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

[Bennosuke]

'Perhaps you should open a few more windows. How do you deal with the smell?' Rachel asks with obvious distaste. Being asked to sit on a towel seemed demeaning to her even if it wasn't intended as a slight. She will remain standing.

The male vampire gives Rachel a glare, pursing his lips together in an attempt to stifle his anger. He does not respond to this, but to Rachel's questions on the attacks he says pointedly, "The attacks happened at the very end of the night, when we had all left the Church for our havens. My understanding is the firetrucks came a little before six in the morning. Ghouls, we suspect... ghouls of the Carthians." He keeps his voice at a whisper, though in the silence he is easily understood.

He turns his attention to Anna when she makes her introductions. "Nice to meet you," he says politely, making a point of glaring once back at Rachel before saying, "I am Antoine," his voice briefly tinged with a hint of French patois as he says his name. To the question, Antoine replies, "Masquerade breaches? I'm not sure. We only have a security camera at the front and back door, and they caught nothing. I hope that doesn't mean you won't bring these... perpetrators to justice."

[Daishain]

"It is certainly our intention to bring whomever is responsible before judgement one way or another." Karl states, "However, we have reason to suspect that not all is as it seems. We just came from another crime scene, where it looked like the Lance attacked a Carthian. Only there was a detail that makes us suspect the Lance may not actually have been involved." He looks the kindred in the eye to be sure he understood. "And now here we are at a scene where it looks like the Carthians attacked the Lance. If that is the truth, then we will proceed accordingly, if not... We would appreciate any assistance you might have in determining the truth of things as well as ensuring matters do not get more out of hand."

"In the meantime, is there anything else you can tell us about the event or what was left behind?"

[Thundercracker]

The male vampire gives Rachel a glare, pursing his lips together in an attempt to stifle his anger. He does not respond to this, but to Rachel's questions on the attacks he says pointedly, "The attacks happened at the very end of the night, when we had all left the Church for our havens. My understanding is the firetrucks came a little before six in the morning. Ghouls, we suspect... ghouls of the Carthians." He keeps his voice at a whisper, though in the silence he is easily understood.

He turns his attention to Anna when she makes her introductions. "Nice to meet you," he says politely, making a point of glaring once back at Rachel before saying, "I am Antoine," his voice briefly tinged with a hint of French patois as he says his name. To the question, Antoine replies, "Masquerade breaches? I'm not sure. We only have a security camera at the front and back door, and they caught nothing. I hope that doesn't mean you won't bring these... perpetrators to justice."

Anna Wu

“Thank you for inviting us inside,” Anna replied, “yes, we are interested in finding the responsible party and we’re tracking them down, but additional irresponsible behavior is important as well.”

“We all rely on the Traditions,” Anna said, “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the Herald and the Prince’s progeny are attempting to broker a peace with your respective primogen. We’ll have to abide by the decisions made at that meeting, if it’s successful. If the responsible party can be found, restitution will most likely be in order. If there is a Masquerade breach as a result of the attack as well, that’s a different conversation. That’s why we’re digging, I don’t want attacks like this to be resolved with a slap on the wrist. If you happen to know anything more, i ask that you tell us now. If you find something later, regarding this or something else, you can contact me directly, or pass my number to your sire if you like.”

She offered to exchange numbers with Antoine.

[Haval]

Rachel will meet Antoine's glare with a slight smile but will let the others take the lead unless she had something to contribute.

[Bennosuke]

The man listens to Karl with the same look of disdain he had shared with Rachel. When Karl says,

"It is certainly our intention to bring whomever is responsible before judgement one way or another." Karl states, "However, we have reason to suspect that not all is as it seems. We just came from another crime scene, where it looked like the Lance attacked a Carthian.

he interrupts saying, "It's Spear. No one calls us The Lance," spitting the words out with venom.

Antione replies to Karl's question by saying, "Just some empty cans on lighter fluid, left around the side of the building. Nothing else really" Still scowling he says hastily, "Aren't you guys supposed to be good at using The Sight? Use your Shadow powers; I'm sure you'll be able to figure out some things my master and I could not."

To Anna he replies, "I was not aware. My master and I, we are not in direct... favor with our Primogen, and are usually the last to find out about that sort of thing." There is not the same vitriol in his words as he addresses Anna. "I'm sorry, but I'm giving you all the information I have. I wish I had more," Antoine adds. He happily exchanges numbers with Anna, providing his QR code for The Pulse.

[Thundercracker]

The man listens to Karl with the same look of disdain he had shared with Rachel. When Karl says,



he interrupts saying, "It's Spear. No one calls us The Lance," spitting the words out with venom.

Antione replies to Karl's question by saying, "Just some empty cans on lighter fluid, left around the side of the building. Nothing else really" Still scowling he says hastily, "Aren't you guys supposed to be good at using The Sight? Use your Shadow powers; I'm sure you'll be able to figure out some things my master and I could not."

