Ack: Douglas Fischer

**Martha Villiers** · Mar 30th, 2014 03:23 PM

One of the more useful Elysian staff helps out new arrivals by discreetly directly Kindred towards The Stairs.

The Stairs lead away from the mortal nightclub to a subterranean area set aside for Kindred use...

Anyone descending The Stairs will detect the tangy aroma of freshly squeezed lemons wafts up from the sub-space.

Once at the foot of The Stairs a new arrival can see the layout more properly.

http://nwod.org/wiki/index.php/Avalon_Underground

In the cellar vault beneath the nightclub the lights are low. The silence is almost tangible.

A calm atmosphere prevails.

Recessed lamps cast a soft glow and the bright and rich scent of freshly made lemonade and squeezed lemons fills the air.

A Latin motto is inscribed over the doorway as one descends The Stairs. It reads in delicate silver lettering: "Per Ardua Ad Astra" ~ through struggle, to the Stars.

The Court area is decorated with long black and purple silken drapes cascading from floor to ceiling. Draped in elegant bunches and gathered into valances across door frames and between supporting pillars.

There's a rich and lingering scent of exotic rose incense; the lighting is intentionally low.

A delicately painted pattern and illustrations of ancient and strange Zodiacs adorn the ceiling.

Adorning the walls and carefully lit are truly large digital prints of NASA's renderings of the largest galactic entities and the very farthest reaches of Deep Space.

Martha's costume and attire for the evening seems almost fully black. A long velvet hooded cloak. Her cane is resting across her lap. She's shunned her Blush of Life.

As she sits, it's obvious that she's probably wearing a pair of thigh high boots. Her sturdy leather gloves are, however, more obvious.

To those initiated into the mysteries of the Marvel Universe Martha's dressed as Selene, the psychic vampire Black Queen of the Hellfire Club.

There's a simple coffee table in front of her along with notes, printed out copies of maps of Sacramento and copies of many US newspapers and various academic periodicals.

Martha is currently, carefully, delicately, assembling a 'Fine Molds' 1:144 scale model of the Millennium Falcon...

Bean

Apr 1st, 2014 12:15 AM

Douglas enters the still familiar Avalon having donned his usual attire of the classic suit. Part of the benefit of being Damned was that you never had to get new clothes if you took care of your old ones, though of course Douglas would never think such a sinful thought. He would just take advantage of it. He wore his usual crucifix pendent, though all that could be seen of it is its silvery chain, though one would have to be quite observant to distinguish that from his silvery pale skin.

A staff member seemed to recognize his purpose and began leading him through the Elysium. He found that he enjoyed the thematic decor that he passed, though he did not think to smell the aroma of the area, a habit that he lost years ago.

He enters in on Martha, as directed by the staff member, and seeing her concentration closes the door quietly and patiently. "Good evening." He speaks quietly, though his voice still has a bit of a higher pitch to it. His hands are laced in front of him and he has something that might pass for a smile on his face. He noticed a distinct absence in the room, but he has learned that in this night and age, that didn't necessarily mean anything any more.

**Martha Villiers** · Apr 1st, 2014 12:29 AM

Martha looked up from her model making and rubbed at her crippled thigh. She nodded a greeting to Douglas as she gripped harder at her false knee.

"Ah..." she chirped, "...good evening, sir! Mr Fischer! Well, well! I...do hope you are in good health, sir!" she added. "Won't you please be seated?" she added a small hand gesture, inviting him to find a chair at his leisure.

"You find me engaged in a small pass-time of mine!" she added a small giggle and her hands went back to rubbing at her false thigh.

A bashful smile was in evidence.

Apr 1st, 2014 12:48 AM

Douglas nodded his thanks and took his seat across her. It is probably strange to see a Kindred who looks tired, but he somehow manages to hint at it. "I don't particularly have a choice but to be in good health I suspect. But I appreciate your well-wishes all the same." Settling in his seat, he leans forward to inspect her model.

