Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

[dmronny]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Ronny looks a little thankful for the save from Izzy before he gets a cheesy grin on his face and responds in a low voice of his own.

"Actually no, I was picturing you in your underwear. Hope you don't mind. " (I'll let you do Raven's response to that one.)

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Eve is smothering a grin at the byplay between her... friends? whatever they are, while she keeps an eye on Fletch and snags a drink of her own, downing it so quickly the other members of her clan give her dirty looks from across the room. "See?" she mutters, "I'm not totally like them."

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Fletch catches Eve's comment and grins. "I'll be okay," he grumbles, shaking his hand. "Damn glasses are thin as train station toilet paper, I swear. Let's see what River wants, hm?" Slowly he makes his way over to his clanmate.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

River waits for the group to wander over and sit down (or not) before speaking. First off, she looks at Ronny. "Thinking, not so much, but especially around Toreador and Tremere, it's safe to assume that everything[\i] is being heard by someone. Not to mention the Nosferatu, of course. Now," she says, leaning back to address the group. "I couldn't help but overhear your little discussion, and I figured I should point out a few things. First off, none of you are ready to go toe-to-toe with your sires, especially on a ground of their choosing, and probably with more Sabbat around on top of that. Just saying. However, if you still want a fight, I have a lead on a safehouse of theirs, mostly used by fresher members. A few too many for me to just waltz in and start taking names, but by and large, most licks in the Sabbat don't even know they're vampires, and a few are barely above their beast taking over. A larger group can take them easily, with some planning."

She stops a moment and grabs a new glass from a passing ghoul before continuing. "Sabbat are a bad enough problem in this city that Prince Ken actually gives standing permission to dust them, if you ask nicely. They would have tried the same with me when I first showed up, but I know how to set them back long enough to get my speech out. Anyways, If you guys can talk to him and let him know you're itching for a fight, I can take you with me to this safehouse. What do ya think?"

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Claire stood in front of River, arms crossed over her chest as she listened to each word with a frown creasing her features.

"I'm game. The trick is who'd be best to talk to the Prince?" Claire said after River had her piece, her eyes now glancing around the others of her coterie. She used the sires to gain their interest, Claire personally just wanted a hunt, and while she would have preferred to be on her own, she knew that she'd need help.

"I still have a few weapon stashes hidden around if anyone would like a gun as well,"

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Fletch shakes his head at Claire. "I'm not using a gun," he grumbles. "Just get me in there, and I'll start rending them to bits." "Getting bloodthirsty, are we? How untypical." Shut up, Alan. Well, if the Prince allows it, he'd be willing to go up against the Sabbat if this is what it takes to bring peace to this region. "Thinking like a true patriot." SHUT UP.

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Eve chuckles. "I've never really done anything more than deer hunting and popping rattlers if they got too close. I'm used to rifles and the like. If you've got anything like that, fantastic."

 

[dmronny]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Ronny frowns again, "Wait we're just going to go and kill a bunch of fresh ones just because they weren't lucky enough to be picked up like we were. I have no problem with killing the ones beyond help like our sires, but if these ones don't even know what's happened to them?"

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

River shrugs. "They're barely human now. They wake up buried alive, and if they make it out, the Sabbat pick them up and tell them they're monsters now, after they throw a body at them to drain. If they try to eat, they vomit it back up. Eventually they pretty much relent to their beast, if they don't go insane first. The few that are strong-minded enough get indoctrinated into the ways of the Sabbat, and are well past saving. The ones that don't are shock troops, barely aware past the need to feed. If you wanna try and save one of those, be my guest." She explains, the tightness of her facial features betraying her nonchalant tone. "As for who should speak to the prince, beats me. Maybe go as a group."

 

[dmronny]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

"So which kind does that make you?," Ronny blurts out. "How do we know you're not just luring us in to a trap?"

 

[Copper]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

From the snort that she lets out, Izzy wasn't quite expecting the turn around from the other Kindred, but she recovers quickly enough and doesn't seem too flapped by it. Raven, on the other hand, glares at Ronny. "H-Hey! She...does t-too mind!" His voice isn't raised, but it's pitched above an angry hiss. "So...So do I!" Izzy's brows arch and her lips curl up just enough to be giving Ronny an expression that seems to say "And there you have it." She also shifts just slightly, angling a little closer to her Sire, a barely perceptible change in her arm. Raven's eyes flick to her for a second, but other than that, he doesn't take his gaze away from the other man.

Once River starts interjecting, Izzy seems a little grateful for the diffusion. She listens to their mentor and the banter between the others for a moment.

