[07:22am] Quaker: -
[07:22am] Quaker: -
[07:22am] Quaker: -
[07:22am] Quaker: -
[07:22am] Quaker: -
[07:22am] Quaker: -
[07:22am] Quaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qadKIvx3mc
[07:25am] Quaker: The mariachis are beginning to pack up their instruments. Around them, the last tourists filter out of the little Old Town compound. The grounds crew passes by, extinguishing a few street lamps as businesses begin to shutter for the evening. The sudden dimming of light makes everyone’s shadow longer and more indistinct.
[07:27am] Quaker: Abigail Gannon, the Ambassador to San Diego, is rather embarrassed at her offer. Her servant holds open a small case. Inside are a pair of featureless white porcelain masks on red silk.
[07:31am] Crion: If they're precisely identical, Cav will take the one on the left.
[07:32am] Quaker: “…a rather backwards local custom. There’s no requirement, of course, to wear anything that you don’t want to, and I’d certainly understand you refusing it, Baron. But it may smooth things over with the more…traditional…Court members you’ll meet…” Abigail raises an eyebrow. “Well…I do have the extra, so….”
[07:33am] banana: KJ's holding her fire here. Wilson Frost might not even have been on the train, and he hasn't reacted one way or other if not. If it was her.. but she wouldn't be here if she was Nosferatu.
[07:35am] Quaker: The Ambassador and her assistant look around. “Oh. I could have sworn he was here. Nervousness wasted, I suppose.”
[07:36am] Crion: Cav checks his phone. "He should be here shortly."
[07:36am] Crion: "Or in town, at least."
[07:36am] Crion: "I think he took the car service down."
[07:38am] banana: KJ: "Perhaps we can deliver the masks, Abby. Do you have names for any of those more dot dot traditional dudes?"
[07:38am] Quaker: As the lamps fade, KJ realizes that in the shadows cast by the lamps, there are about a half dozen figures standing there that she hadn’t noticed before. She can’t make much of them beyond their presence. They don’t move.
[07:41am] VoxPVoxD: A car pulls up into the big lot near the platform, an oldish SUV. Wilson slides out of the back while two women come out of the front seat and go around back. There's the sound of boxes moving. Wilson's wearing a sort of puffy white vest over his usual suit. He's only a few quick steps from the others. "Baron. Baron. Ambassador."
[07:41am] Quaker: Cav sees them well enough. Tall, wearing the porcelain masks. clothed in black robes that reach from head to toe. They’re still enough that they look like black pillars, and tall enough to make the people milling about look like children. There must be half a dozen of them, spread out through Old Town, looking in their direction. If he turns to look, he can see one standing in the shadow of the raised freeway as well.
[07:41am] Crion: ...
[07:42am] Crion: Cav: "Ambassador."
[07:42am] Crion: "Is there anything...else...you'd like to tell us."
[07:42am] Crion: "Before we depart."
[07:43am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson doesn't see them. He makes a habit of not looking around in strange places. Makes you look nosy or paranoid. He does see the masks.
[07:43am] VoxPVoxD: Doesn't say anything yet. But he sees them.
[07:43am] Crion: "Hello, Baron Hollywood. Welcome to San Diego."
[07:43am] banana: For a moment KJ doesn't know what Cav's on about, but when she's turning to greet Wilson she sees them. An ambush by the Brilliant Court after all? Too many to be observers? She tenses, something in her blood rather than actual muscle.
[07:43am] Crion: Cavanaugh, on the other hand, is the sort who will look directly at them.
[07:44am] banana: "Hi, you missed the mariachis.."
[07:44am] Crion: ...Are they invisible to everyone else? He glances over at KJ. She can see them, right?
[07:44am] VoxPVoxD: "Oh no."
[07:44am] Crion: Maybe it has something to do with the masks.
[07:45am] banana: (KJ's expression hasn't changed, but she's looking the same way Cavanaugh is. Probably due to not having seen enough rather than any particular phlegmatism.)
