have to stick around at first anyway, because he’ll have to stay close to Karl until he’s ready to be presented to the Prince and become a neonate,” Anna said, “then he can decide if he wants to officially join our merry band of misfits, if it makes sense that is.”

She turned back to Gabe.

“Not that I think you’d be a liability, because you’ve been great so far, but the Gift affects people differently,” she said, “let’s talk covenants after dealing with this.”

She nudged the gang member with her shoe, then scuffed it on the ground as if to get the scum off of it.

[Bennosuke]

“Oh, I didn’t know you had cancer,” Anna said, pausing and looking thoughtful for a second, “still, you’re going to need more than will to survive to actually make it. I guess we can work on that.”

Gabe simply shrugs, his hardened countenance finally softening.


She turned back to Gabe.

“Not that I think you’d be a liability, because you’ve been great so far, but the Gift affects people differently,” she said, “let’s talk covenants after dealing with this.”

"Sure," he replies noncommittally, "I wasn't really thinking that far ahead yet."


She glanced to Aisling.

“He’ll have to stick around at first anyway, because he’ll have to stay close to Karl until he’s ready to be presented to the Prince and become a neonate,” Anna said, “then he can decide if he wants to officially join our merry band of misfits, if it makes sense that is.”

Aisling grins at this, but instead turns to Gabe and playfully says, "You are going to have a lot to learn sir. You have no idea."

Gabe shrugs at this as well but says nothing.

Anna breaks from the conversation, moving over to the slumped over gangster and nudging him with her shoe... but he barely moves in reaction to the nudge. Anna's senses tell her he is still alive, and The Beast rages at the mortal's foolish insolence!

[Daishain]

Karl states, "Right, now that that's settled. Bernardo, you've had a rough day. How about you and Aisling go have some fun. Relax, take your mind off things. I have some cash if you want to go clubbing or something along those lines."

The old man won't continue until one way or another the boy is well out of earshot. He would have to learn just how ugly things could get associating with his mistress sooner or later, but it would not be today if Karl could help it.

"Anna, Gabriel and I request permission to interrogate this one for any useful information he might have while he is still capable of answering questions. That said, as I promised last night, this one is yours to do with as you please. I will not interfere."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“By all means,” Anna replied, “I’ve got a few questions myself. How long do you think it will take?”

[Bennosuke]

Karl states, "Right, now that that's settled. Bernardo, you've had a rough day. How about you and Aisling go have some fun. Relax, take your mind off things. I have some cash if you want to go clubbing or something along those lines."

Bernardo nods his head, a sigh of relief escaping before he can stifle it. For a moment it looks like Aisling is about to protest, but she stops herself a sly smile spreading across her face. "Very well," she says, "We'll... go upstairs for a little bit; though I'm sad I'll miss the fun." She wraps an arm around Bernardo, her touch seeming to awaken the exhausted looking Ghoul. She whispers something into Bernardo's ear as they start to disappear into the stairwell as a timid smile spreads across his face.



"Anna, Gabriel and I request permission to interrogate this one for any useful information he might have while he is still capable of answering questions. That said, as I promised last night, this one is yours to do with as you please. I will not interfere."

"Go ahead," Gabe says with a shrug.

[Daishain]

"It should not take long. In his condition he should be fairly pliable. It's possible we'll get what we want out of him simply by offering some water to drink. If he proves to have a particularly stubborn disposition, we won't spend much time persuading him, we do have other options to get the information in question after all."

How do you want to handle this? We are not talking about a torture scene here, but a rough interrogation can still be... sensitive.

[Bennosuke]

Gabe shrugs, looking nervously at the restrained but flaccid thug. "I leave it up to you two... boss."

His gaze moves over to Anna.

I think it depends on how you two want to go about getting the information out of him, but we can keep things to rolls and vague descriptions.

[Daishain]

Karl shrugs and walks over to the gangster, nudging him to alertness if need be with a toe.

"Right, lets get straight to the point shall we? You're boned in so many ways it is almost funny Pendejo. Your friend is dead, killed by your gun, and the girl you were guarding set free to talk all she wants about your little familia. Both the cops and your former pals are on the hunt for you, and both want your head."

"But if you think you might be safe here away from them? Oh no, out of luck there." His hand snakes out to grab the prisoner's head and twist it towards Anna, "You see that scary woman with the sword? It was her cousin that you were torturing, and she already has a habit of using that sword on people like you even when they don't harm her family."

"Your only hope is to prove yourself useful. The only reason you're alive right now is we happen to have an interest in the local MS13 branch and we figured you might have some information worth learning. Start by telling us everything you can about the big names you know."

Karl would slap this guy around if needed make a point, and offer water as a reward for talking, but not taking things further than that. Karl is relying on this guy being weak, confused, and afraid to break his will, not pain.
I'm thinking manipulation+intimidation, and rolling as such. [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Thundercracker]

Anna waits impatiently for Karl to finish with the ganger, she wanted to find out exactly what they did to her cousin. In the meantime, she crossed her arms and watched him work.

assist, manipulation + intimidate: [roll0]
Additional successes: [roll1]

10’a again: [roll2]

[Bennosuke]

Karl's slap barely earns a moan from the kid, his head whipping sideways limply. He doesn't rouse or seem to notice anything Karl says, his lids heavy and mouth slack.

Gabe touches the boy's forehead and checks his pulse, saying uncomfortably, "Uh, I think he might need medical attention... or perhaps some... well some blood may wake him up." His gaze skips Anna, catching Karl's before dropping to the ground.

(OOC: Save your roll results for when you get him awake)

[Thundercracker]

Anna tries dumping a cup of cold water over the kid, and offers him one more to drink from.

[Bennosuke]

The water splashes hard across the kid's face, throwing his slack head back and washing down the front of his dirty tank-top. He groans with the impact, his eyes fluttering open for just a moment to look up at Anna. His dark hard eyes are glazed and distant, almost inhuman, and then his lids fall over them.

[Daishain]

Karl frowns, "Perhaps I misjudged this one's stamina. Its been what, 14 hours of just a little initial blood loss and dehydration? I endured worse in the Wehrmacht. All right fine, lets get him awake."

The mekhet gets more water and starts slowly feeding it to the prisoner.

Karl is probably letting pride fuel an exaggeration here, still I'm surprised its this bad.

[Bennosuke]

The barely conscious kid starts to drink down the water. He's still pretty out of it and a good amount of the water simply spills out of his mouth and down his already soaked chest. A few sips in he even gags on the water, suddenly going rigid as if he might vomit.

(OOC: Someone give me an Int+ Medicine to see if you can help resuscitate him to a state of reasonable cogency.)

[Daishain]

Karl gently prods the boy, trying to get him back to a state of at least near full consciousness.

Int+medicine [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

Fortunately, the boy stops retching and takes another few small sips of water. His eyes flutter open. At first they are glazed over, but after a few minutes he begins to look around the room with a bit of purpose. He mutters something in Spanish, then after a moment struggles with his restraints. Finding he cannot escape, he stops struggling.


Karl shrugs and walks over to the gangster, nudging him to alertness if need be with a toe.

"Right, lets get straight to the point shall we? You're boned in so many ways it is almost funny Pendejo. Your friend is dead, killed by your gun, and the girl you were guarding set free to talk all she wants about your little familia. Both the cops and your former pals are on the hunt for you, and both want your head."

"But if you think you might be safe here away from them? Oh no, out of luck there." His hand snakes out to grab the prisoner's head and twist it towards Anna, "You see that scary woman with the sword? It was her cousin that you were torturing, and she already has a habit of using that sword on people like you even when they don't harm her family."

"Your only hope is to prove yourself useful. The only reason you're alive right now is we happen to have an interest in the local MS13 branch and we figured you might have some information worth learning. Start by telling us everything you can about the big names you know."

Spoiler: OOC
Hide
Karl would slap this guy around if needed make a point, and offer water as a reward for talking, but not taking things further than that. Karl is relying on this guy being weak, confused, and afraid to break his will, not pain.
I'm thinking manipulation+intimidation, and rolling as such. (4d10)[6][9][2][7](24)
ten again (4d10)[9][9][5][3](26)

At first Karl's questioning seems to rouse an internal strength in the boy. He snorts, his face twisting into a mask of scorn and he says, "Who the **** do you guys think you are, the cops?" Then his eyes lock on Anna's, and his gaze turns back to Karl's, and he seems to realize just how screwed he is.

"Big names," he asks with slight confusion, "like the bosses in the gang? If I tell you that you will let me go?" There was a desperate sort of hope in his words. He was young. He was scared.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Maybe," Anna replied, "Depends how useful it is. Better start talking."

[Bennosuke]

The kid shakes his head in defiance. "No, **** that," he moans, "I'll tell you about my boss, if that's what you want; but that's it, and you gotta promise to let me go. The way you put it, I'm probably screwed even if I do get out of here, and I'm not sure I can even walk if you untie me, so promise me." The kid's face was screwed up in his best attempt at a scowl, but he was emaciated and sickly, and there clearly wasn't much fight in him.

[Thundercracker]

The kid shakes his head in defiance. "No, **** that," he moans, "I'll tell you about my boss, if that's what you want; but that's it, and you gotta promise to let me go. The way you put it, I'm probably screwed even if I do get out of here, and I'm not sure I can even walk if you untie me, so promise me." The kid's face was screwed up in his best attempt at a scowl, but he was emaciated and sickly, and there clearly wasn't much fight in him.

Anna was not in the mood to play games. She growled, a borderline inhuman sound.

"You are in no position to bargain," she said, "the only reason you're alive right now is because my friend asked me not to kill you for what you did to my cousin. Maybe though, if you're really helpful, there might be a spot for you on a bus to the east coast, New York, Miami maybe."

She slowly unsheathed her jain.

"You'd have to start over, and you'll probably always be looking over your shoulder, but it probably beats getting sliced to bits," she said, "so what's it going to be, am I scrubbing bloodstains again tonight or not?"

She used the tip of the blade to lift his shirt up and let the cool metal rest against his exposed stomach.

[Daishain]

Karl nods to Anna, "I can promise that we'll judge the information on its merits. The rest is up to you to provide something worth our time."

[Bennosuke]

The kid grins at what Karl has to stay, before turning to Anna with a scowl, and spitting at her feet. "Fine," he replies coldly, "I'll tell you what you want to know. I work with a small clique of Mareros. Our clique is led by a guy named Jay Acevedo. He's a pretty boy *******. If you want, I'll tell you where he lives and all that. He answers to a guy named Spooky Lopez. Spooky's got the connect with the bases in Mexico. There's only one other guy in this city on Spooky's level, but he's harder to get ahold of. I've never met him; but people call him El Cadejo, and he's supposed to be a boogy man of sorts."

The gangster finishes, his face hardening as he lifts his head up high and says, "There. Told you all I know. Now let me go."

[Daishain]

Karl frowns, "That's really it? How disappointing. I stole all of Spooky's files last night, though going through them will take some time. His underling Jay Acevedo's home might be worth poking at, but I doubt it at this point."

He pauses to let his disappointment sink into the boy before continuing, "I hope for your sake you know something useful in regards to finding El Cadejo. Boogy man or not, he has to interact with you somehow."

[Thundercracker]

Anna

Anna rolled her eyes.

“Forget it, he doesn’t know anything,” Anna said, putting the sword against the ganger’s neck.

[Daishain]

Karl crosses his arms, "Sure doesn't sound like it." He tries to convey with his face that if there was anything else, the window of opportunity to mention it was closing fast.

[Bennosuke]

The boy's hardened face quickly softens and becomes lined with terror. "I swear that's all I know," he whimpers. There is a rattle as his handcuffs slam against the pole and he struggles with his restraints. But his fight proves for naught, and after a moment he says, "Please. I don't know what else I can tell you. I gave you what you wanted." His please dissolve into a series of prayers in Spanish.

Both Karl and Anna catch Gabe in the corner of their eye, fists balled, quivering with nervous anticipation.

[Thundercracker]

The boy's hardened face quickly softens and becomes lined with terror. "I swear that's all I know," he whimpers. There is a rattle as his handcuffs slam against the pole and he struggles with his restraints. But his fight proves for naught, and after a moment he says, "Please. I don't know what else I can tell you. I gave you what you wanted." His please dissolve into a series of prayers in Spanish.

Both Karl and Anna catch Gabe in the corner of their eye, fists balled, quivering with nervous anticipation.

“What’s he look like, what has Jay or Spooky ever said about him? Where does he live, what kind of car does he drive? What kind of business does he run?” Anna asked, moving around behind the gang member (keeping her sword out of reach).

She waited for his response. When he was done, she put her arm over his shoulder and across his chest, pausing by his ear to admire the racing pulse in his neck.

She glanced over at Gabe.

“Now, tell me where they were going to send my cousin. What did you do to her? Where do they send the girls?” Anna whispered into his ear, “tell me all about what you used to do for Jay and for Spooky. The jobs you ran.”

[Bennosuke]

“What’s he look like, what has Jay or Spooky ever said about him? Where does he live, what kind of car does he drive? What kind of business does he run?” Anna asked, moving around behind the gang member (keeping her sword out of reach).

She waited for his response. When he was done, she put her arm over his shoulder and across his chest, pausing by his ear to admire the racing pulse in his neck.


"I really don't know," he says desperately, "I swear. Spooky never talked about him. I mean... Jay said he'd met El Cadejo, but he's always full of BS. I don't know. I mean I've heard he's got devil's horns tattooed on his forehead, but like, that's pretty common with the Mareros. I'm sorry, but it's all I know, I swear."

The kid is desperate, trying hard to show you he's telling the truth.

[Thundercracker]

"I really don't know," he says desperately, "I swear. Spooky never talked about him. I mean... Jay said he'd met El Cadejo, but he's always full of BS. I don't know. I mean I've heard he's got devil's horns tattooed on his forehead, but like, that's pretty common with the Mareros. I'm sorry, but it's all I know, I swear."

