Encounter: Market at Midnight

[Yumyumcrow]

The witching hour lay like an unrepentant lover upon the city. Sounds became distant and the streets emptied into eerie wastelands devoid of life, yet lit with all their grandeur and harsh decadence just the same. Even the lights seemed subdued, the cast yellow pools seeming to retreat against the relentless shadows that poured from the dark corners and recesses. In the case of the lonely carpack, the shadows seemed to ooze from the underside of the great overpass that loomed overhead; the Capital City Freeway thrummed quietly like a ley line or a slumbering dragon.

Perhaps it is because the car park lies forlorn that the meet seems... exposed. Perhaps it was because the two cars closed on one another with such care, yet were so obviously not conforming to the painted grid on the scoured concrete. Maybe it was the muffled base of the third vehicle as it approached, then stopped, opposite the parking lot. Maybe it was the attitude of the tiny knot of figures congregating that suggested something secretive and out-of-place.

Perhaps it is all of these things and more. You are Kindred. You are predators. The figures that lurk at this strange meet carry that same kind of assurance. This you see: they are wary; they are open; they come to parlay.

And parlay they do on this lonely stretch of tarmac, hidden from the starry sky by the leviathan bulk of the Freeway.

Do you come to parlay?

I'm trying another Encounter. Who knows what will happen? Anyone interested in a little scene with a curious car-boot sale and its strange clientele? Step forth!

[Moonfang]

A trunk sale, or a car-boot sale as he heard a Brit call it once, was not something that you could just wander into while out on a stroll. Especially when the people organizing it don't want to be found. Often, you had to be given the word of where it was going down by someone in the know. And when some of the goods being sold aren't quite legal, it can be hard to hear about it. But always trust the word to reach an eager young blood. And trust him twice over to start blabbing about it to his friends and everyone within hearing range.

Roderick followed the freeway until he noticed the slow trickle of cars and people with clear intention in their movements, sticking out like thumbs against the vagrants who usually hang about under the rumbling shelter. It was rather unusual as well. Though he wasn't an expert on the subject, he learned when someone was sporting gang colors or markings on their skin. And the scowls that they shoot between each other made it clear that they weren't on the same team. But they wouldn't fight, fighting would only make the sellers scatter and take you off the 'Need To Know' list. An uneasy truce existed in this place for now. Sacred almost. Do your business and go.

The old soldier let his eyes scan over the wares being set out, hands in his pockets as he tries to see if anything catches his interest. Though his guard was down, he did not let that worry him. He had chosen to go with a sleeveless attire, letting him sport his tattoo a lot more clearly. Animals have markings to warn away those who might target them, and the word 'Ranger' was a clear message that the old man was a killing machine. A killing machine looking into getting a new watch.

[Jaqen]

Alexander Greystone was new to the city, and out getting his bearing of the local communal hunting grounds. He did so in his normal garb, black eyepatch in place, hair slightly salt and peppered with weather worn skin placing him at around 45 years of age most likely. The suit he wore was tailored, and accentuated a well built, tall frame. Then there was the tap of his cane which fell slowly. Not the slow fall of someone old and weary but the casual stroll of a man who walked with the sureness of someone who was very aware of his capabilities and clearly not worried about strolling through the seedier parts of town dressed for high class.

It was in this manner that he spied not to far off a rather interesting gathering taking place rather openly in an empty parking lot. He was quite sure would allow him to grab a bite, which was after all the point of the communal grounds and so he walked on. As he approached however he stopped in his tracks, and smiled coldly as his beast felt another, clearly weaker prey before him. He took a deep breath, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders calmly as he approached. It wasn't overly exaggerated and certainly not threatening, Alexander did his best to appear relaxed and gave his fellow kindred a simple yet polite nod of the head in greeting.

He was about to introduce himself when he noticed the open trunks and was momentarily distracted by the wares, weaponry in it's myriad of forms were always a favorite to the Spina after all...

