Tornado warnings through the day gave way to severe thunderstorms and winds gusting up to sixty miles-per-hour. Rain pounds the windows of the Penthouse tier of the sportsball stadium.
Despite the doom and gloom mother nature is slinging, the interior of the 'Penthouse' portion of the stadiums VIP areas is bright and downright cheery. Various helpers from each of the three major factions in the city are in attendance, making sure there is a variety of food out to match most appetites, and the reddest wine is reserved for the sharp-fanged Kindred. The mood rests between formality and feast, and the only one that brought his own seating is Tillo, positioned center of the three Princes on the throne of rusty rebar, old timbers and mildewed bones. The Blue Moon pack and the mouse-eared Guard Captain for the Fae-Queen make the three points of the triangle that frames the red, round carpet for speakers.
John arrived alone, deposited by a driver with instructions to wait for his call. Coat and umbrella left with a too-eager young man at the coat check, he is dressed in what is clearly a custom suit in silvery gray, the black shirt beneath it cinched a the neck, a black tie completing the ensemble. He stands near one wall, eyes flitting about the room but returning often to the 'triumvirate' that dominates the crowd.
With all the pomp and flair of a librarian, Steve arrives. He's wearing a cheap blue dress shirt and a pair of charcoal slack with black converse Allstars. He comes through the door with a look around at who's gathered. Taking time to look at the people in each section. Who's in the vampire section and wolf section more than the others. Taking the time to learn faces before he sits in the ling section. Leaned back in his chair with his feet up to get comfortable.
Dawn has never actually *been* in the stadium before, sports being very much not in her general interests. She took a bus here. She's wearing a slim, fitted leather jacket over a multicolored tshirt that reads, "Roses are red, knowledge is power, go smash the patriarchy you beautiful flower". She's wearing a simple pair of boot-cut denim jeans with a flower embroidered over the butt, and some fashionable boots. She heads over towards the vampire section, and generally peers around at everything and everyone like a tourist.
Loreley drifts in looking not much more ruffled by the extreme weather than she usually does - the benefits of spending years as sculpted air and foxfire, as much as any of it could be called beneficial. Once inside and out of the rain she wrings the water out of her pale hair and wraps a scarf around her head, today it's green and gold to match the green t-shirt with an Albert Anderson Raby Community Center logo on it. She recognises Real from their meeting at Six Flags, the other groups get an assessing look as she makes her way towards some seating. John and Steve, both familiar faces, get a smile and a wave before she finds herself a snack, a table, and a seat respectively.
Oh there may be some familiar faces but Chris doesnt do much socializing at the moment. Instead as be arrives he simply moves towards the general triad area of the Blue Moon pack as he looks around.
No fancy dress for this guy. Edwin is there, leaning against a wall with his hands placed in the pockets of his jacket with his hood down. The young man seenms to simply be his own faction as he stands apart from the 'Big Three' and just begins to study all those gathered so that he can put faces to names. Some he seems to recognize, some he doesnt. John is given a slight stare but its at least polite. He's being the most helpful he can at the moment, by staying away from others!
Aleks is here by himself tonight, in an old, threadbare suit. The hairy young man step over to John, a glass of dark red wine in his hand. "Hey," he says in a casual tone. "I haven't been up in the VIP section here since I was a kid," he admits. "Funny how we both got back in right?" He chuckles, then takes a sip.
One of the shadows barely makes himself known as he approaches the late night festivities. He wears a dark blue t-shirt that reveals a bit of scarred flesh on his forearms that he does little to hide, blue jeans, and sans shoes for the gathering. Booker's gaze flits between those gathered, although the undead gain much of his attention. His eyes settled on the Prince of his Praxis for a beat, leaving him unblinking before he starts looking over those not of his ilk centered with the leadership.
Raven arrives by herself, taking the hands out of the pockets in the leather jacket as she approaches the entrance. She takes in the scenery for a few moments, eyes looking over who have arrived at the moment before moving towards the wolf section. She doesn't look to greet anybody a she finds a seat to herself.
Rachel looks pretty comfortable. After divesting herself of some appropriate outwear, she's been mingling around the room in a nice little asymmetrical black dress, one-shouldered with a hip cutout opposite, and nicely done makeup. After schmoozing a little, she works her way over towards the Changeling corner, a drink in one hand.
John offers Edwin a tight smile, Rachel a wave, a friendly nod for Loreley. He turns slightly to face Aleks, when the other werewolf approaches, matching his easy tone. "Life's funny, right?" He turns slightly to take a fluted champagne glass off the tray of a passing server, and lifts it slightly in a casual toasting gesture. "What do you expect tonight? Anything major?"
