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Gathering: A Fine Soiree
Topic Started: Oct 23 2012, 09:19 PM (1,206 Views)
KosST
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Chapter 1: Too Many Cooks, Too Many Problems

Summer, about 6 months after the cataclysm.

The vampires of Las Vegas had grown somewhat antsy and listless. Though a few informal parties were thrown by some enterprising individuals, the civic leaders of the domain had remained hesitant to throw an official gathering in some nights. So when the mistress of Elysium, Sophie LaBeaux, spread word about an official event to be held at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, excitement began to spread like wildfire. Officially, the highlight of the evening was to be the unveiling of an authentic masterpiece procured by LaBeaux in honor of the cities new beginning. Unofficially, anything can happen, from new visitors to the city, a simple spar between more popular Kindred, to even a claim for the throne. It’s safe to say that anticipation is high. So it would be unthinkable for any vampire to miss the event.

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You arrive unceremoniously to the Bellagio hotel and casino. It is a busy night, with unbearable heat during the night pushing the throngs of humans into the hotel itself. As such, you walk in with dozens of sweaty, excited kine into a colorful lobby. People mill about under the Fiori Di Como, a ceiling covered with glass blossoms, each painstakingly detailed. They meet friends or lovers, awaiting a night of excitement and adventure. Their mood washes over you, and briefly you consider taking the opportunity of a Kindred gathering as a cover for feeding in a regency that does not belong to you. But as you wander the casino floor, you note the appearance of other Kindred, and pull yourself away from a night of some of some easy hunting with the herd to social obligations.

The host has performed her task well. Some human guards stationed at the entrance to the gallery itself stop you, checking your name on a guest list before waving you in. The crowd of vampires are already in the thick of conversation, already spouting gossip and mingling with allies or sniping with enemies. For her part, Director LaBeaux seems pleased – though the night has lacked significant drama thus far, the attendance is high, and features nearly all of the Primogen and city officers. The more cultured Kindred seem genuinely excited about the secret artist of the still-cloaked masterpiece, though some of the less cultured Kindred seem to be getting bored by the venue and consider migrating to the casino floor.

Nobody notices your arrival. While this has been typical in the past, a part of you is still insulted at the ease to which you are overlooked. You briefly consider starting a fight or an argument yourself, thinking that perhaps it will propel you into the limelight, or at least make the night memorable in some fashion. Those instincts are curbed when you recognize a few familiar faces making their way over to you.


(OOC: This is an opportunity for the soon-to-be coterie to exchange some pleasantries or introductions. The scene shall progress either way, but consider this an opportunity to interact with other PCs or NPCs. Furthermore, I know prelude scenes are still going on for a number of you. Those will likely influence actions in this scene, so if you need to, prioritize those prelude scenes.

For the most part, this scene is an opportunity to stretch your legs with your PCs, and to make contacts. Improvise and have fun.)
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KosST
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Zoe notices the appearance of Salvador. She is engaged in a series of conversations, but Salvador times his approach carefully to greet her during a lull.

"Mister Ruiz, is it? A pleasure to meet you. You've been making the rounds this evening, or so I've heard. Are you making the next stop on your tour of the Primogen?" She's being playful, but there is still something edgy there.
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Holy
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"My visits with the Dragon Primogens were more impromptu." Of course, that only reinforces that he's here for a purpose. "Congratulations on your appointment. I don't want to take up much of your time, but, well," He sighs, looking like he doesn't want to continue, "I'm in the market for some particular gossip."
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KosST
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She laughs a bit. "Is the Bastard still claiming to be a part of the Dragons to strangers? I'd have thought by now he'd have completed remaking them in his image."

She shrugs a bit. "Well, I imagine the cost of the gossip is dependent upon the gossip in question." Her eyes glimmer a bit with the prospect.


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(OOC side note: don't let the flow of conversation interrupt any other things you may want to attempt or people you'd like to talk to. Conversation can continue indefinitely, but if folks are getting antsy, can segue into something when desired)
Edited by KosST, Nov 2 2012, 03:31 PM.
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Holy
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He steps forward at the implied invitation.
Spoiler: click to toggle


He issues a quick glance toward the direction of Marino.
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He returns attention to the Harpy, clearly discerning her for a response.
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KosST
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She seems to understand where Salvador is going with this. She starts speaking fairly rapidly, though not without emotion. Occasionally bits of contempt creep into her voice and facial expressions when speaking of Nash.

Spoiler: click to toggle


She glances over at Nash.

Spoiler: click to toggle


She wraps her arms around her, taking a sip of blood from her glass.

Spoiler: click to toggle
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Holy
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Salvador's eyes follow the trail of her glass.
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"Congratulations again," he offers.
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KosST
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She seems momentarily confused. She then offers a simple smile.

