chicago by night ic: ladybug ladybug fly away home

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Shasha is unable to make out who this woman or what for that matter. He was unsure if this was the contact as foretold but nonetheless decided to investigate further. Casually he walked towards the woman and simply responded, "Good evening madam. By chance do you have a smoke I can bum?". The manner of his speech was more reminiscent of his mortal days in Chicago sounding like a local. Since he wasn't near others where a false bravado was required, he played the part of a local so as to sound just like a normal schmuck of the city to blend in.

If anything this would grab the woman's attention to at least see what she looked like. From there he would deduce if this was the contact or not.

[bramblefoot]

shasha: the woman turns her head. she has a scarf across her mouth, but her green eyes twinkle "peter malinko, it is an honor to make your acquaintance" she says. "i am carrion, and i take it your sire was interested in making a deal?" she breaks out into a hacking cough for a few seconds, and then straightens "i take cash, favors or blood" she says, and waits for your response

albert: devan takes the card. "jollies isnt the best, but it aint the worst either. they use immigrant labor, but who doesnt these days?" he sighs. "truth be told, strange rumors come out of jollies. every inspector who checks it out finds it clean, but they can't tell you what happened inside. be careful there, yah?"

[GentlemanVoodoo]

"An honor as well Madam Carrion", Shasha responded kindly. "You are a woman straight to the point. I like that.", he stated with a small grin while observing this person.

"You are correct. My sire and those I represent are in the market for information of the city and its nightly citizens. As you stated a payment option in blood, I assume you know what I am referring to. But more specifically we seek information on the current situation of Chicago, the Camarilla's current standing in this city, happenings of the prince and primogen, Sabbat activity...", Shasha listed as his request consisted of things vital to his mission.

Upon completing this he then stated, "As to compensation, I am authorized to do any of the three that is most beneficial to you madam. And we are certainly not above doing some combination there of if that proves more...enticing. But before we commence with payment, what is the cost for such information?".

[amanamana]

albert: devan takes the card. "jollies isnt the best, but it aint the worst either. they use immigrant labor, but who doesnt these days?" he sighs. "truth be told, strange rumors come out of jollies. every inspector who checks it out finds it clean, but they can't tell you what happened inside. be careful there, yah?"

"Thanks, mate. I'll try to stay out of trouble." - Albert takes the card back and looks around at the people having a good time. The rhythms have similarities to Caribbean music and this makes him pause as his mind rushes across thousands of miles back to his home country - "I'll leave you guys to your business." - Albert lingers around the cafe for about half an hour, but eventually heads to Jollies.

He tries to get there a lot earlier than midnight, so he can watch the comings and goings in the place. He'll try to find a vantage point to observe.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Dexterity 4 + Celerity 1 (assuming the extra dice for Dexterity rolls also work here, but I'm away from books) + Stealth 1:
[rollv]6d10[/rollv] - I'll roll in the OoC Thread, because I inserted the wrong code.
He will also be using Obtenebration, so the roll is basically for those with Auspex.

[bramblefoot]

shasha: the nosferatu chuckles. "that is a tall order" she murmurs. "as i would need to do a little reconnoitering, call it four favors to be determined later, and around five grand in cash" she continues "should you not have that, or cannot pay, i also allow spy work and such"

gimme a charisma + subterfuge roll diff 9 to see if you can haggle her down any

albert: you find a good spot up on a building with about two hours to spare. you see night watchmen move around below with lanterns and flashlights. you see some movement inside, but due to distance you cant make it out. the security is quite good, as the watchmen move in pairs, one with the lantern and the other with a flashlight. they do have gunbelts on by your eye.

wdyd?

[bramblefoot]

lucrezia, you are given a free night, with no tasks from your sire. whatcha gonna do?

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Spoiler: Rolls

Show

Charisma + Subterfuge = 6 dice total.
OCC: Though I have Enchanting Voice, doesn't seem appropriate to use in this case.

(6d10)[6][10][5][4][6][3](34)

Shasha raised a slight eyebrow at the price. More so he was baffled what his sire was thinking in agreeing to meet with an individual as this. Powerful as she was in her own right, the Old Clan had no idea of how to conduct business or negotiations.

