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

[Thundercracker]

"We are yes, but we are not here under orders. We are investigating a number of murders, a list which now includes Snake, and looking into those we suspect responsible." He holds up a hand, "No, we do not think you among them, but you do need to answer the questions."

Anna just nods helpfully; Karl has said everything they needed to say.

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC@Haval:

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Blush of life vitae point spent, down to 8 now.

"Nice to meet you Kerry," the boy says, awkwardly taking Rachel's hand for a shake, as he half rises and half stumbles off his stool. He says something to the bartender again in Spanish, then turning to the door says, "Well then, let's go."

As the two step back out into the night, Rachel can actually feel the "absence" of Ivy, as the Mekhet activates his powers of shadow trickery. "Well, follow me," Alex says excitedly as he leads Rachel down the street. As the boy walks, he does his best to remain charming and entertaining, his confidence boosted by inebriation. He never seems to question his situation, and seems pretty focused on charming Rachel.

(OOC: I assume at some point Rachel is going to "make her move" here? Given your roll, feel free to take the reigns on describing how things go down.)

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

Aisling follows the wolf thing out of the clearing, but she finds the path suddenly encroached on by wild thorny bramble that seems to almost reach out to claw at her dead flesh. The wolf never seems to pick up speed, but somehow seems to draw farther and farther away, like in a bad dream. The strangeness of it all seems to confirm Aisling's suspicions. She had studied her Sire's books, listened to him ramble about his experience with the Wyrdlings.

Just when the creature falls out of sight, the dream path opens up into another clearing. Aisling finds herself standing on wet muddy grass that is warm and squelches underfoot. Before her looms a massive archway made of milky white stones that seem to shimmer like marble. Laughing, sneering and crying faces are carved into the stones, with wide mouths, cartoonish eyes, and exaggerated features. A figure stands in the doorway, a lanky humanoid silhouette, barely visible in the aura of a bright white glow that seems to be coming like sunlight from the archway itself. There is a heat to the light coming from the arch, and Aisling finds herself having to shield her eyes. The thing's head seems large, and elongated or deformed, and may be sprouting horns, or instead vines seem to be reaching down from the archway to grope at it's forehead.

Rivers of water pour down from the crown of the arch, creating waterfalls that collect in pools of muddy water at the base of the structure. There is an actual gurgle and babble to the cascade that fills the otherwise silent night. Nothing stirs around this clearing, and Aisling's refined senses do not detect a heartbeat anywhere within the vicinity.

"Aisling, product of Gazren," the thing half asks, half states. It's voice is like the flow of the impossible waterfalls, wild like the winds in the forest, somehow musical in quality.

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

"I... I don't know anything," the Nosferatu says hastily, averting his gaze from the two. He reaches his hands back and pulls the hood of his ragged sweatshirt over his head in a gesture that would be most fitting on a frustrated teenager. His yellowed eyes dart back up to Karl for a moment, then back at the ground again, and Leech says, "Look, we can talk if you want, but I don't know anything man."

(OOC: Feel free to give me a Composure + Empathy here)

[Haval]

There was no reason to draw it out. She just needed to get this boy somewhere where they wouldn't be interrupted. Rachel will hold up her end of the conversation and pretend that his efforts to charm her were working. If Ivy wasn't close enough to join in that was his problem. Once she finds an appropriately dark alleyway she'll make her move.

First she'll take his hand and gently lead him into the alleyway. 'Alex, relax. I like you.' Rachel will lean up to kiss him. There was no reason to be violent about feeding if it was this easy to talk someone into it. Once she could tell he was into it she'll move down to kissing his neck before extending her fangs to start to drink.

[Erulasto]

Aisling broke through into the clearing, clothes torn and frayed in places from the Grasping brambles and thorns. Pausing just inside, she allowed herself a moment to observe the clearing, the arch and the silhouetted figure.

Shielding her eyes from the light and the heat, an instinctive grimace crossed her youthful face.

"Who...who are you?"

[Daishain]

"Maybe not, but you're going to speak regardless. Lets start with the obvious. What were you doing here spying on us?" Karl eyes the nosferatu, suspecting they might also have been the rat from before.

Spoiler: OOC

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Composure+empathy (2d10)[9][1](10)

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"You may be able to help more than you realize," Anna added.

