V:tM - New Orleans by Night

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-02 09:29pm

Anna finally returned, Alec's hand in hers. She looked more solemn than she had earlier. Dragging Alec along, she took him to the bar. "Tenn, I need a drink."

Alec frowned. "Anna, please."

She turned and kissed him on the cheek. "Just one, love. Just on." She picked up the glass and downed the whiskey. "There, I'm better now. We'll take care of the book tomorrow. I will arrange for a bit more security. Now please, don't worry."

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-12-02 09:42pm

The Eye of Horus had something of a reputation amongst the cities vampires, a meeting place and a haven of sorts. The styling made Oswald uneasy, reminding him of the Setites and their evil deeds in the Old World.

However it was also one of the only places where vampires could meet in relative safety from interclan rivalries and disputes. It was here that Oswalds old friend, the Malkav had asked him to meet.

[KELLY!!! - The Malkav should be played by you, being GM and all... Also throw me a plot hook]

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-02 09:59pm

Oswald found him sitting in a dark booth in the bar. His eyes were glued to the proprieter and the young man with her. It was a few moments before his attention turned to his friend. "Ah, so good to see you again, Oswald."

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-12-02 10:08pm

"It is, how long has it been friend? 10 years?"
"About that."
"Why is it that you chose now to re-emerge, I know that with you, nothing is a coincidence..."

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-02 10:15pm

"A book. I believe..." he trailed off looking at Anna again, "that it has recently fallen into the hands of an expert. It used to belong to the Giovanni. From what I hear, they want it back. Badly."

"What kind of book?"

"A book of the dead, of course." He smiled. "One of ours. It has some very... intreaging information in it. If the expert can translate it, she will become quite enthralled."

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-12-02 10:24pm

Kelly Antilles wrote:"A book. I believe..." he trailed off looking at Anna again, "that it has recently fallen into the hands of an expert. It used to belong to the Giovanni. From what I hear, they want it back. Badly."

"What kind of book?"

"A book of the dead, of course." He smiled. "One of ours. It has some very... intreaging information in it. If the expert can translate it, she will become quite enthralled."

"I take it you are suggesting an introduction of sorts? And what kind of book are we talking about here? A Book of Nod fragment? A copy of the Necronomicon? Or something else entirely? And I take it you are referring to those two over there, whom you keep looking at. I might appear to be an old librarian, but you shouldn't forget that I too am one of the kindred."

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2002-12-02 10:32pm

Jack moved among the crowd silently, his head swiveling ever so casually back and forth as he moved. He was aware of all his immediate suuroundings, he knew he was surrounded by his kind and he knew that he was new here.

If he was going to spend any time in this city and watch over his family while he decided what to do he needed to not piss off the powers that be and the Camarilla so loved their traditions. There were few things he ever agreed with his sire on, one of those was his suspicion of the organization.

"Who would ever want to rule over the damned?" Geoffrey used to muse in the dark reccesses of whatever hell hole he decided to make his haven for that night.

How he yearned to drive the sword given to him as a gift into the vile bastard's heart.

He approached the woman he pegged as the most important one in the room, he usually had a gift for pegging elders and their lackeys...well...there was that one time in Boston when he totally missed the eight year old ancient, but who the hell would guess that?

He eyed the woman for a moment over his near perfect dark lenses and cleared his throat.

"Madaam. My name is Jack Reece, I'm new to this town and I was wondering if you knew where one would find the prince of this fair city." He did not bow or make any formal moves but he did watch her evenly, his tone respectful.

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2002-12-02 10:59pm

How the hell did I end up in New Orleans? A question asked by more than a few I'm sure. But not too many like me. Where do I fit in to this little shin-dig? Well, I'm not quite sure of that myself either.

I guess I'll start on a high note. And by high I mean about five stories. There I was, perched on the edge of some dingy apartment building's eaves, looking down into the alley at the show that was unfolding.

A group of young thugs, obviously immortal, were in the middle of trying to beat the crap out of each other. Stupid rabble. It's a wonder the whole place doesn't know about them.

I watched it all from my shadowy height. Each hit, each claw. No control, no dicipline. Pathetic. Then this other one came. He appeared out of nowhere. A smaller man. Looked like a stiff actually. Harsh words were spoke. Harsher actions were done. In the end, one of the punks hit the far wall like a wrecking ball. I was surprised he didn't go through. I guess we were lucky.

More harsh words and the stiff was off again. So was I. He moved off into the street, I into the air, soaring above it all on the wings of a crow. No, not a bat. I hate those flying mice.

Anyway, I had fed earlier that evening and there was no urgency for a hunt or anything so I found myself just checking out the territory. Winding my way through the streets and boulavards, past drunks and cops and pimps and partiers, you know?