People settle and a few Blooded and Ghouls circulate - not much attention paid to staying to their own kind. Attempts are made to make sure that everyone has what they need - that coats are taken, food and drink offered, and people are near to hand if someone looks like they might need a refill or something fetched.
The three might seem balanced, but it is Tillo that rises, the visceral sense of deep, unending hunger roiling off of him. And there's a knowing that he could drink the world and thirst for more. Gaunt, nearly skeletal, clad in an older style of black suit, there are no small motions - no feigning of life. Such is beneath the notice of the Nosferatu of the Crone. Topping near seven feet in height, he leaves the scythe to guard his throne as he takes to the red carpet. "Cats and rats. It seems something is causing mischief in our city." He speaks slowly, sibilantly lingering over certain syllables. His voice is neither deep nor high pitched, but there is something *old* about the way he speaks. "What is known about this thing?" Inviting people to speak as he goes still.
Lore bounces to her feet without really thinking first. "It isn't part of the Hedge, or...beyond it. Black goop that seems to be able to puppet dead things, small animals so far, and part of a....a hive mind? When you cut a piece off from the rest it goes dead, sludge rather than goop." The Nosferatu cuts an intimidating figure but she has seen scary, hungry things before. The last time she met Real springs to mind, the hunger in the darkness and that cheshire cat grin. Her eyes tick to the others who had been present that night at the pizza parlour.
Aleks lifts his own glass in toast, and has another sip. Once Tillo starts speaking, he will lower his voice to a low murmur to reply to John.
"Sentient black ooze? Well that's not creepy at all." Dawn comments, only somewhat to herself. "Animates the dead, hive mind. Sounds like something out of a science fiction novel." She peers at the various assembled groups, including vampires...faeries and werewolves. "Well, I guess so do we.
Still seated, Steve raises his hand. Is he supposed to? If that proper? Who knows. He doesn't wait to be called on before he speak up. His voice soft but pitched to carry across the whole of the room. "I do no think it is alive. Not really. It moves and seems to think. Maybe plan. But alive?" He shakes his head. "Unlikely." He looks towards Tillo. "I do not know if that helps."
"A Wound," John says, straightening himself, and then his tie. "People are saying it's a Wound, people who know more about it than I do." He turns his head to nod at Aleks, then takes a half-step forward. "Some of us are going to look into it," he announces, scanning the crowd to meet Rachel's eyes, nodding to her. "It might be that it's not alive, not as we understand the word. Or that it's not just one thing."
Raven believes she picked just the right time to come to Chicago. "A black ooze that animates the dead?" She asks to no one in general but thinks out loud. Not really paying attention before she leans forward in her chair somewhat to listen. The mention of a wound makes her turn her gaze to John.
"Thats the fucking truth" mutters Edwin from his little section of wall. Shifting his weight from one foot to the next, the little human that could seems focused first on Tillo just because...its Tillo and that...gravitas he carries. Then his attention shifts towards Lore as he listens to her perspective and tilts his head at a few things before making a note about something for later. Then to Steve and nods his head slightly before back to John before arching an eyebrow at the man.
Once John speaks, Aleks speaks up as well. "We aim to find out," he says simply. "A Wound, simply put, is like a piece of the world that is rotting away. One such Wound has been brewing since the destruction and burial of the first city, and has posed dangers in the past. Some of us are going down to confirm the truth and confront the issue, with the blessing of the Undercity."
"We had a sample, I don't remember who kept the box...Then there was the stuff from the cat but..." Loreley looked across at the figure of Edwin lurking at the back. She never had found him the other day and still had no idea how the ball had ended up high and falling. "Both times I've seen it at least it has been oozing up from or trying to get back to some kind of drain or sewer, like that's where it came from and it wants to go back or is being summoned." It would make sense that it wanted to get underground in the light of what John and Aleks said.
Steve pulls his feet off the chair in front of him and stands up slowly. He straightens out his shirt and he strides confidently over to Tillo. Steve is by no means a short man, but he really has to crane his neck to look up at the skeleton wrapped in old flesh. He gives the prince a wide, bright smile as he speaks. "I do not know a lot about the slime, or ooze. At this time, what is important to me is that it infests and controls the dead. Do they start that way? Can it infest the living?" He wave it off as not important right now. "What about you and yours? What happens when one of you stumbles across it in the dark? How...." He pauses, taking a moment to modernize things. "...How fucked are we?"
The others of the triumvirate are reasonably still. Real observes, and the Blue Moon pack whisper between themselves - all looking concerned.
Tillo seems to come to life again as he listens. "At least when it is severed we are not left with two in place of one. That is a good thing." There's is another small span of stillness. "Prince Salvatore is, ostensibly, upset that there was an incident at Fireside Pizza. And Prince Alvarez is, ostensibly, concerned about the welfare of people being exposed. It was one of his that had caught the cat, apparently." Is that shade? It's hard to tell - Tillo is so very... *dead*. But there is a look from Raul, lips twitching away from the bestial fangs of the Gangrel Shepherd.
