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August and the Bishop

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  1. #1
    Jaqen's Avatar

    Katsuro Tomori

    It's been some time since August had met the Regent-Reeve-Bishop-Priscus-allthetitles Connery. It was all the titles that made August slightly nervous, but only slightly. He hadn't introduced himself as well as he had hoped, and decided it was best to make amends. Then there was the fact he wanted to keep relationships well with the local Lancea Sanctum. Indeed, this would be an interesting meeting, regardless.

    He took a moment before confidently knocking on the Reeve's office door then waited to be allowed entrance.



    Wolven Pryde Tags!
    Katsuro Tomori Presence 1 (Reserved) H:7 V:5 (Blush) W:6 French Japanese English

  2. #2
    Dillon Connery's Avatar

    Onward Christian Soldier
    DILLON CONNERY

    Regent of Valencia
    Reeve of Sacramento
    Bishop of the Lancea et Sanctum
    Priscus of Clan Gangrel
    Aspect of the Predator

    Sacramento ••••
    Lancea Sanctum •
    Gangrel ••••

    Blush of Life active in public
    AotP disabled in Court


    1
    PRE

    Rather than beckon the man like some grumpy executive that doesn't take any time to properly greet his guests, Dillon opens the door himself, a handful of seconds after August knocks. Most would probably expect a ghoul, or some other servant, to pull this simple duty, but the Reeve is very much hands-on.

    That, and he's become too fond of the girl he'd intended to ghoul to subject her to that, just yet. And regardless of how useful she could be to have around even without that bond, she isn't ready for Elysium. Or for other Kindred.

    "Priscus Galloway," Dillon begins with a friendly smirk, before stepping aside and waving Gus in with a muted gesture. "Good evening; come in and be comfortable."

    You'd never know that he'd been angry enough to impale the man, during Court. But then, Dillon doesn't hold on to petty things like that. Not that he forgets, he just doesn't let it distract him from honest courtesy. Aiding his fresh start attitude, is that he had muscled the hellhound into relative submission at feeling the press of a weaker predator through the auditory cue of August's knock. So by the time Dillon appears to the Ventrue, there is no heated snarl of challenge bleeding through from his inner demon.

    The room looks largely as it did the last time The Reeve had guests. The large, dark-stained oak desk dominates the center of the back wall, pulled away far enough that the Reeve can comfortably sit on the other side and see the door while he's buried in paperwork. There are two squashy black sofas in the middle of the room, facing each other in front of the desk. The coffee table between them is spread with various texts. Open volumes being cross-referenced with one another. At first glance, it seems to be alternate accounts of modern music history. Not all of the pieces, be they books or periodicals or computer printouts, are from an American source. Most are not. Some are even obvious translations.

    Various eccentricities adorn the walls. There are two large bookcases, packed to bursting with volumes. There appears to be no uniformity to their placement. Only some are aligned in the classic proper sense, standing up with the spine facing out. Most of them are stacked every other way possible, and some are just standing on the lip of a shelf in front of the books behind it; because it's the only available space.

    There are a few maps on the wall, all of Sacramento. Some new and modern, at least one is fairly old.

    Dillon himself is revealed to be very casual-looking in a pristine white dress shirt and nice jeans. The sleeves are rolled up to the thickness of his forearm, and the top few buttons are undone, but he's just a tie and dinner jacket away from something more formal.
    Be polite. Be courteous. Show professionalism. And have a plan to kill everyone in the room.

    Blood Potency •••••
    Presence ••• (Disarming)
    Striking •• (Boyish Good looks)

  3. #3
    Jaqen's Avatar

    Katsuro Tomori

    As Connery approached he could feel the larger demon on the side of the door. He almost recoiled, before he felt the pressure ease away. Even for the Icarians willful blood Dillon Connery had a terrifying beast slumbering beneath that humane exterior. August took less than a second of thought about the strength of will the Gangrel Priscus had to reign in such a terrifying thing and greet him so pleasantly.