"Madam, that is a tall price. While I do understand such things would require a great deal surely we can come to something of a more reasonable accord.", he said kindly but firmly. It was evident that the business man was starting to come out at this point as he briefly paused. "More so, we have yet to see what information is provided as to ascertain the fairness of the price.", he retorted in a firm manner.

However, his manner turned to one that was more back to a negotiation tone. "I am understandable that there would be no so small amount of work on your part to obtain any form of information. Thus as an introduction to our..potential business dealings I propose a smaller order to begin with at first. I a willing to offer $500.00 in total for information on the Ventrue Primogen. $100.00 dollars up front as a good faith payment with the rest to be provided upon confirmation the information is sound. As to the subject of the information, a basic gathering on the characteristics of the Primogen will suffice. Such things as favored places to frequent, one or two close associates, and interest in the affairs of the kine. In this I mean such as business dealing and so forth. Enough to build a basic dossier of his personality. , he finished.

With completion of his first offer he concluded, "Now what say you to this proposal?".

[bramblefoot]

shasha: carrion giggles wetly "a haggler" she says, suddenly overcome with mirth. "call it 250 now, 750 later. i assure you this is as fine a deal as you'll get"

"and you will owe me a favor"

[amanamana]

Having no reason to put himself at odds with the Sheriff's people, Albert just observes the place until 11 PM. He's especially interested in who else comes and goes from the place. When the time comes, he leaves his vantage point and walks back a block before reapproaching the place, so as to avoid bringing attention to the hiding spot.

When he gets in view of the guards, he stops and lights a cigarillo, giving them time to approach him - "I'm here on business." - He shows them the card and walks to the entrance.

[bramblefoot]

the night watchmen show you into a small meeting hall. the sheriff sits on an elevated pedestal overlooking the empty room "ah, so you did come" he grunts. "ferdinand here was pretty sure we were gonna have to break out the grims to chase you down"

ferdinand is an olive-skinned ghoul who looks at you unhappily. the sheriff continues "well lets get down to business" and hops down to the table, unrolling a map of the city "you and julla will take south side tomorrow with a grim" he continues "keep a firm hand on the leash, cause if the grim get loose, its bad news"

you hear a baleful howl come from deeper inside the meatpackers plant

wdyd?

[amanamana]

When the ghoul gives him a dirty look, Albert stares right back at him. It's not intimidation, it's not a bluff, it's a simple assurance that he would not go down easily and that he would make sure to bite Ferdinand's face off if he ever tries something funny. Albert may not know the ins and outs of vampiric society, but he has a good idea of the food chain. He may have to suffer some level of abuse from the older vampires, but he will not be treated like garbage by any chump.

Looking back at the Sheriff, Albert realizes that he has no idea what his name is. When he mentions "Julla" and a "grim", Albert finally speaks - "Who's Julla... and what the hell is a 'grim'?" - When the howl comes from deeper into the building, Albert sighs and says in a heavily sarcastic tone - "Oh, yeah... This will surely go well.".

[bramblefoot]

"julla is another cainite tasked to keep order." the sheriff responds. he cracks a grin "c'mon, lemme show you a grim"

he leads you down an iron staircase, fishing a set of keys off his belt. as the door opens, you see bestial humans hurling themselves at heavy iron doors "these are grim" he responds, handing you a whistle "they respond to signals on these little tin whistles. one blast is attack, two blasts is stop, three is track"

he cackles "cmon dont look so surprised. we do what we must to keep order"

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Shasha's reaction was one of a business man who seems to come to an agreement though deep down he dreaded the thought of what said favor was. With a slight nod he responded, "Very well I believe those terms are acceptable.". The cash wasn't an issue for those he represent, despite being old world, had ample supplies of wealth despite their more feudal ways. But to owe a favor to a Nosferatu was a double edge sword...or so he was told. Really this was the first true encounter with one of this clan on his own thus he had to take extra precautions.

Collecting himself he reached into his pocket where the required upfront was shown as a sign he was indeed keeping his end of the bargain. "As agreed here is the $250 now. As to the rest, that brings up the when and where. So how long will you need and where shall we make the exchange next?", he asked.

[bramblefoot]

"gimme a week to scrounge up the intel" carrion says, pocketing the cash. "meet me at the edge of the clothes-workers district, under a red vaudville sign"

she hefts up a sewer grate and disappears into it

[amanamana]

Albert is disgusted at the sight. Who are these people? Are they innocent people caught on the street and turned into that? This is depraved... The work of psychopaths.