Steve is studied, Protz once more falling silent as he listens. Not just listening, but watching the others. "Do you want to find out?" He asks, the faintest hint of a smile tugging once at the edge of his mouth.
"There is a place, beneath Central, where there is such a thing. One world bleeds into another. Things drift back and forth, hunting one another. And sometimes we of the Undercity, hunt them in turn. It is not beyond reason that something could have slipped through."
"Who among you will be doing what? Or do you need more time to organize?"
Dawn has almost no idea what the buzzwords they are throwing about mean, but she gets the gist. Crazy ooze floating around the Undercity ready to consume or possess things. She looks around to see whose going to volunteer to do something about this. Not her, that's for sure.
Aleks focuses on the conversation as it moves from person to person. When Tillo asks who will be doing what, he speaks up. "We have begun to form groups," he says. "We're dividing up the work as best we can, but this is going to be tough from the very start. So if you're new here or from here, you're just as welcome. Don't think the city's gratitude comes cheap, either. We'll find a way to make it worth your while, come have a chat and we'll work it out. Thanks."
"In my defense" Edwin clears his throat at Lore's gaze on him "I didnt know why any of you were trying to stand around the Nekomech. The shit was literally piloting a meatsuit and you all acted like it was Tuesday when the kid was still there. I just wanted to make sure it didnt hurt anyone." He offers a sheepish grin but shrugs slightly in apology, "For what its worth, I was trying to help. Sorry."
Turning his attention towards Tillo as he speaks now, Edwin listens and just blinks a few moments before saying "So wait, you're telling me these things are just devouring each other when they pop through? Growing fatter, stronger and deadlier? Is Satan's asshole just Hueco Mundo? Are they fucking Hollows feeding off souls till they evolve to their next form?" Yes, Bleach reference...but the human seems very serious considering the shit he has seen this past week.
The albino girl doesn't add anything to Edwin's stream of...she presumes some of it is pop-culture but it goes over her head. She does flash him a half smile though at the assertion that he was trying to help. "Karmen...she isn't here tonight but I know she has discussed helping, I...John and I made an agreement." An unaccustomed darkness falls across her expression and her pale lips compress into a thin line. "Things stealing, devouring, taking...hunting. Not if I can help it." The hunting crack is not particularly aimed at the vampires, still less the werewolves, her mind is entirely on dark, heartless things coming from another place and stealing people away.
"Small groups," John says, nodding his agreement with Aleks. "Mixed groups, maybe -- Karmen is going with me, exactly," he agrees with Loreley, "So we can look at the problem from more different angles. We appreciate that the Undercity has been facing this problem alone," and there's a tension in his voice as he forces himself to meet Tillo's gaze, "But it is spreading. There are a handful of us who have seen it, maybe more, and if you're in that number then you *know*," he says, balling his empty left hand into a fist, "We have to act, and sooner is better."
Steve's expression never changes from the friendly demeanor he has with the bright smile while Tillo speaks to him. He leans in a bit and says softly. "It is very noble to offer yourself up for experimentation. If you cry out or panic, I will keep the secret." He winks at the tall man and smiles a again. This time, a little bit of light leaks out with he smiles again as he leans away. He takes a few steps away and straightens his shirt. "If I go down there, I will need new clothes and access to a shower with endless hot water." His brow arches and his head turns slowly as he hears Edwin talk. IT WAS FUNKING HIM! His composure cracks and the smile on his face fades. Eyes smoldering like actual burning coals while he stares at the man. The air around him starts to waver like heat raising off a road in the Summer and he walks towards Edwin. He points. Clenches the hand into a fist and opens his mouth to speak. With an effort of will, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath with a shiver and he lowers his arm. A few deep breath and the wavering goes away with his eyes normal again as he opens them. "That did not help. Please, never help like that again." One more heavy breath and he turns to make his way back to his seat.
Dawn looks warily towards Steve, rather confused but shrugs it off. Her glance moves towards Aleks. "Forgive those of us new to this life and have not seen this substance. How fast does this...ooze move? It can revive the dead, but how dangerous is it to us? If we live in the undercity, is it going to flow onto us as we sleep during the day and devour us?"
Tillo goes motionless again, but for a faint tightening at the corners of his eyes and the loss of that oh-so-subtle sign of amusement. "There will be coin for those that destroy these things and bring new information. Who has already participated in thwarting this threat?" No anger, no bestial push. Just filing information away for later.