    "Bishop Connery, he said with a polite bow before entering, setting the tone for the meeting as he ran his thumb along his bloodlines crest etched upon a silver ring. It was a simple reminder of where he came from...and why he was here. He was about to speak again as he took in the office. It was more than he expected...first Madame Hazleton, and now the Reeve both surprised August by going against the grain of clan stereotypes in certain ways. He smiled, genuinely pleased at all the books, maps and the like. Clearly he approved of the Bishops taste.

    "Thank you for your hospitality" he said, that southern drawl rolling on. "And for your kindness when we last interacted." he said pausing to look at the Reeves reaction before continuing as he waited next to a seat close to the desk, but did not sit until Dillon did himself.

    "I know your time is valuable, so I'll cut to the chase. I'm here for Confession and atonement." he watched more closely now. How, he wondered deeply, would the Bishop react? His sire held confession, and usually there was a hefty price to be paid. More than one scar from a whip was permanently added to the back of the Icarian as a reminder of his failures in the past, his back itched thinking about it, but he showed no discomfort. His Will wouldn't allow for that.
    Katsuro Tomori Presence 1 (Reserved) H:7 V:5 (Blush) W:6 French Japanese English

  4. #4
    Dillon Connery's Avatar

    Onward Christian Soldier
    DILLON CONNERY

    Regent of Valencia
    Reeve of Sacramento
    Bishop of the Lancea et Sanctum
    Priscus of Clan Gangrel
    Aspect of the Predator

    Sacramento ••••
    Lancea Sanctum •
    Gangrel ••••

    Blush of Life active in public
    AotP disabled in Court


    1
    PRE

    As they fully engage the room following Dillon's press of the door to a close behind them, The Reeve listens closely to August's drawl. It was mostly his mother that raised the Gangrel during his mortal life, after all, and she was deeply Southern. A well to do French Creole gal that his father had met during his military service. His childhood took place primarily in North Carolina. So he knows well the nuances of the accent. During Dillon's unguarded moments, he probably doesn't sound a great deal different, himself.

    But playing the ever traveling Gangrel for seventeen decades had left him with a much more average diction in public. He speaks the way he does to make sure he is clear - that nothing is mistaken - and to avoid tiring questions.

    "For what it's worth," he comments, taking the same seat near his desk on the couch directly opposite of the one August selects, "I admire and appreciate your willingness to come to the aid of your family, as you did. Clan Ventrue has been without a truly dedicated Priscus for some time."

    His thoughts turn briefly to Ariana Donovan, as they frequently do. The pendant she had gifted him, hanging below where it would be visible under his shirt, feels heavier on his chest, for a moment.

    Dillon is pretty sure, by the talking-to Asa had been seen giving his Clan table in Court, that it had already been explained that the southern Lord's timing was at fault rather than his intervention. So Dillon doesn't repeat this.

    He takes in the use of the Bishop title, along with the statement of Confession and Atonement, with a moment's silence. Settled back into the couch, with one arm stretched along the back, Dillon taps the arm rest with his lowered hand. It seems to be of the rhythm that his thoughts are running.

    The silence actually only lasts for a second or two.

    "Are you a member of any of the other Covenants, Priscus Galloway?" he probes, curiously. He figured if Gus had been of the Spear, it would have been mentioned by now. The man had struck him as an Invictus type, but Ventrue tend to cause that general assumption regardless. Maybe that's what this is. The First and Second Estates are very close. One Dillon's previous Coterie mates had been Chicago's Commissioner, after all.
    Be polite. Be courteous. Show professionalism. And have a plan to kill everyone in the room.

    Blood Potency •••••
    Presence ••• (Disarming)
    Striking •• (Boyish Good looks)

  5. #5
    Jaqen's Avatar

    Katsuro Tomori

    August smiles at the Bishops commendation of his actions, though he doesn't bring up anymore detail. At least not yet. Upon the question of other covenants, he almost paused to think of a proper response...except that this was Confession. The only proper response the moment he came here asking for such is the truth.