[07:46am] banana: "It was kind of wild. I got this technicolour shawl, see-"
[07:47am] Quaker: Abby is busy going through the list of people to more or less avoid: “Count San Ysidro, definitely the Count of Coronado, hmm, the Prince of Tijuana-“ She bows when she sees Wilson. “Oh! Hello, Baron. Just give me a moment-“ She signals to her assistant, who runs over to the few remaining mariachis and gestures quickly. With a look of weariness, they begin to play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qadKIvx3mc
[07:47am] Crion: The Prince of Tijuana, huh.
[07:48am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson puts his hands up. "Please, please. I appreciate it, but you fellas are up late enough as it is."
[07:49am] Quaker: Then she sees where they’re looking at, raises a hand to her eyes to get a better look, her smile tightening. “Hmph. Just a few local characters. The local Nosferatu community is a bit tight-knit. Very insular. And wrapped up in this whole religion thing. Well, don’t pay them any mind. It’s not as if they’re likely to talk to you even if you go up and say hi, anyway.”
[07:51am] Crion: Cav: "So how does this...work? Can only we see them?" He glances around. "Am I walking into some kind of 'masquerade violation' joke?"
[07:52am] banana: KJ: "Oh. Well, if they're cool with being talked about in the third person while in earshot, we're all good here?"
[07:52am] Crion: Vampires are fucking weirdos, man.
[07:52am] VoxPVoxD: What's next on the itinerary? Where are we going from here? Wilson'll ask if he didn't already get told.
[07:55am] Quaker: Abby: “They’ve been here longer than anyone. If they’ve ever had trouble with the Masquerade, it’ll be the first I’ve heard of it.” She checks her schedule. “I think that’s everything on my end. Where’s your driver? I expect the Princess has sent someone…”
[07:56am] banana: "Worst comes to worst, we all cram in with Baron Hollywood or hope Uber knows where 'Casa Figueroa de Solano y Medina' is."
[07:56am] VoxPVoxD: "I've got the room, definitely."
[07:56am] Quaker: On cue, a young man in full livery dress who had been hovering around the edges steps forward. “Good evening, uh, Barons. I’ll get your things and put them in the car, if you don’t mind.” He indicates a limousine parked nearby.
[07:58am] Crion: Cav gives the figures one last look. He's not using Auspex. They're definitely just, standing right there. But if he doesn't look at one of them directly it's hard to see any of them, let alone tell what they look like. And everyone else just seems to be going about their business.
[07:58am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson's ghouls have several bags they're unloading from the SUV, as well as a massive black leather case that looks sized for an upright orchestra bass.
[07:58am] Crion: He shakes his head.
[07:59am] Crion: Are the ghouls staying with us as well, or are Bryan and Brian heading off to a hotel?
[07:59am] Quaker: The Princess’s people have already offered the use of several guest wings to hold their combined staffs.
[08:00am] banana: KJ's things include their carrier, the colorless Zelda Essos, so they can get themselves to the limo. She'll bid Abby farewell and endeavour to keep the serape!
[08:01am] Quaker: Before they break up, someone offers Wilson a sombrero and serape.
[08:02am] VoxPVoxD: Seriously?
[08:02am] VoxPVoxD: He looks at the Ambassador. Is this a joke?
[08:02am] Quaker: Cav and KJ should still be wearing theirs, if they didn’t turn them down…
[08:03am] Crion: Cav is, and shrugs.
[08:03am] VoxPVoxD: Well, as long as he's not the only one.
[08:03am] banana: KJ is taking every opportunity to twirl around in it, frankly.
[08:04am] VoxPVoxD: Just as long as nobody's wearing fake moustaches. There are limits.
[08:04am] banana: "What do you think it will be like to meet a 'princess'?" She opens one of the limo's back doors a fraction before the doorman can get to it.
[08:05am] Crion: "Thank you." Cav will slide into the backseat.
[08:05am] Quaker: Abby waves them off. Are they all taking the offered limo together? The Ambassador did make a special request about staying together while they were in the city, for safety purposes. The driver holds the door open, ashamed of his lateness.