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She then greets another Kindred waiting to speak with her.
Edited by KosST, Nov 2 2012, 05:21 PM.
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Holy
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Dismissed from the Harpy, Salvador meanders through the gathering, stopping himself to admire the revealed painting. Soon enough he finds himself in the presence of Primogen Nash once more. "I don't mean to take up more of your time tonight, Primogen. But at some point I would like to continue our conversation. About work, about the Order..." He's implying something important there. "Do you have a business card? Maybe it's best if neither of us pushes our luck tonight." He glances toward Harper and his flock.
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KosST
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Nash fishes around in a faded jacket before producing a simple card. He hands it to Salvador.

"Here. This should give you a way to get a hold of me if you need to. I'd have no problems talking about the Order further. I know there are a lot of nasty rumors going around, so it would be good to dispel some."

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Kara
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Finished with Sebastian and between conversations, Ariadne settles her attention not terribly subtly on Salvador and Nash. She seems less like she's deviously eavesdropping and more just vaguely interested.
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KosST
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(OOC: Trying to move things along a bit. No rush on ongoing conversation, but trying to set up a segue)

Antoine approaches the Brides. Standing a few feet behind him is a scared, nervous looking Kindred, clearly not dressed well enough to come to the gathering. The man is a mess with torn flannel shirt, muddy jeans, and unkempt hair. He whispers a few words in Antoine's ear which brings him to speak with the Brides.

The Gangrel and Crone Primogen locks eyes with each of the three Brides in turn. He settles eventually on Dana.

"Heard some of yours went into the Undercity. Care to discuss that matter in private for a bit?"

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Holy
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Salvador shakes hands with Nash after taking the business card and the two part company. This frees him up to wander back towards the Brides himself. He pauses as Antoine gets there first, and seems to consider speaking with someone else. Instead, after making sure that Harper is on the far side of the room, Salvador injects himself into conversation range with Antoine and Dana.
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KosST
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Antoine offers a look of incredulity at Salvador's words. He then looks between Salvador, Dana, and Harper (who is on the other side of the room).

He then seems to await the response of the Brides.
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Daniel
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The Brides look skeptical as Antoine approaches them, but the way his eyes meet their own show he means business. Dana runs her hand through her hair before replying.

"Do we want to talk privately? Not really. Are you gonna leave us alone unless we do? Probably not." She shrugs and rolls her head around, taking in the expressions of the other two bikers. Both Natasha and Whiskey make no illusions about being annoyed at this interruption. Against her instincts and theirs, she forces herself to smile. "Alright, Primogen, lead the way, but all of us have a stake in this, so we're all coming."

At Salvador's entrance, Dana looks perplexed, but seeing Antoine's reaction, she says, "Well, inform Primogen Harper that your services will be greatly appreciated" in a slight mockery of proper courtly speech. "But hang on a minute, we gotta talk to this guy first."

As the Brides walk out, Whiskey can be overheard saying, "That's the best Harper could come up with?"
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KosST
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Antoine doesn't seem concerned about the Brides all coming with. He indicates for Salvador to follow as well. He then swings by and asks Sebastian, Ariadne, and Edgar to follow him. The ragged man follows as well.

Antoine leads the group away from the gathering a bit to discuss matters further. They walk along the casino floors, passing crowds of kine drinking and playing games. Eventually they reach a business conference center. Antoine takes a card from his pocket, slipping it near a scanner by a door, welcoming the group into a carefully prepared board room. (picture).

He sits at the head of a table, gesturing for the rest of the group to join him. He begins speaking without waiting for such, however.

"A little ways back a guy named Roache gave me testimony of something bad that happened in the Undercity. Something going awry, and his coterie being murdered. The help I need is for people to go with me into the Undercity, see about resolving whatever it is down there. Simple. That's what I intend, so if you think you don't have the heart for it, the door is open."

"I expect you may have questions. Fire away."
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Holy
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"We should probably hear this testimony. Who were his friends that died? How did he manage to be the only one to get away? What did he see?" Despite Salvador's own status as an unaligned, he's clearly not too trustful of the word of this man Roache.
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Daniel
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"Ok, two questions. One: Who the hell are these people?" Dana gestures indicating Edgar, Ariadne, and, to a lesser extent, Sebastian. "Two: Why should we trust this guy? Mister Killjoy over there has a point."
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KosST
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Antoine looks to answer one of Dana's questions first. He gestures to Edgar, Ariadne, and Sebastian. "They can introduce themselves. But suffice to say, they are offering their help and support to me. Being the regent of the area that this is going on, I'm looking into it. They... volunteered to support those efforts."

"As for the testimony of Roache, I give his testimony some credit because I've gone over it with him enough times to suspect there is the ring of truth to it. Whatever happened fucked him up pretty righteously, and I intend to find out how and why. Ultimately, I don't care as much about specifics, I care about getting to the bottom of whatever is in my undercity."

