A Liminal Hymn

[Epiphany]

Maia Asim


The vampire opens her mouth, to comment in some fashion on Laurence's statement. She never gets a word out before the 'shotgun' request pops up. The Khaibit arches an eyebrow at Naimh, chuckles and says "Why not. Serafim? Cassandra? It's going to get crowded if we have more than that."

 

[Lucyfer]

Tempered though the grin was, Ava still finds her own sly one coming upon her lips to meet Laurence’s own smile. Her eyes pass over to Maia when she’s addressed, and its noted she’s familiar with the address. Being out of the loop wasn’t unusual—though once upon a time, it had been—but she still finds it grating.


Even so, Ava wasn’t the sort to let a little thing like lack of information stand in her way long. If Lockhart knew what they were up against, then going off with him would suffice to get herself caught up along the way, and perhaps understand a bit more about her fellow Ordo members that he already knew.


She had no further comment, just a nod of her acceptance of this arrangement to Lockheart and a, “When you please,” so he’d know she was prepared to leave as soon as he was.


Ava Valencia's Records

Spoiler

• N/A
  

Willpower: ●●●●○


Vitae: ●●●●●●●●●●○


Health: ▢▢▢▢▢▢

• Smartphone (in handbag)
  
• Laptop (in bag)
  
• Laptop bag with sociology notes and Beast notes
  
• Credit/Debit cards, library cards, ID cards (in silver handbag)
  
• Valencia Signet Ring (on finger)
  

 

[Crocodile]

Vincent felt a slight start at Drumknott's entrance but filed it away as more vampiric theatrics to hit home who was in charge. He looks on as the others ask questiosn while he tries to puzzle out the orders. It sounded like information retrieval and possible liquidation, the first part being something he enjoyed. The second part he was far less keen on at the moment. Killing wasn't something he liked even as he felt the Beast stir inside in its quiet bloodlust. He snarled mentally at it to shut up as he thinks of the brass knuckles in his jacket pockets. If it came down to it, he'd fight but he didn't like to. Hopefully some of the others were a bit more in the violence business.


"I have a car as well, I can take a few," Vincent finally spoke up, deciding to show his own ability to support their new grouping. Sacrifice was needed to be shown if one was to climb politically in the crazed meritocratic politics of the Ordo.

 

[Bardiel]

Laurence F. Lockhart


"First, each group needs a number to git in touch with each other. And we meet up a street over." Lockhart shares the mobile's number with Vincent. "All right then. If we've our coaches waiting, then let's be on our way."

 

[Esbilon]

Cassandra


After staring at Drumknott's unenlightening form for a few moments, Cassandra sighs and turns her attention back to Maia. "Yeah, that's fine." Then she turns her gaze on Lockhart, "you seem to have more of a clue about what's going on than the rest of us. Care to supply the appropriate background information?"

 

[Bardiel]

Laurence F. Lockhart


"I've just been in the loop a little longer is all, dear." His eyes level with her, his smile fading a little. He is not speaking with a condescending tone, but earnestly, holding something back. "Sure, you'll pick it up in no time, Cassy." The usual wry grin spreads across his face again, as he claps his hands together, rubbing them together in an animated way, glancing between the assembled Kindred. "Well, lets get going then. The night is young and we don't want to keep people waiting!" Lockhart heads towards the exit, confidant strides leading him out of the room.

 

[Lucyfer]

Secrets don’t make friends when kept secret.


Secrets do bond others tighter, and Ava finds her own pleasure at the way Cassandra was not given any information at all from Lockheart’s locked lips. She does not address the other kindred, but merely follows Lockheart out, a half-step behind. She might yet face her own rejection when prying, but she did not so much as consider it.


A comment slips her lips, “We’ll need to pick up duct tape, unless you’ve an idea on getting my sword around in public,” she speaks only when she is certain the others are out of earshot, her steps moving to bring her alongside Lockheart then, and her hands moving behind her back.