The kid is desperate, trying hard to show you he's telling the truth.


Anna glanced over at Gabe before whispering to the ganger again.

“Ok, that’s good. Now, tell me where they were going to send my cousin. What did you do to her? Where do they send the girls?” Anna whispered into his ear, “tell me all about what you used to do for Jay and for Spooky. The jobs you ran.”

[Bennosuke]

"I don't know man," the kid says defensively, his shoulders tensing, "I was just supposed to guard her. Jay brought her in and was like, 'she's a problem. Keep her here and I'll be back for her,' but like, he never came back for her." He scoots back away from Anna till his back hits the column behind him with a soft thud. He struggles with his bonds for a moment, but of course, he is not getting away.

[Daishain]

Karl sighs and turns to Gabe, saying quietly enough for the young man not to hear, "It seems like we'll have a mess to deal with shortly. Are you going to be okay?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Okay,” Anna said, then she duct taped the ganger’s mouth and patted him on the cheek.

“We’re gonna release you, just sit tight,” Anna said. She walked over to Gabe and Karl.

“So, originally I was gonna kill him, but if you’re turning Gabe tonight it’s probably a good idea to let him drain this guy so he’s not famished for his first hunt,” she whispered, “what do you think?”

[Bennosuke]

Karl sighs and turns to Gabe, saying quietly enough for the young man not to hear, "It seems like we'll have a mess to deal with shortly. Are you going to be okay?"

The Ghoul nods his head stoically.

But after Anna finishes, immediately the kid starts struggling. His screams are muffled by the duct tape. His eyes are wide and switch between focusing on the three killers, and darting about the room, perhaps looking for a way to freedom.

Gabe's face turns slightly pale, but he knows better than to show any reservations about the idea of killing and remains silent.

[Daishain]

Karl looks to the prisoner, still speaking quietly, "That would be one way to get him used to things in a hurry, and it should involve less cleanup, if you are willing to give up having a personal hand in it. Gabe, you will be ravenous after turning. In his condition you will certainly kill him, but going for him first should greatly improve your chances of controlling the thirst and avoiding killing someone innocent instead. It would be prudent to accept, although I understand you are likely reluctant. I leave the choice to you."

[Bennosuke]

Gabe shrugs uncomfortably. He does his best to make eye contact with Karl and then with Anna, but it is clearly a gesture of forced confidence. "That would be fine," he says, the words coming out low, hushed, almost a mumble, before adding, "assuming Anna is sure she is okay with it, of course."

The kid keeps fighting his restraints; the metal of the handcuffs rattling against the pole.

[Thundercracker]

Anna nodded.

“Believe me you’re gonna want it,” Anna said to Gabe.

“Alright, we’re gonna release you,” Anna said, turning and walking to the ganger.

“I’m gonna take the tape off. I already have a headache so don’t scream or it’s going back on,” Anna said, “where on the east coast do you want to go?”

She pulled the duct tape off.

[Daishain]

Karl frowns, then shrugs, it seemed cruel to toy with this one's hopes, though perhaps that was the point. Either way, it wasn't really his concern now. Whether the thug resumes his struggles or not, whenever he can speak to both of the others again quietly he asks, "It seems that is settled then. Anna, perhaps you should check on your cousin, make sure we do not have anything else to address immediately."

[Thundercracker]

Karl frowns, then shrugs, it seemed cruel to toy with this one's hopes, though perhaps that was the point. Either way, it wasn't really his concern now. Whether the thug resumes his struggles or not, whenever he can speak to both of the others again quietly he asks, "It seems that is settled then. Anna, perhaps you should check on your cousin, make sure we do not have anything else to address immediately."

“Yeah, good idea,” Anna said, heading back upstairs.

She’ll turn her phone on and scroll through the messages. She decided to call Celestine first.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Sorry for the time warp on this)


“I’m gonna take the tape off. I already have a headache so don’t scream or it’s going back on,” Anna said, “where on the east coast do you want to go?”

She pulled the duct tape off.

The tape at this point is no longer tightly adhered, and comes off rather easily. However, the skin around the boy's mouth is raw and an angry pink from the repeated removal and application of the duct tape. The moment the gag is removed, the boy immediately starts screaming. "You aren't letting me go!" he howls, "I heard you! Help! Help! Cannibals! They want to eat me!"

************************************************** ****************************


“Yeah, good idea,” Anna said, heading back upstairs.

She’ll turn her phone on and scroll through the messages.

The moment Anna turns on her phone, she sees that the screen is basically covered in a series of text and call notifications. There is an email from Katie which reads, "I am so so sorry Anna. I really am. Thank you." There are about four missed calls all from Celestine, and one from her husband Henry. The calls were all from within the last hour or two. There were also a series of texts from Celestine, the majority reading something along the lines of, "Call me as soon as you wake," though from a few of the texts Anna can sense a hint of anger on top of frustration and grief.


She decided to call Celestine first.

The call is picked up within the first ring, as if Celestine was standing next to the house phone. Her voice is like already boiling water and she speaks in harsh Chinese (OOC: Can't remember what part of China Anna is from for Mandarin vs. Cantonese). "How dare you Anna," she starts, not even waiting for Anna to say hello, "how dare you involve the American police in this!"

I notice that in the OOC thread both of your character sheet posts are lacking all your character description and fluff. If you don't mind, would you please add that back to your OOC posts, so that I can reference it?

[Thundercracker]

Anna (basement)

Anna rolled her eyes and placed the tape back on, then went upstairs.

Anna - upstairs


The call is picked up within the first ring, as if Celestine was standing next to the house phone. Her voice is like already boiling water and she speaks in harsh Chinese (OOC: Can't remember what part of China Anna is from for Mandarin vs. Cantonese). "How dare you Anna," she starts, not even waiting for Anna to say hello, "how dare you involve the American police in this!"

Anna hung up the phone and sent her aunt a text.
"Call me back when you've calmed down and can speak respectfully."

anna is from hong kong, so this would be cantonese.

She went to look for Aisling to get an update on Gabrielle, or maybe Bernardo to smooth things over or calm him down.

[Daishain]

Karl sighs and turns to Gabriel, walking with him up the stairs and away from the prisoner, "It seems like there is nothing else that needs immediate redress then. I suppose we should move on to the embrace. This will be the moment you die and begin a new form of existence. It seems appropriate for you to choose the circumstances."

[Bennosuke]

Anna hung up the phone and sent her aunt a text.
"Call me back when you've calmed down and can speak respectfully."

Anna's phone immediately starts ringing again. (Assuming Anna does not pick up) The phone call goes to voicemail, rings again, goes to voicemail, and then rings and stops a third time.


She went to look for Aisling to get an update on Gabrielle, or maybe Bernardo to smooth things over or calm him down.

Anna goes down the hall to Aisling's room. The door is already open, though the lights are off. A creature of shadows though, Anna can see Aisling tangled around Bernardo, the two seated and facing the door, the Ghoul holding the slashed wrist of the Gangrel to his mouth. Bernardo's eyes are closed, a soft and exquisitely mortal expression of ecstacy on his face. Aisling's vitae is smeared across his lips and around his moulth (no vampire would ever feed so sloppily). Her animal eyes catch the light as they lock on Anna's and a knowing grin spreads across her young, impish face.

************************************************** *************************

Gabe follows Karl out of the room, leaving the boy alone. The rattling of handcuffs against the support beam echo up the stairwell. As they go up, Gabe says flatly, "I'm ready. Let's... let's just get started. However you want to do it. I'm ready." Despite his attempt at bravery, Gabe's voice wavers, and Karl has known the Ghoul long enough to know when the man is putting up a brave face.

[Thundercracker]

Anna would pick up when her aunt calls back.

“Hello?” she said, as if speaking for the first time that evening.

If her aunt starts yelling again she’ll simply hang up again. She’d saved her aunt’s life and given her a new lease, and just saved her daughter’s life from her own stupidity and poor upbringing; she’d be damned if she let the ghoul speak to her with such disrespect.

Upstairs:
Anna waited until Bernardo was done feeding.

“Ah, that’s good, feeling better?” Anna said.

“For what it’s worth Bernardo, I am sorry about last night,” Anna said, “how can I make it up to you?”

After settling Bernardo, she addressed Aisling.

“Hi Aisling, I think Karl’s going to give Gabe the embrace any minute, if you want to join and watch,” Anna said, “by the way, how’s Gabrielle doing?”

[Daishain]

"Fine, then go check your appearance one last time to be sure, then meet me in the upstairs bedroom. We'll want a bit of privacy. Find something to bite down on." Karl heads upstairs.

[Bennosuke]

Though her Aunt is a little more hesitant to respond the second time Anna picks up the phone, she drops quickly back into her scolding tone, "How dare you hang up the phone on me. I am your Aunt!"


**********************************************


Anna waited until Bernardo was done feeding.

“Ah, that’s good, feeling better?” Anna said.

Bernardo's eyes flutter open as Anna speaks, but they are clouded, lids heavy. He mumbles something affirmative in reply, but it's clear that he is still heavily intoxicated from Aisling's feed. She continues to grin at Anna, like a cat showing off it's caught mouse.


“For what it’s worth Bernardo, I am sorry about last night,” Anna said, “how can I make it up to you?”

"I'm fine... uh, it's fine," the ghoul replies, his speech slurring. His head lolls backwards, resting on Aisling's shoulder.


“Hi Aisling, I think Karl’s going to give Gabe the embrace any minute, if you want to join and watch,” Anna said, “by the way, how’s Gabrielle doing?”

Aisling raises a cold pale hand to cup Bernardo's head, leaning forward and around the boy to address Anna. "You don't think it would be... an intrusion, do you?" she asks curiously. The grin on her girlish face was completely inhuman, it was the look of a wolf studying a strange new animal it was considering to be prey.

In reply to the second question she says, "She is getting hungry... or starting to need The Gift. Her friends have been watching her closely, but she is... what do the mortals call it, strung out?"

************************************************** ****************

Gabe follows Karl up to the Mekhet's room, passing through into the bathroom to groom as he was told. What does Karl do in preparation while Gabe is in the other room?

[Daishain]

Karl has a seat and rubs his face. He'd run out of reasons to refuse or delay, and Gabe's reasons for asking this were not poorly founded. Still, this whole affair left him with a considerable sense of foreboding. Not least because he doubted it would look good from Fred's perspective...

The mekhet sits in the gloom, lost in his thoughts as he waits.

[Thundercracker]

”how dare you hang up the phone on me.”

Anna hung up the phone again and sent another identical text to her aunt.
“Call me back when you’ve calmed down and can speak respectfully.”

To Aisling: “I guess that’s up to Gabe, we’ll ask him,” Anna said.
Re: Gabrielle: “okay, thanks for watching her. Looks like she’s trying to break the habit, which is fine by me I guess. Are you okay to keep checking in on her from time to time?”

To Katie (email): “are you okay? Are you back at home or at the hospital?”

She filled a large plastic cup with water and brought it to the gang member downstairs.

“You need to be quiet to get this,” she said, “can you be quiet?”

Assuming he nods, she removes the gag and feeds him as much water as he wants, pausing every few seconds to let him catch his breath.

“Where do you want to go, New York or Miami?” she asked.

Whatever he says, she’ll nod, out the gag back on, and head back upstairs to find out if Gabe wants them to observe or not.

[Bennosuke]

Gabe returns to the room. He had already had his hair cut when he arrived that evening, and was clean shaven. It looks like the Ghoul had simply washed his face, and had also unbuttoned the top couple of levels of his work shirt, exposing the weathered dark skin of his neck and upper chest. He eyes Karl sitting on the bed and says quickly, "I'm ready," before pausing for a moment and adding, "Everything okay?" He gives Karl a quizzical look, perhaps trying to guess what the vampire was thinking.

(OOC: Just as a thought, it might be a good idea to bring the boy/vessel up to the room in preparation. Karl would probably think to do this, because if Gabe frenzies after the embrace, it's going to be hard to get him to follow Karl downstairs to feed)

************************************************** ********

Anna gets no further phone calls after she hangs up the second time. However, she does receive the following text message, "Respect? Don't forget that I am STILL YOUR aunt!!! We need to talk!"


Re: Gabrielle: “okay, thanks for watching her. Looks like she’s trying to break the habit, which is fine by me I guess. Are you okay to keep checking in on her from time to time?”


"It would be my pleasure," Aisling purrs, one hand casually stroking Bernardo's hair.


She filled a large plastic cup with water and brought it to the gang member downstairs.

“You need to be quiet to get this,” she said, “can you be quiet?”

Assuming he nods, she removes the gag and feeds him as much water as he wants, pausing every few seconds to let him catch his breath.

“Where do you want to go, New York or Miami?” she asked.

The boy remains quiet, but glares at Anna the entire time she is removing the gag. He drinks down the water hastily, so hastily that he begins to cough and wretch. Just when Ann thinks the boy might perform the disgusting mortal act of vomiting though, he manages to stifle. Once he has gained his composure, the glare returns to his face. "**** you cannibal," he spits, "I heard what you were saying. You are gonna feed me to your friend or some ****. Don't lie to me." He isn't screaming, just speaking in an angry defiant tone.

[Thundercracker]

Anna

Anna replied to Celestine:
“Yes, we need to talk. But you _will_ be respectful. And you now need to apologize before I will take any more of your calls. Take your time, I am patient.”

Downstairs:

Anna stared at the ganger for a good 30 seconds without breathing or blinking.
“Why did you even get involved in ms-13 anyway?” she asked.

She’s basically killing time until the ganger is needed for Gabe’s embrace, then she’ll help move him upstairs.

[Daishain]

Karl looks up, "My friend is dying tonight, and it will be at my hand. Maybe this is the only way forward, but I cannot take it lightly."

"Listen well, it will begin with me draining you of blood past the point of death. I will then feed you some of my vitae, which will bring you back. When you awaken again, you will become maddened by the thirst for blood. Many fledglings end up killing the first human they encounter after the embrace, so it is fortunate in a way that gang member is here, we will not be risking innocents. If you can focus on nothing else, remember that the blood of that one is all yours."