"Ah, you are into Star Trek I see. It looks like it's coming along quite nicely there ma'am." The ma'am at the end of the sentence made him sound boyish despite his age. Ever he noticed it.

"I hope that doesn't mean it is a bad time?" He didn't look at her prosthetic. He didn't think about it. He didn't want to.

**Martha Villiers** · Apr 1st, 2014 01:04 AM

Martha didn't want to correct him on his confusion of Star Trek with Star Wars...she had suffered enough at the hands of overzealous didacts at the comic shop to know what that humiliation felt like.

Instead she added a merry "Thank you!" as he praised her model.

But she found a need to grip again at her leg and offered a meek smile.

"Oh...I...no, sir...you are not interrupting anything and are very welcome to stay!" she tried a shy smile as she rubbed harder at her leg.

"It is good to see you again, sir...I wonder, how may I be of assistance?" she asks quietly, wondering at his stares and demeanor.

Apr 1st, 2014 04:51 PM

Is she trying to get me to acknowledge it? Strange. Douglas continued to refuse to even look at the prosthetic that Martha was continuously and now vigorously rubbing. He also mused on her accent, clearly English, as it was one that he had not often heard since he died. He rather liked it.

"Yes ma'am, I came to you because I would like to stay here in the domain of Sacramento again. Of course my leave was nearly two years ago so I decided that perhaps it would be appropriate to present myself again." His voice had a tone which seemed to focus heavily on being proper or at least very polite. His eyes stays on her face, though not fixated entirely on her eyes, bouncing from facial features occasionally such as on her mouth when she spoke. He consciously did this to ensure she knew he was paying attention to her entirely.

"Perhaps you could assist me which any customs that have changed, or possibly a contact that I may find helpful?"

**Martha Villiers** · Apr 1st, 2014 10:40 PM

Martha is a little perturbed. Douglas' full focus on her eyes and lips only heightens her anxiety.

She grabs the hems of her long dark cloak and folds it about herself. Trying a shy smile.

"Yes...yes, of course...I should be delighted to help you!"

"I have a Presentation to show you..." she blinks and tries to relax a little. Still keeping her cloak wrapped about her, she ponders the struggle ahead to stand.

"Do...do you wish to sit and talk a while, sir...or shall we dive right in to the Presentation?" a shy giggle.

Apr 2nd, 2014 12:45 AM

"You're in charge ma'am. I would never challenge your authority by suggesting otherwise." He bows his as he says this to show perhaps a strange level of reverence toward her. He is still paying a strong amount of attention to her as this was an important moment to him. When his head returns to its standard height, his eyes are again fixed on her face, continuing his refusal to look at or acknowledge the existence of her prosthetic. "I am also at your disposal to ask any questions you like."

Wits + Empathy (1 Success)

"Pardon me, have I offended you in some way? I of course intend nothing of the sort ma'am." The concern on his face appears genuine.

**Chrisie** · Apr 2nd, 2014 02:39 AM

Confronted by the question, she tries a shy smile.

Douglas can deduce she's anxious and bewildered.

"Oh...er...offended? No. No, sir. I am not offended, but...in honesty, sir, I wonder...are my eyes and lips of some special interest? Forgive me, please do...I don't mean to pry, but, you see, your gaze seems most fixed upon them." she decides to come clean with her question and adds a sincere and friendly giggle to take the edge off her question.

She was used to unusual stares from people; but not to her eyes or lips.

Apr 2nd, 2014 02:52 AM

"No ma'am of course not!" His eyes dart down to the floor below his feet. "I mean they are lovely. I just thought it was appropriate to look at you in the eye when we conversed. Forgive my assumption."

His eyes remain on the floor. What a pretty pattern this carpet has.

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-04-02 00:41:09		Douglas Fischer rolls 5 to Wits + Emp (10 Again)		6, 5, 3, 7, 10, 5		1 success