To Anna he replies, "I was not aware. My master and I, we are not in direct... favor with our Primogen, and are usually the last to find out about that sort of thing." There is not the same vitriol in his words as he addresses Anna. "I'm sorry, but I'm giving you all the information I have. I wish I had more," Antoine adds. He happily exchanges numbers with Anna, providing his QR code for The Pulse.

Anna Wu

“The cans of lighter fluid might be a good start, can you show us where those are?” Anna replied.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” Anna said regarding the Primogen, “they’re probably not advertising it really either, in case nothing comes of it or the meeting doesn’t even happen. Hopefully they can figure something out. A war is the last thing any of us need.”

[Bennosuke]

"I can go get them," Antoine says in reply, getting up slowly and taking his time as he crosses out of the kitchen, passing Rachel and Karl as if they were not in the room. He returns with a grey plastic laundry basket filled with several lighter fluid containers; the caustic stench preceding him and growing stronger as he places the basket before the Hounds. He says calmly, "I hope this helps."

He listens to the rest of what Anna has to say impassively, nodding his head but adding little else.

[Haval]

Aren't you guys supposed to be good at using The Sight? Use your Shadow powers; I'm sure you'll be able to figure out some things my master and I could not.

'I'll have to defer to my colleagues on that matter. My talents are a little more involved.' Rachel doesn't see any reason to elaborate. 'You said it happened before six? I don't suppose there were any kine businesses open nearby that early? It's always possible someone saw something.' She had to wonder if the Spear cared enough to have conducted their own investigations rather then simply blaming the Cartheans.

[Thundercracker]

"I can go get them," Antoine says in reply, getting up slowly and taking his time as he crosses out of the kitchen, passing Rachel and Karl as if they were not in the room. He returns with a grey plastic laundry basket filled with several lighter fluid containers; the caustic stench preceding him and growing stronger as he places the basket before the Hounds. He says calmly, "I hope this helps."

He listens to the rest of what Anna has to say impassively, nodding his head but adding little else.

Anna nodded to Karl, suggesting he should give the lighter fluid containers a look.

[Bennosuke]

Antione raises a manicured eyebrow at the question. Speaking with a demeanor that a mortal might describe as "sassy", he replies, "This is unfortunately a residential street honey. And this isn't the safest neighborhood. Most of the locals know to keep their mouths shut, what with all the gang violence, and homeless. A fair amount of immigrants too, many of whom are afraid of being deported. Unless you have ways of making people talk, I'm not sure the Kine are going to be of much help." This is a far less reserved demeanor than Antoine had recently been maintaining, and his eyes dart from vampire to vampire, the seed of anxiety clearly starting to sprout.

He sees Anna gestures to Karl, but makes no attempt to help Karl with the empty gasoline containers. He instead stares at Karl with a mix of disdain and curiosity.

[Haval]

Rachel smiles broadly at that last point. 'Oh I'm very friendly. Most people talk to me eventually.'

[Thundercracker]

Rachel smiles broadly at that last point. 'Oh I'm very friendly. Most people talk to me eventually.'

Anna ignored the back and forth between Antoine and Rachel and waited for Karl to examine the containers.

[Daishain]

Karl looks over the gas cans, not expecting to see anything of special interest, but one never knew. "These should do quite well for a focus. I'll begin an auspex, but please be cautious around me while I am in the trance, if you did not know this requires loosening of control of the beast."

He seeks out a quiet place to work, perhaps up by the altar, with a view of the destruction.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Using the cans as the focus as stated.
Int+occult+auspex yes? (9d10)[7][8][5][3][1][6][2][6][3](41)
ten again (9d10)[7][7][4][5][5][1][7][4][5](45)

[Daishain]

Karl settles in, but finds his beast fighting him, resisting the efforts to force it into compliance. Before it slips his grasp he's only able to manage a single query. "Who was responsible for this destruction?"

[Bennosuke]

A familiar haze begins to cloud over Karl's vision. The Kindred in the room witness as Karl's face suddenly grows hard and dark, his eyes taking on a reflective and unnatural glow. Though Anna has witnessed this on countless nights in the last few years, it strikes her that at this moment, Karl is simply not home, maybe not even in control. The face staring down at the spent cans of gasoline is a reflection of The Beast; a primitive yet alien hunger, that she was more than intimate with herself.

In Karl's mind's eye, he watches as a small pack of flaming rodents explode out of a van parked in the street outside this church. They swarm towards the building, screeching and chittering as they scrabble on naked pink claws, their thousand wormy tails snaking this way and that. As the mass of rats descend on the church, Karl catches site of a pair of glowing red eyes stare from the window of the parked vehicle.