Casimir enters in dressed well this evening, a red silk shirt, black slacks and dress shoes. The man immediatly heads towards Enrico's seat, desiring first to pay his respects for participating in any socilaization. There is some confusion in his dark blue eyes as he looks around, so many strange faces and not all of them of his kind. "This way B, we should introduce ourselves before you go mingle." He speaks to the younger and much more naturally looking woman who walks along with him.
Natural is a matter of perspective. If you think soft, bubblegum pink hair is natural, then B is certainly more natural looking. Well under five feet tall, the pink-haired woman follows along, looking around curiously. She's dressed in a long simple white dress that's fitted at the waist and wears a black hoodie with all sorts of emojis stiched into it. "What? Why? I want a drink. You think they have coffee? Like, the good kind and not the kind that they stick ice, or milk, or chocolate in?" B's eyes sweep the space before turning to land on Casimir, expecting some sort of response from him.
Her gaze shifts back and forth, Edwin, Steve, Tillo, John, the blue haired woman in leather, the newcomers, back to the Edwin/Steve situation. Loreley shifts from her seat closer to the other Lost one and rests a gentle hand on his arm. "Thwart seems like it might be overstating things a little. There were some squished rats and a few attempts to get a hold of part of this stuff so that the scientifically minded types could maybe figure out what it was." She shrugs and reaches for one of the canapes she'd grabbed on the way in, food grounding her a little.
Raven speaks up to John, "I am new to the city, still unfamiliar with my surroundings but if this thing is a dangerous as they say, count me in." Raven doesn't look to be much of a thinker though from her biker appearance. "Wherever you need some muscle I can fill the role." She looks around for a bit, seeing the new people come in before settling back into her chair some. She thinks at least this city isn't boring.
Lorely accurately summarizes why Rachel hesitates for a moment. How much thwarting actually happened? But she adds on to the end of what Lorely said, "When they came out in the pizzaria, it was myself and her," Lorely, "Allison, John, and a few others I haven't been introduced to."
Aleks looks back to Dawn. "This ooze is news to us too, don't worry," he says. "That being said, it emerged from a drainpipe in the surface when I saw it, along with everyone else at Fireside that night. It's capable of motion, and of seeking prey. As for what else it's capable of, we're working on finding out."
He looks to Loreley to speak next. "Samples of the stuff itself seem hard to come by. It abandoned its rat corpse host and slid back down the drain when we tried to trap it under a pan. Getting a sample could well involve seeking it at its source."
He looks back to Raven, and grins. "Hell yeah," he says.
Steve looks towards Dawn. "Slow as a slug." He shakes his head and sits down. "No. At least it does not look like it. Looked like it just used it like driving a car around. Or..shit...you use them to help walk when you hurt your leg?" He shrugs and motions along his leg all the way up to his armpit. "Those things. The organs didn't seem to matter. When impaled, it just tried to squish away."
Ever get that distinct feeling that if looks could kill, you would be immolating right about now? Edwin clears his throat and smiles in that 'its fine, we're fine...its all fine' way and says, "I just...didnt want you guys or the kid to get hurt was all.. sorry." Yep, with that, Edwin turns away and goes to find himself alcohol. Harder the better.
Impassive at the moment, too much Chris doesnt know and worse, too many people he doesnt know. So instead he just lingers and tries to learn as much as he can.
John meets Raven's eyes, and nods. "I'll talk to you after this," he says, his voice held a touch lower. When Rachel mentions his name, his attention snaps briefly to her, and from there he turns to nod at Tillo Protz, to confirm what she said. That done, he takes a half-step back again, to stand even with Aleks. He raises his glass and finishes the champagne at one long draught, then offers a very forced grin to his fellow Uratha.
Casimir continues making his way to the head of his Covenant, calmly responding to B as he drags her along. "Food can wait. Coffee can wait. Either he see's us or not but it is our duty to make ourselves known to our liege." His eyes scan the room, looking for tell tale signs of others of his kind, having met scant few so far since he came to this city. "I feel so naked without my sword, hopefully we can have that fixed soon as well. It is customer for a knight to be granted his weapon in all situations after all."
"But .. coffee .." B sighs as she's pulled along, shouklders slumping down a little further with each step. Every so often, she pops up on her tip toes to look around then hurry to catch up to Casimir who hasn't slowed his pace. "Oh.. I have something you can use in it's place. Let me find it .." she pats her pockets until she withdraws a long slender tube that' bright yellow with a few dangling pompoms and charms on one end. "Here you go," says she, ever helpful, shoving the pen in Casimir's direction. With an entirely too innocent look, she says, "This one is certainly mightier than yours seen as how yours is in confinement. Pens, however, are not contraband."
Enrico looks up from his thoughts, nodding to Casimir and B as they swing through - acknowledging the pair.