[08:06am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson's getting in. You don't take the serape and then turn down the limo ride.
[08:07am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson: "I'm trying to keep an open mind on this princess business."
[08:08am] Crion: They appear to be all going together, yes.
[08:08am] banana: KJ: "Okienka sounded positive on the concept, but she would."
[08:09am] Crion: Once inside: "So San Diego isn't what I expected."
[08:10am] banana: "All we've seen is Gannon and a bunch of ceremonial observers. Give it time."
[08:10am] banana: It's unclear whether KJ is referring to mariachi or to nosferatu."
[08:10am] Quaker: The driver politely puts up the partition, and helps put everything else away in the trunk.
[08:11am] Crion: "You'd think the ten-foot tall masked creeps in robes would make the tourist guides, is all I'm saying."
[08:12am] banana: KJ: "Masked? I didn't get a good look. Was it the same one?"
[08:14am] Crion: "About ten of them, dressed head to toe in black robes -- like judges -- wearing masks like the ones the Ambassador offered Wilson. Just standing there, not moving." He shakes his head again. "It's weird, though. It wasn't like Obfuscate. Okay, it was LIKE Obfuscate. But it wasn't that."
[08:14am] Quaker: Soon, the limo pulls out of the parking lot and into the freeway. They can see the huge, dark bays again as they head to the northwest. Eventually, the suburbs thin out. The driver pulls off onto the side streets after a while, and they can see the roads begin to be lined with huge cypresses and oaks. The houses here seem to be bigger and further apart. As they drive, it’s hard to get much of a look around because of the winding nature of the hills surrounding them.
[08:16am] banana: Did we even end up taking the masks? If so, this is an opportunity- to Wilson: "You want we should throw these things out the window?"
[08:19am] VoxPVoxD: He makes a face at the masks. "Are those for me?"
[08:19am] Crion: Cav: "Yeah. Presumably the stilts come later."
[08:20am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson snorts.
[08:20am] VoxPVoxD: "I get the idea, but I got it covered."
[08:20am] VoxPVoxD: "So to speak."
[08:20am] Crion: That IS all they're asking.
[08:21am] mattbaby left the chat room. (Connection closed)
[08:22am] banana: In that case, KJ takes one and leaves Cav with the other. "I'm sure we can find a better use for some fine porcelain.
[08:22am] banana: "
[08:22am] mattbaby joined the chat room.
[08:24am] Quaker: The limo clears one last estate’s gate as they turn onto a series of switchbacks, and then they’re in the clear, the brush around them stretching away into darkness. The intercom cracks: “Just a few more minutes until we arrive.”
[08:24am] Crion: This is really out there.
[08:24am] Quaker: They’re pretty high up, too, though the gentle inclines have disguised their ascent.
[08:25am] banana: KJ sounds a little more serious: "For better or worse, coming and going from this place will have us.. associated in peoples' minds. Let's see if we can make that into a good thing."
[08:25am] VoxPVoxD: If she really is the princess of La Jolla, at least she'll have a place on the beach.
[08:26am] Crion: Cav: "First things first. Let's make sure there's no fairy-tale monster ruling the grounds."
[08:27am] Crion: "It's been that kind of town so far."
[08:29am] banana: KJ: "No what I'm saying is that if so, we basically have to make friends."
[08:30am] Quaker: The car pulls up to a large iron gate, waiting only for a moment as it parts. Once inside, the land around them levels off, plateauing for at least a mile in each direction. As they drive through, the landscape changes from rough chapparal to manicured lawns, fields, hedges, and garden plots. They can see statues and fountains, occasionally. If they roll the windows down, the smell of lavender will come to their noses, and they’ll realize that the main causewway is flanked on both sides by half-acres of the flowers.
[08:31am] banana: In the language of flowers.. that means shit just got real.
[08:32am] Crion: Too much land.
[08:32am] Crion: Cav's a city kid. This is too wide open.
[08:33am] VoxPVoxD: Blythe's place is nicer.