He pauses, "One more thing, I cannot guarantee this will go well. I have no particular reason to doubt that you will be reborn as planned, but I have heard of some cases where the embrace failed and the person remained dead. In the unlikely event something of the sort does happen, is there anything I need to know?"

I've been unable to verify the answer, so I'll ask here. Is there any sort of delay between draining and the feeding of vitae allowable? Karl would prefer to send Gabe off in relative privacy, but it would make things simpler to carry Gabe's corpse downstairs and perform the actual revival down in the basement, with the prisoner secured there and it being a much easier place to clean up the mess afterwards than any bedroom.

If no such delay is possible, I suppose Karl would go ahead and relocate downstairs again rather than bring the prisoner up.

[Bennosuke]

Anna receives no reply text or call from her aunt after sending her message.

Downstairs, Anna's response to the boy's accusation seems to only kindle the boy's anger. "**** you. You don't know me, and you don't get to judge me. You gonna kill me? Go ahead and kill me. I ain't scared!" His voice is rising now, lifting from quiet defiance to just below a shout, and his face is twisted up into a glare that belies the violence he wishes he could bring upon his captors.

The boy's statement only fans The Beast. The thing in Anna's skull would love nothing more than to step forward and rip his heart out. He deserves it! He had Katie! Who knows what he did to her! The Beast did not care about Gabe's promised meal upstairs. It wanted to see this scum punished as brutally as possible, and Anna deserved the right to do so. It was fair! It was justice!

************************************************** *******************

Upstairs, Gabe listens somberly. His expression remains unmoved until the very end when Karl mentions the chance he might just die. With this, a hint of annoyance flashes on Gabe's face for just a second. He replies flatly, "No. I really don't have much less in my life. I've tried to push everyone away I love away since I began working for you. It was worth it to keep them safe... and to stay alive. Just... just do it right. I don't want to die here. I'm not ready." The ghoul casts his eyes at the floor, his body stiff as he struggles to maintain control over his emotions. "I'm ready when you are." Gabe finally says, looking up to stare directly into Karl's eyes.

First off, again please if you would post Karl and Gabe's backgrounds and description in your OOC character post. It would be a very useful reference for me.

In regards to the question below:


I've been unable to verify the answer, so I'll ask here. Is there any sort of delay between draining and the feeding of vitae allowable? Karl would prefer to send Gabe off in relative privacy, but it would make things simpler to carry Gabe's corpse downstairs and perform the actual revival down in the basement, with the prisoner secured there and it being a much easier place to clean up the mess afterwards than any bedroom.

If no such delay is possible, I suppose Karl would go ahead and relocate downstairs again rather than bring the prisoner up.

If you want, give me an Int + Occult roll to see what Karl knows on the matter. That said...

At that moment, a rapping comes on the door of Karl's room. Without waiting for a reply, the door swings open partly and Aisling's youthful dead face becomes visible in the aperture. "Sorry to bother you," she purrs unapologetically, "I just wanted to ask a quick question before you... began. I wanted to know if it would be okay if I watched you give the Dark Gift Karl. I think it would be very very interesting."

Gabe's eyes go wide, but he looks at Karl as if deferring to the Mekhet to answer.

[Daishain]

Karl answers, "I believe that Gabriel should make that choice. But I would perhaps suggest at least leaving us be for the first step, which is simply draining him past the point of death. Perhaps he would not mind if you observe the rest, once he is gone?"

Rolled two successes on that int+occult roll in OOC

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna’s hand came up, quick as lightning, and choked off the ganger’s air supply. She leaned in close, fangs bared, and growled, an unnatural, predatory sound.

“I knew you would beg for death, but I didn’t know it would be so soon,” she said, “you will never hurt anyone again.”

She drew back and punched him in the stomach, hard, then replaced the gag and went to find Karl. She wanted to watch this ganger die right in front of her, now she was going to insist on it.

She returned upstairs to find Aisling standing at the locked door.

“Gabe, I just want you to know if you don’t finish this guy off, I will, so don’t worry about it, just let the Beast take over your first time,” Anna said, “you’ll be fine.”

lashing out, if it matters: str+bp: [roll0]
Brawl: [roll1]
10 again: [roll2]

[Bennosuke]

Anna’s hand came up, quick as lightning, and choked off the ganger’s air supply. She leaned in close, fangs bared, and growled, an unnatural, predatory sound.

“I knew you would beg for death, but I didn’t know it would be so soon,” she said, “you will never hurt anyone again.”

The boy's eyes go wide with fright, and a high pitched wine-shriek trickles uninvited out of his O-shaped mouth. It takes him a moment before his body starts responding, when he starts kicking with his legs to get away and fighting against his bonds.

Anna's punch hits him hard in the gut, immediately doubling him over and knocking the wind out of him. As he struggles to start breathing again, Anna places the duct tape back over his mouth. The Beast enjoyed the sadism, but is not sated, begging Anna to do more, to draw blood and to kill.

************************************************** *****************************

Gabe's face tightens. "I'm sorry Aisling," the ghoul says with hesitant seriousness, "I... I would kinda prefer to, well to do this privately." His hands dart into the pockets of his pants and he adds pathetically, "I hope you understand."

A frustrated scowl wrinkles its way across the Gangrel's face. A growl stifles in her throat before she replies, "I understand." Aisling's face withdraws from the crack in the door, before it is slammed closed.

Gabe shoots Karl a look that says, Yikes! After a moment's pause he says aloud, "Well, how do we begin?"

(OOC: Roll results in the OOC thread)


She [Anna] returned upstairs to find Aisling standing at the locked door.

“Gabe, I just want you to know if you don’t finish this guy off, I will, so don’t worry about it, just let the Beast take over your first time,” Anna said, “you’ll be fine.”

[Daishain]

Karl sighs and rubs his face, "She'll be sulking for a while from the looks of it. No matter."

When Anna comes to the door the Mekhet tells her, "Speaking of that one, could you bring him up here in a few minutes? Probably best if the fledgling does not have far to look."

Whenever they have privacy again, Karl turns back to Gabriel, "Sit down, and just try to relax. This will be over soon enough." He leans in, and without further preamble sinks his fangs into Gabe's neck, beginning to drink deep.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: We can let Anna reply in any form of time warp if TC so desires)

Gabe sits down on the bed, sitting stiffly upright, his hands clenched into fists in his lap.

Karl sinks his teeth into his Ghoul, causing the man to go rigid for a moment, before sinking into the relief of The Kiss; the relief of slipping into Death.

(OOC: So has Karl ever drunk from Gabe before? We will assume Karl fills up in his draining of Gabe, but how much Vitae is he going to give back. Assuming Karl goes through with this, he will also lose a point of Humanity as per the rulebook)

[Daishain]

Karl keeps drinking, feeling the heartbeat begin to flutter and weaken, and finally cease.

He had no desire to risk waiting, so Karl quickly slices open a wrist and begins forcing vitae into Gabriel's slack mouth, pumping out the viscous fluid.

Given the length of their relationship, I think the answer would be yes Karl has on occasion fed on Gabe, but only when there was need and a lack of other sources. I think I'll go ahead and give him 3 points of vitae. give him some cushion without draining myself to the point of being hungry again as well.

[Bennosuke]

Karl drinks and drinks, taking in the Ghoul's life as his heartbeat hastens faster and faster. With every beat comes a greater sense of knowing the man, as the vampire consumes him. The sweet life force is seasoned with memories, emotions, personality, coming in stronger and stronger the farther Karl goes in consuming his friend. Gabe's heartbeat begins to beat so rapidly that it is more like a constant desperate flutter, than a paced out rhythm, as he collapses in Karl's arms to be laid across the bed.

Karl continues to feed, taking more and more of the man, perhaps consuming Gabe's soul. The final rush brings complete satisfaction, however temporary. Gabe's blood spreads through Karl's dead body, bringing warm life into every cell till it feels like the vampire's entire body is warmed with it. Pulling back, Karl sees his friend collapsed on the bed, more ashen and cold than he had ever seen him, even at the worst of the man's battles with cancer. He was not breathing, and even though Karl knew this would happen, it still brings a terror and a fascination that the Mekhet had not expected. Gabe was dead. Karl had killed him. Karl had taken every last bit of the man's life into his body. It felt like Gabe would permanently be a part of Karl for the rest of his unlife, and like Karl knew and understood the man better than he ever had.

Then it was time to give back life. Karl moved as if on autopilot, slashing his wrist open with a fang without even registering the sharpness and the pain. He forced the wound between Gabe's now cold unmoving lips and willed the Vitae to begin to flow. It was more by feel than by sight, but Karl observed as the blood seemed to crawl its way into Gabe, forcing itself down the man's throat, invading his dying tissues. The vampire waited, forcing more and more of the stolen life back into his friend, waiting for the man to arise.

But even when Karl withdrew, knowing he had given his friend more than enough, Gabe did not startle. Karl sat beside the corpse. Gabe's dead eyes remained open, staring blankly into the beyond. Thirty seconds trickled by, then a minute; an eternity perhaps. Karl watched as nothing happened.

And then the change began, transformations in the flesh so subtle that Karl was not sure if he was imagining them. Gabe's cold pale skin took on a sheen, as if the cells of the man's skin were being replaced with an artificial but near perfect replica. Small blemishes on Gabe's face and burst vessels seemed to fade and resolve themselves. The man's eye's fluttered, then he inhaled to allow himself to moan; low, guttural, inhuman. Gabe's eyes were like shadows now, the light seemed to avoid the man's face in the way it did with Anna and with Karl himself. The man's hands balled up into fists, unknowingly gathering up the bed sheets, as he drunkenly struggled to rise.

(OOC: Karl's humanity is now dropped to 4. Karl's Blood pool is updated to 7/10)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Couldn't have turned him in the basement..." Anna muttered quietly enough so only Aisling could here.

"Come on Aisling, I might need help dragging him up the steps," Anna said leading the way to the basement.

"Okay, 'homie'," Anna said as she descended the steps, "time's up."
She lines up and kicks him a few times in the abdomen until he's unconscious, then uncuffs him, removing him from the pole, recuffs him, and brings him upstairs outside of Karl's room.

let me know if I need to roll the brawl, but really this is just to make sure he can't try and run, and it's only non-lethal (bashing) damage.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: No, I'm not going to make your roll for that)

Anna kicks him once, then twice, then a third time to the sound of cracking ribs. He keels over in so much pain his legs come up in a seated fetal position, screaming and moaning into the duct tape over his mouth. The beast revels in the brutality of the act, begging Anna to give him more, to kick him till he is nothing more than ruined flesh and gristle. And wouldn't the bastard deserve it after what he did to Katie? He offers no resistance as Anna and Aisling carry him upstairs.

[Daishain]

Karl watches with interest as Gabriel reanimates. He had only seen this process a few times before, and it had never been at his hand. Reaching out, he gently helped Gabriel reach a sitting position, "Welcome back. You will feel better after you feed. When you can stand, come this way." Karl leads the fledgling towards the door.

[Bennosuke]

"Ugh," Gabe moans, his attention slowly falling on Karl with his new raven's eyes, finally adding, "I feel like absolute ****." He tries to offer Karl a smirk, but the expression is cold and bestial. He moans again. "I feel like my insides are eating themselves,"

Gabe growls as he stumbles up to his feet, his hands reaching instinctively to his chest, "I'm so... hungry." The man's body tenses for a moment like a predator about to strike. His eyes going completely blank, lips pulling back in a terrible and familiar mask. He starts to lunge for Karl, but stops himself, both arms reaching out frozen in a near comical gesture. The animalistic expression gets replaced with one of near terror. Gabe curses, then suddenly wracked with pain, drops to his knees. He shudders and shudders before wretching up a puddle of bile.

(OOC: Gabe just barely resists Frenzy on his last dice)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna knocked on the door.

"It sounds like you're ready, we're coming in," Anna said.

She turned the knob and, along with Aisling, carried the near-unconscious ganger into the room and deposited him on the floor.

"You look terrible Gabe. Drink up, you'll feel better, and then we can celebrate," Anna said.

[Daishain]

Karl watches the fledgling warily, this was a dangerous moment, and it looked like Gabe nearly lost control there. As Anna arrives with the prisoner, he nods in thanks and some relief. "There he is Gabriel, try to temper the feeding with patience, but your body knows what to do."

[Bennosuke]

The gangster stumbles onto his knees beside the still retching Gabe. Still gagged, the boy moans softly, perhaps in too much pain to fight anymore. Gabe looks up wet pile of yellow bile that his body has rejected, his eyes suddenly fixing on the mortal. The Kindred in the room can easily recognize the primal urges now glowing in Gabe's dark eyes as hunger and instinct take over. Nearby, Aisling coos from her kneeling position as she watches the Fledgeling with delighted interest. A hungry grin spreads on her impish face.

Gabe falls upon the restrained boy, knocking him onto his side before bringing mouth to throat. Perhaps it is old habits dying hard, or perhaps his fangs have not fully grown in, as Gabe seems to bite and chew at the now screaming gangster. A low and bestial growl rises in Gabe's throat as he attacks. He seems to struggle to find a vessel, or perhaps the action is intentional, as he leaves rounded double bite marks over and over again in the soft of the kid's neck, creating trickling pools of blood that begin to comingle with the sticky yellow vomit.

Finally, mercifully, Gabe seems to find a stream to feed from, clamping his mouth tight as he instinctively pulls the boy towards him. Gabe feeds and feeds and feeds.

(OOC: Anyone gonna stop him from killing?)

[Daishain]

Karl sits down and sighs, he had a childe now, at the cost of his oldest friend's life. Gabriel had wanted to live, and now he was gnawing at the neck of some grubby already half dead gang member. Hopefully his partner would not be too disappointed in his new existence. He waits as Gabriel finishes off the human. It would be easier to instill respect for the need to control his instincts with a death to point to, and the prisoner had to die anyways.