As the vision starts to fade, Karl is left with a sour taste in his mouth. It seemed the Beast had been particularly withholding in this attempted Auspex. In fact, Karl can feel the Beast's glee in his frustration, a mirthful sort of animal spite. But as he mulls it over, Karl is struck by the thought that a not-uncommon nickname for The Carthians was "Vermin"... and a second thought strikes him, that they are also sometimes called "Firebrands", though of course the flames in this vision could just as easily have been the gasoline and the fire started by the Carthian ghouls this vision represented.

(OOC: While it's not in the rules, given Karl's actual powers, and your very bad luck, I will allow you to roll again, at the cost of a blood point to get more information using spirit's touch here)

[Daishain]

Karl narrows his eyes and tries to grasp at the beast again, shaking slightly with the effort. "You will answer me stubborn thing."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

(9d10)[3][9][5][7][5][3][4][8][3](47)
ten again (9d10)[1][3][3][1][9][5][2][1][8](33)

[Bennosuke]

Karl can feel the cold heat inside his chest, as he pushes his powers in Auspex. He can feel the Beast resisting, growling in outrage, but the outrage slowly simmers away into submission.

(OOC: Karl is down to 7BP. He can ask two more question as previously detailed.)

[Bennosuke]

"Where are the rats now," Karl asks, unsure if the words have actually escaped his lips or remained locked in his skull.

The Beast growls in reply, as the same haze descends upon Karl's vision and conscience. Karl finds himself standing in a small and dark parking lot, walled on two sides by buildings and surrounded otherwise by barbed wire crowned chain link. The same van from the prior vision is parked in this lot, along with a dark and rusted looking vehicles that seem to blend into the surrounding shadows. Though the night's fog is heavy in this vision, a light shines from overhead, and looking up, Karl finds himself staring at an improbable pink neon sign. The moment it comes into view, Karl's head is filled with the electric buzzing of the neon lighting. The sign reads "The Overlook Motel". The sound gets louder and louder. The pink electric light gets brighter and brighter.

The stimuli become overwhelming, and Karl finds himself dropping to a knee back inside the makeshift church. A wet cold spreads across the left side of Karl's cheek, and when he brings a finger to it, he finds that he has smudged a blood tear into his cheek. Undeterred, Karl asks his second question, "Were the rats trying to start a larger fight between the Lancea and the Carthians?"

This time there is no vision; only a deafening rumbling noise deep within Karl's skull, like the very beginnings of thunder, or a feral dog's growl. There are no words to this noise, though Karl understands the reply. The answer is "Yes".

Karl pulls himself to his feet, and pulling out his phone, quickly texts what he has learned to Anna and Rachel via the Pulse, eying Antoine defiantly in his silence. His texts read, "Likely Carthian attack. They're staying somewhere called The Overlook Motel. It was an attempt to increase friction between the Spear and the Carthians."

[Haval]

Rachel will Google the Overlook Motel, San Francisco.

[Bennosuke]

She quickly finds the website, which seems to have last been updated in the 90s. The Overlook looked like a pretty dingy place, on the Southern border of The Mission, near Bernal heights. It looked like the sort of cheap hole in the wall that one might stay at for a night if they were on their way through town, or where a prostitute might take a john for a cheap lay.

[Thundercracker]

She quickly finds the website, which seems to have last been updated in the 90s. The Overlook looked like a pretty dingy place, on the Southern border of The Mission, near Bernal heights. It looked like the sort of cheap hole in the wall that one might stay at for a night if they were on their way through town, or where a prostitute might take a john for a cheap lay.

“We have a lead,” Anna said to Antoine, it bears further investigation.

“It is likely this attack was made to try and increase conflict between your two covenants,” she continued, “please convey this information to your Sire when convenient; premature retaliatory strikes may play into the hands of whoever had the fire set.”

Anna typed out on her phone: “let’s go get them.”
Once they are outside , assuming Karl shares everything he saw, Anna will make it a point to say they should investigate the van as well.

Internally, she is hoping to trace the van back to Nova.

“We should make the final approach on foot,” Anna said.

[Haval]

“It is likely this attack was made to try and increase conflict between your two covenants,” she continued, “please convey this information to your Sire when convenient; premature retaliatory strikes may play into the hands of whoever had the fire set.”

Inside Rachel will let Anna explain Karl's findings. On the way out once they were in private, 'I suppose it's too much to hope for that some lower ranking member of the Carthians is responsible for this? This is getting messy.'

[Bennosuke]

We have a lead,” Anna said to Antoine, it bears further investigation.

“It is likely this attack was made to try and increase conflict between your two covenants,” she continued, “please convey this information to your Sire when convenient; premature retaliatory strikes may play into the hands of whoever had the fire set.”