Spoiler

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1 success in OOC

[Bennosuke]

Alex follows Rachel into the alley willingly, an excited though drugged grin on his face. He even goes so far as to take her hand as she leads him into the alley; not a sign of concern.

He simply whimpers when Rachel finally bites in, a soft vocalized sigh. His hands wrap tightly against her waist, pulling himself into her as she feeds. His blood is hot, and sweet, and everything that Rachel needs, and the boy seems to give it so willingly, lost in hypnotizing power of The Kiss.

Rachel was not that hungry, and it would not be long till she was fully sated, but even as she takes her first few mouthfuls of life a familiar voice comes from the shadows, flatly saying "I assume we are sharing?"

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

The light stings at Aisling's eyes, even as she shields herself; but mercifully the rays do not burn her skin. The figure takes a step forward, moving on long spidery limbs that seem too frail to support it's frame. The steps are graceful, and as it moves closer to Aisling (one step, then another) it's silhouette blocks out more of the blinding light. "I am Baylor, emissary of Elatha," the thing says in it's impossibly musical voice. The name Elatha immediately jars the Gangrel. She had heard that name, long ago. Gazren had used it many times (OOC: See page 24 of the second IC thread). Shew as certain she had heard Gazren speaking to Elatha!

The figure tilts it's long crowned head as it studies Aisling.

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

"Of course, of course," Leech says with slightly more comfort, though his hands still remain raised in defense, "I'll tell you everything I know. I'm not stupid enough to lie to you two!"

In reply to Karl's question the Nosferatu replies, "Uh, sorry... I, meant no harm. This... this is something like my territory. I wasn't spying, just, well... watching."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

Anna kept quiet, Karl seemed to be doing well with his line of questioning, so she let him continue.

[Haval]

I assume we are sharing?"

Rachel will pause to lick the blood from her lips and reply aimiably, 'That was the idea. Be my guest.' She won't take much blood from Alex but will watch the boy closely to see if he reacts badly to the presance of a second vampire.

[Bennosuke]

By the time Rachel steps back from the boy, she realizes she had already followed him to the ground, letting the pleasure of the feed drown both her and Alex. His eyes are glassy, and he seems to barely register as Ivy steps in for the feed, kneeling down to pick up a limp forearm.

The Mekhet continues to feed, drinking more and more as Rachel listens to the boy's heartbeat hasten till it has become a pair of thundering, racing footfalls. Regardless of how Rachel might feel about the boy's potential impending doom, Ivy finally stops, rising to stand over the unconscious panting man. He turns to grin at Rachel, who can see that not a drop of blood has been wasted, his lips and teeth perfectly clean.

(OOC: I assumed Rachel drinks till full? Please confirm)

[Haval]

Rachel will take enough blood to feel full before licking the wound closed. She'll eventually rise and smooth down her dress as she watches Ivy feed. She'll grin back at him in amusement, 'You weren't kidding about being hungry were you. Are you eating enough Ivy?' Rachel will ask in mock concern. 'You didn't drain him did you?'

ooc - Will drink till full

[Daishain]

Karl grins at the response, "So you're often watching I take it. What other things have you seen here?"

[Erulasto]

”Gazren spoke of Elatha before.” Aisling said, carefully, to the strange emissary. ”But your greeting is welcome, Baylor. You honor me with your presence.”

Dropping into a crouching bow, the Gangrel watched the strange creature intently.

”What is it you seek from me?”

[Bennosuke]

Rachel's body sings with the spreading warmth of the blood. A hot tingling inches across her skin in a web-like network as stolen life pushes itself through arteries and veins. However fleeting it will be, at this moment Rachel feels whole, alive, limitless.

Ivy grins at the comment laid on him by Rachel. "Tracking other Kindred is tiring," he smirks, "Guess I worked up an appetite." He looks down at the poor street urchin, now almost unconscious on his back. Grin unchanged, Ivy says, "Should be okay. I got the sense, this is where he's be sleeping anyways." The comment was perhaps callous, Alex's pulse was racing and his breaths were rather labored. "I hope he wasn't your Prince Charming," he says to Rachel, starting to amble out of the alley.

(OOC: BP up to full)

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

Leech shrugs at the comment made by Karl. Maybe he can't take a compliment well, but the Nosferatu averts his gaze for a moment. "Eh, it's my territory... however small," Leech shrugs, "I guess I see things from time to time. This is pretty much Carthian territory, so I guess I mostly see their shenanigans... but I'm not sure I've got anything too important to report to you two. I mean, you know, I also don't want to make any enemies or anything!" By the end Leech is practically stuttering and stumbling over his words.