[08:33am] banana: Well it's a 'princedom', right? KJ folds up her serape and slips it inside her jacket, puts something like a game face on. The game of friendsmanship.
[08:34am] VoxPVoxD: When you play the game of friends, you either win or it's sort of awkward.
[08:34am] Quaker: Eventually, the limo stops in a large gravel driveway. The land here is cupped like an ampitheater, the gardens and fields leading down to a central estate of many wings and an ornate architecture. A huge staircase dominates the front, and the driveway is lined with servants and helpers. Beyond, the land curves so that the entirety of La Jolla is exposed to their view; a huge, glittering semi-circle stretching to either side of the horizon bounded only by the black ocean beyond.
[08:34am] Quaker: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/On_a_bright_Summer_day_%2829869670216%29.jpg/1280px-On_a_bright_Summer_day_%2829869670216%29.jpg
[08:35am] VoxPVoxD: That's definitely what you picture when you picture 'the home of the Princess La Jolla'.
[08:36am] Crion: No matter how rich he's gotten, the aesthetics of the really, really old, really, really rich are still off-putting.
[08:42am] Quaker: When the limo pulls up, they can see that the entrance staircase has been decorated with wreaths of flowers and reams of white silk ribbons. A hand-painted wooden sign reads: WELCOME HONORED GUESTS. As soon as the engine turns off, servants are taking their luggage discreetly around the back. On the staircase are two women, one dressed in a black dress, white collar, and top hat, the other in an extremely comfortable looking ballroom dress of white silk with flowers pinned to its sides.
[08:43am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson's on board so far.
[08:44am] Crion: Weird, beautiful henchmen does seem to be his wheelhouse.
[08:44am] Crion: Let's see if the Princess has any mountain lions, though.
[08:45am] Quaker: A trumpet player lets loose a blast from a balcony. The announcement afterwards is in Spanish. “Presenting, for the pleasure of the Princess La Jolla Elena Solano y Medina: Wilson Frost, Baron of Hollywood. Clinton Cavanaugh, Baron of Laguna Beach. K.J. Valentine, Baron of Anaheim.” The servants applaud after each name.
[08:48am] Quaker: How seriously do the three of them take it?
[08:48am] Crion: Quite.
[08:48am] Crion: What's that old saying, it doesn't matter if you believe in God, but if God believes in you?
[08:49am] Crion: Wait. Maybe that was from a Disney movie.
[08:49am] Crion: Point is: not gonna be rude to a host with this much pull.
[08:50am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson pulls off the sarape with a clank. He's wearing a burnished gray breastplate over the puffy vest. He was wearing it, in retrospect, the entire time. Beneath the sombrero he's got a misshapen and alarmed-looking golden mask.
[08:50am] banana: You don't waste a good spotlight. KJ sets the now-gauche serape aside as she steps out of the limo and stands for a moment with her hands in her pockets watching the top of the stairs; she bows once her name's called and starts upward to be presented for the pleasure of the Princess.
[08:50am] banana: http://i.imgur.com/tJ8ysve.jpg
[08:51am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson slides out of the limo and bows at the announcement, going up the stairs afterwards.
[08:55am] Quaker: She doesn’t look particularly fearsome, anyway. The Princess, as the one in the white silk dress appears to be, waits for them to ascend to the second level of the staircase, inclining her head as they each make it up. A mastiff sits in a relaxed manner by the feet of the woman in a top hat. After they all arrive, the latter speaks first, in a surprising rasp.
[08:58am] Quaker: “Greetings, honored guests. We are honored to host friends of our family. I am Dona Eva de la Campa, the Princess’s second. I trust you have all traveled and arrived without incident? One small matter - do any of you not speak Spanish? We will assign you help fluent in the language of your choosing during your stay here.”
[08:59am] Crion: Cav indicates he's fine in Spanish, even though his player isn't.
[09:00am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson doesn't indicate he needs help with Spanish.
[09:02am] banana: KJ: "My Spanish is poor, Dona. I've only brought one assistant, so thank you very much for the consideration."