She’d listen to what Laurence might have in mind, but she wanted to make sure he knew of the necessary detour. Getting around town with a sword would be difficult it wasn’t so marked, and the last thing she needed was to get in trouble with the Met.


Ava Valencia's Records

Spoiler

• N/A
  

Willpower: ●●●●○


Vitae: ●●●●●●●●●●○


Health: ▢▢▢▢▢▢

• Smartphone (in handbag)
  
• Laptop (in bag)
  
• Laptop bag with sociology notes and Beast notes
  
• Credit/Debit cards, library cards, ID cards (in silver handbag)
  
• Valencia Signet Ring (on finger)
  

 

[Bardiel]

Laurence F. Lockhart


Once outside the main chamber, Lockhart slows his pace, happy with the company. While waiting for the others to catch up, Laurence answers Ava, his accent unabashed in her presence. "Duct tape? Ah now, Ada, I don't think we'd be having the time to sneak off to the Garden. Never let you in with cheap crap like that, even in tha' suit of yours." The deliberately misunderstood response is designed for humour, regardless if she appreciates it or not. Joking aside, Lockharts demour becomes a little more serious. "Aye. You can't be going around waving that stick of your's. I have something mind for you's though." Taking out his phone, he quickly types and sends a text message from his mobile. "Should be ou' by yer place be the time we git there. In the meantime, I've got a PSA for the Motely Crue that should be coming along. Likely everyone in there already thinks of me as an arsehole. They'd be surely right, but ye got to be sometimes to save their arses." He shrugs, unperturbed. "Maia's sound though. Ye can do business with 'er." Laurence purses his lips, apparently thinking back to some memory.

 

[Lucyfer]

The once-Invictus does not quite laugh at the joke, but there’s a hint of amusement in the upwards flicker of the corner of her lips. It falters a bit on the accented way her name is butchered. He did so well with Valencia, but not so well with 'Ava', it seemed. Still, she appreciated the manners, the hint of secrecy. Formal in public, informal out of earshot. Her eyes glance to his phone to try and see the message he types up, and figure out just what he means by something waiting there at her place.


“You do know how much I dislike surprises at my home, Lockheart,” her own tongue can’t seem to grant him the same informality. At least, not so quickly, and not with the possibility of the others catching up. She does not chastise him more severely, since he offers information without her even asking. He’d figured out her out, perhaps too well, even the first time they’d met.


She wouldn’t be in the Ordo otherwise. “You think me a user?” One eyebrow arches at his statement of Maia. “What could she be to me?” She doesn’t even mask the bluntness of her question. People needed to be useful; it was one thing she knew as a human, and one thing she knew better as a kindred.


Ava Valencia's Records

Spoiler

• N/A
  

Willpower: ●●●●○


Vitae: ●●●●●●●●●●○


Health: ▢▢▢▢▢▢

• Smartphone (in handbag)
  
• Laptop (in bag)
  
• Laptop bag with sociology notes and Beast notes
  
• Credit/Debit cards, library cards, ID cards (in silver handbag)
  
• Valencia Signet Ring (on finger)
  

 

[Bardiel]

Laurence F. Lockhart


Without turning to face Ava, he replies. "Firstly, there are 8.63 million people in this city. Park a block over and odds of someone knowing your address are remote." Shifting his weight, he levels his gaze at her face, before responding softly. "Useful. Because ye were different shoes." Leaving her to reflect, Lockhart takes a step away, before calling for a taxi to pick them up near by.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Valencia heir does not need long to reflect. One meaningful look, and one simple phrase, is enough. She’s not a stupid woman, after all. “Ah.”


Valencia couldn’t walk where Maia could. Maia would likely have trouble walking where she could. In that way, they could be useful to each other-different shoes, one heels and one likely some rugged pair of tennis shoes. She had used a similar explanation in bringing Dane over to her side about her turn to the Ordo, rather than the Invictus.


They could walk in different circles, and be stronger for it as a unit.