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

The strange creature bends forward. In the light it becomes hard to see what it's long climbs are contorting to, but perhaps Baylor is giving a courtly bow. "I have crossed the barrier to see you Aisling, progeny of Gazren," the wyrde thing says, its voice a strange music. Despite the blinding light, Aisling can see the creature raise a pointed finger at her. Baylor continues, "I've watched you from afar in these woods. Your destiny has many knots, but we see potential in the strings of your future. Elatha sees promise!"

[Daishain]

Karl raises an eyebrow at the waffling, "Right, well let me make this a bit easier for you then. First off, I swear none will hear from us that we spoke at all, let alone what was said. Second, I won't ask you to name a certain someone or the main part of what she was doing out here, we already know that much. Other details though, such as who was with her, and who actually left this place, anything that might point to why she'd pick this location..."

[Haval]

Rachel will stretch a little and take a moment to glorify in the feeling of fresh blood. It never really got old, but she didn't trust Ivy enough to fully relax around him.

"I hope he wasn't your Prince Charming," he says to Rachel, starting to amble out of the alley.

Rachel will roll her eyes at that comment. 'Please, he's a child. If I wanted that I ought to be able to do better.' She had been a Vampire too long to be guilty. If Alex had been the sacrement in a Circle Ritual she wouldn't have given him a second thought, but she preferred not to leave any bodies behind that could easily be tied back to her. Rachel will lean down and see if Alex had a phone that she could use to call him an ambulance. She would be long gone before it arrived.

[Thundercracker]

With Karl taking the lead on questioning, Anna focused on scanning their surroundings, in case anyone else was watching or listening.

[Bennosuke]

The Nosferatu's eyes seem to go wide for a moment. Was he debating saying something, or was the pathetic wretch simply terrified of being interrogated by two Hounds?

(OOC: Daishain Please give me Presence + Persuasion/Empathy -5 for Karl trying to convince Leech to speak up)

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

Sure enough as Rachel rummages around the kid's pockets, she finds his phone (after first fishing out a very soiled handkerchief, a rusty looking swiss army knife, and some loose bills. The phone is a beat up old burner; the type that you used to be able to purchase at electronics stores and large gas station marts.

Ivy watches from the mouth of the alley, scorn crossing his pale face when Rachel pulls out the phone and begins to call 911.

After she has finished the call, and the two are departing he will say, "Yeesh, I can't believe you were willing to rummage through his pockets. They must have been filthy." His nose wrinkles as his brow furrows with a look of disgust.

Regardless of Rachel's explanation, Ivy will walk with her for a few blocks before stopping and saying, "Well... this was fun and all. But I've got a few things to deal with for the rest of the night. Not to chew and screw, but unless there's anything else you want to tell me, I should probably be going."

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

“It’s ok,” Anna said, “it’s our job to protect people like you. We’re neonates too.”

Spoiler

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assist persuasion + presence: (5d10)[9][4][7][1][9](30)
10 again: (5d10)[5][3][8][9][8](33)

Don’t know if this gets dropped to one die but there’s the full assist roll.

[Haval]

After she has finished the call, and the two are departing he will say, "Yeesh, I can't believe you were willing to rummage through his pockets. They must have been filthy." His nose wrinkles as his brow furrows with a look of disgust.

Regardless of Rachel's explanation, Ivy will walk with her for a few blocks before stopping and saying, "Well... this was fun and all. But I've got a few things to deal with for the rest of the night. Not to chew and screw, but unless there's anything else you want to tell me, I should probably be going."

Rachel does not bother trying to justify the phonecall to Ivy but will grin at the mention of Alex's pockets. 'You would not believe what I've had to put up with since I left London.' She'll briefly hold up her hands to examine her nails. 'Still, I don't intend to make a habit of it.'

Rachel wonders how much of Ivy's other business involved watching people for Blackstar. 'Circle business? Feel free to let me know if I can help with any of that. It might be entertaining. As for tonight, it can be fun to have a partner sometimes but next time you can get me dinner.'

After they seperate Rachel will head in the general direction of the San Francisco state campus. She'd like to be certain that Ivy definately wasn't following her before commiting to doing anything else. Just because you couldn't see a Mekhet didn't mean they were't still around.