My flight took me to one of the main drags where my attention was caught by another obvious vampire. Roaring motorcycle, sunglasses at night, he might as well of had a sign on his back! But he was clever. Even on the bike he knew someone was watching him. I had to give him that.

At that point the road hit a tee. He went right, I arched left. My eye had found yet another interesting story unfolding.

Two more undead. I could tell in the very fiber of my being. One, a handsom man in an elequent suit. Nervous fellow, this one. His ever shifting gaze landed on me as I alited in the branches of an ancient oak. It was only for a second but I was still unnerved. The next moment his eyes were off somewhere else.

He was being followed and he new it. But not by me. No, I was just an innocent bystander. It was the other that was tracing his path with so much care. This one stayed to the shadows, like a hound to its masters heel. He was always ready to fade into the darkness of night at the slightest turn of his prey's head.

My curiousity was peaked!

I took up the chase after these two unwitting guides and was led to what looked like a VERY popular night spot. A huge egyption eye was its major distiguishing feature, aside from the fact that it took up an entire block. I watched as the suit entered amid a crowd of others and the the stalker hung back. A moments transformation in the darkness and I was human once more. For all intense and purposed that is.

Black shoes, jeans, a black button-down short-sleeved shirt with red glyphes running down the right breast. Nothing very dark or dramatic. Just enough for me to blend in with the twenty-something crowd that I most resemble. I entered the club amid the bustle and shove of the general throng, ran a hand through my short, brown hair, scaned the room and remembered exactly why I hated New Orleans.

Too many damn vampires.

Raxmei · Post by **Raxmei** » 2002-12-03 01:48am

Alfred Ellis stood on a rooftop across the street and half a block down from Eye Of Horus. With a tripod-mounted telescope and logbook at hand, he appeared as the perfect picture of the urban amateur astronomer. Or just as likely a peeping tom, considering the city lights. At least that was how he looked from a distance. Up close the markings of a Nosferatu were all too obvious. Pedestrians walked the streets below, ignorant of their unseen watcher above. That night the telescope's lens was pointed at Orion. Alfred's eyes were looking at the entrance to the Eye.
It looked unusually busy that night, just like always. Alfred spotted a few foreigners among the usual crowd. Newcomers were always interesting. A meet and greet was certainly in order. Who knows, they might even be looking for him. Fat chance. Alfred himself would have to seek his out his nouveaux copains, not the other way around. But how? He had counted three already and he couldn't tail them all. Alfred peered again at the door, suddenly realizing the obvious. There was something to be said for the direct approach. But not the front door. That was impossible. With the club's mortal patrons and his all to conspicuous features, the service entrance would be more appropriate.
Alfred telescoped his spyglass and tripod. He stuffed them into his columinous pockets before climbing down from roof. Part of him wanted to stop, to plan out his entrance first. He dismissed that thought in an instant. If he'd followed that sort of thinking he'd still be in Illinois. Alfred was here to make something of himself, and you don't get that by waiting.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2002-12-03 04:34am

After what seemed like an eternity, he saw Ms. Bruck again, emerging from her office or private rooms he thought with another vampire. And from the looks of it, more than just a friend.

He prefered to stay alone, so this sort of relationship was...foreign to him.

He stood up from his seat, and strode over to her, where she seemed to have entered a conversation with a very old looking man. And before he managed to reach her, yet another man wanted to talk to her.
Busy woman, these days... But before she vanishes again, I might just add to this little menagerie...

"A pleasure, Ms. Bruck," he said in a deep, clear voice as he was near the little group. "And good night to you, too," nodding to the other men around Ms. Bruck.
"You seem to be quite busy, so I might just vanish into the dark again. But I couldn't let the opportunity pass to refresh an old acquaintance."

Larz · Post by **Larz** » 2002-12-03 01:58pm

Mal combed his fingers slowly through his matted hair, as if a tangent of pure lucidity had possessed his tormented mind. An impish smile played upon his face as he began twisting, stepping into a swirling dance through the crowd. His head rolled about in glee as he danced with his shadow and his cloak towards the bar, his soft voice singing of death and decay. With that he passed Anna, moving to the middle of the bar where he slammed the three books down on the counter, a roaring thud playing forth.

"bartender, tender of the bar, tender old man, blood bag, pale bag..." His voice weaved from loud to soft, his head lightly rolling back and forth, the long, glass like nails of his hand glittering as they moved in erratic and archane gestures.

"you with the ability to quench, quench a mortal, quench a kindred, quech a rock, a rock that rolls so full of moss" He erupted laughing before continueing.

