Bright Lights, Bloody Nights, Big City: Vampire Game Thread

[Comrade Tortoise]

"choices... if only more had them. I will help you friend, if by some chance I can help do some actual good in this world before I die again and my soul condemned to hell.. so be it. Though I am warning you right now, I will not suffer innocent humans to be harmed as a result of my actions, or anyone else I associate with, while I am present. There is a reason I feed on animals."

It was then he turned in such a manner that his priest collar and rosary were visible.

[Cynical Cat]

Rossi moved towards Chicago's core. Museums, skyscrappers, libraries and whatnot had sprouted up rapidly within a small span of years, as vampires reckon things. Chicago was a rapidly growing city and its city fathers' had decided to equip it with all the trappings of a great city.

There was a modest building near, but not quite part, of this expanding core. Older and more modest in scale, it was almost an antiquity by the standards of the new cities of America. It housed a gentleman's club of some arcane nature. To the Kindred of the city, it was more than that. It was Elysium.

Rossi was well dressed enough to be let in the front door. The ghoul doorman opened the door and let Rossi into the antechamber. The vampire turned down the hat check girl and kept his coat and hat as he headed towards the salons inside.

The sitting room was illuminated by a great crystal chandelier and the place where most public business was done. Diane, a gorgeous blonde ancilla was talking with the dour Marcus Vandemeer in the corner. A kine woman was playing mournful music he didn't recognize on the piano. Several other vampires were talking about the rifraff issue. He ignored them.

Every vampire in the room was pointedly ignoring the three Kindred talking to the Seneschal. In Chicago where the Prince was really the mouthpiece of the status quo as determined by the most powerful factions, the Seneschal was merely an interm manager. The three strange Kindred with him were something else.

They were all dressed in trenchcoats and conservative black suits. Nothing wrong with that, but it was a little strange. Even the leather gloves they wore were the same. And one of them was a woman, although she was kind of mannish. Before he had embraced, his first guess would have been that she was a dyke, with a tomboy being a distant second. But being undead had changed things.

The conversation had broken up. Good enough. Now Rossi had to gamble. Telling the Seneschal that Wright and him were making a move would expose them, but also defuse tensions. Well, as long as he made it clear that they weren't going to upset the applecart, being upfront would probably be the best move.

The trio passed him. The woman, who wasn't bad looking, gave him a brief smile. He smiled back. Nice. But business beckoned. He headed towards Aaron Rothstein.

[Cynical Cat]

"Rossi," said the Seneschal. "We don't usually see you here." Arbitrator of etiquette, master of arms, and eyes of the Primogen Rothstein was someone not to be treated lightly. Even if he was a Ventrue pussy.

"Wright and I are going to be making a few moves. Business related. Nothing big, shouldn't have much affect on anyone's cashflow. May put some bodies in the morgue and stir things up a little. But it won't really hurt anyone who matters."

"There are other considerations," Rothstein said, "besides whether or not you and Wright are exceeding your station." What the fuck does that mean? Then it hit him.

"You mean the new boys in suits."

"Yes. They're looking for some kind of crimminal. They are concerned about breaches of the Masquerade."

"We won't do anything stupid. Who are they looking for?" It would be bad for Wright to pick up some guy on the Primogen's shit list. "They look out of town."

"They're archons." Shit. A Justicar's bully boys. Whoever they were looking for was in it deep.

"That's heat nobody sane wants after them. Is the Justicar in town?"

"They didn't say. Go shed your blood, but don't do anything to drag them into it. Whoever they're hunting is bad news."

"No sweat," said Rossi. It wasn't like Wright was going to be picking up heavy hitters.

[Josh]

Oh for Christ's sake!

A fucking priest? Rossi would never let him live this down.

"Pal, this is Chicago. People get blown away going out to pick up their newspapers. Best you can do is watch your own ass."

Sure as hell, he wasn't going to invite Chicken Boy to any of the good parties at his place.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Such things are... a way of life, what I mean is anything intentional."

he saw the look on the vamp's face, and chuckled. They always reacted that way when they saw that collar.

[Cynical Cat]

Yeke-Arslan stalked through the dark wilderness of the Chicago stockyards. Most Scourges did not hunt alone and in Chicago the illegal Kindred were even more dangerous. Sabbat packs hiding on the periphery, Anarch gangs passing through, and mercenaries in town to follow their own dubious agendas. Far too dangerous for one vampire to confront.

Not for Yeke-Arslan. He had nothing but contempt for the soft living ways of others. He had been a red handed killer when alive and that had not changed after death. He had fought the Jotun, the Ravnos, the Lupines of the steppes, Anarchs, Camarilla, and merely mortal men. He did not fear.

His gaze fell on Wright and that weakling Leonard. He swept his gaze past them. The Mongol moved from shadow to shadow and was gone.

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Rossi exited the Elysium with a head full of concerns. They could freely hit Banion and hit him hard, if they needed to, but they had to be even more careful about preserving the Masquerade with the Archons in town. Torrio would want to preserve the peace, so if they hit Banion hard enough and then came up with an acceptable offer, the other crime lords would be their de facto allies. As long as those crazy Gennas didn't get pulled into the fight.

[Josh]

If this is the best I can come up with out here, maybe it's time to talk to the Genna, Wright thought as he walked with Leonard.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Father leonard could read subtle cues like a book and chuckled before he spoke

"DO not judge a book by its cover, you will find that despite my scruples, I am quite useful, lighting fast in combat, and if you need someone...convinced to your point of view.. I can easily facilitate such things."