Tillo, standing withint he red carpet. "If it did not spread, and your actions kept it from doing so, then I consider that to be 'thwarting'." names are noted and a vague motion of hand gets the ghouls moving to pass out coin to everyone, but extra to those that had been involved directly with the sludge. "Organize however you wish. Make use of one another. Bring me evidence and information and you will find yourselves rich in coin and favor." That seems to be the end of his words, moving back to the throne of rusted rebar, bone, and timber.
Once Tillo is off the red, Tom of the Blue Moon pack moves forward to take his place. "If this is something crawling out of the basement, we might have our hands full. There's a second threat that John has uncovered. Down in the Far Southeast is evidence of Pure activity. I would caution people about traveling freely there. At least those of the ~Urdaga~ would do well to use caution. I would suggest approaching the Wound from the north, if possible."
Casimir frowns at B's suggested weapon. "Well I thought they weren't allowed here but apparently they are. I guess I picked a bad time to go without." He inclines his head to the Prince and then gives a formal bow before continueing on his way, the man seemed quite preoccupied after all. "Fine, go get your coffee and mingle or whatever it is you do." Meanwhile the long haired gentleman is happy to just look around, watching the people and their conversations with some interest.
"I met and slew Bhu'uhur meli," John says, his jaw set as he makes good on a promise to speak his foe's name. "But there are more of them. At least three more, in her pack, and..." He reaches up to run his empty left hand through his hair, then shakes his head. "I don't know. There's more to it. Maybe it's to do with the Wound? Maybe not. I couldn't quite put it together. They'll know they're in danger now, though, and that will make them more dangerous in turn."
Finding a glass to drink is apparently very easy here as Edwin discovers as he takes his glass and returns once more to his little slice of wallflower heaven, listening to the goings on as he sips at his glass. He seems content to keep his mouth shut after that last little outburst almost made brought them all to Burning Man Live.
Steve looks towards Tillo. "Rich? I could go for that." He smiles and puts his feet back up on a chair. He finally looks towards Edwin again. "Some of us are professionals at this sort of thing. Not me. But some one us. And few of us do well with surprises." Looking at Tom, his head tilts tot he side. "Pure activity of what? And what is an Uganda?"
Loreley doesn't speak again, her piece said and done with. She listens though, ice blue gaze fixed on John as he talks about a fight, someone he killed...Wolf stuff clearly and probably the danger he'd alluded to. Steve asks the obvious questions and she grins, settling back in her seat to see what happens next.
Dawn stands up quietly and heads for the door. She thoughtfully looks back at the room before she goes.
B fist-pumps to herself. She turns to dart off but remembers the pen in her hand. Turning round again, she steps closer to Casimmir, takes his hand and sets her pen into it provided he doesn't pull away. "I want that back so watch out. Pen thieves are everywhere!" She wrinkles her nose at Casimir then wanders away from him, muttering something to herself about coffee.
Raven nods to John after his invitation to talk after. She then gets up from her chair and goes to stand near John now. She listens to him speak of the Pure he fought intently. "Are they having the same issue then with whatever these things are that are escaping the underground?" She looks to the Tom as well before looking over the crowd and back to John.
Casimir stares at the pen a moment then mutters. "Well the pen is mightier than the sword, so say people with little sense." He tucks the device into his pocket and then goes about the room, mingling and saying hello to random people. Perhaps there are some other undead in the room that aren't directly in Enrico's closed off area.
Dean pages: What omens sent me here today?
"Well that's only half of the quote," Rachel says, tilting her glass at Casimir, overhearing him as he goes by. "It goes 'Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword.' It's about the values a society with just leadership should have."
Casimir considers this quote a moment and turns to Rachel. "I just always thought it an analogy of sorts. That the written word can do more damage to a ruler than a single swordsman. Words and rumors are a king's enemy at times after all." The man speaks with a pronounced accent of Eastern European origins, Czech if you have a keen ear. "Allow me to introduce myself. Sir, Casimir Von Zierotin Unconquered Rose and Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Thorned Wreath." He then gives the lady a courtly bow.
"Life is full of surprises and not all of them are pleasant, so be prepared for what life brings to you" Edwin says with a small shrug. "It might not have been my best moment regardless of my intention to help...but if you're considering going to fight the monsters of Satan's Asshole and these" he turns to look at John and motions "Pure thingys I would hope this would be common sense." Sighing, he just focuses on his glass for a second before tossing the nearly full glass back in a quick motion. Then...there is that name, and Edwins attention towards the man with just a stare of open mouthed awe.
"Pure are, for lack of a better way of thinking of them..." Tom starts, hesitating. "The oversimplified version is that they are fanatic werewolves governed by their hatred for those that have joined the Accord. Same coin, very different sides. And very dangerous."