"Personally, I think we ought to avoid guns if we can help it, but I'm not saying no to them completely. Giving one to me, though, would probably be a bad idea. I know enough not to point it in my own direction, but beyond that," she makes a dismissive gesture with her hand.

Her attention is on Ronny, given that he has a valid point about the other newly Embraced. As he throws the question at River, Izzy snickers.

"She's one of the insane ones. Why else would she put up with us?" She glances between the two of them before continuing. "And, since I don't see us charging in there, guns a-blazing," she continues, "we can scout it out first, maybe? Make sure these are the sort of ones that do need a-killin'. They do, we put them out of everyone's misery. There any that can be saved, we try that, too."

She glances around to the others to see what they seem to think about that. "Or, if you'd rather not take on the nest--though I've a feeling putting it off is probably a bad thing--Raven and I might have an alternative. One that's not quite a shock troop but still fairly...on our level, maybe? We ran into what we think is a newly Embraced, but they're obviously running around on their own and from the sound of things, they might be out there stirring up trouble."

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

"Then we scout them out, small groups. Perhaps even me and Fletch alone. Far as I can tell we're the stealthiest," Claire said, her eyes still fixed on River, arms still crossed over her chest.

She wondered about her old babysitter's answer to Ronny's inquiry herself, but didn't say anything else. The answer would come with time, and as far as Claire was concerned, River was an ally. One of her closer allies, perhaps even more so than her own coterie, who seemed to want very little, if not nothing, to do with her.

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Eve almost swallowed her tongue at Ronny's question, and choked on her laughter at Izzy's response before looking up at Claire, and then over at Fletch to see his response. "I think that's a good idea, actually. You two have that weird... hide-in-the-shadows thingie. That's perfect for this." I've got to make amends. We have to get along, we need to get along. Not just for this, but for anything else we do. She thought. I get the feeling none of the clans really work together. Maybe we can be different.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Looked up from River and towards Eve for the first time this night. Her expression however didn't shift.

"Precisely," were the only words to leave her lips, though her eyes lingered for a moment, searching for Eve's motives. Why was she suddenly being so friendly?

Eventually Claire let her eyes slide over to Fletch to gauge his reaction.

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Eve let's a small sigh of relief pass her lips before smiling, glad that she managed to get Claire to look at her, even for just a second. I suppose it will take me years to lose these little habits that make me feel human...

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

River chuckles at Ronny's question. "Yes, that's it, it's all a trap. I spent a year getting looked down at by these snobs, and spent a whole night Running around the whole damn city trying to save half of you from the Sabbat, just to turn around and give you right back to them a few months later. Wonderful deduction there." She says, then her expression goes dark, and she stares straight at Ronny. "Honestly, my reasons are quite personal, and I don't feel like discussing them with half of the city's kindred in hearing range. If that's not good enough for you, so be it, fuck off then."

 

[dmronny]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Ronny didn't quite expect that kind of a reaction from Raven but he doesn't seem all that bothered by it. Instead he relishes the feeling of getting an intriguing reaction from someone, as he checks it away in the back of his mind.

When River responds he checks her response away as well before responding in a calmer attitude.

"Considering how most of the other kindred seem to plan things, it doesn't seem that far fetched a plan to me but if you want to keep your reasons a secret so be it. Just don't expect me to trust you completely if at all because you helped me out once. I'm not all that worried about what we'll need till we come up with plan first."

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

"Hmph," is Fletch's reaction to Claire's look. "Well, I can hide myself alright, but other than that book grabbing deal last week I'm not really a sneaky guy. Also..." He grumbles for a moment and combs his beard with his fingers. "I'm not big on bringing any of those along that don't know how to kill a man." His eyes move over to Eve. "No offense, hon, but shooting a deer and shooting a man are about as similar as shooting a deer is to stepping on an ant." True, she did kill that mobster, but then again that wasn't really her, was it?

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Eve frowned. "I know. But these aren't exactly men anymore, are they? And after last week..." she shrugged, though she knew Fletch remembered her breakdown after the fight, But that was because I'd almost gotten raped. "As long as I keep in mind that these guys aren't... civilized? anymore, I can do this. Don't count me out of this thing just yet."

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Chapter 2 - The Calm Before the Storm

Claire ignores the small little interchange between River and Ronny. People have secrets, she's always known this. Not all are dangerous though, and while she doesn't trust River, she trusts her own coterie even less.

Focusing back on Fletch she nods at his words.

"Well, hiding yourself can be of great use for scouting. I'm sure the army taught you that. And he's right Eve, you have to be sure about this. That goes for everyone," she says.