[09:05am] Quaker: Dona Eva keeps it in English, then. “Of course. We are delighted to help the envoys of the Princess’s brother-in-law in any way we can.” Another trumpet blast sounds from somewhere on a balcony. “Elena Ignacia Figueroa de Solano y Medina, Princess La Jolla.”
[09:06am] Quaker: The Princess puts out a small hand, palm down.
[09:10am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson takes her hand gently and bows.
[09:10am] Crion: Cav's bow has a bit more of a flourish to it, but basically the same thing.
[09:10am] banana: KJ takes the princess's hand and bows in turn. She's not dressed for a curtsy.
[09:11am] banana: What's her aura like, though?
[09:12am] Quaker: She doesn’t make any effort to hide her emotional state. It’s a cloud of light blue with whorls of pink and lavender.
[09:18am] Quaker: The Princess waits patiently until the formalities have been observed. Then: “Baron Frost, I do not endorse the backwards custom of Nosferatu masking themselves. Please do not imagine that anything except your own comfort may demand that you wear one in this house.” She draws a shawl around her shoulders. “Chilly, isn’t it? Let’s go into the atrium. Eva, could you have everything brought to us there?” Her English has no discernible accent, and leads them further into the house as she speaks.
[09:19am] VoxPVoxD: Oh, whew. Wilson takes the mask off.
[09:19am] Crion: Cav, murmuring: "Guess that means no stilts."
[09:21am] Quaker: Quickly, they pass through a grand entry hall with black and white marble floors, heavy wooden furniture, and stone busts of distinguished ancestors. Through a set of double doors, she stops them in a large enclosed garden, walled off with glass and wrought-iron transparent sliding doors. The space is filled with beds of flowers, comfortable looking chairs, overhanging oak boughs, and the sound of running water from several fountains. Above, there is no roof.
[09:23am] Crion: Nice.
[09:23am] Crion: God, the work all this must take to maintain.
[09:24am] banana: It's all wealth creation, right?
[09:24am] Quaker: Eva reappears flanked by servants holding silver plates full of hors d’oeuvres, placed on a nearby table, and flutes of champagne. Discreetly, small cards with the wine list printed on them are pressed into your hands. The Princess sits you all in a circle, a flat stone table between you.
[09:26am] VoxPVoxD: Ehhh. He shouldn't.
[09:27am] Crion: Oh hell yes.
[09:27am] Crion: See, this is what you get when you travel inside your head with a coworker to feed yourself your own blood so that you don't kill you.
[09:27am] Crion: Wine, anytime.
[09:29am] banana: Argh. Well, just this once. "I'm already impressed," says KJ as the pallor fades from her skin. "We're further from smog than you can get within the Brilliant Court's limits."
[09:30am] Quaker: After the servants have left, Eva takes a seat by herself on a fountain’s stone base. The Princess sips champagne slowly. “We have blood, as well, of course. Though I ask that you imbibe privately.” She rests her elbow on a pillow and leans forward. “So. I imagine that traveling to a foreign city, while your Prince leaves the city and your enemies remain free to plot against you, has made this assignment more stressful than you would like.”
[09:31am] Crion: Cav grimaces. "I'm sure at least in my case the Court feels the vacation is mutual."
[09:32am] banana: "Could be worse. It could have been a less beautiful city."
[09:32am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson: "I'm enjoying myself immensely."
[09:36am] Crion: Cav: "But then, if my enemies want my territory they're welcome to it. It's brought me nothing but scheduling conflicts."
[09:36am] Crion: This is not entirely true, nor would it be the way he'd present the matter in discussion with said enemies.
[09:37am] Quaker: “I’m very glad to hear it. I hope that I can provide you with some peace of mind that you would not usually find during your stay here.” She looks at Cav. “I’m not so sure. A Shepherd is useful to have as a friend and servant. And as your distance from your master increases, so your utility to him decreases. Of course, it’s been a long time since I knew a Shepherd.”
[09:38am] Crion: He smiles. "So our kind made down here, too, have we?"