[Yumyumcrow]

The two vehicles in the parking lot were set up facing one another, but with plenty of space to move between them. They were still laying out their wares when the pair of Kindred approached.

Two women there were from the first car (a large back and white mini). One, with short platinum blonde hair and a particularly sour twist to her mouth, simply leaned against the vehicle with her long trench coat wrapped around her. The other was smaller, of brown hair and brown eyes, short and homely, dressed in jeans a woollen top; she was finishing adjusting the rude display in the open trunk: a display of massive fungal blooms; most unusual succulent plants with red rimmed leaves; a book in tooled black leather; a dog eared notepad that was yellowing with age; and a sickle with a strange handle.

A man laid out his wares from the second vehicle - a ford that had seen better days with its mismatched wings and three colour schemes. He was dressed in jeans but any hope of discretion was lost with his ostentatious boots and shirt with its beautiful scrollwork. A trove of rings glinted on his left hand. He took the longest to set up his display: a series of labelled tupperware and dark bottles that seemed like relics lifted from a freak show of old; a cheaply bound and water-damaged hardback book; a mysterious skull; and an old knife with a knuckle-duster built into its handle.

Ostentatious Man and Homely Woman were about to confer when the Roderick and Alexander drew near. The Platinum Blonde affected to notice them with a jerk of her head and a loud cough. Eyes outlined in kohl locked onto them, searchingly. With another chin-jut she indicated that they passed muster and were welcome.

"Hi!" Homely chirruped happily, a wide smile blossoming on her face.

"Hey," Ostentatious greeted with a gravelly, droll, voice. "Come to have a browse from old Pete? Step right up then. Pity you don't have anything to trade, but I guess we can work out something with cold hard cash." He stepped up to his display, channeling for a moment the aspect of the door-to-door salesman of old. He flashed a grin replete with gold teeth.

The two Kindred's approach was the dam breaking. Two figures exited the third vehicle from its resting place in the street: a stiff woman in a wrap, laden with bling and ornaments, and a stout fellow whose appearance marked him as the member of a gang. Roderick and Alexander could also feel the press of another, unknown, Beast drawing near.

[Moonfang]

Roderick returned the smile with a small one of his own as he walked towards the man's car a few steps. "That sounds like an idea," he started before turning on his heel and directing himself to the woman's car instead, "after I see what she has to offer first. I hope I don't spend all my money there." He gives the man a larger smile as he passes him before focusing on the woman's wares. All in all, it didn't seem like much except for the sickle. An odd looking item, he took a closer look at it.

   Giving the sickle a once over.(Fail)

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-02-02 01:08:18		Roderick rolls 4 to give the sickle a look. (10 Again)		4, 3, 5, 4		failure

All in all, he didn't see much about it aside from that it was a sickle and the handle was unusual. He straightened up and turned his attention on the rest of the wares, feeling like giving the showy man a bit more time to sweat.

   Giving the rest of the wares a closer look (2 successes)

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-02-02 01:08:18		Roderick rolls 4 to give the sickle a look. (10 Again)		4, 3, 5, 4		failure

[Jaqen]

Alexander had been looking over the wares at the car closest to him, he kept an eye on everyone simply out of habit, if anyone noticed the majority of the bodies present were kept in his peripheries. That was until he turned his attention to a curious leather bound book in the trunk of the ladies car which he picked up and flipped through attempting to discern the contents therein.

   1 suxx to look for anything interesting with a quick scan

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-02-02 18:36:50		Alexander Greystone rolls 5 to wits+academics (10 Again)		3, 9, 5, 4, 1		1 success

[Yumyumcrow]

Roderick

From what the old soldier can make out, the sickle is a plain, functional, and very sharp, sickle. Apart from the unusually dark metal of its haft and blade, and the length of the haft with its curious spikes, there is little he can make out. He suspects that there is probably a specific method of handling the sickle as a weapon, given the length of the haft, but other than that, the object is a mystery.