He is befuddled when he turns to speak to the older vampire - "What's the point in this? Why would anyone take this mad men to the streets? What could they contribute that would offset their potential for chaos and disorder? I don't get it. If you need to track something by scent, there are dogs bred for that. Loyal and obedient dogs." - He looks genuinely confused - "I don't know if this makes sense to you people... I don't know much about these things. Are they otherwise powerful? You would probably be better served by dogs and well-equipped men...".

[bramblefoot]

"look closer" the sheriff says "they wear enchanted collars, which improves certain parts of them and conceals them from mortal eyes" and indeed, each one has a spiked collar with a place for a leash

he continues "the point is control, with either stick or carrot"

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Seeing this woman disappear, Shasha truly wondered if this was going to prove a fruitful endeavor. But that was not up to him. As the contact had been made and the deal secure he returned backed to the hotel room with some time left in the night.

Freshing up and putting on more suitable clothing to his liking there was his retainer waiting for the report. "Enough with the sour face. Tell her that the contact has been made and a deal has been secure. We have a trial arrangement to see if this person will provide useful and factual information on the Ventrue Primogen. Once it is concluded that she has proven a reliable resource then I will move to the formal introductions while still continuing the business relation.", he stated throwing down a towel he used to dry is washed face.

Before she could get a word in he spoke, "I am going out as the evening is still young to congregate where others join. You honestly think I can establish myself in this city just meeting a few individuals while staying in doors all the time? Much as I assume you would enjoy having eyes on me, that is not how things work here. A city of social Kindred demands some level of being sociable". In that he turned and left the room.

[amanamana]

"Huh... OK. How does that work?" - Albert thinks again for one second - "You know what? Never mind." - He shrugs.

"So... What am I supposed to do, then? Walk around the neighbourhood with these crazy bastards and look for what?"

[bramblefoot]

albert: "there have been rumors of sabbat incursions in the south side" the sheriff says. "a grim can differentiate between humans, ghouls, and cainites, so we use them to ferret out incursions"

shasha: where are you planning to socialize at?

chuck: gimme a montage of what you did in the past night or so, and what task your sire has given you

[amanamana]

"Right..." - Albert then mutters to himself - "... And that's apparently a bad thing..." - He speaks up again - "And how am I supposed to differentiate them from the non-Sabbat guys again? I mean... Is there a telltale to look for?" - He gets self-conscious again - "I mean... I suppose Julla could get me up to date on that."

"So... Any equipment or transportation? I come to this town empty handed, so to speak."

[GentlemanVoodoo]

OCC: More leaving that up to you as I don't know how you are designing old time Chicago. But let me throw this hook...

As Shasha left the hotel he just took a stroll for what remained of the night albeit still young. Many places were bustling with all sorts of activity but nothing of pubs and the like caught his attention. However a small boy, no more than 10, handed him a flyer since his wondering had brought him to an old part of town. The flyer was to an fighting club that were even still popular in these times since he heard about them in his youth. A supposed "boxing" establishment, though such things were nothing more than modern day gladiatorial bouts. Well it should at least provided him some entertainment and who knows what he may meet in such places.

[bramblefoot]

albert: "the words to describe the sabbat are bestial and unhinged" the sheriff says. "they have nasty habits of using freshly embraced as shock troops" he sighs, and passes you a small gold star "pin this when your on duty, it means you're deputized"

shasha: you come across the brass bull, a two-story warehouse in the old quarter. cheers come from inside, along with the sounds of fists. you are allowed in, and see a match in place. two burly men are busy punching each other. both look battered and bruised, but neither have fallen. a small betting table is in place a ways back from the ring

wdyd?

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Shasha takes a look at his surroundings to sum up the place but it is about as he expected. Seeing the betting table he thinks to himself why not, a few buck wouldn't hurt. He throws on the fight currently in the process to the current favored fighter, a safe bet essentially, and joins the crowd in cheering the fights on. While doing so he is keen to see if perhaps there might be some kindred in the place. Who knows but still it is a good way to make some new friends.

[amanamana]

Albert looks at the tiny star - "Really? If you say so..." - He sighs as he pins it to his lapel.