"Come close an bring me a virigin, the virigin, a virgin with walls to house a mausiah, I wish to partake in the holiness of his devine childer, Cain meet God, God meet truth, Truth eats snakes and backs itself apple pies. Blood, feed harold my thirst, feed my wanton desires and deralict wishes, else I'll sup upon your plump soul and whiskey, beer, rum, wine, win the game for a prize of blood my friend!" He spun about as he waited for his drink, a look of demonic joy playing upon his face.[/i]

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2002-12-03 06:05pm

"Looks like the gangs all here," I muttered to myself amid the cacophony of the crowd.

There was the biker with the shades, there was the stiff, even the stalker had managed to champion the courage to enter. And there were so many others. The place was crawling with the undead. Must be a safehouse, I thought.

Safehouse. Stupidest things I'd ever seen. Sure, lets all get in one place and drink blood. No one will notice that. But I guess they had their place. And I guess they're not so bad now a days. Now that no one believes any more.

I love science.

I cut a winding path through the room, taking in every inch of the place and taking better stock of its inhabitants. The whole place was like a museum had exploded. Egypt everywhere. The eye out front was but a drop that had spilled over from the inside. The lighting was very condusive for not throwing shadows and there was no mirror behind the bar thankfully. The place must be run by a vampire.

And from the looks of it that vampire was the pretty young thing attracting all the attention. I took note of her and those around her. A lot of bru-haha about some book. Maybe it was one of those the wack job at the counter was lugging around?

Lord, what was I doing here? Why now? I never mixed with others of my kind. Why mingle with the competition? Why get lost in the intrigues of powermongers? They would all be dust in the end. I had seen them all come and go. They tried for power and ended up on the end of a stake. Me? I was still here, watching it happen again and again.

So why was I here now? Something had pulled me and I had no idea what. Maybe I was getting tired? Maybe the loneliness was getting to me? For whatever reason I was there, just another maggot in the flesh with all the rest.

I found the bar and waited for service. It didn't take long before I was facing into the crowd again, whiskey in hand. I always liked the cover, the illusion, a drink gave. That and the taste on my tongue. Even if it wasn't blood.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-12-03 08:00pm

"A pleasure, Ms. Bruck," he said in a deep, clear voice as he was near the little group. "And good night to you, too," nodding to the other men around Ms. Bruck.

"You seem to be quite busy, so I might just vanish into the dark again. But I couldn't let the opportunity pass to refresh an old acquaintance."

Alec bristled at the words. He wasn't ordinarilly a jealous man but old aquaitances had a way of bothering him. Espcially when he didn't know them. He gave the newcomer another glare before heading to a table.

He ordered an expensive vodka and sat eyeing the various newcomers.
There were a lot of new faces, some stood out, other blending in. An older bookish looking vamp, a biker, and any number of others.

The biker would bear watching. He observed too closely and was too nervous to be just stopping in. He had the look of someone's muscle, Alec'd seen enough to recognize the type.

If the guy was Giovanni muscle, best to confront him now. With a quick glance to Anna, he picked up his drink and headed towards him.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2002-12-03 08:41pm

Jack instantly noted the young man approaching him and paused for a moment, assessing him for danger. He did not look outwardly dangerous, but he had had his ass handed to him by an eight year old girl, so he was not about to take chances. Among the damned, appearances were certainly deceiving.

Jack drew himself up to his full height and lounged casually backwards, adjusting his battered leather jacket and shades. He was wiry and not large in the sense that he had alot of muscle, but he was fast and agile, and if this guy wanted to play games, he was more than happy to show him just how fast and agile he was.

"What can I do for you?" Jack asked in a low tone.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-12-03 09:17pm

"We need to talk." Alec sits down and sips his drink. His eyes never leave the biker. He was a cool customer that was for sure.

"You're too nervous to be hear for the company. And the food's good but you don't seem to be eating. So I've got to wondey, why are you here?"

Alec continued to size him up. Judging the possible reactions. "It seems to me that you're trouble. The kind with pointy teeth if you know what I mean."

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-03 11:08pm

weemadando wrote:
Kelly Antilles wrote: "A book of the dead, of course." He smiled. "One of ours. It has some very... intreaging information in it. If the expert can translate it, she will become quite enthralled."
"I take it you are suggesting an introduction of sorts? And what kind of book are we talking about here? A Book of Nod fragment? A copy of the Necronomicon? Or something else entirely? And I take it you are referring to those two over there, whom you keep looking at. I might appear to be an old librarian, but you shouldn't forget that I too am one of the kindred."

"Something else. And I never will forget you are kindred. You should speak with the woman. You two would get along well. She is... bookish as well."