[Josh]

Okay, just a little too eager to please. Either this guy was desperate, or he had his own agenda.

Which didn't necessarily preclude him from being useful, but he'd have to be watched very closely.

"I'm sure you'll work fine, pal."

[frigidmagi]

In life he had been Jason Warren, an illitrate farmboy with great skill in hunting. The more things change...

He still used the same name, still had the hunting abilities and skills, but could read now, English, Russian and a bit of French, his teacher had liked french, introduced to it by their common Sire. Not that he got much chance for reading. He broke into a small library once though to steal a mythogly book. Gave him something else to do beside hunt worthless dregs. Speaking of hunting...

A drunk Irishman stumbled out of the bar. In past times it would have been beneath him, but he wasn't the "young terror" anymore. He stalked the drunk carefully, it didn't do let skilled rust just because the prey was blind and deaf. Someday he'll be able to put them to real use again. The drunk stumbled into a blind alley that stank of urine and dung. Great, just great. Was it to much to ask for prey that didn't piss right before he fed? All well, needs must...

Jason struck soundlessly and gracfully. If there had been anyone to watch they would have made comparsions to the predators of the daylight world. His fangs sank into his prey's neck with minimal effort. He drank what he needed and disengaged. He wasn't going to kill the worthless beer soaked idiot, not tonight anyways. However... He bashed his prey's head into the wall knocking him out and checked his pockets. Damn it all! Empty has a vampire tomb! Damn Irish! The irishman began to groan, he hadn't hit him all that hard after all. But Jason was already gone, heading up to the roofs where he could croach and think. He would likey prowl for a few hours. Stalking for practice and maybe even profit. Money would be useful he decided.

[Cynical Cat]

A man stepped out of the shadows behind Jason. His clothes were dark and his skin was pale. A lean, handsome predator. A cigarrette dangled in his hand and a cocky smile on his lips. The stranger spoke. "Buddy, rolling drunks? You can do better than that."

[frigidmagi]

Jason snarled, backing up a little, has far has he knew another vampire was pretty much a threat.

"What's it to you?" He asked, wieght balenced on the balls of his feet.

[Cynical Cat]

The man chuckeld and held out his palms. "Easy buddy. If I wanted trouble, I would have hit you from behind while you had your fangs in his neck. I just thought we might be able to do some business. But if you're not interested, I'll leave and you can continue to take your chances."

[Comrade Tortoise]

Okay, just a little too eager to please. Either this guy was desperate, or he had his own agenda.

Which didn't necessarily preclude him from being useful, but he'd have to be watched very closely.

"I'm sure you'll work fine, pal."

"Call me Leonard... Leo will work. And you... Wright is it? I hear you throw interesting parties."

[frigidmagi]

The man chuckeld and held out his palms. "Easy buddy. If I wanted trouble, I would have hit you from behind while you had your fangs in his neck. I just thought we might be able to do some business. But if you're not interested, I'll leave and you can continue to take your chances."

Damn... Did need the money and could always just duck out later right?

"What do you want from me? And what do I get?" He asked eyes narrowing.

[Cynical Cat]

Rossi headed back towards Wright's place. Succeed or fail, Wright would head back there and besides, he had some pretty nice fluzzies. He licked his lips in anticipation.

[Cynical Cat]

"What do I want. Simple. Favours. I do you one, you do me one in the future. Right now I'm in a position to help you. You take my offer and I bank it for the future."

[frigidmagi]

"What do I want. Simple. Favours. I do you one, you do me one in the future. Right now I'm in a position to help you. You take my offer and I bank it for the future."

"And just what favors could someone like me do for someone like you?" Jason asked.

[Cynical Cat]

He smiled. "At the moment, not much. Ten years from now, who knows? An immortal should have the patience to make a long term investment. Interested in my help?"

[frigidmagi]

"Depends. How about you lay everything out on the table?" Jason said slowly.

[Cynical Cat]

"That's expensive. Knowledge is power and information is treasure. I'll give you this first bit for free. The fundemental currency of our kind of favors. Money, property, information, favors, personal service, all of these things can be traded. Some vamps have tons of money, some have little need of it. But favor debts can be traded around. I don't need any help from you. Now. That's not necessarily true of others or the future. What I want from you is a debt that I can trade or cash in. What you want is information. I can provide that. I can point you in the right directions for establishing yourself in the city. Jobs, favors, possible allies. Interested?"

[frigidmagi]

Closed mouthed bastard, but you got to start somewhere. Worst come to worst he could just pick up and leave and hide in a patch of wilds for awhile.

"Alright. What do you got?" Jason asked.

[Cynical Cat]

The man took a deep drag on his cigarette. "I know some people who, if they aren't in it, will be in trouble shortly. They'll need extra muscle, muscle that won't have problems with maiming or killing gangsters. They're small time, but unlike you they know the system. They can also provide introductions to get you legally recognized in the city. Rossi owns a few speak easies. Wright's got union connections and smuggles liquor, among other things. They are about to have problems with O'Banion's Northsiders, if it hasn't started already."

[Cynical Cat]

"Wright and Rossi will need help and you fit the bill of the kind of guy they need. Interested?"

[frigidmagi]

"Wright and Rossi will need help and you fit the bill of the kind of guy they need. Interested?

Hrm... Hunting skills were rusting no doubt about it if this guy could just watch him feed and not be noticed. He needed the cash and what were gangsters to him?

"Yeah. Okay, I'm in."