[09:39am] banana: Or perhaps La Jolla flies around the world. It certainly looks like it could.
[09:39am] Quaker: “Decades ago. A man named Peter Holymount.”
[09:39am] Quaker: “Do you know him?”
[09:40am] Crion: The smile stays just as smooth and charming. "He's my grandsire."
[09:41am] Quaker: “Are you fond of him?”
[09:44am] Crion: "We have a working relationship," Cav said. "Peter likes to say it's his policy not to fraternize with the junior associates."
[09:50am] Quaker: She cannot read the intention behind the careful phrasing. “We had our differences of opinion. I knew your sire as well, Baron Frost. Though, we only met a few times.” She sips her champagne. “My apologies, Baron Valentine. I don’t mean to make it seem as if you are less pedigreed by comparison.”
[09:52am] Quaker: “Though I hardly consider pedigree a merit. It is less than useless, most of the time.”
[09:52am] banana: KJ beams. "It's not an issue. When a mad cult induct you forcibly into the Requiem, it's best to see that as a learning opportunity."
[09:52am] Crion: Agreed.
[09:53am] banana: "Who you know tells you just one thing: who you know. That's absolutely crucial."
[09:54am] Quaker: “You all fought in the late, brief war, yes?”
[09:54am] Crion: The smile tightens up into a bit more of a grimace. "We all did our parts."
[09:55am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson: "Yes ma'am."
[09:56am] banana: KJ: "Sure. To make sure it was brief."
[09:58am] Quaker: “What a pity, that any of you were imperiled so that something so pointless could be brought to an end.” She shifts in her chair. “Surely it is a great sin to engineer stupid things for people to die in. Of course, my little fief had no part in that. You should know that no one here is holding some bitter grudge against your presence.”
[10:01am] Crion: Engineering stupid things for people to die in might fairly be said to be the field expertise of both Barons Laguna Beach and Anaheim. Baron Hollywood is involved in far more noble things, such as reality television.
[10:02am] VoxPVoxD: Wilson: "It wasn't personal. I can't say that makes it better or worse."
[10:03am] banana: incompatible encoding
[10:03am] Crion: Cav: "It was slightly personal. For some."
[10:04am] banana: Of course the war was stupid. It was a war. Vampires are still going to have them, aren't they? That's who we are. "We'll all be happy to put the thing aside. Is the city recovering well?"
[10:06am] Quaker: The Princess smiles. “No, not at all. The wounds it suffers from were not inflicted by the war, nor did the war address anything beyond someone learning that foreign adventures are not a healthy outlet for impatience.”
[10:08am] Crion: "Especially unprofitable ones," Cav says.
[10:08am] banana: "Intriguing. Literally. Who is it that would profit from patience?"
[10:09am] banana: It's been a long time since KJ had wine. She doesn't really have the palate to tell whether this is as expensive as everything else around the place.
[10:12am] Quaker: “Better for them that it was unprofitable. If, by some unfortunate accident it had been succesful, the wrong lesson would have been learned.” The Princess hands her flute to a servant and replaces it with a wine glass. “It depends on whose patience you are considering. Iago Morales’s? The Carmelites?” She smiles. “Mine? Different answers for each.”
[10:13am] Crion: Cav: "No one profits from patience. That's sort of baked into the concept: profit is change. But that doesn't make all change profitable. And holy wars haven't sold well in oh, four hundred years."
[10:14am] Quaker: “Hmm.” She looks into a fountain. “It is an unfortunate habit, speaking in circles. It only grows worse the longer you spend in a position as elevated as mine. Please, remind me if I am anything less than direct during your stay.” To Cav: “They sell well to those who spend all their time fantasizing of ways to make it as if it were 400 years ago.”
[10:15am] Crion: Cav: "Yeah. Well. Let's just hope they don't send me into any more office buildings."
[10:16am] banana: Since we're being direct- "Office buildings? What did they have you do, Laguna?"
[10:18am] Crion: Cavanaugh: "There were some complications in shutting down our embassy. I helped uncomplicate them."
