It's a small world after all (Jake, pre-dawn Wed. 4/4/07)

[Detritus]

You and Sarah follow Dee Dee a few blocks to a meeting point she arranges on her cell phone with someone.

"Our ride will be here in about 5 minutes," she says to you. "We should probably get a look at the place before making our move. After that, it's your show. How do you want to handle this?"

[Chimaera]

"Well, we should get a sense of whether or not anyone's home, if it's even a home at all. I'm hoping there's nobody there, personally. But if there is, let's see if charm gets us in the door first. If worse comes to worse, we can always fall back on capital "C" charm. If that doesn't work... Well, I'm assuming you're armed?"

[Detritus]

"Yeah, seeing if anyone is home is good," says Dee Dee. "We should probably get dropped off a few blocks from the target site and approach by foot. We'll leave it to you to talk your way in if someone's home. If that doesn't work, I've got a gun for mortal opposition, and a knife for immortal opposition."

"Also, I can kill you with my brain," Sarah says, grinning.

[Chimaera]

"Yeah, seeing if anyone is home is good," says Dee Dee. "We should probably get dropped off a few blocks from the target site and approach by foot. We'll leave it to you to talk your way in if someone's home. If that doesn't work, I've got a gun for mortal opposition, and a knife for immortal opposition."

"Also, I can kill you with my brain," Sarah says, grinning.

"Awesome".

Jake checks his pistol.

"I can irritate people with my gun."

He grins.

((OOC: So far as I know, we're doing the gear pick up tomorrow night, game-time, right?))

[Detritus]

"Awesome".

Jake checks his pistol.

"I can irritate people with my gun."

He grins.
"OK," says Dee Dee, "let's see what the remainder of the night brings us."

A white Toyota Camry comes to pick you up. The Sheriff rides shotgun, leaving you and Sarah to ride in back. You get dropped off just after crossing the river, at the corner of Moss and Dumaine. It's about a three-block walk to the target address.

When you arrive at the corner of St. Ann and N Rendon, you find a duplex shotgun shack. There are lights on in the unit further from Rendon St.

"Well, someone's up and about," says Dee Dee. "I guess it's time to turn on the charm. I'd advise that everyone keep in sight of the door, and turn on your Aura Reading after Jake's knock gets answered."

((OOC: So far as I know, we're doing the gear pick up tomorrow night, game-time, right?))
That's correct.

[Chimaera]

Jake strolls casually to the door, scanning any windows to see if can catch a glimpse of anyone or anything. Upon reaching the door, he knocks (or rings the doorbell, as appropriate).

[Detritus]

You do catch a view of someone sitting at a fairly elaborate home office setup. His face is mostly obscured, but you catch sight of a headset, so maybe it's a gaming station instead of for office work.

You have to ring the bell a couple of times before the door gets answered. A tall, lanky guy with scruffy mouse brown hair and wire-rim spectacles answers. He's dressed in jeans, a dingy plain white T-shirt, and gym socks, and he's still wearing his headset when he answers the door, though the mouthpiece is turned up away from his mouth. He's got a bit of acne and doesn't look to be much over 20.

"Yeah?" he asks.

[Detritus]

A feeling, a sense of foreboding, comes over you. You're not sure why, but it stills your tongue.

"Dude, look, I just got my hunter to 70th level, and this, um, conversation is taking up prime time in the arena. You got anything to say?"

"Are you just going to stand there with the door open until sunrise, Bobby dear?" The words slice through you like a knife of ice, chilling you to the bone, as you hear the dulcet tones of your sire's voice. A moment later the door opens wider, and Annie stands at "Bobby's" side.

"Hmm, what do we have here?" she asks, though her face betrays no hint of recognition.

[Chimaera]

<OOC>Uhm... Holy shit!! *furiously attempts to untie tongue*</OOC>

[Detritus]

<OOC>Uhm... Holy shit!! *furiously attempts to untie tongue*</OOC>
Making up a portrait for Jake's sire wasn't just an excuse to trawl Google Images for Anne Hathaway pics, though that didn't hurt. ;)

In addition to fixing her appearance, I'm also going to say that Jake hadn't seen Annie for at least a couple of months before fleeing Miami. He didn't know why at the time, but he's starting to get an idea as to why now.

Also, Sarah and Dee Dee are on the same side of the street as Jake, but at the opposite end of the 3200 block of St. Ann. Sarah is more or less facing the duplex unit and Dee Dee is facing away, but you get the feeling she's still managing to watch the proceedings somehow.

[Detritus]

Bobby's spectacles have slipped down his nose a bit, and he peers at you a bit curiously over his glasses.

"Well, he's a Lick, whoever he is," he says to Annie. "Who sent you? Mr. J. said I'd be left alone."

[Chimaera]

"The name is Jake. Mr. J is dead. I'm here to wrap up his affairs."

