VtM Part One - New Arrivals

The guard barely looks up from the paper.

"Name? Oh and time of appointment"

The notes in his briefcase stated the name would be enough.

"Is now, you serious pal?"

He sits up from his chair and looks at the log.

"You have to....oh wait....anytime....okay now it is then. Mrs Smith rarely has visitors and of course she doesn't list her office....you'll have to find it yourself buddy."

He presses a button and the lift door lights come on.

"You can go up now"

As he steps in he notices the mirror on the elevators back wall, no reflection, looks like the Lasombra curse works the same in America. Should a mortal enter the lift with him. The doors have yet to close.....

Luckily nobody enters.

The lift stops on the real floor 10. The doors open to a long red carpet leading to a set of mahogany double doors. Flanking the doors are two very muscular vampires. His Lasombra elders wouldn't do it this way, if you have real power, you don't need guards.

Jacky Smith is engraved on the left door.

Necrominus wrote: »

'Lysander Karpov to see the Prince. I am expected.'

"Go right ahead Mr Karpov" one of them says with a sneer, holding open the door into the office.

Looking in Lysander can see the Prince, hands behind her back looking out at the street. Medium build, knotted black hair.

"Courteous and following proper Camarilla etiquette...good" she says turning around. If her appearance can be trusted she was embraced in her mid-30s, African-American and a small scar on her left eye. Already a curious feature, Kindred physiology should have removed the scaring.

"You still have a trace of an Italian accent, we need to fix that first."

She steps away from the window toward a small cabinet. Opening it, there are fifteen cognac style bottles.

"Personal reserve, I've got Valley Girl, Tech Start-up prick, Gangbanger, Lawyer, Surfer dude and some from rural SoCal, any take your fancy?"

OOC: Vampires absorb traits, including accents, from the mortals they feed on.

She hands him the bottle.

"Not too much, that stuff is specially distilled to help trait absorption, too much can have strange side-effects"

"Indeed I know a bit about you Karpov...had the files sent over last week. Now, you might be wondering why I wanted you. Do you know much about the previous prince?"

"You're right about LaCroix. Problem with LaCroix, was that he was too loud and too obvious. He had a well known mortal persona, using his original name that can be found in French military records and lived in the penthouse of a company office block bearing his name.

The security in the upper levels of his tower were ripped apart by a neonate we've been unable to track since. A few hours later, an explosion blew out that damn penthouse floor and there goes years of Camarilla graft.

If we're going to get the Camarilla back on top here, we need to be discrete and initially seem to be just another presence in the city. For that end, I needed someone unnoticeable and who's more unnoticeable than a Lasombra, it's not just training, it's in your blood.

Of course, nobody will know this. You're a Ventrue, Larry Carson, recently sired and I've set you up on the third floor of an apartment block in Santa Monica overlooking the beach. None of the Kindred in the city, to my knowledge, have effective countermeasures against your clan's gifts. You're my secret weapon, from danger without and treachery within."

She slides him over an envelope on her desk.

"Keys, cash, the necessary mortal identification stuff for authorities and log in details for our private mail server. Your username is carlarr.

I have two jobs I need help with first. Consider them a test."

She pauses to let Lysander take it all in.

This is good. Criminal lawyer, I would guess. I'm afraid the journey over only gave me a few drifters.

"Very good tastes, no accent now if you're wondering"

For obvious reasons... And these jobs... will I learn of these now? Or later?'

OOC: Primogens are the heads of their clan in a city

"Jobs are simple enough, I hope.

The Tremere Primogen often conducts his rituals on his penthouse blacony, it's got a garden of precious flowers he apparently needs..." she rolls her eyes "...anyway a reporter got a snap of him doing it. Now there is no risk to his true nature being exposed here, but the story could make his mortal persona a laughing stock in the antiquities scene he runs in. The reporter lives in Santa Monica, Malkavian territory, so the Tremere can't enter without permission. Getting said permission would take at least a day, too late.

Ensure the pictures don't make it to tomorrow's paper and as for the reporter, make sure he doesn't do something like this again. However you ensure that is up to you.

Secondly, hospital in Santa Monica recently had a body brought in with obvious discipline effects on it. Make sure the staff don't remember it, can't report it and nobody else can access the body. If you can tell what moron left an effect that obvious, even better, or at least their clan.

They sound like things you can do?"

Necrominus wrote: »

Have you a phone? I have a few contacts I can use to get some one to one time with this reporter... no one turns down the chance to meet with a face such as mine.'

She slides over the phone.

Necrominus wrote: »

'One last thing. The security guard below is aware of my true name. Will this cause issues... I ask because if so I will deal with it.'

She smiles. "First test passed Mr. Karpov"

"Okay, I see...well if Bella is asking go ahead" the voice on the other end says in a good enough humour.

"The LA Downtowner" she says studying Lysander.

"Oh I know him....Gary Stevens. Major hangout would be a coffee shop in Santa Monica....ehm.....the.....Ebar, the name is Ebar. Just up from the beach. He's a bit of an annoyance, three restraining orders from minor celebrities and two breaking and entry charges."

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander looks up at the Prince again.

'The Ebar. Any permission needed for that area? I will learn the locales soon enough I am sure.'

"You're cleared for the whole of Santa Monica"

Necrominus wrote: »

'Any way you can pick him up for me on those charges? Meet me somewhere discreet? It is of utmost importance I speak with him tonight.'

"Unfortunately not, he's already been charged for them"

He slides the number across to the Prince.

'Don't worry I have a spare. But he may be of use to you as well if you so wish.

"Chief of Downtown police, I'm impressed. Bella it is then"

And the security guard... he will not be a problem I presume?'

"Not for me, but for you possibly. Your problem, Your methods, I'm observing"