Spoiler: ooc

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Wits 3 + Composure 3 + Acute Senses 1
(7d10)[27]
Any 10s
(7d10)[44]

Rerolled properly in the ooc - 2 successes

[Erulasto]

Aisling flinches as the creature seems to bow before her, as if the light had suddenly become horrific. But, steeling her features, she returned the bow in a courtly move from the days of her youth on Ireland’s green fields.

”Potential? For…what? What does Elatha need of me, Mighty Baylor?”

[Bennosuke]

Leech shifts his gaze momentarily to Anna, the fear lined on his disfigured face softening just slightly.

(OOC: Anna would have to take the same modifier/penalty, but she still gets 1 success giving Karl an additional dice on his roll)

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

Ivy looks mostly indifferent at Rachel's offer to help Mother Blackstar, but his expression softens when she mentions their next joint feed. "Very well then," he says with a half grin, "We'll make a date of it some time."

The two vampires part ways, and Rachel heads back to her car to drive over to the college campus. It was times like these that she wished she had invested some time in studying Auspex, though even immortals did not have an infinite amount of time. She found herself checking over her shoulder the entire way back to her car, and the length of the drive to SFS. But as far as Rachel could tell, no one was tailing her.

The campus was located on the West side of the city, just South of the Sunset District and West of the Outer Mission. This area was all hills and squat residential houses blending into squat commercial buildings. Much of the older buildings had a distinctive Spanish Colonial influence, with ivory stucco exteriors and brick red shingled roofs. But the campus itself was nearly 150 acres of space just about a mile or so from the coast. The campus was mostly a wide open flat lot, concrete walkways divided by small gardens and trees. Light poured gently from the building windows, and the paths were lit with overhead lamps and small foot-path lights, casting the area in a light orange glow. Towering 1980s style modern buildings speckled the campus, and every time Rachel stepped onto the campus, she got the sense she was stepping out of the city into a quiet cozy protected habitat. By now, Rachel mostly knew her way around the campus, and at this time of night she could usually mostly glide through the open air without worrying about suspicious glances from students or campus security.

(OOC: So where to now? I assume Rachel is going towards her Touchstone?)

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

"Our folk rarely interact with your kind, our worlds remain separate," the creature says in reply, an air of simple obviousness to the statement, "but at times we have needs in your world that require assistance. My lord and your Sire, as you call it, had come to a mutual understanding on such things. He provided for us and in repayment he was given gifts and wonders rarely understood by those such as yourself." The light seems to grow behind Baylor, shifting in color to an almost angry yellow. He continues, "Lord Elatha wishes to meet you in person. He wishes to assess you, and see if you would be suitable for such an arrangement."

[Haval]

Rachel isn't in a hurry to spend time with Ivy but under the circumstances thought it might be useful to be on good terms with him. You could never tell what he might pass on. Plus, she did appreciate it when someone brought a source of blood directly to her.

After parking she'll head over to the library with the book bag that she retieves from her car. The bag wasn't entirely for camouflage purposes as she did ocasionally use her student ID to take books from the colleage library. In the black dress she had worn to the Circle ceremony she wasn't really dressed like most students but there were always the ocasional department function so she shouldn't stick out too much. She didn't feed here often but enjoyed the peace and quiet of the campus compared to the city as a whole. As such she will keep an eye out for any other Kindred that might have a reason to pass through here.

Rachel is really waiting to see if Alejandro gets back to her but in the meantime she'll go looking for Lucy to check in. If the library is actually still open, she'll go looking for fresh reading material, but if not she'll text Lucy to see if she's still around in one of the places where she typically got coffee after her shift. At this point Lucy was used to Rachel's night owl tendencies, and after tonight Lucy's concerns might be a welcome distraction.

Spoiler: ooc

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Lets go and see the Touchstone. Let me know if you need any more description.

[Daishain]

Karl glowers at the kindred before him, trying to will him to speak up.

Spoiler: OOC

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Yeah, even with the +1 die from Anna, that -5 puts me down to a chance die, and it'd still be a chance die if I spent a willpower...
(1d10)[8]

[Bennosuke]

To Rachel's delight, the library was still open and as luck would have it Lucy appeared to be working her shift there. The library was an atypically modern building, with utilitarian stacks of plastic and plaster, and eggshell painted unadorned walls. Harsh yellow lights filled the library entrance with artificial daylight. There were very students still in the library at this point, and it must have been only an hour or so before closing.