[Thundercracker]

Anna watched as Gabe fumbled around. Had she ever been so clumsy? She let him drink his fill. The more he drank now, the more reasonable he’d be later in the evening.

[Bennosuke]

Without interruption, Gabe fed and fed till there was nothing left within the poor kid. Pushing backwards, Gabe let go of the gangster's lifeless body, falling into a seated position. His still glazed eyes stared intently at the corpse he had drained, and cursed under his breath. "Well... that was better," Gabe said softly, his words almost slightly slurred.

"Well done," Aisling purred, moving to sit beside Karl, and wrapping a cold arm around his shoulders.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna seems almost physically aroused as she watches Gabe drain the ganger to death. It wasn't her that was doing it, but she seemed almost to live vicariously through the fledgling vampire as he popped his feeding and murder cherry.

When he was done and sat back, she walked over and squatted next to him to look him in the eye.

"Now you're one of us," she said, smiling, fangs fully extended.

She reached out and pulled him into a tight hug, a gesture she never would have done while he was a ghoul.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered, "and I know you'll make Karl proud too."

[Daishain]

Karl says slowly, "So, you've killed for sustenance. You've felt the beast within. It will always be with you, so learn to deal with it. I doubt this was enough to fill you up, so this remains a good time to teach you to hunt without killing. Whenever you are ready, lets stow the body and get going."

[Bennosuke]

"Now you're one of us," she said, smiling, fangs fully extended.

She reached out and pulled him into a tight hug, a gesture she never would have done while he was a ghoul.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered, "and I know you'll make Karl proud too."


Gabe does not fall into Anna's embrace, but he does allow his head rest for a second on her shoulder. His flesh is still warm like a mortal's, maybe from the feeding, or maybe simply from being so recently embraced. "Thanks," he says weakly.


Karl says slowly, "So, you've killed for sustenance. You've felt the beast within. It will always be with you, so learn to deal with it. I doubt this was enough to fill you up, so this remains a good time to teach you to hunt without killing. Whenever you are ready, lets stow the body and get going."

The newly embraced fledgeling looks up at his sire, raven's eyes dead and vampiric. But instead of rising to Karl's summons, Gabe stays in Anna's hug and mutters, "I think I still need a little more time." There is the sudden wet sound of a mortal passing gas and Gabe moans clutching his stomach. "I think I am going to need to give up my dinner," he says with embarrassment, "go take care of the body and hopefully I will be ready soon." Karl's mind flashes back to his Embrace; the terrible sensations of dying, and his body ridding itself of digested contents in one final grand finale. Gabe doubles over with discomfort, a squishing rumbling noise audible to all in the room.

[Daishain]

Karl grimaces, "Oh right, I'm afraid this next part will not be pleasant, your body is about to purge what's left of your last few meals. I suggest making for the bathroom and possibly stripping."

He turns his attention to the body, "This one needs to disappear without any trace. Disposal at sea is reliable enough if done right. Remove enough of the teeth to prevent identification that way, weigh the body down with a few rocks and metal mesh and drop it in the sea, and the fish will do the rest. Before long the metal will oxidize as well and it will be just another skeleton lying around in pieces." He rubs his chin, "Only catch is taking a boat out at night is highly suspicious, and Gabriel is no longer able to do so during the day. Any suggestions? "

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“I’m gonna buy a yacht, and a jet too,” Anna said, “I’m sure we could use them for something. For this one... think we could dissolve it in acid?”

“If you’re set on the boat I’m sure we could just steal one, obfuscate both us and the body until we’re on board,” she said.

[Daishain]

"Getting away with stealing a boat isn't the issue, the issue is the coast guard. We'd have to head out a fair distance to be sure the body isn't found by random divers, and they watch those waters for any suspicious craft. That is a primary route for drug smuggling after all. Even if we hide from them on the boat, getting away and back to shore could prove problematic if the boat is detected." He continues, "Acid could work, unfortunately I don't think either of us has access to a sufficient supply, it takes gallons, and not the weak stuff that can be obtained in a typical store either."

He looks thoughtful, "It might be safest just to store him for a few days, wait until we can arrange something and the police aren't looking quite as hard. Don't want him stinking up the place of course. We could drain whatever little amount of blood is left, and stuff him in a barrel, oil drum or something similar and fill around with rock salt. That should be simple enough to arrange, and it would make it easier to transport him without suspicion."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna took a few steps back from the fledgling.

“Yeah, but it’s the last time you’ll ever have to do that,” Anna said to Gabe, “so, just keep that in mind.”

“Sounds good to me,” Anna said to Karl, “something we can seal, and then we can figure out a way to dump it later. Couldn’t we also break into a crematorium?”

[Daishain]

Karl thinks for a moment, "A crematorium might be a possibility. I don't know much about what kind of security they have, it might be a rather difficult task to get in and out without leaving proof that someone at least was burning an extra body. I'll want at least a few days to come up with a plan there, so we're back to storing this guy."

"Think you can go get the supplies while I prep this one? Any sealable container with at least four cubic feet of space should do. A standard size oil drum would be just about perfect, wouldn't even need to cut him up for that. And then a bunch of road salt or sand to draw out the remaining moisture and prevent rot. They sell big heavy bags of it at a lot of home improvement stores."

If this was the path they were taking, while Gabriel was incapacitated, Karl would lug the body back down to the basement and proceed to drain it of whatever little amount of blood was still within, and remove the teeth.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Yeah, I’ll see if I can find everything we need,” Anna said, “here’s his phone, I turned it off last night.”

She handed it to Karl.

She checked her appearance to make sure she was presentable, then headed out

[Bennosuke]

Aisling appears from the shadows, a playful grin on her young face. "This sounds like fun," she says with a giggle, "any chance I can help?"

[Daishain]

Karl blinks, then nods, "Yes, you ought to learn something about hiding your tracks in this age. Those who enforce the law have tools that make it quite difficult to hide crimes from them. If at all possible, it is best to make sure none suspect that a crime happened at all, so they do not become involved. But failing that, disguising it such that it looks like events happened in a different way is usually the best course of action. We will make sure that it looks like this one ran off and disappeared. If we ensure they never find his body, they'll never know for sure that he's dead. Now, I assume you have dressed an animal before? This is not very different, we begin by..."

The mekhet goes over the basics of disposing of a body and eliminating evidence as they work.

[Thundercracker]

Anna departed quickly. She wanted to try and find out some more about the Dark one, but she couldn’t do it while there was a body hanging about.

[Bennosuke]

As Anna steps away her phone pings with an email from Katie. It reads, "I'm back home. Spent the day in the hospital. I hope Mom isn't being too hard on you. She told me you are the one who found me. She's grateful... she's just really upset by everything. I'm going to need a lot of time to recover... but I think I need to get away from my parents. Is there any chance you can take me in for a little bit? No pressure. I don't want to be burden. You've already done so much for me."

Karl finishes his education of Aisling, whom he tasks with "taking care" of the gangster's corpse. He and Anna come back upstairs to find Gabe standing naked in the bathroom. The water is running hot in the bathtub, but the stench of mortal excretions wafts heavily, blended with the citrus stench of scented soap. The Fledgeling tosses his damp hair back, and looking a bit more invigorated says with a grin, "Sorry for the mess. I... I think I'm done now. Give me a minute to get dressed?"

[Daishain]

"I should have remembered that was coming, sorry, its been a very long time. When you are ready, we'll get going, this time of night is usually the best time for a hunt, before everyone out to socialize gets back home."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“We all went through it,” Anna said, eyes flicking lower for a second, “hurry up and let’s hunt.”

She checked her email and read through Katie’s response.

“I’m sure your mom will come around. I barely use one of my houses, so you can stay there,” Anna wrote, “but you should try to get your parents’ permission first. You’re going to be at home the next few days?”

[Bennosuke]

"Just give me one moment to get dressed again," Gabe says, more than a hint of embarrassment spread across his face. His body even remembers how to blush, but in his new pallor the rosiness of his cheeks looks almost painted on.

After a few more minutes, Gabe has his clothing back on and is ready to go. "I'm ready," he says to Karl, "I guess I will let you lead the way... but I think I have one request, if that's okay."

(OOC: So unless you are going to catch Gabe's prey for him, I am going to have Anna and Karl both make assisting rolls. Based on what Karl described, please give me Wits+ Stealth. Every success you have will give Gabe an extra dice. And we can keep the conversation going as you roll ect)

[Daishain]

"What request would that be?" Karl asked

Accidently posted with roll in NB

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

wits + stealth: [roll0]
10 again: [roll1]



“I’ll come for the first hunt but then I’ve got some things to take care of,” Anna said.

[Bennosuke]

Gabe's eyes dart away from Karl's gaze momentarily and with a very mortal sigh he says, "Well, I know I'll get more used to it... but can we not kill this prey?"

(OOC: Gabe gets only two successes, despite everyone's success. I'm happy to play out the hunt, but I'll let this conversation finish up first if that's okay. For what it's worth my post rate should be pretty strong this upcoming week)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Of course we’re not gonna-“ Anna said, but cut herself short.

“sorry Karl, I guess this question’s for you,” she said, not wanting to cut in on his role as Sire.

[Daishain]

Karl states slowly, "That was always the intent. The other one had to die to cover our tracks from last night anyways, but he was an exception, not the rule. The whole point of letting you drain him dry was so that you were thinking clearly for this hunt, and we would not have to fight to keep you from killing someone that did not have to die. It becomes harder to avoid if you're starving, but you will soon learn to tell how much you can take without threatening the life of a particular prey. With a little finesse, most of your prey should go home without any real idea that something happened to them at all."

"In fact, you can consider this the second rule to follow after maintaining the masquerade. If someone has to die, so be it, but dead bodies piling up everywhere causes problems for everyone. Do not kill your prey indiscriminately, or as your sire I will be expected to force you to stop by whatever means necessary. If I were to refuse or fail, we could both be hunted down. And there is another reason to avoid killing aside from that."

The Mekhet moves to a window and looks out at the city, "Remember this. We are apart from the kine, and our beast encourages us to treat them all as disposable food. But listening to the beast too much means becoming lost. If you lose what is left of your humanity entirely, you will become a ravening monster, an unthinking thing that must be put down. Many kindred find it necessary to take deliberate steps to stay in touch with humanity. That is a large part of why I formed the detective agency in the first place, it forced me to take part in human perspectives and human troubles. As annoying as those problems could often be, they helped keep me sane through the decades."

He looks back at Gabe, "But if that's settled, I suggest we get moving. Drunk and tipsy people headed home from the bars at night are often the easiest prey, and should make for good learning subjects, we'll show you how to make an approach that goes unnoticed."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Wow Karl... you’re good at this,” Anna said. She followed along to escort Gabe on his first hunt, and maybe take a few sips of her own.

[Bennosuke]

Karl's speech brings visible relief to Gabe's face. With an appreciative smile the Fledgeling thanks his sire, even going so far as to bow his head in respect.

************************************************** *

Karl and Anna lead Gabe out of the apartment, and drive out to the nearest Rack; the Outer Richmond. A traditionally Russian and Chinese neighborhood, the Outer Richmond is made up primarily of lower and middle income families in San Francisco, though there are pockets in the neighborhood of severely run down inner city perfect for feeding; especially closer to Golden Gate Park.

It was outside of a strip of furtive taverns and dive bars that the coterie parked and began their search. Karl and Anna led Gabe through the process of keeping to the shadows, looking for prey that were alone and likely vulnerable. The Fledgeling took to the information with a detached methodical interest, but his execution would take a bit of practice.

While Anna and Karl waited in a nearby ally, Gabe stood up against the wall of a boarded up office building, staying in the shadows as he was told. He ignored the sober, the anxious, and those traveling in groups, till he found a lone young man too busy on his phone to be aware of his surroundings. It was not much later than 10PM at this point, but even if the youth was sober, he was traveling far too carelessly in such a desolate and dangerous part of the city. Gabe waited till the man passed before falling on him. But the Fledgeling did not yet know how to give into his instincts, and what should have been an easy snatch and bite became a desperate wrestling match in the shadows of the sidewalk. It was only with Anna and Karl's help that the man was restrained, silenced and dragged back into the ally, still kicking and fighting. "Sorry," Gabe offered with panicked whisper, "what... what do I do?"

[Daishain]

"You've done it before, and you've seen me. Just be a little more gentle this time. Don't think about it too much, and he'll quiet down soon enough."

If Gabe manages to get a good feed going Karl continues, "There we go, see? Next time try to begin the feed in the same moment as you grab your prey, the effect it has on their ability to resist is nearly immediate. Now, pay attention to his heartbeat, and the flow of the blood. The heart will begin to work harder as the blood pressure drops, if it begins to beat erratically, you've already taken enough to risk their health, try not to let it get there."

[Thundercracker]

Anna wordlessly watched Gabe and Karl as the latter instructed the former. Eventually she’d probably create a progeny as well, so it made sense to take mental notes.

[Bennosuke]

The fledgeling nods his head, though there is still a panicked look in his eyes. He glances uneasily at the struggling kid, before throwing his head back and extending still budding canines. He Does his best to bite into the kid's neck, but his fangs are not fully realized and he is forced to saw and struggle to fully pierce the kid's soft flesh. He shrieks into a covered hand with each bite, tears streaming down his eyes till The Kiss finally settles in. Gabe drinks from the kid for a bit, dark eyes going vacant as he feeds. He pulls and pulls, excess blood leaking out from the corner of his mouth to dribble down his chin. There is a moment where it seems that the Beast might be taking over, or where the man might at the very least be taking a passive backseat, but after an uneasy few moments, Gabe finally releases the seal and pulls his head back. Unaware of the next step, a weak stream of blood gushes out of the now unconscious kid's neck, oozing between Gabe's fingers where he has a grasp of the prey.