The beautifully crafted leather book would be worth looking at, he supposed, but Alexander was already leafing through its thick card pages. That left the fungal blooms - a selection of thick, crusty, ridges, and large mushrooms almost the size of his fist. Whatever they were, they had been well cultivated, he could tell that much. The entire selection reeks of the earth, and of ash... and blood. He can't be certain without a closer inspection, but their shape and colour is unknown to him.

The same could be said of the plants, which he could not place. It was not impossible to have red hued leaves, but the arrangement of the leaves and the great funnel-like flower were definitely beyond his knowledge. A sweet scent oozed from the plant - a heavy perfume that hung over the display.

Last of all is the notepad - its old, worn, barely holding together. Sacramento Mysteries is neatly inscribed on the cover. Each page is filled with tight, flowing script and line drawings - places and people mostly; once a copy of a partial seal or symbol. Here and there, newspaper clippings have been inserted by paste or staple. However, by the end of the notepad, the neat layout falls away and the writing degenerates into a crabbed, mad, scrawl.

Alexander

The book is a beautiful thing: supple, well tooled leather; black card pages with inserts for photographs. No damage. No scent of mould - only a faint hint of apple. The photographs, though, are a most unusual collection. The collection depicts members of a family and their house, yet many of the images are of a singular strange nature with unusual blotches, marks, and double exposures - not the sort of thing one would place in an obviously expensive family album. It takes a few moments for the wheels in Alexander's mind to turn and he ponders the possibility that the collection is an example of Kirlian photography, which he then dismisses. After all, Kirlian photography was explored in the 1950s and 1960s, yet the family appears to be from the Gilded Age rather than the mid twentieth century.

Like Roderick, Alexander casts his eye over the display in the trunk but he had little interest in mushrooms and fungi. The plant's attracted his eye because of its unusual appearance and the sweet aroma that tantalised his senses. There is the notepad, now being handled by Roderick - the Spina has no idea why such a dog eared and tatty thing would be on a market stall - even one as suspicious-looking as this.

The sickle stands out simply because of its unusual shape: it doesn't look like a working tool with its unusual haft. The weapon-master in the Spina idly considers how one would best wield it while he flicks through the photo album's card pages. Of course, if he were seeking weapons, the knife in the Ostentatious Man's display would be the logical choice: it was actually configured properly...

Given the strange display, Alexander ponders if he has somehow stumbled upon an underground occult market, what with its skulls, odd implements, and -dare he say it- reagents? The Spina has to stifle a chuckle at the book in the Ostentatious Man's display: a water damaged copy of The Necrotelenomicon for Warlocks and Warrors, 2nd Edition, is really going to help buttress one's credentials...

[Jaqen]

"These wares look quite...interesting. But I'm afraid it's all a little outside my sphere of knowledge or interest. I'm a bit more practical, myself. I bid you all a good evening." he said after giving the wares a once over. When he approached he had expected weapons, or drugs...this was all a little too strange for Greystones taste. He gave another nod toward Roderick, whom he still hadn't gotten the chance to introduce himself to...this, sadly was not the time or place it would seem. Some other night however...

As the old weapons master walked off in search of better hunting, a truck that would possibly look familiar to Roderick pulled up. It was a bit old, but the engine purred like a kitten, it's lights were turned off and when Korvin stepped out, the Dragon looked more than a little excited. The Romani were infamously superstitious in life, and given that the Angustries were exclusively a family of Ghouls who Embraced directly into the Ordo Dracul it was no surprise to see Korvin exiting his truck.

He had heard through the grape vine about this little meeting, and was entirely to eager to see if what they had here was of any worth. As he stepped out he felt a familiar beast, one he'd seen in the mall, court and of course most recently with the issues going on at a local strip club. He didn't say his name when he approached Rodderick, such things were incredibly bad form at these sort of markets but he did wave and give a smile as he approached... I had no idea he traveled in occult circles...perhaps he's more interesting than I pegged him for. thought the Shadow as he adjusted his fedora and vest while he looked over the wares.