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-03 11:17pm

Anna was suddenly overwhelmed as she was surrounded by the gentlemen. She looked first at the... hm, well, he smells of Brujah. "Mr. Reece, a pleasure. I apologize, but it is quite busy tonight. If you wouldn't mind having a seat, I will have anything you wish brought to you. I promise I will be with you soon."

Next, she glanced at Alec. His eyes were following Reece. She shook her head and looked at the third man. "Dachlan. It's a pleasure to see you again." She smiled broadly. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

About then, the Malkavian began his rant. She sighed. Tonight was going to be a very busy night. She motioned towards the front of the bar.

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-03 11:21pm

Katiana walked over to the bar. "Excuse me," she said to the Malkavian. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2002-12-03 11:22pm

Jack turned to Anna as she spoke and he inclined his head slightly.

"Many thanks Ms. Bruck, I will be here."

He indicated the empty seats to the newcomer and he slid into his own seat, careful not to have his back to the door and nodded to the young man.

"Pointy teeth, huh? I think you may have been reading too many Anne Rice novels. But let's say I were, what would it matter to you? You don't look much like a Prince or one of his archons." Jack noted with a sly smile.

Raxmei · Post by **Raxmei** » 2002-12-04 07:21am

Alfred stared at the back door for a few minutes in indecision. It wasn't locked in any serious fashion. But simply barging in would be rude. This was someone else's territory, after all. He couldn't simply ring the doorbell, either. If a mortal answered, things could get.. awkward. There had to be some solution. Yes, yes there was. Alfred rang the doorbell and ran to hide a short distance away. Genius. Pure genius.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2002-12-04 08:45am

Dachlan looked at the group. An interesting group, as it is. An old man, a librarian, if he read the smell of old paper and parchment correctly, the close friend of Anna, and a...biker. That last one had a certain Brujah feeling to him.

"What can I do for you?" the biker asked. He had to smile as he adjusted himself into a sort-of fighting stance. They never know when they're out of their depth...
"You?" he answered with a bemused smile. "I don't even know who you are. Introducing yourself might be prudent."

He must be very young, if he's trying so hard to look so sure and strong...

Dachlan's attention shifted to Anna again, for now ignoring the young biker.
"If you can get anything for me, Anna?" Dachlan asked. "Not right now. I just sort of stumbled on this club, and when I saw you, I only wanted to say hello. But I might stay a little around here if you don't mind. It has the tendency to get interesting where ever you are."

Slightly chuckling, Dachlan flowed down into one of the empty chairs around the now very busy table with the aristocratic grace natural to him.
"I am Dachlan DeVries," he said to his table mates, "A pleasure to meet you."
He looked at the assembly of people around the table, his gaze shortly resting on the man he supposed to be her boyfriend. Quite jealous, are we not?
"And you would be?" He asked him.

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-04 09:19am

Anna stood between Alec's and Dechlan's chairs. "Dechlan, this is my childe, Alec, he just recently returned from a trip overseas. This newcomer is Mr. Reece. I believe I do need to direct him somewhere, but it seems there is some pressing business I need to attend to. Order whatever you wish, it's on the house." She smiled at the three, gave Alec a look of "behave", and wandered towards the bar.

Kelly Antilles · Post by **Kelly Antilles** » 2002-12-04 09:22am

Raxmei wrote:Alfred stared at the back door for a few minutes in indecision. It wasn't locked in any serious fashion. But simply barging in would be rude. This was someone else's territory, after all. He couldn't simply ring the doorbell, either. If a mortal answered, things could get.. awkward. There had to be some solution. Yes, yes there was. Alfred rang the doorbell and ran to hide a short distance away. Genius. Pure genius.

A rather large, burly man opened the door and looked out. His eyes scanned the alley. He checked beside the door, behind it, and still saw nothing. Shrugging, he turned to move back in the door.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-12-04 10:27am

Alec watched Anna leave before turning back towards Mr. Reece.

"I do believe I owe you an apology, Mr Reece. If Anna says you're okay then that good enough for me. Although I would love to know what's got you so nervous."

Alec give him a smile as he tosses back the rest of his drink and motions to the waiter for another.

"And for the record, Mr Reece, I prefer Buffy."

Oberleutnant · Post by **Oberleutnant** » 2002-12-04 10:34am

"This is interesting," Anton muttered as the strikingly beautiful woman walked alone towards the bar. She had a certain aura of authority around her. "Anna Bruck..."

Anton straightened his tie and started walking towards her. He politely stopped her.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Anton Menschikoff," he said, delivering the words with a soft Russian accent. He then kissed her on the hand, noticing the reaction of the three men whom she had talked to earlier. They seemed very cautious.

"Could we talk for a moment, please?"