B decides to invade wallflower heaven, seeing Edwin's recent return with something drinkable in hand. She skips-walks over, hands deep in her hoodie and bounces to a stop just before Edwin's chair. "Excuse me," says she rockig from the balls of her feet to her heels and back again, "D'ja happen to find any coffee anywhere? I, uh, saw you had a glass, yeah?" Vage gesturing motions are made here from the confines of B's hoodie. Realizing that she looks more like a strange flapping bird, she stops the motion, but continues with the question.. "Like, the good stuff, you know?"
She wasn't really paying attention to things going on in the room, but then someone was talking to Rachel and introducing himself as a knight, roses and thorns and... Lore narrowed her eyes, he didn't FEEL like one of Them and he had headed back from talking to the vampires, they were a thing? She swallows hard, pink spots appearing high on her cheekbones. Loreley shifted in her seat, looked around, half stood, sat. "I... need to go I think." The words were soft, more to herself than anyone else. She raises a hand in a sort of wave in John's direction and bolts for the door, giving Casamir a wide berth.
Dean is a bit hurriedly rushed and more than a little bit flustered as he makes his way into the meeting. It's been a while since he said hello and brought some of Sam's banana bran muffins, so here he is with tupperware under one arm and the other pushing up his glasses as he offers a nervous smile and wave to those here. "Sorry. Late. Hi," he pants a bit and tries to kind of slink towards a surface to put the muffin tin. So many faces! Which means there's a, "Hi, hello, hi, hi, hello, yes hi, hey, oh hi Steve, hi," to literally everyone left.
Wait what, someone is talking to him? Edwin turns his attention from looking at Casimir before looking towards B and blinks, "Coffee? Oh uh, I'm sure there is some over with the rest of the drinks. All of their stuff seems upper deck, so I'm sure you can find that yeah. Sorry, I'm just...yeah, this is all something." Turning his head back towards Cas, Ed says "Is that really his full name? That is...impressive."
Like lore, Casimir's list of titles preturbs Rachel slightly. Yet here they are, in a sanctum of the Accord. If there were any fae here, surely they would be sniffed out. After a moment, she manages a cursty in reply. Not an especially courtly one, but it's smooth enough. "Rachel Cohen," she says by way of introduction. "College student, computer technician, and untitled warrior of the Summer Court." She extends her hand, should he want to shake. Or given his courtly demeanor, maybe kiss the air over her knuckles.
"It's a quote from a play about an evil Cardinal, I think. I never did learn the rest of that passage."
"So they are just you guys that are mad they were not invited to the group?" Asks Steve with an arched brow and points to John. "You all seem very dangerous too." He laughs and turns towards Edwin. "You have no idea just how unpleasant some of life's surprises are. And if I have my way, you will never come close to finding out the limit of it." He smiles and stands as he hears Casamir's introduction, glancing at Loreley for a moment before looking back. "Now that is interesting."
"That's a fair assessment of us," John answers Steve, meeting his eyes, "Though off the mark on them. If you didn't care to associate with me, I wouldn't blame you. But I'd avoid them at all costs, if you can."
Casimir takes the offered hand and leans in, resisting the urge to actually kiss or bite it as he makes the smallest gesture of a kiss "Enchanted to meet you, Rachel of the Summer Court. My own court is much less luminious, to be certain." He rises then, reluctantly releasing the hand and meeting the woman's eyes. "I belong to the North Praxis of the Invictus." Hopefully that tells her a bit more about who or what he is.
The courtly dressed man then considers the discomfort brought on by his intitial introduction, frowning in thinking that it must be becuase of his status as a vampire. "I do not mean to intrude, thank you for clarifying the topic about the pen and the sword. " The knight pauses a moment , still with a slight smile on his lips. "Forgive me, I think you are one of the first people I have met in coming here. I mean, well that isn't one of my kind. Might I ask what the summer court is and what you are? Or is that a faux pas?"
"Yup.. that's really his name. To compensate, I just go by B. Seems fair. Anyway. Coffee? That way? Oooh, you're a gem. I'd hug you but I'm told it's impolite to hug random people, even though you know my name so it's not really all that random and besides we're talking about coffee. Yeah." B turns on her heels and skip-walks off in the direction that Edwin pointed in, stopping to peer up at Dean and smile. "You bring coffee?" she wonders hopefully.
With people meeting, greeting, and starting to work on plans and trade information, Real, the Blue Moon pack, and the trio of Princes move to the side to talk among themselves. Problems announced, not much information TO share, now they're working on trying to coordinate across the spectrum of three very different peoples needs.
When you are the new guy in town in strange times you just observe. Not to say Chris is being the odd anti-social guy in the corner, he isnt. He just is also not making a point of reaching across the aisle so to speak.