(OOC: Gabe barely stops himself from going too far. Karl and Anna both would know Gabe needs to lick the wound shut, and that there may be issues with the kid's memory of the situation risking the masquerade)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Lick it shut! Lick his neck!" Anna whispered loudly to Gabe. She stared at the blood oozing out, torn between wanting to lap it up herself and with concern the kid might bleed out right in front of her.

[Bennosuke]

Still reeling from his feeding confused and overwhelmed, Gabe looks dumbly at Anna and says, "What, with my tongue?" Assuming he receives an affirmative from Anna or Karl, he then leans forward and sticks his tongue out as if he were a child asked to taste a foreign food. After a few passes with his tongue, the blood does its dark trick and the boy's flesh heals over as if the wounds had never been there. Still clutching the limp adolescent Gabe looks up at Anna and Karl and says, "What do we do now?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Usually I pour some alcohol on them and maybe call an ambulance to let them know someone is passed out," Anna replied, "this one's got some blood on him though so, that might not work so well."

"Could always bruise him up a little and take his wallet, make it look like a mugging," she said.

[Daishain]

"A mugging would seem to be the best story to tell here. The memory of what happens in the moments just before and during the kiss are usually quite fuzzy, but since there was a delay, this one will probably remember being grabbed and assaulted. I suggest a mild head wound as well, just enough to split the scalp and suggest a slight concussion. It would explain the blood and his inability to remember some details."

"Next time, if you manage to subdue them more smoothly, it is usually simple enough to simply leave them behind. Especially with drunks, its easy enough to sit them down as if they'd had a breather and dozed off."

[Bennosuke]

"Jeeze," Gabe mutters under his breath, eyes downcast at the unconscious body in his arms. Far too gently and respectfully, he lowers the boy to the ground, cradling his head before letting him go. He looks at Karl and Anna, as if waiting to see if either of them are going to take care of it for him, but finally grimaces. He pulls a leg back before soccer kicking the kid in the head. His boot bounces off of the boy's forehead, scraping back a flap of quickly bloodied skin. He looks back at Anna and Karl uncomfortably, as if for approval, before kneeling down before the body, riffling through and removing the kid's wallet; an uncomfortable look on his face.

Rising back up he exhales before saying to Karl, "Can we go now?"

[Daishain]

Karl takes a look around to be sure they weren't missing any problematic details, "Yes, lets get going. That was less than pleasant, but it should underscore the need for a good approach. Hurting them won't be necessary if they're rendered helpless before they know you're there."

"Now, there are a couple of other things to bear in mind on the hunt. For one thing feeding grounds are rather restricted. Get caught hunting in the wrong area, and it spells trouble. I suggest familiarizing yourself with the areas open to us. Also, as a fledgling, your status with other vampires has not changed a great deal, I strongly suggest avoiding conflict. I've gained some influence lately, but I would not..." Karl keeps rambling on about the finer points of behavior on the prowl as the group departs the area.

[Bennosuke]

Gabe nods his head, clearly a little overwhelmed by everything Karl is telling him. "Sure, sure," he replies mechanically, "Uh, I guess you'll just have to draw me out a map... or whatever. Will I have to... you know, feed every night? I think I've seen you not feed some nights, right? Where to now?"

[Daishain]

"If you begin the week full, it is possible to go a little more than a week without feeding at all. However, towards the end of it you will be hungry and irrational. If you run out entirely, you are very likely to frenzy, its a state a bit like you felt when you came back to life, but worse, much worse. In addition, if entirely empty of vitae, the next time you sleep you will not wake, not until and unless another feeds you blood. Best not to let it get anywhere near that far."

Karl holds up three fingers, "Once every three nights is a decent rule of thumb. You will stay nearly full that way without spending too much time hunting down prey, and can become full without taking an amount that would threaten a single person."

"That is, when nothing else is going on at least. Using our more... energetic abilities depletes our reserves faster. If you become seriously wounded and need to heal, that will deplete some vitae, and chances are you will need to feed to truly recover. Likewise, even though I fed on you, I depleted some of my own reserves bringing you back. Speaking of which, Anna, how about we top ourselves off and show him our own techniques?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"I was wondering when you were going to get to that part," Anna said, "seems like these days I'm always hungry..."

"Gabe, sometimes I'll deliberately get myself mugged and feed on whatever jerk tried to rob me, but most of the time it's easier to find someone who is drunk, or find someone who wants to try to get laid and get them when they're vulnerable," she said.

Once the kid in front of them was taken care of, Anna went about hunting her own prey, either a drunk passed out in an alley or someone too unaware to realize what was happening until it was too late.

[Bennosuke]

Gabe nods his head, trying his best to keep up with everything he is being told. "Energetic abilities," he asks with a knowing grin, "you mean Disciplines, right? I think I've heard you call it that before. Those are your powers?"

(OOC: Feel free to give me a roll for the feeding TC, +1 for the location)

[Daishain]

Karl nods, "Yes. Your powers will likely reflect mine, but won't be exactly the same. There are ten commonly recognized Disciplines. Out of these I am talented in Celerity, Obfuscation, and Auspex. Essentially powers helpful when moving swiftly, staying hidden, and uncovering secrets. Odds are you will be talented in these disciplines as well, but there are no guarantees. These are disciplines common among Mekhet Clan kindred like myself, and now you. Other clans have other specialties. Some can enchant with a mere look, others could shrug off a hit from a tank round."

"When we get a chance, I suggest that we test to see if you can manage the lowest form of Obfuscation, since that does not require the use of vitae, just some concentration. It is also very useful when there is need to approach or escape unnoticed. This basic skill does not actually hide you, but it prevents others from recognizing your presence among a crowd or remembering you were even there when they turn away. You'll be seen if a guard watches you walk down an empty hall, but fill that hall with a dozen other people, and you could be dressed in a clown suit carrying a severed head in one hand and a lit bundle of dynamite in the other and in theory even in that extreme case they'd have a hard time truly being aware of your presence. Though I suspect they would be uneasy without recognizing why, human instincts can be fickle like that. If your talent develops sufficiently, it will become possible to become entirely invisible, and even pull someone into hiding with you to feed without others noticing even if they are right there."

Karl keeps answering questions while Anna hunts, when she finds a likely prospect he encourages Gabriel to pay attention to every detail.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“The easiest way is to find a bum who is passed out drunk,” Anna said, “they’re easy to sneak up on and nobody cares about them.”

She did exactly that, looking for someone out of the way who was already out of it.

dex + stealth + 1 [roll0]
10 again: [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

Gabe keeps nodding his head, but the more Karl talks, the more it is clear the newly Embraced fledgeling is struggling to keep up. The gesture starts to remind Karl of a plastic bobble head.

Almost the moment Anna finishes describing her plan, the trio walk by the doorway of locked up laundromat where a homeless man has set up camp. A cardboard box wall has been set up for privacy, behind which a bedraggled looking man slumbers, covered up to the neck in a grimy red sleeping bag. The smell of whiskey comes heavily from the doorway, and he barely even startles when Anna moves in for the kill.

(OOC: Feel free to narrate as you please TC of the exceptional success. And let me know how many BP you are taking)

[Thundercracker]

Anna walks up to the homeless man, using the shadows for cover. She was on him before he even knew someone was there, and the Kiss took over before he even opened his eyes. Anna sucked greedily, ignoring his stink and the grime on his neck as she drank while keeping her eyes on the alley entrance ahead. She drank her fill and licked the wound shut before taking the last few drops from his neck, leaving nothing but a slightly cleaner spot.

anna will go to full, she should only be down 1 or 2

She returned to Karl and Gabe with a spring in her step and a light buzz running through her from the alcohol in the bum's blood.

"And that's a good feeding," she whispered to the fledgling, "they're usually not that easy but sometimes you get lucky."

[Daishain]

Karl states wryly, "The downside, aside from the dirt and the smell, is a lot of the homeless are in poor health already, so the odds are good you won't be able to take as much from them as others without threatening their life. If getting desperate, you can always try infiltrating someone's home, but that is difficult to pull off without leaving at least some trace, so its best as a last resort. Seducing someone enough to get them alone is a popular method, though that was never really my forte. Hmm, how about I show you what your earlier feeding could have looked like? Perhaps we should have lead with a demonstration."

Karl sets off looking for another loner.

Wits+Stealth [roll0]
ten again [roll1]

[Bennosuke]

Anna sates herself. Though she was admittedly not terribly hungry, the feed had been almost too easy. The man likely never even fully woke up before he was swallowed up by The Kiss, and she was gone and back to the group in likely less than a minute.

Unfortunately for Karl, his hunt is not nearly so swift. (OOC: Assuming he has Gabe and maybe Anna follow him, so that the Fledgeling can watch/learn). After over a half hour of prowling the shadows, Karl is able to fall upon a uniformed police officer. At first it appears that the young man with the receding red hairline and the 15 pounds extra is just standing up against a wall. Karl is actually about to pass pass the man by, when he hears a loud snore, and realizes that the officer is asleep on his feet, standing at the lip of an ally. The vampire is able to catch his prey completely unaware.

(OOC: Prey randomly generated using the V5 50 prey chart. Karl has 7/10 blood points. I take it he is taking his fill as the officer can likely soak it?)

[Daishain]

Karl is delicate in his approach, endeavoring to ensure that there is no hint that he was even there when he is done. Drinking his fill, he soon steps away and lets the policeman continue his nap. On rejoining the others, he states, "Well that took a little longer than I hoped, but hopefully you have a decent idea of how this works now. What else do we need to get done this night?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“I need to do some research, and did you have any luck reaching out to our biker acquaintances?” Anna asked.

[Daishain]

"Not yet, I could try to arrange for a meeting in the next few days. I think we'll want all hands on deck for that one, they're a rowdy bunch. We also have body disposal sketched in for tomorrow, don't want to let that slide too long, and Fred is getting back into the country then as well."

[Bennosuke]

As Karl and Anna are discussing, the two receive the same message via The Pulse, their phones buzzing at practically the same time. The message is from Nova, and it appears that Aisling is included in the chat. It reads, "Yo, the boss wants us to look into the Bruja problem; like we discussed. Let's deal tomorrow?"

Of course, tomorrow was when Fred was arriving on his "trip" from England, and would need some time with Karl.

[Daishain]

Karl frowns, saying aloud, "Tomorrow's going to be pretty busy for a couple of reasons. Meeting with her tonight might be better. Anna, can that research wait for the moment?"

If Anna responds in the affirmative, he texts back, //Tomorrow's fairly busy, but we have time now. Might it be possible to meet tonight?//

[Thundercracker]

“Yeah, I guess it can wait..” Anna replied.

[Bennosuke]

At Karl's question, Gabe's eyes narrow. "Why, what's going on?" he asks with sudden concern.

It takes a moment for Nova's reply to come, pinging on both vampires' phones. It reads, 'Fine. Meet me outside Tommy's in thirty? Bring weapons..."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"We're hounds, the Sheriff wants to meet with us," Anna replied.

"How heavy?" Anna replied to Nova.

[Bennosuke]

Anna's reply causes a quizzical expression to cross Gabe's face. Rather than ask for explanation though he just says, "Okay then. What should I do?"

Nova's reply to the chat reads, 'Big enough to show you mean big enough, but discreet enough for the street.'

[Thundercracker]

Anna

“You could make a list of what you need to get set up at the haven,” Anna replied, “how are you with computers?”

[Daishain]

"Anna's suggestion is a good one. It would also be a help if you put together a plan to more permanently deal with that gang banger's remains tomorrow. You won't be able to take a boat out to dump in the daytime anymore, and at night is too risky." Karl nods.

"I would take you with us, you are likely to end up working with Nova sooner rather than later anyways and it sounds like more hands would be of help. But not tonight, not yet. Tonight you are a fledgling who has not even tested all of his most basic abilities, let alone learned to reliably use them. You need to relearn familiarity and control before I'll introduce you to other kindred, especially those significantly more powerful than Anna and I."

Turning to Anna he states, "Sounds like she wants us to have concealable weapons on hand, but more than a derringer... err I think they're more often called purse poppers these days. My pistol should do just fine, do you have a sidearm? I know you prefer the sword but it sounds like Nova wants an intimidation factor. Hmm, I might take the rifle as well and simply conceal it from view with obfuscate..."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“I always carry a glock,” Anna replied, “I’ll leave the rifle and the sword in the car until we find out what’s going on.”

[Bennosuke]

“You could make a list of what you need to get set up at the haven,” Anna replied, “how are you with computers?”

"Anna's suggestion is a good one. It would also be a help if you put together a plan to more permanently deal with that gang banger's remains tomorrow. You won't be able to take a boat out to dump in the daytime anymore, and at night is too risky." Karl nods.

Gabe grins a little and replies, "I'm just fine with them." He pauses for a moment and then says, "I guess I should go back to your place in Seacliff? You're probably gonna have to lend me a key." His voice trails off, and then as if struck by another thought adds, "And would it be okay if I stay there tonight... I mean during the day? I'm not exactly sure my apartment is exactly sun-proofed, or whatever."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“That’s the idea Gabe,” Anna said.

“Okay, I’ve been thinking about getting some state of the art hardware but we didn’t have anyone who could use it,” Anna said, “so we’ll work on that once you’re settled.”

[Daishain]

Karl rubs his chin, muttering to himself "It sounds like we're going to be doing more wetwork than I'd normally be comfortable with. Nova definitely seems to prefer a direct approach to things. We'll need to improve our arsenal in the long run. Some more long arms, and a few heavier weapons I think. Its been a while since I fired a Maschinengewehr. I bet I could get my hands on a 42 that can be restored to full functionality if I poke around and pretend to be a collector, even the tougher kindred would get cut in half by the buzzsaw..."

He blinks as he realized Gabe had asked a question, "Hmm? Oh, yes, take mine for now." He fishes around in a pocket and hands it over. "If you find time with everything else going on, go ahead and make a copy for yourself."