[10:20am] Quaker: The Princess: “And now? What are your plans for yourselves, after the war?”
[10:21am] Crion: Cav: "Housekeeping."
[10:21am] Crion: "The Brilliant Court has, like all big, old organizations, has internal political fault lines."
[10:22am] Crion: "They're all starting to rub up against each other now, for whatever reason."
[10:22am] banana: KJ: "I've been learning to shoot skeet. It's a nice change from Perl."
[10:22am] Crion: He sips his wine. It's really a very good red. "Among other things, that's why it's so odd for the Prince to be out of town now."
[10:23am] Quaker: “Yes. Bren and the others dissatisfied with the rate of their ascension into the highest ranks of power.”
[10:24am] Quaker: “Your Prince can act recklessly. Of course, when sucessful, it makes him appear omniscient. But it’s harder to fool those who remember him before he possessed his current position.”
[10:24am] hrolf_mac joined the chat room.
[10:24am] Crion: ...Man.
[10:24am] Crion: Everyone's so old out here.
[10:25am] Crion: Cav: "You knew him before he was Prince?"
[10:27am] Quaker: The Princess plays with the fringe of her shawl. “Oh, yes. When I met him, he was little more than an undistinguished enforcer-of-an-enforcer. That must have been in the 1880s. But he learned quickly. As I said, pedigree is a fantasy.”
[10:28am] banana: KJ: "Do you have any scandalous century-old gossip?"
[10:29am] Crion: So that's where she knows Peter from, or part of it. She was out here when the Shepherds were founded.
[10:36am] Quaker: “I don’t think I’ve had enough wine for that. Hm. This may be an odd question, but…I’m always pressed for time, it seems. How would you characterize the situation in the former Orange Territory, with regards to its recently legitimized Carmelite population? Stable? Unstable? Fitting in well?”
[10:36am] Crion: Cav grimaced. "Too close for comfort. Both to open war, and to me."
[10:37am] Quaker: “Open war with…?”
[10:37am] Crion: "My office was almost destroyed, and two Counts nearly set to war against each other, because of nonsense spiralling out of that."
[10:37am] Crion: "A ghoul was, among other things, taking it upon himself to impersonate Donald Bren."
[10:38am] Crion: "And using the territorial...uncertainty that surrounded the most recent redistricting -- the parcelling of Orange County -- to try and secure favorable real estate deals."
[10:38am] Crion: He sighs. "It was a mess."
[10:39am] Crion: "I am biased by distance, as I said, because the Carmelites are now my neighbors. But if I had to weigh in I'd say that they're ascendent, for now."
[10:40am] Quaker: “I will assume that Bren and the others are opposed to them gaining any more territory at their expense.”
[10:41am] Crion: Cav: "Well, yes and no. The parcelling of Orange County was a massive win for Bren -- his holdings are now almost as extensive as the Prince's, if not moreso -- but that man wants infinite reach; he's probably muttering to himself about how much more territory he could have got without them.
[10:42am] Quaker: She doesn’t hesitate. “And you are all opposed to any arrangement in which Bren realizes that reach, and replaces the current rulers of the city.”
[10:44am] Crion: "Which is ridiculous for two reasons; the first, that without the war as an impetus, Orange County might never have BEEN parcelled -- it might have become incorporated as a single territory within the Court, with its own Count and so on. The second, the war counted as a casualty the territory's administrator, H.H. Seabury, who might have taken a dimmer view to Bren's expansionism were
[10:44am] Crion: he otherwise alive and capable of objection."
[10:45am] banana: KJ: "I don't think there's a zero-sum game being played, Baron, Princess. Count Bren and the Prince have lived together this long - poor choice of words, but they could continue indefinitely."
[10:45am] Crion: Cav sips his wine again. "I have a working relationship with Donald Bren."
[10:46am] Crion: "But his further expansion would, I think, be a major problem for everyone in the Brilliant Court."
[10:46am] Crion: He pauses. "Is Bren from San Diego originally?"