In this sort of business environment a forgery or fake were often knowingly, or unknowingly by some poor fools, passed on as the real deal. He turned on his Auspex as a means of picking up anything off about the wares, not being able to do more than maximize his physical senses...but sometimes that was enough. It also allowed him the ability to not touch things he wasn't sure of what they did. If an object was cursed, or had any sort of ill effects they were most often passed on through touch. With a critical eye he examined all the wares in the Ostentatious mans trunk first.

   3 suxx wits+occult

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-02-03 04:25:43		Korvin Angustri rolls 6 to Wits+Occult (10 Again)		5, 9, 10, 10, 1, 5, 7, 6		3 successes

[Yumyumcrow]

Korvin

Korvin stares. And the more he stares, the more he confirms, in his own mind, that this really is an authentic occult market. The tupperware tubs contain a rich mix of stuff: knick knacks and charms; string; buttons; leaves; powders; small candles of various colours. Korvin knows what he's staring at: the materials of spell craft.

The other materials just get progressively stranger. The jars, he can tell, are all sealed: some with wax, some with bindings of twine, hair, or metal. They were all labelled, the dockets now crumbling and dog eared. He can hear them whispering to one another. The skull could be anything - a grizzly find all charred and inscribed with whorls and lines.

The book is laughable - except when it isn't. It just a battered old hard backed book, cheaply bound: a game book of some kind that has suffered heavy water damage. Briefly, he considers some of the old, lurid, tales of role playing games, handed to him second or third hand through the grapevine or as anecdotal stories told at campfires. Some of those tales though, spoke of books that actually were the genuine article. Could this book be one of those? It certainly looked the part, bearing a gravitas that overcome its incredible title and its warped bindings. The book seemed to sit there... waiting.

The knife looked just like a knife with a knuckle duster built into the handle. Who knew what else it could do.

The Scene

The Kindred did not move in isolation. The gangster and the woman in the wrap arrived with the soft crush of expensive sneakers and the clink of bling-on-bling (the chunky red-gold crucifix hanging from her neck gleamed in the dim light). The gangster hung back while the woman examined the wares with haughty aloofness.

There came the tap-tapping of a cane. A woman - a vampire - drew near, her Beast stalking around theirs. Blindfolded with a blue and white bandanna, she made her way with the use of her cane and the seeing eye dog that huffed and panted contentedly at her side. She approached softly, sporting a large bag, with her head lilting to one side as she worked out where people were by the few sounds they made.

The platinum blonde stirred. The homely woman frowned slightly and pursed her lips. "Err... You'd be Blind Betty, right? Ah. I'm Happy Homemaker5000. I guess you made it."

[Moonfang]

  Can't recognize a thing. (Fail)

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-02-04 04:30:13		Roderick rolls 3 to scan the contents of the notebook for vampire signs. (10 Again)		1, 1, 1		failure

Roderick shrugged and put the book back in place, having not found anything of interest. Though it seemed that something of interest had found him. A blind Kindred? Haven't seen or heard of her. The entire setup was leaving Roderick with an uneasy feeling in his stomach made worse with the lack of knowledge on the situation. Instead, he gave a small wave as he departed the Homely woman's trunk and headed around to the man's.

As he came around, he saw someone he did recognize and believed he could trust. Coming around to the side, he made a show of looking at the contents before giving a shake of his head, "More junk it seems." He smiles up to Korvin as he starts to walk around and towards him, "Don't let them weasel you out of your cash." He hoped that to an outsider it would look like a passing remark as he walked behind Korvin and whispered a quick request, 'Watch the blind one.' He was putting a lot of trust in Vampire hearing.

He was a soldier, not an intelligence officer. Not a spy or any of that. He had came here expecting to find a few weapons on the cheap and instead ran into weird central. He needed to confer to those of a different practice. Thankfully, he just got a number for one some time ago.

Roderick is stepping out of the posting for a bit but he will be nearby.