[Bennosuke]

"Great," Gabe replies, though there is a hint of discomfort in his voice, "I uh, I guess I'll just try to grab an Uber or something. And I'll see if Bernardo can find the time in the morning to make a few copies. I doubt there's gonna be many hardware stores open after sundown." He pauses for a second and then exclaims, "****! After sundown! I guess things really are gonna be pretty friggin' different from now on." He grins sheepishly before pulling out his phone and taking a few steps away from Anna and Karl to hale a cab.

(OOC: Do Anna and Karl want to continue discussing, or should we assume with the conversation with Gabe complete they head straight to Tommy's Joynt?)

[Daishain]

"I did try to warn you." Karl states dryly. "But you'll get used to it."

Karl will stick around until Gabe at least gets confirmation that an uber has accepted the pickup, rather than just leaving him.

[Bennosuke]

Despite the late hour, it was not long till Gabe's rideshare arrived.

Following this, Anna and Karl took off for Tommy's Joynt. They were welcomed by the garishly painted brick building, all blue and red and purple, with "Tommy's Joynt" written in a font that could have been called "Circus Lettering". Parked right outside of the entrance was a beat up sedan in peeling forest green paint, and leaning against the car was Nova. Her dark brown locks, normally allowed to flow out wildly were pulled back into tight colorful cornrows tied with red and orange streamers, and she was wearing a heavy denim jacket.

Standing next to her was Aisling, dressed in the same dirty billowing dress she had worn at the beginning of the night. The two watched as Anna and Karl approached; Aisling waving with a grin as the two got close. "We're finally all together," Nova remarks flatly, eyeing the new arrivals, "Let's go inside and chat quickly." She indicates the entrance to the pub/Elysium, but her dark animal eyes remain fixated on Anna and Karl, regarding them as a predator might with possible prey.

[Daishain]

Karl nods, following the others within without saying a word.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna waved to Aisling but otherwise stayed quiet as she followed Karl into the building.

[Bennosuke]

Nova leads the Coterie into Tommy's Joynte, walking into the warmly decorated pub. But instead of heading for the back door that leads to the stairwell for Elysium, she pushes through the crowd of warm mortal bodies to find a booth in the back of the first floor. A pair of awkward looking teenagers in goth attire are seated at the booth, sipping on steins of frothy beer that they are clearly too young to have. Without saying a word, Nova gives the two a scowl, pushing out with her Beast, and the two boys shuffle out of the booth, whimpering like beaten puppies.

She invites Karl, Anna and Aisling to sit down, shuffling in after the others. "Let's get down to business," the gangrel says flatly, "I want to deal with the Bruja tonight!"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna sat back in her seat. D'Agnostino had left it up to them whether to include Nova or not! Either he'd done it as a test to see if they would inform her on their own or he'd grown tired with the lack of results and informed her anyway. Or she'd found out on her own. Either way, they now had to deal with the Sheriff pushing them faster than she would have liked.

"Okay, what's the plan once we find them?" Anna asked, "you've been around a lot longer than us; have you ever spoken with or fought them?"

[Daishain]

Karl frowns, "That seems like an unnecessary risk. Should we not at the very least try to ascertain their relative strength first? If we go out there with less than what is needed to forcibly overpower them, chances are we will not be able to make them back down in negotiations."

[Bennosuke]

Nova raises an eyebrow at Anna and Karl's remarks. "Well," she says haughtily, "I see you know the Bruja have... returned to San Francisco. As you know, they've set up in Daly City. However, last night they were in the city proper and apparently dusted John Merino, a Carthian neonate." She speaks as if she expects her companions are aware of this news, but the last part is said with a venom that says she knew Merino and has a taste for revenge. "So anyways, with the Traditions broken it's time for The Prince's Wrath to fall on these troublesome Bruja. I haven't had the chance to do any... surveillance yet, but we can't afford waiting around till they've left."

[Daishain]

Karl resists the urge to rub his face in frustration, this new sheriff wouldn't be much less difficult to work with than the last one, though at least she didn't bear a grudge, "Okay, in that case, how much confirmation do we have that the Brujah are actually responsible? Kindred have used their presence as convenient scapegoats before."

"If we are not almost entirely certain, it will not do the Prince any favors if we make the wrong call in haste, not to mention the problems with possibly letting whoever actually was responsible for Merino's final death slip off unscathed. What do we know about the incident?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna watched quietly as Karl made his thoughts known.

[Bennosuke]

Flatly and with a hint of anger Nova replies, "Three witnesses; three survivors, one with a pretty nasty axe wound to show for it." She shakes her head and adds, "You really hadn't heard about this yet? ****." She throws her hands up for a moment and shakes her head. "I had the pleasure of... gathering the evidence, from my fellow Rabble already, about what your old friends did." Her lips curl back and Karl and Anna can see Nova's fangs bared, her original attitude of cold indifference now kindling into rage.

[Daishain]

"Very well, sorry, I had to ask. And no, we had not heard. We had something of an emergency situation to tamp down over the past 16 hours or so. What is the plan?"

[Bennosuke]

Karl's mention of an emergency situation seems to pique Nova's interest and cool some of her rising anger. A grin returns to the Gangrel's face and she replies, "Well, you are familiar with their hideout, right? The Devil's Hole?" Nova almost rolls her eyes at the name, but continues, "Well I say we ambush them and raise enough hell to remind them of whose territory they are in and send them packing. My truck is loaded up with a few cans of gasoline and we could even just light the joint up if we want. I've got a few Ghouls who are willing to meet us in Daly City if we want the extra hands." She pauses for a moment and the next words that come out of her mouth seem to pain her. "That said, my understanding is that you have had a working relationship with The Bruja before, so if you have any better ideas, I suppose I'm all ears."

[Daishain]

"I wouldn't call it a working relationship. They had information we badly needed, and they demanded something from us in return. We might be able to use that prior contact to deliver them a verbal message before things get started without getting attacked out of hand, but they're not going to take it seriously unless it is immediately backed up with forceful action."

Karl pauses a moment to think, "Forcing them out and off balance with fire is a good start, but they are not going to be intimidated by sight of the three of us and a few ghouls. They'll just get angry and attack, and if they're there in as many numbers as the last time we encountered that bunch, they just might win the fight. If the objective is to send them packing with their tail between the legs from a simple confrontation, we need to display overwhelming force, starting with enough full kindred to tear them to shreds on a whim."

"Assuming that we can't get another dozen kindred to intimidate them with, we'll need to be careful. I see two possibilities. If we want to chase them, then we should never give them anything to attack in return. Their hidey-hole gets set on fire and they rush out. We have our people set up on the rooftops with rifles shooting to wound. They stop moving, they get shot, they group up, they get shot even more. They try to go into a building, they get saturated with lead. We keep up the pressure and force them to scatter into the night like rats."

"The safer and easier option for us, though it would be more problematic politically, would be to destroy them, or at least most of them. Set up the only exit from the burning bar as a kill box, annihilate everything that moves, give our message to the survivors."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“We can’t take any half measures,” Anna said, “if we’re going to kill one of them, we need to make sure none of them walk away.”

[Bennosuke]

Nova chuckles, "Now you two are talking." She smiles, evil and hungry and delighted; fangs fully extended.

However, Aisling speaks up with slightly more concern, "Do we have to kill all of them" she asks naively, "You don't think they'd get the message if we took out enough to send the rest fleeing." She pauses momentarily and adds, "Fire turns even the most powerful Kindred into a scared kitten."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Why, so they can come back later and kill someone else?” Anna asked, “we might try talking to them first and find out why they were in the city and attacking one of us in the first place, find out if they’re willing to give the one who did it to the Prince’s justice or maybe get some major concessions from them or something, but if we’re going to dust one of them? Better do all of them.”

[Daishain]

Karl states, "Whether or not we kill any of them at all is the bigger question I think. We should contact the prince for his preference on ROE. As I said, simply destroying them from the start would be easier, but would also cause other problems."

"If we simply kill the Brujah, that sends a strong message that the Prince will enforce the law with strong action, but it also gives his opponents plenty of room to call him a bloody tyrant, and that could significantly weaken his effective authority. If we act without his consent to do something like that, I think it is likely that he would blame the matter on the rash choices of his new sheriff and hounds, and replace us with others."

He pauses a moment before continuing, "I should also point out that any sort of major engagement at the Devil's Hole will attract a lot of attention from the police, and chances are they'd bring in the FBI when they find signs of the heavier weapons we'll need. We can usually handle them, but it is also usually best to avoid their direct scrutiny if possible, I can't clean up a crime scene that big before they'd be on top of it."

"An alternative might be to lay an ambush out away from the city. Go ahead and get them to leave their hideyhole by setting fire to it, but don't engage after that. Then we ambush them on the road. The catch here of course is we'll need a very good idea of where they will go when they do leave, and we won't really have room to avoid killing."

[Bennosuke]

“Why, so they can come back later and kill someone else?” Anna asked, “we might try talking to them first and find out why they were in the city and attacking one of us in the first place, find out if they’re willing to give the one who did it to the Prince’s justice or maybe get some major concessions from them or something, but if we’re going to dust one of them? Better do all of them.”

Aisling shrugs, gives a slight grunt, but says nothing.


Karl states, "Whether or not we kill any of them at all is the bigger question I think. We should contact the prince for his preference on ROE. As I said, simply destroying them from the start would be easier, but would also cause other problems."

"If we simply kill the Brujah, that sends a strong message that the Prince will enforce the law with strong action, but it also gives his opponents plenty of room to call him a bloody tyrant, and that could significantly weaken his effective authority. If we act without his consent to do something like that, I think it is likely that he would blame the matter on the rash choices of his new sheriff and hounds, and replace us with others."

Here Nova leans in showing her fangs and says, "Let me correct you here Karl. The Prince has authorized a blood hunt. The Bruja have attacked the loyal citizens of San Francisco; they are the enemy. It is not our job to question whether or not this decision will make him unpopular. We have full discretion as to how many Bruja we wipe out, and how many we simply chase off."

She pulls out her phone and shows a message on pulse, in a conversation between herself and The Prince, in which he tells Nova he is authorizing a blood hunt, and asks her to enact his will. She gives Karl a mocking pout and says, "I'm sorry you weren't included in the conversation... dog." Nova sneers.


He pauses a moment before continuing, "I should also point out that any sort of major engagement at the Devil's Hole will attract a lot of attention from the police, and chances are they'd bring in the FBI when they find signs of the heavier weapons we'll need. We can usually handle them, but it is also usually best to avoid their direct scrutiny if possible, I can't clean up a crime scene that big before they'd be on top of it."

"An alternative might be to lay an ambush out away from the city. Go ahead and get them to leave their hideyhole by setting fire to it, but don't engage after that. Then we ambush them on the road. The catch here of course is we'll need a very good idea of where they will go when they do leave, and we won't really have room to avoid killing."

This statement brings a more serious expression to Nova's face. She nods her head and softly says, "That is actually a good point. Taking it as far out of the city might be a wise idea... However, the Bruja know the outskirts and the in between places better than we do, and unless you are telling me you know a place, it might be hard to force them into a specific spot and force a... what did you call it before; kill zone?"

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Could have mentioned the blood hunt from the beginning, saved us some time,” Anna thought, but she kept her mouth shut.

She put a hand on Karl’s leg to keep him from saying anything rash.

“Don’t they ride motorcycles? How are we going to keep them from riding off into the desert?” Anna asked, “we should disable their vehicles first and burn the whole place down, and gun them down from a distance, maybe have ghouls using fire when they come running out. We can still have a kill box, just make it immediately outside of the building. They’re tough; we’ll need a lot of guns. Do we have any help? Do we still have that helicopter?”

[Daishain]

Karl's left eye twitches as Nova mocks him with information she should have led with. But he says nothing about it and moves on,

"I'm afraid at the moment I do not have an answer for the question of predicting a spot that we can set that ambush. We could cover several of their known routes, but that has what I would consider an unacceptably high chance of failure."

"The odds of success go up considerably if we can find bait, so that they come to us. That would have the advantage of allowing us to scout out our own kill zone away from the city. They've already proven that they'll take considerable risks to rescue one of their own, so it seems like staking and hauling one of them off, then allowing them to find out where he's being held, would be our best bet."

[Bennosuke]

“Could have mentioned the blood hunt from the beginning, saved us some time,” Anna thought, but she kept her mouth shut.

She put a hand on Karl’s leg to keep him from saying anything rash.

Nova sneers at Anna and replies, "Sorry. I figured the Prince contacted you separately. You are his little pets after all," She says this with snide derision.

She listens patiently as Anna and Karl discuss before saying, "Honestly, I like the idea of just trapping them in The Devil's Hole and burning the place down. Screw the Masquerade risk, we are the one who keep the Masquerade, and we will have all the support we need from the Prince in cleaning things up and keeping them quiet. That's what the Invictus do anyways, right? Besides, it's D'Agostino's own fault that he wants this kept relatively quiet. Otherwise we could have requisitioned a whole army before going in after the Bruja." She crosses her arms over her chest and grins. She was so confident in speaking so openly about The Prince and her new Hounds. It was as if she was trying to piss the coterie off.

[Daishain]

Karl nods, ignoring the jabs, if she wanted to test him, she'd find only how patient he could be, "Very well then."

"That building has a lot of exit points, sealing them all without them noticing will be impossible. We could draw a couple of big trucks up along the front and back to cover the doors and windows there, but there's a second story with windows of its own. So instead of trying, we can leave one path open. Let them run to the bikes they have stashed in the back, We can have more gasoline there and a few explosives, and be in a firing position to finish them off."

"I do have one final alternative though. I can drag a target into the shadows with me rather easily. I alone would not expect to be able to physically overpower them once I do that, but If Anna and perhaps two other Kindred skilled with obfuscate work with me, and we act with cunning to select targets not observed by the others, it should be possible to pick them off one by one, staking them and removing them from the group. It would be risky, but the payoff would be quite high. We would be able to drag them before the court still alive to face justice. Having such an accomplishment for your first actions as Sherriff would earn a great deal of respect for both you and the prince."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"You forgot one thing though Karl," Anna said, "what do you think they're going to do when we kidnap one of theirs? They're going to try to get one of ours, maybe even Tony or someone like that, to try and force an exchange. That would be a real mess."