[10:47am] Quaker: The Princess listens to KJ. “Do not mistake a fortunate longevity for a perfected system. Inertia can last for a very long time.”
[10:48am] Quaker: “He is not. I believe he spent some time here during the 1920s. But he comes from back East. Exactly where, I could not tell you.”
[10:49am] Crion: Cav: "I only ask because he shares your city's tradition of the robe and the mask for Nosferatu."
[10:49am] Crion: "He's a bit shorter than they are, however."
[10:49am] Crion: By way of explanation: "There were some of them out to meet us at the station. In their own way."
[10:51am] Quaker: “They must be curious about your presence here. But they are not your enemies. Don’t be put off by their appearance. They have always been quite civil and restrained in all my dealings with them. Most are quite pious and soft-spoken up close.”
[10:52am] Quaker: “Bren is still wearing his mask?” She thinks. “That may be a private…joke. For him and a few others to understand.”
[10:52am] Crion: "Why are they so tall?" Cav swirled his glass. "Or is that impolite to ask?"
[10:53am] Quaker: “It is their shared bloodlines. Some ancestor’s quirk, carried down.”
[10:54am] Crion: Cav shakes his head. "Must have a mean basketball team."
[10:54am] Crion: Now Cav's imagining what the growth spurt that first night is like, and wishing he hadn't.
[10:55am] Quaker: The Princess considers everything they’ve said for a while in silence while servants move around, refilling cups and trays.
[10:55am] Quaker: “I have an offer for you three, I think.”
[10:56am] Crion: And before his third glass, even.
[10:57am] Quaker: “Are you in the mood for…complicating your vacation?”
[10:58am] Crion: Cav grins. "It was bound to happen eventually.
[10:58am] Crion: "
[10:58am] banana: "We were were just talking about how change is inevitable." KJ's prepared to refuse if it comes to it, though. You can only have so much on your plate.
[11:00am] Quaker: “Next week, the state security apparatus and associated church paramilitaries are preparing to liquidate more than forty Carmelites and their extended networks.”
[11:00am] Crion: These people just don't fucking learn, do they.
[11:01am] Crion: "That's...a lot of people."
[11:02am] banana: Forty kindred? "So we get to stop the next war."
[11:02am] Crion: That's gotta be almost the entire Sanctum in San Diego, but after a moment's reflection, this probably involves a cross-border raid into Mexico.
[11:03am] Quaker: “Here is another fact: There exists a few routes maintained at the Grand Prince’s expense, used for clandestine movement of sensitive people and items between the Brilliant and Sublime Courts. Due to necessary security concerns, the people involved with them have little official contact with Court officials. The whole thing functions as a sort of no-questons asked delivery system. Flash your identification and whatever you like will be transported faithfully northwards. I’ve thought for a long time about how these two facts could be used to my advantage.”
[11:04am] Crion: "Like some kind of...railroad."
[11:05am] Quaker: “The identification and authorization documents are kept under guard, and under constant surveillance, of course. They’re located in the Miramar Estate, the residence of the Grand Prince. Where you three will be, two nights from now.”
[11:06am] banana: "Not the time for snark, Cav. Is this.. true? Not some sort of loyalty test? And if so, do you see the further separation of these populations as a way to de-escalate?"
[11:10am] Quaker: The Princess laughs. “A test of your loyalty? No, I can only appeal to your self-interest. And no, I don’t see it as a path towards de-escalation. The opposite, in fact. I’d like to establish a base where the Carmelites can operate from in relative safety, running weapons south and people north as they need. In return, of course, they would remember the people who helped them. I imagine you could use fifty armed and incomparably trustworthy kindred owing you a favor. In any situation.”
[11:10am] Crion: That is a lot of kindred.
[11:11am] Crion: Cav: "You want us to pull a heist."
[11:12am] Quaker: The Princess: “Oh, yes. I would like you to rob the Grand Prince of San Diego blind, under the nose of the entire assembled Court as they dance and toast each other.”
[11:12am] Quaker: NEXT WEEK: Carnival Games