How to get on Maia’s good side might be the hard part, but Lockheart might be capable of smoothing that over, or being the go-between. ‘If or when.’ First, they had to see how this mission would go. Ava would have done it herself, but then, she didn’t have a clue what she was walking into, and with Lockheart now calling for a taxi, asking him had to wait till he got off the phone.


Ava Valencia's Records

Spoiler

• N/A
  

Willpower: ●●●●○


Vitae: ●●●●●●●●●●○


Health: ▢▢▢▢▢▢

• Smartphone (in handbag)
  
• Laptop (in bag)
  
• Laptop bag with sociology notes and Beast notes
  
• Credit/Debit cards, library cards, ID cards (in silver handbag)
  
• Valencia Signet Ring (on finger)
  

 

[Epiphany]

Maia Asim


"Right. Whoever's coming with me, let's be at it, shall we?" The Egyptian-English woman makes sure her coat's zipped up and she heads out, looking for all the world like the average college student out for an evening of fun. Once she and any vampires that feel like following get clear of the elder vampire, she glances back and says "Seriously, is that what this is like then? Not much help for it at the moment, I suppose. So let me fill you in on what little I know."


"I've no sodding clue who the Supplicant is but anyone on the street's been hearing about Nightshade. It's...well, I suspect it's made from vamp blood. Tastes cold to the tongue, no matter the temperature. For humans, it's a little like MDMA or whatever. Rapture, love, the works. For us? I've heard that it makes us a bit more lifelike for a while. Gets your blood moving, even lets you eat, drink, the whole bit. It's addictive as anything and it can mess with your dreams if you're one of us. I'm glad none of you lot know about it, to be honest, means you're not going to go barmy. I hope."


At which point Maia reaches her car, unlocks it and says "Whoever's coming with me, get on with it" before climbing into the driver's side.

 

[Lord-Leafar]

Naimh Kavanaugh





Naimh seemed pretty disinterested about this whole ordeal, but the one thing that got her attention was the description of Nightshade. She quickly takes the passenger door and shuts it once she's in "How did you find out about this Nightshade?" Her eyes are open wide and staring at Maia with great interest, perhaps a bit too much for it to be healthy.

 

[Esbilon]

Cassandra





"Condescending prick," Cassandra mutters at Lockhart's departing form.


At Maia's words, she wipes the disappointed grimace off her face and follows the younger kindred outside. "Thanks," she says once Maia has shared her story, "that clears things up a little. And illustrates how Lockhart's words were bullshit," she adds as she climbs into the car's backseat.

 

[Grey]

It's a short trip, but even at this time of night that takes a little time - navigating around taxis, oblivious pedestrians, and rowdy drunks.


Still, this close to the chapterhouse the atmosphere of the streets is always a little subdued.


Next street over, Lockheart had said, and so you all gather under the facade of a darkened church (converted, it would seem, into a community centre) as a light rainshower begins to fall.

 

[Epiphany]

Maia Asim


Gathered under that facade of a darkened church-turned-community center, Maia straightened the blue pulldown stocking cap on her head to better keep the rain off. Then she looks at the inquisitive Naimh nearby and says "Uh, on a scale of 1 to 10, dial whatever that is down just two degrees, okay?"


"Good question though. Nightshade's on the street, that's the answer. I am...was. Am? Sod it, I've been involved in the drug trade around here and you keep your ear to the ground when it comes to noticing the tremors of new product hitting the ground. No one seems to know where it comes from, though. Now we do. The only question is how we sort it. Besides, er, go over and beat up or kill someone or whatever. I'm not really sure that's going to fix the issue given it's already out there and someone else may have found a way to make their own. I'm only assuming that's what Drumknott wanted. Honestly, I understood about one word in twelve coming out of his mouth. Anyone have better?"


"Or should we all, just, pop over and do his dirty work? Is that what we do now? Hate to admit it but I'm pretty new to this gig." Admitting it probably cost whatever credibility she might have had but the lack of forthcoming from the others didn't give her a lot of options. Now to hope someone spoke up.