He points to the nervous man. "Tell your side of the story Roache. Answer the question. What happened?"

The man stares at the ground with clear focus. He hasn't sit since the group entered the room, and doesn't do so now. A manic, pulsing energy ensures he bounces up and down, a rhythmic motion. He speaks in train of thought.

"We.... went down there. We didn't go to court, so we hadn't heard the news. Figured with all the other crap going on, nobody would want the Undercity when the Nossies fled after the change. And Cooper had already spent so much time down there, he invited us to come along. There is blood and shelter he said. So we listened. It was good for a while. Antoine... he told us to leave." The man looks at the Primogen for a moment, but cannot maintain eye contact.

"We didn't listen. We should have, but we didn't."

"Me, Cooper, Hennie, and Jess. Thought we'd build a nice place down there. We didn't want society, society didn't want us, that was fine with us no worries. But.. but then Cooper said he thought he heard something in an old tunnel. He was going to investigate. He did. He said he found a chamber he didn't know about. So we figure we'll take a look. We were stupid. STUPID."

He shakes his head and rocks on his heels for a moment.

"Darkness. That's what we found down there. Hennie didn't have a problem with that, had the sight. And Jess had just fed and wanted to prove something, so she went in first. Jess... always liked Jess. Always was nice to me. Thought maybe, but no... Jess she says 'What's the worst that could happen?' It was a joke. Didn't know better. So we went on in."

"Walked for maybe a half-hour in through a section we hadn't seen. Got to an old hole in broken down brick wall. Climbed on through. When we passed the threshold, we started hearing a woman. Woman singing. I wanted to flee, but wanted to impress Jess. Kept going down the tunnel. And that's when we saw her. Her atop her pile of bones and flesh. She looked at us and pointed. And then they were on us."

He goes silent for a moment, closing his eyes and falling to his knees. He lets out a pained cry before continuing.

"I don't know how many, or where they came from. Some Kindred, some.... some not. They were all around us. Coop and Jess went right into the fray, tried to buy us time to make it back to the tunnel. Coop got dragged into the pile. Jess.... Jess, she went after the woman. So I went to grab her, to get her away, but the lady, she just knocked me away when I tried to grab her. Then she stared at me and laughed, and I... I saw things. Things I don't NO NO NO NO I WON'T TELL MOTHER I WON'T NO I WON'T PLEASE STOP STOP"

Roache falls into a ball, openly moaning and weeping. It's a naked display of vulnerability that is out of place in a room full of Kindred. It's pathetic and absurd and tragic all at once. Antoine walks slowly to the fetal wreck, and carefully taps him on the shoulder. "Roache, come back to me" he whispers, before chanting something in a foreign tongue. Roache slowly returns to a state of reason, but he doesn't get off the floor.

"Fear took a hold of me. I ran. And all the while I heard the screams of my friends. Hennie still talks to me sometimes, though I know she's dead. I can hear her voice when I sleep. But they are gone. They're all gone. I should have died instead."


Antoine looks towards the group for a response.



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tpenrod
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Sebastian follows Antoine, and carefully listens to Roache's story. He doesn't appear surprised by many of the details, but when the man falls to the floor shaking, Sebastian can't help but raise his eyes in a alarm and take a few paces back. Once Antoine settles the man down again, Sebastian regains his composure.

Quote:
 
Antoine looks towards the group for a response.


Sebastian pipes in "You know where I stand." He looks around the room at the motley collection of Kindred. He takes a moment, and begins to laugh to himself quietly. A Bride who doesn't seem to take orders from anyone. A Nervous spy who hasn't been out in the world. An old man who Sebastian had heard was mad. A Killjoy who gets pushed around and grovels for work. And him: A would be Magician who's tricks were more flash than substance.

Still, if they were anything like him, they were all collectively desperate enough to do what was asked to get somewhere in the new order of things.

Finally, he pipes up again, pointing to each of them. "I don't know them. Which worries me. And what I do know worries me more." He shrugs, looking to Antoine. "But if you brought them in here, then you must know something about them I don't."

"I'm willing to find out what that is."
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KosST
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Antoine nods in approval of Sebastian. He then looks towards the group.

"I know reputations. I heard about skill-sets, but that was before the rebirth. But I have something in my heart for volunteers, particularly those that Anesidora provides. Trust is hard to come by in this city, regardless of whatever happened to us half a year ago. But I won't turn away help."