[Detritus]

"Dead?" asks Bobby. He's definitely surprised. "Did I get an inheritance?"

Annie seems to be following the conversation with interest, but doesn't add anything for the moment.

[Chimaera]

"Dead?" asks Bobby. He's definitely surprised. "Did I get an inheritance?"

Annie seems to be following the conversation with interest, but doesn't add anything for the moment.

"Well, we're still sorting all of it out. This all happened rather suddenly and we're trying to figure things out ourselves. May I come in? We have a lot of things to talk about."

[Detritus]

"Well, we're still sorting all of it out. This all happened rather suddenly and we're trying to figure things out ourselves. May I come in? We have a lot of things to talk about."
"You still haven't told me who sent you," Bobby replies. "Mr. J. never mentioned anyone like you to me."

"Who is in charge of New Orleans now?" Annie asks.

[Chimaera]

"You still haven't told me who sent you," Bobby replies. "Mr. J. never mentioned anyone like you to me."

"I get that. You'll perhaps appreciate that he never mentioned you either. So perhaps we can have a little chat and have both of our questions answered."

"Who is in charge of New Orleans now?" Annie asks.

"The person who sent me. Now, if y'all don't mind, things are a bit one-sided at the moment."

Jake looks back at Bobby.

"If you're uncomfortable with meeting in your home, we can hit a cafe or diner or something. A nice, neutral, public location. But I have questions that need to be answered. It sounds like you have questions too. So why don't we see if we can't help each other out a little?"

[Detritus]

"The person in charge sent you," Annie echoes to you. "Lovely. That person wouldn't happen to be a member of the Sabbat, would he?"

Bobby looks at Annie for a second and then gives you a suspicious little squint.

"When was the last time you spoke to Mr. J?"

[Detritus]

((It occurs to Jake that if the others don't know who's in charge in New Orleans, chances are pretty good that they haven't presented themselves to the new Prince. And despite his relative newness to the Camarilla side of things, he has some recollection that it's basically the Sheriff's job to ensure that all Kindred in the city adhere to the Traditions. Annie surely realizes this, and is basically just fucking with you, but it's unclear whether Bobby understands the issue. It'll be your call as to whether Jake goes back with Dee Dee, assuming you can talk Annie and Bobby into complying.))

[Chimaera]

(OOC -- I've been presuming that this kid with Annie is a mortal. Is this a mistake on my part?)

[Detritus]

(OOC -- I've been presuming that this kid with Annie is a mortal. Is this a mistake on my part?)
He used the term "Lick," which is synonymous with Kindred, but tends to be used mostly by more recently Embraced vampires. So, he's probably a vampire, based on Jake's present in-character knowledge. It would take Aura Perception to know for sure, or you can just stay pretty sure based on the kid's choice of words.

[Chimaera]

(OOC -- Sorry to have been so slow -- a combination of factors, including an honest-to-goodness case of RP-block -- I'm trying to speed it up)

Jake rolls his eyes briefly at Annie's comment, then gives her a condescending wink and a smirk.

"Mr. J has been dead longer than I've been in the city. Seems to me that you should've been more up-to-date than me, hm? It's looking more and more like we need to talk. I mean, I don't need to remind you [looking at Annie] about how things are done. How long have you been in town, A-Bomb? We really need to chat."

[Detritus]

"I'm afraid I don't spend much time at court," Annie says, "it's normally a dreadful bore. If there's still even a court now, that is, I could be behind the times. But I do know enough not to be so credulous as to believe someone's claim that they're backed by the people in charge based on a mouthful of half-answers."

"A-bomb..." Bobby says. "You two know each other?"

"Hmm, didn't I say? I made him one of us," Annie says, smiling a too-sweet smile. "A smoother talker, or bigger conniver, you won't find."

Bobby stares at you for a bit, and you can almost imagine the lovely shade of green he must be turning into on the inside.

"She's right, dude, bullshit walks. How do we even know that Mr. J. is really gone?"

[Chimaera]

"By all means, don't believe me. Don't take me up on my oh-so-unreasonable offer to chat in a neutral, public place of your choosing. Persist in flouting Camarilla law. It really is no skin off my nose. What possible proof could I bring you? A small handful of ash? Whatever, dude. I've discharged my obligation here. No doubt someone else will come by to sort out exactly what the nature of your relationship with Mr. J was and what you did for him, as well as the nature of your involvement with one of the more rebellious members of the family. Do enjoy that."

Jake turns to go.

[Detritus]

The door slams behind you once you take a couple steps away.

[Chimaera]

OOC: #@$%ing hell... So much for my bluff...

Jake immediately approaches Dee Dee and Sarah and fills them in.

"What now? This is a lot more complicated now. Should we whistle up some enforcers and make this personal?"