Despite the lack of an answer from the Sheriff about equipment and transportation, Albert will look around for guns and his designated partner, Julla - "If you excuse me, then. I'll get ready."

Spoiler: OoC

Show

I've been refering to "The Sheriff", but I have no idea how he looks like, if he packs a gun or anything else. I only know it's a "he" because you used that pronoun. As it seems I'll have to deal with him a lot, can I get some more info about what meets the eye, please?

[bramblefoot]

albert:

Spoiler: the sheriff

Show

the sheriff is a big, burly cainite of what looks like native american descent. he packs a pair of .45 revolvers in low-slung draw holsters under a trenchcoat. his grey eyes are practically sharklike in their intensity. in short, you do not wanna cross him

"im willing to give you some guns and ammo, and a souped-up truck should you need it" the sheriff says. he waves you over to a small arms locker, and opens it with a key "take a look" the locker sits full to busting with ww1 era guns, mostly pistols and longarms, but there is a trench shotgun in there with, just itching to be taken out

tell me your experience with a trench shotgun, and what your role was in the great war

shasha: the fight is over, and you do see two individuals who match the cainite description. one is a tall, broad-shouldered woman with a repeatedly broken nose who is looking over the fighters with a grin

the second is a regular mousy brown haired woman who is taking notes on pen and paper

who do you approach

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Shasha's reaction to the fight was not what he expected. More so seeing a woman in the bout. Impressed with her physical prowess he proceeds over to the area. Slightly intimidated, not as she was a woman, but someone who is grinning with a broken noes. In a more normalized but still polite manner Shasha spoke, "Well done madam. A fine fight indeed! I wanted to personally say congratulations to one who is a masterful pugilist! And also to aquaint myself with a denizen of the night. Peter Malinko is the name. And who might you be?".

[amanamana]

The sight of the trench shotgun reminded Albert of the scorching heat of North Africa, where their troops were first deployed. They started the war as labour units, but by 1916 every abled man was needed as the conflict developed. By the time they reached Jerusalem, Albert had seen direct combat a few times already. Up until then, they were shot at, but were engaged in manual labour on the front and had no opportunity to shoot back at the enemy. It was in Palestine that he first got his hands on a trench gun.

It was not one of these fabled american guns, but the ones the British army used. They were sent in another suicide mission in the Palestine campaigns. They had to run in the open for more than 3.5 miles before reaching the Ottoman position. Many of his friends were shot there in the open, but they persevered nonetheless. Once in the trenches, it was pure carnage. Albert, even though young, was one of the best shots in his batallion, but there was no precision required in there. He shudders as he remembers the chaos and the blood.

But something deep inside him revels in this memories. Something that is new to him. The same beast that pushes him to drink just a bit more when he hunts. He has yet to understand it, but he hates this feeling. Nevertheless, he picks up the trench gun and a pistol, for he knows how good they are up close. He then looks for a rifle that could be used if any sniping is needed. He's a good shot and his newfound ability to disappear in darkness may come in handy.

He then looks for this would-be partner of his, Julla.

[bramblefoot]

shasha: the cainite looks you over and grins. "it is good to meet you too" she says. "my name is soara, and i'm new from milwaukee" soara giggles and passes you a business card "if your in the need for some help, you cant do worse than them" the card reads Jeremiah and fyorodov, private inspectors

alberte: the sherriff nods approvingly. "julla is in the break-room currently. she'll be out in a few minutes" he sits back down and flips a broad-bladed hunting knife from hand-to-hand, seemingly bored.

after a few minutes a lithe female cainite with icy blue eyes and a scar down one cheek comes out, flushed rosy from feeding "im julla. what's your name?"

wdyd?

[amanamana]

"I'm Albert, madame Julla. Nice to meet you." - He takes a good look at his surroundings, trying to assess this place better, before continuing - "I understand we'll be working together. I hope you've got a better grasp at what this job involves than I do..." - He's reticent, obviously, but it's clear to him he's in no condition to just walk away. - "... Apart from the bloodshed, of course. That much is a given."

[bramblefoot]

julla nods, saying "we're patrolling the south side normally, but lately the sheriff is having us patrol the western bank of the chicago river" she leans in "its almost like hes looking for something"