"A blood hunt's been called, we don't need a trial. We should try to take them out as completely as possible to prevent retaliation," she said, "if you can get a few people inside unnoticed, you should bring a few cans of gasoline with you and light the whole place on fire to flush them out so we don't have to go in after them."

[Daishain]

"I wasn't talking about kidnapping one of them and leaving the rest to retaliate, but rather whittling away at their numbers, we can kill or continue to capture the rest after each target is staked and set aside."

"I also wasn't talking about a trial. Keeping them alive for a little longer lets the prince, the court, and those personally affected by their actions see them being punished thoroughly." He looks to Nova with that last.

[Bennosuke]

"That building has a lot of exit points, sealing them all without them noticing will be impossible. We could draw a couple of big trucks up along the front and back to cover the doors and windows there, but there's a second story with windows of its own. So instead of trying, we can leave one path open. Let them run to the bikes they have stashed in the back, We can have more gasoline there and a few explosives, and be in a firing position to finish them off."

Nova grins at his and purrs, "How fiendish. I like the idea." She scratches the long nails of one of her hands reflexively against the coarse grain of the wooden table.

She impatiently listens as Karl and Anna discuss, speaking up with a disdainful tone to cut them both off. "It is a bad idea," she growls, "trying to pick them off like that. Even if they are Gangrel, the risk of one of them having The Sight, catching you and whittling down our numbers... it is dangerous." She pauses for a moment, making sure none of the three speak up and says, "As far as other exits... we have chains and padlocks, use your shadow powers to block the windows and back doors without being noticed. Use them as we drench the walls with gasoline and lay down fertilizer under the motorcycles. That is a better application of your proposed strategy." She stares down Anna, Karl and Aisling, as if daring one of them to challenge her authority.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Okay, is it just us?" Anna asked, "how long do we have to prepare?"

[Daishain]

Karl stays silent, waiting on the answer to Anna's question.

[Bennosuke]

Nova grins and replies, "No, I've got a van full of friends... well Ghouls really. But they're just waiting for the call. They've got the gasoline and the fertilizer. Everything we need to have ourselves a real party." There was an inhuman sort of glee in Nova's voice, and in the way she smiled at Anna.

[Thundercracker]

Nova grins and replies, "No, I've got a van full of friends... well Ghouls really. But they're just waiting for the call. They've got the gasoline and the fertilizer. Everything we need to have ourselves a real party." There was an inhuman sort of glee in Nova's voice, and in the way she smiled at Anna.

Anna Wu

"Do they have guns too?" Anna asked, "I'd feel a lot better if they had machine guns with lots of extra ammo, or better yet, grenade launchers."

"Do we have anyone observing their hideout?" Anna asked, "they might set a trap for us there, expecting us to retaliate for them killing someone."

[Bennosuke]

The grin on Nova's face somehow sours, her eyes darkening. "Don't you remember visiting my compound? My Ghouls are always well armed." Nova's statement brings back memories of visiting her compound in The Dog Patch, where the grassy dirt yard was guarded by a number of thuggish Ghouls, who had all been armed; even though many of them had clearly been high. It also brought back memories of raiding Nova's compound; of Julian running through Ghouls like they were children in his attempt to capture the shamed and hiding Mobius. That seemed like many many ages ago.

She adds, "No one observing their hideout. My pack are waiting for the word. They'll meet us at The Devil's Hole... if we ever decide to take action."

[Thundercracker]

Anna leaned back in her seat. She’d never even drawn her weapon at Nova’s compound.

“No, not really, that was Julian,” Anna said, “I didn’t touch anyone there and neither did Karl, but I believe you. I think we should take a look first, make sure they’re there before we go in guns blazing.”

[Daishain]

Karl nods, "Agreed, there are too many things we are uncertain of. Let me and Anna go in first, a delay of maybe ten minutes won't hurt anything. We'll make sure they're actually there, and haven't set an ambush of their own. If we don't find anything to change our plans, we can quietly seal the front door and set the flammables while the rest get into good firing positions. We can make a few molotovs to set off the second fire at the bikes from a distance."

[Bennosuke]

It seems that Nova visibly strains to suppress an eye roll at Anna's claim, her lip twitching at the corner of her grin. She hears Karl out and replies, "Fine, as long as you are absolutely certain you can be," she waves her hand in a wishy-washy motion, "discreet." She pauses for a moment before adding, "Shall we get onto it then?"

[Daishain]

Karl stands and gives a short bow, "At your command sheriff. We'll proceed straight there and get the lay of the land."

[Thundercracker]

“Yes,” Anna said, “we should use earpieces too, to stay in contact and coordinate once the bullets start flying.”

[Bennosuke]

"Ear pieces," Nova snorts, "sure, if you got them." With that, Nova wordlessly rises, seemingly satisfied with the conversation and now done with it. She pushes into the warm mass of bodies on the first floor of Tommy's and exits the bar.

(OOC: Not to keep things slowed down, but anything the players want to do or discuss before leaving for Daly City?)

[Daishain]

Karl sighs and turns to Aisling, "I would appreciate it if you rendezvous with the ghouls and made sure they stay in line. They are a rowdy bunch and could easily screw this up."

On their way to the bar, once certain that they would not be overheard, Karl remarks to Anna. "It seems to me that our new sheriff will require instruction to be a good fit for the role. It is unfortunate that she does not seem to be willing to listen to such from us. We will need to be cautious to be certain that any big mistakes are perceived as occurring in spite of our influence. If we are careful, this may prove to be an opportunity in the end. I suggest that if we see an opportunity, that we try to arrange things such that you become the next Sheriff."

[Bennosuke]

Aisling tilts her head sideways like a confused puppy. "The Ghouls?" she asks with a coy grin, "you mean Bernardo, right? Gabrielle isn't exactly one of the gang anymore, and last I checked your Gabe was is now a soft toothed Fledgling." She pauses for a moment longer, before adding in her low husky voice, "And you sure you want me out of this? I think an extra pair of hands might be... useful on a night like tonight." She looks down at her hand, flexing her fingers like a feline's claws.

[Thundercracker]

Aisling tilts her head sideways like a confused puppy. "The Ghouls?" she asks with a coy grin, "you mean Bernardo, right? Gabrielle isn't exactly one of the gang anymore, and last I checked your Gabe was is now a soft toothed Fledgling." She pauses for a moment longer, before adding in her low husky voice, "And you sure you want me out of this? I think an extra pair of hands might be... useful on a night like tonight." She looks down at her hand, flexing her fingers like a feline's claws.

“He’s talking about Nova’s ghouls, Aisling,” Anna said, “you’re definitely coming.”

“Me?” Anna said in response to Karl, “are you serious? Oh by the way, I’m almost certain Nova had Lady Miho’s mirror, the one she lent to Estella.”

[Daishain]

Karl nods, "Yes, I meant Nova's ghouls. Of course you're with us. But if those hotheads charge in before we make sure things are set for the ambush this could go sideways in a hurry. I have no desire to be on the business end of those axes of theirs."

"And yes Anna, I'm being entirely serious. It might be a little early to make such a play, but if Nova fails, the Prince doesn't have many other loyal options. Of the three of us, I think you'd be best suited for the role. Aisling lacks the background and I lack the presence required."

"In regards to the mirror, unless you want to ask her straight up about it, I'm not sure we'll have an opportunity to determine that tonight."

[Thundercracker]

Regarding the mirror: “yeah I know, ”Anna replied, “just thought you should know before I forgot.”

Sheriff: “okay, makes sense I guess,” Anna said, “who would actually listen to me though, it’s not even a decade since I was Embraced.”

[Bennosuke]

“He’s talking about Nova’s ghouls, Aisling,” Anna said, “you’re definitely coming.”

“Me?” Anna said in response to Karl, “are you serious? Oh by the way, I’m almost certain Nova had Lady Miho’s mirror, the one she lent to Estella.”

"Oh," Aisling says flatly, "that makes more sense I guess."

Sorry, I honestly misunderstood that :smalltongue::smalltongue::smalltongue:

She makes as if to leave then adds, "Um, I don't really have a car... and while I'd love to do some urban wandering, I assume I'd end up getting there late by foot." She gives Anna a pathetic grin and asks, "Would you maybe show me how to use that Udur phone thingy that lets you summon a car servant?"

(OOC: Assuming someone gets Aisling a ride, and assuming you are sending Aisling off ahead of yourselves, where are Karl and Anna going?)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“Screech tried to get the Brujah to kill me,” Anna said to Karl once they were alone, “what are the chances he’s involved here? Should we go collect him?”

[Daishain]

Karl looks around noticing that the expected activity is absent. "Looks like the ghouls are not preparing to move, in that case come along with us Aisling, you can keep an eye on things while we move in to check it out."

Later, when Anna asks the question about Screech, he shakes his head. "Possibly, but I doubt it. I got the distinct impression that Screech was just trying to get rid of us and doesn't have any real relationship with those guys. If we do find any evidence of a connection, we can look into it."

[Thundercracker]

“Hmm, okay,” Anna said.

“My obfuscate isn’t as advanced as yours, can you cover me as well?” she asked.

[Bennosuke]

Doing as told, Aisling slinks off down the street to chase after Nova.

[Daishain]

"Yes, but we will have to stick very close for that. Let's Scout the surrounding and then join up to get close."

[Bennosuke]

Once finished with their conversation, Anna and Karl drive back out to Daly City. Though the trip does not require them to completely exit the safety of of their urban Gilden Cage, the short periods of drive down the 280 in the "in between" places leave the two Mekhet almost shivering in discomfort. There was something about being outside of the city that made a Kindred feel completely vulnerable; perhaps it was their willingness to move through such long strips of emptiness that made vampires such as the Bruja so formidable. While traveling up and down the coast of California, the Hell's Furies would likely spend hour of the night without the protection of skyscrapers and alleyways; without the promise of a reliable herd of ignorant and defenseless Kine to feed on.

But mercifully the trip into Daly City was very short. In many ways, the seven mile valley of two-story buildings and outdated industrial complexes was unchanged from the last time Anna and Karl had visited. Yet in other ways Daly City had begun to change drastically. Many of the small store fronts and apartment buildings had been run down and boarded up. Despite it still being early in the night, the streets were emptier, some even felt outright abandoned. And in pockets new buildings were being built up; the skeletons of tall, modern looking luxury condos.

And yet, The Devil's Hole remained, sprouting like a canker on an under-developed lot of grass caged in by freeway. The squat two story bar could be seen from nearly a half mile away, its lurid neon signs advertising cheap beer and free music. The lot that surrounded three sides of the building was lined with motorcycles, mostly Harley's or other brands of American make. There was easily fifteen or so bikes. And from a quarter mile out, Karl and Anna could hear the blaring sound of rock music; maybe The Doors, bleeding out from inside the tavern.

Across the freeway from The Devil's Hole lot was an oily looking gas station, empty or perhaps avoided by the locals. Outside of the gas station and the tavern's lot, it would likely be necessary to park in the dirt paved pull out along the freeway.

(OOC: So how are Anna and Karl approaching the bar?)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“What if we go past it and approach on foot from the other side,” Anna asked, “if they’re watching from the city side they might not be so careful about the other direction.”

[Daishain]

"Sounds like a plan to me, we can give it a quick eyeball as we go past and then double back." Karl smoothly drives past, just another car passing through...

Without slowing down, he'll take a look at how things are set up and keep what attention he can spare on any activity outside of the bar. After passing it, he'll find a spot to stash the car while the pair walk back on foot, keeping to the shadows.

[Bennosuke]

As they pass, Karl and Anna can both appreciate the pair of bikers standing in front of the blood red door. The two are passing a cigar back and forth, and don't seem to be on any sort of lookout or alert.

After driving a good ways down the road, Karl pulls the car over, pulling up on a relatively quiet strip of sidewalk.

(OOC: Walking back I assume you will want to activate Obfuscate and maybe try to be stealthy?)

[Daishain]

"We'll probably have to deal with those two. If they're just ghouls it should not be especially difficult. Doesn't look like they're expecting trouble. Its either a good bluff or they're fools. Probably the latter, but its dangerous to assume."

Karl looks around carefully as he shuts off the car and exits. "In any case, your obfuscation skills should be sufficient to allow you to walk the surrounding streets and check for trouble. Either anyone associated with these people or others likely to bring the cops here before we're finished. If that is fine with you, I'll get in closer and focus on the area immediately around the bar."

[Thundercracker]

“That’s fine,” Anna said, “what do you want me to do if you get caught?”

[Daishain]

"Use your judgement. A distraction of some sort would likely be my best bet to get away. If you don't see an opportunity, I'll stall while you tell Nova to go ahead and hit the place." Karl looks towards the bar, "Shouldn't be a problem though, I'm full up, none of them displayed a talent with celerity when we fought with them, and I have no intention of getting in range for someone to grab me."

[Thundercracker]

"Use your judgement. A distraction of some sort would likely be my best bet to get away. If you don't see an opportunity, I'll stall while you tell Nova to go ahead and hit the place." Karl looks towards the bar, "Shouldn't be a problem though, I'm full up, none of them displayed a talent with celerity when we fought with them, and I have no intention of getting in range for someone to grab me."

Anna nodded.

"Good luck," she said.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Sorry for the delays, I just needed to check my notes and the rulebooks on a few things)

Anna and Karl part ways, with Anna out to scan the perimeter around the parking lot and the area surrounding the bar, while Karl would try to get a bit closer.

(OOC: So, now is your time to activate any Obfuscate if you are gonna. On top of that, please give me a Dex + Stealth roll; add your dots of obfuscate appropriate to any power you activate. TC, please give me Wits + Streetwise as well. Dai, give me Wits + Investigation)

[Thundercracker]

(OOC: Sorry for the delays, I just needed to check my notes and the rulebooks on a few things)

Anna and Karl part ways, with Anna out to scan the perimeter around the parking lot and the area surrounding the bar, while Karl would try to get a bit closer.