    "I...am currently petitioning to join the Invictus, and have sworn an Oath to His Excellency in service. My more immediate Family however, my Sire, his Sire before him stretching back to the Archbishop Icarius have all been Sanctified." he exhaled. Dillon knew, or at least could gauge from his beast the 190 year old Ventrue didn't need to exhale. It wasn't a habit, breathing. Unless he was talking or in the public eye...the exhale was one of weight. His bloodline had a certain reputation amongst the Second Estate and he could only wonder what the Bishop thought of it.
    Katsuro Tomori Presence 1 (Reserved) H:7 V:5 (Blush) W:6 French Japanese English

  6. #6
    Dillon Connery's Avatar

    Onward Christian Soldier
    DILLON CONNERY

    Regent of Valencia
    Reeve of Sacramento
    Bishop of the Lancea et Sanctum
    Priscus of Clan Gangrel
    Aspect of the Predator

    Sacramento ••••
    Lancea Sanctum •
    Gangrel ••••

    Blush of Life active in public
    AotP disabled in Court


    1
    PRE

    Dillon nods, knowing as well as any Sanctified what Icarian blood meant. Julianne Cross had been one, and has now apparently betrayed him and the Spear in her madness and zealotry. It can be a troubling burden to carry, if one's Bloodline had a generally negative reputation. And God knows the Gangrel Priscus himself has become predisposed against certain divisions of his own Clan over the past few years. He hasn't met a Taifa or Bruja in a long time that didn't immediately prove themselves to be arrogant children.

    "Well it's good to hear that you're not calling for Confession merely from a desire to placate my ego, or sense of ethics." A crooked smile threatens to tug at the corner of his mouth; the side that always smiles higher than the other. It's presented with some levity in order to not sound... disparaging. Non-Sanctified Kindred coming to Confession, like Mass, is hardly unheard of.

    "First," he verbally changes gears, lifting one foot to rest his ankle across his knee, then drapes his hand casually across that ankle. He can feel the folded Bali-song hooked onto the side of his boot and under the hem of his jeans. Not that he's about to whip it out and stab Gus or anything, but the knife was a Christmas gift. From Martha, several years ago. And it reminds him of her inevitably whenever he notices the comfort of its weight.

    "Do you understand why I suggested that you and Roderick Pearson go straight to Seneschal Villiers and apologize for not paying attention to her Acknowledgement presentation? My words were vague, and terse." Because it was Court, and the Reeve has no interest in explaining his judgement to anyone in a Domain's Elysium that he presides as Sheriff over. "And may not have come across clearly enough."

    He also noted that neither of them had done it. And he wonders if either of them had spoken to her in the interim time. Of course, Dillon understands why they were probably reticent. The little woman was getting swarmed, at the time. He'd been a hair short of striding straight over and batting away the neonates himself.

    So it's an awkward position. With no easy answer for the guys in the hot seat.

    Nobody ever said the Danse Macabre was easy.
    Be polite. Be courteous. Show professionalism. And have a plan to kill everyone in the room.

    Blood Potency •••••
    Presence ••• (Disarming)
    Striking •• (Boyish Good looks)

  7. #7
    Jaqen's Avatar

    Katsuro Tomori

    "No, I think it's clear you're not a man to be played so easily. You are, in my estimation a man of actions and flattery I think will not get me terrifically far. I come to confession because my Pride has lead me astray not just in stepping out of line at court...though I'm sure we'll address those other issues shortly. It, like any other demon needs to be kept in check." he said with a slightly more serious tone, it was still conversational, but the Ventrue Priscus wanted to be clear. This was not a social visit, it was a cleansing of his beast.