Lucy appeared busy with work, and hadn't looked up yet, or taken notice of the vampire who walked into the university library.

(OOC: So we never truly established Lucy's job at the university, though we said she was working a dead end job. We also never established what exactly her relationship was like with Rachel, so I'm not filling in any blanks yet in case you had something in mind... though I'm happy to run with it as you'd like)


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

Leech's gaze moves to Karl, then to the ground, then back up. He offers the two Hounds the world's most pathetic shoulder shrug and says, "I mean, I'm really not sure I know what you're looking for. You keep mentioning a her, but I'm not sure I know any hers who have done anything particularly noteworthy." The shrug turns into a defensive hand raise and he adds, "I mean, I promise I'd tell you if I'd seen anything worth your time, but I don't think I've got the information you need." Though Leech did seem to be pretty adamant about this, and it was starting to seem like he would be unwilling to budge, it wasn't hard to get the niggling sense that he was withholding something.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Is there anyone else who you've seen coming down here who might have seen something worth telling, either from here or Oakland?" Anna said, "if you passed us a few names, and they're willing to talk to us, then maybe we never saw you here. You wouldn't have to say anything else... of course, then they'd get any credit due."

Spoiler

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presence4 + persuasion1 + WP3 - 5 = (4d10)[10][9][5][9](33)
10 again: (4d10)[1][4][9][5](19)

Apparently my math is off but that's still two successes.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Anna's WP is down to 5/6)

"I really don't know what you two are looking for," he blurts out in reply with a desperate haste that completely betrays his words. His face suddenly lined with panic, Leech replies, "Look, maybe you should go talk to some of the Carthians who don't hang around The Dog Patch compound." His words are heavy with defeat. Both Karl and Anna will remember that the compound was the haven of Nova and some of her comrades; they had been there a few times, and had helped Julian storm it to capture Mobius. "Annalise and Maxwell Stone might know what you are looking for," Leech says, the words leaving his mouth like bitter ash.

[Haval]

Rachel has been in better libraries then this but quite enjoys spending time here anyway. She'll go up to the desk to attract Lucy's attention. 'How's your evening going?'

Spoiler: ooc

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Sorry for the delay. I am very tired. Feel free to elaborate on this.

For Lucy's job, lets say she was studying anything that wasn't history, which would be the department that Rachel has the alternate identity in. She's finished her postgrad but hasn't moved onto any proper job. Possibly because there aren't enough positions available. To pay rent, she does a bit of undergrad teaching and works in the library to make ends meet. None of it pays enough to be worth it but she might have to move somewhere cheaper if she quit.

The two of them mostly talk in the library or over coffee. Lucy believes that Rachel is similarly a night owl as she got into the habit of being as a postgrad. Rachel claims to be younger, but has enough money from funding and inheritance to be focused on her 'thesis' without needing to get a regular job. This money won't last forever though, and so Rachel has said that she will be in the same position as Lucy in a few years.

Rachel remembers enough to be sympathetic and has encouraged Lucy to apply for whatever she can get that pays well or is at least more fun then what she's doing at the moment. In the meantime, Rachel is trying to encourage Lucy to get out more while she doesn't have any deadlines to worry about. Rachel herself appreciates being able to talk to someone with only human concerns and as yet is willing to say whatever she can to keep the lie going.

[Thundercracker]

Anna Wu

"Thanks Leech," Anna said, "nobody will know you talked to us, since nobody will know we were here tonight, right?"

"If you think of anything else, or if you see anything interesting, my Pulse is always open to you," Anna added.

Once back at the car, Anna responded to Alejandro's message, agreeing to meet.

"I found a bone," Anna said as she pulled out a plastic baggie, "what do you think we should do with it?"

[Daishain]

Karl looks to Leech and simply nods. Later in the car he states. "I can probably use it for another attempt with Auspex later on if nothing else. Just so you're aware, I was able to confirm a few things. At least according to my beast, the last victim was a nosferatu named Snake, and Nova was indeed responsible for the killings. So it seems that Park at the very least isn't spinning a complete lie our way."

He sighs, "Unfortunately my vision is not proof, we still have nothing to present to the prince and council. But at least we have a few leads to look into, these Carthians mentioned by Leech, and the events leading up to Snake's demise. Do you want to get this meeting with Alejandro over with before we take our next steps? He's never wasted our time before."