(OOC: So, now is your time to activate any Obfuscate if you are gonna. On top of that, please give me a Dex + Stealth roll; add your dots of obfuscate appropriate to any power you activate. TC, please give me Wits + Streetwise as well. Dai, give me Wits + Investigation)
Before getting too close Anna strains her senses to see if she can pick up anything out of the ordinary.

going to activate auspex 1 to hear any patrols or anything like that. Feel free to roll that for me so I don’t know how well I did.
Dex+ stealth: [roll0]
Obfuscate because I can’t remember whether to add it to stealth rolls: [roll1]

Wits + streetwise: [roll2]
10 agains: [roll3]

[Daishain]

Karl's form ripples and the mekhet vanishes from view as he heads straight towards the bar. He starts by inspecting positions close to the bar that might serve as good firing positions for the upcoming ambush, and then moves in to check out the pair standing in front, the bikes in back, and then trying to get a peek inside through any windows.

Dex+stealth+obfuscate [roll0]
Wits+Investigation [roll1]
ten agains [roll2]
Phew, that is almost impressively close to bombing both rolls...

[Bennosuke]

Anna begins her stroll towards the outer perimeter of The Devil's Hole. She pushes her vampiric senses out, searching for any sense of threat or patrol. The Beast growls in the back of her skull, causing her scalp to tingle as if rippling with electricity. 'The ghouls... the ghouls at the door,' Anna thought (or was it The Beast whispering in her ear), 'they weren't just out there smoking, they were on guard, they were the patrol.'

(OOC: Anna does not lose any Vitae on her first use of Beast's Hackles)

With that, Anna allows herself to slide into the shadows. Dropping into the anonymity of the night is as natural for the Mekhet as a yawn might be for a tired mortal. She begins to prowl into the lot of the bar and the Ghouls seem none the wiser. As she stalks through the parking lot, she notices something about a pair of clunky looking, gas guzzling, American motorcycles. Painted in white spray paint along the black engine case of each cycle are the letters, M.S.; with the M sporting devil's horns in a design all too familiar to Anna given all her interactions with the notorious gang of late. It is also striking to Anna how much more full this lot is, compared to the last time she visited The Devil's Hole.

Karl as well shifts into the shadows, beginning his casing of the tavern. The Beast practically sighs as Karl allows the darkness to overtake him. As he gets near the two Ghouls, he can smell the caustic heavy stench of their cigar. Even the small cherry of the cigar is enough to make the Mekhet's skin ripple. One of the Ghouls is younger, maybe in his late teens or early twenties, long greasy hair running down past his shoulders. His companion is older, heavy set and with a long scraggly greying beard. Their conversation suddenly stops. The two sniff at the air as Karl comes close, eyes furrowing as they raise their noses to the air like wolves. But neither seems to be able to pinpoint Karl and after a few moments and as Karl moves away, they seem to shrug a their confusion and go back to their **** talk.

As far as Karl can see, outside of the scarlet front door, the only other door to the bar is a black iron slab at the back of the building. Nearby in the back is a rusted and ancient looking generator; fenced in with rotting wooden slabs. Long black cables run from the generator to the the back of the building. Leaning against the side of the fence are a trio of equally aged cylindrical propane tanks. Checking the tanks, Karl sees that two of the three are full, the third being empty.

[Thundercracker]

Anna pulls back and counts the vehicle from afar to get a good idea of how many are inside.

[Bennosuke]

By Anna's count there are about 19 motorcycles, a significant number more than had been parked outside the Hole last time. However, several of the hogs have cushions for a second seat, and one even has one of those old timey side cars on it. Along with that there is a an old beat up van, beaten and rusted to the color of vomit.

[Daishain]

Karl checks out the generator, it might be useful to cut off the power just before igniting this place. The propane tanks might be useful as well, getting them to explode on demand would not be simple, but they could definitely add to the chaos.

He looks around for any positions from which he might be able to observe what is going on inside of the building.

[Bennosuke]

The generator itself appears pretty simple, at least what Karl can discern from peering between the slats of the fence. Getting on to his second task, Karl is disappointed to realize that the windows of the bar are tinted black. But peering across the street, Karl decides a decent place to camp out and watch the bar might be the gas station across the street.

[Thundercracker]

By Anna's count there are about 19 motorcycles, a significant number more than had been parked outside the Hole last time. However, several of the hogs have cushions for a second seat, and one even has one of those old timey side cars on it. Along with that there is a an old beat up van, beaten and rusted to the color of vomit.

“All the better,” Anna thought, “just need to be prepared, and take out the vehicles first.”

She retreated a safe distance from the lot and waited for Karl to return.

[Daishain]

Not seeing anything else he can do for the moment, Karl retreats to where Anna is waiting, on sharing what they'd found he frowns, "This could make things difficult. It is inevitable that some will survive the initial assault. If it was just the Brujah, it would likely only be a few, and a bit of coordinated fire would finish them off without too much difficulty. With a group this large, we could end up in an even fight, or even at a disadvantage, in a real hurry."

He punches out a message to Nova and Aisling, letting Anna review it before sending, "The Brujah are currently meeting with a large group of unknown individuals, at least some of them appear to be MS13 gang members. Currently estimating between twenty and thirty individuals in the bar, and its a safe bet that they're all armed."

"This represents a significant reduction in our odds of success, even with surprise on our side. I suggest two courses of action for your consideration Sheriff. Either wait until these groups separate again, or use the kine police to our advantage."

"The former would let us use our original plan, but at present we do not know how long we will have to wait."

"In the latter case, should the police be made aware that there is a wanted murderer hiding out in that bar, and should someone just happen to shoot at the police as they're arriving, they'll roll out in force and do most of the work for us. We can wait in the wings and snatch up any of the Brujah that bust through."

Karl grins at Anna about that last detail, "Our dead friend could prove useful tonight. Just mention that he was spotted in the area with a bunch of armed gang members, and they'll come running to check it out."

[Thundercracker]

“That’s devious Karl, even for you,” Anna replied, “I love it.”

[Daishain]

"Glad you like it. We do need to be sure our anonymous caller doesn't mention anything the public wouldn't know. Now let's see..." While waiting for a reply, Karl looks for news reports on his phone related to the shooting last night.

[Bennosuke]

The first Pulse message back from Nova reads, "Is the bar even big enough to hold 30 people!!!" This is followed by a second which reads, "The former. Bringing the police to the Bruja's haven is a Masquerade breech waiting to happen." There is a long pause before Nova's final message comes in, "Are you sure that they are having some form of meeting? If you can be certain that it is, and they will break up before the night is over, then we just need to wait them out!"

[Thundercracker]

Anna attempted to extend her senses into the building to figure out how many people were inside.

using auspex 1 to enhance hearing and focus on the devil’s hole.

[Daishain]

Karl sends another message, "It would be cramped, but maybe. There are 19 motorbikes outside, many of them have sidecars or double seats allowing for a passenger, hence some uncertainty on the total number of people."

"We will keep looking, but at present we are not seeing a means to quietly confirm what's going on inside. The windows are all blacked out, and two ghouls are standing guard at the door. They both had keen enough senses to smell me when I got within a dozen paces or so. They assumed it was nothing when I backed off, but will likely pay attention if they smell me again."

"We're in a good position to observe the place and see if the extras leave shortly."

[Bennosuke]

While Anna studies the building, Karl's phone vibrates as it picks up Nova's reply. "Aren't you two Mekhet??? Make with the sneaky and figure your **** out!!! Otherwise, admit you're worthless and I'll come down there NOW to take care of this ****!"

(OOC: TC, please see my OOC post)

[Daishain]

Karl's face twists, muttering out loud in Anna's general direction, "Damn woman, she should be well aware there are practical limitations to anyone's abilities. We've already given her valuable intelligence. If she'd come roaring in here like she wanted she'd probably be fighting for her life and losing."

He takes another loop around the building, looking for any vulnerabilities he might have missed the first time.

Wits+composure [roll0]

[Thundercracker]

Anna

“We really should have had a team building exercise first,” Anna replied to Karl.

“I’ll give a listen to see if I can figure out if our friends are actually inside,” she added.

[Bennosuke]

Karl starts to retrace his prior hunt around the bar. While mostly an exercise in futility, he has a moment of tiny genius. Coiled on the pavement between a pair of grizzly looking motorcycles is a long iron chain, and a popped open padlock. As far as Karl can tell, maybe this was supposed to be used to secure a motorcycle to a pole, though maybe instead it was a makeshift weapon. It would be a little noisy unless Karl relied on his Obfuscate, but the chain could definitely be run across the back door to prevent anyone from escaping out the back!

As Karl does his "walk around", Anna settles her gaze on the bar; freeing The Beast just enough that it's sight can assist her. Her eyes glow a low red for a moment as Vitae fills her sclera and she has to stifle the urge to wrinkle her face into a mask of animal ferocity. The Beast's vision like a wave of fog begins to lay over Anna's own eyesight. She sees a group of feral looking wolves, regally covered in long wild black fur, surrounded by a mob of mangy skeletal dogs. The dogs significantly outnumber the wolves, but are diminutive in size relative to the unnaturally giant lupines. Anna counts about nine wolves in all as they sniff about some supernal rocky planescape, lapping long pink tongues against long and vampiric fangs.

(OOC: Using Auspex this time around costs one Vitae, and Anna is down to 8. She knows now that there are nine vampires in the building, the rest are all mortals or ghouls)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna withdrew out of line of sight and punched a message to the others via Pulse:
“There are roughly nine kindred inside, and at least twice as many mortals. Most of them will be ghouls.

[Daishain]

Karl heads for the back door, inspecting it and the windows for any way to get an eye or ear into the place.

[Bennosuke]

Nova's reply comes a long minute after Anna's message. "That's a lot more Bruja than they normally travel with! Still... nine Kindred burn just as well as three do." Nova was right, the last time Anna and Karl had dealt with the Hell's Furies, it had only been three or four Kindred and a handful of Ghouls. After a moment, a second Pulse message arrives from Nova, "I leave it up to you if we act now, or try to wait it out, but it won't look good with your beloved Prince if we don't do this tonight."

[Daishain]

Karl grits his teeth, they needed to know what was going on in there to make an informed decision, time to take a risk. Reaching out to envelop the back door of the bar and muffle its sound and movements, he slowly, ever so slowly creaks it open, just enough to look within for now.

[Bennosuke]

Karl slowly pulls the back door open, using whatever Mekhet darkness that had threaded itself into his soul to absorb the wretched sound of metal straining. Karl finds himself peering into a dirty kitchen, his eyes falling first on a pair of thugs, both mortals, bent over a tiled counter snorting cocaine. The sink is filled with dirty beer glasses, the tall plastic trashcan overflowing with food wrappers and rotting vegetation. A quick study of the two thugs tells Karl that they are MS-13, too old to be new recruits. They pay no attention to Karl or the straining door, completely ignorant of the intrusion.

[Daishain]

Karl pauses for a moment, assessing the pair. Judging them highly unlikely to notice his presence, he sends a quick message to Anna, "Need to know what they're up to, kitchen looks clear enough, so I'm stepping in. Should be able to get eyes and ears on the main room from there."

Sliding the door open a little further, Karl steps into the room, watching the mortals warily in case they were surprisingly aware. He tries to find a position to spy on the main bar area, where he's assuming these people are gathered.

[Bennosuke]

The two thugs pay no attention to Karl as he noiselessly slides into the room. As far as Karl can tell, these two are not Ghouls, just a couple of coked up senior gangsters. They begin to converse in elated Spanish, spitting out rapid fire words that Karl cannot follow. As he steps into the kitchen, Karl does pick up the scent of mortal blood, stale to the point of being pungently rotten to the Kindred's nostrils. This dried out stench is coming from one of the industrial size sinks.

Past the counter where the two mortals still stand is a double doors of poorly treated wood; the type that open in both directions to allow a server to go through with full hands. There are no portholes on the doors, which means Karl will either have to step through to observe. Even from this side of the kitchen, Karl can hear the heavy drowning noise of what might be distorted heavy metal music.

[Daishain]

Karl wiggles an invisible finger in between the doors and then slowly pulls them towards him, just enough to open a crack and finally get eyes on the bar.

[Bennosuke]

From just the crack of the door open, Karl is relatively certain he does not have to worry as much about being detected by some vampire's Auspex, though anxiety still claws at the center of his chest. The sight of the bar room raises The Beast's hackles immediately. So many mortals and undead alike filled with the power of The Curse. A surprising number of individuals are dressed in the black leathers and denim of motorcycle toughs; mostly sporting some form of representation of the Hell's Furies. The smattering of MS-13 members stick out like a sore thumb in the bar, mostly youths dressed in hoodies or oversized flannels; many sporting a heavy decoration of facial tattoos, and a few openly carrying a pistol or machete tucked into their waistband.

Karl recognizes only a few Bruja. There's Hector, the squat monster with his signature purple bandana and gold plated teeth chuckling with a pair of Ghouls, and one of the other Bruja, Hacha. Hacha had "assisted" with the raid on The Spear's compound. Karl remembered his brutality with the axe well.

It's overwhelmingly loud in the bar. Somehow the jukebox has been rigged up to play at a thunderous volume, making it very hard to hear what anyone is saying.

(OOC: Please give me your best of Int/Wits + Politics/Empathy +1... and feel free to do anything you may please.)

While Karl is watching, both he and Anna receive the same message from Nova via the Pulse. "What's the plan??? We moving or not?" "If you don't hurry up, I'm coming down with my Ghouls and taking care of this!"

[Daishain]

Karl merely glances at the phone to confirm the message wasn't a warning of some sort. He trusts Anna to respond for the moment. Carefully observing his surroundings, he tries to get a sense of exactly what is going on, this situation was... off.

Intelligence+politics+1 [roll0]
ten agains [roll1]
woohoo, exceptional success