    "I...was unsure as to your reasoning for both of us approaching the Seneschal. At the time I thought it was a means of further embarrassment, again my Pride talking...I watched for a time, and listened where I could and have found you are more fair than other Reeves have been in the past. So I don't think embarrassment was your reasoning any longer. I did not approach the Seneschal immediately, I'll just be upfront about that. She was extremely busy at the time, it was not a ducking of responsibility but a matter of etiquette. However, after council with His Grace, Prince Clarke suggested a letter would be more appropriate. I attempted a compromise, between your order and his. I've sent a letter asking for a chance to meet when her schedule allows. I hope you find that amicable?" he asks looking curiously at Dillon.
    Katsuro Tomori Presence 1 (Reserved) H:7 V:5 (Blush) W:6 French Japanese English

  8. #8
    Dillon Connery's Avatar

    Onward Christian Soldier
    DILLON CONNERY

    Regent of Valencia
    Reeve of Sacramento
    Bishop of the Lancea et Sanctum
    Priscus of Clan Gangrel
    Aspect of the Predator

    Sacramento ••••
    Lancea Sanctum •
    Gangrel ••••

    Blush of Life active in public
    AotP disabled in Court


    1
    PRE

    Dillon could continue all night, if he were cruel. His next response could be to casually and 'innocently' imply that August must have thought he really dodged a bullet by seeking an alternate solution with the Prince himself. To make it abundantly clear to the Ventrue Priscus that he isn't going to evade Dillon merely through Blood and Covenant connections with Asa.

    But the Reeve isn't that cruel. Not tonight, at least. He'd placed August and Roderick in an awkward position on purpose, true. But less out of anger at them or a desire to shame them, and more to see what they would do. And at least August had come clean.

    "The fact of the matter is," Dillon begins to elaborate, "Seneschal Villiers takes great pains and care to put together a comprehensive set of information for new Kindred. It quite clearly explains the rule of Elysium, His Majesty's Praxis, and identifies me as the one directly responsible for upholding the Law. Both of you failed to respect at least one of those items, forcing me to the conclusion that you merely didn't pay attention to her, or that you intended to directly oppose me in Court. I gave you both the benefit of the doubt and assumed the former. If I had assumed the latter, like many sheriffs might exercise their privilege to, we wouldn't be having this conversation until you awoke from Torpor."

    None of it is delivered with hostility. It's the simple truth of how the Danse works.

    "There will never be any debate about how the Reeve applies the Prince's Praxis. I make the judgement, fairly, allowing for mitigating arguments or pleas when I deem them reasonable and not before. Only the Prince himself may alter my decision, at his pleasure. And we both know that I can't be seen caving before other Kindred in Court, no matter how much I may empathize with their perspective, or understand their good intentions."

    He gives a wave of his hand, before settling it against the knife under his pant leg again. "But I'm sure by now you understand that it was your timing that was in error."

    While August has time to mull that over, the Gangrel Bishop considers his position. It is several seconds of silence before he asks: "How long has it been since your last Confession?"
    Be polite. Be courteous. Show professionalism. And have a plan to kill everyone in the room.

    Blood Potency •••••
    Presence ••• (Disarming)
    Striking •• (Boyish Good looks)

  9. #9
    Jaqen's Avatar

    Katsuro Tomori

    "I understand your reasoning completely." August returns verbally, with an easy going smile to the Reeves fair admonishment. While some young blood might have a more modern day view of what was fair, August remembered the old definition. Fair meant an eye for an eye. He had stepped out of line, and in return was delivered an equal admonishment and that was what fair was.

    Honestly, part of me panicked when I heard your clan mate yell across the room. Mr. Pearson is...shaping up now. But his steps in the danse aren't solid yet. I'm aiming to correct his imbalance however...I was almost positive you were going to stake him then and there. It was the only reason I didn't think before I acted, however my misstep will not happen again, Reeve Connery. Also, if it makes any difference I have been granting focus on your titles and duties as Reeve in the Acknowledgements I have given to my Clan mates since then." he bowed his head momentarily, an act of respect as the Gangrel Priscus gave a pause before he asked when the Ventrues last confession was...to which August pulled out a pocket watch.

    It has been 3 months, 2 days....and 8 hours since my last confession, Bishop Connery."
    Katsuro Tomori Presence 1 (Reserved) H:7 V:5 (Blush) W:6 French Japanese English

  10. #10
    Jaqen's Avatar

    Katsuro Tomori

    Pokes a Wolven Pryde
    Katsuro Tomori Presence 1 (Reserved) H:7 V:5 (Blush) W:6 French Japanese English

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