Arnold Culler knocks on the door to Ishani's office at the Lily. After the incident at the Chapter House they had arranged to meet here a few nights later.

Ishani opens the door with a smile. "Good evening Reeve, please come in." She turns and walks back into the office, taking a seat on the couch in front of the large television. She motions for him to close the door and have a seat.

"I hope you are doing well. What is it that you needed to speak with me about?"

Arnold has a seat "I'm doing well, Ishani, thank you for asking. I've actually been meaning to ask something of a favor from you."

"Recently I've been thinking that my investigations might be more successful if I am not bound by my mundane senses alone. I'm here to ask if you could see to it to educate me in the basics of Auspex. The enhanced sight, sound, and smells, I reason, will help reveal the most innocuous details to me."

"I understand that this discipline is the trademark of your clan, and I would not be at all upset if you decided to refuse."

Arnold watches, smiling lightly, waiting for her response.

Ishani thinks about this for a moment before responding to Arnold. "Well, while I do not think some in my clan would approve of me teaching you how to utalize your senses to their fullest capacity, I also know from personal experience how much it does enhance your ability to do your job with more efficiency. As I am the one who recommended you for the position in the first place, I feel kind of obligated to help you out in any way that I can. So, that being said, I would be more then happy to assist you with learning this technique. When would you like to begin?"

Arnold nods, smiling. He's obviously somewhat delighted that she's agreed to help. "As soon as we can. Now, if possible. Time is of the essence, as I'm sure you know. Will that be alright?"

Ishani nods and tucks her legs under her, sitting up on her knees on the couch. She knee-walks over to sit behind Arnold. "Yes, that will be fine. Now, close your eyes. I am going to first concentrate on your sense of hearing if that is all right. I am going to make very soft noises and louder noises. I want you to concentrate on the sounds around you. Focus on them completly. There is nothing in this room but the sounds. If you hear me, raise your right hand."

She waits for Arnold to close his eyes and settle himself. Giving him a couple of moments to concentrate, she begins. First she just makes some regular volume humming noises. When his hand goes up, she begins to make softer sounds. Light breathing, subtle shifts on the couch, her toes curling, things that he would not normally hear without a heightened sense of hearing. Once she thinks she has his full concentration, she sits very still and forces the blood to move through her veins. She causes her heart to begin beating and waits to see if he responds to that.

Arnold relaxes, willing the noise in his mind to cease. His arms sit limply on the arms of the chair, until he hears her humming. He raises his hand when he hears that, letting it fall when he can no longer hear her.

For a while after the humming all Arnold can perceive is silence. He strains his focus, attempting to will his senses to perfection. After a while it's like his mind is inventing sounds, impossibly minute sounds that are far beyond the scope of his senses.

And then Ishani's heartbeat comes through, like some ancient tribal drum.

Arnold's hand shoots up into the air.

Ishani smiles, glad to see he was picking it up so quickly. "Good, now keep your eyes closed. I am going to hand you something. I want you to concentrate and try to feel the texture of it. Try to pin point what kind of material it is, or what it might be."

She hands him a box with intricate carvings on the outside of it. The box is a puzzle box and can only be opened in a very specific manner. Ishani knew how to open it by touch as it was something her sire had given her to learn how to use her heightened sense of touch effectively. Once Arnold figured out what it was, she would see if he could find the way to open it.

Arnold takes the box in his hands, turning it over and feeling it. Rubbing his fingers along the the carvings. His nails try at the edges of the box, and his brow furrows though his eyes remain closed.

"It feels to me like a wooden box. Carved... quite carefully. Intricately. Does it open? I feel small cracks and grooves where it might, but it seems so solid."

She nods then realizes he can't see her. "Yes, it opens. See if you can find the catch and open it. I will warn you though, that box took me years to figure out. My sire gave it to me to hone my sense of touch. If you'd like, you can take it with you to continue to practice. But we should move on for now. Open your eyes."

She stands and moves over to a sliding glass door hidden by a thick curtain. She pulls aside the curtain, revealing a rather nice view. She points out the door. "I want you to come here and tell me what you see. Just look at the things you can see at first, then try to expand your vision. Like when you zoom in on a camera."

Arnold opens his eyes, though he continues to turn the box over in his hands. After a final glance at the box he places it on the table, stands, and walks over to Ishani at the window.

He stares outside, and after a moment he says "I see Sacramento at night. Its buildings. I can see cars passing on the street, and a few pedestrians..."

He focuses, willing his eyes to zoom in, squinting. He tries to expand his vision, like Ishani said. However, after a moment he sighs and shakes his head. He rubs his eyes. "It's not as easy as you make it sound."

Ishani smiles at him knowingly. "It never is. It will take a lot of practice. It took Asa quite a bit of time to get the hang of it as well. If you think this is hard, wait until you start reading auras. That is a serious pain in the ass until you figure out what it all means."

She goes back to the coffee table and picks up the box, handing it to him. "I would suggest a lot of practice. Use the techniques I just showed you. When you think you have that down, come and see me and we will test your senses. Then, if you master it, we'll start on the next level."

Arnold takes the box, looking it over for a second before placing it carefully in his pocket. "I'll practice every night. Hopefully, soon, I'll return this to you - opened. Until then, thank you, Ishani, for all your help. If there's ever anything I can do for you, please just ask."

Ishani gives Arornold a wicked grin. "Oh don't worry, I will. But I need my Reeve to be able to do what I can do so he isn't calling me in all the time. So, I am very happy to assist. Oh yeah, by the way, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. Would it be a problem if I stole your Deputy? I was thinking of asking Asa if he would promote him to Hound because we could really use him in that are, but I didn't want it done without your consent."

"I do not mind, I suppose, though it may be difficult to replace him. I do not much like the crop of Kindred that have come to this city, and those I do like I do not know well enough to trust them with such a position. Of course, there are exceptions."

"It's actually nice to see Konstantin's star continuing to rise. It seems I made a good decision in sponsoring him."

"What of Lady Twist? Would Konstantin be replacing her or does Prince Clarke simply wish to employ a second Hound?"

Ishani shakes her head. "Oh no, Prince Clarke would just like another Hound. I will be keeping my eyes open as well. If I see any good canidat4es for a new Deputy, I will be sure to let you know. And thank you, Arnold. I appreciate the sacrifice."

Arnold nods "You're welcome. Thanks again, Ishani. Goodnight." Arnold leave the office, one hand in his pocket feeling the puzzle box.