"Oh uh...Edwin" the man blinks as Be bounds off and just...yeah, thats about it for him tonight. Passing the glass off to some random ghoul, Edwin just shakes his head and moves for the exit with his hands in his pocket. Time to go help more people!
She pauses a moment, and then there's a soft, shocked chuckle. "Y'know, you're the first person I've ever had to explain it to?" She smiles slightly and shakes her head, and there's another beat of pause while she works out how to phrase it. "One word for what I am is Changeling. Though it's not accurate really, in the historical sense. Several years ago," her smile fades as she looks into her recollections, "I was abducted by one of the Fair Folk. It... kept me for several years. Tortured me. Changed me into what it wanted."
Mood substantially darkened, she takes a drink from her glass before she goes on. "I escaped. A lot of people don't. But you can't spend so long among the Fae without becoming a little bit Fae yourself. That's what we are, Changelings. We're the survivors of a horrible violation that changed us forever." She glances around at the vampires and werewolves circulating through the room. "Though I'll bet that's a pretty common story."
Dean eventually gets the gumption to offer his own introduction though no one's asked, "Dean, of the Rook and Crown, occult shop - we keep the good stuff in the back if you ask nicely, and are happy to help those who help others." He has opened the muffins up and is sneakily taking the first one - they're good okay? Then scampering over to the nearest wall so that he can become a flower upon it while staring out from bespectacled eyes.
Dean remembers shortly after like he ADHD'd off the subject line too soon. Imagine. "Oh and uh Sam and I can both heal folks if the dark stuff gets a lil rough," he clears his throat and resumes flowering on the wall.
As things start to break up, John reaches into an inside pocket of his jacket to pass a card to Raven. "John Butler," he says, then dropping his voice a touch adds, "Aziha Zuu, Rahu, Blood Talon. We've been doing some planning at my office, if you want to come by." His eyes dart occasionally to Rachel, and her interaction with Casimir, but keep returning to Raven.
Casimir listens and seems to be atttentive, his eyes widening as she explains her story. "Ah, well dear Rachel, I am most sorry for your ordeal. Mine was less tramatic. It was mankind that destroyed me and vampirism that saved me. The Nazi's shot me in the Czech republic and I was bleeding out pretty badly when my grandfather embraced me. That said, it wasn't like he told me all the bad parts to being, what he was." He frowns and glances towards Enrico then back to Rachel. "Excuse me but this seems so strange. In our world we have this thing where we don't tell people what we are. Yet here I am explaining my origin story to you."
The blonde haired man takes a deep breath and then gestures all around. "So many here are like you ? What is everyone else? "
Steve shrugs at John. "What will they do kill me? Death is not so bad. Coming back is worse. You eventually get used to it." He finally notices Dean and he turns, waving and walking over. "Dean! I have to tell you something!" He reacehs into a pocket and pulls out part of an old theater poster for Captain America. The first one. And hands it to the rook..maybe the crown. "Have you seen this? He's still around!"
Raven takes the card from John's hand and nods to him. She replies to him, "Also Rahu of the Blood Talon. I'm am obviously not doing much these days, being new in town. I'm down to talk whenever you are." She looks around for a few as people go off to have their conversations. She looks back to John, "I'm down for anything if stuff needs to hurt."
Dean blinks a bit at the greeting from Steve and he looks at the poster for a moment. A hand reaches out to take the piece of poster and he examines it for a moment before offering it back with a kind smile, "You mean Captain America?" Then it takes him a moment before finally putting some math together mentally getting a number before he grins big, "Oh, most of the big ones are still around, man. The Hulk, and Iron Man really started the whole thing and now people are excited about the Avengers, I bet that's kinda wild to you huh?" he asks and then peers curiously at Steve, all the while happy to see his friend excited.
"Yeah, Chicago is apparently pretty weird that way. The Accord lets us be a little more open with each other. When I escaped back here, I was told the way things are: We hide from the real world, for our protection and for theirs. But I guess if you're beyond what most folks consider natural anyway, talking to someone else who's beyond in a different way isn't such a stretch."
At his question, she glances around, and sighs, "Not as many as there should be. We... lost a lot of people recently." She pauses, then takes a big drink from her glass.
"Hey I gotta ask," she begins immediately after her drink, "Since you mentioned the Nazis; is there a lot of antisemitism among vampires? With such a long-lived group, I gotta figure there are some outdated notions clinging to life. Er, to undeath, anyway."