(Note - anyone can give me a Wits + Empathy roll if they are interested)
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Holy
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"This is the problem with everyone focused just on the Strip. Anything outside of that is unregulated, unsafe. People are getting hurt because entire swaths of the city are being ignored." He looks to Antoine, judging his thought process. "Are you more concerned about the territory, or the people who died? There's no Haunts anymore with the Winnowing, but that doesn't mean old habits and their difficulty dying isn't a factor."
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Kara
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Ariadne listens closely to the story, and far from appearing anxious at the outburst, she seems intrigued - moving closer to the ball of a Kindred. She looks toward Sebastian and then Antoine as they speak.

She adds, quietly, "Not as varied as then, but my skills are still very good." Her eyes turn back toward Roache. "Very good. And I can help with this. And I will." She glances at Antoine and Sebastian through her bangs, like either of them might argue with her.
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KosST
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Antoine seems pleased by Ariadne's claim of participation. "Good. Good. We'll need as many eyes as we can muster down there."

He then turns his attention to Salvador.

Quote:
 
"This is the problem with everyone focused just on the Strip. Anything outside of that is unregulated, unsafe. People are getting hurt because entire swaths of the city are being ignored." He looks to Antoine, judging his thought process. "Are you more concerned about the territory, or the people who died? There's no Haunts anymore with the Winnowing, but that doesn't mean old habits and their difficulty dying isn't a factor."


"I can be concerned about both. I want to make sure to send a message that a warning from me is worth listening to. If they had listened, they'd still be here."

"But, whatever offed three Kindred, whatever did something profound to this guy..." (Antoine points at Roache) "that needs to be dealt with in some fashion. Not just because it's my territory, but because it can endanger others. Kine and Kindred alike. Until we look into it, we don't know. Maybe that's because it's off strip, maybe not. Won't know until we learn more."

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tpenrod
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KosST
Nov 6 2012, 01:03 PM
"Until we look into it, we don't know. Maybe that's because it's off strip, maybe not. Won't know until we learn more."

He nods silently to Ariadne's action to volunteer. As Antoine is speaking, Sebastian's eyes appear focused on the other strangers in the room.

"And what about you two gents? Haven't heard much from you yet." Indicating Salvador and Edward

He doesn't neglect the Brides either.

"What about you Dana? " He motions to Whiskey and Natasha "And your friends? You all coming? Could get awfully cramped down there."

His eyes are trained on Natasha, despite posing the question to all three.

e: Opening up my post a bit so I don't close off progress
Edited by tpenrod, Nov 6 2012, 03:00 PM.
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Daniel
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The three listen to Roache's story with differing levels of concern. Dana looks skeptical, trying to see just how much this sniveling mess actually knows, Whiskey stares the Kindred down, and Natasha... as Roache reaches the low point of his story, Natasha is visibly shaking. Whiskey elbows the Bride hard, evoking a small grunt of pain and a shake of her head as she pulls herself together.

When he finishes, Dana seems to share a bit of Natasha's shock. "Alright, so whoever's down there is pretty bad. Let's say we go down with you into 'your' godforsaken hellhole and find it. What's in it for us?"
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tpenrod
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Sebastian edges closer to Natasha, seeing her shaking nerves. He looks to Dana, perking his eyes up.

"Peace of mind? Who knows..."

He turns his gaze to Natasha. "Could have been any one of us down there."

He dares place a hand on Natasha's shoulder.

"But no worries in here. I won't bite." His expression turns from smile to one of concern. "Is everything alright? Something you want to get off your chest?"
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KosST
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Natasha initially recoils from the contact with Sebastian. But she doesn't lash out at him. Instead she shrugs off the physical contact, but then speaks up a bit. She looks at Whiskey and Dana a moment, then also focuses on Sebastian.

"I... I'm just scared is all. Story got to me. And don't want to go down there, though I guess I get why we gotta. Just gives me the chills, is all."



Antoine notes the exchanges, and decides to step in. He focuses on Whiskey and Dana while Sebastian attends to Natasha.

"Peace of mind. That's a start." He tosses a bundle of cloth onto the table in front of Dana. "Roache had that, only thing he got as a souvenir for his trip in the tunnels. Might be worth looking at."

Inside the cloth is small piece of what appears to be a leather jacket. A simple patch is present, a bleached skull with pointed canines.
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KosST
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Antoine then looks to the non-Brides members of the group while they process.

"Other questions?"
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Kara
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One of Ariadne's eyebrows perks at the jacket, but her gaze quickly shifts to Antoine, her tone neutral. "If we see the thing...what's the primary objective?"
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Daniel
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Quote:
 
Peace of mind. That's a start.


Dana rolls her eyes at the Primogen. "Yeah, and I can buy that shit for fifty bucks a pop down on the Strip. Let's talk real busi-"

The thud of the package interrupts her sarcasm, and she opens it recklessly, shaking the bundle until its contents flop unceremoniously onto the table. A single scrap of leather, a simple design, a smiling skull and short sharp teeth.

"Oh, fuck."
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