[Detritus]

Jake immediately approaches Dee Dee and Sarah and fills them in.

"What now? This is a lot more complicated now. Should we whistle up some enforcers and make this personal?"
"We are the enforcers," Dee Dee says with a smile. She turns serious after a look towards the house.

"So your sire is in town, is she? We've still got a few options. We can do a little asking around, see what the other Kindred in the city know about them. We could just Summon them to the mansion, I'm sure Rebekka will be interested. You'd be the best option for your sire, if you've got the know-how. Or we could just haul them in directly. How rough does Annie like to play?" The Sheriff looks at the house again.

"From what you've described, I wonder if Mr. Johnson Embraced this Bobby kid on the down-low. It's pretty damn peculiar that Annie would end up with him. Did she ever mention to you who her sire was?"

[Chimaera]

"We are the enforcers," Dee Dee says with a smile. She turns serious after a look towards the house.

"So your sire is in town, is she? We've still got a few options. We can do a little asking around, see what the other Kindred in the city know about them. We could just Summon them to the mansion, I'm sure Rebekka will be interested. You'd be the best option for your sire, if you've got the know-how. Or we could just haul them in directly. How rough does Annie like to play?" The Sheriff looks at the house again.

OOC: This would be a place where I need some GM input -- Annie is a bit of a rebel, but I'm not sure how to answer the question. Also, I've got Summoning -- would I be strong enough to summon my own sire?

"From what you've described, I wonder if Mr. Johnson Embraced this Bobby kid on the down-low. It's pretty damn peculiar that Annie would end up with him. Did she ever mention to you who her sire was?"

"It certainly does look like Mr. J had a little side-project going here. And no, Annie never talked about her own Embrace. She mostly kept me in the dark about Kindred society in general and her history in specific."

[Detritus]

OOC: This would be a place where I need some GM input -- Annie is a bit of a rebel, but I'm not sure how to answer the question. Also, I've got Summoning -- would I be strong enough to summon my own sire?
Let's just roll with nothing on Annie's history, to Jake's knowledge. Summoning Annie will work fine for Jake.

"It certainly does look like Mr. J had a little side-project going here. And no, Annie never talked about her own Embrace. She mostly kept me in the dark about Kindred society in general and her history in specific."
"You're 10th generation, aren't you?" Sarah asks out of the blue. "That's two steps away from Mr. Johnson."

[Chimaera]

"So your sire is in town, is she? We've still got a few options. We can do a little asking around, see what the other Kindred in the city know about them. We could just Summon them to the mansion, I'm sure Rebekka will be interested. You'd be the best option for your sire, if you've got the know-how. Or we could just haul them in directly. How rough does Annie like to play?" The Sheriff looks at the house again.

"I couldn't tell you, but I'd be ready for a fight, just in case. She's a rogue. As for Summoning, I can do that, if that's the way you want to do this."

"You're 10th generation, aren't you?" Sarah asks out of the blue. "That's two steps away from Mr. Johnson."

Jake blinks.

"Uhm, I'd never thought of that particular possible permutation before."

[Detritus]

"Ah, there's the Tremere precocity I've heard so much about," the Sheriff says. "Although that would help explain how they ended up together, I have to admit. Maybe we should head back, ask our questions, and then Summon the pair to the mansion before sunrise. The timing might make them both sweat a little if we sit on it a bit.

"Did Annie ever give you or use any aliases? Or a full name? Might help cut down on confusion when we poll the New Orleans long-timers."

((Make up whatever you see fit here, or nothing, if that suits you.))

[Chimaera]

"Sorry, guys, I got nothing. I called her A-Bomb sometimes, because she's fucking crazy sometimes, but honestly, she kept me in the dark. Full-on mushroom treatment."

[Detritus]

"Don't sweat it," replies Dee Dee, "I'm sure we can figure something out. Let's head back, we've got some catching up to do."

Dee Dee leads you back to the dropoff point, and the driver ferries you back to the mansion.

[Chimaera]

OOC: Heh heh heh... Jake swings and misses... :D

[Detritus]

OOC: Heh heh heh... Jake swings and misses... :D
Heh. His tack might have worked if Annie weren't around, actually. However, I've kind of adopted a policy of bringing potential NPC antagonists into play ASAP, especially if there are disad. points taken for them, else they aren't much of a disadvantage.

On the plus side, Jake's about to find himself pretty deep into Toreador clan politics shortly. ;)

[Chimaera]

Heh. His tack might have worked if Annie weren't around, actually. However, I've kind of adopted a policy of bringing potential NPC antagonists into play ASAP, especially if there are disad. points taken for them, else they aren't much of a disadvantage.

I think that that is a sound policy.

On the plus side, Jake's about to find himself pretty deep into Toreador clan politics shortly. ;)

This should be good. :)