Casimir listens attentively to Rachel though the last question has him a little, unsure. "I think it exists, certainly there are those of us who have a darkness within them. You must realize though that the race of your birth matters much less to us than what Clan or Covenant we are a part of. Little things like genetic biology are mostly ignored among my kind. Not to say we do not have our share of people who view things in racist ways." The knight puzzles more now, trying to find the true answer to the young ladies well meaning question. "Class is more of a thing than race. So if you are well off or powerful, we mostly couldn't care what ethniticy you are. "
He looks back to the crowd then quietly adds. "Not many of my kind here either. At least as far as I can tell. I imagine the rest are the ...werewolves? I've heard stories but have never actually met one. Do they really just like to eat children?"
Rachel blanches, making an awkward face, "Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say that's probably a harmful stereotype, my dude. Knight. Sir Knight Dude."
"Yeah. Captain America. I think they made him because of the war." His head tilts. "Who the hell are The Avengers? Never heard of them." Says Steve with a smirk and a shrug. He listens to Rachel and Casimir talking and he smirks. ""Even when you are dead, money is all that matters."
"Well, it sounds like there might be some call for that, soon," John tells Raven, with a nod. "We'll put our heads together and figure out an approach on the ~Anshega~ and talk about where you might fit in on the trip into the Undercity. It'll be good to have you on board. Are you staying on the south side?"
Casimir glances back to Steve and nods. "Very true, money and power are what talk. The other stuff people attribute ot the poor and destitute, but the moment they meet an equal of another race, then the wheels start turning. People are so full of dogma and posture." He resists the urge to spit when he says this, instead he returns to his more graceful smile and solmentity. "Forgive me Ms. Rachel I did not mean to offend. I was curious what reaction the jest would evoke. That is certainly poor form on my part and I sincerely apologize."
Raven looks to John, "Currently looking for a place to stay, been in a hotel for the past week. Any places you would recommend? I am also not the most subtle kind, never put much practice into sneaking around." She gives a little flex to her arm. "Should be easy for me to find a place. First time I have decided to settle in somewhere in recent years. Been on the open road for a while."
She glances over at John when he chimes in. "Apology accepted," she tells Casimir. "Anyway, I know at least one werewolf, and he seems like a pretty decent guy," she nods her chin towards John. Though when Raven flexes her muscles, that draws Rachel's attention.
After staring for a moment, she shrugs at Casimir, "Anyway, there's a lot of vocabular being thrown around that I don't know myself. I guess each particular kind of weirdness needs it's own lexicon. Like, John just said 'Anshenga' or something. No idea what that means. Hell it might not even be a supernatural weirdness thing for all I know."
"You can crash at the center," John tells Raven. "I have a cot in the office, you can use that," he offers. When Rachel glances his way, though, he wanders a few steps toward her. "Hey," he greets, once he's in a conversational distance. "I should have put together that you'd be here, huh?" He pushes his hands into his pockets, and adds somewhat awkwardly, "You look great."
Casimir hmms and purses his lips in thought. "I understand. Well, it is no bother at all. I mean no one ill will. We drink but we do not kill for the most part. For myself I have been told it is especially estatic. There are so many rumors about all of our kinds, none should be taken lightly but all should be given a second glance, to be sure." Now the man loook sto John, who seems to be the focus of Rachel's attention. "Noted. I am sure there are good and bad in all of us. My kind does have some terrible stereotypes with that Dracula fellow, I know...shameful really."
"Wealth is not power. It is simply an illusion of power. Those with it believe they have power simply because others want it. Do not worry, you have eternity to figure it out." Steve gives Casamir a warm friendly smile then gives Dean a slap on the shoulder. "I should get going before I get myself in trouble." He turns and walks over to where the coffee is, gets the hottest black coffee he can find and heads out.
Raven nods to John, "Thanks, I don't have much with me, just whats packed into my bike. I'll swing around tomorrow or something if that's alright." She looks to Rachel and gives her a small smile before looking to John again. "If that is all I will be off now to get things in order.
At John's compliment, Rachel lifts her chin and smiles confidently, "Damn right I do," she agrees, though her gaze slips past him to Raven.
"Well I've never interviewed a vampire before," she tells Casimir, "So as first impressions go, this one's going pretty well."
She glances over at Steve, to whom she hasn't been introduced, as he chimes in on his way out. Perhaps she'd like to say something, but she holds back.
"Ok, yeah, we'll catch up when you can," John tells Raven, nodding a goodbye. His eyes trail Steve out the door, then drift across Casimir, but inevitably return to Rachel. "Warrior of the Summer Court, huh?" His lips twist into a lopsided grin -- he was eavesdropping. "That sounds impressive. I..." He pauses a second, takes another half-step closer, and lowers his voice to say, "...ordered the rest of the gear from that list. I think all of it. It should be at my place tomorrow."
"Sweet," she approves, and then lowers her voice, "Is there a reason we're whispering? Is the ATF bugging the room?"
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