"I see," Antoine says flatly to Anna, giving Karl one last glare, "I will discuss this with my Sire. I assure you three that we will not do anything too... quick tempered." He pauses for a moment before adding, "However, I am sure that if The Prince does not provide swift justice, then my Sire and his flock, however meager, will be less than happy. Then, I can make no promises."

When it is clear the Hounds are ready to leave, Antonio will accompany them to the door, closing it behind them. Outside, the air is cold and wet after the rain, and the stench of ozone and city clings to everything. Once they are away from the building, Karl will reply to Anna, "I am not opposed to getting it all done now, but playing devil's advocate, we can always go do some recon, figure out who they are , and bring that info to Tony and the Prince."

[Thundercracker]

"I see," Antoine says flatly to Anna, giving Karl one last glare, "I will discuss this with my Sire. I assure you three that we will not do anything too... quick tempered." He pauses for a moment before adding, "However, I am sure that if The Prince does not provide swift justice, then my Sire and his flock, however meager, will be less than happy. Then, I can make no promises."

When it is clear the Hounds are ready to leave, Antonio will accompany them to the door, closing it behind them. Outside, the air is cold and wet after the rain, and the stench of ozone and city clings to everything. Once they are away from the building, Karl will reply to Anna, "I am not opposed to getting it all done now, but playing devil's advocate, we can always go do some recon, figure out who they are , and bring that info to Tony and the Prince."

“That’s the plan,” Anna said, “we have to find the van first, at a minimum… we can go from there.”

[Haval]

“That’s the plan,” Anna said, “we have to find the van first, at a minimum… we can go from there.”

'I have an appointment to keep first. And I feel like finding this van wouldn't be my area of expertise anyway. You could both come with me but I don't think Blackstar would appreciate it. Perhaps I could meet up with you later?'

[Thundercracker]

'I have an appointment to keep first. And I feel like finding this van wouldn't be my area of expertise anyway. You could both come with me but I don't think Blackstar would appreciate it. Perhaps I could meet up with you later?'

“Go ahead, do what you have to,” Anna said.

She had appointments to keep as well, but their quarry would probably not stay at the hotel forever. Plus, was a Hound and if she didn’t go, she couldn’t assume any of the others would.

[Bennosuke]

Karl nods his head at Rachel and adds, "Sounds good. Just Pulse us when you are done... and we'll do the same if we finish up first." He fixes his coat and looks up briefly at the sky, eyeing the blood red star that somehow cut through the clouds and fog.

Turning to Anna, Karl says, "It's basically walking distance to the Overlook, but we can drive if you prefer. I figure on foot will be less easy to spot... but not as ideal if we have to get out of a bad situation."

[Haval]

Before she leaves Rachel will add, 'I have to wonder why they're in the hotel in the first place. Surely it would be easier for them to split up if they were at all worried about someone coming after them. Anyway, try to keep yourselves out of trouble.'

[Thundercracker]

Karl nods his head at Rachel and adds, "Sounds good. Just Pulse us when you are done... and we'll do the same if we finish up first." He fixes his coat and looks up briefly at the sky, eyeing the blood red star that somehow cut through the clouds and fog.

Turning to Anna, Karl says, "It's basically walking distance to the Overlook, but we can drive if you prefer. I figure on foot will be less easy to spot... but not as ideal if we have to get out of a bad situation."

"We can walk from here then, just need to get the rifle first," Anna said.

She'll use her powers of obfuscate to make it appear like she is not holding anything.

[Bennosuke]

Rachel splits from her companions and drives up to Pacific Heights. This time of night, the traffic has already begun to thin, and soon Rachel finds herself pushing her car up the steep tree lined streets of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in San Francisco. The houses in Pacific Heights are a mix of well maintained Victorians, and a hodge podge of more modern architecture.

Mother Blackstar's place is easy to find and soon Rachel is parked just across the street. The Primogen's home is a massive three story in the Dutch Colonial Revival fashion with white brick and a tiled gambrel roof. Vines climb the facing of the house, and massive sculpted shrubbery line the entrance. Soft yellow light pours from the massive glass windows, though Rachel cannot see in.

Rachel is greeted again at the door by Graham, The Primogen's ghoul and butler. He is a jowly man with wispy thinning hair that may once have been blond and curled, but now sits flatly on his pink scalp in a gelled sort of comb over. His round wire rimmed spectacles almost sparkle in the soft light pouring out from behind him as he gives Rachel a warm grin. "Welcome my lady. Good to see you again," he says with a charming English accent. Tonight he is wearing a navy rollneck under a charcoal flannel suit, and he looks every bit the gentleman.

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

Anna follows Karl back to their car, where they furtively grab the rifle.

(OOC: Anna activates Touch of Shadow, and is down to 7/10 vitae. Please roll Wits + Larceny + Obfuscate)